#// LOOK. SHE SEES DEAD PEOPLE AND OTHER ENTITIES THAT ARE ON DIFFERENT PLANES OF EXISTENCE.

[sialiia]

• . ° .┊┊ SYDNEY'S BIRTHDAY;; malka-lisitsa asked: Katherine will take the day off work for Syds birthday so she doesnt have to see a VaMpIrE and ruin her day. (its a petty gift lmfao) *** Do not re.blog this post at all! or turn into a thread without asking first! ***

ㅤㅤ❝𝓞h uh.... thank you. You know you really didn't have to do that...❞Sydney still appreciates? it nonetheless- If that was the right word?- even if it was a bit of a stretch. Sarah already had them on different shifts. In her own defence, Sydney was scared of most creatures, beings, entities, anything that could cause harm, really! It didn't help that she could sense just how many people Katherine had killed over her time as a vampire- it was just a lot to process.

|| @malka-lisitsa

[silverandsoulbonded]

A Life of Stories - Soulbonding and My Story

It’s the late 90’s. A tiny child sits in the grip of wonder on the carpet two feet from the old, analog television screen. The volume is turned way down on a Saturday morning, so as not to wake the parents. And Digimon: Adventure is playing.

That kid was me.

I spent the next several days telling anyone and everyone I knew about the trials and bravery of my favorite new friends on the TV. Taichi and his Digi-pals.

Every Saturday morning I tuned in with wrapped attention to check in on my friends. Because that is what they were. I could not explain it at the time, and looking back I see that I did not understand just how powerful my love for them was, but over the years I began to notice the disparity between my experience and that of others. The glazed looks I received when I tried to communicate just how much the “stories” around me meant to my heart and spirit.

As I grew, so too did my well of worlds. When it was not Digimon, it turned to Batman and the DC Animated Universe. Over the years, as things became harder and harder for me in an unsafe household, I would reach out to those stories for safety and comfort. In the dead of night, listening to shouts, I would silently pray for Batman to come in and save me. I would think about Static, from Static Shock, and his bravery. I would long for the Justice League to show me hope.

I grew up in a conservative Protestant Christian household, and I was quickly taught from the moment I could understand stories that they were not real. It seemed a strange double-standard to me, as we read of Jesus and his amazing feats, recorded centuries ago by the hands of men but somehow “different” than the other stories I consumed, which also taught me and affected me just as emotionally.

It would not be until adulthood that I could finally articulate this incongruity I felt, much less possess the bravery and personal freedom to think about it on my own terms. To set aside the pre-packaged “truth” I had been fed growing up in order to find my own fresh fruits of wisdom and meaning.

Stories. Stories are what sustain humanity. All we have are stories. Even the perceptions we store in our brains are only that. Perceptions. Stories. We can never truly know what an orange is, or who a person is. We only can know our perception of them, and the story of them that lives on within us.

And, sometimes, those stories speak to us in the most fantastic and magical of ways.

Fast forward to 2021.

I am an adult. A practicing witch and pagan. An artist and writer. I am functional and thriving. And I have an unusual family.

Some of the most important people in my life do not exist on the physical plane of this Earth quite the same as other friends of mine. They exist in the subtle realms of Dream and thought and wonder. Over time I have come to find many names for them. Spirits, guides, and “soulbonds”.

I began my foray into the community of “soulbonding” when I began to sense, or rather, acknowledge the living quality of some of the “characters” I was writing about. One character in particular, a being who introduced himself to me in a dream, had me particularly flummoxed. I called him Asura, and from the moment he entered my life through that dream, my entire world changed. It was akin to stepping onto a roller coaster car while it was still moving—except this roller coaster had no track and no limits. His entire presence permeated my life, my thoughts, my daydreams. I wrote about him, and it was my writing about him that led me to thoughts, questions, and explorations I would have never dared otherwise. By finding him, he led me to find myself, and for that I shall be forever grateful.

At some point, I, and even my closest friends, became aware of a “spookiness” about my dogged pursuit of this mysterious character. I started to know things about him and his world, and make connections in his story, that seemed to come out of nowhere but which all cohered together perfectly. Without a fault, I would learn tidbits about him that would suddenly fit with another thing I learned later, though I never had to strain to achieve such things. It was not so much that I was “creating” the story so much as “recording” it. There were elements of his story that overlapped with our world’s history and it was spooky as all get out when I learned about historical facts through his story and later found them to also be reflected in my own world, which has a similar timeline to his. A sort of “sibling world” to his.

We also noticed the tremendous power of my emotional connection to him and his friends. My boyfriend at the time even became jealous of Asura, though I assured him that was absurd. “Asura is just a story,” I would say. And my boyfriend thought the same yet he, and others, seemed unable to ignore the fact that there seemed to be something weird going on.

And, one day, with horror, I realized I was in love with Asura—fortunately, by that time I had since broken up with my boyfriend—but the idea terrified me. Unsurprisingly, this sent a conservative Christian “good kid” such as myself down into a spiral of questions and disbelief.

I felt the imposter syndrome. I thought, “I must be insane.” Yet, no one, myself included, could deny the reality of this connection I felt.

Over time, Asura and his friends began to speak to me. They guided me and provided loving support to me. I, at the time, figured I was either crazy or eccentric.

“Maybe this is a writer thing,” I thought.

And it was that thought that led me to soulbonding. I learned of other writers who also had their “characters” come alive to them. Alice Walker, author of the famed American work, The Color Purple, allegedly purported that she had received her story straight from the characters’ mouths one afternoon, during which she sat down to tea with them and learned their tale. And that is when I found a forum site called “The Living Library” (now defunct), and learned the term “soulbonding”.

In that community I found others who echoed my story in various ways. Deep personal connections to entities from other worlds, many of whom they found depicted in the flourishing ecosystem of thought and imagination, stories, that surrounds the human race. Others, discovered their unconventional friends via dreams, visions, or odd circumstances just like myself. One person I met had actually found one such friend first, in this instance a version of Edward Elric from “Full Metal Alchemist”, before learning years later—with a start I imagine—that Edward actually had an entire manga and anime about him.

I say “version” because another amazing phenomenon I discovered was the occurrence of many instantiations of people, characters, from infinite worlds, all with slight variances from one another. That is when I was introduced to the idea of Multiverse Theory and Many Worlds Theory.

As my personal investigations led me down various spiritual rabbit holes, and eventually led me to spirit-working and witchcraft, I found more and more ideas that seemed to jive with my experience.

I discovered what are colloquially called “pop pantheons” in occult circles. Pantheons of spirits and deities who connect to pop culture figures in human society—and even figures from “fiction”. And there is a whole, thriving community of people who lead successful, fulfilled, and meaningful spiritual lives working with these entities. I learned that reality and “truth” are not objective like I had been taught so long ago. And I finally understood MY truth—all we have are myths and stories. Experience is subjective and the only measure of meaning and truth we have is in the effects we see in our own lives.

With tremendous wonder and happiness, and even love, I have seen the effects my unconventional friends and family have wrought in my life. Asura is my familiar spirit now, and I have a whole host of other beings whom I love. Some come from “personal gnosis”, or unique experience, such as Asura. Others are beings who have come to me from the vast world of collective Dreaming that permeates our world, evident in media sources, in the form of stories.

I still have moments of doubt. I sometimes wonder, “Gee-golly-whiz, am I NUTS?” But then I remember that my truth exists only in my own experience. My ethereal family brings me happiness, growth, and meaning. And there really is no difference between my relationship with them and the relationship I had with Jesus so long ago. Every experience is real to me, and brings with it change and good. And that is what matters.

In this blog I intend to share my experience, in hopes that it can offer a beacon to others in similar situations. Every person’s experience is unique, though I hope mine can at least offer some hope, understanding, and love to another.

Cheers.

And happy story-telling.

- Cosmic

[vs-redemption]

May I please have BNHA scenarios of how any characters you think would fit would dealing with a haunting with their paranormal loving partner? Thank you

A/N: I had so much fun writing these! I decided to do three characters: Twice, Mirko, and Todoroki. They’re all under the cut since it’s three different stories. I hope you enjoy!

Dealing with a Haunting (Twice, Mirko, and Todoroki x Paranormal Loving!Reader)

Warning: Mentions of scary Halloween themes like death and murder related to the huantings.

Twice (Jin Bubaigawara)

“Hey Jin!” You skip up to your boyfriend with an innocent smile on your face. It was always the best way to get his guard down if you had to ask him for something. Not that it was hard to get him to go along with your ideas anyway. He could never resist doing things for the people he cared about. “I finally decided what I want for my birthday.”

“Really? What is it?” He perks up at your words, eager to find out what it was that would make you happy. “Took you long enough!”

You smile, knowing there was no reason to be offended by the second comment. He pulls you into a hug as you reach up to put a hand on each side of his face. Your touch reminds him that he has no reason to fear splitting apart. “I want to spend the night in a haunted hotel,” you tell him, causing him to go bug eyed for a moment.

“Uh uh! No Way!” he shakes his head before leaning in close, “anything for you, baby!” You smile victoriously. He would need no further convincing. He knew you loved anything paranormal, and there was no way he was going to let you go somewhere potentially dangerous by yourself.

--

An alarm on your phone alerts you once it is 3am on the night of your birthday. You hop off the hotel bed which was still perfectly made since you had no intention of sleeping. Your boyfriend, however, had drifted off in the room’s armchair in the middle of the movie you’d put on a few hours before.

“Jin, wake up!” You shake his shoulder and he wakes up with a startle. “It’s dead time! Let’s go!” You don’t wait for him to reply as you open up your suitcase to grab your flashlight and camera. You remember to hand Jin a mask to wear over his head so that he’d feel a little more confident.

“Are you sure about this?” He whispers as you both tiptoe out into the darkened hallway.

“Of course!” You assure him. “I’ve been wanting to come here for years! Thank you so much for doing this with me.” You lean toward him to give him a peck on the cheek before making your way down to the first floor of the hotel. Your footsteps echo around the stairwell and you feel Jin slip his hand into yours.

“Are you scared already?” you ask him in amusement.

“Oh course not!” He defends himself before puffing out his chest, “I’m your brave protector!” You laugh at his false bravado as you lead him toward the empty swimming pool.

“They say a pair of twins died in this pool,” you tell your boyfriend as you flick on your flashlight and let it illuminate the calm water in front of you. “Every year, on the same day as their death, people claim to hear the sound of children laughing and running around this area.” You turn around and give him your best creepy smile, “tonight is the 10 year anniversary.”

“Stop it,” Jin was definitely getting spooked now, “I don’t believe you.”

As soon as he muttered those words, you felt a small breeze brush past you both with the faint sound of a giggle floating through the air. You quickly reach for your camera, hoping to capture some evidence of what was happening, but Jin completely freaked out. He scoops you into his arms and runs as fast as he can from the pool area. Once you’re far enough away, he sets you down and takes your hand again. “Your story was real!” He gasps, “Let’s get out of here!” Jin takes you back to your room to get the rest of your stuff before checking out as fast as humanly possible.

 Mirko (Rumi Usagiyama)

You had been a fan of everything and anything paranormal since before you could remember. You had grown up watching all the different ghost hunting programs on TV and always found yourself watching live ghost cams in your free time. Over the years, you’d collected all sorts of gadgets like EMF readers, thermal cameras, and digital voice recorders. Recently, you had even started your own paranormal investigation website where you posted videos of your own ghost hunting adventures. It was the hobby you were most passionate about. When the Halloween season finally came around, you decided to a special vlog including your pro hero girlfriend, Mirko.

“Sorry, I know you’re into all the spooky stuff, but it’s not really my thing,” She flips her long silver hair over her shoulder before pointing a confident thumb to her chest. “I’ve literally made it my job not to be afraid of anything.” You let out a laugh at her predictable response.

“You don’t have to be scared,” you tell her. “I just thought it was something fun we could do to get into the Halloween spirit!” The rabbit hero puts a hand to her chin in thought before shrugging her shoulders.

“All right, I don’t see any harm in it,” she gives in quickly since, if nothing else, it was a chance to spend more time with you. She knew she’d made the right decision by the way your face had lit up with excitement. You both were thrill seekers, which is what had brought you two together in the first place.

What she hadn’t predicted at all, was that you would be dragging her to a graveyard on the night of Halloween. You’d set up some cameras around the area during the day, then went back with Mirko after the sun had set.

“What am I supposed to be looking for?” Mirko had the EMF reader in her hand as she followed you through the rows of headstones. It was a little chilly outside and she looked really cute bundled up in her fluffy coat and gloves.

“Supposedly, ghosts are able to effect magnetic frequencies,” you explain excitedly while scanning the area with your thermal camera. “The device you’re holding will let us know if there are any disturbances in the electromagnetic energy around here.”

“Right,” her intense red eyes glanced around the graveyard as if daring something to come set off the device.

“You know you can’t take down a spirit with brute force, right Rumi?” You ask her in amusement while continuing your walk among the headstones. A slight mist had started to form over the ground and the temperature of the air seemed to drop suddenly. The tiny machine in Mirko’s hand began emitting a high pitched whine that made the hero tense up and go on alert.

“What’s happening?” she asks urgently. She didn’t sound scared, just ready to go toe to toe with anything dangerous that might appear.

“Shhh,” you put a finger to your lips before grabbing your voice recorder. You hit the record button and start asking questions like “Is anyone there?” and “If there’s a spirit present, give us a sign.” The EMF reader goes silent again and you glance over at Mirko. Her eyes are wide and her fluffy rabbit ears are straight up in the air.

“Something just moved past me and touched my hair,” she whispers as a smirk grows on her face. Abruptly, she snatches the recorder out of your hand. “All right ghost!” She challenges, “You wanna play? You don’t know who you’re messing with!”

“Rumi!” You can’t help but laugh even though the things you were suddenly experiencing were really quite extraordinary.

“Point the camera over there,” Mirko suddenly points across the graveyard. “By that tree.”

“Oh!” You gasp when the thermal camera picks up on a patch of cold in the exact spot Mirko had indicated. How had she known? “There’s something over there!” Mirko looked victorious before bouncing off in that direction, going too fast for you to keep up thanks to her large bunny feet.

“This is going to be great for your website!” she calls out behind her but the cold spot on the camera disappeared before reached the tree. You shake your head in amusement, wondering if bringing your girlfriend had been a good idea after all. She was going to scare all the ghosts away.

“It’s gone now,” you call over to her. The disappointment in your voice brought Mirko back to your side in a flash.

“Don’t worry!” She promises while putting an arm around you, “We’re going to track down every single ghost in this graveyard, even if we have to stay out here all night!” For someone who’d said ghosts weren’t her thing, Mirko was sure getting into it.

Shoto Todoroki

Getting a pro hero to take a vacation was borderline impossible. You’d been begging your boyfriend, Shoto Todoroki, to take some time off for years, but he was always reluctant to leave his job for more than a day or two at a time. You understood his need to be on standby in case of a major villain attack or big natural disaster. He hated the thought of not being there to save an innocent life or have the back of one of his fellow heroes. He still made sure to spend time with you every day, and you were content with taking small weekend trips with him when you could.

The routine had become familiar and comfortable, so it came as a huge shock to you when Todoroki showed up after work one day with two plane tickets in his hand. Not only were you going on an extended vacation with your boyfriend for the first time, but he’d also chosen New Orleans as the destination. You’d been dreaming of going there since you were a child. It was a city with a history full of vampires, witches, ghosts, and plenty of other supernatural entities. You were happy that your boyfriend had remembered, and surprised that he’d be willing to go along for the journey.

“I booked us a private tour at a haunted house tonight,” Shoto says causally as you unpack your bags at the first hotel. You look over at him in surprise. He was intently reading a brochure about the best ghost tours in the city.

“Are you sure you want to do that, Shoto?” You ask and he turns to look at you. “It might be really scary.”

“The ghosts don’t really exist,” he comes over and sits next to you on the bed. “But I think it’s an interesting way to learn about the history here.” If he was so sure, you weren’t going to try to change his mind. You were just happy that he was doing all this for you.

Once the tour started, you found yourself thankful that your boyfriend had paid for the private walkthrough. Some of the effect would have been lost if there’d been a huge group of people trying to squeeze through the dimly lit rooms and hallways. The tour guide was fantastic at setting the mood as well, explaining the stories of each haunting with just enough suspenseful flair.

“The previous owners of this house have reported repeatedly seeing a woman in a white dress standing by that window,” he explains. “They say she matches the description of a woman who died here, murdered by her lover who’d gone crazy after coming home from the war.”

At the beginning of the tour, Todoroki had curiously wandered around each room, investigating different items and asking questions. Now that you were deeper into the house though, he seemed less willing to stray too far from your side. You noticed he kept looking over his shoulder.

“Sometimes,” The tour guide continues, “When I’m closing up at night, I hear footsteps following me down this hallway even though I’m the only one here.”

“Really?” You ask, fascinated. “Have you ever seen anything?” You feel Shoto come up right behind you and put a hand on your waist.

“Yes!” The tour guide says dramatically, “I’ve often caught glimpses of a man’s face looking at me through mirrors or around corners.” The grip on your waist gets a little tighter.

“Are you okay, Shoto?” You ask, not understanding why he was being so clingy. It wasn’t like him at all.

“I’m fine,” he says but doesn’t let go of you.

“Oh!” The tour guide’s eyes suddenly go wide and he puts up his hands to ask for quiet. “Do you hear that?” You strain your ears and cover your mouth when the faint sound of a piano could be heard from somewhere nearby. The tour guide beckons you to follow him until you reach the room that was the source of the sound. You peek in the doorway and gasp when you see the keys of a grand piano playing by themselves.

“Look over there,” The tour guide suddenly whispers and you and Todoroki glance over to the corner of the room where a dark figure stood, barely visible in the shadows.

“Wow!” you were amazed but the grip your boyfriend had on you was almost getting uncomfortable now. You look up at him to see poorly concealed terror all over his face. You felt bad that he was reacting so badly so you took his hand into your own. “Most of it is tricks set up to excite the tourists,” you tell him to try and ease his fears.

The guide continues the tour after a moment but the sound of heavy footsteps suddenly come stomping down the hallway and move right past your small group. Todoroki’s eyes follow the sound as it fades out behind him. He actually starts to push you forward after that. “Please walk faster,” he tells you firmly.

You both were relieved when the tour was over. You’d enjoyed all the spooky experiences, but your poor boyfriend had not enjoyed even a moment of it. It was safe to say you wouldn’t be doing any more private haunted tours with him for the rest of the trip.

[thedannyphantomcookbook]

The Phantom Origins

Okay, so I know probably a bunch of people have already done this, but I wanted to rewrite Danny Phantom, from just before he got his powers to maybe when he tells his parents.

 I’m tired of waiting for a reboot that may never come, so here is what I picture the reboot would look like. 

I’ve always thought it would be darker and more horrific, that the ghosts he fights are more monstrous and demonic.

 That there would be a little bit more of a medical concern for Danny’s humanity being affected by his ghost half. Is he becoming more ghost like? Is he gradually getting sicker and sicker, and his ghost DNA ravages through his body like cancer? 

Would Vlad be not only a sexist, creepy, abusive old man, but contains a thirst for deception and power that he poses a real, apocalyptic threat on Earth and the ghost zone?

Are ghosts actually the spirits of the dead? Or are they a different breed of human that lives in a completely separate dimension, that’s is layered and hidden within ours?

What about Danny’s mental health. He has to keep this big secret from his parents because he absolutely FEARS what would happen if they found it to the point he’s scared they wouldn’t believe he was their son and try to kill him as a result, or keep him hostage in the basement, slowly torturing him and dissecting him until he’s dead? What would the world think of him? A prophet? A demon? Would they accuse his parents for experimenting on their own children? He would have so much fear and anxiety that he’d have to be on edge all the time, falling into depression, panic attacks - not to mention the PTSD he’d get from it all while battle nightmarish monsters and the hanging question over his head of what he is now. 

These are just SOME of the questions I’ve had that Butch Hartman will never answer. He set up such a great plot and characters but carried it out pretty poorly over the show (which may or may not be his fault since they wanted to keep it kid friendly.)

I hope to get into the deep and dark and nitty gritty details of Danny Phantom we’ve imagined but never get to see. I wrote the first chapter below, and I plan to write much more. :)

I hope you guys enjoy it!

Follow me over at Ao3 

Summary:

Dr. Madelyn Fenton and her husband, Dr. Jackson Fenton, have just built the world's first portal to the Ghost Zone - an alternate dimension where undead linger for all eternity. The only problem is no one believes in what they are doing. The townspeople call them the Fenton Freaks and the rejection letters from the National Science Foundation are piling up. Not even their own children can tolerate their ghost obsession. Their 14 year old son, Danny, does what he can to separate himself from his parents. Mocked by his peers and judged by his teachers, he keeps his head down and stays out of the spotlight. 

It comes as no surprise to Danny when his parents' machine fails to work on the first test run. Discouraged, they leave empty handed for the weekend to go to the Ghost Hunter's Expo, where they were expected to present their portal during their panel. As soon as his parents leave, Danny invites his friends over to give a tour of yet another one of his parents' failed experiments. When he gets dared to walk inside the machine, he triggers something that turns it back on, and for the first time ever, his parents have an invention that works. But that's the least of the surprises when Danny emerges from the portal himself...

To Whom It May Concern,

To the esteemed members of the National Science Foundation, myself, Dr. Madelyn Fenton, PhD., and my husband, Dr. Jackson Fenton, PhD., write to you today to consider us for the New Exploratory Scientific Research Grant Award. Our combined decades worth of research within paranormal scientific research fields have led us to believe that the “ghost” entities that haunt our very Earth, could in fact be the missing link to creating new technology, curing human illnesses, and prolonging human life on Earth.

The term “ghosts” is defined as a religious or spiritual being, or the hypothetical soul of the human body, separated from physical forms, usually that of a person recently deceased. Dr. Jackson Fenton and myself have a different theory about the “ghostly” entities that visit our Earth. We have sufficient evidence to prove that ghosts are in fact not the spirits of the dead, but an entirely new species of the human race. We believe they exist in an alternate dimension - a separate plane of existence that is not unlike ours. Recent developments have also shown the possibility of dimensional travel -  we believe ghosts are able to pass through into our plane of existence for a temporary amount of time. Through our rigorous research, construction, and experimentation, Dr. Jackson Fenton and myself have created what would be a “portal” to this plane of existence, to the “Ghost Zone.” By exploring and studying the ghost zone, we could collect a limitless amount of research and data that could be used to benefit humanity for the rest of our existence.  

We have provided within our application our twenty years of research and development, along with video recordings of our experiments as evidence of our work in progress, as we humbly request your consideration for the New Exploratory Scientific Research Grant  Award.

Sincerely,

Dr. Madelyn Fenton, PhD. in Quantum Physics and Paranormal Studies

Dr. Jackson Fenton, PhD. in Theoretical Science and Paranormal Studies

From the Grants and Admissions Office of the National Science Foundation

To Dr. Madelyn Fenton and Dr. Jackson Fenton,

Thank you for your interest in applying for the New Exploratory Scientific Research Grant Award. The New Exploratory Scientific Research Grant Award (NESRGA) is an esteemed scholarship opportunity that looks to provide funding for ground-breaking scientific research to scientists working within small and local laboratories. After carefully reviewing your application and research, we have come to the regretful decision to decline your request to receive the NESRGA.

We unfortunately could not approve your request due to the following issues:

Insufficient or lack thereof evidence or proof of scientific research of ghostly entities and/or undiscovered species, the “Ghost Zone” dimension in which these entities exist, or possible travel to said “Ghost Zone.”

Insufficient of lack thereof peer review research and laboratory data.

Paranormal entities and alternative dimensional research is not recognized under the National Science Foundation as factual scientific work.

We are thrilled to hear that you share such enthusiasm, passion, and ambition in the pursuit of scientific exploration, research and development. You are a part of a wonderful community, and through your tireless efforts, you will help bring our Earth into the future.

We welcome you to apply for the NESRGA again next year.

Sincerely,

Barbara Keaton,

Director of Grants and Admissions

National Science Foundation

GHOST HUNTERS EXPO - THIS LABOR DAY WEEKEND

To Drs. Maddie and Jack Fenton,

We are excited to have you return to speak at the Ghost Hunters Expo this coming labor day weekend. We have reviewed your Ghost Zone Theory and we anticipate your presentation of your research.

Please note: due to new regulations we cannot allow the following into the convention center:

Ecto-infused food, inanimate objects, or animal mutations of any kind.

Alarm or defense systems that release a form of knock out gas, ectoplasmic goo, ectoplasmic foam, spoiled meats, or  live rodents. All alarms and defense systems must be turned off while inside the convention center.

Samplings or gifts of homemade cookies or other food, beverages, or gifts to bribe the judges.

Disclosed weapons that are not a part of your presentation and/or not approved by the convention prior (we will have metal detections at all entry points of the convention hall)

Asking for audience volunteers unless approved by us prior your scheduled presentation time.

Ghost claims targeted towards convention guests, judges, or other presenters.

All presentations and inventions must have been tested and approved by a judge prior to your presentation time (i.e. no last minute or surprise inventions).

Fighting or displays of physical aggression.

Destruction of convention hall equipment, the building’s foundation itself, or other presenters equipment and or inventions.

We thank you in advance for your compliance and full understanding of the new regulations.

We look forward to seeing you!

Best,

Trevor Martin

Ghost Hunters Expo Coordinator

“Did you see this?” Jack Fenton asked, waving the notice from the Ghost Hunters Expo. He scoffed. “New regulations...I wonder who were the bimbos that made them enforce these rules.” He crumbled up the notice and threw it carelessly on the floor.

“How’s that portal coming, sweet cheeks?” he asked his wife.

Maddie Fenton was deep within a hexagon shaped chamber carved out of her laboratory converted basement wall. The interior was lined with a colorful array of wires and tiny blinking lights. At the end of the chamber, sheets of metal and hardware fanned in on itself. Maddie was kneeled on the floor, wrestling with a few cords.

“I’m just struggling to connect these last couple of wires,” she answered, pinching the two cords together. With a last bit of strain, the cords connected with a satisfying click.

Wiping the sweat off her brow, she came out of the chamber. “Hopefully that will stabilize the gravitational pull of the Ghost Zone once we get the portal running.” She briefly thought back to a dark memory from their college days when their first Ghost Zone prototype had malfunctioned and the toxins from the Ghost Zone leaked out of the portal, resulting in displacing one of her lab partners for the remainder of their college career.

“We got it this time, baby,” Jack said confidently. “There is no way we could make the same mistake twice.”

Maddie sighed as she walked over to the control panel to record the ecto-readings. “I just wish we knew for certain what had gone wrong that day. All of this guess work is driving me crazy.” She picked up her notebook and briefly reviewed her meticulously hand written notes before adjusting some dials.

“Okay,” she huffed, satisfied. “I think we’re ready for a test run.”

Jack clapped his hands. “Excellent! I’ll go grab the kids!” He ran to the basement steps and shouted, “Jazzy-pants! Danny! Get down here!”

A few minutes later both of their teenage children shuffled down the basement steps.

“Is this gonna take long?” Danny asked, disinterestedly. “Tucker and I were in the middle of planning our next battlefield strategies for Doomed. There’s only a few days left of summer vacation and we still have so much planning to do if we want to beat the other online players and achieve the seven Keys of Destiny.”

“And I was in the middle of an important breakthrough in my self therapeutic psychology research,” their daughter, Jazz promptly stated. In her hands she clutched an open copy anxiety and phobias workbook. “Did you know that high functioning anxiety in adulthood is caused by childhood trauma from never feeling safe in your own home? This would explain so much about me and Danny -” she paused in her speech when she saw the machine her parents were working on.

“Oh, no.” She snapped her book shut and pinched the flesh between her eyes. “ Please do not tell me you called us down here to witness another one of your experiments. Don’t you remember what happened last time?”

“Oh, Jazz, relax,” Maddie said, waving her off. “Those burn marks from the last ectoplasmic gun experiment healed eventually. And look!” She walked over to a closet in the back of the room and pulled out two polyester jumpsuits. “We made you both your own custom fitted, lab safe, jumpsuits!”

Jack appeared beside Maddie. “And we matched them with ours! Jazzy-pants, yours is teal to match your mother’s. And Danny, yours would have matched mine but the store didn’t have orange.” he held out a plain white jumpsuit with black gloves and boots.

“And I haven’t even shown you two the best parts!” he grabbed the jumpsuits from Maddie and spun them around. Crudely pressed onto the fabric of the jumpsuit was a cutout of Jack Fenton’s smiling face, emblazoned on the chest.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Jack grinned.

Jazz was the first to respond. “Dad there is no way you’re going to get me to wear that,” she said while backing away and shaking her head. “How about Danny and I will just go upstairs and you can call us down after  you’ve tested it? That way we’ll be safe and not have to wear those hideous jumpsuits.”

Danny silently agreed with her while struggling to conceal his own disgust at the suits. It was one thing to be forced to wear a jumpsuit like his parents but it was an entirely different level of lame to have to wear his father’s face across his chest. What if his parents insisted he wore it all the time, like they did? Involuntary images of him becoming the laughing stock at his new high school was surfacing in his mind, more than he already was for being the son of the city’s eccentric ghost hunting husband and wife team. He was already struggling to stay above the pathetic nerd social ring in his class. They’d have to create an entirely new category of nerd just for him if he wore that suit. The thought of it made him want to crawl away in a hole and be left there to die.

“Mom, Dad, I have to agree with Jazz,” Danny said. “The suits are kinda...lame.”

“Oh, nonsense,” Maddie dismissed. “These jumpsuits are the latest fashion that every ghost hunter wants.”

“And when we reveal these babies with my face on them, everyone will be scrambling for one. We’ll be rich!” Jack stated proudly.

Jazz snorted. “Um, I somehow doubt that. Look, we’ll just go back upstairs and you two can let us know when it’s safe, okay?” She looped a hand around Danny’s arm and started pulling him away.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Jack clamped a hand on both of them  and spun them back around. “You two are being given the chance to witness scientific history! And we are not going to let you pass up on this.” He tossed the jumpsuits to Jazz and Danny. They unwillingly caught them.

Jazz glowered at Danny. “If you take any photos and post them on the internet, I will kill you.”

Danny held out his suit reproachfully. His dad’s smiling face seemed to be laughing at him, like all of the students as Casper High will be if they ever found out about this.

“Don’t worry about it.”

A few minutes later, Jazz and Danny stood alongside their parents in their matching jumpsuits. Jazz stood with her arms crossed, silently fuming, her foot tapping impatiently. At her mother’s insistence, Jazz was forced to tuck in her long, red hair and wear the hair sealing head cover and thick, dark eye protection goggles that came with it. At equal height, Jazz and Maddie were identical in their suits.

At least Danny couldn’t match his dad. Jack’s suit was bright orange and about twenty sizes larger than Danny’s, due to his father’s obsession with Maddie’s homemade fudge and cookie inventions. Danny’s own white suit was slightly too large for him, and hung in odd places due to his skinny frame. He didn’t have to wear a hood and goggles like his sister either - another thankful shortage from the ghost hunter’s clothing warehouse. He picked at his dad’s pressed on face design on his chest as he waited for his parents to get the machine ready for its test run. His dad had tried ironing it on, but had done it poorly, so that with a bit of a tug, it was already beginning to peel off.

Jack and Maddie Fenton ran back and forth across the lab, double checking last minute calculations. Machines whirred and beeped around them, the hum of electricity warm in the stagnant air.

Danny had a good idea of how this was going to go. If this would be like any of their past experiments, it would fail miserably. The experiment would go haywire, probably spout ectoplasmic goo everywhere or accidentally giving ecto energy to the nearest food item. One year, their parents had tried making the Christmas Turkey in their newly invented Ultra-fast Instant Pot and instead infused it with demonic ghostly energy and reanimated it. Danny remembered hiding underneath the kitchen table as Jazz had to beat it back with a pastry roller, screaming for their parents.

The ghost zone portal was their most ambitious project yet. For most of Danny’s life, they had dinner table discussions, weighing mathematical equations and scientific chemical balances in hopes of being able to one day engineer the world’s first ghost zone portal. He was fairly surprised when he found out at the beginning of the summer that they were finally constructing it, and even more so when they claimed last night it was completed. They had been rushing to get it done in time to present it at the Ghost Hunters Expo this weekend.

He glanced at the table beside him looking at the pile of papers his dad had haphazardly stacked among the beakers and ghost weapons. Sitting on top of the stack was the rejection letter from the National Science Foundation.

“It means that they don’t think what they’re doing is science,” Jazz had interpreted for Danny after reading it when their parents’ back was turned. “And who could blame them? There is zero evidence supporting the existence of ghosts. It’s just superstition.”

That’s all it was. Superstition. And  yet, his parents had at some point in their youth latched on to the idea that ghosts were more than a myth, and even though they’ve never actually seen one in person themselves, they were determined to prove ghosts were real. What amazed Danny the most is the amount of people who also believed in the same theory. In the years past when his parents had dragged him and Jazz to the Ghost Hunter’s Expo, the crowds always seemed to grow bigger and bigger. Scientists, hunters, enthusiasts, and even ghost cosplayers gathered under the same roof for a full weekend, exchanging theories, stories and footage of what they thought were ghosts. The most ridiculous rumor he had heard at the last ghost hunter’s convention was one of a young, blue haired female musician, who became an overnight sensation after one performance at a local carnival. She had also disappeared quite suddenly after the performance, which raised a lot of speculation. Ghost hunters claimed her unusually pale skin and hypnotic vocals were a part of her ghostly powers. Jazz had stated that it was simply because she was a successful female in the patriarchy they had to deem her as a ghost to explain it.

Danny didn’t want to say anything else after that.

“Jack,” Maddie called from across the room, typing away at a computer. “Did you remember to pour in the ecto-purifier?”

“On it, baby!” Jack cried while fumbling with a control panel. Danny watched as grabbed a can of diet cola, which sat next to the similar sized gray cylinder labeled “EP.”

“Uh, Dad?” Danny called. “I don’t think that’s the ecto-purifier.”

“What’s that?” Jack asked. He turned to look at the object in his hand and barked out a chuckle.

“Thanks, son! That was a close one.” He placed the can of diet cola down and picked up the correct cylinder. “Who knows what would have happened if we purified the toxic ghost energies with diet cola. Could you imagine?” He poured the bright green liquid into the appropriate chamber.

In the corner of his eye, Danny saw Jazz shake her head. “Idiot,” she whispered.

Jazz believed she was the only mature Fenton in the family. At some point during her high school career, she had decided it was up to her to convince her parents that ghosts were not real, and to force them to change their careers to something more normal or socially acceptable. She had tried to get them interested in just about any other scientific field she could think of, such as deep sea diving to discover creatures living on the ocean floor, to NASA’s space engineering program. When those didn’t work, she tried to build a case proving the psychological damage they were causing to her’s and Danny’s upbringing. Over the summer, when she wasn’t preparing herself for the SATs she’d have to take later that school year, she poured over every psychological book she could get her hands on from the library. No matter how many times she argued about the permanent damage her parents were inflicting on their amygdala by creating an unsafe environment for her and Danny to grow up in, their parents would say it’s all worth it for the sake of scientific advancement.

Danny tried desperately to stay out of their fights. Most days, he was too focused on trying to survive a day without being called “that ghost geek” by his peers, no matter how many times he told his classmates he didn’t believe in his parents’ work. Maybe it was because of his small, bony limbs that made it so easy for his classmates to mock him. Or the fact that his only two friends in the entire world were also considered a variety of nerd within the social climate. His best friend Tucker was a little too obsessed with the latest technology and his other friend, Samanatha - Sam for short - was the only school’s goth girl, who filled her entire personality and outlook with dark and depressing outfits and literature. In a weird way, it did make sense that the girl who loved to read about the dead, and the boy who loved technology, would want to be friends with the kid whose parents called themselves ghost scientists. Still, they were his best friends and he wouldn’t trade them for anyone else.

He had been telling them about the portal his parents were building all summer. Just like he was, his friends were also doubtful it would work. They deliberated about what the inventions would actually do. Tucker still brought up the time Danny’s parents were testing out an anti-ghost gravity spray, to temporarily make a ghost lose their flight ability. The morning they were testing it out, Danny had woken up in a hovering bed. It had shocked him so much, he fell off his bed and face-planted onto his bedroom floor, breaking his nose. At some point, Tucker and Sam started placing bets about the outcome.

“Maybe the portal will just blast a hole through the wall and you’ll send up in the Amity Park Sewer System,” Sam guessed last night after he told them his parents were getting ready for their first test.

“Bet you five bucks that Danny will lose all of his hair this time,” Tucker had joked.

He absentmindedly ran a hand through his exposed hair and briefly wished he had a head cover and goggles like Jazz. He couldn’t help but notice there was something different about his parents this time. They didn’t have the same, bubbly and excited energy they usually had when showing off a new invention. They seemed more focused this time. Even his dad’s goofy banter towards Maddie had taken a back seat as his dad frowned over the controls. It was weird to see his dad actually concentrating. Maybe it was the hundredth rejection letter they received from the National Science Foundation, or the pressure to present this weekend at the Expo, but it seemed like they were seriously trying to make this thing work. They did not want to fail.

“Okay everyone!” Maddie ran over and started waving her hands. “Backs up against the wall.”

Jazz sighed and turned to walk over to stand behind the boxed in yellow line, the “safe” spot in the lab. Danny thought  a metal containment center with a viewing screen would have kept them safer, but supposedly his parents didn’t have time to build one. Danny followed his mother and sister.

“Almost…” Jack muttered at the controls, typing away. Suddenly there was a loud click that echoed off the basement walls. Machines roared to life and lights winked on. Inside the portal, the metal fans began to spin.

“YES!” Jack punched the air, triumphant.

“Jack!” Maddie called to her husband, gesturing towards the safe zone. He jogged over and squeezed himself in between his two kids.

“This is it!” he shouted over the noise, which was gradually becoming deafening.

All around the room, machines and computers turned on. Attached beakers and graduated cylinders filled up with green, bubbling liquid. A wall lined with dialers bounced up and down. Puffs of smoke expelled out of exhaust pipes. The portal itself began to crackle with electricity, its interior fans spinning faster and faster until it started emitting a bright green glow. The pressure in the room changed, popping Danny’s ears. He felt the tips of his hair begin to rise with the electric waves.

The whirring of the fans inside the machine began to ring out a high pitch squeal as the machine glowed brighter, and brighter, blinding Danny’s naked eyes. He squinted and held out a hand over his eyes, peeking through his fingers. The air around them grew warm and staticky. His father clamped a hand tightly on Danny’s shoulder, as if to hold him back from running away.

It was working. Danny couldn’t believe it. Not once in all of their years of inventing ghost machines and hunting equipment, they may have actually been able to build something that worked like they wanted it to.

What would this mean? That ghosts actually existed? That his parents were not the crackpot fools the town took them for? And if they did exist, there was the one question that no one has been able to answer.

Were ghosts dangerous?

He looked up at Jazz. Her expression was unreadable through the head covering. He looked at his parents, wild and furious excitement in their eyes.

Then, when it seemed like Danny’s ears couldn’t take much more of the screeching noise, a BOOM exploded from the portal. Light poured out of the machine and flooded the room. Danny yelped and turned away. Jack stepped in front of his family and hid them with his massive torso from the explosion. Then, very suddenly, the room went dark. Every light and machine that had been just buzzing with life, died. Danny’s hearing rang in the abrupt silence.

“What the heck?” Jack was the first to say something.

“I got a flashlight, hang on,” Maddie said next. Danny heard her fumbling around her utility belt and a small light winked on. She shined it around the room. Curls of smoke rose up from the machines. The glow from the ecto-purifier had also faded.

“I don’t understand,” Maddie said, dumbfounded as she gazed around the room. “This should have worked.”

“We checked every calculation,” Jack said, equally mystified.

“And tested every single machine.” She threw up her hands. “I even made sure the damn computers turned on!”

“Well, obviously, this wasn’t going to work,” Jazz suddenly said, her anger returning. “You guys were trying to open a portal to nothing . Because ghosts don’t EXIST.”

She ripped off the hood and goggles. “I’m going back upstairs to change and burn this stupid jumpsuit, and work on processing this trauma that you have inflicted on us, yet again.” Without waiting for her parents to respond, she stomped back upstairs, her footsteps echoing off the silent basement walls

Jack shook his head. “What is her deal?”

“Oh, never mind her, Jack,” Maddie said. “We need to figure out what went wrong. We only have a day until the expo and we promised to present this.”

Danny’s parents turned their back on him and began working to restore the power, jumping right into a deep discussion. Danny took the moment to quietly slip away back upstairs.

The second he was back into his room, he let out a long exhale. Suddenly remembering he was wearing the jumpsuit, he hastily ripped it off and then threw it in the trash bin in the corner of his room.

He flopped back onto his bed, and lay in the stillness of his room for a few minutes to collect his thoughts. He stared up at the plastic, glow in the dark stars and planets stuck on his ceiling.

He couldn’t believe there was a moment back there where he thought the machine was working.

He didn’t want to imagine what would happen if ghosts were real. There were no real scientific facts about them. All those convention attendees at the ghost hunters expo all had different theories about what ghosts are - the religiously damned, aliens, spirits with unfinished business, souls that died before their time, another species - no one could settle on a single argument.

But if they did exist, what would happen then? Would they swarm the Earth, like cicadas after their years long sleep? Would they haunt each and every home and building in towns and cities, and try to claim it as their own? Would the world be plunged into a ghost apocalypse, where every human had to fight for their own human survival and soul? Were ghosts malicious or peaceful?

His parents might be arrested for creating the portal in the first place, if it did turn out bad. Or the government might force them to work alongside them to rid the Earth of the ghost population. What would happen to him and Jazz? Would they be put into juvie, just for being the kids of the Fenton Freaks? Would they be put into foster care, once the government decided Jack and Maddie were unfit parents for him and Jazz?

What if the human population adopted a sick fascination of ghosts? Businesses would try to profit off the ghosts by selling fake anti-ghost protection devices or offer tours inside “haunted” houses. There might even be a community in which some would fall in love or even want to become a ghost themselves.

The world would become absolute chaos.

Danny shuddered at the thought. He didn’t understand what his parents saw in trying to prove their existence. What good would proving the undead existed bring to the world?

His anxious, spiraling thoughts were interrupted when his computer dinged. Danny got up and sat down at his desk. He wiggled his mouse to wake up his computer. Tucker had sent him a message.

Still have all of your hair?

Danny chuckled and wrote back.

Yep. Nothing happened though. But the power in the basement blew.

Damn ,  was Tucker’s response. And I had just invested in a 25 pack of markers to color your head in Lancer’s class when you fall asleep.

Danny laughed out loud. I can only imagine all the pensises you’d draw.

I had planned no less than 50. Two for each color.

Well I hope you kept your receipt cause I still have a full head of hair. Unlike you. Danny made a jab at Tucker’s own buzzed haircut. He had tried growing out dreads for the school year, but his mother forced him to shave it off after he got caught staying up on the computer way too late one night. She paid the barber to give him a military buzz cut.

Shut up, dude, Tucker typed back. While you were away not getting your hair fried off your scalp, I was devising up a new battle plan to defeat Chaos.

Danny smiled. Oh yeah? Lay it on me.

[aethylas]

For anonymous: a series of answers/clarifications/amendments on The Goldenrod Revisions! (I've answered these all in one post just to make it easier). Thank you so much for the asks, this helped me a) clarify my thoughts b) solve some canon continuity issues so I really appreciate them!

THANK U for agreeing to answer my questions! I'll have to ask them separately so they're not in 1 super-long impossible-to-read ask. I have 3 about 15x19, 1 about 15x20, 2 about 15x21, 2 about 15x22, and 2 about 15x23. quick disclaimer: i don't mean any offense at all by my question count! I didn't even notice these oddities the first time I read this; once I read it and accepted it as the true canon, I took a closer look and then noticed. but plz don't think these made your fic any less great!!

No worries anon! It is literally my pleasure to answer them and I am VERY very happy to find discrepancies with canon in the fic - then I can hopefully fix them and make the fic better :) Also I really appreciate the very systematic way you laid all these out, it really helped me reply, and also subsequently make a couple of edits to the fic!

For 15x19:

1. Why did Chuck trust Michael with the task of killing Jack? As God he should know Michael betrayed him in 15.08; did he expect Michael to disobey him again?

I think in this case we're/Chuck is relying on knowledge from the canon 15.19, i.e. Chuck would assume the outcome predicted by the show - that Michael WOULD betray the Winchesters/the world in order to please his father. So God assumed Michael would act the way he did in Inherit The Earth. But additionally, Chuck isn't actually very keyed-in to his own characters' motivations (esp. when love is involved) or very attached to certain results - he basically sends Michael and Lucifer to kill Jack because he figures it will entertain him no matter what happens - whether Michael and Lucifer kill each other, whether they kill the Winchesters/Jack, etc. - either Jack dies this way or Chuck will think of another way to do it.

2. How was Sam able to kill Lucifer? It was said only an archangel could kill another archangel with the archangel blade; was this a total lie or could Sam do it since he's Lucifer's true vessel? (plz don't change it to have Michael kill him; Sam being the one to do it was perfect, I just wanna understand how he could do it).

So glad you raised this because I honestly totally forgot! But now that you have, I have corrected that lore continuity with a line about biblical metaphors.

3. How is Rowena alive? She said she was dead in 15.08, so I initially assumed as a witch and the Queen of Hell she found a way to travel between Hell and Earth despite being dead. But then Sam says "Michael could've killed you" and then Chuck kills her twice in 15.21, both of which indicate she's alive here - does this mean Michael resurrected her when she summoned him?

God okay this is like - please call me out if this is incorrect or still confusing - but it's kind of like, based on the very inconsistent and confusing lore of the SPN afterlife that I assume Rowena is 'dead' but also 'alive' in the sense that Crowley was 'alive' and is now 'dead'. Does that make sense? She's not 'alive' as a human but rather as a demon (or something like it). So as Queen of Hell and a presumably demonic-adjacent entity, when she's 'killed' she gets sent to the Empty now vs. being 'killed' as a human and going to Heaven/Hell. (Based on when we see her in Hell, I assume she possesses her own body? Unclear. Just go with it. They've never been great with what it means to show vessels in Heaven/Hell etc.)

4. I thought asked all I wanted to know about Goldenrod but I just thought of 1 more thing: I don’t get why some dialogue implies Michael was dead? He mentions how he “found himself back on Earth” and tells the Empty it couldn’t stop Chuck from resurrecting him & Lucifer, but prior to 15.19 we last saw Michael leaving the bunker with Adam alive and well in 15.08, and it seemed like he was gonna stay on Earth for Adam’s sake. So what happened to him?

Oh that's a great point! I think that is actually just a confusing choice on my part that Chuck killed absolutely everyone including Michael/Adam in 15.18 Despair and THEN chose to resurrect Michael (but not Adam) alongside Lucifer when he was bored/wanting to kill Jack. I made some slight adjustments in-text to hopefully make it less confusing because I know that's different to the lore of canon 15.19 Inherit the Earth.

For 15x20:

1. How did the angels and demons in the Empty wake up? Did Michael use the last of his grace to wake everyone up? Were they already awake thanks to Jack blowing up in 15x18 or did they somehow sleep through that? (Not expanding on the Empty's claim that "you made it loud" is one of countless things I'll never forgive the actual show for, so THANK YOU for taking the show back to the Empty in the first place; I was just curious about this one element.)

So the Empty was already 'loud' according to canon, but since canon is vague on what exactly that means (thank you writers!...) I got the impression it meant the Empty wasn't 'peaceful' anymore but still powerful enough to suppress the beings inside, like the beings in there were awake and suffering but unable to rebel. Sort of what we see with Cas in this version of 15.20. Maybe like, additional suffering in sleep paralysis? Regardless, Michael does expend his grace to weaken the Empty enough that other beings wake up and/or are able to fight back and exist outside their own personal nightmare chamber. So whatever your impression of 'loud' is with regards to the other beings in there, assume Michael was able to free them from the Empty's control.

For 15x21:

1. Having Jack & Amara take out Hell & Purgatory was a BRILLIANT idea; I love that they ended all the places of suffering and changed the system. I just wonder - what happened to the souls and the demons still in Hell at that point, and the Leviathans and other monsters still in Purgatory? Were they just wiped out completely and sent to the Empty? Or did Jack turn them human and add them to the cycle? (I don't think the show clarified whether or not Leviathans have souls, so...)

No matter whether they were monster or demon or even angel, they would eventually be given human life. I broke it down to 'human enough souls' vs. 'not human enough souls'. Human-enough were immediately brought to life with memories and versions of their original bodies, and not-human-enough were sent to the Soul Queue to be born as infants. I assume Leviathan and most demons fall into 'not human enough', therefore, whatever tiny microbe of personality/soul they had was added to the cycle of rebirth and would be translated to a new human soul. Of course this might have a WILDLY different impact on the world depending on how many people go to hell in this system, how many people were 'human enough', etc.... But we're basically fudging those numbers a bit one way or another just to give certain characters the revival they deserve haha.

2. Did Cas drown and die after Chuck threw him in the lake and Jack left their limbo-dream world? If so, did he go through the same question-&-answer situation with Death that Sam & Dean did? Or was he with Jack & Amara when they rebuilt the world?

Cas was already dead/dying even when he was talking to Jack, he was sort of in a different version of the 'Veil' per se. VERY wishy-washy, but basically he and Jack were on a different dream-plane that they were jolted to in the chaos of the disorganised no-Death world.

I think Cas, Rowena, Lucifer, Michael, etc. as beings who were killed after the snap is a bit ambiguous. Rowena and Lucifer, I think, as entities who were demonic-dead or Empty-level-dead pre-Snap probably went through the reincarnation Yes/No Death questionnaire. Cas and Michael might not have since they were technically 'alive' and human before the Snap. Regardless, I think they probably wouldn't remember the interaction even if they had it.

The reason the question happened to the Winchesters AND that they remember it is Main Character Syndrome... they were the only people left alive when Jack and Amara did a hard reset, and that honestly Death took time to chill/exposition at them because he likes them. Really. Despite all appearances. Or respects them enough to let them know what's gone down, anyway.

Metatextually, it was really just to reaffirm to the audience that Dean (and Sam) want to live, in contrast to 15.20 Carry On 😅

3. Did all the snapped people (Eileen, Adam, the Waywards, etc.) also go through the Death question-&-answer process but not remember it, or did Jack & Amara just send them back?

Snapped people were reset automatically! Normally the new-humans also wouldn't remember their interactions with Death/reapers, just like in canon lore when someone like Dean has a near-death experience.

I realise this whole section and various other lore reformation parts of the fic aren't SUPER clear on specific logistics but on some occasions I'm like, I've done enough info-dumping, I don't want to overwrite exposition. But if you think it's worth clarifying certain points let me know and I can try to do so!

For 15x22:

1. The twenty something blonde guy in sunglasses getting hot tea, is that Belphegor? sure sounds like it but I wanted to confirm.

Yep!

2. Since Death mentioned that Jack only resurrected the angels, demons, and monsters from the Empty who had enough of a soul, and since all the human souls from the Veil went to Heaven as confirmed by Kevin's presence, how exactly are Anna's human parents and Bela alive now?

Great question - 1) I SOMEHOW FORGOT ANNA'S PARENTS DIED? Complete screw up on my part, I don't know how that happened. I fixed this so it's her grandparents now. 2) Bela was sent to Hell as part of her deal, so I was assuming she was a demon by this point in canon (since it would be... MANY Hell-years since she died.) Therefore she had a 'human' enough demon soul to be put back as a human.

3. Oh, and the tall woman with the flyer in 15.22; who is this supposed to be? Hannah I’m guessing?

To be honest I didn't have anyone in particular in mind for that scene; it was kind of a catch-all for missing characters like, it COULD be Hannah. It could be Raphael. Hell, it could be Abbadon. I didn't want to do a full shot of every single person missing from the cast who had died (esp since like - we wouldn't know who they were anyway! Their bodies would be different). So this one is literally just fill-in-the-blank. But if I had to assign a character there I'd say it would probably be one of the more arrogant angels like Raphael or Uriel.

For 15x23:

1. How is Bobby in the Roadhouse with the gang? 10x17 seemed to imply the angels were about to throw him in the dungeons to punish him for helping Cas; did Ash hack him out of prison, or was he never imprisoned at all? Also, is Jack not surprised to see another Bobby in Heaven because the boys already told him there was another Bobby besides the one he knows from Apocalypseverse? (I was half-expecting him to comment about that and confuse Bobby).

Oh that's a great point! I think that's another sort of fill in the blank since it's been five years since 10.17... even if he was in prison of some kind, I think it's likely either Ash helped him get out in the same way he helped everyone else, and since the angels were extremely short-staffed I doubt getting Bobby suitably imprisoned/punished was their top priority. But honestly I'm not super clear on how the angels intended to punish Bobby, I don't think canon is clear either... like, We Just Don't Know.

Finally I'd like to know, has Sam proposed to Eileen yet by the end of the final episode? The script doesn't mention a ring on her finger, and as Sam's fiancee, I'd assume she'd also have carved her name on the table. Sam mentions the innuendos Dean has said "in the past year," so it's been a while since Jack's prayer scene, yet Cas says Dean & Claire's argument was the last time they spoke, and it doesn't seem likely to me that Dean wouldn't call Claire in a year given how close they are...

Nope! I think Sam is saying 'I'm going to marry her' as a declaration of certainty of his feelings and faith in the future, not neccessarily as something that immediately happens. With regards to 'in the past year', that referred to the period when Eileen was alive during s15 as well! I assume Dean did teasing off-screen (and I mean, he did plenty on-screen too.)

I honestly think that Sam and Dean are just very very busy in the aftermath of the events of the 15.20 reset, like they have to deal with the new world AND try to wrangle all these hunters into this new system of collaboration. I didn't put Eileen on the table because she isn't there in the finale and because I do think the Sam/Dean/Cas/Jack family unit was a bit more central and important to the show, but maybe they add her (and any possible kids, if they have any) later on. God, imagine generations of hunters and/or Winchesters carving on that table. Sacred Artefact...

(1) Ok that's all the questions I have. Again, so sorry to blow up your inbox - I really appreciate your willingness to clarify these things! If there are some things you'd rather not explain and leave ambiguous, I totally get that. And in spite of these aforementioned confusing parts, I still ADORE your fic and will continue to read it whenever I feel like re-"watching" how Supernatural really ended! Thank you so much!! .... (2) I’m SO sorry to overload u! I know I asked a lot and I didn’t mean to sound like a hater saying “none of ur story makes sense”; that’s not what I meant at all! If this was a regular good ol fix it fic I wouldn’t have said anything but since u said u wanted it to wrap up the show as replacement canon, I thought maybe I should point out places that didn’t line up. But take as MUCH time as you need! Good for you working to meet your deadlines; I hope you succeeded!! And again I really appreciate you taking the time to answer whenever you have time—absolutely no rush!! Have a GREAT Memorial Day Weekend!!!

Anon thank you SO SO much for all these questions, as you can see it really helped me identify problems or straight up errors in my work wrt continuity and I'm so happy that means I can improve it. If any of the answers weren't clear or you think I should modify the fic to make certain things clearer than they are right now (other than the things I said I'd fix in-text for sure) let me know! It's really been a pleasure answering them too, I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to it, I actually went back and proofed/edited the whole fic as part of adding some of these corrections in (and that took like... three weeks...) and as you said, it's very important to me to get it as true to canon as possible so - yeah, just, once again, thank you!! You're wonderful! ♥♥♥

[alyssa-ward]

Interjections and Interludes

[ Following Vynette’s Request ]

Alyssa considers for a time if she wishes to interject her thoughts. A simple problem with an endless timeless existence as nothing more than a mental energy trapped in a weapon...with no other way to influence the world, ‘yes’ is the answer she almost always comes to when she tries to decide if she wants to add her input. "I know you've thought about it." 

In this case, the input has to do with Vynette. After so much time in the Dagger, Alyssa’s ability to feel and detect bits of the world outside of it around her has grown. Enough to even start picking up snatches of conversation other than Kat’s side of things. "Is there anyone you wish to see?"

"No," Kat answers adamantly. "That's half the fucking problem with these idiots jumping at the chance to cross the veil— dredging up old memories and opening old wounds, and for what? All it does is show who is stuck in the past."

It’s a very Kat response. "Some people want closure...some people are stuck in the past, maybe they hope to escape it that way." It’s impossible to have this conversation without thinking about her own Mother. Celeste has been an entity on Alyssa’s mind almost all of her adult life. Would speaking with her be closure? Or just re-opening pain.

"Closure?" Kat scoffs. "Make your closure in life. There is no escape that way, only the re-living of pain, heartache, and a new cycle of grief."

"Not like the gate is going to stay open forever I'm sure, eventually they'd have to say goodbye again..." Alyssa’s agreement doesn't sound entirely confident. It’s easy to judge from her current position, but if she was still alive, still had her body, would she so easily remain on this side of the veil when the opportunity was there?

Kat’s words cut through her thoughts. “The Shadowlands is the realm of the dead, not meant for mortal eyes. The consequences of prolonged exposure are unknown."

A hint of a smirk from the Warlock, as she sits in her grove, taking in the corrupted trees around her. Gaze shifts off of them to look into the clearing that houses Kat’s soul, twisting chaos of light and void in ever combative chaos. "Power with unknown consequences has never stopped either of us."

"That isn't power, it's fully immersing your body into a new plane of existence."

"That doesn't mean there's nothing to take that could be found over there. I'm not advocating you go, I was just curious." Alyssa pauses, and then adds an admission, "if anything, if you were going to, I'd want to stay behind. I don't care to risk the land of the dead latching onto what's left of me in here." That there is the part that makes any thoughts of finding her mother moot. If the Shadowlands is the place of souls, hers, out of its body as it is, could be forfeit on crossing that line.

"My job is here, not there. I have no reason to go without jeopardizing my career." Kat states, pointedly.

Pandaria. Uldum. How many other places far from Stormwind and its concerns have Kat’s drive for power taken her? "Was that justifiable when..." Alyssa trails off. It’s not worth it. "Nevermind. I know you weren't yourself. Anyway, good, this seems like the wisest course. It's nice when we agree on those, when it happens."

The tension and bristle from Kat rushes across the link. Alyssa touched a nerve, not surprising, she lets the woman who wields her bristle in silence for a few moments, letting the moment gloss past before she risks speaking again.

Besides, Vynette was the actual topic of this conversation. "Your agent. You risk her loyalty if you say no, you risk it in a different way if you say yes."

"How very astute of you. Thank you for stating a fact I already know." Kat bites back. Alyssa attempts to organize her thoughts once more. It should’ve been obvious that that was, well, obvious, yet increasingly the Warlock in the blade finds her coherent thoughts scattered. A mix of organizing them without the concept of time to anchor them, and general lack of cohesion.

"You're welcome," Alyssa replies sarcastically, covering over her concerns at the way she’s expressing herself. "I think you should make her stay. She'll get over it, why open old wounds and risk the possible effects of the Shadowlands?"

Kat’s physical eye roll is tangible in the spiritual plane. "Then I have to deal with the trust argument. This is more a matter of security than it is anything else."

Trust. What an obnoxious issue to fight with. Alyssa makes a sound that is more of a grunt of annoyance across the link. "This is why I summoned demons. Trust wasn't a factor and their loyalty was uncomplicated."

"It's not her loyalty that I'm concerned about."

The mental equivalent of a lifted eyebrow across the link. A touch of surprise and confusion from Alyssa. "What is? If she's loyal, doesn't the rest follow?"

"The former master is what bothers me...and that she still refers to him as such."

"Another reason not to let her go. If she's so willing to go running when he calls, she might bend the rest of the way." Once more Alyssa states the obvious, and tries to remember the exact order of the conversation so far to understand if she’s already said as much, or if Kat has earlier...or did it happen in the conversation between Kat and Vyn? Everything feels increasingly out of order.

"I'm aware. I don't think she would, but she's also quite susceptible to manipulation which this master likely knows. She may not realize it before it's too late."

"She seems so. She's a good enough Agent that it's important to you to keep her around though...so keep her around. I don't see the reason to risk it." If there’s one thing Alyssa’s good at seeing in others, it’s how easy they might be to manipulate. She may not often understand their emotions, but she reads that quite well.

Kat broadcasts only frustration across the link however, not responding to Alyssa’s words again. The Warlock has done this dance with Kat enough times to know when she needs to ease off. “You need a drink.”

"No shit." Kat’s response brings a chuckle, if a tired one from Aly.

"I need a drink." Ah to remember what things like that are even like. Alcohol is a release she’s not afforded anymore.

"I can probably find some sod in an Old Town alley." Kat’s tone suggests it’s sarcasm, but it’s enough to make Alyssa genuinely consider it. Would a drunken soul give her a similar escape for a bit?

She groans, forcing the thought away. "Tempting but if I want to make a go of this being better thing, let's keep human souls off the table."

"I wasn't serious, but good to hear." Kat’s response suggests she doesn’t wholly believe Alyssa’s desire to be better, but then...when has she?

"The low doses of Azerite are working. No reason to change." A pause, and Alyssa adds one more question that she's been waiting to ask. "Now that things are settling, have you heard if my father and brother made it?"

"They're fine. Miles is skulking around the office I'm sure, and I'm sure your brother probably has an elf bent over a mattress somewhere."

"I definitely didn't need that detail." A full body shudder, if she had one. The distaste is obvious in her voice before it gives way to relief, "but I'm glad they are alive. I'm worried Damien will try to enlist, he might try to find our mother." The mental equivalent of a shrug. "I'll leave you to your thoughts for now...I know I'm stating the obvious a great deal. I'm losing track of things I've already said. It's getting hard to keep it all organized." For a moment, Alyssa almost pushes this conversation further. Her increasing lack of self or ability to sort thoughts is a worry. There’s no point in talking to Kat about it right now, the only real solution seems to be restoring her, and that’s a topic that has gone nowhere when breached.

For now, she’ll silently sort her thoughts herself, attempt to build a timeline, put things in order. At least that keeps her distracted.

"It's a welcomed distraction." There was a pause before she quickly added. "Sometimes." Kat’s words make Alyssa smirk as she’s pulled from her thoughts once more.

"Welcome sometimes is a pretty good bar to hit, I'm a simple woman." A hint of teasing in Alyssa’s tone.

"That's bullshit and we both know it." The tone and shift in Kat's demeanour, signals she is through with the conversation. It’s obvious teasing and joking is not where her mind is. Even her seriousness makes Alyssa pass the mental equivalent of a smirk over their link. And then the Dagger falls silent once more, leaving Kat to puzzle out the solution to Vynette’s request, and herself to sort thoughts.

[ Mentioned: @kat-hawke​; @lovelydeadlysocialite​; @dardillien-ward​ ]

[ Kat’s Perspective ]

[aion-rsa]

Insidious: Is The Further Real?

https://ift.tt/39C1Z8d

“The Further is a world far beyond our own, yet it’s all around us, a place without time as we know it,” Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) explains in the 2011 occult horror film Insidious. “It’s a dark realm filled with the tortured souls of the dead, a place not meant for the living.” Director James Wan saw the astral world through the eyes of fear. It was how he was able to evoke the most terror from the nether regions of soul and thought.

Horror films have made a spiritual ghetto out of the universe which lies between dream, sleep and death. They focus on the malevolent realm of incubi, succubae and the Red-Lipstick-Face Demon. The map to the Further is not limited to shadowy studies. Many mystical practices are divided into black and white magic out of fear and superstition, but there can be room for both.

Insidious starts off like a fairly typical haunted house movie. It opens shortly after Renai (Rose Byrne) and Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) move into a spooky new house with their three children. When the property progresses from ominous to hazardous, the family move into an even spookier house, fire their real estate broker, and contact an astral travel agent. The psychically gifted supernatural expert, Shaye’s Elise, explains the hauntings are not a feature of the multiple houses, but the results of a family member embarking on nocturnal astral projection missions which he believes are dreams.

The concept that the soul can leave the body during dream states is ancient. But for all the purported cosmic intelligence culled from out-of-body incidents, practitioners have found no way to scientifically measure if a spirit leaves or enters a body. It is a concept rejected by scientists but beloved by filmmakers and other artists.

In the film, the first person to put the notes together is Renai, the mother of young Dalton (Ty Simpkins), who falls into a mysterious coma early in the first act. Renai, who is a songwriter, experiences two initial contacts. The first comes in a box of missing sheet music. Musicians have always been pioneers when it comes to gray areas of society and spirituality, and rockers chose to embrace the Further. George Harrison melodically rhapsodizes about the extracorporeal aspects of certain Hindu practices in the Beatles’ song “The Inner Light.��� The Moody Blues harmonize on the idea that “Thinking is the best way to travel” on their 1968 album In Search of the Lost Chord, itself a musical blueprint for transcendental journeying. Through sonics, these artists ventured happily into the transformative aspects of the Further. Among true believers, “the Further” is also called Liṅga Śarīra, Akasha, and prana. But it’s probably best known as the astral plane, a shallow tag in itself.

“The term ‘astral plane’ is a poetic description, at best, or more accurately a misnomer,” says Zeena, a Tibetan tantric Buddhist yogini, and iconic occult authority and artist. “When our consciousness pierces the veil of our ordinary, everyday scope of perception, there are infinite other realities one might experience, not just one ‘astral plane.’”

In Insidious, the paranormal hunting psychic Elise explains that Dalton is a “traveler,” who was born with the ability to pierce that veil.

“Everybody possesses the potential for astral projection,” Zeena says. “It’s a natural part of being human, just as many other metaphysical or paranormal experiences can naturally occur. But the ability to actualize it is relatively rare, and the effects from the occurrences vary greatly depending on many factors.”

Rebecca Halladay, an occult writer, scholar, and lifelong practitioner and witch, describes astral projection as “working on the Inner Planes of consciousness. In terms of ‘dimensions,’ this would be considered [fifth-dimensional] or above. Journeying is work within the physical, Earthly realm, which is [three-dimensional].”

Certain practices are believed to bridge these dimensions.

“Astral projection during deep states of unconsciousness like sleeping, fainting, or coma, could be achieved by a master of such techniques,” Zeena says. “For one who’s trained most of their life in the esoteric method of willed astral projection, and has become highly skilled in the ability to focus the mind under all circumstances, then deep states of unconsciousness wouldn’t impede their ability.”

The cinematic spiritualist doesn’t believe Dalton fell into a coma because he slipped off a ladder in a creepy attic. Elise believes the boy, being only a child, couldn’t tell the astral projection from a dream and had no fear about going too far.

“The Further looks like your surroundings, but a different lighting shade of it,” says Emi Rose, a psychotherapist and founder of Paragon Solstice. “You can see yourself.”

Rose finds that “Insidious depicts the astral plane in similar levels. It is similar in respect to the idea of a ‘physical’ mirror image of your waking life. Your surroundings around you as you sleep are remarkably similar. The difference is the state of consciousness you are now in can shape and change that experience that exists out of time and space.”

Because of the familiarity and relative comfort of these projected surroundings, Dalton gets lost in his adventures, leaving only a lifeless body behind. Elise, a veteran soul-traveler herself in the movie, is ever mindful of the dangers.

It all amounts to a very literal translation of eastern philosophical contemplations. The Buddhist meditation practice Maraṇasati is constant remembering that death can strike at any time. Thukdam is a Buddhist phenomenon in which a realized master’s consciousness remains in the body despite physical death. While this isn’t what is happening with the young Dalton, he is plugged into medical sensors which, during at least one frightening pop-up, flatline.

Practitioners and researchers are divided on whether it is possible to slip away and die during astral travel.

“There is a risk that could happen if done incorrectly,” Zeena tells us. Kristna Saikia, who is a metaphysics and meditation teacher and filmmaker, as well as a fellow astral travel facilitator, disagrees.

“No one dies in Astral travel,” Saikia says “There is a silver cord which is always connected with our etheric body. When you astral travel, you are always aware of what is happening in the earthly dimension with your body. It’s an intentional out-of-body experience. You can come back to your physical body whenever you decide.”

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In Wan’s film, tormented souls vie against demonic forces for the chance to possess Dalton. Possession is a horror film mainstay, and Insidious offers an interesting alternative arc to the usual spectral evictions enforced by Hollywood. But is it possible for an entity to take over a body during an astral trip?

“If done incorrectly, yes,” Zeena tells us. It is also something which can be done with intent. “In ceremonial magic, this is the entire purpose of entering the Inner Planes,” says Halladay. “During the Rite of Isis, the Priestess goes into the Inner Planes to invoke the Goddess Isis to bring her into the Earthly realm. Now can an entity ‘possess’ a physical being while on the planes? I would have to say it is absolutely possible.”

It turns out Dalton isn’t the only traveler in the Insidious family. He gets it from his father, who was terrorized by the spirit of an old woman during his childhood. Josh suppressed the memory, but Elise opens old wounds and new ones for the patriarch. She hypnotizes Josh, triggering his long-resting phantasmal dislocation, and sends him into the Further to find his son and bring him back.

Zeena confirms people can be guided through the experience, but insists “it’s a very delicate process requiring a qualified teacher from reputable metaphysical lineages that specialize in that. And even then, astral projection, or directing one’s consciousness, is not the main goal, but rather a way to gauge preparedness for more advanced training on the path toward spiritual enlightenment. When done improperly, the results of attempting astral projection simply for experimentation, entertainment, or curiosity can be disastrous.”

The film presents a cinematically dark alternative to the physical plane, a netherworld of unlocked doors and an overarching feeling of dread. Insidious doesn’t imply the Further is Hell, but it does look like one of the many highways AC/DC bypassed.

“They gave the darker energies too much power in the movie,” says Emi Rose. “In the astral plane, we always have a balanced choice to engage on a subconscious or conscious level. On a conscious level you can power your will, create scenarios.”

Josh’s first encounter in the Further is with the Crying Woman, not the most inviting of hosts. Citizens in Insidious’ cinematic spectral realm include the spirits of a family doomed to relive their violent deaths on a spectral loop; a long-haired, leather jacketed ghoul with a sex-fiend tongue; and a mischievous little boy. At its center is the Lipstick-Face Demon. It is tall with horns, pointed ears, snake-eyes, spidery fingers, and hooves for feet. Its skin is black as the night sky, its eyes are blacker holes.

“When one has a mind-expanding experience through any number of means, whether astral projection, meditation, or psychedelics, one encounters infinite types of beings,” Zeena says. “Recently deceased beings; beings we knew in a former incarnation but recognize in their new reincarnated state; celestial beings; demons and hell beings; mythological or magical beings; Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; Gods and demigods.” They’re all among the usual suspects.

But what you encounter is also contingent on who you call. “It all depends on the law of polarity,” Saikia says. “If you project fear, you will encounter energy vampires and evil entities.”

Halladay agrees that there are other entities in the astral planes, but says “I have never personally met other travelers, only those I have astralled with.”

The Red-Faced Demon never speaks in the film. It has, however, spoken with Josh’s mother, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey), in her dreams, which also appear to be of a special class: lucid dreaming.

“Astral traveling is a combination of Insidious and Inception,” quips Emi Rose. Inception is technically about lucid dreaming, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Dom is technically-aided to enter dreams to steal information or implant ideas. It is often mistaken for astral travel, but not usually weaponized in the way that film presents it. Reddit’s rogue “Astral Army” community claims they combine astral travel and remote viewing to post out-of-body surveillance reports on popular conspiracy theory obsessions like Area 51.

The different practices are often mistakenly considered interchangeable, but are quite different. 

“With astral projection, one is sending one’s consciousness–either in part or fully–away from their body to a designated place or realm, in this world or others, for a particular purpose,” Zeena explains. “Remote viewing is when consciousness remains in the body but one can view anywhere else from afar. These two phenomena are also different from the involuntary experience colloquially known as OBE (out of body experiences), which usually spontaneously occurs in conjunction with trauma, near death experiences, or extreme stressors or ecstasy.”

In the overall arc of the Insidious franchise, the Further is much vaster than originally imagined, and the source and tool of mystical workings.

“There is a difference between Occultist practices and some, though not all, Esoteric Traditions,” says Halladay. “Occultists, past and present, generally accept astral projection as a regular part of their practice. Eurocentric pagan traditions do not make it a part of their regular practice.”

Though a fan of the film, Rose thought “Insidious focused too much on the shadow side of the astral plane. The movie portrayed the astral world as a scary dark place with only negative entities waiting to take over your body. So many more things occur in our dream world that we can conceive beyond bad scenarios. It is where we can conduct unfinished business, live out fantasies, replay or create scenarios, and travel to places we cannot do in our waking life.”

Late 18th century occult orders Golden Dawn and the Theosophists believed they could journey to other worlds, heavens and hells, and astrological spheres through etheric travel. In the 1999 book, Astral Dynamics, Robert Bruce calls it the “Real Time Zone,” and says it is the non-physical dimension-level closest to the physical. The New Age movement actively promotes the brighter, more enlightening aspects of the Further, to the point where the practice is on the precipice of mainstream thought.

Insidious isn’t the first film to venture beyond physical realms, but its ongoing franchise is proof the inner universe is expanding.

Insidious is streaming on Netflix now.

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The post Insidious: Is The Further Real? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[wow-thisismylifeiguess]

FF7 - Dust - Prologue

//Lyrics: Dust by The Neighbourhood//

No more water in the lake / No more fish in the ocean / They grew wings, flew away

In the end, it was all for nothing. Sephiroth had succeeded in his destruction of everything, leaving Gaia a decimated mess in which nothing existed in a normal state any longer. Mutations seemed to take over the Planet. She was a ruined amalgamation of simply /mess/. Some parts of the Planet seemed to wither away, consumed by a darkness that was both tangible and not, whilst others flourished in a way that was all encompassing, plants growing at such an alarming rate that it was easy to be dragged in and reduced to nothing more than nutrients. Animals changed in ways that defied all known sciences, fish growing wings, birds developing gills. The state of balance was lost and the hierarchy was overthrown in favor of a free for all, wildlife devouring wildlife with no regard for natural order.

I got a clue where they're going / They want a break / They want a break

It was as if rules no longer pertained to anything at all, breaking free of the mold the Planet had seemingly set in stone, only to see that very stone wither away like it were nothing in the first place. Every living thing had seemingly decided that they wanted a freedom they initially had no way of achieving, and thus, it was like Chaos had become the new normal.

All the lucky ones kept fucking it up

Sephiroth's plan worked, but only to a certain extent. Things didn't quite end up the way he wanted them to and it resulted in the Chaos Gaia was now forced into. The Planet would attempt to heal Herself. Time flowed in no single direction and thus the destruction was witnessed many times, attempts to halt it only resulting in failure, and once again, Chaos.

Threatened our lives, but it wasn't enough / Didn't want to sit down, couldn't listen to 'no'

He was unstoppable in his pursuit of a goal that was impossible from the start. Godhood didn't exist. You could reach for the stars all you wanted, but the only thing that would come from it was a burning brightness that left you scarred and blinded. Sephiroth had already ascended from humanity, but he made them suffer in his attempts to become something more, something greater. My voice was loud, the loudest of everyone who attempted to force him to listen, but nothing came of it. Nothing was strong enough to beat a stubborness fit for someone who believed their worth was beyond that of any other living being.

Body, so everybody went out of control / Thrashing in platinum dust

There were human survivors, of course. Even against someone akin to a mad king, humanity had its own level of stubborness that aided in their never ending battle with the inevitability known as extinction. To fight against inevitability was to drive yourself insane due to the sheer impossibility of ever winning against something that was both an unstoppable force and an immovable object, as abstract and paradoxical as it was. In a Chaos ruled Planet, there was nothing left to do but join in on the disorder. Minds would break, and everything fell away to ruin.

Damage that can't be undone / Tragic falling weapons / They want a break

Regardless of the attempts the Planet made to bring order back to Gaia, nothing worked. It was like this had been the true plan all along, hidden away from the eyes of the Planet Herself, known only by the greater Universe who found humanish's pleasure in watching the destruction of something it could easily create another of. In a useless attempt to protect Herself, the Planet spawned Weapons that were far greater than the ones initially made to fight against Jenova all those years, decades, centuries? ago. Their arrival simply added to the Chaos as it brought the Planet closer to Her final demise, some even developing a level of sentience that resulted in the internalized destruction of Themselves as they came to the conclusion that 'winning' was nothing but a delusional idea.

Everybody went to outer space / The second that the sun exploded

Everything came to a peak. Destruction grew to catastrophic level and the Universe watched as it wrapped its hand around the sun itself squeezed. There was little to no time to process the change. The sun exploded and everything reliant or it's existence was snuffed out. Those who were only human were the first to go, gone in a flash so quick, it was like their existence had been nothing but an illusion the whole time. Those slightly less human, infused with cells that should have never been mixed into the DNA of humanity, lasted just a bit longer. Long enough to watch the sky turn black and then red. Long enough to see the rest of the Planet be engulfed in a five that was so hot, it was like there was no sensation of all. Humanity ceased to be, returning to wherever it came from in the first place.

I'm the only fool that stayed

In the end, the Universe played a cruel trick on me. It left me alive, or at least, in a state of existence so utterly painful and simultaneously painless, there was no way I could be dead, though living wasn't quite the term that could be used to describe the plane of existence I was on. During this time, I could hear the Universe laugh, so proud of Itself for the terror and ruin It had caused, toying around with the Planet like She was nothing more than just a plaything, and Her inhabitants simply pawns in a game of make believe, like the Universe was a child constantly on the edge of boredom, finding new ways to entertain itself. Gaia was gone, eradicated in a way that no miracle could bring Her back, and that had been the Universe's plan all along.

If you've reading this, I wrote it

Earth is so strange. Similar, but utterly different. Nothing is the same, but occasionally, I see something in the corner of my eye that reminds me of a past I should no longer be able to remember. Things feel deceptively peaceful here, even if Earth has its own brand of terrors. However, there's no pull from the Planet. She's gone, and Earth doesn't even come close to the overwhelming entity She used to be. I can feel my memories slip occasionally, and it's almost more terrifying than having witnessed the destruction of an entire timeline. So, I write it down, to remind myself that I'm not insane. I see people I recognize who look at me like I'm familiar to them as well, but they continue walking like I'm nothing but a stranger, and here on Earth, that's exactly what I am. But still, I keep watch over them just because I can. Because it's my job now. The Universe has a twisted sense of humor, because the Demi-Human who strived toward Godhood was reduced to a librarian with too much time as his hands, and the human who strived for peace of normalcy was given a power he in no way wanted. Cloud Strife ceased to exist in the way that people knew him when the Planet died, but not everything about him was erased. Instead, the Universe made him a Guardian. The Universe made me a Guardian. And I'll keep them all safe this time.

[thosedamnsmoshkids]

Okay, so watching the new Warframe video, I realized I don’t think I ever seen a space/futuristic au? So I decided to take a crack at...something!

Damien - “The Pilot” The pilot and de facto leader of the Skipper Cat. Just after the last war, Damien attended and graduated from the GFAE, or the Galactic Flight Academy of Earth. When he graduated, he traveled to the Inner Systems for work, but ended up finding nothing but a life of thievery. He bought the C5-SC tanker model, which he named the Skipper Cat. He traveled the galaxy in search of work, and later, as he met more and more people who joined is crew, what really happened when the Stargate Federation fell. 

Mari - “The Mercenary” Former Stargate Soldier, and current mercenary, Mari is a human who was born in the Star System under the now collapsed Stargate government. After her family was killed, she became a mercenary from what she learned as a soldier. Following the Andromeda job, Mari began running as a permanent fixture of the Skipper Cat. Damien at some point names her his second-in-command

Joven - “The Gunner” A dropout of the GFAE program, who stole a ship and took it to the Onyx Quadrant, only to have it stolen from him by raiders, and be drafted into Stargate after he had nowhere else to turn. He fought in the Silver War that caused Stargate to fall as a tanker fighter. Joven was shot down during a battle and ended up losing his leg, which has now been replaced with a prosthetic, but it meant that he was left on a remote Stargate base that managed to keep safe as the Catastrophe killed nearly everyone. He lived on planet X7-1-3 for seven years before he was discovered by Damien, who was escaping from an Administration plane. Seeing his abilities, Damien convinced Joven to join him on the Skipper Cat. Joven finally agreed, and became Damien’s first crew member. 

Lasercorn - “The Warlord” A flame haired alien mob boss on the planet system Gothrax, who controls Walden city. He works with the Skipper Cat crew as an informant. Lasercorn, or Lazaar Korryn, his full title, carries a lot of weight in several situations. He is infatuated by Wes, who he discovered in the popular bloodsport that pitted “gladiators” against one another. Lasercorn hires the Skipper Cat crew to extract Wes for his own, which they do, and though Lasercorn pampers Wes like crazy, he finds that Wes would be best served on the Skipper Cat crew, where he can do what he does best.

Wes - “The Gladiator” Forced to fight in grueling battles, Wes was formerly a Thorvin (genetically similar to humans, but with a longer lifespan) guard at a Stargate testing facility who had the unfortunate fate of being tricked into becoming a test subject. He became a living science experiment, and following the Catastrophe, was left for dead like everyone else. Because of what happened to his body during the tests, Wes managed to survive, and was picked up by Vercillian Raiders, who, after seeing what sorts of feats his body could achieve, sold him to a Gladiator Arena in the planet system Gothrax. The Skipper Cat crew met him when they were hired to extract him from the games, and he was later added to their crew. Wes quickly took on the role of the protector of the others, and will throw himself into battle for any one of them.

 Noah - “The Medic” A half-human, half-govan, Noah was raised in the Evdan system on the planet Goviane. Specializing in first aid and biology, Noah joined Damien when the two were both hired to recover a donor for a transplant, Damien and his crew as muscle, and Noah to make certain that the donor was healthy and alright. Damien asked Noah to join when they worked another job together, and the man agreed vehemently, needing to get away from his parents, and their looming wish for him to get married.

Keith - “The Mechanic” Born on earth, but raised on the moon, Keith grew up around people who knew everything and anything about technology and machinery. Having worked on old Stargate and Solaris ships, along with other ships from other systems, Keith has a lot of knowledge that many people don’t have the privilege or skill to know. After the Great Catastrophe, Keith was left aimless, with much of his friends and family having been killed in battle. He traveled for a while before he began taking up jobs fixing up ships. Keith found soon that he could make better money if he promised that with every job, his lips were sealed. He gained the reputation of being able to both fix up anyone’s ship, and while also being a no-tell-one-stop shop about it. The Skipper Cat would often come in for repairs enough for Damien to get to know Keith. Damien then realized how much of an asset Keith would be, and offered to hire him permanently. After seeing the money Damien promessed, he vehemently agreed. 

Courtney - “The Stowaway” A Corvinian thief hoping to make her way off of a planet where nothing happens, Courtney joined the crew when she tried to steal a generator the Skipper Cat was transporting. Having been able to sneak on and nearly steal it without them seeing, Courtney was asked to join the crew before she was reprimanded.

 Olivia - “The Princess” The runaway princess of a dying planet, Olivia stole a ship and flew from the Yuerix system to the Gorthrax system to live away from her abusive family and destiny that would have her dead before she was 18. She was picked up by a Guild ship, who she charmed into accepting her into their ranks, making her way up to the level of Lieutenant. The boss, Whittle, considers Olivia something close to her daughter. When Olivia lands in the Gorthrax system looking to disrupt a shipment for the guild, she meets the Skipper Cat crew, who she’s at odds with for nearly a year before she slowly begins working with them. Though she’s still a member of the Guild, she works as a “consultant” for the Skipper Cat. 

Shayne - “The Escort” The infamous and well-loved escort of the rich high-standing of Walden city. He is frequently in the company of one Lasercorn, and usually works as his informant, for a price. Back in the day, when Damien was first looking for jobs, Shayne hired him as a bodyguard, and the two of them were somewhat intimate at one point, and though tension between the two from those days is still there, they both deny it. Some of the Skipper Cat’s jobs in the city, Shayne will often take part in, but not always enough for him to consider himself part of the crew. Though, if Lasercorn falls from grace, he has been promised a bunk on the Skipper Cat if he needs.  

More logistics/information/terminology below 

Solaris System The system in which Earth and the GFAE exist. 3,000 light years from the nearest habitable system.

Stargate Federation The former federation that used to ammase 17 different systems and nearly 500 planets. At one point it was the largest government entity in the known universe. After some internal corruption Stargate was revealed, there was an internal revolt, and the Silver War began, lasting nearly eight years and killing one hundred million people. The Stargate Federation has now been dissolved, but its lasting effects are still felt around the galaxy.

Thorvin Also known as “Thorvie”, this race of people are striking similar to humans, but their genetic makeup allows for them to live longer in much harsher climates. Many Thorvin were taken in by Stargate on false pretenses and then experimented on to test what lengths they could be pushed to. The only thing that can visually tell them apart from humans are their eyes, which change color based on their emotions.

Gorthrax System A system of 13 planets, three of which are habitable, that is home to the planet Rthia, which houses the city of Walden, which is known as a loose town filled with the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor. It’s also often referred to as a “Criminal’s Paradise”, for its ability to let someone completely disappear, and let mob bosses like Lasercorn prosper.  

Skipper Cat Damien’s ship, a stolen Stargate speedbomber ship, model C5-SC. It’s a larger ship, considered to be a little outdated by most mechanics, but still aesthetically pleasing to most. It houses a fully sized med bay (rare in speedbomber models), sleeping quarters, cargo hold, a small deck for leisure, three gunner holds (one up in the cockpit and two down in the belly on the sides of the ship), a two person cell, and a cockpit with three seats for the pilot and others who need to be strapped in up front. 

The Great Catastrophe Nobody knows exactly what the Great Catastrophe was, and most people still don’t know what exactly it is. The only thing that is known is that it was a gigantic blast that killed everything immediately, and that it effectively ended the war, and caused Stargate to fall.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

The Lantern Corps - Katie McGrath Edition

White Lantern Corps - Life: Zara Young

The White Lantern Corps is the least readily defined of the Corps, but the most common traits of their order are that a) their rings are charged through acts of “living”, or embracing life, and b) they aren’t in full control of their rings, which follow the bidding of the “Life Entity” without much input from their bearer. 

Despite being the shortest-lived, Zara Young is the only named character in Jurassic World who is shown to have a life beyond her express purpose in the plot. Her impending marriage exists beyond the scope of her explicit role as child-wrangler and implicit role as dino-food, demonstrating that unlike her boss, she has been able to maintain a life balance that allows for happiness and interpersonal connection.

Furthermore, her role as Clare’s assistant give Zara ample experience in executing the will of others, thus ticking all the requirements of a White Lantern.

Red Lantern Corps - Rage: Sarah Bennett

Sarah Bennett was born of rage-- when her father forcibly removed her from her mother’s womb in a fit of vengeful wrath. Since then, her life as the orphaned daughter of murdered parents has been fraught with depression and despair, and when people start dying upon her return to her hometown, she vows to find who’s killing them.

Though Sarah is shown to be kind and compassionate and loyal, when she is driven to the extreme, that extreme is not paralyzing fear-- it is unfathomable anger.

In the climax of her story, when she has a wounded killer at her back and a path to freedom and safety in front of her, Sarah doesn’t leave. Instead, she locks the door, and turns back with a machete in her hand.

When she kills, it’s not in self-defense. It’s in pure, unadulterated rage.

In that moment, a Red Lantern Ring hears the call of a soul ready to become a bearer.

Orange Lantern Corps - Avarice: Elizabeth Carruthers

As Frontier’s most under-utilized and -appreciated character, Elizabeth Carruthers’ avarice is more than just greed-- it’s hunger. A hunger for profit, product, and recognition-- and to prove herself as savvy a businesswoman as any of her male competitors.

A quality of the Orange Lantern Corps is the ability to take on the forms of those she’s slain, which is an ability Elizabeth already possess--figuratively. She molds herself into her role of a cutthroat businesswoman, effortlessly stoops to match the moral decrepitude of her competitors.

When her avarice spreads to revelry in the defeat of her biggest competitor, her failure to account for the man’s mental instability ultimately leads to her demise, but even so...

The Orange Lantern Corps takes note.

Yellow Lantern Corps - Fear: Gloria Miller

The Yellow Lantern Corps exists for one purpose only: to sow fear in the hearts of others. 

No one on Earth embodies that mission better than Gloria Miller. 

The Corps has a hard time tracking her down-- her victims know no name, see no face. She is the ghost in the darkness, the split second of deep primal fear in the last moment of a desperate struggle... before certain death.

The Recruiter suspects they’ve found the correct candidate in Gloria when they find her on Earth. There’s a strange glint in her eyes when she looks them up and down, that of a predator studying potential prey, and if they did not have their own ring, they might even be worried themselves.

They know for sure when Gloria steps into a meeting of her peers, and the entire room falls silent.

Green Lantern Corps - Willpower: Lena Luthor

Lena Luthor could easily fall into any of the different Corps across the spectrum. Rage, fear, hope, compassion-- she has it all. It is her choice that makes her a Green Lantern. No matter her emotional state at any given moment, if she has an objective to complete, she will achieve it.

Green Lanterns are defined by an indomitable will that gives them the power to overcome immense fear. Lena demonstrates this trait on a daily basis through the simple act of living as a Luthor whose family wants her dead, in a world that continuously expects her to follow in her brother’s footsteps.

Her repeated feats of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds only deepens her berth in the Green Lantern Corps.

Blue Lantern Corps - Hope: Jules Daly

Life dealt Jules Daly a bad hand. Her best friend and sister passed, leaving her responsible for two precocious and rambunctious children when she herself is struggling through her own grief. She funnels her paychecks nannies who never stay long, and then right at Christmas she loses her job, damages her car, and has the final nanny quit on her-- all in one afternoon. But despite of the hardships, Jules always has a smile on her face. She finds joy in the smallest of things, and ensures that her wards have something to believe in.

Blue Lanterns have the ability to drain the yellow light, suppress and overcome red and orange, and empower the green.

Jules Daly soothes the fears of two children uncertain of the future, smiles in the face of insult and indignation, and gives a prince the faith in himself to speak his mind.

Jules Daly is a Blue Lantern.

Indigo Lantern Corps - Compassion: "Eve"

[from @goodgirlargo​‘s gifset here]

Despite not having a listed name, “Eve” from the Hozier’s “From Eden” music video embodies the the spirit of an Indigo Lantern. When she and her boyfriend find an abused little boy in the home they break into, they envelop him in happiness and love.

When their spree of crime comes to an end, Eve and her Adam surrender themselves rather than risk the life and safety of their unexpected ward. Even when the cuffs close around her wrists, Eve is content knowing the boy is safe. She bestows one final kiss, and earns a smile. 

The Indigos welcome her with equal tenderness. 

Violet Lantern Corps - Love: Lucy Westenra

The Violet Lantern Corps claim love as their domain, and while their ring-bearers may be those who have felt great love, lost great love, or been rejected by great love, their appearances in the DC lore more commonly inhabit the darker end of the spectrum. To many of the Violet Lanterns, love is a weapon, a force to overcome another’s will.

Lucy may begin her infatuation innocently, her desire for intimacy with her best friend Mina Harker soon takes a dark turn when her romantic interest is rejected and their platonic ties seemingly severed. With her sexuality her only means of vengeance, Lucy seduces Mina’s fiance with the sole intention of inflicting hurt.

However her story may end, this act of amorous retribution secures her place among the Violet Lantern Corps.

Black Lantern Corps - Death: Morgana Pendragon

The Black Lantern Corps could only belong to Morgana-- the sorceress who entered death’s embrace and returned to the earthly plane not quite the same. 

Where compassion and willpower once defined her, Morgana’s resurrection left her hollow and devoid of mercy. Her desire for the throne of Camelot drives her completely, yet brings her no peace or satisfaction when she succeeds in claiming it. As much magic as she is woman, Morgana thrives in the dark forces that pulses at the tips of her fingertips. With a single flash of her eyes, she ensnares the living for her bidding as easily as the dead. 

They say a magicked sword may slay even a High Priestess of the Old Religion but other, wiser whispers wonder-- can a woman already half-dead ever truly die?

With a Black Lantern Ring, it matters very little at all.

[foxfire-and-midnight-wings]

Protect Them with Your Bloody Wings Reference Sheet

Hello! This is very overdue, but I had a lot of information I felt I should aff, or wanted to add because I thought of it. I may occasionally come back here to add things or edit it, so it isn’t guaranteed to stay like all of this. 

There will be breaks between topics so it is easier to see subject changes, and if you need to skip a section it is easier to see the start and stop.

Warning! This is a very long post, and has brief mentions of multiple things that may trigger or make the reader uncomfortable. (Not in order) This post includes mentions of: self-harm, panic attacks, religion/mythology, sexuality, mental illness (anxiety, depression, PTSD, paranoia), dissociation and flashbacks, triggers for each character (be careful when reading these!), and mind control/manipulation

- Jay’s mom is a Seraph and his dad is a human, they gave birth to Jay and as a result his soul is specially made so he can help others. No one finds out for a while, but he can also interact with both the human/mortal world/plane and the astral/celestial/demonic plane. 

- All creatures, mythological and religious, co-exist in these planes, only the most powerful can actually interact and be seen in the human world. This is what allowed Jay’s mom to be able to interact with his father. She is a Seraph, and was sent down to help protect him from a demonic entity that was wanting to take his soul.

- Demons and celestial creatures all fight, sometimes directly but demons have an easier time interacting with the human world and humans. This usually causes other creatures to be sent down to the mortal world, where they are unable to actually be seen or felt, and they usually fight over the person/people that the demon or celestial is trying to protect/use.

- Different creatures can give what is called a blessing to a person, normally it barely affects them, but because Jay already had a special soul used to reach out through the planes to help people, this is what caused him to gain his wings with the blessing from the Phoenix. 

- Jay’s soul cannot take blessings like a normal person’s soul, because it is a mix of human and celestial. He always had a passion for helping others more than himself growing up, and this was because of his soul.  His powers were relatively weak though, and the only thing that actually occurred around others was that he had a stronger sense and ability of empathy and helping people through different event or what they were dealing with

- This is why he is considered very valuable to the celestials and why The Operator hates Jay so much. The Operator wanted Jay dead but wanted him to suffer too, which is why he went after Alex and the others around him.

- When the Phoenix gave Jay his blessing, it strengthened his soul, which let him gain more of an immunity to The Operator and other demon’s abilities/effects on humans. He also gained his Green Jay wings (due to both the Phoenix and his mother being winged celestials), a stronger empathetic ability (now he can pick up on other’s emotions easier, but unknown to everyone for a while, they can pick up and feel his emotions too. This can be dangerous in the fact that his negative emotions can end up hurting those around him by making them feel this way too. It’s small enough to where people can tell it’s not theirs but strong enough to be able to be felt), and is now able to touch (and if he used enough strength, harm) other demons. (The energy drawback is extreme, though, and if he attempted to kill a demon it would also result in him dying too.)

- People with celestial-human souls like Jay are extremely rare, and some have stronger souls than others letting them see the different planes. Those with strong enough souls can interact with the two planes, which the celestials find to be very helpful for when they want to help protect a person but are unable to manifest in the human world. These people sometimes act as messengers and communicators between worlds, but are usually not ones to advertise their abilities.

- This is the reason ToTheArk always made comments about “the ark” and Jay leading him “to the ark”. While ToTheArk was not sure themselves what “the ark” was, they knew it was important and knew something was different about Jay. The Operator was the reason they knew this existed, even though ToTheArk never worked for him, but they head heard it in passing

- ToTheArk is made up of Seth, Tim, and Brian but it’s only their alters. All three alters were created and forced onto each person by The Operator, and as a result could understand what he said at times. Eventually broke off from working for The Operator and created the channel ToTheArk

- The Operator’s powers were focused on electricity and the mind. Masky and Hoodie, along with Alex and Seth’s alters, were created by him. They all act similarly to how alters with DID work, but are also completely different. (Each is their own person with thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. When one is fronting the others do not remember what happened while they were not fronting. The differences start with how the Operator can forcefully pull them out, which hurts both the alter and host, but can not control what exactly they do.) 

Please Note! There are many other smaller differences, but these will likely exist because I do not have DID myself, and felt that giving each character these alters and saying they have DID would be disrespectful to the DID community. I, personally, do not like to give characters mental illnesses or disabilities I do not have personal experience or contact with (usually friends or people I know. I will go to them for advice and have them see if it is portrayed accurately). While these alters are a part of the original story and I felt like I should explain the specifics behind it, I want to make it clear I do not have DID and will only be taking notes from what others say about it. This includes the disorientation, amnesia, individuality, etc. I do not know anyone in real life with DID, and as a result have no way to fall back and ask if it is disrespectful, inaccurate, etc. If you have DID and would like to talk to be about it and have more aepects added into the story, feel free to. But, again, I will not be tagging or labeling these characters as having DID. Please keep that in mind while reading and seeing the portrayal of each character.

- Jessica is 5’3”, Amy and Sarah are shorter than Alex but height unknown (for this we will say Amy is 5’4” and Sarah is 5’2”), Tim is 5’6”, Brian is 5’8”, Jay himself is 5’10”, Seth is just a little shorter than alex and possibly around 6’0”, Alex is 6’2”

- While Tim is the shortest guy, he is also one of the strongest members of the cast, only bested by Amy and Jessica.

- Jessica and Amy are both bi, Sarah is lesbian, Alex is biromantic ace, Tim and Jay are both pan, Seth and Brian are both gay

- Seth and Jay are disasters. Jay can barely function around anyone he thinks is remotely cute and Seth just Blue Screens if he sees a hot guy.

- Alex is the one to tease everyone else about who they like because he can actually Function around who he likes, but on the inside he’s dying. Everyone else is so much of a disaster no one can tell who he actually likes bc to them he’s functioning like normal (even when he’s not)

- Jessica is a Disaster Gay, Amy is the same but only a little better, and Sarah can function decently (but not fully Function)

- Tim is stone cold and hides it as much as he can when he likes someone, and the only two people who can tell he likes someone are Alex and Brian, because he has a small blush that isn’t very noticeable but if he gets teased over his crush? You can guarantee he is a strawberry now. He secretly dies inside and his only thoughts are just love

- Brian can function almost as well as Alex, but is just a little more obvious

- All the girls are the type who would bring home stray animals but in different ways. Amy: I’m so sad guys LOOK! I found this poor cat stuck in the rain. Can we keep him please??, Jessica: Babe we have a cat now, I found them in a garbage can and I love them, Sarah: Hey I found a cat. Who wants to keep it??

- The guys are a little easier to control, but sometimes Jay or Brian will randomly arrive to the set or someone’s house with a stray. No one knows where they go or what those two do with them, and are too afraid to ask. (Brian keeps them if he can, but also gives them to his parents, relatives, and extremely close friends. If someone even mentions possibly wanting an animal he will show up and have a stay/abandoned animal ready for them. Jay isn’t allowed pets in his apartment except service animals, so he usually cares for them outside of his apartment or gives them to his dad, who owns and lives on a farm.)

- Seth and Jay are acquaintances before Marble Hornets, not on the full level of being friends, but pretty close. They were introduced to each other through Alex, and got to know each other a little bit. Mainly got closer to each other when working on Marble Hornets

- Brian was also friends with Alex, but never met Seth or Jay before Marble Hornets. Tim had no idea who Alex was until they met for Marble Hornets (Brian was there the first time they all met so Tim felt more comfortable, as he was panicking before hand about meeting so many new people).

- Seth has anxiety, Jay has both anxiety and depression (and now PTSD), Tim has depression and a form of paranoia/anxiety (while it got better over time and is not as bad, but still prominent enough to where he is almost always anxious at least a tiny bit, it resurfaced when The Operator started to mess with the cast members), and Brian has ADHD

- Alex does not have any mental illness, but has enough experience with Seth and Jay’s panic attacks/depressive episodes to have a fairly decent grasp on how to handle it. Brian is in a similar situation but with Tim and has almost no experience with anxiety/panic attacks. Usually it’s Tim’s depression that surges, and Brian helps him when it gets rough.

- Alex almost always has 2 different items for stress relief. One is for Seth and one is for Jay and even if they aren’t that anxious he lets them use it. If they are about to have a panic attack and he notices, he just whips it out and hands it to them without saying anything. He usually keeps on him money for comfort food and some band-aids/gauze too.

- Brian tends to keep money for comfort food on him most of the time. Sometimes he will have gum on him or items to fidget with. While he doesn’t have anxiety he tends to fidget/stim because of his ADHD. His stims usually are fidgeting with items (necklaces, bracelets, toys, etc.) and usually only chews when he feels comfortable enough around others to know he won’t be judged for it. He has a spinner ring that he found once, and will sometimes use that too. He tends to chew on gum a lot because of his chewing stim, but also has some items an old friend gifted him that were specifically made to chew on. (They are silicone, he has a necklace with a small but thick pendant, a pencil-shaped item, and a bracelet with silicone beads. Self-conscious about the chewing on other items besides gum, but prefers the other items to chew on. Tim was one of the first people he felt close enough to to actually chew on the items)

- For Tim, he usually keeps his anxiety/paranoia to himself. His medication helps some, but he still doesn’t like others to know about it. Brian is one of the only people who are aware it exists, but he doesn’t ever experience anything with it and just knows it’s there. When Tim’s depression surges, he sometimes tries to shut himself off from the world and be alone. Most times, when it gets really bad or he knows he shouldn’t be alone/doesn’t want to be alone, he will call Brian and hang out. Brian has a lot of experience with Tim’s depression as a result of this, and has learned how to best help him when he feels the worst. Sometimes they’ll just hang out and play games to distract Tim from his thoughts until he feels more in control/better, other times they will just enjoy each other’s company. Brian also tends to sleep over most times when he gets called up.

- As a result of Brian constantly coming over to talk or hang out with Tim, and spending the night at least once a month to help Tim, he usually has his own section of Tim’s house just for his stuff (clothes, pillows, sanitary items, etc.). Tim has a smaller section at Brian’s house, but it only exists because Brian insisted that if he had stuff at Tim’s, Tim should be allowed to have his own stuff over at Brian’s house. Both of them tend to hang out fairly often, and once shooting for Marble Hornets starts, Brian starts to create and plan group events. Tim doesn’t come to all of them, but he makes an effort to try to go. Brian makes sure they both still have plenty of time between the two of them, though, and they both understand that sometimes Tim needs time to be alone.

- For Seth, his panic attacks get worse with physical touch unless he says it’s okay, stress balls and other items to hold help ground him, he usually cries a lot, ends up being drained and usually naps on Alex. Fidget toys can help calm him down from a panic attack or general anxiety. Usually uses items that can snap around, move, twist, etc. He usually needs something to do with his hands, because they shake so much that when he fidgets it feels more grounding.

- For Jay, his panic attacks get worse when there is no one else around that he knows, or if there are a lot of people he doesn’t know when it starts to occur. The stress items help him some, but he is a very tactile person (as in, he needs another person there), even more so after he’s come back from the future. He usually holds onto someone when he has a panic attack, and afterwards usually tries to put some space between them. (He feels guilty that he clung to them so much, but after a while he can relax again and stops trying to move away from people. Alex knows he only tries to move away out of guilt, so he encourages him to stay close to them.)

- Now that Jay is back, because of The Operator, he needs someone to be constantly talking to him about something. Alex was not expecting this change, as they all had a silent agreement to only speak if they needed to go through breathing exercises so they could focus more on calming down. After the influence of The Operator, Jay ignores the guilt and stays right next to the others there. Sometimes he will actually press closer to them as a way to continue to ground himself.

- Jay’s depression never got too bad in the first few years before and during the shooting or Marble Hornets, and he had gotten a lot better compared to his highschool years. Now, though, Jay’s depression has come back with a vengeance. The guilt of everything that happened from the previous timeline, the fear that because he’s not good enough he won’t be able to help anyone and will have to watch everyone spiral down and die again, and the overall self-deprecation is crushing him. Alex knew he had depression, but because Jay had gotten better after a few years, they dropped the plans they made in case it ever got ‘out of hand’. Alex still remembers all of them, though, and will try to reach out to Jay if he doesn’t see him for more than a day. Jay knows he remembers them, and appreciates the actions he’s doing, and after a couple years in highschool he was able to be comfortable enough to let him know when he has worse days than others. This now usually leads to Alex coming over to his apartment, doing things to get Jay’s mind off of his thoughts, and the two of them hanging out until Jay feels better (which usually leads to a sleepover, similarly to Tim and Brian).

- Jay’s dissociation has gotten a lot worse too, now that he’s back, and while sometimes it’s pretty easy to call his name and make him snap out of it, he now gets episodes where he stops responding to anything. This can be pure dissociation or flashbacks mixed with the dissociation. Both times when it gets this bad, someone ends up sitting next to him and they have to wait it out. No amount of touching or noise will snap him out of it, and it worries the others to no end. (The only two ways to actually snap him out of it, unknown to the others, is either messing with his wings or The Operator actually being present. The first one is a lot better because it does help him come out of his dissociation, because there is the difference of feeling in his wings, and will be able to gradually pull him out. The change of feeling is because the feathers pick up feelings differently than human skin does, and because the difference of feeling acts as a reminder that he’s not there anymore and he has the chance to save them still. The Operator, on the other hand, is only able to snap him out of it because of the sudden terror and need to protect that Jay gets. This is dangerous because it can be sudden or slow change, and he is still so disoriented from the dissociation that he can’t think clearly. This then leads to him being a lot more self-sacrificial and reckless in his need to protect the others.)

- When coming out of a flashback Jay usually jumps or startles in some way (depending on the severity it can be a full-body reaction or something as small as wide eyes and a quite gasp), looks around, and usually takes a moment to relax again. The next few hours after the flashback are filled with paranoid thoughts, constant jumping and looking around, flinching, a lot more sensitive to noises and triggers, and a general anxiety that can start to cause the others around him to be anxious, even if they don’t know why. (Alex constantly sends worried glances his way the entire time this happens. Jay’s empathetic ability is stronger now, but the bad side is that it can go the other way now too. The others can pick up easier on his emotions, even though they don’t know why, and it can cause them to start to feel those same emotions too. Many don’t realize this is happening or that these are Jay’s feelings, which is why no one brings it up)

- Jay’s triggers - 

Physical: completely dark rooms, guns, knives, blood, anything dealing with Rosswood, tunnels, Tim/Brian wearing their alter’s clothes (even without the masks), being tied up/restrained, forests in general, certain areas like the red tower and the abandoned hospital, fast movements, people behind him/can’t see where everyone is/open back, Alex holding anything that can be used as a potential weapon (knives, guns, rocks, etc.), codes/glitching out videos, The Operator and creatures like him, hotels, screen static, dozens of tapes/multiple cameras (specifically to keep watch or record throughout the night), Brian’s house, fighting

Sound: any mentions of an ark/”to the ark”, gunshots, static from anything including radio interference, yelling, audio distortion, religion mentions (Noah’s Ark, flooding, etc.), sounds of fighting

-Seth’s triggers-

Physical: dark rooms, stress from deadlines, pressure from others, talking to new people/being around those he doesn’t know, being alone in a crowd, crowds, jumpscares, being put on the spot in front of multiple people/a crowd of people

Sound: yelling, sounds of fighting

-Tim’s triggers-

Physical: needles, hospitals, medical files/medical papers, medical equipment, pure white rooms/rooms that look similar to his from the mental health hospital, The Operator and creatures that look similar to him, coughing (himself, not other people), restrainment

Sound: the beeping from a heart monitor, yelling/screaming, static/white noise, being told he’s lying/faking,

- Alex, Jay, Seth, Brian, and Tim all know varying levels of ASL. All are able to hold decent conversations and a few could easily test out of college ASL classes. (Sometimes they forget words or phrases so they improvise, leading to hilarious conversations at times.)

- The reason all of them know ASL is because a few of them sometimes go non-verbal. Seth very rarely does, so he knows the least, but can hold a decent conversation. Jay used to not go non-verbal that much (still more than Seth, but not enough to warrant him being extremely good at it), but now that he’s back and has a ton more trauma it’s going to happen a lot more often. Tim has had his fair share of non-verbal moments, usually happening at least once every other month. Sometimes Brian is there for it, sometimes he’s not. When he is, though, it’s very easy to hold conversations because Tim is almost as good as Brian (but still not technically fluent). Brian, himself, has only gone non-verbal a couple times but not the the point of it hindering anything.

-Alex is practically fluent, and so is Brian. Both of them learned it because their friends going non-verbal made them want to. Seth knows the basics and can follow along a conversation fairly well, while Jay can hold longer conversations and is able to talk relatively easily (but still is not fluent)

- When Jay gets back to his timeline, he realizes within the first week being back that he’s gone non-verbal. He doesn’t realize it at first, but it isn’t until Alex signs something to him that he realizes he hasn’t been talking, and is still mentally recovering from the trauma, so he heavily struggles with talking to the others involved in Marble Hornets. He realizes that the moments of going non-verbal are probably going to happen a lot more now, and that he needs to find a way to quickly communicate with the others. (Deciding on impulse to try becoming fluent in ASL, he proceeds to spend at least a couple hours each day learning new signs or practicing making sentences/signing with others, usually on video calls or something similar. He was already very good and able to hold a conversation, but his goal now is to be completely fluent, or as close as he can get.)

-Brian can, and will, sleep anywhere. This has led to him often times sleeping against others and in random places he shouldn’t be able to sleep. He also loves attention/affection from others, but gets easily flustered when it actually happens.

- Jay is a very touchy person, and while him and Brian originally didn’t get very close, when they eventually do people start to find them sprawled on top of each other. They both are very comfortable with physical affection, and it takes a lot for them to be uncomfortable. This leads to them going to the other (once they get comfortable and know it’s not a bother) if they ever want attention.

- Brian grew up doing theatre stuff and can recite random lines that stuck with him. Some are because they were really weird, others because something happened and now it has funny connotations/memories attached. Also, he was in a lot of musicals. He remembers at least one song from every musical he has watched or been in, and can sing it off the top of his head. Would he say any of these lines or songs infront of the crew? Hell no. He’s very easily embarrassed by the fact he can, but Tim loves it. 

- Sometimes Tim will ask him to sing something or recite lines/tell a story dealing with certain productions he was in to help Tim feel better and get his mind off things (usually on days where his depression is flaring up really bad and he can barely find it in him to move. Brian and Tim have been friends long enough that this is normal. One of them is upset or needs to vent, and the other just heads on down to their house. If there’s a moment for some reason one of them can’t come over they talk on the phone and text.)

[permian-tropos]

In response to the "fic you wish I'd write" post: Snoke backstory, main characters Rae Sloane & Gallius Rax (they meet him and all interact somehow. Snoke is more than a creepy old raisin. Rae worries that they're in over their heads...)

And I wish I had a more detailed Snoke backstory at this point.

I know I used to be really interested in him, but it was really interest in a character like him, and the way he’s defeated in TLJ makes me want to give him a different sort of role in the story. I’m not sure if I want him to be an ancient evil awakened in the Unknown Regions or a plutocrat who learned the Force but isn’t only powerful for his Force ability, he’s also secretly the CEO of big space oil or something. It depends on what story I’d tell.

Anyway here’s a loose rambling fic description

-

In this version of things, Rax is neither alive nor dead because his soul is trapped in the holocron he tossed into the Jakku borehole. Jakku spat that thing out when it stopped having its planetary indigestion. The lingering wisps of life energy emanating from the core of the planet stole the last breath from Rax’s body and sucked it into this new vessel.

Rax doesn’t find his existence as a cursed object too different from his old life, where he mostly lurked behind the scenes and played with people’s desires and instincts so they’d enact the dramatic scenes he wanted to see. He entices a stray stormtrooper to the Observatory to get himself picked up off the floor, and lures a junk trader to fight this trooper over the beautiful glowing red artifact, and so on, until he’s traveling into the Unknown Regions on the desk of a particularly boorish Imperial captain who wants a piece of the Sith legacy as a trophy.

Holocron Rax has vague aims, he wants some sort of body and he wants to find her again, his equal, his rival, his fellow outcast. He isn’t sure he wants to rule. He lost that game. Time to play a new one.

Sloane finds out Rax is back, but she knows he’s back before her knowledge, as philosophers might say, is both true and justified. She guesses, on instinct, because of the fingerprint he seems to leave on the cosmos.

Leading the Order has been bitterly oppressive, she’s sure everyone hates her, she first thinks it’s because they blame her for Rax’s constant betrayals of the remaining fleet, but it’s not that at all. They seem to hate her because they think she’s overstepping her station, that she’s high-minded and looks down on everyone else, but she knows it’s a double standard because they look down on everyone else too (including her).

And she tries over and over to prove that she’s strong and capable and dutiful. But she never got along with the upper echelons of Imperial command. She always pissed them off with her high-mindedness, too self-motivated, too determined, not groveling at their feet enough, and she’s been burning with humiliation from that -- and, in fact, a sick desire to please someone for once, they’re never happy with her, maybe that’s why she fell for Rax for so much longer than she should have; for a time he seemed to be endlessly pleased by her, even when he knew she was plotting against him. I’ll be good this time, she keeps promising herself, but how is this good? Why do they get to tell her what good means when they’re sneering at her for being merciful or patient?

And it makes her want to be cruel and ruthless. And she is. Just to impress them, she realizes. They’re never impressed.

And she runs away, but not all at once. Bits of her run away where they can.

Sometimes she makes fake identities and takes a few days off to visit planets that wouldn’t be happy to see her if they knew who she was. Sometimes she spends hours playing games for cadets against a computer and when her good sense returns she erases the evidence of this foolishness. Sometimes she runs by staying asleep and dreaming. Sometimes she runs away to research, losing herself in narratives of ancient history.

Anxiously, at her lowest, most depressed point, she visits the Imperialis and finds opera. Watching the holotapes is an exercise in self-flagellation, because of how tense they make her. She never even sits down, because that would make her feel vulnerable to attack from the shadows in the private theater hall. But it wakes her up, because it feels like a fight, and fighting these imaginary demons is easier than putting up with the constant scorn of her supposed colleagues. She sometimes pauses the recordings just to pace.

So this is where they both are when they meet each other again. Sloane hears about a Curséd Artefact that’s been causing a miasma of strange behavior aboard a ship, and that strange behavior includes hearing strains of faint music as if carried on the wind (and there’s no wind in pressurized starship corridors), and that’s when she knows-but-doesn’t-know it’s Rax. He’s being dramatic again.

It’s such a perverse relief to lay her hands on that red crystalline pyramid. It is definitely accursed, though; it hums with evil energies (or maybe it’s buzzing with pleasure at her touch).

Sloane promises herself she won’t fall prey to the Wiles again. She keeps the holocron locked in a vault but the ghost tiptoes up through the ship to visit her dreams.

The place where they meet is an enormous astral chessboard. (Sloane calls it chess, Rax calls it shah-tezh). Fine sand is strewn in patches across its huge carved tiles, as if someone has cracked their turn-counting hourglass over it like an egg. Sloane can’t see the edge of the board, but she sees scattered ruins marring the smooth plane. If the board was the tiled floor of a temple as big perhaps as the entire Imperial Palace, the ruins could be what’s left when it collapsed and eroded.

Neither of them have particularly ornate clothing. They’re both dressed up as what Sloane recognizes to be the Outcast piece, her in white rags, him in black.

He’s very cryptic and avoidant, but this time, Sloane sees through it at last. He hasn’t got a plan for her, he just wants to talk. At the same time she realizes she wants to use him to maintain her power. He’s something special that no one else has access to — and she might be jealous if that turned out not to be true. She’s troubled by these dark temptations, and tries to distance herself from them.

Rax discovers, as dream Sloane is not as good at hiding feelings, that Sloane has fallen into a deep depression.

It’s very uncomfortable to consider because he would have to admit she’s weak enough to be inferior, according to what Palpatine taught him. He rationally considers if this is the case, if she’s too much like him to be worthy, but his gut feeling is that he can’t dislike her, so he wants to consider other options first. He starts to find evidence for her being psychically attacked by a powerful entity in the Unknown Regions who is trying to usurp her.

Sloane is skeptical but when Rax gets her looking for patterns, she sees them everywhere too, they begin to seem inescapably real. Her dreams of this chessboard become a dream of a game played against a mysterious opponent. Rax becomes her ally and fellow strategist.

And then, what you might expect happens: Snoke manifests. He reminds Sloane a lot of Rax, but more hideous and openly contemptuous. Sometimes, Sloane is energized by knowing her emotional state is caused by a real enemy. Sometimes, it makes her feel less in control.

Snoke announces that the Order will belong to him soon.

Holocron Rax eventually gets a corporeal body in the form of a reprogrammed Sentinel droid, the ones with Palpatine’s face for holograms but of course, replaced with Rax. It’s a secret project that Sloane is willing to undertake once the threat of Snoke seems close at hand.

And does it turn out that Snoke is a being that becomes more real the more he is believed in? Maybe, but maybe not. After all, depression is real whether you believe in it or not, and so is a structural problem in your society. Maybe it would be interesting if it turned out Snokestuff was real, emanating from the Dark Side, and is copying Sloane’s underlying problems and using them as a template. Snoke comes across like an amalgam of everyone Sloane has been trying to impress, all the smug rich old white men.

She finally confronts Rax about this. She doesn’t want his admiration. She doesn’t think anything she’s done is admirable. She wants to fail in his eyes, because at least that’s honest. Snoke targeted her because she was on the verge of breaking down anyway.

And Rax? Has to face facts about whether he cares about Sloane as a great figure of history or just as a friend.

They’re both left to wonder what makes a possible friendship or love between them meaningful if they’re not part of a grand triumphant narrative. In the end, close interpersonal connection turns out to be more mundane than they realized, and the mundanity of it is what matters.

[voicesfromthelight]

The Story of “Abuela,” Simon, and Millicent: On Astral Party-Crashers (and How to Avoid Them)

Today, to celebrate the Halloween/Samhain season, I’d like to explore the somewhat spooky phenomenon of astral party-crashers.

Astral party-crashers are spiritual entities that sometimes pop up in mediumistic settings - or in your home! - who have no readily apparent association with any individual in the room, but are drawn to present themselves out of curiosity, benevolence, boredom, or, in some cases, energetic hunger stemming from unresolved issues that keep them hovering close to the physical plane.  Luckily, the intrusions of astral party-crashers have been fairly infrequent in my personal experience. However, when I have encountered them, the evidence has been strong enough in terms of physical manifestations of synchronicities, etc., that I think it’s important for students of mediumship to know that they exist, and plan for them without apprehension.

Much of the work of a competent medium consists of understanding how to attune oneself to the spirit world, and receive accurate, verifiable information from it. However, far from being one uniform field, the “other side” is a multifaceted realm: a spectrum of different frequencies. Different types of entities dwell in different “layers” of the spiritual plane, of varying densities, much like different colours of light occupy different ranges on a spectrum of wavelengths. Accordingly, the emotional, spiritual, physical and energetic qualities of a medium determine which frequencies they are able to attune themselves to most easily. This is why Lorna Byrne speaks to angels, Jessyka Winston works with her Lwa, Tyler Henry passes messages between people and their dead loved ones, and I communicate most easily with Salvador, Natalie and my other guides, who dwell in a layer of the spirit realm somewhat higher in frequency than the astral. The reason I refer specifically to astral party-crashers when talking of this subject, is that the entities in question will usually pop up because they dwell in the frequency band commonly known as the astral realm, which is closest in density to that of the physical plane. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the types of ghosts who would cause physical hauntings, but I do find that they seem to have an easy time firing off synchronicities that manifest in the physical realm. Although they are usually harmless, and easy to miss altogether if one is not psychically open, if you find yourself frequently bumping into astral party-crashers, it may be an indication that your baseline energy level and psychic protection measures could use a boost.

The first time I bumped into an astral party-crasher was a bit over a year ago. The incident started on the same day I spoke about in my piece on clairaudience, during a time when my mediumistic ability was going through a bit of a spike. I had been working on a film set in Harlem that day, and took the opportunity of being in a neighborhood with a large Latino population to visit a local botánica. Salvador and Natalie are quite protective of me, and have more than once shooed me away from dabbling in working with any spirits outside of my circle of personal guides. However, I was curious to see the place, and wanted to buy a candle.

The botánica was a large space, with hundreds of different candles of all colours to choose from, soperas, and a plethora of pre-packaged oils and incenses for every magical purpose, stacked on shelves that reached from the floor to the ceiling. The energy there felt a little scattered to me, but not uncomfortable. I chose a candle for myself, and went home happy with my purchase.

The next day, as I was tuning into a channeling session, an unfamiliar spirit popped up and greeted me. In Spanish. Which I barely speak. 

“¡Hola, Emily!” 

Somewhat taken aback, I asked whom I had the pleasure of speaking with. “Soy Abuela,” she replied. (“I am Grandmother.”) She then switched to English, and went on to give me specific instructions on how to burn my candle for best magical results, and which herbs would work best with it. (Damiana and vetiver, on an alternating basis, she said.)

My psychic protection practices always include specifying whom I wish to communicate with before my channeling sessions, so when “Abuela” declared her presence, I was a little suspicious, but also, I admit, somewhat intrigued. If she was who she claimed to be, it seemed someone’s magically savvy grandmother had followed me home from the botánica, wanting to teach me her craft. I wasn’t so sure it was something I should be getting involved in, but appreciated her attention. I thanked her for visiting me, and said goodbye.

Abuela turned up again intermittently in my sessions over the next couple of weeks, and I remained somewhat wary of her. Salvador told me that she was harmless, but there were other incidents not directly associated with her - not all of them pleasant - that had me a bit on edge. My energy around this time was running low due to working very long hours on film shoots, and once in a while, I would notice astral level spirits that needed to be crossed over tagging along with me from my excursions out into the city, or otherwise subtly tugging at my spiritual sleeve. A woman from a small Finnish village I had never heard of before wanted me to warn her relative about a fire hazard, giving me her full name and place of residence. A gay man from a few states over wanted me to take a message to his husband. After sending them home, I would usually end up googling their obituaries, and try to find clues as to how to address their various requests. I attempted to make the most of it and gather at least some kind of mediumistic evidence. However, I knew in my heart that working outside of designated “office hours,” and being vulnerable to astral interference, was neither smart nor sustainable.

Because of these incidents, I began working long-distance with a shamanic healer and psychic named Joy. Joy, who specializes in working with other practitioners, was helping me tune up my psychic self-care and patch up my energy field to stop uninvited energies from seeping in.

At the end of my first phone session with Joy, I described some of the latest incidents of tag-alongs I had been experiencing. I mentioned my encounters with Abuela. Joy said that it was probably fine, but if she hung around much longer, it might be a good idea to ask her if she needed some help to move on.

Right after we ended our call, I decided to check my Instagram account to wind down from the session. As I opened up the app, through a slip of my hand, I unintentionally ended up on a feed that was not my own - which is something I rarely explore. And there, one of the very first posts that popped up was not a photograph, but one that only showed a screen capture of this text, in bold letters:

“¡SOY ABUELA!”

I do not recall hearing from her since.*

Perhaps the strangest incident I ever experienced of astral party-crashing happened in connection with a séance I attended a while ago, which I briefly outlined in my recent post on “getting the wires crossed.”

At the time, I had been shopping around for a new psychic development circle to join up with, and visited one I had been to once before, a few months earlier. I had already had some misgivings about the way the circle had been conducted before, but publicly announced séances are surprisingly few and far between in New York City, so I decided to give it a second shot.

As in most message circles, the protocol at this one consisted of the leader of the circle taking us through a series of meditations and psychic protection practices before moving on to passing messages to those present. However, my alarm bells soon went off, when after our initial meditations, during a quick break, the somewhat grandiosely inclined leader started to explain that there were demons attracted by the spiritual light generated by our circle, attempting to interfere. As he began to give a graphic description of the “demons” he had seen, I covered my ears and walked out of the room. (For the record: If you ever see anything menacing during a mediumistic meditation, unless you are specifically doing some kind of shadow work or banishing, the last thing you want to do is to feed it with attention and anchor its energy down through verbally describing it.) I did not care for the man’s foolish attempts to impress the novices at the event, nor was I intimidated by what he had said, but decided to let go of my reservations to get my own mediumistic practice time in.

When the break ended, I returned to the circle, and we moved into the section of the séance where messages would be delivered. As I meditated, I became aware of a middle-aged, stocky man, wearing leather boots and a cap. I heard the name “Simon.” He seemed to be a farmer. I placed him to have been alive around the 1970s. I did not recognize him, but he reminded me a bit of a character I had seen bizarrely stomp through a precognitive dream, the previous summer, flashing a set of very unlucky Tarot cards at me before declaring, á propos of them: “Nobody wins!” - the night before my fiancé had broken up with me.  Then, in my mind’s eye, I saw a slender woman with long, brown hair. Her name was Millicent. She was wearing something that looked like a prairie dress. Perhaps a hippie. They seemed to belong together. I jotted down all the details, anticipating the end of the circle, when I could speak up and find out whose dead relatives I had brought through. They certainly weren’t mine.

The leader of the circle worked his way around the room, delivering messages to each attendee in turn. Then, he turned to me and said: “When I tune into your energy, I am aware of two spirits. There is an older man, whose name is either John or Simon. I’m not quite sure. And a woman with an M name. She comes across as a hillbilly. I think she’s Irish.” I concurred that I had picked on those exact two people, but my ancestral roots went back exclusively to Eastern Europe and Finland, and I definitely did not have any relatives from Ireland named Simon or Millicent. Surely they were there for someone else! However, nobody in the room recognized the rustic duo any better than I could.

The séance eventually trailed off, and I noticed that the leader never formally closed the circle. This worried me somewhat, but I told myself it wasn’t a big deal. I also wondered what exactly was going on with Simon and Millicent. Why would two such random characters show up for me, when we didn’t seem to have any direct connection? Still, for all my concerns, I was happy that the session had resulted in the information I had received on them being corroborated so closely by the other medium.

That night, as I was falling asleep, something very unusual happened. Right as I was dozing off, in a hypnagogic state, I heard a male voice loudly say my name in my right ear, almost as if it was physically coming from outside of my head. (Usually, when I receive clairaudient  information, the impression is one of simply having a verbally expressed thought, and it feels like it is situated more near my left ear. Furthermore, it almost never happens unbidden.) “Ugh.” I thought. “Here we go. Someone followed me home.”

Life went on as normal for a while. Salvador confirmed to me the next day that the problem had been that the séance had not been closed properly, and I should avoid that particular circle in the future. I tried to shake off the incident.

About a week later, I met up for coffee with a dear colleague, and as we were catching up on what had been going on in our lives, I shared with him the strange story of Simon and Millicent. By then, I was laughing about it, and my friend was also amused.

Towards the end of our visit, we stopped by a large bookstore to look for some inspiration for a project we were working on together. My friend took the opportunity to visit the restroom, and as I was waiting for him, my eyes wandered to a book sitting on a stand in the children’s section: “Dear Mili,” read the title. It was a book illustrated by the illustrious Maurice Sendak, author of “Where The Wild Things Are.” I had already had several other, sweet little synchronicities happen that day, and so, my first thought was “Hey! My spirit guides must have wanted me to see this, since they always call me Dear Emily.” As I leafed through it, I discovered it was a somewhat creepy little story, discovered in the early 1980s in a letter written by Wilhelm Grimm to a young girl in 1816. The story made me somewhat melancholy, but the pictures were beautiful. I texted a picture of the cover of the book to a friend of mine who not only had been one of my first mediumistic clients, and was quite familiar with the lingo my guides use, but had also been at the séance with me where Simon and Millicent had made an appearance. “Look what Natalie sent me!” I captioned my photo.

Then, I opened the book up to its dedication page, and my jaw dropped open.

“For my sister, Natalie.” - M.S.

M.S.  - Millicent and Simon?

Barely believing my eyes, I texted my friend a second photo of the page.

A moment later, she replied:

“Wait. Dear Mili - MILLICENT?!”

And that, as they say, was that.

These two incidents of astral party-crashing illustrate well some of elements that can contribute to being vulnerable to psychic interference. They can be summed up fairly simply:

Attempting mediumship when energetically run down either through physical tiredness, negative emotions, poor diet, illness, or while under the effects (or after-effects!) of mind-altering substances such as alcohol or drugs. (Yes, this includes cannabis for most people. CBD, however, is usually fine, as it isn’t psychoactive.)

Not practicing proper psychic self-care through meditation, energy-clearing, and psychic protection. This includes not only your personal energy, but your personal living space, as well.

Dabbling in practices that are not aligned with your spiritual integrity.

Spending time in places with negative energy, that attract low-vibration entities. These can be spaces associated with addiction, abuse, or violence. This doesn’t mean mediums need to avoid such spaces altogether, of course, but energetic clearing is doubly important after being exposed to that kind of energy.

Focusing on images, thoughts, or stories that invoke fear or unease. Don’t watch horror movies before doing a mediumistic session! At least give yourself a few days to detox.

Asking for trouble by intentionally invoking fear-based entities. (Duh.) Just don’t. It’s not worth it.

Being afraid of the spirit world, and of one’s own mediumistic tendencies.

Not properly opening and closing your mediumistic sessions.

On the other hand, my guides have a slightly different take on the matter. From their perspective, every experience is an opportunity to learn something new. So, here are some points that my guides conveyed through clairaudient dictation around the time that Abuela was visiting me. (Parts of this were cited in an early post on this blog about empathic vulnerability.)

Question: “Why are uninvited energies interfering with my mediumistic sessions? Am I not strong enough to keep them out?”

“Your guides know when an energy can be helpful even if you yourself have not set up the meeting. Even if you are being told something you think you do not want to hear, the energy itself may have something useful to tell you. Have no fear. You are in good hands. Wear an amulet if you think it will make you feel more safe, but this is not necessary or helpful if you do not trust your guides to help you. Call your guides to help you raise and strengthen your energies.  Allowing the information that comes through to reach you as just that, information, and not as an energetic intrusion, will give you the best access to knowledge of all stripes.

Allow your guides to act as informed gatekeepers and let in the spirits covered in your opening prayer. [Being very adamant about proactive,] careful vetting places an undue burden of self-protection on the practitioner. If you feel unsafe or drained, plan ahead and look to your sources of strength to hold you in a higher vibration. Ask the lower energies to step away. You are safe […] Do not succumb to the influence of fear. You are OK. Pay attention to any disturbances in the atmosphere of your home, Work to become a better arbiter of your own boundaries. Nobody can enter your awareness [unbidden] if you have placed high enough barriers on your consciousness.”

All of this can be summed up into the principle that the stronger your connection is with your personal team of guides, and the better care you take care of yourself as well as your environment, the less vulnerable you will be to interference. Lately, I almost never experience these kinds of incidents anymore, and when they are about to happen, Salvador and Natalie will quickly warn me and nip them in the bud. The bottom line is, these are not things to be feared. At the limit, I would use this information to encourage my readers to treat themselves with love, self-respect and kindness, stay true to themselves, and build a strong relationship with own protectors.

Have you ever experienced an astral party-crasher? How did they make themselves known?  How did you deal with it? How would you deal with it if it happened again? Let me know!

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

* In case you are wondering if this was a result of an algorithm being triggered by my phone “spying” on my conversation with Joy, I can only say that it wasn’t the first time that Spirit had used social media for synchronicities. The first time my guides gave me a timeline for an event using astrological timing, citing only the symbols for Venus and Scorpio, I had no idea what it meant - until I opened up Instagram after the session. The very first post on my feed was captioned with a long piece on the astrological implications of Venus shortly moving into Scorpio. There was no technological record of my channeling session to feed into any algorithm at that time. I also had never had any interest in astrology until that moment.

[finestcreation]

Territory

@diabolus-noctis

His world was dead... 

The Earth that he came from was victim to his own folly. He killed the humans of his Earth, rendered himself all alone, wiped out the majority of those that followed him, but worst of all he killed the only person he ever loved... He was an angel that was cast out of heaven for standing his ground, for saying that demons didn’t deserve to be driven to extinction by the angels of heaven. Who were they to decide when something should live or die? Who were they to kill for no reason. Humans could wait another decade, the demons were there first. When he fought for their safety, he was marked for treason, and Michael spun a tale about how Lucifer was trying to bring down the Kingdom of Heaven. A lie through his teeth. It’s a shame, truly, how much his primary caretaker despised him, and how the other caretakers he had, Raphael and Gabriel, seemed to take his side. Only Uriel seemed to be truly neutral... But he was the angel of death, he could see the future. He saw all that would become of him... As punishment he was locked in an infinite loop where he would kill his love over and over again. He would kill humanity, demons, and everything in between all the while in the struggle for power. By the end of the day he was alone...

He never learned how to cast a miracle with his feathers, Raphael tried to teach him before his ‘rebellion’, but to no avail. Had he known that all it took was a miracle to get him out of his predicament, he would have focused his energy in learning how to do it much sooner. It was on the most recent loop that his heart just couldn’t take the grief and pain anymore. His soul shook and that dormant power was awakened in the Seraphim. With a miracle he quickly escaped his universe in a desperate bid to run away-- not knowing that by just breaking out he was freeing himself completely of his punishment. By breaking out God had finally said ‘enough was enough’ and set him free. Despite the fact that now, as a Seraphim, he could easily possess power just short of God’s own. Should he challenge that deity he’d undoubtedly loose, but if any other angel went up against him, any other demon, they would fall to his hand with no problem. As such Michael, and many of the other angels, still viewed him as a threat, even though he was rather quiet and complacent as a quiet traveler.

It had been so long since he felt the familiar energy of demons... In his world demons merged with other creatures to stay alive. They were more like animals than spirits, far different than how the bible portrayed them. Yet in this world there was a difference... In this world demons were brought to this place not by merging, but through contracts. They learned to bond with humans in a way, forming a symbiotic relationship very similarly to how angels do. Except instead of it being for protection or companionship, it was for food. A miracle for a meal... Seems like a fair trade. In this universe, Lucifer could understand why humans were so fearful of demons. Why the bible speaks so lowly of their silver tongues and promises of a better world. And yet, despite all that, Ryo still found himself infatuated with them. He still found himself so loving and empathetic of them, desiring to protect those entities as he did in his own world. He was still Lucifer after all... He was still ‘The Great Demon King Satan’.

“There is a powerful demon here...” Ryo heard Jenny’s voice but didn’t pay it much mind. She was practically just a spirit in this world, just waiting for the moment where she can manifest once again. But this wasn’t her universe, this wasn’t the laws she was used to. She couldn’t do much in the way of command demons here. The most she could do was just be there for ‘Lord Satan’ in his journey to unite the two different universe’s demons. In order to unify Hell itself... His hope was to find the remnant of Amon... If he couldn’t bring back Akira, he could at least bring back Amon, who may be able to grab a hold of the soul of his human counterpart and grant the fallen angel at least a fraction of a chance for resurrecting him. “This is his territory, please be careful Lord Satan.” Jenny piped up again, she knew he heard her and was taking it into account, but it could be so annoying how he didn’t respond sometimes. It left that little twinge of doubt in her mind. Her spirit merely a will-o-wisp that followed her master loyally. Knowing full well she could do nothing in the way of protecting him. As he trudged deeper into the demon’s territory, the flame vanished and he was left all alone.

Beautiful wings were spread out all about him. Three pairs from his back, a pair which wrapped around his hips, one on each ankle, and a pair on his head-- all showing his power. Beautiful and pure, white as they were when he fell, the fact he was a Seraphim was obvious by the sheer amount of wings he had. ‘It’s said that he has six feathers...’ A phantom voice playing through his mind as he trudged deeper into the wasteland that was this ‘monster’s territory. He wasn’t afraid of the power he felt here, he wasn’t scared or worried, more curious. Ghosts of humans passed through, but here, as a spirit, he knew they were unable to be heard or seen. It was almost as though the world was filled with shadow-people. This realm of unreality, fragmented simply because to the eye of man they were invisible. This was the reality of spirits, of demons, of angels... Funny how every human believes they have a guardian angel, and yet there were none here.

“I know you’re here, demon!” Ryo called out calmly, his voice well measured and confident. “I know you are a rather powerful demon for this universe, and as such I thought it was about time I met you formally.” As Satan, he figured that such an explanation was better than saying something along the lines of ‘I am looking to unify the circles of hell to unite the demon army’. Especially when demons of this world seemed to be poised to wait for a calling to the material plane of existence. Just waiting for another contract to bind them.

[greenteafiend]

So I sat down and wrote out this partial outline how Voltron could have played out in a way that would really lean into the entities and the clones.

Those are two ideas I’m fascinated with and had fun thinking about and playing with until I came up with this. It’s kinda long so I’ll put it under a cut:

Zarkon and Honerva are infected by entities from within the rift that warp their minds and manipulate them. 

Just like canon, it happens when Zarkon forces Voltron into the rift to try and save Honerva’s life when she’s sick. (Honerva had also been studying the rift, just like in canon).

The entities want 2 things: they hunger for quintessence - life energy. And they want to re-open the rift to let more of themselves through. 

They require a living host that has to be compatible with them. To be compatible requires a certain strength of quintessence and spirit, otherwise the entity just consumes you. Eats all your quintessence right up.  

If you’re compatible, (like Zarkon and Honerva) it gives you extra powers, while poisoning your minds and taking over.

One of the ‘powers’ the entity allows is: if you die/get old and near death, you can make a clone of yourself and rip the entity and your spirit/quintessence out of your old body, and put it into the new one and go on living. You can do this over and over and over. (Haggar does this to them). Reforging yourself stronger and better each time. (Better, as in better for the entities). That is how Zarkon and Haggar have been around for 10,000 years and seem immortal. I think the BoM have carried out successful attempts on Zarkon’s life, just for him to come back again which is fucking confusing for them. They don’t know how it happens. 

So there isn’t actually any quintessence in the rift, the entities are manipulating Zarkon and Haggar into thinking there is so they’ll open the rift and let more of them in. 

I was thinking that inside the rift could something like anti-quintessence, which would be like liquefied dementor juice. 

So anyways Shiro has that strength. He’s compatible.They infect him with an entity, and it’s one of the most successful takes they’ve ever seen, and then Ulaz helps him escape back to Earth. He doesn’t know what he’s carrying with him.

He’s still himself because the entity needs a lot of time to corrupt someone’s spirit, it’s a slow process.

At the end of season 2 when they capture Allura, Haggar sees this as her chance to get back Shiro. They figure Voltron will come for her, so they prepare a Shiro clone and set their trap. Haggar wants to rip his quintessence out of his body and put it in the new one so they have him.

I imagine that Haggar has access to Shiro through Zarkon’s bond with Black. 

BUT Black is like NO. Sends Shiro away somewhere where he’ll be safe. Somewhere he can learn to get the entity out of him: Oriende. 

Oriende isn’t a place for chosen Alteans, and also Alfor didn’t build the Lions. Lions have been around for millennia (hence them being legendary even though 10,000 years have passed since it was last seen). Oriende is a place where Paladins went to train and learn about their role, and connect with the past Paladins of their Lion. Usually existing Paladins will induct new Paladins, show them Oriende, but because the last Paladins all perished (except Zarkon) before new Paladins were chosen, there was no one to show the current Paladins where to go.  

Shiro might fight the entity on the astral plane to get rid of it. There probably would have been some foreshadowing in the space mall episode when Shiro fought Zarkon on the astral plane.

Lotor/Kaltorius:

I have something totally different in mind for Lotor. 

Kaltorius was born like Lotor in canon, 10k years ago and under much the same circumstances. (Kaltorius because in season 8 when there was that flashback with names I think this would be another version of a blend of the names Honerva and Zarkon chose). 

Kaltorius is of course compatible with the entity. He’s better than his parents however, and rejects it. He would rather die trying to get rid of it, than live to be consumed and end up like his parents. That is what happens, he dies. Thousands of years pass.

A couple hundred years from the present the Red Lion falls into Zarkon’s possession, and he needs to find a pilot so he can use it to re-open the rift to allow more entities in. Zarkon can’t find a pilot though, because Red is PICKY. 

And then he remembers his wayward son Kaltorius, and thinks that their quintessence might match. He has samples of Kaltorius’ DNA, he orders a clone to be made and allowed to grow from scratch naturally unlike the clones for the purpose of transplantation. He names him Lotor.

Lotor doesn’t know he’s a clone, thinks Kaltorius is his dead, disgraced older brother.

When he becomes of age, (18 probably) he’s presented to the Red Lion and swiftly rejected. Zarkon is not happy that this experiment didn’t work out for him, so he banishes Lotor. 

From there I think Lotor is like ‘ fuck everyone’ and does his own thing for a long time. Maybe some piracy, some black market trade, and all the while he collects knowledge. He studies all he can about Altea, about where survivors could have gone, what’s going on politically, looking for clues about how his parents lived for 10,000 years, sees that things don’t add up and something fishy is going on. Researches his ‘older brother’ Kaltorius. 

He hears about Voltron ‘killing’ Zarkon at the end of season 2, and hears that Zarkon is back again like nothing happened (just like nothing happened all the other times he ‘died’), he begins planning.

Wants to ally with Voltron. They have firepower, and he has knowledge, and the Pedigree to step in to fill the power vacuum if they manage to permanently defeat Zarkon. Their long term goals align, and Lotor has done the maths; the Galra Empire does not need the amount of Quintessence they are sucking out of the universe. There is no way they could be using that much energy, it’s just ridiculous, so what the heck are they doing with it? He thinks it’s dumb, and that he’d run things better. (He’s right).

He kidnaps Keith wanting to talk to him because he's heard he's part galra and thinks he'll get a more sympathetic ear from him. Interesting interaction, Lotor examining this boy that Red accepted. Lotor’s has been curious about who the Red Lion finally chose after rejecting him, and also they’re both half Galra wanting to fight against the Galra.

(Totally self-indulgent: They drug Keith to make him docile when they talk but do a bad job knowing how much to give a small human. Lotor: wow, we got the dosage of this wrong.... um *clears throat. I can't have an intelligent conversation with this. I will write a letter. *tucks letter written in Altean into Keith’s utility belt) Or- Lotor: oh for the love of-- Zethrid, look what you've done. >:/ Zethrid: not my fault he's puny. Lotor: I said docile, not comatose. Keith slurring: A-Allura? That you? Princess, why’d you tie me up? (It’s the long white hair that confuses him lol))

If there's gonna be drama between Lotor and the paladins, it's not gonna be because he was draining Alteans. That doesn't happen. It'll be over methods, he's more cut throat. Maybe Haggar decides to repurpose her Shiro clone to attack them, thinking his familiar face will get them to let their guard down. (She’s right). Lotor sees through it, kills/tries to kill him.

Other bits and pieces:

Black Paladin Allura, she fills in for Shiro in his absence. I’m emphasizing the lion-paladin bond so much, like Red rejected people for hundreds of years waiting for Keith specifically, so I don’t want to cheapen that by having him and Lance switch out of their lions. 

Shiro shows up with the white lion of Oriende for Allura, and maybe they switch?? She pilots white, he pilots black again? Unsure about this. Maybe the white lion just teleports him somewhere out of Oriende convenient for the plot so the other Paladins can find him, and he can show them the way there. 

Paladins learn/train in Oriende, and they learn history of past Paladins. 

I feel like the entities should be an allegory for something...... like greed??

the 1%ers that make everyone work to the bone and hoard all the wealth and just consume the world for really no reason because no one needs that much money, just like no one needs that much quintessence. I think that's it: the entity is greed.

Keith’s Galra reveal would be framed differently, more focus on how Keith feels about it and him accepting himself rather than framing it as a lesson/problem Allura needs to learn/overcome. (If anyone’s curious about that, chuck me an ask and I’ll make a separate post about it).

And that’s all I got so far.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[doodlingadventures]

Has Vol’jin been to Ny’alotha?

Buckle up people, this is a very long post, but I think I’ve cracked the code.

Sooo, what do I mean by this you’re probably asking. Or what the Hell is Ny’alotha.

Let’s start from the beginning; Ny’alotha is a city, or some kind of place, mentioned in game by different servants of the Old Gods. Most of the information we have of it comes from the Puzzlebox of Yogg’saron. It is named in three lines:

-In the land of Ny'alotha there is only sleep...

-In the sleeping city of Ny'alotha walk only mad things.

-Ny'alotha is a city of old, terrible, unnumbered crimes…

Also, some NPCs like Yll’gynoth and Xal’Atoh (no, I didn’t misspell Xal’atath, Xal’atoh is an axe) speak of it as a place you end in when you die. “You will rest in Ny'alotha” by Xal’atoh, and upon dying “N'Zoth... I journey... to Ny'alotha…”

Also (new) the corrupted tidesages have a death line of dialogue that says “sleep eternal in Ny’alotha”

All of this gives me the sensation that Ny’alotha is less of a place you can find beneath the ocean, as we have suspected for a long time, and more of a… different plane of reality. I think Ny’alotha is a version of Hell. Sort of.

We’ll explore this idea later, but for now I’m going to go back to Vol’jin.

Vol’jin.

In the incoming quests/scenarios for patch 8.1, when he is asked “why did you put Sylvanas in charge?” he answers.

I remember dyin’. I remember glimpsin’ da Other Side.

I was expectin’ ta see ol’ Bwonsamdi, or Shadra, or Hir'reek… any of da loa.

Dere was a presence. Somethin’ movin’ in da shadows. Somethin’ powerful.

I remember it takin’ me somewhere, but da memory of where be hidden from me. Ta keep me from sharin’ da truth…

After this, we go around asking different types of Gods of death; Bwonsamdi, The Lich King and Eyir, if they’re responsible for making Vol’jin choose Sylvanas. None of them had a hand on it, and we’re basically told that two different forces intervened in Vol’jin’s death. One almost condemned him, and the other one “saved” him, but today we are going to focus on the first one.

In the first short post I mentioned it could have been Mueh’zala, or Helya, instead of the Old Gods getting their hands in this, but… no, I’m afraid it’s Old Gods (what a surprise).

For one, Mueh’zala is still considered a Loa, so Vol’jin should have been able to recognize him? Or at least he could have described it as such, but instead of Loa he describes it as a “powerful presence”. There’s still a possibility it was him, since Vol’jin was believed to be lost in the Shadowlands, and that’s where he dwelves, but we know so little about him that I feel it’s better to focus on the Old God card.

And Helya….well, the evidence is pointing at her working with the Old Gods (knowingly or not), so there’s not much of a difference. Anyway, it was an Old God, probably N’zoth, the one that took Vol’jin “somewhere” he can no longer remember, to manipulate him.

And I think that place is Ny’alotha.

Wherever Vol’jin was taken, whatever he saw there, was something that convinced him to put Sylvanas in the Warchief’s Throne. And if it's something that he can’t remember, it is either because it was all lies, or because there was some truth in it that N’zoth didn’t want him to share. Since what Vol’jin cares about the most is the Horde, he must have been shown some sort of future where the Horde would perish if not for Sylvana’s leadership, or something of the likes... something that really fucks us over. Which the Old Gods really are taking benefits off, just look at all the chaos brought by the faction War. Worsened by Azshara’s tampering in both sides.

However, why would Ny’alotha be the place this kind of “nightmarish” visions would be shown to Vol’jin?

Well, because it has happened before.

Let’s go back to Ny’alotha being the Warcraft version of “Hell”. And I don’t mean Hell in the sense we consider the Christian Hell, a place of punishment, torture, and other horrors, but it surely has the capacity of torturing you by using your worst fears. Although it is not the in emerald nightmare, since Il'gynoth was in there when he said his line of “I journey to Ny’alotha”. It’s a realm we could consider hell, but it’s just a playground for an entity such as the Old Gods.

Where does this idea come from? TBH it’s the feeling I get from these two sentences, “In the sleeping city of Ny'alotha walk only mad things” and “Ny'alotha is a city of old, terrible, unnumbered crimes…”

But also because of the things the people that have gone there have seen.

The only way a mortal can “travel” to Ny’alotha is by dying, or being very close to death. AND if they’re invited there.  Following this line of thought, and working with the hypothesis that Ny’alotha is a place of torment and torture, I think we have been witnesses to three different characters mind/consciousness/souls being transported to Ny’alotha:

Vol’jin.

Queen Azshara (whom I think actually died in her short).

Sylvanas.

Queen Azshara.

You probably think this the moment Queen Azshara arrived to Ny’alotha but I think otherwise.

I think this is the moment Azshara’s mind arrived to Ny’alotha, and then was pulled out of it by N’zoth.

You see, there are a couple of visual clues here that are telling us that Azshara is actually dead.

The scene when she sees the corpses of her people attacking and blaming her, that’s her spirit in Ny’alotha, being tortured with what she fears most: the people that served her, worshiped her, adore her, turning on her, disobeying her.

And that’s when N’zoth pulls her out of it, believing she is desperate enough to accept his offer. You can see the light in her eyes is gone. Just like the eyes of the dead elves, and the light doesn’t go back to her pupils until her transformation into naga starts.

But regardless of dead or alive, N’zoth get what he wants. Sure, Azshara has the ovaries to try and get the deal on her own terms, but N’zoth still has her as a "collaborator” anyway.

And here’s when we can see the pattern? N’zoth picks the spirit of whomever he is interested in, takes it to a place (probably Ny’alotha) where they’re shown their worst fears, and these visions “break them” enough, that when N’zoth pulls them out of it they’re ready to make a deal with him. A deal that harms Azeroth, might I add.

It seems to be what happened to Vol’jin, it is definitively what happened to Azshara, and it seems to be exactly what happened to our Warchief.

Sylvanas.

Remember that short story from Cataclysm, when Sylvanas kills herself?

Let’s go over it again real quick.

Sylvanas goes atop ICC, sees that Arthas is dead but there’s another Lich King in place, she decides she is done with it all and jumps from the platform, dies impaled by the saronite spires, and, pulled from WoWpedia:

Sylvanas saw a vision of her peoples' future. Without her leadership, the bulk of the Forsaken was sacrificed by Garrosh Hellscream in a failed assault on Gilneas. At the Bulwark, Apothecary Lydon organizes a last, desperate counterattack against the invading Alliance forces. As the tide turned against them, the Forsaken threw themselves into raging fires rather than face the onslaught to come. As the vision ended, Sylvanas found herself floating in a dark void, where she knew only terror, cold, hopelessness, fear, and regret. She also ran into the ghost of Arthas and was surprised to find that all he was at this point was a frightened and lonely little boy. Looking at the man who had inflicted such torment, Sylvanas admitted that had her soul not been broken she may have actually felt pity for him despite what he had done to her. As she realized that this realm of anguish was to be her eternity, the Val'kyr appeared to her again. Led by Annhylde the Caller, they offered the Dark Lady a pact: instead of allowing Sylvanas to reside eternally in this terrifying realm, Annhylde offered to take her place if she binds herself to the remaining Val'kyr; a powerful vessel through which they can continue to exist as more than slaves, their fates intertwined. Sylvanas accepted the pact and was returned to the realm of the living surrounded by the eight remaining Val'kyr.

You could almost say that what she saw there was her worst fears. Where she expected peace and release, instead she got anguish and pain. And had it not been for this, she would have rejected the Val’kyrs a second time.

Again, this is a familiar pattern, yet, N’zoth doesn’t have control over the Val’kyrs… does he?

Helya.

These Val’kyrs were supposedly at the service of the Lich King, but we have to consider that Val’kyrs were originally an invention of Odin. They’re pretty much undead guardians that handpick “worthy” souls to transport them to the Halls of Valor. That is, until Helya freed herself from Odin, which resulted in two “types” of Val’kyr. For convenience, I’m just gonna call them grey and gold Valks.

Blizzard has never addressed why Arthas had Valkyrs, or how was he capable of creating them (there’s a dungeon where he raises a Vrykul as a Valk, before we kill her), but the one thing we have for sure is that those Valks are grey, just like Helya’s, and those are the Valks Sylvanas… “inherited”.

I made a post not so long ago about Helya being the one Il'gynoth is referring to in his lines, but let’s go over it again.

Her heart is a crater, and we have filled it.

In Chronicles it is stated that Helya was something akin to an adopted daughter to Odin; she helped him with everything he needed, going so far as to lift the Halls of Valor away from Ulduar at his request (even tho it was kind of a dick move), until Odin got the idea for the Val’kyrs. He basically wanted to grab some random Vrykuls and turn then into undead guardian angels for the souls of the Vrykul he considered “worthy”, and when Helya said “don’t you fuckign dare” he killed her, raised her as the first Val’kyr, and took her free will away from her. And then she was forced to do the same to other unwilling Vrykul, transforming them.

Wow.

And to cement the evidence, when she got free from Odin, she was helped by Loken, who was under the influence of Yogg’saron at that point. And, lifted directly from Chronichles.

“Helya created Helheim as an enchanted refuge for herself and the other val'kyr far below the Halls, and bound it to Azeroth's great seas (I’m having Deathwing/Neltharion related flashbacks right now)

However, the darkness that had long fested in Helya's heart transformed Helheim into a place of nightmare and shadow, and the vrykul souls who arrived in the realm were soon transformed into wraithlike kvaldir.”

I still think it’s not too far of a stretch to believe il’gynoth was talking about her.

The lord of ravens will turn the key.

For some time we believed this could have been Khadgar, but he really just turns into a raven. Odin on the other hand, has two ravens at his service, Hugin and Munin, and the real life Odin was referenced sometimes as “the Lord of Ravens” or simply “Raven God”, so I think it’s safe to assume it’s him we’re talking about.

At the hour of her third death, she will usher in our coming.

Helya died once, at the hands of Odin, then twice, when we were sent to “deal with her”, and by BFA we know she is still around, so…

At the hour of Helya’s third death, with her heart filled by the whispers of the Old Gods, Odin will strike her down, turning the key that will open the way for the Old Gods, and she will usher in their coming.

I want to remark the “Helheim is bound to Azeroth’s great seas” bit, and the tentacular state of her appearance, in case you’re having some doubts.

Am I saying that the Old Gods got the idea of eternal damnation into Sylvanas so that she would be desperately trying to get her hands on more Val’kyr and any other means to live eternally? Fucking over everyone else on the way? And that Helya willingly helped her in Legion, not just because it would fuck over Odin, but because it was part of a much bigger plan?

Kinda.

I mean, I just gave you all this evidence, but this theory is nothing new, people have been speculating that Sylvanas was under the influence of the Old Gods since that short story came out, all the way back in Cataclysm. It’s just that now we have even more hints of it (theoretically speaking), and it’s related to more events happening.

Which…Oh nooo, the Old Gods did it…. What a turn of events.

*long sigh*

This post is long enough, so I’m not going to give any opinions about the Goddanm Old Gods card or the state of the story.

But one thing I’ll say.

Blizzard you better fuckign give us Vol’jin back as a Warchief. Going through all of your bullshit deserves a reward.

Thanks for reading! Share your opinion on this insanity!