#Looking at it again the marks in the concept are perhaps not that similar to the ones from the last chapter.

[kyouka-supremacy]

bsd 119 related:

Those stripes on Akutagawa's cheeks are rashomon (& I doubt it's tiger stripes). If we look at chapters 35 & 36, while sskk were fighting Fitzgerald, Akutagawa had those stripes there too

Yeah, you're right (from chapter 35)

... So this could mean nothing. That said, the marks look slightly different in the last chapter, and there's also the fact that they're present in the anime concept arts, while they aren't in the case of Tenma Tengai.

Someone also pointed out that Akutagawa's pose in the season 5 scene looks very awkward, almost makes it it look like it was made *specifically* to hide the right side of his face, which is precisely where the marks from the concept art are.

Which all considered could mean the signs have a plot relevance to them after all. That said, it's just speculations, this really could mean nothing.

[yikimiki]

>> bones and ashes

⚔️ sukuna x fem!reader | warnings for: violence, mentions of death, possessiveness (sukuna is as evil as they come so basically every red flag under the sun), non-con that turns into dub-con (Stockholm syndrome), mentions of virginity loss, anatomically impossible size difference (if u know what I mean), blood play, etc | around 5-6k words | also important to note that I absolutely assassinated the canon lore in some points but bare with me

Sukuna doesn’t really have the ability to love. But he thinks he gets close enough when it comes to you. Of course, in his own twisted, macabre way.

Sukuna isn’t familiar to the concept of fondness, let alone anything more profound or meaningful than that. He knows want, desire, possession, curiosity even. But none of those feelings have ever tilted towards the side of affection, nor does he want them to. They’re all narcissistic pulses that keep pushing him forward — towards more power, more control, more of what he can become. He’s not even fond of his own abilities. Arrogant? Perhaps, but not fond. He can’t be fond of something he knows is not at its peak yet, that would just be weakness.

And Sukuna is everything but weak.

He sees you in a cold winter morning and he does what he knows best: he takes. Takes your pride, your virginity, your blood. Takes you like he took the lives of the rest of your village, paints your skin red and watches as the tears wash it away. Sukuna takes and takes until you have nothing left to give, just like he has done countless times before and yet… this time, something switches.

This time, he decides to let you live. Trapped in a dark cell, of course, but alive regardless.

The days move slowly, and you learn to mark their passing by the loud, clanking sound of a metal dish being thrown through a cracked door. The food is mostly raw meet and, after a few days of disgust, you cave in and eat a little of it. Not enough to be satisfied, not even close, but enough to keep you alive for at least a few hours longer.

Sukuna comes by in irregular intervals, and you soon give up on trying to find a pattern in his visits. You know it’s him from the way the door creaks open even further to accommodate his size, and you watch as his large shadow observes your movements for a moment before he kicks the disgusting plate towards you. Most of time time he’s there, you force yourself to eat, afraid of what should come if you turn down his unspoken commands. Once he seems satisfied, he exits without a word.

There is one single advantage in being in a windowless, isolated cell: you can’t hear what goes on up there. You’ve heard enough the day that Sukuna came to your village — the shattering screams, the pleads for mercy, the babies crying, the sound of wood and bone breaking almost too similar to differentiate. You saw creatures beyond your realm and heard awful whispers and threats; held you family as they died and gave up as the snow beneath your hands became as red as the burning sky above. And you know enough about Sukuna’s legend to be aware that it wasn’t an isolated incident.

When evil incarnate arrives, there’s not much you can do but surrender.

Though, when it comes to the legends, you thought that his palace was more of a manner of speak than an actual location. Once again, though, you’ve heard enough legends to know when to stop inquiring about the details.

Sukuna comes in after a week with a plan and a cloud of amusement over his head — frankly, given the state you were in, he thought you would be dead by now. Your stubborn hold on life is as impressive as it is pathetic.

“You looked so small when I first saw you,” his thunderous voice breaks the silence. There’s no food in his hands this time, only the fire cracking behind his form. You’re sitting down on the cold floor, back against the wall, and you don’t even bother looking up at him. “You look even smaller now.”

You don’t answer, because you don’t know what to say. Of course you’re smaller — you’re weak, starving, lacking movement and sunlight. Every muscle in your body aches and the aftertaste of dried blood never leaves your mouth. Smaller is a compliment; you wish you were just bones and ashes by now.

Sukuna takes a heavy step inside the dark chamber. “I killed everyone you’ve ever loved that day,” he says, bluntly. There’s no amusement nor sorrow in his tone — it’s a neutral statement. He lowers himself to your level and, on the corner of your eyes, you see his four arms. He is so wrong, even in a physical sense. Like the scar of something that shouldn’t even exist. “And yet… you live. Do you want to know why?”

You sneer. “I wish you’d just let me die.”

He chuckles, and one hand meets the side of your head. His fingers dig into the dirty, messy strings and pulls on the roots. There are tears on the corners of your eyes but you refuse to let him see them. “That’s exactly why you’re alive,” he says. “I knew you were ready to die when I saw you — all bloodied up, on your knees in the snow. It was quite a sight.” Sukuna’s voice is a malicious whisper as he comes even closer to you — he smells rotten. The tongue that licks up your cheek makes you want to puke. He tastes you the same way as he did on the first day, and you have no idea what he’s searching for. “Tell me, why were you so ready to give yourself to me? Most try to plead at least.”

“Plead for what? Your mercy?” The sarcasm is clear through your tone. The words you mean to say are knotted in the base of your throat and the odor Sukuna reeks is making you dizzy; making you remember everything that came before this. “I— I didn’t have anything else to live for,” you stutter. “You killed… you killed my mother, my father, my baby brother… why would I want to live without them? Why would I humiliate myself asking for mercy from a creature that clearly doesn’t have any to spare?”

Through anger, you look up at him. His eyes are flames bursting through the darkness, and they shine as your words settle on his skin. “Do you only live for love, my little dove?” He asks. “What a purposeless life you have.”

“Do you only live for hate?” You ask back before you can hold your tongue. Somewhere in your mind, you know that he’s capable of unimaginable evil, but you are beyond the point of caution. “What a purposeless legacy you’re leaving behind.”

This angers him. The corners of his mouth twists as he speaks. “You people fear me. Even the strongest of sorcerers doesn’t dare to go against me.”

“I pity you and your ridiculous need for destroying what isn’t yours,” you spit. “And I hate you for keeping me alive. I hate you for everything you’ve done to me and to the people I love. And I hate that you even dare to come here and talk to me like I’m the smaller person for daring to care about something.”

The hands on your hair tighten and he pulls your face against his. Sukuna’s forehead is a furnace against yours, his eyes burn into your soul. “You little insect, I could kill you with a snap of my fingers if I wanted to.”

Your voice shakes but you say it regardless: “Do it, then, what are you waiting for?”

“No,” his answer is more cruel than death could ever be. And he knows that. “And you know why?”

“If you are keeping me alive to have your way with me, so be it, have it,” you say. The tears are obvious now. You wonder if he can smell how fearful you really are. “Violate me like you did before, I don’t care anymore, but just don’t keep me alive just to waste me away.”

His lips are touching yours now, but you can’t pull away even if you tried. Sukuna’s chest is heaving like he’s in the middle of a battle, his voice like a roar in your ears. “Then ask. For. My Mercy.”

“I w-would n-never…”

“Ask!” It’s a loud command that crashes against you like a wave. You sink like there is no adrenaline in your body to keep you afloat; the anger that moved you before is no longer within your reach.

The truth is clear: you’re human. He’s a curse — the king of curses, older than you could ever imagine; probably even more powerful than the legends you’ve heard. His eyes say that there are fates worse than death and you believe them. And maybe, just maybe, if you play by his rules, he’ll grow tired of you and let you wither away.

“P-Please,” you are sobbing now, tears falling down like a cascade. Sukuna licks them and hums in satisfaction, watching as you break apart into a mountain of hiccups and trembling limbs. “Please just… have mercy on me. I’ll do whatever you want just — please, stop torturing me like this.”

“Aw,” he coos. “Was that so hard?”

You want to say that yes, somehow, that took everything still left in you. You want to say that if he wanted to break your spirit, congratulations, he’s done it. But you don’t get the chance.

Sukuna kisses you with the same ferocity you expected, sharp teeth crashing against yours and tongue exploring your mouth with no prior warning. He groans as he tastes you — you, the blood in your food, the salt of your tears — and suddenly it’s all that he will ever crave again. You whimper against his lips as his two lower arms crawl up your thighs and hold onto your hips, pushing you against him as he stands up and presses you against the wall. You feel more caged now than you have felt these past few days.

“Silly little human,” he raps against your lips, then licks your cheek for more of your precious tears. He realizes how much he likes to make you cry. You wince and give out a little sob, which only makes him smile. Finally, his grip on your hair loosens. “What is my name?”

You blink, dumbfounded by the sudden question. “S-Sukuna…?”

He pouts. “Say it like you mean it or I won’t be so nice.”

“Sukuna,” you say more firmly this time.

“There we go, that’s a good girl,” he says. “See how things just work better when you don’t misbehave? Hm?”

You nod. He doesn’t like it. “Y-Yes, I see, I’m sorry.”

“Very good.” The hand that was on your hair moves to hold your face, and it’s so huge that you feel like it would crush your skull with one single movement. As the other two arms hold onto your thighs, the fourth limb squeezes your breast. “Now, this is what’s going to happen, my pretty little human,” Sukuna starts, “I will have my servants take you to my chambers. You will be washed, clothed, and taken care of. They will feed you proper human food this time, whichever it is that your heart desires. How does that sound?”

Sounds like a trap. “And, in return, what do I have to do for you?”

“What do I have to do for you…?” He raises his eyebrows.

“Sukuna,” you complete.

“There’s my perfect little girl,” he says. You hate that something inside you likes the praise. “You will have to wait for me there. Do whatever you prefer, but don’t leave my room. Any attempt at escaping or killing yourself will be futile, and I’ve already warned every single curse that your death will result in a much more dire future for them. So you will be brought back to me. And I promise I won’t be so nice.”

“I understand… Sukuna,” you correct yourself quickly. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

The hand on your breast squeezes tighter, and you bite your lip so you don’t complain. “I knew I was right when I brought you here, something made me spare you. Yet, I don’t know what it is just yet.”

Sukuna is a looming threat above you, his limbs trapping you, and his deep voice is like thunder about to break. You know why so many fear him — you fear him too. And the sooner you act like it, the sooner he’ll grow tired of you. Sooner he’ll realize he was wrong in bringing you into his fortress.

He smirks. “But I believe I’ll discover soon enough.”

- ⚔️ -

Sukuna’s chambers are as spacious and monstrous as himself — corners switching and adjusting like breathing flesh; furniture morphing into different shapes; the weird odor of something old; the feeling for something lurking. The large windows show a world between worlds; a reality that doesn’t seem right no matter how long you stare at it. His palace is in a dimension you can’t reach, and you give up on trying to understand it. If anything, the more you wonder about it, the more you shake under the weight of the sheer power it must take to keep it all existing like solid matter.

Your passage of time is morphed and unreliable, but you would guess that a couple weeks have passed by the time that you come to terms that, perhaps, Sukuna isn’t as easy to bore as you first expected. The fire in his eyes doesn’t seem to diminish as he sees you — if anything, his eagerness to have you all to himself only seems to expand — and the way he takes care of you makes you realize that he isn’t planning on letting you die anytime soon.

Life in his chambers is far more comfortable, you admit, but it’s a prison nonetheless. Still, you can’t say that you are mistreated. In his chambers, you are bathed and clothed, well-fed and pampered. You soon come back to your normal weight and the fatigue leaves your body; there is more space to move, more things to do. The curses that come to check on you seem to be strangely kind and human-like, though you know it’s out of fear and not out of worry, and they keep your mind occupied with several stories and legends as the days move on.

Sukuna is more absent than you would have imagined, conquering and killing as often as he can. When he finally comes to you he is clean, recently bathed, but you can still see he is fresh from a battle, some mindless corruption beyond the horizon that you would rather hear nothing about. There are shallow scars and deep cuts that heal unreasonably quickly; dried blood that hasn’t quite washed away and ashes beneath his fingernails.

You ask whose village he has attacked this time, but he says it doesn’t matter, because there are no survivors.

“I never leave any survivors,” he completes, kissing your forehead, “besides you, my little human.”

You don’t push beyond that information, but the feeling of being special, chosen, starts to blossom like a dangerous rose inside your chest. It stings and stings, but grows regardless, and you see yourself less able to fight against his possessive claims. You start to enjoy them. You start to wonder if life beyond those walls is worth fighting for when you seem to have everything you would ever wish for right here.

You can always tell when Sukuna is about to arrive in this world because the atmosphere switches into something darker, heavier. The air seems thicker and the clouds beyond your windows start to bleed into a deep shade of red. Sukuna returns with the apocalypse on his back, and, when he does, he uses your body as he pleases.

Like the room around you, there is constant change. Sometimes it hurts like hell; sometimes it’s pleasurable. Sometimes you wish it would just end and you end up crying in despair; sometimes you look at him like you might get used to feeling him inside of you. Some days, Sukuna is kinder, more patient, taking time to adjust you to his enormous size and even makes sure that you enjoy it before reaching his end; fucking you full of his cum until you can’t think of one single thing besides him. Other days, you know he is angry just by the way he walks through the door — and, in those days, you are left bleeding and bruised as he uses your body in every single way until he’s close enough to satisfied. That, on itself, can take a long, long time.

You realize that, during those violent days, he could use one of his curses to please himself, but he prefers to use you — because you bleed, you cry, and you suffer. As long as your pain exists, his interest is unwavering.

However, like everything else, you adapt, get used to it. Routine becomes familiar and you learn the tell-tale signs of his rancid mood; learn how to make it a little better and what things to avoid. You stop thinking about getting away — you don’t even have anywhere else to go — and start longing for his presence as he takes more time to come back home. Sukuna is warm, safe; next to him you know you are shielded from any harm. When he appears, no one dares to look or touch you, no one speaks until they are spoken to. Just by being in his gravitational pull, you are protected and no harm will ever come your way again.

Even if it hurts, you start hoping that he won’t get tired of you.

Sukuna, on the other hand, isn’t quite sure how he feels about it all.

It’s not love — he has gone over that one a few hundred times already, has marked off every possible scenario and imagined every possible feeling, and he is sure it isn’t love. To be frank, he doesn’t even think he’s capable of it even if he wanted to, he sold his soul too long ago to even remember how normal humans love. But if it’s not love, it’s something similar — a kind of tenderness, fondness. He has a soft spot for you, to put it bluntly. Though not in the typical sense.

Sukuna adores you like a painter adores his favorite canvas; like an exotic bird in a cage — he adores you with possession, obsession, with the knowledge that you can’t ever get away from his grip. He is fond of you in a way that he would murder anyone who would even dare to touch what is his; but would never set you free. He can hurt you, he can tear you into pieces and build you to his liking. Sukuna can kiss you or bite you; hug or break you, but it’s because you’re his little pet and no one else’s.

He is fond of the way you bend for him; the way you look at him with sheer adoration in your eyes even after he has taken everything from you. He is fond of the way that only he could kill you; that your small life is in his hands and you thank him for it. Sukuna is fond of the way your tight little cunt stretches so wide to take his fat cock; lives for the little whimpers you give out and the tears that stain his satin sheets when he finally allows you to cum for him. If he could crawl inside your soul, he would. If he could take it and eat it and have you forever, he would.

He doesn’t know why he craves you so much, but he knows that nothing else gives him the same high anymore.

So he keeps you.

It’s a heavy stormy night when he comes back the next time, and his room is only illuminated by a few candles and the lightening from outside. You’re in his large bed, looking as small as that day in the snow, and there is a touch of worry in your eyes that he doesn’t miss. But he ignores it.

“Undress,” he commands.

You rush to do as he says, throwing the faint fabric over your head. It falls to the ground as Sukuna walks towards the bed, his massive weight making it dip under his knee as he leans closer to you.

“My pretty little doll,” Sukuna muses. “Missed me?”

He always asks that. And your answer is always the same.

“So much, Sukuna.”

It’s more honest every time.

He hums, satisfied, and smirks as he pushes your hair away from your face. “I have something to tell you, and I think you will like it,” Sukuna says. You look at him with wide eyes as he settles over you, his four arms caging your body as you lay down. The mouth on his stomach open and closes, a large tongue coming out before it vanishes again — it always does it when he’s particularly excited. “Would you like to know what it is?”

You know he will tell you regardless. Like all the tales of his battles, he lives for the glimpse of horror in the back of your eyes. “Yes, Sukuna.”

“Seems like you are famous now,” he starts. You furrow your eyebrows. “Sorcerers are trying to save you. The poor little human girl that Sukuna took as a prisoner months ago.” He kisses your neck, then licks the skin. You shiver — months, it has been months then. “Two of them tried to enter my domain today, stupid little insects,” he continues. Another hand lands on your exposed breast, playing with your nipple. “You have no idea how enraged that made me, my little human. To have someone try to take you away from me; to try and to enter my domain and take you from me.”

His voice turns into a growl by the end of the sentence, and you feel the familiar pulse of terror running through your veins. He’s in a bad mood, that’s obvious, but there’s something hiding beneath that as well.

“What did you do to them?” You ask. “Did they get in?”

Sukuna chuckles darkly, and the hand that was on your breast now settles on your clit, massaging it softly. “I took care of them, my sweet thing, of course,” he says. Your breath hitches at the slow pleasure of his movements, and your eyes flutter shut. “No one will ever take you from me.”

“I don’t want to lose you,” you say without a thought. In your heart, you feel it’s wrong. But without him, you have nothing. “I’m yours forever, Sukuna.”

“I know you are,” he answers.

Sukuna holds you by the throat as he kisses you — not enough to suffocate you, but enough to make you a little dizzy. Your eyes cross mindlessly as his tongue invades your mouth; a deep groan coming from his chest as he tastes your lips. He always kisses you violently, possessively, like he wishes to suck your soul out of your chest. Beneath his size you can only shrink and hold onto his large biceps, the wetness between your legs growing as he takes what is his.

He pulls back, ignoring the string of saliva that connects you two. “Pretty little thing,” he muses, shoving his middle finger inside your mouth. “Suck for me.”

You do as he says and he smirks at the feeling of your pretty lips around his large finger. Soon enough, the same digit is invading your pussy, curling up so quickly that you see starts at your peripheral vision.

“Relax or it’ll hurt again,” he says — not like he cares about it. “I want you to remember tonight.”

“W-Why?”

“Because I’ll make sure that you’ll be mine forever,” he says, a devilish smile on the corners of his lips. “So no one can take you from me. No one would even try.”

Your breath is getting heavier, and you don’t even register what he’s telling you — he could do a billion things to you and you’d still let him. The time spent only in his company made your resolution vanish, and you became exactly what he wanted you to: another possession for him to do as he pleases. Because of him, you have nothing else. Besides him, you have nothing.

“You’re not cumming around my finger tonight,” he says and quickly removes his hand from your cunt. You whine at the sudden emptiness, walls spasming around nothing, but you know better than to protest. “It’s going to be around my cock, you got it?”

“Yes, Sukuna,” you say.

“Good girl,” he muses. His lower arms move to undo his pants as his mouth attacks yours once again. His sharp teeth drain blood from your lips and he groans at the metallic taste; drinks the little sob of pain you let out. “You’re all fucking mine. Forever,” he growls, “I’ll make you live forever with me.”

Months ago, that would be torture. But now, “It sounds like heaven, Sukuna,” you say. “I love you.”

Your vision falls to where his hands are working. His cock is massive, bigger than your forearm, balls swinging out of his shorts and falling heavy under his shaft. Your entire body tingles in anticipation as he strokes himself, aligning his cockhead with your opening. “Tiny fucking cunt,” he curses, rubbing it against your soaked folds. “I’ll train you to take my cock even better than now, kitten.” Your mouth falls open as he starts to push in and it hurts — no matter how many times you’ve taken him, it always burns. “Way too fucking tight for my fat cock, you know that?”

“I-I’m sorry, I’ll do better-“

He chuckles. “I fucking love it.”

In one strong motion, he shoves himself as deep as he can, pressing against your cervix as you whine at his size. It isn’t fair — it’s so thick you can’t even breathe, you can feel him in your stomach, pressing and pulsing until you can’t think of anything but the sheer size of his massive cock inside your poor little hole. Your walls hurt to accommodate his girth, stretching as far as they can, but it never seems like it’s enough.

“It’s t-too big, Sukuna,” you whine. And it is. You know he must be doing something to your body so you can even be alive right now, because it’s not humanly possible to take such a big cock. “I c-can’t…”

His hand lands on your head and pulls at the roots. “You are my special little human, my obedient little girl,” he reminds you. His cock throbs inside you and you whimper, the small movement alone makes you drool. “You will do anything I tell you to do.”

You nod. “Y-Yes.”

“So when I tell you to take it….” He rolls his hips even deeper and you call his name so loud that you’re sure the entire world will hear it. “You’ll fucking take it.”

You don’t even have the ability to answer as he starts to pound deep inside your soaked cunt, hard and violent, as he is. Your vision is blurry with tears as you look down to see his massive cock bullying itself again and again inside your cunt, taking everything you have to give.

“Look at me when I claim you,” Sukuna warns and you do it instantly. Your legs wrap around his hips and he squeezes your ass so hard it will bruise. There’s a malicious glint in his red eyes that never quite goes away, no matter how much he tries, and now it’s deadset on you. “My precious little girl,” he calls, voice strained with pleasure. You can tell from the way his cock throbs that he is close, but it doesn’t matter. He just keeps going. “You told me you love me. Do you only live for love, kitten?”

“I live f-for loving you, S-Sukuna,” you respond automatically. “I live for you.”

Sukuna groans like an animal — he adores what a stupid little fuckdoll he has turned you into. He can never get tired of this; he can never let it get away. “You’ll die for me, kitten?”

You nod so quickly you get dizzy. “Yes, a-anything… I’m yours f-forever.”

He calls your name like he has never done before, a little insane, a little sweet. If the sheer size of Sukuna’s genitals aren’t anything to go by, he cums a lot — it oozes out of your cunt before he’s even halfway through, cock throbbing and leaking again and again until you’re filled to the brim. His huge balls smack against your ass as he continues to bully himself inside you, a little more desperate now, intoxicated by his own pleasure.

There’s no rest, there never is. He only takes and takes.

“I’ll make you mine,” he groans.

“I’m yours, Sukuna, I’m yours…” you repeat like a broken record, half-aware of your own voice through the loud moans and hiccups. You watch in ecstasy as he uses one of his sharp nails to cut the palm of his hand, blood oozing out of it and dropping on your breasts. It’s like you know what he will say even before he says it. “You want me t-to-“

“Drink it.”

Perhaps you should be scared, but you’re not. Your mouth opens without a second thought and he presses his large palm on your lips, muffling your moans and allowing the hot dark liquid to invade your tongue. Sukuna’s blood is thick and it tastes like poison, but you do as he says, liking his flesh and drinking it until he seems satisfied and takes his hand away.

It strikes your body like an arrow, straight through your chest and expanding like deep roots. You feel as his blood burns your insides, changing something in your very existence. It’s hard to think through the sensations — the pleasure building up, the venom running through your veins, the mixture of devotion and fear that dances inside your mind. Your vision is double, black around the edges, and you think you might be cumming but you’re not sure you can even feel your body anymore. Sukuna’s voice echoes muffled in the background, and you can see his mouth moving in slow motion, but you don’t understand his words. You think you are crying. You think you can’t breathe. You think you are dying and being born at the same time and you don’t know why you feel so grateful for it all.

Your lungs are on fire and your throat is dry. You try to speak, but can’t. You have the vague flashback of the time your uncle made you drink alcohol, it burns just the same, but this time, no one is laughing. This time, you’re dying.

“… at me.”

This time, Sukuna’s voice rings sharp and clear. You stare at him, confused, as the flames inside your chest slowly subside.

“Keep looking at me,” he repeats, commanding.

You try to nod, but your head doesn’t move. You can’t see the room around you anymore. “H-Hurts,” you manage to get out.

“I know,” he says, and there’s a touch of softness in his voice you don’t ignore. “Focus on me. I’ll make it feel better.”

And that’s what you try to do, even if your soul seems to be floating miles above your body. You look down at where he is still moving in and out of you, at the white-coated mess that drips from your hole and soaks your inner thighs. It doesn’t seem to hurt as badly now, like your body is changing to accommodate him even better — in fact, it feels like heaven.

You look up at him, dumbfounded. “I t-think I’m going to cum, Sukuna,” the words come easier now, and you feel like you can move again. Though, it still feels like a dream. “It’s so g-good.”

“Cum on my fat cock, then, make me proud,” he coos. You close your eyes and nod, trying to focus on the paradise that blooms between your legs. You feel every ridge and vein of his massive cock; hear the lewd squelching sounds of his cum leaking out of you. It comes to you faster than you would have imagined, washing through your body like a wave as you cry and shake miserably. “That’s my girl, fuck, there we go, that’s my perfect little girl.”

The spasming of your walls manages to milk more cum out of him and he groans loudly as he releases inside you once more. Sukuna cums so much it makes you breathless, filling you again and again until he’s satisfied and the sheets beneath you have no salvation left.

“There we go, take everything,” he says in a strained groan, “every fucking drop inside this tight fucking cunt.”

Sukuna looks absolutely insane above you — fucking his cock so hard into you that it seems like he will never have the chance again; eyes blown wide and his teeth clenched. You cum again, this time a little softer, as you feel his thick cock shoot a specially large amount of cum inside your pussy, and wait until he’s done using your body.

Eventually, he settles, pressing his forehead against yours and looking deep inside your eyes. The redness in them is shining like flames, watching every movement of your face.

“Feels weird,” you say. “I feel dizzy.”

He chuckles and removes himself from you. Another white-hot wave gushes out of your cunt, and he sits back to watch it drip. “There we go, it wasn’t so bad, was it?”

You swallow, your tongue is still numb inside your mouth. “It was horrible, Sukuna. I felt like I was going to die.”

Sukuna smiles and uses two fingers to push some of his cum back inside you. “I can promise you it was better than when I did,” he says, and you’re confused for a moment. “But now we don’t have anything to worry about anymore, my sweet thing. Those pathetic little sorcerers won’t want you.”

“H-How are you so sure?” You ask.

“Aw, my sweet, stupid little girl.” He pouts, condescending as always. “No one will want to save a curse now.”

Your eyes widen. “Did you…?”

“I told you.” Sukuna licks his own blood at the corner of your mouth. “You are mine forever.”

[smehur]

Drarry fic recs #5

oxygen [Fic & Art] by @maesterchill

Draco doesn’t smoke. Except when he needs to breathe.

A wonderfully atmospheric rendering of the moment when the tentative friendship hesitantly built through years of unplanned meetings gently turns into a deeper, romantic intimacy. Featuring a lovely, lonely Draco and an incredibly evocative description of the magic hiding in cigarette smoke. 10/10 would read again.

AITA for being "obsessed" with my childhood nemesis? by @rainstormradish

Alrakis • I [24M] attended a small boarding school in the UK. There was a boy in my year, a couple of months younger than me, and he became my nemesis after we developed an intense rivalry. My friend [25F] told me recently that our dynamic was "weird back then" and that "it’s even weirder" that I still think about him today. She argued that I talk about him all the time, but I believe the amount I talk about him is reasonable. AITA? prongymcprongface • i completely get what you mean. i had a nemesis (like a school one, separate to my other nemesis) and we had a dynamic super similar to what you are describing. having a nemesis is a very cool and normal thing dw about it. NTA In which Draco asks the internet if he's being reasonable. Only one commenter is sympathetic. They start talking.

This was so much fun to read, I don't even. A brilliant concept, flawless execution, and bonus points for Draco's online name. ✨👌

For Lack of Wanting by @fluxweeed

Over the last ten years, I’ve worked hard to become a better person. I hate being reminded of who I used to be. But Harry likes it when I’m mean.

I loved this even though it broke my heart. Perhaps because (like with other fics that successfully broke my heart), I could totally see it: a Harry who grows into his fame, a Harry who doesn't look under the surface of things unless forced, a Harry who never spared a serious thought about Draco after the war. And a Draco desperate enough to throw everything away for him anyway. Beautifully crafted and utterly devastating.

By the Grace by @letteredlettered

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

Oh, boy. This fic. It left a mark on me. It's the second most literary fic I've read to date (topmost being Running on Air by eleventy7), and by far the most ambitious one. That summary doesn't begin to do it justice. It's a story about the initiative to reveal the wizarding world to the Muggles; the political struggles of those for and against it, including activism, media manipulation, government corruption, and even terrorism; and Harry and Draco in the midst of it all. I also suspect it's brimming with commentary on real life UK politics, but I'm too distant from those topics myself to say more. It is for this ambition, and for the the meticulous creation of a detailed post-war political landscape and the actors trying to shape it, that I wholeheartedly applaud and recommend this fic. Anyone looking for an adult, thought-provoking, political story perfectly set within the Harry Potter world will have an absolute blast with it.

But I can't say I enjoyed it. I picked it up not for the politics, but for the romance. And the romance, while definitely an omnipresent element, was kept so deep in the background, that the reading was an exercise in frustration almost to the very end. This was done purposely, with incredible consistency and discipline, and to great effect, in order to craft the slowest of slow burns. But I, like a kid bored with the things on the news, skimmed through the lot of political discussions (which are what gives the story such a strong literary vibe), constantly looking for the individual, the personal, the relatable; constantly hoping for the feels. And when they came to the fore at last, it was a bit too little, too late.

As much as I admire its ambition and craftsmanship, this is not a story I would read again. But I will never, ever forget it.

Nice Things by aideomai

The first thing that happened was Theodore Nott came back from France.

Possibly the softest, gentlest, most soothing story I've read in this fandom so far. Something to come back to when my spirits need a lift. There's a scene (spoiler: it asks and answers the question, "are you fucking with me?") that I read three or four times in a row, smiling wider and wider on each go, and another (someone returning after holidays) that i had to revisit at least twice. This doesn't happen often in my reading! I confess I wished for a more detailed exploration of the developing intimacy (read: smut), but I respect the author's decisions; they left me with a heart full of warmth and a head full of dreams.

Many thanks to the wonderful authors in this fandom for sharing their stories, and to all the readers who help spread the word. ❤️

[yanderes-galore]

Can you a mirror watch Reinhardt concept??? Please??

As he's just a skin with some voice lines, I had to do a lot of HC for this. Hope you like it! I love Reinhardt <3

Yandere! Fallen Knight! Reinhardt Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Animalistic behavior, Possessive behavior, Violence, SFW size difference, Manipulation, Threats, Kidnapping, Isolation, Biting, Marking, Dehumanization, Blood, Murder, Sadism, Forced relationship.

In this universe, Reinhardt is much different from the one you know.

In fact... He almost seems feral in nature.

Shown by Ana's and Reinhardt's voice lines, He's often treated like a dog.

This is shown when he eliminates Ana, He says something about her no longer holding his leash.

When Ana eliminates Rein, she says she put him down.

Using this... I imagine Reinhardt acts more beastly, full of rage, and animalistic.

He's a unit who needs to be controlled.

He is able to increase the damage of his allies, block attacks, and devastate enemies with his shatter and fire strike.

A member of Talon in this universe, you won't want to be alone with him.

Especially since he's so uncontrolled.

Normally, Reinhardt is a knight of honor and glory.

He's a man you can trust with your life, one who would protect you with all he has.

This Rein has no honor or glory.

He's been made a hunting dog to do Talon's bidding.

He's little more than a beast of rage.

You can not trust him with your life.

But he will defend you, as he feels you're his to possess.

When it comes to (future) Mirrorwatch fics, I think I like the idea of you swapping universes.

In your universe, you have the Rein you know.

The original Reinhardt.

Yet when Reinhardt and Doomfist clash, their blows send you to another universe.

Imagine if in your universe you and Reinhardt are close.

Maybe close friends? Maybe he felt you were so much more?

Imagine if Reinhardt wasn't yandere before, but his Mirrorwatch version is.

When you wake up, you're confused.

Everyone's roles are swapped here.

Including Rein.

Reinhardt somewhat recognizes you when he sees you again.

Although in this universe he mostly sees you as a stranger.

To survive, you may need to go to this universe's Overwatch for help.

Which includes Strike Commander Ogundimu, Agent Colomar, and Captain Lacroix to name a few.

To you, you still see Doomfist, Sombra, and Widowmaker.

It's so strange to see your enemies become your friends, and your friends become your enemies.

Even more so when you see Reinhardt's a ruthless killing machine controlled by Amari.

Now his codename is just Fallen Knight... It hurts to see.

Rein may become intrigued by you when he hears you accidentally say his real name.

He's so used to the name Fallen Knight that hearing Reinhardt makes him pause.

Perhaps in this universe he had a version of you who died, which might have drove him to be manipulated by Talon?

Your voice and appearance look similar... For some reason he feels frustrated to see Overwatch evacuate you from the area he's attacking.

Amari tries to keep him under control, but Reinhardt keeps trying to follow you.

It appears you two have been brought together once again...

But not in the way you wanted.

This new Reinhardt is possessive and violent.

Like a wild animal, he'll stop at nothing to have what he wants.

Sure, Amari can tranquilize him or keep him back somehow...

Yet he'll have you eventually.

Getting kidnapped by Reinhardt in this universe is terrifying.

You spend most of your time at Overwatch's HQ after trying to describe your scenario to them.

After that, they vow to keep you under their protection until they can send you home.

Only for a Talon raid to strike Overwatch HQ.

Many Talon agents pour into the building, wreaking havoc.

You focus on escaping, only to hear a growl.

The sound of rocket boosters occur before you're pinned against one of the metal walls.

You scream in pain, looking up to see a face you once found comforting.

It looks like him... But the scar is on the opposite eye and he wears a respirator...

Or is that a muzzle?

He glares down at you with predatory intent, breathing heavily as he keeps you pinned.

The tension is thick in the air...

Right up until he picks you up effortlessly, slinging you over his shoulder easily.

Amari may let Reinhardt keep you.

Her dog deserves a treat for doing such a good job.

You get to be kept in his kennel for him to play with (his room, but Amari loves to dehumanize him).

Reinhardt doesn't let anyone else touch you once he has you.

You feel so familiar... a distant memory he can barely recall now...

But now you're all his.

Rein loves the size difference between him and his obsession.

At night he pulls you close once out of his armor, spooning you closely as he nuzzles into your hair.

He always keeps that strange headgear on, yet you don't dare take it off.

He probably bites... (He does).

In fact, if that gear ever came off, he may immediately start marking you like an animal.

Rein isolates you like you're his favorite toy.

He has bark and he has bite.

He'd threaten you to never leave his room, telling you he'll know and the rest of Talon will keep you here.

No one likes him when he's angry.

Reinhardt is a killing machine, you're not used to seeing blood on him or his armor.

He doesn't hesitate to hurt those who try to take you away from him.

Including Overwatch agents.

One wham of his hammer, and they're red paste.

Hopefully you're not around to see it... but it's not like he cares.

Reinhardt likes to intimidate you, to drag out obedience.

You should be scared of him.

He plays rough with you.

He'll pin you, carry you, rough you up...

You're a toy for a dog.

Yet sometimes... You think you see him care for you.

Sometimes you think you see your Rein in there when he cuddles you close.

However... He'll never be your Rein.

He's a fallen knight...

A beast no one can control... Who needs honor when he has you?

[nina-ya]

May I please request a super angsty femReaderxzoro fic where reader dies trying to save zoro but in a really specific way as in she has devil fruit similar to uta but with healing abilities instead and she trades her life to save zoro which makes her have a death similar to rikas from jjk but the song she sing when she’s leaving is long live by Taylor Swift specifically “long live all the mountains we moved I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you” ect.If it’s too detailed, you don’t have to do it but I would really enjoy if you could do this

Long Live

A/N: Italics is a flashback and purple are the song lyrics I had so much fun writing this! well as much fun as you can have writing something sad, but thank you for giving me an excuse to write about more Taylor i hope you enjoy! <3 Pairing: Zoro x fem!reader CW: Reader dies, blood, vague alluding to sex WC: 2.1k Your voice had been a source of joy and happiness for as long as you could remember, and your devil fruit ability only heightened that joy, granting you the power to heal through your melodies. It felt like a gift straight out of a fairy tale. Cradling injured individuals in your arms, you would serenade them, witnessing their wounds miraculously vanish as they sprang up with newfound energy.

In your pursuit of understanding and enhancing your abilities, you dove into the histories of past users who once possessed this ability before you. While you didn't find much in terms of strengthening your powers, you stumbled upon something intriguing: the most recent user of your ability met their demise by sacrificing their life for a marine soldier. The event was well-documented—the tale of their final song and fading away into the unknown, all to save a critically wounded soldier. At the time, you found such sacrifice baffling and perhaps even foolish. The idea of willingly giving up one's life for another was a concept that had always left you questioning whether you could ever do such a thing.

You first encountered Zoro when he casually slid into the seat next to yours at a random, somewhat sketchy tavern on an island whose name had already slipped your memory. Ordering a beer, as expected, neither of you paid much attention to the other until you initiated a conversation, asking about the swords he carried with him. Drink after drink, the banter flowed effortlessly, and as the night progressed, so did the subtle hints of flirtation. Before you knew it, you found yourselves in the confines of the bathroom, Zoro pinning you against the wall, lips locked, hands exploring, clothes quickly discarded—an intense moment that seemed to mark the conclusion of your unexpected encounter. Or so you thought.

The next day, as you went about your business, you stumbled upon a wanted poster that featured none other than Roronoa Zoro, one of the most formidable and dangerous men in the world. The revelation left you torn between celebrating or worrying over the fact that you had just slept with one of the most deadliest men in the world right now. You had chosen the former.

Your lingering questions about whether you'd see him again were answered when, to your surprise, you spotted Zoro rounding a corner, seemingly lost and running in your direction. The unexpected reunion left you wondering about the twists and turns fate had in store for the two of you. He screeched to a halt in front of you, muttering something about being in the wrong place. You were on the verge of teasing him for looking like a lost fool when the unmistakable sounds of approaching marine footsteps and shouts pierced the air from behind. Without a moment's hesitation, Zoro swiftly unsheathed his swords, leaving you momentarily confused when he shoved one into his mouth. Your confusion gave way to surprise as marines in front of you began dropping like flies.

In the chaos, Zoro reached for your hand, grabbed it, and started running with you. Urgently, he asked you to lead him to the docks. Though an underlying sense of fear lingered, the idea of potential injury or worse, you couldn't help but go along with the green-haired man, guiding him through the streets towards the docks. The urgency of the situation fueled your pace, and as you turned a final corner, a grand pirate ship came into view. To your amazement, some very enthusiastic individuals, recognizable from the wanted posters plastered everywhere, were waving at Zoro and urging him to run onto the ship. 

You might have assumed that Zoro would have let you go and abandoned you at some point, but to your surprise, he had you stick around. Soon enough, you found yourself on the deck of the pirate ship, met with perplexed and cautious stares from the crew. This wasn't the life you had envisioned, yet the appeal of friendship and adventures proved too compelling for you to resist.

As it turned out, your unique ability to heal with the simple power of song quickly earned you the role of healer on the ship. You often teamed up with Chopper, working together to mend the wounded, a category that frequently included Zoro. It seemed like he would intentionally find himself in dangerous situations just to give you an excuse to heal him. It became almost routine  for Zoro to pull you aside for healing sessions. He would claim it was because "you're the faster healer" or "Chopper is busy with the others," but the way he stared at you with complete and utter infatuation as you sang hinted that there might be an underlying reason why he always sought you out.

Your relationship with Zoro had flourished during your time on the ship. While the two of you hadn't explicitly labeled it, an unspoken bond had formed, making you inseparable. It was clear to everyone around you that you and Zoro were meant to be. Your connection was so strong that it felt as if you were bound together for life. You, the enchanting songbird, had managed to melt the heart of the swordsman. It was a relationship that seemed almost too perfect to be true.

-

-

-

The shaky rhythm of Zoro's breath sliced through the air, the only accompaniment being the unsettling drip, drip, drip of crimson liquid splattering onto the floor from each painful gash on his body. His eyes threatened to give in to the darkness, the grip tampanoding his profusely bleeding wound weakening with every passing second, allowing more of the red tide to seep out. "She's close by," he reassured himself in a desperate whisper. "She will come and heal me, and everything will be okay." His vision blurred, the edges of consciousness fading, yet the approaching footsteps redirected his waning focus. Your silhouette emerged into view, and a feeble smile of relief played on his weakened lips.

You stood there, your body pulsating with the ache of injuries you had sustained from the battle. Exhaustion weighed heavily on your chest, each labored breath revealing your weariness. As you took in Zoro's dire state, a chill ran down your spine, and your hands trembled uncontrollably. The blood painted the wall against which he leaned, the pool he lay in enough to have claimed the life of an ordinary person by now.

In that moment, a wave of realization crashed over you, akin to what the previous user of your devil fruit must have experienced when confronted with the imminent death of that soldier. The only conceivable explanation for willingly sacrificing one's life in such a manner was love. Only someone who is deeply in love could find themselves doing what you were prepared to do.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump—thump... thump... thump...

Your heart beats in your ears, slow and steady, a sharp contrast to the urgency that surrounds you. Crouching down next to him, your knees bathe in the blood beneath you. You reach out and stroke his face, your voice cutting through the tense air as a sweet melody falls from your lips, “Long live the walls we crashed through, I had the time of my life with you…”

Your vision blurs slightly as you start to sing, and your voice wavers, but determination fuels your every word. Zoro's consciousness begins to steady, and his gaze focuses on you. He listens to the lyrics you sing, his smile quickly fading as he senses your growing unsteadiness. His own heartbeat starts to quicken, mirroring the vivid recollection of the last time he was this severely injured.

Your fingers gently comb through the emerald strands of the injured marimo, the sound of your singing soothing his pain, mending the cuts and bruises that adorned him. As his eyes gradually flutter open from the haze of injury, he gazes up at you, a soft smile spreading across his lips upon hearing the sound of your voice. This time felt different from his previous injuries; there was an abundance of blood, and the worry etched across your face reflected the urgency to reach him in time.

You knew you couldn't stop singing. You needed to heal him, but you also needed to talk to him, so your song took on a more serious shift in meaning as you sang. "Will you take a moment? Promise me this: that you’ll stand by me forever," you begin, your voice carrying a weight that matches the importance of this moment. His larger hand envelops yours, nodding in silent agreement. You continue, "but if, God forbid, fate should step in and force us into a goodbye," confusion knits Zoro's eyebrows, wondering the reason behind the unexpected shift in your melody.

You persist, “if you have children someday, when they point to the pictures, please tell them my name.” Your voice grew shaky as you continued, “Tell them how I hope they shine." Teardrops fall onto his concerned face, and he instinctively reaches up to wipe them away. The inevitability of this conversation weighed heavily on both your hearts, each word spoken a painful acknowledgment of the uncertainties life may hold.

In response, Zoro reassures you with a resolute voice, "I promise to stay with you forever, but you know fate won't dare step in and tear us apart. I won't allow it. You’re too important to me, and I swear that we will live out the rest of our lives together, and *you* will get to tell our kids all of these things, okay?" His words, a promise fueled by determination, aim to chase away the uncertainty of what lies ahead, providing comfort in the tomorrow that they both look forward to.

It's happening. Fate weaves its cruel design, guiding you toward that goodbye—a scenario Zoro strongly vowed would never come to pass. “Long live the walls we crashed through, how the kingdom lights shined just for me and you,” you continue, your voice quivering with an emotional strain that mirrors the tension in the air. The aura that your powers provide seem to shimmer with an magical quality as Zoro's wounds gradually fade, mirroring the slow, inescapable dimming of your own presence.

Your body slumps over, a proof of the draining strength within you. Stronger hands, Zoro's calloused and desperate, grasp your arms, pulling you close in a desperate attempt to defy the approaching reality. A gasp escapes you, the sound of your body's instinctive cling towards life.

“Stop… Stop this… I—I’m fine now, see? Chopper can just fix us up; you can stop now,” Zoro pleads, his voice quivering, the tremor reverberating through the air. His lip wobbles, tears teetering on the edge of escape. He knows the words he's uttering form a desperate attempt to go against the harsh reality. In this wretched moment, he attempts to make you hold onto your own life, to discourage you from the selfless act of sacrificing yourself to mend his wounds. Yet, the heavy truth hangs in the air—a truth that your fading form seems to convey with every passing moment.

Your breath is shaky, and a sudden weariness envelops you. Yet, his pleas, laced with unspoken desperation, don't deter you. ”Long live the walls we crashed through, how the kingdom lights shined just for me and you,” you sing softly, leaning onto him, a somber smile gracing your lips despite the impending farewell.

“Please stop…I love you, please don’t do this…” Zoro's whisper is almost a plea, his voice breaking as tears fall freely. He grasps your hand, squeezing it with a desperation that clings to the diminishing hope that both of you can somehow emerge unscathed from this ordeal.

“And I was screaming, ‘Long live all the magic we made’ and bring on all the pretenders…” Another wave of weakness washes over you, and your head falls limp onto his shoulder, “I'm not afraid.” you murmur, hoping the reassurance in your words might alleviate some of the weight on his shoulders among the unfolding tragedy. ”Long live all the mountains we moved…I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you.” With that final line, your voice softens, the melody fading into a whisper as your breaths grow shallower. The grip of Zoro's hand on yours tightens, desperately clinging to the waning connection. With each passing moment, your form dissolves into an ethereal glow. In desperation, Zoro reaches into the empty space that you once occupied, his trembling fingers grasping at nothingness, a denial of the harsh reality that you are gone. The ringing of your song linger in the hollow space, a haunting reminder of a love transcended beyond the boundaries of existence. Zoro, left with an aching emptiness, is now entangled in the flickers and fragments of a love that slipped away.

[jozor-johai]

"frozen fire"

These are not necessarily new ideas in isolation, but I rarely see them all combined as one singular idea, so here’s my proposal for why obsidian, Ned’s greatsword, the Ice Dragon, and Jon Snow are all one and the same, metaphorically.

Dragonglass and Dragonsteel

Dragonglass, per Melisandre is:

“Frozen fire, in the tongue of old Valyria.” (ASOS Samwell V)

So: a weapon that is a unity of ice and fire. “Frozen” fire.

In AGOT Bran I, we get the same idea in the form of the greatsword Ice.

“Ice,” that sword was called. It was as wide across as a man’s hand, and taller even than Robb. The blade was Valyrian steel, spell-forged and dark as smoke.

The contrast between what we expect from a name like “ice” and the actual description looking “dark as smoke” is compelling, but the explicit connection isn’t made clear until Catelyn spells it out in the second book:

Ice can kill as dead as fire. Ice was Ned’s greatsword. Valyrian steel, marked with the ripples of a thousand foldings, so sharp I feared to touch it. (ACOK Catelyn VII)

A sword which is named “Ice” but made of fire magic. Like dragonglass, a weapon which is a unity of ice and fire, in a different way.

The connection between these ideas is reinforced in Sam’s study of history; dragonglass was once deeply important to both sides of the Wall:

I found mention of dragonglass. The children of the forest used to give the Night’s Watch a hundred obsidian daggers every year, during the Age of Heroes. (ADWD Jon II)

This same conversation brings up the concept of “dragonsteel,”

I found one account of the Long Night that spoke of the last hero slaying Others with a blade of dragonsteel. Supposedly they could not stand against it.” “Dragonsteel?” The term was new to Jon. “Valyrian steel?” “That was my first thought as well.”

So we’re given the connection between the similar powers of “dragonglass”—that is, “frozen fire”—and “dragonsteel,” which, if it is Valyrian steel, has ties to Ned’s greatsword “Ice” made from fire magic.

The Ice Dragon

Which finally brings me to the idea of the Ice Dragon: a concept, and a constellation, which is shared by both the northmen and the free folk:

…he was old friends with the Ice Dragon, the Shadowcat, the Moonmaid, and the Sword of the Morning. All those he shared with Ygritte, but not some of the others. We look up at the same stars, and see such different things. (ASOS Jon III)

Because these two cultures share an interpretation of the stars, it seems likely that the origin of that association predates the Wall that separates them. If that’s the case, it also stands that this cultural association between these stars and the idea of the “Ice Dragon” is somehow so essential or compelling that it has survived all these years of separation. Not that such a thing is necessarily an argument of anything in itself; trying to interpret meaning from that kind of cultural memory is trying to identify the complete shapes from the shadows on the cave wall.

Still, we can say for sure that the “Ice Dragon” is a compelling idea, as much for the people of the North as it can be for the reader.

If we consider Quaithe’s description of dragons:

”dragons are fire made flesh” (ACOK Daenerys II)

Then an Ice Dragon is the same idea yet again. Dragonglass is “frozen fire,” Ned wields “ice” made from fire magic, “dark as smoke.” If dragons are fire made flesh, an “Ice Dragon” would therefore be frozen-fire-made-flesh: dragonglass by yet another name. A weapon which is a unity of ice and fire.

There’s a lot of ways to interpret this, I think. It could be that the “Ice Dragon,” as a concept, is another memory of the significance of dragonglass, and/or dragonsteel—a weapon which has been revered and remembered since the very beginning of the Wall.

In this context, I think it’s possible that we could imagine that the cultural concept of the “Ice Dragon” is itself another way to remember this same idea—if the idea of an ice dragon is fire-made-flesh frozen, then perhaps it’s just a legendary interpretation of “dragonglass” again: the fusion of ice and fire, weaponized.

Jon the Ice Dragon

Of course, I’ve willfully omitted the last, most obviously significant interpretation of the “Ice Dragon,” one which has been argued well by others before: that the Ice Dragon is a metaphor for Jon himself: the marriage of “ice” in Lyanna and “fire” in Rhaegar.

Rhaegar himself seems to think Jon could be the culmination of this idea. He’s talking about Aegon in Dany’s vision, but Rhaegar is clearly preoccupied with the titular Song of Ice and Fire:

“He has a song,” the man replied. “He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.”

Of course, with a Northern mother and a Valyrian father, Jon would be even more a connection of “fire and ice” than Aegon. Metaphorically, Jon Snow is identical to Ned’s greatsword “Ice”—a product of Valyria given a Northern name.

Whether or not there’s anything more to be made from this connection, I think all these references to Ice Dragons are all there to parallel Jon’s importance.

However, if we follow my line of thinking think the context that conceptually the Ice Dragon is, in some ways, Jon, and also that “dragonglass,” the greatsword Ice, and the “Ice Dragon” itself are all metaphorically identical, essentially… then it seems to point almost explicitly to Jon himself being a weapon.

Lightbringer the sword

Which is also no surprise to anyone familiar with a certain take on the Azor Ahai myth, where the last act of Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa was both sex and murder at once:

“A hundred days and a hundred nights he labored on the third blade, and as it glowed white-hot in the sacred fires, he summoned his wife. ‘Nissa Nissa,’ he said to her, for that was her name, ‘bare your breast, and know that I love you best of all that is in this world.’ She did this thing, why I cannot say, and Azor Ahai thrust the smoking sword through her living heart. It is said that her cry of anguish and ecstasy left a crack across the face of the moon, but her blood and her soul and her strength and her courage all went into the steel. Such is the tale of the forging of Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes. (ACOK Davos I)

It’s not my interpretation and has been argued better elsewhere, so I won’t reiterate every part of the argument, but if you accept certain imagery as being euphemistic—the penetration of her bared breast being a sexual penetration; the cry of “anguish and ecstasy” being a cry of sexual pleasure and of death at once—then there’s room to interpret Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes as being the product of sexual intercourse… not unlike a child.

This same imagery is mirrored in Davos’ next chapter, where Melisandre, apparently through her sexual relationship with Stannis, literally births a temporary assassin—a weapon, in other words—while repeating the exact cry as Nissa Nissa:

Panting, she squatted and spread her legs. Blood ran down her thighs, black as ink. Her cry might have been agony or ecstasy or both. And Davos saw the crown of the child’s head push its way out of her.

The mirrored language and seeming connection between penetration magically creating a magical weapon, and the idea that said weapon is literally birthed, we have context to interpret Rhaegar and Lyanna as Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa figures, and Lyanna’s death in childbirth as mirroring Nissa Nissa’s death which imbued the “steel” of Lightbringer with all of “her blood and her soul and her strength.”

And why shouldn’t Lightbringer be alive? Why else would Nissa Nissa need to die forging it? After all, we’re given the significance of why Nissa Nissa would need to die to imbue blood, soul, and strength into something:

Only death can pay for life. (AGOT Daenerys X)

And, like any living thing, the real Lightbringer should give off heat as well as light, unlike Stannis’ glamour sword:

“I felt no heat. Did you, Sam?” “Heat? From the sword?” He thought back. “The air around it was shimmering, the way it does above a hot brazier.” “Yet you felt no heat, did you? And the scabbard that held this sword, it is wood and leather, yes? I heard the sound when His Grace drew out the blade. Was the leather scorched, Sam? Did the wood seem burnt or blackened?” “No,” Sam admitted. “Not that I could see.” Maester Aemon nodded.

And the idea of Lightbringer being alive is not a novel one—there is another theory that contends that “Lightbringer” is, in fact, the dragons themselves. Which may be true, even if we say Jon himself is one iteration of Lightbringer, since we’ve said he is an Ice Dragon, effectively.

In this context, it's worth revisiting the moment where Jon himself says that he is the sword and the fire—when he takes his Night's Watch vows:

I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn,

I am of course not the first to point this out, but if I'm going to end by arguing that Jon himself is Lightbringer, I ought to include the quote where he says I am the light that brings the dawn, shouldn't I?

It’s all one idea

All this to say that all of these things point to the same idea:

Ice the greatsword is a product of Valyria with an icy Northern name, like Jon Snow. Ice is Valyrian steel, which may be dragonsteel, which is like dragonglass in being uniquely effective against the Others. Dragons are fire made flesh, and so an Ice Dragon must be fire-made-flesh frozen, and the Valyrians called dragonglass “frozen fire”—and so Ice, too, is metaphorically “frozen fire,” because besides being called Ice all Valyrian steel is like fire magic made static. Jon is a metaphorical Ice Dragon for being a Targaryen in the North, with Northern heritage and Targaryen heritage. Moreso even than Aegon, Jon’s seems to be the Song of Ice and Fire. Rhaegar and Lyanna might have been Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa figures, whose unity created a magic weapon. If we think that an Ice Dragon is metaphorically similar to the other magic weapons—Valyrian steel and dragonglass both—then it fits that our story’s metaphorical Ice Dragon, Jon, is also a magical weapon. And it’s all one and the same idea.

[the-witchy-housewife]

｡+*✧ A Field Guide to the Energy Body ✧*+｡

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One of the biggest barriers for beginners in energy work, I’ve noticed, seems to be a lack of foundational understanding in regards to the energy body and how to sense those subtle elements ever-present within and without us. Today, I seek to help demystify these concepts with a breakdown of the energy body, the varying theories that go with it (including my own ideas and perceptions), and a handful of suggestions for improving your subtle senses. A fair warning: Today’s read is a long one – so grab yourself a cup of tea, cozy up, and enjoy this thorough breakdown of everything you need to know to start working with energy.

What Is the Energy Body?

As with many things in the realm of the metaphysical, there are varying theories for exactly how the energy body works and the distinct parts it can be broken down into. The best place to start, I feel, is defining the concept of energy itself. Oxford provides three definitions: One, “the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity,” two, “power derived from the utilization of physical or chemical resources”, and three, “the property of matter and radiation which is manifest as a capacity to perform work.” It is derived from the Greek energeia (ἐνέργεια), a sort of cosmic vigor. This fascinating (and somewhat abstract even by mainstream definition) substance can, perhaps, be considered synonymous more “spiritual” words such as spirit, aether (αἰθήρ), prana (प्राण), qi (氣), and likely many others I am unaware of. Energy, in a spiritual sense, is pure lifeforce. It is the little unsolved question mark in the equation of existence, and it is heavily associated with concepts such as the Higher Self, the soul, the psyche (ψυχή), the Ātman (आत्मन्) – and, once again, likely many others I am unaware of.*

(*Just to avoid having to repeat myself regarding varying spiritual schools of teaching, please keep in mind that for the remainder of this piece, I will only be offering a window of insight into a world of different paths. The comparisons made are not meant to be perfect 1:1 comparisons, but are meant to highlight similarities between teachings. Likewise, I will not be naming every single theory that exists in writing today. Use this as a guide, but seek your own path.)

Another thing worth discussing before we continue is the first law of thermodynamics in physics: Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. The total amount of energy within the universe, per this law, has always been and will always be the same – and yet, the universe expands, per these same authorities in science. Perhaps, if we were to answer this riddle spiritually, we could theorize that our idea of “finite” is not quite the Cosmos’ idea of “finite”. Perhaps it is all one big pool that seems to “multiply” within. Perhaps this is one of those concepts shrouded in mystery by our incredibly limited and binary way of thinking. When we delve into the topic of the energy body today, it recommended that you put your binary way of thinking aside, if only temporarily, to really understand and absorb the material for use on your own path.

Which brings us to the energy body, the aetheric vessel or vehicle which surrounds and permeates our physical existence (our current incarnation) and either connects us directly with our Higher Self (our psyche or soul) or contains it. Depending on your practice, you may also refer to this energy body as the subtle body or the light body. It is often broken down further, across many varying belief systems, into three distinct layers or parts.

In Vedic philosophies, for example, there are three bodies or sharira (शारीर): The physical body, the astral body, and the causal body, each one considered more subtle than the last. The physical body, also called the gross body or the sthula sharira (स्थुलशरीर), is exactly that – the physical body. It is made up of the Panchmahabhutas (पञ्चभूत) or five primordial elements: Akasha (आकाश) or aether, Vayu (वायु) or air, Agni (अग्नि) or fire, and Prithivi (पृथिवी) or earth. It is the densest of the three bodies and requires food, water, and air as sustenance and is bound by cyclical time through birth, subsistence, growth, maturity, decay, and death. Come death, it dissolves. The astral body, also called the subtle body or the linga sharira (लि��्गशरीर), is the sort of in-between where the mind, intellect, subconscious, and ego reside. It surrounds the physical body as an aura and encourages the movement of the prana through the nadis (नाडी), or energy currents, and chakras (चक्र), or energy centers. It is responsible for our physiological functions, our feelings of pleasure and pain, our five physical senses, and our subtler astral senses (or what some may call our psychic abilities). It is formed prior to the physical body and only dissolves after the last particle of the physical body disintegrates. The astral body may itself be considered synonymous with the energy body depending upon your perspective. Finally, the causal body, also called the seed body or the karana sharira (करणशरीर), is the catalyst for the development of the physical and astral bodies and the blueprint of each incarnation on the whole. It is the doorway to higher consciousness and the link between the individual and the collective, and it contains the knowledge, information, experiences, and habitual patterns accumulated across all lifetimes. These three bodies may be broken down even further still into the five koshas (कोश), or sheaths, but for the sake of the simplicity of this article, I won’t be delving any further into this today. Should you feel called to this path of exploration, feel free to go out and explore the topic further for yourself.

Now, while the Vedic teachings of the energy body may offer the most thorough breakdown, there are other relevant philosophies worth exploring. In Ancient Greek teachings, Plato breaks the psyche down into three parts: The epithymia (ἐπῐ́θῡμοια) or the part of the psyche related to desire and instinct, the thymos (θυμός) or the part of the psyche related to passion and drive, and the logos (λόγος) or the part of the psyche related to logic and wisdom. In more general spiritual philosophies, this is simply called the body, mind, and spirit (or sometimes heart). In addition, there are also varying New Age ideas of the energy body including things like the etheric layer, the emotional layer, and the mental layer.

In my practice: On my path, I’ve studied and compared many, many cultures, teachings, and mythos as they relate to an understanding of spirituality. From these studies, I currently theorize – as many people do – that they are all describing the same thing. As it applies here:

The Parts of the Energy Body (Vessel for the Psyche): Epithymia ↭ Body ↭ Physical Body ↭ Vital Sheath (of Astral Body) Thymos ↭ Mind ↭ Astral Body ↭ Mental Sheath (of Astral Body) Logos ↭ Spirit ↭ Causal Body ↭ Intellectual Sheath (of Astral Body)

It’s not that these are explicitly the same (and certainly not in the case of the bodies and sheaths in Yogic philosophy), but that they bear many undeniable similarities. They each offer valuable insight and information which does not unravel but, rather, supports one another and only serves to further our understanding of these concepts the deeper we delve into them.

The goal of mastering the energy body, typically, is to liberate the soul, the rawest and “truest” part of your being. In doing so, we begin to remember this part of ourselves and are able to leave behind the cycle of reincarnation. In addition, this benefits the current incarnation by freeing you from emotional burdens and obsessions, expanding your awareness (which I define as the window of existence we are “currently” perceiving), and improving your subtle senses and abilities (which we will be discussing later in this article).

Finally, before we move on, there is one additional concept relevant to the energy body that I’d like to discuss, and that is the concept of vibes or vibrational frequency. In my experience, there are two different types of vibrational frequencies that tend to intermingle within the same space: What I call the energetic signature – or the raw, identifiable energy that is unique to a person, place, or thing – and what I call energetic impressions – or energies that have been influenced and shaped by intention, emotional output, or lingering energies that have passed through. When we do energy work, when we manifest, or when we enchant, we are creating an energetic impression. That energetic impression will also contain, beyond our intentions, a piece of our own energetic signature and a piece of the energetic impression that may be dwelling within us based on a particular emotion we’ve been accumulating. To put it into simpler terms: You can think of this process like signing your name on a letter to someone. Your energetic signature is your name, and it will always be linked to you directly. Let’s say it’s a love letter. In this case, you may choose to sign your name in red and add a little heart to the end of it. The way you decorate this signature is the intention you are imposing upon the letter’s overall energetic impression. Let’s also say you’re nervous, though, as you write this letter. Perhaps your signature is shakily written, despite your best efforts. This shakiness would be your internal energetic impressions coming through. It is not directly connected to you, but it is still present within you and makes itself known on the page. What you are left with is a letter from you that conveys romance and anxiety, and that is the energetic impression of letter. Keep in mind that the letter also has its own unique energetic signature on top of this, and for simplicity, we’ll say that, in the case of this example, the energetic signature of the letter is that which is meant to convey a message.

Energy Points & The Chakra System

There is much debate about whether or not working with the chakra system outside of the practice of Hinduism is to be considered frowned-upon appropriative behavior. I will state my opinion simply: If you explore thoroughly and with respect to the source material and its teachers, find spiritual benefit in your life after applying your findings, and do not commercialize yourself as the one and only authority of the one and only truth (which is quite a big problem in the spirituality community in general), you should be able to do so without being met with venomous looks. Often, it is not the followers of a path barring the curious from entry onto it, and I find the desire to deter people from walking any sort of spiritual path that seeks the deeper potential truths of human existence to be a bit questionable. To me, this implies that either the path in question holds no truth or that certain people are simply not permitted to seek such a truth. It also completely ignores the tremendous amount of cross-cultural influence among these spiritual paths. That said, I am aware of closed practices and sacred spaces that are closed at the discretion of those practicing within them, and though Hinduism on the whole is not considered a closed practice by many of those who live by its teachings, I again urge utmost respect when dealing with any sort of cross-cultural exploration (including confronting any hidden biases you may have).

There is another sector of people who feel that the purpose of the chakra system (either initially or by corruption over time) is to create energetic sockets, as it were, for various external entities and energies to easily attach to you, drain you, and/or manipulate you. Without getting too deeply into the why’s and how’s of it, this has popularized the idea of a process known as chakra removal, which can be a bit confusing, as the processes I’ve read about seem something more like chakra unification than removal. The process usually involves the condensing of the seven-point chakra system into a three-point or one-point energetic spring that can flow more easily without “stopping” at these various destinations along the way in the case of a blockage. In doing so, as well, it is thought that there are less “entry” points for unwanted entities or energies to creep into. I’ll give my opinion on this shortly, but before I do, I’d like to return to the seven-chakra system itself to give a bit of foundation.

The chakras (चक्र), in Vedic teachings, are swirling centers of energy connected by nadis (नाडी), currents of energy which allow travel between the chakras. To clean up the first misconception: There have been and still are many varying chakra systems beyond the seven-chakra system most of us are familiar with today, and this is because the chakra system is not one of solidity, but are rather one of function and organization – a method of working with the very fluid energy body in a way that we are able to comprehend, the creatures of method that we are as human beings. In most cases, the common points among these systems include the sexual center, the heart, and the crown (which lines up quite well with our look into the layers of the energy body). Outside of this, though, systems can vary greatly, and one system is no better or worse than another. Returning again to the seven-chakra system: The concept of a myriad of correspondences as being intrinsically linked to certain chakras seems to be another rigid misunderstanding of the original teachings. In my understanding, the elements and symbols associated with the chakras are meant to assist in the visualization process known as nyasa (न्यास), wherein mantras (मन्त्र), or divine recitations, are installed at specific chakras with the intention of inviting in the gods into them.

None of this, by the way, is to discredit the westernized chakra system which does indeed have a focus on correspondences, as per traditional western mystic practices which is big on the concept of correspondences on the whole. Just because something is newer or derivative does not inherently make it less effective, and I’ve seen many people find positive, life-changing results from working with the western interpretation of the chakra system. To me, it is just another variation, and a lot of ideas born of this variation have even been incorporated into more modern practices overall. Where I think the contention really comes in, however, is when this particular chakra system is presented as “the ancient way”, similar to the way Wicca is sometimes presented as an ancient religion. Both are derivative of much older practices, and there is nothing wrong with this. The sooner we become okay with this, the sooner we can be honest about it and the more open to learning and exploring both the old and the new ways we can become. Learning and growing in an eternal role of “student of the universe” is one of my favorite aspects of spirituality. I hope you all carry a healthy curiosity, as well.

With all that said, let’s have a basic look at the modern interpretation of the seven-chakra system as it is commonly presented within the spiritual community today:

❃ The Root Chakra | Muladhara (मूलाधार)/Hieron Osteon (ἱερόν ὀστέον) | Formed at the base of the spine. Intended for the vibration of “LAM” and the installation of Ganesh and Brahma. Associated with the element of earth. Other correspondences include the color red, the reproductive glands, and the frequency of 396 Hz. It is worked with to assist in grounding, confidence, and base instinct.

❃ The Sacral Chakra | Svadhisthana (स्वाधिष्ठान)/Gonades (γονάδες) | Formed at the navel. Intended for the vibration of “VAM” and the installation of Vishnu. Associated with the element of water. Other correspondences include the color orange, the adrenal glands, and the frequency of 417 Hz. It is worked with to assist in sexual desires, passion, and creativity.

❃ The Solar Plexus Chakra | Manipura (मणिपुर)/Gaster (γᾰστήρ) | Formed at the solar plexus. Intended for the vibration of “RAM” and the installation of Rudra. Associated with the element of fire. Other correspondences include the color yellow, the pancreas glands, and the frequency of 528 Hz. It is worked with to assist in self-esteem, determination, and willpower.

❃ The Heart Chakra | Anahata (अनाहत)/Phrenes (φρένες) | Formed at the center of the chest. Intended for the vibration of “YAM” and the installation of Ishvara. Associated with the element of air. Other correspondences include the color green, the thymus glands, and the frequency of 639 Hz. It is worked with to assist in love, compassion, and emotional stability.

❃ The Throat Chakra | Vishuddha (विशुद्ध)/Trachelos (τράχηλος) | Formed at the throat. Intended for the vibration of “HAM” and the installation of Sadashiva. Associated with the element of aether. Other correspondences include the color blue, the thyroid glands, and the frequency of 741 Hz. It is worked with to assist in communication, trust, and individuality.

❃ The Third Eye Chakra | Ajna (आज्ञा)/Enkephalos (ἐγκέφᾰλος) | Formed between the eyebrows. Intended for the vibration of “OM” and the installation of Ardhanarishvara. Other correspondences include the color indigo, the pineal glands, and the frequency of 852 Hz. It is worked with to assist in expanded spiritual awareness and a sense of time.

❃ The Crown Chakra | Sahasrara (सहस्रार)/Koruphe (κορυφή) | Formed at the top of the head. Intended for the vibration of “OM” and the installation of Bhairava. Other correspondences include the color violet, the pituitary glands, and the frequency of 963 Hz. It is worked with to assist in divine liberation and return to pure consciousness.

There many other associations and correspondences out there, including ones that may be very different from those I’ve listed here. Let the teachings that resonate with you guide you on your own path of exploration, but only keep with you that which you find beneficial. One additional note about the above list: You may have noticed I’ve also included terms for a Hellenic interpretation of the seven-chakra system. If you path takes on a Hellenic slant as mine does, have a look at this website for this interpretation, which has a heavy focus on healing.

In my practice: As promised, I now offer my opinion on the chakra system and the theories that surround the practice of “chakra removal”: I do not personally feel that the purpose of the chakra system is inherently malicious as some others do, nor do I feel like having your system err on the side of “open” is inherently bad practice. I do think, though, that if you are going to work with an energy body system that is more open, it is a good idea to have a regular practice of cleansing and cord cutting, and it is an equally good idea to get to know your own energy body well enough to know when it is in need of extra attention. On the other hand, if you opt for a more closed system, it would probably be wise to be mindful of potential stagnation. The system you choose to work with, unified or otherwise, however, I feel, is largely up to the practitioner.

I think it’s also worth noting that when some people step into the realm of the spiritual – and certainly when they begin to step away from modern Biblical rhetoric – they pull a great deal of anxiety with them, whether that’s due to programming from that Biblical rhetoric or amplified fears of the unknown by Hollywood dramatization. With this kind of hypervigilance, it can become unfortunately quite easy to apply your everyday worries and blues to whatever new practice you’re exploring. Be careful not to neglect the tricks of the mundane.

Psychic Abilities of the Energy Body

In the first section of this article, I mentioned that working with the energy body – beyond aiding in liberation of the soul – can offer some additional benefits in the current incarnation by freeing you from emotional burdens and obsessions, expanding your awareness, and improving your subtle senses and abilities. But what is this “expanded” awareness, and what does it feel like? Further, what are these “subtle senses and abilities” you should be prepared to encounter?

There are two workable systems that I am aware of that attempt to categorize and help you reach certain states of awareness. The first system is related to the koshas of Vedic philosophy – which again, you should feel free to explore should it call to you – and the second system is that of the “focus levels” taught by the Monroe Institute. After working with the Monroe Institute myself, and in particular the Gateway Experience curriculum, I have my own opinions and ideas regarding their work, which I will be divulging at a later time. For now, though, I do have to say that their breakdown of “focus levels” provides a nice little linear map of forward momentum in an expanding awareness. As outlined on their website: Focus 1 represents normal, waking consciousness within the realm of this physical reality. They then skip ahead to Focus 10, which represents the body in a state of sleep while the mind remains awake and alert. Focus 11 is considered the “Access Channel” and represents a state of open communication between the mental, the physical, and the emotional. Moving onto Focus 15, we find ourselves in a state of “No-Time”, wherein consciousness is far removed from the physical body, and linear time in no longer relevant to experience. Some may call this the Void State. Skipping again to Focus 21, and things begin to get a bit weirder. This point is described as the very edge of perception of the space/time continuum and the “Bridge” to other realities. Focus 23 is said to be the territory of “new arrivals” who have just experienced physical death. Focus 24 through 26 are grouped together as “Belief System Territories”, where the divine concepts of religion and mythos reside. Focus 27 is said to be the “edge of human thought capacity” and a “way-station” for those recovering from the trauma of physical death and planning the next phase of experience. Focus 34 and 35 are labeled the “area of the Gathering”, and from here on out, it only gets more obscure and a bit irrelevant to the point of this article. While I cannot, after my experiences, recommend the trainings and audio offered directly by the Monroe Institute, if it is calling to you, feel free to explore it for yourself. I do think there are gems in there, but I have to wonder how much higher-up meddling may have poisoned the cookie jar, as it were, to some degree.

You may have noticed that these experiences broken down above deal predominately in the realm of deep meditation or sleep, but as our overall awareness grows, so too does our overall abilities to perceive the subtler aspects of existence, and we may find ourselves having equally “strange” experiences in our waking lives. You may already be familiar with the following:

• Claircognizance: Intuition, discernment, and knowing. This is the first thing, in my experience and the experiences of many others, that seems to strengthen upon an expanded awareness. It seems to be what is most commonly referred to as a generic “psychic ability” and can be exercised by developing trust in your inner voice and practicing mindfulness meditation.

• Clairvoyance: Seeing clearly what is “unseen” in the mind’s eye. Sometimes this can come through as a visual imprint of energies/entities existing in other realms. This ability can be exercised by “predicting” unseen visual cues and practicing visualization meditation.

• Clairaudience: Hearing clearly what is “unheard” in the mind’s ear. Sometimes this can come through as an auditory imprint of energy/entities existing in other realms. The ability can be exercised by “predicting” unheard audio cues and practicing the expansion of your auditory awareness while sitting in “silence”.

• Clairsentience: An intuitive awareness of present energies, the strongest to come through usually being emotional. People who naturally find themselves picking up on and absorbing these energies like a sponge to water, and who may be subconsciously shaping energetic cords as a result, are often referred to as empaths. I recognize that the term has been greatly watered down, so I tend to stress that empaths are energetically sensitive rather than emotionally.

• Telepathy: The ability to project intended mental energy, such as the energy of certain information or emotions. Beyond the typical presentation of “communicating with others via thought”, I feel as though many popular manifestation techniques could fall into this category.

• Telekinesis: The ability to project intended physical energy, often to bring about a realm-time physical response. Beyond the typical presentation of “moving objects with your mind”, I feel as thought many popular energy healing techniques could fall into this category.

This is by no means the edge of possibility, I am sure – merely the most commonly discussed of the subtle abilities. Additionally, contrary to what some believe, I am of the belief that any and all of this abilities can be achieved by absolutely anyone. Though they may – as with any skill – come more naturally to some than others, with a regular practice of working with the energy body, I am sure you will find that these experiences begin to develop.

Burdens of the Energy Body

There is a plethora of beliefs regarding the formation of energetic blockages and the problems that can cause for you in your current incarnation, in the afterlife to follow, and in subsequent incarnations after that (whatever “after” may imply in what may be quite a timeless realm overall). The first of these blockages I’d like to discuss in this section is that of generational curses and generational trauma, both of which apply to the current incarnation alone (though, there are other theories out there considering the possibility of reincarnation taking place within the bounds of a bloodline). In a Biblical sense, generational curses may be likened to the concept of “original sin” as it related to the alleged wrongdoings of our ancestors and the responsibility of consequence being passed onto us by nature of blood relation. Even outside of the Biblical context, however, the concept of familiar curses can be seen in folklore, in classical works, and in modern media. Breaking these curses comes two-fold: Cleansing with intention and then breaking the cycle of questionable family habits through shadow work, therapy, or some other preferred form of thorough introspection. Generational trauma, on the other hand, is more solid of a concept, rooted in psychological study, and is explained as being passed down through the coping mechanisms and unhealthy behaviors resulting from traumatic experiences being learned and mirrored through the family’s descendants. Each generation is shaped by the previous, and again, echoes the sentiment of a need to break the cycle. Even for those who consider generational trauma to be a more spiritual experience, self-work seems to be the most optimal solution for that problem, whatever the preferred method of self-work is.

Next, we have the concept of miasma (μίασμα) or soul pollution. In order of severity, this miasma can be produced by: Natural death, childbirth, contact with human blood, excretions, or sexual fluids, illness, imperfections in ritual – and moving up into what is deemed hamartia (ἁμαρτία), or the more harmful and more serious producers of miasma – murder, incest, hubris, and malevolent magick. Left uncleansed, miasma is said to cause a spiritual disconnect and result in ineffective rituals. It is also considered contagious and may be picked up or spread through people, places, and objects. It is important to note that this is not at all related to the Abrahamic concept of sin, but more a natural side effect of having a physical experience. The more consumed by the physical we are, the denser our own energy becomes, and the less connected we are to our own divinity. This doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t enjoy this physical experience. You should – and in my opinion, have a pleasant existence is very much about finding the right balance in your life. Regular cleansings easily solve the issue of miasma.

Then we have what is typically referred to as etheric cords, and these sticky energetic strings can form in at least two ways that I am aware of: By unintentionally giving your focus and, therefore, energy to another person, place, or thing or by intentionally attaching your energy to a person, place, or thing. People or entities who conscious attach to other living beings with the purpose of draining their energy for their own benefit are often referred to as spiritual parasites or psychic vampires. Though, I do want to note as well that there are many psychic vampires I have come across who have been doing this subconsciously and find themselves totally unaware of it. There are many who have become aware who now practice the conscious absorption of exclusively negative energy and the transmutation of it into positive, thereby making the practice beneficial. Definitely a topic worth delving into another time. In any case, the solution for these etheric cords is a process known as cord cutting, which typically involves a visualization of these cords being cut or disconnected and is followed by a cleansing.

One issue you may be more familiar with is that of the Evil Eye – also known as mati (μάτι), al-’ayn (العين), mal de ojo, and many other names across many other cultures, with slight variations across each piece of folklore surrounding it. Similarly to etheric cords, this curse is formed by focused attention on a subject – in this case, specifically negative, caused by envy, judgement, or dislike. Though, it is important to mention that in some cultures, it is by looks of admiration, and it is believed that the young are especially vulnerable. Though done unintentionally, the result is bad luck, feelings of unpleasantness, and, in more serious cases, physical illness. There are many cleansing techniques out there specifically intended to target Evil Eye, but it is growing increasingly common for people to keep an Evil Eye amulet, commonly a Nazar (نَظَر‎) or Hamsa (خمسة), to help neutralize the effects of Evil Eye.

Moving our focus across incarnations, we’ve got concepts like karma (कर्म), another term that has gotten quite watered down. Karma, as a cosmic law, is much closer to the idea of manifestation than it is to justice, but cosmic justice can indeed be a result. It is a cosmic cause and effect – an action and the energy that is then produced by it – and karma itself is not something that is set in stone. You are capable of setting positive intentions and taking positive actions that can change the tides for you at anytime. You are not guaranteed an eternity of suffering because you did something bad one time. What you are guaranteed, regardless of the nature of your action, is a return on the nature of your action, in whatever way that may manifest. If you are very concerned about “bad karma”, however, self-work is, as I say for many other things, the best medicine – and self-flagellation for assumed bad deeds from previous lifetimes will only result in a manifestation of those beliefs continuing.

And finally, we have the concept of soul contracts, the plans or missions that we allegedly set for ourselves prior to incarnating into a new lifetime – and this is where ideas like fate and destiny come into play. It is believed by many that these so-called contracts are made with an overarching spiritual purpose – a purpose for our soul’s growth, for our soul family, for existence itself. Still, this brings into question the necessity of more negative behaviors, assuming that these behaviors are a product of these contracts and not some sort of subconscious rebellion. It may also have one questioning things like autonomy and free will, and I very much value the availability of knowledge and the informed freedom that comes as a result. You must decide for yourself whether you share this view or you view this as a necessary mystery in the grand spiritual puzzle – if you believe in the idea at all – but should you decide that something must be done about this in your life, there are many who suggest that revoking consent, either verbally or internally, is a powerful and life-changing practice.

Your beliefs about all of these things, by the way, do have the potential to cause their own energetic blockages. Additionally, our belief systems on the whole are not immune to forces of external programming – but that is another conversation for another time. I must stress, above all, that self-work is so very important, and I am currently working on a free three-part course for those looking to get started on this, so please keep an eye out for that. I’ll, of course, update this article when the course goes live. And for those of you who would like a more foundational article pertaining to cleansings and spiritual safety in general, I have an article on that you can check out right here.

Energy Body Activations

“Activation.” That was always sort of a funny word to me in the realm of spirituality, as if these parts of ourselves are by default dormant and deactivated. I, on the other hand, feel that they are always present and active in our day-to-day, guiding us through life’s many twists and turns, albeit perhaps beyond average perception and beyond average control. In the thoroughly modern times we live in, and within a society constantly spoonfeeding you that lifestyle, our spiritual side becomes neglected. By being reassured over and over again how mundane the world is and how helpless we are to it, our spiritual “muscles” may grow weak, but I do not feel that they are ever fully “deactivated”. On my path, I would liken the term “activation” more closely to the idea of “awakening”, which to me is synonymous with remembering who we really are. Activation. Awakening. Ascension. All of these things mean roughly the same thing to me. That said, only you can decide how you feel as we explore the idea of activations.

The most commonly discussed activation or awakening – outside of the very general “spiritual awakening” – is that of Kundalini (कुण्डलिनी) awakening. In Tantric practices, Kundalini is described as a sort of primordial life-force energy of the Divine Feminine, a source of creative energy and spiritual liberation, lying coiled at the base of the spine, which upon awakening flows up through the energy body and out and around you through the crown like a cyclical fountain. When flowing freely, it is common for the results to be felt quite intensely. These results are sometimes referred to as “Kundalini syndrome” in individuals who are not quite prepared or in the ideal state of mind to be receiving such a surge of energy. As with any other type of ill-prepared experience with spiritual awakening, this has the potential to lead to things like increased anxiety, dissociation, derealization, physical illness as a result of high stress, or even psychosis in some of the worst cases. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you let a Kundalini or spiritual awakening come naturally as you move forward on your path and that you maintain balance and keep a regular practice of grounding. For those interested in working towards the experience, the following practices are recommended: Tantra, pranayama, meditation, rhythmic movement, gratitude and openness, and energy work in general. It should be noted, however, that there are those who believe it cannot necessarily be “brought on”, but rather that it happens when it is meant to, regardless of how prepared you may be.

In my practice: I’d like to mention that, from my perspective, there seems to be a colossal distortion in much of western culture of both the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine energies. I see a lot of repression of the healthier expression of these energies alongside the touting of unhealthier expressions as inherent parts of our identities that should not be changed for anyone or anything. And to clarify, this has nothing to do with gender, as we all have aspects of both energies within us at varying levels. The Divine Feminine, in particular, is a cosmic energy that has been demonized for a very long time. Thus, this aspect of the spiritual awakening process is where I think a lot of people start to stagnate on their path – and to say nothing of the endless bombardness with notions of powerlessness supposedly intended to keep us rooted in “reality” at all times on top of it all. It’s unfortunate that these things are the case, but it’s something to be aware of nonetheless if you really want to see growth.

Another popular concept circulating within the spiritual community right now is that of DNA activation. It’s interesting how this trend is reflected even in the more “mundane” sectors of life in the way of DNA test kits that reveal your supposed ancestral origins. In terms of benefits, they seem to be not unlike the list of benefits that come with the more general spiritual awakening. I have my own opinions on the matter, which I’ll address later, but for now, this is the only process I was able to find among the sea of people selling their “unique” services:

DNA Activation, Part 1: First, ground yourself. As soon as you feel like you’re ready, bring Earth’s energy up through your feet, up through your crown, and out into the universe. Continue carrying this beam of energy out beyond the universe and into the realm of the Divine. Once there, command the Divine to activate what is referred to as your “youth and vitality chromosomes” and to reveal to you “the master cell in the pineal gland”. Observe in your mind’s eye what is shown to you, and it is done. Return your awareness to your body and cleanly cut any cords you may have formed. Circulate your own energy within you. You may experience a sort of energetic purge after this point, so give yourself some time to adjust.

DNA Activation, Part 2: Repeat part one up until you reach the realm of the Divine. Once there, command the Divine to activate your remaining chromosomes, and once again ask them to reveal the “master cell”. Observe in your mind’s eye what is shown to you, and it is done. Return your awareness to your body once more, cut cords, and circulate your energy. After this point, the process of DNA activation is complete, and the promised benefits will follow.

Less talked about – but still talked about enough to be worth mentioning in this article – is the concept of light body activation, in which there seems to be 12 levels of activation that vary from source to source. As with DNA activation, it is difficult to find a method of doing it yourself versus an array of people simply offering their own services, and the only freely available recommendations I could find fall right in line with the suggestions given for advancing a Kundalini awakening. The benefits, as well, are quite similar if not completely the same.

I’m sure there are more activation techniques out there than the above two I’ve mentioned, which brings me to the question: Are all of these “activations” true, or are these people simply trying to sell you something? Of course, it is not the case that every spiritual service is a con, and I take not issue with spiritual services provided for convenience. It’s when people present themselves as the only ones capable of doing something for you that I’m inclined to tilt my head. People may have their own methods of doing things, and they are well within their right to offer that method as a service or class or book or however they may choose to present it, but make no mistake, anyone is entirely capable of achieving the same result on their own. In fact, I encourage it, because the spiritual path is a deeply personal one, and learning how powerful you are is such an important part of it. Still, disingenuous con artists do exist within our community, and it’s important to be aware of that and raise questions when necessary.

In my practice: There are some of you who may feel offended regarding my opinions on certain activation processes – those of you who have found them to be beneficial especially. I am not denying anyone what works for them. You should explore anything that resonates with you, and if something works for you, then it works for you, and you should give no one the power to take that away. All I am suggesting is two things: That you don’t need a special and mysterious activation process offered by a stranger online and that these parts of you don’t necessarily need “activation” at all. In my opinion, it happens naturally as you move forward on your spirit path, as you explore deeper parts of yourself, as you become familiar with your own energy body. All of these concepts that I’ve studies – spiritual awakening, spiritual ascension, Kundalini awakening, DNA activation, light body activation, etc – they all have so very much in common in terms of goals and benefits. Perhaps it is another case of different people talking about the same thing. That said, in the case of DNA activation, I do have to wonder if a focus on the current incarnation could present some problems, particularly in the very tribal society we currently reside in. Again, though, I cannot take from you that which works for you.

Starting to Sense Energies

It all has to start somewhere, and if you’re planning on getting into any sort of energy work, the first step is to begin trying to sense those subtle energies. One exercise I really enjoy is given in this video by one of my favorite witches on YouTube, Lady Gravedancer. The process is very simple and easy-to-understand, and it can be applied to anything and everything. These subtle sensations come differently to everyone. You may feel a warmth, a tingling, a buzzing, a fluidity, or something completely different, but the more you work with it, the more you’ll familiarize yourself with how you personally perceive and transpose energy.

If this is too difficult for you at this time – and it’s okay if it is; we are all at different points on our path – I suggest taking a step back and implementing a practice of daily meditation and regular exploration (both of the self and of varying pre-built paths our there). When ideas come to you, or when things call to you upon your explorations, take them and run with them. Peel them open like fresh fruit and revel in the sensation of something new. You may find that they resonate and take your further along your journey – or you may find that they don’t, and in that case, you continue on as you were, keeping the mind’s eye out for the next thing worth trying.

The destination is exciting, but the journey is just as enthralling. I hope that you’ll allow yourself to enjoy it, and I hope that this article has found those of you who craved it. Much love and many blessings to you, wherever your path may take you, until we meet again.

[madame-mortician]

My Personal DBD Wishlist

So Dead by Daylight released the Year 9 roadmap, and Jesus Christ there are a LOT of licenses coming to DBD for this year and the next, so I wanted to share my personal wishlist for licenses, concepts and ideas that I want to go to DBD. Keep in mind, this is all my opinion and none of this is stuff that I think is coming, they're just things that I'd like to come, y'know?

A Second Silent Hill Chapter

Now this might seem pointless since we already have plenty of Silent Hill characters in the game, but we also have plenty of Resident Evil characters so let me dream. Personally, I'd want an outdoor Silent Hill map, showing the foggy streets. For Killer, I'd either want Walter Sullivan or Claudia Wolf, though depending on the killer power, it would work to have Claudia as the killer (to tie with Cheryl more) and have Walter be a Legendary. As for a survivor, I feel like Henry, Eileen and Harry are the only ones that could really work, since I don't think Vincent or Angela would suit the game very well. Similar to how Legion received Robbie the Rabbit cosmetics, I think perhaps Nurse should receive a Silent Hill Nurse cosmetic and maybe Hag could get a Sakura Head cosmetic. Again, this is all a personal wishlist so I doubt this will ever happen but it's fun to pretend.

A Second Saw Chapter

Yes, we're doing this. So for a map, I'd go with the Catacombs from Saw 5, where the Fatal Five's games occurred. That way we would be able to explore multiple trap rooms, just like how Gideon's Meat Plant goes through multiple trap rooms from Saw 1-3. It wouldn't have to be an exact replica, the Meat Plant map sure isn't, so some other locations could even be thrown in there like the Glass Coffin room. As for characters, I'd personally go with Mark Hoffman as the killer, and either Jill Tuck or Peter Strahm as the survivor (or maybe both.) I think having a full-blown new chapter might be a little too much, especially considering that Mark and Amanda would act the same way, so a second idea would be that Amanda receives a bunch of Legendary cosmetics changing her to the other apprentices (Hoffman and Lawrence), with the only issue really being that those characters also wear pig masks, but to that I say Legion all has the same mask, yet there's four of them so hush. Tapp could get Legendary cosmetics that change him to Jill or Peter, or hell even Adam and Matthews could get in on the action.

A Second Evil Dead Chapter

So Evil Dead is one of the most iconic slashers of all time and it was completely ROBBED in DBD. Sure Freddy was kinda screwed over, and the TCM chapter didn’t even come with a survivor or map, however Evil Dead personally means more to me and it just sucks to me that they could only get AVED Ash, and not the iconic Evil Dead 2 Ash, or hell, even AOD Ash would’ve been nice. In my dream, hypothetical second Evil Dead chapter, I’d give Ash an Ultra Rare that turns him into AOD Ash. I’d also include a killer, either Evil Ash or Deadite Cheryl, and I’d either add Mia as a new character, or make her a Legendary for Ash. If Deadite Cheryl was the killer, I’d include Ellie and Linda as Legendaries, and if Evil Ash was the killer I’d probably give him a Baal skin.

An X Chapter

I think an issue with DBD is the lack of modern horror licenses. Sure we have Stranger Things, but that’s already over 5 years old. We haven’t gotten any modern characters beside them. Granted, there isn’t a lot of iconic horror films releasing nowadays that aren’t reboots or sequels, so that’s hard however X is an iconic and new franchise. Pearl as the killer, Maxine as the survivor, it’s perfect. You could argue Pearl being younger would make it confusing between her and Maxine since they look the same, however if Pearl is given animations that look unique enough, she’d be different enough to Maxine to not confuse them.

More Resident Evil Legendaries

So with Silent Hill, I wanted another chapter despite the abundance of content however with Resident Evil, I feel like we don’t really need entirely new characters. Resident Evil already has 2 killers and 4 survivors (4 killers and 9 survivors if you count Legendaries) whilst some licenses don’t even get 1 killer (Evil Dead my beloved.) Despite this, I still do wish for more content. Resident Evil just has so many iconic heroes and villains that are great for killers and survivors, however to include all of them would take up like 20 chapters and by that point it wouldn’t be fair at all to the other licenses who get nothing. I personally really hope for Lady Dimitrescu and her Daughters to come as Legendaries, the only issue being that I can’t tell who they should replace. In my head, I can kinda see Dimitrescu being a skin for maybe Plague but the power doesn’t fit that much IMO. Same problem with Dimitrescu’s daughters, I’m just not sure who they could be if not new characters. It’s simple for characters like Barry, Sherry and Ashley to be introduced, just make them skins for Leon and Jill, but it’s way harder to introduce new unique killer skins. My other bet would be to have Lady Dimitrescu be a skin for Nemesis, and have her daughters as the zombies, but that feels like too much work.

A House of 1000 Corpses Chapter

I’m not even sure what their powers would be or if there’d be a survivor or not, but I’d want the Firefly Family in this game, asap. I’d either have their chapter come with 2 killers, Captain Spaulding and Baby Firefly, with them both getting legendaries that change them to Rufus and Otis respectively, similar to Legion. Again, not sure on power, since they’re just regular killers, but I’d want Baby and Otis to be more psychotic and quick, with Spaulding and Rufus being slow heavy-hitters. Instead of the house, I’d have the gas station as the map, with most of it being outdoors but including a small indoor area with the front registers and the dark ride. It would be similar to the Greenville map.

A Junji Ito Chapter

This one is a bit of a unique one, since very other one here has a movie or game models to base themselves off of. Junji Ito has manga and anime, with irrelevant live action movies, so if they added anybody they’d have to make them fit the style. Although Junji Ito is my DREAM chapter, I didn’t think it would work… until now… Since Castlevania recently got added, they adapted the video game/anime designs for DBD and they look amazing. Not only are they anime-ish but also fit DBD’s art style, but they look good and not uncanny/bad. My point is, now I 100% believe they could add Junji Ito characters with no problem. My dream would be a mix of multiple stories, so Tomie would be the killer, Kirie/Shuichi would be the survivors and we’d get legendaries of characters like Souichi and Fuchi.

A Fatal Frame Chapter

This is one of those ones I highly doubt is going to happen, but I would love it either way. I'd go with the Silent Hill route where we get a map, a killer and a survivor with the survivor getting multiple Legendary cosmetics to account for the magnitude of popular protagonists in the franchise. I'd personally have the default be Rei Kurosawa since she's arguably the most popular protagonist, and she would come with Legendary cosmetics that turn her into Ruka, Yuri, Mio, Miku, Miu and Misaki. The killer could be Sae Kurosawa, though honestly any of the ghosts could work as the chapter's killer. As for a map, I feel like the best one would be Minakami Village, however again, any of the maps could work, hell maybe they could even do the Saw route, where they merge a bunch of locations into one map. The killer could have a new unique item, similar to how Sadako comes with tapes, or Xenomorph comes with turrets, the killer could come with cameras.

Springtrap

Yeah, yeah, very original I know. The truth is, I'm a huge FNAF fan and have been for a long time, and even though Springtrap is not my favourite animatronic in the series, he's definitely the most popular and the only one who could really work as a "main killer" (especially since the other animatronics have mostly become "good guys.") Of course, they could always bring in Legendary cosmetics to turn him into Freddy or something, but for now, Springtrap works the best and a lot of people want him so why not? Edit: YIPPEE!!

Elvira

I know survivor-only chapters are less fun than killer-only chapters since survivors are basically just skins, but shut up. Anyways, we’ve already had celebrity cameos, with Nicolas Cage, who is technically a horror actor but isn’t strictly known for horror like some better characters. DBD is branching away from horror nowadays, but I’d still love to see horror themed celebrities make appearances. Elvira is the biggest one I can think of, known was an iconic horror legend for being a gothic host for horror films. Her connections to horror would make her great for DBD, as she would have lots of comedic lines relating to these slashers she’s now with, similar to Nicolas Cage.

A Proper 2v8

So they recently announced 2v8, however it's only with the original 5 killers and a select few survivors. I understand they want to test the waters, and also they are adding new things and gameplay mechanics to their mod, however, I personally just want a regular 2v8. Two killers, 8 survivors, just that. No classes, no weird new mechanics, just regular DBD with double the characters. Of course some things would have to be changed so that it's not unfair, but not to the point of it being a completely different thing.

[strawbsbbq]

Trud x Regretvator fanfic

(this is cringe but I'm free, warning for mentions of violence, strangulation, derealization and implied murder. It is also- not the best and very edgy as I concepted it while sleep deprived.)

TR:UD x REGRETAVATOR Investigation at the rocket arena.The taxi drove off,as the two of them hopped out. The Detective,Bive,Adjusted her glasses as she held a bit of paper in her hands. “Ahah! This is the place!” She exclaimed joyfully. The man..or..bug besides her didn't match the energy.

He was clearly already annoyed with this foolish investigation. “...how inviting.” He said, snarky. The Detective scoffed at her unamused assistant. “Oh shush,Pest! We could find some huge leads here! Just think..maybe,just maybe,we could find out how this place shut down,and see if the reason is just as I suspect,THE GOVERNMENT HIDING SECRETS IN THIS VERY ARENA!” she said,with odd glee at the thought of having a big break such as that. Pest blinked before crossing his arms. “I doubt the government would be hiding things in a public tourist attraction, ばか.”

“guh! Just you wait! We’ll know I'm right!”. They would glare at each other,before finally entering the location. The once popular,now abandoned tourist attraction; The Rocket Arena.

The once busy tourist attraction,now a ghost town. It was almost jarring,seeing the bright colors and happy faces on the brochure,compared to the broken,desaturated mess before them. It was almost uncanny. They entered the attraction to begin investigating. Bive took the lead, looking at the map on the old, colorful brochure.

She walked on the rickety,half broken bridges. Pest reluctantly followed behind. God- why did he even agree to this. He didn't even like Bive in the first place,in fact,they both distrusted each other immensely. Well,he guessed he should atleast get it over with,as he started to walk around, investigating as well.

The two looked around for clues.unbeknownst to them however, something was watching,lurking… its red eyes fixed on the two fools that decided to enter. However, its eyes became fixed on the beetle.. how- intriguing, perhaps someone similar to it? It decided to bide its time,and strike when ready. It just had to be patient.

The two met back up in the middle of the arena “Find anything?” Bive asked Pest. “Nope. Nothing but burn marks on the bridges and stuff people dropped.” He said, before sighing. “This is just stupid at this point,Bive. Maybe it was just abandoned because no one was interested in fighting each other with fake ass rocket launchers.”

Bive was angered by this comment “NO! something must have happened! Places like this don't just get abandoned overnight! We clearly aren't digging deep enough!” Pest,annoyed at this persistence,rolled his eyes. “Shit like this is how you get yourself arrested. I'm not sticking around for this.” With that,he turned away, about to leave.“WH- hey! GET BACK HERE!, HEY!” she yelled,to no avail as Her “Assistant” Walked into the distance. She turned back, pissed “Fine.. I don't need you anyway! I'll get to the bottom of this myself!” She exclaimed.

The two went their separate ways. Now was the perfect time. Pest slowly made his way to the exit, secretly taking anything he found interesting. This whole thing was just stupid,that detective was just stupid. All he wanted to do was go home,rest,and use the stuff he.. borrowed.

As he got closer to the exit,a chill suddenly shot through his spine,as if there was something behind him. “Eh?” He looked behind him,and saw something in the distance. He squinted his red eyes. At first he thought it was Bive,and his face turned into a scowl. “I already told you, I'm leaving. Don't even try to convince me not to.” the figure didn't respond. He scoffed yet again, turning around again. But as he did.. the figure was way closer, letting out a small chuckle. Pest looked back,Startled “W-wh.. what the hell?..”.The pitch black creature,dressed in a hat and a hoodie similar to the beetle, cackled again,staring at the bug-like creature. “My my, aren't you an interesting sight! A creature like me I assume!” It said, sadistically. The Beetle tried to back up,confused “w-what are you talking about!.. Who the hell are you!” his voice shook as he stepped back.

He was about to make a break for it, before.. WOOSH.

The figure rushed at him, quickly grabbing his neck. “Now,no need for running just yet…” it said,staring,and hoisting him up. “クソ！放せ、この変人!” He struggles for breath,strangled by the red and black creature. “わ、私に何を求めてるんですか”The creature let out another laugh “I wish to know more about you.. if we are truly alike. We're definitely similar. I can sense it in your very being.” It responded. “Do you feel that same urge.. that same itch to hurt and maim?” It coldly asked, looking at Pest.

He continued struggling to breathe,before looking at the monster “w-what are you talking about!” Angrily,he asked. “You know what I mean.. the urge to kill,the urge to hurt.. the urge to see life leave someone's eyes… Do you feel it?” It asked. Pest couldn't help but be disturbed by the question. He couldn't help but try to deny it,to deny the fact that deep down,he has those urges. “N-no?.. what are you even..”. Suddenly,he was slammed to the ground. “Ohhh, don't even try to lie.. you do.. you just don't do it physically.. you hurt people and you know that.. you steal,lie,cheat.. you're just as monstrous as I am,you just express it differently,you cockroach..”

it approached. Ready to attack. “Now.. show me what you've been hiding.. go on,kill.. or I'll gladly kill you.” Another laugh rang out,and Pest struggled to catch his breath. His body shook..he was afraid.. scared..but at the same time..pissed. He didn't want to give in to these things. Or face the truth the creature told. As the creature got closer,he punched the figure.

It recoiled, surprised. “And so the cockroach fights back! Ah! How great!” It punched back, winding the bug. Pest glared,and snarled,like a ticked off animal.“LEAVE ME ALONE!” he screamed. He attacked the creature once more,and they were locked in a struggle, fighting each other. The creature was close to overwhelming him,never keeping its gaze off the bug.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” It raised its hand, scratching the bug,who responded with a pained screech and holding his arm. He fell to his knees. The figure approached. “Look at you.. the anger inside you.. at any moment you could snap.. you should.. it's fun.. it's much better than being a petty thief.. you know you want to hurt. You know you want to cause harm.. no matter though,since I'll make sure to make your death for your refusal quick..and painless..” it was right up close to him..

Pest closed his eyes.. before tripping the creature! The creature fell with a thud,as the beetle stood over it. He shakily looked at the bag of supplies he and Bive brought, opening it as the creature slowly got up. He got a rope out of it and.. tied it around the creature's neck. With a tug,it began to suffocate,its struggle for breath mixed with laughter.

Meanwhile,The ever so Curious detective continued on her way, searching through the abandoned attraction. “Stupid pest… there has to be something here!” She muttered under her breath. “I'm right,I know I am!”She determinedly walked, finding one of the high points of place.

Climbing the ladder to the top.“Hmm..?”She saw a small hatch at the top,as if leading somewhere. “! Aha! This must be where they're hiding everything! I knew it!” She celebrated, opening the hatch,and climbing down into it. It was dark in there,almost nothing was visible. “C’mon.. something has to be in here..” she said, looking around. She stepped on something “..! ?” She looked for what it was in the darkness,for the shattered remains of whatever broke. As she did,a low growl became known. She jumped at this.. the growl got closer and.. a red, animalistic creature,staring her down.She SCREAMED!

Climbing back out of the hatch, panicking. The animalistic Killer, Drakobloxxer, jumped out after her,with the intent to kill and eat the woman made out of hair. She ran,chased by this creature. “OH GOD OH GO OH GOD OH GOD!” she screamed, running as fast as she possibly could. Drakobloxxer growled and roared, extremely quick.

“RAGHHHHHH!!!!”She ran and ran as quick as she could,she wasn't the most agile,but she tried, before she tripped, hitting the wall of the arena. She rubbed her head, looking in fear as Drakobloxxer barreled towards her!

She looked for anything to defend herself before looking at the bag of supplies she had on her as well. She dug through the bag, pulling out the snacks they bought on the way here. She wasn't gonna eat them anyway,after all,all dollar store food had microchips in them anyway. Out of desperation,she threw a bag of jerky at the rampaging monster,bracing herself.Drakobloxxer,almost closing in on her,paused, looking at the bag of jerky.

Almost like a dog,he sniffed it. After a good second of sniffing,the mutant grabbed the bag with his teeth,troting away to devour it. Bive hyperventilates,before noticing the distraction had worked. Yes! She lives! She gave a nervous but relieved sigh. She had to find pest and get out of here.She got up, going back towards the entrance.

There Pest was, looking at his own hands. He seemed almost traumatized by what happened. But his face didn't show it. Atleast he survived that encounter. Bive went up to him.“Y-you w-were right! This was stupid! We need to get out of here!” She said, panicked.

Pest didn't respond at first.“...? Pest?..” she asked, concerned.He looked at her. “Oh. Yeah. Give me your girlfriend's number , she'll have to pick us up “ he said emotionlessly.

Eventually,after a call,they were picked up by Split. The situation was never really explained to her,but Bive wanted to keep it that way. The two talked and talked,as Pest remained silent. He couldn't shake off the things that thing said. The urge to maim. He looked out the window of the car, however.. the reflection wasn't his..it was.. that..things. as its red eyes stared back at his,he silently looked back at the rope he stashed in his hoodie pocket. He grabbed it out silently. With rope in hand,he reached for bive and…The end.

[samobservessonic]

There’s a page about AoStH that gives a brief introduction to the characters in that show, but I’ve skipped over that and moved onto what is unarguably the highlight here, which is the apparent “screen shots” from an early draft of SatAM Sonic. We see the image of the Freedom Team that was already shown in an earlier issue of StC, along with a few other images from a version of the cartoon that would never come to be What’s especially interesting here is that, at this stage, they already know details about the final versions of both AoStH and SatAM. We’ll get to that in the next post, but the article talks about them both separately. However, I believe that whoever wrote this thought that these images were from SatAM, as both this page and the bit about SatAM are referred to as being from a cartoon called “Sonic the Hedgehog”, as opposed to “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog”, which they referred to as such. Having said that, on the SatAM bit, they talk specifically about characters from SatAM who were already looking different to these images. Bunnie and Boomer (the original name for Rotor) are both mentioned, instead of the Johnny Lightfoot and Joe Sushi characters shown here. “Princess Sally Acorn” is also mentioned, though she isn’t shown to look different from the Princess Acorn here But whatever the reason these images slipped out, I’m glad they included them, otherwise we might never have known about these at all. The general assumption is that they were from an earlier pitch for SatAM, based on the small animals in Sonic 1, and without Tails, so probably made prior to his introduction. Perhaps this is the evolutionary link that would lead onto the pilot episode of SatAM We already know that Sally went through a lot of design prototypes before they landed on the version used in SatAM, and that’s a bigger topic on its own, but I’m going to take a moment to talk about Princess Acorn specifically, because I don’t think she’ll come up again for me to talk about, at least not in this StC read-through. Princess Acorn is shown in every image here, even more than Sonic himself. There are two more images of her that I found on the Sonic fandom wikia, both marked as concept art, but I don’t know more about them than that. They don’t appear in StC, but I wanted to share them anyway:

The second one is particularly interesting to me, because it looks like it might’ve been from a storyboard, showing Princess Acorn reading a story to Tux Penguin. It makes me wonder if Tux was originally going to be portrayed as the “young child” character - a role that Tails would go onto fill. I know some fans talk about how Tails was more child-like in SatAM compared to later versions (but this portrayal of Tails was kind of general to western media, where “kid genius Tails” didn’t become more of a thing until after Sonic Adventure), so I do wonder if maybe to a certain extent, Tails had been swapped into Tux’s role. Maybe not, however. Since Tails was already present in the pilot, but you never know. Not only that, but Sally would go on to be called “Aunt Sally” by Tails in the show, which is perhaps a similar vibe to what they were going for with Princess Acorn and Tux here Anyway, that’s our bit of unused Sonic media speculation for today, but there is another page in this mag that I want to talk about, so I’ll include that in the next post

[thoselethalarts]

𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖈𝖚𝖘 𝕿𝖔𝖒𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖉 - 𝕻𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞

(R) School Uniform: “It Doesn’t Matter in the Long Run.”

(NRC: Homeroom Class 3-C)

Marcus: Snzz... snzzz...

Trein: ...Tomford. Tomford!

Marcus: Snzzz.... zzz.......

(Lucius leaps out from Trein's arms and bounds across the room, perching up on Marcus's desk.)

Lucius: Mrooaaarrrr.

(Lucius smacks his paw against Marcus's face)

Marcus: Snrk-! Wh-wha?

Trein: That's twice now you've fallen asleep in my class today, Tomford. I'll have a word with you after class about this. Now sit up and pay attention.

Marcus: O-Oh... Right. Sorry, sir. (yaaawn)

(Later...)

Trein: Marcus, this behavior of yours is completely unacceptable in an academic setting. Nearly every day I look over and see you asleep at your desk, and this has been a problem for the last three years. Trein: Your schoolwork is commendable, but it's clear in your writing that you're still struggling to grasp numerous core concepts, and it's no doubt in part due to your constant sleeping through my lectures. Trein: I do not want to report you for academic probation, but if this continues I will have no choice. Am I making myself clear?

Marcus: Yes- yes sir. You're being perfectly clear. Marcus: (Sigh) Look, I… I know it probably doesn't mean much to hear, but I really don't mean to keep falling asleep in your classes, I swear. Marcus: I have... problems. Specifically with nightmares.

Trein: Nightmares?

Marcus: Yeah. It sounds stupid, but that's all it is. Marcus: I've always had problems falling asleep at night but staying asleep is hard too because of the nightmares. I’ve been dealing with since I was really young. Marcus: I don't really get a lot of good sleep most days and it makes me so tired that I'll just... doze off wherever. I don't really have control over it.

Trein: Hm. You and one of my second years have similar sleeping problems, it seems. Trein: Though his case is a bit more obtuse... at least you have a known reason for your exhaustion. Trein: In any case, I still cannot simply allow you to use my class as a rest period. That is simply out of the question. Trein: Have you spoken to the nurse’s office about these complications? Perhaps they could arrange for you to get accommodations.

Marcus: Er- Well no, but I don't know that they'll-

Trein: Let me rephrase. Speaking to them is your only real option, Marcus. Trein: Your options here are either you take initiative to fix your sleeping conditions, request the accommodations needed for additional study time, or I'll have to file for your academic probation. Trein: As an instructor I can only do so much on my end. It’s up to you to get the help you need. I cannot be your guardian. Understood?

Marcus: ...Yes sir.

Trein: Good. You're dismissed. Trein: Should you take the time to visit the nurse I'll be looking forward to receiving your paperwork.

Marcus: Yes sir.

(Marcus leaves Trein's classroom and enters the main hall)

Marcus: ...Whatever. Outcome's gonna be the same no matter what I do cuz the cause is unavoidable.

(Footsteps approach Marcus from down the hall)

Matt: There ya are, Mark! Figured maybe you'd ran off t' the bathroom 'fore I got here. Matt: Where you been? I was wonderin’ what was keepin’ ya for so long.

Marcus: Yeah, Trein kept me after to chew me out for falling asleep in class. Again.

Matt: Again? Man, you'd think he'da given up on that by now. Matt: Sucks! Guess that means you're gonna have'ta start gettin' better ‘bout that, buddy.

Marcus: …...

Matt: …... (smiles)

Marcus: You're a jackass, you know that right?

Matt: Hmm?

Marcus: “You gotta get better ‘bout that, buddy~” Says the one that’s the cause of me having sleeping problems in the first place.

Matt: Whaaaat~? I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about~

Marcus: Uh huh. Suuuure you don’t. Marcus: Sigh... look, maybe we can tone it down a few notches at night from here on out? At least until we’re outta here and back home again? Marcus: I really don’t wanna get in trouble for something as stupid as falling asleep in class again. Like, I know it doesn’t matter in the long run but I’d at least like to try to be a good student while I’m here.

Matt: I dunno~ I guess I’ll consider it~

Marcus: I’d really appreciate it. Marcus: Ugh… what a miserable start to my day.

/ End

[bluegekk0]

do you have any advice on designing hollow knight esque characters? i've been trying but i'm struggling a bit,,,,

-bug anon

admittedly i'm probably not the best person to ask this since my designs deviate quite a lot from the game's artstyle, and that's a major component of making a hk-like character - but the main thing about the game's designs is that they're all very simple in nature

i suppose there are some things that are still there in my designs. for example, the simple face designs. regardless of whether you're in the "all characters wear masks" or "only some of them wear masks" camp, the thing that connects the characters is that their face designs are very simple. usually white (or any flat color) with dark eyes and very limited markings. so if you want your character to look hk-esque, this is probably the first thing to do to draw that resemblance. they also have very simple bodies, either one color or with segmenting, though of course that all depends on your inspiration for the design

that's another thing to keep in mind. while i'm very much in the "they're not actually meant to be insects, they're just inspired by bug species" camp, particularly when it comes to my own designs, that is not the most common mindset, and so using real life bugs as inspiration is a very good starting point. if you're willing to go further, then using other similar animals could also work. for example, instead of an earthworm, perhaps you could look at something like a mole lizard? convergent evolution is a very neat concept, and i could see there being other similar cases if you look hard enough. or you can just, make up a design that combines traits of different animals. again, very few of the hk characters resemble their inspiration nearly 1:1, most of them are just weird lil guys that have some bug traits. some of them don't resemble any animal (like, what even is brumm supposed to be? i think he's just a guy). so depending on how close to the game's style you want your character to be, you can go either way

i guess the best advice i can give is: if you really want to have a resemblance to the game, then simplify things. stubby hands and feet, very little details, simple color palettes. that sort of thing. keeping the palette to washed out, colder colors also helps, since that's a very common color in the game. oh, and maybe look at the spirits in the spirits' glade for inspiration. iirc those were designed by people outside of team cherry so i'd say they're a good reference point for what's considered hk-esque

i can't think of anything else since, again, my designs for the characters are quite separated from the originals, and very non-bug like for many of them

[soulsxng]

"Would you look at that. Full marks, hmm? You've done well with this set of lessons, Cerus. But...you took this yesterday, did you not?"

The brightly displayed excitement on Cerus' face was quick to falter, and change to his very best depiction of innocence and cluelessness. Complete with a few little rocks back and forth.

"So then, what was your lesson today? Should I guess?"

"Yeah...! You guess!"

A low chuckle, and Helai makes a show of pacing back and forth in front Cerus, who covered his mouth to hide his giggling.

"Let's see, then...perhaps it was...writing? Language? No, I don't think it was anything like that. Mathematics, then? Self defense? Or..." The dragon playfully flicks his tail at Cerus, distracting the child just long enough to pick a piece of grass out of his hair, and point out a dusting of dirt on the arm of his shirt. "Nature, maybe? You wouldn't have gone out to play when you were supposed to be studying, would you, Cerus?"

Realizing that his little secret had been found out, Cerus shrieked (a sound of which Helai still wasn't entirely used to having be a good thing) and spun around, taking off at full speed.

He didn't make it far before Helai caught him and swung him up into his arms, but the effort was admirable.

"It's too hard! I don't wanna study that stuff!"

"You always have trouble when things are new, no? You said the same thing when you started your last set of lessons, and now look how well you've done. These will be no different--"

Cerus goes limp in his arms, head dropping onto the dragon's shoulder with an unceremonious little thump. He was pouting.

"...What if I helped you with it, then?"

A little nod. This was almost always how it went-- from the beginning, Cerus had a difficult time focusing on lessons for very long. And learning a new concept was even worse. Every mistake only served to sap away any motivation to try again, so getting to the beginning points of understanding could be...a slog, to put it one way.

Still, when Helai was there with Cerus, things seemed to go a little bit better. Perhaps it was because Helai himself had similar issues when he'd finally begun his own studies that he knew how to explain things in a way that made sense. Or maybe it was as simple as Cerus wanting to make the dragon proud.

"Alright, alright...let's begin then, shall we? Go get your book."

[until-the-brahmin-come-home]

time for pickman paintings aka how faux-pretentious can i get as someone who doesn’t know that much about art. not all paintings that appear in game are present beneath the cut - just the ones in the art book.

an injured angel; the scratch lines almost make it look like they’re hanging from a ceiling, and the wings are evocative of a butterfly. they bleed gold from the wings and throat and their face is scratched out - a trend in these works. there are also blurry runes painted on the angels feathers. how much christian imagery survived the war? how familiar is Pickman with the concept of angels? interestingly, there’s no halo, despite circles and spirals being present in other pieces.

A painting of a man, who is either crying or bleeding from his eyes. Here his mouth is scratched out. Repeated motifs of eyes and faces coupled with said features frequently being scratched out indicates a certain overarching tension throughout the works.

A face whose eyes have been removed and are now hovering over their shoulders as they bleed from their eye sockets. see no evil? the circles/halo/orbit motif is present around the eyes.

a closeup of a face whose mouth is covered by a black bar with worm-like figures springing from it. A reference to ‘speak no evil’ or ‘speaking in tongues’, perhaps?

a wall of eyes with what appear to be numbers scattered about at random. the pupils are not all looking at a singular point.

Hands reaching skyward towards an eye surrounded by runes similar to those on the angel’s wings. what appears to be a city skyline is in the background. This is likely referring to the war, but shrouded in divine imagery. the eye is evocative of both a sun and an atom both.

a man whose upper skull is missing, revealing his brain. free your mind.

a man sitting on a throne-like chair and surrounded by a golden aura that again feels similar to the angel. the slash marks feel like they might indicate that he is bound or impaled.

another image of a man crying

a man staring at the viewer and smiling; six dismembered fingers frame him, three on each side, and there is a circle and spiral centered on his forehead. implications of psychic powers, perhaps, and some minor similarities to the eye in the sky. This man stands out as the only figure depicted who doesn’t appear to be distressed; perhaps his implied power protects him.

Overall, Pickman’s works are defined by their limited color palette of red, gold, and black; their obsession with eyes and vaguely biblical imagery; and people crying or otherwise distressed. Since Pickman is an obvious Lovecraft reference, it seems likely that he has seen something he shouldn’t have, perhaps related to Atom due to motifs shared with the Children of Atom.

[fakirchan]

I’m 👀👀 about your thoughts on a tutu movie

After writing all this and looking back on it I realize I don't suggest much of an actual plot and more or less just what could've been and how it could've worked, I'll have to give actual plots for a possible movie some more thought lol

If you take it's basic concept, Princess Tutu is similar to Cardcaptor Sakura (you don't have to have seen it to understand, I'll explain) in the way that it's about a young girl suddenly being thrust into the position of a magical girl with the goal of retrieving something; for Sakura it's Clow cards, for Tutu it's Mytho's heart shards. After retrieving all of the cards and shards, respectfully, they both go against great forces.

Where I'm going with this - CCS had 2 movies IIRC, and they're set up in the way that you don't have to watch them to understand the show. They followed the same idea with the same characters but were one-off concepts and the events in the movies were not later mentioned in the show. This was also common for other anime movies at the time (90s-00s) too, many such examples of that. For CCS, the idea was that she just found an additional card that was not mentioned in the show. Basically what I'm getting at here is that they aren't incredibly canon but still exist nonetheless, and how canon they are can be debated

So my simple idea for a Princess Tutu movie is Tutu finding another random heart shard that isn't mentioned in the original anime itself. Given how things like curiosity are treated as emotions (and how Mytho has like.... multiple sad emotions returned to him i.e. loneliess and sorrow), there's lots of room for us to be creative with what heart shard she is after, since we aren't just limited to a single happy/angry/sad emotion basis. We can go wild with this one

Now if we were actually still in 02/03, in-between season 1 and season 2 would've been perfect for the movie to air. Season 2 actually aired relatively soon after the first season (IIRC season 1 ended on Nov. 08 2002 and season 2 began Nov. 15 2002 in Japan) so that's not a loooot of time but regardless, this would've been a good point for the movie because it marks the beginnng stages of the turning point for Ahiru and Fakir's relationship, and also marks the beginning stages of when we see Mytho's corruption / Raven Mytho). The movie could've had some additional bonding and funtiemz between Ahiru and Fakir - and perhaps some additional character development for them both / one of them or another chapter like Rue or Mytho himself (actually I just thought, the movie could use its time to create more relationships too, like fleshing out Rue and Fakir's relationship, which doesn't happen in the actual anime, etc so on and so forth)

Now for the actual plot... well, I confess I'm not entirely sure, lol. The anime is super creative and really goes in some unexpected directions (at least when I first watched it, I was NOT anticipating things like Fakir turning into a tree for a hot minute) so that also leaves a lot to the imagination and endless possibilities... I'm thinking maybe something unexpected, like how the final heart shards were in the town's own towers or how Tutu's amulet was a shard. Maybe a heart shard at the academy or some other location you wouldn't really think of (again just given PTUTU's directions, you can get super creative with this, I'm just trying to think here)

If you do read all of this and have an idea I would love to actually hear it lol. I'll have to add on when I think about an actual idea a little more ! I hope this was interesting to read

[alias-sam]

Pierced by a Golden Soul

Chapter 20. Cum On

Platonic Jojo's x Reader

Summary: Fate is a bizarre concept with countless more bizarre implications. In life sometimes such extraordinary events happen that the only reasoning left must be fate. The tragedies that constantly befall the Joestar bloodline for example may be the unluckiest series of cards drawn in human history, or perhaps the work of a greater power. There is no way to tell for sure. Had Dio Brando or Jonathan Joestar moved slightly on a divergent path the world itself would be left very different. The fate or luck of the noble Joestar bloodline has led to destruction of evil likes of the Pillar Men and DIO. This story is of a similar caliber to that of the other Joestars (as I am sure you are familiar with them). This is a story of lost souls, compassion, hope, and above all fate.

Word Count: 2,437

(Crosspost from Wattpad, full fic is already posted there.)

Focusing on classes was harder than you expected. There was always something in the corner of your eye, lurking. Any time you turned your head to see what the thing was, it would just disappear. You were unusually nervous as classes passed. The usual hum of students chatting in the halls rang in your ears. It would fade in and out, sounding like you were underwater at times. This...this wasn't just your imagination. You weren't by any means a genius, but you could tell a stand user had something to do with this.

As your biology teacher droned on about the anatomy of fish, you felt a headache coming on. Great. You jotted down a few notes before another jolt shot through your head. It was painful, like something was slowly crawling through the inside of your skull. It made you dizzy. Without much thought you dropped your pencil, making a light clack against your desk. You tried to focus back into the lecture, but something felt...off. There was an odd prickling sensation around your wrist. You pulled up your sleeve, only to find there were no marks or indication of an injury. With a short sigh of relief, you reached for your pencil to continue taking notes. This was fine. You were fine, There was totally nothing....Your body froze mid movement as you felt something against your ankle.

You couldn't deny it, even if you wanted to. There was something slithering up your leg. In shock, and a bit of confusion, you slowly and discreetly reached down your leg, brushing the area with your hand. You felt nothing, but the sensation remained. Suddenly the same feeling moved up and down your arms. It felt like something was under your shirt. You hadn't seen anything yet, but you were honestly scared to look. Carefully, you once again pulled your sleeve up past your wrist. There was nothing there. Shocker. This morning you wanted to brush the hallucinations off as a dream or some form of anxiety attack, however, it was obvious what the real case was.

Whatever this ability was, it wasn't anything like the last three. After your brush with the mystery man in your bathroom, you checked your entire house for some semblance of a stand, but the only user in your home yesterday was yourself. This was going to be a problem. Whoever the user was, they hadn't confronted you directly. If your attacker had been watching you from somewhere, they were doing a damn good job at hiding. Blake and Tim's stands could go a fair distance from their users, was this something similar?

You picked up your pencil and tried to continue writing notes. After catching a glimpse of something moving under your skin you quickly hopped up from your seat. You held back any form of reaction as the forms of your teacher and classmates were covered in small lumps that moved under their skin. In a panic you just looked around the room, only to see everyone's eyes on you. Glancing over at Vita, you watched as a centipede burst out from under his skin and fell to the floor. There were bugs crawling out from some people's eyes and ears. You were quickly starting to hyperventilate, you felt dizzy and sick to your stomach. The world around you started to fade out as the pounding of your heart filled your ears.

"Y/n?" Vita had gotten up from his seat and tried talking to you. His voice sounded gargled and muted by something. "Are you okay? You're looking at me weird... is there something on my face?" You backed away as the boy tried to get closer to you.

After hearing your teacher yell to sit back down, the haze over your conscience finally started to dissipate. Vita sent you a worried look as you gave a pitiful nod and shuffled back to your seat.

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

Why was this happening to you? When did the world decide it wanted to make your life difficult? The buzz of class change was making your head hurt. Lockers slammed and students shoved past one another. You were getting that sensation of something crawling up and down your arms. Glancing down, you got a good look at something moving under your own skin. You could feel the tensing of your muscles as whatever it was painstakingly made its way up your wrist into your hand. Disgusted, you shoved that hand in your pocket and broke into a run out of the room to the nearest bathroom. For the most part, you kept your eyes on the ground, scared to look up and see the same thing as in the classroom. God, you felt dizzy. When you did glance up, you were greeted by glares and bugs skittering across people's exposed skin.

The first thing you did after bursting through the bathroom door was puke into the nearest sink. Thankfully, you were the only one in the bathroom. If this was the effect of a stand and not just your imagination, it was really fucked up. Slowly, you worked up the courage to pull back your sleeve. You had to keep reminding yourself that this wasn't real. It couldn't be, no matter how real it felt.

"Oh thank god." You sighed, seeing there wasn't anything crawling on, near, or under your skin anymore. After taking a second, you splashed some water on your face. "If this is a stand...I gotta find the user." You muttered while looking at your disheveled reflection in the mirror. "What the-?" You blinked a few times.

There was something behind you.

It was a stand. No denying it. It looked robotic, but less intensely mechanical then Radio Star. Its large cylindrical head was poking over your shoulder, watching you with big red eyes. Bit by bit, you slowly turned to face the stand. Its body was unlike any other you'd seen before. It's arms and torso were wrapped in what looked like a strait jacket, and instead of having a bottom, the stand seemed to taper off into your shadow.

Once you were completely facing the stand you brought out Golden Soul. The stand's aura was a blazing red. There was something about the stand that seemed really angry. Hesitantly, you waved your hand in front of the stand's face. It didn't react in any way.

So far it hadn't made any move at all. Why was it showing itself to you now?

After a moment of staring down the stand, you made Golden Soul punch it. Just as GS made contact with the other stand, you were sent staggering backwards into the sink. The straps on the stand's strait jacket extended to lash out at you. Golden Soul deflected the whip like attack, causing it to hit the mirror. You covered your head as a shower of glass tumbled down on top of you.

"Shit!" You hissed, feeling a shard split the skin on your cheek. As you slowly recovered from the shock of the attack you heard a grinding noise coming from the stand. You looked up in time to see a crack form on its face; blood slowly dripped from the wound to the floor.

The door to the bathroom suddenly slammed open. You braced yourself as the enemy stand darted towards you. The school bell rang, loudly alerting you class was starting.

"Y/n?" You cracked your eyes open as Vita ran to your side. "What in the world did you do in here?" He asked, seeing the shattered pieces of mirror scattered across the floor. Ignoring Vita, you wildly searched for where the stand went. The boy carefully approached your panicked form. "A-are you bleeding? Maybe we should go visit the nurse." He mumbled.

"No. I'm fine." You sighed, brushing some mirror shards from your clothes. After a moment, you froze, turning to look Vita up and down. "Hey... why did you follow me in here?" He wasn't a stand user...right?

"I saw you in the hallway earlier. You looked pretty freaked out in class." Vita's look of concern deepened. "What's going on? You're acting really weird." You stayed silent, not knowing what do say. Certainly, you couldn't tell him the truth. You thought it was odd that Vita was the only person present when the stand appeared. Before you could come up with anything to say, Vita sighed. "Earlier I just assumed you were tired, but I'm getting the feeling its deeper than that." Vita stared at you with his ever-wide eyes. "Is there anything that I can do to help you? Anything at all?"

"Actually..." You trailed off, not sure if he really could help you. There was a brief silence as you grabbed a few paper towels and used them to clean some of the blood off of your cheek. "I need to get out of school." Vita looked at you blankly.

"You aren't sneaking out to take drugs or anything...Are you?" Vita asked flatly.

"What? No!" You denied. "Why do people always assume it's that?"

"Then why do you need to get out of class?"

"Look, someone is stalking me." You admitted, looking Vita dead in the eye. "I don't know who they are, or what they want, but I need to get out of school so I can find out. I know this sounds crazy, and it is a lot to ask. You're free to say no, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anybody about this."

"Okay." Vita shrugged before heading to the door. "Let's go then."

"Wait, what?" You watched Vita with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, we're friends after all." Vita glanced back at you. "This is what friends do...right?"

"Not really." You laughed nervously. "But this is still a nice gesture." After this was over, you'd have to give him a talk about how real friends act. Realistically, you could sneak out on your own, but you needed someone around to help discern reality from the visions that this enemy stand was giving you. There weren't many clues to go off of, but right now, something was telling you to get out of the school. The least Vita could do was point out if someone was following you out. If you left school, the enemy would have to follow to keep their stand activated. Vita led the way down an empty hallway.

"You're pretty lucky." Vita pointed up the hall a few feet. "The security cameras are all still down from that electrical short the other day."

"Wow, really? I hadn't noticed..." All of the smashed cameras were entirely your fault. It took a lot of trial and error to get to the security office during your encounter with Blake. Hopefully you could talk to Tim and ask about fixing them. You and Vita snuck silently through the halls, but could feel Vita wanted to say something. When he did speak up, you weren't expecting it. He looked pretty serious.

"I won't ask details on what's going on, but this stalker? Sounds really serious." Vita said, opening a door for the two of you, leading to the courtyard. "You should probably call the police or something."

"I can't really do that." You sighed. Jotaro was ghosting your calls for about a day now, and Jaya ran off on you yesterday. "This is something I have to deal with myself." At the moment, you were on your own. Well, at least you had Vita for now.

"Oh, do they have blackmail on you or something?" Vita asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uhh..." You glanced to the side, seeing the enemy stand lurking in the corner of your eye. "Something like that." This was more of a hostage situation than anything at the moment. How long had the stand been following you? It swam and faded into shadows as you and Vita moved. Every time you thought you saw it, the thing would disappear again.

You and Vita were rounding a corner out of the court yard until you heard voices. Quickly, you ducked back behind the wall, dragging Vita with you by the arm.

"What-?" Vita tried to question, but you shushed him. Carefully and quietly, you peeked your head past the corner. Vita soon did the same. There were three people standing in front of the school's gate, one boy and two girls.

"C'mon blondie!" The guy groaned teasingly. "I was just cutting a few minutes of class, no big deal." You didn't recognize the girl he was talking to, but the other one, you were surprised to find, was Jaya. She was shifting anxiously while watching the other two argue. You probably should have accounted for this, your school always had someone watching the front gates, even during class time. This girl looked like a student though.

"That's no excuse Blaze. It's my job to make sure you don't skip." The girl sighed. She was an average height, with her hair pulled up into a neat ponytail. The guy, Blaze, was much taller than both of the girls. He had a delinquent-esque way of dressing. He looked familiar, but from where?

As Blaze received a reprimand from the gate monitor you noticed a long gash running down his cheek. Mindlessly, your hand reached up to feel the dried blood from your similar wound. No...it couldn't be...could it? The girl with the pony tail finished chewing out Blaze and looked at Jaya. "What's your excuse?"

"Lennia, I already told you." Jaya shifted uncomfortably. "My brother's in the hospital. I was visiting him. C-can I go to class please?" The monitor contemplated before relenting.

"Yeah, fine." She stepped aside to let Jaya through. Blaze tried to slip by as well, but Lennia quickly grabbed his arm. "Not so fast. Where do you think you're going." You watched as the boy visibly tensed at the contact before slowly turning to face Lennia.

"If you must know, I was headed out to visit my brother who is in the hospital."

"If that's a joke, it isn't very funny." Lennia replied sternly. "I'll have to report you to the principal's office." Blaze's faced morphed into a stony cold stare.

"It's not a joke you dumb bitch." He grimaced with a steady monotone. "Now get your damn paws off of me."

"I can't just let you leave." Lennia sputtered as Blaze wrenched his arm from her grip.

"You couldn't stop me if you tried." Blaze sneered. "We've been playing this game awhile Lennia. By now I know your bark is somehow less pitiful than your bite." He condescendingly bent down to look Lennia in the eyes. "Now scamper off and go tattletale on someone else." Blaze glanced over to the wall where you were hiding. "I think we have a few nosy eavesdroppers around here anyways."