#rider perseus

[megashadowdragon]

Medusa: Dress-Up Gone Wrong, Gone Greek, Gone Gorgonomachy

Medusa: Dress-Up Gone Wrong, Gone Greek, Gone Gorgonomachy

reddit and spacebattles comments

"You didn't knock last time either!!!"

Commentary:

Medusa's going back to her pre-Animation Update version of the NP for this one.

Yes, that costume is really called that in Extella Link. You can have it with veiled and unveiled modes. It looks pretty okay in combat.

This is the last Andromeda/Medusa joke I'm going to make, because so far it's the only other one there is besides the name of Medusa's Blood Fort NP.

Still kind of weird. Don't know what Type Moon is telling us, but I thought it worth pointing out one more time.

Incidentally, if Andromeda looked just as good in that outfit as Medusa does, then I can understand Perseus jumping off his flying horse to beat down a kaiju to save her despite just having fought the Gorgon. Respect.

Perseus: I don't whether to find this creepy ... or oddly arousing. Medusa: Well, you will have time to think about it, ... once I bury you six feet into the ground! Perseus: That still won't erase the image from my hea-arghhh!!!

Perseus has got to be my favorite mythological hero. Most interpretations of him I see portray him similarly:

-Hotshot young kid full of dreams and ambitions

-Kills Medusa

-Becomes irreversibly traumatized

-Immediately retires, marries an African princess, and has a shitton of kids

-Names one of his daughters Gorgophone

In many ways he's the polar opposite of Achilles. Achilles was told that if he kept his head low, he was destined to live long and healthy, yet unknown. So he chose to fight in the Trojan war and die gloriously. On the other hand, Perseus got a small taste of heroism and immediately dipped out to become a family man.

I remember much earlier in this thread under another Perseus comic, Orojuice noted about how Medusa, at least in the most well-known Ovidian interpretation, is like a dark mirror of Perseus' mother, who was the reason why he went on the quest to begin with- both women, single mothers who were used up by the gods and discarded like tissue onto some remote island where they could only do their best to take care of their family. Perseus, upon confronting Medusa, is confronting another version of his mother and in doing so is given what is essentially all the power in the world- his world, which consists of just his mother and the island he grew up on. He controls who lives and dies in this world, so who does he choose? Does his mother have any more right to live than this woman who is identical to her? And if they are equal, is it "just" to choose his mother over Medusa because of a personal preference?

I think that comic was posted a couple of years ago, and I've been thinking about it ever since.

Anyway, a while back I used to have a draft of a Percy Jackson fan fiction where the OG Perseus came back from the dead and started dating Medusa while the two of them annoyed Percy (Who he called "Junior" much to Percy's chagrin) like the aunt-and-uncle-young-enough-to-conceivably-be-your-older-siblings that he never had. That part is completely unrelated but I had to get it off of my chest because I don't write fan fiction anymore and will likely never get to talk about the Perseus x Medusa ship ever again. (Some of that may have rubbed off on the servant sheet I made for the teenaged Assassin-class Perseus I wrote about a year ago)

[fiannalover]

*sees fate Perseus* I want that red headed twink obliterated. In the good way.

I think we ALL want that red headed twink obliterated

[massivechestplate]

Average Gacha Character:

FGO: This is Rider, Cyrus the Great, based on the real historical figure. We genderbent him into a her with big bazongas and a thing for literature. Thankfully she was added in a main story update so she has good writing.

Genshin Impact: This is Robespierre, a 17 year old cheerful politician with a passion for reform thus he has a Hydro Vision. His parents were brutally murdered in a separatist uprising. His best friend is a twink in short shorts who he is shipped with. You find out he has a hobby of collecting coins during an event.

Honkai: Star Rail: This is Gabriel, he's a Fire-Destruction civil engineer with a wrench gun. He's literally just some guy until you find out he has ties to the local criminal underworld and is secretly a Masked Fools plant.

Limbus Company: This is Perseus, a Fixer who must kill the Abnormality Stone-Gaze Queen to prevent his mother from marrying a Wing CEO. Or that's what I would say if this wasn't his alternate universe self who worked at dystopian Freddy Fazbear's.

Arknights: This is Foosball. She's a secretary turned mercenary after getting Rock Cancer because she had talent with knives. She went crazy after the war crimes and experiments but she's fine now. Probably...

Nikke: This is Jane, she's a military uniform imouto kuudere who was thrown into a metaphorical and literal meat grinder due to cyborg abuse but has now imprinted on the first person to show her kindness. Also her ass is-

[bijoumikhawal]

Some Coptic Shawls

This shawl is from the 9th or 10th century, and contains tapestry woven bands of Coptic script and kufic tiraz that can't actually be read.

I'm actually unsure about the details of this shawl as it's images are mixed up with the former shawl. It has a line of kufic tiraz and a tapestry woven strip with birds and an abstract medallion.

This shawl is from the 8th or 9th century. It has several stripes. It has stripes of floral and foliate designs, alongside two inscriptions in Arabic and Coptic. I'm not sure what the center stripe is, but I think it might be Acanthus leaves? They sometimes show up in Coptic textiles as a sort of curved w shape, as do some other leaf patterns. Acanthus leaves are associated with immortality, rebirth, and resurrection, but in Coptic art I've seen them associated with peace and heavenly gardens.

This shawl is from the 8th or 9th century. The center stripe has birds and a little lizardy looking creature I cant identify, as well as some more geometric/abstract designs. The Coptic cross appears in simplified form at the start of a Coptic inscription.

A similar shawl from the Louvre, with no detail images and frustratingly unspecified dating.

This shawl is from around 640-660. The MET has identified it as a wall hanging, but the composition of images in bands and segments resembles clothes I've seen more than a wall hanging. Each of the 5 medallions depicts Amazon women. Typically Amazons in this era of Coptic textile are on horseback, trampling a beast as they draw their bows. These have baskets of fruit under their horses instead and no bows, but retain the pose as though they were drawing. The bands show the bust of a man (possibly a personification of the Earth, Ge), riders holding wreaths, figures carrying food, birds, fish, and geometric patterns. Many of these motifs were found around the Mediterranean at the time, and would've been rather secular. The particular usage here is inviling the idea of abundance. This item would've been very expensive. The MET identifies it as Islamic, but I am not convinced as there are no explicitly Islamic motifs, and this was the very beginning of Muslim presence in Egypt. Further, personifying the Earth as a male is in line with Coptic culture, and it's recontextualizing of pagan figures and imagery to suit a Christian philosophy at this time. We don't know much about Pre-Islamic gods, but I don't know of an earth diety, male or female, and to reference such a figure in an Islamic art piece seems rather strange to me?

This is another "hanging" I think may be a shawl, from the 4th or 5th century. It depicts putti picking grapes. The symbolism of grapes in Christianity is fairly well known, and those associations hold true here- Jesus, Mary, and Communion. It's a very pious design, and because if the activity of harvest, it may have also been chosen for an association with abundance.

A third shawl/hanging. This is from the Fatimid era and I have no further information other than the Louvre saying its Coptic, nor a better photo.

The shawl of Sabine, 4th or 5th century. This is one of many pieces taken from Antinoë/Antinopolis by Gayet, who I consider to be a prolific grave robber. Unlike many garments he likely took, we know that this shawl belonged to a woman named Sabine. She was buried with it wrapped around her shoulders. The center medallion depicts Bellerophon and Perseus trampling the Chimera, bordered with a Nilotic scene of boys, fish, and lotuses. The bands are a continuation of this motif, with the addition of crocodiles and boats. The right medallion is of Apollo and Daphne. Daphne holds out a cross shaped flower to Apollo. The left is of an female archer who has killed a lion- perhaps Artemis, who interestingly, does not show up often in Late Antique Coptic art. The scattered design elements are winged figures, more lotuses. The boys and winged figures sometimes carry large shells and wreaths. It is proposed that the shawl originally was a wall hanging.

A possible shawl fragment with a striped design of grapes and flowers. These flowers may be roses, or they may be a generic "flower" shape. Some flowers identified as roses in Coptic textile I actually believe are lotuses, but I don't believe that is the case here.

A shawl from somewhere between the 7th and 9th century, made of embroidered linen. The pattern is of stylized leaves, buds, flowers, and abstract medallions.

This shawl is from the 3rd or 4th century. It has some pinstripes and what I think may be a grape leaf, though typically Coptic textiles from this period depict grape leaves more realistically, with five lobes.

In this image shows how shawls may have commonly been worn in Late Antique Egypt. It is possible there were further variations in wearing, as ultimately here all three figures are wearing the shawl draped over their shoulder, behind them, under the opposite arm, and over the first shoulder or arm, with women lifting it up to cover the head too.

This shawl may not be Coptic specifically. Some records indicate tulle bi telli shawls used to be made such that humanoid figures only appeared on shawls made by Copts, whereas Muslim Egyptians would use geometric designs, but this does not seem to be the case today. These shawls were often traditionally made by girls for their weddings, and all the patterns reflect the wishes and hopes of the girl for her marriage and wedding night. The technique of using metal strip embroidery comes from Turkey, where it is known as tel kirma, or from India, where it is known as mukaish or muqayyash, which is said to have been invented by Noor Jahan. I actually know a Copt whose family traditionally made a living through producing textiles such as tulle bi telli. Despite the secular importance of tulle bi telli, these shawls are sometimes called Coptic shawls. According to the British Museum, these shawls were originally a Coptic speciality, so this may be the origin of the confusing name.

This style of shawl is modern, and typically worn by monks. I believe this style came from Ethiopia, because thats what I've been told by another Copt, and I've at least seen Ethiopian clergy wear it. Fun fact: Egyptian and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians were part of the same church until VERY recently. This isn't especially obvious in all the customs of both groups, but it does mean Copts and Ethiopian Christians celebrate the same New Year, which also makes sense because of the agricultural roots of the date involving the Inundation of the Nile.

[beepbeepiamasheep]

Okay guys, hear me out, I think these two should kiss.

Like seriously, they have so much in common with each other wtf.

It's like in Hollow Ataraxia where Rider mentioned Perseus being Shinji if he won, and Naoya is exactly that, and the fact that he's The WORM Curse just adds hilarity to it

[matt-lifesage]

The Factor Predation skill really interests me.

Between her Rider, Lancer, and now Saber forms, Medusa is filling out an armory of stolen Noble Phantasms. She's got Belleraphon's bridle, Chrysaor's sword, Perseus's Harpe and the shield he got from Athena. All at least loosely tie back to her, but I think there's more to it than that thanks to this new skill.

As an Anti-Hero who qualifies for the Throne because her existence resulted in great heroics, we now have a solid pattern showing when she's summoned as anything other than an Avenger-class Servant, she's armed with the Noble Phantasms of the Greek heroes whose deeds were dependent upon her defeat. Since they all owe her their status as heroes, when Medusa is summoned into the role of a hero instead of a monster, she has the right to wield those Noble Phantasms. Basically, it's a limited spin on the justification for Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon containing every prototype Noble Phantasm, and that rules. Good for her!

[magical-boy-bracket]

Finally, it's here! The Magical Boy Bracket round 1! Polls will start being posted hopefully some time this week, with one post every 5 minutes.

Polls will last one week. Any losers for this round will be sent to the losers bracket the week after.

Please be reminded of this very important rule when reblogging or commenting on posts: "Don't be an asshole to me or to anyone else in this tournament, and please no excessive hate towards a specific character or source material. Otherwise, you will be blocked."

Text version for easier understanding under the cut! Has full names of characters, alter ego names where it applies, as well as source titles! (Some longer titles are shown in full the first time they appear, but are then shortened the in their next appearances (which will also be done for the polls). Also, please let me know if I wrote any names or titles wrong.)

Top left (matches 1 - 16):

Akito Hibino / Lofty Purple (Bokura wa Mahou Shounen) VS Aoi Shibuya (Tokyo Mew Mew Ole)

Hojo Omamori (Fairy Ranmaru: Anata no Kokoro Otasuke Shimasu) VS Kazuki Yasaka (Sarazanmai)

Ikuto Tsukiyomi (Shugo Chara) VS Nagihiko Fujisaki (Shugo Chara)

Masayoshi Hazama / Samurai Flamenco (Samurai Flamenco) VS Natsuki Nanahoshi (Mahou Shounen Natsuki x Loveits)

Jake Long (American Dragon Jake Long) VS Ren Amamiya / Joker (Persona 5)

Idia Shroud (Twisted Wonderland) VS Tsuyoshi Kijino / Kijibrother (Avataro Sentai Donbrothers)

Kaito Hinomiya (Dear my Magial Boys) VS Kikyou / Fragrant Rose (Magical Boy Troubles)

Sougo Tokiwa / Kamen Rider Zi-O (Kamen Rider Zi-O) VS Alice "Azz" Asmodeus (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)

Asahi Minamikawa (Mewkledreamy) VS Kaito Odagiri / Thrilling Pink (Bokura wa Mahou Shounen)

Chrono Harlaown (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha) VS Erio Mondial (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS)

Jotaro Kujo (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders) VS Chiaki Nagoya / Kaitou Sinbad (Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne)

Kairi Sanjo (Shugo Chara) VS Tadase Hotori (Shugo Chara)

Mahad / Dark Magician (Yu-Gi-Oh) VS Mem Mem (Delicious Party Precure)

Andromeda Shun (Saint Seiya) VS Pegasus Seiya (Saint Seiya)

Orion Eden (Saint Seiya Omega) VS Shuu Rei Fuan (Yoroiden Samurai Troopers)

Vanitas (Vanitas no Carte) VS Ben Tennyson (Ben 10)

Top Right (matches 17 - 32):

Akihiko Beppu / Melty Luna (Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love!) VS Akoya Gero / Chevalier Perlite (Boueibu)

Atsushi Kinugawa / Battle Lover Epinard (Boueibu) VS En Yufuin / Battle Lover Cerulean (Boueibu)

Gora Hakone / Maximum Gorar (Boueibu) VS Haruhiko Beppu / Salty Sol (Boueibu)

Ibushi Arima / Chevalier Argent (Boueibu) VS Io Naruko / Battle Lover Sulfur (Boueibu)

Ryuu Zaou / Battle Lover Vesta (Boueibu) VS Furanui de Shakin Honyalala (Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Happy Kiss)

Ichiro Dougo / Spazio Kiss (Boueibu HK) VS Karurusu de Yutari Honyalala (Boueibu HK)

Kyotarou Shuzenji / Fiore Kiss (Boueibu HK) VS Maasa Shirahone / Ritter Amethyst (Boueibu HK)

Nanao Wakura / Luna Kiss (Boueibu HK) VS Ryouma Kirishima / Stella Kiss (Boueibu HK)

Taiju Unazuki / Ritter Rosenquartz (Boueibu HK) VS Taishi Manza / Neve Kiss (Boueibu HK)

Callum (The Dragon Prince) VS Danny Fenton / Danny Phantom (Danny Phantom)

Chris Kratt (Wild Kratts) VS Martin Kratt (Wild Kratts)

Farran (Lego Elves) VS Gus Porter (The Owl House)

Guy Hamdon / SheZow (SheZow) VS Sinedd (Galacktik Football)

Prince Adam / He-Man (He-Man) VS Jack Frost (Rise of the Guardians)

Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon (Lego Ninjago) VS Mephisto (Lolirock)

Sulfus (Angel's Friends) VS Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Bottom Left (matches 33 - 48):

Link (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom) VS Lucas (Mother 3)

Arthur Aguefort (Dimension 20: Fantasy High) VS Evan Kelmp (Dimension 20: Misfits and Magic)

Whitney Jammer (Dimension 20: Misfits and Magic) VS Kingston Brown (Dimension 20: The Unsleeping City)

Billy Batson / Shazam (DC Comics) VS Carter Kane (The Kane Chronicles)

Nico di Angelo (The Heroes of Olympus) VS Perseus Jackson (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)

Anselmo Flores / White Knight Heather (Dame Daffodil) VS Basil Caraway (Magical Boy Basil)

Reo Menezes (Majestikal Mistake) VS Sage (Strawberry Seafoam)

Sara / Adora Flora (Magical Mom) VS Kento Fukamiya / Kamen Rider Espada (Kamen Rider Saber)

Hikaru / Holy Saint Sungel (Mahou Sentai Magiranger) VS Kai Ozu / MagiRed (Mahou Sentai Magiranger)

Makito Ozu / MagiGreen (Mahou Sentai Magiranger) VS Xander Bly / Green Mystic Ranger (Power Rangers Mystic Force)

Tsubasa Ozu / MagiYellow (Mahou Sentai Magiranger) VS Chip Thorn / Yellow Mystic Ranger (Power Rangers Mystic Force)

Juuru Atsuta / Kiramai Red (Mashin Sentai Kiramager) VS Lucky / Shishi Red (Uchuu Sentai Kyuranger)

Kaito Goshikida / Zenkaizer (Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger) VS Stacey / Stacaesar (Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger)

Sonoi (Avataro Sentai Donbrothers) VS Antonio Garcia / Golden Power Ranger (Power Rangers: Samurai)

Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader (Star Wars) VS Mamoru Chiba / Tuxedo Mask (Sailor Moon)

Ata Ibusuki / Ritter Diamant (Boueibu HK) VS Blue Knight (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Bottom Right (matched 49 - 64)

Homura Hoterase (Fairy Ranmaru) VS Jyuuka Mutsuoka (Fairy Ranmaru)

Ranmaru Ai (Fairy Ranmaru) VS Sirius Tenroin (Fairy Ranmaru)

Takara Utashiro (Fairy Ranmaru) VS Kukai Soma (Shugo Chara)

Shigeo Kageyama "Mob" (Mob Psycho 100) VS Ezra Bridger (Star Wars: Rebels)

Magnus Chase (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard) VS Gentarou Kisaragi / Kamen Rider Fourze (Kamen Rider Fourze)

Kosuke Nitoh / Kamen Rider Beast (Kamen Rider Wizard) VS Ryotaro Nogami / Kamen Rider Den-O (Kamen Rider Den-O)

Tetsuo Daishinji / Kamen Rider Slash (Kamen Rider Saber) VS Touma Kamiyama / Kamen Rider Saber (Kamen Rider Saber)

Merlin (Merlin) VS John Constantine (DC Comics)

Yumoto Hakone / Battle Lover Scarlet (Boueibu) VS Kinshiro Kusatsu / Chevalier Aurite (Boueibu)

Uruu Seiren (Fairy Ranmaru) VS Adrien Agreste / Chat Noir (Miraculous Ladybug)

Yakumo Katou / AoNinja (Shuriken Sentai Ninninger) VS Liam Farrow / Emerald Heart (Magical Warrior: Diamond Heart)

Henri Wakamiya / Cure Infini (HUGtto Precure) VS Pikario / Rio Kuroki (Kira Kira Precure A La Mode)

Takumi Shinada / Black Pepper (Delicious Party Precure) VS Steven Universe (Steven Universe)

Alex Harvey-Iniguez / Garnet Heart (Magical Warrior: Diamond Heart) VS Max Owen (Magical Boy)

Kouta Kazuraba / Kamen Rider Gaim (Kamen Rider Gaim) VS Haruto Soma / Kamen Rider Wizard (Kamen Rider Wizard)

Syaoran Li (Cardcaptor Sakura) VS Tsubasa Yuunagi / Cure Wing (Hirogaru Sky Precure)

[typemoonsmashorpass]

[megashadowdragon]

"You didn't knock last time either!!!"

Commentary: Medusa's going back to her pre-Animation Update version of the NP for this one. Yes, that costume is really called that in Extella Link. You can have it with veiled and unveiled modes. It looks pretty okay in combat. This is the last Andromeda/Medusa joke I'm going to make, because so far it's the only other one there is besides the name of Medusa's Blood Fort NP. Still kind of weird. Don't know what Type Moon is telling us, but I thought it worth pointing out one more time. Incidentally, if Andromeda looked just as good in that outfit as Medusa does, then I can understand Perseus jumping off his flying horse to beat down a kaiju to save her despite just having fought the Gorgon. Respect.

from spacebattles

[avicebro]

It does suck that I've placed this dumb rule of only grailing Riders after Perseus comes out but I really want him to be the grailed Rider.

[greatest-greek-games]

Bellerophon: One of the original heroes -- before Heracles, before the Argonauts, before the Trojan War, there was Bellerophon. Exiled from his home at Argos, Bellerophon became the slayer of the Chimera, rider of Pegasus, bold enough to try to fly up to Mount Olympus. While he's been syncretised with Perseus, especially his friendship with Pegasus, Bellerophon is one of the great heroes of myth, and the original Horse Guy.

Hippolyta: Daughter of Ares and queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta is another character that might be a mash-up of several different people of the same name. Heracles and Theseus seemingly both visited her, and while sometimes she died in a misunderstanding after giving Heracles her father's zoster, other times she married Theseus and was killed by him after their marriage went sour and he decided he wanted Phaedra instead. Potentially the mother of Hippolytus, in the grand tradition of just giving a kid your name with a different ending.

[alleiradayne]

In Through The Out Door | Art Master Post

Castiel was dead. Again. And it was all Dean's fault.

After failing to drink himself into an early grave, Dean finds a little resolve to pick himself back up and do the right thing: save people. With Sam and Jack by his side, and a little help from a few other survivors, they take on Chuck, restore the world, the multiverse, and everything's back to the way it oughta be.

Everything but Castiel, that is.

Dean clings to a death wish five miles wide after that. And he gets that wish, dying on a hunt. But the worst is yet to come when he wakes up and finds himself in the Empty. And he's not alone.

Chapter 6

Summary: With a plan, Sam, Dean, and Jack head out to confront Chuck, leaving with someone else... Warnings/Tags: Chuck being a dickbag Characters/Pairings: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Jack, Chuck, Michael (Adam) Word Count: 1660

Empty. Not quite as awful as The Empty. But close enough. Might as well be for how empty the world now felt.

They’d settled on a location quickly enough—McHenry, Illinois—and set out immediately. Much like the drive from Hastings, all manner of abandoned vehicles clogged their route. There had even been an occasion when Dean had directed the Impala across the grassy median to circumvent a massive pileup still smoldering. Given Dean’s disgusted cringe, Jack got the idea that off-roading wasn’t something he normally did with his car.

Beside those highways, ripe fields of wheat and corn stretched as far as he could see, glowing gold in the setting sun’s rays. And it was all for naught. All that hard work, tilling and sowing, wasted. Every last stalk would wither and die and rot without anyone to harvest it.

Unless they did something. 

Nearly ten hours of driving across those rolling farm fields of the lower Midwest had allowed Jack plenty of time—too much, if he were to be honest—to contemplate… well, everything. Chuck. Castiel. Sam and Dean. The singularity of their existence. And then there was orphaned wheat. 

“Looks like we’re here.”

Dean’s voice wrenched Jack free of his spiraling thoughts. The sun was sinking just below the horizon at that ever appropriate eleventh hour as the Impala rolled into town. Dean navigated the streets congested with more empty cars and trucks, weaving between wherever he could. He flipped the Impala’s headlights on as twilight settled, casting the only light in town.

“Ready?”

Jack met Sam’s stare in the mirror. “I think so.”

“You got this,” Sam replied. “Just keep it dark. You’ll be fine.”

He nodded as he lied down, hoping Sam was right. Dark. Keep it dark. Jack focused on that idea, gathering up the sporadic sparks of his floundering power. The Impala lumbered over a transition as Dean turned to the right, headed for the east side of town. In too few minutes, they arrived at their chosen front. Then the engine wound down with a rattle as Dean switched off the ignition. Simultaneous metallic quarks and crunches echoed between the buildings as the brothers exited the car, leaving Jack as alone as he had ever felt.

He lost track of the time rather quickly. Then again, he was a toddler. Or at least, had existed on Earth for as long as a three-year-old. Not exactly like he had the greatest frame of reference. Waiting. As Dean had taught him, it was often the hardest part. But he did it, muting what little was left of his grace’s flame. And it took all of his focus. So he could hardly blame himself for losing track of time.

Cassiopeia.

Castiel had once shown him the constellations, but never had Jack seen them quite so vividly. No earthly lights dimmed their brightness for once. So he followed the line of stars with ease, tracing the “w” with his forefinger in the air. Just below her, Jack found the Andromeda star upon the constellation Pegasus, and beside them Perseus, the winged horse’s rider. Castiel had told him the Greek myth of Andromeda and Perseus. Poseidon had lashed Andromeda to a rock for his sea monster to eat. All because Andromeda’s mother, Cassiopeia, had claimed her more beautiful than the Nereids, Poseidon’s children. Nothing like a Greek family drama.

Then again, Jack thought, he and his could give them a run for their money.

Jack had sensed Chuck nearing almost an hour ago, shortly after they had arrived. For whatever reason, he had stalled, taking his sweet time traversing the multiverse. But then a soft glow brightened the window, overpowering the stars, and Jack knew without a doubt that Chuck had manifested before them.

“What’s up…”

Dean’s voice cut through the silence.

“Chuck.” Sam finished.

Jack clamped a hand over his mouth to silence his laughter.

“Very funny,” Chuck began. “Enjoying the alone time?”

A beat of silence passed before Dean’s voice replied. “Alright, you win.”

“Well, yeah. I always do, you know. Being God and all.” Shuffling steps crunched through gravel, and Jack curled in on himself a little further. “Is that it?”

“We’re giving you what you want,” Sam declared.

“That’s right,” Dean added. “The whole Cain and Abel thing. Us, dead. Whatever. I’ll kill Sam, Sam’ll kill me, we’ll kill each other, okay? Dealer’s choice. But first, you gotta put everything back the way it was. The people, the… birds!” Jack heard something then, something catch in Dean’s throat. “Cas. You gotta bring him back.”

After a beat, Sam stated, “We’re surrendering. Giving up.”

More silence filled the Impala, and Jack held his breath. It stretched on for what felt like a lifetime, and he gripped the edge of the bench seat for leverage.

“Yeah… no. I mean I appreciate the white flag, but frankly, it’s a little too late,” Chuck finally said. “I’m kind of enjoying this story now.”

“What is wrong with you?” Sam blurted. “This is horrible writing!”

“No, that’s…” Chuck laughed a dismissive thing before continuing. “That’s not gonna work, Sam. I appreciate the effort, but you’re not gonna bait me anymore. I’m done caring what everyone else thinks about my writing. I like what I like and this… the two of you—your lapdog Jack—rotting on a lifeless planet knowing it’s this way because you wouldn’t take a knee. Eternal suffering. And loneliness. Whew. It’s deep. It’s sophisticated.” He paused a breath. “That’s a page turner.”

“No it’s not, it’s fucking horseshit—”

Dean’s voice cut off with a muffled clip, then a blinding flash flared through the windows, and Jack squeezed his eyes shut. A rustle of wind jostled the Impala. Then Jack was plunged back into the darkness, light blind and fumbling as he sat up in the backseat. At the nose of the car, Dean and Sam stood, heads shaking as they flopped their arms in exasperation. Though he tried, Jack could not sense Chuck at all, not even as he dared use the dredges of his remaining power to reach out.

But in that vain attempt, another presence, one he must have missed earlier, kindled not far off. In fact, it was incredibly close. As Dean and Sam returned to their seats in front of him, Jack wasted no time.

“There’s someone else.” He paused, unsure of how to continue. “I can feel someone.”

Dean twisted over the backrest. “What do you mean? How?”

“I wanted to make sure Chuck was gone, so I…” His tongue felt thick in his mouth, his throat. “I reached out.” Thirsty? How was he thirsty?

“What do you mean, ‘reached out’?” Dean pressed.

How could he explain it? It’d be like teaching quantum mechanics to a three-year-old. Except in his case, Jack was the three-year-old doing the explaining and Dean was the mechanic. “I can sense other celestial beings. Good and evil and in between.”

Dean shot a questioning look at Sam who shrugged. “Can you tell where they are?” Sam asked.

“Not far…” His thought trailed off as he closed his eyes and reached out again. “Maybe a few miles. Northeast.”

Sam dove for the glovebox and withdrew a rectangular piece of paper, folded many times over. Unfurled, he set it on his lap, grabbed his phone—good for nothing now but a flashlight—and began to search. His finger came to a stop, then tapped on what Jack assumed was McHenry. “That’s further into town. You sure about this?”

“There’s no mistaking this entity,” Jack declared. “I hope Chuck hasn’t noticed it yet.”

Dean started the Impala and pulled from the lot. “Sounds like we don’t have a hell of a lot of time, then.”

Or too much, Jack thought. But he provided Dean with directions as he drove, nonetheless. Switching turns took an odd route through town, much to Dean’s irritation. Left, right, left again two blocks, right three blocks, no wait, too far, u-turn, left, then—

“Stop!”

 The Impala screeched to a halt outside an old church in the middle of town. 

“What the hell?!”

“Don’t yell at me, Sam, the kid said stop, so I climbed on the binders! Sue me!” Dean barked as he shoved the shifter into park. He leaned over the wheel and peered up at the church, giving it one long look, then exited the car. “If this is a trap, I quit.”

“You couldn’t quit if you wanted to,” Sam retorted as he and Jack exited together.

Dean withdrew his Colt from the small of his back and a flashlight from his pocket, aiming both at the large, arched doors. “Shut up and get that door open.”

Sam tossed him the lockpick case and Dean caught it after a quick juggle of his flashlight. “We’ll keep watch.”

He seemed too tired to argue, and so Dean holstered his gun, then set to work. Jack watched intently, hoping to learn, although he was unsure why given their circumstances. But he couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched despite the complete lack of life surrounding them. Shadows danced at the edges of his vision, drawing his attention to the street, to the darkest spaces beneath trees and between buildings.

After fifteen minutes—and a broken pick—Dean popped the door in and they slipped through, one after the other. Flickering candlelight lingered in the aftermath of Chuck’s rapture. Fallen hymnals dotted the many pews, and a pang of guilt shot through Jack’s chest. It was all his fault. His mere existence had caused all their pain and suffering. He shuffled to a halt in the choir at the base of the apse stairs when a voice interrupted his lament.

“So you survived.”

The three of them whipped aboutface, and Jack spotted the source of the voice immediately. Though he had never seen his vessel, Jack recognized his true visage. There was no doubt in his mind. And though he did not need the confirmation, Sam’s voice sealed it.

“Michael.”

This series is complete! Reblogs are loved and feedback is welcome!

In Through The Out Door | Art Master Post

[moonlightserenities]

Pegasus

 The famous winged horse from Greek mythology that was created by Medusa when Perseus cut of her head and Pegasus sprang forth of this eclipse to become the immortal thundering horse of Zeus and its teaching of religion and philosophies that is connected with the constellation of Sagittarius and the center of our galaxy.

It is a marker in the heavens showing us where we might find the greatest support from our inborn facility of communication with all that is divine. The strong sense of principles, law and justice are the recognition of expansion in social forces and the quality to reform.

The lunar mansion of Mula meaning the root has this sattvic spiritual quality here and is the end of dissolution and materialism.

When one can tame a horse, one can travel much further, when one can tame the ego, the universe becomes the destiny.

Of course it attracts attention when some claim to ride Pegasus in adoration on the rocking horse vaulted with such ease from the clouds and leaving in return the world with a noble fragrance of horseshit.

The limitation of aspiration is like the carrot one uses to fool the donkey to get somewhere going nowhere.

The results from subtle doubt, to create a flight in the unknown are like the cutting of the head in Medusa story to bring a renewal of qualities in aspirations, which is beyond the mental serpents of the ego. The power of Pegasus is the embracing of indifference, the overcome of fears and the power of perseverance of love, as it never seems to be as it is. The heavens are not the limit and only the beginning for the impossible to become possible.

The same transcend between horse and rider is the connection between the spirit and all boundaries.

The courage to take to Pegasus flight is the living legend and the echoes of the stars. In the realm of the ancient mythology is the power of wisdom and only as strong as the characters subtle feelings in that saddle.