#you get the point though hopefully

[1980s-slasher-film]

Wow, I guess I never thought about the fast pass due to autism dilemma. I just think my worry would be constantly overanalysing whether or not I need something and I usually tend to try to fit in. Atm I’m just using all my access arrangements for school etc, but I feel guilty.

I CAN wait in a hypothetical theme park line so I WILL wait in it, but it may have a knock on effect further down the line. But neurotypical people will feel that effect too, right? Ughh I hate thinking.

or maybe I could use the hypothetical fast pass if I was close to meltdown or overwhelmed? Yeah that makes sense. Thanks for posting about this btw, very important

Theme parks are my biggest special interest, so yeah, I see it a lot. People straight up faking disabilities because they think access passes will allow them to skip lines, people with actual disabilities using them when they’re unneeded, it goes on. My home park had to redo their entire access system because of people misusing it. They were probably going to soon enough, because the expanding knowledge on disabilities and all, but their main reason was people cheating the system or stretching the boundaries of the system.

My thing with accommodations is always, if it’ll help you and make your time easier, go for it. If the pass is being used properly there’s no harm done. Even if it’s “just” for anxiety or “just” for sensory issues, it’s always fine to be used if it genuinely helps. The people that bother me are those that take the time to fight for one, brag about it on social media, and then use it to their advantage when it was never going to make a difference for them whether they had it or not. The amount of times I’ve seen fellow autistic people get a DAS at Disney or a Cedar Fair green sheet and flash it all over social media like a prize, all while making sure everyone knows they “don’t need it”. It’s very aspie supremacy the way they try to separate themselves from those of us that do need them. Thats the part that bothers me. Generally, though, the rule of thumb is that if I helps you and it makes your day less stressful,, you need it.

Even I, someone that is sometimes at the park twice a week, haven’t gotten a green sheet yet. As a kid I enjoyed lines, got to infodump about whatever ride we were waiting for to strangers, but as my health has gotten worse and I’ve been through multiple burnouts, I definitely need one now. But I don’t feel I’m “disabled” enough, despite the fact that I’m on crutches nearly 100% of the time I’m there. I think overthinking stuff like this is pretty normal, but it just means you actually care about the experience of others I think lol.

The funniest part of the whole things tbh is that disability access passes at theme parks typically don’t even allow you to skip lines anymore. They definitely were like that in the 70s, as my grandparents used one back then and they talk about it being like a fast pass, but definitely not anymore. They work on a return time system, meaning you wait the same amount of time as the people in line, just not in the line. So these assholes really are just setting themselves up, because they’re still just gonna be waiting in lines.

[starry-bi-sky]

Out of Context Stuff for a Danyal Al Ghul au i haven't posted - Pit Beast Danyal

Damian, 13: Look, Danyal, -- I am so sorry for everything that happened between us in the League, I hope you can forgive me.

Danny, 10 (allegedly): (has been secretly plotting to murder Damian this whole time, is still gonna do it obvs, but is going to make it significantly less painful now)

Danny: I-- of course, older brother. :]

--------

Bruce: what do you have there, Damian?

Damian:

Danny: (a hulking 10ft pit beast standing beside him, growling idly with ram horns gouging out his eyes and a second set of horns jutting into the air, spines down his back, and a long, spiked tail with an animalistic, skull-like face)

Damian, who smuggled him in (they've made amends): a smoothie, father

----------

Damian: this is my little brother Danyal, i murdered him when he was five. He festered in rage for the last half-a decade, took over a League mountain base in Switzerland, murdered everyone inside and then tried to murder me when I went to investigate with Drake.

Danny: hello!

Damian: we're cool now

----------

Damian: thoughts on resurrection

Danny, (a full ghost): i will succeed in murdering you if you try it

Damian: we'll put a pin in it then

----------

Danny (still instilled with League values): why don't we just murder him??

Damian, on patrol (Danny followed him): we don't murder people, Danyal

Danyal:,,,,are you sick, Dami?? Have you been possessed? Why not!?

(There is raucous laughing through the comms)

----------

Danny, five, pre-death: Dami! :D

Danny, dead, vengeful: Older brother (:

Danny, post-forgiveness: Dami! :]

-------

For some actual context: Danny is fully dead in this au, its a result of the classic DPxDC Demon Twins "death duel" trope but instead of Danny getting revived, he stays fully dead. Danny was five, Damian was seven. His ghost lingered though, and due to the proximity of the pits his ghost steadily absorbed the ambient energy it was letting off. The pits are not corrupted ectoplasm in this au, it's just liquid ecto.

Which means Danny's corruption from an angry and hurt little ghost boy to an unrecognizable monster is from his own doing. It's a result of him stewing in his hurt and anger for years, it physically warped him. He's very powerful. Danny can travel between League Bases but chose a small, out-of-the-way base in the Swiss mountains to fester in and then just. Never Left.

His influence steeped into the very foundations of the building, allowing him to transform and warp the rooms and hallways for his own bidding, Meaning he could turn it into a seemingly unending labyrinth if he so wished to, and block the entrance.

Eventually, blinded (both metaphorically and physically) by his own rage, Danny grew powerful enough to appear physically in the living realm and attacked everyone in the base, slaughtering them all and leaving the base abandoned. He attacks anyone who dares enter -- whether that be other league members, or the unfortunate hiker who stumbled across the base. His conscious is steeped into every nook and cranny of the building, there is nowhere you can hide where he can't find. Nobody leaves without his explicit say so. Nobody ever does.

Him appearing as ten years old before Damian in the skits above is his own physical doing. First it was to prevent Damian from being suspicious of him. Damian initially thought Danny was revived with the pits, he was too busy with his own training afterwards to notice that Danny never showed up again, and when he did notice, he assumed it was because Danny was too ashamed of his loss to face him. He'd always forget to ask about him.

Then it becomes a personal choice to appear as ten. It's how old he would've been had he been alive.

danny forgiving Damian is kinda for an offshoot branch of the main au. Whereas the main au takes the form of a ps4 first person horror game where Damian and Tim are investigating the Base for Plot Reasons. There's no sign of the rumored "monster" living inside until the end, where Danny, who was found inside the Base and has been happily "helping" them look around, manages to persuade Damian into splitting off from Tim in order to "show him something."

This something turns out to be Danny revealing that he never really forgave Damian for that fight, and he reveals through a horrifying transformation, that he was the monster the whole time. Which the game subtly hints at throughout as Danny's strange behavior becomes harder to ignore.

First from his insistence to only refer to Damian as "older brother" (when before the duel he always called him Damian or Dami), to him right off the bat denying the existence of a monster when questioned. ("There's no monster here, older brother. It's just me.") To other various things, like his knowledge of the outside world not matching up to modern times or things going on with the league outside of the base, or what happened to the other league members.

This whole idea was inspired by the song "Scylla" from Epic the Musical, with Danyal being the voice of Scylla as well as Odysseus, while Damian stands as Eurylochus. The instrumentals after Scylla says "hello" is him turning into the pit beast, and Scylla's "drown in your sorrow and fears" part is danny, as the pit beast, snarling at Damian while he attacks him.

There's a Good Ending, a Bad Ending, and a True Ending. The Bad Ending results in Damian being killed by Danny, it happens when Damian decides not to question or suspect Danny and treats him kindly. The Bad Ending is a cutscene, where Danny kills Damian quick and painlessly.

Meanwhile the Good Ending is Damian killing Danny. This is a boss fight, and it happens when Damian treats Danny coldly and suspiciously the whole time. Danny as a result, decides to make Damian's death painful as he had planned to, which is why it's a boss fight because it only causes him to double down on his anger.

The True Ending is Damian escapes with Tim. It happens when you treat Danny warmly up until the last minute, where when Danny proposes to Damian that he wants to show him something, Damian goes to talk to Tim and finally, reluctantly agrees that something is off with Danny, and that he'll be careful going in. It starts off with the boss fight until a third through, where it then changes to a cutscene where Tim manages to get the door open and Damian escapes out. It's then a chase scene down a never-ending hallway as the building actively works to keep you trapped inside. But you eventually make it to the exit so long as you avoid all the projectiles and doors.

Remember when I mentioned that Danny only lets people leave when he wants them to? That's where the treating Danny kindly throughout the game comes into play. It causes him to second guess himself and, eventually, reawaken and strengthen the love and admiration he had for Damian prior to his murder. It's why in the Bad Ending he kills Damian quickly -- because by then, he loves him enough that he doesn't want him to suffer, but is still so consumed by his rage and need for vengeance that he kills him anyways. That quiet part is what allows Damian (and Tim) to find the exit, because some part of Danny still loves Damian enough that he wants him to live.

The True Ending ends with a cutscene of Damian and Tim tumbling out into the snow/grass outside of the base. Damian looks up back to the entrance to see Danny standing there. But rather than a ten year old boy, there's a little five year old Danyal Al Ghul instead. He stares at Damian emotionlessly, blood seeping from his chest, staining his clothes, and little, bloody sword in his hands and tearstains on his cheeks, before he turns away and disappears back into the building.

[fiepige]

Compilation of EVERY single time they changed Hobie's filter in the digital version:

Left: Theatrical release Right: Digital release

You might have to click on some of them to get a better look at Hobie, sadly I don't have a video editor that allows me to make better edits than these :')

[buwheal]

Hello spamton! It’s fun to see how other people draw you and such, it makes me wonder how you would draw yourself! Self portrait please, if you wanna!

[knifearo]

everybody! quick! tell me what aro joy means to you <2

[icewindandboringhorror]

sneepy cozy time....

[buglaur]

[smile-files]

oh yeah i watched the new ii and it was pretty wack. my only two thoughts are

i love cabby

they had to neutralize clover?????? hello?????????

[666writingcafe]

Barbatos' Birthday Surprise (Part Eight)

Author's Note: This is the NSFW/smut part of this little story, so if that's not your thing (or if you're underage), then keep strolling, because this is basically going to detail what Barbatos and MC do after the concert back at their hotel room, if you catch my drift. For everyone else, the content is underneath the cut.

Content Warning/Summary: everything between MC and Barbatos is consensual, rough kissing, biting, blood sucking both in reference to this and this and it actually happening, oral (giving and receiving; MC is gender neutral), mention of implied voyeurism, implied size insecurity (as a result of virgin!Barbatos) reference to this, slight degradation (but it's mixed in with praise, so do with that what you will), penetration (no condom), Barbatos morphs into his in-game demon form (so what the fandom has called level two), wrist-binding via forked tail

"MC." The moment we walk up to the door of our hotel room, any playfulness that Barbatos displayed throughout the concert disappears, replaced by a nearly overwhelming seriousness.

"What's wrong?" I ask. He runs a hand through his hair and sighs.

"I need to know if you're okay with continuing what we started earlier." Right. The concert. The music combined with the cocktail we both had may have caused us to get a little...bold as the evening progressed. I can still feel his hands on my stomach and his lips on my neck, and I wonder if he still feels me rubbing up against him.

"I wouldn't have done it if I--"

"Yes or no, MC." His eyes are brighter and more intense than usual. "I don't need a long-winded explanation." He sighs again, wincing at his harsh tone. "Look, I don't know if I'd be able to control myself once we're inside, and the last thing I want to do is to hurt you by doing something without your consent. So, let me ask you again: do you want to pick up where we left off?" His heated gaze causes me to swallow nervously, and my "yes" comes out as a mere whisper.

He allows me to enter the room first. Once he closes the door, he quickly pushes me up against it and kisses me. Hard. His tongue quickly finds his way inside my mouth, and he lifts me off my feet, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist in order to prevent myself from falling right on my ass.

I'm sure I'll feel the bump on the back of my head in the morning, but right now, that is the last thing on my mind. In fact, there's only one word repeating itself over and over: more. Whether it's purely physical or a result of Barbatos' most prevalent sin affecting me is inconsequential at this point; I just want him to keep going.

He eventually breaks the kiss, but doesn't back away. Instead, he rests his forehead on mine and gazes into my eyes, making me feel fluttery inside.

"I want to try something," he murmurs. "Lucifer mentioned doing it once, and I wonder if it's as good as he says it is." It takes me a moment to figure out what he's referring to, but then I remember: the night we made our pact. Specifically, what happened right before.

"Okay." I tilt my head so that my neck's exposed to him.

"I'll try my best to be gentle." He leans down and licks a spot on my neck, sending shivers down my spine. He then wraps his mouth around it, and a sharp pain radiates from that spot, indicating that he's not only bitten down on it, but that he's pierced the skin. Gasping, I grip Barbatos' shoulders as the pain morphs into something else. Something that causes me to moan. Thankfully, I'm not the only one that makes a noise, for Barbatos groans as well.

"He's right," he whispers, detaching himself from my neck. "You are heavenly." He licks the spot again before glancing up at me. "Would you want some of mine?" The question initially takes me aback, but I quickly remind myself that it is common for demons to drink each others' blood when they get intimate.

"As much as I appreciate the offer, I'm not sure if doing so would be the safest thing for me to do." A soft smile crosses his lips.

"Of course. How silly of me. Can't have you turning into something else, after all." He pauses. "Although, there's nothing that says you can't still leave your mark on me."

"You want me to give you a hickey?"

"I hardly think just one would suffice." Is he being serious right now?

"You do realize that we're due back tomorrow, right?" Barbatos shrugs.

"I like to think that I'm good at hiding things, especially from the Young Master." He gently helps me get off him before stepping back and extending a hand out to me. "Plus, it hardly seems right for you to be the only one with visible evidence of our little tryst, now does it?"

"You're ridiculous," I mutter as I grab his hand. He guides us to the couch and sits down, instructing me to straddle his lap and face him.

"Are you sure about this?" I ask. Barbatos gently smiles, patting my thigh.

"Yes, MC. I'm sure." Gingerly, I lean down and kiss his neck.

"It's okay," he coaxes, sensing my hesitance. "You won't hurt me." He begins rubbing his hand up and down my thigh. His touch and his scent are enough to make me feel less nervous, leading me to start sucking and nipping at his neck.

"You can go harder than that," he murmurs. Somehow, despite the two of us not having a pact with each other, my mind and body treat his words like a command. Soon, the sound of his pleasure-filled groans fill my ears, spurring me to go even harder.

"Good human." Should I care that he said that, given that demons normally use the word 'human' as an insult? Probably. Do I? Absolutely not. Especially not by the time our shirts are off and our hands are roaming each other's bodies as we resume kissing.

I can't help it. It feels nice.

After a while, Barbatos breaks the kiss and places a hand on the side of my face.

"I think it's time to move things to the bedroom," he states quietly. "The couch isn't suitable for what I want to do to you."

"Okay." He stands up, forcing me to wrap my legs around him again as he easily carries me to the bedroom. I know demons are a lot stronger than humans, but I didn't think he'd be able to pick me up with as much ease as he seems to have. I'm not exactly the lightest person in the world.

Once he's put me down on the bed, he straddles me and gently pushes me backwards, making my head hit the soft pillows. He plants a quick kiss on my lips before slowly moving down my body. By the time his hands reach the waistband of my jeans, I've been reduced to pants and gasps.

"Am I good to continue?" he asks.

"Yes." With that, he unbuttons my jeans and slides them down my legs, my underwear soon following. His eyes train on my face as he begins rubbing his hand on me, intent on my reaction. My quiet pants morph into louder whines as he continues. That seems to satisfy him, for his hand quickly gets replaced by his mouth. He begins humming as he tastes me, almost as if I'm one of his favorite desserts or teas.

At some point, my good judgement ends up clouded by how good he feels, and I end up uttering an 'oh god'. Like an idiot. I mean, what kind of human says 'oh god' to a demon? Unsurprisingly, Barbatos stops what he's doing, but rather than scold me, he simply replies,

"He wouldn't make you feel this good." As if to prove his point, he resumes with a renewed fervor. Soon, I'm moaning in time with my mind chanting his name. The added noises he's making push me over the edge, and my hands grip the sheets as pleasure overrides my senses.

Once I've managed to calm down, I sit up and stretch my arms and legs before focusing on Barbatos, who's hardly moved an inch.

"Come here," I tell him. Wordlessly, he obeys, and soon our positions are switched.

"I haven't done this before," he murmurs.

"What, received a blowjob?" He blushes.

"To be honest, any of this."

"Then how--"

"By watching."

"Does Diavolo--"

"Yes. He has me hide in the shadows." He pauses. "There are plenty of people that would use sex as an opportunity to hurt him, and part of my job is to protect him."

"So, even--"

"Not you two. We know neither of you wish him any harm." I didn't realize his duties extended to those type of activities, but in a way, it makes sense. I know Asmo uses his lust as a weapon at times, so what's to stop other demons from doing the same?

"Anyway, I just don't want you to be...well..." Barbatos trails off.

"Disappointed?" I offer. He meekly nods. Did not realize he was insecure about that of all things. I pat his thigh, trying to reassure him.

"I'm a human, remember? Anything you have is going to be a lot larger than what's normally available for me. Besides, I wouldn't change my opinion of you just because of what you may or may not have downstairs. I'll still like you." With that, I remove his pants to reveal...

Wow.

I can't even form words.

And I don't mean that in a bad way.

Quite the opposite, actually.

"MC?"

Right. Barbatos. Have to make him feel good.

He hisses as I wrap my mouth around him.

"Shit."

This isn't the first time my brain has short-circuited like this. That was with Asmo. He was walking around with no clothes on, not realizing that I was home.

There was a little voice in my head that kept repeating "suck it". I couldn't focus on anything else. The only way I could return back to normal was if I did what the voice told me to do.

Just like now.

Except it's more intense. Probably because this time, it's intentional.

Barbatos groans. I hum in response.

"Fuck, MC."

I want more. I don't care if I choke.

More groaning.

More cursing.

Soon, I feel him shoot down my throat. Of course, I swallow.

He's still hard.

I barely have time to register this before Barbatos grabs me and flips me over so that he's on top again. Moments later, he's entering me.

"You'll have to forgive me. I simply could not resist."

After a few careful thrusts, he begins picking up the pace.

"You feel so good, MC. I understand why everyone's so obsessed with you; you're like the perfect little toy."

Again, I probably should be offended, but I can't find it in me to protest. Not when my mind is turning to mush with each thrust.

A sharp pain indicates that he's bitten down on my shoulder, but somehow that only adds to the overall experience. My hands find their way up in his hair.

His horns have sprouted.

Where's the tail?

My question gets answered quickly, as I feel something wet wrap around my wrists and yank them up.

Speaking of wet...

There's lots of squelching. It mixes well with the other noises, both verbal and otherwise. Asmo would be impressed.

Barbatos' movements become more erratic, which means he must be getting close. Sure enough, he bottoms out moments later as my insides become soaked.

"Are you okay?" Barbatos asks, unwrapping himself from me. "I didn't go too hard, did I?"

"I'm still in one piece, so I'll say no." My joke appears to sail over his head, for he remains serious. "Look, considering that you morphed, you did just fine."

"I did bite you, though." He's spiraling. I can tell.

"Barbatos, quit beating yourself up. I enjoyed myself. Immensely." I reach over and hug him. "I'm glad that I could be part of your birthday present."

"Thanks," he breathes as he hugs me back. We remain still for a few moments as we bask in each others' warmth. Once we let go, he grabs my hands and looks into my eyes.

"MC, would you want to...maybe...take a bath with me?" He quickly adds,

"I promise I won't attempt to go another round. That is, not unless you want me to. It's just that..." He pauses as he takes a deep breath. "If you're okay with it, I'd like to help you clean up." He seems sincere, unlike a certain other demon I know.

"Only if you let me do the same to you."

"Of course."

[thedrotter]

a once in a lifetime miracle: oc art!! this is Shiva.

doodles from a month or so, but i cant really draw properly right now. but i wanted to do something meanwhile so i colored these :33

[fluffle-writes]

I wanna. Pick them up in my mouth and shake 'em around like a dog obliterating a squeaky toy

[plulp]

HI!!!! EVERYONE! so

thank you so much for a very very very belated 100+ followers sorry i havent been posting (bad artblock + busy)

im going to be clearing out everyone who doesnt have their age in their bio in like a day. so PLEASE. PLEASE. put your age or something in your bio or else i will block you.

i made a new side account so i can follow now :) unless i lose my nerve and get nervous and go back to just scrolling through the tags on my main, but if i DONT. then i just want you all to know my username is horrible. its really just tactless. but i kind of want to wait until i revive my other sideblog? so it might be a while until i follow anyone.

PLEASE. PUT YOUR AGE IN YOUR BIO.

im still not going to be very active with respect for the few bursts of art i might make. but next time i might not come back for like 9 months again so please be wary of that

and thats everything!!!! :) thank you for following and reading, and im really sorry no event this time but my asks are always open :)

[thecityofdoors]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOLIDER!!!!!

[elftwink]

it boggles my mind that I still see reminder type posts about not consuming Harry Potter content, not because I expected everyone to agree to stop engaging but because I did sort of expect that the people engaging with hp in 2024 would at least have the decency to not grovel on the internet for random transgender bloggers to validate that they're still a good person and not transphobic for liking hp still. like these posts are not redundant they are FILLED with defensive responses and excuses for why actually its fine and its like not only can you not stop engaging with Harry Potter but you also want to be able to post about doing so non-stop and you never ever want to even see a transgender person point out that JKR is actively funding and directly influencing transphobic organizations and legislation. to the point that when someone does you are incapable of simply scrolling by because you need so badly to be reassured that this internet rando doesn't think you specifically are a bad person for doing the thing they said is bad. unreal main character syndrome. if you have committed to being an hp fan fine i am not a cop or your mom and I cannot make you do anything at all. but I am not, nor is any other trans person, going to give you 'permission' or absolve you of your own guilt for doing so. that is your problem to reconcile yourself and is not the job of random trans people. like jesus christ enough already

[blackjackkent]

Hm - ok, out of curiosity, I triggered a second long rest to see if something about the shapeshifters would proc once Wyll's business with Mizora was out of the way, and... well...

"Kainyank! Your deception ends now! I shall cleave the truth from you like flesh from a dhour!"

Oh boy.

"Help me!" the girl squeals in terror, looking up at Hector as he approaches. "She's gone mad!"

OK so. A couple things.

First of all - I speculated in my last post, off the cuff, that Yenna and/or her cat was in fact the shapeshifter interloper. It's entirely possible (even likely, I dare say) that Lae'zel is being rash here, but if she is not, I reserve the right to call myself a freaking genius at the end of this scene.

Second, it's tragically out of character for Hector to say, but this fourth dialogue option is absolutely what's going on in his head:

However - this is Hector, so his primary priority is immediately trying to defuse the situation, ideally before Lae'zel puts a blade in a potentially innocent child's neck.

"What in the hells is going on here?"

"This is not the whelp who's been following us," Lae'zel snaps. "I saw her. She slipped into camp in the form of a woman and shifted into this... abomination. She tried to silence me and hide her deception!"

"I didn't do anything!" the girl cries out with very credible terror, struggling to release herself from Lae'zel's iron grip.

Fairly interesting, this - I literally just, this afternoon, finished writing a fic (coming soon!) about how Hector and Lae'zel have bonded a lot more recently (mostly about their similarly unhealthy coping mechanisms for dealing with all the Strong Emotions in their lives right now, but still). So Hector's instinct is very much to believe Lae'zel.

Certainly, if this is Lae'zel, he doesn't believe she would be lying to him about this. She's made no secret of finding Yenna annoying, but she would not lie about it like this. Not to him.

It might not be Yenna. But it might just as easily not be Lae'zel.

Gods, he hates this. He hates that after he has grown so much in learning to trust those he travels with, that trust is being torn from under him by something outside their control. He hates that Orin's very existence is enough to upset the order of things, that she need not even act in order to cause them to start to tear themselves apart from within.

Moonmaiden, grant me wisdom... please...

"Do you have any proof?" he asks carefully.

"Is my word not enough?" Lae'zel snarls.

With a quick, sharp motion, she pulls a dagger from her belt, lifts it to Yenna's neck.

"Say your farewells, ne'voocrim!"

Hector puts out a hand sharply before she can strike, his eyes fixed on hers. [PERSUASION] "There's something we're not seeing here!" he snaps out.

Look at me, Lae'zel - if you truly are the woman I have come to know, who has come to trust me... you will stay your blade until I can speak.

(A/N: 25 DC, almost impossible even with Voice of the Circle AND Favorable Beginnings, but crit success on an inspiration re-roll, holy shiiiiit.)

Lae'zel's face twists at the interruption; abruptly she shoves the girl aside and takes a step towards Hector. Her eyes narrow and her lips curl in a sudden mad smirk - and Hector feels a chill roll through his whole body.

"Perhaps if I remove your eyes," she sneers, "you'll see things as they are."

Hector takes a rapid step back, his hands lifting, ready to strike. This is not Lae'zel - that much is suddenly obvious, and his neck prickles with fear. How long? How long has she been here lurking among them? Where has Lae'zel been taken? What has Orin done to her?

As if in answer, the false githyanki's head twists in a spasmodic jerking movement that is, by now, all too familiar.

The sense of utter violation is surprising. He feels his whole body go tense, a muscle working in his jaw. To be surprised by Orin in the city is one thing, but to have her here in their camp, their place of safety and respite and refuge - to have her take the form of one of his closest allies, and threaten to murder an innocent child in front of him...

His expression remains utterly still, showing no sign of the turmoil in his mind, but his fists clench at his sides.

There's soft footsteps behind him. The others have started to wake at the commotion, to realize what is happening. He can hear the slide of metal on metal as blades are drawn, the sound of hoarse, nervous breath. But no one strikes; perhaps all of them are as overwhelmed as he feels at this invasion of their home.

That unsettling smile has not moved from Orin's lips throughout her transformation. "Look at it," she murmurs, her eyes tracing over Hector from head to foot with disdainful amusement. "Crawling and sniffing and rooting around in the filth. Is it my Netherstone you seek, little piggy?"

She reaches out a hand, draws her fingertips tauntingly along his jaw. Her skin is ice-cold, like the touch of a corpse. He doesn't move, resists the urge to flinch. "Hush... hush..." she croons, her eyes alight with madness. "Orin will take care of you. And your little pet."

At Hector's side he sees the flash of a blade. Karlach has moved next to him, and her sword is up, the point aimed directly at Orin's throat.*

Hector's voice is tight and hoarse, trying not to show the depth of his fear in this moment. "What have you done with Lae'zel?"

Orin draws back with a soft, maniacal giggle. "Nothing!" she says brightly. "No, not a thing! Still gasping and gagging on the foul airs of Bhaal's temple." She smiles slowly, full of gleeful malice. "I will not slice. Her kind die too easily."

She begins to stroll casually between their bedrolls, seemingly unconcerned by the weapons drawn in her direction, or the anger in her audience's eyes. "The Murder Lord demands a better offering. Something new... sticky sweet and delicious." She pauses, turns to meet Hector's gaze again, pokes a finger towards his chest.

"He wants *you.*"

"Fuck that," Karlach mutters at his side.

Hector shakes his head slightly. His skin is crawling at the nearness of the shapeshifter, at what she is describing, and his adrenaline is starting to pump with urgency - the need to find Lae'zel, to get away from this creature, to escape whatever the God of Murder has in mind for them all. But they need information before they can hope to retaliate...

"The Murder Lord wants me?" He is surprised to hear how steady his voice sounds all of a sudden. "Why?"

"Ketheric's killer..." she murmurs. There's a strange sort of eager hunger in her tone now at the mention of the violence Hector has wrought in the past. "Turned the corpse-lover to carrion when you took his stone. But he was a dull kill. No blood to spill, no guts to rip - a desiccated husk, all dust and hollow." Her breath catches with an eager whine, those pale blank eyes widening. "You must be sharpened before you set your edge against my skin."

Hector shudders. "Enough of these riddles," he snaps. "Speak plainly."

Orin tilts her head. "You'd prefer my whispers in the tyrant's tongue?" she says.

Another sudden twist, a flash of red - and Gortash stands before him instead.

"You've heard Gortash's whispers. I see how your skull swarms with his promises..." The words are Orin's, but now uttered in Gortash's low, sardonic growl. "He whinges and wails over the Crown of Karsus, wanting to command it without me... Oh, how I long to slit his poxy smile from ear to ear. But I can't touch him. He bound my blade when we first conspired."

"Gortash didn't want me at first. Didn't trust me. Got me to wag my tongue, swear an oath never to hang him from the hooks, drip-drain him into Father's open jaws... You must kill the tyrant, take the Netherstone from his corpse, and bring it to my temple. There we slice and shred each other. The survivor claims the stones. What's left of the other is Bhaal's."

It is incredibly unsettling to hear Orin's insane ramblings coming from Gortash's throat. Hector listens in silence, watches as the creature shifts again, back to Orin's pale skin and eyes.

"Agree, and I will bring my assassins to heel. They watch you always, longing to spray the crimson from your veins. Refuse me, and you'll learn what happens to those who defy Bhaal's doctrine. So will your friend."

Narrator: Orin demands a fight to the death. The prize for the victor - the Netherstones, and the chance to control the crown alone. Accept, and you must kill Gortash. Refuse, and your companion's life may be forfeit. As might your own - Orin's assassins will hunt you like prey for slaughter.

Hector's mind whirls, wheels turning rapidly as he tries to parse the situation and the best way out of it.

The worst thing about this situation is that agreeing to Orin's demands feels like the right answer.

He was already going to kill Gortash; that has been a given for quite some time. Even were he not one of the Chosen, Hector would help Karlach destroy him regardless; as it is, he cannot be allowed to live. And Orin is, by far, the scarier of the two remaining leaders of the Dead Three's plot. Allying with her long enough to keep her shapeshifting assassins off of him and his friends is more than a little appealing.

Then, of course, there is Lae'zel. He intends to rescue her regardless of the agreement here; she cannot be allowed to languish in a Bhaalist prison. Not after how important she has become to him, to the whole group. She is one of their family now. But to agree to Orin's demands for now would perhaps help to ensure her safety long enough for him to find her.

Normally at this point in his thought process, he would consider that he abhors the thought of lying, of placing his word of bond on a deal that he means to betray. But the extraordinary thing about what Orin is offering is that her endgame is only the final showdown between them that was coming anyway; he does not want control of the Netherstones, but he was never going to let her live. She expects his betrayal, it is even written into the deal - what she offers is only a brief cessation of hostilities long enough for it to come to blows between them in another place.

She is, in short, offering him a deal for what he was going to do anyway - kill Gortash, and then kill her. The only variable is Lae'zel's safety, which is better ensured by playing the game Orin's way, at least for now.

"So be it," he says harshly. "I will kill Gortash. Lae'zel lives. Then we fight for the final Netherstone."

Her eyes widen with insane joy. "The promise of slaughter! Of pain and humiliation and the sound of blood drip-dropping into the gutter. Do not underestimate his Steel Watch. Seek their cradle in the Lower City and skewer their skull meat. Make them rust and blood. Then you can gore the lordling again and again and again--"

She squirms with excitement, her voice rising in pitch to an eager squeal, those pale eyes fixed on Hector's face. "But listen. Listen close, Bone-killer... Step in my domain while the tyrant still sucks air, and I will carve your failure into your pretty plaything's skull. Bring me his stone and I will set the bait free. Only then can you and I make exquisite butchery. The victor will set the world to slaughter."

She twists the ring on her finger, disappearing into a burst of red light with her last words hanging in the chill night air. "This is Bhaal's offer. He will not make another."

-----

"Holy shit. Fuck. Soldier, what the fuck was that?" Karlach's sword falls to her side and her other hand grabs Hector's arm urgently. "We're not seriously going along with this?"

"Why not?" Hector says bitterly. "All she has asked us to do is kill Gortash and then come to fight her. I don't believe we ever had another plan anyway."

"And Lae'zel? You believe she'll just let her go?" Shadowheart asks, her eyebrows knitted with concern. Even now, she bears no particular love for their githyanki comrade - but she has come far enough at Hector's side that she doesn't want Lae'zel lost either. "She's a trickster - a creature of shadow beyond any that ever served Shar. Who is to say she will keep her promise?"

"I believe she'll keep her safe until I come to face her," Hector says wearily. "Because she knows we would not leave Lae'zel behind. Alive, she's bait. Dead, she's useless."

Jaheira smiles, without humor. "I believe you are correct," she agrees quietly. "So it seems we have only one path forward."

Hector nods. "And the first step is killing Gortash - ideally with as little delay as possible."

Karlach's lips curl in a savage smile and her hand tightens on Hector's arm. "Well - you won't hear any argument from me."

-----

* Artistic license, obviously. I just liked the mental image. XD

[thats-a-lot-of-cortisol]

tonsil stones my beloathed