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The Perfect Servant: Eunuchs and the Social Construction of Gender in Byzantium by Kathryn M. Ringrose

Our Final Nights: A World of Darkness Roleplay

_{P E T E R L A P I N + E S T H E R P U N I C E U S}

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^{T a y l o r ' s S t e a k h o u s e}

The meetings and public pageantry were getting more frequent and tense. There were rumors spreading like wildfires, and the Dream seemed to be more of of a vision lost to a nightmare, now. The loose leaf information, they were trying to piece together made nothing less of an heretical icon.

Along the dark wooded tables, freshly washed with cloth, the kindred sat patiently, as undead generally found their whole life a giant waiting game, a chess match that lasted generations. This time seemed no different yet different in all of its genre.

"They're drinking others."

"One mind. One body. One soul."

"I-... It's suicide."

"Are the words, 'Beauty will save the world,' not words from a famous Dreamer, as well?"

Esther interrupted the conversation. Her gentle fingers charmed the beads in her lap. "Is this true beauty?" Her inquiry was laced with an inner depth. Her dark eyes narrowed at space that separated each Kindred. She contemplated upon true beauty. There was something perplexing and awesome about the rare Tzimsce, "Their ways are strictly forbidden in Via Caeli." Her quiet voice was stern, "This is the way of the Dream, our road to heaven. They've lost their humanity. Diablerie is a sin. The road of the Beast is paved with sin. The Road of the Beast is not part of the Dream."

"One. Two. Three. Four. Five," Peter began. His head ticked at thin air to the rhythm of Esther's fingers guiding prayers along the beads. "Raz. Dva. Tri. Chet'yre. Pyat." A crooked smile began etching and twisting itself over his lips.

"A hare went out for a w-a-a-lk. Suddenly a hunter appeared, and shot the hare. Bang bang. Oh! Oh! Oh! My hare is going to die. He was b-brought home, and he turned out to be alive..." A laughter tried to escape him.

"Ah," the Brujah interjected through the Malkavian's outbreak, "Was it not Anatole himself who saw this happening? He committed diablerie on many occasions." The Archeunuch sniffed his fingers as he thought about all this, "They whisper to him about Gehenna."

"Octav-io. Octav-iooooo." The Malkavian growned. His hands slowly reached for his head, "No, no, noooo."

"Although, I do understand fully, there was an androgynous beauty of which the Byzantines relentlessly wished to capture," the Archeunuch continued. "And, it is not that of what Sascha has done to themselves." His eyes met with Esther in agreement. "Furthermore, I have the ability to understand why Anatole may appear to have broken some rules." His gaze left the Ventrue and cast carefully at the frantic Malkavian. "Do we not all sometimes?"

The other Malkavian stiffened her shaky posture at the words of Andre. Her eyes darted from the Brujah to Peter and then to her cellphone -- desperately awaiting some phone call from the Camarilla to summon her return. It was difficult leaving her daughter with them, and once she had taken her back, she would be free, again, "I-I-I d-do-do-do not l-like it wh-when h-h-he m-mentions... when he mentions Octavio." She glared at Andre. Psychotic tendencies swirled in her mind.

The Digital Expanse {Digimon x Megaman RP}

@LegendBegins and @chrysocoma

“What do you mean? You should know, since you’re part of this dream.”

Suzi’s eyes glazed over at what the older girl was saying, “A… dream?” This thought took a while for the younger minded girl to process, “I… I just woke up here. I didn’t know we were in a dream.” She looked at her feet and bit her bottom lip and contemplated her own conclusion before looking up to Aki, again, “I thought we were in a video game.”

Aki had to double take at the girl’s words. A video game? What would that even mean? What would that look like No, this was obviously a dream. It had to be. But as she looked at the fanciful piece of technology on her wrist, doubts began to claw at her better sense of reasoning. “What… makes you think that?”

“Umm…” Suzi paused, unsure of how to address the question respectfully. Several thoughts flooded her mind, like Aki not having part of her vision scripted with technological advancements, “I guess it was the wrist band.” She held up her arm for show, “And the symbols in the sky…” Her arm lowered, “And… th-the vision in my eyes?” Suzi forced a smile, feeling uneasy about attempting to correct the older girl, “You have those, too, right?”

The child’s words were unexpectedly grating to Aki. It wasn’t as if they didn’t make sense, but… but she couldn’t afford for them to be true. Because if this wasn’t a dream… what else could possibly be going on? She had to admit, between the floating text, the weird looking watch, and the uneasy feeling she got when she looked at the world surrounding them, it did feel like it could be some kind of video game. Aiming to hold onto the more pleasant scenario a moment longer, Aki took a breath and smiled back. “You don’t think it might be a dream about a video game?”

“A dream about a video game?” Suzi repeated slowly, “Does that mean we are having the same dream?”

“Well, it would mean that you’re part of the dream.” Aki’s dreams were usually incoherent and meaningless, and she really didn’t like how human her discussion partner felt.

“I’m… I’m not part of the dream. I have a family… and…” Suzi thought hard on how to explain herself. Even dream people have families. “I just… I just went to sleep last night and woke up here. My family didn’t even celebrate New Year’s because of my baby brother,” she said with a trite of lament in her voice, “I thought we all woke up here.”

“A… family?” Aki tried with all her might to believe that this girl might be anything but real. Maybe some sort of subconscious persona, or even a secret angel or something. Anything but a fellow kidnappee in a weird video game version of reality. If this girl really was a person, she would have to know something that Aki couldn’t possibly know. And Aki would have to have some sort of way to make sure she wasn’t just making up an answer. Okay, perfect—a solid plan without any actual way to pull it off. Great start. “Maybe… maybe you could tell me a little bit about them? And about yourself too?”

Suzi felt at ease as the older girl seemed to take interest in her explanation, “My name is Takada Suzuki. I am eleven years old. I attend KAIS Middle School in Meguro City, Tokyo. My best subjects are social studies, fine arts, and mathematics. I have a father and a mother and a little, baby brother. He was born a year ago. My father is a teacher, and we… we moved to Tokyo when my mother became pregnant with my baby brother.” The child took in a deep breath, realizing that she had still been adjusting to all the recent changes in her life, “My mother used to be a teacher, too, but it was easier this way, and my mother would have more time with my baby brother. I don’t really understand, because we used to live in the country, with big acres of land! Now, and now, it’s just the city and a small apartment. I sleep in my own room, now, though. My father and mother say that we have a nice sized apartment. I believe them. It’s just different, like a new adventure. In fact, we have lights that turn on-and-off with a clap! It’s much more interesting than the country house, even… I still miss the country house, but I love my baby brother more..” Suzi paused, contemplating on what she had just spoken to Aki, and then proceeded to follow her question, “What are you and your family like?”

Tokyo? The girl’s brief description of her life left Aki reeling—the older teen had hardly been outside of Miami, let alone a country as foreign to her as Japan. The only thing keeping her from going off the deep end and considering that this crazy dream might just be real was the thought that she had watched way too much anime the past couple weeks. “M-my family?” She hadn’t expected to be interrogated in her own dream. “Well, I have a mom… and a dad. And…” Aki stumbled over her words, trying to come up with anything more interesting than ‘I have pretty much no future plans right now and live with my parents.’ She settled on “They’re nothing special. I’m taking a gap year before I start college.”

“No plans for the future?” Suzi had never heard of this concept, or if she had, she was unfamiliar with it, “How is that possible?” She asked, almost forgetting where they were and how they had met. The lack of direction in the older girl’s life was troubling. Suzi wished to be respectful, but it was getting harder and harder for her to understand where the older girl was coming from.

“Well… I do plan to go to college at some point.” Aki’s left arm brushed her right, and she could practically feel the child’s eyes burning judgemental holes into her forehead. “I just… you know, don’t really know what I want to do right now. I’m still trying to figure that out.” Of course, Aki’s day-to-day life as an employee for the local skating rink didn’t do her any good on that front; she had wanted to travel the world and see all there was to see, but as she quickly discovered, traveling anywhere took money. Money that she didn’t have. And now this kid was telling her that those plans could be further disrupted by being trapped in some kind of demonic video game for the rest of her life.

It was getting harder not to judge the older girl. Suzi had never heard of such disorganized living. What are her parents like? She wondered if they even cared. Her parents would have been furious with her for not knowing what she wanted to be. In fact, she was already deciding on becoming a school teacher, as well. Although, her mind was not completely made, yet, “D-don’t your parents care?” She asked in a bashful manner.

Aki was taken aback by the child’s question. “Well—well yeah.” She stammered, trying to recover from the inadvertent jab. “If they didn’t care, they would have shipped me off to some college somewhere instead of giving me a year to try to figure out what I want from life. I mean, if we’re stuck in a video game, then I guess it doesn’t really matter all that much what I decide to do.” Aki choked out an awkward laugh at the lackluster attempt to change the subject. She didn’t get what was so hard to understand about her situation—it’s not like she was the only one out there trying to deal with figuring out who she was, right?

A blank stare glazed over Suzi’s face as she attempted to understand and process the entirety of Aki’s response — awkward laughter of a serious subject and all; however, all she could think of saying in response was, “Stuck? Why do you think we’re stuck?” She wanted to continue asking Aki questions about her parents. They seemed odd. Her parents would never operate in such a manner. It seemed as if Aki’s parents did not care about her, but Aki was right to change the subject back to the original topic. The thought that she would be stuck in this strange world never crossed her mind. Being trapped was a new feeling.

“Well, I don’t know what you’re seeing, but I don’t have a logout button.” VR was just some kind of niche hobby that Aki didn’t have nearly enough money to get into, but she imagined if there was ever going to be some kind of inescapable virtual reality death game, this would be it. The floating text and menu-like fixtures more or less guaranteed that. Her friend Ashley would be having a ball in this thing with her VR headset and Sword Art Online obsession, and would probably be pretty good at it to boot. Well, whatever “it” was supposed to be. Aki made a mental note to never make fun of Ashley’s weird tech hobbies again.

Suzi’s eyes darted across the digital screen several times, right-to-left, up-down. She did not see a logout selection, either. Her head turned downwards to her wrist, and she tapped the wristband, displaying the white egg. She took in several breaths as she began caving to Aki’s conclusion. However, she refused to believe it, “My DigiMon doesn’t turn off…” She said allowed, realizing how tomboyish she sounded. She felt like a Tomagatchi was more appropriate now that she had said it aloud to this older girl, “Unless it runs out of batteries…” Her mind shifted, “Maybe someone else knows…”

The younger girl’s attention shifted away from Aki. The others who had entered this realm seemed to have awoken during her conversation with Aki.

What Are You Listening To?

Dungeon In Progress // PHASE 1

>Build Rope Bridge over Spike Pit

The Digital Expanse {Digimon x Megaman RP}

C:\Expanse\Data\User_Data\Suzuki_Takada...

A small twitch on her nose caused Suzi to awaken as if dust had provoked a potential sneeze. Her small body lay in a bed of ground flooring, and for a moment, her mind immediately grasped to the thought, she had fallen asleep outside in the countryside, again... except, this thought did not seem correct. She no longer lived in the country. Her family had moved some time ago.

Suzi took several calming breaths. Her eyes scanned the world around her, first with the sky, then the ground, touched by her hands. She slowly rolled her body over, pushing it upwards, and in the process, she noticed a light yellowish colored device wrapped around her left wrist. It was right next to her small white Russian prayer beads, "Huh?" Her small voice opened for the first time as her eyes soaked in the nature of what she was discovering.

Her face slowly turned towards the other bodies, gently strewn around the same area. Her brows knitted together for a brief moment while she continued studying everything, and a small shiver went through her wrists as she pushed her body upwards and onto her feet, "Where are we?" She whispered aloud, silently hoping that someone else would hear her... like the girl the long dark haired girl, who was already awake and sitting upwards. Suzi was going to say something more to her when she noticed a small hologram over her vision. She swallowed, and took a step backward, almost stumbling over the air.

Welcome? Her crooked front teeth bit down on her fatted bottom lip, as the words changed in front of her eyes. The transition was smooth and not obtrusive to her vision, which seemed comforting and concerning all the same. Her hand waved in front of her face, as to feel for anything that could have been put on her head — nothing. It was as if someone had put a chip in her brain, Ah! Quickly and almost erratically, Suzi began feeling her head for any bald spots, but upon finding none, her hands loosened and began falling to her waist, again, except her eyes caught glimpse of her left wrist, wearing the device. She paused her juvenile motions and stared at the device, allowing herself to get lost in admiring and contemplating it.

A small white egg projected on the hologram screen. Babel... Program... Initia... lized... her mouth moved inaudibly to the three new words displaying themselves, and then the younger girl repeated them with a naively excited voice. Fear was still at the base of her thoughts; yet her childish endeavors kept her curious.

"Where are we?" Her small voice repeated, again, hoping someone would have an explanation. Anyone, if not the dark haired girl, maybe another one of the persons. Many of them appeared older than her, at least height wise. They also looked to be from different countries. Her attention shifted upwards, and she noticed a tower and five small boxes. This didn't feel like earth. Were they on some alien planet? Or maybe, she thought as she concentrated on the hologram of the egg, we're in some sort of video game.

🥚 ■■■■■■■■■■■□□□

RPGWC Monthly Short Story Contest

My Vote: Campfire Stories Made Real

The Digital Expanse {Digimon x Megaman RP}

C:\Expanse\Data\User_Data\Suzuki_Takada...

With a two small claps, the lights quickly went out. Darkness collapsed into the bedroom, and Suzuki closed her eyes. She took several deep breaths as she allowed her body to relax into the bedding. The room was mostly quiet. The ceiling fan tinkered its blades around, and small coos came from her parents' bedroom. Part of Suzie wished she still shared a bedroom with her parents, but there was something ominous about her ability to sleep by herself in her own private bedroom. It gave her not just a feeling of maturity that she secretly yearned for, but it also gave her time to explore the Digital World without any parental worry.

Recently, Suzie was even more excited about her Digital adventures. For Saint Nicholas Day and An early New Year’s gift, her parents had surprised her with the new Omniphone, and as much as her little heart was excited about celebrating her first Nativity at the big Cathedral, Nicolai-do, she felt that everything she wanted for Nativity was safely tucked away in the confines of her Digivice. And, tomorrow would be a new day and new year for adventures.

Suzie’s hands clasped together by one last time, but this time, it was quiet and as meditativly Buddhist as possible — like most of her classmates did at school — and she said the Trisagion and Lord’s Prayer in a hushed whisper. After unclasping her hands, she drifted into another sound night’s sleep.

The Digital Expanse {Digimon x Megaman RP}

C:\Expanse\Data\User_Data\Suzuki_Takada

C:\Expanse\Data\User_Data\Suzuki_Takada

Human:

Name:
Suzuki "Suzie" Takada

Age:
12

Appearance:

Personality:
Bright eyed and cheery. Those are the four words that best describe Suzie. Many people find her very friendly, and it's true to say that she can be a bit of a social butterfly. This is because she is optimistic and sees only the good in other people. However, sometimes, her soft focus and naïveté can stumble her into trouble. Suzie is also a bit on the young side and still learning to control her childish impulses. Nonetheless, she is always ready for a good adventure and learning new things.

History:
Originally born in the country and having parents who were both school teachers, Suzie was assumed under the bubble of a free environment that encouraged learning and keeping an open mind to the beauty of the world around her. She was taught to enjoy the simplicities of life. However, when her younger brother was born, her father took a higher paying job in Tokyo to allow her mother more time with the baby, and her family took on a new adventure of city life.

City life was much different, but all Suzie could see were the exciting new ways that she would be able to adjust. The older students had fancier gadgets and more independent hairstyles. The clothes was also much more thought provoking than what the folks in the country wore. She thought the flowers in the fields were much lovelier, but still, there was a curiosity she could not quite shake for the less traditionally minded city dwellers.

It was in elementary school when one of her friends gave her a Digivice Toy for her birthday. It was bright yellow and looked like something the former-country girl needed in order to "fit-in." The following year, her friend moved to across the city and began attending a different school, but her gift has still remained a solid foundation of Suzie's past time. She became more interested in caring for Kudamon and learning more about the Digital World than she did exploring the city. There wasn't much to explore in the city, anyways. It was just concrete and more concrete. Plus, it helped keep her mother together when her baby brother needed all of the attention.

Of course, with all of this said, a sunny day is never something to be missed, unless this new Omniphone proved her otherwise.

Other:
Despite being friendly and cheerful, Suzie only keeps her family and Kudamon close to her heart.

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Digimon:

Name:
Kudamon

Appearance:

Stage Type:
Child

Personality:
Kudamon has a calm, cool, and collected personality, conducting a precise assessment of the situation even in combat, and attaining the advantage in battle.

D.N.A.:
Digitoys, digifood and other play things for the digital monster. It was really just a child’s game.

Other:
N/A

Digivolution Line:
Pafumon
Puff Balloon - Inhales air to expand body three times its size and releases air for a quick escape.

Kyaromon
Tail Swing - Puts all its strength into striking the opponent with its tail.

Kudamon
Bullet Whirlwind - Spins around in the air and slams into the enemy with its Holy Cartridge.

Tailmon (X-Antibody)
Cat Punch - Punches at the enemy with its powerful claws at lightning speed.
Holy Chime - Rings it’s chime intensely, which drives off evil Digimon.

Angewomon (X-Antibody)
Grand Holy Arrow - Transfers powers from surrounding elements and releases it as an arrow.
Heaven’s Charm - A deadly ray of light, which is packed with beauty
and affection, demonstrating its strongest effacy against evil powers of Digimon.

Holydramon (X-Antibody)
Holy Flame - Shoots a spiral of holy fire from its mouth.

Ulforce V-dramon (X-Antibody)
Shining V Force - Fires a ray of energy from the massive V on its chest.
Ulforce Saber - Generates a beam-sword weapon from its right wrist.
Dragon Impulse - Surrounds itself in an aura of energy shaped like a dragon,
then rams against target, unleashing its Ulforce Saber, slashing with full power.