#i have so many ideas yet no power or talent to put them to life

[high-guardian-herbs]

I'm cooking sm rn with the plot, but I'm no cook and I love putting everything I can get my hand on in my soup, so, like, watch out

[cosmic-ghost-hermit]

What is your hidden talent?

Hey, everyone! It would be super helpful if yall donated to my CashApp. I want to do this kind of work full-time. I have been told by people I read for that I am meant to do tarot reading. I am inclined to believe them because fr it has been so fun for me to see how much it helps yall. Way more fun than any retail/food industry job I've had. I feel like I am actually doing something substantial with my time. If yall want me to be able to continue to do this daily it would be so awesome if yall donated. Thank you guys in advance!

Donate to my CashApp Here

The decks I am using today are The Tarot of the Divine, Believe in You Own Magic Oracle and The Healing Waters Oracle. Take everything that resonates and leave the rest behind but always be open to new experiences.

___________

PILE ONE

Astrology: Leo, Virgo, Scorpio

Song: I Set Fire To The Rain by Adele

Vibes: Teal, green, yellow/gold, shear white cloth, smelling smoke, burning house, swimming, mixed drinks, hot chocolate, braided hair, locked doors, house plants, deep skin tone, 888, shells, feathers, crayons, colored hair, ares

Cards: 2 of Wands, 9 of Cups, 5 of Wands, Mural, Gold, Cleansing, Into the Unknown

Welcome in, pile 1! You have two hidden talents. One that you use rather regularly but unknowingly and the other you have yet to unlock. The energy I am getting from the cards makes me think the two talents are intertwined. ALSO Trigger Warning for abuse in this reading. It is VERY HEAVY. Do not read if you do not think you are ready.

The first hidden talent is starting new from the ground up. I know to you it might not sound that interesting. You have no idea how hard it can be to start new things for others. Starting from the ground up is scary and intimidating. Organizing the chaos in your mind and project that chaos clearly into reality. I see you are probably an artist of some kind. You might paint, make clay sculptures, or hand-make intricate jewelry of some kind. I see you learned to hone this ability because of a karmic relationship. They made you feel adored and cherished until you were in their grasp. When you were trapped with them, they turned on you. It's giving love bombing. This person literally blew up on you over the smallest things. I see a shattered tea/coffee cup. You stayed with them for a long time even though you knew what they were doing was wrong. You had to completely shred the life you had with them. You had to start your life from scratch. Which is why you are so used to the idea of starting with nothing and building up. The pain that you felt from that past connection still hurts you to this day. You probably have PTSD from the situation you were in. I am so sorry you had to go through all that. You didn't deserve to be treated like that.

The second hidden talent is transmutation. I see that the reason you haven't unlocked it yet is because you fear change. What happened to you in that shitty relationship makes it way easier for you to start over than to change the situation. You are scared to see things to the end. I see that this fear reveals itself in your artwork. You probably have many unfinished projects because you view yourself as incapable of seeing them through. Which by the way isn't true you are so capable of anything you want to do. Heal the hurt part of you that thinks you are incapable. Your ex was the one who instilled that in you. Don't let that motherfucker get you down. Especially if they aren't in your life anymore. Don't let them have that power over you, love. You deserve to feel good. Face your fear of them being right. You and I both know they aren't. When you do unlock this ability you will be able to transmute all the pain that asshole put you through into beautiful art. You will be able to finish all of those unfinished projects. You will be able to find true love within yourself. You will find that you were never broken like that bitch said you were. You were always lovely, sweet, and accommodating. You were always creating love everywhere you went.

_______

PILE TWO

Astrology: Sagittarius, Gemini, Pisces

Song: I Love Rock n Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Vibes: Navy Blue, white, peach, deer, horses, libraries, books, coffee, hot springs, scones, pillow forts, maxi-skirts, cowboys, mermaids, 333, wine, fine dining, tall trees, athena, artemis

Cards: The Hermit, 3 of Wands, Knight of Swords, Nostalgia, Stars, Water Codes, The Healing Lagoon

Hello, pile 2! You have one secret power but trust me it's a good one. You have the ability to pull information out of thin air. You are crazy smart. People might not think it when they look at you because you try not to flaunt it too wildly. You prefer to stay under the radar when it comes to intellect. This makes people underestimate you. I feel that some of yall reading like this for various reasons but others really fucking hate it. You have some insecurity around this skill. That's why you don't think it is a good skill tbh. You think a lot on the go even while in conversation which makes people see you as kind of ditzy. Even so, you absolutely obliterate at trivia night. Your friends come to you first when they need obscure information. You might have been a really lonely kid and spent a lot of your time reading away the time. For a big chunk of your childhood you found your companionship in novels. You may have been bullied for this. Don't let those people's words get you down. Honestly, they were just jealous of your intelligence. The friends you have now love to hear you infodump about your favorite books. They love to hear everything you know about sea creatures and astrology/astronomy. They ask questions not to mock you but because they genuinely are interested in what you have to say. You are magnificent. Your mind is unparalleled. How people perceive you has nothing to do with what is actually happening in your mind. It is just their projections of themselves onto you. Ignore them lmao. <3

________

PILE THREE

Astrology: Cancer, Taurus, Libra

Song: Stay by Zedd

Vibes: All shades of blue, creeks, hanging flowers, 9999, faires, watermelon, paint-brush, rabbits, bird chips, car horn, pearls, lily pads, walking in the rain, lanterns, puppies, beaches, zues

Cards: Queen of Cups, Page of Cups, Ace of Wands, 9 of Pentacles, Raindrops, Stagnant Waters, Light House

My dear pile 3, welcome to your reading. You have a hidden ability that I feel is only hidden from you. Everyone else seems to know this about you. You have the power of hospitality and refuge. You are a safe place for everyone you know to come to if they need it. You are the type of person to tell everyone you know if they need a place to stay for any reason, all they gotta do is ask. You have a motherly energy about you, even if you aren't a woman. You always have emergency snacks for occasions like that. You host parties and everyone always leaves feeling 10 times better than when they arrived. You are the friend that lends a hand when needed. You the kind of person to have a shoulder ready for anyone to lean on, even if you don't know them well. The most beautiful thing about this is that these actions are never self-sacrificing. You have an abundance of all that you need so you can be generous constantly to those in need. I see you resting when necessary and listening to your body. I see you volunteering in your community. I think recently you helped clean up a beach or something. Maybe you organized it? Your energy is so soothing. You are just amazing, my friend. Absolutely the softest heart on earth. I also see you might foster animals! You take in rescue animals and nurse them back to health until they can find a forever home. ;n; You are the definition of an earth angel. Please see how amazing you are and how big your heart is. I wanna be your friend so bad from hearing all of this. Never stop being this beautiful of a soul, my dear. You are perfect.

_________

PILE FOUR

Astrology: Aries, Capricorn, Aquarius

Song: Black Girl Magic by Londrelle

Vibes: Cyan, yellow, rusty red, iridescent, sake, 4c hair, magic, spell casting, curse breaking, singing, tea, pottery, steam-train, festivals, celebration, 963, small forests, mercury/hermes, lambs, Oshun

Cards: The Star, Ace of Cups, 2 of Cups, 6 of Swords, 7 of Wands, Tower, Spaceship, Thank You

PILE 4, WOW. Welcome. Your energy is just sooo woah. You are so indescribable. All that you have been through. Everything you have seen. All I can say is, wow. Your secret power is balance. It is a well-earned hidden ability. You have been through so much to gain the skills that I see in this reading. You have traveled so far. When I first looked at the reading I could not pin down exactly what skill you had because you are just so good at EVERYTHING. I legitimately out loud said, "Everything??? Everything." You know how to take care of yourself. You are an excellent lover. If you are a parent you are good at that too. You are chasing your dreams. I see you performing as a singer or a musician and your talent stuns everyone in the room. You are the best manifester in a 20 miles radius. You are a witch for sure. You have worked so hard on breaking karmic familial curses and you succeeded. You succeeded far past your soul's initial expectations. You are everything, my love. Like literally everything. Then it hit me. You are a tightrope walker. You are balancing everything perfectly. Have you ever heard of Rock Cairns? They are stacks of rocks that hikers add to as they pass by on park trails. You have turned your life into something like that. You have perfectly balanced every stone you passed in your life in a pile and you manage it all on your own. First off, I want to tell you what a good job you are doing. What a good job you have been doing since you were born. Second thing, PLEASE REST WHEN YOU NEED IT OHMYGODS. You don't need me to tell you that though. You are probably smoking a joint right fucking now while reading this or you just got done doing that. No notes, baby. You got this. I just think Spirit wanted to remind you of your magnificence.

[soaringwide]

PAC: What hidden talent do you have?

Hello with another pick a card reading, this time on the topic of ''get to know yourself better''.

This time the idea is to look into what talent of yours you are not fully aware off and could tap into and develop in the future.

By definition this might not be at the core of your personality since it is hidden, but maybe that's something you will tap into later in life. So I hope it's useful to you in some way!

How does that work?

Take a moment to recollect yourself, breathe, close your eyes if you need to, focus on the moment. Look at the 4 pictures and select the one that draws you in the most. Not the one you think looks cooler but the one that creates that pinching feeling inside of you. The one that makes you feel it has something to say.

It is possible to feel attracted to more than one pile, just as it is possible to only find parts of the reading relevant. Remember that this reading is meant for many people so it won't be perfectly applicable to your situation.

PILE 1

Cards: The Nectar + The King (archetype) + 4 of Swords Rx + Empress Rx + Strength + The Hierophant + King of Cups Rx + the Protectress + The forbidden forest + yin and yang; 2 of Swords + 4 and 6 of Wands; Priestess Magician

There is definitely the idea of a latent, untapped ability.

To me it has to do with healing, as in, the ability to help people through their recovery process and put them on track to bloom and be abundant again. To remove barriers to healing.

The fact that it has to do with remediating what is poisonous for the person, transmuting something toxic into something positive, makes me think it has to do with magical or energetic healing.

Perhaps you will use your words like a fire-talker (not sure it's the right way to translate but "coupeur de feu" in the orginal french term as in those who can heal burns by talking fire out, among other things), or work on removing magical thorns with your healing touch. I'm getting strong hand imagery and holy words may be significant as well as carrier for background movements in the spiritual realms.

I'm getting you will be or are guided to do this by higher powers with this ability that can help others tremendously, somewhat relaying these healing powers into the world. Like a bridge between the healing spirits and our world, putting healing energy in motion.

There is the idea of a position of authority that must be embraced with humility, respect and reverence, in order to restore the flow and clarity of health, working in tandem with powers from the realms beyond and by learning to develop your own power and ability for leadership whilst staying true to yourself.

You have this undeveloped ability of perceiving the higher realms, harness their energies and transmute them into something not only healing, but also protecting for others.

You would need to go on your own healing journey to gather the missing parts of yourself (individuation process is another way to look at it) and rectify what is unbalanced to find a wholeness that will allow you to carry this energy over to others. I'm really getting that it's not just about picking up a skill but really going through a process yourself in order to reach that step and that's why you haven't reached it yet. With also the idea of learning to listen to guidance and understand your bond to these higher powers more, and let yourself be guided on that path.

I wanted to see if there was another message that wanted to come out and I saw that while this ability is not currently active, and even blocked by your current circumstances, there would be great success gained from going through this journey towards that path. It's a call that you have the option to answer and are encouraged to do so with the support of your spirits and god(s) and that would be a source of celebration and achievements.

PILE 2

Cards: The Fool and Fear and Happiness + 7 of Cups Rx + Queen of Cups and 4 of Cups + The Magician Rx + Queen of Pentacles + 7 of Pentacles Rx

Your hidden talent has to do with performance arts, perhaps theater or dance, with the use of your body alongside your voice. You can pretend to be someone else again and again, endorsing different roles on different days and creating this artificial image for others to see.

You have the hidden ability to perform emotions so that it can be reflected in the heart of the audience. For example, expressing sadness or joy, the whole palette of emotions, and having that be felt by those who watch you. Relieving people in the lights of the stage.

I don't think it is about showing who you truly are but rather as I said, endorsing different identities and expressing something universal through that. You might not always feel passionate about what you are expressing, what role or piece you are given, but that's the nature of the craft. And in some way it allows yourself to explore your own thoughts and emotions by shifting perspectives, so it can be healing for yourself as well if you allow it to be.

By creating an artificial space for exploration of thoughts and emotions through your craft, you can shift people's emotional state and help them let go of what worries of preoccupies them. It is cathartic and the healing aspect of the arts. Ever watched a movie, cried for a while because it reminded you of something and felt lighter in the end? That's what you can give to people: freeing them of themselves for a short while. Allowing them a break from their own lives.

It's a trickery of some sorts, but the good kind of trickery because it is part of the game and the reason why people would come to you. It is to be willingly taken on adventure.

There is also a highly democratic aspect of your craft, as in, in front of performance in the audience, everyone watches the same things, react to the same things, rich and poor, good and bad. You help people bond together by lowering the boundaries that separate us all for a while.

In any case it is a raw talent, as in, you're very much at the apprentice level at the moment. You would need to work on it consciously, nurture this talent to let it grow and harvest its rewards later on. If that reading resonates with you I think that would be a good thing to practice on a hobby level for the pure enjoyment and personal fulfillment of it, rather than in order to make money from it.

PILE 3

Cards: The King, Protect your feelings, Knight of Swords Rx, 9 of Wands + King of Cups, Reflection Rx + 4 of Wands Rx, Renewal Rx + 8 of Swords Rx, Courage + 5 of Cups, Gloom Rx + 10 of Cups + The World + Intuition Rx, Sorrow Rx

Your hidden talent is to embody some of the noble qualities of the King, especially being a protector of the weak. You have the ability to stand up for what is right when facing a menacing majority and would step up to fight to defend what you believe in. You may have a tendency to be rash and impulsive when faced with something that doesn't sit right with you, because you want to confront that and rectify the wrongs committed. You will not take a defeat and will get back up again.

Your quality associated to that talent is that you are full of compassion and look at others with empathy because you have a great understanding of human nature and suffering, and you have a desire to protect that. You are devoted to help people and this helps balance the harshness of you combative spirit.

The caveat is that you might feel like it's a lost battle, or at least that you won't personally see the end of it in your lifetime. You feel like you're doing you won't be the one in the parade at the end of the battle because you will be long gone. What you don't see is that you can still help others in the present.

What you can give others with this talent is that your bravery is infectious. You lift them up, give them courage and they can free themselves in the moment. With you by their side they feel so much stronger.

And when faced with a loss, you are, again, here to help people grieve and be a shoulder to cry on, listening to their pain with empathy, which helps them tremendously.

And for the reason why it is hidden, I think the need just hasn't arisen at this stage of your life. You will need to reach a form of completion and to move on from the idea that things are perfect to the desire to put things in motion again and start a new chapter. A content heart doesn't strive for change.

PILE 4

Cards: Aletheia, Wheel of Fortune Rx + The Moon Rx + 9 of Swords Rx + Queen of Cups + The Empress + Justice

You hidden talent is the ability to speak the truth on what's hidden and trigger changes for those you bring the news to. I see you being able to detect lies easily. It can trigger fears in others because they might not want to see what you reveal.

You are able to see through the confusion and pierce through the illusion, and thus, bring vitality back where there was just fog and stagnation. It might make you feel a bit lonely and isolated at times due to feeling misunderstood. I don't think you have come to term with that talent yet so you may fail to see the good in it.

Because your strong intuitive gift of being able to see your emotions so clearly can bring a lot of healing and clarity to people, especially if you wield it with kindness and compassion. You may get back a lot of love and consideration from helping others.

Because you can help people release who takes advantage of them by shining light on their lies, especially if they are over-dependant and attached to this person or situation.

As to why it is hidden, you may not believe that you deserve to speak up and that you have the right to do so and would feel like you're being manipulative when it doesn't have to be the case.

[bonefall]

Windstar's kits in BB are Dust Muzzle and Morning Whisker. With the former being renamed Dustiest Muzzle to fit naming conventions. But whats Morning Whisker's new name? Esp since you said that they will probably be the leader after Windstar passes and theres already Morningstar of ThunderClan (my beloved).

TO RECAP FOR THOSE COMING IN;

There's three groups in BB!DOTC now; Park Cats, Mountain Cats, and Forest Cats. Forest cats are the oldest cultural group and have lived around the White Hart for decades. Park cats arrived a few generations ago following their king away from the destruction of their home down south. Mountain cats recently followed Gray Wing the Wise down from the north at the beck of prophecy.

Forest cats are given a simple, natural name, and then their talent earns them a suffix from a small pool of traditional meanings. Bee, a strong fighter, might earn -sting, -slash, or -stone.

Mountain cats inherit the last names of their parents, and are usually given first names that work with them. Tempest Sky and Quiet Wing's children are Gray Wing and Clear Sky. Quiet Wing then had another litter with Stone Peak, and they were named Fluttering Wing and Jagged Peak.

Park cats are born nameless. They're given simple descriptions about their physical traits, traditionally until they're given a mentor. They spend their adolescence as (Mentor)'s Paw, until they make an achievement that is worthy of their leader giving them a title of three words or less.

Normally the leader is the King, but the Wind Coalition broke off from the River Kingdom many years ago. The Wind Runner sees herself as being much better than a King, HER kingdom is self-made, battle-tested, unprotected by the powerful river or the secretive forest.

Moth Flight isn't her child anymore, but I do know I want The Wind Runner to keep three total. At birth, the kittens were "named" Littlest One, Middle One, and Biggest One.

(It's tradition that the first real name of a Park cat is their apprentice name, but Windy is BURSTING with hubrice and LOVES breaking traditions. So it's possible the three of them did something different.)

SO currently I'm thinking their new names are;

Emberkit: Littlest One -> Embers Under Rain

Morning Whisker: Middle One -> Prayers at Dawn

Dustiest Muzzle: Biggest One -> Dustiest Muzzle

Embers might still die rather young, but at the very least she gets to apprenticeship. I'm not entirely sure on what I'm doing with her yet. If her name is a title, she managed to light a fire during a rainstorm (probably using flint)

Dustiest Muzzle gets his title from being an early tunneler and both bold and curious enough to stick his nose in every burrow. It actually reads as kind of unearned though, you could put it in English as "works harder than everyone else" which he probably just got because he's the son of The Wind Runner.

(Not that he isn't hardworking, just that Windstar doesn't even pretend she isn't biased.)

And Prayers at Dawn is interesting, because praying to future Clan cats looks like tilting your head upwards, and feeling the wind stir your whiskers. In Ancient Parkmew, her name meant something more like "Rousing Whiskers at Sunrise." I like the idea that she's quite religious for some reason, possibly also a friend of Moth Flight when it comes time.

The Parkmew word for "whiskering" eventually becomes the Clanmew word for the physical position of making prayers.

So Prayerstar would be a perfectly good name to avoid the conflict of Morningstar down the line later, BUT I'm also tempted to make the name MOURNINGstar and maybe have her take Mourning Whiskers as a title during her life.

Maybe even as a self-given title of great sorrow. I could have her become very close to Moth Flight and make her heart break when Moth and her children agree to split themselves up across the five Clans in Moth Flight's Vow.

Hmmm... perhaps Windstar's last life withered away pretty slowly, and Mourning Whisker knew she was going to inherit the Wind Coalition on the brink of war with SkyClan already attacking. Moth and her kits knew that WindCo would defend them all with their lives, and that's exactly why they knew they couldn't stay.

[gingerrtarot]

◌ ｡ PAC: “I’ll do it later…” - why do you procrastinate and how you can stop it?

hello everyone! welcome to my new reading~

as the heading suggest, today we will look at the reasons behind your “laziness” and you will get some advices on how you can change that.

keep in mind that this is a general reading, so it may or may not resonate with you.

now, let’s pick a pile!

Pile 1 Pile 2 Pile 3

°｡ Pile 1. ◌

Hello, guys!! so right off the bat I don’t actually see you guys as some slackers. People from this group, on the contrary, may be involved in many different activities at once, or at least they always have many plans in mind. maybe you judge yourself too harshly. another thing i pick up on here is that you were this super talented kids at school and now your family, teachers, colleagues may be expecting too much from you. so you end up always feeling like you are not doing enough.also, it seems like you are doing what others want and do not do things that will satisfy your desires. you may be oppressed by others. I see that some of you may want to work in a political field or maybe something related to judging. or you just want to be somewhere where you will be heard in your opinions will matter your words will have power. so why do you procrastinate? there are several options here. first, you may, actually, take a lot of tasks at once, and then you end up doing a little bit of this a little bit of that, and it doesn’t produce any result. Second, you may come up with many ideas and, but you always put off their implementation until later. In the first case, you are advised to learn to prioritize the right things; make a to-do lists, highlight the most important ones and do them first. In the second case, you need to start bring your ideas to execution as soon as you have them. Don’t put anything off for later, take at least a small action that will help you bring your ideas to life. don’t forget about it, don’t shelve them, it won’t make you any good.

one more thing. some people in this group may have problems with their family. They force you to do something that you don’t want, or even if they don’t force you, they gently persuade you or raise hopes for you that you cannot justify, you don’t want it, but you do it for their sake. And here the cards advise, if possible, to move. You will immediately become more motivated, more active and energetic. All the things that previously seemed difficult to you will be given to you with ease. if this is your problem, moving here will be extremely useful.

°｡ Pile 2. ◌

hi there pile 2! Here I see people who have recently experienced some kind of transformation. It could have moved, changed your study place or a job, perhaps you have suffered a loss or something similar. It may also be that you had to grow up early, when your inner self was not yet ready for it. Now you may be in a state of apathy; you do not have the strength and energy to do anything.

And even if you do want to do something, you just don’t know how. It feels like you are in the fog. Where to go and what to do, how to do it - you lack knowledge and skills. I see here a desire to return to your comfort zone, maybe go back to your childhood, to your family. somewhere you didn’t have to decide and do so much yourself. you want and need some help. and some stability and security. You shouldn't judge or blame yourself if you experience this, it's okay. Change can be difficult to cope with, give yourself time to collect yourself both mentally and physically. But if you have been in this state for a long time, you should think about it and pull yourself together. Otherwise it may drag on for years. The advice to you here is to find people with whom you can grow and develop together. You lack experience and knowledge in some areas right now. And help of people now will be very useful to you. Communicate with those who are more experienced than you, with those who can teach you something. Invite acquaintances at your place of study or work, if possible. Or try to find people with similar goals through social networks, with whom you can somehow collaborate. Yes, I know it's not that easy. But even if you can’t do this, try to find at least some celebrities, bloggers and influencers who would work, for example, in the same field in which you want to work. Find those who you will look up to, those who will inspire you and will be able to provide you with some helpful information and this will already be great.

°｡ Pile 3. ◌

hey, pile 3!! There's a lot of youthful energy here. You guys are most likely extroverts, you are active, like to go for walks, relax, have fun, and do some kind of creative work. And yes, we all love it, but you especially. Like the second group, you lack life experience that can help you achieve what you want. And what else is important, many here may not have any goals or desires at all.

Perhaps you prefer to live in the present and you’re not thinking about the future too much. Yes, it may be good, but here it’s a real problem. some people here simply don’t have enough willpower, you indulge your momentary weaknesses and whims. for some, it’s just a trait of your character that you need to work with and change it, if you want to be more productive. But for others, the lack of motivation and any ambition comes from disappointment in the past. You may have been brought up in strictness; your desire and way of self-expression was not accepted, your dreams and goals were devaluated and you got used to considering yourself a loser. Or maybe, having failed, you have lost faith in yourself. Maybe you had a small failure or maybe a big one, in the end it led you to the fact that you decided not to try at all. It may also be that you are one of those who get disappointed and quit the job they started after it didn’t work out right away. Like, you wanted to draw a masterpiece but it turned out to be doodles, and you start to think that drawing is not for you and give up on it. But it’s wrong. You may be born a genius, but without training and practice you will achieve nothing. Therefore, it is important to study and work and not give up after the first failure, no matter what.

Self-discipline is what you need. Of course there is no miracle advice or potion that will help you deal with this. It will take time but in the end it will be worth it. So create a routine for yourself that will help you be more productive and stick to it. If it’s difficult for you to control yourself, ask others for help, there’s nothing wrong with that. Over time you will succeed, be patient. good luck!

[incorrecttowerofgodquotes]

learning that Ehwa is best girl to you is interesting - I don't disagree but this is a great excuse to ask for some Ehwa propoganda

so.

justify yourself

You don’t know what you’ve wrought upon yourself

Part 1: Personality

Ehwa hits the great mix between confident and strong as well as naïve and compensating. Due to her status as the only Yeon daughter for the next eighty years, Ehwa obviously has a lot of burdens placed on her, something we see early on in the season. The struggles of trying to live up to her family’s expectations plus the complex she has about her “defective” powers means she puts on the front of a noble and strong headed woman so that her weaknesses can be covered up.

However, the thing is, Ehwa is never actually cruel. In Trustworthy room, the only people she tells off is Prince and Viole, and even then, she still attempts to get to know Viole. As the arcs progress, Ehwa gets nicer and nicer due to her emotional needs being met thanks to S&S. By Hell Train, she’s simply just a good person, meanwhile even now Endorsi still struggles with her temper and Yuri recently just committed genocide (not to say this makes them bad characters though).

I also really love Ehwa’s childish side. We know that Ehwa entered the tower at only age 14, and that her previous life in the Yeon family gave her very little support (aside from her “Mama”). Just like Khun, Ehwa is a person whose childhood was stolen from her, and thus her emotional growth was stunted. As she becomes closer with S&S, she stops maintaining appearances and starts acting more like a girl her age. It becomes especially pronounced when she meets Rak, as she really loves reptiles, and starts following him around.

Part 2: Powerset

While there are many cool abilities in ToG, one of my favs is the Yeon flame. The idea of a living flame existing inside someone, and the fact that it could take control when the user is put under enough stress is super cool.

This is shown to great effect in Ehwa’s fight against Angel, when her childhood trauma and current emotional disturbance causes the Yeon Flame to take front seat in controlling the body while Ehwa dissociates or something. She went from struggling against Angel, to no diffing her in an insane boost of power, especially since said power allows her to fly, something stated to be very difficult for Regulars as it requires extreme shinsu control. SIU himself even said that when Ehwa masters her power, she’ll have abilities that can put even Ran to shame (y’know, one of the most talented Khun family members)

Also, unlike some other powers, Ehwa’s undergoes development. At the beginning, Ehwa suffers from power incontinence, having it leak out when her emotional state becomes turbulent and uncontrollable when using it. When Horyang and Viole, the rocks of team S&S are gone, Ehwa starts worrying about hurting her other teammates. However, instead of being able to learn to control her powers from this fear, she instead learns due to her desire to protect them, allowing her to take out the parasite Beta had. Finally, when up against Angel, all the turbulent emotions she feels leads to an explosive rise in power, but only for a few minutes.

Ehwa still has a ways to go in mastering her power, and the moment when she’s able to utilize her full potential while being in control will certainly be an amazing scene

Part 3: Development

Ehwa starts off as very alone and without confidence in herself. This stems from an incident in her childhood, when she was about 4 or 5, when she accidentally burned one of her maids alive. The people around her, instead of consoling her, praised her for her talent, which led to a complex about her powers. She feels the need to be useful to her family and live up to their expectations, but she’s also afraid of hurting people close to her.

During Trustworthy Room, she starts off as very prickly due to the pressure she feels about passing the test. Yet even so, she still remains naïve in that she takes a drink from Prince as well as hoping to become good-natured acquaintances with Viole. Ultimately, she doesn’t get to do much and is then left with a team she had no real say in, but she still sticks with them anyways.

By the 21st floor, Ehwa has sort of gotten used to her position in S&S. She’s still very hotheaded, and tends to blow up when either Wangnan or Viole are involved. However, then we get a look at her deeper insecurities when she talks with Arkraptor. Ehwa calls herself defective, unable to control her own power and needing to rely on Viole to stop herself. The 10 Families promote division amongst themselves, so for Ehwa, relying on others is extremely difficult. But even so, Arkraptor consoles her by saying that whatever her trouble's are, they aren't any worse than what everyone else is going through. Her power incontinence is just a hurdle she can overcome, and until that happens, its perfectly fine for her to rely on Viole and her other teammates.

After the Flower of Zigena, Ehwa is left in a depressive state over the actions her family has taken. I pointed it out in a separate post, but Ehwa doesn't look like she's surprised her family was corrupt, but more that she was trying to avert her eyes from the truth. It’s only when Hwaryun points this out to her that Ehwa declares that she will accept the 10 Families mistakes and then fix them (Fun fact she never wears the Yeon flower and gems in her hair after this).

This is also when her relationship with Viole changes. At first, she saw him as just a bad person, which makes sense, he is part of a terrorist organization targeting her family after all. However, it’s through getting to know him and the sins that her family has committed that Ehwa realizes why someone like Viole is necessary. Her feelings evolve from just a simple crush to a genuine admiration of his courage and charity.

While Ehwa doesn’t have much focus during Workshop battle, we still see her growth in learning to control her powers in order to protect her friends. There’s also a nice line of set up from Quaetro about her powers that will be the basis for her character development in Hell Train. “Who would listen to someone who’s afraid of herself?”

In Hell Train, Ehwa is pitted against Angel, an illegitimate child of the 10 Families. Angel received no love in her childhood, not even from her mother, and was eventually given away because she had some talent. This contrasts with Ehwa, who was born with loads of talent and received a lot of doting as a kid. However, the doting Ehwa received ultimately ended up harming her due to the callous nature in which they praised and pushed their expectations on her.

During the beginning of their fight, Ehwa can barely stop Angel. As she’s running away, all she can think about is how so many people failed to teach her anything about her flame. She can’t believe that she was flame itself from the moment she was born, because to her, the destructive flame she possess is in conflict with her own kind nature.

It’s only when Angel kills Hongjo, someone who had been kind to Ehwa up until then and even attempted to protect her, that Ehwa comes to the realization of what those words really mean. Her rage overtakes her to the point that the Yeon flame has to take control, in the process losing her own self. As a defeated Angel watches Ehwa continue to use her flame, as the audience we’re meant to feel fear and sadness that Ehwa is losing herself like this. It’s no coincidence that this moment comes about in front of Bam, who had just previously lost his mind to the Thorn.

Ehwa is only able to regain her sense of self when Bero Bero crashes into and starts yelling at her. Bero tells her she needs to take responsibility for her power, responsibility that no one else in her family will take. As these words sink in, Ehwa is reminded of her “Mama”, a loving maternal figure who told her the same thing.

Ehwa’s character growth stops about here, mostly due to her exiting the story, however we still see her through the Name Hunt Station arc. At the beginning, Ehwa is removed from Team Sweet and Sour and placed with Bam, Wangnan recognizing her skill and believing she can keep herself alive as she stays with Bam. Ehwa is incensed by this, even running up to Bam and telling him to make Wangnan change his mind, and when Bam says otherwise it shocks her. Ehwa wants to stay with everyone, but due to the difference in abilities she can’t. She now has to take responsibility for protecting herself first and foremost.

This is her mentality when going into the fight against Karaka vs Yuri. She still wants to continue despite being badly injured cause if she didn’t, it meant she left Team S&S for nothing. However, she ends up getting put into a hostage situation, and at that moment instead of thinking about her own well being, she thinks about how to save Bam. She ultimately sacrifices herself, but she does so with a smile, telling Bam that it will be okay. She went from distrusting Viole due to his FUG ties to implicitly trusting Bam to keep moving on to protect more people.

As sweet as this moment is, it’s also the greatest tragedy to happen to Ehwa. Her removal from Team S&S and then her loss at NHS, makes it so that Prince and Arkraptor die, and she remains completely unaware. The family that accepted her as she was became broken all without her knowing. If Ehwa had been with them, there’s no doubt in my mind that at least one of them would have survived, her Yeon flame wouldn’t allow for anything else. Instead, her absence sealed their fates. The responsibility she had towards protecting them is now destroyed.

When Ehwa finally reenters the story, I have no doubt that her arc will focus heavily on the fallout of losing Prince and Arkraptor.

It’s also interesting that she was kidnapped by Revolution, the group whose goal it is to reform the Ten Great Families. If we wanna get wild, Ehwa might become the new Yeon Family Head candidate.

That’s about all I have to say aside from gushing about how pretty she is, but I’ll let that happen during the S2 anime.

[vigilskeep]

How do you think the Thedas holidays are celebrated in the circles?

because they’re andrastian holidays and circles are an andrastian institution, i would be very surprised if they weren’t celebrated! but a little differently, due to the circumstances. more sermons than getting out and celebrating, i fear. nevertheless, good plentiful food and a break from work are the typical markers of a medieval-ish holiday. i would certainly expect a day off from studies and a feast in the great hall for circle mages! perhaps performances and displays of their work... here’s a great canon letter from a retired knight-commander to his knight-templar grandson that gives us some insight:

“My Dear Boy,

Your pious outrage might earn you some approval with your knight-lieutenant, but I beg you to join the rest of us in the real world, lad. Do you have any idea just how wealthy the Circle of Magi can be? The amount of gold the nobility pays for enchanted goods would overflow a well. Many mages—particularly Lucrosians—are from good families, used to entertainments and the finer things in life... and Maker knows they can afford them. So why shouldn’t they indulge a little?

Besides, a few musicians and dancers and an elaborate dinner is nothing. There are a dozen acting troupes in Val Royeaux and Halamshiral who specialise in bringing plays and stories into Circle Towers. A little collapsible scenery, the right costumes, a sprinkle of artfully chosen scent, and they can transform a workshop into an enchanted forest, a cold courtyard into a war tent on the eve of battle, or a dining hall into a darkspawn lair.

It does the mages good, too. When you see the same dreary walls day after day, a change to the familiar is a taste of freedom.

When mages entertain themselves, now, that’s a sight. No mere “tricks” there. I’ve seen ones who could juggle fire into ice or breathe a word into one hand and release a song from the other. I once saw a mage build a cathedral out of playing cards, upside down, yet it was impossible to knock it over! Even a game of battledore and shuttlecock takes on a new dimension when the players can move objects with their minds.

It isn’t all idle entertainment, either; most mages I know are eager to put their hands to useful work. Those gorgeous wooden panels in the teyrn’s castle at Ostwick? The ones that show the Qunari Wars on the Waking Sea? All carved by an enchanter at the city’s Circle, over the ten years he spent there. More than a few palaces have benefited from the artistry of mages: tapestries, stained glass, anything that takes time and patience.

In some day, some knight-captains frowned on mages spending their time and magical power for “frivolous ends.” Frivolous? Any mage with enough fine control to keep an audience enthralled, or to build a mosaic of Andraste, has better mastery of their magic than one who only uses it to destroy. Leave the moralising to the revered mothers, my boy. It’s not for us to say how a person should stay occupied in their own home.”

as for the more specific festival traditions, i wouldn’t be surprised if city-based circle mages were asked to send talent to perform magic for some festivals. the fires on funalis, perhaps. and i wonder if the most lenient circles ever have some kind of templar mage role swap for the day on satinalia lmao. or at the very least have a little apprentice be first enchanter for the day. i wouldn’t imagine they have much of a coming of age for summerday because maturity is much more marked by your harrowing

[nephilimeq]

Teen Wolf and Lack of Character Development - Scott McCall

Incoming Rant: Re-watching the first season of TW I have realised why I never felt that Scott was The Hero of the story even if the writers did not stop hammering the idea that he was pure and perfect and always right. He never sacrifices himself. This is a classic of fiction, the hero will always be the one who makes the greatest sacrifices for the common good and for those they love, renouncing happiness, normality and even their own life. 

But Scott never does that. Even in the first season this is very clear. The first few episodes emphasise that playing lacrosse and dating Allison are things he wants, but are dangerous to himself and those around him. The narratively logical thing would be that, after a period of selfish refusal, he would realise that the right thing to do is to give up what he loves until he has better control of himself and his new powers, sacrificing his temporary happiness for the good of others.

Instead, the narrative rewards Scott with control gained through Deux Ex Machina and not hard work, he gets to date Allison and becomes a Lacrosse star without sacrifices and therefore doesn't grow or evolve at all. This keeps up for all 6 seasons. Meanwhile, everyone else around him is constantly sacrificing their safety, sanity and even life for the common good.  And ten years later in the movie nothing has changed. Scott’s still not the one performing the sacrifice, he's still not the hero yet. He gives nothing, but the narrative rewards him with true love. Meanwhile Derek gives his own life to save those he loves he is The Hero.

So. Yes. To all of this.

I have made a countless number of posts about Scott’s development. Specifically, his lack of development. The writers had every opportunity to make him a decent character -- and Posey could have performed it and done everything at least moderately well -- but instead, they caved into Jeff Davis’ whims.

There were other writers in the room who should have held Jeff accountable and written Scott as a proper hero: a hero who sacrifices his own selfish wants for the greater good.

They do not have the right to tell us not to like characters such as Stiles or Derek more because they were the ones who wrote those characters using the hero’s journey narrative that they very easily could have written for Scott...but they didn’t. When the creator of Teen Wolf speaks up against those fans, he has no one to blame but himself and the other writers, and to say anything to the contrary just makes him look like a hypocrite.

You cannot expect your audience to believe your main character is a hero when you do not give them faults to overcome and make them a better person.

They wrote Scott as never taking consequences for his own actions -- instead, they had everyone else suffer the consequences of his actions and had them clean up his mess and deal with the repercussions. (not going into detail here because I have already done so on many other posts)

But when you show characters such as Stiles and Derek dealing with complex emotional and physical traumas and then doing things to try and improve themselves, while also dealing with their own mistakes and growing from them...but then don’t hold your main character to the same standard, how can you be surprised when no one relates to them? The accountability for Scott’s lack of accountability can be traced right back to the writers’ room.

I genuinely could have liked Scott. In fact, when he was being sweet and helping his mom, I loved him! He had the potential to be a fantastic main character...but the writer’s neglected their responsibility as writers.

To put it simply: the writers suck.

The only reason the show lasted was because they had good cinematography, and they brought on some experienced older actors into the cast, and they had two natural talents on screen: Dylan O’Brien and Tyler Hoechlin.

That’s it.

[paeliae-occasionally]

pae pae, what is one piece of lore you’ve been gate keeping, and why?

pls go on a tangent

Hello love, sorry this took me a little while to get to. Real life :( but in return you get the longest rant I have ever put on tumblr so I hope you are proud of yourself. (Also why have I been keeping it secret? It just hasn’t come up and it is a whole story so buckle up.)

Lore time…

Ok so the lore we are talking about today is Where are the gods??? There were gods but now they are gone. This is broken into 3 events: The Separation, The Dissolution and The Accords (including magestones)

The Past

In the past there were hundreds of gods who roamed the mortal plane. Gods of elements, life and death travelled there to shape the world as they saw it.

As the world developed, the latent simple components of thought and souls began to settle into creatures of the earth.

This created a race of humans, who were the first beings who had souls yet so little innate energy that it would not sustain their bodies forever.

With the rise of humans, Gods of thought and memory grew in power and purpose as more thinking creatures were formed. They had a whole new domain to weave.

The Separation

At this time any magic done by mortals was cast from their own tiny energy store so was small enough to be unnoticeable. The gods intended to keep them to their small powers so that they could never rival the gods in terms of power.

One of the Eldest gods, Ezemhaziel god of controlled magic, traveled the earth trying to create a new way to control magic, the runes. He found a mortal Rin, who seemed to have a talent for magic and a creativity that could help in his work.

Ez created a bond with Rin to share some of his large energy store between them, this is called a Laren bond. Ez later taught him to cast straight from the world around him, similar to how modern mages cast. The pair grew closer and became almost inseparable.

A group of gods watched in disdain as this mortal gained the ability to cast powerful magic. They hated the idea of the narrowing differences between morals and gods, so they decided to remove the threat to their power. These gods gathered and when Rin next left Ez’s side they drew a group of mortals together to kill him.

Rin was attacked by the mortals. He called out to Ez, who came but the gods held him back, and kept him out of Rin’s sight. Rin was killed by the mob. Ez tried to save him with every power he possessed but could not reach him in time. Ez then cursed the gods and the runes and left the mortal plane.

During the encounter Ez pulled so much magic to himself that he formed a concentrated area of Ike, (magic) so much that the mortals could feel the magic that hung in the air around them. These mortals eventually discovered methods to harness the magic around them and became the first druids. Further down the line they also train the first mages. So despite the gods’ efforts (and largely because of them) the mortals get access to more powerful magic. Even though this is all the other gods’ fault, they blame Ez for creating the magic dense area and summon him to a trial.

In his grief Ez does not return to the world so the gods decide that it is reasonable to kill all mortals who have acquired magic and salt the earth where the collection of magic is.

The gods start to go about enacting this, but many other gods are against the idea of culling mortals. This resentment builds especially in gods who rely on mortals as their domain. Gods of memory, thought, fear, illusions and names stand up for the mortals who act as the medium of their power.

The gods who require mortals and therefore prevent the slaughter called themselves the Azeraad, and the gods with no need for mortal creatures label themselves Dieral.

For generations there is a stalemate with a few gods killing and protecting mortals, but most remaining still to prevent a large scale godly war.

The Dissolution

In the decades while the gods watch each other, mortals develop more innovative and powerful magic and build up mage cities. In their development the mages do not forget the massacres that the early Dieral gods committed and plan revenge. They begin work on becoming immortal to further show their power as equals to the gods. Secretly a group develops weapons to use against immortals.

The mage city of Laith’Seyleren is the centre of immortality research and the forefront of magic development when the Dierals finally take notice.

The Dierals break the stalemate to ensure mortals never discover immortality. They destroy the entire city of Laith’Seyleren utterly, no one survives. The other mage cities don’t even find out until a day later when a group of diplomats teleport into a wasteland of rubble and ash.

After this the Mages and the Azeraad gods declare outright war on the Dierals.

The war rages in the deserts to the north west of the Illeri lands with the dieral gods building temples on the mountains to the east and the mages building tall thin mage towers to the west.

Hundreds of mages die in an altogether uneven battle until one mage Muliva Kazi invents a way to bind gods and trap them in Demi-planes then cut the plane off into the aether beyond. This entirely changes the battle as the gods can now be killed. Even the Azeraad gods who fought with the mages were uncomfortable with these machines.

During the battle, a group of mages and Azeraad gods have been working together to end the war but after Kazi’s machines are invented they gain the support of some minor Dieral gods as well.

One member of this group, Paeliae of Laith’Tielere, plans to carry a peace treaty into the temple of the Dieral god of light who leads their forces.

While Paeliae travels through the desert into the walls of godly defences, Ezemhaziel wakes up. He sees the war and the suffering of the mortals and gods and calls on all of the power he could not reach so many years ago to kill the God of light.

He succeeds and takes the fallen god’s seat in the Dieral hall.

Paeliae finds him there and presents him with the treaty. Ez agrees to negotiations of peace and calls the Dierals and Azeraad gods back from the war to meet.

As soon as these words have left Ez’s mouth Paeliae falls to the ground, broken by journey but fulfilled in his purpose. Ez swears one last promise to remember the fallen mortal.

The Accords (Magestones)

The Gods and a collection of mortal mages gather for peace negotiations after years of war.

A compromise is reached where some magic will be bound away so it can no longer be used by the mages or gods.

Magic was bound in giant engraved rocks called magestones. These were made of a translucent stone that glowed and hummed with power. Bindings ran like water across the surface of the stone keeping the magic contained.

Specifically magic relating to immortality, time, and the type of godly binding that Muliva Kazi invented were all collected in magestones so they could not be used again.

Particular war criminals, both gods and mages were also bound in magestones to appease both sides and as a reminder so that a war on this scale would never happen again.

In exchange for the mages giving up large portions of their magic, the gods who fought in the war agreed to leave the mortal plane and return back to their home planes. While in their home planes they can only help their followers indirectly, I.e. creating bonds that are incredibly weak due to the long distance.

Modern Day

So in the modern day the magestones are well established. Mages are taught about the magic restrictions and a few horror stories of people who tried to perform that magic and were absorbed into the magestones. There are a few magestones in Zairel that come up in the Xaeren WIP which is fun.

There are a couple of occasions of gods breaking their pacts and entering the mortal plane and one instance of a god breaking out from a magestone. (He is trapped again eventually, this starts the mist war.) —————————————————————————

Hope you liked the PAGES of lore. There is more but this was already the longest tumblr post I have ever made so that will have to wait.

Tagging the Tag List~ which is new for me:

@thelovelymachinery, @an-indecisive-nerd, @the-letterbox-archives, @oliolioxenfreewrites and @winvyre

[starsfic]

Scooby Doo: Together Forever

The adult Scooby Doo idea I mentioned starting discussing with @vegalocity

After years and years of making their name known through mystery solving, brushes with the supernatural, and gaining top marks in their college classes, Mystery Incorporated heads back home to Cool Crystal, Florida, for summer break. It's nice to unwind and charge the batteries at home...

Until summer is over, and they are unable to leave.

Old mysteries will be uncovered, and the perfect skin of Cool Crystal will be ripped apart as Mystery Incorporated tries to break free, helped by allies like the DJ Angel Dynamite, ex-Manticore Marcie, and the mysterious Mr. E.

Characters below:

Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated's heart, Scooby has a big heart, a bigger stomach, and an even bigger talent in magic. He serves as Shaggy's familiar and seems to have a magical history of his own. Despite his easily spooked nature, Scooby is determined to protect his friends, his family, no matter the cost.

Shaggy Rogers- 23, majoring in cooking/athletics/zoology: Shaggy is the jack of all trades in the gang and the strongest. He specializes in cooking and kitchen magic, and his powers possibly stem from a family history of magic. He started learning magic after the werewolf incident and flourished with Velma's help. Despite being easily scared and distracted by his stomach, Shaggy loves the gang and will make sure they all survive this.

Daphne Blake- 22, majoring in semiotics/molecular neurobiology: Daphne was a normal wealthy heiress until a demon broke into her home in hopes of stealing her pure soul as a child. Now, Daphne trains in various athletics, hoping one day to take revenge for the death of her mother, having trained her body to actually be able to punch ghosts. She's also the smartest emotionally-wise, actually taking the steps to admit her love for all of the gang.

Freddy Jones- 22, majoring in engineering: Freddy is the himbo of the group and serves as the group's shield- to the point of jumping in front of the gang to protect them from anything, whether ghost or actual person. The ghost thing seems to not be a problem for some unknown reason. Still, he's never seen without his lucky ascot, something enchanted by the rest of the gang. He can also talk about traps all day long if you give him the chance.

Velma Dinkley- 20 (about to turn 21), majoring in criminology/history/etc.: For years, Velma claimed to never believe. However, years of running into various supernatural phenomena have caused her to believe and start training. Thanks to long hours in the library, avoiding the rest of the town as the main source of gossip, Velma can find any book and shares its knowledge with Shaggy. She's also the only one willing in the gang to put on a mask herself.

Other characters-

Mr. Blake- Daphne's father who has spent his life in a mental health ward after the violent death of his wife. He claims to have visions of Cool Crystal burning, so many dead, and over it all... Scooby. Doctors believe that he isn't helped by his room sitting next to Pericles' cell.

Mrs. Dinkley: Velma's suffocating mother, Angie, has long believed in ghosts, to the point of creating an entire business out of the various supernatural phenomena that haunt the town. However, even if she's willing to drag dirty secrets out for money, she has her own secrets.

Angel Dynamite: The town DJ, Angel has provided a safe space for the kids- specifically Velma- since middle school. While she holds many secrets, including how she learned to throw CDs like throwing stars, she has none that she's willing to endanger the kids with.

Marcie Fleach- Velma's former science fair rival, Marcie has developed a strong friendship with Velma and the gang to the point of a mutual crush. She attends online college as an engineering major, having stayed in town to help her dad with their amusement park. Although she doesn't believe in the supernatural yet, she is more than willing to help Shaggy with taste-testing.

Sheriff Stone- The town's sheriff. Also an idiot.

Ed Machine- The CEO of the biggest company in town, Destroido Corp., Machine stays stone-faced throughout everything, even as he serves as an errand boy.

Amelia- A newcomer to Cool Crystal, Amelia has supposedly moved in order to serve as the new head of security of Destroido Corp. She's much nicer to the gang than her stonewalling boss, willing to help them in solving mysteries and turn a blind eye when they sneak in.

Mr. E- A mysterious supplier of clues and hints as the gang learns about the dark secrets of Cool Crystal. He planned to play the gang like chess pieces, but he was unprepared for the weirdness of this group of kids.

Professor Pericles- Pericles has admitted to having caused the disappearance of a group of kids in order to gain "knowledge." He's known to be sadistic, willing to cause whatever harm he needs in order to reach his mysterious goals. The gang provides a way to both reach Mr. E and find information while he is locked up.

Nidhogg- A mysterious spirit, Nidhogg seems to be very interested in the mystery in the city's heart. He's calm and manipulative, bordering on gentle for the gang, whispering in their ears, unlike E and Pericles' blatant power struggle.

[thenewfuture]

chapter 2 of DT has ended what do you think of the last episode

Okay, let's finally get to it and end this thing!

We've confirmed that Ace was the culprit last episode and we've also found out that this final episode was going to be 27 minutes long. Shorter than the trial episodes but clearly longer than what many would think it to be.

Well first is the voting and to no surprise, it is indeed Ace-

Who voted for Teruko? Was it David? I bet it was David :P

And speaking of David!

Right?! I never get over how certain blackeneds talk about murder being wrong with everyone, knowing damn well they did it.

The relationship Ace and Levi had this entire chapter is truly sad when you think about it. Ace was upset with Levi for even threatening his life in the last chapter whule Levi has been trying to repair that relationship ever since, but Ace has been seemingly wanting to murder someone since the start of this chapter. They've both been hurt by the revelation of each other, yet at the same time are still trying to keep the image of the other in a good and positive light. "Doomed Yaoi", is what I think they call this.

But it appears Teruko has an idea that might just save them.

And I mean.....Teruko's logic isn't exactly.....wrong? What does a blackened have left to lose at this point? And it hasn't been confirmed at this point if MonoTV had any replacements or copies like Monokuma. Well we the audience know this is a fruitless effort, but the cast doesn't.

Then we get another animated cut-scene! The Dev is putting some serious work out here and I will appreciate it. But still there's no way Ace is ever going to-

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

GET FUCKED YOU STUPID TV HEADED BITCH! OH YOUR DAD COULD NEVER! MONOKUMA WOULD NEVER LET THIS HAPPEN TO HIM! WHERE'S YOUR DEFENSES, YOUR SPEARS, YOUR PROTOCOLS?!

Damn. I would have never, NEVER, guessed something like that would happen. Hoo boy! .....well sadly we all know how this goes.

This doesn't work, and MonoTV springs back to life. With a new voice as well. This is either some really good range by the VA, or its someone else entirely. And I could swear it sounds almost like Teruko....Hmm... I could be looking too much into this. Anyways, after that...

Oh hey, is that the rule Bubbles and Poi were talking about? I still have no idea what episode it gets brought up in. Well it looks like it's paying off now.

But MonoTV attempts to punish Teruko and everyone is trying to convince Teruko to run and hide but she is unfazed and unmoving. Calling back to Chapter 1 where Xander stabbed her and Teruko claimed that she cannot be killed, no matter what. She seems completely sure about her luck in these types of situations. So where does this put her on the luck power scale? Kinda the same as Nagito, right? But just how is she going to survive this-

LEVI AGAIN! YOU TOOK THE HIT FROM THE SPEARS IN THE PROLOGUE AND NOW THIS! WHY ARE YOU A LITERAL GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT? I CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE OF THIS!

But he is alive. Barely, but alive nonetheless. However, no one can leave quite yet. Ace still has an execution to get through. And so, with a heavy heart, and scarred out of his wits. Ace demands MonoTV to execute him to get it over with so everyone can save Levi. And onto that execution.

Thanatophobia: the fear of dying.

This execution is pretty unique in the sense that it's not about Ace's talent, but rather his personality. I can only name a hand few of executions that do this sort of thing, and it makes so much more sense. All Ace has been talking about is that he's scared of death, he doesn't want to die and this execution has him face those fears personally. Death by illnesses. Death by fire. Death by drowning, getting hit by a car, falling, lighting. And finally, all that fear and anxiety caused him to have a heart attack. Ace's fear of dying finally caught up to him. It's incredibly sad. Not so fun fact is that if you notice is that certain sprites have Ace clenching his heart. Probably not from theatrics, but because he could feel the pain his heart and could tell he was indeed going to die soon. It was all a matter of time.

And adding on to this is that fact that STILL, no one cared about Ace to react to his death. I know they were all in agreement that the second it ends to get Levi help, but the only one that had any reaction or acknowledgement of it...WAS VERONIKA!

(Please stay away from me at all times...)

The elevators open and everyone gets on, save for Teruko who uses this time to talk to MonoTV and essentially....vent.

If there's one thing that Chapter 2 has made evidently clear, is that Teruko wants to trust in others. Try as she might to push others away, she still holds a lot of baggage. All stemming from her and her luck ability. At one point in her life just accepted it. She accepted all the shortcomings her luck gave her and that included the death that came with it. Whether it be from Teruko miraculously surviving events that should have killed her, or the death of others close to her such as her family like her secret claimed

Attachments bring pain, and Teruko never wants to feel that pain again. But all it's doing is making the pain worse. Chapter 1 showed what happened when Teruko was all trusting, this chapter showed what happened when Teruko wasn't trusting, and now she's worse for wear because of it.

Balance. There needs to be a balance.

And with that. The chapter comes to a close. And Teruko sits there at the trial grounds....all alone in the darkness....

........

.....Hoo boy, this chapter sure was all over the place, huh?

From secret guessing, to attempted murders, theories about swapping victims, and how Teruko would react to it all. Needless to say it kept a lot of people guessing. But I think that's good. One of the themes of this chapter; in my opinion, is the price of what happens when assume someone. Many assumed Levi was an all around upstanding fellow, when in reality he was an uncaring and antisocial criminal. Many assumed Nico was just the sweetest thing and couldn't hurt a fly, and then they nearly murdered Ace. Many assumed was too stupid to think of a murder plan this thought out, and well he did! Almost all of the cast assumed David was this upstanding and good moral-ed fellow, and then he....okay he's a whole new can of worms, but you get the point right?

But you may be thinking, well doesn't this mean you should stay away from everyone entirely. No. Of course not. That what Teruko had to learn this chapter. That's exactly why you hang around people, to know them. Even in a situation like this. I think Teruko finally got that point, or at the very least a part of it and hopefully that'll continue going on into the next chapter.

While it will be another long while before Chapter 3, or even any other bonus content we may get from this series. It's evidently clear that the Dev put a LOT of work into this second half alone, and needs an understandably well deserved break.

So until that time comes, I'll still be here doing my own thing. And hopefully you guys will enjoy that. I'll see you around!

-Mod

[4ce-of-2pades-inkwell]

I’ve been watching/listening to those SCP videos on YouTube while I draw Cuphead stuff, so it was only a matter of time before I came up with a crossover AU:

Dr. Manuel Animi is a young but talented scientist rising up through the SCP Foundation. He has a particular interest, fascination, obsession even, with SCPs that break the laws of reality, or that are beyond comprehension. Merely out of scientific curiosity, of course, nothing more... He spent many years working with eldritch beings such as… well, I can’t remember any off the top of my head, but things along the lines of what Cthulhu was expected to be, not his SCP reality. Dr. Animi had a better capacity than most for withstanding the dangerously incomprehensible, a mental tolerance for things that would drive an average person to insanity, but he was still human, and many times was affected to the degree of needing prolonged therapy or even intense medical treatment to recover. He would always return to his work with a passion as soon as possible, but eventually he was banned from working with any SCP classified as a significant mental hazard. His superiors claimed he had reached the lifetime exposure limit that was protocol (similarly to scientists working with radiation), and they cited his hair, which had changed from red to pure white as a result of the horrors he had seen, as proof he had been at this long enough to be at risk of permanent mental damage. They claimed his relocation to other SCPs was for his own safety, and that they did not want to lose such a bright scientist, but this was a lie. In truth, Dr. Animi’s obsession with these eldritch beings and mind-breaking ideas concerned them. They saw a high probability that Dr. Animi would not stay content with his permitted research, and would attempt to use the anomalies for his own purposes, becoming a threat. In short, he liked his work too much. If he had refused the ban on his area of study, he would have been deemed too far under its thrall, and would have been terminated. So Dr. Animi now works with other anomalies, though is not satisfied with his current work, and is biding his time for an opportunity to reenter his preferred field.

Chase Animi is a gambler. Addicted to it. This has caused him to go deep into debt, and in and out of prison. Any attempt to keep a job or build any kind of stable life is sabotaged by this addiction. He’s miserable, but he can’t stop. He falls in with shady crowds trying to pay back the money he owes, starts conning people for their cash, gets caught and put in jail again. He is not having a great time. One night, a bar fight gets a little too heated, and results in three men dead by Chase’s hand. If this isn’t enough of a crime to earn a death penalty, then he somehow does something else to earn his sentence. He ends up a D-class at the SCP Foundation. He is given cleaning duty for The Sculpture for several months, and as all goes to plan during that time, he survives without incident. Soon though, he is sent in to observe an SCP that affects a person’s mind—though he doesn’t know that yet. This is where he first interacts with Dr. Animi, who has just convinced the higher-ups that he should be allowed to study mind-altering SCPs again, if only ones of significantly less power and danger to himself. Chase doesn’t recognize the scientist that happens to share his name. But Dr. Animi recognizes him.

They’re twin brothers.

The two had parted ways years ago after an argument. Manuel had just joined the SCP Foundation as a scientist, and tried to convince Chase to apply as well, so they could stick together. Chase was furious with Manuel for wanting to retreat from society into a group of crazy all-powerful scientists, and for not telling him sooner that he was planning this. Chase wanted nothing to do with the Foundation or any organization like it. Manuel warned Chase that if he didn’t join the Foundation in some way, he would have to be given amnestics to forget its existence. Chase said that was fine by him, and that if Manuel wanted to leave him so badly, then he would be more than happy to forget his brother entirely. So Manuel, also caught up in anger, did exactly as he asked, erasing any trace of himself from Chase’s mind and leaving his brother for good, devoting his life entirely to the Foundation. Chase’s life, meanwhile, fell into disarray. It is possible that the careful amputation of such a constant presence in every single one of Chase’s memories negatively altered his mind in such a way that predisposed him to his addiction. With the sudden lack of something he had depended on all his life, he needed to depend on something else…

Dr. Animi recalled Chase from his current assignment before its effects could take a stronger hold, and through application of his recent research, was able to produce a near-total recovery. Dr. Animi then told Chase that they were brothers, and explained what had happened to cause his amnesia about their shared past. Chase was furious with Dr. Animi for destroying his memories of him, and disgusted that he would not only commit unethical experimentation, but do it to his own brother. Chase refused to speak to Dr. Animi further, but Dr. Animi still wanted to help Chase. He knew there were a few rare cases of D-class not only surviving their ordeals, but being allowed to reenter society and live ordinary lives. Only a handful of cases, out of innumerable casualties, but if Dr. Animi played his cards right, he could save Chase.

There was an SCP that had been discovered earlier that year (let’s say this takes place in 1973 I guess), SCP-666. That one that tempts people with addictions. Very few D-class had been tested with it so far, and all had died as a result of succumbing to their addictions, but Dr. Animi had a theory about the nature of SCP-666, and he was going to bet his brother’s life on it. He contacted the team studying SCP-666 and recommended Chase as a test subject, highlighting the strong gambling addiction that had been the root cause of every crime Chase had ever committed. The team had tested subjects with substance addictions, but had yet to try addictions of any other nature. They accepted Chase as their next subject.

Dr. Animi insisted on being the one to deliver the D-class to his destination. Chase refused to speak to him, but Dr. Animi whispered that he was doing everything he could to save Chase’s life. This was his best chance at not only survival, but escape. If Dr. Animi was right, SCP-666 was not a death sentence, but a test. Any D-class subjected to it who was not already an addict had seen no ill effects—666 did not compel a person to act against their will, at behaviors that were not their own, but merely encouraged existing addiction until it reached the point of death. If Chase could resist 666’s temptations, he may be released alive, and in order to study the long-term effects on his addiction, Chase would need to be introduced back into the wider world, where he could be monitored in his natural environment with its usual available temptations. Dr. Animi would convince the Foundation, somehow, that Chase could not be exposed to any other SCP without destroying a valuable research subject. All Chase needed to do was not die from SCP-666. An even more difficult task, as there was not much opportunity to gamble in containment, and Chase was feeling withdrawal. Dr. Animi had a theory, but the facts (which Chase was not supposed to be told) said that everyone who had faced this SCP had died. So why not live it up one last time before he went? What did he have to lose? What did he have to go back to? And yet, this addiction had destroyed his entire life. If he was going to meet his end… what if he could win, just once, over that all-consuming force? Win something not through luck, but through skill, through willpower?

Well, he’s going to try. He doesn’t anticipate an outcome where he survives. He’s not doing this because he believes he’ll be freed, in any sense of the word. He’s doing this to spit in the face of 666-1, and prove to himself that he has control in his life, even if that life is about to end.

Also, there’s one last thing you should know about Chase. See, that mind-altering SCP he did a brief stint with? Well, I looked pretty unassuming. Just a plain white cup sitting on a table. Chase didn’t know what he was supposed to be looking for. And he certainly didn’t realize when he started talking about me in the first person. My effects can end pretty badly for those exposed. Usually, they end up drowning themselves, often with tea. But Dr. Animi caught Chase’s symptoms early, and managed to talk him out of being a danger to himself. He was unable to be convinced that he was not, in fact, a cup like me, but Dr. Animi twisted this belief into something safer. Chase had arms and legs, right? And eyes and a nose and a mouth? He repeated this often, making Chase locate these attributes on himself, until he finally believed it to be true. He was a person, who had different needs than a cup. But he was also a cup, there was no talking him out of that. Dr. Animi could only do so much. Instead, he worked with Chase to develop a persona that became his new self-image, a persona that was, of course, still a cup, but functioned a lot more like a human. Chase once again understood himself to need sleep and food and air, and to be susceptible to death under many conditions that an average non-person cup would thrive in. And despite an insistence that his hair be constantly damp with tea or milk or coffee, Chase was deemed able to live normally again, thanks to a little outside-the-box thinking on Dr. Animi’s part. After all, Dr. Animi understood that you don’t necessarily have to see the world in a way that makes sense to anyone else to live a good life. You don’t have to be one hundred percent “sane.” Sometimes your life can even be better if you let yourself go a little crazy…

[tavyliasin]

A Prequel? Haarlep, is that you?...

Hello darlings~ I have landed where all writers who love Haarlep end up eventually, imagining their first meeting with Raphael, how they came to be in the cambion's service, what they were like before taking his form. Both are probably around 120 years old, so they are well established in their own rights, but by their races' standards they are young and inexperienced. I'm only half working on this between my request list for now, because the idea won't let me go, but have a few little previews below the cut, including a version of their appearance that a very talented Tav-maker has made with their lovely mods~ Other renditions of them based on my imagined description are more than welcome, I do very much enjoy seeing different interpretations. Preview below the cut! If you'd rather wait for the first chapter to drop, give me a few more days while I work on a few deadline pieces ahead of event exchanges and I'll publish it on AO3 <3

The first appearance of the un-named incubus.

A young fiend stood before a glimmering doorway, uncertain of when precisely they were meant to cross the threshold. They were dressed in a black silk outfit that gave them an appearance of masculine androgyny. Dark tan skin and bright green eyes might have looked human, if it weren’t for the 4 short horns protruding from their brow, slightly parting black hair that cascaded down their back and over their shoulders almost blending with the silks they wore. The other tells of their demonic nature were more obvious, however. Huge wings with blackened edges, claws at the tip, coloured in sunset hues of red and gold stretched out behind them, quivering with nervous anticipation. A long tail with an arrow-tip end pawed at the ground behind them, kicking up a little infernal ash. All they carried was the clothing they wore and the instructions they had been given. A simple enough task, and they were hardly inexperienced, but their first meetings were usually within a dream. Subtly watching their target, learning their desires and their fears, finding every intimate secret they hid in their subconscious before they would ever appear before them physically. They sighed. They didn’t even have a name to bring with them. Whatever it was had been taken, a simple exchange for a promised reward. “Let him name you,” the instructions had been clear, “let him do as he wishes. Get close, learn all you can, and deliver it back to me. You are no fool, incubus, and neither is he. But play the game well, and you will have the life of your dreams in the end. A home all of your own, whatever meals you desire delivered to your door, complete power over the domain I shall grant you.” It was tempting. It would be tempting to any incubus or succubus. They also couldn’t deny a small amount of pride at having been chosen. It sounded like the advances of succubi had already been rejected, so they relished the thought of a challenge. Besides, the son of Mephistopheles was hardly without any power of his own. They took a deep breath, steeling their nerves before they stepped through the portal.  ------------

The sass starts early with this one...

The cambion put his feet on the floor and straightened up the papers, putting them in a neat stack on the table. He stood, walking towards the invited invader in his home, stalking around them to observe and assess them. “I’m not a piece of meat, Raphael.” They stood still nonetheless, allowing him to pace and take in all of their form. They flexed their wings and tail to put on more of a show. “Do you like what you see?~” “Passable.” The cambion grunted, the highest praise he had given any attempt yet. “And good you finally recognise your master’s name. So, why are you here?” “You know that much. Your dear father sent me. You are well aware that many of your kind take ours as advisors, partners in pleasure, or allies for whatever purposes you might have for our abilities.” The incubus grinned, the hint of slightly sharpened teeth glinting in the light as they looked down on the smaller human form of their supposed master. “You’re a spy.” Raphael said simply. “Obviously.” They replied, pleased that they were not being expected to work for a complete fool. “Do you wish to refuse me? Send me back?” “Honesty is a commodity that few of your kind trade in. You may stay. However, ground rules must be set.” He turned to walk away, beckoning for them to follow. “Come.” “Already?” The incubus laughed at their own humour. “It takes more than that, Raphael.” 

-----

The First Rendering of The Presently Un-Named Incubus

Lore Time

The description, appearance, and other details I'm using here are all from established lore for an incubus in 5e. The main source is an article titled for the succubus, but they are very similar beings. Click here for Incubus/Succubus Lore In the article there's a lot of binary gender talk and heteronormativity which irritates me, so I'll also be taking the literal latin descriptions here: Incubus - To lie on top of Succubus - To lie below Concubus - To lie beside (The literal Top/bottom/vers, where a Top gives, bottom receives, and vers is either. As an aside, this is not the same as Dom/sub/switch, as you can have a sub Top and a Dom bottom) From this line: "Legend held that incubi and succubi were wholly separate sexes,[1] and the males were significantly rarer than the female of their kind.[5][6] In fact, with their shapechanging powers, incubi and succubi could both change their sex with ease, though most had a preference for one or the other." I headcanon that Haarlep feels more comfortable in a masculine or androgynous form, but has no issue taking a feminine form or body. However their attitude to gender in general remains "stop boring me with the details and tell me what you desire, all that matters is pleasure. Gender is a boring mortal construct. My nature is an incubus, my form is immaterial." So the article also shows that incubi and succubi also have a more human range of skin tones, much smaller horns than cambions, and the distinct pointed triangle at the end of their tails - something which isn't present in Haarlep's scenes when he's in Raphael's form. I'll definitely go into more detail on these things later too, particularly the changing of forms for the first time.

This is an incubus from the lore page images, so you can see a difference between this and a cambion's fully reddened look. They are much closer to a human in all but the wings, tail, and horns. So that's where I'm leaning with dear Haarls, before they take the form of Raphael.

What about Raphael? What is he like now?

Well...he's younger. Not long taken ownership of the mansion that will later be known as the House of Hope. --- Quote --- Fine leather boots paced across stone floors, the click of heels echoing around the halls of the largely empty mansion that floated through Avernus. It was a start. A place of his own, somewhere to work with his own contracts and plans. The owner of the boots was a cambion, son of Mephistopheles, and already a powerful fiend in his own right. Raphael, if you were to ask a mortal, looked like a human in his mid 20s. Chestnut hair was swept back neatly from his brow, the ends curling a little just below his shoulders. His brown eyes were deep set but sparkled with ideas, face clean shaven and expression darkening by the moment. --- End Quote --- So as you see, Raphael is still finding his feet, working out the beginnings of far grander plans. He has already rejected several "gifts" sent his way, so that's why our dear incubus is nervous. They have to work to get his attention and approval, but they're not sacrificing everything of who they are to do so. As soon as I wrote the two of them in a room together again, it was flowing. I love their dynamic as they exist in my head, the push and pull, the absolute sass and shifting of power between them. I'm going to lean heavily on how this builds up, how they find the balance that leads to where they are in my game-era works with them.

Is this all an excuse for more Raphael and Haarlep? A self indulgent dive through their history just to keep writing their stories?

...Yes. I'm not sorry. I earned this. I love them both too much. I hope you'll join me in my endless adoration for the very best of fiends~ I can't wait to share the first chapter and begin proper work on the series in 2024!

[childotkw]

(omg sorry for the long post!!)

I have this fanfic idea in my head for years now and it is one of them i often fantasize about (yea i have many different ones. i just let them play in my head like a movie while staring into space or while listening to music) but anyway, sometimes harry is a boy but most time hes a girl version. He/she has this mad talent about getting in and out of any situation or place she needs to. He/she has this shady business where she steals for clients in exchange for money, or sometimes for pleasure because hes a bloody magpie and likes shiny things. The harder the mission the more she likes it (danger junky). I even imagined his/her apartments/hide-out place in great details (and the booby traps). Anyway, the ministry is under Voldemorts control, under guise as Minister Riddle. He gets involved in trying to trap her/him after she manages to sneak into his mansion (and skillfully avoids all the detection tools) and she robs his ring, escapes right under his nose too... (She has no clue that she robbed from a dark lord yet, that wasnt in her extensive research). That moment is when his obsession starts. She is already wanted by the ministry but he now gets involved. I have this scene where he lays a trap and she is in his grasp however she uses the ring as a bartering chip for her freedom (she thought she might have to use it when she realised a dark lord was after her). She placed it in a dangerous place surrounded by enemies, a place only she can sneak into but something goes wrong cos theres a rat in voldemorts inner circle and she gets caught. Before getting caught she manages to send the ring to him but he still decides to get her out of there and gets into full murder/war scene (he wanted to get rid of this group of enemies anyway). Shes pissed of. She could have gotten herself out even after the torture sessions, thank you very much. 😂 Anyway a fic full of (sexual or other) tension between the two, trying to get one over the other. A lot of wump, vulnerability, power play, childhood trauma, inner demons ect.. Theres so much more but ye, sorry, just felt like sharing and see where u go off on this haha, cos ur brain is super interesting and i never had the skill to write something even if i have so many ideas. Mind you, i tried starting on my own novel but im just not a writer, if something could just take it straight from my brain to paper, that would be awesome 😂😂😂 (futur AI?? Haha) xxx

(Imma borrow a concept from American Gods for this because it's too good not to!)

When Harry is four she finds a coin on the ground. It's gold, and shiny and to a little girl it's the prettiest thing she’s ever seen. So she picks it up and puts it in her pocket - and it's the best decision she ever made.

Because her pretty little trinket is, not that she knows it at that point, a leprechaun's coin. Imbued with pure luck, this little coin changes her life, and brings with it certain traits.

A need for mischief, the ability to come out of any situation on top, a love for all things shiny. And that combination, introduced to someone so young, well...it's only natural that Harry would grow a taste for thievery.

Years fly by and Harry, with her lucky coin held close, begins to gain a reputation as someone who can get in and out of impossible situations, in and out of impenetrable places, and collect valuable items. She can't help herself - it's almost an addiction, and no one is better than her.

Her current wanted poster - no image, because she's too lucky for that - is framed on the wall of her hideout.

Harry never turns down an interesting job, so when someone asks her to break into Minister Riddle's house and steal some documents, she agrees because why wouldn't she? Riddle's a dick of a politician, and Harry might not be heavily involved in the politics of her country but she gets a special kind of joy from fucking over assholes.

She breaks into his house, grabs the documents, and on her way out she sees a ring. It's gaudy, truly a hideous thing, but Harry wants it.

So she takes it.

How was she to know that that ring would be the thing that brings down the full attention of the Minister on her? How was she to know that her dickhead of a Minister was actually a fucking Dark Lord and petty as shit.

Harry likes a challenge but she likes living more - and something tells her that even with her lucky coin, she wouldn't come out of that fight unscathed.

And so begins their dance. Harry on the run, Riddle at her heels, back and forth, up and down, the two of them circling each other like cats.

Riddle's growing obsession with the person clever and quick enough to outmanoeuvre him.

Harry's addiction to adrenaline making her take more risks.

This is the most fun either of them have had in years.

[k-s-morgan]

︎This is the first time ever I'm writing to a writer as I'm a lil anxious about my English. But after many years of reading your flawless work (TGSTLTH), I really couldn't hold myself anymore; if I stay silent one more second, I'm going to explode from repressed emotions.XD

I'm absolutely going crazy over your storytelling. I think nobody -and I do mean NOBODY- was this close to perfection with the characterization of Sebastian and Ciel. It's like you are working together with Yana herself. You've really managed to catch every aspect of their relationship that made this whole storyline (manga and anime) the way it's been, which seems to be the entire reason why I still can't get over Kuroshitsuji. It's just so dark and dramatic... the bitter power struggle between these two and the way they compete for control —which is pretty entertaining to see when you think about it because both parties are unable to maintain any type of control or authority over the other.

From what I see, this fandom has mixed feelings about S2 of the anime. Some love it, some ignore its whole existence, and some people are okay with it. Unfortunately, I'm the second one. I like the story arcs that are canon to the manga. When I first started to read TGSTLTH, I really thought that fanfic would follow the storyline without S2 in it since you reflect the complexity of the bond they share as a human and demon so prettily. I've always wondered if Ciel, as-twelve-years-old brat, managed to become Sebastian's living hell, how much of a pain in the ass he would be as he grows older. And the plot has several unresolved mysteries that have not been addressed yet. That's why I'm not a big fan of S2; it closes off all the possible ways this story can go as its ending. However, you are the only one who could warm me up to S2; I trust you.

I read the snippets. It was surprising to see Ciel doubting his appearance. I was questioning whether his look-alike was truly superior or if it was just the circumstances influencing his perception. I feel like it's mainly his fear of not being good enough for Sebastian to stay. Which explains his continuous freak-out about the possibility of his soul being unworthy. And I clearly remember Sebastian thinking, "The boy wasn't nearly as pretty" upon seeing him.

Your talent is exceptional and beyond comparison. Please never stop writing. Stay safe...❤❤

B.

Ps. If my English is difficult to read or understand, please feel free to ignore this.

Hi! Please don't worry, your English is absolutely fine! I'm so happy you've been enjoying Those Gentle Slopes so much, and I'm honored that you feel like I did justice to Ciel and Sebastian. They are my favorite characters, and Ciel is probably my most favorite character ever, across all fandoms, so I really treasure the chance to work with them and get such lovely feedback from other readers.

With S2, yes, it created a lot of controversy in the fandom, but also yes, I love it with my whole heart! I always call it a love letter from Sebastian to Ciel. I do have some issues with it, like the exccessive sexualization in general and of Hannah in particular - it feels just awkward sometimes, but the main plot and especially the resolution make me ridiculously happy.

I agree that the bond between a demon and a human is fascinating. I enjoy exploring it a lot, and I so look forward to all the adventures Ciel and Sebastian will have. But I also think that it cannot go on like this forever: even if Ciel got older, sooner or later, something wuld have to give. He'd either die from old age, which would feel like a very underwhelming ending to me, or Sebastian would eat his soul likepromised - but then I'm sure we'd have ended up with the Red Valentine development, where he's lonely, miserable, and missing Ciel. The idea of Ciel becoming a demon in a way that puts such a strain on his relationship with Sebastian - it's like a new life for their bond. So many new conflicts and possibilities could emerge from it - new settings, new events, new power struggles. If you stick around, I really hope you'll like it! And I really appreciate your trust.

And yes, you're absolutely right, Ciel is prettier than his look-alike (at least from how I envision it). Sebastian probably overestimates the difference between them a bit because he's biased in Ciel's favor while Ciel is freaking out because he's been feeling insecure and unworthy for a while at this point, and learning about Sebastian's second contract was just the last blow. These two idiots…

Thank you for your wonderful ask again! I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

[aylacavebear]

She Thought She was Normal

Story Summary: Maria really thought she was normal, for most of her life. It was normal for people to have natural talent, she would tell herself the older she got. Many things came easy for her, and that was probably how their rivalry began when she was five and he was seven and she met the Winchesters. Little did either of them know that it wouldn't stay like that forever, both having a far larger destiny than they could imagine

Word Count: 4403

Please don't take my work. I'll post warnings for each chapter. May have future SMUT 18+!

Warnings: (SPS), Angst, Fluff (some)

----------------------------------------- Chapter 24 - Apple Pie

“It’s been a while,” Mari told her.

Maria looked around. She was at the lake again and, for a moment, confused as she turned around to look over at her. She’d completely forgotten that she had read the last line in the book or why she was back here.

“You had a question for me?” Mari asked her, seeing her confusion, “I’m guessing you found it, the necklace.” She couldn’t tell her that she had guided Dean to find the box with the file in it.

That brought the things from earlier in the day flooding back to her mind. Dean had completely distracted her, and she blushed a little, “Uh, yeah. My uncle, he wanted me to talk to you before I put it on. So, um, what is it, other than just a necklace?” she asked, sitting on the rock she usually did.

Mari joined her, and the two looked at each other, “It’s my necklace. I made it a long, long time ago, putting half of my grace into it. Kind of like a safe where people put money. I did that so I could hide easier. Dim my light, so to speak,” she explained.

She tilted her head a bit as Mari spoke, “So… it’s safe for me to wear?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mari chuckled a little, “Yes. It’s safe for you to wear. Just know, though, that once you put it on, you’ll absorb the grace that’s in it,” she warned.

“Is that bad?” Maria asked, now wondering if it was such a good idea.

Mari sighed but smiled softly as she looked at her daughter, “Bad, no, but…,” she paused momentarily, “... it could cause your powers to happen easier, faster than they are,” she warned.

“Oh, so it’s kind of like, wear it at my own risk, sort of thing?” she asked, and Mari nodded. Maria thought for a moment and looked down at the ground. So many things ran through her mind and she had no idea where even to start.

“I’m glad you and Dean are together,” Mari told her softly, a smile to match.

Maria blushed and looked up at her, slightly shocked,” How do you even know that?” she asked, somewhat worried how much she’d either seen or knew about.

Mari chuckled, “I told you. I looked through the timelines a long time ago. Don’t worry, though, I didn’t look at the intimate stuff.”

She sighed, relieved, and looked around the area, thinking, “So, what’s manipulating them, the boys?” she finally asked.

Mari sighed and looked out across the lake, “I’m not one hundred percent sure. I could only look so far in the timeline without risking being noticed. All I know is that whatever it is, it’s strong, and powerful,” she paused for a moment, “Your hunting days aren’t over yet, neither are the boys, and Jess isn’t safe yet either.”

Maria groaned a bit before she stood up to stretch a little. Then she looked out across the lake. There was that peaceful feeling again. She watched the small ripples in the water that the gentle breeze brought, “How do I save them?” she asked quietly.

Mari smiled a little, still not looking over at her, “You already are. When you let Sam and Jess help you and be there for you, then when you made amends with your Uncle. Letting John move in and helping him and Sam bridge the gap and let things go,” she explained softly. Then she looked over at her, adoration in her eyes, “The biggest one, though, was when you let Dean in, let him get close to you, let him love you.”

She felt goosebumps run down her body. Maria knew Dean liked her, a lot, but the thought of him loving her hadn’t even crossed her mind. Mari saw the wheels turning in her mind and let her piece the puzzle together on her own. Moments from the last week played through her mind as she stared off across the lake at nothing in particular. His kindness, his patience, and then there was the way he looked at her. She inhaled a shaky breath.

“You really have had him since apple pie,” Mari told her.

Maria looked down at her, furrowing her brow in confusion, “I still don’t know what that means,” she replied, frustrated.

Mari just smiled as she stood up and placed her first two fingers on Maria’s forehead, and the entire scene changed. They were standing beside each other on the far side of her uncle’s kitchen. Her father, uncle, and John were sitting at the kitchen table. She looked around the room, puzzled at the site, then saw herself, only she was younger, and Sam was by her. Then she saw Dean standing in the opening between the kitchen and living room.

“Who’s memory is this?” Maria asked her.

“Deans. Just watch,” she replied.

Maria focused her attention on Dean. He was sixteen, just standing there, staring at her and Sammy. The adults were talking, but the topic wasn’t important. He was watching her younger self interact with his brother. She saw what he did and almost felt what he was feeling. There was the light and how it danced over her features, the smell of the apple pies that her younger self turned to put on the counter. After she set them on the counter, there was a moment where he saw her almost as an angel with how the scene framed itself for him. Maria felt her heart pounding in her chest.

“Apple pie…” she whispered as a small smile formed, her expression soft.

“He loves you, you know. He has, for a long time,” Mari told her.

She saw it in his eyes in the memory, and she took a shaky breath before Mari returned them to the lake. She quickly sat down on the rock again, not trusting her legs to hold her upright. Mari sat down next to her and put her hand on her shoulder, smiling a bit, “Are you ready, to work on your powers?” she asked.

Maria took a deep, shaky breath, then let it out slowly, “Thank you, for showing me that. The last couple of weeks make more sense now,” she told her, needing a moment. She took several moments to come out of her thoughts before she looked over at Mari again, “What kind of powers do I have? I know you said I could do anything. I was just wondering if you could narrow it down a little, give me something to focus on,” she told her.

Mari smiled a little, “You can do all kinds of things. Flying, but it’s probably easier if you think of it as teleporting. You can create things out of thin air and take things out of existence. Heal not only yourself but also others and so much more,” she replied.

“Wow, that’s a lot,” she replied, a bit surprised, “Can I think it over? So much has happened, I just… I need some time.”

She smiled at Maria, “Then, it’s time to wake up,” she replied.

Her eyes opened to the room's darkness, “Cheater,” she mumbled under her breath as she stared at the ceiling. She felt Dean’s warmth against her and how his hold tightened a bit around her waist, causing her to smile a little. Maria looked up at him, setting her hand on his chest. He was still sound asleep and looked peaceful, “I love you too…” she whispered, almost inaudible, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat under her hand. The fear she had before was completely gone now, seeing what Mari had shown her. It had also allowed her to tear down the wall completely she’d put up to keep herself emotionally safe around him. A blanket of contentment washed over her as she snuggled up against him, nuzzling her head against his chest, under his chin. She felt him shift a little, getting more comfortable.

She lay there just taking in how it all felt, being in his arms, the warmth of his body, how he held her, how he was still sleeping peacefully, and then how she felt. Maria felt safe, and the more she thought about it, and let herself feel it, she felt loved. She drew invisible circles on his chest as she smiled softly. It was like she felt more at peace than she had in a long, long time before her mother had been killed.

Dean slowly opened his eyes. She was still there, in his arms, and he smiled a little. He slid his hand over her hip and to her back, breathing deeply, “Morning, sleepy head,” she told him softly.

“How long have you been awake?” he asked sleepily.

She shifted a little so she could look into his eyes, “A bit.”

He brought his hand up and gently moved some of her hair behind her ear as his eyes took in her appearance, “You seem fairly relaxed this morning,” he mused softly, gently caressing her cheek.

Maria smiled, a giddy schoolgirl sort of smile, “I am. I slept really well,” she replied.

“I’m sure you did,” he smirked.

“That’s not what I meant,” she giggled, remembering their night together, “No, I saw Zamariel last night in my dreams again. It went really well, and… I feel good this morning,” she explained.

“Oh,” he replied, his smile fading a little.

She realized how what she had said sounded and felt terrible instantly. “Dean, no, that’s not what I meant,” she said quickly, and then she just kissed him. 

Maria knew he wasn’t the best with words, so she just showed him. The kiss was gentle, intimate, and loving as she touched his cheek. He had felt like she had dismissed the night before, like it hadn’t meant that much, or her dream somehow meant more. But when she kissed him like she did, it all washed away, and he kissed her back, closing his eyes and pulling her close. It wasn’t heated, demanding, or needy. It was intimate, saying more than words either of them could speak. When the kiss broke between them, he leaned his forehead against hers, breathless but for a different reason.

She bit her lip as she looked into his eyes, “If I had known then… I would have gone to you when my dad passed. I wouldn’t have run and gone off on my own,” she told him quietly, yet softly, “Just know, I’ll never run like that again.”

His heart pounded, and he could only kiss her again. He wanted to tell her he loved her but let the kiss say what he couldn’t and knew she’d understand. Dean finally pulled back and smiled down at her, his hand still on her cheek. 

“You’re adorable,” she told him, smiling.

Dean blushed a little and was thankful the light was off, “So are you. We should probably get dressed, even if I could stay in bed with you all day,” he teased her playfully.

“Well, I can’t be quiet, and your room isn’t soundproof. That might be awkward later,” she giggled.

“How did I get so lucky?” he asked softly as he looked into her eyes.

She fought back another giggle, “You really should thank Jess for that one.”

“I’ll remember to do that,” he smirked.

Dean kissed her one more time before he finally got out of bed and turned on the light. It was only after eight, luckily. They both thought that it was later. She watched him as he dressed, admiring how his muscles moved, remembering the night before, and she bit her lip. He chuckled when he looked back over at her, then tossed the clothes she’d pulled out for after her shower the night before at her. She barely caught them before they hit her in the face. The energy between the two was playful and lighthearted. Both of them couldn’t stop smiling. 

She put on the sweatpants and t-shirt, leaving her hair a mess since her brush was in her room. They shared a few more kisses before they held hands and made their way to the kitchen for coffee, finding the others already awake and sitting around the table. 

“Don’t you two look adorable,” Sam teased them, causing Jess to chuckle a little.

“Thanks,” Maria said happily, still smiling as she went to grab her and Dean's cups.

He took them from her and poured them coffee before he handed one back to her. Bobby and John just looked at the two, raising an eyebrow. Bobby leaned back in his chair, wondering if he would ever get used to them being in a relationship, although he could see there was something special between them. John could see it, too. It reminded him of how he felt toward his deceased wife, Mary, and it brought joy to his heart to see both his sons experiencing that feeling. He thought neither of them would get it because they were raised as hunters. Dean and Maria sat down at the table, next to each other this time.

“So, did Mari say anything about that necklace?” Bobby asked her.

She looked over at him, “Yeah. She told me that it holds about half of her grace and that it’s safe for me to touch, but if I wear it, I’ll absorb her grace,” she explained.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Jess asked, slightly confused.

Maria looked over at her, “Grace is what celestial beings have. Technically, I have grace, but it goes beyond what angels have. It’s how the angels are connected to heaven and can use their powers. If their grace is stolen or they cut it out, they become human,” she explained.

“Sounds kinda painful,” Jess replied.

Maria looked down at the table, “From what I read in the book, it is.”

“So, what’s the drawback of you absorbing her grace?” Bobby asked, still worried about his niece.

“She said my powers might come out faster than they already are,” she replied, then sighed as she looked over at him. Dean set his hand on her back, gently rubbing circles with his thumb to comfort her.

Jess and Sam noticed their closeness and that she didn’t flinch or shy away from him. She gently squeezed his thigh, hopeful for the two. This time, though, John spoke up, “Will that put any of us in danger?” he asked her.

She looked over at him, “No,” she replied, then looked down at her coffee, smiling a little, “With how Zamariel explained it, everything I’ve done thus far has been helping. I couldn’t hurt any of you.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Sam chuckled.

Bobby sighed and almost didn’t ask, “How is she, Mari?” 

“She’s good. It’s been nice to get to know her. She offered to let me practice my powers in my dreams with her if I wanted to,” Maria replied, feeling a sense of happiness remembering the interactions with her.

That made Bobby smile a little. He remembered how kind she had been all those years ago and how she’d wished she could have been there while Maria grew up. Dean couldn’t help himself, seeing the softness in her expression. He moved his chair, so he was a little closer to her, wrapping his arm around her waist, to which she leaned into him. There was no denying how the two felt for each other.

“It’s about time,” Jess teased the two, making them smile like teenagers.

Dean looked over at Jess, “Oh, I was told it was you that I should thank. So, uh, thanks,” he told her, still smiling like he was the happiest man on the planet, then kissed Maria on the top of her head.

Maria giggled quietly, and Jess was a little confused for a moment. Then, a look of realization crept onto her face, making her smile again, “Anytime. Glad I could help,” she replied, giving Maria that look of, ‘We need to talk, and I want all the details.’

Sam and Jess had online classes. They’d both decided to continue college, even with all that was happening, and the others were proud of them. Bobby and John wanted to look into more of what the bunker held. It was like every time they looked around, they always found something new. Both were fascinated with the place. Dean only had plans of hanging out with Maria with whatever she was going to do, just wanting to be near her. She brought him a peace that he hadn’t felt in a long time, and it calmed his entire soul. 

There were no more awkward, angered moments between Sam and John. John had even been getting to know Jess, the woman who had stolen his youngest son’s heart. Bobby was enjoying the feeling of safety the bunker had given all of them and the feeling of family with them all living together. They’d helped him set up an area in the library so that he could still help other hunters with different cases that came up.

Maria was sitting on her bed, looking down at the necklace in the box, Dean behind her with his arms around her waist as he leaned against her headboard, “Still debating it?” he asked her, gently setting his chin over her shoulder.

“Yeah,” she sighed, “I just don’t know if I’m ready for things to happen… faster,” she replied.

“Well, whatever you decide, I’m here, okay? I’ll be there every step of the way. What are boyfriends for?” he replied with a smirk.

That made her smile. She took a deep breath and moved her hair out of the way before pulling the necklace out of the box. Dean leaned back a little, wanting to give her some space. He knew how dangerous that necklace was to him. Maria knew that once she had absorbed the grace, the pendant wouldn’t, or at least shouldn’t, hurt anyone. She reclasped the chain behind her neck and fixed her hair. Dean noticed the slight white/blue glow that emanated from the pendant before it dissipated after a couple of seconds.

“How do you feel?” Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

She hadn’t felt anything, “Like I did before I put it on,” she somewhat mumbled, looking down at the chain when she noticed the mild glow from the book on her nightstand, then groaned, “Uhg.”

He looked at her, a little confused, as she grabbed the book, barely noticing the glow before it disappeared. Dean watched her open the book and flip through it till she stopped at a chapter. He wished he could read Enochian or that she’d read it to him, but he didn’t want to interrupt her. For now, he just watched her. Her eyes moved back and forth as she scanned each line of the chapter, the occasional glow the pendant would give off, and even the slight change in her eyes, which got a light blue glow around her pupil. She flipped page after page as Dean held her, and when she set the book back down, he counted almost twenty pages. The pendant and her eyes had stopped glowing, and he tilted his head a bit, waiting for her to say something.

She slipped the necklace off, placed it on her night table, and sighed, “I, uh… it doesn’t have her grace in it anymore,” she told him quietly.

Dean leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, “Your eyes glowed,” he told her, having found it making her more alluring when it happened.

Maria looked over at him, scrunching her face in mild confusion, “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, uh… they glowed a little, light blue around your pupil,” he told her, smiling a little.

“Weird,” she mumbled.

He pulled her close to him, and she laid her head against his shoulder, her back against his chest, “You uh… it was… beautiful…” he told her, a bit shyly.

She couldn’t help the smile his words brought, “I’ll see if I can do that more often then, if it makes you stutter like that,” she teased him a bit.

Maria felt the chuckle rumble in his chest, “Don’t get used to it,” he bantered back before he kissed her on the cheek, “You feel any different?”

“Not really. I mean, I still feel like me,” she replied, then sighed, “I wonder if this place has a safe place I could practice my powers so I don’t have to do it in my dreams or accidentally mess something up in the bunker.”

Dean thought for a moment. They’d only explored so much of the bunker, and there were several levels to the place, “You could start with something small, like you did with the dime, at least until we can find a place,” he suggested.

She thought for a moment, but again, her mind went blank, “I hate it when that happens,” she grumbled.

“When what happens?” he asked her, furrowing his brow in mild confusion.

“When my mind goes blank,” she replied.

He chuckled a little, finding her adorable, “Well, what did that, uh, angel lady say you could do?” he asked her, feeling a bit bad for forgetting her name, again.

“Zamariel said I could do anything I wanted to, like, literally anything,” she told him.

That made Dean think, “I could always go for an apple pie,” he mused with a slight smirk.

She rolled her eyes a little, finding him adorable, and the memory Zamariel had shown her flooded back through her mind, making her smile, “Apple pie, huh?” Maria thought for a moment about the pie she’d made that day. Exhale before you pull the trigger, she thought to herself. Exhaling slowly, she pictured one on the bed in front of them, and it appeared, out of thin air, hot and steamy as though it had just come out of the oven.

“HOLY SHIT!” Dean exclaimed, utterly surprised.

Maria wasn’t quite sure what to think, seeing it sitting on the bed in front of them. She sat forward and looked at it for a moment. Before she could react, though, Dean stuck his finger in it, then into his mouth.

“Mmmm…” he hummed, closing his eyes, savoring the flavor momentarily, “I need a fork.”

She found him adorable and chuckled as he got up and quickly headed out of her room like a little kid. Maria figured it was for a fork and shook her head in amusement. She could have created one for him. He was back in her room quickly, plopping down across from her and sitting cross-legged, digging into the pie faster than she thought he’d be. She giggled, watching him bounce a little as he made happy sounds while he ate.

“This is amazing,” he told her with a mouthful of pie, making her giggle again, music to his ears.

Maria wanted to tell him she knew, but she could only smile softly as she watched him, “I’m glad you like it.”

All four of the others had seen Dean run into the kitchen and then run back down the hall, not even having a chance to figure out what he had grabbed. Sam and Jess were in the library, doing their schooling online, while Bobby and John had been doing their own research. Now, though, all of them were standing in her doorway to see what the reason for how Dean had acted was. They looked somewhat puzzled, seeing him sit on her bed, eating a pie they knew no one had cooked.

“Everything okay in here?” John asked, pushing the door open the rest of the way as Maria looked up at him.

“Uh, yeah. We’re good,” Maria replied, somewhat confused about why they were standing there. They glanced from her to Dean and then back to her with questioning expressions. “Oh, that’s well, it’s just pie,” she told them, unsure how to explain it.

“We figured that. Where’d it come from?” Bobby asked her.

“Oh, right. I uh… I was just practicing, and when my mind went blank, Dean suggested pie,” she replied, feeling a little shy as a blush crept into her cheeks.

Dean swallowed his bite, “It’s amazing too. I’d offer you guys some, but there’s not enough,” he told them, not even looking at them, then took another bite.

Maria sucked her lips between her teeth, attempting not to giggle at how adorable he was being. Sam raised an eyebrow, “Your powers huh? Did you get another breakthrough?”

“Kinda. Zamariel was somewhat helpful last night in my dream,” she explained, watching Dean out of the corner of her eye. She really loved this side of him. She loved all of him, but this was just too adorable for her not to watch.

Jess motioned discretely by pointing at herself and then at Maria, mouthing the words, “We need to talk,” to which Maria nodded a little, as discretely as possible. John spoke, though, “Don’t spoil him too much. Wouldn’t want him getting soft,” he partially joked.

Maria rolled her eyes a little, “I’ll try not to Uncle John,” she chuckled.

“Well, we’re all here for you, if you need anything,” Bobby told her, and he was proud of her and how she seemed to have healed emotionally.

The four of them headed back to what they’d been doing. Maria and Dean spent the day together, laughing, talking, and getting to know each other on a more personal level. She also practiced some of her powers. He really liked how she could create things out of thin air, giving her all sorts of fun yet weird ideas, most of them causing the two to laugh more.

That night, she and Jess talked. Maria shared with her all that had happened between her and Dean. Jess was so happy for her and hugged her tightly. She planned on telling Sam that evening, which Maria had said was okay. They didn’t know that Dean had his own conversation with his brother, too overjoyed not to act like a happy teenager. Sam was also delighted for the two. That was when Sam spilled the beans about wanting to propose to Jess. He just hadn’t found the ring that said “I love you” or that felt right.

----------------------------------------- Chapter 25

Tag List: @deans-spinster-witch @kazsrm67

Link to the master list for this story.