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#6D spoilers
elahogn · 10 months
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why not just find your friends and leave?....
as broken and hurt as they are, i’m glad Ashton is there to ground the team
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transchaoswizard · 1 year
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So, an important breakdown:
Gabriel knows that Chat Noir is in love with Marinette and wants to use it to drive a wedge between Chat and Ladybug
Natalie knows Adrien is interested in Marinette
Conclusion: Gabriel is going to try to set his son up with Marinette to try to toy with the superheros (I mean he's used Adrien for less).
Bonus if this becomes the thing that makes Lila start to rebel and become a more independent villain, rather than just being chloe 2.0
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thera-daydreams · 2 years
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ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ᴏʟᴅ ʟᴀᴅʏ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴡɪᴛᴄ��
ᗢ jujutsu kaisen x scarletwitch!reader ᗢ
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13. madness
Chapter Index & Synopsis
warning: will contain spoilers from the jjk manga and the latest mcu movies/comics/shows (particularly wandavision, loki, spiderman: nwh, as well as content from doctor strange in the multiverse of madness). once again, this will contain heavy spoilers—you have been warned. angst, cussing, cursing, murder, disturbing themes, & swear words will be here, too. trigger warning as well for wanda's depression and suicidal behavior. so... hi, all! it's been what, 6 months? before i say anything more, here's an ultra-mega-super-duper-long-almost-25k-words chapter—practically a whole story in itself—to make up for my long absence and silence here on tumblr. this was weeeeeks in the making and i'm brain fried as i publish this. honestly, i may never edit or beta this because of how ridiculously long it is, lol. anyways, enjoy! 🥰
(word count: 24,958)
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(previous chapter)
The rumbling and shaking continued in the darkness the eight jujutsu sorcerers were in, throwing them off balance. Before they knew it, the darkness ripped open into a... well, it looked like they were somewhere in outer space? But there were pillars and pieces of debris floating around, some objects defying the laws of gravity.
Suddenly, a roar resounded from behind them. Their heads snapped to the direction of the sound, where they found... a ribbon-like monster chasing a young girl wearing a denim jacket and... Dr. Strange in a ponytail?
Just like before, when they were watching and then got sucked into the TV (particularly into the last two episodes of WandaVision), everything felt real. Like a 3D—no, a 4D film. Maybe 6D, even. Yet it was only a glimpse into the past, thus they were still physically unaffected by the events despite them being able to feel and experience it realistically with their five senses.
It was different from the holograms they watched with Loki and Dr. Strange with Spiderman—other pivotal events of your universe that didn't include you.
"Strange looks... strange... doesn't he?" Geto blinked, confused as the duo got closer to their point of view. The Ribboned Creature was destroying everything in its path as it attempted to attack weird-looking Strange and the girl with him. The two individuals being chased went through them like they were ghosts, and so did the angry Ribboned Creature.
"And who's the new kid?" Toji raised one fine, curious eyebrow. The others shrugged.
"Dunno, Toji-san," Yuuji replied. "But that ribbon monster seems to want to get her."
"We should probably follow them," Nanami logically suggested as the Ribboned Creature, Strange-with-a-ponytail, and New Girl got farther away in the distance.
The other seven males nodded, running after the monster and the duo it was chasing (albeit, with some difficulty due to the lack of gravity, the floating debris, and the mess of space-time in the Gap Junction). They jumped and ran, momentarily stopping when Ponytail Strange and New Girl stopped.
"Hey, are they speaking Spanish?" Yuuji asked out loud, overhearing the conversation between them. Choso, beside him, had question marks all over his head.
"... What is... Spanish...?" the cursed spirit thought to himself quietly.
"Uh-huh," Megumi muttered to Yuuji, looking back-and-forth warily between the relentless Ribboned Creature and its victims.
"Well, anyone of you know what they're talking about!?" Toji huffed out, crossing his arms. "'Cause I don't."
"Hehe. Sorry. The only Spanish I know are pick-up lines for the ladies!" Gojo nervously laughed, scratching the back of his head. Geto mimicked the exact same action with a guilty look and a grin.
"... Yeaaaaaah, uhhhh, I didn't really listen during second-year Spanish class with Yaga either. Oops," the long-haired male admitted.
Megumi and Yuuji sighed loudly at that. Best friends, indeed. Gojo and Geto were probably slacking off together that time in their highschool days.
Eventually, all heads turned towards the only reliable person in the room (... or space, since they weren't exactly in a room).
A vein popped on Nanami's temple as all eyes slowly turned to him hopefully (Gojo's and Yuuji's eyes were practically sparkling). The blonde exhaled loudly in exasperation as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "You expect me to know Spanish?"
"We knooooow you do, Nanaaaamin," Gojo stated in a sing-song voice.
Another vein popped up on the blonde's temple. "Stop calling me that."
"You know, you were the only one who got perfect marks under Yaga's Spanish class when you were in second year," Geto chuckled, feeling nostalgic for a second. "You were a damn miracle. That man couldn't teach Spanish for his life."
Relenting, he sighed, "... Fine. I'll translate."
Ah, Nanami Kento. Always so reliable and competent. "Thank you, Nanamin!" Yuuji danced around beside him.
Boom!
They watched (while simultaneously continuing to run and follow the duo) as Ponytail Strange's powers glowed an icy blue as he fired shots at the Ribboned Creature.
"Weren't his powers, like, orange...? Or am I colorblind now?" Gojo yelled, beginning to doubt his Six Eyes after everything he's seen about your Multiverse.
"This guy must be like those other versions of Spiderman. Like that Sivan—Syra—the hell was her name again... the other self that Loki smooched..." Toji muttered to himself.
"Sylvie. The blonde female variant of that Loki guy," Megumi finished for him. "You're getting old with all those memory lapses, old man." Toji rolled his eyes at his son, pinching the boy's ear as they ran.
"So this Ponytail Strange is a variant of the Dr. Strange we've seen before?" Yuuji tilted his head in question.
"Probably," Geto and Gojo chorused.
"What are they saying now?" Choso curiously asked as Ponytail Strange and New Girl conversed in rapid-fire Spanish. Ponytail Strange pointed at something far ahead.
"He's saying that it's that book that will kill the monster," Kento translated from Spanish to Japanese for the other men. Multilingual King.
"Book?" the others questioned.
"The Book of Vishanti!" New Girl shouted, as if answering the spectators watching them, when she recognized the mystical item from afar.
"Jump!" Ponytail Strange shouted as they encountered a gap in the floating concrete. With that, the eight jujutsu sorcerers also jumped high, too, roughly landing on the sloped piece of floating concrete. "Hold on!" Ponytail Strange told his female companion.
"Shit, this feels like a fight but we're not technically a part of it?" Geto muttered to himself as he slid and landed on solid ground. Ponytail Strange and New Girl did the same, too. Unfortunately, seconds after, the Ribboned Creature caught up to them, roaring in anger as it pierced the new Strange's thigh with its sharpened ribbons. Ponytail Strange was able to encapsulate it and restrict it with some concrete and magic, yet only for mere moments as his injury spread further through his leg.
"Sheesh. That looks nasty," Gojo cringed, taking a glimpse of the Sorcerer Supreme's wound.
"Real nasty," Yuuji followed with a disgusted face. "Must hurt a lot. Poor guy."
Megumi's eyes were stuck to the Ribboned Creature. "It's gonna get out," he mumbled, a foreboding feeling running through his veins. "They can't win this, can they?"
"... Unlikely," Nanami answered back, not very optimistic. Just as he said that, Ponytail Strange yelped out. His wound was getting infected by dark magic.
"It's too strong! I can't hold it!" Strange yelled, shaking as he attempted to keep the monster in the magical circular cage he made. All of them gazed in horror as the monster began breaking its way out.
As he came to this realization, Sorcerer Supreme Strange slowly turned to the new girl—whose name was America Chavez. The gazes of the eight jujutsu sorcerers watching them skimmed over to America, too.
"What's this dude planning?" Toji raised a brow.
"... I don't think it's gonna be anything good," Choso's lips pursed. Indeed, the Cursed Spirit was right.
"I'm so sorry," Sorcerer Supreme Strange began, hesitant. "But this is the only way." With that, the man began extracting the young girl's power for himself. The jujutsu sorcerers were surprised.
"Oh no, why... why would he..." Yuuji felt sympathetic for the girl. She looked to be just around his age. Maybe even younger. Megumi felt the same, too.
"Wh—What are you doing!?" America shrieked as she was lifted up into the air. Slowly, her powers were siphoned out of her.
"I can't let that thing take your power. You can't control it," Stephen told her, trembling as he took the girl's abilities while simultaneously holding the monster back. "But I can."
"But we're friends!" America cried out. "You're killing me!"
"I know." Stephen shut his eyes tight. "But in the grand calculus of the Multiverse, your sacrifice is worth more than your—"
Stab!
One of the creature's ribbons went through Ponytail Strange's heart.
"Damn," Toji commented, arms crossed. "I guess he kind of deserves that, though?"
Ponytail Strange fell to the ground, almosr lifeless. America, now free, set her eyes on the Book of Vishanti. She quickly ran towards it, hopping over multiple pieces of floating debris to get to her destination. Behind her, the jujutsu sorcerers followed. Right before she could obtain it, however, the Ribboned Creature got a hold of her four limbs. The jujutsu sorcerers stopped in their tracks.
"Crap," Yuuji's eyes looked frantically around them. "Is there really nothing we can do to help her!?" Beside him, Megumi was thinking the same, but didn't let his nervousness surface visibly to his face.
Nanami shook his head, "... Unfortunately, no. Like everything we've witnessed, this is the past, remember?"
"It's already happened and we can do nothing to stop it," Geto added. Before he could say anything else, the creature roared, scaring America. Out of instinct, her powers activated. Eyes glowing bright blue, a star-shaped portal appeared around her, acting like a vaccuum—sucking everything around them into it. With his dying breath and remaining magic, Ponytail Strange sent out four spinning blasts to cut away America's restrictions. America (and the monster) were thrown into the portal. Ponytail Strange was sucked into it, too.
And as much as they hated it and tried to avoid it, the jujutsu sorcerers watching were thrown into the portal as well—spinning and spinning as they fell.
"Oh shiiiiiiii—" Gojo shouted, voice echoing through the portal.
Before they knew it, they all awoke on the floor of... a bedroom in the New York Sanctum? And they were in a pile on the ground, too (with Toji, unfortunately, on the very bottom with Gojo being on the top, squishing everyone else in-between).
A tick mark appeared on Toji's jaw at the weight on his back, "Get. Off. Now." The men scrambled to their feet. Then they heard wheezing and huffing from the bed in the room. Their eyes widened.
"Whoa. That's the Strange we know... right?" Megumi pointed out. His eye then twitched as he turned away. "He sleeps naked?"
"Who doesn't?" Gojo, Geto, and Toji chorused.
"... I did not need those images in my head," Nanami rubbed his temples, disgusted at the visuals involuntarily implanted into his brain.
"Perhaps he just does not sleep with a shirt on," Choso offered, head tilted. "But were we... watching his dream?"
"Uh-huh, looks like it," Yuuji deduced. He then whistled. "You know, I never realized Dr. Strange was that fit and built." The pink-haired boy glanced at his teacher. "He could give you a run for your money with those biceps, Gojo-sensei."
The Strongest looked offended. "I look much better than this guy, excuse you!"
"Heh. Dunno, Satoru. With those grey streaks in his hair and that awesome beard? Kinda gives me silver fox vibes," Suguru teased his best friend.
"Have you seen my hair!? It's all practically white—" Gojo protested, running his hands through his hair wildly. "I am the epitome of a silver fox!"
"Nah, without a good beard, you're not," Toji scoffed in the corner. Suddenly, a mouth popped out on Yuuji's cheek as they all watched Strange grab his broken watch and get dressed for a wedding.
"Where the hell is Granny." It was a statement, not a question from the King of Curses.
"Dunno. We haven't really seen mom since... that scene of her in her isolated cabin in the woods..." Yuuji frowned. "I wonder how she's doing here in her past. And in the real world. I've almost forgotten what she was doing since we last saw her in our world."
"Getting groceries," his older brother reminded him.
"In the middle of an incoming snowstorm," Kento sighed out heavily.
It was silent as they waited for Strange do to whatever he needed to do. The Master of the Mystic Arts walked for a few blocks, constantly fidgeting with his cufflinks. It was only when they were inside the chapel, familiar names scrawled on a fancy calligraphy canvas outside the large wooden doors of the entrance, that they realized what exactly Strange was there for.
"Oh my god, is he attending his ex-girlfriend's wedding!?" Gojo exclaimed dramatically.
"Well, this ought to be a sight," the Zenin clan deserter snorted. "What was that woman's name again?"
"Christine...?" Megumi answered his dad, unsure. "Forgot her last name though."
"Oof, this is gonna be awkward," Geto cringed beside his best friend. "Brilliant neurosurgeon and awesome superhero but doesn't get a love life."
"He did have to make sacrifices for his... lifestyle," Nanami quietly commented. Of course, as a jujutsu sorcerer, he could relate. At the blonde's remark, everyone else—at least, the adults of the group—sobered. The life of a jujutsu sorcerer was not forgiving. Time would be spent either fighting, recovering, teaching, exorcising, and the like. Romance? You were lucky if you had a partner that knew, believed, and accepted the life of having a jujutsu sorcerer as their lover. You were even luckier if you were able to sustain a long-term relationship, get married, have kids, and grow old.
Normally, that was not in the books of being a jujutsu sorcerer. Death rates and chances of injury were always high. It was always a gamble as you could die at any moment.
They watched the entire wedding silently.
ᗢ▪︎ᗢ
"Look. Truly, I'm just glad that you're happy," Stephen finished, congratulating Christine on her wedding day.
"I am. I really, really am," Christine brightly smiled at him, looking angelic in her simple yet classic, white wedding dress.
"Good," Stepehen nodded, doing his best to hold back his own tears. Right person, wrong time, indeed. Perhaps in another life... in another universe, it would have worked out between them.
"Are you?" Christine asked.
"I'm happy."
"Good. You deserve it."
With that, Christine left Stephen to his own devices.
"... What a load of bullshit." It was Toji who spoke and it was the first time any of them spoke since the wedding proper an hour earlier. His arms were, again, folded against his chest.
"Tell me about it," Geto snorted. "Clearly, he is not happy."
"He's heartbroken as hell. Anyone can see that," Gojo snickered.
Before more jabs at the ex-neurosurgeon could be made, screams and crashes were suddenly heard from outside the building they were in. Strange, plus the jujutsu sorcerers, ran out to the open balcony on... whatever floor they were... to see cars and street poles being thrown everywhere by... whatever invisible threat there was.
"Finally, some action," Sukuna popped up on Yuuji's cheek once more as Strange flew down. The rest of them jumped down the building, too. Thankfully, despite not having their cursed energy, they landed without a hitch.
"Yo... isn't that the girl from Strange's dream earlier?" Yuuji pointed out as Strange used a spell to make the invisible monster... well, visible.
"It was invisible to the naked eye...?" Choso thought out loud. "A cursed spirit?"
"Perhaps," Nanami observed. It was a huge, slimy, tentacled monster bigger than any cursed spirit he's ever encountered, though (well, maybe except for that one giant cursed spirit Aoi Todo fought during the Night Parade of Demons). It had one big eye, too, scanning its surroundings for its target. The girl.
America Chavez.
Strange—and Wong, later on—finished off the monster by stabbing out its single, huge eyeball from on top of one of New York's buildings.
"Giant monsters, I can clearly handle," Strange stared at Chavez closely. "But what bothers me is that last night, you were in my dream."
"That... wasn't a dream," America explained. "It was another universe."
The eight jujutsu sorcerers spectating stilled at her answer. They followed Wong, Strange, and America into a nearby pizza place, wanting to hear more of this girl's explanation.
Stephen huffed, tired of all the questions being directed to him and the lack of answers he was getting. "Now why was that octopus trying to eat you?"
"That thing was trying to kidnap me," America cut in. At their questioning looks, she let out a deep exhale. "It's like a henchman who works for a demon. All we knew is that they wanted to take my power for themselves."
"What power?" Strange's brows furrowed.
America paused, "I can... travel the Multiverse."
"Prove it," Strange challenged.
"That's neat," Geto nodded to himself. All of a sudden, the scene shifted to all of them being on a rooftop. America, Wong, and Strange knelt down, with America uncovering a dead body.
Strange's dead body. Or at least, the variant of him who was Sorcerer Supreme and had a ponytail. The one who died before their very eyes.
"It wasn't a dream," Wong breathed out in shock at seeing the decaying corpse. "That means..."
"Dreams are windows into the lives of our multiversal selves," Strange concluded, wide-eyed.
"Holy shit," Gojo blinked at the declaration. "Does that... apply to our universe, too?"
"... Maybe. Probably?" Geto's eyes were wide, as well. "But that's... it's outrageous. Crazy."
"That was his theory," America gestured to the dead Ponytail Strange.
"So that recurring nightmare where I'm running naked from a clown..." Wong trailed off.
America shrugged, "Somewhere out there, it's real."
"That's sick," Yuuji gaped, both awed and terrified. "I had a dream I got married to Jennifer Lawrence on a beach a few years ago. Megan Thee Stallion was the Maid of Honor! That's true in another universe?" He ran a hand down his face. "Man, that me is living the life, sheesh!"
The rest of them were speechless.
"There could be more creatures coming after her," Wong whispered to Strange.
"The power is dangerous enough in the hands of a kid," Strange replied in a hushed tone. "Imagine if a real threat acquired it."
At their words, the young girl with them became nervous, beginning to back away. Noticing this, Wong assured her. "It occurs to me, young one, that we don't know your name."
"... America Chavez," she answered reluctantly.
"Miss Chavez, will you come with us to Kamar-Taj? You'll be safe there," Wong formally offered as the reigning Sorcerer Supreme.
The jujutsu sorcerers watched as Strange buried the dead Strange with a ponytail... under a bunch of rocks and bricks on the rooftop apartment.
"Won't that, like, smell?" Megumi's face was contorted in disgust.
"Or attract some cursed spirits or something...?" Yuuji scratched his head. "But then again, they don't have cursed spirits in their world..."
"They have terrifying monsters which could be considered as curses, though," Toji remarked. "A ribboned monster? An octopus with one giant eyeball? Hm."
"The creature that killed him," Wong asked, referring to Strange's alternate self. "Did it have the same markings as the octopus?"
"Runes," Stephen stated. At the familiar term, the jujutsu sorcerers' ears perked up.
"Like what Mom and Agatha used?" Yuuji clarified to the other older men, who all nodded.
At Strange's reply, Wong exhaled. "This isn't sorcery."
Stephen's eyes widened slightly in realization. "It's witchcraft."
"Do we know anyone who's faced such a thing?" Wong inquired to his friend.
Stephen paused. One familiar person came to his mind. One he'd fought alongside long ago in the battle against Thanos along with other notable superheroes. "... I think I might."
The jujutsu sorcerers stilled. It was so very faint, but they swore they heard a chime mimicking the theme song of WandaVision in their minds.
Right as Strange finished saying his sentence, they felt the scene before them shift. Suddenly, they saw a familiar-looking woman whose back was turned to them. She was softly humming a song, mixing up ingredients in the metal bowl with a large, wooden spoon.
"Mom...?" Yuuji gasped out first.
You turned around with a smile as you grabbed some baking soda from a nearby cabinet, but did not hear them. You were dressed in a simple outfit—a plain, long-sleeved white top, some faded jeans, and a navy blue cardigan with some flour smudges here and there.
"Y/N..." the older jujutsu sorcerers (ahem, Geto, Gojo, Nanami, Toji, and Choso) breathed out, as if in relief at finally seeing you once more.
"Finally!" Sukuna exclaimed loudly, making Yuuji wince at the volume of his voice. "It's been too damn long!"
You looked you, but...
"She looks a bit different, don't ya think?" Gojo tilted his head, rubbing his chin as he tried to pinpoint what exactly was different.
"Maybe it's the hair color?" Geto pointed out.
"... Happier." It was Nanami who spoke out loud. All eyes glanced at the ex-salaryman. "She's happier. You can see it in her eyes."
They, again, grew silent as they watched you smoothly glide around the kitchen with experienced movements—similar to how you would in their world. In the bakery-café you owned.
"You're right," Toji hmphed. "I wonder why."
They got their answer in the form of two young boys running into the kitchen and dipping their hands in the chocolate mixture you were stirring.
"Chocolate!" Billy yelled happily.
"Hey! What did I say?" you teasingly scolded.
Tommy pouted, "But we couldn't wait."
You raised a playful brow at your children, "Buuuut, what did I say?" At your reply, your twins rebelliously ate the chocolate mix that they managed to sneak on their fingers. Your eyes widened as you laughed, "Oh?" With a loving pinch of their naughty faces, you ushered your kids to the sink. "Go wash your hands!"
"Aren't those two... dead?" Choso asked out loud, referring to Billy and Tommy.
"Supposedly," Nanami answered him. He looked around closely. "And supposedly, this place is gone. Vision Residence disappeared when the Hex disappeared."
They all blinked.
"You're right, Nanamin!" Yuuji blinked. "Whoa, you're so observant!"
"It's part of my job. And my Cursed Technique," Nanami bluntly replied, adjusting his glasses (just like any cool and badass anime character).
"But he's right... this is the Vision Residence... exactly like it, except for a few extra knick-knacks here and there," Geto murmured, touching the kitchen counter.
The scene before them slowly changed to night time, with the twins dressed in their pajamas and getting into bed. It was an extremely familiar scene, making them feel déjà vu as they watched it.
"A family is forever," you spoke to Billy and Tommy gently. "We could never truly leave each other even if we tried." You stroked their heads.
"Hasn't this happened already?" Yuuji scratched his head in confusion, hearing the dialogue and your conversation with your kids. "Like, in WandaVision? I feel like I've watched this already in the finale."
"Hm," Gojo hummed, his head tilted as he watched you tuck the boys in snugly. "Except that Y/N's in her single mom era here. For some reason."
"Where the hell is that robot?" Sukuna asked, very loudly.
"No idea," Choso answered his fellow curse being.
You sweetly give your children a goodnight kiss on their foreheads, whispering, "Love you." They giggled at the sensation, making you smile. The sorcerers smiled, too, seeing you happy. You were about to say something else when the scene cut abruptly. So abruptly.
ᗢ▪︎ᗢ
Your eyes snapped open, the smile on your face slowly fading as you realized that it was just a dream. Again. The jujutsu sorcerers, too, realized that you had been dreaming. You slowly sat up from your bed, the silence in your new home almost deafening except for the soft chirping of birds outside. In your bedroom, you were alone. Somehow, despite the warm sunlight filtering through the curtains on your windows, the air was chillier. The colors around them seemed a little greyer... duller than it was in that vibrant, joyful dream. You tightened your flannel robe along your torso, adjusting a stray strand of your hair behind your ears.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Oh, you were still alive. And awake. You placed a hand over your beating heart, exhaling.
The jujutsu sorcerers realized that this woman—the lonely woman who woke up from the dream and not the happy mother in that dream—was you. The one they knew. The version that they had watched over the past couple of... hours? Days? Weeks? How long has it been? They didn't know.
"Mom..." Yuuji sadly whispered. "So it wasn't real? Mom was just dreaming about Billy and Tommy?"
"So it seems," Megumi replied, feeling pity for you (for what probably felt like the hundredth time). You didn't deserve this pain at all. "It's never gotten easier for Y/N-san, huh?"
Now, they were transported to a lovely apple orchard, with countless, fragrant trees spaced out almost evenly. Not so far away was the new humble home you'd made for yourself after self-isolating, with a dozen or so sheep running past the jujutsu sorcerers.
"Sheep...?" Gojo blinked, seeing you quietly herd them away to some wooden fences. "Neat... I guess? Didn't think she'd be the type who's into sheperding."
"She's taken up gardening, too. So this is where it began," Toji observed as you diligently snipped away at some overgrown tree branches. He and the others were aware that gardening was one of your hobbies (and why Charmed Coffee & Confectionaries had such a gorgeous display of healthy plants all over the area and outside the shop—heck, the mini-garden you had on the rooftop of your building was a tourist spot itself; Geto could recall Mimiko and Nanako taking a lot of selfies there during that time they first came looking for him after you saved him).
"Apples?" You—and the jujutsu sorcerers—turned around at hearing Strange's voice. Hands in his tailored trouser pockets and a friendly smile on his handsome face, he almost looked like he was about to ask you for a date at the park in this very place.
"... Eventually," you replied, straightening yourself. The jujutsu sorcerers watched as you handed him the small branch you'd snipped off. He sniffed it, nodding and impressed.
"It smells—" He began, only for you to subtly cut in.
"Sweet?"
"I was gonna say real," Stephen chuckled. Your lips curved at his remark as you took the branch from him and tossed it away to the pile of branches on a picket box on the grass.
"Oh, it's all very real. Thanks." Then your smile disappeared, replaced by a sad and remorseful look. "I knew sooner or later you'd show up, wanting to talk about..." You paused. "Westview." It was a word you hadn't said in so long. The spectators also felt like it's been forever since then after they'd seen the other things that happened in your universe—Loki, Spiderman, and more. You breathed out deeply, pocketing your hands in your jacket. "I made mistakes. And people were hurt—"
"But you put things right in the end, and that was never in doubt," he assured. "I'm not here to talk about Westview," Strange informed you. This alarmed some of the jujutsu sorcerers.
"Hey. Wait, wait. Hold up." Geto crossed his arms, glowering at the Master of the Mystic Arts. "You mean to tell me this guy knew about Y/N and what happened to Westview? And didn't bother to show up or do anything about it? Like, help her? Against that nosy Salem witch with the crazy get-up?"
"Same thoughts," Gojo huffed. "The nerve of this guy! The audacity!"
"Then what are you here for?" you inquired, appearing confused.
"We need your help," Stephen quickly answered. You gave it a few moments of thought, walking to make your decision. Strange followed behind you, hands pocketed from the air, as well.
"Oh, so now he asks for her help?" Gojo and Geto chorused, rolling their eyes in annoyance with Strange.
"... No one was there for her when she needed them the most," Choso quietly added.
"Yeah," Yuuji frowned in disapproval.
"With what?" you finally responded, strolling along your orchard with Strange beside you.
"What do know about the Multiverse?"
Your eyes slightly widened as you shared to Stephen what you knew, "The Multiverse... Viz had his theories." Ah, finally a mention of your late synthezoid husband. "He believed it was real. And dangerous."
"Well, he was right about both," Strange disclosed. "We found a girl who can somehow travel across it. But she's being pursued."
Your head turned to him seriously, worriedly, "Pursued by who?"
"Some kind of demon. One that covets her power for itself," Strange answered in a grave tone. "We've taken her to Kamar-Taj, and we've got our defenses. But we could use an Avenger."
Avenger. Huh. That was a title you weren't called ever since... what, the Lagos Incident? The fight against Thanos? Both good and bad memories were associated with it. "There are other Avengers," you reminded him, raising a skeptical brow.
"Yeah, but given the choice of the archer with the mohawk and several bug-themed crime fighters..." You chuckled, amused at his joke. "Or, one of the most powerful magic-wielders on the planet, it's an easy call. Come to Kamar-Taj." His eyes gave such a pleading look. Strange then smirked, "We'll get you back on the lunchbox."
"He's using aaaaaall his mystical silver fox charms to sway her, isn't he?" Gojo pouted, like a child stomping his feet because his mother didn't give him candy.
"You forget that he was a very respected genius neurosurgeon who was probably extremely wealthy and, for the record, attractive," Nanami deadpanned, also inwardly irked at the fact that Strange knew about Westview all along. "I get the feel that this perhaps isn't the first time he's persuading a woman to get what he wants from her. He's got an ego that rivals Stark."
"Not gonna lie, used to do that to women, too," Toji commented, making Megumi quietly groan.
However, it was your next remark that made all of them—except Yuuji, who didn't catch on, at first—that made them freeze in their tracks.
"What if you brought America here?"
The jujutsu sorcerers saw that Strange had noticed your words, too. He was almost rendered speechless. But he played along with it, "... Here?"
"Yeah," you shrugged. "I know what's it's like... to be on your own... hunted for abilities you never wanted," you suggested, continuing to stride forward. You really did relate to the girl. The question was...
"How does she know so much about... America?" Megumi's eyes were wide. The rest of the guys had the same expression. Their hearts pumped blood faster through their bodies, adrenaline rushing in their veins.
They couldn't believe it. No. It wasn't possible.
"She could have just read his mind... right?" Gojo murmured, refusing to believe it. "... Right?"
"But she said she put the magic behind her already," Nanami cut in, hazel eyes narrowing at you as you didn't face them or Strange. He continued to reason out, "And I'm pretty sure the Master of the Mystic Arts wouldn't appreciate anyone prodding around his mind and reading it. It's likely he has defenses for that in place."
Toji, Geto, Choso, and Sukuna (the only deranged one who was getting excited about the whole ordeal) chose to be silent, just watching.
"What? Huh? What's happening?" Yuuji's gaze frantically moved from person to person. He didn't understand. But the rest of the jujutsu sorcerers had no words to say as they stared at the scene unfolding before them. "What's wrong?"
Strange stopped walking.
"I can protect her," you promised, only to notice that Strange was no longer beside you and that he had the most disappointed and regretful expression on his face.
Ah, you realized.
You made a slip of the tongue. Oh well. At least you tried. It would've been too easy if Strange was just able to hand you America right then and there. The predator got too excited there, losing the chance to seize their prey in a one-shot kill. Now, the thrilling chase was just starting.
"... You never told me her name, did y—"
"—No."
"Mm."
His voice was far colder now, and he answered instantaneously. Harshly. "No, I didn't." He was about to leave, only for you to speak again, back turned towards him (and the viewers). Antsy and nervous, the jujutsu sorcerers waited for what was going to happen next.
There was an ominous feeling in their gut, something they usually felt when they were dealing with extremely difficult cursed spirits or powerful enemies. The fact that you were the reason why they were feeling like this was... unnerving.
They didn't realize that unintentionally, they were holding their breaths.
"You know, the Hex was the easy part," you divulged quietly, slowly lifting your right hand from your pocket. "The lying... not so much."
With a small wave of your hand, the peaceful illusion of the apple orchard dissolved as the reddish-black fog of your Chaos Magic seeped through your fingertips once more, revealing a desolate wasteland with lifeless trees and scarlet skies. No traces of life were present—not one sheep, not one bird, not even a single ant was alive. In just a blink of an eye, everything down to the molecular level had been altered.
Then, Stephen Strange and the jujutsu sorcerers turned around to see you. Their gaze moved from head to toe, your once-regal and superhero-like Scarlet Witch robes visibly darkened—now a gradient alternating from black to red—and corroded... corrupted, glass-like cracks on the tight bodice originating from where your heart was located, like a metaphor for all the heartbreak you'd been through in this lifetime. Your tiara, too, looked different from the last time they saw it—its two tips pointier and its composition much more hollow. Your half-arm gloves from before had turned into full-on, darkened sleeves which extended to your fingers, which they noted had been stained an inky black. Just like Agatha's before.
The Darkhold floating beside you explained everything.
Even the way you physically appeared had changed. Your hair was longer than when they last saw you, your eyes and cheekbones sharper, lips and lids painted darker, and even the way you held yourself in poise and manner oozed confidence.
You looked downright evil, yet also hypnotizingly and irresistibly a hundred times more attractive.
"Oh, fuck yeah!" Sukuna suddenly cackled, ogling you shamelessly through eyes and a mouth on Yuuji's cheek. On the other hand, Yuuji had the opposite reaction, his face the epitome of horrified and betrayed.
"N-No... it can't be," the pink-haired boy stammered in realization. "Mom's... the demon chasing America? She's the one w-who... killed that other Strange?"
"Yuuji," Nanami placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "... Don't... overthink it. Remember, this already happened in the past." However, the blonde was unable to take his gaze off of you. Like the others, his eyes were trained on you. Even he couldn't believe what was happening.
"The Darkhold," Strange's eyes widened at seeing the book.
"You're familiar with the Darkhold?" you asked curiously.
"I know it's the Book of the Damned," Strange coldly replied. "And that it corrupts everything and everyone that it touches." He gestured with his head to your surroundings. Your territory and domain. "I wonder what it's done to you."
"The Darkhold only showed me the truth," you countered as if nothing was wrong. "Everything that I lost can be mine again." You sounded like you truly believed what you were saying.
"What do you want with America?" Stephen's brows furrowed. "What do you want with the Multiverse?"
"I'm going to leave this reality... and go to one where I can be with my children," you announced calmly.
"Wanda, your children aren't real!" Strange attempted to convince you but to no avail. "You created them using magic."
"... That was a fucking awesome way to say it," Toji scoffed sarcastically, still stunned at what was occuring. "Like she's gonna change her mind at this point."
You knowingly and coyly smiled at him, intentionally twisting his words, a sly glint in your eye, "That's what every mother does."
Were they frightened or aroused hearing and seeing you act like such an enchantress? They had no idea.
"By magic, does she mean that episode in WandaVision with the bed and her and Vision having s—" Gojo began, only to be interrupted by his best friend.
"Yes. Yes, she does, Satoru," Geto sighed out. But he wouldn't lie, he could see himself in this darker side of you. It was jarring him. The déjà vu was real.
You clasped your hands together, beginning to circle Strange, "If you knew there was a universe where you were happy, wouldn't you want to go there?" You stared up at him, almost tempting him. But Strange was a man of steel will.
"I am happy," he said, making you raise a fine brow in bemusement. Strange was a man of steel will, but like in Toji's words, he often said a load of bullshit. Obvious lies, duh.
"I know better than most what self-deception looks like," you hummed playfully, aware that he was lying to not only you, but himself. The way you were looking at him had Strange sweating and nervous (so were the jujutsu sorcerers who had a big fat crush on you).
"... Honestly, I would've folded if she looked at me like that," Satoru tilted his head towards you as he addressed his fellow sorcerers. "And I'd instantly marry her. We'd be a hot couple, eh?"
"No thanks," the others replied, instantly shutting him down. Yuuji was a bit kinder, though, but still savage.
"I really admire you, sensei, but I don't want you to be my stepdad," the pink-haired boy awkwardly grinned out, scratching his head.
"I'd be the awesomest stepdad, excuse you!" Gojo cried out, only for Strange to speak again.
"Wanda, what you're doing is a flagrant violation of every natural law and if you take that child's power, she won't survive!" Strange nearly shouted to you in anger.
Instantly, the smile on your face vanished. "I don't relish hurting anyone, Stephen." Then suddenly, you shrugged. "But she's not a child!" you scoffed without a care in the world, both eyebrows high on your forehead as you gave your excuses to Strange. "She's a supernatural being! Such raw power could wreak havoc on this and other worlds! Her sacrifice would be for the... better good." You shrugged offhandedly.
Your words made the jujutsu sorcerers somewhat... sick. They realized that they'd heard this conversation before, with Stark and Cap after the Lagos Incident and during the Sokovia Accords dispute all those years ago. And in America's place, it was you, instead.
To Cap, you were a kid.
To Stark, you were a so-called weapon of mass destruction.
Maybe Iron Man had a point. Not a hundred percent on the dot and definitely not in how he chose to go about it—confining you and putting you in solitary internment—but he knew what you were capable of.
You were dangerous.
And he was absolutely right.
"Well, you can kiss the lunchbox goodbye because that's exactly the kind of justification our enemies use!" Strange argued, making you inwardly snort. Intimidatingly, you stepped closer to him, staring him straight in the eye—daring him to make the first move.
"Is it the one that you used? When you gave Thanos the Time Stone?" you calmly yet bitterly challenged back at his remark. You knew that he knew what he did to you. What he did to Vision. The memory was painfully fresh in your mind, Thanos ripping out the Mind Stone from the head of the person you loved the most after he used the Time Stone to easily reverse your sacrifice.
"Oh shit," Geto muttered, shocked. "Didn't expect that from her."
Clearly, Strange's face showed his guilt, "... That was a war. And I did what I had to do."
You were not convinced by his reasoning. Actually, you were unimpressed. "You break the rules and become the hero," you mocked, knowing about what happened with him and Spiderman, erasing memories and all with the Runes of Kof-Kol he was told not to use. You were merely rubbing salt in the wound; he was oh-so self-righteous wasn't he? "I do it and I become the enemy. That doesn't seem fair."
"Mom's... she's... she's gone psycho," Yuuji whispered, wide-eyed at your attitude and demeanor. "But... Dr. Strange did break a hella lot of rules... especially with erasing people's memories of Peter Parker... but Mom..." Yuuji's eyes became downcast. "I never thought she'd say something like that."
The others looked at the boy with pity. After all, he had always seen you as his strong, powerful, yet kind mother. For that image of you to be crushed... it must have definitely hurt a lot.
"What happens now?"
"Return to Kamar-Taj and prepare to hand over America Chavez by sundown. Peacefully," you stated your terms firmly. You then gave him a tiny smile. It didn't give them any reassurance, though. This smile of yours was darkly mischievous and triumphant, not the smile they loved to see. "After that, you will never see me again." You turned to leave, using your magic to store the Darkhold safely away from view, only for Strange to speak again.
"And if we don't?"
You stopped in your tracks, looking back at him one more time. "Then it won't be Wanda who comes for her. It will be the Scarlet Witch." It was not a threat. It was a promise.
"Hohoho, this is getting interesting," Sukuna almost giggled. Giggled. Out of excitement. If the King of Curses was this happy, it was an omen that bad things were to come.
ᗢ▪︎ᗢ
The scene morphed to all of them being in Kamar-Taj, with Wong—the current presiding Sorcerer Supreme—pacing the room quickly as an urgent meeting was held between various master sorcerers.
"The Scarlet Witch..." Wong murmured to himself anxiously, before declaring to the others. "The Scarlet Witch is a being of unfathomable magic. She can rewrite reality as she chooses, and is prophesized to either rule or annihilate the cosmos."
"Wait, what?" Yuuji exclaimed.
"Rule or annihilate, hm?" Sukuna chuckled darkly. "Interesting. Very interesting. More... more! I want to see mo—" Itadori slapped the noisy mouth on his cheek.
"Now is not the freaking time, Sukuna!" he huffed.
"Then what Agatha said before was true," Nanami pointed out, tense. "That her power exceeds the Sorcerer Supreme and that—"
"—It's her destiny to destroy the world," Toji finished grimly. "Well, goddamn."
"Suspend all teaching at once!" Wong ordered. "Kamar-Taj must now become a fortress!"
The jujutsu sorcerers then watched in surprise as the entirety of the temple and its dozens of residents swiftly prepared for battle, gathering weapons and artillery, even summoning the masters from the other two sanctums of the world: Hong Kong and London.
"... That's... an entire army," Megumi spoke out, breathless.
"Isn't an army of fifty or more wizards, like, too much for one person?" Choso wondered, scratching his head. "Overkill, that's the word, right?"
"We've seen what she did to Hayward's soldiers before," Toji reminded the other man. His green eyes narrowed, though. "But they are sorcerers, too, so we could give 'em some credit, at least. Maybe Strange can talk his way outta this and Y/N will agree. Maybe. And that Chavez girl will be fine."
Gojo rubbed his face with his hand tiredly, "God, you know what? This is reminding me of that time when your smartass declared war on all of us, trying to get Yuuta for Rika." The silver-haired sorcerer glared at his best friend, who only scowled at the memory of the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. Geto didn't verbally reply, inwardly still trying to... not be so hateful of... monkeys... damn, he really should stop calling non-sorcerers monkeys.
When all preparations and precautions had been made, the small army of Eldritch magic sorcerers the stood guard on Kamar-Taj. No space was left unprotected outside. The jujutsu sorcerers were also waiting for your appearance.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock!
Exactly at sunset, just as you had vowed, dark, billowing clouds appeared from the distance, slowly engulfing the entirety of Kamar-Taj and hushing the surroundings into silence. It was as if the sun had been dimmed and the area had been separated from the rest of the world. It was eerily silent, yet it felt like they were hearing ghostly whispers around them, too.
Yuuji shivered, even in his hoodie. "This is... kinda creepy."
"Reminds me of Coppola's film when Dracula signaled his arrival to London in a ship," Nanami murmured, eyes scanning the clouds to check for any sign of you. The others were doing the same, too.
"You mean the one with Winona Ryder? You always did like her in highschool, you emo," Gojo turned to him, momentarily distracted by his remark. Nanami only quietly sighed, mentally calming himself down and choosing to ignore the older man.
Suddenly, a red light appeared from the foggy clouds, making way to show you floating. Waiting. But surely you didn't think they'd so easily hand over America, right?
"Choose you words wisely," Wong whispered to Strange. "The fate of the Multiverse might depend on it."
Strange, beside him, felt like his shoulders became a ton heavier. "Right." He nodded. "But no pressure, right?" Wong only gave a nod.
As Stephen used the Cloak of Levitation to move towards you, the jujutsu sorcerers felt a pull to him, too. Soon enough, they found themselves floating nearby you and Strange in the sky, too. For Gojo, it wasn't weird since it felt similar to when he used his Infinity. For the others? It was startling to be in the air.
"Bruh, I'm flying?" Yuuji was in awe, then he grew solemn again, seeing your serious face. "This would've been fun if Mom was... Mom."
"All this for a child you met yesterday?" you thundered, glaring at Stephen.
"Wanda, you are justifiably angry," Strange began, trying to calm you. "You had to make terrible sacrifices—"
"I blew a hole through the head of the man I loved," you sharply interrupted, a hint of your past pains showing through. Your tone nearly made the jujutsu sorcerers wince as the image of your crying visage destroying the Mind Stone reappeared in their heads. "And it meant... nothing. Do not speak to me of sacrifice, Stephen Strange," you criticized spitefully. Then, your gaze grew softer as you moved towards Strange, leaning... closer, closer, and closer, until you both were face-to-face like that time in the apple orchard.
It was a fuming Satoru who immediately made a childish comment. "Are they gonna kiss or something? Why's she standing—er, floating so close to him!?"
"Shhh," Geto elbowed him. "Just listen, Satoru." But even the long-haired man (and a few others) was a teeny bit envious of how comfortable you seemed being so close to the Master of the Mystic Arts. That tiny green monster of jealousy in them grew even more when your gaze at Strange became tempting. Seductive, almost. Just like how Agatha had attempted to entice you to voluntarily surrender to her your powers back in Westview.
"If you give me the girl," you purred to Strange much like a beguiling siren would. The man visibly became much more still as he retained his composure. Whatever the Darkhold had done to you, your entire being and behavior were the epitome of alluring and captivating. Right before their very eyes, you were literally bewitching a man (... or six men, specifically, whose Adam's apples were bobbing as they swallowed at the sight of you). "I'll send you to a world where you can be with Christine," you offered, knowing exactly which buttons to press.
"... She's giving iconic Disney villains a run for their money," Gojo cleared his throat, pulling his collar and trying to cool himself down. "Or better yet, Satan himself, making deals like this and everything."
"Intelligent and beautiful, yet also powerful and manipulative," Geto thought to himself, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to distract himself from the memory of you being so... villainous and obsessed with your motives. The passion you exhibited was quite exhilarating, especially to that side of him who used to want to change the world. Perhaps you two weren't that different, after all. Was he terrified of you? Yes, quite. Was he also attracted? Very much, yes. As strange a combination that was. (Ryomen Sukuna, inside Yuuji, was fully embracing that feeling the five other grown jujutsu sorcerers were silently experiencing).
"... Kinda hot, can't lie," Toji hummed out making Megumi beside him cringe.
"Ew, Dad," the younger Fushiguro almost gagged.
Strange did not falter, though, declaring, "The full might of Kamar-Taj stands against you. Do not dare to enter these sacred grounds!" The jujutsu sorcerers had to give it to Dr. Strange, mentally applauding them for being able to resist you. If it were them in his place... well, that would be another story.
"Defensive positions!" the Sorcerer Supreme had commanded to his army from below.
At his defiant words, your shortened temper flared. "You have no idea just how reasonable I've been," you gritted out, all traces of your enchanting persona gone.
Stephen scoffed, retorting, "Book of the Damned, calling yourself a witch, conjuring up creatures to abduct a kid, I don't exactly call that being reasonable!"
"Sending those creatures after her instead of myself was mercy," you reproached, the glowing red balls of energy keeping you in flight flashing brighter with your aggravation. "And in spite of your... hypocrisies and insults," you condemned him harshly. "I have begged you to safely... Get. Out. Of. My. Way." Strange had a bad feeling about where this was about to go.
He definitely did not choose his words wisely, did he?
Geto was really getting déjà vu of himself at hearing you. Sukuna was even more thrilled. Toji, honestly, was impressed. Gojo was just stunned. Nanami and Choso, too, were simply speechless. Megumi and Yuuji only looked horrified. This was the same woman that gave them free food and dessert in her cute little shop? The same woman who would draw cute squiggles and chibi characters on cookies? The same woman who would patch them up when they were wounded? The same woman who gave almost all of them a second chance at life?
They couldn't believe it.
You continued your monologue, anger simmering as your voice turned lower in volume," You have exhausted my patience. But I do hope you understand that even now, what's about to happen...." You gave Strange a hateful, you-made-me-do-this-stare. "This is me being... reasonable."
Your words sent chills down their spines.
With that, you fired a blast of Chaos Magic at him, only for it to be blocked by a now-visible protective magic barrier spanning the area of Kamar-Taj. As Strange flew back down, the jujutsu sorcerers landed on solid ground once more. They stared back up at you outside the barrier.
And even in the distance, they saw that you had become very, very, very pissed off. Seething through your teeth.
"Uh-oh," Gojo exhaled out anxiously as he stared up into the sky. "She's angry."
"No shit, Sherlock," Geto scoffed beside him. "She's fucking livid." Despite not being in the actual battle itself, they could practically feel everything else, including the terror in their hearts as you charged towards Kamar-Taj once more, blasting the shield in different areas with multiple hexes simultaneously (something new they had noticed).
"Reinforce the shield!" Wong yelled out. Even as more sorcerers came to strengthen the barrier, the jujutsu sorcerers could still feel the quaking of the fortress at your blasts. The impacts had grown to be that powerful.
"Whoa, whoa," Yuuji balanced himself with the help of Nanami. The foundation of the building continued to shake.
Realizing that physical attacks were useless, you stopped, instead changing your strategy. Strange immediately noticed this as he saw you scanning the army of sorcerers.
"She's trying to get into their heads," Stephen told Wong, who grumbled.
"Sorcerers, fortify your minds!" he shouted. Honestly, the jujutsu sorcerers felt like they were also being reminded, too. They were getting a bit too distracted by your... change in demeanor. Still, you continued to look for an unfortunate victim. Surely, there had to be one newbie, right?
And you were right.
There was one, indeed, still so apprehensive and vulnerable. There he was. And he knew you were looking at him. You were locking eyes with your helpless target.
Bullseye.
Wide-eyed, the jujutsu sorcerers watched as your astral form appeared right behind one of the younger sorcerers, like the Devil tempting to consume the Forbidden Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. Your physical body, effortlessly awake, floated outside the shield, smirking wide. You astral form only had to whisper one thing for everything to crumble down into pieces.
"Run."
Goosebumps arose on their skins as your prey grew rattled, sprinting away in fear and creating a hole sufficient enough for you to breach in. He had bumped into multiple other sorcerers on the way, too, further weakening the shield. That was when you started channeling more of your Chaos Magic to create another blast.
"Oh fuck, should we run, too?" Gojo asked, yet his legs were already beginning to move. After all, he didn't have his Infinity or his Limitless with him. Right now. And even if this was the past, this was literally, like, a 6D experience.
The blast you shot hit the ground beside them before they could react, knocking them off their feet like the many Eldritch magic sorcerers nearby.
"Oh shit, shit, shit! Get up, Satoru!" Geto grabbed his best friend's shirt as he himself got up from the ground. Toji had Megumi tossed over his shoulder, with Choso doing the same for Yuuji (who had somehow lost his left shoe). Nanami was holding said missing left shoe as he urged the others to run behind Strange near the entrance of Kamar-Taj.
Their reflexes and battle instinct from all their years living in the world of jujutsu had kicked in. But this time, the enemy was you. At least, it felt like it. When they were all near Strange, they took a glimpse of you.
Mercilessly shooting down sorcerers as you charged towards Kamar-Taj, swatting them away like flies with your psionic energy, toppling structures and towers, tossing stone and huge debris everywhere—all while simultaneously defending yourself with an energy shield. You were multitasking offense and defense like it was nothing, reducing Kamar-Taj to ruins in no less than five minutes since the shield was down.
It was chaos.
"Magic on autopilot," Yuuji's eyes were wide.
Right at the entrance, their memory of you as they ran with Wong and Strange was you landing down onto the ground, creating a pulsating wave of energy that decimated any remaining survivors. There was one—screaming and bawling as he crawled on the ground. Without even batting an eye, you waved your hand—literally erasing him from existence with Chaos Magic.
"Holy crap," Yuuji was terrorized. Utterly terrorized. "Did she just... delete that guy out of existence...?"
The others were stunned, as well. But Sukuna? Sukuna was having the time of his life watching you being so cruel and heartless. They didn't even bother telling him off as he openly roared with laughter. It seemed fitting that the King of Curses would laugh so jubilantly, with several fires raging around them, burning bodies into ash and crisp, nothing but sheer blood and destruction at the hands of the Scarlet Witch.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS IT! THIS IS WHAT I WANTED! THE STENCH OF BLOOD! DEATH! RAGE! FEAR!" Sukuna nearly split his sides in delight. "THE SCARLET WITCH SHALL BE MINE! MINE, MINE, MINE!"
However, much to your surprise, ten Masters of the Mystic Arts bravely... or foolishly... appeared before you through their signature yellow-orange ring portals, poised with their swords; ready to fight. Ah, yes. These were probably the best of the best they had aside from Stephen Strange.
But their best would never be a match for you.
"You dare go against me, sorcerers?" you declared in a booming voice, one fine brow raised and one hand glowing red.
Already highly perturbed at the slaughter you had just executed, the other jujutsu sorcerers could say nothing. As you spoke to the Masters of the Mystic Arts, it felt like you were addressing them, too.
What had become of the sweet woman they knew?
"You are a threat to this world, Scarlet Witch," one of the Masters answered spitefully. "Therefore, we must eliminate you!"
For a few seconds, you were silent. They—including the jujutsu sorcerers—anticipated your reply. Suddenly, you chuckled. Darkly. With it, a matching smirk.
"You are more than welcome to try." It wasn't a threat. It was a taunt. A promise, even.
With that, the Masters of the Mystic Arts charged at you with their swords and magic, only for you to forcefully toss them into the air and slam their bodies into the broken ground. This time, instead of using pure magic to kill them, you even incorporated your magic into skillful hand-to-hand combat, something they hadn't fully seen since what, that time you fought Proxima Midnight in Scotland?
In even more shock and horror, the jujutsu sorcerers watched you move swiftly and fiercely, slicing the Masters with their own swords. With one, you even mind-controlled to slice his own head with his own weapon. The red psionics wrapped around the decapitated body—with you using it as a shield against the other Masters. It was an... effective technique, as grotesque as it was. The corpse had two swords in its abdomen, puppeteering it to kill the other Masters even as it was spurting out fresh blood from its severed neck. As you discarded the body, you expertly dodged and evaded the other Masters charging towards you, snapping their necks or manipulating their bodies to destroy one another.
"Holy mother of..." Gojo gulped, flinching as you crushed a man's skull with your magic. The blood splattered on your face, yet you were unfazed. Behind you, the last Master attempted to inflict some damage, only for him to die the most gruesome death of them all with Chaos Magic as you snapped your gaze to him.
Bones and limbs twisted and broken, screaming in agony, until he was nothing but a mangled mess that exploded into nothing but blood.
"Shit, that's..." Geto's eyes were wide open. Now he was really wondering what would have happened if you got involved with the jujutsu world before Yuuji came along. If you... no, if the Scarlet Witch interfered when he was alive... with you siding with Yuuta and Rika, the Queen of Curses...
He would have been fucked. Kenjaku wouldn't have even had the chance to steal his body because after all this, he realized that you could just delete him out of existence. On a whim. That was how great your power was and you weren't even a jujutsu sorcerer.
You were so unassuming and "normal" on the outside that he would have deemed you a monkey. He would've deemed you a scum of the earth... if he had met you before you met him in that fateful day in your shop. And he would've been so stupid because of that because even without cursed energy, you possessed and mastered something that the Multiverse itself was in danger from.
Chaos Magic.
Yeah. It dawned onto Geto that he would have been really doomed.
And despite all of Masters you sent to their deaths, you looked remorseless. Your eyes lacked the soul and warmth and shine that the jujutsu sorcerers adored. Instead, you were a mindless killing machine with only one mission in mind: to make your children yours again.
"Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful," Sukuna nearly purred and groaned as you mindlessly magicked away the blood splatters on your face. "Fit to be my queen, to rule the world alongside me..."
The others couldn't look more disturbed at what you had just done. Was this how... bad the Darkhold's influence on you was?
As if nothing had happened, you stepped towards the main entrance of Kamar-Taj, using the witch's eye to locate your target. America Chavez. The jujutsu sorcerers momentarily found themselves with the girl, and with her, they could hear unearthly whispers—in Sokovian—as you taunted her. Scaring her. You knew exactly where she was. And you were going to get her.
Hide-and-seek was over. It was time for the chase.
Then your intimidation tactics abruptly stopped as you opened your eyes, and the jujutsu sorcerers were now darting their gaze between you and Strange. You gave them man an unamused look, questioning him silently. Daring him.
"You want the girl, you'll have to go through me," he boldly declared.
You accepted his challenge. "Fine."
What you didn't expect was for you to be lured into a trap. Right as you stepped on a button on the floor, your surroundings morphed into kaleidoscopes and countless distorted reflections of space. The jujutsu sorcerers had also become trapped with you, watching as you stared at the infinite reflections of yourself in the Mirror Dimension.
".... Why is a creepy lullaby playing in the background?" Yuuji frowned. "Horror vibes."
"Yo, this is... well, this is reminding me of my time in the Prison Realm," Gojo gasped out. "But this is pretty spacious, isn't it? Prison Realm's pretty cramped."
All of a sudden, gigantic glass spikes shot out from around you, making you raise your arms to instinctively cover your body. Around them, too, but it was nowhere near the size of the shards trapping you.
"Shit, that scared me," Gojo exhaled, a hand over his rapidly beating heart. "And I stand corrected. It's very cramped in here now."
"And sharp," Geto added. "Watch out."
"Ya know, I'm kinda torn between rooting for Strange or Y/N," Toji commented, crossing his arms as he exaimined the glass. "Maybe I'm biased."
"All of us are," Choso pointed out. "It's Y/N, after all. And mind you, a lot of us aren't blameless either." By that, he was referring to himself, Toji, Geto, and Sukuna, specifically. "Technically, aren't we all killers here?"
"... He's got a point," Nanami replied coolly. "None of us are blameless." With that, it was silent amongst them, with only your slightly labored breathing to be heard as you tried to figure out how to get out.
You attempted to break free by firing a bolt of energy at the glass, only for it to continuously ricochet and nearly hit you. Changing your strategy, they watched as you stared at the broken reflection of your face and reached in-between.
Escaping just needed a bit of creativity and imagination.
And, of course, magic.
The scene cut to Strange trying to teleport America with a Sling Ring, only for it to break off and vanish into thin air. The jujutsu sorcerers flinched as they felt an unseen malevolent presence appear in the room, slamming doors shut like a vengeful spirit out for blood. Then suddenly, the guards protecting America were dragged down into puddles of water by a pair of very familiar arms.
"... The fuck?" Toji blinked, baffled.
"Reflections," Strange deduced, warning Wong and Chavez. "She's using the reflections! Cover them!"
The trio proceeded to grab blankets and cloths from around them, quickly covering puddles that remained from an earlier rain last night.
"Makes sense," Geto murmured, deep in thought. "Like in our world, reflections... or mirrors... can be portals to other dimensions. To domains."
They watched as America was about to cover another tiny puddle of water, but as she stared at it too long, an eye appeared.
"Ahhhhhhh!" America and Yuuji screamed at the same time.
Then, a bent arm with crooked, broken fingers suddenly shot out from behind her, like a zombie who had risen from the dead and from its rotten grave underground. This time, it wasn't only America and Yuuji who had screamed (or at the very least, yelped).
You emerged from the golden gong like something out of The Ring, indisputably twisted and deformed, skin split open in multiple places, limbs and neck snapped the wrong directions, and crawling on-fours and on your back as your disfigured bones popped back into place through the Chaos Magic running through your veins like blood.
It was at that very moment that the several jujutsu sorcerers present realized that the Scarlet Witch was a thousand times more terrorizing than any cursed spirit that they would ever face in their lifetime.
"Oh my God!" Yuuji exclaimed. "Ohhhhhhh my God!"
"The fuck is that?" Sukuna and Toji chorused out, watching your body be literally put back together again hideously.
"... I think... I think I'm gonna be sick," a pale, severely-disturbed Megumi unwillingly blurted out as he retched.
"That is... I have no words," Gojo stuttered. Was he disgusted at seeing the insides of your body all jagged up from breaking the shards of the Mirror Dimension? Was he terrified at seeing you come out of the gong like you were that girl from The Grudge? Was he shocked at seeing you reassemble your entire body so repulsively? Yes, yes, and yes. All of them were.
"Never really liked Pennywise anyway," Geto mumbled. He would definitely not be able to erase that image from his head. And he's seen his fair share of revolting curses. "What the actual fuck did Y/N just do to herself?"
"Well shit," Toji was unable to remove his eyes from you as you regenerated. He didn't exactly know what to feel.
The rest were too stunned to speak.
"You gave all those lives just to keep my from my children," you mocked Dr. Strange, walking towards him and his allies like you didn't just break all the bones in your body and fix it. You would've preferred to emerge out of one of the puddles so that you wouldn't come out so distorted, but they'd covered them all or weren't big enough for you to get out. So, the gong was the only option you had—even with how imperfect its reflection was.
"You took those lives!" Stephen yelled back, protectively putting America behind him. "You cannot be allowed to cross into the Multiverse."
"I'm not a monster, Stephen," you defended yourself.
"... Uh, wouldn't be so sure about that," Gojo scratched his head at your remark.
"I'm a mother," you added, stopping a few meters in front of America, Wong, and Stephen.
"Wanda, you have no children!" Strange argued, frustrated by your useless quest for your kids. "They don't exist!"
"Oh, but they do. In every other universe," you enunciated firmly. "I know they do. Because I dream of them. Every. Night." With that, you made a series of hypnotizing hand motions that summoned the Darkhold in front of you. From the Book of the Damned emerged a red mist of your Chaos Magic, and it showed everyone the multiple universes—countless—all containing you and your happy, peaceful family. "I dream of my boys," you whispered, eyes glazing with tears as you watched them grow up with you. "Of our... life together."
The jujutsu sorcerers gazed sadly, suddenly feeling sorry for you as they saw all the other universes that had you and your loved ones as a complete family. The highlights of the alternate universes were mostly Billy and Tommy.
In one universe, they saw you holding the newborn twins in your arms, singing softly a Sokovian lullaby as you rocked them to sleep. In another universe, they saw you clapping happily as you taught the twins how to walk, with them taking their wobbly first steps towards you. There was even another universe where you were simply helping the preschool-aged kids do some arts-and-crafts activities. There was one when they were in the last age they remembered, still kids, almost teens, but you three were running in the field and playing catch with them. In another, you were with the older, teenaged twins as they embraced you, telling you they loved you.
It felt like watching WandaVision all over again, but this time, a version of if it had kept playing until you and Vision grew old with Billy and Tommy. They also noted that in these alternate universes, sometimes Vision was there, sometimes other men were the twins' father, or you were a single mom. Either way, the you of every other universe was far more content and happy with her life. None of them had hurt and experienced so much pain that they were forged into the Scarlet Witch.
None of them. Only you. And God, wasn't that unfair?
"Mom..." Yuuji whispered, seeing tears form in your eyes. "So, all the other variants of her except... her... are happy?"
"Fate really is cruel, huh?" Geto remarked with a tone of pity for you. He frowned.
"If we were in her place, wouldn't we go crazy, too?" Toji muttered. He knew he would go crazy if he found out that in all the infinite universes, it was only in his universe that his life sucked before his first wife saved him and made him truly happy. What if... in other lives, he got to grow old with the love of his life?
Choso silently agreed. What if it was only in his universe that his brothers met their end? That he wouldn't be able to be with them? He'd be pissed, too. But that was a what-if he would never be able to answer.
Nanami was thinking how it would be if he found out that it was only himself that lost Haibara. What if all the other Nanami in other universes had a different destiny? What if Haibara survived? What if... what if...
"Every night, the same dream," you breathed. Then, right as you shut the Darkhold, a single tear dropped down you cheek. It was dark again, with no glowing red magic to illuminate the room. "And every morning, the same... nightmare."
America's eyes showed sympathy; she knew what it felt like to yearn for her family. Her mothers, specifically. Even Strange felt pity for you after seeing what you had just shown him. It truly was unfair. And he felt like he needed to apologize for you for his insensitive comment about you having no children because, it turns out, you did. Just not in this universe. But that didn't change the massacre you had just committed minutes ago. "... What if you reach them? What happens to the other you? What happens to their mother?" he asked, an ominous feeling in his gut for your answer.
Your expression darkened. Slowly, a miniscule yet sinister smirk curved your lip up, only implying one thing. Immediately, they knew your answer through your silence.
The next few minutes were but a blur, with a short-lived fight between you and Wong. The jujutsu sorcerers watched, once more in horror, as you restricted America and began siphoning her powers from her. In her fear, portals to the Multiverse were involuntarily opened.
Strange, in an attempt to save Chavez, flew towards her. You shot a single blast at him to deter him, however, something else happened.
He aimed wrong, still dragging America with him, but this time, into the multiple portals across the Multiverse.
And this time, the jujutsu sorcerers had been dragged along with them.
"Ooooohhhhh, shiiiiii—" Gojo's, Toji's, Geto's, and Yuuji's voices echoed as they got the full experience of travelling the Multiverse. From Kamar-Taj, they were literally flying into worlds with the Living Tribunal, outer space, an icy planet, quantum particles, an underwater space, a world where Stark Technology was prominent, hell itself, a jungle full of dinosaurs, a planet ruled by bees, a place where everything was cartoons and comics, another dimension where they were literally turned into blocks, then another were they became splashes of color, then a world where HYDRA succeeded, and a whole lot more they couldn't process in a blink of an eye because suddenly, they were on a rooftop in a random universe where a lot of things seemed more advanced in New York.
While Strange and Chavez conversed, the others were not too happy.
"Holy. Fucking. Shit." Geto held his aching, spinning head. The others also landed face first into the floor.
"We just travelled the Multiverse," Gojo gawked, then pointed to himself in realization, bewildered and shaken to the core. "I just travelled the Multiverse. Oh God, that felt like being in my own Infinite Void but worse somehow. Much worse."
"Ow," Choso groaned, rubbing the bump on his head (he had been protecting Yuuji's head, in turn, preventing him from holding his own head from the impact).
A grimacing Toji had done the same for Megumi's head, but his son was already in a corner puking his guts out in whatever pail he could find, just like Strange who was also retching from the motion sickness. Nanami, whose glasses were still miraculously on his face, was patting Megumi's back. Still, Kento himself seemed as if he was in a daze after the entire ordeal.
Yuuji was laid flat on the ground, eyes staring into the sky tiredly. "... I wanna go home really bad," he mumbled, dizzy from Multiverse hopping. "I want Mom back. The nice one. The one that gives me rice bowls and dessert out of nowhere and hugs me. I don't wanna be in her past. I just want the present... her. I don't care. I just want my mom."
"Me, too, kiddo," Satoru pulled him up, frowning. "Oi! Megumi-chan! You good? We gotta follow the girl and Strange!"
Nanami offered Megumi a yellow-and-black-dotted handkerchief from his pocket, which the spiky-haired boy gratefully accepted to wipe his mouth. "Y-Yeah. I'm good. I think. Blegh," he cringed at the taste of acid and vomit in his mouth.
The jujutsu sorcerers tagged along with Strange and America as they searched for the variant of Dr. Strange who guarded this universe's New York Sanctum, stopping by for some stolen pizza balls, crossing the road on a red light (also weird for the jujutsu sorcerers), and stumbling upon a Memory Lane free trial—which felt really meta with how they were practically experiencing your Memory Lane—only for all of them to stop in front of a huge statue made in memory of that universe's Dr. Strange. America asked the question they all had in their heads.
"If other you's dead, who's master of the Sanctum?"
With the way things were going, it appeared that the Karl Mordo of this universe was about to fight them, only for him to introduce himself and laugh, hugging Strange. "My brother! Come in! And tell me about your universe!"
Stunned, Strange awkwardly laughed, ushering America to follow the man into the Sanctum. After some quick pleasantries, Strange got straight to the point, mentioning you as they discussed current events through tea. Instantly, the jujutsu sorcerers' ears perked up.
"Our Wanda has the ability to conjure demons and monsters to attack America in other universes," Strange warned Mordo.
"So she has the Darkhold?" Mordo inquired, slightly leaning towards Stephen in question.
"You know of the Darkhold?" Strange asked.
"Oh yes. We have a Darkhold in this universe, too. I guard it here in this Sanctum," Mordo disclosed. "We would never risk a weapon that dangerous falling into the wrong hands."
"Damn right," Strange muttered.
"But if your Darkhold is anything like ours, I'm afraid she can do far worse than just summon monsters to come after you here," Mordo advised.
"Far worse? Hasn't she done the worst already in Kamar-Taj?" Nanami wondered out loud, the chilling memory of you crawling out of that gong sending shivers down his spine, like insects crawling on his skin. It was... extremely... disturbing.
"Who knows? If Y/N did some IT and The Grudge kind of shit, maybe she's gonna go The Exorcist this time. Or The Conjuring," Toji huffed out. "Maybe even Final Destination or something."
Funnily enough, the infamous Sorcerer Killer had no idea how right he was with his offhanded comment.
"What do you mean?" America nervously asked.
"There is a... spell contained within those pages," Mordo revealed in a hushed tone. "Corrosive to the soul. A desecration of reality itself." Whether it was for effect or if it was forbidden to speak about, the multiple candles in the room were suddenly blown out by a wind that came out of nowhere.
"Uh-oh..." Yuuji's eyes darted around. "I've got a bad, bad feeling about this."
"Dreamwalking," Mordo spoke out. "A dreamwalking sorcerer projects their own consciousness from their universe into another, possessing the body of an alternate self."
The jujutsu sorcerers froze at his statement. Gojo spoke out first, pointing at his ear with a befuddled expression, "Wait, wait, did I just hear this guy right? Possessing the body of an alternate self?"
"Dreamwalking...?" Geto quietly repeated to himself in shock. Nanami, who was beside Toji, sighed out.
"Turns out you were pretty accurate with your prediction," the blonde spoke to the ex-assassin, whose eyes were as wide as saucers.
Mordo continued, "They may puppeteer this unholy doppelganger and pursue their enemies from afar."
"That's scary," Yuuji exhaled, running a hand through his pink locks. "So what, Mom's really gonna go even batshit crazier?"
"Sounds like it," Choso answered back, listening intently.
"The possession is not a permanent link between realities. But in the fleeting time they dreamwalk, they can do irreparable damage to the universe they invade," Mordo divulged. "So it may not be a demon you face. It may be the Scarlet Witch."
"Why didn't she do that in the first place?" America asked, confused.
"Because that was her being reasonable," Stephen replied tensely, turning to Mordo as your warnings echoed in his ear. "What do you know about the Book of Vishanti?"
"The Darkhold's antithesis?" Mordo seemed unsurprised and calm. "It can give a sorcerer whatever power they need to vanquish their enemy."
"I need your help to get me to it," Strange requested, only to start feeling queasy. Very, very queasy. His brows furrowed as his vision spun, blurring.
Meanwhile, the jujutsu sorcerers grew bewildered as the scene in front of them began flickering back and forth. Now, they were seeing you restrain Wong with your magic in bits and pieces. Yet, at the same time, they were seeing America and Strange, as well.
"I'm sorry, Stephen." Mordo stood up, walking towards the staggering Strange, "But I hope you, of all people, understand that it is not Wanda Maximoff who threatens our reality. It's the two of you."
"Oh, God," Chavez whispered, losing consciousness.
"What was in that tea?" Strange stumbled, falling to the floor and dropping his teacup. "You son of a—" He tried standing up, but to no avail, seeing the teapot on the floor which glowed green. "The Sands of Nisanti..." he realized. No wonder he was so drowsy.
"What's happening? We didn't even have any of his tea!" Yuuji exclaimed, the scene still flickering between you with an unconscious Wong in Kamar-Taj and Strange with Chavez in the unknown universe.
"Please don't let us be thrown in the Multiverse again," Megumi prayed to whatever gods were there, knowing he might puke again. "Please, please, please."
"I'm only acting as you would," Mordo said, leaving. Strange closed his eyes, whispering one last thing.
"She's coming."
Before they knew it, the flitting scene fully morphed to you in Kamar-Taj, standing in the middle of multiple, brightly-lit candles forming a circle. You were performing some sort of witchy ritual, your hands gracefully executing a series of hand gestures which brought forth the Book of the Damned. Your hands glowed the misty, reddish-black fog of your Chaos Magic. All of them were mesmerized—like they were in a trance—as they observed such a... blaphemous ceremony.
"Hmm. This is quite entertaining," Sukuna finally spoke out once more, chuckling to himself as he watched you cross your legs, floating in mid-air with you eyes closed and your blackened fingers resting on your lap.
"Oh God, she really is a witch," Geto breathed out at the sight.
Countless glowing balls of reddish-black energy materialized behind you, connecting you to the entire Multiverse as you searched your variants one by one, trying to see which matched America's whereabouts. When you finally found it, you projected your soul to your target variant, traversing the Multiverse. The jujutsu sorcerers, too, watched with their very eyes as your soul traveled the neuron-like network of universes. They were transported inside the house—the Vision Residence—of your variant, arriving with a faint, echoing scream in the background. Now, they were right behind your variant, who was cleaning up for the night.
"Boys, it's time for bed," the variant of you reminded her kids as she took away the dishes.
"Can we have a little more ice cream? Please, please, please?" the twins begged. "A little more, please?" Alternate you shook her head.
"Hey, don't make Mom out to be the bad guy," other you gently chastised, making them pout.
"Awww, okay, Mom." Thankfully, Billy and Tommy were easily distracted by a game, allowing you to clean up in peace.
Or so you thought.
Alternate you stopped in her tracks around the same time the jujutsu sorcerers' heads snapped towards the empty staircase in her residence. It felt like somebody was watching them. Her. As jujutsu sorcerers and trained killers, they knew better than to underestimate the invisible.
"... Y/N is here, isn't she?" Nanami murmured, eyes trained on the staircase. Nothing appeared to there, but the air... it was unsettling. Like a silent monster hiding under the bed. Or in the closet.
"Even without my Six Eyes, she is seriously giving off crazy cursed spirit behavior," Gojo muttered with a shiver, then turned to one of the men with him. "No offense, Choso."
The cursed spirit just blinked at him, then shrugged wordlessly, as if telling the other man, "None taken."
They observed as alternate you mulled over the sudden, nerve-wracking atmosphere. She knew something was wrong. There was an unseen, foreboding presence with her. She hasn't used her powers in a while, yet even then, something primal in her was telling her she was being watched. Deciding not to think much of it—perhaps it was just an owl outside—she hesitantly stepped towards the kitchen.
As she did it, the sound of crickets outside faded away. The warm lights in the room started flickering strangely.
On. Off. On. Off.
She took a glance at her kids, who seemed to be unaware of what was happening. Dread filled her entire being. Was she going insane? Was she seeing things? As she headed to the sink, the lampshade installed above the dining table began swinging wildly by itself as it kept flickering on and off, its creaks and screeches amplified like nails on a chalkboard. Its angry flickers were making other you feel quite lightheaded, too.
Creaaaaaaaak!
Behind her, the jujutsu sorcerers were seeing and feeling—experiencing the whole thing—unable to describe what they were going through. What alternate you was going through.
When she turned to the other direction to try and ground herself, she saw herself in her own picture frame move. No, it didn't just move. Its head turned and the smile on its face vanished as it glared directly at her.
"What... the fuck...?" Toji said what everyone was thinking, bewildered.
"I've seen a hella lot of cursed spirits but this is just plain creepy," Gojo muttered, feeling cold.
"Damn right," Geto replied, covering his ears in irritation at the scratching sound of the lampshade creaking. "Ugh. That makes me want to claw my ears out."
Breathe. Breathe.
Alternate you was starting to hyperventilate in panic, a random burst of wind making Billy's and Tommy's bowls fall... sideways? Not vertically to the ground due to normal gravity, but horizontally to the counter, defying the laws of physics. She was hearing haunting, evanescent whispers in Sokovian, too.
All of which she understood fully.
As her vision began to tilt, she ran towards the sink to hold herself—to stabilize herself before she fell. However, her eyes caught movement on one of the dirty plates beside the sink. The peas on Tommy's used plate were rolling around on their own, sounding awfully like hard mables on stone.
Rrrrrrrrrr. Rrrrrrrrr. Rrrrrrrrr.
Her head whipped to the right, hearing... ocean waves? In the unfinished cup of tea, she was seeing... roaring tides crashing against each other? Terror froze the blood in her veins.
Shhhhhhhhh. Shhhhhhhh. Shhhhhh.
Something was very wrong.
When she lifted her head, instead of seeing her normal reflection, she was met with you—her evil, deranged doppelganger. Your glowing, scarlet irises stared daggers into her entire being. Not even giving her another second to react, you entered her body—stealing its place and locking her soul away. She struggled against the invasion of her own body, writhing and screaming, eyes widened and limbs taut, but you were the stronger soul.
You'll take her place from inside her.
The jujutsu sorcerers could only watch in muted horror as the depraved, demonic-like spiritual possession took place. Finishing up the possession, your eyes glowed a brighter red before dimming back to its regular shade. You let out a small breath of relief, subtly wiggling your shoulders—as if testing out your new body. Strangely enough, it felt comfortable. Snug and fit—except for the wails of your alternate self in her own mind.
You'd shut her up soon enough.
Suddenly, your eyes met theirs for the first time, making the spectators watching the whole scene visibly flinch and hold their breaths unconsciously. A tiny smirk appeared on your lips as you turned away.
"Oh?" Sukuna, as a mouth on his vessel's face, sounded out in interest. He was the only one finding a sick sense of enjoyment in all of this.
"Did... Did she just... see us?" Yuuji cowered in fear, hiding behind Nanami and Choso. The other men couldn't answer him, also stunned.
"This... is very different... from her interview from that one Modern Family-themed WandaVision episode..." Gojo swallowed, traumatized at you breaking the fourth wall of whatever spell or illusion they were thrown into.
They may exorcise cursed spirits for a living, but the Scarlet Witch introduced to them a sense of dread that was unmatched. You were the stuff nightmares were made out of.
"Mom?"
You halted in your steps, hearing the two voices you've longed to hear for so long. But now was not the time. You couldn't face them now, could you? You had to look for America first. Still, your heart couldn't resist. "... Yes, sweetheart?" you shakily replied, unable to keep the emotion out of your voice. Suddenly, the fear in the jujutsu sorcerers' hearts turned into pity. In this moment, they suddenly wanted to give their condolences to you, now fully knowing how much you'd lost.
You were going to meet your children once again.
"Where are you going?"
Your heart clenched. "Just... to take out the trash," you lied, stammering. However, as they rushed and urge you to come to them, saying they'd show you something. You slowly turned on your heels as the boys asked you to hurry up, your eyes welling with tears as you finally saw them again.
Billy and Tommy.
Your twins. Your babies. The two beings whom you loved more than life itself aside from your late husband. The very beings which were perfectly half you and half the love of your life.
The began arguing on who would start, only for you to cut in, voice trembling with emotion, "Why... don't you both... start... it... whatever it is... together?"
"Okay!" your kids chirped, counting down.
"I wonder what they're gonna do," Yuuji asked, only to sweatdrop at what happened next.
"We like ice cream, like every child should!" the twins sang, off-key. You didn't mind (but some of the jujutsu sorcerers did). "And if you give us ice cream, we promise to be good!"
"Ugh," Sukuna and Toji groaned simultaneously in irritation.
"Definitely not singers," Gojo snorted, trying to push the horrifying memory of you possessing your alternate self into the back of his mind, only for Geto to elbow him.
"I think it's cute, so don't be rude," his best friend chided, his soft dad side coming out. "Mimiko and Nanako did something similar when they wanted candy."
"... Mom's crying," Yuuji suddenly pointed out sadly. Tears were flowing down your cheeks as you cupped the twins' faces gently, like you were touching them as newborns again.
Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to stay here with them. Just for a little while. You'd give them ice cream and talk with them. Yeah. That seemed like a good plan. Everything else could wait.
Then, the scene changed once more as they were brought back to the original universe you were in, where your original body was floating in the middle of the circle of candles. They saw Wong's limbs restrained by your magic. However, one of the survivors, Sara, came up to him.
"You're alive," Wong breathed out. Sara nodded solemnly.
"Yes. But so many others were lost," Sara murmured regretfully. Wong then turned to your dreamwalking, vulnerable form.
"Set me free. I need to destroy the book," he stated, only for the woman beside him to shake her head, placing a reassuring hand on his cheek.
"No. It cannot be you." With that, Sara took out a dagger from her robes, tackling the Darkhold and stabbing it.
"Sara! No!" Wong cried out.
The jujutsu sorcerers watched, for the nth time, in horror as destroying the Darkhold burned Sara into ash, a sole tear the only evidence of her life. From the other universe, the scene before them flickered once more, between your possessed alternate self and your dreamwalking state. With the Darkhold destroyed, the connection severed and the spell reversed.
Flicker.
You roughly fell to the floor, dropping the porcelain plates and utensils you were going to use for Billy's and Tommy's ice cream. At the same time, they saw your once-dreamwalking body get blasted down to the ground in your original universe.
Flicker.
Hearing the crash from the kitchen, the twins came running to you. "Mom!"
Flicker.
"What happened!?"
Flicker.
Still, they saw you frantically get up, kneeling in front of the twins, flickering from one universe to another and attempting to sustain the possession... trying to stay with your boys.
Flicker. Flicker.
"Are you okay!?" they asked worriedly, helping you get up.
Flicker... Flicker... Flicker... Nothing.
"Billy... Tommy..." you panted, their concerned faces disappearing from your field of vision as you unwillingly returned back to your original universe.
"Y/N..." the sorcerers murmured, again sympathetic of your situation, no matter how twisted and fucked up it was. In a frenzy, you scampered towards the remains of the Darkhold, whimpering at its sorry state.
"No, no, no, no," you whispered miserably, holding the book up. It was gone. Dismayed, your lips wobbled as you became hopeless. The jujutsu sorcerers thought that this would be it. Your corruption would stop. The ink on your fingers grew fainter already, only tinges and traces of it left.
Suddenly, you glowered darkly.
And they stilled in fear once again as you slowly swivelled around to Wong. Before they could react, you had already thrown him to the ruins of Kamar-Taj, striding menacingly towards him.
"I need the Darkhold's spells," you demanded impatiently, playing no games and getting straight to the point. "You are the Sorcerer Supreme. Tell me what you know!"
"You'll have to kill me first, witch," Wong spat out spitefully.
Your eyes narrowed as his defiance, something Sukuna was very much liking. He chuckled once more before Yuuji slapped a hand over him again. The others were watching the scene anxiously, not knowing what you'd do next (because honestly, you were being unbelievably unpredictable in this obsessed state of yours). "Not you," you spoke out, raising one hand. "Them."
From behind Wong, four survivors were swept into the air, your Chaos Magic physically tormenting them and twisting their bodies painfully. Even their cries and wails of pain weren't enough to deter you. You would get what you want. No matter what it takes. You didn't care.
"Wanda, stop!" Wong pleaded, unable to see his students tortured. You didn't stop, cracking and popping your fingers even more to strengthen the pain they were feeling. "Wanda, please!"
"Goddamn, she's crueler here than with Kenjaku," Toji stated. He wouldn't be messing with you anytime soon after this. Not that he would. Ever.
"The Darkhold's clouded her reason so much," Nanami frowned. This wasn't you. You were taking out your pain and rage on these innocent wizards.
"... The Darkhold was a copy!" Wong relented. Instantly, with a wave of your hand, the torture and screams stopped.
"A copy?"
"Legend speaks of a mountain with the wretched spells you seek carved into its walls," Wong shut his eyes. He shouldn't he telling you this, but he had to. The guilt of so many lives lost were already weighing down on him. "It's there the Darkhold was transcribed. Mount Wundagore."
You paused. It was a vaguely familiar place to you. It was near Sokovia, and briefly, you could remember old folktales and legends there from your childhood. "Mount Wundagore?" you repeated to confirm.
"No one has survived the journey," Wong disclosed as you set the four survivors down—astonishingly, in a gentler manner—to the ground. But, from one of the corpses, you used your magic to throw an extra Sling Ring to Wong.
Mount Wundagore was your next destination.
"Perhaps we will be the exception," you stated darkly, accent thicker as you set your goal to the mountain.
Suddenly, the jujutsu sorcerers were teleported to where Strange and America were contained in an advanced research facility. They met 838-Christine... who consequently told Strange that he was 616-Strange... which led to them to wonder.
"What number is our universe?" Choso questioned out loud.
"I wonder that, too..." Yuuji eeplied, scratching his head. "All this Multiverse stuff is making my head hurt."
"Someone from my universe wants that girl," Strange warned 838-Christine, who refused to let him and America go. "And she's going to rip this place apart atom-by-atom until she gets what she wants."
"... That's one way to describe Y/N," Toji shrugged, turning to Yuuji... or the curse inside him. "She did beat ya up in your domain that time ya ripped Itadori's heart, didn't ya?"
"Tch!" Sukuna snarled, but didn't deny it. The other sorcerers and Yuuji himself were surprised, not knowing about the event.
"She beat Sukuna up in his domain?" Gojo questioned, hearing the juicy gossip. "Heeeey, when did that happen?"
"Sometime after ya told her that Sukuna ripped this kid's heart before he got resurrected," Toji shared, smirking at the memory, glancing at Geto and Choso. "Ya two weren't there yet, so it was just the two of us. But I'll tell ya what, seeing an old woman in a dark room with glowing red eyes and floating knives is something ya wouldn't wanna see. No wonder she came back in a good mood after beating the shit outta ya."
"She did not beat shit outta me, bastard!" Sukuna protested, growling. He refused to be humiliated by a man who didn't even use jujutsu!
Funnily enough, after everything that's happened, they could vividly imagine what Toji was describing.
They heard Strange continue talking, "So I don't care if you're from the Avengers or SHIELD—"
"We're neither," a voice interrupted from behind Christine. It was 838-Mordo, with...
"Are those a bunch of Ultron bots behind him?" Nanami recognized. "Like those Stark created when we saw the younger Y/N and Pietro."
"Seems like it," Megumi agreed.
"Well, what then? HYDRA?" Strange shouted. That was a word the jujutsu sorcerers hadn't heard since what? Civil War? WandaVision? They were getting really familiar with the history of your universe... or Earth-616, specifically.
"The Illuminati will see you now," Mordo announced.
"The Illumi-what-y?" Strange (and hilariously, Gojo and Yuuji) said out loud in confusion.
Before more explanations could be made, they were suddenly on top of a freezing, snowy mountain. Unfortunately for them, despite the upcoming snowstorm—actually, beknownst to them, ongoing snowstorm—in their world, they had removed their jackets, coats, scarves, and layers back in your home. Now, they were left helpless to the powers of nature, the icyness nipping at their skin.
"W-W-W-Where a-are w-we?" Yuuji chattered, hands by his shoulders. The other sorcerers were chattering, too, in the middle of the frosty temperature.
"I-I-I t-t-think this i-is M-Mount W-Wundag-gore?" Gojo replied, unsure and shaking. "F-Fuck, i-it's f-f-freezing o-out h-h-here!"
"W-W-We r-r-really sh-shouldn't h-have re-removed o-o-o-our c-c-c-coats," Geto sputtered, visible puffs of air coming from his mouth. No matter what they did, the strong winds were throwing snow in their faces.
That was when a golden-orange portal appeared before them, with you and Wong emerging from it, trekking the mountain shortly. When you arrived, you squinted, spotting a structure hidden by the fog up ahead. God, it was cold.
"You couldn't portal us up there!?" you exclaimed, skin flushing from how frosty it was. Still, the jujutsu sorcerers were surprised by the fact that your teeth weren't chattering like theirs.
"My magic can only take us so far," Wong huffed. "Masters of the Mystic Arts weren't meant to tread upon the forbidden grounds of Wundagore." You had no idea if he was just stalling or telling the truth, but you made up your mind. With a determined gaze, you used your magic to fly to the entrance of ruined castle, dragging Wong (and the jujutsu sorcerers) behind you.
"Aaaaaaand, we're flying again," Megumi muttered to himself, not looking at the steep height below them.
"Weeeee!" Gojo exclaimed. Damn. He really missed flying with his powers, too.
"That's one huge-ass castle," Toji commented as they flew closer to the decrepit stronghold.
"Seriously giving me Coppola's Dracula vibes," Geto remarked, staring up at the impressively foreboding Darkhold Castle.
You landed on the entrance of the former fortress, examining the many broken stone pillars and dust and snow that had accumulated.
"Eons ago, the first demon, Chthon, carved his Dark Magic into this tomb," Wong explained, swallowing nervously. You (and the jujutsu sorcerers) stared at the Satanic inscriptions glowing red on the walls—very similar to your Chaos Magic, which you were currently using as an alternative torch.
Crack!
You lightly gasped in surprise. Their heads quickly snapped behind them, seeing some rocks fall down from above. Nothing was there. False alarm. You all continued to roam the area as Wong spoke.
"There's no telling what soulless monstrosities lie within." He was looking up at a dark, hooded skeleton which had its arms and talons crossed like a mummy. Using your magic, you lit up four large cauldrons, which surrounded what appeared to be a...
"Is that... a sacrificial altar?" Geto asked out loud. "Whoa. Damn." Even his former cult didn't have anything as nefarious as that.
All of a sudden, roars resounded from behind them. From the shadows emerged monstrous, red-eyed, demonic creatures, the Knights of Wundagore. Prepared to defend yourselves, you flew on top of the altar for battle whereas Wong's Eldritch magic circles appeared on his hands.
"The fuck are those things?" Toji asked.
"No idea," the others chorused.
That was when each of the knights formed their claws into fists, resting it on their chests as they respectfully knelt down before you—pledging their allegiance to the prophesized Scarlet Witch.
"They've been waiting for me," you exhaled out, stunned.
"Look," Nanami pointed behind you in awe. The jujustu sorcerers turned around. At the same time, you did, too. And you came to a startling realization.
The chapter devoted to you in the Darkhold was real. The prophecy of the Scarlet Witch. There was a magnificent statue... of you. Old and ancient, but true. Made by worshippers of the Elder God, Chthon.
"This isn't a tomb," you concluded, chin raised higher this time at the demons kneeling in front of you. "It's a throne."
"... A throne?" Sukuna intoned, mind clouded with hunger and passion. Second by second, he was getting even antsier to meet you again. To claim you as his. For you to become his Queen. After a thousand years, he's finally found someone worthy enough to become his partner.
You.
But he knew he had competition. The five other men with him, although he saw them as insignificant sow, held affections for you as well. Gojo Satoru. Nanami Kento. Fushiguro Toji. Geto Suguru. Kamo Choso.
Ryomen Sukuna was eager to win among all of them.
The scene changed from the Darkhold Castle back to where Strange was. He was being escorted by Ultron sentient bots to in front of what looked to be a council.
838-Mordo decreed, "Stephen Strange. You are now called before the Illuminati. I, Baron Karl Mordo, the Sorcerer Supreme, do hereby—"
"Wait, wait. Karl?" Stephen laughed at his enemy, only for a vibranium shield to be thrown beside him. It boomeranged back to a woman. A very, very familiar looking woman. Peggy Carter?
"Isn't that Cap's ex?" Gojo whispered to the others. "Why's she Captain America?"
"She did sound pretty badass when Cap talked about her with Mom back then," Yuuji said, remembering the events right after the Lagos Incident.
"Captain Carter. The First Avenger," Mordo introduced.
"Blackagar Boltagon. Keeper of the Terrigen Mists. The Inhuman King."
"Blackagar Boltagard?" Strange repeated as a jab. "Hidigy hidithere!"
"Pshh. What is this, Game of Thrones?" Geto snickered. Even he found it amusing.
"Captain Marvel. Defender of the Cosmos." Instead of it being Carol Danvers, it was Maria Rambeau, Monica's mother.
"And the smartest man alive, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four," Mordo finished.
"Fantastic Four?" Strange was incredulous. "Didn't you guys chart in the sixties?"
"... Wasn't that the Beatles?" Megumi thought to himself.
"I'm sorry, is this a joke to you?" Maria asked, insulted.
"Well, there's a guy over there with a fork on his head," Strange pointedly looked at Black Bolt. "So, yeah, a little bit." Said man raised a finger over his lips, signalling Stephen to basically zip his mouth.
"Be grateful Black Bolt doesn't engage you in conversation," Peggy advised.
"Why, does he have bad breath?" Strange taunted.
"Huh. Sounds like something you and I would say," Gojo turned to Geto, who was impressed with Strange.
"Definitely. How... strange," Geto replied, making himself and Gojo laugh at their own jokes.
"You two are corny as hell," Toji shook his head. But he wouldn't lie. If he were in Strange's position, he'd say the same things, too. Heck, he used to do that with the Zenin Clan elders when he was younger.
They all listened as Reed explained to Strange the dangers of him in the Multiverse, telling him what incursions were and what their consequences were. Strange, however, had another priority.
"If it's incursions you're worried about, do you seriously think I'm a bigger threat than the Scarlet Witch?!" Strange asked quizzically, trying to convince them of the threat you posed.
"Oh, we can handle your little witch if she decides to dreamwalk," Maria arrogantly countered.
Gojo clicked his tongue disapprovingly, "Wouldn't be so sure about that, Captain Marvel."
"No. No, you cannot," Strange responded. "Not unless you give me the Book of Vishanti."
However, the members of the Illuminati disclosed that it wasn't the Scarlet Witch who was the greatest threat to their reality—or so they thought. That was when a man in a fancy wheelchair entered the room.
"Our final member. Professor Charles Xavier. One of the greatest telepaths alive."
Then, they were in the Darkhold Castle again. You were looking at a statue of a boy, touching it nostalgically. Somehow, it looked like one of your boys. Billy. But older.
"All these scene changes are seriously making me nauseous," Megumi quietly complained. He still hadn't recovered from being thrown across the Multiverse.
"You're wondering what happens now," you addressed Wong.
"No. That, I've already accepted," the Sorcerer Supreme replied. "But I do wonder, when you could force America to send you to any universe you want, why take her power for your own? You know it will kill her."
"For Billy and Tommy. To protect them," you instantly answered, as if it were that simple. You walked towards them. "In the infinite Multiverse, there's a cure for every illness. A solution to every problem," you justified. "I won't lose them again."
"The Darkhold's really clouded her reason," Nanami sighed. "There's no turning back."
"Why's Mom so... good in our world, then?" Yuuji inquired, not understanding.
"I don't know. But more things will happen for sure," Kento replied.
"Try as you might, Wanda, you cannot control everything!" Wong stated. Despite what you've done, perhaps there was a way for you to still see reason. To realize what you were doing was wrong.
"But I can!" you shot back, gesturing to the castle. "Look around you! It's carved. In stone. I was meant to rule everything." You eyed the grandiose statue that imitated your likeness. You were praised and adored even before you were born into this world.
"... Rule everything, huh?" Geto mumbled. "Interesting, indeed." He recalled wanting to do that once by eliminating all the monke—non-sorcerers.
"We can rule everything together," Sukuna cut in. Everyone else rolled their eyes.
"Not gonna happen, sicko," Gojo answered back, making the King of Curses scoff at him.
You shook your head dejectedly, "But that's not what I want. I just want my boys."
"At the cost of a child's life!?" Wong argued, voice raising. "Is there no peace in knowing that even though you can't be with the ones you love, there are worlds where you are together?!"
His remark hit the jujutsu sorcerers right on the nail. After all, in their field, they'd lost so many. But it was comforting to think that maybe in another universe, they were alive and well. You, however, grew enraged at his remark.
"Is that not enough!?" he shouted.
You lifted your hand and raised him in the air, whispering angrily, "No." You then proceeded to throw him off the castle without a second thought, startling the sorcerers.
You were gonna do it your way.
"Oh shit," Toji, Geto, and Gojo cussed.
"She threw him off," Choso gawped.
The next thing they knew, you were repeating the dreamwalking ritual once more and commencing the spell. This time, you had four loyal Knights of Wundagore to stand guard around you should something happen.
Now they were back in Earth-838's Vision Residence. They watched in terror as you possessed you other self again. You kissed your sleeping twins' foreheads and this time, you wasted no time, using your powers to fly off to where America Chavez was.
Meanwhile, Strange and the Illuminati were still speaking. Xavier showed Strange, and consequently the jujutsu sorcerers with them, a memory of 838-Strange's fate. They were on planet Titan, Thanos's home planet and where the original battle also took place in Universe-616. However, this time, a dead Thanos was in the corner, his own sword through his chest. Kneeling before the Illuminati was a repetant 838-Strange, his fingers stained black with the repeated use of the Darkhold.
"I shall miss you, my friend," Xavier bid him goodbye goodheartedly.
838-Strange nodded, forlorn yet ultimately accepting his fate. "... I'm ready."
It was how he died that surprised the jujutsu sorcerers.
A regretful-looking Black Bolt stepped forward, saying two words which eliminated Strange on the spot, "... I'm sorry." It echoed and echoed until the man was gone.
"Cursed Speech?" Megumi said out loud, stunned. "Like Inumaki-senpai?"
Gojo had already removed his blindfold, studying closely how 838-Strange had just... disintegrated. He shook his head at Megumi's comment, "It's similar to Toge-kun's ability, but also very different. Both are extremely powerful in their own rights, but Toge-kun's Cursed Speech... it also relies on the ability to command. This guy?" He pointed a thumb at Black Bolt. "This guy's voice is just plain destruction no matter what he says, it seems."
"Yeah. Even making a sound or grunting looks dangerous," Geto scrutinized, his eyes squinting.
"Thankfully, Inumaki-senpai can still speak in sushi ingredients, at least," Yuuji realized.
That was when multiple alarms began blaring outside. Loudly.
"The building's been breached," Reed stated the obvious, making Strange roll his eyes. All this useless talk made them lose precious time.
Now? You were coming.
"No shit, genius," the former neurosurgeon replied snarkily.
"Uh-oh," Yuuji felt shivers creep up his spine. "Mom... she must be here already."
"Status report on sentries!" Peggy ordered. Before them, several holograms displayed security footage at multiple angles of you, in your other self's body, breaking into the secure headquarters—practically multitasking with how many Ultron bots you were fighting and destroying in all directions. Oil covered you from head to toe, looking an awful lot like blood at first sight. The fact that it was only oil splattered across your face and clothes didn't make you any less terrifying.
"Stop where you are! Stop where you—"
Crash!
The Ultron bot was smashed.
"That is... wow," Gojo blinked, blindfold permanently removed and hanging on his neck now. He was gonna enjoy the feeling of not having oversensitive eyes since he didn't have his powers in this... memory realm of yours. "That is absolutely fucking terrifying and giving me Carrie vibes."
"Uh-huh. She's got Dracula, The Grudge, The Possession, and Carrie crossed off her list," Toji snorted, muscular arms crossed against his built chest. "Up next is what, Final Destination? The Conjuring? Evil Dead? I bet ya five thousand yen it's one of those and that a whole buncha' people are gonna die."
"... I bet you fifteen thousand yen it's all of those." It was Nanami, surprisingly, who made the remark. Everyone stared at the blonde ex-salaryman in shock. A huge grin appeared on the Sorcerer Killer's lips.
"Heh," Toji smirked. "Deal."
Gambling was always one of his vices no matter how unlucky he was.
Again, the jujutsu sorcerers got a good look at how well you actually incorporated physical combat with your magic. Hell, you even destroyed multiple bots in one go. Their last sight of you on footage was you with your arm outstretched with psionics, staring warningly into the eyes of an Ultron bot before crushing its head—losing all contact and sight of you once it did. The fact that they were Ultron bots, of all people, made you even more bitter. You only had terrible memories associated with the name. Terrible, terrible memories.
Perhaps it was why you were so vicious in tearing them apart.
Which was, ironically, what Ultron himself said that you would do to the Avengers of Earth-616. Look who's talking now.
"She's heading for the child," Maria said.
"Watch him. We'll vote on our return," Carter declared, she and the others immediately running out of the council room to give you a greeting. Only Mordo and Xavier were left with an exasperated Strange. He knew the Illuminati would be no match for you. Not without the Book of Vishanti.
"Stephen, should you manage to escape this chamber, you must guide America Chavez," Xavier suddenly declared when his fellow councilmen left. Hearing this, Mordo beside him was stunned.
"What the hell are you saying?"
"Save the girl and get to the Book of Vishanti," Professor X spoke.
"What? You have the book here?" Strange clarified.
"Yes, you built a waypoint," Charles answered kindly.
"Charles, we cannot trust him!" he exclaimed.
"I believe we can," Xavier smiled. Strange appreciated it. "Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn't mean they're lost forever."
At his statement, Gojo took a glance at the three men who exactly embodied what Professor X was describing.
Fushiguro Toji.
Geto Suguru.
Kamo Choso.
... You.
They didn't know how all this madness of yours was going to end, but they knew that whatever happened, it had consequently rippled down into a domino effect of you saving their lives and saving their world from the Culling Game.
"We will see what kind of Dr. Strange you are," Charles smiled, making Stephen nod appreciatively.
"Thank you."
Now the jujutsu sorcerers were looking at America and 838-Christine. Countless alarms were blaring in their ears, with more Ultron bots racing towards your location as explosions shook the building.
"Perimeter breakdown. All sentries engage. Intruder approaching," the bots repeated.
"Everybody out! Now!" Christine ordered to her colleagues and workers.
"It's Wanda," America realized in terror. You weren't gonna stop until you got her, huh? Immediately, Christine ran over to manually override America's biochamber restrictions. However, you seemed to already sense this, using your psionic energy to disrupt the communication technologies in the entire building.
"Ultron commands you to halt! Ultron commands you to halt!"
In the distance, they saw an Ultron sentry running into the explosion, only for its head to roll down the floor right after. You emerged from between two pillars, pulverizing the head with your powers without even looking at it.
"Shit, that one was personal against Ultron himself," Gojo whistled.
"Wait, has Mom been... barefoot all this time?" Yuuji blinked as you calmly marched your way into where America was.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! She's coming!" America cried out, utterly scared for her life as she slammed her hands on the bulletproof glass. Your face was emotionless—you were here for one thing only and nothing was going to stop you.
Even if these people tried to.
A woman landed in front of you with her jetpack and... vibranium shield? They saw your head tilt slightly in curiosity and slight familiarity. Instead of the typical white star on it, it was the Union Flag on it... and the woman wielding it... she was that woman on Cap's compass... Steve's first love. What was her name again? Ah, yes. Peggy. Peggy Carter.
After her was a man in a black suit and... was that a fork on his head? You didn't have a clue who he was but you were pretty sure he would be a hindrance to your plans.
The next one who flew down from the ground. She was very much like that woman you fought alongside with against Thanos, based on her uniform and powers. Captain Marvel. But... she looked familiar, too. Somehow. She resembled... what was her name? The last woman you spoke to in Westview and helped you... Geraldine. No, Monica. Your briefly wondered who exactly the Captain Marvel in front of you was before pushing the thought to the back of your head.
You didn't care. All you needed were your boys.
The last man was a man dressed in tight, blue and black suit and a number four emblem on his chest. He appeared to be the leader, based on how he was positioned in front of everyone—looking like he was about to negotiate with you. Impatiently, you kept glaring at all of them.
"Wanda, stop," Reed appealed, voice level—calming and nice. "You've possessed an innocent woman but you can still do the right thing. Let her go." He stepped forward slowly, a hand subtly raising up. Suddenly, you felt like a dog or a bull that was to be tamed by its owner. It annoyed you. "Please. I have children of my own. I can understand your pain," he pled, not wishing for a fight.
The jujutsu sorcerers observed you, who seemed to be in deep thought. Your face was blank, void of any emotion that signaled what you were about to do. Then, you spoke words that made the blood freeze in their veins. "Is their mother still alive?" you asked in a hushed, low volume.
"... Yes," Reed replied. He felt that he was finally getting you to reason. That you would stop this madness.
He was wrong.
"Good. There will be someone left to raise them," you added chillingly, the neutral expression on your face making you even scarier.
"... Oh, shit," Suguru cursed, hearing your statement. He briefly wondered if it was him in Reed's place, telling you about his own daughters, then you just brushing off his condolences like that.
Reed sighed, then turned to his teammate. "Wanda. Black Bolt can destroy you with one whisper from his mouth." Right as he said it, the Inhuman King opened his mouth—no sounds, just a warning.
You only stared at him, unfazed. "... What mouth?"
And just like that, it was gone.
Like his mouth had never existed in the first place, only plain skin replacing where it used to be. They didn't even blink once—there were no mind tricks here. His mouth had vanished at your will. They gasped.
"Mmmph!" Panicking, Black Bolt touched his face, trying to feel his mouth—the greatest weapon he's ever possessed. He screamed, only for it to be muffled within him and consequently, explode his brains inside out. His head grotesquely deflated. Blood dripped from his nostrils as he crashed to the floor.
The jujutsu sorcerers who had seen the entire ordeal were frozen to their feet, flabbergasted and frightened. They couldn't understand it. Their brains couldn't even comprehend it.
"Wha—" Gojo's mouth was agape. So were the others. "She just—"
"She... She..." Geto pinched himself. Was he dreaming? No? What?
"... The actual fuck?" Toji cussed in disbelief.
You just made someone's mouth disappear, on a whim, right before their very eyes. Even in the jujutsu world, no one—or not anyone they knew of—could just... do that unless it was an illusion.
This was real. This was your reality-warping in action once again.
Next was Reed, who tried to attack you. But you ripped Mister Fantastic into shreds, using his stretchy abilities against him and tearing him apart until his head ballooned and popped. You didn't even look affected as you killed two of this Earth's so-called mightiest heroes in less than ten seconds. Without breaking so much of a sweat.
"Y/N just turned him into string cheese!" Gojo exclaimed. "What the hell?!"
"... I now wonder if this is even her true potential," Nanami murmured. The other sorcerers looked at him in question.
"What do you mean?" Geto asked.
"Since she's only dreamwalking and she's not in her own body," Kento explained his thought process. "It would make sense if there's some sort of restriction on her. A limitation."
"You mean to say that she's not at her full power yet? After doing all that?" Toji's eyes widened.
"Maybe. Just maybe," Nanami replied, turning back to your fight against the female members of thr Illuminati. "It's just my thoughts."
Your eyes flared red as Captain Marvel and Captain Carter engaged you ina 2v1 battle. One was throwing energy blasts at you while the other was throwing a vibranium shield. Debris and concrete were flying everywhere as you tossed statues at your opponents. However, as a result, dust had flown up into the air around you, obstructing your vision. Peggy used this as a window to tackle you down.
But you had also been trained by two of your world's fighters. Black Widow and Captain America—with your late best friend slash sister being much more ruthless than the latter, practically handing over the training she got from the Red Room to you.
(Perhaps you could be an honorary Black Widow at this point. Hell, technically, you were already a widow after Viz died, weren't you?)
You were able to swiftly roll back from being tackled, glaring at Captain Carter.
"Haven't you had enough?" you grit out to the woman.
"Oh, I could do this all day," Peggy replied confidently, spitting out blood from her mouth. Her reply made you recall the blonde friend you once had. Wherever he was now.
But right now you couldn't care less about them. None of them mattered. Only Billy and Tommy. With that, the jujutsu sorcerers watched you imbue your magic and psionics in your hand-to-hand combat, reminding them of that time you fought Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight. Yet this time, you weren't on the defensive.
This time, you were very much on the offensive.
"... Damn," Toji nodded, impressed as he observed your movements as you threw Captain Carter across the room. You had astounding reflexes and agility. "That was pretty badass."
Whirr!
Captain Carter threw her vibranium shield to you. With your psionics, you easily caught it and prevented its impact, instead swinging it back to her with much more force than she did.
Whirr—
It sliced her cleanly in half, exactly where her midsection was. She could only let out one small gasp of shock, her upper body and lower body falling to the floor—blood and organs spilling out. The light in her eyes instantly dimmed, crimson gurgling from her dead mouth. Her bloody, stained shield implanted itself to the wall behind her. You? You only stared at the body, eyebrows ever so slightly furrowed—the only mixed reaction you've given to all the slaughter you caused.
For a moment, you thought about Steve. Just for a moment. It disappeared very quickly, the Darkhold's whispers of encouragement in your ear. You were very close to getting your children. Just a little more.
"... Holy shit," Gojo stared at the bifurcated cadaver in front of them, still so fresh. "She cut this lady in half with her own shield. Half! Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit."
"Fucking brutal," Toji muttered. "But I'm not one to judge." Sure, he's an assassin, but that was one real clean cut there and admittedly, one of the most savage methods to murder someone. Very... Final Destination.
"... I'd rather not stare at it," Nanami inwardly shuddered, turning to look at your thinking face, instead. He was already hiding a sick-looking Megumi behind him and a frightened Yuuji, too.
Your other enemy, Captain Marvel, emerged from the wall you'd tossed her in, blasting extremely concentrated energy at you. For a moment, they saw you in your original body, hair flying around and your face scrunched up in concentration as you released even more of your power in your alternate self's body. As a result, you began sucking in Captain Marvel's energy blast and her power, too, her uniform breaking and fading away.
"Raaaagh!" you yelled as you overpowered her, blowing her away to a large statue. You quickly used your psionics to wrap around the statue, pulling it down until it crashed onto Captain Marvel, appearing to kill her. You'd taken a lot of her power, after all. Maybe you'd rendered her useless, just like a normal human. Again, you didn't care. Not your priority.
"She's just slaughtering everyone who comes in her way," Choso spoke out, more and more shocked at getting to know the seemingly sweet woman he's known.
Meanwhile, Strange was purposefully riling up 838-Mordo, cunningly using the latter's anger to fight and get out of his restraints. (Honestly, it reminded them of how Gojo would piss enemies off, too. What was it with smartass genius sorcerers and their overly huge ego?)
Finally, you had arrived right behind where America was contained. She had punched a small hole into it, amazing Christine, but it wasn't enough to set her free. They gazed at you—barefoot, limping, bruised, bloodied, and covered in oil—in horror for what you were about to do next.
"Enough!" a voice called out.
You snarled, your hand glowing red once more at the person who dared interrupt your goals again. It was a bald man in a wheelchair. He raised his right hand to his temple and his left hand towards you.
Suddenly, it transported all of them—including the jujutsu sorcerers—into the mind of 838-Wanda. 838-You. They winced, seeing glimpses of you, the original one. You were screaming in pain, for the first time since Agatha, getting your mind forcefully invaded and broken in. It was shaking the dreamwalking connection, making you feel nauseous. Like a huge migraine or headache pummeling your head.
"Aaaaagh!" you wailed, eyes still shut.
"Mom! She's—" Yuuji gulped, looking at you in concern. The others had the same look, too. "She's in pain." Despite what he'd just seen you do, seeing your pained, crying face still hurt him. A lot. It always would.
Then, your original self vanished from view. And they found themselves in... somewhere. It was all white everywhere, except for a broken concrete structure and a single, standing door in the middle. It was completely silent, except for Charles's footsteps. The door creaked open. He entered it, the jujutsu sorcerers following curiously behind him. In front of them were a bunch of fallen debris, with some random knick-knacks here and there. On the bottom center was a pitch black hole.
"... Is that WandaVision playing on that TV over there?" Nanami asked, pointing.
"Oh. You're right. It is WandaVision," Gojo answered in wonder. "That 1950s-themed one in black and white, yeah? Where she was in a wedding dress?"
"Uh-huh," Megumi said, frowning. "I don't like this place. Really damn creepy."
"Creepier than any of your missions?" Geto asked.
"Yup."
Right as he answered, a hand shot out from the pitch black hole, making all of them flinch along with Charles.
"Shit. Thought it was going to be the Grudge Mirror Dimension all over again," Geto placed a hand over his beating heart.
"This is not good for my blood pressure," Toji scowled, cracking his neck.
"... Never knew you were such an old man," Gojo snickered, only for the black-haired middle-aged man to give him the finger in response.
"Help me. Please," 838-You whispered, trying to reach her hand out more from where she was stuck.
"Wanda Maximoff. Your mind is being held hostage by your alternate self," Professor X explained. At that moment, the debris over her began to teeter over, trapping 838-Wanda even further below.
"Uh-oh... again..." Yuuji said, concerned as sirens began ringing in the background.
"Grab my hand!" Charles ordered. "Perhaps, if I can pull you from under the rubble, the spell will break!" Panting, your other self was able to slightly squeeze her head out, but only until her shoulders. The rest of her body was still trapped.
"Hey... look," Megumi pointed behind them with wide eyes. They all pivoted backwards, seeing an ill-boding, crimson fog approaching them. Professor X froze. The blaring sirens turned into hushed, feminine whispers in Sokovian, chanting, echoing in their ears.
They saw a flash of your original body back in the Darkhold Castle, cold sweat on your forehead, with you looking... less lively than before while you regained control over your other self's mind.
838-You was terrifyingly pulled back into the darkness, like she was being dragged down to the pits of hell once more.
Scream!
Then, they all flinched as a pair of elongated, sharp talons with blackened tips wrapped around Charles's entire face. A monster with cracked, chalky skin, bloody red eyes and decayed, pointed teeth throughly ripped it open in two different directions.
Back in the research facility, Professor X's actual body slumped down lifelessly, blood dripping from his eyes. Your eyes dimmed down into their normal color as you stared coldly at the man's corpse. However, you then saw that Chavez and 838-Christine were gone. As they reunited with Dr. Strange, the jujutsu sorcerers stared at one another. Sukuna was the only one chuckling in amusement.
"Heh. This oughta be the best thing I've ever seen," the mouth on Yuuji's face grinned wide. "Heh!" It was confirmed in his head now. Ryomen Sukuna, King of Curses, saw you as his partner. His equal.
"... That... monster... was Mom, wasn't she?" Yuuji quietly asked, spooked as his eyes darted around skittishly.
"Yeah," Nanami answered somberly. This time, you did look like an actual cursed spirit—eyes, skin, teeth and claws. It only happened for what, five seconds? But the appalling image was imprinted in their heads.
"She snapped his neck?" Megumi clarified. His father shook his head, eyes narrowed.
"No. It looked like she did, but she didn't." He glanced at Megumi. "She ripped it open with her bare hands."
"Damn," Choso muttered.
Funnily enough, they were only speed-walking behind America, Stephen, and Christine as they searched for the waypoint to the Book of Vishanti. But when you—looking like a zombie—forcefully opened the metal doors that the trio had closed, angry red eyes staring into them, something inside them told them to run, too, even if this was the past.
It was a 6D experience, after all.
So when you blasted the storage room with your powers and a stray computer screen knocked Gojo over the head, they were shocked. They were lucky enough to not be harmed during the Battle of Kamar-Taj, but that was proof that anything happening here—in spite of it being in the past—could physically affect them.
"Oh shit! Satoru!" Geto cussed, dragging his best friend out of the way.
"What—" Gojo was shocked. Yes, he didn't have his powers, but he was affected.
"Sensei! Did it actually hit you!?" Yuuji exclaimed.
"Y-Yeah, holy crap..." Gojo blinked, rubbing his head as he processed what was happening. "Ow? That hurt. A lot." A rapidly-forming bruise on his skin was evidence that he had been hit.
"Then I think we should all run, too! Now!" Nanami shouted—for once, raising his voice in alarm as they stared at your terrifying form in the doorway. Right as he said that, Strange was warning America and Christine.
"Go! Go, go, go, go!" Stephen urgently yelled. The jujutsu sorcerers followed after them, running as fast as they could from you—even overtaking Chavez, Strange, and Christine.
When they looked behind their shoulders, you were there—bloodied, limping on one leg, stepping on broken glass shards and debris with no shoes, blasting away doors and blockages.
"I feel like I'm in a horror movie!" Yuuji cried out as he ran. "You know, being chased by a crazy killer in a stinky tunnel! I love Mom but crap, I really wanna pee right now!"
"Me too! Holy shit!" Gojo yelled. "I've seen too many fucking jumpscares today from Y/N!"
Christine was able to close a door before you could pass, though. They staggered to a stop, hearing only the drops of water from the river above them.
Drop. Drop. Drop.
"Why the fuck did we stop?" Toji whispered harshly. "Shouldn't we continue running?"
"Same thoughts," Geto muttered, listening intently for any sign of you.
"She's here. Somewhere. Probably gonna pop out of nowhere," Gojo said with a nervous frown. "So just keep your eyes peeled. She won't lose America so easily."
Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.
"Where did she go?" America whispered, scared.
Snarl!
You came out out of the shadows, the dim, flickering lights of the tunnel blinking over your red eyes.
"I swear, for a fucking moment, I saw that monster in her face," Gojo rubbed his eyes. "Not kidding. She looked a hella lot like Valak just now."
"... I saw it, too," Megumi swallowed quietly. "Her face... it was all cracked and decayed... and her teeth..."
"It was pointy. All of them," Choso murmured, watching you approach America.
"... So her appearance right now, it might be an illusion, too," Nanami deduced, moving back slowly with the others. "Her face might not be... well, as nice as we know it to be."
"The Darkhold's taken Y/N's pretty face, too? Well, shit," Geto snorted. However, when they looked at you now, it looks like you'd "fixed" your face to be normal again. "Thank God she destroyed the last one last time."
No wonder you were so good at fooling them you were an old woman when they first knew you. You could fix up your face, body, and surroundings any way you wanted.
"I warned you," you told Strange lowly.
"Other Wanda, if you're in there," Strange's hands lit up orange. "Hold your breath." He then proceeded to make river waters crash down on you, giving them time to run to the waypoint.
Fortunately, 616-Strange was able to open it. And it took them back to where Supreme Strange and America were first running from the Ribboned Creature. In the center was the shining Book of Vishanti. They all jumped down into the Gap Junction, the Space Between Universes.
"Really shiny up close, isn't it?" Gojo whispered in awe.
"Yeah," Geto and the others exhaled.
"Give me what I need," Strange murmured, taking the Book of Vishanti carefully from its seat.
"I think we're forgetting something," Yuuji scratched his head.
Their eyes widened. "They didn't close the damn door!" Nanami yelled and turned around, only for America to be literally dragged by the hair with red magic.
"It wouldn't have made much of a difference!" Gojo argued, eyes wide. "She can blast it open anyway!"
You were extremely pissed from being drenched in river water. This had to end now.
Christine cried out, running to America, only for Strange to stop her and protectively place a hand in front of her. Strange fired a blast of Eldritch magic at you, only for you to absorb it with your free hand and deflect it back to him and Christine, sweeping them off their feets. Tragically, the backlash also hit the Book of Vishanti, burning it to ash.
"Shit!" the jujutsu sorcerers cussed, ducking to avoid the violent blast.
You lifted America's struggling form from the ground with one hand, annoyed. Instantly, you took over her mind—as evidenced by her eyes glowing blue and her going limp. You manipulated it to open a random dimension in the Multiverse, using your magic to restrict Christine and Strange then toss them into the portal.
Wasting no time, you once more controlled America's mind to open a portal to your original universe. And there it was. Your own body, sitting cross-legged in the air, surrounded by sanguine wisps allowing you to dreamwalk. With a dark smile on your face—now that you were finally getting what you wanted—you tossed America into the portal. Then, in your original body, you opened your eyes—ceasing the dreamwalking spell.
As the portal slowly closed, the jujutsu sorcerers ran to the other side where original you was. And their last vision was 838-Wanda falling to her knees tiredly, finally in control of her own body, no matter how battered you caused it to be.
"My boys..." 838-You mumbled worriedly, levitating back to the entrance of the waypoint to the Gap Junction.
Behind the terrified America, the anxious jujutsu sorcerers watched as you wordlessly stared at the girl as you stepped closer, like you were wondering what to do next.
"... She looks different," Megumi pointed out, squinting. "The same, but really different?"
"Mom looks... sick," Yuuji frowned. He's frowned probably more than a hundred times today, seeing how your life played out.
"Yeah. It's the crazy look in her eyes," Gojo answered quietly, noticing the darkened bags around your eyes and that your skin tone had become ashier—like the Darkhold was physically (and mentally) making you ill. Your hair was wilder, messier.
You truly did look insane. Even the way you were staring at America, like she was some sort of prey; it wasn't like the normal you.
"The isn't what your children would want!" America weakly told you, only for you to ruthlessly throw her onto the sacrificial altar of the Darkhold Castle and pin her down. You circled her like a predator, the jujutsu sorcerers watching uneasily. You stopped right behind America's head, your blackened fingers mindlessly stroking the cool stone of the altar. You gave America an emotionless smile.
"They'll never know," you replied offhandedly, sending chills down their spines.
"Maybe not," America shot back. "But you will."
For a few seconds, you appeared to contemplate your whole decision. Like a glimpse of your kinder, uncorrupted self had shone through. Then, the scene rapidly changed to Strange and Christine, who had become stuck in a bleak universe where an Incursion had happened. They met... other, other Strange... who seemed a lot more sinister than all the other Strange variants they'd met. He had a longer beard, and his skin—ashy and pale, almost lifeless, like yours. This... Sinister Strange possessed a Darkhold.
"Careful. The Darkhold exacts a heavy toll," Sinister Strange declared, refusing to give 616-Strange the Book of the Damned. His words resonated through the jujutsu sorcerers, remembering how much you had changed. "Not just on its reality, but on its reader."
Eventually, the whole conversation took a dark turn, with a third eye ominously appearing on Sinister Strange's forehead.
"Ew. Reminds me of that damned Prison Realm," Gojo cringed as the two Stephens broke out into a fight made out of musical notes. It ended with Sinister Strange falling off the Sanctum, dying when he fell through the pointed entrance gates.
Then, they were momentarily back at the Darkhold Castle, seeing Wong suprisingly alive and trying to climb up. On the other hand, you had spread your arms to the side, beginning to siphon America's powers from her body. She screamed in agony as your hands and the sacrificial altar below her glowed crimson.
Strange, now holding the Darkhold, was attempting to execute the dreamwalking spell with the help of Christine.
"While I'm under, I need you to protect my body in case they attack me for trespassing," Stephen disclosed.
"Who's they?" Christine and the jujutsu sorcerers chorused.
"The souls of the damned." With that, Stephen summoned multiple candles from around the Sanctum, beginning to dreamwalk.
"Okay...? But doesn't a version of you have to live in that universe so that you can dreamwalk into them?" 838-Christine asked, confused.
Stephen peeked an eye open, "Who said they had to be living?"
That was when the jujutsu sorcerers found themselves where Supreme Strange was buried. Thunder rumbled from around them. His hand shot out as he rose from the ground, bones cracking as he opened a portal to Mount Wundagore. This time, it was Geto who was severely disturbed.
"I don't... like this," he muttered, looking away instead as he briefly recalled what Kenjaku had done to him. Up to this day, he still felt violated. Possessing a dead man's body? Yeah. He didn't have the greatest experience with that.
And the jujutsu sorcerers were back in Mount Wundagore, shivering in the icy cold. However, from Supreme Strange's corpse emerged dark, skeleton-like spirits.
"Stephen Strange!" they snarled, attacking him. "Possessing a dead body is forbidden!"
"Forbidden!"
"Trespasser! Trespasser! Trespasser!"
"Cease your dreamwalk, or face the eternal consequences!"
Weirdly enough, three of the spirits turned to them, making the hairs on their skins rise. The three approached them, hissing. "Trespassers! Trespassers!"
"Into the wretched memories of the Scarlet Witch!"
"How shameful!"
"How deplorable!"
"Sinners, sinners, sinners! All of you, who destroy the cursed!"
They were stunned. No beings in your memories had ever interacted with them. Yes, they experienced everything with their senses, but this? This was new. And were they... talking about cursed spirits? Were the souls of the damned cursed spirits, too? Vengeful ones?
Thankfully, before the souls of the damned could do any harm, Stephen was able to overpower them with Christine's help, using them as makeshift wings. They were all transported to the Darkhold Castle. Your head snapped towards Strange, stopping the ritual to get America's power.
"Dreamwalking, you hypocrite!" you screamed. Scornfully, you threw a blast of Chaos Magic at him, only for the souls of the damned to eat it up like dinner. You threw another blast at him, but he dodged it, directing the souls to you. They swarmed at you like bees, chanting and cackling. And for once, it was you who was frightened and wide-eyed, caught like a deer in headlights.
"Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!"
"Those things are scary," Yuuji winced, seeing as Wong restricted you in another magical ball along with the souls of the damned. "Kinda feel sorry for Mom."
Strange set America free, encouraging her that there was only one way to defeat you. At that same moment, you released a powerful blast of energy, escaping the souls and the magic restriction you were in. You paced towards Strange, throwing a ball of Chaos Magic at him, which dissolved his dead body like acid.
Well, at least until a roaring America Chavez landed a solid punch at you, creating shockwaves all over Mount Wundagore.
"Damn, that kid packs a punch," Gojo and the others were impressed.
"I'm even more shocked Y/N's still standing after that," Toji added. "Her durability's out of this world."
America stared at her fist in shock, then looked up at you confidently, "Uh-huh."
You were cradling your jaw, mania in your eyes as you madly smiled back, panting, "Mmmhmm—agh!"
America landed three more punches and a kick to your stomach, opening a portal that nearly made you fall into the boiling, lava-filled pits of Hel. Yes, Hel.
"I'm amazed by how durable she is but now Y/N really looks like she escaped from a mental asylum," Geto commented, arms crossed. "She looks insane! And not in a good way!"
"... Huh. It looks like Vecna's lair behind her," Yuuji pointed to the portal, shrugging. "Just saying."
Balancing yourself once more, you slowly—terrifyingly—turned back to America, a murderous glare in your eyes as you stopped being the punching bag. If looks could kill, America would've been dead long ago. You overpowered the girl, blocking her punch with your magic. The portal to Hel closed.
"I can't beat you," America realized, then closing her hand into a fist. "So I'll give you what you want." With that, she landed another strong punch at you, opening a portal. The jujutsu sorcerers watched, aghast as you lifted America by the neck with one hand, strangling her.
Just like what Agatha did to your Billy and Tommy.
Just like what Thanos did to Vision.
Unbeknowst to you, you had become the very thing you hated. The very person you despised.
The jujutsu sorcerers, on the other hand, witnessed your downfall. All of it.
"What was the saying?" Gojo murmured, remembering how you faded into dust during The Snap. "You either die a hero..."
"... Or live long enough to become the villain," Geto finished, looking at his surroundings. At the same time, you realized where you were. And you saw your boys, sitting on the couch, watching TV and eating popcorn peacefully.
"Billy... Tommy..." you breathed, only for them to scream in fear at the sight of you.
"Mommy! It's the witch!" the twins screamed, dropping their bowl of popcorn and running over the sofa.
"What. Have. You. Done," you hissed to America, tightening your hold on her neck as your hair flew wildly around your head.
"Damn, Y/N, this isn't you," Gojo muttered, shaking his head.
"Mom!" the twins shouted as your other self came running down the stairs, all washed up and changed into new clothes, but still scratched and bruised. She moved in front of the twins protectively, one hand glowing red, but it was clear she hadn't mastered her powers and didn't use them very much, judging by the terror and apprehension painted on her face. Her powers were primitive in comparison to yours.
"Wait! Boys!" you cried out desperately.
"It's okay, it's okay," 838-You assured them.
"I'M YOUR MOTHER!" you asserted viciously, chucking the couch to the wall. "Get away from them!" You then proceeded to fling your other self to the corner, making the jujutsu sorcerers wince at your cruelty. Other you screamed as she was thrown into a cabinet of books. She fell roughly to the floor.
"... That's how delusional she's become from the Darkhold?" Choso blinked, feeling pity for your variant. She's been through much over the past day.
Seeing what you did to their mom, 838-Billy and 838-Tommy ran down the stairs, hurling toys and multiple items at you. "Mommy! Get away from our mom!"
You blocked their throws with your arms, trying to appease and calm them with a gentler tone, "Hey—boys—stop!"
"You're not our real mom!"
"Please—please—"
"Get out of our house!"
"Wait, boys, stop it—"
"You're not our mom! Get out! Go away!"
It was when they threw a whole scooter at you that your patience snapped.
"STOP IT!" you screeched in a shrill, earsplitting volume, eyes hysterical. They all flinched in fear. Even the jujutsu sorcerers grew silent. They'd never seen you scream like that before.
Afraid, the twins retreated to the opposite side of the staircase. Slowly, with a joyful smile, you approached them, reaching out to touch their faces with your very hands after so, so long.
"Please don't hurt us," Tommy begged.
"Please," Billy sniffled, scared for himself and his brother.
Their words made you freeze in your spot. "... I would never hurt you," you assured them in a whisper, shaking your head. "Never." A single tear dropped to your cheek. "I would never hurt anyone. I'm not a monster."
Slowly, their young, terrified eyes peeked behind you, looking at their beaten, whimpering mother. Their eyes turned back to you, telling you it was a lie.
It was all a lie.
And everything came crashing down to you in realization, their gazes harsh as you slowly detached yourself from the influence of the Darkhold.
Murderer. That was what the souls of the damned labeled you as.
Monster. That was what these children saw you as.
And they were right.
"I'm—" you stammered, stepping back from Billy and Tommy. The jujutsu sorcerers watched as your pale, chapped lips began to tremble, more tears falling down your cheeks.
Oh, God. What have you done?
"... I-I'm sorry," you barely choked out, shaking as you placed a hand over your mouth. Other you tried to get up, only for her to stumble down helplessly. She was too injured and exhausted.
"Mom!" Billy and Tommy ran to her. Not you. "Are you okay!?"
"Hi! Hi!" she breathed out, touching their faces. "I'm okay. I'm okay."
Those were the exact same words you told your Billy and Tommy when they were running to you when you closed the hole in Westview during the fight against Agatha. To save them. And their father.
Seeing this, you sobbed, a hand over your stomach. Empty. Void of your children. Your twins. Your babies. To everyone else, it wasn't real. But to you? It was real. It was real to you.
The jujutsu sorcerers watched as you fell to your knees, crying at the familiar yet different sight.
"How long has it been since WandaVision?" Geto asked the others, crestfallen seeing you.
"A few months, perhaps? Maybe a year?" Nanami answered mournfully.
"You think... you think that maybe, Y/N had postpartum depression?" Suguru murmured.
"... Yeah. Likely," Toji replied, gazing at your kneeling form, clutching your stomach.
"Then she's no different to all the mothers in Japan who've lost a child," Nanami said. "And out of grief, brought to life cursed spirits." It wasn't uncommon. They'd exorcised many cursed spirits like that. Miscarriages, stillbirths... a mother's pain and suffering was unlike any other.
"... What is grief, if not love persevering?" Choso repeated to himself the words your late husband said to you.
"Unfortunately, love is the most twisted curse of them all, neh, Gojo-sensei?" Yuuji wiped his tears, sniffing at seeing you cry.
Gojo was quiet for a few moments, "... Yeah. It is."
All this madness and chaos, born out of your love. You had so much of it to share and spare, yet received none because all your loved ones were gone. The Scarlet Witch, born and forged, was just like a cursed spirit.
And your curse? It was love.
Your alternate self stood up, cautiously approaching you. The twins tried to stop her, but she assured them it was fine. You couldn't find it in yourself to look at her out of guilt and shame. You'd wrecked her world, her home, and her own body. It was unforgivable.
Then, she reached out to you, touching your cheek. Who else was there to comfort you... but you?
"It's okay," the jujutsu sorcerers heard from around them. It was your voice—no, it was your variant speaking to you. Telepathically. "I've had nightmares... over past few weeks... but they're not nightmares, are they?"
You slowly opened your teary eyes to look at your other self, so same, yet so different.
"They were your life. What you'd lived. What you've gone through," she told you mentally. Mirthlessly. "And while I was having those nightmares, you were having dreams. Dreams of my life. What I've lived. And all the happiness that was unfairly stolen from you. While you were possessing me, I also saw what you've seen from our other alternate selves. Their happy lives, too. I can't imagine how much pain you're in, being the only one who's gone through so much. The only one who's been deprived of a loving life."
You were silent, staring at her sadly.
"I'm sorry. For everything you've had to endure alone—" she murmured in your mind, her warm hand calming you. "Mother. Father. Pietro. Vision. Billy. Tommy."
You pursed your lips, tears welling in your eyes once more.
"I forgive you," she whispered. You stared at her—so good and kind. Capable of forgiveness. What you once were before you became... this. Then, finally, she spoke out loud as she removed her hand from your cheek. "Know that they'll be loved," she announced, reading your mind. Your only question to her. Your only wish—telling her to take care of them.
From the sidelines, listening and watching, some of them had silent tears fall down their faces. It was a painful goodbye, just like the one you had with Vision and your children. This time, you had to let go. Again. America closed the portal, bringing you back to the Darkhold Castle. You cried, knowing what you had to do next. You levitated towarda the sacrificial altar, kneeling down, hands glowing a misty, reddish-black. This time, you would be the sacrifice. Then, they saw in your face, the same exact expression you had when Thanos snapped his fingers.
Staring up at the sky hopelessly, waiting for death to come and take you once and for more. But as much as you wanted to, your Chaos Magic wouldn't allow you to die.
Not when you were the Scarlet Witch.
The Darkhold Castle began shaking. You allowed America and Wong to return to Kamar-Taj, leaving you alone with Stephen, who was still dreamwalking in his other self's corpse. They saw you slowly turn to him, repentant. This time, it was sincere, unlike that time in the apple orchard.
"I opened the Darkhold," you whispered regretfully. "I have to close it. No one will ever be tempted by the Darkhold again."
Strange slowly nodded at you. And inwardly, he was right about you. He knew that deep inside, you were a good person. Just hurt and lonely. He knew that as always, you would set things right in the end. And he never doubted that. Just because one has stumbled and lost his way doesn't mean that they're lost forever. Professor X told him that. And it looks like you were able to read his mind.
With your powers, you made the Darkhold fall, taking it down with you in it. Before they could be hit, the jujutsu sorcerers were suddenly teleported afar to a cliff overlooking the crumbling castle, their last sight of you being a blast of red.
"Mom—" Yuuji whispered worriedly. Suddenly, they were with 838-Christine and Strange. The former neurosurgeon woke the unconscious woman up.
"... Is it over?" she asked, concerned.
"Yeah," he answered.
"Is America okay?"
"She's on her way to get us."
Christine swallowed, "... Wanda?"
The jujutsu sorcerers' ears perked up. Strange, sadly, shook his head. "No." At that moment, though, the Darkhold beside them burned into ash from red flames.
"So she destroyed the Darkhold in every universe," Strange realized.
"She did the right thing," Christine smiled.
"Yes. She did." Strange smiled back.
The consequent scenes they were seeing now all seemed glitchy, but then they saw you—in another universe—destroy the knowledge and contents of the Darkhold. You absorbed the entity chained in the main Darkhold: Chthon, the primordial god of chaos. Somewhat like Cthulhu. A Lovecraftian beast.
"You do not possess me, Chthon," they heard your voice declare as you absorbed the god. "I possess you."
None of them knew that something was chained and sealed within you—something that that ancient and dangerous. It was almost ironic: like mother, like son. Chthon was sealed within you while Sukuna was stuck inside Yuuji.
Then they saw snippets of you with Agatha... then Loki... and other individuals. The glitchy flashbacks with you ended when a hole appeared in the now-empty space they were in... and a feminine hand dragged them out one by one.
Thankfully, it didn't have talons or crooked fingers. They knew it was you who'd come to save them.
The sorcerers were back in their world; in your living room, specifically. You—the present you they knew as Y/N L/N—were staring at them with an unreadable expression. Were you angry? Were you pissed? Were you sad?
"... I'm not angry," you told them all quietly, reading their thoughts and everything they'd seen. "You've seen it all. What I've done." You chewed your lips, suddenly averting your gaze. "But what matters is that you're all okay and in one piece. Whatever... spell Agatha put in that flash drive had gone bonkers and dragged you all into it." They were silent as they stared at you, still processing those last few scenes of you they were able to see. "I'm sorry—"
Ding dong!
Your doorbell rang. Sighing, you walked away from the jujutsu sorcerers and opened the doors (thankfully, you'd magicked up the heater and everything else in the house before dragging the boys out of the television screen). You blinked at the person at the door, wrapped in lots of thick layers but still shivering from the blizzard outside. Did he... travel all the way from the grocery shop to here?
"You... uh... d-dropped y-y-your keys," Higuruma stammered from how freezing it was outside. He handed you your keys. Wide-eyed, you immediately let him in, worried about how long he's been in the cold.
That was when he saw the guys in your living room, all scrutinizing him and wondering who he was and how he knew you.
"Who the hell are you?" It was Sukuna who spoke... as a mouth... on Yuuji's cheek. He wasn't supposed to hear or see anything since he wasn't a sorcerer, but the jujutsu sorcerers were only shocked when he tilted his head at Yuuji in question.
"Attorney Higuruma Hiromi," he introduced himself, unintimidated by all these men glaring at him. He's had worse, facing criminals and all. And right, he also sees those weird spirit thingies. He always has since he was a kid. In the corner, you sighed, leading Higuruma to the kitchen to offer him something warm to drink. You popped your head back into the living room, eyes boring into the speechless jujutsu sorcerers.
"I'll talk to you boys later."
At least they were back home again...?
(to be continued)
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Author's Note: Hi, everyone! It's been a while! Sorry for being gone for so long and being inactive, even in answering my asks. Thank you also for your patience. After my very draining and somewhat hectic slash traumatic semester last June, my body basically took a break. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. All I did was rest, do nothing, and catch up on sleep for a month or so. I also went home to visit my dad, spending time with my family and looking for other ways to earn extra income from other gigs because I need to save up on allowance. Then... after that and currently, I'm working on my thesis because dang, I'm halfway through college now! Wow! Still, I tried my best to really write the entire DSMOM2 accurately inbetween my short breaks—so that was almost 2 hours of dialogue plus brainstorming for the JJK men's reactions. I hope you understand! And thank you all so much for your overwhelming support! I can't promise when the next updates will be, because time flies so fast and I'll have to move away from home, into a dorm, in less than a month since my 3rd year of uni begins again. It's hella stressful, but I'm 2 years away from graduating as a speech-language therapist! 🙏🥰
[TL ; DR: Got burnt out from school, took a vacation and mental health break + social media detox, gonna become a junior college student soon, could really use some extra money from writing these fics. I love writing and it's emotionally fulfilling, but physically and time-wise, really exhausting. 😅]
If you can and wish to, please support me on my Ko-Fi here! Thank you so much to whoever would like to help me out more even if writing is just my hobby! I'd appreciate it a lot. ☕️
Reblogs, comments, hearts, constructive criticism, and any kind of interaction are much welcome! Thank you for 1100+ notes on this fic. I've never imagined it would get so far. I'm hoping to publish it on AO3 if I find time. Also, I would love to hear your thoughts about this chapter and even just the DSMOM2 film! See you next time! And please don't spam my inbox about when the next chapter will come out. You can ask, but a reminder to please ask nicely and don't be demanding! 🤨‼️
(For the taglist, I'll try to keep up with all the requests to be added but I've kinda lost track, hehe. Just comment in this chapter if I forgot to add you or you would want to be added or if you've updated your name/URL. 💗)
taglist: @vampireindistress @sparklingmallow @gummy-dummy @haleypearce @artemishunter18 @torasshu-sama @thewordfae @nanamin-pointo @whoreuc @simpinsimpleton @sache41 @osiris1rhi @crzyinluve @dame-sunflowers @thirstyfangirl @yuh-tears @vespertio @butyfigers @fiona782 @t-misaki @jihaegguk @revenge-of-the-bucket-demon @beeframon @simpforporcoandlevi @unkn0wn2024 @dibhachu @todaywasafairytale07 @vishousmate @tangoogle @lyralibra @fleurwritesitsblossom @deviljoonie @pearlstiare @moss-murin @surhii @senjuasuna @njisano @marbleii @sheitsme @kiyosato @moonchild-artemisdaughter @shadowyknightbeargoth @yuki-chan23 @akuri-shinsou @tellatoast @nako-ley @depresso-404error @siriusblackrunmeover17 @lovely-maryj
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Your Turn to Die is a Danganronpa kind of game, which, implies *a lot happens*. But as a spoiler-free summary: He deserved so much better. He didnt really have much screentime in the game because of *reasons*. But I think everyone who played the game can agree that what happened to him was really cruel and sad :( He is my man, my baby, my blorbo. He cherished everyone, and tried to stay positive even in difficult situations. He understood everything there wasnt really anyones fault, and that everyone was just trying to survive. HE CHERISHES US EVEN AFTER *THE SITUATION* HAPPENS, AND TELLS EVERYONE HE DOES NOT HOLD ANY GRUDGES. HE IS SUCH AN ANGLE. Yet, because of the circumstances, he was forced to keep trying to survive, having to lie to us. And he even was weaponized later by the narrative, making him a trauma and a bad reminder of how the whole place works. How no one can escape. And still, in the end... he just continued to be honest and trusting of us :') And he ended up like he did, partially because of that. The whole situation was made the way it was so no one could survive if they werent ready to backstab and manipulate others. And thats what led to my boy being massacred :'( HE ALSO HAS A SMALL DOG KEYCHAIN IN HIS POCKET, WHICH HIS BESTIE GAVE HIM. HE IS LITERALLY A SWEETHEART AND YOU ALL SHOULD PLAY THE GAME BECAUSE ITS JUST SO PAINFUL SMH
Propaganda:
^ I mean, I put my main propaganda discourse up there. You can post all of it or modify it however you want, op. And here I will put more images of him because it hurts™ https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CvKI29SbZR8/hqdefault.jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E59EoYgVEAAeEbY.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6d/21/1e/6d211e133c8267aaeb3d0ff146820324.jpg https://media.tenor.com/Y3SJ_TdyDdAAAAAC/joe-tazuna-jou-tazuna.gif https://img.wattpad.com/28fb81c31d2ec10b23f88dc7d81a209f9cf4cbba/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f706b4f49335f57615130684f78513d3d2d3932363934323836342e313632353564363263666535336563623838333734303834393333392e6a7067?s=fit&w=720&h=720 https://img.wattpad.com/b129fe72c464da3719149b667068bcec65752433/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6b334e492d436c6a3263466b2d413d3d2d3938383431393737312e313634626566363166626234643937613831303035303336303630342e6a7067 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EraxbugXcAAQZah.jpg https://media.tenor.com/sRfDAfRZUFkAAAAd/joe-tazuna-yttd.gif
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mizgrownnonsense · 1 year
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Alright, I’ve seen warrior nun and here are some thoughts. (spoilers) 1) Beatrice is Bae 2) Watching Mother superion’s glow up from “Harsh headmistress” to MILF was delightful 3) The costumes were fabulous. They didn’t always make sense, but boy were they fun to look at. (Lilith’s glittery blue scale eye makeup? Slay, girl) 4) it is criminal that Ava and Bea didn’t figure out their feelings before hiding out in the Alps together, because that would have been a lovely honeymoon. 5) It is CRIMINAL that Mary never came back. I mean, I’m sure the actress had better things to do season 2, but as she was the objectively best character of season 1--we were robbed, okay? Lilith, in particular, was robbed. She needed Mary back bad. Also, I see you gun-wielding black nun added in for the final battle. You aren’t Mary. We aren’t fucking fooled. Mary isn’t that easily replaceable--no scabs! 6) what the fuck was that plot, though?  6a) Adriel makes it clear that he is telepathically linked to divinium, because its his armor. we know this is true because he used it to talk to Miguel (even though he does not appear to be wearing armor in the flashback, and we see him making armor out of trask bones, so...bit fuzzy on what constitutes as “his armor” exactly) point being: why the fuck wasn’t that developed into a plot point in season 2? Why did the nuns keep using divinium weapons and wearing divinium jewelry, etc? Why wasn’t every piece of divinium (including badboy- priest’s tattoos) considered a security risk? that would have presented a super compelling limitation on our heroes...but no. disregarded completely. 6b) For an underground sect whose primary millenia-long mission was to exorcise wraith demons out of people, they did an awful lot of none-of-that when encountering countless possessed “zealots.” Hard to root for “saviors” who see possession was grounds to kick them around and stab them impressively--as opposed to, you know, saving them from trauma or damnation. while it didn’t track for the characters to actually feel that way, the writing set it up as if they did by never showing them in the process of saving anyone, even in cases where they weren’t outnumbered.  6c) If divinum is the only thing that can kill demons and you can’t use divinium anymore on account of Adriel spying on you through it--fine. Tragic cost of the high-stakes situation. It’s hard for the audience to see innocently possessed people getting beaten up, but it’s hard for the characters too. We’re all in it together.  If, however, you get to keep your divinium due to some gaping plot hole f*kin stab the f*kin demons with it! G*D! 6d) Why the hell did Reya leave without her Halo? Has she not been sending trasks after it for Millenia? Could she not have used her “vast powers” to cross the room? She could even have left Eva some divine life-support as a “thank you” compensation.
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chibi-celesti · 5 months
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I'm back with more exposé about my Twst x Ar Tonelico AU! And I wanna explain a lil more about the Reyvateil aspect that I mentioned before!
It may seem like a lot of information, but I promise it'll make sense! The concepts are generalised, but just enough to get the idea across!
Massive info dump ahead, and slight spoilers for the Ar Tonelico trilogy ahead!!!!!
So...What is a Reyvateil?
As I mentioned in my first post about this AU, a Reyvateil are an artificial race of singers. These singers exist to harness the power of songs, and there's a lot of lore connected to these type of people. Another thing to note is that they are- in universe- a mono gender race. Aka, they're an all female race. The reason behind this is because, according to the lore, the Y-chromosome in males suppresses the ability for the songs to be made. That and women have better singing frequencies than their male counterparts.
HOWEVER!!!!! I am more than welcome to bend the rules of the lore and add some variety! So, in this case, Reyvateil can be all genders!!!!! Plus, I think it's only fair to allow certain events I wanna try out with this AU to include the guys trying out Hymmnos among other things
There are about 5(ish) types in the existence of Ar Tonelico:
Origins
Beta types(Purebloods/ Neo Purebloods and B-6D)
Y-Sublimate
IPDs(Infel Phira Dependant)
3rd Generations
Each one is different based on their form of production, with Origins being made a la Homoculus-style. These ones are made to govern special Towers that allow all Reyvateil to utilise their Song Magic, and they are made to live for centuries. The oldest known one is said to be about 1200 years old.
The Beta types are split into different types of productions styles(listed above but almost roughly function the same way). Like with Origins, they can live a long time; only up to 150 years to prevent them for going insane. Like with later types, they are given a special Identification code associated with whichever Tower/ place of birth they came from.
Y-Sublimates are slightly complicated as there is only one in existence to the Ar Tonelico series. A newer type made as an enhanced form of Beta types, Y-Sublimates have a higher frequency of their singing output. The sole Reyvateil made in this typing was made to absorb the Wills of the Planet(aka the Spirits/ Gods in AT lore); in essence, a sacrificial lamb.
IPDS and 3rd Generation Reyvateil are a unique form of Reyvateil. These ones are Half-bloods born from a Human male marrying and procreating with Purebloods and Neo Pureblood Reyvateil or said Half-bloods. As long as the gene is carried on one side of the family tree(the females), a female Reyvateil will be born. There is one drawback to these types: their lifespan is the shortest of the bunch. They closest age they can live to is 20 years the most. Some can live up to 40, so long as they special Life Extending Suppliments made to for them.
IPDS are 3rd gen Dominant but were a result of scientists in the continent of Metafalss to craft special Reyvateil who could sing a special Song that would create a newer sanctuary for the people there. And they rely heavily on a specialised sever called the Infel Phira Dependent, hence the acronym.
So.... where does that leave our Prefect?
For the most part, I've been toying with the Pureblood concept vs the Y-Sublimates concept. Both are ones that piqued my curiosity when I saw and listened to more of the series songs and character backstories. And when I heard more on the later.... that one was a sure fire winner.
I've also made various prompts of the different types(not counting Origins as of yet), and brainstorming how the boys would handle their Otherworldly friend being a Reyvateil.
So my AU, the Prefect is a Y-Sublimate!
I'll go more in depth later about the world building and make the tags specifically for the Twst x Ar Tonelico AU so be on the look out for those!!!
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princessmadafu · 1 year
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Happy Birthday, Jonathan!
Actually it's his estimated 190th birthday on 4th Dec but I thought I'd post this early as some light relief since we're all suffering from the nasty virus that is Long Markle:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/02/worlds-oldest-recorded-tortoise-prepares-for-190th-birthday-party
While staying up late for Dave Thorpe's StrictlySpoiler (big fan of Strictly though I don't vote as it's not my country!), I spent my time looking up what life was like in 1832. Facts and figures from Cutler's History of English Agriculture, various historical websites and money-conversion places; any calculation errors are mine, as they say.
Historical Money Note: four farthings to one penny (d); twelve pennies to one shilling (s); twenty shillings to one pound (l).
In 1832, the average rural labourer would have earned between 10 and 15s a week, depending on his skills. If he had a working wife, she'd have earned about half that, and if he was lucky he'd have a working-age child or two who might contribute another 10s a week between them, so we're looking at an average rural family (say two adults, plus four or five children) with an income of approx 25 to 30s.
That's £1.50 a week in modern sterling.
What would your £1.50 a week have bought you?
Well your weekly rent would have been about 2s. You'd spend 6s a week on bread, and another 6s for your weekly milk, cheese, butter and tea. You'd be growing your own vegetables and potatoes, and you'd probably spend about 2s 6d a week on a pound or two of bacon or sausage or offal. You wouldn't be eating steak or pork chops - they were just for rich people. You'd only be eating fish if you caught it yourself (on the sly when the landowner wasn't around) or if you lived by the coast with access to a friendly fisherman to sell you herrings and shellfish. Remember that transport was still basic in 1832, so people who lived inland wouldn't have access to fresh sea produce.
If you were daring, you could supplement your meat rations by snaring rabbits or pigeons, or otherwise poaching game, though you risked a severe fine or gaol if you were caught. If you were lucky you'd have a few hens to lay eggs for you (initial outlay: price of laying hens, about 1s each), or you'd have to buy eggs at about 8-10d per dozen.
You'd probably have ale at about one or two farthings a pint. A lot of workers would spend their evenings at the local tavern because candles and firewood or coal would have cost you 2s a week - beer was cheaper, and your children were probably all huddled up warm and cosy together in one bed anyway, so why bother heating the home?
Don't forget that you'd have to save a few pennies a week towards clothes, boots and tools; oh and soap and household stuff. And as you also earned less in winter (farming being seasonal) you'd benefit from having a careful wife who'd squirrel away your spare summer money for the hard months, and not mind being beaten up for not giving you any more beer money. A very careful wife might even save enough to buy a piglet (very expensive, probably around 10s) to fatten up on kitchen scraps, or maybe something special for Christmas dinner.
You wouldn't be able to afford a doctor if you were ill, by the way, so she'd have to have an emergency 6d or so for the apothecary. And then there's long-term injury or illness to think about, and old age, and the ever-present threat of poverty and the workhouse. Not that you'd live that long anyway, as the average life expectancy of an English farm labourer in 1832 was about 40.
Easy to complain about today's inflation, but we still have it better than 1832.
And, no spoilers but I'm sad for the person who was voted off Strictly tonight, I was hoping they'd get rid of the other one who I find a bit annoying.
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another-dra-anew · 1 year
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tsu!!
My identity hc for them
see tomori, strike that, reverse it! he knows he likes guys, and he's kinda just seeing what happens past that! hes vibing w/himself and hes just kinda chilling, hes content without a label for his attraction
aaaand hes a trans lad! similar to tomori sometimes he feels more binary trans sometimes not he's really just chillin ! to make this section longer uhhhm. i think his relationship with his past is like. "i have always been a boy, my body is a guys body, and when i was younger i was a boy, same as today. but also i was a girl once i was a small little girl and she is not alive anymore but also she is still here standing right in front of u when u look at me, same as she ever was and as she always will be. but also i am me myself and i am a boy. okie?" and refuses to explain or elaborate (he probably said this to kouhei. kouhei doesnt ask hes just like "okie". tbh kouhei prolly didnt ask in the first place tsu just started talking)
Thoughts on their home life/family
! yk as special reward for everyone who takes the time to read through this i will give u a spoile-y. as a treat. tsurugi was born when a piece of snow came in through a chimney and landed in the fire. and many many miles away, from the stump of the tree that was cut down to be logs for that fire, tsurugi tumbled out of a naturally occurring divot in the wood. this is very true and i just hope u all know the power that comes with this information!!! <333
(ofc, thats all jokes! tsu is a bunch of ice crystals from a sun halo, all swirled together and gently sent down to the earth)
How i feel about their canonical writing/handling
how... do i not spoil things. u have to have patience with his writing. i promise he is more than like.. manic pixie leftist cop boy. u just have to have patience. boy wears his heart on his sleeve. but also he has a bunch of plastic wrap around it. u can see his heart it is the textbook definition of on his sleeve. but it is obscured and u cannot reach it. every day before i sleep i get on my knees and pray that people have faith in his writing and don't think the way he's written is cringefail.
The one thing i’d want to make canon about them
i cant remember if this factoid has come up but i dont think it has in any posts. tsu's hair is like.... really choppy, if u brushed it out/took a straightener to it to get it all flat, you'd see its alll different lengths. bc he tends to get twigs and sticks and the like stuck in there and just. cuts hair off/"oh this bit is too long! *snip*" a lot. that being said it looks oddly intentional/u cant tell its a million different lengths with how he styles it. he will cry if anyone tries to drag him to a hair stylist.
My number one favorite ship for them
tsuhara. ch1 spoilers this is just text encoded in hex google hex to text decoder and u should be good. 74 68 69 73 20 69 73 20 77 68 79 20 69 20 77 61 6E 74 20 74 6F 20 72 65 77 72 69 74 65 20 74 68 65 20 63 68 31 20 69 6E 76 65 73 74 69 67 61 74 69 6F 6E 20 73 6F 20 62 61 64 6C 79 2E 20 69 20 77 61 6E 74 20 74 6F 20 68 61 6E 64 6C 65 20 74 68 65 69 72 20 69 6E 74 65 72 61 63 74 69 6F 6E 73 20 28 61 6C 6F 6E 67 20 77 69 74 68 20 74 73 75 73 20 69 6E 6E 65 72 20 6D 6F 6E 6F 6C 6F 67 75 65 29 20 61 20 6C 6F 74 20 64 69 66 66 65 72 65 6E 74 6C 79 21
…Now everyone else i ship with them
i mean he is besties with everyone? many platonic ships. he is friend shaped !
The thing i will NEVER ship
like many of the ask meme fills so far: his wrist is limp, your honor...
a dynamic/relationship i wish was explored more (in canon, or in fandom)
tsurugi is incapable of leaving anyone alone. he. nothing needs to be explored more. tsu & alone time perhaps.
thoughts on their design (appearance-wise)
im not even gonna lie trying to work out fits for him always makes me want to explode. i may rework his fit again soon ive already made minor changes which i havent mentioned. that in mind his bandages and bracelets and bruises are alllways gonna be the same! theyre eternal!
A music-related thought- a song that reminds me of them, or what their music taste is, etc
rule #4 - fish in a birdcage was playing when i started this post. the reason its on any of my playlists is bc i heard it and went fuck. uhhhh. yeah rule #4 fish in a birdcage would be very tsu and kouhei except jk!!! there is nothing slightly odd or abnodmal or not right with either of the people i mentioned theyre totally fine. mhm mhm!
anyways funnily enough he actually doesnt have a playlist. uhhh. actually he's got a lot of playlists with other characters but not his own... i started this w/a tsu + someone else song so ill only list individual ones from here on out akjdsjkkjdsdk
i thiiink all of sweet trip's "you will never know why" album (im bad with my memory and dont feel like going to look at it all) but especially your world is eternally complete + milk. hmmm. theres some others but this is good i think!
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confundida25 · 2 years
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FANTASTIC BEAST AND PLEASE END MY SUFFERING
So, as always there are a lot, a lot of new stupid things in the new fantastic beast movie and because i decide this is my personal and selinflicted hell im gonna list all of them, SPOILERS by the way:
1.- whats with the blood pat thing? Honestly, are we gonna pretend unbrakable promises doesnt exist?? Or is this like the romantic alternative...
2.- just to clarified, Minerva Macdonagal didnt work as teacher at hogwart at the same time as dumblendore, she was an amazing student of dumblendore and when he get promote to headmaster he offer her the place of transformation teacher, j.k Rowling wrote the complete Macdonagal biography on her wepsite like 300 years ago, please im begging you stop contradicte the canon you wrote
3.- Queenie.... O my god... This witch... This woman kidnapped her boyfriend and pretty much make the magical equivalent to keep him in drug for i dont know how much time, then she join the magical nazis and commit a lot of war crimes and THEN she decide that uppsie do she was very sorry and everyone let her walk free and have a nice wedding with her muggle boyfriend, EXCUSE ME???? Action has no consequences in this world
4.- is so stupid how Tina is not in this movie and they just trow new no important caracthers to us instead, why she wasnt there??? Why we dont get to see her reaction at her sister betray??? The sisters were a pretty big deal in the first and second movie but in this she is nothing more that Newt love interest, is so so so so stupid
5.- wHo Is GoNnA LoVe yOu nOw DuMbLeNdOrE???? I dont know man... He is the must powerful wizard in the world, not to mention he is aparently "the purest soul" in all England acording to the canon of this movie and he look like Jude Law, im pretty sure he could find someone who is not a lunatic
6.- ok, i have like a million of problems with dumblendore so im gonna break this in varius points
6a.- Albus Dumblendore talk with Newt about his tragic tragic super sad backstory, ooooo.... I wonder how this scene could be more interesting, dont get me wrong i love to see two people talking in a dark room, but i wonder if only there was like i dont know a magical way to saw memories just so the audience could saw what happend in a more visual fun way, a devise we know Dumblendore use and own.. I dont know maybe im crazy or something
6b.- when dumblendore said his story with grimdelwald he said his brother tried to stop them... But he is very vage about why exactly, he never said that they want to murder muggles and change the statud quo... We know that but New doesnt so he may tought Aberford was just homofobic??? Some people behind me in the teather ask it during the scene so is not just me.. And another thing
6c.- He never mention the deathly Hollow, like it suppose to be the thing Grindelwald is obsess with, the thing that they bond over, but they never mention them, is soooo weird that we are three movies in and no one ever even mention them
6d.- The last scene when Aberfod reunite with Credence is so short and anticlimatic, and Albus is not even there, he make no efford to conect with him, with the son of his brother who he wish he had a better relationship, his closer relative with the same condition that his death sisther had, are you teeling me that Albus Dumblendore, the wizard who greater regret in life was to not be there for his family discover he had a nephew radical similar to his sister, conected with his brother, bitter for the lack of family love and AND dont try desperely to save him??? His reaction is " oooo he is far for salvation that suck for him i guess" absolutely bafooonery
7.- Out of the Dumblendore drama, the new character are not so bad, i mean the teacher is fine, i dont remenber her name and they never said what she is teacher of, but the other wizard who join Grindelwald and get brainwatched and then betray him, i dont care about him, i dont know nothing about him except he was the brother of the dead girlfriend of the last movie
8.- were they in elections of the minister of magic of the world??? Every country have his own minister and there is a bigger minister that rule above?? How we never knew about this upper minister before???
9.- Grindelwal can see the future??? Did he always had that power??
10.- tHrE PoIntS fOr HuFflePuF, omg i hate that joke so much, the points grand in numeric system of five, i know is a stupid little detail but its make me so angry
11.- the good things about this movie is that a) the magical criatures actually matter this time, b) the new Grindelwal is soooo much better that the Jony Deep version c) Finally after three centuries Dumblendore sexually is actually canon
In conclusion this movie is better than the last one but that was not a challenge, please stop we dont need more.
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jojotegavexi · 2 years
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Orderman max bedienungsanleitung galaxy
  ORDERMAN MAX BEDIENUNGSANLEITUNG GALAXY >> DOWNLOAD LINK vk.cc/c7jKeU
  ORDERMAN MAX BEDIENUNGSANLEITUNG GALAXY >> READ ONLINE bit.do/fSmfG
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https://wucepulikox.tumblr.com/post/694003693540065280/bedienungsanleitung-bmw-f10-spoiler, https://jojotegavexi.tumblr.com/post/694003643219886080/manhattan-contact-ccd-barcode-scanner, https://jojotegavexi.tumblr.com/post/694003643219886080/manhattan-contact-ccd-barcode-scanner, https://dipuxorabodu.tumblr.com/post/694003698081333248/venta-lw-24-bedienungsanleitung-target, https://jojotegavexi.tumblr.com/post/694003702254731264/musikpsychologie-ein-handbuch-bruhn-cattle.
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laikamaeris · 3 years
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finally. dames and dragons 6Ds: dark side of dimensions
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skulljar · 3 years
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god okay twon't dink thice is such a good song and it made me tear up but ALSO its another kingdom hearts song noel im losing my shit
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usagichanp · 3 years
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so I accidentally read spoilers on the wikia, but Margot, a lesbian, getting pregnant just so she can get a loophole in her father's will is like. some 6D chess shit
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here for you | four x reader
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A/N: here you go anon, the long awaited! :D i havent posted in 728337824738 years so :’) i also loved ben in 6D!! i hope you like this! <3
MASTERLIST
P.S: you’ll be called “seven” here hehe
WARNING/S: swearing as always, spoilers, death
UNEDITED | GIF NOT MINE
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your brother’s death had you devastated.
after his passing, you had to act normal. no one knows about it, except billy, aka four.
THE DAY SIX DIED (pretty sure you know what happened)
“holy fuck.” you muttered.
“go, go, go!” one demanded, getting out of the car. you stared at six, your brother, feeling tears welling up your eyes as two pulled you out of the car.
“seven, we have to go.” she told you sadly, five looking at you in confusion as to why you looked like you were about to cry at any minute. you nodded slowly, walking to the truck with the rest of the team.
you passed by four, who looked at you with worried eyes. “where’s-“ then he saw your brother’s lifeless body. you frowned deeply, continuing to walk with two and five to the truck.
PRESENT TIME
“(y/n)?” four called out your name, and you immediately wiped off your tears.
“h-huh- billy!” you forcibly smiled, and he looked at you with a worried expression plastered on his face. great. the blonde found you at the back of the boat, crying your eyes out. “hey.”
“you’re crying...”
“no shit.” you sighed, moving to give him some space to sit. he sat beside you with a sad look. “my brother’s gone, billy. and i didn’t even do something. i was at the backseat with two and five cursing my ass out and all of a sudden he died.”
“shh, it’s not your fault. it was unexpected.”
“and... i couldn’t dump him into the fucking ocean with you guys because-“ you stopped mid-sentence, covering your face with your hands as you felt tears filling up your eyes.
“hey, it’s alright.” he puts an arm around your shoulders, and you leaned against him as you sobbed.
“it fucking hurts, billy.”
“i know, i know. i know how much you love him. he’ll be always proud of you.” he stated, patting your back gently. you didn’t say anything as you just stared into the ocean. “and (y/n), know that i’m always here for you no matter what. i know that sounds cliché but i mean it.”
you raised your head and looked into his eyes. “you do?”
“‘course i do. with all my heart.”
you flashed him a small smile, putting your head on his shoulder. “thanks, billy.”
“always.” he muttered, kissing your forehead.
billy was the only one who knew about how six is your brother, and he was the only one who knew your real name. after that, he stayed by your side in every mission, and comforted you through rough times.
it’s quite short but yeah 🥺👉👈 i couldn’t write how six died bc it’s just- i didn’t know how to describe it. it just has alot of blood. but it was sad T-T (plus i wrote this at 3 in the morning pls bear w me)
tag list: @stardust-killer-queen [msg me so i can add you to my tag list <3]
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oh god the more lb6 spoilers i read, the more i feel like it's gonna end in a massive mindfuck. what is this 6D chess game that you're playing right now Nasu and co?! i coulda never predicted this
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wedreamedlove · 4 years
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Not Too Much, Not Too Little, Juuuust Right [Xu Mo Character Study]
Reddit archived.
I got a weekly chat recently from Xu Mo that made me appreciate all over again just how much of a wordsmith he is and his massive EQ (emotional quotient intelligence).
So, I wanted to explore that in more depth here and then slide into how love is a poison that worked its way into Xu Mo and is disrupting all his plans LOL.
Spoilers goes up to Chapter 9 but mentions Chapter 13. I'm also going to be doing direct comparisons to the English version because Elex did Xu Mo so dirty at the beginning.
First, I always need to give credit to @sharinluna and their comment in my Speech Quirks post (which I'm still updating to bring over) because I can never stop thinking about it whenever it comes to Xu Mo vs. the ENG server and how his social class is present in the game but difficult to convey to an English audience due to cultural differences.
I mentioned this in my Character Study on him but TL;DR Xu Mo being a distinguished neuroscientist and professor is sort of like meeting a doctor who cured cancer or something. You'd feel like you need to be extra presentable and it'd be understandable if they wanted you to call them Dr. because they studied 8 years for that Ph.D. There's a sense of awe and respect, right?
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Xu Mo: I'll participate. Good luck, classmate.
Xu Mo: The next time we meet, you can just call me Xu Mo.
Here at [Main Story 1-9] you see that Xu Mo immediately gets rid of the distance between him and MC. I won't comment on the English version here, because it's a tough cultural one here. But Xu Mo calling her a classmate puts them on the same social level.
He takes that further by giving her permission to directly use his name. This is notable because it's normal to call people by their last names or titles in Asian countries. You don't assume closeness unless you're around the same age, permission is given, the time is judged to be right, etc.
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Xu Mo: I'm laughing at how every time you let me help you, you'll always say reservedly at the end, "Thank you Xu Mo, it's all because of you."
Xu Mo: (Raises an eyebrow) What, am I that scary?
Here at [Footage 1-7] he points out how reserved she still is with him and then, again, makes another request for her not to be so reserved or scared around him.
The rest is close enough to English so I didn't show it, but I did show the above because in Chinese he imitates her voice and it's another instance where he's working to soothe her nerves. He's lightening the situation and making himself come off as silly and cute. He also structures his question in a way where he's not emphasizing whether or not SHE'S scared but if HE'S scary.
Now, in this next section, I want to point out that Xu Mo knows deepening a relationship quicker requires some stimulus and he's a master of introducing and relieving tension.
If you constantly flustered the other person and left them feeling embarrassed, then you'd be known as an aggressive flirt and you'd risk scaring them away. But if you fluster them and then give them some space by stepping back and smoothing the conversation over, then you're a charmer.
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Xu Mo: In conventional terms, I believe it's called a "date".
Xu Mo: Mm, you don't have to think too much on it. We're just searching for interesting things together.
This is Xu Mo's first call which comes after [Main Story 1-14] and he asks MC how she's going to thank for his help on Miracle Finder. That's the introduction of tension. He's clearly flirting and MC is flustered as she racks her brain for something. He relieves the tension by taking over and asking if he can make a request. Then he introduces it again by hinting at having a date. But then he relieves it again by telling her that she doesn't need to think too much about it.
The reason I brought up a direct comparison is because of the nuance in "Don't read too much into it" vs. "Don't think too much on it". The former implies that she's not supposed to put importance on it being a date, because it's not true. The latter sneakily gives her the option of not needing to put importance on it, but it can still be a date and he's just not admitting it.
WORDSMITH!
To be honest, I wanted to avoid mentioning voice direction because that's a murky zone with personal preferences everywhere. However, I cannot resist this one part because it's the epitome of Xu Mo's scholarly demeanor letting him get away with things like this.
In [Main Story 2-11] Xu Mo calls MC to talk about folding light and then it leads to this teasing:
Today, a director from Miracle Finder came to discuss plans for the next show with me. Originally, I thought about having them leave [...] I thought you would come [...] More important than me? [...] Is it only for fresh ideas for your shows? [...] Haha, I'm feeling better now. I can talk with your director about the show's contents now.
He keeps his voice light throughout the whole conversation, and there's modal particles in there to soften his words. I also love the slight laugh he directs at himself and at the end. Again, he brings tension to the conversation by putting her on the spot but relaxes it by keeping things light.
In [Main Story 9-7] Xu Mo drops MC off at home after her hospital trip and teases her by asking if she's just going to thank him by saying "thank you". Tension is injected here! MC is flustered! Then he relieves the tension by saying there's many ways to show gratitude and she can take time thinking about it. He doesn't stay on this topic and instead leaves her alone.
Now, in this section, we acknowledge that all humans are unique and people have different levels of what they can tolerate. The same goes for our MC and we can see instances of Xu Mo adjusting his behavior according to her reactions.
Or, most notably, in [Main Story 5-6] Xu Mo asks MC:
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Xu Mo: Then, could you change me if we continued to get along like this?
Um, there's a difference between "could" and "would" but I won't get into the semantics of that because I'm not a master in Chinese. However, I will note that the word he's using 能讓 means something like "can let, allow, can make" so it's an inherently soft verb.
Anyway, after this conversation, we end up at [Main Story 5-14] where MC criticizes the way Xu Mo treats girls because he's pleasant to everyone. He corrects her misunderstanding and explains the reasons behind his interactions with all the other girls.
However, he does take MC's words into account and adjusts his attitude accordingly. Hereon, he draws clear lines between him and other girls, although by nature he's still polite to everyone. It's another reflection of his emotional intelligence at how his attitude can't be judged wrong by anyone, and yet he can still convey his rejection and distance.
By the way, this is mentioned in his [CN Character Profile]:
Although he is gentle towards people, he makes people feel that there is a sense of distance, and it is difficult to really enter his inner world.
For example, in [Afternoon Date], Xu Mo politely answers the girl's questions about getting better sleep and then rejects her cake to him like so:
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Xu Mo: I didn't help with anything, you're too polite.
Xu Mo: But I don't eat sweets. Thank you for your kind intentions.
Seriously, he leaves no room to be criticized. He was unfailingly polite, acknowledged her intentions, said he received them, but still rejected her cake. LOL.
In [Main Story 9-2] the nurse who is supposed to give MC an IV is super flustered in Xu Mo's presence and she misses the vein because MC unconsciously moves. Xu Mo tells her to try again and take it slow, because MC is going to be even more nervous now.
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His words were seemingly casual, carrying his usual gentleness, but I could hear a hint of disaffection.
Translation? He's pissed. Haha, just kidding, but he's probably unimpressed with the nurse's incompetence and her attention on him, only he's too polite to let it show overly much.
Meanwhile, Xu Mo is also observing MC's reaction to him and adjusting his responses in consideration of her feelings (whenever he's not playing the flirting game).
In [True Love Date] everyone plays spin the bottle and answer questions, or get penalized with drinking shots. Xu Mo admits that he has someone he likes, but when they ask him to say who it is, he responds like this:
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My heart beat even quicker as I buried my head deeper and my hand, which was held by Xu Mo, tightened unconsciously.
Xu Mo seemed to have realized something and, with a small smile, he raised his drink and drained shot after shot.
Are the translators only getting paid per scene and so they're dropping the latter half of every sentence? LOL...
Anyway, it's much clearer in Chinese that he feels her reaction, immediately understands, and just accepts the penalty with his usual elegance and smile. Or it could have been a chuckle. Oh god, Chinese and Japanese with their 笑.
Next, going back to [Main Story 9-2], Xu Mo is teasing MC and then gets called out. This is an interesting one because it doubles both as him restraining himself after her words, but also because he realizes that love is eating into him and he's reacting unconsciously and genuinely now.
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He seemed to be deliberately imitating my earlier words, and the last syllable even rose up a little.
MC: Xu Mo, I haven't seen you in so long and yet you're getting better and better at making fun of me...
Hearing my words, Xu Mo was taken aback, and the smile in his eyes disappeared somewhat.
Xu Mo: Is that so?
Those three words were so light it was as if they had never slipped out of Xu Mo's mouth.
He quickly raised the corners of his mouth again, but the curve of his smile was more restrained.
Am I ever going to get over the translations for the hospital scene in Chapter 8 and 9? NO. NEVER. I hate it so much because it's two different worlds.
Changing gears to [Main Story 5-16] we get this observation from MC.
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He's definitely a dangerous man! I need to stay farther away from him!
I'm sorry, but call me the fun police because I hate this translation too. I get it. The context allows for this after all his teasing, but you can get the same thing with the word dangerous. He's dangerous for your heart, he's dangerous for your hormones, etc.
The reason I'm being a stickler here is because MC isn't oblivious to Xu Mo's actions.
In [CN Archery Date] she thinks:
I tried to check Xu Mo's reaction, but he was just smiling. However, in those curved eyes, I felt like there were still hidden sides to him that I didn't know about.
From the day I met him, he concealed his inner thoughts and treated me with a calm, beautiful, and gentle smile.
That's why, up until now, I never thought he had a side like this to him.
MC knows Xu Mo wears a polite mask, but you don't just call people out on that LOL. Like any other relationship, you hope the other person will slowly open up to you. But, well, the reveal in Chapter 13 was probably not something she could have ever expected.
This is why I think the "dangerous" description up there should have been kept. It's some delicious foreshadowing that still lets you play around with innuendo.
Incidentally, the chat that made me write this post was:
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MC: Xu Mo, have you ever had a time where you were furious?
Xu Mo: Not really. Living as a human means we need to control our emotions.
Xu Mo: There's even less of a need to be furious at something that's already happened.
First, he states his position and it's a mature one. Second, he then softens his superior position by generalizing how you and him both need to control emotions as humans. Third, he provides general logical advice without sounding like he's singling you out.
In comparison, I can easily see Kiro and Gavin sympathizing with your emotions and letting you vent. That's totally cool and that's their style because they're not the mentor-type. Meanwhile, Victor would probably point out how dumb you are for wasting time and energy getting angry instead of just going straight to fixing the problem. That's cool too, since he's the tough love type.
But you see how this sets Xu Mo apart? He's so skilled with his words. WORDSMITH!! I have a massive interest in social engineering and inherited my mother's social manipulation genes LOL so I love scholar archetypes and their word games.
If you're not doing it out of any malicious intent though then it's just a very considerate way of speaking and it's nice.
Conclusion. So, anyway, this was me wanting to admire Xu Mo's massive EQ. I'd say the only other person on par with him is Kiro, but Kiro has the natural kind and is more genuine because you can see him react truly to things.
Xu Mo is, much like his profession, a scientist who has probably studied how people interact with each other and perfected that. But this perfection in and of itself is what leads to a sense of discomfort with him because no one can be THAT gentle and placid all the time.
I always mention how disarming he sounds, because he's so good at social engineering, and it's only after the conversation is over and I take a few seconds to go over what was said that I'm like "Hey, wait a minute, that was actually alarming!?".
One of my favorite quotes is from the DUNE series by Frank Herbert and it goes: "To know a thing well, know its limits; Only when pushed beyond its tolerance will its true nature be seen."
This applies to Xu Mo. Knowing someone's bottom line helps you know them as a person and so we go into the next section where he shows genuine emotions.
LOVE IS A SLOW, SWEET POISON
Eyes are the window to the soul! EYES ARE THE WINDOW TO THE SOUL!! If I took a drink for every time there's a description about the ripples in Xu Mo's eyes (not even eye symbolism in general), I would be dead before even getting out of Chapters 1-10.
But, anyway, whenever there's flickering, surging, roiling, seething, welling, or shifting light in his eyes then it means he's feeling some heavy emotions.
Returning back to [True Love Date]:
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Xu Mo stilled for a moment, light surging and roiling in his eyes, before I saw his Adam's apple bob.
For those with clever eyes, yes, the adjectives for the light in his eyes is supposed to draw references to water. Turbulent waves. Rolling waves. Surging waves.
I'm not going to show [Main Story 9-11] because the English was close enough with "Xu Mo's eyes welled with shifting emotions". They got the eye symbolism there at least! Chinese just went further by linking it directly to water again with how his emotions were like "swelling ocean tides at night".
Then, once these emotions hit their peak, they explode and deliciously unmake Xu Mo. He loses his calm and the contrast between the incidents I've shown above where he's been nothing but grace, elegance, and courtesy vs. this loss of control is fantastic.
In [True Love Date] we see Xu Mo corner the MC outside the washrooms because he misunderstands and thinks she's complimenting another man. Uh, no comment on the yelling in English vs. the quiet melancholic tone in the other versions. But the fact that he forgets his physical strength is a clear sign of a loss of control!
In [Midnight Date] he's trying to order himself to forget about MC and feeling a rope of thorns squeeze his heart. Uh, pretty clear sign of him losing control over his feelings again.
I would argue this all culminates in Chapter 9 when he realizes he loves her. In [Main Story 9-14] we get to see Xu Mo at his most human, where he lets himself feel, before he gets caught up in his plans again and sees them go awry at the end of Chapter 9.
Like the prophetic dream MC had in [Main Story 9-14], the ground has fallen beneath them and they're sinking into a deep ocean. The red spider lilies describe them well because the flowers and leaves can never touch and these two are separated with sadness and mutual longing... (or are they?).
Past Chapter 9, we literally don't see Xu Mo with MC until we head into Chapter 13 RIP. So, at [Main Story 12-22] we just see another example of Xu Mo trying to lock his humanity away again so that he can carry out his plan utilizing the MC.
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The light in his eyes was still gentle but a bit unfamiliar and there was more of a sense of ordinary humanness.
The man nodded and turned around. His face was expressionless, and even his eyes lacked any emotion.
Took liberties in this translation, as always, because it's just impossibly hard to get across how fireworks symbolize mono no aware and the fleeting fragility of the human condition. So, when Xu Mo's eyes are described as having the breath of fireworks it means being grounded in the earthly realm as an ordinary human whose life shall pass, but that's why the moment you're living in right now is beautiful.
But... but he truly does love her LOL.
In the [2nd Trailer PV] Xu Mo says "You always... throw off my judgment" which is close enough to the Chinese line that translates to something like: "You always have me make the wrong judgment."
Perhaps it's unfair to criticize the English translation at the example below because translators generally don't have the full context of everything and often work solo with single parts (b-but that's why you need a good editor...).
However, I love looking at these two conversations together. This is from [Main Story 5-19] after Xu Mo mentions he hasn't slept for three days, and then Xu Mo's first call again after [Main Story 1-14] about the date-not-date:
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Xu Mo: No, I don't. I just don't want to waste time on unimportant things.
Xu Mo: Relax together, share delicious meals, waste our time away...
Everything Xu Mo holds as important 1) his judgment and 2) his time because he doesn't do useless things has been overturned by the MC. That's love, baby!
In the words of Paul Valéry, a French poet and philosopher in the 19th century, "Love is being stupid together."
And you know what? In [True Love Date]... at least the Chinese version:
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Forget it, he'll just be foolish once more with this foolish girl.
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