#and there's this whole thing about souls and how they're bound to bodies and eventually are freed

[nox-in-a-box]

Asher is a pigeon.

[missnight0wl]

I wasn't going to complain about Agatha All Along finale, but you know what? I will complain. Because it still bothers me, and I still don't really understand…

What exactly was the point of making The Road Billy's creation?

To be clear, "having cool pop culture references and a surprising twist at the end" is not the answer I'm looking for. What it did for the story? Because I honestly feel like it did nothing. In fact, The Road was kinda unnecessary in general.

Let's start with Billy himself. Billy wanted to go to The Road to find Tommy. Did The Road end up helping him with that? No. Sure, he did give Tommy's soul a body, so you can argue it's even more important because it'll allow him to find him. However, it was possible because of Agatha. And here you can argue that Agatha agreed to help Billy because of their bonding on The Road. But I'm just not convinced it couldn't have happened under different circumstances, y'know?

Moving to Alice, here you can say that The Road allowed her to see her generational curse in physical form and therefore break it. But I think what was really important for Alice was that she finally had her coven by her side. That they were like: "Girl, your generational curse SUCKS, but you're not crazy, and we're gonna help you deal with it". Alice said it herself, that she thought the curse was not real, that she was just a screw-up. Now she finally could face it while having support. This, plus Agatha making her realise the truth about Lorna's protection, of course. So, again, did we really NEED The Road for all of this?

Lilia's story was beautiful, and Lilia herself is perfect. But again, it was the coven that was crucial for her. Sure, her path was very closely connected to The Road, but at the same time, I don't feel her story couldn't have been told without it.

Jen's arc was also great, but once more, was The Road really needed to tell that story? Couldn't she catch Agatha's suspicious behaviour under different circumstances and therefore conclude she was the one who'd bound her?

Imagine this. After the ritual in episode 2, the door doesn't show up, but the coven somehow manages to escape the Salem Seven. The thing is that now it's very clear from the beginning that they're after all of them, not just Agatha. Because remember that after they entered  The Road in the show, they commented on the Salem Seven, and they acknowledged that they're after Agatha. Only later it became clear that no, they wanted to get the whole coven. Anyway, the point is that they escaped somehow. Now somebody wants to leave because screw that, but eventually, they all agree that they'll be somewhat safer if they stay together. Billy of course is still fascinated by The Road, so he wants to find out why the ritual failed. The rest decide that if they’re already in this, they might as well try to investigate it. And Agatha still needs to play along because otherwise, she'd have to reveal her scam. If the show went in this direction, would it really have to be significantly different, story-wise? I honestly think it wouldn't.

Don't get me wrong, I love the practical set they had for The Road, the themed trials and whatnot. But I really don't like the implications connected to the fact that it was created by Billy (or rather Billy's mind). And I'm not even talking here about people actually dying. I appreciate that Billy freaked out about this realisation, but I also have to admit that Agatha kinda had a point that she was the one who killed Alice, and Lilia chose to die. It's a bit different with Sharon, but I'll come back to that a little later. The thing is that, in my opinion, what Billy should actually freak out about are all the visions from Jen's trial – which are not addressed at all, for some reason. Because… how are we even supposed to interpret it? I saw people saying that they were also created by Billy's mind since earlier Jen mentioned the rumours about Nicky, and Billy talked with Alice about her mother (hence Agatha's vision of the Darkhold and Alice's of Lorna being unwell). However, Lilia didn't mention her Maestra at all, and Jen said nothing about the mysterious doctor at that point. So, how would Billy create their visions? It has to mean that:

he subconsciously scanned their minds to get the information, or

he "gave" The Road enough power that it became semi-conscious (and therefore it created the visions on its own).

I assume the second option is closer to the writers' intention, but… it's pretty fucked up. Because it means that Billy basically created a sophisticated torture device that uses very personal and intimate information against you. And unlike Wanda – who created her Hex because of OVERWHELMING GRIEF – Billy kinda did it… just because. To be clear, I'm not saying that Billy wasn't under stress, or that he didn't really care about finding Tommy. But you have to admit it wasn't quite the same level of emotions that Wanda felt when she created the Hex. Interestingly, Billy's emotions matter again when he shows his Wiccan powers after Alice's death. But creating a psychological torture device? I guess being scared of the Salem Seven is enough. Well, to be fair, their appearance was scary as fuck, and I'd probably shit myself in that situation. Still, it somehow doesn't feel comparable to Wanda's grief or Billy's own grief later on.

Also, I think the visions become especially problematic when you look at Sharon. Because while it's the only vision we didn't see, the implication was pretty clear that she's reliving the moment when Mr Davis was choking in Wanda's Hex. Something that Billy's mother put her through. In fact, it's basically the last thing she experienced in her life because she passed out right after that. She kinda woke up for a moment when she drank the antidote (I think?), but then she just died. And Billy had to figure out what she saw, more or less, right? Ralph told him what it was like to be trapped in Wanda's Hex.  And mind you, while it was Agatha who dragged her along, it was the wine created by Billy's mind that directly killed her. With all of that in mind, it almost feels weird to me, that it's all summarised with "Who's Sharon?" joke. I know it's Marvel and whatnot, and I actually don't mind this joke in general. It's kinda funny, really. But it does feel different with the reveal that it was Billy all along.

Also, there was this part in The Wrap interview where Jac Schaeffer said:

The road and our show is practical is because Billy Maximoff is a baby witch. And he can’t be creating thousands and thousands of miles of forest. So he created a backdrop, and he created forced perspective, and he created models, and all of the practicality of our sets is because of him, and because of his limitations of physically creating this world underground, underneath Westview.

(The whole thing can be found here.) And I get what she means in this context. Truth be told, it's a pretty damn cool thought. But at the same time, I feel like you can't really say "Oh, he's a baby witch" and "He can create complex devices that will torture you with your most personal fears, without even trying". I mean, I can't be the only one who feels those ideas are kinda contradicting.

Also, speaking of the visions from episode 3 being ignored, I have to point out something else about Jen's trial. All other trials have quite a lot of references to Billy and his room in particular. In Jen's case, though… we pretty much have just that one picture.

And they're not even that similar. I guess the amazing kitchen in the house can also be seen as a reference to Mr Kaplan who apparently loves to cook, but in comparison to other trials, it still feels... underwhelming. Almost like an afterthought. Now, am I saying that it's proof that Billy creating The Road wasn't the original plan for the show? No, I'm not. But I do find it interesting, and the more I think about it, the more episode 3 feels separated from the rest. I know a lot of people also feel that way about episode 1, because it focuses so much on the Darkhold (which basically leads to nowhere). And I do agree with that, too. I dunno, it just seems that there might've been some changes along the way or something.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't talk about all of that, but my issue is that The Road being created by Billy basically adds nothing to the story. Yes, it shows us that Billy is very powerful, but as I pointed out, it's somewhat inconsistent. They could've at least continued the plot of Billy's identity crisis. Remember his question during Lilia's trial: "Am I William or am I Billy?"? I don’t know about you, but to me, it felt like a pretty damn important question. And I really thought that a part of William might still be in Billy. Yes, I know his death in the accident seemed pretty definite with his heartbeat stopping and all, but I still hoped there's something left. Maybe not a soul, but rather an echo of a soul, or memory. It could explain why Billy left everything in his room and just added new things to it. It was not only out of respect, but also because William was never really gone. Also, if you showed me William and then Billy, without the accident scene, I’d totally buy that it's the same character. They're both just… good geeky eggs. And before the finale, I really thought that the ritual with Agatha might be about joining William Kaplan and Billy Maximoff into one person: Billy Kaplan. Now, the creation of The Road would be a pretty good representation of such an identity crisis. Because it was created with Billy's power, but it was built with things that William loved. And the conclusion of such journey for Billy would be that he's just both, William and Billy. Even Jac's comment becomes quite heartwarming in this context because it could be said that baby witch Billy was just playing with William's toys. On top of that, it could (and should!) lead to the scene where the Kaplans finally learn what really happened. Because they do deserve to know. They're amazing people, and I really don't think it would make them turn against Billy, but they just should know that their son is gone.

But nope, the whole identity crisis was kinda dropped…

That being said, if it was entirely up to me, I'd just say The Road is a real thing. They could even keep all of the references from Billy's room and all. They'd just have to say that there's some kind of mystical connection between WICCAN and The Road. I mean, we know there is a prophecy about the Scarlet Witch in MCU, so why not add another one? Especially that Wiccan's statue was at Wundagore. In fact, it could even still work with Agatha's scam plotline. I see two explanations for that (and they can work together):

Agatha was never able to access The Road because it's accessible only if (future) Wiccan is with you.

Agatha was never able to access The Road because she never cared about gathering the proper coven. Unfortunately for her, this time Lilia forced her to get the proper coven by giving her the list. And jokes on her for trying to cheat again with Sharon because Billy was always meant to be the last member. Also, something caught my attention during the Agatha through the Ages montage. Every time other witches blast Agatha, they use the same colour lighting. I realise that it's just a technical simplification made because it doesn't matter. HOWEVER, when we look at "our" coven, they all use different colours. Agatha obviously has her purple, Alice has orange-y, Billy gets blue, Jen's is pinkish. We don't see much of Lilia, but when Agatha tries to provoke them to blast her in her basement, you can notice that her hands spark with yellow. So, again, I know it's meaningless, but it could be used as an explanation.

Now, what about Nicky in this scenario? Well, I really don't want to erase Nicky creating the song with his mum. I'm not gonna lie, it was touching. But… what if Nicky was showing early signs of divination powers? And by that I don't mean that he knew the song he creates with his mum will eventually open The Road someday etc. But maybe he saw glimpses of The Road in his dreams and that inspired him? The rest could stay all him and Agatha. I don't think it'd take away from it, but I do find it a pretty fun idea, mostly because Agatha seems to be quite sceptical about divination. I mean, she actually says that Tarot is a scam. So, imagine her realising that her little boy could've grown up to be a divination witch. I dunno, it's quite an interesting possibility, in my opinion.

And yes, it'd mean that Agatha accidentally created the ritual to access that real place. Or hell, maybe the song never mattered. I mean, you know how in "Turning Red", Mr Gao says that they have to sing from their hearts during the ritual, but it doesn't matter what? It could work like that!

Anyway, there's one more thing that bothers me. And that is… how the hell Agatha figured out that The Road is Billy's creation? Yes, I know that she knew it's not real, and therefore somebody had to create it, but how she connected it to Billy, exactly? Like, girl… You've been trapped in Wanda's spell for the last three years. Somebody might've physically dug that whole thing under your house as a prank on you, and you wouldn't know it. I realise that Billy's sigil might've made her think of Billy, but… it was more of a lucky guess than a deduction if you ask me. And I really don't like it. Because keep in mind that Agatha didn't see all the things in Billy's room which helped the audience to figure it out in advance. And what bothers me the most is probably the inclusion in the reveal that moment when Billy says: "It's exactly how I imagined it!", to which Agatha replies: "It suits you". Which basically implies that she was suspecting him back then already, as soon as they entered The Road. But like… HOW?? I'm sorry, but if you asked a group of goth teens how they imagine a place called "The Withes' Road", I bet a big part of them would describe a similar image to what we saw at the very beginning of The Road.

I just wish there was something that could give Agatha this idea. But as I said, it feels more like a guess. Like, why she doesn't suspect Rio, for example? I know that Rio most likely knows The Road isn't really, and that Agatha knows that she knows. But there's at least more to support it, in my opinion. I mean, the last time they saw each other, they agreed that Rio would wait until Agatha got her purple back, right? And look at that, how convenient: here's something that IN THEORY can do just that! And why Agatha enters The Road without thinking about it twice? Because of the Salem Seven. And who sent the Salem Seven?

I am very biased about this idea because I actually had a theory that Teen and Rio worked together to get Agatha to The Road – but like I said, there's at least something to support it! And yes, I know Agatha admits she wasn't "sure sure" at first, but at the same time, she doesn't mention any other possibilities. I dunno, it's just… eh. Perhaps it wasn't an afterthought as much as with Jen's trial, but I'd say it's still missing… something.

So, I guess that's it. My main issues with Agatha All Along finale. It's just… underwhelming and quite disappointing. Maybe it's because I genuinely enjoyed the first seven episodes. I really want to appreciate it for what it is, but it still feels more like it was done for the sake of the reveal than because it served an actual purpose.

[bayofwolves]

thinking about a harry potter au for the spirit animals gang... what if they were wizards and got into shenanigans

the sorting hat declares conor a hufflepuff with no delay. conor is more than happy to be in the house of the just and loyal, though befuddled as to how a lowly muggle-born like him ended up at such a school at all. he misses his family's sheep, his dogs, the rolling hills of ireland, normal things, normal life.

abeke's house is a little less clear. the hat figures she would make a good hufflepuff, but ultimately decides she's bound for ravenclaw with a mind and soul like hers. she still writes unanswered letters to her wizard father and non-magical sister, unaware or perhaps unwilling to accept that they were glad to be rid of her.

meilin gets sent to slytherin, which she is quite pleased at. it's the superior house, really. her pureblood status and wealthy upbringing gives her a judgemental outlook on the rest of her peers until she befriends conor, rollan and eventually abeke. disturbingly, as the school years drag on, she begins to feel less and less in control of her own body. she is susceptible to long blackouts, and awakes in unknown locations doing unexplainable things. she fears she may be losing her mind.

rollan is a gryffindor through and through. he was held back a year at one point (becoming so preoccupied with a friend's deteriorating health that he couldn't properly attend to his studies), so he ends up in the same year as conor, abeke and meilin. he still doesn't do so well at school because he's spending most of his time flying on his broom. he is the first one to catch on to the trouble brewing in their midst, though, intuitive as he is.

shane is a textbook slytherin (clever, resourceful, ambitious, good leader) so he's with meilin, albeit two years above her. he... seems okay. he's decent, knowledgeable and kind. there's just something unidentifiable beneath the surface. something dark.

devin/worthy is a gryffindor, something that only makes sense after his journey of self-improvement. as devin, he is simply insufferable. rollan and conor's worst nightmare.

shane and abeke, despite their different houses, become the best of friends. in fact, they are each other's only friends for quite some time. shane teaches her how to fly, and abeke teaches him how to handle certain magical creatures. shane also spends a lot of time teaching abeke various spells, some more questionable than others. abeke tampers down her doubts about these. she trusts he is good at heart.

lenori, the divination professor, takes an interest in conor for reasons she won't say. conor has cryptic visions from time to time, about a serpent in the dungeons and a boy in a mask, but he tries to keep those to himself.

the plot twist is that shane was delving into the dark arts all along and is growing to be a powerful dark wizard. he's working for someone who needs his skills...

his followers (the conquerors, in canon) are the death eaters and they all bear the mark. despite this, they are all under a foul imperius curse -- and no matter how total shane's authority seems to be, they whisper he is under the very same enchantment.

meilin's increasingly odd behaviour reveals that she is a victim of this curse as well. the worst part is, no one knows who casts it...

all of this is happening when the gang are like. 13-15. the four really only became friends in their third year, and that was when things started to pick up speed.

the great beasts keep their canon forms in this au. they're like their own class of magical, god-like beings. some have closer relations to wizarding society than others. gerathon has lived underneath hogwarts for decades (taking the place of the basilisk).

the people who eventually form the redcloaks (shane included) are animagi gone wrong, i.e., they did the process incorrectly and ended up as wonky half-human, half-animals with no ability to transform into either form. the whole lot of them were secretly death eaters who sought to master the skill to disguise themselves, but they failed. miserably. tragically.

and naturally, the characters' patronuses appear as their spirit animals! except they have more agency and sentience as patronuses. the four are the only wizards whose patronuses have taken the form of the great beasts who died in the first wizarding war. it fulfills a prophecy. briggan, uraza, jhi and essix are gone from the world, but their spirits live on in the four heroes' patronuses.

if a character is not marked in spirit animals canon, then either the spell is too advanced for them to perform or their patronus is incorporeal... with a few exceptions.

for years, shane can only produce a silver wisp of a patronus. it is only after his betrayal of abeke, during the war of his own making against the rest of the wizarding world, that his patronus takes shape -- and he is humbled before the familiar figure of a leopard.

[thehealerhairpin]

she was angry -- she was fearful -- she was a mixed of all that she thought she had already let go of a long time ago . she haven't been this mad for a while , she haven't been this fearful for a while , and she haven't been this mixed of an emotions all together for a while . the man's face before her were full of what that cannot be describe -- it feels dead , there's no love in his eyes at all , not even a slight sign of life there . it was empty , like an empty vessel . he reminds her of a corpse , one that are walking -- a zombie , alive , but also not at the same time .

how scary -- how horrifying -- how terrifying .

a step was taken closer to her and that was when she got startled -- her eyes purely filled with anger was then immediately changed to full of fear as she took a couple of steps back , she was on the verge of falling into the stairs of which she have walked up on already . his eyes narrows , but hers bigger up but her pupils becoming smaller . she can feel how much she was shaking -- every parts of her body were becoming in fear and becoming to a shaking machine .

her head was getting dizzy , her brain was shaking in itself . her pupils are shaking , her vision is becoming blurry . her neck is getting sore and tired every each passing moment , she felt like she can barely breath and talk . her hands and arms were shaking , like she was in the midst of a snowstorm , cold , scary , terrifying . her legs were shaking , she can barely keep herself standing upright . her heart were shaking , her chest felt like it was caving in .

these pains -- they're supposed to be mental , yet , it is physically paining her each seconds he's getting closer -- each seconds he talks -- each seconds that he's still standing here , refusing to leave her , refusing to left her be , refusing to let her go . each passing seconds felt like hell -- the moment she became quiet , she can feel everything . from the tip of her hair to the down of her toes .

" Your chamber are beautiful -- but they are full of nothing , there's no feelings put in the positions they are being put there at all -- they're just trophies for you to see and be proud for what you have stolen or bought "

she exclaims , about the whole deal with his royal place -- it was full of such beauty , one she have never seen -- of course it was bound for her to be so fascinated by them . but if they feel so lifeless then .. what's even the point of being so fascinated by them then ? there's no soul for what he have bought . he only bring it along , seemingly solely for the fact to show off how much wealth he held in his hand -- the power he held , it simply shows in the things he bought . yet there was no life behind what they are , it was just all decorations to him .

including her -- she is only a decoration for him .

he have claim she was beautiful -- but he have not spoke a single thing about her personalities aside from her physical appearance -- it made her sick . of course he's not going to compliment or say anything about her actual personalities aside from what she's showing right now because .. he simply does not know her at all , they have met for only a little bit ago and he simply picked her out of everyone else because to him , the surface for him , she was seen as a beautiful decoration to be had -- a beautiful flower to be put into a vase until he eventually forgets to change the water as she wither in his hand , and without care , he'll go find another just to do the same .

he have no understanding on love at all .

" it isn't just that -- love comes from deep within your heart .. something you can never feel "

she said as she slowly bought up her shaking her to be placed against her chest to feel her rapid beating heart that felt as if it was about to burst out of her chest and is on a timer of how much longer will it takes before it explodes inside her body --

" you have no right to determine if my life was pointless and dull -- maybe to you it may seems pointless and dull , but you never bothered to ask me if I enjoyed that 'boring' life before taking me here . and if you're going to ask that now , I will say it here that .. I enjoy those 'dull' days more than being right here , right now , at this moment , on this day "

her words were bitter -- she knew it well , and she felt horrible . she can barely say such bitter words . but what else is there for her to say ? it was true . and is not like he's even going to understand what she's saying -- this entire time he have been pushing all her words aside just to shove more in her mouth --

their views were contrasting -- their personalities were against each other .

he quietness creeps into the room , the audiences were quiet . the only noises were the sound of the two of them breathing -- hers were most loud due to how rapid it was .

his hand were still outreached -- for her to touch , but she refuses to , but she doesn't even want to touch it either -- she doesn't want to even slap it away . so instead , she took one more step back . but due to the floor behind being a staircase she immediately falls down from it .

What a feisty little one she was, as she spits out with a mix of anger and fear in her voice, her eyes not meeting his directly but instead focused on the space between them, where she imagined a wall of resistance could form. What a delightful little lady she was turning out to be, a very worthy addition to his collection as he took a step closer to her, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You seem so upset, are you not pleased with your chamber?” As he could not understand what it was like, for her to be upset with what was happening. 

He had always loved the thrill of power, the feeling of control, but she was different. He had never felt this way about anyone before, and it ate him alive. Her fiery spirit and unyielding nature had captured him in a way that his wealth and status never could. He wanted to crush her, to bend her to his will, but he also found himself wanting to protect and cherish her. It was a confusing mix of emotions that he had never allowed himself to feel.

“What is love, other than a cute little smile on the face of someone else.”

He reached out a hand to her, his voice softer than it had ever been, "You are angry, my dear, but you have to let the hate go, I never intended to harm your loved ones. They are safe, living their lives as they always have. I brought you here for a reason, a purpose greater than you can comprehend. You were meant for greater things" He paused, his hand hovering in the air, unsure if she would take it. His touch had always been cold, a stark contrast to his fiery personality, but he hoped that she would feel something other than repulsion.

“Your life now, at least has some form of meaning, were before it was rather, well dull and pointless in many ways.”

The room grew quiet, filled only with the sound of her ragged breathing and the crackling of the fireplace. He stepped closer, his hand still outstretched. "You're not going to die, killing yourself is a sin, and besides I will not allow you to do such a cruel thing. This union is necessary for the balance of power in this world. You see, my dear, I am not just any man. I am the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, and with your unique power and appearance, we could rule together. You are the woman of my dreams, the one made for me, truly you are perfect."

On his hand again, the silver band around his ring finger glinting in the candlelight, a stark reminder of the two hundred and ninety-nine other women who had come before her. Would she be just another number to add to his collection? Yes - indeed she will be just that, and he will love her just like all the others, even more so, he felt.

[mommyymunson]

The Freak's Superhero//Chapter one: Escaping His Grasp (An Eddie Munson Fanfic)

There was a lot the town of Hawkins didn't know 

about their reality. From the other dimension right  

underneath them that seemed to bleed into their 

own, to the shaven head girl with 

telepathic powers that did all she could to stop this 

other dimension's monsters from 

killing all of their precious town. This nightmare, 

that those who knew of it called the 

"Upside down", had been lasting for over three 

years now, and now a new threat was upon

our heroes. His name was Vecna. Or at least, that's 

how they knew him. See, I knew him as

Henry. 

As stated though, there's a lot that the town 

of Hawkins isn't aware of, not even my 

sister 011, nor her friends. and that was Me. 

Hi, I'm Dr. Brennar's little experiment that 

he kept to himself, telling mostly no one of 

my existence. 

His special project, the one he had the most

faith in as a weapon against the Commies. 

Against the whole world. 

My name is 000 or Zero. But there was 

something that no one could've known, not 

even myself. 

It was that I was about to fall hopelessly in 

love with Hawkins own favorite Pariah, the 

town misfit, 

and the biggest freak: Eddie Goddamn Munson.

The screeches of the Hellish bats that swirled through the air outside and the searing, throbbing pain on my wrists were the only things that kept me grounded at the moment. My vision was blurred from the fog that seemed to be in a constant state around here. All I could smell was the overwhelming stench of rotting blood.  I've been trapped in my own personal prison for the past three years. Or at least that was my best guess, being in the past of Hawkins present didn't allow me to keep great track of time. My arms and legs bound by the flesh-like vines that He had full control of, never straying from my tired limps. My body covered by the Earth's dirt and grime that seemed to make my physique its new home. Knees and calves growing new bruises and cuts by the hour from being dragged around to where they're needed. My head hung low from the lack of energy my anatomy could barely be able to produce. But, not low enough to where I was bowing before him, resolve holding enough to be able to maintain that at least. 

For the past three agonizing years of my captivity, there wasn't a whole lot I could do but sleep whenever my mind eventually gave out and slip into the subconscious where my powers lied. The true monster known as Dr. Brennar had found many different ways my mind could produce unfathomable, scientific reactions and outcomes to any wimp or thought I had. Magic is what most would call it. He made much of use of me before I had finally snuck out of his controlling grasp. 

One of the telepathic powers I had been born with was basically, eavesdropping. I could walk among, converse, and listen to anybody I chose. It was almost as if I was there with them, like my soul was wandering around like some useless ghost. Majority of the time it was used for information, but in my early teens I was able to start manipulating the area around those I had come to "haunt;" opening a door, lifting a cup into thin air, those kinds of things. The only downside was that if I went to that extend, my powers were rendered useless for several hours. It knocked me practically unconscious from how much energy it had used. To the despicable mind of Hawkins labs very own Doctor Jekyll, although he loved to act like he was Mr.Hyde, he wanted to use me as some sort of an assassin. There would be no evidence, no fingerprints, no cops coming to poke their noses in his affairs. 

I was only fourteen when I had managed to flee the unforgiving, white walls of the blood stained laboratory of Hawkins. Surviving by pick-pocketing from strangers wallets, stealing whatever food I managed to slip out of grocery stores, and sleeping in unoccupied or abandoned houses. I had met another girl like me during that time, she taught me everything about the outside world that I had failed to learn in the tiny space of the Lab. Was on my own for two years before a certain ruthless, blonde haired man opened a gate to hell and entrapped me close inside. At least, he used to be blonde and a man for that fact. 

He had come to enlighten me that my sister, 011, had trapped him down here when he tried to kill everyone in Hawkins Lab, including my other brothers and sisters, and even Papa. The lightening that was always ablaze, and the countless days he had spent in the Upside Down had turned his body into this creature of hell. But his mind was the same twisted and evil form it had been as you last remembered. He had me bound stiff and unyielding ever since. Keeping me alive by feeding my starving self whatever murky water he could find and forcing me to consume the bats that were flying above my very head now. 

The only thing that kept me going was the memories I had "shared" with the sister I had never met. When 001 had told me about the powerful child that was able to best him, my curiosity of course, was peaked. That was how I had found out about my sister eleven. How she escaped the Lab just like I had did so long ago, how she had become close with her friends that hid her from Papa; especially close to a certain, certified nerd Michael Wheeler; how she defeated a "demogorgon," how she had become like a daughter to the Chief of Police, Jim hopper, how she and her friends defeated the mind flayer twice, and lost her powers. I had seen it all, been with her for every bruise, every tear shed, every smile formed, everything. She had given me a reason to fight without ever even knowing of my existence. 

It was now 1986, three excruciating years I've been imprisoned down here. I had tried many times to get away from this red and black abyss, to escape his grasp, but was always sucked right back in. I had gotten as close as to forming my own gate but not being able to make it in time, his vines wrapping around my torso and dragging my almost lifeless body back to my confinements. Barely being able to feel the sun again or smelling air that wasn't foul. 

001, or Vecna as El's dork group liked to call him, was now becoming active though. Carrying out  the plans he had had for so long. It had started with a girl named Chrissy, then a boy named Fred, and now It was El's precious friend Max. I could feel her presence when she had stumbled into Venca'a firm hold. Feeling absolutely powerless to help her as she just managed to break free from him. Hell, I couldn't even help myself, how could I help her. Still, I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched her go through the portal, back to her own consciousness. It wasn't until I heard the the loud creaks of the stairs being stepped on that the relief had left me. 

"Don't be too excited, my dear. She won't get very far from me and you know that. You haven't even been able to leave me, what makes you think she has a chance?" his deep, bone-chilling voice had rung in my ears like a bad headache. When I didn't make a move to answer or respond to him in any sort of way, one of the vines entangled itself around my neck, forcing my head upwards to look at his body hunched in front of me, his eyes holding a sort of anger and fascination as he gazed down at me, "you'll be staying with me for all eternity, Zero; by my side as I have the last few we need join us."

His figure stood back up and welcomed the many vines that struck his body over and over as they lifted him up again, his brain finding his next helpless victim. Ever since I had the unpleasant occurrence of meeting him, his eyes always held a passion, an obsession with making me his. His to control for whatever fucked up fantasy he had. Which included taking over Hawkins with the Mind Flayer's powers at his beck and call. 

My consciousness began to dissolve over time, more countless hours falling from my fingers. I was so used to the helplessness that seemed to swarm me. Like Henry said, I couldn't even help myself out of this, nor did I barely have the resolve to do so. I was only snapped out of my daze of self-pity when I heard a familiar cry brake the silence. My neck snapped forward once I realized who that scream erupted from. Max. He must've been able to bring her back already so soon. With every victim he took, he grew stronger, fast. But what could I do about it? My eyes could barely keep themselves open and my limps begged to be given any sort of rest. 

The powers that consumed me worked on their own, showing me all of Eleven's and Max's friends surrounding her floating body, now in a different location than the cemetery. Their faces stricken with unimaginable worry and terror. Screaming their lungs out as her body hung right above them, just out of their grasp. Almost as if my own conscience gave me a slight nudge forward, all I could think about was seeing El among them. Her own face painted with tears that streamed down her flushed cheeks, as she tried all she could to stop the inevitable. One emotion that I haven't felt in a long time start to brew inside me. Like a candle that seemed to be completely snuff out start to flicker and come back to life once more. Determination roared through my chest, drowning in it. My physique may have been exhausted but the adrenaline that coursed through my veins gave me the energy to run a marathon. Hissing from the ache on my wrists and ankles, I snapped out of the flesh-like vines that screeched from being torn apart. Standing for the first time in what felt like forever and raising my arm to the wall of the old Creel residence, I wrenched my barricade away, wood crackling from the pressure and falling to the floor. Taking one step at a time with as much urgency I could muster, I had finally made it to the newly formed hole. Max had been suffocating on the vines controlled by Vecna as he stood firm in front of her. He had been prepared for another escape as he kept himself a safe distance away from her face so she couldn't take a bite out of him, foiling his plan a second time. The few precious seconds that we both had were dwindling, I had to act now. 

My abilities surged as I hurled the levitating pieces of scrap from the air and crashed them against his unexpecting body. He flew back until he collided with a near by wall, stunned from the sudden attack. Using what little time I had left before his realization settled in, I leaped from the building and caught up with the terrified red head that had already started sprinting. Her eyes glazed at me for a quick second, her face contorted in an unreadable expression before putting her focus back on the path ahead. 

"You both won't get far." it seemed 001 had realized what had conspired as I heard the garbage I had thrown at him come hurling in our direction. 

"I'll protect you, just focus on getting back to them!" I shouted out as I took a few of the fragments that were coming at us at a rapid pace, and flung them right back at him, winning a bullseye. Using the remaining pieces, I constructed a makeshift wall behind us as a guard; they fell into place like a game of Tetris. This would give me a few more much needed seconds to pull open a gate out of the fabric of the space in front of me. 

"No!" There was shuffling behind me but I didn't take my concentration away from the gate that was almost fully open. This was the closest I've ever gotten and I could feel the hope beating in my chest. Max had just gotten to the portal back to her mind as she turned to me with a worried look, I screamed for her to run and she stepped through. I could feel the tears that began to sting and fall through my lashes. Twirling my body right in front of the gate, I pushed back the vines that were darting at me from behind; and let my body fall backwards through my one way ticket to freedom. 

Instantly feeling the heat from the overpowering sun from above and the clear air that began to fill my lungs, my body tumbled into the rocks and sticks that littered the earth beneath me. I tumbled down the mountain until my instincts kicked into high gear and I used my nails to claw at the ground. Slowing down my fall enough to be able to flip back onto my feet; back onto flat flooring. At long last being able to catch my breath as my lungs felt like they were on the verge of collapse, I took in my surroundings and held in a quiet sob. Feeling the small patches of grass that sprouted underneath me and noticing just how blue the sky was; how full of color and life everything around me was. My lips tugged into a relieved smile before it was quickly wiped off my face by the snapping twigs in back of me. My neck snapped in its direction only to be welcomed by six others staring at me. Looking like they were just waiting for something to happen, although nothing did. I knew exactly who they were from my snooping abilities. Dustin, Robin, Steve, Lucas, Nancy, and finally Max who still had left over tear stains on her freckled face. One of them started to speak to me before quickly snapping their mouth shut as I swiftly stood and began to walk in the opposite direction. It felt wrong to just leave but I couldn't get involved with them when I knew what their plan was. I've been stuck there for three years, I can't risk concerning myself with them and getting dragged right back, I just couldn't. 

"She..She saved me in there, I don't know if I would still be here without her. She stopped him, she has powers just like El used to." Max suddenly spoke up to the group but i just kept walking. Not daring to turn around because the second I did, I knew I wouldn't be able to stop myself from helping. 

"Are you Eleven's sister? Were you in there with her? In the Lab?" The voice which I knew as the ex-toothless boy named Dustin uttered out, I still walked and stayed silent. After not getting a response from me, I heard two sets of footsteps following after me before one tugged on my arm to stop me. Because of the trauma that I had just experienced in the upside down, my head flew back to the one that kept me still; my hand raised in defense as a reflex. It was Dustin that held onto me, flinching back in alarm at the possibility of me hurting him with my mind. I didn't intent to scare him, I was just so used to having the anxiety of expecting pain. After a second of realization, my hand went back to rest at my side; his head perked back up when he noticed no pain or flying back into a nearby tree. His hand that still rested on my wrist gently pulled me to him, his calloused fingers rubbing against the still open wounds that made permanent markings on my flesh. I groaned from the pain as he quickly realized, his palm flying off and he mumbled many apologies. Grabbing my appendage in protection, my tired eyes landed on his sorrowful ones. His eyes were true, pure and completely obvious of honestly. The staring lasted only a second before abruptly turned my body away once again, although this time I didn't start walking. My brain going through an endless cycle of what to do as the boy spoke once again. 

"Does she speak or..?" he turned over to Max who had been the other that joined me by my side. 

"Of course I speak, you idiot." my attention went right back to him as soon as it had left, crossing my arms in front of my chest at his accusation. My face contorted in a somewhat glare as the person I expected least spoke up. 

"What did he do to you in there?" Nancy Wheeler, the intelligent moralist of the party, questioned me. For some reason, my heart strings were tugged at the worry that plagued her features. A sigh that seemed to be held in for far too long escaped from my lips as I trudged toward her. I can't believe I'm doing this. Everyone immediately went on alert at what could possibly be my next move, but I just continued my journey to her awaiting self. 

Now, a talent that Papa didn't seem as curious about was my transfer of the past. He thought it was useless considering it couldn't be used to gather information nor kill his opponents; but for me, it was useful in saving time like this current moment. Time, as usual, was of the essence. As long as I had some sort of physical connection or touch to the receiver, I could relay old memories of my own with my own choosing, or collect any of theirs. The best way to describe it, is the old saying how when someone dies, their life flashes before their eyes in a matter of seconds. It was exactly like that but I got to choose what details I shared with the class. It also took a bit longer than a few seconds, it depended on how much info I gave them. So when I finally was able to reach the older sister of Mike, I hesitantly raised my hands up to her face and cupped her cheeks with them. Her eyes searching mine with confusion and expectation, everyone else sharing the same looks amongst themselves. Closing my eyes and concentrating on the power that swirled through the veins in my cerebrum, I finally unleashed the energy into her; her eyes going completely white as her head shot back from the overwhelming flow of images that weren't her own. For her, it was almost like watching an entire movie in less than two minutes. When I had opened my lids again, I could see Steve and Robin running over to me panic, probably thinking I was harming her. But the look on my face made them slow. My eyes being completely blown out in black, no grey left within them. Blood vessels popping almost inhumanly around them. To them, I probably looked like I was mutilating her; although their movements stilled completely when Nancy lifted her small forearm, signaling them to stop. 

"Don't..It's okay, I'm okay," Her palms then enveloped my own on her cheekbones, "It actually feels kind of nice, It's warm." 

A small smile formed on her lips as I took her in complete shock. No one had ever told me that they liked my talents. At least not in the way of using them for their own selfish gains. A small tint of pink stained my appearances while the last few flashbacks transported to her. Almost like snapping out of a trance, we both lost the connection when my hands left her. I felt almost exposed as she now knew mostly everything that had transpired from the entirety of my life. Unable to make eye contact, I shifted uncomfortably in my place before her, waiting for whatever answer she was going to have to the strange intel. The last reaction I expected her to have though was to wrap her arms around my shoulders and pull my body to her, coating me into a warm embrace. I completely froze, unable to move from the unfamiliar feeling of affection. The only sort of "love" that I ever experienced in the time I was in that scientific prison was when the guards, nurses, doctors, or Papa held onto my hand as they led me from room to room. Probably for another stupid test or lesson to make us more powerful. It was a form of control on their part though, tricking an innocent mind into thinking they were the good guys because they wore honest smiles and kind auras. 

"I'm so sorry, Zero. I'm so so sorry you had to go through that, alone nonetheless." The pretty, curly haired girl squeezed me even harder as I heard slight sniffles follow her apology. Was she crying for me? That was a concept that I couldn't wrap my head around. I wasn't used to anybody having empathy for me because my hardships, goodness being a foreign concept to me. As I was lost in thought and before I could find the courage to finally join in her hug, she pulled back from me, now holding her hands to my shoulders as another form of comfort. I was right, there were a few stray tears that had fallen from her soft, blue eyes. I couldn't say anything though, my mind was racing endlessly as her confusing actions gave me many questions and very few answers. Why would she cry for me? What exactly was it that made her feel such sadness that wasn't even her own? And especially, why did she care so much for a complete stranger? 

"I understand now why you were so on edge, and I don't blame you for wanting to run away when you first saw us. I can't imagine how messed up everything was for you. Well, I can since you just showed me all of it; but I could never imagine being able to survive all of that myself. The wounds and scars that you had and have, mentally and physically...it must have been so hard for you," Her gentle words did little but baffle me further, but she still continued, "and I don't want to seem like one of those monsters that tried to use you; but we could really use your help. You know the most out of anyone about Vecna, how he acts and how his mind works. Not only that, but without El and her powers, we are all but defenseless against him. From what you showed me, you're incredibly powerful and we could really use that strength. But I want this to be your choice, and I will not fault you at all for whatever you decide. But I ask of you, please help us, in anyway you can." 

Her gentle eyes gave me great pause as I contemplated the words she had just spoke. What was I doing? Why was I actually thinking about my decision, I can't do this. I can't see him again, not ever. I want to help them, I really do but what will the events that unfold cost me? 

"Uh.. so what exactly did she show you?" The coiffed hair boy, who I believe was Steve Harrington, whispered out. 

"I'm moreso curious about these so-called 'incredible powers' wheeler was taking about." An unfamiliar voice said, with a slight chuckle in his throat. 

There was another man there that I hadn't noticed before, but now that I had noticed him, I shamelessly couldn't take my eyes away. His hair was a deep brown, almost black shade that was grown long in soft sets of curls. His outfit was anything less than a punk rock style, sporting a denim vest and leather jacket that was thrown over a white, devil baring T-shirt. His jeans were ripped at the knees and his sneakers dirty from the mud that lay beneath them. Eyes that stared straight at me a dark chocolate brown that held much mischief in them. The damned smile though was what I couldn't stop staring at, an almost shit-eating grin covered nearly his whole face. Before anyone could notice, I quickly snapped my head away from the crowd. Almost not being able to cover the deep crimson that saturated my cheeks and neck. 

I knew I shouldn't be boldly checking out this random guy in the group, but It was entirely involuntary. This wasn't like me in the slightest, I never let men have any sort of effect on me. Well, all but one man. But the second I saw the pleading looks of the children and the breathtaking rockstar, I knew I had no chance. 

Heaving a heavy, almost dramatically long sigh, I pinched the space in between my brows and turned to Dustin. 

"Well, you gonna lead the way or are you gonna make me do that too?" Flashing him a cheeky smirk, his face crinkled into an adorable grin before grabbing my hand once again, guiding me to his destination. God, people around here were really into touching, huh? 

"So are your powers like Eleven's or do you have different ones? Are you more powerful than she is? How come you look so creepy when you do that brain, memory, transfer thing? Do you like eggos as much as El does?" Dustin's questions seemed to ramble out of his mouth faster than he could think them. 

"I'm already starting to regret this." I huffed, shaking my head once again. Although his insistent interrogation was slightly driving me insane, I couldn't help the small smile that seemed to remain on my lips.

(Hi guys! Hopefully you enjoyed my first chapter, obviously this is gonna be a fix-it fic and I’m gonna change some things around in the plot as well; let me know what you guys think of my lil ole story and Ill be posting chapter 2 soon :^)

[akisata-moved]

a little bit of divine worldbuilding 🕊️

hi everyone! i said i would make a post about my angel worldbuilding and the lore surrounding it, so here we are. let's get into this!

(as a forewarning: this got really long really fast. sorry lol)

i. at the beginning of the universe: what's the deal with god, heaven, and hell?

you know... this guy. ...or, guys? i use they pronouns for god, not because they're nonbinary rep or anything but because the classic collection uses they pronouns for god because they are literally plural. so, multiple guys.

a. the universe's first inhabitants 🌟

we can't have angels (or anything, really) without god. so... what is god?

to put it simply, "god" is a small collective of beings that hail from a primordial race of creatures called aeons. contrary to popular belief, "god" did not create the universe as a whole.

that being said, they WERE the first beings to exist in the universe; gifted with near-immortality and the power of creation, they were essentially burdened the cosmic purpose of bringing the universe to life. think of them as... like, demiurges, really. despite being the first beings in the universe, they didn't really start popping up until ~370,000 years into the universe existing.

(whether or not there is a "supreme" being above them isn't something i've given TOO much thought to. my working idea is that the universe is quite literally a supreme being in itself.)

so, our "god" is not the only ones of their kind. there isn't a large amount of them, but considering the size of the universe and how it's ever-expanding... there's enough of them to go around, you know.

as the early stages of the universe progress, they start to become aware of the existence of each other. it's difficult to be what is essentially a god and be unaware of the presences that surround you.

the attitudes that they held towards each other varied from aeon to aeon. some of them worked in tandem, others remained solitary. some of them competed with others, and others dedicated themselves to watching over their corner of the universe and making it a home.

there weren't many "overstepped boundaries" in the infinitely expanding stretch of space they had at their disposal. in the early stages of the universe, there was no need for that kind of thing. they all mostly stayed in their own lanes.

during the early epochs, they mostly just spent their time experimenting, growing and changing, and learning the ins and outs of their little cosmic playground.

due to the nature and scope of their abilities, and their immortality, they were mostly aware that their exploits were relatively infinitesimal. they had a very acute awareness that every planet and galaxy they created would eventually crumble.

similarly to their attitudes towards each other, the attitudes they held towards their creations varied. some liked to stay disconnected, and hopped from creation to creation, moving on as soon as they finished working on their little project. others were more involved.

in regards to their abilities, they aren't omnipotent. in fact i wouldn't even really call them omnificent. if there was a way to describe what they were able to do, it would be... transmute? the universe provided all the materials for creation, and so it was their job to use their divine power to... make something with it, really. they can't create something out of absolutely nothing. there has to be something for them to make stuff.

they also don't really have any kind of set moral compass. so none of them are inherently evil, good, bad, whatever.

of course, given the fact that they mostly reside in space (we'll get to what exactly "heaven" is in a little), they aren't necessarily bound to one physical shape or form. we love shapeshifters.

b. the devilman "god", and the prison of light 🕯️

the devilman "god" is a trio of aeons who bonded over a certainty and awareness of what they wanted from the universe. they strove to create something perfect— something beautiful. better than every other creation out there. other aeons' work was... sloppy, imperfect, and quite ugly.

as stated before, the aeons aren't necessarily physical beings. that makes it really easy for them to fuse with each other, as they aren't really bound to any kind of physics or laws governing their consciousnesses and bodies.

"so are they a hivemind" not necessarily? they're all just... fused together. the pros of fusing together like that means that one single entity now has the power of three aeons, which lets them do a lot more than if they were all separate, and on a larger scale. god is a throuple

they probably aren't the only aeon group to do this, honestly.

fun note: the devilman "god" never refers to themselves as another aeon. they always refer to themselves as a "god", and it's mainly just because they think they're better than the rest of the aeons lol. i'll be referring to them as god from here on out just because it's easier.

so, then what? god decides that they need a place for themselves. a pocket of space only for them (+ eventually, the angels). they needed a home base of sorts, a place that represented their vision as they imagined it. and so, they created heaven.

so what even is heaven? it's essentially a sub-universe, or a pocket of the universe that god hid away just for themselves.... and for the angels, which were created afterwards.

once again, i doubt heaven is the only realm of its kind. i doubt that god is the only aeon who had the idea for a "home base" of sorts.

heaven started out as a home just for god, but as angelic society grew, it eventually turned into a whole kingdom. that being said, god still has a palace Just For Them at the very top layer of it!

people don't go to heaven. nope. that doesn't happen. mainly because it's not an "afterlife".

after god created heaven and the angels, heaven because a home for all of them. heaven was created to be perfect (in the eyes of its creator), or as close to perfect as god could manage while also having a species with (sort of) free will residing within it.

heaven is almost like a hidden galaxy, except a LOTTT smaller.

heaven is mostly made up of clouds and solid energy. there are actually five layers of heaven; one for each sphere of the angelic choir, one for the Archangels, and one for god.

that isn't to say that the angels are confined to one layer. they can freely travel about, it's just that they'll usually spend time in the layer dedicated to their sphere, unless they're stationed to work elsewhere.

the need for more and more angels became more important as time went on. god became more... power hungry, and they fell harder into the belief that they alone were the ones worthy of the universe. they eventually gained a very hostile attitude towards other aeons and cosmic societies. this wasn't unheard of, really, but considering how most of them stayed in their own lanes, having god be all... aggressive was a little bit of a shock. needless to say, this resulted in the formation of enemies... and other forms of cosmic politics.

heaven and angelic culture has a lot of emphasis on architecture! ...although, not in a way you would expect. the best way i can explain it is that it's very... suess-like.

lots of staircases, lots of columns, lots of... that kind of thing...

while we're on the topic of sub-universes, we can talk a little about hell, too.

hell was actually created by the universe itself, not by the aeons or god or anything. it has always existed, and is sort of a universal collection all life and souls. sorta like the universe's garbage can for all dead things.

it’s less of an eternal resting place and more of an intermediary location you go while the universe works to basically recycle your soul and convert it back to its original state.

ii. what is an angel?: a little on angelic society

a. the angelic choir at a glance📜

angelic society as a whole is referred to as the angelic choir.

the main thing about angelic society is that it's split into different spheres based on how much power an angel has/the specific task they were made to do.

why do angels exist in the first place? they were made to be servants of god, and basically do everything that they do... for them. so, deliver messages, be soldiers, do tasks and chores and watch over the things god makes... all that kind of thing.

angels have free will, but were created with an ingrained sense of duty that usually outweighs said free will. or perhaps it influences their free will. hard to tell. that being said, most angels will not do anything if it directly contradicts their purpose.

also, angels are not inherently “good” aligned. like I said, they have free will, which means they have choices. angels can be shitty people! whether or not an angel “falls” has nothing to do with what their character is like, and everything to do with whether or not they are defiant to God.

not a lot of angels do defy god, either. an angel being kicked out of heaven is pretty rare.

anyways, back to the angelic choir... there are three spheres of angel, each with three types of angel in them. the highest ranking angels are the first order of the first sphere, and the lowest ranking are the third order of the third sphere. yeah.

in the first sphere you have the seraphim, cherubim, and thrones. the first sphere angels are the only angels that tend directly to god.

the second sphere is made up of the dominations, the virtues, and the powers.

the third sphere consists of the principalities, the arches, and the angels (generic term).

Archangels are above the first sphere in rank. they're the most powerful angels, and there aren't very many of them.

b. archangels and the angels of the first sphere🔥

Archangels, as stated before, are the most powerful angels and the ones with the most important duties. they're mostly angelic supervisors that manage angels with different specialties. who are the archangels? before lucifer's fall, there were eight different archangels.

jophiel (archangel of wisdom and inspiration), chamuel (archangel of divine justice), gabriel (archangel of revalation), raphael (archangel of healing), uriel (archangel of truth and light), zadkiel (archangel of healing), and, of course, michael (archangel of strength and courage) and lucifer (archangel of love and empathy).

the first sphere angels are the angels that are closest to god, and the only ones that can interact where with them directly. they're the least... replaceable angels, except for the archangels. that's why they don't really leave heaven.

the seraphim are the bodyguards of the throne, and those who directly guard and protect both god's palace and the different layers of heaven itself. they're stationed just about everywhere on the fifth layer of heaven, and then scattered about in the other layers just to keep an eye on everything. they're also stationed at the entrances and exits.

they're busy a LOT of the time. they take their jobs very seriously.

the seraphim are the angels that interact the most with god. the cherubim and the thrones do, too, but not as frequently.

the tradition when interacting with god is to cover their faces and bodies with their wings when interacting directly with them. it's a sort of humbling thing, to show that they regard themselves as lesser than them. just out of respect.

the cherubim are the celestial recordkeepers of heaven, and the ones that really hold the knowledge of god and heaven.

they're known for their wisdom, and they keep records of everything that happens in their part of the universe. nothing goes undocumented, really. heaven's historians are also cherubim.

along with keeping records of events, they also keep track of all of the angels that are created, and those that come in and out of heaven. and those who go out and dont come back. yeah.

jophiel is the archangel who supervises the cherubim.

the thrones are some of the most intellectual angels and have wonderful minds. they serve as both teachers, guides, and counselors for the lower ranks of the angels.

they're the ones in charge of receiving orders from god and dishing out duties to the lower ranks (dominations, mostly) and explaining them. celestial teachers, really. they're very engaged with the rest of angelic society, and are always willing to offer an explanation or a helping hand to other angels.

they're also the head order that deals with cosmic laws and making sure everything that god makes works the way it's supposed to. god doesn't really have time to keep everything in check themselves, so it's up to the thrones and the virtues to make sure their creation... functions like it should.

lucifer was supposed to the archangelic supervisor of the thrones...? but, uh... that didn't exactly.... uh.... work out....

after lucifer was cast out, jophiel was put in charge of both the thrones and the cherubim. it's a lot of work for one angel, really, but she doesn't mind.

c. angels of the second and third spheres☄️

the first order of the second sphere is the dominations. think of these guys as... well, management.

they're in charge of managing the angelic kingdoms, and of regulating the second sphere angels in lower orders.

they help keep everyone organized. there's a lot of things to keep track of.

the dominions get their orders from the thrones (who receive orders from god), and pass along orders to the principalities in the third sphere along with the virtues and powers. it's just a big chain.

zadkiel is the archangel in charge of the dominations rank. he also deals with some of the stuff that the principalities handles, but mostly sticks to dominations.

the second order of the second sphere is the virtues. if seraphim are the guards and watchers of heaven itself, then the virtues are the watchers of the universe (well, god's part of the universe, anyways).

they watch over everything god creates, from planets, galaxies, luminaries, and other celestial bodies to make sure the cosmos are in order. and that nothing is going wrong.

they work closely with certain thrones angels for this reason.

it's actually very important to make sure shit isn't going wrong. especially considering how their god's... hostile attitude... attracts some not so friendly faces.

uriel is the archangel in charge of the virtues, and because of the close ties between the virtues and the thrones, he quickly became good friends with lucifer.

the powers are the third order of the third sphere, and they make up the angelic army.

can basically be split into two groups— soldiers and healers. the soldiers were originally led by chamuel, but the job was pretty much taken over by michael once he showed up, and chamuel instead switched gears to deal more with strategizing after that. raphael supervises those more geared towards healing.

running an army is hard work, turns out. there's a lot that goes into it.

the third sphere is the most populous sphere; they're like worker bees. they're very easy to replace, and are very expendable.

third sphere angels actually leave heaven a lot. they deal with intergalactic relationships.

in the first sphere, the principalities are the main managers of the lower-ranking arches and angels. they're very similar to the dominations in that regard, and they actually get their orders from them. like i said before... it's a big chain.

they're the ones that are stuck dealing the most with cosmic politics.

arches are celestial envoys, while your everyday angels work as messengers, running back and forth between heaven and other places in space. angel postal service!

the angels and arches are also assigned most of the mundane tasks not given to any higher ranks.

usually the angels go out in groups, because there's safety in numbers, and space is REALLY big. at least one arch will accompany an angel group, and on occasion, a principality will come too, depending on how important things are.

that being said, there have been many, many instances where angels don't come back. sometimes they get lost. this happens more often than it should.

gabriel is the head messenger archangel. he's the postmaster. angel. guy.

d. okay i'll bite. what are angels made of. aka, angel physiology 🌠

angels are special. lol.

they're made of photon energy (in the case of most angels) and thermal energy (in the case of seraphim).

(lucifer is an Archangel, so he is... as stated above, made of photons.)

as stated before, god can't create something out of nothing. the energy needed to create angels actually is specific to the energy emitted from dying stars. every angel comes from the death of a star.

so, this means a couple of things. first of all, as angels are created, not born, they don't actually have a functional reproductive system. because they weren't created with the intention of reproduction. the genitalia is decorative essentially tbh. also, every angel looks like this. it's definitely not a reproductive thing. it's entirely aesthetic.

"romance" is essentially nonexistent in angel culture. uh, they all see each other as some kind of equivalent of siblings, considering they were all made directly by the same creator. they all refer to god as their parents, and so they all see each other as siblings.

(that being said, it's not like they're incapable of love or anything. ryosatanlucifer retains his feelings for akira even after he turns back into an angel, so it's not like he can't feel love or anything like that. i mean, that should be obvious, but i felt the need to specify anyways)

the second thing this: angels lack all forms of physical sensation. their bodies are... kind of numb to all sense of touch, taste, smell, etc. they are, in some circumstances, intangible. what does that mean? well...

sorry for having so much stuff from go nagai world.... we never got to see satan in the actual ovas </3

they can float through stuff sometimes. their tangibility (on earth) is actually up to them. so, for example, if they wanted to, they could float through a door. or they could open a door by turning the doorknob. though, they wouldn't be able to experience the sensation of actually touching the doorknob.

anywho. there are actual a few variations of angelic appearance depending on what rank of angel they are! i have... erm... drawn a few examples of some of the angels, but not a whole lot? ahh.... there they are anyways. some of the descriptions are a little outdated bc i've changed into since then but YEAH!!

Archangels, at the very top of the angelic choir, are beautiful with 12 large snow-white wings— two on the head, two from the shoulderblades, two on the middle back, two on the lower back, on on each arm and one on each ankle. they’re all nearly identical- though, most of the angels within each order looks nearly identical. they’re identical in the way that cats of the same coat color and breed are identical. michael and lucifer are actually identical, though, because they’re like real life twins, and are born from the same star. yeah!

seraphim are made from condensed thermal energy rather than light energy. they’re super hot. Lol. they have 10 wings (head, shoulders, lower back, arms, and ankles) unlike the Archangel’s 12. They’re warmer in color scheme than the Archangels, which are usually a sort of yellow-white color? they glow. seraphim are more red-orange because they’re… heat. They also have the ability to manifest flames out of their body, though it’s kind of just for show considering how it can't really do anything.

the cherubim are covered in eyes. or, their wings are covered in eyes- they have 8 of them! wings, I mean (head, shoulders, lower back, and ankles). they have way more than eight eyes. Also, they can open eyes up on their bodies when they get really stressed or angry! it’s a fun neat cherubim trait. all the cherubim are so tired. let them go home please.

the thrones are the third order in the first sphere of the Angelic choir, and these are our ringy-boys. they're the angels with the most emphasis on halos- they can make them spin really fast and manifest more rings around them whenever they feel strongly or honestly just when they want to. they’re usually surrounded by them, just as a sort of status thing. they typically serve as messenger angels (delivering orders to the second sphere) and bodyguards for the cherubim. they have 6 pairs of wings (head, shoulders, and lower back).

from there on out appearance is mostly dictated by sphere— second sphere angels (dominations, virtues, and powers) have two sets of wings (on the head and the shoulders), while first sphere angels (principalities, arches, and angels) have only one set of wings on their shoulders, and look pretty similar to the standard depiction of angels.

e. some more about angel culture in general

i just wanted to share some more fun little details about angel culture, because there IS stuff beyond work for these guys lol

society is really easy to be sustained when there's no need for "hard labor", and when everyone is created with a sense of purpose. and the fact that they don't really need to eat or anything.

since there isn't much of a need for extra work outside of everyone's Assigned Jobs, when there is free time, it's mostly dedicated to the arts. there's actually a LOT of focus on art in angelic culture!

though, it's a lot less... genuine? than "human art". the idea of "perfection" is heavily exalted in angelic society, mainly because that's what god wishes for, and god is the One Real Authority in their society. a lot of angelic art tries to reflect this idea of perfect beauty that they've had drilled into their heads from the beginning of their existence.

of course, perfection is unachievable for the angels. so sad.

art that depicts any kind of "flaw" is entirely unheard of. angels are the ultimate perfectionists.

since none of the angels actually LOOK at god (the archangels and first spheres cover their eyes with their wings when they come in direct contact with them), a lot of art is actually of god. it's always sort of a contest to see how perfectly and beautiful they can depict god. it's a form of worship, really.

they do have a written language. but "novels" aren't really a thing. they aren't super big on fiction. what's the point of that?

instead, they use written language to keep historical accounts, archive events, and write PSALMS. so so many psalms. they really love to write music dedicated to praising their god.

"music" in quotes, because it's... not exactly comparable to human music. it's angel music, guys. cmon.

they also like writing poetry a lot.

because of the way they worship perfection in art/writing, things end up feeling a little bit... sterile? yeah.

obviously, since they are in space, they don't use any kind of timescale similar to days/hours/weeks/etc. there's a sort of "day" equivalent in which things are a lot... brighter? but that's really it.

angels don't age, either. they have no concept of age.

they do have another consistent method of keeping time, though, and it's based on how long it takes for angels (third rank of the third sphere) to be created. lower rank angels are really being produced at a constant rate, to make up for losses, so it's easy to divide time this way. the time it takes to make one angel = one angelic "day".

they don't really have any equivalent of years, instead naming longer periods of time (ages) after whatever archangel was created last. so, the age of gabriel, or the age of uriel.

when michael and lucifer were made At the same Time, the cherubim got into a lot of arguments over who to name the age after. it wasn't like there was any way to choose between the two.

so they just decided on both eventually. lol. they called it the age of lucifer and michael.

after lucifer well, a new Age started. so the age of lucifer and michael and the age of michael are two separate time periods.

michael is sooooooooooooo cocky about that, too. what a bitch.

anyways, like stated before, the idea of perfection is super important to angels. to them, god represents the ULTIMATE perfection.

and on that same note, talking bad about god, and going against god's will, is a very big NO!!!!!!. they REALLY do not do that.

.......okay!!!!!!!! whew!

that was a LOT, but if you read all the way through... mwah! thank you so much for listening to my thoughts!!!! i might make a separate post about lucifer's history/his relationships with the other angels/his fall later on. but for now.... here's just some basic stuff about angels and how they work!!! yeah!!!!!