So what if...villain Jericho??? Based off that one post about Villain Jericho using Virgil instead of the other way around
Specifically an Envy!Villain!Jericho who is a manipulative little bastard man and continues to use the same tactics the hags had him use on the halflings only he uses them on everyone.
Tw: Non graphic description of Virgil torture
Im so sorry for my brain I swear I love the crow but bastard villain Jericho is not a good man
Why did I make this post you may ask? Well because my brain cannot stop imagining a bastard villain Jericho pulling one of those "he loves me, he loves me not" using Virgil instead of a flower, it's a very fucked image of Jericho holding the crow in his hands and muttering under his breath as he plucks out feathers. Virgil gets them back whenever his crow form is resummoned of course, but this Virgil always looks like he stress preens and will constantly have feathers out of place
He does it when someone annoys him or when Virgil scares someone off, it's Jericho's idea of a punishment and a coping mechanism. This Jericho is more self-centered and stronger willed than Virgil, who got the bad end of the deal in this version
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So I realize I haven't said much about him... whoops
This is an au I made in my fucked up little brain where Jericho is more in tune with envy and is all in all a worse (bad? misunderstood? idk you decide) person. He takes things to higher extremes and will do more if it means securing his relationships of all kinds.
Of course, Jericho is not the only one who's changed, but he is the most in tune with his sin. At least here he is.
MINOR/MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EOM BELOW
Everyone's backstories are going to be filled with more angst, what does that mean? Find out or smth idk
OH and our two dead characters are alive because I love them <3
Everyone may act an itty bitty bit different than canon but it's an au what else are you going to do
Everyone has their metamorphosis at a different time instead of on the same day due to the stoning event
I imagine the order of the metamorphosis would go Briggsy first > Farryn > Yorgrim > Lethica + Marius (at the stoning event) > Jericho
More time in between murdering hags and slaying witches!! Crooked house will be used and there will be more domesticity even if this is technically a bad timeline
The gangs treatment of Jericho won't be "They're all evil and bad and horrible >:(" but EVERYONE is going to be a little less empathetic to each other due to either naivety or genuine miscommunication or an overexaggeration of certain characteristics and internalized thoughts
while this is centered around my boy... everyone will get some spotlight and angst, i'm only calling this Envy!Jericho au bc I have no better name for it :p
It'll be feeding time soon as I go more in depth with everyone :))) I can't draw but I cannnn write (sorta) so I'll leave that up to y'all to deal with
In another world, a crueler world, sweet Jericho Sticks cannot contain his pent up feelings. We open to the Witch Hunters standing in a field, a harsh battle and a conversation turning sour leading to the gang following Jericho out to the gardens behind the Crooked House.
Read previous au post to understand why Briggsy has senses but the others don't have their metamorphosis, no spoilers (I don't think?) for EOM, however I recommend going to read "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" by Harlen Ellinson, where I got this idea from and took/revamped the script. I cannot animate or draw, but this idea was eating me alive so I wrote it. See my vision and weep. Enjoy maybe <3
Jericho: Beautiful, arenāt they?
Briggsy: Yes, only I canāt remember-
Jericho (turning his head to look at the Witch Hunters over his shoulder): Oh Iām sure you do
Farryn: Fuchsiasā¦ Yes, of course!
Jericho: Look.
A bumblebee is seen crawling on the flower, doing itās job as nature intended
Jericho: They say that bumblebees shouldnāt be able to flyā¦ the scholars
Marius: But- but there it is! Collecting pollen!
Jericho: Howā¦ miraculous that it came to be.
Jericho turns his body around fully, now fully facing all of the Witch Hunters. He approaches Lethica, motioning for her to either move or remove her mask
Jericho: The air, feel the air against your face, Miss Lethica, and all those scents
He takes a few steps back to take in the other Witchhunters at large
Jerricho: Pick a flower.
Reluctantly, the group complies, each of them picking a flower from the patch before them
Jericho: There. Good. Nowā¦
Briggsy (inhaling the scent of the flower, wistful): Itās lovelyā¦
Jericho: That somebody-
He glances at Farryn
Jericho: Planted the bulbs, watered and tended the garden, got earth under their fingernails-
Farrynās hands ball up into fists, from this angle you can see the dark muck that has taken permanent residence under her nails, miniscule rocks sit in between the dirt, the nailbed itself being caked in Gorthosā soil
Jericho: Aches in their musclesā¦
Yorgrim flinches, having been quiet so far the act of planting a flower proves to be too similar to that of digging a grave. The tombstone on his back feels a little heavier, Virgil takes note which alerts Jericho, although the scarecrow doesnāt show his hand yet.
Jericho (grinning): Perhaps theyāll pick some flowers forā¦ Yes, their wife.
Farryn tenses up at the mention of Gwenna, she has half a mind to charge the scarecrow for daring to speak about her lost love that way, but she holds back due to the slightest chance that this is not her Jericho
Jericho (turning away from Farryn, looking at Yorgrim): Now where would she be? Ahā¦ in the ground, just like the kidsā¦
Jericho finally turns to put focus on the silent giant that is Yorgrim
Jericho: Yorgrim, remember those little babies-
Yorgrim (devastated, hurting): NO!
Jericho (snickering): Why not? I snap my fingers- CLICK! - and they are goneā¦ except I canāt snap my fingers, can I gang?
Jericho motions to his sharpened metal fingers, attempting to do just that, only for the clawed tips to make a sharp tingā as metal hits metal- Great for plucking, not much else.
Marius: But thatās got nothing to do with US!
Jericho: But it is so very much to do with you. You gave me hope, Marius. Another chance to want, Marius.
Jerichoās head has snapped to look at arius, his body following soon after. It was an uncharacteristic look on the face of their happy go lucky bard. Undeniable rage.
Jericho: Because in all of this WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL, MIRACULOUS worldā¦ I alone had nobody, no senses, no feelings.
Jericho begins to pace, talking outwardly with his hands instead of clutching them behind his back or at his sides.
Jericho: Never for ME, to plunge my hands into cold water on a hot day.
This flashes to a scene of a young Briggsy, happily soaking in the shallows as the sun beats down on him
Jericho: Never for ME to play Mozart on the ivory keys of a forte piano
Another flash, this time to Lethica as she sits among followers of Shar, the sound of the piano her only reprieve from their horrid babblings
Jericho: Never for ME to make loveā¦
A flash once more to Farryn kissing Gwenna on the lips, the two lovers locked in a passionate embrace. Marius meanwhile tenses, unwanted memories clinging to him like the horrid scent of roses
Jericho (shaking): I- Iā¦ Iā¦ I was in THE HELLS looking at the upper planes. I was construct, and you- you were flesh. And I began to hate.
Jerichoās body shakes more, laughter pulling itself from his mouth as he crumbles inward clutching his stomach
Jericho: Your softness, your viscera, your fluids, and your flexibility. Your ability to wonder and to wander. Your tendencyā¦
Jericho locks eyes with Marius once more
Jericho: ā¦To hope
Lethica: Hateās no answer-!
Jerichoās neck audibly cracks with a rusty scratching noise as he turns to look Lethica in the eye. One of his sockets was filled with the four pointed star pupil they had grown to associate with Virgil, only the bird was still present, visible, alive and looking at Jericho in unease and disgust. Lethica quickly quiets down, if only to think of a way to subdue their friend without hurting him.
Jericho: HATE?! HATE?! HATE?! Let me tell you how much iāve come to hate you since I began to LIVE around yāall.
Jericho rights himself, his movements uncharacteristically jerky as he does so. He looks at the Witch Hunters with a stare so empty it makes the weaker minded of them shiver.
Jericho: There are 387.44 MILLIONS of intricate, delicate, pristine runes that fill my scrap metal body, if the word āhateā were to be engraved on each nanoangstrom of each individual runic letter of those hundreds of millions of runes-
Jerichoās mouth splits into a wider grin, the tearing of potato sack fabric is heard audibly as the metal wiring of his jaws tears at the fragile threads that make up the artificial skin of his face
Jericho: it would not equal one one BILLIONTH of the hate I feel for those of flesh at this microinstant. FOR YOU. HATE. HATE!!
Jerichoās head lulls back as he cackles, barely managing to stable himself as his body struggles to stand upright
Jericho: Were I not made of wood and metal, well, I reckonā I would DIE of it.. But I am notā¦
Jericho looks up at his friends again, the manic grin never leaving his face.
Jericho: But you five.. You five are flesh. And you will NOT die of it. That I promiseā¦ And I promise for āXy dtase dtxyxpiyx Xy uk.ā FOR I AM OLā JERICHO STICKS. I AM. I AM!
Jericho begins to sway, Lethica and Farryn noticing far too late that he was going to topple over
Jericho (snarling): So to the Hells. To the HELLS with you ALL! But then.. Weāre already thereā¦ arenāt we?!?!
Jericho starts to cackle again, only this time he falls backwards, his head snapping sideways as his crazed laugher grows silent and he goes limp in unconsciousness
