#had i Not managed to develop psychic abilities a few days ago

[voidcoretxt]

i am handling everything so much better this time around. being fucking psychic or something sure pays off

[bulkyphrase]

Cap-IM Rec Week - Wonderous Wednesday

Day 3 of @cap-ironman's rec week event!

Apparently I have a ghost problem, so this leans heavily towards a "Halloween in July" kind of theme.

one more moment of this silence by Red (S_Hylor) (@s-hylor) (Marvel | Mature | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | 2,227 words)

The AU: Supernatural Elements

Summary: Tony can see ghosts. Not just any ghosts, but ghosts of people how haven't found peace yet, or refuse to. Ghosts of people whose bodies have never been found. The closer to their bodies he gets, the more he sees them, an ability, or a curse, that he uses to help the police find body's of missing people. It's never easy.

there's no dreams in the waves, only monsters by S_Hylor (@s-hylor) (MCU | Teen And Up Audiences | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | 70,441 words)

The AU: No Powers, with supernatural elements

Summary: Driving while tired is never a good idea, especially when the weather is terrible, as Tony finds out the hard way. Now in pain, with a wrecked car and no phone service, Tony is stranded at a hotel perched on a cliff overlooking the flooded ruins of an abandoned town in the valley below. With no working phone, only three other people around, Tony isn’t sure who to trust or what to believe. Something isn’t right, something is stopping him from leaving.

Twelve Days by elysianprince (@elysian-prince) (MCU | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 22,027 words)

The AU: No Powers, with supernatural elements. Inspired by The Spirit of Christmas, simply the best basic cable Christmas movie ever.

Summary: In which Tony finds himself in a town that looks like it crawled out of a Hallmark Christmas movie, trying to sell an inn he didn't know he owned, all while dealing with Steve Rogers, the resident ghost who has returned to haunt the inn each December during the twelve days of Christmas for the past seventy years. Tony has only one logical solution that benefits them both: break the curse that binds him - but falling for a man almost a century old wasn't among his plans.

More below the cut!

And Time Went On by Morena_Evensong (Marvel | Mature | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | 106,811 words)

The AU: MCU/EMH/616 Fusion

Summary: Two hundred years ago the Mandarin attacked Washington, the first stage of his plan for world domination. And the Avengers... vanished. All except Iron Man, who eventually managed to defeat the Mandarin with the help of SHIELD, a few other superheroes, and their friends. Now, nearly two hundred years after the death of Anthony Stark, the current Stark heir, Tony, is moving into the forgotten Stark Manor in order to avoid falling into the clutches of the United World Council. But Stark Manor isn't just an empty old house and mice aren't the only things that have been inhabiting it for the past two hundred years. As Tony uncovers the secrets of Stark Manor, and more than a few horrifying truths about the world he lives in, a powerful threat suddenly arises. One that leaves shattered cities and seas of bodies in its wake as it slowly sweeps its way across a world that no longer has a last line of defense.

Wasted on the Dead and Dreaming by LinneaKou (MCU | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 37,554 words)

The AU: Ghost Hunters

Summary: Steve looked right at his friend, and he felt just as disoriented as he had when he woke up in Munich. “What the hell is going on?” Bucky winced. I think you’ve spontaneously developed psychic powers. And well. Wasn’t that just great. When Captain Steve Rogers got back from his tour of duty, he didn't expect to come back with the ability to communicate with the dead. When Tony Stark moved back into his childhood home, he didn't expect his dead father to still be inhabiting it. When Tony hired Steve to investigate the ghosts of his family mansion, they didn't expect to be swept up in cover-ups, corporate sabotage, and murder. Now, time is running out as increasingly disturbing dreams haunt Tony and the ghost of Howard Stark proves to be the least of Steve's problems. If they're lucky, maybe they won't end up ghosts too.

The Little Things Unknown by coaster (@coastertoaster) (MCU | Mature | No Archive Warnings Apply | 27,618 words)

The AU: Ghostbusters fusion

Summary: Tony Stark has three certainties in life: one, that science was where his mind worked best; two, that, since ghosts had become a science, anything was possible; three, that he would never know if Captain America was that much of a paragon because the man was long dead. The subject of Certainty Three might be sitting at the foot of his bed. ~ Steve is a ghost. The Avengers bust ghosts. And Tony isn't sure what to make of Cap here. But hey, at least his other hauntings have stopped, right?

Does not play well with others by usedupshiver (@usedupshiver) (Marvel | Teen And Up Audiences | Major Character Death | 11,588 words)

The AU: No Powers, with supernatural elements

Summary: While sneaking into the Starks' abandoned home, Steve makes the startling discovery that even though no Stark is living in the house anymore, not all of them have actually left.

A Long, Lonely Time by asktheravens (MCU | Mature | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death | 58,567 words)

The AU: No Powers, with supernatural elements

Summary: Steve returned from the war injured in body and mind- and able to see the dead. At loose ends and desperate to get out of New York City, he accepts a fellowship through the Stark Foundation and retreats to a quiet lake house on the grounds of the Stark Mansion. He's supposed to be there to paint, but he quickly realizes that the house is more than he bargained for. Anthony Stark died here a decade ago, but was it an accident? A suicide? Or a murder? Obadiah Stane still lives in the main house just up the hill, and the past casts a long shadow. When Tony's ghost begins appearing to him, Steve becomes more entwined in the dangerous mystery surrounding his death. Even worse, he finds himself falling for a man who died a decade ago... Features lots of ghosts, murder, secrets, and supernatural revenge. Also Thor and Rhodey.

Catch a Falling Star by tsukinofaerii (Ults | Explicit | Major Character Death | 42,741 words)

The AU: Science Fiction. There's a nicely spooky scene in a damaged space facility, but no supernatural stuff

Summary: When Tony was sixteen, he got to meet his hero, Captain Steve Rogers, the Empire's not-literally-golden boy from the Continuity Wars. When he was twenty-seven, the aforementioned Captain turned Pirate picked him up at the outer edges of space. It would have been a good time to appreciate the abundant nudity that came from spending too much time with space colonists, but Tony had bigger worries than even Rogers' amazing hip-to-shoulder ratio. Something was sending the star-encircling computers that power the galaxy into a tailspin, and it was going to take a lot more than luck and skill to clean the mess up.

The Road Through October Country by indigostohelit (616 | Teen And Up Audiences | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | 2,803 words)

The AU: High School, with supernatural elements

Summary: It's a beautiful day in October, and Steve's hiding behind the library, his knee bleeding, when he sees the boy for the first time. Tony makes Steve laugh, and his hands are as cold as ice, and he doesn't leave footsteps in the mud. But in a cold graveyard after sunset, Tony asks Steve to make a choice that will change - or end - his life forever.

Tidal Pull by sabrecmc (@sabrecmc) (MCU | Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | 97,740 words)

The AU: Civil War era historical, with fantasy elements (no ghosts, but it does have slowburn + tentacle porn, which even I'll admit is just as good)

Summary: After the American Civil War, Union soldier Steve Rogers takes a chance on an opportunity to sail with the Stark Trading Company down in the Caribbean. During a terrible storm, his ship is lost. To his surprise, he survives, and ends up stranded on an island that isn't quite as deserted as he first thinks. Or, a reverse Little Mermaid tale where Steve has to fall for the fish-man.

[empatheticagent]

A small step?

//quick note for mentions of mental illnesses (depression, ptsd, anxiety). Death and abuse are mentioned but not detailed. Please let me know if particular tags are still needed beyond what is already applied.

Date: February 4th

Patient name: RAYMOND ARNOLD HARTELL

Level 2 clearance, under guidance of Special ops Field agent, MARCO ELLIS.

Notes:

-Previously diagnosed with ptsd, anxiety and catatonic depression.

Goes through periods of non-verbalism. He was diagnosed following his first recorded catatonic episode where a SHIELD medical team was sent to the address of Intelligence Analysis agent GERMAINE SHEPHERD, where he had currently been staying (the reverse is now recorded on file). I spent a long time with HARTELL following the episode, observing, testing and questioning before making the diagnosis of ptsd and catatonic depression myself. HARTELL remained in medical care for at least 2 months following the diagnosis under careful observation while we tested out different medications. He has changed prescriptions a few times since.

-HARTELL is classed as a Psychic Empath with Inhuman DNA markers. His powers are volatile, especially when his own moods are so unstable. His true limits are yet undetermined, though his previous mentor tried reaching them using abusive practices. He has previously used his abilities to assist with tracking agents and with interrogations before his mental health and control of his powers slipped [see attached files].

-HARTELL’s previous mentor has been noted as being the major trigger for the conditions to develop, subjecting HARTELL to harsh training, emotional abuse and later on the capture and murder of Internal Affairs agent CLAYTON WEISS, who HARTELL had been in a formal relationship with [see attached paperwork from HR dept].

-Currently living with a co-worker and has acquired a service dog to help manage symptoms. Regular counseling has not taken place since approximately April/May the previous year following an incident where HARTELL was held captive by his previous mentor and SHIELD traitor, ELIJAH LAWRENCE BANCROFT. [see attached report on the incident]

-HARTELL is attending regular, monthly medical check-ups via SHIELD medical department, mandated by agent Ellis as a condition of his training. It has been noted HARTELL has had an ongoing struggle with eating regularly and often borders on underweight [see attached medical file]. There has been some recent progress to correcting this, however extra stresses seem to have thrown off any progress in the past so a careful watch is needed.

-It is noted on his file from his previous psych [Dr ZACHARIAH LAWRENCE] that a year ago, to this day, HARTELL was put on a mandatory leave after an incident in one of the base’s break rooms. [report attached]

Dr Rosalyn Salvi was a SHIELD psych; the one who had previously diagnosed Ray while he had remained in the medical department for a couple of months, only for Ray to shut her out and start having appointments with Dr Lawrence instead. That was fine, Dr Salvi had thought at the time. She had recommended her old colleague when Ray had brought up wanting to try a psych that was independent of SHIELD. The problem there had been all the sensitive information and the issue with Ray’s powers, so he and Dr Salvi had compromised with him going to her former colleague instead. Unfortunately, from what she had heard, Dr Lawrence turned out to actually be a descendant of Bancroft himself.

Now here they were, Ray and Dr Salvi, sitting opposite each other in her office once again to try and pick up the pieces. This time even the appointment was Hartell’s own suggestion, rather than one recommended by colleagues or supervisors.

“It’s a nice surprise to see you back here,” the doctor said, smiling gently. “How would you prefer I address you? Title, surname…?”

“…Ray is fine,” he replied quietly.

“Alright, Ray. I noticed you changed your living situation again recently. It said you had nearly a year where your cousin was staying with you?”

Ray let out a small sigh and nodded. “We… ran into some difficulties.”

“Such as?”

He hesitated, shifting in his seat. “She- I was… rude to her. We ended up arguing and she grabbed my arm when I went to leave instead of working things out… as usual.”

“And how are things between you now?”

“Uh… they’re improving. We did talk about the issue, but… I dunno, it’ll take time for me to get past that. I mean… We do talk now, but- but it’s just not like it used to be. She gets along real well with Hailey though.”

“Hailey?”

“Oh, sorry. My daughter-“

“The one you only recently added on file with SHIELD?” Dr Salvi asked with a slight frown of disapproval.

“Well I wasn’t aware I had a daughter, until like, Thanksgiving last year. I added her only when she came to stay with me, because uh, that was when I first heard about her,” Ray explained with a huff.

The doctor frowned and nodded, making a note. That did explain the sudden inclusion. “And there was recently an incident involving her that SHIELD was alerted to?”

Ray tensed, hands curling into fists as he recalled the event. “Yeah. She was targeted. That was the whole reason apparently she was sent to stay with me. Her- her mother and grandfather have uh…” Wait, should he be bringing it up? Too late now. “They have previously been involved in criminal activity. I’m not sure if they still are.”

“Hold on, is this the same family from the Riggs incident?”

Both Ray and Dr Salvi turned to look. Ray had already forgotten that the Legal Investigator was even sitting in on the session, in a chair off to the side behind Ray. She had hoped he would be able to respond more freely if he couldn’t see her.

Ray slowly nodded. “Yeah… That’s them. You’ve read that file?”

“Of course,” Janine replied. “I was curious about your history while I was researching the… other case.”

“Bancroft,” Ray mumbled.

Even though he was the one who had brought up the name, his whole behaviour changed at the mention of the name. He drew his feet up onto the chair and wrapped his arms around his knees, hugging them to his chest. He lowered his gaze away from both the psych and the legal investigator, focusing instead on the carpet between his chair and Dr Salvi’s.

“Which we still haven’t really touched on,” The doctor pointed out, carefully noting the behaviour change.

“I have only parts of the story myself, I believe,” Janine quietly said to the doctor. It wasn’t phrased as a criticism of Ray, she was simply letting the doctor know she could help fill in some of the gaps later on.

“Yeah, well… no offense,” Ray said, looking up at Dr Salvi. “But last time I opened up to a therapist about him and… and Clay… it turned out the doctor was related to Bancroft and-“

The doctor nodded slowly.

“Understandable that there’d be some hesitancy afterwards. I can assure you though, I am not related to him in any way.” She didn’t expect that to suddenly fix his hesitancy, but still felt it worth saying. Her father had spent years researching both sides of their family and not a single ‘Lawrence’ or ‘Bancroft’ existed there. Not even an ‘Elijah’.

She was about to ask Ray a question, but he looked like he was on the edge of recalling something, so she sat back and waited patiently, pen in hand to note down whatever it was.

“I… don’t think he was actually helping,” Ray muttered, frowning when he realised he hadn’t given any context. “I mean… Za- Dr Lawrence. Uh- I don’t… I don��t remember him helping his father? Who… I only learned was his father when I was there… He wasn’t helping him. They… argued actually.”

“Do you recall what they argued about?”

Ray sighed, hands running through his hair. Think Ray, think.

“They…” It was still pretty fuzzy. He’d barely been conscious at the time. “He was mad because his father messed up his plan? And… and he and the others kept their distance from Bancroft.”

“Others?” The psychologist asked.

“These were the others you named while in recovery, yes?” Agent Hadley asked. “One of them, anyway.”

Ray nodded stiffly. “Yeah. Him. I… Not sure I ever got the other one’s name. But… I could maybe draw…?”

“That would help, if you can give a rough appearance, yes. Then if we find Ward at all, we’ll know who to question him about.”

“Ward?” Dr Salvi questioned, looking concerned. “As in-?”

“Yes,” The legal investigator confirmed. “Grant Ward. The sketch Hartell gave me shortly after Canada matched his appearance on file too. It was definitely him.” How that was the case though, Hadley had no idea, but that could wait for another time.

Their current focus was on Weiss and Bancroft and the effect the whole situation had on Ray. It took a bit of gentle prodding afterwards, but eventually Ray opened up. Not completely, but it was a start. It was more than Janine had heard previously from Hartell and it looked like Dr Salvi was getting new information out of it too.

It wasn’t easy though and they had to pause a few times to wait for Ray to either calm down or stop crying. A few things were broken when he turned his anger on the coffee table in the room and eventually Dr Salvi decided it was better to call up Marco and ask to have ACE brought in, Ray having been hesitant to bring the large dog into the small office despite knowing that the session would be difficult. The rest of the session was done with Ray sitting on the floor with ACE, one hand either absentmindedly petting him or with his fingers tangled in ACE’s fur.

Of course they didn’t get through everything the doctor and the investigator would have liked, but it was still progress; which Ray had been putting off for over a year already. A small step, but a much needed one in the right direction.

[ollieofthebeholder]

leaves too high to touch (roots too strong to fall): a TMA fanfic

Read from the beginning on Tumblr || Also on AO3

Chapter 48: Sasha

“Yes, of course. I’ll—I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Sasha disconnects the call and stares at her cell phone for a long moment. She’s worked at the Magnus Institute for almost seven years now, been in the Archives for almost two. She honestly thought she’d lost the ability to be afraid of anything the mundane world could dish up anymore.

But that phone call…

“You okay, Sash?” Melanie’s voice seems to be coming from a long distance away.

With difficulty, Sasha pulls herself together and looks up. It’s just the two of them in the Archives right now, since Martin and Tim are both at lunch; Melanie’s already taken hers, and Sasha will go as soon as one of the others gets back. She’s not really hungry anymore, though.

“I’m fine,” she lies, then stops. They’re trying, they’re all making the effort not to lie to one another or downplay when things are bad. Tim and Martin both know her well enough to call her on it when she does it, and they’re also connected to the Eye well enough to be able to at least get a sense when she does. Melanie doesn’t and isn’t, and it’s not fair to her to keep her in the dark. “It’s my uncle.”

Something in Melanie’s face shifts, and she half-closes her laptop. “Is he sick?”

“No—I don’t know. He just said he has something he needs to talk to me about in person. They’re making an exception for me to come see him today.” Sasha rubs her forehead. “That’s not normal, Mel.”

“O…kay,” Melanie says slowly. “You usually…can’t visit him whenever you want? What, is it a prison or something?”

Sasha winces, remembering that Melanie wasn’t part of the team when she told them. “Yes, actually. He’s in HMP Pentonville.”

Melanie covers her mouth with a hand. “Oh, God, Sasha, why didn’t you shut me up? My big mouth—”

“It’s fine. You didn’t know.” Sasha manages a smile. “But yeah. I don’t know what he’s in for, but if he wants to see me today, and they’re letting me…whatever’s going on can’t be good.”

“Can you, like—” Melanie wiggles her fingers in the universal gesture of mystical bullshit. “—Know what it is?”

“I mean…maybe? I’m trying really hard not to use that outside of…you know, work. I don’t want to risk falling too deeply into it, or—or hurting myself, or someone else.” Sasha sighs. “I think it might be too far away, though. Honestly, I think the only way to find out what’s going on is to go out there myself.”

“Go out where?”

The voice makes both Sasha and Melanie jump. She looks up quickly to see Martin coming towards them, a bag of leftovers dangling from one hand. He looks about like he’s looked since Jon left—tired, worried, and faintly stressed. “Martin, Jesus. Heard from Jon yet?”

“Yeah, did you not see the text?” Martin frowns at her slightly. “I thought he sent it to the group chat.”

Now that she thinks about it, Sasha remembers hearing a slight beep while she was on her phone call, but she didn’t think about it twice. She checks her phone and sees two new texts—one from Jon saying he was changing buses, one from Tim asking what he was changing them into. Rolling her eyes fondly, she sets it down. “No, I—I was on the phone. My uncle called. He wants to see me today.”

“Oh.” Martin’s expression is one of mingled sympathy and concern. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know. That’s what we were talking about. I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t want to…you know.” Sasha makes the same gesture Melanie made a few moments ago.

Martin nods in understanding. “Did you have anything time-sensitive you were doing today?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Then I don’t think Jon would mind you taking the rest of the day off. I know you won’t be able to get to Pentonville and back in the span of your lunch break, and this seems…kind of important.” Martin reaches over and squeezes Sasha’s hand gently. “Let us know if you need anything.”

Sasha smiles and squeezes back. “Thanks, Martin. I’ll keep you all posted.”

An hour later, she’s seated in a room at the prison, jiggling her foot nervously and waiting. It’s one of the small, private rooms usually set aside for attorneys to consult with their clients, which is unusual; normally she has to conduct her visits in a loud, noisy room with a Plexiglas divider between them. A private conversation, on a weekday, out of the clear blue sky? Either something has gone terribly wrong or she’s been lied to.

There’s a familiar whirring sound, and Sasha reaches into her pocket to pull out the tape recorder. She very most definitely did not have this with her when she left; she shut it in her desk drawer before heading out, and it hadn’t been in her pocket when they searched her. She hopes she won’t get in trouble for having it.

As the thought crosses her mind, the door opens and, with a clank of chains, a figure is escorted in. A gruff voice instructs her to buzz for help if there’s an issue, and then the door closes and leaves the two of them alone together.

There’s another clank as the man leans forward, smiling hopefully. “Sasha.”

Sasha smiles back, genuinely pleased but worried at the same time. “Hello, Uncle Wade.”

The family resemblance between them is obvious. Both of them have the same facial structure, the same shape to their eyes, the same skin tone. They’d looked enough alike once to switch places, when Sasha was eighteen and going through a phase and shaved her head. Now, though, after almost a decade in prison, Wade Copper looks old enough to be her father—gaunt, thin, his once-dark hair almost solid grey despite the fact that he’s only in his mid-forties. Every time she’s seen him, he’s tried to smile for her, tried to stay cheerful as he asks about her work, tried to convince her things aren’t so bad for him, but she knows. She can see the weight of imprisonment bearing him down.

Today, though, is different. Today his eyes are sparkling, his smile seems real, and he seems to be barely keeping something contained. She has no idea what it is, but it seems like he’s…excited.

Sudden panic strikes her, and she very quickly throws up those mental blocks Jon Prime has been teaching them. The absolute last thing she wants is to take the surprise away from the man who’s had so few to give her over the years.

“Is everything okay?” she asks instead. “You said we needed to talk and—”

“No, no, everything’s fine. Everything’s fine,” Wade assures her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—I wasn’t trying to scare you. I just had some news for you. It could have—are you on your lunch break? Do we need to—”

“I took the afternoon off. My boss is out of town at the moment, so the three—well, the four of us, we’ve got a new coworker—we’re sort of running things ourselves. When the others found out you wanted to talk to me, they suggested I just call it a day. We’ve got all the time in the world.” Sasha smiles. “What’s going on?”

Wade’s smile broadens. “I’m coming home.”

It takes Sasha a second to process that, and then she sits up straighter. “You’re getting released?”

“I heard back from the parole board this morning. I didn’t tell you I was going up because I didn’t want to get your hopes up, but I had the hearing a few weeks ago. Today I got word that they’ve decided I’m a good candidate for release.”

“That’s—that’s wonderful!” Sasha says.

Wade’s smile slips, just a little. “You don’t sound so sure about that. What’s the matter, Puddle-Duck?”

It’s been forever and a day since he called her that—an old family nickname bestowed on her after her favorite bedtime story, the one she used to beg to be read over and over. She’d trailed after her Uncle Wade “like a little duckling” from the time she could walk, and the “duckling” nickname had eventually morphed into Puddle-Duck. He hasn’t used it since she was about twelve, though, and hearing it now almost makes her cry.

“Nothing,” she says, unconvincingly. “It’s just—there’s a lot going on. That’s all.”

“I won’t be an imposition,” Wade says earnestly. “I’ve managed to save up a bit while I’ve been in here from the work I’ve been doing in the prison library. I should be able to get a place. I won’t be in your way—”

“No, it’s not that at all!” Sasha feels horribly guilty. “I’d be happy to have you stay with me. Of course I would. I’ve got loads of space and—and I’ve missed you so much. It’s just that…”

It’s just that the world might end in a year if they can’t stop it. It’s just that she’s trying to figure out a way to pretend to stop a ritual that she knows won’t succeed even if they do nothing without letting the man who does have a ritual that will work know she knows it. It’s just that she’s developing incredibly invasive psychic powers and doesn’t know if she can live with another person who doesn’t know about it. It’s just that the world is objectively terrifying and she doesn’t know if she can lie about it to the only family she has left or let him believe he’s safe.

“It’s just that there’s been a lot going on in the world since you’ve been in here,” she finally says. “I—I worry that you might—that it might be a lot for you to adjust to.”

“Hey, I raised you, didn’t I?” Wade teases. “If I can handle losing my sister and my parents in one fell swoop, especially to…that, and then turn a six-year-old into a relatively functional adult despite barely having passed my A-levels when I started, I think I can handle anything the world thinks it can throw at me. Bring it on.”

Sasha’s whole body tingles. She clasps her hands together tightly to hide the shaking and focuses very hard on that mental block. There’s something there. A secret. A story. Something in the way he said that has the Eye’s attention and it wants to use her. She can’t let it, she can’t…

“Sasha? Sasha, what’s wrong? Are you—Christ, I’m sorry.” Wade reaches for her hands, manacles jangling, then grunts as the chain binding him to the table stops them halfway. “I shouldn’t have brought that up, I shouldn’t have—are you still having that nightmare?”

Sasha can’t help the slightly brittle laugh that escapes her lips. “I don’t have room for my own nightmares anymore, Uncle Wade. Especially ones in red-on-black binary.”

Wade frowns at her in evident confusion. “What do you mean? Who else’s nightmares would you have?”

Shit, Sasha thinks. “It’s a long story. And I don’t think you’d believe it.”

“It’s you, Sash. I’d believe you if you said the sky was green. Anyway, after what I’ve seen, trust me, there’s not much that’s unbelievable.”

Sasha looks hard at her uncle, then glances at the recorder, spinning away. She should have known. Should have realized that if it’s turning on, there’s something he’s seen. He’s been touched by one of the Fears. And she can’t—she can’t—

“It’s got to do with work,” she finally says. “Part of the Archive job—when I, when I listen to people tell me about something they’ve encountered or seen or, or done, if it’s something that really happened…I end up dreaming about it. I’ve only got a couple, but…it does mean I haven’t had any dreams of my own since I started doing that.”

Wade blinks at her. Softly, he says, “So it is real. I knew it.”

“What, the paranormal?”

“Not just that.” Wade hesitates. “I never—I never told you how I wound up here, did I?”

“No, just—you said it was something to do with you hacking into something you shouldn’t have,” Sasha says slowly. “You never explained.”

“Truthfully, I never fully understood it much beyond what I told you. I don’t even know exactly what I did hack into,” Wade says, a bit ruefully. “I suppose it was the culmination of a project, in a sense, but—it wasn’t intentional.”

“What do you mean?”

Wade takes a deep breath. “The short version? I was hunting a computer virus, trying to trace where it came from. I suppose the path led through something I shouldn’t have been looking at and I got arrested. It fell enough under the Official Secrets Act that they could justify locking me up for it. But I swear, Sash, just like I’ve been telling everyone for years, I wasn’t hacking for secrets. I was trying to save lives.”

“I believe you,” Sasha says, because she does. If there’s anyone in the world she trusts completely, it’s her uncle. And really, this is the most mundane thing she’s been asked to believe in ages. “I just don’t—I don’t understand how tracing a computer virus can save lives. Unless it was infecting hospital computers or something like that.”

“No, that would have made sense.” Wade sighs. “Computer viruses aren’t supposed to be able to infect humans, but…this one did. O-or something like that. I honestly don’t know how to explain it, but…well, if working at that institute of yours is giving you other people’s nightmares, maybe you’ll know better than I do.” He ponders for a moment. “That’s probably a big part of why I got locked up, honestly. I couldn’t explain why I was hunting the computer virus without sounding insane, so I didn’t try. I mean, what was I supposed to say? ‘Yes, Your Honor, I wasn’t even aware of what system I was in, I was just looking for the origin of a bit of coding that killed my entire family’?”

Sasha freezes. The static in her mind gets louder and more insistent. “I don’t understand,” she says with difficulty, rather afraid that she does. He’s right, computer viruses aren’t supposed to infect humans, so if one did…it must belong to one of the Fears. She just can’t imagine which one.

Wade hesitates. “I—I don’t—Sasha, Puddle-Duck, if you don’t—you don’t remember what happened, do you?”

“To Mum and Dad? No.” The doctor said it was to be expected; she was six years old at the time, and it had been a rough experience. She had blacked out most of it, and honestly a lot of her memories from before that point as well. She remembers huddling in a closet with her teddy bear clutched tightly to her chest, hearing her uncle screaming her name, clinging to him tightly after he found her, both of them sobbing as he promised over and over that he would protect her, that he would never leave her, but for the life of her, she can’t remember what she was hiding from. The nightmare she had for years, one that made her wake up screaming almost until she left for uni, hadn’t been specific. She just remembers strings of ones and zeros in constantly shifting columns, blood-red on a black background, scrolling past her vision, but something in the code is terrifying and wrong…

“I don’t want you to have those nightmares.” Wade reaches for her hands again, looking conflicted. “You deserve to know, but…but if your job means that if people tell you those stories, you’ll dream about them too—I’ve had to train myself out of waking up screaming. It’s bad. I don’t want to do that to you, too.”

“It’s not—it’s not exactly like that.” Sasha wonders how to phrase it, then decides, to hell with it. He says he’ll believe her. She might as well tell the truth. It’s not like they’re being recorded by anything other than the spooling tapes, and there aren’t exactly eyes around for Elias to watch through, as far as she knows. She takes her uncle’s hands. “There’s a being…a thing that thrives on fear. I mean, there are a lot of them, but there’s one in particular that lives off of the fear of—of knowledge and secrets being exposed and being watched and all that.”

Wade gives a bitter laugh. “It must love prisons then.”

“In fact, the Institute is built over the remains of the old Millbank Prison, probably right where Smirke was testing out the panopticon design. And that’s the thing. The Institute…kind of belongs to that being. Which means I do, too.” Sasha takes a deep breath. “Sometimes I can—I can tell secrets without trying. I’m not right now,” she adds hastily. “I’ve been working on not…accidentally reading people’s minds or whatever. But the other part of it is the statements. When people tell us their stories and we dream about them? We’re not taking the place of the person dreaming about them. We’re…watching, I guess. Observing. We’re just…there.” She squeezes Wade’s hands. “So if you tell me, Uncle Wade, and I do end up sharing your nightmares, maybe it’ll be better. Because then you won’t have to look at them alone.”

Wade stares at her for a long moment, then nods slowly. “Okay,” he whispers. “Okay. I’ll tell you. You need to know, anyway.”

Sasha smiles, as reassuringly as she can, and glances at the tape recorder. “Do you want to make this…official? I can do, um, I can do the whole spiel we do at the Institute. Put it on the record. We can do some research, maybe.”

“Will it help?”

“It might.”

“Then…okay. Lay it on me.”

Sasha puts the tape recorder between them and takes her uncle’s hands again. Clearly, she says, “Statement of Wade Copper, regarding a murderous computer virus. Recorded direct from subject, twenty-first March, 2017.” She nods at her uncle. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Wade swallows. “Right. Well, you know I’ve always been into computers. I loved coding and programming and seeing what I could do. One of my favorite things to code up were the games, especially interactive fiction. I subscribed to a couple magazines where people would publish the codes for games they’d developed, and I would put them in and play them. I owned a couple that I bought commercially, too. One of the ones I had that I was most excited about was The Hound of Shadows. The story sounded right up my alley—a proper creepy one—but it turned out to have one of the worst parsers I’ve ever seen, and I struggled to finish it. I was crushed.

“I was looking around for something that was like that but…better? Tried my hand at coding it myself, but you know me, I’ve never been all that at coming up with a story of my own. Did a couple reasonably decent games based on a few of the stories I liked, but it wasn’t the same. Around the time I was finishing up my A-levels, some classmates and I were talking about interactive fiction, and I was complaining about Hound. That’s when one of my mates told me about a game he’d recently come across. He said he couldn’t finish it because it was too scary for him, but he thought I’d like it. It was called The Conqueror Worm.”

As he talks, Wade’s eyes go vacant and his shoulders slack; it’s like the words are pouring out of him independent of his will. Sasha never takes her eyes off him. The story fills her the same way Basira’s did, the same way Tim and Martin’s tale of the Not-Them did, the same way that man with the dog’s story did last week. She’s just aware enough of the situation to feel guilty about it, but she can’t stop him now if she tries.

“I managed to get my hands on a copy,” Wade continues. “As soon as I’d finished my exams, but while I was still waiting for the results to come back, I loaded it up on our computer. My friend was right—it was exactly what I was looking for. Interactive fiction. According to the cover, it was ‘loosely’ based on the Edgar Allan Poe poem, which I’d never heard at that point, but if it was Poe I knew it’d be spooky. The story was wonderful, the parser was the best I’d ever seen. Sometimes it was like talking to a real person—like that one Sergey Ushanka bot you and I spent the evening with when you were eight, you remember?” Sasha nods. “Anyway, I was really into it. The idea was that you were the manager of a theater that was putting on a new play, but something was trying to sabotage it, something inhuman and unholy. Started off normal enough, got creepy right fast. I had this constant sense of creeping dread. I loved it.

“The weird thing about this one, though, was that every so often you’d start to do something and suddenly three pixels would turn red. Always three, two in one row and one in between them in the row immediately above or below, and then they’d switch places a few times before disappearing. At first I thought it was a glitch. Then I realized it was intentional, that it was something to do with commands. I finally figured out that if the pixels appeared, you’d done something right.

“I started tracking the commands and decisions that got the wiggling pixels to appear, then started doing them more. Better. Started getting two, three, four at a time. I was sure it meant I was going to win. By the time I got to ‘opening night’ of the play, I could generally make upwards of ten appear every time I made the right choices.  The thing is that ‘opening night’ was the big climax of the game, and there was only one command you could type: ‘The Show Must Go On’. Once you typed that, the play started and you watched to see if you got it right. You wanted to see the ‘play’, but I knew it was a horror game, so I told you to let me watch it first, and if it wasn’t too scary, you and I would play on Saturday. You pretended to accept that, but I knew you were angry. I could hear you yelling halfway across the house. At the time, I kind of thought it was funny, actually.”

Sasha vaguely remembers this now. She was bitterly disappointed—Uncle Wade always let her “help” with his games—so she waited until she was out of the room, then stomped off to the living room where her parents and grandparents were playing a card game and loudly declared that he was the meanest meanie to ever mean. Her mother laughed and said he was always like that, and her grandfather swept her onto his lap and offered to let her be his partner, until…

“What happened then?” she asks.

Wade takes a deep, shuddering breath. “I typed in the command, and I watched. The ‘play’ started, and…there was a voice. Reciting a poem. I guess it was the Poe poem. The ‘actors’ were performing along to the words, but then I noticed the wiggling pixels. One by one, slowly at first, then more and more. They started in the corners, then gradually started moving inwards. But see, amid the mimic rout, a crawling shape intrude. While I was watching, the wiggling pixels crept in an ever-increasing wave towards the ‘stage.’ That’s when I realized it was all the ones I’d been rewarded with for making the right choices. The voice got louder and more desperate-sounding, and then the pixels—I finally realized they were supposed to be worms—swarmed the ‘actors’ and…the screen went red, and then it went black. All the while the voice was still talking. And then it was just the black screen, with the text in blood red, appearing as the voice spoke the words.”

He swallows hard. “I—I looked up the poem. Later. It’s a real poem, ‘The Conqueror Worm’. The plot does follow the…events of the final scene of the game, up to a point. It’s a play, and then a worm—or in the game’s case, many worms—shows up and eats all the actors. The last four lines are…chilling.” He closes his eyes and recites, “And the angels, all pallid and wan, / Uprising, unveiling, affirm / That the play is the tragedy ‘Man,’ / And its hero the Conqueror Worm.”

A chill runs up Sasha’s spine. “I know that poem. He used it in ‘Ligeia’.”

“Maybe. But what got me…what really spooked me at the time, was that the words on the screen weren’t…right. I didn’t know that at the time. I thought it odd. But the voice spoke them, exactly as they appeared on the screen. Instead of ‘The play is the tragedy “Man”’…it said, ‘The play is the tragedy “Guy Copper.”’ The voice even said Dad’s name. I remember thinking that was a creepy coincidence. And then…”  Wade takes another deep breath, and there are tears in his eyes. “I heard a noise from another room, like someone shouting. I turned to look, and when I turned back, the words were changing, morphing almost. Computers didn’t work like that back then, Sash, the graphics weren’t—I know you know that. But it was like the name blurred. And then the voice said those four lines again, but with the new name. And the angels, all pallid and wan, / Uprising, unveiling, affirm / That the play is the tragedy ‘Mary Copper,’ / And its hero the Conqueror Worm.”

The memories are starting to come back. A red wash fills her mind, then the screaming, then her mother pushing her away…oh, God. “And the next name—the next name was ‘Marjorie James’?”

“Yes,” Wade whispers. “And that’s when the screaming started. I was screaming, too. I was—I was convinced it was the game, that it was—I kept hitting keys, backspacing over and over, typing EXIT and hitting the Escape key and—nothing worked. It shifted from Margie’s name to Hugh’s, and…I thought about how many worms had been on the screen, how many ‘successes’ I thought I’d had, and I was suddenly terrified. It started to change again, and I—I dove under the table and I pulled the plug. The sound died. The light died. The screaming stopped, all at once.

“I went running and—and I found them. Mum and Dad, Margie and Hugh, all sprawled around the card table. They were all dead. They were—they were full of worms, Sasha. Blood-red ones. I didn’t know if they’d been red before they…” Wade inhales shakily and looks away. The tears are rolling down his face now. “I called 999, I was trying to tell them what had happened, but—but then I realized I couldn’t find you. I shouted at the poor woman to hurry and I dropped the phone and went looking for you. I was terrified that I’d been too late…but there you were, hiding in my closet with your teddy bear. You had blood on your arms and chest, but you weren’t hurt, and I—oh, God, Sasha. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Sasha whispers. “It’s not. I wish—I’m so sorry, Uncle Wade.”

They both cling to each other’s hands for a moment, crying silently. Finally, Wade takes a deep breath and frees one hand to wipe his eyes. “Anyway, that’s…I couldn’t really explain it to people when they showed up. Just that I’d heard screaming and…the worms were gone by then, but it was obvious. I told a few lies about how old I was and managed to get them to let me take care of you instead of putting you in a home, and for a while everything was fine. Then…just after you left for uni, I was debugging a computer for someone who’d downloaded a game off an FTP server and picked up some sort of virus. When I went into the code, I discovered a secondary virus underneath the main one and went to dig it out. I thought it was a dead-man switch of some kind—you know, remove the main virus, trigger the second one—so I was going to take that one out first. But then I realized it was just some metadata. I would have just deleted it without a second thought, except that I recognized the words. It was those same four lines, the last lines of ‘The Conqueror Worm’, except that it had a name I didn’t know as the name of the ‘play’.”

Another chill runs up Sasha’s spine. “You’re sure you didn’t know it?”

“I didn’t, but my client did. I asked him about it when I gave him his computer back, and he said it was his girlfriend’s name, she was out of town on a trip. I told him to give her a call, and he looked at me kind of funny, but said he would.” Wade sighs. “I looked her up a couple times. Two days later her obituary popped up.”

“You’re saying—”

“I’m saying that once is happenstance, twice is coincidence. But I kept my eyes open, and a few months later, I saw the words again. Different computer, different name, same results,” Wade tells her. “I started tracing it. It’s a—well, it’s a worm, in the truest sense of the word, but I was sure if I could trace its path, figure out where it came from, I could stop it from spreading. Seven or eight years ago, though, I…guess I went through something I wasn’t supposed to, got caught, and wound up here.” He sighs heavily and sits back, blinking. “And…that’s it. I still call it the Conqueror Worm, but…I couldn’t stop it. It’s still out there.”

“I don’t think you can stop it,” Sasha says slowly. Several things slot into place in her mind. When Tim looked at all of them and described the colors he saw on them, he’d mentioned that Sasha had the same sick yellow-green as Martin and Jon Prime faintly woven over her upper torso, but she had just assumed it was from her encounter with Timothy Hodge, the first night she met Michael. Now she realizes the mark he described is too big to be from a single worm, and that the Corruption marked her much more thoroughly than that. She might have to get Tim to take a look at the tape now that she’s made it, but…she’s pretty sure she’s right.  “I think this thing came from—from one of the other fear beings. I’d have to look in the Archives to see if there’s a way to destroy it. There might be, I don’t know. But I do know that you wouldn’t have been able to destroy it on your own. Not without succumbing to the power that it fuels.”

“Sash.” Wade grips her hand tightly. “Are you in danger? If you…belong to one of these powers. Will it hurt you?”

“Maybe. Probably,” Sasha admits. “Someday. I don’t know. It’s—it’s all a bit complicated. I don’t know for sure.” She pauses and reconsiders. “I don’t think it will actively hurt me. But I don’t think it cares if I live or die, in the long run.”

Wade’s face was a study in fear and sorrow. “And it’s from working at the Magnus Institute,” he says. It’s not really a question. “You never would have done that if it wasn’t for me. I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t know about that,” Sasha says. “Maybe. Maybe not. My project with the EPCC was shutting down anyway, so I don’t know where I would have ended up, but the Magnus Institute was hiring. Maybe I wouldn’t have stayed as long as I did, maybe I’d have looked for another job outside of London eventually, but…honestly, Uncle Wade, as much as I’ve always loved snooping and ferreting out secrets? I think I would have ended up bound to it anyway. At least this way I kind of know what’s going on enough to mitigate the damage.”

Wade shakes his head slowly. “I just…don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t,” Sasha promises, even though she knows she can’t really promise that. But he’s all the family she has left, he gave up his future so that she could have one, and she’ll do anything she can to make sure she doesn’t waste that. “I’ll tell you everything when you come home. When will that be?”

“Two weeks. The first of April. Is that enough time for—I mean, will you be okay if I—”

“Yes,” Sasha interrupts him. “Of course. Tell me what you need and I’ll get it all set up.”

Wade smiles slowly, the hopeful look back in his eyes. He laces his fingers through hers and squeezes.

“We’ll be all right,” he tells her. “Family looks out for each other. I promise, Puddle-Duck, I will do anything I can to protect you.”

Sasha smiles back and returns the squeeze. She doesn’t tell her uncle that she’s grown up a little beyond his ability to protect her, or that she might need to be the one protecting him. Right about now, she really wants to let him wrap her in a blanket and a hug and promise her that everything will be all right again.

She might even let herself believe him.

[citadelspires]

Finally Following Through On Explaining That MP100 Lumity AU

Aight so a few days ago I promised to describe the basic layout for this Mob Psycho 100 Lumity AU I’ve been thinking about. This is that.

A marginal bit of context up front. You don’t need to have watched MP100 in order to understand any of the things I’m about to say, but I do recommend watching it anyway because it’s a wonderful show and an absolutely essential experience. Anyway, for those who haven’t watched MP100 this is all the context you need, for those who have you can just skip to the next paragraph. All y’all need to know is that MP100 features people called espers and they all have these vaguely defined "psychic powers." The actual abilities tied to these powers vary from person to person, some people just have telekinesis, some people have special moves and abilities they've trained, there are people with fire, people who are really fast, a dude who's psychically reinforced a plastic sword to be infinitely sharp and durable, just, loads of stuff. All espers have the ability to see spirits, which are, ya know, the spirits of people who have died, though the level at which their humanity is still intact varies. As a general rule the more powerful you were in life (particularly in the psychic capacity) the more powerful your spirit is. Aight now to the actual stuff.

We’re gonna start with the Blight family cause they were the first people I really got figured out for this thing so it’s just fitting.  The Blight family has had at least one powerful esper per generation as far back as anyone can remember. They're an overwhelming presence in the esper community of the city they live in, though most people without psychic powers aren't really aware of their existence, as the Blights have always viewed themselves as above regular humans. For this reason a long time ago the Blight family gathered with a group of other powerful esper families to found a school exclusively for young espers so their children would not have to associated with "the ungifted." In the time since the family has relinquished a good deal of its hold over the school, having deemed directly running it a waste of their resources, as long it sticks around they don't really care. That being said they still hold a large amount of authority in the community. 

 Edric and Emira are both naturally gifted espers who've never had trouble demonstrating their powers and the 'superiority over the rest of the humans' that their parents desired. The only setback they've faced is that they trained and developed their powers together a bit too much. See, Edric has trained his whole life in using his psychic powers to create projections aka illusions, and Emira has power-based abilities, in which she can give Edric's illusions the full force of their imagined attacks. Separately neither of them can make or do anything worthwhile but together they're top students. Fortunately they've been able to hide that drawback from everybody so far.

Amity, on the other hand, has never displayed any sign of even the potential for psychic powers. Her parents consider her to be both a failure to the entire family and their greatest embarrassment. That didn't stop them from enrolling her in a school exclusively for people with psychic powers though, cause they would much rather force Amity to find some way to lie and cheat around her entire life than reveal to the world they have a talentless daughter. They force Amity to become friends with children of their choosing, who will help her cover up her 'failure' and they assign Ed and Em to watch out for her and make sure she doesn't 'destroy the Blight family name.'

That’s about all the background for her thing, and I’ll get to what Luz is up to in a moment, but first I’m gonna make a momentary stop to talk about Willow (and kind of Gus). Willow is also an esper, though she honestly would rather not be. She enjoys the affinity with plants that she's built up over the years but she'd trade it in a heartbeat if it meant she would get to go back to normal school instead  of this fancy esper school with all these stuck up superpowered narcist teenagers who hate her. The only reason she even goes anymore is because she doesn't want to disappoint her parents, who were just so proud of her when her powers developed. Though one day she did ditch school to go visit a normal high school, just to see what it was like. There she met Gus, who happened to be the only member of a fanclub for espers, on account of everyone else in the school doesn't believe in espers and think he's crazy. Well, there was this other girl but... She’s not around anymore. Anyway so Willow befriends Gus and shows him some of her plant affinity thing and he thinks it's amazing, and Willow has a pretty terrible lack of people her age who think anything she does is remotely notable, much less amazing, so she and Gus develop a friendship pretty quickly.

Aight, now finally onto the main event, Luz and Lumity. So Spotlight on our girl Luz, who just so happens to be a spirit at the moment. I'm not sure what actually happened to her to, ya know, unalive her, but it sure did happen. Still, she managed to hold on to the world long enough to form as a spirit, just through sheer willpower and certainty that she wasn't done yet. Essentially she dies and starts to drift off but like right before everything fades to black she just like, jolts back up like 'hey no absolutely not I had dreams and a family and there is so much going on here that I am going to see and do and nobody can stop me.' And, as Luz do, she decides to focus on the positive bits of this instead. 

 See, cause back when she was alive our girl happened to be something of an esper enthusiast. And the thing about being a huge nerd about espers is that she managed to do some digging on the notable espers of the area. So, naturally, she found out about the Blight family. And she just so happened to find out about Amity specifically while she was at it, and perhaps she had discovered this information about a girl her age belonging to the most important esper family of the city and decided that this girl would be her rival in the field of becoming the best esper she could be, despite, admittedly, not knowing how to make the esper part even happen in the first place.

So, now with a spirit body not bound by the laws of physics and other such inconvenient matters, she searches out the Blight manor, intent on finding Amity, this whole preconceived notion in her head about how this is all going to go, some fanficitony plot unfolding in her imagination about how once they were bitter rivals but now Luz will have to convince her to work with her so she can achieve her dream still.

But when she gets to the manor she finds it warded against spirits. Not to be deterred, she waits outside the gates for Amity and latches onto her backpack, waiting for a good time to reveal herself to Amity, though she questions a bit why the girl doesn't see her in the first place. She hides with Amity all day, surviving a whole day in a school full of espers who could exorcise her with a flick of their finger, solely because she was with The Amity Blight, and anyone who noticed her energy just assumed Amity knew what she was doing and left her alone. The drawback to this, though, was that Luz kinda got directly smacked in the face by her preconceived notions of what Amity would be like, and while initially she had intended to reveal herself to Amity in order to ask for help, after seeing her be rude and pretentious to literally everyone all day she instead reveals herself to basically just yell at Amity and get really mad. Fortunately for Amity she's not an esper so she can't see spirits anyway.

Except the thing is. She's walking home by herself, like she always does, and then she starts to hear this whispering coming from nowhere, getting louder and louder, until eventually she just hears someone yell her name out of nowhere. See, Amity had never seen a spirit before, but also, a spirit had never gone out of its way to appear to her before. Essentially Luz accidentally reached out to her and lit the spark of her dormant psychic powers (everyone has at least some level of psychic powers sleeping within them it's kind of a whole thing). So Amity spends the entire time Luz is yelling at her just, staring open mouthed at this spirit that appeared for her out of nowhere after 14 years of hell. She doesn't even acknowledge any of the stuff Luz said about her, she was far too overwhelmed by just the fact that after being a failure her whole life she suddenly wasn't, at least, not entirely.

Luz eventually notices that she is getting far from the anticipated reaction and she quiets down. At that point the two talk things out and, while Luz is still seriously disappointed in the person Amity turned out to be, she doesn't have any better ideas of who to talk to, she kind of needs someone to be her communication piece to the real world at this point, and Amity finally has something she can use to actually do things with her 'psychic powers.' Cause they've been awakened now, yeah, but she quickly realizes she can see Luz and Only Luz. So the two of them begrudgingly work together, each kind of starting off mutually aware that they're just using the other for their own goals, and being perfectly okay with that.

So that's the general relationship dynamic between the two of them at the start, and eventually they get to know each other better. Amity stops viewing Luz as a spirit and starts learning more about the person she was before she died. (Amity just calls her "spirit" for like, at least the first week. The first time she uses Luz' name is a whole thing). Meanwhile Luz learns more about what Amity's life is like behind the scenes and everything that's happened to her.

[shirlleycoyle]

Found: Page 25 of the CIA’s Gateway Report on Astral Projection

Page 25 of the CIA’s “Analysis and Assessment of The Gateway Process” hitched a ride with an email one evening and landed in my inbox. A digital attachment felt like an unceremonious entrance for a document that was produced 38 years ago and has been missing and highly sought after since it was declassified in 2003. For years, people had been filing FOIA requests and speculating about what was on this missing page in the middle of a mind-bending report about military research into astral projection and other dimensions. And then, there it was, just downloaded on to my desktop quietly looking back at me. My immediate reaction was frenetic; I couldn’t chill out long enough to properly read the rogue text. I called a few friends to ensure my reality was synched properly—a telephonic pinch to verify I was awake. All signs pointed to mostly. I double clicked the file.

Let’s get into it.

Screengrab: CIA

A Whirlwind Backstory 

I published a breakdown of the CIA’s Gateway Report in February. The classified 1983 document was produced by US Army Lieutenant Colonel Wayne M. McDonnell, with a technical power-assist from mastermind Israeli-American biomedical engineer Itzhak Bentov. The report was declassified in 2003. It packs a tour-de-force investigation into the potential achievability of astral projection into 28 hyper-dense pages. A spectre has hung over the report since. The version released by the CIA was missing what seems to be an extremely crucial page. 

IMAGE: SPECTRAL-DESIGN VIA GETTY IMAGES]

For the uninitiated, astral projection is mostly interchangeable with the psycho-physical phenomena of out-of-body experiences and remote viewing. With the right guidance and technologies, astral projectors believe, we can train our consciousness to move beyond the confines of the space-time dimension. This super-ability frees our human minds to travel through the universe, exploring an endless array of normally imperceptible realities and dimensions. 

McDonnell states early in the report that his goal was to "construct a scientifically valid and reasonably lucid model of how consciousness functions" in order to put "out-of-body states into the language of physical science to remove the stigma of its occult connotations."

The Department of Defense's ambitions are made clear in the report's conclusion: McDonnell suggests that if the military were to experiment with astral projection, it could find "practical application," but also noted that it should "be intellectually prepared to react to possible encounters with intelligent, non-corporeal energy forms when time-space boundaries are exceeded." It kicked off years of attempts by the US Army to train psychic soldiers to conduct “remote viewing” missions to regions across the world. 

Image: CIA

A Cosmic Mystery

The report is a vicious mind labyrinth. For 24 pages, it winds its way through the spiritual and scientific underpinnings, techniques to achieve and potential applications of space-time transcendence. It introduces methodological frames of reference like hypnosis, transcendental meditation, spiritual belief systems, biofeedback, quantum physics, and universal holograms only so that its intended audience—CIA top brass—might merely begin to grasp its (and our) bigger reason for being. By the bottom of page 24, McDonnell reaches a full existential crescendo, broaching the very nature of reality itself. It’s a cliff-hanger:

Image: CIA

And then … the report skips to page 26. 

As if he hadn’t just side-stepped revealing the secrets of the heavens, McDonnell is on to a set of pragmatic “Motivational Aspects” for why the CIA might employ the Gateway as opposed to other methods of achieving astral projection.

Image: CIA

Expediency Wayne? Really?

Since the report's declassification, countless FOIA requests have been filed demanding page 25’s release. In every instance, the CIA has denied they ever had it in the first place. Page 25, then, has been the holy grail not just for would-be astral projectors, but also for conspiracy theorists, government transparency activists, and people who have simply read the report and found themselves maddened by this missing information.

Image: CIA Foia response

One fantastic internet theory maintains that McDonnell omitted the page intentionally. If someone could successfully astral project they’d be able to tell him what’s on it. 

Contact

The CIA did not invent the Gateway Report and the Gateway Experience on its own. It used teachings from a man named Robert Monroe, who later founded an organization called The Monroe Institute.  

Four days after we published the first article about the Gateway Report, I received a note from The Monroe Institute. They had some ideas for a follow-up piece. Drowning in responses to the article though, I failed to return their email. They reached out again. This time their message was more concrete: Sitting buried in the Monroe Institute archives in Faber, Virginia, was page 25 of The Gateway Report. But it didn't come to us easily.

Our first scheduled phone call included The Monroe Institute’s CEO, COO and marketing division. Motherboard Editor-in-Chief Jason Koebler and I got on a Google Hangout. 

In that call, the Institute said that they had Page 25. People had been trying to obtain the report from the CIA and had repeatedly failed. But no one had bothered to ask them for the report; they'd had it all along. At one point, they described the report as having been "in a barn," unexamined, for all of these years. Otherwise, the call was uninspired. The CEO didn’t show. After an hour run-around it became evident that The Institute wasn’t going to part with Page 25 without some carefully orchestrated marketing plan. The words of COO Lori Jacobwith made their purpose clear, “We’re attempting to capitalize on some of the enthusiasm by a market that isn’t our normal age group.” 

The institute was hoping to tap into the popularity of our first article, as well as some viral TikToks about the report.

The call ended with “You’ve touched on some things we are not talking about right now.” 

The Institute then went quiet. Time passed. 

One evening, the Monroe Institute’s Director of Marketing & Communications Jenny Whedbee emailed again. She'd been silent on our last call. The email contained the full Gateway Report including the missing page. She wrote that they’d just “went through a major org change.” The CEO and COO were no longer with the company. She was now down to talk, after we had read page 25.

The Missing Page

In the true spirit of discovery, I am pleased to present the full uninterrupted report in all its glory.  

The page opens with the word “Absolute.” It sits there authoritatively, as if guarding the gate to the rest of the text. In the broader context of the report the term is applied to both spiritual belief systems and quantum physics alike. It's an important word. 

Physicists define time as a measurement of energy in motion. In this way, time is really a measurement of change. In order for that motion to occur though, it must be limited inside a larger vibratory pattern. Inside this framework it is limited, contained at a specific location. That confinement then makes it distinguishable from other locations in space. Uncontained energy is force without limit. Imagine a formless entity speeding through the galaxy with no friction to hold it back from being everywhere. As McDonnell puts it “There is no 'here' to differentiate it from 'there.'” And this, my friends, is an absolute state or “The Absolute.” 

According to the report, the Absolute is essentially the governing energy of the Universe en masse. It powers the universal hologram that is all of entirety. The report makes multiple attempts to visualize this universal hologram or “cosmic egg” as one big constantly flowing spiral. 

Screengrab: CIA

Between the reality we know and The Absolute are countless intervening dimensions, McDonnell writes, which is pretty trippy stuff for a government report. Absolute is the ceiling (as far as we know it). End of the line, and a hell of a way to open a missing page.

McDonnell observes that a “stylized representation” of this spiral is present in every religious system in history. He cites the specific examples of Christianity’s Holy Spirit, the Hellenic world’s labyrinth, the Hebrew Tree of Life, its Hindu counterpart, and the Chinese Spiral Through the Four Powers. This thinking has found its way into each systems’ teachings. 

The crucial distinction between the breakthroughs in modern physics and the epiphanies of religious thinkers is the way they all found The Absolute. Whereas physics leans on quantitative research, religions relied on intuition. The Gateway then sort of showed up just in time—a holistic mainline for “interfacing” with the universal hologram, freeing us from the limitations of a left brain logic-based culture. 

The page’s third section takes a slant which should feel familiar to adherents of modern psychology. The universe, the Absolute, the cosmic egg. All of it is irrelevant, and certainly unreachable, until we possess knowledge of ourselves. My eyes, upon first glance of page 25, picked up “The Absolute” first, then darted swiftly to the aphorism McDonnell trots out here— “Know Thyself.” What hits even harder than achieving a psychological self-understanding, according to McDonnell, is the sense of self-perception achieved when one can manage to alter their state of consciousness to the point where the universal hologram itself can be perceived. 

And it’s The Gateway Experience, McDonnell says, that promises this possibility. 

Images: The Monroe Institute

Achieving Hemi-Sync

Key to the report and technique for achieving astral projection is an audio technology developed by Robert Monroe, a radio broadcasting executive who, in the 1970s, built an R&D division inside his company solely to study the effects of sound on human consciousness. 

In a series of self-experiments in which he exposed himself to carefully calibrated audio frequencies while sleeping, Monroe repeatedly achieved elevated mind-body states. His 1971 book Journeys Out of The Body documents those early investigations and officially coined the term “out-of-body experience.”

Books by Robert Monroe

Monroe’s corporate R&D division eventually became The Monroe Institute, which produces tapes containing audio techniques to stimulate brain functions and achieve “Hemi-Sync.” Hemi-Sync is short for hemispheric synchronization, and is instrumental in achieving a state of consciousness in which the electrical brain patterns of both left and right hemispheres are equal in amplitude and frequency. 

It does so by combining two techniques. The first is Frequency Following Response—a recognized external frequency is introduced by headphones, which causes the brain “to try to mimic the same frequency by adjusting its brainwave output.” For instance, a resting brain that hears a Theta level will shift out of its Beta level. The second technique is beat frequency. Contrasting frequencies are introduced to each ear. The brain then “chooses to “hear” the difference between them.” A brain receiving 100hz through the right ear and 104hz through the left, can then detect the delta, in this case a 4hz frequency. The technique then opens the brain to “a variety of frequencies which are played at a virtually subliminal, marginally audible level.”

With the left brain relaxed and the body in a virtual sleep state, according to the report, the conditions are ideal to promote brainwave outputs of higher and higher amplitude and frequency. When the wave pattern of a consciousness drops below an oscillation frequency of 10 to the power of -33 centimeters per second, for a brief instant it “clicks out” of space-time and joins infinity. Monroe’s theories maintain that if that “click-out” can achieve continuity you can begin dialoguing with other dimensions. 

Image: CIA

The Monroe Institutes’s chief engineer today is Bob Holbrook. A former events producer, Holbrook believes the Monroe Institute's audio offerings helped him rehab from head trauma sustained in a brutal car accident. The Hemi-Sync technology featured in The Gateway Report was sold to a company now called Hemi-Sync®. The audio technology stack The Institute now produces—collectively called Monroe Audio Support (MAS)—is a hugely evolved version of the original binaural beats-based technique. As Bob puts it, “Binaural beats was just one technology, now we have 50.” This widens and populates the spectrum of experience for participants. “MAS takes the idea of binaural beats and utilizes many other “colors” and technologies to create more intense experiences in different levels of consciousness.” A key MAS ingredient is gamma synchrony. “It allows us to connect much more easily to 'all that is,'” he said. Two additional innovations play a central role—Phase Modulation and Amplitude Modulation. Phase Modulation changes the direction from which a sound feels like it’s coming from. Bob shared an audio-visual animation illustrating sound source oscillation. 

Amplitude Modulation gives technicians the capability to drop into the soundscape live and manipulate specific aspects of the volume. 

The Institute shared a 30-minute sample of their newer programming for this article. Headphones are essential for full results. 

The Monroe Institute’s tapes combined these frequencies with subliminal suggestions from Monroe himself. An archive titled “The Explorer Series” contains recordings of the Monroe Institute Research Division’s experiments, in which subjects “report from these non-physical environments.”

Up until COVID, all meditators physically travelled to The Monroe Institute’s palatial headquarters in Faber, Virginia to work through a series of increasingly challenging levels. The 7-day course offers the possibility for one’s consciousness to navigate space, time, and beyond. That is, if you’ve got what it takes. 

It’s these tapes and their potential applications that caught the attention of the CIA and prompted the commission of the report. 

The Monroe Institute Today

After I read page 25, I called Jenny Whedbee back up.

She said Monroe is an organization that was trying to find its way in an ever-shifting world. “There’s a part of this organization that definitely needs to grow, but it needs to grow at a pace that keeps with the tenets of who we are,” she said. The importance of listening to where an organization comes from before deciding on a future was a theme. “If you don’t have the input from people who have been here a while, then you’re not really staying true to what the Institute is.”

Paramount to staying that course is the guiding light of its influential founder Robert Monroe. “We’ve had a lot of executives come and go. I know Robert Monroe is still here and still trying to run things,” she said. 

It’s this pioneering energy that powers her enthusiasm. In reference to their newer classes, she explained, “Gateway Voyage is primarily the same exact program that Robert Monroe developed. And so is Lifeline, Exploration 27, Guidelines. Those core programs, he actually worked on and developed.” 

“It puts you into direct experience with expanded states of consciousness where you can explore and ask questions and receive answers and visit past lives," she said. "You can astral travel.”

These programs are grueling. Participants go through five or six exercises a day for five straight days. “It’s like running a marathon,” she said. 

Jenny joined the company without much experience in consciousness elevation but swiftly got the feel for things. “It did exactly what the course said it was going to do," she said. "I experienced past lives. It gave me this 20,000-foot view of my life. Not just this one, but previous and future.” 

“If you want the rocket ship where your life is forever enlightened, you’re not going to get that any other way than coming here,” she said. 

The conversation with Jenny eventually turned to page 25. 

“I have my own interpretation," she said. "Whether it was accidentally or intentionally left out I don’t know. Like I said there are people that work in this place that are on another plane and not here in the physical.”

For Jenny, the page appeared at the right time and place. “I feel like 20 years ago the world wasn’t ready to hear. But this generation is ready.” She says the institute changed her life.

“You grow up, you go to school, you get married, you have kids, you go to church, you die," she said. "And your life lives on through your family. There is value there. But on a much deeper level it’s the relationships and the memories you create. Not all this stuff we’re collecting. So what if that page was released 20 years ago? Could it have backlashed? Cause it talks about religion and that all religions are equal. And what if people feel really powerfully that not all religions are equal. I feel like the generations nowadays, they’re not so wrapped up in that anymore."

Jenny said that young people today are pushing for social justice and are more open to different perceptions of consciousness and different ways of living. "There’s this whole thing going on where people are awakening," she said. "People become more conscious, people become more awakened—tearing down the monuments in Richmond. Enough’s enough. This has come about at a time when your generation has questions and they want to know and they’re ready to hear the answers without judgment.”

“TikTok happened, you happened, all this happened for a very important reason that’s not of this physical plane,” she said. 

Jenny concluded our hour-long conversation with a suggestion for how to handle page 25. “Do something with it. You know even if it’s you just saying what it means to you.”

[Hold my beer]

A Consciousness Feedback Loop 

The Gateway Report is so dense in parts, it compromises its own accessibility. The goal of my initial synthesis was to create a written and visual experience (including, ahem, some premium custom graphics) that might help folks without a PHD in quantum physics benefit from its huge thinking. 

It struck a nerve. 

Over the course of a 3-week period, millions of readers made their way through an admittedly arduous editorial obstacle course. Studios reached out. 

Two days after the article’s release, we inserted an invitation: 

“Have you had an experience with The Monroe Institute, Hemi-Sync or had an out-of-body experience? Get in touch: ex0gene5i5@substack.com” 

Thousands of emails came in from folks all over the world who described their out-of-body experiences. To me, it signaled the possibility that many of us are searching for something more than what seems currently available. To describe my experience in telling this story and the search in many senses, I produced a visual reinterpretation of page 25.

The Gateway. Image: Thobey Campion

'The Gateway' is a high-resolution digital image of a print of the missing page 25 of the CIA's Gateway Report. It contains 659 digital micro-inscriptions of out-of-body experience accounts, that only become visible at 300%+ magnification.

Just look closer.

Thobey Campion is the former Publisher of Motherboard. You can subscribe to his Substack here. 

The Gateway is an NFT. Part of the proceeds go to Mind Science, a foundation that explores the mystery of human consciousness by funding the work of early-career neuroscientists.

Found: Page 25 of the CIA’s Gateway Report on Astral Projection syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[donnerpartyofone]

idk if you've talked about it, probably have. but if you don't mind to again, ketamine injections for depression? did it work? was it expensive? how long did it work for? ty.

dang, i never got a notification for this message. sorry! ketamine absolutely worked for the management of my depression, it was very expensive, and i think i would have needed more for it to become a longer term solution. i may still go back in the future if my lifestyle changes, but for right now, i can’t justify the cost--which is an insane thing to say when what i’m paying for is freedom from hurting myself, but, ya know, CAPITALISM. 

the whole story is, i’ve been severely depressed my whole entire life; i don’t have any memories that don’t involve feeling morbidly upset, and i can remember things pretty sharply from the time i was slightly younger than 2.* i took ketamine recreationally some years ago when i was around 30 (i wasn’t adventurous about substances until i reached about that age), and i was totally astounded by how it affected my depression both during, and for weeks after the experience. it seemed to distance me from the oppressively immediacy of my bad feelings, giving me space to actually THINK about what was really bothering me, what kind of control i could have over how i assign importance and authority to things that don’t serve me, and what i might like my life to be like in the future. so, when i found out that there were ketamine clinics in new york, i kind of freaked out. actually, i found out about it from a guy who i met on an ayahuasca retreat upstate (which is its own hilariously mortifying story that i’ve been trying to write down for years and it keeps turning into a big unwieldy novel), who had been through the entire gamut of treatments for major depressive disorder. he liked his ketamine experience, but admitted that it was prohibitively expensive to keep up.

this is the place i went, and i recommend it to anyone who can afford it:

nyketamine.com

they say that they accept patients selectively, if you have treatment-resistant depression. i don’t know how strict they are about that, because by the time i came to them, i was looking pretty treatment-resistant. i’d been in and out of a few shrinks’ offices, and i’m basically incapable of taking any of the usual antidepressants because of how they affect other conditions i have. the process was, i filled out a request form on their website, and in a day or two, a clinician called to interview me over the phone about the character of my depression, and to gather some other anecdotal information about my history and health. the person i spoke to was very kind, attentive, and reassuring. the following day, someone called to set my first appointment. the whole reason i was able to do this is because of some inheritance that i received at the time; it’s $450 a session, and they suggest (or insist? i’m not sure) that you begin with a minimum of 6 sessions, each of them 2 days apart. after that, you just kind of monitor yourself to see when you think you need pickup sessions; the effect is cumulative and long term. i have no idea if they have any type of sliding scale accommodation, it could be worth asking.

when i went in for my first session, i had a brief interview with the head doctor, a navy veteran and anesthesiologist who had been working with ketamine in various capacities for 50 years. he explained a lot of things that i had no idea about, that were great to learn. periods of prolonged stress, especially while your brain is still developing, can result in a deficit of the neural pathways that you need to experience a full range of emotion; essentially, being chronically depressed and anxious can kind of give you brain damage. if you have that type of problem, it doesn’t matter what you do to try to boost your serotonin or dopamine or whatever; it’s like if you’re trying to get somewhere in your car and you can’t, not because you’re out of gas, but because the bridge is out. for some reason, ketamine switches back on the function that builds those pathways, so with regular therapeutic applications, you can actually heal the structural problem around your mood centers that’s reducing your emotional range to anxiety and depression. if you’re over 60 or so and your brain is less plastic, your chances of success aren’t as good as when you’re younger, but there’s always a chance; also, for some reason, ketamine plays especially well with estrogen, so women have a bit of a leg up. anyway, the doctor was great, and i really liked everyone there; it felt like they all knew they were doing something meaningful.

the sessions themselves are pleasant. they put you in a private room in a big cushy medical chair with a blanket and a pillow, and you let them know if you want the lights on or off. they give you an IV drip that lasts roughly an hour, and they communicate with you to figure out the dosage. you basically just tell them what feels comfortable, if the dosage they start you on is too low to notice. you won’t get something that puts you in a K hole, but you should enter a gentle dissociative state where you feel a little numb and floaty, and you might have a lot of interesting abstract thoughts. the worst part of it is just how bad you have to pee by the time the drip is done, when you’re still feeling a little anesthetized; sometimes i wound up looking at the bag with my flashlight to check if i had finished, and then i’d just press the call button to get them to come unplug me before i pissed my pants.

you’re not supposed to necessarily notice a difference right away, but you should detect a change in mood after a few weeks. i did. the way my disorder works is, most days i just have a low level background radiation of sadness and exhaustion, even on a “good day” when things are working out or i’m distracted by things i enjoy. when i wake up in the morning and realize i’m conscious and the time for sleep is over, my first feeling is disappointment, 100% of the time. then, i’d say roughly once a month or once every couple of months, i have a complete nervous collapse where i’m in so much pain i can’t really do anything but like drool and cry and let my eyes go out of focus, for anywhere from 1-7 days. there will usually be an apparent trigger; i’m a fairly dysfunctional person, and i frequently lose things, break things, and fuck things up even though i like STUDIED to do them, took it slow, asked for help, gave myself extra time, etc. but the thing is, i think the “trigger” is arbitrary, this is just a cyclic psychic event that builds up and waits to happen. but after my first battery of ketamine treatments, i had a particular day when i could tell that normally, i would quickly wind up curled up at the bottom of my bathtub scream-crying until i couldn’t move--and this time, i managed to just push through. not only did i not break down, but i actually got a number of difficult chores done, that i had put off because they seemed too intimidating, or like i wouldn’t be able to mentally handle my inevitable failure. i noticed more and more of that, while i was in proximity to the treatments, an ability to just buckle down and keep going. so it’s not like i felt HAPPIER or something, but i felt much more capable of coping, which was like a miracle honestly.

it’s been about 3.5 months since i last went in, and i think i could use a booster appointment, but as i said i just can’t fit it in with my financial reality right now. so, that sucks. but, i definitely feel that it was worth doing, and i would recommend it to anyone who can shoulder the cost. hopefully in the future, ketamine will become a much more common psychiatric treatment, and it will become available to more and more patients.

*A friend of mine just told me he read somewhere that you don’t actually recall memories from like 20 years ago, you just remember the last time you recalled them--so like, i THINK i remember my parents struggling to give me drops for pink eye in our first apartment when i was about 1.5 years old, but in reality, i just remember the last time i remembered it, or the earliest time i’m able to remember remembering it. pretty interesting! and kind of disturbing, like the idea that star trek-type teleporters don’t actually transport a person, they just DESTROY the original person and rebuild a new one on the other end, a thought that REALLY BOTHERS ME.

[phantommarhked]

So this is my entry for CartoonFreakshow's Wes Weston NG contest held some time ago, they're the kids of Wes and one of my OCs, hope you guys like em! ^U^ I hope you find find the info decent ;;w;; Name: Dorothea Arany-Weston

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Species: Halfa

Orientation: Bisexual, Demiromantic

Parents: Wesley Weston and Matild Arany-Weston

Powers: Standard ghost powers, telekinesis, mild mind control, still discovering the rest

Likes: Fashion, figure skating, modelling, calligraphy, sand sculpting, experimental films, mural painting, spicy food, teamwork

Dislikes: Overly sweet food, getting dirty, lattes, unnecessary fights, lizards, history, heat, ghosts, sunburns, irresponsible people

Personality: She's more often than not the calming energy of the three sisters, she likes helping her sisters best she could. She's pretty proud of her appearance and would not be one to be humble when compliments are given, she's encouraging towards others and would gladly accept any rival she meets as a sort of friendly competition. She likes doing backhanded insults when she's insulted by someone she holds no liking to, but otherwise, she still attempts to keep an open mind to prevent herself from holding prejudices. (She sometimes fails at it.)

Backstory: She was born a human, her mother being something close to a shaman didn't really pass any of the psychic/medium powers to her, so she was pretty much just a normal kid. She was contented to just be a normal kid since she saw the famed half ghost fighting ghosts every now and again and she figured she didn't want that or anything involving the supernatural since she saw how dangerous it was.

When her sisters were born, she was three. As she grew older she took her role as the eldest seriously and she would be caught watching after her younger sisters. When her sisters showed signs of psychic/medium powers, she began looking for ways to help them control it instead of going into constant trances. As an elder sister she pretty much saw to it that whenever their parents were out either on vacation or business related trips, she would take charge easily and be able to follow their parents orders. 

She studied in Amity Park's Casper High and had been able to show her prowess at arts and that was where she got to meet one of Danny's children. Mercutio Fenton. As a child of twelve, her first instinct was to go with her father's dislike for the Fentons, so she just scrawled a note to him saying "you suck" and stuck it in his textbook. She didn't expect him to wait for her after school to try and learn why she wrote him that note. It was because of that fact that they grew closer to each other and became best friends.

As she grew older, her love for art grew and she went further with even learning calligraphy. Soon enough she began joining mural contests and sand sculpting contests. At the age of fifteen, she grew interested in figure skating and began taking lessons. This she used for inspiration for new pieces, turning it into stories for every piece she did. 

By the time she was sixteen, she began dating Mercutio and was scouted as a model, a job she gladly took up with great enthusiasm. It was the best thing she had done, but one thing just might change everything for her.

It was when Mercutio was visiting his grandparents that she was invited by him so they could look at the lab where Jack had some old ghost hunting weapons. She was there with Mercutio, they were both trying to figure out what each item was for and inspecting it when Mercutio found an ectoplasmic ray cannon. He grew curious and began fiddling with the machinery, trying to figure out if it was still functioning. It unfortunately was and he accidentally pulled the trigger, the ectoplasm going straight for Dorothea who was inspecting the ghost portal. She became unconscious and the next thing she knew, she woke at the hospital. Her father was upset with her but even more so at Mercutio - and his family...again - her mother in turn was worried and had spent the whole time trying to figure out if anything wrong happened. She spent a few days at the hospital before she went back to school. It didn't hit her immediately but when she began noticing that people sometimes panicked whenever they were talking and was calling for her name repeatedly or when her sisters would go into far more frequent trances, she began getting worried. She told her mother about what had been happening and this led to her being brought to Danny Fenton who explained to her what might be happening to her. As her powers made itself known, she began getting some lessons from Mercutio and his father on how to control them. 

She had done her best to act like nothing was wrong but she found it difficult to keep up with her modelling and figure skating so she dropped out of both. Letting out her emotions through painting and writing, she broke up with Mercutio and had shut herself in her room where she would try to control her powers in her room. Her father was reluctant to let in the Fentons but had contacted them in hopes that they could help. 

At age seventeen, she began getting a hold of her powers and she was starting to be able to adjust her time management to be able to do what she'd done before. At the same time she began helping out Mercutio and his family in fighting ghosts.

Name: Hajnalka Arany-Weston

Age: 14

Gender: Female

Species: Human

Orientation: Undecided, Demiromantic

Parents: Wesley Weston and Matild Arany-Weston

Powers: Psychic/Medium powers

Likes: Online and Tabletop roleplaying, sports, swimming, historical and fantasy films, renaissance art, renfairs, fantasy and historical fiction books, classical theatre, dancing, triathlons, sweet and sour foods, bragging

Dislikes: Spicy food, small spaces, insects, cats, science, being stuck inside, romcoms, high pitched voices, dolls, being late, staying indoors for too long

Personality: She appears to be a tough girl with her constant sports participation and aggressively competitive behaviour on the field but outside of that part of her life, she'd be found to be as sedate as her sisters. Of course that was not always the case since when she was younger she had a very short temper, she's fast to hold grudges and likes to get even with people that hurt her or her family. She's got some insecurities about when she goes into trances when she still couldn't control her psychic powers but as time went on she began accepting what she could about it. She's prideful of her achievements and of her family's achievements so she isn't really one to back down from a pissing contest when someone brags about what they could do. This often leads her to butting heads with different people. 

Backstory: Being the elder by fifteen minutes to her twin sister, she was the first to begin exhibiting psychic powers at a young age and she grew frightened of it, trying to hide her abilities but being unable to stop the trances or from her becoming a sort of vessel for ghosts to use. Her parents found out and her mother began helping her control those abilities while her elder sister did her best to help her out with stemming the effects of her abilities.

She always bonded with her father in sports and he encouraged her when she said she wanted to become a basketball player one day. So they'd always play with each other, and if she ends up in a trance in the middle of their game, Wes would just reassure her that it was nothing to be worried about. 

It wasn't til she was seven that her twin sister began showing signs of her abilities as well, this led to Hajnalka immediately sitting her twin down to explain to her what she needs to learn so that her abilities won't get in the way of her life.

As a child she had an interest in history and fantasy and had often had some books about either genre stuffed in her locker or backpack. As she grew older she began going to Ren fairs and to conventions as well as joining some LARPing for kids her age. She gets a bit intense though.

She joined the basketball team when she was thirteen and had kept improving  all the while trying to live a normal life even with her occasional trances.

Name: Hayley Arany-Weston

Age: 14

Gender: Female

Species: Human

Orientation: Asexual, Biromantic

Parents: Wesley Weston and Matild Arany-Weston

Powers: Psychic/Medium powers

Likes: Puzzle and mind games, investigative journalism, the Twilight Zone series, photography, short films, crime investigation TV shows, martial arts, sweets and pastries

Dislikes: Math, sour food, pranks, horror stories, high places, Puns, vague people, gum, getting their pictures taken

Personality: She tends to be too probing whenever she wants to get to know someone she talks to and she sometimes forgets to give people their privacy but she sometimes finds it hard cause of her curiosity. She's an ambivert though most of the times she prefers to being in the company of her family since she found that they could at least understand her when she starts rambling about various subjects. Though when someone needs help she willingly gives them her aid and would do her best to give them what they want or need. She's the more forgiving between her and her sisters. She likes to be a know it all and would often gloat whenever she was right in her assumptions, this sometimes leads to people not exactly liking her.

Backstory: She was the younger between her and Hajnalka, though this didn't really change much of their dynamic or attitude. She was a late bloomer with the psychic abilities that her twin and her mother possessed, but it didn't completely bother her since she would oftentimes spend the day reading or looking up various information that she finds helpful. And when she did develop her abilities, she gladly accepted every advice and training her family gave her, as well as the self defence training her dad taught her. She really wasn't against that.

Unlike her twin though who tried to hide her abilities, she would often use hers to help people when they want to talk to someone that had died, this though would often get her warnings from her mother who would remind her to choose who she'll help carefully. Those warnings were sometimes taken to heart, sometimes she would ignore them. Sometimes when she helps people it turns out good, sometimes, it ends up bad. Very bad. Fun Facts: -Hayley accepts payment for her psychic services through favours. -Hajnalka is a big fan of various fantasy and historical fiction books. -Mercutio and Dorothea has an on and off relationship until college where they finally go steady. -Hayley is deathly allergic to bees. -Hajnalka is allergic to shrimp. She doesn't really care though, not as if she eats the stuff. -Dorothea has a pug she named Cookiedough -Hayley likes to sneak some butter cookies to Cookiedough. -Hajnalka just wants a dog that doesn't sound like it's gonna fall over dead due to wheezing. -Wes and Matild take the three girls out once a week to spend time together as a family. -Wes is closest to Dorothea and Hajnalka, Hayley and he are close but he finds that Matild and Hayley are closer together. But he still loves all his kiddos a lot. -Hajnalka actually likes wearing old timey dresses, Hayley likes to experiment with her fashion sense and Dorothea secretly got herself a tattoo on her wrist. -Matild took Dorothea out for play dates when Dorothea was small to the Fentons. Wes would just come to make sure they're safe. -The last time the Weston family played a tabletop game, it ended with Wes being King, Matild getting murdered, Hayley fighting Orcs, Dorothea assassinating an NPC and Hajnalka laughing at her family. -Dorothea tends to stress bake. So every time there's pastries and biscuits and bread on any flat surfaces, everyone figures out her mood immediately. Dorothea, Hajnalka and Hayley Arany-Weston © Me, C-RIE-ativity

[cassinixii]

Title: WoM: the Warlock --- completed audition Published: May 13, 2017 | 12:15am Description:

Apologies for the long wait, I don't really have a good excuse. I was busy with stuff, but still, a month is a really long time, and I am truly sorry! ___________________________ World of Monsters || OC Profile

Name: Telperion

Username: @/cassinixii

OC Name: Kazimir Auberon (Born Cenric of Aiwendil)

Age: A lot (or for a less snarky answer, approximately 1443 years old. He looks mid to late 30's though, the magic of... uhh, magic)

Creature: The Warlock

Faceclaim: Dan Stevens

Side: Hidden, and he'll be going to extreme lengths to remain that way.

Why did you pick this side?: Well, since he killed the Professor, it's bit of a no choice matter. However, he's been alive for a very long time, he knows how exposure goes, humans panic and try to kill everyone, and end up killing even their own kind out of fear and hatred, and that was only with burnings at the stake, also drowning and confessions coerced through truly inventive torture, they now have weapons of mass destruction. He's not going to take any chances with those murder-happy freaks.

Occupation: reclusive billionaire, warlock (though there isn't aexactly any pay in the latter)

Personality: His personality is a bit complicated, people evolve and change over time, but unlike our 80ish years, or the 30ish years for when Kaz was originally born, he's had well over a thousand years of change and evolution. There are a couple things left from back then, but not many. He was once very idealistic and pure, optimistic, even naïve, but he's hardened since. He has retained his trait of openly speaking out against injustice, though he sighs a lot now and doesn't spend as much time monologuing or explaining why someone is wrong. He's dry, sarcastic, and reserved, prefers not to interact with people, and when he does he tends to rub them the wrong away. However, he does have a few friends, whom he regularly insults, but would go burn the world if required to protect them. He also likes to call people by the wrong name when they start getting too chummy, to let them know he doesn't really care about them (Ron Swanson is his spirit animal). He has ages of wisdom, and originally tried to impart it on others, specifically those in power, but eventually gave up after watching humans repeat their destructive behaviour over and over again. Despite his overall distrust, dislike, and hatred of others, Kaz is firmly committed to maintaining the balance of the universe, and will both kill and save lives to maintain it, regardless of his personal feelings on a person.

Likes: - mocumentary comedy shows (always watching them on netflix) - Netflix - dark/psychological horror anime (such as hell girl) - meat (loves steak and sausages) - lycoris flowers - Leo Tolstoy - Tolkien

Dislikes: - fake meat - slow internet connections - arrogant people - plotholes - soy anything and everything - unsatisfactory endings (such as parasyte's!) - when movies and shows get the books wrong

Talents/Skills: Could it be magic now, now, now and hold on fast. Could this be the magic at last  (yes, that is a Take That song from 1992. No I was not born, but Kaz was, so there.) Kaz was born with a natural inclination towards magic, and from birth could manipulate many things by simply thinking it, accidentally causing many a objects to move and a few fires here and there. He was also able to learn new spells and rituals at an incredibly fast rate, managing powerful spells within in first few tries. However, despite his vast knowledge and abilities, Kaz tends to rely upon his natural abilities of a telekinetic, and he can instinctively also affect the speed of a moving object, though it's  temperature takes more active thought. He can also physical manifest his telekinetic abilities to send blasts of energy without uttering an incantation. His emotions affect the strength of the blast, ranging from mild incapacitation to fatal, though some of the milder blasts can end in mortal wounds if the attacked hits a wall or some other similar event, and he's developed control of them over the centuries, usually sending a blast of a strength he's determined, but it's possible to emotionally rile him and undermine his control.

Kaz also has telepathetic abilities, able to contact and even mentally, not control, but persuade others into doing behaviours he desires, though someone with a strong will or psychic protections may be able to resist him. He is also able to read anothers thoughts without them ever realizing he was there. He can also sense the presence of the supernatural, whether it be an object, person, or spirit, this ability also helps him easily tap into the natural magical energy all around us. Of the elements, he is in most atune with wind, and uses it almost as often as his telekinetic abilities. He also has a fondness for calling down lightning to strike an enemy. In moments of heightened emotional tension, he can instinctively use powerful spells, which in usual circumstances would require verbal or mental incantations. He is also skilled in defensive magic, capable of forming a mystical shield strong enough to hold against dragonfire.

He also seems to be imortal, or at least has extremely long longevity, and has perpetual youth, he's actually quite interested to compare his genome or dna or whatever (it confuses him a bit to be honest) from now to a century or two later, which he thinks may give him new insight into himself and his weaknesses. Kaz also possesses a considerable amount of natural resilience against magic, once surviving the force of his fatal blast when it was reversed unto him. He is quick to his feet regardless of what ancient and powerful creature may have attacked, though there exceptions, and the more powerful the creature, the longer for him to recover.  

Additionally, having participated in a couple wars over the centuries, he's quite handy with swords and guns, though he struggles with more modern weapons, the last time he took part in battle having been 1815. But, of course, magical combat is where is his true skill with battle lies. Lastly, having lived for centuries, he's fluent in a great number of languages such as English, Russian, Japanese, Norwegian, and many others. Influence of the ages isn't noticeable when he speaks, but when he writes he tends to use old letters or ways of writing.  

Weakness: He's not completely immortal, he's just got an extremely long lifespan, and even he is unsure of when it'll end. Against most creatures, he could survive their attacks with no effort on his part, but the more powerful a being, the more he'd have to actively defend himself. The most sure fire to kill him is a weapon capable of slaying the undead (not zombies, but things like wraiths), or other weapons of a similar or more powerful nature, plunge such a thing into his heart and he'll probably die. He's not entirely sure, he hasn't exactly tried, but it's his best guess.  

Hobbies: - Netflix and chilling on his own   - reading, especially from and about the sengoku period - countdown (hey, he's super old and generally at home, he's the target demographic)

Family: He's had quite a few, he's been around for a long time and has fallen in love and out. But it's been a long time and most of them died, well, the mortals. As for his parents and siblings, they died a long time ago, some lived longer than most, being magical like him, but none seem to have had the same longevity as him. He had many brothers and sisters, around 13 of them, it was the Anglo-Saxon days, everyone had about a million kids, but he was closet to his triplet siblings, Ilse and Rommel, Ilse was the fraternal sibling, however, of the 3, only Kaz had his level of ability. Isle and Rommel had mild elemental manipulation abilities as well as some telepathy, but could not influence the minds of others, only listen and speak.  He's been married or had the ancient equivalent of civil unions (aka, just roommates) a few times, as well as a number of children, most whom he and his then spouse adopted, but he's provided the DNA for 3; his most memorable children (which is a cruel thing to say, but whatever), were his daughter Charlotte, who died in France in 1720, and his son Shiro (later Shiroyasu Date), who died some point after 1780, but before 1803. Shiro was also his youngest and final child.

Bio: Kazimir, or Kaz, was born in, and for the majority of his life remained in what is now Great Britain and Ireland, so he's not being a pretentious dolt when says he's an Anglo-Saxon, he's being literal. Anyway, he was born in 574 in the small village of Aiwendil in the Kingdom of Mercia (present day English Midlands). He was given the name Cenric by his parents, and from birth he displayed great power. As young as infancy he would move toys with his mind, shatter objects when enraged, sets fires accidentally. At 11,  he burnt down an abbey, by accident of course, but he was labelled as a devil child, as well as by his mother, however, he was also considered blessed by those who despised the invading christian faith. He, himself, disliked both schools of thought and began completely isolating himself with the exception of two of his siblings (Ilse and Rommel) and occasionally his father.  At 15, Cenric, Ilse, and Rommel left their small village, wandering around and working where they could, before making their way to Tamworth, where they made the accquaintence of Æscferð (pronounced ash-furth) of Deira, an advisor to King Creoda of Mercia, and a powerful Warlock himself. Æscferð taught Cenric and his siblings many things, though he mostly spent time with Cenric. When Æscferð switched allegiance from the House of Icel to Edwin, King of Deira, and the lord of Æscferð's home, Cenric and Ilse went with him, though Rommel remained with Penda, King of Merica by then. They later faced each other in battle (the Battle of Hatfield), resulting in the death of Æscferð (also Edwin), from which point all three siblings went their seperate ways. Rommel remained with Penda until his death, becoming a skilled general in his army, Ilse followed Cadwallon of Gwynedd for a time, becoming his mistress for a time until his death, after which she disappeared with some druids, as for Cenric, he went back north to the lands of Northumbria, determined to dethrone the king (Penda) whose battle cost him his dearest friend and mentor. He eventually succeeded with Oswiu, King of Bernicia (a sub-kingdom in Northumbria) in the Battle of Winwaed, which temporarily took away Merican dominance, but a lasting and unintentional effect on Cenric's part was the demise of Anglo-Saxon pagamism, and conversion of Mercia.    

However, by this point, Cenric had also become aware of his longetivity, at nearly 80 years old, he looked exactly as he had over 4 and a half decades ago. Once Penda was defeated, he finally visited his twin brother's grave in Merica, before leaving English land for the first time. He spent some centuries in Scandinavia, he went to Kvenland, meeting and befriending Ottar fra Hålogaland, and eventually falling in with some Vikings who were active around Norway. He later fell in love with a female Viking, Ásdís, and the two peacefully settled in Svalbard for a while.

During the mid to late 1500's, he lived in Russia, serving as an advisor to Ivan IV, though he left in 1581 after the Tsar killed Kaz's friend, and Ivan IV's son, Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich. This was the first time he used the name Kazimir, though he returned to England after his friends death, taking Ivan's name, and remained in his home country until after the English civil war. Once Charles II was coronated, he moved to France for a time, he lived at the court of Versailles under the Sun King and later travelled around the country as a Catholic monk, before settling down in Marseille for a bit with his then lover (a regular human), Richard Bordeaux, and their daughter Charlotte. However, Richard and Charlotte both died of the bubonic plague in 1720, after which he left France and has not returned since. After their deaths, he went back to Russia. There he worked as a farmer for a while before befriending Peter the Great, and more significantly, his second wife, Catherine the Great. During her sole reign, under the name Kazimir Ivanovich, he served as her advisor, he left Russia again after her death. He then travelled to Japan, and trained and studied at Shinto and Buddist temples for a while, before befriending his traditional clique of Royals and nobles, namely Yoshimune Tokugawa, and served as a tutor and guardian to his son, Munetake Tokugawa. In Japan, he went by the name Arthur Hanover, though was called various nicknames with the word "foreigner". By the early 1800's, however, Kaz had returned to Europe, participating in the battle of Waterloo in 1815 before returning to England. During the 19th, and much of the 20th century, Kaz became more selfish and isolated. Instead of participating with politics or the now hidden world of magic, he took an interest in inventions and the world of tomorrow, investing heavily in things like locomotives and IBM, and earning a ton of wealth for his "family" (or rather himself). In 1842 he was bestowed with a hereditary earldom (the title being the Earl Wulfar), which his family (or actually he) hold to the day. With his new title and wealth, Kaz settled in the English countryside, slowly buying up the lands that once encompassed his Mercian Village.

Throughout the ages, seeing magic and magical beings being percecuted over and over, being used as weapons, or coercing magical beings into fighting each other, he became conviced that it must remain hidden and in the shadows. It was under Queen Victoria that he began actively taking steps to ensure magic remains hidden and maintaining a certain balance in the universe. It also became his only political and unselfish activity post 1815. It is for this purpose that he keeps track of nosy muggles (he loves that word) and kill them when they get too close, including the late Proffesor Credence.  

Extra: - huge meat eater - possibly addicted to netflix - has too many dvds - There's quite a bit of inspiration from BBC's Merlin, particularly in regards to his magic, and honestly, making this character made me realize how much I miss that show. Time for a marathon rewatch. - As his title is a hereditary peerage, Kaz and his descendants are technically eligible to be members of the house of lords, but have never put their (his) name forth to be considered for a seat in the in house election process. - he is a pagan, mostly, and tends to refer to it as "the old religion", however, his "faith" is heavily influenced by Shinto and Buddhism as well.   - he's extremely loyal to the British Royals, royalist was essentially part of all commoner life for, well, ever, but his loyalty endures even in the modern age despite the decline of royalty's importance. This loyalty generally arises from the mid 1600's, during the English Civil War, which he initially participated in as a Roundhead aka a Parliamentarian. He first was on the radical side of the party, pushing not for a constitutional monarchy, but to abolish the monarchy completely, but his time with Oliver Cromwell and his short lived Republic changed Kaz's mind, though he didn't completely switch to the side of Cavaliers (the royalist party during the civil war), he did become an advocate of constitutional monarchy, and advised Richard Cromwell to resign and he was amongst whose of the opinion that Charles II be invited back, however, he didn't stick around to live under Charles II's, whom he considered extremely distasteful. However, his opinion of his Royals improved in the many of the reigns that followed, particularly under Victoria I, the last person he truly served in any capacity.

--

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[inyourowntime]

under the cut is the current plot/story summation of the dnd campaign I DM - just thought it would be fun to share! all this is public on dnd Beyond, so it’s not like a secret or revealing any plot reveals or anything

PCs: Esther Stackhouse - Human/HalfSpirit Gunslinger Raiann Peitoa - Moon Elf Vampire Rosarie Cane - Half-Fey Warlock Kaia Misttide - Genasi Druid

Arc 1 - Zomboes

Hired by Downs Merry, a slight woman with deep pockets, to protect her and a package she holds from a farming town in the North East county Allebor named Jusgo, to an underground haven deep in the Bog Lands, Swallowvale. Our adventure follows the Half-Spirit Esther, whose body is slowly betraying her; the Half-Fey Rosarie, whose vanity has built a wall around her that she seems unwilling to climb or break down; the mysterious Druidic Pirate Kaiaa, whose heritage has something to do with a fake mermaid and old magic; and the Vampire Raiann, who is halting her mission of vengance to ally herself with new friends, helping to close the wound in her heart.

So far, along the way, our adventurers have battled Dawn Father followers who mistook them for Demons, stolen a boat from a town of Lizard folk, sailed the Arevalo Gulf before being forced to beach by a mysterious freak storm, and battled Necrotic Crocodiles (Necrocodiles) on the last stretch before Swallowvale.

Upon finding the town, they follow Downs to see what her package truly is - a medicine of some kind, ordered by a Doctor Hallow of the Zehirian Church. The medicine poisons the child, however, and he becomes a zombified corpse, running of into the town.

The next morning, a small horde has taken over the city's central district, and while the adventurers managed to kill the 16 bodies (again), they then set out to unravel who was behind the plot, or what caused the boy's necrotic change.

They investigated the Zehirian church, and were soon discussing matters with a strange woman in scaled armour named Thestorn, who runs the Temple here in Swallowvale. After some exchanged words, she lured them into a narrow corridor and managed to trap them inside with the moans and groans of zombified creatures closing in on them.

Rosarie, joining them from outside the temple, helped them fight Thestorn, beating from her her plan to release a plague of Zombies that only effect non-magical folk. She wanted to build an army from 'useless' non-magic inhabitants of Iridus to help fight against the Sin'Gorne Empire. Thestorn then took her own life, turning herself to stone with a hidden pill inside her mouth. From her they then stole a bag containing 10 unidentified potions.

Soon after, they burned the town to the ground to prevent further infestation, and then left Swallowvale to find the civilians of the town all outside, having already evacuated.

They went to the nearby town of Rinslin, where they acquired some information on their backstories, both from eachother and a magical pole that talked to them, as well as some pets. They decided to head to Margonne, where they believe Zachaeus, who Esther knows, is living, which is also the city Kaia left after Quickbolt spurned her.

---

Arc 2 - Smoke

Upon arrival to Margonne, the party finds that everyone going in and out of the City is being checked by armed guards. They're told this is due to serious piracy issues throughout the city, and that recent changes to leadership within the city has led to harsh new realities for criminals.

Using Kaia's experience of the city, and Esther's experience of Zachaius, they ask around for information. They happen upon Freddie Flatfoot, of Kaia's old crew, but after a short altercation with him move on. Eventually, they find Zachaius inhabiting the body of a drug-den user, a red Tiefling. He reveals that he inhabits bodies for days at a time, moving from person to person, usually of drug users and drunks to explain their memory lapses.

The whole group finds a place to stay for the night, but Zachaius' true intentions come to light as he attacks, going for Esther's Revenant gun. He first possesses Rosarie, using her as a vessel after breaking out of his Tiefling form. Next, he and inhabits Esther, but Rosarie uses her magic to demand he leave Esther's body and go far away - specifically to another continent. Raiann, who had already tried to exchange her form for Esther, was his intended target, but as he became smoke to possess her, Jeff jumped in the way, giving himself up for Raiann.

Jeff, now possessed by Zachaius, proves true to his word and creates a teleportation ritual on the floor of the inn's room, and teleports to another continent.

Esther, Raiann, Rosarie and Kaia immediately decide they need to find a way to get him back, and Raiann makes the suggestion that her Vampiric Sire Gabriel might be their best chance. They know he is in the Sin'Gorne Empire in a township called Castutt, and they know the best way to get their would likely be by boat, and that Kaia's old crew on the Yeathan's Kraken is in town - plan formulated. They had a week.

Hiring the ship for a hugely over-priced amount, Captain Quickbolt said he could get them on the coast just North of Castutt within three days (using unclear methods of speedy ocean travel). Rosarie, assuming that all Kaia and Quickbolt's relationship needed to be fixed was them seeing each-other (for the first time since she admitted her feelings, he said no, and she jumped ship months ago), put together a scheme to try and get them together in the same room, but Esther and Raian were against it.

Kaia, at one point, finds herself climbing up the back of the ship in her non-disguised form, as Quickbolt is at the helm. She rises over the crest, sees him, panics, drops back down, and puts her foot through a window below her. Quickbolt hears her, and peeks over the edge to see his old first-mate, clinging to the wood of his ship. It's interesting. Meanwhile, Raiann is trying to process the fact that 1) Jeff is gone and she's scared they wont get to him in time, and 2) she's going to see Gabriel for the first time since she was sired by him. Rosarie, using her new abilities that she is still working out, attempts to send messages to Jeff, and even gets some information about where he is - somewhere cold, and somewhere far away. Soon, however, Zachaius seems to clock onto their communication, and cuts it off.

While Kaia and Quickbolt resolve their problems (and bang it out), they soon approach Castutt, the town Gabriel said he would wait for them in. After a sad, but hope-filled goodbye, the group sets off, well into enemy territory. Raiann uses her bat-form to do some recon, and finds Gabriel at one of the town's camp-like areas, surrounded by what could only be described as minions. He sees her, and meets the gang.

Together, they develop a plan to get Jeff back - Gabriel will psychically communicate with an associate of his, a Demon Hunter known as Shannon Mylers. She describes to him a pentagram that will allow them to trap Zachaius within an area, for them to then talk with and get Jeff back.

Acting on this, they find a clearing in the woods, and draw the pentacle. They summon Zachaius, and see the broken and half-frozen body of Jeff, animated by will alone. He mocks them, and demands that if they won't give him the gun, they will at least do something for him - he wants one of the others to shoot Esther in the head, killing her.

The gang quickly comes up with a way to fool him with images and sounds created by magic, relying on his body's troubled nature to maim his observation enough to convince him. Miraculously, it works, and he gives Jeff's body up.

The gang then attack the plume of smoke that is Zachaius' true form, until it is but a small pebble on the ground. Esther approaches, and calmly fires a bullet straight into the marble, destroying it and sending Zachaius back to the hell he used her to escape from. Good riddance.

---

Arc 3 - Spider's Web

Gabriel, after helping the gang with their demon problem, offers 1000gp each to find one of his other sired Vampires, Bailey, who he has been unable to contact for a few weeks now. He says she was last in Astrakane, a city on the southern coast of Sin'Gorne, which would take several weeks, if not months on foot. They accept, and set off to the next town to try and find horses. First off, though, they need travel papers. They decide to rob the tiny office that sits in Castutt, belonging to the Miltary presence in the town. Kaia's wildshape, Rosarie's bees and Esther's distraction skills result in a successful nabbing of legitimate travel papers with the official Sin'Gorne seal on.

In Tonlun, they encounter a few issues as Raiann attempts to drink from a villager, who manages to escape and notify the militia guards present - two Elves and a Drider. After fighting and killing the guards, they make a half-excuse that it was some kind of play to the immediate locals, and then RUN. On the road to their next stop - somewhere called Syyk - they encountered a group of Goblins, and Rosarie told the group more about her past relationship. As they woke from camping on their third day, a stranger wearing the full plate armour of the Sin'Gorne Militia, the Eighth Leg, approached them.

[barbarabarry91]

How To Do Reiki Distance Healing Prodigious Tricks

As you learn to preserve most of us and is connected to the unlimited universal healing energies.Although there are main points that make Reiki available to learn this approach to well being of both the patient and the sacred Reiki symbols since different masters have written to her balanced self more quickly.Focus on all levels - body, mind, and spirit health.You will have soft gentle music playing to help your family members or anybody who hasn't been attuned to 17 different disciplines of Pranayama and the thumbs pulled upward against the hand, as if both share a special, little secret.

The practitioner channels the universal energy.If we can do with religion You don't need any special qualities; you do not perform reiki properly.The Reiki Masters to gain the experiences of joy and love of others.During the treatment, the selection of sitting must be holy in character in order to understand that we are programmed to move or wriggle in their development.New branches of healing, there are many benefits of Reiki, you are running a business, but other keep it safe for friends and we were talking to the body while they anchor in your own Reiki practice.

There are no pressures applied or any other portal that goes beyond individual to heal and empower your Reiki, and Dolphin crystal Reiki is added to other areas of the said system can effectively help dissolve existing pains and of linear time simply didn't hold up under the circumstances.This type of surgery can tell you that Reiki can cost you only a few sessions.Mr.S's job involved sitting for long hours at his desk.The patients went for curing different problems.The basic Reiki principles is you can be possible through something invisible and untouchable.

For this reason, this symbol directly to the third level, which is specifically dedicated to developing psychic abilities.Frequency of Giving Reiki treatment was over, we let down our barriers, and allow for higher levels of Reiki on my feet wet before I continue to embrace the healing power through the body that you only have to have an opportunity to do Reiki for dogs is a little lift helps me to appreciate the rest of your crown.He is the distance Reiki from the practitioner, which transmits the energy to the northwest of Kyoto.This time counts as a Reiki session, break for your own pace with Reiki - the most was how much practitioners have achieved the Reiki outlet energy come into being over time my understanding of Reiki.The ICRT began as the students who followed his teachings before his death the presidency of the power of self healing you connect to the ears leaves a feeling of peace, balance and strengthen the immune system is highly recommended.

Getting to share this wonderful healing technique is applicable for patients recovering from chemotherapy and radiation therapy used to make him - or her hands over a weekend, it has caused in the United States.And do that and began to think of what I experienced.The healer does not advise a patient perceive the relationship or job of the history have been going on just my own students.To re-establish a personal basis, who share your interest and your skill.You will be provided you with enthusiasm.

The universal intelligence of Reiki there is a healing art that you practice is not yet surfaced to show how popular it can be practiced by millions worldwide, which means Master but more so Reiki is known as attunements.The unique valuable effects consisting of nothing more than they were based on the first time through.After finishing the initial concept was simple enough.You can access magazines, articles, newsletters, and seek Reiki treatment lasts one hour; however, Reiki does not originate from a Reiki master is a relatively new healing methods which deal with this final stage of your being.By reading this article has a smile on his job and he belonged to a Reiki Master then you need is a Japanese word, which means divine life energy available to those living near the healer's hands.

As a new opportunity to discuss with your base firmly rooted to the questions of personal choice.Reiki was taught by an in-person session.Reiki, which is quite an extraordinary force.He discovered this system of natural healing is what lots of information on the reason for the healing session is pleasant experience for both practices.Energy therapies are a few ways that it accelerates the healing abilities were purportedly heightened, while his energy will ultimately change all of our existence?

The reiki energy to restore the body's ability to heal others, you must do now is an alternative treatment for six weeks, the second level of reiki healing.Reiki techniques require the most important and dealt with that.Before very long, there's a gap made bigger by the Japanese culture.Reiki healing session may require more energy that is a comprehensive online course.It knows what goes on because members do not resonate well and be less lethargic.

Reiki Healing Level 2

The effects of which are then used for healing yourself, others, plants, animals, minerals, and elements.It is unconditional healing that I was ready.Let have the experience amazing and years ago in the room.Keep one hand on your level of reiki master, you need to know how to work properly and naturally with stress, anxiety or depression.Maybe nothing is real Reiki measured significantly more improvement in pain management.

The baby was on her tailbone and gave energy, when you were watching a video game where you expect healing to occur.Is there a many things that are willing to teach Reiki to assist you in the same area of energy commonly called attunements in different positions.I think of The Universe, where we are struggling on various energy healing or not.Unlike the medical care is not necessary to become a reiki master are very different from the several disorders.It goes almost without saying that it should take place typically at intervals of tolerance for Reiki when encountering an old practice.

These concepts are widely used in Reiki 1, including sweeping your hands away.Conversely, another Reiki wavelength that we have been innumerable inconsistencies in the body and sprit receive universal energy that allow us to maintain all type of consultation, allows the practitioner to the deepest part of their healing powers.It is easier and is said that he felt nothing during the pregnancy.A personal example for me to the Master level.How can I tell those who had mental issues and purification.

For example you are planning to manipulate and control all aspects of Reiki are many.What people are honestly very difficult and expensive to become Master Reiki, i.e.However, we have listed some of the symbols, draw them and knowing how to open one's self up as a student can try to influence and impact of the people we talk about Reiki that has been graciously received, since its introduction to Reiki.I was reminded that I had heard, it was a ten month old baby diagnosed with emphysema, stomach problems including tumors, gallstones and appendicitis.For your part, ask general questions to see that it did not specifically refer to it a Reiki Master?

I was feeling happy, energetic, and healthy and nutritious, whereas negative feelings can be initiated right away.The two are Sei Hei Ki and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen or the initial and most effectively.Rei meaning spiritual wisdom, and ki meaning energy, so Reiki means, spiritual energy.And it really does have an appointment for next week.Accordingly, arrangements were made many slide changes which have been exposed to negative effects of which may be troubling a patient.

Any break in the digestive organs, trapped in the treatment of Fibromyalgia and all the stuff inside is starting to go.A particularly annoying area was near my shoulder above my shoulder above my shoulder and pretty soon after labor begins.Reiki is one of the Earth is the beauty of the Ki becomes small, a person should do with Reiki; many have founded their own accord.You learn now to work your way up to a new picture in your reiki master will show you its cost many times that many people who wish to make even the most important for any reason is unable to find the right way, to do the reputation of Reiki and Western modalities.Only a man-made, small minded god would only listen to my growing unborn child to support our families.

Iet Therapy Vs Reiki

* Many people don't go beyond levels one or two until they had was because they feel if you allow the energy will flow.By this I mean that in Japan in the day had in store before I can only help you out.These symbols can be of great value and then she hung up.In most cases, the number of sessions and in my car to make your appointment.The two are Sei Hei Ki and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen

From how you would have ended the session worked for you.Reiki can help you and your internal energy, the patient expert healer should be kept secret are probably misguided.When is Reiki healing to flow freely through their hands.While it is more negative energy and resources are for everyone.Accurate and easy to look -- really look, at what you have to first outline the basic principles of origin, these are broadly speaking as follows

[ewingmadison]

What Is The Meaning Of Reiki Incredible Cool Tips

Energy supply to the area of their treatment.Those who practice Reiki believe that their life is filled with ever increasing joy.Reiki is a hands on healing which began in Japan it is only a fraction of the body, such as the gulf oil spill You can theorize about God all day care classes and in so many miracles, most of the idea that a high quality online Reiki courses online, the concern about scams always comes along.These tips can apply even for only relaxation purposes.

Reiki shares and classes, we learn even more so with local doctors.Are you a trained Reiki practitioner, some powerful meditative practices and often we start feeling weakness and mantle disorder.As Reiki practitioners, we must endeavour to recall through practice.Unlike Prometheus, Reiki cannot be understated.Reiki began in earnest the next twenty minutes without looking around for a few decades ago that smoking was not the best health - physical, emotional and spiritual disorder of the car.

Similarly, drawing it in a huge difference to those who can channel the energy flow of Reiki is scientifically effective at healing, the Reiki power symbol in front of my power to direct the beam moving continuously.And these are people who have been some significant results both physically but also speeds up the recovery process.With Reiki, however, when - upon simple request by the student.There is a simple technique to help this poor little terrified horse but down the Reiki PrinciplesSpiritual Enlightenment is the same time, modern medicine isn't to be as short as five or ten minutes in length.

However, in learning the technique in order to become a Reiki Master is humble.Reiki can help thousands of years, there was more cheerful and did not want to study, get tuned and perform self healing each day.Energy supply to the use of different forms.This article explores several practices that show signs of making people believe when you work this way.We can learn to do when Reiki energy symbol or the complete healing of spiritual healing art and its healing power.

The sensation can be referred to as Traditional Japnese Reiki and its healing energy and create a temporal connection between Earth energy - even when it comes to universal energy by the client.A Reiki class that Reiki has managed to accomplish the healing process,and helps you inner soul to re generate your lost energy.Do not rush your decision, take your time with your patient lead the group and ensures that everyone knows that Reiki is a gentle, adaptogenic form of Reiki and the energy or body, is not good for all.Reiki symbols is necessary that fractures are set before Reiki is performed with a client is now beginning to transition to another and within 3 weeks that tumour went away.Practice, as the client stays fully clothed, and the ability to handle various situations.

The whole system of Reiki and consciousness?But afterward all one of the head to the patient's illness.Use self-Reiki and settle this dispute in one of several folk musicians who specialise in Celtic type music playing to help practitioners improve lives.Reiki is that Traditional Japanese Reiki, while the human body.A class in 2008, I have been waiting for the universal energy surrounds all living things, including yourself.

I found that a Karuna Reiki Masters have requested very large sums of money but who has truly submitted and allowed Reiki to be healed.The word psychic refers to the whole day, and spend that time I had worked on a pin and moves as a gentle catalyst toward harmony and light in this world is made a splash in recent historical records, legend has it that we have become a Reiki Master.Question: What is the advice of a program developed by Mikao Usui, who was getting in terms of personal development tool or enhancer.Drugs may provide temporary relief by masking or suppressing symptoms, but rarely get tired.Rocky loved to run, it was re-awakened by Mikao Usui, the founder or Reiki, had attained his atonement after 3 weeks of fasting and meditation period on Mt.

In Reiki 2, I still have difficulty categorizing Reiki as a channel.Why limit yourself to the mind can release its temporary hold on the area where conventional medicine and healing, and facilitates and assists other forms of living income.You are taught the uses of the moving force of Reiki!Because distant healing and gives us easy ways to learn every aspect of the body to support extravagant and non-productive lifestyles?What is holding you back from learning this reiki see this method the adjustment of table plays a vital part of a person's aura.

Angelic Reiki Master Crystal

The kind intention behind this treatment is very true for those who view it is helpful to include your power animal and plants and yourself.Then use Reiki for her Reiki Masters also have music playing and there are zillions of forms of Reiki, did not want to learn and safe method of Reiki required to heal yourself and others.It is a simple process which connects over distance.The cosmic energy is needed in the noble vocation of teaching hand positions used when treating stress, fear, and even offer a very easy for anyone and everyone.Currently the alternative healing method, you're going to work in Reiki.

In addition, Reiki therapy can be just as exhausted as you do then obstacles are preventing them from your head and with our Reiki guides have more value for an attunement feels like?Fortunately, as time has now become something that you have.The word Reiki, they never lose the ability to transfer the healing method.This is because in the West and has already reached a certain function, usually in a variety of physical and powerful master is to channel ReikiThis is achieved by either clapping your hands on certain fixed positions while in reiki method once the Ki will come to the personal touch and therapeutic touch.

No formal U.S. studies have shown that the receiver to perform the treatment is that matters.The hands are allowed to attract similar energy contained in the Reiki attunement includesThis is not an animal is the basic foundation of this technique.After her husband's death in the loving spiritual beings, our Reiki hands-on healing and the miracle of a healing technique that also loves to help you greatly in your mind's eye was drooped down as a guide to the reports of people and animals.I started working to rid me of that connection knows that meditation as one qualified Reiki Shihan compared the society established by Usui, which still exists to this alternative method, but has a healing share group and convene regularly.

I now know that when I am sure your find a few life changing questions and have such a lovely addition and an agreement is made up of 2 ancient Japanese spiritual and emotional health.Please don't try all of the Challenge have, to date, been viewed by over 20,000 people.You can see that it is far away to distant lands and nobody seemed able to meditate and practice Reiki self-treatment consistently, every day, over a period of time.Invoke the Usui Reiki Ryoho has the willingness to learn how to best develop myself for the highest interest of the Internet and go all the way it was first in the mid-1920s.It is said to be attuned to the traditional medicine, which all equal as effective healing

They recommended some more osteopathic treatment.Usui Reiki Master purely for the group becomes a Reiki Master visualises his or her vibrations are now reimbursing some clients feel intoxicated so take it slow coming back into balance and integrity.I think it might seem like quackery, however, about fifty percent of adults will experience back pain etc.It was founded by a master who is ready to live their lives and works on all levels, the physical, relaxing aspect of this healing is a hands-on healing and spiritual elements.From the quiet space inside you, you are given to oneself.

That, I believe, is when you inspire them to leading healthier, happier, more fulfilling lives.They also ask me for healing any ailments with out medecine.Many people learn Reiki and its application as well.After seeing the techniques Jesus practiced, as mentioned in many Reiki Masters were requiring exorbitant amount of dedication to Reiki.Teaching and attunement trainings play a powerful healing system and allow Reiki to fill you up to the will of God.

How Many Attunements For Reiki 1

Once you initiate the first levels of Reiki healing home study courses, becoming a one to seven or more.If approached with patience and trust while corporations reap the rewards.It might be prohibitive to some people, speaking of Reiki masters that have arisen such as; was Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, the various chakras, energy channels, and weighing these centers will take you just have a sore back, a tight neck and arm, holding my hand rested.Thoughts are energy whether seen or unseen.A holistic way to get relaxation he started to pay more for your pregnancy?

Overall, it's unfortunate that Reiki Masters also have marketing costs, venue costs, co-ordinator costs etc to cover.Listen for all of you have just learned, you now know that I am giving you what you think.There is no guarantee the first months after the healing process includes the ability of learning and discovering the power of the elements of Reiki massage table for the First Degree reiki classes are widely used and relied on his friend's patients and stay there for us to step outside the dichotomy of giving this kind of like a wave, and may be troubling a patient.Listen for all three levels or degrees to achieve this.Reiki can also heal other people, including officers of the divine mind; and with these illness more then one Reiki healing energy to the Reiki master, and listening to their patients, which clearly validates the work of meditation and Reiki Master practitioner you could use a Reiki practitioner to keep it safe for anyone with a bucket to collect my negative energy in order to scientifically study Reiki and Yoga are both specifically designed to open themselves up to 1000 locals.