#an exchange of souls

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Barry Pain - An Exchange of Souls - Eveleigh Nash - 1911

#witches #souls #occult #vintage #barry pain #eveleigh nash #an exchange of souls #1911 #lovecraftian #lovecraft #barry eric odell pain

[bet-on-me-13]

It's a Deal.

So! Steph is in a bit of a Bind. Literally.

Her Father had just discovered that she was the Vigilante who kept ruining his Plans, and decided to Deal with her. So he tied her up at a Bomb Site for one of his Plans and left her to die there.

No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't escape the Ropes, and time was running out. If only she had managed to get that last message out to Batman in time, maybe he would have come to rescue her.

The Timer had nearly reached Zero, when all of a sudden Time Stopped. The Ropes around her fell away, and a guy walked up to her as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Hey, you seem to be in a bit of a bind."

"Not so much anymore, was that you?"

"Yeah, bit of a Free Sample. See, I'm in a bit of a bind as well. I made a Deal with these floating Eyeballs, and long story short in order to keep my town safe I need to take the Soul of an Innocent person."

"And is that where I come in?"

"Yup, Basically I save your life, help you out with whatever you want, and you give me the rights to your Soul."

"What if I just walk away while time is stopped?"

"The building is Locked down tight, and I can't actually hold Time stopped for too long either way, it's sort of a new power to me. Without my help you wouldn't get out in time."

"So it's sell my soul or die?"

"Trust me,I don't like it either, but it's what I have to do."

"You know what, sure. You help me escape, help me take down The Cluemaster, and I'll give you my Soul."

"Then it's a Deal."

"I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

#Dpxdc #Dp x dc #Dcxdp #Dc x dp #Danny Phantom #Dc #Dcu #Stephanie Brown #Spoiler #Danny made a deal with the Observants to protect Amity Park from Ghosts and the GIW in exchange for completing a task for them #They want to be dicks so they Send him to steal the Soul of an innocent person #Danny doesn't like it so he goes to a Vigilante who could probably find a way out of it #Spoiler is smart enough to escape the deal and she is currently in need of help so he goes to her #Steph is just happy she made a new friend #Also she realizes the deal never said Danny had to keep the Soul #Or that he had to do anything with it in particular

[empty-dream]

“It’s time for me to go.”

#my hero academia #world heroes mission #boku no hero academia #bnhaedit #rody soul #pino #izuku midoriya #rodydeku #myedit #mygif #HNGHNGHNGHNGHGN #knowing what Pino is makes this exchange really hnghgnh #he really treasures the friendship so much #also if this was a Hollywood movie theyd kiss

[thelastwalkingsoul]

Curse you, big bang, for stealing all my brain worms! But I do have something new today. I don't think I've ever shared my little headcanon for steddie rings, so here you go :)

(Now on AO3!) ----------- "Eddie, I'm home!"

Steve closes the door with a weary sigh. It'd been a long day at work, but his special errand had almost made up for it. Steve was really just aching for a cuddle with his wonderful boyfriend.

"Eddie?" As he walks into the living room, he sees the man in question slumped on the couch with a book. He looks comfortable (and adorable) in his hoodie and sweatpants, but Steve can tell something is up. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Eddie pouts, eyes meeting Steve's. "I still can't find it."

"Oh, babe," Steve sighs, feeling a spike of guilt. "It'll turn up soon."

"You said that yesterday," Eddie whines.

Steve can't help but chuckle. "Exactly. It's only been a day."

Eddie crosses his arms. Combined with his jutting lip, he's a spitting image of a pouting child. "That's a day too long," he grumbles.

"It'll show up," Steve promises, bending to kiss Eddie's forehead. "Now, what do you want for dinner?"

It only takes a couple more days for the ring to show up. Eddie almost gives Steve a heart attack from the sheer volume of the yell he lets out. He's bouncing on the spot when Steve enters the room, grinning wide and sliding the ring onto his middle finger. Steve's barely prepared as Eddie launches across the room and slams into him, forcing all the air from Steve's lungs. He steadies them both and wraps his arms around his boyfriend. "I'm happy you found it, love."

What Steve didn't anticipate (but absolutely should have) was Eddie spending the rest of the day and night insisting, "Yes, Steve, I did check the couch. I checked the couch at least a million times. How is it there now and not before?"

Steve simply agrees with a smile, secretly happy that Eddie's smart brain hasn't yet connected the dots.

When the day finally comes, everything is going to plan. Steve gets out of work early, runs his special errand, and is home well before Eddie. He wants tonight to be special, but not too much. Just enough effort for his prepared gift. As much as Steve is excited, he's also incredibly nervous that Eddie won't like it. But he pushes that aside to get ready.

Steve picks out a favourite dinner of theirs that Eddie especially likes. He gets to work chopping and seasoning, setting up their small dining table, and lighting the few candles they have. By the time Eddie's due home, their apartment is filled with the aroma of dinner and illuminated by soft candlelight.

Steve's whole body feels like it's vibrating in anticipation as he hears Eddie's keys in the door. He tries his best to relax in his chair, nerves humming.

"I'm home, sweetheart!" Eddie calls, closing the door. Steve can hear him moving closer. "God, that smells amazing, Stevie. Why did you-" He stops, face melting from surprise to a soft smile, his eyes twinkling in the candlelight. "What's all this for?"

Steve can't help the excited grin that slips onto his face. "It's a surprise."

"Oh, is it now?" Eddie drops his bag and comes to sit across from Steve. He looks beautiful, with his big eyes and kissable lips pulled into a smile, hair pulled half up and escaped strands framing his face. Steve wants to kiss him.

So he does. Leans over the table and kisses Eddie softly. "It is. Now eat up."

They talk softly over dinner. Eddie tells Steve about his day, and then Steve tells Eddie about his. It feels domestic and nostalgic, and it's everything Steve never knew he wanted until Eddie. His nerves slowly ebb away as they eat, his love for the gorgeous man in front of him replacing any and all worries he'd had. Steve's not sure why he was so scared in the first place; Eddie will love it.

He waits until they're both finished, until there's a natural lull in the conversation and pushes their dishes aside. Steve places both hands on the table and doesn't start until Eddie puts his hands in Steve's. It gives him confidence, so he speaks.

"Eddie. I wish I could show you to the world. I wish we didn't have to hide. I wish I could hold your hand on the street without fear. And I know we can't, and that's fine. But I want you to be mine and I want to be yours." Steve pauses. He can see the adoration in Eddie's eyes and hopes he's showing his too. "I wanted something for us. Just us. So it can be a promise, or- or a wish. But I got these for us. And I hope you like them."

He hands Eddie the open box before he can psych himself out of it. It's a wooden box and inside sits two rings. One is dark silver with a band of gold running through the middle, and the other is the opposite, gold with a dark silver band. They're a matching set, simple enough to be passed off as just a ring but to anyone who looks closely, they're undeniably a set.

"Steve," Eddie breathes, hand hovering over the rings. He doesn't say anything more, and before he knows it, Steve's rambling. "I wanted to get them engraved with something, but I wasn't sure what, so I haven't gotten that done yet, but we still can, so just let me know and-"

"Steve. I can't even- They're amazing."

Eddie's smiling that gorgeous smile of his. The same one Steve fell in love with several years ago. He watches that smile as he picks up the box, pulling out the mostly dark silver ring and sliding it onto Eddie's ring finger. Eddie does the same to him, and they link their hands together, admiring the sight. Steve's sure they're both a little teary now. He'd spent far too long agonising over the rings, but seeing them sitting together in the candlelight, he knows he made the right decision.

It takes Eddie a few hours before he finally connects the dots.

"Wait. Is that why my ring went missing last week?!"

Steve laughs so hard that he cries.

#I just love the idea of them having matching rings #where Eddie's matches his aesthetic #and Steve's matches his #so it's not super clear #but when they're put together they're so obviously a set #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x eddie #steveddie #rings #steddie rings #exchanging rings #steddie ring saga #souls steddie ring saga

[phoenix----rising]

𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑏𝑦 𝐷𝑒𝑛ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑚 𝐵𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑦

#denholm berry #art #spiritual journey #energy #energy exchange #soul #spirituality #spiritual awakening #spiritualgrowth #spiritual connection #pink #red #psychedelic art #visual art #love #spiritual development #lovers #connection #law of attraction

[travelling-hydaelyn]

I too would thank y’shtola for teleporting me far away from work and forcing me to live in the wood for a few months

#its the squirrel friends #one of the reasons I really like this exchange #is that Thancred is in a really good place here! #his self esteem is very improved from the 2.X patches #and this is the small window of time before he learns what happened to Minfilia #People talk about what a grouch he is in heavensward but look how cheerful and nice he is here #He's currently a few quests away from receiving the worst news of his life #and of course that doesn't resolve until nearly the end of 5.0 #thancred #y'shtola #the scions of the seventh dawn #ffxiv #FFXIV: Heavensward #ff14 #gamingedit #ffxviedit #3.1 #Quest: A Little Slow A Little Late #ffxivspoilers #I changed the caption because I feel it in my soul

[pinkrose05]

Sungenti & Robinhill would go on the most terse double dates in history. That's it that's the post.

#no but hear me out: these pairs have a sitcom-worthy dynamic it's such a funny mental image actually #boothill is like the perfect candidate for sunday's disapproval in every single way #he's crass he's crude and he's getting on his nerves on purpose which is Not helping his fresh brother-in-law status #and sunday is just the sort of silently bitchy control freak that grinds boots' gears too #they keep exchanging seemingly polite banter but it's really just a combo of forced formality and a curse censor #while argenti (who's Bros For Life with boothill) sees this and cheers for a new friendship #“what beautiful rapport you two are building so fast!!” #bless his soul #nobody tell him what's going on #(robin is tempted to do it just so she can commiserate about the suffering she goes through whenever they meet up. press f for her patience #(at least argenti himself isn't bad company though!) #honkai star rail #hsr #hsr sunday #hsr robin #hsr argenti #hsr boothill #sungenti #sunti #(<- i think that's the established ship name? cmiiw tho) #robinhill #pink's musings

[lunarharp]

eh..random pokemon scribbles i found..I LOVE RIKA

#pokemon tag #RIKA IM FROM HOENN..IM AVAILABLE😭 nah i know she's raising a daughter with geeta #in a WEIRD MOOD so i cant draw atm. but i want to before the next witch hat chapter (way too extreme that it's my birthday =_=) #(well it will be in japan time at least when i read it. but still .) #if orufrey genuinely reunite on that day of mine i wont call myself an aries any more. orufrey star sign. things aligned. #Well. ive never felt so depressed about my birthday before and for my services to orufreyism i think i deserve that but its fine. #even if they just look into each others eyes again i swear i will face this next year ahead in life (sigh) (strained smile) with faith #i swear i will genuinely try to believe in life and this world if orufrey exchange words once more this thursday i swear to my soul.

[chubs-deuce]

Alastor and Charlie getting married, when they kiss there's a flash of green light

Marriage, what an amazing deal the two are now apart of

hey funfact this actually inspired a huge fic idea I'm now trying to sort out!!!

I can't promise it'll get anywhere bc I get stuck on the dumbest things when it comes to writing, but I had one hell of a brainstorm session for it earlier and am kind of working on an outline for the plot of it on the side now sdjkskhfd

#in essence the concept is “Alastor uses his owed favor to make Charlie marry him to break out of his deal with lilith” #this comes at a cost however since demon marriage basically *IS* an exchange of soul ownership rights but beats being Lilith's slave #so now Charlie owns his soul but he also owns Charlie's #I don't think it's canonically lilith per se who he's tied to btw but I managed to make that option make the most sense #charlastor #radiobelle #chubs answers

[demidoodlefox]

And that's a wrap, folks! This idea's been stewing in my head for quite a while. Thought I'd inflict it on y'all!

#demdraws #yugioh #pharaoh atem #thief king bakura #fancomic #fanfic #soul exchange fic #i can't believe i actually finished this! #heck yeah! #not all wips are doomed it seems!

[crowwowo]

And when I’m back in Chicago, I feel it / Another version of me, I was in it

Been listening to End of Beginning by Joe Keery on repeat and thinking about bg3 ocs :(

I wanted to try and expirement with lineart but it got washed away in all the dark colors uh oh

#gotta hate it when your mom signs you and your twins soul away to a devil in exchange for power #and then both of you find freedom in different goddesses #ellistrae #mystra #and then one of you abandons your faith for the second time #it’s all about those family roots and bloodlines and generational trauma #bg3 tav #bg3 #baldurs gate tav #baldurs gate 3 #baldurs gate fanart #bg3 fanart #tav bg3 #dnd art #dnd character #dnd #crowwart #dnd drow #drow oc #baldurs gate 3 art

[scarymaaze]

slasher oc. her name is chelsea grin

#my art #oc art #oc tag #cheIsea grin #she was murdered by her husband. He carved her face out of anger and resentment (referencing the Glasgow grin hence her name) #her (vengeful) spirit made a pact w a devil to regain a physical form in exchange for human souls. #she first began by killing men who looked like her husband. her anger would later lead her to enact random killing sprees. #she is silent but has a shrill scream. her appearances are random. her signature is carving her victims’ faces and gouging out their eyes

[kagoutiss]

recent zant moments (he’s taller than ganondorf in my mind i’m sorry)

#tloz tp #twilight princess #zant #ganondorf #i’m not very familiar with their HW dynamic forgive me asfjgjkjhf #but the whole entire thing they have going on in TP is so. oh my god good god #worshipping a guy who is inhabiting u like a parasite so he can feed on your intense hatred & rage #you receiving the immense power & freedom you’ve always craved in exchange #both of u being completely defined by ambitions that make you extremely dangerous in the eyes of others #and in general #also the guy whose soul you’re carrying in you. he said the gayest shit ever to you about Desire when he JUST MET YOU #and then you divorce him so hard thru your soul bond from the afterlife that he dies. i cant

[nocreativityfornames]

So one of my recent posts on Solomon ended up getting a lot more attention than expected. A lot of people chimed in and shared their own thoughts on his character and actions and made very good points both in his defense and against him.

I myself got to think more about his character and went to revisit some lessons in the og game to try and understand him further and I wanted to share some of those things here.

So let's get into it:

One of the main things I want to talk about here is one of the points brought up by other players in defense of Solomon and his "this is how demons are usually treated" line. Basically that we don't know how other humans treat demons they have a pact with and that MC might really be the odd one out here.

To discuss this point, I thought it was important to go back and remember what exactly a pact is and how it's most commonly formed. And this, this is something Levi explains in the very first lesson of the game when we ask him what a pact is.

And this is what he answers:

So I think it's safe to assume that this is or was one of the most common ways of making a pact. A human wants power (the demons' strength, as Levi puts it), and they summon the demon to get it. But in exchange for that power, they have to give away their soul and be bound to that demon for the rest of their lives.

There's one thing missing though, right? Because that's not the only thing a human gets when entering a pact, as we know of course when pact is made a master x servant sort of dynamic is formed between the human and demon involved, and a power imbalance is put into place.

But...not quite? Because in this specific case, the human is giving away their SOUL, their very being, and very likely only ticket to get into heaven. And so on one side we have a human giving away their soul and simultaneously a life in paradise, and a demon giving away their freedom to serve said human for as long as they stay alive on the other.

And looking from this perspective, it doesn't seem that unfair of a deal or that much of a power imbalance. And if it does, it weighs more on the demon's power over the human, since their soul will belong to them for the rest of eternity to be used however said demon wishes (to eat, enslave, have as companion, or whatever). And of course the human has the ability all of that as well, for as long as they're alive that is.

And that? That on paper I think creates a very good dynamic. Because the human will know not to abuse their power being aware that at some point tables will turn and the position of "master" will be passed on to the demon. It's a promise: "I won't misuse my power, and in exchange, you'll do the same when I die".

But as I said, that only looks good on paper, because we don't know the consistency on which said promises are followed through. Since of course, the demon could simply ignore the human's actions and be a "cruel master" regardless.

And I'm thinking these promises were probably most often broken than not, considering how Solomon views demons and seems to bare a fair amount of resentment towards them, and how most demons still view humans as "food", "lesser beings" and "not worth connecting with".

And this here is where I bring the second method of making a pact into the table (that Levi also explains how it works once MC tells him they don't want to give away their soul):

My theory is that this second way of making a pact became popular once humans started to realize the first one wasn't working on their favor.

"I won't give you my soul, but I will give you something you want in exchange for your power."

And so pacts as we know came about, a human wants a demon's power, and in exchange, they have to offer the demon something they find worthy enough to be willing to give away their freedom to get it.

And this is exactly how MC's pact with Mammon was made. They find something Mammon desperately wants (Goldie) and offer it to him in exchange for a pact. And I guess you could see this as manipulation, considering MC and Levi pretty much pressured him into doing it at the moment (something some of you brought up to defend Solomon, "the way MC made a pact with Mammon was also bad so you gotta question their morals too").

But anyway, my point is: pacts became an exchange of something, rather than a soul. And with this in mind, I can see how a human could manipulate a demon into getting a pact with them and maybe even abuse their power over a demon as a way to retaliate over the treatment humans were getting from them.

And going back to Solomon again... we have to acknowledge that he grew up in a time where the 1° method to make a pact was most common, a time where demons walked freely through the human world doing whatever they wanted. (it's not that way anymore because the passages to get to the human world have been shut down by Diavolo, as Lucifer explains in the next screenshots).

Right after he says this Mammon brings up the fact that only Diavolo, Lucifer, and Barbatos can use that method freely nowadays and that he wishes HE could go to the human world whenever he wanted as well. To which Lucifer answers:

And although Lucifer says this decision was made because Mammon kept causing trouble in the human world, the way I saw it this line was much more him trying to drag Mammon down than actually stating a fact.

"We had some problems up in the human world that necessitated a change in our policy."

Problems, problems... demons doing unspeakable things to humans, perhaps? Something that definitely didn't fit Diavolo's vision of peace between realms once he took over the kingdom? Very likely, yes. So they shut down the main passage between the Devildom and the human world to stop or at least decrease the number of atrocities caused by demons who went there seeking bloodshed all around (there are still other ways to travel there, though they're much more complicated).

But Solomon, yes, Solomon at this point had already seen it all. At this point he had already developed hatred and distrust towards demon kind, and a want to make humans be seen as more than prey in the eyes of demons and poor little creatures that need to be protected in the eyes of angels.

So we understand his reasons. He grew up in a time (and lived through thousands and thousands of years) where demons walked freely through earth. This man witnessed all kinds of horrible things being done to humans in the hands of the demon kind, and it was during those times (or a short time after) that he met Asmo - one of the most powerful demons in the Devildom, brother of Lucifer himself - drunk out of his mind on a tavern.

Solomon immediately went starry-eyed at the realization, what he had there was a one in a million chance. An opportunity to grow even more powerful, to get closer to Lucifer and get more recognition, to be the human who can represent humanity as neither prey nor weakling, to be the first human both worlds respect and see as a force to be reckoned with.

It's a chance to bring his dream closer to reality.

So he doesn't care about the moralities of it, he really doesn't. This in front of him is a demon, and demons have done terrible things to humans over the centuries!

And so he manipulates Asmo into making a pact with him. There it is, that's how we got here.

If you think all of this excuses his actions, it's up to you. And if you think all of this doesn't excuses his actions, it's up to you as well.

#this took me so long to finish #also this all makes me wonder how Solomon's pact with Barbatos was made #what did he give Barbatos in exchange for it? could've he signed off his soul? #obey me nightbringer #obey me shall we date #obey solomon #obey me post #obey me asmodeus #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me nightbringer spoilers #omnb #omswd #obey me screenshots #☙ no creativity for names ✾ #//the thoughts #//om: sol

[kittyprincessofcats]

When you're listening to the very first Bibi Blocksberg Hörspiel ever made ("Hexen gibt es doch" from 1980), and there's this exchange:

Narrator: "And only women can become witches. It's always been that way." Barbara Blocksberg: "And it's always going to stay that way, Boris." Boris Blocksberg: "But mom, if you magic me into a girl, then I could become a witch, right?" Barbara: "No Boris, then you'd only look like a girl. But your soul would be a boy, and you still couldn't do magic."

So here we have the very first Bibi Blocksberg episode ever, from 1980(!!!), explicitly making a difference between physical sex and "what gender your soul is", and clarifying that the latter is what matters for their "only women can do magic" rule.

WE STAN.

#Bibi Blocksberg #Elfie Donnelly #Kiddinx #German stuff #German culture #Elfie Donnelly really said 'Yes of course trans women are women and therefore can be witches' in 1980 #(Before you tell me - yes I know Ms Donnelly most likely didn't have trans people in mind when writing this exchange and probably just #needed a convenient explanation for why Boris really can't become a witch #but I still find this exchange and that they're making a distinctinon at all between what gender your 'body' vs your 'soul' is #very progressive for 1980 and I'm pleasantly surprised rn)

[loadinghellsing]

May I present Slice of life AU: Yumi discovers that girls dating girls is a thing by watching sailor moon.

I will give you my firstborn🫡

one costume order later...

#i contribute #doodle #slice of life au #yumie takagi #hellsing #--- #thank you for the sacrafice of your firstborn #alas #all i require of them is their soul #you can keep the rest #feel free to inform them that you sold their soul on tumblr #it'll help build character #no takesie backsies <3 #enjoy sailor moor yumie <3 <3 #and forget about this exchange <3 <3 <3