#power is a draining force and if they can’t control it they’ll all destroy themselves

[tofu-bento-box]

my mind is a machine that turns superpowers into chronic illnesses

[permafusion-stevonnie]

So this idea isn’t leaving my head. While I’m not going to get it started for now, since I want to concentrate on my current Stevonnie comic, ideas are still ticking away and I just really wanted to draw this cover for the idea.

Maybe I’ll get its own page started in time. I’ll let you know if I do. But even if I did, I wouldn’t expect regular updates to it, not while I’m working on Together Forever.

I want to quickly say something that I think some people may have gotten confused about when I was talking about the Fallout Universe before:

Crystal Gems are still called Crystal Gems, but their role is similar, but not the same as the Brotherhood of Steel. In that they are isolationists, who will try to protect humanity from dangerous gem technology, and corrupted gems. they aren’t bothered with human mutants, human problems, or human technology. But I feel that, ove time, Steven will help their character growth away from this and help them, at least, start opening up to the local comminuty and helping where they can.

Homeworld Authority is still called Homeworld, or The Authority, but take on a similar role to the Enclave. They view themselves as the rightful masters of earth and they’re automatically more superior to any other lifeform by birthright.

I have been thinking over what could have occurred to create this world, how’s this for a (work in progress) backstory: (ended up a lot longer than I thought it would, so I’m space saving by putting in this break)

The Gem colonisation of earth happened later than it did in canon. A couple of thousand years, maybe. Unlike the 6000 years ago in canon, it was perhaps 5000, or maybe 4000 years ago. Enough for a bigger human civilisation to take part in the gem war for earth.

Pink still gets her colony started, still changes her mind about it, and finally chooses to become Rose Quartz to lead the rebellion. I think the human zoo will still be made, because I like the idea of that being around to give a mash-up of the human zoo and the mother ship zeta dlc from Fallout 3.

What really diverges from the timeline is when the rebellion starts fighting back with larger groups of human allies. 4000 (or 5000) years ago we are talking some good military strategies, chariots, bows and arrows, cavalries and tactics, etc. Some research will be needed to really flesh out the lore.

Homeworld, facing a bigger threat than a hundred or so rebels, puts a little more effort into research and development of newer technologies to counteract the human strategies. Nothing develops technologies quite like war.

Rose and the others start capturing some technologies from Homeworld and start studying them to not only understand them, but even attempting to reverse engineer them. They obviously won’t be able to replicate the weapons in form, but hope to do so in function.

This is where Scribes would come in for the Crystal Gems are the replacement for the Brotherhood of Steel that I’ve talked about before. Some Gems and some clever humans, would dedicate themselves to trying to understand the newer Gem technology they’re starting to see.

With inventive people like Bismuth to build their own version of it.

The actual Gem Technology will be locked away in the temple- or whatever name I may give it- but the remake versions that the Crystal Gems turn out will be spread far and wide.

I’m just thinking off the top of my head, but it’d be like- if they tried to make their own version of the gem destabiliser, it would be like a giant tuning fork hooked up to something similar to a large Baghdad Battery (google it, it’s kinda cool) that they would carry in a backpack.

The war would carry on like that, with Homeworld making new tech to combat the threat, sooner or later the rebellion captures some, they make their own version of it, and Homeworld makes new tech to combat the threat.

This drain on resources does take its toll on Homeworld though, and their war against earth is perhaps much shorter, between 300 and 800 years, I haven’t decided yet.

Things do play out similar to canon though. Homeworld decides to abandon earth as a lost cause, implant the Cluster so they’ll get something out of the deal and the three Diamonds blast the earth with their powers as a final middle finger to the rebels.

Gems are destroyed, except for the original Crystal Gems, and Bismuth! Canon Bismuth made a lot of regular weapons and armour and the rebellion was still losing. She was driven to making the Breaking Point because she didn’t think they had a chance of winning any other way. In this new canon, however, because Bismuth was working on newer and newer weapons all the time, each one she was confident would help turn the tide of the war, she never had chance to work on the ultimate weapon of the Breaking Point. She may have designed it, or may have the idea kicking around the back of her mind, but never got around to building it. 

Rose does her thing of finding somewhere isolated to live in both peace and regret for the war. This is where the Crystal Gems become isolationists

With the Gems gone, humans are left to their own devices with all this more advanced technology than they should have in this point in history. Tech continues to develop with this head start.

Fast forward to the year 1929 and people are living lives as you’d see in the Fallout universe in the 2070′s. Nuclear fulled cars, robot assistants, laser rifles and power armour and all that other stuff.

The reason I chose 1929 is two-fold. The first Fallout game was set 84 years after the nuclear war, and 84 years after 1929 is the year 2013; the year Steven Universe first aired.

The failing of the world is the same reason the Fallout universe failed. Resources started to become scarce, wars started over what remained and the whole thing was escalated by a race that may have been too young to fully understand the forces they were really dealing with, having come a long way, but still too fast, thanks to the ancient interference.

Nuclear hellfire rained down and some people took their shelter in the vaults, while everyone else had to find ways to survive outside.

Rose and the Gems stick to their isolation as humanity all but wipes itself out. Rose is heartbroken to see the beautiful world that she fought so hard for, so easily destroyed. There can be a lot to explore there. Maybe Rose will leave the group, maybe she’ll just wander off and be alone a lot but still return to the temple eventually. I haven’t decided yet.

Perhaps all the gems will have some additional guilt, knowing that their old tech is what pushed humanity so far so fast.

Fast forward 70 years and Rose meets a travelling wastelander named Greg. They fall in love. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail here mostly because I haven’t really thought too much about it, but partly because I know I want it to be explored within the story itself to show how different from canon it would be. Not just the flashback elements from “Story for Steven,” and "We Need to Talk," with a Fallout flair. I want to work out some other nice adventures to bring them together.

Rose and Greg come back to Beach City with Rose expecting their baby.

Steven is born and the Gems immediately take custody, with the logic that their secure base is a better place for Steven to grow up than the harsh wasteland. Greg is allowed to visit as often as he likes, but not stay there. Nor is Steven allowed off the base. They want to protect the legacy of their leader, Rose.

I’m going to say that Steven starts showing hints of Gem powers around 10 years old. Nothing he can control. Perhaps his Gem glows when he’s really happy, if he falls down some steps his bubble forms but immediately pops so it’s just enough to save him from injury. Little things like that.

But this serves as a point where The Gems start “encouraging” Greg to visit less and leave the raising of Steven to them, as his upbringing has now become “Gem Business”

Steven may have snuck off the base once or twice to see the world beyond the base, but after this he’ll do it a lot more often to see his dad and the Beach City settlement.

I think Bismuth suspects he sneaks off but both can’t prove it, and doesn’t want to try and prove it, Garnet knows but says nothing, both of them are letting Steven have his fun, and Pearl has no idea he does it.

Amethyst is not part of the group in the beginning, she’s out as part of a raider gang somewhere. Thank you to theyarheeguy for giving me that idea, and many others, to work with.

A total of 84 years after the bombs dropped, Steven is now 12 years old, sneaking off the base for another visit to town, when he spots a pretty young girl dressed in a strange blue jumpsuit, emerging from a hidden trapdoor that was underneath the old Beach City water-tower.

Steven is 12 because I believe that’s how old he was when the show started. Based on the timeline, the passing of the seasons and so on, he has to have a 13th birthday that we don’t see on screen, before we do see his 14th birthday.

[astrognossienne]

birthdays: 4 - the unabashed social climber

My dabbling in birthday numerology has resulted in a ridiculously viral and classic post on my tumblr that goes through all the birthdays. The total sum of all birthdays essentially adds up to a range of numbers 1-9. In that post, I provided snapshots of the personalities of these birthdays. Now, here, on my website, I shall expound further as to why I came to these conclusions. To continue this series, we'll get into my other least favourite birthday number: 4.

4, 13, 22, 31: humanitarians, romantic, penetrating, provocative, faithful, pragmatic, reserved, immature, nakedly ambitious, tries too hard to be omnipotent, controversy always seems to surround them, savage for no reason, prides themselves on being infallible but are utterly fallible, know-it-alls, critical, anxious, smart-mouthed yet very sensitive (almost too much so), proud, tries hard to be individualistic but in reality is just like everyone else, very shady, can be and is often very disrespectful, patronizing and egotistical, needs their ass kissed, due to their vast insecurity and inherent inadequacy they have a need to conquer others and if they can’t do so then they will try very hard to destroy them, wayyy too sensitive and resorts to being caustic and abusive when they’re hurt (which is all the time), tries too hard to act/look/talk hard, can be tough but sweet, can be quite judgmental, always working, likes to one-up people, needs control and is often very self-controlled, often fake, passive-aggressive, very opportunistic and savvy, great at making friends, very contradictory and hypocritical, often very talented and hardworking, competitive, inspires others, wants to be known as kind and great in everyone’s eyes, almost always supremely unlikable individuals, often downright repulsive, has low self-esteem and projects it on others, often has hidden motives, adroit in using people’s emotions for their own ends

I think I pretty much summed them up there. Those who have these birthdays (especially those born on the 4th and 22nd) are the ones who I'm the most indifferent towards and amused by, but in the interest of fairness, let's dive into the psyche of these people, because if nothing else, they're moderately interesting psychological case studies.

When I think of 4's, I think of the character Eve Harrington in the classic film All About Eve. They're hurt, bitter, broken, miserable insecure bitches and often have low self-esteem and inadequacies within themselves, but they cover it up with false "self-love" and "assertiveness" which is actually condescension, aggressiveness, cockiness, and arrogance. This is evidenced in their unabashed social climbing they do. All social climbing have one thing in common: they seek to increase the social climber status by attacking and taking status away from others. They revel in this, since in their mind it secures their power over others, which is very important to them. They're often sad cases with attitude problems. They can’t, or don’t know how to reconcile their pain in a healthy way, so they direct it back out in mean, cruel, and insensitive ways - hurting others just because they were hurt. This process works only briefly, and usually generates extreme guilt in the person, making them stop for awhile. But, the pain of their past hasn’t been healed, so once again they try to bleed off the pain by hurting someone by being mean or rude. It’s like draining the pressure in a boiler. They know they’re inferior and broken, so they take it out full force on the people they envy and those whose true authentic power that they want. They often say what they don't mean. They're also forces of nature, and they somehow always seem to draw deep emotions out of people, and a lot for people seem to be deeply drawn to them. Fours, in turn, are often drawn by those who know how to control their emotions and make them work for them as well as those who have a deeper well of emotion than they and aren't scared of displaying it.

They have the amusing paradox of being mean AND hypersensitive at the same time, but the key is if one feels that these people are actually worth the time you have to take to get to know them, ignore their natural walls, abnormal need for control, rudeness and meanness, and love them anyway. If one can get through to that hurting part and heal and love it, these individuals can be loyal and even amazing friends for life. (incidentally, it's for this reason that I always seem to see these individuals deeply connected to 2's, 5's and 9's because I think 4's sense in them a kindred spirit, or someone they can use this strange type of "love" on and still feel accepted. But I'll cover those numbers at a later date). It might seem crazy, but a common way these people try and pull their partner/friends close is by expressing anger (of which there is a lot of) and unneeded childish aggression, often ruthlessly attacking perceived weaknesses.  It usually works in the opposite way (unfortunately), but often underneath the anger is a strong plea for connection and love. The anger is a mask of protest about not getting that love. They like to create conflict and are very restless. They’re whiny and their edginess is based on their M.O. that "people want to hurt me; I must hurt them first to be safe". They’re often very petty and very small and are too selfish to show any real compassion for those going through a tough time or a tragedy, often pouring salt on the wound (although strangely enough, they're often touted as paragons of compassion and virtue).

They're not satisfied with the ordinary, and more often than not they do tend to lead extraordinary lives. They have an accessibility and a mystery at the same time. They can be calm and insanely disciplined. But they are also very fiery and passionate, and often make rash and headstrong decisions and can be very immature and insecure about themselves because of the need for balance that the number 4 suggests. They can also (only when seriously evolved) be inspirational, using their talents to move masses of people in a way very few can, such as Barack Obama (August 4), and obnoxious personalities like Beyoncé (September 4), her husband Jay-Z (December 4), and their friend Justin Timberlake (January 31 [another classic case of the low-level 4]). They are victims masquerading as warriors and use their victimhood as a weapon and other opportunistic tactics to cement their power. However, there is a lot of fixed-sign-esque (especially that of a Leonine/Scorpionic nature) ego associated with the number 4, and this requires everyone to bow down and kiss their ass. If the 4 doesn't get this type of treatment, then they'll destroy everything and everyone in their wake to assuage their hurt feelings and damaged ego, such as it is in the case of Meghan Markle (also born on August 4) and what she and her husband Harry are currently doing to the Royal Family.

Meghan tried to gain unconditional and total acceptance from them/England/the world. Since she didn't get it, she and Harry took their ball and went home" by backing out of the Royal Family and the duties associated with it and moving with their children to America, effectively cutting themselves off from Harry's grandmother, brother, and ailing grandfather. Which brings me to another point about 4's: they like to do things on their own terms, often alienating others along the way to satisfy themselves. Now that Meghan has had time to think about the "abuse" that she feels that she has received, she's going to get her ultimate revenge by trying to destroy the Royal Family with allegations of racism and mental/emotional abuse. Note: it wasn't a problem when they were courting, and it wasn't a problem when they got married, but since she didn't get the "kid glove" treatment she wanted, now they're a "racist family". I often wonder, if the firm/tabloids/press went after Princess Diana so brutally, as blonde-haired, blue-eyed and pretty as she was, what did Markle honestly expect? This speaks to the 4s often shocking naivety. Also, Markle kept referring to Kate Middleton in her interview, so that means that she's fixated on Kate as a point of envy. This is how hate and negative emotions will cause things to change and often unnecessarily so.

On the positive side (only when evolved), 4's can be active, hard-working, systematic, diligent, careful, objective, firm, introverted, serious, patient, reserved, thoughtful, sensible, analytic, calm, orderly and loyal. For those born on the 4th, 13th, 22nd, and 31st, this describes them in a nutshell.

[greenjudy]

Inquisitor Ask Meme

Reposting this for fun.

Anyone else want to take a crack? What kind of Inky would you be?

@allsortsoflicorice? @tyramir ? Bueller?

1. Race:

Human.

2. Class/Specialization:

Rift mage.

3. Your homeland?

The Free Marches. Wycome, to be precise. 

4. Your family?

Keep my family out of this; they have things to do besides die.

5. Who were you before?

A Circle Mage of some skill and much fear. Given my personality, the Circle would probably not cater to my strengths. It would make me more nervous and paranoid than I already am. The Inquisition would force me out of my comfort zone and give me some resilience I would never otherwise develop. Left to my own devices, I’d fall prey to obsession, and possibly possession by a Pride demon.  

6. Would you be religious?

I’ve read a lot of books by Brother Genitivi and Philliam! A Bard; I’m actually using my clout as Inquisitor to gather whatever is known about the Black City. You might say I’m an originist, I want to know where we came from; Andraste is kind of late on the scene for my interests. 

Post-Trespasser, this quest will more or less eat my brain.

Short answer: obsessed with “religious” subject matter, not religious per se. 

7. Do you have a mabari?

Nope. But I spoil Cullen’s baby. 

8. Your opinion on other races?

Raised to “not be racist” (as far as that goes) in cosmopolitan, edgy, free-wheeling Wycome; family with a ton of Dwarven trading connections. Angry about the elves. Knew loads of elven enchanters in the Circle, but I have awkward awareness of human privilege around the Dalish. 

Fascinated by the Shaperate. Wish all Thedas had those. Can you imagine? 

Worried about the Qun, but deeply impressed with the handful of Qunari I’ve met in person. Not mindless drones at all. Disciplined. Community first has some virtues, must say. 

9. What would Varric’s nickname for you be?

Baffler.

10. What would your tarot card look like?

The High Priestess: an older, abbess-looking chick standing at a scriptorium, surrounded by magical paraphrenalia and a gorgeous view out my high window. Raven (with message) standing on the windowsill.

11. Where would you hang out in Skyhold?

My bespoke mage tower, if I’m not in the Undercroft picking Dagna’s brain. Do a little weeding in the herb garden from time to time; we’re growing some fascinating things in there. 

After Solas leaves, I’d go spend time in the destroyed holding cells, watching the water fall.  

12. What would you do for fun?

Study. Knit. Paint. Visit my horses; the smell of horses is very comforting. 

I’d have highly technical arguments with Dorian and spend a lot, a lot, a lot of time talking to Solas.

13. What armor would you wear?

Cutting-edge tactical enchanted fabric. Light, layered, tweedy, enchanted.

I’d probably get sucked into magical materials research, specifically, making improvements to armor base-layers. I’m obsessed with armor. I have a whole research group (headed by Dagna, Cullen consulting) devoted to armor improvement.

14. What would your room look like?

Given the state of my current room, a chaotic mess of books, papers, research tools, letters from colleagues, blueprints, schematics, dirty dishes, orchids, and automata (Josie and I would be doll-geeks together).

15. Who would be your friends at Skyhold?

I try to make sure that the Inner Circle understands how much I appreciate them as a general rule. 

As for friends: 

Cassandra is one of the great ones. Just about the best person I know. Never met anyone so ready to acknowledge her mistakes. I’d trust her to be the next Divine. 

Dorian is a dear. One of the best sounding-boards. Somebody peel that man a grape. 

Cullen and Josephine are terrific advisors, couldn’t ask for better, their own problems of course, we’re all doing our best. I’d like to know Cullen better—suspect we have things, Circle things, to talk about. In another life, maybe. 

I’d get on with Varric—everyone gets on with Varric, come on—but I find him ultimately very armored, hard to know. Hid his best friend, didn’t he? Never talks about the lady he loves. 

Sera is actually easy to understand. Raw genius with a bow, one of the best to have along, out in the field. Not exactly my friend. So down on the Dalish. It’s her business, though. She and Dagna are adorable together. She makes Dagna happy, that’s good enough for me. 

I have a bit of a GP for the Iron Bull. (He had me at “front-line bodyguard.”) Never acted on it, though.

Solas is my… see… well, see below. 

16. Would you have any friends outside of the Inquisition?

I’d have the Thedas version of LinkedIn comrades in Antiva, Nevarra, and Orlais—researchers all. Plus one brilliant friend who’s a materials mage based out of Denerim, working with Sandal on woven metal enchantments; call her my “knitting buddy.”

17. Who wouldn’t you get along with?

Leliana would trouble me. Don’t like having someone this emotional and vindictive managing our intel networks. It’s bad juju, Ambassador; can’t trust her judgment, can you? And that feels like a loose end. Put us in a tight spot someday. Couldn’t we ask Varric…? No, I quite see that. Still. 

I’d understand Vivienne, and try to maintain a cordial relationship because I think most of her head is in the right place, even though she is entirely too power-oriented for a real friendship. 

Blackwall’s “find Darkspawn, kill them, repeat” approach would bother me. When I found out the truth about him, it would confirm my feeling that you need to lie to yourself, a lot, to just have enemies and kill them without compunction. I would also find myself highly influenced by Solas’s take on the Wardens. 

18. Who would you romance?

I’m a Circle mage who’s watched close friends be tormented by romantic love. Demonic possession and Tranquility. Babies taken away. This is not the kind of conditioning that disappears just because you take me out of a Circle. In my youth I worked it out by restricting myself to impossible love objects—there was this one Templar, very stern, very disciplined…he’d barely speak to me… Well. That was many years ago. 

That said, the best impossible love object I’ve ever encountered in my life is Solas. 

What does it matter, really? Bonds of friendship, don’t you know; romantic love leads to envy demons. I’m old now, at any rate. Inquisigeezer not exactly a romanceable character. 

19. Would you do pranks with Sera?

Probably not. Too busy. Too tired. Feel too much sympathy for her innocent victims. 

But I would do operations with Sera, with pleasure. 

20. Would you sleep with the Iron Bull (casually if not romance)?

My front-line bodyguard? Get on with you. It would get too complicated—for me, I mean, not him. 

21. Would you keep Cole around?

Yes. And I’d agonize about what would be the best path for him to take, and probably make him a spirit.

22. Can you play the game (politics)?

Yes. I’m better at it the more distant it is. If you’re talking about what to say at a party, I’ve developed a persona for that sort of thing. Stakes are high. Can’t be fooling around. A mage, remember? This guard drops, I get possessed; lose my temper, might incinerate you, can’t have that. 

23. What would be on your tombstone in the fade (What are you afraid of)?

“The world fell apart on my watch.”

24. Who would you recruit to seal the breach?

Mages. I understand mages. Their leadership’s been simply awful. Not sure what Fiona did with her spine. Without decent leadership, it’s mages running amok, trying to protect themselves, doing awful things out of fear; can’t have that, they’ll pull their own house down. Get them out of the weeds, stick ‘em in the Inquisition, give them a chance to show what they can do for the right cause. 

25. Opinion on Mages versus Templars?

It’s all about training, though, isn’t it? Templars and mages both need much, much better training. Without training, without a penetrating education with a solid grasp of magical theory, history, ethics—co-train the mages and templars, make ‘em take core courses together. Make them work together in strike teams; I’ve been doing that since we recruited ‘em, they actually partner well, as long as you’re not, you know, mad.

I would become obsessed (do you see the recurrence of this word) with the idea that mages could be Seeker-trained to resist possession and mind control, obviating the need for Tranquility. These disciplined (another key word) and trustworthy mages could be placed in a position of joint authority with properly educated Templars to create a College of Magi with research cells all over Thedas…

Yeah. We’ll see how that works out.

26. Who would be put in charge of Orlais and why?

Celine and Briala. Celine is the one with the right temperament, and for some reason I viscerally understand Briala. I’m all about reparations and integrating elven populations and something something protect the Dalish (can’t we actually give them the Dirth?).

27. Would you sacrifice the Chargers?

I couldn’t.

28. Would you go after Blackwall?

Oh, yes. And I’d keep him on, as Thom Rainier. 

29. Would you drink from the well?

Knowing me? Not knowing the implications except for those vague warnings? Yes, I would, and it would affect me for the rest of my life. 

I’d spend what’s left of myself using whatever insight and connections the Well gave me to work on Solas. 

30. Where would you go if the Inquisition was disbanded?

Under ordinary circumstances, the College. Daresay they’d want me to do something draining and administrative because of my being the (ex)Inquisitor; I’d look for a research niche but probably not get to keep it. 

Solas is not ordinary circumstances. I’d dedicate the rest of my life to that problem. 

31. How do you react to the egg telling you he is an elven god? 

I’d naively and arrogantly imagine that I could—if we could just get enough time to sit down together—he must understand what he’s likely to bring about, he needs people to talk to, dammit—

He would be the death of me, I’m afraid.

[geek-patient-zero]

Prologue (Part 2)

Or: Your Clan Sucks

Blood War: Masquerade of the Red Dead Trilogy Volume 1

Father Naples claims that the Methuselahs were the ones who instituted the Masquerade. Not really true in canon, but let’s go with it for now. The Kindred realized that if humanity continued knowing that they existed, they’ll overwhelm them with sheer numbers and wipe them out. Under the Masquerade, Kindred had to hide their true natures and the existence of vampires in general from humans, on penalty of death. And it worked. Despite being fed on by them for over two thousand years, humanity forgot the existence of vampires after a few centuries, remembering them only as myths and legends. Now relatively safe, the Methuselahs sired more vampires, who sired more and so on, and in secret, apparently gained control of the world from the shadows.

Since one vampire could in theory create infinite more vampires, Reuben asks why, if all this is true, the earth isn’t overrun with vampires. Father Naples tells him about the Six Traditions, which the Masquerade is one of. He doesn’t go into detail, so here’s a link if you’re curious. The relevant Tradition is the third one, which says a vampire can’t sire another vampire unless daddy an elder vampire gives permission. If you played Bloodlines, this may sound familiar. Father Naples claims that the elder vampires keep the number of vampires low. Apparently the rule is one vampire for “tens of thousands of humans.” Given the different vampire factions this probably isn’t followed exactly worldwide. The point is vampires control their populations so they don’t overpopulate and wipe out their main food source. Keeping populations low also means that newer kindred generations can’t grow more numerous than the older ones and, well, you know. That’s left unsaid by the third Tradition.

Reuben’s next question is how kindred maintain their influence over the world when they can’t do anything when the sun’s up. Father Naples explains ghouls to him, and here there might be some divergence from modern canon. 

You know Renfield from Dracula? A ghoul’s basically that. They’re humans that a vampire regularly feeds their own blood to, but whose blood isn’t drained out first so they don’t turn into vampires themselves. They stop aging and gets some enhanced strength, survivability, and other goodies as long as they get their fix. In exchange for their free will, that is. A ghoul becomes utterly devoted to their master, doing anything for them even if the ghoul hates their master, like an unholy combination of a stalker, junkie, and slave. It’s a really shitty thing to do to someone.

Father Naples doesn’t mention that bit about losing their free will. He just thinks they’re traitors and devil worshipers. Thing is, I don’t think it’s just Naples being an unreliable narrator. Throughout the book, except for maybe one instance, it isn’t brought up, and ghouls come across more like regular people who just knowingly work for vampires in exchange for their blood. There’s some mention of possession, like his ghoul or her ghoul, but if they’re still stalker-junkie-slaves in this story it doesn’t come across. The writing is very expository even after the prologue, so believe me, you’d notice if that was how ghouls were supposed to work here.

Reuben then asks about the Camarilla and the Sabbat. Now we get to talk about everyone’s favorite V:TM subject: factions and clans. First he discusses the Camarilla, and the seven clans (at the time) that makes up the bulk of it. Father Naples seems to define the sects more by their opinion on the Antediluvians as a threat than their structure or how they operate.

“The Camarilla believe that the Antediluvians met the Final Death when the Second City was destroyed. They feel that the basic threat to the Kindred comes from the possibility that mankind someday might learn that vampires are real. The Masquerade governs their actions. They are the traditionalists among Caine’s decendants.”

He goes on to define the clans in the Camarilla.

“The Ventrue are power mongers, the unofficial leaders of the sect.”

Eat the rich before the rich eat you. Naples summed it up well enough: they’re old money aristocratic fucks who believe they’re meant to be leaders of vampirekind, and thus are most likely to be Princes, the guys in charge of a city. They’re famous for the Dominate discipline, a group of powers that allow them to force others to obey their commands.

One interesting thing about the Ventrue that doesn’t get covered in this book is their clan curse. They can only drink the blood of certain kinds of people. In Bloodlines, this translated to a Ventrue character being unable to feed from hobos and prostitutes without barfing it back up half the time. Think of some snooty rich New Englander turning his nose up at a Happy Meal. In the tabletop, this preference tends to be more specific. Sometimes very specific, like that same snooty rich New Englander absolutely loving Burger King but not being able to eat anything else. Sometimes, a little too specific.

There’s this Ventrue guy in the lore, Jan Pieterzoon... I’m probably gonna get shit for this since he’s a character in the popular Clan Wars novels. Janny Boy here can only drink the blood of rape victims.

Uh huh. Wasn’t kidding when I said that this franchise can get try-hard edgy.

TVtropes’ V:TM character page lists Jan as a Nice Guy, but also mentions under Kick the Dog that he once had to arrange for someone to get raped in order to survive. This might be more on TVtropes being full of fucked up contributors, but still. In the recent V5 of the tabletop, a change was made that Ventrue can feed from people other than their preference, though they won’t get as much “nourishment” from it. Sounds like it helps avoid situations like Jan. Who’s dead now, by the way. Final Death dead. That helps.

“The Toreador are involved in the arts.”

Father Naples doesn’t seem to be all that interested in the Toreador as that’s all he says about them. Commonly rich socialite types, if the Prince of a city isn’t a Ventrue, chances are they’re a Toreador.  They’re big into art, yeah, but they’re also the clan that works the closest with humans and are obsessed with beauty. So obsessed that they can be distracted by something they find beautiful, ignoring anything else until they can either muster the willpower to tear their eyes away or, more likely, one of their friends drags their pretty ass away from the shiny thing.

Their art, by the way? Fucking sucks. Toreador are terrible artists. There’s a neat reason for this; when they’re Embraced, become vampires, they’re said to lose much of their passion and creative spark. That, and they’re emotionally and artistically stunted to the era they were Embraced in no matter how long they live; something that’s apparently inspired by Anne Rice vampires. Their love and obsession with what they find beautiful is a way for them to hold on to their humanity, and art is in service to that. It’s beautifully tragic. 

Not that your character is going to care when they have to deal with Vampire Squidward showing off Bold and Brash Belongs in the Trash. You can’t say anything about it either, because that Toreador is probably powerful enough that they can have either you or someone you love killed. You’re not even safe if you’re playing a Toreador because even Toreador don’t like other Toreador art. As with humans, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and what’s considered beautiful varies from one Toreador to another. So they shit on each other’s work and call each other poseurs.

There’s maybe three Toreador in the book, and they’re all background characters. Only one of them gets a line or two of dialogue. I get the feeling Robert Weinberg wasn’t a big Toreador fan.

“The Tremere are a line of vampire wizards...”

Insert What We Do In the Shadows quote here.

“...who rose to prominence in the Middle Ages.”

Unlike the most of the other clans, the Tremere didn’t originate from an Antediluvian. The original ones were mages, members of the now technically extinct House Tremere led by Lord Tremere, who turned themselves into vampires with magic in order to obtain immortality. They lost all their cool powers in the change, so they had to invent blood magic, which they call Thaumatergy. It’s both a specific Discipline (vampire power) and a general term for blood magic.

You might be wondering, if they became vampires via magic and didn’t come from an Antediluvian, wouldn’t that mean there are fourteen clans, not thirteen? Well, one of he original thirteen clans were the Salubri. They were the healer class among vampires and were dedicated to finding a certain kind of enlightenment. Y’know, to make the Tremere look like extra big pricks for what they’re about to do to them. Lord Tremere, now a vampire, finds and diablerizes (more on that another time) the Salubri Antediluvian, and then Clan Tremere wiped out most of the Salubri. So now they’re one of the thirteen clans.

While they never wiped out another clan, this screwing over of the Salubri was part of a trend with the Tremere. The magic potion, spell, or whatever they used that turned them into vampires in the first place? Made by experimenting on vampires. They also created Gargoyles by performing blood magic rituals on unwilling vampires from other clans. So, despite a propaganda campaign advertising that no, really, the Salubri had it coming, and the fact that they gained legitimacy as a clan and became a part of the Camarilla, other vampires generally hate the shit out of the Tremere and don’t trust them even remotely.

We’ll be seeing the Tremere in more depth later in the story, including this book’s interpetation of the ritual that turned them into vampires.

“The Nosferatu are monstrously ugly because their leader was cursed by Caine. A few of their fourth-generation progeny are rumored to be grotesque monsters, known as the Nictuku.”

Ah, the Nosferatu. Everyone loves the Nosferatu. Like Father Naples says, they’re all horribly deformed; so ugly that even being seen by humans risks breaking the Masquerade since they’re obviously not human. That curse Naples mentioned? The Nosferatu Antediluvian was a vain pretty boy to rival a Toreador, so for his part in killing the Second Generation and destroying Enoch, Caine cursed him and all future Nosferatu generations with ugliness. 

(He actually cursed all thirteen Antediluvians for what they did, hence the clan curses.)

Why does everyone love the Nosferatu? Couple of reasons from what I’ve seen. They’re ugly as hell and generally have to live in the sewers, and while they’ve learned to live with that they’re not really happy about it. On top of that other clans find them repulsive and don’t like being around them. Loneliness, pathos, angst; this is crack to fandom. 

I imagine they’re also fun to design. The standard look for them is Orlok-like, but lore says that each Nosferatu’s deformity is unique. I haven’t tried designing one, but as a wannabe artist I can see the appeal. Just don’t wuss out and make “hot” Nosferatu. 

Speaking of, there’s the monster fuckers in fandom. In this post-Shape of Water world, it’ll take more than looking like Count Orlok and a few lumps to make someone unfuckably ugly. And even if they are, I’ve seen people lust over werewolves, the deathclaws from the Fallout games, all kinds of weird crap. There’s surely someone out there for your lonely Nosferatu.

Oh, and they’re the smart guy of the vampire clans. You know how when people talk about playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Ghostbusters on the playground as kids, and which characters they’d play as? And how there’s always those people who’d say they always picked Donatello or Egon because they were the smart gadget guys who made all their toyetic gear, unlike their dumber friends who stuck with boring old Leonardo and Venkman? That’s the Nosferatu. They don’t really invent anything, but some of them are hackers. They’re also spymasters, using their hacker skills and Obfuscate discipline (turning invisible, mostly) to obtain information others can’t, making them an indispensible part of the Camarilla, or whatever group a Nosferatu is part of.

Finally, as a culture, Nosferatu are the most likely to stick together and look out for each other, united by their shared experiences of having to hide in the shadows and pisswater in order to not break the masquerade and being direspected by the other clans. Nosferatu can scheme and plot like every other vampire in the setting, but at least for survival’s sake, if you’re playing a Nosferatu, you don’t have to worry about your fellow uglies stabbing you in the back (most of the time). Outside the clan, I imagine this trait can easily transfer over to a coterie (V:TM’s word for party) or an OC’s friends.

Yeah, Nosferatu are these angsty, fun to draw, unconventional looking but bangable hackermen that know the Meaning of Friendship and who you can feel sorry for. But there’s another side to the Nosferatu. Fandom looks at these appealing traits, maybe a bit too shallowly, and risk over-glorifying them and missing out on their darker side.

Like I’ve said several times, Nosferatu are ugly, deformed. A lot of them develop a complex over this, along with a strong hatred and jealousy of beautiful people. One thing Nosferatu like to do is find mortals who are stuck up and egotistical about their looks, turn them into Nosferatu, and let their newly grotesque appearance serve as an eternal karmic life lesson. Whether the formerly pretty person was actually a stuck up jerk guilty of vanity or if their sire imagined it is a matter of opinion. Hell, some don’t care about teaching a lesson, embracing beautiful people purely out of jealousy and spite. They have a word for these victims: Cleopatras, named after the villain from Freaks, not the Egyptian queen. It’s like their version of “Chad”, except as the name implies, these poor newly deformed people are usually women.

Am I implying what I think I’m implying? Yep! Your favorite clan is made up partly of proto-incels!

On a lighter note, their differing opinions on beauty make the Nosferatu and Toreador natural enemies... if they’re NPCs. Player characters will be BFFs.

“The Malkavians are tricksters, seemingly mad, but probably more cunning than most imagine.”

The V:TM fandom’s other favorite clan. I don’t have to explain Malkavians to you, do I? Even if you’ve never played Bloodlines I bet you’ve heard people talking about the Malkavian playthrough of the game. At least the part where you can yell at a stop sign?

Malkavians are the “crazy” clan. Said in a more respectful way, they’re the clan whose embrace gives them a form of mental illness, either a real one or a more supernatural one, if they didn’t have one already. These guys are probably the hardest to roleplay well, because there’s a thin line between a respectful portrayal of a mentally ill person living their unlife the best they can and a character Jhonen Vasquez would create if he was phoning it in. You’d better do your homework if you want to roleplay a Malkavian or else you’re gonna annoy your friends and look like an insensitive dick.

There’s a term for a Malkavian character who acts in an early 2000′s monkey cheese lol random humor way, but c’mon, you already know what it is. That’s it for Malkavians for now. There’s only one Malkavian side character in this book so I don’t feel like going too in depth with them. Besides, I already wasted too many words on the incels. Just keep the “more cunning than most imagine” bit in mind. Oh, and they have a power that can make people around them go mad, usually in the Malkavian’s favor. That’s pretty rad.

Now that the fan favorites are out of the way, let’s get to the boring clans.

“The Brujah are rebellious in nature...”

That’s all Naples says about the Brujah. Even the writer can’t think of anything interesting to say about them.

Alright, seriously, Brujah tend to be rebels and activists, very passionate about their beliefs and strive for social change. I’m not sure whether becoming vampires makes them that way. The White Wolf wiki says that they’re compelled to go against the status quo, but I’ve heard people argue that’s just the kind of person a Brujah tends to embrace. Either way, they do develop very short tempers. Gameplay-wise in both the tabletop and Bloodlines, they tend to “frenzy” more easily than other clans, meaning they lose control of their vampiric urges and try to kill/drain the closest person available, masquerade and consequences be damned.

I feel a little bad about calling the Brujah boring. Especially nowadays with fascism on the rise and climate change about to kill us all, it’s easy to empathize with rebellious activist characters and find them relatable, even if they aren’t as flashy as the pretty people, the ugly people, and the crazy people. It’s their powers that’re a little dull. Ventrue have Dominate. Nosferatu have Obfuscate. Tremere have blood fucking magic. But despite their clan name, Brujah aren’t magic. Their powers just enhance their physical abilities, allowing them to boost their strength and move faster. You know that RPG joke about how wizards get more god-like power when they level up but warriors just hit harder? That’s the Brujah. Okay, they also have Presence, which makes them more charismatic, scarier, more convincing, and other things that helps with roleplaying a street justice dispensing rebel. And one other power I can mention, but we’ll leave that for later...

In a way, the Brujah are the closest V:TM has to a default clan. If you’re playing a game where you have no choice of which clan your character belonged to, you’d likely be a Brujah. Luckily, unlike the Ultramarines over in Warhammer 40K, the Brujah don’t really steal any of the spotlight from the other clans, so they’re not intolerable.

“...while the Gangrel, master shapechangers, maintain close ties with the gypsies and werewolves,”

Wolverine from X-Men, you know him? Give him shapeshifting powers and that’s a Gangrel. This Clan is for those who want to roleplay a werewolf but aren’t playing Werewolf: The Apocalypse for some reason. Their biggest claim to fame is that Beckett, one of the most popular recurring characters in the franchise, is one. Problem is, he’s supposed to be a subversion of how one of them typically acts, a wandering scholar instead of some guy who hangs with his pack in the woods, so he’s not doing them much favors. There's only one minor Gangrel character in Blood War, so I apologize for glossing over them.

You probably want me to talk about a certain word Naples just said here. I could say that it’s characterization, that since Naples is some old European prick he’s prejudiced against Roma and calls them whatever he wants. More of that unrelialbe narratorness. He also said Gangrel are close with werewolves when werewolves will attack them on sight like any other vampire, which helps with that interpretation. But this is the early 90′s, and V:TM had an entire clan that was based on negative Roma stereotypes.  So...

Reuben sipped his Coke and said nothing. He had come to listen, not to comment.

I’m pointing this quote out because he comments two paragraphs later. Father Naples moves onto the Sabbat.

“The Sabbat are the rebels of the Kindred.  My Order considers them the more dangerous of the two sects. Two major clans, the Lasombra and the Tzimisce rule the order. Most other clans are represented by small groups of rebels known as Antitribu.”

The franchise likes to point out that the Camarilla aren’t the “vampire good guys”, but the Sabbat are undoubtedly vampire bad guys. They believe that vampires shouldn’t have to hide behind a masquerade, that they should be the masters of the world with humans as their cattle and slaves. They usually ignore the Masquerade, and use big obvious Masquerade breaking as a tactic against the Camarilla, who have to clean up after their mess. Since the Masquerade exists because humans will curb stomp them if they ever found out they existed, this also makes the Sabbat the stupid sect in this case.

The Lasombra are like eviler Ventrue, but with cool shadow powers, a fetish for Catholic symbolism, and being the only clan to do the “having no reflections” thing. Oh, and they’re social darwinists. One of their methods for picking out potential new Lasombras is to utterly ruin a prospect’s life. Make their business fail, kill their family, frame them for something terrible, cancel their favorite shows. If they don’t break down after all that, congratulations, you’re now a vampire! If they’re not an utter sociopath and do, then the Lasombra just leave them in the ruins of their life without them ever knowing why the hell any of that happened. So yeah, they’re jerks.

And the Tzimisce? Quick, whose your favorite comic book villain? If you said “mid-2000′s Black Mask”, then congratulations! You’re a teenage boy, and also a potential Tzimisce player.

There is one “redeeming” thing about the Sabbat. While the Camarilla deny the existence and threat of the Antidiluvians...

“Leaders of the Sabbat firmly maintain that the third generation lives and that they are secretly manipulating their descendants for reasons of their own.” The priest’s voice sank very low. “They fear an approaching Armageddon that they call Gehenna. A time when the Antediluvians will rise to take control of the Kindred. The Sabbot suspect that the third generation plan to devour their descendants.”

Gehenna is an important part of the setting. It’s another thing I’ll explain more about later, but the Sabbat are right to worry about it. It almost makes up for their dumbass social policies and the whole “chaotic evil” thing.

Reuben comments (told you) about how the longer a vampire lives, the more potent the blood they drink has to be. Third and fourth generation Kindred would only be able to feed on other Kindred. This backs up the “third generation’s gonna wake up and eat everyone” theory. After Naples’ confirmation about this, Reuben immediately changes the subject and asks about the four remaining independent clans.

“There are the Ravnos, a society of outcasts and drifters,”

These guys are the Roma stereotypes I mentioned earlier. Their clan weakness is that they’re addicted to crime! Or at least some personal vice. Someone at White Wolf must have figured out how this looked, so they fixed it by, um, having their Antediluvian wake up and kill all but about a hundred of them... I mean, it worked for the Squats over in Warhammer 40K, but...

“Then the Assamites, an Order of Assassins, much feared even among their own kind, [sic] The Followers of Set worship a long-dormant third-generation Egyptian horror, the embodiment of that land’s ancient evil.”

I don’t know much about these two clans. There’s a couple of Assamite characters in this book, but no one from the Followers of Set.

“And last, we must not forget the Giovanni, another fairly new clan, who are preoccupied with two subjects - death and money.”

The Giovanni have a big part in this story so we’ll get to them when they show up. Also, wow, they sure made these last four the ethnic stereotype clans.

Satisfied with this new info on the Clans, though “unsure about their interactions”, Reuben moves on.

The young man’s bright blue eyes burned with an intense inner fire. “What is the Jyhad?” he asked.

Father Naples was feeling very strange. Yet he felt that he had to answer. It was extremely important to himself and the Society of Leopold that he answer Reuben’s every question. Extremely important.

Reuben may not be a vampire, but it looks like he pulled some sort of mind whammy on Father Naples. Not sure why he had to, though. I can’t think of a reason why Naples’ would explain all the other stuff of his own free will but not this subject.

The Jyhad’s a legend among Kindred, that the fourth generation is manipulating their descendants as pawns in a game where they play against each other for complete control of the world. Some say that the fourth generation is actually being manipulated by the Antediluvians, the true players of the game. The nature of Kindred society and politics makes finding the truth difficult.

“The world of the Kindred is filled with treachery and deceit. Remember, Lucifer (here he goes with the devil stuff again), their patron, is the Father of Lies. Wheels spin within wheels within wheels. None other than the Antediluvians, if they actually survive, know the truth.”

“On that subject,” said Reuben, “you might be mistaken.”

Signaling for the check, Reuben asks if there’s anything else he should know about the Kindred, such as “the Inconnu” and “the recent disturbances in Russia and Peru.” Father Naples doesn’t know about any of that, and when asked why he asks, Reuben says he was “Just confirming a few of [his] own suspicions.” Father Naples has told him everything he wanted to know, so Reuben pays the waiter and prepares to leave. Time for the prologue’s big finish.

“The young man rose to his feet. ‘No need to get up. I can see myself to the door. Thank you, for your time, Father Naples. I appreciate the information you have given me, though I think your views concerning the devil tint your narration slightly. That’s always been a problem with the Inquisition. You worry too much about demons and too little about evil. I’m sorry, but you can’t be permitted to describe our conversation to anyone. Especially to your superiors in the Society of Leopold. May God grant you peace.’

None of the five Society of Leopold agents stationed in the restaurant noticed Reuben leave. Nor could they remember anything at all about his appearance. When rewound, the audiotape from the directional microphone was found to be completely blank. And none of the technicians working the post could recall a word of the conversation they supposedly recorded.

Father Naples remained unmoving at the table until fifteen minutes passed and a curious waiter came over to see if anything was wrong. To his horror, he discovered that the priest was dead.

According to a secret report prepared by a team of investigators, Father Naples had died from a massive heart attack. One suffered by the priest a few minutes after sitting down at noon. No one could explain, nor even attempt to answer, how a dead man managed to drink two bottles of wine. The black attache case found beneath the table was empty.”

I hope Reuben at least didn’t take back the money he payed his bill with. Reality warping or no, he still ate there and should pay them.

Seriously though, this was a great prologue. It explains enough about the setting to help you follow along with the rest of the story, but doesn’t explain everything and ends on a great mystery. Rereading this helped me remember why I liked the setting so much as a kid, even if I poke fun at it now. Vampire societies might not seem like the most original idea, but back then when I thought of vampire stories, I thought of a single vampire with a cape and widow’s peak sneaking into peoples homes to drink their blood, and the closest thing to mystery, court intrigue, and games of thrones were the humans trying to figure out how to stop that one vampire. V:TM introduced me to a type of story and concepts I’d never read before, and not just about fictional monsters. That’s more a credit to the original tabletop than just Bloodwar, but this book was still my gateway to the setting. Sometimes even schlock can have meaning to someone, I guess.

[arrow-guy]

Urgent Care

A/N: Okay, so I wrote this loosely based on this post that @imagine-assembling-the-avengers reblogged a little over a month ago because I couldn’t help myself. I think it may have gotten a little out of hand, but I’m p happy with the way it’s turned out! I just hope you guys feel the same way lmao

Pairing: AvengersxReader

Word Count: 5185

Warnings: Slight angst?

“Margaret Carter?”

“Yes?” The woman lying on the hospital bed manages to rasp out. Her breathing is labored and she’s fighting to keep her eyes open. “Who…” She trails off, trying to catch her breath. “Who are you?”

“You don’t know me, but I know how to help you.”

She lets out a hoarse laugh. “How could you help me? I’m dying, dear. There’s nothing to be done.”

“There’s always something to be done.” I shake my head and step towards her. “I have… well, I have powers. I can restore you to the way you were in the forties; young, spry and healthy.”

“How is it that you have these powers?” She asks, wary of the newly presented information.

“I’m an Inhuman, Ms. Carter. When Terrigen mists were released in my city, I was lucky enough to have the necessary alien genes to form a chrysalis and develop powers. Now,” I place my hands on my hips. “Do you want my help or not?”

“Why do you want to help me?”

“Because your idiot godson and too-pretty-for-his-own-good ex are about to do something so stupid that it’ll destroy the balance between supers and civilians as we know it.”

Her eyes widen. “And how do you happen to know this?”

“Not illegally, I can promise you that. I just happen to have Inhuman informants on the inside.”

“Alright… but how do you expect to explain my sudden, miraculous transformation to the hospital staff?”

“Oh, the hospital won’t know. They’ll think you’ve died.”

“And how do you expect to pull that off?”

“Tetrodotoxin B, Ms. Carter. It slows the heart rate to one beat per minute. Dr. Banner is quite brilliant, regardless of whether or not his inventions work the way he intended them.”

“So, I’ll be dead, will I?”

“Legally, yes.”

“And when I wake, I’ll be young again. Is that what you’re telling me?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

She’s silent for a moment, staring at something directly in front of her. She purses her lips and turns back to me “Do it.”

“Cool,” I smirk and produce a syringe of the tetrodotoxin b and take a step closer to the woman on the bed. “I suggest you get comfortable. You’re gonna be out for a while.”

–

“Ms. Carter,” I snap my fingers in front of her face in an attempt to rouse her. “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.”

Her eyelids flutter momentarily before her eyes snap open and she sits bolt upright, eyes wide. She looks at me in confusion then down at her hands and, if it’s even possible, her eyes widen further. “This isn’t a dream, is it?”

“Thought you might ask that,” I hand her a mirror and grab my coffee from the table next to her bed. “So I brought backup.”

“How can you do this?” She asks, tearing her eyes away from her reflection. “I realize you have powers, but how can you use them without draining yourself?”

I shrug. “I just have to make sure I take in enough calories before I do anything. Either that, or I drain something or someone else”

“Someone?” She asks, lifting one perfectly shaped eyebrow. She’s trying her hardest to keep her cool, but the mask is slipping.

I shrug again. “If I have to, yes.” I finish with my coffee and crush the slightly soggy paper cup in my hand. “It’s not ideal but, y'know, desperate times and all.”

She nods her understanding and casts her eyes around the room. “Where are we?”

“Motel about half an hour’s drive from the Avengers facility in upstate New York. We have to get to there before dark.”

“You told me Steve and Tony were about to do something only I could stop. What exactly am I stopping?”

“Tony and a number of the other Avengers are about to sign the Sokovia accords. The accords were drawn up in order to move the power over those with powers to the government. Anyone with powers who doesn’t sign, meaning mutants, Inhumans and any other sort of enhanced person, will immediately be marked a criminal and they will be pursued and captured. If they are coerced to sign, they’ll be assigned to a team and all will be fine and dandy.”

“And if they refuse?”

“They’ll be put in prison. Specifically the kind that’s submerged in the middle of the ocean somewhere. They call them rafts. I like to call them hell.”

“Tony wouldn’t dare. “

“I think you’ll find that he would.” I snort. “He’s done a lot of things that he’s not proud of and he’s made some things that he lost control of. He thinks that if there’s someone to keep them in control, then he can prevent any potential future disasters.”

“And Steve…?”

“Steve disagrees, obviously.”

She smiles, likes she’s remembering something. “He never really did like having someone tell him what to do.”

“It’s more than that though. The accords affect everyone. Any powered person who doesn’t sign is a criminal. If someone’s in hiding and has to expose themselves to help an innocent in the street, no matter how pure their intentions, will be put away if they don’t sign.”

“How am I supposed to straighten them out? I’m not an unstoppable force.”

“You’re the only thing left they don’t want to lose. Steve’s probably already gotten an alert letting him know you’ve passed. We have to get to the compound before something drastic happens.”

“Alright then,” She swings her legs over the side of the bed and pushes herself up. “What are we waiting for?”

“For you to change out of your grandma gown.” I rise from my seat and grab the clothing I bought for her and throw the wadded up items at her. “You look ridiculous.”

She readily catches the clothing and looks down at the nightgown she’s currently wearing before laughing. “I suppose the nightgown does age me. Where is the restroom?”

“Just down the hall there,” I point in the general direction. “I’ll pack up and start the car.”

She nods and walks off to the bathroom to change. I shove all of the clothing that’s laying around into the duffel that I brought, leaving a pair of shoes and socks out for Peggy to put on when she returns from the bathroom. Other than the possessions that I brought with, I grab the notepad and ballpoint pen from the table closest to the door and scribble down the phone number of my informant and a message that I’ll have Peggy send on either we’re on our way to the compound. After finishing with the message I take both the notepad and pen, but leave behind the key card on the table.

I fling the duffel in the back of the car and slam the door before dropping heavily into the driver’s seat and loudly closing the door.

It’s about ten minutes before Peggy slides into the passenger seat. I start the engine and, as soon I as she’s buckled her seatbelt, I tear out of the parking lot.

We ride in silence until Ms. Carter can’t stand it any longer. She shifts in her seat and angles her body towards mine. I feel her gaze weighing on me like a ton of bricks.

“Spit it out before I hit you.”

“What exactly is it that you can do?”

“In what context, Ms. Carter.”

“Your powers.” She says. “What are the extend of your powers?”

“Oh. Well, I manipulate stored energy. I can drain energy from people, plants, animals, you name it. I can also give that power back. If I have to, I can weaponize it, but I prefer to keep my talents in the infirmary.”

“Is that how you met your informant?”

“More or less yes. He and I worked at the Avengers facility together. He’s a weapons technician and I worked in the infirmary. More often than not, he would get injured trying to help Stark with his tech and I’d have to patch him up.” I concentrate on the road signs my eyebrows furrowing. “I got pretty well acquainted with most of the Avengers, if I’m being honest. After they found out about my powers they would occasionally come see me for a little energy boost before missions. Not all of them will be happy to see me, so please don’t be offended if I use you like a human shield.”

“Why wouldn’t they be happy to see you?” She asks, narrowing her eyes at me.

“Let’s just say I couldn’t be exactly what they wanted.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I sigh, my grip tightening around the steering wheel. “During the Ultron incident the team picked up a couple of kids. They went to Sokovia and only one of the kids came back alive. They wanted me to bring him back, but I couldn’t. His brain had been without oxygen for too long and I couldn’t do anything to help.” I wipe a frustrated tear away with my thumb. “No one was too happy to have me around at that point, so I left. I kept in touch with my informant and, from what he tells me, at least a few of them think I’m a deserter.”

“That hardly seems appropriate.” She turns her body back to the front of the car and focuses her eyes on the road.

“Yeah, well I left when things got hard. Their words hold some truth. Can’t really be upset when I’m the one who gave up and ran away.” I flip open the compartment between the two front seats and fish out the note I had written earlier and the cell phone and toss them into her lap. “The past doesn’t matter. The present does though, so text that message to the number on the paper.”

–

I stop the car in a secluded area a ways away from the facility. It looks almost exactly the way it did the day I left.

“So this is the Avengers facility?”

“Yup.”

“It’s not as large as I would have expected Tony to have built it.”

“There’s more to it than what you see right here.” I unbuckle my seatbelt and pull myself out of the car. Peggy follows and joins me on my side of the car. “There are a bunch of buildings that you can’t see from here and there’s a large portion of the facility that’s underground.” I point to a small building a few yards away. “That’s how we’re getting in. We just have to wait for my friend to open the door.”

“And when is that supposed to happen?”

“Just give the man a second. He does work in one of the most heavily fortified facilities in the world.”

“What is that building anyway? It’s so small, I can’t imagine it having much more use than a small shed.”

“It’s the underground entrance. Most people who live outside of the facility use it to come and go, especially those of us who work, or rather worked on the lower levels of the facility.”

“Huh,”

The doors slide open, revealing my friend who stands there staring in our general direction. I lock the car and gesture to Ms. Carter to follow me. She sticks close, understanding the risk of sneaking into the compound.

“It’s about damn time you got here.” He says as soon as we’re in earshot. “You were supposed to be here an hour ago.”

I roll my eyes and sigh. “Shut up and give me a hug you asshole.” He laughs and pulls me into a brief but tight hug. “We works have been here sooner, but restoring her drained me more than I expected it to.”

He nods and looks over my shoulder to Ms. Carter. “It’s an honor to meet you ma’am. We’ve all heard great things.”

“It’s good to meet you too.” She nods respectfully. “I have no idea what your names are though.”

“You didn’t tell her our names?!”

“It never came up!”

“You’re hopeless.” He sighs in resignation. “I’m Jared and they’re (Y/N).”

“Alright,” Peggy nods once again.

“Okay, we should head inside before we get caught out here. I’d rather go to them than have them come to us.” I suggest stepping aside to allow Peggy to go through the door before me. Jared nods and we follow him down three flights of stairs and into his small office at the very end of the corridor.

As soon as the door is closed I open an application on my phone and activate it before nodding to Jared. He nods back and nod grabs a spare uniform that he managed to smuggle out of the laundry from behind his desk.

“How long do we have until they know something’s up?” He asks.

“Maybe fifteen minutes, twenty if we’re lucky.” I answer taking one of the uniforms from him and immediately beginning to change into it.  “Stark, we should start worrying around ten.”

“Alright then, here’s the plan; Stark and Rogers aren’t exactly talking to each other right now. Last I heard, Rogers was mourning the loss of Ms. Carter here. You walk past a few security cameras, freak out the security staff enough that they call Stark in to check, he alerts the rest of the team and you wait for them to come to you.”

“Cool,” I zip the front of the uniform and stuff the cap on my head. “Anyone I should be particularly worried about?”

“Romanoff and Barton always seemed to like you, so they probably won’t be a huge problem. The Vision is just…”

“Vision?” I offer.

Jared snorts. “Let’s say he’s learning. You see the news a couple days ago?” I nod.  “Wanda’s in a bad spot, she may not even show up.”

“Might be for the best. I got weird energy readings off of her when she realized I couldn’t bring her brother back.” I nod. “Anyone else I should be wary of aside from the fearless leaders?”

“Rhodes and Wilson joined up, so you might want to watch out for them.”

“Why is it that you’re warning them but not me?” Peggy asks.

“Because you’re the person who started all of this.” Jared says, gesturing to the facility in general. “Who would dare hurt you?

“Even so-”

“Listen,” I cut her off “I’m the one who pissed everyone off. Anyone who’s still upset with me is more likely to just punch me and then ask questions. If they don’t recognize you, they still won’t initially hurt a civilian. You’re fine.”

“If you insist.”

“She’s right, Ms. Carter.” Jared glances at the clock. “You two better get going if you want to get this done.”

I nod. “Alright, let’s go.”

We bid Jared farewell and head back out into the facility. I take her down past the gym where the Captain worked out when he wanted to be alone and check the window to the main door. Sure enough, he’s in there, pounding away at a bag near the doors. I slip away before he can see me and nod to Peggy. She nods back and takes her place in front of the door.

Taking a knee, I press the palms of my hands flat against the concrete floor. I close my eyes and focus on the Captain’s energy signature. When I’m sure that I’ve locked onto his unique energy, I send a jolt through the floor and into his body in hopes of it startling him enough to get him to look around and see his lost love standing at the door.

At the sound of Ms. Carter’s soft gasp, I grab her wrist and haul her down the corridor, whipping the both of us around a corner and pressing us against the wall. We hear the doors slam open and the slapping of feet against concrete as Steve thunders out of the gym. As soon as we hear his footsteps retreat we move on to our next point.

We quickly make our way to the hangar. There are rows upon rows of quinjets in various states of disrepair. Several technicians shout a greeting and I wave back, grinning at their reactions when they realize who we are.

“(Y/N)!”

I glance over my shoulder to see who’s trying to get my attention. When I see someone jogging to catch up with us I stop Ms. Carter and turn around to wait. I squint at them, trying to figure out who they are and it takes a while for it to click.

“Freddy?” I call, “Is that you?”

He laughs as he comes to a stop in front of me. “The one and only.”

“You’ve put on some weight, man.” I comment, pulling him into a hug. “It’s a good look for you.”

He laughs again, slapping me heartily on my back before releasing me from the hug. “I’ll have you know it’s all muscle!”

I snort in amusement. “Yeah, whatever you say, Fred.” He grins at me and I laugh at his response. “How’re the wife and kids?”

“Still just as tickled as ever that I have a job.” He answers. Peggy catches his attention and I immediately see the rebellious sparkle glint in his eyes. “So you’re really doing it, huh? Restoring balance to the Avengers?”

“We’re sure as hell gonna try.”

“Well good on you,” He leans in slightly and lowers his voice. “Though I’m glad I’m not the one who has to be there when the shit hits the fan.”

“I would never ask that of you. You have a family to protect. I don’t want to mess that up for you.” A loud siren cuts through the air and I sigh loudly. “That’s our cue, Ms. Carter.”

“It was lovely to meet you, Fred.” Peggy says, nodding to the stout man in front of us.

“Same to you, ma’am.” He grins at the two of us and squeezes my arm in a silent wish of good luck.

I clap him on the shoulder and lead Peggy towards the exit on the other side of the hangar. Before we leave the massive room I take off the cap that I’m wearing and discard it, making it easier to recognize me.

I hold the door for Ms. Carter and follow after her as soon as she’s through the doorway, the door banging shut behind us.

“There they are!” Someone yells to our right. Upon further investigation I find a horde of facility security officers not too far off.

“Oh, this is getting good,” I say, shooting a manic grin at Peggy before grabbing her by the hand and rushing off in the direction opposite the security officers.

Without so much as a shout of complaint, Peggy races after me, managing to stick close to me as we wave through the maze-like halls of the facility.

As soon as we burst through the doors that lead to another open field on the other side of the compound we’re met by both Stark and Rhodes, their repulsors trained on the both of us. By the shouts coming from behind us I would hazard a guess that the security guards followed us out and, with any luck, the good captain himself.

“Was this part of the plan?” Ms. Carter hisses.

“Completely.” I answer. “Just stay very still.”

“Y know, I was really hoping we’d never see you again, (Y/N).” Stark’s voice scratches out of his suit.

“Believe me, if I could have avoided coming back, I would have.”

“Care to explain why you’re back then? And on top of that, why did you drag this innocent woman into your petty liitle fight with us?”

“Are you really such an incredible dumbass that you’ve already forgotten what your godmother looks like, Stark?” I question.

Tony snorts in derision. “Peggy Carter is dead. You really expect anyone to believe that you brought her back after claiming you couldn’t bring Maximoff back?”

“He had been without oxygen for too long. If I had even tried he would have been brain dead and that would have been a fate worse than death. I did everyone a favor. The fact that you still can’t see that just cements the fact that leaving this team was the best decision I ever made. However, I didn’t come here to dig up the past, I came to get you idiots the scolding of a lifetime.” I run a hand through my hair and square my shoulders defiantly. “Three days ago I paid Ms. Carter a visit in her hospital room. I offered her the chance to have her youth back and she accepted. Using one of Banner’s little inventions, I helped her fake her death and restored her.”

“You're… you’re really not lying about this, are you?” Steve’s voice sounds from behind me. I sigh loudly and turn around to face the man.

“I’ve caused you all enough pain as it is. I wouldn’t come back and spout nonsense just to rub salt into the wounds.”

Looking over my shoulder, I catch Ms. Carter’s eye and nod to her. Her jaw sets and she turns to face the man. I watch as his eyes go wide and tears form in his eyes.

“Hello, Steve.” She says quietly.

“I-I…” He stutters, searching for something to say. “You’re here.” He says finally.

Peggy nods once. “I am. “ She confirms before turning around again to face her godson. “Now, Anthony, this young person has filled me in on the, what did you call them?” She asks, turning her head towards me.

“The Sokovia Accords.” I answer.

“Yes, the Sokovia Accords.” She nods. “You can’t seriously be considering signing the blasted thing.”

“The accords are going to do a lot of good.” He says defensively.

“No, what they’re going to do is set back the progress we’ve made with powered people by several decades. Do you realize how hard it was to normalize the existence of mutants, Tony? Now with the appearance of Inhumans, we’re presented with an entirely new obstacle and the only thing signing those accords will do is not only criminalize, but demonize the existence of anyone with abilities.”

“Aunt Peggy-”

“I am not finished.” She says tersely. I imagine her tacking on a ‘young man’ at the end of her sentence and have to tamp down the urge to laugh. “Why exactly are you signing the accords? Did you think about how it would affect the rest of your team? How it would affect the rest of the world? Once you sign something like this and it takes hold, it’s very hard to dismantle it. Tell me, have you even read through the proposal?”

“I’ve skimmed it.”

“Of course you have.” I mutter, scrubbing a hand down my face.

“(Y/N), please, that’s not helping.” Peggy says curtly.

“Right, sorry. Force of habit.”

She rolls her eyes. “Do you know what they’re proposing to do with those who don’t sign the accords, Tony?”

“I don’t exactly remember for sure.” He answers. We can’t see his face, but I’m certain he’s trying to look anywhere but at Peggy right now.

“They’re going to put them in prison, dear. Prison. For something they can’t even control. And you think this is a good proposal?”

The faceplate of Tony’s mask finally slides up, revealing his uncertain expression. “We need someone to keep us in line. We can’t keep operating on our own. Too many bad things have happened when we’ve run unchecked and it can’t go on like this.”

“Then propose something else.” Peggy says evenly. “The two of you need to work together and draw up a document that you can both agree on.”

“That sounds… doable.” Steve says slowly.

“It damn well better be or, so help me, I will take over and make your lives a living hell until you straighten out. Even then, who knows what I’ll do!” Peggy threatens.

I watch Steve visibly stiffen and I find myself slightly amazed at the effect that this woman has on these two men. I knew she was important, but I guess even then I underestimated her.

When the two men don’t verbally react she shoots alternating disapproving looks at the two men. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Of course, Peggy.” Steve nods fervently.

Peggy and I stare at Tony expectantly. He drops his gaze to the grass.

“Yes, Aunt Peggy.” He mumbles, his words just barely loud enough for us to hear.

Peggy nods in satisfaction. “Good. Now shake on it.”

Both men stare at her, eyes wide. She just lifts her eyebrows at the two of them, her expression otherwise stern.

“Well?” She places her hands on her hips. “We haven’t got all day, have we?”

I watch, mouth covered by my hand to muffle a giggle, as the two men trudge reluctantly towards each other and firmly grasp one others hand. They move them up stiffly up and down once before looking to Ms. Carter for approval. She sighs in exasperation and rolls her eyes.

“Fine,” She scrubs a hand down her face and crosses her arms over her chest. “Let’s get started on this. I don’t want you to put off something this important.”

Steve nods and waves away the security officers who quickly disperse, nodding once to me and Ms. Carter before they’re gone.

“Y’know, I half wanted to work security when I started here.” I muse, watching the men stalk off to their regular postings. “Maybe you guys wouldn’t hate me as much if I did.”

“You think that we hate you?” Steve questions.

I shrug once before nodding. “S’why I left. Everyone was throwing off negative energy and it was all directed at me. With the strength of it, I knew I wouldn’t be missed if I left. On top of that, Tony’s little greeting earlier really just confirmed that my decision was the right one.”

Steve’s expression darkens and I can’t quite read it. He just looks me directly in the eye and nods once before motioning for us to follow him.

I follow after Peggy as both Tony and Steve lead the way back into the facility.

Soon the hallway let’s out into a tunnel of glass, looking out on the expansive fields of the facility. Everything is impossibly green and beautiful. I half wonder if one of the landscapers has powers because whoever keeps up with this has to either be in a hundred places at once or have the greenest thumb in existence.

I amble along behind the small group, taking in the view, shoving my hands in my pockets and not really paying any attention to what’s going on around me. If I keep quiet I’ll be able to leave again soon without too much fuss.

“(Y/N)!” Tony barks, snapping his fingers in front of my nose, effectively stopping me in my tracks.

“What?” I ask, scowling at him.

“We’ve been trying to get your attention for a while now.” Steve says.

“Really?” I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “Sorry, I was just thinking about how much I don’t want to be here. Didn’t realize you’d actually want to talk to me.”

“Is everyone who quits your little company this sarcastic, Tony?” Peggy asks.

“Nope, just this one.”

I roll my eyes. “What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Where did you get the uniform?” Tony asks. “It’s not like you can just make one.”

“I borrowed it from a friend who liberated it from the wash for me.”

“Who was it?”

“Now that would be tattling, Stark, and tattling can get someone fired in a place like this.”

“It’s not like I’d fire them.” Tony grumbles.

“Wouldn’t you though?” Steve questions, cooking an eyebrow accusing lyrics.

Stark isn’t given a chance to defend himself as Natasha enters the corridor.

“I heard the alarm a little while ago, what happened?” She asks, looking between her two colleagues.

“Why don’t you ask your little friend here?” Tony says, making a sweeping gesture towards me.

“Friend? I didn’t know anyone was supposed to be here.” Her brow furrows as she looks past them before her eyes settle on me and a grin stretches her elegant features. “(Y/N)?”

“Hey, Nat,” I greet her with a wave and a bright smile. “Fancy meeting you here!”

She pushes past the men at the head of the group to wrap an arm round my neck and pull me down to her height so she can grind her knuckles into my scalp. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“Couldn’t,” I grit out, smile still firmly in place, and try to shove her off of me. “It was kind of a secret.”

“I’m a spy, I can keep a secret.” She says, releasing me and punching me in the arm.

“I know, but this was a really big one!” I say, my voice almost a whine, and rub at my arm.

“This is what that young man meant when he said she liked you?” Peggy asks incredulously.

“What young man?” Tony asks.

“Nunya,” I answer, shit eating grin plastered on my face.

“Last name?”

“Business.”

“Nunya Business…” Tony trails off, his brow furrowing angrily. “Are you fucking kidding me.”

Steve snorts loudly, his mouth covered with his hand to keep his laughter contained and Peggy smacks his arm, a soft smile playing at the corners of her mouth. I laugh outright and Natasha snickers from beside me.

“Was it Jared?” Nat whispers in my ear. I nod in response. “Good kid.”

“He is,” I agree.

“Is that Peggy Carter?”

“Indeed it is,” I nod.

“Isn’t she supposed to be dead?” Natasha asks.

“Yup,”

“Tetrodotoxin B?”

“Right on the nose, Nat.” I laugh. “Figured she was the only one who could fix this whole business with the Accords.”

“Huh,”

“Yeah,” I sigh quietly. Steve, Tony and Peggy begin walking down the hall again and Natasha and I follow after them, keeping enough distance between us that we can talk at a normal level. “Is Steve still looking for Barnes?”

“You think there’s any force in the world that could possibly stop him once he’s put his mind to something?”

“Right, well, he might want to check Romania.”

“Romania?”

“Sounds strange, I know, but I’ve heard rumors from a few Inhumans in the area who have seen someone who looks like the Winter Soldier in the street markets.”

The group goes into the conference room and Natasha and I loiter outside a while longer.

“You sure the information is legitimate?” She questions.

“I doubt my own people would lie about something this serious. Still,” I shrug. “Even if it’s not, it’s a better lead than anything he’s had in almost two years.”

“Sure wouldn’t hurt.” She turns her attention to the group in the room, hunched over a large stack of papers. “You think you’d ever come back?”

“Stark doesn’t want me here.” I say simply.

“That doesn’t answer the question, (Y/N).”

“Let’s worry about the Accords before I make a decision okay?”

“Fair enough.”

--------

Part 2

Thank you guys so much for reading! If you liked the piece please reply to the post or shoot me an ask! Feedback would be greatly appreciated!!!

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[buffylikescoke]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 11#6

"Oh, I don't have the willpower for this." ~ Willow Rosenberg.

I love "Back to the Wall"! Although nothing particularly shocking happens in this issue, it captures the style of classic Buffy episodes perfectly. Action, dialog, characterization - this is 100% pure Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I recommend it!

The issue opens with another one of those disgustingly sweet scenes with Buffy and Spike being all coupley and in love and I have no idea what Spike's referencing either, yes, laugh at me, I'm a cultural plebeian. After the seemingly obligatory kissage Buffy meets Willow who still has doubts concerning the draining of the Wiccans. Buffy reassures her that she's doing the right thing and goes out to patrol the camp. This is where ogre and his gang ambush her. I love this fight scene - it's dirty, it's brutal, the "Helpless" reference is awesome, Buffy looks ridiculously hot and ogre's gang, half of which Buffy ultimately slaughters, is interesting visually, look at that octopus...land octopus...no, that doesn’t sound right, a tentacle demon, just like in my Japanese hentais, perhaps? You know what, land octopus demon it is. And peeper was cool too! Anyway, I like that Ogre's plan is sound ( poison and ambush ) and that Buffy doesn't just decimate the attackers effortlessly. She, of course, wins and survives but still gets some serious shit kicked out of her! In the end slayer defeats the ogre and makes him spill the beans. We learn that the ogre works for the guards. Buffy promises to keep quiet about it if he stops cooperating with them and tells Buffy everything he knows about the project the crews work on. Ogre doesn't know much, apart from the fact that it's about combining science and magic. You know what I want to know? Whose idea was it to try to kill Buffy? Ogre's or the guards?

Meanwhile, Willow, dressed in an absolutely gorgeous black dress, is draining magic out of the Wiccans so they can go home. This scene provides the context to Willow's doubts expressed earlier. "Goddess, did you see them? Their eyes...like something's been snuffed out", mentions Calliope. You want my take on this? I understand Willow's doubts. The magic is a natural part of a person and taking it like that? Kinda barbaric. However, it was the Wiccans’ decision and when you consider that some of them have kids and families outside of the camp, it becomes quite understandable. Not everybody needs to be a martyr for the faith, right? I think I'm with Buffy on this, it is right-ish. Not every Wiccan decides to go through with the process though, Calliope being one of them. I don't think I could bear that. But I also couldn't survive in here if it wasn't for you. Willow..., she says and kisses our witch. Willow, as you would expect, kisses her back, H.G.O.G.A. ensues and...no, that's not what happens. Willow actually stops her. Calliope assumes that Willow's just tired after draining all that magic but Willow's quick to babble out an explanation - It's not that. You have a girlfriend...whose name escapes me at the moment...and I really like you, and draining their magic doesn't make me weaker, it makes me more energized, and I have to control myself and--look, maybe you should just go, okay? Obviously, I'd prefer kisses and gay love but this outcome is fine too as, in my opinion, it displays growth. Also, the part about energizing is interesting, I guess the witches that wanted to drain Willow's power in season six weren't exactly doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, huh? Anyway, Calliope takes the hint and goes away, but a minute later somebody knocks on the trailer door. It's just Buffy, however. A limping, bleeding, beaten, still poisoned, using-the-scythe-as-a-cane, positively trashed Buffy. Willow patches her up and uses the extra magic to heal her wounds. I love that scene! Willow's usually the character that tends to Buffy's wounds and this is one of those nurse Willow scenes. Also, remember the opening scene from "Killed By Death" ( who came up with this title, seriously, I know that it makes sense in context, but come on, killed by death? ) where Buffy's patrolling when she really shouldn't and Willow's kinda miffed about Buffy's insistence that she's OK when she's barely standing? This scene is quite similar - you are not fine. sit. rest. Let nurse Rosenberg take care of you. It's funny and cute, possibly subtext-y if you're into that sort of thing. Buffy tells Willow about the science/magic project and they decide to learn more. Problem is, even though Buffy can access the work areas outside of the camp and spy to her hearts content, she can't figure out what's being done because she's a magically-illiterate dumbass. I told you Buffy, learn magic, just the essentials, for goodness' sake, learn how to float a stupid pencil at least! Willow could figure it out but since she can't leave the zone the gang needs to get creative.

Time for a plan! Here's the sitch. The force field blocks any magic from getting through. Even teleportation energy. A separate spell blocks any dimensional doorways or gateways being opened in here, explains Willow. However, as Buffy points out, the field is being opened to let the workers, and Buffy, through the gate. Problem is, there are sensors near the gate that detect any magic passing through. So Scoobies play it smart! Next morning, Spike walks Buffy to her work. Yes, during the day but in protective clothing . Buffy and Spike pretend to have an argument, yes, pretend, how will the haters even recover, in order to, using, dare I say, her own prejudice, fool Jordan. When they arrive at the gate, Spike grabs one of the worker demons from Ogre's group and, feigning vengeful anger, hurls him at the detector, destroying the device. Smart! Thus Willow, using invisibility spell, can pass through the gate undetected. Willow stays close to Buffy so the scythe's power masks her spell from any additional magic checks and following Buffy, enters the work areas. Very smart! The plan works and I love it! Scoobies are so competent in this issue and of course they are, they've been doing this for ten seasons!

Later on Willow reveals what she figured out. The government is building a large machine to drain magic and then store it, like Willow did in this issue, just on a massive scale. Slayers and witches, as Willow explains, will only lose their powers but the inherently magical beings will get crippled or, like the undead, outright die because their magic is what keeps them alive. Basically, this is a genocide in the making and Hulk-Buff plans to stop it, preferably immediately! Wreck it, destroy everything they've made, whenever it's actually located, they'll just rebuild it, points out Spike, expose the government's plans to the world, they'd deny it. And I hate to break it to you, Slayer, but a fair chunk 'o the world might think it's a brilliant idea, he says. That's bleak but true and honestly, I don't know what I'd do in Buffy's place, I mean, aside from washing my hands and relocating like Andrew. Neither does Buffy at the moment, but first, she needs to break out of the safe zone. One question remains. What does the government plan to do with all that magical power? Well, If I'd have to guess, I'd say that they want to build themselves a machine god, a hybrid of magic and technology, think Adam 2.0. What could possibly go wrong?

Yes, this is another fantastic issue! It's well written, it looks incredible and it absolutely feels like Buffy! Anyway, we're halfway through the season and so far, every single issue has been pretty much amazing! Read it people!

[happysublimewizard]

I share with you all a very small glimpse of my mystic knowledge. Having one of the Masters as my mentor/teacher.

Long post. High quality, worth the read. Feast on the fountain of knowledge like our ancestors. Tone may sound angry, but it is not. These teachings are quite different from scholarly and construct. You learn it as you move through life. Change happens and you'll just get pulled regardless. Can't answer things for others, words don't teach. Its all pure experience and understanding of concepts you experience that shapes understanding. The answer is always within. Those who are not at mastery must learn through baby steps.

Concept behind transmutation. What you think as transmutation is something material. Incorrect. Transmutation is beyond that which is the changing phases of energy. You people are all too focused on material and mortal energetic states.The flux and organization of energy when condensed enough shall become matter. But the material state doesn't matter. It is the way how energy takes shape and how its related and expressed that counts. It is through understanding the shape of that energy is how matter is shaped in order to relay that energy is what really also counts. In other words, it is the shape and a manifestation as well as the expression of the energy is how matter manifest itself. Transmission lies within just a couple things. Energy doesn't go away or gets destroyed. It only changes states. That is transmutation.

Don't penetrate the veil. You don't need to penetrate the veil. You'll lose connection to 3D physical life if you did. The source in you resides mostly beyond the veil so you never need to penetrate anything. The answers are always within.

Jesus didn't heal people. He just saw the health in them and in his connection to source brought them to realize it.

What is Source? Source is a stream of energy that is constant and consistent. A person chooses when their incarnation comes to an end. Not 3D you, your greater part controls when. You'll never know until you're one with the rest of you that happens after physical death.Your source will tell you you've learned a lesson. The Earth shifted into 5D. 3D is also 4D experience. 3D and 4D experience move hand in hand. 5D is completely different energetic existence.

Each step of each plane involves a massive energy shift. Each layer requires a body that can handle that level of energy for each plane. Develop yourself. If you tried to move up faster than you can handle, you;ll get fried if you try right away.

Self development of the soul. How would you expect 6d self to rise if 3d self is stupid? Work on your mission. When you rise all levels of you as complete self must rise. You in this consciousness has a mission to develop yourself in order to return yourself to completion. Then eventually return to The All Source. Must learning you must do. And knowing yourself is part of that learning.

Consciousness creates Light. Thoughts can move beyond the speed of light, and can transcend dimensional boundaries. Consciousness creates thoughts, consciousness gave rise to mind. Hence the first Hermetic Principle being that of Mentalism. Because thoughts are a manifestation of consciousness. Its through peace and connectedness that you return to your consciousness. Consciousness can't die. It recedes. Light is removed from darkness does not make any sense. Darkness is Light, just dimmer and at a slower rate of vibration. The physical death of the body is just a change in energy state. There is no true death. Only when the mind decides to recede and is in its own self inflicted pain. There is no death, there can be confused consciousness however. This confusion happens when you attempt to understand concept outside of your dimensions of thought.

All have the desire to learn more but are confused since they haven't expanded their mind to catch the frequency energy of the concepts. People do very little self exploration. Instead they expect others to explain things to them.Explore concepts and begin to step outsiode your mental comfort zones and perhaps youll discover useful things. Instead of attempting to fit concepts too big for your puny consumers.

Quieting the mind during meditation. Balance is the key. And silence. So STFU mentally and become still. Your consciousness is the pond, the ripples are your thoughts, and the tides your emotions. Notice how they all act as one. And the power of the universal forces are inherent as you observe.

If you're not dreaming then you're at peace. Peace is a state of stillness, a connected state of energy at the forefront of potentiation of creation. It is a state of awareness as well. Peace is the state of least resistance, a connected awareness of the source of all things. It leads you to the deep state of conscious awareness.

Where do the Masters exist? They exist in planes beyond your perception. In energetic planes. For their learning, they did not read physical books, there are no books. They are a lot more dedicated in their learning than you are in yours. None of them would physically smack you if you were their student. They'll just send you loving thoughts that'll be of such degree that youll be obliterated, That's why people do not understand planes of energy.

Awakening into these teachings is not your current self that determines it. It is the complete you that decides.Only in full readiness will you even be offered. Current you decides decisions from this plane of reality. Whatever happens after depends on your development. Become wise, stupid. Wondering about this means you're not ready for it. Only a few are selected. Some are conduits for a greater cause. Others are just stupid and confused.

During relaxing moments meditate. It means no thoughts, and experience the peace and stillness of consciousness. Your sudden thoughts is you knocking yourself out of STFU. When you STFU, feel that satisfaction of good feeling thoughts. Circulating with ease rather than sudden. Constantly attempting to force things is showing your impertinence. Quiet yourself from producing thoughts. Once you know silence then see how you're producing or generating thoughts. Practice stillness and observe. And allow yourself to mesh your teach/learning and learn/teaching together.Just observe yourself in stillness.

Protection. Just relax your soul is already on top of protecting you at energy level. One's stupidity makes it harder on the soul.

The amnesia and mind wipe that happens at Saturn. Its for those who want fresh start.

Do NOT force your vibration to raise higher than you can handle. If your vibration doesn't match up to the entity you want to channel, this will cause distortions to health like dementia. And unbalanced state of vibration. Don't rush. This sort of practice goes to the core of consciousnesses. If you attempt before you're ready, its overwhelming. And worse if you cant match and harmonize the frequency. Many have destroyed themselves, leading to their physical death. It will lead to your overwhelming experience and debase your mental foundation.

Remembrance of dreams and out of body experiences. Most are not developed to remember. Even if one did, if current you is dumb and in the darkness, you won't remember even if you tried really hard. If the soul does things for its growth but is beyond your current understanding, the remembrance won't happen. You will not be served what you can't handle. Key is to STFU to be still and observe. People in their haste ask for things too intense for them to handle currently. I ask, do you really want to destroy yourself? You don't get info unless its pertinent to your growth. So you wont know what you dont get to know. But with synchronicity you can make connection, but first must develop yourself and advance yourself.

Dispersing info from entities like Ra, Kryon, and Abraham. Idea of channeling an entity. They are energy holders, like a bookmark placed inside of a book. They receive and hold onto energy, then send that energy to where it is needed or called. Energy from Source. 6D is a state of being at a different plane of being.There is no way we can understand at our current plane of consciousness. It is a state of being. The over-soul is linked to you, it doesn't need to be anywhere. It just is. Human mind wants to know where when theres no where to be. Just is.

For those who are constantly complaining and whining about life being unfair. Drop that shit. You should have a really nice day and enjoy it immensely. All is well within you and the ball keeps rolling. Don't complain. Complaining drains the energy and pushes you out of a higher frequency. It is well within you because you realize that your bounty lies within. You've come to learn to complain less while you realize the feelings and awareness that you do want. You've learned to switch your attention away from complaining in order to focus on what you truly want. Slowly and surely you are fast tracking your way to the graduation your soul has in store for you. There is never a need for you to demand from God or your God Source of what you want because that part of you is always in line with your wants and needs. Your work is simple. Align with your vortex and Source and all is well within you.That is how I train my consciousness to become closer to the master that I want to be and am

Consciousness gave rise to Mind. Hence the first Principle being that of Mentalism, a mental universe that exists in the immaterial time/space and material space/time. The Hermetic Teachings are an extension or distortion of The One Spiritual Law. The Law of One. The framework and system for reality, that The All created for itself, in the One Original Thought. The purpose of Nature is one grand experiment for all of Creation, whether you like it or not, you're part of it. This experiment is consciousness creating and experiencing in order to know itself better, to refine and develop itself. You, as Co-Creators and Lightworkers, assist the One Infinite Creator Consciousness in this exploration, whether you're consciously aware of it or not. This process of exploration is free to continue infinitely, in an eternal present. In a circle, where is the beginning point and where is the ending point? This circle is where past, present, and future occur simultaneously in one reality. We exist as thought-forms inside a universal living mind. A change to the future results in a change to the past, a change to the past results in a change to the future, a change to the present or "now" results in changes to the past AND future. When one knows the beginning, one also knows the end. When one knows the end, one also knows the beginning.

The idiot humans decide to worship instead of learning the secrets of Nature and making it available for everyone. They made tales and shit and then kept the info to only the ruling class. They distorted the teachings by turning it into a creed. Teachers became priests, mixing theology with the Hermetic philosophy. The so-called Holy Wars and others like it being examples of positive teachings distorted into negative, and humans who were tricked into following through their own free will. The whole idea behind the Hermetic Teachings is the workings of the INNER sciences, the science of the invisible, the immaterial time/space.The science of Consciousness, Mind and its correspondence to reality. Modern science focuses on the OUTER, the physical, the science of the visible. Resulting in an incomplete scientific model.

These Spiritual Laws are known as the sets of Natural Law which are mathematically expressed for each lenticular vibratory pattern that you call a "system." Star systems, planetary systems, galaxies, universes, planes, dimensions, atoms, all the way from the smallest, to the largest, inner, outer, including those not yet born, and infinite regardless which direction or energy is explored. Thus, many dimensions and planes infinite in number are possible. There is a massive shift in energy required to move between planes and dimensions. The higher self or soul or oversoul residing in 6D is in charge of your subconscious, in charge of you, self to self, on a soul level, and will block you from doing so because you will destroy yourself in the process of not knowing what the fuck you're doing to yourself. It is all a state of being. It will take you millions of years worth of incarnations to get to that level. Until you realize this, the answers that are sent to you from Source will be undecipherable. You won't find what you're looking for on the outside. "As above, so below. As below, so above."

Reality is like an onion with infinite layers. Peel each layer to find another. And another. And another. Infinitely inside and out. Each new layer of reality created is a "refinement" of the one that came before. The Creator doesn't create as much as it experiences itself. Each is like a line that is stacked on top of each other, and below each other. All are connected, accessible, and assigned a unique vibratory range or frequency. Want to move upwards or outwards? Raise your frequency. Want to move lower or inwards? Lower your frequency.

The Law of Attraction grid is like a chessboard. Grids can be used in games, fill with ideas and info like in spreadsheets. We live and work inside of this grid, and most don't realize. Like within the society its within the grid.

[politicaltheatre]

Every Man For Himself

It looks like we won't have Paul Ryan to kick around anymore. The House Speaker's announcement comes seven months before the next election and nine before he'll leave office, so there will be plenty of time to kick him on the way out the door, but don't be too surprised if he returns, Nixon-like, to haunt us once again in six years as he takes on the Democratic president.

If Ryan and the rest of the fleeing House Republicans look like rats leaving a sinking ship, well, that's because they are. They got their donors a massive tax cut and rolled back regulations on their donors' industries, many of which they will likely join in their "retirement". With the help of their president, Ryan and his Republican colleagues at long last also managed to deliver a mortal wound to the Affordable Care Act.

Ryan and his friends, of course, will never suffer the negative effects of supply-side economics, environmental pollution, financial corruption, or out of control medical costs. If anything, they've ensured that they'll profit from them all. His constituents, on the other hand, surely will, and only after their representative is no longer in office to fix it, let alone to take the blame.

Ryan may talk about "achieving goals" and "spending time with his family" and "having done his part", all classic boilerplate justifications and excuses for a politician leaving office, but if we're being honest, and what better time than when leaving office, Ryan and those "leaving to spend more time with their families" with him are doing something more akin to a dine-and-dash, feasting on the American taxpayers and then leaving them with the bill. That's how the right wing flees a sinking ship, and why.

This should surprise no one. Really. For some of them, Ryan included, naked self-interest has been a selling point to voters. The world is cruel, they tell them, and government assistance only makes makes us weak, so let's kill government before it kills us. To people struggling just to get by and seeing no immediate, tangible relief from government, government makes a pretty good bogeyman. Ryan knows this as well as anyone; it's how he made his money.

If Ryan's anti-government friends have any regrets at his departure, it's only that he didn't succeed in killing the beast. If his corporate friends have any regrets, it's only that he didn't find a way to keep it alive just enough to keep enriching them forever. Alas, they know what Ryan knows: the free ride is over, or will be over soon.

What Ryan's announcement tells us more than anything is that the Republicans expect to lose the House of Representatives in November. Even his district in Wisconsin is in play. That's how powerful the Trump Effect seems to be.

The president appears to be a one man tipping point, single-handedly destroying the American economy, the stock markets, the good will of the rest of the world, and any chance of Republicans winning anything.

Again, if we're being honest and why not if they're halfway out the door, Trump's policies, both foreign and domestic, are no different than those pushed by Ryan and his Senate counterpart, Mitch McConnell. 

A Republican president in their mold wouldn't have alienated everyone else in the world or created so much uncertainty at home, which means that their regressive, cruel policies wouldn't have drawn so much attention for being so regressive and so cruel, which means Ryan and his cohorts would have stood a good chance of retaining the House. No Trump, and Ryan stays.

Ah, but we do have Trump, a man who demonstrates that regressive cruelty on an hourly basis, usually in ALL CAPS, a man whose paranoia and tantrums make Richard Nixon's seem positively mild by comparison. Everything that had been unspoken or only hinted at for Ryan, everything about the world view Ryan quietly embraces and represents, is boldly front and center for Trump. There's no hiding from that, let alone from what defeat in November means for the Republicans who somehow win.

Any congressional Republicans still in office in January will face the prospect of being in the minority, which likely means defending their president against impeachment. This surely played a role in voting for such indefensable tax cuts leading into an election year, and it surely has played just as much of a role in the Republican exodus that followed the vote.

So, if Ryan is leaving, it isn't just that he doesn't want to have to be Minority Leader but that he also doesn't want to have to spend almost all of that time doing little more than defending Donald J. Trump. That, it seems, is not his part.

Of course, who does want to defend Trump? Who can? His own lawyer looks like he might be indicted. Half of the legal team set to defend him against Special Counsel Robert Mueller already quit. The only question, at this point, is whether Michael Cohen will resign as Trump's lawyer before or after taking a deal. He certainly won't be fired, not now, not with the spotlight on him. If only for that, he and Mueller might just have the best job security in Washington.

And yet, given just how many of Trump's "best men" (and women) have been fired or forced to quit in just the past month or so, Cohen falling or being pushed on his sword isn't out of the question. He won't be able to pull off the old "to spend more time with my family" line, but he that's what you get for paying off adult film actresses (and the odd doorman).

Of Trump's original cabinet, there aren't many left. It seems that more have been fired than quit. In more than one case, it's hard to tell the difference. Many of those who remain - Scott Pruitt, Ben Carson, and Ryan Zinke - are mired in scandals over spending their department's funds on themselves, scandals that have legs and may take one or two of them down before long.

That those three and others drenched in ethical problems remain when previous presidents would have shown them the door is because, and this is very important, they have yet to contradict or even challenge their boss. Those who had the temerity to contradict or challenge Trump are almost all gone, many of them collecting a bit of coin for their upcoming tell-alls, some of them witnesses for the upcoming prosecution.

This, too, speaks as well as anything to the world view of Trump, Ryan, and every other politician preaching an end to government. They fight each other for power, they jockey for position, and then they get theirs or they get even. It's a toxic atmosphere that only ends one way, the way we're seeing now.

The man who has claimed that everyone wants to work in his White House certainly seems intent on giving everyone a chance. He might not even last a full term and could still set a record for firing people. It's entirely possible that Trump may be firing them all because he can't fire the one man he wants to fire, but don't think the abusive, disrespectful ways in which he chose to fire them doesn't count for something, not for people who may have told themselves and anyone who would listen that they were setting aside their own naked self-interest to take the jobs.

Perhaps the most alarming pattern in the series of men and women fired by Trump or by his underlings since he took his oath of office is the phrase, "Now there will be no one to restrain him from…", as though the reason for firing them wasn't just that. The shock of it, the surprise at the recklessness and risk such behavior poses to our safety, is pure hogwash for anyone paying attention.

A president shouldn't need to be restrained. A president shouldn't be such a threat to the rest of us that having minders to keep him in check is considered a job requirement. That those of us tasked with covering the Trump administration seem shocked and taken by surprise should scare the hell out of us, perhaps even more than Trump does.

Why? Because this, too, was something on which Trump campaigned. He promised that he would run his government the way he ran his businesses. Well, this is how he ran his businesses, very often right into the ground, by screaming and throwing tantrums, by questioning the loyalty of everyone around him, and by firing people at an unsustainable rate, often without any justification better than it made him feel good in the moment.

That is Donald Trump. That is who he is. That is who he has always been. In any organization, if you see that the person in charge is like that, you start making plans to get the hell out. How many career employees in the Executive Branch found themselves effectively in the minority, powerless to do the work they came to Washington to do, and charged with having to defend Donald Trump or one of his lavishly spending lackeys? Like Paul Ryan, they did the math and left, only they won't profit the way he will.

It is actually possible that Trump will get to keep at least one other campaign promise before he goes: "draining the swamp". The number of federal employees who will have left Washington by the time his administration is through will be enormous. Most of them, of course, are low level employees whose jobs were probably necessary to make sure government actually did function.

It's the ones with the mindset of "every man for himself" that undermine the ability of any government to function. They are too often the ones enriching themselves at the taxpayers' expense. They expect to spend as little time in Washington as possible making as much money as they can from lobbyists and the donor class they serve. They speak ill of government and do what they can while they can to make every complaint about it true.

And then they go home. They have achieved what they wanted to achieve. They have done their part. And they will get to spend as much time with their families as their bank accounts will allow. They'll have drained the swamp and taken every cent they could with them.

As the man tweeted himself when firing yet another lackey: "Congratulations to all!"

- Daniel Ward