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julia-bunncat · 9 months

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Amashinsai yōkai! AU: Hebi's biology and psychology.

I decide to finish this post especially in honour of Korekiyo's birthday! HBD, my sweet lovely snake boy! 💚

...When I wrote my first post about Yōkai! AU, I mentioned that I could go into more detail about the Hebi's nature (as, at the moment, these are the most elaborate yōkais in my AU)... And although there have been no direct requests for it – I have recently been inspired again, which means here we go again! 😂

TW: In the hcs below, there will be repeated mentions to all kinds of violence, cannibalism and killing, because, let's not forget that the Yōkais are Japanese evil spirits, demons. The process of hebi's procreation and conception (reproduction) will be described in some detail, with mention of animal reproductive organs, so if you're disgusted by that sort of thing, you'd better skip this post or not read the paragraph dedicated to it. I suggest you treat it like a paragraph in a biology textbook :'D

Have a little look at the officially-approved hebi!Kiyo's design (I remind you that my bestie, who doesn't have active blogs in English, draws things for me)

and I'll start!!

𓆓 Kiyo came to the human world in part to understand why the yōkai, being creatures of a more ancient and independent nature, are mostly partially human-like. His theory is that previously all hebi and yōkai in general had a different (more animal-like) appearance, but after numerous encounters and promiscuous liaisons with humans, decided to take on their appearance (to make it easier to deceive / use for their own purposes, which in turn also doesn't exclude the possibility that hebi are partly human = descendants of these unions human + ancient hebi).

𓆓 A reminder that Korekiyo has a couple of powers: hypnosis, emotional healing and small wounds treatment (+ he can anticipate changes in the weather as he's very sensitive to temperatures; can hide his presence even from gifted people and teleport over short distances). He could have done more and/or developed what he already had if he had wanted to, but given the path he chose, it wasn't necessary. Nevertheless, the Hebi, as a separate species, have their own Progenitors – the serpent deities who embody everything that is attributed to the image of the snakes in folklore [life and death, malehood and femalehood, wisdom and blind passion, healing and poison, etc. – in fact, this is why a normal hebi chooses between two ways of "enlightenment"]. Progenitors are enormous and wrap their tails around the entire serpentine otherworldly dimension. They can control the weather, time and space, bend other yōkais to their will, possess infinite knowledge, but also care their little half-human Hebis, giving them freedom of action and peace of mind.

𓆓 The "Serpentine Otherworldly Dimension" – is a nest which looks like a deep cave with chaotically swirling hebis. It's a dark and "crowded" place, as there REALLY are a lot of snakes mixed in there, doing whatever they want. The hebi who have chosen the path of intellectual enrichment almost never leave it, and remain isolated even from some of their relatives, preferring to gain knowledge from the Progenitors. And the hebi who want to build up their power by eating anything and everything, first being played back at their relatives by endlessly competing for energy and physical dignity, and then go to the otherworld for other yōkai / to the human world for mortals.

𓆓 A "little bit" about the Hebi's birth and reproduction. Like descendant snakes, they have a division into females and males = different reproductive body structure. Nevertheless, it's worth remembering that they are primarily spiritual beings – bodies are just conventions, shells, vessels for holding energy reserves (their main food) – which means that, at a basic level, they are still genderfluid. With some effort, the male can "grow" the necessary organ to temporarily hold the foetus in his body, if he wishes to give birth himself. The female, in turn, will also be able to "acquire" a fertilising organ for herself. Another thing is that it's not socially acceptable to do this, or rather no one thinks about it, because in principle there is rarely any love for one's partner/offspring = there is no self-conscious desire to necessarily reproduce (It's only intensified by instinct during the 'mating season' after molting, which is essentially the work of the Progenitors). The reproductive anatomy of females and males is a mixture of snake's + human's anatomy. Males have no nipples and navel, but two hemipenises – its appearance can vary depending on the "enlightenment way" chosen, but generally it resemble tentacles that narrow towards the end (the male can move them almost as deftly as his tail). The location is inside the tail, in the human groin area. Females have breasts (which are more the result of mutation or desire, i.e. their function is accessory), two clitoris + the semblance of a uterus, so yes, Hebis are viviparous. However, they don't carry a foetus – fertilisation occurs when a piece of the male's energy is injected into the uterine zone through the hemipenis and this piece is formed into one or more life forms that grow to the size of a baby in a matter of minutes and burst out of the mother's womb (* the mother doesn't die from it – she can heal such a wound). The process of such an express birth, and the fact of pregnancy itself – is very undesirable for any parent, so females use all possible contraceptive methods (for example, by forming a barrier inside themselves to prevent the long hemipenis from reaching the "danger zone"). Another thing is that hebis mating is always a wild and aggressive process. A female may be attacked by several males with the sole purpose of taking as much of her life energy as possible – and not always the surrounded individual have time to fight back and react appropriately.

𓆓 It goes without saying that baby-snakes are very unwelcome "guests" in the Hebi's world, given the circumstances of their birth as described above. Once they are born, their parents don't hesitate to abandon them to their fate, while other hebis are ready to crush the cubs with their multi-kilogram tails at any time, or devour them as a snack. In other words, the first minutes of a Hebi's life are spent trying to survive. And getting back to Korekiyo... He survived, in fact, thanks to his slightly stronger, more active and eldest only for a few seconds sister :D Contrary to all the laws of yōkai's empathy, Miyadera was born with a protective instinct and took great care of her little brother, realising from the first seconds that in this world you can only exist in peace if you become "stronger, harder, faster" (so, she ate... other baby-snakes that she met along the way). In one day, she and Kiyo heard of the existence of other dimensions of Yōkai (and not only), found a way to move to one of those "inter-worlds", and grew there until their views abruptly diverged. They didn't squabble – it was just that Miyadera had let Kiyo go to the human world, figuring that he would want to sate not their knowledge, but their flesh, roughly speaking :'D But as I have written before, although future conflict is inevitable, they will eventually come to some understanding, thanks to a deeper and healthier sibling bond. I wanted it to be like that, at least in this universe. Also, without straying too far from the subject of baby-snakes, I think it's worth mentioning that the Hebi don't age visually, as they are "immortal until killed". Or to be more precise, born in the form of a baby, they change for a while, but as soon as the outward appearance takes on the characteristics of a young man/woman – "ageing" stops and the actual age is only reflected in the volume and length of the tail. If a Hebi wants to become a giant snake in every sense of the word, he is more likely to abandon anything human in his appearance.

𓆓 I mentioned in passing above that the main food for the hebi is a soul energy, as they are (again) spiritual beings and all the magic available to them is the result of what they have previously accumulated. If in the case of the "path of knowledge" everything is generally transparent (knowledge is an immaterial, conscious product; the more knowledge — the sooner the otherworldly being develops), then it's worth clarifying something about nutrition in the usual sense of this word. At first I assumed that the Hebi had a snake stomach that ran the length of their body, and that their jaw expanded to absorb food many times its own size.... But then I thought: why do we need all this fuss and convention for? 😆 All the Hebi have left of the snakes (which, I remind you, are their descendants — the same creations of the Progenitors) is the ability to expand their jaws to the size of at least a human head. After such a powerful yawn, the characteristic cracks in their cheeks remain for a while, but then smooth out again for a more naturalistic human appearance. The function of such a jaw is simple — to hold as much as possible... And the "food" will be digested / broken down to the state of the much needed energy substance directly in the mouth. A very environmentally friendly way to get rid of "leftovers" ;) With this body structure, hebi are omnivorous: animals, humans, human food, and other yokai. However, it is logical that they will get no energy from food that doesn't have some sort of soul, which means that eating anything "human" (other than animal carcasses) is completely useless. And yes, "digesting in the mouth" doesn't mean that if a human puts their hand in the mouth of a hebi — they will lose that hand. If the snake realises that you're not trying to feed them lavishly, it will end happily — touch the fangs as much as you like! 😂 Oh, and also, despite the specificity of their diet, they are able to taste and smell quietly. And no hebi performs the act of defecation, urination and sweating.

𓆓 The appearance, as well as the abilities of the hebi, can be completely unique. Thus, horns are a reminder of their connection to dragons (although, as proud, self-loving and self-sufficient creatures, they prefer not to draw such a parallel); essentially don't affect any characteristics, but there are some individuals who consciously use those horns as an indicator of their own strength, status, and age. Sometimes the horns are artificially enlarged and this "crown" can exceed the volume of the head (which generally doesn't prevent such a hebi from moving)... Kiyo doesn't care about such things and even treats it as some kind of teenage mischief :'D But the tail colouring is more interesting topic. There may even be some gene pooling at work here, producing an infinite variety of colours and patterns on them, but there are variants that are considered VERY attractive to individuals of both sexes — and this is vividly expressed during the mating season. In my AU, the owner of such colouring would be Shuichi Saihara after his amazing rebirth :D In his case, literally all EP are pumped into attractiveness, and from that point of view, he is very lucky not to have been born in the "Hebi dimension" ;)

𓆓 The species division of humanworld snakes is, to some extent, a result of what is going on in their Hebi-creators. For example, Kiyo isn't venomous because he didn't need such an ability, but other relatives who chose "development by eating" could acquire various venoms just to "take it easy". It should be understood that "human poisons", the venom of ordinary snakes, and other vicious substances are nothing compared to the paranormal venom of the Hebi. Accordingly, all of the above will not apply to them. The best way to kill a venomous yokai is to sic an equally venomous one to them. Another known power of snakes is constriction. In battles, Korekiyo will use the abilities of his tail + the agility and cunning gained by teleporting short distances. And the imagination doesn't stop there — hebies can even sail the seas if they want to, and it's not for nothing that there's such a strong connection in folklore between snakes-werewolves and something aquatic!

𓆓 And the last thing I'd like to point out for understanding these creatures — is the spectrum of feelings. Hebi's can't crying — and it's not just their physiology. Feelings of sadness, longing, despair are, if not atrophied, buried very, very deeply in their souls. In other words, they are not deprived of the ability to experience this full range of feelings - there are simply no external circumstances that would allow them to express them in any way. Yokai's temperament will always be about something negative in human terms — irritation, rage, pride, cunning, temper, lying... But understandably, there are exceptions. For example, when the hebi do feel sympathy for each other — it becomes possible to trace their own "snake love language". Kissing, active tactile types of caresses like patting/scratching "it's something for human". But weaving, rubbing, squeezing, various tail sliding — this is what we need. At most, they can clasp each other in a hug or intertwine their fingers... Which overall looks gentle ~

That's it for now!! I hope I've satisfied someone's curiosity, or just fascinated with unconventional biology, ahah! 😜🐍

#danganronpa #korekiyo shinguji #headcanons #amashinsai yokai au #snakes #yokai #alternate universe #not my art

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grahammcconnell · 2 years

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Eight Ways You Can Xiao Genshin Impact Cosplay Like The Queen Of England

The Xiao genshin cosplay costume is made of top-quality workmanship and high-quality materials. It is not only durable but also breathable, allowing you to move freely. The only problem is that it doesn't include a mask. You will need to purchase one separately. Customers can submit their measurements to receive a customized costume for Xiao. You can be certain that this costume will make your appearance as amazing as you can. Xiao genshin is a yaksha that has an extremely high level of proficiency of seniority Xiao's genshin is believed to be the final of the five foremost Yakshas and has high adepti seniority. Xiao is the only living member of the five in the book "Adepts in Genshin Impact". Despite his excellent adepti level He is a very private person and doesn't have a desire to be around mortals. He does possess an appealing appearance and has a high skilled seniority. Xiao is an age of 2,000 years and is the highest Adepti on earth. He is a descendant from the ascended god Morax, and Zhongli is the god of Zhongli. In the fictic version the book, Xiao is an adeptus who guards the Liyue. Xiao's upper body uses white and green which represent the three attributes of the adeptus: Anemo Vision and White. The name Xiao may be a misinterpretation. He was given this name to protect his identity. In reality, the Yaksha served as the archon's bloodhound. He was a cruel thief. He ate the dreams of his victims and suffered a lot of suffering. Xiao was unable to resist his bloodhound duties. The Archon Morax came at him and the yaksha could not resist his duties. Xiao has earned himself a respectable reputation among his followers. Though he is relatively unknown in the world of mortals his mysterious gaze with sharp eyes, his piercing eyes, and impressive stature make him a extremely dangerous adversary. Even though he has a very high adepti level, Xiao is relatively unknown in the real world. Xiao is a highly intelligent yaksha. His adepti seniority is high which means that he can be trusted to make important decisions. However, his yaksha mask makes him incredibly strong against enemies. He is able to use a sword and a shield that are among the most powerful in the game. While Xiao is extremely mobile, his abilities do not allow him to move the same way as other characters from the yaksha series. Xiao's Normal Attack, a sidewards somersault that usually results in more movement of the body. This attack demonstrates Xiao’s physical abilities as well as his unique skilled technique. Additionally, he has an extremely high level of agility, and his strength is also unmatched when he's at high altitudes. Xiao is a cosplayer A Genshin Impression cosplayer recreated the Anemo character Xiao in the video game Vigilant Yoksha. This character is of a polearm character who is often accompanied by a powerful demon. She has added gold talismans to her outfit, and also jewelry. genshin impact costume of her cosplay are posted on her Instagram account. Xiao is a two-thousand-year-old lighted beast that was once enslaved by an evil god. The god forced him to commit violent crimes on behalf of the god, but Xiao was saved by an ancient warriornamed Morax. Morax gave him the name "Xiao" to protect the beast. But, despite the many advantages of her character, she still has a huge amount of bad karma to pay off. Xiao has light-colored hair, with an undertone of teal. She also wears white sleeveless top. The length of her shirt is over her left shoulder. She wears dark purple pants with boots. Her eyeshadows are red and her ring is gold. A green tattoo is visible on her right arm and a purple diamond is on her forehead. Xiao owes a lot to the Morax for saving his life. He has also pledged to protect Liyue's family in return. In spite of this, Xiao doesn't get offended by his critics, preferring to be quiet and alone. He is often a mentor for Ganyu whom he views as an ego-sucking yaksha. Xiao spent many years alone fighting the darkness that threatens Liyue. She fought valiantly from dawn to dusk, but managed to avoid defeat by only a hair's length. Then she plucked a spear from the ground and won the battle. Xiao is a fantastic choice for this role. You can't go wrong selecting a Genshin Impact Cosplayer to cosplay as Xiao. Customized xiao genshin impact cosplay costume It is simple to find Genshin Impact Xiao's cosplay costume on the internet. This website offers a huge variety of custom-made costumes. The costumes are constructed with high-quality materials, stunning artwork and perfect craftsmanship. Additionally, they are elastic and durable. The costume is not complete with masks, however, you are able to leave it out if you wish to have one. You can also place an order for a customized cosplay costume in case you are not able to determine the best size for you.

Xiao the sole remaining member of the Five Yakshas is the only one to be sent to Earth via Morax to defeat Liyue. His charming appearance and adepti rank make him a perfect option for cosplay. He doesn't like human interaction and is averse to it. his Yakshas. Xiao's karmic obligation When Xiao was a child, he was trained to deal with his karmic debts alone. He had never thought of finding the perfect soul companion. Instead, he trained himself as a vigilant yaksha, tasked with eliminating the demons in his liyue. Now, the Goddess of Dreams has discovered him and he's now destined to become her bloodhound. The gods of the evil had a tremendous power, and their thirst for revenge was much greater than what mortals could even imagine. Rex Lapis freed Xiao from an evil god's slavery. His deeds caused a rupture in the gods of the dark side's hatred for him, and now the responsibility for his karmic debt. Though the evil gods don't feel any hatred or anger towards him, he's accumulated many bad karma over the past 2000 years. Xiao is a blood Knight, however, he prefers to remain in his own realm. He has no social skills and doesn't want anyone to suffer the negative consequences of his reputation. He is difficult to talk to until he eventually is willing to talk to the Traveler. His karmic debt is always changing. He may not be a warm and cosy person, but he's passionate about the people he protects. Even though his karmic obligations are high, he is grateful to Morax for saving himself. Xiao's devotion to zhongli is more based on respect than loyalty. He didn't request permission, but went to a temple to put a rock. And he also doesn't bother much with mortal affairs. It's difficult to find people who would be concerned about his karmic debt. In a previous game, Xiao had been an animal. He was later rescued by an alien that was captured by Ying-Yangs. He was once a beautiful adeptus that was admired by other creatures. This development is a result of his karmic debt. The story of his karmic credit is extremely interesting.

#genshin impact #genshin #genshin impact cosplay #genshin impact cosplays #genshin impact costume

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marcherwinstead · 2 years

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9 Surprisingly Effective Ways To Xiao Genshin Impact Cosplay

The Xiao folkshin cosplay costume is crafted with exquisite workmanship and sound materials. It is breathable and durable, which allows for you to move comfortably. The only drawback is that the costume does not come with masks that you need to purchase separately. Customers can supply their measurements in order to receive a custom-fitted costume for Xiao. However, rest assured that this costume will make you appear as good as you can! Xiao genshin, a yaksha who has high adepti, is Xiao's genshin is believed to be the final of the five most powerful Yakshas and has the highest level of adepti. In the book "Adepts in Genshin Impact", Xiao is the sole remaining member of the five. Despite his impressive adepti seniority, he's extremely private and doesn't wish to interact with anyone else. He does possess charming charm, and a high level skilled seniority. Xiao is an age of 2,000 years and is the highest Adepti on earth. He is a descendant of the ascended god Morax and Zhongli, the god of the gods. In the fictic version of the book, Xiao is an adeptus who guards the Liyue. Xiao's top body is made of green and white, which represent the three qualities that make up the adepti: Anemo Vision or White. The name Xiao was a misnomer He was given this name for protection purposes. In real life, the Yaksha served as the archon's bloodhound. He was a cruel thief. He ate the dreams of his victims and endured terrible suffering. Xiao was not able to resist his bloodhound duties. After the Archon Morax confronted him the yaksha was unable resist his duties. Xiao has a powerful reputation among his followers. Though he is relatively unknown in the world of the living, his enigmatic gaze and sharp eyes as well as powerful stature make him an highly dangerous opponent. While he is a high adepti seniority, Xiao is relatively unknown in the world of mortals. Xiao is an extremely educated yaksha. His seniority in adepti is high which means that he can be trusted to take crucial decisions. However, his yaksha mask makes him incredibly strong against enemies. The shield and sword the yaksha character wields is among the strongest in the game. While Xiao is extremely mobile however, his skills do not allow him to move in the same manner as other yaksha characters. Xiao's Normal Attack, a sidewards somersault, usually results in greater movement of the body. This move demonstrates Xiao's physical capabilities and his unique adeptus technique. He's also extremely agile and has an unbeatable strength when he's high up. Xiao is cosplayer A Genshin Impression cosplayer has recreated the well-known Anemo person Xiao from the video game Vigilant Yaksha. The cosplayer is a version of a polearm character who is often accompanied with powerful demon. She has added gold talismans to her outfit, and also jewelry. A number of pictures of her cosplay are on her Instagram account. Xiao is a two-thousand-year-old lighted beast that was once enslaved by an evil god. The god forced him to commit violent crimes on behalf of the god, however Xiao was saved by a warrior from the past, Morax. Morax named him "Xiao" to guard the beast. But, despite all the benefits of her character, she still has a huge deal of bad karma to pay off. Xiao is a blonde with light hair, with an undertone of teal. She also wears white sleeveless top. Her shirt is extended to cover her left shoulder, and she is wearing dark purple pants and boots. Her eyeshadow is red and her rings are gold. She also has an ink of green on her right arm as well as an emerald-colored diamond on her forehead. Xiao owes a lot to the Morax for saving his life. He has also pledged to defend Liyue's family. However, Xiao is not easily annoyed by critics and prefers to remain silent and quiet. He is often a mentor figure for Ganyu whom he views as a soul-sucking Yasha. Xiao spent many years alone fighting the darkness that threatens Liyue. She fought fierce battles from dusk until dawn, losing only by just a hair's length. Then she snatched a spear from the ground and won the battle. Xiao is an excellent cosplayer for this role. It's not a bad idea choosing a Genshin Impact Cosplayer to cosplay as Xiao.

Customized xiao genshin impact cosplay costume It is easy to locate Genshin Impact Xiao's Cosplay costume on the internet. This website offers a huge collection of customized costumes. These costumes for cosplay are made with high quality materials, exquisite art and impeccable workmanship. They are also flexible and durable. The costume is not complete with a mask, but you can remove it if you want one. If you're not sure what size is right for you it is possible to place an order for a custom cosplay costume made. As the only remaining member of the Five Yakshas, Xiao is the only one to be sent to Earth by Morax to subdue Liyue. His charming aura and high adepti seniority make him an excellent choice for cosplay. He doesn't enjoy human interaction and finds it offensive to his Yakshas. Xiao's the karmic obligation When Xiao was a child He was taught to fight his karmic debts on his own. He had never thought of finding an soul partner. Instead was trained as a vigilant Yaksha get rid of the evil spirits from his Liyue. Now, the Goddess of Dreams has discovered him and is destined to be her new bloodhound. The gods of evil were powerful and had a thirst for revenge that was far beyond what mortals could ever imagine. Rex Lapis freed Xiao from an evil god's shackle. His actions caused a split in the disdain of the gods of darkness for him, and he has to pay the debt to the karmic realm. Though the evil gods don't feel any hatred or anger towards the man, he's accrued many bad karma during the past 2000 years. While Xiao is a blood knight and a blood knight, he prefers to be in his personal world. He lacks social Skills and does not want his bad karma to be affecting anyone else. This makes him difficult to approach however, he eventually becomes more friendly to the Traveler. But his karmic debt keeps changing from moment to moment. While he's not warm and cuddly, He cares about the people who he guards. Although his karmic debts are very high, he's grateful to Morax for saving him. Xiao's love for zhongli is more based on respect than on loyalty. He did not request permission, but instead went into a temple to set a stone. He also doesn't seem to care much with mortal affairs. It's hard to find people who care about his karmic debt. In a previous game, Xiao was a human. He was saved by an alien being held by the Ying Yangs. He was once a beautiful adeptus who was loved and admired by other creatures. This development is a result of his Karmic debt. This is why the story of his the karmic debt is an interesting one.

#genshin impact #genshin #genshin impact cosplay #genshin impact cosplays #genshin impact costume

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yostresswritinggirl · 3 years

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Meister of the Stars

Genshin Impact College!AU but it’s in canon universe with canon elements

Otherwise: Hogwarts in Teyvat, Sumeru Academia

Welcome to Exiled’s first public domain post! What does that mean? Well that just means that this work is entirely repriseable and can be used by other authors for their own plots, fics, stories, or even AU characters. So long as you credit me appropriately by either tagging this post or just tagging my url hehe.

Why is this Public Domain? It’s too big and extensive of a plot for me to write alone and I’m sure other authors can do this plot justice than I do. Besides, with my schedule and writing manner, I won’t be delving into this plot anytime soon. Or at all.

Story Prologue Summary:

Sumeru Academia, the oasis of knowledge in the vast continent of Teyvat, is a constitution inhabiting scholars around the world. Within its walls harbors great minds and masters of elemental prowess and higher intelligence. Only select people can enter or even pass the trials of the scholars, some are gifted by invitation by the Headmaster and leader of the nation, the Dendro Archon.

When you had been gifted your Dendro Vision one day when you encountered and rejuvenated one of the many ley lines connecting the world together, it was guaranteed the next day that you were to receive a letter by a majestic hawk: within its claws it clutched a cured scroll, locked by a tie and the logo of Dendro, and the insignia of the famed Academia.

The Archon, shut and reserved as he may be, he knows and keeps close the gifted ones who received a sprinkle of his power.

Sumeru Academia does not value itself with how long you had been under scholarly guidance, students are not recognized by how many years they have been in the constitution, no. Instead the students are split into three different systems of prestige: elemental, mastery, and admission.

Elemental System separates students into different, well, elements corresponding to their Visions: Dendro, Pyro, Cryo, Hydro, Electro, Geo and Anemo. There are no titles do scholars who enter the Academia, but scholarly jargons had opted for either ‘awakening’ or ‘waiting shell’, because more often than not, many scholars had been blessed while inside the walls of the Academia, as well as the obvious fact that being blessed by a Vision comes at a natural time and age in your life.

Mastery System comes in four main hierarchies and two sub-categories, all of which are determined by the Trials of the Scholars upon being allowed admission into the Academia. The four main hierarchies are classified by prestige stars or which the amount you are allowed pinned on your Academian sash:

Six stars are those who come near the grace of Celestia’s understanding of the universe, very rarely are scholars placed into this category, and many scholars even dispute the existence of such a class. However, they do exist as they are honored by the God of Wisdom himself deeming them to carry the blessings of the wisdoms from the stars. A Six star only comes one in a generation, some say. Many speculations linked to this class are supernatural and absurd rumors.

Five stars are those who master the flow of their visions powered by their undeniable talents in their major scholarly interest, renowned as true geniuses of their professions, a lot of them turn into prodigies after leaving the Academia and even serving under ruling kingdoms with high roles.

Four stars are the base level a Vision-holder can reach and is the starting system for said Vision-holders; even tho this is the default level of Vision holders, wielders of Visions in Academia are not to be trifled with, as they are expected to exceed their mastery over Vision-holders residing outside the Academia.

Three stars are non-Vision scholars that have an adeptness in both academics and weapon mastery, they are proficient in combat prowess enough to par those who have basic grasp of their Visions outside of the Academia. Most three star scholars are also known to have a higher chance of receiving their Visions.

There has been no record of Two Stars or One Star scholars in the records of the Academia.

Sub-category of the Mastery System are reliant on physical properties of a scholar: Adepts are those with mixed blood with mystical beings of the continent, or simply put, scholars that are not just of mortal origins. Mortals are simply normal mortals. These sub-category, meaningless as it may seem, are actually used to observe patterns for research purposes regarding power and skill differences.

Admission System is the plainest and easiest judge for all scholars and is not that much given attention to unlike the other systems, except for the last one. Entrance Admission simply means you have taken the appropriate customary tests of the mind, body and element (if you are a Vision-wielder) and passed the marks to enter the Academia. Letter of Recommendation means that you were either transferred from another academy besides Sumeru or some prestigious bloodline convinced the headmasters of Sumeru to allow such easy admission. Meisters are those who wield Dendro Visions with full potential, invited by the Dendro Archon himself to join the ranks of the Academia.

During the Rite of Prominence in the main hall of the Academia, the Dendro Archon descends from his temple to hold this important annual event for new scholars, together with the Headmasters. Rite of Prominence is where new scholars are given their first prestige systems, and those who are convinced to have ascended gets their new titles.

Your knees almost buckled when your name echoed through the wide building, calling you upon the presence of the Headmasters to finally receive your classification. Your first friend and fellow newcomer Chongyun pats you in the back, urging you to approach the aisle that leads to the stage up front. His smile was enough to push your legs to a subtle tremble as you made your way through the carpeted path, standing before the Headmasters.

There was a beat of silence and unmoving, and then the Headmaster starts to raise his hand- before the Dendro Archon himself suddenly stands up from his large throne of a seat at the very back. The movement caused a series of gasps to erupt from the scholars and staff behind you, and you must have hallucinated one from the cloaked Headmasters, as the God of Wisdom made his way to stand in front of you.

His presence was both ethereal and overwhelming as his imposing figure looms over you. You politely raised your head to rest your view by the bridge of his nose, not wanting to offend by making direct contact. “Child,” he extends his large hand and you looked at it, “Your hand.” Your eyes fleet back to his with wary but his gaze softened in assurance. With a sharp inhale, you finally placed your hand into his-

And a burst of gold streams flew out from your connected hands, with enough force to send a pulse of a wave through the building. Hanging cloths were whisked by the elemental burst, flames of candles extinguished, as suddenly all the Visions in the building began glowing. You blinked the surge of nausea away, and it was only the Dendro Archon that noticed the golden glow that pulsed from your iris, and looked around in confusion.

“(Y/N) (L/N),” you felt the hand under your palm move away as six glowing rocks manifested and twirled around you. Scholars knowledgeable enough gasped once again at the sight. And you warily watched the glowing rocks forge themselves into star-shaped badges, slowing down as they descend in front of you and on to your palm. “Welcome to this new age, Six Stars Meister of the Stars.” And the hall blows into a series of thunderous claps.

(This area is a WIP)

In the back of the Ancient libraries of Sumeru Academia resides the domain of the record holder, and there upon are bookshelves of numerous records about every scholar that has been admitted into the Academia. Each book corresponds to a student and its first pages carry their basic information, however the pages after that are hexed with powerful lexical charms to make it unreadable to anyone that dare looks at the other pages:

Albedo: Geo Vision. A Five Star, Adept scholar who has been in the Academia for two years through a letter of recommendation. Albedo is a master of the sword too, but his expertise lies in his expert handling of the concept of Alchemy. Hailing from an unknown continent, Albedo aims to spread his knowledge and master it enough to become a Six Star, a prestige title his master once held before mysteriously disappearing. Upon your appearance, the master alchemist had been not so subtly observing and following you around whenever you were in the vicinity. You're not sure if you saw this right, but when you once had seen his passing look, you swore you saw a slight squint when he looks down at your sash.

Amber: Pyro Vision. A Four Star, Mortal hailing from Mondstadt. Her grandfather was an alumni of the Academia who mastered the arts of gliding, and was thus allowed the opportunity to accept his letter of recommendation for Amber when she reached the age of 15. She continued her grandfather's work in the Academia and carried the Outrider title, focusing on aerodynamics and her bow mastery. Seeing as she was around your age range but having been admitted years prior, Amber took it upon herself to tour you around the campus and also introduce you to her friends from Mond. During the weekends, you find yourself gliding over the university's towering buildings with her.

Baizhu

Beidou

Bennett

Chongyun: Cryo Vision. A Four Star, Mortal from Liyue with ties to the spiritual realm. His expertise in exorcism had earned him the title of Master of Spirits despite being a newcomer, and many of services are seeked out even in the new continent. With his mischievous Liyuean friends, he's seen roaming around the halls of the Academia during ungodly hours. Chongyun was your first friend in the Academia after you both rendezvous at the entrance as newcomers and finding solace with the company of each other. When you earned your Six Stars title, Chongyun had become protective of you yet still treated you as a normal friend, not wanting you to think he was only there for prestige. During random nights, you'd find yourself in the darkest and secluded areas of the Academia as he pulls you around with Xingqiu, hoping to find roaming spirits of scholars from years ago.

Collei

Cyno: Pyro Vision. A Five Star, Mortal that had been in the Sumeru Academia for years. He is one of the senior scholars and running for Headmaster after his graduation. In the Pyro Visions, he is one of the renowned masters of the element, and can usually be found tending the books of the ancient libraries of the Academia. As of Sumerian descent and strong ties with the Academia, under the buddy system Cyno became your senior buddy on your first year to make sure you do not incur a failing grade nor misunderstood the practices and customs of the Academia. Because of this, you meet with him daily for check-ups and tutoring.

Diluc

Fischl

Ganyu

Jean

Kaeya

Keqing

Lisa

Mona

Razor

Sucrose: Anemo Vision. A Four Star, Adept of an unknown cat species from Mondstadt. Master of Bio-Alchemy as renowned of her multiple contributions to the field, Sucrose made her way to Sumeru Academia at the news that it harbors the one and only Master of Alchemy in it. She passed the entrance exam with expected ease and has then exhausted the laboratories and resources of the Academia for her researches. You've ran into her once when you were lost in the halls of the large Academia, stumbling on her unsupervised experiments in one of the laboratories. Her cat ears caught your attention and had since then become engrossed in researching about it, with her next to you, you were both brought together into a friendship focused on nature and a thirst for discovery.

Tartaglia: Hydro Vision. A Five Star, Mortal that carried with him a different aura opposite of the stars. Childe entered the Academia after near perfecting all his scores in all the tests, before the Headmasters realized that he carried a letter of recommendation from the Tsaritsa, which was then useless by the time he revealed it. One of the few Masters of Hydro, Childe was more fond and known in the arts of combat, Warmonger was a title he was more confident in as he shows prowess in all weaponry he touches. When Childe heard about the existence of a Six Star, his first instinct was to test out the difference between him and the fabled child. But his mastery in combat alone was enough to show he was still ever more superior. Irked yet still curious of a hidden potential, Childe ended up tortur- tutoring you in mastering weapon proficiency. He manages to persuade you in his test spars (still looking for that six star glory) by a promise of an expensive dinner everytime. Damn rich people.

Venti: Anemo Vision. A Five Star, Adept that was personally invited by the Dendro Archon after his retirement from his position as archon of Mondstadt. Despite the idea being absolutely preposterous and against his principles, clearly he had nothing better to do, he was ultimately persuaded after hearing his fellow retired archon resided in the Academia as well. The Master of Winds and Weaver of Tales had become your partner in your Anemo classes, and what better way to teach you about Anemo than flinging you into the sky to 'feel the fresh air' up there? He'd always make sure that you were there everytime he performed for the Academia, and lingers around you whenever you were free just to loiter around before the next class.

Xiangling:

Xiao: Anemo Vision. Five Star, Adept that passed the examination in hopes to follow his master in search for the truth. Master of the Polearm is the title he boasts, and a lot of pupils under him are always devastated upon entering combat with him. Although he's only been there for a year, he has secretly been enjoying the new atmosphere. Xiao had noticed you during the Rite of Prominence when he felt the familiar touch of the Gods, and he had found that whenever you are near, there is a cleansing aura that silences the demonic whispers in his head. Ever since then he'd be found usually in your vicinity yet unapproaching, subtle. When Zhongli officially entrusted him of your safety during your stay in the Academia, he doesn't know whether to scuff or sigh in relief as he was finally introduced.

Xingqiu

Zhongli: Geo Vision. A Five Star Adept that was also invited by the God of Wisdom but was dependently persuaded by Venti. He carries with him 6000 years of knowledge and had since then assisted in collating those sacred years to be immortalized in the Academia's libraries. As the Wielder of Earth he prides himself with his elemental mastery despite the removal of his true power, and yet he is more known of his title as Historian of the Wars. Zhongli was no ordinary student, he carries himself like that of a Headmaster and yet he does not situate himself with matters of either scholar of staff interests. You encountered him during a nightly walk to calm yourself over the burden of your academics and Meister title, and his presence had been the best comfort. Ever since then you'd always find him when you need him, and he always helps you with any troubles, if you count a 500 words dialogue as such.

Storyline - Arcs

Arc Socrates : the foundation

i. Rite of Prominence - earning ones title

ii. Welcome to Sumeru Academia - the dormitories

iii. The Seven Majors - first classes for the seven corresponding elements

iv. Buddy System - newcomers are always paired with senior scholars on their first year in the Academia

v. Labyrinth - the libraries of Sumeru Academia is large and secretive, hence the perfect domain for treasure hunt exercises

vi. Combat Mastery - dive into the trials of weapons, another major

vii. Science Side of Sumeru (SSS) - numerous laboratories harbor different individuals and strands, from alchemy to biology to— wine-making?

ending. The Walk of Scholars - every midyear, scholars are entitled to a week long fieldtrip/vacation in the nation of Sumeru, beyond the walls of the Academia

Plato : the calling of the stars

i. The Midyear Examinations - annual exam to retest your standing in the Academia

ii. Divine Intervention - archonistic convention of a looming celestial presence

iii. The Leyline Disorder - a leyline in the Academia became corrupted, forcing a halt in the academics as malignous forces plague the Academia

iv. The First Miracle - as the Six Stars scholar with a touch blessed by the stars, you were the only one to succeed in repairing the problem

ending. Advancement of Medicine - after the First Miracle, the Six Star scholar was plagued with eternal sleep. With this new case, the Academia scrambles for medical intervention

*shrugs*

This is not a series I'll be working on, but may be referenced in oneshots in the future.

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brazenautomaton · 3 years

Text

Fixing Afterlives: The Maw, First Visit

So our Shadowlands journey starts with the Maw. You know what? People hate this scenario now because you can’t skip it and have to go through it on every character, but the first time through, this is actually really good. You’re kicking in the gates of Hell with a platoon of Death Knights and then everything goes tits-up and you don’t have a beachhead and you’re lost and wandering and there are awful, awful things everywhere and you’re hiding and isolated and need to learn how to escape. You just need the option to skip it on your alts.

Plus the aesthetics of the Maw are great. They sell what it is -- the hostile architecture, sinister crystal formations, the way everything seems swept and shaped by a windstream of souls. We’ve seen plenty of environments that look like a Hell of flames. This is a Hell of pure suffering. Pain is what lives here. Pain is all that enters and pain is all that is produced. It’s only after you went farming Stygia for a while that the pain gets inflicted on you.

So we assemble the crew, get the exposition while we put together the Helm of Domination, get given a portal stone to establish a beachhead, and we bust in to find the four captives: Anduin, Jaina, Baine, Thrall. We rally the Death Knights into enough of a formation to make it in and find the evidence of Jaina, and I like that, I like how you track her by the huge formations of ice -- it shows you her power and the mark she leaves. Finding her is mostly the same although her dialogue is less generic and content-free (from now on assume I apply this caveat to all dialogue). She’s more confused and disoriented and even though she’s fighting it’s with a resignation that she knows it won’t work and she’s starting to think she’s only hurting herself by trying. She acts like she has been there for years. But you say you and the DKs are here to save her and she follows against her better judgment and agrees to try and find Thrall, who she struggles to remember, but seems to be trying very hard to be able to remember.

Then the Mawsworn Kyrian show up and laugh about her hopelessness, and you fight them. And they kill the shit out of you.

More and more and more of them keep coming and they’re level 60 when you’re level 50 and if you do some bullshit to survive eventually one of them will grab you by the neck to Silence you, lift you into the air, and do the ol’ Val’Kyr Special and fatally drop you. You unavoidably die.

This is necessary early to establish what dying in the Shadowlands means. Play a special graphic effect when the player dies, something more drawn out and grasping. Play a sound effect appropriate to race/gender of the PC of them struggling against great pain and gasping. Then you appear next to a Spirit Healer (yes normally in the Maw you just respawn alive so you have to pick up your Stygia like in Dark Souls, we’ll explain the discrepancy later), a Mawsworn Spirit Healer, who says “No. Your suffering will not end. The Maw claims you.” and then starts to chase you the fuck down with a bunch of shades. You need to run, as a ghost, to claw your way back into your body. Obviously, if the shades catch you, you get dragged back to the start and the Spirit Healer fucks with you a bit.

Your body has been dragged over to the area where Jaina and the rest are hiding; they fled while you were being merced. Jaina sees you stir. And she says “I’m sorry, champion. Death is no respite here. It is so hard to fight the pull… I struggle to even remember my body when I try to return.”

Jaina has been brutally killed over a dozen times. This is not her first rodeo. This is not her first escape attempt. This is not the first time she’s killed that particular Mawsworn tormenter whose name I don’t recall. It doesn’t end. It never ends. She doesn’t know why she tries any more, when she knows it will fail and she will die and suffer and claw her way back to her flesh and every time it gets harder and harder. All it buys her is the ability to offer futile resistance and maybe that isn’t even worth it.

Mood: established.

From there it goes mostly the same. You try to pump the shades for info about how to escape and they don’t know, they can’t know, they can’t even want to escape. The info you get is a memory of spitefully hating someone who fled to the waystone. You rescue your buddies. You see the Jailer fuck up Baine, only instead of giving him a spirit poison, he fucking snaps the dude like a Kit-Kat and drops his lifeless corpse, and you drag it to safety. You don’t need to find a poison dagger to counteract the spirit poison; you need to keep him safe and clear a path for his spirit to flee back to his body. Thus reinforcing what the danger here is and how it’s different and what they fear.

And while you do this, at some point, you run into Sylvanas. Maybe she just walks up to you while you’re all collected around Baine trying to help him revive. Since the Jailer won’t be saying “it’s not like you won anything b-b-baka, it was just a temporary setback,” you need to establish that feeling that he views your victories as completely meaningless. Sylvanas knows you’re here saving Baine. So does the Jailer. It does not matter. You cannot accomplish anything.

Thrall kills her dead. She just gets back up. She has an escort for her soul to go back to her body. “How many times are you going to try that before you learn it’s futile? Come now, Thrall. I know you’re smarter than this. I know you respected me more than this.”

And then stuff like “How could you do this, Sylvanas? How could you betray the Horde?” Thrall is incredibly angry and offended at her. He thought he knew her. “Neither of us had any illusions you were not a monster, Banshee Queen. But I trusted you anyway because I knew you wanted what was best for your people. You were a monster, but a loyal one. How can you now turn your back on what little principle you had?” Sylvanas is hurt by this, but she doesn’t linger on it.

Jaina, however, is desperately trying to flatter her. Do this to sell the kind of impact this has had on Jaina, and what this suffering drives her to. “Please, Sylvanas. I know you were my enemy but you were an honorable one. It isn’t too late. Someone as cunning as you must know that this will end in ruin. I promise… I promise… I will surrender if you let me return. Kul Tiras will become servants of the Forsaken. Just, just let them live… please, you could rule our world, not slaughter it…”

Jaina breaks down in tears. Yes, she just tried to surrender her people to the enemy for mercy. Jaina is breaking. All of them will. The Maw is a Bad Place and makes them give up hope. That’s how we sell the threat. Not by making the enemies bigger or spikier, showing how they have broken these heroes. Less screaming anger. More pain.

Sylvanas scoffs at her offer. “It doesn’t matter where your people’s loyalty lies, Lord Admiral.” And then she says the phrase that will become a motif: “Nobody escapes the Maw.” She leaves. She doesn’t care what you do. It doesn’t matter.

But you have to still hold on to that sliver of hope that maybe the waystone is a way out. So you get Baine up and you sneak past this big-ass Maw army that can fuck 31 flavors of your day up. The jailer notices you and sends out a force to stop you at the waystone, and he repeats the phrase when he sends out the order: “Nobody escapes the Maw.”

So there’s the event, you fight off the army while the waystone charges, the army gets bigger and bigger, the charge meter gets stuck at 90%, you go to kick it and it teleports you to Oribos.

The mob descends on the other captives. Sylvanas and the Jailer look completely unconcerned with your escape. After having clearly seen you physically leave the Maw, Sylvanas brushes it off with “Nobody escapes the Maw.” Dun-DUNNN! Cutscene end.

You appear in Oribos. The Protectors stop you because you stink like the Maw and what the hell dude, yada yada. This is when you get a tour of the city, here’s the profession trainers, the bank, the transmog. Only secondary details need to be changed here. One, this is an instanced version of the city where no other players exist (you are the first one there, nobody else is). Two, Lich King Bolvar (hashtag #notmylichking) arrives from Azeroth and says SOMETHING to justify other players coming from the Maw but being less important than you. Something like, he saw what you did, there are other adventurers from Azeroth still in the Maw, his DKs are hunkering down in defensive positions and will try to make their way to the Waystone once it cools off because you already activated it, since you are the more special one, and there might be a chance that a couple others might have an echo of your power because they have had similar adventures. You are the True Maw Walker, and the context of the massively multiplayer element is “for your story, all those other guys have shitty Maw Walker powers that only work once you opened the pickle jar for them.” They can’t bring passengers, either.

Third, not the most importantly but yes the most importantly, if you are Forsaken or a Death Knight or Mechagnome or whatever you get a special dialogue where you say “Why do you keep calling me a ‘living mortal’? I’m not alive. I’m undead / a machine / maybe something else like maybe I missed the fact that vulpera are made of rocks and string.”

So Tal-Inara or whoever can be like “Oh, THAT’S what that is. Something was odd about you, mortal, that I couldn’t quite place. I call you ‘living’ because your soul is still tethered to a body. To us in the Shadowlands, to be bound in a vessel like this is far more important than the nature of the vessel itself.” That’s why people keep calling you “living”, to them you’re easy to mistake for one.

Kyrian in the Maw is disturbing news, and also WEIRD, because as Tal-Inara reminds us, “Nobody escapes the Maw.” Why would the Kyrian go down there when they can’t come back? It is terrible but not unheard of for mortals to try and speak to the Jailer but they never GO there because they can’t get out. And yet Sylvanas just walked in there? And he is mustering armies? Better go to Bastion and find out what is up. Let’s crank open this gateway, and...

#World of Warcraft #my fiction #fixing stories #wow

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onenerdtwonagas · 3 years

Text

Outside Threats

(Warning: contains physical assault and attempted sexual assault.)

Uriah had recovered from his transition into elemental immortality nearly a year before, and he had begun learning how to adjust to his new innate abilities, but he certainly didn’t have a firm control over them. The members of the Council offered their assistance when they could, but even they had warned him it would take time and experience, since he wasn’t born into magic as the rest of them were. He was thankful that he was able to get away from the the human city to the seclusion of the temple belonging to Orpheus’s family to practice. Trying to learn how to master magic amongst humans wasn’t a bright idea, and he wouldn’t entertain it. But, even at the temple, he wasn’t so certain he was ready to be on his own the handful of times Orpheus’s new godly status called him away. Maybe it was just missing him, now that they were married.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can, love,” Orpheus would promise him, before giving him a kiss and slipping through a portal. Uriah had said goodbye to him the day before in a similar manner. Something about territory disputes, Orpheus had said; it would hopefully be resolved within two or three days.

Uriah sighed and leaned heavily against a sturdy stone pillar, fiddling with the clothing he’d been gifted from the Council. He wasn’t sure if there was any significance or importance to them, but at least they were comfortable.

A soft chime got his attention, and Uriah looked up to see one of the nightbell sprites that served Orpheus’s family—those who had been night god, respectfully.

“Pollux?”

He held out his palms for the tiny creature to land in, watching it shake its furry body and sit up on its haunches to chime again.

“Sorry, I, uh...don’t speak sprite. Not yet, anyway.”

Pollux’s ears flopped. He waved a paw vaguely towards the entrance of the temple. Uriah quirked up one eyebrow and followed his gesture.

“Is somebody here?”

An affirmative jingle.

“Huh. Not Eden or Atheer, though, right? Aren’t you kind of Atheer’s pet anyway?”

The tiny creature mustered up as best a shrug as his anatomy allowed.

“Well, guess we gotta check it out.”

Uriah set Pollux on his shoulder and made his way through the temple, hesitating only when he heard movement from the receiving chamber towards the entryway. He questioned whether he should make his presence known. He himself wasn’t a god or deity, and all of Orpheus’s relations were away for one reason or another. No one else was with him if this visitor wasn’t the friendly sort...

“Hello? I have a matter to discuss with Night God Orpheus!”

Uriah glanced down at Pollux with an unsure frown. A violent intruder wouldn’t make themselves openly known, would they? And for the most part, the pantheon seemed to respect his position as a spouse of a god. Maybe he could handle this?

Uriah straightened himself and proceeded out. He was Orpheus’s husband. He should be able to handle himself whether his husband was there or not; it would be an insult to Orpheus’s position if he needed to rely on him for everything.

“Hello—“

“This is his temple, but I’m afraid Night God Orpheus is busy with other matters,” Uriah spoke up, descending the stairs that sat on either side of the throne centered at the top of the far side of the chamber. The stranger turned, and seemed to puzzle at him for a moment. Uriah took him in carefully: a naga, and most likely from an old bloodline seeing has he had horns and four arms as Orpheus and his relatives did. His scales were a midnight black, shining like obsidian, but his skin was pale. He had dark, piercing eyes and hair as dark as his scales. He could vaguely identify him as some sort of shadow deity, and he remembered Orpheus had warned about being cautious with them. Uriah kept stopped halfway down the stairs, standing between the throne and the visitor.

“If you’d like, I can deliver a message,” Uriah added. Pollux remained perched on his shoulder, quiet, whiskers flared as he sniffed the air. The naga looked at him quizzically.

“You look like a mortal, and yet...”

Uriah didn’t respond.

“Ah, you must be his husband, then, the one the pantheon keeps gossiping about,” the naga said. His tone seemed...cordial. Uriah wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“I am.”

“Well, then, it is a pleasure to finally meet the one that all the fuss is about!”

Pollux gave a small snort. Uriah glanced down at him, making note of the tension in his whiskers.

“And you are supposed to be...?”

“Forgive me, where are my manners? I am Erebos, heir to the Shadow God’s title.”

He slid a few paces forward and extended a clawed hand. Uriah didn’t move from his place, remaining skeptical.

“You were saying you had business with my husband, Erebos?”

The naga slowly retracted his hand. There was a hint of offense noted in his gaze. Pollux’s fur began to rise. Uriah raised a hand and gently stroked a finger beneath his chin, hushing him.

“Yes. A matter of politics. Is he here? I should like to discuss it with him directly.”

Erebos moved slightly to the side, and Uriah stepped over into his path, blocking him.

“I’m sorry, but my husband is busy at this time. You’ll have to come back later, or I can tell him you came by and he can meet you.”

“He’s busy, you said?” Erebos cocked his head slightly, eyeing Uriah. The man tried his best not to waiver in stature. “Then that means he isn’t here.”

He did not like that tone. There was something malicious in it. Dangerous. Pollux bristled, startling Uriah for a moment as he took off with a clear peal of a bell and zipped out of the chamber. When he returned his attention to Erebos, the naga had ascended the stairs, and was nearly eye level with him thanks to his height. Uriah stepped back instinctively.

“I told you that he can’t speak to you now. You need to go.”

“I heard you. But I also heard you offer to deliver a message in my stead. And I have quite the message to give,” Erebos said coolly, one pair of his hands folding behind his back as he slid around Uriah’s side, cutting him off and forcing him between the naga and the rest of his long, scaled body. Uriah frowned up at him and furrowed his brow.

“You need to leave. Now. I won’t tell you again.”

“And what, pray tell, do you intend to do to make me leave, hmm? Rumor has it that you’re still weak, still new. All that power and you have no idea how to use it...”

Erebos smirked down at him, reaching out and grasping his jaw firmly.

“But you are pretty, for a mortal. No wonder he likes you.”

Uriah slapped his hand away and scowled. His fists shook at his sides.

“Don’t touch me,” he snarled.

Erebos chuckled.

“Do you know much about the Shadow deities, mortal? We have a long history, but a great deal of the world has forgotten our importance,” the naga drawled, briefly turning his attention to the throne. He ran a hand along its smooth, polished stone, tracing his claws along the edge of the arms, staring at it longingly. Uriah watched him carefully, all of his nerves burning.

“We used to have a claim to the powers of the night, you see,” Erebos went on, “until the family of that wretched husband of yours caused the split. How can we, beings of hidden secrets and all darkness, compete with those who have power over both the night and the celestial heavens?”

He turned his gaze on Uriah, sharp and cold.

“We’ve tried so hard, for centuries, to get back what we once had, but no. The Night gods always take what we want.”

“Clearly you’re going about it the wrong way,” Uriah retorted acidly. Erebos paused, smirked, and then erupted into laughter. It sent a chill down Uriah’s spine.

“Oh, how right you are!”

Before he could react, one of Erebos’s clawed hands lashed out at him. The back of his hand struck Uriah soundly across the face, sending him down. Uriah sprawled for a moment before catching himself, gasping at the raw, stinging pain that flooded his cheek. He felt something hot on his face, and after moving his hand, he realized one of Erebos’s claws had cut him. Uriah winced up at the naga as he began descending towards him.

“You have no idea how right you are, little mortal,” Erebos growled. “I’ve learned from my predecessors that going for the Night God directly simply isn’t enough. You have to hit them where it hurts.”

Uriah backpedaled from him. He remembered his magic. Maybe it could help him! He rose a hand and tried to feel the force both in him and in the temple grounds, visualizing a vine striking where he wanted it—but all that came was a thin root-like fiber that wilted almost as soon as it appeared. Erebos sneered.

“If there’s one thing I know about your husband, it’s his reputation as a lover. Did you know you managed to snag the most sought-after bachelor in the pantheon, hmm? He’s known to be fiercely loyal and romantic, and he takes heartache oh so heavily. Personally I find it a bit gauche.”

Uriah forced himself to his feet and evaded a strike from the naga, but stumbled and just barely caught himself on the throne. He turned over just as Erebos lunged a second time, cornering him.

“And I think, precious tiny mortal, that perhaps the best way to hurt your doting husband, is with you.”

Uriah threw a fist at his face, but the naga caught him by the wrist. Erebos tutted, and then slammed his own fist into Uriah’s face. He cried out in pain, doubling over as he felt a bruise forming over his left eye; had he been wearing his glasses, there no doubt have been glass in his skin. Erebos dug a hand into his hair and yanked his face upwards, staring down smugly. He seemed to ponder a moment.

“Though I do wonder... Perhaps there’s a better way to do this, hmm? Oh, I could kill you easily enough, but where’s the fun in that? Your husband would moan and grieve, but he’d move on eventually. But to make it last...”

Uriah panted and stared up at him in pain.

“How much would your husband writhe if I took what was his?”

No. No, no, no...

“G-Get off of me!” Uriah spat, squirming as Erebos pinned him down. He could feel his tail weighing on his legs, forcing him flat onto the stone beneath him.

“I wonder how badly it would hurt him, if every time he wanted to touch you, he could only think of me touching you instead?”

“No!”

“The more you struggle, the more painful this will be. Well, for you, anyway,” Erebos taunted, claws teasing at Uriah’s throat.

He didn’t care if Orpheus wasn’t there. He didn’t care if he was thousands of miles away. He needed him. It was instinct.

“ORPHEUS!”

There was a flash in the chamber, and the sound of the air itself tearing open. Uriah wrenched his face towards it even as Erebos’s hand held his jaw. A portal. Orpheus’s portal. The god himself materialized in the room, eyes searching for only a second before comprehending the scene in front of him. Uriah twisted in Erebos’s hold and drove his knee into his middle, causing the naga to falter.

“Orpheus!”

“URIAH!”

Orpheus’s voice was a roar. Before Erebos could recover, he darted up the steps and threw his weight into him, sending the two of them sprawling in a whirl of roars and fangs and scales. They snarled at one another like rabid dogs, teeth flashing at each other’s throats. Orpheus gained the upper hand long enough to throw Erebos off of him, his body tumbling back down the stairs as Orpheus placed himself solidly between Uriah and the offending naga.

“You come to my temple, on my family’s ancestral grounds, and you attack my husband?! I’ll tear you apart!” Orpheus spat, shaking with rage. Erebos didn’t have a chance to retort with more than a violent hiss and bared fangs before Orpheus went for him a second time, catching his claws before sinking his own into Erebos’s shoulder. Uriah weakly pulled himself up onto his knees, using the throne for support. The two nagas were tangled with another in such a blur that he could only tell their upper bodies apart by the contrast of their hair and skin.

Erebos hissed and lashed at Orpheus’s torso with his tail, flicking it sharply like a whip. Orpheus cried out as his skin tore from the contact, recoiling and glaring. Uriah watched with his unbruised eye as Erebos prepared to lash out a second time.

“Orpheus! Watch out!”

“I’ll kill you,” Erebos snarled. “I’ll maim you, make you watch me take your mortal pet, and then I’ll kill you!”

Orpheus swore in his native tongue, hissing so loudly it hurt Uriah’s ears. He’d never seen his husband so enraged. He had to help him, somehow.

“Please work, please,” he pleaded, pressing a hand down to the stones and feeling for the hints of moss between them. He could feel the tie between the greenery and the ancient soil. It was there, right there...!

“Orpheus, move!” Uriah shouted. Orpheus looked back at him, and then back to Erebos, just before the stones between them trembled. Orpheus retreated, and Erebos lunged, and a violent eruption of vines and roots burst up to snare him. The naga roared in fury, writhing before Orpheus took him by the throat.

“You will never touch my husband again,” he snarled. “If you even think of it, I’ll give you a permanent reminder of what’s to come.”

There was a bloodcurdling scream as Orpheus tore his claws down one side of Erebos’s face, blood pouring from his eye before Orpheus threw him back to the mouth of the chamber.

“My eye! You! You wretch, you took my eye!”

“And I’ll take more if you don’t leave! Now!”

Erebos glared at Orpheus with his remaining eye.

“The Council will hear of this—“

“You’re damned right they will! Don’t forget that you came here and attacked my husband! Now get out, or the trial will be about your death!”

Erebos hissed, and Orpheus responded with another roar and a flash of nightfire that ran the entire length of the chamber.

“GET OUT!”

Finally, Erebos slunk off. Uriah exhaled and felt the last of the tension leave his body, leaning heavily against the stone throne next to him. He could fully feel the pain from Erebos’s strikes as the adrenaline wore off, and he whimpered as his blackened eye throbbed. He hadn’t even been aware that he’d started crying. Orpheus slithered to his side, lowering down and reaching out carefully.

“Uriah, look at me. Let me see your face,” he said urgently, cupping Uriah’s face in two of his hands. Uriah winced as Orpheus brushed his hair back.

“He hurt you,” Orpheus growled, brows knotted together in both anger and concern. “Did he touch you? He was on you when I got here, did he—“

“No,” Uriah answered tiredly. “H-He tried, but no. You got here before he could—“

Uriah shivered.

“I-I tried to fight him, I swear I did. I couldn’t stop him, Orpheus...”

“I know,” Orpheus hushed, “I know you did, love.”

He held Uriah’s face gently and began whispering healing spells, brushing his fingertips gingerly along the bruise on his face. Uriah winced and shuddered, still unused to the sensation even after so many years with Orpheus.

“H-How did you know?”

“What?”

“How did you know something was wrong?” Uriah asked. “I-I couldn’t contact you.”

“Pollux found me.”

A faint chime rang in the chamber, and Uriah looked over as the little sprite settled down onto the stone beside both of them.

“Pollux!”

Uriah set a hand down, letting the sprite climb up his arm. Pollux nuzzled him and jingled softy.

“Good boy,” Uriah praised, bending his face into the tiny creature’s nuzzling. “Good boy, Pollux. Atheer trained you well.”

“Yes, he absolutely did,” Orpheus said gratefully, reaching up to stroke a finger down the sprite’s spine. “I’m sure Father will be wanting him back soon, though.”

He sighed suddenly and looked to Uriah, his face softened with worry and remorse. Orpheus brushed a hand through Uriah’s hair, and traced his slowly healing face. He didn’t even care about his own stinging wounds. He leaned forward and pulled him close, holding him so tightly Uriah could feel him shaking. Pollux fluttered down to the floor and watched with a sad whistle.

“I’m so sorry, Uriah.”

“Orpheus...”

“I should have taken more precautions. I was arrogant in thinking my title would protect you when I’m not there. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

“This wasn’t your fault,” Uriah said firmly, even surprising himself. He held Orpheus back and squeezed. “That bastard came here wanting to start something. It wouldn’t have mattered if you were here, or if your family was here either. He wanted to hurt you.”

“And he tried to do it by harming you...”

Orpheus pulled his head back and looked into Uriah’s face. He felt so angry and ashamed seeing the bruises there, and knowing how helpless his husband would’ve been if he hadn’t been alerted in time.

“I’m going to ask my father if there’s a way you can reach me when I’m gone. I won’t leave you alone again, not until I have a better way to protect you. I will never let anyone hurt you again, I promise.”

Uriah brushed his hand against Orpheus’s cheek and pressed their foreheads together.

“There will be a trial. The Council will want to know what happened. Will you be alright facing him a second time?”

“As long as you’re there,” Uriah said, nodding. “Wait, my injuries... They’ll need to know. How will they if your magic is healing me?”

“Trauma lingers in beings’ auras. The Council will have someone gifted in such sight to determine if your injuries correlate to your story and mine. Words can lie, but your being’s energy will not. And I won’t stand for you being in pain any longer than you need to be.”

Orpheus kissed his forehead and helped him up, lifting him to avoid any further strain. They’d both need rest in order to recover.

—

The trial came as Orpheus had said it would. Facing Erebos a second time was unnerving, but Uriah carried himself well; his husband couldn’t have been prouder of him. Erebos was swiftly found to be wholly at fault, his rank and title stripped. The shadow deities would need to find a new heir to their leading god, now that he was banned from inheriting it.

As for the protection Orpheus promised, he was grateful to his father for informing him of a talented fortune deity who specialized in charmed items. Orpheus borrowed Uriah’s wedding band for only as long as necessary, returning it to him once a channeling charm had been placed upon it.

“You can call for me whenever you need me,” Orpheus explained, sliding the band back onto his husband’s finger. “I will hear you, and I will know where you are. You will never need to worry about being alone and unprotected. Whatever happens, wherever you are, I will come for you.”

Uriah admired the ring again. He would always be proud of it, of everything it meant. He held out his hand for Orpheus’s and slid his ring back on as well, raising it to his lips to kiss the band.

“We’ll be okay,” Uriah said soothingly, holding Orpheus’s hand close. His husband bent his head down and nuzzled him, squeezing his hands.

“Yes,” Orpheus sighed against him, “we will.”

#onenerdtwonagas #uriah #orpheus #freckles & stars #lit #lit post

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aye-of-newt · 3 years

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Ikigai:

(Japanese) reason for living

Jon always worried about losing his mind.

But in the end, he lost his soul.

Pairing: Jonathan Sims/Martin Blackwood

Warnings: Character Death, some blood, tragic ending, fear of losing one’s mind

Read here or on AO3

For nearly as long as he could remember, Jon had feared losing his mind. It wasn’t perhaps the most pressing of his (admittedly numerous) fears, but it was there nonetheless.

As a child, the fear had more to do with intelligence. He’d been told, at the ripe age of four, that he was smart and did everything in his power to maintain that image, that precious status, going forward, continuing to hold onto it well into his adult life. There were, perhaps, times in his youth when he thought a little too much of himself and his big brain, but by the end of secondary school, his classmates, who had no problem finding his various faults and oddities, had ensured that that would no longer be a problem. And, had that not been enough, the creeping depression which had followed him most of his life, only to finally descend upon him and feed in university, took care of any last shreds of arrogance left.

Still, as he progressed into the field of academia, first at uni and then in his career, Jon held on tightly to his shield of intellect. He knew he wasn’t especially attractive or funny or charming in any real way. Sure, he had managed to make a few friends in college, even shared a few brief relationships, but they all crumbled to nothing after a time. His human connections withered easily, like a particularly finicky houseplant left in the sun just an hour too long. The thing that seemed so vital to everyone else left Jon only burned, and, as time passed, it became increasingly clear to him that he didn’t have much to offer other than his mind.

Although at times, he doubted he even truly had that at all.

He hid behind wire-framed glasses and a large vocabulary and the demeanor of aloof disinterest in the hopes that, if no one got too close, they wouldn’t see that his veneer of intelligence had nothing behind it other than a young man who’d formed his entire personality on being a mildly impressive child, only to wind up far over his head in a job he doubted he was qualified for.

When Elias had approached him, offering the position of Head Archivist, Jon had been surprised. He hadn’t even applied. The thought had never ever occurred to him. Why would Jon, of all people, be chosen when surely there had to be someone else, anyone else, better suited?

He’d said as much to Elias, who only laughed and assured Jon he knew what he was doing.

The way Elias had smiled at him, sharply, laughingly, like he knew something Jon didn’t and was endlessly amused by it, had bothered him even then. Of course, it took some time to figure out exactly why that look had sent shivers down Jon’s spine, but by then it was too late. In the moment, in that terrible, haunting moment when Jon unwittingly signed his life away, he dismissed it as excitement. That little shred of childhood that still clung to his bones, that tiny part of his mind that held on to dreams of greatness, had whispered temptations to him. Its sweet seductive call had promised Jon the chance to finally prove himself. It offered the assurance that Elias, that anyone, thought Jon was important, was worthwhile, was smart.

He’d accepted the position and done his best to forget the feeling of unease that had prickled through his body when he shook Elias’s hand.

Jon blundered his way through his first months as Archivist, going home most days wincing at how he’d managed to make a fool of himself as he pretended desperately that he knew what he was doing and snapped, often far too quickly and harshly at anyone who made him feel like he didn’t.

It wasn’t just self-consciousness that caused this tension. He didn’t trust them, his assistants.

Sure, Tim was a… friend. Perhaps. Maybe. Tim at least insisted he was, but Jon honestly wasn’t sure if they were actually friends, or if Tim was one of those people who was just nice to everyone, and accepted the job offer because it would progress his career more than any real affection for Jon. His continued affection and invitations for drinks could very well have been just simple office politics, basic politeness. It was a possibility Jon kept in mind, even if he secretly hoped he was paranoid.

Sasha was quite competent at least, though that too came with danger, as Jon was sure she was the most likely to find him out, discover that he wasn’t half as smart as he pretended to be, and send his whole facade crashing to the ground. If what he’d heard murmured when others thought he wasn’t around was true, she should have been given his position to begin with. Jon made sure to make an extra effort maintaining appearances in front of her and did his best to squash down whatever guilt he felt at robbing her of what was doubtless a much-more deserved promotion than the still mysterious one Jon had been given.

Martin was nice. Very nice actually. Too nice. Jon hated people who were too nice. It was creepy, all that smiling and asking about Jon’s weekend and making tea like he cared.

Why would Martin care about Jon? He didn’t seem overly impressed by Jon’s prowess at organizing files and showed no discernible reaction to the jargon that Jon tended to slip into his speech wherever he was feeling particularly self-conscious. If it wasn’t his work that Martin liked, if it wasn’t his perceived intelligence that he found engaging, then what exactly did Martin see in Jon? The answer eluded him.

As for Martin himself, he seemed perfectly content to be where he was. He showed no real ambition to rise through the ranks of the institute and, despite the degree his resume boasted (Jon had checked), he was surprisingly quiet about whatever academic insights he might be able to add to the investigations into the validity of any statements. It was odd and Jon couldn’t quite get a handle on him. Martin just didn’t appear to feel the need to show off or even let anyone know his capabilities at all.

Jon did entertain the idea that he just didn’t have any capabilities to show off, and certainly had no problem saying as much, but some part of him always doubted that was true. After all, Martin did work for the Institute. He had to have some level of knowledge or expertise or something, anything, to add. Elias wouldn’t just let any random person work in the archives. He had standards.

At least Jon hoped he did. Because if he didn’t, that cast a very dark shadow on his own unexpected promotion indeed.

Looking back later, Jon would laugh darkly at himself for how foolish and insignificant his worries once were. It was true that, in the end, Jon’s fears were realized. It was just that, when the darkness came for him, it wasn’t in the form of a bad performance review. He wasn’t unmasked as a fraud and a fake, leaving him professionally humiliated and without a job.

No. Instead, he met the physical manifestation of the fear of losing one’s mind.

And over a dozen other terrors aside, of course.

His fears came in the form of a philosophical quandary that Jon doubted many people had ever been forced to ponder in such a direct way. For, not quite two years after assuming his position in the archives, Jon was faced with the very real question of if he was becoming a monster. If he had, at some point without his noticing, stopped being human.

It didn’t take too long for him to find the answer was a bit more complicated than yes or no, that he was stranded somewhere in between the two, no longer as human as he once was but not entirely monstrous either.

When exactly he crossed that threshold was unknown to him. Was it the moment he’d stepped into the archives? When he’d read his first statement? When his body had, for a brief time, become host to worms and the fragile shell of his mortal being was breached? It bothered him, not knowing when exactly he went too far, that he had lost such an essential, vital part of himself and not even noticed.

It nagged at him, an eternal, subtle feeling of wrongness, difficult to forget but necessary to ignore if he wanted to be able to do anything other than lay motionless on the floor, slowly crushed by the weight of his sins and terror of his existence.

Even with all of that, Jon honestly wasn’t sure what was worse⏤ not knowing, or being horrifically, agonizingly aware of his own downfall, feeling himself drift further and further from his own humanity by the day and unable to do anything to stop it.

Though, if Elias was to be believed, it had been his choice.

Jon tried not to think about that too much. It was easier if he was a victim. If he could ignore his own mistakes. His own guilt.

Sometimes, he was afraid he’d been a monster before he even met Elias.

Whatever he was before, working at the Institute had changed Jon on some level at least. Throughout his life, Jon had always thought of himself as a bit of a coward. He wasn’t especially confident or brash and was more likely to apologize to the person who ran into him than confront someone who had wronged him.

Of course, when one experiences unholy evil barely even comprehensible to the human mind, their scale of what qualifies as terrifying tends to slide a bit, and Jon increasingly found himself doing things he would have paled at the thought of a year or even a month before.

Still, he didn’t count himself as brave. He was scared. Constantly. He only managed to get through the endless days by cauterizing himself off long enough to complete the task at hand, allowing himself to collapse in numbing fear only when it was safe to do so.

He staggered on, shouldering the fate of the world and trying to keep his head above water, praying that he stayed human enough to still care if he failed and if the people he had once been so suspicious of lived.

It was cruel, really, that Jon was the one who brought the end of it all, not in the least because he spent so long trying to stop it.

He didn’t understand why Martin stayed, after. But he’d never understood Martin to begin with.

Make no mistake, Jon was glad that he didn’t leave. Beyond grateful really. Selfishly so, holding on to him as tightly as he could when he knew for a fact that Martin deserved better. He wondered if it made him monstrous, devouring the love that Martin gave so readily when he had only his own patchwork, inhuman heart to offer in return.

Martin took it readily though, smiling like Jon had hung the moon when he offered him the tiniest amount of praise or affection. Even if he felt like a bit of an asshole for accepting such undeserved rapture, seeing Martin look at him like that made Jon feel more human than he perhaps ever had in his life.

More than that, it kept him human. When the Eye clutched at him, digging its endless gaze into his soul and trying to tear him apart, Jon needed only to reach out and grasp Martin’s hand. For no amount of power and knowledge, no matter how beautiful its song, could ever be as satisfying as the honey-sweet touch of Martin’s lips on his scarred and pitted skin. It could never be louder than his whispered I love you, pressed into the tangled halo of Jon’s hair.

At some point in the meaningless expanse of time on their journey to the panopticon, Jon looked to Martin and realized that it wasn’t his mind he was afraid to lose.

It was his heart.

His soul.

That was what made him human.

And for Jon, both of those things resided not in his own chest, but in Martin.

It made his whole being sing to think about, even as fear, stronger than any that had struck his hardened heart in a long time, sank deep into Jon’s bones. He couldn’t bear to lose Martin. He wouldn’t survive it intact.

It was unclear if it was Jon’s realization, never spoken but still surely seen, that solidified Elias’s plan, or if killing Martin was something he’d always counted on doing. The effect was the same either way and Jon didn’t stay himself long enough to truly contemplate it. He was too busy drowning in grief.

Because, as inhuman as Jon had become, as many powers and as much knowledge as he possessed when they came face to face with Elias, his body was still far too mortal, too slow, too wracked with warped tissue and badly fused bones to move fast enough to get Martin out of the way.

And, for as much as Martin meant to him, as much as he was Jon’s world, his last tether to his humanity, as incredible and irreplaceable as he was, he was just a human. Skin and bones and blood that was so easy for a bullet to pierce.

If it wasn’t so tragic, it would have nearly been funny. That after so long, after surviving so much, it was an ordinary gunshot that ended Martin’s life. Just as it had ended Gertrude’s.

It was almost funny how Elias, one of the most powerful immortal entities in the non-world, chose such a simple, mortal weapon with which to carry out his dark deeds. Though to be fair, even if it lacked in style and supernatural flare, it worked all the same.

Martin was dead.

Even if Jon failed to see the humor in the situation, Elias thought it was funny at least. He laughed while Jon screamed, clutching desperately at the wound as far, far too much red leaked down the dingy jumper, soaking it and Jon’s hands as he tried to save his love, his heart, his soul long after he was already gone.

Jon cried, collapsed over the empty body, until even Elias was growing bored at feeding off the waves of torment and anguish.

“Are you going to lay there for all eternity, Jon, or are you going to get up and come fight me, save the world just like you thought you would?” Elias taunted cruelly. “Or have you given up so soon?”

Hate, more pure and hot than anything he had ever felt before rose in Jon. That time, when he stood, Jon chose knowingly.

He took one last look at Martin, limp and broken and utterly devoid of the glowing golden life that had enraptured Jon.

Martin, who had never given up on him, even when Jon was a total ass.

Martin, who had stayed with him, even when Jon literally brought about the end of the world.

Martin, who had loved him, for some unknowable reason.

Marin, who had kept his old creaking heart something close to human.

Martin, his reason.

Elias, Jonah, whatever the creature who stole Jon’s life was called, laughed again, his interest sparked once more now that he had a reaction out of his toy. It reminded the Archivist of the day he’d been given his title and of the smile that had haunted his nightmares.

“I won,” Elias mocked him. “Your little boyfriend is dead and there is absolutely nothing stopping you from solidifying my new world. Or perhaps I should say, our new world. Come on, don’t be stupid, Jon. Join me. There’s nothing to hold you back now from taking your true form and being one with the Eye. Think of all that you can know and see. Think of all that power, just out of reach. Come on, Jon. Take it. ”

Slowly, the Archivist turned towards him, staring at Elias with eyes turned milky and pale, clouded over but seeing everything from the first spark of the universe to its choking wheezes as it struggled against the forces of chaos attempting to snuff it out. They glowed slightly with a pale, haunting light, like that of a specter in the night. “You know, Elias,” he said. “You’re right.”

The smile he gave Elias was wide and sharp and cruel. It looked nothing like Jon’s smile. It looked nothing like a human smile at all.

It sent a tiny shiver, a barely-registered flicker of unease down Elias’s spine. He had counted on Martin's death costing Jon his humanity. He hadn't counted on the burning fury that would infect the shell that was left behind.

Still smiling, the monster embraced himself.

And he unleashed his wrath.

#experimenting with the best way to share fic on here #idk #it's on ao3 too #jonmartin #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #tma #the magnus archives #tma fic #shameless double post #sorry #elias bouchard is an asshole

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dailycharacteroption · 4 years

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Ward Spiritualist (Spiritualist Archetype)

Following up yesterday’s entry with another centered around kami, today we are looking at the ward spiritualist.

Like the onmyoji archetype, these spiritualists are couched in the trappings of real-world Shinto faith, and they actively seek out and choose to bond with an otherworldly being, rather than have it thrust upon them. However, unlike the onmyoji, these spiritualists instead bond with a kami, which takes on much the same role.

Indeed, there are parallels to be drawn between the way that both phantoms and kami have the ability to become bodiless and merge with their ward, a fact that these mystics utilize to make the pairing work, the spiritualist effectively becoming the kami’s new ward.

Since unlike phantoms, kami were never mortal, one can imagine the pact forged between them and the spiritualist required considerable more ritual and negotiation to bear fruit, as most kami are content to watch over their current ward, and mostly have no yearning for the living world.

That being said, since these kami in phantom-like form can still have the full range of emotional foci, it is possible that some ward spiritualists serve as replacements for wards that have been lost tragically.

Being kami rather than phantoms, the otherworldly partners of these spiritualists are perhaps slightly less durable, and they can only take on a physical, ectoplasmic form when manifesting, rather than having an incorporeal option. The archetype also makes a point to say that the base attack bonus is equal to that of a rogue of similar level… except that is already what the baseline phantom has.

In any case, these spiritualists have two options when determining where the seat of their phantom kami resides, either in an object similar to an occultist implement, or within themselves, requiring the item to be present or for them to gesture in order to cast their spells. Either way, they also choose an occultist school as well, gaining focus powers from their chosen school, which are fueled by their own minor pool of focus.

Rather than unleashing partial manifestations when not summoned, the kami of these spiritualists can be infused into their seat of power, either the implement or into themselves, charging it with energy to be used as an improvised magic weapon in the former case, and magically infusing their unarmed strikes in the latter. Either way, as they grow in power, they even infuse their attacks with enchantments based on the nature of kami, as the spirit-bound blade spell.

Gaining a handful of extra magical abilities and some interesting alternate bonded manifestations, this archetype might seem like a straight upgrade, but remember that by losing spiritual interference, phantom recall, and shared senses, their phantoms are less effective at protecting the spiritualist themselves, so keep that in mind. There are plenty of builds that you can consider with this archetype, considering everything from focus powers to unarmed combat builds vs improvised weapon builds and so on.

It’s interesting to consider what sort of kami that your character is bonded with, though sadly, it is almost entirely for flavor since the kami purely has phantom abilities and none derived from actually being a kami. That being said, perhaps your choice can help inform the emotional foci of the phantom. Most kami make for good dedication phantoms, while a benevolent kami might be a kindness phantom, and a wild and energetic kaminari might be an anger phantom, and so on.

Arriving in a panic, the shimmering form of a bonded kodama kami appears in the shrine the party is visiting. The spirit quickly explains that their master’s mind has become trapped in a dream by some fell influence, and that the party must rescue them, potentially recruiting the help of a dream dragon to speed their travels into that strange realm of sleep.

Though not an oni by any means, the zuishin kami Motaru came too close to mortality when he fell in love, abandoning his ward to protect him and all his descendants, leading to a family line that has relied upon the resolute kami. However, the shrine Motaru once guarded has fallen into disrepair in his absence, and something wicked dwells there now.

While not verdant like their long-forgotten ancestral homes, there are still sacred places of nature in the underground, and some drow cultures have found beauty and reverence in those dark places. Some even make pacts with the strange kami that dwell in mushroom glens, subterranean waterfalls, and other such places.

#pathfinder #archetype #spiritualist #ward spiritualist #kami #kodama #dream dragon #zuishin #drow #Wilderness Origins

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kaaramel · 4 years

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Glitch Plot Hooks... 2!

i’m really glad people enjoyed the first set of these! @windienine and i still have writing juice in our brains, so i’m here to double down. these plot hooks are gifted for your use, wholesale or as inspiration, in games of Glitch, and they’re often suitable for Nobilis as well with minor tweaks.

Mystery

The PCs find an unattended Abhorrent Weapon; maybe delivered in a neatly wrapped parcel, embedded all handle-out and inviting in a chunk of stone, or, alarmingly, left in the corpse of its former bearer. What the hell happened here? Are you going to claim it?

One of the more inscrutable Warmains has started riding through the streets. They’re probably sizing up a potential victim, but their Test is broad enough that it’s hard to say who exactly they’ve got their eye on. How likely is it to be one of the PCs, or someone they know? Is it possible to chase the Warmain off before the test starts?

Out of the blue, some unknown factor is accelerating and exacerbating the PCs’ Infection; when you investigate, the culprit is a highly specific but otherwise mundane substance, like a particular brand of instant maple and ginger oatmeal. There are Nobles who would love to do a lot of damage to the loyal Excrucian cause with this knowledge.

The Deceiver Phasael Mery-Harumaph has invited all of the PCs on a vacation to New Revel, one of the cities devoted to perpetually celebrating his existence. All expenses paid, there will be special measures taken to accommodate your personal Banes, and you believe you heard mention of a luxury spa? He’s definitely up to something, right?

An Angel has been spotted making intense study of Ninuan and carving it into new shapes with their holy perception. Are they planning a new front of the Valde Bellum, or trying to adapt their Lore to the inhospitable environment? Can a ragtag gaggle of Strategists meaningfully investigate such a being without getting chopped to ribbons?

Monster of the Week

A PC's computer appears to have caught a virus with some suspicious qualities, and the tech support person who shows up to fix it seems a bit off, too. Both the virus and the tech support turn out to be manifestations of the same lonely, geeky Actual. Can the PCs give them a sense of identity and belonging, or at least get that computer back unharmed?

Some irresponsible twit of a Deceiver has been raising a wild λ-parrot, hoping to take advantage of its ability to mimic not merely a person's voice but the actual words they aren't saying. The Deceiver's attempts to train it were pitiful and forcing it to live in Creation in the first place was downright cruel. Heist the poor λ-bird away from its shitty owner and then figure out what to do with it before it gleefully confesses all your secrets.

A nearby baseball stadium is closed for renovations, and the giant crocodile that lives in its mythic-reality analogue, incubating nests of baseball-eggs, is venturing out to beg random people for treats. It accepts hot dogs, peanuts, signed memorabilia (signer’s level of fame irrelevant), and the noise of vuvuzelas.

A λ-creature of no particular appearance has stumbled out of a waylet and into the world. Bemused by the whole concept of “looking like something” and “being perceived,” it’s taken to imitating random inanimate objects it finds, which is causing a few kerfluffles and some minor chaos. Find it, catch it, and release it safely back into Ninuan.

A data-based organism which travels long distances in the form of a numbers station-like radio signal has lost one of its major predators and started multiplying out of control, with its migratory broadcasts starting to replace the radio’s ordinary news and music frequencies with monotone recitations of random numbers. If their population explosion continues, it’s likely they’ll make the leap to new mediums like cell phones and podcasts.

Comedy & Slice-of-Life

The PCs have befriended a human child who wants your assistance with a school assignment. Play out a series of flashbacks/colorful retellings of the historical period your young friend is asking about. Given the, ah, unique priorities of Strategists and presence of mythic reality, these anecdotes needn't be constrained by resemblance to "real events." Embellish and contradict each other freely.

An old rival of one of the PCs - probably a Power, maybe an Imperator - has contacted you again, and your interactions feel kind of different now. Is this… are they flirting? Wait, were they always flirting?

The local RAS chapter has pledged to start volunteering in the surrounding human community, as an attempt to form and nurture ties to Creation. Tending community gardens, taking tickets at amateur improv performances, shelving books at the library, or picking up litter (and/or wiping it from existence) are a few suggested activities, but you're free to go where your heart leads. Do you succeed, and maybe even find a person or place to anchor, or does it all go comically/horribly wrong?

One of the PCs gets in a strenuous disagreement with a Power over which one of you gets to claim a mutual friend as a Treasure.

The PCs have fallen into something illegal, but like, mundanely illegal. Roughly on the level of tax fraud. Do you have the chill to pull it off without escalating and leveling the city?

Serious Drama

Someone in the PCs’ circle of acquaintances has died: a Chancery member's Treasure, or a family member of one such; or someone from a PC's/NPC's mortal descendant line; maybe even a Power you were on neutral-to-friendly terms with, or a Chancery member who burnt themself out. What does it look like to confront death when you'd thought yourself an immortal and ever-reborn void-god? How do you mourn and grieve?

The PCs are there for an innocent bystander’s first time witnessing the Glitch; it’s entirely possible that their actions caused it, or at least paved the way. Will they take responsibility? What are they going to do?

The PCs are there for a Deceiver’s breakthrough. The kid is riding high on their new philosophy and deeply obnoxious about it, but has also just sort of assumed that y’all are their new mentors. What are you going to do with that trust? Should you/can you steer them onto a less destructive path?

A non-Chancery Strategist who has started wavering in their convictions has approached the PCs to ask bitter questions about why each of you stopped the fight and what you’re hoping to accomplish.

The PCs meet, learn of, and/or are roped into retrieving an ordinary human who has been lost and wandering in Ninuan for far too long. The initial rescue is only the first step; they’ve become acclimated to nonexistence, and the process of readjustment to time, physicality, and cause-and-effect is looking to be difficult and painful.

bonus CMWGE color theory trivia: the notion behind dividing these prompts into Mystery, Monster of the Week, Comedy/Slice of Life, and Serious Drama (beyond ‘providing a balanced diet’ and ‘sorting into categories fun’) is that i’m loosely trying to fit the stories to Eide-flavored silver, Lore-flavored blue, Flore-flavored purple, and Wyrd-flavored silver. disclaimer, i’m not being rigorous enough to tell you if every story necessarily fits well into quests or arcs of that color; i just think it’s interesting

#glitch #glitch rpg #glitch resources #nobilis

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polly-chan · 4 years

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The story of Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania style videogame developed and published by Team Cherry. It introduces a very interesting lore, telling the story of a Knight without a past on a quest to save the abandoned insect kingdom of Hallownest.

In this meta I want to analyze the lore of the entire game, which is very interesting and addictive. Obviously this article is full of spoilers for those who have not yet played the game. Also this analysis is based a lot on what I found written in the Hollow Knight wiki, even if I had some personal reflection.

In the Kingdom of Hallownest there are many different important primordial higher beings, god-like bugs who have lived since the beginning of time, and others who are more recent but who are nevertheless divinized by the inhabitants of the Kingdom. However, for a better analysis we must first introduce a summary of the Hallownest’s history in game.

The Hollow Knight (the one who gives the title to the videogame) is a Vessel chosen by the Pale King to seal away the Radiance and save Hallownest from the Infection. As wiki says, they were the child of the King and the Queen of Hallownest, birthed in the Abyss to be infused with the power of the Void. Because of that we consider them genderless and their birth condition was also supposed to leave them without a mind, will and voice. Thanks to this particular condition, void creatures are the only ones that can contain the Radiance, since the Radiance feed themselves with the light of dreams also distorting them as if they were physical entities. However purity of the Hollow Knight was misjudged because they created an emotional bond with the Pale King who raised them.

“Regardless of their impurity, the Hollow Knight was trained and raised, eventually becoming a fully grown Vessel. The Radiance was sealed within them, and they were chained within the Temple of the Black Egg where they were expected to contain the Infection for eternity. However, because of the aforementioned impurities, the Radiance could still exert influence. It ultimately resulted in the resurgence of the Infection and the Kingdom falling into ruin. Over time, the Hollow Knight disappeared from the fallen Kingdom’s memory. Only the Memorial in the middle of the City of Tears testifies of their sacrifice to save Hallownest. After some time, the Radiance’s power broke out of the Hollow Knight, cracking their shell and fully infecting them. This event was the catalyst that brought the Knight back to Hallownest. The Knight can free and fight the Hollow Knight after killing the three Dreamers who sealed the Black Egg’s entrance” .

The fate of the Hollow Knight is linked to the end of the game chosen by players, because there are different finals:

- by killing the Hollow Knight the Knight takes their place in sealing the Radiance;

- by entering their mind with the help of Hornet the Knight can chase away the Radiance;

- by defeating Absolute Radiance at the peak of the Pantheon of Hallownest the Infection vanishes forever and the Hollow Knight can then be seen walking out of the Black Egg’s temple, freed from the Infection.

Now let’s move on ti analyze the main divinities in the game’s lore.

The Radiance:

“The light. Forgotten. The plague, the infection, the madness that haunts the corpses of Hallownest… the light that screams out from the eyes if this dead Kingdom. What is the source? I suppose mere mortals like myself will never understand”.

The Radiance is a secret final boss and the Absolute Radiance is her final form. She’s one of the higher being god-like bugs above mentioned, opposed to the Void, her ancient enemy. She gave birth to the Moth tribe and because of that they revered her. Unlike the individualist society of Hallownest the Radiance offered unity to bugs at the cost of a mind incapable of thought.

“After the Pale King arrived in Hollownest and expanded the minds of his new subjects, the Moth Tribe turned their backs in the Radiance and worshipped him instead. In doing so, the Radiance was almost entirely forgotten, Yet traces of her memory remained, such as a statue on Hollownest’s Crown. Her memory started spreading throughout the Kingdom, by then in its golden age. Soon, all of Hallownest began to dream of her, appearing to them as a blazing light. These dreams could break the minds of bugs and eventually enslave their wills to hers. But the King and his subjects resisted her memory, which started to manifest as the Infection. The Pale King attempted to stop the Infection by sealing the Radiance within a Vessl. These creatures, infused with the Void to be without a mind and a will, were to be able to withstand the Radiance’s influence. The Hollow Knight was chosen, raised and grown for that purpose. The Radiance was sealed within them, and the Vessel chained within the Temple of the Black Egg. However, the Pale King failed to realise the Vessel’s impurities of mind. Because of this, the Radiance was still able to invade the dreams of bugs. She ultimately wiped out the Kingdom of its inhabitants, whose King had vanished, but left the rest of the land untouched.

Time passed, Hallownest turned into a myth while the Radiance remained sealed. Her influence finally started to break out of the Hollow Knight. She regnited the full power of the Infection, threatening again the land of Hallownest and prompting the Knight to return to Hallownest”.

I found the use of light as a villain very interesting. In fictions light usually wins over darkness as god wins over evil, but in the Kingdom of Hallownest she’s the real enemy, since, in real life, the bugs follow the light blindly. However I’d like to introduce a theory now.

We can consider the Kingdom of Hallownest as built on three levels:

- the higher level is the outside world on the surface and from which the light comes through: this maybe recalls heaven, but as we said for the bugs is more comparable to hell. The vision of something which comes from a otherwordly dimension can drive everyone crazy;

- the middle level is the realm, with its inhabitants;

- the lower level is the Abyss: in fictions the Abyss usually recalls hell but that’s not totally true for Hollow Knight because of different reasons:

i) we can find the corpse of the Vessel used and thrown away by the Pale King, but it’s also the place that gave birth to our heroe, so it cannot be considered totally negative;

ii) the game tells us that the Kingdom of Hallownest is a tribute to all what bugs have been in life and this fills with a different meaning this place;

iii) we can find the Void into the Abyss and thanks to them we can defeat the Radiance forever.

So, in other words, in Hollow Knight’s lore the meaning of heaven and hell is reversed.

If we consider this theory true, we can finally appreciate why Radiance chooses to punish Moth tribe: another recurring theme in the narrative is the God who punishes men who turn their backs. Moth tribe chose the Pale King because he promised wellness, an earthly value, forever. This is clearly a sin and the tribe deserves to be punished.

The Void:

The Void is the substance of The Abyss, most of them is found in a sea at the bottom of the Abyss, but multiple beings exist who consist of Void themselves. The Void is “the power opposed”: it has the ability to oppose the light based Radiance and Pale King, who are both describes as light. When the Knight acquires the Void Heart and learns about their past the Void is unified under their will.

Since the Void completely leaks any kind of emotion and the hope It is capable of containing the Radiance, who feeds herself with dreams as if they were physical entities. Its nature of nothingness allows it to be filled with something and that’s why having been raised by the King made the Hollow Knight feel love and become imperfect.

The Pale King and his Queen:

“The old king of Hallownest… he must have been desperate to save his crumbling little world. The sacrifices he imposed on other… all for nothing”.

The Pale King is considered to be a higher being who used to be the monarch of Hallownest, mate of the White Lady and ruler of the White Palace. We find him dead on his throne in the White Palace. I am sure he died of despair for not being able to find the bathroom in that absurd place he called home and whoever has played that level will agree with me. I mean, the architect should be sued.

As wiki says, he’s an ancient Wyrm who wandered through mountains and across the wasteland until finally stopping by Kingdom’s Edge. Once there, the Wyrm shed the skin and transformed himself into the Pale King. He reduced his form in order to match the bugs of Hallownest.

Contrary to what is commonly said, I don’t’ think he is a higher being for real. I think he was a mortal bug like all the others, but remaining mostly closed in his Palace he was deified by his subjects. As a matter of fact, while the Radiance has never stopped giving her people the light she promised, the Pale King has not kept his promises and if he really was a divinity he would not have died. He symbolizes the earthly power and the aura of divine that hovers around monarchical figures, who do not mix themselves with their subjects, they often make promises that they cannot keep remaining enclosed in sumptuous palaces.

Moreover, the children whom the Pale King and the Queen gave birth to are just vessels, which are mortal remains and not divine spirit: it’s the difference between the mortal body of Jesus Christ (given to him by his mortal mother) and his immortal spirit (given to him by the divine father). In the same way, the Knight possesses the mortal remains of their parents but infused with the spirit of emptiness that characterized their divine nature.

Anyway, the Pale King gives to his people free will, while the Radiance claims intellectual slavery.

The Knight:

“An enigmatic wanderer who descends into Hallownest carrying only a broken nail to fend off foes” – official manual.

The Knight is the protagonist of the videogame. A discarded Vessel, child of the Pale King and the White Lady, born in the Abyss with Void inside their shell. Like the rest of their Vessel siblings is genderless. They embody emptiness: they are not created by anyone except by emptiness itself. They are a messianic figure who bring peace to the Kingdom.

Nightmare King Grimm:

“The expanse of dream in past was split,

One realm now must stay apart,

Darkest reaches, beatin red,

Terror of sleep. The Nightmare’s Heart”.

Nightmare King Grimm is the Dream form of Tropue Master Grimm: “Through dream I travel, at lantern’s call to consume the flames of a kingdom’s fall”. As wiki says, The Grimm Tropue is a mysterious travelling circus from the Nightmare realm to wherever the Nightmare Lantern has been lit by acolytes. They gather Nightmare Flames from ruined lands to fuel the sinister being enslaving the Troupe, the Nightmare’s Heart. The Nightmare is the dimension where the Nightmare’s Heart rests. The Nightmare’s Heart is the proper host of the Nightmare, as the Radiance is the host of the Dream. The Nightmare’s Heart is a higher being responsible for the Ritual of the Grimm Troupe, Grimmchild and Troupe Master Grimm are its spawn.

#hollow knight #team cherry #lore #videogame #indiegame #soulslike #meta #analysis

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divinum-pacis · 5 years

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Women of the Bible: Eve

(Pictured above: Eve by Lucien Levy-Dhurmer, 1896)

From the Beginning...

Being the first post of this series, it’s only fitting that Eve is the first woman discussed because she is the very first woman to ever exist.

Genesis 1:27 says, “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” These first humans were then given dominion over every seed-bearing plant, trees with seed-bearing fruit, all the wild animals, birds of the air, and all living things crawling upon the earth (Gen. 1:29-30).

Genesis 1 doesn’t give us the specific names of these humans, or a more specific method by which they were created. But chapter 2 does.

“Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Gen. 2:7)

Well that’s cool, making a man from dust and all, but where’s Eve? Well in this account she comes later. The man, whom we call Adam, has been naming all the animals of the earth, but while these creatures all have their own match, Adam is one-of-a-kind. None of these animals proved to be a helper suited to him (Gen. 2:20).

God then casts a deep sleep over Adam and removes one of his ribs. From this rib He created Eve.

Eve is, according to traditional accounts, the first woman. She, like Adam, had no childhood or adolescence, no mortal guardian to raise her, nothing that many people would consider usual. She just appears, formed from a rib bone, a presumably full grown woman.

Adam and Eve enjoyed their lives in the Garden of Eden with all the other creatures and plants they have named. Everything there was pretty much as close to perfect as it can get. The only catch, that ends up being their downfall, is that they cannot eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

God had warned Adam beforehand that eating the fruit of this tree would make them die. But this is before death has even entered the world, so what even was death?

The serpent in the garden exploits Adam and Eve, saying that they won’t really die, but their eyes will be opened and they will be like gods, able to discern good and evil (Gen. 3:5). The fruit certainly looked tempting. So Eve took a bite and gave one to her husband, who also partook of the fruit.

(Pictured above: The Expulsion of of Adam and Eve from Paradise)

...to the End

The rest is history. The first humans become aware of shame and modesty. God curses Adam (man) to forever toil the earth until he dies, and every woman descended from Eve to experience pain in childbirth. (“Eve” in fact means “mother of all the living” (Gen. 3:20)). And then they are expelled from Eden, their first home.

Eve’s story is not a happy one.

She is the first woman created, and also the first woman to experience pain and suffering on different levels. Physically, when she first becomes pregnant and begins to bear children. Emotionally, when later her son Cain kills his younger brother Abel.

After giving birth to Seth, Eve more or less disappears from scripture. Presumably, she lived to a ripe old age like Adam (who supposedly died at age 930), and with old age comes arthritis, memory loss, and other difficulties. While not explicitly stated, Eve probably carried the weight of depression after Abel’s murder for the rest of her life.

(Pictured above: Eve the Mother of All by Br. Robert Lentz)

However, this is the biblical equivalent of Pandora’s box. With children come hope. The serpent who first tempted Adam and Eve was also cursed to crawl in the dust for all the days of its life, and the popular prophecy was revealed: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; they will strike at your head while you strike at their heel” (Gen. 3:15).

Later Christian interpretation comes to see this as revealed in the Virgin Mary and her offspring, Christ, through whom the death and suffering brought to us by our first parents is conquered.

The hope for Eve is that her suffering is/was no more, that she has been redeemed. Older Christian traditions even depict her and Adam being liberated from Hell (or the grave) by Christ Himself.

(Pictured above: Christ’s Descent into Hades & Holy Foremother Eve)

#religion #christianity #orthodoxy #catholicism #protestantism #bible #old testament #genesis #eve #foremother eve #the fall #theology #women of the bible #divinum-pacis

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goodvibesatpeace · 5 years

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Theories: Our Extraterrestrial Origins

If you fancy a bit of light reading 😀

We are in this physical world, but we are not from this world. It is important to understand that there is an evolution of Souls going on through the earthly experience, but also a development for every individual Soul. This is how the passage into higher and higher dimensions can be explained in simple terms.

There are many immature Souls on planet Earth, and also many misguided Souls. Other Souls do not possess the best intentions, or are simply controlled by beings without a body, whose intentions and evolutionary process are not commendable.

Many dope addicts and alcoholics have this unfavorable trait as do many selfish and greedy people.

Few humans, because of their inclinations or because of their immaturity allow unknowingly those beings to manipulate them from time to time.

The beings I am referring to, are not yet developed as Souls, nor do they possess a Higher Self or higher conscious awareness — only the mortal and limited intellect.

This is by no way a reproach towards them, since most Souls are going through a similar process of evolution on Earth, where beings are not born consciously aware, unlike on some other planets.

Humans on Earth, because of heredity, do need conscious spiritual work on themselves in order to set themselves free from their genetic compromised DNA (and intelligence), and clear their karma in order to ascend to Higher Dimensions and levels of existence.

In other words, perhaps it would help to compare a developing Soul on Earth to that of one of Earth’s children.

When the child grows, he/she develops certain physical attributes, but also awareness, his feelings and understanding, his brain and endocrine system are in formation. Souls undergoes a similar development; they need various experiences to mature, and develop consciousness.

The Universe is in perpetual growth — creation never stops. Life comes under various forms, obeys various rules, and there are as many possibilities as universes.

Your planet has a heavy history of genetic manipulation and experimentation.

Your kind, the pure physical human kind, was developed around a Soul, in order to experience a 3D dimension level of density, so Souls had in effect to descend down the octave of creation in order to experience duality.

This occurred because of the Atlantean Fall of your civilization: The Anunnaki, Mankind’s Enslavement and the Afterlife Deception

However, many of you have previously lived in much higher densities, but because of the fall, you had to learn to adapt to this 3D dimensional density, which was never meant to be your natural home.

Other Souls have also volunteered to experience life in lower densities, or were sent here from higher densities in order to further their understanding of your world or of their own world or simply in order to help our Prime Creator on your world.

These beings come from a higher plane of existence, which is their natural habitat.

None of you, who are reading these messages or have a deep spiritual need, have been created in the 3D dimension, and you long to return home, where you have been created, to a higher dimension.

The physical born beings will, in time, mature and become conscious enough to evolve into higher dimensions. These are the ones who are not aware of their Higher Self, but are given the experience here in order to make them aware of their potential.

This is a natural process for all Souls, as all Souls will eventually make their journey back home towards our Prime Creator.

It is important for you to comprehend also that although all humans look alike, their inner abilities vary greatly.

Have you also considered the fact that some civilizations are so old and advanced that they can create soulless beings? Such beings are called ‘clones’ or ‘things’ on your world.

This technology is already available to your scientists, and they can create or copy a human body, such as one would grow a plant.

However, these beings do not possess a Soul, because they were not created by our Common Creator, but are the results of mechanical genetic engineering.

This is another reason why some humans would not have a Higher Self.

While their external appearance is in no way different to that of ordinary humans, the Spark of divine Life force and Consciousness is not inside of them.

Those beings have mixed their mechanical genetic material with humans having a Soul, which has led to much DNA damage.

There are many animals which are in human form, but not all animals are beasts, nor are all beasts animals.

The Earth’s population is comprised of many Souls, with many different contracts, coming from various densities of consciousness.

What man mistakes for thinking is but an intellectual awareness of things sensed and recorded within the cells of his brain for repetitive usage through what is termed “memories.”

Memories have no more relation to knowledge of Universal Mind which is in man, than a computer records are related to the source of their recordings.

What he thinks of as his living body is but an obedient and motivated mechanical construct which simulates life through motion extended to it from its Soul, which alone lives and wills the body to move.

Your physical (Clay) body is terrestrial, but that is not you.

Your Soul, that Consciousness which you are, is that which has a temporary physical experience for its own development. The mechanical clay body you use has a Conscious experience.

But you are that Consciousness.

The physical world and anything in it cannot and never has created Conscious awareness.

Intelligence, as found in snakes or spiders, yes, but not Conscious awareness.

Some people think that the human body — which is flesh evolved at conscious awareness — is Soul, by some totally unexplained and totally unproven method. Think of that for a minute, Pilgrim.

Common sense tells us that it is not reasonable that the human sex act can create a Soul in the Prime Creator’s image, since if it was so, we would not be creations of the Prime Creator, but of our physical parents’ mortal mechanical primate bodies.

The human body, which your physical parents gave you, is the vehicle you use. But You are the Soul, created in the Prime Creator’s image, using the human flesh body your parents made ready for you to use.

And if a Soul is pre-existent, which it is, and can enter into a body at some time in the baby’s development stage and leave the body when it dies, then logic and reason tells us that the Soul can also enter many more times.

All the physical effects in your life are only the effects of the thoughts of your Conscious mind.

The so-called sins and evil are not in the action of what your mechanical body does, but in the thoughts that come from what you think. Your Soul is accountable and will reap its own harvest. All the actions and words of your body are the effects of your thoughts.

Countless religious and cultural teachings, as well as many different Philosophies, commands us to do good, but sadly, goodness is still veiled like in a thick mist.

Many Souls have been stumbling in darkness, scraping their knees; but worry not, for eventually they all learn to walk!

Soon after this dark period we live in, there will be so much light that you will have to wear shades.

New information and better comprehension periodically transforms mankind into more conscious beings and a new awareness cycle — which will last for many thousands of years to come — is now commencing.

The Prime Creators’ omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence are centered in the consciousness of each and every man; but there are only few who know of the Oneness of their Soul with the Creator.

Man requires millennia to become aware of that. Each cycle brings him nearer to the awareness of his Oneness with the Source.

Mankind lives in a bewildering complex world of Effects and doesn’t know the original Cause.

Because of its seemingly infinite multiplicity and complexity, mankind fails to see or visualize the simple underlying principle of all things. He complicates truths and half-truths until its many angles, sides and facets have lost balance with each other and with him.

All knowledge exists and is available. All knowledge will come to mankind in its own season, as needed.

Enlightened Souls and messengers, periodically come and give such Universal knowledge, but only when man is able to comprehend it and only that he can bear at the moment, for man is just beginning to comprehend the wholeness.

When we will master Enlightenment, we will know no limitations — but man must know the Light within oneself, the ever present Universal Consciousness.

And man must want to know and to experience it oneself and then no one can tell otherwise, for Light knows Light intuitively.

Mankind is aware of some of these illusions, but we are not aware of the fact that all effects are not what they seem to be.

Thus we are misled into forming conclusions which have no relation to Nature and reality whatsoever.

An intelligent person has mostly knowledge of the effect, but all real knowledge and understanding lies in the cause. New fundamental laws and principles must be based upon knowledge of the Cause.

What little knowledge man has acquired during these last few thousand years, has been given to us by the very few geniuses, prophets, mystics and other messengers of the Light who have come to re-inspire mankind with their insight and knowledge.

From these rare few, the beginnings of our culture have sprung. Without them there would be no understanding of beauty in this materialistic world.

Without grasp of beauty man would still be living in caves. Through beauty alone will man gradually become consciously aware of his oneness with the Light? When man knows the Light he will know all things.

Today, that Light is so dim in all men that no one, perhaps only a few, have fathomed the secret of Light, life, Love, growth, reincarnation and about the third wave of Souls entering now.

The great unanswered questions of man have simple answers.

The Silent Voice within every man is ceaselessly whispering it to his awakening consciousness.

Every desire written upon the heart of man is carried to the Source of the original cause, and its answer will come, but only few ask from their heart and there are fewer still who listen.

Many are the ages of preparation for worthiness, for man’s consciousness is insulated from his Source by the sensations of his per-conditioned intellect and his selfish personal Self which he wrongly thinks of as being his Mind.

What man calls his objective human mind/ intellect is mortal and the seat of both right and wrong information absorption and a multitude of vibrating sensations of his mortal body.

What he calls his subjective mind is his sub-consciousness, his spiritual storehouse of memory of all-knowledge, all power, and all-presence.

That consciousness is his individual Self, his ETERNAL Self through which his omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence are expressed as he slowly becomes aware of their presence within him.

The electrically vibrating nerve-wires which operate his bodily mechanism act almost entirely through automatic reflexes and instinctive control, and to a very little extent through mental decisions.

Each cell and organ of his body has an electrical awareness of its purpose and each fulfills that purpose without any mental action whatsoever upon the part of the Intelligence which occupies that body.

The heartbeat, for example, is purely automatic. The white corpuscles of the blood rush to repair an injury to the body as automatically as a bell rings when a button is pushed.

In this body and its electric recording brain, man thinks that he thinks and lives, loves and dies. He thinks himself conscious while awake and unconscious when sleeping — unaware that in all Nature there is no such condition as unconsciousness when sensation ceases in sleep.

Man does not say that his tooth is unconscious when it is put to sleep by short-circuiting the electric current in the nerve-wire which gives sensed electrical awareness to his tooth.

He knows that his tooth cannot be conscious, but he does not know that his mechanical body cannot be Conscious. Nor does he yet know that consciousness never sleeps, and never changes, for consciousness in man is his immortality.

Man is still new. He is barely out of the dark of his jungle of ignorance.

For the million or more years of his unfolding he has relied upon sensation for his actions and the evidence of his senses for his knowing. Few have been aware of the Spirit (Life force, Conscious awareness) in them.

In this beginning of his new awareness he is confused, not knowing which is Mind in him, which is consciousness in him and which is sensation.

He has not yet learned that bodies are but Self-created Mechanisms which manifest their centering Self, and that Self manifests the Prime Creator as One with it.

Dolores Cannon: “We Are Living in the Most Important Time in the History of the Universe”

Likewise, he has not yet learned that bodies neither live nor die, but repeat themselves continuously (“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”) and forever as all idea of Mind likewise repeats itself.

Free will is a gift to everybody from our Creator, by following orthodox religions, scriptures, man-made systems, having blind faith, or admiring individual orators blindly without pondering and wondering if the information you get is real, truthful, or not, many have abdicated their own God given free will to the will of others by being followers and joiners.

They became the effects of other people instead of making their own cause by being creative, just like the Prime Creator. (Like being loving co-creators).

Think, make up your own mind about what is real and good and what is not!

There is so much good in all of us, so use it lavishly and unselfishly toward everybody, but don’t be naïve or gullible.

If something doesn’t make sense, it is non-sense. If you don’t search, you won’t find.

Light will not come from others, it comes from within your own consciousness — it is already there waiting to escape.

There is no dead, ever. The body was never alive; it is a created machine that gets the life force and instructions from the Soul consciousness that uses it — but only temporarily.

Yes, we are Aliens — Extra-terrestrials.

Be Open Minded And Question Everything

Love And Light To All 💓💓💓

#theory #human #alien #et #life #soul #body #universe #annunaki #dna #history

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heliotrope-journey · 4 years

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Good evening, vampire hunters.

As you may have seen on my latest Instagram post, a leprechaun with sickly green skin was spotted next to a preview of the four-leaf clover patch that has been released on my Society6 store yesterday. “What’s the matter with it? Is it sick?”, some of you may be asking. While this leprechaun isn’t under the weather per se (I was last weekend because I had the flu and that experience partially inspired the appearance of this creature. Good grief. >_<), its monstrous appearance is the result of excessive acquisition of black magic. In other words, the leprechaun along with its fellow brothers and sisters living in present-day Ireland, were once humans that had hunted magical creatures down like game back in the late 1100s when the British invaded the land.

https://society6.com/product/lucky-mountain-clovers_carry-all-pouch

So let me explain to you how magic works in Heliotrope Journey’s lore;

Anyone, mortal or not, can acquire the ability to manipulate aspects of the world as they see fit. They don’t have to be born in the magical sector to achieve it. All that it takes is the careful observation of one’s environment. Many have subconsciously failed to do so because they preferred to stay in their comfort zones and quietly refuse to take risks. The reoccurring witch trials and continuous persecution throughout world history have also damaged any chances of curious mortals to come across a mysterious otherworldly artifact and get lucky. Or randomly receive a letter of acceptance from an isolated wizarding school’s admissions office. Life is full of surprises either way, right?

Magic is distinguished into two types; white and black. White magic is acquired when a mortal is given a deity’s blessing. It is often recognized for its passive spells such as healing abilities, communicating with animals, growing crops with the flick of one’s finger or wand, change one’s hair color like a photograph’s hue in Photoshop, and conjure up powerful shields to defend their allies from harm in combat. For example, a mortal that had been given Apollo’s blessing can conjure up palm-sized suns to supplement their light-based sorcery without relying on the sun. He or she may also have increased attention to detail and can likely become an excellent healer. The first magic practitioners that came into existence were obviously the gods and over the years, their half-mortal children such as Heracles have inherited a portion of their power. The demigods then passed it on to their children and so on. This enormous ancient family tree reveals that white magic is hereditary.

Black magic is acquired when a mortal commits a crime against nature. A common act that constitutes as such is the killing of a magical creature. Black magic can also be acquired when a mortal is enrolled in The Scholomance, an underground wizarding school in Transylvania that is notorious for siring vampirism. However, the process is much longer and can increase the target’s vulnerability to sunlight. Black magic is recognized for its combative elemental spells, necromancy, draining a victim’s life force to extend the caster’s own, summon a demonic entity from the netherworld to gain an unfair advantage in battle, and manipulate the weather to apocalyptic levels. For example, if a mortal was lucky enough to slay a minotaur, he or she would gain super strength at the cost of becoming prone to going uncontrollably ballistic. One must be extremely considerate with black magic because if we can take away how the leprechauns were born during the Middle Ages, it’s that obtaining too much can result in a mortal becoming bestial in appearance and their human emotions will gradually recede. The changes to their bodies vary depending on the magical creature they have killed and whether they’ve attended The Scholomance or not. Black magic is not hereditary compared to its white counterpart, but the leprechauns’ ancestors trifled with black magic so severely that the physical and psychological changes inflicted in the process have cursed their descendants as well. Black magic is overall a punishment for the death of an extraordinary and innocent animal.

Michaela is a well-known individual who is no stranger to black magic but she is not power-hungry. She had acquired elemental powers from eight magical creatures she had slain during her travels as a young woman. Why her appearance and personality have not been altered drastically as a result is because eight is a relatively small number compared to the amount of slain magical creatures that gave the leprechauns their present forms. In addition, Michaela’s incorruptible moral code and strong-willed attitude gave her the willpower to forcibly reject additional incoming energy from other creatures she had killed either because her life was threatened or she was trying to protect Einsam from getting captured. On top of that, every vampire hunter that sparred with Vlad the Impaler and the Veiled Nocturne throughout history possessed some degree of black magic despite claiming they were good men and women that seek justice. Although it sounds like they are hypocrites for doing so, the truth is that their abilities do not make them good or evil. It is their choices alone that decide where they stand in this never-ending battle. It causes the subject regarding black magic to fall under a gray area.

Speaking of magic, Advarsky, an independent game developer our team is currently partnered with, has been tasked with designing some of the new monsters for the third pilot episode, including the titular boss. Please do take a closer look at these monstrous amphibians because they will be encountered over the course of the installment. Plus, Advarsky has been doing an amazing job with the artwork and he’s been a real lifesaver due to my busy schedule with the development process and IRL. ^_^

Sincerely,

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ninjahiccups · 5 years

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Tomoe, the Divine Dragon, and Fountainhead Palace Lore Theory

After watching some lore videos I think I've got something that makes the most sense to me. Some of it is my speculation that I haven't heard from other sources so far.

I'm thinking the Divine Dragon wasn't any kind of malevolent being, but ended up doing way more damage than it intended when it came to the Fountainhead Palace.

Here's my thought: the great serpents once lived in the palace, and those from Mibu village would go there to serve them, later forming the Okami clan. Then the Divine Dragon, who I think left its home in the west because its psysical body was somehow damaged, forcing it to find a new place to "take root," took to Ashina and forced the serpents out, hence why the just wander around the Sunken Valley, seeing how the waters from the palace lead there. It makes sense considering Mibu Village citizens offered brides for the serpents, not the Dragon.

So all the people who served the serpents instead worshipped the Dragon after seeing the power of the Rejuvenating Waters. For some reason, the Dragon wanted a piece of it to be planted in Ashina, so it blessed Takeru with the Dragon's Heritage to make him an official "vassel" of the Dragon, and Takeru chose Tomoe, one of the Okami to be his partner. He used the black Mortal Blade to take a branch from the Everblossom tree, which would take away the Dragon's arm because the tree is its "physical form."

Takeru planted the branch in Ashina and showed the people there the power of the Rejuvenating Waters, believing the Dragon sent him there to spead its divine qualities. But because the land was not made for the Dragon's Blood, it backfired.

We know Dragonrot is the result of the blood's stagnation. Because the land wasn't made for it, it's possible that the Everblossom tree planted by Takeru, which is a piece if the Dragon and therefore has the Dragon's Blood, could not be sustained there. The blood of the tree stagnated, and began taking the life force of the people of Ashina to survive, causing the Dragonrot epidemic. That would explain why there was none between the time the Everblossom tree withered and Wolf's journey during the game.

Meanwhile in the Fountainhead Palace, the Waters flooded the village that once served the serpents, hence all the wreckage. The people began drinking the Waters, changing them into the fishy looking things they are. They did this in hopes of "ascending" to the Dragon's level of divinity, either through joining the Dragon in its realm or becoming the Great Carp.

However, with the Everblossom tree in Ashina damaged with Dragonrot, the Divine Dragon also began to suffer from it. The people noticed this and sought to use themselves to sustain the dragon, which can be assumee by the Mibu priest believing drinking the Waters will allow them to be accepted as humble servants. They drank the water to become nobles, then, according to the old sisters, began sucking away the youth of anyone that wasn't a noble or an Okami, who may have also drank the Waters so they could fight for the Dragon for eternity.

Why? They wanted more life force. With the Waters and the excess of life force, the Dragon accepted the nobles into its realm, turning them into branches of the tree, AKA the Old Dragons of the Tree. They were once as healthy as the Divine Dragon, but the Dragon used the life force acquired by the ascended nobles to battle its Dragonrot, either intentionally or doing so naturally. These ascended nobles withered over time by giving away their life force, leaving them sickly and dying. The dragons the appear later, the ones that are darker, could be newly ascended nobles.

Those who couldn't ascend to "dragonhood" aspired to become the Great Carp, leading to several being killed and left at the bottom of the palace lake. This is where parasites, altered by the Rejuvenating Waters, fed on them. They were swept down to the Sunken Valley, where they fed on other beings and created the Infested. Maybe the Waters were even tainted by these parasites by the time they reached Mibu Village, which is why all the villagers are transformed into whatever they are.

Side note: The corrupted monk that's Priestess Yao was infested, and I belive she became so willingly to guard the palace. VaatiVidya recently covered this in his Fountainhead Palace Lore video and I agree with his thoughts if you want to check that out here -> https://youtu.be/HDaPHgMCbJU

Back in Ashina, Takeru saw the Dragonrot and possibly the madness that people who wanted the power of the Dragon's Blood or that of the monks of Senpou Temple, who were experimenting with the Waters, and thought enough was enough. With Tomoe wielding the black Mortal Blade, she returned to the Fountainhead Palace to find it in ruins and full of only those who hadn't been killed by the now fish-like nobles. She tried to get the Dragon's tears, and put up a good fight. But the black Mortal Blade could only wound the Dragon (the gash on its chest). She returned to Takeru without them.

By this point, Owl had taken a branch of the Everblossom Tree, causing it to wither and leaving Takeru without a means of Purification. Tomoe still attempted, but failed. They tried for Immortal Severance by killing Takeru with the black Mortal Blade, and somehow succeeded.

It's possible that, since the blade has access to the underworld, was used to sacrifice Takeru and bring back someone else. He could have chosen a child who died young, which would be Kuro, who Tomoe would give away after Takeru's death, leading him to be adopted by the Hirata clan. Kuro may also just be a descendant (maybe the son?) of Takeru. These are just guesses, and there's no way to know for sure though.

Tomoe would live the years after as a samurai, eventually facing Isshin as some point and later mentoring Genichiro. It's worth mentioning that the time between Takeru's arrival in Ashina and his death is relatively short considering Emma knew him and Tomoe, emphasizing how much chaos the Divine Dragon caused.

Personally, I think Tomoe continued to look for a way to put an end to the Dragon's Heritage. After some research she became a shrine maiden so that she could become a bridal offering to get back to the Divine Realm, where she would plan to try to return the Dragon to the west, or possible just drive it out of Ashina. That would make her the maiden in the Sanctuary that leads to the Divine Dragon, but exaclty why she's "sleeping" is unclear. Maybe it's the work of the Dragon? Or a result of a failed plan to return it? Can't say for sure.

Either way, this makes her grave more of a memorial to her, indicating that those who knew her assumed she died after disappearing. Takeru did say in his journal that he was returning to the Divine Realm, but he could have meant the metaphorically, saying his spirit or his Dragon's blood would go there.

After that the world fell into madness more and more until Wolf and Kuro strive for Severance, essentially repeating Takeru's story. And we all know how much FromSoftware likes cycles in their plots.

Well, there you have it. It seems to fit together pretty well to me, but I'd love to hear thoughts on it. The lore in this game really deserves more attention.

And thank you for reading all that lmao

#sekiro #sekiro shadows die twice #sekiro: shadows die twice #Tomoe #wolf #okami #kuro #sekiro spoilers #sekiro lore #spoilers #divine dragon #FromSoftware #soulsborne #lore theory #VaatiVidya #takeru #lady emma #emma

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canyousevmyheavydirtysoul · 6 years

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You’re My Bodyguard, Not My Owner. (Chapter 25)

A light crinkle formed on your forehead as your brows furrowed a minuscule amount and you took deliberate steps toward the armoured glass encasing The Asset. You had heard so much about this man and the horribly heinous things he’d done – some of those things directly impacting and changing your life forever – but as you stood less than a few feet away from him, staring absorbedly at his rugged appearance and edgy demeanour, you didn’t feel repulsed or vengeful – you felt curious. Curious to know more about him, about Hydra, about everything. The vague smirk dancing on his chapped lips told you that he knew exactly what you were feeling, and he was more than prepared to enlighten you.

You eyed him for a few more seconds before swallowing and fixing your gaze with his dense brown eyes.

“From what I’ve heard about you,” you spoke, slowly and devoid of any kind of emotion, “I expected you to be a lot more intimidating. You just look like a action figure who was left at the bottom of the toy box for too long.” Your gaze briefly flickered over his worn out exterior.

The assassin let his head tilt back slightly and he let out a short, hoarse laugh before narrowing his eyes and smirking at you. “Funny. I like you.”

“Wish I could say the same. But considering that you murdered by parents in cold blood, I think I’ll refrain from that.”

He sucked on his teeth and winced, letting out a low whistle. “Oooo. There it is. I was wondering how long it would take before you brought that up. Two and a half minutes. Not too bad,” he mocked, and you felt your calmness start to falter.

Recognizing that he was just trying to push your buttons, you breathed in deeply and avoided tearing into him, as much as you wanted to. He, on the other hand, took this opportunity to speak again.

“For what it’s worth, I didn’t want to kill your parents. Not really. But it was a necessary evil. If I hadn’t have done it, SHIELD wouldn’t have taken you in, and you and I wouldn’t be having this wonderful conversation right now,” he spoke with a smile, as if his words were nothing more than just that. Words.

You swiped your palms downward on your jeans and ran your tongue over your lips, taking another small step forward.

“Right. And would you mind letting me in on why exactly it is that this conversation of ours is so necessary to have? It better be fucking worth it, because I only broke about – oh, seven – rules to get in here and I reckon we have five minutes before a bunch of agents come bursting through that door. And that’s being generous. So I suggest you start talking,” you hissed, making him widen his eyes and grin, clearly impressed by your assertiveness.

“Hmph. You really are somethin’, snowflake,” he murmured before raising his brows and opening his hands, “Alright then. Guess I’ll just cut right to the chase.”

“Please do,” you encouraged, shifting your weight from one foot to the other and folding your arms over your chest, your face portraying expectance.

“Basically, everything that SHIELD has ever told you is a lie. You think that they’re keeping you under surveillance and not allowing you to communicate with everyone to ensure your safety? No. They’re trying to keep you from finding out the truth. That’s why they wouldn’t let you come and see me, ‘cause they knew that I’d tell you everything.”

“So what are they keeping from me?”

He answered without a moment’s hesitation, the words spilling from his lips with such ease that it became evident that he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

“You’re a demi-god.”

You leaned forward with a frown, not sure you had heard him correctly. “I’m a what?”

“A demi-god,” he repeated, enunciating each syllable slowly and clearly.

There was no room for mistakes; you’d definitely heard him correctly that time.

“Well, if we’re being technical, you’re a demi-goddess. They’re these… well, gods that live in the Nine Realms. They have tons of supernatural abilities. The most powerful ones live on Asgard,” he rattled off, darting his eyes and tilting his head side to side in a clear display of almost boredom, “They’re practically immortal, have unique powers-“

“I know what a demi-god is,” you interjected, closing your eyes for a second and shaking your head, “But… how could I be one? It’s impossible. I’m a mortal.”

“Are you, though?” he questioned, and the surety in his voice made your stomach twist, “(Y/N), how much do you really know about how and why you came into this world?”

“What kind of question is that?” you scoffed.

“A very important one, in this case,” he said. Noticing your utterly perplexed expression, he sighed. “Oh, come on, gorgeous. You know how unusual your life has been. All the secrecy, all the lies, the constant moving around… you couldn’t possibly have thought that was all just part of the job.”

“It is part of the job,” you argued, forehead creasing as you spoke.

“To an extent, yes,” he nodded, arching his boys to indicate that he agreed, “But the level you were on… that shit was way more intense than regular spy stuff. Your family had to take extra precautions, go through additional protocol – all to warrant the insurmountable protection and seclusion you had to endure.”

“Are you going to make a point, here?” you huffed, taking a step closer to the glass and frowning at the Hydra assailant on the other side, “Because I have way better things to do than to listen to you run your mouth about how isolated I was while growing up.”

His lips twitched into a slight smirk before he continued. “You’re special, (Y/N). More so than you could ever imagine. I’m sure that you’ve picked up on that, and I’m willing to bet everything I have that you’ve been wracking your brain trying to figure out why it is that everyone seems to be so obsessed with you.”

Your gaze flickered away momentarily as his words filtered through your ears. He was absolutely right; from the very first second that you stepped foot on SHIELD property, you had been made top priority – in every sense of the word. Everything anyone said, or did, seemed to be connected to you somehow, and not knowing why had been driving you crazy.

“Look,” The Asset’s voice snapped you out of your trance, “like you said, we don’t have much time before the reinforcements show up, so I’m going to try and make this quick.”

He cleared his throat for dramatic effect, making you roll your eyes and groan softly.

“I’ve already told you what you are, (Y/N). Your real name is Skadi, Goddess of Winter and of the Hunt. You’re a demi-god, and a damn powerful one at that. But your father…” he chuckled, “he was even stronger. Vili, God of Motivation, brother to Odin and Vè, Defender of Asgard, and Protector of the Tesseract – his power was unmatched here on Earth.”

The assassin let out a long breath.

“Now, this entire thing’s quite complicated, but I assume you know about Snowflake, correct?” You nodded, and he continued. “Its real name is the Tesseract and we don’t have the time to go into detail about it, but all you need to know is that a few hundred years ago, during a rather intense battle, it fell from Asgard to Earth. Obviously, as the protector of the cube, Vili descended to Earth, where he then chose to stay. Somewhere along the line, he met your mother, and thus began the slew of lies known as your life here on Earth.”

Your mind was racing at this point, your heart was hammering so hard you were afraid it would break out of your chest, and your breathing was fast and shallow. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing, you just couldn’t. None of it seemed at all possible, and you were struggling to even begin to fathom what the implications would be if everything did prove true.

You remember reading about Vili – and the Tesseract – in your father’s journal, but to think that the Norse god in question was your father? The mere thought of it made your head spin.

“You’re lying,” you said, voice sounding incredibly small and weak.

“Oh, but I’m not,” he insisted, leaning forward as much as he could, “and you know it, (Y/N). C’mon. There’s a part of you that knows everything I’m saying is true. Just think about it. Demi-gods have special abilities.”

You frowned again, and when he started rattling off all the abilities, you were struck with tiny flashbacks.

“Superhuman strength…”

Having an argument with your parents as a teenager and slamming the armoured SUV car door so hard it came clean off of the hinges. Knocking your rock hard bodyguard to the ground with a single kick. Taking out a group of qualified SHIELD agents all on your own.

“Resistance to physical injury…”

Falling to the floor after a particularly hard hit to the ribs and not feeling anything more than discomfort. Not even having a bruise the next day.

“And of course, the big Kahuna – and an ability unique to you, Goddess of Winter – an incredible resistance to cold.”

Twice in your life you had been in situations where you should’ve died from hypothermia. Once when you were little and once only a few days ago. Both times you survived. And you hadn’t felt the least bit cold.

A wave of nausea radiated through your body, as you became light headed. Grabbing onto the edge of the glass cage, you had to press your free hand to the glass to steady yourself and not fall over.

“I can’t believe it…” you mumbled, not at all knowing what to think or feel.

“(Y/N), you’re exceptionally powerful. You have abilities that people would kill for. And they have.”

“They lied to me,” you said, although you were speaking more to yourself than to the assassin, “About everything. They told me that they were protecting me but they were just… lying to me. Over and over again.”

“They’re trying to keep you from realising your potential. You have no idea how strong you could become. Hell, you could take over the world if you wanted to. But they’re trying to keep you locked up, away from everyone and everything, and trying to figure out a way to make sure that you never get a taste of that power inside of you. But you can change that. Challenge them. Refuse to be held in here any longer.”

The anger you were trying so desperately to keep at bay was erupting, and you felt yourself being filled with more rage than you’d ever experienced before. Rage at everyone. At your father, at The Director, SHIELD, Hydra, the assassin in front of you, Brendon…

With an animalistic growl, you struck the glass, creating a resounding bang that echoed throughout the room before turning around and stalking off to The Director’s office, anger practically radiating off of you.

The Asset watched you rush off with a triumphant smile on his lips. His mission was complete.

_______________________________

Thank you for reading x

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