riverview | 5th (lack of sleep note) one's very own black tape. Audio at first.

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5th (lack of sleep note) one's very own black tape. Audio at first.

[This post is audio, and it's coming from Alex's office and she sounds a little... forced amused.]

Okay, so I know this is way later than we thought it'd be happening, but you know given the whole half the population coming down with the virus that was released in May, and then half of us getting kidnapped in June, it makes sense that it would be. But yeah, Pokemon Go is finally a go. Go out and play it! Go Team Red! That is a lot of "goes" in one statement! [There's a little laugh, but it's not full on Alex's. As for the team, it's not Alex has biases, it's just that she's Team Red, guys.]

On a more serious note, I'm hoping that some of our really techy people will take a look at this video and tell me if there's any sign of like CGI or whatever beyond something that we would be able to use back home. [There's no CGI or anything, it's real.] I already know that it's not been used if it's from my time or whatever. Even if you can't, I'm hoping that there's a way that this thing is like IP stamped or something by who sent it to me back home, so I can prove it's them. [Because fuck Thomas Warren.]

I'm not filtering the video away from anyone, but I should warn you that it's a bit... [Alex is just going to flounder here for the right word which isn't very Alex.] Creepy. It's creepy and sort of...demonic. But I promise it's not a jumpscare video, and it was taken back home and it just showed up on my device here. [Which is why Alex is at her office making copies of it, because she knows that it's going to be a thing.]

But I really do appreciate any help you guys can give me with it. [Please ignore the slightly desperate tone in her voice, she may have watched this multiple times already today.]

[Alex has cut the part of the video that's just a minute of what seems like nanny cam footage with nothing happening. So, when the video starts on the network, it's got some sort of night vision filter, so it's easy to see in the darkness of the bedroom. There's a bed pushed against the window and a person sleeping in the bed. The camera lingers in on a shot of a foot out from beneath the sheets, before it starts to pan up the leg of the person in the bed.

Then it stops, and the camera moves instead to the corner of the room. There, in the shadows of it, there appears to be something moving. It's large, overly so, even though it's stooping down. It's a mass of black that's darker than the shadows, and there's long, spidery arms that stretch down to the floor and shake. The camera lingers on the demon for a minute, and it's also clearly watching the person in the bed. If anyone makes the effort to lighten the footage (Alex hasn't yet, ~~because she's creeped out enough already~~ she doesn't want to do anything that might jeopardize what data they find) they'd see much more detail on the demon: how it looks like a gnarled tree, the large and hungriness of its eyes, and the twisting length of it's fingers and the crazed over-sized smile.

The camera looks away from the demon and then back to the person in the bed, the camera slowly moving up her body until it lingers on her face. Because yep, that's Alex's bedroom at home, and that's Alex. The video stops after you can see her face, and then Alex switches it to video in her office so she can be seen, even if she looks a little pale in the bright light of her office.]

I'm fine. It happened back home months ago now. Other things happened, a lot of other things happened. so I couldn't fully investigate it at the time, but now that I've got it, and I've got you guys I figure no time like the present right? But yeah, that's actually my apartment back in Seattle, a day or so before I ended up here. Well, got my memories from home anyway. I am just seriously hoping that you guys can help.

[And a muttered:] Someone owes me a million dollars if you can't.

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I can't tell from the footage, but it doesn't look like any of the demons I hunted back home. [Alec's expression is intense, frustrated since the footage isn't good enough for him to get an accurate assessment of what the demon might be.] My friend or my husband might know what it is.

It doesn't help with what happened then, but my family and I haven't found any demons in Quarantine since we arrived.

You guys... hunt demons? This is what it looks like after the footage is lightened.

[Look, Alex's voice may have perked up a bit, and she sends him some of the shots that Skye lightened up so that you can actually see what the demon looks like: gnarled over, super tall, long arms that go to the ground with sharp fingers, hungry big eyes and a huge smiling mouth.]

Yeah, we did. Jace - the blond that's helping me with the club - and I grew up training to hunt demons.

[Alec switches screens, watching the video, trying to place the demon from all the ones he's fought or read about. When he switches back, he's scowling faintly before he gives her an apologetic look.]

I don't recognize it as one I've seen , but there are dozens of different types. And there may be differences because of different realities. I'll have Jace and my husband look at it. What are you trying to find out about it? You're not going to try summoning it, are you?

[Alex is just going to look completely horrified at the question of summoning a demon.]

Oh god, no!

It was in my bedroom and someone else recorded it. I've been working on a show that involves demonic cults attempting to bring about the end of the world. I am definitely strictly anti-demon. And honestly, I was really hoping someone would be able to tell me that it was faked somehow. And who it came from.

[Alex would really, really, really like it if there hadn't been an actual demon in her bedroom.]

Some people do summon them. It ends badly unless you're properly trained. [Even then it usually ended up with blood everywhere but Alec can't say much about that since his husband used to make a lot of money from demon summoning.]

My family dealt with a few cults like that. Never did understand why they wanted to end the world. It might be someone faking it, but it looks like it could be real. In my world, it would probably be real, but it could have been something other than a demon. There's a lot of different types of supernatural beings there.

I know some people do summon them. They're doing it back home with kids and sacred geometry. We're trying to stop them.

The cultists in my world [Because fuck it, she believes and did even before she remembered that.] They're trying to use a combination of music and math to do it.

[Alec's expression carefully turns neutral except the grief reflected in his eyes when Alex mentions using children for the summoning.]

We had people who used children for their magic too. One of the worst things we saw during the wars.

Summoning usually takes a circle, the right Latin incantations, and a few questionable supplies, not children, to work. [If it did, he wouldn't be married to Magnus.]

How do they combine music and math to summon demons?

Sacred geometry, mostly. It's something about Lucifer allegedly twisting God's golden ratio for a backdoor into heaven. Or so people who know about this stuff have told me. It's to do with making a really elaborate... Drawing, I guess? Using it and numbers and ratios and ancient Sumerian.

Then it's different than in my world. Lucifer exists but he doesn't seem interested in meddling with the mortal world. Even the other version I knew didn't seem to want to cause the apocalypse. He just wanted to live his life. It's other demons that cause trouble. We don't usually run into ancient Sumarian. The drawings depend on the type of being they want to summon. That might be why it's not a type that I recognize.

Wait. Lucifer was here? I know someone who says he's Satan is too.

[Yes it's weird. This whole thing is weird.]

Yeah, I know that they need to use specific names to summon specific demons and arch demons.

A version of Lucifer was. He owned the apartment building my husband and I manage and the club on the first floor. He's different than the one from my world. [Not that Alec's actually met his reality's Lucifer, but judging from his conversations here, he assumes they're not the same.]

We use names as well.

Arch demons?

Oh huh. Was before my time.

[Alex can't say that she was sad that she missed him; the person who said he was Satan was more than enough for her. But it would have been interesting to see how Richard responded to all of that.]

Yeah, demons apparently have a hierarchy in hell? So someone further up the later than...

[Well, Alex is just going to gesture to the video and her own personal demon in her bedroom. Because lol what is her life.]

It was around when I first arrived so about a year ago. He was fascinating.

[Yes, Lucifer had been a temptation for Alec, but not the usual sort.]

There's different types in my world. Different levels of power and some that are Princes of Hell. Would arch demons be like Fallen Angels?

I think so. I mean, there's conflicting reports and the person who's in charge of all of this stuff isn't exactly forthcoming with any actual information.

[Other than that Alex should stop looking and stay away from Strand which just meant that she was going to look harder and end up sticking to his side like insufferable glue.]

You don't want to mess with Fallen Angels and Princes of Hell. [Alec's tone suggest that this isn't general knowledge, but something he learned firsthand.] The deals you make with them are never what you think they'll be.

There are people here who study magic. There's a whole institute that's devoted to it. They should have more information. So should Magnus.

I don't want to mess with any of them, actually. But unfortunately myself and people I love are involved so I don't really have a choice.

[Stupid being at the supernatural center of something rather than just the reporter who falls for her subject.]

And yeah, I've been working my way through the demon books here.

Are you researching them for when you go back to your reality?

[Making a thoughtful sound, Alec rubs the back of his neck.]

Do you know the languages that are used in most of them? I can help with that. I was trained in the main ones used for those kinds of texts.

I've got some I have no idea about, but my partner speaks a fair amount of languages. And I'm slowly teaching myself latin as I'm working through it.

But yeah, I'm trying to learn something that will help when we go home.

I know Latin, Greek, a few demonic languages. I can learn others quickly. I have a knack of them. [That isn't quite a lie since his runes actually improve a talent he already had.] I'm a little rusty on the really old ones...

I thought so, but in case you're worried about that demon being here. My family hasn't seen or sensed anything unusual and according to my husband, demons can't be summoned here.

[Alex is just going to make this private, because yeah. Look, she's got some fears and her conversation with Ronan has stirred them all up pretty effectively.]

Even if they may be inside someone else and can only come out at night?

[For a few seconds, Alec's silent, considering everything he's learned over the years. He loves the small details that others ignore, but he can't remember any story from his world that matches that.]

In my world, that would be considered possession, but the demons don't normally exit the body unless they're forced to. They can't leave and come back whenever they want. They're too vulnerable - [Outside their victim] - by themselves.

It's possible that it could happen, but so far, my family hasn't seen any signs of anything demonic.
When my sister was here, she worked for the police so she would have seen evidence of demon activity. My parabatai and I patrol as part of the Guard and on our own. And I don't think a demon could be roaming Quarantine without Magnus picking something up. We're all too paranoid about our past coming to get us to ignore any signs that there's a demon here.

[Alex lets out a little sigh of relief that she'd not even been aware she was holding in.]

Okay good. I didn't think so, but it never hurts to double check from an expert.

There's more than one demonic language?

If you want to be sure, there's an Institute here that studies magic. They're probably keeping an eye on demonic activity. They may even be able to tell you if someone is possessed.

We have at least five in my world. I know a couple of the common ones. There wasn't a reason for me to learn the others since I can't do magic.

Wow, that shouldn't surprise me, but it kind of does. I mean I just assumed it was like latin or what came before latin and whatever languages they spoke where they originated. That's fascinating. Are they hierological as well?

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5th (lack of sleep note) one's very own black tape. Audio at first.

video | @arcarius

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