#Infinity Knowledge Academy

[inspectorspacetimerevisited]

The Inspector spoke of how the Sergeant stared into the Unbound Abyss and, unlike most Infinity Knight candidates, went mad when it stared back into him.

Yet, the Sergeant managed to graduate from Infinity Knight Academy to become the rogue that they are today.

[fleshandregret]

Were there always 𝘵𝘸𝘰 beasts of deceit?

☆.A list of general headcanons about an au where the witches decided to divide the knowledge in two. Can also be read as: i hate that everyone thinks that Shadow Milk basically kidnaps people instead of being able to love someone and actually be understood :D

☆. This was originally meant to be an au with my oc but I tried to keep the personality for the reader as neautral as possible, no gender or anything specified because if I see that I'm supposed to have long blonde hair one more time I'm gonna kms. 　　

☆. Isn't really nsfw but there is a "suggestive" part, like they don't fuck but it's implicit so before someone comes for my head I WARNED YOU. Anyway I hope you enjoy it :}.

☆. Also english isn't my first language so I'm genuinely sorry if there are any mistakes :/.

-First of all I prefer to think that you didn't meet Shadow Milk after he became the beast of deceit. To have someone understand him in such a deep way it's only possible if you were there since the origin of everything, even his. It's not impossible to imagine how heavy all the knowledge is to bear so it would make sense if the witches decided to divide it in 𝘵𝘸𝘰, no?

-Not everyone knows that it wasn't one being that held all the knowledge in their head but two similar cookies, always together since the start and unable to physically stay away from each other for a long amount of time. It wasn't far fetched to say that after the creation of the academy people considered you to be his shadow and him yours. There wasn't one moment where you two could be found more than ten meters apart and the reason was kind of obvious, even if not to many people. You were each other's half without wanting it to be, if knowledge started with him the only possible outcome was for it to finish with you.

-As much as the weight of knowing literally 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 held the both of you from forming meaningful relationships with other cookies (ignoring the beasts obviously) it didn't mean that you became hermits and went away from society, especially since your role was to spread information and teach others. It was after years and years of having to face thousands of different cookies everyday and try to help them with the infinity of informations you had that it became more of a burden to you.

-If years ago others seemed happy to know every kind of possible thing in Crispia, now it felt as if you were being rude by telling them those truths. Needless to say that having someone able to understand perfectly helped the both of you overcome those moments and push forward. And even if things made you tired it was always okay because you knew that he would have always been there to comfort you and vice versa.

-But the situation changed. It changed that one faithful day when the witches you held so dear to your hearts told you that it wasn't enough, that even if all the cookies preferred 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘵 you couldn't agree with them and ignore it because only they could and not 𝘺𝘰𝘶, not the perfect duo they created to spread 𝘵𝘩𝘦 word. From that point on it only went downhill, the two of you agreed that it wasn't 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳, it wasn't 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 that only you had to suffer because of those rules and standards while the others could live happily and in ignorance.

-It took some time for the other beasts to start noticing how unfair life was to them too and one by one they fell, the only ones you could think of as friends being held back by forks and chains while you had to pretend that your life was happy. After that everything changed, the knowledge and truth you were supposed to spread became the base for misinformation and lies, those very things the other cookies liked some much became your routine until at some point the witches stopped you, they did what you saw years before being done to your closest friends only now you were being both sealed away in some damn tree for what you thought would have been the rest of eternity.

-Shadow Milk and you weren't the fountain of knowledge anymore, to them at least, but all those things didn't vanish from your minds, all the informations, lies and painful memories were still in your heads like a sea during a storm, unable to stop and become peaceful like it once was. Conversations with the other beasts became rare over time, their rage towards the witches making them unable to care about a conversation with you. It was at that point in your lives that you really understood how important you were to each other, obviously you knew it already but now that it was nothing but you two it became palpable how your souls were interviewed and literally unable to be pulled apart. If the witches thought it a good idea to create two of you it was probably their biggest regret now.

———————

-It was after 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 that the damn tree opened and you realized that you didn't have your full power anymore. As if being imprisoned for a millenia wasn't enough they had to strip you of your soul jam and give it to some 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘥, like he had the right to use it while you two were left to your own demise. Anger, resentment and sadness were the only feelings that your hearts could feel for far too much time and after 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 who it was that stole your power they only heightened, now unable to really understand how was it 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 that everything that made you two who you were in the past was now held away from you while your mere existence was considered a crime.

-The only luck on your side was the one that made you have enough power to escape the situation and find refuge in what was years before known as the spire of knowledge, now a place full of dust and old memories that could once again be considered your home. It's probably thanks to that too that you were, even if only a little, able to partially calm down and concentrate on the situation at hand and how to face those 𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 and regain your power back.

———————

-As for the relationship I'd say that the start was probably the hardest part, but only like the first few days because after those it felt as if you were literally made for each other (lol you were). The type of relationship and friendship where you two are able to talk about everything, and in your case literally 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, from how the universe was made to why some rats look better when they become taxidermy than when they were alive.

-Your life was a constant presence in his and the same was for you, it should feel bad to always be around someone but with him it was as if everything around you was still and the only moving things were the two of you. Needless to say that in the years at the academy you couldn't really show affection to each other because of the list of students always surrounding you two to ask things regarding previous lessons, and even if you two lived together the time was mostly spent working to improve lives and not to really live yours.

-All this started to change when you opted for the lies and deceit road, now able to talk to each other for more than ten minutes at a time and to maybe sleep at least six hours. This obviously meant that your lives were spent differently, you didn't have to care about others too much so it came natural to care about each other even more than before. Now it wasn't a problem if you two were found kissing each other before a lesson and if someone dared to say something bad about it they would 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 have no one to talk to the next day. Totally not because one some rumor that started spreading about them, oh no no, you misunderstand really it was only his fault that made the situatuon escalate like that and so quickly.

-Needless to say that over time people noticed a pattern and opted for staying away from you, not that you minded obviously, it only meant that you two would have finally been able to start living like a normal couple and not like the embodiments of all knowledge. By this I mean that general affection became routine, cooking together every morning was now the norm and things like spending time reading on the couch or watching a movie could finally be considered normal days and not like some kind of taboo.

-The almost non existent 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 moments that for a long time were almost nothing more than an escape from the harsh reality out there were now finally moments of pleasure between two lovers. The attraction you felt for each other now had the time to be expressed and the shame you almost felt in the past seemed to never have existed in the first place.

-Obviously all of this came to an halt when the tree took all you beasts in 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 and it's kind of obviously to say that when it spat you out the first thing you did when arriving at the spire wasn't dusting the shelves and sweeping the floors.

-Now your life could begin again, even if the anger you both felt towards Pure Vanilla was the prime subject of your discussions that doesn't mean that your life as a couple magically ended. It was after some time that other cookies decided to work for you, the first one was obviously Black Sapphire and after some time Candy Apple joined too. As much as it seemed strange at first to have other people living with you, even if not in the same section of the spire, they grew on you both after some time, not that they could be considered your kids but when you started helping the younger one with choosing the hairstyles she preferred for the day and which dress fit her better it did start to feel as if you were some kind of family. As dysfunctional as it could be obviously, but a family nonetheless.

-After the years spent in the tree the clingy side of him started shining through, not that you minded but it sure was way different than the past. It wasn't as if your personal space stopped to exist since you both were always together but a thousand years ago he probably would have never opted for walking with a hand around your waist or literally making out in public, be it in front of servants or cookies like Gingerbrave and his friends. Speaking of that: the expressions on their faces when they first entered the Spire and saw that Shadow Milk wasn't alone but with someone literally sitting on his lap was priceless. What followed was them shouting at him to free you of whatever kind of brainwashing technique he used, only to have you kissing him and showing them your wedding band as an answer. After that they looked more confused than before but it surely wasn't your problem.

-It took some time for you to get used to his way of talking with the others, you too obviously changed and had to craft a mask to show the others and protect your real self but the difference between when he talked with you and when he interacted with other cookies always managed to leave you speechless. After years it became routine and even kind of funny to listen to him talk in such an exaggerated way, only to ask him something and listen to him change his voice completely to the one you always knew.

-Well needless to say that people can believe that the perfect couple doesn't exist but we all know that the world is indeed full of lies, is it not?

[itsaliveblog]

Joaquin Torres age / Captain America timeline speculation?? Bear with me lol.

So Sam Wilson (allegedly) has the same birthdate as Anthony Mackie: 1978. That puts him at 40 during Infinity war, which takes place in 2018. Post Blip, he's technically still 40, in 2023. Falcon and Winter Soldier takes place in 2024 (6 months after Infinity War) Sam is 41—enter Joaquin Torres.

In 2024 (FATWS), Joaquin is a first lieutenant in the Airforce. It takes 24 months to go from lieutenant 2nd grade to 1st grade. Officers graduate as a 2nd grade lieutenant. Assuming Joaquin went to the Air Force Academy, a four year program, and did the typical straight-out-of-high-school 18-22, he's minimum 24 years old. (Notes: You have to be 17-23 years old to enroll in the academy, but given most high school grads are 18, we'll assume he's 18. PS: their mascot is a falcon which is fucking cute. PPS: If he didn't do the academy, he would still have done a four year program w/ROTC to become a 2nd Lt)

Now, the Captain America: Brave New World timeline is potentially a bit fuzzy. It happened after Eternals obvs, which is pegged at the latter-half of 2024. It apparently takes place 16 years after The Incredible Hulk (set 2010) putting it at 2026 (presumably beginning with a 2025 election). But Sam mentions he's been working with Torres for 3 years, which would likely be 2024-2027. And a sharp-eyed redditor notices the Presidential invitation literally says April 2027, so here we are lol.

TL;DR, CA:BNW is canonically set in 2027, Joaquin is minimum 27 years old. Sam is canonically 44 (at least "biologically" for lack of a better term lol).

Additional notes/Alternate interpretations:

Joaquin has some pretty specific tech knowledge that could well have required another degree, or special training, potentially adding some years before FATWS.

Following the Sam Wilson/Anthony Mackie birthday precedent, Joaquin could have been born the same year as Danny Ramirez: 1992. Having survived the snap, he would be 35 in 2027.

Danny Ramirez is 33 as of the 2025 movie release. BUT filming took place in 2023, so he was 31 on screen.

Given Joaquin’s very Gen Z vibes, his age probably maxes out around 31.

Oh, and idk if it's even worth mentioning, Joaquin is clearly not the 17 year old high school grad from the 2015 comic run. Because of the canonically mentioned lieutenant rank in FATWS.

Anyway, I spent a few hours in a research hole for fic purposes, and maybe you want to avoid that. Okay I love you bye.

PS: fwiw I’ve settled on 30 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (because I am an old lol. And according to the apocryphal 'half your age plus seven' the 14 year age gap passes the bar lmao)

[isephierreo]

Sothis' design symbols and colors are frequently represented in nabataeans design, game's UI and many more. In this post, we will address all of this.

Stars

These magical points of light would have always reminded people of other worlds and heavenly powers. According to spiritualists and astrologers, the stars transmit certain messages and energies that affect our own world. Stars are often seen as magical and mysterious, reflecting the mysteries of the universe. Also, the star would hold the meaning to something higher, beautiful, enlightening, mighty, and divine. All of these things unmistakably represent everything Sothis is in a game. The stars also symbolize guidance on the right path (either literally or figuratively), a role played by Sothis, Byleth, and Rhea in game.

Heart

The heart often symbolizes love and passion, but it also symbolizes spirit, the essence of life and strength, and this is in line with the concept of the crest of flames as the source of Sothis' power. Furthermore, the crest of flames is in the stylized shape of a heart, and in the Sothis' design it appears literally inside a heart in her necklace.

The similarity of the design of Sothis to the Nabataeans

In order to understand the method of my explanation of the similarity of the nabateans design with Sothis' tiara, I divided the crown parts and named each part as follows: P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, and P9.

Surely many have noticed that Rhea's adornment is very similar to that of Sothis, while the patterns on her cape are similar to those of Sothis' dress and the crest of flames. 

She has P1 and P2 in her outfit as Seiros.

Like Rhea, Seteth has in both his diadem and belt frame and tassels similar parts to that of Sothis’ tiara, but in a more stylized form as pictured below.

While Flayn's barrette may not look like the parts of Sothis' tiara at first glance, they are in fact stylized P1, P2/P3, and P5.

The distinctive pattern that Seteth and Flayn share looks like a stylized of Sothis' knot, and even the pattern on Seteth's back is similar to a P3.

Even the pendant owned by Sitri is the same as the P8.

Colors

Sothis generally wears blue (specifically dark blue), which is the color of the star Sirius. However, it is very important to note that the Sothis' ribbons are distinguished by the color white, which in Buddhist culture and most world cultures symbolizes learning, purity, longevity and knowledge, and pink symbolizes the traditional Buddha. So we see Sothis in crests mural wearing only white and pink. (I avoided golden and black because I felt that they are just colors used in general in design)

Besides, all the Nabateans wear the same Sothis’ color scheme, white, blue, golden and black.

The only color they lack is pink, which only Byleth and Seiros wear in her hair band.

The Byleth's dagger also has the same Sothis' color scheme, representing the relationship they have. But I guess I'll talk more about Byleth's design in another post.

The rainbow fish bestowing the Goddess Messenger has the same Sothis' color scheme.

I know that I ignored black and golden, and I know that some may think that the uniform colors of the Officers Academy represent the names of the three houses, but it also specifically represents the Sothis' color scheme, and evidence of this is the white shirts, and the dark blue which is the same color as Sothis' dress.

Its house leader insignia is similar to P1 and P4.

The pattern in uniform has P1 motifs, as does the infinity motif in Sothis' necklace.

The uniform brooch is stylized for P1, P3 and P4, but in rhombus pattern style.

Speaking of the rhombus pattern, some must have noticed it given its presence a lot in the game, and in any product for it. Sometimes 4 rhombuses major are combined to form a four-pointed star, and sometimes 4 rhombus minors are also combined with the major ones to form an eight-pointed star. The eight-pointed star is the one that represents Sothis and the Nabateans in general, which symbolizes god, protection, and victory. Over the years, it has also taken on different meanings due to a variety of cultures and customs adopting it. In many cultures the eight-pointed star is also a symbol of harmony, spirit, and matter. You could even think of this star shape as two superimposed squares that form the basis for the universe. Sometimes a square is confused with a rhombus, especially since a rhombus can also form an eight-pointed star with a square. 

This pattern is present in many parts of the game, including white magic units, church npc, and the pattern found in Rhea and Gilbert outfits.

The pattern found in Cathedral.

And in many UI game.

There are also many UI that contain a Sothis' design, as shown in the image below.

[the-worms-in-your-bones]

New Who lore notes: The Timeless Children

I do not agree with the idea that the master could destroy gallifrey all by himself, especially a post war gallifrey that is much more willing to use violence and weapons

‘Remember when we used to run through those streets as children? The alleys where we’d hid from borusa as we skipped classes?’ → master says this while pointing at the citadel, implying that the academy was within the citadel (yay, learning where the fuck things are on gallifrey)

‘The citadel at the heart of gallifrey’ → well this doesn’t say much about where on gallifrey the citadel is, but does confirm it as sort of the hub of time lord society

Decor seems a lot more orange than we’ve seen it previously

Panopticon mention

There’s a statue of some time lord just in whatever room they’re in (which seems to be just off the panopticon), unclear who they are

Panopticon where academy graduation is held apparently

There are those weird ball shaped lamps that we see in the arc of infinity

Parts of floor and wall are decorated with circular gallifreyan, seal of rassilon is also in places

They show the two suns in the shots of the citadel

‘Next to the panopticon, the chamber of the matrix’ (not doing it here, because i don’t really care, but in good time lord fashion, half of those words are capitalized)

‘The repository of all time lord knowledge, a databank of every time lord consciousness, living and dead. Every experience and every memory. The lived history of our race’ → honestly a very good description of the matrix

There’s a circle door

The paralysis field seems to exist as a part of the matrix chamber (idk unless the master put it there), and the use of it causes the doctor pain, i’m sure the time lords weren’t using that for anything nefarious

The whole timeless child thing is buried pretty deep (and there doesn’t really seem to be any actual indication that something was hidden in the matrix since the master just happened to stumble upon it while hacking into it, there wasn’t any specific big block of restricted info from what it seems)

‘This is going to hurt’ → is it just that going that deep into the matrix hurts, or that being forced into the matrix like that hurts

Inside of matrix is basically a void, the master is able to talk to the doctor from the outside, and also project himself inside the matrix

Gallifrey before the time lords not very well known, also sparsely populated

Tecteun was an explorer, early gallifreyans not isolationist (though we already knew that, but still, it’s lore so it gets written), though she was the first to develop space travel apparently

Shobogans indigenous species of gallifrey

Also that shot of gallifrey from space makes it look like it’s on fire, i know it’s always been presented as pretty orange and all that, but this may be a bit much in my opinion

Interesting that all this stuff about tecteun is in the matrix given that it was from the time before the time lords

The child's regeneration was the first regeneration on gallifrey

The great cyber war → mildly unclear if gallifrey was involved or the master was

‘I burned this citadel’ → so what if he just destroyed the citadel, because i can buy that way more than him destroying all of gallifrey

Master can have his consciousness in his body and in the matrix at the same time → now he is a pretty good telepath, but i figure this is also something that any time lord could learn to so

A time lord experimenting on a child for her own gain, yeah that tracks

‘They became a self appointed ruling elite

White and gold robes → this guy has to be president right

‘The timeless child became the base genetic code for all gallifreyans within the citadel. The civilization which renamed themselves, with characteristic pomposity, time lords’

Early collars also seem to have the seal of rassilon on them

Number of regenerations limited to twelve

The doctor is the timeless child

‘Brains’ → hey master can you talk a bit more about time lord brain structure

The doctor is moving around in the matrix while her actual body is standing unconscious in the matrix chamber, similarly the masters real body is out there running around while he’s also in the matrix talking to the doctor → i was gonna make a point about the matrix and it being a pseudo physical space, but then i forgot what i was going to say

‘Our founding parents wanted a noble creation myth for the time lords, born to rule’ → this seems to imply that only the founders actually knew about the timeless child and just made up a myth about how they came to be to tell everyone else (also there’s something to be said here about the use of ‘founding parents’, like i know founding fathers is a pretty common phrase, but still, given the time lords this could absolutely be something they get real weird about)

‘Why would they lie? Why would they do that’ → look you’ve understood the time lords pretty well throughout this whole episode, but i refuse to believe the doctor would be surprised by them lying (i’m gonna say this is because she doesn’t quite know how to process this information and is just saying things based on emotion alone)

The matrix around them is no longer a grey void, but a landscape with all the color taken out of it

‘The policy of the time lords is clear, strict non intervention in other worlds and times. However, policy and reality sometimes diverge’ → yeah man they sure do, kind of funny to actually hear them say this though

‘There are times where it is necessary to intervene. That is the purpose of the division’ → hey, what about my guys at the cia

‘The division does not exist. The division does not have operatives’ → look, look, this could be a weird branch of the cia, hear me out (though it would be interesting to have an organization meant to deal specifically with the secret of the timeless child, something the founders want to keep from the rest of the time lords so badly they won’t even let their top secret spy organisation know about it)

Also liking the costumes here, they seem robe like (though we really only see them sitting down, and mostly get shots of shoulders up, so it’s not the best perspective) and layered with high collars

‘Everything from here is redacted, blocked out, all but erased’ → information deleted from the matrix so people wouldn’t find it out

A filter was put over the memories of the timeless child so that people who happened to find it would just pass it over, thinking it was nothing special

The master kept the bodies of the timelords he killed → i guess he did something to make sure they didn’t regenerate, but yet the cyber converted time lords still have the ability to regenerate it seems

‘Are you the matrix playing more games with me’ → matrix has the ability to do things on its own

‘The matrix is sapping all of the energy out of me’

Doctor able to overwhelm the matrix with her memories

I really wonder who those time lord statues in the matrix chamber are supposed to be of

Also this happened a bit ago, but there were three time lord founders → tecteun is the other, thank you for coming to my ted talk

‘She’s clever. I'm clever. We’re all clever. All of us.’ → time lord plurality moment

‘No humans on gallifrey’ → doctor, i fear that the ancient laws of gallifrey (that have long been broken (and taken down) at this point) are the least of our problems here (though it does really show that even despide the everything of the past twenty minutes that we’ve learned, the doctor is still fundamentally a time lord)

Doctor able to find the master just by sensing his mind → wonder how well any time lord can do this with any other time lord, or is her ability to do this connected to the fact that they are very familiar with each other and each other's minds

They don’t say contact before talking to each other in their minds → not necessary, but probably a formality given you are literally entering another person's mind (not that the doctor and master actually care about that for each other at this point, but that tracks)

They’re in a tardis now → were they near the tardis bays then, or was there just one lying around

And the doctor is planning to destroy gallifrey for a third time, they have to stop making them do this

I want to be disappointed that the door didn’t make the fun dor sound, but also i think that’s just a big finish sound effect, still that sci-fi door sound was less fun

‘All those bodies still in the vaults’ → i do wonder if they’re more in some kind of stasis between regenerations than truly dead

And bye bye gallifrey, again

[gallifreyanhotfive]

Random Doctor Who Facts You Might Not Know, Part 42

The Mara jumped from Tegan into the Fifth Doctor, then also affected Nyssa and Turlough. The Mara will stay with them all forever in the back of their minds. (Audio: The Cradle of the Snake)

The Brigadier has forced the Fourth Doctor to write apology and thank you letters before but always thoroughly edits them to make them more polite or completely rewrites it himself if they're too rude. (Novel: The Time Lord Letters)

Turlough had a childhood sweetheart named Deela. Since they had been teenagers, they decided to make the key to the vault of his winter palace their literal kiss. (Audio: Kiss of Death)

The Third Doctor taught Jo Venusian aikido. (Audio: The Sacrifice of Jo Grant)

While at the Academy, the Doctor wrote a paper dissecting romantic love. He concluded that love was nothing but chemicals and metabolites. His professor gave him an absolutely dreadful grade on it because the Doctor missed the point of the assignment entirely. (Audio: The Wormery)

The TARDIS recalls that the Ninth Doctor was beaten after losing a war "against Death." She misses this incarnation. (Short story: What the TARDIS thought of "Time Lord Victorious")

The TARDIS had a lot of issues trying to translate Peri's accent. (Audio: The Lost Planet)

Putting the sonic screwdriver through the laundry can result in all the dirt molecules being agitated until it forms a mud creature. (Comic: Laundro-Room of Doom)

The Eighth Doctor once became depressed with his model train set because he wanted something less perfect. After he returned from an adventure, he found that a disaster had occurred among his model trains. When he went to clean up, he saw that the miniature people in his train set had started putting things right, so he decided to let them fix it themselves and hopefully learn things from the experience. (Short story: Model Train Set)

At one point, the Doctor switched out the TARDIS stereo system for a micromodulator switch, which is capable of shrinking things, and forgot about it. The Tenth Doctor and Rose were accidentally shrunk using it, and while shrunk, he got stuck in a spider web. (Comic: Which Switch?)

Type 1 TARDISes were notoriously temperamental and sometimes attacked and consumed the scientists working on them. When the Eleventh Doctor managed to calm one down after winding up in early Gallifrey, Rassilon noticed this and had him work on developing Type 1s, taking advantage of his advanced knowledge. (Comic: The Lost Dimension)

When these scientists had asked who the Doctor was, he eventually decided to let everyone call him Theta-Sigma. (Comic: The Lost Dimension)

Vortex drillers were used by early Gallifreyans to tunnel through the time vortex. They were discontinued because of the damage this did to time. They kind of looked like castles, but instead of turrets, there were drills. There would be altars for Gallifreyan cults inside, and they had mineralic circuitry. (Audio: The Auton Infinity)

The War Master once manipulated Jo into thinking that he was her uncle. (Audio: A Quiet Night In)

"Theta Sigma" was simply a unique identifier used by the Doctor in his youth. It should not be spoken out loud outside of the Academy (not that this ever stopped many people who knew him at the time). (Novel: Falls the Shadow)

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[leelarots]

How did you get into the extended universe or doctor who and specifically the academy era?

I've been wanting to get into it for a while but it's a bit overwhelming and I wouldn't know what to start with

hello! firstly, here are some links to lists of academy era media/facts with sources attached (gallifreyanhotfive in general has a large amount of knowledge about the extended universe)

https://decapedia.miraheze.org/wiki/Masterlist_of_Doctor_Who_Deca_stories

https://decapedia.miraheze.org/wiki/Masterlist_of_Doctor_Who_Academy_Era_stories

If you want to focus on theta and koschei, the "Master" audio is what I would recommend. that's the 'rock murder' story referenced so often in the fandom. if you wanted to focus on just theta, lungbarrow has some (perhaps controversial) details on his childhood and house.

↑

be aware I have not listened to "Master" or read lungbarrow

bookwise, many people will recommend reading Divided Loyalties—a fifth doctor story with an extensive flashback to when he was at the Academy with his friend group (the Deca)—and so do I. I wouldn't say it gives you a complete idea of every Deca member, but it has them all together, which is notable. It is also not as centred on theta and/or koschei, as with other academy era stories. I have read this book. multiple times.

__________________________________________

how I got into the extended universe is quite simple, though, and it was largely because of episodes of doctor who that mention their past, along with a crazy amount of headcanons. these are my recommendations*:

for deca characters:

• the time meddler (the monk, aka. mortimus)

• the war games (the war chief, aka. magnus)

• the mark of the rani, time and the rani (the rani, aka. ushas)

• the armageddon factor (drax, aka. drax... includes first mention of the nickname "theta sigma")

• the terror of the autons (first appearance of the master, aka. koschei)

for time lord lore:

• the time monster (I only include this one as it has the doctor's story about the hermit he met on gallifrey)

• the deadly assassin (has robes, time lord characters are on screen with personality etc)

• the three doctors (omega is in this so it gets in here)

• the brain of morbius (has the sisters of karn and morbius, also includes the infamous "morbius doctors"

• the invasion of time (includes gallifrey, the drylands, and more time lord characters)

• arc of infinity (more time lords... wowee)

*as of now, I have not watched part of 6's era, and none of 7's. my fault. I also don't include nuwho here, as gallifrey shows up very little, but ask if you want any examples from there.

using these episodes and mixing them with sparse facts spread out among any book that happens to mention the academy era is how I construct my headcanons. the last note I have is that I gleaned some things from the Missy audio series, the episode of "The Diary of River Song" (series 5, p1, The Bekdel Test), where she meets missy, and from the missy chronicles book. I like missy, can you tell?

[scarlet--wiccan]

Do you have any thoughts about how Avengers Academy - the new infinity comic - tackles its versions of younger Billy and Tommy and their connection with Mephisto and M’Kraan and Blackheart? I have very little knowledge of the circumstances of how Billy and Tommy came to be / their birth outside of it just being Weird, so I wanted to ask somebody who had more knowledge if there’s any merit in how this arc goes about it. (Also, do you like the new AA infinity comic? Im personally enjoying it, but I completely understand why people wouldn’t) sorry if someone else has already asked this or something similar also!!

Yep, I've written about this previously here and here, and I have a few more posts about the series in general that are all tagged as Avengers Academy. If you'd like to do some more reading on your own, my Scarlet Witch reading guide covers Billy and Tommy's birth, death, and reincarnation. I also have a more detailed explanation of what happened to the twins here.

To give a very brief summary-- Wanda became pregnant while channeling an enormous amount of magical power that allowed her to subliminally manifest her wish to start a family. Later, however, it was explained that even Wanda cannot create life from nothing, and she had unknowing made Billy and Tommy's souls using fragments of Mephisto's power, which had recently been scattered across the world. Sometime after they were born, Mephisto attempted to re-absorb the twins, but it caused a shock and he was dispersed once again. Mephisto eventually got better, but the twins were, supposedly, erased. In Young Avengers, however, they resurfaced as teenagers, having been apparently reincarnated in different families. They're also several years older than they should be. In Children's Crusade, Wanda explains that she had attempted to resurrect the twins by using her nexus powers to channel the planet's "Life Force," which is what caused her powers to go out of control in Disassembled + HoM. I suppose it's not explicitly clear, but I have always taken it as read that Wanda's resurrection spell worked, just not how she expected. Her heightened reality-warping can account for most of the weirdness, including the timeline discrepancy with their ages.

In Avengers Academy and Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic, we learn that Billy and Tommy's souls survived as individual beings, but were trapped in Mephisto's Hell until they escaped through a rift caused by the M'Kraan Crystal, as part of larger story that ties together several important events in the Young Avengers' lives. This also further explains some of the timeline weirdness.

In theory, this is kind of a perfect retcon-- it adds onto the pre-existing story and fills in some gaps without altering or taking away from what was already there. The M'Kraan Crystal storyline itself was really cool, and I loved the reveal that it/she has been present in the Young Avengers lives for years-- especially finding out that she was the drag queen in War of the Realms and Empyre! What I don't love is that Oliveira consistently takes an HoM-era approach to Billy and Tommy's origins by invalidating Wanda's motherhood and casting her in a negative light. It's not faithful to what happened in the 80s, or how those relationships have been characterized in more recent comics-- and, honestly, I just think it's unfair. I may be reading into things too much, but Wanda's treatment around this storyline is loaded with very sensitive topics, so I can't help being critical.

I'm enjoying Blackheart's renaissance. If there's one thing Oliveira's great at, it's existential Catholic angst and Biblical deep-cuts, and it works perfectly here. But I also feel like there are times when he's a little too indulgent with his obsessions. Catholicism takes up a lot of air in this series, to the point where, sometimes, I can't help rolling my eyes. While nothing overtly offensive happened, I think that there was a lack of cultural sensitivity regarding Billy and Tommy's proximity to Mephisto. It's really not appropriate to make Jewish characters out to be devil-spawn, and, obviously, Oliveira didn't invent that storyline, but I think he literalized the idea in a way that was uncalled for, and immersed the characters in religious imagery that is not a good fit for either their Jewish or Romani background.

I have felt for years now that the whole Demiurge thing needed to be reworked. This new take works for me on multiple levels, but there are a few things that bother me. I really appreciate that, much like the new and improved Nexus lore in Scarlet Witch, this version of the Demiurge premise includes both Billy and Tommy on equal footing, and it fits into an existing part of the Marvel cosmology in a way that I find exciting. It is still frustratingly unclear what being the Demiurge actually means, although this is likely by design-- it makes more sense, in this case, to leave readers with a sense of intrigue. Best case scenario-- Billy and Tommy have some hand in either retroactively creating the M'Kraan Crystal, or are instrumental in creating some new world with the Academy's shard. Either way, I think it works better as a specific act or contribution, rather than implying that the characters will become omnipotent creator gods. It's the least interesting thing that could happen to any character-- I don't want it for Wanda, I don't want it for Billy, and I don't want it for either of their twins. Unfortunately, I do feel like Oliveira has hinted towards Billy being the architect of reality in previous comics. It doesn't do anything for me, and I worry that, somehow, he'll find a way to make that Catholic, too.

The thing that really bothers me is Tommy's time powers. I know everybody lost their minds when that happened, but here's the thing-- it's fanservice. This has been a popular fanon thing for years, and to me, allowing fanon to become canon almost always feels cheap, and again, indulgent. This might be a personal issue, but it's really hard for me to look past.

[ninapi]

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┊┊┊✧ ⁺ ⁺╚══ Infinity ╝

Premise: Kanae convinces Sanemi to go on a blind date in a combined effort from all the teachers at the academy to battle Sanemi’s imminent desolated future.

Word count: 3485

Note: This is setup in the Kimetsu Academy world, just so you know~ 😊

Part of a series. You can read the other two installments here: Giyuu, Rengoku.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Kimetsu Academy had been known for many years for having the best teachers there are for every single one of their subjects.

They’ve been single-handedly picked for their roles for a reason.

Shinazugawa Sanemi, being the one in charge of math, was the most hated one among the students.

Truth is, he was an amazing teacher. He was extremely knowledgeable and was able to solve the hardest equations within seconds, making everyone else look like an idiot.

The problem with him wasn’t particularly the fact that he was a genius in his field, but his character.

It was virtually impossible to please this man.

If you didn’t bring your homework, you’d have to run around the school for the entire morning. If you did it but had wrong answers, you had to run around the school for the entire morning.

If you spoke out of turn, you’d have to clean the classroom on your own after class. If you forgot to put your phone in silent mode, said phone would end up flying out the window.

It was pretty easy to see why the students disliked the man this much.

Yet, his fellow teachers knew him better than that.

Yes, there were better ways to do things, nicer words to use, especially with children, but he did everything he did to teach them a lesson, to make sure they paid attention in class and to ensure their future would be bright and successful.

The students lack of love towards him wasn’t the only problem in his life though. What had him this sour was how majority of his co-workers were all either tying the knot or happily in a relationship.

He’s never been one to mess around with girls, he had no time for that. Studying and being the top has always been his priority, along with taking care of his brother on behalf of his parents.

But if he was being honest, something he rarely is, mind you, he felt lonely.

What triggered his ridiculously sour mood was how Tomioka managed to get a girlfriend so fast, and even worse, he barely had to do anything.

Kanae and Rengoku were lucky, like destiny pulled them in the right direction, took them straight into the hands of their beloved, and both were now in preparations to spend their life together with those who held them dear. But Tomioka? All that bastard had to do was scratch his belly while drinking some tea and had the pretty new intern wrapped around his finger.

It was like acid was being poured down his stomach, he could feel it opening holes all over it, consuming him with rage from the inside.

It’s not like he was attracted to the new intern, she was cute, but they barely talked before even when she was in his care; but it made him wonder how do you even get someone to like you back? Even his younger brother had a girlfriend before, and he was still so young…

He’s had girls confess their feelings for him before, especially in high school, but he was too busy at that time trying to raise his brother, work a part time job at the convenience store and trying to get good grades to be accepted in the university he so wished to go into, girls were definitely not a priority back then, and he didn’t really do anything to get them to confess, just ignore them and throw dirty looks at them. 

Girls are weird.

But now, he isn’t dealing with girls, he’s dealing with women.

And women are more complicated than girls.

How do you get them to look at you? He has a decent job, he owns his apartment, has experience raising children, the highest degree he could get in his dream university…and he was definitely in the handsome side of the scale…so what was he missing?

“Time, Shinazugawa. That’s what you don’t have.” Rengoku was by his side along with Kanae and Uzui who agreed to tag along for some drinks as to try to cheer his teammate up a bit.

“What does time have the fuck to do with this?” they had been drinking for a while now, his usual dirty mouth coming out to shine in its glory.

“Well, how do you pretend to meet a nice girl when you go straight to your apartment after work every day? I can assure you pretty girls don’t go knocking on stranger’s doors waiting to meet their destined husband…”

“Pfft like you can talk, your stupid ass dialed the wrong number and got a freaking wife out of that! Why do things like that only happen to you? What about me? Am I that much of a bad option…?” alcohol was now showing its effect on him, unbeknownst to all, Sanemi gets quite whinny and sometimes even tears up while drunk, a sight on its own some would say, but very unexpected, nonetheless.

“Sanemin I told you, just trust me! I know the perfect girl for you! Why do you keep ignoring me, huh? Is it because I’m getting married next week? Nobody wants to be my friend anymore because I’ll become a housewife. What’s so bad about that, HUH????” now it was her turn to sob, her face as red as it could get completely lost now that she had a couple of shots of who knows what.

“Jeeze could you both chill the fuck up? What do you mean Kochou?” Tengen who was now ‘babysitting’ according to his terms, tried to keep both of them from tugs and punches, these kids get really out of control with things as strong as pumpkin juice…

“My friend (Y/N), she also works a lot and has no time to meet people out of work, she’s super cute and gentle, and I’ve been trying to set them up for a while now, but his whiny self keeps rejecting her…” she was now poking her tongue out at Sanemi, sniffing in the process.

“Why would you do that, man? She’s really cute I’ve seen her picture before…”

“Wait what? Have you? How?” Kanae’s face was one of disgust, Tengen didn’t have the most ethical hobbies and that was common knowledge around the school.

“I…well let’s just say I’ve seen her picture ok…” he was now trying to hide his embarrassed face behind his enormous beer stein, not wanting to admit how he stalks his co-workers insta accounts when he’s bored.

“I…just…what if we don’t click? I mean, is not like I think she’s ugly or anything, I haven’t even seen her but that’s not the reason why I’m reluctant to the idea…I just…I’m fucking scared ok? I’ve never been on a date before, let alone a blind one…how am I supposed to prepare for that? What if she hates me? I better just stay single for the rest of my life, I took care of Genya as a child, he can take care of me as old man…” 

“No, he won’t. Kochou, send a text to your friend, he’s going on a date tomorrow night.” 

“WHAT”

“Yes, sir!” typing crazy fast in between a fit of drunken giggles, his fate was being cooked in a pot while he sulked talking to the empty shot glass in front of him about how his co-workers wanted him ridiculed.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Being forced out of the house by his brother and a very angry Rengoku who had gotten in by accepting an aid call from Genya, Sanemi was now walking from the station to the coffee shop he was supposed to meet his date.

Kanae wasn’t the most specific when describing people, or things for that matter so he was fairly uncomfortable, “She’ll be wearing a dress and she’s such a cutie, you’ll know who she is right away!” or so she said, but there were at least six different girls wearing dresses currently inside the establishment and he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to go inside or not just yet.

He was about to call it quits when a panting woman came running towards the door, hair a bit disheveled, cheeks tinted pink with exertion and a beautiful long dress hugging her curves in all the right places, even if it was clear she went there running after work.

Holding onto the door with one hand, she stops in front of him, “Shinazugawa-san, is that you? I’m so sorry, am I late? Were you just leaving? I had a last-minute meeting and lost the train I was supposed to take, had to take the long route here.”

“I-, ugh yes, I mean no, you’re not late, yes, I am Shinazugawa and no I wasn’t leaving, I just- I didn’t know if you were there or not, all Kochou said was that’d you’d be wearing a dress and you were cute.” his flustered being along with his stammering made you chuckle, “Well yeah all she said was that you had white hair and a bunch of scars.”

“That’s a lot more info that what I got, what the heck?” you both were laughing at this point, “was she right though?” you were looking up at him prettily through your lashes and that caused his logic brain to shut down completely. “Yes, I do have white hair and a bunch of scars…”

“Not that, silly. Kanae-chan told you I was cute, was she right?” he’s never been so embarrassed in his entire life, he knew his friends were just trying to destroy his social life instead of helping, he was sure of it now.

“Ugh, the definition of cuteness varies from an individual to another. I don’t particularly enjoy cute things…” he nodded in thought, panic surging through his veins at the sadden look you gave him. “Though, I do think you’re pretty, if that answers your question…” trying to cover his own mistakes, he opens the door for you, motioning for you to go in the cafe and move on with this date.

“I’m (Y/N) by the way.” he grunted in acknowledgement as you looked at the pastry display trying to choose what to get.

“I’m Sanemi, but I guess you already know that…I was told the cake here is really good…” his comment made you turn your gaze towards the cute display of tiny cakes, immediately stealing your entire attention. “You like sweets?” he mumbled something under his breath but just nodded in response, “I do too! Great, we have something in common!”

The soft smile adorning your face made him feel like a stupid teenager, is this how Genya feels when he sees that one girl he has a crush on? He felt so inexplicably giddy, and he hated things he couldn’t properly understand.

“How about we get the featured menu?” stars were falling out of your eyes in excitement; it seemed the menu you were referring to was a menu limited to couples, two tiny lava cakes joined in the middle to form a heart, with two drinks of choice.

“But says it’s for coup-“ he just blinked in realization, clearing his throat, “..y-yeah sure, let’s get it.” clapping excitedly you went over to order the ‘Lovey-dovey sweets combo’, Sanemi towering over you from behind to hand his card over before you could take your purse out. This earned him a lovely smile from that beautiful face of yours, a strange sense of pride filling his insides; it felt like someone was patting him on the back, like he was doing a good job.

“Got it, Lovey-dovey sweets combo for the lovely couple of table 6 coming right along~!” the employee’s comment made you both flush, did you really look like a lovely happy couple? You literally just met-

“So Shinazugawa-san, Kanae told me you have a little brother and that attends your school. What’s that like? I always wanted to have a big family but ended up all by myself pretty quickly.”

“I do yeah, our parents left this world pretty soon, so I’ve been taking care of him since then…having him in the school is weird though, he’s kindda embarrassed of me I think..” the last part made you giggle, making space for the server who brought your order to the table.

“That sounds pretty impressive if you ask me, all I’ve had to take care of before is a small turtle I got as a Christmas present when I was in middle school. And she escaped through a window…” your disheartened face made him laugh; this wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be. Sweets, chatting of nothing in particular with a pretty girl, why was he that nervous earlier? Why did he reject this outing so many times? “Yeah well it wasn’t easy…”

“I’m sure it wasn’t.” you were taking little bites of the treat with your tiny fork, yet he hadn’t touched his yet, he was completely lost in the moment, enjoying the concept of dating for once in his life. “But I highly doubt your brother finds you embarrassing. If he’s a teenager, he probably just feels like his dad is looking at him doing… you know all the crazy nasty stuff kids do in high school…he’s probably embarrassed of himself and doesn’t want you to see him like that.” he’s never seen it that way, many things Genya has done or said in the past making a lot of sense now.

“You should be a teacher too, seems like you know a lot of things about kids.” he meant it as compliment, yet your smile didn’t reach your eyes. “I do know a lot about kids I guess, but not because I want to be a teacher.”

“Then?” he was now sipping on his coffee, fully immerse in the conversation. “Well, I wanted to…ugh…never mind that’s not something you should talk about in a first date…” shaking your head, you laughed awkwardly taking a sip of your own drink. Sanemi’s hand moved on its own, resting on top of yours in a comforting manner, “Hey…it’s fine. I don’t really know what people even talk about or not in first dates...” the smile he was giving you wasn’t the brightest out there, but it made your chest feel warm and made you want to share your thoughts with the man.

“I just…” you stopped once again and to this he responded by caressing the back of your hand, rubbing soft circles against it, “I- like I said earlier, I always wanted to have a big family…” you mumbled your words out, you didn’t want him to think you were trying to snatch him and make him a father on the first date, it was a weird topic for two people who just met, but in all honesty, one of the things Sanemi didn’t like about women of his age was how now a days nobody wants a family, the concept of marriage and kids scares the hell out of everyone lately, and all he wants is to get a family as big as the one he once had when the rest were still alive, it was actually endearing to him.

“So you’ve been doing your homework diligently to be a good mama, huh?” his teasing tone made you chuckle, the air wasn’t as thick anymore. “You could say that.”

“Well I think that’s pretty cool. I had to raise a child without any guidance, so it’s reassuring knowing you know what you’re doing…” he stops in his tracks realizing what he just said. All color drained away from his face, the tiny fork in his hand now discarded on the fancy tablecloth smearing it with chocolate fudge. “I…I mean…It’s a good thing…to be…you know prepared…and stuff…not that I’m trying to get you…ugh fuck I messed this up already, didn’t I?”

But the look in your face was one of adoration instead of horror as he had imagined it would be. He’s never seen such a beautiful loving smile in his life, it was like you actually had the same idea, like you didn’t mind talking about such a thing with someone you just met, like that love at first sight bullshit was actually a thing. “You didn’t~”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

After a year of dating you, Sanemi finally decided to pop the question. Of course, motivated by all the crew at the academy, only him and Tengen were still not married, even Tomioka had eloped or something like that and was now expecting a child.

But you weren’t someone to mess with, he wanted to do things right.

He wanted things to last forever.

Reality is a fickle thing, couples that love each other madly can get divorced in the blink of an eye; beautiful families full of love can crash and disappear almost completely in a day like his did. He wanted to take things slow, to make sure he had everything ready to make you the happiest, to give you all you needed.

But you being you, had to do things your way.

He had booked a lovely and expensive Italian restaurant for the weekend, even the course was already pre-selected. He would get one of those corny cakes with lettering on it asking you to marry him. He booked it months ago, the perfect proposal for his perfect future little wife. If you said yes, that is.

But you…”Baby have you seen my pink socks?” you were snooping around his drawers while he got changed after work. You didn’t really live together, but you’d spend most days in each other’s apartments unwilling to spend a day without seeing each other, even if all you did together was sleep late at night.

“ugh the tiny ones?”

“Mhm!”

“I think they’re next to the bed, no? That’s where I put them last night.” your cute evil giggles, made him remember last night, completely distracting him for a second.

“Oh that’s right!”

With a loud gasp, he came running out of the bathroom to see you already holding the red velvety box in one of your hands. “My love…is…is this…?” tears were filling your eyes at a rapid pace, alarming him to no avail.

“Ugh…I was too slow…” he plopped down on the bed, holding his head down with both of his hands.

“Is it baby?” your tone was softer now as you made your way over to kiss the top of his head.

“I had this whole thing planned for the weekend…you sneaky little beast…” he threw you into the bed, tickling your sides relentlessly as a way to punish you. “Yes. It’s a ring..happy now? Why do you always end up crashing all my surprises? You evil, beautiful woman!” he was showering your face with kisses as he continued to attack your sides, your laughter made his heart soar every time he heard it, it made him feel alive.

“I didn’t…I didn’t know. I swear!!” you wiggled your way out of his grasp, panting in between chuckles, before holding his face gently, placing a soft loving kiss to his plump lips. “I do.”

“You do what? Enjoy crashing my surprises?” he was now resting his forehead on yours, bringing you over to rest on the pillows and cuddle you closer. “Not that, silly. I do, want to marry you…if that’s what this ring is about of course…” the hope in your eyes made it impossible for his heart to pump anymore blood into his blood stream, he was livid, even if this wasn’t what he spent days planning, the answer was all that mattered, he could always cancel the damn reservation.

“Of course that's what this is about, you party crasher.” smiling, he placed one more kiss onto your lips, deeper this time, his hands resting on your lower back as you both bathe on each other’s warmth. “Then I guess we have a lot of things to decide…”

“Like which apartment should we sell?”

“And where to put all your tiny socks…”

Laughing became a staple of his daily life since you became a part of it.

Seeing you every day became the highlight of his life.

Forever never felt this real before and he started to wish the concept would take shape for you two as you grow old together, because as corny as that might sound, is all he can think about at night.

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Masterlist

[viceroyofeden-asks]

Welcome, welcome, one and all!

I am a man- no, a myth, an enigma, known only as the Great and Powerful Tozu. You may recognise me- or so I’ve been told- from a certain predicament going on in Eden’s Garden Academy right about now? I didn’t know outsiders were aware of the situation yet… things must be going even better than I’d thought!

Well, in case you aren’t aware, I used to be the host of a Killing Game taking place over there. Emphasis on “used”, for things have gone a bit pear-shaped in the past day…

You see, I recently woke up in the keep of an eldritch abomination that knows things about me even I didn’t know, which abducted me from my home dimension and into an endless labyrinth of dusty old books filled with knowledge strong enough to kill even the wisest men several times over.

And what does it want so badly, for it to interrupt a perfectly good killing game, to steal me from everything I knew and loved for the rest of eternity, to risk leaving a hole in the fabric of existence just so it could get to me? What does it want, you ask?! It brought me here- you won’t believe this- to force me to proofread all its ridiculous writing exercises!

You heard me right! And not just all the ones it’s made so far; all the ones it’ll ever write, forever! Thinks having my inimitable genius at its disposal will make it work faster! Could you believe that?! I’ve never heard a bigger load of codswallop in my life…

Well, there is some good news. It has given me its full and complete permission to make contact with you, its omnipresent followers, in all your eternal hunger for knowledge, and answer whichever questions you may have. Fitting for a dedicated Question Answerer such as myself! With luck, these next few eternities might not be as dull as I’d first thought…

That’s all for now! I hope to see you again soon!

CURRENT EVENT: BUGZU

(Extra information (Ask Rules, Glossary, and Alternative Sideblogs) under cut:)

Ask Rules

No NSFW stuff

No hate speech/political stuff

No other related problematic stuff

Nothing that violates any specific rules for an ongoing event

(Other than that you can basically just ask whatever.)

Glossary

Red text - Tozu/Tobias

(Italic text with brackets) - Moderator/narration

Yellow, bold text - The Narrator of Infinity

Bold red text - Mara (Swapout event only!)

Alternative Sideblogs

(aka blatant self-promption)

@markerofthemidnight (aka main blog)

@hiddendepths-aublog (Hatchetfield AU, has nothing to do with P:EG)

@oneiricobservationaublog (Dreams of an Insomniac AU, has nothing to do with P:EG)

@narratorofinfinity-asks (The Narrator of Infinity’s personal askblog)

(Aaand here’s my AO3 for good measure!)

[oceandirtcountry]

I think there’s some lore for my crossover AU I need to get out because it’s getting confusing even for myself:

The Ninja (Randy Cunningham, 9th Grade Ninja): The First Ninja, aka Finja, was a well respected warrior who hailed from Norrisville, a small town on the outskirts of Vale. Finja single-handedly held off hordes off Grimm on his own, and bested the Sorcerer, who was turning people into Grimm (by stanking them, since Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, so with enough negative emotions and a push from the gas, you can become a Grimm too! This’ll be important later.)

He kept Vale safe for years, especially during Ozpin’s lack of showing due to his depression. Eventually, after Ozpin gave his power to the Maidens, Ozpin also imparted some of his Semblance onto Finja, allowing him to pass on his learnings and his abilities to the next generation until a Ninja became powerful enough to stop Salem.

He fought alongside Ozpin in the Great War and was the catalyst for victory, and ended up dying of old age.

Randy Cunningham is the most recent to iteration of the Ninja, and Ozpin has found that the combined abilities of the Ninjas who came before him could very well be enough to stop Salem, but he needs a push. With the Sorcerer’s return and new threats, Randy needs all the help he can get.

The Omnitrix, Ascalon, and Map of Infinity (Ben 10):

Azmuth created the Ascalon as a show of his genius. However, after misuse, he brought great destruction to his galaxy, and looked to use it for good. He brought it to the backwater planet known as Earth during the Great War, and it was the reason why Ozpin was able to slay the Dagon and stop Salem from winning.

However, unhappy that it simply brought peace to one planet and would not bring his lover back, he left the Ascalon on earth for Ozpin to guard. The Ascalon then became The Relic of Destruction.

He then went on to create the Omnitrix, with the same backstory as the original series, with it being meant for Grandpa Max. It was found by ten year old Ben Tennyson, who was at first hesitant to touch it, but used it as a last resort when he was cornered by Grimm in a forest, starting a forest fire with Heatblast.

The map of infinity was hidden by Professor Paradox in an attempt to keep the forge of creation away from anyone who wished to abuse its power. The map can only be found once a question is asked to the Relic of Knowledge, an all-knowing genie who can answer any three questions once every hundred years.

Ben, Yang, Kevin and Gwen eventually race against Aggregor to find the map pieces, and team up shortly with Weiss and Randy to obtain the relic before going their separate ways once again, and meeting up much later with everyone in the big showdown.

The Nanite event (Generator Rex): As if Vacuo didn’t have it bad enough, the nanite experimentation facility was on a remote island near Vacuo. When attempting to cure a sick Rex Salazar, his parents accidentally unleashed a devastating nanite explosion. However, the nanites were contained by Atlas troops with powerful magnets and force fields, sealing the island off and labelling it “The Bug Jar.”

A young Rex eventually bursts out of the jar and wreaks havoc on Vacuo with his awakened Evo form, even turning many Grimm into hyper charged EVOs. He’s then found by Six and brought into the Providence wing of the Atlas military, specialised to deal with Earthly threats too dangerous for the normal military, to be trained with his abilities to cure EVOs, in a building on the very edge of the Bug Jar.

Rex hates his life there, and he enrols into beacon academy to become a Huntsman.

Summer Rose, the greatest Huntress that ever lived (RWBY): In an attempt to stop Salem, Summer storms Salem’s castle with a little help from Raven and a time-hopping Ben Tennyson, who’s trying to track down Maltruant in the Time War.

The trio are on the cusp of succeeding, but Salem reveals her secret weapon: an alliance with the Sorcerer.

Ben goes Clockwork as Maltruant tackles him into the time stream once again, leaving Summer to fend for herself, which is a huge mistake. She ends up losing quite horribly to the combined forces, and is kept alive for experiments on how to turn humans into Grimm.

Summer eventually becomes The Hound, a hyper-intelligent Grimm capable of tearing apart armies. With the abilities of Ghostfreak and Pesky Dust, plus Ruby’s silver eyes, Ben and Ruby manage to pull Summer out of the Hound and give Ruby her mom back.

Oh wait Invincible

I think I’ll just call it the CookieCross AU, since the fic I made is called cookies.

[demonslayedher]

Any headcanons from you for the Kimetsu gakuen universe?

(For the record, I bought volume 6 a few days ago but I haven't started reading it because I don’t want it to end. KimeGaku is such a blessing and a bandaid for hearts broken by canon.)

I... really don't!

I have been so relaxed to go on this ride that Hokami-sensei has taken us on, and although part of the approach is to push the silliest aspects of all the characters, it also has very insightful characterization takes in bizarre situations. It's the "crack played straight" style that I love when it's done well. I have not really had the desire to tinker with it.

But also, I accidentally first read this Ask as "for you" instead of "from you" so I misunderstood the assignment as how I would be inserted into this world. I would be honored to have a cameo in which I am granted an interview with Kibutsuji Muzan...

Let's say I'm a foreign correspondent journalist there to write an article about his politics, and Muzan is dead set on making it positive. I'm sure it would start smoothly with Muzan keeping up a smooth and practiced performance, and he has threatened his staff to make sure everything goes smoothly.

However, the interview happens in conjuction with whatever office chaos is happening with characters in the background, like maybe Infinity Office's infractions building safety codes show signs of catching my attention during the interview. My research curiosity would probably get the better of me ("Wow! How do you get the money for that? Fascinating! Oh! I didn't know you were so knowledgeable about Kimetsu Academy, are you affliated?") and this puts me in more and more danger that I am unaware of both as Muzan loses patience with me and as the background Infinity Office chaos starts spilling over and the Lower Moons are freaking out.

In the end I probably publish an article which is not at all what Muzan planned for it to be but it works out for him because it was a dramatic article about how he heroically saved me from a building collapse and how he plans to take on shoddy construction, and how he has such high standards from his staff that he won't shield them from the law when they have gone against building codes.

In the envelop in which I send him a copy of the flattering article and a thank-you letter, I include a suggestion for an Ubuyashiki-affliated construction group that he might use instead--after all, I was very impressed with their work on the Ubuyashiki treasure storehouse when I was invited to do an interview there!

[kideternity]

Reading Avengers Academy (the infinity one) after the Jack O’lantern news and its definitely very cheesy and Im sorry to hear if any of the characters are OOC BUT I like all of them and its a cute comic. It also has a surprising amount of deep cut references which I wasn’t expecting? Olivera has a broader knowledge of comics lore than I thought he did so it’s nice to see somebody bringing back characters like Blackheart. Plus, I like the ocs, and Jack O’lantern will be a major character soon, so

[diamondcrownacademy]

DCA Info Part 39: Meet Sophie Fascinare 💜

Twisted from: Sofia the First

Art colored by @au-ni-ro

Sophie Fascinare (ソフィー・ファシナーレ, Sofī Fashināre) is a 15 year old 1st year student affiliated with the Glastanzerin dorm. Hailing from an isolated kingdom, she has no idea how to fit in the modern society but she will try her best to become a true princess!

History

Sophie was born and raised in the kingdom of Enchantis, a large island with a castle in the center surrounded by other large islands that house villages and towns.

At some point during her life, Sophie’s mother, Queen Meredith married a humble jeweler known as Ryland and in the process became the older step sister to Ryland’s twins, his son Amir and his daughter Jemma. She was very welcoming to her new family members though she has to constantly remind her Amir that being royalty comes with responsibility.

When her enrollment in Diamond Crown Academy was announced, her mother’s council immediately disagreed out of fear of outsiders and reject any idea of outside knowledge ruining their traditions.

Prior to her departure to DCA, her mother entrusted her with a magical amulet that was said could grant powers to anyone who wears it.

Personality

Sophie is diligent and hopeful, never gives up on a task until it is done. Though she needs to learn how to lean onto others for support when she needs it. She has a determined spirit even if she screws up, she just tells herself to take note of the mistake and try again no matter how embarrassed she may be.

Appearance

Sophie is a young girl of average height in her mid-teens. She has fair skin, blue eyes which were later changed to violet, and shoulder-length brown hair that would later include a light purple streak and is commonly shown in a ponytail.

Sophie’s Ensemble in her First Bio

This ensemble takes inspiration from the ensemble of the character Sophie is based on, the details of the ensemble are listed below with the only difference being that the bio ensemble has a purple color palette.

1st School Uniform

The outfit consists of a a bright blue puff sleeve jacket with a crown pattern, gold trim, buttons, a pale yellow ruffle collar with white lace and navy blue cuffs with silver buttons with a flower motif. The jacket is worn over a baby blue dress with the top having gold trim and white lace and also having a light yellow skirt. For footwear, Sophie wears a pair of brown shoes with gold straps with bows in the center alongside a pair of pale yellow argyle socks that have a solid purple color at the halfway point.

Sophie accessorizes with a silver tiara with the center part resembling a heart with a purple gem on top, a purple bow on the right side of her hair, a navy blue sash and most notably an amulet with a purple teardrop pendant set in silver.

2nd School Uniform

Sophie’s ensemble is drastically different from the first one. She wears a light blue puff-sleeved bolero jacket with gold trim and white pearl buttons. Underneath is glittery periwinkle overskirt with gold trim worn over a pastel blue argyle v-neck dress with pale yellow trim which is in turn worn over a white dress shirt with lace trim. For footwear, Sophie wears a pair of dark brown low heeled shoes with yellow ruffle trim and blue-violet bows and a pair of white socks with ruffle cuffs.

Sophie accessorizes with a silver tiara with the center having a heart motif and infinity loops on both sides, a blue-violet ponytail ribbon, a blue-violet ribbon with gold trim and a silver teardrop brooch with a purple jewel in the center, and a blue-violet sash with gold trim and a ribbon on the right side with a silver gem in the center.

3rd School Uniform

Sophie's 3rd school uniform is fairly basic, which makes sense since she’s adjusting to a new environment due to coming from an isolated kingdom. Additionally she was unsure how the uniform commissioning system worked so she commissioned something simplistic.

For her ensemble, Sophie wears a periwinkle puff sleeve jacket with silver trim, a pair of pale blue gem buttons on each side of the jacket, each attached to a pair of silver toggles,dark purple cuffs and the inside has a purple checkerboard pattern. Worn underneath the jacket is a pale blue sweater with a collar and a periwinkle skirt with silver trim and pale blue ruffles. For footwear, Sophie wears a pair of low heeled Mary Janes with silver buckles and bows on the straps. She wears the shoes with a pair of short white socks.

Sophie accessorizes with a silver tiara with heart and loop motif, a silver teardrop brooch with a lavender with a flower in the center and pale blue gems on the top, and a violet belt with a bow in the center alongside a silver buckle.

School Statistics

Sophie is a 15 year old 1st year student. She is classified as Student #3 and is in Class 1-A. She has yet to choose a club, but her best subject is Basic Etiquette. Her favorite school subject is Study of Magical Relics because of she was always so interested in relics, in part thanks to her amulet. Her least favorite school subject is Fencing/Sword Fighting due to her lack of experience with weaponry.

Relationships

Family

Sophie has a good relationship with her family, including her stepfather and step siblings.

Pet

Sophie’s animal companion is a cocker spaniel named, Filly. A loyal dog who always gives advice and encourages her.

During the first few weeks of the school, Filly and the other animals were the only ones she’d talk to.

Voice

According to her bio, Sophie would be voiced by Kanae Itō known for her roles as Amu Hinamori in Shugo Chara!, Ruiko Saten in A Certain Scientific Railgun, and Nana Astar Deviluke in To Love Ru to list a few.

Trivia

• Her birthday is on November 18th, making her a Scorpio. Her birthday is also the same day that Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess released, as well as being the birthday of Mickey Mouse.

• She is 160 cm tall.

• Her favorite food is Salad and other fresh produce dishes while her least favorite food is Svisker Gröt (stewed prunes). She dislikes huge servings and cutting corners.

• She enjoys derby racing, cooking with others, walking through forests, and watching animals.

• Her preferred Styling Jewel Outfit Styles is Classical.

• For her casual attire, Sophie would mostly wear printed clothes that have cute characters or nice typeface along with a denim skirt to match. She would also wear knee length dresses with simple patterns with low heeled shoes.

• Her favorite color is lavender.

• She is dubbed "Little Guppy" (グッピーちゃん, Guppī-chan) by Floyd due to being a freshman. She shares this nickname with Epel.

• She likes looking at baby animals she sees.

• In the future, while Sophie would become a Monarch she also wishes she could be something else, she dreams to own her dance studio.

• In terms of desserts, Sophie loves anything with chocolates.

• Sophie would smell like the flowers of Enchantis.

• Her signature scent would be a light cologne.

[cyllres]

Devil | JJK x Makima! Reader

Chapter 12

Satoru Gojo found himself in a heated discussion with the higher-ups at Jujutsu Tech. The room was dimly lit, a stark contrast to the chaotic rooftop where he had faced you and Pochita. The atmosphere was thick with tension as Satoru argued for your place at the academy.

"You see," Satoru began, his tone measured but firm, "she could be a potential asset for Jujutsu Tech alongside her brother. Initially, she lacked visible cursed energy hence, why I did not mind her. But when that curse emerged within her, her cursed energy spiked dramatically-almost to the level of a Special Grade."

He knew postponing Yuuji's death sentence would be challenging but manageable. However, advocating for you was proving far more difficult. Your situation was unique, reminiscent of Yuta Okkotsu's, yet fraught with complications that tested even Satoru's patience. The higher-ups, cautious and wary, were driven by fear more than logic.

"Gojo-san," an elderly voice interjected, laden with skepticism and concern. "You've mentioned that this girl might have the ability to manipulate. She penetrated your Infinity with her force manipulation, and her ability extends to controlling curses and animals. What if her manipulation also extends to humans? What if she one day manipulates you? Or worse, what if she manipulates something powerful against Jujutsu Tech?"

Satoru's expression remained calm, though he mentally groaned at their cowardice. He rested a finger on his chin, appearing contemplative. "During our background check," he continued, "we discovered that the curse under her was originally a Grade 4. Its current form is drastically different, almost as if it's a fusion of multiple curses. Doesn't that pique your interest? If she were eliminated, we'd lose the opportunity to understand and possibly harness her unique abilities."

The room fell silent as the elders considered his words. Satoru's argument was compelling; the girl's potential was undeniable, yet her powers were a double-edged sword.

"She could be a curse user," Satoru added, leaning forward slightly. "She has extensive knowledge about curses, which she could exploit for malevolent purposes. But the fact that she hasn't indicates a choice. A choice to stay on our side. By bringing her into Jujutsu Tech, we can guide her, train her, and potentially have another formidable sorcerer allied with us."

The elders exchanged glances, their expressions a mixture of apprehension and intrigue. Satoru's reasoning struck a chord-your power was too significant to dismiss, but the risk you posed was equally daunting.

One of the elders leaned forward, his voice calm but edged with caution. "Gojo-san, if we agree to this, you understand the responsibility you're undertaking? Should she ever pose a threat, it will fall upon you to execute her."

Satoru's eyes gleamed with determination. "I understand," he replied confidently. "And I believe that with proper guidance, she won't become a threat. Instead, she could become one of our greatest assets."

With that, the room settled into a contemplative silence, each elder weighing the potential benefits against the risks. Satoru waited patiently, knowing that the decision they faced was pivotal-not just for you and Yuuji, but for the promise he made.

-

The room was dimly lit, its walls adorned with talismans that shimmered softly, warding off any cursed energy from escaping. The air was thick with tension and the musty scent of old paper. You and Yuuji sat on a pair of uncomfortable chairs, bounded facing Satoru Gojo, who lounged casually, his ever-present blindfold adding an air of mystery to his relaxed demeanor. You had woken up first, the oppressive atmosphere and the weight of the talismans pressing down on you. Your first instinct had been to call out for Pochita, but the talismans silenced your connection, leaving you feeling unexpectedly vulnerable. It is so heart-wrenching for you to be isolated from your loyal curse.

Satoru's voice had droned on, explaining the situation with an unsettling mix of gravity and nonchalance. You tuned him out, your mind preoccupied with thoughts of your brother and the looming threats against him. When Yuuji finally stirred beside you, the room's tension shifted, and you knew the conversation was about to take a more serious turn.

"With that, allow me to say once more," Satoru grinned, his tone almost too cheerful for the gravity of the situation. "You and your sister will be secretly executed."

Yuuji's expression darkened, a mixture of disbelief and determination. "The recap and current events don't line up, though," he protested, his voice steady despite the gravity of the statement.

"Hey, I did my best," Satoru replied, shrugging lightly. "The execution is still on, but I've managed to get yours and your sister's suspended."

"Suspended?" Yuuji echoed, his confusion evident. "So, you're not killing me right away?"

"Yup," Satoru confirmed with a casual nod. "I'll explain from the top."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled, gnarled finger. The sight of it made your skin crawl. "This is the same as the cursed object you ate," Satoru explained, holding it up for emphasis. "There are twenty in total. We possess six of them."

"Twenty?" Yuuji's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Oh, each finger and toe?"

"No," Satoru corrected, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Sukuna has four arms."

With that, he tossed the finger into the air. It spun lazily, and just as it began to descend, Satoru activated his cursed energy. A burst energy exploded from his hand, slamming into the finger and sending it hurtling into the wall. The wall crumbled under the impact, yet the finger remained intact, embedded in the rubble. You glanced at it, noting how the wall was devastated while the cursed object remained unscathed.

"As you can see, we can't destroy them," Satoru continued, retrieving the finger with a casual flick of his wrist. "The curse is just that powerful. It grows stronger by the day, and the seals of modern-day Jujutsu sorcerers can't keep up. That's where you come in." He pointed at Yuuji, a knowing smile on his face. "When you die, the curse inside you will die as well. Our elders are cowards, you know. They're demanding to kill you right away. But that would be a waste, wouldn't it-"

Before Satoru could finish, you cut him off, your voice cold but controlled. "And what makes you think I'd allow my brother to be used as a tool and discarded after he's been used?" Despite your polite smile and soft tone, there was a steely edge to your words, a warning that you wouldn't be taken lightly.

Satoru hummed thoughtfully, tapping his chin as if weighing your words. Then, he locked eyes with you, his playful demeanor giving way to a cold, calculating stare.

"It's simple," he said, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. "He dies now, or he dies later. It's just a matter of when." His tone was nonchalant, almost dismissive, as if discussing the weather rather than your brother's fate. "But there's more," he continued, leaning in slightly. "The elders are relentless, and they want your head on a platter, too. Disobedience isn't something they forgive easily. Your execution could be early. Just appreciate how I fought for you yada-yada-yada"

He reminds you of your old teacher, it's so annoying.

Yuuji's eyes widened with alarm. "Hold on," he interrupted, looking between you and Satoru. "I know why I'm getting executed, but what about N/n? She didn't do anything wrong."

You sighed softly, already weary of the topic. "Your sister," Satoru interjected before you could speak, "is holding a super-duper-weird-ugly-mutilated-abnormal-weird-was-supposed-to-be-grade-4-but-is-now-Special-Grade-strong curse hostage in her." He pointed dramatically at you, his tone almost childlike. "Not to mention, her cursed energy abnormally spikes up when the curse merges with her. She even managed to put damage on me-imagine how scary she is!"

Satoru's exaggerated tone and words made you deadpan, your smile twitching in irritation. Yuuji turned to you, disbelief and concern written across his face. "N/n? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice tinged with hurt. His eyes bore into you, seeking answers you weren't ready to give.

"You never asked?" you replied, smiling at him with a hint of resignation. Yuuji's shoulders slumped a bit, and he deadpanned, processing your response. Satoru seized the moment to continue his explanation.

"There is no guarantee another vessel capable of handling Sukuna will ever be born again," Satoru said, pacing around the room. "So this is what I proposed: if we're going to kill you anyway, why not after you have absorbed all of Sukuna? The higher-ups agreed. So now you have two options before you. You can die right now, or you can find all the parts of Sukuna and die after you've absorbed them."

Yuuji glanced at you, searching your face for any sign of dissent or agreement. Finding none, he turned back to Satoru with a resolute look in his eyes. "And my sister?" he demanded.

Satoru sighed theatrically, as if exasperated by having to explain once more. "Ah, I was explaining to her earlier what she's supposed to do and why she's being executed, and what's her plan. She didn't answer, so I think she agreed."

"Agreed to what?" you asked, your tone is sharper than you intended.

"To become a sorcerer," Satoru deadpanned, looking at you with a mixture of expectation and curiosity. The room fell silent as you processed his words, the weight of the decision hanging heavily in the air.

"Ah. I wasn't listening," you said, making both of them deadpan. Satoru sighed and sank back into his chair.

"Basically," he began, "you become a sorcerer, you execute curses for the higher-ups, yada-yada-yada. Since you're originally only a grade 4 without your curse, you're ranked as grade 4. You'll take missions under that grade while we assess the curse before allowing it back to you. Yada-yada-yada. With the curse, you could be special grade, taking more solo missions with higher pay. Yada-yada-yada-"

"Hold on," you snapped, interrupting his spiel. "I'd never allow any of you to 'assess' Pochita, let alone have him taken away from me."

'Oh my god, he reminds me of my teacher.' You thought to yourself, your annoyance spiking up.

"Pochita?" Yuuji asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"The curse," Satoru answered, making Yuuji let out a hum.

"You named the curse without me?" Yuuji looked at you, a slight hurt in his eyes. You mentally rolled your eyes at his reaction, keeping your attention focused on Satoru.

"Without your curse, the higher-ups would give you freedom," Satoru continued. "Would you rather have a jujutsu sorcerer on your tail 24/7, or would you prefer some free time?"

You considered his words, weighing the options. The idea of constant surveillance was suffocating, but you also knew the value of Pochita. Reluctantly, you made your decision. "Deal."

"However," you continued, your voice laced with a steely resolve, "I'd only allow Pochita to be assessed, not tortured. If my curse dies under your care, I won't hesitate to make a mess of this place."

Your eyes bore into Satoru's, challenging him to dismiss your threat. The room seemed to tense around your words, the very air growing thicker with the intensity of your promise.

Satoru raised his hand in a gesture of surrender, a hint of amusement playing at the corners of his lips despite the serious tone of your warning. "Fine," he conceded, his voice uncharacteristically calm. "We'll treat Pochita with the care it deserves. No harm will come to your curse under my watch."

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he looked at you with a mix of curiosity and respect. "You've got a lot of fire, you know that?" he remarked, the usual playfulness in his eyes giving way to a more serious glint. "But remember, you're not the only one with power here. Cooperation goes both ways."

Yuuji glanced between you and Satoru, sensing the charged atmosphere. "N/n," he began, his tone gentle but firm, "we have to trust them, at least a little. It's our best shot right now."

You held Satoru's gaze for a moment longer before nodding slightly, acknowledging his point without entirely letting down your guard. "Alright," you said, your voice softer but still resolute. "But I'll be watching. Every step of the way."

Satoru gave a small nod, understanding the gravity of your words. "Fair enough," he replied. "Just remember, we're on the same side. We hate bad curses and love good sorcerers."

With that, the tension in the room eased slightly, though a subtle undercurrent of wariness remained.

"Alright then. Welcome to Jujutsu Tech," He said with a hint of a grin. "Just remember, it's not going to be easy."

Yuuji looked at you, a mix of concern and determination in his eyes. "We'll get through this together," he said, his voice steady.

You nodded, feeling a sense of resolve. No matter what challenges lay ahead, you would protect your brother.

-

Kape?

[meowcats734]

[Soulmage] "And how many claws does Stewie have?" you ask your daughter as you consult the list your mother gave you. You need to figure out if your daughter's invisible friend is a monster, demon, or fairy and if you have to kill it to save her.

The vampire tilted his head when I asked the question, like a glowpuppy hearing a new note. "And why," the vampire asked, "do you want to know how to bring back the dead?"

I narrowed my eyes. I didn't have to bare my soul to the vampire—I'd chosen blackmail instead of polite conversation already, and there was no point in doubling back now.

But... some part of me wanted to say it aloud. To turn it from whispers that echoed in my head to words that, however terrible they were, would fade with time.

"My mother died forgiving me," I found myself saying, and the words tumbled out like cool, clear water from a long-clogged pipe. "The day I gained my attunement. My attunement to self-hatred." The vampire's eyes widened slightly. "I just... I have to know. If... she forgave me, what did she forgive me for? Was it... was it because I made her hate herself? Even at the—" Invisible thorns ringed my neck, and for a moment, I couldn't speak. "I just... I just have to ask."

The vampire closed his eyes, something like... remorse, flitting over his immortal expression. "You cannot resurrect a soul in its entirety," he said. "Like sand scattered in the wind, the memories that once made up your mother were dissolved into the infinity of thoughtspace."

I sagged. "I... I see."

"But," the vampire continued, "you may be able to access some of those memories."

My head snapped up.

"The memories of the dead precipitate into soulspace entities," the vampire began, and I wondered if he'd been a teacher at the Silent Academy in some era long past. "If you wish to seek the memories of your mother, seek out entities from beyond the rifts. Angels. Demons. Nameless things. The older, the better the chances are that they attracted a piece of her soul." The vampire met my gaze, something flinty in his eyes. "Is that all you ask of me, foolish child?"

I nodded, mind whirling with the implications. "Thank you."

He snorted. "Keep my secret and I will not slay you where you stand. That is the extent of thanks you will get from me."

###

"I don't have any memories of anyone named Quianna," the Angel of Arrogance said.

I clenched my fists. "You're sure?"

The Angel shrugged. "Was your mother a very arrogant person?"

She had died so that I could live. "Never," I said.

"Then why would I hold domain over a fragment of her soul?" the Angel asked, as if it was the most self-evident thing in the world.

Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit.

###

"I don't know how to summon a demon," Lucet said, lying down on the snow poff next to me. Ever since my fall from the clock tower, we'd taken to hanging out in places that didn't have a higher chance of us getting ourselves killed than normal. "It's restricted knowledge."

"Does Iola count as a demon," I wondered aloud. "I mean, he's certainly enough of a dick for it."

Lucet threw her hands in the air. "Rifts, I wish Iola was one of the students Odin took with him. I told him we were done and he just—just pretended like it never happened. Stayed in my room and slept the night and wouldn't leave and I just couldn't work myself up to tell him to get out again when he'd just fucking. Ignore. Me."

She glared at the sky, her thick blue winter jacket slowly turning white as the snow began to bury her. I didn't say or do anything. I didn't have to.

I just existed next to her, and that was enough.

"They offered to kill him," she finally said. "Odin."

"Him being Iola?" I asked.

She made a frustrated scoff, as if to say, who else? "I said no. I don't want him dead. I just want him gone."

"We could leave," I found myself saying. Rationalizations sprung onto the tip of my tongue—I knew the Redlands, the Academy was too busy to hunt us down, and it wasn't safe here anyway—but Lucet was already speaking.

"We could," she said.

###

When life gave you demons, you made demonade. After a Demon of Empathy had inflicted half of the students of the Silent Academy for Witches with visions of power and offers of deals, Witch Aimes took it upon herself to turn the entire experience into a teachable lesson. She was, after all, my tutor at the Silent Academy; I wouldn't be surprised if she responded to her daughter crying about a boy being mean to her with "and what did we learn from this?"

"What did 'Stewie' look like when he showed up in your dreams?" Witch Aimes asked.

Her daughter sniffled on stage, rubbing her nose. "Big. Tall. Lotsa muscles."

"Was he a human?" Witch Aimes asked. The elf in the audience cleared his throat, and Witch Aimes amended her statement. "Or, that is, was he a person?"

"He looked like a people," Tisei said, although a hint of doubt had entered her voice. "Except... except at the end."

"Go on," Witch Aimes prompted. Tisei kicked her dangling legs back and forth; the chair she was on was too tall for her to even touch the ground.

"He said I had... re-sent-ment," Tisei enunciated, not meeting her mother's eyes.

"About what?" Witch Aimes asked, raising an eyebrow. What could you possibly have cause to be resentful of, her posture seemed to say. I supply you with everything I could ever need.

Witches used emotions like fires burned fuel. I'd gotten good at reading the subtext behind my witchcraft teacher's words.

"He said my momma doesn't love me," Tisei whispered. "That she cares about being right more than being a momma. He said... he said he could fix that. If I let him in."

The auditorium fell silent.

Then Witch Aimes shattered the silence with a contemptuous snort. "See?" She asked. "This is exactly the danger these demons pose. To a strong-willed mind, their words mean nothing—but to an impressionable child, a demon can easily corrupt them with falsehoods and foolish ideas. Keep an eye on your children, and if they start spouting any such nonsense, bring them to me."

Tisei looked down, expression unreadable, and I winced. The Demon of Empathy wouldn't have whispered those insidious words if there wasn't a sickly vein of truth feeding them.

But no matter how much of an arrogant little prick she was, she was also the only witch here who'd stood up to the Demon of Empathy themself and won. So we all had to listen to her, if only a little.

"And now for a demonstration." Heh. Demon-stration. "Demons of Empathy strike by creating an emotional connection between themself and the victim." Privately, I agreed that her daughter was a victim, although of who, the jury was still out on.

"But connections go both ways," she continued, and here her gaze grew fierce. The audience leaned in, and I couldn't blame them. Because even if Witch Aimes was a self-righteous jerk, she was our self-righteous jerk. The Demon of Empathy had hurt us all, and we wanted to know how to fight back. "That connection can, with the right knowledge, be reversed. Our top witches are still working on ways to strengthen it beyond its original form, but for now, we can at least manage to speak back to the demon, in the same way it's spoken to us."

Witch Aimes lowered her voice, and for a moment, it was as if the stage didn't exist. As if it was just her and her daughter, and for all the faults in their relationship, a mother and daughter they still were.

"The one who hurt you. You can say anything you want to them, or nothing at all. I give you this power, to do with what you will."

I felt something travel from Aimes' soul to her daughter's, and Tisei pressed herself closer to her mother's form, eyes squeezed shut.

Then she whispered, "You were wrong. My momma does love me. In her own, silly way."

The words rippled out through the world, and I knew that somewhere, someone who'd just been struck the first blow of a long war was listening.

Aimes smiled, and for a heartbeat, I thought I saw something relieved in her gaze. "I love you too, poppy."

Then she leaned back. "That concludes today's lesson on demonology," Witch Aimes, said, straightening up as if nothing had happened. "I'll see you again tomorrow—and don't forget to read chapters eight through twelve of Defense against Demons."

The class filed out, sluicing around me as I sat in thought.

I'd been spoken to by the Demon of Empathy as well.

And I had a thing or two I wanted to say back.

"Witch Aimes?" I asked, raising my hand. "Could you show me how to cast that spell?"

A.N.

Soulmage is a serial written in response to writing prompts. Stick around for more episodes, or join my Discord to chat about it!

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