#rp storytime

[voidofteeth]

Me: After 2 campaigns of accidental relationships I shall play this character as romo averse + non partnering

Also me: ....it would be really funny if she fell in love with this NPC (for intra player chaos reasons)

[voidofteeth]

) Magistrate who had aced every perception skill but kept failing Logic rolls and so adopted the Charlie Chaplin slapstick school of crime solving

) Star Trek Security Officer who somehow managed to always be the only one still standing and not failing critical rolls, leading to the common sense opinion that she was the only competent person on the entire ship

) Barbarian who was vegetarian for religious reason, but could exorcise ghosts/demons by consuming them, so everyone concluded that eating demons is vegan practice

) Same Barbarian getting away with making demon pacts cause the others kept failing their theology/culture/history checks and didn’t want to be culturally insensitive (shoutout to the priest who tried so so very hard)

I think one of my favorite DnD Things is when random rolls become retroactive Lore/Quirks for the character. Not even as a DM ruling, I mean something the whole table adopts organically, whether seriously or as a running joke.

A paladin I DMd for failing every single perception roll turned into him canonically needing glasses and not realizing it.

A combination of failed perception checks and concentration saves becoming a character having ADHD and that getting worked into the acting.

My gnome barbarian with low intimidation rolls despite doing/saying some actually terrifying things suddenly having a voice that cracks like the "WHEN WILL YOU LEARN?! WHEN WILL YOU LEARN?! THAT YOUR ACTIONS!! HAVE CONSEQUENCES!!" kid when he shouts.

Or my favorite, my tabaxi artificer, Gus, comedically failing every religion check when it comes to praying so now it's a whole plot point that gods literally do not perceive him.

(Yes this is an invitation to reply or tell me in the tags if you've had any canon-altering rolls like this I love PC stories)

[wally-south]

Throwback to when I was 10 years old, and I had no interest in girls whatsoever. No celebrity crushes on girls or anything. And then Barry and I watched Top Gun and I fell in love with Val Kilmer (iceman).

I crushed so hard on him for years, and whenever I saw a girl who had interest in me, I had to pretend she was Val Kilmer so I could reciprocate the feelings. I thought this was normal.

I told Barry this, he told me I was gay. I went and my room and bawled my eyes out, and screamed.

I was 14 by the way

[caleb-in-the-cockpit]

*Appears in a flash of light, frowning* The barbecue sandwich recipe didn't work.

"It didn't work? What do you mean it didn't work?" He asked, managing to only be slightly startled by the sudden appearance.

[missustulparmother]

Hey there, everyone!

My son introduced me to this website, saying its for communicating with people.. so I though i'd make my own little account! I'm Pidgeon, although a lot of people call me Mama Pidge. I go by she/her, and I'm just a working mama tryin' to care for my baby boy, @curly-capt !! Curly is my adopted son, please be nice to him! He's my pride and joy!

OOC:

Hey thereee! Mama Pidge has got her very own account!! I figured this would help with separating my RP stuff from my other work on my original account, so I made a seperate one. RULES: -please, don't be super creepy. She's literally a sweet little old lady, shes not for your perversion. -Please, don't harass the Curly RP account with stuff about her. -Be kind! Be polite!

-She knows some of the other characters, and isn't too fond of Jimmy.

I hope you love her! :)))

TAGS: #Mama Pigeon talks- general stuff! Asks, reblogs, all that #mama isn't home- ooc posting! #Storytime with Pidge- stuff related to her backstory

[koijikido]

🩸death

Lost in thought, he sat there. His blue eyes moved slowly but with control, surveying the land that stretched out before him. It was quiet. Here and there one could hear the trees rustling, but it was quieter than usual. The animals that lived in the forest were barely audible. As if something was about to happen. A few days ago, there had been loud explosions not far from their border. Everything seemed to be on alert. Even the thinnest blade of grass remained still, as if it knew something was approaching. A tension could be felt in the air, the smell of burning was heavy. The snow, which still covered the ground a little, lay silent and frozen, making every step sound treacherous if you didn't know how to move in it.

Koiji sensed all of this as he sat here, keeping an eye on his home, as was his job. And yet his thoughts wandered from time to time. Lost in a maelstrom of questions and feelings that he could not silence. He should push all this aside and concentrate on the fact that intruders were possibly already here - or would try to penetrate further into the forest.

He looked to the side for a moment and heard a rustling in the bushes, but it was only a mountain hare fighting its way through the branches blocking his path. The soft fur at the tips of Koiji's ears moved gently as the wind picked up more, making the fine ends dance in it. He hadn't seen Arun and Oruro for a while. Not even after the explosions. Were they all right? They were stronger than him, he realized, but that didn't exempt them from danger or potential trouble. He would love to have them with him again, it had been too long since he had last seen them.

Lost in his thoughts, however, his gaze darted forward when he heard the hissing sound of an arrow cutting through the air and causing it to whistle. The arrow had not been aimed at him, they did not seem to have noticed him. But it seemed to be a marker they had placed. Damn. He should have paid attention! Why hadn't he run further ahead? They had already made it this far! Laying his ears back, he drew his bow and an arrow and repositioned himself slightly to keep the intruders in sight. They were a group of men fighting their way through what was unfamiliar territory for them.

Koiji felt himself tense up. He had already fought many times. But he was not a fan of killing someone. It was difficult for him, even though he knew that his task made it necessary. And the protection of their homeland made it unavoidable in the long run.

The smell the men had on them was the same as when the explosions had occurred. So they had been responsible. However, the way they acted and looked did not bode well for him. Koiji tightened his bow, aiming at one of the men from his hiding place and a safe distance, before his arrow was aimed and skillfully cut the air almost silently, hitting said target in the leg to immobilize him.

"Agh!" a cry was heard before the man held his leg. Everyone immediately stopped and looked at the injured man. "That arrow, so it's true. Men, watch out, we've got one of those Warders around us! Find him and take him out!" he ordered. Koiji's eyes fixed on the group before he changed his position. Quietly and quickly, the Viera ran through his familiar territory before drawing and firing another arrow. It hit one of the men in the arm, who also gasped in pain. But another one of the troop immediately looked in his direction. "He must be there!" he shouted and pulled out a firearm. Koiji widened his eyes for a moment and scurried off to change position again. He hadn't seen him directly, but the man decided not to take aim, instead firing several shots wildly in his direction. The bullets whizzed past Koiji as he dodged, but one hit him in the thigh and shot through it. "Gh...!" He gasped softly and looked up, trying to be quiet.

"There!" shouted another man and immediately sprinted at Koiji. The Viera drew his bow and fired the arrows, but in the heat of the moment he could only fire grazing shots that would not immobilize the others. Ignoring the pain, he hurried through the bushes, closely followed by one of the men. But he heard the footsteps of the others, who also took up the chase. He would get no further with the bow. He put it back on and pulled out his long dagger. He couldn't. He could not run away. This was not his job! This was not what would protect his home! This thought flashed through his mind. Tensing, he tightened his grip on the dagger before running towards a tree, jumping against it, bracing himself with his feet and using the force of the movement to push himself away from the tree before knocking his pursuer over and ramming the dagger into his shoulder.

"Aargghh!" the man cried out, but before Koiji knew it, hands grabbed his arms and held him in that position. What the-?!

Contrary to the fact that he would let go if he was hurt, the man used this moment to tie Koiji to him. The Viera now squirmed under his movements, feeling the firm grip clinging to him like a crab whose claws dug into his skin and only let go when he wanted them to.

"Here, quick! I've got him!" the intruder shouted to his group, who quickly caught up with them.

Koiji was flexible. So he lifted his leg and braced his knee against the man's injured shoulder, who cried out in pain, which was why he let go of him with at least one hand. The Viera rolled to the side to escape the grip and used the resulting movement to release the other grip as well, otherwise his opponent would dislocate his arm completely. He hastily stood up and reached for his dagger before he was struck in the stomach. Filled with pain, he gasped and backed away before a sword came hurtling towards him, which he managed to parry with his dagger. A fight broke out between Koiji and the group, who encircled him further and further.

His mind was racing. All he could do now was to keep them at bay for as long as he could. Either until reinforcements arrived or until they gave up and left. To render them all harmless, that would involve a great deal of effort on his part. That was clear to Koiji. But the will to live and persevere was not broken. Nevertheless, it became more difficult as time went on. The intruders' blades caught him again and again, leaving cuts and injuries that made it increasingly difficult for him to remain steadfast. Even if Koiji wounded them and fought them back, their numbers were simply too great to take them all out alone.

"Let me shoot!" shouted one of them. A tall man laughed. "What? No! Look at him! He's a rarity! Maybe we can cut off his ears and sell it  for a lot of money when we get back! Or better still, we can just take him with us and he'll be our slave! That would be something!" he laughed.

"I mean, look at him! And he's got a lot of stamina, the way he's stood up to us for so long. I think that can be put to good use in many things!" the other men laughed and probably agreed with him.

<< You are a forest guardian. It is your duty to protect our home. And if it is with your life, then you are willing to give it, for it serves the higher purpose and survival of the community. Our ancestors will welcome you with honor and open arms.>>

Suddenly his mentor's words flashed through his mind. Was that what he wanted? Was it an honor for him? Koiji became careless as his strength left him and his wounds became increasingly troublesome. A fist hit him again in the stomach area, causing him to fall to the ground. Supporting himself with one hand, he gasped in pain and looked into the snow, which was stained with red drops of his own blood. "At last. We've got him so far! What a tough guy!"

The man directly in front of him reached for his ears and grabbed him, pulling him up, Koijis face towards him. Koiji gasped in pain and opened his eyes, gazing into the deep dark eyes of the man in front of him. Into the face of a horrible man, whose mouth formed into a broad and disgusting grin of satisfaction.

"Annoying, isn't it?" he now asked the ironic question to the Viera and knocked the dagger out of his hand. "Really really annoying. But we found you, so we'll find others like you as well." He pulled Koiji all the way up so that he was almost standing again, but this was accompanied by a painful gasp as he continued to pull him up by the ears. Koiji's hands grabbed the arm of the man. His fingernails dug into the other man's skin as he tried to loosen his grip.

"Hahaha!" But his enemy only laughed contemptuously. "Go to sleep, little bunny. Being so cheeky won't win you any points." With a swing, he threw Koiji to the ground before the leg swung out and pushed him over the edge of a small embankment into a ditch with a powerful kick. His body rolled down before his back hit a tree. "Agh!"

Filled with pain, the otherwise gentle voice now rang out, battered by pain and exhaustion. He realized that he had no strength left. He could take no more. Was this his end? Like this? In a ditch?

Overwhelmed by a group of intruders? Miserable, weak, unable to do his duty? Would they hate him? Would Orun and Aruro miss him? Slowly, he closed his eyes, exhausted. Oh how wonderful the cool snow was under his skin. Cold. Icy. Numbing. Quiet.

Koiji almost drifted away when he noticed a commotion. The men seemed to be in an uproar and many footsteps followed. Shots rang out from the firearms they were carrying. But Koiji could also hear arrows cutting through the air again and seeming to hit their targets. "Come on, spread out!" one of the men now shouted.

"Do you see him anywhere?" shouted one Viera to another. A blond and a gray-haired Viera had burst out of the trees, almost like an ambush out of nowhere, and had skillfully pushed the men back with a surprise attack. Since there were two of them, it was much more efficient to fight against a larger group than alone. Orun and Aruro quickly pushed the men back and aimed skillful shots directly at the deadly spots. They quickly took out a few of the men, while others were able to evade their attacks better than expected.

"There's blood back there!" Oruro called to Arun. He nodded to him in understanding before Oruro ran to the spot. Kneeling down briefly, he took hold of the blood-red snow before his gaze quickly wandered over the land. It was hardly long before he noticed the embankment. He quickly ran forward and discovered Koiji lying there bleeding from wounds. "Koiji!" he shouted. He jumped to the embankment and slid down it before examining the Viera. His hand went to his neck. When Oruro was sure that Koiji was still alive, he nodded with relief. "Come on. You've held out well. It's over now." he spoke to him calmly.

Koiji opened his eyes cautiously. Oruro? Was that really possible? "I ... was ... I was too weak." he spoke softly, ashamed of himself even in this situation. Oruro smiled at him. "Weak? You weren't weak. You alone against so many ... you were very strong and you held out well." Oruro's words were calm as he carefully helped Koiji up. Taking Koiji's arm, he put it around his own neck before supporting Koiji and climbing up the slope with him. "It's almost over." Was that it? Was it really almost over? Koiji felt a great sense of relief. Oruro's smile had seemed so confident and reassuring. Surely he was right. Now that they were there, it would surely be over soon. At the top of the embankment, Oruro carefully set Koiji down before standing up. "Stay right here. And don't move."

Koiji surveyed the scene before him. He saw Arun still fighting one of the men. The others were already lying on the ground, not moving or barely moving at all. "I've got him, Koiji is here with me!" Oruro called out to Aron. Then Oruro turned to Koiji once more and knelt down in front of him. "You did it." he smiled at him and carefully ran his fingers through Koiji's hair.

DANG!

"....!"

Koiji flinched.

DANG! DANG! DANG!

Loud bangs. Gunshots. Again and again. Out of nowhere.

Koiji flinched several times. Then he raised his hand and grabbed his cheek. Blood had splattered on his face, several times all over. The blue eyes looked up at Oruro almost slowly. Oruro looked at Koiji, widening his eyes. Then they both looked down. Oruro's clothes were turning red. Deep red. Quickly. Bitterly. In the chest, where the lungs and heart lay, and in other places. Oruro looked up once more into Koiji's eyes before his body fell forward powerlessly. Koiji caught Oruro in his arms. He looked at his friend in disbelief as he lay in his arms, no longer moving. He carefully turned him a little and saw how the blood continued to stain his clothes. The eyes were empty and fixed. The lifeless body weighed heavily.

"...O-oruro.....?"

Stunned, Koiji looked at the dead body of his friend in his arms. His eyes wandered almost mechanically up and down to Arun. Striking down the last man, Arun turned around before widening his eyes. "NO! NO!!! NO!!!" he shouted loudly, full of anger and desperation, before running off in the direction of Koiji and Oruro. "A-aruro wa-" but before Koiji could speak any further –

DANG!

DANG! DANG! DANG! DANG!

With each shot, with each bang, the white-haired Viera flinched and pressed Oruro's body against him. But then he looked up hastily. Arun, who had been running until a moment ago, almost fell to the ground like a statue that had been knocked over. Koiji's eyes widened. His gaze fell on the intruder who had fired. It was the man who had grabbed him by the ears and spoken to him. His face had a satisfied and so repulsive grin before his hand fell powerlessly to the ground, letting go of the gun, and the last breath of life finally left his body.

Silence. No rustling. No wind. No animal could be heard. Nothing.

A loud whistling sound caught Koiji's ears as he stared at Arun in disbelief. Almost like a puppet, Koiji began to move, pulling Oruro with him as he crawled to Arun. He carefully put Oruro down before pulling Arun into his arms.

"A-arun..." he whispered softly, seeing him struggling to breathe.

Arun slowly opened his eyes and looked exhaustedly at Koiji. But he was smiling. Arun smiled. It wasn't easy for him. But he seemed to put all his strength into speaking. "Koi."

Koiji shook his head hastily, but Arun ignored it. "... Go." Arun could be heard speaking. Almost just like a breath. Koiji stopped shaking his head. "N-no!" Arun smiled. "Yes. Now... you can... be free. I k-know that... you stayed here for us." He closed his eyes briefly and coughed a little, blood running down the corner of his mouth. But he opened them again and shakily lifted his hand to lay it on Koiji's cheek.

"Go. b-be brave. Always be brave. You can do that. We are always ... always with you." He gasped for breath. "Follow your dream and don't die alone here. T-the w-world has so much better f-for you to .... to offer." Koiji's gaze was full of pain and disbelief as he heard Arun's words. His hand lay on Arun's. "B-but..." Koiji sobbed. "You can do that. I k-know it. Do... do it for us too. Please. Be... brave ... be ... brave." Large tears flowed from Viera's sky-blue eyes, which seemed so cold and dull when they were otherwise so warm and bright. "...I... o-okay... I'll do it." he whispered to his friend.

Arun smiled at the answer. "Thank you," he breathed, saying it heavily and quietly. Slowly, the other's eyes closed before Koiji felt the last of his strength leave his hand, which fell lifelessly from his cheek. The Viera's chest heaved one last time - just a little, barely enough for a full breath. Then he lay motionless.

Koiji sat there staring at Arun. He stared as if he would never want to or be able to blink again. His head lifted and turned to the side before his eyes also looked at Oruro. He shakily raised his hand and pulled Oruro towards himself before pressing the two Viera close to his chest.

All of his own physical pain was numb. Unimportant. Insignificant. Everything was so insignificant and numb. The whistling in his ears grew louder and unbearable as his eyes stared at the two dead Viera in his arms.

A trembeling suddenly seized the Viera's body, strong and uncontrollable. But not because of the cold, but because of what he realized. They were dead. They were gone. Gone. They had died before his eyes. In his arms. They had given their lives.

The trembling increased even further. His own heartbeat, which had almost stopped, now skyrocketed, beating as fast as if it wanted to let the pain burst out of his chest. In terror and shock, he couldn't take his eyes off them. Where the tears had dried up for a moment in disbelief, they now welled up in his eyes and flowed down his cheeks unstoppable.

Silence in the forest. Silence in the mountains. Not a sound to be heard. But a loud, bitter cry full of pain, despair and infinite agony seized every corner of the forest. It echoed off the walls of the mountains, resounded through tree and bush and made the leaves tremble as they watched the helplessness that enveloped the Viera. He screamed as loud as he could, as loud as his body would allow, while the tears did not stop and the bodies of Arun and Oruro werepressed close to him. Alone. Life taken. Everything lost. And it had been his fault.

[ozzni]

Just finished off a game of Stellaris and let me tell you. It was beautiful. I finally captured that Rogue Servitor essense. The entire galaxy a nature preserve. The anti-servitor threatened all life, and the servitor defeated it. the servitor took great power over the Galactic Community to keep it safe, and laid down the crown when the crisis was over with. the custodian matrix FE fought alongside me, berating itself for ever allowing the Contingency to survive, and at last, when the new custodian matrix finished it's job, the AE disapeared into the galactic core, never to be seen again, leaving me as the new protectors of all life, the custodian of a galactic preserve. gonna add the screenshots tomorrow in the morning because I just need to let that ending sit so I can actually open Stellaris again. Fuck. IDK how I can get an ending like that ever again. I peaked here.

[slocum-dodson]

How badly do you want these cookies?

I made a batch of cookies today. nothing special, just normal dried mutfruit oatmeal cookies. I sat them in a bowl and approached two settlers with a knife. I placed the knife between the two of them and said.

"How badly do you want these cookies?"

I smiled and both men looked at the knife. One man, Brave Henderson was the first to react, socking Wise Anthony in the jaw with a brick-breaking right hook. Wise Anthony was on the ground as Brave Henderson made a draw for the knife, but he brought his newfound enemy to it first.

Wise Anthony seized the blade and slashed open Brave Henderson's tendon. The man screamed and screamed and his screams only became wet when Wise Anthony, his face drenched with his own nose blood sunk the knife into his throat.

I had Wise Anthony executed by the Firing squad.

{Preston Hated That}

I then handed the bowl of cookies to the street children (and Archie) of Sanctuary Hills.

It was the only right thing to do, friends.

[kneel-to-seto-kaiba]

// crack post

[battle-subway-ghost]

Do you think I could ask for a drawing request of crayons from @hisuiansliggoo 👉👈 please, their art is in the reblog of the intro post 🥺

Gengar are so silly, this guy especially

[carly404error]

I am not ok.

[poured-my-past-down-the-drain]

I think you're VERY pretty :]

An absolute deity of a boy, if you ask me.

– Tubbo.

OH 🥰🥰🥰🥰 that’s. Ummmm. That’s a lot more than I was expecting 🤭🤭

[rosies-emporium]

💔

send 💔 for my muse to talk about an ex

Husbands covered: 1/7

[MOD TALK] Time to begin those Rosie headcanon lore drops! So excited to slowly explore her story and descent into remorseless cannibalism as it unfolded in my head haha <3 Enjoy, be mindful of the tws + of this all being mostly headcanon, and send 💔 if you wanna hear about the next one in the line!

tw: cannibalism, blunt force murder, domestic violence mentions, miscarriage mention, period-typical misogyny, alcohol mentions

-------

𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓲𝓮

🥀 🥀 🥀 🥀 🥀 

You know, I wasn't born into high society. If I have anyone to thank for the life I was lucky to lead back in human world, it'd be my dear late father. He worked his fingers to the bone to gift me those opportunities, manners, and the proper education, that he did. And like all hard work with a goal, it paid off. Throughout the years, our shop saw many well-heeled patrons. And when one of them invited me to an upcoming ball, I was more than ready. I met my first husband at that ball and trust me, at the time it felt much like a fairytale! He wasn't even that old, only 'bout seven or eight years my senior, and from a well-respected line. Tall, gruff, no-nonsense, scowlin' type. No love at the first sight with this one, but you can't blame a girl for settling when it came with oh so many perks... We married, of course, and fast. For a while, it wasn't even quite so bad to live alongside him. Sure, he could stand to devote some more time and attention to his wife than to his beloved investments, but for the most part, I was left to my own devices. If anything, I enjoyed the independence when he was out 'n' about throughout days and evenings. Started thinking about children, too. Why, my father was aging fast, and began talkin' more and more about how he'd love to meet his grandkids still...

Sometimes I still wonder if it was only his stocks tanking or also my first unfruitful condition of expecting that changed my husband into this distasteful despot he's become. Oh, naturally, it was the bottle too, he started reaching for it far too easily. And trying to suppress me. Suddenly all my advice was nagging, and my vigor was exasperating. Can you imagine? It bugged me enough already, but divorce, you know it, wasn't really on the table. I'd rather not end up like poor Emma, gossiped and scorned by everybody. So I grit my teeth and persevered. And oh, could I put on a cheerful act! Among our neighbors, no one even suspected that we could be having any trouble...

Until the day he first raised his hand at me.

Say you were in my shoes, would you just take it? I didn't. I couldn't. One's first time is rarely premeditated. It's only with time that you learn to plan and execute. Practice makes perfect, and back then? I didn't just have any practice yet.

Our fireplace poker was heavy duty and too close to my reach. It only took a second to grab it. Twenty hits until he stopped moving took me only as long as I needed for the tears to cease their flowing.

It's amusing in retrospect. I was such a scared, unseasoned lamb back then! I stood there over his body in a pool of blood, and my hands wouldn't stop shaking. I felt so much, you know. Fear, mainly. Of consequences, of being found out, of myself and what I've done. But even back then... nowhere among those feelings was regret.

I knew I had to get rid of the body. Hiding it wasn't an option, the house would surely have been searched, and going outside with large bags would draw attention. It was pragmatic, really. Did you know that's how most cannibals start? You'd think it's the curiosity, but not really, not in most of cases. Most often it's the hunger... having nothing else to eat. Or, simply, as it was for me... the idea comes up as a method of disposing of evidence.

So I cooked him up. As the stew bubbled, it smelled nice, but oh, he tasted horrible; must've been this booze filling every crevice of his meat. Still, having a bite was... satisfying. Like a moment of victory, a symbolic thing. I fed the rest of him to dogs. Before his disappearance has been noted, there was nothing more to find.

When some time has passed, and his 'missing person' status got changed to a 'likely dead' one, playing a widow in despair wasn't much more toilsome than playing a happy wife had been...

Can you even blame me?

[caleb-in-the-cockpit]

Having Caleb back home again after a long time had been pleasant. Though Cher wouldn’t really say it out loud to him because of the consequences of him teasing her all day long but she was sure he knew it.

Walking over to his room, she leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, a small subtle smile on her face. “Done unpacking?”

“Maybe we can go on that bike ride you promised me before you left the last time.”

Caleb was just nudging his bag up against a wall and out of the way for now, having already put away his clothes for the time being, as well as his usual toiletries.

Turning his attention to Cher when she spoke up, he flashed her a relaxed grin and nodded, holding his arms out playfully. "Home sweet home~!"

When she suggested the bike ride, he immediately perked up and nodded. "We can absolutely go for that ride, I'm a man of my word, after all. Do you want to go now, or do you want to wait a bit?" He asked, fully willing to wait and see what she says.

[storytime-with-dr-wylde--dead]

Iron hold citadel

(OOC: @aromantic-reaper @v-the-worker-drone hope you didn't eat recently)

You really want to hear another CDD story, huh? Aright, just don't say I didn't warn you. Buckle up, because I will not withhold details this time. Now let's see here...

*leans back and closes his eyes as he recalls the memories, then opens them and begins the story*

TRIGGER WARNING: (Off-Tumblr) mass death, gore - so much gore, war

The cleanup of Iron-Hold Citadel was brutal, backbreaking work. You thought the CDD mission where I met Asmodeus was bad? This was way worse. To give you a sense of scale, the Siege of Iron-Hold Citadel - the battle that we were now cleaning up from - is where the term "bloodbath" was coined.

This was one of the biggest and bloodiest battles of the entire war. Millions lost their lives that day. We - the CDD crew - were in wading boots, up to our ankles in blood and viscera as we searched for survivors. The stench was so overpowering we had to wear gas masks. At first we were filled with grief as we saw the corpses of our friends amongst the rot, but after a while we became desensitized and numb. Many of us entered a kind of monotonous trance as we lugged body after body to the burning pits. The miasma of death sank deep into our bones and any exposed flesh was stained red from all the gore.

The worst part wasn't the intact bodies, though. It was the blood-sludge. Blood-sludge is this viscous mass of gore composed of blood, bile, flesh, bone, and entrails. You don't walk on top of that like you would snow - no, we had to wade through it like a macabre bog of death. In certain places the sludge reached up to our waists. On multiple occasions a member of the crew got stuck and had to be dug out with shovels.

Worst part about wading through blood-sludge is trying to get out. Like deep mud, trying to lift your foot - or any part of your body - out of it once it's submerged creates this vacuum-sealed pocket that sucks you back down, often even deeper into the sludge. At least one guy ended up buried up to his neck in the putrid stuff, and we had to use shovels, mattocks, and even a grub hoe or two to dig him out.

Even the Infernal Legion helped out with the clean up. Looking down to the base of the mountain and you could see one of Demogorgon's generals and her crew gathering the fallen for their own funerals. Before you ask, yes. This was the same general that took over Demogorgon's branch of the Legion after his death, and still controls it to this day, but that's a story for another day.

[koijikido]

🌓 solar eclipse (past)

"Fannar."

A female voice rang out in the young Viera's ears. They twitched a little. Their white fur was striking and easily recognizable at times when there was no snow. But when the snowstorms swept over the mountains and forests in the winter months, it was difficult if not impossible to spot him.  Nevertheless, he knew that one day he would be trained not to be seen in the green of the forest. Somehow he felt that it would be this way and he would not stay here.

"Hm?" came the soft young voice. The young Viera stood up and turned to the woman who had called for him.

“Come on now, don’t hang behind. We all gather in the center. It’s almost time,” she explained.

Fannar looked up and nodded before following her. Her tone had been very stern but not abusive. Still, there was this hardness in it. It was nothing new. He was used to it. For as long as he could remember, the others had talked and behaved like that. Things weren't so easy for them as children. Some found it more difficult than others, but ultimately it was something they had to get used to over time. But Fannar was someone who found it more difficult. He understood that life could be hard and difficult. Surviving and protecting yourself from the dangers required seriousness. But just that? Was it really just that? And then only when the men returned to their village did the women behave different. Why only then? Why weren't they always a little warmer to each other? He briefly let out a sigh, which earned him a stern look from the woman next to him.

Avoiding her gaze, he looked ahead and at the others who had already gathered.

“What are we doing here today?” he asked.

She pointed up. "Do you see that? The moon. It will soon obscure the sun. That rarely happens. But it is a big event. Then the light of the sun is taken away from us for a time, and a fight breaks out between them.”

Fannar blinked for a moment. “A fight?” His gaze went up to the sky, where the moon was already getting closer to the sun.

“Yes, a fight. We believe that the darkness opens a world beyond our own, where our ancestors live. They fight against the evil shadows that threaten our world. They protect us. When the moon covers the sun, the gate to our ancestors will be open for a moment. And we will offer them our strength and our pride with our prayers to strengthen them and show our support and gratitude,” she continued.

“Hooh...” Fennar said in surprise. Was it really like that? He wondered.

“Come on now. Sit with the others.” Fennar ran forward to the other younger Viera and sat down with them. In front of them there were a few offerings in some bowls, nicely arranged. They looked really tasty.

“I guess those are the offerings?” he thought. Somehow he was glad that it wouldn't be any of their own who would be sacrificed. That thought occurred to him for a moment. He would hardly be surprised given the way they treated each other...  so he was all the more relieved now.

"The time has come...!" a strong voice spoke calmly yet seriously.

One of the women told everyone to look up at the sky. The moon had advanced and was slowly but visibly moving in front of the sun. More and more of the light around the sun disappeared. It became darker, shadows moved across the land and the trees began to rustle. Fannar almost felt like a cold wind was blowing through their village as they watched the spectacle. Was it the wind of the ancestors? Was she right?

He looked at the scene before him in astonishment. Goosebumps rose across his skin, making the soft, fluffy fur stand up against his skin, barely visible and yet there. He heard the prayers and words of the women of their village as the children looked up. Soon the moon completely covered the sun.

Fannar's eyes grew big as he watched this. The uncertain expression gave way to one of amazement. He blinked a few times while his big blue eyes saw the fiery ring in the sky that presented itself to them like a burning black hole that had opened up. While the other children remained somewhat unsettled, he was fascinated and couldn't look away.

“It looks so beautiful,” he whispered now. One of the children next to him looked up.

"Huh?" Fannar nodded. “Don’t you think? I mean look. It's the sun and it's the moon. We know that from the women right?” The child next to him nodded.

"But we should be quiet..." the child whispered to him. But Fannar would not be dissuaded. He was completely mesmerized and continued to stare at the spectacle.

“I believe... well I believe that the moon has come to visit the sun. Day in and day out they only see each other from a distance. And only from a distance does the light of the sun shine on the moon. He feels the warmth, but he can never be close to her. And now, now they are finally together. Very close. And can hug each other. Look at the flaming bright ring. Isn't it beautiful? So warm and glowing. Their feelings for each other must be wonderful if they produce something like that.”

Fannar whispered his thoughts quietly. He couldn't help but say what was going through his head. The other child looked at him quite fascinated, and yet also skeptical.

“Such nonsense, we know what that is. You said yourself earlier that they told us.”

After a while, the moon slowly moved further away from the sun and the light came back to them. It was warm and bright. Fannar smiled.

"Don't you think the sun is warmer now than before?"

His gaze went to the other child next to him before he felt a hand grabbing his ear and pull him up.

“Agh!”

“Fannar Gahjewesfv! This was an important ritual... and you disrupted it with your whispers. Whatever you were thinking, it wasn't appropriate! Come on, as punishment you will now take care of everyone else here. And don't dawdle...!" said the female Viera angrily and pushed Fannar towards the bowls of offerings that had to be distributed.