#but the jury can rot in hell

[labyrinthofsphinx]

With all this talk of moral codes and all I've just got to ask- what moral codes do the three of you follow? I mean obviously neither Vox or Al want to hurt kids but Drift absolutely seems down to throw hands with them lol. But what other lines in the sand have been drawn?

Also, what are your favorite books? Vox, have you ever read The Sea-Wolf by Jack London?

So....this one will be getting into some story bits, just by the nature of what was asked:

The kid's code was kinda touched upon here a little and shown in Something Wicked, but generally...he's not a killer. He can and will scrap with anyone, if he decides there's a just reason, which can be as simple as a harsh enough insult. But he doesn't care who they are, men, women, or children. If he thinks you've earned it, one way or another, he doesn't mind teaching a lesson, best he can at his small size and stature. He will lie, steal, and cheat...so long as nobody gets seriously hurt. But to anyone that hasn't earned it, he's very empathetic. It would hurt him to hurt someone else, even on accident, if they didn't do anything to deserve it.

Vox's 'code' is a little harder to pin down, namely because he doesn't have as set or strict 'rules' as Al. His 'reason' for violence is because it's what gets him to his goal, what 'removes the obstacle' shall we say. If he can use other methods, great! Less cleanup. But he's not afraid to 'pull the trigger' either. Also, similar to the kid, Vox does not care about who his targets are. He's not going to hesitate if its a woman. Almost nobody in his circles are entirely innocent either...but he really wouldn't flip about having to take an innocent life, if he deemed it necessary. Though, you won't find him doing it for fun. He doesn't get a kick out of it. It's just 'part of the job' in a sense. Kids are the only exception to this because, well, they're kids. They're never in his way, too young to understand anything, and too innocent for all that nonsense. Also, deep down, he really does have a special tender spot for them. Blame it on the expectations of the time, or having too much experience working with scared kids on Hollywood sets, but he likes kids.

Al is an entirely different case altogether because, here's the thing: he both cares the most and the least about his targets. Emotionally, he couldn't care less. He honestly, truly loves to do it. And if he ever did take a wholly innocent life, he wouldn't normally lose sleep over it, might even delight in it...except for his code. We're going to get into more specifics later as to how and why Al got his code, but just be aware that he swore to himself that he would only kill those he thinks deserved to rot in hell. He has a very, very strong bias against killing women because most women he's met, even the bad ones, were victims of circumstances beyond their control. He's much more apt to blame a man for a woman's mistakes than giving her the entire blame...something he will have to contend with Vox about further along the line. He refuses to kill children, period. In his eyes, they're all innocent and are therefore excluded. Even when they aren't innocent, they are. As for what, exactly, gets you on his list...it's a difficult line to define exactly. Things that will obviously get you on the list: murder, arson, any kind of sexual violence, harming kids in any way, so on and so forth. Basically, he decided that he's judge, jury, and executioner of the people who slipped through the cracks in the justice system. He does, however, need the conformation of the crime, which used to be harder in the days before Vox became his partner.

As for where the lines are drawn...that's going to be a plot point later on. Because these guys are going to pushing and prodding that line the whole time. Al and Vox already kinda had because, I mean, they have a witness to the crime that's certainly a problem...but he's a kid. That threw their 'go to' plan out the window. Alastor also had his line pushed with Vox himself, just because he's Vox. In any other situation, Vox would be a perfect candidate for his list: a murderer, a cheat, a greedy slime, etc. However, Vox was useful...then he was a friend...now he's kinda more than that. Now he doesn't count for the list because he's attached to him. But, in the back of Al's head, in a nebulous sort of way, he knows Vox still checks all his boxes, even in ways that Rosie and Mimzy couldn't because, again, they're girls. It isn't lost on Vox either. He's just decided that if Al wasn't going to off him when they first became partners, then he never was going to.

I kinda sum it up like this: The kid is in survival mode, any extreme will only be even considered if it's do or die. Vox is opportunistic, and he's doesn't care about violence either way. And Alastor is the genuine article, the real hunter here, and the only one who actually, really enjoys and craves violence.

On a less dark note, the kid loves comic books, detective stories, and travel journals. He's also a big fan of old stories of heroes doing great and crazy things. Vox is a 'modern' story enthusiast, things like The Great Gatsby are his go tos, though he does like Jules Verne a lot too (also secretly loves old romance stories and poems but he will go to his grave denying it). Alastor loves ghost stories. He also doesn't mind the occasional thriller and horror genres, particularly gothic or eldritch horror.

And, yes, at some point, Vox probably would've read The Sea-Wolf.

Thanks for the ask!

[holycatsandrabbits]

On this day in 1977, Jay Anson published The Amityville Horror, and a launched a whole new generation of haunted house stories.

But before the movies, before the book, before the revelation that it was all a hoax, the house at 112 Ocean Ave, Amityville, Long Island, New York, was the scene of a real horror: the murder of six people.

Ronald DeFeo, Jr., 23, killed his parents, two brothers, and two sisters with a rifle on Nov 13, 1974. If you’re familiar with the Amityville Horror story, you know of claims DeFeo was hearing voices that told him to kill his family. This part is surprisingly real— at least, according to his defense. The jury was unmoved, however, and DeFeo was convicted of mass murder. He died in prison in 2021. It is also true that motive remains elusive: DeFeo might have been after life insurance, and there was tension between him and his father. But nothing was ever said about evil spirits before the murders. 

Of course, living in a house where six people were murdered by someone they loved has got to be a little freaky. But one family claimed there was a lot more horror going on. George and Kathy Lutz and their three children lived 28 days in the house at 112 Ocean Ave, starting in Dec, 1975. Interviews and a 1977 book by Jay Anson told the story of a terrified family who barely escaped with their lives. However, later fact-checkers found, well, no facts at all.

So we’re left with an odd contradiction: a false tale that got a lot of publicity for being “true,” but which remains, at its heart, a really good ghost story (which is why it led to many more books and movies). And here on Weird Wednesday, writing good ghost stories is our aim, so let’s see how horrifying the tale really gets!

Check out my Weird Wednesday blog post for the whole story and some horrific writing prompts, such as:

A Foolish Man Builds His House Upon the Sand. You’ve got a few choices for character fates in a haunted house: unscathed escape, injured or traumatized escape, death, or perhaps most horrifying, becoming part of the house forever. We often think of characters who die passing into a safe paradise, but in the horror genre, that avenue of escape is often blocked. So what does happen to those people? Perhaps the inside of the haunted house is just a form of Hell, where a character is stuck with a bunch of demons. Or maybe they’re alone, which is also not a great eternal fate. Maybe they really do become part of the house, part of its walls and floors, and can only move on when the house finally rots or burns down.

Or maybe haunted houses/places also exist in another world, invisible to the mortal eye, where a character can go traveling. Maybe if you die in the Amityville house, you get a visitor’s pass for the Lincoln bedroom or Borley Rectory. Are there demons pursuing these travelers? Do the newly departed make friends with other ghosts? Can they ever pass back into the world of the living?

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers 

Image credit

[xerith-42]

Redesign the Nine Part 2

That's right babey, we're doing a part 2! Because I went outside and sat in the sun but the brain rot still consumed as it does and I had premonitions about more of the Jury members. Before we discussed ones who were completely new, reworking characters from MyStreet into MCD. This time I want to take a closer look at three Jury members who we know were part of the Jury, but lacked on screen appearances, or depth portrayed in the appearances they got.

These are members who's stories are far more shrouded in mystery. Even the elements of it I know feel... incomplete. Because characters like lying to me and refusing to let me tell their damn story.

Let's get into it.

Lilian The Silver Tongue

That's right, she isn't going to be another scythe user, that's boring as hell. Let Ivy slay with that. Instead Lilian is a rather enigmatic member of the Jury because... She didn't go through the same process. Janus, Zachary, and Ivan were all members when Zane inherited the Jury, and everyone else went through the process via the Guard Academy. But Lilian...

Lilian was found by Zane. It was a routine trip to Nahkra, just checking in on the village so close to O'Khasis' borders. A simple trip, so he only took Janus with him. While the two were in the market place, Lilian called out to Zane from her barely functional stall. What mattered was that she had a deck of tarot cards on the table, and a peculiar look about her. [proceeds to pull out my tarot cards and do a divination or two]

She didn't know anything about Zane. Lilian wasn't from Ru'aun, she was a runaway from Gal'ruk. She didn't know about Zane, or O'Khasis, just that she saw a nobleman and his guard and had a distinct feeling about them. The reading she got of him was even more fascinating that her gut feeling. She didn't even know his name and he didn't know hers but she knew there was a great mystery in front of her.

The Seven of Cups, the Five of Cups, and the Reverse Nine of Swords. Over ambition, sorrow of a loss, and the potential for time to heal.

Zane was never superstitious, but he believed in the Divine. In other realms. In the supernatural. Who's to say a deck of cards couldn't be used to predict the future, or read the inner parts of a person? These cards were accurate enough to give him pause at the explanation. Enough to make him stop and listen to the odd hooded woman who was suddenly speaking words the public had yet to hear of. They didn't know Zane's brother was dead yet, or that he had inherited O'Khasis. But her cards knew his loss.

It made Zane pay to get a better reading from her. A deeper look into him, this time with six cards that he pulled himself at her instruction. She didn't know the question Zane asked the cards, but when she read out the result, it was chilling. The question was simple; "Will my father's health get better?" The answer?

Past: The Chariot, Reversed Queen of Cups. A successful, balanced, triumphant man comfortable in his life, and a beautiful but perverse woman, not to be trusted.

Future: Reversed Fool, Knight of Wands. A hasty and impetuous man will offer a key choice, and The Seeker, be that Zane or the subject of his question, will make a foolish and disastrous choice in response to this offer. Tread with caution.

Present Attitudes: Justice, Two of Swords. A well balanced mind, body, and heart will be key to future successes. If one can keep their mind open, emotions calm, and thinking balanced, then great fortune awaits.

Lilian never gave Zane her own analysis of it, just the meanings of the cards. She left it all up to his imagination. And this was before Zane wore a mask. Even if she didn't know what he was thinking, she could see the gears turning in his head. She could see his reactions. She was piecing together who he was through these cards. He left after her reading, in an unsure position.

It was days later, when Lilian was preparing to leave and travel to another city that Zane found her again. He asked her for another reading. A simple yes or no question he wanted answered. And due to her fascination, she didn't even ask for payment. She gladly did it for him. This is a reading he didn't even let Janus witness, asking that his back be turned, and that Lilian not give him any explanation. Let the cards speak for themselves.

The answer Zane got was unsure. But he acted upon it anyway. He asked, and the cards answered. Lilian was to be the newest member of the Jury of Nine.

"What in the name of the Divine makes you think I want that?"

Lilian's retort was the final nail in the coffin. She came from nothing, she was nothing, and came to Ru'aun for nothing. Zane could offer her a proper life, an identity, a purpose. She used those cards to learn about others so she could imitate being human, and her lack of knowledge was an advantage she was keenly aware of. One Zane wanted to understand how to utilize himself. He and Lilian went back and forth for a while, but in the end he convinced her. In the end, Lilian was the first member of the Jury Zane ever assigned, and he didn't even recruit her properly.

And she instantly joined the rank of his most trusted ally at the time.

Janus the Silver Death

Janus was a member of the Jury when Garte held control, yet before that he was always assigned to help Zane. When Janus joined the Jury, he was the youngest member, the first to be freshly out of the guard academy and into the Jury. Garte preferred to bring in already hardened veterans, but he saw a ferocity in the way Janus fought, and a willingness to kill when told to do it. He was loyal and fierce. But he was young, spunky, and in need of discipline.

As was Garte's at the time youngest son, a teenage Zane. So despite attaining the best position a guard in Ru'aun can attain, Janus was given the job of babysitting body guarding the youngest Ro'meave. Awesome. He was so happy about this and it did not piss him off at all. But in spite of a... let's say less than great first impression, Janus still took the job with stride, and put his all into ensuring that Zane would be trained properly in combat.

It uhhh, didn't go that way. Instead Zane was a nerd who learned about magic and relics n shit, and Janus couldn't really stop him, but he still wanted to do his job. He still wanted to help Garte in that goal of making Zane into a potential successor for him. Janus never verbalized any confusion as to why Garroth wouldn't be more fitting of this training. In achieving this goal, Janus just encouraged Zane's interest in well, whatever nerd shit Zane was interested in. He doesn't understand any of it but Zane's clearly passionate and makes a solid case for why this is useful knowledge to have.

And when Zane becomes High Priest while Garroth is off at the Guard Academy, he selects Janus to be his top advisor. Zane hasn't even inherited the Jury yet, but he and Janus have just been doing shit together for long enough now that it just makes sense. When Zane does inherit the Jury, when Garroth fakes his death and Zane is officially named successor, Janus becomes his most trusted ally. But why does Zane trust Janus so much?

Because he doesn't ask questions. Janus was taught to be devoted to a fault, to not question his superior, and to take what he is given. When Zane asks him to go pick up the order from the butcher, he does it. When Zane asks him to help him run scenarios of taking over villages through subterfuge, he does it. When Zane asks him to slaughter an entire village while holding a probably cursed amulet so it can absorb their remaining life force or power, he does it. Unlike Zachary or Ivan, Janus wasn't loyal to Garte for very long. He is loyal to Zane.

That's why he and Lilian share the title Silver. It's a sign of loyalty to Zane, as it's his favorite color. The two members of the Jury that Zane trusts to know him on any personal level are given this title in common, even before he fully trusts either of them. He makes it mean that. I firmly believe that Zane saw almost every other member of the Jury as a pawn, or outright disposable. But Janus and Lilian? Those aren't just Jury members. Those are Zane's friends. Zane's fucked up and evil friends. Zane's friends who would help him commit war crimes.

Truly the ride or die friends of all time.

And uhh, then there's this fucking guy

Ivan the... bitch

I don't actually have a funny clever name for Ivan, I just think he's a little bitch. A little warlock bitch. I think Ivan's sick warlock powers let him get into the Jury easier, but his bitchy cocky attitude did not exactly work well with others. He was a respected fighter, but didn't often play nice with other members of the Jury, particularly Zachary who he got into a lot of fights with, and later Ivy when she joined. He was infuriating to be around, partially because he's just a massive jackass, and partially because he's so good at what he does that he gets away with being a massive jackass.

I don't have a lot to say about Ivan, I will admit. I don't have some dramatic backstory, no deeper connection with anyone, no family that's being blackmailed. Just an entitled bitch of a man. However, I did have a really interesting take about his relationship with Lucinda.

Hear me out on this; Zane finds out that he's potentially going to have to marry the heir to Pikoro. Wanting to avoid the disaster that happened when they tried to ask Garroth to marry someone he'd never met, he sends Ivan undercover into Pikoro to learn more about Lucinda and report back to Zane about his findings. His job was to just observe Lucinda, maybe talk to her once or twice, figure out what kind of person she is and whether she's actually compatible with Zane, or if this marriage is really going to be a sham.

Ivan ends up seducing her and telling Zane that she's a disloyal harlot of a witch. Because Ivan sucks. But y'know, Lucinda doesn't know about any of this, and when Ivan disappears, he lies to her. He leaves Pikoro saying that he's going back to the Academy to be a teacher there, and promises to see her again. In reality he just goes back to Zane, back to normal life, only occasionally sparing a thought for the beautiful witch he met.

And when Zane disappears with Lilian, and the Jury starts to slowly disband itself, Ivan thinks of where to go. What does he want to do with his life? Lucinda.

Good choice honestly. Prick.

That's all for today. See you losers next time when the brainrot really takes over and we tackle my favorite Jury members, who don't necessarily need redesign, but do need some fleshing out. Especially Ivy. See you then ;)

[alchemocha]

Please look at my punk au.

Ivo grows up in Juvie where he meets Orbot and Cubot.

After Gerald died and Maria there was no one to actually pay for his crimes

A trial was held to try Ivo for all of these charges

Humanity too scared and hateful of Robotinik, gave him a life sentence

Ivo lost his faith in humanity and has deep resentment over his uncle Shadow who’s testimony of ‘he looks like Gerald did when he was younger’ ‘he’s a genius’ made the jury completely freak out.

Shadow was not tried as he was seen as manipulated by Gerald through Maria. Ivo obviously did not get this luxury

In this Ivo is Gerald’s abandoned son on earth. Shadow is his uncle that left him to rot in a cell.

Ivo truly has no one til he meets Orbot and Cubot.

Eventually he will also meet Stone.

His personality-

Doesn’t differ to much from normal. He hates himself but hides it through false pride and a villain persona

He’s determined as hell. Eventually leading to him trying to fight back against abusive guards. Even escaping.

He does have a band with his friends (they are really good actually) think will wood and grandson unholy combination

The band is called Badniks

He can take a good punch

He has years of prison trauma

He’s quicker to bite than bark which differs from other aus

He misses the family he never had

He dresses like a punk when he escapes prison

He’s incredibly agile on his feet

He’s the lead singer (he meets Stone who’s a fan of his)

Orbot and Cubot are very very protective of there little shit

He has heavy combat boots that he’s made to shoot out medal spikes

He has tazer gloves

Bro could literally sleep anywhere

Deathly afraid of courthouses and police which comes off as hatred to those who don’t know how to read him

[psych-is-the-name]

here, I got a good number of creative threats that people sent me for sponsoring the entire bee movie and shrek scripts. hopefully you'll find some inspiration anon :)

I hope wasps build a nest under the hood of your car and when you turn your car on all of them come pouring out the vents into the cab 

I am going to kill you with my bare hands 

i am throttling you with my bare hands 

Kill yourself (x7) 

DIE (x3) 

you could die tonight and i wouldnt care 

I might just crack open your skull rn 

I have carpal tunnel I should sue u for medical damage. Duress 

I will find you (x2) 

I'm eating your kidney 

god will punish you for your sins 

Were it not for the laws of this land... 

i hope your houseplants- past, present, and future- all die 

Die im gonna kill you 

I hate you and I hope someone vomits all over your car upholstery 

i've changed my stance on the death penalty because of you 

I think this could be used in a case to sentence you to life imprisonment 

A pox on this & anyone who rbs it 

im charging up my bite attack 

I'm going to come to your house and eat all of your plants 

The way whoever made this deserves to die a horrible death… 

i am going to kill you god bless 

i hope your socks are frequently wet 

are death threats against your boundaries? 

biting and kicking and scratching 

you can very go to hell (: 

*reaches through your screen to violently strangle you* 

turn on your location (x5) 

Drop dead right now 

im gonna kill you in real life 

Die 1,000 deaths 

attacka you with a branch fucking kill and smasha you on a rock 

even satan will not be merciful 

i have never hated a person so much before. Perish 

you’re going to hell for this (x3) 

explode NOW 

I want to hunt you for sport 

hell is real and OP will be going there 

hope the price you payed was worth it, your soul not the money 

I've swatted moths from the air before and you're next bee bitch 

i hope whoever put this on my dash is having a horrible day 

kill whatever staffer at tumblr approved this sponsored post 

A blight upon your houses op, rot for your tumblr crime 

im going to kill someone (x2) 

i hope you step on a lego 

*gun emoji* 

i will end you OP 

eat dirt whoever made this 

i will drink your blood eventually ��

im gonna bee-t you up for this 

i will kill you and your entire family 

get your shit shorked 

im going to kidnap you drag u to the desert and make u forget how to eat (x2) 

hello op im going to bite your fingers off 

I hope you know that youre headed straight for icarus territory 

Go die in a ditch 

I'm gonna beat you with a hammer 

I'm going to hurt you 

I'm gonna unhinge my jaw like a snake 

Op I am going to rip out your veins and strangle you with them 

Op I want to fist fight you 

I am coming to your house and replacing all of your shoelaces with noodles 

i am going to boil your fingernails (x2) 

I want your skin mounted on my wall as a warning to all others 

My hand hurts op im sueing 

i wish everything bad onto you btw 

I want to consume your fingernails 

Im putting salt in your shoes 

One day you will answer for your sins and god will not be merciful 

Suffer 

Im shooting you with my mind lazers and yes they go through force fields  

Get fucked (is this a threat or just an exclamation?)  

op im going to kill you in real life 

literally go kys for putting that fucking shrek post on my dash. hope you have a terrible day for the rest of your life 

I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully and no jury of my peers will convict me of a crime. 

jump off a bridge, cunt

see this is a perfect example of what not to do with a hate ask.

poorly matched to hate target: the suicide bait is a classic of anon hate, but it's a rookie mistake to deploy it against just anybody. any careful look at my blog would see that i am incredibly egotistic--using a hate tactic better suited to a blogger with low self esteem is just sloppy.

too generic to sting: this ask mentions no specific details about any problematic behaviour, annoying personality traits, or my personal life. since it feels like it could have been sent by anyone to anyone, it's difficult to take it personally.

cultural mismatch: 'cunt' probably comes across a lot harsher in your cultural context. however, i live in the UK, so i get called and call other people a cunt every day. as such, you're left with a lackluster ending for a very weak ask overall.

F. see me after class