#manic-entity

I've taken to saying it whenever such a moment occurs in my offline life. Upon the serendipitous coincidence being recognized, there is usually a beat of silence, followed by a rather matter-of-fact, "The Dodgeball Abides," and much solemn nodding. (It also works well as a triumphant shout when the occasion allows.)

I love @pangur-and-grim and thier collection of monster animals.

Not too often as they’re expensive and most of our animals get adopted weeks or even months before we get results. The first one we did during my years here was on a husky/shepherd/many other things mix pup that a bunch of people thought was part coyote (... it did NOT look like at all like a coyote pup if you have any semblance of an idea what those actually look like, but it would be illegal for us to adopt out a coydog so therefore the higher ups wanted her tested).

Ok I’m gonna preface this by saying that I might get a few details wrong, but I’m gonna try my very best.

So the episode starts off with full coterie & X at the club discussing Nelli’s meeting with the Camarilla. The ominous warning about Eva from Suzanne, how they’re deeply paranoid about Ghenna, the Thin Bloods, & Aurora’s idea of using/enslaving them. Which causes Victor to text his contact on the inside (Ib), while X admits that he & Chloe had been spreading rumors around LA’s fortune tellers that Ghenna is happening, thinking that was the reason why so many elder Kindred had been leaving the city, obviously not knowing about the Beckoning. So Annabelle texts Delilah about whats going on & that the Camarilla don’t consider the Thin Bloods a part of the truce. And Delilah asks if she’s seen her friend Blake, who Annabelle hasn’t seen since Nelli’s big Baron bash. And then of course Ib shows up to spill some Camarilla tea (her words), surprising everyone that she’s now Kindred & also the Sheriff (except Nelli & Victor obvi). And Ib tells them about Zellious being awake, that Therese is the one that’s been causing Vannevar to go crazy, & now has a Blood Hunt called on her. Which causes X to fly into a panicked rage, wanting to be the one to kill her for all the abused she’s caused him (saying this 3 times btw). Annabelle tries to calm him, & X calls her a- “Stupid baby that doesn’t know any better.”

After Ib leaves & Nelli is able to finally calm down X, Jasper laments about how he’d wished he could’ve gotten the chance to talk to Zellious. Which causes Jasper to break down, & actually start crying. Saying how he never wanted to be involved in politics (Annabelle’s revolution, Nelli & Victor becoming Barons), he just wants to be left alone, how he doesn’t want to die, & how whenever he leaves his Haven now something bad happens.

Annabelle (I think?) tries to comfort him. By saying- “Don’t you wish I could go back? That I don’t wonder if my boyfriend will survive every night?”

Which causes Jasper to actually snap at her, shouting- “YOU TURNED YOUR BOYFRIEND INTO A FUCKING GHOUL! THAT WAS YOUR DECISION! THE ONLY DECISION YOU’VE EVER MADE!”

Annabelle full on stutters at Jasper’s reaction, & Victor finally swoops into the conversation. Bringing up the women that he, Nelli, & Jasper saved from a shipping container in Long Beach years ago. (Victor had mentioned either in season 1 or 2 i don’t remember) Saying how he’d paid for the girls to have full rides at Griffith College, has retainers watching them from a distance, & even set up a night time graduation so they could all attend, before pulling up yearbook photos of the girls on his phone & shows them to Jasper. The girls looking so happy & alive causes Jasper to actually start smiling.

And Victor follows it up with- “You’ve been dealt some messed up cards from a a messed up deck. But the world is better with you in it, & even if we never anything else for the rest of our unlives, at least we did this.” Jasper answers him by calling him a “moron” before tearfully saying “thank you”.

Campbell then quickly informs Victor that “The Baron of Sun Valley” is here. Ollie, Allie, & El inform them that they saw Blake the Thin Blood get kidnapped by another coterie from Sun Valley called “Junkyard” after Nelli’s party. They immediately decide to go rescue him, causing X to get angry, saying how it’s bullshit that they would rather help Blake first before helping him go kill Therese, before angrily storming out of the room. (but stops & waits for the Coterie at the front door)

While on the ride over to the junkyard Jasper offers X a boon in exchange for helping them rescue Blake, & X accepts. When they get there, they allow Annabelle to go in first & try to reason with the Junkyard coterie & rescue Blake without any violence, but wait in the shadows in case these Junkyard assholes get violent. Annabelle is able to talk her way inside & sees that Blake is tied to a chair unconscious. But when she tries to convince the Junkyard into letting her leave with him, they start to get threaten her. Which promtly causes everyone else to coming bursting in to back up Annabelle. Jasper & X busting in through the back door, Nelli using corosive vitae to drop in fromn the roof, Victor using soaring leap to do a full super hero landing in the open door way.

The “fight” itself ends pretty quickly, with the Junkyard leader being easily disarmed by Annabelle, one member surrendering, & X using dementation on the last member. Annabelle & Jasper interrogate the leader into telling them that Aurora had paid them to kidnap & hold Blake. But X continues to use dementaion on the Kindred he has, quickly snapping the guy’s neck & then starts feeding on him. Annabelle tries to stop him but is unable to, & X drains him. But X is unable to fully absorb the Kindred’s essence & commit diablirie. With Annabelle close, he then sinks his fangs into Annabelle’s throat & casts share the senses on her. Showing her a vision of X diablirizing her, & using her strength for his own ends. Victor not even hesitanting shoots his stun gun at X, while Jasper pulls away Annabelle, then quickly pushing X out of the way of Victor’s projectile. Victor then uses submerge directive on the rest of the junkyard coterie, that whenver they hear another Kindred threaten or talk badly about Thin Bloods to say that ”The Thin Bloods are under the protection from the Baron of Hollywood & the Baron of the Valley”. Annabelle obviously frightened by what just happened, soaring leaps out of the junkyard Nellli uses blink to chase after her, Jasper goes to an almost catatonic X who seemed to be muttering “I’m sorry” to himself, while Victor goes to the unconsious Blake, unties him, & texts Deliliah that they found him. Jasper & X decide to walk to Jasper’s Haven, & Victor waits at the car for Nelli and/or Annabelle to come back.

Nelli tries her best to keep up with Annabelle, tempting frenzy, even screaming “ANNIE!” in an attempt to reach her. But sadly Annabelle leaps over a highway into the night, forcing Nelli to finally stop & text Victor to come get her, seaming on the verge of tears.

Annabelle keeps going until she finally stops in an alley way in downtown LA. She pulls out her phone, & texts-

“You said when they disappointed me to come looking to you for answers.”

thank youuuuuuuuuu~