#most vampire lore is crap

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV Musings - The Mind Gift, AMC vs TVC

@gremlinsminion brought up a VERY good point in their post about how much credit us viewers should give AMC's vampires' abilities to read minds/use the Mind Gift. A HUGE issue's that AMC doesn't stick to the book lore consistently, so their take on Anne Rice's vamps often contradicts what we know vamps CAN / CANNOT do.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but AMC's Mayfair Witches is actually very helpful for understanding how telepathy works in AMC's Immortal Universe--a shared world where psychics (witches, Talamascans, AND vampires) coexist just like they do in the books, and interact & mind read each other all the time--or not.... 👀

Anne Rice was very inconsistent about telepathy: sometimes it seemed like an unreliable nuisance/hindrance that just throws random jumbles of info at you. BUT! For the most part telepathy tells vamps/psychics exactly what they need/want to know. Vampires can absolutely pick through layers & layers of secrets & random irrelevant crap--and even deliberate mental blocks--to get at the info they want & need. And it's EASIER to do it to humans than to other vamps, since most humans have no psychic abilities for protection. Talamascans & Mayfairs are unique & important cases.

Precise vs Imprecise Telepathy

Precise (TVA):

This is perhaps the most descriptive & relevant counterpoint; how vampires CAN peel back layers of a human's conscious thoughts to get at a very precise thought/image they want to read from the inner recesses of someone's mind, just as Armand read Sybelle's. And we KNOW her mind in particular was more layered than most people's, since she was obvs on the spectrum, yet Armand still managed it with ease even when he was burnt & starving. (Which is interesting when compared to Nickistat, cuz Les could barely EVER get a read on human!Nicki as he descended deeper into madness.)

When Armand was kidnapped by the Children of Satan, they read his thoughts easy as ever, despite how talented Armand was already proving himself to be with the Mind Gift & esp. the Spell Gift--which was precisely why Marius made a point of never telling him anything specific about TWBMK, in case the coven read Armand's mind & figured out precisely how to steal Akasha.

Marius basically described it as mind-rape without actually calling it that--the mind of an "apprentice/fledgling" vamp was an open book for older/stronger/skilled vamps who could EASILY "pick your mind barren of ALL its thoughts," "for its DEEPEST secrets, either with your cooperation or without your knowledge, or against your will." Cuz it happened to Marius before--

Precise (B&G):

--Avicus (a vampire THOUSANDS of years older than Marius) was able to EASILY read Marius' mind and know he had TWMBK; "I can penetrate Marius' thoughts even when I DON'T want to do it." So yes, vampires even STRONGER than Armand can read everyone's mind all the time even when thery Do have something better to do with their time. The thoughts just come to them regardless--they HAVE to learn how to actively block people's thoughts, just like Marius & Avicus & Mael eventually taught themselves how to do, as I discussed here.

Precise (TotBT):

When the Talamascan Raglan James DEMANDS information from someone's mind, human or vampire alike, Lestat/AR explicitly calls it "rape;" just TAKING what you want from someone's head cuz you CAN--esp. if you're stronger & they're weaker.

Precise (Blood Canticle):

Basically, AR's telepathy was however precise it needed to be for the sake of THE PLOT™. It could be imprecise, yes--but in a way that directly contradicts not only AR's far more precise examples, but also AMC's rendition of telepathy, where they've actually NEVER indicated that people's minds are random indiscernible jumbles.

Imprecise (TVL):

Imprecise (TotBT):

Imprecise (Blood Canticle):

In BC Lestat describes telepathy as a cacophony of noise like what he imagines saints/angels have to listen to in heaven--a barrage of prayers & petitions; every thought & wish & fear people everywhere have. And he says it's cuz vamps have such heightened senses that it just overwhelms them. But this also explains WHY they need to block people's thoughts, just to have a moment's peace & quiet.

Blocking Thoughts & "Forgetfulness / Laziness"

This brings us to the matter of just how accessible the minds of others are for vampires. A vampire reading a regular human's mind isn't the same as reading another vamp's mind; or any other supernatural's mind (Talamascans & Mayfair witches included). In the books, Talamascans ran the gamut from being way stronger than strong vampires, or way weaker than weak vamps.

But we also know that a strong Talamascan's psychic powers can trump a strong witch's (Cip > Moira), AND to a certain extent even trump a strong vamp's (book!Raglan > book!Lestat--Raglan could easily block his thoughts from Les, but couldn't FORCE Les' spirit out of his body).

But you have to deliberately work at blocking people's from you, and your thoughts from other people, just as I already described with Avicus & Marius & Mael in B&G. Even Raglan & Lestat had to LEARN how to telepathically read and NOT be read.

Even on AMC!MayfairWitches we SEE Moira being bombarded with people's thoughts, having to wear headphones and play music just to block people out and be blocked.

So blocking thoughts is NOT something a psychic (vampire, witch or Talamascan) can just casually DO, whether they want to or not.

"FORGETFULNESS"

Armand, THE best mind reader, had to actively block out the thoughts of others, human & supernatural alike. He didn't just "forget" to make sure he couldn't read anyone's mind & they couldn't read his.

But according to AMC, minds are very accessible, but also easy to cut off. The ability to cloak one's mind is natural & easy--Les "forgets" that he can read minds, since he just doesn't read them.

But this highkey sounds like AMC's way to not HAVE to think ahead about why a vampire WOULDN'T be constantly reading people's minds--esp. on a show where they're changing so much to make the big reveals & gotchas! more shocking; if literally no one could see them coming, even a telepath--oh, they just casually "forget" to read people's minds~! 🙄😅

"LAZINESS"

Yes, AMC is NOT 1:1 book canon. However, it's still based on AR's universe, and closely follows the plot of AR's books. And in the books, vampiric abilities are a very big deal, cuz they directly affect the overall plot & structure of the books as a whole. You can't change 1 thing without affecting (the implications of) everything that follows. And giving Louis the Mind Gift drastically changes the logic of the plot, raising way too many questions AMC can't answer without contradicting themselves & exposing the holes in their writing.

Louis could read minds in NOLA, so how come he didn't know those racist white men were screwing him over since JUMP? Not ONCE for 7 whole years did Louis EVER read their minds to pick up on all the nasty things they thought (AND SAID) about him? 🤨

When even just ONE convo with Finn O'Shea let Lestat know that Finn was a rotten little thief (and Louis fired Finn right away for it)--again: VERY precise telepathy.

Even though he was deflecting, Louis still had a point about Lestat staying quiet about the Alderman's schemes on purpose, letting Louis figure it all out on his own--just like Les stayed quiet about Armand's Seismic Lie about "Banishment"--making Louis learn the hard way about people who can't be trusted.

Like, plot-wise, it makes sense for book!Louis to be blindsided, cuz book!Louis couldn't read minds. In TotBT & TVA it's confirmed that it made Louis weak to be unable to use the Mind Gift or Spell Gift--the only spells Louis can cast are purely accidental.

But AMC!Louis CAN use the Mind Gift. Which requires far more accounting for, when there's not ONE vamp in the room who can read minds (& just chooses not to for whatever reason), but TWO. Or god forbid THREE+, like when Claudia AND Armand are with Louis in Paris and NONE of them know the coven's plotting their demise? 🤨

In MW we knew Ciprien's Trial was happening behind his back too, but we SEE Anamika read Ciprien's mind--something not even MOIRA could do--to confirm that he was innocent and let him go. Ian Mayfair was sussing out Cortland the whole time to figure out that he was lying about "remembering" things about Julien & Scotland. Moira was locked in a room with a woman whose mind was wiped ("her head full of lettuce") just to make SURE Moira couldn't learn what was going on with Lasher's wedding. But immortal frikkin vampires just sit around on their hands all day not reading anything from anyone? BS.

TL;DR: Suspended Disbelief? 🤷

So yeah, it's just weird AF logic AMC forces us to casually accept, but requires using mental gymnastics to explain how TF this is even possible; when in no other situation with telepaths even in AMC's own Immortal Universe would this EVER happen without a VERY logical explanation: someone much stronger than Armand actively BLOCKING all their thoughts from being read (a la Moira vs Cip).

So, having the canonical best mind reader NOT reading Daniel's mind when he SHOULD is the biggest issue with IWTV S2, esp. when we see the Talamasca & the Mayfairs on AMC's MW CONSTANTLY reading & controlling people's minds every episode. It just makes no frikkin sense half the time what AMC is doing, or what they expect us as viewers to understand or follow along with or even EXPECT. And it's tearing the fandom apart when we don't know whose word to trust. If everything is a lie, or nothing matters, why TF should we even bother being invested in the story at all? 😔

[konako]

are there any werewolf myths or tropes from other shows, books, or movies that you really love? And are there any you wish had been part of the werewolf lore in ouat? curious to hear your thoughts

I'm ashamed to say I'm not as knowledgeable of other works that incorporate the werewolf element. So I couldn't say which source exactly I'm pulling the tropes from; I'd rather say I'm absorbing the understanding of the myth from the collective memory and going from there. But I couldn't credit a specific work for the idea.

That said,

I'm not a fan of the Patriarchal Power Structure of most packs. (Toxic Alpha Male Leader and his many in-universe excuses for being so) I'm glad OUAT went the opposite route. But I wouldn't say I insist on a Matriarchal System, either (thought I prefer it, as a more captivating subversion). I like the idea of a pack as a Family, where you naturally see the more dominant people in leadership roles, and submissive people in supportive roles — keyword being: naturally. No "biological predisposition" or "cultural obligation", just the organic flow of things, of dynamics, of relationships, the way they fall in place free of outside forces... I don't discard the tension of tradition, however. I can enjoy, for example, someone like Red feeling the environmental pressure to take over Anita's place in the future, while knowing in her core she doesn't want to be a leader.

(I'll add it here that I wholeheartedly REJECT, PISS ON AND SPIT AT any and all blatantly transparent misogynistic motivations some authors use to justify their sexist interpretations of the myth. Rationalizing male violence, pushing male dominance, excusing abuse, romanticizing toxic behavior... Pure shit. No sympathy for that. Crap I despise with my whole being. Blargh, I know people have the right to create from their experience and world view, but fuck it, I have the right to throw them in the trash. I won't engage and I won't exercise empathy for that. I was SO pissed off by this scene from this show I can't even name, which justified the absence of female werewolves in their universe because, and I quote, "women aren't strong enough to survive the first transformation" then proceeded to play into every male power fantasy imaginable..... Wow. Dropped it immediately. Crap. Anyway. Back to my cheery self~)

I don't care for the Imprinting thing (looking at the Twilight saga...), but I can appreciate the narrative goldmine that it is. I personally think it's a cheap and easy way to generate romantic/sexual tension and justify the viability of a couple, so I wouldn't use it as a reason to get the blorbos to kiss. BUT I think the idea of a Primal Pull (in any level, for any purpose) is very interesting for the werewolf myth. I think giving the Animal Side & Instincts a considerable amount of power over the human mind is always important, however it manifests. I wouldn't want it to be Absolute, because I think a good Werewolf Story is about struggle, self-control and -ownership, and removing the Human Mind's power to resist just makes it boring. The Pull, though, that's compelling. It speaks to the Animalistic Nature of the self, and I always love that. In OUAT, that would look like Red's irresistible bond with Snow. Knowing her with every sense, finding comfort in her scent, finding safety in her presence. Things like that.

I'm guilty of enjoying the Vampire x Werewolf friction. I believe there's immense potential for lore and world-building, to accept that the two kinds have developed a centuries-long rivalry, opposition, animosity, resistance or simple cultural tension, not unlike what you see in the real world, with real groups of people. I like the richness of two very distinct kinds constantly resisting each other, despite the many things they have in common. I like the idea that younger generations could rebel against what they've been told is the "natural order", and bridge the gap between them. I like the thought that their cultures are similar and wildly diverse, and some of their biology clashes and compliment each other, making so that they could be each other natural enemies or perfect matches — and in the end, they're just people. Sadly, we don't have Vampires in OUAT to draw a comparison. So pretend Regina drinks blood for sustenance. And Red has blood to spare.

YKINMKATO: A.B.O. dynamics. Not a subscriber. But kudos on the lore, really interesting stuff.

I'm a Wolfs Bane/Aconite PUSHER. I think they're criminally underutilized, but I understand Silver is Sexier. Silver definitely takes first place in Werewolf's weaknesses, I won't question that, I love that. But may I convince you to give Aconite a try? Drink it, spray it, smell it, eat it, plant it, inject it! It's so versatile! Plant it around your property to keep the beasts at bay! What a powerful garden. And it's purple.

Born x Bitten. I like that there's a distinction. I can appreciate that the Werewolf condition can be like, idk, diabetes? Type 1 and type 2. Forgive me, I lack a better comparison, but you know what I mean. In one case, the werewolf was born with the genes, and the condition manifests a certain way. On the other case, it was acquired later in life, and consequently, it manifests differently. Quite similar, but not completely equal. That would lend itself to interesting storylines, exploring the differences, the prejudices, the communities formed around it. Even giving the antagonists motivations ranging from racism, eugenics, ableism, and so on. "The Mutant Cure" comes to mind.

Mating for Life tempts me, but only in the most humanly romantic way. Again, not something orchestrated by indifferent biology, but carved from human effort, connection, empathy and hard-working love. A Dog's Loyalty, perhaps. In the best of ways. OUAT gaves us Red's loyalty as a shining example of it. To Snow, and later, to Dorothy. I believe it.

I wouldn't mind a more painful transformation. Even a physical one. I really think pain plays a good part in the myth, and it's a shame OUAT played the "family show" card for that. (Don't mind the bloody corpses in scattered pieces, shhh).

Aaaand that's all I can think of for now, sorry! I hope it helped in any way~

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

oh your wips sound so interesting, mind sharing some lore about the godhuntress and the ruinic wars?

I'm sorry I took so long! I was basically writing small essays for each ask haha :') Anyways, it's all under the cut because it's hella long!

Alright, let's start with the Runic wars. They were called such because the main proponent of the mortal side of the war was the use of battle-runes. On the other hand, the immortals called it the Ruinic wars due to the sheer damages dealt to their people throughout it. It was the second most catastrophic event in Triworld history, only beaten by the Godhuntress's reign.

It all started with the Lich-Queen of the Deadlands being crowned, and the shifter Triarch's schemations. The Triarch was sick and tired of what she called human encroachment, and the Lich-Queen was young and bloody-minded and all too willing to declare war on humanity. Together, they stoked the spirits and the Fae and all the other immortal species into a frenzy of plotting to eradicate and enslave humanity, foremost of the mortal species.

The sole objectors of the scheme were the elves, who themselves were only quasi-immortal, living long but not unending lives. Thus it was that the first victims of the Runic wars were the elves, who were immediately grouped alongside the humans as targets to be genocided.

What might have been a quick massacre soon turned into a long and bloody war, thanks to the unexpected aid of a sympathetic shapeshifter. He was unable to accept that his people might destroy another's, and so he took the form of an albatross and flew across Triworld to warn Sylvandor, nation of the elves.

The Head Councilwoman of Sylvandor decided that the only way she could save her people was by teaming up with the humans, so she released the greatest secret of the elves— battle-runes. Armed with the capacity to mass-produce the magical equivalent of heavy artillery, the humans found it in themselves to fight back against their would-be oppressors.

It was then, however, that the four great human nations found themselves split. Palioden, who shared their lands with the shifters and spirits, decided that they would do unto their enemies what they would have done unto humanity. That is why there are no shifters in modern Triworld, and the spirit capital is no longer in Palioden.

Luxatia, neighbour to the Lich-Queen, used the rune-power they had been granted to create a massive barrier. It separated them from the rest of the world, keeping them safe in their little bubble while everything burned right outside their lands. The smaller city-states just beyond their borders suffered horribly from that decision, and it contributed to Luxatia's isolationist attitude throughout the rest of history.

Losaras, the desert nation, was perhaps the most well-off of all the combatants in the Runic Wars, if they could even be called that. The natural effect of the sands that surrounded them sucked the magic out of all potential invaders, destroying the Lich-Queen's revenants and weakening any other attacker. This meant that they could spare resources to help smaller countries defend themselves, and as such built their foundation of trade.

And then there was Nyctomachia. Nyctomachia looked at the bloodshed and the plans for genocide and went, ‘Man, I want some of that!’ They teamed up with the vampires and the spirits to go raid their neighbours, effectively joining the side of the enemies in this matter. Why? Well, they firmly believed that only the greatest magicians deserved to rule, a sentiment that their inhuman allies could agree with. That is why Nyctomachia was, for the longest time, singularly despised by all other human nations, and treated with great disdain by the elves. (I could go on and on about Nyctomachia, cos they've got a whole lot of crap going on, but that's not what you asked about, so I won't.)

In the end, after Palioden's vicious and bloody genocide of the shifters, Nyctomachia successfully negotiated a peace treaty between the sides, and secured themselves a trade capital in the process. Of course, the tension lurked below the surface for a long while after.

Now, about the Godhuntress! Her name was Ina, and I'm so absolutely normal about her. She was probably the first OC I remember making, back when I was 6 years old. I can't bear to write her much, but I like immortalising her in my writing as the most powerful mage in history.

She was born an angel, back in the time when gods ruled the world. It was perhaps a thousand years after the Runic Wars. The gods loved forcing humanity to stay the same, so hardly anything changed from those days. She was an angel of nature, and tended to the garden of the fire god. She was one of the best tenders, and was beloved for it.

The gods had not forbidden love between angels per se, but the fire god was unamused when he found that Ina had fallen in love with one of his guards, Eril. Her single-minded dedication to the gardens began to wane, especially once she had Eril's child. 

The fire god then made the greatest mistake of all time: he decided to break up their little family. When he caught Eril abandoning post to collect flowers for his love, he struck the angel down and killed him, leaving Ina heartbroken. Then, when her daughter, Isobel, befriended a Fae (Fae being the nemesis of the gods), she was cursed to become a demon and sent out of Heaven as an exile. 

Ina was not happy. Ina was, in fact, very unhappy. So unhappy, that she declared war on the gods.

It was perhaps the most terrifying time in Triworld history. The gods had previously never intervened in another's conflict, save those of the Fae, and they were thought omnipotent. That was proven grimly, horribly wrong when they fell, one by one. First it was the fire god, burnt to death by his own magic. Then the god of illness, found dead from a plague. Nobody knew how she did it, but she did. She turned the gods' own magic against them. 

It turned the mortal world upside down. Priesthood, once the highest achievements for many, became an abandoned line of work. Many turned to worshipping Ina instead, branding her as the Godhuntress, Saviour of Humanity. 

Ina did not care. She was subsumed by rage and the price she paid for her powers. And when the gods breathed their last, her thirst for vengeance still remained unquenched. 

So she turned her eye to the inhuman species. The Fae, in her eyes, were to blame for her daughter's death. The spirits were sisters-in-servitude with the angels to the gods, yet did not think to save them when they broke free of the gods' enslavement. The elves just didn't want to worship her.

Perhaps it should have been a warning sign to her, when Isobel, her very own blood, took up the torch to defeat her. Isobel ran rounds across the world in a desperate attempt to warn Inhumans of her mother's plans to kill them all. (I think it might be better to just read this and its sequel to see how that turned out.)

Finally, Ina had done it all. She won, utterly. Every temple of the old gods had been razed. The angels ruled Heaven now. She was old, and tired, and oh-so-very regretful. So she hurled herself off a cliff into the Void.

And the world was never the same again.

Also tagging my taglist because I refuse to write 1.3k words and not force everyone to look at it:

@coffeeangelinabox, @dorky-pals, @calliecwrites, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @shukei-jiwa

@thewingedbaron, @pluppsauthor, @cowboybrunch, @wylloblr, @possiblyeldritch @ramwritblr, @urnumber1star, @fortunatetragedy, @bigwipscholar, @ratedn

@vampirelover890, @possiblylisle, @illarian-rambling, @the-ellia-west

@finicky-felix, @evilgabe29, @glitched-dawn, @rivenantiqnerd, @dragonhoardesfandoms

@drchenquill, @everythingismadeofchaos, @owldwagitoutofyou, @dimitrakies, @beloveddawn-blog

@riveriafalll, @the-golden-comet, @rascaronii, @trippingpossum (Anyone else who wants to get added can tell me in the comments, pm me, or send me an ask about it!)

[pininghermit]

Dare I Desire (Chapter 6)

Pairing: Adrian x Male Reader

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7|

AN: Here is a link for reader's family dynamics.

Freshly showered, Adrian finds himself in the dining room with a steaming bowl of soup. He did not cook it. He did not clean the piling unused dishes or broken shards of glass that he had expected. He is almost surprised to find all the chairs and the table intact.

It did not take much to figure out who it was done by. The vampire who now stares at him from the other side of the table.

Y/n, you call yourself. Your intentions remain a mystery and your threat increases with every passing second. You speak of unknown lands and unheard kingdoms. Adrian finds it hard to trust you. The bargain encouraged the seeds of doubt to sprout further.

‘Mate-,’ Adrian quickly banishes the thought. He does not deign his attention to such lies.

“Come on, let me know how I did,” the soup remains untouched. It contains no poison. It smells normal. Yet, Adrian finds it hard to bring himself to eat.

“Just tell the story already,” had he not showered already? He would not obey every command like a dog.

“Eat,” you repeat. Making a show of settling back in your chair. As if mocking to drag out the argument.

Stupid bargain. His dumb curiosity be damned. Adrian feels wronged in ten ways.

“Hmph,” Adrian picks up the spoon and the cutlery feels foreign in his hands. How long had it been since he had felt the metal of silverware instead of the glass of a wine bottle in his hand?

Warmth blooms in his mouth. The soup that’s more of a broth, tastes watery at best. He can taste dill, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and some chicken flavoring. Salted very lightly it seems to be an amalgamation of spices. Could be much more awful for a Vampire’s cooking. Adrian finds it quite palatable.

After months he feels more human than ever. Ironical that you, a vampire, are the reason for the feeling of humanity.

“What say? How’s it?” You ask with genuine curiosity in your eyes. Adrian does not offer you a response but it is utmost annoying when he spots the smug smirk as he goes for another sip.

“I reckon I promised you a story,” you break the awkward silence. Adrian simply continues drinking his soup and does not react when you push another bowl towards him.

“In the kingdom of Asor reside 3 conflicting powers. The vampires, the founders, and the rulers of the land. The Elves, who reside in the forests aloof from most. And the Fae, who live in caves and valleys inaccessible even to the rulers of Asor.

The Vampires are the protectors, the fighters of Asor. The Elves are the providers, they’re the farmers and lore masters. The Fae are the primary magic bearers who maintain the balance of our lands. There are of course other races but those fare in little numbers.

These races have fought for power for centuries. However, recent treatises have established some semblance of ‘peace’. With the territories divided each retreated to their own. But the Vampires still ruled most. Even the Fae and the elves remain subservient to the Vampires. For the spirits of creation who aided the formation of Asor were convinced by my father. The king of Asor has always been a vampire.

In the past, there have been wars among the folks of Asor. And one such brutal war was between the Fae and the Vampires. Immortals who had little to lose did not care for their soldiers. They had time and numbers. Nothing could stop them, leave for the weariness of their subjects.

A bargain was made,” you look at him breaking away from the story. “And bargains are nothing if not load full of crap.” A warning rings loud in the room. The fickle-ness of bargains was not unknown to Adrian, not after today.

“The Vampire king, my father, Orthere who was wed to Heiu, the queen of Asor, had a child with the queen of Fae, Blasa. They did not marry but slept together to bear a child. A compromise that the powers of Asor agreed upon.

A half fae and half-vampire offspring who would unite the courts and balance the power. Or so, they had hoped.

A spokesperson of the Fae in the main court of Asor. A royal who would promise more control to the Fae.

Blasa bore the child while Orthere returned to his territory.” Adrian could not help but re-examine you. Were you truly half fae and half vampire? Your looks did not betray your origin. In fact, you look exactly like a pure-blood vampire with your fangs, pointed ear, and your bloodless pallor. Even your powers were vampiric.

“Unlike most the Fae court is matriarchal. Females rule while males are mere accessories. In such court, a child came to be. A child who would’ve been nothing but a bed warmer had he not carried the blood of the King of Asor.

There were others too. Two other sons and a daughter, who was to be the heir to Blasa. Ingal, Daylan, and the Crown Princess Eilos. All half-siblings to each other and the child.

The child who can be me or someone else entirely. But that’s for you to figure.” You shrug with nonchalance. Your manner too relaxed, yet the tale was too detailed.

“Growing up with the Fae who lusted for his power but could not care enough about him the child who remained unaware of his father. He was an oddity. Not Fae enough but not foreign either. His mother treasured his worth but not him.”

Adrian feels the oppressive silence as soon as you stop speaking. A treaty you had called yourself. Yet, there remains the memory of Asor that he had a glimpse of. Was it worth it?

“The Fae are the folks of the forest. They rule nature and possess the ability to glamour it to their will. They speak in riddles, but they cannot lie. Bored out of their immortality they find immense pleasure in others’ pain. So, what do you think Adrian? Does my possible fae blood explain my tolerance to the Sun?” With the first tale out of the dark. The question now loomed in the near future.

Later in the night, when Adrian plows through all the books about the Faerie folk, he stops. For that one moment, he imagines a lonely child. A child with familiar brown hair and silver eyes. Features similar to that of the obnoxious vampire. He sees the child crouched as three humanoid figures, with their backs to him, snicker in a sinister joy. At that moment, he feels a distant dread as the figures close on to the child with unkempt hair and misfitting clothes.

[peppymintdreams]

Friday Announcements

Happy Friday, my children! Mama Peppy is here to dish out the latest news.

This week has been… a lot, yet somehow not much at the same time. I spent time focusing on specific characters, and somehow Simon made it into the mix—which was a fun but unexpected twist!

On a brighter note, I’ve hit 51 followers on Tumblr! That’s an amazing milestone, and I can’t thank all of you enough for your support. You make all this worth it!

As for updates, all the stories I had queued are now uploaded, which feels great—but also a bit stressful. Knowing I have nothing prepped ahead feels like starting from square one again. On the plus side, I have the freedom to upload whenever inspiration strikes, without worrying about scheduling random times. But honestly, I like having things planned in advance; it just feels more organized.

Because of this, I’ve decided to take a short break from Tumblr—just one to two weeks—to reset and get back into my usual routine. With my queue empty and my creative energy running low, I think this time off will help me recharge. Don’t worry, though! I deeply appreciate all the requests you’ve sent in, While I deeply appreciate the requests you send in (seriously, I’m so thankful for them), many of them tend to follow similar plots or formats to stories I’ve already written. I still enjoy creating them because I love you guys. That said, I’m considering closing requests for the time being to focus on fresh ideas.

Now, about my own series, Sakuverse Reimagined Twist of Fate—I can’t help but feel it’s lost a bit of its hype and popularity 😅. It’s stressful reminding myself, “Oh crap, I still need to get this done.” So, until further notice, SRTOF is delayed.

As I mentioned last week, Asirel is still a work in progress. Developing his character has been a lot, especially since he’s more complex than just “owns a vampire and is kinky.” Turns out, there’s deeper lore for him that I’m still learning and piecing together.

For those waiting on NSFW stories, don’t worry—they’ll be completed later. One particular request—a Luca story—caught me off guard since most of my children are Isaac fans. I’ve started it but hit a bit of a roadblock with the plot, so it’s still in progress.

I’ve also got several unfinished or scrapped story ideas that I hope to revisit and complete during my break.

What does potentially closing requests mean?

Starting after Sunday, I won’t be keeping up with new requests. If you have anything you’d like to send in, please do so before then!

Thank you all for your understanding, love, and continued support. Love you!

-Mama Peppy

P.S. Hey… hey, you! 🫵🏾 Do you want more Sakuverse gay shit? Hit that follow button and send in a request! You’ll get notifications whenever I post new fics for Sakuverse Reimagined Twist of Fate, and maybe even a chance to have your OC featured in a story.

[nakasumi-sims]

Neal Ward for @jonquilyst Total Drama Sims 2

Pronouns: He/Him

Orientation: Pansexual

Aspiration: Master Actor

Traits: Loner and Active

Hometown: Del Sol Valley

Likes: Acting, Media Production, Painting, Junk Food, His Brother, Pranks, Movies

Dislikes: Pipe Organ, Authority Figures

Skills: Acting - 3/ Comedy - 2 /Dancing - 1 / Fitness - 3/ Logic - 2/ Media Production - 3 /Mischief - 2 / Painting - 5 /Skiiing - 3 /Snowboarding - 3 /Vampire Lore - 2

Neal is the son of superstars Judith Ward and Merrick Koizumi. Him and his twin brother, Gabriel, are the product of a Hollywood marriage only meant to mutually boost their parents' careers, and they just happened on accident. Judith wanted some new young arm candy as a fame boost and Merrick wanted someone to leech fame off of to accelerate his career.

While accomplishing their own goals, the twin boys were an afterthought. Neal and Gabriel were mostly left to their own devices. They were mostly raised by a revolving door of nannies, but every so often Merrick would make time for them and visit since Judith wouldn't even change their diapers.

"'Sup I'm Neal Ward. You've probably heard of renown actress Judith Ward, yea? That's good ol mommy dearest. Is she as bad as everyone says? For the most part, yea. As for my dad, you'd know him as the famous model, actor, and singer Merrick Koizumi. And no, just in case you're afraid, I didn't inherit the vampire genes. Buuuuut I might still bite ya if you ask."

"Honestly, I'd rather be left alone with Gabriel. We're twins if you couldn't tell. Mom and dad weren't really expecting us, but as mom says, 'oh good two at the same time, they can entertain each other and I don't have to do anything!' Mommy dearest only really made time for us if we needed to make her look good. I was happy to get attention after dad noticed I was into art so it was fun when he visited. He always encouraged me to pursue my art. Yet he also had this like ridiculous air of jealousy about it? I dunno. I didn't really give a crap. He's funner to be around than mom, but he's more of a weird friend than a dad. They're both too dramatic and self absorbed, but he cares more than her. We live in Del Sol with mom in her mansion while dad lives in his weird house over in Forgotten Hallow. I did run away from the mansion with Gabriel a few times to Forgotten Hallow to try and live with dad instead, but there's like no food or anywhere to sleep except for a couple of uncomfortable benches.

Most of my life, my brother and I have spent a lot of our time on sets or playing different sports together. We're both active, but the only team I'd want to be on is his. He's the one who wants to get into extreme sports and we always have a good time surfing and snowboarding together. He's better at it than me, but that's fine."

"My dream is to become an actor like my parents so I can be better than them at their own game. It's not completely out of spite though. I really do love acting. It's such a thrill to be on stage and performing. The feeling you get when shaking someone to their very core when you finish a scene is exhilarating and you just feel so powerful. However, being in the shadows of my parents sucks. I'm so done with anything I do being compared to them. It makes it really irritating to interact with anyone new cause it's always about them. Tch, at least I got Gabriel and no one is gonna be able to separate us."

One day, while Neal was wandering around the studio lots, he came across the abandoned lot that was planned to be the set for TDS2! Stunned, he ran back to Gabriel to tell him about his find and then they ran back to the set Judith was shooting her latest movie. They both told her of the find in excited unison to have the news revealed to them by her agent that Judith was sending Neal to be on the show! She said, quote, "Those two needed some separation they're ridiculously close and only keep to themselves. I just wanted them to get away from each other for awhile...and me. I got more to film overseas so I'm letting that show babysit Neal while Gabriel goes to Mt. Komorebi to train with some sports reality show. They get a place to sleep and food so what else do they need? It also spreads the Ward name so he better win or at least not get kicked off until I'm done shooting. I'm so glad I don't have to drag them around with me for awhile. Toodles, boys! Have fun!"

They were both devastated at the news of being separated for the time being. How could they function without each other after doing everything together for their entire short lives?! Neal watched as the private jet whisked Gabriel away with tears. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad? This could be his opportunity to break free from his parents' shadows and into his own spotlight. Forget the names Judith Ward and Merrick Koizumi! Now is Neal Ward's time to shine and rise to fame!

Other info:

Neal got his necklace from Merrick. It's made from blood. It was given to him on his 5th birthday in hopes that eventually he would be a vampire like his father, which never happened. Gabriel also had a matching one, but lost it in the ocean while surfing.

Neal's never really thought about his sexuality and preferences before, but would say he's pansexual like his dad. Anything's a possibility if he's willing to open up to someone that's not his brother.

Neal has some editing skills and has a youtube channel where he vlogs with his brother. Most people like it to get insight on behind the scenes on film and tv sets, but there's also quite a few who follow just to get glimpses or pester him with questions about Judith or Merrick. It does throw him off especially since Merrick has his own youtube channel they could go to.

He does have a bit of his parents' power hungry tendencies even if he doesn't think so.

Their parents split the naming responsibilities so Neal was named by Judith and Gabriel was named by Merrick

He is fully human and didn't inherit any vampire traits. Same with Gabriel, but this ain't about him lmao

Besides nannies, a lot of the time, he got he meals from the cast and crew tables from sets he was on.

He doesn't think too highly of authority

Always down to pull pranks. He used to do a lot of them with Gabriel (especially the ol twin switcharoo but that stopped once Neal changed his hair)

[relleytrots]

11, 19, 21, 24

11. How many characters do you have?

Errrrrrrrrr...

Not counting pure SPCs for chronicles I've run, just "OCs" in the general sense... about fifteen? Riccardo, Luciana, Santino, Alistair, Sorcha (Hecata squad); Lamorne (forbidden blorbo); Penny, Riley (PCs in other people's chronicles); Yaritsa and Myriam (Tzimisce PC and her sire whomst I have queued up); Zhao Wen-Jun and all her associated names (VTMB); and Laetitia, Dorian, Sylvester and Dominique, the core cast of Bloodspell, a game I made and a novella I have as of yet no idea how to plot.

19. Which character is least spoken about? Speak about them now!

I want to talk about my Tzimisce! I've not really had an angle on playing one before, but Blood Sigils dropped and gave me the Koldunic Sorcery angle around the time I actually started paying attention to Animalism and watched The Suicide Squad, wanting to adopt Ratcatcher II.

Put all that together and Yaritsa fell out of the air, fully formed; horrid, sassy little street witch who's bonded with the water and knows exactly what's going on thanks to her army of rats. She doesn't like shoes and she comes with an entourage (armed ghoul squad and her ailing, befuddled mortal dad).

Her sire, Myriam, is a concept I've had kicking around for ages but not found the oomph to use, probably because I was being smooth brained and thinking she had to be a Harbinger. The concept, in two words: Saint Death. Ancilla koldun occupies local Santa Muerte cult: they're her Herd, but they're her Herd and she looks out for them, and she's functionally adopted Yaritsa along with Embracing her. Sometimes a character isn't complete by themselves; they need to be part of someone else's deal.

21. Tremere or Salubri?

God, what a choice. I can only hope this question explodes and kills me.

This is tricky because I don't like either of them strictly according to their presentation. I've used both as SPCs and they've been fairly impactful, but... eh.

I've discoursed at great length about the Tremere thing in the past, bottom line is I like them as medieval alchemists who backdoored their way into vampirism and decided to take over, but I can take or leave their Ars Magicka baggage and Thaumaturgy and all the high level "lore" cruft.

Salubri are similarly eaten by their role in the metaplot and so overdesigned that I have trouble with them existing in any other capacity for several thousand years before the Tremere came along. The original "there are only seven and they all diablerise their sire on Embrace and they're all eighth generation" was the start of all that "vampions" bullshit that I don't really vibe with. The super sekrit Sabbat Salubri popping up in Hong Kong all way of the warrior stylee is more of that Nineties wuxiaboo crap that brought us Kindred of the East. I also don't give a fuck about the Baali and the "revelation" that those are Saulot's fault has no impact for me - OK, whatever, I didn't buy the idea of the vampire messiah anyway, who cares about Antediluvians, we have real problems!

You know what, I've decided. It's Tremere. They're on thin ice - every time a Tremere player whines about losing Thaumaturgy in V5 I reach for my revolver, you still have Rituals, you have to play by the same Discipline rules as everyone else, die mad about it - but I can make them into something I vibe with a lot easier than I can the snowflake sparkledog special clan.

24. Caine or Lilith?

Ahi hai, ahi hai, ahi hai Lilitu...

No contest. The recurring subtext of all my games since 2005 has been "the Bahari are right about everything, and they 'won' Gehenna while the rest of you weren't even sure what's going on." The Mother of Monsters is absolutely the most important figure in the World of Darkness (if she literally exists) and she has the coolest cult by a country mile (even if she doesn't). Lilith, and the Bahari, fuck, and they fuck nasty, up against a tree, rubbed red and raw and bleeding. Don't you wish your spiritual icon was hot like mine?

... that went to a place, didn't it?

[khande11]

Millie Winchester- Season 2

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things- 5

Lindsey continued to scream as she broke away from Angela's grip. She ran into the kitchen, with Angela, who picked up a pair of scissors, following.

"You know what you did!" Angela snarled.

"I'm sorry. I am so, so-" Lindsey whimpered.

"You're not sorry enough!" 

Angela swung the scissors, but Lindsey ducked out of the way, causing her to break the glass cabinet. She went to attack again, causing Lindsey to fall to the floor. Angela stalked closer, but Lindsey kicked her leg, knocking Angela to the ground on the scissors. Lindsey panted as she looked at Angela's motionless body. She turned her former roommate over, revealing the scissors sticking out of her chest.

"Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God." Lindsey cried.

Suddenly, Angela's eyes snapped open. She grabbed Lindsey's hair, pulled the scissors out of her chest and raised them. Angela groaned as several shots were fired into her. Angela screamed in anger, facing the Winchesters. Dean fired his gun again, shooting Angela's chest. Angela bolted out the window, with Dean and Millie going after her, while Sam comforted Lindsey.

"Hey, I got you. I got you." 

Dean and Millie climbed back through the window, with no Angela. 

"Damn, that dead chick can run." Dean grumbled.

"What now?" Sam asked.

"I say we go have a little chat with Neil." Dean suggested.

***************

Dean was driving the Impala down the road, as Millie continued looking through the journal.

"So, the silver bullets, they did something, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, something, but not enough. Millie? What else you got?"

"Um, okay, besides silver, we have... nailing the undead back into their grave beds. It's mentioned a few times. It's probably where the whole vampire staking lore came from. As soon as we kill this chick, I am so looking into this." Millie said, eyeing the text.

"Their grave beds? You serious?" Dean asked.

"Yeah."

"How the hell are we going to get Angela back to the cemetery?"

***************

Neil was sat nervously in his dark office when the Winchesters came in.

"What are you guys doing here?" Neil asked.

"You know, I've heard of people doing some pretty desperate things to get laid, but you- you take the cake." Dean mocked.

"Okay. Who are you guys?"

"You might want to ask Angela that question." Millie told him.

"What?"

"We know what you did. The ritual? Everything." Sam said.

"You're crazy." Neil scoffed.

"Your girlfriend's past her expiration date and we're crazy? When someone's gone, they should stay gone. You don't mess with that kind of stuff." Dean said, leaning down to get in Neil's face.

"Angela killed Matt. She tried to kill Lindsey." Sam told him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Neil tried to deny. Dean marched over to the other side of Neil's desk and hauled him up by his collar.

"No more crap, Neil. His blood is on your hands. Now, me and them can make this right, but you've got to tell us where she is." Neil looked down, causing Dean to shake him in anger. "Tell us!"

"My house. She's at my house."

Dean let him go, but then noticed the dead plants by the window. He turned back to Neil, with a suspecting look in his eyes.

"You sure about that?"

Neil nodded, but looked away nervously. Dean noticed the closet in the room and got an idea.

"Listen. It doesn't really matter where she is." Dean told him, walking away. "There's only one way to stop her. We've got to perform another ritual over her grave, to reverse the one that you did. We're going to need some black root, some scar weed, some candles. It's very complicated, but it'll get the job done. She'll be dead again in a couple of hours. I think you should come with us. I'm serious, Neil. Leave with us, right now."

Neil shook his head, nervously. "No. No."

"Listen to me." Dean said, lowering his voice. "Get out of here as soon as you can. But most of all, be cool. No sudden movements. Don't make her mad." Dean turned back to his siblings. "Let's go."

As soon as the Winchesters left, Neil let out a shaky breath, gulped and opened the closet, revealing Angela.

"You said you'd stay in the house." Neil said.

"Sorry. I just needed to see you. Neil, please. You have to help me." Angela begged, lowering her arms to show her wounds.

"Oh, God."

"Come with me to the cemetery. Neil, they're trying to kill me. We have to stop them."

"You mean kill them. It's true. Matt and Lindsey." Neil realised.

"They hurt me!" Angela shot back. "If you love me, you'll make sure nobody hurts me again. Take me to the cemetery. And then all this will be over. We can start new lives, together."

"Okay. God help me, but okay." Neil reluctantly agreed. "I'll go get the car. Just... Just wait here."

***************

Outside in the parking lot, Neil was panting as he quickly made his way to the car. He dropped his keys on the ground as he tried to open the car, and knelt down to pick them up. When he stood back up, Angela was stood in front of him, with a dangerous look in her eyes.

"Neil, you look nervous."

"No, I'm fine." Neil stuttered.

"Were you going to leave me?" Angela questioned him, hurt and angry.

"No, of course not. I-"

"You were, weren't you?! How could you? Neil, I loved you!" Angela yelled.

"Angela-"

She suddenly reached out and grabbed his head, wrenching it to the side. With a crunch, Neil's neck broke and his body fell to the ground.

***************

Sam, Millie and Dean were stood by Angela's grave, lighting candles.

"You really think this is going to work?" Sam asked.

"No, not really. But it was the only thing I could come up with." Dean shrugged.

The sound of leaves rustling behind them, had them turning around. They nodded at one another, as Sam and Millie reached for their guns. They moved closer to the sound, with their guns raised. The two continued searching the area until they heard something in the trees. They weren't aware that Angela was creeping up behind them. Just as she was about to attack, Millie spun around aiming her weapon at her. Angela stopped short, throwing her hands up in surrender, as Sam turned around to face her, too.

"Wait! It's not what you think. I didn't ask to be brought back. But it's still me. I'm still a person. Please." Angela begged. Millie considered it for a moment, feeling sorry for the girl's situation, before remembering all the blood she had spilt. Sam and Millie fired the guns, hitting Angela square in the forehead and in her chest. Angela screamed as her head snapped back, before glaring at the siblings.

Sam and Millie were quick to bolt back to the grave, but Angela was hot on their tails. She tackled Sam to the ground, pulling at his hair and gripping his chin as she prepared to snap his neck, when Millie fired shots at Angela, startling her enough to back away from her brother. Dean fired three more shots, until Angela fell back into her open coffin. Dean grabs a long metal stake and raced to the grave, sliding into the coffin and burying the stake in her chest.

"Wait, don't!" Angela pleaded, but Dean simply drove the stake in further. Angela gasped before going limp. Dean pulled away, looking at the finally defeated zombie.

"What's dead should stay dead."

[cattiesarts]

I was cursed by the "only able to draw freaky old men half the time" fairy so here we are.

Anyways his name is Vincent. Last name undecided. He is a vampire and he lives entirely on a diet of whiskey and blood. He gives off very refined and icy vibes but he's actually a freaky little worm inside. Let's just say he's a bit autistic.

Now Vincent is technically a high ranking noble who has an unusual amount of power because of how freaking long he's been alive. Old man's been alive for a good 4000 years, that's longer than the empire he inhabits has even existed. But he kind of just lets his vassals run everything. Not too interested in all that being responsible for the lives of his people crap.

Instead spends most of his time partaking in his hobbies, which are taxidermy, calligraphy, and medical malpractice. And then occasionally shows up to conferences and scares the shit out of everybody cause this time they were sure he was dead. On surprisingly good terms with the imperial family, actually not surprising considering Vincent played a role in the founding of the empire. Way to go for being old as shit Vincent.

Other than being known as a mysterious and probably immortal man, Vincent is also known for collecting rare animals. Technically for his taxidermy hobby. But he prefers them alive, since he has a large assembly of qualified personnel to care for the creature until it naturally passes. According to him the finished product comes out better if the animal lived a fulfilling and stress free life. I call bullshit but what would I know, because I know nothing about taxidermy! This man undeniably has too much time on his hands though.

Anyways, I haven't elaborated on his freakiness much yet. All I can really say about that is that the title boils down to his mannerisms. Despite his cold exterior he does still get excited very easily, especially when it comes to his hobbies and interests. Like, unusual amounts of excitement. That might be the autism. But there's no rule that says you can't be autistic and freakalishous. Also he's a vampire and well, blood. Very very freaky around blood, don't listen to him if he tells you he has complete control over his vampire hunger, he doesn't and he's lying.

Also do not leave any small children unattended around him he will make them cry. He doesn't do it on purpose, it just happens.

That's about all I've got for Vincent rn, I'll probably expand on his lore more later. But like this is the second post I've made just lore dumping for no reason and honestly it's really fun. I think I'll keep doing this-

[rexthefox]

Just got hit with the best AU idea I've had personally so far. It's gonna be a long post so be prepared!

An au that combines both Murder drones and the dragon prince! Focusing on the characters from murder drones placed in the universe of the dragon prince because yes.

The disassembly drones already remind me of moon shadow elves, with the white hair and how most are trained to be assassins! And the worker drones are obviously humans, however absolute solver could be viewed as dark magic! You see where I'm getting at?...there's also the blood moon clan of moon shadow elves that drink blood so like

It depends on your preference for the au but elf vampires would be closer to canon!!

The plot and characters so far would be similar to both.

Uzi is a rebellious human princess who researches dark magic but believes it's wrong, her mother nori passed away due to over using it or got too corrupted or smth, maybe they could have a dark magic curse running in the family that horribly shifts their body after using dark magic too much, mayyybe a curse placed on several human family's by a specific corrupted Arch-Elf?~ (Cyn not aaravos.) I'd like to think Uzi would be lore like Callum in this case as she does take over that role, age adores stories about Xadia and primal magic and probably thinks the elf human war is bull crap

Her dad, Khan rules the kingdom of copper 9 alone, Uzi often sneaks our to town to cause mayhem or be free of her princessly duty's much to her father's dismay.

However everything changes when 3 moonshadow-skywing elf hybrids..(thinking about having them magically made that way due to several curses..and also arch elf Cyn.) Show up in town and start killing some people, Uzi ofc wants to stop this, but her dad ends up forbidding her from leaving the castle, she does it anyway leaves and meets N after he tries to kill her and she successfully over powers him via weird magical weapon her mom gave her, boom railgun knife wand. I'm working on that bit.

It goes about as well as the pilot, Ns vision gets blurred because she hit him in the head, he thinks she's another elf, patches up her hand he cut with his blades and they end up becoming weird friends before Uzi runs off back to the castle before J and V return.

I want to connect the dragon prince story points more to this au as well but I'm out of ideas currently- however some plot points I am considering are:

Uzi is more attuned to the star and moon arcanums at first and struggles with the rest

V ends up tagging along on her and Ns journey to find a way to stop dark magic and because Uzi wants to go to Xadia to learn about the weapon her mom had stolen.

N is constantly a sweetheart as always and tries to befriend humans several times while in disguise, much to Uzi and Vs dismay

Thinking Doll and Lizzy may be the Claudia and Soren In this au (But lesbians instead of siblings....plus like dolls parents are dead-) at least for the first half?? Doll obviously could be a dark mage.

I don't know what to do with Tessa yet but she would become important when J returns later on in the story

But hey if people have ideas feel free to give them to me! Or other feedback on this weird lil au!

I wrote this at 11pm so excuse my grammar mistakes and spelling errors if there are any

[vesperlionheart]

Hello｡◕‿◕｡

I have had an idea in my head for a long time. But it is large, so I wanted to ask a few things.

How do you juggle all the characters? Do you write the setting first, and then create a backstory for each character? What is the most convenient way to prescribe all this? And how not to be afraid that no one needs my idea, and I'm wasting my time on unnecessary things? If my goal is to create my own fanfic and get feedback.

I like the idea that my story will end and people will still be writing reviews 5 years from now. How do you feel when you receive feedback? When did you decide it was time to write your first story and see it through?

large world building projects are so much fun, it always feels like snuggling into a comfort blanket or sweater you can really immerse yourself in, at least for me it does.

Juggling a lot of characters can be a struggle since I'm personally a world driven type of author as opposed to the character driven and plot driven types of authors you might run across. What I mean by that is for me the world usually appears first in my mind and I have to build it out before I know exactly who lives in it or what's happening. I think the most convenient way to prescribe all the steps you want to take starts with knowing who you are as a writer and what your personal style is cause we're all made a little different. I got to know myself better as a write after reading The Curiosities, a collection of short stories by three different authors who all are a different type or have a different approach to writing. (I loved their notes to each other reviewing their stories and its a great read.) Knowing what works for you is what's most vital, and a lot of trial and error shouldn't be feared in order to better understand yourself. You'll never waste time trying to grow and improve yourself, even if you don't achieve the fame or money in the end.

For me, when I come up with a story idea, I am usually provoked by some other media I see and feel the urge to make something more suited to my tastes. I read about vampires or werewolves and wanna do my own spin on an urban high school for monsters, I get a fraction of information about some obscure mobile video game and want to run with it in a new direction that gives it lore and meaning beyond the pretty visuals. What do you enjoy reading or playing or watching? Chances are those are topics you might enjoy creating with. For me writing is like 'play' and I enjoy playing with some things more than others as my tastes change and mature with time. On the more technical side of things, in order to build a functioning story I try to make sure I have a problem in my story and I try to ensure my protagonists are characters with needs or desires that push them along through the narrative. These can change depending on the setting they're in.

When I first started writing I was like 12/13 and I just wanted to write for the fun of it and didn't know what I was doing when I posted my first fic online. I appreciated the validation of others who read my work and commented/reviewed, and I think later on that motivated me to switch up my style and try new things for the thrill of it. (No regrets, 10/10 would do again.) You asked about "how not to be afraid that no one needs my idea, and I'm wasting my time on unnecessary things?" Believe me when I say people need stories. I'm not sure about a lot of things in life but I know stories have existed as long as people have lived and there's a reason for that. We need stories as a species. Maybe you do create a story that gets 0 comments or only a few likes and clicks. It happens to most of us when we start out. We think we're making crap and never realize our fields need that fertilizer for a better harvest in the future. You'll make some bad poems and stories and mess up plays or scripts in your life and that's good as long as you don't let it stop you. Keep trying and figure out what works for you. Keep digging until you strike gold. Your brain and your soul deserve the nourishment creating gives them. Make art any way you want and don't look back.

It's fucking amazing to know someone loved what I wrote, even 5-10+ years later. It's humbling and haunting at the same time. I'll never stop being in awe of how great it is to know someone, somewhere in the world of endless possibilities, found some joy in my story. I'm forever in awe of how cool that is. But the older I get the more I realize this writing thing I do, this expression of creativity I gravitate towards, is a gift unto me for my own sake. I need to create stories. I want to live a little in these dream worlds of mine before the daylight burns it all way and makes me go back to work. Writing is a means of self preservation at this point, even though it's a lot of hard work I still mess up on. I find so much joy in the ideas I try to flesh out, so I hope you can discover for yourself the unique joy of creating too. Don't let fear hold you back. Write your story.

[d0t-d0t]

read destiny unchain online

I've never used tumblr in any capacity before, but I feel like this is a good way to introduce myself to it - by simping for my favorite manga series as much as I possibly can.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, why read DUO? Because it's just that good. It's basically like Shangri-La Frontier, but if the MC wasn't a lone wolf.

The premise is simple: In the distant future, VR and AR have integrated their way into daily life, and VRMMOs have exploded in popularity. The main character, Mitsuki Kou, has grown up playing VRMMOs all of his life, and his dad works for a company that develops them. From no-lifing VR games for his entire childhood, Kou has basically become what you'd call a "god gamer", and so his dad uses him to playtest the VRMMOs he develops.

The story begins as Kou's dad finishes his magnum opus: Destiny Unchain Online. Kou is called in to playtest for the game. Normally, VRMMOs in this universe are played using a fancy choker (rather than the headsets you see in other series); however, Kou's dad developed a special device for Kou to play in just for him, called "The Cradle". Kou logs in, and after choosing to play as a half-vampire named "Crim" in character creation, he gets genderbent by the game. It's at this point that she freaks out and contacts her dad, who then hits her with the double whammy that because of so-called "technical issues", she'll be staying logged into the game for three months straight.

So, yeah. It's got VRMMO, vampires, and genderbending. A triple whammy, if you ask me. But, of course, the premise doesn't make the story. What else do I love about this manga then? (I'll stay vague in this post to give you all a chance to read it before I post more spoilery stuff...)

Character-wise, everyone is just brimming with personality. Volume 1 largely focuses on just Crim and some NPCs, but in Volume 2, most of the rest of the main cast is introduced, and the character writing really starts to shine with how they bounce off one another.

The VRMMO mechanics are also very well thought out - the author plays a ton of video games and MMOs, and so situations, references, and terminology are brought out from their personal experiences rather than just using VRMMO as a story gimmick they wanted to try writing.

The fights in particular are VERY well executed. The paneling gives a great sense of movement, and the group vs. group combat has a ton of tactical elements thrown in. Just, in general, everything is thought out absurdly well.

And art-wise, holy crap. Wow. This manga, for lack of a better word, is simply beautiful.

Double page spreads GALORE, and there's some crazy art in later chapters that make you think "How the hell is this released weekly?"

And finally, there's Crim. We stan Crim here. (there's another character we stan here too, but that's for another post). Crim is just a completely lovable dork with one of the best character designs I've ever seen.

10/10, best manga of all time. read destiny unchain online.

feel free to ask questions cause I know way too much about the lore, and follow for more crimposting about DUO

[loominggaia]

Most embarrassing reason FGG goes to hospital

God, just imagine the crap Dr. Che puts up with from these idiots... Whenever he sees a Freelance Good Guy sitting in his lobby, you know he's bracing himself for some wild shit.

Evan: Ate something he shouldn't have in his werewolf form. Or shoved something up his ass he shouldn't have in his human form. Either way, there's an entire butternut squash stuck in his colon. Dr. Che doesn't care how it happened, he just knows it must be removed...

Lukas: Suicide attempt, which is quite bleak but I'm including it anyway, because he was very ashamed of himself afterwards.

Glenvar: Somehow got a hook pierced through his ear while fishing. Also got drunk and tried to do a backflip off his roof. Almost died of alcohol poisoning several times. Let a UTI escalate into sepsis. Starts fights with his crewmen and gets his ass kicked all the time. Self-injures when he's upset and sometimes goes a little too far...Honestly just take your pick, because he's a frequent flyer to the clinic.

Alaine: Keeps banging random dudes without a condom because "they'll pay more!", and gets weird infections because of it. Her vagina contains bacteria species unknown to modern science. Has also concussed herself by getting drunk and falling off tables, like, way more times than you'd believe. Has overdosed on various party-drugs a few times.

Jeimos: Shows up at the clinic at least once a month because they think they're having a heart attack. It's always an anxiety attack, but they figure it's better to be safe than sorry. Dr. Che just sends them home with some chill pills and they feel very silly afterwards.

Isaac: Evan told him not to eat laying down, but Isaac ignored him and then almost choked to death on a partinut. Got scraped up and burned in an anthousai attack after letting a nymph seduce him into its lair. Nearly lost his big toe when Shadow stepped on it with her talon. Dr. Che has removed countless objects from Isaac's nose over the years: marbles, rocks, acorns, pencils...you name it, this kid has put it in his nostril at least once.

Linde: Got pregnant after a one-night-stand with a guy in college, rushed to a clinic to abort the baby out of shame. Accidentally fell asleep outside once and got a fierce sunburn, which hospitalized her due to her albinism. She looked like a lobster for weeks afterwards.

Balthazaar: Got really sick after he drank ancient wine he found in a dusty old tomb.

Skel: He's so afraid of germs that he refuses to set foot in a clinic unless he's literally dying. He once thought he was dying when he had a kidney stone. He dragged himself to Dr. Che's house on his hands and knees in the middle of a rainy night, crying like a baby. Not his proudest moment.

Javaan: Got his wiener stuck in a tree stump. Or a piece of furniture. Or a person. It's different every time, but Dr. Che knows it's gonna be a long damn day whenever a mercenary bursts into his clinic and yells, "Hey doc, Javaan did the thing again!"

Elska: Elska doesn't go to the hospital. She sends bitches to the hospital.

Mr. Ocean: Regularly gets fishing hooks stuck in his lip. Guess how.

Zeffer: The most embarrassing reason he was in the clinic wasn't due to any illness, but the fact that he was stealing blood donations from it. Hey, a vampire's gotta drink!

Meanwhile, Dr. Che:

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

[sanctuaryoftheodd]

Lore Dump: Anti-Magic

I think I've Faceless proofed this place. Not that I think he's going to try anything after how last time went, but better safe than sorry. I don't want him rooting through my story notes or something. He sure trashed this place, I waited too long to go into battle mode. Just wasn't expecting him to just come barging right in like that! Ugh, this is why I wanted to kill him off, even I can't predict him sometimes.

Also, I really need to phase out these Lore Dumps considering technically he can hear them too, so I'm kind of just handing information to him. Plus anyways, after this one you'll have all the basics down. I still need to do one on Hekatos, his history alone is enough to fill a lore dump. Sorry, "histories," I guess technically he has more than one.

(Now that I think about it, do I need a lore dump about angels? Or maybe about The Big Loop? Eh, I'm sure it'll come up in the story, so I'll spare you that for now.)

Anyways, anti-magic! It's the "magic" of mortals, wielded almost exclusively by those that lack the divine spark. If magic is the power to take pen to paper, anti-magic is the power to flail the paper at your enemies hoping you'll inflict paper cuts.

To get an idea on what the heck I'm even talking about, imagine stirring a pot of liquid. The energy you put into your arm, the intent you put into that energy, the motions you make with the spoon, all come together to make a mini-cyclone within the pot. This is often considered in many cultures very minor anti-magic. You're manipulating what already exists to get a powerful reaction. Same goes for striking a match to create a flame, or stepping on the pedal of the car to make it go faster. It's action and reaction.

Now imagine that on a multiversal scale and you have the power of anti-magic.

Unlike magic which is very controlled and has strict rules on how it works, the only rules in anti-magic is what you bring into it. It reflects the rules you add. Because of this, it makes using it kind of difficult as most people are bound by the rules of their reality.

That being said, there are a number of creatures in these wide wide multiverses that can use anti-magic naturally. Some examples include

1. Minutians

2. Spectators

3. Demons

4. Conduits, Freeholders, and Splicers

5. The Pig at the Center of Everything

6. *REDACTED*

...wait, they can censor me? That's alarming...

AHEM, let's talk about minutians.

In the analogy I used earlier, I mentioned sending energy into your arm to stir the pot. Try to imagine every motion you make, every action you take as you flowing energy through your body and sending it out into your environment. You're sending energy from your arm into the spoon, into the pot. The energy minutians wield is a physical embodiment of that, manifesting in anti-magic. Truly skilled minutians can even turn that energy into wind, fire, or even void. Their ability to flow their energy through the body of their opponents can even block magic at its source. Of course, you know all this already.

Spectators are basically well, you. You reading this. Outsiders like you have way more of an effect than you realize. For example, say you're a reader and you leave a comment somewhere saying "I'm looking forward to seeing how vampires work in this lore." My Earth counterpart in your multiverse could see it and be like "Oh crap, I don't have a chapter explaining that yet," then suddenly an event pops up where Lexine gets a chance to explain the blood market and stuff. Cause and effect. Not to mention, ideas could be funneled into our neck of the woods. Like any references to your modern culture that seem out of place, or the fact Christianity exists (though not in Sanctuary.) It's anti-magic that allows all that to happen.

Next up are the demons. The way they utilize their anti-magic is very unique because they utilize the power of belief. If they believe something, truly believe in it, then it can come true. Sometimes reality will bend to their whims. They can create tools and weapons that shouldn't work, and in the hands of non-demons won't work, but the demon makes it work through pure willpower. There are many subsets of demons, and considering they are hiding in Multiverse B, I'm not sure if you'll even get a chance to meet any this time around. Well, except of course for *REDACTED*

Damnit, see what I mean? They won't even let me talk about them because they don't even believe in the truth I'm about to exposit!

Conduits, Freeholders, and Splicers won't be relevant to you. They come up much MUCH later on in a very different story in The Great Loop. Could be years or even decades before that story is told. Not to mention, it would take too long to explain them, so I'm not going to bother here. (Unless if you're from the future where I have written that story, then hello there! Hope you're liking Sanctuary of the Odd!)

The Pig at the Center of Everything is basically an eldritch abomination floating in the nothing. It originally came from Multiverse G, but it was kicked out by the version of me that runs that joint. Because it exists outside our multiverses, it has the abilities of a spectator, but because it's technically a creation of mine, it can still cross over into this reality. That is assuming it can find a proper way in.

Hmmm, just over 900 words... Oh! There is one more thing I can fill the page w- I mean, one more thing I can talk about! Anti-magic actually does have its own counterpart to the gods.

At the end of Multiverse A, just before the Final Timeline broke off to become Multiverse B, a greater demon named Ewe, the original forger of the Void Sword, went through a miraculous transformation. With the blessing from a piece of Hekatos' lost magic, they ascended to become the first and last demon lord. Their first action as their new self was to enter the final timeline and be a true threat to the gods.

However, when they transformed, they set the rules in which all demon lords would ascend, and with the cyclical nature of Multiverse A, it always became the rule. In order someone to become a demon lord, they must meet the requirements of each of their fingers:

Right Hand:

Thumb: Must not possess divine magic.

Index: Must be able to manipulate anti-magic in some form.

Middle: Must have convinced others to betray hard coded beliefs.

Ring: Must not be attracted to the opposite sex and must not identify as the sex that was assigned at birth.

Pinky: Must not have biological progeny.

Left Hand: 

Pinky: Must make a sacrifice of blood.

Ring: Must not be conceived from both a man and a woman.

Middle: Must bring the downfall of a leader with a birthright.

Index: Must have an indomitable self-worth, but still face reality.

Thumb: Must have the blessing of a former god.

Demon lords are pinnacles of self and individuality. By design they oppose established order and fight for a new order that more fits their ideals, for better or for worse.

As implied, you don't even need to be a demon to become a demon lord. You'll become part demon upon ascending. Whatever anti-magic you were using before will be amplified and advanced, and you'll gain demon belief magic on top of that.

Though, you might have noted a problem here. That final requirement, "must have the blessing of a former god" kind of screws over the current inhabitants of Multiverse B considering all the gods kinda died in the war. This is why no demon lords have ascended since the war.

But, I think it's still important to list the rules to illustrate what makes anti-magic different. The list of rules feels almost like a prophecy, the kind of stuff you see in fairy tales. But if you've been paying attention so far, divine power never gave off that vibe. Magic is more about coding. It's about planning and building to make it a reality. That's the thing, no real person acts like they do in fairy tales, they have agendas, goals, plans. So it's fitting that the stuff that actually looks like the stuff of legends belongs to the "magic" of the common people. They are the ones that breathe life into those kinds of stories.

[r0ttinravensblvd]

‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙

𓂃 ࣪˖ ཐིཋྀ W̯ͤ̾ͣ͝Ḛͭ̉̇͟L̸̖̽̌͂C̵͉͋̔͞O̖̼ͩ͌͐M͉̅ͮ͒ͤḚͭ̉̇͟

( 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖒𝖊 𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖌 ) ִֶָ. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🦇་༘࿐

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ this is my first ever post on here :DD, i have sm interests so i'm not sure what I'll really post here, probably, art? sketches? witchcraft? music? my crappy writing? moodboards? i have no idea. but i'm sure i'll definitely post mixed content.

!! DNI if you're: pedo, male pervert, zoophile, EXTREMELY religious, AI artist, racist, n@zi, etc.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ basics abt me ;;

✧ i don't wanna share my age, srry (⁠ب⁠_⁠ب⁠)

✧ she/her

✧ december sagittarius

✧ bisexual + asexual

✧ INTP

✧ Georgian (mixed Russian and Ukrainian)

✧ pagan

✧ i love writing even though i struggle a bit with reading

✧ i'm currently writing a book about a medieval lesbian vampire's weird ahh adventure

✧ i absolutely fricking love music

✧ my fave music genre is metal and gothic rock/post-punk (and SOOOOO many other subgenres)

✧ i'm a babybat and a metalhead

✧ i've been an artist for nearly 4 years and i'm still not sure what my art style is

✧ i'm a baby witch

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ random facts about me ;;

✧ i love watching zombie apocalypse stuff (twd is my most beloved show of all time)

✧ i'm Bathory's and Type O Negative's biggest glazer

✧ currently learning Finnish and Norwegian

✧ i'm a professional daydreamer

✧ i have sooo many ocs (and oc lores)

✧ i do a lot of diy crap

✧ i have dark blonde hair and hazel eyes

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ that's it, for now...

°。 ⋆༺ 𓋹༻⋆。 °

[murfpersonalblog]

I've been seeing posts about IWTV's pisspoor ratings all season long. I don't use social media other than Youtube & Tumblr, so IDK what goes on elsewhere, but on Tumblr IWTV trends in the Top 3 every week, going head to head with HotD & Dr Who; and way more people are reacting to it on Youtube, too.

Word of mouth is powerful; I talk to fans IRL all the time. I got a few of my friends to watch it, and I've gone to conventions & bought fanmade AMC!Loustat merch from BOOK fans who love this show. So I know people are out there tryna get the word out, grassroots.

But clearly more work needs to be done, if ratings are tanking. And I feel like AMC's the one shooting themselves in the foot. Cuz we're out here putting in the work. But wtf does AMC expect, when its streaming platform is darn near irrelevant, and even the availability of this show is some of the worst I've ever seen. It makes NO sense how people in the UK don't get IWTV for MONTHS after the season ENDS, when darn near half the cast is BRITISH! Their own people can't even watch the show! Thank god the Australians have it, otherwise a large chunk of the non-USA fans actively promoting this show via gifs & metas & videos & clips wouldn't even be able to see it AT ALL! 🏴‍☠️ Making niche shows accessible ONLY on niche streaming services/channels will KILL IT faster than anything else! IDKY why AMC hasn't partnered with Netflix or something, so way more people have easier availability & don't need to sail the seven seas with VPNs & crap just to watch one show FFS! Prestige can only take you so far if no one knows your show exists; and the ones who do can't even watch it legally!

I'm well past 30, and most of the reactors I watch are 30+ too. But bless the CW crowd; they're the goats who carried Destiel for 50billion seasons even when its queerbaiting smacked the dogsnot out of everyone; and let Twilight put vampires back on the map. But just cuz they're "young and female" doesn't mean they can't handle or be attracted to more mature stories, stronger language, and far gorier fantasy horror--look at True Blood. The difference is that unlike AMC, HBO knew how to promote its show extremely well. Cuz shocker: SEX SELLS.

AMC has a golden nugget--nay, a DIAMOND--that is THE Helen of Troy of vampires, the beautiful Louis de Pointe du Lac, who has powerful, gorgeous vampires frothing at the mouth for a mere CRUMB of his attention. And THIS is what we get:

AMC, trust me, I GET IT, you're leaning into the vintage-noir theatricality of the Theatre des Vampires, but the world's your oyster!

I swore to my friends on a stack of bibles that IWTV was good and they should watch it, going on & on about the acting & costumes & writing, only to be met with crickets until I said: Oh yeah, the MCs are 🌈 hot gay guys who have naked hot gay sex 🌈 in like the first 30 minutes. Chile, when I tell you those degenerates went RUNNING to check it out! 😅

Like, WTF Is AMC doing for PRIDE?! Assad's flawless boobs should be COVERED in blood!

This is another problem of accessibility, but this time about the LORE. IWTV is not a show you can really watch with your brain turned off. You don't HAVE to read the books--some would even argue that you SHOULDN'T, cuz AMC's changed a lot of the storybeats. But how cool would it be if AMC sold audiobooks with the actors doing the voice work? For all the effups Netflix had with The Witcher, people gobbled up Henry Cavill reading excerpts of Andrzej Sapkowski's books. AMC keeps bragging about Sam & Assad reading all the books--SHOW US, then! Sit those nerds down with TVL & TVA or AR's Alphabettery and and have them go awf!

Really funny to see this headline in my news feed after my dash has been dominated by this show against my will for weeks. Tumblr experience is not universal etc