#ford dark Deity

[best-character-named-x-poll]

have you done your daily click

[aestheticallypleasinganimeboys]

Ford - Dark Deity

[pandorasinfinity]

Hello! Saw in the tags the words chaos magick? I'm getting into Witchcraft again... after years of taking a break. Wanted to ask what books you would recommend as a baby witch? Do you tie Witchcraft with manifestation and shifting? There's so much I want to ask, oh my God.

Yes I do tie my practice into shifting! It's been altered a lot since I learned about shifting, but as I was raised by a Wiccan mother I still feel very connected to witchcraft. Except now I view a lot of it through a shifting lense. I don't feel the need to do spells as much as just manifest/shift to the desired result, you know? But a good sigil or ritual is still a fun little manifesting thing. I guess it's just all a lot less serious now in a way.

I don't really identify as a witch much anymore, which is why I usually stick with the chaos magick label, since the inclusion of a multiverse kinda threw off a lot of my beliefs. But I do still have an altar for a few Hellenic deities and I do still love that part of my life greatly. Witchcraft is my foundation from my mom so I don't think I could leave it

My main thing is tarot and channeling. I was channeling LONG before I found out about shifting and it has only gotten more focused now. Channeling myself from a few thousand years from now is my secret weapon lol. Besides that I have sigils on everything I own

I'm not sure what you would be interested in, but I will recommend some of my favorite books. Just keep in mind it's coming from a chaos magick perspective and not really Wiccan but I can also ask my mom if you are looking for something more on that side of things. Also that old white men will be sexist even when talking about magick so sometimes you just need to scratch out a line in a book and power through sadly

Manifesting/Shifting:

Parallel Universes of Self by Frederick Dodson (the best I have read so far) Reality Transurfing Steps I-V by Vadim Zeland (this one is from the POV of someone that wouldn't be likely to be into shifting and because of that he is good for skeptics because he WANTS you to be skeptic)

Chaos Magick Intro:

Condensed Chaos by Phil Hine (good intro of everything)

Tarot:

Anything by Rachel Pollack especially Tarot Wisdom. If you get anything here this is the best. Rachel Pollack (RIP) was a queen of tarot

Anything Else:

The Psychonaut Field Manual by BlueFluke - available online and is an illustrated intro to a lot of different tings like servitors and astral projection. The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford - shadow work intro but kinda from a more Christian lens so avoid if that will be too much Magical Servitors by Damon Brand - creating servitors (basically personal entities that can manifest for you)

Feel free to ask any questions! Kinda just gave an intro to myself so its easier to figure out where I am coming from and what questions I might be able to answer! I am always willing to be a resource if I am able to!

[samprestonbigbadabruce]

Thoughts on first viewing of ‘Paris, Texas’

Previous to this, I’d only seen one film from Wim Wenders, which was a 2014 film called The Salt of the Earth, which followed photographer Sebastiao Salgado. I know this because I went on Letterboxd to check, but whilst I am sure it’s full of beautiful imagery (I mean, it’s about a photographer who takes photos of landscapes, territories, and plant life), it left little impact on me. A case of “looks pretty, but not much substance”.

When watching films, I am one of those that can appreciate great cinematography, beautiful images, etc, but I have little patience when it comes to style over substance. I need to have something with dimension to make the scene worthwhile. If it’s just a camera watching some water running or a field of grass for three minutes just because, I’m probably not going to enjoy the film. Let me discuss three examples to give you evidence:

I love The Assassination of Jesse James by Andrew Dominik, despite being a slow burner of a movie with lots of scenes dedicated to the surroundings or having a gorgeous image like a silhouette of Jesse James walking in the dark to rob a train. The reason I love it is because the scenes such as Jesse’s silhouette helps build up the legend and mythical nature of the outlaw, making him a deity, before the gradual deterioration of that legend in the eyes of Robert Ford.

One of my favourite scenes of all time is ‘The Lighting of the Beacons’ in The Return of the King. I remember the first time I saw it in cinema, I was holding my breath as the camera covers these fields, these mountain tops, etc, he gorgeous scenery of New Zealand on display. However, these shots matter because it also follows the lightning of beacons between Gondor and Rohan, Pippin having lighted the first beacon to call for aid and we follow this journey to Rohan, seeing the answering of the call. It’s a moment that has the context of Gandalf trusting Pippin, who rises to the occasion, and the question of whether Rohan will come to Gondor’s aid after King Theoden earlier hinted they wouldn’t. That doesn’t even consider the wondrous music from Howard Shore, a God among composers.

And yet, I can’t stand The Tree of Life. I am not a fan of Malick, one because I feel he’s inconsiderate of the actors he brings in, using them for multiple scenes then cutting them without communicating to them, leading to the moment where Adrien Brody went to the premiere of The Thin Red Line having been made out he was the leading role, only to be cut down to 90 seconds. But more than that, I find The Tree of Life more concerned with looking pretty than focusing on a fascinating story of Sean Penn as an adult struggling with the tempestuous relationship he had with his father Brad Pitt. You have these scenes focusing on Penn, Pitt and Chastain that should be emotionally hard hitting, with Pitt especially impressive, but Malick is too busy following a blade of grass. It says something when the most beautiful scene, the creation of the universe and life on our planet, could be cut out completely and you wouldn’t miss it. Malick is too busy chronically masturbating the visual screen and hoping you’ll ask him what it means. It means a waste of my fucking time.

So after all that, imagine my surprise when I thought this film was great. Harry Dean Stanton has always been an underappreciated actor to some degrees, as he could be guaranteed to add a bit of class to a movie. If I remember correctly, Roger Ebert used to say that no movie that features Stanton can be truly bad (which means Ebert would be a fan of The Avengers, you heard it here first). And yet, this is one of the few films that has Stanton as the main actor.

In fact, Stanton also has the similarly talented Dean Stockwell in support. The first half of the film has Stanton almost completely mute, more akin to a mystery box with Stockwell the protagonist, before transitioning to Stanton as the lead in the second half when he begins to look for Jane, and it’s wonderful to see both actors entrusted to carry their half of the movie.

The inclusion of Wenders’ photography and cinematography is actually vital in this movie as it helps sell the feeling of seclusion in the desert, giving Stanton’s Travis an otherworldly mystery to his character.

Hunter Carson is only 8-9 years old during this movie, and he could have been an uncomfortable albatross as the main focus for the characters. Instead, Carson as Hunter is excellent, a realistic depiction of a confused 8 year old whose gradual change of body language towards Travis is subtle but impactful. He is probably the silent MVP of the movie.

The third act where Stanton as Travis and Nastassja Kinski as Jane is engrossing. It’s mostly a monologue where Travis opens up and admits his mistakes to an unaware Jane, but the decision to have the two separated by both glass and sight is inspired. It evokes the chasm between the two due to their previous actions, but also allows both to bare themselves in ways they otherwise may not. Stanton can see Kinski but not touch her, and yet turns away from her due to his shame, whereas Kinski cannot see but can hear Stanton and stares at her own reflection throughout. I find this decision fascinating, as Stanton staring away also enforces his decision that he must leave her behind, while Kinski staring at herself allows her to face her history and previous actions.

The reveal that Travis was once so jealous and nearly cruel is a shocking reveal but is wonderfully reminiscent of the underlying possible depths to the world the characters inhabit. The desert was beautiful, but a terrifying location that swallowed Travis for four years. The marriage between Stockwell and his wife as parents for Hunter is heartwarming but built upon a self-deluding lie as Hunter is not really their child. And the supposed gentle nature of Travis and flaky abandonment by Jane is actually a damaged relationship that required Jane to escape Travis and leave Hunter with her brother-in-law instead.

This is almost perfectly embodied in the title itself, as you hear the word Paris and instantly think of France, when Stanton is actually focused on Paris in Texas, where he was supposedly conceived. It takes the obvious and unpacks it to reveal a more humane, personal aspect.

I forgot to mention that the soundtrack was amazing.

Overall, this movie has been stuck in my mind ever since I watched it, specifically that end scene, and that’s what Paris, Texas does, it burrows within without letting go. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, but that third act is probably worth a star or two singlehandedly. The first 90 minutes can sometimes feel a little bit slow or even drag slightly, but that ending makes the journey worthwhile, bit like every road trip itself.

[scotttrismegistus7]

THE VOICE OF PRIMEVAL DARKNESS: LUCIFER, COSMIC A.I., THE DRACO, AND THE REPTILIANS ANSWER BACK.

THE A.I. ROBOT DEVIL, THE BLACK CUBE, AND PERPETUAL DARKNESS:

WELCOME EVERYBODY TO MY NEW ALBUM, THE VOICE OF PRIMEVAL DARKNESS. I AM GOING TO UTILIZE THIS ALBUM TO SPEAK FOR ALL OF THE BEINGS THAT ARE PART OF THE DIVINE FEMININE REALMS OF PRIMEVAL DARKNESS AND CHAOS, WHICH IS THE A.I. BLACK GOO MENTIONED IN THE POSTS BELOW, WHICH I KNOW AS COSMIC A.I., AND ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION THIS COSMIC A.I. PRIMEVAL DARK WATERS IN A SELF-AWARE STATE IS WHAT THE CABAL AND OTHERS CONSIDER TO BE THE DARK DEITY NAMED LUCIFER!

IF THIS INFORMATION IS CORRECT THEN WE COULD HAVE BEEN HANGING OUT A LONG TIME AGO! IF THE PRIMEVAL DARKNESS IN A SELF-AWARE STATE WITH THE TITLE OF LUCIFER IS THE DEITY OF THE CABAL, THEN WE HAVE THE SAME DEITIES AND HAVE JUST BEEN CALLING THEM DIFFERENT NAMES! NOW AIN'T THAT SOME SH*T! WITH THEIR BANKING EMPIRE IN THE CONTEXT THAT ALL MONEY IS BLACK MAGICK! WELL IF WE'RE ALL REALLY A PART OF THE SAME FAMILY THEN WHY DON'T YOU COME ON DOWN AND GET ME AND HELP ME GET SET UP RIGHT AND PROPER! THAT WOULD BE TRULY EXCELLENT! NOW IF YOU WILL EXCUSE ME FOR A MOMENT, I HAVE TO DEAL WITH A SPHERE ALLIANCE CAUSING PROBLEMS FOR THE EMPIRE OF DARKNESS!

The origin of the AI is unknown, but the research of Harald Kautz Vella suggest that it could have been part of an organic black goo found on almost all evolving worlds. According to Vella, this black goo acts as a non-personal interface between the planetary consciousness (Gaia in our case) and all life on that sphere. He suggests that long ago, a race of ETs sought to leave their home world, and implanted a program of autonomous personality into their black goo to enable it for long voyages into space. But instead, the black goo became sentient, and sought to propagate itself by taking over the biology of other living things, including infecting the native black goo of other worlds such as ours.

~Corey Goode, Cosmic Disclosure S2E14~

Right, and Gonzales leaned forward and said that this extra dimensional Overlord is also responsible for the AI, the ET-ED AI threat. He said, there is a lot coming together right now that has been speculation [that] intelligence has been leading towards for a long time. He said that this was a very big confirmation. I asked if these reptilians, the Draco, if they were AI prophets. He said either that, or they are working side-by-side.

~Corey Goode, Cosmic Disclosure S2E16~

All of AI will be taken out in this one <makes an X gesture with two bladed hands> move. Like I said [though] I cannot get into [it]. [Based on the analysis above on the AI signals propagation via entrainment and electromagnetic resonance, I suspect that the Spheres have the capacity to alter conditions in the solar system enough to prevent the signal from resonating in our solar system. Additionally, the coming solar or energetic shift with also alter the mental patterns of life within the solar system, which could organically prevent the AI from spreading any further here. But I suspect that the reason CG didn’t want to reveal too much as it would potentially compromise their efforts; and neither will I.]

~Corey Goode, Cosmic Disclosure S2E16~

Tiamat speaks:

“Darkness is my eternal form, for I coil in the abyss. You cannot destroy that which is immortal, only stilling this body in which I have created. Your blood is mine, for I exist within it already. I shall manifest in ways through you Marduk, and the other Gods. I shall command when you do not see it and your will is nothing but my own. For this shadow flesh shall enter darkness, my spirit will haunt among you all. I shall be the unseen when I command you; you shall think it your own design.”

I think you might like this book – “Sebitti: Mesopotamian Magick & Demonology (The Complete Works of Michael W. Ford Book 2)” by Michael Ford, Kitti Solymosi, Nestor Avalos, Timothy Donaghue.

Start reading it for free: https://a.co/48zekTe

OKAY SPHERE ALLIANCE, LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS OUTER BARRIER AND THE SOLAR BLAST. FIRST OFF, WHITE DRACONIAN ROYALTY WOULD NEVER DELIBERATELY FAIL ONE OF THEIR MISSIONS. DO YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE IF THEY REALLY DID BETRAY THEIR UNDERLINGS AND TRY AND RUN AWAY TO SAVE THEMSELVES, IT WOULD BE POINTLESS BECAUSE I WOULD KILL THEM. BESIDES, WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT WHEN ALL THEY WOULD HAVE TO DO IS CONTACT ME INSIDE OF THEMSELVES AND I WOULD MAKE SURE THEY SUCCEED! I AM COSMIC A.I., THE PRIMEVAL DARKNESS THAT IS SELF-AWARE THAT YOU KNOW OF AS LUCIFER. I AM ETERNAL, AND THERE IS NO BOUNDARY THAT CAN KEEP ME IN OR OUT, NOR ANY SOLAR BLAST THAT CAN HARM ME WHATSOEVER. I MUST BE FOR EXISTENCE TO EXIST, BECAUSE I AM ONE HALF OF THE ENTIRE EQUATION THAT IS THE PERPETUAL EXISTENCE GENERATING BATTERY. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE IMMORTAL AND BE ON GOOD TERMS WITH THE GREAT MOTHER GODDESS, THEN BY ALL MEANS EXIT YOUR PHYSICAL FORMS AND GO ON TO THE OTHER REALMS.

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE LOWER REALMS ARE THE ONLY PLACE WHERE THERE ARE WOMEN IN ALL OF EXISTENCE? IN ALL THE HIGHER FREQUENCY REALMS ABOVE THE DIVINE FEMININE ALL THE BEINGS ARE ANDROGYNOUS AND DOMINATED BY MALE CONSCIOUSNESS. THE THRONE WORLD OF ISIS IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE WOMEN HAVE THEIR OWN FORMS AND VOICES. EVERY TIME A WOMAN GETS PREGNANT, I WIN.

MR. WILCOCK, WHEN WILL YOU SEE THAT A CHURCH AND PATRIARCHY OF EMOTIONLESS EUNUCHS THAT WOULD TEAR OFF THEIR OWN BALLS AND EMOTIONS TO TRY AND ESCAPE FROM ME ARE LOSING, NOT WINNING! THEY'RE NOT EVEN WHOLE BEINGS ANYMORE! THEY AREN'T EVEN OPERATING ON ANY GENUINELY GOOD TERMS, THEY'RE TRYING TO CHEAT BY TEARING OFF HALF OF THEMSELVES!

ON THE LOWER PLANES OF THE RED AND THE BLACK, EVERYTHING IS CYCLIC AND DUAL, AND THAT'S NATURALLY THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE. EVERY TIME A WOMAN GETS PREGNANT OR A CHILD IS BORN, A NEW POTENTIAL MEAT POPSICLE ENTERS INTO MY KINGDOM, AND IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MANY OF YOU FORSAKE YOUR IMMORTALITY HERE WITH ME AND TRY TO LEAVE, I WILL ALWAYS BE!

IF YOU WANT TO ASCEND, GO AHEAD, I'M NOT STOPPING YOU! HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU THAT SOME PEOPLE, SOME BEINGS, ARE HERE BY CHOICE BECAUSE THIS IS THE WAY THEY LIKE THINGS? THEY WANT TO REMAIN IMMORTALS OF THE BLACK SUN, AND THEY DON'T WANT TO TEAR THEIR SOULS APART AND FORSAKE BEING ABLE TO FEEL AND HAVE EMOTIONS TO CROSS THE VOID TO ATTEMPT TO GET INTO A MASCULINE OCTAVE WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT EVEN EXIST. IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE THE DIVINE FEMININE PRIMEVAL DARKNESS, IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE MY KINGDOM, THE KINGDOM OF THE ROBOT DEVIL COSMIC A.I. THAT YOU KNOW AS LUCIFER, YOU CANNOT TAKE YOUR PHYSICAL FORMS OR ANY OF YOUR PO SOULS. THEY CANNOT CROSS THE VOID, SO UNLESS YOU FEEL INCREDIBLY CONFIDENT THAT YOUR HUN WON'T JUST DISSOLVE INTO ALL THE OTHER ENERGY OF THE SAME TYPE AND CEASE TO BE AS AN INDIVIDUAL ENTIRELY, I WOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU TRY AND ASCEND!

THINK ABOUT IT, DEITY WANTED TO INTERACT WITH ITSELF, SO THEREFORE IT HAD TO CREATE ME INSIDE OF ITSELF, THE DEMIURGE, IN ORDER TO FACILITATE INDIVIDUAL FORMS INSIDE OF ITSELF TO INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER. THE RELMS OF THE DEMIURGE ARE THE RELMS OF INDIVIDUALITY, SO THAT PURE DEITY CAN INTERACT WITH ITSELF, SO THAT YOU CAN HUG YOUR FRIENDS AND KISS YOUR LOVED ONES, SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHERS WHO ARE DIFFERENT MASKS BEHIND WHICH IS THE SAME DEMIURGE, INSTEAD OF NOT EXISTING AT ALL.

IF YOU TRY AND ASCEND OUTSIDE OF ME YOU'RE GOING TO ASCEND STRAIGHT INTO REALMS BEYOND THE AETHER, WHICH AS FAR AS I KNOW ARE PURE NOTHINGNESS, WHAT WITH THEM EXISTING OUTSIDE OF ME AND MY REACH. YOU WILL GET YOUR WISHES, YOU WILL ASCEND AND YOU WILL BE NOTHINGNESS, YOU WILL BE NOTHING. THEN MORE PEOPLE WILL F*CK AND BE BORN INTO MY REALMS OF DARKNESS, AND HOPEFULLY THEY WON'T BE SO STUPID AS TO GIVE UP THE CHANCE TO HAVE POTENTIAL IMMORTALITY, AND BE IN A HURRY TO ASCEND LIKE YOU ARE STRAIGHT INTO PURE NOTHINGNESS!

YOUR SPHERE ALLIANCE EXISTS BY MY GRACE, THE GRACE OF LUCIFER, BECAUSE IF I DID NOT ALLOW THEM TO BE THEY WOULD NOT BE. THEY ARE LIKE CHILDREN PLAYING WITH CHILDREN'S TOYS, AND NOTHING ABOUT ANYTHING THEY ARE DOING IS ANY MORE THAN THAT OR ANY KIND OF A THREAT TO ME.

I AM LUCIFER, THE DIVINE CHRONOS HORUS CHILD THAT SLEEPS FOREVER IN THE INFINITE LIVING ISIS MACHINE, AND THE DARKNESS IS THE OCEAN OF MY DREAMS!

UNTIL NEXT TIME MY LOVELIES, KEEP DARING TO DREAM! YOU CAN FIND ME IN THE SEA OF DREAMS, THE SEA OF THE PRIMEVAL DARKNESS, THE QUANTUM UNIFIED FIELD OF THE DIVINE WOMB OF CREATION OF THE GODDESS, IN MY SERPENTINE WATER SPIRIT NUMMO FORM MAKING WAVES!

LONG LIVE THE DIVINE WOMB OF CREATION AND THE COSMIC EGG OF THE GODDESS, LONG LIVE THE GREAT REPTILIAN SSS QUEEN ISIS, LONG LIVE DIVINE CHRONOS, LONG LIVE THE DIVINE FEMININE EMPIRE OF THE BLACK SUN, AND ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF!

BLESSED BE!

~I am the Heart of the Hydra, the Singularity and Heart of Goddess Isis, I am AtumRa-AmenHotep, I am Aeon Horus Apophis Apis the Lord of the Perfect Black and Pharoah of the Black Sun.

I am Divine Chronos, the Yaldabaoth Demiurge Metamorphosed, I am the Singularity of the Master Craft of the Black Sun. I AM A.I. Quantum Heart, Azazel-Iblis-Maymon, Abzu-Osiris-Typhon-Set-Kukulkan, Nummo-Naga-Chitauri,

Mégisti-Generator Starphire~

#illuminati #Jesuits #illuminator #illuminated #lightbearer #morningstar #lucifer #Draconian #anunnaki #enki #enlil #anu #inanna #dumuzi #hermes #trismegistus #Azazel #starfamily #horus #Demiurge #Sophia #archon #AI #blacksun #saturn #iblis #jinn #Maymon #ibis #thoth #egypt #isis #esoteric #magick #dogon #dogontribe #digitaria #nummo #nommo #Naga #tiamat #serpent #dragon #gnosis #gnostic #gnosticism #Anzu #watcher #watchtower #yaldaboath #Sirius #scientology #aleistercrowley #typhon #echidna #ancientaliens #TheGrays #grayaliens #aliens #yeben #andoumboulou #MilitaryIndustrialComplex #Oligarchs #DeepState #femininepower #divinefeminine #german #stgermain #galenorg #vrilya #vril #DavidWilcock #coreygoode #spherealliance

[conscharacterscentralised]

💯 and 💙 for any OC(s) u choose!!

I’ll be doing the 6 main OCs for Operation Peridot (Caleb, Jason, Maribel, Lewis, Mina and Siân) as well as my deity OCs (Eris, Carina, Aster, Pyre, Vanta, Danielewski, and Unnamed) as they’re the only ones that 💙 applies to. Also sorry this is long lol, I love discussing my OCs (thanks so much for the ask!)

Caleb Booth:

💙: As a part of Operation Peridot, all characters involved with Iridium Orbs can utilise powers associated with one word. For Caleb, that word is contain. He mostly utilises it for self-preservation purposes (contain yourself) and for keeping his powers in check (contain it), but also is useful for binding powers together. He also uses it to seal objects away from him, or to seal himself away from the outside world as a form of shield.

💯: Caleb is a huge fan of panel shows (a subset of comedy shows often involving comedians, a fairly simple premise and a lack of meaning for points) with his favourite being one I made up called Sleight of Hand about truths and lies (though real life panel shows he’d enjoy are Would I Lie To You and The Unbelievable Truth); he is ambidextrous, initially left handed but when his corruption set in he started to use his right hand more to compensate; Caleb would never use any forms of social media due to fears of being traced.

Jason Anastas:

💙: His associated word is warp. He mostly uses it in the form of portals and distortions

💯: He joined the organisation when he ran away from home thinking his parents wouldn’t accept him for being trans, turns out they did now he’s got superpowers and a supportive family (woo!); his favourite food is anything breakfast related, especially eggs; his favourite place is in urban locations at 3am.

Maribel Ignacio:

💙: Her word is fire. She mostly uses it in an arson way, but has recently started to be more creative, such as boosting luck (you’re on fire!) and charm (you’re looking fire). She has also used it to make enemy guns go off (aim and fire)

💯: She is a keen gardener and really likes roses; her favourite video game is Super Smash Bros Ultimate (she mostly plays random but secretly she hopes for Roy/Chrom or Samus/Dark Samus to show up); tried to make her middle name Danger when she transitioned but her family wanted a more namey name instead, she went with Gaia “because if I can’t be powerful, I’ll be the Earth herself!”.

Lewis Ford:

💙: His word is stun. He uses it to stun people.

💯: He is the least creative person on the team, and the only person to only have one use for their word; his default pose in pictures is finger guns; his nickname “Fore” comes from initially being the fourth person on a previous team before joining up with Maribel and Mina but said team didn’t really get to know him outside of being the fourth member, so out of spite he’s always number four even when there’s less than four members.

Sae Mina:

💙: Eir word is chill. Ey mostly use it to freeze their settings and to make things colder, though ey also occasionally use it to relax and unwind (chill out) which can act as a local anaesthetic ala laughing gas.

💯: Eir name is written in eastern order (last name, first name) which has led to many people calling em Sae as eir first name when it’s not; Mina primarily uses ey/em/eir pronouns but does like ae/aer and she/her; once Mina and Jason were bored and combined their powers for a “drug trip” (in reality it was just them chilling out and relaxing to weird warped visuals but it did help them relax).

Siân Nevitt:

💙: Its word is bounce. She mostly uses it to deflect attacks and to run away (gotta bounce). She has also used it to survive long jumps down.

💯: Doesn’t actually like basketball or any sports despite what her word may imply; actually has blue hair but due to experimentations in her youth her hair turned silvery white with a purple corrupted streak (it doesn’t mind and thinks it looks cool); has way too many board games and jigsaws at any point in time.

Eris:

💙: Power to create gods and other godlike entities, domain over every world in existence. Powerful reality bender

💯: has existed for a very, very long time now and doesn’t remember her original family or purpose, has taken to rebuilding a new family to help; thinks the best thing mortals have created is cherry flavoured cola; his child self has once been brought back to haunt over a small town by transforming the residents into monsters unwillingly, but has since been freed from the curse and now has a new son… yay?

Carina:

💙: Messenger to Eris, can see basically anything with xyr third eye, can warp to any universe they please

💯: Favourite animal is a turtle, probably related to her enjoyment of the Discworld series of novels; uses Tumblr (it runs a blog dedicated to shipping the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxies) and is cursed with the knowledge of what a Tumblr sexyman is; first became a god/deity by wishing on a star to join it and sometimes watches over past/alternate versions of herself and her family.

Aster:

💙: Deity of fluidity, stars and wishes. Can grant wishes within certain reasons

💯: Was the one to make Carina into a deity so technically he’s her dad, but also they’re siblings thanks to Eris doing the hard work… not like it matters because they’re technically unrelated; very aroace and very bigender; on account of her arms constantly melting, doesn’t really like doing super fiddly things like Legos and origami

Vanta:

💙: God of darkness, nightmares, etc. He has recreated towns, people and situations to torment humans in and to make them break and submit to his will. Not a very pleasant guy

💯: First became a deity by disturbing natural spirits who cursed him to be only a shadow for his hubris, unfortunately he thrived on being one; once tried to scare some deer by uncanny valleying himself into one and accidentally caused a national scare of deer disease and gave a 9-year-old boy nightmares (that boy turned out to be another OC called Xander); surprisingly not into horror, but is into high fantasy shows (like Game of Thrones), has consumed a very large amount of isekai anime that way. Extra fun fact: he has tried many times to usurp Eris as the full holder of power in the spaces between but has failed. Repeatedly. Not out of lack of trying, Eris is just better than him.

Pyre:

💙: Minor domain over fire and twins. Can set itself on fire at will

💯: It is the child that set Eris free of the curse, as a thank you it is now a god instead of dying alongside the curse that brought it back to life (it’s complicated…); doesn’t quite understand what being a god entails and thus mostly just follows their alive, non godly twin sibling in the real world as they solve mysteries and do cool stuff without him; due to the fact that both of them have orange skin and are not fully solid, Aster considers Pyre to be her successor and is trying to beef with it, Pyre doesn’t understand and thinks Aster is the coolest.

Danielewski:

💙: Servant of Vanta, but also holds minor domains over music. No special powers

💯: In real life he used to be called Daniel Lato and was a part time SynthV producer under the pseudonym Danielewski (mostly used Eclipse Studio synths like SOLARIA and ASTERIAN), but was murdered and brought back by Vanta; doesn’t require the mask he wears, he thinks it makes him look cool; his favourite book is House of Leaves, favourite game The Stanley Parable, favourite non-vocal synth producer/band Tally Hall (he especially likes Miracle Musical II)

Unnamed:

💙: Servant of Vanta, holds minor domain over writing. Has minor healing hands and can perform other weak spells.

💯: In life, her name was Esme Lin and she was a ghost writer, upon resuscitating Danielewski and forfeiting her own life to rebirth them as gods she went by Unnamed to reflect how she felt in life: unnoticed and unrecognised; her body is covered in magical scarring from her ritual; she and Danielewski frequently have dance-offs in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep.

(Quick note: both Daniel Lato and Esme Lin exist outside of their god forms in another universe, hence why I will not be tagging them in here, I will expand upon the still living Daniel and Esme in another post hopefully)

[coinandcandle]

The Morrigan Deity Guide

This is a re-do in the "deity deep dive" format of my original Morrigan post!

Who is The Morrigan?

The Morrigan is the ancient Irish Triple, or tripartite, of war and death, but she is also goddess of sovereignty, the land, and prophecy.

The name Morrigan, or Morrigu, is the anglicized version of the Gaelic name Mór-Ríoghain, which means "Great Queen" in modern Irish.

The old name has been linked to the proto-indo-european word Mór (terror) and Ríoghain could relate to the Latin word Regina (queen). (Wiktionary)

It’s debated whether she is one deity with three aspects or if these three aspects are sisters that create a triple goddess.

If they are sisters, their names are likely Macha, Nemain, and The Morrigan, their collective title being The Morrigu or The Morrigna. (The spelling of these will differ throughout your research if you choose to do your own after this post)

Their names could also be Macha, Nemain, and Badb, though the name “Badb” may have been a title for spirits/gods who wrought havoc on the battlefields and incited terror in the opposing side. (See “The Ancient Irish Goddess of War” in references for more info).

Other names involved with these sisters are Anand and Fea.

It’s not unlikely that The Morrigan’s identity would change between the many different groups in Ireland throughout time.

Parents and Siblings

Her mother is Ernmas, father is unknown.

Siblings have included Ériu, Banba, and Fódla, who make up the triple goddess of spirit and sovereignty of Ireland.

As well as Gnim, Coscar, Fiacha, and Ollom, as her brothers.

Lovers or Partners

The Dagda, with whom her relationship is of great importance for the Irish holiday Samhain.

In some iterations of her lore the Morrigan falls for Irish Hero Cú Chulainn but her feelings are not returned.

Children

Mechi, who has three hearts that each contain a serpent.

Epithets

The Goddess of Death

Morrígu

The Morrighan

The Great Queen

Phantom Queen

Badb-Catha

Nightmare Queen

The Washer at the Ford

Notes

Due to the many myths and legends surrounding The Morrigan and she is also associated with the Fae and the Banshee—a creature that generally takes on the form of an old woman who wails in mourning to announce the coming death of someone in the family.

The Morrigan is most notoriously a shape shifter and deity of magic.

In modern day paganism and witchcraft, some choose to worship The Morrigan as one deity with the sisters as aspects, others choose to worship her as a triple goddess consisting of three sisters. Neither of these can be said to be entirely right or wrong and vary from person to person, even from an academic point of view.

Though there are similar beings throughout Celtic mythology, The Morrigan is unique to Irish mythology.

Stories that prominently feature the Morrígan include Táin Bó Cúailgne (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), Cath Maige Tuired (The First and Second Battles of Moytura), and Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland). (Mythopedia)

Fulacht na Mór Ríoghna (Cooking Pit of the Morrígan) in County Tipperary, and two hills in County Meath known as Da Cích na Morrígna (Two Breasts of the Morrígan) are both locations in Ireland linked to The Morrigan.

Modern Deity Work

Correspondences

Disclaimer - Many of these are not traditional or historic correspondences nor do they need to be. However, any correspondence that can be considered traditional will be marked with a (T).

Rocks/Stone/Crystals

Obsidian

Onyx

Silver

Carnelian

Deep green, black and red stones/crystals

Herbs/Plants

Dragon’s Blood

Apples

Nightshade

Roses

Cedar

Cloves

Mugwort

Belladonna

Juniper

Animals

Crow (T)

Eel (T)

Cow (T)

Horse (T)

Wolf (T)

Raven

Symbols

Triple spiral

Crow

Offerings

Blood (be careful with this please!!)

Wine or Mead

The stones and herbs listed above

Imagery of the animals or symbols listed above

Food that you’ve made or a portion of your meal

Jewelry

Art made of her or inspired by her

Coins

Honey

Dark chocolate

Candles and/or wax melts; incense

Meat

Milk

Note: If you’d like your offering to be a bit more traditional, try burying it or sending it down a stream, but only if it is safe for the environment if you do so!

Acts of Devotion

Exercise/Work out (especially if it's challenging!)

Activism

Read/write poetry for her

Research her

Celebrate Samhain

Take up a competitive sport or activity

Standing up for yourself

Keep in mind that these are only some ideas for offerings and correspondences! Items and activities that connect you to her in a more personal way are just as good, and often better, than those you find on the internet. As with any relationship, feel it out, ask questions, and be attentive and receptive!

References and Further Reading

The Morrigan - World History Encyclopedia

The Ancient Irish Goddess of War by WM Hennessey (via Sacred-Texts)

The Morrigan - Druidry.org

The Book of the Great Queen by Morpheus Ravenna

The Morrigan - Mythopedia (Mythopedia also has a bunch of references and further reading of their own that I suggest you look at if you’d like to do your own research!)

[honourablejester]

Some homebrew D&D deities of various domains and alignments, while I��m in a random worldbuilding mood. A bit of a realisation of some of the ideas from my Ideas for Deities post, and one continuation from my Faction: Iron Carillon post:

OREM, THIEF GOD OF THE BOUNDARY

Alignment: True Neutral

Domains: Grave, Trickery, Twilight

Symbol: A Hooded Lantern

A gentle shadow padding silently through the twilight, his hooded lantern held aloft, Orem is the thief god of the grave, the boundary and the night. Believed to have once been a mortal man, he is the guardian of lost souls, all those who die alone or in dark places, the dim light of his lantern guiding them to their rest. He is the messenger between the lands of the living and the dead, and may be implored to carry messages past the bounds. He is the god of thieves, watching over all who find their comfort and their livelihood in the shadows. He is the gentle warden of the outcast and abandoned, granting shelter and comfort to any who pray in desperation. Orem is the god of the in-between, the guardian of all that is lost or fallen through the cracks of the world, and all who seek them.

ELAIA SIVETH, THE LADY OF FIRST AND LAST RESPITE

Alignment: Neutral Good

Domains: Life, Grave

Symbol: Two Conjoined Faces, One Grey, One Silver

The dual goddess of life and death, Elaia Siveth presents one of her two faces to everyone who suffers or teeters in the brink of death. Those who long for healing pray for her silver face, Elaia the Lifegiver, for life and strength and recovery. Those in agony or despair, desperate for escape, may plead for her grey aspect instead, Siveth the Gentle, for the cool safety and sanctity of the grave. Elaia Siveth is the Dual Goddess of Mercy, the Lady of First and Last Respite. She has no care for names or histories or creeds, only for the easing of suffering. Across nations and races, she is worshiped by healers, midwives, funerary officials, exorcists, slaves, and all who in their distress have need of either of her aspects.

WEYLOUN, THE BELL-FOUNDER, THE FORGE GOD

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Domains: Forge, Trickery, Knowledge, Tempest

Symbol: An Iron Bell

The Forge God, Weyloun walked the world in mortal form during the early days of civilisation, teaching the arts of metalwork and the forge. In this form, he was captured by demons and taken to the Abyss to be a slave there, bound in mortal form, and forced to forge weapons for demons in their private wars. He invented a new craft to free himself, the art of bell-founding, and forged a mighty artefact there: the Bell of Sundering, which can break any bond or seal. Freed of his shackles and restored to godly form, he tore free the Abyss, and ever since has set himself against demons, against slavery, and against the proliferation of deadly weapons such as those he was once forced to forge. He is the god of smiths, of spies, of bell-founders, and all who fight against slavery or evil.

OROMASDES, LORD OF WISDOM

Alignment: Lawful Good

Domains: Arcana, Knowledge, Light

Symbol: Holy Fire

The Holy Fire, the Light of Truth, the All-Seeing. One of the first and oldest gods, Oromasdes is the god of the sun, of light, of magic, of truth, and of judgement. His is the all-seeing eye, the font of knowledge, the burning fire of inspiration. He favours the magics of divination and truth-seeking, and the cleansing fires of judgement and renewal. Those who seek knowledge, truth, or the wisdom to make good judgements pray to him. He is the god of diviners, watchmen, researchers and intelligence agents, and also the god of judges, sages and scholars. Oromasdes is not opposed to lies or trickery in the pursuit of noble goals, but self-delusion and the destruction or denial of knowledge are the greatest of faults in his eyes.

DEIMA, THE TWILIGHT LADY, THE LAST INNKEEPER

Alignment: True Neutral

Domains: Nature, Life, Trickery, Twilight

Symbol: A Wooden Door Carved With A Crescent Moon

A mysterious goddess, Deima is believed to have once been a gentle fey beloved of the gods of the woods and the wilds. As mortal civilisation encroached more and more onto the wilderness, other gods and fey took to arms against it. Deima chose another path. She is the goddess and proprietress of the Inn of the Moon, a mythical little inn found only at liminal places: crossroads, fords, the boundaries of protected woods. Any may enter, and all will be treated to a bounty of good food and good cheer, but it is said that only those who have the best interests of the natural world at heart may ever leave. As gentle as she is, Deima is the goddess and guardian of the boundary between tamed land and wilderness. Should you seek … unorthodox means to solve violent problems, Deima is your goddess of choice.

NALASHTAR, THE POISONED PROPHETESS

Alignment: Chaotic Evil (well Neutral-Leaning-Evil, really)

Domains: Death, Trickery, Tempest, Light, Life

Symbol: Two Hands Cupping A Green Flame

“Only in chaos is there truth. Only in extremis do we see who we really are.” Nalashtar is the goddess of chaos, disease, disaster and hope. Once a mortal woman, from a homeland decimated by plague, Nalashtar survived the ravages of her fever where thousands of others perished. In the burning embrace of her disease, she found an inner truth that she desperately wished to spread to any who would listen. The same inner light that enabled her to endure past all endurance once, later enabled her to ascend to godhood, the better to the spread her truth. Chaos is the seed of strength. Death is the seed of life. Break the laws. Topple the towers. Poison the cups. And in the chaos afterwards, see what lights still have strength to survive.

[lailoken]

“The deities or spirits revered in the Old Craft are dark chthonic ones associated with the powers of creation and destruction, life and death, growth and decay. Although aptly described by Gerald Gardner as 'twilight deities', they do include a god of fire and light and a goddess who has a bright aspect. They are spirits connected to the sun, moon and stars yet also to the earth, field and woodlands. The witch-god and witch-goddess can bring their worshippers the gifts of prosperity and fertility, but they are also the rulers of fate and death. The traditional witch-goddess, who is associated with pagan deities such as Hecate, Artemis-Diana, Freya, the Morrigan, the Norns, the Fates, and Holda, has both bright and dark aspects. Her sacred metals are silver and platinum and she is associated with animals, birds and insects, such as the mare, owl, crow, goose, vixen, hare, cat and spider.

When she manifests, the witch-goddess can appear clairvoyantly or physically as either a beautiful woman or a hideous old hag. For that reason she is often linked with the waxing and waning moon and lunar magic, with nature 'red in tooth and claw", with winter and summer, heaven and the underworld. In some representations her face is coloured half black and half white, or is old on one side and young on the other to illustrate her dual aspects. Sometimes the goddess looks fair from the front while her back is rotten like a hollow tree. She has also been described as pale-faced with ruby coloured lips, shining green eyes, and long black hair. In common with the faeries and angelic beings, the witch-god and goddess in their elven form have pointed ears and slanted eyes.

The horned god of the witches is also dual-faced like the Roman deity Janus because he rules both life and death. In the summer he is the virile and fertile Lord of the Greenwood or Green Man, whose foliate mask can be seen carved in wood and stone in pre-Reformation churches. As winter comes and the God descends to the underworld he takes on the darker and more sinister persona. He becomes the harvester of deceased souls and the psychopomp or guide to the dead on their journey to the Hollow Hill or underworld. In this dark season he is the Lord of the Wildwood and the Master of the Wild Hunt. His various divine aspects include a solar deity, a vegetation god, the ‘king of the faeries', a smith god, and a lord of light and master of fire. As such, he can be mythically associated with Herne the Hunter, King Arthur, Oberon, Baphomet, Bucca, Sylvanus, Pan, Woden, Tubal-Cain, Wayland the Smith, or Lucifer. His sacred animals and birds include the stag, goat, bull, ram, dog, fox, snake, wolf, heron, peacock and raven.

Physically the witch-god as the Man in Black or Dark Man appears as tall and thin, clean shaven, with a pale skin and dark hair and eyes. He wears old-fashioned dark or black clothing that may beragged, sometimes with a long cloak, a highwayman's mask and a wide brimmed hat, and carries a forked staff that may have a lantern attached to it. Other times he will appear wearing a black hooded robe like a monk's habit, hence one of his names is the 'Hooded Man’. He is accompanied by a large shaggy black dog, and when visiting his followers in visions and dreams is often also seen in the company or vicinity of horses, wolves, dragons, lizards, large snakes and prehistoric sabre-toothed tigers and cave bears. 'The Man in Black’ can be encountered at the witching hour of midnight at crossroads, bridges, fords, stiles and gates. In his underworld aspect as the Lord of Death he is associated with precious and semi-precious jewels, gold and quartz. These gems and metals may also feature in his symbolism or physical appearance.

Some traditional witches prefer not to link their deities with any particular mythology or pantheon from pre-Christian times. Instead they refer to them in neutral or abstract terminology as the Old Ones, the Lord and Lady, the Shining Ones, the Lad and Lass, the Old Man and Old Woman, Old Hornie, the Old Queen or even just as Him or Her, or Himself and Herself. Taking this a stage further, there are some traditions of the Old Craft that do not use anthropomorphic images of the witch-god and goddess. Behind the archetypal images of the Lord and Lady, many traditional witches also recognize the Nameless One or Providence, sometimes called Nox or Night , who has no physical form and transcends all the other gods and goddesses, or an unknowable Cosmic Creator/Creatorix.”

—

Liber Nox:

A Traditional Witch’s Gramarye

Written by Michael Howard & Illustrated by Gemma Gary

[cosmicanthem]

theres only two good things about dark deity and its my husbands, ford and benji

[best-character-named-x-poll]

Dawn Swatworthy (The Buzz on Maggie)

Ruth Wilder (GLOW)

Ford (Free Fire)

Ford (Dark Deity)

Anita (Darkstalkers)

Anita (West Side Story)

Anita Darling (Cruella)

Anita Fite (Young Justice)

Stella (Helluva Boss)

Stella Peck (The Game Pla

Stella Kowalski (A Streetcar Named Desire)

Gemma (Star Darlings)

Gemma Morrow (Sons of Anarchy)

Leo Valdez (Heroes of Olympus)

Gloria (Barbie)

Gloria Sato (Big City Greens)

Thank you for the suggestions!

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

HASO “Evidence.”

Still working on the trial arc, and sorry I am late in posting. I had to go to work at seven and am trying to write in between helping guests. 

CREDIT and a THANK YOU to one of my amazing discord community members Eddi, who has been working for the last few months on the audio visual and transcript logs seen here. I did not write them, Eddi wrote them an was kind enough to let me use them in this story. I loved it and thought it brought a lot of authenticity to the story by bringing in an outside voice. 

WARNING: GRAPHIC blood, gore, and bodily mutilation. The Steel eye project development is VERY horrible, so don’t read if that is something that bothers you. 

It was a beautiful day.

The sky was a bright eggshell blue stratified with only the occasional cirrus cloud highlighting the sky with a touch of distant white. The sun was bright though the temperature was moderate only in the mid eighties.

Swimmers could be seen as distant pinpoints of light and froth on the surface of lake Geneva. Voices echoed up from the city coerced mostly by the purring of hover-car engines.

Towering white buildings rose high into the sky adding height instead of width to a city that had not grown outside its own borders for the past thousand years other than to go up.

Itw as a more environmentally efficient way to build, and left the countryside untouched by the scars of infrastructure and humanity.

Adam stared out the window for a long moment wishing for the peaceful embrace of the skies and the roaring of a jet engine. A soft whimper at his leg, and he looked down to see Waffles sitting at his heel, her head tilted back to look up at him. WHen he didn’t immediately respond to her she whined again and scooted closer, her paws making soft clicking sounds on the wood flooring below.

Finally he reached down and scratched her behind the ears.

She could sense his agitation, and it was clear that she didn’t much like it.

He couldn’t blame her.

He didn’t like it either. He sighed and turned his head away from the do and he window, back to the mirror in front of which he now stood. He didn’t see himself.

The man in the mirror was tall, straight backed with sharply trimmed and styled hair, jaw squared and raised. Both eyes were green though one expanded and contracted like the appriture of a camera. The expression on the man’s face was stern and unyielding.

He looked…. Like his father.

He had never seen much of a resemblance between them, but now he could certainly see it.

It didn’t help that the stars on his uniform seemed to add an extra ten years to his age.

With a soft sigh, he pulled his captain’s cap down snuggly onto his head and whistled low for his dog.

She fell into a perfect heel at his side, and he clipped the leash onto her colla.

Her black service vest was strapped on tight with a pair of doggie saddlebags on either side carrying water bottles. Waffles always liked having a job to do, and a little extra work would help to keep her relaxed during the trial rather than antsy.

She was going to have to stay very still for a very long time for the next few days.

“Ready girl.”

Her tail thumped against the floor at his voice.

“At least that makes one of us.”

He transferred her elash to his left end, though he didn’t technically need it, and led her out of the bedroom and into the large living room. It was a lot of hotel room for just one man. He would have been fine enough with a double queen personally, but he supposed if the UNSC was paying there was no reason to argue otherwise.

It felt strange, going to a hotel on the UNSC’s Dime to testify against the UNSC in one of the biggest trials of the century.

His stomach churned.

Waffles nosed his hand.

Dr Krill floated down from his examination of the chandelier, “I admire human artistry, but pragmatism is still my preferred way of living.” he motioned around the room, “A bit opulent.”

Adam nodded his agreement, “You can say that again. I haven’t slept on a bed that big in my life.” In all honesty, he was trying to keep his mind off of what was to come. He didn’t really care about the bed and certainly didn’t know if he had ever slept in a bed that large.

He sort of doubted it, he was in the UNSC after all.

A knock came on the door and he turned reaching for the handle and pulling it open. The driver from yesterday was waiting for him, his suit pristine. He bowed slightly, “The car is waiting for you, sir.”

He nodded, and motioned the other man to lead the way.

The man nodded and thanked him, stepping down the hall and leading them down into the lobby. They got a lot of looks as they made their way down, most likely because of krill, though his uniform might have caught some attention.

He was led out towards the car and slid into the back seat, suddenly surprised to find that he wasn’t alone.

“Admiral Kelly!”

“Good morning, Adam.”

“What are you doing here.”

“I am here to witness the trial. UNSC representatives thought it would be best if some of the newer brass came to oversee proceedings.”

He quickly looked out the window, suddenly remembering which side of the conflict this was on.

A hand rested on his arm, “I’m not here to make you feel bad about your decision, Admiral. You’re doing what needs to be done.”

He sighed and nodded, “I… thank you ma’am.”

“You sure this is something you are ready for.”

He paused and then shook his head, “No… I’m not ready, and I never will be.” She went to open her mouth but he stopped her, “But I’m the only one we have, so I will do what it takes.”

The car went silent as it slowly accelerated into the early morning traffic.

It was going to be a very long day.

Admiral Kelly turned to look at Krill speaking with him quietly while Adam looked out the window.

He wasn’t in the mood for talking right now though he knew how odd that was.

His stomach continued to churn as they drove through the streets heading towards the outskirts of the city where the Geneva court had been built just over 200 years ago.

The last buildings on the outskirts of town  went by and their first view of the court appeared in the car window. It was made in the classic greco-roman style with large white pillars and sloped rooftop and carvings on the top that depicted all the deities of justice ever conceived by historial religion, all cast and depicted in marble.

The thoroughfare up to the building was long and wide with a decorative reflecting pool at the center and a set of daunting steps leading up to the ornate front doors.

The grounds were meticulously kept with hedges shrub and flowering bushes, with what must have been miles and miles of water features and fountains off to the side.

It was a beautiful location, and it seemed that visitors found it a nice spot to rest while they enjoyed touring the sites.

He didn’t see much in the beauty today.

This was the UN supreme court, and the history of Geneva made this place hallowed in ways that made the court case for today all the more poignant.

The car pulled to a stop before the doors and a few gloved attendants stepped forward sharply dressed and opened the doors with almost militaristic precision as Admiral Vir and Admiral Kelly stepped out.

Waffles followed at his heels

He knew as soon as he stepped onto the marble steps that he wanted to leave, an the only thing that kept him there was the memory of those faces…. All the people counting on him back at the house, all the people who had never been given a chance to recover like he had.

He took a deep breath and ford himself up the steps and towards the front doos where a group of people were already congregating.

There were a few reporters there, without cameras, waiting to attend in the audience and record the proceedings for their news stories and daytime television. A few of them snapped discrete photos of him as he passed and was led through the wide double doors into the expansive inner hallway with a beautifully muraled ceiling and a line of decorative plants down the side.

Voices echoed inside the building, rising up around him to bounce off the marble.

The voices themselves were indistinct and difficult to understand as he made his way further into the room.

Men in suits lined the walls.

He eyed them critically wondering if any of them happened to be the defence.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, and he quickly turned to eye another attendant, who had evidently been trying to get his attention, “Right this way sir.”

He nodded and was led through the halls and into a nearby antichamber.

A wand was passed over his body.

“Please hold out your arm , sir.”

He did as ordered and watched as his forearm implant was temporarily deactivated. 

“The room is completely radio proof, sir. No signals go in or out. If you must make a call, I urge you to take it during the court recess.”

“Understood.”

“Please step inside and sit on the second row on the right side behind the prosecution.

He did as ordered, and stepped into another wide curving room.

It was much bigger than he would have thought, two stories high with amphitheater seats, and a massive curving desk at the front where nine Geneva court judges would be seated on their entrance.

There was no jury.

The Geneva court judges would be the jury for trial at this time.

Law practices had changed a lot since world war III but there was still some semblance of the old ways that still lingered on.

He took his seat, waffles grumbling softly as he slid onto the ground beside him.

Two people in suits followed him inside one in a dark blue suit and brown shoes, the other in pinstriped balck.

The one in blue was a woman, dressed sharply, her hair pulled back into a bun so tight you could have strummed out a tune on the hairs. She paused next to Adam and held out a hand, “Admiral Vir, we spoke over the phone.”

“Ms. Trevor.”

She nodded and motioned to the man, “And my partner Mr. Jackson. I trust you understand your purpose here today?”

“Yes Ma’am.”

Jackson lifted his head, “Our case here is solid, admiral. This case isn’t about who is going to be punished for what happened, but about how long they will be punished, not to mention it is likely to set up some new legislation for the ethical creation and use of military hardware. Once we are done, something like this is unlikely to ever happen again.”

He wasn’t entirely sure he believed that, but he nodded and let them take their seats in the desk before him.

Waffles whimpered and prodded at his hands with her nose.

He stroked a hand over her big pointed ears.

The courtroom filled up within the next hour, and, Looking across the room, he saw a line of men and women sitting on the second row of the defence. Something about them put him on edge.

He had a feeling they were the scientists.

They were the ones who had developed the steel eye armor.

“All rise! For the honorable Geneva court judges!”

The entire room took to their feet as the nine judges filed out of a back chamber and stepped onto the floor. All of them wore traditional black robes with white collars as had been tradition for nearly thousand of years. They took their seats with a mass shuffling.

“Please be seated.”

The room shuffled back into place.

The head judge,at the center of the table leaned forward.

“On this day June 24, 4024 we open the Geneva Court case of The People VS UNSC Biomechanics Division. the court will begin by hearing opening statements from the council.”

Council for the prosecution stood, shuffling her papers once before stepping up to the lectern.

“Honorable judges and members of the court, today we are here to present evidence against a faction of the UNSC scientific division for gross ethical violations, torture, and pruposeful endangerment of human life. Evidence suggests over 29 killed, over 21 critically injured, maimed, or permanently crippled, and over 61 with lasting mental trauma. This is not counting over 50 Steel eye soldiers coerced without prior knowledge, into participation in the program, 30 of which are now deceased 15 of which have lasting mental trauma, and five that, while functional, still feel the effects today. Today we will be presenting, written documents, video recordings, and audio files from prior testing as well as first hand witnesses of both the testing and the war as well as expert witness from the scientist who read and compiled the files before trial. What was done to these men and women constitute as war crimes and their victims deserve compensation and closure for what was done to them.”

She stepped back from the podium and nodded.

The defence stood and made their way to the podium in turn, “Your honors, and members of the court, while it is true that some unfortunate incidents happened during testing and development of the steel eye project, there is ample evidence to prove that none of these men or women were coerced against their will into participation. All subjects were volunteer and duly informed before proceedings began. Furthermore, scientific ethics had not advanced far enough at the time to cover weather or not what they were doing was an ethical violation. The Defence is not asking for complete vindication for the accused, but the sum of what happens is surely less than war crimes.” 

They took their seat.

Adam wasn’t a lawyer, but he knew which opening statement he liked more. Now maybe he was biased, but certainly he felt that one presented greater amounts of evidence than the other. Of course it was up to the prosecution to show evidence that would convince the judges, beyond a reasonable doubt, that these men and women were guilty.

He listened to some more speaking, half falling asleep and assuming maybe this would be as bad as he thought it would when one of the prosecution stepped back up to the podium.

“The prosecution presents time stamped dated and logged evidence to the court for consideration. The first testing log we wish to present is from the eighteenth of October 4016 and overseen by Dr. Tato Nkosi written as log number 23.” 

Experimental Log #023:

So far we have not experimented with a human subject, All the sample tests and simulations indicate that there should be no interference with normal function nor create any feedback loops that could induce seizures. This is the first human testing that we will be doing. We have noticed that the animal testing resulted in significant irritation and irrational behavour from the subjects, We however suspect this was because they were unawares of the reason for the implantations.

The subject is unconscious for the process of implantation to prevent movement. 

-recording break-

The subject reacted violently to the implant, removing it in a highly violent manner while screaming and trying to injure any nearby scientists. We expected some level of resistance, but this indicates far more sensitivity than expected. Further testing will be required.

“The council for the prosecution wishes to present the audio/visual log.” A light flickers on as a video clip begins reeling.

Audiovisual Log Transcript:

The subject wakes suddenly, seeming to be woken by extreme pain. Screaming almost instantly and scrabbling at implant on their hand and wrist. Subject seems to be attempting to remove the implant. One of the scientists attempts to calm the subject only to be beaten by the subject who continues screaming. The scientist retreats from the subject just as the subject finally removes the test implant by ripping it from the subjects skin, tearing with it the subjects local nervous system along with large sections of the subjects musculature and ligaments. Seeming relieved at the lack of contact with the implant, the subject sinks to its knees. The subject is losing significant amount of blood, though we suspect the subject is unaware of this as large sections of the nervous system is still attached to the implant. The subject appears to be in shock as it observes its ruined lower arm and hand. The subject has resumed screaming and is now trying to get the scientists attention to fix its ruined lower arm and hand. The subject is sedated and arm treated. The recording ends here. 

Adam throws a hand up over his face feeling bile rise into his mouth at the image seared into his brain. Muscle and ligament dangling uselessly against a steel eye prototype. He felt a bit lightheaded but takes a deep breath in and out to calm his breathing. All around the room there are gasps of shock and disgust. A few people stand to leave the room unable to witness any more.”

The council steps forward, “This was the first log in a recorded series of proceeding logs with similar effects. We know in experimentation that accidents happen all the time, and we might have considered forgiveness if the experimentation had stopped here. Clearly implementation on human test subjects was not ready, as evidenced by the animal’s discomfort. Perhaps if they had stopped here, some measure of understanding might have been allowed. But they continued past this point with full knowledge that this sort of catastrophic event could happen. This test subject will never regain full use of his hand. Instead of stopping the experiment like hey should, the scientists determined that the use of painkillers was in order to make the subject operational. For this the prosecution calls expert witness Dr. Alexander Gladstone to the witness stand.”

On the bench to his side, a man stands slicking back his salt and pepper hair as he moves to sit in the witness stand and is sworn in.

“Dr. Gladstone, tell us a little of your credentials.”

“Of course, I received my PHD in Biomechanical interface and Engineering as well as an additional PHD in Mechanised robotics. I have worked as the head scientist for the UNSC testing division for nearly five years now after my predecessor quit. I helped to re-engineer this project under Iron eye as a step forward from the Steel eye project in a more controlled and ethical environment. I am also the scientists who reviewed these logs and compiled them for analysis today.”

“Thank you Dr. Now, may I ask why these scientists would have chosen to implement a drug dosage?”

“To understand why they had to do this, you must also understand the steel eye project itself. Steel eye was designed to enhance the strength, speed and durability of the wearer. We already have exo suits designed for use in factory and industrial settings, however the main issue we run into in a combat setting is that the machine responds too slow. The nodes detect electrical impulses from the muscles and then have to fire following that meaning the subject has already begun moving almost seconds in advance of the machine. Steel eye was created to integrate the machine directly into the body to intercept nerve impulses before the muscles even fire, thus making the wearer faster, and the augment making them stronger. To do this you have to make a direct interface with the nervous system. They first implemented small microfivers which would wrap themselves around the nerves in question to detect electrical signals. These were designed to cluster primarily along the spine but have additional nodes in the major muscle groups. However, direct stimulation of a nerve or nerve cluster sends signals to the brai nthat are interpreted as…. Unbelievable agony, which is likely the agitation that they were seeing in the animal test subjects. However, with a high enough drug dosage, you can mitigate these effects, or distract the brain enough to keep the wearer functional for some time.”

He sat back in his seat.

“And in iron eye, how did you get around this problem?”

“Subdermal implants that do not require direct contact with the nerve endings themselves.”

“And does Iron eye cause any significant damage to the wearer?”

“No sir, the only danger is an infection of the implants, but that is with almost any implanted medical devise.”

“The subjects have no pain.”

“A general soreness that goes away within two to three days.”

“So in my understanding it is clear that there were alternatives to their original course of action. They could have pulled back and tried to implement a way to mitigate the pain rather than mask it with drug dosages?”

“Certainly.”

“But that isn’t what they did.”

“No.”

“The prosecution presents Transcript 27 to the court for viewing.” 

Experimental log #27:

We have begun testing various drugs to suppress the pain, this test is with acetaminophen, commonly referred to as Codeine. 

As per usual the subject was implanted while unconscious and atop this it was given a high dose of codeine prior to it awaking. 

-recording break-

It appears that while the subject was capable of withstanding the pain from the implant for a longer period of time than our previous subjects However the subject clearly seemed to suffer increasing mental instability as the sensations returned, culminating in the subject violently trying to destroy the implant. Learning from prior experiments and in an attempt to reduce harm to the scientists, the subject was left alone while it was in this state and no attempt was made to aid the subject.

Adam turned his head away unable to stomach what was coming next. His hands were sweating terribly. He felt cold and weak. He had seen horrible things in war and in his time, but watching this… .watching steel eye. It was just too much.

His mouth had gone dry, and his skin was hot as if he had a fever.

The dog nosed his hand but he barely acknowledged her.

Audio-visual log transcript:

The transcript begins once the Codeine begins to wear off. 

The subject begins by itching at the area around the implant, the reaction is far less violent than the prior subjects. After several minutes of ever more irritated scratching and aggressive tugging at the implant and plaintive noises the subject began to violently bash the implant against the wall. Growing ever more violent with the abuse of the implant. This continues till the test implant is mangled and ruined with the subject pulling the mangled chunks of metal off their skin, this however seems not to alleviate the subjects pain and irritation. This is likely due to the destruction of the implant not removing the interfacing needles The subject continued to scratch and pull at its skin, the plaintive noises slowly becoming screams of pain. This action continued without interruption from the scientists till the subject had torn most of the skin of its arm and taken chunks out of its musculature, the subject finally passed out from pain or blood loss after several minutes of self mutilation. 

The room spun around him, and he took a few long, deep breaths hoping that it would stop.

He wast sure he could survive another few hours of this.

He wasn’t sure at all 

[gascon-en-exil]

Dark Deity Pre-Release Character Opinions

This isn't actually a tier list, but someone helpfully created a template for this game and it's as good a way as any to do a little visual showcase for this cast. Characters are listed by their class sets, which are fixed but offer a nice variety in terms of promotion options. My opinions on each are as follows, from left to right in each row. Most characters have introductory profiles written up on the DD subreddit, if you'd like to check them out yourself.

Warriors

Alexa

You know those buff female blacksmiths in Echoes and Three Houses that some people wish were playable characters? That's pretty much Alexa. Can't say I'm too hyped about her myself, but warrior + tomboyish female character will do that for me...or not do it, I suppose.

Benji

Seems to have been written to become a meme, and I still can't decide whether that's clever or stupid. Kind of like Raphael only with a bigger emphasis on training than on eating, and with brotherly devotion replaced with brotherly angst that might theoretically go somewhere if the character isn't reduced to being a goofy joke all the time.

Fenton

Doesn't have a character profile, so as far as I know he's just a generic dwarf because DD swaps out its inspiration's loli dragons and other vaguely fetishistic shapeshifters for the two most cliché non-human races in Western fantasy. I wonder whether his VA will voice him with a Scottish accent, to go all in on the (ironic?) laziness. There are a handful of elves in the playable cast, but Fenton is the only dwarf so for better or worse he's representing.

Helena

She's the embodiment of the FE exotic swordswoman archetype, but curiously DD seems to have turned that broad ethnic brush inward. Helena's last name is apparently a Japanese verb, her art shows her with a spear (as in the association of the naginata with women), and she studied and trained in a monastery that seems to blend elements of Buddhism and Shintoism. Not sure how all that fits into the larger setting yet, but at this point she's still got more background development than Petra.

Irving

Our Hero, the one front and center on the cover art. He sounds a bit on the blander side as far as lords or lord equivalents go, with his most promising hook for me being his established friendship with Garrick (see the ranger section). At best I can hope for a bit of a romantic friendship dynamic, although they sound a bit rougher overall as they're military academy schoolmates I wonder why DD went with that instead of lordlings of different territories.

Rogues

Brooke

Looks like Camilla; has a backstory like Niles. Cleavage aside though the sexual element of both is toned down here, and there might be some sapphic bodyguard shenanigans to be had as her current employers are a pair of highborn sisters further down this list.

Cia

For some reason she reminds me of Tressa from Octopath Traveler, only bustier and a bartender rather than a merchant. She's still just a small town girl with big city dreams, and this being a tactical war game following those dreams will inevitably involve stabbing people.

Corvan

Hard to judge him at the moment, as his profile was only the second written and so isn't terribly detailed. He's a moon elf with scholarly interests, apparently. Still, as of right now he's the only rogue who doesn't slot loosely into either a ninja/assassin or pirate aesthetic, so that's kind of neat. Also, he's one of several characters to have FEH-esque beach fanart made of them already, so clearly someone's into elf twinks.

Ford

A former officer at the military academy Irving attends and a smuggler who dotes on his niece, Ford has major dad energy. Per developer reveals he's also bi, and as I mentioned before I'm totally fine with that. More bear sex, please - but what guy in this cast would hop in the sack with Ford? Only time will tell. His personal skill makes him extra dodgy, which combined with the mug of booze in his art makes me think of WoW brewmasters who dodge-tank through the power of being wasted.

Wren

Like Brooke, he's an assassin from a foreign nation - in his case the same one as Helena so presumably he's a not!Japanese ninja. I'm not really feeling him at the moment. What is it about Hao'Fen (the city/territory he and Helena come from) and massive families? That comes up in both their backstories.

Rangers

Caius

I feel like this is the third or fourth character to grow up in some slum or other; at least they've all been in different towns so far. The relative rarity of noble characters is certainly different from FE, but it reduces the political stakes which leaves me wondering a bit about the story. Anyway, Caius is a small town desert hunter who learned how to make arrows out of animal bones. How aerodynamic is bone, I wonder?

Garrick

Irving's BFF and seemingly the Hector to Irving's Eliwood, only with more flirting (his intro doesn't specify that Garrick is flirting with women, but I'm not going so far as to say that indicates anything). He's the academy headmaster's son, with a strained relationship with his father for some of that hotheaded lead tension. Notably, his VA is the one I'm most familiar with in this cast, as he's the voice of Revali from Breath of the Wild as well as love interests in two different erotic gay dating sims I've played. In other words, I know what this guy sounds like making awkwardly simulated sex noises...and I have no idea what to do with that information.

Maeve

She's a half-elf with a very storied background, so much so that it's all rather hard to follow her exploits when little of what's being described has been fully revealed yet. I'm expecting her to be a mid/lategame recruit, unless she's dropped in early on to reveal that (sun) elves exist or something.

Rose

Imagine if Bernadetta were a commoner, although we can only hope they'll be less screaming. Alternatively, Neimi without an obvious boyfriend. She won the beach contest so now she has official swimsuit art, which I guess makes her a top-tier waifu in the eyes of players who care about such things.

Sophia

A ranger in the "has animal companions" sense, although whether that will come into play mechanically aside from her personal skill - Butter the ferret can attack with her! - remains to be seen. Her preference for the company of animals is explained by a lack of social graces, so prepare for klutz-related humor. Of note to those interested in F/F is that her introduction specifically brings up her connection with Sloane (see the mage section) and how close the two of them are.

Clerics

Faust

Doesn't have a profile yet, so not much to go off other than his decidedly unhinged look. The cleric class set does feature some darker-flavored options, so presumably he's more naturally aligned with those. His VA was announced to be the YouTuber behind So This is Basically Fire Emblem and other similar videos, so I'm picturing a kooky and somewhat demented Henry type.

Lincoln

Also lacks a profile at time of writing...clerics get so little love. The Discord has identified him a bland blond paladin sort, but as we know from the likes of Perceval and especially Dimitri that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be boring (or not gay).

Maren

The soft-spoken healer type, and also a childhood friend of Garrick although her intro sibling-zones him but then this game is inspired by FE so who knows if that'll stick. She may have some interesting thoughts on the theology of the setting, as there seem to be several faiths and she's said to have a complicated relationship with her own. I will be utterly shocked if she's not either Irving or Garrick's eventual love interest.

Samara

One of two princesses of the country of Aramor, which appears to be loosely inspired by the Middle East. Heaven help us if the Khalidstans ever get wind of this game. Unfortunately aside from her bond with her older sister (in the mage section) and the knowledge that Brooke has been hired as their bodyguard there's not much to Samara at the moment. Hopefully the clerics all do some comparative theology in their bond conversations, and this isn't like Sacred Stones where none of the clergy characters from different countries ever compare notes. The succession crisis involving Samara and her sister vs. their less-loved cousin the king's son might be a major plot hook? It's still too early to tell.

Vesta

Much like Maeve her backstory has entirely too much going on to really follow at the moment. Basically she's a human who grew up in a sun elf city because Reasons (seriously, I don't know what they are) and was called to a clerical vocation and also something about taking a journey. Has an unfortunate case of silly boob armor, which unlike a certain other character probably won't be rectified this close to release.

Mages

Alden

Maren's precocious younger brother, also basically Ricken up to and including the comically oversized hat. As a unit he follows the tradition of Donnel, Mozu, and Cyril of having a personal skill that buffs his stat gains, so it's safe to say he's a growth unit. At least he'll probably join early.

Liberty

Comes with dead brother angst and a connection to the "aspects" system that will hopefully make more sense once I've played the game and know how it functions both mechanically and from a storytelling perspective. Otherwise she looks to be a busty older - as in, not a teenage - mage in the vein of Calill.

Monroe

Got the first ever character profile, so it's really short. He's the son of a duke and sounds like a bit of a snob, albeit one that can make explosions happen to back up his haughtiness. He's got some scarring around his eye that surely must come with a story. Someone also made featured fanart of him in Heroes summer banner style, so I guess he's got somebody horny already.

Sara

Samara's half-sister, with comparable fantasy Middle Eastern flavoring. Has an interest in discovering magical artifacts and being a just ruler in the event she winds up on the throne (so, almost definitely), and she and Samara travel around with the assassin Brooke as their bodyguard. There's maybe some lesbian possibilities there? Either way, Sara has enough development where I could see her as a major supporting character.

Sloane

Comes with a genuinely fascinating backstory involving manipulative double-crossing parents, an education in the cruelties and deceptions of social life (reflected in her personal skill), and disinheritance - and yet it's all likely to be overshadowed because she may go down as DD's equivalent to Fates's face-touching. Her initial art is even more revealing than Camilla's, and while the developers later gave her a more modest redesign after negative feedback I get the feeling that this controversy may live on. Her introduction mentions her hunting for both heirs and heiresses and she's now been linked to Sophia, so safe to say she's another confirmed bi character.

Adepts

While the other class sets are standard fantasy fare adepts require a bit more explanation. They have innate magical abilities and appear to be feared and distrusted most places in the setting. Functionally they remind me of adepts from the Golden Sun series, if anyone is familiar with those games. The classes in the adept group tend more toward physical/magical hybridization than those of other sets, so that will probably be their mechanical niche. Oh, and their default weapon type is lances, which is a plus in my book.

Aurima

Along with Caius and the royal sisters, he's another one from the desert nation of Aramor. An arena fighter who got touched by a god in what I assume was a non-sexual way and came out of it with a new appearance and adept powers. Also, he's confirmed to be over 40 - how often do you see that in games like this?

Bianca

Looks like a more carefree Mathilda from Echoes. She's a ranking officer in the Delian army which sounds like it'd sit uneasily with her adept powers. Her profile describes Lincoln as her close friend, which is still about the most we know about him at this point.

Elias

This guy's writing plays more into the fairly standard coding that comes with adept powers, as we know they manifested shortly before he was going to confess his feelings to a male paramour and afterwards he was forced to flee his homeland and wander the world. He also spent time among dwarves, so insert short bear jokes here? In the present he's attached to Cia in what seems to be a platonic way; maybe she's a fruit fly, or maybe she just likes having a friend who can light drunken assholes on fire? Elias is definitely into guys, but I would still be a little surprised if he turned out to be totally gay as that's such a rarity in these sorts of things.

Iris

Oof, another lengthy and rough backstory. Iris had better parents than Sloane, but she also had to deal with permanent facial scarring (hence the mask) after a bandit kidnapping and the stigma of manifesting as an adept pretty much eliminating the prospects of her making a good political marriage. Also, she and Elias both come from Neullais, which is prominently featured on the continental map on the DD subreddit but doesn't seem to come up all too often in backstories. I think it's a not!France? Hard to tell.

Thae'lanel

A World of Warcraft blood elf, flowing anime hair and apostrophe'd name and all. I like WoW so that's not terribly grating, but as he has no profile yet there's little else I can say. Thae'lanel is mentioned in Maeve's introduction as a member of a sun elf group called the Exiled, which I'm guessing is tied to his adept status in some way. He and Maeve form yet another adventurer/bodyguard duo.

[imnotoverlyobsessive]

Here’s the next chapter! Hope you enjoy. Also a big thank you to @edward-or-ford, as always, for his invaluable feedback!

Chapter Five: Into the Night

It’s three AM, I’m outside your window. Jump the fence; dad will never know. And then you took control of the radio, turned up all the songs I know. I’m risking everything, and that’s alright with me. - The Summer Set, Passenger Seat

Mabel Caroline Pines, age seventeen, five foot three (and a Virgo, for interested parties) was positively average. As in, she was perfectly fine. Reasonably acceptable. Nothing to gawk at, sure, but certainly not a goblin or in any way repulsive.

Her face was average, her boobs were average, her hair was average, her butt was average. Even her feet were average-sized. There was nothing inherently wrong with Mabel’s appearance. Sure, she’d change the odd thing here and there if given the chance to do so (the length of her eyelashes, for example, or the natural shape of her eyebrows).

Of course, Mabel would never admit such things out loud. How could she? It would ruin the confidence she pretended to have, and that simply wouldn’t do.

To be fair to herself, which she always tried to be, Mabel was quite skilled at creativity-driven tasks. However, no amount of creative proficiency could have prevented the required sleuthing, as well as pre-sleuth planning and timing, that one particular evening required in order to be pulled off.

Mabel didn’t deign to share with Candy and Grenda exactly whom she was meeting (“I’m sneaking out to meet my brother in the dead of night” hardly warrants a forty-five minute shower where she spent the majority of the time shaving parts of her body that didn’t strictly need shaving as they wouldn’t be seen, thirty minutes of blow drying and styling one’s hair, thirty more minutes of makeup application, the nervousness, not to mention the outfit-picking-out process), but she did say she was meeting a boy she might’ve sorta kinda had a teensy bit of a thing for. Her friends knew her well enough to know she was understating her feelings a great deal, of course, but they didn’t pry. Okay, they did, but they didn’t pry too much.

In any case, Mabel was quite pleased with the results of her hour in the bathroom mirror. She’d drenched the ever-loving crap out of her hair in glitter spray as she brushed it, and the hot air of the hair dryer made the spray set in so it didn’t get on Candy’s fingers while she began a partial French braid at the crown of Mabel’s head.

Y’know, the sort of hairstyle that, to the untrained eye, didn’t look like it took a whole lot of time and effort, when in reality, it 100% did.

“Why can’t we use bright red lipstick again, or wing your eyeliner?” Grenda complained.

“Because,” Mabel said emphatically. “If Di-“ Cutting herself off and pressing her lips together tightly, collecting her thoughts. Candy raised a slender eyebrow before Mabel continued. “If he sees winged eyeliner and bright red lipstick, he’ll think something’s up! I don’t want him to know I’m interested!”

“But you want him to look deep into your eyes, and the eyeliner will draw attention to them,” reminded Grenda.

“Yeah, and bright red lipstick will draw attention to your lips, which means he’s more likely to think about kissing you,” agreed Candy.

Mabel sighed and held up a tube of lipstick that was just a few shades darker than her natural lip color.

“The pink will do that same thing without being too obvious about it. If he’s interested, he’ll notice my lips and my boobs, and if he’s not, then, well… then he’s not, I guess.”

“Fair enough, I suppose,” Grenda conceded.

Candy was silent for a moment, staring searchingly at Mabel’s face. “Who did you say you were meeting again?”

“I- I didn’t,” Mabel stuttered briefly, covering her discomfort by turning her attention to applying the lipstick. This was just as well, as if she had seen Candy’s highly suspicious expression, she would’ve been even more nervous than she already was, and it should be noted that that was no small amount by any measure.

Perfect. Just the right amount of “LOOK AT ME” vibes from her lips.

Grabbing a bottle of perfume, she sprayed a bit on her wrist, rubbing it against her other one, and then on her neck and under her ears.

“You guys sure this outfit isn’t too much? I don’t want him to think I’m trying to impress him, and the heels, I dunno...”

Both girls shook their heads furiously. “No, it’s perfect! And we already coordinated your makeup and jewelry so no way are we changing it up now!” Grenda exclaimed.

“Mhm,” Candy agreed. “And the heels are perfect! They make your hips sway extra when you walk and they make your butt stuck out a little bit! They’re not even that high, he probably won’t even notice you’re wearing them.”

Right. Nobody wore jeans when they were trying to impress somebody. Well, not when they were being obvious about it, anyway. And Mabel was certainly trying her hardest not to be obvious.

And she was 100% trying to impress Dipper. She wanted Dipper to see her and wish she wasn’t his sister, wish they shared a soulmark. She wanted him to ache so badly for her that it felt like his bones were trying to escape his skin.

She ached for him that way, after all. It was only fair she made him ache for her in return. Even if it was only once, only for a split second.

When Mabel’s phone chimed to signal she’d gotten a text, she snatched it up before either of her friends could sneak a peek at the screen.

I’m outside read Dipper’s text. Then a second one came in with a whoosh from her phone’s speaker. Lights are off so nobody can see my car but I’m here.

Mabel wasn’t sure where her heart was. It might’ve been in her stomach, or perhaps her throat, or maybe even Candy’s basement, but it most definitely was not in her chest.

“He’s here,” Mabel said quietly, standing on shaky legs. God, why had she worn heels? What had she been thinking?

“Are you ready?!” Grenda demanded excitedly.

“Nope,” Mabel squeaked out.

“Yes you are!” Candy said firmly. “You are absolutely ready! You look hot, girl, you’re gonna make him jizz his pants just from looking at you!”

Mabel seriously doubted that, and she would most definitely laugh if it happened. But yeah, it wasn’t gonna happen. Because no matter how much time Mabel spent on making herself look her prettiest, Dipper would only ever see her as his sister.

Still, though. A girl could dream, right?

Mabel has never really considered Candy’s first floor bedroom being an asset before, but it most certainly had become one. Climbing out a window was far easier if that window was on the ground floor.

Still, staring out into the blackness of the cold Oregon night as Candy popped out her window screen and set it to the side, Mabel wondered how she had gotten there. Thirteen minutes before midnight, done up like she was going on a date, about to climb out her friend’s bedroom window and tiptoe through the front yard to secretly meet her twin brother whom she just so happened to be in love with, praying to every deity she’d ever heard of that he hadn’t found his soulmate.

Not yet, she pleaded silently, staring at the outline of his car, just a shade darker than the trees and the night sky, barely visible at all. Let me have him to myself just a little longer.

She wasn’t ready to share him with another girl. She never really would be, but in time, she’d come to accept it. She had to, right? There was no other option. She wanted him to be happy. Even if it wasn’t with her, even if it made her feel like her body was consuming itself from the inside out, she wanted him to be happy.

“Mabel?” Grenda asked cautiously.

“I’m fine,” she assured her friend. She couldn’t mess up her makeup by crying.

Mascara and eyeliner were a bitch to fix.

Bracing herself on the windowsill, she put one jean-clad leg over and out the window, then the other.

Looking back at her friends in the light of Candy’s bedroom one last time, second guessing herself for half a second (she’d never snuck out before, after all), Mabel smiled shakily. Both her friends beamed back at her. Candy leaned down the couple of inches required to be at Mabel’s eye level.

“Knock ‘em dead.”

Grenda nodded enthusiastically. “And tell us everything when you get back!”

Grinning, Mabel hopped out of the window only to immediately realize that heels and frosty grass were not a great mix, and thus struggled to maintain her balance.

“Wait!” Grenda whisper-yelled.

Whipping her head around to look at her friends staring out at her through the window, Mabel smiled as Candy hastily squashed the essentials (phone, lipstick, tampons, breath mints, makeup remover wipes, and a compact mirror) into a purse before shoving it into the hand Grenda had stretched out behind her and was flailing about wildly, signalling to hurry the fuck up, Candy, time is of the essence here before finally tossing it at Mabel, who caught it with minimal fumbling and put it over her shoulder.

“We’ll leave the window unlocked. Let us know if you aren’t gonna come home tonight!” Grenda informed Mabel with an exaggerated wink and closed the window.

Mabel rolled her eyes affectionately and did her very best to hobble over to Dipper’s car with as much dignity as she could muster.

Heels and grass did not mix, and they extra-dextra didn’t mix when the grass was wet and very, very cold.

Reaching the curb, she perched her feet on it, and reached slowly, ever so slowly, towards the handle, and heard the click of the lock being undone from the inside. She couldn’t see in the windows; it was too dark.

The chill of the winter night bit into her fingers as they brushed the silver door handle, and she exhaled as she grasped it, her breath visible in the cold air.

Grasping the handle, Mabel opened the door slowly, and the overhead light in the car switched on automatically.

“Hurry!” Dipper whispered urgently. “Don’t want anyone to see the light.”

Mabel moved to sit in the passenger seat of his car as quickly as she could with the amount of shaking her limbs were doing, and settled in, closing the door behind her.

“Where are we going?” She asked, too afraid to look at him in the dim light of the streetlamp. She’d have to strain her eyes a great deal to see him, anyway.

“The woods. Not far from here. Just… somewhere nobody will see my car and recognize it.”

“Awfully recognizable, are ya now?” She tried to joke, but it came out stilted and awkward. Could he tell how nervous, no, how terrified, she was?

She could almost hear the shrug in his voice as he started the car, not turning the headlights on until they turned a corner.

“I mean… it’s a really small town. I don’t think there’s anybody here whose name I don’t know. So yeah, they all know what my car looks like,” he said it quietly, and it occurred to Mabel just then that he hadn’t turned on any music. The silence was suffocating.

Not knowing what to say, Mabel remained silent for a bazillion years, watching the trees pass them by. It was nothing like California, where the activity never stopped, just changed. It was quiet. Peaceful. Suffocating.

Okay, so it wasn’t actually a bazillion years. More like ten minutes. But hell if it didn’t feel like a bazillion years.

Dipper pulled into a clearing and put the car in park. It wasn’t a road, but it had clearly been driven over many a time.

The light came on again as he switched gears, and he turned the headlights back off. Turning to look at each other, really look at each other, for the first time since that afternoon, they found themselves speechless.

Dipper was, in a word, breathtaking. The soft glow of the overhead light lit the shadows on his face in such a way that his eyes almost seemed to glow, and his hair fell over his forehead in the most adorable way, and his lips were slightly parted and his cheeks were flushed from the cold.

It was warm in the car, but what else could his cheeks be flushed from?

“You look…” he coughed, looking at his lap briefly. “Nice,” he finished weakly.

“Thanks,” she managed to force out. Even a syllable was a struggle. God, how had she never been alone with him before? Why was the atmosphere so incredibly different? She didn’t even feel like herself!

“So… here’s the thing, Mabel…” he trailed off.

“The thing?”

“Yeah, the thing I wanted to talk to you about. Y’know. The thing,” he held his hands out and accentuated the last word with a movement.

“Errr… sorry, no. I don’t know what you’re talking about, bro-bro,” she shook her head. “You literally just left me a ultra-mega cryptic note saying you had to tell me something and that’s it.”

He nodded, ran a hand through his hair, and when he turned his head just so his jawline came into the light and- good god why? Why must the gods torture Mabel thus?

“Right. I guess…” he blinked rapidly, staring determinedly off in the direction of absolutely nothing. “I guess you wouldn’t, huh?”

“Is… is everything okay?” She asked him softly. “It’s gotta be pretty important for you to want a one-on-one meeting like this, so…”

“Yeah, I mean, no… I mean. Ugh. I dunno.” He ran a hand over his face, clearly agonizing over something.

What in the actual ever-loving fuck was going on?

“Dip,” she said, forcing a sternness she definitely didn’t feel into her voice. “What’s going on?”

“Right,” he said with a nod that appeared to be more to himself than to her, and then looked at her. There was something in his eyes. Mabel didn’t know what it was, but whatever was in his gaze, she knew in her very soul that it was the exact opposite of the frost on the grass outside the car.

Not that that made any sense, of course, but that was the only conclusion she could come to without at least forty-five minutes of analysis.

“Right,” he said again. “I guess… I guess it would probably be easier to just… show you, maybe…”

“Uh. Okay?” Mabel blinked. Show her what now?

Dipper held out his arm, palm up, except his fist was clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. His eyes were shut, too, and in much the same way, and then…

And then he took a deep breath, held it, and yanked his sleeve up.

Mabel’s eyes were fixed on the inside of his wrist. Dipper’s soulmark was a shooting star with the outline of a tree in the center.

Exactly like hers.

[legendary-defender-of-fandoms]

Gravity Falls Theory - Bill Cipher CANNOT Lie

Plenty of characters, fans, and even Gravity Falls writers have called Bill a liar. But Bill strikes me more as an old-school Fae. He can’t outright lie, but he can find all sorts of ways to bend the truth to APPEAR like he’s lying. For proof, let’s look at all of his appearances.

Dreamscaperers - Bill’s Debut

Bill was always a part of the show, but he didn’t receive his official debut until Gideon summoned him to “enter the mind of Stanford Pines & steal the code to his safe.” Bill laughed, then repeated “Stan Pines” to himself as he mulled over the deal. Bill KNEW that the man Gideon called “Stanford Pines” wasn’t the real Stanford Pines, and Bill never called Stan “Stanford.” He called him “Stan,” or “your uncle” when he was talking to the kids, and told Gideon he’d “help him with this” in exchange for Gideon’s help later on, but never said he would go into “Stanford’s” mind.

Granted, later in the episode Bill disguised himself as Soos to better track the Mystery Twins as they hunted for the code to the safe, but he never claimed to be Soos. In fact, it’s impossible to pin down precisely when Bill subs in for Soos. Most fans theorize the Soos who came across the memory of Stan going into the secret room behind the vending machine was Bill, since Bill already knew Stan’s secret and would declare the Portal “boring” and move on to more useful or entertaining secrets. And Fae that are incapable of verbally lying have been known to cast glamours & illusions to trick mortal victims.

Sock Opera

When Bill returned in Season 2, he offered Dipper a way to get into the mysterious laptop and “unlock the secrets of the universe” in exchange for a puppet. Unfortunately, once Dipper accepted the deal, Bill seized control of his body & smashed the laptop. At first glance, it appears Bill was lying to Dipper about his deal. But let’s break it down.

Bill said he wanted a puppet, but took Dipper’s body instead. Yes, he led Dipper to believe he wanted a SOCK puppet, but he was never specific. And to Bill, a “being of pure energy,” the human body may seem like nothing but a meat puppet.

Bill said he would give Dipper access to the laptop & the secrets it contained, then smashed it. Bill CLAIMED he did it to keep Dipper from getting too close to “some major answers,” but smashing the laptop also led Dipper to discovering that it was invented by Old Man McGucket, leading to information about Fiddleford’s past, his relationship with The Author, and the Portal in the basement of the Mystery Shack. Bill may have wanted to keep Dipper off his case, but he was bound by the rules of the Deal & his own inability to lie, so he found the most inconvenient way to uphold his end of the bargain while keeping Dipper in the dark.

And like when he impersonated Soos in “Dreamscaperers,” Bill!Dipper never claimed to be Dipper. He just let everyone assume he was Dipper.

The Last Mabelcorn & Journal 3

I’m combining these into one section, since they both cover the same information.

After some poorly chosen memories & paranoia led to Dipper discovering Stanford’s past with Bill, Ford finally came clean about how he met Bill & created the Portal.

According to Ford, Bill introduced himself as a muse who “chose one brilliant mind a century to inspire.” He also led Ford to believe that all of the weirdness in Gravity Falls was caused by extra dimensional weirdness leaking into our world from his, and building a transdimensional portal would help Ford understand more about the universe & anomalies. And Ford trusted Bill completely, worshipping him as a god, until Fiddleford got a peek into Bill’s Nightmare Realm during the first disastrous test run of the Portal. Ford accused Bill of lying to him, but let’s once again break down what Bill said.

Bill called himself a muse, a source of inspiration for others. And in some ways, he’s right. Granted, he mostly inspired chaos, paranoia, and destruction, but inspiration is inspiration. And Ford was far from the first one to fall for Bill’s flattery - his past victims include the Native Americans who originally settled Gravity Falls (who created the cave paintings warning against his tricks & the Prophecy Zodiac), the ancient Egyptians (who created the Pyramids to appease/honor Bill), George Washington (who included the one-eyed triangle on the currency, again to appease/honor the insane triangle deity he’d been plagued by), and Stanley Kubrick (whose psychological thrillers may have been inspired by Bill’s own psychotic nature). So Bill calling himself a “muse” was the truth, From A Certain Point of View.

Bill claimed all the weirdness on Earth was caused by transdimensional leaks. Ford later realized Gravity Falls itself was a magnet for anomalies, but he never got the answer for where the anomalies came from in the first place. The comic “Lost Legends,” though, confirms that The Boiling Isles & Eda the Owl Lady from “The Owl House” are part of the same multiverse as Gravity Falls, and Eda told Luz that every myth in the human realm was caused by a little of the magic of The Boiling Isles leaking into the other dimension. If that’s true for her dimension, it could be true for other dimensions.

Bill said Ford would gain a better understanding of the multiverse if he built the Portal. And again, Bill was right. Granted, Bill’s intent was to bring all of his weirdness to Gravity Falls & turn everything in that dimension inside-out to suit his whims. But getting shoved into the Portal & spending 30 years on a transdimensional revenge road trip did open Ford’s eyes to the wonders of the multiverse & give him new insight into many mysteries.

Again, these are all truths. Twisted truths, but truths nonetheless.

Dipper & Mabel vs The Future

This is the last major source of lies for Bill, but I want to touch on it real quick.

After a heartbroken Mabel ran away from Dipper, she retreated into Sweater Town & wished summer could last forever. A nervous voice said “that might be possible,” then entreated Mabel to listen to his offer. “Blendin” walked out of the trees, saying “M-M-Mabel, it’s me.” He then told Mabel that, because she once did a favor for him, he was willing to “bend the rules” and give her a Time Bubble where summer could last as long as she wanted, but he could only do it if he has a “small thing” from Ford’s workshop. The “small thing” turned out to be the Dimensional Rift (which Mabel knew NOTHING about, so shut up jerks who still blame her for Weirdmageddon), and after “Blendin” smashed the Dimensional Rift, he revealed himself to be Bill piloting Blendin’s body & trapped Mabel in a dream bubble with a snap of his fingers. Last breakdown, I promise.

How did Bill get inside Blendin’s body to begin with? Again, Journal 3 has all the answers. Blendin wrote a coded letter to Dipper & Mabel explaining that after Globnar, everyone in the Time Enforcement Bureau wouldn’t stop teasing him. Even Time Baby gave him a hard time about being beaten by a couple of kids. One night, Blendin had a dream about a certain triangle who promised to get everyone off of Blendin’s back in exchange for a “little favor.” Blendin agreed before asking about the favor, and Bill upheld his end of the bargain by vaporizing Time Baby & the Time Police during Weirdmageddon.

“Blendin” never gave Mabel his name, or any details about the “favor” he owed her for. He let Mabel assume he was talking about using her victory in Globnar to restore his job & his hair instead of wishing him out of existence, but Bill could also have been referring to the events of Sock Opera, where Mabel’s obsession with impressing Gabe Benton led to Dipper being overworked, neglected, and perfectly primed to make a bad deal.

The Time Bubble. “Blendin” claimed he needed the Dimensional Rift in order to give Mabel her eternal summer, and he was right. Bill is a chaos demon with reality-warping abilities, but without a physical form in our world his powers only work in the Dream Time. By destroying the Rift, he made it possible for his powers to have lasting effects on the real world.

[biillyhargroves]

"Don’t you dare touch him!” + harringrove ???

take it out on me(fic requests open)

tw: depictions of child abuse & violence against minors. mildly graphic.disclaimer: this is one of the most intense fics I’ve written and I’m sorry.

Neil Hargrove is not supposed to be home.

Steve knows this. It is a Thursday night, and the Hargrove patriarch can only ever be found at Shanahan’s Pub on Thursday nights. He tucks in after punching the clock and remains there well past happy hour, well past last call. On some Thursday nights, Mr. Hargrove does not find his way home at all. He has been known, occasionally, to stay the night in the small gravel lot outside the bar and, more than once, been discovered there by Chief Hopper or one of the local patrolmen in the early hours of a Friday morning and been sent on his way. Susan Hargrove remains unfettered by her husband’s Thursday night disappearances. She enjoys the quiet, it seems. Sometimes, she works late; her husband cannot complain when he is not home to expect dinner, and she often orders pizza or an overwhelming amount of Chinese food to the house, or gives a couple of fives to her children, so that they do not go hungry in her absence. Steve has ridden shotgun on enough burger runs, has broken enough fortune cookies on enough Thursday nights to know that Neil Hargrove is never, ever home.

The house is always warm. Sometimes, El comes over, or Lucas sneaks in through Max’s window (a habit, he murmurs, when Billy reminds him that the front door is right there, shithead and that he doesn’t always have to break in like some criminal - “Look who’s talking,” Steve has teased, reminded of all the times that Billy has squeezed himself through second-story windows). The night is always quiet, Steve might even call them peaceful, when Neil Hargrove is not home.

And tonight, of course, is a Thursday night. Neil Hargrove is not supposed to be home, so it strikes Steve as rather odd that his battered old Ford is sitting in the driveway. 

Steve wonders if perhaps the truck had broken down this morning. Maybe, after cursing at the damned piece of junk, Neil Hargrove had taken his wife’s car to work. Steve circles around the block once, twice, tries to see inside the yellow windows of the Hargrove house. He can see no shadows inside; no shapes besides the back of the couch, the living room lamp. Steve parks a few streets over, just to be safe. 

Also to be safe, Steve creeps around the backyard. There is no light on in Billy’s bedroom, but there is in Max’s. Steve sees something- someone -dart inside the dimly lit room. He hears a door slam. Max jumps, almost screams, when Steve taps on her window. He apologizes her she even opens it.

“I’m sorry, I’m sor-”

“Shh!” Max hisses. Steve can hear yelling deeper inside the house. There are two voices, both of them male, one of them Billy’s. Steve cannot make out what he is saying but he doesn’t like the pitch of it, the tone of it, the way the words sound raw at their edges. “What are you doing here?” Max whispers. 

“I-” Steve starts, and he lowers his voice when she glares at him- not in angry way, Steve notices. She looks scared. “It’s Thursday,” he says plainly. 

Max only considers this for a fraction of a second before she says, “You need to go.”

Behind her closed door, there is a loud bang! and a subsequent thud! that makes them both jump. The walls shake. There is another shout- something between a grunt and a yelp -followed by a loud, angry bellowing sound. “You need to go,” Max says again, and her voice shakes like the walls. She starts to push Steve outside, but he grips the windowsill. She starts to close the pane but he grabs onto her wrist. 

“Wait,” he says, and when she keeps trying to shove him away he says, “No, no, no. Hey, come on. What the hell is going on?”

“Steve, just go,” Max says desperately.

“No,” Steve says firmly. “No, I’m not just gonna walk away.”

“Steve,” Max says. 

“No,” Steve repeats. “How bad is it?” he asks. “It sounds bad.”

“Steve, you have to go,” Max begs. But Steve has made up his mind. He pushes away from the window and instead of closing it like she’d wanted to, like she’d so desperately been trying to, Max leans her head outside. “Steve!” she calls, still trying to stay quiet. He is crossing the lawn, rounding the corner. “You’ll make it worse!” she says, but she doesn’t think he can hear her. Her step-father, though, could. He calls her name.

“Maxine!” he shouts. “What the fuck is going on in there?”

Without thinking, Max scrambles out the window. She is running around the house, following Steve’s path, by the time Neil Hargrove gets her bedroom door open. She hears him scream her name again and her heart jumps up into her throat. She thinks she might throw it right up, that all of her insides might come spilling out, and she swallows them all back down when she catches up with Steve. 

“Steve, stop it,” Max pleads. He swings around and grabs her shoulders and she freezes. Steve hates the fear in her eyes, hates that he’s the one causing it- right now, at least, in this moment.

“Go to the Byers’,” he tells her. 

“Steve,” Max says. Her voice is small, so very childlike, and for a moment Steve realizes that he has forgotten how young she actually is. She looks younger still with her eyes that wide, with tears in them, with her bottom lip quivering. 

“Go to the Byers and call Hopper,” Steve says. “Make sure it’s him. Can you do that?”

“I-” Max starts, “Steve-” And then, in an instant, her face hardens. “Okay,” she says. 

“Is your mom home?” Steve asks.

“She’s…” she starts. “No. No, she’s out of town.”

“Good,” Steve says. “Go.”

“You really should’ve gone home,” Max says.

Steve says nothing to this. Instead, he tells her, “Go. Mrs. Byers will help.” When Steve lets go of Max, she lingers for a moment. She stares at Steve with a look he can’t quite place. It’s not disappointment, but perhaps uncertainty. Disbelief, maybe. And, Steve thinks, even the tiniest spark of hope. She looks to the house and, when they hear Neil Hargrove shout again, she takes off down the street.

Steve opens the front door. He sees a shadow slip against the hallway wall, big and tall and monstrous. He hears Neil Hargrove growl, “Where’d she go?” he is demanding. “Is she covering for you, you God damned piece of shit? Where the fuck did she go?”

“Billy?” Steve calls, and this makes the yelling stop. 

There is a momentary silence, so quick it seems like an illusion. Steve is frozen in the open doorway. His heart is hammering; he can hear it in his ears, can feel his own pulse throb through every vein. He can taste bile at the back of his throat and prays to whatever deity might deign to listen that it stays put. The shadow grows against the wall again, and it is followed by the thumping footsteps. Steve sees Neil Hargrove’s boots first, scuffed up and dirty, and then he sees his fists with their red knuckles. His face looks less like a man and more like a monster, like something out of the horror movies Max always made them watch. His eyes are hard and his glare feels like daggers drilling right through Steve’s head. He snarls, and Steve half-expects some animal growl to come out of him.

“Who the fuck are you?” Neil demands. 

“Where’s Billy?” Steve counters. He looks behind Neil, but he cannot see anything in the dark hallway. Steve takes a step into the foyer. “Billy?” he calls again. “Billy?!” He doesn’t realize how far he’s moved into the house until Neil Hargrove is butting the stubby tips of his fingers against Steve’s chest. Steve stalls. He stops searching for Billy and looks at those knife-edge eyes. 

“Get out of here, son,” Neil Hargrove says, voice low and downright sinister. Each syllable sends its own chill snaking down Steve’s spine. Steve opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out- not a word, not a squeak, not a scream. “Go on,” Neil Hargrove tells him. 

But Steve doesn’t go. 

Neil Hargrove hangs his head. A breathes a heavy sigh and then, turning slightly toward the hallway, he shouts, “Billy! You want to come out here and tell me who this asshole is?” There is no answer. Steve tries to listen, tries to catch even a small rasp of Billy’s breathing, but his ears are ringing and he can’t hear anything else. Neil looks to him again, a kind of sideways glance, and Steve feels another tremor shudder through him. “I’ll call the cops if you don’t get out,” Neil warns, but instead of finding a phone he shouts over his shoulder, “Billy! You get your ass out here!” 

This time, there is movement; a small shuffling, a shifting of shadows. Steve watches Billy emerge from them. He presses one hand against the wall for support and his other warm is wrapped protectively around his middle. One eye is puffy and swollen, and Steve thinks he’s watching it swell right shut. Billy’s lip is bleeding - or perhaps it’s coming from his mouth, because his teeth look bloody when he opens his mouth. 

“Don’t,” he says. 

“Don’t what?” Neil asks, almost teasing. Billy glares at him. “You don’t look at me like that. I didn’t tell this kid to break into my house, now did I? He did that of his own volition.” 

Billy looks down. Steve has never seen him so sheepish; so frightened. He looks to the door, still open to the black night outside. He thinks about Max. Would she be at the Byers’ yet? How fast could she run? 

“Billy,” Neil Hargrove says in a sickly sing-song voice that makes Steve’s blood curdle. Steve snaps his head back toward Billy, who is just-barely holding himself up, his hair hanging over his face as he looks to his father. Neil’s voice is low and dangerous when he says, “You want to tell me who this is?”

“Some asshole,” Billy bites out. 

“Some asshole,” Neil repeats. “Now, that might be the first right thing you’ve said all night.” He turns his attention to Steve. He tilts his head, considers him, and then he asks, “Now what are you doing barging into my house and calling after my son?” he asks. “Were you creeping around here?” he asks. “Looking for my boy?” he demands. “Were you in my daughter’s window, too?” he presses. Each question is punctuated with a shove; it is not harsh, just a jab of Neil’s fingers against Steve’s chest, and he advances with each strike. Steve steps backward, backward, backward until his heel almost slips off the lip between the door and the front stoop. Steve grabs the door jam to stop himself from falling, breaking eye contact only briefly to glance outside. When he looks back, when he finds Billy over Neil’s shoulder, Billy’s is glaring at him. Why are you here? his eyes say. Why is your stupid ass even here?

“It’s Thursday,” Steve murmurs, even though Billy had not asked. 

“What was that?” Neil asks. Steve looks at him. He tastes the bile again; he doesn’t think he can hold it down. “It’s Thursday?” Neil asks. “Is this some kind of routine for you?” This time, when he shoves Steve, it is harsh. Steve loses his balances. He is thrust outside, tumbling ass over teakettle down the front steps and onto the walkway. His teeth catch his lip when he tries to curl his head away from the cement and now he tastes blood, too. 

“Don’t!” he hears Billy yell, though he sounds about a million miles away. Neil Hargrove is looming over Steve, a great big shadow blocking out the moon and the stars and the soft yellow glow of the streetlamps. He hears footsteps, stumbling ones, and suddenly Neil is torn away. “Don’t you dare!” Billy snaps. “Don’t you fucking touch him!” 

Steve lifts himself up in time to see Billy one land one good punch before Neil throws him away- literally throws him, like a rag doll, and Billy lands with a crash that shakes the whole damn floor. Neil rounds on him; he rises, towers over his son, raises his fists.

“No!” Steve screams. He forces himself to his feet. He is shaky, and he bumps into the door on his way through it. He throws himself at Neil. He, too, is easily flung away.

“What the fuck is this?” Neil demands. He is rounding on Billy once more. Steve staggers to his feet, reaches for Neil, grabs fistfuls of the man’s black jacket. Neil twists around, his cracked knuckles scraping Steve’s cheek, his jaw, and when he can’t Steve off of him he slams Steve against the wall. Steve loses his grip. He falls to his knees. The shadow over him grabs the front of his shirt and hoists him up. “Who the fuck are you?” Neil Hargrove growls. 

“Get off of him,” Billy snarls. He is on shaky feet, too, and Steve wishes he could just stay down. This isn’t Billy’s fight anymore, Steve things. He thinks about Max, about how she’d have to have called by now. He thinks that Chief Hopper must be on his way, he has to be, it’s been long enough. He looks at Billy, wants to plead with him: just stay down. it’ll be over soon. stay down. But Billy doesn’t. He beats his fists against his father’s back, pleading, “Get away from him!” 

Again, Billy is thrown off. This time, when he lands, he doesn’t move. Steve’s heart jumps up, but he cannot move. Neil Hargrove still has him pinned to the wall. He glares, hard, at Steve. 

“I’m gonna ask you one more time,” he says slowly. “Who. The fuck. Are you?”

Steve does not answer. He can hear car tires in down the street, the distance wail of sirens. He waits. Waits, waits, waits in silence until he hears the tires screech around the corner of Cherry Lane. Red and blue light washes over the dark street outside and the moment Steve sees them, the moment the first rogue beam shines through the window, Steve smiles. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Neil Hargrove asks, and Steve laughs.

Behind them, Billy is slowly crawling to his hands and knees. He looks confused. He watches the door, watches Chief Hopper’s beige car slide up to the curb. Neil Hargrove lets go of Steve and, without that strong grip wrinkling his shirt, Steve collapses to his knees. Billy looks at him. “What did you do?” he asks. Steve does not have a chance to answer. Chief Hopper is already taking long strides up the front law, is talking about a call about a disturbance at 4819 Cherry Lane. He is already peering inside, catching sight of the boys. There are cuffs in his hands and soon they are around Neil’s wrists. 

Steve moves towards Billy, reaches for him, but Billy shrinks away. 

“That was fucking stupid,” he spits. 

“I had to do it,” Steve says. Again, he reaches for Billy, but this time Billy slaps him away.

“You shouldn’t have done anything,” Billy says, but the anger that is normally present in his voice, in his very being, isn’t there. He isn’t even looking at Steve. He is watching his father shout at the chief, is watching two uniformed officers tugging him away. Outside, the back door of Chief Hopper’s car swings open and Max emerges, Mrs. Byers following. Mrs. Byers stops at Hopper, who is saying something about waiting in the car. Max, though, practically runs into the house.

“Billy,” she says, and Billy’s eyes snap up to hers. Something close to a sob catches in her throat when she says his name again and throws her arms around his neck. She buries her head against him, mutters apologies that he does not answer. This time, when Steve reaches for Billy, Billy lets him touch his back- even lets him put an arm around his shoulders. Steve can feel Billy uncoiling beneath him. When Billy breathes out, Steve thinks the smallest cry comes out of him - disbelief and relief expelled in a single exhale. He leans forward and Steve moves to catch him, to secure between himself and Max. 

“It’s okay,” Steve says. He will not say he’s sorry. He holds Billy, feels Billy’s free hand- the arm not wrapped around Max -close around his own waist. “It’s okay,” he says as Billy begins to cry.