#via eldritch entity that's trying its best | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dogcopter · 5 years ago

Text

character arc in unreverse

“Incomprehensible if you don’t think RQ is alive” Rose Quartz Steven Universe thoughts, a first pass. This is about a bunch of suspicious ghosts who are probably Rose, excluding Lion (see rose is lion 2020 tag for that)

I am certain to be missing some appearances and ideas still, but here’s some lore, assuming the Steven Universe writing process is (steven universe production voice) “every weird animal and dream is clearly just Rose. it will secretly be really funny every time and it will all pay off approximately 180 episodes into the series when we learn it was an intertwined Steven/Rose POV and character arc the whole time. we love lore.”

Rose’s Room Tiny Floating Whale appears when summoned, also asks Steven “what do you want”, has Rose’s voice even tho Steven hasn’t heard it yet.

This episode is preceded by Beach Party, in which Steven convinces two bickering families to cooperate, and that episode is preceded by Lion 2, in which Lion goes to the movies with Steven and Connie and also makes them fight a killer robot.

Watermelon Steven This episode is preceded by Garnet’s Universe which telegraphs the endgame. Steven brings melons to life, including his best friend Baby Melon, who is briefly kidnapped by Onion. (Onion wants Baby Melon. Can Onion perceive Rose Quartz or other astral projectors? Is Onion an agent of Evil Cookie Cat?) He comes to life to escape Onion and winks at Steven when rejoining him. When the watermelons go to war and Steven wants the fighting to stop, Baby Melon sacrifices his life to stop the fighting by punching Steven. Baby Melon dies. RQ kill count +1

(Relevant Dogcopter lore: In Lion 2, Lion attends the Dogcopter 3 movie with Steven and Connie. In Dogcopter 3, Dogcopter beats an evil army of robots. Connie and Steven both love Dogcopter. )

Lion 3: Straight to Video After Lion tries and fails to get Steven into the mane the first time, Steven dreams of Dogcopter. Dogcopter says some hippie nonsense about art, including the ironic “Just be true to yourself, and people will appreciate your honesty.” Dogcopter then says “take a deep breath” before Steven wakes up in Lion’s mane. This ep is preceded by Watermelon Steven.

Open Book The room manifests a Tiny Floating Whale again for a highfive. Idk if the rest of the room shenanigans are the room as its own entity or at all related to Rose or Evil Cookie Cat Rose (I’m going to gloss over the Rose’s room episodes because there’s a lot of good meta out there and they probably need their own post just in general) but the room’s Connie does ultimately force Steven to be honest with his feelings instead of hiding them.

This episode is preceded by Rose’s Scabbard, in which Steven learns a bit about Rose’s secrets and her relationship with Pearl.

Chille Tid Steven exhausts himself on the search for Malachite and the Gems try to make him rest. After a dream vision of Lapis, Steven tells Pearl about a dream he had involving Lion and puts them both to sleep. Dogcopter appears in his dream, but doesn’t talk to him. Dogcopter meows, and leads him in the direction of Lapis. This is the ep where Steven’s astral projection is explicitly revealed. This episode is preceded by “We Need to Talk”.

(In Dogcopter 4, Dogcopter dies and comes back to life and it’s revealed that his parents are cats, so probably Rose has either seen another Dogcopter movie without Steven and Connie or she’s involved in Dogcopter’s production.)

Super Watermelon Island Steven wakes up in a watermelon body. Melon Dog busts out barking excitedly. She leads him to the sacrifice ritual and tricks him into volunteering his hijacked body for death, which reveals the location of Malachite. This episode is a season premiere and is preceded by Peridemption arc. RQ kill count +1

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service Steven needs a boost to escape the pizza monster in Kiki’s dream, and Dogcopter appears to pick him up and meows at him. This episode is preceded by Restaurant Wars, in which, among other important developments, Pearl wears her hottest outfit to date and Jane appears for the second time. The first time is in Lion 2 when she sells Connie, Steven, and Lion tickets to the Dogcopter 3 movie.

Steven’s Dream Steven wants to know about Pink Diamond so Rose shows him the Pink Diamond murder location. If it’s a memory like later dreams, it’s a relatively recent one and she is crying in it. This episode is preceded by Three Gems and a Baby in which we see the aftermath of Rose’s death on Greg and the Gems.

Storm in the Room Rose literally just shows up in person to tell Steven to chill the fuck out while he’s stress dreaming about her via the room. She doesn’t affirm his feelings though.

This episode is directly preceded by The New Crystal Gems, in which Lion is named but does not appear, and that episode is preceded by the Zoo arc.

Jungle Moon Stevonnie is stranded on the moon of an abandoned Diamond Authority colony and their ship is broken so they can’t contact Lars. They find a moon base which used to belong to Yellow Diamond. They have a dream of one of Pink Diamond’s childhood memories of trying to play with YD while she’s working, which reveals the passcode to YD’s console. They use that info to call Lars and gtfo. This episode is preceded by Lars of the Stars, in which Steven and Connie go to space via Lion.

Can’t Go Back After Steven and Lion go to the moon, while Lion is napping downstairs Steven is napping upstairs, and Steven has a dream about Pink Diamond trying to convince the other Diamonds to leave Earth alone. He also sees Pearl with her sword.

Meta: This episode is preceded by “Letters to Lars”, in which Steven describes how the whole town has formed interpersonal bonds and everyone is doing way better without Bill Dewey in charge. Also in CGB, Lapis talks about running away in fear and being lonely while they observe the CGs from the moon. RQ vibes on both counts.

Together Alone Steven is sleeping in PD’s room. Opens with a dream in which Pink is playing with Volley in her room. Yellow Diamond interrupts and they play their roles. They behave like cheerful buddies, but then the dream becomes a nightmare as Volley is taken away and Steven starts stress heaving Rose’s hair and sees a vision of White. This episode is preceded by Familiar, in which Steven tries to talk to the Diamonds and learn about Pink.

Escapism Steven tries to call for help by APing out of prison, and is diverted to Mask Island where Melon Dog 2.0 tries to keep him distracted. She’s worried about him when he takes off. Lion picks him up on the open sea and carts him home to deliver his message before his tender perishable body ends. Steven kill count +1

Change Your Mind Steven wakes up in prison, then realizes he’s dreaming another memory of Pink’s in which Blue comes to berate and shame her in prison for bringing cute organic life home. Blue mentions that White will take away Pink’s Pearl if she doesn’t quit the mischief. Steven also sees a flashback of what happened at the ball, and the Diamonds doing the corruption attack. Steven is disturbed by a dream experience of cycling between appearances - Pink, Rose, Steven - and then wakes up.

Meta: The focus on her relationship with Volley and the loss of Volley in hindsight contributes to what we learn later in Volleyball; although they appeared close from Pink’s perspective in the older happy HW memories shown, we learn Pink’s explosive temper frightened Volley and even injured her and that a manifestation of the injury lingered with trauma. From Volley’s perspective Steven’s angry outburst is terrifying and she says that Pink couldn’t keep a secret – Pink changes her behavior to such an extent afterwards that our mom Pearl knows her as almost entirely the opposite in both regards. Lion has also changed from RQ’s super loving, inspiring speech giving persona to an aloof, silent cat.

Change Your Mind Finale During the final confrontation, Pink Steven disobeys White Diamond to her face to protect Steven, and doesn’t run away. Pink Steven confronts White Diamond on Steven’s behalf, exclaims SHE’S GONE!, and affirms Steven’s identity to both WD and Steven himself, embracing him with joyous laughter and love as his gem reenters his body.

Future:

Rose Buds Rose straight up just returns (but we’re not ready to admit that yet) and uhhh I’ve already done like ten posts about this ep so let’s stop there

other suspicious Future characters post Rose Buds:

A Very Special Episode One of Onion’s dolls waves at RQ2 even though it wasn’t umbrellafied. Might just be Onion eldritch shenanigans.

Prickly Pair Cactus Steven tries to talk to Steven after Steven opens up to him but is limited by his vocabulary. He might be his own cactus.

Reflections: See Lion megaposts for the Lion arc, I might make another big fucking essay one day taking both these and Lion into account but today is not that day, but one common thread is that these psychic ghost characters go from exclusively taking their cues from Steven and Steven’s immediate desires/needs to going out of their way to teach him things about Rose, first without contradicting the secrets and her post-death narrative, but ultimately by actually showing him truth.

#rose is lion 2020 #rosedemption 2020 #su meta

38 notes · View notes

bidrums · 5 years ago

Text

(TMA SPOILERS) A theory on how this all will end

(SPOILERS FOR ALL OF THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES BUT ESPECIALLY S4 AND 5)

I think that it’s pretty obvious that either Jon or Martin (or both) will die at the end, just based on how this sort of story generally goes, and also with how Jonathan Sims is writing it.

I have a proposal for how that might happen story-wise

After the gang reunites and goes to kick Elias’ ass, Jon and Martin go together to actually confront him in person and they start throwing psychic hands. During the “Ceaseless-Watcher-Eldritch-Monster-Hella-Powerful” fueled fight, Jon dies and we have the tearful heartbreaking death scene I’m just PRAYING doesn’t happen because I just want all of the characters (except Elias) to be safe and happy.

And then

AND THEN

Martin becomes the Archivist through some kind of magic thing (I don’t have anything more specific than that) and then he uses that to finish off Elias- with the help of Melanie- and then works with the Eye to keep the Institute around without becoming Jonah Magnus’ stand-in. He can still just be Martin, but with the Archivist’s powers.

Here’s why that would work:

-Martin has had encounters with some of the Big Bad 14 in ways that fit the requirements listed in 160 (he has the employment contract for the Eye, Jane Prentiss stalked him, he’s gone through Michael’s doors, he spent quite a bit of time with Not-Sasha, all of Season 4 with Peter Lucas culminating with spending time in the Lonely, Annabelle keeps calling him, Daisy threatened him while she was doing the Hunt stuff)

-He’s encountering the ones that he hasn’t encountered while doing his tour of Scotland with Joon. Because he’s with Jon he isn’t under any true threat, but so far he has been scared of them enough that I’m counting it

-He has read several statements over the course of the first four seasons. Not as much as Jon, but enough that I think he could very well get on the path that Jon went on pretty easily if he read a few more.

-There can be multiple avatars of a single entity even though there’s the main one (e.g. Agnes being the main one for the Lightless Flame but Jude Perry is one, Jon and Elias are both Avatars of the Beholding at this point)

-In the S4 Q&A, Jonathan Sims said that he believes that in order to become an Avatar, there needs to be a major sacrifice of some kind but not necessarily a death. Jon dying could count as that sacrifice, but Martin could also make that sacrifice by using the Archivist’s abilities to take down Elias. I know that in the last episode he’s been “Yes murder”, but deciding to finish off the avatar for an eldritch monster in order to save the world is very different than what Jon did to Not-Sasha

-Martin is just as willing as Jon is to put himself in a whole bunch of danger to save others, as evidenced by all of S4

-I’m pretty sure that the Eye wouldn’t want a third Archivist death after it just got control over the whole world. Especially if it’s Elias being rash and pissed off because Jon just died. This is mainly supposition, but I don’t think that the Beholding is one for too much heat-of-the-moment acts of violence.

-Martin doesn’t give a fuck about the 14. He just doesn’t. He doesn’t care about them and just wants to do what’s right, and having that attitude while trying to save the world is the best way to achieve that.

-Melanie is blind. What better way to overthrow the rule of an all-seeing Eldritch overlord than using its sight against it, and using its literal blindspot against it?

-Thematically, I don’t think there’s any way for Jon to actually survive the Ceaseless Watcher being defeated. He’s just too far gone.

-Elias should be taken down by the people he hurt via “implanting things in your head to emotionally scar you and keep you in line” because CATHARTIC JUSTICE

-Helen became Helen when Michael’s personal agenda got in the way of what the Distortion actually does. The same could happen with the Eye and Elias, since Elias has admitted that he’s sometimes acted rashly out of personal feelings and I’m sure that if Elias kills Jon then tries going after Martin, it would get sick of the centuries of putting up with Jonah Magnus and just get rid of him

Feel free to add anything!

#the magnus archives #the magnus archives spoilers #tma spoilers #martin blackwood

5 notes · View notes

nonbinarylatula · 5 years ago

Text

Gunnerkrigg's Ether, the Hope and Rage aspects, and Kat's and Zimmy's classpects

Spoiler warnings for the webcomics Gunnerkrigg Court and Homestuck.

In the webcomic Gunnerkrigg Court, there are several characters who are literal deities from human mythology. They interact directly with humans, and are able to provide concrete proof that the myths about them are true. For example, Coyote created the stars, and is able to interact with celestial bodies by plucking them out of the sky. The main character Annie is even able to touch the moon when Coyote demonstrates this, permanently leaving her fingerprint there for anyone who observes it later in the comic. However, there are multiple myths about the creation of the stars, which can’t possibly all be true, and in addition to that, we have a character (Jones) who had existed since before the birth of life on Earth, and can vouch for the presence of the stars from the very beginning. We find out that these deities’ existence is sustained by the Ether, a force which reflects the collective belief of many humans at a time, and can put in place a kind of “dual truth.” I think this is a really cool cosmology, and many works of fiction which I really like use it to great effect. Two which I think are particularly cool are Niel Gaiman’s American Gods and the Tumblr blog @zuckerberg-for-president.

In Homestuck, reality is constructed from twelve aspects, which exist in six complementary/opposing pairs. One pair I find particularly interesting is Hope and Rage. They both deal with faith, truth, and the story’s relationship with the fact that it’s fictional. Hope, with it’s whole “believing hard enough makes it slightly less fake” thing, mirrors the phenomenon of suspension of disbelief. When humans are following a story, we get swept up in it. Even though intellectually we know it’s composed almost entirely of outright lies, we suspend our disbelief and can feel very real emotions about its characters, almost as if we knew them.

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit. Bilbo Baggins is a human.

Both of these sentences are false. But by reading a story, or even absorbing secondhand cultural knowledge about it, we construct in our minds a universe where one of them has the ring of truth to it. And in Homestuck, the Hope aspect allows that imaginary truth to interact with the real (or, less imaginary?) truth. In Gunnerkrigg Court, the Ether serves the same function.

Zimmy has a unique connection to the Ether. She’s plagued by hallucinations, except that if they get bad enough, other people start to see them, too. And if they get even worse, they become real. As a Mage of Hope, this relationship she has to the Ether makes sense, as it gives her a unique understanding of the magical world, especially later in the comic. But, as a Mage, she of course has to suffer for her aspect.

(https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=461)

The guiding/knowing classes are characterized by the narrative pushing them to the background. While they aren’t necessarily irrelevant characters, their biggest impacts will usually be actions taken by other characters. The Mage, though, is an active class, so there’s some tension there.

(https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=2263)

This is very late in the comic, where she’s come to terms a bit with her role. She and Gamma, I think, are very similar to Sollux and Aradia in terms of their placement relative to the rest of the plot. They’re sort of just doing their own thing, only occasionally intersecting with our main narrative, but just begging for a spinoff that focuses on them. Zimmy and Sollux have a lot in common, actually, in terms of general mannerism, though that wasn’t the reason I originally pinned her as a Mage. Her conversation with Annies in the pages surrounding this is what made it click for me.

It’s actually pretty wild how well it all comes together in this conversation. I don’t think a Homestuck fan could possibly read something about the fakeness or realness of magic without getting flashbacks. It almost makes you wonder if it’s intentional.

For more Hope symbolism surrounding Zimmy, look no further than her biggest fan Jack. What a creep, am I right? One really, really big motif in Hope characters is romantic feelings, specifically those that go unrequited or turn sour. So a Mage of Hope, in being directly spoken to and given information by her aspect in a negative way, would only naturally have a stalker like Jack.

The aspect Hope is paired with Rage, as both its opposite and complement. Where Hope tries to fool you into thinking a story is real, Rage tries to remind you it’s fake. Its symbols and motifs include puppets, masks, clowns, face paint, stages and their curtains. All objects which signify what you’re watching is a farce, displayed for solely your amusement. If Hope is the suspension of disbelief, Rage is a Lampshade.

Kat Donlan is effectively the second main character of Gunnerkrigg Court. (Well, she was, until the main character Annie got split in two, taking up the first two spots instead of one.) And, like Zimmy, she has a very interesting relationship to the Ether which I think shows that she’s a Seer of Rage. This is first called to our attention when we visit the Realm of the Dead, and the comic shows it to us from her perspective instead of Annie’s.

(This is one of my favorite sequences in the comic. I’ve selected some more relevant pages in it, but I suggest you ready the whole thing, starting at https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1304 end ending at the end of the chapter.)

As Mort takes Annie to a massive, mystical library, populated by strange eldritch creatures and terrifying gatekeepers, Kat steps into a shitty haunted house filled with nonsensical beaurocracy and guys in half-assed Halloween costumes. Basically, in a place constructed entirely from this universe’s equivalent to Hope, Kat is perceiving it via the visual language of Rage. Later, when Annie is trying to free an Elf from a massive Etherial labyrinth, Kat is able to go in, see only Annie standing next to the elf locked in some handcuffs, and free him with nothing but an ordinary set of lockpicks. Meanwhile, Annie sees a massive, terrifying entity become part of the labyrinth’s landscape. She can’t even tell it’s not part of the structure at first.

(https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1756)

By the way, Zimmy sees Kat as a creature like that 24/7.

In the symbolic language of Gunnerkrigg Court, robots are associated with Rage. First, to enter the robot-only sector of the Court, Annie wears a pair of fake antennae as a disguise, and it works completely - so, by participating in a Rage-associated activity, she is seen as a part of the robots’ world. Second, much later in the comic, she and Kat find a secret basement with some of the first models of Court robots, who begin to fight each other when activated. But they quickly realize the fights are all choreographed, as part of a play designed by Diego - the creator of the robots and likely a Page of Rage - as some sort of wish-fulfillment fantasy. Third, while most robots have no faces, the King of the Robots has a blank plate which he draws on with a white board marker to display different emotional expressions. It’s definitely remeniscent of Rage’s symbols of masks and face paint, especially the two smiling and frowning masks of comedy and tragedy. Finally, Rage is the aspect in the comic most associated with religion, especially if it’s more cult-like, and the robots do form a sort of cult around Kat.

Kat has a great affinity for the Court’s robots. She understands them better than the Court itself, and can even read their language - one designed to be read by machines, which can’t physically be written on a 2-dimensional surface, and which humans shouldn’t even be able to comprehend.

Rage is associated with emotions, and Kat is probably the one who can tell Annie’s emotional state best. Even when Annie has physically splintered all her negative emotions off of herself, in the form of a fire monster, and is proceeding as though she’s completely fine, Kat can tell she isn’t.

When Red (in a fit of Rage) breaks ties with Annie, she justifies it with an unfair narrative which, while technically accurate, interprets all of Annie’s actions in the most uncharitable and bad-faith light imaginable. Kat sees this for what it is - bullshit.

Again, in the Realm of the Dead scene, it’s only because of what Kat can see that Annie and Mort find what they’re looking for.

Basically, Kat uses her knowledge of and unique ability to percieve the Rage aspect to help her friends and guide them to victory.

Please send me feedback, I’d love to hear what people think about this!

#Gunnerkrigg Court #Homestuck #Zimmy #Mage of Hope #Kat Donlan #Seer of Rage #classpect #classpect analysis #long post

8 notes · View notes

twistedwonderlandimagines · 5 years ago

Text

Hypothetical Magic: Heartslabyul

If you didn’t read the intro, you may wanna go back and do that!

Also, if you’d like to make your own spell lists for yourself (your mirrorsona) or your OC, then here’s a link to all the spells: https://www.dnd-spells.com/spells

Also, something I forgot the add in the intro:

Some spells on the spell list are special, and I won’t be giving characters those spells unless they meet the criteria. I’ll detail that here.

Special spells:

Eldritch Blast: Must have connections to a more powerful creature like a powerful fey or demon. Hellish Rebuke, Infernal Calling (which replaces both “Conjure Demons” spells because we’re making devils and demons the same): Must have connections to a powerful demon. Conjure Woodland Beings, Conjure Fey: Must have connections to a powerful fey. Sacred Flame, Bless, Ceremony, Divine Word, Guardian of Faith, Holy Aura, Holy Weapon, Prayer of Healing, Shield of Faith, Spiritual Weapon, Temple of the Gods: Must be in service to a god. (Wow, does D&D ever love making cleric-specific spells?) Thaumaturgy: Must be connected to a more powerful entity OR have a strong supernatural presence of their own (like Lilia). Druidcraft, Commune With Nature, Druid Grove, Guardian of Nature, Shillelagh, Wrath of Nature, Animal Shapes, Tree Stride, Beast Bond, Beast Sense, Conjure Animals, Transport via Plants: Must have a strong connection to nature. (There are more spells specific to Druids, which are spellcasters who get their power from a connection to nature, but JESUS let everyone else have a turn with the nature!)

Okay, so I decided to mainly have each dorm focus on one particular type (or “school”) of magic... Except for Diasomnia because I guess they can do whatever the hell they want.

For Heartslabyul I picked Illusion magic. In many works, Wonderland is explored as being a figment of Alice’s imagination, and the debates over whether or not Wonderland is real made me think of Illusion magic right off the bat.

Also, Heartslabyul has a few seemingly random spells like Speak With Animals. And that’s the point. Wonderland is off the wall and random.

I’ll make the spell lists, and the descriptions for the spells are at the end.

Heartslabyul’s “initiation cantrip”: Minor Illusion

Spells likely to be on the list of a typical Heartslabyul student:

Cantrips: Minor Illusion, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation Level One: Color Spray, Disguise Self, Chromatic Orb, Speak With Animals. Level Two: Invisibility, Phantasmal Force, Moonbeam Level Three: Hypnotic Pattern, Fear, Gaseous Form

Now on to the spell lists for the named students.

Riddle Rosehearts

Obviously I added many spells that can be used to keep the other students in line.

Signature Spell: Command (For obvious reasons. Command: The caster speaks a one-word command. If the target is unable to will itself to resist, then it must follow the command to the best of its ability. The spell does not take affect if the target is undead, cannot understand the caster’s language, or if the command is obviously going to result in harm to the target.)

Cantrips: Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation, Mage Hand, Mending, Thorn Whip Level One: Color Spray, Chromatic Orb, Command, Detect Magic Level Two: Phantasmal Force, Magic Aura, See Invisibility, Skywrite Level Three: Hypnotic Pattern, Dispel Magic, Major Image, Counterspell Level Four: Greater Invisibility, Hallucinatory Terrain, Phantasmal Killer, Resilient Sphere Level Five: Mislead, Seeming, Dream, Dawn

Ace Trappola

I tried to add a few less spells than on Riddle’s list, since Ace is a first year. Ace also has more variety in his spell list, because I think he’d be smart enough to have spells for many different situations. I wasn’t going to add even a single fifth-level spell, but Legend Lore just sounded like something he’d try to learn.

Signature Spell: Identify (He wants to know everything about every magic item. Identify: The caster chooses one object which they must be touching throughout the spell. If it is a magic item, they learn what its magic is and how to use it. If it is a non-magical item, the caster learns if a spell is affecting it, and what spell it is. If the item was created by a spell, they learn what spell created it. The spell may also be used on a creature to learn which, if any, spells are affecting it.)

Cantrips: Minor Illusion, Mage Hand, Friends, Produce Flame, Vicious Mockery Level One: Color Spray, Chromatic Orb, Disguise Self, Identify Level Two: Phantasmal Force, Enhance Ability, Lesser Restoration, Blur Level Three: Blink, Hypnotic Pattern, Counterspell Level Four: Hallucinatory Terrain, Faithful Hound Level Five: Legend Lore

Deuce Spade

Boy has the shortest spell list because I think the poor thing would constantly be stressing over which spells he should prioritize over others... Which ends up causing him to learn less spells overall.

Signature Spell: Invisibility (Gotta hide things from Ace sometimes. Invisibility: A creature or object the caster touches becomes invisible until the spell ends. The spell can last up to an hour. The spell See Invisibility can reveal the hidden creature or object. The spell ends if the creature it is cast on attacks someone or casts a spell.)

Cantrips: Minor Illusion, Mage Hand, Mending, Guidance, Prestidigitation Level One: Alarm, Color Spray, Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile Level Two: Invisibility, Phantasmal Force Level Three: Hypnotic Pattern, Counterspell Level Four: Hallucinatory Terrain

Trey Clover

Yay, he gets a spell list that’s actually about as extensive as Riddle’s since he’s a third year! And like Ace, he’s got more variety in his spells, but his spells are mainly for the purpose of helping others.

Signature Spell: Cure Wounds (Clearly Trey is the big brother who heals everyone when they get scraped up. Cure Wounds: Choose one target.Heals all minor injuries the target has, such as shallow cuts, scrapes, and bruises.)

Cantrips: Minor Illusion, Mage Hand, Mending, Shape Water, Light Level One: Color Spray, Comprehend Languages, Cure Wounds, Feather Fall Level Two: Aid, Lesser Restoration, See Invisibility, Rope Trick Level Three: Hypnotic Pattern, Major Image, Counterspell, Mass Healing Word Level Four: Greater Invisibility, Hallucinatory Terrain, Faithful Hound, Aura of Life Level Five: Creation, Mislead, Greater Restoration

Cater Diamond

Not as many spells as Trey. I think he was a little too laid back to completely fill out his spell list. Also I don’t fully understand why besides his personality, but I can imagine Cater being good with Water-elemented spells.

Signature Spell: Silence (In a loud dorm like Heartslabyul, you need a spell like this to get some rest. Silence: For ten minutes, no sound can be created within or pass through a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point of the caster’s choosing. Casting spells that require spoken words is impossible until the spell is over.)

Cantrips: Minor Illusion, Mage Hand, Dancing Lights, Shape Water, Mending Level One: Color Spray, Chromatic Orb, Create or Destroy Water Level Two: Magic Aura, See Invisibility, Silence Level Three: Hypnotic Pattern, Major Image, Create Food and Water Level Four: Greater Invisibility, Hallucinatory Terrain, Control Water Level Five: Mislead, Seeming, Creation

My work... Is only half done. Because now I need to explain the spells. Seriously, there’s a lot of info here. Feel free to take a break. Take many breaks actually.

Cantrips:

Minor Illusion:

(Duration: One minute) The caster creates either an illusory sound or image. A sound can range in volume from a whisper to a scream. It can be just about any noise, from a voice to a lion’s roar. The sounds made with this spell can last up to the duration. An image can only be as large as a cube of five cubic feet. The image can’t create sound, light, scents, or any other sensory effect. Physical interactions reveal the image as an illusion, as things can pass through it. A person may realize the sound or image is an illusion if they decide the investigate it.

Mage Hand:

One of my personal favorites. The caster summons a spectral, floating hand which they control. The hand vanishes if it moves more than 30 feet away from the caster or if the caster dismisses it. The spell lasts for one minute, after which the hand disappears. The hand can do almost anything a normal hand can do, but it cannot attack, activate magic items, or carry more than ten pounds.

Prestidigitation:

A minor magical trick that novice spellcasters use for practice. It has many uses, some of which are described here:

-Creates an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or a faint scent.

-Instantaneously lights or snuffs out a candle, torch, or small campfire.

-Instantaneously cleans or dirties an object no larger than 1 cubic foot.

-Chills, warms, or flavors an object no larger than 1 cubic foot for one hour.

-Creates a color, a small mark, or a symbol on something or someone for up to one hour.

-Creates a small illusory object that fits in your hand that can stay for an hour.

Mending:

This spell repairs a single break or tear in an object the caster touches, such as broken chain link, two halves of a broken key, a torn cloak, or a leaking wineskin. As long as the break or tear is no larger than 1 foot in any dimension, it is mended, leaving no trace of the former damage. This spell cannot restore magic to a broken magic item.

Thorn Whip:

The caster creates a long, vine-like whip with thorns, which lashes out and attacks a chosen target. It may also grab the target and move them at the caster’s command. (Gave it to Riddle since roses have thorns.)

Friends:

For up to five minutes, the target treats the caster as if they were a close friend, possibly revealing information or following their requests. When the spell ends, the target realizes the caster used magic to influence it.

Produce Flame:

A flickering flame appears in the caster’s hand for up to ten minutes or until dismissed by the caster. It harms neither the caster or their possessions. It may be hurled at a target as a weak attack.

Vicious Mockery (go ahead and laugh; this spell is funny):

The caster unleashes a string of insults laced with subtle enchantments at the target. The target finds it more difficult to perform basic tasks for a small amount of time (up to five minutes), and takes mental damage... Yes, this is an actual spell in D&D.

Guidance:

The target finds it a bit easier to perform the caster’s choice of either mental, physical, or social tasks for up to five minutes. (Deuce needs this one.)

Shape Water:

The caster chooses an area of water that they can see within 30 feet of themselves, which is no bigger than a five-foot cube. They may manipulate it in the following ways:

-They instantaneously move or otherwise change the flow of water as they direct. The movement is not strong enough to cause damage.

-They cause the water to form into simple shapes and animate at their discretion.

-They change the water’s color or opacity. This change lasts for up to an hour.

-They automatically freeze the water, provided that there are no creatures within it. It stays frozen for up to an hour.

If cast multiple times, two of these effects may be active on the same area of water at once.

Light:

The caster touches an object no larger than 10 feet in any dimension. The object sheds bright light for up to an hour. The spell ends if the caster dismisses it or if they cast it on a different object. The light may be of any color.

Dancing Lights:

The caster creates up to four torch-sized lights within 120 feet of themselves, making them appear as torches, lanterns, or glowing orbs. The lights may also be combined into one vaguely-humanoid form. The caster may move the lights at their discretion. The lights may be any color.

Level One Spells

Color Spray:

A dazzling array of flashing, colored light springs forth from the caster’s hand in a fifteen-foot cone originating from that same hand. Any creature hit is blinded for one minute. (Obviously creatures that are already blind are not affected, and a creature can avoid the effect by looking away if they realize what the caster is about to do.)

Chromatic Orb:

The caster hurls a four-inch-diameter sphere of energy at the target. The caster chooses the type of energy, and thus the type of damage inflicted: acid, ice, fire, poison, lightning, or thunder (sound).

Magic Missile:

Three darts of pure magical energy are formed, and can be fired at either one creature or up to three (one for each dart) as an attack.

Comprehend Languages:

For up to an hour, you understand the literal meaning of any spoken language that you hear, and can read any written text no matter the language. This spell does not let you speak or write other languages.

Detect Magic:

For ten minutes, the caster can sense the presence of magic within thirty feet of themselves. Any creature or object that bears magic will appear to have a faint aura around it, and the caster learns what type of magic it bears. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.

Disguise Self:

The caster makes themself (including anything they are wearing or carrying) look different for up to an hour. They may appear up to one foot taller or shorter and can appear thinner or fatter. They must still appear as a person with the same basic arrangement of body parts (four limbs, two eyes, etc all in the usual locations), but otherwise the extent of the illusion is up to the caster.

The illusion fails to stand up to physical inspection. For instance, if the caster adds a hat to their outfit, a hand reaching out to touch the hat would pass through it.

Feather Fall:

The caster chooses up to five falling targets, which may include itself. The descent of the targets slows to that of a feather, preventing any damage from the fall.

Create or Destroy Water:

Create water: The caster creates up to ten gallons of clean water. Destroy water: Destroys up to ten gallons of water, or destroys fog in a 30-foot cube.

Alarm:

The caster chooses a door or a window. If anything besides the caster or anyone/anything else they designate as “allowed” past comes through, the alarm alerts the caster. The alarm remains set for up to eight hours.

Speak With Animals:

The caster gains the ability to understand and verbally communicate with animals for ten minutes.

Level Two Spells

Phantasmal Force: The caster crafts an illusion that takes root in the mind of the target. It is only perceivable to the target, and may only be up to ten feet in any dimension. The illusion may be of a creature, object, or other visible phenomenon. Unless the target investigates the illusion further, they treat it as if it were real. The target rationalizes any illogical outcomes from interacting with the illusion. For instance, if they try to walk on an illusory bridge and fall right through it (if they survive), they come to the conclusion that they must have been pushed or fallen off the bridge instead of realizing that the bridge was not real. The target is so convinced of the illusion’s reality that they can take damage from it if it appears as something dangerous such as a snake or a fire. It is actually mental damage, but the target perceives it as whatever type of damage the illusion would have inflicted if it were real. Magic Aura: The caster places an illusion on a creature or object so that divination spells reveal false information about it. For instance, it could cause Detect Magic to not be able to pick up the fact that it is magical, or change the type of magic it appears to possess. See Invisibility: For an hour, the caster can see invisibly creatures and objects as if they were visible. Skywrite: The caster causes up to ten words to appear in the sky in the form of clouds. They remain for up to an hour or unless a strong wind disperses them. Enhance Ability: The caster enhances a chosen ability of the target or themselves. The ability may be constitution (endurance, resistance to poison, etc), physical strength, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, or charisma. This enhancement lasts up to an hour. Blur: The caster’s body becomes blurred, shifting and wavering to all who can see it. Attacks against the caster are harder to land. Lesser Restoration: The caster heals one disease or other condition (temporary blindness, temporary deafness, temporary paralysis, or poisoning) affecting either themselves or one target. Aid: The caster chooses up to three allies. These three creatures have increased strength and endurance for up to eight hours. Rope Trick: The caster touches a length of rope. One end of the rope rises into the air until the rope is hanging vertically in the air. At the top of the rope is an extra-dimensional space that can hold up to eight people, and it can be reached by climbing the rope. The rope can be pulled inside the space as well, making it invisible from the outside. All creatures and objects inside the space are undetectable until the spell ends. Anyone inside can see outside the space. Attacks and spells can’t pass through. After an hour, the spell ends, sending anything inside back out the way they came in. (It’s great for hiding from Riddle for a while.)

Level Three Spells

Hypnotic Pattern: The caster creates a twisting pattern of colors that weaves through the air. Any targets that observe the pattern for more than five seconds are incapacitated for five minutes and unable to move. The pattern disappears after only ten seconds. Fear: The caster creates an illusory image of the target’s worst fear. If the target does not realize it is an illusion, they are forced to flee from it by any means necessary. Dispel Magic: Any spell of third level or lower on the target ends. To dispel magic of fourth level or higher, the caster’s ability to do so depends on their level of expertise as a mage. Major Image: The caster can create an illusion as large as a 20-foot cube. The illusion includes sensory information, such as scent, sound, and temperature. However, it cannot produce enough cold or heat to produce damage, a sound loud enough to deafen, or a stench bad enough to sicken the target. The caster can move and animate the illusion in whatever way they desire. Physical interaction reveals it as an illusion, as objects pass through it. The spell has a duration of ten minutes. Counterspell: The caster attempts to disrupt a spell being cast by another entity. The caster’s will contests against that of the target. If the caster is successful, the target’s spell ends without effect. Blink: The caster vanishes from their current plane of existence and into the “Ethereal Plane” (the plane of spirits) for just half a minute. The caster sees their own plane in black and white, and can move through walls and crowds uninhibited (unless a magical ward blocks them). Creatures without the ability to see into the Ethereal Plane cannot see or interact with anyone in the Ethereal Plane. (This just in: Crowley can see students who are in the Ethereal Plane.) Mass Healing Word: The same as Cure Wounds, but can be cast on up to six targets. Create Food and Water: The caster creates up to 45 pounds of food and 30 gallons of water. The food is bland but nourishing, and spoils after 24 hours. The water is clean and doesn’t go bad.

Level Four Spells

Greater Invisibility: Same as invisibility, but cannot be seen by creatures using the See Invisibility spell. Hallucinatory Terrain: The caster makes up to 150 feet of natural terrain look like another type of natural terrain. For instance, a pond may be made to look like a grassy meadow, a sheer drop off a cliff can be made to look like the ground goes on further, or a rock-strewn gully may be made to look like a smooth surface. The target is likely to realize the illusion quickly if they, say, fall into a pond when they thought they were strolling through a meadow. Phantasmal Killer: The caster summons an illusory monster which attacks the target. While the target only takes psychic damage, they perceive the damage as whatever type the illusion would deliver were it real. The target does not take damage if they realize the monster is illusory. The spell ends after one minute. Resilient Sphere: A sphere of shimmering force encloses a creature or object targeted by the caster. (A living target may dodge out of the way if they realize what the caster is doing.) Nothing, be it spell effects, energy, or physical objects can pass through the sphere (however, any creatures inside can still breathe). The sphere is weightless and cannot be damaged. It is only large enough to hold the creature of object inside. A living creature may roll the sphere by pushing it. The sphere remains for one hour, or unless a disintegration spell is cast upon it (which does not hurt a creature or object inside.) Faithful Hound: The caster conjures a phantom watchdog which remains by their side for eight hours. The dog is invisible to all except the caster and cannot be harmed. When any creature comes within 30 feet of its master without speaking a password (which the caster sets upon casting the spell), the hound begins to bark. The dog can see invisible creatures and into the Ethereal Plane. It ignores illusions. The dog attacks anything it perceives as hostile to its master. Aura of Life: Life-preserving energy radiates from the caster in a thirty-foot radius. For ten minutes, the aura moves with the caster. The caster and any of its allies have resistance to necrotic spells and effects, and their wounds slowly begin to heal over the spell’s duration. Control Water: The caster controls water inside an area up to 100 cubic feet. A variety of effects can be produced, such as creating a whirlpool, redirecting the water’s flow, or parting the water. The spell ends after ten minutes or if the caster stops concentrating on the spell.

Level Five Spells

Yay, we’re almost done.

Mislead: The caster becomes invisible as an illusory double appears where they were standing. The caster can move the double as if it were walking, and can make it gesture, speak, and behave in any way they want. The caster can switch between seeing and hearing through the double’s eyes and ears, and using their own senses. When perceiving the world through the double’s senses, the caster is blind and deaf to their own surroundings. Seeming: Basically “Disguise Self” but the caster can change the appearances of every person within their line of sight. And the spell can last up to eight hours. Dream: The caster slips into a trance state. The caster is aware of their surroundings, but cannot do anything unless they end the spell. If the target is asleep, the caster converses with the target through their dream either until the target awakens, the caster ends the spell, or until eight hours have passed. The caster can shape the environment of the dream, creating landscapes, objects, and other images. The target recalls the dream perfectly upon waking. If the target is awake, the caster will know. The caster can either end the spell or wait until the target falls asleep. The caster can also give the target a nightmare, which does psychic damage upon waking. (I just thought the idea of Riddle appearing in people’s dreams to boss them around EVEN IN THEIR DREAMS was hilarious. You can never escape Riddle.) Dawn: The light of dawn shines down on a location the caster specifies within 60 feet. Until the spell ends, a 30-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder of bright light glimmers there. This light is sunlight. When the cylinder appears, each creature in it is burned by the light. Legend Lore: The caster names or describes a person, place, or object. The spell brings to their mind a brief summary of the significant lore surrounding whatever they named. The lore can consist of current tales, forgotten stories, or even secret lore that has never been widely known. If the thing named is not of legendary importance, the caster gains no information. The more the caster already knows about it, the more detailed the information received will be. Creation: The caster creates up to a five-foot cube of material. The material may be vegetable matter, stone, metal, or crystal. The caster must have seen the type of material before. The material created cannot be used as a spell component. Greater Restoration: Cures the target of the following afflictions: Charmed (being under the effects of a hypnosis/mind control style spell), petrified (turned to stone), a curse, a disease, temporary impairments, and poisoning.

#hypotheticals #riddle rosehearts #ace trappola #deuce spade #trey clover #cater diamond #hypothetical magic series

14 notes · View notes

isedonsdndgame · 4 years ago

Text

Game Night 2020-11-7

Party take stock of their surroundings and discover that the standard controls for the shark no longer cause it to move. Samantha rouses from her trance and appears to be in control of herself despite the occasional ripple under her skin. She indicates that the crossing to this realm seems to have given her access to the thoughts and knowledge of her alternate form and advises the party that they are able to use their will to affect change or action in this realm. Iskafar tests the theory and walks himself so that his feet are on the nose of the shark. Samantha goes on to explain that the source of the intrusion to their existence can be found at the pyramid they see ahead of them. Looking outside, what they had thought to be rocks before appear to be actually the slowly moving fleshy transport creatures that they saw earlier collecting the inhabitants of Neverwinter.

Not being able to move the shark just by willing themselves at it, Driscoll asks if there is any way to better control or interface with it. Bropple suggests that there might be a way but it would probably cause severe heat and frost injury if one is not careful. Ignys volunteers to attempt the connection where Bropple directs him to, and is able to resist the worst of the damage with both his inherent resistances and strength of constitution. Connected to the shark vessel, Ignys can now cause it to move forward as easily as if it were merely himself. They head towards the inverted pyramid that appears to be the nexus for all the transport creatures and, directed by Samantha, dock at one of the corners where various other transports are clustered. Samantha advises that she should be safe from being identified as long as she keeps the helmet blocking psionic energy on, and should avoid interacting with anything lest she give away her presence.

Dagdag and Bropple remain aboard the shark as the worm-like tendrils covering the pyramid tether it in place. The rest of the party disembark and heed the caution from Samantha to not let their emotions rise too much lest they attract the curiosity of the entity dwelling here. As long as they don’t do anything to draw attention, they should be able to pass quietly for a time. Upon entering the pyramid they discover that their ability to will themselves in a given direction is overridden by the strength of the will being imposed on it from the entity residing there. They find a confusing network of paths on the outer chambers, similarly pyramidal in design, and rows of people being unloaded from the transports, all appearing asleep and smiling. Samantha indicates that the creature seeks knowledge and experience and feeds off the memories of individuals while giving them wonders and joys while it transforms them to part of itself. The best way to save as many as they can, Samantha explains, is to find some way to destroy or repel the entity from this existence.

As they are just about to pass from this chamber into the next via a fleshy opening into a transit tube of some sort, Iltharian struggles to suppress his rage at the sights around them. As Driscoll sees Iltharian’s fists clench around his swords, he also notices that the worms covering the chamber seem to be forming into crude eyeballs. He hastily calms Iltharian and pushes him into the transit tube and quickly follows suit along with the rest of the party. They pass through the next chamber and several others like it, guided by Samantha who is trying to keep them going in roughly the direction of the center of the pyramid. She advises that the entity often patterns itself and its imposition of will around the number three, as seen in the shape of the pyramid itself. The rest of the party comment on the number of figures they’ve encountered as well with the emerald, sapphire, and ruby light coming from each. Samantha agrees that those are likely projections of the entities will and will need to be dealt with before they can progress.

They eventually leave the rooms with the abducted individuals and come across rooms filled with worms shaping themselves into the various creatures that they had encountered and fought previously, but still encounter no resistance as yet, each pyramidal room seeming to blend into each other. After some time, they encounter a room that is much larger than those previous and it appears to have two openings at either end. Wary of traps as Samantha advises that they are getting close and there may be some protections, Driscoll and Iltharian scan the area while Ignys examines the surroundings with detect magic. Iltharian identifies several creatures that are waiting under shifting worms and the tendrils that seem to spread out around them like a spider web. Driscoll sees some similar threads in front of each entrance that can be navigated around carefully once one knows what to watch for. Ignys confirms that several of these areas seem to radiate magics and should be avoided.

They carefully navigate to one of the other openings and pass through to find a chamber containing an emerald suspended twenty feet up connected to both floor and ceiling by a pillar of worm, another entrance like the one they just arrived by, and another larger one with red, blue, and green shimmering over it. Samantha cautions that doing anything that affects the crystal will likely draw attention, so the party best be ready. They decide that they want to locate the red crystal first as they do not want to deal with mind control again and may be able to destroy it quickly. Ignys examines the large door shimmering with colours and finds it does not open at his approach, so they exit the chamber through the other transit tube. They arrive in another chamber like the first defensive chamber and find it similarly protected. Using their knowledge from before, they are able to navigate to the other side without any incidents and arrive in a chamber with the blue crystal. Continuing on they find another defensive chamber and finally arrive at the red crystal.

Ignys opens up with a disintegrate while Iskafar throws an eldritch blast at it causing extreme damage to the crystal and the ruby entity to appear in front of them. Ignoring the entity, they continue their assault on the crystal and manage to shatter it thanks to their overwhelming assault on it. Ignys collects some of the ruby shards in hopes he may be able to use it against the entity. They head back through the defensive chamber, now beginning to stir, and quickly bypass it with a combination of spells and abilities, not wanting to chance traversing it. They head back into the sapphire chamber to find the similarly coloured worm mage ready for them with the same creatures they fought along side it already shaped and prepared. They largely ignore the creatures and focus their attacks on the crystal and take several wounds but manage to destroy it as well. Ignys collects some of these crystal shards while Driscoll heals the group as best as he can.

Game ends as they take stock of their potions and scrolls and plan for the coming battle.

#D&D

0 notes

elsewhereuniversity · 8 years ago

Text

Dreadneldritch

No pets were allowed on campus.

The freshman orientation guide was very, Very clear about this point. Absolutely, positively, no pets allowed. (minor exceptions to be made for service animals.) And yet here she was, 3 weeks into her first semester, sitting on the ground, staring at a cat. It was staring back.

Dread had always been fond of animals. She had never been allowed to have any pets, (her father was allergic to most things with fur, and her mother just hated animals) but she had always wanted a cat. Multiple cats, preferably. And now she was sitting on the steps of her dorm, in a college where No Pets Were Allowed, staring at the most precious little ball of fur she had ever set eyes on. She knew far too well about the other rules (she was on her second roommate, now, and the delicate horns curling from the thing-that-was-not-her-first-roommate’s face had left an… impression.) She was very good about remembering iron, salt, and not to say please or thank you. But this was a very cute cat, and she was willing to risk a little bit.

It meowed. She held out a hand, and it walked right up to her, and “oh my goodness you are just the cutest thing!” she squeaked. The cat seemed satisfied.

She was, to say the least, conflicted. The rules were very clear, and the rules were generally right, but this was a very small cat, and she did not have very many friends, and really, she already knew what she would do. “C’mere, you.” She scooped up the cat and it snuggled into her jacket. “I’m going to name you Eldritch.”

—-

It was about three weeks later that things got… actively weird. She had managed to smuggle in, via the Walmart (which had no employees that day, she left the money on the counter and hoped that nothing Else would take it) a litter box and cat food. Eldritch seemed to settle in fine, and she traded her roommate 3 dollars and a cool rock in return for not telling anyone about the very, very illegal pet currently snoozing on her lap. The roommate, whose name was Chalkboard, seemed to like the cat. Chalkboard even gave the cat a cat-toy. When Chalkboard vanished (decided to take the “fake your death to avoid breaking up with your s.o” advice a little too much to heart), Not-Chalkboard did Not like the cat. Dread caught Not-Chalkboard making what looked like a very rude hand gesture at the cat on multiple occasions, although it’s hands were strange and it was hard to be sure. It was when Not-Chalkboard, after having a Very Intense staring contest with the cat for about 6 minutes, saw the error of its ways and vanished, leaving Chalkboard in its place, that Dread began to think something might be up. Eldritch said nothing, as cats are wont to do, but it purred a great deal when Chalkboard let it sit on her lap while she was doing her homework. This was, to say the least, Rather Suspect. Nothing more was said about it.

—-

Eldritch enjoyed going to classes with Dread, which was definitely for the best. She was distinctly Uncomfortable with the idea of leaving the cat alone in the dorm, even with the excessive amount of salt on everything that could possibly be considered an entrance. So Eldritch came to classes, and sat on her lap, or in her bag, and very pointedly ignored other student’s attempts to say “Hey dude what the fuck is that cat doing here”. Dread generally did the same. Some of the other freshmen liked the cat, but typically upperclassmen or even sophomores avoided them both. Too many of them had heard of Bad Things happening to those who neglected to give the campus cats a wide berth. Dread felt like that type of thing happened to other people. And besides, Eldritch hadn’t tried to consume her soul or remove her eyes from her body even once, so.

—-

Their favorite spot to study (or rather, Dread’s favorite spot, because Eldritch did absolutely no studying) was another iffy decision. She had learned very early in this situation that Eldritch was one thing, and the Crows were another, and the two Should Not Meet. So they stuck to areas the crows did not like, and made sure there was a nice grassy place, and occasionally fended off the Gentry via passive aggressiveness and vague grunts. She once traded a lock of her hair for a new container of 0.7 mm pencil lead, but that was about it. Still, she and the cat became something of a fixture in that area, because Eldritch marked her as something Other, and her habits made her leave shadows of herself wherever she liked to be. Other students would occasionally sit down across from her at the picnic table, and cautiously ask for a deal, and she would always laugh and say “I’m just human. I can probably help you study-” or talk to that girl, or whatever mundane thing. She would just wave off the Other requests, and give them a rock and a smiled “freely given”. Nobody ever mentioned the cat when they went over there. If they happened to see something else when looking through their glasses, or when furtively glancing through rings, they certainly didn’t mention anything to Dread.

They probably assumed she already knew.

—-

By junior year, Dread and Eldritch had, to the minds of other students, stopped being two separate entities. They were Dread-and-Eldritch, and could be found at the 5th picnic table in the Place Where Crows Are Not, and they were always happy to help with anything you needed, given that it was not one of Those things. Dread was happy to have people pay attention to her. Eldritch let on nothing, but seemed pleased. Nobody ever mentioned what Eldritch looked like when you Saw it. If some misguided freshman decided to try to ask, they were always prevented from getting there. Dread-and-Eldritch were doing just fine without that knowledge, thank you, and would continue to do so for a while. Occasionally, people asked Dread what she was planning on doing after college. She would always shrug, and say something like “I haven’t thought that far yet,” and change the subject. Eldritch kept its silence.

Really, though, she already knew what she would be doing, and it did not involve going away from campus for very long. Eldritch knew this, too. It had marked her as its own, all those years ago. All that was left was to seal it.

—-

When Dread graduated, she was a very different person from the friendless teen who had been staring at a cat on the steps of her dorm all those years ago. Powerful was… not the right word. But she was different. She had certainly prevented many people from doing things that they would almost certainly regret later, albeit passively. Eldritch sat on her chair when she walked across the stage, and when she went to get the rest of her things, Eldritch led her back to the picnic table in the Place Where The Crows Are Not, and made its first deal in over four years.

“You have been a good friend to many, and you have served me well during this time,” Eldritch purred, sounding so much like the same cat it had been for years. “We have helped countless others, in ways that I cannot alone, and with something that you have that I do not. I would like to cement this.” Dread nodded.

“I- yes. Okay. Deal.” Eldritch grinned in a way that would have been unsettling to anyone other than Dread, who was no longer truly human in the same way that Eldritch was no longer truly Fae. Exposure and belief were More here, and after four years of close contact with each other and doing the work of a faerie that wants to help people Without ruining their lives, it would be almost impossible to avoid any lasting effects.

Anyone who had been present for this transaction, if they had eyes and a mouth and an ability to think, would have described it as a sudden bright light from the two of them, and a feeling of Weird. At this point, anyone with these prerequisites also likely would have fled, so the end of that is not known. But it is known that when Dread Felis applied to the position of “Counselor”, and her application would not leave and she also would not leave, the staff had very few choices but to hire her. The cat-that-was-not-a-cat sitting on her shoulders, with one amber eye that seemed normal and one blue eye that was all too human, and Dread’s eyes, the mirror image of the cat’s, also helped them make that decision. Her office is always open, and if you see Eldritch around (they spend time away from each other, now that they can see through each other’s eyes) it’s sometimes a sign that you should go talk to her. She won’t bite! And even if she can’t help you, or what you need help with is something that they Don’t Do, you’ll always get a someone to listen to your problem, a cool rock, and a smiled “freely given!” from a face with one cat eye and two people behind it. —————— (This concept has honestly been such an inspiration and I really wanted to write something for it, and the idea of one of the Gentry legitimately wanting to help but not being able to by nature latching on to a student and both of them becoming something Else seemed like a good idea! I hope it’s canon compatible! I know nothing about colleges)

[x]

#firequeenomalis #stories #dread #eldritch #the Counselor #ahhhh this is so good #pets #submission

872 notes · View notes