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luverofralts · 5 months ago

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Arkhelios Adventures

Noelle Helios never believed the things that seemed to go on at her cousins' house. Her mother was married to the Demon Sovereign, but their household was relatively peaceful. Her mother worked long hours and so did her stepmother, meaning that Noelle and Mikel were free to do whatever they wanted pretty much all of the time. Even with that in mind, the Bellamy family always seemed to be on the edge of some crisis in one way or another. Last week, when she had come to play with her cousins, the overheard words of adult conversation had been "demonic weddings", "Theo", and "ceremony". If Noelle had to guess, it sounded like Theo was being married off to keep him out of trouble. Adam must be crushed.

The words for this week were similar. Uncles Abe and Roman were sitting in the kitchen speaking in hushed tones with Uncle Adrian. There was more mention of a demon wedding, but Noelle had something even more interesting to hear. Rien, her weirdest but closest cousin, was involved in a scheme far beyond Noelle's imagination. Rien had even asked for her help. She had an "appointment" that the adults didn't know about and knowing the Bellamy adults, they would probably never know about it.

Mikel was still at an age where he was easily distracted and loved hanging out with Abe III or Luciana. He would be their distraction, Noelle decided. It would be easy for the two cousins to slip away unnoticed if Mikel and the other cousins were playing loudly. While they waited for this mysterious appointment, Noelle and Rien would make a show of playing some clapping games to establish their location.

"Okay, the first thing to remember is to use discretion. Don't let people notice you and don't cause a scene. Avoid being nervous if you can, that could trigger your true form and scare people. Just look alive and boring. Can you do that, Zane?"

Atem looked pointedly at his student, hoping to see some level of understanding. In the last week or so of training Zane, Atem had nearly written to his father to request Zane's removal from the reaper program seven times. The man was lazy, dismissive of regulations, and obsessed with cheese. On top of that, he had almost been recognized by someone on the street, which Atem had to smooth over with some impressive gaslighting. Headquarters had assumed that no one would recognize a dead, zombified teenager in a living, adult body, but as usual, they were wrong. Zane should have been sent away and out of Atem's afterlife, but again, his father showed how inept he truly was. This was the man who let the former heir to the Pleasantview throne have children with the former heir of the Strangetown and the Islands' thrones, creating a mess named Claudia Goldman. Whatever his grandfather saw in Atem's father, Atem couldn't see it.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't say hi to people I knew when I was alive. Don't play with reaper powers because I'm bored. Don't-" he stopped for a moment, noticing his trainer's withering glare.

"Don't talk about cheese."

Reapers didn't need to eat or sleep like mortals, but Zane seemed to be ignoring that fact. The communal fridge in the office was covered with bits of melted cheese. The office was littered with various cheese products, both eaten or abandoned for their nonexistent maid to clean up. It was driving Atem up the wall and he wasn't even the team leader.

"Why are we at the Bellamy house? Is someone about to die?" Zane asked, looking nervous at the thought of collecting a soul from people he once knew.

"Did you read your assignment for today?" Atem asked wearily, already knowing the answer. "Your assignment is predetermined and given to you first thing in the morning. It's on your phone. Yes, that phone from management. Do you see an assignment to reap a Bellamy?"

"No, it's says remedial training with Atem Grunt," he read slowly, still somehow looking confused.

"Forget that name. Spector too, if you ever hear it mentioned. I don't use a last name. You can call me Atem or Sir if you're so inclined. This is remedial training just like your phone is telling you. So pay attention!"

"Is that Roman and Abe's kid?"

Zane peered curiously at the kids skating on their rink.

"Yes. The rest should be Roman's one way or another. Maybe a few visitors to the house too. With time, you'll be able to distinguish families. It's a valuable tool for collecting the right soul."

"I thought their kid was some kind of monster demon? One who could blow all of us up at any time?"

"That's the oldest," a voice called out from behind them. Atem groaned. He would recognize that voice anywhere. "He's something of a project of mine, so I'd recommend keeping your distance from him."

As if Atem's day couldn't get any worse. The last thing Zane needed to see was Lukas, protector of the realm completely opposite theirs and well known agent of chaos.

"Damn, I always forget how hot this place is," Lukas declared, fanning himself dramatically. "Not as dry as Strangetown, but definitely hotter."

"Why are you here, Lukas?" Atem sighed, rubbing away the migraine he could feel approaching. "We're kind of in the middle of something."

"Yeah, I know. Reaper training for the untrainable. Don't worry, I'll give you your space. You won't even notice that I'm here."

Atem gave the deity a doubtful look. That wasn't anywhere near probable, knowing Lukas, but it was all he had to work with. History had warned him about engaging with Lukas. The best path forward would be to ignore them as much as possible.

"Okay, Zane, how many living people are in this house? Counting the ones in the yard, of course. Close your eyes and listen for heartbeats or breathing. If someone is close to dying, they will feel different to you."

"Is someone dying here? I'm not sure I want to see a dead body."

"Then why did you become a reaper?" Atem exploded. "You see death up close every day! It's your job to process the dead! What did you think we did when you signed up for this?"

Zane shrugged.

"The afterlife was boring. This seemed like fun."

"Fun?!"

"It's almost time," Rien stated, peering out the window. She was weirdly calm about whatever was about to happen. Rien was the only person Noelle couldn't read, only deepening her affection for her exceedingly odd cousin.

"What am I looking for? Fire? Magic?"

When Noelle looked out the window again, she could see a strange man waving at them. What on earth was her cousin doing with an adult man?

Adrienne waved back as casually as if she were waving at her twin sister. Noelle's curiosity overwhelmed her innate need to be seen as withdrawn and uncaring. Sure, she had a reputation to maintain, but this was too interesting to pass up.

"So this is your appointment? Who is that?"

"A friend. The spirits introduced us. Theo needs our help and they offered their services."

Noelle's nose wrinkled in disgust as she watched the three men in the yard turn their attention on her.

"Those guys look like they're in their thirties, to be generous. What the hell are they doing hanging out with a twelve year old?"

"I'm only here to meet the one," Rien assured her cousin, as if this would be what made it all okay. "They're doing Theo a favour and the spirits called for me to mediate the transaction. When a deity steps in to help your brother, you have to help."

"Deity? What the hell is Theo involved with now? Should I call my mom?"

Rien scoffed.

"Don't worry about it. No one here needs a lawyer."

Atem watched Lukas wave at a set of preteen girls in horror. Nothing Lukas did was safe for anyone aside from them, especially when it involved living children.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed, trying to shield Zane from this shameless disregard for the rules. "I cleared this area for training purposes and no one is scheduled to die here today. What are you up to?"

"I told you, the oldest child is something of a project of mine," Lukas repeated happily. "I happen to have this area scheduled for my own reasons. Just go about your business and I'll go about mine. I promise I'll be quiet."

"I'll call Grandfather," Atem threatened, knowing that there was no way that Death would intervene against his spouse unless mortal lives were in danger. "I'm sure he'd be interested in knowing what you're up to."

Lukas laughed and shot Atem a smug smile.

"Oh honey, he has no idea who you are. He can barely remember your father's name and he chose him as his successor. Today he's out with his bestie, so go ahead and interrupt his personal time. I'm sure that he'll answer the phone for his grandson, What's His Name."

"Does this mean no training?" Zane asked hopefully. In the time the two other men were fighting, Zane had been playing with weeds out of boredom.

"Yes."

"No."

Atem and the deity of life squared off, each glaring at the other intensely. While they squabbled, Zane picked up another weed to entertain himself with. Undeath was turning out to be just as tedious as death so far.

In a shimmer of light, Adam Darktide appeared on the lot, carefully avoiding any of the windows that the adults might spot him through.

"Hi, Adam."

Rien waved at her brother's boyfriend like she had been expecting him along with the strange adults. Adam waved back like this was all a part of a convoluted plan. If Noelle had to guess, this was just one of her cousin's many secrets.

"Hi, Adam. The spirits endorse this plan, just like I said they would. They say Theo misses you."

Rien wrapped her arms around the boy her brother was obsessed with. He was an honest soul, even if he was occasionally incredibly stupid whenever her brother was involved. He had pure intentions though. Not many people did once they understood how powerful Theo truly was.

"Tell them to tell him that I miss him too," Adam replied. "Though if this works, maybe they won't have to."

Rien shook her head at the idea that her brother could hear the voices of the spirits that called to her.

"Theo may be powerful, but the spirits don't call to him," she explained. "He's too demonic for their liking. Too much like Dorhack and not enough like a Bellamy."

"Fair enough, I guess. Either way, I brought what he asked for. This is the most insulated box I could enchant. I got Josh to help me charm it, so it should withstand the Void. Let me know when it's all settled."

Noelle watched as Adam faded from view in another shower of sparkles, leaving behind a small, boring looking box.

"It's all yours!" Rien called out, catching the attention of a god. "He said his friend helped him charm it, so it should hold, right?"

Lukas stepped forward, eyeing the box on the ground.

"Absolutely. The higher levels of the Void are nothing. If he can open a portal there, the box will hold."

"What are you doing with a box a teenager just abandoned?" Atem demanded, seemingly the only person there who was still trying to focus on his remedial training. "Don't you have anything more important to do?"

"Nah. Your grandfather is busy, the kids are all out with friends, and I have a very interesting subject to study," Lukas listed irritably. "This girl's brother is using my magic, life magic, when he should be far too old to even remember a proper spell. It has the touch of a certain someone all over this situation and I intend to learn why. Helping along a teenage romance is a small price to pay for a puzzle this intriguing."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"The spirits say that the Ocean has marked Theo, but no one knows why," Rien said helpfully. "He's been given power as a test, but no one knows what the test is or what happens if he fails."

Noelle looked at her cousin like she'd just sprouted an extra head. Beside her, everyone but Zane seemed satisfied with that answer.

"Some star-crossed lovers need help installing a message box in the Void to write to each other," Lukas stated, ignoring the information Rien has just provided intentionally. "I take this box where they can reach it, and I get more data about what that boy is capable of and what abilities he possesses. All I'm doing is my job to ensure the continued survival of the living world. Even you can't disagree with that, Atem. It's one of my many legitimate projects."

"Let me know if you need help in the future," Rien said solemnly. "I understand that sometimes things work better when people don't know that you're watching them."

Noelle couldn't disagree with her cousin. Her own mother used deceit in every aspect of her life and she had a lot of power because of it. Would Adam feel as comfortable using this dropbox to share information with Theo if he knew that a god had a hand in setting it up? Probably not. For all of the ways Adam had supposedly changed, Noelle still saw the doubtful, anxious guy Adam had always been when she looked into his eyes.

Either way, spending time with her cousin was certainly never boring.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #adam darktide #noelle helios #zane hydes #atem spector #lukas lane #Adrienne Bellamy #luciana bellamy #saturnia bellamy #sim: saturnia bellamy

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shenika22 · 3 years ago

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Is it just me or does it seem like Oscar Isaac is doing his best impression of Yugi and Yami/Atem.

Not just in the personality but also physically.

Yugi and Steven are kind hearted, soft spoken and timid people. Who are smarter and courageous.

In the anime yuji has round puppy like eyes showing his wide eyed optimistic and curious personality. The eyes been the stand out feature of the character

Steven Grant also had this wide eyed curious puppy like look.

On the other hand Yami/Atem and Mark Spector are confident and serious. They are the ones that get things done.

Yami/Atem is confident and proud. His long eyes reflect this and also the thing that differentiate him from his host yuji

Mark Spector is similarly confident and capable. Something that can be seen in not only in the performance but in the eyes. Mark doesn't have the same puppy like round eyes but a more serious and smooth look to them

This difference in the eyes and just the overall facial expression can be seen in the moments when they are together.

Specially visible when Steven switched with Mark in episode 3

If I was just a kid (or just someone who knew nothing about the actors or don't know how these are made) watching this I would have thought they were completely different people. I would have thought they haired identical twins for them. Oscar Isaac is amazing and I can't wait to see what he does with Jake Lockley

Apart from the performance and the actor there story seems similar to

The relationship between them starts with them been at odds with each other and later accepting each other.

Yugi not trusting Yami/Atem at first, even been afraid of him when he almost killed Seto Kaiba. Just like Steven initially looked at Mark like a monster. A unwelcome guest in his body who was up to no good and killed people. (Since he assumed that body only was home to the two of them)

Later yugi learns to trust him and been the one to save Yami/Atem from his own darkness. Similar to how Steven was finally able to accept Mark and help Mark forgive himself

Creating an unbreakable bond between the two. A bond that none can see or understand but them. They are best friends, brothers, and so much more.

This is all just probably how characters like this are handed and the similarities are probably coincidence. But they are interesting parallels.

GUYS GUYS, I DID IT!!! I'm sleep deprived as shit, but I did it!! *sinister Palpatine laugh*

Here is some Yugioh! Au Marsteven deliciousness..*is that even a word, fuck it, wing with it* 🤣👍🤌🌙🌙😋🥰😜🔥🥳

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luverofralts · 6 months ago

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Arkhelios Adventures

"Thanks for coming, Your Highness. It's been awhile since I've been to the archives. Probably not since school."

Edana chuckled nervously, her eyes darting around the room looking for danger. After many, many talks with her ex-husband, Edana had been forced to admit that a visit to the Strangetown royal archives was necessary to help narrow down her search for the reaper her brother had urged her to find. It contained countless texts that couldn't be found elsewhere on a variety of topics. Vampires, reapers and zombies? All covered. The history of the Strangetown coven was recorded here, going back countless centuries. If the information her brother had wanted her to find could be found in the living realm, it would likely be in the archives.

Princess Anneken smiled politely.

"Of course, Edana. I'll be right here on the ground floor. Dad wanted some paperwork from Casper Darktide's reign of the Strangetown coven anyway. I'll save him a trip."

It was a lie, of course. Anneken had a million other things to do that needed to be done urgently, but Edana was family. Sort of. While Edana searched boring stacks of books, Anneken planned on getting a cappuccino from the coffee shop connected to the archives and reading the latest gossip magazine. Even though she was going to be queen one day, Anneken utterly despised stuffy archives. When she needed something old and musty, she would send her own heir to do the research.

Edana had barely made it into the first room when she heard it. Her blood froze in her veins, her chest suddenly unable to take in air.

"Edaaaana. Did you really think you've won?"

"Turncoat! Oath breaker!"

"Eden, why would you do this?"

Edana plugged her ears and tried to shut out the voices assaulting her. A bemused woman watched Edana with distain, flooding her mind with anxiety. That woman was dead. She was gone and dead and never coming back to this realm again under orders of the Grim Reaper.

"This isn't real. It isn't real. You're all dead. I did the right thing! Leave me alone!"

"You know, most witches don't abandon their coven when they're needed. You once stood before me and swore an oath for life. You are a part of us still. When we all died, you should have too. Traitor."

Edana stared at the woman before her, still unable to move out of sheer fright. She was exactly as Edana remembered her, right down to the hair accessory she loved to wear, imagining it as a sort of crown. Her grey eyes were filled with hatred and anger and a never-ending sense of entitlement. It wasn't enough for her to covet the throne of Strangetown from its rightful rulers, no, she had aspirations of becoming a god.

"You aren't really here. I'm hallucinating this. People are going to see me talking to myself and think that I'm crazy, but that's fine. It means that you aren't really here and haven't escaped hell to come bother me like Adam."

Edana breathed as deeply as she could manage to try to calm herself. This was all in her head. Anneken was just downstairs and she could verify if Charlotte Medora Maricourt, her former coven leader, was truly haunting her if need be.

She closed her eyes and then opened them, expecting to see the ghost of her coven leader disappear from sight. To Edana's immense disappointment, Charlotte hadn't moved. Edana struggled to recall her supernatural criteria from school.

Well, she wasn't transparent like Adam had been when he appeared to her. Her body and bones had been salted to prevent zombism or a ghost. There was no way that she had faked her death, Edana had seen her corpse herself and had helped her ex-husband prepare the salt. This had to be a hallucination or some sort of waking nightmare she couldn't escape.

"Still deciding if you're crazy or not?" Charlotte asked, faking concern. "I'd love to watch you squirm longer, but this is getting rather tiring."

No one would ever clear her to be a reaper, Edana decided. The Grim Reaper would never allow it. There was no one else in the room channeling her ghost and though her actions always seemed to fit a demon, Edana knew the exact pedigree of their leader and demons were never mentioned.

"You're boring me!" Charlotte called. "Clearly, Adam got all the smarts in your family since you can't recognize a curse when it's sitting right in front of you."

Edana blinked with confusion, stepping backward to put more distance between the two of them.

"A curse? How? When?"

"When you broke your oath to the coven, stupid. Some of us aren't children and know their way around dark magic. My father and I experimented with magic in ways that no one thought possible. Did you really think that a witch who was barely twenty could leave my coven, go against her sworn leader and expect no consequences?

"No, I'm not engaging with this bullshit," Edana decided, turning her back to the angry reflection of her former coven leader. "I'm not cursed, you're not real, and I'm clearly not going to find what I'm looking for here. This has been a spectacular waste of time."

She paused, waiting for the spirit or curse or whatever it was to call out to her. If it truly was Charlotte Maricourt that she was speaking with, that woman could never resist having the last word.

"You can't step foot on coven land without facing your abandoned peers. You are no longer a part of our coven and you are no longer welcome on our land, even if your precious king says you are. You are expelled from our coven for treachery."

"That's impossible. I run the Strangetown coven now and my ex-husband and I disarmed all of your hidden traps ourselves. You're gone, Charlotte. Gone and forgotten."

"Not by you, it would seem."

"Your son is a teenager now. You've been dead for a long time. No one would let you escape your punishment. This isn't real. I refuse to believe this is real."

Edana stormed off towards the safety of the exit. She was getting out of there immediately, no further questions asked.

When she passed a bored looking barista on her brisk walk towards the exit, a wave of anger ignited within her.

She and Adam always made fun of Josh Toyonaga's inability to make both magic and a decent cup of coffee when they were younger. They used to sit together and mock the people strolling by, casting low-level spells to rub their talent in Josh's face while he struggled to serve coffee. It was mean and immature and she'd reprimand any of her children if she caught them doing the same, but it had felt good at the time. Despite her regrets about her past choices, the memory still made her smile. She and Adam were all the family they had left at the time, which meant that she was never alone as long as he was there. Her brother. Her coven. Everything she had left in the world.

"I'll have the strongest coffee you have. As quickly as possible."

Coffee in hand after leaving a generous tip, Edana searched for a place to collect her thoughts.

It would be just like Charlotte to curse anyone who left the coven. That was the type of person she had been: petty and vindictive. Edana could still hear the terrible voices ringing through her mind, though they were much more distant now.

After all the drama with that Bellamy child and her son, Edana should have thought about possibly being cursed herself. She had broken her oath; it all made sense. Still, this was the first time she'd ever experienced anything related to a curse. Losing so much of the coven at once had likely weakened it. Being the last one standing had made it irrelevant. There was no way that her coven could ever be allowed near the living world again, which meant that this incredibly weak curse was merely a reflection of those who had created it. There was no way Charlotte was able to maintain the magic needed to actually properly curse someone in her grave. At most, such a curse could only hold on in limited areas, meaning that leaving this lot would end the effects. If any of her former coven had survived, perhaps the curse would be stronger, a fact that Edana was suddenly grateful for.

This curse had only popped up in this one building, and she hadn't properly visited it in years. Avoiding the archives would be easy. She had been in other coven owned buildings without a problem since the coven fell. This complication was unfortunate, but it gave Edana a valid reason to search for records of her ancient reaper elsewhere. It was a mixed blessing, but nothing that she couldn't work around.

While Edana finished her coffee and stormed off to find her royal companion, another visitor to the archives stood in solemn respect before an ancient painting.

It was a ritual he performed as often as he could. There were times when his duties called him away from Strangetown and his ritual was interrupted, but he always came back. He would always come back as long as this building stood.

There was only a single remaining portrait of Morganna Grunt known in existence and the royal archives was where it was displayed. It was countless centuries old, dated just after the fall of Strangetown. Few people cared to learn about it as Morganna wasn't a queen or a revolutionary. She was just a girl who had lived through a dark period of Strangetown history. As far as the world knew, Morganna had lived and died just as any other mortal did. She was ordinary in a world that focused on the extraordinary. The only person who had known the truth of her importance was her only son, Atem.

For centuries now, Atem held a private vigil for the young woman on the left of the painting. He was rarely disturbed in this quiet, unassuming portion of the archives. Everyone always gravitated towards the rooms about the famous or infamous Strangetown residents. That suited Atem fine; he liked the silence.

A good son would bring flowers to the closest thing his mother would ever have as a grave, but Atem couldn't bring himself to do it. Leaving flowers might alert other guests to this otherwise unassuming painting and draw unwanted attention. Besides, it wasn't like Morganna could appreciate the gesture. She was dead, yes, but she was also dead and gone.

Becoming a reaper and working for Death gave dead souls both a purpose and a chance to experience life again, even if was just a pale imitation of life in the end. The hours were long and the pay was barely enough to blend into the living world successfully. But reapers had already died once in their lives, surely they had to be out of danger in death.

Atem shook his head sadly, trying not to get lost in the pain of the past. He'd been married once, and he'd had a mother once too. Both of them were lost to a magic so dark that it could kill the dead. A magic so powerful, any mention of it had been wiped from textbooks and the mere mention of it cursed the speaker into silence until they relented.

As much as Atem longed to reminisce about the past, it was getting late. His visit had to be quick today, as he was assigned to train the newest reaper in Arkhelios. No one trusted Zane on his own just yet, especially when his last few assignments had been done so poorly. Being the oldest and most powerful in their team, Zane's training had fallen to Atem. He was a son of the Grim Reaper; certain duties fell to him even if he didn't want them.

As he headed for the exit, Atem stopped to smile at another painting on the wall.

"See you around, Alpheus," he chuckled to himself. "I wish you were still around to see how irrelevant you are these days."

#arkhelios #sims 2 #arkhelios adventures #atem spector #hrh anneken toyonaga #edana darktide #sim: edana darktide

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luverofralts · 8 months ago

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Arkhelios Adventures

"Alpheus Toyonaga. The ruler of Strangetown, the conqueror of Great Demons. An excellent example of what could await in your future."

Reogus took a step forward and the entire world melted away. Theo could feel his entire being melt along with it, only to be swept up in another wave seconds later. When the world stopped spinning, Theo could see his body return to its normal size and height. He was a teen once more.

"Stop! You're not wanted here! Leave Strangetown and you can leave in peace."

A single soldier stammered before the demon, the last one of his squadron left alive. Theo could see the bodies of his colleagues strewn across the ground as the brave man waved his sword.

Alpheus didn't even bother responding to the man. He crossed his arms and drew an insane amount of power to his hands. Theo could see the demon's golden eyes glint in the darkness. There was nothing human in those eyes at all.

So this was what the blood demons looked like at their height. These were the beings that wrote the textbooks he studied at school. He could see why they had been destroyed and blood magic heavily restricted over the centuries. Raw, feral power flowed from him, overwhelming any being who had the misfortune of standing near him. This was an ancient, non-hybrid blood demon and Theo was quaking even watching this representation of Alpheus.

"Is this the Demon Wars?" he asked eagerly. "This is when Alpheus fell? This guy kills him?"

Reogus paused for a moment, waiting for the terrified soldier to summon all the magic he could in defiance of the demon. It took only seconds for Alpheus to make the smallest gesture with his hand, instantly twisting the man and snuffing out his life.

Theo gasped, staring at the corpse in front of him in horror.

"Why would you show me this? You should have jumped to the part where he loses. I don't need to see your own idea of a snuff film!"

Unknown to Theo, Adam watched the scene before him in horror. As far as Adam could remember, he had gone to bed in his dorm, and hadn't left the building. Still, if this was a dream, it was the most realistic one he'd ever had. He could smell the blood of the fallen soldiers, he could feel the bitting of the wind whipping around him. He'd tried to wave at Theo to grab his attention, but either his boyfriend couldn't see him or he was completely lost in the scene before him. At least Theo had a tour guide to assist him through this, Adam had simply woken up here unprepared.

"There are plenty of things in life that must be seen to understand," the warlock said, still ignoring Theo's patented Bellamy glare. "If I were to read you a textbook, the gravity of the past might escape you. Demons of the past killed without hesitation and often for their own amusement. This is what you are."

Theo physically recoiled at these words, shaking his head vigorously in protest.

"No, no, I'm not. These are full blooded demons a million years ago! I shouldn't have to keep telling people that I don't want to kill them!"

Adam smiled from his corner of this nightmare. Of course Theo wouldn't kill people on a whim like the demons of old. He wasn't even a full demon with their abilities. It looked like the old witches and warlocks used a bit of blood magic too, and as far as Adam knew, using blood magic didn't condemn them to be killers.

"Alpheus! That death wasn't on the list! You need to be stopped."

A hooded figure shouted angrily at the demon, holding a faint light above his head menacingly. Alpheus appeared to be confused for a moment, then when he recognized the figure, he let out an amused laugh.

"Go cry back to your mommy, Atem," the demon teased. "This isn't any business of a reaper. I'll do as I please."

The flicker of light above Atem wavered in his hands and for an instant, Theo could have sworn that he heard a whimpering voice call out, then suddenly silenced.

"That's someone's soul isn't it?" Theo whispered, his face suddenly ashen as he watched the scene before him.

"Blood magic feeds on every part of a living thing," Reogus noted. "There is dark demonic magic that feeds on the energy of souls, yes. There is dark magic that is fuelled by the natural processes of life. Eating or drinking, sex and childbirth, the separation of soul and body at death, these are all occasions where blood magic can excel. The unnatural perversion of an unauthorized death was an enticing target for your kind."

"Watch as he draws power from the same soul the reaper is trying to rescue," Reogus continued, as casually as if he were merely giving a lecture on the subject. "There is a power struggle between two creatures of enormous strength playing out here. Does the power belong to the demon who harvested the soul for his own use or to those sworn to guard the journey of souls to their resting place?"

Theo tried to avert his eyes from the demon before him, but it was no use. There was something stirring within the teen that couldn't help feeling drawn to the glow hovering around Alpheus' body. As a hybrid, Theo didn't feel the aching cold of a full demon, but his body still responded against his will as he felt the energy pulse before him. It was beautiful and tantalizing, warm and energetic all at once. Theo briefly thought of his friend Bronwen and the conversations they'd had about her vampiric pull towards fresh blood. Like Theo, she was a hybrid and would never have the same irresistible draw to blood that her mother did, but she was still called all the same. She had been drinking synthetic or donated blood in small quantities since her birth. There was no denying the way her breathing hitched when someone injured themselves and the smell of blood entered the air. Theo could feel that same irresistible draw as Alpheus struggled to retrieve his prey and small tendrils of energy spiraled out, desperate to escape.

"Focus! Feel the energy! How does it change your senses? How would you consume this energy for yourself? Can you feel the waves of competition fighting for control? Remember the sensation of Death and his minions and the way their powers burn against your own."

"I don't need to because I'm not going to be killing people," Theo insisted angrily. "T-this, this doesn't bother me."

There was no denying the change in Theo. His body called for the energy in front of him like it was water in a desert. It sang to him and the more he tried to ignore it, the louder it called.

"Try this, it should help. Not bad for a first try."

The mysterious warlock produced a large ball of energy from his hands and waved it in front of Theo. It wasn't the same size or colour or as powerful as the soul in front of him, but energy was energy. Theo extended his senses toward it, sighing as he could feel the comforting warmth melt into his skin.

"This is just a recreation of history, not the real thing," Reogus warned. "The real thing isn't going to be sated with a quick energy spell. It will call to you until you either consume it or drive yourself into madness trying to possess it. Coming of age means a great deal to a young blood demon. Your powers will mature and strengthen, and you may feel called to actions like this. You've already tied yourself to my powerful bloodline, and there is great potential for danger if you cannot master your emotions or turn away from temptations like this."

"Well, it's not like this is a common thing to run across these days," Theo protested, still feeling shaky despite the energy he'd consumed. "If I'm one of the only people practicing blood magic these days, I'll be fine."

Theo could hear the desperation in his own voice, begging for his words to be true. As much as he tried to ignore the way his body responded to something horrifying, there was no denying it.

"You may want to ask your instructors to replicate an exercise like this one going forward. Control is everything. Control over your desire for magic. Control over your fears and passions. Control over your own self. Even demon hybrids mature faster than their non demonic peers. Not as quickly as a full demon, but quick enough. You may experience the desires and draws that mature demons experience sooner than you might expect, and you must control them."

"Who will appear if I don't?" Theo asked worriedly. "Reapers? Other demons? Angels? Who won between Alpheus and the reaper?"

"See for yourself," Reogus replied, gesturing to the victorious reaper, basking in the light of soul who successfully passed on. "By this time, Lukas had been installed in their proper position as Life. The delicate balance of the world was beginning to heal. Though the Great and blood demons were still extremely powerful, they were still subject to the laws of nature. The reaper prevailed. To answer your other question, it would depend on what natural laws you were breaking. A reaper would come for a soul, the Sovereign might appear for a demonic offense. A witch or warlock wouldn't likely be summoned to deal with you, but a council member might take an interest. God help you if you attract an angel. There are only a handful of them left, but they're vicious creatures without remorse. I suppose Lukas does like to interfere with the living too, but they usually mean well. You'll be safest if you just learn to control yourself and stay away from situations that might draw supernatural attention."

"Now, try to fight this!" the warlock ordered, his attitude changing in an instant. He summoned two new glowing balls of energy, more piercing than the last and waited.

Theo couldn't even register what was happening to him, it was happening so fast. His body grew again into an adult size, warping and changing in the blink of an eye. Theo could feel the weight of his horns on his head once more and a feverish hunger for energy and blood.

"W-what? What's happening?"

"Just another exercise to practice," Reogus replied. His calm, reserved demeanor enraged Theo for reasons he couldn't name.

"I want it!" Theo shouted, reaching for the balls of energy in desperation.

"I can see that. What will you do when I refuse to hand it over? Will you kill me? Hurt me? How well can you control yourself?"

Something inside of Theo felt broken, and if he could just touch the energy before him, he knew that this aching feeling would heal. He'd never wanted something so strongly before and he barely knew what it was that he was aching for. Maybe as kid, Theo would have been safe from this all consuming desire, but in this adult body, with no one nearby to judge him, Theo allowed the feeling to overwhelm him. He needed this energy like he needed to breathe and suddenly the warlock's questions made sense. His rational mind could control itself and resist the temptation, but his mind was far from rational at the moment. He might hurt someone if they interfered with his prey. He certainly wouldn't kill anyone, but it would be dangerous for someone to get in his way.

"Theo?" Adam's whisper was barely audible as he watched his boyfriend change before his very eyes. Adam pressed against the heavy fence, trying to avoid detection. Whatever was happening here was dangerous and looked private. Adam wasn't sure why he was here at all, so not drawing attention to himself seemed to be the best option.

"Hybrids aren't supposed to feel the same draw to energy as regular demons," Theo managed to shout while trying to remain in control of himself. "It was why Dorhack wanted to experiment with hybrids in the first place! I don't feel this way, not ever! What are you doing to me?"

"Merely showing you who you are," Reogus responded. "You are tied to my bloodline. You descend from Great Demons. You practice blood magic and you are growing into your full powers. This is a warning. Can you try to turn away from this energy? Even if it's difficult?"

"No," Theo growled, gritting his teeth angrily. "No, I can't. I don't know why."

"Which is why you must push yourself to succeed. You have access to a great deal of magical and demonic power, Theo. You have had several incidents where you almost died because you could not control or release the energy that builds up in you. To survive, you must learn to let go of that power or share it with others."

"Can you help me now?" Theo whined, still struggling to remove himself from the energy with all of his strength. "I get the point. I don't feel so well. Can I just go home already?"

"Young Mr. Darktide. How pleasant to see you here. Unexpected, but nice. I don't see many Darktides these days."

Adam whirled around to find a strange woman smiling at him. It was unnerving the way she stared at him. Almost as if she knew him, but Adam couldn't place her in his memory.

"Have we met?" he asked cautiously. "Can you see me? I'm not sure what I'm doing here exactly. Am I dreaming? Can Theo see me?"

The woman smiled again, looking at Adam as if he were a toddler.

"They can't see you, no. You're hitchhiking here across the realm of dreams. I hate those time warlocks. They think that they make the rules and can do anything they want. Well, they can't and when they try, things like this happen. Guess who has to fix things then? Always me."

"I'm sorry, I don't know how I got here," Adam said politely. "I'm pretty sure I just went to bed and appeared here...right?"

The woman smiled kindly and Adam's fears began to ease. She wasn't a threat, or at least he was guessing as much. The way that she looked at him seemed friendly, almost curiously if he had to guess. He was an amusing diversion from her regular life, something new to interact with.

"You're tied to that little demon over there," the woman explained, pointing in Theo's direction. "He was summoned here with enough power to trigger your connection and now you're here! Just another loose end those warlocks leave for me when they're done playing with my realm. That one especially. He's a Maricourt alright. No sense of boundaries or of the work it takes to maintain the realm of dreams."

"So I'm stuck in Theo's dream because we're connected? That-that doesn't happen often, right? There are some...dreams I'd prefer he doesn't see."

The woman winked at the teen playfully and laughed.

"No, this is just the time witches having fun again," she assured Adam. "Without the ability to manipulate time and space, you will never accidentally end up here. Theo was brought here for a purpose, and you're just a complication."

"Who are you? Is this place dangerous? Can you help Theo escape here?"

"I am Luna, Guardian of Dreams," the woman replied. If she was offended by the question, Adam couldn't see it in her body language. If anything, she looked even more excited to see him than she had earlier. "Princess Luna St. Julien, to be exact. My father, King Reyes St. Julien, ruled Crystal Cove until my older sister ended the Pleasantview Civil War and became empress of Crystal Cove and Pleasantview. We're not so far removed, you and I. My father just happens to be your great-great grandfather."

"The Civil War ended centuries ago," Adam argued wearily. This would be an interesting dream if he didn't have the sinking sense that this dream wasn't somehow based in reality. "There have been at least five generations of monarchy in Crystal Cove post empire alone. There's no way that we're that closely related."

Luna shrugged.

"I never said anything about the lifespans of our family or when they had their children. As you can see from my excellent magical skills, I'm proof that our family has unlimited potential. Your specific branch of the family tree has less, but it's better than most families. The Darktides that I knew, including the man my father loved, were all powerful demons. No Great Demons of course, but a large chunk of them had the same gold eyes as Alpheus over there and the same potential for power. Tristan Darktide, your ancestor, could travel deep in the Void on a whim. Nice guy, though."

"No way!" Adam protested quickly. "My mom has never mentioned demonic relatives once. We're Tredony pirates and powerful magic users, not demons."

"Who? Edana Darktide? Endless dreams of fire and blood in the desert sand? It's plausible that she doesn't know, now that you mention it. My sister's reign culminated in many dark days for the Darktides. Edana may not know. I suppose that is a secret you may want to think about telling her some day, if you think it's best."

Adam blinked, unable to process everything that was being thrown at him by the queen of this nightmare. Theo was accidentally dragging him across the realm of dreams and his family apparently had demonic ancestry and a genetic link to some sort of demigod. Was there a potential for him to become a demigod too? How did ascending to such a position work? Where you born different or did you ascend later on? If this dream wasn't so painfully realistic, Adam would have bet money on this whole thing being a terrible nightmare.

Luna shot an angry look over her shoulder where Theo was still speaking in hushed tones with Reogus.

"Well, this has gone on for far too long," she decided. "I'll have to send you home first and deal with the warlock after. It's too complicated otherwise, but don't worry, you'll see your boyfriend soon enough. I wish you two kids the best and hopefully, I won't find you wandering this plane again."

With a snap of her fingers, Adam disappeared from view. He awoke in his bed, gasping for breath, looking for the strange princess he'd just been talking to.

"What the hell? Was that a dream or...."

He trailed off, looking across the room to find Theo still fast asleep in his bed.

#arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #arkhelios adventures #tw: violence #adam darktide #reogus maricourt #sim: reogus maricourt #atem spector #alpheus toyonaga #luna st. Julien

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plural-swag-competition · 2 years ago

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We have our bracket! This was seeded by number of submissions. Some were given nicknames in the picture for space reasons. Apologies if we entered anything weird, this took a real long time to put together, and we're feeling a bit cross-eyed.

The top left is the top tier, top right is mid tier, bottom left is low tier, and bottom right is the one submission wonders! We'll be starting today with the bottom and working our way up for four days of round one before tackling everything all at once after the numbers are a bit reduced. Maybe two days of round two, depending on energy levels.

The Top Tier:

Shallan Davar/Veil/Radiant - The Stormlight Archive vs Yellow Guy - Don't Hug Me I'm Scared

Harrier Du Bois - Disco Elysium vs Frisk/Chara - Undertale

Epsilon - Red vs Blue vs Sora/Xion/Roxas/Ventus/Vanitas - Kingdom Hearts

Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Jake Lochley) - Moon Knight Marvel Comics vs ENA - ENA

Yugi Mutou/Atem - Yu-Gi-Oh! vs Arthur Lester/John Doe - Malevolent Podcast

Raphael Hamato - Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs Uendo Toneido/Patches/Kisegawa/Owen - Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice

Greed/Ling - Fullmetal Alchemist vs Link (Green, Red, Blue, Vio, and Shadow) - The Legend of Zelda: Four Sword Adventures

Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama - Mob Psycho 100 vs Sunny/Omori - OMORI

The Mid Tier:

Dr Alto Clef - SCP wiki vs Ford Cruller - Psychonauts

Madeline & Mirrorline - Celeste vs Darcy Wu - Amphibia

Hojo Emu, Tensai Gamer M, Parado (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid) - Kamen Rider Ex-Aid vs The Wildcards - Persona

Link/Deku Butler’s Son/Darmani III/Mikau/Fierce Deity - LoZ Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask vs The Sunken - Oxenfree

Bruce Banner/Hulk/Joe Fixit/Devil Hulk - Marvel comics vs Goldia die Heilige/Fleta/Harpae/Lisette - Pocket Mirror

The Warrior of Light - Final Fantasy XIV vs Mike/Chester /Vito/Svetlana/Manitoba/Mal - Total Drama

Blitzwing - Transformers: Animated vs Patrick and Rey Sprigs - Megaman Starforce

Cassie O'Pia - Psychonauts 2 vs Peter Nureyev - The Penumbra Podcast

The Low Tier:

Edward Teach - Our Flag Means Death vs BMO - Adventure Time

Diavolo and Dopplio - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure vs the Legion system (David Haller and headmates) - Marvel/X-Men Comics

One-One - Infinity Train vs Raiden Ei/Raiden Shogun - Genshin Impact

Jaden Yuki/Haou Jaden/Yubel - Yu-Gi-Oh! GX vs Sylvie Ashling and Dr. Beefton - Epithet Erased

Mikoto Kayano - Milgram vs Kris and the SOUL - Deltarune

Triad/Luornu Durgo - LoS Legion of Superheroes Post-Zero Hour run/1993-2003 run vs Gray Reverse - Helios: Rising Heroes

Vyncent “Virion” Sol - Just Roll With It: Prime Defenders vs Alluka and Nanika Zoldyck - Hunter x Hunter

Jackson Jekyll and Holt Hyde - Monster High vs Hajime Hinata/Izuru Kamukura - Super Dangan Ronpa 2

The One Submission Wonders:

Izuku Midoriya - Boko No Hero Academia vs Mollymauk/Kingsley Tealeaf/Lucien Tavelle - Critical Role

Roronoa Zoro - One Piece vs Sho and Minazuki - Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

Miyao/Meow Mitake - Ciconia When They Cry vs Webber - Don't Starve

Eda Clawthorne - The Owl House vs Jesse Faden - Control

Aubrey Little - The Adventure Zone: Amnesty vs Pyra/Mythra/Spoilers - Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Dirk Strider - Homestuck vs Sawada Tsunayoshi - Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Killer B & Gyuki - Naruto vs Jace - Magic the Gathering

Red - Twitch Plays Pokemon vs Elliot Alderson - Mr Robot

#bracket #There were a bunch in the 5 through 2 range where we fiddled with things with the same number so we'd be interested in as many as possible.#But we also tried to be fair as best as we could.#We hope the pairings are acceptable; but also we will not be changing them because that took so much work.#And it's the body's birthday; let us have this.

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plural-swag-competition · 2 years ago

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Hope this version is easier to read. Names aren't bigger because hands hurty. Gonna post these by splitting them between the top half and the bottom half because we feel like it.

Top Half:

Shallan Davar/Veil/Radiant - The Stormlight Archive vs Harrier Du Bois - Disco Elysium vs Frisk/Chara - Undertale

Sora/Xion/Roxas/Ventus/Vanitas - Kingdom Hearts vs The Moon Knight System (Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley) - Moon Knight Marvel Comics

Yugi Mutou/Atem - Yu-Gi-Oh! vs Uendo Toneido/Patches/Kisegawa/Owen - Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice

Greed/Ling - Fullmetal Alchemist vs Sunny/Omori - OMORI

Dr Alto Clef - SCP wiki vs Madeline & Mirrorline - Celeste

The Wildcards - Persona vs Link/Deku Butler’s Son/Darmani III/Mikau/Fierce Deity - LoZ Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Bruce Banner/Hulk/Joe Fixit/Devil Hulk - Marvel comics vs Mike/Chester /Vito/Svetlana/Manitoba/Mal - Total Drama

Patrick and Rey Sprigs - Megaman Starforce vs Cassie O'Pia - Psychonauts 2

Bottom Half:

BMO - Adventure Time vs Diavolo and Dopplio - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

One-One - Infinity Train vs Sylvie Ashling and Dr. Beefton - Epithet Erased

Kris and the SOUL - Deltarune vs Triad/Luornu Durgo - LoS Legion of Superheroes Post-Zero Hour run/1993-2003 run

Alluka and Nanika Zoldyck - Hunter x Hunter vs Jackson Jekyll and Holt Hyde - Monster High

Mollymauk/Kingsley Tealeaf/Lucien Tavelle - Critical Role vs Sho and Minazuki - Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

Webber - Don’t Starve vs Eda Clawthorne - The Owl House

Aubrey Little - The Adventure Zone: Amnesty vs Sawada Tsunayoshi - Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Jace - Magic the Gathering vs Red - Twitch Plays Pokemon

#bracket #We were over halfway done with this and then pasted something too early and apparently control+z gets rid of the entire image post.#And then did it again right after starting again because why not. Habit too ingrained.#Gonna start working on getting some of these ready to post now.

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plural-swag-competition · 2 years ago

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Going to list names of all the entries that had more than one submission. Let us know if any others should go to vote before we figure out the bracket. This does include some that are already being voted on for inclusion. These will be copy/pasted directly from submissions to minimize how much typing we have to do.

Note that we're more worried about a system existing due to the "evil alter" trope than we are about systems that happen to be antagonists and have done bad things. As part of one of the submissions said:

made funnier by the fact that it's one evil guy... and one even eviler guy. the "but wait ! there's more !" of bad guys

This is also a chance to let us know if we counted a system two different times in this. The Red vs Blue ones in particular is what we're worried about mistaking here. We do not want to accidentally put a system into the bracket twice.

Shallan Davar/Veil/Radiant - The Stormlight Archive

Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama - Mob Psycho 100

Yugi Mutou & Atem - Yu-Gi-Oh!

The Moon Knight System (Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lochley) - Moon Knight Marvel Comics

Frisk/Chara - Undertale

Raphael Hamato - Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Paper (+ EP) - Inanimate Insanity

Greed/Ling - Fullmetal Alchemist

Harrier Du Bois - Disco Elysium

Sunny/Omori - OMORI

Arthur Lester / John Doe - Malevolent Podcast

Link (Green, Red, Blue, Vio, and I personally include Shadow in this, though he wasn't split, he was mirrored!) - The Legend of Zelda: Four Sword Adventures

Sora/Roxas/Ventus/Vanitas - Kingdom Hearts

ENA - ENA

Uendo Toneido (Uendo & Patches & Kisegawa & Owen) - Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice

Blitzwing - Transformers: Animated

dr alto clef - SCP wiki

Leonard Church - Red vs Blue

Cassie O'Pia - Psychonauts 2

Bruce banner/hulk/joe fixit/devil hulk - Marvel comics

Link/Deku Butler’s Son/Darmani III/Mikau/Fierce Deity - LoZ Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Hojo Emu, Tensai Gamer M, Parado (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid) (Body name Hojo Emu) - Kamen Rider Ex-Aid

The Warrior of Light - Final Fantasy XIV

c!ranboo - DSMP/Dream SMP

Yellow Guy - Don't Hug Me I'm Scared

toko fukawa/genocider syo - Danganronpa

Madeline & Mirrorline!!!! - Celeste

Darcy Wu - Amphibia

Sakaki Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, Yuuri - Body is Sakaki Yuya (technically this is one vote for the anime and one for the manga, but we're counting it as two) - Yugioh Arc-V

Jaden Yuki/Haou Jaden/Yubel - Bodyname Jaden Yuki - Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Malik Ishtar (x2) - Yu-Gi-Oh!

Mike/Chester/Vito/Svetlana/Manitoba/Mal - Total Drama

Peter Nureyev - The Penumbra Podcast

Epsilon - Red vs Blue

Ford Cruller - Psychonauts

Goldia die Heilige/Fleta/Harpae/Lisette - Pocket Mirror

Akira Kurusu / Ren Amamiya / Joker (honestly we're just gonna count this one as "wildcards" because the more recent protags from this series are all equally plural, but we know that Joker would win a popularity contest of them.) - Persona

the sunken - Oxenfree

Edward Teach - Our Flag Means Death

Jackson Jekyll and Holt Hyde - Monster High

Mikoto Kayano - Milgram

Patrick and Rey Sprigs - Megaman Starforce

the Legion system (David Haller and headmates) - Marvel/X-Men Comics

Triad/Luornu Durgo - LoS Legion of Superheroes Post-Zero Hour run/1993-2003 run

Vyncent “Virion” Sol - Just Roll With It: Prime Defenders

Diavolo and Dopplio (though the second literally said "NOT Diavolo" so. Hm) - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

One-One - Infinity Train

Alluka and Nanika Zoldyck - Hunter x Hunter

Calliope/Caliborn - Homestuck

Gray Reverse - Helios: Rising Heroes

Raiden Ei/Raiden Shogun - Genshin Impact

Sylvie Ashling and Dr. Beefton - Epithet Erased

Kris and the SOUL - Deltarune

Hajime Hinata/Izuru Kamukura - Super Dangan Ronpa 2

BMO - Adventure Time

#not polls

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