#therefore i have connected the dots with delusion

[iristial]

I forgot I had this tucked away in the drafts...anyway, Sakai understands the essence of Girita and Gira has since been canonically confirmed as one of three people Rita has a soft spot for <3

Also this is a chance for me to ramble about all the tiny Girita moments I might've already talked about, but Sakai (and I) hoped for more Girita scenes and alas I was left eating crumbs off of the floor again 😔 (there might be a couple more moments...maybe. I'll know once I get to the show and never shut up about the same three scenes lol)

Gira's face when Rita smacked down all the bugs in episode 5. I understand why you're impressed but you're a little too impressed for someone who's at risk of hypothermia

Rita insisting on Gira's innocence and Gira's face 2.0, eternal gratitude, perceiving Rita as the competent monarch in this establishment that gets things done forevermore

I'm pretty sure Rita is the only one of the KingOhgers Gira uses the -san honorific for because I distinctly remember seeing a few Japanese tweets freaking out over the few times Gira dropped the -san

There's also a few scenes where Rita steps in front of Gira to prevent someone from approaching him. I can't remember when they occurred though ^^;

While this isn't a moment per say...Rita knocking out Gira when he tried to forgo political strategizing via faking death in favour of larping as an evil overlord is too good of a scene to not talk about

Gira clinging on Rita for dear life when Rita tried to clock out because of Jeramie's antics

Gira and Rita tagteam against that ninja bug! Perfect teamwork!! Gira being shielded by Rita's wings!!!

Kid mind!Gira snuggling in a hammock with a Moffun plushie in his arms

Rita!Yanma flashing Gira!Jeramie a (rather genuine) grin of reassurance before heading off to Yanma's kingdom

The entire espionage episode. Gira joining Himeno and Morphonia in trying to understand why Rita wants to be an idol and professing there's no need to be ashamed about childhood dreams. Gira's face 3.0 during Rita's first dance number. Rita grabbing Gira's coat to wear because idol garb is so impractical for Gokkan weather (he's also the only one wearing a cloak while Himeno and Morphonia had jackets, which are harder to snatch). Rita being ticked off at Gira, Himeno and Morphonia for invasion of privacy, only to melt like ice under the summer heat when those three mumbled they did all that because they care for Rita, and Rita mumbles they're not going to be trialed for the crime of uncovering childhood drawings and Moffun doujinshi

Rita marching in to put out Kaguragi's flames after seeing Gira trying to put it out with his mantle of all things and risk getting third degree burns (you can see the very second this clocks in for Rita and they immediately beeline to push Gira out of harm's way). Of course, this is at the cost of Ice Seal side-effects even though a bucket of water would've done a wonderful job too, and Gira proceeds to be one of three Important People to Rita freaking out and fussing over our noble monarch

(Side note: Gira's also one of Three Important People to Rita who didn't get a "Rita and [insert person]" episode and I will be eternally fantasizing about it)

[casualpeanutcollection]

I will post it here too bc I think this is the most important part of Fatal's character

or how FE sabotages himself through the entire comic (spoiler it's not his fault)

Fatal is implied to have a different perspective of reality from the very beginning. With all these glitches, bright colors, people becoming more like disturbing images of themselves and hallucinations is what makes Fatal so paranoid and distrustful of others. I can even say delusional.

Fatal has a very strong believe like:

"Everyone is against me" or "Everyone is trying to hurt me"

It is important to note that for readers it sounds stupid, because for us what happened is not real. But the thing about delusions is that even if what is happening has never happened, a person still experiences emotions as if it was real.

Bright example, ending of chapter 1: Fatal believes that he is being chased by Error.

For us readers, it's absolutely clear that this is not real Error but just a hallucination. Real Error is resting somewhere out there. But you will not be able to explain this to Fatal without causing confusion, because for him it was real. Which is evident from the way FE tries to attack Error and shows genuine fear when he was captured.

Example #2, chapter 2: Fatal believes that Swap is trying to manipulate him

Fatal: "You think you can just get away, you think you can just manipulate me? you think you're so damn clever, that I'm your puppet?

It doesn't make sense to us, but Fatal strongly believes Blue is trying to hurt him.

Example 3, chapter 3, Fatal thinks Error is trying to kill him again:

FE who saw Error in a potential place where the attack came from, immediately connected the dots and assumed that he had come for him again. I know it's confusing, for us readers it's their first encounter since the prologue, but for Fatal - Error tried to kill him 3 times.

Example #4, Patch Notes, "You think I'm crazy, don't you?":

Patch: "I have no idea where that come from. I've never said anything like that."

I was kinda wondering why would Fatal think Patch was unsuccessful project when he is absolutely perfect? This is not about incorrect coding but rather something on a personal level. For Fatal Papyrus is someone who would accept him without second thoughts, like yeah from what I seen FE requires an unconditional love. But Patch is bothered by his behavior, he calls it weird and strange, he questions it (which is understandable Patch needs someone to talk to) but Fatal is paranoid, and their situation is worsened by the fact that they don't communicate at all. Patch is concerned about FE and this is a normal reaction, but for FE its something that means:

"Patch thinks I'm crazy"

"He doesn't say it but I know by the way he looks at me"

And the fact that Fatal is very observant means that yes he will notice all of Patch's looks ("Does he notice that I notice?") and assumes the worst bc therefore, such a concept "someone can love and accept me the way I am now" is almost impossible for him

[lookwhatilost]

is anyone here old and online enough to remember the final fantasy vii house? if you don’t, rewind to the turn of the century, 20 odd years back. i haven’t brushed up on the details, but i’ll give you a general synopsis.

so, this 19 y/o with a troubled home life – i think they were trans, which i only bring up to give some context as to how someone might stuck end up in a situation like this, because they need support wherever they can find it – ends up meeting some people at a con who are really into cosplay and really into final fantasy vii, jrpgs, anime, amongst other 90s turn of the millennium stuff, and ends up living with this deeply troubled lesbian couple, and some orbiters that come and go. “kinnies” wasn’t really a term around at the time, but that’s probably the closest description to what they were. “there’s this parallel universe, not one that’s just alternate potentialities of our world, but anything you can think of or imagine or conceptualize is spawning into a reality in and of itself. therefore, you can have these spiritual soul bonds with fictional characters. you are them, and they are you, and you have a dimensional link to this character from a video game that was written by a japanese guy who worked 80 hours a week” they all engage in this to varying degrees, but the person at the center of this did so the most strongly. they really sincerely believed this and it was this nightmare situation of this one central individual doing weird torture rituals to people. like putting them into ice water baths and stuff to try and bring forth their connections to these characters... but at the same time, making everyone else pay the bills and do the housework and everything. a proto cult. the initial kid who moved in with them gets out of this situation eventually and issues a warning to the ffvii fandom.

if you google final fantasy vii house, you’ll find videos and summaries. the original callout page is still up and down the rabbit hole did an episode about it.

that basic idea that “all the movies you love exist in a parallel universe that exists unto itself and can interact with ours” is something i’ve seen fiction that touches on it. wishbone goes into the book and becomes one of the characters. anybody remember wishbone? or the never-ending story. those were most of my imaginary kid scenarios when i was a kid playing in my back yard. some iteration of me interacting with all my favorite characters. it’s kind of... a stunted, juvenile mindset. but there are some people who don’t grow up and who are so, well, mentally ill that the intersection of these things makes their filter for reality so busted. they’re so emotionally connected to whatever fictions they escape into that they turn this into a cosmology that they really, sincerely believe in. and as the internet coalesces and comes into being, scattered individuals that have taken the ball and run with it on these fictional contrivances interact with each other and reenforce one another’s delusions. the story of tumblr dot com.

chris-chan is another huge example of this. if you look at the early chris-chan lore, like making billy mays the mayor of cwcville, which is something she was really upset about initially. that limitless capacity to make yourself believe whatever you want to believe, regardless of the external world. pure solipsism. the world is what i make it and i live entirely in my delusion. the same cosmology: all the fiction i love is real, and i can really meet those characters. ezra miller’s cult thing seems like it’s also hitting the same beats

as more and more people get online and grow up in a media-saturated environment, and as corporations embrace the multiverse concept as a way to have, like, 8 different versions of spider-man for every demographic and have them meet, i think this is going to become more a cosmology or ideology that gets built into new-age cults, etc. not to be super doom & gloom, because this is going to be an insane crank belief in the same way that if you went back 50 years, there were plenty of other insane crank beliefs. but i think this is going to be the new dominant one because, absent anything else to get invested in, absent a world of class consciousness or meaningful political movements, but post the atomic bomb, it’s kind of hard to have conventional religious beliefs.

even the people i know who are converting to catholicism, there’s a kind of post-modern self-awareness that is different from the sincere un self-reflective faith that would have constituted most people’s engagement with religion, like, 500 years ago. it has the same pieces of all the other new age stuff that gained prominence in the decades post wwii. it’s a search for something that fills a spiritual and social void, but can square with a reality where personal religious belief no longer seems tenable.

“what am i emotionally connected with?” i don’t know, sonic the hedgehog. or the flash . or kylo ren. or whoever. it’s so desperate to satisfy that emotional connection with those characters and their worlds, you convince yourself there’s some way to actually spiritually, mentally, even physically connect with them. that they are more than just fiction.

we’re gonna keep seeing more and more of this kinda shit. this is just the beginning.

and the core person behind the final fantasy house is still out there to this day.

[cosmichighpriestess]

°•Autistic people and their purpose•°

Being autistic is widely misinterpreted and labeled as something being "wrong with" that person. There is nothing wrong with us. Being autistic feels like, never feeling at home anywhere I go but as long as I am in tune with myself I know I'm at home with myself. We can sense our connection to Source and we miss it. We don't all think the same way, we know everyone has a different perspective. Being autistic feels like, operating at another level that most people cannot relate to. Being autistic feels like my needs being constantly ignored and neglected by everyone around me because they don't know I'm sensitive. It feels like being watched and judged constantly because there's something different about us but they can't quite put their finger on it.

Being autistic feels like unintentionally scaring everyone away because of our natural authenticity and light. It feels like parents, partners, doctors, friends denying that I'm autistic because "I don't look or act autistic". Autism doesn't have a specific look. Neurodivergent people can usually tell if you are ND like them by hearing the way they speak and common behaviors. Autistic brains produce 42 percent more information at rest. Many of us, if not all cannot always articulate what our mind and emotions are saying and feeling, we feel as though we come off as unintelligent and that everyone may perceive us as slow or stupid, when really there's a thousand thoughts processing in our minds all the time until we learn how to calm ourselves and focus. Many of us mask, make normal eye contact, look and talk like everyone else to make you feel more comfortable. So therefore they can continue treating us the same way because we mask to fit in. (Sarcasm). When one of us is unmasking, don't expect an autistic person to engage in small talk anymore because we will either go silent, avoid you completely, or talk about something more meaningful, authentic and real instead.

Being autistic feels like being labeled as everything we know we are not because they can't place us in a small box. They have to create their own delusions about us,( like labeling us as someone with narcissistic traits because we seem self serving and unapologetically authentic,)to make themselves feel better about themselves. It feels like people wanting access to our energy but only when it's convenient for them like we're a little pet. Being autistic feels like not understanding or caring at all about job titles, social status or hierarchy. We literally don't care at all because of our brains. It feels like being exhausted from lights, loud sounds, energies, vibrations are too much, lower vibrational, chaotic and we feel like an anxiety tsunami where we're constantly in sensory overload when we're not alone in our own energy. When our out of balance nervous system is in fight or flight.

Being autistic feels like watching everyone be and act normal and everything looks so easy for them, whereas for us, we have to think for ourselves first, do things our own way, at our own pace but feeling pressured to fit in, do things at a fast pace for everyone else at the same time. Then being judged, mocked ect. by them for having to do things our own way so our minds can relax and we can be at ease. We do not usually enjoy or prefer being perceived by others unless we are feeling ourselves that day, we wish others would mind their business as we keep to ourselves. We are like bullshit detectors, we use pattern recognition, and we connect the dots. So much trauma comes from autistic people having to unconsciously mask for neurotypical people to make them feel more comfortable around us. The unmasking process can be terrifying for most autistic people.

The truth about us on the Autism spectrum from a spiritual lense, is that we're not from Earth, and we are more connected with the higher dimensions. We have a highly focused point of view, we are operating at a higher level of awareness, we have a high amount of empathy because of this awareness, most of us are misunderstood because the neurotypical brain doesn't have this level of awareness most of the time, and therefore ignorance is bliss. So we suffer greatly having this level of self awareness in the land of ignorance, lower vibrational thinking, insanity and suffering and us,being not from Earth.

We're extraterrestrials disguised as humans for a while, but so is everyone else, neurotypicals are just unaware and unawakened, we are just more aware of our multidimensionality and that is why we typically do not fit in or conform to society's failing systems that we can clearly see do not support us and work for us. We came to create a new world. Everyone can learn from someone on the Autism spectrum from our particular aspects of our personalities. Autistic people have chosen to demonstrate to you, to everyone in different ways, in different slices of personality expression what you all are actually capable of if you allow yourself to be and offer in full mode.

We are giving you a loving opportunity to see the potential to each and every soul that we are all specialists in our own way and how you can be a broader form of generalists by watching how we operate. We live in the moment more, we are not in competition with anyone, we are authentic, we see right through you, we disregard your physical attributes and look within to see your heart, we don't like lying to ourselves or others. We don't always understand why neurotypical people don't just say what they mean or dance around a question instead of just telling the truth of how they feel. We don't understand why you ask how we are doing if you don't genuinely want to know how we are, because we hate lying we think you genuinely want to know how awful we're feeling. Don't ask if you don't want the truth.

We don't care for sarcasm because we can see through the true meaning and intention behind it. We understand sarcasm we just don't think you're truly being funny. We know that projections are just confessions about themselves. We are all in or nothing at all. We are either best friends or we cut you out, there's no in-between and it's usually not personal, just a preference. We don't do a lot of small talk, we go straight into what we want to talk about and do, we focus more deeply on each moment and living in the present.

We instinctively know that, we will know what we need to know when we need to know it. We know Rome wasn't built in a day. We take the time to deeply understand others first before we make false conclusions about them and sometimes before we decide to be in any kind of relationship with them. We follow our special interests, our joys but society is always against us following it. We know we don't know everything, and so we don't worry about not knowing everything, we go at our own pace. I hope this helps you to better understand yourself, autistic individuals and one of our purposes here on Earth.

[ootahime]

analyzing every gojohime moment in the manga 😈

this series will probably have more than one part because tumblr only lets me upload ten images per post </3

warning: there are disgustingly long paragraphs in here and delusions

chapter 32

utahime’s first introduction!  akutami lets us know right off the bat that she thinks gojo is an idiot (so true).

chapter 32

i love the contrast between miwa and utahime’s reaction to gojo’s appearance.  

chapter 33

NAH BC TELL ME WHY HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO NOT GET HER ONE LMAOOOO!!  when he traveled overseas to meet with yuta, he picked up the tribal protection charms and thought to himself, “let’s get enough for the kyoto students as a gift since i am such a great and caring teacher, after all.  mmm, i should skip utahime to make her mad~”  this guy puts way too much effort into getting on her nerves.  his mind = utahime brainrot

chapter 33

she’s laughing at him here because he’s getting disciplined for being a lil shit.  i wonder...what would he say if he saw her laughing at him like that?  

chapter 33

this interaction between them is a little strange don’t you think?   i feel like over the years he’s learned how to pick up her mood based on the way she’s acting towards him.  you’re probably thinking, “well any person can figure out how a person’s feeling based on the way they’re talking or acting.”  yes, that’s absolutely true, but it’s kind of different with this.  she’s acting normal.  utahime has a rather indifferent expression on her face and what she says is spoken in a calm tone, but gojo still asks her if she’s mad at him.  it’s likely that he knows her well enough to be able to notice these subtle things.  even if she wasn’t actually mad at him, he was being considerate for a split second, then he went and said, “of course.  i didn’t do anything wrong and all.”  what a guy LOLOL.  to me, this implies that maybe he made her genuinely angry in the past to the point where he realized that he went too far, and thus decided to be more careful of her feelings.  she has definitely gotten annoyed at him so many times after that so whenever she seems angry, he probably asks himself if he took it too far.  i’m curious to see if he can pick up if she’s upset with something that’s not involving him.  would he console her?  how does gojo satoru console someone?  

despite him always annoying her, she’s still courteous and brings him a cup of tea during their talk.  she didn’t have to go out of her way to get tea for him but she did.  that’s the kind of person utahime is.  a kind and caring woman who would never put her students in danger.  in the anime they were sitting far away and not facing each other like they’re doing in the manga.  she also has her own tea cup.  i think that little panel of her placing the cup down on the table and him picking it up to take a sip is a nice little detail.  it just proves that her hating him most of the time isn’t actually pure hatred but annoyance because of his shenanigans and teasing.

chapter 33

i touched upon this a little bit in my previous post, but i wish to go more in depth about this panel.  first of all, he ends the sentence with her name twice.  two times too many, mr. gojo.  i like how they can be serious with each other too LOL.  i wish we got to see them talk about the traitors because they did figure it out together after all.  does it always end in bickering?  can they interact with each other like adults all the way through?  somehow, i feel like that’s not possible when it comes to these two.  furthermore, notice how gojo confides in utahime about his suspicions.  from what we know, she is the first person he brought it up to.  i mean, i guess he has to start investigating the schools and would need extra assistance to save time, but he could have done it himself if he really wanted to.  by deciding to ask for her help we know that he thinks she’s trustworthy, smart, and strong enough to face whatever considerable risks this task may entail.  

i didn’t point this out in my other posts but see how he makes a hand sign in the last panel when she throws the cup at him?  gojo is manually activating his infinity.  why though?  about a year after the whole star plasma vessel incident happened, gojo develops the ability to keep his infinity up at all times by using the reversed curse technique to consistently heal himself to prevent exhaustion.  this means that it really makes no difference whether he leaves it on or off.  there are a few times where we can witness someone actually touching gojo.  for example, yuuji giving him a hug.  did he turn his infinity off, or was it able to deduce that yuuji was not a threat?  the erasers and pencils shoko and geto threw at him during his demonstration of his new ability aren’t dangerous normally, but is it the speed that makes them dangerous?  even if it did hit him, it wouldn’t hurt.  how does the infinity know when to allow an incoming object to touch gojo?  i believe it is up to gojo himself to let things touch him; his infinity restricts anything and anyone.  some people say it could just be the fact that water is not dangerous to him, so therefore, he has to manually put his infinity up.  i thought this was a reasonable explanation as to why he put up the hand sign when the tea was thrown at him, but then i realized that it couldn’t be.  remember the second opening?  it’s raining and everyone is carrying an umbrella, then it pans to gojo with a bouquet in his hand and rain drops slipping off his infinity.  if he DID manually put his infinity up to prevent getting soaked then that implies that he chose to turn his infinity off.  you can argue and say that jujutsu high is a safe place with students so there’s no need to have his infinity there, but do you remember when he stepped on the ants in front of gakuganji and yaga?  the ants were perfectly fine after which insinuates that his infinity prevented his shoes from crushing the ants.  he most likely had his infinity on during the baseball game even though he was in a safe environment.  how does this long tangent relate back to utahime?  well, it simply indicates that gojo trusts utahime so much to the point where he can be vulnerable around her.  turning off his infinity symbolizes completely letting down his guard  in a way.  

how about what happens next?  utahime throws the tea at him, he turns on his infinity to deflect it, and he responds with, “scary!  hysteric women aren’t popular, you know!”  why would he even say that LMAO??  utahime doesn’t even try to deny what he said either.  she just hits him with the good old, “i am your senpai!”  could it be that he’s trying to poke fun of her relationship status?  maybe, maybe not.  doesn’t he like people a lil crazy?  he did say that all jujutsu sorcerers have to be a little crazy because they’re willing to put themselves in danger constantly.  

chapter 0 p.1

i wonder who he’s thinking of when he said that.  could it be utahime?  it seems like he’s reminiscing or thinking about someone.  he wears an amused expression on his face as he laughs - almost like he’s seen his fair share of how scary women can get :>>

chapter 34

the pattern behind gojo and utahime is called yagasuri “fletching,” a traditional japanese design.  this design is inspired by arrow fletching.  it's a lucky charm for weddings and other celebrations since it's based on the Japanese belief that an arrow shot once never comes back.  brides were given kimonos with this pattern for good luck during the edo era (1603–1868) to ensure they would not have to return to their original family home.  this pattern can have numerous meanings such as steadfastness or determination to achieve a goal, or a wish for the happiness of the bride.  there is a belief that a bow and arrow represent the fight against evil.  honestly, this meaning fits the narrative of the story.  utahime and gojo are unearthing the traitors that are feeding intel to the curse users and cursed spirits.  they are in the middle while the kyoto students surround them, which could mean that it’s their job as adults to protect these children from the grasps of evil slowly making itself more prominent.  do you also notice that the arrows are pointed toward utahime from gojo?  from all the images i’ve seen, the arrows are usually pointed downward.  what could this mean?  is gojo trying to protect her (in the future (?)) or does he have a big fat crush smh...

i think it’s a good time to mention utahime’s clothing.  she’s wearing miko attire.  miko are shrine maidens who were once thought to be shamans (you connecting the dots?).  in their service to shrines, miko used to perform spirit possession and takusen (in which the possessed person acts as a "medium" (yorimashi) to communicate the divine will or message of that kami (god) or spirit; also included in the category of takusen is "dream revelation" (mukoku), in which a kami appears in a dream to communicate its will).  this was back in the old days, of course.  to become a miko back then (shaman), one needed to have potential.  neurosis, hallucinations, odd behavior, and hysteria (HYSTERIA HELLO???) are some of the signs that a person is being called to shamanism.  when a miko is communicating with a kami (god) or spirit by acting as a medium, she is in a trance-like state, and so she must learn techniques to control herself when this happens.  chanting and dancing were used to accomplish this, so the girl was taught melodies and intonations that were used in songs, prayers, and magical formulas.  all of this could give us insight about utahime’s technique and explains why she’s good at singing :)  maybe she can’t control herself when she uses her technique which is why she isn’t shown using it because it should be used for dire situations.  i imagine being possessed by a spirit or god must consume a lot of cursed energy.  it makes sense that utahime and gakuganji wear traditional clothing.  they’re the staff of jujutsu high’s kyoto branch.  in chapter 0, kyoto is known as the sacred land of jujutsu.  it’s more traditional compared to tokyo.  if you want to learn more about miko, you should check out the wikipedia page!  

chapter 34

i swear he tries to annoy her every chance he gets.  i bet he sets a goal for himself to see how many times utahime lectures him about respecting his seniors every time he’s within the same vicinity as her.  at least he called her utahime-sensei!!!

chapter 40

this isn’t even a gojohime moment tbh...i just wanted to share a pic of them sitting next to each other HEHE.  why are they sitting next to each other anyway?  it’s not like they have assigned seating.

----

that was so long and i apologize for the gargantuan paragraphs you guys had to read through.  i’m writing this at 4 in the morning and i’m feeling borderline delirious so i apologize if there are any errors.  i’ll edit this when i have time <3

the next part should come shortly.

[imalifegen89]

A Legacy Left Behind - Chapter - 5 - The Gemmond Incident

Part 3

Sheppard and Lorne were a lethal sight to behold.

They moved like two dancers who were following complicated steps on a deadly routine that was known to the two of them alone. Their actions, the way they moved and attacked, were synchronized to the point that it looked like they were carrying out a sequence they had practiced a million times. They left a trail of dead Drones behind as they steadily advanced towards the bridge of the Carrier where the Wraiths were stationed.

Sheppard was communicating with Lorne mentally. He had realized that he had the ability the moment he changed. Lorne had instinctively given the lead to John and followed him as they continued their killing spree, closing the distance to their prey.

The Wraiths were already aware of them when they finally reached the bridge. They’d had lunch, judging by the withered, dead bodies of the Gemmondians that were strewn around on the floor of the bridge.

"Kill them!"

The older Wraith hissed a command at the ten Drones that were gathered in the area to protect their leaders. Sheppard took two long steps to meet the oncoming assault head first as Lorne moved from his side, meeting the Drones that were advancing from their left. Sheppard caught the stunner that was closest to his face and dragged the Drone that was attached to it right up against him. The Drone, unwilling to let go of its weapon, took an unintentional step forward at Sheppard's urging and met an unfortunate end at the tip of a knife that went straight through its neck. Still holding onto the stunner now attached to the lifeless Drone, Sheppard whirled around, putting his back to the dead Drone, and fired the stunner on the Drone that was creeping up from behind him. The stunned Drone fell to the floor and John threw his knife at its neck, finishing it. Then he dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the stunner that went swinging past where his head had been when another Drone had decided to use it as a club. John unstrapped his P90 in one smooth movement from where it was cradled on his chest and shot it from the ground, dropping it to the floor, dead. Then he got up and calmly shot three other Drones that were intent on attacking him. Finally, he turned to see the last Wraith Drone that was still grappling with Lorne. As John moved his weapon to shoot it, Lorne managed to drop the thing with a shot to its feeding hand followed by a tap to the neck.

"How is this possible? Who are you? ANSWER ME!!!"

"Kneel!"

Both the Wraiths, now alone with John and Evan in the bridge, were panicking and hissing commands both verbally and mentally.

John moved towards the closest Wraith.

"Don't! I will kill your friends. As you can see, your friends and the rescued prisoners are surrounded. My servants shall kill them all on my order."

The Wraith had taken a step back at Sheppard's advance. He was now staring at a Wraith equivalent of a security feed on the wall beside them. Sheppard could see the moving dots on the screen that was most probably his teams moving fast to get out of the ship. Seeing the live feed, the Wraith recovered from blind panic as he realized that the two prison-break teams were now flanked by the remaining Wraith Drones. The Wraith could mentally track the movement of the Drones and see through their eyes as well. He knew that this hostage situation would give them the chance to escape these abnormal human horrors.

Sheppard didn't say a word. He knew that he couldn't let that happen. No matter how hard the compulsion was, this time he wasn't letting it overtake him completely. The first time had caught him unawares and he hadn't known what was happening to him. But now he knew. So he was going to do his damndest to get everyone out before he finished off these two abominations.

"Put down your weapons and kneel, humans - bow down now to your superior. See the glory and the power of I, The Night Shadow! Do as I say or witness the death of your people."

The Wraith was on a full rant, confident that he had the upper hand of the situation.

Sheppard did as ordered. He saw, in the periphery, Lorne's eyes go wide at this sudden turn of events. He hadn't expected Sheppard to fall to his knees at all. He knew the Wraith had absolutely no control over Sheppard's mind and therefore the surrender on John's part was completely voluntary.

"Play along." Sheppard’s deep voice resonated in Lorne’s mind. He dropped to his knees as ordered.

The Wraith, his smug superiority inflated at the display of subservience by the obviously lethal humans, took a bold step forward, coming to stand right in front of Sheppard. Then he stretched his hand and backhanded Sheppard harshly on the face a few times. Sheppard bore the assault with barely a grunt; his face hardly moving despite the raining blows, much to the displeasure of the Wraith.

"Ah! I see. How very noble... willing to sacrifice yourself for your friends. But let me ask you this, human..." The Wraith spoke softly, his hissing voice full of menace. Then he extended a clawed finger towards John's chest and made a vicious slicing movement. The strong claw cut through the fastening of his tactical vest and the uniform underneath. Then the Wraith tugged both his vest and the uniform apart, exposing John’s bare chest, making his intention to start feeding on Sheppard abundantly clear.

Lorne twitched at the assault but otherwise stayed still, trusting John to know what he was doing. Instead, he kept his attention on the other, still somewhat frightened Wraith, aiming a nasty smile at him with a promise of violent and painful death.

"How could you possibly know that I would let your friends go? After I have sucked you dry, maybe I will do the same to each and every one of them instead?"

The lead Wraith let out a loud, ringing, triumphant laugh as he bent forward slightly and placed his feeding hand right on top of John's heart. John wondered for a moment how this dumb asshole could be so sure of himself just after witnessing the fresh carnage that John and Evan were clearly capable of creating. 'Oh well, self-delusion is probably a side-effect of their rather unhealthy dietary habits,' he concluded.

The moment he felt the cold, dead palm making contact with the bare skin on his chest, Sheppard reacted. He caught the feeding hand of the Wraith with both his hands and locked it in an iron grip. The Wraith hissed out a startled breath and tried to wrench it back. But he kept his grip, firmly holding the now struggling Wraith right in front of him which was exactly where he wanted it.

Then John opened his mind.

He remembered the way he felt when he was mentally assaulted by the Wraith female back in Afghanistan. He mentally forced a connection into the Wraith's mind as the female had done to him. He felt the dark and slimy presence of the Wraith mind and almost recoiled in horror. But he firmed his resolve and forced himself to dig deeper. He knew the Wraith was able to communicate orders to the Drones mentally and he needed to find those connections. As he continued his telepathic trespass deeper into the Wraith's mind, he started to see a pattern. It looked like a complicated Spider's Web - tangled threads of mental bonds, connecting them to each other. And at the center of the maze, he found the core of the mind of the Wraith called Night-Shadow.

He yanked the flimsy threads apart as he waded his way through to the core he had just spotted. Then he put his metaphorical mental fingers on top of it and started ripping it to pieces.

Sheppard pushed the entire strength of his will towards the destruction of the core and he felt the mental Web starting to disintegrate inside the Wraith mind along with its physical body. He withdrew his mind from Night Shadow and came back to himself amidst a scene of horror and destruction incarnate. The two Wraiths were writhing on the floor, their inhuman screams fading into pain-riddled whimpers of death throes. A similar phenomenon was taking place everywhere, the dying screams of the Drones echoing inside the entire ship. Sheppard felt the ship itself vibrating fearfully at the assault he just unleashed.

Lorne was up and closing in on Sheppard the moment he knew what was happening. He felt a faint echo of what Sheppard did through his mental connection to him. He knew that John used the mental bonds the Wraith had to each other to destroy them all in one fell swoop. He also felt the strange awareness and the boost he had been riding until now, slowly receding deep into his mind, confirming that the Wraith in the vicinity were no more.

Lorne reached him just as Sheppard started listing to his side, his body no longer able to keep itself upright. The physical exhaustion after having killed so many Drones and the massive amount of mental energy he just expended, all taking the toll on John at once. Lorne caught him before he did a faceplant on the nasty and most probably germ-ridden floor. He helped his leader to get back on his feet and kept a supporting hand on Sheppard's shoulder when he felt the man swaying alarmingly as he stood up. Then he used his free hand to extract a field bandage and handed it to Sheppard, who used it to wipe his upper lip and nose where he was bleeding freely.

"Sheppard to Steve, Steve - come in." John tiredly tapped his earpiece, raising the team.

"Yeah, Shep, go ahead," the Navy SEAL answered.

"Clear the ship now and put as much distance as possible from here. The Wraith and the Drones are dead, so your way is clear. We are heading back to the Jumper," Sheppard updated. Although he had only raised Steve on the comms, he knew the whole team was listening intently.

If Steve heard the weariness in his voice, the SEAL never questioned it. He knew that Steve would come to check on John himself, the moment they finished their mission.

"Copy that." The crisp acknowledgment came over the comms and Sheppard knew they were on the move. He took a deep breath, wishing he could just lie down for a nap before he had to move.

"Hey, can you walk?" He noticed Lorne was eying him wearily, contemplating whether he was going to have to carry Sheppard. He knew he looked as bad as he felt, maybe even a bit worse.

"Yeah, I can walk. Just gimme a minute," said Sheppard as he straightened from the hold Lorne still had on his shoulder and took a few experimental steps. When he was reasonably sure that he wasn't about to topple over, he started walking towards the exit of the bridge.

"Okay, let's go," he threw over the shoulder when he realized that Lorne wasn't following him.

"Ah, Sheppard, it's this way." The asshole was trying to hide a chuckle while pointing at the exit on the other side. John grimaced.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Lead the way then." He extended a hand gesturing for Lorne to take the lead who obviously had the better sense of direction when they were not riding the Wraith annihilating high.

"So, it should be somewhere here," Lorne announced, as he finally led them both into an open area. Sheppard looked around, hoping they were in the right place. He really needed to sit down and rest now. Just as he was about to give up, he felt the Jumper calling out in his mind.

"Wait, I can feel it, let me just..." He started walking towards the direction he felt the mental pull, requesting the Jumper to de-cloak.

"There you go," he grinned as the Puddle Jumper shimmered into existence in front of them. They both climbed in through the back door and fell to their respective seats.

"Let's get the hell out of this shitty, smelly excuse of a spaceship. Even if there weren't any Wraith, I’d still blow this piece of shit on principle," Sheppard grumbled as he went through the compulsory flight checks to get the Jumper moving.

The Puddle Jumper somehow seemed to sense its pilot's exhaustion, because the little ship did most of the orienting and flying all by itself, only letting John extend the tiniest bit of energy towards their movement. John was grateful for the support and the Jumper was happy and proud to be of service.

Meanwhile, both Steve's and Danny's teams had regrouped just outside the landed Wraith ship. They were already running fast further into the jungle area to clear the blast zone. Once they all had put a distance of about three hundred yards from the ship, Steve clicked on the comms to let Sheppard know that they were in the clear.

Sheppard took the jumper directly above the ship and ran a final scan. Then he told the Jumper that he needed the Carrier to be disintegrated, but with minimal damage to the terrain. The Jumper acknowledged the order, re-oriented itself to the best position to carry out the instructions, and released two squid missiles. The squids exited the Jumper leaving twin graceful arcs behind and impacted the Wraith Carrier from opposite sides simultaneously. The ship erupted in a huge explosion, turning into a ball of fire that started cleansing away the misery and carnage it had caused in blazing glory.

[happyumbrellla]

Malec : Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : Announcement : 

Magnus had been brilliant at the trial. By calling Lydia to the bar, she had broken her direct connection with the Clave to express clearly her feelings on this matter. For a few moments, the warlock had won his trial, until the Inquisitor changed the rules. Magnus and Izzy chatted for a long time in the young woman’s chamber before Alec entered the room, a huge smile on his face :

        -Jace and Clary are back. They gave the cup to Lydia.

An immense joy invades Isabelle :

        -You are free !

        -You were right. They returned. You knew it.

The young woman took refuge in the arms of her brother :

        -Actually, I did’nt know.

Magnus smiles at the shadowhunter, happy for her that everything ends well :

        -Well, my job here is over.

The warlock took his suit jacket :

        -Walk me ould you, we have some business to settle.

Izzy looked up at his brother as Bane left the room :

        -What did he ask for payment ?

        -Euh… I… Euh…

        -Aleeeeec, insisted Isabelle.

        -Me.

The young woman opened her eyes wide :

        -Sorry ?

        -He asked me to be the payment.

        -You refused, I hope. Tell me you refused Alec.

The silence of brother brought him his answer :

        -You signed a contract with him ?

        -Yes.

        -But what havec you done ?

        -I di dit for you Izzy. To defend you.

        -But was it necessary to give your life for mine ?

        -I’ll do anything to protect you and I know you know.

Isabelle rubbed her neck :

        -Magnus may be willing to negotiate.

        -I already asked. But now that I have signe dot, it’s no longer negotiable.

        -Did you read it before signing it ?

        -I didn’t have the time. Every second played against you. I didn’t know if Jace and Clary were going to come back with the cup. I had to do whatever it took to save you.

The shadowhunter took refuge again in the arms of his brother and clung to him as if his life depended on it :

        -Magnus will not hurt you… Even if you did. But… Promose me to careful.

        -I’m a shadowhunter, Izzy, I know how to defend myself against a warlock.

        -Maybe, but we’re talking about Magnus. And you don’t react as usual when it commes to him.

She was right. Even thought he did everything to hide it, Alec had feelings for Magnus. And he had hurt seeing the pain of the warlock when he had annouced his marriage to Lydia. But what worried him most was the fact that he was going to have to learn to deal with his feelings for Magnus whan he was married to Lydia. Isabelle went away from her brother :

        -Go and join him before he counts the malus.

The elder of the Lightwood swallowed before leaving his sister behind him. The warlock was waiting for him in his own office. He contemplated the works Alec had exhibited in his library. The hunter closed the door behind him :

        -Can I read what I signed his morning ?

Without a glance at him, Bane snapped his fingers to make the contract appear. Alec seize dit, unfolded it and began to read it. He nearly chocked with his saliva from the first lines ;

« Alexander Gideon Lightwood hired Magnus Bane to be the defender of Isabelle Lightwood during her trial for hight treason to the Clave. The employee asks to be paid for his services. The asking price is : Alexander Gideon Lightwood.

 By this contrzct, the following points shall be respected by both parties :

-Under in her power to defend Isabelle Lightwood at best.

          -The marriage between Lydia Branwell and Alexander Gideon Lightwood is canceled.

          -Alexander Gideon Lightwood leaves his apartements at the New-York Shadowhunters Institute to move into Magnus Bane’s apartement. The elder Lightwood will remain a shadowhunter and will go to his worplace every day to return every night to the apartment of warlock Bane.

          -Alexander Gideon Lightwood is committed to meeting and satisfying all of Magnus Bane’s demands.

          -Alexander Gideon Lightwood is committed to avoiding physical and/or sexual contact with other people outside of Magnus Bane. The same goes for the second party.

          -Magnus Bane is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of Alexander Gideon Lightwood. The latter undertakes to do the same.

 Signatures of both parties. »

 The shadowhunter looked up at the warlock. It was a joke, he couldn’t actually sign it ? HJe was totally shocked and his mind was already in strange delusions one in which he finished naked… Under Magnus. Alec shook his head and tried to regain his spirits :

        -I have questions.

        -I would have been surprised if I had not.

        -My marriage with Lydia is canceled ?

        -I have already sent the letters to the diffferent parties. With your signature of course. Everything is in order. This marriage will not take place.

        -But…

        -You have no choice. Everything is already settled.

Alec scowled. He was at the same time relieved not to have to spoil his life in this arranged wedding but he was anxious. How would her family react to this ? And Lydia ? And the Clave ? :

        -When you say that I must answer and satisfy the least of your requests… What do I have to understand ?

        -If I ask you to wear a necklace to which I can attach a leash, you will do it without protest.

        -Pardon ?, cried the shadowhunter.

        -Whatever I ask you, you will do it without any protest.

        -Are you asking me to become your submissive ?

        -In a way.

        -I refuse !

Magnus snapped his fingers and the contract was left to flutter before the eyes of the shadowhunter :

        -Shall I remind you that you have no choice ?

Alec grabbed the contract and tore it up :

        -And now ?

        -Now you realize that I am not stupid enough not to have made a copy of this contract.

The warlock snapped his fingers and the contract reappeared in his hands :

        -I can make as many copies as I want. So go and have fun ripping ir as much as you want.

Alec sank back into his chair :

        -By the Angel, inwaht have I embarked myself ?

        -Don’t be so depressed, I’ll take good care of you.

« That’s what worries me », thought the shadowhunter.

        -Tell me it’s a joke Magnus. Tell me you don’t want me to do that…

When Alec lifted his eyes, he shrugged. The warlock was now a few centimeters from him, his hands resting on the armrests, preventing any leak :

        -I want us to comply with this contract point by point. And we’ll start right away, I’ll leave you three hours to collect your stuff. When the time had passed, I would come to get you to settle in with me, he murmured.

        -His breath on his skin made the young man shudder with blue eyes :

        -You will not marry Lydia, you will come to live with me and you will be totally mine to eternity Alec. You signe dit yourself…

Alec swallowed, he should have thought before accepting to be the price to pay for the work of Magnus :

        -I know you have feelings for me Alexander. And you know I feel them too. So stop asking yourself questions and fully accept this contract that reflects only our common desires.

Had he thought about the consequences ? To the reaction of his friends ? From his family ? From the Clave ? Certainly not. The hunter frowned, clapped the contract on his chest while pushing him away and standing up from his seat :

        -And what do you think the others will say ?

        -I don’t care about the others. They can think what they want as long as you respect the contract. And then… You can hide behind you in case things get too pleasant to you.

He gave him a satisfied smile before disappearing in a beat of eyelashes, leaving Alec alone with himself. He remained for a long time petrified by the anguish on his chair before getting up feverishly to pull his bag from under his bed. He put it on his sheets and stared at him silently for a moment. The elder of the Lightwood family walked over to his wardrobe, took out some of the clothes he had and stuffed them into his bag. He also arranged the few personal belongings he possessed. Once he had finished, the shadowhunter began to fix the contract with a evil look, in the hope of making it disappear, but it didn’t work. He sighed again before rolling the contract and stuffing it into the black pocket of his jeans. He grabbed his cell phone and summoned his family and friends to one of the Institute’s meeting rooms. The young Lightwood trembled with anxiety as his heart drummed in his chest. What had he done ?

Alexander paced the meeting room waiting for the others to arrive. He was totally panicked. How would they react when they heard the news ? His mother was probably going to kill him… :

        -Alec ? Your message seemed urgent.

The elder Lightwood stopped circling to turn to his parabataï. Even if they had argued, Jace had to be informed of the situation. The latter had arrived with Clary :

        -I… We have to wait for everyone to talk about it.

The duo exchanged a glance before taking a seat. When Isabelle arrived, she embraced her brother very strongly before going to sit without a word. Then the door slammed on Maryse and, behind her, Robert :

        -What did you do with Alec ? Why did you cancel your marriage ?

Alexander opened his mouth to reply and explain the purpose of the meeting but his mother continued on her launch :

        -Our family needed this alliance ! You just humiliated us in the eyes of the Clave by making them believe in a great event and why this Alec ?

The shadowhunter took the contract our of his pocket and thrust it violently on the wood of the table :

        -To save Isabelle’s life since you have done nothing to help her !

Everyone glanced at the contract as Alec watched his colleagues work behind the bay windows. He was awfully embarrassed to have the contract read, but he had no choice. Then Maryse’s voice echoed again :

        -Do you realize what you did Alec ? You have just given your life and your body to this… Warlock…

Alec closed his eyelieds, yes, he realize it, but he had done it for Isabelle. And the result was there, Magnus had won his case. Briefly, of course, but he had won it. He therefore deserved his payment :

        -Everyone calms down, Jace shouted as the agitation took hols in the meeting room.

There was silence :

        -Alec ?

The named turned his head towards his parabatai :

        -Did you explain what happened to Magnus ?

Alexander took a chair and sat on it :

        -Izzy wanted him to be his lawyer. He agreed to do it in exchange for a prize… Me.

He swallowed as his mother shot him with his eyes :

        -I didn’t know if you were going to come back… With the cup or not. So… I did what I had to do to protect my sister. I accepted… Without having read…

Robert let his head swing forward sighing in despair :

        -How many times did I tell you to read before signing…

        -I didn’t have the time ! He wasn’t palying in our favor. Each lost second brought us closer to the trial and the sentence.

        -And look where we are ! This warlock will be able to do what he wants now that you have signed a contract that offers him your body, Maryse yelled. Was it really worth it ?

Alec’s blood had only one tirn. He glared at his mother before spitting :

        -Isabelle is my sister. Unlike you, I do what is necessary to protect my family.

Maryse caught her words with difficulty. She would reply but this time, Alec didn’t give her time :

        -If you will excuse me, I have about an hour to finish preparing my business before Magnus comes to fetch me.

The elder Lightwood turned aroung and walked to her room. He regretted not having read the contract before signing it but what was done was done. His sister was free and that was all that mattered. And then, it could be worse, he could be tied to a furious fool… In any case, he would pay the warlock and if he had to do… His things for him, with him. He would. He had only one word and he would hold it.

Magnus Bane appeared in his room as the shadowhunter finished taking his things in the bathroom :

        -Don’t you have anything else ?, the warlock worried.

        -I don’t have as much money as you.

Asmodee’s son grimaced :

        -We’ll have to fix it.

Alec didn’t pull up but closed his bag. The warlock snapped his fingers and opened a portal :

        -After you.

The elder Lightwood loaded his bag over his shoulder and looked once more at his room :

        -You’ll come back to Alexander.

His name rolled so well on the warlock’s tongue that a long shudder traveled the back of the shadowhunter. They crosses the gate to Magnus’s apartment. They were greeted by a meow :

        -But I don’t forget you my cabbage, said Magnus catching his cat and hugging him.

He scratched his head before looking at his guest :

        -You had never met him before. I present you Chairman Meow.

Alec watched the animal and the animal did the same :

        -Approach your hand, gently.

Magnus’s tone was soft and low, as if not to frighten either the cat or Alec. The latter obeyed and the animal snorted his hand before rubbing against it, purring :

        -He likes you.

        -You think ?

        -Yes.

The hunter caught himself scratching the head of the animal and appreciating it :

        -What are we doing now Magnus ?

The warlock placed Chairman Meow on the ground and the latter walked away to put himself in a ball on a silk cushion :

        -I need to aw a customer. So I’ll let you settle your things in the apartment. Then we go to dinner.

        -Can you show me my room… Please ?

The warlock motioned for him to follow him and he led him into his room :

        -But… It’s your room…

        -Our room Alexander.

The young Lightwood blushed violently. He was going to sleep with Magnus ? Every night ? In this large four-posted bed ? He swallowed :

        -Be wise in my absence.

The warlock slipped a spark og magic along Alec’s spine and the latter shuddered as he bent slightly. Things started off well…

Masterlist

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