#Domain Controller Setup

[techdirectarchive]

How to add a new Domain Controller to Existing Domain

A domain controller (DC) provides critical services like authentication and authorization for an Active Directory domain. More accurately, a DC runs on Windows Server operating system and that has Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) installed on it. All these we will see very shortly. In this guide, we will learn how to how to add a new Domain Controller to Existing Domain. Please see how to…

[hostitsmartcanada]

How do I add a subdomain to Webuzo?

Before starting off and directly jumping into the step by step guide to how to effectively add a subdomain to webuzo let us first know what is webuzo, well i wont bore you guys will explain to you in a short and easy to understand way. Basically Webuzo is a control panel that simplifies the server management task including the Creation of Subdomain. It is mainly designed to streamline various server management tasks Providing a simplified and intuitive interface for users. Now as we have got a basic understanding of Webuzon let us now know how to add subdomain in webuzo Panel? 

Step 1 : Access Your Webuzo Control Panel : 

1. To access your webuzo Control Panel first you need to login into your webuzon control panel and then use the URL Provided by your hosting provider typically in the format https://yourdomain.com:2005 for a similar structure. 

2. And then Enter your Username and Password to Login. 

Step 2 : Navigate to the Domains Section 

1. Once you have logged in find and click on the “Domain” or the “Domain Management” Section. The words might vary depending on Your Webuzo version.

Step 3 : Add Subdomain

1. Look at the option like “Add a Subdomain” , “Create Subdomain” or “Subdomain Management” 

2. Then after that click on that option to add a Subdomain. 

3. Then after that fill the required information : 

First you need to enter your desired subdomain 

Then after that choose the primary domain from the drop down menu. 

4. Optionally you might find the additional settings like document root or FTP settings. Adjust that according to your preference or you can leave them as a default. 

5. Then after that click on the “Add” or “Create” button to save the Subdomain. 

Step 4 : Configure DNS : 

1. If you domain name is managed by a different hosting provider, then you need to update to the DNS setting to know point the server where webuzo is installed. 

2. Then after that head towards your domain registrar website and find the DNS management section. 

3. After that add ad new DNS for the Subdomain guiding it to the IP address of the server.

Step 5 : Verify and Test : 

1. Wait for the DNS changes to Propogate which might take some time like it might take few hours but it can vary. 

2. Then after that open a web browser and enter your new subdomain in the address bar. If everything is set up correctly then you should see a default Page or a content you are associated with the Subdomain. 

Conclusion 

Adding a Subdomain in a Webuzo is a straightforward Process. By following these steps you you can effectively create and manage the subdomain effectively Enhancing your Website organization and functionality. Remember always to adjust the DNS setting if needed and also allows some time to for changes to affect. 

Source

[virtualizationhowto]

Setting Up Nginx Proxy Manager on Docker with Easy LetsEncrypt SSL

Setting Up Nginx Proxy Manager on Docker with Easy LetsEncrypt SSL #homelab #selfhosted #NginxProxyManagerGuide #EasySSLCertificateManagement #UserFriendlyProxyHostSetup #AdvancedNginxConfiguration #PortForwarding #CustomDomainForwarding #FreeSSL

There are many reverse proxy solutions that enable configuring SSL certificates, both in the home lab and production environments. Most have heard about Traefik reverse proxy that allows you to pull LetsEncrypt certificates for your domain name automatically. However, there is another solution that provides a really great GUI dashboard for managing your reverse proxy configuration and LetsEncrypt…

[liquidcrystalsky]

hey you, make your own website.

sure you can use neocities or carrd or strawpage or whatever whatever but also. make your own from scratch!

there's plenty of free website hosters, github(owned by microsoft), gitlab, and cloudflare have "pages" services which are all free and you can just host whatever html pages even use things like static site generators as well to help yourself from copying and pasting.

if you have your own domains you can also use those, and other than digging deep into web requests or stupid shit there's no way to know you're not hosting it yourself.

i use cloudflare pages, but github/gitlab pages is probably much easier, and if you dont like it, you can just pick it up and move it somewhere else. if you have a custom domain as well you dont even have to tell people "move to the new website". you're not tied down to any service and the site is what you have

It's very flexible too! for beginners you can just put raw html and css and upload it and it'll show, if you need more than this, you can just add more.

my website, ranid.space, also uses cloudflare pages (it can be easily done on the other two), and it's generated using Astro with templates i've created, it has a [shitty] blog Content Management System with an Atom feed, there's pages with javascript, and i even have SEO optimizations (i was really bored okay i really dont care if i show up on google).

it is as simple or as complex as you want it to be.

it is literally JUST hosting your own website you have full and entire control over. note it's a static website so you cant really do things like live updates without connecting it to another server, however for posting to a blog once in a while it's perfectly fine

i've not used gitlab pages, it seems to be a bit more manual setup than github pages, but i think beyond that first setup it's the same

[prettymfwrites]

CaitVi Streamer Headcanons pt. 2

Streamer CaitVi x female reader

Uses they/them pronouns though

Summary: More moments of our favorite streamers and their muffin

(Sorry for any mistakes! )

What I pictured you to look like:

Feel free to imagine whatever though!

---

Award Ceremony Night

The award ceremony was a dazzling time. glittering chandeliers, the hum of chatter, and a red carpet teeming with streamers and influencers. I lingered near the bar, cradling a drink in my hand, feeling slightly out of place amid the extravagance. But then I saw them.

Caitlyn walked with effortless grace, her navy dress shimmering under the lights. Her confidence was magnetic, every tilt of her head and flick of her wrist commanding attention. Beside her, Vi exuded a rugged charm in a perfectly tailored suit, her short pink hair slicked back. She carried herself with a swagger that screamed, I know I look good.

They were breathtaking, and I couldn’t help but stare.

Caitlyn’s sharp blue eyes found mine first. A soft smile tugged at her lips, and she raised a brow as if to say, Caught you staring, darling. She winked, and my heart skipped a beat.

Moments later, Vi turned her head, following Caitlyn’s gaze. Her smirk widened as she locked eyes with me. She gave me a mock salute, her playful expression making me feel like I was the only person in the room.

They approached me like magnets, Caitlyn sliding her arm lightly around my waist while Vi draped an arm casually over my shoulder.

"You clean up well, love," Caitlyn murmured, her voice low and warm.

Vi grinned, leaning in closer. "Not bad, huh? Though I think you could’ve coordinated with us. Navy would’ve looked killer on you."

I laughed, realizing her gaze was stuck on my chest, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. "I didn’t realize there was a dress code. But by the way you're staring I can tell you don't mind."

Caitlyn leaned in slightly chuckling, her lips brushing against my temple. "Don’t listen to her. You look perfect."

Vi tilted her head, feigning hurt. "Hey, I just said they looked killer. Stop trying to one-up me, cupcake."

"Then stop making it so easy," Caitlyn quipped back with a smirk.

The night was filled with moments like these—stolen glances, light touches, and the unmistakable tension between the three of us. At one point, as they both received an award for "Best Co-Stream of the Year," they pulled me into their celebratory hug, Caitlyn pressing a kiss to my cheek while Vi’s lips brushed my temple.

"I don’t know if I should feel lucky or overwhelmed," I teased as we walked back to our table.

Caitlyn’s hand lingered on mine. "Hopefully both," she replied, her eyes sparkling.

---

Streamer Rivalry

Sitting in Caitlyn’s streaming room felt oddly intimidating. Her setup was pristine, every wire and light perfectly in place, a sharp contrast to the chaos that was Vi’s usual domain.

"Ready to destroy Vi?" Caitlyn asked, handing me a controller as her chat flooded with excitement.

"Ready to try," I replied nervously, adjusting my headset.

The game loaded, and almost immediately, Vi’s voice cut through the headphones.

"Hey, babe," she said, her tone dripping with mock confidence. "You sure you wanna team up with Cait? She’s all strategy, no bite."

I laughed, and Caitlyn shot me a playful glare. "Don’t listen to her. Stick with me, and I’ll have you wiping the floor with her in no time."

True to her word, Caitlyn’s instructions were impeccable. She leaned in close, her voice soft in my ear as she guided me through the game. Her hand occasionally brushed against mine, her proximity making it incredibly hard to concentrate.

"Focus, love," she murmured, her lips dangerously close to my cheek.

By some miracle or Caitlyn’s genius—we won. Vi groaned loudly in defeat, her voice crackling through the headset.

"Betrayed by my own favorite person? This is a dark day," Vi lamented dramatically.

"Maybe you should stop underestimating me," Caitlyn replied smoothly, her fingers grazing mine as she leaned back with a victorious smile.

"Rematch," Vi demanded.

"Only if you behave," Caitlyn shot back, her hand resting casually on my knee under the desk.

---

Jealousy Prank

The prank started innocently enough. Chat had been egging me on for weeks to mess with Caitlyn and Vi, and I couldn’t resist.

"So, y/n," Vi said during a group stream, her voice teasing. "What’s got you smiling like that? You’ve been suspiciously giggly today."

"Oh, nothing," I replied, glancing at chat for backup. "Just... someone I’ve been talking to. They’re really sweet."

Caitlyn’s brows lifted ever so slightly, though her calm expression didn’t falter. "Oh? Anyone we know?"

"Probably not," I said with a shrug, pretending to check my phone.

Vi narrowed her eyes at the screen. "What do you mean probably not? Who is this mystery person?!"

The chat exploded with laughter and emojis as I dodged their questions, making the two of them squirm.

The final straw came when I pretended to take a call mid-stream. "Hey," I said softly, turning slightly away from the camera. "Yeah, I miss you too. Maybe later?"

Caitlyn’s lips pressed into a thin line as she leaned back in her chair. Vi was less subtle, throwing her arms up. "Okay, what the hell is going on here?"

I burst out laughing, and chat lost it with me. "Relax, you two. It’s a prank. Chat’s been in on it the whole time."

Caitlyn exhaled, shaking her head with a smile. "You’re insufferable."

Vi pointed at the camera, glaring playfully. "Chat, you’re all grounded. And you’re not getting away with this."

---

A Quiet Moment

After the stream ended, Caitlyn lingered behind, her touch light on my shoulder as we tidied up.

"You’re really enjoying being the center of attention, aren’t you?" she teased, her voice low.

"Maybe a little," I admitted, grinning.

The door opened, and Vi walked in, leaning against the frame. "Am I interrupting something, or can I join?"

Caitlyn sighed but didn’t let go of me. "You never don’t interrupt."

Vi stepped closer, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me gently toward her. "Hey, I don’t hear y/n complaining."

I laughed nervously as Caitlyn’s hand slid down to my other hip, her eyes locking with Vi’s in a silent challenge.

"Should we give them something to complain about?" Caitlyn murmured, her lips brushing lightly against the corner of my mouth.

Before I could answer, Vi’s hand tilted my chin toward her, and her lips met mine in a kiss that was both playful and surprisingly soft. When she pulled back, Caitlyn claimed her turn, her kiss slower, more deliberate, leaving me breathless.

"You two are impossible," I whispered, my voice shaky.

Vi smirked, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. "You love it."

Caitlyn’s lips quirked into a smile as she leaned her forehead against mine. "Admit it, y/n. You wouldn’t have us any other way."

And they weren’t wrong.

---

Having insane writers block 😔

Send requests!

[nathaliawoa]

The Angel and Devil (8)

One-shot collections featuring The Legendary Devil Hunter, Dante, and The Sole Nephilim, Celina. Celina is an original character with her own personality and backstory but feel free to read it as a reader-insert. Angels Do Exist AU: The existence and information of angels are limited. Where they are and why they left humanity to demons are up to speculations and rumors, making many believe that they no longer exist or are merely myths. That is, not until a sole angel, Eserio, descended to Earth many eons later after their supposed disappearance. Celina is Eserio’s daughter, but she never knew her late father was an angel until she crossed paths with Dante.

AO3 version | Masterlist

Chapter 8: Sweet Nectar (smut)

Dante has been acting weird around Celina lately whenever she’s on her period. When she discovers why, she can’t believe her ears. Additional tags: period kink, cunnilingus, and devil trigger sex (⚠️ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!! NSFW UNDER THE CUT!!! ⚠️) Word count: ~11,700

(Celina)

“Hmm.”

There it was, that familiar speck of red dots on the gusset of her underwear. Clear as day. It also explained her recent craving for chocolate, along with the occasional cramps and bloating for the past couple of days—signs she was well too familiar with. Good thing that she caught it now, and the fabric was a dark color. Both of which saved her the hassle of doing damage control to save her beloved underwear. 

Reaching over, Celina grabbed the wipes to finish up her business on the toilet. Once flushed, she stepped out of her underwear and shorts, and picked both up, before padding her way to the bathroom closet. The dirty underwear was tossed into the laundry basket below while she retrieved a pad from one of the bins on the shelves above, making note to restock on her next trip to the grocery stores. She also made a note to do laundry this weekend.

With the closet door closed and the pad in hand, Celina exited the room and made a beeline to the bedroom down the hall, cursing at herself for not coming prepared and bringing a fresh pair of underwear to her bathroom trip in the first place. She knew she wasn’t bleeding a lot to leave behind a murder scene, smeared along the hardwood floor, but she couldn’t help herself with these feelings. So she picked up the pace and reached the threshold in less than a second. 

The bedroom closet was her domain. Most of her clothes were hung there, including a plastic drawer inside for her underwear, socks, and other things. Some of Dante’s stuff was in there, but most was stored in the big wooden drawers outside, against the wall and next to his side of the bed. It wasn’t like Dante had much to hang anyway. He was a simple guy with simple tastes that also happened to reflect on his wardrobe. Multiple pairs of the same outfit; it was almost comical.

Once she found her go-to underwear for such scenarios, she proceeded with the setup: winged pad on and shorts over. Crises had been averted. Another good thing that she already shaved—no need for her hair to play tug-of-war with the sticky side or clean after a hairy mess.

Now, one would think that becoming half-angel would change her monthly cycle since she was granted fast healing and super strength. But, no. She still bled the same and experienced the wonderful symptoms of womanhood. But, hey, according to Trish, female demons had it much, much worse. So there was that. 

Wait—do angels even bleed?

As much of a nuisance Aunt Flo was whenever she came to town, at least it was a sign she wasn’t pregnant. Though she had to applaud her IUD for working overtime for the crazy amount of sex she and Dante had been having throughout their relationship. While sure, she could have gone with a hormone-based option to save herself the headache altogether, she wasn’t fond of the idea due to many personal reasons. That, and one day, she would love to have kids with him—once they crossed that hurdle, that is. One removal, and her body would be ready to go. For now, she was as happy as a clam.

Celina headed downstairs to the front area since there was still one more thing she had to do for the day. Dante was lounging on the leather couch by the mini bar, reading some magazines. His back rested against the cushion, and one leg crossed over the knee. Judging by the lack of flipping, Dante was engrossed in whatever page he was reading. He only spared her a glance when Celina finished the last step and headed to his desk. Other than that, he hadn’t bothered her much today, and she guessed why. He could smell her, like really smell her. It was a demon thing that Celina learned half on her own, and the other half from Dante and Trish—mostly from Trish, though. And being half-breed, Dante had a strong sense of smell, even better than hers. At least it saved her the trouble of warning him when she would be cranky and tired from Aunt Flo’s visit. She didn’t think she was that bad, but with Dante’s mouth, he sure did know how to push her buttons sometimes.

When Celina sat down, the wooden chair creaked in protest. She always wondered why Dante never bothered to get a new one, one that was more comfortable than this. 

Oh, well, that was a problem for another day.

“I’m going to pay the bills now. Any more came?” she asked while reaching over to open the first drawer. Ever since she moved in, all the bills from the mail were kept in a folder for safekeeping until it was time to pay them. 

“Nope. Everything’s in the drawer,” Dante simply answered.

So, Celina went to work sorting and handling the bills by writing the checks from her bank account. Water. Gas. Electricity. Phone. Cable. Credit cards and more. All of which she was going to pay for this month. Dante was currently low on cash since there hadn’t been many jobs lately, and last she checked, the money box in the other drawer was no different, just collecting cobwebs and dust like his wallet. She didn’t mind as much. Some months would be drier than the desert, while other months, business would be booming so much that Dante would end up complaining sometimes. It was the perks of having a freelance job. 

However, halfway through writing the checks, Celina felt a sense of unease, like someone was boring their eyes into her. Nothing malicious or anything—just… unnerving. She looked up at Dante but found him nonchalantly reading through the magazine in his hands. He didn’t even look up at her, only turning the page when she held her gaze on him longer. 

That was weird. She swore it was coming from his direction unless she was imagining things.

Eyes flickering down to the desk, Celina resumed work. Not even a minute had gone by until she felt it again. This time, she caught his eyes looking down again just when she looked through her eyelashes. 

Okay, now he wanted something, but what? And why would he hide it? Dante was never the type to hold back on his words. Maybe he would eventually spill, so she gave him a second chance and resumed work once more.

Although it was hard for Celina to focus on the numbers in front of her when she felt his eyes two more times, and in both times, she caught him in the act, playing coy and keeping quiet. Her mind raced to decipher his odd behavior. If she were to bet on it, it most likely was something she wouldn’t like to hear. But what again? 

After raking through her mind for a possible explanation, her eyes widened for a second. 

Did he find out?

Given that she was paying the bills, Celina thought Dante had found out about her little secret—that she was slowly chipping away at his debt behind his back. He once made it very, very clear that it was his debt, and he could handle it on his own. But what kind of girlfriend would she be if she didn’t extend an olive branch to her dear boyfriend, especially after everything Dante had done for her? It was the least she could do, and it wasn’t like she was paying for the whole thing as long as Dante didn’t bury himself in more debt. It also didn’t make sense when Dante never voiced his complaints of her single-handedly paying the monthly bills and groceries. So why not his personal debt? She was better at managing money, and even Trish and Lady readily accepted the idea when she first proposed it to them. The only person who had his doubts was Morrison, but it was because he feared for her pocket, knowing Dante’s tendency to pile more debts during the job. Valid concerns, yet Celina had faith and refused to back down from a challenge.

But if he did find out, he would have said something right now, right?

Glancing up at him, his face remained passive. In fact, it was the best poker face he could ever give.

It couldn’t be it.

So, Celina resumed once more, but the third time she caught his sneaky eyes while she was sealing the envelopes, she made a weird face towards Dante, who only paid attention to the pages in front of him. This prompted her to ask out loud, “Yes? Got something on my face?”

A small, sly smirk broke on his face as he looked up and finally gave her his full attention like nothing happened. “Nothing besides that gorgeous face of yours.”

Celina had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. He was definitely playing on the defense on whatever was on his mind, and it seemed like she was not going to get the answer soon. However, she could rule out that it wasn’t about his debt cause she was damn sure he would have confronted her about it by now. That, and it wasn’t like he was paying attention to his numbers anyway to notice her small contribution, she was also sure of.

“You flirt.” She deadpanned before turning her attention to the bills.

Silence loomed over them again, and Celina hadn’t felt his eyes on her since then.

~~~

Celina loathed these types of days. 

The first 24 hours merely passed, and her pussy never felt so tender before. She felt like a raw piece of meat constantly hammered by a chief with a mallet nonstop throughout the day, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl under the covers and sleep the pain away. The problem was that she had to wait until she got home from work, which, unfortunately, the clock decided to tick slower than usual, coupled with the additional stress from annoying colleagues.

Man, she could not wait to get home.

When she did, the well-needed hot shower made up for the long, tedious day. All the stress and fatigue evaporated from her body like the hot steam fogging up the enclosed space. The blood between her legs washed down the drain along with the annoying cramps trapped beneath her lower abdomen. 

Thank God that they paid the gas bill on time this month.

Celina had to muster a lot of willpower to peel herself away from the shower, but she eventually did when the water started to turn cold. With a fresh pair of clothes and a pad, Celina felt like a new woman, ready to take on the rest of the night until the cramps started poking her again.

Great.

The next couple of hours were a blur to her. All she recalled doing was lying in bed and reading a book with the soft, yellow light from the bedside lamp casting on the pages. Sleep seemed to avoid her at that moment, and she had nothing else to do but mindlessly skim through the words until her brain finally decided to clock out for the night.

When she reached over to her nightstand to take a sip of water, she cursed at the fact that the cup was already empty and she had to walk downstairs to replenish it. She could call for Dante, but that seemed like too much work.

After some more mental preparation, Celina hauled herself out of bed, slipped on her indoor slippers, and turned off the lamp. Her bookmarked page was saved on the nightstand until she came back. Padding her way downstairs to the kitchen with the empty glass in hand, she found Dante lazing in the living room. The area was dimly lit with the only source of light coming from the TV screen, and judging from the noise, Dante was watching some action-filled scenes. Flashing blue lights illuminated his relaxed figure on the couch. He was wearing a light shirt and boxer shorts, with his bare legs propped on the ottoman. Their eyes only met each other for a second before Celina walked past him to reach the stairs. However, she felt his eyes boring into her for every step she took until she was out of his line of sight. Such a feeling reminded her of what happened yesterday when she was paying the bills. Not to mention, the same thing happened this morning when she was heading out to work: a few words and silent stares behind her back.

Although her legs were already moving down the stairs in the dark, her mind was stuck in place, wondering what the hell was going on. There was no way she was imagining things. Dante clearly had something on his mind but refused to say it for whatever reason. Something smelled fishy, and it was not the blood pouring out of her. 

The bright golden light in the kitchen offered a change in scenery when she flipped the switch on the wall. Her eyes zoned in on the refrigerator humming in the corner as she walked over and opened the door, retrieving the water pitcher. After filling up the cup, she downed a good amount. The cold, refreshing liquid soothed her thirst. 

Celina filled the cup up for the second time before placing the pitcher back in the fridge. Now that her thirst was quenched, her mind went back to Dante’s odd behavior. The stares, the lack of words, and the obvious deflection when she asked him what was wrong. And it all began coincidentally when her period started—

Wait.

Was that it?

Was he avoiding her because of her period?

Celina knew she could be moody, but she never recalled him acting this bad before. It seemed like he was simply distancing himself from her, only resorting to staring behind her back to get some sort of touchless affection without receiving any backlash from her. That had to be it, and it hurt her that Dante found her unapproachable because of it. She could be anything but a bitch.

First, anger consumed Celina like a raging storm, initially directed at Dante. He didn’t have to act so cold around her like that. She had half a mind to go upstairs and demand an explanation from him. No. That won’t do. If anything, that would make her look more bitchy than she was and prove his point. 

After taking a deep breath, her anger subsided, and guilt took over, gnawing at her stomach. Maybe she was acting bad lately, and Dante was responding accordingly. The last thing she wanted was for Dante to shut himself off for her sake. She had to make this right, and she wouldn’t stop until she did.

With newfound vigor, Celina finished her business in the kitchen and returned to the living room. As she reached the top of the stairs and entered the mezzanine, she found Dante still in the same spot. Now that she was facing the TV screen, she could see what captivated his attention: a police show featuring some nighttime chase scenes. He was probably watching it for the action and drama. But the program in question wasn’t her focus. Her main focus was the man sitting on the couch, and his eyes were trained on her when she walked in front of him. 

Celina set her glass down on the coffee table in front of them. “Whatcha watching?” she asked casually as she crawled in next to him while being mindful of the thin sheet underneath that served as a makeshift cover. The weather was getting warmer, and having their skin glued to the leather couch would be no fun.

Dante shrugged, returning his gaze to the screen. “Nothing much. Just some chase scenes.”

One thing Celina noticed off about Dante was that he kept to himself, arms crossed, even when she sat beside him. Normally, he would open up his arms for cuddling, even in the hot seasons, much to her dismay, but that was not the case. Instead, he shifted in his seat, and despite his tired appearance, there was something else beneath it… discomfort?

“Interesting chase scenes, huh?” Celina lamely asked, not interested at all. She would be under normal circumstances, but she was on a mission right now.

“Mhmm…”

Neither of them spoke a word for the next few moments. Celina had her eyes on the screen but was watching Dante through her peripheral vision. Dante, on the other hand, was either oblivious to her sneaky eyes or outright ignoring them—money on the latter, though. Despite their bodies nearly touching each other, the distance between them felt so great with an intangible barrier in the middle for good measure. It was like Dante was putting up a wall; a wall she hadn’t run into for a while.

Not wanting this wall to magically turn tangible, Celina took a leap of faith and leaned her shoulder against his. Her head rested awkwardly on the nook of his neck, given his crossed arms, but that didn't matter to her. What mattered most was that the bridge was gapped. But what Dante did next took her by surprise; his body tensed for a second before relaxing, like she had electrocuted him.

Celina had to blink several times to fully process what the hell happened. A moment passed, and she debated on what else to do. The clock was ticking, and her options were running out before Dante decided to run for the hills if he wanted to. Brows furrowed, Celina opened her mouth, but her words were interrupted when Dante sat up straight, prompting her to disconnect herself from him. She thought for a second that he was going to hightail it, but instead, he leaned back and wrapped an arm around her back—a silent invitation, which Celina happily took.

Their bodies naturally gravitated toward each other, and Celina’s head returned to the nook of his neck, angling her body towards him so that her arm could rest comfortably against his side. Dante’s arm that wrapped around Celina ended with that hand resting on her waist, caressing her through the fabric of her clothes.

Celina’s heart fluttered. All signs of his unease were gone, faded like they never happened, and instead replaced by pure content. This, she could live with, and she allowed her body to relax as her eyes returned to the show. Despite the not-so-happy moments featured on the screen, Celina was pretty happy herself in Dante’s arms. Her worries momentarily forgotten, her mind laughed at her for believing otherwise.

The peace soon shifted when the half-devil’s head bowed down, and he inhaled deeply against the crown of her head—a few more times, in fact, all while he continued to caress her hips, firmer and deeper. Celina naturally leaned more into him, afraid that if she didn’t, then the tranquility between them would crumble at that instant.

She didn’t mind this behavior from him. It was a quirk of his that she came to love and welcome with open arms. Though the gear in her head started to turn when his inhalation soon turned to his nose nuzzling against her head, placing soft kisses in their wake. 

Boy, he was really affectionate tonight. Not that she was complaining, but she was bleeding for goodness' sake! Could he not smell her, like she knew that he could? Because she could, and she didn’t smell anything like rainbows and sunshine down there. Was his nose not working today?

Given at this rate, Celina had a feeling that if they continued like this, things would turn frisky tonight, and she wasn’t in the mood for that. It was only when his fingers, the ones rubbing her side, slipped under the hem of her shirt that Celina knew she had to stop it.

“Dante, stop.” She tried to suppress a giggle from the ticklish contact, slightly pulling away to look up at him to show that she meant it. “I’m bleeding.”

Dante froze for a second, his hand stilled, and his head pulled back to return her gaze with wide blue eyes. “Oh…” he said dumbly, looking away and bringing his other hand up to cough into it as if to break the awkward moment. Meanwhile, the hand that was once under her shirt peeled away and lay limp on the couch.

This was so strange! The man in front of her did a complete one-eighty, like whatever haze loomed over his body dissipated all of a sudden. She swore that her tone was lighthearted enough not to warrant such a response from him. But now, it felt like they were back to square one with Dante playing on the defense. This time, she had to be firm. 

“What’s wrong?”

Dante shifted in his seat, stealing a glance at her. “Nothing’s wrong.” An obvious lie.

“That’s bullshit!” she spat, sitting up straight and burning her gaze at him. “You’ve been acting weird lately. Is it because I’m on my period?”

A flicker of some kind of realization, followed by embarrassment, passed in his eyes, like he’d been caught red-handed. “Oh… so you noticed?” Dante rubbed his chin rather awkwardly.

Celina gawked at him for a second. So she was right! “I see how it is. Well, excuse me for trying,” she muttered in a bitter tone as she started to stand up. Celina couldn’t lie; her heart was torn at the fact that he refused to talk to her about it—that he was uncomfortable around her when she was on her period due to her bitchiness or blood or both. The affection he put up earlier had to be a facade, no doubt.

Was she really getting worse lately?

Regardless, it didn’t matter anymore. She was more than happy to take her leave, or else she would end up breaking down in front of him.

“Hey, babe, wait!” Dante called out, his tone teetering on the edge of desperation. “It’s not like that! I mean—” Words seemed to avoid him when Celina threw daggers at him with her glare, but Celina had a few choices of words herself.

“Then what is it? Why are you acting so weird? The stares, the cold shoulders, everything! You seriously think that I don’t notice it?!”

A long, heavy sigh escaped from the devil hunter as he ran a hand through his silver locks. “Listen, babe… I swear it’s not you. It’s me.”

That was another lie. Every boyfriend Celina dated before used the same exact excuse whenever the problem had to do with her. The fact that Dante refused to take accountability pissed her off even more.

“That’s. Bullshit,” she dangerously spat.

“I’m serious!” Dante exclaimed, clearly not happy that Celina did not believe him, which she didn’t. “I’m just trying to control myself over here.”

Celina’s brows furrowed in confusion, her anger halted for a second. “Control yourself… huh?” This line of conversation was getting weirder, and she couldn’t decipher Dante’s cryptic message without further context. 

However, Dante’s mouth remained shut, avoiding her gaze once more. Whatever was on his mind, he was obviously trying to avoid at all costs. It was so out of character for him to act like this—all nervous and shy, especially when he shifted awkwardly in his seat. But Celina had to know. It was a problem he got both of them in, and he now had to fix it. If not, she was willing to wrangle it out of him.

“Dante.”

The sharpness in her tone finally cut through Dante’s last wall of defense as he let out an exasperated sigh before meeting her eyes. The seriousness in his eyes was almost uncanny, showing Celina that she was in for a wild ride. 

“Okay—fine, but don’t freak out, you asked for this.” He paused dramatically, as if he was struggling with the right words to say. “Whenever you’re on your period… I get this weird… craving, like I wanna taste you.” She caught his eyes flickering to her lower abdomen, right between her legs—she did not miss the memo. “And I can’t help myself sometimes.”

It took two long blinks for Celina to find her voice. “...What?” she asked slowly, not believing her ears. There was no way he was implying that.

Although the universe had other plans in mind when Dante swallowed and licked his lips to prepare his next words. “I want to eat your pussy,” he said it in all seriousness, the hunger in his eyes matching his words.

Jaw dropped to the floor, Celina stared at Dante with eyes bulging out of her eye sockets like he was out of his damn mind—he was! There was no fucking way! No fucking way he just said that! No fucking way he even thought of that!

“What?! You—what!?” Celina stammered out loud in sheer disbelief. “You want to eat”—she pointed a finger down south while still locking eyes with him, as if she somehow misinterpreted his request—“THAT?”

She didn’t—not when Dante nodded in confirmation, his lips pressed in a thin line. “Mhmm.”

Another pause went by, and Celina felt like her jaw would dislocate at this point, but that didn’t matter right now. “Are you serious?!” 

“Serious as a heart attack.”

She expected him to crack that stupid smile of his and laugh, saying, ‘Haha, I’m only joking, babe!’ or some shit like that, like he would always do. But no, he just continued to stare at her dead in the eyes, clearly waiting for her to break the silence for them instead.

Oh, fuck .

He was serious!

And here she was, thinking that he was avoiding her due to her bitchy mood, when, in reality, her blood was calling out to him like a damn siren! No wonder he was so touchy earlier.

“What the fuck?! That’s disgusting! I’m bleeding, for crying out loud!” she screeched. All of the blood in her body migrated north, causing her face to heat up tremendously at the obscurity of the situation.

But Dante did not act otherwise. Instead, his next sentence was stated as a matter of fact. “No, it’s not. It’s natural.”

“And so is your craving?”

That took Dante by surprise, like her words made him reconsider for a second. “Look, I know it’s weird, believe me, but I can’t stop thinking about it. Can you really blame me?” He gestured with his hands in a desperate attempt to make his case.

Celina just blinked at him, dumbfounded and mind scrambling to understand what caused this. She knew Dante wasn’t the squirmish type when it came to blood. He once commented before that he was down for sex even if she was on her monthly cycle. After all, a man should never be afraid to get his sword bloody, as he put it. And of course, she told him hell no back then, believing that he was joking. But now, Dante looked like a parched man with the way his eyes were secretly begging for her. A thought suddenly came to her when thinking about it. 

“Wait, wait, wait.” She waved her hands in the air as if to clear the confusion in the air. “Is this a demon thing?”

A mild look of hurt flashed on his face, his eyes casting downward in shame. “You don’t have to put it like that,” he murmured.

Celina’s gut twisted with guilt. She didn’t mean to offend him like that—her question was more out of genuine curiosity, if anything. She was just trying to understand his peculiar taste since, according to mythology and based on what she experienced, angel blood was more valuable than human’s. Demons loved it due to the immense powers they could draw from it, and because Celina was the only angel—half-angel around, that made her a prized meat in their eyes. But Dante was different; he had to be. There was no way he would let his demonic instincts take control… right?

“But Dante… It’s my blood,” she pointed out, hoping he would get her insinuation.

Dante’s eyes darted back to hers, and he shook his head. “No, no, no. It’s not like that. Never. It’s more like a curiosity—a craving my other half has for you.” He sighed more solemnly before continuing, “It’s hard to explain, but it’s nothing but love. I promise you that.”

All the doubts she had of him were cleared by the sincerity in his voice. She believed him without a doubt, and under normal circumstances, she would have given herself to him. But this wasn’t normal—this was downright disgusting. Never had she thought a guy would ask to eat her out like that, but Dante was full of surprise, she supposed. 

However, Celina had already made her choice.

“I don’t know…” She sighed, her shoulders slumping from the adrenaline rush. “I just can’t… It’s disgusting.” Oh boy, she could only hope that Dante wouldn’t take it hard, as she rarely turned him down for some good time.

To her luck, he didn’t seem to mind as his face shifted to one of understanding. “It’s fine, babe. I get it—I understand. Wouldn’t wanna make you do something you’re not comfortable with.” A small smile tugged on his lips towards the end, though she could see the slight disappointment in his eyes.

Despite the guilt poking at her stomach, Celina’s eyes softened. It was one of the many things she loved about him—his understanding. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

After that, they both fell into an awkward silence as Celina didn’t know what else to say. In fact, what could they say after this line of conversation? It wasn’t like they could casually talk about the weather, now could they? Though a wave of relief washed over her when Dante returned his attention to the TV screen. That saved the trouble of breaking the silence, but she wasn’t sure what to do with herself! If she leaves, then Dante may get the wrong idea that he scared her away. But if she stayed, wouldn’t it make the situation more awkward than it already was?

Perhaps she could linger around for a bit before departing for the night, leaving this talk behind. That way, Dante wouldn’t get the wrong idea while Celina wouldn’t overstay her welcome. Perfect.

So she stayed put and settled back into the couch next to him, also returning her gaze to the ongoing program. It was the same police show but a different episode, she thought. However, despite their conversation ending on a positive note, the distance between them felt much greater than before. Even the silence was so thick that not a knife could slice through. 

Celina tried to ignore it altogether. But no matter how hard she tried to relax and move on, her mind kept reeling over his words like a broken record. His taut body posture, the hunger in his eyes, and the hidden restraint in his voice stayed lodged in the back of her mind. Everything about him felt like his devil self was crawling to the forefront of his mind, dying to take control until she said no, respectfully.

Through her peripheral view, Celina eyed him to gauge how he was feeling now. Like last time, his gaze remained fixed on the show in front of them. Dante may be good at hiding it with his body all relaxed, but she could feel the tension thrumming underneath his skin, probably from the rejection, unfulfilled desire, or both.

Man, she was starting to feel bad.

In reality, Celina had no reason to be afraid of his request from a hybrid standpoint. Dante would never hurt her, as he saved her many, many times from enemies and foes. Besides, never once had he lost control and lashed out at her, even in his devil trigger form. So there was no chance in hell that something bad would happen in such an intimate moment. And it wasn’t like Dante was bad at eating pussy—he was good at it! Much better than she gave him credit for. If there was one thing Celina enjoyed receiving from him, it was heads. 

The more she thought about it, the more she reminisced about those times. His tongue swirling and flicking on her clit, his lips sealing around and sucking it, and his half-lidded eyes trained on every response he could draw from her, teasing and drawing her closer to the—

Oh.

There it was, that tingling feeling beneath her lower stomach she knew too well, coiling and flaring up until the sensation even overpowered the tenderness of her pussy. Fuck, she couldn’t believe it, but she was getting hot and bothered while bleeding. First time for everything, huh?

But the blood, the mess, the smell—it was all too much for Celina to handle! She couldn’t comprehend what his demon half found so appealing about her period blood.

Then again, should she?

Celina made a promise to love every side of him, and she already told him many times that his demonic heritage never bothered her. Though here she was, finding his request appalling and inadvertently shaming him for it. She never wanted this; she never wanted to do this to him! She would rather jump off a cliff than make him feel bad for his demonic half. 

So, Celina reconsidered her choice.

Turning to stare at his profile view, Celina first struggled with how to reapproach this subject. “Hey…sooo.” She had to lick her lips as they suddenly went dry. When Dante glanced back at her with curious eyes, she continued, “About earlier, um, let’s do it.”

“Do what?”

Ugh, was he really that dense? Did he seriously have no clue what she was referring to, or did he forget already? Either way, Celina clarified for him, much to her dismay, “Eating my pussy.” Saying it with a straight face was hard when her face was on fire again.

Complete shock took over his features as he sat up straight, like he couldn’t believe his ears. “Really?” But Celina flashed him a pointed look, causing the half-devil to chuckle and raise his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Just making sure, that’s all.” 

Though Celina had to cut his celebration short since there was one thing on her mind. “But only on one condition.”

“You name it, babe.” He still smiled, all giddy with excitement.

“You are not going to kiss me afterward.” She leaned forward and held a stern finger in the air. “You'd better use mouthwash and brush your teeth twice!” She knew Dante had a habit of kissing her after oral sex—not that she complained—but doing so after eating her menstrual blood was out of the question! She wanted to make that VERY clear.

A short burst of laughter broke out of Dante, as if he wasn’t fazed by her threat, but he yielded nonetheless. “Condition accepted. Wouldn’t wanna gross ya out more.” He even wiggled his eyebrows, and Celina had the urge to wipe that stupid smile off his face. It amazed her how Dante’s mood could be flipped easily like a light switch. One word, and this guy was beaming with excitement.

Taking a deep breath to cool her burning face, Celina formulated a plan. If it were up to Dante, things would have gotten messy. “Go get a towel.”

Dante gave her a quick salute before leaping out of the sofa. His movement had so much energy to it that Celina swore that he was about to do a cartwheel on his way out based on how fast he was jogging to the doorway. Damn, he was so eager for this.

Once Dante disappeared around the corner, Celina was left to her own thoughts when another one passed by. “Grab a dark-colored one!” she called out in hopes that he heard her, based on the lack of response she received. By any chance that he didn’t hear her, she could only pray Dante wasn’t stupid enough to grab a pristine white towel to do the job.

While she waited for his return, Celina crawled out of the sofa and walked over to turn on the nearby lamp in the corner, illuminating the living room in a nice hue of yellow light. Even though Dante could probably see in the dark, she didn’t want to take any chances of him making a bloody mess anywhere. Speaking of the blood, she contemplated her decision. It felt she made a deal with the devil—quite literally. She could turn back now, but she didn’t have it in her to do so. Although no time was allotted to ponder further when her train of thought was pulled by the sound of Dante’s feet padding across the floor.

“Here’s the towel as promised,” he said, holding up a navy blue towel. Perfect, just what they needed.

Celina took it from his hands but paused, unsure of how to proceed with this, like the position they should take. “Uh… sooo, you wanna be on your knees or your stomach?” 

Dante shrugged nonchalantly, but she could tell that his body was drumming with more anticipation by the second. “Whatever you’re cool with.” Leave it to Dante to let her take the lead, which she was grateful for. He was clearly trying to make her as comfortable as possible, given that butterflies were fluttering in her stomach.

Setting the towel aside on the couch for later, Celina pushed the ottoman to the side, separating it from the main couch. She figured having Dante kneel on the ground in front of her and eat her pussy out was the best choice. It would be easy access with her ass lifted by the edge, while minimizing potential drips to the towel underneath. Plus, the couch wasn’t long enough to accommodate them in the most comfortable position. 

As Celina readjusted the thin sheet on the couch before placing the towel on top and over the edge of where she would lie, Dante idly stood by and watched, again letting her take the lead. Now that the setup was complete, it was time for the big reveal. A reveal that she was not looking forward to, mainly because of how to do it without making it look as gross as it is. She could face away from him and remove her underwear before hiding it around the edge of the couch from his peeping eyes.

Damn, it felt like she was in the gynecologist office for the first time. Dante had seen her naked so many times before, and yet here she was, all shy about it, trying to preserve any remaining dignity she had left. But there was a reason; there was no need for him to see her soiled pad, and who knows, maybe that would make him lose his appetite if he did. Or, in the worst-case scenario, he would never look at her the same way ever again. Shit—she should have just gone to the bathroom, changed there, and come back with a towel around her waist or something!

She must have been standing there frozen for too long since Dante asked, “Everything’s good?”

“A-ah, could you turn around?”

Both of his brows went up in surprise, like she had asked the most outlandish thing ever. His lips even twitched as he tried to stifle a chuckle. “Okay.” He smirked before obliging her request nonetheless.

With his back facing her, Celina went down to business and pulled down her shorts and underwear in one go. She was bleeding a lot, and the pad reflected the massacre her pussy left behind. All red with fresh blood, and full too, despite it being a couple of hours already. And the smell was so obnoxious that she almost considered pulling her shorts up and calling it quits. Strong metallic scent assaulted her nose, and there was no way Dante couldn’t smell it either with that sensitive nose of his.

Seriously, what the hell did Dante find so appealing about this? Her period was anything but holy. The blood flowing through her veins, sure. But this blood—this smell coming out of her vagina—a human organ—was nowhere near being angelic.

Though the tiny part of her pushed on, and she finally stepped out of her underwear before stashing it around the corner of the couch on the floor. She even went as far as folding her underwear in a way that would cover the mess. Sure, Dante had seen a lot of blood and gore in his line of work, but some things are meant to be kept private. Even when Celina would dispose of her old pads, she always wrapped them up so that nothing was exposed, along with any used toilet paper. It was a common etiquette that she took to heart.

The last thing to do was to lie on the towel and present herself like a piece of raw steak to him, which she did. Carefully, she sat down on the towel and leaned backward so that her back was on the bottom cushion and her head was propped against the back cushion. With her ass on the egde of the couch, she hooked her hand beneath both of her knees and brought them up towards her shoulders. Despite the towel being there for protection, she could only hope that she didn’t make a mess already by sitting.

Oh boy, it was time, and she wondered how he would react. After willing the butterflies in her stomach to stop fluttering to some degree, she spoke in a timid voice, “You can turn around now.”

As soon as those words left her mouth, Dante did as he was told and lowered his gaze over her body before zoning in on the space between her spread legs. However, instead of him wrinkling his nose in disgust, his eyes brightened, and his jaw slackened slightly. Celina held her tongue and waited anxiously as she tried to gauge his reaction, given that he had yet to say anything for the next seconds. But the more he kept staring at her, the more his gaze turned hungry, like he could eat her up right there.

“Damn,” his voice was thick and heavy as he took a step closer before lowering on his knees in front of her. “You look like a feast.” 

If Dante’s goal was to make her face combust into flames, he already achieved that twice today, cause she was sure that her face was as red as the mess down there. She didn’t know how to respond to that compliment as the cat seriously got her tongue. Everything about this felt so surreal that she wondered if she pinched herself, she would wake up from this strange, lucid dream.

Though she didn’t have time to test her theory out when Dante sat on his haunches and leaned forward. Both of his large hands came up and rested on the back of her thighs, using them to help spread her legs apart even more to his enjoyment. Her heart beat faster as Dante inched his face closer to her bleeding core.

Celina briefly thought back to the time when she was so hesitant of Dante going down on her for the first time. At the beginning of their relationship, Celina would always push Dante from giving her oral sex—not in a rude way, of course, but gently guiding him elsewhere for the first couple of times they banged. She never had positive experiences receiving oral from her exes and previous guys she hooked up with. None of them could ever make her come, even with her guidance, and it felt so awkward after the first few minutes of trying. But Dante was insistent; he said that he could change her mind, and he did! He didn’t settle with one orgasm but two mind-blowing orgasms. Never before had Celina felt like she was on cloud nine with a smoking hot guy between her legs, and that smug yet boyish smirk on his face after she came down from her high sealed the deal—she was hooked. It was an experience to remember, and though if it weren’t for the position she was currently in, she would have laughed at the thought.

But this was different. This was uncharted territory, and she had never felt so exposed before. It was just him eating her pussy, she kept telling herself in a futile attempt to calm herself. Nothing special, right? Though according to his eyes, this was indeed special, as if he had been craving for this for a long time.

“A-ah, how long have you been waiting for this?” The intrusive thought voiced itself before she had the chance to realize it.

“Hmm?” Dante’s head went up, like her voice was the only thing that tore him away from drooling all over her. There was a quick flash of red in the midst of his blue eyes, and Celina would have missed it if she had blinked. Dante swallowed before answering, “A while,” after she thought he didn’t register her question at first.

Celina nodded. A while could mean anything. It had been a couple of years since the awakening of her angelic blood, so he could have developed this craving since then. But there were no signs to indicate as such until now, she was sure of. Perhaps it slowly grew on him, especially after Dante became comfortable showing his devil side to her. However, she didn’t have it in her to probe further for answers, and knowing him, he probably didn’t keep track of time as usual.

“You okay?” Dante’s concerned voice grabbed her attention. At least he was conscious enough to pick up on her endless spiral thoughts, not just some mindless zombie or demon in that sense.

A sheepish chuckle escaped her lips as she tried to voice this in the most sensible way possible. “Y-yeah, just… nervous… that’s all.” The smile on her face mirrored the whirlwind of emotions brewing inside her. Nervous. Embarrassed. Confused. Disgusted. But underneath it all was a sense of curiosity. Curious about what would unravel next.

Dante’s eyes melted, offering her a reassuring smile while affectionately rubbing her thighs in an up-and-down motion. “Oh yeah? I guess that makes sense, but believe me when I say this, you look like a five-course meal I’m dying to dig in.” His adorable toothy grin at the end almost made her let out a flustered squeal, but what he said next had her heart swell. “But if it hurts in any way, just say the word and I’ll stop.” Although his words were nothing but genuine, the way his eyes flickered down at her core for a brief second while his fingers twitched on her thighs told Celina a different story. Not that she was worried if he would hurt her. She was more concerned about bursting into flames first.

Wordlessly, Celina nodded again, and the room grew quiet. They stared at each other for a moment, which she wondered what Dante was waiting for, until he asked, “May I?”

Oh. “Yeah.”

That was all the confirmation Dante needed as his head ducked down but stopped short a few centimeters away. Closing his eyes shut, Dante deeply inhaled and breathed in the strong, metallic scent that Celina could also smell. His forehead scrunched in pure bliss, and he groaned loudly. “Fuuuck…”

Celina’s eyes widened in surprise, but before she had the chance to squeak, Dante took the first lick. His tongue slowly dragged across the skin around her outer lip, scooping up the blood on his tongue. The instant it made contact with his taste buds, he moaned loudly—like actually moaned as if this was the best thing he had ever tasted in his life. He pulled back a little and closed his mouth to swallow the taste. The Adam's apple on his throat bobbed prominently from doing so, and he moaned once more. 

But he didn’t stop there. No, he continued, and he went back for more. Another slow drag of his tongue traced the skin beside where he'd first tasted her. All the while, Celina continued to watch with wide eyes and lips slightly parted, staring at that strip of dark red coating his pink tongue before it disappeared into his mouth when he swallowed. This was really happening. This wasn’t a dream. She half-expected him to spit out her blood in disgust, not fine dine at a Michelin-star restaurant! 

Yet, no matter how obscene the scene was, she couldn’t look away. Her eyes refused to even blink as the scene below hypnotized her to no end. The air felt thick, and his touch was electrifying. Celina won’t lie; the reaction from him so far had been fueling her desire deep inside. For every moan from him added more to the pressure, heating and coiling up beneath her stomach. Her tender clit throbbed, and more fluid mixed with her blood started to leak out of her, trying to tempt him to focus his attention there instead. If only Dante could get it over with, rather than taking his sweet time and killing her in the process!

To her pleasure, Dante seemed to come to the same conclusion as her, since after the third long and agonizing lick, he showed little restraint. His pace quickened, the grip of his hands on her thighs tightened, and he lapped more and more with his tongue. However, he did not lick her in the area where Celina needed it the most. Instead, he continued to lap his tongue around it, like he was licking his way to the core and saving the best part for last.

“Fuck… baby,” he muttered against her skin, his words barely unintelligible since his tongue was too busy licking. “Taste… so good.” 

Celina let out a whine of impatience and embarrassment, not sure if Dante got the message when he lifted her ass a bit to lap the blood between her ass cheeks. No blood could flee from his hungry mouth. Once he was done cleaning the surrounding area, he turned his attention to the source of the blood—the center, and where most of her blood was concentrated. Pressing the flat of his tongue against her sensitive flesh, he dragged his tongue across her opening and ending it at her clit, sending that familiar sweet spark down her spine. Celina moaned softly at the sensation, pleased that she was getting the attention she deserved, even though it was small at first, but her volume was overpowered by the sheer loudness of his continuous moans. 

Dante’s head dipped back down for seconds, his tongue soaked red like the first, but this time, she got a good look at a large blood clot sticking to his tongue before he gobbled that up as well. That was enough for Celina to shut her eyes and focus on the sensation instead. It worked—only concentrating on his tongue flicking her clit every time he lapped her did wonders in building up to her release. It was slow and steadfast, but it was better than nothing. Dante continued to lick her, pressing his tongue deeper inside her entrance each time he passed through, no doubt seeking more of her blood. His hands gripping her thighs also trembled with such intensity, she swore he was straining to hold something back. 

Just as she got used to the pace he set, Dante’s tongue stayed on her clit and started flicking it endlessly, alternating it with a couple of swirls in between. “Mmm… fuck,” Celina moaned, rolling her head back against the cushion as the coils in her abdomen heated up at a tremendous rate. That same heat also washed over the rest of her body. The rising temperature caused sweats to accumulate primarily on her lower back and underneath her knees, where her hands were holding them. She had to readjust her hold since her hands were slipping because of it. But none of that mattered at this point. This was way better than cramping or feeling tender down there. All Dante had to do was keep this up, and she’d come undone in no time.

However, that sweet buildup was short-lived when Dante removed his tongue from her clit and directed it towards her opening again, lapping her essence now mixed with her blood. His nose almost touched her clit, puffing out hot air on it. He didn’t spend too much time there as he returned to her clit shortly after. This time sealing his lips around her little bud and sucking it, earning another moan from her. “ Ooooh, yes… that’s it,” she cooed with encouragement, hoping that he continued like that since the journey to her peak picked up again. 

Dante moaned in response but soon pulled away, returned to her hole, and licked off more of her seeping fluids like he did for the first time. Mild frustration brewed inside her. She knew Dante could be a tease sometimes, but could he not tell that she was bleeding and needed some love—oh, wait. That was why. He was using her essence to push the remaining blood out by stimulating her. Smart thinking on his part since it was a win-win situation for both of them. Besides, there was really no need to be in a rush. Else, she would go back to feeling like shit after this. So she let him do his thing even though her clit involuntarily throbbed for his attention every time he let go. 

After the fifth—or maybe seventh—time, Dante paused and probed his tongue inside her velvety, wet walls. His mouth opened wider so that he could press his lips up against her folds, allowing his tongue to dive deeper than before. His tongue slid in and out of her, and if Celina didn’t know any better, he was trying to reach for more blood based on how loud he moaned upon tasting them. Dante continued to thrust his tongue in a feverish pace, desperate to chase his high, as the trembling grip on her thighs tightened even more. Apparently, he ran out of blood he could reach since he kept burying his face more between her legs like it would make a difference, and he spent too much time on this for her liking. Surely, he could use his fingers instead for better reach. That way, it would also reach her sweet spot, which her body was aching to have touched. For now, the only attention Celina’s clit got was the tip of his nose brushed firmly against it. She tried to rock her folded legs back and forth to move her pelvis against him, but Dante had her in a vice grip.

All of a sudden, the entire room felt like it was set ablaze and charged with energy. Dante’s body also felt hot to the touch, even though she was on the receiving end. She knew it couldn’t be due to the weather, not when a prickling sensation traveled up and down her thighs where Dante was holding her. There was always an electric effect to his touch in a figurative sense, but this was literal—a feeling that was not commonly accustomed to the pleasure he would give her. Plus, the blunt nails on his fingers were starting to dig into her flesh. If any of this dialed up any further, it would border on pain. Celina opened her eyes to see what was going on, but what she saw stopped her in her tracks.

There, between her legs, was Dante staring up at her with ember eyes, a sharp contrast to the icy blue ones that he always had. The fire in them glowed, and in the midst of it were slitted pupils trained on her face through hooded lids. But that wasn’t the only thing that caught her eye. Flickers of red light danced along the skin of his arms in quick intervals, traveling from his body and dissipating at the end of his fingertips. Their movements were violent and wild, and the tiny pricks she just felt returned when they grazed her skin. Celina didn’t even have time to register Dante pulling out of her before a bright flash of red light blinded her for a second. When her eyes fluttered open again, a red devil took his place.

Wings unfolded, body covered in scales, and horns sprouted out, the devil sat there watching her every move. A deep red aura radiated from his body, and his wings spread out behind him in a grand gesture, both of which displayed his strength and love for her. The orange swirls on his wings were hypnotic, their glow pulsed like waves along with the cracks on his chest. It reminded Celina of lava flowing between his scales in a beautiful pattern, its color nicely contrasted with the dark blue of his skin. Dante was a sight to behold in this form.

As unexpected as this was, this was not the first time Celina had the devil beneath her. She had made love to this devil before, but only during his rut season. The love and intimacy between them during that time were full of passion and roughness, which Celina quite enjoyed every time. However, they were in summer and nowhere near the fall season when the devil would typically come out to play. Even outside of that, Dante rarely brought his devil out, and not without explicit permission from her. So to see him trigger like this was a definite surprise to her.

Demons loved angel’s blood, the thought popped into her mind.

Though before she could voice her concerns, her body jolted when a puff of hot breath from his nostrils brushed her clit. But it didn’t stop there—Dante’s head swiftly swooped forward, and something bigger slipped inside her.

“Mmmnooooh~ ” Celina’s eyes rolled back, and her toes curled involuntarily. Her soaked velvety walls expanded to accommodate more as his elongated tongue pushed deeper and deeper, curling into a pattern she could not distinguish. All it mattered was that it felt so damn good, especially when the ridges lined along the top of his tongue rubbed up against the bundle of nerves that sent fireworks throughout her body.

A loud moan broke out of Dante, and his whole body glowed brighter once he got a taste of the blood hiding deep within. Every inch of her was filled up, and no spot left untouched by his seeking tongue. He started to thrust his tongue in and out of her again, deeper each time, and stealing yet another moan from her. The end of his tongue continuously flicked at her cervix, coaxing out more of that sweet, red nectar of hers. Meanwhile, the ridges rubbing against her hotspot were sucking the life out of her body that her hands holding the back of her knee feebly fell to her sides. Under normal circumstances, her hands would have flung to his head instead, tugging and pulling his hair as a means to ground herself. However, it felt taboo—afraid that if she did, it would break his concentration. So her fist remained curled and clenched on the sheets by her sides. Dante didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he adjusted his grip on her thighs, moving them further up and pushing her legs further apart so he could dive deeper like he hadn’t already. His grip tightened again, but using the pad of his fingers to hold her in place, his sharp claws barely piercing her skin. At least he was mindful of them.

One thrust. Two thrusts. Her walls fluttered and clenched around his tongue every time he thrusted in, desperately trying to pull him forward more. Likewise, the hypnotic wings on his back quivered in response as he moaned each time, resulting in puffs of his hot breath hitting her sensitive flesh. Due to his mouth being wide open, most of his saliva pooled beneath her ass along with her essence and blood. As more oozed out, the wet squelches coming from her pussy grew louder, until the sound overwhelmed everything else in the room. Celina wasn’t sure if the towel underneath was enough to collect everything, but at this rate, she didn’t care, not when his tongue felt sooo good, like it was made for fucking and fucking alone. The couch was made out of leather anyway.

Nine thrusts… Ten thrusts… Fuuuck. Celina didn’t know how long she would last. The hot pressure in her abdomen was at its tipping point, ready to explode at any second. She struggled to keep her eyes open as she wanted to see how Dante was faring down there. Judging by the rapid flutters of his ember eyes, he appeared to be struggling the same. The red aura flaring out of his body grew in size, and it radiated so much strength and power that it almost clogged her senses. A phenomenal scene to witness, and all because of her.

Amid the raging sea of pleasure Celina found herself trapped in, she wasn’t sure what prompted her to speak in this sacred ritual. Despite how heavy her tongue and mind felt, she managed to lick her dry lips before choking out his name, “ D-Dante.” 

Was it a plea for him to continue? A plea for him to slow down? It was an answer she did not have. And while her mind didn’t want this to end yet, not wanting to suffer from her menstrual symptoms again, her body was dying to come, begging for that euphoric release.

However, Dante heard what he wanted to hear as his fiery eyes snapped open and focused on her. For a second, he completely paused his action, like the call of his name from her lips grounded him. Then came a sound rumbling from his chest—a mixture of a purr and a snicker, as if he was pleased to see her unraveled beneath him. Dante made a choice, which he shifted into high gear. The pace of his thrusts increased just so slightly, but with the ridges along his tongue pressed firmer against her sweet spot. At the same time, one of his hands went down, and using the pad of finger, he rubbed her clit in tight little circles, overwhelming her nervous system with sparks running up and down her body.

Letting out a cry, Celina’s eyes clamped shut, and her hands automatically flew to his horns, tugging them and pulling him closer to her core as if he weren’t close enough. Dante moaned in unison and angled his head downward so the spikes on his chin didn't pierce her, his sharp teeth barely scraping her soft flesh. She didn’t care. Instead, she rutted her hips against him in a desperate attempt to get there fast. All thoughts of slowing down were abandoned, and she had one goal in mind: to come with the hot devil between her legs.

The heat. The pleasure. The wetness. The passion. It was all too much for her, and in that instance, relief flooded her system as her body shook for the last time. Arching her back off the couch, her cries died out as her legs quivered from the intensity of her orgasm. If it weren’t for his strong arm holding her down, her legs would have clamped shut around his spiky head, and that would have been a pain.

Celina’s walls clenched around him one last time, drawing another loud moan from Dante. But this time, it sounded more primal than ever, almost like he was in pain or something. What followed right after, Celina couldn’t describe properly. It felt like a burst of energy washed over her body, starting from her toes to her head. Whatever came over her just now made her muscles tingle and her hair stand on end. For a human, it would have been a call for concern or ignorance, but to Celina, she knew what that was. It was the release of his demonic power, her angelic senses picked up on, and based on the level of it, Dante was a formidable opponent. However, underneath it all was something else—something that she also picked up on.

His love for her.

That one thing was what set Dante apart from other demons. Something that a demon rarely possessed.

As much as Celina would love to indulge Dante with her newfound discovery and potentially brighten his day, she was beat as hell. Coming down from her peak, her heart pounded rapidly in its cage while her breathing pattern slowly returned to normal. Although her hold on his horns loosened, she refused to remove them since she didn’t have it in her to move just yet. She was content where she was—boneless and more than satisfied. Unfortunate for her, Dante had other plans. He slowly pulled away from her and allowed her sore legs to hang loosely from the edge of the couch. Celina grimaced when more fluid oozed out of her pussy when his tongue retracted, adding more to the mess they need to clean up.

Peeping with one eye open, Celina caught Dante still in his devil form, but the red aura surrounding him was much smaller than before. With his chin completely soaked in whatever mixture of bodily fluid they exchanged, he licked his lips to clean them before exclaiming with a toothy grin, “Mmm, delicious! Compliments to the chef.”

Celina inwardly groaned—why did he have to say it like that? She had just gotten over the fact that this all started because of her blood, but Dante had to go and ruin it. Typical of him.

A flash of red light enveloped him, and in the blink of an eye, Dante was back in his human form, all covered in sweat like he just ran a marathon, but not a single speck of blood on him. Celina was no better than him, as sweat clung to every part of her body, unimaginably. Even her shirt was no match for the heat since it was glued to her like a second layer of skin.

Noticing the lack of response from her, Dante’s grin disappeared, and his blue eyes softened. “You okay?” he asked, reaching forward and gently rubbing her inner thighs where he held her. After every aftermath, he always worried that he had hurt her during the process of unleashing his inner devil. Afraid that he harmed her in such a vulnerable moment. Though that would never happen, mostly because she knew his capabilities, but also because she was a tough cookie. While she could feel some bruises forming on her thighs from his demonic strength, she had regenerative powers to help bounce back. It was nothing, really, but sweet of him to care nonetheless when she felt the complete opposite. 

“Y-yeah,” Celina let out a breathless laugh as she said it and ran a hand through her damp scalp. “But!” She narrowed her eyes at him. “We never speak of this to anyone!” Not that she was worried he would spill the beans about this to anyone. While yes, he did have a habit of dropping some sexual innuendos out in public, especially when he was in the mood to rile her up, he never overstepped her boundaries. However, if he ever even mentioned so much as a word about this, she would so bury him six feet underground.

Thankfully, Dante got the memo as he chuckled. “My lips are sealed, babe.” He smiled at her.

Good. That was all she needed to hear.

Exhaustion crept on her again, and she closed her eyes to get some rest before she had to move again. Damn, he really sucked the life out of her, but she shouldn’t complain about it. He did do it in the best possible way ever. She then felt Dante patting her thighs, followed by hearing him speak with a smile in his voice. “I’m gonna go use that mouthwash now if I wanna kiss my girl.” He chuckled again before standing up and asking, “Need a hand?”

Celina found the strength to open her eyes, but was surprised to see the stain on his clothed crotch. At the tip of outline of his cock was a decent-sized wet spot, darker in color. Judging by how prominent the bulge was, his cock was nothing but flaccid. Did he come undone solely by eating her? She swore he had nothing of use as friction. Both of his hands were occupied on her legs, and his body was a good distance away from the couch to use that either. 

“Hey, earth to Celina. Are you there?” Dante waved a hand in front of her, not giving her a chance to dwell on it any further.

“Y-yeah… um, just bring some tissues, please.” The amount of fluid trapped between her legs told her that if she moved so much as an inch, everything would spill to the floor and the couch. She could only pray that no blood was shed, even though her insides felt thoroughly cleaned out, courtesy of the half-devil in front of her.

“Alright.” Dante gave her a once-over. Satisfaction flickered in his eyes as he took in the results. The smug bastard even flashed her a sly smirk before turning around to leave.

With Dante out of the way, Celina was left staring at the TV that still played. It was a different program now, but she couldn't care less about what was playing. Her mind was buzzing over the recent event that had just transpired between them. Everything about it felt like a lucid wet dream, but the comfortable aches in her lower body told her otherwise. She almost laughed; however, her heart somersaulted when she came to a realization.

Wait—was this going to happen again next month?

[ezolenta]

So here's Obito.

Kakashi.

Read more info ⬇️

Obito is a half-elf who lived with his family for two decades, helping them. I imagine it as a small village with friendly people. Happy childhood with his parents . Average cottage life, a small sheep herd, garden and a bunch of pumpkins.

His parents ran away so they can be together. (I like half-Senju! Obito too much). Senju is a human clan and Uchiha are elves who hate each other. Boom. Drama.

One night, there was an attack on the village. It was Uchiha, a young elf, and Warlock. He killed Obito's parents (Itachi is a different story, and it's very raw, so bear with me). Obito manages to survive. He found refuge in the form of an old elf paladin who helped him. (Of course, it was Madara's setup)

He trained Obito. He became stronger and made an oath with God of Justice (Tyr if you wish, but I'm thinking do not mention any of the DnD canon names and Gods), so he became a Paladin of Devotion. He began to travel the world saving people and helping them.

But at one moment when he needed help the most, no one came to his aid. He began to contemplate the world and the gods. A moment in which an event occurs in direct opposition to Obito's oath and his God's domain. It's simple, but such a traumatic event can make one view the gods as selfish, callous, and inconsiderate of mortal affairs that do not affect themselves - which in turn leads to disillusionment with oath. As a result, he broke his oath because the gods did not like that he began to pry into their dark affairs. (Canonical hatred of the Shinobi system and rules dnd style and without Rin's sacrifice.)

I can imagine Obito becoming Oathbreaker because he wants to achieve justice but in his own, wrong way. He claims that God betrayed him. Obito is blinded by power and his hunger for it.

Obito returns to Madara and tells him about that. He is agitated by the disappearance of his power. Madara tells that he has to make a new pact to gain powers. Thus Obito was lured into making a pact with the goddess who now gives him power in exchange for his soul. Obito kills Madara. He's now an Oathbreaker Paladin and Warlock whose Patron is a moon Goddess herself. (I wanted it to be a Tharizdun, The Chained Mad God, but changed my opinion. Tho still sounds cool) So Obito was tricked into a pact.

Obito is traveling the world and destroying the Cults. He's 62 when he met Kakashi in the woods, running from an Owlbear. They fight together, but Obito gets hurt. They return to Kakashi's camp. A bit of talking and my writing.

"The gods betrayed me." Obito growled. "They betrayed us all. They claim to be benevolent, but all they care about is power, status, and their own selfish gains." Kakashi was surprised by the paladin's disdain for the gods. It wasn't often that he met someone who outright scorned the gods, especially a paladin. "I see," he said, continuing to tend to Obito's wounds. "You're quite the blasphemer."

So Kakashi is also trying to find a local cult. They decided to travel together. (There's a plot!)

Obito looked at Wizard with a steely gaze. "I no longer align myself with the gods, nor do I seek their favor. I have become an instrument of my own destiny, and I answer to no one but myself."

But Obito does not even suspect that Kakashi is looking for a cult not just to destroy it. But that's a story for another time.

Here's some stats and info for character sheet list in my head for nerds like me.

8 14 16 8 12 20 (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA) Level 14 8 Paladin 6 Warlock Oathbreaker (Aura of Hate, Control Undead, Dreadful Aspect) The Great Old One Pact (Mortal Remind) Pact of The Blade (Binded Weapon, CHA based)

[necromancelena]

I'm in a particularly egregious version of my usual set up right now where i have balatro playing on my right screen (sound on) and then drawing references on the left screen plus a stream I'm watching (sound on) and music playing through my headphones and one of my stupid 4x map games minimized for when i need a break longer than a round of balatro (music off sound on so there's just mild wind sfx(soothing)) and then tablet in front of me for the aforementioned drawing references (I'm learning how to draw) and also obs is hooked up to my switch with Xenoblade running (no sounds and minimized so it's not adding to the sensory landscape but it provides a layer of temptation for distraction that is wholly unnecessary) and also i have music playing on the record player in the background (makes sure i get up and stretch when i have to flip the record). I call this setup "the devil's Concerta". It ensures a constant flow of neurochemical response to stimuli that would kill me if i was exposed to it in the wild but feels like a heavenly domain when it is all under my control.

[techdirectarchive]

Setup a Domain Controller as Recommended by Microsoft

A Domain Controller (DC) responds to authentication requests. It has an hierarchical structure called domains. In this article, I will be discussing how to Setup a Domain Controller as Recommended by Microsoft in HyperV. Please see Pleasant User Group Permission and User Access, Domain Name System Protocol: Client Registration Issue, Domain Name System: How to create a DNS record, and how to fix…

[bellasmumblingsandmusings]

Act II Begins: The World of Vampires in What Could Have Been

Hello my lovelies! I have a special Musings this Thursday night, and I am hoping you will enjoy it! Basically I have spent the last year (gods has it be that long already?!) working on this story. As we enter Act II of the tale, we see that we have Sima beginning to be more and more intrigued by the world of vampires in Faerun and the power she could wield. This Musings article goes into how my world differs from that of established lore and gives a few ideas on what's to come. This is your SPOILER WARNING for the future chapters and themes behind the fic! Scroll at your own risk

-Bella After the jump!

Crafting the Shadows: Building a Vampire Society in Faerûn

When it comes to writing vampire society in the vast and storied world of Faerûn, there’s a rich tapestry of lore and traditions to draw from, particularly within Dungeons & Dragons. Sources like Van Richten’s Guide to Vampires and Curse of Strahd provide foundational insights into how vampires operate, thrive, and vie for power. However, my goal wasn’t just to replicate what already exists but to expand on it, subvert some of the established norms, and create a society that feels both authentic to D&D and uniquely my own.

Inspirations from the Lore: Setting the Stage

In classic D&D settings, vampire lords are often depicted as solitary figures of immense power, ruling over their domains with an iron grip. They are figures of terror and cunning, maintaining control through a mix of fear, manipulation, and brute force. The male dominance in these hierarchies is almost ubiquitous, with figures like Strahd von Zarovich embodying the archetype of the patriarchal vampire lord whose rule is unquestioned and whose methods are ruthless.

This traditional setup typically involves vampire lords with extensive networks of spawn, thralls, and lesser undead who enforce their will. Power dynamics are strict, with the vampire lord at the top and their subordinates expected to obey without question. In Faerûn, the presence of figures like Artor Morlin, the vampire lord of Waterdeep, underscores this model. Morlin, in his pursuit of curing vampiric weaknesses, embodies the archetypal vampire who seeks not just to dominate but to transcend the limitations of his kind—reflecting a broader desire for ultimate control and perfection within undead hierarchies.

Expanding the Lore: A New Vision for Vampire Society

While these traditional elements set a strong foundation, I was interested in exploring how a vampire society might evolve beyond these rigid structures. My vision for Faerûn’s vampires expands on the established lore by introducing more fluid and dynamic power relationships, where alliances and rivalries aren’t solely dictated by fear and domination but also by more nuanced and personal motivations.

Astarion’s Ascension: Disrupting the Status Quo

A key element of my world-building revolves around Astarion, an Ascendant Vampire Lord whose rise disrupts the traditional vampire hierarchy. In most D&D lore, ascension amongst vampires involves brutal rituals, rigid inheritance, or sheer might. Astarion’s ascent, marked by his unprecedented ability to walk in daylight, symbolizes a break from the old ways—where power was both coveted and feared, but also constrained by the inherent weaknesses of vampirism. This departure creates a ripple effect in Faerûn���s vampiric society, challenging other lords who now see Astarion as both a rival and a key to potential power.

In this reimagined society, Astarion doesn’t just seize control of Baldur’s Gate through sheer force; he blends subterfuge, alliances with the nobility, and a dual life as a socialite to maintain his grip on power. His control extends beyond the shadows, infiltrating the upper echelons of society and creating a network that mirrors the interconnected nature of Faerûn’s complex political landscape. This approach not only makes Astarion a formidable power but also showcases how vampires can adapt and thrive in a world that is evolving around them.

Subverting Tropes: Reimagining Female Vampires, Consorts, and True Vampirism

A critical aspect of my world-building involves redefining the roles of female vampires, consorts, and exploring the nature of true vampirism. In traditional lore, female vampires are often relegated to roles such as brides or consorts, which typically place them in subservient positions to male vampire lords. This portrayal extends to characters like Strahd’s brides in Curse of Strahd, who are often depicted as extensions of his will, lacking autonomy and serving primarily to enhance his narrative of control and tragic desire.

Breaking the Mold for Female Vampires: Upon researching D&D’s established vampire lore, it became clear that prominent female vampire lords are extremely rare. Besides the occasional mention, such as a vampire in an older Moonshae Isles adventure, there are few, if any, central female figures in the lore who wield power on par with the most iconic male vampire lords. This absence presents an opportunity to reimagine what a female vampire lord could be, challenging the entrenched patriarchal structures that dominate vampiric society.

In my narrative, true vampire brides are not merely subordinates but can wield powers comparable to those of vampire lords, including the ability to create their own spawn and establish independent power bases. This approach empowers female vampires, granting them the same autonomy and agency traditionally reserved for their male counterparts. It also reflects a broader ethos within my world-building: that power should not be confined by gender, and that vampire society can be more fluid and egalitarian.

Inclusivity of Gay, Non-Binary, and Male Consorts: Expanding beyond traditional gender roles, my world includes a broader spectrum of identities among vampire consorts and lords. In my vision, consorts can be of any gender, and power dynamics are not strictly tied to traditional male-female pairings. This inclusive approach allows for a richer and more diverse exploration of relationships within vampire society, reflecting the complexities and variations of identity that exist in the real world. By opening up these roles, the narrative breaks free from the constraints of the established lore, creating a more inclusive and modern interpretation of what vampire relationships can be.

Amplification of Core Traits: A unique element of my interpretation of vampirism is the amplification of one’s primary nature upon becoming a true vampire. In Astarion’s case, his ambition, dominance, obsessive love and desire for freedom are heightened, leading to his distinctive approach to rulership and power. This concept allows each vampire’s transformation to reflect their intrinsic qualities, creating a diverse and multifaceted society where no two vampires are exactly alike. This aspect not only deepens character development but also reinforces the idea that vampirism is a deeply personal change, amplifying one’s core essence to an extreme.

Astarion’s Unique Nature as a Spawn and Beyond: Astarion's time as a spawn was also distinct; unlike many spawn who become mindless extensions of their masters, Astarion retained significant aspects of his personality and humanity. This set him apart even before his ascension, suggesting that his nature as a vampire was always somewhat exceptional. This unique trait raises interesting possibilities for those he turns, potentially leading to further exploration of how his approach to creating new vampires differs from the norm. The implications of his influence extend beyond power; they reach into the very nature of identity and self-determination within the vampiric condition.

Tension and Upheaval: A Society in Flux:

The introduction of vampires who break the mold—whether through unprecedented powers like day walking or by rejecting the traditional roles assigned to them—creates tension not only among the undead but also with mortal societies. Astarion’s ability to blend into daylight and manipulate societal norms creates fear and uncertainty among the established vampire lords, who see their own vulnerabilities laid bare. They approach Astarion not just with suspicion but with a desperate curiosity, attempting to unravel the secret of his ascension while grappling with the implications of his power.

This upheaval isn’t just limited to the undead; mortal society reacts too. The Council of Four, for instance, are wary of Astarion’s growing influence and the potential shift in the balance of power. As Astarion and his allies push for more autonomy and control, mortal institutions respond with resistance, highlighting the fragile nature of the alliances that keep the peace between the living and the undead.

Building a New Vampire Ethos: Beyond Fear and Control

Ultimately, the world-building in my trilogy aims to craft a vampiric society that transcends the usual narratives of fear and brute control. Vampires in Faerûn, under Astarion’s emerging influence, are not just static beings locked in eternal power struggles—they are dynamic, capable of change, and reflective of the complexities of identity, ambition, and legacy. By embracing a broader and more inclusive vision of what it means to be a vampire lord, the story expands the traditional D&D lore, offering a glimpse into a society where power is not just held but shared, and where the old rules are rewritten to accommodate a new order.

In this evolving landscape, the undead of Faerûn are more than just predators—they are rulers, guardians, and perhaps most compellingly, beings striving for a legacy that outlasts even the immortality they’ve been cursed or blessed with. It’s a world where the lines between monster and monarch blur, and where the true challenge lies not just in seizing power but in redefining what that power means.

[themonsterthing]

Millenial Art Musing

Gather round, younglings, I’m about to tell a story about ye olde days. *rocker creaks*

My first and most beloved art form, the art that made me who I am, that made me as good as I am at what I do, is dead, is gone, is unreachable.

That might sound dramatic, but I mean that literally. My art form does not, can not, exist anymore. And that's a good thing, because of what it says about accessibility.

I was listening to one of my favourite ever albums when I had this realization today, Johnny Hollow’s 2003 self titled symphonic goth masterpiece. How I found this album was because they had an amazing website. No, really. Amazing. It was a flash masterpiece, where bugs crawled across the screen, different sound clips echoed over different sections, and you unlocked hidden tracks if you answered riddles. It was an artistic triumph. I do believe it won awards.

To modern internet users, that sounds absurd. But I was a web designer back in the days of hard coding, of fixed resolution design, of the surety that everyone was looking at your work from a very similar setup. I got out of web design when it become about scalability, when content management systems were becoming the new norm. Flash hasn’t existed in years, as a design form.

HTML is still the bones of the internet, but it has grown wings and learned to fly. This is good. My art form was not about making things as useable as possible - it was about individual design. Oh what, you have trouble reading 8px Courier in low-contrast color tones? Oh well! It’s art.

The internet should be for everyone, and what I was designing was not that. Yes, it was beautiful, but it was definitely art, not for conveying useful information or accessing tools. Would it be cool if I could make that kind of art again? As pure art? Yes. But there would be no way to make that happen, unless you did something scalable but artistic for the eight million ways people access the internet now. Which is not possible, so maybe if you could control every aspect of the way it was consumed. Which is not possible. Maybe I could do it as an art exhibit, where people came and sat on computers and clicked through incredibly slow pages on 56k to the humming of the computer fan. Ah, the old days.

I am who I am because of my first art. I became a programmer to make Sailor Moon websites, back in the days of Geocities and Angelfire. I learned whole other languages, could speak them fluently, still know common hex codes. (People ask my favorite colour, and I always say French Grey. But really it’s #E6E6E6.)

It is a bizarre and beautiful world to have come from. I miss the camaraderie of the my fellow web designers, those of us trading CSS hacks and joking about the best font style. One person with a credit card who owned a domain and hosted all their buddies, the joy of ridiculous subdomain names.

I am delighted by what the internet has become. But oh, the olden days.

</ramble>

[number1villainstan]

Making a JJK/RGU Crossover for Fun and Profit

Assumes working (but not in-depth) knowledge of both RGU and JJK.

Content warnings for anything that applies to either RGU or JJK (so discussions of abuse in general, sexual abuse specifically, rape, incest, death, gore, body horror, unreality, w/e). Ohtori Akio and Ryomen Sukuna are their own warnings.

Warnings for major JJK manga spoilers up to chapter 263 and for major RGU spoilers if you haven't watched the show.

Disclaimer for RGU fans: This isn't gonna be an in-depth analysis of either work. Or at least that's not the focus. There may be some of that in the body of the work, but if you're here for insightful commentary, this is not the post for you. However, if you're here for taking a dumbass idea way too seriously (for fun), then this is exactly the post for you.

And with those out of the way, let's get started, shall we?

What kind of crossover?

There are several different ways you can combine elements from two or more different stories, but you often end up having to throw away or twist certain elements to fit the other world/story, because lore (or magic system or a character's backstory) from one story may conflict with lore from the other story. You end up getting setups like characters from one story acting out the events of the other story, or characters living out a version of their own stories but in the other story's setting, or characters from both stories interacting in a setting separate from both stories.

However. Every once in a while, there's a combination of stories that allows you to preserve both settings, while having them be in contact with each other, and RGU and JJK is one such combination.

This lies in the enclosed nature of Ohtori (the setting of RGU) and the nature of cursed energy and techniques (part of the setting of JJK). When you combine these aspects of both stories, you end up with the crack crossover theory that Akio is a cursed spirit, and Ohtori is his domain expansion. It's a shockingly tight explanation for why Ohtori is Like That, especially coming from a work in a different genre and that is not in conversation with RGU at all (so far as I know). It explains how the world of Ohtori can be so unconcerned with physical laws, such as "there's no way for the pillar and stairs to support the dueling arena's weight" or "there's no topologically valid way to get from the forest to Akio's living room on those stairs" or "Ohtori's not by the ocean, so Ruka can't be both on campus and overlooking the ocean on a bench"; how illusions and tricks of the mind are so prevalent; why the dead can cheat death, if not forever; how Akio can be aware of nearly anything that happens at Ohtori; why time is so incredibly fucking weird (implying temporal/spacial manipulation cursed techniques on Akio's part); why Ohtori is practically fine-tuned to maximize misery in the long term.

Ohtori being a domain meant to capture teenagers and feed off their cursed energy not only provides another explanation for what Ohtori is, it fits very neatly into RGU's themes of abuse and how to break away from it, adding an extra layer onto Akio's ability to control everything about Ohtori. Akio being a cursed spirit also fits his backstory--if we take the flashbacks as indications of what happened, although not True Narratives, we can imagine Dios as a jujustu sorcerer who played the hero too much and ended up dying from exhaustion, with Akio being the cursed spirit that was his resurrection (much like how Sukuna is canonically a resurrected sorcerer). This also implies that Anthy herself may be a sorcerer, one who was likely thrown to the wolves (the cursed spirit that was Akio) upon his death, and who Akio has been imprisoning inside his domain since said death.

Unfortunately, this explanation isn't quite as tight as I would like it to be. There are several wrinkles to consider. Number one is that multiple characters leave and return to Ohtori over the course of the story, while domains are meant to be incredibly difficult to break out of given the barriers necessary to uphold them. Ryomen Sukuna and Fushiguro Megumi both demonstrate barrier-less domain expansions, but Megumi uses natural barriers (such as the inside of a warehouse), and Sukuna's usage of a barrierless domain expansion is seen as "divine". However, if we expand the boundaries of the hypothetical Ohtori domain expansion to include the town surrounding campus, and posit that there must be a second school there, we solve this problem by providing a place to go for Saionji when he's expelled, for Wakaba to go grocery shopping off-campus, for Ruka to be in the hospital, and for Shiori to attend school before transferring back to Ohtori, without them actually exiting Akio's sphere of influence.

This is where we run into problem 2: keeping a domain expansion as big and as complex as Ohtori active for at least several months, for likely decades or centuries, requires an insane amount of cursed energy, and that we've never seen a domain expansion that large in JJK canon. Even Sukuna's 'divine' domain expansion in Shibuya, although he covered several city blocks, was a very simple domain, and wasn't as large as both Ohtori and its surrounding area. Furthermore, making Akio extremely powerful is a thematic sacrifice I don't want to make--part of what makes the finale so powerful is that Akio ends up posing less of a threat to Utena and more of an annoyance, although he's more powerful in Adolescence. (Some fans may say that I've already made a thematic sacrifice in making Akio not human, because part of the message of RGU is that normal, well-liked human beings can abuse other people without not being human, and their abuse may even be enabled by being well-liked and socially cushioned. To that I say: you are correct, but unless you have a smoother way to integrate the settings of RGU and JJK it was a necessary thematic sacrifice for this thought experiment. Also that I'm not all that interested in stories about humanity, being only technically human myself.) This is why I've made references to Akio siphoning off the cursed energy of those attending Ohtori, because it works both practically and thematically--this way Akio gains the cursed energy necessary for maintaining such a complex domain expansion by sucking it out of the students he's trapped inside, and it's a commentary on the soul-sucking (hah) nature of school and abuse and on how cultural systems of oppression and abuse need people to uphold them because they have no power on their own. But I doubt that Akio would get enough cursed energy from simply a bunch of non-sorcerers, which implies that there must be at least several sorcerers (or just people with abnormally high amounts of cursed energy) attending Ohtori; it would also make sense to say that Akio would keep these deeper energy reserves (so to speak) closer at hand than the rest of the student body. Yes, I'm going there: the Student Council + Utena are likely sorcerers themselves who haven't realized it yet, and Anthy is likely the most powerful sorcerer of anyone there, which would be part of the reason why Akio keeps her so close (and why she's implied to be able to do things like influence the arena and set all of those animals loose on Kiryuu Nanami). However, they would likely be unable to access any cursed techniques of their own, because Akio's influence would siphon away so much of their cursed energy.

So, to recap: Akio is a vampiric curse and Ohtori + the surrounding area is his domain expansion, and he feeds off the misery of the students he has trapped inside his domain; in addition, Anthy, Utena, and the Student Council all have sorcerer levels of cursed energy, along with potentially a good portion of the "unspecial" population, but in most of their cases have functionally the same power levels as normal people due to Akio's vampiric nature.

Okay, but so what?

Having a setting like this is very fun, but it can't reach the level of story as it is; currently it's just a crack crossover theory/headcanon. In order for this to become a story of its own, we need characters and we need a plot. Given how character-driven RGU is, and how the world of Ohtori responds to its characters' emotions, most of the plot can be extrapolated from our choice in characters and from how the world of Ohtori is set up. The main thing we need, besides choosing which characters, is an inciting incident. I have a simple one ready: whoever monitors these things in the jujutsu world has received reports/evidence of high levels of cursed energy where Ohtori is, and sends in our characters to investigate, thinking it would be a normal mission, and they end up entering the domain expansion and becoming students at Ohtori.

But who are the characters?

We've got several options for characters or character groups to send in to Ohtori, and we can safely assume that the RGU characters will start fundamentally the same as they are in canon, only changing in response to the actions of the JJK characters introduced to their environment. I also strongly doubt that any of the JJK characters we would introduce would have a rose crest ring, or come in with Akio's approval--in other words, they broke in, and they start as "unspecial". It would also make the most sense storywise to send in teenagers (or those who look like them); adults would likely be stonewalled out of getting close to Ohtori campus. That being said, let's go over some options and their consequences/implications:

The First Year Trio

The protagonists of the show: Fushiguro Megumi, Itadori Yuuji, and Kugisaki Nobara, with Ryomen Sukuna tagging along with them. You could do a Junpei Lives AU and include him as well, but I won't, since I'm focusing on bringing together both canons, which means Junpei is fucking dead. Let's go over each of the characters:

Kugisaki Nobara:

potential for Weird Sibling Shit: none, unless she has a sibling we never hear about in canon.

potential for Sunlit Garden Shit: low to medium. It's implied that she doesn't miss her country upbringing, and she talks about a girl she admired being bullied away by unsympathetic folk in her neighborhood, but nostalgia has a way of twisting the truth, so it's not impossible.

potential for Shining Thing Shit: low to medium. If Maki enters with her, then she may end up having her as a shining thing; however, there's not any one specific person or ideal that she tends to fixate on.

is she Stuck In Her Coffin: I'd say no. She's very assertive and seems not to care about what others think, and she's unafraid of interacting with the world.

Kugisaki Nobara would hate Ohtori. Loudly. And violently. Despite being mostly gender-conforming appearance-wise, her personality directly contradicts Ohtori's 'ideal woman', and she'd likely draw scorn from the general population. She'd probably make a fascinating parallel with Saionji; her violence is usually played for laughs at the other person's expense, or for making herself look badass, while Saionji's violence usually makes him look like a dick or earns him a trip to Clown Town. (Some of this difference is in what they direct their violence at, of course, but not all of it.) They're also both incredibly stubborn, unlikely to go along uncritically with tradition, extremely direct, and often eager to throw the first punch, so to speak. She'd also probably outright refuse to talk to Akio on the basis that he has "bad vibes", and if she ever hears about the shit he pulls with other teenagers she'd (attempt to) put a nail through his skull.

Fushiguro Megumi:

potential for Weird Sibling Shit: medium to high. We likely wouldn't see his older stepsister Tsumiki come back to life like Ruka, but healing Tsumiki is a main motivator of Megumi's actions in canon, and she was the one who took care of him after both his dad (her stepdad) and her mom (his stepmom) abandoned them (or died, in Toji's case, but Megumi doesn't know that). Strong case for Weird Sibling Shit even if Tsumiki doesn't show up.

potential for Sunlit Garden Shit: low to medium. He did NOT have a happy childhood, and he hates his dad. The only thing he would want to go back to the past for would be to see Tsumiki awake again (which would tie into Weird Sibling Shit). But, like I said with Kugisaki, the memory-warping effects of nostalgia cannot be underestimated.

potential for Shining Thing Shit: low to medium. Probably his 'shining thing' would be Tsumiki.

is he Stuck In His Coffin: Honestly, probably. At the beginning of canon he has hangups about his own power and self-worth, and struggles with expressing himself openly and honestly. (Actually, I don't think he gets better at expressing himself over the course of canon aside from whaling on curses.)

Fushiguro Megumi is probably the character who's most susceptible to Ohtori's emotional manipulations out of the whole JJK cast. His personality is most similar to Juri's, I think, in the way he's emotionally constipated and finds it difficult to express his feelings to other people. Thankfully he doesn't have a Shiori, both in the sense of being hurt and of hurting someone else from stonewalling them (unless you count Sukuna, but we all know Sukuna can take it and also deserves it). Given his relationship with Gojo (his main parental figure), he may be somewhat more vulnerable to Akio's manipulations, or he may be much less vulnerable given how much he rags on Gojo.

Itadori Yuuji:

potential for Weird Sibling Shit: none. He's canonically an orphan and an only child (iirc).

potential for Sunlit Garden Shit: high. He is not doing well--he's been possessed by a demon, slated for execution, his grandpa is dead, and his pre-canon friends are in the hospital. There's no way he doesn't wish to turn back the clock in some ways, to go back to when life was simple and safe.

potential for Shining Thing Shit: low. He doesn't have anything specific he obsesses over, although you could argue that he could obsess over the goal of beating Sukuna, especially in the late stages of the manga.

is he Stuck In His Coffin: No. He's much better at making connections and expressing emotion and vulnerability than someone like Megumi, and he's shown in canon to be respectful of others (aside from like. Sukuna and Mahito, who both deserve the disrespect) no matter their gender.

Yuuji isn't as vulnerable as Megumi to Ohtori's emotional manipulations, but that isn't to say that he isn't vulnerable at all. He's a lot like Utena herself personality-wise, and I think he's vulnerable in similar ways as well, especially in a desire to go back to a time when life was simple and safe and guaranteed. His attachment to Gojo may also make him especially vulnerable to Akio's carefully-cultivated aura of "coolness".

Ryomen Sukuna:

potential for Weird Sibling Shit: none, unless he has a sibling that survived the Heian Era as a curse (highly unlikely) AND he's actually attached to that sibling (even more unlikely). The only time Sukuna mentions anything like having siblings it's to say that he ate his twin in the womb, I don't think he puts much emphasis on family of any kind

potential for Sunlit Garden Shit: none. Man's out here living his best hedonistic curse life all day every day; anything that might trigger Sunlit Garden-type nostalgia in someone else (like being stuck in Itadori's body or having to deal with Akio's siphoning his cursed energy away) he views as an annoyance or a threat, but not as evidence that the Past Was Better.

potential for Shining Thing Shit: none. He's practically his own shining thing.

is he Stuck In His Coffin: lmao no he got out a long time ago just cuz he decided it wasn't comfy in there

Sukuna is, hilariously, the JJK character with the most comedic potential in this situation. There's two ways he could go, with him either being stuck in Yuuji's body the whole time (which confines him to being a menace to Yuuji) or, my own preference, him getting his own body at Ohtori, which allows him to go off on his own and do weird shit, which I like too much to not do. Watch as he makes all the right logical steps as to why Ohtori Bullshit is Wrong Actually and then his conclusion veers so hard to the side that we end up in territory that is maybe actually Even Worse. "This whole Dueling Game thing is bullshit" yes "Anthy should have way more agency" yes "the kids should be fighting proper death battles cuz they value the thrill of the fight" nO. His reaction to Akio would literally just be "you need to learn how to respect your betters". He's utterly impervious to Akio's and Ohtori's emotional manipulation and yet somehow he keeps wildly Missing The Point. Everyone else is Suffering(TM) and he's just off doing hot girl shit with Nobara or trying to figure out how to get his cursed energy back. Ohtori may be Hell but Sukuna is literally a demon.

Bonus Characters

My original plan was to go through a lot of different JJK characters/character groups, but it's late and I want to be done with this so those will have to wait until a reblog. But to wrap up quickly, I'll do Maki&Mai and Uraume.

Zen'in Maki and Zen'in Mai:

potential for Weird Sibling Shit: very high. Not only are they twins who have been split apart by jujustu society, Mai ends up dying to 'free' Maki, and there's one panel where it looks like one of them is kissing the other one (who's unconscious) on the mouth. Yeah. They're up there with Miki and Kozue for Weird Twin Sibling Shit.

potential for Sunlit Garden Shit: medium to high. Some of the flashbacks for them heavily imply that there were some very high-nostalgia-potential moments in their childhood, before they realized their inequality.

potential for Shining Thing Shit: low for Maki (who doesn't care anymore), high for Mai (who would idolize Maki in some sense, or at least desire that Maki come back).

are they Stuck In Their Coffins: Mai yes, Maki no. Maki's already decided to leave the Zen'ins behind when canon starts, but Mai is still trapped in her own desire to go back to the way it was ('won't you stay at the bottom with me?' iirc).

Maki and Mai would be hard-pressed to survive in Ohtori's environment. Mai's something like Shiori, methinks, while Maki's just trying to get out again. They already have a deeply fucked up relationship, and Ohtori would probably just warp it further and drive them apart even more.

Uraume:

(This entry is formatted a little differently.) Uraume is an interesting character, especially with the implication that they and Sukuna genuinely enjoy each other's company. Their gender, or lack thereof, would also become much more important in RGU's story, despite being mostly just a side note in JJK's. It would be more difficult to get them in, because they don't have anyone around to order them inside, but if they got word that Sukuna was potentially lost inside a rogue curse's domain expansion they'd have a personal motivation to enter the story.

Pros of having Uraume in this story:

A straightman (straightperson) for Sukuna's bullshit to play off of, like in a comedy duo

Interesting parallels and contrasts between Uraume's serving Sukuna because they genuinely like him and Anthy's whole Rose Bride stuff, especially in the third(?) episode when she claims she wants to be the Rose Bride

Would force interesting questions and developments in the narrative of the crossover story, in the world of Ohtori (how do they deal with someone who isn't gendered if they have no information on which box to put them in?) and in certain RGU characters (Saionji: "are you a boy or a girl?" Uraume: "I'm neither" Saionji: "oh i see" Uraume internally: three. two. one. Saionji: "WAIT YOU CAN DO THAT?").

Cons of having Uraume in this story:

their no-gender swag is too powerful, if they stepped foot on Ohtori campus the whole school would spontaneously combust

[mukeshkushwaha]

Top 3 Best ARK Server Hosting Providers in 2025

Looking to survive the wilds of ARK without lag or server crashes? The difference between a frustrating ARK experience and an epic one often comes down to your server host.

Hosting your own ARK: Survival Evolved server gives you total control over mods, player slots, and gameplay settings, but only if you choose the right provider. With countless hosts out there, finding one with the perfect balance of performance, price, and support can be overwhelming.

We’ve done the research and tested the most talked-about hosts. Here are our Top 3 ARK Server Hosting Providers in 2025 that deliver the smoothest dino-hunting experience.

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SSD-powered servers for ultra-fast load times

Game panel with full FTP access

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Starts at $9.49/month for 20 player slots

Easily upgradeable as your player base grows

Monthly, quarterly, and annual billing options available

Why Choose GravelHost? Perfect for casual ARK players or small tribes who want great value without sacrificing quality.

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ScalaCube is a popular name in the survival gaming community and excels with its modding ease and one-click setups. It's a fantastic option for ARK players who want modded gameplay with minimal technical setup.

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1-click mod installs and map switching

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Pre-installed ARK Survival Evolved server

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24/7 support and custom control panel

💰 Price & Plans:

Starts at $15.20/month for 20 player slots

Higher-tier plans offer more RAM and slots for larger servers

Why Choose ScalaCube? Best for players who love experimenting with ARK mods and want hassle-free configuration.

🥉 3. BerryBytes — Performance Meets Support

BerryBytes may be newer in the game server world, but it’s quickly building a reputation for reliable performance and exceptional customer support — especially for indie gamers and small communities.

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Starts at $16/month for 20 slots

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Why Choose BerryBytes? Ideal for community servers or players who value responsive support and server uptime.

Final Thoughts: Which ARK 🦖Hosting Should You Choose?

🏷️ On a budget? Go with GravelHost – it offers great value and solid performance.

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[usafphantom2]

F-14 flying alongside SR-71 during refueling (Image via Haburats SR-71 on X/Twitter)

The F-15 wasn’t the only top-tier fighter in the U.S. arsenal at the time, and the truth is, the Navy’s famed F-14 Tomcat of Top Gun fame was actually better equipped for these sorts of high-speed intercepts.

While the Eagle’s AN/APG-63 was a highly capable radar, it fell well short of the massive power output and multi-targeting capability of the Tomcat’s AN/AWG-9 radar and fire control system. With around double the detection range of the Eagle’s radar and the ability to track 24 targets simultaneously, the F-14 could guide six separate missiles into six separate targets at the same time. Despite being based on a fairly dated design, there wouldn’t be a more powerful radar installed in a fighter until the F-22 Raptor entered service.

But perhaps even more important was the Tomcat’s armament, because the F-14 came equipped with the now-legendary AIM-54 Phoenix missile – the longest-ranged air-to-air missile on the planet at the time that flew with a combination of a semi-active seeker to take cues from the F-14’s radar and an active radar-homing seeker for terminal guidance. In other words, once the Phoenix was close enough to a target, it could rely on its own onboard radar to close in, rather than needing the launching pilot to maintain a lock until impact.

Training intercepts that pitted the F-14 against the SR-71 were known by insiders as Tomcat Chase sorties, and were usually carried out over the Pacific, rather than the Nevada desert, thanks to the presence of F-14-hauling aircraft carriers at sea. As with the F-15, Habu drivers did their best to give the F-14 a fighting chance, flying along straight, predetermined flight paths at lower altitudes and speeds than they would normally do. They also maintained open radio communications, allowing the SR-71 pilots to guide the F-14s into their relative positions so they’d have a chance to fire their notional AIM-54s.

The Blackbird flew with its transponder on, and again, without its defensive electronic countermeasures engaged. But, again, even in these very favorable conditions, Tomcats struggled to find their mark.

“The 14s could find us but they couldn’t do anything until we modified and gave them times, route of flight, speed, and altitude beforehand so they could have a pre-planned setup,” Pilot Dave Peters recalled. “The 15s didn’t do that well for quite some time.” Tough as it was to spot the Blackbird zooming past, once the Tomcats did, the Phoenix missile was capable enough to pose some real problems for the Blackbird. With a top speed in excess of Mach 4 (except when put into a ballistic flight path into the ground, where it could exceed Mach 5), the AIM-54 had the speed and the range required to close with an airborne Habu, and thanks to its onboard radar seeker, it would be tougher to shake than the Eagle’s Sparrows.

However, there remains some debate about whether or not even the Phoenix could have found its mark in the Blackbird’s high-altitude domain.

“Another factor in our favor was the small guidance fins on their missiles,” Graham wrote. “They are optimized in size for guiding a missile to its target in the thicker air from the ground up and around forty thousand feet. At eighty thousand feet the air is so thin that full deflection of the missile’s guidance fins can barely turn it.”

Sandbox News.

@Habubrats71 via X

[fibermarts]

Fiber Circulator: A Vital Component in Optical Communication

In modern fiber optic networks, managing the direction of light signals is essential for efficient data transmission. One key device that makes this possible is the fiber circulator. Though small in size, fiber circulators perform critical functions that improve the performance and flexibility of optical communication systems.

What is a Fiber Circulator?

A fiber circulator is a three-port optical device that directs light signals in a specific, one-way pattern. Unlike a simple splitter or coupler, a circulator routes signals from Port 1 to Port 2, Port 2 to Port 3, and sometimesPort 3 back to Port 1, without allowing signals to travel backward. This one-way flow makes circulators extremely useful in complex network setups where bidirectional signal management is required.

How Does a Fiber Circulator Work?

Fiber circulators operate based on polarization controlandmagneto-optic effects. Inside, they use Faraday rotators, polarizers, and other optical components to control the direction of light. This unique design allows circulators to separate forward and backward traveling light signals, guiding them along different paths without interference.

Applications of Fiber Circulators

Bi-Directional Communication: Fiber circulators allow two-way communication over a single fiber strand, enabling efficient use of network infrastructure — commonly used in fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) systems.

Optical Sensing and Testing: In Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry (OTDR), circulators separate the outgoing test signal from the reflected signal, helping to locate faults or breaks in fiber optic cables.

Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM): Circulators are used to add or drop specific wavelength channels in DWDM systems, enhancing network capacity and flexibility.

Laser Protection: Circulators protect sensitive lasers by diverting any reflected light away from the laser source, preventing feedback that could damage equipment.

Conclusion

Fiber circulator is essential tools in fiber optic networks, enabling advanced routing, testing, and protection of optical signals. As demand for faster and more efficient communication grows, the role of fiber circulators continues to expand, supporting the backbone of modern telecommunications.

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[jjk-confessions]

I will always be on Megumi Fushiguro's side regardless of what anyone says. But, I do sometimes wish that he crashed out and turned nihilistic after he gained control of his body. lol, I do not care if that wasn't the point of the story. Bro should've started the merger and ended it all for himself and everyone else. I don't want peace, I want problems and Megumi could've said f it and carried out Kenjaku's selfish and stupid plan.

Man idk sometimes I think Megumi had the perfect setup to be a villain or maybe even an anti hero. I never cared about his potential to be the strongest (never did he honestly), I only cared about his potential to embrace and let his "darker" qualities take root. Exactly like his reaction to opening his domain for the first time. Or when he released Mahoraga on the ponytail guy and said good luck with a sinister smile as his last words in Shibuya.

I felt that within the entire series he was struggling to embrace his darker side because he didn't want to disappoint his sister. It's a sweet notion, but it's a big reason as to why he didn't have a sense of self. Bro's dream life/purpose in life was to make his sister happy. Did Tsumiki say she wanted all of that? Did you ever ask her what she wanted? And what did you want for yourself Megumi? Something that isn't attached to someone else's expectations of you?

He deserved way more than he thought he did and to get what he wanted he needed to accept who he was first. But it's okay I like him for who he was in canon and the gray area that he resides in. He's neither good nor bad. He’s just a boy who received the Zenin's genetic rbf.

.