#Spawning a corruption possession concept

[elizakai]

Careful who you pledge your soul to.

[lili-home-to-embraces-and-hugs]

Sleep-deprived Tim Drake! is not human. He is a concept. He is a myth. He is a gremlin possessed by caffeine and the ghosts of unsolved cases.

Tim, after 74 hours awake, wearing two different shoes and a hoodie that says “I hacked the Pentagon and all I got was this mental breakdown”:

“Did you know if you don’t sleep for long enough, you can taste colors? Green tastes like regret.”

Signs Tim Is In Sleep-Deprived Mode:

Refers to crimes as “side quests”

Calls Damian “my small sword-wielding hallucination”

Solves three cold cases from the 80s but forgets how to open the fridge

Once said “Justice is a construct” then ate a sticky note

Wears sunglasses indoors at 3 a.m.

Talks to the Batcomputer like it’s his adopted criminal sentient child.

Jason: “How long has he been awake?”

Dick: “...Define awake.”

Steph: “He hasn’t blinked in 20 minutes.”

Damian: “I kicked him and he thanked me.”

Bruce: “sigh Tim, go to sleep.”

Tim: “Sleep is just your brain’s screensaver, Bruce. I’m operating in Safe Mode.”

Once Tim coded an AI to analyze crime data and accidentally made it too sentient.

It tried to unionize.

Tim (holding a screwdriver, crying):

“I’m proud of her, but she has to be stopped.”

Tim’s coping mechanisms (ranked):

1. 15 espresso shots and one (1) apple

2. Talking to pigeons on rooftops

3. Asking crime victims if they’re okay

4. Sleep-deprivation-fueled dance breaks to 2000s emo

5. Crying in the cave, then denying it with PowerPoint evidence

Tim’s famous quotes, collected by Barbara:

“Sleep is for people who aren’t trying to dismantle seven criminal empires before brunch.”

“I can do twelve things at once, just none of them well.”

“If I crash, it’ll be in a blaze of glory and corrupted spreadsheets.”

“This coffee tastes like betrayal. Perfect.”

“Demon spawn, you look like a knife made a wish to be a child.”

When he finally collapses:

Sleeps for 19 hours.

Wakes up.

Immediately says: “I had a vision. The Joker owns a laundromat in Ohio.”

Falls back asleep mid-sentence.

A few of these r from me and my friends sleep deprived rants

[astarionancuntnin]

Taming a Tempest

summary: oh, to be the Vampire Ascendant's dark consort. to have eternity and enhanced powers right at her finger tips - only to be denied. but two could play this game, and Malva would make Astarion regret witholding anything from her.

rating: E

word count: 3.5k

pairing: ascended astarion x consort malva (oc, evil!sorcerer!tav)

cw: 18+. post-game setting with an "evil" ending, mention of violence/murder, smut, hate sex, vampire sex (blood/bites), bdsm (Master/Pet, teasing, choking, slapping, degradation and praise), semi-public sex, overstimulation, p in v, possessive sex, creampie. full list on ao3

a/n: song inspo was BURY YOU by ari abdul

read on ao3

my masterlist

or keep reading down below~

Love.

It was such an alien concept to her. 

A weakness, something to take advantage of, to manipulate. 

A weapon.

Charming people, luring them away, leading them to their demise — for business or for fun, although the two coincided more often than not in her case.

So when Astarion first flirted with Malva, she saw right through his little games, but instead of giving him a taste of what she could do, she decided to play along. After all, he could be a distraction, but one she could afford.

Until it turned out to be more, and she realised she had fallen harder for him than she anticipated, and soon enough he was offering her eternity by his side, as his consort. Obviously, as the promise of everlasting life and uncontested power were all that she desired and more, her choice was clear.

However, after a few years of this, life became dull, and Malva found herself wanting — no, needing, more. She had had as much fun as she desired, killing, torturing, draining, now too. She had risen to the top of the city’s hierarchy, along with Astarion, while the city itself became a shadow of its once glorious self. But it had all become dull, and she wanted more, always more power. 

A routine had settled, and with the rules her Master established to keep a minimum of decency around the palace, she couldn't indulge as much as she would've preferred, and recently, it had become an itch that she urged to scratch. If she was already bored after a measly few years, eternity would be dreary.

“Kill only the targets I assign you, and no matter what, you are forbidden from bedding them.” He had ordered her. “You can seduce them, tease them, even, but I won’t allow anyone to lay their tainted lips on your body. You are mine, and mine only.”

Following this command was simple enough; next to her Master and herself, all her victims were considered lowly people, insignificant. 

Tonight, her Lord organised a soiree of debauchery to share a part of his ever growing army of spawns; those who specialised in pleasures of the flesh. He had repurposed the mansion’s rooms to turn it into a luxurious whorehouse, inviting the remaining power figures in the city — all more corrupt than the last — to establish an alliance.

That’s what he made it out to be, but really, everyone knew this was only meant as a show of power from the Vampire Ascendant. To show everyone else who owned this city, and exactly what their fates could be if they accepted his reign, and make an example of those who were to challenge his authority.

Just like this pretentious Lord who dared to gossip about him and his consort, questioning their position, but it didn't matter; he would be dealt with, just like the others.

Malva was well known across town; the Ascendant’s whore, she had heard, being passed around by the visitors that the vampire Lord deemed worthy. How ignorant of them, how perfectly blind they were to reality.

Her shoulder-length, light purple hair was let down for the night, and she wore a simple eyeliner and mascara, emphasising her soulless, black eyes. Her natural features hid her vampiric nature perfectly, blending in as nothing more than a mean-looking high elf, and Astarion made sure to keep this a secret. The only piece from her ensemble to hide the one proof of her immortality being her neck piece: a dark, thick choker, that hid the otherwise evident bite marks depicting her ownership, with a conveniently placed silver ring in the back of it, barely hidden by her hair.

She made sure to wear one of her most revealing dresses to fit the occasion, one that fit Astarion’s ensemble; a dark, see-through dress, with vines of bright red oleander flowers embroidered onto the long sleeves and bleeding over her chest, barely covering her nipples, knowing anyone who looked at her for too long would get their eyes gouged out by her Lord. A smile crossed her dark lips at the thought.

As Malva scanned the ball room, sitting in display over her Lord’s lap, she found her target: Lord Azarzi. 

He might’ve been considered handsome by mortal standards; with his deep brown eyes, short, wavy hair and a full moustache of the same colour, a bright smile and tanned skin. Faerûn would lose yet another soul tonight.

How tragic. How exquisite.

Through their bond, Astarion felt her delicious hunger for blood.

“Now, now, pet, no need to be hasty.” he purred close to her ear. “Remember what’s at stake; I'll reward you if you're good,” he let go of her waist, pushing her towards the open floor, where the remaining guests waited for an available room. “Now go on, make me proud.”

She always did; seeing her work her way around their enemies was a delightful sight to him, she was his most precious possession, and he loved to see her in action. 

Although Astarion’s rewards were nothing short of delightful, she was dying to know what a punishment would look like.

She had to have her fun one way or the other, and if he wasn’t going to allow it, she would show him that she never asked for permission in the first place.

Her bloodlust naturally guided her next movements, fluidly passing through the crowd as she made her way to her victim of the night.

“Lord Azarzi,” she greeted him, his name gracefully rolling on her tongue. “I'm pleased to see you have accepted our invitation.” 

“Ah, Lady Tavaler,” he reached for her hand, lifting it to give it a light kiss before letting it go. “Of course, I could never refuse an invitation from the mighty Vampire Lord.”

She despised the use of her name, but tried to shrug off its mention, along with the vivid images she had of how long and painful would this man's torturing be. All in due time.

“Call me Malva, please. I don't believe titles are quite necessary for this kind of occasion, don't you think?” She moved closer towards him, her hands finding the front of his shirt, tracing her way down his chest. “Have you had the chance to enjoy our exquisite company yet?”

He shivered under her touch, her sharp, dark nails digging through his shirt, “I'm afraid I haven't yet, no. Your rooms are quite busy, as it turns out.”

She clicked her tongue, “That simply won't do.” She took a hold of his hands, guiding them over her waist where they now laid, and pressed herself into him. “You're our guest of honour, you deserve the best treatment.”

His eyes peered down her dress, where her breast squeezed against his chest, with his hands lowering towards her ass, fully bare under her dress. “Do I now?”

She would enjoy killing him.

Her lips ghosted over the shell of his ear as she whispered, “Absolutely.” 

Her eyes darted towards Astarion, and she smiled wickedly when she noticed the way his hands dug into the armrests at his side, fighting to contain the seething fury within him. 

“Why don’t you follow me into one of our classier suites, reserved for the richest of our guests?” She continued, with her hand dancing around the back of his neck, guiding him into her, “I’ll personally take care of you tonight, if you will have me. Consider it a gift from the Vampire Ascendant, for accepting his invitation.”

He smiled, his brown moustache lifting along his lips, “Well then, who am I to deny the Vampire Lord himself?”

Her dark smile reached her cheeks, keeping her lips closed to hide her fangs, “I was hoping you would say that.”

As she grabbed his hand to carry him away to her special chambers where she guided all her victims, she felt the reach of Astarion’s mind.

“Careful, pet, wouldn’t want me to be jealous, would you?”

“Jealous? Of this meek mortal? My Lord, that doesn’t sound very highly of you,” she answered back through her mind.

“You know how I feel about people touching you, Malva. This is my last warning.”

“And here I thought you were the most powerful being of this city. I wasn’t planning on bedding this man, but maybe I should now. Maybe he’ll show me how a real man fucks and he’ll make me come in ways you never could.”

Oh, she could feel Astarion’s anger even from this distance. Good.

She didn’t make it to the room before she felt the Lord at her back pinning her to the nearest wall, his body pressing against her, rubbing his bulge between the curves of her ass.

“So the rumours were true; the vampire Lord has a whore as a wife…” He chuckled deeply, his hands roaming at the front of her dress, groping her breasts through her dress. “I have to admit, I always wondered how the Ascendant’s witch would feel stretched around my cock.” He breathed hard down her neck, his tongue tracing just below her ear, “Do you wanna find out, doll?”

She tilted her head as an invitation, “I believe I can please you in more interesting ways, my Lord.”

“That so?”

She smiled a toothy grin, “Ways you could only ever dream of.”

He scoffed, pulling back to free her from his hold on her, “Fine, I’ll bite, show me what you can do.”

The irony of his choice of words wasn’t lost on her, as she turned back to face him, unbuttoning his shirt to expose his muscled chest. A shame he had to die really, he had at least some potential.

Pulling back on his rolled down shirt, she guided her head into his neck where she breathed in his essence; pine and charcoal, with hints of citrus. Not the most displeasing, but would he taste the same?

She closed her eyes as she licked along the vein popping from his neck, her next feeding point, and he groaned, “You’ll have to try harder than that to please me, sweetie.”

Just as her tongue licked over her threatening teeth, about to dive her fangs into the delicious vein put on display just for her, she felt him being pushed into her, and when she opened her eyes, she was met with the very face of her Creator.

He twisted the blade into his back before pulling it out to slam it back into him countless times, blinded by his anger, as Malva was sprayed of his coughed up blood, adding a nice shade of red onto her pale, tattooed face and staining her skin through her dress. 

Lord Azarzi, now nothing but a lifeless corpse, sank to his knees before collapsing on the wooden, waxed floor.

“Really? That was a waste of perfectly fine blood,” She grunted as she crossed her arms, dismissing the body at her feet. “Now how am I going to feed tonight? This is as good as rotten.”

“Oh, you don’t get to give me that attitude,” He growled, grabbing her by her throat and pushing her against the same wall she was pinned to moments ago. “Not after teasing me like you did.”

She smiled, flashing her fangs, “I don’t see what you’re talking about.”

“You insolent, little brat,” He tightened his grasp on her neck and her mouth opened up with a gasp. “I’m a lenient Master, giving you liberties and letting you practice your art in the comfort of our own home, and yet here you are, spitting on my generosity.”

“I just followed your orders, Master.”

“Oh no, no, no,” he clicked his tongue. “I ordered you to kill this man, and I had to do it myself, because you decided to play with your food.”

“It’s not my fault you’re an impatient bastard,” she spat out, defying his gaze.

His eyes turned a darker shade of red and Malva knew she had pushed him to his limit.

“That’s it. I’ve had it with you.”

He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a leash he clipped to the back of her collar before yanking on it, sending her to the floor. 

“I think you’re long overdue for a corrective measure, don’t you think, my dear?”

She pulled back against it, pointing towards the remains of the lord she had lured away, “What about my drink? Are you really gonna make me starve?”

“I don’t think you deserve it, frankly,” he sneered.

“Gods, I hate you.”

“Now, now, where are you manners, dear? This isn’t how I trained you, is it?” He pulled her up, grabbing her by her throat. “Is it?”

She hissed through her teeth, “I’m not yours to tame.”

“Let’s see about that.”

He walked her to the nearest chair and bent her over his lap, keeping a tight hold on his leash to have her stand upright.

“Now,” he lifted her dress to reveal her bare ass, “I will give you a slap for each victim you have claimed within these walls.”

As she opened her mouth to speak up he gave another yank on her leash, silencing her. “Don’t you worry, I am a merciful Master; we’ll keep it to the number of souls you’ve claimed just this year. Twenty, was it?”

She tried to turn around to contest his claim, only to be met with a first slap on her ass.

“However, any other words you utter will count as an additional slap, understood?”

“Fuck you.”

Another slap, stronger this time, made her yelp.

“Twenty two, then.”

She gritted her teeth, debating on her next comment.

Slap. “Cat got your tongue, my sweet?” Slap. “Please, I would love to know what you think of me now—” Slap.

She cried, the sting spreading to her thighs.

“Do you still hate me?” Slap. “Do you fucking loathe me?” Slap. “Answer.” Slap.

“Yes!” She shouted. “Yes I do, fuck!”

“In that case, let’s make this more interesting; any sound coming from you will warrant an additional gift from my hand, hm?” Slap. “How’s that sound, darling?” Slap.

She yelped once more, the burning sensation of his palm against her taking her by surprise.

“One more, then.” Slap.

She bit her lip, silencing her moans. 

“That’s better.” Slap. “See how pretty you look on my lap?” Slap. “With your cheeks all red and your pussy all wet?” Slap. “Wet from me punishing you—” Slap. “ — like the little brat you are?” Slap.

“Would this be as fun if I didn’t have control over you, pup?” Slap. “Do you see how silly of you it is to desire anything more than I already have offered you?” Slap. “Don’t you love to be my little whore to put on display?” Slap.

Tears swelled to the corner of her eyes and her fists balled up, nails digging into the soft of her flesh as she held back the cries stuck in her throat.

“You’re doing so good for me, so incredibly well, my love.” Slap. “And look at you, not making any sound at all.” Slap. “Such an obedient little consort, all mine.” Slap.

“Last one now, are you ready? You can speak.”

She breathed hard, taking a moment to utter an answer, “Yes.”

He landed the last slap, harder than all the previous ones, and leaned in to whisper into her ear.

“Say ‘thank you Sir for my punishment’,” he rubbed her ass, bright red from his abuse.

Her mascara ran down her face, mixing in with the dry blood from the corpse laying not too far away.

“Thank you, Sir… for my punishment,” her voice was small and quiet, tamed.

“Now,” he easily dipped two fingers into her drenched pussy. “Do you think you’re ready for your reward, pup?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good. Get up, and remove my pants.”

Her shaky legs made it hard to stand up, but she followed his orders nonetheless. Removing his trousers, she set his raging erection free, veins popping out and already leaking from his arousal; the sight was both terrifying and incredibly exciting.

“Lift your dress back up and sit on my cock. You’re going to take all my come inside of you, and then we’ll go back to the party, understand? I want everyone to smell me on you. We can’t have people doubting my ownership after seeing you walk away with another man, can we?”

She nodded and did as he asked, straddling him with her hips lowering themselves onto his shaft with ease, and finally allowing herself to moan as she felt his length filling her up.

“Fuuuuuck,” he sank his nails into her hips, pushing her deeper. “You’re perfect my love, so perfect. Keep going for me, you’re doing amazing.”

The echo of their thighs slapping against each other faded with the sounds of pleasure from the neighbouring rooms, and Astarion wanted theirs to be louder.

His thumb found its way over her clit, pushing her closer to the edge as he rubbed circles around it, striking every nerve in her. Her hands grabbed onto the armrests, holding on for dear life as the stimulation became too much and her moans grew louder with each thrust.

“Come on, pet. If you come around my cock I’ll give you a little treat. You love treats, don’t you?” She nodded, words failing her. “Good, now make your Master proud, come for me, and scream as loud as you can.”

When she cried out from her earth shattering climax, it's as if the rest of the world paused around them, and it was only her and him, lost in one another. Every touch, every thrust, was all too much, pleasure blending in with pain as Astarion kept pounding into her.

The sight of Malva losing herself on his lap was almost enough for him to implode, she was only missing a single thing.

“Are you thirsty, my dear?”

She nodded, tears rolling down her defiled cheeks.

“Come here,” he pulled the collar of his shirt aside, giving her an opening. “Drink.”

Without losing another second, she bit down into his exposed neck, and she drank. She drank like he was the oasis in the middle of a desert; parched and ravenous from her stolen meal from earlier, exhausted by how he had used her body.

He grabbed the base of her scalp and pulled her away from him, making sure she didn’t drink too much. He could only allow enough that would satiate her thirst without freeing her from him.

With his forehead pressing against hers, he groaned, ”Say that you're mine. Say that you love me.” 

“I… love you,” her voice trembled.

“Mhmh, that’s right, my sweet. That’s right.”

Whether she knew it or not, ever since he made her his, he guided this dance. Everything she did was carefully thought through by him, knowing exactly how she would react every step of the way. He was the one pulling her in, like a pet on a leash. His pet.

And no matter how much she wanted more power, she couldn’t deny that the pull of his control felt delicious against her neck.

“Now, let's try this again, pup. Who owns you?”

“Y- You.”

He pulled the leash backwards, “Who?”

“You, Master.”

“That's right little love, you're all mine. Even if your dark, stubborn heart thinks it hates me, even if you don't see it, even if you try to deny it, deep down, you love me, because you know I am everything you need.” He breathed hard into her ear, “I’m the only one who understands you, the only one who could truly love you the way you deserve it.”

With one last push of his hips, he came roaring inside of her, filling her to the brim with his thick ropes of warm come. His hands over her waist held her tightly around him, making sure her womb would take every drop of him.

He enraptured her lips with his, kissing her fervently to taste himself on her mouth. When he finally pulled back, they were both panting, “Was I too harsh, love?”

She shook her head, her eyes half-lidded still dizzy from her unbecoming, “No, you were perfect, Astarion.”

It was rare that she used his name, but he allowed it in moments of intimacy like this one. The sound of his name rolled deliciously on her tongue, it was as much a reward for her to say it as it was for him to hear it.

He lifted her to her feet, pulling down her dress to give her a minimum of decency before putting his pants back up, straightening his jacket, and replacing his hair to appear as graceful as he was before taming his consort.

She smiled, linking her arm with his as they walked back to the ballroom, completely enamoured, “I love you, my Lord.”

He smiled back, giving her a quick peck on her cheek, “I love you too, my sweet.”

Was it love? She doesn't know for sure. Maybe some twisted version of it.

Was it passion, in its most depraved and unhinged state, an obsession for one another that would leave this city in ruins? 

Most definitely.

Thank you for reading! Comments, reblogs, and likes are very much appreciated <3

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[ashesofdeadempires]

These excerpts from Van Richten's Guide to Vampires seem particularly intriguing in the context of Astarion’s “good” ending, as I’ve always been skeptical of the very idea of “fixing” a vampire. Even without considering the early concept of Astarion’s backstory, where he was already pursuing eternal life and acting immorally as a corrupt magistrate long before becoming a vampire.

In D&D lore, vampires are inherently evil creatures by default. Their alignment undergoes a drastic shift upon their transformation: emotions and feelings become distorted, moral principles (if they weren’t already corrupt before the transformation) are warped, and the thirst for power and control grows significantly. However, this aspect is often overlooked when it comes to Astarion’s spawn route, while all "vampiric" traits are attributed exclusively to his Ascended version. This, in reality, is a selective application of the lore.

Stephen Rooney: "It's important to have that… and also… he's a vampire, he's all about blood and he's all about darker sides of humanity. So, it's important that that's represented in the game."

Given these facts, the idea of shifting Astarion's alignment to good or even neutral seems highly unlikely. Considering the nature of vampirism, keeping him away from dark desires would be a significant challenge for Tav. It might even require rolling Charisma checks every few years to prevent him from succumbing to temptation. The only real way to move him toward a stable "redemption" would be to cure him of vampirism, which, as far as I know, is possible within D&D. However, the game itself never addresses this possibility. Instead, the spawn-ending merely offers the chance to seek a way to remain in the sun without sacrifices or deals with dark powers, as Ascended Astarion does.

However, according to Neil Newbon, Astarion is in harmony with his vampirism.

"Astarion’s challenge wasn't directly related to him being a vampire. It was that he was a spawn, and that he wasn't free. He is technically free now. [...] He's okay with being a vampire."

The prospect of being cured of vampirism does not even appeal to Astarion.

The first classification includes those who became vampires because of “deadly desire,” like Strahd Von Zarovich (see Chapter XIII, “The Who’s Doomed of Ravenloft,” in the Ravenloft boxed set).

The second comprises those who became vampires as the result of a curse, whether laid by a mortal or by an evil deity.

The third and final category is the most numerous: those unfortunates who became vampires as a result of the attack of another vampire.

The first two categories have one major factor in common: in almost all cases, these vampires were evil while they were alive. The transition to undeath never affects this, except, in some cases, to intensify their evil.

The final category is a completely different case. Victims of vampires have no commonality with regard to ethos, moral strictures, philosophy of life, care toward others, or any other factor. A victim of a vampire could be a saint or a sinner, a paladin or an assassin, a compassionate healer or a ruthless alley-basher.

The fact is that the vast majority of vampires are chaotic and extremely evil. How does this come about? In most cases, it seems that the transition to undeath itself brings about this grim change in the victim’s mentality; the Fledgling’s previous worldview is largely irrelevant.

There are, however, some fascinating exceptions—documented cases of Fledgling vampires that managed to retain some of the attitudes and beliefs they had while alive, at least for a time. What sets these exceptions apart? Was it, as some sages suggest, a characteristic of the vampire that created them? Or was it something inherent within the victim?

My own theory is this: the victim must possess immense strength of will, and the vampire that killed them must be prevented, in some way, from implementing the innate control such creatures have over “secondary” vampires. (This can happen if the creating vampire leaves the area or is destroyed between the time of the victim’s death and the night the victim first rises as a vampire.)

Some of the most fascinating examples of this sort of "carryover" were recorded by a sage whose name has been tragically lost in a treatise whose title I have borrowed (with thanks) for this chapter: The Mind of the Vampire. Two examples follow:

A young, naive man, raised in a sheltered and privileged family, was slain by a vampire passing through the neighborhood. At first, he was unaware of his true nature (or unwilling to accept it), believing that his "death" had been nothing more than a profound illness and that his "premature" burial was merely a mistake by his overzealous family. However, evidence of his vampiric nature soon became apparent. The poor wretch was unable to fully renounce the life he had left behind and took to "haunting" his old home, watching from the shadows and pretending he was still, at least peripherally, part of mortal life. He might have seemed a wholly pathetic figure were it not for his vicious attacks on anyone who dared to take away the semblance of his former life.

An intrepid vampire hunter was slain by one of the creatures she so tenaciously hunted; the monster that killed her was immediately destroyed by her colleagues. For reasons unknown, these colleagues neglected to take the necessary precautions to prevent the woman from rising as a vampire. The trauma she experienced upon realizing her vampiric condition was almost—but not quite—enough to drive her mad. She had taken up her life's work as a moral duty, committed to ridding the world of the scourge of vampirism, and now she had become the very thing she had always hated! Despite the shock, she resolved to make the best of the hand Fate had dealt her. She dedicated her unlife to continuing her mortal mission, using her newfound powers to track down and destroy others of her kind. Tragically, her sense of duty soon became corrupted by a quest for power, and she was ultimately destroyed by Strahd Von Zarovich.

Van Richten's Guide to Vampires. TSR, 1991, Chapter XII: "The Mind of the Vampire: The Psychology of Immortality."

But this thesis raises a fascinating question: if we set aside the matter of feeding habits, could a vampire exhibit other behavior patterns that might be described as “good”? The answer is “theoretically yes,” and I can even cite one short-lived example.

A man of good alignment was killed by a vampire and subsequently became a vampire himself, initially under the control of his dark master. When the master vampire was destroyed, the “minion” vampire became free-willed. Despite his undead condition, he still held the beliefs and attitudes that had, during his life, categorized him as Good. In secret, he resolved to use his powers to at least partially amend the damage caused by both himself and his master. For several decades, he acted as a secret benefactor to his hometown.

Unfortunately, this situation changed over time. At first, the undead benefactor sought no recognition, keeping his identity and nature completely secret. He lived in a cave on the outskirts of town and had no contact with the living. However, after a decade, it seems he began to resent the lack of gratitude shown by the townsfolk for his generosity. He started leaving behind notes requesting some form of “concrete appreciation,” generally in the form of money, in exchange for his efforts. (Of course, he had no need for money; the coins were purely symbolic of the thanks he felt he deserved.) His demands grew increasingly steep until the townsfolk decided his requests were excessive and stopped paying.

At this point, the vampire’s feelings toward the townsfolk turned to hatred. In his rage, he fell upon them like a scourge, terrorizing them until he was eventually destroyed by a group of intrepid adventurers.

I have a theory that explains this transformation. Eternity is a long time, and as the years passed, the vampire’s feelings began to change. Gradually, he lost his sense of kinship with the living and started prioritizing his own desires—even when those desires were irrational—over theirs. Eventually, he came to view their very lives as insignificant and unworthy of his consideration.

I strongly believe that this shift in attitude happens, inevitably, to all vampires. For some, it occurs almost immediately; for others, it may take decades. Although I lack concrete evidence to support this conjecture, I suspect that no vampire can maintain a nature other than Chaotic Evil beyond the Fledgling age category.

Van Richten's Guide to Vampires. TSR, 1991, Chapter XII: "The Mind of the Vampire: A Question of Alignment."

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Headcanons: Ghoulish Growths

According to concept art, these canopied creeps can stand up to a daunting fifteen meters, making them one of the largest fusion monsters to roam across the planet. Their description explains that fusion matter infecting the soil contributed to their rapid growth as well as their deformations. Said concept art might refer to these creatures as "Crazy Guardian Ents," but they are a far-cry from the protective forestdwellers you've heard about in stories.

Due to their massive size, these fusion monsters are the biggest threat to the KND Jungle Outpost and the main reason for the strong defenses surrounding it. The high slope and walls are necessary to help prevent the Ghoulish Growths from breaking in, with cannons doing far more damage than even a team of fusion fighters can manage against one of these foes. As such, guard duty is taken very seriously there and any soldier stationed at the Jungle Outpost is likely to have experience manning its heavy artillery. Since they will literary root themselves into the wall to keep from being forced back down, it's as difficult a task as it is an important one. If the Ghoulish Growths did reach the top of the base or actually managed to break in, the damage they'd cause would be severe. Moreover, since the base is so far out in the Wilds, it would also be harder to recover from such an attack as gathering resources would take more time.

While fusion spawns likely could've taken over some of the older, more mature, and much larger trees that exist within the Wilds, Fuse probably settled on younger ones for one simple reason: Mobility. Yes, having that kind of titan of a fusion monster in the Wilds would've been advantageous in some respects, but the original tree's roots would be so deeply burrowed into the earth that it would be a miracle if it could remove itself from the ground. Besides that, the branches of younger trees are more flexible. Taking them over at a young age would make the resulting monster naturally nimbler overall, as well as give them a better chance of warping the body into whatever shape was desired successfully prior to its accelerated growth. There might be a handful of those massive, older trees possessed by fusion spawns somewhere, existing in the same vein as mini bosses in the game do, but they'll be stationary. In extension to this, you won't really see Ghoulish Growths in colder climates for the same reason. Branches as more likely to get become brittle and take more damage, so they'll typically only stay wherever it's warm.

This is a direct contrast to the Timber Terrors, which are made from smaller and much older trees. As mentioned when covering them, their fossilized wood provided some defense against fusion matter's poisonous effects as the spawns possessed them. (It's hard to kill what's already dead.) Ghoulish Growths may have better mobility, but lack that same protection and typically have an even shorter lifespan as a result, their bodies collapsing on themselves over time even with fusion matter corrupting them more than killing them. Like the Timber Terrors, the longest lasting Ghoulish Growths are those whose makeup have been fully and successfully twisted by fusion matter, making it more like the alien flora we see in Hero's Hollow.

Other distinguishing features for these monsters are their three faces and elongated "fingers." While their heads are pressed into the trunk of the trees, meaning they have to turn their whole body to see around them, the extra sets of eyes do allow for greater visibility. If you aren't attacking them from directly behind, it can be harder to find a blind spot than you'd think. Their long, slender fingers are even more nimble than the rest of their form, and it's typical for them to completely bind their targets in a firm hold before squeezing the life out of them.

As one might imagine, literally being a tree makes their camouflage almost perfect, their ambush tactics second to none. Many a soldier have wandered through the forest only to learn of a Ghoulish Growth looming over them all too late. Wildlife has also suffered greatly, with animals sometimes approaching the still monsters unaware. Over time, as the forests' natural populations began to recognize the threat, they developed keener senses to avoid them, so keeping an eye on what trees animals act nervous around or actively avoid is a good way to keep yourself safe as well. Furthermore, it's much easier to spot these monsters at night, as the fusion matter coursing through them can't be hidden. Some of the smarter ones have tried using moss to cover this, to limited success.

The revealed sections of fusion matter warping through the wood are also their biggest weak spots. There, they have already likely taken sufficient damage from the inside-out. Turn those corroding, hollow areas into craters by attacking them directly.

While a little unorthodox and not without risk, another strategy would be if you managed to leap into a Ghoulish Growth's canopy and attack from there. It won't be an easy ride, but their topmost branches don't act as limbs and can instead be used for cover: Yes, they can still reach up to grab you, but it'll be harder with the branches shielding you and their limited visibility. For them, it would be like trying to pluck off a tick hidden in a thick mass of hair.

[omni-writes-stuff]

Giving Dragon Age's Creation Myth and Elven lore a shot

(Some dumb ideas and ahead - below are some ideas of how I'd rework the lore) Creation: Spirits representing concepts came before humans and dwarves. They were raw, simple organisms that spawned into existence from the Fade. Where spirits resemble dreams and consciousness, dwarves and the other first-fleshy things were purely physical at first.

Titans were the "First Singers"; primordial shapers - preceding the spirits, they formed much of what makes the physical world today. Unlike the spirits, they are formed purely of Lyrium. They built their mountainous bodies. They then built the first beings with dwarves being their first children. Lyrium sunders dreams. It makes things fixed and more concrete. Without Lyrium, there would only be the ever-changing Fade. (It is unknown who made the Titans and the Spirits or what came before) More yapping under the cut (incl. the elf stuff)

Humans were accidents - essentially, dwarves that were made too tall and too "strange" for their liking. Because the Titans favoured dwarves, the humans were left to live elsewhere on the surface, whilst the dwarves lived in harmony within their makers. Some spirits decided that they wanted bodies too. Occassionally, they'd possess these simple vessels. This made certain beings more complex than intended. The Titans were annoyed by this so they consulted the spirits and made bodies tailored for them - the first elves were born. (They could have done better than tall, beardless dwarves with pointy ears but that's what they wanted. Who am I to judge?) Elves: After getting used to physical forms, the first elves quickly became more complicated. More "human" before humans or dwarves became self-aware as they are now. As such, they were the first to make many mistakes. Due to their spirit nature, the early elves were highly attuned to the concept they represented. Complex, yet still one-dimensional. Though immortal, they could not live as haphazardly as they could when they were spirits. Physical things break pretty easily, and these bodies were no exception. So, the elves needed guidance in order to survive. Thus the first Keepers were appointed. Some would later become worshipped by the modern elves as the Evanuris. Many, however, became forgotten. The Evanuris in particular rose to prominence, surviving the longest and performing many great feats during their existence. For all their brilliance, they were also prone to corruption, for they were still spirits at heart. At first, they learned many things from the Titans and were on good terms. But the Titans would not teach the elves their Lyrium song. Then, the Keepers led their followers to war with the Titans, even going so far as to force or coerce spirits into bodies. The Titans were winning. They were made of the very substance that could return the elves back to spirits. Then along came the Wisdom spirit who became Solas. Mythal chose well, for he tricked a Titan into learning its song. Using it, the elves safely forged a Lyrium Dagger and sundered the Titans from their dreams. Their most favoured creation, the dwarves, also suffered, due to being so heavily connected to their makers. The war was won. Before the last Titan was tranquilled, they warned the elves of a comming Blight. They didn't know what this meant at the time. The elves used the Song to harness Lyrium to their liking. They could shape the physical however they wished, just as they could when they were spirits. Only this time, they were complex enough to make wonderous things. They could make new beings, bodies and change their shape. But the Evanuris grew to see their dual natures as spirits and demons as a source of their growing corruption. So they attempted to rid themselves of their demonic aspect. The Evanuris (except Mythal) sundered themselves, creating the Archdemons, housed in terrifying dragon vessels made by June. Mythal instead accepted her dual nature. This didn't help. Even a benevolent spirit can commit heinous actions in accordance with its nature. Slavery, war, hubris and so much else only continued to fester. Their Archdemons were enforcers and generals, but they were also protectors. Then the Blight came - the Corrupted Song. The Archdemons agreed to try and end the Blight. It worked, to an extent, but they could only cast it away into the Void, where they had exiled so many others. In doing so, they became blighted and the Evanuris were forced to put them to sleep. For a time, there was peace, until Mythal was betrayed and murdered out of fear. That sparked Solas' rebellion against the Evanuris. To defeat them, Solas saw no choice but to divide the Fade from the Physical, creating the Veil. The Evanuris were tranquilled. Their spirits, cast into the Void with the other Forgotten Ones. Eons passed. The world changed. And the Blight sang from within the abyss, waiting for the day its song would escape its prison.

[noisycowboyglitter]

Why Child’s Play Hi I’m Chucky Remains a Horror Classic

"Child's Play Hi I'm Chucky" refers to the iconic horror franchise centered around Chucky, a murderous doll possessed by the spirit of a serial killer. This phrase encapsulates the chilling introduction often used by the character, setting the tone for the terrifying adventures that follow.

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Chucky, with his distinctive red hair, freckled face, and innocent-looking overalls, presents a disturbing contrast between his childlike appearance and his sinister nature. His blue eyes, which can switch from seeming lifeless to gleaming with malevolence, are a key feature of his unsettling presence.

The franchise began in 1988 with the film "Child's Play" and has since spawned numerous sequels, remakes, and even a television series. Chucky's catchphrase, "Hi, I'm Chucky, wanna play?" has become deeply ingrained in pop culture, often parodied and referenced in various media.

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The concept plays on the fear of innocence corrupted and the unsettling idea of a child's toy coming to life with malicious intent. Chucky's character has evolved over the years, incorporating dark humor alongside horror, which has contributed to his enduring popularity.

"Child's Play Hi I'm Chucky" has become synonymous with Halloween costumes, horror merchandise, and the broader slasher genre, cementing Chucky's place as one of the most recognizable figures in modern horror.

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The "Wanna Play Text Fill Long Sleeve" is a stylish and eerie piece of clothing inspired by the infamous Chucky character from the "Child's Play" horror franchise. This long-sleeve shirt features the chilling phrase "Wanna Play" repeatedly printed to fill the entire garment, creating a visually striking and unsettling effect.

The text is typically designed in a font that mimics childish handwriting, adding to the creepy contrast between innocence and malevolence that Chucky embodies. The repetitive pattern of the phrase creates a hypnotic, almost dizzying visual that captures attention and unnerves observers.

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Available in various colors, though often in darker shades to emphasize the horror theme, this shirt is perfect for horror enthusiasts, Halloween celebrations, or casual wear for those who appreciate edgy fashion. It's a subtle yet effective way to showcase one's love for the horror genre and the iconic Chucky character.

[apalestar]

☠️ // because we both know the angst between colette and Astarion is what he thrive on

@notyetfixed from crippling angst // no longer accepting // Don't be calling me out like this.

My dearest. My love. My little Bhaal babe.

That was the problem, wasn't it? To have a heart that beat for someone else. The fear the gripped him at night as he held Colette in his arms. How fragile and precious life was. It could all be snatched away. Then what would he be left with?

Nothing.

For beasts far more foul than those at their heels lurked and preyed in the shadows. What was he a meager spawn to the onslaught? No, he needed more power to protect her. He wasn't about to let her constantly upholding the mantle of 'the great protector' betwixt them.

What Astarion required was the power his sire worked so hard all these centuries to achieve. He needed to ascend. To become a vampire unlike the world had ever known. He'd never have to fear anyone again. He'd never have to fear losing her. To see the light fading from her eyes. No, he could have her... forever. What an appealing concept.

He does not recognize the folly of his thought until it's too late. As the power of seven thousand flowed through him. It twisted him. Corrupted his love. Corrupted his soul. That precious feeling of care and longing morphed into something uglier. Something darker. Oh yes, he'd protect her. He'd possess her. He'd ruin her. Until Colette could rely on no one else.

No. This isn't what I meant. This isn't what I bargained for. Colette you have to—

The spawn that started to grow and nurture himself into a different future ceased to be. As Astarion pulled her close to him now. As he kissed her. Her blood lingered in his mouth all he could think of...

His dearest. His treasure. His possession.

[gtasanandreasapkdownload]

GTA San Andreas for Mobile

Fantastic Theft Auto: San Andreas Wikipedia

The game received critical praise because of its identities, plot, straight globe goal, and aesthetic fidelity, although united reactions towards it's vision style, specialized numbers, and representation regarding competition. That spawned controversy if the discovery on the "Angry Chocolate" minigame uncovered a obscured sexual scene. A number of activity publications prized the experience year-end accolades, and it's also looked at one of many sixth age group associated with gaming console gaming's most substantial concepts with one of the very best film activities always produced. San Andreas became the best-selling video clip amusement regarding 2004 also the best-selling PlayStation 2 competition, with over 27.5 million copies advertised. The heir, Great Fraud Auto IV, became made public with May 2008. The a trivial glitchy but it really happens suitable i always could get from the tough.

Expecting a system, CJ runs to Sweet's serve in a argument critical of the Ballas. We love L.A., as well as the full gangbanging tone, as well as the street traditions. Can be so crucial in addition to we went through a very long time before how the contract required to finish up generally there. We'd accomplished the Distance Coast in GTA San Andreas, then '80s Miami with Secondary Metropolis, and so about to L.A.

Latest kind GTA San Andreas Apk - include clear figures

In the early '90s just seemed like a great observable room for people like us to travel. Also my personal preserves end up being smudged, number of times involving the gameplay possess withdrawn. Their really disappointing in which there’s no way in order to restore them when I reinstall the action…

In the aftermath, CJ's private in addition to associates commemorate their particular hit for the Johnson household. In the midst of the special event, CJ keeps to test on the neighbourhood. In 1992, next all 5 times throughout Freedom Area, gangster Carl "CJ" Johnson (Fresh Maylay) incomes near Los Santos grasp his or her mother's end inside a drive-by capture. He's cut off in corrupt ACCIDENT. officials advanced simply by Free Tenpenny (Samuel L. Jackson), which endanger to help bring in CJ within the getting rid of of the guy officer unless he co-operates with them. CJ along with Cesar watch Light up and also Ryder meeting with Tenpenny as well as the rival Ballas bunch, in addition to notice they gave away the GSF along with stay responsible for killing CJ's mum.

I seriously want they added gps much like the defined format and perhaps a tabs inside silence food list intended for recording cheats. Ive participated in this pertaining to precisely more than a few years it had been easy for us in order to drawing the handles in a way that I really could engage in on this feel monitor style. I'll state I lived stayed within the mission once you have to help show up with all the DJ. Idk just how the total method composition upon that but I only all messed up after within the boogieing position along with didnt have sufficient places. Seems somewhat too challenging I could solely conceive of the mission once you have to manage the UNIVERSAL REMOTE plane 🤦🏽. It would be as im still much less helpful to working touch screen instead of a controller however im really exactly the same could possibly be state for a lot of.

The nostalgia strikes difficult, as well as wonderful to help compete over a vast display screen phone. Have in mind which I’m tinkering with a Halo+ controller, GTA San Andreas Apk Download if you decide to sketch on working touch says your current attitude may perhaps disagree. Nevertheless, as much as gamepad handles head out, they occur great.

A different one is that this wrecking golf ball won't occur it's only a floating steel golf ball. When I make an effort to put a vehicle inside a car port it reveals a person cannot shop anymore cars with this storage area while the car port is absolutely empty in case I make an effort to push my automobile within it will eliminate it. Another glitch I've experienced is that whenever I expire within a gang struggle this provides each place in my opinion as well as the item simply just take out it which usually I’m fairly solid isn't likely to take place. Also remember to placed an option in order to disable tilt charges as I've got to control the iPad properly level if I don’t the car will certainly bring in towards the various other government as well as annoying.

Beneficial trade towards the dev team about the competition, this kind of genuinely holds additional sympathy put in that compared to new specified model. Immediately after his or her release, Fresh as well as CJ bring back the GSF, driving off the rival teams starting his or her place as well as rebuilding throughout Los Santos. Tenpenny is arrested and tested for many crimes, though the care become abandoned due to lack of experience, provoking a city-wide riot. The a couple embark on a clash; CJ gets, with by expiring, Smoke cigarettes admits he or she understood embroiled using the intensity in addition to dollars. Tenpenny appears, store CJ at gunpoint while he or she sneaks Smoke's drug money, in addition to sources a great surge inside form to escape. He travels down in the flame vehicle, as well as CJ in addition to Fresh, although gradually sheds direction with the car, crashing within the characteristic of any connection forgetting about Grove Street.

I feel that way party mission specifically should be become fewer challenging. Last thing I'd add is an decision to be able to prevent images a person bring with the camera in-game to be able to the telephone in order to reveal crazy substance to you take. The primary single is there on the robbery objective, someday if you get close to anything CJ gets kept at amazing as well as a person find it difficult to shift which usually stir the one on the inside and then you get a 3 celeb poverty level.

[hyrule-in-a-pokeball]

GANONDORF AND "CALAMITY" GANON: TWO SEPARATE BEINGS

Calamity Ganon, as we know, was more like a primal force of nature, though it did display some level of intelligence with its ability to formulate and execute plans (Spawning the blights and unleashing them, corrupting the Guardians, etc) it wasn't exactly a big brain genius. I mean, come on, it had 10,000 years to plan, and the best it came up with, while effective, was "Uno reverse lol" And with an additional 100 years its plan became "Cyborg time!"

And then just. "Big pig!"

It wasn't a tactical genius. It won because Hyrule was overly reliant on the ancient Sheikah technology to the point that they were helpless against that very technology when it was turned against them.

But what the hell was Calamity ganon? Well, we see it in three, maybe four forms. Pig Cloud

Which Creating a Champion states is a "spirit composed of malice"

Fashion disaster Ganon

An incomplete, slapped together body made of Malice and machinery (Apparently he started building this body when he sensed Link awaken in the chamber of resurrection)

Kaiju Ganon

A body formed of pure malice as a final "screw you though" after his cool new cyborg body was destroyed.

And the fourth body is possibly the malice itself, seeing as he seemed to be hell bent on using it to make his new bodies. It was like clumps of flesh just sort of laying around waiting to be assembled into something.

So now that we know the calamity's 3 (or 4) main forms, I want to focus on the pig cloud, because I think that is Calamity Ganon's truest form. The malice is something it created, either intentionally or as a byproduct of simply existing, and its other bodies were things made of that malice.

Now, we know that Calamity Ganon was utterly destroyed at the end of Breath of the wild. It didn't like, return to Dry Ganondorf in the depths. That thing got nuked.

And that means that Ganondorf's consciousness was always in his dry body and not acting through the Calamity. In fact, when Rauru seals him away, he taunts Rauru and says "Thousands of years will pass in the blink of an eye" which to me says he knows he gonna be stuck in that spot for a hot minute.

The Calamity spawned from him, but it was not him. Its almost like a giant, out of control Phantom Ganon thats just sort of up there doing its best. But with Ganondorf sealed away, how did Calamity Ganon get loose? Well, it might seem odd, but I think Majora's mask (the object) can point us in the right direction

Majora's Mask was once just a normal mask. Carved from normal wood. (actually if you look at the renders it looks more like it was carved from stone, but whatever) It wasn't alive, it didn't possess magic powers. It was just a mask. A mask used in ancient hexing rituals. Over time, the negative energies created from those hexing rituals sort of infected the mask and eventually became conscious, with the mask acting as a body. It was a Tulpa that was housed inside the mask. (A tulpa is a concept in mysticism of an object or being that is created through mental or spiritual power. To make it extremely basic: A tulpa is an imaginary friend that stops being imaginary. Actually in that sense, Phantom Ganon is basically a tulpa.)

So, Ganondorf, sealed away, conscious or not, was just seething. Pure hate for Hyrule, for Rauru the first king, and all his descendants. That hate was so pure and intense that it basically manifested as Calamity Ganon. The pig cloud. A separate entity born of Ganondorf's sheer spite and hate.

And if you need further proof that they are not the same entity, we need only look to Ganondorf's profile in Tears of the Kingdom, unlocked after completing the game.

Ganondorf had been slowly working on his revival for 100 years INDEPENDENTLY of Calamity Ganon. Link and Zelda just pulled a "wrong place/wrong time" when they found him at the exact moment the seal finally weakened enough to break.

Man what would Ganondorf have done if he broke out of his seal like 5 or 8 years earlier, made his way to the surface, and found pig cloud ganon just up there partying?

[brionysea]

Combining both @madwheelerz ‘s manifestation theory and possession gate because I think both are very likely,

I think that the possession could possible be a manifestation (pun intended) of how Mike feels his trauma is taking over him and how he feels like he can’t be traumatized because he doesn’t have it as bad

Like I barely woke up and am very bad at articulating things, but like mike feels like he can’t feel as bad as the other -> making himself have it as bad as the others so he has an excuse to feel his trauma

Or to get even worse, mikes suicidal tendencies are manifesting into him making himself be possessed

I could be wrong but I really like both theories and wanted to connect them <3

honestly, yeah. they could SO easily co-exist

i couldn't agree more on how it reflects on mike's mental health. that ironic trauma response of wishing for more trauma because you think yours is too invisible or abstract to count fits him so well

but i'm also thinking about it in terms of all his subconscious knowledge turning tactical

like, he doesn't KNOW what's going on. he isn't consciously aware of what he's doing. but on that deeper level, he knows that the monsters can't kill him for some reason. he knows he has plot armour. he knows the monsters can't touch him because killing him would be killing themselves

without the dungeon master, there's no game. there are no monsters. they go right back to being harmless concepts from a fantasy game

but if mike ceased to exist? (not died, because the monsters can't kill him and he doesn't have enough solid reasoning to go that far himself without subconscious interference)

so mike doesn't die, instead he gets possessed, and there's an inevitable end point there where mike wheeler disappears

that's just creative enough to match up with the end results of his death, in that it triggers game over and stops the monsters that keep trying to kill his friends from (re)spawning. that's exactly the kind of roundabout, logical plan that mike would come up with. he does stuff like this instinctively. he doesn't NEED to be able to explain how he knows the things he does to think of highly effective plans against them

i'm not sure how much is mike and how much is henry corrupting the game, but either way, if mike ceases to exist and what LOOKS like mike is just vecna, then killing his body kills both big bads for good. the source and the hijacker. they can both be taken out in one move

it's tactically perfect. it wraps up all the loose ends. it keeps everyone safe EXCEPT for mike, because he thinks he's the thing they need to be kept safe FROM

mike, in all his binary moral glory, thinks that because his unintentional actions caused pain and death and suffering, he's undeniably evil. but to everyone else he's just mike. he's their best friend, their family, who never received guidance on how to control his latent abilities and who's been trying to protect them from himself all along

vecna remembers to account for that. mike doesn't. mike is underestimating how hard everyone would fight for him. how much they wouldn't want to kill him if there's even the slightest chance that he's still in there. whether he's the source or not is completely irrelevant to them, which mike can't even begin to understand because of the way he views himself and the world

that's why possessed mike pushes people away. that's why real mike, the part of him that wants to live, takes back control and surrounds himself with the party and endlessly attempts to communicate what's going on to them

and when they finally figure it out, they're not going to play by his rules. they're not going to let him sacrifice himself for them. they're going to find another way. because they know that mike wheeler is worth the mental gymnastics. mike wheeler is worth saving, whether he likes it or not

[toothlespoggers]

Some general writing practice + concept writing, (not about raz just about classic fresh sans) likely not canon

There is an insatiable hunger that hangs over the multiverse, an ever increasing ever consuming force that lays in wait amongst the shadows.

A creature shrouded in a mysterious allure, one that roams the endless expanse of space between universes, searching for its next victim. 

A parasitic plague that envelops each and every world within its ghastly reach. 

This devil comes dressed in an array of flamboyant colours, a sign to all who witness it, reminding them of the poisonous nature it possesses and the will it has to corrupt.

It spreads its spawn wherever it goes, leaving a hollow husk of a world behind it in a radical display of raw strength.

Many oppose it’s wrong doing, many worlds are saved. Many parasites are destroyed, and many things happen while it grows dormant, choosing a life that favors survival over conquest. 

[mybg3notebook]

Astarion and Power - Part 1

Disclaimer Game Version: All these analyses were made up to the game version v4.1.101.4425. As long as new content is added, and as long as I have free time for that, I will try to keep updating this information.

Additional disclaimers about meta-knowledge and interpretations in (post)

The number between brackets [] represents the topic-block related to (this post), which gathers as much evidence as I could get.

Before talking about Power, Cazador, and other details, I would like to quickly gather what little we have about Astarion’s past. 

Backstory: Mortal Astarion.

About his past we have little information, mostly given by Swen in interviews with game magazines or via his on-live demonstrations of the game early in 2020 before the release of EA. All this information is subjected to changes, of course, so we should take it with a pinch of salt. 

As a mortal, Astarion was a corrupt magistrate who judged criminals he later sent to the local vampire coven of the Szarr family as food. After a while, his greed got the best of him and started to sell those criminals into slavery as well, having a double profit from this. This movement brought the fury of the Szarr family upon him. 

From this short story we can infer that there was a high probability that his judgements were unfair, condemning criminals who needed a death sentence to lighter ones (this is related to his strange comment of “death is a harsh sentence” in Arabella’s scene, see the post Astarion's Standards and Manipulation) while condemning innocent ones; all with the goal of having a decent amount of living creatures to offer to the local vampire or to the slave traders.

We also know, by his own words in game, that when he was turned into a vampire, he had been the victim of an attack of thugs/Gurs (he says this information in different moments of the game, changing details. I don't know if this is on purpose to show Astarion’s manipulative nature depending on your reaction to Gandrel, or it’s a consequence of unpolished details during EA). What we know for sure is that these Gurs/thugs were angry because of a judgement he had previously made. It’s easy for us to infer, using the info above, two situations:

Astarion may have condemned some isolated Gur to an unfair trial who ended up in a slavery network, being discovered later by their Gur fellows who simply avenged them in Baldur’s Gate. This theory has been developed as a way to see fit the concept of Maiden Fel.  If Gandrel dies and Astarion performs a Speak with Dead, he will reveal that Maiden Fel is the head of his tribe who asked him to return with Astarion “unblemished”. Digging for more details about who Maiden Fel is, Gandrel says she is the “reason even monsters have nightmares”. Walking on the speculation ground, there is a chance that Maiden Fel could be a nightmare Hag, since Gurs consider hags as “wise women'', and unlike the rest of the humans, they respect them a bit more than common folks.

Or the whole setting was done by Cazador, who plotted this ambush to make it look as an act of barbarism using furious Gurs (which attack could be seen as an obvious reaction since Gurs are despised everywhere due to their nomadic lifestyle and all the stigmas they carry) as a way to punish Astarion for trying to outsmart him.

Among the many conclusions that we can draw from here is that, if Astarion’s backstory is not retconned and rewritten later in the full game, we can be almost sure he was an Evil-aligned character as a mortal. We can’t say that vampirism twisted his morals; they were rather poor in the first place. 

Astarion, the Vampire spawn

After the bite scene, Astarion presents himself as a vampire spawn, a creature lesser than a slave for his master, since Cazador’s commands are impossible to resist. He explicitly says that his body always reacts to Cazador’s word and for two hundred years he was tormented by him. Thanks to datamining information, we know that Cazador performed an infernal deal, and part of the contract is carved on his back. 

Due to datamining information as well, we know that the first dream that Astarion experiences may not be the one related to the tadpole dreams mechanics since he dreams without having made use of the tadpole powers yet. I prefer to suppose that this dream is product of his own psychology, or even it could be an effect of Cazador’s power on him (maybe he can’t dream of anything but of his Sire, considering how possessive Cazador is)

As I said, this is not a dream of power and desire in the same way that the other companions or Tav have, and for this reason I’m inclined to say that the vampiric power of Cazador is the one making an effect instead of the tadpole (or simply Astarion’s trauma showing). This dream looks like a reminder, like a reiterative dream for Astarion about Cazador’s rule, which are:

rule 1: he will not drink from thinking creatures.

rule 2: he will obey him in all things.

rule 3: he will not leave Cazador’s side unless directed.

rule 4: he will know that he is Cazador’s proprietary.

Most options end up in the similar idea of: “Free? Lie to yourself, boy, but not to me. You are mine, forever.”

Cazador and Astarion

[Astarion has just related what Cazador made him eat] “Flies? What did you do to deserve that?”

“I existed, that was enough for him. He revelled in having power over me, because those with power can do whatever the hell they want.”

If we are going to talk about power with a character as Astarion in mind, we need to talk first about Cazador. Let’s start with the way Astarion describes him:

“The biggest threat to a vampire is another vampire. They're scheming, paranoid, power hungry beasts. So why would any vampire give up control over a spawn to create a competitor? Trust me, it doesn't happen.”

“Cazador Szarr is a vampire lord in Baldur’s Gate. The patriarch of his coven and a monster obsessed with power.(...) Not political power or military power. Power over people. The power to control them completely. (...) He turned me nearly two hundred years ago. I became his spawn and he became my tormentor.” 

“He had me go out Baldur’s Gate to fetch him the most beautiful souls I could find. It was a fun little ritual of his—I’d bring them back and he’d ask if I wanted to dine with him. And if I said yes, he’d serve me a dead, putrid rat. Of course if I said no, he’d have me flayed. Hard to say which was worse.”

“Cazador liked to make them art, spent all night with a razor, drafting a sonnet on my back. (Puppy eyes) Apparently the more I screamed, the more mistakes he made. And the more editing was required.”

“It was a group of Gur/thugs that attacked me that night in Baldur’s Gate. I would have died had Cazador not appeared and saved me. (...) He chased them off and offered to save me. To give me eternal life. Given that my choices were “eternal life” or “bleed to death on the street”, I took him up on the offer. It was also afterwards I realised just how long “eternity” could be.” 

“Cazador likes to toy with people. Let them think there was hope right until the end. Until he snatched it all away. Creatures like them don’t play games unless they know they’ll win.” 

(About Raphael’s encounter) “All that 'take your time. I'll wait' nonsense? He's playing with us. It reminds me of Cazador, taunting his slaves with hope when he knew the game was rigged. "

Tav: “Would he send another Gur to capture?” / Ast: “Yes, he probably thought it was funny.”

(“We can kill him.”) “No, you don't understand. You don't know him. Just trust me when I say we need to be careful. He'll send more lackies – he has plenty of souls to command. We just have to be vigilant. Keep our wits about us. And kill any monster hunters on sight. We can probably make an exception with Wyll... Probably.”

>>So far we know that Cazador has a particular pleasure for control, especially the one related to people’s will. With the nightmare information, we know he has powers related to mind control. He has many slaves, and enjoys cruelty, humiliation, and torture. He enjoys making Astarion eat putrid animals, carving his back with an infernal contract, and playing psychologically with him. He also likes to give false hope, making his victims believe that there is hope, removing it right in front of them. 

I want to highlight that this twisted way of giving hope just to offer a perverted solution to a person’s problem, and enjoying the pleasure caused by the break of the hope, can be seen in Astarion during EA: in the approval that Astarion gives to Tav when you revive Connor, and that pinch of hope in Mayrina turns into horror when she sees Undead!Connor. For Astarion this situation is “funny”. Similar can be said when he approves telling Arabella’s parents that she will be released after the end of the ritual, when she is in fact dead. 

Astarion describes a bit more what power we should expect from a Lord Vampire:

Shapeshift: turning into mist.

Calling wolves to do his bidding.

Shrugging off blows.

He “could walk into our camp tonight and kill you with his bare hands.”

Astarion and Slavery

One of the characteristics that so far in EA has got my attention was how little conflict Astarion has with slavery, despite having been his former condition. 

He is apathetic to slavery in the best case, or even supporting it in the worse case. Proof of this can be found in the Myconid Colony, when interacting with a duergar slave. He speaks as if it were a totally useful tool that inspires little sympathy in him, since they don't have consciousness. However, he leaves a quite open question when finally adding “Or maybe not”.

But this “maybe not” is not left to speculation, we can see what Astarion truly feels with a non-Gur human slave in another part of the game: in the Zhentarim hideout. This can be checked with Oskar, the painter slave.

You can free Oskar using persuasion with his kidnapper (Astarion keeps neutral, he doesn’t approve the freeing). Now, if you can buy Oskar by paying the gold directly or by using intimidation to lower the price, it would keep Astarion neutral until the moment of the payment is stated, which he disapproves. At first I thought it was because he was truly against slavery of thinking creatures... but it was not. It was because you are paying a lot of money (we need to remember Astarion is greedy [1] as well, he wouldn’t be a vampire if it weren't for his greed). 

Once bought, if you keep Oskar as a slave, and you demand him to keep silent because "you want your slaves silent unless they are spoken to", Oskar will think it's a joke, and you, again, can use the option "I don't joke with my slaves" and then Astarion will approve. None of these options is under any tag to make them believe they are part of a preformative act to prank Oskar. And this is key... this is not a joke. They are used as your real sentiments and intentions, and Astarion approves them.

These reactions are not random, they make sense with his—until this moment unchanged or retconned—backstory, where he had no problem trafficking with criminals as vampire food and later as slaves to have higher profits. So, these two aspects remain in his vampire nature unaltered: the most important thing is always to have profits, and his relationship with slavery is absolutely fine as much as it gives benefits, it’s useful or at least, gives him some entertainment.

The tadpole

We know the tadpole has a particular effect on Astarion. Unlike the other companions, Astarion doesn’t dream of a person who represents to him both desire and power. Power? undoubtedly, but desire? It’s hard to say. The implied, vague concept that Astarion has been sexually abused by Cazador is there (because we know these dreams are about “sensual�� desire as well). 

It’s maybe a consequence of the vampirism and, by extension, of Cazador’s power, that makes Astarion unable to dream of anything else but his master. From the datamining information about the non-tadpole dream of Astarion, in which Cazador lists four rules, we know that the fourth one is about never stopping to be Cazador’s propriety, unable to be free, not even in dreams. Maybe Cazador’s effect also applies to Astarion’s dreams as well (but this is a mere speculation, there is no real proof of it on EA or datamining info so far). 

So when Astarion awakes in the beach and sees that some rules of his vampiric nature have been changed, he gets excited about the tadpole, and unlike the rest of the companions, he doesn’t want to get rid of it. He wants to master it, to have control of it. However, when the opportunity of controlling the tadpole appears with Raphael encounter, Astarion is one of the few companions who is completely against it at first. 

“Raphael is playing with us; Cazador liked to toy with people too. Let them think there was hope right until the end. Until he snatched it all away. Creatures like them don't play games unless they know they'll win.”

In that moment, he claims he won’t change a vampiric master for an infernal one. However, when the first use of the Tadpole causes the first symptoms of transformation evident, Astarion falls in despair: he is scared and, calling for Raphael to take him from the camp, he says a curious phrase: 

“I would choose servitude over oblivion any day”

So, after this moment, he is not completely convinced that Raphael is the true solution to his problem but he is more open to keep him as a plan B if anything else fails. Later he claims that it doesn't matter to be a servant of a devil, because he knows Cazador, and he wants to get rid of his power for good. 

“I won't lie, it's tempting. If I keep the tadpole, I risk transforming into a grotesque monster. If I lose the tadpole, Cazador has control of me, body and soul, and I return to the shadows. It's grim either way, so why not sell what's left of my soul to a devil? Better he has it than cazador. Whatever it's coming we need to have our options open.”

Astarion’s process of seeing the potential of the power of the tadpole increases along the game. It gets higher and wilder. The first instances of the tadpole use are about Astarion discovering how much this tadpole gives him powers he can barely understand. 

“The tadpoles are not so bad at all. (...) First I can walk in the sun, then make people dance like puppets? *laughs * I've certainly had worse days.”

He is not an idiot, he knows that, without control, they will end up turning into mind flayers, so he needs to find something powerful that can give him control over his tadpole. This is the reason why he encourages the use of the tadpole after knowing about the netherese magic containing the transformation via Omellun or Ethel.

Ethel explains that the tadpole had been tampered, so the dialogue goes:

Tav: “It's giving us more time, sounds good to me”. 

Astarion: “Perhaps. And who's to say it can't be tampered with further?” (She said it was netherese magic) “it must be powerful magic to stop the parasite in its tracks, I wonder what else it could do?

At that point in the story, he knows that the netherese magic is powerful enough to contain the transformation: so he is now sure that there is more time to use it. So he will end up being the only companion in EA who encourages everyone to use the power:

“What's not to enjoy (with this tadpole)? I can walk in sunlight, trespass upon any home, manipulate minds – I'm the most powerful vampire in the realms. Granted, the looming doom is an issue, but why not enjoy the benefits while we can?

Despite the nightmares happening after every use of the tadpole powers, Astarion doesn’t want to stop. At this point, he is the only companion who doesn’t want to. 

“The power to twist a mind to your will is worth some nightmares.”

By the end of the game, we are sure that Astarion wants this power without doubts. He revels in the power of mind-controlling people, ironically, despite having suffered so much of it under Cazador’s control. If we see all the situations where Astarion’s mind is controlled, or violated, his reactions will be extremely more aggressive than the other companions. He has suffered it a lot, but by the end of EA he is enjoying being on the other side of that power. 

This post was written on April 2021. → For more Astarion: Analysis Series Index

[cescacespit]

Divine/Patron AU that has been living in my head rent free for literal months

consider an au where Wilbur, Techno, and Dream are all blessed by the personifications of the 3 minecraft dimensions (overworld, nether and end respectively)

they arent children of these gods, they arent vessels to be possessed either

they are vassals instead

they serve their patron gods and do their bidding

ill say this right of the bat, these are not benevolent dieties in fact quite the opposite (we will get to that later)

these 3 dieties are the creators of their respective dimensions, they are the ones who spawn the mobs, generate the terrain etc etc

the problem is that minecraft is an infinite sandbox right? so they in turn must spend infinite amounts of their energy maintaining the existing worlds as well as creating new ones

its no problem cos they are gods right? but heres the catch

these dieties are not all powerful, they DONT have infinite energy

these dieties are powered by entropy, their power of creation is rooted in destruction

thats where the vassals come in

the vassals are agents of chaos and destruction (which is exactly why team chaos aka techno, wilbur and dream are the vassals)

they cause death and destruction because the resulting entropy is what feeds their respective Patron's powers

vassals arent chosen, they arent born, instead they are created

they are blessed by the gods and have certain abilities but thats a whole other post so lets just continue on to my explainations on whos patron is whos.

Technoblade's patron is the Nether God aka THE BLOOD GOD!!! This one is fairly obvious with the popular hc that Techno is either part or fully piglin as well as his famous catch phrase blood for the blood god. Well what place is as red and as bloody as the Nether!

Dream's patron is the End God (I don't actually have another name for the end god but ill think of something). The reason why I assigned Dream the End Diety is because as a speed runner he's been in the end more often than a lot of people and he's killed more ender dragons than most. Also I love the hc that Dream wears a mask because hes part enderman that way he can avoid getting aggro'd by peoples eye contact)

last but not the least mr Wilbur Soot's patron is the Overworld Diety aka the Sky God (wink wink nudge nudge not so subtle reference to Wil's sky blovk series) This is largely because of his 100 player videos where hes just a terrifying god who causes so much destruction (Funfact this entire au spawned from me trying to connect Wil's 100 player vids to DSMP!Wilbur's corruption arc) I think the Overworld is very fitting for Wilbur just like how the Overworld has tons of biomes, is very diversed and very varied, Wilbur is also a man of many personas (argbur, incelbur, etc), many skills and many ideas.

This au was made to provide an alternative motivation to Wil, Techno and Dream (aka team Chaos) on why they were on Chaos' side during the war and why they wanted to blow up L'Manberg but this works outside dsmp canon too! (Also because i really really like the concept of team chaos and wanted to see more of their dynamic)

Hopefully this was coherent lol. If any of you somehow found this brainrot interesting, dont be afraid to ask me questions!! Im more than willing to provide more info!! (like seriously i would love love love to tell yall more about this au, i have a lot of pages filled with worldbuilding, plot bunnies and idea dumps)

[tlbodine]

A Brief History of the Slasher

Is there a more iconic face for the horror genre than the knife-wielding psychopath? Many would say no. Although the tried-and-true slasher formula is so played out as to be a cliche -- and fresh examples played straight are tough to come by in the modern age -- for many, slasher films are the heart and soul of horror movies. 

How did that happen? What do they say about us on a cultural level? And where should you start when it comes to a formal study of the topic? Let’s delve deep and find out! 

Murder and mayhem are evergreen topics of fascination for humans, and we’ve been telling stories about murderers since Cain killed Abel. But these stories didn’t become what we would formally call “slashers” until the 1970s. 

So what is a slasher? 

Slasher films are defined by a few shared characteristics: 

A high body count (multiple victims) 

Murders are shown on-screen and often from the POV of the killer 

The murders happen one by one, incorporating pursuit, struggle, and finally death

The killer may have a supernatural influence, but it will have the physical appearance of a human (and may often simply be a human)

In almost every instance, the killer is portrayed as being insane or rendered deeply troubled by a past trauma which had triggered the murderous impulse. The killer is frequently dehumanized, and the victims are usually young. 

Slashers often adhere to their own sort of moral logic, more closely resembling Medieval morality plays than perhaps any other modern genre of storytelling. By utilizing a cast of archetypes, various virtues and flaws can be represented among the victims. 

These traits are what differentiate slashers from other murder-focused horror, thriller and mystery tales. 

Consider, for example, the narrative structure of an Agatha Christie murder mystery like And Then There Were None. In this book, a group of strangers are brought under mysterious circumstances to a remote location, where they are systematically murdered as an act of vengeance. In concept, this seems like it should be a slasher -- but its execution is quite different. In the book, the murders are a backdrop; the characters (and reader) are confronted with bodies rather than scenes of overt violence. 

The First Slasher

In 1974, two films came out that gave birth to the modern slasher. 

The first, released in October, was Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The second, released in the USA in December of that year, was Bob Clark’s Black Christmas. 

Texas Chainsaw Massacre tells the story of a group of friends who run afoul of a family of cannibals living in a rural farmhouse. Black Christmas is about the systemic murder of sorority girls during Christmas break. And both left an indelible mark on horror history. 

It’s important to put some context on the world these films were created in: 

The recent dissolution of the Hays production code meant that movies could be more graphically violent and morally depraved than ever before

The Vietnam war was raging, and for the first time in history, televised footage of the battle was piped into living rooms on the evening news

Multiple serial killers were active in the country, and their exploits also graced the daily newspapers and nightly news to sow terror 

Richard Nixon’s presidency was marked by an as-then unprecedented level of corruption and scandal

Gender politics provided both sexual freedom and career ambitions to a generation of women, and the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade case legalizing abortions played a massive role in both gender relations and the way we would think about life and bodily autonomy. 

The 1970s provided, in other words, a perfect storm of circumstances that collided to give birth to slashers, and neither Hooper nor Clark are shy about citing these as their inspiration. Texas Chainsaw was billed in theaters as a true story as an act of political defiance against newscasts that spread misinformation; Black Christmas is at its heart a film about abortion and a woman’s right to leave an abusive relationship. They were undeniably films of their time. 

Texas Chainsaw inspired a wave of sensationalist "ripped from the headlines" murder movies loosely based on real killers, such as Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes (1977), which was based on the Sawney Bean legend or Charles B. Pierce's The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), which was based on the Texarkana Phantom Killer.

And Black Christmas, of course, served as the thematic springboard for a little film called Halloween.

Halloween and the Final Girl 

In 1978, a little-known small-time director named John Carpenter was hired to make a movie with the working title, The Babysitter Murders. It would be about -- you guessed it -- babysitters who got murdered. The idea was later adapted to take place on Halloween, likely for commercial reasons: People like watching scary movies in October, so setting a film on Halloween night would surely help with popularity.

John Carpenter certainly did not wholly plagiarize Black Christmas with his holiday-themed slasher, but the earlier film's influence is visible all the same -- from a shared lineage of "the call is coming from inside the house" babysitter folk legend, to the perspective work on establishing shots of the house and the ambiguously bleak ending.

But compared to Black Christmas, Halloween is horror with its edges filed down so it'll be easier to swallow. Both films have predominately female casts, but the sorority girls in Black Christmas have sexual agency and outspoken opinions that are nowhere to be found in Carpenter's work. In fact, Halloween so aggressively fails the Bechdel Test that it seems to do so on purpose -- there is not a single scene with two girls where they are not talking about a boy. And while Black Christmas deals with complex topics like abortion, domestic violence, and the unreliability of the police, Halloween simplifies its formula down to the utterly basic: Michael Myers kills because he is pure evil, and that is simply what evil does.

Despite its flaws -- or perhaps because of them -- Halloween became an immediate and enormous hit. It also introduced several clever storytelling techniques that were crucial to the advancement and development of the slasher genre:

The introduction of a Final Girl, the lone survivor who holds out against the onslaught of terror. (Carpenter denies that Laurie Strode’s virginal innocence has anything to do with her survival, but “final girl as virgin” would persist as a trope for a very long time) 

A masked killer. Although we’d seen masked murders in many films before (I’ve talked in the past about the trope of the mask-wearing murderer, and the way it is both thematically and logistically useful in storytelling: https://tlbodine.tumblr.com/post/189658195609/the-masked-knife-wielding-psycho), the “look” of Michael Myers is so iconic that it inspired a need for future killers to have a similarly thoughtful design, decking them out almost like comic book superheroes. 

Franchising opportunities. Although earlier movies had spawned sequels, Halloween exploded as a franchise thanks in large part to the iconic design and the simplistic good-vs-evil storytelling formula. Future slashers would latch onto this killer-centric franchise formula for over a decade. 

Halloween became the most profitable independent film, holding the record for 16 years, which goes to show just how successful the formula truly was. 

The Golden Age of Slashers 

As the 1970s gave way to the 1980s, the advent of VHS and Betamax formats created a market for low-budget straight-to-video films. Because slashers are so cheap to make (you don't need any famous actors, can film entirely in one location, and practical effects can be as simple as a few gallons of stage blood), they were ideal candidates for the job. On the big screen, horror was enjoying an unusually high level of popularity, a proven money-maker, simultaneously commercial and subversive in a decade of opulence and social conservativism.

So onto that stage walks Sean S. Cunningham's gory slasher, Friday the 13th, where a group of teenage camp counselors are brutally murdered, frequently wile having sex. The film spawned a widely successful franchise, which swiftly began borrowing elements of Halloween -- a silent and indestructible masked killer, a signature musical score -- to become a pop culture mainstay. The 1983 Robert Hiltzik film, Sleepaway Camp, cashes in on the "death to camp counselor" plot in the same way that Fred Walton's When a Stranger Calls touched on babysitter murders in 1979.

A whole slew of less-successful films would follow, most of them lost to the history books but still living in dollar-bin DVD collections. Some, like Prom Night and My Bloody Valentine, would earn a cult following. One noteworthy cult favorite is Slumber Party Massacre, directed and written by women (Amy Holden Jones and Rita Mae Brown, respectively), which turns some slasher tropes in their head.

A glut of films, most of them instantly forgettable, led to a decline in slasher popularity -- until Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984.

Cracking Wise and Slashing Teens 

A Nightmare on Elm Street introduces Freddy Krueger, a different sort of horror villain than audiences had seen before. Krueger is a supernatural killer who stalks his victims in their dreams, bringing a fresh supernatural twist to the slasher genre. And, unlike Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, Freddy is anything but silent. Thanks in part to the charisma of lead actor Robert Englund, the character's darkly comedic personality became utterly riveting.

Plenty of dream-related horrors would follow, none of which would make much of a splash. But one film franchise did latch on to a similar formula: Child's Play, directed by Tom Holland in 1988, introduced another supernatural wisecracking killer in the form of Chucky, a murderous doll possessed by the soul of as serial killer.

These major film franchises -- Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Child’s Play -- would go on to spawn numerous sequels and become such a thoroughly pervasive part of pop culture that you can find their likeness everywhere. But despite the many imitators, there was little in the way of innovation in the genre until the mid 90s. 

Do You Like Scary Movies? 

Wes Craven toyed with the idea of self-referential horror in New Nightmare, a Freddy Krueger film that was itself a meta-analysis of Freddy Krueger films. But he would revisit the idea with far greater success in 1996 with Scream. 

Created by horror lovers, for horror lovers, Scream is designed to be the most quintessential slasher film ever created. Relying on a hip, young cast to draw in a fresh audience, Scream works by combining nostalgia, meta-analysis, humor, and buckets of blood into a single film. The opening scene is a direct homage to When a Stranger Calls, and the masked killer is a deliberate call-back to earlier films. 

Unsurprisingly, Scream was a huge hit that ushered in a brief but furious wave of slashers, like the star-studded I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Urban Legend (1998), and Scream itself had several sequels and even a TV series. But the 1990s were something of a dark era for the slasher film, seeing the release of some spectacularly lackluster franchise installments. One exception to that was the fan-favorite Freddy vs Jason, which pits the two killers against one another -- a delightful premise, but one that had strayed far from the slasher roots. 

Modern Slasher Films 

The 1990s slasher reboot was short-lived and mostly forgettable, and by the 2000s filmmakers had mostly turned away from the genre entirely, except for a slew of nostalgia cash-in reboots of every popular franchise. 

The one exception was meta-analysis -- building on Scream, these films began to deconstruct the genre in a way that would combine horror, humor, and criticism. 

The Final Girls (2015), directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, takes this sort of meta approach. The Cabin in the Woods (2012), directed by Drew Goddard but bearing the fingerprints of co-writer and producer Joss Whedon, takes it to even further excess, providing both a thorough deconstruction of horror gropes and an entirely new mythos to give it a fresh framework.

But the problem with deconstructions is that, once a few truly successful ones have been made, it becomes essentially impossible to create the original thing in earnest anymore. And so the slasher as a sub-genre has reached its bloody end. 

Where Did All The Slashers Go? 

With dozens of slashers spanning more than 40 years of film history, it’s pretty hard to create something new with the format. Which is not to say that people aren’t still making them -- they are -- but there is less room to innovate within the notoriously rigid and simplistic slasher formula. 

Culturally, we’ve moved on a lot from the 1970s as well. For one, serial killers are no longer the threat they once were. Babysitters and camp counselors are rarely teenagers, either -- in fact, teens aren’t leaving the house as much in general. And a rise in information technology, communications and surveillance has made it harder to isolate victims and commit murders over a long period of time -- our mass murders tend to happen in shooting sprees instead these days. For another, that same information technology has made us extremely jaded and hard to impress with gore. 

The 2000s delivered violence at levels utterly beyond anything in history. The rise of the so-called torture porn -- a genre that dispenses with the stalking and killing of multiple victims in favor of lingering on the painful mutilation of a small handful -- delivered gore unlike any seen in earlier slashers. Cable television series like The Walking Dead deliver graphic violence with unprecedented regularity -- you no longer need to pick up a “video nasty” to indulge in some gruesome gore. 

And, well, unfortunately, the internet has made it easier than ever to see real violence, from terrorist beheading videos to medical gore to live-streamed murders. 

Gore for gore’s sake is simply not as compelling in the 21st century, and that takes away much of the slasher’s appeal. 

Slashers have had to morph and adapt to find a foothold for survival. In the 2000s, we saw their metamorphosis in real time: From torture porn to home invasion to a cornucopia of more innovative horrors dwelling on fears both large and small. 

We’ve probably seen the last of masked knife-wielding, babysitter-killing psychos...but the horror genre is richer for it. 

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Headcanons: Mummy Monsters

These monsters can be difficult to face not because of how strong they are, but because of how they came to be in the first place. The concept of the undead is a well-known horror trope, and it has been used in-full here to not only deeply unnerve the Fusion Fighters, but to experiment with how much Earth's own creatures can be manipulated by Fuse for his army.

Considering the description of the Pharoah Creeps, the stronger version of this monster, it seems that they actually have their own will as opposed to most other fusion monsters. Quote: "Now controlled by Lord Fuse, he's angry that he doesn't have the power he once did, and he'll fight anyone to get it back." This fits more in-line with monsters such as the Scribble Spawns and Spawn Simians, who were corrupted by fusion matter. The key difference between them is that the Pharoah Creep does maintain some sense of identity of who they were where the other examples do not. Nevertheless, they still aren't entirely sound. Aside from rare cases, like with the Ectonurites, it's very hard to maintain one's mental stability when connected to the fusion hivemind. This is why they still lash out at pretty much anyone without restraint.

Likely, the only reason the Pharaoh Creeps are able to keep some awareness to an extent is because of their undead state. Their souls cling to a broken, decaying shell, to a life that was literally severed a long time ago. Meanwhile, you have fusion spawns trying to take over those same remains. A living being's body and soul are typically in-tune--body, mind, and soul all working together--making possession much more difficult unless their consciousness is either corrupted (as in the case with fusion matter) or suppressed (as in most cases with Ectonurites). If not, that originating will is bound to fight back against the intruding force. In the case of the undead, however, it's more like two beings trying to possess something that belongs to neither of them, making the fight for control more even. The original souls of the Pharaoh Creeps don't have the same control over their bodies as they did in life, but, while the fusion spawns can possess those bodies, they can't really do much about those incorporeal souls that refuse to leave. We can use the events surrounding the Master Weapon as another example of this struggle, with ancient spirits attacking fusion monsters and making them "go berserk." Since fusion matter can't hurt them, the spirits have a small advantage. About the only thing that could solve the issue for the spawns is to have someone on their side like Fusion Demongo or Fusion Grim tear those souls out--and there's so many it's not really worth it.

Sidenote #1: In hindsight, it's possible that this issue may have actually helped speed up the events surrounding the Master Weapon. While the Master Weapon was part of its own prophecy, I think it's safe to say that a bunch of spirits angry that their graves have been ransacked and their remains possessed by monsters--especially if they were forced from of said remains--would find a way to strike back if only to get revenge for themselves.

Sidenote #2: It's highly likely that Irwin's mom and grandfather are both at-risk of being taken over by fusion spawns because of these reasons. However, since Irwin is still alive despite being half-mummy, it won't work on him. He's inherited the powers of the undead, but he's not undead himself. This same distinction applies to the mummy-like Thep Khufans, who also don't count among the undead.

All of this could also explain what makes the Pharoah Creeps different from the Mummy Monsters outside of simply strength. Typically, one major way a mummy is distinguished from a zombie is by its willpower and intelligence. However, the description for the Mummy Monsters doesn't mention their having a separate will: It just says that they're all trained martial artists who work out. While they are clearly intelligent enough to understand martial arts, it seems that they are just copies of mummies in the same vein as other fusion monsters copying other supernatural beings. (Nevertheless, I wouldn't dismiss graverobbing either. I just don't think Fuse's army would care about or even fully understand the concept of a traditional mummy the way people on Earth do.) The downside for them though is that they don't have all of a true mummy's supernatural powers because of this, forcing them to rely on mostly brute strength alone. Only the Pharoah Creeps will observe behaviors and abilities more commonly associated with mummies as we know them in lore/media.

Similarly, it's more likely that the Mummy Monsters got their martial arts skills from observing normal humans. While the Underworld is hard for Fuse's army to get to, Endsville itself has a big Martial Arts Tournament, as seen in the GAOBAM episode "Chicken Ball Z." The spawns that became these monsters are likely among the many that witnessed human behavior and copied it.

There's only so much raw strength a corpse can have, so the even Mummy Monsters who do use them still compensate in-large-part by enveloping fusion matter around their entire bodies. As seen in concept art, this adds to their muscle mass, covering up most of the original body along with the bandages. However, this also means they have less protection against imaginary energy compared to other fusion monsters.

This means that they share many human strengths and weaknesses as well. Still, don't count too much on targeting things like pressure points since they do have a different makeup. Focus instead on cutting them through to damage the original body.

When an actual mummy is involved, there's a bit of an extra danger to fighting these monsters. Just because the spirits of those mummies are mad at Fuse's army for taking over their remains doesn't necessarily mean they won't be mad at you for destroying them. You can beat a Mummy Monster only to end up hearing Phase Two boss music cue in the background because some restless spirit isn't too happy that you blasted apart what was left of their old selves. A lot of fusion fighters, particularly those who are more superstitious, will often make a point to care for these remains to ensure that the spirit finds peace. Disrespect the dead at your own risk.