#empyral totality

[dollyyun]

𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 | chap 04

SYPNOSIS: wherein the princess, who is a clandestine assassin, has been commanded to eliminate the seven vampire princes.

GENRE: 18+ (mdni), reverse harem, contemporary fantasy, enemies to lovers, third pov, eventual previous past lives will be entailed.

WARNINGS: expletives, suggestive themes.

WORD COUNT: 4k+

TAGLIST: @aishigrey @kgneptun @b3tt7boop @smg-valeria @lhspeachie @enhaverse713586 @strxwbloody @firstclassjaylee @jwnghyuns @luminouskalopsia @deobitifull @loumin908

🍒 MASTERLIST 🍒

Wispy grass snips at her ankles with each barefoot step she takes, drawn to the azure sea that scintillates in the empyreal moonlight ahead of her. The breeze tickles her skin, and her lilac hair and white clothing sway behind her in a gliding motion.

Her breath hitches in her throat when the familiar sound of his enchanting, hypnotic voice sings a heavenly symphony to her, propelling her footsteps to hasten towards the sea. Anticipation expands throughout her chest as she recognises his calling that is specifically meant for her.

"Heli?!" Her voice is tainted with ardour as she calls for him, unceasing from her hasten steps, and now, finding herself by the seashore, the sand feels smooth beneath her feet. Her eyes search keenly over the vast azure sea as his enchanting voice becomes crystal clear and louder, as though he is near her, while the wide smile on her lips persists.

"Heli!" The moment she calls for him again, the heavenly symphony he serenades to her ceases. Total silence befalls her surroundings, with the exception of the waves rolling to the shore. "Heli?" Her voice sounds quiet this time. The smile on her lips falters while the light in her eyes dims, turning crestfallen as nothing happens in the way she wanted.

She clenches the material of her dress where her heart is. Amidst the familiar affliction that throbs in her heart, there is also a discernible ache of longing and sorrow. Tears prick in her eyes while her lips quiver in sadness.

She hates it. She hates that even in death, she is not pardoned by Astra. She hates how she has had to watch them fight and hurt her without the ability to intervene. She hates how they, too, are unable to remember anything from their past lives, unable to remember her.

All she ever wanted was to reunite with them─her home.

Just then, a movement across the sea captures her attention, which she can't ignore, especially when she recognises the glimpse of sleek ridge scales before it descends into the sea, disappearing from her sight. Recognition flickers in her gaze.

Within a blink of an eye, a familiar silhouette belonging to a man slowly emerges from the sea. Her heart beats in a familiar cadence as he strides towards her with his luminous amber eyes piercing into hers. She remains rooted to the sand, as though his gaze alone manages to paralyse her whole being.

He stands a few feet from her, allowing her to scan his overall countenance, and her heart flutters as she does. His stark raven hair is thoroughly wet, with the strands sticking to his forehead, and his white tunic blouse sticks to his body, allowing her to make out the lines of his abdominal muscles, wholly drenched from head to toe.

His luminous amber eyes remain penetrating into hers while his parted lips heave with light pants. Despite the sadness she has been reeling in, warmth weaves across her cheeks under the intensity of his gaze.

"Jakah." She utters his name in a shaky breath, with a thousand emotions brimming within her.

"You're crying." His voice comes out in a low rumble, while she detects the palpable anger in his tone. "Who hurt you?"

She immediately wipes the tears away from her cheeks. "No one hurt me." Her answer doesn't seem to please him with how weak she sounds.

"Lilith." He takes a step forward, and it is enough to nearly reach her. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not. Trust me, please?" She pleads, and with the way she is staring at him, his gaze softens. "I'm just─" She pauses, feeling the painful lump in her throat before she swallows it down and her lips quiver. "I've missed you."

"Oh, angel, come here." Jakah grabs her hand and pulls her into his embrace, to which she instantly latches her limbs around him, weeping into him with soft sobs leaving her lips. His hand cradles the back of her head while the other wraps around her waist as he whispers sweet nothings to her ears.

"I've missed you dearly as well, angel." He murmurs sadly as he waits for her cries to quieten. The two lovers bask in the warmth of each other's embraces while silence envelops them like a smooth blanket.

Composing herself, Lilith brings herself to look at him in the eyes and cradles the cusps of his jaw. "Kiss me, please." Desperation clings to her tone. "I need to know if this is as real as─"

She is instantly silenced by his lips, which seal her into a kiss with raw, palpable emotions that bring the tears back to her eyes. He kisses her as if it's their last.

They slowly pull away from each other's lips, panting heavily, before they flutter their eyes open and gaze into each other's eyes deeply. Amidst the despair, the adoration and love swimming in his eyes are just the same as they were when they declared their love for each other a thousand years ago.

"I heard your voice earlier, calling for Heli." Jakah tells her while he still has her in his possession, never letting go. "Heli was here, but something was disrupting the connection we've built trying to call your soul to this realm."

"Astra." Fear resides in her gaze, as does the palpable shakiness in her voice.

A muscle pulses in his jaw while his eyes harden with resentment and hatred. "Yes. But don't worry, angel. We are all relentlessly trying to breach the respective borders and get them to remember you, remember her."

"We'll be defying Astra over and over again." Her eyes turn crestfallen. "I'm afraid that if we continue to, the present us would be facing dreadful consequences."

"Love defies all odds." He caresses her cheek gently.

"But love was what led me to my demise, as was yours." A teardrop escapes from her eye. "I think we should stop meeting like this and give up on trying to get the present us to remember."

"No." He nearly growls, startling her, but he swiftly apologises with a forehead kiss. "We can't give up now, not when I've finally managed to breach through the cracks within the borders. Just wait for me, angel. I'll recognise you before you know it."

Lilith shakes her head. The dam has long since crumbled. "I don't want to return. I want to be here with all of you, where we don't hurt each other."

His lips unfurl a rueful smile. "As do I, angel, but my time is up now." He places one last kiss on her forehead, tears streaming down his cheeks behind his closed eyes.

Upon feeling him fade beneath her touch, she releases a sharp sob. "Don't go." She whimpers as soon as his warmth dissipates, leaving her cold. Her knees buckle underneath her, feeling weak, before she allows herself to fall to her knees, digging into the sand.

"I'm here, Mia Cara."

His honeyed voice that speaks to her in a lull catches her off guard, as does the warmth of his body with his arms enveloping her body, which feels akin to a safety blanket. Despite her heart aching tremendously for Jakah, she sought solace in his embrace, her hands fisting the hems of his top.

"Heli." A mixture of relief and melancholy blooms in her chest. Her eyes flutter close as he strokes the back of her head affectionately and occasionally gives kisses on her crown. She basks in his warmth momentarily before pulling away from him just enough to get a good look at his face.

There it is—his tender, loving gaze—that has her falling in love all over again. As he cradles the side of her face, his thumb gently caresses her cheek. "I don't have much time left." He says with a rueful smile. "Let's not dwell in despair any longer, and make the most of the time we have left."

She nods her head in agreement while tears manage to escape from her eyes, prompting him to lean down and kiss them away. He gently assists her to stand and intertwine their fingers before deciding to take a stroll by the shore.

In a while, they momentarily forget about the current predicament as they converse, with him making jokes and her laughing at them. For a minute, they feel as though they are finally at peace together.

"Heeseung, the present me, he seems to care for Elora. He hasn’t left her side since she passed out." Heli speaks up after they decide to bask in the comfortable silence. "You know it yourself that everything they see, feel, do, and think, we do as well."

A sad smile touches her lips. "Do you really believe that we could breach through the borders and get the present us to remember?"

In response, he squeezes her hand while determination gleams in his resplendent magenta-hued eyes. "I do."

"I don't. It is all just wishful thinking." She murmurs, halting her steps. She returns her gaze to his face. "I do love you, but maybe not getting the present for us to remember is for the best. Astra─"

"We don't care about Astra and her rules." He cuts her off sharply, yet there is a tinge of softness. "Think about it, Mia Cara, if Astra forbids us to meet, then for what purpose did she reincarnate us in the first place?"

"Don't you get it? It's to punish us." She tells him exasperatedly. "It's the reason why the present us don’t remember their previous lives. This is Astra's way to torment us."

His lips press thinly, knowing that his beloved is right. He turns his head to look at the moon before returning his gaze to her. A faint, gentle smile touches his lips. "Our time's up is close. What do you say we go for a short swim? It has been more than awhile."

Nostalgia breezes past her before she reciprocates his smile. With a tug at her hand, he pulls her towards the sea.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

It is rather anomalous for Jungwon to fall into the temptation of sleep, especially when he's a powerful hybrid whose necessity doesn’t include sleep. It is even bizarre to have dreamt about his enemy, who is presently in her quarters and has been unconscious for the past 24 hours.

Jungwon can vividly recall how he touched and held her close to him, the way she stared at him with pure love and heartbreak, and the taste of her plump lips kissing him. Despite how she exuded such warmth, he felt the coldness of her body. When he woke up, his heart ached weirdly, and he couldn’t seem to forget that dream. That's right. It's just a mere, meaningless dream.

But why does it bother him so much?

His ears perk up at the sound of a familiar rattle from behind. He is seated diagonally by the window sill with his arms crossed over his chest as he gazes out the window. As expected, he feels one of his many companions slither its way up his body from behind before it settles on his nape.

"Ssshe'ss awake." His companion snake hisses next to his ear, speaking in a language that only a kind like him understands. "Ssshe'ss all alone in her room. Heesssseung wasss nowhere to be found."

Without uttering a word, Jungwon pats its head gently before it slithers its way down to make an exit. Jungwon remains seated while his mind bears jumbled thoughts before he heaves a sigh and begins to make his way to her quarter.

Using his vamp speed, he reaches her quarter within a minute. He notices that the door is ajar, but nonetheless, he decides to announce his arrival by knocking on the door. He doesn’t hear her response, and so he pushes open the door.

His breath nearly hitches in his throat as soon as his gaze settles on the female, whose side profile greets him as she sits by the window sill, seeming to be in deep thoughts as she gazes out the window. He begins to scan her overall countenance, noticing that she is in a new garment set. His gaze falls to her hand that is wrapped in a bandage, to which she holds it close to her chest, and a frown touches his lips.

Jungwon should be delighted to see the vulnerable sight of his enemy and the wounds she bears, but oddly enough, he doesn’t feel the slightest pleased. It is even bizarre for him to feel a sudden wave of protectiveness for his enemy.

"How are you feeling?" The question easily rolls down his tongue, despite being unprepared for how to strike up a conversation.

Elora turns her head to the side and meets his eyes. She blinks her eyes in surprise, totally taken aback by the fact that he isn’t being hostile towards her. She recovers herself with a cough and looks away from his gaze briefly. "Aggrieved and furious at your brother." She murmurs her answer.

"I know that what he did is not justifiable, but you have to understand that he wasn’t himself." Jungwon finds himself explaining, and he doesn’t know why he cares enough to want her to know about it.

Elora scoffs out in disbelief. "Wasn’t himself? Do you really expect me to believe such an excuse?"

Jungwon leans sideways against the wall with his arms folded. "Perhaps you don't know what we are yet."

"I know what you are. A hybrid. Sunoo told me before he decided to attack me." Elora says, frowning. "But how does being a hybrid correlate with Sunoo almost killing me?"

"As hybrids, our emotions and every sense are amplified tenfold compared to an average vampire." Jungwon unfolds his arms and ambles towards her. "While being hybrids means that we are far more powerful than any other beings, it is also a curse." He adds, unfurling a faint smirk.

"Why?" Elora has no idea why, but she finds herself entirely intrigued by this.

"You've seen firsthand what happened with Sunoo." Jungwon stops a few feet away from her. "You want to know why being a hybrid is a curse? Once our triggered buttons go off, we lose control, ergo, we become hellbent on destroying and annihilating anything and anyone in our paths."

Elora allows his words to sink into her brain. "So that's why you said that Sunoo wasn’t himself because something triggered him?"

"And I'm guessing that it was your blood that triggered him since we saw the bite marks on your neck." Jungwon's eyes fall to her neck at where the marks were, but there is nothing, thanks to Heeseung's blood that healed her.

"My blood?" Elora's frown deepens. "How are you so certain? Some of your brothers had drunk my blood before, but they didn’t get triggered, unlike Sunoo."

The corner of Jungwon's lips quirks a smirk. "Peculiar, isn’t it?" He steps closer to her, noticing how startled she is by the close proximity between them, with him towering over her figure. "Give me your hand."

Elora hesitates as she looks down at his palm towards her, but something nudges her that she can trust him, and so she slowly places her bandaged hand on his palm. She watches him as he unwraps the bandage and sees how he does it so gently. A frown touches his lips as soon as he sees the scar that looks fresh.

"Heeseung's blood did heal me, but it wasn’t enough to fully heal the wounds on my stomach and hand." She utters.

"Do they still hurt? Your wounds?" He asks, still holding her hand delicately.

Elora ignores the weird flutter in her heart as her face remains impassive. "They throb painfully sometimes, but nothing I can't handle."

Jungwon hums in response, and the next thing he does is not what she expected. He brings her palm near his lips before whispering in a distinctive language that she has heard before. His eyes glow a mixture of crimson and amber as he uses his magic to heal her.

As soon as he finishes, he ends it by placing a soft kiss at where the scar is, sending her heart fluttering, before he gently pushes her fingers for her to close her palm. At once, she feels an odd sensation throughout her body, and instead of feeling the prior lethargy, she feels anew.

Jungwon releases her hand while she stares at him with wide eyes. "Look at your palm." He says calmly.

Elora listens to him and unfurls her hand as she looks at it. Nothing. There are not even any traces of her scar. It is as if she has a brand new layer of skin over her palm. Even her stomach doesn’t throb anymore.

"You used your magic to heal me." She murmurs, still in stupefaction to believe that her enemy healed her once again. "The language you whispered. It's parseltongue." Despite her face contorting into confusion, she knows what type of hybrid he is, but she wants to hear from his mouth. "What are you, really?

Jungwon smirks in response. "For me to know, for you to find out." He drawls with his eyebrow raised just slightly before offering her his palm. "Let's go. You must be famished."

Elora surprises herself when she willingly accepts his offer as she places her hand on his.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

While in the middle of consuming the food Jungwon had specifically made for her, Elora inspects the wound on her palm, as though she is trying to make sure that her mind is not playing tricks on her or that whatever spell he casts to heal her is not fraudulent.

Even now, as Jungwon is giving her a tour around the palace, she does it again, and her action doesn’t go unnoticed by Jungwon while he feels annoyed.

"You can stop now." Jungwon doesn’t bother to conceal his annoyance while his gaze remains straight ahead. "My healing spell on you had worked effectively and permanently. You're fine."

Elora clears her throat and quickly matches the walking pace with him. "So, you speak parseltongue." She strikes up a conversation, though in an awkward manner. "So that explains the snake that almost squeezed me to death the first day I was held captive. It listened to you and followed your orders, so that means you can shapeshift into a snake as well?" She states unsurely.

Jungwon's lighthearted chuckles sound oddly melodious to her ears, and when she takes a glance at him, her heart beats in an unfamiliar cadence upon seeing the prominent dimple on his cheek.

"Close, but not close enough." He says, now guiding her to the palace's library as they stride along the hallway, where the entrances to the library are at the far end.

Elora huffs out her frustration. "Just tell me what you are."

"Where's the fun in that?" He shoots her a smirk. "Besides, I'd rather show you what I am than tell you."

"Then show me."

"You wouldn’t want that." He says calmly, but there is a tinge of warning. "I can only show you if I ever get triggered."

"So what's your triggering point?"

Jungwon scoffs out a chuckle. "You sure do talk a lot."

Elora is about to retort, but the moment they enter the library, her jaw goes slacken while her eyes glimmer in awe at the gorgeous yet regal sight of the massive library that has to be at least two stories. On every wall and every shelf, there are intricate gold details emblazoned. In the middle of the library, there are fairly large marbled tables with chairs and multiple beige velvety couches arrayed.

Although seeing such a gorgeous sight is nothing new to her, considering that she is an Aetherlyn and her kingdom is known to have such an abundance of lavish ornaments, designs, et cetera, she can't deny how beautiful their palace's library truly is.

"I take it that you like the library, then?" Jungwon's voice draws her attention to him. For the first time since her captivity here, he is astounded by the small smile appearing on her pink lips. His heart starts to beat at a weird pace again. She has just smiled at him.

Before any of them can speak next, they are interrupted by multiple voices, prompting them to turn their heads to the side and spot Jay, Jake, and Sunghoon in the library as well, descending the stairs.

Sensing new presences, the three of them turn their heads to where the two figures are. In a blink of an eye, one of them uses his vamp speed to charge towards Elora, but Jungwon is swift enough to shield Elora from him and stop him by the shoulders.

"A bit brave of you to show your face here, isn’t it?" Jake smirks coldly, while the thirst for revenge is palpable in his gaze alone. He attempts to shove Jungwon away, but the latter remains unyielding. "Why are you defending her? She needs to be taught a lesson after the stunt she pulled on Jay and me."

"Enough." Sunghoon grabs Jake by the shoulder firmly. "Heeseung made it clear to us that no harm would come to Elora. We need her alive, remember?"

"Sucks for you." Elora decides to taunt Jake as she chuckles. "For hybrids, both of you surely healed slower than I expected."

"You knew what we were?" Jay's voice compels her to look at him, and the instant their eyes meet, she is reminded of the day when she shamelessly and willingly fell into his dark allure. Heat weaves across her cheeks before she recovers herself.

"That the seven of you are hybrids? Yeah." Elora says.

"Your dagger was imbued by a powerful spell." Jay states coldly. "I would be impressed if I hadn’t been the one you stabbed me with your dagger and rendered me immobile."

"The healing process was excruciatingly long." Jake shoots her a scowl.

"Do you think you can create daggers like that again with your magic?" Sunghoon's question throws her off guard as she blinks her eyes at him while the rest are staring at him with incredulity.

Sunghoon raises his eyebrow at them. "What? It is abundantly clear that our enemy here is capable of creating such weapons and imbuing them with powerful spells that can cause a great wound to any being."

"You have a point." Jake nods his head in agreement. "We might need them once we embark on our journey to Mermaidia."

"Uh, no way." Elora scoffs, rolling her eyes. "I'm already being held captive here. There is no way I'm going to help you by creating weapons for you."

In a blink of an eye, Jay appears directly in front of her, causing her to stagger a step back due to being startled, but the prince holds her by the arm firmly and pulls her closer to him. Her eyes go wide as they stare into his cool, crimson ones that seem to penetrate into her.

"You don't seem to understand that you belong to us now, and you'll do well to heed our orders." Jay's low, husky voice evokes the familiar heat within her. "Consider yourself lucky that you're still breathing, thanks to Heeseung. Otherwise, we'd inflict unimaginable pain on you."

Elora ignores the close proximity between their faces as she glares into his eyes. "Just because you're stronger than me doesn’t mean that you should underestimate me. Consider yourself lucky for the number of times I've held myself back from trying to kill you."

"Okay, that's enough." Jungwon appears next to them and forces them apart, but his grip on Elora's arm remains, which Jay narrows his eyes at. "Clearly, we'll be spending more time together since the journey to Mermaidia is a long one. The least we can do is be civil towards one another."

Elora scoffs out in response but remains silent, looking away from their eyes. Jungwon is surprised that she doesn’t look bothered by his hand, which is still gripping her arm.

"The imperial court has requested our presence tomorrow, including Elora." Sunghoon speaks up, breaking the palpable tension in the atmosphere. "They want to meet her before permitting us to embark on our journey."

Jake groans lowly, the distaste on his face is apparent. "I hate it whenever we are summoned to the imperial court."

"Why do they want to see me?" Elora asks Sunghoon tersely.

A smirk touches Sunghoon's lips. "If you're worried about being executed, don't be, princess. They simply want to meet a mermaidian since they have never seen one for a long time."

Just then, footsteps approach towards them, and when they turn, they see the youngest prince, who looks like he has been going for a hunt with a bow and a bag of arrows strapped to his back while there is some dirt staining his blouse.

"I've been looking everywhere for you guys. Heeseung and Sunoo are nowhere to be found." Riki says, his eyes glimmer delightfully, oddly enough to Elora. "She's awake."

"Who?" Jake blurts out, his face twisting into confusion.

"She's awake?" Jay steps forward, the coldness on his face diminishes, and for the first time, Elora sees how he seems relieved and delighted.

"Who?" Jake presses, but earns a glare from Sunghoon.

"Have you lost your memory, or are you just simply a fucking idiot?" Sunghoon deadpans at him.

"Our sister." Riki tells Jake.

"Wait, you guys have a sister?" Elora includes herself in the conversation, her face contorting into confusion. "I thought that there were only the seven of you."

"We do have a sister. Our older sister, to be exact." Jungwon tells her in a rather civil yet soft manner, prompting the rest to look at him bizarrely, especially with the way he is staring at her. "She's the second-oldest."

"She's a little different than us." Riki's voice draws her attention to him. "The imperial court has decided that the only princess in our kingdom should remain confidential, especially when she has a disease that no one, not even the physicians, could elucidate. She has been in a state of coma for six years."

"Now she's awake." Sunghoon doesn’t bother to conceal his elation. "Come on, then. Let's go visit her."

"We can't. They won't allow us." Riki shakes his head. "We can only see her tomorrow."

"What's her name?" Elora finds herself asking this, and despite not knowing of their sister's existence until now, Elora can't help but feel rather uneasy, and she has no idea why.

"Celeste." Jungwon tells her with a small smile.

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#enhypen #enhypen poly #heeseung #jake #jay #sunoo #jungwon #ni-ki #sunghoon #enhypen fanfiction #fantasy romance

[weepinglilvessel]

GRABS YOU

I found a song and the LYRICS FIT SO WELL FOR THE ECLIPSE AU LIKE,, LOOK LOOK HEAR ME OUT IVE GOT SOME OF THE LYRICS OK

ITS CALLED “Messenger in Flames” by Cepheid on YouTube

"Sol will consume / Goddess will fall / Fires will scorch Gaia's heart / Luna's Eclipse / Will not forestall / Celestial downfall

You cant flee from your fate / Nothing will save you from calamitous embrace / A destiny etched in stone, written and bound / Dance your encore with grace / The stars will witness your empyreal ballet”

I LITERALLY CANT ITS. im foaming at the mouth rn frfr

“Fires will scorch Gaia's heart” I??? THATS. HGGMGMG. the fact that pebble is considered to be earth in the eclipse au and GAIA means earth and the destiny parts of the song could be relating to the rot and “Dance your encore with grace” COULD TOTALLY REFER TO INFECTED PEBBLES he is dancing his ENCORE. There is NO escape from the rot. “Goddess will fall” could refer to sliver of stars and THEN that could tie into the final line of “The stars will witness your empyreal ballet” as like a connection to how pebbles is essentially chasing after sliver after they go kablooie he is following in their footsteps or even MOON considering shes not dead completely. she can *witness*.

I was searching for songs to draw my au suns to and came up on this in my liked songs list i am going to SCREAM its so perfect for this au RAAAAAAAAAA

-no sleep anon

*kicks feet violently*

I WAS JUST ABOUT TO ASK PEOPLE THEIR INTERPRETATIONS OF MY AU THROUGH MUSIC I LOVE YOU/p

Now let’s see hear-

*listens real quick*

OK OK I can actually see it! I like this! The lyrics fit so good my gosh! I want to make a playlist for this Au but I’m not sure yet.

OH ANOTHER THING! God-EP by Jake daniels

All the songs in that playlist also fits so well with mainly Suns and Moons point of view like worship and being controlling. YIPPEE!!!

I’m rambling ndjjdbdbfj

#rw eclipse au #rain world au #rw au #rain world #rw #music suggestions #music playlist

[scarlet--wiccan]

It seems like chaos magic is becoming more widespread. I can’t remember Agatha using it much historically and recently Nico was stated to have an aptitude for it. Honestly I didn’t even really consider Billy a chaos magic user so much as a reality warper until the unlimited comic. Is there any consensus on Natalya’s magic?

I feel like it’s going from “unique way to class Wanda’s powers and certain elements of her mythos” to “dark and scary magic that may or may not be used for evil contrasting standard marvel magic”

Do you have any thoughts on this?

You know, originally, chaos magic was pretty much how you describe it-- just generally dark and scary. Chthon and the Darkhold are often cited as the sources of most evil or malevolent magic in the Marvel world, including things like demons, lycanthropy and vampirism. That's their primary role in the Elder Gods mythology, and that's the version you'll see most often, up until the late 90s, especially in horror comics, such as Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins. Even in the 70s Nights of Wundagore story, when it's first introduced as part of Wanda's origin, chaos magic doesn't have any of the characteristic elements we think of today.

The specific elements of chaos magic, as we understand it now, were first established in the Busiek run of Avengers. Throughout the early arc of this series, Wanda learns a lot more about the unique abilities that chaos magic affords her. Writers have continued to refer to this loose definition of chaos magic-- a volatile, primordial power that twists probability and transcends the boundaries of ordinary magic-- ever since, for both Wanda and Billy.

Unfortunately, that does tend to be distorted by Disassembled and HoM, which contradict basically everything about Wanda's powers. The past two decades have been a real mixed bag, but you already knew that. Fortunately, between Darkhold and Trial, the understanding of chaos magic was definitely brought back in line with Busiek's definition, while also giving Wanda more agency and control over the situation. But then again, unfortunately, giving Wanda total control over the Darkhold neutralizes a major power in the Marvel world. You can't take big bads off the board forever, it just creates narrative dead ends. So, I'm not really surprised that they're trying to bring it back in some capacity, but I am suprised that it's happening so soon. And like I said, I'm worried that Contest of Chaos will dilute Wanda's trajectory and Chthon's significance if other characters can just write their own Darkholds or whatever.

Natalya was a witch, and her magic was witchcraft. Robinson's Scarlet Witch spent a lot of time expanding witchcraft and its role in the Marvel Universe, with a particular focus on establishing witch lineages that are passed down, typically, from parent to child, and are represented by particular colors and symbols. All of this was done in service of setting up Wanda's new backstory. That was kind of, like, the point of the whole book.

I assume that the Maximoff family, and the other witch lineages introduced in Scarlet Witch (2016) exhist in the same space as Agatha and the various covens she's affiliated with, such as New Salem, or the Coven from Midnight Suns. I'm hoping that, as Agatha's role continues to expand, these two histories will be woven together more cohesively. Ideally, I would use this renewed focus on "witchcraft" to bring folk magic and other cultural practices into Marvel's worldbuilding in a more inclusive, authentic way.

As for Billy, his powers have always been magic. I don't think that was ever really a question until New Avengers (2015). A lot of what Ewing did with Billy in that series contradicted canon, and he's walked most of that back in the time since. Billy is pretty explicitly magical throughout Empyre, GoTG, and Last Annihilation, even if his approach to magic is frustratingly stagnant. It was clear that Billy and Wanda were operating with the same powers in Heinberg's YA and Children's Crusade. Gillen uses chaos magic and reality-warping interchangeably in his run of Young Avengers, but there's no doubt that it is magic.

I've said it before, but I think that defining Billy's powers differently from Wanda's would just be silly, and it would undermine the significance of their connection. The fact that he inherited those powers from his mother is major part of the story, so I don't want to distort that. I think the question we should be asking is how Billy is able to wield chaos magic, and not just regular witchcraft, without being marked by Chthon. The easy answer would be that chaos magic is so thoroughly integrated into Wanda's being that she can just pass it on to her children herself-- that's what we're supposed to assume, at least in in YA and CC. I also think there could be a way to conflate Billy and Tommy's resurrection via the Life Force with Earth's Demiurge, which could help tie up several loose ends and would give Billy a direct line primordial chaos magic without having to deal with the Darkhold and all that.

#wanda maximoff #billy kaplan #natalya maximoff #agatha harkness #chaos magic #robintext #chthon

[spyridonya]

During Act 4, the origin of your powers is made clear by everyone’s favorite naked lady, Nocticula, and everyone’s favorite mom, Areelu. Before this revelation, the Hand of the Inheritor is your KC’s biggest fan. He’s going to the Abyss for you. He’ll defend you against his possible future successor. He absolutely believes in you.

And then he finds the power comes from dead demon lords and is devastated. During this devastation,  Nocticula mentions that the Hand of the Inheritor was once the Hand of Vengeance for the empyreal lord known as  Ragathiel, the General of Vengeance who was a half devil and yet was accepted by Heaven.

This is Ragathiel. Ragathiel’s mother is Feronia, a demigoddess of the Plane of Fire. His father? A former empyreal lord who fell with Asmodeus and was given the 2nd layer of Hell to rule, the archdevil Dispater.

Ragathiel was raised by his mother outside of Hell after his parents amicable divorce. And he was one angry little shit of an angel (little is relative, he’s like 21 feet tall in his chosen form). Though he was an angel, Heaven did not trust him. Rags had to fight for a thousand years, kill countless monsters, kill thousands of devils, eventually killed Typhon, the original ruler of the first layer of Hell (Asmodeus say he totally allowed that to happen, but Asmodeus is an asshole), and had to get one of his six wings lopped off by his father in battle to prove that - no, he’s not an evil devil.

And it was only after that that the Hand joined Rags as his herald - the Hand of Vengeance.

In comparison, all it takes an Angel Commander is to go “I’m sorry you don’t trust me, but I’m gonna go out and do good (without making a monastic order of assassins to kill other in the name of good) anyway”.

The Hand really learns to trust an Angel KC and feel regret with most KCs in a matter of weeks. 

#Wrath of the righteous #pwotr #ragathiel #(rags really walks on that good/evil line) #hand of the inheritor #pathfinder #(the golden himbo is really a quick learner) #(promise)

[randomidiocyncrazies]

on the topic of war crime tribunals/transitional justice in the Kree-Skrull Alliance, Scarlet Witch #6 brings up info on a genocide that's "for ruling eyes" only—the resolution of that story is pretty much something you'd expect from a superhero comic book (which is the type of story they set out to tell so it's like. within genre conventions even though I think it's questionable, though it's framed as adequate and effective access to justice and reparation*) but like. imagine if Teddy pushed for information transparency after seeing how much of his people's history is being hidden from them, or if it delved into a legal battle with the perpetrators of genocide instead of physical combat.

It's mentioned that the Skrulls hid this information because they wanted the Blood Skrulls "out of sight, out of mind"; they wanted to divorce their identities from the Blood Skrulls' (which is understandable if imo not the right way to handle it), and imo also because the genocide of other species isn't 'important' enough to be acknowledged. So if Teddy, the Great Uniter and King of Space, pushed for some kind of public acknowledgement of war crimes/crimes against humanity** committed by the two empires he'd inherited, what would the public reaction be? Whose feathers would be ruffled? Who would be supportive because it's the right thing to do, and who'd be supportive because of some other vested interest?

(also, irl there are international laws for crimes against humanity; would be interesting to see an intergalactic version of that, and the drafting of stricter protocols/policy research/establishing agencies and organizations that deal with investigating large-scale genocide and oppression etc... along with the political squabbles about jurisdictions and sovereignty that you see irl at UN and other international organizations)

Also, it seems like the only people in Teddy's court are him, Billy (Court Mage and Prince Consort), Lauri-ell (The Accuser/bodyguard) and Mur-G'nn (???), which seems a bit wack. You can't run a vast empire with so few people, and even if Teddy is mostly concerned with the affairs of Throneworld it's still really weird that there aren't more recurring characters at the Kree-Skrull court... I totally understand why K'lrt isn't serving the inner court—Teddy shouldn't have to see his mother's murderer day in and day out—but like. can we get a few more ministers on the roster????? I wish there's more opportunities to just see what a typical day on Throneworld is like, y'know? I'd kill for a miniseries that features normal citizens of the Kree/Skrull Alliance just living their life and doing their work, and the royal couple's adventures are only alluded to in the background.

(somewhat related, but i'm actually kind of ??? at Teddy being so okay with the fact that it's an empire that he's in charge of; I wish we got more of his thoughts on what he thinks about the natures of empires and monarchies in general, and his thoughts on institutional reforms etc. Struggles about what kind of king he wants to be has been brought up before, and his showdown with his grandma re:the nature of a successful ruler was pretty badass in Empyre... but being king means you have to approve or veto laws and policies, having to deal with paperwork and weighing advice from people who may or may not have the empire's best interest at heart etc etc. It means confronting the concept of absolute power in the hands of a ruling class determined by birth. It's a bit of a shame that they want the empire to be a thing in the worldbuilding, but don't really invest in developing the empire into a viable setting that feels real/lived in)

*tbf since we don't know the domestic laws of the Kree-Skrull Alliance or any intergalactic law regarding genocide/gross violations of the rights of sapient & sentient life, massacring the people responsible may be perfectly legal in the setting (and thus doesn't violate UN guidelines to the right of reparation, which I used as a baseline). It sucks that there wasn't a formal trial establishing the guilt of the responsible parties, though their guilt was informally established/treated as truth due to the nature of the classified info—the situation feels like executing someone without a formal trial, with all the evidence coming from a classified CIA record lmao (and this doesn't get into the issue of possible innocent blood skrulls—are all of them really guilty/responsible for genociding the monastic order in question? Whoooooo knoooooows!)

**they're aliens but you know what i mean

#marvel comics #young avengers #kree/skrull alliance #hulkling #tldr: idk man i think a mini about the ordinary folks in the Alliance would be sick as hell #or a mini about institutional reforms within the empire

[lailoken]

The Wending Garland:

Sidereal Rosary of the Wisefool's Craft

As some of you may remember, around the Spring of 2021, I talked about creating and reworking a strand of devotional beads that I consecrated to the Wending Way. This initial consecration took place on the Spirit Night of Hollantide (Hallowe’en,) preceding the Wisefool’s Sabbath of Hallowmas—day of the Moth, who is emissary of the Dead—and the secondary consecration took place on the diametric Spirit Night of Ampletide (Walpurgis,) which precedes the Wisefool's Sabbath of Amplemas—day of the Snail, who is emissary of the Wild. This timeframe is meaningful, not just because of the holy days themselves, but because of the palindromic number of mystic significance that was present in the 181 days of evolution observed between the formation and reformation. What I share now is the next progression of a triune metamorphosis undergone by the implement I’ve spoken of here previously.

While I had been informed early on that there would be three distinct incarnations taken on by this implement, it wasn’t until the Wisefool’s Sabbath of Gathering Day that I was given clear instruction for this culminative transmutation. Along with a amalgamation of the first and second shapes taken on by the rosary—a strung garland of beads and a chain-linked loop of beads, coming together as a chain-linked garland—I was to incorporate a talisman of antiquity that I had been shown once long before (with the East Anglian triquetra of bronze used in the previous incarnation of the beads now incorporated into a rosary for my mother.) While I thought, when first shown the eight-spoked votive wheel, that I was meant to utilize it as a centerpiece connector in the secondary embodiment of my rosary, when the actual talisman presented itself to me in the physical world, it ended up being given over into the possession of another. It managed to find its way back to me by Grantingmas, however, and by the following sabbath of Savoring Day, all additional pieces had been acquired, and 49 days of specialized saining ensued. At last, upon the Sabbath of Hallowmas—a year and a day from the initial genesis of the instrument—the third and final incarnation of the beads came into being.

The ultimate step in the wending journey of forging this tool was a potent ritual of consecration that took place not long after, on the day of my birth. Therein, I was granted a ‘pure seed’ of the Sidereal Spider’s power, which was bound to a fragment of my Calon—the centralized corpus of my zoetic Spirament, somewhat akin to the ‘auric body’—and sealed within the devotional cord of beads. In doing so, I am given a direct and link to my initiator and Their eldritch inheritance.

The Wending Garland—Rosary of the Wisefool— is dedicated to my Craft, and to all of the powers and forces—Empyreal, Telluric, Aqueous, and Chthonian alike—which have conspired to teach, guide, and mold me as I tread the arcane passages of the Attercob’s Labyrinth. It is used, as it was in its previous embodiments, for prayer, trance-induction, and the Weaving of Cantrips.

This ternary incarnation is composed from:

10 Bloodstone beads (Heliotrope); a tribute to the Ancestors and the blood that ties us together across generations and realms,

10 Spiderweb Obsidian beads (Obsidianus Aranea ); a tribute to the Wyrding Web and its manifold progenitor, the Sidereal Spider,

10 Blue Elvan beads (Welsh Preseli Bluestone); a tribute to the Hidden Folk, and my ancestral ties to their Gloaming legacy,

40 Spirit Beads (Juniper Seed); seeds from my oldest arboreal patron, gathered in my homeland, and fashioned using traditional techniques that utilize the help of Ants in their creation.

9 Stone Beads from riverbeds, beaches, and lakeshores of personal and hereditary significance,

1 Ancient British Tin Votive Wheel (≈ 100 BCE—200 CE, )

And an Iron Ore Hagstone from the shores of the West Country,

For a total of 81 components (a number of great mystical significance, especially within the context of my Craft.)

[rayraywrites]

Title: An empyreal connection

Characters: Katsuki Yuuri, Viktor Nikiforov

Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Viktor Nikiforov

Rating: General Audiences

Total Word Count: 3545

Zine: @yoi-stardust-zine

Summary: “Tell me the story about how the Sun loved the Moon so much he died every night to let her breathe.” - Michelle Montague

—

Read on AO3

#yuri on ice #katsuki yuuri #victor nikiforov #viktor nikiforov #yoi-stardust-zine #fantasy #things im in #ray ray writes #event fics

[spacepunksupreme]

3, 12, and 17 for the book asks!

Thanks! ^__^

3. What were your top five books of the year?

Ooooo. In order of reading, not in order of quality/favoritism: A Study in Scarlet, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Jurassic Park, The Silver Pigs, and Something Wicked This Way Comes !!

12. Any books that disappointed you?

None that disappointed me per se, but one that was even worse than expected was The Vampire Armand. I completely forgot until flipping through my journal earlier that I attempted to read it (out of curiosity) at the beginning of the year. Horrid. I didn’t get more than like 50 pages into it before having to stop because the sexual violence in it was upsetting me so bad that I got physically sick while reading! I’ve never had such an adverse reaction to reading something before. I was completely blindsided by it since I’ve read other books that I’d say were equally as violent in the same way, and I already knew what happened in the book beforehand. So much worse than I was prepared for though apparently

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

Would it be stupid of me to say Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD: Empyre? Which was a book I found in someone else’s trash that I read in like less than a week? It wasn’t like good-good, lol but it was soo hilariously entertaining. Totally rekindled my love for Sgt. Fury, and reminded me that it’s been wayyy too long since I’ve indulged in the thing that jumpstarted my career as a comic artist (dumb American superhero comics lol). I def got more enjoyment out of it than I expected to, so I think that counts haha

#asks #ask game

[attroxx]

❛ @empyreous said . . . (jaw) - for your muse to grip my muse’s jaw in one hand (aesma and koda~) ❜

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐓. so quickly and easily done it takes koda a second to register what's happened. the other's grip is tight but not squeezing him, firm. anything that the blonde had been thinking about suddenly vanishes from thought. what had they been talking about ? why was aesma touching him ? what had brought this on to begin with ? koda stands frozen, brown eyes wide as he's forced to stare up at the taller man.

it's funny, really . . . ironic even. so many times he'd been on the opposite end of an interaction such as this. but only ever on a movie set. in front of the camera he could turn this sort of confidence on but only when he was acting. behind the camera, in his everyday life koda wasn't smooth nor confident like this. but it seems to come so easily for aesma . . . he's almost jealous. red floods his cheeks, wanting to pull away. but he can't even if he tried.

❛ what are you doing, aesma ? ❜ swallowing down his nerves koda tugs on the others grip. ❛ let go . . . ❜ but even koda isn't totally convinced at his own statement.

symbol meme. — accepting.

#empyreous #giggles #〈 answered ask. ★ 〉 #〈 koda reply. ★ 〉 #〈 only look forward and run / main verse. ★ 〉

[aetherceuse]

Examine Necrozma

Examine (NOT Accepting) || @heroftruth

How could one even begin to describe this? This limitless, boundless source of creation, and the one who will be responsible for the inevitable heat death of the universe. This empyral drake, with wings made of supernova and a body forged from the cradle of the universe, longs for the ability to be whole again. And how poetically grievous it is, that it must sap the life out of the cosmos, in order to experience totality for such a brief moment.

A creature destined to crave light, to embody it, only for it to destroy it.

Wielding Necrozma is a means of taking the fate of the universe into one’s hand. Even so, is one truly in control, if what is going to happen is inevitable no matter what?

Perhaps she is mad for wanting to reach her hand out and experience it.

But she, too, is an individual that casts a great deal of light, albeit cold, artificial, and blinding. She, too, is responsible for crushing the life of those who attempt to touch her.

#heroftruth #✧˖°.« 𝚂𝚞𝚋𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝙽𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎 » Answered

[himejoshikomaeda]

that empyreal garden of amusements album totally rocks!!!!!!! you guys were not kidding about that stage 5 theme hahaha!!

[scarlet--wiccan]

Are Wanda & Jericho still dating?

Well, they never broke up, but their relationship seems to have been... forgotten.

The last time they were on-page together as a couple was the Empyre: Avengers tie-in, back in 2020. Even though they were both in Strange Academy, their relationship was never adressed. It didn't come up in Trial of Magneto or Darkhold, and it hasn't been acknowledged once in Scarlet Witch.

The only person who ever really acknowleged their relationship was Jim Zub, the same writer who paired them together in the first place. He wrote a bunch of Avengers stuff in the late 2010s, so Wanda and Jericho seemed like they were going really strong for a few years, but since 2020, it seems like everybody is just pretending it never happened. It's a total bummer, to be honest.

#wandajericho

[minamorsart]

Hi. First of all. LOVE YOUR FIC "The Empyreal Within". Makes my day :3 And i have already so many theories... AND QUESTIONS!

Is Romelle going to appear? (She totally is the market woman...)

Brandom will fight Lotor? (He'll die trying lol)

Desto is involved because she needs the money? (only one bussiness can make you this rich...WAR)

Count Do-Tarn is involved or is just a jerk? (or both..)

How the hell is Allura going to find out about Lotor being half altean? (Lotor is hinting like crazy)

There was like a bit of a feeling like Alfor hates Zarkon for "stealing" Honerva...there was a love triangle? (Alfor is all the time scared to hell Lotor will try any advance on Allura, feels like trauma to me...)

Hi!!! Oh my gosh thank you so much for taking the time to read the fic!! And for noticing all of those details, wow! It makes me so happy to see that those concepts are able to come across in the story! 🥹

Unfortunately I cannot answer without spoiling the mystery plot for you 😆 However I will say that your notes are excellently compiled and very much appreciated 👀👌

Also the imagery of Bandor fighting Lotor made me laugh, so thank you for that 😂

As for Lotor's reveal and his parent's backstory, I definitely have something planned that I am super duper excited to share in upcoming chapters!

Thank you for sending me all of your theories!! You've just made my day!!!!

#made another heart meme babeyyy #i love this still of allura she's so cute 🥺 #lotura #the empyreal within #asks

[starkcanvas]

Astral next :0000

Ahh the Astral Plane it being the sort of middle ground of The Afterlife :) it being an a land made up of many different Realms. Making The Astral Plane full of many different inhabitants and creatures alike. There being 9 Realms in total. A main with 8 branching off.

There’s Arreal Metropolis which is the Centre of The Astral Plane and then the others:

Seaweed Ravine, Arcadia Terminal, Lava Canyon, Jazzy Archipelago, Reverie Spring, Incubus Crevice, The Enigma Lean and the Concealed Domain. The Astral Plane is one hell of a tourist location in The Afterlife lmao

Each Realm having 4 signature species that are local to the area. Here’s an example. Lava Canyon is home to The Skeleons, The Imps, the Ragged and The Shin-obi. Mari’s Creatures 101 teacher at school, Mr. Cane, was originally from Lava Canyon but with the help of Mr. Grimm, The Grim Reaper himself, his tangibility was shifted and he moved to the Ethereal Plane to teach :) Making him a Ghost-Skeleon

And the last little fact is that the Astral Plane was created by Empyre, (Pronounced like “Empire”) The Astral Titan

#omori #omori game #omori spoilers #omori au #omori: ethereal route #omori mari #omori oc #omori mr. cane #ask response #text post #text response #mod mack #mod ask

[atlasfoundation]

37, 38, and 39

37. What’s a comic that makes you cry?

Lords of Empyre: Celestial Messiah

38. What’s a comic that makes you laugh?

Sword master is the funniest comic I’ve ever read lmao there’s too many panels to post

39. What’s a comic that makes you think?

Totally Awesome Hulk, for it’s analysis of asian american stereotypes and pan-asian identity and solidarity

Yang’s Shang-Chi for its commentary on British imperialism and its lasting effects as present-day sinophobia as a self-aware commentary on his older comics. Fu Manchu-ness reimagined as intergenerational trauma from colonisation

#asks