#we're all monster's verse

[of-the-stars-and-the-sea]

Darkness of a Secret World

Hey.

It's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm going to guess you weren't expecting to hear from me. It's a rare day when the dead come back to life, after all.

I let you dig my grave, firefly. Some of it's hard to remember, but even now, I can picture the way you crumbled as you buried me deep into the ground. Your face, tear-stricken. Your hands, nerve-wracked. You can't hide anything from your eyes, you know. Your eyes are like windows. And on that day, I've never seen something more haunted.

To tell you the truth, firefly, I've written this message to you nearly a million times. I've written in my head from limbo. I wrote it aloud to the starless sky as I crossed the desolate landscape. I've traced it over and over onto paper until it disintegrated into scrap. I should’ve said something far sooner than now, but no matter how many times I've tried to put words to how I feel, I haven’t been able to.

I'm not angry, firefly. Maybe I should be. I've tried to be. Despite all our original intent and all of our purposes, you ruined everything that I had. There would be no breath in my lungs if the abyss had not come for me and ripped me from the ground to leave me to the nothingness of freedom. But the simple truth is I'm not. I can't be. Because in the end, firefly, we were both just kids. Kids who ran on fences and believed we could never fall in a way that mattered.

Truthfully, all I really am is sad. I am sad for all you felt forced to sacrifice. Sad for all all we were. For all we could've been if the darkness did not swallow us both. But more than anything, I am sad for those little, scared kids whose innocence was left behind and buried beneath the darkened soil of an unmarked grave.

Do you think that maybe our fall was inevitable? We ran so far that we never gave a thought to what could've been behind us. Maybe that darkness had been chasing us the whole time, and we had just never turned to look behind us. Could we have avoided it, if we had just turned around? I don't know what's worse. If we could've stopped it, or if we were always doomed to let it consume us.

You better be alive out there, wherever you are. Gods curse me, if they really do exist, but after everything I could never forgive you if you weren't. The shovel was in your hands back then, firefly, but I was the one who told you where to dig. You may have been the one to set me aflame, firefly, but it was with my lighter that I was burned alive. The darkness was there for both of us.

This isn't forgiveness. I don't know if it ever could be. But if you see this, firefly, please, come find me. I'll be at the tree we carved our names into, all those years ago. I can climb it now.

~~~

And on that tree I’ll carve your name

‘Cause in years to come we both know we won’t be the same

You asked me to climb, I never learned

But if you ask me for my fire

Just watch me burn.

(Secret Worlds, The Amazing Devil)

[hawksblooded]

⤖ indie & selective ALIZEBETH KENWAY,  a fandomless original character from own lore.

⤖   generic fantasy & fandom verses available. strictly 21+ .  ⤖ sideblog to @henosiis. written by KAT! ⤖ affiliated with @fishermcn, @swordluck, @gormlessthing

Exploring grief, duty, acceptance, friendship, misfortune, necessity, justice ⤖ DOSSIER

[shxuga]

Bloody Bites II | Twisted Wonderland

Vampire!Malleus Draconia x Female!Reader | Priest!Rollo Flamme x Female!Reader | VampireHunter!Leona Kingscholar x Female!Reader | Vampire AU | TW: Blood, descriptions of violence, manipulation, abuse, dead dove: do not eat.

ACT I

A C T I I

Leona Kingscholar was used to that look.

Yes, that look. As if being a member of the beastmen clan and his physiological traits weren’t enough to draw attention wherever he went, he also carried the emblem of a monster hunter. And not just any emblem—the emblem that only a handful of hunters had survived long enough to bear.

An S-Class Hunter Emblem.

His body, covered in rigid muscles and rough scars, was the greatest evidence of the countless times death had whispered at his nape. Every step, every movement, was meticulously planned. Long ago, he had stopped seeing himself as a person and simply viewed himself as a weapon. So many battles against demons throughout his short life had sharpened his instincts, allowing him to perceive things even beyond what his well-trained lion ears could detect—to analyze beyond the facade that people showed at first glance.

He had learned that bloodsucking demons and abominations weren’t the only monsters inhabiting this world…

"The creature appeared about a decade ago. I was just an apprentice back then..." Father Rollo stated, averting his gaze from Leona to contemplate the distorted landscape through the stained glass of the cathedral. His face twisted in anger, the memory of his first encounter with that vampire as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. "But I will never forget its grotesque appearance… Kill it. I don’t care how, just do it."

Leona eyed the pouch of gold coins spilling onto the table before him.

"Go into the forest, climb the mountain, and you'll find an old, decrepit cabin. You'll find something there."

Leona took his payment and stood in silence, a man of few words. He was about to leave the church when he decided to trust his instincts and ask:

"How are you so sure?"

A chilling smile spread across Rollo’s lips.

"I just know..."

It was a fact.

Perhaps there was more than one monster in this village…

Now, with the payment in hand and an idea of what the priest’s words might mean, he left the building and decided to analyze his surroundings. The population was small—only a handful of young men, while the rest of the inhabitants were elderly, women, and children. It wasn’t unusual; most young men left their hometowns to seek opportunities in the capital. But there was something strange about the people in this village—their faces... They looked empty, almost lifeless. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but the hairs standing on the back of his neck were a sign that something dangerous was lurking.

There were no signs of an epidemic, and the priest, as far as he could tell, seemed to be managing resources adequately.

But something was definitely off…

He walked to what he recognized as the only butcher shop in town, intending to buy food for what he assumed would be a long journey. The door creaked loudly as he entered.

"I already told you, Carmen, your husband hasn't returned..." a boy spoke with irritation. Leona almost mistook him for a young maiden, if not for his muscular arms and masculine voice. "Ah, a foreigner. Welcome. We're short on supplies—the hunters haven't returned since yesterday, so all we have is dried meat and chicken entrails."

He cast a glance—one that could easily be considered inappropriate—at the lion ears peeking from Leona's wild mane of curly hair, which he had tied back.

"Though I suppose that won’t be a problem for you..."

"Give me the dried meat."

"As you wish."

The butcher wasn’t much of a talker, something Leona appreciated. Well-versed in the art of slaughter, it didn’t take him long to cut several strips of tough, flavorless meat and wrap them in a piece of cloth. As Leona paid, he cast a glance at the collection of sharp knives scattered across the counter. However, he lost interest immediately.

None of them were silver.

"Come back soon," the butcher dismissed him without much enthusiasm. Leona nodded in response. He was about to leave when a small, trembling figure bumped into him. He couldn’t see her face—it was covered by a hood—but he could tell from her petite frame and the faint, whispered "I'm sorry" that it was a young woman.

A butcher shop in a village as small as this naturally carried a strong scent of blood and death, but somehow, the stench seemed to intensify the moment she stepped inside.

"Yuu?! What are you doing here?!"

"A-Adel... I..."

"You're freezing! Come here before you catch a cold." Without giving her a chance to protest, the butcher dragged the young woman into a room behind the counter. Leona shot a final, intense glance at the place where the two had disappeared before leaving.

Adel took her to his living quarters, using tongs to pick up a stone from the fireplace and wrapping it in an old cloth so Yuu could warm herself. As he placed the warm bundle in her hands, he immediately noticed the deplorable state of her clothing and the abundant stains of dried blood on it.

"What the hell happened to you?! Are you hurt?!" He moved to yank off her cloak to check for any injuries.

"No!" she screamed, and the walls of the butcher shop seemed to tremble. Silence.

Adel stepped back, realizing she was shaking and that forcing her wouldn’t get him any answers. She swallowed hard before speaking again.

"P-Promise me... Promise you won't be scared or scream..."

"What kind of nonsense—?"

"Just promise!"

"Fine, fine! I promise!"

Yuu said nothing, taking her time to slowly, very slowly, lower the hood covering her face. At first glance, nothing seemed wrong with her appearance. But for someone as observant as Adel, it wasn’t hard to notice something was off.

Her skin was pale—an unnatural grayish hue, resembling that of a corpse.

She didn’t stop there. With trembling fingers, she untied the ribbon of her cloak, revealing the walking disaster she had become. Her dress wasn’t just torn, muddy, and bloodstained—it looked as if she had sustained a mortal wound. Yet, her abdomen was unscathed.

However, what made Adel’s eyes widen in unpleasant surprise were the two small puncture marks on his friend’s neck.

His face drained of color, but true to his promise, he neither screamed nor made his fear obvious.

"Yuu… you…"

She began to cry, speaking in a broken voice.

"I... I saw a young man bleeding in the snow! I saved him, and… and..."

As if the deep bite marks weren’t enough, her sobs revealed something even more damning—a pair of newly sprouted, sharp fangs.

Terrified—more than Adel—she gripped her hair violently and curled up on the floor.

"I... I..."

"Don’t do that, you'll hurt yourself…" He tried to reach out to comfort her, but she pushed him away instantly.

With a mere shove… he was thrown across the room.

"No! Stay away from me!" she screamed, the scratches her nails had left on her face vanishing before his eyes.

"You don’t understand... I... I can’t control myself..."

The first thing she felt upon waking after that incident was peace. No pain, no cold, no exhaustion… Being dead somehow made her feel alive.

Then, she realized.

The corpses surrounding her. The unbearable burning sensation in her throat, as if she had swallowed a handful of sand.

She almost lost her mind then and there.

And with that, she understood.

She wasn’t alive, but she wasn’t dead either.

Something in her neck pulsed at the thought. It hurt—it was the only area that truly hurt. All her other scars had vanished, but those two small, deep punctures remained fresh, as if they had a life of their own.

"I’m a neophyte..." she murmured, shocked by the knowledge that had simply appeared in her mind. She holds her hands over her mouth, making her voice sound like a strangled croak. "A vampire bit me. If I don’t drink human blood within the next seven days... I’ll turn back into a human."

"And… what happens if you drink before the seven days...?" Adel asks cautiously, starting to understand the situation a little better.

More tears fall from Yuu’s face.

"I’ll become a monster..."

«Crash!»

One of the house’s walls explodes, creating an opening that allows the afternoon sun to pour in. Almost immediately, Yuu screams, covering her face as her skin erupts in a gruesome swell of blisters.

"Y-Yuu!" Adel tries to run to her aid, but Leona jumps through the hole and pushes him away.

"Stay back, butcher," He growls, not looking directly at him. Adel recognizes the sound of a weapon being cocked, and the smell of gunpowder and silver bullets when they’re that close, so he doesn’t hesitate to throw himself at Leona to hinder her actions.

"Run, Yuu! Don’t let him catch you!" he shouts, tossing her the cloak. She wraps herself in the material and flees the butcher shop, the skin of her arms charred by the sun and her eyes weeping over the dark and gruesome turn everything had taken.

"Idiot!" With little effort, Leona throws him off. A blow from his elbow is enough to send him to the ground and break his nose. "Do you have any idea what you just did?! That monster will kill everyone!"

"She’s not a monster!" he gets back up, wiping the blood running down his face with his arm. From his grimy and worn butcher's apron, he pulls out a knife—one Leona had his eye on earlier. "And if you’re going to hurt her... you’ll have to go through me first."

"As you wish..." He growls, more beast than human. But that doesn’t intimidate Adel.

• • •

What would normally take half a day of travel, Yuu managed to do in just a couple of hours thanks to her newfound abilities. She was doomed. She was ignorant, but even an illiterate fool could recognize the emblem of a monster hunter when they saw it.

She didn’t even know what she hoped to gain by coming to the village in the first place. Her skin erupted in painful blisters upon direct contact with the sun, and her mouth watered just from watching the villagers walk a few steps away from her. She knew it was stupid and reckless, but at the very least, she wanted to see her friend one last time…

She stumbled into her cabin, nearly ripping the door off in the process. All her windows had already been covered with rags and wooden planks, making it a safe place. The arrival of spring had brought the first rays of sunlight after a winter of dark clouds and short days. Maybe that was why the vampire had never shown any signs of being one… everything just felt so damn convenient.

Yuu collapsed onto the floor, unsure of what to do. At some point during her escape, her normally tied-up hair had come loose, messy strands falling over her face. At least it could help cover the mark… but the fangs were another story. If only they weren’t there…

An idea took shape in her mind. She crawled toward the fireplace, frantically searching for a stone hard enough for what she planned to do. Miraculously, she found one. It was the size of her fist, jagged in texture, deformed by all the times it had endured the heat of the flames.

Yuu opened her mouth, tracing her fang with her free hand, unintentionally nicking her finger in the process. She couldn’t resist the bestial urge that drove her to bring that tiny drop of her own blood to her lips. She sucked eagerly until the small wound closed. Almost instantly, she felt disgusted—and thus, even more determined.

She screamed, cried, and thrashed, but she didn’t stop until the rock in her fist shattered and her fangs were reduced to something less conspicuous than two long, sharp peaks. She ended up tearing apart the inside of her mouth, but it was a price she was willing to pay to feel even a little more human.

"Stay still, or I'll blow your head off."

Yuu trembles violently but obeys the warning.

“Turn around slowly and put your hands where I can see them,” the hunter spits. She shakes and cries in silence as she follows his orders.

How?

How did he find her? How had he gotten here so fast? How had she not noticed his presence… until he was quite literally behind her?

What had happened to Adel?

“W-What did you do to Adel?!” Almost as soon as that surge of bravery hit her, an explosion grazed the side of her face, rupturing her eardrum. She screamed, clutching her face as she writhed on the ground.

“I didn’t give you permission to speak.” His voice is the coldest, harshest thing she has ever heard. This man is different from anyone she has encountered before. She is sure that if she isn’t careful, he will kill her without even blinking.

“Now—” He grabs her roughly by the neck and slams her against the wall, making her scream. “—you’re going to tell me how many villagers you killed and where your partner is. Otherwise, I’ll cut off your fingers, your toes, your nose, ears, arms, legs… and I’ll let you die in the sun. So talk. Now.”

He loosens his grip just a little—not enough to make it any less lethal, but at least now she can speak. Overwhelmed by terror, more tears stream down Yuu’s face, but Leona doesn’t even flinch.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…! I haven’t killed anyone…!” she squeaks, but her words die on her tongue when Leona’s grip tightens.

“That’s not an answer.” He pulls a knife from his coat, squeezing her throat even more. Yuu is sure she hears something crack, but the sheer terror of losing a limb is stronger.

“W-Wait, please! Don’t kill me!” she shrieks, writhing in his grip, struggling to get her feet back on the ground. But the man holding her ignores her cries, his arms as unyielding as iron.

“I haven’t done anything! Please, listen to me!”

Her throat tears as she screams when she feels the sharp blade press against her skin. It burns—it burns just like fire would. Her desperation escalates.

“I’m a neophyte! H-He turned me! I haven’t killed anyone, so please…!”

She clamps her mouth shut when the knife embeds itself just inches from her face.

“A neophyte…” Leona tastes the word with disdain. “That explains why your eyes aren’t red and why you don’t smell like blood… not someone else’s blood, anyway. He must have turned you when you were dying.”

Yuu stares at him, shaken. He knew. Of course, he knew! And yet he still threatened her and nearly—nearly…

“Where is he?”

“W-What…?”

“Where is the vampire who turned you and killed the hunters?” he demands, his voice low, his face dangerously close to the knife stuck in the wall.

“I-I don’t know, he just bit me and disappeared…!”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

She said nothing—she just cried harder. It was slipping out of her hands; she was desperate. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want this… How had her peaceful life twisted into this nightmare?

Leona let go of her. She whimpered as her legs gave out, making her stumble to the floor. She watched him pace around her not-so-spacious cabin, trembling like a wounded animal, terrified that at any moment he might corner her again and threaten to rip off one of her limbs. She had been so consumed by fear in such a short time that she almost forgot the suffocating thirst burning in her throat. She tried to suppress the wild instinct by covering her mouth and pressing a fist against her neck.

“That butcher… Is he your lover or something?” Leona asked after what felt like an eternity. His sharp gaze settled on the unmade bed where the vampire had been lying just days ago. “He’s not in any danger. I just roughed him up a little so he wouldn’t follow me.”

That seemed to calm her.

“He’s my friend…”

“So, can you explain why a young, single woman lives so far from her village?” he continued, sitting comfortably on the bed, the shotgun that had almost blown her brains out still aimed in her direction.

Yuu bit her lip, reluctant to discuss this with someone like him.

“Father Rollo asked me to… It’s my way of atoning for my sins.”

At her words, Leona’s face twisted into an expression that was almost a laugh.

“So that’s what this is about…”

She didn’t quite understand what he was getting at, but for her own safety, she decided not to ask.

“I assume that before you were left alone, you lived with your mother or something like that. Am I right?”

She nodded, staring at him in stunned silence.

Then, the questions stopped. Leona seemed deep in thought, which unsettled Yuu even more.

“…Are you going to kill me?”

“I want to,” he answered, his face turning as cold and stoic as when he had nearly sliced her face open. “Neophytes are more troublesome than regular vampires. Unpredictable, insatiable… There’s no record of a neophyte surviving more than seven days without killing someone. However, you’re my only lead to finding the veteran who turned you. Most likely, that priest kept you living alone, far from the village, to lure that vampire in. He just didn’t expect you to be turned instead. Maybe, in exchange for a young, virgin girl every so often, that monster spares the rest. Small communities like this tend to survive that way."

“What are you saying?! Father Rollo would never do something like that!”

“You found that vampire, didn’t you?” Leona ignored her outrage and continued with his speculations. “Long before he turned you. Tell me what happened—leave nothing out. Understood?”

She didn’t have many options, so she just told him everything. How she found him one day covered in blood and brought him home. How he stayed immobile for the whole season… and how things ended up the way they had.

“Are you stupid? How didn’t you realize that thing wasn’t human?” Cruel, harsh words spilled from his mouth as he stood up without warning, towering over her like a large, threatening shadow. Deep down, he had to admit he felt a shred of pity for Yuu. She was just a girl—deceived by everyone, her very existence not much more than bait. The kindest thing he could do for her was kill her before she fully turned.

“How was I supposed to know?! H-his eyes weren’t even red!”

Leona stopped, giving Yuu a moment to sob and lament under her breath.

“What did you say…?”

“H-he didn’t look like a vampire… he had horns and… and his eyes were green.”

Horns… green eyes… it couldn’t be.

“Are you sure about what you’re saying? If you’re lying to me, I’ll throw you into the sun, so choose your words very carefully.” He grabbed her arm, forcing her to stand.

“Y-yes, I’m completely sure…!” she nodded wildly.

Leona fell into absolute silence again, staring at her intensely—almost as if he could see right through her.

“I’ve decided… I’m not going to kill you. For now.” he said slowly.

“R-really?” Yuu looked up at him, eyes wide.

“For the next seven days, I’ll be staying here with you. So if you do anything suspicious, you can be sure I won’t hesitate to kill you.” He let go of her briefly, only to rummage through his things and toss a bag in her face.

“But there will be rules. You’re not allowed to leave this place. You won’t get up from that corner. You’ll stay as still as a statue. And you’ll wear this until the seven days are over. I think you know what’ll happen if you don’t follow my instructions…”

She nodded again, checking the contents of the small leather bag. The moment her fingers touched the metal, a painful burning sensation spread through her hand. The silver cuffs clattered loudly to the floor.

Leona's face remained just as expressionless when she looked up at him, nerves on edge.

“Well? Do we have a deal?”

It wasn’t like she had another choice.

“…Yes.”

•

•

•

The first night was the hardest—and the blurriest. She only remembers screaming, that insatiable thirst spreading through her entire body as she writhed on the floor.

The hunter wasted no time in restraining her, with the same rough efficiency that defined his profession. He pinned her down and stuffed a wad of fabric into her mouth to silence any attempt at biting.

After that, she passed out.

•

•

•

During the day, her condition was manageable. Vampires were inherently vulnerable to sunlight, so the primal instinct awakened by the mark on her neck had little control over Yuu. However, that didn’t stop the hunter from taking precautions—hiding anything she could use to shield herself from the sun and escape.

Neither of them spoke a word, and so the second night fell.

Their routine was no different from the first.

•

•

•

Leona knew he wasn’t being fair to her. In reality, it wasn’t her fault she had become a newborn. She was just another victim of the disgusting acts those selfish beasts engaged in.

But what more could he do? He was more accustomed to dealing with monsters than with people. And she... she was somewhere in between.

"At least... would you tell me your name?"

And there she was, after more than twelve hours of sobbing and moaning, managing to ignore the constant pain of the silver on her skin and using the last of her strength to speak to him. The beginning of the third dawn filtered through the largest cracks in the cabin, making it clear that her condition was now under control.

Leona didn’t even glance at her.

"No."

"Fine..."

She nodded with resignation, as if she had never had hope in the first place. By the time Leona decided to look at her, she was no longer looking at him. But even so, he could see her, even in the dim light of that dilapidated house.

He saw the face of someone used to rejection.

For the first time in a long while, something inside Leona twisted.

•

•

•

Even for a cold-blooded hunter like him, the routine of having to watch her struggle with herself every day was starting to wear him down. He hadn’t slept at all since this all started; he couldn’t afford that luxury when sharing a roof with an almost vampire.

"Why don’t you just give up?" He asked, more tired than annoyed, while fighting with his inhuman strength to keep her subdued on the cold wooden floor.

"Because... I want to live..."

He hadn’t expected an answer, not in the middle of the frenzy. At least it showed she still had some awareness. Yuu might be weak and whiny, but at least she fought back.

"I don’t want to kill anyone... but I don’t want to die... Maybe I became this, but I know what it means to be afraid, I know how terrifying death is, and how painful it is to die alone... I... I don’t want to cause anyone that suffering!"

And Yuu fainted, leaving Leona with a bitter feeling.

•

•

•

"In all the years I’ve been hunting monsters, this is the first time I’ve encountered a neophyte like you..." It was rare for Leona to start the conversation, so Yuu didn’t know how to respond. "Last night... you said you want to live... Why?"

"Do I need a reason?"

"I don’t want to sound like a jerk, though it’s pretty clear I am, but I have the feeling that your life before the bite wasn’t exactly beautiful."

He said, being much more biting than he’d intended. Yuu took a few seconds to respond.

"Yes, you’re right..."

She sighed, adjusting her position so she could look him in the face while speaking. Her gaze was unreadable, and the small smile that appeared on her lips was melancholic.

"But it’s mine, it’s my life. Nothing in this world belongs to me, but my life is mine. If I really get through this, I’ll leave this place. If everything you said is true, I don’t plan on staying here any longer. I’ll travel, see new places, and live the way I think is right. For the first time, I’ll allow myself to dream of something more... You know? Right now, dreaming is the only thing keeping me sane..."

She concluded, and at some point, that smile had turned into a genuine one.

It was fleeting, like many of the most charming things in this world.

Leona was lost in thought, finding himself at a moral crossroads.

"Mr. Hunter..."

He looked at her in response.

"Please, don’t let me hurt anyone."

•

•

•

How much time had passed?

How many hours? Or had it already been days?

She opened her eyes, confused. She found herself in the middle of the forest, with the moonlight nervously prickling her skin and her bare feet sinking into the snow.

How...?

The hunter... Where is the hunter?

She... was about to finish the seven days... and...

Why didn’t she feel that agonizing thirst piercing her insides anymore?

"It’s been a while, little human."

Yuu froze. Everything seemed to go silent, from the rustling of the distant branches to the sound of her own breathing. He was behind her, she didn’t even know when he had arrived, only that she could tell by how close his voice was. From her neck, long, cold fingers played with her hair and slid tentatively down to trace her jawline. She noticed the long, dark, pointed silhouette of his nails, the enormous shadow that loomed over her, and how his horns protruded from it.

"Why are you crying...?"

She didn’t even know when the tears had started to fall. She cried harder when he took her with an unfamiliar gentleness and forced her to look into his eyes. There was no trace of humanity in Malleus. His orbs were a deep green that seemed to devour everything around him. There was nothing reflected in them. He looked at her with confusion, not caring at all about how she trembled in his arms and tried to push his hands away.

"You don’t seem very happy to have received my blessing."

"You call this a blessing...? You turned me into a monster!"

"Don’t forget, it was you who begged for salvation. It was you who foolishly brought me into your home and kept me alive. It was you, and no one but you. In the end... Foolishness was your sin, little human."

Malleus said, silencing Yuu’s complaints instantly. A long while passed as they stared at each other, until she couldn’t stand it anymore and turned her face away.

He hummed, dispelling the cold and uncomfortable mist that had taken over the atmosphere just moments before.

"There, there, don’t cry. You’ll get through it. Killing isn’t a big deal once you get used to it."

Yuu felt nauseous.

"So be a good girl and wait for me." He whispered, very sweetly. "I’ll visit you soon."

And then she woke up.

With the hairs on her arms standing up, covered in cold sweat and gasping for breath, the thirst for blood hit her immediately, but it was bearable. Everything was more bearable after that heartbreaking experience.

How could he speak of killing as if the lives of others meant nothing...?

She shivered, and by instinct, she was about to rub the area near where the cuffs had burned her skin. But there was one detail she almost didn’t notice.

There was no more pain, or rather, it was barely perceptible. Her wrists were wrapped in rags, preventing direct contact. She lifted her eyes to the only person who had been with her throughout this painful process.

"Hunter...?"

It was strange. She had barely realized it because of her own suffering, but she was sure he hadn’t slept at all during this time.

He just watched her, silently, with a tense hand on his weapon. But now... She couldn’t even feel his eyes, and his posture was completely different from the last few days.

“I’ll visit you soon.”

Terror clouded her senses.

"Hunter!"

Without thinking, she rushed toward him, trying not to touch him. She abandoned the corner. She broke the rule, but that didn’t mean anything if he was already dead.

For the first time in days, she felt genuinely relieved.

He had just fallen asleep, which was quite surprising. She took a few more steps toward him, without closing the distance too much, just walking close enough to be able to look at him.

And, wow.

Given the circumstances, Yuu had never allowed herself to realize how incredibly handsome her hunter was. With his tall, muscular frame, bronzed skin, masculine face, and chiseled cheekbones, he exuded a male attractiveness she had never witnessed. She had always been forced to keep her distance from him, so she was surprised when she discovered the scar running through one of his eyelids, and thanks to that, she vaguely remembered the color of his eyes.

They were green.

Without thinking, she reached out her hand toward one of the curls escaping from his messy ponytail. She licked her lips, able to hear the steady rhythm of his pulse and the flow of his blood through his warm, living skin. Just thinking about how good it would feel to sink her lips into his neck, right next to where his Adam's apple rose and fell, made her teeth tingle, almost as if they had a life of their own. The sand in her throat grew thicker, and all her thoughts pointed to the fact that her suffering would end the moment she decided to bite him.

He's so close... I just need to lean in a little and...

Leona woke up.

Dazed, because it wasn’t usual for him to fall asleep. By instinct, he groped around until he found his shotgun, and automatically aimed it toward the corner where Yuu should have been. And there she was, curled up just like on the first day.

He stayed in that position for about ten minutes before allowing himself to feel something close to relief.

How the hell did I end up falling asleep...?

He sighed, running his hand over his face to push his bangs back. The exhaustion tormented him like a heavy burden on his limbs, but he couldn’t afford to rest.

Not when there was so little time left.

Due to the nature of his job, and having witnessed firsthand how cruel and bloodthirsty vampires could be, he would never admit it, but...

He hoped that Yuu could somehow become human again.

•

•

•

"Get up, the day is almost over."

Yuu blinked, feeling her limbs numb. Leona was watching her from above, her brow furrowed just like the first time. She was still half-asleep, so it was no surprise that she barely understood anything he said. Leona always spoke softly, in a tone that sounded more like a growl than a whisper.

"Is it night...?" She rubbed one of her eyes, feeling dizzy.

"Almost. Are you going to get up?"

"I can't..."

And it wasn't a lie. Like humans, for a vampire, not eating was lethal. She hadn’t eaten in days, so right now she was as weak and vulnerable as an ordinary human.

Leona cursed, pulling her body. But unlike their first encounter, his touch was much gentler.

"Can you stand up?"

"Y-yes... " She hesitated, not sure if the pleasant scent coming from his body was his own or the way her body only saw him as food. In any case, being this close was embarrassing. "Don't you think at this distance, I could lose control and bite you...?"

"I'd break your jaw before you even tried."

"You sound very confident for someone who hasn't slept or eaten much in the past week..." She wasn't sure if it was the optimism that she might become human again any minute, but she felt like joking a little.

He clicked his tongue in response.

"Hey..."

"What now?"

"Thanks for letting me live..." For a brief moment, Leona fell silent. "I know none of what you did was personal, you were just trying to protect Adel and the others, so I..."

"... Save the sappiness for when you’re human again."

They stared into each other's eyes; the eye contact lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to make something stir inside both of them. She smiled, with a shyness befitting of what she was: a human girl.

The creaky wooden walls shook when someone knocked violently on the door.

"Hunter?! I know you're in there, open the door!" Rollo Flamme demanded, not stopping the intense knocking. Yuu's stomach sank, and Leona shoved her onto the bed and covered her with the blankets.

The message was clear:

Don't make a sound.

Leona didn’t take long to open the door. As stoic and silent as ever, he observed the father and the crowd of villagers holding torches that accompanied him.

"Father, what a pleasant surprise."

"Don't mock me!" Rollo shouted, venom spilling from his mouth and eyes. "Do you think we don't know what you've done?!"

Behind him, the crowd of people shouted, just as agitated as the man leading the group. By instinct, she searched for the butcher among the crowd. Not finding him made several things click in her head.

"You let a vampire into the village, more than ten people have died since then! Where were you?! Playing house with the daughter of a prostitute in the middle of the woods?!"

Ten people...? As far as he knew, the group of hunters only consisted of five people.

Something was wrong.

The feeling he had when speaking to the father a week ago hit him harder now. Why had he waited so long to confront him if so many people had died? Why today, when Yuu was about to break the curse...?

"You... You know the vampire, don’t you? "Leona said, softly, very softly, so that in the middle of the shouting and chaos, his voice would only be heard by him and the father. "He told you to do this..."

Rollo’s fury froze, and his body visibly trembled. All that rage vanished; in an instant, he stopped being the authoritative and solemn father and became what he was: a small, insignificant human, nothing more than a puppet of a vampire.

"Kill him! Burn the house and kill them both!" He ordered, backing away from him, nearly stumbling to the ground as he screamed.

Leona had to close the door. Within seconds, the forest stopped being calm; rocks and torches slammed into the walls of the place, breaking everything.

The fire quickly spread, painting the surroundings with unbearable heat and an overwhelming red.

"What?! What's happening?!" Yuu barely managed to sit up, staring in disbelief as everything she loved and knew was reduced to ashes. She hardly cared that some of the rocks breaking through the wall hit her or that the sunlight filtering through the gaps irritated her skin.

Her home... the last memory of her and her mother, the place she hated and loved for years... It was disappearing, fading away.

"Don’t get up!" Leona demanded, pulling Yuu back to reality by wrapping her body in furs and blankets.

The rashes on her grayish skin stopped, but didn’t heal. All the vitality she had as a neophyte had drained because she had abused her regeneration. If things kept going like this, she would die before she could ever become human again.

"Damn it!"

It wasn’t a fight he could win. The vampire had set a trap for them, and any moment now, night would fall, and they would have free rein to kill them all. Leona kicked one of the back walls; the rotten, burned wood gave way to the force of her legs and created a hole large enough for someone to escape through.

He took Yuu’s small, weakened body in her arms and started running through the forest.

"-"That way, they’re escaping!"

From the explosion that accompanied that voice, he knew they were shooting at them.

Leona kept running, relying solely on the burning adrenaline that consumed her body and her beast-man abilities.

Hhe didn’t stop until the voices of their pursuers faded into the distance.

Then, he collapsed. His legs gave way, and they had the misfortune of falling into a small, sloped hill. They both went in different directions, dragged by gravity while rocks and branches wrapped in the thin layer of snow pierced their skin.

"H-hunter...?" Yuu’s voice trembled as she struggled to get up, trying her best to protect her sensitive body from the sun. She looked at him from a distance, lying in the snow, completely still.

"Hunter!"

She crawled toward him, ignoring the burning of her limbs or the pulsing touch of her skin against the still-intact silver cuffs. She got close enough to realize and stay motionless.

He was bleeding.

More than one bullet had hit him.

She bit her tongue, fiercely fighting the urge to lick the hole in his abdomen, and dragged him to where the sun couldn’t hurt her.

"What… Hey?! Hunter, respond!" She fought against herself, against the nature that demanded she stop the nonsense and drink while she still could. Tears began to fall as the sun slowly faded.

"Hey, Hunter! Please, please hold on! Don’t die… please…" She sobbed, clinging to the parts of her body that weren’t covered in that tempting and delicious red color.

She hated herself, she hated herself so much; the person who had risked their life for her was dying… and she couldn’t think of anything but drinking his blood.

At this rate, both of them were going to die.

"Leona…"

"W-what…?"

"My name…" He groaned, with his beautiful eyes barely open, pressing his hand against his open side. "My name is Leona… Leona Kingscholar."

"Leona… Leona, please, you have to hold on…"

"We both know that’s not going to happen." He gasped, looking at his face covered in cuts and eruptions with a grimace. It was the most human expression she had seen him make in all the time she had known him. "I’ve lost a lot of blood… and you’re cracking… Neither of us is getting out of here alive…"

"W-what… what are you saying?"

"Yuu."

He called her. Not “girl,” not “you,” not “monster,” not “thing”… Somehow, him referring to her by her name made her feel more human than she had ever been.

The cold hunter who refused to give his name or use hers dared to form bonds at a point of no return. He saw her. Not as a monster, not as the daughter of a prostitute… he saw her and recognized her for what she truly was.

"That bastard will be here any minute…"

Her lips trembled, she knew who he was talking about, but she couldn’t help but ask.

"W-Who…?"

"Malleus Draconia, the vampire with green eyes…"

He declares, spitting blood in the process. Yuu shakes, pressing her hands firmly against his wound to stop more blood from leaking out. Her eyes tremble when he looks at her.

He’s terribly pale, the moonlight that once made his brown skin shine like copper now showing a cold and almost lifeless tone.

Very quickly, Leona Kingscholar’s life was coming to an end.

This reality made Yuu sob harder.

"I’ve been searching for him for years, that’s why I didn’t kill you when I could… That monster has never turned anyone. I… I’m sorry. I used you."

"Stop talking…! Please… don’t keep going…"

Don’t waste the little life you have left saying nonsense.

"Yuu… bite me."

She raised her tear-streaked face toward him, unsure of what she had just heard.

"Survive. Kill that son of a bitch…"

She looked at him with wide eyes, feeling her own life beginning to fade.

"Do it. Didn’t you say you wanted to live?"

But no… not like this. She didn’t want to be a monster, she didn’t want to be the monster that ended his life.

"What are you waiting for…? If I’m going to die, I’ll do it in the arms of the person I choose."

He laughs, dragging his hand to his neck to expose a portion of his skin.

"I know… you won’t be a monster like all the others…"

Tag list: @ghostlysyntaxed @nico707 @strayharmony943 @valentinaagarcia @s7-evermore @pinksaiyans @sugarxrt @riverstyxxbitch @stormy64 @gabile18 @serenelitty @bluedmonsst @junni-berry @rhyzoma @sunset18rose @shuzoku

[arthurs-better-half]

John and Yellow (Mirrors and Monsters)

Reblogs much appreciated 👍

1. Julio Cortázar, Los Reyes // 2. Malevolent - Part 23 // 3. Brené Brown, Daring Greatly // 4. Brutus - The Buttress // 5. Malevolent - Part 40 "The Order" II // 6. Minotaur Forgiving Knossos - Moonface // 7. Dawning Night by Joseph Feely / Malevolent - Part 1 / Malevolent Part 21 // 8. Joan Tierney, The Elektra Complex // 9. Malevolent - Part 24 // 10. Bad Sun - The Bravery // 11. Minotauro (Minotaur) by Jordi Garriga Mora (2007) // 12. Malevolent - Part 40 "The Order" II // 13. Margaret Atwood, Corpse Song // 14. Repeat Until Death - Novo Amor // 15. Malevolent - Part 40 "The Order" II // 16. The Calling - The Amazing Devil // 17. @autistic-evil-xisuma (sorry for the tag) // 18. Bad Bad Things - AJJ // 19. Marie Howe, The Affliction // 20. Malevolent - Part 40 "The Order" II // 21. Ragnarok III: Strange Meeting - The Mechanisms // 22. a conversation about identity - tea // 23. Malevolent - Part 40 "The Order" // 24. Requiem - Death Note Musical (English concept album) // 25. Richard Silken, The Long and the Short Of It (Annotated)

(Playlist of the songs included (Spotify))

ARIADNE Why do you fear him? He is my brother. MINOS A monster has no siblings.

YELLOW: But it was me. I-In a way. ARTHUR (sighing): John. YELLOW: He was... different than me.

I want to experience your vulnerability but I don't want to be vulnerable Vulnerability is courage in you and inadequacy in me. I'm drawn to your vulnerability but repelled by mine.

But why do I lie awake each night thinking "Instead of you, it should be me"? Something wicked this way comes And as I set to face it, I'm unsure Should I embrace it, should I run? What motivates me? Hatred? Is it love?

ARTHUR (sighing, pityingly): Yellow. He never will. You are trapped with him. Forever. JOHN: Trapped?

I was born into this We were all born You were born like a pearl We were all born

YELLOW (in awe): There's a building, with lights on.

ENTITY (surprised): Well. ARTHUR: What? ENTITY: Nothing. I, I just... the city is so alive.

YELLOW: I... appreciate the life I saw. I... am at a loss for words.

ENTITY: I... the city... the life that exists on every street corner. It's... so different than the Dark World I thought I would forever call home.

I tip my head like a dog at the window. The outside world is so interesting, and I am not a part of it; I'm just witnessing.

JOHN: It's nothing, Arthur. I'm just telling you that every time you call him a monster, you're forgetting that I am the same.

I don't know what's wrong with us They just made us this way There's a hole in you and me That pulls us together

JOHN: If killing Larson kills Yellow... ARTHUR: Then you'll be fine! Stronger, maybe. JOHN: Or. I don't know if I can survive with only half a soul.

I exist in two places, here and where you are

Don't go, you're half of me now But I'm hardly stood proud

JOHN: I know you can't promise me. I know you aren't sure. But... Yellow is a piece of me. Can you imagine having to destroy a piece of yourself? Even if it's a reflection of yourself you may not like!

I look into the waters and see a face I don't recognise Who's this (Who are you)

people always talk about evil clones like oooh a dark mirror oohh what if you saw what a cruel person you were/are capable of becoming. and well yes but what if you were the evil clone. what if you looked in the mirror and what you saw was so bright it blinded you. what if you had to know exactly how good you could have been.

So I looked into your eyes And I saw a reflection Of a coward that you and I both hate very much

And he: (and this was almost unbearable) he saw me see him, and I saw him see me.

ARTHUR (quietly): But we all have to face our demons. Even if they're ourselves.

[Verse 2: THOR, LOKI, & Together] Where are you going? For vengeance For love

You're losing in a staring contest With whatever's in your mirror You are me and I am you But we're not one and I'm inferior

YELLOW: I... I... (Quieter.) Why you, John? What did you have to offer? Why does he care about... you?

Gone, who was right or wrong Who was weak or strong Nothing left to learn

The question for this issue was Do you have a human soul and can you prove it? And, of course, there was no definitive answer.

[Tumblr has deleted progress on this like three times now so I'm posting it now while it's done before it can fuck it up again!!! And thank you @ghostnotoast for being so lovely here is the weave]

[ajaxbell]

Fangs of Fortune (Bai Ze Ling): perfect on pure aesthetics alone, but also it will tear your heart out while being very gay.

I was lured in to this show by Tumblr gifsets and friends on Bluesky talking about how queer and poly this show is. I'm old and I've been in fandom more than half my life. I know how to read queer subtext. I'm also pretty well versed in cdramas, so again, I know how to read subtext. So I went into this ready to, well, read the subtext.

But no this show is just puts the queer it right there in the text. The vague information we have about Chinese censorship repeatedly left me asking, 'wait how are they getting away with this?' Like some of these jokes and implications are just so blatant it seems incredible this show ever made it to being broadcast. It just feels very much like queer media made for queer people even if t's more subtle than something western like Queer as Folk.

Even without the heavy coloring of gay this show is incredible and so much more than I expected from the title and the promo. The premise is essentially the death of the goddess, who governed relations between humans and demons, leads to an influx of demons in the human world. This brings together the goddess's disciple, Wen Xiao--seeking to restore the goddess's power. WX's childhood sweetheart, Zhuo Yichen--seeking to restore the demon-hunting bureau after the powerful demon Zhu Yan killed his father and brother. It opens on Zhu Yan, in human disguise as as Zhao Yuanzhou, volunteering to help the imperial court restore the demon-hunting bureau to quell the chaos. They are joined by Pei Sijing, a retired female general from the rival demon hunting sect, and a very young doctor (and comic relief) named Bai Jiu. It starts off as a sort of monster-of-the-week with a grim Scooby gang doing detective work and fighting monsters. Each major demon has a mini arc that relates to the larger case (restoring the power of the goddess to balance the realms), and they are repeatedly blocked by either the demons or the rival demon hunting sect. Each mini arc also acts as a mirror or parallel story to slowly revealed backstory of all the main characters as well. In true cdrama fashion it's a mix of adventure, intense emotional drama, romance, and comedy. And queer and poly jokes and romance. It also has a kind of manga vibe in the way the comedy is woven into the more serious story, and in the fantastical depiction of the characters and how the story unfolds.

It is also just insanely beautiful. Every single shot is lovely. The costumes, make up, and hair are incredible. The casting director made all the major demons inhumanly beautiful. The sets are spectacular. The effects are nicely done. Every bit of has the vague surreality of a fairytale. The perfection of each shot ads to the manga vibe, as if we're seeing each critical storytelling panel come alive. There's recurring water-based special effects that are just gorgeous. Based on aesthetics alone this show would be worth watching to me. That it is combined with a complex, very emotional story is a spectacular gift to the watcher. A lot of the negative reviews of this complain about the staginess or that it's overly contrived in how each scene is shot. But I think it's gorgeous, works perfectly with the storytelling, and if we criticize art on whether it achieves the goal it intended then this show is doing exactly and perfectly what it means to do and doing it beautifully.

Additionally the acting is also very good, but Neo Hou is the stand out for sure. I enjoyed him in Back from the Brink, especially the later part of the story, but in Fangs of Fortune he's transformed, utterly embodying the role, the way Dylan Wang is Dongfang Qingcang in Love Between Fairy and Devil. Neo Hou has the right look, a slightly uncanny beauty perfect for a gorgeous immortal not of this world. The show does incredible things with his styling between the various looks and personas the role requires. But in acting he somehow manages to utterly transform his face and demeanor to manifest each aspect of the character as story demands changes from him.

There is a lot of crying in this drama. Like early on I joked that there was going to be a character crying a single perfect tear in every ep. Lol nope. Multiple single perfect tears per ep and many outright full on sobbing scenes. This show is just waiting to rip your heart out and you see it right from the beginning. But it was such sweet pain all the way through. Just a truly engaging and utterly wrenching set of intertwined stories.

My only criticism is that the pacing falls apart in the last 3 episodes. But overall the story is solid through the end, though like so many cdramas, it's saved by the epilogue.

You should absolutely watch it if you want the chaotic bi polycule (it's her, her girlfriend, her boyfriend, her boyfriend's boyfriend who is also her boyfriend, their two idiot sons, and her boyfriend's ex-who is also eventually sort of his boyfriend again), or if you want your heart torn out and stomped on. Or even if you just like really gorgeous cinematic things. Also if you watch, please don't skip the ending credits, as they change as the arcs change, and the radiant joy Tian Jiarui has as he dances is an excellent antidote to the emotions of each episode.

[parainvestigate]

Others comparing his likeness to that of certain primates was nothing he was unfamiliar with, those who were close to him even used monkey as a term of endearment. Saying the stumps of his horns were like burger patties was certainly unique. Hellboy took no offense. “They're horns, the filed down sort.”

ㅤㅤ❝𝓨ou haven't seen much of the galaxy then!❞ Mantis said cheerfully. ❝And I haven't seen a big red monkey-looking being with burger-patties on his forehead before!❞ She commented innocently- not realizing the offence of her own words- having learned a few earthly things from spending time there, as well as from her step-brother.

|| @parainvestigate

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Verse with tele-empath powers is getting a reboot to explore said powers? Hello, yes.

Re-verse, engage!

Covered in blood and filth, whimpering in the bottom of a cage, was a small, broken child. So small, huddled and androgynous- Dick couldn't tell if it was a male or female child. He only knew it was a child.

And that the feeling of fear and desperation- helpless, hopelss sadness, is coming from them. "Batman," he murmured into his comlink, "I think you need to see this."

"What is it?" Bruce demanded, silently ordering Tim out of the room full of bodies. Scientists that had taken their own lives.

"A kid," he answered, kneeling next to the bars. "It's gonna be okay," he said to you. "We're gonna get you out of here okay?"

Slowly an arm moves away from a face and reveals a gaunt face and hollow cheeks. Hair that had been shaved so close they've nicked your scalp... It made his heart twist. "You shouldn't let me out," you tell him.

"Why's that," he asked, keeping his tone light. Were you a Meta? An Alien? He'd seen other empty cages. Dead guards. And he felt... Well. He wasn't sure what he felt but. God it was so heavy. He wrapped his hand around the bars to keep his balance and settled in. You just looked so small.

"Monsters belong in Cages," you murmur, laying your head back down. Like holding it up was too much. Like the weight of the world was pressing down on you. "I killed them. All of them."

________________

"How is our patient?" Dick asked slipping into the medical bay of the watch Tower.

"Troubled," J'onn J'onzz answered, "but, I believe I would be too if I had had her story."

Dick nodded but, didn't ask further questions. He, Clark, Tim, and Bruce had been putting the pieces together while you healed. And what they found... well. They didn't say that you were a monster. They said that you were a little girl put in a monstrous situation.

"Thank you for sitting with her," he said, proffering a pack of oreos. "I just didn't want her to wake up totally alone when she opened her eyes." His preference would have been for Diana- but. She was who knows where. And at least J'onn could anticipate what she was thinking. And he could be patient.

"Of course. Poor creature. She yearns."

And before Dick could ask what for he was gone. And Dick pulled himself up a chair, and helped himself to a magazine, helping himself to a cosmo with a snort. "Let's see what my ideal date with Bruce Wayne is, huh? Bet he hate's all this shit. They always get it wrong."

[of-the-stars-and-the-sea]

You will be free.

I remember the first time I saw you.

I remember the way the shadows had clung to you in the night, as if they were a second skin to you. In the dark, your eyes seemed to glint unnaturally in the moonlight. Though most of your skin was covered, I could still see where your fingertips had been stained a terrible crimson. The scent of copper and iron that trailed you was so strong I could practically taste it. 

But when I looked closer, I could see the way in which you hardly seemed to breathe, as if the mere action of filling your lungs would give you away. I could see the way your nails dung into your palms as you attempted to steady your shaking hands to no avail. The way your face had been rubbed to the point of rawness in order to hide the tracks that your tears had engraved into your cheeks.

You are a disciple of death, darling, but you did not choose to be this way, did you?

You did not choose to have the mercy carved from your soul the way it was, but they left no choice for you when they laid that blade into your hands. You killed your humanity because the only other option was to let them kill you instead. And I do not blame you, darling. For I could never blame you for holding desperately into existence, no matter the cost. I would’ve done the same in your shoes. 

But even if you will never be able to live freely and without fear, I ask you just this once to pause in your pacing and listen to me. You are more than just a weapon. You are more than a piece of steel to be whetted and wedded until death do you part. I need you to know that. I need you to know that there is more to your nature than the night you cloak yourself in. 

You don’t need to understand them yet, but I need you to trust that my words are true. And I know it is cruel of me to ask, but I need you to trust me when I say that you are more than what they’ve made you. I need you to do this because if you don’t, I’m afraid of what may happen to you. They have never been kind to you darling, and I fear that this time will be no different. 

So please. Please stay. Stay, and then once you have recovered, once they no longer share your name in requiem, we will return for restitution. We will make them regret every reproof they laid upon you for the sin of simply daring to have a soul. We will damn them in the very same way they tried to damn you. We will tear down their walls until they have nothing left to hide behind. And then once they are laid bare we will–

I’m getting away from myself. 

But I really do mean it, darling. If you will allow me to, I will do my very best to hold onto you. Mark my words, if you stay with me, I will never let anyone use you as if you are nothing more than an object again. 

And after all is said and done, I swear to you that you will be free.

....

inspired by this post.

[pokeshippingweek]

POKESHIPPING WEEK 2024!

It's that time again, pokeshippers!

Last year, we announced that the format of Pokeshipping Week - one theme per day - was getting retired. We also said that we'd still put on a celebration of some kind going forward. Well, the time is here, and I'm happy to announce that we are planning a pokeshipping zine...next year!

If you'll forgive the bait-and-switch there, we have seriously talked about doing a zine, but time got away from us this summer. So, while we do hope to tackle that undertaking in 2025, for this year, we're planning what you might call an open Pokeshipping Week!

How does it work, you ask? Simple: over the years, you all have submitted a lot of potential themes for Pokeshipping Week. For every seven that got chosen each year, plenty were left behind. Well, now you can fill November 1 to 7 with art, fics, AMVs, GIFs, graphics, etc., all about our favorite Poke-couple, using any seven you'd like from the unused themes list.

Any and all contributions are welcome, and if they're tagged #pokeshipping week 2024, we'll reblog them here and on the main @pokeshipping blog. Besides Tumblr, we’ll keep our eyes out for the tag on Twitter and DeviantART for artwork, for fanfics on FF.Net and AO3, and for AMVs on YouTube (no NSFW, please).

The full list of unused themes (from years 2020 through 2023) is below the "Read More" break. Use, combine, and create as your heart desires, and we'll see you November 1!

A bad fight A day in the life  A never-ending road A ship full of shippers Alola sunset scene Amusement park Anime characters meet their game/manga counterparts Anniversary Art classes together/Drawing each other Ash and Misty in Sinnoh Ash’s hat Avatar: The Last Airbender AU Birthdays  Breakup Cameran Palace ball (as in Movie 8) Celebrating Celebrities Champions/Masters  Cheerleader Misty Childhood sweethearts Chocolate Comfort during a natural disaster Comforting each other Competition Confiding in one another Cooking disaster Costumes Criminal/Detective Crossover Crossover with game/manga-verse D&D Dealing with Team Rocket’s teasing in “A Scare in the Air” Dewpider/Araquanid Different hairstyle Disaster dates  Disney AU Double dating Elder years  Elders Ash and Misty Evolution Fairy tales/Fantasy AU Fankids Fireworks First day on the job Food Fortune-telling/foresight Game of Thrones AU Giving advice to a younger generation Grey hair Gym leader Ash/beginner Misty Halloween/horror/ghost story Hanahaki disease Handkerchief Happily Ever After/Fairy Tales Hiding Hogwarts AU Horizons Hot tub/Hot springs If Ash heard Misty’s Song If Ash or Misty weren’t from Kanto If Ash started his journey at 16 or older If Ash’s journey had ended after winning the Indigo League (in season 1) If Misty caught Lapras If one came from another region If their parents met If they didn’t meet on Ash’s first day In-universe Pokéshippers Intimacy Japanese-style confessional love letter JRPG AU (ie, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Monster Hunter, etc.) Karaoke Ladybug and Chat Noir Last goodbyes Learning a different language Lost Pikachu Love Letter  Love triangle Lovers across the multiverse Lovestruck (if Ash acted like Brock) Meeting the parents/relatives Mewtwo Strikes Back alternate ending Misty and other Pokégirls discuss their loved ones together Misty meets Goh and Chloe Misty overcoming her fear of Bug-types Misty the coordinator Misty’s Bug-type phobia Mixtape/playlist  Mystery dungeon Nervous Ash  Never have I ever Other Pokemon games AU (Detective Pikachu/Pokemon Masters/etc) Out of their element  Overprotective Misty  Perspective of Oak Ranch Pokémon on their relationship Photo shoot Pirates Plot twist Pokemon daycare Pokémon Mystery Dungeon AU PokéNav communication/Video calling Possessed/evil Misty Pregnancy/Birth Pro-gamers Puberty Reappearance of Ash’s father and/or Misty’s parents Regency Era Romance  Return to Orange Islands Romeo and Juliet Sci-fi AU Scuba diving Secret identity/superhero AU Slow Slumber party Spies AU Stargazing Studio Ghibli AU Sunshine and Rain  Superhero AU Swimming lessons Sygna suits Tabletop RPG AU Taller (height differences)  Tauros ranchers Ash and Misty Time capsule Training together Umbrella Vacation Visiting Oak’s ranch  Water and electricity/water and fire What if Ash didn’t take Misty’s bike? Yoga together Z-ring/Mega Stone

[kiame-sama]

What kind of other monsters exist in the HAE!verse? Any "human-turned-monsters" like vampires, zombies, banshees, etc.? If so, we're they originally humans or born as monsters?

None that were born Human or are still alive. A Human can only be 'ascended' by a Dragon and the death of that dragon kills the 'ascended' Human as well. Humans can become ghosts/phantoms/poltergeists but usually they are wandering spirits that Hades has to put to rest, and he has done a good job so far in finding all the lost Human souls.

Vampire is a phrase attached to the monsters that primarily feed off of blood or that have a blood diet. (Ie. Lilia is a Vampire Bat because he drinks blood as part of his diet)

There is the undead such as the Undying Ursus Minor where they are considered dead yet refused to actually die. Skeletons do occasionally rise up, but they are usually possessed bodies by magic spirits.

But Humans don't turn into anything other than spirits or the few that were considered 'ascended' by a Dragon.

Sirens are a thing, but they are the sea-faring versions of the land-faring Harpies. Puffin Sirens are quite sociable compared to a Dove Harpy.

There was only one recorded instance of a Human gaining magic and changing form without a Dragon, that was a man who sought to rise above his brothers who bargained for power. Who granted him this power has been lost to time, but in the end he was cursed with the form of a large undying bear (the only Undying Ursus Major) and slaughtered his siblings, driven feral by the magic he was never supposed to wield. Only a Human can kill him or his twisted offspring (The Undying Ursus Minors) because only the creature he once was can end his violent torment. (Mor'du)

[pirateshippotato]

My take on a polites lives au

I've seen a bunch of polites lives aus, so here's a way I think that could go down

During the Cyclops attack polites is spared. There's a chance that Odysseus does kill the Cyclops here because he's not trying to honor polites, then Poseidon never comes up and they make it home easily, but we're gonna say that he does so this is longer than two sagas. So the fight goes the same except that polites lives. Afterwards polites would probably be like "I'm proud of you Captain, any other man wouldn't have shown mercy to the Cyclops" and ody would be like "any man besides you, my friend"

The storm hits and they see the floating island all the same. I feel like luck runs out might turn into an argument between ody and eury with polites moderating. Polites would go with Odysseus up to aeolus, so he would know the bag isn't treasure. I've seen versions of this where the bag never gets opened so, again, no Poseidon, but then this is only three sagas so we're gonna do something different. Polites tells Odysseus to put his faith in the crew, so ody and him go to bed, but the bag gets opened. I don't think it was eurylochus in this au, cause if Odysseus AND Polites are telling him it's not treasure I think he'd believe them, so some other random crew member opened it. Ody would be mad at polites for letting him go to sleep. Poseidon still happens, but he has to change the lyrics of ruthlessness a bit cause "47 left under your command" doesn't fit as well. Maybe polites could also get a verse in this song arguing with Poseidon about their very different views on mercy.

They end up on Circe's Island and ody is still a bit mad at polites. Eurylochus goes off, and polites probably goes somewhere else on the island. Ody and Circe still have their battle all the same. Polites meanwhile saves Elpenor (cause I'm just trying to save as many crew members as I can at this point). At the end of the Circe saga ody and polites make up (maybe in a reprise of open arms or something? I know there aren't really reprises, but some song that uses the same melody. It would be called 'my friend' or something).

They go to the underworld still, but obviously polites didn't die so that doesn't happen. It's also only "556 men, who died under your command!" Polites is there to support ody when he sees his mom and the rest of the crew. They meet up with the prophet, and that's probably pretty similar, but maybe there's some lines about how polites (who's standing there too) "wasn't supposed to make it this far" (cause, y'know, polites actually dies). Odyssey doesn't have Monster, and instead maybe just talks to polites about how they're gonna get home.

When dealing with the sirens polites probably encourages ody to not kill the sirens, and maybe they realize they should keep some to feed to scylla. No casualties happen during scylla, and cause eury didn't open the wind bag there's no fight that happens between ody and eury. Because of that no cow stabbing would happen, so no Zeus happens either. They make it home 7 years earlier, and I think there's 48 of them, so that's pretty good. Ody beats up the suitors (there's probably less of them than in the wisdom saga) and they all live happily ever after.

@cr4zy-cycl0n3 made good points about the scylla encounter in the reblogs

[megynonthemoon]

f*ck me up with - a plot masterlist

an age gap, an affair of any kind really, one night stands that end up being something, a best friend's sibling or parent situation, a first responder against a peer or a civilian, cop sh*t, criminal sh*t, bonus points for cartel, bratva, or just mafioso business in general, messy exes, the whole 'i hate you but i love you' trope, a slice of life, any way you want to squeeze it, 'hey we met at this festival and danced all night, hooked up and now i can't get you out of my head', political bullsh*t, sex worker things; cam girls, escorts, strippers, only fans, porn stars, how about some coworker vibes or maybe even some power dynamics with your boss and employee, i've been locked up for a decade and i'm out, you're there to pick me up even though you should have moved on, a true sucker for a man who went to prison for someone they were trying to protect, biker gang shenanigans, rockstars and their problems, athletes of any kind, the medical world, outlaws, law and order type sh*t where you have lawyers and judges fraternizing with each other or criminals or the public, we met in vegas and got married, now i'm pregnant, wtf are we going to do, gamers/streamers/tik tok or instagram personalities against each other or a fan, "i look at you and think, how the f*ck did i land your smokin' hot ass", song plots (bc i am a total deep in your feelings girl, it's my era, i'll forever be lost in it), trailer park trash plots, grew up poor and fell in love with a rich person, we were in foster care together as kinds and now we're successful and reuniting under strange circumstances, trauma bonding, "you feel like home to me", met on a reality tv show, fake dating and omg we fell in love.

werewolf drama, vampire things, a witch and his or her familiar, demons, literally let me play a male or female version of lucifer (not the show, the actual devil ok), incubus/succubus sh*t, honestly just unsavory supernatural things that make you shiver bc there is so much that i know i'm not hitting on, historical royalty, a good greek mythos pairing, monsters, aliens, concubines, shapeshifters, tyrant king and queens, emperor/empress and their slaves or gladiators, fandoms of all kinds, top gun, batman specifically the christian bale timeline, halo, den of thieves because i love a bad man doing bad things, tombstone, 3:10 to yuma, house of the dragon anything - canon or original characters, game of thrones verse, the last of us, fallout.

[valentine-cafe]

And we're back once more at dear Eden's request to write for Vinicio <33

Vinicio trying to draw his darling but he's taking sooo longggg and she's so impatient. He just looks so good all focused and she's completely nude and so needy. He can see it too and she's so whiny and pleading with him to just come have his way with her. Maybe some use of the abyssal energy, some smug and mean vini, the whole nine.

fem!reader pretty pls i love you both so dearly smooches from aves <33

🍒 𓂃 𝑶𝑹𝑫𝑬𝑹 𝑼𝑷 : cannoli !! . . . shadow monster ⊹ f. reader .

. ᘛ 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔​​​​​​​﹕verse 781 ꮽ  vinicio agresta moretti

 𐔌𖹭 ˖ ࣪  who's that ?⠀﹕a stoic artist who is one with the shadows. a monstrous being who calls upon beings of the abyss to his aid.

ּ  ֗ recepit ℘ ... your boyfriend is so engrossed with switching your naked body instead of actually tending to your needy self ⊹ cw ٬٬ téntacles. 

"Sweet girl, if you keep squirming like that I'm gonna have to restart."

The low, lazy drawl of your boyfriend almost feels like fire to your skin. You'd flinch, if his threat masked as a statement didn't force you to stay still. Pin you to the black sofa that you drape over.

Your nudity has always fascinated Vincio, he's told you countless times. But couldn't he admire that in another way other than sketching it down? You're not complaining, you are an adoring girlfriend who supports your boyfriend's hobbies . . . but couldn't he admire you while you're on his dick and fucked dumb?

Lips press into a thin line at the thought. Didn't he tell you to stop squirming? Here you are shifting your legs again, just slightly. Hoping, *praying* he wouldn't notice. The last thing you needed is a do-over. Your throbbing pussy couldn't take it.

"Vini . . ." you call again. So soft, so sweet. As though your voice alone would be enough to entrance him. Perhaps so, with the flicker of dark eyes over a sketchbook that you earn. His low hum of acknowledgement nearly draws another whimper.

"Would . . . can you please touch me, baby please."

His brow raises. What an actor. The bastard knows exactly what he's doing to you. His hand so mindlessly continues the sketch, as you hone all of his attention. As you always do.

"Touch you?" A small tut, his gaze lowers. "Look at you. So needy, for what?" You almost feel shame. You avert your gaze too, try to steel your muscles and remain dead still — until you jolt. Yelp.

Your thighs flex together and a disapproving tongue-click halts you. His glare pins you still again. As if it's not his fault. As though the shadowy tendril creeping at your inner thigh and stroking along your slit isn't his.

"Vini . . . "

"You wanted some relief, didn't you?" You could whimper at the roughness in his voice, but oh, how you love it. You hold pose, while the tendril makes itself comfortable. So instinctively, it rubs over your wet slit. As though to mock you. To reprimand your slutty behaviour. With the flick of your clit. It certainly feels as such.

A low whine, your thighs tremble and it takes every ounce of self restraint not to buck. Models remain still. He told you this earlier. What kind of statue are you? One of lust?

Breathy, whiney, that's the only way to describe your pathetic noises as the tendril continues its little strokes on your slit. It pokes, prods, as if it's curious. As if it hasn't ventured into your tight heat many times and over.

"Fuck," your breath catches. It circles your wetness and slips in. How could you not buck into the appendage and hang your head back as it makes a statement to slowly, surely, fill you to the brim?

"Stop."

It plunges in suddenly. You cry out, curl your back and claw at the sofa as it so mercilessly begins massaging on that darling sweetspot.

"Moving."

You're lost. Mind swimming with pleasure as the appendage makes its presence known. So cruelly pumping into your wet cunt and squelching the lewdest of noises from you. Sketchbook be damned. All you could focus on was the delicious stretch of your walls around the gooey tendril and the bursts of pleasure raking down your spine.

"Such a greedy girl. Can't even follow simple instructions?" Vinicio sighs. As if he didn't anticipate for this to happen at all. "That's fine. I like greedy girls."

Another, thinner tendril appears and circles your clit. You hiccup a sob and screw your eyes shut with desperate grinds and spluttered apologies.

"Don't wanna hear it. Entertain me some other way, since you can't be my pretty little model."

꒰ ۪ ˖ ࣪ 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑢 ... info ꮽ mlist ꮽ verse ꮽ wiki .

[arrayoflightarchives]

Brave as a noun by AJJ is soso Melanie King coded in this essay I will-

No, but fr I'm going to in probably a very unserious way bc this is the best translation of the little autism creature in my brain who comes up with these ideas:

"I could go off the deep end / I could kill all my best friends" -> Peak Melanie in her meme breakdown I fear but also adding in her trying to keep calm for everything but there is a lot of built-up rage (which is part of what attracts the bullet) which is why the first line

"I could follow those stylish trends / And God knows I could make amends / But I've got an angry heart / Filled with cancers and poppy tarts" -> woahhhhh so Melanie core my god, her whole monologue abt how her anger is important to her and her life post bullet when she's talking to Jon pls my god I love that monologue and these lines really capture it in my mind

"If this is how you folks make art / It's fuckin' depressing" -> it's giving her view on the institute and the archives in genal and how everyone else just seems fine with it

"And it's sad to know that we are not alone / And it's sad to know there's no honest way out" -> Finding out abt the entities and the control that the eye has over the institute and the fact that they can't leave and the whole Elias business with her tryna kill him to get out of the grips of the institute (this is a repeated line so I will add to it later trust me)

"I'm afraid to leave the house / I'm as timid as a mouse / I'm afraid if I go out / I'll outwear my welcome" -> Now while this obviously makes me immediately think of my boy Martin K Blackwood, I think it can also be applied to Melanie when you think of how she actually has had to push against a lot of things 'outstaying her welcome' just to get to where she is because she is a woman and I see this as almost this is how people perceive me (which we can see she gets rightfully annoyed at canonically when she's like ik the archives is your little boys club but I work here so deal with it basically) I hope that was coherent if not well it makes somewhat sense to me so that's what ur getting

"I am not a courageous man / I don't have any big, lasting plans / I'm too cowardly to take a stand / I wanna keep my nose clean" -> okay so similar to the last part of this verse, it's giving this is how everyone perceives me bc I am a woman and I still have to abide by that (like putting up with bloody Andy for the sake of her channel and then when she actually lose it at everything, she loses it all so as much as she is angry and feisty, she knows that she needs to try and put that down because otherwise she knew what did end up happening where everyone left would happen

"And it's sad to know that we are not alone / And it's sad to know there's no honest way out" -> Now that we're further into her story, this line changes to being even her colleagues are turning into the monsters they keep talking abt wanting to stop, and then Jon tells her that she can leave, but it involves blinding herself for the rest of her lif,e and she can't just leave without doing something incredibly painful and life-altering, but this one is more resigned as she knows that she is going to do it no matter the other consequences

"In this life we lead, we could conquer everything / If we could just get the braves to get out of bed in the morning" -> She starts the job both with GHUK and at the Institue with the hope that she can do something good with them and entertain people or now that she can't do that outside of being a meme, that she can at least learn more about these things. But it then turns out that there is nothing that she can do to change the events that transpire, she gives up on working at the institute and is just there because she can't not be there and she has lost a lot of the drive she once had, especially once the bullet is removed even without her permission, she literally has lost all of her drive to do anything until she leaves the institute which is where I think this song takes her to because after that she starts to heal. Like the bullet is removed, and she realises that she has to heal, and then once she leaves, she can then focus fully on that, and at that point, she has outgrown the song because she has moved onto healing and trying to be away from anything to do with the institute.

[imtrashraccoon]

Writing Masterlist

Also check out my new Headcanons Masterlist and my List of Skellies!

Green: Completed

Orange: In progress

Red: Cancelled

Tumble-verse (name pending)

A collection of writings including characters that I have put my own spin on. These all take place in the same multiverse but may not necessarily crossover.

Crazy & Cold (Baston x Reader: Oneshot)

Nomadic Love (G!Sans x Reader: Oneshot)

A Gentle Soldier (Cross x Reader: Oneshot)

The Nightmare of Apathy (Nightmare x OC/Reader Insert)

Nightmare Cuddles Drabble

Total Eclipse (Feat. Eclipse!Sans)

Fractured Souls (Coming Soon!)

I Guess We're Roommates?? (Crimson x Reader: Mini Fic)

The Caged Canary (Coming Soon!)

The Shopping List (Papyrus x Reader: Oneshot)

Minty-verse

A smaller multiverse that primarily revolves around commonly accepted fanon interpretations of popular UTMV characters. Technically, my really old OC's would be canon to this multiverse, although I really have only written one of their stories.

Have Some Empathy, Dear (Bad Sans' x OC/Reader Insert)

Doctor's Orders (Baggs x OC: Oneshot)

Confused and Afraid (Platonic Bad Sans' & Reader Insert: Oneshot)

Confused and Afraid 2 (Coming Soon!)

My Papa is a Hypnotist and a Monster! (Feat. Nostra!Sans)

The Hand We've Been Dealt (Underfell!Papyrus x OC/Reader Insert)

THBWD: Rihanna Lives (Underfell!Papyrus x OC/Reader Insert)

The Dark Fortress

A fantasy AU I made for fun where all universes exist as kingdoms or city-states in the same world. Think One Piece with the multiple islands or Ranking of Kings. There's also an alternate timeline where the Bad Sans' are dragons.

A Soldier's Soulmate (Nightmare x OC/Reader Insert: Oneshot)

A Sight For Sore Eyes (Platonic Bad Sans' with Nightmare x OC/Reader Insert)

Dirk Finds A Pet (Feat. Killer & OC)

Dragon AU

Skellies to Dragons

The Dragons of The Dark Fortress

The Dragons 2: Comfort Edition

Uncategorized/Various Ideas

These don't fit into any of the previous multiverses yet, but that could change in the future?

September 2024 Don't Imagine Event

A Scoundrel's Last Scheme (Coming Soon!)

Swarmed By Sirens (Sans, Red, & Skull x Reader Insert)

Ivymare Drabbles

I wrote these for my friend, @superbfirnacho and her Nightmare x OC ship. I highly recommend you go look at her blog because her art is so good. I'll probably add more eventually.

Cuddles By The Fire

Ivymare: Pirate Edition

[justarandomsixfan]

Epic the Ithaca saga and My beef with Amphinomus's portrayal

(Aka, A nonsensical rant x)

Right x

Epic is an absolutely amazing album, and I've fallen into the Odyssey rabbit hole since one of my friends in College introduced me through 600 strikes x

For the most part, I prefer the Characterizations in Epic over most other portrayals. For example, Odysseus fully embracing becoming a monster and acknowledging his old personality is lost forever over it being completely forgotten after the contest.

(Also this is the best Antonius portrayal I've seen. He's absolute scum with zero redeeming qualities and i was screaming for that arrow to hurry tf up during hold them down)

There's only one real exception to this. One of the suitors, Amphinomus.

In the Ithaca saga, he only has a few throwaway lines in "Odysseus" and is the suitor killed by Telemachus.

After looking into the odysseymore, I was a little confused as to why they chose this character out of all of the suitors to have this role, and a few of the lines attributed to them were out of character to me.

In the Odyssey and most other adaptations, Amphinomus is portrayed as the only half decent suitor in the whole group. He's sympathetic to both Odysseus and Telemachus, standing up for the latter on multiple occasions and deflecting the other 106 suitors from killing Telemachus. Despite being a suitor, he's genuinely well-meaning, if misguided in his actions, even unknowingly helping Odysseus prior to his big reveal. he's even offered mercy from the bloodbath and given the chance to flee by the disguised king, but his ego forces him to stay, sealing his fate.

To me, this represents the slightly hopeful idea that even in situations as desperate as this, there's a small sliver of humanity wedged in. Also, I just find it a little unrealistic that all 107 suitors have the exact same personality minus Antonious icl 💀

I get why Epic chose to make him a background character. It's a concept album, not the final product. Not everything is going to be final, and they were probably more focused on fleshing out more plot-heavy characters. If they did make it a fully fledged state production, or a movie etc though, i would love to see Sympathetic Amphinomus portrayed

And because My Hyperfixation sprees tend to come in the middle of the night, here's 2 ways I think he could be inculpated.

A: The reddemed suitor route:

Introduce him earlier, probably during the Wisdom Saga, as an innocent bystander. He tries to Intervene prior to "Little wolf" and dissuade Antonious from fighting Telemachus, but he's ignored. After, I'd maybe have him linger after the Number, maybe have a few seconds with Telemachus before following the other suitors.

By the time we're at the Ithaca saga, time has passed, and Amphinomus is more confident and openly sympathetic. he's fairly nonchalant about the contest and for a majority of "Hold them down" before the mood starts to shift. I'd add a small break between the last verse and final chorus where he finally stands up for himself, openly opposing the Suitors' horrific ideas, but he's still only one man against over 100. There's another short break after the number and before "Odysseus," where Amphinomus defies the suitors and goes to leave the room, when an arrow whizzes past, right into a certain Suitors neck...

Unfortunately, this route does still end in his death, but I'd give his lines in "Odysuess" to another suitor, maybe disperse the lines and demise amongst the other unnamed suitors in the room.

(Idea: Replace Eurymachus's lines with a cut character from the original odyssey, Leodes. A priest who works with the suitors & begs Odysseus for ungiven mercy. Eurymachus could then have all of Amphinomus's lines. )

B: The sliver of Humanity amongst the darkness route (the better one)

This route portrays Amphinomus as kind(er) and more sympathetic from the get-go. My vision also includes him being slightly older, think mid-30's, and more aware of his surroundings than most.

Characterization/ background:

Here, I'd still portray Amphinomus as a suitor vying for Penelope's hand, but unlike the others, his intentions are more honourable. He's actively chasing her against her wishes, but only because he wants to offer her a marriage of convenience and mutual respect. His reasoning? If Penelope is married, the other suitors would be forced to leave the palace and give up, leaving Penelope and Telemachus free from their harassment and torture.

He's also much more involved with Telemachus, acting as a surrogate father to the young prince, and outwardly protecting him against the suitors as much as he can.

Role in epic

Most of this original material takes place in the Ithaca saga.

Whilst Telemachus is away and the suitors grow are acting like idiots trying to string the bow, Amphinomus sees little point in staying amongst them and goes outdoors to get some air, only to be met by an old "Beggar". After a quick conversation that briefly mentions a certain contest, Amphinomus hands the "Beggar" his Chlamy (the Greek answer for a cloak, basically). Like in the source material, the disguised Odysseus gives him the chance to leave, but unlike the source, Amphinomus remains out of loyalty to Penelope. Not his ego or pride. They're completely absent for "Hold them down."

During "Odysseus", I'm adding a teeenneyy break between the 3rd & 4th verse (Is Eurymachus's bit a verse?) where we get a quick catchup with Amphinomus involving him running into Telemachus on his way back from the armory, the duo rushing back after Telemachus realizes he left it open, the suitors already having beaten them there.

Now, there's 2 ideas I have for him.

1: Death. He either dies fighting alongside Telemachus OR sacrifices himself right before Melanthius beats Telemachus down. In both cases, his loyalty is commended, and I like to imagine him being the only suitor given a proper burial.

2: Survival (Yay!). Just get the poor man offstage somehow. There's a lot of ways to do this. Have him go fetch servants to clean the mess, go with Telemachus to tell Penelope, etc. Either way, our softie lives!

If anyone actually read this full rant, Why? It's my hyperfixation going into overdrive at 3:am.....

Again, I'm not discrediting epic at all, it's one of the best adaptions of the odyssey and i have fallen in love in under 2 weeks, I'm merely rambling off about a character i found interesting.

Feel free to share opinions In comments or re-blogs, god be with anyone who actually read the full thing 💀

(Also creds to @ffcrazy15 for launching my mind haywire and for a little inspiration with Amphinomus & Odysseus actually interacting)