#this was a monster to research and write

[henrysglock]

Do You Have A Minute To Talk About Our Lord And Savior: Vecna?

Specifically, I'd like to talk about Jericho, Book of Revelation, Paradise Lost, and the concepts of God and Satan as "good" and "evil", and try to decode who is who.

Let's start with Jericho, and go from there. Like everything else in Stranger Things, though...we'll loop back to the beginning eventually.

Season 5: Jericho

We all know about the nuclear disaster aspect, I don't think I need to continue beating that particular dead horse. (There are plenty of topics to beat into the afterlife. I witnessed a public beating re: production errors just a few days ago.)

I want to talk biblical.

I want to talk about the Battle of Jericho.

The Battle of Jericho is an old testament tale from the Book of Joshua, and there are some basics of the battle you should know:

The Israelites, who have been wandering in the desert for 40 years, prepare to invade and take the City of Jericho from its king. Joshua sends ahead 2 spies in preparation.

These spies are housed and hidden by Rahab, a prostitute. The Israelites promise to spare her and her kin for this, so long as she marks her house with a red cord.

The River Jordan dries up, allowing Joshua and his people to cross. The King of Jericho orders the walls of the city to be closed (This is important to note: He closes the walls. This is not a Rifts parallel. God opens the walls.)

God commands that for 6 days the Israelites march about the walls of the City of Jericho, one time each day. Then, on the seventh day, they are to march around the city seven times.

On this seventh day, seven trumpets are to be blown by seven priests from behind the Ark of the Covenant.

The Israelites do as God commands, and the walls of Jericho fall under the sounding of the trumpets and the cheer of the Israelites.

The Israelites kill all of Jericho's citizens except Rahab and her kin, who are accepted into their community. All of this per God's command.

Wow, that's a lot of sevens, a lot of miracles, and a lot of death.

Here's the thing about Jericho: It lay in a rift valley, and the area is historically prone to both earthquakes and landslides, which have been noted to block the Jordan for days at a time. The fall of Jericho's walls...could very well have been the result seismic activity.

If we take the recounting at face value, God likely triggered an earthquake, which caused the walls to fall.

Sound familiar?

What's also interesting about the Battle of Jericho is that there is no mention of Satan, the Devil, anything of that sort. It's just God vs Jericho on behalf of the Israelites. It's Old Testament (OT), and it's projected to have happened in 1400-1500 BC, whereas the New Testament (NT) material is all AD. (Jesus's crucifixion happens in 33 AD, and Book of Revelation is set in 81-96 AD.)

We know the OT God is highkey obsessed with 2 main things: Truth and Oppression. This guy hates being lied to, having oaths broken, being betrayed/deceived/not obeyed, etc. He has very strict commandments for his followers, and he isn't keen on people going against them. He hates human oppressors and is avid about punishing them in massively brutal ways (see: the Israelites and the King/People of Jericho). OT God is a wrathful God, and from the point of view of some...an oppressor himself.

If the other thing didn't sound familiar...boy...doesn't that one sound familiar?

Not gonna tell you who it sounds similar to yet, though. We'll save that for later. No biases in my house.

Anyway, that's all well before Christ figures and Satan as a major definable force against God. In fact, there's almost no mention of Satan as a physical adversary in the OT. "Satan" in the OT literally translates to just...adversary/traitor. There's no mention of the devil as a single entity. We know there's a fallen angel, Lucifer, a serpent in the Garden of Eden, etc., but Satan as a single, definable, physical adversary who physically fights God? Not a thing yet.

This is very different from NT literature, where Satan/the Devil/the Antichrist/etc. appear as physical figures. This is especially apparent in Book of Revelation, in which Jesus and the heavenly forces literally fight the demonic forces with swords.

This is where it starts to get spicy.

Book of Revelation

I'm just going to give you all the Cliffs Notes, because John of Patmos was definitely tripping balls...and I don't want to subject you all to that:

John of Patmos has a vision of the apocalypse: It's Jesus's second coming and the decimation of the Earth. (This is debatable historically, but for the purposes of this section lets take it at face value.)

He writes of his visions to the 7 Churches of Asia: Ephesus: "He who overcomes is granted to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God" - They are praised for not harboring evil, exposing fake apostles, and being a symbol of perseverance and patience. Smyrna: "Those who are faithful until death will be given the crown of life. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second dead" - They are praised for being rich in faith in times of hardship, and is told not to fear imprisonment for holding fast against false prophets. Pergamum: "He who overcomes will be given the hidden manna to eat and a white stone with a secret name on it." - They are praised as a faithful martyr, but admonished for sexual immorality, holding false idols, and holding the doctrine of both Balaam and the Nicolaitans. Thyatria: "He who overcomes until the end will be given power over the nations in order to dash them to pieces with a rod of iron; he will also be given the morning star." - They are praised for works of love, service, faith, and patience, but admonished for allowing a prophetess to engage in sexual immorality and holding false idols. Sardis: "He who overcomes will be clothed in white garments, and his name will not be blotted out from the Book of Life; his name will also be confessed before the Father and his angels." - They are told to strengthen their works in order to achieve perfection before God. Philadelphia (yes, Philadelphia): "He who overcomes will be made a pillar in the temple of God having the name of God, the names of the City of God, "New Jerusalem", and the Son of God's new name" - They are praised for keeping God's name holy, and is reminded to hold fast to what they have. Laodicea: "He who overcomes will be granted the opportunity to sit with the Son of God on his throne" - They are admonished for being lukewarm in their faith, reminded to be zealous. They're told to buy "gold refined in fire", white garments, and to anoint their eyes in salve so they may see.

The throne of God appears, surrounded by 24 elders. All of this happens before the throne of God: - The 4 living beings appear: A lion, and ox, a man, and an eagle. They are akin to biblically accurate angels, each having 6 wings and a multitude of eyes. - A scroll with 7 seals is presented, and only the "Lion of the tribe of Judah, from the Root of David" can open it. - The "Lamb of God, with 7 eyes and 7 horns" accepts the scroll, and all present bow before it.

The seven seals are opened: First Seal: White horse, Conquering. Second Seal: Red horse, War. Third Seal: Black horse, Famine/Hunger. Fourth Seal: Pale horse, Death. Fifth Seal: The souls of the martyrs, dressed in white robes, are told to rest until the martyrdom of their brothers is complete. Sixth Seal: A great earthquake, wherein the the sun goes dark, the stars fall to earth, and the sky rolls back like a scroll. Mountains are moved, and the people of earth hide within them from the "wrath of the Lamb". 144,000 Hebrews are marked upon their foreheads with the seal of God and sealed within the caves. Seventh Seal: Introduces the 7 trumpets, one for each of 7 angels. An eighth angel devastates the Earth with heavenly fire just before the 7 trumpets begin.

The angelic trumpets are sounded: First Trumpet: Hail and fire and blood rain upon the Earth and burn up 1/3 of plant life. Second Trumpet: A "great, flaming mountain" falls from the sky and devastates 1/3 of the seas. Third Trumpet: Wormwood, a great star, falls from the heavens and poisons 1/3 of all freshwater sources. (Radiationgate!) Fourth Trumpet: 1/3 of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened, casting the world into total darkness for 1/3 of day and night. Fifth Trumpet: The First Woe. - A star falls from the sky, and is given the key to the bottomless abyss. - The abyss opens, and the smoke of the giant abyss blots out the sky. - Locusts, in the form of humans with lions' teeth, wings like hoofbeats, and iron breastplates come and kill any who are not marked with the seal of god on their forehead (the 144k Hebrews from the 12 tribes of Israel). *** Sixth Trumpet: The Second Woe. - The four angels bound in the Euphrates are released to prepare two million horsemen. These armies kill 1/3 of mankind. Seventh Trumpet: The Third Woe, in preparation for the 7 Bowls. - The temple of God, in heaven, opens. There is lightning, an earthquake, and hail.

*** ST4 leaves off at the asterisks

The 7 Spiritual Figures, leading up to the Third Woe:

A heavenly woman is pregnant with a male child.

A dragon pulls stars from the heavens and awaits the birth of the child so he can devour it: The Archangel Michael fights this dragon, as it is revealed to be the devil. The dragon is cast out of heaven, and becomes obsessed with waging war against all the woman's offspring.

A Beast with 7 heads, 10 horns, and the names of blasphemy on his heads emerges from the sea: The people of the world follow the Sea Beast in wonder, and the dragon empowers the beast for 42 months. The Sea Beast goes on to blaspheme God's name and wage war against the Saints. He is victorious.

The antichrist/false prophet appears from the Earth: He has 2 horns like a lamb but speaks like a dragon. He instructs the people of the Earth to build a likeness of the Sea Beast, and all who participate are marked with the Sign of the Beast: 666.

The "One like the Son of Man", aka Jesus, goes and defeats the beast with the 144k Hebrews bearing the seal of God.

Heaven opens, and the 7 Bowls Revelation begins with the sounding of the Third Woe/7th trumpet.

The 7 Bowls Revelation:

First Bowl: "A foul and malignant sore" afflicts the followers of the Beast (Radiationgate Sweep!)

Second Bowl: The seas turn to blood, and everything in it dies.

Third Bowl: All fresh water turns to blood.

Fourth Bowl: The sun scorches the Earth.

Fifth Bowl: Total darkness and great pain floods the beast's kingdom.

Sixth Bowl: The Euphrates dries up, and the forces of good and evil prepare to face off.

Seventh Bowl: Another earthquake and hailstorm essentially flatten the surface of the Earth.

Aftermath Vision:

The Whore of Babylon and the Scarlet Beast are shown to John, revealing their identities and fates as such.

New Babylon is destroyed, and is mourned by its people.

Marriage Supper of the Lamb: Not a whole lot to say here, people praise God (...for decimating the Earth? Okay whatever floats your goat--I mean boat I'm not a satanist hahahaha what???)

The Judgment of the Beasts, the Dragon, and the Dead:

The Beast and the Antichrist: Both are imprisoned in the Lake of Fire.

The Dragon: He is imprisoned the Bottomless Pit for 1,000 years.

The Resurrected Martyrs: All of them live with God in peace for those 1,000 years.

After the 1,000 year time jump: - Gog and Magog: The dragon is freed, and goes on to deceive the corners of the Earth once more. He gathers them for a final battle against the City of God, and is defeated by heavenly forces, at which time he is cast into the Lake of Fire alongside the Beast and the Antichrist. - The Final Judgment: Death and Hades, along with the wicked who followed the Devil, are also cast into the Lake of Fire. This is known as the Second Death, and ensures that no more suffering or death may afflict God's chosen people.

New Heaven and New Earth:

After the fighting ends, the City of God meets the Earth and it's essentially a neat and tidy "eternal life, no more suffering, we're all in paradise with God" ending. The City of God is said to be a paradise for the pure and strong of faith, and God lives among them.

Phew. That was a whole fucking trip.

Most of it is a) allegorical and highly debated based on that fact, and b) highly disputed as to its accuracy as part of the Bible...because it was written by a second generation disciple 60 years after Jesus's death. On top of that, it just doesn't fit with the vibe of the New Testament. New Testament is very much about love and forgiveness, not wrath. Wrath is very Old Testament, which I'll come back to re: Brenner and Vecna...and Lucifer.

I'm not gonna delve into allegory tonight because while the Duffers are picking and choosing bits of the story, they seem to be taking it all very literally. That is to say, this isn't a perfect one-to-one, but what is there? Tells a story.

Let's review:

The 7 Letters: Max writes letters, a total of 10. However, we only focus on 7 of them: Steve, Lucas, Dustin, Mike, El, Will, and Billy. We don't know what they say inside, however it is interesting that Billy is the final letter, akin then to Laodicea (see: Laodicea's entry), which is essentially about lukewarm faith, white robes, and anointed eyes. Max lies to Vecna in her confession, wavers on whether or not she actually wants to die, and ends up in a white hospital gown with healing eyes.

The Living Creatures: - Lion: El in Brenner's lab has a lion doll - Ox: We've got a handful of cow references, the most prominent being 010 and Brenner's dog drawing. Funny how it all seems to tie back, huh. - Man: "He was nothing but an ordinary, mediocre man." re: Brenner and opening the Rifts. - Eagle: "Fly right, Bald Eagle!" re: closing the Gate.

The 4 Horsemen: - Chrissy: First, Conquest, our intro to Vecna Visions. - Fred: Second, War, our intro into the conflict between Hellfire and the Basketball Team. - Patrick: Third, Famine, presented alongside Hopper in Russia before the feast in The Dive (which is actually presented very similarly to The Last Supper). - Max: Fourth, Death, the fourth gate. 22 dead, and the death toll continues to rise.

The Fifth Seal: The martyrs are told to rest until the martyring of their brothers is complete. Max is in her white hospital gown, indefinitely in a coma.

The Sixth Seal: One of many great earthquakes in BoR, after which 144k Hebrews are sealed in the caves. We see one earthquake in the UD in The Dive, where Nancy, Steve, Robin, and Eddie are trapped in the UD.

The Trumpets: - First Trumpet: 1/3 of plant life is killed...I'm looking at the rot in ST2 and the dead flowers in ST4. - Third Trumpet: Wormwood, a great star, falls from the sky in and poisons all fresh water. The spores. Radiationgate. - Fifth Trumpet: The abyss opens, and the smoke from it blots out the sky. Fucked up "locusts" emerge and begin killing. The rifts open, and the smoke blots out the sky. Demo-creatures will spill out into Hawkins and begin killing.

This is where we leave off at the end of ST4. We have not met Satan yet. So far? It's all God.

God did all this, up until this point, as the beginning of a final reckoning for the sinners who populated the Earth. None of that was Satan.

Things do start to get complicated here...because we do technically have a false prophet of sorts. Jason. Jason inspires the people of Hawkins to go against the forces of good in the name of defeating the tragedy befalling Hawkins. He is killed by the Rifts. He is literally killed by a fiery pit. (More on this later, because it's more complex than it seems.)

What's spicy about all this is that...the forces of good are not the religious ones, the "pure" ones, the "normal" ones. They're the freaks. The "satanic cult". They're Hellfire.

So...What is going on in the house of commons?

If Vecna is meant to be Satan, the Antichrist, whatever...why is he so obsessed with truth, penance, and giving himself the artificial moral high ground? Why does he wait for a confession, explicit or implicit, to kill? Why does he torment his victims while claiming to be relieving their suffering?

Because he's punishing the sinners, and he's doing so under the guise of saving them/freeing them from their suffering. Punishing sinners is God's job, not Satan's. Satan punishing sinners is a misconception. Satan is being punished as much as anyone else.

Vecna has the ultimate goal of decimating the human world and remaking it into a "beautiful" place where he and those like him will never suffer or die. Vecna punishes people he deems to be bad until he receives an acceptable confession of guilt, and then he soothes himself about it by killing them and "relieving their suffering".

All things considered:

Vecna, 001, The One, is New Testament God...and plot twist: he's a wrathful dick who hides behind artificial morality...just like Old Testament God.

Okay...so what about Henry? Brenner?

In true Creel form...this is my first loop backward in time. I'm going straight back to the very beginning of Satan's story.

Let's talk Lucifer. God's most beautiful angel. Smart, powerful, capable...and cast out of heaven in disgrace.

His crimes? Daring to believe he and the other angels were equal to God, and later instructing Eve that she didn't have to obey God either, alerting her to the fact that God was hiding things from her. God didn't like that, and sent Lucifer to Hell as punishment.

I'm very very much seeing Brenner and Henry here. Brenner, a wrathful, controlling OT God. He shocks those who disobey (Henry), those who lie or whom Brenner would have you perceive as a liar (Henry and 002), those who oppress (002)...all while being an oppressor and liar himself.

Brenner also quite literally calls himself Papa. Abba. The Almighty Father...and he punishes Henry repeatedly and brutally for being a) uncontrollable and b) spreading information Brenner would rather keep hidden.

He takes away Henry's status as 001, gives him a fake name...and makes him watch as he oppress the other angel--I mean numbers through the same torment he once suffered with no way of stopping it. Henry himself calls it Hell. No one ever said Hell was literally and physically separate from Heaven. Hell is very much a state of mind, and experience. Victor is "still very much in Hell"...but he's in Pennhurst. Henry is in Hell in Brenner's lab. Hell is not a physical place, it is inescapable torment and suffering.

We also get many Lucifer shots of Henry during the Rainbow Room fight...but when his hair is in the Henry style. Not the swept-back Brenner style.

Example:

So Henry is Lucifer, then, right? He's definitely not God then, right?

Yeah. Exactly. He's the fallen angel, and he's also the serpent in OT God's garden of Eden, offering knowledge and awareness to the ignorant Eleve--I mean Eve. He inspires Eve--I mean Eleven to question Papa, who has trapped her in ignorance in the Garden of E--I mean Hawkins National Lab.

But...didn't we just say he's God? Well...no. Not exactly. I said that Vecna is God.

Are we ready for the mindfuck?

Henry and Edward, and the frankly unnecessary swapping in NINA.

As per Em's analysis of The First Shadow...it's highly highly likely that Edward Creel is Vecna, not Henry.

This absolutely tracks with multiple facets:

The cyclical nature of Brenner and one of the Creel boys re: behavior and appearance.

The inexplicable hairstyle change between whichever Creel is in the store closet and...whichever Creel is in the Rainbow Room.

The inconsistency between Vecna's retelling of his childhood...and the expressions of the Creel boy on screen.

Ok, so we've got Brenner as OT God the Father, clearly...but we have Vecna as NT God, 001, The One. That's two Gods in one timeline, and we can't explain how they all seemingly ended up in the same timeline...unless Martin Brenner, Edward Creel, and Vecna are the same person at different times in different circumstances. At least one of the Creel boys is shown to have time travel abilities. Martin Brenner, Edward (?) Creel, and Vecna behave very similarly. All this to say...they're very much seeming like the same guy. There is one God, and you shall not have any other Gods but me...and all that jazz.

Henry said he spent years with 001 in the Rainbow Room. Did anyone ever stop to consider that he may have meant that literally? Did we ever consider that we swap between Henry-hairstyle and Brenner-hairstyle throughout the Rainbow Room fight because El is being fucked with by Brenner/Edward/Vecna...and by extension so are we?

Some supporting evidence here: Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) is very much about swapping places and experiences.

To Summarize: Brenner/Edward are God and Henry is Lucifer. Hellfire club is the satanic cult fighting God....while being the protagonists who believe they're fighting a dark wizard because his actions are horrible.

A clue into this narrative fuckery is Will's painting. The Party is depicated fighting a red dragon, which reeks of the red dragon of Satan. This is likely the represent the fact that they all see Vecna as a demon/monster/Satan figure, despite his God-coding. They see him as Henry...when he is not Henry at all. Vecna is very much God-coded, but he's represented as Satan in Will's painting because everyone sees his deeds as evil...and they are horrible and unjust...and they're all pinned on Henry, our Lucifer.

If there is a physical dragon, it's not going to be biblical...because the biblical dragon does not exist here. There is no satanic dragon, we just discussed that. The dragon is going to be something else, and I'm going to touch on that later.

I want to bring in another source to speak to Henry's probable innocence: Paradise Lost.

Paradise Lost (documentary series) was an inspiration for ST4 and Eddie/The Hellfire Club, specifically in that Eddie was misjudged specifically based on his interests and the way he looks.

Paradise Lost, the docuseries, is about Damien Echols as part of the West Memphis Three, who were falsely accused of brutally murdering and sexually mutilating 3 local boys. The West Memphis Three were Damien Echols, Jesse Misskelly, and Jason Baldwin.

Paradise Lost was originally a poem about Lucifer and the fall of Man. Lucifer is presented as the tragic yet villainous protagonist. His motivations remain very much "evil". I recognize this.

However, the Duffers didn't reference the poem. They referenced the docuseries, in which our "satanic cult" was never proved guilty due to lack of evidence. Just recently, in December of 2021, evidence that was supposedly destroyed in a fire was discovered to have been kept and catalogued by the West Memphis PD (source). The lawyers of the West Memphis 3 now believe all of them may be exonerated when the DNA testing comes back.

We know Eddie is caught up in the timeline fuckery, given the age change between his physical age (19, likely) and his poster age (17), and he also has the whole satanic ritual thing, which wasn't the truth at all. He was trying to stop the murders. This ties into Victor's "demon", who we believe to be Henry based on how ST4 is presented to us on the surface...but based on the surface view, Henry would be Vecna and through him...God. That makes the demon label categorically incorrect. Victor also says he heard the voice of an angel, which drew him out of his trance. Lucifer was originally an angel. However, in the other retelling, Victor is freed by Edward (?) passing out. There is no mention of music.

The thing here is...we have no evidence which conclusively links Henry Creel to any of these murders. We don't have concrete evidence of anything, other than the fact that the murders happened and that a Creel was involved somehow. We don't see the killing of the children. There's no footage of Alice's death. We're not even given the Creel boy's name in the second retelling. We have no conclusive evidence that that's Henry. We do, however, see a blood-splattered 001 in the lab...and a blood-free Henry (?).

Just like the West Memphis Three, there's no evidence of guilt for Henry in any of the murders. However, we also don't see a concrete Henry again after the blood-free shot. It's highly possible that Edward (?)/Vecna killed him. We simply don't know what happened to him.

Lucifer may already be dead by God's hand. We just don't know.

I'd also like to point out a couple of details re: Paradise Lost and Stranger Things:

Jesse Misskelly: Miss Kelley, who was supposedly seeing all of Vecna's victims, and who wears a pendant of a clock on a key. She also shows up on the board beside the Library-Progress poster, the Drama Club/Monologues flyer, and the Tutors Needed poster. There's no evidence that she did anything wrong, and it's likely she doesn't know any more than anyone else, but it's suspicious that she's so connected to Vecna/The Creels in both plot and imagery. It makes you question the depth of her involvement.

Jason Baldwin: Jason Carver. The guy I said was a false prophet, but who I also indicated is more complicated than he seems. The thing about Jason is that he is not knowingly a false prophet. If he had all the facts, he'd likely be siding with Hellfire. He's trying to fight what he perceives as the evil in Hawkins...based on limited information. Even so, he's raising an army to fight the evil, and Vecna is aware of that because it's happening in Hawkins. Jason is an adversary. Adverary. Satan. He believes it's Hellfire who is responsible, that Hellfire is in cahoots with Vecna, who is perceived as Satan. However, Hellfire is anti Vecna. When Jason blasphemes Vecna via Hellfire...he's unknowingly blaspheming God. Thus, the fiery pit. There was no true false prophet, just some guy who went mad with grief and didn't have all the necessary information and wanted to fight the evil that killed his girlfriend.

Along those lines, I also want to talk about Nancy's beast.

Nancy's beast should at least be representative of Satan, then, right? Not necessarily. The beast in Book of Revelation is highly symbolic, and is thought to be representative of the oppressive Roman Empire.

There's one player everyone seems to forget in Stranger Things: The US Military.

The military, who consume most of our national budget like a gaping maw, and who are currently coming after the person committing murders in Hawkins. The believe it's El, but the person they want is Vecna. It's exactly the same as Jason and Eddie. They're all unknowingly coming after God while chasing someone who isn't God. Like Hopper says in ST1...they're chasing the wrong kid.

All those with the sign of the beast will be condemned. Guns don't work on Demogorgons. The military, who bear symbols that designate them as such...signs of the beast if you will...will be decimated.

That isn't to say a beast won't appear. It very much may, but it's not actually linked to Henry/Lucifer. The beast is more likely representative of the US Military as an adversary of Vecna, just like the dragon in the painting is only representative of Vecna via narrative fuckery.

The dragon in the painting will not exist in relation to Vecna/God, hence it doesn't appear in Nancy's vision. The military does exist as an adversary to Vecna/God, hence the beast appears in Nancy's vision.

Adversary. Satan.

In true Creel fashion, it's time to loop back to the very beginning of this post.

Jericho. The working title of ST5. What did I say about the Battle of Jericho?

There was no Devil. Lucifer exists vaguely, somewhere offscreen. We don't know where he is. Satan, though, simply translates to adversary.

It was just God, an earthquake, and Jericho.

There is no "Evil Devil" in Stranger Things' rendition of the Book of Revelation. Henry may exist, but he also may have been dead before the plot even began. We don't know where he is. Our figures of Satan are just a collection of adversaries against Vecna.

It's just Vecna, an earthquake, and Hawkins.

Right?

Well. We've missed a couple figures here, haven't we?

Jesus, the Archangel Michael, and the Holy Spirit.

Will Byers (Guillermo Maldonado?) and Mike Wheeler...and the Shadow.

This is where we come back to the tone of the Book of Revelation in comparison to the tone of the New Testament.

The Book of Revelation is very out of place in comparison to Jesus' teachings of love, peace, and forgiveness. God goes ham in Book of Revelation, to the point of frankly unnecessary pain, harm, and cruelty. So why would Jesus, Mr. "Loves Saves All", get involved in that? Why would Archangel Michael, "healer of the sick and champion of goodness", get caught up in that?

Logically, they shouldn't. Unnecessary cruelty goes against everything they seem to advocate for.

Everything Vecna does goes against everything Will and Mike stand for. Byler won't have a villain arc. Byler will not join Vecna. Jesus is not going to join God, here...and neither will Archangel Michael.

Archangel Michael fights Satan's red dragon, which we discussed as nothing but a narrative distortion of Vecna and Henry when present in Will's painting.

However, the painting is not biblical. Will didn't literally paint Mike fighting the devil. It's DnD. That dragon is likely Tiamat, the evil mother of all dragons. She is very similar in personality to the Whore of Babylon, who rides upon Satan's red dragon, and who reeks of Virginia...and by extension Karen.

Mike is fighting the mommy issues dragon. He's fighting the physical manifestation of his neglectful relationship with his mother, and Will is going to be be his side to help him.

Classic Byler W.

Finally...The Shadow, our Holy Spirit.

I'd like to call attention to some wording surrounding the Holy Spirit and the Shadow especially in relation to Jesus.

Luke 4:1: Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.

Matthew 10:20: For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

John 16:5-7: Holy Spirit cannot come to help you until I leave. But after I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you.

Acts 2:1-4: Suddenly a sound came from heaven. It was like a strong wind blowing...The flames separated and settled on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. 

In ST2, Will is possessed by the Shadow via Vecna. One might say he is full of the Shadow. When Will first sees the Shadow in one of his visions, there is a strong wind. He becomes more and more replaced by Vecna/the Shadow as time goes on. Vecna speaks through Will. Joyce asks "What happens when my boy is gone?"

In ST3, once Billy is all but gone, when Vecna can truly speak though him, he begins to send the Shadow to others. They were filled with the Shadow.

Then, in ST4, we see the Shadow in Russia. When asked about the freed/revived demodogs, the Russians say the Shadow "went into them". They were filled with the Shadow.

Are we convinced yet? Do we need more? How about this:

The Holy Spirit acts at God's command; it is an agent of divine action.

The Shadow acts at Vecna's command; it is an agent of his action.

All this, all these hundreds of words to say a few things:

In Stranger Things, Jericho = Book of Revelation.

There is no "Evil Devil" figure in Stranger Things. God is the bad guy.

Vecna is God, and so is Brenner.

Vecna is most likely Edward Creel.

Via the canonical time-travel powers of at least one Creel boy, Edward Creel and Martin Brenner are likely the same person.

Henry Creel is Lucifer.

Henry Creel is also innocent.

We don't know if Henry's alive or not, and if he is alive we don't know where he is.

Mike's dragon is most likely Tiamat, the DnD Mommy Issues Dragon.

The Duffers ship Jesus and Archangel Michael. Deadass.

A few interesting but ultimately unnecessary details below the cut:

In 1984, the same year ST2 is set in, Depeche Mode released Blasphemous Rumors. It's a song about the perceived cruelty of God. In it, a girl attempts suicide and fails. She finds new life in the church, only to be struck by a car and killed. The chorus goes: "I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors, but I think that God's got a sick sense of humor // and when I die, I expect to find Him laughing."

U2 released Joshua Tree in 1987, the year ST5 is supposedly going to be set in and/or skip. It was immensely popular and jam-packed with biblical references. The Mormons (Suzie!) named the physical Joshua Tree is named after biblical Joshua...the same Joshua from the Battle of Jericho. Here's some more about The Joshua Tree:

Book of Revelation is a wartime piece. It's highly debated as to whether it's an actual vision, or if it's just John of Patmos, a second-generation disciple embittered by Jesus' failure to return as promised to save his people from the Romans, writing a fix-it fic where God brutally kills everyone except John's people. Is it a vision? Is it God? Or is it just the vengeance-porn work of a traumatized second-generation disciple who feels abandoned? No one actually knows. Is Vecna literally God? Or is he just a traumatized, abused boy who wants vengeance on the society that harmed and abandoned him? No one actually knows.

Kronos, in Greek mythology, is the god of time. He's the father of the Greek gods, all of whom he tried to consume. He is equated to Father Time in modern folklore. Edward (?) Creel has time travel abilities...god of time...Father Time...Papa...Brenner...consuming the Greek gods...consuming the numbers...just something to chew on.

Henry's costuming seems to be modeled after altar boy robes, both as a child and as an adult. We all know about the rape scandals with altar boys in the Catholic church. The Pope, God's official mouthpiece to the world, let it happen. Priests, also referred to as Father (cough Papa cough) were involved in raping boys...and the Pope covered it up. God, essentially, let it happen. Both our God figures being rapists, specifically of children/boys, may be a commentary on this scandal.

[monstrousdesirestudy]

Monsterfuckers, do you have a breeding kink? 💦

This Poll Again?

I want to ensure the most thorough results as possible so I’m doing the poll again with more specific options!

Sharing is Caring

If we could reach the same number of respondents (1,981) as last time or MORE that would be important! Second time is the charm folks, please repost, repost, repost!!

Why?

For those wondering what this is going towards, I am going to write about the connection between kink and monster fucking in my study about all things erotic monsters! With how prevalent the breeding kink is I thought why the hell not start there lmao

[sinful-lanterns]

kraken hamel⁉️ what i would do to get her inside of me ASAP is heinous,,,

Kraken Hamel who climbs into the Researcher’s little rowboat one evening and accidentally makes her scream because she wanted to get closer to the little human sailing by herself at night. While the Researcher is busy panicking about what to do, Hamel would wrap her thick, slimy tentacles around you and gently clasp the tips of them over your mouth, effectively shutting you up. “Oh, please don’t scream,” she’d say in such a gentle voice, leaning closer to you to get a good look at you. “You’ll attract other monsters to your boat. Many dangerous ones in fact…”

Kraken Hamel, who; despite being a very scary looking monster girl with her lower half comprised of tentacles, was actually quite the gentle one in comparison to the other monster girls you’ve encountered. She’d keep you safe, her bioluminescenct body glowing like a nightlight as she helped you with your “studies” in researching monster anatomy.

Oh, and by studies I mean she gave you a very thorough, hands on demonstration of how her tentacles functioned. Your body would be like jelly in her arms, as she moved her thick, girthy, lubed tentacles in and out of your holes like it was nothing, allowing you to feel the stimulating, soft bumps of her suckers rubbing up against your walls, so you could make a mental note to add that later to your guidebook…

Your notes thanks to your encounter with Kraken Hamel include:

- Krakens have a girth of 4-8 inches for their tentacles, with lengths varying in size depending on the kraken itself.

- Krakens have a bioluminescent glow that can shine very brightly even when buried within something (or someone). Their glow can even be shown through human skin.

- Krakens are naturally very slick and lubed. Especially the tentacles as many were able to fit in small crevices and holes.

- Kraken Hamel is very good at aftercare.

[druidonity2]

You stumble across a sha with a unique appearance. It looks like it's struggling to keep it's original form. What do you do?

[monsterlover-research]

Are YOU a Queer MonsterFucker? 👀💖🏳️‍🌈

I'm a master's student working on a thesis project titled "Forbidden Lovers: Embracing the Horrific in Monster Erotica on Tumblr." I'm conducting an anonymous survey of people who are members of a sexual or gender minority (LGBTQIA+) and are into monster erotica on Tumblr.

The purpose of the study is to gain insight into the kink from an academic perspective and share it with the greater teratophilia community. I am a queer monster-lover myself, so the questions will be coming from someone familiar with the topics. All collected data will be encrypted and handled respectfully and confidently.

WIP Research Question: "What compels some queer individuals on Tumblr to fantasize about sexual relations with a monster, and how do they feel that their sexual orientation and/or gender is reflected in these fantasies?"

Format: Roughly 50 questions, consisting of multiple-choice and open-ended answers which could take between 15-30 minutes to complete.

Incentive: A copy of the paper and a raffle entry for a $25 virtual Visa gift card are offered to all participants!

Deadline: 29 June 2024

✨✨TAKE THE SURVEY✨✨

(And feel free to reblog!)

[emblazons]

bitch I'm gonna PASS OUT before I can finish writing this analysis and it's all @henrysglock and @aemiron-main's fault

screenshots RN but I WILL MAKE THIS PROPER lmao

@ S05E01 THE CRAWL LMAO

[nickbutnodick]

i am gonna by a really thick leather-bound sketchbook/journal thing so i can create an actually useful field guide for my purposes

[moonshine-nightlight]

Nothing’s Wrong with Dale - Part Eight

It’s been a week, but you’re fairly certain your fiancé accidentally got himself replaced by an eldritch being from the Depths. Deciding  that he’s certainly not worse than your original fiancé, you endeavor to keep the engagement and his new non-human state to yourself.

However, this might prove harder than you originally thought.

Fantasy, arranged marriage, malemonsterxfemalereader, M/F

AO3: Nothing’s Wrong with Dale Chapter 8

[Part One] [Part Two] [Part Three] [Part Four] [Part Five] [Part Six] [Part Seven] [Part Seven.5] Part Eight [Part Nine] [Part Ten] [Part Eleven] [Part Twelve] [Part Thirteen] [Part Fourteen] [Part Fifteen] [Part Sixteen] [Part Seventeen] [Part Eighteen] [Part Nineteen] [Part Twenty] [Part Twenty-One] [Part Twenty-Two] [Part Twenty-Three] [Part Twenty-Four] [Part Twenty-Five] [Part Twenty-Six] [Part Twenty-Seven] [Part Twenty-Eight] [Part Twenty-Nine] [Part Thirty] [Part Thirty-One] [Part Thirty-Two] [Part Thirty-Three] [Part Thirty-Four]

“When was the last time a full census was taken?”

You, Dale, and Steward Bilmont are in the library, not for one of your lessons, but simply for a meeting. This is the one of the first steps in handing over the running of Northridge from his grandparents to the two of you. 

Dale becomes the acting Lord Northridge with your wedding, per his grandmother’s stipulations, but realistically, he won’t pick up the reins until after your honeymoon. Even then, Grandmother and Grandfather will continue to help manage things, as you two both begin to assume your new duties, are caught up regarding the current status of ongoing matters, and so on.

As such, part of wedding preparation is starting whatever parts of that process now to help move things along. You’re fairly certain that Dale had already begun to surreptitiously gather such information before, beyond what his grandparents were volunteering, but now he appears to want you to be part of this as well. And that is what you wanted, to be a partner. 

There is simply so much to take on.

The table is covered in maps of Northridge’s lands, estates, fields, mines, and cities. There are roster lists and appointments, charters and reports from all manner of officials. You’ll both have to start meeting more regularly with Grandmother and Grandfather, but this is supposed to be a high level meeting with the Steward just to more formally begin the process. 

“Not in over a decade, my Lord,” the steward replies as he hands over a report from almost twenty years ago. Your eyebrows raise at nearly the same time as Dale’s do. 

Your family’s lands of Portsmith are smaller, the port being the main hub of family interest and power, with fewer outlying towns, villages, mines, and so on than Northridge, which didn’t have a centralized aspect it was known for or depended on. Still, Portsmith as a whole has a full census every ten years, as is standard for most lordships, with a city census every five years due to its importance. You’re grateful you paid attention in your lessons over such matters, even though at the time it had not been clear if you would need to know such things, since you were not inheriting.

“And why not?” Dale asks with a frown, his lips moving as he reads. Did he used to do that? He must not have because you’re finding it rather distracting. You turn your own eyes to map of all of Northridge instead. “Surely we need more recent data than this.”

“It was deemed an expensive undertaking by your Grandmother and not necessary,” Steward Bilmont says, his face his usual polite mask. “She moved us to every twenty years, as the crown does, rather than every ten years as some others do.”

“Perhaps that was sufficient before the intracountry road system was finished, but these days people move between lands and even countries far more often than they used to,” Dales says, flipping through the pages before looking up to meet Steward Bilmont’s eyes. “I think we, at least, need to take a new census this year, so that I can adequately gauge how many Northridge has within her borders, who they are, and what needs are required to be met.”

“Your grandmother wasn’t wrong when she spoke of the expense,” Steward Bilmont cautions, a strange look on his face that you can’t decipher. As though he is confused or bracing himself, while trying to pretend he is neither.

Dale waves his hand dismissively. “I fail to see how having a more accurate picture of Northridge could be unnecessary. Likely the costs will be covered when new people to tax are identified. Is that not how these costs are usually handled?”

“Yes, my Lord,” the steward replies, some of the tension leaking out of him. Dale had the edge of a temper in public before and you wonder if it was worse, in private or with those below him in social standing. You had thought the Steward simply a nervous person, which you aren’t sure you’d completely discount even now, but he is by far more tense with Dale than when the two of you are alone. “We can have a meeting with the chancellor, who can send out missives to the governors and mayors from the cities and towns begin the process, appointing census takers and so on.”

“Good, good,” Dales says with a smile, jotting something down in his own journal that he’d brought. “A census will be a fine way to see what parts of Northridge require my attention most. I understand my grandparents desired to focus on the necessities as Grandmother was occupied at the capital and Grandfather had never expected to pick up the reins again, but it's time for some changes.” 

Grandmother and Grandfather are quick witted enough for their age, but they tire more easily than you assume they used to and both have had recent health problems that slowed them down further—there is a reason most turn over the running of their family lands by their sixties. And Dale’s grandparents were more than a decade beyond that at least. 

“Until we receive the results,” Dale’s voice brings you back to the discussion at hand, “we shall simply focus on the more obvious areas.”

You stare blankly at the table and are grateful when Steward Bilmont says what you are thinking without you having to say it yourself, “Such as?”

“The roads, to start with,” Dale says, tapping one of the maps in front of him. “It was quite obvious to me when I returned home, how much maintenance they require. How can we expect trade and commerce to flow through Northridge with substandard roads?”

You frown, unsure of what he’s talking about—you don’t recall anything like that—until he continues, “Just in my return journey once we passed through Connton into Northridge, we came across a failed bridge, a part of the road that had been washed out from weather, and another section with wagon tracks so deep in the road we nearly could not get out of them.”

Oh, now you do remember the road quality–although the bridge you believe went out after you arrived. Since your family was primarily city based, your own country roads were in relatively similar shape given their low priority—you had assumed all such roads were like that. Giving it a second though, you realize that for land-locked fiefs that would likely be seen as a much larger issue.

“Particularly after the king has just paid such attention to restoring the state roads,” Dale continues, with a sniff of wounded pride, “our roads appear even more dismal. In fact, anything we can do to restore that main road in particular as soon as possible would be preferred. With all the wedding guests who are likely to take it to come here, it would be most important.”

“Of course, of course,” Steward Bilmont says, shuffling more sheafs of paper. He reminds you of yourself sometimes–more confident with a straightforward task in front of him. He draws out a pen, “Let me draw up a communication so we can begin on the project post haste.”

Dale nods his approval, flipping through more maps as he mutters to himself, “How our people can get anywhere without trouble is beyond me.” 

You smile to yourself at his words. You had been taught that a lady’s people, who relied on the her to keep her land running smoothly, are important and your duty to them is paramount. Dale had seemed to see them more as a means to an end, as worthy as any material he had available to further his goals, rather than a reciprocal relationship. You liked Northridge, and those of its people that you had met so far, and you wanted to ensure it prospered--all of it.

“The main roads are not so bad, my Lord,” is all the steward says absently as he writes. “Nor are the city roads.”

“True,” Dale gives a nod of concession. “They are adequate for the most part—but the ones that are not, are pitiful. The local roads and side roads are the ones most in need. Is this the best map we have? I can identify multiple roads near this estate that are missing.”

Steward Bilmont hands Dale the missive he wrote up while he studies the maps. Reluctantly he nods. “Yes, unfortunately I agree. We can have a survey of the roads done along with the census? The Marshall of Horse has lamented enough about their state that she would be eager for the chance to begin a restoration process. Certainly the mayors near certain affected roads would also be willing to help, particularly if the coin to pay for such repairs were augmented by the estate.”

“Yes,” Dale replies as he stamps the letter Bilmont wrote with his signet ring. “That would be ideal. After we return from our wedding festivities, we should go on a tour of Northridge.”

You feel your eyebrows raise in surprise because while it is traditional, Dale had previously expressed a wish to stay here or in Connton. He’d officially given no reason besides not seeing it as necessary. Unofficially, you are fairly certain he just didn’t want to take the time for such a tour, seeing the other parts of Northridge as small and trite—not worthy of his time—in addition to an expense he’d rather spend elsewhere. 

His focus had always seemed to be on the world outside of Northridge. He saw maximizing his holdings as a way to further his standing at the capital, nothing more. You expected to stay here for the next year or so, while he took hold of everything and arranged it as he wished, before spending the next few years at the capital, while the two of you managed Northridge from afar. Or perhaps that he would send you back once he felt secure in the number of heirs and spares he had given you.

With him, that plan suited you just fine. This one gives you hope for more. Hope to make a home, just by how invested he seems to be in Northridge itself.

“I’ve been away for my tour abroad and even before then, I primarily stayed here or in the Connton house. I should re-familiarize myself with Northridge as a whole, and introduce you to it as well,” he adds earnestly, resting a large hand on your arm. “What sort of lord would I be, if I did not know my home territory properly?”

Dale had not been explicit before, regarding his plans, but you were fairly certain he saw the other estates as unimportant of much notice or attention. Perhaps he had wished for you to handle those other households, but merely as a way of delegating tasks he thought himself above. It had seemed unwise to you to neglect some areas of one's lands, but in line with what you knew of that Dale’s character. You smile, pleased this Dale appears wiser than that and more willing to truly understand what he has—not guess and write off what he felt did not matter. “I would like that.”

“We should set up meetings with the different councils as well,” he says, turning to Bilmont. “I know Grandmother and Grandfather divided them between themselves and often left their chancellors handle those affairs, but I think we should familiarize ourselves with all of them as soon as possible. That way,” he turns back to you, “we can better decide who is best suited to manage each one.” 

You feel your comfort growing, even some excitement beginning to make itself known—you are not going to be told what to do, but help decide. It is daunting and exhilarating. You nod your agreement. Turning to Bilmont, you ask, “Would we arrange so with you, with the chancellors themselves, or with Grandmother or Grandfather?”

“I…” he glanced back and forth between them before clearing his throat. “While your grandparents only joined meetings around once a month, the councils meet more frequently than that of course so you should be able to join the majority for at least one session before the wedding, if you desire it. In order for them to prepare, I would speak to your grandparents first and then the chancellors—depending how they wish for the transition to go.”

Dale nods. “Yes, seems straightforward enough. As helpful as these reports are,” he gestures at the table, “they are too general in the end, too high of a viewpoint.”

You glance at Dale before gathering your confidence. If you want to be his partner, you must act like it. “They are conceptual,” you correct, having studied some of the reports already in your lessons. “Without detail on what recent decisions are being made or by whom and for what reasons. And we will, at the very least, need to know more in order to deal with these.” You tap the stack of retirement letters. Grandmother and Grandfather’s original appointments remained in place for many higher positions and as such, also wish to rest as they grow older. “I know they have discussed certain potential replacement candidates so far, but that is a decision that we will be making in the end.”

“Precisely,” Dale replies. For the first time, you notice that his reckless grin, sharp and proud, doesn’t frighten you at all.

[Part Nine]

[frevandrest]

Why are Girondins so annoying?

Lmao, Robespierre, is that you?

Seriously, tho... Not sure why (if?) others find them annoying so I can't comment on that (I have some ideas, but I can't speak for others). Personally, I am not an expert on Girondins so I don't focus on them so much. I don't think they were "the best option" (not with the whole "protect propertyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!1111" shit that they had going on), and I disagree with a lot of stuff, though I do think some of them had some based takes.

But honestly? I am mostly annoyed at today's (mis)understanding of Girondins and flop takes that come with it. They are somehow remembered as these level-headed, "good" revolutionaries who want change but through democratic TM and not violent means... When they are the group who advocated for the fucking war that claimed hundreds of thousands of people (and also messy bitches who attacked their opponents - they were not somehow above that stuff).

Look. I love learning and researching frev. I like it even when the content is difficult or when I disagree with historical people. It's just so interesting to me. But I have a short patience for flop takes about frev that are just factually incorrect but try to sound profound (or, worse, like activism). Bad "feminist" takes are there, but also a lot of bullshit and misinformation about other things. Liking Girondins is often not about Girondins at all - it is about criticizing Montagnards, which is often based on incorrect info (biased Anglo takes, Thermidorian takes, horribly inaccurate online takes, etc.) If one wants to hate frev/Montagnards/Robespierre/whoever, be my guest, but at least be correct about it. Unfortunately, Girondins attract a lot of bad/incorrect takes precisely because of their reputation as "good" revolutionaries, which means people interpret them through today's lens, which in turn makes it very, very annoying to read.

[lethesbeastie]

wait so why is Appalachian folklore important to your character? are they really involved with storytelling are there appalachian monsters you want to involve or something else?

AUTISM ACTIVATION 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

Okay so basically, the entire campaign takes place within the Appalachian region, specifically a small town in West Virginia. This entire region has an incredibly complex history that is often overlooked by outsiders who set stories there. I'm a huge believer in doing research for storytelling, especially when it comes to regions/places/cultures/people that you're not familiar with. Appalachia in particular has often been the victim of what one author referred to as "cultural strip mining," where interesting aspects of the culture are isolated by outsiders who then market them without the cultural context.

When I started crafting Chorus' character, I wasn't even aware that the region they hailed from was considered part of Appalachia. It wasn't until I started doing more research for their backstory that I began to recognize the incredible cultural context they hailed from, and decided that I wanted to make that cultural heritage a more central part of their character. Storytelling and music are already central elements to Appalachian culture, so I started doing research into local folklore, folk magic, and folk music in order to give myself a better understanding of what it would've really been like to be a young queer kid growing up in such an area.

Chorus comes from a long line of Appalachian musicians and rootworkers (one of many terms for those who practice folk magic traditions of the region), and this is something that brings them both pride and shame. Pride because it offers them concrete proof of their own history. Shame because the descendants of their childhood heroes disowned their mother and want nothing to do with them. They grew up learning the oral traditions of their mother's family and the region at large, and were an apprentice to the local midwife in their hometown before they fled. Their whole life has been shaped by the culture that raised them, and it was very important for me to portray that cultural with as much accuracy and respect as I could.

[silver-ink-iron-words]

you just posted it and very much liked it :)

but also left me wanting to now see the vampire wasted on blood perhaps fluff ?? referring to that sucks bro :D

I'm so glad you liked it!

There's no vampire getting wasted in this one, but I promise it'll come soon :)

-----------

Part 1

Part 2

That Sucks Bro, Part 3

The human squinted. “You realize that vampires aren’t actually sensitive to sunlight, right?”

“Wait, what?”

The vampire stood on the sidewalk, dressed head-to-toe in heavy dark clothing. Under their large umbrella, they wore a wide-brimmed hat and black heart-shaped sunglasses.

“Yeah. That’s just a myth.” The human looked them over. “Did you do any researched on this when you got turned?”

“Of course I did,” the vampire said, pouting. They closed their umbrella, and the human was once again certain that they would have blushed if they could. “But right after it happened, I got the worst sunburn of my life. And I just kinda figured . . . well, you know.”

“What were you doing that day?”

“Oh, just summer stuff. Barbecue with the family. Swimming in a lake. We made s'mores in the evening.”

“Did it ever occur to you,” the human said slowly, “that you just went swimming, and got a sunburn, like how normal people do?”

“Well, I uh . . .” The vampire stared at them. “Huh.”

“Please tell me that you haven’t also been avoiding garlic.”

“. . .”

The human sighed.

They grabbed the vampire’s hand, and led them into the store. “We are doing a whole bunch of google searches after this.”

Indoors, they were greeted with a series of aisles, reaching up to their shoulders. Each one was stacked top to bottom with red bottles.

The guy behind the counter glanced to the two of them as they walked in. “The donation centre is across the street, if you’re interested,” he said to the human. “You get twenty bucks a pint.”

“Thanks,” the human said, scanning the shelves. “But I’m just here to help this one buy their first blood.”

The vampire grabbed a bottle from the shelf and examined it. “Jeez. Why’s this stuff so expensive?”

“The $20 per pint might have something to do with it,” the human said. “Still cheaper this way than getting it in a bar.” They took the bottle from the vampire’s hands, and returned it to the shelf. “You don’t want that one though. AB negative will fuck you up.”

“You could always drink from your partner, there,” counter guy said. He flashed a fanged grin. “If you don’t like the price, just get the milk for free.”

The vampire’s eyes widened, and they held up their hands. “Oh, we’re not – ”

“How long will a single bottle last them, do you figure?” the human asked.

Counter guy's eyes scanned the vampire. “Lightweight like them? At least a month.”

“Hey, I’m not a lightweight.”

Both counter guy and the human shot them a glance that said “come on, look at you.” The vampire looked down and shoved their hands in their pockets.

The human kept their focus on the vampire. “Do you have a taste preference?”

“Do they have strawberry-flavoured?”

Counter guy barked out a laugh.

The human rolled their eyes. “Hey counter guy, what’s the most popular type here?”

“I’d say either O negative or A positive. Also, I have a name tag.”

“Thanks, counter guy.”

They grabbed a bottle of O negative from a nearby shelf and brought it to the front. Counter guy started to ring it up.

The vampire’s eyes followed the bottle in his hands. “So I just drink this, and I don’t have to eat food?”

Counter guy lifted an eyebrow. “Have you tried eating food?”

 “Yeah.”

“And how’d that go for you?”

The vampire frowned. “Okay, point taken.”

They paid, and counter guy handed the bottle over in a plastic bag. “I’d recommend drinking a little bit each day, rather than waiting a while and bingeing. Unless, of course, you’re trying to get totally smashed.”

They thanked counter guy, and walked out with the bottle in hand. They continued down the road for a time in comfortable silence.

“So wait . . . I can’t turn into a bat, can I?”

The human stopped. “Actually, I don’t know.”

They pulled out their phones, and began googling.

Part 4

[maverick-werewolf]

My eBooks under $2 + 1 ebook FREE!

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Please be sure to share and help spread the word! I have some very big releases coming next year...

Merry Christmas!

[chlorinewriter]

Tagged by @erinyra for the fanfiction writer bingo! I haven't done anything like this in ages, but thanks for tagging me! It's fun to think about (and to read through your tags). Tagging @ditttiii and @giurochedadomani in case either of you'd like to participate ^^ Clean template can be found here.

[skeletonpendeja]

Still not over how this ended

[ichorblossoms]

amusing to me how ttw's story has evolved into something where there's really no reason for half of the cast to be dragons but also consider a) they've always been dragons b) i'm not about to redesign them to be humans c) i like it :D

[marnz]

let’s go girls!!!!