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i've been playing HSR again after forever, which sparked some AU thoughts: soma would eventually be able to switch between different paths as a nod to the soul mechanic. destruction feels like the most obvious one (and it is!), though some other paths also stand out to me — namely erudition, the hunt and preservation. as for his actual background, i would have to think about it a bit more, but i don't think the concept of reincarnation would be too far-fetched in the setting.

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hi! i said i'd be around more, but i feel too fatigued to focus on stuff here. on the bright side, my christmas break is right around the corner so i should be able to rest up. :pray:

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there are some interesting implications about the fact that soma doesn't lose HP while poisoned in the games; it only physically weakens him for some time. but realistically speaking, what does that even mean?? does it mean he isn't in danger of dying from actual poisons? (i mean. i don't think he would be unaffected by them but, y'know, no mortal danger.)

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apparently, this site doesn't seem to like me using my divider for some reason. :/

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Just like that, the tension abates, and Soma releases the breath he didn't realize he was even holding. He doesn't know what he would have done if the other man had decided to go through with his threat regardless. Using his souls is the obvious answer, but whether he could've reacted in time is a different matter.

❝ Uh... no? My sword just has a holy attribute. ❞

He doesn't know what 'innocence' is.

Although there are some things Soma doesn't really understand, he slowly nods at the man's explanation. ❝ Okay, I think I get it. ❞ The Millennium Earl isn't an organization but some evil guy who keeps summoning monsters. And apparently, this Millennium Earl has minions.

By the sound of things, he also wants something from Soma.

It wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened.

❝ Well, I'm a student. I go to university, ❞ he responds without skipping a beat. There wouldn't be anything different about him without Dracula's soul. ❝ It's just that I'm the only one who can use the power I mentioned. ❞

He steps away from the man, stopping before he steps on one of the corpses.

❝ Let's put it this way: when I killed a demon... uh, akuma, nothing happened, right? ❞ When he dealt the killing blow, no familiar light escaped from its corpse. ❝ But it could have. Whenever I kill a monster, there's a chance its soul might just... fly into me. And after that, I can use its ability as my own. That's the power of dominance. ❞

Hopefully, explaining this much isn't going to bite him.

❝ I'm trying to live my life. ❞ Some old, familiar frustration creeps into his voice. Sure, Soma has accepted the fact that he has this power. There's nothing he can do about his own soul. ❝ But these things just keep happening! ❞

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄  𝐖𝐀𝐒  𝐀𝐍  𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐄  𝐓𝐎  𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐓  𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐀'𝐒  𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐓.  however,  based  on  the  other  male's  reaction,  he  couldn't  help  but  be  inclined  to  believe  his  statements  to  be  true.  the  entire   𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  at  hand  only  led  to  more  questions  than  answers.

sighing  in  aggravation,  he  removed  mugen  from  the  others  neck  &  sheathed  it  once  more.  it  seemed  that  was  more  to  this  cult  thing  than  he  thought.  not  to  mention,  the  power  of  dominance  was   𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐡𝐞  𝐡𝐚𝐝  𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫  𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝  𝐨𝐟.

❝  [  ...  ]  i've  never  heard  of  this  power  of  dominance.  all  i  know  of  is  innocence  ──  &  your  weapon,  while  it  looks  like  it  could  be  one,  isn't.  is  that  it  ?  is  that  this  so  called  power  of  dominance   ?  ❞

kanda's  glacier  orbs  glanced  over  at  soma's  weapon.  he  was  sensing  something,  but  he  couldn't  pinpoint  where  it  was  coming  from  ──  either  soma  himself  or  the  weapon.  based  on  this,  his  suspicions  of  the  other  being  some  kind  of  akuma  &  or  noah  slightly  surfaced  again.

all  of  this  was  giving  him  a  headache.  ❝  the  millennium  earl.  he's  the  creator  of  akumas.  we're  currently  at  war  with  him  &  his  followers,  the  noah  family.  basically   [   ...  ]  we  of  the  order  are  𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲'𝐬  𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭  𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞.  ❞  by  now,  there  was  no  point  in  trying  to  keep  a  low  profile.

even  if  he  gave  soma  information  on  exactly  who  &  what  he  was,  there  was  nothing  the  other  could  gain  from  it.  the  earl  had  already  made  his  move.  ❝  now  it's  your  turn.  who  &  what  are  you  ?  clearly  the  earl  wants  𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠  if  he's  helping  this  cult  with  his  akuma.  what  makes  you  so  special  ?  ❞

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i'm finally free from the exam hell (at least for the rest of this year), so i will catch up on some drafts this week. thanks for your patience!

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hi, i am still alive! i've mostly been a bit busier and working on a sideblog for julius. you can find him @vanitaswhip... which is still very much a work in progress, but i want to try my hand at writing a belmont :D

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❝ ...Huh? ❞ Soma doesn't expect a blade to get pointed in his direction as soon as the last demon falls. One hand that is about wipe away the beads of sweat from his forehead freezes before slowly falling back to his side. He has hardly even processed the fact that these monsters are apparently marked when he is demanded to explain.

One of them? What?

❝ How am I supposed to know the answer to that?! ❞ he blurts out after a beat of stunned silence. His hold on Claimh Solais tightens. ❝ I don't know what the hell you are even talking about! I don't know who you are! ❞ Only genuine confusion and frustration make themselves known. Who wouldn't freak out in a situation like this?

Soma is pretty sure an akuma is an evil spirit, and its existence would hardly surprise him at this point. But... Millennium Earl? What is that supposed to be? Some kind of an organization? It doesn't ring a bell. Nothing ever really does. Even if Dracula had known about it, it's not like he can tap into those memories at will.

He releases a sharp breath. Losing control over his own emotions won't end well. He knows that.

❝ ...I know that cults are interested in me because I have something called the power of dominance. I wasn't lying when I said I'm trying to track one down. ❞ Now, it's far less about him hesitating to rip off the bandaid. Soma doesn't feel safe enough to disclose the entire truth —— not to this man who seems ready to kill him if he breathes in a wrong way.

❝ You mentioned... the Millennium Earl, right? What is that? Unless they want something from me, I don't know what's up with those demons. ❞ Or is Hammer's intelligence somehow wrong? He doesn't remember if any of the demons that showed up in Hakuba had any weird markings on them.

𝐎𝐅  𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄  𝐇𝐄  𝐇𝐀𝐃  𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍  𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆  𝐓𝐎  𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐀  𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒  𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐑. however,  the  situation  had  vastly  changed  since  then,  &  he  now  found  himself  even  more  suspicious  of  the  other  male  due  to  the   𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤  star  markings  on  these  recent  demons.

❝  i'll  ask  again,  where  are  they  coming  from  ?  you  said  some  cult  involving  dracula  ──  yet  these  markings  are  from  the  millennium  earl.  explain  yourself.  ❞  `pon  finishing  off  the  remaining  enemies,  he  quickly  pointed  his  weapon  at  the  white  haired  individual.  he  was  giving  him  a  chance  to  tell  the  truth.

all  things  considered,  the  way  these  enemies  flocked  to  soma  would  mean  the  male  was  directly  involved  with  the  earl  &  akuma  the  order  was  at  war  against.  if  that  was  the  case,  everything  happening  right  now  would  make  sense  &  this  predicament  could  have  been  𝐚  𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥  𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝  𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩  𝐛𝐲  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐧𝐨𝐚𝐡  𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲.

❝  if  you're  one  of  them,  then  you  should  know  who  &  what  i  am.  you  should  also  know  what  i  will  cut  you  down  without  hesitation.  now  talk.  how  was  it  that  the exact  moment  you  showed  up,  these  things  became  akuma.  ❞  phoenix  gaze  narrowed,  𝐦𝐮𝐠𝐞𝐧  inching  closer  to  other  male's  neck.

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❝ What the... ❞ Breathing heavily, Soma stares down at the slightly charred remains of the creature he just killed. It resembles a human, but that's where any similarities seem to end. Once it noticed him, it had only mindlessly charged towards him like a zombie soldier.

After fighting his way through two monster-infested castles, his reflexes were thankfully faster than its swing. But if it wasn't for his power responding to the immediate danger, a mere pocket knife wouldn't have been enough to end the fight in a matter of minutes.

Continuing down the street, Soma is left with no answers —— only more questions. Wherever this is, it's like a ghost town from another era altogether. The buildings look far from modern... There's no reception either, so trying to call Arikado or anyone else is completely useless.

Footsteps, other than his own, break the eerie silence.

The first actual person Soma sees reminds him of cosplayers from anime conventions, mostly due to the outfit and red-and-blue hair. That isn't here or there, though, when she immediately mistakes him for something else.

Pale eyes widen with a realization.

❝ Wait! ❞ Soma calls out, taking the chance when she doesn't immediately attack him. Is that hesitation or...? ❝ I'm not— I'm not one of those things! ❞ He is pretty sure she called him a 'corrupted.' Is that what they are called?

❝ I swear I'm not going to hurt you... ❞

He closes the knife and slips it back in his pocket —— all done with slow, visible movements. Raises his hands. Hopefully, that's enough to prove he isn't hostile.

❝ I don't even know what's going on here. ❞

✦ · . — A world unknown

[reincarnight]

now that i have a better understanding of the game, here are more detailed thoughts on the killer!soma au. (survivor edition coming soon??)

he is from dawn of sorrow, specifically from its bad ending. soma witnessed his best friend's "murder" but didn't have the talisman equipped (and thus, arikado couldn't intervene in time). the black fog whisks him away not too long after he kills celia.

his appearance is very human-like! at least from the distance / if you don't pay enough attention. he has crimson eyes, fangs and pointy ears + he looks unnaturally pale. here are his portrait sprites from aria, with soma awakened as dracula on the right, for reference:

unlike with dracula, the castle doesn't appear in the background if soma is the killer. this is due to the fact that it's currently sealed inside the solar eclipse.

soma, dracula, dark lord... he responds to any of these.

he doesn't really care about the entity or the trials, only seeing the latter as a source of entertainment at best. soma 100% believes he can break himself out whenever he wants. i mean, this is cv's satan equivalent we're talking about.

in a similar vein to julius mode, he can levitate and teleport around the trial grounds. (see the first phase of the boss fight for a general idea.) by default, he attacks with hellfire — either in short bursts or charged attacks... but you know what? he has some really cool souls he could use.

depending on his mood, he might play around a little: eg. give survivors a false sense of security by letting them believe they've escaped him (and then snatch it away).

he will absolutely tunnel any belmont he sees —— or any other survivor who annoys him tbh, but a belmont will always take priority. he remembers all of his deaths at their hands.

out of the survivors, alucard is the only one who would make him pause. the fun moral question of whether you'd hook your son :)

[insert spiderman pointing meme] applies to killer!soma seeing dracula.

++ note that i treat survivor and killer au as their own separate universes. if your muse is talking to killer soma, survivor counterpart doesn't exist in that specific interaction, and vice versa. that said, i'm not strict about it.

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my rules have been updated with the proper psd credit. 🫶

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#TEJEVINCULOS; an indie, private and selective multimuse for muses from the Fire Emblem series, currently only focused on Engage. Written by Aster ( 22, he/him ). Personals DNI / Template credit

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#  VANCREUX: an extremely private and selective, low activity mumu ft. VARIOUS Honkai: Star Rail muses well as muses from Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Tales Of Series & more. hc based & canon divergent based on source material. Read the RULES before even following. ©

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When Arikado claims he isn't afraid, Soma doesn't believe him. Mind you, he doesn't often have many reasons to doubt his friends. They supported him when he needed it the most. When his own emotions don't get the better of him, he recognizes even Arikado cares. But now? It's that single moment of hesitation that sticks out like a sore thumb.

He is right, isn't he? This realization takes Soma by surprise because he was mostly just guessing. Trying and failing to make sense of everything. There must really be something more to this than what he is aware of.

Before he can think about it any further, much less talk, Soma recoils back a step as if struck. Pale eyes widen. His lips part without a sound. And then... ❝ Stop bringing Mina into this! I would NEVER hurt her. ❞ Visceral hurt bleeds into his tone. Soma Cruz would never intentionally place Mina Hakuba in harm's way. ❝ And no, I don't know because you won't explain it to me! ❞

A sharp breath. He reaches for the talisman around his neck, clutching it in his hand. He doesn't want to argue with Arikado. He really doesn't. But he doesn't want to keep going around in circles, either.

❝ ...Look, I'm not the one making excuses here. ❞ Soma tries to sound calmer than he truly feels. No yelling, no shouting — especially not at the Hakuba Shrine. ❝ You're afraid. ❞ It's not a question but a statement uttered with full confidence. ❝ That's why you're being so evasive. ❞

It leaves him with one important question: afraid of what? This whole back-and-forth started because Soma wanted to know about his past incarnation. So, it has to be related to Dracula somehow. He still doesn't think it's about the possibility of another dark lord emerging —— at least not entirely.

Did Dracula...? No, that can't be it. While it's difficult to pinpoint Arikado's exact age, he doesn't look old in Soma's eyes.

His head is starting to hurt. ❝ You're afraid because... because you think something will happen if I find out? Is that it? ❞ It's a shot in the dark, but Soma can't think of anything else.

It's so fractional that one might barely see it, but Arikado's eyes widen a little at Soma's accusation before his mouth presses into a grimace. Perhaps it wasn't intended as such, or maybe it was, but to Arikado - an accusation is exactly how it feels. Because honestly... Soma's hit the nail right on the head in a way that he doesn't want to acknowledge at all.

"I..." he only hesitates for a moment, but one moment is enough for Soma to surely pick up on. "I'm not afraid."

Arikado's insistence is firm and defensive. But how could he not be afraid? If Arikado tells him the truth, then not only will it change the way Soma looks at him forever, but... will Arikado start looking for glimpses of his father in him even more? Will he torment himself by looking for something that was never there? Or worse, what if it is?

Arikado knows that Soma is a child, and it's not like he doesn't usually think of him as such. God knows that attitude of his makes it obvious on most days. But sometimes... occasionally, Arikado can feel himself slip. There's a part of him that wants Soma's approval. His reassurance. Things that no ordinary adult would feel about someone so inexperienced in the world... but perfectly natural when you consider what a child might want from their father...

"And- even if I was, I have a perfectly good reason to be. Do you even know what harm Dracula brought to this world? Stop looking for excuses and trying to justify yourself with hypotheticals! You'd risk Mina's life just for your curiosity?"

He'll regret snapping later, he's sure - but in the end, a scared animal will always lash out. Soma's right. He doesn't want him to find out the truth. And while Arikado hates his own cowardice... that hatred doesn't make the desperation that grips him go away at all.

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❝ Really? Aw, man, I didn't see any when I got my food. ❞ A touch of disappointment enters Soma's voice once he realizes he must've missed the memo. Unlike the other student, he can understand the fuss since curry is one of his favorite foods. With the Waiter Skeleton's soul, he could even summon it —— even if that hot bowl of curry got turned into a deadly weapon.

...Whoops, he didn't even notice that book at first. But still, the pleasantries are returned.

❝ It could be because I usually eat with my friend, Mina. She isn't here today, though, ❞ Soma explains in response to Mamoru's question, grey eyes softening as he mentions Mina. The corners of his mouth turn up into a slight smile. ❝ We sometimes head off campus and eat with our other friends. ❞

Julius and Yoko when they are in Japan. Arikado when the agent isn't too busy with his work. Hammer, too.

His gaze flickers to the book, then back to Mamoru's face. ❝ I'm not interrupting your reading, am I? ❞

cerulean  orbs  scanned  their  surroundings  &  a  low  grunt  escaped  from  the  back  of  his  throat.  ❝  no  problem  ──  it  gets  pretty   𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐂  when  it's  curry  bread  day  for  some  reason.  i  personally  don't  see  why  it's  such  a  big  deal.  ❞

his  eyes  wandered  downward  to  the  book  he  had  been  reading  prior  to  calling  the  other  male  over.  it  was  a  good  thing  he  knew  how  to  cook.  otherwise,  he'd  probably  be  fighting  tooth  &  nail  for  his  lunch  right  now  like  the  other  students.

`pon  hearing  the  white  haired  male  introduce  himself,  mamoru  shifted  his  attention  towards  him  &  nodded  lightly.  ❝  mamoru  chiba.  it's  nice  to  meet  you,  𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐀.  never  seen  you  around  before.  are  you  perhaps  from  the  other  side  of  the  campus  ?  ❞

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❝ Hey, sorry I am late. ❞ At first, Soma fails to notice an unfamiliar face among his friends. ❝ Mina wanted to let you know— ❞

He stops mid-sentence, pale eyes finally landing on the stranger who greets him with a warm smile. ❝ Uh, yeah, I am. ❞ With the typical awkwardness of your average teenager, Soma slowly nods, finding himself a little lost for words. Heard much... about him? His gaze flickers to Arikado, then Julius and Yoko. Just how much?

But since his friends—minus Mina, and hey, Hammer is surprisingly absent as well—are all present, he returns the smile. ❝ I hope it's only good things. ❞ One hand touches the back of his head.

❝ So, who are you? Someone from the church...? ❞

@reincarnight -- ;

"Alright, I admit it: I prefer books. Happy?"

Yoko appeared pleased with herself as Julius grumbled and fished in his coat pocket for 1000 Yen, clearly having lost a bet Sypha wasn't aware had been made in the first place. In the confines of the rustic izakaya, Genya seemed more at ease than Sypha had seen him in some time, which brought them quite a bit of relief. Yet, when the dhampir piqued at someone at the izakaya's entrance, so did Sypha who smiled warmly.

"Oh, so you're Soma? I've heard so much about you, but it's good to finally meet."