#| God and i will sort ourselves out and whatever happens happens

[hallasimss]

If you aren’t able to fast because of health issues, you can fast from something else other than food! Or have your food be as bland as possible and go without the nice flavors. The purpose is to abstain from something you take for granted and there’s several options for that if it’s something important to you and traditional fasting isn’t an option <3

tysm anon!!! i never really considered that but i think i'll give the spice suggestion a try <333

[flagellant]

I remember you once giving an EXCELLENT explanation of how magic “Doesn’t Exist but is Real” and how that kind of contradiction and reconciling it is so powerful?

Whenever you feel like answering this could you restate those concepts? I am working on actually thinking about my Practice and it’s Methods more lately and I feel that I highly agree with that sentiment you gave, but Tumblr’s search sucks.

I think I’m just now understanding a lot of that much more than when it was first said so I’d like to compare when you’re able to restate it

Religion isn't unscientific at its core. I think that's how I might phrase the contradiction these days: the idea that religion is fundamentally not unscientific at its core. Whatever else you can say about it.

Religion is fundamentally magical thinking, though, or at least often incorporates magical thinking. Religion is a sort of magic, also, after all--organized or unorganized, it is belief in something else. Something unexplainable. The idea that there is something you cannot see or cannot understand, but that this something matters to you, to your world.

And looking back, we see religion form again and again, in vacuums and when cultures meet and share and intermingle or oppose. Studying history at the end of the day will always require at least a little bit of studying religion with it. It is omnipresent--for better and for worse--in the way that it affects us, changes how we think, influences how we behave, structures the societies we live in.

Humans are illogical creatures, made of emotions and subjective dread. Magical thinking is fundamentally illogical. It is an attempt to find and understand reason in darkness, to comprehend the things we only see in the peripheries of our visions--but not always. Only often.

Because just as much as religion is magical and illogical, it was often borne out of our craving for understanding, for logic or explanation. We see a rainbow in the sky and we do not know where it comes from, or why we can never seem to reach it, so we try and find a logical explanation for this apparent impossible thing. The answer is magic--fairies, gods, witches. Or perhaps we look at the catastrophe of a storm, look at the all-encompassing wreckage of our homes, and we need to find a reason why this could happen to us. This couldn't be an accident, it has to be by design, because if it happened for a reason, we can understand it; we can give ourselves, if only slightly, the illusion of control. We propitiate an angry god, or we find someone who we have decided isn't like us and blame them for it.

Because the thing is, as much as we are creatures of illogic, we are terrified of it. It becomes existential rather quickly--the idea that all of this is for nothing, for random accidents, that you or your community isn't special or noteworthy or safe? The idea that your pain is shapeless and your terror is aimed at nothing at all? That's hard to imagine, let alone to find comfort in. Gods give a shape to the suffering. The invention of them is one which lets us take the illogical thinking and turn it against illogical thinking. Yes, it is unreasonable. No, it doesn't make sense. It is emphatically unempirical and there will likely never be any concrete proof of any religion's magical thinking being definitively confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt as True.

But it isn't unscientific. It was borne out of the same reason as science, the desire to understand and comprehend. It went only in a different direction than scientific thought did.

The space between science and religion is the difference between what exists and what is real. We walk along paths of trying to understand the world around or within us, and the paths in between those two points is where magic can be found. Neither existing nor unreal.

[impala124]

Love in the Big City Part 1: A friend is your needs answered

I still remember it as vividly as it were yesterday, starting college and moving to a new city, which felt like a world away from where I grew up. Adults love telling young people that the world is their oyster and that they'll meet new people every day.

After my defense of her sort of outed me, the two of us developed a relationship that consisted in the first place of talking trash about boys, as neither of us had previously had anyone with whom to share such thoughts, making us both desperate for a sounding board.

But what no one mentions is the loneliness and desperation that hit you once you enter adulthood. I remember begging, praying, and bargaining with God to meet one person with whom I would get along. Lucky for me, I met someone. Well, actually, I was fortunate enough to meet many someones.

We met whatever men we wanted without putting much effort into it, drank ourselves torpid, and in the morning met in each other’s rooms to apply cosmetic masks to our swollen faces and exchange tidbits about the men we had been with the night before.

Looking back, the foundations for many of those relationships were very shaky. Whatever the reason was, I latched onto them because they were that one constant thing in my life—the one thing I could count on. That was my Jaehee.

Even though the author refers to Jaehee as his best friend several times in this part, he later questions if he really knows her during her wedding preparations. This part asks the pertinent question: Do we really know our friends?

The author definitely knew Jaehee, but did he ever understand her? He knows what's happening in her life—if she's in contact with her parents, who she's dating, etc., but does he really understand the motivations behind her actions? Acceptance without understanding will most likely lead to diverging paths for friends.

What I'll be taking away from their friendship is that not every relationship needs to last forever. Some people come into our lives unexpectedly; being with them becomes as important as breathing, and then they just fade away into the background one day, and that's okay. The impermanence of the relationship doesn't take away anything from everything you've been through together.

[the-elder-polls]

so. i was enabled. tags courtesy of @trickstarbrave (hope you don't mind being tagged, if you do i'll remove it) who is what started my nerevar/lorkhan fascination because i him saw mention this once, causing me to lore deep dive and come out the other side, once again, like this.

once again, disclaimer that i am scatter brained and bad with getting my thoughts into words etc etc please be nice to me or i will cry

so. about the parallels between nerevar and lorkhan

to even try to start, lorkhan was killed/mutilated/brutalized/etc and his heart was separated from the rest of him. there are conflicting sources with saying this was a punishment, while others say he consented to it. regardless of his willingness, his divinity was subsequently exiled/fell/whatever to the nirn. there's a VERY obvious parallel here of nerevar being betrayed and killed/mutilated by whoever it was that killed him and the subsequent nerevarine prophecy.

nerevar, son of boethiah. this is a title given to nerevar, supposedly by lorkhan himself, in the five kings of wulfharth. that's not particularly much on its own. nerevar being a demiprince would hilariously not be that big of a deal considering everything else about him. the reason i'm mentioning this is the 10th sermon of vivec, which notes boethiah as saying about/to lorkhan, "We pledge ourselves to you, the Frame-maker, the Scarab: a world for us to love you in, a cloak of dirt to cherish. Betrayed by your ancestors when you were not even looking. […]" the gods of tes are known for being weird (to put it lightly). i personally think boethiah was in fact the mother-father of nerevar; that nerevar was created for the purpose of being the shezarrine; and that lorkhan, in his weird state, was still fully aware of this. also, again, the parallels of betrayal and mutilation are obvious when you compare whatever happened to nerevar to whatever happened to lorkhan.

nords revere lorkhan as shor, believing he sacrificed his life to help create the world as it is. nerevar and the nerevarine prophecy have some parallels here, i think. nerevar's life was sacrificed "for the greater good" (the eventual downfall of the tribunal as gods, the destruction of dagoth ur) to help "create" the world as it is.

at least one myth (the favored daughter of fadomai) describes azura as finding "[…] broken and bleeding, and there was a hole in his chest." and that she then tore his heart out due to it being corrupted by rot (hi, namira). foul murder is NOT canon, but i think it's worth taking it into consideration here, given that nerevar is depicted in foul murder as impaled through the heart. (i can't really get my thoughts together with what i want to say about this, but i want you to note azura and lorkhan being so strongly associated in this myth. given the EVERYTHING ELSE, it makes sense.)

following on the previous point, the claim that azura appeared and cursed the tribunal for their usage of the heart and their betrayal of nerevar is a good parallel for her finding the wounded lorkhan.

one nordic source (five kings of king wulfharth) states that lorkhan reappeared somehow at the battle of red mountain, reunited with his heart, and that he wounded nerevar before nerevar defeated/killed/etc him. given the absolute absurdity of tes lore, i don't think it's far fetched to say that this could be true in a roundabout way: nerevar WAS lorkhan, or more accurately, the shezarrine. whatever happened at red mountain was a Whole Thing that we don't have concrete answers to. i personally think the proximity to the heart gave nerevar a fucking power up of some sort/allowed him to channel lorkhan much more intensely, which helped him in the next point:

the same source claims that lorkhan said the dwemer would die by his hand which, again, while i'm stretching (all of tes lore is stretching lbr but anyway), i gotta point out that nerevar and the disappearance of the dwemer are intrinsically linked. there's no denying that. if nerevar was the shezarrine, then this could be true - when dumac was struck down by nerevar and kagrenac truck the heart, the dwemer vanished. it's a bit roundabout, but it's not incorrect. ["Nevertheless, it is true that they will die by my hand, and any whoever should side with them."]

also the tribunal's jealousy of nerevar + his outright refusal to use the heart makes a lot of sense if he already had some of that godly power and they didn't. if they saw him at his full potential due to the heart and wanted it for themselves.

anyway. who said that

[catamaurrr-star]

YANQING MASKED FOOL THEORY!!

[CHAPTER 1: WATER]

so yanqing has a Bunch of secret water motifs, such as this moment in his trailer and this entire post i made

plus generally being near water in many of his scenes (his trailer, myriad celestia trailer Cloud Knights Martial Doctrine, On Swords, fighting dhil + blade)

there's also his clothing! his sleeves have a wave pattern

swirlingish designs like water mixing with something else on his Whatever's at the end of his clothes i dont know the name

also i might just be reading too hard but his hair drooping down feels a little bit like water flowing down

misc motifs: his boss's skill names being "CASCADING laceration", his bp pfp being named "yanqing: ODYSSEY", the story where they go on a ship in the SEA, ult name being "amidst the RAINING bliss", swallow motifs and swallows being commonly found near water (source)

[CHAPTER 2: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT]

so why am i telling you all this on the masked fool theory? well the path of elation does have some ties to water! such as:

s: masked fools databank

s: mourning actors databank. this is a bit of a stretch but Bare with me

s: "inquiry into the gods: the sacrosancts" readable

plus, two of our confirmed masked fools have fish/water motifs [feroluce made a great post on sampo and the elation's fish/water motifs go check it out !!!!] and while yanqing doesn't exactly have fish motifs, he sure has a lot of water details on him. and both of them dont really have anything in common in terms of gameplay so its fine if he also doesn't really fit either of their playstyles.

[CHAPTER 3: BUT WOULD HE REALLY]

but now we gotta ask ourselves. WOULD he be a masked fool? he is indeed smiling in almost every picture of him, but it wouldn't really fit with his personality sadly… he has a strong sense of justice and even though he's playful, he never breaks it just for fun. there is a chance that in his backstory, he could've been a masked fool that just happened to forget all his memories. but considering how young yanqing is and was when jing yuan first found him, its highly unlikely unless hes some sort of rebirthing species like the vidyadhara.

(side tangent you can ignore this) an npc does talk about (qingzu) this but i really do not think she is being serious about it. however she does also say jing yuan spent the first 500 years of his life as a crosstalk comedian and yanqing only stayed with him to learn it so it does tie in to the theory a bit. i still really do not believe her since even the trailblazer doubts her words, and they sound really outlandish with little evidence.

the idea of yanqing not being a xianzhou native is really easy to believe though. there's the whole six phased ice thing, but id like to bring something else up to the table. all human character bosses have physical weakness such as bronya, argenti, kafka, etc. cocolia doesn't but your encounter with her in the storyline wasn't actually her, it was a fragmentum echo of her, and even then her echo of war doesn't have physical weakness. so this implies that yanqing isn't human, unless one of the other bosses is also not human. also nobody knows where he came from or who his parents are, even himself.

[CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION]

so basically: theres proof that he could be a masked fool but unless we know his age or know what his backstory is if he just suddenly got amnesia we will never know. he's probably not one and im just smashing puzzle pieces that dont fit together but im going to tell everyone hes secretly a masked fool though anyways because its funny

[tmwcs]

S E 7 E N : R E C K O N I N G P A R T 1 N E

WARNINGS: Religious references (both accurate and inaccurate), mentions of cannibalism, rape, murder, grotesque deaths, demons, angels, heaven and hell, conspiracy, abuse of authority, cruelty behavior, sinister and sadistic main character, threats of death, threats towards women, time travel, sexual fantasies, religious/sacrificial death/offering, God, the Devil, 7 o Princes of Hell, 7 Deadly Sins.

The text in purple are song lyrics.

The next day, you woke up as usual and conducted your regular routine. You showered and found yourself staring in a daze as the water coats your body. 

‘Tomorrow…..tomorrow I will no longer be here…I'll no longer be alive....’

You felt like crying…you felt like screaming…you felt like running and releasing every inch of emotional energy you could think of. 

But you couldn’t…your body froze internally and you couldn’t think let alone feel. 

‘Lily….is this how you felt? No wonder you were so stoic…poor girl….it wasn’t your fault….it really wasnt….we really…are just two moths that were drawn to the flame…and burned.’

You finished up and made a cup of tea, nothing out of the ordinary….nothing. 

Maybe this was all a dream…a nightmare…maybe you’ll wake up any moment and look past all this. Maybe this was just a test, or a cruel joke…there has to be a rational explanation…people like Lily and yourself…just regular and innocent people…they can’t die like this….

Sipping on your cup, you looked at the phone Niki gave you. Reaching over to it, you opened up the contacts list and subtly released a breath.

Hitting the number displayed, you hold the phone to your ear and your insides felt light as the familiar tone of the line ringing came back to you in a manner that felt like deja vu. 

It had been so long, what with cell phones being banned, and you never did own or invest a landline, it was somewhat pointless considering after Lily had died, you hadn’t felt the need to reach out and talk to anyone…who was there to even call? You hadn’t really gotten to know anyone else, everyone had changed and became stagnant in the comfort of their own homes….they were too scared to live, out of fear that whatever they did, it would be considered a sin….your parents including....especially considering you never joined the cult.

When the line picks up, your heart sank upon hearing your fathers voice….

“Hello?”

‘It’s been too long…far too long.’

“P-papa?”

“….y/n!…my girl…where are you calling from? How are you able to....did you buy a landline phone?”

Tears streamed down your face, you couldn’t help it. 

“N…no…I um….and using a friends phone.”

“Y/n….don’t…don’t be putting yourself at risk! You need to be careful, who is this friend? Are they apart of the organization? Is it a landline? Cell phones are banned, you know that…” 

“I know…..but….I had to call…I have to tell you something…”

He stayed silent on the other end.

You filled the air with the stuttering cries as they slowly escaped your lips…you tried your best to maintain composure….you really did....for the sake of your parents...you tried to be strong for them.

“Daddy….tomorrow…..I…” you paused as you raised your hand and covered your mouth for a second as you began sobbing. “Im going to die tomorrow….”

You heard nothing but a long unsteady sigh as it became evident that he was choking up his own sobs.

“……so it’s true then….your mother and I heard about you being selected….we kept telling ourselves that it wasn’t true…not you….there was no way that my daughter could have been selected…..you’ve never done anything….like Lily….” 

Upon him mentioning your best friends name, you winced your eyes as you started to cry aloud. 

He also began sobbing and for a moment, no words were exchanged as you both cried. 

“How can this happen?….my girl please tell me that there was some sort of mistake…please tell me that it wasn’t your name on the message….not my daughter…not my y/n…” he cries out. 

You built up your composure as you started to talk again. 

“Papa…please listen to me….I’m sure…I’m sure you and mama are not going to watch it go down….but I know you’re going to hear about it….just know…if I don’t die by the angels…..just know that I’ll always love you and mama and my siblings…I don’t know what exactly is going to happen but…”

“What do you mean? Are you saying there’s a chance you’re not going to die??” There was a slight bit of confusion and hope in his voice. 

“…….yes…well…sort of…..I will die either way but…I just…”

“……y/n…..what’s going on?…..do you have something to tell me?” His tone was steady. 

You looked out your window and closed your eyes for a moment, the warm tears escape through your closed lids as you took in a steady breath before continuing…

“I….I made a deal….with someone that…that says he’ll save me….but in return…I have to go with him…” 

“………”

Everything went silent for a moment before your father panicked his words. 

“W-what are you saying? Y/n what is going on? What is this person you’re talking about? Is he a part of the organization? Does he work for the Senator?” 

“…….no……”

“……then who?….who is he…who did you make this deal with?”

“......The Devil....I made a deal with the Devil….”

……………..

You broke down and sobbed louder than you ever had, even more so than when Lily had passed. He didn’t say anything but his silence said it all.

“I-I’m sorry papa….I don’t know….I don’t know how to explain it…..the past 6 days I’ve learned so much and yet I know nothing…I’m so confused and I don’t know what’s going to happen.” You gasped out in between sobbing pants. 

“Please….please papa tell me what to do…say something because I need my father more than ever right now….please…I don’t know what to do or how to feel…”

“……..I don’t know what to say…..i….how? Y/n….the Devil? Have you gone crazy? Why are you talking that way? Why would you say this? Do you know what they would do to you if they heard you right now??I’m sure it was just a mad man you spoke to but still….you can’t say something like that….”

“It’s true though….papa it wasn’t a mad man…he really was…..I’m just….please understand that tomorrow if I don’t die by the angels…..please just know that I did what I did….not because I’m afraid to die…I am but I was more than willing to accept it… I made the deal because if in the case….if he does come for me….you…mom…and the rest of the world will be safe again…..everything will go back to normal…..I’m willing to make that sacrifice….please just know that.”

He remained silent. You’re not sure if he was angry, disappointed or confused…maybe all of the above. 

“…..your mother just walked in….you should talk to her….but don’t mention anything that you just told me….”

Handing the phone over to your mother, the familiar sound of her voice made you break down all over again, as did she. 

You abided by your fathers demand and didn’t say anything about your deal with Heeseung….but you did confirm about being selected when she had asked. She fell to pieces, her cries could be heard in the background as your father takes the phone and continues the conversation. 

“…….we love you….we always have…we had wished that you would have joined the organization but after witnessing what happened with Lily…..I suspect that sin or no sin…we are all doomed….I just never would have wanted for you to go before us….y/n….”

“I know……I’m sorry papa. Please know.....I never did anything…I’m not perfect but I truly lived life and represented you well as your daughter…just know that….”

“I know my girl….I know…”

With deep sighs and breaths of teary gasps, you finally had to end the conversation after finding yourself unable to bear any more. 

“I love you so much. Always know that, you and mama…”

“We know….we love you too….I wish we could see you….please…..please know we love you so much…..”

It took numerous tries to hang up as you found it hard to let go, as did he. Finally, unable to cope and hear your voice any longer, you heard your father sob as he clicked the phone off. 

You sat and merely kept the phone next to your ear for a minute or two….silently sobbing.

‘…..I don’t know how…I don’t know why this is happening….all I know…all I feel is that six days ago…far away I heard the call…of a heart that sang a song like mine…it’s melody drew near and suddenly, we were in perfect harmony. I know that it beckons to me…from a land that’s not part of this world…yet I know I must follow…wherever it leads me….wisdom only comes with time. The road to love is paved with broken hearts. If I am to reach my goal, and protect those that are dear to me…I must stake everything, in my true destiny, no matter what the price…’

As you mentally issued your internal will, you stepped out to your balcony and took in the sight of the wide sky before you. 

‘Should I just jump off to my death? What will happen timid I died prematurely? I’ve thought about it so many times but then….if I did that…if in the chance he and his brothers are for real…would he still come and get rid of the angels? Or would he abandon everything because I abandoned it first? What would happen to my family? I’m left with no choice but to take the risk and die by either their hands…or his…’

Resting your forearms against the rail, you gazed down from the third floor your apartment raised on. You admired how everything looked so small, the people, the cars, and the trees. 

‘Is this what everything would look like from Heaven? If I had died and became a part of Gods kingdom, would I have been an Angel? Would I be able to fly and look at the view of the world from above?’ 

As you relaxed into the pensive composure of your mindful thoughts, you didn’t realize or hear the sound of your front door opening. 

The last thing you had seen was the clear blue sky….before a shadow of darkness coated your entire head and you felt the forceful grip restraining your body as they dragged you away from your apartment. You kicked and screamed. You heard their voices as one issued out orders to hurry up and take you into the vehicle, where you were driven away. 

You don’t know how long of a drive it was. After succumbing to exhaustion from trying to break free, you felt them tie your feet and hands together, practically throwing you in what you assumed was the back seat as you felt the leather seating and the seatbelt buckles. 

“We have her…...right.”  You heard the unfamiliar voice…assuming he was speaking into a phone. 

“We are to take her into the church, she is to stay there for the night.” The voice issues, followed by an acknowledge response from what you assumed was the driver, based off what you could gather from their conversation. 

‘The..church?’ 

With whatever energy you had, you attempted to struggle yourself free upon feeling them removing you from the vehicle, and dragging you away. 

You felt the stone tiles beneath your bare feet as they took you in to a massive room, or so you think as the echoes of your cries as well as their foot steps sang throughout the entire area. 

Taking you up a series of stairs, you were picked up as you felt multiple hands grab you and elevate you from the ground as they carried you. 

Finally, after being carried away, they threw you on to the stone cold floor, rather roughy as you felt the pain of landing on your shoulder and hips without any motion to break the fall. 

“Is this her?” A woman’s voice emerged. 

“Yes.”

“Hmph….a witch indeed.” 

‘…..witch?’ 

Removing the bag that was placed over your head, you saw the elder woman studying you as the group of men depart. 

“Don’t even think about doing anything funny. There are guard everywhere and I will have no issues in calling them should you not follow my orders….you filthy whore.”

Glaring at the woman, you studied the room as it looked to appear as some sort of dungeon. The walls and floors were all made of stone tile just as you suspected. The windows were all barricaded by metal bars without any glass, and the only furnishings that existed was a small wooden table, chair, and a pile of hay straw off in the corner. 

“Where am I?” You asked in a deep and steady tone.

“You are in the Ecclesia Sanctorum, the church of Holy Saints. Your execution tomorrow will be on full display for the entire world to view, since you are the most offensive sinner that has yet to die at the hands of Gods holy soldiers.”

You blinked and paused your shifting gaze as you looked into her eyes. 

“What?”

“Are you deaf as well?” She speaks harshly. “You are to be cleansed and prepped here before we take you to the location of where the angels will come to execute you. A priest will attend to your final prayers. You will be an example to all, as the greatest sinner.”

“You…you people are sick….there’s something wrong with all of you…can’t you see that this is wrong?” You spat out as you glared back at her. 

“Sounds like something a witch would say…how dare you plague Gods own country with your evil  filth…disgusting piece of trash.” She grits out before she exits the room. 

Bind by the ties that restrained you, you shifted yourself free and quickly made way to one of the portholes that allowed you to view the outside. 

Looking out through the metal bars, you realized based off the entire view of the city, that the church you were in was the largest amongst all in the entire area. 

From afar, in the middle of the main road, a large platform was being put together, resembling a stage for a concert or performance. Yet you knew it was far from being an entertainment setting…at least for you. 

Looking around, there was no way for you to escape. You were too high up, the windows barred, and the door was locked securely. The slight bit of voices on the other side of it made you aware that the elder woman was not bluffing about guards remaining spread throughout the church. 

As night fell, you sat on the stone tile directly center in the prison space they had locked locked you in. The discomfort didn’t matter, from where you sat, a clear view of the moon could be seen at the angle from where you positioned yourself. Your knees remained close together slightly propped up for you to rest your forearms on as you dipped your head low. 

‘This….is really my last night alive…in this cold and dark room….in this church….this....prison....'

You dipped in and out of consciousness as you slept on and off. It was still awfully dark outside, the moon and stars remained in full view when that abrasive woman came back with a small group of younger women trailing behind her. They had to be in their mid to older teen years, all of them adorning the same black attire with the badge of the cult symbol. Their hair all tied in a tight bun. 

“Hmm…prescribing the last bit of your witchcraft? Pitiful…” she scoffs out as she notices you sitting on the stone floor, facing the secured porthole in front.

“Clean her body, prepare her for the ceremony but make sure you cleanse yourselves afterwards. No matter how much you scrub her down, her body will still be filthy, don’t let it rub off on you.” The woman scolds out as you watched each young woman nod timidly. 

They grabbed you and stood you up. Taking you into the next room, passing by a series of security guards, they positioned you in the center of an old washing station. It surprised you that it still worked, yet the water was cold….too cold. 

You winced in pain as the cold water felts as if it was piercing through your skin, and the harsh scrubbing of their bristled pads were applied roughly as each young woman cleansed your naked body with old ivory bar soaps, and dried you with a rough cloth. 

Taking you back into the room you remained in throughout the night, one girl brings in a single white fabric, appeared to be made of chiffon. It was a long skirt that touched the floor and trailed behind as you walked. It was terribly long and the deep high slit on the right side didn’t provide much cover considering you didn’t have any undergarments on. 

They left your breasts exposed, at the mercy of your long hair to cover it so long as it remained in place. 

With a crown made of Azaleas, which according to what you overheard from the elder woman, was a sacred flower in the Bible, they placed it atop your thatch of silky strands as the subtle waves of your hair draped passed your shoulders and chest. Your ankles and wrists were adorned with brass cuffs, all of which contained a single loop ring. There was a type of  Biblical scripture that decorated them, though you had no idea what it entailed. 

“Hmm…you look angelic…but we all know that that’s part of your evil charm.” The elder woman exclaims. Upon closer inspection of her badge, she was one of the lead regulators within the cult. 

“What is all this? What’s going on?” You asked in frustration as you remained scantily dressed. The long skit was transparent, despite the layers of chiffon fabric, it remained see through as the silhouette of your hips and legs could clearly be made out. Your entire right leg and thigh fully exposed as you moved from the lengthy slit.

“Your execution will be in our history books. You are to die wearing only the white cloth and the holy flowers that is close to God, it will show the public that even after living a life filled with sin, we the organization, take every preparation into consideration to ensure your passage to his holy rightful judgment, that we aid in saving your soul….it will help the Senator in his mission to gain the trust of the world….”

You scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding me….your ‘organization’ is nothing but a hypocritical joke…your Senator is a criminal and you all are too blind to be aware of it. Whatever makes you feel better about yourselves and sleep at night…right?” You spat out with a glare as you watched the elder woman restrain herself from striking you down. 

“You tainted…evil bitch. If you weren’t set to die I'd kill you myself…” she grits between her teeth. 

“Go ahead! You and your Senator are nothing but a disgrace to humanity! You’re using me, and all others for your own advantage….whatever, go ahead….” You paused as you crossed your arms to cover your bare breasts. 

“If he truly does come…and takes me away….I hope from the high Heavens to the depths of Hell that he does away with all of you in the worst way possible….you should pray the he doesn't ask me....because if he does…I’ll make sure to let him know that you, the Senator, and the other high authorities figures of this terrible cult... should all burn.” 

You’re not sure what came over you, normally you weren’t the hostile type, yet as the rays of the sun peered through the open portholes, signifying the moment of your death was breaching nearer, you lost all sense of composure. 

“Leave her! She will get what’s coming to her…” the woman shouts out as one of the younger girls rushed up from behind to lash out at you for your displayed moment of disrespect. 

Your eyes grew glossy and the burn of tears built up. Your face was angry and expressed all sorts of resentment, even though you were accepting what was coming, it hardly meant that you weren’t scared or upset….in fact, you were terrified. 

Gazing off to the side, you zoned out at the patterns of the stone wall when the elder woman spoke out.

"You know...when he chose you and told the angels your name....at first I couldn't understand why he was so riled up over a young woman. I figured his pride was just hurt from being rejected....more or less being injured beyond repair. But now that I look at you....and hear those despicable words that come out of your mouth...I'm glad he gave up your name." she issues out as she lets out a victorious chuckle.

".....what do you mean.....he gave the angels my name?"

"Oh poor stupid girl....you really think that you all were selected at random? I mean...sure, those before you were....from a list that the senator would choose out personally himself......and each time he summoned the angels....he gave them a random name from the public directory. Once the government gave him their fullest support, it allowed him more access to people of various age groups, ethnicities, and culture backgrounds. That only enhanced his message of how God was cleansing the world."

Your eyes began to widen more than ever, glossed over as you couldn't believe what you were hearing.

'This man.....this woman...these.....monsters....they did this? They did this to the world?....All those children...mothers...fathers...brothers...sisters...daughters...and sons....they chose people....innocent people to die.....in those terrible ways?.....'

Your legs began to shake as you felt yourself stumbling down, yet you caught yourself and remained standing. Placing your hands on your hips, you leaned forward and shifted your head off to the side, trying to take in deep breaths.

"You.....you people.....you did this....." you stuttered out.

"Had you just been obedient and gave yourself to the Senator, much like the others did before you, you would have been spared...but I guess you rather give yourself up to evil men who represent Hell....multiple in fact. How many were there? Six? You filthy whore..."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" you yelled out. Glaring right at her, you narrowed your eyes as you issued your decree.

"If I go to Hell tonight.....I promise you....I will do everything in my very being to make sure that you people see my face when he shreds you to pieces!"

She merely scoffs as she side smirks at your angry expression and threat. "Your words of warning will not work here. We are in God's own church....we are his carriers that spread his rightful name and will. You will die....and you will suffer. The Senator has made sure to request a special treat for you when he last spoke to the angels."

At that, she turns and quickly departs as she hastily locks the door.

'........How could they?......No wonder he and his brothers disagreed with God when he wanted to create people...look at us......we're monsters to each other...'

.....................................

The sun was setting, and they finally brought you outside as you noted the large gathering of the public. They all surrounded you as the guard members, the priest, and the elder woman with her posse all issued out commands for everyone to remain back and away from you.

"Get back! She is the most evil of all sinners, you must not get close at all!"

Yet many of them ignored the commands of the cult authorities as they reached out with Azaleas and Crucifix’s in hand, grazing your skin with them as they spoke out in prayer for your soul to be saved.

.....................

'God save this sinner.'

'Cleanse her soul so that she may be saved.'

'Let her soul bide by the will of God....otherwise send her to Hell where she belongs.'

......................

You couldn't exactly hold any grudges or blame to the people....what with bending to the fear of being selected for execution...a brutal one at that, you couldn't help but sympathize as they all were falling for the tricks of that ruthless man and his most devoted followers.

'If only these people knew the truth....'

The regulators dragged you through the street. Upon reaching the large platform that was built from earlier, stationed on the surface were two large holy statutes.

Setting you directly at the center, you realized what those loop rings on the cuffs were meant for as they secured a chain to each one. THe chains were connected to the statues to your left and right, providing only enough slack for your to place your hands center on your body, but not enough to touch and remove the chains that bind you.

You heard the whispers of the crowd as they gathered to take a closer look.

.......................

'She looks like an angel....'

'Look at what the Senator is willing to do...even for someone who committed the greatest offense to God.'

'Of course she's beautiful....that's the reason why! I heard she slept with six different men in a week's time....'

'A whore and a witch...so beautiful but that is a part of her deadly charm.'

'Rest easy sinful dark child.....rest in peace soon.'

........................

You kneel down and slightly hunched over as you cradled your breasts with your arms. The delicate rattle of the chains is all you can hear as you shut out the terrible words that were spoken about you.

'I.....didn't do anything....if anything....i made a choice to save you all.....at least I was....I am willing to.....yet you all don't see me for who i am.....'

In their own eyes, you looked ethereal...like a scared angel as you remained kneeling and leaned forward. Your hair drapes downward and reaches the ground as your back becomes fully exposed. The Azalea crown atop your head, a deep red as it matched the shade of your lips.

Your eyes open as you hear the voice of the Senator...speaking above from the balcony of a tall building that overlooked the city.

"People of the great city! Today will mark a milestone in our nations history, as we have discovered the most offensive sinner yet......but we are here to pay tribute to this sinful and savage child as she will be executed by God's own guardians. I ask that you all say a prayer for her soul to be saved, as her crimes against God had been one of the most displeasing. Pray for her soul, and witness the acts that God's soldiers will carry out should you sin....take her death as an example for what will happen, should you or your children commit sin."

'.....This can't be happening....I....I didn't do anything....'

..............

Silence ensued as the crowd all knelt down and began offering their prayers. Minutes had gone by as the sun continued to set....leaving you the bright red sky.

Suddenly, a loud screech can be heard from afar. Then another....and another....

'.....there's more than one?....'

The Senator speaks out once more as you processed your mental thought.

"Good people.....watch at how God treats the sinner's who offend him....witness as he has become greatly displeased and angry at the betrayal of this young woman...whom he graciously, like the rest of you, loves and cherish...yet she not only tarnishes his holy divinity and name...this woman had the audacity to harm those who serves him and does his work."

Peeling your sight off the surface of the platform, you raise your head as your arms remained crossed over your breasts, your mouth slightly gapes open as one by one, each metallic humanoid figure flew in and landed at a great distance from the stage.

One....two...three....six......eight...ten....

Soon, there were more than fifteen or twenty of them that landed. Each morphing their extremities into something tortuous and terrifying...all to rip, pierce, and tear off flesh from bone.

'........so this is how it will end....my God....I am scared...I am frightened beyond measure.....please.....just get this done and over with.....'

.................................

Seven thousand years ago.....

"Heeseung...the muses are here...." Jake speaks as he calmly approaches the elder brother, who rests on his throne with the speckles of blood on his face. His fingers coated with bits of flesh and blood clots from whatever it was he tore to pieces.

"Uh huh....." he merely issues as he leans back into his seat.

The three muses, the guardians and mentors of Helel...or Heeseung, steadily approach the young man that they raised and loved...yet saw the darkness in his heart had changed him into something far worse than a killer. He became the very thing that nightmares were made of.

"Helel....we-"

"Iiiiiiii......prefer that you call me Heeseung...." he cuts off.

"....Heeseung......you know why we came?...."

"I have an idea...." covering his eyes with his bloodied hand, he leans back with only his nose and mouth remaining exposed. An evil grin coats his bright red lips as he chuckles out with a slaughtering tone.

"So what?....does he really want to make peace or is he trying to change my mind again?" Heeseung peeks a wide and glaring eye between his fingers as he coats his upper lip with his tongue. The muses all felt their weight drop upon the unsightly horror that was before them.

'So.....evil.....so dark and sinister.....how insidious this man is....to think he was the beloved and first archangel of God...'

"He wanted us to show you...to appeal to your senses as the first and most notable archangel of his Heavenly kingdom."

"Aaah...." Tsking in air through his teeth, Heeseung looks down at the ground before presenting his most unpleasantly horrifying gaze back to the lead muse.

"Appeal to my senses huh?" he chuckles once again, each time he issued it, it became even darker and more disturbing in nature.

"How about I just rip you both to pieces, starting with your feet, working my way up to your heads....and I'll take her...." he points to the lady muse, "and feed her virginity to those hungry demons beneath my feet? hmm?"

"Heeseung....." all three muses bow down. "Please.....give us the chance to show you his vision...his sight....it is his most desired request. You've killed off all of the other archangels, with the exception of Jol......yet he bears no ill will....he still is trying to show you....please....show us what his love has purchased....let us show you. After, we will leave and never appear before you again."

Upon hearing the muses, all six brothers stood by them as they spoke out in high respect to the eldest archangel.

"Heeseung....you know we are on your side no matter what.....would it be wrong if we express that it would only be fair for you to hear them out....perhaps there might be something to your advantage....." Jungwon and Jake spoke out, all in earnest as they kneel down.

"Like what?....what could possibly be in it for us? we're already banned from the one place that we called home....disowned by those that raised us.....what could he possibly have done to change my mind?" Heeseung scoffed out.

At the last bit of his sentence, the three muses, while remaining bowed down, all glanced at each other with a look that indicated a knowledge that wasn't shared with anyone...

The remaining brothers present themselves and spoke out alongside Jake and Jungwon.

"Heeseung....wouldn't it be best to hear them out...than to dismiss or slaughter them and to not know what it was that they were sent here for? Wouldn't it cause turmoil to wonder for eternity what he is wanting to show you?"

Rolling his eyes as he bites down on his finger, he glares wide eyed to the three muses.

"My brothers all seem to be adamant about this...I wonder if it is truly out of their own curiosity or if there is another meaning behind their intent..." Heeseung's glare shifts from the muses over to his brothers who remained kneeling in a straight row.

"No.....we would never treat you in that manner.....we only appeal to you as we still hold respect for the elder muses....they were the ones that raised you....and us. There would be no harm in allowing them to deliver God's message....that is all." Sunghoon spoke out calmly as he stares at the base of the throne that Heeseung rested on.

"huh.....for fuck sake...." tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair, Heeseung didn't issue his decision...not yet.

Cracking his neck as he shifts it from left to right, back to front and back to center, his eyes closed as he gasps out slight chuckles at the harshness of each sound effect that punctures the air in his realm.

"Who are they.....darling?" she walks out sensually, stark naked.

Heeseung merely shifts his head, looking off to the side on the ground as the succubus approaches from behind. With only an aloof expression on his face that suddenly replaced the twisted grin, he remains quiet as the demoness graces her presence to the audience before him.

Upon hearing her approach, all six brothers slightly snarled. Heeseung's favorited mistress was here, displaying no sign of respect or courtesy towards the muses, which didn't sit well with any one of them....or Heeseung.

Despite that he was murderous in nature, especially at the sight of Heaven's guardians, which brought out memories that both, pleased and pained him, it didn't deter the fact that they were not received well by him, without an ounce of respect. However, it also didn't mean that all those beneath him shouldn't render instant courtesy and obedience.

The muses merely stared with awkward looks as the demoness stands off to Heeseung's side. Her hand grazes over the intricate carving of his throne as she raises a bent knee and hovers it over Heeseung's lap, as if she was shifting to sit atop and straddle him.

"Are these old friends of yours?" she smirks out as her rather full and curvaceous figure adorns him gracefully.

Looking down at him as she remains standing, Heeseung places a hand atop her thigh as she fully swings it over his lap. Looking up at her with a closed-mouth smirk, he raises two fingers and suggestively signals for her to lower herself down to him.

Leaning in, she prepares to come in for a kiss.....much to the horror of everyone around, it became apparent that Heeseung was either annoyed, angry, or just fed up with the presumptuous attitude of his lead mistress.

The muses winced their vision shut and turned their heads away as they heard the agonizing screams and the tearing of flesh, the dislocating pops of bone and cartilage. He started by grabbing on to her hair as he tore off her wings, before moving on to her arms, and then taking her by the ankles and ripping her apart, piece by piece.

With her disfigured remains in his grip, only her torso and head was left fully intact as she breathes out her dying tortured breaths.

"Oh 'darling'.....I kind had enough of you.....also....you never really pleased me." with his cold words, he tosses her limbs off of his high throne.

Sitting atop the large stoned mountain, with a series of stairs that extended miles long, starting at the base and reaching the top of the peak, his throne remained highest, above all in Hell. With the deep crevices below, he observes as he, his brothers, and the muses hear the terrible and frightening sound of the demons feasting on the flesh of the demonic maiden.

With her head remaining attached to her torso, he maintains his grip on whats left of her by her hair. Kissing her lips one last time, he detaches it from the main portion of her body and tosses the remains over.

"Alright then....show me what it is that he sent you over for. Pray that at the end of it, I'll be in a good mood to not kill all three of you." He issues as his gaze remains on the demons below. Smirking, he watches with amusement as the monsters all scurry like bugs, attacking and devouring the limbs he tosses over. Raising his hand, a large disbursement of raging flames emerge from below at the base of the mountain, burning all, the devouring demons and the flesh of the succubus to ashes, all the while he chuckles as the roaring cries of demonic forces fills the air.

Witnessing the most evil they had ever seen, the muses gasp in great horror as the brothers all remained stagnant with their expressions. To them, this was nothing out of the ordinary.

The lead muse in particular started to question if what they were sent to do...would make any difference after seeing the cruel nature of Heeseung and the acts he just committed.

'This man.....this first of all angels to be created....and we helped raised...the one that was closest to God....was favored by the divine king.....yet here he is.....he lives for death...he enjoys seeing it....his heart is too twisted....are we doomed for death by coming to his territory?'

......................

".....Why are we here?" Heeseung stood with his arms crossed. After being convinced by his brothers, the muses escorted the King of Hell to an unfamiliar site at the border between Heaven and Hell.

"He has asked that we show his creation of people, leaving us strict instruction to take you to seven thousand years time in advance....it was his strict orders for us to do so...." the lead muse uttered out, in hopes that Heeseung wouldn't become too riled at being brought to the alter of time, space, and universal continuum....all to see people....the creation that he disagreed with the holy king on.

"Are you ready, Heeseung?" the lead muse looks back as he observes the man looking completely indifferent with his arms still crossed. Dressed all in black, with knee high boots and a kneel length coat to match, he fit the defined description of the dark prince.

"Just....fucking do it already.....before I change my mind and tear your throat out." Heeseung irks out as he rubs his forehead.

The lead muse dismisses his threat as he continues to chant out a series of prayers before the alter. A glow of light rises and becomes brighter, enveloping the group into an orb as the electrical currents surrounds them in a globe of flashing light.

The muses all wince their eyes shut upon the light flashing into their eyes, yet Heeseung seemed unbothered as he merely stood and continued to stare out fully.

In a swift second, the globe envelops them completely. With a loud boom, the orb expands into nothing, disappearing along with Heeseung and the muses.

In a flash, feeling like as if they merely blinked, their eyes reopen and adjust to the unfamiliar surroundings of the current world and time.

"….Where the fuck are we?” Heeseung calmly states out in an irritated voice as he raises a brow.

“fret not, Heeseung. We have traveled through the continuum of space and time, nearly 7 thousand years into the future of the world you created, after the creation of the first man. The people have thrived in population and advanced their evolutionary talents. They have expanded into an heightened stage of cultural application in regards to engineering methods and knowledge, known as ‘technology’.” The lead muse explains as Heeseung walks with crossed arms, confusingly admiring the tall buildings, the scenery of the bustling streets of the city and the combination of modern and old century architectural design.

With the passing of the large crowds, blindly unaware of their presence, Heeseung displays a look of annoyance as the myriad of people walk past.

“you brought me through the advancement of time…to show me this?….THIS….is what he wanted you to show me??? THIS is what he thinks is going to enlighten me??” Heeseung spoke with wide and gruesomely angry eyes.

“the very thing that I disagreed with him on…which ultimately became the reason why I left the high Heavens….is this some kind of joke? Is he trying to mock me?” He takes his steps slowly towards the three muses, glaring into their eyes with the most evil sense they’ve ever witnessed.

“please Heeseung, as your former mentor, I beseech you to spare us your time and allow us to do what we were asked to do…” the lead muse exclaims as he stands before the other two younger muses.

“Choose…old man…choose which one of you I should rip open and cut to pieces…” Heeseung leans in, snarling at the upper lip. “I'll allow two of you will go back...so choose wisely."

The lead muse stood bravely with shaking eyes as he once more, appealed to Heeseung’s familiar appeal, hoping to get past his cruel nature.

“please…allow us to show you…should you find no change in your heart, you can take me. Sever my head from thy body and send it back with the two other muses…” the lead muse spoke out, his fortitude against the Dark Prince earned a gasping shock from his two disciples.

Heeseung’s wide eyed glare remained, yet the gritting of teeth through the sadistic grin and look of twisted amusement displayed a sense of pleasure as he looked forward to shredding the one who raised him, knowing that the elder muse was one of the closer guardians to his former master.

“very well old man….killing you would hurt him deeply. It will be my pleasure to separate your spine from your body and rip the skin off your flesh by the end of this fucking atrocity you got me entangled in.” He remarks harshly at the last bit as he side eyes the view of the people that continue to walk pass.

All three muses nod in discouragement as they regained their composure, trying their best to remain hopeful and trust in Gods will.

Noting as the Devil continuously expressed a look of disgust as the marching of the crowd surrounds them, the lead muse signals for him to follow as he guides Heeseung with detailed explanation.

“Be forgiving Heeseung, they cannot see nor hear us. We bid you to refrain from using your power to alter your perceptible vision afront of them….it is best that they do not know who we are or why we came.”

“huh…cunning old man, how wise of you to understand my capabilities….nonetheless, I have no intentions of making myself known to these shitheads.” Heeseung sighed out in annoyance as he remained standing still.

the muses led the way with a disgruntled Heeseung trailing behind, leaving his arms crossed and a harsh look of annoyance on his face.

“He wanted us to show you their capabilities…how they work together to build governments, some in the form of electoral democracy, others are permanently ruling with authoritarian standing. He also wanted us to show you their capabilities when it comes to compassion, nurtured behaviors....all angles of human behavior.” The lead muse continued as he guides and explain the advancement of people.

Disinterested, Heeseung rolled his eyes as he dazes off and imagined the various, grueling methods of killing people. “Fragile…aren’t they?” He asks with a wide eyed smirk.

“They are nothing like you or your brothers…they are delicate in the manner of flesh and time span of age. So, yes....they are quite fragile.”

“So that means, in a week’s time from now, when he creates the first of all people, I will have to induce slow torturous designs, so as to not kill them too quickly….riiiiiight?” He snarks out as he raises a hand to stroke his chin as he eyeballs a line of people waiting at a local food stand.

“Heeseung….as I am willing to give up my life for his will…I ask that you try…try and see the side of his vision…he created people to-“

“I KNOW…exactly...his claims as to why he created….people….” Heeseung sneers out as he cuts off the elder with a deep tone.

Clearing his throat, the lead muse didn't bother to entertain a response, he merely turns and continues, to the best of his ability, in showing off the greatness of people. The mortals that are capable of showing, teaching, and developing love.

Breaching an old historical building, the muses take note of the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

“Come…this way.” The lead muse signals to Heeseung with a gentle gesture.

Dragging the disgruntled Devil inside, they allow him a moment of silence as they watched the Dark Prince study the interior design of the establishment. The space was filled with so many people, yet they hardly interacted with one another. Instead, they had all been engrossed by the development of technology through the use of phones and tablets.

On the wide screen TV mounted on the wall, a local news media displays a covered interview with Michael Forras, all before he claimed the self title of "Senator" and when his cult gathering took on the ruling authority of the city.

“So you’re saying that a day of reckoning is near us?” The news reporter asks the cult leader.

“It is true….God has been displeased with the people and their offenses to his name…mark my words, Gods own, will ascend from the Heavens and cleanse the world within due time."

Upon hearing the interview taking place on the television, the muses slightly anticipated the reaction as they observed Heeseung noting the words the cult leader spoke out.

“Who is this idiot?” He asks, gazing a consumed glare to the elder muse.

“He is one who claims to be Gods servant. People are Gods greatest creation, yet they are far from perfection.” The elder exclaims.

Taking in a breath, he takes Heeseung’s attention away from the screen. “Do you see the contraptions over yonder? People have become ingenious within their own right and have developed the usage of machinery to create masterpieces that are both admirable and delectable. Take for instance, the method of developing this beverage, its scent alone is quite pleasant.” He nods over to the counter where the baristas work diligently to draft up each order as they call out the names of customers.

Walking up for a closer look, Heeseung did appear genuinely interested upon smelling the scent of the creation, known as ‘coffee’. It was a scent he’s never smelled before.

Leaning in with his arms remaining crossed, he inspects the transparent container that held the liquid in place. The elder muse continues to explain the craftsmanship of people, gaining a sense of accomplishment that the young Prince had seemed to take interest.

Yet the grudge he bore had cut deep into his soul, it didn’t matter how crafty people became, he refused to accept Gods hand in compromising a peaceful settlement.

Looking at the elder once more, Heeseung smirked as his eyes narrowed with mischief. “Listen old man…I could care less about how fancy these grueling idiots have become…I’ll devour them all…man, woman and child, it doesn’t matter." Pausing, he takes a step closer as he squares up the elder muse. Glaring, his eyes widened once more with an insidious grin that accompanies it.

"..and you…" biting down on his bottom lip, he all but nearly reached for the elder's throat.

“Order for y/n!”

You walk up to the counter, jacket looped over your forearm as you adorned yourself with a black form fitting dress, suitable for a career field, yet tastefully appealing as it subtly exposed the flesh and structure of your collar bones, the minor rise of your cleavage, and your legs, mid thigh to ankles. Your hair swayed as you took your steps, and reached up to the grab your drink. Without switching his gaze away from the muse, Heeseung continued to stare into the man’s eyes with a murderous grin, yet as you walked passed, right behind him, he caught the slight bit of your subtle scent. It was quite pleasing and differed from the rest that surrounded the area. A hint of lilac and rose, with sugar plum and pear extract…it wasn’t overpowering, but softly sweet.

He merely shifts his eyes to the side and looks at the ground after taking notice of the scent, as if he was zoning out to piece together the ingredients, yet he does not turn fully to look at the source of where the scent came from.

Upon noticing how just your scent alone caught his attention, the elder muse takes the chance to carry out his mission. He speaks out calmly. “Has something distracted you?….”

Shifting his gaze right back to the elder, Heeseung issues an expression of irritation at the audacity that his former mentor displayed.

“Are you seriously implying that a mortal caught my attention? As if I care? Did you forget why I fucking left his kingdom?” He spoke out lowly with a dark tone.

The elder's breath hitched at the sudden rise of chaotic anger within Heeseung’s heart.

“I mean no disrespect….Heeseung…he wants you to find happiness….you were the first son…the first archangel…and will forever be his favorite.”

Heeseung scoffs as he rolls his eyes. “You done?” He issues out with wide eyes.

“He wanted to present his gift to you…that is why we are here.” The muse slips out, all in desperation to reach through to the Devil.

……..

“Gift?…..” Heeseung raises a brow in confusion with his insidious eyes widening in anger. The muses remained silent.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me….the one thing that I despise….the very thing that ruined my everlasting love and respect for him….yet he dares to bribe me with one of them? As if that will mend the broken bond? ARE….YOU….TOYING..... WITH ME?....” Thrashing out a hand to his side, a blast of force and power expels from his hand and sets the confectionary stand on fire with raging flames.

The muses watch in despair as the people all gather in shock and fear of the strange phenomenon that occurred, yet have no idea as to how it happened since the small group remained unseen.

....................

“Oh my God….how…what happened?”

“Was it the heater?”

“We need to get a safety inspector out here!!!…How the hell did the entire counter catch on fire like that?!”

“Thank God no one is hurt."

"Did anyone else hear a large boom?"

“Where did the heat and fire come from? Did anyone see anything? It was as if it came out of nowhere…”

......................

The customers all rushed around in panic as they worked together to put out the flames.

“Where is she? The one that he intends to give up? This so called, ‘gift’?? I’m sending her body back in pieces, you will take her limbs and show him how much I really ‘enjoyed’ his 'present'.” He grits out.

“Heeseung we beseech you-“

“Shut up and bring her here!”

The elder muse kneels along with his two disciples behind him, shaking his head with glistened eyes, he proceeds to beg.

“I beg of you….as your former mentor and father figure….please Heeseung…don’t…”

Heeseung shifts his gaze to the elegant marbled stairway that led to the upper floor. Sensing your scent in that direction, he smirks as he flares down at the desperate muse.

“She’s up there, isn’t she?…..good.” Kicking the muse aside, he walks in the direction of your scent, leading the way as the despairing muses trailed behind.

“Heeseung please! You cannot! We beg of you!”

Ignoring their cries and pleas, he makes his way over to the third level. Turning to the left, he noticed the double doors leading to the grand library.

“Heeseung no!”

They follow in haste as he makes his way inside, not paying any mind as the muses beg, kneeling before him trying their best to appease his grudging nature as he walks swiftly past them.

Looking around, Heeseung’s irritation grows deep as the scent seemed to have disappeared.

The elder muse makes his way from behind the dark Prince and kneels before him once more.

“Heeseung…”

“Where is it? The fucking cunt? Where is she? Bring her to me right now…”

“I cannot! “

Walking up to the bold elder, Heeseung places his foot atop his hand, adding pressure and heat as smoke emerges from the bottom of his soles, melting the skin off as he adds more weight.

Wincing in pain, the elder remains as poised as he possibly could as he continues to appeal to Heeseung.

“P-please….you mustn’t…..you cannot…..”

“Where….is…..she?”

The muse looks up and witnesses the death glare as Heeseung slightly smirks, enjoying the view of pain in the elders face.

…….

“Oh! Hi y/n! You’re here early today.” The woman from the counter in front exclaims pleasantly, directing her words to you as you enter from behind the invisible group.

The elder's eyes grew terrifyingly wide as fear and hopelessness took effect. Watching as Heeseung’s eyes grew wide, his smirk also expanded, bearing teeth as he bites down his lip and chuckles.

“......That’s her behind me isn’t it?” He scoffs, his chuckle coming in more sinister than before.

“H-Heeseung…Helel….I beg you….please!” The elder desperately pleads.

Heeseung's chuckles grew louder. Stretching his neck as he did before, he closes his eyes as he cracks it from left to right, front to back, and center. “Oh elder one….when you present those bloodied limbs….tell him, ‘with best regards’ from his ‘favorite’…” a sharp chuckle emerges and he suddenly turns, his hand developing lengthy claws as he lunges out once he commits to a full turn.

“HEESEUNG NOOO!!!!”

……………

The sound of the wall cracking and burning, punctured completely through to the other side, all the librarians and staff shocked with screams and gasps as they look at the destruction of the wall behind you, right above your head.

When you're gonna stop breaking my heart

You stood with your head shifted to look at the wall behind you, taking in the view of the massive hole that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. You were so shocked, you didn’t even build up a reaction, not a single scream or yelp emerged out.

‘…..What just happened? Where did this hole come from? And why are there traces of ember and smoke? Did someone blast a cannon or some type of weapon?’

You wondered as you continued to stand and study the blasted alteration of the stone wall, completely unaware that right in front of you, the Devil stood....bewildered.

I don't wanna be another one

His frame leaned into your form with his nose and lips just a hair away from your forehead as his face leans inward from the bend at the base of his neck. His arm extending and hovered over you as his chest somewhat cradles you against the wall. A change in direction of his attack last minute upon seeing you, disintegrating the wall instead. He's there... right in front of you...yet you feel, see, and hear nothing….not his hitched breath, his wide eyes of shocking discovery, or his forearm touching your hair as it remains fully extended with his hand against the wall near the blast.

“y/n!! Are you okay?! Did something hit you??” one of the staff speaks out from behind him.

Paying for the things I never done

Turning your face back forward, where he gets the full view of it, he watches and slowly breathes out…his expression, was unlike anyone had ever seen. He was.....enchanted….

“Uh…yeah….what…was that?” You calmly spoke out with heavy lids, so exhausted from staying up late at night as you completed schoolwork and prep for exams.

Don't let go

“I don’t know…did anyone see anything? Y/n, are you sure you’re okay?”

You nod. He watches. He was so close to you….so close.

His eyes grew soft…his lids grow heavy as he stood with slightly parted lips and studied the remarkable features of your face….

‘Her eyes…her nose….her lips….her hair…her skin…her voice….her body….she’s so…..’

Don't let go To my love

The three muses stood behind, releasing a breath of relief as they note the reaction of the Dark Prince as he remained in place, admiring you.

“Master…..did we succeed?” One of the muses whispered out.

Nodding, the elder softly responds back….

“Yes….I believe we have….thank Heavens….”

I can fix all those lies But baby, when I run, I'm running to you You won't see me cry, I'm hiding inside My heart is in pain but I'm smiling for you

P A R T 2 W O

Taglist: @deobitifull; @solstramaii; @vampiregirl215; @nshmrarki; @enhypen14; @iamliacamila; @lisaaannna; @nikstrange; @jaehaki; @luv-enhy-skz33; @silcry @honeysjae; @crackedcameraa; @stinkmonkey ; @baekxo07 @raishaii @@yangjungwon33 @lhspeachie ; @differentchildwombat ; @prettykia ; @kimsseonu ; @stvrryhee ; @en-thralled ; @hoonzdzbl ; @yuppppp ; @jinniespuppy ; @talesofyuan ; @solstramaii

[chronosh0t]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ⸺ 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 .*ೃ

───────────────────────────

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: Lee's pov, gn reader, canon-divergence,

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒: “I hoped for luck, I looked for it and believed, not knowing it had your name in it” — just something silly, maybe a log from him. might be ooc 〔 NO BETA 〕

…………

It wasn't easy. I think it never was. But at least, for a few years we weren't all by ourselves, maybe it didn't seem to be that way, or that's how I'd like to remember it. The point is, it really wasn't easy.

Young, inexperienced, and people would gradually try to take advantage of our situation, of our own nativity, innocence, or some would just try to help us for their own selfish reasons, personal satisfaction or beliefs, eventually leaving us alone. Waiting for some good luck to strike us and change a little bit our cruel reality, only to find out life doesn't work by luck. The world doesn't work by luck.

Luck is false hope for the powerless, the less fortunate, to feed their delusions, that one day things will change, one day perhaps their luck will change and misfortune will leave their side and be replaced by a God that'd help them. That is luck, and I keep thinking so. I believed in luck back then, desperate for a chance, merely to be met by the unwavering proof of reality.

I swore to do whatever, anything and everything, just to keep him safe. Growing up by the taste of bitterness, the mould in the walls and the cold sheets, inside a room that was not safe for either of us, it made me realise I was part of those adults. Working nonstop for some exchanges that barely kept us alive my mind was going numb, my hands were too cold and my logic was losing focus. I believed in luck. But luck was not an option, never was, never will. However, things needed to be done, anything was good and valid if it meant I could get the chance to save his body from his weak heart.

Did it ever cross my mind the idea of becoming some sort of hired assassin? No. I don't think anyone ever grows up having those ideas. Yet, there I was. Loading a gun, hiding in the darkness, my hands tinted with crimson red, cold as the river. Money was the only thing occupying my mind, my reasoning blind due to the lack of time. Yet I know it was also a bad idea, what if I end up dying? What if, for a single stupid mistake, I end up getting killed and disposed of like a bag of trash? He would've ended up alone. Risks needed to be taken.

So I took them. And I kept going. One step at a time, and I thought things would get better, falling in the traps of luck. Because even if I was smart enough, I was still a teenager, I was still a young, inexperienced kid trying to make it to another day. Eighteen years old, and I should be studying. I should be concentrating on which university I wanted to go to, maybe going out with some friends, maybe celebrating my birthday, his. Perhaps travelling to other places and taking pretty pictures for the memories with our family. Anything but whatever I was living right now.

Eighteen years and I was holding a gun, pointing at someone I didn't know and I didn't want to know. The more I knew the less I wanted to be part of this, the less I wanted to keep going, but that wasn't for me. I was selfless, as the older brother, that was what I was supposed to do. My job was to take care of him, to save enough money and help him. Did I ever regret it? No, I don't think I ever did. But I did wish for luck to come and help me. I couldn't never sleep properly, the idea of being unaware of what was happening was unpleasant to me. The same fear hunting me down whenever he went to sleep and I didn't know if something bad would happen. His heart was weak, and the days were harsh and cold.

But we made it work.

Did I mention how bitter is reality? I did all that, I killed so many people, I was betrayed and for what? For the world to take away the slim chance I built for a better tomorrow. Crushed by humanity's mistake. I refused to let go, so I took yet another risk.

I had the chance to give up my humanity for him to remain, for him to be strong, to finally have the chance to grow up in a stable environment, experience what people of his age do. That, I don't regret it. Even if it means to be betrayed again, to be used and disposed, to me neglected and hurt, to be left alone. It didn't matter, for the reality was slightly better than before.

But I didn't want to test luck. Yet I kept hoping. Even if I was against some of his choices, I still thought it was good because it meant he was growing, he formed his own opinion, forged his own paths. And that was more than enough, I couldn't ask for more. I shouldn't ask for more, right? Because that was all that I ever wanted. For him.

What about me, though? How laughable. Calling myself selfless when I was still greedy enough to wish, to hope for luck to come and save me. I was okay with how my life turned out to be because I was too busy to even think about it deeply. I thought of giving up. Of accepting my own reality.

I was someone who would judge those who believed in luck, or those who would wait instead of taking actions and change their fate. Yet, there I was. Inside that cold room, the dim light of the fluorescent lamps hanging from the ceiling, the industrial design of the metallic tables, and some digital screens beeping in the desk, filling the awkward silence between the three of us.

I was pondering what was the reason behind their decision of becoming a Construct. Did they have an unfortunate life like me? Or was it out of sheer selflessness and their sense of justice? I didn't care enough and I didn't want to know more than their names. Lucia and Liv. Because, from experience, I knew getting to know someone too much meant developing a sense of closeness I didn't want to. Their name was fine, that was more than enough.

It was the same with you. I just needed to know your name, nothing else, nothing more. Because we were made for war, made to fight in humanity's name, looking as human as possible but never being treated like one. We chose to, or forced to, give up that side of us for reasons no one but us would ever know.

Constructs were just that, war machines. To be used and disposed of. Yet, there you were. With your gentle voice and touch, leading us forwards but running at our side, giving us order but hearing our opinions and suggestions in every single step you decided to take. For you, the three of us, meant more than just machines to fight the enemy, we meant more than just a frame and a dog tag. To you, we were equal to humans. To you, we were friends, companions.

And I believed in luck. Because of you. I was able to let go of prejudice and decided to let my guard down, I decided to leave my past and traumas and give you my trust. You ended up being the reason I thought luck actually came and saved me. I wasn't betrayed, I wasn't used, I wasn't disposed of and I wasn't left behind. Because, for you, I was more than just a three letter name, I was someone you cherished deeply, I was part of your team, I was part of this… family.

I wasn't just Lee. I was Lee from Gray Raven. And I was not alone. The world, still as cold and harsh, the fights endless and my hands still hold guns, but now even if they're made of metal, they're not cold anymore. When I walk and I look at my side, there's my teammates and you. You, ready to risk that precious life to protect us, to give a chance for a new tomorrow, to give other people the chance to believe in hope.

You.

That's why, once again, I didn't think twice in risking my life if it means to bring the same chances, to deliver the same hope. Because I am Lee from Gray Raven, I decided to do what I only could do, fighting against time, against any odds, giving my life, my past, present and future to hope. Giving myself to this new family, giving my life to you, refusing to give up and settle for less. I made up my mind never resting again, not until I could meet a reality where Gray Raven is always together, the four of us.

And I will keep doing so. As long as Gray Raven exists, as long as you are here with me, I will keep fighting, I will keep holding those guns I used to hate the most, I will keep going forward, I will keep hoping. Because even if the world is cold and dark, every day the sun rises from the horizon. Because every single time, spring comes after the winter and the flowers bloom admits the chaos.

I once wished for luck to come and save me, not knowing it had a different name. Your name.

───────────────────────────

[its-short-for-jackalope]

OKAY, WE GOT A TRAILER AND A TITLE AND I HAVE THOUGHTS

You know what that means: it's brainrot time.

🏝 TITLE REVEAL: WHO IS THE SEARCHER IN THE SHADOWS?

quick note, I love this title. It's rad as hell. 10/10. anyway—

of course when I hear the word "Searcher" I immediately think of the one and only Addison Arvad, missing captain of the Antikythera and beloved wrecker of journals.

look at her. I love her. she's beautiful. also I am lowkey obsessed with how Jackie draws hair. (please teach me your secrets.)

We didn't get to learn much about Capt. Arvad in episode 3, but we do know that she was a Searcher who disappeared without any explanation, along with the rest of her crew. Kal probably had something to do with it, since he was attempting to retrieve the ship's orrery and said some vague stuff about fog and vortices, but even he doesn't seem to know exactly what happened to her and the crew.

Whatever the case, her disappearance is the reason most of the events in TGOA even happened, so it would make sense for her to be a big part of the next episode. And if Addison is the Searcher and the Searcher is in the shadows, then I have two (and a half?) theories.

The first is that she (and her crew, if they survived, who are also presumably all Searchers) are lost somewhere and that whatever "fogging the vertices" entails led to her getting whisked away somewhere else. She could be trapped there, trying to get out, and/or maybe she is in shadows in the same way Margaret was—maybe she has lost her memories and her magic.

The second theory is actually an idea @man-down-in-hatchet-town proposed that promptly blew my mind: what if whatever happened to Addison led to her getting corrupted and going dark and she is the villain of the episode? I honestly love this idea so much and I think it would be fun and also delightfully heartbreaking after hearing that entry from Addison's journal and getting a glimpse of the person she once was.

(also every pulp fan I know is in complete agreement that we want a cool female villain, pretty please Matt— 🥺🙏)

🏝 OH GOD, THE TIME TRAVEL

I've already yelled a bit about Rose being separated from Samuel and the others, so I'm not gonna repeat myself here, but I also have other thoughts about the time travel!

The trailer has confirmed that Rose was indeed sent two weeks into the past like Ahlaam said she would be. I think it's safe to assume that Rose will have to wait those two weeks until she can reunite with the others, and I also believe we're gonna have to wait with her.

Rose’s two weeks are going to be important—she's meeting Dakkar and hopefully getting some Travelore™ about the island and The Blazing World, and probably getting into some sort of trouble that better not require a printing press plate to resolve, since she doesn’t have it right now—so I don’t think they're going to just blip by. Otherwise what’s the point of sending her back in time?

I think it’s a pretty safe bet that we (the listeners) are probably going to be doing some time travel ourselves, hopping between Rose's two weeks with Dakkar and the rest of the brick family in the present as Sia takes them to the island and they get started on all that mysterious work they have to do. I have no idea what they're going to find there except maybe a rocket? but I can imagine Samuel and the others following Rose's trail as they piece together what's happened to her and learn about this place and its inhabitants, and then the storylines will connect by the end of the episode and we'll get the twins back together and they'll never be separated again!

Isn't that right, Mr. Dahan?

/lh

Alternatively, I suppose the Ellen Austin could be met on the shore by a Rose who has already spent two weeks on the island and then we could get relevant flashbacks here and there, but I don't think that's as likely. It might be too impractical for this medium when we have a lot of story (and lore) to cover and only so much time to sing about it! Plus, that"By the time our heroes are reunited" bit really makes me think that they won't see each other until closer to the end of the episode. The reunion is absolutely gonna make me cry. I can't wait.

🏝 TRAVELER ISLAND, BABEY!

The island's inhabitants have magic similar to Margaret's, and are led by a new group of powerful Travelers.

...Well, maybe it's not Traveler island, exactly. I'm guessing that most of these ~inhabitants~ are actually Searchers. Sia might not be the only Traveler, but I don't think there are a lot of them out there. It makes more sense for there to be less Travelers and more Searchers to balance things out if the Travelers are significantly more powerful like they've been implied to be.

I definitely think Ahlaam is one of the "new group of powerful Travelers" and I'm super excited to get to know her more. (I am also hoping that maybe we'll get a Jackie Traveler character? 👀) I still don't know if Dakkar is a Traveler or not, but I'm inclined to believe he might be a Searcher—mostly because his portrait doesn't have glowing eyes and flashy gold jewelry like Sia or Ahlaam. (I also feel like it may not be a coincidence that he's wearing a light blue-ish colored shirt like Addison, even if it's a different style and looks considerably less like a space suit, lol.)

They speak of a lost kingdom, The Blazing World, and how what occurs on Lincoln Island will impact an entire civilization.

The Blazing World!!! Rose hasn't heard this name yet, but we have! (and Margaret and Samuel.) The people on Lincoln Island could be survivors/refugees from the Blazing World, or perhaps they are all here on a war mission and this is simply their base of operations. Either way, I'm sure the civilization being impacted is the Travelers'; even if this island isn't currently sheltering all that remains of their people and this is only an outpost for the war, they still have some valuable people here—like Margaret, who is recovering her memories and I am certain has an incredibly vital role to play in this war—and the aftermath of whatever happens will undoubtedly be felt beyond the shores of Lincoln Island. Either our heroes succeed in whatever they're trying to do here, or it goes wrong and the Blazing World potentially loses valuable warriors & resources, and the war against Itzal takes a turn for the worse.

🏝 THE "D" WORD: DESTINY

By the time our heroes are reunited, they will be closer to understanding their destinies than ever before...

Destiny... oh, I've had many thoughts about this and been part of multiple discussions with various friends about fate and coincidence and puzzle pieces coming together in this story. enough that I'm almost not sure where to start.

...Eh, chronologically, I guess.

1817 — the year the Stratford family paper stand was established and the year Anna Hanover's father lost his place in the world. Both of these events affected the characters' lives, helping to cement the twins' love of stories and giving them an eventual connection to the New York Sun that would allow them to publish the moon hoax, and giving Anna her tragic backstory and a goal that would drive her to construct her own moon out of brick rather than ink.

1829 — the year I believe Margaret Cavendish arrived in New York City. She lost her memories and her magic, and the Travelers set her up here to live in comfort and safety and loneliness. We don't know why this happened yet, but I think it's safe to assume the location isn't a coincidence when we know at least one Traveler with precognitive abilities and it's only a handful of years until...

1835 — the year of the moon hoax and the brick satellite. Samuel and Rose Stratford write a story that takes the city by storm, attracting the attention of both Margaret Cavendish, who has been looking for answers and winds up with more questions and magic she doesn't remember or understand, and Sir John Herschel, who doesn't want fantastical stories written about him, thank you very much—but wait, how did he get here? He was in South Africa, a whole other hemisphere! How did he find out about the hoax so quickly?

Well, someone brought him the newspaper that made him come to New York, meet the Stratfords and Margaret, and invite them all to work on the brick satellite with him. They go to British Guiana, manage to finish the satellite alongside Anna, get it into the sky thanks to Margaret's Radiance, and finally meet the Traveler out in space, who somehow knew they would be there and knew Margaret's magic was returning but is surprised that her memories weren't. The Traveler knows more than she's telling, but rather than explain she sends the quartet back to Earth.

1874 — the year the quartet are teleported to. They happen to meet a friendly bosun who offers them a place on a ship that'll take them to New York, right where they want to go. Perfect, right? But in reality it takes them to a ghost ship that just so happens to contain some stuff that helps Margaret remember some things. There's a crazy awesome magic battle, sailors vanish, the ghost ship vanishes, and by the end of it all they're sailing towards a mysterious island and the Traveler, Sia, is telling them they have a lot of work to do.

...okay, the point I'm attempting to make here is that yeah, it definitely seems like something has been leading them here, to this time and place. I just can't tell if it's ✨️destiny✨️ or if it's just Sia, who can see into the future and had a clear hand in at least some of these occurrences. She sent our heroes to 1874 in a flash of light, right into Morgan's path, into Kal's, into the Antikythera's. And if she did that, who's to say she hasn't been guiding the quartet in more covert ways this whole time? Someone had to get that paper to John. Someone—specifically a Traveler someone—had to get Margaret settled in New York.

You could say that it's all destiny and that Sia's foresight and her actions are simply destiny's way of getting shit done, that it was all going to happen this way no matter what. You could also go round and round questioning how destiny and precognitive abilities work & influence each other until your brain feels like it's melting (why yes, I am speaking from experience) but I think I'm going to skip that and focus on a different question instead:

What does destiny (or Sia) have in store for our heroes?

I don't know, of course. probably a rocket at some point? gotta wait for the episode to find out.

but regardless of who or what has been pulling the strings, it took a lot to get our heroes to this point and the idea that they're meant to be here, that they've always been headed toward something that's more than this the lives they had before is so unbelievably exciting??? even if you don't care for the idea of destiny or fate, you know great things are coming and that the story is gonna get bigger and wilder.

🏝 YEAH I KEEP MENTIONING THE ROCKET, DON'T I?

might as well actually give it its own little section on this ramble-y ass post, lol.

We've had hints that there'd be at least one rocket in the story from the very first M.A.I.A. transmission. (If you haven't seen those, you're missing out!) Now that we're getting new cast photos where everyone has been posing with a little red rocket, it looks like it's time!

Maybe the quartet are going to help the Travelers build a rocket. Maybe they're going to help repair a rocket that already exists. Maybe they're going to go to space again, or another planet—The Blazing World?—or maybe they're only going to see the Travelers off and that'll be it. (Okay, that last one would be a little disappointing, lmao.) Hell, maybe they're only going to Lincoln Island to meet a rocket that hasn't arrived yet! So many possibilities!

...hmm. I think that's it? I think that's all the thoughts I had. I have been putting this post together off and on since last night so if I missed anything or it seems a little disjointed then that's why, lmao.

this is admittedly less of a theory post at times and more of a John impression (it's not my fault I have questions!) but why wait for M.A.I.A. transmissions and more information when I can shout about it all now? the universe simply wouldn't be right if I didn't seize every opportunity to scream about Pulp Musicals.

anyway, if you read all of this then I hope you enjoyed it! you can expect/dread more posts like this in the coming weeks, as soon as we get more info and M.A.I.A. transmissions. can't wait to see my best girl again. 💙

...I really hope Matt and Jackie have gotten that window fixed.

[quillkiller]

do youuuuu…… can youuuuu…………. speak about rhaenicent…..??? pretty please <3333

oh god. you have no idea what you’ve asked for. they make me absolutely sick in the head. sick to my stomach. like im close to hyperventilating whenever a new episode drops…

like obviously im a rhaenicent girlie down to the bone but honestly ?? i genuinely see them as the unrequited trope. alicent being my repressed lesbian princess angel who’s in love with her childhood best friend who’s just so painfully heterosexual. yes, sadly rhaenyra gives me heterosexual vibes…:/ (however lets talk about the tension between rhaenyra and mysaria in the last episode.. i was going insane jumping up and down. so now i have to reevalute if rhaenyra is actually heterosexual to me or if she’s just not. in love. with alicent. violently throwing up at the thought like imagine you’re in unrequited in love with your childhood best friend but shes straight so whatever what can you do <- what she does is slut shame out of pure jealousy<3. but then shes NOT straight and she STILL doesn’t want you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lets all kill ourselves.)

something i also think about a lot is the scene in season one where alicient grabs the knife and attacks rhaenyra and yells ”WHERE IS DUTY, WHERE IS SACRIFICE? IT’S TRAMPLED UNDER YOUR PRETTY FOOT AGAIN,” <- pretty being keyword. alicent didn’t have to call her pretty but it slips out and they haven’t touched physically in years and there’s so much yearning and desire and resentment and hatred between them and alicent still calls her pretty. and maybe it’s supposed to be in a condescending way, it’s up to anyone to make their own reading of that, but to me it didn’t sound or land as an insult at all. it sounded impulsive and desperate and as if it just slipped out after alicent touched her again for the first time in years. just so much pent up internalized desire and resentment for her childhood companion :/ it also makes me think of the quote ’i confuse instinct for desire— isn’t bite also touch?’ by natalie diaz. makes me absolutely sick in the head

i genuinely, personally, can’t see alicent as anything other than a deeply repressed lesbian and like it doesn’t matter to me that she’s sleeping with crispy cole. to be honest it only helps my argument…. like rhaenyra lost her virginity to him and alicent is sleeping with him in the same sleeping quarters whete rhaenyra slept with him ??? thats genuinely SO interesting to me. i think both alicent and crispy are so deeply obsessed with rhaenyra and are projecting that onto each other. like rhaenyra will always be present whenever they’re together there’s just no way around that. i’d argue that they’re only attracted to each other because of rhaenyra. i had an argument about this a few weeks ago where someone said they dont think alicent is in love with rhaenyra / thinks shes in love with cole / thinks she loved viserys. like. alicent has genuinely only ever loved one single person (except her children but that’s different) and she only ever had one single meaningful relationship and that was with rhaenyra. like bruh be serious… how do you witness alicent having one single meaningful relationship throughout the series and go ’i actually think she loved viserys’. the homoerotic context is right there. but yeah heterosexual people couldnt pick up on queer subtext even if it hit them right in the face

however. i will say. i wouldve actually liked to see alicent sleeping with women/taking a woman as a lover this season and was sort of hoping for it :/ i would’ve liked it confirmed…. but yeah that’s wishful thinking and i doubt that’s going to happen :/ and besides. with how alicent actively denies herself pleasure i don’t think she ever would

anyway. i hate to say it. but i don’t think rhaenyra is in love with alicent. i know a lot of people think she is/read into it as if she is and like this is just me talking about how i personally see them. rhaenyra, to me, doesn’t read as having romantic feelings for alicent and it KILLS ME !!!!!!!!! because i WANT HER TO!!!!!!!! and it hurts SO MUCH !!!!!!!! and i WANT THEM TO KISS!!!!!!!!!!! but yeah. absolutely miserable. there’s just this, to me, disconnect between rhaenyra and her feelings for alicent. it doesn’t pain her in the same way it pains alicent. alicent genuinely can’t think clearly because of her attachment to rhaenyra, whereas rhaenyra can and always could. the codependancy was one-sided <- im going to Throw Up

that’s not to say rhaenyra didn’t love alicent, and maybe she still does. i absolutely think she holds love for alicent and deeply misses her…. i just don’t necessarily see it as romantic from her pov. :(

anyway. this is my phone bg:

[whoisshel]

The Spy

pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader (are we starting to hint at some steve???)

word count: 4630

tw: swearing

previous part

It was dark out now as Steve drove the three of them to Dustin's house. During the drive, Dustin explained everything to Steve and you, and as the story went on you became more nervous with how much certain details sounded like what happened last year. You were against going with Jonathan and Nancy because you didn’t want to get roped into the same events and have to deal with your feelings that you buried deep down, but now you got dragged along. If the kids were involved, you knew you would go along with it too.

After Dustin explained everything, they sat in silence as you and Steve took in everything. Steve looked at you through the rearview mirror and could see the worry on your face as you chewed your lip. “Wait a sec. How big?”

“First it was like that.” Dustin held up his hand to demonstrate the size with his fingers. He then held up both hands to show how much it grew. “Now he’s like this.”

“I swear to God, man, it’s just some lizard, okay?” Steve tried to rationalize not only for himself but for you too. Looking through the mirror at you again, Steve could see that you were a little more relieved from his statement.

“Yeah, it could be.” You theorized, your eyes growing big as you tried to think of other possible reasons for what this could be. “I mean, dogs grow that fast, don’t they? What if it’s just a new breed of lizards, or whatever?”

“It’s not a lizard.” Dustin grew irritated at their dismissal of what he was saying.

“How do you know?” 

“How do I know if it’s not?”

“How do you know it’s not just a lizard?”

“Because its face opened up and he ate my cat,” Dustin stated matter-of-factly.

You gasped, more at the cat being eaten part, “Oh my god.”

Steve just nodded, he couldn’t question his way out of that, they were just going to have to deal with this.

Steve pulled up to Dustin's driveway and parked the car before the three of them got out and walked back to the trunk. Steve flung his keys at Dustin as he grabbed the bat with nails out of the trunk. He slammed his trunk shut and they walked over to Dustin’s cellar doors. They stood there waiting for something to happen in the basement, but they didn’t hear anything.

“I don’t hear shit,” Steve said, standing over the doors with the bat in one hand and flashlight in the other.

“He’s in there.”

Steve lightly tapped the door with the bat, and when nothing happened again he hit the doors harder this time. When nothing happened again, he turned to face Dustin and you pointing the flashlight in Dustin's face. “All right, listen, kid. I swear, if this is some sort of Halloween prank, you’re dead.”

“It’s not,” Dustin mumbled, his eyes closed from being blinded. “It’s not a prank. Get it out of my face.”

You walked over to Steve, pushing his hand down so Dustin could see, turning to look at Dustin you asked, “You got a key for this thing? We’ll just check it out ourselves ‘cause it doesn’t seem like there's anything down there.”

Once Dustin came back with the key, Steve opened the doors as you stood behind him with your knife now out in case anything did happen. Dustin walked over pointing the flashlight down in the cellar so they could get a better look, and still they saw nothing. 

“Let me see that.” Steve grabbed the flashlight and pointed it around to look at different spots.

“He must be further down there,” Dustin said, keeping his eyes trained on the cellar. “I’ll stay up here in case he tries to escape.”

You nodded at the idea. “Yeah, I’ll stay with him since, you know, I have a weapon.”

Steve just stared up at them in disbelief, he looked back down and let out a loud sigh. You and Dustin stood there, watching Steve walk down the stairs.

It wasn’t too long after, but for Dustin and you, it felt like forever. The two looked at each other with worry, then Dustin nodded at the stairs telling you to go down and look. You just shook your head and nodded for him to do it, and Dustin did it right back. 

You let out a loud sigh like Steve did before taking slow steps closer to the cellar. “Steve? Steve, you okay? What's going on?”

After a few seconds of hearing nothing back, you took the first couple of steps down. Once you got three steps down, Steve popped out of nowhere scaring the two. “Get down here.”

Getting down the cellar, they could now see that Steve was holding something gross and slimy on the end of his bat.

“Ew, gross, is that it’s old skin?” You cringed in repulse at the sight.

“Oh shit,” Dustin grumbled, knowing exactly what that meant. Steve then pointed the flashlight over to a hole in the cellar's brick wall. “Oh, shit!”

The three of them crouched in front of the hole, seeing that it looked like it went on forever. Which also meant that finding the creature now was going to be way harder.

—----------------

The next day, the three had come up with a plan to try and lure D’art, Dustin's name for the mini Demogorgon, to the junkyard. They are parked near the train tracks, digging through the trunk of Steve’s car to prepare for their trap, when Dustin takes a few steps away talking through the headset he has for his walkie-talkie.

You gag a little as you pull out a bucket of meat from the trunk and set it next to the other two. “Ugh, this is disgusting.”

“What, are you a vegetarian?” Steve looks up at you from his crouched position as he tries to fit the bat into a tiny backpack.

“I might be after this.” You grumble as you use the back of the glove to try and get your hair out of your face. “I wish I had a hair tie.”

“Oh, I have one.” Steve stands up and puts the backpack on. He takes off the glove on his right hand to show a hair tie.

You scrunch your face, “Why do you have a hair tie?”

“I have a lot of hair,” Steve states like it’s obvious. Which it is, so you just nod your head in understanding. You go to carefully take your gloves off, but Steve stops you from doing so. “Here, let me.”

“Oh, okay.” You are a bit surprised at that, but allow him to do so anyway. Steve takes off his other glove and hands them to you. He goes behind you and starts to softly pull all your hair together, he does it so gently that it causes a shiver to run down your spine. Once he finishes putting your hair up, Steve stands back in front of you, a little bit closer this time. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” Steve replies a bit quieter, he then realizes how close they’re standing and takes a step back. He walks over to the car and slams the trunk shut as Dustin finishes up talking to Lucas. “All right, let's go.”

“Just be there stat, over and out,” Dustin says one last thing to Lucas as they start their walk to the junkyard.

—----------------

The three have been walking on the old train tracks for a while now dropping the raw meat from their buckets in hopes of finding D’art. As they are walking, you and Steve find out that Dustin kept D’art to impress a girl that he has a crush on. You thought it was kind of a cute story, but didn’t think D’art would’ve impressed her; more like grossed her out.

“All right, so let me get this straight.” Steve starts to reiterate Dustin's story while also criticizing him for doing something that was honestly a bit reckless. “You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who… who you just met?”

“All right, that’s grossly oversimplifying things.” 

You shake your head, frowning a bit even though the boys couldn’t see it since you were walking behind them. “No, no, that’s exactly what you just told us.”

“Thank you, Y/N.” Steve gives a quick look over his shoulder before he turns back to face ahead where Dustin is walking. “I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway.”

“An interdimensional slug? Because it’s awesome.” Dustin tries to stick up for his actions once again.

“Well, even if she thought it was cool, which she didn’t, I-I just, I don’t know. I just feel like you’re trying way too hard.”

“Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, all right?” Dustin mumbles, a little upset now.

“It’s not about the hair, man.” Steve tries to reassure Dustin, but as he continues talking, he comes off as a complete douchebag. “The key with girls is just…just acting like you don’t care.”

“Even if you do?”

“Yeah, exactly. It drives them nuts.”

After listening to the idiot try and explain girls to the young and impressionable, you step forward with a look of ���what the fuck’ and interrupts the conversation. “That is the complete opposite of how to impress a girl. Don’t listen to him, Dustin, I’ve been in a relationship for three years now, and Steve can hardly keep them around-”

“Ouch-”

“-My boyfriend impressed me by being extremely nice and funny. The funny part is key, girls love that.”

“Then what?” Dustin asks both of them. Steve takes it as a win and sticks his tongue out at you, who in return, flips him off.

Steve ignores it and turns back to Dustin, “You just wait until, uh, until you feel it.”

“Feel what?”

“It’s like before it’s gonna storm, you know? You can’t see it, but you can feel it, like this, uh…” Steve tries to find the right word. You become worried about what he’s about to say to a kid. “...Electricity, you know?”

“Oh, like in the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere-” This kid was too smart for his own good.

“No, no, no, no, no. Like a, like a sexual electricity.” And there it is, that’s what you were scared Steve was going to say.

“Steve, don’t.”

“Oh.” Is all Dustin is able to say.

“You feel that and then you make your move.”

“So that’s when you kiss her?”

“Oh god, no!” You shout with a mix of disgust and surprise that Dustin would say that.

“No, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Romeo.” Steve also tries to stop him from thinking he should do that.

“Sorry.”

“Sure, okay, some girls, yeah, they want you to be aggressive. You know, strong, hot, and heavy, like a, I don’t know, like a lion. But others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy, like a ninja.”

“What type are you, Y/N?” Dustin looks over his shoulder to ask you and also takes in the disgusted look you have, but assumes it’s from the raw meat.

“Uh, I’m my own type, as are many women.” You tried to Dustin to hear more than just Steve’s horrible version of “wooing” women. “I like to see how the guy really acts, and I make my own move because it’s not always up to the guy. Sometimes women like to do their own thing.”

“Hmm, I see.” Dustin takes in what you say and seems to really consider it. He turns back to Steve to ask a similar question, “What type is Nancy?”

“Nancy’s different. She’s different from other girls.” Steve softens a bit from the question. You notice that he sounds a bit hurt.

“Yeah, she seems pretty special, I guess.”

“Yeah, yeah, she is.”

“But this girl's special, too, you know.” Dustin sounds like he really likes this girl, which you find very adorable. “It’s just, like, something about her.”

Steve however does not think it’s adorable and stops them from walking any further to stop Dustin from going any further than a crush. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey.”

“What?”

“You’re not falling in love with this, are you?”

“Uh, no, no.” Dustin hesitated, not knowing how to answer that.

“Okay, good. Don’t.” Steve glares at Dustin, then starts walking again.

“I won’t.”

“She’s only gonna break your heart, and you’re way too young for that shit.” Steve keeps his head to the ground.

“Steve’s right, he could say it a little nicer, but what he means is that you’re too young to be in love in general. Wait to do that until you’re just a bit older” You try to explain what Steve said in a better way for a kid to understand. You get where he’s coming from though, after everything Nancy said to him and then finding out that she and Jonathan skipped together. You still feel bad for keeping what they're doing a secret from Steve but know that it’s best if you do.

Steve looks down at Dustin and sees that he looks a bit upset from everything the two teens have said, so he tries to cheer him up even though he knows you’re going to give him shit for it. “Fabergé.”

“What?” Dustin asks, not knowing what that was or why Steve said it out of the blue.

“It’s Fabergé Organics,” Steve said, pointing at his hair. “Use the shampoo and conditioner, and when your hair’s damp- It’s not wet, okay? When it’s damp, you do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray.”

“Farrah Fawcett, spray?” Dustin chuckles and you are dying laughing in the background.

“Yeah, Farrah Fawcett.” Steve stops them again, pointing a finger at Dustin and talking in a lower voice, “You tell anyone I just told you that and your ass is grass. You’re dead, Henderson. You understand?”

“Yup.”

Once you have calmed down a little, you get closer to where Dustin and Steve are standing and look at Steve with a giant smile on your face and some tears from how hard you were laughing. “I knew it! You always had the same faint smell as my mom and she loves Farrah Fawcett!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Steve rolled his eyes and started walking to hide the faint smile that started appearing.

—----------------

You let out a sigh of relief once you saw the junkyard in sight. You didn’t know if you were more happy to be done walking or throwing raw meat. The sigh may have come too soon though, because now they had a lot of work to be done to prepare for D’art.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, this will do.” Steve said, taking in the sight of the junkyard. Steve started walking away, still mumbling, “This will do just fine. Good call, dude.”

You patted Dustin’s back, seeing the happy smile on his face. They both started walking after Steve, dropping some more meat. Once they made it to the middle of the junkyard, they dropped the rest of the meat into a pile on the ground.

“I said medium-well!” The three turned their heads to see Lucas and a redhead girl across the junkyard.

“Who’s that?” Steve asked Dustin, while the two kids walked over to them.

Steve and you looked back at Dustin when he didn’t give a reply. They both saw him still looking towards the girl with an upset look on his face. You looked over to Steve, who turned to face you, both of you realizing this is the girl Dustin had a crush on.

Without saying anything, Dustin walked over to Lucas and pulled him aside to talk. As they ducked behind a car, the other three got to work finding as much junk as they could to block off the bus they were going to hide in. 

Steve and you looked over at each other exhausted and annoyed that the two boys weren’t doing anything. Walking over to them, Steve banged the metal chair he was carrying against the car the boys were leaning against spooking them.

“Hey, dickheads!” Steve shouted at them, “How come the ones helping me out is this random girl and Y/N?”

“We lose light in 40 minutes, let’s go children,” You said, as you and Steve started to walk away. You then turned back to face the boys who started walking behind them, but not fast enough. So you started clapping at them to go faster. “Let’s go, I said!”

“All right, assholes, God!”

“Okay! Stupid.”

The boys shouted after them complaining as they started hustling. You chuckled to yourself, finding their name-calling funny in their childish voices.

They all got to work, moving as fast as they could to set the junkyard up for their trap. You were moving stuff around as Steve moved behind you pouring gasoline on the ground. As you were moving the junk, you found a ladder that would work great to get to the top of the bus easier.

The sun was now setting and it was getting darker out now; but luckily, they had finished setting the bus up to protect them. They each stepped into the bus and Steve closed it once they were all in. You sat down looking over towards Steve with a worried look knowing there was no going back now. Steve gave you a look of reassurance sitting across from you. 

It was now completely dark out and becoming very foggy, and to say they were bored was an understatement. Lucas went to the roof of the bus to be on lookout, while the rest stayed inside the bus trying to entertain themselves. Steve kept flicking the light while you just picked at your nails and Dustin paced the short amount he could of the bus.

“So you really fought one of these things before?” Max asked, breaking the silence. Steve just gave her a nod before she continued to ask questions not totally believing everyone’s story. “And you’re, like, totally, 100% sure it wasn’t a bear?”

“Shit, don’t be an idiot, Okay? It wasn’t a bear.” Dustin replied, quite rudely. You looked up at him furrowing your eyebrows, surprised by how rude he was being. “Why are you even here if you don’t believe us? Just go home.”

Max looked equally as shocked shaking her head, she stood up to climb up the ladder. “Geesh, someone’s cranky. Past your bedtime?”

“That’s good, just show her you don’t care.” Steve complimented Dustin’s rudeness, making you look over at him confused.

“I don’t,” Dustin said plainly, shrugging his shoulders. Steve gave Dustin a wink before going back to flicking the lighter. “Why are you winking, Steve? Stop.”

“That was not good, at all. You were a complete dick to her.” You were baffled by their behavior. “What the hell is wrong with you two?” 

You and Steve were bickering back and forth when a loud roar sounded nearby. You hurried over to where Steve was sitting to look out the window over his shoulder.

“Do you see him?” Dustin asked them

“No,” Steve said, not taking his eyes away from the outside where the thing could come from any moment.

“Lucas, what’s going on?”

“Hold on!” Lucas shouted from the top of the bus, “I’ve got eyes! Ten o’clock! Ten o’clock!”

“Look,” You pointed a finger in the distance at the creature you saw coming from the fog. “There.”

“What’s he doing?”

“I don’t know.” Steve shook his head at Dustin's question as they watched it just stand there. “He’s not taking the bait. Why is he not taking the bait?”

“Maybe he’s not hungry.” Dustin thought, causing a shiver of fear to go down your spine at what he might want instead.

“Maybe he’s sick of cow.”

You moved out of Steve’s way as he backed away from the window. Looking over at him, you see the look on his face that you have come to realize means he has a stupid idea. When Steve turned his head to look back at you, you shook your head with wide eyes to try and communicate that he shouldn’t do what he was thinking. Steve just turns and walks towards the bus door.

“Steve? Steve, what are you doing?” Dustin called after him, noticing him walking towards the door.

You grab Steve’s hand to stop him, “Steve, don’t do this, please.”

“I’ve got to do this,” Steve said, looking deep into your begging eyes. Taking his hand from yours, he picks up his bat and then hands over the lighter. “Just get ready.”

You pass the lighter to Dustin and follow after Steve. Steve reaches to open the door but stops himself once he sees you behind him. “What are you doing?”

“If you’re going out there then so am I.” You force yourself to sound as confident as you can, knowing you are about to do something incredibly stupid. You couldn’t let Steve do this all alone, and you made a promise to protect these kids. “This is the second year something like this has happened, I can’t let it scare me anymore. I won’t.”

Steve nodded, understanding where you were coming from. “Okay, but you stay close to me.”

“Oh, you won’t have to worry about that.” You pulled out your knife ready to fight yet another Demogorgon.

Steve opened the bus door and the two slowly stepped out of the bus. They took careful steps walking over to where they saw the D’art standing while Steve whistled to it.

“Come on buddy. Come on, buddy.” Steve taunted the creature, “Come on. Dinner time.”

They stopped walking once they got to the pile of meat, you stayed behind Steve not yet brave enough to be up in front which you thought was totally reasonable. Steve swung his bat side to side when it stepped out of the fog and they got a better look at the creature. It was smaller than the Demogorgon they fought last year, but still scary looking.

“Steve, Y/N watch out!” Lucas yelled from his lookout. 

Steve kept his eye on D’art, “A little busy here!”

You turned your head to see what he was yelling about and saw more D’art look-a-likes coming from behind. “Holy shit.”

“Three o’clock! Three o’clock!”

Steve turned to look after hearing Lucas continue to yell, thinking you were only freaked out by D’art. Once he looked, he saw what you were freaking out about.

“Steve! Y/N! Abort! Abort!” Dustin shouted at them, opening the door for them to have a faster way back in.

Without taking his eyes from any of the creatures, Steve wrapped one arm around the front of your waist to pull you closer, talking in a low voice, “Y/N, run.”

“No, I’m not leaving you,” You muttered terrified, but not wanting to give up.

The first creature they saw screeched before running towards them. Steve pushed you away towards the bus, not giving you an option anymore. “Run!”

You took off running towards the bus, looking back a second to see Steve jump out of the way and roll over a car. Hearing the kids yelling for them, you faced back toward them but were stopped when one of the things jumped at you causing you to fall to the ground. It stood over you, opening its face and screeching. You let out an equally loud yell and stabbed it in its side then yanked the knife out. It fell back a couple of steps to the side of you but made enough room for Steve to hit it away with his bat. 

Steve reached his hand out, helping you up before they both took off to the bus. They jumped in and Dustin immediately closed the door as one of the monsters tried to jump in after them. Steve grabbed one of the metal scraps they had and put it against the door to try and make it harder for them to come in.

“Are they rabid or something?” Max asked, still not believing these were anything but dogs.

A second later, the creatures surrounded the bus and pushed it so hard, that the bus fell to the side a little. As they looked to the back, where the shove came from, one of the creatures shoved his arm through where you and Steve were sitting. The kids went to the back to try and hold off the creature while Steve hit the other one’s arm with his bat. As Dustin radioed for more help and Steve continued hitting the Demodog, the others looked up hearing thudding from the roof.

You quickly stood up, seeing the dents make their way toward the open part of the ceiling where the kids were standing. Max let out a scream as you pushed her back and stood in front of the kids. “Step back, kids,” pointing your knife at the creature, “Come on!”

Steve ran over to stand next to you holding his bat up, as the creature screeched at them. It suddenly stopped screeching and looked off into the distance growling to the right before taking off. The group could hear a bunch of them growling farther away as they continued to stand in their spots not knowing what was happening.

When they continued to hear nothing, they walked over to the door and opened it taking slow steps outside.

“What happened?” Lucas stressed each word, confused about everything that had just gone down.

Max muttered from behind him, “I don’t know.”

“Steve scared ‘em off?” Dustin tried to come up with a reason.

“No. No way.” Steve turned to face the rest of them with his bat over his shoulder. “They’re going somewhere.”

“Do we follow them?” You pondered aloud, trying to figure out what their next step should be.

Steve looked over at you, then looked to the side a little concerned, and grabbed your left arm, “Hey, woah, you okay?”

“What?” You looked down at what he was talking about and saw blood dripping down your arm. Pushing down the neck of your shirt, you saw a scratch on your shoulder. “Oh, it must’ve got me.” 

“We should patch this up first,” Steve said, not taking his eyes off the scratch.

“It’s fine, we can’t lose them.” You tried to stop Steve from freaking out, but he wouldn’t pay attention to what you were saying. you put your hand on Steve’s shoulder making him look at you, “Steve. It’s okay, it doesn’t even hurt.”

There was only a dull pain right now from still being in a bit of shock, but you weren’t going to admit that. You just wanted to find where the creatures were going and stop them before anything worse happened. 

Steve just nodded, still looking at every inch of your face to see if there was any sign of pain but couldn’t find any. “Okay, fine, but you have to tell me if it starts hurting.”

You just nodded, giving him a small reassuring smile. 

A short coughing sound made them break their eye contact and look at the kids who were looking at them with slightly disgusted looks.

“Uh, can we go follow them now?” Dustin stuttered out, a bit shocked at what he was seeing in front of him.

You and Steve dropped your arms from each other and took a step back awkwardly nodding.

“Yeah, let’s go get these demo-things,” You said, keeping your eyes toward the kids and not looking in Steve’s direction.

“Demogorgons.” Dustin corrected you.

You just started walking away from him, “Yeah, whatever.”

[zombubble]

From In Memory; In Truth, Chapter 26:

Things are getting busy in the story, which means finding snippets without spoilers is getting more and more difficult 🤣

Still, have 75% of the Junior Quartet:

“We know not to trust rumors,” Lan Sizhui says. “If Xie-qianbei really is Wei Wuxian, then the rumors are obviously wrong about him.” “My dad knew him, though,” Ouyang Zizhen points out. “Your dad met him,” Lan Sizhui says. “Hanguang-jun studied with him in the Cloud Recesses, and he also fought alongside him during the Sunshot Campaign. He told me Wei Wuxian’s intentions—and his heart—were good. And… Xie-qianbei’s a good person, you know? Don’t you guys feel safe with him, too?” “Yeah, sort of,” Jingyi says. “Until he starts cooking.” Ouyang Zizhen manages to both snort and look nauseous simultaneously—a feat for which Lan Sizhui’s half-tempted to congratulate him—but ends up nodding. “Don’t tell Lan-xiansheng I said this,” Jingyi continues, “but if Xie-qianbei really is Wei Wuxian, then Wei Wuxian’s actually pretty cool.” “Why would he be Wei Wuxian and not use guidao, though?” Ouyang Zizhen asks. “You’d think he would, because it would have helped us a lot, but he never did.” Lan Sizhui shrugs. “Maybe something happened and he can’t,” he says softly. Maybe it’s because he’s a god. A god! Xie Yuan is a god, Lan Sizhui knows this. But if Xie Yuan is Wei Wuxian, that means Wei Wuxian became a god, which means he must be a good person. It’d be cool, and… also kind of funny, given how people talk about the Yiling Laozu. “Maybe he got his power from the Yin Hufu,” Jingyi says. Ouyang Zizhen shrugs. “No one ever did find out how it worked. That might have been it.” “Whatever his reason, I’m sure he was also wary of being exposed,” Lan Sizhui says, “but we mustn’t gossip. We can ask Xie-qianbei—or Wei-qianbei, if he is, in fact, Wei Wuxian—our questions once he’s been located and his safety ensured.” There’s a communal sigh. Lan Sizhui dips up through the trees and peers far ahead, looking for the flash of purple and white through the treetops. He sees it, and comes back down, redirecting them in the right direction. “Where do you think they’re going?” Lan Jingyi says. “Can’t be anywhere too dangerous, right?” Ouyang Zizhen looks worriedly at them. “If it is, we ought to turn back,” Lan Sizhui says softly. “Xie-qianbei told us that knowing when to retreat is also a valuable skill. If it seems more than we can handle, then… we must. We must retreat, and maybe get help for them, if needed.” “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Ouyang Zizhen says softly. “If it’s dangerous even for them…” Lan Jingyi nods. “Yeah. Xiao-guniang might…” “There’s no use getting ourselves worked up about this,” Lan Sizhui declares. “We must press on.” They must. If they stop to think of what might be going on, what might have happened, they might falter, and that is not something they can do.

Ohhhh being sneaky and determined, but what else can you expect when they're on a rescue mission?

Thanks so much for reading, I'll see you next week!!

[chattegeorgiana]

Hello Chatte,

How have you been doing?

I have this thing that's been pestering me for a while now. A lot of NH defenders/shippers swear on their life that there are strong parallels between her and Kushina and it's a hill these people are willing to die on.

They love to cite examples from that god forsaken series called Boruto, where they have comical moments of Hinata being the ''scary mommy'' trope and a ''hot headed wife'' just like Kushina. This doesn't sit well with me and I just see it as SP being SP, nothing more, nothing less; and for the NH fan to be like ''ohh..... look...... there are so many parallels between MK and NH. NH was planned from the beginning. yay...... '' Those sorta BS (pardon me my French).

Also, I'd like to point out that I'm an anti ender not because of the pairing reasons but because of how the ending happened. All thanks to each and every character being nothing more than a pairing fodder, the show has left many debates as to what it's messages and themes are.

I really have zero reasons to like female characters like Sakura and Hinata but this, this is beyond character assassination and also an insult to the fan base, especially those who gave common sense and aren't blinded by pairing choice. For me how the characters are treated is way more important than shipping.

Also, when is your next YT video on Boruto being Oro's genjutsu gonna be released?

Thank for reading my somewhat lame and a long comment and I wish you the best with Kaika Saisei

Cheers!

Hi there,

Well, for the whole NH thing, the reason why they insist is because the sequel did a 180 and changed her characteristics, so ofc they are willing to die on that hill.

But we all know if we look at the actual content from the manga that she has nothing in common with Kushina nor Minato like they like to say. Kushina is loud and passionate. Where have you seen Hinata display those qualities? Whereas Minato is calm & calculated, something that she isn't once again. She's quiet & shy but that doesn't equate the calmness Minato displays. Not to mention we've seen even in this one shot that Kishi wrote that Minato can also get super passionate from time to time, whereas Hinata has never displayed that feat.

All in all for this whole thing to work they had to turn her into Sakura. It's clear as daylight to anyone who isn't a NH. Even a neutral. So why consume your energy with what they're saying? It's not like it's true. The evidence to support that is those 15 years of serialization prior to the ending that holds all the weight.

We all know TL & the other products at the end were made so that they can retcon the pre-established narrative.

The show ending the way it did basically destroyed everything Naruto once as a story stood for. Sad, but true.

I always said I wouldn't have had any issue with the choice of pairings if done correctly. After all, I used to be a multishipper once. I saw the potential that all had in the beginning. It's just that when part 2 launched, the story was clear of its direction - of course, until they decided to retcon again and to hell with everything.

And sadly, the girls got the short end of the stick. Both Hinata & Sakura, if we're being true to ourselves. But these people are ready to die on a hill just because they're so attached to their opinions rather than seeing the story for what it is - a great emotional impact story, but with a lot of issues underneath it if you put aside the emotional impact.

It's the reason why it pulls so many people into it. Because it's filled with emotional manipulation, in a way. Look at the way the franchise also directs its marketing campaigns for other materials/products. They scan the internet, see what the talk is in the fandom & then bam, there they are with their products that just so happen to have the thematic of whatever talk is in the fandom - like when they are some sort of servants because at some point NH & SS were arguing about who's richer and who's the servant and who's the patron and all kind of BS like that.

Or when we in the NaruSaku fandom had an extensive talk about tarot and the symbolism that surrounds NS and 6 months later bam, there they are with products with tarot themes.

Or that game they have and I saw two of the concepts I had for Sakura combined into a third one.

They basically combined these two artwork concepts into the third one that is their image from the game.

So what can I say? As you can see, Pierrot be doing whatever it is to get their way, lol.

If you think about the girls - when they thought Hinata was more profitable, they pushed her in everybody's face so much so that it affected the story's ending.

Now that Sakura's more profitable, they discarded Hinata like a used toy and she barely makes any appearances outside her mom-like persona.

This only shows anyone with a little critical thinking that SP has no respect for any characters nor the story. It's just about the $$$ and that's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

But meh, anyway, at this point is more than funny lol. It's just Pierrot being Pierrot tbh... Nothing good can be expected of that studio.

As for my next video, I'm planning on getting back to work on these somewhere in March.

Last year I've been caught up with a major life event so it really hindered my capacity to take care of everything that I wanted to do, but as I said, I'm planning on getting back to these.

It's just that I'll need to edit some things since I initially envisioned it in a certain way and there are certain changes that happened in the meantime, that kind of rendered some of the things I worked on obsolete, so I'm trying to adjust to that. But yeah, as soon as I have everything up and running again, I'll definitely start working on it.

And aah dear, don't worry, your question was not lame! Thank you for dropping into my inbox and for your wishes regarding Kaika!

[panlight]

Why do you think, in story, the volturi didn't move for so long? Out of story I'm pretty sure that Meyer just wanted the cracked milky white skin and creepy filmed eyes for her baddies. In story, however, the Volturi would have had endless things to do. Read every book, travel, visit other vampires and top off Aro's memories from them, etc. If they enjoy immortality and ruling so much, wouldn't they enjoy the actual act of existing?

Stephenie: For me it’s not like aging but it’s more like petrification, they never go anywhere, they’re not very active. In my mind it was like year and years of dust settling on their skin. Tanya and her sister the Denali family are over a thousand years old but they look like Carlisle as they’re still very active.

I mean even if they stayed on their thrones and had humans brought to them, they'd still have to get up and move to actually bite and drain them, right? There's nothing in canon to suggest that Volturi staff are draining the humans and bringing cups with straws to the Volturi and just holding them to their lips while they otherwise remain motionless.

I think SM wanted to make them creepier and more 'vampire-y' than her other vampire characters and came up with this dusty onion skin and milky eyes to accomplish it. I suppose it's possible she doesn't mean literally staying still, that they moved a little but because they weren't getting up and running through the woods hunting this petrification process happened. That's sort of implied with the Romanians; they have similar skin to the Volturi but their eyes are clear, as they explain, because the Volturi overthrowing them forced them to run and fight rather than continue to sit there and be worshipped and petrify.

“We sat still for a very long time. Contemplating our own divinity. It was a sign of our power that everything came to us. Prey, diplomats, those seeking our favor. We sat on our thrones and thought ourselves gods. We didn’t notice for a long time that we were changing – almost petrifying. I suppose the Volturi did us one favor when they burned our castles. Stefan and I, at least, did not continue to petrify. Now the Volturi’s eyes are filmed with dusty scum, but ours are bright. I imagine that will give us an advantage when we gouge theirs from their sockets.”

So I guess the in-story answer is that they move, a little, but not enough to keep the petrification at bay. They spend most of their time sitting on their thrones contemplating their awesomeness and judging wayward vampires. Because all they have to do is get out of their chair and drain someone who is brought to them they aren't getting enough physical activity to keep dust from settling on their skin and bonding with the venom layer or whatever the explanation is supposed to be.

Or maybe in the modern day they are like the Judge on the Good Place and just binging human TV shows. Aro for sure loved Game of Thrones.

[goodqueenaly]

@kristinakyidyl reblogged your post “I love talking about Targaryen crowns (like all...”

You know what I wonder? Where did Aegon I's crown come from. It was valyrian steel 100 years after the secret of making it disappeared. Did they have some valyrian steel just hanging around dragonstone that was then reworked into the crown? Or did they have the crown just chilling and ready to go, having been purchased back in Valyria? Like a crown is a very specific thing with a specific purpose, not a generic piece of jewelry that happens to also serve as the marker of royalty. And the implication that they might have just had a valyrian steel crown hanging around waiting for a king is interesting what with the dreaming thing and all. Maybe Daenys was like "yeah, buy a crown before we go dad, we're going to need one some say". Or maybe they had a 3rd ancestral blade and they melted it down into the dagger and the crown (tho the Catspaw dagger being explicitly Targaryen is a TV show thing, it's not necessarily out of the realm of possibility for the books imo.). Like who knows, but it's just a weird thing I've always kinda wondered about.

For one, it's certainly not impossible that Aegon Targaryen had existing Valyrian steel worked into a new circlet. While no new Valyrian steel has been produced, so far as we know, since the Doom, the method of reworking Valyrian steel has not been completely lost to history (as evidenced by the work of Tobho Mott). Of course, most families would not have a surplus of Valyrian steel items to use for more (hence why Tywin was so willing to give Joffrey and Jaime swords made from the Valyrian steel blade he had stolen from the Starks), but it is not out of the realm of possibility that a Valyrian dragonlord family, among the very select elite in the Freehold, would have brought any number of Valyrian steel items out of the city into de facto exile (as indeed, Yandel reported that Aenar Targaryen sailed to Dragonstone with "all his wives, wealth, slaves, dragons, siblings, kin, and children"). If Aegon believed that he needed or wanted a Valyrian steel crown more than he wanted, I don't know, a random Valyrian steel knife or axe or whatever that was in the Targaryen treasury, then it's at least possible he would have sacrificed this item for the sake of creating a crown. 

And that's even assuming he had to make the crown from scratch, so to speak, at all. The Valyrians do not appear to have limited Valyrian steel exclusively to blades and bladed items, given the existence of Euron's Valyrian steel armor, so it is at least possible that a the height of the Freehold the Valyrians created any number of non-weapon Valyrian steel pieces. Likewise, it is unknown whether the dragonlord families would have rejected crowns or the appearance of regality (especially considering that they appeared to see themselves as closer to gods than humans). In turn, it is at least possible that this and similar crowns existed in the Freehold prior to the Doom, worn by dragonlords as a sign of their power, wealth, and magnificence - a sort of "look how mighty we are, we can afford to spend money for the ultimate in Valyrian handiwork simply to glorify ourselves". 

I don't see any evidence at this time that the crown was created specifically by the Targaryens as an act of prophetic preparation before the Targaryens left Valyria, whatever may or may not have been known or theorized about what would happen to the family in the future. (Friendly reminder not to bring The Show or That Other Show into my house.) Whether or not it existed before the Doom as a Targaryen/Valyrian decorative piece, or was created by or at the direction of Aegon Targaryen from some extant Valyrian steel piece he owned, remains for now unanswered.

[hiswordsarekisses]

“What happened to the art of stepping into the shoes of another and trying to experience life from their perspective? Not many remember to walk in another’s shoes, but only to judge from their own imperfect understanding. The world has gone mad and forgotten love, mercy, and forgiveness. We have forgotten how to view ourselves as no better than another. What happened to the teachings of the Lord that some of us knew as children? Oh the tears that Jesus must weep over this world. The Words of the book of Jude and Timothy testify against us. Listen. . . Jesus said they will know us by our fruit. Will He find any fruit at all?” (Author Unknown)

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.” 2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭9

“But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. (‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭13)

[viktoriathewitch]

༓࿇༓ 𝔱𝔶𝔭𝔢𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔪𝔣𝔲𝔩 𝔰𝔭𝔦𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔲𝔞𝔩 𝔠𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔢𝔰 ༓࿇༓

PART 2

(se você fala portugues BR, sinta-se livre para enviar DM ou pedir tradução de um post. boa parte vai estar em inglês, para facilitar minha vida e atingir mais pessoas.)

-`🕯 INTRO 🕯´-

This is based on my experience, the information I have gathered, and my personal take. This isn't a rule book, law, or scientific study. You can feel free to give your own opinions and experiences in the comments but make it respectful. Now, let's get ourselves on the same page: ❅ Spirits are conscious beings who no longer or never have possessed a biological residence, in other words, a body. They are condensed energy, in other words, they might reside in the material world, but not materially. ❅ Harmful Spiritual Creatures/Spirits are those who harm other spirits or living beings in general, whether they want to or not. Here, it is not taken different points of view as in the famous "it depends" to determine whether such actions are harmful or not, but rather the general consequences of their actions regardless of their motives or lack thereof. ❅ Witchcraft is the conscious manipulation of magic in the day-to-day life of a being. It doesn't have ethical or moral rules to follow, or a god that needs to be

-`🕯 THE LIST 🕯´-

❅ RESTLESS/RESTLESS GHOST As the term already suggests these are spirits who are indeed restless and can be found in a deep state of paranoia. Personally, I use such a term to refer to spirits of deceased beings (humans or not) who have not, for whatever reason, crossed the barrier to the afterlife. So, as many say, after we die we are supposed to rest and let the cycle of life follow, yet, some of us don't do that and as a result stay trapped in the material world as a restless spirit. Now, the cause for this is often due to denial, either that one has died or that they have died and were not able to conclude some sort of goal. In some rare cases, humans will purposefully hold these deceased souls down as slaves. Either way, these spiritual beings are usually found in a very vulnerable and pitiful state, of what seems to be an endless agony, paranoia, and restlessness. Still, in order to get rid of them, I do not recommend banishing them as this will likely make their pain much worse and make it difficult for them to move on. Exorcism should be done by someone with experience and knowledge only. Thus, if you don't want to banish and exorcism is out of the question, I recommend praying for the soul or souls and offering love. Of course, I know this might be hard if you're dealing with a restless soul who is some sort of criminal or abuser but try your best. A good example of this can be found in the anime Ghost Hunt, released in 2006, the episode of the Dollhouse case. In such a case, the ghost-hunting team is dealing with the restless ghost of a mother who committed suicide due to the extreme pain of her daughter's cruel death, who was kidnapped and tortured. As a result of the denial of everything that happened, the mother, as a ghost, ends up looking for her daughter in the body of other kids of similar ages. Thus, the team's leader decides to trick the woman in believing she found her daughter, using a wooden totem in which the daughter's full name and date of birth are written on. Of course, the anime covers other details, but the idea here is that in order to "get rid" of such spirits, is to kill what kills them, their agony. ❅ SKINWALKERS are not found in every place of the world, they are usually found in the USA in native lands. Overall, I have to say I never had an encounter with one, but I have contacted native people to learn more about them so I'm sharing what has been told to me. Basically, skinwalkers were natives in charge of helping people with their health problems, and one of their tasks sometimes involved traveling long distances in a very short amount of time. Yet, they could do this quickly if they shapeshift, but shapeshifting took years to learn. However, some of these natives were impatient and decided to make "dark" ceremonies that involved the sacrifice of an immediate loved one. This resulted, in the mid to long run, the lost of their morality and eventually becoming very desensitized. Still, these skinwalkers are more often than not found in the Navajo lands and they mainly use native animals such as coyotes and deer as their shapeshift. They eventually become bloodthirsty and act similar to haunters, in which they silence pets, usually not by killing them but by using a "dog whistle". They make scratching noises and growl, and you can usually hear their totems crackling. Their weapons are nature-based, so knives and poisons are made of dead bodies, rocks, or plants. They use a type of power in order to curse you that will eventually kill you. The ShanclenShadowProductions on YouTube has videos on them, so if you're interested you should check them out.

link to part 1, link to part 3