madcatlad

[madcatlad]

THIS!!! PLEASE!!!!

Love this twist so much! It fits in with literally EVERYHING! This is my first time seeing this outside of my own brain man, I'm rottinggggg 😭

Thank you for this 🙌🏾

Time for WENDELL'S WACKY MCD HEADCANNON

This time, the Demon Warlock and Travis!

It is my personal headcannon that Travis's mom wasn't a descendant of Enki, but she came from a long line of priestess of Enki. Or the old Enki.

In my headcannon I believe that Enki and the Demon Warlock are one in the same. He was an all powerful Divine Warrior, one whose job was to keep information and learn magic. That magic came at the cost for once they had the necessary magic, they needed more.

Having power isn't enough for those in and with power always want more. Enki, who was once a symbol of education and spreading knowledge for all one day, just disappeared. Some say they got lost on the path of life, others say they went searching for knowledge that would lead to immortality for all.

Well, the last part does contain some truth. For a keeper is only a keeper if they can contain their knowledge. Enki was getting older, and death was drawing near and they could not handle the idea of mortality. So they turned to magic that even they forbade themselves from using. Magic that traded lives by the hundreds.

Enki succeeded in having their body live forever, but they died that day. Their soul twisted, corrupted, and split that there was now two pieces. A kind soul left to be reborn, and HIM. A man so corrupted by magic that he only knows hatred and greed. The Demon Warlock.

#i mean this is just canon at this point #it has to be canon #let my demon thing guy have this #aphblr #mcd #divine warriors #enki #demon warlock #travis valkrum

[madcatlad]

I know this is such a regurgitated take, but MCD had so much wasted potential.

The idea that one group of friends will die, meet each other in a different life time, die again, and they cycle repeats is such a beautiful trope.

I love reincarnation tropes, I think they can be beautiful and a can symbolize loyalty and closeness to one another, while also simultaneously having angst and one sided love tropes.

I believe Jess and others could have made it a beautiful piece of media, but they squandered it because of poor writing. The amount of plot holes, storylines, and characters arcs she was trying to write, that a lot of it just fell flat.

They did try fixing it with my street and whatnot, but without MCD being complete, it feels like something is lacking within the characters. The fact that MCD never finished means we didn’t get to see the full storyline and how these characters developed around each other that could have possibly shown itself into the future.

Though, tbf she also messed up the future by making them so wildly out of character. I understand you have to update their way of speaking because they are in modern times and not medieval, but some of them were completely changed.

Anyways rant over IG. I was just thinking about what MCD and future could have been if it had been properly planned and written out and actually finished. Toodles

[madcatlad]

i’ll uncanny YOUR valley bitch

[madcatlad]

Ru'aun World Building : Holidays

Nater Day

Virtue of Irene = Forgiveness

Celebration of life, living and all things alive. The idea is to wash away all the sins, grief, and hardship of the previous year, and move into the next free of the past. (Very Irene-esque 👀). Thus the "forgiveness"

Last week of The Matron's month

Nater is a play off of the word "Nether"

Villagers do basically do whatever makes them happy! Each village have their own traditions but some go across all of Ru'aun.

Traditions:

Gift Giving - Tokens of love, achievement, and miscellaneous trinkets

Short work days, week Off for work and school, minimal travel

Blessed Water - Ru'aun Holy Water except died purple with a distinctive flowery taste and sticky texture. Made in bulk for all of Nater. Village babies commonly get "Baptise" during Nater.

Nater Bread - sweet bread drenched with spice milk and topped with sugar cream

Prayers to Irene for good luck and fortune

Nater Wishes - Villagers write their years wishes on paper, ribbons and cloth the early morning of Nater.

"Lord Dowsing" or "King Shower": Village Lords stand before their people and allow themselves to be dowsed in Blessed Water. Villagers will then throw their Nater Wishes at their lord for good luck. Whoever's wishes stuck to their lord would come true! (It is common for Lords to attempt to grant at least one wish that stuck if it is in their ability.)

Some go about "King Showers" differently, most of Ru'aun just practise as it is written above. But in Meteli, since everyone there seems to have a sense of humor, they will actually also throw Nater Day treats and foods at their lord, and by the end, they'll be a sticky mess. They then have a good laugh.

In Scaleswind and Brightport they just bake Nater Bread and stuff their wishes in the middle. Because these villages are larger than Phoenix Drop they have to hope that their bread even gets to their lord at all.

#O'khasis does not practise King Showering at all :( #Levin adapted the Meteli tradition because he thought is was funny and wanted to raise the spirts of his villagers #he keeps their wishes in a safely guarded jar in hopes to grant a wish 🥹 #aphblr #aphmau #minecraft diaries #mcd #i really really tried with this one

[madcatlad]

Aaaah! Not you coming in with the RECEIPTS!!!! THIS is 🎆everything🎆

TRAVIS TIME TRAVIS TIME

i had such a hard time drawing him i was so scared i wasn’t doing him justice 😭

headcanon time babeyy

His natural form is a cross between human and demon, naturally. he only allows himself to be like this when he’s alone or with Eseryt. He’s at his most powerful like this (not including demon form), as shapeshifting causes strain if he holds it for too long.

He can shape shift into any living creature, but he cannot turn into specific people.

His father has the ability to enter his mind and puppet him around if his defenses are down. In order for Travis to be weak enough for this, he must have put some strain on his power, like holding his human form for too long *wink wink*

When his father is in control of his body, his eyes turn from green to purple.

Transforming into his demon form puts a great strain on his body, and can be very painful. He only willingly does it if he absolutely needs a power boost.

His mother, Olle Valkrum, was trained her whole life to fight the Demon Warlock. He had been feuding with her family and their island since Enki’s time. Olle, being a descendant of Enki himself.

The Demon Warlock one day disguised himself as a man named Micheal and whooed Olle. He spent months gaining her trust as Micheal, while simultaneously fighting her as the Demon Warlock as to not draw attention. Eventually Olle became pregnant and gave birth to Travis. Appalled at this inhuman creature she created, this is when Micheal revealed himself to be the Demon Warlock all along. Olle raised Travis to the best of her abilities, training him the same way she herself had been trained, until one fateful day when she lost her life.

Shortly after everyone returned from the Irene Realm (which he of course had no idea about), he started having dreams of a girl with red hair and a scarred face. He could interact with her, but he could not touch, speak to, or hear her.

A while after the dreams began, he came across this very girl in the woods one day. Assuming it was a trick by his father, he rushed her. Though later she revealed herself to be Eseryt Yrva, a girl who’s group crashed on Enki Island and were just looking for a way out.

He and Eseryt eventually became very close and romantically involved. No Travlyn doesn’t happen (sorry guys). It never felt right to me. Not only was Katelyn always mean to Travis, but I’ve always thought she was a lesbian. (She is in my rewrite)

Travis is NOT a creepy perv!!! He’s just socially awkward and doesn’t understand social norms or ques. He doesn’t have much of a filter and will often unintentionally make people uncomfortable or offend them, though he always means well.

His lack of filter is part of why Es likes him. He’s honest, which is rare.

He’s a lot smarter than he lets on, or that people give him credit for. He has a lot of time to himself, which he spends reading and researching. He also is an incredibly skilled fighter and survivalist.

He’s never been fond of fighting. Much more preferring things like reading, writing, and painting. He’ll paint or write about whatever he sees around him.

Once he learns certain social norms and ques, he sticks to them religiously. He only wants to make people feel ok and safe around him.

He’d sacrifice himself for the people he cares about in a heartbeat a thousand times over and over again. trait he gained from his mother.

Travis was born female but shortly after he was born, he physically shifted to male and stayed that way. He can shift between male and female (or neither/both) at will, but prefers to present as male.

He generally uses he/him but doesn’t mind they/them. But please not It. That makes him feel more disconnected from his human side.

#aphblr you did not fail me on this day #this is PEAK theorizing right here #travis is trans #travis valkrum #aphblr #minecraft diaries #matpat could never

[madcatlad]

Ah yes, Travis and his shapeshifting gender trope. I've hc'd this idea for A LONG TIME (i think it was hinted to in a roleplay or mini-game at some point???). Travis lore just be like that somethimes.

TRAVIS TIME TRAVIS TIME

i had such a hard time drawing him i was so scared i wasn’t doing him justice 😭

headcanon time babeyy

His natural form is a cross between human and demon, naturally. he only allows himself to be like this when he’s alone or with Eseryt. He’s at his most powerful like this (not including demon form), as shapeshifting causes strain if he holds it for too long.

He can shape shift into any living creature, but he cannot turn into specific people.

His father has the ability to enter his mind and puppet him around if his defenses are down. In order for Travis to be weak enough for this, he must have put some strain on his power, like holding his human form for too long *wink wink*

When his father is in control of his body, his eyes turn from green to purple.

Transforming into his demon form puts a great strain on his body, and can be very painful. He only willingly does it if he absolutely needs a power boost.

His mother, Olle Valkrum, was trained her whole life to fight the Demon Warlock. He had been feuding with her family and their island since Enki’s time. Olle, being a descendant of Enki himself.

The Demon Warlock one day disguised himself as a man named Micheal and whooed Olle. He spent months gaining her trust as Micheal, while simultaneously fighting her as the Demon Warlock as to not draw attention. Eventually Olle became pregnant and gave birth to Travis. Appalled at this inhuman creature she created, this is when Micheal revealed himself to be the Demon Warlock all along. Olle raised Travis to the best of her abilities, training him the same way she herself had been trained, until one fateful day when she lost her life.

Shortly after everyone returned from the Irene Realm (which he of course had no idea about), he started having dreams of a girl with red hair and a scarred face. He could interact with her, but he could not touch, speak to, or hear her.

A while after the dreams began, he came across this very girl in the woods one day. Assuming it was a trick by his father, he rushed her. Though later she revealed herself to be Eseryt Yrva, a girl who’s group crashed on Enki Island and were just looking for a way out.

He and Eseryt eventually became very close and romantically involved. No Travlyn doesn’t happen (sorry guys). It never felt right to me. Not only was Katelyn always mean to Travis, but I’ve always thought she was a lesbian. (She is in my rewrite)

Travis is NOT a creepy perv!!! He’s just socially awkward and doesn’t understand social norms or ques. He doesn’t have much of a filter and will often unintentionally make people uncomfortable or offend them, though he always means well.

His lack of filter is part of why Es likes him. He’s honest, which is rare.

He’s a lot smarter than he lets on, or that people give him credit for. He has a lot of time to himself, which he spends reading and researching. He also is an incredibly skilled fighter and survivalist.

He’s never been fond of fighting. Much more preferring things like reading, writing, and painting. He’ll paint or write about whatever he sees around him.

Once he learns certain social norms and ques, he sticks to them religiously. He only wants to make people feel ok and safe around him.

He’d sacrifice himself for the people he cares about in a heartbeat a thousand times over and over again. trait he gained from his mother.

Travis was born female but shortly after he was born, he physically shifted to male and stayed that way. He can shift between male and female (or neither/both) at will, but prefers to present as male.

He generally uses he/him but doesn’t mind they/them. But please not It. That makes him feel more disconnected from his human side.

#minecraft diaries #aphblr #travis valkrum #I know i have a lot of Laurence based content but Travis is genuine my favorite character

[madcatlad]

LAURANCE AND GARROTH DESERVED SO MUCH MORE FUCK A BITCH NAMED AARON FOR RUINING THEIR CHARACTER ARCS

[madcatlad]

Losing my mind over Laurence and Garroth’s bond.

Laurence promising to hold back to accommodate for Garroth’s shyness.

Laurence takes their promise super fucking serious, to the point where he’s ashamed and withdrawn after just. Hugging Aphmau for comfort after his fucking village was destroyed

Laurence’s (framed) betrayal was Garroth’s breaking point.

Garroth, still thinking Laurence betrayed him, was pulled back by his speech.

“You need to be a Garroth worth protecting others!” And he folds like a tower of cards

Laurence came back to himself after slaughtering a wedding procession and his first concern was “oh no I broke my promise :(“ because Aphmau kissed him

They balance each other so well.

[madcatlad]

He went to Forgot-Plot-Land actually. He posted an apology on Twitter and he's sorry :(

Did Aphmau ever explain what happened to Brian. Where did he go? Who was he working for????

[madcatlad]

The fact we never really got the full story is the TRAGEDY of mcd. Irene/Shad beef became so THICC!!

Shad is one of my favorite tragic characters

[madcatlad]

Love this idea!

Loooooove this idea...

Love. This. Idea.

That's all 😊

So you’re telling me that the relic Aphmau has, is commonly seen as fire and Irene doesn’t create, have fire magic and or the ability to turn people into a version of Shadow Knights?

I call BS

Hell’s Creator MCDRW!!

(The the arc of turning Laurance(Vlyad???) into a Shadow Knight under her magic

Coulda happened during “The Calling Arc”!!!

Aphmau should have learned to use her magic!! I wanted a training arc!!!

#please give us Light Knights 😭 #minecraft diaries #mcd #aphmau #mcd shadow knight #irene the matron

[madcatlad]

Laurence suffering is honestly the vibe right now. Send him to trauma jail.

One thing I want to do with my rewrite is show the change with Laurence before and after the Nether. I imagine that he was a pretty calm and collected person, never really got into fights, and was always willing to help others, even during the trip to the Nether with Aph he seemed calm. But once he became a shadow knight it was like his personality had taken a 180, being much quicker to anger and hardly being able to hold himself back from fights. There's also how uncomfortable he is around people, Laurence once being amazing with dealing with the everyday person now hardly being able to speak to a stranger.

I might change some things though

#aphblr #aphmau #mcd #minecraft diaries #laurence zvhal

[madcatlad]

Wrong!

The not-so-fun-part

I think that ultimately the reason Aaron's character comes of as so insufferably out of place in both MCD and Myst is because his only character trait is "I luv Aph" and 🎆trauma🎆 but I think this is to cover up a greater problem. And I believe this issue Originates from Jesson, or their relationship, or how they choose to portray their relationship- whatever. I don't want to get to deeply into them as individuals, but it does need to be stated how their dynamic is because Aarmau at the end of the day is a reflection of Jesson. Their view on what interactions are romantically okay in their writing stems from their interactions with eachother irl.

I won't go into detail in this post, but if you know, you know.

And so it is interesting, intended or not, how this relationship comes across. I need to make it known now that I do not claim to know the intimate relationship between Jess and Jason. But again, it is hard to ignore. I would not be surprised if some of the stranger aspects of the Aarmau relationship were normal for the Jesson relationship.

And a pattern I have noticed is that, throughout the years, even into Myst, Aaron STILL seems to only be characterized by his trauma or his love for potato-wife. And if Aphmau and Aaron are truly only the persona to Jess and Jason then why not characterize Aaron more like his irl counterpart? It's almost as though they are trying to hide him behind the loud trauma and loyalty to Aph. Like they are trying to hide Jason behind Aaron?

Idk. I can't say much more than that. But I do think it would be irresponsible to bring up the topic without mentioning it.

I just came to a angst realization....

(Thank you to @shirazens for allowing me to use their comment)

I literally just came to this conclusion in a comment threat under my "Aaron Needs Friends" post with @shirazens .

In summary Aarmau comes off as unnatural

I think the main issue is how rushed and force the relationship was in the series, and the fact that it change key elements in the story to make a place for itself.

The Aarmau agenda also had to down other characters to build itself up, which sucks. A lot of character assassination stem from Aarmau. Including the way Aphmau interacts with her support. But I'd like to focus on how unnatural (and frankly problematic) this relationship comes across if you actually pay attention to how they interact with eachother.

And their relationship is certainly off.

@shirazens

THIS is why I've always disliked his character, he felt so disconnected.

also he continues to constantly mourn his past wife WHILE getting closer to aphmau which feels like to me he was just using her if that makes sense?

Their relationahip has always come across as strange.

In my former post I address a portion of this problem with Aaron not having any relationships outside of Aphmau. It is odd.

Aaron- despite being so closed off and mysterious and (quite rude in some instances), CONTINUED to follow her group around for months...but NEVER take an interest in ANYONE??? Except Aph. That is mad weird. If you like her so much to risk your life for her consistently why avoid her Support System so adamantly???

It makes the relationship seem very strange. Almost like Aaron is isolating Aphmau from her friends when building their relationship. They only really talked about his trauma or her stress-

Aaron and Aphmau are TRAUMA BONDING...

It hit me like a train! It isn't romance, it isn't a love story. It is codependency!

Aph ONLY goes to Aaron when she is stressed about her responsibilities. "Because he understands". And in turn Aaron's only personality trait is trauma- and he only really opens up to (or talks at all) to Aphmau. Think about it, this man is FOLLOWING her- for seemingly NO REASON by time the Post-Irene-Dimension arc roles around! "Having nothing" isn't really a logical reason anymore. He had NO motive to be present. He's made no connections, no character growth, no earthly ties, so WHY are you following the 🎆"magical friendship woman"🎆 if you don't want to make friends???

And I think this is great writing potential. This makes sense for the storyline in season two, as Aph was extremely overwhelmed, and the steaks had just risen from village quarrels to Armageddon. And I definitely can see where @shirazens was going with the how Aaron saw Aphmau, as a stand in or familiarity to his wife, or that he was using Aphmau to get a semblance of his late wife, Lily.

Personally I'm not amongst the re-write clan of aph-fans, (I prefer to progess with the shit show we were given). But this is a juicy narrative to explore for both, especially if you don't want to throw out Aarmau all together.

If you want to get angsty, you could argue that Aaron being so distant to Aph's support group was to isolate her from them. Again, this fits, and I am well aware Jesson did not intend this BUT Aphmau DID become a lot more distant to her companions for Aaron's sake. She became dismissive of their concerns, argued with their suspicions, and lowkey berated them because "she trusted him" and expected everyone to follow suit (fr a lot of them were so real for that, homie was acting up- ahem- Laurence- ahem- Katelyn). She put Aaron on a pedestal out of nowhere, and vouched for him undeservingly. You could argue that this was a result of isolating her, you could argue that this was just Aph blindness to Aaron's faults.

And this also really REALLY fits well with the Irene VS Shad motif and how that entire mess went down between them. I can totally see those two being codepent with one another as well with their similar struggles and pain. I can see them relying on one another too heavily. I can see that leading to suck strong feelings of betrayal. Especially if Shad was as isolated as Aaron. In fact I'd say Irene and Shad damn near prove this idea.

Fun right?

[madcatlad]

I just came to a angst realization....

(Thank you to @shirazens for allowing me to use their comment)

I literally just came to this conclusion in a comment threat under my "Aaron Needs Friends" post with @shirazens .

In summary Aarmau comes off as unnatural

I think the main issue is how rushed and force the relationship was in the series, and the fact that it change key elements in the story to make a place for itself.

The Aarmau agenda also had to down other characters to build itself up, which sucks. A lot of character assassination stem from Aarmau. Including the way Aphmau interacts with her support. But I'd like to focus on how unnatural (and frankly problematic) this relationship comes across if you actually pay attention to how they interact with eachother.

And their relationship is certainly off.

@shirazens

THIS is why I've always disliked his character, he felt so disconnected.

also he continues to constantly mourn his past wife WHILE getting closer to aphmau which feels like to me he was just using her if that makes sense?

Their relationahip has always come across as strange.

In my former post I address a portion of this problem with Aaron not having any relationships outside of Aphmau. It is odd.

Aaron- despite being so closed off and mysterious and (quite rude in some instances), CONTINUED to follow her group around for months...but NEVER take an interest in ANYONE??? Except Aph. That is mad weird. If you like her so much to risk your life for her consistently why avoid her Support System so adamantly???

It makes the relationship seem very strange. Almost like Aaron is isolating Aphmau from her friends when building their relationship. They only really talked about his trauma or her stress-

Aaron and Aphmau are TRAUMA BONDING...

It hit me like a train! It isn't romance, it isn't a love story. It is codependency!

Aph ONLY goes to Aaron when she is stressed about her responsibilities. "Because he understands". And in turn Aaron's only personality trait is trauma- and he only really opens up to (or talks at all) to Aphmau. Think about it, this man is FOLLOWING her- for seemingly NO REASON by time the Post-Irene-Dimension arc roles around! "Having nothing" isn't really a logical reason anymore. He had NO motive to be present. He's made no connections, no character growth, no earthly ties, so WHY are you following the 🎆"magical friendship woman"🎆 if you don't want to make friends???

And I think this is great writing potential. This makes sense for the storyline in season two, as Aph was extremely overwhelmed, and the steaks had just risen from village quarrels to Armageddon. And I definitely can see where @shirazens was going with the how Aaron saw Aphmau, as a stand in or familiarity to his wife, or that he was using Aphmau to get a semblance of his late wife, Lily.

Personally I'm not amongst the re-write clan of aph-fans, (I prefer to progess with the shit show we were given). But this is a juicy narrative to explore for both, especially if you don't want to throw out Aarmau all together.

If you want to get angsty, you could argue that Aaron being so distant to Aph's support group was to isolate her from them. Again, this fits, and I am well aware Jesson did not intend this BUT Aphmau DID become a lot more distant to her companions for Aaron's sake. She became dismissive of their concerns, argued with their suspicions, and lowkey berated them because "she trusted him" and expected everyone to follow suit (fr a lot of them were so real for that, homie was acting up- ahem- Laurence- ahem- Katelyn). She put Aaron on a pedestal out of nowhere, and vouched for him undeservingly. You could argue that this was a result of isolating her, you could argue that this was just Aph blindness to Aaron's faults.

And this also really REALLY fits well with the Irene VS Shad motif and how that entire mess went down between them. I can totally see those two being codepent with one another as well with their similar struggles and pain. I can see them relying on one another too heavily. I can see that leading to suck strong feelings of betrayal. Especially if Shad was as isolated as Aaron. In fact I'd say Irene and Shad damn near prove this idea.

Fun right?

#aphblr #aphmau #mcd #minecraft diaries #mystreet #aaron mcd #shad the destroyer #irene the matron

[madcatlad]

Not Aph slowly making herself the villain 👀

can someone explain to me why, when aph + the gang were ‘looking’ for Laurance for those 3 years, they didn’t think to check the nether?? Girl that would’ve been the first place I would look

[madcatlad]

my Roman Empire is how laurance should’ve been the descendant of shad, it was set up so perfectly! Him referring to himself as having a darkness inside of him, and aph being the light to that darkness is soooo Irene and shad coded

#mcd #aphmau #aphmau mcd #laurance zvahl #minecraft diaries

[madcatlad]

OMG!!! You get it!!

This is exactly what I was going for! I want to see the inner battle! I want to see how the flames of The Nether consume a person! Anger isn't enough! Give us a complete descent!

And I love how you connect it back to Shad, and the intentionality of that addictive nature and how that would ABSOLUTELY benefit him! I didn't even think of that!

I'd love to explore this idea further. Not just with Laurence, but the other shadowknights. Sasha, Zenix, Gene, Vylad, even Zane.

For example, I know the Fandom has a lot of issue with Zane's motives after his return as a shadowknight- and his over-the-top evil moments. BUTTTT (as a person with no moral F's to give) he'd absolutely feed into that addiction easily. AND THAT IS COMPLEX! Even for a evil-written character like Zane!

There is so much to explore here, I'm glad I'm not the only one sucking this up.

dude. xerith. idk if you saw my reblog of madcatlad’s post, BUT. they cooked. the issue on the table: nether withdrawals. i’m insane about this.

very much exploring the idea of the calling being more about fighting the addiction that is the nether itself for shadow knights, rather than purely the aggression part.

thoughts? musings?

Oh Cinn, oh Cinn you've brought my attention to something beautiful.

Little known fact about me because I'm still pretty decent about over sharing on the internet, addiction is something I've actually thrown hands with before. The idea of the Calling as an addiction to the Nether?? Now that's a concept I can latch onto.

I think that there could be ways to satiate withdrawal, but not in an exactly helpful way. The Calling is in Shadow Knights brains like "Oooh you wanna kill your loved ones and come back to the Nether soooo bad." But minor acts of violence and arson can make it shut up. Enough bloodshed, such as what happens at the Werewolf Wedding, is enough to make it so a knight isn't drawn to the idea of killing their loved one anymore because the urge for blood has been answered. Of course... Most Shadow Knights fighting the call aren't exactly happy when something like the Werewolf Wedding happens to them.

As for the urge of the Nether, they could always try to answer that with things that are like the Nether or remind them of it. Sitting by a fire, setting things on fire, sitting in a pool of hot water that can at least try and simulate lava, setting things on fire, existing in the bitter dry heat of an Arizonan morning, or setting things on fire. The Calling always responds best to the most violent solution, and even while trying to satiate it, it's still pulling at the mental strings of a knight to make the most violent decisions possible.

That idea of being able to sit by a fire instead of setting something ablaze really sucks for Knights who might have been traumatized by the Nether and struggle to be around fire for very long as a result, Laurance.

A lot of moments of a premature Shadow Knight lashing out aren't necessarily because the Calling is making them want to kill, it's because it's making them want to go back to something they know is bad for them. It's a drug that they've overdosed on and are trying to run away from still present in their veins and urging them to take another dose, regardless of its lethality. That kind of mental gymnastics and battle wears down at a person even when they aren't actively fighting. Even if they aren't in their head fighting the Calling and it's urges, it's still there. They still think about it.

Laurance doesn't want to go back to The Nether. He would rather die again than go back there. But when he sees the frame of a portal, when he's nearby one that's unstable, he has to fight. He has to fight his body and its urge to go back to that hell. Just one hit will make him feel better. Just a chance to touch netherack and breathe that ashy air will soothe his worries. Because being reminded of the Nether, even if it causes a trauma response, does cause a part of his brain to feel good. The Calling sees fire and gives him a shot of dopamine and excitement.

Wouldn't it just be so nice if he went back? If he didn't have to feel this constant drain? If he was in the Nether then the Calling would shut up, right? Wouldn't it be so amazing to just feel this good all the time? He's already dead, what damage can be done to his body afterwards?

Of course the Calling has two components, both addictive. One is of course the urge to go to the Nether. The other is that urge to kill your loved one and gain immortality. Doing one only makes the other feel stronger. Oh, you sat next to a Nether portal and made it so you're now comfortable in the over world? Bet you wanna kill your lord right about now, huh?

What's that, you actually killed your lord? Well, don't you just wanna come home to the Nether where you're surrounded by people who have all done the same and won't hate you for it? Go on, you know you want to.

Like everything else, it comes down to the Shadow Kings need to control. If he can make Shadow Knights into addicts of stuff directly associated with him, they'll be more loyal. They'll serve him to get a fix of bloodshed and hell fire. They'll come running back to him after ruining their lives for his enjoyment, and they'll fall at his feet for the chance to become a higher up in their army. He deprives them of everything they ever could have had and calls it freedom.

#aphblr #aphmau #mcd #minecraft diaries #laurence zvhal #shadow knights #zane ro'meave #zenix mcd #gene mcd #in need of fanfic #Anger is NOT enough to send my boy Laurence to the NETHER