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mrwinterr · 4 years

Text

Die Happy

Pairing: Ghost!Bucky Barnes AU x Female Reader; tiny hint of Sam Wilson x Female Reader

Summary: You summon a really friendly ghost.

Warnings: Smut 18+ (consensual vibes all around, masturbation, vaginal fingering, oral [female receiving]) and language. Dabbling into the occult (use of a Ouija board).

Disclaimer: I’m a spooky bitch, I like how Ouija boards look like, but I would NEVER mess with them.

Title Inspiration: “Die Happy” by Dreamers

A/N: I was on Reddit and I stumbled across an erotic audio that inspired this, so I definitely owe it to them. I’ve just been dying to write a ghost AU. I decided to hold back on the smut on this for now and maybe save it for later. This can be turned into a series, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Idk. You tell me! Enjoy!

It’s here.

It’s finally here. The package that would help you find the answers you were so desperately looking for was finally here.

Package in hands, there’s a skip to your steps as you happily make your way back into the living room of your somewhat new home. You had moved in almost six months ago, but it still felt so surreal. You, a homeowner. All those years of saving up and house hunting - you finally did one of the most adult things you could do in your life.

The small house had been in the neighborhood for decades and owned by plenty before you, in fact, too plenty, but for a home in Brooklyn, New York it was surprisingly affordable. You’re still patting yourself on the back for how you managed to score this place at such a bargain price.

It was the ideal place, really; surrounded by friendly neighbors and with a great home association. It was at a reasonable distance from your workplace and the city. Furthermore, cosmetically, it was your dream home. You never took a second to ask why someone would quickly put this home back on the market...until recently.

The realtor had assured you that everything in the house was functioning properly before you signed away. There was little to no refurbishing on your end, which was part of the dealbreaker, but now you can’t help to wonder if the realtor was duping you. A young, pretty woman and a first-time homeowner? That was easy bait for them, right? There had to be a catch or information that they were withholding and well, you weren’t about to wait any longer to find out.

Lately, strange things had been happening and while at first you brushed them off as mere coincidences, they were becoming almost too outstanding to ignore.

First, it was the air conditioning unit acting all wonky. You kept the house at a reasonable and comfortable temperature, but you found yourself often sporting hoodies even during the warmer seasons. The technicians couldn’t find a single problem with it and besides whenever you scheduled a visit for inspection, it was magically working just fine. Never mind the breeze that blew past you here and there…

Next, much like the AC unit, the electricity started to have a mind of its own. Before you could flip the light switch or press the button on your remote, it was always one step ahead of you. It was almost like you were living in a smart house, but instead of acting on voice command, it read your mind.

Not to mention, things disappeared and reappeared every now and then. Small things like the morning paper would vanish from the coffee table and if you couldn’t locate where you last left your keys, you never searched too far.

Then the eeriest one of them all was the unexplained smell. There was a distinct yet alluring scent that would waft by when you felt that breeze pass over. You had deduced that it wasn’t any like of your fragrance collection nor was it from the only friend that visited you. It was a pleasant odor and almost calming to you.

You didn’t want to believe it, but these weren’t just common occurrences - these were tall tale signs of a haunting. The spirit wasn’t vengeful, that much you gathered since it didn’t make attempts to harm you in any way. Sure you could just either ignore these oddities or relist the home, the latter which wasn’t in your favor because it wasn’t that simple. Instead, curiosity won the best of you and you opted to take matters into your own hands.

Literally.

“Whoa!” You hear your close friend Sam Wilson exclaim and watch as he scoots to the other end of the couch as far away as he could when you pull the Ouija board out from the box. “Shit, girl. I knew you liked Halloween, but I didn’t think you were that spooky!” He said, his eyes bugging out in disbelief that you’d ordered such a thing.

You roll your eyes at him and place the board on the coffee table. He immediately gets up from his spot and sets what he deems is a safe distance from it as if the object was cursed. You’re not deterred by the Ouija board at all. It had quite the opposite effect because you were all too fascinated with the supernatural.

“You really shouldn’t mess with that kind of stuff,” Sam warns as you handle the remaining piece, the planchette.

“I don’t know why you’re so scared,” you respond, blowing him off and kicking away the now empty box.

“And you’re not?!” He says incredulously, “trying to speak to the dead is not right!” Well, it certainly wasn’t normal, but so weren’t the things that were happening in your home lately.

“I need to find answers, Sam!” You bite back, the volume of your voice matching his. You didn’t miss the hint his exclamations gave off and it bothered you. “What do you expect me to do? Continue living like this? I’m not in control of my own home.”

Oh, he knew. He was your closest friend and you trusted him enough to share your theories about your home and the experiences in it.

“You really think this place is haunted.” It comes off as more of a statement because he can see you’ve clearly made up your mind on how you’re going to prove the theory.

“Why do you think I can’t have Sarge or any pets over?” You absolutely adored Sam’s dog Sarge, but he made it apparent that he didn’t like something about or in your house.

Before Sam could try and spit out an explanation you’ve already heard, you stopped him, “I’m not going crazy! And I certainly am not going to spend another fee on having a technician tell me there’s nothing wrong with the units again.”

“Look. Why don’t you just come spend the night at my place and we can think of another way to approach this?” He offered and you knew that offer all too well. It had always been on the table. When you decided to move to Brooklyn and were looking for your own place, Sam had offered you a room, but you were hellbent on making it on your own. You were proud and independent...and weren’t sure about taking the next step with him.

Sam was everything your past lovers weren’t and you while you both weren’t official, a couple of dates happened here and there, something was holding you back. You cherished his friendship so much and a part of you feared finding out what it could be that you weren’t willing to jeopardize what you two already had if anything more came out of it and then failed miserably. He made it clear how he felt about you, but you brushed it off casually each time. Sam knew you simply weren’t ready.

“Thanks, but I’ll be okay.” You reply, breaking away from seeing the look of concern on his face and back to the planchette your hands were fidgeting with. You knew he was a skeptic on these kinds of things and only worried for your safety.

The nights he had spent here nothing strange ever happened. It’s like these occurrences were only happening about you. Sam wasn’t sure if he believed in ghosts or not, and he deeply cared for you, but he wasn’t about to stick around and find out. He knew that you could be stubborn, but there was only so much he could do to change your mind from where he stood and he just hoped he hadn’t lost you yet.

The small crack of thunder in the sky indicated a storm was coming and you took that as a sign to convince Sam to leave for the day. You didn’t want to fight with him about this. The few times you did talk about a possible haunting were just humorous conversations to Sam, but you were always being serious. It was evident that you two were not on the same page.

“You should probably start heading home before the rain comes,” you advise, standing up to walk over to the front door, hoping it’d sway him, but he knew what you were doing. Sam wasn’t mad. He was always very patient with you.

He only nods in false agreement before following your lead. “I’m coming back first thing in the morning to check if you’re still alive though,” he jokes, before pulling you in for a hug and giving you a kiss to the side of your head. His words elicit a light chuckle from you, but is mostly muffled against his biceps, then you’re playfully shoving him out the door.

As soon as his car disappears from the end of the street, you jolt and head snaps quickly at a sudden crash from the kitchen. You make your way in that direction to find the mug gifted to you on your last birthday from Sam shattered in pieces all over the kitchen floor.

The last roar of thunder must’ve been a strong one or the elevation of the shelf had been slightly off or maybe the house didn’t like Sam…

You shook your head at that last silly thought from your mind and sighed preparing to clean up the mess. Once that was done, the gloomy weather quickly casted a blanket over the sky and with a remix of fast raindrops against the windows and pavement and the lag in thunder, you didn’t waste time on the mission.

What better time than now? It set the mood. Were you scared? You weren’t sure. You were already convinced you were living with a spirit. You didn’t ponder long enough to think about the aftermath. Was this all just a bunch of hocus pocus or pseudoscience? Would you get possessed by a demon or would he be like Casper?

The use of a Ouija board, especially by someone inexperienced as yourself, was highly not recommended and very much frowned upon during your upbringing. If only your parents could see you now...

The spirit in your home couldn’t be that bad though, right? If they wanted to possess you, they would’ve done so by now; unless they were just waiting for an invitation. Well, there was only one way to find out.

You dimmed the lights and lit a few candles around you. Was this insulting? You did some fair share of research, but most of what you knew about Ouija boards were credited to horror movies.

You take a deep breath and begin to summon your supposed roommate.

Bucky felt bad as he watched you clean up the mess he made in your kitchen. He knew you liked that mug, but he didn’t and he certainly didn’t like how Sam made you feel. Sam made you feel all sorts of things and Bucky knew that, which explained why Sam never experienced anything unusual in the house because Bucky didn’t like seeing you with him.

He was aware of how silly it was. A ghost jealous of two living humans. He had his turn, but it was tragically cut short. He was so young. He left everything behind to fight a World War. There was a high chance he wouldn’t come back and he was sadly part of that statistic.

But why did his afterlife have to consist of seeing the most angelic living human being just waiting to fall in love with the perfect living man? He didn’t get a chance to live out that part of his life, so was he bitter? Yes. And especially outraged at any distress that was brought upon the current tenant of his old home.

Bucky wasn’t sure why he was able to roam around his old stomping ground over the last couple of decades. He tried his best to communicate with the previous owners but he always ended up scaring them off. When you moved in, if he wasn’t already dead, and you could’ve seen him, he just knew he would’ve been as pale as a well...ghost. He made sure to not send you running for the hills.

He tried to help you with everyday things, trying his best to be subtle. He didn’t even spy on you during private moments like in the shower or on those lonely, needy nights. He proved himself to be a ghostly gentleman.

He even tried to not eavesdrop on your conversations and almost always disappeared when guests were present, but he heard you raise your voice earlier at Sam. He wasn’t sure what you two were arguing about and sure it was petty on his part, but before he could summon enough energy to knock over the mug, Sam was already gone.

Bucky followed you back into the living room and watched as you lit the candles scattered around. He lightly smiled believing you were attempting to relax. If only seeing you in peace was enough to put him to rest - permanently - but when he sees you take a seat back on your couch his expression fell and he swore his heart would stop again if it could.

“Oh no,” he says as he watches you stare at the Ouija board on the table before you. Bucky starts pacing in front of you, his hands over his head. Anyone that set foot and stayed long enough knew this place was haunted, and he knew you weren’t stupid and besides he wasn’t as subtle as he’d like to have been lately.

“Is anyone here?” He hears you ask the first question. He looks over your direction and sees your eyes are closed with both hands on the planchette.

“Oh my God,” he barely whispers and realizes, “she’s really trying to talk to me.” He couldn’t believe you’d be so brave to risk such a thing and importantly willingly reaching out to him.

“Yes! I am! I’m here!” She can’t hear you, idiot. “Fuck, of course she can’t hear me.” Bucky argues with himself on what to do before he remembers how Ouija boards work.

He almost can’t believe it when he does it, but he’s able to delicately move your hands and slide the planchette over to the word ‘YES’.

Your eyes pop open and you gasp when you see that you got an answer. You're frozen and look up in front of you half expecting the spirit to show itself to you, but you don’t see anything.

At least that’s what you think. Unbeknownst to you, you’re staring right at Bucky or rather through him. His expression mirrors yours - complete and utter shock. He was never able to easily move or touch anything solid in years. The incident with the mug earlier, that kind of stuff usually required a lot of concentration and energy on his part. He’s also scared that he’s frightened you with that move, but at the same time excited that he’s successfully communicating with you.

You’re unsure if you should continue. You were half expecting this to be a bust, but it moved. It actually moved! While you were excited that this worked, the tiny voice in the back of your head had you considering that maybe you shouldn’t go any further, but who ever really listened to them? You blink a few times and refocus your attention on the task.

“What are you?” You ask.

“What am I?” Bucky repeats the question, “I’m dead.” Wait. He starts to spell the letters ‘D-E-A-D’ with your hands on the planchette. He compares the sight of the corners of your mouth lifting, amused at that response, of course he was dead, as to what angels must’ve felt like when they earned their wings. If anyone believed in that sort of stuff...either way he felt very blessed.

“You liked that one, didn’t you?” Bucky said more to himself with a big smile on his face. He loved this! It was like he was having a conversation with you. It was something he only ever dreamed of for the last six or so months.

A particular flash of lightning followed by a thunderous sound startles you and you breakaway from the Ouija board. You weren’t going to lie. You were still absolutely spooked out and decided that maybe that was enough contact with the dead for the day.

When your heartbeat finally returned to its normal pace, you got up and turned on the lights, made sure you blew all the candles out and turned in for the night. Before you left, Bucky watched you look around the room and bid goodnight to seemingly nothing, but he knew it was meant for someone - it was meant for him.

The days that followed, you were growing curiouser and curiouser that in your spare time, you started digging into how much can come out of the Ouija board, but first you needed to figure out who you were dealing with.

With as much access as you were granted, you found out about a man, who was around the same age as you, that had died during World War II and the hauntings that would start to occur after the first tenant took residence upon this home.

The house belonged to a man named James Buchanan Barnes, but signed it under the name Bucky. How cute. You thought to yourself over the nickname, then you saw an accompanying photo of who you assumed was living with you. It was in black and white and the quality wasn’t that up to par, but from what you could make out you could determine enough. Cute name for a cute guy.

You read the experiences of others that lived here before you and they all seemed harmless. They were just spooked and you didn’t blame them. They had every right to be scared, but you didn’t scare that easily.

You’re so engrossed with your findings, you barely paid any attention to Sam, even when he’d come in to check on you. He had the spare key in case of emergencies, and you ignoring most of his unreturned phone calls and missed texts, uncharacteristically you, to him was deemed as an emergency.

Sam was only less than thrilled to see your enthusiasm on all this. Normal people didn’t go around poking at the dead. He pointed out you were lucky you didn’t get possessed, not paying any mind or adhering to you claiming he was probably a friendly ghost.

“This isn’t an episode of Casper!” Sam says fed up again. His face falters as he watches your shoulders visibly slump. He hated killing the vibe, especially when you were excited, but you were excited about something all too unreal and that shouldn’t be messed with at all in the first place.

“What if I can help him?” You try reasoning with him, “What if I can help him pass on? Then I can live in peace...and so would he.”

“You’re already lucky that you’re unharmed,” Sam reminds you, “I’m just worried about you.”

“I know you are, but I’ll be fine,” you assure him, hoping you could keep that promise. After all, you couldn’t even confirm you were really communicating with Bucky.

You were relieved that the conversation with Sam didn’t take a turn for the worse like it easily could have. You understood where he was coming from and you were lucky to have someone like him care so much about your wellbeing. The realization never fails to punch you in the gut for not allowing yourself to give in.

So why were you more scared to commit than of willingly reaching out to a ghost?

Take two.

You sat perched up and ready to communicate once more. Bucky, on the other hand, is more than ready and the cool familiar breeze that passes you by lets you know that he’s here.

“Who are you?” There weren’t exactly formalities with contacting the dead and your heartbeat starts to pick up as you’re slowly spelling out ‘B-U-C-K-Y’.

“Bucky,” you whisper. Boy, did Bucky like the sound of his name coming from your lips.

“How did you...die?” you had to swallow in between the last word in that question, hoping it wouldn’t trigger a negative response. Even in the afterlife, death couldn’t be an easy topic.

The letters ‘W-A-R’ and the number ‘2’ gives you your answer. It was him! Internally, you’re overjoyed that you’ve figured out your ghostly John Doe, but you try to remain at ease.

“Did you knock down my mug?”

Bucky rolls his eyes at that, but swiftly moves your hands over to ‘YES’.

“Okay. I mean that wasn’t very nice,” you couldn’t just bite your tongue as the sass flowed right out of you.

‘S-O-R-R-Y’.

The apology takes you by surprise, and suddenly you weren’t mad about the mug anymore.

“It’s alright. It was just a mug,” you try to assure him. You’d just have to explain to Sam another time that the ghost broke it. No biggie. Yeah, right. What with the tiny arguments, he’d most likely believe you destroyed it out of anger and frustration at him.

Your arms were getting tired from the position they were in. Several minutes had passed since you last said anything to Bucky and you weren’t sure of what to ask next.

Where does this end? Do you ask him to leave? This is his home. No, it’s not anymore. It’s your home now. But he doesn’t belong here anymore. How do you help him pass on? Did you have that ability? Do you hire a medium? Enlist the help of a priest? Call a ghostbuster? Your mind grew tired all too quickly, you slumped back in your seat, breaking away from the Ouija board.

Bucky watched as you rubbed the muscles of your sore arms. He felt helpless. He wishes he could ease or take away your pain. Instead, all he could do was watch and make sure you were okay until you were ready to start talking again.

With your hands back on the items, you ask, “are you still here?” Bucky responds with ‘YES’. You take a deep breath and close your eyes, mentally preparing yourself, before proceeding with the next question.

“Can you show yourself to me?” There the ultimate question and Bucky can’t help but ask why? Why were you interested in seeing him? He was a lost cause.

“No?” you ask more to yourself, still staring at the word through the eye of the planchette, and frown at his response.

Bucky wanted nothing more than to show himself to you, but he didn’t know how. For decades he was nothing but a gust of air. No matter how hard he tried to show himself to previous owners, he was never successful.

You pull your hands back away and place them in your lap, unsure of where to go from here. Well, you couldn’t force a ghost to do something they didn’t want to do, but you hoped that maybe perhaps seeing him would make it less taxing while communicating.

There’s a sudden iciness that covers the side of your cheek, sending a chill down your spine, causing you to flinch and your hand rising quickly to warm the spot.

Bucky almost disappears at the sudden reaction. He can’t believe it. You felt that. You could feel him. It was different than pushing your hands in different directions because this time, neither of you needed the help of the Ouija board.

You’re not sure where he is as your eyes scan the room, you wanted to feel that again. Sure, the cold was a bit alarming, and as sharp as his icy touch was, so was the surge that flowed through you. It was unexplainable, but soothing.

It sucked for Bucky because he couldn’t keep your eyes trained on just him.

“Are you sure you can’t show yourself?” You ask again, this time convinced you didn’t need the Ouija board anymore.

However, Bucky needed the board to reply. You sigh in defeat as you watch the planchette slide across to the word ‘YES’. You couldn’t allow yourself to get mad. You just couldn’t understand how it was possible for him to do all these other things, but not be able to show himself. Whatever it was, you’d just have to accept that you’d never understand ghost logic.

The sound of the planchette scraping against the board, offers you the word, ‘F-E-E-L’.

Feel? You definitely felt a presence, but now it was confirmed. It was him. He was trying to communicate through touch.

“Yes, I felt you,” you let Bucky know quite eagerly. The planchette remains unmoved after that and instead of what would appear to be awkward silence, the seconds that were passing by could be more appropriately compared to that of a ticking time bomb.

“Touch me,” you request.

Bucky’s stunned. If he were alive and well right now, he’d no doubt be on his knees for you with a command like that. He floats over to you and is only more than eager to touch you again, but he’s not sure of where. Feeling a soft anticipation of a ghostly tingle, he hesitantly places both hands on the underside of your jaw, in a cradle-like fashion, hoping it'll stop your wandering eyes.

You stand still, frozen in place, now seeing the breath of air that escapes your mouth in a cloud of smoke. He’s definitely here and in front of you.

“More,” you say barely above a whisper.

Fuck. Bucky inwardly swears at himself as you unintentionally egg him on. Testing his limits, what more could he already lose? He was already dead.

He goes all in. He leans in and presses his cold, dead lips to yours in the most gentle and light kiss ever. When he pulls away, he sees that your eyes have closed and he can’t help immediately start to wonder if you actually felt that or not. He sure as hell felt it. He can’t be certain as he tries to gauge at the expression on your face. Shit, why did he do that?

“Do it again,” and this time with a more affirmative tone, Bucky doesn’t question anything anymore and obeys. His lips dig deeper against yours, you let out a small moan and purse your lips to respond. You don’t think about how silly it must look to be making out with practically nothing, not knowing what to do with your hands because there was nothing to hold onto, but despite that it all felt too real. He was real.

Bucky’s mind is reeling at the sound of pleasure that spews from your mouth, he can’t comprehend how this is even possible. He’d been dying to know what kissing you felt like - what you felt like at all.

When your lips start to get numb and turn blue, you reluctantly pull away. You open your eyes to a dark room and wish you could at least hear him, the sounds of ecstasy played a pivotal role in intimacy.

Your body temperature returns to normal, blood rushing, mind a haze. You stand up and head towards your bedroom without another word. Would he take the cue to follow you? You can’t be sure. You can’t see or hear him, but your actions say otherwise and make you both feel as if he wasn’t dead at all. It was now a game of cat and mouse.

Bucky or not, you were unabashedly turned on. In moments like these, it was hard to be in control of your own body and the only thing you could do was give in to the desires. In this instance, your body couldn’t make up its mind because as if you weren’t just freezing your ass off while kissing Bucky, you were suddenly hot all over.

Flustered, you pulled down your shorts, tossed them carelessly across the room, perhaps a little too harshly. If he wasn’t going to help you out, then you would do the job yourself. A mad smile on your face, surprised you weren’t the least bit embarrassed if he was going to watch you or not. It only added to the thrill and the excitement.

Trying to regulate your breathing, you lie down on the center of your bed and run your hands over your face down to where you needed them the most. Your fingers experimentally graze along the wet spot of your panties, groaning in acknowledgment of the sudden arousal. There’s no sense in conjuring up a justifiable explanation as to how something so seemingly innocent as the kiss you shared with Bucky got you so crazed. Not wasting any time, you lift your hips up and bend your legs to slip the flimsy garment off.

No longer a thin barrier between, your entire body shivers slightly, a sharp gasp escaping your lips, when your fingers make first contact with your clit and you begin to rub slow slow circles over it. Your stomach sinks in with each relieving exhale, your breathing growing heavy. Your fingers run off course and dip into your folds, past the floodgates, your fingers resurface coated in your own wetness and you use it to an advantage in invigorating your clit.

Eyes closed, you start to think about Bucky. You want to feel guilty or believe this was all wrong. Instead of getting off to someone like Sam or someone real for that matter, you lied there baring yourself to a ghost. You try to picture that baby face of his, and all that you could based on the lone image you found of him on the Internet.

The curve of his full lips that you were fortunate enough to feel on yours moments ago. You already knew they were soft, but what about his other features? Did his eyes sparkle or were they like black holes? What color were they? They had to be of a set that could hypnotize someone. Maybe it was okay that you couldn’t see him because if you had you just knew that you’d be at his mercy.

And that was just on the surface of it all. How was he like in other areas? How would his tongue feel against yours, on your skin, in you...The simulation causes your thighs to clamp up, knees involuntarily knocking into each other; your other hand clutching onto the bed sheets. He made it that easy, but you needed one more good push to dive in the deep end.

A thin layer of sweat coats your skin from the increase in body heat, then an abrupt familiar cold sensation runs through you, his alluring scent filling your nostrils, your legs forcefully separate; all tells you that Bucky was here. You pick up your head, always a small hint of disappointment flashes through your features at the fact you still and won’t be likely to ever see him.

It shoots a wild pang through Bucky’s chest because he doesn’t miss it; never knowing he could read someone so openly. He missed out on a good chunk of his life. He missed out on someone like you. Life was so cruel.

Your thoughts aren’t as far away from his as you start to wonder, why was it all so easy - seamlessly flawless - with him? Running with only first-party information and two silent conversations, you were already willing to go headfirst for halos for Bucky. Was it pathetic? You didn’t care anymore, whatever would ultimately bring you to him, you just knew in the end you’d die happy.

Your head falls back in defeat and you try to keep your emotions at bay, until you feel the hem of your shirt being lifted, exposing your midriff. Your lips cave in and you wince at each uncalculated cold peck Bucky’s lips leave on you. Whereas you felt a minor sting at how cold his touches were, for the first time, Bucky felt like he was on fire at how hot to the touch you were in this moment. This moment with him.

His lips create a path down to your core, and the contrast in temperature feels good. Not knowing what to do with your hands again, your arms lie sprawled on the bed on either side of your body, then you mentally curse at another sad truth that you had no one to hold on to.

A cool breeze brushes past your folds and your heartbeat spikes up again. Bucky never imagined he’d ever be able to make someone feel this way. It was pointless for him, but he dreamt about it countless times. And then he wickedly thinks how he was dumb to not spy on you during those nightly sessions. He was missing out. You were absolutely divine in his eyes.

“Bucky,” his name slips past your lips when his make contact with your swollen clit. It started off so innocently, but when he pulled his lips back and ran his tongue over the wet spot you left on them, giving him a taste of what you had to offer, he wanted more.

The cold, with each bit of contact from Bucky, was no longer a thing as your body quickly acclimated to it. Bucky uses his fingers to spread your pussy lips apart and allows himself to get a better taste. Your head lulls back, sinking in deeper into your pillows.

There’s only so much you could do to communicate with Bucky, you want to feel his hands all over, but instead you pick up on the slack as you grab and squeeze handfuls of your breasts, massaging them and adding onto the sensation. Your groping proves to be successful when you draw out more noises.

Bucky’s eyes never tear away from watching your reaction, the way your body moves from pleasure - pleasure he’s bestowing on you. His mouth doesn't require guidance as his tongue pulls all the right moves, weaving its way through and between your folds. He drags out a long moan from you when he dips his tongue in and then captures your folds between his lips, tugging as he sucked on them.

“I-I need,” you try to voice out your desires, but you’re reveling in so much, especially in being able to feel Bucky’s fingers digging into the sides of your hips; you bite down on one of your fingers, trying not to let out a crazed scream.

Bucky doesn’t want you to hold back though, so he introduces his fingers into the mix as they take turns in you. You wished you could hear him and all the sounds of his onslaught. To hear those pretty boy moans, the filthy pops and slurping noises. Was he a dirty talker? God. Imagine the things he would say.

He gets the message loud and clear. You want to come, and so he quickens his actions until your body goes into overdrive. When you reach your peak, your eyes snap open, pupils blown, and your back arches up in perfect bridge-like fashion. It almost looks like you’re being possessed before you come back down releasing choppy gasps of breaths.

Exhausted, you struggle to stay conscious wanting to communicate with Bucky one last time, but it felt like the orgasm almost sucked the life out of you. The puffs of cool air against your pussy are an indication that Bucky is still present and he wasn’t going to go anywhere just yet. He hasn’t moved from his position and is short of breath, in awe of seeing you coming undone for him and more so the fact that this happened. This wasn’t just another one of his dreams.

For as long as he’d been an apparition, he’d hoped to be able to finally pass on and if this was his actual last day on Earth, then he’d gladly accept it because one night with you was enough.

Bucky would die happy.

A/N: Yeah, the ending wasn’t strong, but I wanted to leave it open for interpretation. Let me know what you think! A simple like and reblog is enough to help a sis out! Thank you for reading!

#mrwinterr writes #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan smut #sebastian stan fanfic #ghost!bucky barnes #ghost!bucky #ghost au #sam wilson x reader #sam wilson x female reader #sam wilson x y/n #sam wilson x you

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latte-fairytaekwoon · 4 years

Text

Ateez: Their GF Has Superpowers

Kim Hongjoong:

It was after a party that you guys had with the boys that he found out. They were in the process of cleaning up, and all that was left was to take down the balloons, which he was doing. Being bored with nothing to do, you absentmindedly began to play around with a few decorations, making them float around in mid air. It was Wooyoung's piercing scream that had everyone's attention on the floating confetti that currently was making weird shapes.

"I fucking told you that old lady looked like a witch! But you still bought the decorations from her!" Mingi began exclaiming, as he shielded himself behind Yunho's body.

"How was I supposed to know she'd voodoo curse them?!" Hongjoong tried defending himself, but was scared to death as well.

Coming out of your trance, you realized you had to come clean about your telekinetic powers before they developed high blood pressure.

"Guys it's not demons...... it's me." You let out a sigh.

"Babe, now is not the time for jokes! The room has bad vibes and we gotta call an exorcist!" Hongjoong wasted no time and threw you over his shoulder as they all made a break for the door.

You protested, saying you'd prove it by opening the door, which you did, leaving them all stunned and frozen in place. You finally convinced him after moving objects that he asked you to move. Realization hit him that his girlfriend has super powers. He'd be so upset that you never told him.

"And in the 2 years we've been dating, you couldn't mention that fact instead of making me believe that other demons besides San existed?!"

Park Seonghwa:

You and Seonghwa had a very loving and open relationship, full of trust, neither of you hiding anything from the other..... Well except the fact you have the ability to know what anyone is thinking, even from kilometers away. You could just block it out, but being curious, more often than not, you found yourself wanting to know what your boyfriend was thinking. Even when he was away on tour, you connected your mind to his. Needless to say, sometimes there were some very impure thoughts at times, not that you minded.

It was one night, you two almost nearing your first year anniversary. Seonghwa and you were cuddled up in bed, just looking at each other and placing innocent kisses. But you knew better, you could hear how Seonghwa wanted to go further but obviously wasn't going to, thinking you weren't ready.

"I am ready and I want to." You casually blurted out.

"What?" He simply asked.

"I know you want to go further, and I want to as well." You assured him.

He blushed a little and ruffled your hair. "Wow it's like you can actually read my mind."

Biting down on your lip, you looked back up at him. "I can....."

Of course, he only released a soft chuckle, thinking you were obviously joking, cause no one can read minds. You proved that to be untrue, citing down examples of times you read his thoughts. You even made him think of several things, some deemed impossible to guess, and accurately relayed those thoughts into words. You left him stunned for sure, even flustered by your ability.

"Does that mean you even heard what I was planning to get you as an anniversary gift?" He asked, genuinely worried the surprise was ruined.

You poked his nose, assuring him you won't find out.

Jeong Yunho:

To say that Yunho loved how small you were compared to him is an understatement. He adored how tiny you were, it made him feel like your knight in shining armor, your personal protector and boosted his confidence in you needing him for stereotypical manly things, such as opening a jar a pickles.

What Yunho didn't know was that even though you seemed tiny and fragile, you possessed super human strength. You rarely showed it off though, preferring to keep a low profile and if it made your boyfriend happy, why spoil it? Unfortunately, your boyfriend likes to be spontaneous, dropping in on you randomly. It was during one of those surprise visits that he witnessed your true potential, in the form of you lifting up your marble dresser with one hand, like it was nothing more than a basketball. He just stood there with his mouth open, silence for what seemed an eternity.

"Well say something!" You finally exclaimed, hating the silence.

"How long have you had that power?" Yunho simply asked.

"Since birth........ are you mad?" You wondered if he'd be upset about finding out this information.

Instead, he just picked you up and spun you around rather happily.

"Are you kidding?! My tiny girlfriend has super strength! Is there anything cooler than that?"

Yes, he was ecstatic about this discovery.

"Do you know what this means?!" He asked you.

"What?"

"You'd beat Jongho in an arm wrestling match! Oh how I'd love to see his shocked face" A mischievous grin spread across his face just picturing the maknae's face.

"The possibilities are endless baby!"

Kang Yeosang:

You had a super natural ability of healing faster than any human possibly could. If a bullet shot you, you'd feel it as nothing more than a punch and in a couple hours you'd be perfectly fine. Not that the situation ever happened, just an example. And you weren't really the clumsy, accident prone type, so rarely ever needed to make use of your ability.

Which is why you often forgot about it and therefore never told Yeosang about your special gift. But it became known when he was playing around in the company building. While distracted by something, he left his skateboard on top of the stairs, and you happened to be walking over to see him. Holding a bucket of chicken, you didn't see his skateboard and therefore tripped on it, causing you to fall down an entire flight of stairs. Yeosang ran over to you, panic all over his face thinking about all the damage you probably had, he definitely heard bones cracking. But to his surprise, you sat up just fine, only rolled your shoulders back, looking in mint condition.

"You literally just fell down about 20 stairs, how are you not dead?" He questioned you.

You then remembered about your super natural healing and proceeded to explain why you're fine to him. He was silent for a while, but then nodded in understanding.

"Are you sure you're fine? Nothing's broken?" He was still worried about your well being.

"Just my shoulder popped out of place, but I put it back when I rolled them back." You assured him that you were fine and he had nothing to worry about.

You did however scold him for leaving his things scattered randomly. Had it been anyone else, he probably would have been guilty of an accidental murder.

Choi San:

Growing up, you enjoyed your ability to become invisible, both figuratively and literally. You liked keeping to yourself and didn't mind that no one ever noticed you. However someone did notice you eventually, and his name was Choi San. His eyes were always on you since day one and you were all he could see. It took a while, but he finally won you over and the relationship was going wonderful.

The problem arose when he started becoming more bold, more teasing towards you, that's when you weren't able to keep secret that you could disappear into thin air. Knowing fully well you just finished showering and were probably changing right now, he decided to 'accidentally' walk in on you naked. As soon as he opened the door though, the cheeky grin he had was replaced by utter confusion when you turned invisible before he could even get a good look at you.

"Holy crap! What the-!" He could not process what happened and became even more scared when all he heard was your voice telling him to get out and wait for you in the living room.

After putting on clothes and calming him down, you told him that you had invisibility powers. San was amazed and curious about your strange yet unique ability. He proceeded to ask you many questions, which you happily answered to him.

"Ok but if you turn invisible right now, would I be able to touch you?" He asked, while simultaneously reaching his hand to your face.

Song Mingi:

You honestly loved your ability to fly. Sometimes if you had a bad day, you'd just go to a secluded area and fly around without a care in the world. It proved to be somewhat therapeutic for you when you were stressed or sad. You hardly needed to make use of it after meeting Mingi, he was such a ray of sunshine and always there for you, that he became what you needed if you were having a tough time. He never knew about that part of your life of course.

Until one day when he was busy with schedule and you felt bored. You found yourself walking to your favorite place and began reminiscing about old times. Soon you were just happily flying around, thinking no one was around to see you enjoy what you had missed for a while. But Mingi saw. After a canceled schedule, he went looking for you, and having mentioned before that this was your go to place, he went looking for you. He did found you, flying around trees and seeing how gravity didn't affect you at all. Once you finally noticed him, you panicked and came straight back to solid ground.

"How, how long have you been watching?" You fidgeted nervously with your fingers.

"A good 5 minutes." He simply replied.

Your heart sank. What if he didn't like you after this? What if he thought you were weird? What if he would never want to see you after this?

He seemed to notice what you were thinking and he was quick to push your worries aside, pulling you into an embrace and kissing the top of your head. That said it all for you. He loved you and this wasn't gonna change anything.

"So.....by any chance, can you hold my hand and take me flying with you?"

Jung Wooyoung:

You came from a family of shape shifters. Your parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, could all shift into some type of terrifying beast. Wolves, tigers, lions, alligators, bears, you name it. So why the hell were you only able to transform into a weak little kitten? It was embarrassing for you growing up and for that reason you avoided shifting all together, it caused you to have low self esteem.

When Wooyoung came into your life, it was like a breath of fresh air. He made you feel beautiful in every possible way and suddenly you were more confident in yourself. Wooyoung never questioned what made you so insecure, knowing you wouldn't want to talk about it. Eventually he had to find out though, and he did during a family gathering of yours. While he was looking around the pictures, he noticed a lot were of fearsome animals. When he questioned you about it, you took a deep breath, and pointed out that they were your family. He didn't believe you obviously, until he witnessed for himself a few of your relatives morphing into their animal forms. He was genuinely intrigued by this and of course, wanted to dug deeper.

"So what do you turn into?"

You simply turned away, not wanting him to know and refusing every time he asked.

"Why not?!" He screeched.

"Because it's embarrassing!" You hollered.

"Come on! I just saw your grandfather turn into a black bear and scratch his ass on a tree, how embarrassing could it be?"

Sighing softly, you gave up and slowly morphed into the tiniest and cutest ragdoll kitten he had seen. A smile crept up on his face, before bursting into laughter.

"Stop laughing! It's not funny!" Your squeaky kitten voice piped out.

"I'm sorry baby! It's just that it's too adorable!" He was definitely enjoying this.

Choi Jongho:

Speed was your thing. There was nothing that was faster than you on this earth. And it was somewhat euphoric for you. The adrenaline that rushed through you every time you ran faster than light was indescribable. You often wanted to show off your skills, but avoided it knowing how nosey people could be.

You felt attracted to Jongho because of his strength. You often wondered if maybe he was just like you, but you found out that wasn't the case. He had his limits. But you didn't. Of course, you wanted to tell him, you felt sure he wouldn't judge you or pester you about your speed. But you could never find the right moment. It came spontaneously, like the many things in your life. It was when you were watching him workout. Repairs were being made on the ceiling and that's what caused a small piece of it to fall off, almost landing on Jongho had it not been for you pushing him to the opposite side of the room, you landing on top of him.

He just blinked as he processed what just happened.

"Did you just yeet us into another dimension?" He chuckled.

You blushed and laughed softly before proceeding to tell him everything. He didn't need any more proof than what just happened.

"I always knew you were my special girl." He winked at you.

Gifs not mine. Credit goes to their respective owners.

#ateez #ateez reactions #ateez hongjoong #ateez seonghwa #ateez yunho #ateez yeosang #ateez san #ateez mingi #ateez wooyoung #ateez jongho #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines

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realityshiftingandblogging · 3 years

Text

Explaining My DR

⚠️ Before you read, please keep in mind my DR is based from a lot of mythology. Please do not feel offended (I mean you can feel offended but I mean please don't feel like I'm purposely trying to offend you) if your group is not mentioned (such as magic users) or if they are misinterpreted. It's a DR based from the past and from old mythology and lore. It isn't going to be the same as the present. We are also using old terms and meanings. It's also based from an anime too. ⚠️

⚠️I'll also be updating this from time to time if I find more information I want to place. So if you ever get bored, just head on back and see if anything is new! ⚠️

Click read more to see~

What is my reality based from?

Mine is heavily referenced from an anime called "The Ancient Magus Bride." The anime itself is beautiful, and based off of many legends and mythology and it somehow blends together beautifully.

My reality is going to be somewhere in the 1700's (but without slavery and a few wars) because I am sharing my DR with my online friends (and those I classify as my online "Family") and we decided we wanted to see how much history we could change.

So far, we have decided to save Marie Antoinette.

The reality itself has "fae" who don't like to be called "Fairies" and would rather be called "neighbors." They are friendly, in their own way, though some can be aggressive but we have decided that we are safe from those and won't fight them. But here's a catch - you can't see them unless you have "The Sight." Some people do have the sight such as mages (a rare form of magic user in our reality) or "Sleigh Beggy" otherwise known as "Slay Vega."

Slay Vega's have the ability to see and attract fae. As Wiki put it:

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Sleigh Beggies are a type of human who have a natural affinity towards the fae and other supernatural entities, drawing their kind towards them unintentionally. Because their bodies naturally absorb magic but they typically lack the means of controlling it, they die fairly young. This is why, despite the fact that there are more Sleigh Beggy than natural-born mages, their numbers are few and far between. Sleigh Beggy are highly prized by both other sorcerers and fae. The former because their organs naturally absorb magic and so they can be used as batteries for magic and the latter because they are naturally drawn to them as they view Sleigh Beggy as being closer to their kind. This often brings them misfortune as well, because the fae drawn to them will act against their wishes, more so for those who are not gifted with the Sight and cannot see the fae. The fae's goodwill does not always result in the happiness and, when left to their own interpretation, their love and loyalty manifests into both luck and ill fortune. Sleigh Beggy unconsciously absorb a lot of magical energy, but lack the means of expressing it unless they are trained in magic or other methods. As a Sleigh Beggy draws attention from Fae, they will have little difficulty becoming mages if they find a mentor to train them and be capable of powerful magic.

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I will be a Sleigh Vega/Beggy but I will also have immortality, so I won't be hurt by this magic absorption; because of this the fae will be attracted to me and I can help my s/o with his magic too.

Other than Sleigh Beggys, what are there?

Well there are many magic types. For my DR we have

Sleigh Beggy: The rarest of all the types, even to the point they are even unheard of. They have the abilities of both a mage and sorcerer. They passively absorb and exude magic energy. Almost unlimited. However, their bodies are still human and they will eventually have pain from the constant strain. Fae are attracted to this type but their friendship isn't always beneficial to Sleigh Beggies. A Sleigh Beggy without a mentor or teacher may feel cursed being around them as they can't understand the world around them or why the Fae behave as they do.

Mages: Are magic users who absorb magic and cast spells using it or they borrow magic from Fae. However, this is draining for the caster.

Sorcerers: They are different from other magic users. They turn their own energy into magic to perform sorcery. Unlike the Mages, they don't contort or use the Natural Laws by breaking them, instead they study these laws and manipulate said laws.

Witches: Are magical users similar to mages, but the difference is they dive into more forbidden arts and choose to gather in groups known as covens.

The History Of Magic:

In the new age of mankind, some humans could perform what we know as "miracles.' They could see beings known as fae. Or live fairly longer than others. As time went on, these people passed on techniques, knowledge, skills and shared with each other what is now known as "Magic." Those who could possess it were known as "Mages."

But as time went on, less and less humans were born with this ability and due to the "Great War" many magical users died. Ever since then, it was unusual, rare, and strange to find humans with this ability. Eventually, this was hidden from the world to ensure the safety of the magic users.

Overview Of Magic

Magic is a result of using the energy inside your body or using the energy of the world around you. This is a process that is referred to as "Magic" or a "Miracle." While magic users can use the worlds natural laws or the use of magical beings they can also use magic with chants or wands.

For some sorcerers, they have a magical core that can "act" as an internal organ which generates magical energy. It can pass on through generations genetically. Sometimes there are some born with non-magical parents.

Magic can be used in many ways. The results vary depending on the use such as shape, form, or requirements needed. It can be used for teleportation, purification, and giving life to inanimate objects. It can also be used for attacks like summoning spikes, thorns, using shadows or light, or breathing fire.

Magic can also be used by Artificers, like Angelica, who makes magic tools such as rings or wands.

What Are Fae?

Fae, or Neighbors, are a race of magical beings who can use, conjure, or absorb magic for themselves or other beings. They can be found everywhere around the world, but they are most commonly found in Tir Na nÓg which is ruled by Titiana and Oberon.

This silly couple:

There are many different types such as Ariels, Banshees, Church Grims, Brownies, Changelings, Elfs, Fire Sprites, Muryans, Selkies, and Vodyanoi!

Each fae is capable of something different and some are friendly, and some are aggressive. Similar to humans XD.

Random Things About My DR

➭ Even though it's set in the 1700s we have plumbing and pipes for baths, phones we can use to contact eachother and see media from Jean's reality (a very close friend of mine), and we plan to make some technology early. Because why not???

➭ We plan to mess up history a bit because we want to see how much we can change. And before you say "that's forcibly changing lives" technically no. It's not like the CR. Period. It's the 1700s where magic exists. We're not forcing a change in anyone's life. We're just going to mess with historical events that were bound to happen one way or another. #and they literally could've changed with or without us.

➭ There's a magic library where fae can exist alongside humans without any issue. No one can harm eachother within the library. It's also a rest good place to nap and it's really cozy.

➭ We live in a small cottage away from the village, it has a small pond and a garden. And just along the path in the back there's a forest. Keeping going down the path and you'll find a passage to Tir na nÓg.

➭ What's Tir na nÓg? It's an old legend of a place where you never age, that is, if you can get there. It's a place full of fae and where the king and queen of fae live. The plants never wither or die and it's always lively.

➭ My DR backstory is that I'm born as a king's daughter. I have a brother and a sister. That's all. Father and brother are Castelios which is a family that was given powers by the demons or fae from the Great War. They tend to scare everyone, due to their aura, except close family. Not even close friends are used to the aura. Though my sister and I didn't develop this, which is rare. I'll shift around the time I first meet my dad and brother after my mother left me and my sister with them. (No it won't be traumatizing, it's just my choice.) I'll grow up within the castle walls and learning magic from my brother and sword fighting from my sister. I'll eventually convince my dad to let me go outside the walls, to which he agrees, where I'll try to mess around with history a bit. On my 16th birthday I'll meet Elias Ainsworth in the greenhouse outside the walls when I snuck away at night. A huge chunk of years later I plan to already be a mage under his mentoring and be married by then, and the cottage is just our choice despite having an estate somewhere else. I only have until age 18 scripted so far but if you ask in like.... a week from now I might have something fjsbdjsnskssm

➭ There's a hunting event where any knight (male or female) can enter and so can royalty. A person from their familiy (or really anyone) can give them their handkerchief and whoever's handkerchief they had will recieve all that they hunted. It's a way to symbolize popularity, typically you'd want the biggest game or the most. For example if I have my s/o my handkerchief then whatever he hunted will go to me. Similarly if he gave me his then whatever I hunted will go to him. The more admired a person is, the more handkerchiefs a person has to give out and they have more game.

(If you're anti-hunting I am very sorry if this just offended you so please don't @me djeanjss please.)

➭ We have a room in the library that has many windows leading to different DRs. There's a wall full of keys that open the windows because the windows can't be broken or opened without a key, phew. When you look through each window it has a different scenery because each is a different DR. They are usually labeled and if you want to enter that reality you have to open the window and to right through. That's how Jean and I get to eachothers realities and also contact eachother. We decided to connect our DRs in a way.

My Desired Reality Members:

First, my DR husband!

Elias Ainsworth!

He is a mage who is both fae and human, though no one knows why he was this way and it was hinted that he was cursed. He also my mentor who will teach me magic.

Appearance

He's taller than most humans, reaching around 6'7". Because of the curse, he doesn't look human though will take a human form using magic. He likes to decorate his horns with gold string that holds a red cloth to cover his face.

A Mood board of him:

Personality

He's very kind and polite (to most) but he's... not antisocial but not social either. He has a hard time relating to people (big mood) but he's like that because he has no understanding of the emotions he feels nor does he remember anything of his life before. Because of this, he's extremely fascinated with emotions. He decided to adopt a "gentleman" mannerism to seem more friendly. He closely studies others but finds it a bit hard to follow their example. He doesn't tend to lie - but if he doesn't know you or knows you slightly then he leaves out any bit of information and tries to hide things. Once you get to know him, he's not so secretive and more child-like. But despite that, he's very willing to make up for, amend, and apologize for any childish behavior that was out of line.

Jeans comment on Elias: "Elias: nice, tall, protective and sweet from what I know, lowkey shy and is trying to understand humans and in the anime is learning emotions AND AJJSJDJSJD thats so SWEET, has lots of money-"

His Magic Abilities

He can manipulate the shadows and he leans toward destructive magic. He can hide in the shadows and create thorns. This gave him the name, given by the fae, "Child of Thorn" or simply "Thorn" as well as "Pilum Murialis." He can also shapeshift and remove memories.

Myself! Online, I go by a few names but in any DR it's Estelle.

Appearance

I'll have waist length black hair, styled in either a braid or simply let down. I have pale skin, blue eyes, and a small birthmark on my collarbones.

Mood board of myself:

Personality

I'll have the same as I do here but I felt really weird typing it out so I'm going to use how my friend described me!

Jeans opinion on Estelle: "Estelle - very soft and caring, maternal I’d say, great listener, really fun to talk to, shy and introverted but SJDJJDKFODOSOSOD when she comes out of her shell, has lots of nice memes, overall a good person to talk to about problems or just to have fun with and MEME, video game and reading nerd HAJDJDJSJKS, sympathetic and empathetic, smart, understanding"

Skills

Mental link: An ability shared with Ruth. We have a shared mind and memory.

Shapeshifting: I can shapeshift into a Pheonix which I'll mainly only use for fun.

Healing: I can heal, either by a chant or with the help of fae or tools

Light manipulation: I can manipulate light and use it against or for people

{Before I get onto the subject about my kids. Yes, I do know them in the CR. I have raised Adam and Asher despite us being close in age, I've always been the more "motherly" figure in my friends and relatives lives. (And I have recently became a mother figure for Nutmeg for about three years now.) I've organized the appointments, cook, cleaned, been there emotionally and so on. I am Asher and Adams aunt as well, so before you ask "Isn't that weird?" In my opinion, no. There are many people I've met who are the same and just straight up become the mother figure in someone's life. I am young, but I've been doing this job for years and a few comments aren't going to stop me from my job.}

Artificer: I have artificer abilities that I typically use to make a creature called a "Maker." They simply like making things. They're smart but really emotional and made from fabric similar to a doll. They like to swear masks and they basically look like a fabric version of a Korok.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg will be my daughter in the future. She is also a person from this reality who sees me as a mother figure and I see her as a daughter. So we agreed this is something we wanted to do. How it will work is she will try shift to the future of my DR after i've been married for a few years. (And before you say "That's not possible!" or "That won't work!" Let me make it clear I said "try." We are going to try this and we have a code to and we scripted that if this isn't possible, the other us wouldn't know the code.) Nutmeg is the youngest of all of my kids.

Appearance

Nutmeg has hazel eyes with a yellowish color and freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks. She likes styling her brown and reddish hair into pig tails and she's typically seen in yellow.

Mood board of her:

Personality

She is very kind and doting, especially towards her siblings. She's not big into typical school but wants to go to the magic college for magic users. She likes baking and flower picking! She's very sweet towards fae and tries her best 100% of the time. A hugger and also someone who would bONK you if you upset her brothers or really anyone she cared about.

Jean's comment on Nutmeg: "Nutmeg - I’ve not talked to her much BUT SHES THE CUTEST WITTLE ANGEL BEAN, she’s super nice, worries/panics a lot for people from what I know, extremely caring, big gay and we love it (i once said to Estelle nutmeg can be a cottagecore lesbian and I just JSKSKSJDJDJ), loving towards y’all and it just makes me JSKDKDKDMDMMFJF"

Her skills

She has more celestial and healing magic that she got from my side. She can manipulate light, heal others, and manipulate the stars or use them as guides.

"Hey sweetie can you please not move that..."

Asher, Adam, and Her who secretly plotted to move the stars to prank astrologists with Jean's kids:

Adam

Another person who's shifting with us. He's the oldest of the siblings and he's a person I've actually raised in the CR from an early age.

Mood board of him:

Appearance

He has red eyes, taking after Elias and black hair that takes after me. He's the tallest of all the kids and typically has the more "mature" fashion by wanting to wear suits or formal attire.

Personality

He's typically the type to be stern and distant but once you know him he's more open and kind. He doesn't like people who judge and he's usually the type to do stuff he most certainly shouldn't jump into it. Adam to Asher in our Discord server: "Hey so LETS INVENT BOMBS."

Jean's comment on Adam: "Adam - smart, literally what the fuck, he’s really nice and a big home dog,,, literally like a big brother like I feel like he’ll be there when you need him, SMART DID I MENTION SMART, has an exterior shell but thats why you have to take things with him at a pace, super fcking sweet like with his stupid ex but god dammit that was sweet"

Skills

He can destroy things like Elias, summon fire, and can summon thorns. He can teleport and he has his artificer abilities that were taught by Angelica and I.

Asher

Asher is the middle child and also someone I've raised. Asher and Adam are related to me and each other in the CR as well.

Appearance

Asher has white hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. He likes the color blue and green so he typically uses it in any piece of clothing he owns. He mentioned he will wear blue more often to compliment his eyes and make his darker horns more apparent.

Mood board of him:

Personality

He's really sweet, caring, and attentive. You tell him once you like one small thing and he will remember it for years. He's really hyper and full of energy unlike his other siblings who are much more calm than him.

Jean's comment on Asher: "Asher - chaos, chaos, chaos okay anyway tbh really funny, has funny ass memes and random ass thoughts that are funny, loves affection, caring as well since I see how you care for nutmeg especially, loving and sweet, smart and retains random info like JFJDKEKDKDK-, space boy and religion boy, meme, sarcastic, 10/10 humor, energetic and extremely fun, someone you’d want at a small party with friends to hype everything up, loves kids and animals"

Skills

Asher can manipulate fire and electricity. He has super speed and super hearing, along with enhanced strength.

Silver Lady!

Also known as Silky or Silver! She was a former Banshee before being transformed by Spriggan (Titiana's bodyguard sort of speak.) She's our housekeeper.

Appearance

Silver likes to wear a, pink, Victorian dress with a matching shawl and bonnet. Her hair is blonde and short and her eyes are a shiny pink.

Mood board of her:

Personality

She doesn't chat much and often has a stoic or deadpan facial expression. But despite that, once knowing her you learn and are exposed to her emotions. She tends to dote on guests that she likes but will simply ignore those she doesn't trust. If someone she doesn't like enters the house for business, she will hover over me or the other residents and simply ignore the guest. Silver also has a sense of humor and enjoys playing pranks every now and then. She likes sewing hearts into clothes where we won't notice. Silver tends to only stay within the house or near the house, due to her past home being ruined she fears that if she leaves she will be forgotten or left behind.

Her Skills:

Silky/Silver is able to do housekeeping magic. She can change details of the house, including wallpaper or the floorboards using a simple spell.

Ruth, A Church Grim

Ruth is my familiar who can shapeshift between being a Church Grim and Human.

Appearance

Ruth can shapeshift between his two forms. A Church Grim, which is a large black dog which reaches to my rib cage in height. In this form, he has red eyes. In a human form however, his eyes appear brown or somewhat red. With he has light brownish skin and black hair. He likes to sweat striped shirts :D

Mood board of Ruth:

Personality

Ruth is very doting and diligent. He uses our mental link which causes a shared memory, feeling, and lifespan, to tell others how I'm feeling if I can't put it into words. He's also protective and won't hesitate to b0nK someone across the head. He's more of a big brother to those he's close with.

Skills

Familiar skills: He shares a lifespan with me, can share dreams, and be summoned from long distances through a mind link.

Shadow: He can hide in my shadow if needed.

Angelica Barley

Angelica is a mage and artificer. She owns her own magic shop that is hidden behind her book shop.

Appearance

Angelica has sharp features, and typically braids her hair up to show them off. She's commonly seen wearing sleeves when working because of the crystals that were embedded in her arms from an accident.

Mood board of her:

Personality

She's kind but stern. Typically, to new mages she acts as a distant mentor. She takes pride in her work but she's also cautious due to her accident. She's possibly one of the only people that can tell Elias off, and she won't hesitate to do it.

Skills

Angelica has the sight similar to that the mages possess. Just like mages, she can borrow magic from fae and she's quite knowledgeable about it too. As an artificer, she embeds magic within tools or makes them with the purpose of magic. She had a Vodanoi named Hugo who is bound to her, he's a prankster but sweet nonetheless. Hugo and Angelica have longevity. This means that they both have increased life spans and she hasn't aged much at all.

Lindel

Lindel is a mage and the current care taker of the Dragons. He was both Elias and Adolf's first master.

Appearance

Lindel is a human and despite being a thousand years old, he looks to be in his 20s. He has pale skin and blonde hair that be ties or braids that frame his face and blue eyes. He typically wears a hood and robe with odd designs on the hood and back piece.

Mood board of Lindel

Personality

Before he became a Mage and Keeper Of Dragons, he hated fae. The fae caused him many problems which caused him to isolate himself. But now, he is calm and playful and he takes pride in his job as the dragon keeper. Despite his usual demeanor, when it comes to the dragons he isn't so kind to poachers.

There are many other people I'll be getting to later such as my dad, my brother, my sister, my friend and her kids and s/o, other important people, etc. But for now I'm tired ainjsndjwsn

#shifting reality #loa #realities #reality shifting #subliminals #shifting realities #shiftblr #manifestation #motivation #reality #shifting #shifting community #ideal reality #current reality

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myfriendsarerealidiots · 4 years

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Comparing Adaptations

‘Kay so I went on one of my whims again and did something stupid. Couple weeks or so ago, I wasn’t really in the mood to watch anime so I opened up Netflix and watched a Cdrama that I wanted to watch for a while now.

That Cdrama was ‘The Untamed’ which, prior to me watching it and doing said whim, I thought was just your typical historic Cdrama. Oh boy I was wrong. As I was watching it, I was thinking to myself, “This show’s really selling itself off as BL.” Which, I found out after finishing it was because it is BL. Hah...and that was just the start of it.

As I was doing my ‘Post-show research,’ I found out that it was based of a novel, called ‘Mo Dao Zu Shi’or as translated by the people on the internet as ‘Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation.’ Said novel had 2 more adaptations along with ‘The Untamed’ which were a manhua and a donghua. So me being me, I decided to watch the donghua adaptation and read both the og novel and manhua.

So how I went through this was...

The Untamed (2019)

The Donghua aka Anime I guess

The Manhua which I read while having class (such a responsible student aren’t I)

The original novel

All hail this person who has too much free time on her hands.

Anyways, as it says on the tin, I’ll be comparing the 4 adaptations/versions of the story and see what changes between them as well as the pros and cons. (Wow I sound so professional)

Some background of myself just to avoid confusion

I am not a mega hardcore Fujoshi. I don’t really enjoy reading smut, nor am I old enough to do so bear that in mind

I have 7 years worth of Chinese lessons under my belt which means I barely understand a thing and that I can get some of the jokes like how Wei Ying’s sword is called ‘Sui Bien’ and it’s funnier to hear in Chinese. In other words, compared to like actual Chinese people who live in China, I pretty much have the knowledge of a 10 year old.

The versions of the Manhua and Novel that I read were translated in English so somethings might have been lost in translation.

I have a bit of a goldfish brain so forgive me if I wrote something wrong or forgot the name of a certain character, most likely I will look it up to correct it but if I don’t...well sorry.

I am writing my opinions on each version as I finish them, so if they don’t link up to the original that’s the reasoning behind it.

All of these are my opinions and thoughts on the story. You are not entitled to follow them if you disagree. I personally believe that everyone has a voice of their own and they should use it. (Even though I don’t half of the time.)

Slight Spoiler Warning

I will be breaking down some of the scenes and characters for my comparisons so please keep that in mind.

The Untamed (2019)

As this was my first exposure to the story, I didn’t know what to expect. I loved everything about it except for the fact that literally half of the show was spent in the past, building context for what was happening in the present.

The characters were lovable and all had distict personalities, especially Wei Ying and Lan Zhan which I guess makes sense since they’re the main characters (their actors are also cute and have good chemistry.) Speaking of characters, Yanli has a more forward role in the story here compared to the other versions. The way certain characters were introduced was different too. Since it’s live action, it’s also harder to show things like extreme blushing and such so it makes Lan Zhan look very stoic and way more unexpressive here than in the other versions.

The soundtrack is nice to listen to, especially with the 2 mains singing the theme song together it’s so cute and gives it another meaning in itself. Although, I do wonder how that poor bamboo flute Wei Ying made in like 2 mins plays decent sounding music. Chen Qing(is this the name of it?), the flute he uses after his trip to the Burial Grounds has the same sound quality as that bamboo flute which is just, “how???”

They took out most of the extreme BL!!! I feel like that is the biggest difference between this version and all the rest. I know they did that to appeal to more people but it does remove some of the context to things. That doesn’t mean the moments that were kept in weren’t cute though. It did make the pair look more plantonic than romantic.

As for the story itself, as a story on its own, it’s nice, as an adaptation that’s where the line gets blurry but it leans more towards the good side. They did indeed change some things, made them work better with the medium than if they didn’t.

An example I can place is the mask. Where the other versions used white make up with oddly placed red circles around the eyes, this one used a mask instead. I agree with the choice they made, seeing as they removed the fact that Mo Xuanyu was homosexual and so the make up wouldn’t make sense. It also looks nicer than what I imagined what could’ve happened with they kept with the make up. They do make a reference to this in the show when Jin Ling and Wei Ying have a conversation in Carp Tower. “You’ve seen my face right?” “How do I know? Your face is always caked in make up or covered by that mask.”

Another issue I had which I’ll touch on later was the first episode—I had no idea what was going on for those 40 minutes of screentime.

Donghua

As of writing this post, season 3 of this has yet to come out.

My first reaction to this was “Man, the animation’s pretty, and they made Wei Ying look scarier.” Watching stuff at 12 in the morning isn’t the best thing but that’s what I do.

Anywho, this version made Wei Ying really attracted to going down the path of ‘evil’ compared to the other versions. I don’t really understand why they made this change...but they did so we have to deal with that. And his eyes glow red!! It makes him look scary and cool at the same time. I love it!!

The transitions between certain events were a bit weird to say the least. For example, at the end of episode 2/3 Wei Ying gets forcibly dragged into the Cloud Recesses and the episode ends there. By the next episode, we’re 16/23/13 however many years in the past. This makes it really confusing for someone who hasn’t watched or read any other version of the story. It definitely made me confused and I already finished one.

While ‘The Untamed’ told us everything in one long flashback, the donghua broke it up into small chunks placed whenever information was needed. I don’t think that was a good idea, but then I also think it was a better decision than what they did for the Cdrama. As I watched this adaptation, I found myself confused from time to time because what happened in the prior episode didn’t always match what happened in the current episode like I mentioned earlier.

As for the artstyle, personally, I think some of the characters look similar minus the hair. However, I do like the little ways they made Lan Zhan express his feelings towards Wei Ying.

Speaking of which, when I first saw them together in this version in the forest near the Goddess Temple, I had to do a bit of a double take because of the height difference which wasn’t so evident in ‘The Untamed’. I soon found out that Lan Zhan was taller than Wei Ying before and after he gets reincarnated(?) Prior, it was just a small gap of 2cm which later turned to 6cm after possessing Mo Xuanyu.

I didn’t notice their height gaps while watching ‘The Untamed’ because Wei Ying’s actor, Xiao Zhan, is taller than Lan Zhan’s actor, Wang Yi Bo by about 2 inches which is like 5 cm? and so they had to do some weird thing with platforms to make Xiao Zhan look shorter in comparison.

Soundtrack wise, I personally think that ‘The Untamed’ was better in that sense. Where it had an amazing souding flute, this one had minor earrape in a nutshell.

This version made itself, in my eyes look more like a historical fighting anime as opposed to the BL vibes I was getting from ‘The Untamed’ and the other versions. They added a lot of action scenes and made the mystery more interesting for me. Along with this, the overall look and feel of this made it seem like it came from a completely different source material.

Manhua

Small FYI, as of writing this post the Manhua is at 147 Chapters.

(I should’ve kept up the trend and got a screenshot from that scene in the Manhua but I didn’t so here we are with gay rabbits.)

As your local internet friend who reads more manga than normal books nowadays, I enjoyed reading the manhua and finished it in a couple days.

Compared to the first 2 versions here, these last 2 are both things that you have to read to get through, albeit one has pictures and one doesn’t.

While normally, one would read silently, I like listening to music while I do. And seeing as the OST of ‘The Untamed’ sounds really nice, I listened to it while reading both the manhua and novel when I could.

This one brought out the BL elements that were missing from the first 2. They gave Wei Ying and Lan Zhan a lot of kissing or just straight up affectionate scenes which I think ties in with the general theming of the original novel more.

As this one is probably the closest of the adaptations to the original, it’s the least confusing to read, although that might’ve been influenced by my experiencing the story for the third time at this point. I say that, however, there were many story elements that weren’t present in either one prior to this.

Examples this can be seen with their collecting of body parts that belonged to the former Nie Sect Leader. In ‘The Untamed’ they find the sword spirit which guides them through the rest of the story. In the Donghua adaptation, they get the arm, but also get the head of the the Jin with the hundred holes curse which was an original addition. Here, they get the arm from Mo Manor, find the other one then find the torso and so on before finding the head in Jin GuangYao’s possession.

The flashbacks in this version were also executed really well, in my opinion, as it doesn’t feel super confusing while reading it and it gives just enough information to help the events unfold. It also gives us a chance to see how much of an ass(sorry) Wei Ying was when he was the Yiling Patriach from his own perspective as well as give us a moment of WangXian in the middle of all that chaos.

Novel

Here’s a picture of gay rabbits for everyone.

At this point, I was switching between the novel and the Manhua to read whichever one I wanted at any given time which might have blurred my sense of what belonged in each one so I’ll try my best to make sure.

Since this one is the original source material, it was clear from the get go that this will be the one with the least confusing version of events and the most amount of detail.

I was surprised on how close the manhua and ‘The Untamed’ was to the novel. Although, the former condensed the mystery to fit within the timeframe while the latter hasn’t finished just yet.

Personally, I like this author, and will probably read more of her works further down the line. Even though the version I read was in english, I still could feel the meaning behind certain aspects which I think shows her skill as an author.

The novel clearly shows the mischief that goes through Wei Ying’s head and their gradual (I say gradual but I think Lan Zhan just snapped) change of attitudes towards each other.

Arc One- Mo Manor

Past here I’ll break down the first arc of each one because I think all of them did it in relatively different ways. Be warned for spoilers if you haven’t watched or read all of them.

The Untamed (2019)

Out of all of these versions, this one definitely had me scratching my head in confusion the most even after watching it a second time once I finished the entire show.

As the only version that had the curse issued at the start as a moving factor of the story as well as the Yin Iron which was specifically made for this version, it didn’t explain enough at the start.

There were many things I could say were wrong about this beginning, from starting at a flashback to not properly introducing us to our characters but the biggest problem in my mind was the lack of explanation at the present.

Like I mentioned, starting at a flashback is a terrible idea as it gives the viewer high expectations only for it to be crushed the second it ends. Here, it shows a small portion of the battle at the Nightless City without much context then it quickly changes to 16 years later with a seemingly random group of people.

Another issue is the amount of useless characters who were introduced. In the other versions, there were only 2 Lan disciples who were given names and were introduced properly while here there were more than I want to count. Add to that the one telling stories about the YiLing Patriarch and the weird guy walking around with a flag, and you got yourself total confusion.

Donghua

This one was slightly less confusing to watch. As it starts with a clip of Wei Ying commanding corpses which matches the overall feel of the donghua. The rumors that he died stretched over the time skip and we meet this version of Mo Xuanyu who is caked with make up, whether or not he was a cut-sleeve (gay) in this version, I forgot.

It fully explains the curse and instead of having a couple of Lan disciples just standing there watching, we get to focus on the 2 important ones, Lan Sizhui and Lan JiYing. It gives us a slightly deeper insight into Wei Ying’s mind, as he states ‘you got the wrong one,’ just after being reincarnated, indicating that he isn’t as vicious as painted by the first few minutes of the show. Like the other versions, they also show how he considers the cons of using his demonic abilities and that Sizhui would probably tell on him to Lan Zhan, meaning that Sizhui was a keen, observant young man.

Manhua and the Novel

As for the introductions, these two were very similar. Both have the rumors of the Yiling Patriarch across the screen as we get further down the story and meet our main character.

It gets the details from the Donghua adaptation and mixes it with more information to create a more detailed account of what was happening, also making this Wei Ying seem smarter compared to his counterparts in other versions. He also hesitates more on showing his abilities, knowing that he’s going to be caught if he does.

Final Thoughts

As of writing this, I’m only halfway through the novel but it covers the portion until where the manhua is currently at. I would finish reading it before posting this but it would take too long and probably make this post even longer than it currently is, which isn’t such a good idea. If I had much more patience and effort I would really like to break down each arc and their differences from one another but I can’t be bothered right now. (Sorry)

I can safely say that in terms of adaptations, ‘The Untamed’ is relatively close to the novel, albeit a very condensed version. As flashback filled as it is, it wasn’t very confusing to watch past the first two episodes.

The Donghua adaptation takes several liberties, going more of an action oriented route instead of the calmer more, I wouldn’t say love but character oriented novel.

The manhua is definitely the closest to the novel, so if you really don’t want to read a lot of words, and I mean a lot of words, then go ahead and read it.

What else do I have to say...if you’re new to the story, welcome, if you’re a veteran who’s been here longer than me, sorry for taking up space on your feed. And congrats for making it to the end.

#the untamed #mo dao zu shi #manhua #donghua #cdrama #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wei ying #lan zhan #fujoshi #comparisons #mdzs #wangxian #yiling patriarch #yiling lao zu #hanguang jun

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goldandbluesmiles · 4 years

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Magical Healing (Chap1/3)

Summary: Jason Todd gets a soul-sucking curse cast on him. Zatanna summons some help. Some very interesting help.

Ao3

Part of my batfam Whumptober2020

xxx

Jason woke up feeling foggy and slow. His body felt like it had been covered in concrete and he was having a hard time moving his limbs. A quick glance to his side showed both Damian and Dick sitting at his side. Damian noticed him awake first and instantly called out for Bruce, much to Jason's chagrin.

"Father, Todd's awake," he said, "He seems to be having difficultly focusing though,"

"Shut up, brat," muttered Jason, trying to sit up

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that yet," said Dick, making him lie back down

"What? Get off of-"

"Jason," warned Bruce, coming to stand on his other side, "Stop it. How much do you remember?"

"I don't-"

"The fight," said Bruce, "Can you remember?"

The fight. Right.

They had been following some amateur bad guy hell-bent on making his name. He had been a normal human without the resources of most of the big rogues so they hadn't been expecting any surprise.

Turned out he had had a possessed demonic sorcerer on his side.

After that, the fight was a bit unclear in Jason's head but he did remember getting hit with something.

"I got hit," he said looking up at Bruce, "Is that why I feel so shitty?"

Bruce pursed his lips and shard quick glance with Dick.

"What?" asked Jason, trying not to panic too much, "What's going on?"

"We're going to show you something and please try to stay calm,"

That really didn't help Jason's rising panic. What could it be that was making Bruce of all people seem so out of his element.

"Here goes," murmured Dick and slowly lifted his shirt. Jason sat up to get a good look at whatever they were trying to show him and nearly had a premature heart attack.

Right in the middle of his gut was a black hole. A literal black hole.

"What the fuck?" he shouted on instinct, trying to move upwards as if moving could get him away from the physical thing on him.

Bruce held him down though, "Don't. We have no idea what this is so please stay as still as possible. We contacted every magic-user and Zatanna seemed to recognize what it was so we're going to wait on her, okay?"

Jason took a deep breath, "Okay?"

"You said you felt bad," said Bruce, "What did you mean?"

"Just feel kinda tired and weak, headache too,"

"Anything that might need immediate attention?" based Bruce

"Nah, I'm good," said Jason, "Let's just wait for Zatanna,"

"Okay," said Bruce, "I'm going to inform the rest of the family,"

Dick gently squeezed his shoulder as Bruce walked toward the computer. For once, Jason didn't throw him off.

xxx

Zatanna showed up only twenty minutes after Jason had woken up. Her swiftness both relieved Bruce and made him more worried. Zatanna would never drop everything so quickly unless she thought something was really wrong.

The feeling amplified when Zatanna took one look at the black hole and stepped back.

"This isn't good," she said.

"No kidding," muttered Jason, valiantly trying to hide the fear in his voice, "Is there any way to fix it? And what is it even doing?"

Zatanna took a deep breath, "It's sucking out your life force,"

Bruce felt his stomach drop to the ground.

"What?" asked Jason, voice barely over a horrified whisper

Zatanna nodded, "Yes, that's what I believe it's doing but I've also never encountered one before,"

"What happens when it's done with Todd?" asked Damian

Bruce flinched at tat but then reprimanded himself. The questions needed to be asked.

"I don't know," said Zatanna, "I need to do more research, make a few more calls,"

"And if you don't get it off in time, I die. Again," said Jason

Bruce could tell his son was trying to sound a little less affected than he actually was. Jason's gaze swept the cave and when it landed on him, he moved without any hesitation. Standing close to the bed, he rested a hand on Jason's arm. When the boy didn't pull away, Bruce knew it had been the right choice.

"I'm going to try very hard to make sure that doesn't happen, Jason," said Zatanna, "I promise,"

"Yeah," murmured Jason, "Sure,"

Bruce squeezed Jason's shoulder in encouragement but inside, his own heart felt like it was tearing itself apart.

xxx

"You didn't all have to come you know," said Jason

The family had taken no time in rallying together. Duke had come back from his trip, Stephanie from her dorm, Cass and Tim had Zeta'd from Hong kong and the Titans tower respectively. Barbara was also tuned into the cave though she hadn't physically made it there yet.

"Nonsense," said Cass, flicking his forehead

"'Course we came, stupid," said Stephanie, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," said Jason, "Guess this thing really is sucking it out me huh?"

"I could usually make so many jokes with that," muttered Stephanie

Tim hit her shoulder and snorted, "You're horrible,"

Jason chuckled though, glad that they were trying to make her feel better. It was one of the good things about working with the bats again, he got to be close to the family. Except for Dick, they weren't really his siblings, not yet, but he could say that they were at least his friends and had his back. Even the youngest brat.

"Did Zatanna tell you about her progress?" Barbara asked through the comms.

"Not yet. She took over the library and- oh wait, she's here. I'll let you listen to what she ways," said Dick

"Did you find anything?" asked Jason

"Not specifically for this," said Zatanna, "But there is a spell to summon spells. I'm familiar with those but this one can actually summon it across realities,"

"So, if someone from another reality figured this out, we'd be able to use the knowledge," said Tim

"Yes,"

"Reaching across realities is dangerous though," said Damian, "Are we sure we won't be putting Jason and ourselves in more danger,"

"I am certain that I can make it work," said Zatanna

Duke nodded, "I'll go get Bruce then,"

xxx

Zatanna pulled out the chalk, drew some symbols that Bruce wasn't even going to try to understand and sat down to chant a summoning spell. From what he knew, it wasn't something she did a lot but he trusted her confidence in her own abilities. If she was sure she could do it, he believed her.

Zatanna started her chant and beside him, Alfred squeezed Bruce's hand.

Bruce smiled thankfully and squeezed back. Eventually, the symbols began to glow, the cave lit for a second and then there was a burst of smoke.

Bruce had expected many things, but what he saw there was not one of them.

A fully grown man. There was a fully grown man sitting in the middle of Zatanna's drawn symbols.

After a closer look, it became increasingly obvious who it was. The man was wearing a leather jacket, had familiar blue-green eyes but most telling of all was the coif of start white hair standing amongst the rest of the salt and pepper

"Jason," he murmured

The other Jason took a measured look around the room and then turned gaze to Zatanna.

"So, why am I here?" he asked, "It's not everyday somebody pulls you a few hundred realities over,"

"I-I'm not sure," said Zatanna, "I was looking for a spell,"

"And you got me instead," said the other Jason, "What do you need help with?"

Zatanna gestures to their Jason who lifted his shirt for the man.

"What the Fuck?" the other Jason nearly shouted and then instantly turned to Alfred, "I am so sorry but it needed to be said,"

Alfred smiled, "Accepted, Sir,"

"So Jason, and to keep the confusion to a minimum, please call me Jace, May I?" said Jace, gesturing to the black hole on Jason's stomach.

Jason nodded, allowing Jace to touch his stomach. However, as soon as Jace touched his skin, he shook his head and pulled away.

"This isn't going to work," he muttered, "We need three?"

Before anyone could ask what he meant, Jace turned to Zatanna.

"I'm assuming that not everyone here is inherently magical," he said

"No, just a select few of us,"

"Well then, you people are about to have a couple more guests,"

xxx

The symbols, or runes as Jace called them, were activated again and out stepped another Jason Todd. This one looked about the same age as their Jason and a little more worked up about the whole situation.

"You pulled me from a fight!" he shouted at Jace, "I just left Tim alone with a group of thugs hell-bent on killing him!"

"I'm sorry," said Jace, "But you're here now, so please,"

The younger Jason shook his head and glared but stomped over to their Jason anyway, "You can call me Keeper. It's what we are back at our reality,"

"Keeper," murmured their Jason, "Got it,"

"Familiarize yourself with the force of it," said Jace, "I'm calling another one,"

This time the person who stepped out was a young teenager, though the white in his hair showed he had also been brought back to life. His reaction, Brue found, was probably the most normal.

He took a few moments to stare at their Jason, now shirtless.

"You're the guardian, right?" asked Jace

"Um- yes," he said, "That's what you can call me but uh-"

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen,"

"Right," said Jace, "In months how long has it been since you died? Since you were put in the pit?"

"Um, twenty-six and fourteen, uh- is he alright?"

"No, and since you were stable?"

This seemed to break Guardian Jason out of whatever reverie he was in.

"Eight months, it's been eight months," he said, "Now tell me why I'm here?"

"Soul sucking curse," said Jason, "We're going to assess,"

"Not perform?" said Keeper Jason

"You feel confident enough for that, Kid?" asked Jace

Both the Guardian and Keeper Jasons looked at each other and shrugged.

"We'll call them once we know what's going on," said Jace, "Let's get started,"

Bruce had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. And the part of him that made contingency plans for contingency plans, the part that liked to be in control, was screaming for him to ask. But another part was glad that at least someone knew how to help his boy, even if it made him very uncomfortable.

"Alright Guardian, you familiarize yourself too," said Jace, "Then we can begin to analyze it more,"

The youngest Jason nodded and then turned to Jason, "May I?"

Jason nodded, allowing him to touch the area around the whole. The Guardian touched his stomach but his reaction was much different from the one that the other two Jasons had had.

His hands glowed over their Jason's skin for a few seconds and then he backed away, face twisted in pain and clutching his stomach as he doubled over.

Jace moved to support him but he held his hand up, "I'm fine. I wasn't expecting that. It seems less magic and more demonic,"

"Um- if it helps," said their Jason, "We've seen possessed people before, and he definitely seemed a bit possessed,"

"Ah," said Guardian Jason, "In that case, we need a demon hunter. Best case scenario, somebody called a demon for a one-time thing and fucked up, worst-case scenario- well- they're too many to count. We need to find that thing before someone else gets this. How long has it been, in minutes?"

"Around five hours and thirty-seven minutes," said Bruce

"Moments like these I'm glad that the Bruces of every reality are control freaks,"

The Jasons, even theirs, shared a small conspiratorial smile, but Bruce couldn't bring himself to care. It wasn't as if they were wrong really.

"So you got one in mind?" Keeper Jason asked Jace, "Unless there's one that you guys can call right now,"

Zatanna shook her head, "Not so quickly,"

"Right," said Jace, "I got one. He's gonna come but just be warned, he likes to make an entrance. Takes after his darling father,"

Bruce was just about to ask what he meant when the lights flickered and the cave was plunged into darkness.

xxx

The cave only stayed dark for a few moments, but it was enough for Damian to reach for his weapons. From the rustling of fabric around the room, the rest of his family were doing the same.

When the lights started flickering back, they all heard the newcomer before they saw him.

"I hear from you for the first time in over six months and you drag me and my girls into another reality. Now that's just rude, Jason,"

The room cleared a bit more and Damian could see a man walking toward Jace, three girls in their teens and younger right behind him.

Jace opened his arms and grinned, "Demon brat,"

Demon brat.

Oh.

The other, older him dramatically fell into Jace's arms and laughed when his older brother lifted him clean off the floor.

It reminded Damian of the times Todd carried him around too, though Damian always threatened him in return.

Once the other Damian was back on the ground, he turned towards the girls and gestured for them to great Jace. The girls ran forward with cries of "uncle Jay' and "Jayjay' filling the air. Once that was done, Damian turned his eyes to Jason and went completely still. He then turned toward the youngest girl, seemingly around ten years old.

"Habibi, close your ears for me,"

The little girl brought her hands up to her ears, a soft glow emitting from them.

Damian then turned Alfred with his hand raised a little.

"Pardon my language Pennyworth, but what the ever-loving fuck is that?!" he said, gesturing his hand toward Jason's body

"Yeah, that was my reaction too," murmured Jace

"Can I take my hands away now?" said the littlest girl

Damian smiled and nodded. Then he turned back to their Jason.

"Tell me everything you remember about the caster and their mannerism,"

Wide-eyed, Jason started explaining what the man had looked like, his wording and hand gestures. Knowing what his brother would be saying, Damian took that time to observe the other Damian. He was just an inch or so away from his father's height and had his black hair and facial features. Though his lieth body seemed to be like Talia's. He was also wearing an all-black armour with gold ringlets and the League insignia, also in gold.

The girls were also dressed similarly and bore a striking resemblance to the Al-Ghul family. Damian wondered in these were other him's daughters or nieces or maybe even siblings if the Pit had been in use.

It was odd. Damian never imagined himself as a tall man, out of his child's body. It felt like something forbidden, to think of a future for himself that wasn't an abstract idea, something between batman and the league.

But now, watching the man, Damian could almost see himself standing tall and confident, out of both the comforting and suffocating shadows around him.

He thought he might like that.

xxx

"Weird isn't it?" murmured Dick

Bruce had to agree. The man introducing himself to Jason looked exactly like what Bruce imagined his Damian would be one day, confident, comfortable in his own skin and happy with a twinkle on his eye.

And the girls, the girls brought on a whole other wave of hope.

"Jason, these are my daughters, Tahara and Zara Al-Ghul-Wayne, and the youngest is their cousin Zinnia Al-Ghul. They will slow down the process of the curse until we can figure out some solution,"

"Okay," said Jason

"I will take a small, um...sample, of the curse and then I will track them down and hopefully get rid of the demonic force,"

"Sample?" asked Jason

"It'll just be a pinch," said the other Damian, stretching out his hand, "May I?"

"Yeah, sure," said Jason, "Go ahead,"

Damian tapped Jason's stomach, making him slightly flinch. The man's hand glowed black which then travelled up his arms in thick veins until his eyes were glowing an eerie black colour. If Bruce's family were any less than what they were, someone probably would have screamed. Instead, the biggest reaction was Duke's curious tilt.

Once Damian was done, he took his hand away and turned towards Jace. His brother cupped his face gently, looking him in his dark glowing eyes.

"Be careful, alright?"

The other Damian gave a huge grin and nodded, disappearing into a poof of black smoke.

Jace then turned towards his nieces and gestured towards their Jason.

"Alright girls. Let's get started,"

xxx

Jason smiled nervously as three girls took their seats around him.

"They'll start first," said Jace, "Once they've made their connection, we'll start analyzing the spell,"

"Okay," said Jason

The girls held their hands over him, muttering a few things as they cast whatever they had to. Not liking the silence, Jason cast his glance to where most of his family had moved, up over to the railing. They were too far away though, so he just felt awkward. Bruce and Dick were still standing close by but there was no way he was making eye contact with either one of them.

So he turned his eyes back towards the girls.

"So, can you guys talk," he asked, "Or is this one of the silent types of deals,"

The middle girl grinned, "We can talk if you want. By the way, you can start now Uncle Jay,"

"Thank you, Zara," said Jace, "Let's start gentlemen,"

The other Jason's started to gently prod around the black hole, their hands occasionally glowing and then picking up a pen and notebook to write notes in. The whole process was pretty odd so Jason turned his attention back to the girl.s

"Som how old are you guys?"

"Well," said Zara, "I'm twelve, Tahara's seventeen and little Zinnia is ten years old,"

"Cool," returned Jason, "I'm twenty,"

Little Zinnia smiled, "You're very pretty,"

Jason let out a small laugh.

"Why thank you," said Jason, "You're very pretty too,"

"I mean," continued Zinnia, "Uncle Jay was probably very pretty too once upon a time but by the time I came along he wasn't very pretty anymore,"

The last part was said in a mock whisper and Jason had to try hard not to laugh.

"Though, maybe Tahara remembers him being pretty," said Zara, "Do you, Ta?"

"Nope," said Tahara, winking at him as she played along with the younger girls' game.

"You know I can hear you, brats," said Jace

Zara grinned and leaned in, "We're not supposed to say it out loud, especially around Uncle Jay,"

"Yes," said Zinnia, "It hurts his fragile feelings, that's what grandpa B says,"

"Uncle Dickie says it too," said Tahara

"I still hear you," said Jace, though Jason could detect the amusement in his voice, "God, you guys are really Damian's girls,"

Zara leaned in again and whispered, "See what we mean,"

All the girls let out little giggles at that and Jason couldn't help but join them.

They spent the next hour or so like that, Jason ignoring his family and other versions of him as the girls told him little stories about their life. Though, Jason noticed that they kept it pretty vague. They would mention a cousin but no names and talk about a wedding but not who's it had been. Probably didn't want to give him a crisis or any reason to freak out in the future. Even if their future wasn't his if their past was similar their future could be too.

"We're done," said Jace

"So now what?" asked Jason

"Now we wait for the performers," said Jace, "Girls why don't you move back a little,"

The girls nodded and got up, moving to the furthest wall from him, sitting around one of the desks there.

Jason turned his attention back towards Jace, "So waiting for what?"

"The three of us are not strong enough to do this-"

"Well, he is," said Guardian Jason, "We're not,"

"Right," said Jace, "And since it's better to do a spell with 'three of the same', we're going to wait for-"

"Bruce Wayne's of your realities," Jason finished for him

"Yup," said Jace, "They should be here right about-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the lights in the cave flickered again.

Jace snorted, "Dramatic timing as always,"

#whumptober2020 #no.15 #magical healing #Jason Todd #bruce wayne #Damian Wayne #hurt/comfort #batdad

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ravnicaforgoblins · 4 years

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Ravnica for Goblins

8 Interesting Places

Welcome back to another look at the sprawling chaotic cityscape that is Ravnica! Are you tired of the usual taverns and back alleyways common to all D&D campaigns? Are there buildings and locations a normal city would have that just seem to be missing from the limited maps available in the GGtR? Do you not have time to scour through Ravnican lore on a Wiki? Well fret no more! Here today we have 8 interesting, exciting, and possibly extremely dangerous locations for your Ravnica campaign! As with most lore in this campaign setting transferred over from a trading card game, details are very scarce about these locations; where they are, what goes on there, what they look like, etc. You’re going to be filling in the holes with your own details. As you’re probably getting used to doing by now, when in doubt, make sh*t up.

#1 Udzec Maximum Security Prison

This is the Big House. You don’t end up here for a drunken brawl at the bar, kicking an Azorius Lawmage in the nuts, or being exposed as a Dimir operative in the Orzhov Syndicate. This is where the Azorius put away individuals who have proven themselves to be serious threats to Ravnican society. Such acts range from smashing up Tin Street to disintegrating an entire building to threatening the existence of the entire city of Ravnica!

Udzec is located in the Second Precinct of the 10th District (aka, the map you have to work from). Most of the Second Precinct is firmly Azorius territory. Their Guildhall is there, their offices, their courts, their prisons, their officers and officials. To this degree, the greatest defense measure for Udzec is the fact that breaking out of the prison itself doesn’t mean anything if you can’t get out of the whole precinct before every available Azorius arrester is on you.

#2 The Moon Market

Held only once in every 5 full moons, the pretty obviously named “Moon Market” is the mecca of forbidden wares and contraband. Anything guaranteed to get you arrested for possession of will be in there, as well as other potential buyers who, by the very fact that they are in this blackest of Black Markets, should not be messed with. This is where the nastiest, scariest, and most dangerous individuals come to shop. Rakdos Blood Witches, Golgari Lich Lords, Dimir Assassins, Orzhov Tithe Drinkers, and unaffiliated psychopaths just trying to make the voices happy. Good news, you don’t have to worry about law enforcement here! Bad news, anyone here may try to kill you and your body would never be found.

The market is held in the Sixth Precinct, run predominantly by the Orzhov and the Golgari. It’s a safe bet that half the population here is undead, making wandering around the precinct at night at best a death wish and at worst an undeath wish. This means anyone in your group who is a cleric, paladin, or specializes against undead should stay home. They are not welcome in this market and the very act of showing up is likely enough to cause a TPK.

That said, if you need to find something or someone extremely dangerous, this market is, ironically, a safe bet. And if you don’t find the exact evil you’re looking for, you’ll certainly find others.

#3 Duskmantle

There are two Duskmantles. Like with many Ravnican Guildhalls, the old one has fallen into disrepair and become lost to the passage of time. The original Duskmantle was founded by the Dimir Parun, Szadek, and was among the most well-kept secrets in Ravnica throughout his reign. It is now an even more well-kept secret, being forgotten by all, except perhaps Lazav, the current Dimir Guildmaster. While the Dimir are not the type to be swayed by such things as “nostalgia”, “sentimentality”, or “great history”, they are the type to value information no one else knows. Whose to say what might remain in this former headquarters of espionage and scheming? If you wanted to hide something, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better spot than a hidden underground fortress that literally erases your memories of it when you leave.

As to where it resides, that’s anyone’s guess. The Undercity is as big as (and in some cases even bigger than) the sprawling cityscape on the surface. Compounding this is the fact that the whole Undercity is effectively a deadly labyrinth that even citizens who spend their entire lives (or afterlives) residing in will never fully master. I suppose one could ask Lazav, but several things would need to happen first:

1. Find Lazav, who is specifically designed never to be found unless he wants to be.

2. Confront the ultimate spymaster without him escaping or killing you.

3. Convince an individual who is immune to being charmed, frightened, or scryed to give you one of his most cherished(?) secrets.

4. Trust the word of someone who is incapable of being caught in a lie.

5. Traverse the Undercity’s darkest, most dangerous passages and find one of the most heavily-warded constructions in history.

6. Leave with all the memories you entered with.

So yeah, if you’ve already done six impossible things today, why not take a trip to a gloomy underground cathedral for some treasure hunting?

#4 Catacombs of the Obzedat

Within Orzhova, the opulent Guildhall of the Orzhov Syndicate, there are bejeweled catacombs wherein past & present members of the Ghost Council are interred alongside the wealth and riches they accumulated in their lives. This is where the oldest records and dealings made by the Syndicate are kept, hidden away from all but the Guildmasters. This is the heart of Orzhov power. But even beyond the riches, something even more valuable also exists.

Ancient magic predating even the Guildpact lies within these walls, making it one of the only locations on the plane where the magically binding laws hold no sway. There really is no understating the value of such a place. In a city where the laws are the single most powerful magic in existence, immunity to such magic has value beyond measure. This room is one of the biggest secrets in all of Ravnica.

No matter what sort of campaign or story you’re running, this place is a game-changer. Whether a party is intending to rob it for treasure, use it for acts that break Guildpact laws, break free from an ancient debt, borrow some of its power to take elsewhere, hit the scheming Orzhov where it hurts, or have a climactic showdown without outside interference; this is the place to do it. Getting there is the hard part, and getting out again almost impossible if you raise alarms, but there’s no denying the possible rewards if you succeed.

#5 The Jester’s Crypt

Depending on where one lives, one can occasionally forget that a 30-foot-tall Giant Demon Lord of Chaos roams the streets. Under normal circumstances, this would be cause for great alarm in citizens. However, this is Ravnica, and a living embodiment of mayhem & hedonism is not the worst thing you have to deal with on a regular basis. Odds are you have more to fear from your tax collector than Rakdos the Defiler. The Demon Guildmaster of the cult named for him does whatever he wants, and if nothing going on in the city interests him, he may well stay in his lava pit for months or even years at a time, just sleeping.

Having the demon lord’s attention can be a blessing and a curse. Having his ire, however, is pretty much the worst fate one can suffer on Ravnica. Rakdos does not tolerate anyone stealing his spotlight. If you are the poor soul who does thus, he brings you to the Jester’s Crypt to torture you forever. There are no appeals, no one is coming to rescue you, and the only people you will ever see again are similar individuals to be tortured....and Rakdos himself. It’s a door everyone knows but no one ever asks what’s inside. To do so invites suffering beyond measure.

If you are a player, you do not want to ever see this place. If someone you love/care about is sent here, any rescue is going to take preparation out the wazoo. If you’re looking for a breeding ground for tortured souls and individuals capable of challenging Rakdos the Showstopper, there’s no better place to pull one out of. It’s basically a Big Bad breeding ground for demons and malcontents. Considering the spectrum of sins to get one sentenced here ranges from talking sh*t about Rakdos when you don’t think he can hear, to openly challenging him to a deathmatch for control of the Guild, you can conceivably pull NPCs of any & every CR rating from out of here.

#6 The Red Wastes

The Rubblebelt is Gruul territory that makes up the borders around the entire city. Most of it is composed of broken buildings, smashed pavement, and, predictably, rubble. Beyond the Rubblebelt, however, lie the Red Wastes. These are the true untamed wilds of Ravnica, the last in existence. Meaning this is where the beasties too big for the Gruul to wrangle would roam. Wurms, hydras, elementals, and any other giant monsters one can have in a D&D campaign. Out here there is no law, no Guilds, no backup, no nothing. Forest, desert, grasslands, maybe even some tundra; but that’s it.

If your party needs a break from the city or needs to go hunting for rare animals/plants, this is the place they’d go. Pure, undiscovered wilderness savage enough to withstand any attempts at colonizing for over 10,000 years. Anything could be out here.

#7 The Overgrown Tomb

Deep in the Undercity, sparingly touched by rare beams of outside light, lies the lair of Vraska the Unseen. What may have once been a fountain in a plaza is now an underground mausoleum covered in moss and the petrified remains of Vraska’s victims. Given Vraska can range from an urban legend told around campfires to the deadliest assassin in Ravnica or even the Golgari Guildmaster, this, her most private of secret lairs, is one of the most well-kept secrets in all of Ravnica (lot of those, aren’t there?)

If you’ve found the Overgrown Tomb, Vraska will be seeing you shortly. If she’s in the tomb already, prepare for high tension and a strong possibility of certain death and/or petrification. If she isn’t, that’s possibly worse. Anything stolen from her lair will guarantee you a spot on her “Everyone Should Die the Death They Deserve” List. Odds are, if you stole something, she’ll steal an organ or two in return. Which means either you stay awake for the next month straight and die from exhaustion waiting for her to slither out of the shadows to murder you, or you wait around for her and try to appeal to the better nature of a Gorgon Pirate Assassin Planeswalker to hear you out and not kill you on the spot for invading her lair. If your campaign involves eliminating Vraska, this is likely where the final battle will take place. Plus side, there’s nowhere for the assassin to run, which is what assassins typically try to do. Minus side, you are fighting the deadliest individual in Ravnica in her home.

Regardless of the circumstances that might lead one to the Overgrown Tomb, this is one of the coolest places to see from a player perspective. From a character perspective, it’s one of the most terrifying places to be.

#8 The Implicit Maze

Central to The Dragon’s Maze TCG set from Magic the Gathering’s sequel release to Ravnica is the Implicit Maze, aka the Dragon’s Maze, aka Azor’s Labyrinth, aka the Ravnican Mega Dungeon. The Implicit Maze was designed by the Azorius Parun Azor I, a Sphinx, in the unlikely event the Guildpact was ever broken. Like it was. The maze itself winds and navigates its way through the territory of every Guild, hitting each of the wonderfully drawn Guildgates whose art you can post for your players to admire. It goes underground, above ground, through markets, up buildings, and in & out of the entire city. In short, it goes everywhere.

Given the size of the city and therefore the size of any puzzle path snaking its way throughout, the Implicit Maze is truly gargantuan. One could feasibly set an entire campaign around just navigating it. As far as the actual design of the maze/dungeon, there is none, or at least none that’s been released thus far. Which means one can either design their own labyrinth, or find a maze generator, or even steal layouts from other D&D modules/campaigns and just replace with Ravnican NPCs and features. Whatever floats your boat.

If you need a dungeon or even a mega dungeon, this is it. Plus, it’s designed by a Sphinx, who are notorious for being way too smart for anyone’s good (even their own), so it could conceivably have or do anything. It can be whatever sort of puzzle you need for whatever sort of character is tackling it. After all, every Guild’s champion navigated it successfully, from the brilliant mental magic planeswalker Jace Beleren to Ruric Thar the two-headed giant who negotiates corrupt authorities by smashing them with a big club.

#ravnica for goblins #ravnica #interesting places #d&d #dnd #dnd 5e #d&d 5e

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makiema · 5 years

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Possibility of an Eren vs the Devil final showdown

Okay so I saw @marley-warriors-of-demon-blood's post and I pondered over it for a few days. I finally had the time to write it all down. What I have to say draws a lot from the original post. I'd just like to mention some more hints that I picked up while doing my research along these lines.

First off, I'll elaborate on the recurring mentions of "devil" we get throughout the anime and the manga (also talk a bit about Paths) and secondly, on Isayama's subtle inclusions of numerous other Judeo-Christian references. All of it directly hints at a dramatic ending that may involve Eren, the protagonist, and the main antagonist- the Devil.

1. The Devil : We have had an eerie account of direct or indirect references to the Devil.

• One of the earliest comes from Bertholdt in Season 2 Ep 36 when we first hear him addressing Eldians as "spawns of the Devil"

• The next time we literally get to see the Devil is in Season 3 Ep 43 when Historia revisits her past and the book she reads show us the picture of the Devil and we also see Ymir Fritz for the very first time.

She's present in the story under the alias of Christa, who Freida points out to be a kind girl, always thinking about others.

However, this unsuspecting nature also makes her dangerously gullible and thus, the Devil tricks her into consuming the fruit which'd vest her with incredible powers that could be used to do some potential good work but also wreak havoc on Earth. The illustration was already a foreshadowing of the immediate future event whereby Rod Reiss would try to beguile Historia and get her to eat Eren but she'd see through the ploy and stand up against him. But, that's a different topic and I don't want to digress from my primary point. However this illustration carried an even darker foreboding as we'd realize in the course of the manga.

• The next implication comes from Floch, quite shockingly, during the Serum bowl, also in Season 3. We find him referring to Erwin as the "devil" out of nowhere, that too twice.

It was horrifying yes, but could it be a darker message for events yet to unfold? Surely Isayama wouldn't drag in the word "devil" out of nowhere. Also, another thing I want to point out here is Levi's decision of finally using the serum on Armin. No, not the usual why (because by now it's clear that he wanted Erwin to rest) but whether or not this action of his, that earned him hard opprobrium from almost half the fandom, had some underlying meaning for us. Maybe more than the shock factor, the serum bowl was allegorical of future events- that the Devil, like Erwin here, is not dead yet and has been playing the strings since eons ago; that the character who is following in Levi's footsteps, i.e., Eren will have to make a difficult choice (which is why Isayama had been stressing on how he'll hurt the fans in the conclusion) and bring an end to the Devil who is still at large. Choosing Armin over Erwin seems to be an absurd decision from a logical pov and Levi's action maybe more than just "letting him rest". Isayama loves foreshadowing. Killing off such an important character could very well be an indication of something more than what's visible on the surface. Perhaps, it was symbolical of how, in the near future, the actual devil, who shares the same caliber as the Commander in plotting, will be forced to rest by Eren, who was trained by Levi to make difficult choices by himself.

• After this , Eren Kruger mentions how "anyone can be the God or the 'Devil' " in Episode 58, while also explaining how everything is connected by PATHS.

• The final and the clearest reference to the Devil is found in Wily Tybur's speech where he informs us of his devilry and we also come across Ymir Fritz, the girl who fell into his trap, and apparently consumed "the source of all organic matter".

There couldn't have been a more prominent Biblical allusion than this one. Now, endowed with such power, Ymir Fritz sets off with beneficial work but, as per the Curse of Ymir, she dies in a few years and we learn that her power is eventually divided into Nine Titans.

• The Devil and PATHS : Only, in chapter 115, do we realize that she hasn't died or at least her spirit hasn't (I'll elaborate on this later). She's STILL very much functional in PATHS - this another universe or another place (whatever term you deem fit for it). When I say functional, I mean how she has to tend to and help her subjects respawn as per the contract with the Devil.

However, notice the rather dark shading on her face? Those are similar to Isayama's signature stress lines that indicate Ymir Fritz is in pain or at least, she doesn't look like she's willingly up for kneading soil to help her subjects reincarnate. Now, if Ymir Fritz from Tybur's tale is still active, how can we rule out the possibility that the devil is active too? PATHS connects the future and the past. Eren Kruger can send words of advice to the future via PATHS, every shifter who's endowed with powers of the past has access to PATHS. In short, PATHS could be the place of any probability. PATHS is the place that warps time, history and even reality. If Ymir Fritz has indeed digested 'the source of all organic matter on Earth', then PATHS, where Ymir Fritz is struck, could be what supports this source or more clearly, it is what nourishes the root of the Titan Power. We know that Ymir Fritz obtained the source from the Devil and now, if PATHS is like nourishment to the source and is sort of a massive energy center (where even the concept of time is lost) it might very well be the Devil's residence or the physical manifestation of the Devil's will. The Devil, as part of a greater ploy, intended to do away with mankind and wreak havoc and that's why duped Ymir Fritz, a naive young girl, into consuming something that'd bind her and her progenitors to his evil will forever by genetic alterations, making it susceptible to his wilful morphing. With this, the main plot that revolves around slavery can finally reach an end. And breaking that tie to the Titan DNA, by destroying the Devil or PATHS (which helps the Devil to enslave Eldians/Subjects of Ymir no matter the era) could resolve the main issue and pave the way to freedom. If Eren does that, it'd be poetic given that Eren Kruger said that the Attack Titan and it's owner has always chased freedom. It's only fair that the Attack Titan (the embodiment of freedom) destroys PATHS (the embodiment that allows slavery). It all sets out beautifully and maybe this is the reason why Isayama even ensured that we get to see PATHS animated as early as in Season 2 Ep 10. Thus, we get a sneak peek of it in Ymir's memory.

It just gives more corroboration to my hunch that PATHS is THAT important and can possibly be the abode of the Devil and hence, be crucial in the endgame. Also, isn't it ironic how Ymir says "I saw freedom spread out before me" in this scene? Or could Isayama be hinting at a possible conclusion that Eren would finally achieve freedom once he is also in PATHS dimension and destroys it? That this scene would be included so early in the anime but not carry some deeper meaning just doesn't settle well.

2. Other Judeo-Christian references : The manga is brimming with those but I'd just point out to a few as some interpretations may seem too far off and I have the habit of snowballing every minute detail.

• Violets : These flowers keep popping up time and again and is even there in the very beginning of the show. Eren wakes up crying from his 'dream-vision' and we find those violets right beside him.

We again see these flowers very briefly under Armin when Eren consciously transforms for the very time in Season 1 Episode 10. This was not in the manga but Isayama wanted this to be animated. He wouldn't have stressed on the importance of including the violets if he didn't have a motif.

Violets have strong religious connotations in Christianity. They blossomed when Gabriel told Mary of her son's impending birth. Now, Gabriel is the Angel who communicates with humankind and thus stems the potential meaning associated with violets - connections. The symbolism is a very important one as it could be a allegory to how PATHS connects the future to the present, connects all the Subjects Of Ymir. Isayama even canonically included the violets in PATHS dimension in Chapter 115, when Zeke meets Ymir Fritz.

Isayama's emphasis to add violets in the anime and also later, to draw them in PATHS couldn't be for naught. The flowers and what they stand for must be crucial in the final resolution. Also, just as violets blossomed when the birth of the Saviour was prophesized, here in the the SnK universe, violets pop up when Eren is in the frame in the very beginning and when he first reveals his power, indicating he'd be the eventual saviour. If Eren is an allusion to Christ it also justifies what Isayama said : that he wants to 'hurt' the readers. We all know about Christ's sacrifice and perhaps Eren is also going to do something similar which will leave the readers hurting.

• Allusions to literary classics : There are a lot of allusions to Dante's Inferno and even to Milton's Paradise Lost, both of which borrow heavily from mythology and the Bible. But, I'd discuss the ones that I found the most suggestive-

1. Nine : The power of the Devil that Ymir Fritz inherited was split into Nine Titans. In Inferno, we get the Nine Circles of Hell that will eventually lead the poet to Satan. And like we have discussed before, the Devil has striking semblances to Satan. Satan lies below the Nine Circles of Hell and the Nine Titan Powers combined is equivalent to the power the Devil possessed. Uncanny similarity, eh?

2. Ymir and Virgil : Like @marley-warriors-of-demon-blood mentioned, Ymir Fritz is currently caught in a Limbo. She was just a naive little girl and hence, what ensued from her making a deal with the devil wasn't technically her fault. In Inferno, Virgil is distraught similarly- fated to remain trapped in Limbo forever. Now, like I said earlier, PATHS is connected to everything. And Limbo, the first circle of Hell, is also connected to the later circles. I hypothesized in a previous post how I think Ymir Fritz and Eren will meet next in the manga. (with Eren being decapitated and everything) Virgil was the one that guided Dante in his journey in Inferno and Ymir Fritz, currently just a lost spirit in another dimension, may become Eren's guide. She can advise the holder of the two most powerful Titans (the Attack and the Founding) on ways to resolve Eldia's problem by killing it's source, i.e., the Devil, considering she's really a girl with good intentions. This would also resolve her character arc properly. She'd get a stance in the story and not just be someone who was used by the Devil for his conspiracy. After all there's no one more suited for the task than Eren. I'm probably taking it too far but I do think Ymir will have a similar role like Dante. Both are caught in the Limbo, both are not at fault, and both are destined to meet the protagonist.

3. The Crystal : Annie enclosing herself in impenetrable crystal, which outwardly looks very much like ice, could be an allusion to Satan again. In Inferno, he's trapped in ice at the centre of the Earth. Annie is being held captive 'underground'. A very similar process is applied for Satan. He's held underground too and he's enclosed in hard, impenetrable ice, akin to Annie's crystal.

4. Paradis : The name itself could be suggestive of Paradise, i.e., the Garden of Eden, which is mentioned in the Bible as well as in Paradise Lost. The place is described as magical. The 'Paradis' in Isayama's story is not far from being extraordinary and is peppered with rare resources as Kiyomi points out in Chapter 107.

It has "the forest of giant trees", a plethora of resources, and is teeming with diversity. It's equivalent to a biodiversity hotspot, a very rare place on Earth. It has an aura of supernaturality and extravagance, much like the Paradise of Milton. Also, the whole Satan luring Eve with the apple thing (and the Devil's likewise conniving) is also mentioned in Paradise Lost.

So, in conclusion, with this many underlying religious motifs it's highly possible that the Devil is the ultimate villain, like Satan is in Christianity, and Eren's final confrontation is going to be with him- the one who is the root cause of all evil. Even the final exhibition gave a lot of importance to the Devil tricking Ymir Fritz scene. It definitely has much more significance than is apparent.

One of the key themes in SnK has been gray morality. All the characters have their own reasons to justify their commiting the most horrible atrocities they inevitably had to, as per orders. Marley is not exactly on the wrong for torturing and ghettoing Eldians. They fear power that can actually trample on the whole world. Eldia is, of course, not at fault. Their genetic make up may spell impending danger but that doesn't make them any less human. They're cursed alright but that doesn't automatically strip them off their humanity. They have as much right to live as Marleyans. In fact, as we have seen Eren reinforcing from time to time, "Nobody has the right to take that away from us".

Here, Eren also expressed his denial of any plan that even remotely suggested using this probability of turning into a Titan as a weapon to fight. Thus, we can trust that what Eren aims will cause the eradication of this possibility altogether. He will make it so that such a cruel way of fighting doesn't exist ; that nobody will have to be forced to turn into a Titan and die no matter the cause. And the only possible way to do away with this is to kill it's source : the source being the Devil or his instrument, the PATHS.

But, even if nobody is at fault, one cannot veil the truth that Titans exist or rather, the Titan DNA and the inadvertent possibility of an Eldian turning into a Titan exists. It still looms in the SnK universe like 'the grim reminder' we have heard over and over again in the anime. The reminder of humanity being caged and the humility of living under constant fear of Titans popping up suddenly called for invariable Fighting since the very beginning and had also inspired the chase for Freedom. So, how will Isayama bring the main plot/theme revolving Fighting for Freedom to a close? Of course, the answer is by ending slavery in all forms, including Eldians being a slave to the Devil via their fundamental genetic constitution. The Devil is the one responsible for making them Titans, for making the world see them as dreadful enemies. He is the one infringing on their right to freedom and right to live. Thus, Eren WILL face off with the Devil, the cause of all slavery in their world, and finally bring Freedom to humankind. After all, hasn't Eren's character always been all for freedom and for detesting and aiming to do away with every possible form of slavery? If the Devil's very existence is the cause of Eldians being a slave to devilish power, it's only fair that the one character, who has reasserted the importance of Freedom more noticeably than any other throughout the story, is the one that brings the curtain down on the Devil and all his ploys of enslavement and wreckage, consequently freeing his men.

#snk #snk meta #my meta #aot #aot meta #snk theory #snk thoughts #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #my theory #eren #eren jaeger #eren yeager #the devil of all earth

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septembriseur · 5 years

Text

A comprehensive theory of The Terror, pt. V

Hickey.

Oh, Hickey.

Or should I say: not-Hickey?

Hickey is a man who, over the course of the series, undergoes a profound transformation. When we first meet him, he’s a sullen and fairly useless caulker’s mate whose clumsy manipulations always seem to go slightly awry— he mistakes Crozier’s eagerness to get sloshed as an overture of friendship; he deploys his awareness that the tuunbaq isn’t really an animal to an unimpressed panel of officers; his daring escapade to kidnap Silna gets him flogged. Yet by the end of the show, he’s become a kind of ragged, savage would-be prophet, an unstoppable and hardly-human consumer of other men.

The seeds of this are already present in his initial appearances. The first time we see Hickey as Hickey, rather than as one of a group of seamen, is when he helps to bury David Young in episode one. There is a miniature transformation that takes place here: at first, he’s a comic figure, flicking Tozer the V before hastily turning it into a thumbs-up, but when the other men leave him to work, he opts to climb down into Young’s grave. This is ostensibly so he can fix the broken lid of Young’s coffin, but in fact (we later learn) to rob Young’s corpse, and perhaps for some other, less articulable reason.

The scene in the grave is lit dramatically, which my terrible capping probably can’t really capture; there are several distinct moments at which the sun is positioned just above Hickey’s head, obliterating him like a particularly ruthless halo.

When it isn’t, he remains wreathed in a foggy light, or else struck by a sort of painterly chiaroscuro.

There’s something uncanny about the effect thus produced, particularly at the moment when Adam Nagaitis does a brilliant bit of physical acting: a lizard-like head-flick and lip-licking that will recur later, when Hickey kills Irving. It’s a gesture that looks wrong, at the same time as it communicates a kind of joy or a physical release.

Hickey wants to be in the grave, face-to-face with the dead body. I’m undecided how much he’s indifferent to any potential taboo— how much we should believe the casualness with which he later says, about the ring he steals from Young’s body, that he got it from “someone who didn’t need it anymore”— and how much it’s the very violation of that taboo that excites him, the touching-the-corpse and the going-down-into-the-grave. Either way, we know from this point on that he is someone whose nature is to transgress boundaries.

Sometimes that transgression is sympathetic! Why shouldn’t he get off with Billy belowdecks? He seems genuinely besotted with Billy, in a sort of feral, half-formed way. But the explanation he gives as to why Irving won’t inform on the two of them should raise red flags. Irving won’t say what he saw, Hickey says, because to do so would mean “he’d have to open his imagination to what he didn’t... That’s a man afraid of chaos. He’s not going to invite more if he can help it.”

Here, “order” becomes what is seen, and “chaos” what is not seen— not only what is not seen, but what cannot be seen without puncturing order. This is tremendously important, I think, because the grave scene above also features one of several moments in the show at which the camera deliberately does not follow Hickey, barring the audience from seeing what he sees.

This is what the audience sees while Hickey is actually in the process of rifling through Young’s corpse: a long, slow push in on the exterior of the grave. We hear Hickey’s noises of effort, but we don’t rejoin him until he’s slipped the ring into his pocket.

This is exactly the technique used in the scene in episode six where Hickey puts his fingers into Heather’s exposed brain. We see Hickey pull the “veil” back to expose Heather’s injury, then bend over his body to inspect him:

However, we then cut to an angle at which the camera is positioned behind the veil, watching Hickey’s face yet concealing his actions.

We hear the wet noises as he touches Heather’s brain, but the show has literally drawn a veil across his actions, preventing us from seeing them and allowing us to leave them unimagined. (There is, I must note, a grimly clever little cut from this scene to Jacko the monkey digging his fingers into a tin of food.)

This isn’t a show that shies away from gore. I mean, in the final episode, we get multiple straightforward shots of Goodsir’s naked, butchered, and partly-consumed corpse. So it seems significant that there are these moments when the camera specifically will not let us follow Hickey where he is going, as though it does not want to implicate us in his violation.

When I say violation, I don’t want to imply that these things are somehow inherently morally wrong. What they are is exactly what Hickey says: chaotic. (I should note that the scene in which Irving finds Hickey and Billy having sex draws on elements of this same pattern— we distinctly hear Hickey and Billy going at it, but don’t see them until they’re clothed— but everything about the way the show depicts not only their relationship but also that of Bridgens and Peglar suggests that we are meant to find these relationships tender and tragic, not unpleasant.) Hickey is, characteristically and centrally, chaotic. To paraphrase a wise man: he sees a boundary, he eats a boundary and washes it down with a cup of hot steaming rules. He’s a social transgressor, having sex with men and drinking with the captain. He’s a spatial transgressor: he sneaks back onto the ship during Franklin’s funeral and wanders through everyone’s private places, touching their intimate possessions. He takes a shit in Billy’s bed. There are other elements of confusion: he’s a man who’s “punished as a boy.” And, of course, deeper than all of these things runs the abiding formlessness at the heart of Hickey: he isn’t really Hickey. We never know who he is. He has no name, no past; he’s just someone who wandered onto the ship, looking for a “change of everything.”

We find this out about him in episode seven, the end of which marks the break between his nascent chaos and chaos unleashed. Something... happens to Hickey. In the scene that sees Irving return from his meeting with the Netsilik, Hickey is shot from angles and in poses that are designed to make him appear inhuman. First there’s this—

—a weird, disturbing shot in which Hickey is crouched, mostly naked, concealed under a greatcoat, and vaguely monstrous over Farr’s corpse. Then, as Irving approaches, Hickey springs animalistically at him, stabs him, and proceeds to squat over Irving and hold a hand over his mouth until he dies. We see Hickey through Irving’s eyes while this happens, at an unnatural angle that not only accentuates the sharp, triangular shapes of his body, but also seems to distort him slightly. He looks demonic, even before he repeats his restless and lizard-like head-flick...

And then: yikes.

It’s a shedding-his-skin motion, is what I think of that head-flick. From this point forward, Hickey is no longer a resentful man kicking against his confines. He has escaped those confines. He slips into an easy, ruthless, natural command of the mutineers, including men who outrank him and have previously mocked him.

He also slips further and further away from humanity, moving towards something else. “I’ve shot smaller hawks than you,” Jopson says, but Hickey isn’t a hawk, exactly. He looks like a man, albeit a man who’s mostly running around in his long underwear and a greatcoat in the Arctic, seemingly unable to feel the cold, but gradually all his previous strangenesses come to the fore. With a rope around his neck (once more lit strangely through a haze) he tells Crozier that he “must pierce this thing [Crozier] calls truth,” and takes on Crozier’s own voice/accent to do it— another absenting of identity, another piece of evidence that Hickey is not so much a person or a thing as a void of anything, a formlessness.

I can’t help but think that what the mutineers are following is not Hickey, but the formlessness that has broken free from within him. At the mutineers’ camp, Hickey takes on the demeanor and appearance of a prophet, embracing the air with his arms open (in the same pose that recurs throughout the series as an emblem of chaos and collapse) while skinned of most of his clothing—

—or meditating alone on hillsides for hours, “listening to his thoughts.” (“I dare not go up” to interrupt him, Tozer says.) He’s killed and eaten Billy by this point, and if we were looking for a logic to his actions, it would be possible to read it in the toast he reminds Crozier of: “Ourselves.” Crozier intended it as a self-deprecating joke, he says, but for Hickey it’s become a tenet: he is a wholly self-interested being whose principle is survival, a formlessness that wants to go on being a formlessness.

Yet he has contrived a strange plan that he doesn’t reveal to anyone, which rests on an observation that Crozier makes about him: “You must be a surpassingly lonely man, Mr. Hickey.” I’m not sure how sincere Crozier’s being in this moment; it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t agree that he and Hickey were each other’s only “equals” on the expedition. The observation is accurate, however, I think. Hickey is a surpassingly lonely man, but: “Not for long,” he tells Crozier. He plans to bind himself to the tuunbaq, becoming a shaman.

So let’s talk about this plan.

Hickey arranges this bizarre sacrificial tableau in which he stands atop the boat, again almost unclad in the middle of the Arctic, and rambles from what seems like a place of holy madness, cursing all the national and religious figures of England while offering what are pretty nakedly incisive truths. “What if we’re not the heroes?” he asks. “Our empire is not the only empire. I’ve seen that now.” Arguably, what allows him this vision is that he now stands outside of all the empires, having transcended every taboo, every boundary line.

Yet when he offers his tongue to the tuunbaq, the tuunbaq rejects it and eats him. The important question is: why?

Let me get philosophical for a second: what is a connection? It’s a point of contact between two beings, right? It’s a touch; the place where two parts of the world are joined to one another. For this to happen, there has to first be a dividing line; there has to be a way in which the world is divided up into things to start with. I am separate from you. Man is separate from animals. The sea is separate from the land. There are these boundaries in the world that allot us places; there are rules that govern how we relate to every other kind of thing. It’s not good or bad, any more than chaos is; it’s just order. And fundamentally there has to be an interplay; we always have to be moving towards a synthesis of order and chaos. But when you have just chaos, with no boundaries, then what you have is an everythingness that is also a nothingness, which is: Hickey. Everything is permitted, is his attitude, pretty explicitly; or alternatively: everything can be consumed, an act that literally treats everyone and everything around him as just a potential part of his body. The result of this is that it is impossible for him to connect.

When I was first trying to figure out why the tuunbaq refuses Hickey, I thought to myself: is it because Hickey thinks he’s the shaman, but he’s actually the monster? It’s possible to view him as “a spirit that dresses as an animal,” or as an animal that dresses as a man. But I think it’s that, at this point, Hickey has become so formless that he simply isn’t enough of a thing to be able to touch another thing. I think that’s the birthplace of the urge that drives him to to bind himself to the tuunbaq in the first place, but it’s also the reason why he can’t.

I find Hickey quite tragic, actually, because I can understand his frustration with order— with boundaries that are arbitrary and don’t seem to make sense. But in breaking and breaking and breaking forwards past those boundaries, Hickey fails to understand that the boundaries don’t exist to be boundaries qua boundaries. They create the possibility of relationship. And while touch is perhaps the push of chaos that nudges us to new and more perfect iterations of order, we can’t allow it to become the will to consume.

And on that note... next time, I have much to say about Goodsir.

#tv: terrible people #a comprehensive theory of the terror #the terror #terroramc #very long post #i don't think he's this important just because he's #the two degree murderous cannibal

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quatschmachen · 5 years

Text

Driftwood

The 2020 arc continues!

Continuation of Sparks Masterpost

XXXXX

This was a two- step he didn’t know the tune to. Maybe more like a three and a half step, with him acting as the ringleader with two idiots who didn’t know their ass from their tail. It was a situation, granted, which he had created, but he hadn’t accounted for feeling like the third wheel of a chuckwagon.

He was glad for the darkling sky and the warm light of the fire, which gave him some space to let his face rest in the shifting shadows. If there was some level of hell where you slept with the people you were confused on how the hell to act and be with, with no escape at all, he certainly seemed to have invented it. He had purposely sat to the side, using Mac and Caroline as a love-strewn buffer to give himself some breathing space.

He had not at all thought that the two men he had been trying to get to “kiss and make up,” who had literally been moving like glaciers, would suddenly meet global warming and melt down into the spring. What the hell? He honestly thought all they would do was talk and decide to stop avoiding each other or hug it out. Fucking on top of the mountain had not been it.

On one level he appreciated that Edward took him seriously enough to disclose the necessary information, that there was no sneaking around or having affairs. Still he felt a little uneasy, there was a part of him that felt like he should be acting in a jealous possessive manner… and the fact that he wasn’t made him confused. Yes, he knew he had worked on that aspect of himself, and he had known Edward long enough that if he had never made up with Étienne he would be on some level sad for eternity, and he knew logically he could trust the other man, but but but.

But what about me? The small doubtful voice seemed to whisper. It was the one he tried to ignore, managed to put a lid on. Ignore and walk away. Keep corralled up in the farthest field of his brain.

Sipping on his lukewarm beer, he looked over to Edward and Étienne, who were sitting close together, but not too close, both conscious enough not to act like lovers quite yet. The conversation had turned to one of Mac’s tall tales. It was one of those tales where he seemed to have merged something from Ben’s never-ending vault with some original content, and managed to make it hilarious and unbelievable. There was no way that Mac had been out wrestling bears, but the details were entertaining.

Maybe the best resolution was to get drunk enough to pass out in the tent, so he could be oblivious to what decisions had to be made, he thought. Standing up, he walked over to the RV to grab another beer and was surprised when Caroline followed him.

“Did you need another beer?” he asked her as he unlocked the door.

“No,” she paused letting him root around in the cooler. He could tell she wanted to say something, and he took slightly longer than necessary, not really feeling up to a heart-to-heart conversation.

Behind them the others were laughing hard about something Mac had said, and as he pulled out his beer and shut the door, he looked towards his sister, who was backlit from the fire. He couldn’t read her face, and nearly jumped when she gently placed her hand on his upper arm.

“Honey, are you doing ok?”

“Yeah?”

The grip tightened.

“Mostly?”

“You seem sort of off, I know you don’t really want to cause a big scene, but I just wanted to check in.”

Calvin forced his face into a smile, “Shoot sis, I can’t be Las Vegas lights twenty-four seven, y’know.”

Rolling her eyes, Caroline huffed, “Usually while camping you’re snuggled up to Edward! But you’re not even sitting on the same log!”

“Thought I’d let him sit with his - - friend.” Calvin shrugged, “I get him most of the time, figured maybe he wanted some Étienne time or something.”

“I don’t know why, but I’m not buying it.”

“Caroline,” Calvin sighed, knowing that she was like a terrier when it came to these issues, and that she would not back off unless he gave her something. Glancing towards the group, his heart tightening as he saw Edward and Étienne’s heads bent together in some sort of private conspiracy, he decided to carefully plod out a half truth of sorts. “I’m just being a little insecure about Edward’s friendship with Étienne… they go way back, and I just sometimes forget Edward has a whole life outside of me…” The half truth was actually a truth. Probably for the better, he thought as his sister relaxed her grip.

Giving him a pat, she smiled, “If he breaks your heart, I know ways to make him pay.”

Calvin laughed, “Caro, it’s not that serious – anyway ain’t I supposed to be the one issuing threats with your big lug over there?”

Snorting, Caroline shook her hair out, “Please, Mac may not be book smart, but he ain’t an idiot. He’s smart where it counts… plus do you really see him breaking my heart?”

“No… most likely it would be you breaking his heart and him camping out in my basement crying into every alcohol and junk food imaginable.”

“That’s the ticket!”

“Caro! Can you gets us the guitar?”

“Sure thing, Piggy!”

Heading back to his spot, Calvin was surprised when Edward got up and disappeared. Looking over to Étienne, who was also looking over in Edward’s direction with slight amusement, he wondered what the hell was up.

As Mac settled in with the guitar, Edward appeared with his fiddle. He handed off a set of spoons to Étienne, and then spent a moment tuning.

“Any requests?”

“How about Old Town Road?” Calvin joked.

Giving him a steady look, Edward raised an eyebrow and looked over to Mac, “Sure?”

Not realizing that Edward would actually take him up on it, Calvin was entertained when after a few tentative strains, Edward actually managed to get it, with Mac in the background playing, and finally, after a few bars, Étienne joining in on the spoons. Calvin begun to sing, taking up the challenge Edward was throwing down to him, as he slapped his thigh to keep rhythm, and before he knew it with Caroline on the harmonica, they had moved onto other songs, the mood mellowing between them.

Edward continued to subtly challenge him, choosing songs to play that he knew would purposely provoke him, a slow tease in music, enough to make his heart race. Edward also would change the rhythm, his eyes locking onto Calvin’s as with a smirk he did a slight arpeggio, attempting to throw Calvin’s singing off. However, Calvin kept up, counter balancing Edward’s playing as he knew the songs well enough to not just sing them straight. Despite the flirtatious playing, Mac, Caroline and Étienne managed to keep the rhythm, their sound gelling together. He barely noticed as the evening grew cooler, the heat from the fire dying down as he sang along to the songs, their voices joining in various levels of harmony – not production worthy, but good enough.

As he struck the last note, Edward lowered his bow, making a face, which Calvin knew meant “fingers cramping” and that he would end up being the one to rub his hands. His stomach twisted as Edward glanced at Étienne, and he worried that he had miscalculated. Was that going to be Étienne’s job now too? His stomach unclenched as Edward crossed the short distance between them and sat on the log next to him. Carefully he set the fiddle and bow down, and then held out his hands expectantly in front of him. Wordlessly, Calvin took one of the hands and began to massage it.

“God, I haven’t played that long in a while,” Edward lightly complained, “I would have continued on, but the quiet time is 11… and I realized its 11:30.”

Calvin’s massage had moved up Edward’s arm to his shoulder where he knew the greatest strain tended to be. Edward relaxed into his touch with a happy sigh.

“Geezus dat late already, Chucky boy?” Mac stood up, stretching as the guitar lay strung across him. “Guess it’s time for me and Caro to hit the hay. Lotsta see tomorrow.”

As Caroline and Mac drifted over to the RV, Calvin worked on Edward’s other hand.

“Shoot I gotta pop the fiddle into the truck while I still can,” Edward muttered as he pulled away from Calvin. “Then I guess washroom and bed, eh?”

“Euh… yeah sure.”

Watching Edward jog over, Calvin cast a sidelong glance over to Étienne who was decidedly not looking happy. The fire was dying out, and realizing it was best to fully kill it, Calvin pitched the water bucket onto it, the coals hissing in displeasure.

Except it wasn’t the coals hissing, he quickly realized, but Étienne hissing. His eyes were still adjusting to the dark, but he could make out the huddled form of the other man clutching at his arms.

“Hey, are you ok?” he asked setting down the bucket and carefully stepping toward the other man.

“No!” Étienne stood up, looking around frantically, “Where are our clothes again? I’m fucking freezing.”

“Oh! Yeah, let’s go to the washrooms and get ready for bed.”

“I mean I need clothes now,” Étienne seriously replied, “What temperature is it? Minus ten?”

“No,” Calvin replied amused, “More like eight.”

“Eight?! In August-” Étienne paused, then let out a breath, “I think I mentally blocked this part of your province from my mind for my own sanity.”

“Blocked?”

Étienne had subtly moved closer to Calvin, his body brushing against the other man’s no doubt in an attempt to acquire more body heat.

“Crunchy grass in August,” Étienne muttered the words out as if they were an ancient Latin curse meant to summon a demon from the seventh tier of hell.

“C-crunchy grass?” They had reached the tent where their stuff was, and Calvin unzipped it, grabbing the toiletry bag. “Did you wanna change in the tent or in the washroom? Are you uh – gonna shower?”

“There is no way in hell that I am going to shower, that’ll make me feel even more cold.” Étienne grumbled, “I’ll change in the tent. Is my toothbrush with your stuff?”

“Yeah.”

“Wait for me.” Étienne climbed into the tent and zipped up the door. There was rustling, and some cursing.

“Cal…”

Calvin jumped slightly as he realized that Edward had caught up to him.

“Why are you staring at the tent? And – why is it cursing?”

“Étienne’s changing,” Calvin explained, his free hand instinctively moving over to gently rub Edward’s shoulder.

“Isn’t he showering?”

“He said something about crunchy grass? I guess not?”

“Hmmm, well I need a shower at least… why are we waiting?”

“He asked me to wait.”

“…When I ask you to wait you just tell me it’s going to be a race.” Edward lightly accused.

“It works, doesn’t it?”

“If your thumb wasn’t feeling so good in my shoulder I would punch you,” Edward sighed.

Their attention was brought to the tent as the door unzipped, and Étienne tumbled out wrapped in thick sweatpants and a long sweater. “Changing in the dark is terrible.” He grumbled. “Let’s hurry up so I can get warm.”

“Yeah but let’s get our clothes to change,” Edward responded as he dove into the tent, knowing exactly where he had packed his and Calvin’s pajamas. Popping out in under two minutes, he zipped the tent back up triumphantly, the clothing and wash bag tucked under his arm.

Étienne’s pace was brisk, with Calvin easily keeping stride. Edward was half a step behind as they went to the communal washroom. The caged lights were covered with the struggling bodies of moths trying to touch the burning bright, the bugs swarming around the brilliance, not paying attention to the trio of men pushing through into the washroom.

The brilliant fluorescent lights blinded them momentarily as they opened the door, the smell of disinfectant, plastic and that forever camping washroom smell that permeated every variation.

Mac was zipping up his toiletry bag and nodded to them as the set up shop at the sink. “G’night guys, see you tomorrow, hey?”

“Yeah, goodnight Mac,” Edward replied, as the other two simply chorused a goodnight.

Calvin efficiently handed out toothbrushes, along with the toothpaste. Tiredly, in almost a sleepy synchronicity, they scrubbed. The bright light blanched their reflections in the mirror, and as they spat in the sink and completed their ablutions, it was almost… comfortable.

Washing their faces and putting the toiletries away, Calvin took his stuff from Edward and disappeared into the change room. The floor was still damp from someone else’s shower, and he eyed the curtain wondering if it was one of those pay showers – the one where it’s like a dollar a minute and which only spouted cold water. Undressing, he stepped into the shower and let out a sigh of happiness as he realized it was not pay. He heard Edward in the next stall over turn on the shower, he did the same and let out a small yelp as ice cold water hit him. He felt unmoored by everything and half of him wished he had been bold enough to ask Edward into the shower with him. Too shy with Étienne sitting right out there waiting for them, making sounds of impatience – sounds as if he was about to freeze to death while waiting. Plus, every word said would echo in the shower, this was not the best place for intimacy. Unwillingly his mind remembered Edward’s tease about fucking Étienne in the shower, and he frowned wondering how the logistics of that would work out, before he quickly decided he probably should not be mentally visualizing this. It was a situation he was not invited to.

On the river with the fresh turmoil of spring, when he took those long walks with Edward through the freshly budding canopy, he remembered watching the broken logs float upon the silty brown waters. He had wondered aloud to Edward at the size of a particular log, the limbs broken and smoothed down from its tumultuous journey, and Edward responded most likely it had come from the mountains. The journey down incline across prairie to appear at that moment before them, a journey that would continue until inevitably the log would wash up somewhere. A somewhere where it could be in someone’s way, or perhaps come to rest and rot gently in piece or perhaps become the home to someone or something. Endless possibilities, but whatever happened to the log it was away from its place of birth.

He had read an article about how trees had feelings and built networks to support each other, where trees would keep the stump of a dead friend alive by feeding it nutrients. It was one of those internet articles which you read and contemplate, not truly believing the claims, but which stuck in the back of the mind, emerging now and then in a pleasant haunting. Torn away from networks and home, he half wondered if the wooden carcass would have a memory of life, or if it had been so leeched of whatever plant sentience it had that as its body bobbed down the river, there was no need to mourn.

At the moment Calvin felt like that log, torn up by the roots by forces outside of his control and bobbing along to an unknown destination.

The soap got into his eye and he blamed that for the stinging sensation, it was simply that and nothing else. He just wanted some goddam alone time with Edward to really process, to really connect, but at the moment for the upcoming few days that was unlikely to happen unless he… kidnapped his boyfriend or something. Turning his face up into the water he let it run down his face and chest, working to numb the turmoil in his chest.

What’s done is done, he thought as he turned the water off, the horse has left the barn and is literally in a different province at this point.

Goosebumps spread across his skin as he toweled himself off, feeling clean but cold as hell.

Perhaps Étienne had been right to not shower before bed, he thought as he finished changing. Carefully folding his clothes up, he ran his fingers through his damp hair and gave himself a tiny pep talk. It was going to be fine. Everyone was going to sleep and Étienne would kindly not snore.

Exiting the stall, he looked over to Edward who was leaning against the sink, talking to Étienne. Edward’s hair was slicked, and he was wearing his old thick Oilers hoody and matching sweatpants. Étienne was pouting as he was touching Edward’s damp hair in disapproval.

Edward looked over to Calvin, and grinned, “Took forever, didn’t ya?”

“Aw fuck off,” Calvin grumbled as he walked towards them.

Lightly punching him in the arm, Edward said “Manners, McCall.”

“Manners, McCall,” Calvin imitated, earning himself another punch – which he dodged as he nimbly pushed through the door into the dark night.

Edward gave chase and gave a whoop as he reached Calvin and grabbed his arm, forcefully linking them. “Why you being a little shithead?” He let out a small groan and rubbed his lower back, “Running is a regret.”

Hearing Étienne behind them, Calvin simply tilted his head and raised one eyebrow.

“You guys nearly forgot your toiletry bag!” Étienne huffed as he caught up.

“Hmm? I just knew you would get it, sweetie,” Edward responded as he reached out with his free arm and grabbed Étienne’s hand.

Étienne’s mouth opened once, twice, as he attempted to find words, caught the eye of Calvin, and shut his mouth deciding not to respond.

As they reached the tent, there was a momentary pause, and then Edward suggested, “I sleep in the middle?”

There was agreement, and as they climbed in Edward snuggled up into the middle, as Calvin plopped on his right side and Étienne on the left. The air mattress wheezed slightly as they settled in.

Giving Edward a kiss, Calvin closed his eyes, willing sleep to take him. He heard Étienne give Edward a goodnight kiss, his stomach feeling a little odd about that, his emotions still not quite stabilized.

He was drifting off when there was movement on the other side, and then a whimper.

God they weren’t, were they? He thought, his eyes popping open in annoyance.

“Eddy…” came the soft whine.

Edward sighed. “Mmm?”

“I’m… cold.”

Calvin could sense Edward turning to look at him, so he immediately shut his eyes and pretended to sleep, curious as to how this would play out.

“Cold cold?”

“My ass is cold, there’s like a breeze.” Étienne’s voice was one reminiscent of a small child.

“Hmmm, I suppose we should move you to the middle… Cal?”

Calvin simply grunted.

“I’ll take that as approval then.” He felt Edward give him a small kiss on the cheek, and then a gap in warmth, and shuffling, until he felt Étienne beside him, snuggled up tight in the middle.

“Is that better, Teddy?” Edward murmured.

The only response was the even breathing of the other man.

Calvin’s false sleep was disturbed as he was unable to contain his question, “Wait, did you just call him Teddy?”

Edward snorted, “Mmm yeah.”

“How many nicknames do y’all have for each other?”

Étienne sighed, and turned away.

“Uh – I dunno like at least five,” Edward responded.

Calvin was quiet for a moment contemplating, “So like can I call you two my two teddies?”

Étienne groaned in response, as Edward snorted. “Calvin and the Teddies sounds like a band.”

“Teddy One wants y’all to shut up and move in closer so I don’t freeze to death,” Étienne grumbled.

“How are you still cold?” Calvin asked as he shifted so that instead of laying beside Étienne he was more snuggled up.

“Don’t try to divine that answer, Cal,” Edward responded, “Étienne’s body works in mysterious ways. Fairly certain he is part cryptid.”

“Only part?” Étienne cheekily responded, which had them giggle.

“Honestly if I were a cryptid I would probably be a Sasquatch,” Edward confessed, “Live in the mountains all the time and not have anyone bug me.”

“I’d be Mothman,” Calvin added in.

“Why Mothman?”

“He’s so cool!”

Étienne snorted, “Please Calvin, wouldn’t you be a centaur.”

“Uh Étienne, I don’t think you quite understand what a cryptid is.”

“Is there a horse one? Cuz that’ll be you.”

Calvin hummed as he tried to think of one, “I don’t think so.”

“I swear I just read an internet post about one last week,” Edward murmured. After giving a frustrated sound, he then added, “But fuck me, can’t remember it.”

“Well he’s that one you can’t remember.” Étienne decided.

“So cryptid, doesn’t even have a name,” Calvin joked.

He was silent a moment, and then, began to hum.

Edward growled. “Calvin Brisebois McCall I swear to god-”

“Mothman! You’re a moth and a man,” Calvin began to sing aloud to the YMCA theme. Beside him Étienne made a sound of surprised laughter, while Edward wriggled so he could glare at him better.

“I swear if you’re going to continue –”

“I said Mothman! You’re a man who’s a moth-”

There was an eruption of action as Edward lunged across Étienne to attempt to strangle Calvin. It resulted in all their limbs tangling, with Edward laying half across a rather squished Étienne, Calvin working to wiggle out of the grasping hands as he continued to sing. However, Edward’s actions were hampered somewhat by Étienne, who was holding back one of his arms, as he began to hum the tune in harmony with Calvin’s singing.

“Boucles!! How could you betray me-” Edward exclaimed as the two men began to chant “M-O-T-H”

They continued to chant M-O-T-H until Edward, his struggles long turned into gasped laughter, gave in and began to mumble the lyrics to this stupid song Calvin was singing. Étienne didn’t know all the lyrics, supporting vocals, and then got inventive by creating verses which hadn’t even existed.

“Mothman! He swam the sea of Japan!” Étienne sang, Calvin cracking up beside him.

He then sang a different verse in French, barely able to get through it due to laughing at how funny he was, and then at the end mumbled to Calvin “I know you didn’t understand but it’s much funnier in the original language.”

To which Calvin responded “I got some of it-”

And Edward deadpan responded, “I know French and it wasn’t that good.” Which earned him an elbow in the side.

“Come on Neddy show me if you can do better,” Étienne challenged.

Huffing, Edward finally joined in making up some ridiculous lyrics, “Mothman! Annoying as you can-“

“Edward that doesn’t even make sense!” Calvin interjected.

“I just – let me finish!”

This went on for some time as each tried to top the other with more and more ridiculous lyrics, until finally, in what felt like an eternity, with Edward nestled on Étienne’s chest, the singing wound down.

They would be silent, until someone would start whispering some of the lyrics, and they would giggle, or join in. Edward made to shift off of Étienne, only to be trapped there by an arm firmly wrapped around his waist.

They all laughed slightly, and then let the silence of the night surround them. It was that mountain silence, where the wind rustled in the trees and you hear the night creatures scurrying. The type of sound where the crunch in the distance could either be a bear or someone heading to the washroom. The calming sounds as Calvin found himself gently lulled to sleep, his worries slipping away, as he felt Étienne shift next to him, his body warm. He half wished he was next to Edward, not entirely sure as to the boundaries of touch with this other man, and he nearly let out a small scream when he felt a hand ruffle his hair. Managing to keep it in he turned into the touch and realized it was in fact Edward.

With a sigh he peered in the gloomy darkness across Étienne to see Edward looking over at him with a sleepy smile, and his heart began to beat in rhythm again. That warm rhythm that seeped down into his stomach and down into his toes. Tilting his face enough he gave Edward’s wrist a small kiss in response, as his view then became obscured by a mass of curly hair as Étienne shifted once again, breaking their connected touch.

#quatschfic #2020 #pc: calgary #pc: edmonton #pc: montreal #pc: ft mac #pc: fort mcmurray #pc: bowness

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ashphoenix06 · 5 years

Text

Deleted Prompt (protection Marvin/Chase) (jse ego universe) part 2

They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Marvin was bouncing his leg, a nervous habit he had just started, while keeping his eye on Chase’s ex wife. He hadn’t held anything back when he told her the situation at hand. If she had wanted a softer version of things, she should of gone to someone else.

Stacey was just sitting there, looking at her hands. She had stayed in that position ever since Marvin told her about Chase. The only movement she displayed was breathing and blinking.

“...... You okay, Stac?”

Asking that question seemed to of shaken her out of her stupor. Her eyes shot up to the magician, red and wet from tears. Shit, Marvin cursed. She may be a bitch, but I didn’t mean to make her cry.

Before he couldn’t say anything, she pounced.

“What the fuck? Are you kidding me? This... this... ‘Anti’.... was behind what happened to Jack? And now he has Chase? Why didn’t anyone stop him? Why didn’t you?”

Any sympathy she might of gained with the magician melted away. Eye like daggers, he leaned back and made a gesture at himself.

“I was kinda... possessed... and near death when this happened! I barely even remember Chase making the deal... The others told me about it after...”

“Well, why didn’t any of them stop that asshole?”

“It’s not that simple, woman! I told you, Antisepticeye is a demonic glitch. He has insane abilities and heavily dark influences. He got to me through one small thought...”

“But... but if you look like this.... and I remember Schneep being in bad shape a while back... OH GOD! WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO TO CHASE?”

At this, Marvin found himself caught. What he was going to say wasn’t going to be easy for her to hear and he wondered how she was going to take it. But she had asked for the truth, so she was going to get it.

“I don’t know, Stacey.” He looks down at his hands. Not feeling his powers coursing through his fingers really hurt him. He never expected that it would feel this empty to not have them.

“Nothing good, though... I’m sorry.”

He heard her breath hitch as she took in what he had said. Some sympathy was starting to crawl back into Marvin’s chest. She really sounded concerned.

“I knew it... I knew that him being around you guys was a bad idea.”

And just as quick, that sympathy was gone.

“Excuse me,” he growled, tensing up.

Stacey looked at him challengingly.

“All of you... you bring nothing but bad luck and misfortune! I mean, look at what happened before when he...”

Marvin slammed his fists on the table, making Stacey jump. He looked up at her, hoping that she saw the daggers coming out of his eye.

“Last time I checked,” he hissed, trying his best to stay calm, “I believe that YOU were to blame for that little incident...”

“How fucking DARE YOU!”

Stacey was fuming. Marvin found himself proud of this, for some reason. She was too high on that damn horse of hers. The magician was more than willing to take her down a notch.

“You divorced him and took the kids away, Stacey...”

“People divorce all the time! Shit happens! Things can’t be controlled!”

“Oh, you mean like that fucker you let move in SIX months after?”

Stacey’s eyes widen with shock. Marvin felt a sense pride. She wasn’t expecting him to know this bit of information and it gave him the push he needed.

“What? You think we wouldn’t check his phone or messages after he shot himself? You were practically bragging about that asshole to him!”

Anger and tears swam in her eyes.

“Stop, Marv...”

“No! I never got to have my say in this and you’re gonna damn well listen...” he couldn’t stop himself. “YOU weren’t the one who witnessed the man cracking like an egg! YOU didn’t have to constantly check to make sure he didn’t drink himself to alcohol poisoning because of his depression! YOU KNEW that this was eating at him and then you had to flaunt in his face how you moved a complete STRANGER in with HIS KIDS!”

“Shut up!”

Marvin was on a roll. There was a reason he never talked to her about Chase’s attempt at suicide, and she’s going to sit there and listen. Maybe it was his anxiety mixed with his rage, but he didn’t care at this point.

“I was here when it happened! We were hanging out, he said he needed to talk to you about the kids coming over... next thing I knew, there was a fucking gun shot! Him lying there on the floor, hole in his head... I will NEVER be able to get that out of my mind! You drove my little brother to that point and I will NEVER forgive you for that!”

There was fight still in her eyes. She was trembling and crying, but her eyes spoke of murder.

“Fuck you! I didn’t push Chase to do anything! YOU guys failed to see the signs until it was too late! You think you’re so self righteous enough to judge me? Take a look at yourself, Marvin! I know about what happened to Jackie! Couldn’t even bother to reach out to him, could you? No, you just pushed him to the point where he literally tried to kill himself by purposefully picking a fight! Some big brother you turned out to be!”

Something broke. She... She was right...

He heard her gasp a little as he relented, slumping back into the couch. The magician felt defeated and it probably showed. She was actually right... he failed... he failed them all...

“Marv,” she whispered, regret dripping off of her words. He didn’t look at her, choosing to look at his hand. Still no magic and his string wounds still fresh even after over three months... god, he had never felt so helpless.

There was the sound of the couch creaking and then a familiar hand on his shoulder. Marvin didn’t have to look up to know that the youngest of the egos had finally come out of his room. Though JJ gave him a reassuring squeeze, the magician felt numb.

“I’m... I’m so sorry,” he heard Stacey utter. “I... I didn’t mean... it’s just... I’m worried about...”

“You’re.... right, Stac,” he finally managed to whisper. His eye never left the bandages marking where his strings use to be. “You’re right.... I try... so hard to keep them all safe. But I can’t... I’m... I’m too weak...”

“Marvin, no...”

“I couldn’t stop Chase from killing himself or being taken. I pushed Jackie to the point that he tried to die! I let that damn glitch use me like a... like a...”

Marvin tremble as he tried to say the word ‘puppet,’ but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. JJ’s grip tightened but it did nothing to stop the break of his wall... all those feelings he tries so desperately to hide from everyone flowing out.

“I’m... I’m suppose to be protecting them... I may be second oldest, but that’s my job! I’m suppose to be the strong one... the one that never gives in... never breaks..”

JJ finally grab him and pulled the magician into a fierce hug. Normally, Marvin was the one to comfort the others in this fashion; even Schneep. But as his baby brother’s hold tightened on him, the magician felt his walls breaking. At this moment, it was nice to be the one comforted and not the other way around.

He could here Stacey shuffling uncomfortably at the scene. She, as well as the others, were more than likely not use to seeing him this vulnerable. He leaned onto JJ’s shoulder, holding back the tears. God, he was so fucked up after what Anti did to him. His physical wounds may be healing at a steady pace, but his mental wounds.... that was going to be a long road to recovery.

His shoulders shook as he fought back the tears. He couldn’t cry... not with JJ and Stacey in the room...

“Shit, Marvin,” Stacey said right next to him. This startled him. When did she get so close?

But all thoughts of distaste washed away as she did something he never expected in a million years... She hug him! Side of her face pressing into his back, her arms barely made it around his chest but the hug was firerce.

“What... what did that bastard you to you guys? What is he going to do to Chase?.... What the fuck did he DO to YOU?”

Those words and the two supportive hugs broke the remaining walls as Marvin, for the very first time in his life, let others help him. They kept hugging him even after all his tears were spent.

*****************

Tags:

@glitchbicth @honestlyitsjustkenna @nekob00 @the-rampaige @septicuniverse @aquaticember06 @greenglitchbitch @goldenoceanaart @idk-and-wtf @silver-freddy @nixon-by-night @mysepticheartfan1 @just-your-average-glitch @lyra-mithril-aryl--op20 @jackandmarksavedme88 @thelunarmasquerade

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye community #jacksepticeye fandom #jse community #jse fandom #jacksepticegos #jacksepticeye fanfiction #fanfic #jse egos #jse fanfiction #fanfiction #marvin the magnificent #jameson jackson #stacy brody #writersofjack

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impivus · 6 years

Text

very rushed very shit intro comin @ you all but here goes nothing ! i’m felix from the gmt tmz, i use he / him pronouns, and im gonna power nap any minute now because one thing you should know about me is that i’m eternally on the verge of passing out from minimum exertions during the day. this is my pain in the ass eunsu: not even going to sugar coat it - he’s the human personification of a headache dumpster fire all in one beefy package and i really don’t even blame your character if they just . ignore his presence because, me too !

under the cut there’s some information about him if you want to get to know more about him regardless. smash that mf heart if you want to plot.. and i will get to you ? sometime ? its an ambiguous promise but i keep them, discord is also an option so just ask if you’d prefer to plot on there. eun’s about is here but no plots as of yet because life is hard and We Cant all Have Everything

aka im lazy

* ☾ ✧ * º ━━ is that KIM JONGIN walking about ? nope ! that’s just EUN SU CHO. & i’ve been told that they work as a INFORMATION BROKER ! apparently, they are TWENTY FIVE ( 204 ) years old . some people say they are a CISMALE, DEMON ! HE is very CULTIVATED & INTUATIVE but also DECIETFUL & MENACING. i wonder if they are just as odd as the rest of us . ⇢ SYNOPSIS. MBTI TYPE / entp, the debater ZODIAC SIGN / scorpio ENNEAGRAM TYPE / 7w8 KINSEY SCALE / 3 MORAL ALIGNMENT / chaotic evil / neutral HOGWARTS HOUSE / slytherin ⇢ AESTHETICS.

goosebumps raised and feelings of growing dread, the dark corner of a room where light doesn’t reach, silver pocket - watches with dead batteries, the scratch of a record player needle, flares in the sky, bad ideas coming to life, half-assed clapping when it’s required, figures dancing within the shadows & a smile you shouldn’t trust .

⇢ OVERVIEW

literally anybody: when are you free? eun su: im forever imprisoned in my own personal hell so i am never truly "free" but i don't really have plans all next week except for monday

this is eun su, and will y’all believe me if i say he used to be a good egg before he turned into the rotten egg i’m presentin y’all with today ?? i kid u not.. bs free zone. he did once .. have a hort he was born to a cult of witches, his twin brother absorbing all the magic that was meant to be equally distributed between them in his mother’s womb, which pretty much left eunsu as the black sheep of the family. said cult had been living on a small, near enough desolated island for literal decades, entertaining themselves with magic, seeking out knowledge, observing the unassuming populace, and toying with other supernatural creatures who dared cross their paths. unfortunately for eunsu’s family, tragedy struck when one of his aunt’s tried to over throw the high priestess ( his mother ) in their coven. unyielding in her position and untouchable to the magic she was exposed to, her sister went about other ways to break the woman’s spirits, dabbling in black magic predominantly to achieve her goals. eunsu’s brother was, thus, cursed before he was even born with an incurable heart defect that would see him dead before he reached double figures. eunsu’s mother was broken not mourned over how much he missed out as on a child: but she mourned for the fact that he was the only child that harboured any magic in their veins, the only child that could’ve carried on their lineage. queue entrance of eunsu and his Whats the Worst that Could Happen Attitude. being young and naive, thought he could’ve been able to solve it by himself, solve the issues and earn his mother’s lacking affections. eun had heard about dark vessels that could miraculously grant wishes through summonings. though he didn’t have magic in his veins he had a fire in his heart, and after all, demons cared not for who or what they fed from: so long as they appeased their hunger. all it wanted in return was a good, pure soul, and that’s what the demon stole from him before it mended his twin brother’s heart, giving the boy a new lease of life that wasn’t intended for him from the start. pity that eunsu died before he got to the age of twenty, following a quick and hungry fever that overtook his frail body and too soon turned deadly. there was no surprise that, come judgement day, he was turned away at the gates of heaven, in exchange for becoming one of lucifer’s own.

as a result of being eternally cursed with immorality and a tainted soul, he's lived some hundred-odd years and is coping by making the current populace in jeonseoul suffer along with finding purpose in digging out the secrets of his past life, mayhaps trying to find the demon who cursed him.... which could definitely be a wc.. and strengthening his abilities as a demon.

his personality is a bit insufferable; eunsu keeps himself distant and cryptic, because he likes it that way. he's a real weirdo ( if u have ever watched hxh he’s hisoka.. THAT weird ) that's hard to forget: completely mischievous, dramatic, and malicious to boot. some days he's waxing poetic about the futility of having a sense of justice and the next he's using his demonic powers to make some innocent tourist think they're hallucinating as they attempt to walk into a steady flow of traffic.

ultimately life's a game to him and bih.. he’s here to have fun ! he's outlived his actual family and friends ( well, aside from his brother who he barely remembers, prolly be a wc if anyone’s interested ) and he's not looking to get attached to anyone. it would be great to Die because it’s his forever Mood but he also gets furious if anyone tries to actually expel him for real - so he'll simply prod at the world and its people until he gets the reactions he wants.

fair warning: it is a pain to genuinely care about eunsu and not many people will wanna do it. he comes and goes into people's lives as he pleases, stops reaching out once he's bored and only ever grazes the surface of a relationship based on its worth or his curiosities, innocent ppl, cute ppl, etc are just gonna be eaten up by him then dropped.

the people who will be closest to him are doubtlessly other demons ig ? but he also hates y’all too so.. don’t get too friendly like he’s not here to make friends he’s here to be Jeonseoul’s next top Demon. also since he died sumn like 200 years ago it’s possible some wizards / familiars knew of him and his coven, it’d be super interesting for someone to have known cute human eunsu in exchange for chaotic bastard demon eunsu

⇢ MISCELLANEOUS

since he’s a young demon, his horns are small and his wings barely span about two inches above his shoulder bones, he got itty bitty bat wings lbr he’s kinda pissed abt it. there’s tattoos over his scars from clashing with other demons / hunters / angels, but his devil’s mark lining the back of his neck, performed by first demon who took his soul, has never faded away.

he also works as an info broker, which ties in with the fact that he’s a contractual demon ! it's more of a hobby than a job, something he does for kicks and to restock his gambling money and alcohol money, but he offers a helping hand to solo clientele for private cases if need be, just remember to bring your negotiation skills because his manipulation skills are a1.

he's well-versed in witchcraft even if he can’t actually possess the abilities that actual witches can. while hardly the mentoring type, he could be convinced to equip people with his knowledge of latin, spells or dark magic they want if he's interested enough. then again he might decide to screw them over for kicks so ask him for favours with caution.

for someone who carries a ton of spite and secrets, he passes as an easygoing, casual literature major on the daily to disguise his true intentions. find him at the university pretending to be a student and failing miserably at it like edward’s thousand year old ass in twilight

he cheats at the casino with his demonic powers but does it infrequently enough to pass it as luck. play games with him at your own risk. casinos are one of his favourite places but he can really be found anywhere with ease but some other places he frequents are: beaches, libraries, museums, bars, etc !

he'll get on people's nerves, but getting him to care to the degree of hate is another story. living this long has numbed him; people don't surprise him anymore and he doesn't care to spend time thinking about others. the secret to getting him to turn deathly serious is as simple as telling him you can tell that he was once a good person - because the cheesy truth is he was. he just convinces himself that he's given up trying to remember his human life and finds it easier to live like he’s dead.. yknow which he is.

romance makes him queasy, he's a spiteful old bastard and the concept of sweet love rubs him 100% fictional. there's someone he fancied before he was cursed but i'll save you the story: that's a distant dream now.

he might quote romantic works or put some pretty words together but he's fake as Fuck. if he notices someone innocent and unsuspecting crushing on him they are in so much trouble. he'll kiss their hand then twirl them right off a cliff. corruption kink central right here laid ease

as of rn he’s trying to master how to teleport and shadow control but he really is like on level one and he’s got to get up to level 50 to achieve even a fifth of what these other demons can do

edit: i totally forgot to include eunsu’s ‘demonic’ title after he was banished to the perils of hell. it’s ironically just saint, and he goes around using that bc it’s blasphemous and a big ole middle finger to god himself. nobody will know his real name, but if there’s an off chance that they do, that’s a massive threat to eunsu and he’ll get his Snipers on Scene

tl;dr:

#oddintro #. I HAVE THE POWER OF GOD AND ANIME ON MY SIDE ── / OOC. ❞#so this is. a thing!

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marlutterianae · 6 years

Text

Magic and Elixirs. Elements of Viorg.

- Extracted from the Magal Archives -

Viorg is a land gifted with numerous peculiarities, anomalies and unique phenomena that can be considered both fantastical and marvelous, and yet so deadly and unpredictable. As scholars, it is difficult to keep up with many of the changes occuring in each part of our world, and beyond. But one thing is for certain. We can only be grateful to the various elements unique to this distorted place, which we’ve been able to harness and control for our benefit in order to secure our survival and outstand the overwhelming odds against our kind.

We call them Elements mainly because they have become crucial components of nature as we know it. Despite being considered as “unnatural” things in the eyes of the outsiders. It’s hard for said outsiders to accept what passes as normality in this world. Of course, some curious travelers, now inhabitants of the realms, have less of an issue with it than others.

The first and most important element to the entire continent are the elixirs. The origins of the first alchemical formulas trace back to the foundations of the ancient all powerful empire of Berelith. Used to create substances that granted humanity with an extended life, flourish awareness and break the limits of the mind. Different elixirs with new and marvelous effects in the body would soon follow. The old alchemists of Berelith worked together with the vicious demons for a strange mutual gain. The details and logistics behind this alliance are still under research and debate. As for the elixirs, it’s core component are well known to many. It is processed out of demon blood. But not just any blood, at first. It was a holy source, incomparable to anything on this planet. It was the sacred heart of a demonic deity. The one that cursed this land after crashing into it. Intact, still beating. A colossal super organ that seems to have a will of it’s own. Numerous discoveries would follow after that. Brand new formulas, that led to the development of more elixirs that gave humans more incredible physical and mental attributes.

This was a source of potentially infinite power for the Berelith empire, but after the catastrophe that destroy it completely at the hands of the demons, our ancestors from the tribe of Dorok managed to transport the Heart in a perilous journey across the entire continent. Many lives were lost in the process, but eventually the Heart was secured in the safety of the West, where we started building our mighty cities. The first of which was the impenetrable capital of Murgul, named after the ancient and forgotten term for “Heart”. The sacred source lies hidden in the deepest depths of the Royal Keep, even lower than the Magal Laboratories, in a special vault. The most treasured artifact in our possession. There it lies, guarded, far from any demon’s reach. And it is there where our experiments with elixirs carried on, continuing that legacy of Berelith. We did not only improve on the known formulas, but we started to look further than that. Every child of Dorok was granted with them. All of Viorg’s inhabitants have elixirs coursing through their veins. After all, t is impossible to survive in this land without resorting to them.

Murgul serves its purpose as the literal heart of the realm. Surrounded by numerous cities that need to be provided not only with crucial resources, tools and means to survive and defend themselves against the demons, but also their regular supply of elixirs. We are still working on perfecting the replenishment routes throughout all the sectors around the capital, in order to maintain order. The Guilds of Demon Slayers receive their regular supply, but also the newest inventions to aid in the fight. Elixirs that could provide unique attributes like sensorial and muscular enhancers, pain nullification, advance cell regeneration, amplifiers of intellectual capacities; among many, many other specialized uses. Perfectioning the known formulas, modifying them and creating more at a regular basis. It is a very tough task for the alchemists guilds, but one they are proud to be part of.

However, not all Elixirs are easily accessible as others, or easily provided to be more specific. The Prosperity Elixir, for example, is one which production seems to be the most laborious and complex, despite of how old the formula is; according to the archives. For this reason it can only be distributed across Murgul’s territory and no further. This of course led to the population of Murgul having their lives drastically extended, which altered their ways of living. Being in the most secured metropolis in the entire kingdom also contributes to this difference in lifestyles, unlike the cities around it, especially those further away from the capital, and closest to the Frontier diving Dorok and Berelith. Some discontent is expected from the citizens of these sectors, and led to the formation of prejudices and disdain against those that live and come from the capital, being considered imperious and weak, particularly for not even facing demon attacks as frequently as those from the distant sectors. And that their safe overly extended lives makes them apathetic to the problems of those that are not from Murgul.

Elixirs such as the Healing ones are easier to produce in mass, and have been continuously perfected throughout the years. It has the most versatile means of application. It can be conventionally drank or injected, depending on how fast the reaction is required. It can be distilled into a gaseous form and by supplied through breathing devices. As well as be condensed in spraying mechanisms for a more focused and immediate effect over specific wounds. The regenerative elixirs are one of the most important tools in demon slaying, and each guild has it’s branch of medical experts ready to assist, highly trained in the applications of these substances in the heat of battle.

But despite how miraculous these healing elixirs may appear, even capable of regrowing lost limbs entirely, there is one type of damage they are not able to remedy. And that is magical damage. Any sort of harm or wound produced by magical energy cannot be healed not even with the most advance of regenerative elixirs. The destructive effect magic has on organic tissue is still researched and speculated to this day, and even then the Wizards had concluded that only magic can bring back what was lost with magic. Which makes it even more complicated, considering that ‘healing magic’ is a rare phenomenon among Wizards, and even Witches, according to reports. They still look for individuals capable of performing this miraculous type of spell, but nothing has yet come out of the investigations.

For this very reason it is quite common to see anyone experienced with magic bearing grotesque and strange scars across their entire bodies. Signs of power overflowing, so to speak. Leaving marks in their bodies almost as grim reminders of what they are trying to control. Crippled by a magical explosion? Those limbs are lost forever. Blinded by magical sparks or a flashing spell? The eyes would end lifeless, and most probably will have to be removed, leaving only empty scarred sockets. Indeed, this only applies for organic material that was directly affected by magic. It must be clarified that if magic didn’t directly caused the burning or mutation of any organic material, the damage will remain natural, and therefore fixable by conventional means. Said, if you would be violently pushed by a magical force wave, resulting in the breaking of some bones; unless some of the magical radiation damaged your body, usually in the form of burning, rotting or melting, there is a chance to be well healed.

Magic is known as the second most important element present in Viorg. And rightfully so, originating from the very home dimension of the demons. The Orrnox. While a lot of information regarding magic is still quite complex and under investigation, it can be mention how we managed to control some of that energy not only through living catalyzers, being the Wizards, but also through advanced technology. Magic, in one of its most manipulable forms is that categorized as “Orrnix Energy”. A sort of meta plasma that can hold vast amounts of energy, emitting large amounts of supernatural heath. The applications for this state of the magical force are still under development, but some already theorize on it’s applications, like implement it in the creation of new weaponry, like concentrated plasma cannons or mechanized constructs controlled telepathically. Or even being capable of supplying entire cities with this energy, as well as emitting a force field around them. The possibilities appear to be endless, but they must be dealt with carefully, or else we would want to replicate a cataclysm similar to that of Berelith. And that must be absolutely avoided.

- - -

Magic systems! Yay. Half ironic cheering aside, this is my most detailed entry into this world yet, and how couldn’t it be? It’s about the two most important ELEMENTS of this world. Magic and the ever mentioned Elixirs. Considering that the prompt of today was Elements, I choose what “elements” are the most crucial in this world. This was a very fun one because I have so much to say on the matter, and you can tell. I’ll be deeply grateful if you go through the entire thing. Anyway, there is more to know about this world to come. Let’s get to it!

#magic #worldbuilding #fantasy #alchemy #demons #wizards #writing #elixir

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emilywatchescursedshow · 3 years

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Spn Season 1 Review

Hoboy

First, the live blogs of the last 4 episodes were done in a haze of jetlag depression so were less specific to what was actually happening in the episodes than normal and contained no extraneous information. HOWMEVER. I will get into those episodes more in this recap because:

1. I do not feel like the season really Led Up to this finale. Part of that could be because I took a bit of a break halfway through, but I think also the groundwork for the Sam/John parallel they tell us about was not really set up in previous episodes. 2. I think that the characterization of the brothers and their relationship to John is really Interesting in these episodes and the drama of that is a big part of the show as a whole, so the last several episodes are pretty relevant here.

THEMING The theme of season 1 is more or less: family. How do you handle family trauma and loss? How do you as a parent protect your children vs let them have independent lives (or just suck major ass)? To what extent is your family holding you back? Etc. The two sort of relationship dynamics this plays in is the Sam/Dean dynamic and the John/sons dynamic.

DEAN Dean’s characterization through this theme remains pretty consistent: he wants to be with his family. He showed up to get Sam at the beginning of the season, and he wants to keep them all alive at the end of the season instead of sacrificing John to kill the demon. The irony is that the season ends with them all “dying” (I know they’re not dead, but right now that’s what the show wants us to believe) and Dean’s insistence on family unity is what ends up getting them all killed.

Dean’s story line throughout has been one of responsibility assumed too early. After their mom died, his dad basically made him co-parent. Dean had to give up his ambitions to bend to his dad’s wishes while also trying to protect Sam from John and various monsters. It makes sense for him, given that backstory, that keeping the family together is his highest priority: he has been forced to give up all sense of self to keep his family safe, so if they die then he literally has nothing. I think it’s interesting that Dean is the only one of him or Sam who actually knew their mother, and yet Sam is the one who gets a mother-relevant character arc.

That might be because of the next aspect of Dean’s character we see: he likes to have sex with women. I tend to be pretty sensitive to misogyny/mistreatment of women on screen, so either I’ve lost my mind or I’m already watching this show through a very queer lens because Dean’s treatment of women throughout the season Did Not Bother Me. The only thing that really rang sour was at the beginning of Provenance when Dean is lying to women about his job to get into bed with them, but even then, like, eh? The whole scene (and all the other such scenes) are depicted with a lightheartedness that is hard to read malice into, and Jackles plays that part with such a wide-eyed “Wow! I get to have sex now!” that it’s hard not to feel anything but happy for the guy. I do suspect that Dean is supposed to be characterized as “treating women like whores/expendable” and so does not have an attachment to his mother in this season because he’s not allowed to have a complex relationship with a woman.

SAM Uh boy. So Sam’s arc begins with his girlfriend getting immolated - we learn later that Sam wanted to propose to her and so she was getting in the way of the demon’s plans for “kids like him.” Whatever that means - the show does not communicate its stakes to us AT ALL, more on that later. Sam gets some episodes of characterization throughout. The only two I can remember are the one with the abused psychic and the one where a woman decides she’s in love with him within seconds of meeting him. In neither episode to I really feel like I understand Sam as a character. We are told at various points that he really loved Jessica and her death has affected him greatly. At the beginning of the season, he dreams about it often, but these dreams end up being psychic in nature (I think?) and fall off by mid season. He doesn’t have a keepsake of hers to gaze at longingly or any other way of showing he’s having trouble letting go. Dean basically lets him off the leash to go kiss Sarah in Provenance, which he seems pretty happy to do and has no real guilt over after. Sam’s characterization is carried out very directly - we are told what he is feeling or had felt, instead of some combination of saying it via dialogue and reading it from his actions. I’ve mentioned that I don’t think Jarp is especially strong as an actor, but I have to chalk this up to both weaknesses in writing and acting because scenes that communicate Sam’s internal world are largely nonexistent IMO.

We are told that the connection between their mother’s death and Jess’s death has had a great impact on Sam. He believes that he is cursed so that the “people he loves” (read, women) will die. While in a broad sense this might be true as the demon does admit to have targeted Sam, the supposed “curse” is not really dealt with by Sam except as a barrier in his journey to move on from lost love. Jess’s death served as Sam’s call to adventure at the beginning of the season and should give some emotional connection to Sam’s continued commitment to hunting, but until the final episodes Sam’s involvement in the monster world is continually explained as “wants to find dad” and not “wants to break curse.” In these episodes, Sam’s Jess backstory comes back and we are told that his desire to kill the demon makes him “like John.” Which. Is. Stupid. Let me explain.

In terms of the theming, Sam’s wanting to kill the demon even though it might cost the lives of any number of the Winchesters makes sense because of his established relationship with his family. He wanted to have a normal life which alienated him from Dean and John. Sam has very negative memories of John, and has little brother blindness to the stuff Dean did for him growing up and is largely unhappy with Dean as well. Thus it is not surprising that to Sam, a Winchester dying is not as large a price to pay if it means that Sam gets to have a normal life.

HOWEVER. I am giving the show a LOT of credit here because they DO NOT make that connection, instead going for the stupid “Sam is like John” parallel which is treated almost like a surprise reveal. John’s reasons for killing the demon are NOT Sam’s reasons for killing the demon. John is motivated by revenge to an insane degree: it has consumed his life and the lives of both of his sons. Sam is not revenge motivated. He moves on from Jess’s death in literally THE EPISODE before the finale run starts. Sam is motivated by what he has always been motivated by: his desire for a normal life, including a wife who wont burst into flames. So on a thematic level, short-handing these character conflicts as “Sam is like John” (which is explicitly stated multiple times throughout these episodes) does not work because these characters are approaching family from a very different place even if they end up with the same goal.

I do want to mention that I think Sam’s backstory of wanting a normal life could have been set up better; the show does a good job with Dean’s “too much responsibility too young” child stand-in, but Sam does not get a “I just wanted to go to prom” child stand-in. Which I miss because that would be HILARIOUS. I think the issue the show has here with Sam is, in short, that Sam wanting to be normal is Very Boring, whereas the world of monsters and how Tortured and Jaded everyone is is much Sexier.

JOHN The text of the show is pretty unabashed about telling us things that John did that a reasonable audience member could interpret as being Very Bad. In the brief moments he has on the show, the dynamic between him and his sons is mixed. There are plenty of heartfelt family moments, and there are plenty of fights. I think the show is definitely weakest when it is following John by himself. I do not care about John except as he relates to Sam and Dean, and really if he is in any sort of danger I just want him to die based on how awful he is as a person, so the suspense does not swing the way the writers maybe wanted it to.

I think the twist at the end, where Dean realizes the demon has possessed their dad because he’s acting nicer, just b a r e l y works based on what they’ve set up. Honestly, I think the real problem is that John Winchester’s actor does not, to me, read as having any onscreen charisma. In the altercations that he has with Sam, I don’t really feel a threat from him. There isn’t any explosive or destructive energy, just sort of “your mom is mad you ate the last of her ice cream” energy. I’ve literally BEEN a more intimidating fake drill sergeant than John Winchester and I’m 5 feet tall and 110 lbs. John has big sad wet dog energy. He can get mad, but not in a way that’s actually intimidating. Thus, him telling Dean that he’s proud is sort of like “yeah, I bet this milksop is proud or whatever” and not “wow I would have expected that character to be a lot more upset right now.” I get that family dynamics can be complicated and a parent can cause you Bone Pain with just a look that to anyone else would seem harmless, but this is a television show where things have to read on screen. One Look Bone Pain is a lot more nuanced to construct. I think John being Big Mean Drill Sergeant is what they’re trying for, but in my opinion he's mostly just annoying.

Anyway John sucks.

WHAT’S NOT THERE The above talks a lot about what *is* in the show vis. the family theme. But Emily, this is a monster show. What about the monsters? Well. What about them indeed.

This first season of Supernatural is very clearly referencing the tradition of The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A lot of former X-Files people are credited on the season and they mention BTVS by name in an episode that is clearly themed around season 6 Buffy villains. Howmever. Both TXF and BTVS have a very important thing that Supernatural does not. STAKES. And not just ones meant for vamps that then get ignored by SPNs stupid vamp lore voice over.

Both BTVS and TXF handle their monsters very differently. BTVS is a universe where the main character has been fully initiated into the world of monsters so that, throughout the course of the episode, it is reasonable for her to detail pretty specifically what the monster is and what it is capable of. On the other hand, the characters in TXF must always be kept on the edge of the monster world, getting faint glimpses here and there. Usually, Mulder has an expository scene giving information on “what is known” at the beginning of the episode and then further monstrosity is communicated to the audience via interstitial scenes that tell the audience what the monster is and where it’s going, introducing dramatic tension: AA NO SCULLY DON’T TOUCH THAT IT’S SUPER GROSS. Both avenues successfully communicate to the audience what the monsters are (approximately), what they can do, and what their motivations are. This means that in the climactic scene, the audience knows what the STAKES are. They know what might be lost of the main characters fail, they know what the characters need to overcome to succeed, and they know what the monster is trying to accomplish.

Now. Some of the MOTW episodes in Supernatural do communicate what the monster is and what it wants. Scarecrow and Bugs are two that come to mind that both do this. Tellingly, both of these episodes also seem very modeled on TXF (compare/contrast Bugs with the trash golem episode of TXF where Mulder hip thrusts after sticking a flamingo in the yard, essay for another time).

Home is the first Supernatural episode that I identified as being extremely plot-oriented after the pilot. It’s also the first episode after the pilot to give sole writing credit to Kripke. There are interstitial scenes wherein the audience sees spooky stuff happening. However, these scenes do not further the audience’s understanding of the monster - we already know the house is evil and trying to kill people, and that’s pretty much all those scenes show. Moreover, Sam and Dean do not learn more about the monster in the house during this episode; their arc is basically just “Wow, isn’t it strange that the house is spooky now? Our mom died here!” The resolution at the end is borderline incomprehensible and their mother just sort of. Appears. Out of nowhere and then vanishes again with very little emotional weight given to this occurrence later in the episode or in the next episode. My summary of Home was pretty much “I did not like this and don’t want to be mean.” I talked about how I like monsters in monster shows, whereas Supernatural is more of a soap opera.

And yeah, the finale of Supernatural (written by Kripke) basically follows that track as well. I don’t know what these demons are or what they want. I don’t know what they can do besides possess people. When Meg confronts people and talks all big it’s hard for me to take seriously because I don’t know what she wants or what she is capable of, except in that one scene where she wanted to fuck Sam which. gross!

This is what I mean by saying that Supernatural does not have stakes. When the choice between losing a family member verses not defeating the monster is posited, the only reason I as an audience member feel engaged is the family conflict that has been established. There is no tension about the monster because I just have to assume that it will do whatever the writers decide it should do. I’m not weighing the odds of the Winchesters winning, I’m just watching them point guns at each other and hoping for the best.

CONCLUSION Jensen Ackles does a good job of playing Dean and he should get an award especially for his performances in the last two episodes of the show. IMO, he basically carried the emotional weight of the conflict and really made us root for Sam to not shoot his dad which is HARD because of how badly John sucks. I’m going to keep watching this show because of Jensen Ackles playing Dean Winchester. Fight me about it.

I think season 1 of Supernatural felt like watching two different shows with the same main characters. On the one hand, you have the MOTW episodes which invariably begin with “Here’s why we’re not tracking down our dad, even though that’s our stated motivation” and then tell a nice monster mystery with some good character beats. On the other hand, you have the series arc episodes, which are soap operas with demonic elements. I’m fine with it - because of Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester. I’m interested to see what season 2 is like.

#supernatural #season 1 review #spn

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tidehearted · 6 years

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Important Information: Salazar’s Curse

I must, once again, insist that my disclaimer be heeded- my interpretation of Armando is based strictly off film canon- which I have also altered, and at times chosen to ignore. Should this be a problem for you, I ask that you kindly block his tags or unfollow. The novelization holds no bearing on the version of Armando Salazar or the crew of the Silent Mary, nor does any form of fanon.

Covered in this headcanon you will find information about who Armando was prior to the curse, what it made him into, and the specifics of its effects and rules. With all that said, on to the actual meat of this writing.

Before the Curse

Prior to sailing into the Devil’s Triangle and becoming trapped by the curse, Armando held the rank of Capitán de Navío, and Capitán of one of the most powerful ships in the Armada of Spain. He was a determined, and unyielding man, with a singular focus on eliminating pirates. The ferocious hatred that drove this goal was brought on by events of his youth, the witnessing of the brutal murder of his father by a band of pirates who flew a red flag, and the knowledge that his grandfather- a merchant- had suffered a similar fate.

Though he was considered something of a hero to many of the people in Spain- particularly to merchants and others who had lost goods or loved ones to pirates, in the navy Armando was considered something of a dark horse- he was among the few who had risen so far without much in the way of politics ( for in fact he abhorred politics and held a distaste for academia, preferring instead to focus on martial skill and taking action ), and though his efficiency earned him much respect, his impatience, temper, and single-minded focus were the bane of many of his superiors and equals.

The Crew

Armando held the full respect of his crew- and in life he would never have abandoned them. The Silent Mary sailed into many dangers, but she did so because her crew was, hands down, the best there was. Her crew was hand-chosen by Armando and so was comprised of only the most dedicated, the most disciplined and the most skillful of men, who had served together for years by the time the Silent Mary sailed into the Devil’s Triangle. The loyalty between Capitán and crew was unshakable, and so too was the efficiency and dedication- and this is what made them so deadly that they could take on a fleet of ten pirate ships alone and come out victorious, were it not for the ingenuity of Jack Sparrow. In fact, together the crew had taken on similar situations many times, and come out on top.

The Triangle and the Source of the Curse

Canon has not given us much to work with on the subject of the Devil’s Triangle or the curse, and much of what has been given is inconsistent with earlier work, or simply doesn’t make much sense, so I have chosen to create a more sensible lore around it.

The Devil’s triangle was a dangerous outcropping of rock, seemingly in the middle of the caribbean sea. In fact it had long stood, the result of shifts in tectonic plates forcing the rocky floor up above the water level, atop a long-dormant underwater volcano. Rumours surrounded the strange outcropping- which was deadly for unskilled crews to navigate, for the dark water disguised many hidden dangers, and the cave roof was unstable, which often saw large stalactites falling onto and even through unsuspecting ships.

Rumours circulated that it was many things- the birthplace of the devil, or a secret hideaway of his. That it was inhabited by a trio of wretched sea hags who tended a vile demon, and fed to it unsuspecting sailors. That the rocks themselves had once been mighty ships of centuries past, since turned to stone.

But for all the rumours, none came quite close to the truth. For in fact the triangle was more a passive container of massive energies, simply waiting for the right trigger. It had, for many centuries, been the site of many a dark rite performed, and many a curse, and it was the remnants of such spells that laid the groundwork for what would become Salazar’s Curse.

For the curse was, in fact, enacted by Armando and his crew, by their own oaths, sworn before every voyage, never to die until their task was complete, and the sea was free of pirates. And it was this oath, combined with the desperation of the men, and Armando’s own pure rage and burning hatred at the moment of his death which preserved them all precisely as they were in that moment.This is NOT a known fact, however- and even the most skilled of witches would be hard-pressed to determine it without witnessing the advent of it themselves. The true origin of the curse is shrouded in mystery to most, including Armando and the crew.

The Curse and its Effects

The curse took effect at the precise moment of death for each member of the crew of the Silent Mary, beginning with Armando- meaning there are, indeed, some men who did not rise, as they died before him. Each man is preserved exactly as he was when he died, and animated only by his own will to live. The men with the weakest wills faded quickly- becoming true shades of their former selves, while those whose wills burned brighter retained a sense of self. Those who lost themselves were but as the ship- hollow shells, while those who did not were shadows of the men they once were- insubstantial, but alive so much as they could be.

Other than keeping their bodies animated with power beyond their reckoning, the curse did these men no services. It did nothing to block out the pain or the agony they felt in death- every man whose body was torn to shreds by the explosion of the gunpowder upon the ship has felt that agony every second of every day that has passed since.

What this means for Armando in particular ( AKA a catalogue of Armando’s injuries at death ):

The cause of Armando’s death was the explosion which hit him while he was underwater, destroying his skill and rather literally blowing his brains out of his head. This actually does affect his ability to process thoughts- there will be a full breakdown on this in another headcanon, but the short version is that while the curse keeps Armando’s spirit alive and functioning, it does not preserve his mind quite as well, and this leads to some major differences in thought process, behaviour, and understanding.

Both of his legs were shattered in the explosion as he fell from the ship, leading to the limping gait we see in the film.

Armando suffers severe internal bleeding, as the force of the explosion also shattered his spine, and crushed his organs- this is what causes the black substance his blood has become in his half-life to well up in his throat and pour from his mouth, at times, particularly when he exerts himself, as his blood and organs are getting squished around in a show of exactly why one ought to remain still when injured so severely.

He was also underwater at the moment of his death, though he did not have the time to drown, this is reflected in the way that everything about him seems to float, as though he is still beneath the waves.

Those affected by the curse were also granted certain abilities as supernatural entities, and those abilities are listed below:

The full crew was granted an immediate understanding of their situation, upon awakening- once their spirits had settled and begun to register that they were not simply alive and in excruciating pain.

Walking on water. This is less in defiance of gravity and more because they are, in essence, a part of the water. There is a certain lack of logic to it, which at once feels logical- and thus going forward this will be referred to as ‘ghost physics’.

Passing through solid objects. This one is tricky- the men all exist on the same plane, and thus cannot pass through one another, or through the Silent Mary- in fact, they even walk upon seemingly nothing where her lower decks used to be. The longer an object has been at sea, the more ‘real’ the curse considers it- in this case, it is assumed the bars which held the young Turner had been replaced recently, and thus not exposed to the sea for long. As they were at sea, they did no harm, but they did not count as fully ‘real’, and so with focus, Armando and his men were able to step through them as if they were not there.

Possession. This ability came with a number of stipulations.

Only a living human could be possessed.

Only those of the greatest will could possess a human- meaning there were perhaps four men in total aboard the Silent Mary who could successfully possess a body.

Once possessing a body, it could not be exited, through any means but the will or power of a greater being, such as Calypso/Tia Dalma, or the Trident, which is an extension of Poseidon himself.

The spirit would remain trapped within the body even after it died, and unlike their ghost bodies, this one would decay, and eventually become useless- leaving the spirit an entirely immobilized observer.

Attempted possession also ran the risk of being overpowered and consumed, if the owner of the body held a stronger will than the spirit possessing it.

The final stipulation was that the spirit would not be freed of their pain- though the body lived, their soul was still dead, and no true feeling could be brought to it from a living body which was not their own.

Breaking the Curse

For the sake of a more logical plot, I have chosen to adjust the exact parameters for the breaking of the curse. There are, in total, four possible ways for Armando and his crew to be freed, in varying capacities.

The first is the only one of which they are aware, and that is that the object of hatred must reach what the curse understands as their lowest point. It has nothing to do with the compass itself, so much as the situation required to cause one to betray it, for the compass itself has no ties to the Devil’s triangle, and therefore no ties to the curse. This will break apart the triangle and unleash the men as shades upon the seas to find and destroy the target of their hate.

The second is for the triangle itself to be destroyed- however this would require a force of violence only possessed by extreme natural disasters, at the time- though an inordinate amount of explosives may do the same. This is because the triangle itself houses the power of the curse. This will set the men free upon the seas as shades, though their direction may falter more than if the curse is affected by the object of their hate.

The third is the breaking of the trident, which will return all the men to their former states, as the same action would do to all suffering under a curse of the sea.

The fourth is by a power of the sea higher than the curse- such as Calypso/Tia Dalma. Such a being could put whatever stipulation they pleased, however most likely this would result in the breaking of the triangle and the return of the men to their former state.

#Salazar Headcanons | the path for vengeance always has a first step #long post for ts #Meta | a worthy expose

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