#Muse Caim

[a-hell-of-a-time]

Caim sat upon her sofa, a sleeping fledgling in her arms. It had taken many hours before her son would settle, and it had been many more since she last saw sleep herself.

The anxiety of knowing that something foul was afoot, but being barred from finding out had left the former goetia with much anxiety. She had taken Andrealphus's warning to heart and refrained from reaching out to anyone in Hell, especially her own father. Instead she had remained in the confines of her home while Yui went to work to provide for them all.

Whenever the kitsune wasn't at work, she stayed right by her wife's side, taking turns to care for their son in hopes that Caim would finally sleep.

She never did.

"Please be okay, Andrealphus. Father," she whispered, holding her son close as the anxiety continued to eat away at her core.

[a-hell-of-a-time-archive]

@keeperofquestions

Caim heaved a sigh as she was surrounded on all sides. It seemed her continued presence in hell struck a nerve with some of the other houses, who made it their mission to take out the half breed by any means necessary. Unfortunately for them, she would not die so easily.

"I guess we have to do this the hard way," she drawled, talons wrapping around the hilt of her blade.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." With a flash, steel met flesh, and the fight was on.

[gu6chan]

drakengard (2003): inuart's betrayal

[voicelesshatred]

.:OOC「 One more run of the Castle Environs mission and I think I’ll be calm enough to work.

[a-hell-of-a-time]

"So it seems the goetia have had some form of reform." Go figure that it would have came about after she was exiled.

[a-hell-of-a-time-archive]

@darkseraphscorner

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Andrealphus turned from the elevator he was checking to spot an angel approaching.

"Well now; what do we have here?" he asked, his gaze narrowing as a corvid demon landed at his side.

"An enemy, or an ally?" Caim looked the newcomer over, a hand resting on the hilt of her sheathed blade.

"That I do not know, but perhaps they can speak for themselves."

[gu6chan]

still can't get over this initial concept art of N like what do you mean that's for Pokemon Black and White rated E for Everyone that's literally Caim Drakengard right there

[a-hell-of-a-time]

"It was meant to go public had it gone through, but since it did not my father went to great lengths to keep it hidden." He stood up and went to the discarded pile, pulling Caim's file from it before handing it to Vassago.

"Camio, or Caim as she preferred to be called. One of Earl Raum's children, and a personal friend of mine. She had broken off the engagement to live among her mother's kin, and I would be surprised if King Paimon hadn't exiled her by now for it." However, Andrealphus still kept in touch with her, though their meetings were few and far between now a days.

"After that whole affair, my parents focused on Stella's prospects, leaving me to my own devices." More like his parents had given up hope of their firstborn ever finding anyone to marry up, so they put all of their hope and trust in Stella and worked hard to find a good match. That is what made the whole affair with her divorce all the more vexing, and left Stella to be just as much of a failure as himself. The fact that neither of their parents had yet to disown them was a miracle, though the marquis suspected it was due to his efforts of trying to salvage what he could in the form of Stolas's assets.

Perhaps it was just as well to be ignored in the realm of suitors, even though Andrealphus had no shortage of people coming to him to stake their claim. Such matters were taxing as it was, and the icy peacock had no desire to behold himself to another, especially if he should develop some form of romantic attachment to them. It was best to simply sleep with whomever he pleased, whenever he pleased with no strings attached.

If only he could convince his heart and mind of that during many a long, lonely night.

Vassago was surprised to hear that Andrealphus had once been matched with another, it must have been some time ago because he did not remember such a match. “Oh? Who were you betrothed to? Surly I would have heard?”

Vassago felt fortunate that he had never been paired with anyone before. Oh, many had tried but he could be painfully stubborn when he wanted to be. There were times, of course, that he wished for a partner to share his life with but unlike every other Goetia, he longed for love and connection, not convenience or to strengthen blood lines.

Though, it seemed not to be. Vassago was approaching what humans called “middle aged” and yet he had no prospects. He had all but convinced himself he would be alone forever and in doing so, had developed a sort of hyper independence. The parrot was comfortable doing everything alone, he had to be because there was no one else to consider. He had friends he could often rely on but they had their own lives, their own families.

He knew that he put on a nonchalance that was near unbreakable to the outside world but he was just like everyone else who craved love and affection.

[voicelesshatred]

.:OOC「 Okay, I have a thing for @corditeheart​ and @ardensfides​ to get to and 13 pages left of translating to do. And packing ‘cause I’ll be out of my house from Jan 10 until Jan 31. I’ll still pop up online when I can though. Bed time for now. It’s 5 in the am.

[multydoodles]

Mythology & Its Connection with IDV

I recently got the time to check Ashes of Memory and was astonished by the number of mythology referenced just in the story mode! As usual, I'll list the connected references instead of delving into the deeper meaning, leaving that to the theorists out there.

First, let's look at the names introduced in the Potion List during Miss DeRoss investigations; Orpheus, Siren Song, Mnemosyne & Hydra are the listed names for each drug alongside their ingredients.

Orpheus is the protagonist of "Orpheus & Eurydice." In the story, the musician travels to the depths of Hell to retrieve his wife, Eurydice, only to fail one of Hades' tests for her freedom. Sirens are human-like creatures with alluring voices. They appear in the Odyssey, where they hunt Odysseus' ship crew before the protagonist saves the ship. Mnemosyne is the goddess of memory and remembrance. She is a member of the Titans and the mother of the muses. The Hydra is a serpentine monster famous for its appearances in the story of Heracles and his Twelve Labors, where it is eventually buried alive by rocks.

Now let's look at the skin/cosmetics available for each member of AOM. (As I can't do all characters in one post, there are too many) Neat-ease hides small references to the character's background in the skins or objects given in each essence.

The following names that shine among the rest are: Phyllis (Entomologist), Pandora (Little Girl) & The Orphan Of Goetia (Prospector.)

The legend of Phyllis recounts the tragic tale of her taking her own life in anguish upon discovering that Demophon, who had been transformed into an almond tree by the gods, would not return to her.

Pandora is mostly famous for opening the jar ( or box, in later renditions of the myth) unleashing the greatest evil of humankind. Leaving only hope as the last thing remaining.

Now, the last one is quite peculiar. The "Goetia" is not from Greek Mythology; instead, it is from Satanism. They're explained in the first of the five sections of the Ars Goetia grimoire, which contains descriptions of the 72 demons that are said to have been summoned by Solomon

Unfortunately, the text never specified which demon the skin references. I hypothesize that it could be Asmodeus, Aim, Caim, or Aamon due to the fire and bird connections.

[confessionsofa-roleplayer]

Nothing kills my muse for a thread than a partner not knowing how to yes and…! It's one of, if not the most important rping skill, and if you don't have it the other partner feels like they are carrying the the thread. The number of times I'll post something open-ended for my partners to bounce off of, and they just… don't…!!!! I get get zero elaboration on it (even though they caim they 'perfer to whing it' and 'hate plotting') they'll toss it right back to me to come up with whatever was just proposed or left vauge. Which wasn't the point! This is collaborative! If I wanted to take ff requests, I'd be doing exactly that! Sometimes, I'll be a bit petty and throw the thread back to them with no answers again… push them to come up with something. Every damn time I get nothing. This is a sure-fire way to put your threads with me on the backburber. Please, either learn how to plot or learn how to expand on someone else's writing.

[a-hell-of-a-time-archive]

"Of course; a name is part of your identity, and in the society you are about to step into, identity is important. To be exact, the goal is to have you fit in. Unlike America, where individuality is highly encouraged, Japan is a country where conformity to the majority is paramount. To stand out is bad, but fitting in and becoming a part of the collective whole is important.

It's not unlike being a part of goetian society in some respects, which is especially true for the many written and unwritten etiquette rules that govern the land you're about to inhabit. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

She paused. "Fortunately I have been able to get away with just 'Caim' while in human form, but that will be harder to do with your name.

As I mentioned before: Our society requires you to fit in, and if we cannot pass you off as one of our own, that he exchange student route is the only one available to us. As for what 'exchange student' means: It means that you are a high school or university student from another country who is here to learn about our country. High school and university are institutions that deal with the education of humans.

As for your last question: Youkai disguising themselves as human is vital to our survival. If we cannot blend in among the human majority, we could very well end up injured or dead, or hunted down. While most humans believe us to be nothing more than mythology, there are some who have such a strong hatred of us to the point that they want our heads on a platter.

Furthermore, it is an unwritten rule that we youkai, or any other supernatural being aren't to be walking among mortals in our actual forms. It's like how demons aren't supposed to be on Earth unless summoned, and even then there are strict rules about what demons can and cannot do on Earth. It's why there are many rules that govern the use of grimoires."

Duedphelon wasn't sure what to think about the last part of that stipulation. Of course he had several questions about it. "Does your new homeland require such things? Do you have a new name you go by there? What do you mean by 'exchange student'? Student of what? Why must I be passed off as one? Is disguising yourselves amongst mortals commonplace? Why?"

The fact they had this all planned out told the young goetia that the people Caim knew had done this before- and possibly rather frequently. He waited to see what response he would get.

[a-hell-of-a-time]

✍ Favorite thing about writing the muse? 👀Favorite thing about the muse’s appearance? For Andrealphus and Caim

Mun talks about the Muse: Accepting!

((For Andre, I love fleshing him out more than what canon has given us, and I like when I get to be snarky/condescending ic.

For his appearance, I like his boa ouo It's super fluffy!

For Caim: I love writing badass women who will make you eat her fist, but who is also not afraid to speak her mind! (I have a type)

For her appearance, I like how she dresses so casually most of the time! Also her tengu mask on the odd occasion she wears it.))

[a-hell-of-a-time-archive]

@hells-greatestdad , @hells-sirenqueen

Once everything had been done according to Lucifer's wishes, and the plans made with Paimon, Andrealphus and Caim made their way to the palace. It was agreed that the royal pair should not be left alone, and since Andrealphus's mansion was in the care of his staff and a never ending blizzard, there was little need to stay.

"Grand Marquis Andrealphus and Former Great President Caim requesting entry and an audience with their Majesties," Andrealphus called, Caim following behind as the pair arrived in the palace foyer.

[a-hell-of-a-time]

Hearing him say it aloud made Caim realize how foolish she was to ask such a thing. Her son's future had yet to be determined, and there was no way of telling how it would go. While she felt that cutting him off from his goetian heritage might harm him later on, there was also the chance that keeping him among her people and in the human world might be the best thing for him. If he were to be raised among the goetia, there was little doubt he would be friendless and lonely. At least in her world he could pass for a student, go to school, make friends, and possibly meet other youkai children his age.

He could be happy if she left well enough alone.

When Gusion mentioned her life and possibilities, Caim decided that it would be better to look at those and leave her son's future well enough alone.

"...I do," she said quietly. "I will leave Yukitaka's future and possibilities well enough alone, but I do wish to peer at mine." She would have to guard her heart and her mind so that she wouldn't be swayed by what might have been.

Gusion shook his head. "You are asking a lot. What are you defining as 'the end'? How far ahead are you trying to see? The farther you look the murkier the future can become. There are decisions yet to be made and they can change what is happening. The last thing you need is to be riddled with indecision over the possibilities or become obsessed with a specific future and try to force others around you to conform to its outcome."

He rose and a few imps wandered into the room to tend to the Duke's feathered cape as he stood. "As for what you have already done, I can grant you access to your possibilities. These are rows of books that contain the untold stories of your life. These are the decisions you did not make or futures that were closed to you. One word of warning I will give you is to be extremely careful. It is far too easy for someone to become lost in what could have been and be left with nothing but regret."

Gusion's eyes narrowed. "Do you understand me, Caim?" Again, he knew the answer, but only because he asked the question in the first place. Still his delivery contained a practiced emotion to it. It needed to in order for the question to actually make an impact.

[gu6chan]

would've loved to have heard caim's wheezing laughter as a 42 year old man tbh........