#immortality is a trick

[moonsongs-medicine-den]

so this line of thinking comes from a few places in canon:

(warning! very long post below)

most of the events of the Divine Warriors occurred about 900 years ago, from the overthrowing of the King to the establishment of the Lordship systems to the creation of the relics and the banishment of Shad the Destroyer to the Nether

the in-universe lore of these events is pretty scattered and almost every mention of them tends to contradict each other, which is actually pretty accurate to the way real history is remembered (especially myths and folklore). Xavier the Admirer is only mentioned a couple times, focusing on how he cared for her so much that he created the Jury of Nine- a rank of specialized guards that go with Lady Irene when she travels to protect her from other admirers and worshipers. And that's all he really gets in canon. And Shad is...well Shad- he is presented as Irene's opposite in power and values, and when he turns on her, they have an epic battle which leads to his banishment to the Nether realm, where he plots his revenge with his Shadowknight order

now, why would I even think of saying these are the same people? how would that really work in the timeline? (hold my hand, walk with me)

Most lore in-universe presented about Shad paints him as this inevitable villain turning against his fellow warriors and true love (Hyria) or as a man betrayed by a woman he thought loved him (Sasha). Obviously, most people aren't that one-sided and we (the audience) also know that Shad is a man who was betrayed and lost his (only?) child to create an impossible form of magic - a relic. But before all of this, he is just a man. A man shunned from society due to his strange magical abilities that people assume are dark and unnatural. He meets Irene, who is kind and compassionate, and not unlike him. She too has magical abilities, but those of light and healing. They decide to travel together, an unlikely friendship forming. They together meet the other Divine Warriors and join together to help the people overthrow the tyrannical king and monarch system.

He doesn't speak much. He very intimating. Some call him an ruthless warrior. Other's call him The Defender. Some joke he is her admirer. But many remember him as Irene's Shadow, always with her. His friends call him Xavier. Many begin to trust him as more than his dark abilities.

He forms the Jury of Nine to defend and protect Irene as she travels and helps the people. It allows her to have some freedom and ensures that other divine warriors do not always have to go with her as the assume other responsibilities. This rank is especially unique because when they take the oath to defend and protect, they are gifted magical forms to help them. This magical ability is gifted by the commander of the Jury, and is temporary, it can be stripped if they choose to retire.

When Irene and "Xavier" fall in love and have their first child, a daughter, they are overjoyed. To protect her from the realm, whether it be adoring worshipers or enemies, they keep her a secret and leave her in the care of one of the Jury members if they cannot be with her.

A bigger threat looms to the realm. Enki was inspired by the clever magics of the Jury of Nine, and him and Irene continue to research for a way to ensure the Divine Warriors can access great power like that to stop this "threat". It leads them to the Celestial Canon, which is guarded by an ancient people. They attempt other ways to make relics, as the price of a human life is very high. These experiments do not work.

The other divine warriors understood the cost and were willing to take it (there is a really great post I saw discussing what the other divine warriors "gave up" to form their relics, I'll try to link it here later). Whether they knew the whole truth of the matter or were pressured into it could be debated. But I know for sure "Xavier" didn't know, never would he give up his child for power or for magic. But the problem was is that the relic needed to be made by someone the holder claimed as their most precious, (there was no one else who he deemed so important). So Irene called her Jury Member to bring her daughter to the canon and sacrificed her. She gifted the relics to the other warriors and that day, they truly earned the title of Divine.

When "Xavier" learned that his daughter was gone, he broke. He killed each member of the Jury, stripping them of their powers, leaving the one who willingly gave his daughter up for last. He made sure it was painful. When he confronted the other warriors, they did not side with him. After all, they each gave someone up, they knew of the sacrifice. Never had a man been so betrayed by those he once called his family. By the people he loved.

That day he accepted his darkness and that once affectionate nickname, Irene's Shadow. The Destroyer. He became known as Shad. His fight against them last days. Irene and Shad began fighting in other dimensions, lover against lover, light versus darkness. It took all of the divine warriors to banish him to a fiery and uninhabitable realm, known as the nether. There he swore vengeance.

Shad used his knowledge of magic to create a new form of guards known as Shadowknights. He used freshly reaped souls or other angry people to create beings of fire and death. His first Shadowknights were the Jury members he slayed, making them all swear oaths of commitment to his new order as punishment for their betrayal and crimes. His darkness and grief and anger continued to seep into the overworld above.

The Divine Warriors vowed to never speak of him again. Enki moved to his secluded library to ensure the secret of the relic-making wasn't shared with the world. Menphia moved far away to keep fighting for a cause until her last breath. Kul'zak traveled because he could never settle into a new family again. Esmund tried to find solace by reforming and leading the Jury of Nine in his friend's memory, so the realm might at least remember Xavier. And Irene continued to fight for peace across the ages, but she never felt further from the people. She began to loose all emotions, so dehumanized and alienated now that she was alone.

The greatest curse was that her friends died before her and because of the relics experienced reincarnation. Because of the uniqueness of her powers, she remained the same- as an immortal. Every rebirth, she would find them again and try to lead them, bring the comfort as the dealt with the horrors of the magics and the memories. But they only could think of her as the Goddess Irene, as the Matron.

And so, as 900 years went by, and as the histories were written and burned and rewritten and the myth of the great Divine Warriors was told again and again, the truth got muddled. Some only recognized Irene as a true Goddess with the warriors as great magic users. Other think of them as a Divine Patheon. Many choose to not include Shad as part of the Six, because his villiany his too great. Some choose to remember Xavier's action and honor him as an honorary member. Depending on the region of the realm, a single member of the Divine Warrior might be held to a higher esteem. But no one really knows the truth to why Shad is only remembered as a he is. Only he knows.

And that is why he is desperate for Aphmau to remember and suffer.

y'all i have an absolutely insane MCD Divine Warriors Headcanon and im kinda scared to share it....like i dont think I have ever seen anybody throw this idea out...

[feluka]

I love Delilah by Queen (written for Freddie Mercury's favourite cat, Delilah) because it sounds exactly like what you'd spontaneously sing at your cat when they walk into your room.

There's also footage of Delilah and she lives up to the hype:

[o3o-lapd-o3o]

here is the second poseidon 'snippet'. this takes place after this part! hope you guys enjoy a little look into poseidon's home life...

first snippet here!

there's a masterlist now!

*not long after poseidon had received telemachus’ gift and said good night to everyone*

poseidon: *making his way through the ithacan palace’s halls to the entrance for the gardens*

poseidon: *holds a hand to where the gift is kept in his chiton and thinks back to all of telemachus' questions and interest in him* 

poseidon: *internally to himself* hmm i wonder what he would have thought, if he knew his father’s and mine’s true relationship-

odysseus: *calling from behind poseidon* poseidon!

poseidon: *jumps a little because he didn’t hear odysseus approaching*

poseidon: *puts his hand down and turns to face odysseus*

poseidon: odysseus…i’ve been gone only moments, what have i possibly done?

odysseus: nothing-

poseidon: *hand on his hip* what do you want then? 

poseidon: *pinches his nose bridge with his free hand*  please don’t say another dinner

odysseus: what- no!- *coughs*  

odysseus: trust me there will be no family dinners for a while…

odysseus: *under his breath* sitting for hours next to you was enough ruthlessness for one evening

poseidon: *dropping his hand from his face* what was that?

odysseus: i said what i said

poseidon: *rolls his eyes* well next time, maybe don’t let my niece get involved

odysseus: *grinning* oh so you want a next time then?

poseidon: *hand drops from hip and slightly panicking* THAT’S NOT- I MEAN-

odysseus: *tucks hair behind his ear* 

odysseus: oh poseidon, as good as that sounds….

odysseus: *now has his arms crossed over his chest* 

odysseus: *facade drops* …no thanks.

poseidon: *sigh of relief* 

poseidon: just- just tell me why you’re here

odysseus: *still in little shit mode* i mean this is my palace, i do live here

poseidon: *about to start pulling out his own hair in frustration* 

poseidon: odysseus…please

odysseus: *grin returns* yes, yes, go on, since you’ve already proven you’re so good at begging…

poseidon: *scowls* 

odysseus: *grin finally leaves his face and his arms return to his sides*

odysseus: ok look… i just thought, considering i was the host for this evening, i would follow xenia and escort you back to the cove…

poseidon: *sighs*

poseidon: *shakes his hand in front of him in a ‘no worries’ motion*

poseidon: no need… i’m able to make my own way back home

odysseus: are you sure? i mean they are your brother’s rules…

odysseus: *not really wanting to ever see zeus again after his last experiences*

poseidon: *dropping his hand and snorting out a laugh* i’ll make sure my brother doesn’t bother anyone about the lack of normal hospitality tonight

poseidon: *turning back around to leave* go back to your family odysseus

odysseus: *not to look a gift horse in the mouth* uh sure

odysseus: *about to turn and make his way back to the dining hall*

poseidon: *from over his shoulder* oh and odysseus?

odysseus: uh yeah?

poseidon: …don’t go easy on my niece

poseidon: remember… ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves

odysseus: *rolls his eyes and while he now knows that phrase isn’t true now….he decides to humor poseidon* 

odysseus: wasn’t planning on it.

*both leave in opposite directions*

*a short while later in poseidon’s palace*

poseidon: *walking into the bedroom* wife i’m back

*no response or movement*

poseidon: *raised eyebrow as he thought she’d be home* amphitrite?

*still nothing*

poseidon: *sighs* i guess she made last minute plans for tonight

poseidon: *goes to get changed when he remembers about his gift*

poseidon: *takes the gift out of his chiton, unwraps it and looks at it again*

poseidon: *remember telemachus' smile from the happiness of him accepting it*

poseidon: *huffs a laugh at the fact that odysseus produced a son that may look identical to him, but completely different in personality* 

amphitrite: what’s got you laughing? what do you have there?

poseidon: *quickly shoves the gift back in his chiton, and turns to face his wife*

poseidon: *dodging her question* i thought you weren't here… you didn’t respond to my calls

amphitrite: i was just checking on fysallída, he hadn’t been his usual self tonight.

poseidon: *eyes widen in worry* 

poseidon: what do you mean? he was fine earlier! is he sick? should i call apollo?

amphitrite: *smiles at poseidon’s worried rambling* 

amphitrite: *moves closer to poseidon and brushes her hand through his hair in comfort*

amphitrite: and he still is fine my love. i think he just missed you tonight.

amphitrite: also while our nephew may be able to help some animals… i don’t think sea creatures fall under his ability

amphitrite: besides, he was playing with pelagos and kýma 

poseidon: *the worry leaves his eyes* if you say so... i’ll just check on him before we go to sleep.

amphitrite: *hand leaves poseidon’s hair, and now joins her other one in crossing over her chest*

amphitrite: now, back to my original question…. what do you have there that had you laughing?

poseidon: *was hoping she’d forget* uh… uhh…

poseidon: …moly?

amphitrite: *raised eyebrow* 

amphitrite: the king of ithaca- odysseus gave you…moly? 

poseidon: *furrowed brows at the thought of odysseus giving him a gift*

poseidon: this isn't from odysse- *coughs* i mean- no… he didn't 

poseidon: it's… from his son.

amphitrite: *now has both her eyebrows raised in disbelief* 

amphitrite: the prince of ithaca, gave you moly.

poseidon: *now panicking as he's the god of the seas, not of lies* 

poseidon: well if you didn’t know…they're descended from hermes… 

poseidon: and he practically hands out this stuff… the prince probably didn’t know what it truly was.

amphitrite: *staring at the clear not moly shaped item, hidden in her husband’s chiton*

amphitrite: *deciding to leave it be for now* uh huh, whatever you say husband

*poseidon leaves the bedroom and heads to the palace reef gardens where amphitrite had not long come from*

*sensing the gods approach, bioluminescent corals light the area like oil lamps would on land*

poseidon: *staring out into the reef* hmm where is he?

poseidon: *makes a whistling noise like a dolphin’s echolocation*

*two whinny’ing noises are heard, then seconds later two hippocampi appear and are hurriedly making their way to poseidon*

poseidon: *strokes the both of them on their faces* yes, yes i'm home… where’s fysallída?

poseidon: *suddenly feels something small, bump repeatedly into him from behind and hears tiny grunting sounds*

poseidon: *snorts in laughter and turns around*

*the tiny grunting noises get louder and quicker in excitement, the small sea creature that has been bumping into poseidon is none other than…a small yellow pufferfish*

poseidon: *placing his hand out for fysallída to settle into* hello little one, i heard you caused amphitrite some worry earlier

*fysallída puffs out a little bit and then wiggles more into poseidon’s hand still making tiny noises*

poseidon: ah! none of that…i said i was going to be gone this evening

poseidon: besides, i can’t always be home, i do have godly things to do i'm sorry to say

*pelagos and kýma both whinny at poseidon’s back*

poseidon: *turning around with fysallída still in his hand* and we can’t forget, you have these two to keep you company

poseidon: now, i’ve had a long and tiring evening, so i’m going to retire for the night. 

*the pufferfish gives a final wiggle and swims out of his hand and then settles in between the two hippocampi*

poseidon: ok, you can all go back to whatever you three were doing-

*the three sea creatures all start to turn to leave*

poseidon: *putting one hand on his hip and raising the other to point at all of them, like he’s talking to children rather than sea creatures* 

poseidon: but! try not to get into too much trouble, yes fysallída i am talking to you mostly

*almost ignoring poseidon, they all quickly swim back in the original distance they came from*

poseidon: i swear to zeus, if i wake up to an angry nymph at my palace doors again…

*poseidon claps his hands and the bioluminescent corals dim in response, leaving the reef in darkness again. he then turns to go back inside his palace, and finally head to sleep for the night*

[yananamjoon]

the loki show could never

[magpie-trinkets]

putting everyone in a maze, under a microscope, recording my observations in a labelled table, etc.

[muttsterion]

Ha reminded of the 6th anniversary of this emotional ride of a Halloween episode.

[doverstar]

actually I love Tentoo and he is the Doctor and it was the only ending for Rose that worked and it is a huge gift to be able to have the man she loves grow old with her, they were always heading for that, y'all be quiet. I 100% understand the angst but it's okay, they're okay, good ending-

[phoenixcatch7]

Man, I want shapeshifter cap SO BAD.

I want to see a Billy that really leans into the wonder of the world, the million paths a child could take in their life.

I want to see a Billy that wants to try everything, at least once.

A Billy that looks at all the people who spit at him, deride him, pity him, dismiss him, ignore him, because he has no future, no prospects, a child in the gutter and say no. I'm going to grow up to be whoever I want to be.

And a captain marvel that says you're going to be amazing.

Billy taking the premise of captain marvels form - his ideal self, a blank slate for Billy to paint his bright colours, the person he wants to be deep inside - and dialling that freedom up to eleven.

A dancer, a dinosaur, a train conductor, a tiger, an ice cream maker, a butterfly, an astronaut, a shark, a college student, a Tamaranean, a mouse, a scuba diver, an elephant, a doctor, a moose, a race car driver, a dog.

A child wanting to see the world.

If you want to find captain marvel, well first you've got to try his comm, probably a couple times.

Then you've got to go to fawcett, hope he's there and not saving the yetis from a salamander invasion in a different dimension.

You've got to ask around, because it often goes by word of mouth here, no matter what technology you bring. Don't worry, it'll spread very quickly, but if you're in a hurry you can find his commemorative statue and leave an offering. No one knows if it really works, but it's a good way to pass the time and feel productive.

Soon, a face will peel out of the crowd. It's always familiar, but it's never the same one.

Wait for the flash of lightning in a cloudless sky.

And then you will find captain marvel.

[pureseasalt]

me personally i take anything as a win. the future is bright and the sky's the limit. today, a sydcarmy slow burn miscommunication angst fest. tomorrow, a sydcarmy pussy eating episode. the universe has set out its plans and it wants first and foremost for me to be happy

[whumpy-wyrms]

Trick or Treat!!!👻🍬🍭 🎃

happy halloween!! here’s a little snipped from a future blood runs cold chapter >:3

Silas gripped his arm that had been slashed with the knife. Part of his suit was torn off and fell to the ground. There was a large cut across his arm, dripping blood everywhere. He chuckled.

“Oh, Aspen,” Silas groaned, bringing his bleeding arm to his lips and licking up the blood. “Now, that was unexpected! I didn’t think you had it in you!”

“W-wait,” Aspen sputtered, suddenly realizing he missed. He missed. He was so fucking dead. “I-I’m- I—”

The vampire only smirked at him, and in an instant, Aspen was shoved into the wall behind him, cold body of his captor pressing into his own, his wrists held firmly above his head.

Aspen breathed heavily under the weight of the vampire, tears burning in his eyes. He almost dropped the knife still in his hand, but Silas picked it up and shoved it back into his palm, wrapping Aspen’s fingers tightly around it.

“What? Giving up so soon?” Silas laughed. “C’mon, don’t you wanna finish the job?”

“What?” Aspen breathed.

“You think you can hurt me? Kill me? Then do it. Come on, Aspen, do it again.”

“I-I ca-can’t. I’m sorry, please—”

Silas leaned in closer, so close, too close. He gripped Aspen’s hand tight in his own and led it to his chest. “I know you want to, Aspen. Cut me up. See what happens.”

“I…”

“Because if you think I will die, you are so woefully mistaken. I’m a vampire. I’m already dead. This flimsy little thing can’t do anything to seriously harm me. So do it. It’s safe.”

[etrevil]

The habit roll started in Stormbringer with Chuuya spinning him in that pole as punishment fight me on this

[cowcat-with-a-hat]

My name iz ebony darkness dementia raven way or sumthing like that

Happy halloween prepz (/ref)

[dramatic-dolphin]

that prev post about immortality really makes me wish i could write like ANYTHING about my vampire ocs because one of them is just the funniest thing.

like there's whispers and rumors among zhe vampires that say "immortality is a curse, not a blessing...... you may seem alright in the short term, but after a certain age everyone goes insane...... the human brain is not equipped to handle eternity....." and as we meet older and older vampires it's correct. they're strange and not quite right in the head, and the older they get the more so, until they are nearly incapable of change or lose their identity altogether. and then we meet The Eldest, a legend among vampires. five thousand years old, they say, he was there when Egypt was unified, they say.

...and he's just sitting there wearing jeans and playing candy crush on his smartphone while asking his great-great-great[...]-grandkids what they want for lunch. no, you had mcdonalds yesterday, choose something normal.

[precious-little-bhaalbabe]

[bowl-of-fruit-loops]

wait missile the dog is also in the ace attorney games? and he’s one of The most important characters in ghost trick? shu takumi loved that dog so much

[stumpyjoepete]

人不点赞而不愠，不亦君子乎？