#how to watch live AR event

[dontforgetukraine]

"I watched a film today at the Venice Film Festival titled "Russians at War." Since our film is in the same section as this one, I usually wouldn’t speak publicly about it. However, in this case, I cannot remain silent, because it’s not just about films and art, but about the lives of thousands of people who die in this war— a war that has instrumentalized propaganda as its weapon.

This film may mislead you into believing that it is an anti-war film, one that questions the current regime in Russia. However, what I witnessed is a prime example of pure Russian propaganda. Here’s why.

The filmmaker begins by expressing her surprise at the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In her film, she always uses the term “invasion” and never "full-scale invasion." She does not mention that Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea in 2014. These two events seem to not exist in the world of this film. The filmmaker also states that her country hasn’t participated in wars for many years and that she has only read about wars in books. Thus, the war in 2022 was a complete shock for her. It’s interesting how the filmmaker could overlook the fact that her country has been inherently involved in various wars and occupations for at least the last 30 years (1992-93 Transnistria, Abkhazian War, 1994-96 and 1999-2009 Chechen Wars, the 2008 war in Georgia, and the 2015-2022 invasion of Syria).

The filmmaker starts her narrative with a Ukrainian who now lives in Russia and fights on the Russian side. This is a very intriguing choice for the beginning of a story about Russians at war. Later, this character will claim that a CIVIL war began in Ukraine in 2014. He will also suggest that Ukrainians bombed the eastern parts of their own country (and this is why he moved to Russia). Another character will declare that Ukrainians are Nazis. We’ve heard these narratives before; they are (and apparently still are) widely and actively propagated by Russian media. One of those horns of propaganda is Russia Today channel, for which the director of "Russians at War" has previously made several documentary films.

Throughout the film, all characters express their confusion about their actions in Ukraine, stating they want the war to end and that most of them are fighting for money. In the final part of the film, the battalion is moved to Bakhmut, and most characters die in battle. We then see their comrades and relatives grieving at their graves. All of them repeat that they don’t understand why this war is happening and who needs it. In the end, the filmmaker concludes that these are poor, ordinary Russian people who are being manipulated into war by larger political games. I found this perspective amusing because the filmmaker—like putin and his regime—plays an interesting game with these people. They deny them the simple ability to possess dignity and to think and decide for themselves. To her, these people are merely powerless objects. If those engaged in a war that has lasted over 10 years were not powerless, it would imply that they, in the majority, actually support this war, wouldn’t it?

You will feel pity for the people depicted as dying in the film and for those we see crying for their loved ones. And you should—if you are a normal human being, you should feel pity, sadness, and emotion. However, it is also important to remember that these individuals joined the army that invaded an independent country, many of them willingly, as we learn from the film. You should also recall Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, and the civilians who were murdered there. Remember the thousands of children who were illegally transported from Ukraine to Russia. While I’m writing this and while you’re reading it, missiles are striking Ukrainian cities. The buttons are pushed by ordinary Russians. Are their crimes any less significant simply because they claim to be unaware of why they are involved in this war?

By the way, the director asks one of the characters if he thinks the Russian army commits any war crimes. He answers “no,” claiming he hasn’t witnessed any war crimes. Interestingly, the director echoes this in her interviews, stating she saw no signs of war crimes during her time near the front (https://www.reuters.com/.../russian-soldiers-given-their.../). We can only be happy for her that she was fortunate enough not to witness any war crimes. Unfortunately, thousands of Ukrainians have not been so lucky.

I could continue, but I believe it’s enough to understand that this film presents a very distorted picture of reality, spreading false narratives (calling the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea a civil war; suggesting that the Russian army does not commit any war crimes; presenting those who are part of the aggressors army as victims).

If you decide to watch it, I recommend following it with another documentary about Russian soldiers titled "Intercepted," directed by Oksana Karpovych. "Intercepted" also opens a door into the lives of ordinary Russians fighting in this war. You’ll be curious to explore it, as it will undoubtedly surprise you. You may also want to add "20 Days in Mariupol" to your viewing list, just to be able «to see through the fog of war," as the director of "Russians at War" so aptly put it."

—Darya Bassel, Ukrainian film producer of war documentary “Songs of Slow Burning Earth

[windcarvedlyre]

Thinking about Venti's role as an archon and how he might be doing his job- as Celestia intended- better than we think.

Archons, in Gnosticism, rule over the material realm and prevent souls from leaving it. Barbatos, in the Ars Goetia, "reconciles disputes between friends and those who hold power".

Everything we know about Venti implies that he hates Celestia and opposes all forms of tyranny, but if their goal is to keep humanity from advancing, realising the truth of the world and taking actions that could threaten the status quo...

...isn't the best way to prevent rebellions and slow progress to make the people you rule content with what they have?

Venti is all about making his people's lives leisurely and seemingly free (I'll get to that in a second). It's in his gemstone quote, the thing which summarises his approach as an archon:

"Still, the winds change direction. "Someday, they will blow towards a brighter future… "Take my blessings and live leisurely from this day onward."

We see this reflected in Mondstadt's culture and economy. There are still hardworking individuals in the Knights of Favonius, the Church of Favonius and the Adventurer's Guild, but this attitude isn't universal even within those organisations and the rest of Mondstadt's people generally have a slow, relaxed approach to life relative to other nations. They haven't produced any internationally notable industries outside of alcohol, and why would they? They have everything they need, graciously provided by the anemo archon himself*, so why strive for more?

This has already left them vulnerable to the whims of more powerful nations, incapable of meaningfully opposing the Fatui without inviting consequences they can't handle.

*Also see Jean's story quest for a scaled-down version of this. Mondstadt's general population relies on her hard work a bit too much and she enables them.

We also see Mondstadt have a softening effect on outsiders multiple times in-game. There are at least three cases of people questioning their life choices because its people and/or scenery are that nice. Two are branches of hangout events, one is a soon-to-be-ex treasure hoarder chilling on Cider Lake's coast. I've joked that Mond is a lotus eater hotel scaled up to a nation based on this, but what if that's somewhat intentional?

But why would he do this?

It could be an unintended side effect of efforts to improve people's quality of life. He was allegedly naive enough not to forsee the aristocracy situation, after all. But at the same time... he's a god of freedom and hope in a world where his people have no hope of freedom.

-Harmost's Notes (II), Remuria.

He knows what happens to human civilisations that advance too far and attempt to rebel against this world. He likely knows a god much like him, themed around music and desperate to free his people from fate, tried and failed horribly. He lives in the shadow of a celestial needle. The Cataclysm would only reinforce this perceived futility of resistance. He still hopes for a brighter future, but he may be pinning all of his hopes on a descender taking pity on Teyvat's people and choosing to help them. To quote the description of Mondstadt Statues of the Seven:

A monumental stone statue that watches over Mondstadt. Legends say that it was sculpted in the image of the Anemo Archon. "Seeds brought by the wind will grow over time." The statue silently anticipates the arrival of a noble soul to arrive, while thousand winds of time will soon unfold a new story...

Apart from that, what else can he do besides be passive and complacent? Besides make his people comfortable and hope they don't rock the boat too much before liberation is actually possible?

And the thing about resolving disputes with those in power worries me. It could just translate into his pacifism, but it could also mean he's less willing to act against Celestia than we'd hope. Why did the Tsaritsa, the only archon named after a saint and willing to take a stand against Celestia, fall out with him? He has reasons to be pissed at her methods but I suspect that won't be the only factor.

All we can do is wait and see.

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

House Tour (not the house we wanted, but the house we have)

Fandom: Poppy Playtime.

Synopsis: Angel (referred here as "you") introduces their house to the toys after the events of the game.

---

"It's not much", you hurriedly tell the group. "And it's not very big, we'll have to get a bigger house as soon as possible, can't forget to immediately look for what's on sale around here".

You stop on your tracks to face the door to your house, hearing the others stop just behind you. Searching for the right key, you add:

"Also please don't mind the fact everything's a big mess, I'm more organized than that but last time I was there it was a week or so ago and I left in a rush".

"Don't apologize, Angel", Poppy replies back, as gentle as ever. "I'm sure it's not even that bad! And, look, even Kissy agrees with me! Right, Kissy?"

The taller girl mutters a quiet "hm-hm" sound.

"Nothing will ever be as bad as the factory, Angel", Dogday adds. You turn around to see Huggy still holding into the dog's poorly-adapted wheelchair, smiling in return. "Besides! You're here with us now! That alone makes things a lot better".

"You guys give me too much credit", oh, finally, you found the key! "I'm just doing what I have to. Anyone else would do the same".

"Li-ar", Mommy Long Leg's voice echoes. "No one never ever took care of Mommy when she was hurt".

"I was the one who tore your arm off, I kind of had to help".

"Li-aaaar".

You sigh, finally opening the door and stepping inside: "C'mon, everyone, it's pretty small but it should do the work for now".

You counted the toys one by one as they entered: Bunzo, PJ, Poppy and Kissy, Dogday and Huggy, a very bubbly Miss Delight guiding Catnap inside, all the mini huggies, all the mini critters, all the other mini toys, then Mommy Long Legs. More than 80 in total.

Thankfully the money you got from that case was enough to cover a house and finances and medical expenses for at least an year for every single one of you. You still didn't know how the court case against the remains of Playtime would go, but with all the evidence against them, it should be enough money for a lifetime, right? You would never be able to pay for everyone's treatment with your current job...

"Angel, dear?", Miss Delight calls. You smile, give one last look outside, and close the door. "What an interesting house you have!"

"Oh, it's nothing much", you put the keys in a small counter, taking off your jacket and throwing your bag in a corner. "Huggy, can you help put Dogday in the sofa?"

"Angel, I'm very sure I can-"

"You need to wait two weeks before you can do any big moves, don't you even think about moving yourself only using your arms again unless you want another emergency surgery, big dog", you immediately cut him off. Dogday sighed, Huggy happily offered his hands to help the big puppy. The mini critters mischievously laughed. "Same thing for every single one of you. Medical orders".

The house's clock pointed at 8:44 PM. It wasn't late, thankfully.

The toys all gathered around the living room, curiously staring and exploring its corners. Someone - Bunzo, maybe? - had entered the kitchen, probably just wanting to take a good look at this new weird place. You decided to let them be, turning the TV on and trying to pick up a channel:

"So, uhm", you mutter. "This is the TV. Didn't change much since '95 except for maybe image quality. We now use CDs and DVDs instead of just cassette tapes, but I'll show that to you guys later. You can grab anything from the kitchen, I don't mind".

You blinked, hearing the sound of your Windows XP computer turning on. Somehow, PJ Pug-a-Pillar had figured out how to use it. You would be proud if not a bit worried:

"You found the computer", you announce to the group. "Okay. Don't mess up too much with that thing, I need it to work. I'll show you guys how to use the internet later, I think you would like it".

Long Legs decided to sit next to the TV, stretching her neck so she could watch it better. The mini critters seemed to really like her, as they still haven't let go of her arm.

"Angel, do you think the news are all still about us?", the spider doll asks.

"Well..."

You sit on the floor so Dogday can see the TV from the sofa. Bunzo immediately jumps to your lap, making himself comfortable. You pet him as images of the abandoned factory covered with cops and investigators appear, headline written as "PLAYTIME CO. INVESTIGATION STILL UNGOING".

You sigh. Bunzo seems to look up at you, confused.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?", his ears move. You stop petting him.

"It's not good nor bad. If the news aren't screaming how the investigation found out how you guys were made, then we can assume the Prototype is doing a good job".

"He always did".

Everyone, including you, turns to stare at Catnap. He decided to sit next to the sofa, lying his back against the wall. The ceiling was too low for him to be comfortable like that...

"Mommy cannot agree with you", Long Legs groans. "Would you want to know hy?"

The feline simply stares uncomfortably at the pink toy. She rolls her eyes, muttering something about him denying the evidence before turning her attention back at the tv. You're glad these two didn't get into a fight again, but you still don't feel comfortable. Most of the bigger toys are sitting on the floor, with the smaller ones either using Kissy, Miss Delight and Dogday or the sofa as a sitting spot.

The images in the TV then cut to you, eye bags and all, staring at the camera and politely answering a question.

"Look!", Bunzo points. "It's mom!"

"I'm not your... Nevermind", you put some of your hair behind your ear. The you in the TV keeps talking:

"No, I didn't see any guards or cops when I came in there", you shake your head, tired.

"No security at all?"

"I mean, the factory is full of weird machines you need to use a thing called a 'grabpack' to make them work, but there wasn't anyone who stopped me from grabbing one and going inside. I bet even a child could have gotten themself trapped in there from how lonely things were outside..."

"Do you think one of the monsters escaped the factory before?"

"The toys, is that what you mean?"

Your eyes finally showed some light as you bit back at the word choice. You lifted your head, now more determined than before:

"If any of them escaped, they are either dead or locked away somewhere by whoever knew about what Playtime was doing. Or do you really think these kids wanted to stay inside that prison? They were fighting each other over what to eat, for God's sake!"

"Angel...", Poppy muttered. "You didn't tell anyone about the..."

"Cannibalism? Hel- heck no. You guys will be regarded as monsters by a lot of people if i do that. Until things calm down, no one outside the investigators of our case will know".

You decide to get up from your spot, much to Bunzo's dismay. You pet his head before stretching yourself, hearing some bones pop:

"The kitchen is right there. Bathroom is there, and my room is there. I don't think there's any clothes good enough for you guys, but we'll see. You must be hungry, right?"

You step into the kitchen, followed by some of the toys and Long Leg's head stretching head. Miss Delight excitedly walks close to you as you look for what you have.

"Well...", you mutter. "I have some snacks and food, but not enough for all of us. Maybe we should get some pizza today, and tomorrow I'll rush to the grocery store".

"... Pizza?", Bunzo asks in the big toy pile that formed at the kitchen's entrance, his head between the smaller huggies. "What's that?"

"It's an italian dish made from bread dough and topped with plenty of ingredients!", Miss Delight answers in her cheerful tone before turning to face you: "But... You have pizza, Angel?"

"No, but I can just ask someone to deliver to us. I have the money", you grab the kitchen's telephone, searching in the drawers for the number of that one very good pizza place your friend worked at. "Since no one here ever ate a pizza I'll just ask for five of each flavor. Might do the job, seeing how many of us are in there..."

You turn, lying against the kitchen's corner, only to realize that everyone was staring at you. Even Catnap had gotten out of his spot, curiously watching, and you could see Dogday's head as he was trying to take a good look at what was going on.

"You guys can explore the house, y'know. It's our house now, not mine", you tell the group, going back to the living room, telephone in hand so the poor giant puppy could be included. Another door was opened, and the mini critters and huggies were now conquering your bedroom. Good for them.

You sat on the floor again. Bunzo proclaimed your lap, and Poppy decided to also sit next to you.

"I don't have to eat, Angel", the doll told you, watching TV. "Prioritize the others, alright?"

"Neither do I!", Dogday replied. "I ate at the hospital, don't worry about me".

You roll your eyes and pet Poppy's head. "I know you don't have to eat, doll, but you, young sir, have to eat. A freaking lot, actually! Didn't I tell you guys food isn't a limited supply anymore?"

A mini critter screamed and something was knocked over. Long Legs immediately got out of her spot, coming out of your room with a mini craftycorn trying to chew on a blanket.

Dogday, however, was whimpering. He lowered his head and fidgeted with his hands: "Are you sure? You did so much for us, Angel..."

"And I'll do even more. I'll be your legal guardian if everything goes well, remember?"

"But..."

Catnap then "accidentally" bumped his tail against Dogday's face. The pup's eyes widened, and you laughed at how offended he looked. The feline pretended to watch television as Dogday stared at him.

"Catnap!"

"I didn't do anything this time".

Now the pup was looking at you for answers. Poppy was laughing as well, all the while Catnap's tail kept bumping into Dogday.

"Listen to what the Angel has to say", he simply told him. "And eat".

You were smiling. Never in a thousand years did you think your life would become this weird, but you were glad it was like this nonetheless.

Then you realized something, and crossed your arms:

"Catnap, you do realize you'll also have to eat a lot instead of giving your food to the mini critters, right?"

The feline's tail stopped moving.

"What".

[theradiodaemon]

‘He Never Had a Blitzø’

Vassago of the Ars Goetia stood on the balcony off of his study, the swirling vision before him taking his entire attention. He felt a deep sadness in the pit if his stomach as he watched his fellow Goetia dance with the imp that he loved more than anything.

He had been watching over Stolas from the shadows for some time out of concern especially concerning his blossoming love affair with the imp assassin Blitzø. When he came into his power he was told that he would have access to all things past and present. This was how he served the Goetia. He had a role to fill and a part to play and he played it well.

When Andrealphus, the pompous ‘marquis’ of hell launched the media circus of the trial against Stolas he knew he had to help. During the trial he spoke in Stolas’ defence and pleaded to have him present. Despite all of it, Stolas still risked everything to save the man he loved and even though he foresaw all these events prior, it still filled him with a sad jealousy as Stolas was living the life he desperately wanted.

As he stared sadly at the vision of Stolas and the imp sharing a romantic dance on Blitz’s balcony, the voice of the woman he shared his dwelling with spoke loudly, children ran at play, their voices rising and falling as they passed through the rooms of the manor. A felt a single tear well in his eye. To all appearances he had a life worth living but it wasn’t the life he wanted, he wasn’t happy. He longed for his own male lover to rescue him from this facade.

As he stood pondering, his age weighted on him. He didn’t have Stolas’ youth anymore and in many ways he felt his time to escape had passed and he was too fair ingrained into the life built for him without his input. He had played the part of the obedient good boy for the Goetia family for too many years.

He tapped his fingers on the railing and allowed a small, caring smile pass his beak. If he could not be rescued from this lie, he would do everything in his power to ensure that the young owl gets the life and love he wants; he would continue to protect and guide him as he always had and Stolas’ happiness would be good enough for him.

Vassago of the Ars Goetia. He had money. He had influence and legions of demons under his banner. He had the power to see the past and future in their entirety. He had it all.. but never had a Blitzø..

————-

Digital (Procreate)

Thanks to @neurospiczzzziee and @larryisnotagirl for their input and letting me rant this theory into my head canon lol.

[eevees-hobbies]

Predator - NSFW (Fem!Reader x Kyojuro Rengoku)

Synopsis: What’s hotter than making your boyfriend chase you in the woods while dressed in a spooky costume? Nothing.

Author’s Note: It has been a while since I’ve written for the love of my life, so here we are. This is 100% self-indulgent and OOC for Kyojuro and is also not an accurate portrayal of the time period, but I am aware. Let a girl lust, yeah? This is for the "No, You Hang Up" Kinktober Ghostface Collab event. Reblogs & comments always appreciated.

Content Warning: Fem!Reader x Kyojuro Rengoku. Degradation, dirty talk, cat-and-mouse, roleplaying, mention of claiming and marking, chasing in the woods, threatening to kill you, but pookie doesn’t mean it, choking/breath play, and ghost-face costume loosely implied but not explicitly mentioned. Tis Smut. Minors Do Not Interact. || Word Count: 2.2K

Banner by me. Divider by @sister-lucifer

“This is not an activity befitting of a Hashira,” Kyojuro grumbles, his voice uncharacteristically gruff and displeased, as he holds a plastic mask and black ankle-length cloak before him. He’s trying his damnest to appeal to your sense of sympathy and reasoning, but as he looks into your bright, lust-filled eyes, he knows your unwavering ability to reason is gone.

“Kyo! It’s fine. This is fine. Nothing you can do can hurt me, and I promise I can handle it.” 

Your voice drips with reassurance, but you’re practically salivating at the sight of the cloak he’s pulling over his head and now adhering to his muscular figure–the garment might be a tight fit, but you’re certainly not complaining.

Out of all of the Hashira, it wouldn’t hurt for Kyojuro to be a little less modest, you think, as the fabric strains against his muscles.

And even as you claim he can’t hurt you, you both mentally think about how that isn’t true. You, almost with reverence, and him with disheartenment of your fragility at the top of mind. 

Kyojuro can’t even begin to fathom who has been corrupting you in such a way that you get aroused at the idea of being chased through the woods by someone who wants to harm you. Don’t you get that enough in your profession as a Hashira with the ever-present threat that demons provide? But he can’t deny that he’s always ready to fulfill any request you may have, no matter how outrageous. He simply adores you far too much to disappoint you–some would call it love, but Tengen calls it being whipped.

“Ok, but we should have a safe word.” His remarks are muffled now that the mask is securely in place. It already annoys him how it tunnels his vision, but he can still see you clearly enough–so clearly that he’s watching you turn your back and dart into the woods. 

“No safe word then,” Kyojuro mutters, resigned yet still watching you with interest.

As he leans against a tree, he can’t help but admire your retreating form. The way your hips sway with each measured stomp of your foot, your thighs flexing as you maneuver around fallen tree branches. It all stirs something in him, some base instinct to claim and mark you, something he would never admit aloud to anyone.

And as he watches you, he kind of understands why you’re into this cat-and-mouse thing. It’s a way for you to live out this base desire to be chased in a no-pressure, non-life-threatening way he can provide. 

He figures he’ll give you a few more seconds before he catches you. You’re fast, but he’s much, much faster. Nonetheless, he wants to reward your apparent effort by allowing you to think you have a chance. But you’re naive if you think you can outrun, outmaneuver or outpower him.

He has to shake his head in disbelief—this mask makes him sound–and feel–like a predator. 

If you weren’t a Hashira, there’s no way you’d be as far out into the forest as you are right now. Years of training allow you to feel the expansion and deflation of your lungs as they move oxygen in and out of your body. You’re moving so fast that you feel like you’re soaring—you’re not even sure if your feet are touching the ground at this point.

Fuck.

But then you see it. You see a flicker of light subtly bouncing off the trees–if you were anyone else, you’d miss it, but you’re not anyone else, and you know when your other half is approaching, so quick on your heels that you can feel the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. 

But then it becomes so bright that it’s almost like the sun is starting to rise behind you. Despite that, you know better than to look over your shoulder. Looking behind you would mean getting caught. You’ve made that mistake before during sparring sessions, and each time, it resulted in him on top of you, breathing in your ear from behind and asking if you want to yield in a husky voice that never failed to make you shiver.

As you feel the unmistakable sensation of heat on your clothed back, you make a sudden turn. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot a hand shooting past your face.

For an instant, you think you might have tricked him, and you let out a barely restrained, triumphant laugh, but then the upright trees are not upright anymore, and neither are you.

As Kyojuro’s body collides with yours, his hands reflexively moving under you to break your fall, you can’t help but be excited that you’ve lost because, truthfully, you’re about to win in all the ways that matter.

“Is this what you wanted, my flame? To feel like you’re in danger? Do you feel like your life is on the line?” He’s hovering over you, mask muffling his usual booming voice, but you can hear him quite clearly despite the sound of your heavy breathing and blood rushing in your ears.

You’d answer him honestly—tell him it’s impossible to ever feel genuinely in danger with him—but you’re too busy trying to recoup all that oxygen from running for your–theoretical–life,  so give him a head shake instead.

Under the mask, Kyojuro chews his lip, wondering what you need to feel or hear to make this experience worthwhile. But deep down, he knows, and he’s willing to give in to yours and his base desires, even if that means he has to act less like a Hashira and more like someone he would and could never be. 

He moves his hand to your neck, his fingers pressing against the pulse point that’s drumming erratically. He watches the corner of your lip twitch upward into an almost smirk that he all but wipes away when the entirety of his fingers wrap around your throat with the pressure that elicits a gasp from you. 

“I don’t have to do much to snuff out your life,” he informs you, his voice low and gravely, which is a far cry from his usual jovial tone. The way he says snuff is punctuated with the tightening of his grip as it threatens the air you just worked hard to recuperate.

Yet you somehow manage a “you’d snuff a cute girl like me out?” 

“You? I think I’d keep you around for a bit. You look like you might be good for something—scratching an itch, perhaps.”

Use me!

Let me scratch your itch, Kyo, your brain all but screams as he presses himself between your thighs. He doesn’t need much to convince you to spread yourself for him; the motion is almost automatic for you as his hands push up your skirt and pull the seat of your panties to the side.

“No foreplay?” You inquire with a purr as he moves the cloak out of the way enough to grab his hardening cock and press it against your heated cunt. He can feel how desperate you are with the way your sex is clenching in anticipation and the heat radiating from your core; it makes him smirk as he teases the entrance by dragging the fat head of his cock against her that only makes her weep your arousal and coat the forest floor. 

You reach up and snatch the mask off his face, and your breath catches in your throat at the sheer intensity of his gaze–it’s dark and hungry, which is a far cry from the usual reverent look he holds when he looks upon you. But this dark and hungry look? It makes you ache.

He looks down at you, eyes cold—a look you’ve only seen him wear a handful of times for the most troublesome of demons. As you stare up at him with bated breath, you can’t help that his look is appropriate because surely you’re haunting him with your little fucked up fantasy.

“Are you the type of girl who likes to be fucked on the dirty forest floor with leaves in her hair and her cunt exposed to the elements?”

Before you can answer, he’s bottoming out inside of you, and you didn’t need foreplay, but the lack of checking in from him–something you’ve certainly grown accustomed to–is jarring. 

You arch your back, expecting him to wait and allow you the chance to breathe, but his hand finds purchase on the column of your neck once again as he holds you down while starting the quick propelling of his hips, stretching you out as his pelvis connects with yours but then pulling out until the tip so much so that your cunt barely has time to grip him.

But Kyojuro can feel how she desperately tries to squeeze him like a vice, how she flutters and tries to embrace his cock in warm and wet blanket of velvet flesh. You feel like heaven and sin all in the same filthy stroke.

You reach up, your hands wrapping around his wrists in an attempt to get a grip on the situation, him, anything because you’re not used to this side of him, and he can see the shock and disbelief in your eyes. 

Fuck, he likes it. 

He leans down, lips brushing against yours, words coming out sickly sweet as he taunts you.

“Don’t tell me you bit off more than you can chew, my flame. You thought you’d be in control here? You thought I wouldn’t savor the opportunity to split you open on my cock right here when you’re offering yourself up to me so nicely?”

As he speaks, his grip on your throat tightens, cutting off airflow to the point that you can feel yourself growing lightheaded; the only sensation that becomes apparent to you is the way his cock feels plundering into your cunt.

His lips remain skimming yours, occasionally opening as he lets out gasps–because even though Kyojuro is committed to the bit, he’s still so deeply affected by you and how you feel wrapped around his cock.

“So wet for me, pretty girl. Well, if you want to act like a bitch in heat offering yourself up to me until I mount you on the ground and sheathe myself inside of you, I’m going to act like a dog and take it,” he grunts with another exaggerated jut of his hips.

Kyojuro’s half-lidded eyes meet yours as he looks down at you. The leaves that have turned a rusty brown during the Fall season create a halo around your head, framing your magnificence in a way that feels justified to Kyojuro.

Fuck, you look so beautiful, especially when you’re taking his cock.

Tears are starting to prick at the corner of your eyes as he bullies your g-spot unrelentingly. Your mouth is opening and closing with only shattered moans and whimpers escaping from your parted lips as his hand squeezes the life out of you. 

You look so perfect like this, but, fuck, he realizes, you might pass out. He loosens his grip around your throat, and the way you gasp for air makes his cock throb because, honestly, the power he could hold over you is intoxicating.

“Thank me for not snapping your neck,” he whispers in your ear through gritted teeth. Oh, he’s close, so fucking close that he can feel his balls clench where they smack the curve of your ass. 

He’s not usually very comfortable with dirty talk, often fumbling the words as he speaks, his cheeks heating up as you reassure him that he’s doing just fine, but at this moment? In this moment, it feels right.

“Thank me for taking your cunt and not your life.”

“T-thank you, K-kyo!” A harshly punctuated thrust of his hips, thick-cock head driving into the sensitive ridges of your pussy serves as an unspoken warning for you to get it fucking right.

So you correct yourself, tilting your head back and practically screaming it for the entire forest to hear, “T-thank you, Kyojuro, for not snapping my neck and taking my cunt!”

Quicker than the last syllable can leave your lips, he’s crashing his mouth down onto yours, swallowing your moans and gasps, drinking them up like wine in an open-mouthed, messy kiss. He’s pouring into you as much as you’re pouring into him with a kiss that speaks to your deep connection and intimacy.

His hand finds yours, fingers interlacing as he holds it over above your head and rolls his hips deeper. The only sounds you’re privy to are the sounds of the leaves crushing under your bodies, your muffled moans as you exchange them mouth-to-mouth, and the obscene squelches coming for your cunt as he pushes deeper into you.

You’re so deliciously close–until you aren't, because you’re falling into a torrent of intense orgasmic waves, Kyojuro quickly following after you with a guttural moan released into your mouth.

After the ripples of your pleasure pass, he rolls off of you, the mask forgotten along with the roleplay as you both attempt to catch your breath again.

“Was that good, my flame? I’m sorry for the filthy things I said.” He looks at you with bright eyes, like he did all of this simply to please you, but you know better.

“Nah, you liked it.”

“I liked it.” he concedes with a chuckle as he brings your knuckles to his lips to place kisses laced with another unspoken apology for committing to the bit far too well.

@hayatoseyepatch @pixelcafe-network @interstellar-inn

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hi glad to see you back, hope your doing well.

May I ask for a Teen!reader like MaoMao from The Apothecary Diaries. If you haven’t watched that, they’re fascinated by poison and herbs, and have a habit of experimenting with them to observe their effects, primarily on their own body which leads to her applying bandages on her arms to cover the scars due to their passionate love of poisons and her enjoyment when consuming them. How would the family react to their child poisoning themselves on purpose because they’re fascinated by the effects?

(they have a decent immunity to poisons so it doesn’t kill then)

-First of all, the moment they realize that you experiment on yourself with poisons…. PANIC!!!

-Doctors are being called, only the finest physicians for their precious but dense child! While a portion of your family is crying or panicking, thinking you were going to die, the other half is scolding you and forcing you to vomit anything you had ingested.

-You were pouting, being put on time out, as you would call it, being confined to a bed as you had to let yourself be doted on, being treated like a child while the doctors checked out your arms, as many were horrified to see the condition of them, seeing the new and old scars, as well as the new wounds.

-When you finally got them to sit down and shut up for a moment so you could talk, you explained that you had always done this, as you wanted to create medicines for others, but all medicines and treatments had to be tested first, and what better way than to use yourself!

-A few did see the reasoning in your words and methods, but that didn’t mean that they liked it, like Hercules, Jack, Odin, Apollo, and Nikola.

-There were also a few, Lu Bu, QSH, Leonidas, Kojiro, Beelzebub, and Hades, who weren’t overly bothered at all, after hearing of your reasoning, and hearing that you were safe while you experimenting, knowing when to stop, knowing your limits, and knowing countermeasures just in the event if something more serious happened. A few knew of apothecaries, as they were around in their time when they were on earth, or heard of their research, so this wasn’t anything new, it was just surprising that it was you.

-Then you had a few, Adam and Ares mainly, who were beside themselves with worry, trying to go as far as commanding you or banning you from ever doing anything like this again, as they didn’t want anything to happen to their precious baby!!!

-You appreciated their different views and opinions, but you weren’t going to stop, you loved your medicines and poisons, that’s how you made a living when you were alive, being a poison tester, making medicines and treatments, and heralding in new techniques.

-After a while, your family did relent, with some rules in place, as they knew that doing this, for some strange reason, made you happy. While at first you weren’t happy about the rules, but you relented, because you realized they only put them there because they loved you and didn’t want you to get hurt or do anything stupid.

-You couldn’t help but smile softly, ‘I’m so lucky to have so many that care about me.’

[hippiegoth97]

Roam Pt.1: Eddie Munson x Reader

Collage by me :)

Master List

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Description: The year is 1991, and your husband Eddie and his band Corroded Coffin is on an international tour for their first major album. You're traveling with the band in their private jet. On a flight between tour stops, Eddie's fear of flying leads to some interesting events...

Content Warning 18+ Only, Minors DNI: smut, rockstar!eddie munson, female reader, drug use, fingering, oral sex, unprotected sex, mentions of fear/anxiety about flying

Word Count: 3.7k

divider by @strangergraphics

Roam Pt. 1

Good Evening, I'm Kurt Loder for MTV News, bringing you the latest in music entertainment. Tonight, breakout metal band Corroded Coffin are in the midst of a headlining world tour for their smash hit album, Hellfire Rising. So far, they've completed their North and South American legs of the tour and are head-banging their way through Europe. The band caught their big break in 1989, signing with Megaforce Records to produce their debut album. Given their meager beginnings in the town of Hawkins, Indiana, the band has remained humble as they reap the benefits of success. Here we have a clip of their notorious front-man Eddie Munson, describing how the band has taken to their newfound fame.

Interviewer: How are you and the band handling being one of the biggest metal bands right now?

Munson: Ya know, nothing really feels all that different than when we were a local band of nobodies. We just like makin' the music and being a voice for the freaks. And I've got my lovely wife Y/N to thank for helpin' me stay grounded, she knows how to bust my balls just enough to keep me in line. [Laughs]

Interviewer: Sounds like you're a very lucky man, Mr. Munson.

Munson: Oh, please. Call me Eddie, I'm a Rockstar, not a stock broker. [Laughs again] But yeah, I truly am. She's the greatest woman in the world, we wouldn't be here without her encouragement and support. Aw, look man, I gotta get goin'. Goodbye, England and next stop, Germany! [Sticks out tongue while making rocker devil horns]

Well, he certainly is a lively character. Be sure to look out for their upcoming sophomore album, Freaks Only, releasing next spring. I'm Kurt Loder, and this has been MTV News. Coming up next, a solid hour block of your favorite music videos of the summer. Good night.

You click off the TV, tossing the remote beside you on the sofa. "You look so sexy on TV, baby." You say to Eddie, sitting sideways on his lap as you and the band watched the special newscast together on their private jet.

"Oh, really? Better than the real thing, dollface?" Eddie asks teasingly, his hands resting on your hip and thigh.

"Mmm, never." You reply in a sultry tone, leaning in for a kiss. He happily meets you halfway, the hand on your hip migrating to your ass. He squeezes the flesh roughly, making you moan.

"God, you guys need to get a room." Gareth says, rolling his eyes in his chair. The other members mumble their agreement.

"Alright, we'll turn down the heat for your sake, hm?" You break away, leaving Eddie's lap to snort a line of coke from the coffee table in front of you. You inhale it, sniffing harshly. You lazily slump back against the couch, taking Eddie's hand in yours.

"You know, you could've at least mentioned us, Eddie. We are the actual band, after all. All you talked about was Y/N." Jeff pipes up, crossing his arms in frustration.

"Guys, you know how much I value you as equal members of the band. And it's MTV, dude. They catch you off guard and take a small soundbite, you know? Besides, we've all been equally featured in magazine interviews and sit-down talk shows. You guys are my friends, and my brothers. You mean the world to me, we've been playing together since we were kids." Eddie replies, trying to calm the brewing storm.

"You guys are just jealous that the media favors the front-man. It's not Eddie's fault. You think I pitch a fit every time some female fans get a little too bold with him? No, because I know I'm what's important to him, not some slutty groupies. Just like how you all matter more than a fuckin' MTV ambush." You don't mean to overstep, but you wish the guys would chill out a little.

"When we want your opinion, Yoko, we'll ask for it." Alex retorts. You just scoff.

"Oh, real original, man. I'm the wife, so I'm ruining the band. Jesus, guys. You realize you're like family to me, right? Like Eddie said, brothers. I'm just trying to explain why things seem one-sided. You're a band, a team. You think Metallica bickers the way you do? I don't think they'd be half as successful as they are if they did." It may be the coke talking, but you feel like a valid voice of reason for the group, always settling their little squabbles. Despite being grown adults, they still act like little boys at times.

"That's enough, out of all of you. Please, let's not ruin the buzz we have going from how kickass tonight's show was, hm? We're gonna take off soon, so get settled in. Come on, Y/N." Eddie stands, calling the bitchfest to a close and dragging you to the private bedroom at the back of the jet. "Night, guys." He says with a sigh, shaking his head.

"Night, dickhead." The boys call to him.

"Ha ha, very funny." He shouts back, opening the door to your room. You walk past him, sitting on the bed. Eddie closes the door, clicking the lock. The room is pretty eclectic, there's a bed with black silk sheets, a mini fridge, and a small bathroom. There's a large mirror on the ceiling, the walls are painted a deep red, and plush shag carpet covers the floor. Eddie had been very particular about how he wanted the bedroom on the Corroded Coffin jet to look. It's your safe place that you share together, away from the others. Before heading on tour, Eddie had struggled with a fear of flying. Going to LA to sign a record deal and work on the album took a toll on him. And for the first couple legs of the tour he needed to be sedated before each flight. But lately he's calmed down about it, though takeoff and landing still give him major anxiety.

"You alright, baby? How 'bout you come get buckled in with me?" You smirk at him, getting under the covers to fasten your seat belt that Eddie had built into the mattress.

"You could stand to butt out every once in a while, Y/N." He says in annoyance, climbing into bed next to you.

"I'm just trying-"

"Yeah, I know, you're just trying to help. I get that we've all known each other since we were in middle school and everything. But you're not in the band, okay? If we're having a problem, just let us handle it." You're about to protest, but he puts a hand up to stop you. "I appreciate your concern, babydoll. Really, you know I value your opinion over anyone else's, okay? But you don't need to be such a backseat driver." He takes your hand in his, kissing it gently. "I love you, angel. Can you just take a step back, for me?" He pleads with his big brown eyes, you can never say no when he uses them on you.

"Alright, Eddie. I'll let the band handle the band's problems. And I love you too, babe." You kiss his cheek, laying your head on his shoulder as the plane begins to take off. Eddie holds you close, tensing at every movement the jet makes as it ascends into the air. "It's okay, love. I'm right here, and we're buckled in safe." You look at him, trying your best to keep him relaxed.

"I know, I'm a lot better than I used to be. Just hate how shaky getting in and out of the damn air is." He always gets a little pissy when he's scared, but you've always found it endearing. "Maybe if I had a distraction, I might be able to ignore how awful this is?" You're unsure what he's referring to.

"And what did you have in mind, baby?" You ask coyly, hoping he means what you think he does.

"Well...we could, you know..." He gulps, unable to form full thoughts as his fears of falling from the sky take hold. You decide to take charge, placing your hand under the covers to ghost over his cock. He moans, eyes boring into yours.

"Is this what you were thinking of, sweetheart?" You play innocent, teasing him. He just nods, still stiffened up with stress. "Okay, baby. I'll take care of you. Can you lay down for me?" He does as you ask, occasionally trembling like a leaf. "It's okay, I'm gonna make it all better." You grip his length through his tight jeans, causing him to groan. You palm him through the material, winding him up. He gazes at you, panting in anticipation.

"More, please." He manages to say, almost whining. You heed his request, unbuckling his belt and unzipping the fly of his pants. He kicks off his sneakers, helping you pull his jeans down. Eddie pulls his muscle tee off as well, revealing his chest to you. He's only in his boxers now, and your hand grips him again through the thin fabric.

You take a moment to gaze over his form, comparing how he looks now to your high school days. He still has the long hair, and his clothes have stayed the same for the most part. But he's gotten a few more tattoos in recent years, one of which is your initials on his V-line. You have his tatted on your hip, so you always remember that you belong to each other. He also wears eyeliner now, which is very sexy, and has his ears and nose pierced. He convinced you to let him grow a goatee and mustache once, but it didn't really suit him so he thankfully shaved them off. It's crazy to look back on the years gone by, you never thought you'd see Eddie's wildest dreams come true. But you've been by his side from the beginning, and you intend to stay here until the very end. He and the guys worked so hard to get here, you couldn't be more proud. And now you've got him moaning in your grasp, in your bed, in your special room, on your private jet. The mere concept of that blows your goddamn mind every time. "I'm the luckiest woman in the world, you know that?" You say, looking deep into his eyes.

"Is that so? I suppose that makes me an even luckier man then." Eddie breathes heavily, begging with his eyes for you to remove his final layer and touch him fully. You appease him, leaving him naked inside his seat belt. His cock stands at attention, the head swollen and leaking precum. You lean over it, letting a drip of spit slowly fall from your lips onto it. Eddie stares at you, enraptured by every move you make. You spread the saliva around his head, rubbing it down his length. "Fuck, Y/N." He moans, his hand squeezing your thigh.

The pilot suddenly speaks through the intercom. "Evening, everyone. Just letting you know we've reached a comfortable cruising altitude, and the skies look nice and clear for our journey tonight. You're all set to move freely in the jet." The speaker clicks as he concludes his announcement.

"Perfect timing." Eddie says, quickly unbuckling your safety belts before pouncing on you. He smashes his lips on yours, hungrily sliding his tongue in your mouth. You moan into the kiss, gripping the sides of his face. He gropes your tits over your shirt, squeezing roughly as he lays over you. His mouth releases yours, migrating down your cheek, your jaw, your neck.

"Someone's needy." You quip, running your fingers through Eddie's hair. You drag your nails around his scalp, and he groans against your throat. He bites down on your flesh, sucking it into a deep purple hickey. You love it when he marks you, letting everyone know that you’re his. "Oh, Eddie." You moan, arousal spreading in your panties.

"I fuckin' love you so much." He says breathily, cupping your cheek as he gazes down at you.

"I love you too, my sexy Rockstar." You smirk, boldly gripping his cock in your hand again.

"Shit, Y/N." He groans at your touch, desperate to be inside you. "We gotta get you out of these clothes." He pulls at the hem of your shirt, and you sit up to lift it over your head. Eddie immediately reaches behind you to remove your bra, exposing your breasts to the cool air. You expect him to start massaging them in his hands, but he instead starts unbuttoning your leather pants. He pulls them down harshly, along with your lace panties. You lay down on the pillows, completely bare to him. He sits on his knees as his eyes scan over you, drinking in your beautiful form. "You're so gorgeous, love. And you're all mine."

"All yours, baby." You reply, giggling from his words making you blush. Even after all these years, you still feel so strongly for each other. He smirks at you, playfully grabbing your left foot. He kisses the bottom of it, and you try not to react to how it tickles. His lips move upwards, meeting every inch of skin he can. He crawls slowly towards you as he kisses your ankle, your knee, until he reaches your inner thigh. You sigh out at how soft his plush mouth is against your skin, your insides setting aflame. He's about to reach your dripping cunt, when he backs off to repeat his actions on your other leg.

Eddie's eyes never leave yours as he works, letting you know how much he worships you as his true love. He creeps up your other leg, reaching your thigh again. He glances at your glistening pussy, his smile growing wider. "You're so wet for me, angel. You want me to taste you?" His breath fans over you, whispering across your clit. He massages your thighs with his hands, tentatively waiting for your answer.

"Yes, please. Show me how much you love me, darling." He doesn't waste a single second before diving between your legs. His tongue licks a long, deliberate stripe from your entrance to your bundle of nerves. "Oh, God." Your hands ball up the sheets beneath you, pleasure already beginning to take hold. Eddie's a master at eating out, always knowing exactly how to please you. His tongue is possibly as well-trained a muscle as his musician fingers, he doesn't stick it out at all opportunities for nothing.

"Mmm, you taste so good, sweetheart." He says, quickly resuming his work on you. He licks you relentlessly, flicking his tongue against your clit and inserting himself into your soaked hole. You moan his name repeatedly, feeling your orgasm building like a knot in your belly. His fingers replace his tongue inside you, curling to hit your g-spot expertly. He pumps his digits in and out, sucking harshly on your clit. He wants to feel you cum around him, to scream his name as pleasure takes you over.

"Fuck, Eddie. Don't stop, right there! Just like that, make me cum." You cry out, tangling your fingers in his hair to hold his face against your core. He hums against you when you tug on him, the vibrations sending you further toward the edge. He maintains his pace, wet noises harmonizing with your moans. Waves of pleasure roll over you, signaling your oncoming release. You gaze up at the ceiling, watching your reflection in the mirror. Your skin is glistening with sweat, your mouth agape as curses and cries of passion tumble from your lips. It's intoxicating to watch yourself lose control, seeing Eddie's mop of curls situated between your legs. You look at the flexing muscles in his back and shoulders, and admire his perfect ass.

Eddie hums against you again, pumping his fingers faster into your pussy. You scream his name as your orgasm rips through you, your thighs clamping around his head. Fireworks explode inside your stomach, showering sparks throughout your body. He drinks up your juices, extending your high. Stars blur your vision, and your hips buck against Eddie's face. He's struggling to breathe, but he lets you ride out your orgasm. The bliss dissipates, your body going limp and releasing your husband from your grasp. "Jesus, Y/N. That was so fuckin' hot. Almost suffocated me, but I'd happily die buried between your thighs." He pants, marveling at your fucked out expression.

"I'll make a note to sit on your face on your deathbed then." You joke, making the both of you laugh lightly. Eddie lays over you again, kissing your lips repeatedly. His cock slides against your slick folds, making the two of you moan into each other's mouths as your lips smack together. He continues to rub himself against you, teasing and riling you up again. Your blood is boiling inside you, you can't wait any longer for Eddie to fuck you. "Baby, please don't tease." You whine between kisses, urging him to give you what you want. He rolls you both over so you're on top, breaking his lips away from yours.

"Go ahead and ride me, darling." He grips your hips roughly, his rings digging into your flesh. You sit upright, taking Eddie's dick in your hand. You pump him a few times, lifting yourself on your knees. He moans at your touch, boring his eyes into yours. "Now who's being a tease?" He asks breathily, and you smirk before sinking onto his length. He fills you up perfectly, brushing against your g spot. The air is knocked out of your lungs, and you take a moment to adjust to his size.

Once you're ready, you slowly lift yourself up and fall back down onto Eddie's cock. "Fuck." You mutter, relishing the sensation. You repeat this action a few times, drawing lewd moans from the both of you. You place your hands on his chest, beginning to bounce up and down against him. His hands guide you to hit your sweet spot every single time, your head falling backwards in ecstasy.

"God, you're so beautiful like this, angel. And so fuckin' wet and tight for me." He meets your bounces with the occasional thrust upwards, making your breath catch in your throat. Your velvet walls hug his dick perfectly, it's like you're made just for him. He'll never get enough of you, he always wants to be balls deep inside you and making you scream.

You roll your hips, setting a new angle for yourself that manages to feel even better. A second orgasm is simmering inside you, building and building as you keep up your rhythm. You can't stop moaning, calling Eddie's name like he's a deity you're praying to. He's just as vocal as you, which you've always found extremely hot. He's not afraid to express himself with you, in bed or otherwise. This moment is so perfect, you never want it to end. "You feel so good inside me, Eds. Only you can make me feel this way." Your dirty confessions spur him on, he hammers up into you even more as you continue to ride him.

You're chasing each other's highs at this point, desperate to send yourselves over the edge. Your skin is slicked in sweat, making your bodies slippery. Your lustful noises blend together with the slapping of skin. When you least expect it, the plane hits some minor turbulence. Your stomachs drop as the jet dips in the sky, and you catch a bit of air before landing on Eddie's cock deeper and harder than you ever have before. You both shout obscenities at the sensation, half-wishing it would happen again. "You getting close, baby?" Eddie asks, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he lowers a hand between your legs to rub your clit with his thumb. You moan at the added stimulation, moving your hips even faster. You want to cum so badly, your bliss is threatening to boil over any second.

"Yes, love. So fucking close, make me cum." Your eyes meet his, burning with intense passion. The look on his face tells you he's just as close to the edge as you are, sweat drips down his cheek, and his eyebrows are knitted together. He rubs your clit harder, watching your eyes screw shut as you're overtaken by your orgasm. "Oh, Eddie!" You scream, legs shaking uncontrollably. Eddie moves his hand away, grabbing your hips again to pound upwards into you to reach his own finish line.

You keep moaning consistently as his thrusts prolong your pleasure, your mouth hangs slack to release the noises. You see stars once more, they swirl around in your vision as your arousal drips down Eddie's cock. You throw your head backwards again, tears streaming down your cheeks from overstimulation. He looks at the scene before him in the reflection of the mirror above you, watching himself fuck you relentlessly is what makes him lose control. "Fuck, Y/N." He chokes out, his warm load spilling into your spent cunt. His strokes slow down to a gradual halt, and you collapse onto his chest. You're almost gasping for air, your pussy clenching his length as your high subsides.

Eddie wraps his arms around you as you both try to steady your breaths. You lay on his chest, listening to his racing heart as his dick softens inside you. It's so comfortable and warm to lay with him like this, to be so close to another person is an amazing thing. You carefully lift yourself off of him, your mixed release dripping onto Eddie's stomach. You moan at the sight, quickly running to your bathroom to grab a damp washcloth to clean him off. Once he's no longer sticky, you put the cloth back in the bathroom and shut off the light before climbing back into bed. Eddie tugs the covers over the two of you, pulling you close to lay your head on his chest. "I love you so much, babe. You're the best husband a woman could ask for." You nuzzle his neck, playing with the small tuft of hair on his chest.

"And you're the world's greatest wife, angel. I love you to the ends of the universe and back." You lift your face up to give him a deep, warm kiss. He happily returns it, your hearts swelling with sheer love and adoration for one another. You pull away, failing to fight back a yawn. You lay back down, your eyes fluttering closed as you drift into a deep sleep.

To be continued…

[imagionationstation]

Hey so sorry to bother you but… just saw you listen to Epic??? I know you’re a turtle nerd, as am I but… I NEED to know your favorite Epic song/favorite character right NOW PLEASE! You’re like one of the coolest people so to find out you also listen to Epic is…. Mmmmmmmm anyways I hope this isn’t weird or anything but PLEASE I NEED TO KNOW😭🙏🏻❤️

NOT WEIRD! LOVE THIS ASK! THANK YOU!

SERIOUSLY! I WOULD BE RANTING ABOUT EPIC 24/7 IF THIS WASN’T A TURTLES BLOG BELIEVE YOU ME

Alike to turtles, I have problematic views!! I look at things that 3/4 of the fandom shares a view in and go: That’s not what’s happening.

The people in my life have heard me ramble I cannot shut up:

I went to this event months ago and it did Trivia and a round was Greek Mythology and everyone in my group was like, “Neko, this is all on you. Don’t let us down” and I got 9/10 right. Go me ✨

Gonna see my bested friend soon! We never get to see each other so we’re making a day out of hanging out. We’re gonna watch the full saga. All of the two hours of it. I am collecting animatics. Silly goose thinks it’s an optional suggestion (it’s not <3)

(Don’t worry, I’m exploring outside interests too. It’s mutual 😜)

Asking me to pick a favorite song is like asking me to pick a favorite fanfiction child. All my children have gifts of their own to share and I love them all with everything that I have!!!

But if you’re asking what song I most commonly have played on repeat and/or belted on the top of my lungs when I’m alone…

I’m Not Sorry For Loving You tops everything else.

Based off this, I wanna say that Calypso is my favorite character. 🤔

I mean, I created a blog where our only purpose in life is to be safe in our horror and empathy for her situation and to acknowledge that she has so much nuance that the fandom doesn’t touch.

But I think if I’m being honest, it’s not her.

At the end of the day, my angsty heart is drawn to Athena.

DISCLAIMER: Controversal opinions ahead. Do not come yell at me if you do not agree. Tell me why I’m wrong, absolutely! But do it kindly and thoughtfully, and maybe we can have a conversation :D

I am passionate about this character. No aggression to the musical. Every song in the musical rocks. It’s merely my passion speaking.

Everything about her breaks my heart. She’s a goddess in a disfunctional family who doesn’t understand mortal ways.

Also, her dad is the most toxic dude alive.

I mean, there’s this one line that people portray in so many ways, but you watch how Zeus interacts with her and recall the fact that he literally didn’t want her to live when she was conceived- he is SUCH a bully and her respect only stems from him being ‘king of the gods’.

None of the gods step in during God Games. At no point does anyone go “dad you can’t threaten your daughter because she did exactly what you asked her to do”. Not even ARES.

He’s the one who says, mortified, “is she dead?” So he didn’t WANT that turn of events. He cares about her and her state of being.

She’s the only one willing to challenge Zeus and he literally says, “you won, I don’t care, I’m going to heavily punish you because I’m unhappy that you said a true statement I didn’t like”

I've no respect for bullies, those who impose their will I've seen plenty enough to truly understand this kind of filth

DO YOU SEE MY VISION?

Literally her entire life- no one’s been on her side! NO WONDER she doesn’t want to take Ody’s offer of friendship. Clearly no one has ever really given her trust or empathy that she can lean on.

She expects people to lack empathy. She doesn’t understand that he’s not that kind of person and her lessons won’t click.

Have you forgotten to turn off your heart? This is not you I see you changing from how I've designed you

Why would she trust a moral when she can’t trust the gods?

And she has such a temper which is so relatable.

They were in two different spectrums and that’s why they clashed.

She was running off of a mentor mindset. He was running off a friendship mindset. Neither was doing what the other needed for the relationship because they were not on the same page.

And then they hit the ditch in the road and everything cracked.

I mistook you for a general What a waste of effort spent

I'll remind you I saw you as a friend But now we're done

And Athena’s proclamation literally is a prediction for herself:

One day, you'll hear what I'm saying One day, you might understand One day, but not today

Time skip: the way that Athena talks to Telemachus says that she’s been stewing in regret because she KNOWS they were good friends and she didn’t want to admit it to herself. She understands why they clashed and now she doesn’t know what to do about it.

So this kid is like “I think you should help him even if he hates you. If he won’t accept your friendship then I’ll be here waiting.”

(*insert waiting, waiting, waiting mantra*)

AND THAT’S LITERALLY EXACTLY WHAT SHE NEEDED TO HEAR?

SHE LITERALLY JUST NEEDED TO KNOW SHE HAD ONE PERSON ON HER SIDE? ONE FRIEND WHO CARED ABOUT HER?

I’m a sucker for ‘doing everything for the people you care about but platonically’ and Athena is the PICTURE of ‘oh wait I would platonically die for my friend’ and like?? That’s beautiful??? 😭

My only qualm with EPIC is the way that the Ithaca Saga handled Athena because you cannot convince me that it did not do her dirty. I have read and scrolled and chewed on all the arguments.

That. Beautiful. Goddess. Went. Above. And. Beyond. To. Mend. Her. Mistake and he outright denied her friendship.

That was not a “oh yeah we can be friends later” very well.

That’s a voice cracking, heartbroken: “I took a thunderbolt for you and you don’t want me in your life” very well. LIKE.

Yes. Oddy went through a lot. No denying that.

But he called out for HER. After everything, he called out for HER HELP. Showed a belief in her. Counted on her to save him

AND SHE DID WHAT HE NEEDED. TOOK A THUNDERBOLT. BEGGED ON HER KNEES WHILE SUFFERING AND IN AGONY.

I can't help but wonder What this world could be If we all held each other with a bit more empathy I can't help but feel like I led you astray What if there's a world where we don't have to live this way?

{I messed up. I want to do better. Is that still possible?}

If that world exists It's far away from here It's one I'll have to miss For it's far beyond my years You might live forever So you can make it be But I've got one endeavor There's a girl I have to see

{No. You have thousands of years to make other friends. There’s no world where we can mend who we used to be. You do what you need to do. My only want is to be with my wife.}

LIKE if they were going to try, the song would SAY that they plan to try. Jorge is not afraid to strongly imply things or outright say them. Ody doesn’t WANT to try and be friends. All he wants is wife. Which would be valid if SHE DIDN’T TAKE A THUNDERBOLT FOR HIM

ONE THAT SCARRED HER EYE AND KNOCKED HER OUT FOR SEVERAL SONGS SO SHE COULDN’T BE THERE TO HELP

There was no reason, no obligation, nothing but her love and affection for him that drew her to take that punishment from Zeus.

There is no way, after everything, she’s asking him to be her warrior.

She’s literally saying she messed up. She wants to mend their relationship. She wants to do better for him.

He could have said, “I’m not a man who does empathy anymore but we can try” instead of “I have other plans, gonna have to miss this friendship train” because that is an awful diss. Straight painful.

This amazing song did her so dirty and I will never get over it.

Thank goodness for Telemachus. She’ll needs his optimism and joy and willing friendship after the sting from that bite.

[sunnyshinesunshine]

Okay so I’ve finally solidified my opinion on The Rings of Power and given that it is my opinion it is therefore very important and I’m sure everyone is dying to hear it (this is sarcasm)

I’ll start by saying I’m not a critical person when it comes to things. I consume media to enjoy myself, not to pick apart its literary or thematic flaws. It’s fine if you do, but that’s just not me.

I will also say I’ve never read the Fall of Númenor as its own story, so any Tolkien primary sources I’m vaguely alluding to (this isn’t a research paper been there done that got the high school diploma I bake cookies for a living I ain’t citing shit thanks <3) are the Silmarillion, LoTR, and The Hobbit.

I didn’t like TROP for the first season, but after catching up on S2, I’ve come to enjoy it.

S1 is the full of world building, setting up the political stage and the relationships between the characters that lead to the creation of the rings and all the other bad hullabaloo that ends in the Last Alliance.

Safe to say, I spent the whole time going ‘what? why is he/she/them saying/believing/acting like this? why is it/this portrayed like this???’ and felt very irked by the whole thing.

S2, the rings are being created, familiar events start happening, the puzzle pieces from S1 that were so unfamiliar and bothersome to me then come together to create a picture that I knew.

Once I got to thinking I realized I actually know a whole lot less about the fall of numenor and the creation of the rings than I thought I did.

When Tolkien writes about those events, he gives the broad strokes in a very history-book way. Celebrimbor creates the rings because he is deceived by Sauron. Tar-Míriel is overthrown by Ar-Pharazôn and marries him against his will. Elrond is with Gil-Galad as his herald.

These are the things, amongst others, that we know. Unlike in the Hobbit or LoTR, we aren’t given any glimpses into the heads or relationships of the characters in anything other than what amounts to almost a timeline of events.

This, of course, leaves a lot of room for Tolkien fans to ask questions. Questions that can be answered through imagination. Imagination becomes ideas, ideas become discussions, discussions become a collective understanding of what happened (fanon*. I’m talking fanon. please read the note at the end because I think fanon is awesome and deserves to be defended)

For example. We know Celebrimbor and Narvi built the Doors of Durin together and added possibly the most ridiculous riddle password possible.

When the Doors are first introduced in LoTR, it is also in the middle of Gimli and Legolas’ semi feuding, and before both of them have some serious moments regarding their histories and cultures (Khazad-Dûm and Lothlórien respectively).

All of this to conclude that at some point between Gigolas’s inter-species feuding and the password to the damn doors being ‘mellon’, as Tolkien fans, we came to the conclusion that Celebrimbor and Narvi were close friends.

Celebrimbor and Narvi are not really much more than acquaintances in TROP. And that isn’t inaccurate. The source material doesn’t have an opinion on it really.

Fanon says Celebrimbor and Narvi were pals. TROP says they weren’t. Canon doesn’t care either way.

I mention this example to explain why TROP felt so wrong especially at the beginning. Essentially we, or at least I, had this idea of how things should be, and when TROP diverged from that I felt lost and annoyed.

Now, I find watching TROP to be honestly kind of fascinating, like watching someone else painting using a model and comparing it to the painting I had already created of that same model.

It’s kind of fun. And every Elrond deserves all of us cheering him on.

*about Fanon:

I love fanon it’s awesome and great and it’s fucking collective story telling in a way that hasn’t really existed in modern times. Thousands of people from all over the world create and agree and discuss and add on to stories. The marauders fandom is almost completely fanon and that’s wonderful. Every single one of you who share your ideas about characters or settings or clothes or even (especially) who create the elleths who exist in the Silmarillion but don’t at the same time, you are awesome.

You’ve created a story and world together. Without being paid. You’ve agreed and created simply for the love of creation. And that’s so amazing.

Fanon is awesome and I don’t care for anyone who calls it cringe.

[aristenfromwarsaw]

All About Your Tav/Durge and Their Romantic Interest

Thank you so much for tag @judasiskariot, for me it's always a pleasure to write about Aristen and Astarion - they are my favorite fictional couple 💞. It took me a while due to illness, but I finally finished it 😁.

~ Your Tav/Durge's Name and Their Partner ~

💞 Aristen Rosegrove and Astarion Ancunín💞

~ Tell Us About Your Character - Anything at All! ~

~ High Elf ~ Sorcery ~ Storm Sorcery ~ Redeemed Dark Urge ~ (her full story and personality)

~ Aristen is very nice and always tries to be very empathic and looks for something more in people than others.

~ As a child, she grew up in an elven village, so she appreciates nature very much.

~ Hates her true origin and she constantly worries and thinks about that what she did when she was under Bhaal's influence. She hates herself for being Bhaalspawn and considers herself a monster. She tries to atone for all her sins by helping others. The person she hates the most in the world is herself.

~ What Do They Enjoy Doing Together? ~

~ They love to cuddle and stare at the stars in the evenings, for Astarion this is a very important moment because he is still struggling with his trauma.

~ They often sew something together - inscriptions on scarves, small puppets and other things that come to their mind. Astarion is great at sewing, and Aristen is still learning with his help.

~ Aristen likes to write stories and poems, so Astarion often helps her find a rhyme or write a story.

~ Astarion teaches her how to open locks, he stands behind her and helps her to use her hands - these lessons often end in a bed or other surface adapted to physical ecstasy 😅.

~ They love to do what couples in love usually do 😈. ~ They like to sit in inns, watch others and be happy that they can live a normal life.

~ What's Something Your Character's Partner Loves About Them? ~

~ Aristen is grateful that Astarion does not judge her past when she was under the influence of her murderous father. He doesn't see her as a monster and has never been afraid of her, even when she wanted to kill him one night. Conversely, Aristen has no problem with his dark past.

~ They believe they were made for each other and a whole number of strange coincidences allowed them to come together.

~ For Astarion, Aristen is not only a lover but also a best friend. Among other he loves her because she saw him as something more than a handsome vampire and, most importantly, she saved him. She saved him from becoming a Vampire Lord, where he would have lost himself. She loved him as he was and allowed him to live again and get to know himself. He loves how Aristen can be gentle and very caring towards him.

~ They think that in their imperfection they are the perfect couple - an immortal vampire spawn and an immortal demigod, former child of Bhaal. They are like two drops of blood and they understand each other perfectly.

~ They feel safe with each other. No matter what happens, they always support each other and are loyal to each other.

~ Their Life After Baldur's Gate? ~

I wrote their lives after the events of game in Aristen's story. But in short: Aristen regained her memories (especially those when she was in the care of a foster family) and found her family. Aristen and Astarion managed to get a pendant that protects her lover from the sun. And finally, after many years of being together, they got married

~ Something Your Tav/Durge Loves About Their Partner? ~

~ Aristen loves cats, and for her Astarion is like a kitty, only elven.🐈‍

~ Aristen sees herself in Astarion because of her past - when she realized that they were very similar that she slowly started to fall in love with him.

~ Even though Aristen tries to be a very nice person, she loves Astarion's sarcasm and his honesty towards others.

~ She loves his stupid sense of humor.

~ She is impressed by the fact that Astarion, after such a huge trauma, tries to live a normal life and tries to be a slightly better elf.

~ Aristen loves that Astarion is not interested in most people, but for her he would go to hell. Many women have tried to hit on him, but he just turns it into a joke and stays with her.

~ Aristen loves that Astarion very rarely says "I love you", but when he does say it, it is always a very magical moment - they are in some beautiful place or in the middle of love. Then he has such a gentle and happy expression on his face that Aristen loses herself.

~ She loves how passionate and affectionate Astarion is during lovemaking. Then she feels like the true queen of his heart.

~ Sometimes Aristen has bad days, she cries, thinks she shouldn't have been born and thinks she's a bad seed because of her past - then Astarion hugs her and lets her cry, which helps her a lot.

~ Something That Your Character and Their Partner Both Hate (about anything): ~

~ They hate it when someone judges them based on their past, which they had no control over.

~ When someone is not nice to cats.

~ When someone doesn't realize what dangerous creatures full vampires are.

❤️

I tag @lazysload, @anacdoce @vaelastormreaver ~ feel free to ignore it or do it 💜.

[skydigiblogs]

xros wars/hunters retrospective

okay i finished hunters so i feel like i can talk about all of the xros wars trilogy in full now.

also included: a comparison of digiquartz, the ar field, and the pseudo digital world from hunters, appmon, and ghost game respectively (with an emphasis on narrative function and thematic consequences of each).

really long one under the cut. strap in.

Background: Our Experience With These Seasons

Around 2017 or so, we finally watched Digimon Xros Wars. This was during college, and after a lot of the hype and spoilers about the trilogy had already gone live on the internet. It was also before we watched Frontiers for the first time, but after Digimon Tri had concluded.

Prior to this, our experience with XW amounted to us watching the episode where Beelzemon (2010) debuted, because we'd seen word that Beelzemon was in the series again. Watching out of order was, unsurprisingly, a bit of a mistake, but we tried then watching the series, stopping only a few episodes in.

When we came back to watch through all of Xros Wars, we watched a lot of it in the evenings after classes, when we needed something to wind down with after all the effort of college. The first season was a breeze, and while we struggled with momentum for the second, we managed to finish it and ultimately enjoyed our time (for reasons with hindsight I'll get to in the section on season two).

Hunters was the problem child for us. I think we were burnt out after the second season, and as a result, we stopped barely into Hunters. At most, maybe four or five episodes in.

And that's how it would be until, last year, we decided we were going to rewatch all of the Digimon anime. So we culminate now, finally getting to Xros Wars, and after an obscene amount of time (this rewatch started in August of last year)... we've finished Hunters.

Digimon Xros Wars

Digimon Xros Wars is an alright season of Digimon. Like many of the post-Adventure seasons, XW takes some parts of the usual Digimon formula and does its best to spin them into a new world and new story.

Our gogglehead is Taiki Kudo, whose catch phrase is the funniest card in BT21 (World Convergence): "Can't Turn My Back!" His main trait is that if anyone asks him for help, he never turns them down. A little bit of a bland goody-two-shoes, most of XW revolves not around how he and his partner Shoutmon change, but how the world reacts to their bullheadedness.

Shoutmon's personality is abrasive, loud, and obnoxious in a way that's really endearing. He's the kind of mon that would get along well with Masaru from Digimon Savers (and the crew knows it, considering the anniversary event). His goal is very simple: he wants to be the Digimon King. Alongside this, he has a very particular idea about what it means to be a Good King. Like Taiki, he's stubborn; unlike Taiki, he's much more aggressive when it comes to those who challenge his steadfast ideal.

The force of evil in this season is the Bagra Empire, who, among other interested parties, is collecting Code Crowns, representations of the Digital World's literal mass. Whoever collects them all can reshape the world to their desires.

There are a few more moving parts in XW, including other human generals (the leader of Team Twilight, Nene, and the leader of Blue Flare, Aonuma Kiria), as well as the two humans brought to the Digital World with Taiki (Akari and Zenjirou, the former of which is a caring tomboy who's so used to Taiki's shenanigans she's more like a coach than anything, the latter of which is a guy who got beaten by Taiki in a kendo match and was super butthurt about it because Taiki was just filling in for someone else).

With that in mind, the arc structure of XW is that each Zone needs to be conquered (aka: they need to get the Code Crown from it). They gain allies over the course of the series, but overall it's more accurate to call XW a series of vignettes. There is an overarching plot here, but much of its payoff is relegated to the second season.

Additionally, overarching plot elements between Zone arcs tend to be very barebones (for instance: Baalmon's weird fixation with Lilithmon).

Because of this vignette style, XW does suffer a little in that towards the end there's a bit of a time skip to imply that Taiki and the other generals have all been waging their Code Crown campaign for some unspecified period of time.

Basically, time skip, the war is almost over.

This culminates in such a fucked up anticlimax that is a large part of why I think its successor, Seven Death Generals, is such a lackluster season. Suddenly, Taiki, Zenjirou, and Akari are back in the human world. Suddenly, they are fighting Tactimon, and in the process Shoutmon figures out digivolution I guess. The ghost of Omegamon can take Taiki back to the Digital World, but oh no! Just him!

Zenjirou and Akari are left in the human world, when they were the most interesting characters in Xros Heart throughout the entirety of this season. Taiki and Shoutmon are very stagnant characters, because they are ultimately reactive, rather than active. That means they they rely on a strong supporting cast to keep the narrative from feeling stale.

I'll elaborate on this in the 7DG section a bit more, but keep this in mind.

I want to note that while at times, XW is kind of predictable (and a little bit boring), it also has a very fascinating world that it works with. The Digital World has been broken into distinct Zones, artificially isolating Digimon to their own unique locales. This is fundamentally a broken Digital World, and the space between Zones is not only hostile, it is actively damaging to most life wandering into it. Digimon can't be out in the open, unless they've adapted to the environment (Arcadimon is the only example I think shown) or travel within an object that protects them (the Xros Loader, Wisemon's book).

Gathering up the Code Crowns isn't just symbolic of power over a zone, it's also physically symbolic of the power to reunite the Digital World from this fragmentary state. It's a simple but elegant plot element that plays into the core theme of XW, which is about cameraderie and connection (as most seasons of Digimon are, of course, but this one is more interested in it on a macro level).

Even the name of Taiki's group plays into this idea: Xros Heart. Taiki is reactive because he can't help but want to help everyone, to connect with everyone, and the name of his team insinuates that through it he will connect with everyone.

This is furthered even by Shoutmon's entire existence as a weirdass rock an roll dragon (Shout is literally in the name!). Like the Code Crowns, which are the mechanism by which one reconnects the Digital World, music, language, communication, is the mechanism by which we connect to others.

This arc is also the one that shares the most blood with the manga, in my opinion. Ultimately, I think the manga handles the plot of this arc better, telling a similar but different story, but it's still worth appreciating the good parts of this season! It isn't bad! A little bit lackluster and paint by numbers, at worse, but bad? Nah.

Xros Wars: The Seven Death Generals

This season is bad.

However, it's bad in a way that I think is fairly unique among Digimon seasons. Whereas I have a lot of problems with Frontiers for how it writes women and handles its main cast (sidelining pretty much everyone except for Takuya and Koji), or problems with 02 for how sometimes its plot ideas don't pay off, or Savers for a lot of how it communicates the themes of family, Seven Death Generals is uh...

Well, like I said in the XW section, they got rid of Akari and Zenjirou. So I guess they took the wrong notes from Frontiers already. There's a timeskip that Taiki doesn't experience, and I don't think they properly thought through the consequences of that on literally anything. Nene feels like a completely different character when we meet her, which feels all kinds of annoying. And of course: the titular Seven Death Generals.

Did you like Xros Wars? Did you like going through Zone after Zone, trial after trial to collect Code Crowns? If you didn't, you're gonna fucking hate this season.

In this season, there are seven Lands, each ruled by a different Death General, one for each day of the week and associated element (eg: a Death General for Gold, representing Friday, which is literally written in kanji as "Gold Day"). In each Land, you have to kill the General to take control of it.

Also, uh, the Generals are torturing people in order to extract negative energy from them for an abstract plan called D5. They also all have Darkness Loaders (which were painstakingly created by DarkKnightmon last season but who cares! Now there are tons of copies of 'em!), so they all chew up their allies to get stronger and prevent any wannabe usurpers from killing them.

There are a few interesting things about this season, and all of them come in the last few episodes. Everything else about it felt genuinely like a slogging retrod of XW, including too many "Kiriha is Evil!" fakeouts and the most god awful culmination of his arc in Deckerdramon's ultimate fate.

In other words, it takes the problems inherent in Xros Wars and just makes them all worse. Because every Land has the express purpose of extracting suffering, we don't get the important relaxation or down time that you saw in XW. You could argue that that's realistic, but in a story, it comes across as monotonous. You can only be told how cruel and evil something is so many times before you're like "okay, I get it, just fucking skip to D5 already."

The most interesting of the Death Generals are, of course, the ones that break from the monotony of the other five.

Olegmon is the Death General associated with Gold. He's a fuckass weirdo pirate that comes with some bizarre new backstory with Ballistamon. Ballistamon apparently used to be an artificial Digimon called DarkVolumon created by Olegmon but this is kind of the worst sin this arc participates in and it's overall not too bad because we get Olegmon as a trade off.

Olegmon as a Death General is interested in having friends and companionship. He has a magical chant that hypnotizes Digimon into joining his pirate crew. An absolute delight of a fucking weirdo. His death culminates in him not just exploding and going "ohh no but all the suffering for Lord Bagramon noooo!!" NAH, FUCK THAT. Olegmon actually admits defeat to Taiki, going "you know what, maybe your ideals about friendship and how to treasure it are right."

I wish all the episodes wasted on the other Death Generals before Olegmon were allotted to him. Because even if it's barebones, Olegmon has a character, and an interesting dynamic in contrast to Taiki.

The final Death General is also relatively interesting, if not frustrating to read as a plural system. Apollomon represents Sunday (you know, the Sun), and actually doesn't want to hurt Digimon. He keeps them trapped, alive, in cages of spikes. When Xros Heart comes to him, he actually tries to get them to help fight Bagramon, because he knows about D5 (which he exposits about to Xros Heart so they know what the actual fucking plot is).

The catch is that Apollomon has also been infected by a virus called Whispered that Jekyll and Hydes this bitch. Whispered is a no good evil boy that, aside from his dynamic with Apollomon, really is kind of just. The rest of the Death Generals, but this time an evil headmate.

Eh. At least it was different for a sec there.

This Land at least gets us to the real interesting meat of this season. Amano Yuu has been the specter of interesting things haunting this season. Nene's younger brother, who she came to the Digital World to find and rescue, has the Darkness Loader. The real one, which he uses to fight battles in what he believes to be an immersive game, thanks to DarkKnightmon's efforts. Part of this involved an attempt to kill his sister, which he thought would only "boot her out of the game."

The end of the final Land has Yuu force a death match between his forces and Taiki's. The only way for them to escape the situation is by killing the opposing general. This? This right here is the meat and potatoes of the season. It's a reimagining of Ken Ichijouji's Come To Jesus moment, where someone believes the Digital World to be a computer game with no consequences and has to be desperately wrenched out of that illusion.

This has been the most interesting momentum in the season throughout it, and probably why I remembered Xros Wars with the fondness that I did. Digimon has shockingly few characters in the anime who are under the illusion that Digimon are just a game. Notably, Ken in 02, of course. The only other example coming to mind, however, is Rika in Tamers.

But one thing they both have the luxury of is a Human World setting. In Yuu's case, he's been fully immersed in the Digital World with this promise of a world where he can let loose his most vicious fantasies without the guilt that makes him so shy in the Human World.

It kind of ends up feeling rushed because of how this season is handled, but it's still something new in a season of utter and despondent monotony.

Anyways, D5 happens, Bagramon petrifies the human world to go invade it or something. I don't fucking remember, he feels like such a nothing character compared to XWM Bagramon. The generals all go to the Human World to kick DarknessBagramon's ass. There's a neat battle inside of DarknessBagramon. Idk man. Bagramon feels like nothing compared to his brother and Yuu.

The day is saved, Digimon have to return to the Digital World, end of the series, yeah yeah yeah.

Xros Wars: Young Hunters Who Leapt Through Time

I'm just gonna be straight with y'all. This is the best part of Xros Wars. While the other two seasons took us an excrutiatingly long time to start and finish, we begun Hunters around March or April (I can't remember which), and every session of watching it was the kind of relaxing, inoffensive breeze I had missed throughout season two of Xros Wars.

Like 7DG, Hunters takes place after another timeskip. Except, however, we follow a new gogglehead, 02 style, who is a member of a basketball team called Xros Heart. This team consists of Taiki, a now older Yuu, and our gogglehead: Tagiru.

I've seen some people compare Tagiru to Daisuke from 02, and you know what? I see where they're coming from. Like Daisuke, Tagiru wears goggles in imitation of his senpai, and feels left out because of the connection his friends have over their experience with Digimon.

However, you'll notice I mentioned that 7DG already did a little bit of rehashing some themes of 02 with Yuu (paralleling Ken). Hell, Yuu is even a popular smart kid! But what's fascinating here, is that Yuu has already gone through his character arc. Hunters is Tagiru's. And Tagiru gets a Xros Loader to partake in something called the Digimon Hunt. When Yuu finds out, he sees a mirror of himself in Tagiru, some kid that just thinks this is all a game.

And especially early on, this conflict between Yuu and Tagiru is the juice that keeps you invested.

Hunters is a Monster of the Week season. Unlike XW and Zones or 7DG and its Lands, this season relies on the mechanics of DigiQuartz to contain its various stories. The full mechanics of DigiQuartz are largely a mystery until the Watchmaker, host of the Digimon Hunt, explains what the DigiQuartz is in the second to last episode. But the mechanics are simple enough that most are understood just by watching.

Digimon can be found in the DigiQuartz, and sometimes they influence the real world by latching on to extreme human emotions (think like in Savers). Most Digimon don't entirely know how they got to the Human World, only knowing that they were pulled there by something (we're told this pretty early on).

Aside from the overarching plot (which is very simple and comes to a fruition primarily in the last three or foure episodes), Digimon Hunters is interested in short stories following the shenanigans that Digimon get into when they interact with the Human World. You might notice I have a whole section on Hunters vs Appmon vs Ghost Game. This is why, and I'll elaborate more there.

The other element most people probably know about is the massive crossover event that happens in Hunters. This is managed through the Watchmaker and his Clockmon, who pull heroes from time and space to deal with a threat that we are only introduced to in episode 68 (the 14th episode in Hunters, which is 25 episodes long).

In general, the Watchmaker's weird shiftiness in this season lends itself to why I think it works so well. In the last episode, it's implied that the Watchmaker is the reincarnation of Bagramon. This contrasts itself well with his connection to DigiQuartz, as well as Quartzmon (the source of DigiQuartz) being created by Bagramon's influence on the Human World. We see a retread of Bagramon's ultimate goal (to consume everything and govern it from within its body), not fully introduced until the last four episodes of the series. But the mystery of the Watchmaker (even if you know going in that he's probably Bagramon), as well as how he was able to give Xros Loaders out like candy, keeps the season tied together in a simple but elegant way.

To the Digimon Hunters, there's nothing weird about what's going on besides the fact they need to capture Digimon. They think they're in a Monster of the Week show. The consistency of that tone, especially with the explanation of DigiQuartz at the end, gives Hunters a good send off without betraying its tone.

Of course, it isn't without its faults. I think there are some weird pacing issues in the season, still. Notably, the way Yuu reconnects with Damemon is weird in a "we couldn't figure out how else to reunite them" way. Also, the delivery of Gumdramon's full backstory kind of comes out of nowhere (even if it does include a really fucking funny moment where he punches some cops). It pays off in a fairly superficial way imo (the visual of the binding ring as part of the transformation between Arresterdramon and Superior Mode), and is otherwise just kind of tonally strange. That whole episode, as fascinating as it is, might genuinely be the worst in Hunters for me because of that nonsense tonal whiplash.

The ending sequence kicks ass though. Hunters was good.

And you can probably get away with watching it standalone, if you don't want to force yourself to watch XW or 7DG. Probably.

Hunters vs Appmon vs Ghost Game

Finally, I want to talk a little bit about some shared blood conceptually between Hunters, Appmon, and Ghost Game. I'll note that I might get some stuff about GG wrong since I'm going to be starting my rewatch of it next now (and it has been a few years since I finished it), but it's still something I want to put to paper since I'll likely come back to it when I finish GG again.

Specifically, we're gonna compare DigiQuartz , the AR Field, and Pseudo Digital World.

The consistent factors between these three are that they are locations parallel to the Human World that can be accessed by those possessing a season's Digivice. However, the DQ is the only one that I'm aware of can be accessed by regular humans via a Digimon pulling them into it. This might happen in GG but, again, been a hot minute since I watched GG.

Something these three all share in common, alongside this mechanic of a world overlaid over the world, is that they contain Monster of the Week shenanigans that take place in the Real World. Whereas in Savers and Tamers, this is handled through the framing of a paradigm breaking down (either via DATS being unable to contain Digimon or the Tamers not being super interested in hiding Digimon battles), in Hunters, Appmon, and Ghost Game, this generally functions as a way to try to preserve the state of the world.

In Hunters, this is directly purposed by Quartzmon (essentially, DigiQuartz is a big fly trap), but it also narratively functions in that there is a status quo for the characters to return to, even if Digimon grow increasingly damaging throughout the series.

Ultimately, this paradigm is not broken down between Human and Digital World, despite the presence of this in-between space. It's implied that it could afterwards, as Digimon are able to return to the Human World, and plenty of humans had positive interactions with Digimon during the series that they would likely return to. There are a lot of Hunters, too, but it's also difficult to tell if all of the Human World experienced Quartzmon eating Earth.

In Appmon, the AR Field serves a similar narrative function, giving a space for the drivers to have their battles without endangering people with Appmon attacks (while whatever rampaging Appmon is causing trouble in the real world). However, this battling is directly intentioned to preserve the status quo of reality, especially because it is very difficult for Appmon to realize.

It doesn't culminate in the break down of this paradigm between physical and digital until the very end, where we don't exactly get to see the consequences after the series ends. The fight was to prevent a catastrophic breakdown of this paradigm, and while it failed in preventing a breakdown entirely, the nature of this breakdown is much more chaotic, as those knowledgeable about Appmon were limited to about a handful of people.

Like Hunters, everyone got eaten by the big bad. Unlike Hunters, a lot of people in Japan saw big fuckass golden monsters fighting a giant five headed dragon. There's no going back to status quo after that, which you might plausibly argue is something Hunters could pull off.

In Ghost Game, we see a middle ground between the two, where Digimon are capable of breaking into the Human World through enough effort. The paradigm here exists in a world where plausible deniability regarding what Digimon are preserves their secrecy. A lot of harm to people and property is done by Digimon in this series. The Psuedo Digital World minimizes this damage, but there's a death count in this season, propagated by Digimon. You can't Pseudo Digital World someone's head back on after Arukenimon eats it.

I think this in between is fascinating as well, considering the narrative function of Human and Digital Worlds as concepts in GG. Digimon are inherently refugees in this canon, and a big theme of GG is about communication and cultural understanding. Just, you know, with giant lizards made out of purple fire and clowns that like turning people into cards. Unlike Hunters and Appmon's epilogue scenes, we get an explicit destruction of the barrier between these paradigms, which I think is narratively in line with GG's themes, as well as the permanence of its consequences.

Idk, just a bit of food for thought about how Digimon's handled secret world fantasy through parallel realities that aren't full on portal fantasies (like most of the seasons that are isekai).

[audreyscribes]

Ω PJO MISC. DEMIGOD HEADCANONS: 👩‍⚖️ THEMIS “TITANESS OF DIVINE LAW, ORDER, AND CUSTOM” ♎ {Wave 5.0}

A/N:  Here we go, time for Themis! She has always been a part of my mind as a kid how I found out that Lady Justice was sort of also Themis in inspiration and that always felt cool to young me. Doing research for her made her even more cooler, even if she isn’t the most exciting out there at first. Thanks for reading and have a nice day! MISCELLANEOUS DEMIGOD H/CS MASTERLIST LINK: [TUMBLR] || [AO3]  

When you get claimed at Camp, it was just after you meditated between two different demigods that almost brought both of their cabins into a war with each other.

Everyone was gathering around the two and you could see people were starting to talk about which side they would support. A rising feeling of anxiety and urgency filled you, as you listened from the rumors and gossip. You then went to talk to both the demigods of Ares and Athena separately to get their side of the story, before calling a meeting between them to come to a mutual compromise. When both sides agreed and made a peaceful conclusion, you smiled but it quickly dropped as everyone gasped and murmured around you. You looked up and saw the sign of Libra the scales ♎ before you were announced that you were the demigod of Themis, the Titaness of Divine Law, Order, and Custom.

If you were either born between September 23rd and October 22nd, or have more than one Libra Sign in your Natal Chart, then you are more than likely a child of Themis.

The Themis Cabin looks like a normal cabin in structure, but the materials and look of it reminded you of a white court building, especially with the greek columns. The inside of the cabin, aside from the separate part where there are living quarters, there is even a judge and jury section inside. People end up going to your cabin to meditate and you always feel like you’re Judge Judy; especially when there is always an audience. You always see Mr. D munching popcorn in the back, who looks thoroughly entertained.

(You also swear you see three old grannies sitting in the corner that no one seems to acknowledge, knitting away as they watch you with an interested look)

You love routine and thus rules, that you follow to the T and make sure people don’t break away from it. A ruler follower through and through.

You get along with the Nemesis cabin as their godly mother is the goddess of retribution and balance, providing order and law, and punishing the unjust, much like Themis herself. You also befriend a child of Nemesis who you get along with swimmingly.

You also get along with the Athena Cabin, for their more logical thinking and their reasoning. You also get along with Athena and her children as the goddess is the representation of justice for her wisdom, and established the Athenian Legal system (depicted in The Oresteia).

Another thing you surprisingly do get along with, in terms of circumstances, are the Furies or under another name, the Eumenides/Erinyes. If you go with the story in the Oresteia, where Athena persuades the Kindly Ones to help with the Athenian Legal System and to punish those who were judged against the court of law. Of course, this doesn’t mean immediate immunity from them if the Themis demigods broke the ancient Greek Law or if somehow pissed off Hades and he sent the Furies after you, you just get along better with than most for the shared fact of enacting law and order.

I’d imagine if the demigod of Themis were to have a power, they would have the power of Balance; the power to manifest opposites in any event or infringe on the concept of itself, or Justice manipulation; where in the face of the law, order, and customs, anything that goes against it, punishment and consequences are enacted. It has to follow a semblance of morality, laws, and crimes, but also follows Ancient Greek laws and customs (like killing a family member is a big No-No, regardless if it's an act of revenge for the death of another family member); then say human laid out laws.

I can see the child of Themis being good at wielding the sword since Themis, especially modern depiction as Lady Justice, is depicted holding a sword.

Being a demigod of Themis, also means having stronger prophetic ties than the average demigod, and that means you also have the potential to be an oracle or have the ability to see the future. This is because Themis was also considered a prophetic goddess who presided over most ancient oracles, including Delphi as she was the divine voice who instructed mankind in the primal laws of justice and morality

You might also have the ability as an oracle to speak for the earth, as Themis was identified with Gaea as the role of the oracular voice of the Earth. You end up being the voice of the nymphs and satyrs as well, as you also can feel the earth talking to you. You may also be allowed as an honorary or guest member of the Council of Cloven Elders for certain situations.

Speaking of Gaea, as the child of Themis, if they were there during the Gaea awakening arc, I can imagine Gaea speaking to you through the Earth, and using you to speak her words in her place. As Themis was Gaea’s daughter and as her grandchild, you have a deeper connection with Gaea and therefore may have been used in her plans if you were around for the war against Gaea. The only thing that kept you safe was being a neutral faction of the order of the universe, and your being adhered to the laws, order, and customs set by the gods and humanity following them as well preserving peace much like Themis herself.  

You met Hestia at the hearth at first as you both tend to the pyre for the gods, and she treats you well as she confesses that Themis is her favourite aunt. You get a good idea what your godly mother may be like as you get to know Hestia more and more. You inherit a shawl and it brings a warmth you can almost place; it was warm and as you wrapped it around yourself, you can see a woman’s arms hugging you in a motherly way. 

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ “If I didn’t value peace and resolution so much, I would’ve thrown the book so many times today at people” you bemoaned as you sat around the fire next to Hestia. 

The goddess hummed as she tended to the flame before pouring a drink for you with your favourite treat. 

“How many times does it make it today?” asked Hestia, even though you both knew she knew and was just asking this question to basically let you open up.

“13 and counting. I know Themis is the titan of divine law, order, and customs but man I didn’t think being her demigod basically made me a judge!” 

“And yet, it makes perfect sense,” she teased. 

You sighed but nodded. “Yeah, it does. It always bothered me for as long as I could remember of people fighting or arguing when you know something was wrong or could’ve been compromised, and got into more trouble for not reading the room to interject into people’s conversations, but knowing that it's literally in my blood to make the peace? It sort of validates some things but at the same time, did I ever have a choice?”

Hestia hummed as the fire crackled.

“And yet we both value peace and do what we can to maintain peace.”

You were silent as you pondered. “Is that why you gave up your seat for Mr. D?”

“Yes. Dionysus did his best when he was a demigod to be acknowledged as a god and he rightfully gained it. However, much like my eldest brother Hades, there was no throne for him. In order to keep the peace, I gave up my throne for a seat back at the Hearth, where I tend and create a space whenever of my family need a refuge.” 

“You and my mom have your work cut out for just some semblance of peace” you commented. 

“Perhaps we do, but it is nonetheless something we wouldn’t have any other way” smiled Hestia. 

[badassbutterfly1987]

Since @ravencromwell mentioned being interested, here's my propaganda for watching the John Wick series (without big spoilers):

(under cut because I had a lot of thoughts)

the director Chad Stahelski (Keanu Reeves' stunt double for the Matrix and others) and everyone else started the first movie with the goal of making the action as good-looking and grounded as possible (unlike the shaky cam trend at the time), something mostly maintained even if the action gets increasingly ridiculous in the most delightful way.

have you seen the cast list? we've got (going by one per movie): Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Halle Berry, Hiroyuki Sanada, etc. we've also got notable martial artist actors like Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins to look and fight cool.

movie 1 presents some delightful worldbuilding nuggets about the assassin underworld and the rest really expand on it. multiple characters have deep histories that are implied and conveyed without long exposition.

you get Keanu Reeves playing a character who is simultaneously an intimidating badass and kinda pathetic. he retires from the assassin life to live with his wife but she dies and he's left to grieve alone with a puppy, which is then killed by an idiot mafia kid, thus prompting the events of movie 1 and beyond. everyone respects him but most try to kill him. he kills 77 people in movie 1 and 439 over the series. he keeps trying to kill his way out of problems and, like any Greek tragedy, it just makes things worse for him and his allies. he tries really hard not to die but admits all he has to live for is going home to peacefully mourn his wife; alternatively, the films can be interpreted self-destructive acts partially caused by suicidal ideation (that become increasingly destructive to the rest of the assassin community) since, as stated, he doesn't actually have much reason to live for. he's very good at surviving which is fortunate because he always looks half-dead by the end of each movie. this man frequently switchest between the cool stoic badass and looking like a sad wet dog that's just really tired guys.

you know how a lot of action movies in this genre can have a way of being weird about women just being there to look sexy or get fridged? This series has plenty of female assassins that aren't sexualized (quick interlude that I'm not being a prude about sexual stuff, it just often feels like it's tossed in for quick fanservice instead of being integrated into the story/theme/characters), they just exist and look cool and fight and some of them die but no more brutally than their male counterparts. John's wife is technically fridged but her death by terminal illness is an example of life sucking in general, with the killing of the dog she gifted to him being the actual inciting incident for the revenge quest.

the characters in general aren't really sexual. they all look good in nice suits (an argument can be made for costume porn) but they aren't really ogled by the camera. John gets a shower scene but it's mostly to show off the cool backstory-hinting tattoo. Ares gets a little too handsy during a patdown for weapons but considering she's butch lesbian-coded and played by open lesbian Ruby Rose, the audience can reasonably assume she's just messing with John.

there are so many good dogs in these movies and only the first movie has a dog death. there are two very sweet puppies just there to look cute and for John to pet. there are three Belgian Malinois who specialize in combo kills with their assassin owners.

also you get a disabled assassin in Caine (played by Donnie Yen), a great character whose story I won't spoil but I will say makes for a great foil to John, being recently retired and equally deadly. I really like that movie 4 introduces a blind character and takes the time to consider how he would fit into the world of assassins. He has a sword-cane, he's given written messages with braille writing, and he sets up motion sensors that make doorbell chimes if multiple opponents are approaching (it still has elements of Disability Superpower but it fits within the heightened reality of the series). this is still a case of a disabled character being played by an able-bodied actor but I'm also sure this is a case of them wanting to cast Donnie Yen and then writing a character for him to play.

these movies can actually be really funny without relying on Whedon-esque quippy jokes. once a movie John will yeet an empty gun at an opponent. movie 3 introduces a couple assassins who think he's the coolest and want the honor of killing him fairly and he is just silently exasperated (silent annoyance at all the bullshit is one of his default emotions). John kills someone with a book, and then later with a horse. the assassin dogs frequently attack the crotch before their owner goes for a headshot. that several hundred people die because they can't leave the retired sad assassin alone is darkly funny in general.

also the spin-off Ballerina is coming out later this year and it looks like a similarly good time. and hey you get to experience John Wick from the target's point of view (though I think he'll side with Eve by the end or at least walk away from that particular drama).

[sadhornydemons]

Rapid-Spoiler-Season-Speculation: Mastermind/Sinmas

Mastermind:

After a bout of angst filled episodes, I'm theorizing that this one might be the nice change of pace: fun, filler episode/calm before the storm.

Not to mention, a nice mixup of two villain groups.

The Cherubs mention they are waiting for I.M.P. to return to Earth, but the D.H.O.R.K.S. seem to have a portal to get to them faster?

Robot? Robot with a skull chest emblem? Well, if they already have a Loona Fursuit, I guess they could just be into making freaky shit now. Could they send it through the portal? In which case,

There's a massive battle going on in the Lust ring.

Blitz is missing from these scenes until this one where he appears to be at the Pride ring.

Where the crystal portal is finally shown, see previous example:

D.H.O.R.K.S. appear defeated (but still alive? Well, it's not like IMP kills humans for a living..oh, wait) and Blitz is grabbing the card off their desk.

End of screen captures/speculation for this one, but I feel like events have to be running gradually in the background of the last few episodes for the doo doo to really hit the fan in the last:

Sinmas:

First, let's talk voice actors. Harvey Guillén came in fairly recently, but has been confirmed to voice Vassago. Now, they can always work around voice work to be added later, but I'm really leaning towards his character not appearing until this last episode.

Jason LaShea voices Andrealphus, assuming this shot is from the finale:

I think it's likely that Andrealphus, being a minor character, only appears in one or two episodes. With that in mind, let's assume the following scenes, which share the same background images, also take place in Sinmas:

We see at least one Sin, confirmed members of the Ars Goetia, and several sporting crowns. Aka the higher ups & royalty of Hell. And Stolas is missing. Oh, but Andrealphus states he will summon him.

(Off topic, but does anyone in hell know/care that Stolas's ex wife tried to have him killed? Paparazzi mobbed his hospital when he was hurt, but no one followed up on that news story?)

Likely the same scene, "You are a disgrace." Unknown character states. Whom? Ozzie? Stolas? The demon who took the last blueberry muffin from the snack table?

"Where is Stolas, anyway?" Well, this is the only image of him that appears to be from the finale:

1) Is that a blessed weapon sword?) 2) Is that a Gabriella hair stripe or an 'I was frozen today!' Anna-inspired white stripe?)

Which matches up with this:

And either Stolas left the refrigerator open for 4 solid episodes resulting in his mansion freezing over or his in-laws are relatives of Elsa's and favor home renovations.

Okay, buckle up sluts, MASSIVE SPECULATION TIME:

What would cause Stolas to move out?

Or rather, what would force Stolas to move out?

Andrealphus wants his money and property, Stella just wants him dead, but she has to follow her brother's wishes. Andrealphus tells her, "I say we bid our time. And wait for the chance to gain the upper hand."

And they might had had it all along.

You know, I wanted to say that Blitz fully and unprompted, spelled out, in detailed terms, how he was using Stolas's item to gain access to the mortal world immediately upon meeting Striker, but in watching it again:

Striker seemed to already know? So, either, Stella knew and told him or he did his research (if the IMP commercial from the pilot is still canon, they basically broadcasted it). But Blitz does go a step further and literally job interviews the guy, likely giving him even more info in the process.

Stolas even states, more than once, that they're not suppose to be using the book and that it's 'less than legal' even in hell.

So far, Stella has only been attacking Stolas. Striker knows Octavia is Stolas's main weakness, but hearing all the 'Blitzy' mentions during torturing, maybe he'll relay that there's another way they can exploit him. After all, Stella just thinks of him as any interchangeable Imp.

Stolas stated before that he would not leave Octavia, so maybe this was the reason he returns to the palace? But not soon enough, considering...*

The voice over does not match the scene, but it is as follows:

"You never loved mother and you don't love me, you love HIM!"*

Back to the image, is Via a fast learner or does she have the Grimoire? During the Loo Loo Land flashback, Stolas, having studied the book for a decade at that point, still needed it to travel to other planets.

And IMP seemed to be using the crystal in the last episode..

And if that's not complicated enough, let's get back to the Hell High Council meeting,

It sounds like they're discussing Stolas, before Vassago asks, "Where is Stolas, anyway?" Before demanding that they summon him, "at once!" Fortunately, this parrot's suppose to be a good guy, since unfortunately it seems like Stolas is in real more trouble.

Is it the illegal spellbook loaning? The (still alive?) D.H.O.R.K.S. having him on film? Satan help him if someone also managed to record him twerking on stage at the Verosika Mayday show.

We'll have to wait and see, but Stolas appears to return to the mansion with Blitz afterwards.

< / End MASSIVE SPECULATION >

Well, that's what I came up with. We've got 6 more months to go, and as the episodes do FINALLY get aired things might become more clear.

[regarding-stories]

Satisfying mystery: Den-noh Coil

I'm not going to spoil this one, since it's such a satisfying story to experience. "Den-noh Coil" is a mystery story revolving around 6th grade children that use augmented reality (AR) glasses. The town they live in is an experimental space where the technology was tried out first. Kids, the most enthusiastic users, are drawn to the many wrinkles in the technology, hacking and spamming each other and the town's very aggressive (yet cute) AR "anti-virus", Searchie.

The show starts playful with the kids' shenanigans, but gets increasingly serious and dark, with horror overtones as it goes into its last third. The reasons why I recommend to watch it are several:

A deep mystery, involving multiple layers, that is completely resolved and explained towards the end of the show.

Rich world-building, with information about the setting being introduced partially through show-not-tell, partially through exposition dumps.

For all the episodes of the show that feature the main plot, rather good pacing, with the children being dragged along by events escalating and the viewer struggling to keep up with following what is revealed (but can manage).

Consistently great artwork, memorable characters, and fantastic imagery.

The story is emotionally touching and portrays emotions very well. In fact, all the main characters have an emotional motivation that they would follow well beyond the bounds of reason.

It is self-contained! You can walk away after having watched the show and would need no further media (no manga or light novel needed to continue), and you do not need to wait for sequels or anything.

Given how much ground the show has to cover, I was quite surprised that it even manages to contain a filler/recap episode, just to remind us of all the plot developments up to this point.

With the last episodes I was reeling. I was not sure the plot threads would resolve, nor the mystery, or if the end could be satisfying. The mystery grows as more elements and actors are introduced, but if you stay till the end, you would find that it does so in a logical fashion. Given the complexity of the matter, the end remains satisfying and follows from what was presented in the show.

As for the name, "den-noh" ("dennou" in more typical transliteration) means "electric-brain" or "computer" or "cyber." What a "coil" is will be revealed late in the show. Given that the show premiered in 2007, it's odd that it took a long time to really make its appearance in the West, but now you can stream it.

Highly recommended.

[alliskit]

The Grand Design.

On AO3.

TW: 18+. THE NEXT SEVERAL CHAPTERS will include depictions of abuse and violence. It addresses sexual abuse themes and includes explicit sexual content. Sadly, I wouldn’t suggest skipping it this chapter, but pieces of it will be addressed within other chapters. As for the others I will leave a notice for what to skip.

Song I had on repeat while writing this:

CH. 7: Vanpires Ar Reall.

- The Prelude - The Show - The Encore (Astarion POV)

There are so many eventualities that I could have planned for, but this. The week from utter hell. This never could have plagued my already dark imaginations. It is natural for me to think the worst, for survival purposes, but when I was surprised by something much scarier than I could have ever dreamt, it threw me.

[Astarion Note: Yes, I give you express permission to break our pact so you may include and take to print the events that occurred. They were just as much a living nightmare for me, but I had already lived a much worse one. I'm so sorry, always.]

We set down for the night in an ancient druid sanctuary under a large tree canopy. We decided we needed come up with a better strategy to approach the hag in her own domain. What did we have that could be used to bargain and were we equipped to take her on if things went south?

Wyll took up cooking duties so Gale could study up on different hags and their powers. The evening was somber and quiet. Most of my companions spent the evening sharpening weapons and checking spells. Wyll took a walk after dinner. Gale said it was to probably converse with his patron on how to deal with the hag, if Wyll could still communicate with them under the tadpole's interference.

The moon was bright through the branches, sky clear. It was beautiful. I could feel the tension of my camp mates, even if I had no real sense of what we were going to deal with. I sat down next to Gale, watching Astarion and Durge chat in front of the tent beside his.

"How's the study?"

He peeked up from his book propped in his lap. "It's... Well, I'm not quite sure what to expect. I would rather not have any dealings with a hag, but she didn't make any promises to get you home, so I'm inclined to think this may be a more peaceful encounter."

"What should we expect?" I watched Astarion tap a finger on Durge's chest, then make a snarky face, flirting. 

"We should expect that she doesn't think we know she's a hag, but when we request something of her, she will reveal what she is and expect payment of some kind. Usually, it is something hard to pay."

I nodded, "Well, she is the one who made the offer, so maybe she'll be amiable. Maybe, she won't ask for anything."

He watched me blankly, "Doubtful, but I like your positivity."

I tapped his knee with my hand. "Your food is probably cold by now. Don't waste it." I thumbed toward the bowl of soup sitting on the edge of the rug. 

He looked at it, then went back to his book, "I'll get around to it." Then more to himself, "Wouldn't want to disappoint Tara."

"Who's Tara?"

His eyes shot to me, "Oh, I didn't mean to say that out loud. She's my tressym."

"A tressym?"

He smiled, "Only the best animals there are. Very intelligent and gifted wielders."

"Animals can wield magic?"

He hummed, "Oh, yes. But, very few. Tressyms are one such exceptional beings. I summoned her myself and she never left my side. Well, she didn't join me at the Academy or Blackstaff, but was close by, nonetheless."

"What do they look like?" He seemed to be talking around something or he forgot I wouldn't have any frame of reference.

"I take it there are no tressyms on your planet."

I shook my head. 

"Gosh, what a drab plane of existence... no tressyms. Well, they look like house cats with wings." He rubbed the back of his neck as he shook his head in disbelief.

"We have something similar in mythology, like the sphinx, but no, we don't have them forreal."

"Very sad, indeed. If we get ourselves out of this mess, and you have found it in yourself to have a little adventure before you pop home, time willing, I could..." His eyes searched mine, like he was looking for something, hoping, as he said the rest of his thought. "Introduce you to her in Waterdeep. Waterdeep is called the City of Splendors for a reason." His mouth lifted in a soft smile as he watched me. 

I watched him back. I wasn't sure why he would seem nervous about the idea of introducing me to his pet, but sometimes people viewed their pets much like a child. I wouldn't introduce just anyone to Sylas. I smiled back, "I'd like that. I take it's on the water?"

A playful glint lit his eyes, "Yes, very much so. As is my tower. The waves crash below the portico and you can watch the sunset over the ocean."

Impressive, and definitely something I wanted to see, "Well, if you're offering to host, I'll have to take you up on the offer. It sounds enchanting."

The playful glint faded into something pleased. "I think she would really like you."

I watched him a moment, considering everything he'd said to describe his cat, "Does she talk?"

He laughed. "In a way. When a tressym has bonded with someone, you can hear them without a spell or potion, otherwise you'll need to cast speak with animals."

"Ah, interesting. I wish we had bonds like that back home. Would solve a lot of problems. Though, I imagine I'd just hear my dog asking for a ball or outside a hundred times a day."

He smiled, "Oh, she definitely is quite insistent at meal times."

"Sounds like a cat."

His brow perked, "She's so much more."

"All pet owners think that. I would know. I'm guilty of it too."

He bumped me with an elbow, "I should get back to it. I would hate to be literally blindsided."

I pushed to standing, noticing Astarion and Durge again. They were still getting cozy, Astarion leaning in a little more as he spoke low. I left them to it. Better they have each other than have Durge lean on me. 

Though, as I passed them, I heard a small whistle. I turned to see Durge wink and wave in my direction. Astarion watched Durge, annoyed. I bid them both goodnight.

The rest of the night was uneventful. My sleep was as dismal as it had been the last few days.

I could have cursed the sun for rising. I hoped, due to the immense stress of my latest adventure, it might delay the inevitable. But, no. The inevitable was exactly on time, with the worst timing imaginable: I had my period.

Luckily, it wouldn’t be heavy for another day or so. I had time to ask Shadowheart or Lae’zel about options, if they even bled to begin with. It would be just my luck if neither of their races had to deal with this regularly.

We had a quick breakfast and made our way back through the swamp. Gale perked up when we located a waypoint. "If this does go well, and you feel safe staying behind, we can, hopefully, get you back much quicker this way."

I eyed the purple runes. "Will it work on me?"

He paused. The others watched him. "Actually... I'm not sure. Possibly not. I guess we will have to see at another time."

We continued on our way. We came upon three staircases. A voice called to us from the top of the stone one to our left. Waiting and waving was a smiling worn traveler armed with a large crossbow.

"Excuse the aroma: powdered iron-vine."

Wyll pushed through the group to the front, his pack jostling with the movement, "An old hunter's trick."

"Yes, if you can't mask your scent, spoil it."

Wyll put out his hand, "The Blade of Frontiers, at your service."

The man shook it, "It's nice to put a face to the name."

A voice cut in from the back of the group: Astarion. "You're a monster hunter? I thought all Gur were vagrant cutthroats."

The rest of us flipped our heads to our companion, confused and surprised at the sudden bigotry and the fact he felt the need to speak up at all.

The man laughed, unphased by the prejudice. "And more. We steal chickens, curse crops, seduce your daughters. If only my people had half the powers others think we possess. Alas, we are simple wanderers. I'm a simple wanderer and monster hunter."

"What monster are you hunting?" Wyll asked.

"I'm hunting a vampire spawn."

Wyll twisted back to us, "See I told you! It was a vampire bite. I'm not an idiot."

There was a round of rolled eyes and guffaws. 

"You've seen proof of the spawn in the area? How long ago and where?" The hunter's interest was piqued.

"Up past Moonhaven to the east. There's a grove nearby and there was a boar drained along the road," Wyll replied.

"Oh that's most helpful. I came to seek the hag of these lands to help me flush him out. I feared he'd gone to ground."

"A vampire spawn? But, why?" Astarion asked from behind me.

"Why does it matter?" Shadowheart probed, watching him.

He pierced her with a look. "It seems so specific. There's so many monsters out here."

The hunter smiled softly, "Vampires are parasites and we don't need a reason to destroy them. In this case, it's a sacred mission from the head of my tribe. She has sent me to capture it and return it to her."

Astarion hummed, "Why capture? And bring it where?"

We were all watching Astarion again. Why was he so invested in a random stranger when he was barely interested in the companions he had known for several days? It's not as if he were asking us about our lives. He hadn't talked to us much besides random teasing and shallow meal talk, with an exception to Durge.

"Baldur's Gate."

Wyll lit up, "You're from the Gate?"

As he and the man spoke about the city, which they were both from, I eyed Astarion. He noticed, his eyes narrowing, "Like what you see?" he said harshly.

I didn't reply. I turned back around, but I heard Durge speak to him, "Do calm down, you're positively twitching."

I heard Wyll ask how, Gandrel, now introduced, would catch a vampire spawn. Wyll clearly wanted to make a point to rest of us. "At night, of course." The reply earned snickers and smirks as Wyll stuffed his ire. Gandrel noticed the response and patted Wyll on the shoulder. "But, I can say no more, some trade secrets we cannot share and are best learned."

"How sensible," Astarion quipped.

Everyone eyed him again. Why Astarion felt the need to continue to respond was getting more curious. 

"We should go, we have a hag to see. But, you have fun tracking your monster," he said through the phoniest smile I had ever seen.

Wyll turned and invited Gandrel to join us. I watched Astarion's smarmy mask drop, anxiety in its place. He quickly recovered when Gandrel denied the offer remarking about needing to go his own way to focus on his hunt. Astarion was the first to turn tail and head up toward the next set of stairs. 

I lead us in, since seeing the hag was my idea. The treehouse was a bit down trodden, but quite cute. If I were to live in a tiny fantasy cottage wrapped around a tree, it would have looked very similar. 

I knocked on the doors. The kind voice replied from within, "Come in, come in!"

The inside was just as cozy. The older woman stood before the stone hearth. It looked like she had some tea on. She flicked her gaze to me, lighting up in recognition, "Oh, sweetie, you came! Let me pour you... Oh and you brought friends. Wonderful."

She scurried up the stairs and wrapped me in an embrace. I couldn't help it, she reminded me again so much of my own grandmother, I held her back. I smiled at her as I pulled back, "Remind me your name again?"

"Ethel, but you may call me Auntie, petal," she said rubbing her hand down my arm. "Introduce me to your friends."

I named everyone off as she smiled and nodded along. "I hope the trip in wasn't too harsh. I'm glad you're all in one piece."

I paused, catching her insinuation. Considering I could see all the traps hidden in the muck, I wondered if she thought we couldn't.  I did my best to pretend like I didn't catch her veiled threat. Some of my companions, like Lae'zel, didn't hide their understanding as they watched the woman carefully.

I smiled at her, "These guys are just my chaperones, but I came to talk to you about my predicament since you offered to give me some direction. Do you mind if they set down to rest a little while you and I talk?" 

She nodded kindly at the rest, "Of course, sweetie. Everyone can take a load off, take a nap, talk a walk if you like. I have a kettle on if any of you would like tea. Also, that basket over there is full of apples. Feel free to take one."

I watched my companions spread out. Gale came up next to me, joining Ethel and I. He held his hand to her, "Gale of Waterdeep. I'm a wizard. I can sense a touch of the wilds about you. As another wielder, I am interested in helping our mutual friend find solutions to her problem."

Ethel shook his hand, patting the top, "It is always a pleasure to make an acquaintance with another who is in touch with the Weave. Feel free to give any advice. I'm an old woman, but willing to learn new things. Who knows, she may have found a solution already in your capable hands."

Gale's cheeks heated, "Thank you, Ethel."

"Call me, Auntie."

He nodded as we followed her to a small table at the hearth. She poured us tea as I began to recount my adventures on the Nautiloid and the aftermath. Ethel and Gale eyed each other, faces a bit drawn over what I was saying. 

Ethel laid a hand on my shoulder, leaning towards me, "You've been through so much. Your bravery should be commended. Nautiliods, from the limited knowledge I have, can cross planes. Mind Flayers are from outside of our world as well. I know of portals to cross planes to places directly connected to Toril, like the Feywilds. But, I have never heard of such that cross to planes that are not somehow attached to our own. Though, Earth may simply be one we have yet to record."

Gale nodded, "Mind Flayers are originally from outside our realm, but have made homes here in the material plane, the Astral, and the Shadowfell." Gale leaned on his elbow, supporting his chin with his hand. "I wonder, since the ship did portal through the hells, if the hells aren't the access point. Some planes we can only access from a middle ground. Evereska is essentially a way station between Faerun and the Feywilds, it exists in both and is the only way in."

Both sat speculating to themselves. I spoke up, "Okay, so theories are that either Earth just hasn't been accessed enough to have been written down, maybe it was accessed but those who hopped back and forth thought it was still Toril?"

"That or they were trapped on your end," Gale added.

"Yeah that tracks with some of our conspiracies. The other is that there is a middle plane, like a link between us."

He and Ethel nodded. 

"Okay, so how do we test the theories?"

Ethel tipped her head back and forth, then turned to me, "Portals are big magic. Very time consuming and often are only granted access by the gods or by those with exceptional gifts. I will 'toot my own horn' so to speak that I am one such, but I deal more with portals that move between this realm. I can do some research and some trials, but for the work necessary, I will need payment. I understand you aren't from here, so I am willing to barter creatively."

She put it so nicely, but my heart started to tick in my chest. The familiar throb causing my breath to go shallow. What would she want of me? What could I even offer her? 

Gale saved me. "I can start the research on the hells and if there are any mentions of external planes yet to be understood. Rumors of rumors, so to speak. I can do a sending and see if some colleagues can't help out."

I nodded, "Thank you guys." I turned to Ethel, trying to keep calm, "What were you thinking for payment because, you're right, I have no gold to my name."

She smiled kindly, "Give me the rest of the day. Come back tomorrow and I will have a better idea. I promise it won't be something you can't deliver on."

She offered us more tea, but we declined and made our way back out into the swamp. We waved up at Gandrel as we turned up the opposite stairs, finding a dry spot to set up camp near the treehouse. 

The afternoon was spent behind books or off on walks and finally around the campfire for our meal. The companions watched me at different times. The anxiety induced chest pain hadn't subsided. It was consuming my attention. I found myself habitually rubbing across my diaphragm or stretching just to make space for more air.

I didn't eat much and kept playing out the conversation with Ethel and Gale. I needed some answers to try to help the small spiral I was swirling into. I found Gale flipping through more books again.

I wanted to hug him. He had his own issues to deal with. He didn't need to be worrying about mine. Though, maybe this gave him a focus from the impending doom he felt over his parasite problem. 

I plopped down next to him, "Thanks again for today."

He flashed up, noticing me for the first time. He shook his head, "Oh, it's quite alright."

I smiled, sympathetic, “Still. It's like the ultimate riddle."

A smirk slowly pulled on his face, "I do love riddles."

Shadowheart paused in front of us. "How's the research? Any idea what the hag will want in return for helping you?"

"Shadowheart," Gale chided. "Maybe we leave that particular for tomorrow's problems? Hm?"

She shrugged, "What? I'd be coming up with a list of possibilities and contingencies to barter. You're the scholar, what do you think she would ask of someone who can't do magic and isn't from Toril?"

Gale shook his head, "Not a clue. Do you have any ideas?"

Shadowheart eyed me, "How old are you?"

"Thirty five, why?"

"How long do humans live on your planet?" she asked.

I tilted back and forth as I considered, "On average between seventy and ninety years, why?"

She looked around camp, thinking, "You're still in childbearing years. But..."

Gale watched her nervously.

I waited for her to finish.

"Never mind. That wouldn't make sense." She focused on Gale, "Does she know about us? The tadpoles?"

He nodded. 

"Okay, then forget I ever said anything. My original idea wouldn't be viable. Have a good night." She turned to head out, then eyed the red tent next door, twirling to us again, but taking a squat to speak quieter. "Have you noticed Astarion acting strangely since meeting that hunter?"

Gale glanced at Astarion's tent, "I wasn't paying enough attention, so no. I've been a little distracted."

"I only thought his interaction with the guy was odd. But, I haven't really been paying much attention since Ethel's either," I added.

She hummed. "Well, something's up, I'm just not sure what. I don't know if it was the vampire thing or the Gur thing, but he seems bothered."

We nodded as she stood up and continued to walk through camp.

Just then, Wyll popped out of his tent, calling out to the rest of us, "Everyone, I've got something for you, just in case." In his arms were a stack of what looked like wooden tent stakes.

We all headed over to his tent. "These are wooden stakes. Keep them on you at all times. Hopefully, the spawn isn't in the swamp, but you never know. We are an easy target, especially if any of us wanders off. We can do watch shifts tonight. I'll take first, anyone want to take second?"

"I can take second, Wyll," Astarion said, taking one of Wyll's weapons.

Shadowheart watched him, then turned and took a stake from Wyll.

"Perfect. Hopefully we don't need to use any of them," Wyll added. 

"Thank you, Wyll, for being so well prepared and generous," Astarion purred.

"You're welcome," Wyll smiled. 

We all took a stake and saw it as a sign to call it a night.

I don't know if it was my insomnia or just a need to relieve myself, but I had to get out of my tent. I pulled back the flaps, but didn't see anyone at the campfire. Whether Wyll or Astarion, one of them must have been doing something to keep themselves awake or they were off to the toilet too. I was a bit groggy and may have missed them at their tents.

I stepped around mine and picked my way through the foggy wood, peeking back to make sure I could still see the fire so I didn't go too far. I could make out some smoke from the treehouse chimney a little ways off. I wasn't too far from either. I picked a semi-secluded spot and dropped trow.

I missed toilets and toilet paper. I missed my large sweatshirts and comfy sweatpants. I missed my bed.

I shook my hips a little and wiped with a small rag to get any last drips of piss and blood off myself before pulling up the camp pants I found in my bag from Lia. There was a blouse I thought of putting on, but the night was so muggy, I opted for the corset, leaving it a little loose. It wasn't uncomfortable, surprisingly. 

I peeked back at our campfire, then over at the chimney. The night was clear, even if some fog hung among the trees. If anything went wrong, Ethel, my companions, and Gandrel would hear my shouts and come to help. As I tied my pants closed, stuffing the rag in my pocket, I decided to take a walk. I really need to clear my head. My anxiety was still rampaging through my body, keeping me from deep sleep. 

I headed toward the treehouse. Maybe Ethel was still awake and I could toss around some ideas for payment, or even just have some tea. Though, I doubted it. Older women usually went to sleep early. Maybe it was the same for old hags.

As I made my way, I thought about what Shadowheart had asked. Why would being childbearing age matter? And why would having the tadpole be an issue in bargaining with the hag? I couldn't believe I was even trying to make a deal with one; that hags were even real.

Wild magic, elves, vampires, goblins, tieflings, hell itself, dragons, all of it was real. It felt like a fever dream. It felt like I had fallen down a well and woken up in a wonderland.

Wyll had a patron who gave him powers. Shadowheart served a dark god. Durge was part dragon who breathed lightning. Lae’zel was from an asteroid. Gale owned a cat that could talk, do magic, and had wings. He and his collegues knew about opening portals. For god sake, Ethel had admitted to knowing how to open portals to different locations on Toril.

Where the hell was I? What the hell did I have to offer these people? The only interesting thing I had to my name was my confusing ability to dampen magic and a new weapon. What use was I in a world that ran on magic? Entire religions and technology here were powered by it.

Speaking of religions, a new one was evolving and my new companions were supposed to be a big part of it. What were the chances of that? Something was brewing here and I had crash landed into it. How much longer before I turned into a burden? How much longer before they didn’t need me? Did they even ever need me?

I didn't hear him.

I didn't see him.

When people talk about being attacked by animals in the woods, most would attest to feeling some sort of innate feeling of being watched or they would have seen it coming, doing what they could to get away. There were no warnings, no feelings, no time to flee.

I looked up at the front porch of the treehouse pondering if I should knock on the doorway.

Then I was on the moss floor.

Air was forced out of my lungs on impact. A strong body held me to the ground. A leg pinned my right thigh, as an arm wrapped around my head, pulling it off the side, the other staying my right arm. Pain like I had never felt speared into the crux between my neck and right shoulder.

And I screamed.

Through my cries, I felt the bite deepen. They sucked hard on my skin through their teeth. My head spun. My shoulder and neck throbbed. My heart skipped in my chest while my breath failed. I felt warmth spread over my shoulder, leaking a bit down toward the back of my neck. I was going to die.

All of a sudden, my mind began to clear past the some of the pain. It was as if a switch clicked and my survival brain snapped on. I couldn't see their head, but I swung my left arm over and gripped hair, ripping it back. 

The thing screeched as it released my shoulder with a suction, giving me an opening. 

I pulled up my left knee to where I hoped was a crotch and nailed home. The thing threw itself back, rolling off of me quickly, as it screeched louder. I clamored to my feet and threw myself forward, tripping from the dizziness that doused me. 

I ran for home. 

I ran for the light. 

Stars sparked in my vision. I needed to get help soon or I was going to pass out. I skidded into the campsite, overshooting my tent. I winced at the acute shoulder pain.

I realized I had made an error.

I spun, hoping to any god out there that the thing was still writhing on the ground and I could get to the stake. 

No gods were listening.

A blur took me to ground once more from my left side. I landed on my back, face to face with Astarion.

All fight melted out of me. It was over. Terror had rendered me useless.

I thought of Sylas, of the man I saw in his eyes, the one I would never know. I thought of my parents and siblings who would never find out what happened. I thought of the future I wanted. I thought of Brian. I should have been screaming in fear. Instead, I was stone. I felt the dawning acceptance of fate. 

No more running.

No more pain.

No more grief.

No more fear.

There was nothing I could do anymore. He was the wolf and I, the deer. This was the cycle of life. To kill or be killed. To fight to live or die trying. 

In that moment with Astarion above me, every detail was carved into recesses of my mind. In the short moments, my life slowed as I watched him ready to kill me.

He was terrifying. I didn't realize he could get any paler, yet he looked like death itself. His peeled back lips held a light hint of purple as they pulled over teeth covered in the red of my blood. The same blood was smeared across his chin. His canines were two inch long spears protruding from his upper jaw. His eyes were dilated irises blown wide enough to look like twin solar eclipses. Nothing behind them but pure hunger.

He was a manifestation of need. He was a nightmare. He was the vampire spawn. 

I was never going to be able to stop him with either of my weapons. I was too slow, too untrained, too naive to the realities of the threats of this world. Too human.

I could only hope Sylas would find a way home. 

As those fangs dove to reconnect with my flesh, a rippling wave soared over me, knocking Astarion several feet away. 

I turned to see Gale and Durge descend on him. The other companions charged out of their tents, weapons in hand. Durge held his red blade to Astarion's throat while Gale cast a spell hog tying his hands and feet together. He pulled him up by the back of his blouse and onto his knees. His eyes were still wild, teeth bared as he glared up at Gale and Durge. 

I let my head fall back as my body began to shake involuntarily. 

I was alive.

A body skidded next to me: Shadowheart. She tipped my head up forcing a healing potion into my mouth, begging me to swallow, or so I assumed, as I realized I couldn't understand her. I had forgotten my enchanted necklace in my tent. 

I tried to tell her. It seemed she understood as my words probably came out as gibberish. She tossed the empty bottle, running for my tent. I felt a warmth and a tickle at my neck as the healing potion began to work through my body. I sat up as she handed me the pouch. 

"Thank you," I whispered. 

She nodded and jogged over to Astarion and the others. 

I instinctually reached for my new wound, my fingers slicking with my blood. I wiped them on my pants then pushed myself, slowly, to standing. I was surprised to see Wyll and Lae'zel with arms out ready to catch me if I fell. 

"Would you like us to deal with the spawn?" she asked.

Wyll was examining my bloody shoulder and bite marks. "Shadowheart, can you come here a moment?"

She jogged back. "What is it?"

He nodded toward my neck. "It's not going away."

She stood in front of me, then walked around to look at the wound from the back. "Odd. It's closed, but the marks are still swollen. Usually, it heals pretty quickly." She faced me again, "Let me see your hand."

I held up the hand that had been sliced only the day before.

"Interesting. The mark is still there like an old scar," she said staring at it oddly.

Gale called to us, "Did the healing potion not work?"

Shadowheart turned to him, "It did, but it doesn't heal completely. It leaves a scar."

I cleared my throat, "I'm going to be marked forever?"

She just stood watching me. Then she sighed, "Maybe if we get you a superior healing potion it will remove them. Don't worry too much now."

It was an automatic reaction, I couldn't even connect a coherent thought to it. I began shaking again.

Understanding flashed behind her eyes, "You're in shock." She ran back into my tent, bringing a blanket to wrap around me and a bottle of water. 

"Do you want to go back to bed?" Wyll asked.

I watched as Astarion turned to finally look at me, panting. I just stood watching him for a minute. 

"Untie me!" he screamed whipping his head between Durge and Gale. "Oh, gods, I'm going to be sick. Untie me, Wizard!"

They stood just watching, doing nothing. I stepped forward as he gasped small breaths, then yelped, folding over in pain. "What is..." He looked over at me, pure fear in his eyes. 

We all watched him in confusion. Was this supposed to be happening?

He heaved, then vomited, twice. Two giant stomach fulls of blood and tonight's dinner now covering his front and the ground. 

Gasps and questions sounded around me. Evidently, this was unusual. We all gathered around the spawn as he dry heaved again, followed by a cry of pain, his body curling in on itself as much as it could while tied up. 

He was panting heavily. Staring up at us with wild eyes, the red returned. His forehead dotted with sweat, silver curls sticking to it.

His gaze snapped to mine as I stood in front of him and the mess of my blood.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" he growled. 

All the others faded to the background as my mind centered on him. 

Those words clanged around in my head setting off all the triggers I thought I had dismantled. Anger and rage began to burn like a furnace within me. 

Why was I always the problem? It didn't matter if I was taking in the groceries and the bag snapped, dropping our glass jars onto the tile floors. It didn't matter that I had thought I was making a silly joke, it was disrespect. It didn't matter that I had shared my heart and hurt with a friend, it made him look bad. It didn't matter he forgot my doctor's appointment, I should have cancelled it since he made plans for himself.

It didn't matter if I was the one who was being hunted, something was wrong with my blood. 

I couldn't fight back. I couldn't show him how I really felt. I couldn't be truly angry. I had to keep it together. I had to regulate, even if he never did and would never try.

But, he was supposed to be dead. Yet, his words echoed before me. 

An unfamiliar face mocked me with his voice, his words. 

I was always the problem. If he thought me so much the problem, then I would finally show him how much of a problem I could be.

I turned and pulled the stake from Wyll, my blanket sliding from my shoulders as the glass bottle hit the ground.

I turned back to him. Finally tied up.

In a position of weakness.

I would finally get to fight back. 

His face turned to a snarl, "Go ahead. Kill me. I know you want to."

My heart and head focused like a knife's edge. It was only he and I, now. I flipped the stake in my hands, sharp end down. 

"I would kill you, but you're already dead." 

A crack. A grunt. A gasp of surprise. His eyes shimmering spheres, wide in shock as the blunt end of the stake made contact with his temple and cheekbone. I hit him again.

And again. 

No one to stop me. 

No one to take it out on me. 

His blood mixed with mine on his face. His eyes empty. 

In a position of weakness. 

I was now the monster who would haunt his dreams. I pulled back again.

I heard my companions’ shocked gasps, but my mind was so sharpened on my target, they didn't mean anything to me anymore. They were background noise. I snapped forward, but a strong, cold, bony hand held my wrist.

"No more."

Something like cold water washed over my consciousness. I turned to the face of the undead priest who had promised to see me again soon. He had interesting timing. 

"I shant revive any of thou compatriots if thou art slain at one another's hands. Though, if thou art slain by sword or mishap while on your way, I will revive thee, for a price."

Gale huffed, then under his breath, "Can anything come without strings attached for once?"

"Ah, a new one. I know thy face and it has been recorded."

Gale watched him confused. "Do you know him?" he asked me.

It took me a moment to adjust my focus. I nodded, "He was in the large sarcophagus in the tomb Sylas opened."

"And when were you planning on telling us?" Shadowheart added from my other side.

I shrugged. "We had bigger problems. I forgot."

I heard Astarion cough and spit at my feet. He was glaring up at me now, but the fire in his eyes was small, the emptiness a wall within him. I knew the look too well, but didn't pity him.

"What do we call you?" Wyll inquired.

"Whatever you wish," he replied, releasing my wrist.

Astarion snorted, the sound wet. He said something in a different language.

"I am the Withered, you are correct."

"Withers it is, then," Gale stated, exasperated. "Alright, so if we kill each other, you won't revive us, but if we are slain in battle or fall off a cliff, you will do so. For a price."

"Correct."

I snapped my head around at the group just accepting his promises to bring us back from the dead as if he were telling them the rules of a new game to play. Today was getting more and more nuts. I needed to sleep. My neck and shoulder burned. I hadn't even registered the pain as I swung down on Astarion over and over with my right arm.

His face was swelling and beginning to bruise. 

Gale noticed us staring at each other, catching my attention. "Well, I guess Astarion's fate is up to you. You can stake him or you can banish him, or you can, well, those are my suggestions."

I watched Astarion's shoulders slump, head wringing with the same acceptance I felt beneath him. He fully expected to die. 

I turned to Durge. He was watching Astarion with a look of disappointment, not anger. I thought about all the odd times I caught their conversations. How quick he had denied the vampire bites at the boar.

"Durge, how long have you known?" I asked.

Surprise met my eyes as he opened his mouth, unable to reply. We all waited. Astarion tipped his head back to look up at Durge, eyes daring him to tell the truth. Durge quickly glanced down at him then at me again, "Since the shipwreck."

"I knew it!" Shadowheart cried. 

"Are you kidding me?" Wyll complained. "I have been pointing out to you all the indicators and you dismissed me."

Gale looked way, staying quiet. 

"Gale?" I started. "Did you know?"

Guilt stared back at me.

"You promised you had it under control," Durge yelled at Astarion.

"I do!" he panted. "I did," he confessed quieter. His head drooped again.

I pushed the heels of my hands against my eyelids, stars alighting behind them. The dizziness of blood loss was returning. This was madness. I was just attacked and my companions knew the whole time we had a threat at camp, and no one tried to teach me to defend myself. I yelled. It echoed out of the chasm in my heart and through the trees.

How long had Astarion been waiting for this? How many of those threatening stares I thought were jealousy were actually him contemplating my death? My camp mates were just children holding the leash of a wolf. 

"I can't do this. I need..." I flashed around at the faces watching me, my heartbeat irregular again.

"Go to sleep," Lae'zel demanded.  

I didn't object. I just nodded and turned away from the group and headed straight for my tent.

"Wait, what of me?" Astarion's voice cracked.

I turned around to the face full of fear. "Like I said. You're already dead. No need to kill you again." 

He collapsed onto the ground, I suspected in relief, but I didn't stick around to find out.

Astarion POV -

My whole body felt like it had been set aflame. My veins burned beneath the skin as I collapsed onto the dirt before the fire. I heard the others head back to their tents one by one.

I could hear Wyll sharpening a stake in his tent. I could hear Shadowheart popping the cork of a wine bottle. I heard Lae'zel adjust her sword closer before settling in her bedroll. I heard Durge toss and turn as he fell back to sleep. I even heard Withers saunter off into the fog.

I could hear her quiet sobbing. 

Gale sat on the log next to me, taking the rest my shift of watch.

Time slipped past, as always, tied up and lying in my own mess. It wasn't the first time. It wouldn't be the last. They would likely hand me over to the Gur when the sun rose, then I would be back in the thrall and torment of Cazador. 

I spit again, thinking of him. My head throbbed and cuts burned from Abigail's strong hits. I was almost proud of her. If I hadn't been the target of her rage, it would have been even better than watching her deck the druid. There was a deep well of violence within her. I would know. Had I noticed it sooner, I could have cultivated it for my own uses.

Pathetic little boy. Impulsive. Impudent. Thoughtless imbecile. A pretty face with an empty skull.

She should have killed me. Maybe, she would have had I kept my mouth shut. I could never do it before, unless I was forced. I swore I would never be forced again as I soaked in those first rays off the Nautiloid. I swore too soon.

I swallowed the tears threatening to break free. There was no use in crying. Crying was for those who had lost something. I gave it up.

She wasn't supposed to break free. She was supposed to die on the ground. I gave up my only mark and lost control. 

Now, I would lose all control, forever. 

I swallowed my dry throat again. Gods, I needed a drink. I eyed the blood puddled beneath my face. I turned and licked it. Damn the wizard, I didn't care. 

My stomach lurched. 

"Are you truly that needy? Have you not drank enough blood already?" Gale taunted, swigging back a bottle of water. 

My whole body screamed. I needed that water. My tongue felt like sand in my mouth. 

"Give me that," I demanded.

His brows bunched, "What?"

"Give me the water," I said again.

He held the bottle up examining it oddly. "Water? I thought vampires couldn't drink water? Or rather it was useless."

"I'm parched, wizard. Something is wrong with her blood. It's making me..." The revelation of my current state dawned like the sun. "I'm thirsty."

The disdain for me made way for his own curiosity. "You're thirsty?" He watched me a moment before pulling me back to my knees. His eyes narrowed, "If I release your feet, so you can sit properly, will you run? Because if you run, I will put you in hold for the rest of the night."

I shook my head, watching him back, "I promise to be a good boy."

He rolled his eyes, but he was good on his word and freed my feet. A sigh escaped me. He pulled on my arm to sit me next to him. 

He sat there waiting for something.

"Are you truly going to feed me by hand?" I couldn't believe he was really considering this. 

"By Mystra, Astarion, you tried to kill one of us tonight. Why in the hells would I trust you right now?" 

My shoulders slumped. "Fine. Try not to miss my mouth."

"Also, you're covered in blood and vomit. You reek. You probably need a good dousing." He held up the bottle to my mouth and tipped it as I tipped back. Cool liquid flooded and I swallowed. It wasn't enough. My mouth was still too dry.

I needed more, so much more. It was as if my two hundred years without had finally caught up to me. I needed to be near drowning in water. 

"Are you just going to sit there or are you going to give me more, wizard?" I demanded.

He examined me with confusion and some kind of academic interest. "You... When was the last time you fed? And I mean from a person."

My jaw tightened. I could lie to him. It would be better if he feared me. It would be better than my honesty being met with apathy. But, I would be handed over come morning, either way. What did I have to lose that I hadn't already?

I huffed, "I've never..."

I watched his incredulity as he finished my confession in his head. "Never?"

I shook my head, turning to absently watch the fire, "She was my first."

"Barely, I take it. By the amount of blood you left on her and the ground." He covered his mouth with his spare hand, stifling a laugh. 

"What's so funny?" I spit.

"Just that... You might be the worst vampire ever. As in, not a good one. Vampires are supposed to be apex predators in the dark."

I glared at him, "Your point?"

He chuckled, "My point is that, maybe, you're not the threat we think you are." He hummed, turning to the fire, "We all have our burdens."

I watched him as his mind was lost on something he didn't seem intent on sharing. He turned back to face me after a moment, "Alright, I'll give you the chance to earn my trust."

I felt the tie at my wrists snap. He held out the water. "Here, drink it."

I gripped it from him and chugged the whole thing. 

"This can't be normal."

I wiped across my mouth. Blood staining my shirt sleeve. I handed the bottle back to Gale, "It's not. Something's wrong. I'm craving water and food. I've been a vampire spawn for centuries and all I've ever craved is blood."

Gale hopped up and trotted toward his tent, turning back momentarily, "Wait there, please. I'm going to get something to put on to cook." He was back with a few more water bottles, prepping the food and pots a few minutes later. 

I sat with my hands in my lap. "You don't have to do this for me, you know."

"To be transparent, I'm not sympathetic to whatever you're experiencing, but I do have academic interest. When I get the food cooked, expect a few questions. I've never had an opportunity to speak with a vampire or spawn directly. So, this will be a chance to learn and record some new findings. At the very least, for myself."

I smirked. Of course it was academic, but at least I had an opportunity to present my case. Maybe, I could convince him to let me stay. Lean into his 'worst vampire ever' estimations. 

I uncorked another water bottle, tossing it back until it was empty. 

We sat and cooked in relative silence until I heard Durge stir and come to join us. I kept my face blank, but I couldn't stop the feeling of regret. I had messed up on two fronts tonight. Hopefully, I could at least recover one. 

"What are you making, Gale?" Durge asked the wizard while watching me.

"I'm just tossing around some spare rabbit and potatoes... for Astarion."

Durge flashed to me. "Why?"

"I'm... hungry."

"Don't you need blood for that?" he asked flatly.

"I..." 

Gale finished for me, "Something is odd with Abigail's blood. It has awakened natural cravings. He has chugged nearly all of my water bottles."

Durge tipped his head curiously, "So, you want food and water? Are you... alive?"

All thought came to a screeching halt. 

Alive. 

Could it be possible? I glanced over at the puddles of blood and vomit. Two hundred years of craving life itself. Were the gods finally listening? Kidnapped by mind flayers who implanted me with a parasite that would let me walk in the sun, only to end up traveling with the one thinking creature in all the realms whose blood held the cure to vampirism. It was too much of a coincidence. But, stuff like that didn't happen in reality. It was for exaggerated narratives of the heroes of old. 

It couldn't be, could it?

Gale held out a bowl of rabbit and potatoes with a fork. I filled the utensil and took the bite.

As it hit my tongue, the flavor overtook me. It wasn't anything elaborate, but it was delicious. Normal food had lost most of its flavor to time. Eating it was more for show at this point. But this, it was gamey and salty. It was greasy and thick. I shoveled the bowl like it was my first meal in days. First meal in two hundred years. 

I held out the bowl, ready for more. 

Gale's brows rose on his face. "As you wish." He piled my bowl high. "Just try not to get sick. Those who have been starving tend to throw up food if they eat too much too quickly."

"Shut up, wizard," I barked as I stuffed more into my hollow cheeks.

He rolled his eyes and I shut mine, sighing. I would dream of this meal for years. My fork hit the empty bottom too soon. I downed another half bottle of water. My waistband tightened at the light bloating. I could feel the weight of the food and drink in my stomach. I was full. 

I handed back the bowl. A feeling of contentment and satisfaction sat in my gut for the first time in centuries. I smiled to myself. I knew my companions were watching me carefully. I looked at Gale, "Thank you, this was a gift."

He nodded. "My turn now. You said she was your first?"

I nodded. Durge continued to watch me, warily. "I've never been permitted to drink from thinking creatures. I wasn't sure I was even able to do so, until tonight. Though, I guess this may not be a great test of that. But, I couldn't even try before."

He nodded. A journal and quill appearing from thin air. "So, as current knowledge stands, you are at the whims of your master."

"My old master. Whatever happened on the Nautiloid, I'm not controlled by him out here. I've been conveniently lost."

"Right. But, back in the city, you would be."

"Possibly, but I'm not entirely sure."

He tapped a finger to his lips, "How long have you been a spawn?"

I glanced at Durge who was still watching me, "Two hundred years. For two hundred years I was forced to eat rats and bugs or be subjected to torture and forced to torture others."

Gale paused, setting the quill down. "I..." A face of sympathy met mine, "I think I will pick up our questions another time."

"I didn't take you for one to scare so easily," I teased, though I was glad he had decided to stop.

"Your teasing is simply a facade for your own pain. One of these days that facade will rip apart and you will be left naked. But, I won't be the one to strip you."

I didn't know what to say to that. I just turned to the fire, taking another drink of water. 

I heard the wizard stand, "I think I'll turn in for the night. We can discuss whether you can stay with the others in the morning. But, if you are missing by then, I won't try to come find you."

I nodded, listening to the retreating steps. 

"Do you think it's permanent?" asked Durge, quietly.

"The hunger?"

He nodded.

I shook my head. "Nothing good ever is."

He stood, "You should face her tomorrow. She deserves that. Even if you have to leave. I'll do my best to make sure you don't end up with Gandrel."

I hadn't even mentioned the hunter. "Thank you, I'll consider it."

He turned away slightly, then paused, looking back to me, "Also, if you do start to need blood again. All you have to do is ask."

Our eyes met over the flames. I had offered him a proverbial hand not too long ago. This must be him returning the favor. I would need blood to keep up soon. "I'll consider it," I replied. He nodded and headed back to his tent. 

I sat watching the flames. I picked up the fork and licked it, a little of the grease coating my tongue. A weight dropped in my pelvis. Another instinct of the living awoke in me. 

I had to piss. Now.

I ran to the edge of camp, pulling down on my pants as quickly as I could, letting myself out. I leaned up against the tree as relief flooded me and the dirt. Another function I hadn't experienced in two hundred years.

One I didn't particularly miss as I held myself in my hand, shaking it a little to get the final drips off. What was happening to me?

She had brought me back to life, at the cost of immense pain. Something inherent in me knew this was too good to be true and was likely to be short lived, but it was incredible, nonetheless. I slumped against the tree, still exposed, as my eyes caught the puddle of her blood next to the fire. 

She had been so delicate in my arms. Her skin, soft. Her brown hair smelled like dinner. Her blood tasted...

I huffed as I felt myself expand in my palm. I rubbed the tip as I watched the flames reflected in her blood. I shut my eyes. 

The image of her standing over me, blood cascading down her breasts and corset, filled my mind. The bite marks, my marks on her, still swollen. Bruises beginning to purple the graceful lines of her neck. 

I pumped my hand down my shaft. A slow roll, tip to base, building a steady rhythm as I focused on her. 

Her eyes held her anger as she unlaced the strands, pulling back the stays to reveal her blood cover breasts, spare drips rolling down to her bare stomach. 

I sighed as my hand pulled tighter, twisting slightly, pumping harder. 

She stepped out of her dirt stained pants, exposing the drips of blood running from her cunt down her soft thighs. She stepped toward me, settling onto her knees in the pools of her own blood. I could smell it, but not strong enough. I needed more of it.

I opened my eyes and scrambled to the blood puddles at the fire. I dipped my hands, falling down against one of the logs. I listened for any stirring from the tents. I was met with silence and soft snoring. I watched myself as I ran my blood drenched hands up and down my shaft. I grew harder. My balls tighter. I tipped my head back, relishing in the heady scent of blood. 

The scent of life itself. It was cool against my skin, but it was wet and thick. Divine. I pumped harder returning to the earlier rhythm. 

I closed my eyes, the image of her before me once more, covered in her own blood. Her slender hands on me, smothered in her blood as she pushed one up and over my tip again and again.

I gasped. I clamped my mouth shut. I stopped my breathing and focused. 

One of her hands on my shaft, the other in my hair. Her bloody hand dragging along the edges of my ear. Her lips on my neck. My head leaning in and licking the wounds I made. The metallic tang my tongue. Both of us sucking on the marks of the other. 

I was so close. I hadn't felt this much need, hunger, and greed for anything is so long. 

Anything for myself was stripped from me. I was the one taken, not the one who took. I was the one forced to my knees or over a table, never the true receiver. I was thing to be used. An instrument to be played. 

No one would pull my strings any longer. I would fill every need, hunger, and desire. I would never be denied. I would use and take and win. 

I flipped her over in my mind as I flipped over in reality. Her face lying in the puddle of her own. The same blood on display dripping from her cunt. A meal before me. I slammed myself home, deep within her over and over. My needs fulfilled, my desire not found wonting. 

She would beg. She would need. She would bleed for me. 

I bit down on my own wrist as I leaned against the log, my own need shooting onto the ground and into my blood covered hand. 

The echoes of my orgasm rolled through me as I stared at the white glob in my palm.

Tonight was full of surprises. It wasn't as if I hadn't orgasmed in two hundred years. But, never in two hundred years had I ejaculated. Orgasming without true release was painful, but all I felt, leaning over with my ass exposed to any companion who might find me in my own humiliation, was relief. I squished the cum in my bloodied palm, it turning pink as I stared in amazement.

Maybe, I was coming alive after all.

[Astarion note: I should write erotica for a living.]

IRL Author Note: I KNOW THIS IS EARLY BUT WHEW THIS WAS FUN TO WRITE. I can't do 2 a week regularly, but I couldn't wait on this one. The next few chapters are gonna be a doozy. It'll be like falling down the spider pit into the Underdark. I apologize to my characters in advance.