#Vampire Zhang AU

[etherealvoidechoes]

What If? - Sinew & Crimson - Blood Hunt - Vampire Zhang Au

Art drought incoming. I am not in the best of moods and may be a touch depressed, but here is some writing.

Zhang and Karris taking out a bandit encampment and Zhang indulging in a darker side of himself.

Warnings for blood, gore, cannibalism, and mild language. Oh and liberal use of Google Translate. So sorry.

6.8k

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Zhang softly hummed to himself. Head swaying side to side, foot tapping to the beat to the harsh electronic music playing through his earbuds. Even his soldering tool was matching the beat as he went about desoldering some components from some old broken tech that had been recently found. Scavenging and recycling were a necessity to survive, and he just couldn’t give up his love for making IEDs. It was a stress relief and then his skills came in quite handy for the wandering group and an absolute nuisance for ADVENT.

He continued to work contently, a few times his hand went over to his music device to skip songs as he worked or pause it to give a few thank you’s to those bringing in more stuff for him to salvage and put to use. 

“Next time, Orkos. Until that venom is out of your system, you know you can’t handle the wires.” He had grown fond of the former Stun Lancer who had started to hover over him roughly around the time he “deemed” he could during his “poor health”. She was quick to pick up the art of IED making and became a great help. Though right now, after a nasty run in with those dreadful bugs, she couldn’t lend him a helping hand like she usually did.

“I understand!” Her tone was cheery like a songbird. “I have other things to keep me occupied like learning from my Skirmisher brothers and sisters on how they disable and remove chips!” She was just beaming with excitement. “I must get going as lessons are starting!” 

She gave Zhang a few playful pats on the back before running out. Zhang just shook his head and chuckled. He returned to his work.

Then he felt something. A presence. Someone lingering about. His nostrils flared, as he took in several quite breathes, quickly processing new and familiar scents. His eyes closed, rolling them. He didn’t need to look to see who it was. Just someone familiar and probably just entering their “hunting study” mode. How nearly everyone in the group had their quirks.

Ignoring the lingering presence, he continued his work. Until a few crates nearby by rattles, and then the table shook.

“Gāisǐ. Lái ba…” Zhang jerked his tool away from the delicate circuitry he was working on and the other hand slammed down on the table to brace it. 

The table shook under his hand for a few moments more before stopping. 

“That damn animal brain of his.” Zhang’s brow twitched as he kept his eyes from looking at the nuisance disturbing his work. “Though I cannot judge too harshly as I have my own special quirks now.” 

A grumble slipped out before Zhang went back to work. A free hand went over and lowered the volume to his music so he could keep track of his friend. Though the man had never attacked anyone when he was in his “hunger study” mode, it never hurt to listen to any sounds he would make just to track his mood.

His friend was pretty quiet. Just deep and slow steady breathing. 

Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap…

One nail after the other slowly drummed against the metal crate. And this continued… for several minutes.

Zhang furrowed his brows, grip tightening on his soldering iron, as another grumble came out. He could imagine those brown and blue eyes were locked onto him with great intensity. 

PLOP!

His eyes quickly darted to the left. They quickly fell onto something red and shiny that jostled about. It was a packet of blood, filled to the brim. From the looks of it, it looked to be human blood. He felt his throat tremble and teeth ache for a moment.

“No, no, no…” He quietly muttered to himself as he returned his attention back to his work. He didn’t want it. He didn’t need it. That dreadful blood he craved more than a Hybrid’s. How much he hated that.

PLOP! CLANG!

This time the table shook as two items, much heavier Thant the blood packet, fell onto the table. There was the distinctive sound of soft fabric touching the table and then the clinks of metal armor tapping together.

He glanced over again and save indeed there were some clothes and armor on the table. Looked to be some dark gray unders-uit of some sort. It had swirling alien markings on it that reminded him of Lynette’s and Marcus’ symbiotic armor. Then the actual armor, repurposed ADVENT armor, but looked the Skirmishers had done the work with their own flair. The plating was a dark sandy brown and white. The group had been in contact with the local tribes and had been supplying them with any armor they recovered from slain ADVENT for some resources. Perhaps the group had commissioned some armor?

“Hm.” He couldn’t help but raise a brow. He continued his work.

Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap…

A few minutes passed back until a smell struck him. Tickling his nose like a siren song. Sweet. Savory. His throat trembled; swallowing hard fighting back the building saliva. His eyes darted back to that blood back in a heartbeat. 

A finger was now tapping away at that bag. Nails as sharp as his had pierced the plastic shell and sweet globules of crimson were slowly flowing out with each tap.

This had to be an offering. Eyes narrowed quickly onto the culprit. Mismatched “dead” eyes — one brown and the other blue-ish green — locked with his.

“What do you want, Karris?” Zhang’s lip raised in annoyance, though he did his best to hold back a sneer. 

Karris was perched, hunched over like a prowling cat, on top a crate adjacent to the table. His response did not deter him; fingers continued to tap away at that blood bag and his eyes stayed firmly on him. Really, Karris looked barely fazed as he constantly had a more “dead”, plain look he wore consistently. Though those canines… sharp teeth. His teeth were barred revealing both sets of canines were oddly elongated, curving over his other teeth and lips.

“It’s a,” that low, rough voice of Karris paused, taking in a raspy breath, “fresh draw from some volunteers.” He tapped the bag in quick succession, piercing it in a few more spots. “All human… well… maybe one or two Hybrids are in here. But it is good.”

A little system that was developed to help ward off Zhang’s occasional thirst for blood as sometimes he had cravings for human blood and no amount of Hybrid or alien blood and flesh could satisfy it. 

Zhang’s nose wrinkled as more of that blood flowed out. It smelled so good. Feeling that feral thirst grow, he forced himself to look away, rubbing his nose in a futile attempt to get the scent out. “I’m good.” 

That didn’t stop Karris. That finger kept on tapping, punching more and more holes in the pack. He then suddenly stabbed at it, not taking his eyes off Zhang, and slowly pushed the pack towards him. A streak of crimson stained the table. 

Zhang’s brow twitched. The next moment, he slammed his tool down on the table; his other hand clawed into it. A flash of gold crosses his eyes as they narrowed. “Why are you here? Out with it.” 

The blood packet stopped just a few inches away from Zhang. Karris didn’t remove his finger.

“Craving some people.” He nonchalant answered. His canines flexed in and out. “Heard you are too.”

Craving some people. 

Sharp nails scrapped the table, causing the wood to splinter. A few curses in Mandarin slipped out. Zhang felt like a vein on his head was about to burst. “You know I don’t like eating humans, Karris.”

“Unless they’re the loathsome kind.” His face barely changed.

“… mhm.” Zhang couldn’t deny that. One of the few exceptions to his no hunting humans rule.

“So, I’ve found a nasty bandit camp we can make our dinner.” He tapped the blood pack a few more times, coating his finger quite heavily in blood. He then retracted his finger, bring his hand to his face and licked it off. “Mm, sweet and sharp. Your favorite right?”

“Fuck you.” 

This time a little smirk peeked through before Karris’ face became plain again. “So the bandit camp. They’ve attacked the local trading hub we’ve become friends with. Some kids got killed.”

Feeling his brow twitch ones more — and giving himself a headache — Zhang raised his hands to head and rubbed his temples. Karris, oh Karris. He wanted to strangle the man, but did he knew how to get to that animal side of him for certain hunts, and then the emotional side. Explained why camp was light this morning and some of their more resource people and “pack animals” had left around noon. Must have been helping survivors of that trading hub.

Just how many bandit groups had they run into now that were more troublesome than the local ADVENT patrols? Far too many. And he had killed more than a handful himself.

As he mulling over how he would respond to his pestering friend, he noticed that hand inching its way back to the blood pack. Oh, hell no.

Like a cracking whip, Zhang’s hand quickly snatched that packet up before Karris could start tapping it again. Then he bit into it, teeth sinking in, a spray of blood bursted out before he threw his head back and drank the blood. Sweet and sharp. Just delicious.   

Once every drop was gone, and his elongated tongue had cleaned up the mess he made of his face, Zhang tossed the pack aside and looked back at Karris. 

“When do you want to do this?” He was still annoyed, but could tell Karris wasn’t going to leave the subject alone. And after tasting that blood, he wanted more. Especially some fresh flesh.

“Tonight, if you’re available.”

“Tonight works.”

“Good.” The corners of Karris’ lips turned upwards as his canines partially retracted. He then patted the clothes and armor he brought. “Something for you to wear tonight. Should fit your flexibility. Supposedly the under-suit is made from the same symbiotic stuff Lynette’s and Marcus’ armor is made from.” Pressing his hand down on the pile, he pushed it over to Zhang, avoiding the blood streak on the table. “Unless you feel like hunting in the nude.” Those brows raised up in down quickly. A rare time for him to joke.

“Gǔn dàn.”Zhang’s remaining patience was thin.

“Meet you around the south side of camp tonight.” With that, Karris hopped off the crate and made his out of the tent. Still on all fours. Looked like that “hunt and study” part of his brain wasn’t off yet.

Zhang slumped deep down in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. Claws digging deep into his skin, almost drawing blood.

“I’m going to regret this aren’t I?” He just grumbled under his breath. How much he hated part of the new him; how easily it could be manipulated at times.

“Just hope neither of us go feral tonight if things get too hot.” 

He looked over to the clothes and armor Karris brought and picked them up and some examined them. As he ran his fingers over some of the armored platting, he felt it reverberate and a few psionic sparks popped off of him.

“Huh?” He ran his fingers along the metal again, nails skipping across the scratches and dings as his psionics fully activated. There was a pull coming from the armor, somehow entangling and enhanced his psioncs. “Part of this looks like that Priest armor. So… elerium has to be in this… Where did they get this?” Now he was curious. And he couldn’t wait to try this out.

“Tonight will be interesting.”

——

Hours passed, and day turned into night. A bright crescent moon shined above, accompanied by hundreds of stars. A chorus of bugs were happily chirping into the night.

Camp was humming with some activity. People were back from helping out the survivors of the trading hub and back to doing this usual duties around camp.

“I have a lot of questions concerning this armor, Karris.”

“Ask Burne and Navi when we get back. Just know they told me to deliver it to you.”

Karris and Zhang were are their meeting place and Zhang was showing off his new armor. Light, flexible, and plated sections covered the most vulnerable parts in all the right places. 

They started hashing out their plan. They would work carefully survey the bandit camp, get a headcount, and figure out their movements before striking. 

“Quick or slow?” Karris asked, picking at his teeth with a claw.

Quick or slow. A question Zhang didn’t want to think too much about. That wild part of him enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, his prey struggling to survive as he overpowered him. Sometimes he wondered if it was slowly eroding his humanity.

“We’ll see what happens.” He answered. 

After a few more plans being made, the two set off towards the bandit camp.

——

It took a few hours, but the two located the bandit camp. It was just a small shopping center they had taken over. There was some decent activity, people moving gear around, chatting around the fires, or messing around and firing off their guns are some bottles. There was a decent amount of rabble from those talking about some of their recent raid and plans to commit some more.

Nearby the east end of the center, perched high in the thicket of some deciduous trees were Karris and Zhang. Glowing eyes peeked through the dense foliage and scanned the camp.

“How many are you picking up?” Zhang asked.

Karris took in a deep breath, flaring his nostrils. He then exhaled sharply, causing a white mist to wick out. “Good amount. Over 20, possibly more. Decent feast.”

“Hm…” His throat trembled. He could already taste their blood.

His eyes glowed gold for a moment as they darted around picking up small little pings as he did a quick scan. “Around 25, give or take.” That nose of Karris seemed quite accurate. ”Something’s blocking my psionics with counting some of them.”

“Probably some shields they stole from the trade hub.” Karris growled.

“Who ever has them may be a minor nuisance.”

“Locate them first?”

Zhang nodded. 

“Hm…” Karris scratched at his throat. His eyes bounced around the landscape, taking in all the people and the buildings. “Find, mark, and meet at the top of the Burger Town.” He pointed a claw in the direction of the old abandoned fast-food chain.

“Sounds like a plan. Stick to the shadows.”

“Fadâye saret.” Karris chuckled before he carefully made his way down the tree and slinked off into the shadows.

Zhang soon followed, using his psionics to put out a small distortion field on any who may cross him.

Their reconnaissance began. 

Zhang prowled the grounds, shifting from wall to brush to dumpster as he searched for those with those troublesome mind shields. As he was doing so, he was making mental notes of what these bandits had. They had amassed a collection of weapons and armor; a decent amount was ADVENT. Though those DNA locks on the ADVENT weapons made them practically useless, especially if one didn’t know how to disassemble them safely. Then they had an abundant amount food. Canned, MREs, dried meats and more. Looks like they had food for months. 

Once done here we need to get the others so we can make better use of it.

As he continued his scouting, finding a few of those wearing the mind shields and making note of what they looked like and where they were; his disgust towards the bandits grew immensely. Those sharp ears overheard conversation after conversation of them gloating on their raids. How they easily overpowered them. How they slaughtered them. And then the trophies they took. Articles of clothing, jewelry, stuffed animals. The last made his chest hurt; a great fired burned within.

“All will die tonight.”

As he continued to skulk, his cover was nearly blown. By chance, he bumped into one who had one of those pesky shields. They are wandering, if not staggering, around out back, but he got them. A quick dash forwards, claws extended, and they dug deep into that unprotected neck before ripping it out. A gasp barely sputtered out as blood gushed out, crashing to the ground. Except it didn’t. Just mere centimeters from touching the dirty asphalt, the globules of blood began to pool just above, slowly pooling together into an ever shifting orb of shimmering crimson. Wisps of golden energy surrounded it.

Another gasped sputter came forth from them as eyes their trembled; mind trying to comprehend what just happened. A pained gasped slipped out. One that was twofold. What had happened had just set in and then they were feeling something else. Something being pulled out of them. Something warm.

Eyes shifting down, golden wisps circling around their gaping wound as their precious life blood was being pulled out. Their hands flew to their neck, grabbing at the blood in a desperate attempt to keep it in, to close the wound. But the liquid just slipped through their fingers. They opened their mouth to yell, to cry for help, but nothing came out. As they took a step away from their attacker to get back to their friends, sharp pain shot their spine. A swift pounding headache before everything grew numb and distant. Those hands loosened around their neck. Wobbling, they fell. 

Zhang quickly caught them before they hit the ground and dragged them away towards some bushes nearby. That floating pool of blood followed.

With the body out of site, he kneeled down, head closing in on their neck. Flesh around his mouth quivered as his maw split into two revealing rows of teeth, all closing in on the neck of his victim. Just a quick bite. A taste. And to put them out of their misery.

As his teeth sank in, a ragged gasp came out and hands quickly flew to his face; nails scratched at it. Looked like they still had some life in them, but that didn’t matter. That maw clamped down even more, crushing what was left of their trachea as more blood spluttered out. There was another ragged gasped as those fingers tightened on his face before they loosened and dropped to the ground. His tongue lapped up that flowing blood before he pulled back, tearing out a hearty chunk of flesh. 

First kill and snack of the night.

The meat was everything he had been craving for a while. Savory and sweet. And that blood. It had a slight buzz to it; hints of alcohol was in the victim’s system. 

“Something new to jot down in my journal.” A few dark chuckles slipped out as he took a few more bites before hiding the body some more and plucked the psi shield off of them and pocketed it. As he was cleaning his face, that blood gathered by his psionics caught his eye.

The ever shifting orb of blood, sweet crimson twinkling under the moonlight. He couldn’t let it go to waste, he had to collect it. With just a thought, a simple flick of his finger, the blood traveled to his mouth, and he sucked it up. Delicious. After indulging, he went back to prowling.

He had no other run-ins as he located those other potential problems before heading to the Burger Town to meet Karris.

As he swiftly scaled the barely hanging on gutter, his ears twitched, picking up the sounds of someone gurgling and flesh being torn. He darkly chuckled. 

Reaching the roof, he had his answer. Karris hunched over the body of a bandit. Looked like he had claimed his first kill for the night and was tearing away at their throat.

Ears twitching, Karris slowly turned his head; those mismatched eyes met his. A thick chunk of flesh between his teeth and face covered in blood. He quickly snapped up the meat.

“See you indulged quite quickly.” He noticed the blood on Zhang’s armor and bits that lingered on his face.

“Shut up.” Said with a half-heartedly tone. ”Had a run in. Took care of it. See you may have done the same.” Zhang replied as he went over. “How many did you find? Located about five with the shields, minus one I eliminated.

“Found four, killed two.” He tapped the body he was eating. “Drunks away from camp, no one should notice they are missing.”

“Mhm.”

“So,” Karris paused, picking at some meat stuck between his teeth, “quick or slow?” A deep rumble of a growl came out. His canines shuttered.

Quick or slow. That question again.

Zhang just grinned, eyes twinkling gold as his lower jaw split open for a moment. “Terrorize.”

“So slow.” A smirked peeked through that usual dead expression. “Psi madness bomb?”

Zhang nodded. He raised his hand, flittering his fingers as a golden psionic orb appeared. “Turn them against themselves. It’ll give us an edge during all the confusion.”

“And single out the shield wearers.” Karris liked the plan. “Now where did you find yours?” 

Zhang told him the locations of the other shield wearers were before they would spring their plan.

——————————

Taking a few minutes to indulge in his kill once more, Karris left the roof and headed back to the sections where he had found those with the shields once they finished their talk.

Zhang stayed on the roof. Hand rotating a psionic orb around as he watched the activity below. The bandits were still partying, doing their own things, completely oblivious to their presence. 

He focused on the area with the biggest campfires. Most were there. Chest flexing, a deep dark chuckle escaped. A carefully planted psi bomb would allow him to ensnare their minds.

“Been a while since I pulled at fears. Wonder if I’m rusty.” 

He mused to himself how he was going to twist their vision and thoughts to cause infighting. 

“In position. Set it off.”

Receiving a message from Karris, he grinned. 

Outstretching the hand holding the orb, his eyes glowed brightly. More golden wisps appeared around it as coils traveled down his arm. A few more seconds of intense concentration, he clutched is fist, and the orb disappeared in a flash.

“Let’s begin.”

——————————

Things were mostly nice and calm down in the camp. Music jamming. A little revelry amongst friends and lovers. Target practice bets going on. The night was good and tomorrow would be even better. More plans for more raids. This territory was theirs.

The celebrations continued on without care until… there was an odd sensation that crept in. A small tingle in the air, like little sparks of electricity was dancing on their skin. Then a breaching surge crashed forth, sudden skull-splitting shocks made everyone stop.

Before questions could be asked, a golden orb appeared in the middle of camp. Shining brighter than all the lights around. It lazily hung in the air, bobbing like a fishing lure.

“What the?” A few muttered as they fought to get their barrings. Maybe they were seeing things? Most had been drinking; some to excessive levels. A few went over to investigate.

The orb shuttered and grew. That just attracted more attention. Like a siren call, more went over to the possible new entertainment for the night.

“Wait…” But one didn’t. Pesky psi shields. “GET AWAY FROM THE THING IT’S PSION—“

The orb shuttered and grew once again before collapsing on itself like a dying star, then exploded outward throwing back those where too close to it. Psionic energy lashed out like a cracking whip, striking hot, linking on after another, ensnaring all minds without mercy. 

Cries of pain filled the air. Screams of terror soon followed. Gun shots rang out.

The world was thrown into disarray for all this affected, twisting into an ever turning, ever shifting, chaotic flurry of colors, thoughts, and hallucinations.

Friend became foe. Guns changed into biting cobras. Drinks and foods burst into a mass of spiders.

Those wearing those psi shields were not affected. But they had to worry about their friends trying to kill them now. Desperately, they were trying to snap some sense into them, but nothing they could do would shake off those entangling psionics.

There was one that finished putting a few bullets through their crazed friend’s chest and was making a break for the trees.

“Gotta get out of here! Damn ADVENT… This is probably that Warlock and his guys!” To them, it was every person for themselves. Too great of a risk to try and help any of the still sane out with how thick the madness was.

Just as they reached the tree lined, something hard hit their chest. A burst of energy reverberated through their body, knocking them onto their back hard. The trees and stars spun above them as their vision flickered in and out. Then something from the corner came towards them. A being shrouded in shadow. Their eyes glowed a bright gold. Didn’t look like the Warlock or any of his Priests.

A wheeze came out as this being placed a foot on their chest. The bandit grabbed at it and tried to shove it off to no avail.

“Bù, bù, bù.” Foreign words came from them. White teeth showed a twisted smile and oddly sharp teeth.

“Who… the hell… are you!?” 

The being kneeled down; the unnatural darkness shrouding them never shifted once, nor did that smile. 

“Ó, zhǐshì yè zhī èmó.” Still, they spoke in a foreign tongue. 

“Speak English you— ah!” A sharp gasp came out as they felt something in their throat. Something pierce their throat and dig around and pull at the muscles. Plucking at them like their were strings on a guitar. 

The bandit quickly shifted their hands to free their throat from the new pain but quickly found both hands pinned to the ground by the being’s hands and psionic coils. 

“Nǐ zhā zhā de èmèng.” The shrouded being growled. 

Then a terrifying sight unfolded before the bandit. How much they wanted to run away but all they could do was scream. That lower have of that smile split open like unfurling bat wings, revealing rows of sharp teeth. The next thing they felt were a searing pain and intense pressure on their throat. Desperately their tried to breathe. Desperately their fought trying to break free to get away from this monster. All was for naught as they felt their flesh being rendered and trachea being crushed. Then another searing pain came and so did a futile gurgled cry of pain.

“What the hell is this man?” Though the world was growing cold to them, that thought was clear in their mind as they watched this mad cannibal eat a part of them. And they were enjoying from the series of chuckles coming out. “To die to a freak like this!?”

The shrouded being’s eyes wandered to the side as they raised a hand to their face, that was coming back together, tapping at it “Kěkǒu. Duìyú dìqiú de zhāzǐ lái shuō, yīdiǎn yě bù chā.”

The bandit wanted to scream at them, curse them out. What sort of freak were they!? The only thing that came out were gurgles.

“Hm?” Golden eyes darted back down at them. That smile came back, but it was now crimson. “Bùnéng ràng zhè kǒu xuè báibái làngfèi.”  

Raising their free hand, golden energies swirled around it. The bandit “gasped” as their whole body shuddered. Energy coursed through it like a million needles were pricking them everywhere and something was compressing them. And then they felt an ever growing chill slowly form over them, starting at their toes and heading upwards.

“What’s… going… on… now…?” They could feel their mind grow heavier as the cold grew stronger and stronger with each passing second. Eyes felt like anchors as they futilely fought to stay awake. But the end was coming. And they saw how. Just from the cracks of those falling lids, they spotted something else swirling in the hand of their attacker besides the psionics. Glistening red. It was blood. Their blood. And their attacker was flicking a few globules over to their mouth like they were grapes.

“Cannibal freak.” Those lids closed fully.

——————————

Zhang finished siphoning the blood from the bandit and soon drank it all down.

“Heh, heh, heh.” He darkly chuckled as he licked his lips. “Wonder how they enjoyed the show.”

As he was kneeling down to get another bite out of them, a series of gunshots, shooting, and an animalistic roar caught his attention. His head jerked back in the direction of the bandit camp and he caught a glimpse of Karris scrambling down a gap between the building and to the rooftop and a small group giving chase. He wasn’t quite sure if they were ones with psi shields or ones driven insane as a few were partially overcoming the psionic trickery.

“Looks like he needs a hand.” Zhang quickly got back to his feet and moved to help his friend.

In little time he closed the gap. Though he had to put down a few of the surviving maddened that attacked him as he moved passed, but that took little effort.

He struck first at the last bandit that was climbing up the ladder to the roof. Dragging them down by their legs and throwing them to the ground. He was a silver blur as he pounced on them and clawed at their chest and throat with a furry of swipes like a rabid animal; snarling all the way, ignoring their cries of pain that quickly grew silent.

Shots rang out. There were a few pings then a hiss. A sharp, piercing pain to his left shoulder made him stop. His eyes met the shooter. Teeth bared, a snarl came out, and he darted off as more shots were fired; heading towards the back and out of sight.

The bandit followed only to be surprised by this human leaping the height of a single story building with little effort. Shots and snarls rang out until both stopped and a cry of pain was cut short.

“We’ve got another freak!”

“What the hell!?”

“There two of these cannibals!”

Zhang was barely done tearing into his target when he heard them, but he looked over and saw at least five guns trained on him. Beyond those targeted him were a few others still giving chase to Karris who looked to be holding his own.

He snarled, unfurling his jaw and thrusted a psionic imbued hand at them. Two cried out, clutching their heads. They fired at him, but he was already on the move. Towards them. The two he ensnared soon fought their friends, attempting to disarm them, and before they knew it Zhang had pinned the free one down and was tearing at their throat. One by one the others feel to his blood-soaked claws, desperately trying to close a wound before all went cold.

Zhang was about to pause to collect the blood until a pained yelp of a cry caught his ear and his eyes snapped to where Karris was. Looks like a shot found its way through Karris’ armor and nailed him in his stomach from the way he was clutching that area. He snarled and quickly headed over to him.

Just like the others, Zhang ensured the minds of the weak and had them turn on their friends, allowing him and Karris to eliminate the others with ease.

Finally, the night was silent — minus the music still jamming away.

Zhang panted hard, wiping the sweat away from his brow smearing more blood on his face. He looked over at Karris, panting as hard as him, and just blood soaked as he was, who was still clutching his stomach.

“Rrrgh?” A growl came out as he gestured to him and towards the wound. He raised his hand and let his psionics flow. Karris shook his head. A few grunts and he dug the slug out, tossing it to the side. Seeing that, Zhang turned his psionics onto himself to treat his own wounds.

Once done, he sniffed the air a few times. Nose tempted by the smells of blood and flesh, Zhang got down and sniffed at the bodies, figuring out which one he wanted to dig in first.

“Hm!” One that reeked of alcohol tickled his nose and he quickly made his way over to it. He wanted that buzz of a spice flavoring again.

As he reached the body and was about to grab it, it moved away. Furrowing brows, he looked up and soon snarled. Looked like Karris had similar ideas.

“RARGH! With a deep, ferocious snarl, Zhang quickly grabbed an arm and pulled back. He bared his teeth.

“RRRGH!” Karris snarled and pulled back. He too bared his teeth.

The next second, the two were wrestling, clawing and biting at each other like a pair of angry dogs. The fighting went on for a while, at times the two nearly rolled off the roof, until one of the came out on top. It was Zhang.

Deeps lines etched into furrowed brows, eyes glowing with great fire, his face twisted into a grimace. That maw opened wide as a long, deafening roar came out as he closed in on Karris’ face. Karris turned away, slightly closing his eyes.

Once that roar finished, Zhang panted. He was still angry. Karris barely made eye contact with his, but closed his mouth and kept his palms open. Submission. Zhang let out another snarl followed by a snort before getting off of him and claimed his prize. He dragged it away from him before he dug in.

Letting a few minute pass, Karris finally got up and found another body to claim.

The two ate their fill for the night, thankfully not getting into another spat. Instead, there was more play fighting like brotherly lions once they had their initial cravings satisfied. Tug o’ wars over arms and legs and sometimes bone.

 Before the food would make them drowsy, the two swept the camp and gathered the leftover bodies into one spot so Zhang could “preserve” them for later. After that, Zhang then set up a few psionic traps and alarms just in case they could have visitors.

They then found a place to turn in for the night after their invigorating hunt. They found some bed rolls and blankets and brought it to one the fires that had more secure surroundings with at least three walls standing.

Enjoying the warmth of the fire, Zhang was busy cleaning a few chunks of flesh stuck under his claws and occasionally licking off the blood. Though his sane mind was not fully there as his more animalistic side was still strong, he knew he was going to take a long soak in the local river to clean himself.

He barely noticed Karris move over to him until he heard a few clangs on the floor. Glance down, he saw several of this psi shields. A few were broken. He looked at him; the man was on all fours and avoiding eye contact. Zhang flared his nose rolled his eyes. A peace offering. Still must be a bit leary from earlier.

 He let out a gruff growl pointed at Karris’ bed roll before patting the spot next to him a few times. He was over the spat they had and didn’t care where he slept. With non-hostile approval, Karris fetch his roll and came back over and got himself comfortable. 

Zhang noticed something on his head. Blood running from a portion of skin split open around those black and red implants on his head. Must have come from a bullet.

“Rrrrgh…” A sad, annoyed growl slipped out. He leaned over and picked at it with a claw. Karris growled back and pulled away only to yelp when Zhang grabbed him by his collar and pulled his back. He picked at it some more before letting some psionic energy loose and into the wound. Karris gritted his teeth as the energy burned the area as the flesh stitched itself back together. After it did so, Zhang picked at it a bit more, studying his handiwork, before he looked him all over like a worried hen, making sure there was no more damage.

“Hmph. Mhm.” He let go of Karris and went back to picking at his claws. 

A few grumbles and gruff snorts came from Karris as he got comfortable once more.

Eventually their meals caught up to them and the two were out like a light. Soundly slumbering, huddling together, until morning came.

——————————

A deep groan came from Zhang as he came to, knuckles firmly planted to his temples and rubbing furiously away.

“What the hell?” He grumbled under his breath with eyes closed tight. 

Not only did his head hurt, but his whole body hurt. There was just a numb soreness radiated through all his limbs that would occasionally become a shooting pain.

“What happened…?” He muttered mostly to himself. His hands shifted to his and gave them a good rub. Which was somewhat hard due to the lingering stickiness. A stickiness that made him pause. 

Eyes fluttered open as he pulled his hands away. They were mostly clean. He glanced down. His armor on the other hand was not. The dark sandy brown and white plating was coated in dried blood with flakes of flesh decorating it. Looking down further, there was more blood on his pants and his feet were just coated in dried blood.

A deep sigh slipped out as he pinched his nose. “Ugh… how did last night go?” It was all a blur to him and that worried him.

“Pretty well.” Karris answered, followed by some smacking.

Zhang’s head spun to find him. Karris was sitting a few feet away. It did not surprise him to see he was snacking on someone’s leg.

“Your definition of well is different from mine.” 

“We’re still alive, minus a few wounds.” Karris grinned.

“Niánqīng rén…” The small chastisement only made Karris let out a gruff laugh.

“We both went a bit feral after you let off that psi bomb.” Karris began to explain as he had near perfect recollection of the night. “Got into the slaughter, especially with the few that remained. And then…” He paused taking a bite of the leg.

“Then what?” Zhang just felt a lump grow in his throat and no matter how hard he swallowed it wouldn’t go away. And Karris was taking his sweet time eating that leg. “Spit it out!”

Barely phased, Karris took his time with the meat before swallowing. “We attacked each other.”

Zhang’s brows went up. They did that? He was expecting something bad happened, but that wasn’t too terrible. “We… we attacked each other?”

“Had interests in the same meal. Time to assert dominance.” He bared his teeth for a moment. “You won, got the point across, and I backed off once free. You’re pretty strong.”

“Huh…” Still that did plant a few seeds of worry in Zhang’s mind. An animalistic part of his brain though could make him turn on his friends at a possible challenge or slight. He need to see if he could wrangle that part with his psionics. “Sorry if I… If I caused you any harm.”

Karris waved him off. “What’s done is done. Small spat, no real harm done. Probably less testing for dominance in the future.”

Zhang wasn’t sure what to make of that, but didn’t feel like dwelling on it for the time being.

“You mother hen-ed me later anyway.” He tapped at the side of his head, near a inflamed slash by those implants.

“I did what now?”

Karris explained it and then filled him in that he had already fetched the more “open-minded” part of the group to come and get the bandits’ ill-gotten gains while he was still slumbering. Since many at camp would throw an absolute fit if they brought back human corpses as food for certain people, they would just leave the bodies here. And the two had already had their fill for human flesh. Hopefully that craving would be satisfied for a long while.

Once Karris finished his breakfast, the two did a few more rounds around the place to make sure nothing was missed before heading back to camp.

“Do not speak of last night to anyone. Understand?” Zhang said with a slight growl to his voice. Narrowed eyes shimmered gold for a second.

Karris barely raised a brow, barely breaking the “dead” look in his eyes. “Understood.” He pinched two fingers together before sliding them against his lips. “And you mother hen-ing my wounds.” He grinned.

“Good.” He really didn’t want to think about his actions, but he knew he would have to make contingencies for them in the future. His brow twitched hearing the mention of that. “Shut it.”

[marshmallow-phd]

Genre: Regency Gothic AU

Pairing: EXO x Reader

Summary: A stormy night brought you to the manor in the middle of the woods. Nine strange men occupied its halls. They won't let you leave. A dangerous secret haunts this estate. Learning it might either be your saving grace or it could lead to the last breath you ever take.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5

**

Lightning lit up the thin curtains covering the two small windows on either side of the carriage. Thunder rumbled and you felt it deep within your chest. Tugging your silk cloak closer, you closed your eyes and prayed that the driver would get you through the storm. There was no one to comfort you, to reassure you that a little rain and noisy sky wouldn't delay your journey.

Your father had insisted you take your sister or even a friend, but the two day’s journey didn’t  seem consequential enough to need a companion. Besides, what would they have done once you arrived? Your elderly aunt had only asked for you. From what you could decipher from her letter, she needed you to be a companion as she traveled to the southernmost coastal town. Apparently, it was now the ultimate fashion to travel to for the summer. Just the idea of rolling waves made your stomach churn. But what was worse was who else would be there–

The carriage jolted to the right. You spread out your arms, only barely catching yourself from falling to the floor. No sane person would have endured such dangerous weather. This storm had come from nowhere. Skies blue and cloudless as you had ever seen bid you farewell in the late morning. Most of the day's journey had been uneventful. Then the joyful light faded. Thunder shook the walls of the carriage. Rain pounded on the roof. When would you reach the inn? Bile rose up in your throat, burning the sensitive tissue as the carriage continued to rock violently. The horses neighed over the sounds of the storm. 

The carriage shifted hard to the left. And kept falling. You slammed into the door, nearly opening it with the force. You didn't know what was happening. The floor was now the wall and the wall the floor. A downward momentum made it impossible to stand. Screams ripped at your throat.

Then it stopped. 

The rain continued to pour and the thunder roared on but the carriage was still. Your legs wobbled as you slowly stood. With your palms, you pushed open the door. The thin wooden panel clapped against the outside of the carriage. Immediately you were pounded by the storm. Large drops pelted your face, obscuring your vision. It was dark. You could tell that much. And there were trees. In every direction. 

You climbed out of the carriage, calling for the driver. Your feet slipped in the mud, but you managed to keep your balance–for now. The mud was thick and sticky as you trudged to the front of the carriage.

 No. No, no, no. Both of the horses were gone. And so was the driver. Somehow, the carriage had fallen down a hill or ravine. With a storm this terrible, you needed to get to higher ground or risk possibly being carried away–or drowning. Clawing and digging your hands and feet into the soaked dirt, you climbed the hard incline back to the road. 

Once you could make out the road, you called for the driver again. No answer. He was nowhere to be found. You needed to find shelter. The storm gave no promise of letting up. You wouldn't survive the night in this forest, even if you went back into the carriage. The only choice was to find sanctuary. You stared in the direction you believed you came from. Nothing but trees and darkness. You turned to the other choice. All the same–wait. 

There was something... when lightning brightened up the sky. Your heart began banging in your ears. Spires, towers. Not trees. It was some distance away, but it was shelter nonetheless. 

With near tears in your eyes, you picked up your skirts–your fingers numb from the cold–and hurried towards the castle that could be your saving grace. 

*****

The manor was calm tonight. Odd, considering the amount of bodies roaming around these haunted halls. Only the beautiful storm outside and Chanyeol's sorrowful melody from the piano broke the silence. Jongin had draped himself over one of the arm chairs as he inspected the wine mixture within his goblet. The taste was… adequate. The cellar would need replenishing soon.

In the corner, a rather lax game of cards covered the small, round table. Minseok smirked at his winning hand. The faded wooden chips with bits of white painted around the edges were piling up in front of Yixing, who leaned back carelessly, sure of his next win. Little did either of them know that the youngest among them had a little... trick his sleeve. As the quickest, Sehun had perfected sleight of hand long ago. None had caught him yet.

A fire roared, coaling the usually gray and brown room in flickering orange. With how close he stood near the fireplace, Kyungsoo's silhouette was visible through his loose shirt. He leaned his palms on the mantel and let the warmth of the flames engulf him. Warmth was all they could feel after all these years. It could be an addiction so strong it was tempting to throw himself into the fire. 

Junmyeon joined him at the fireplace, leaning his shoulders against the brick. The bite of the edge hardly registered in his mind. Pain of that measure... it was only a ghost that had nearly crossed over. 

“Such strong thoughts for a night like this.”

Kyungsoo didn’t look from the fire, but raised a questioning eyebrow in response. 

Junmyeon shrugged a single shoulder. “I can’t read minds, but it's obvious you're turning something over more times than a praying rock.”

“It's the same thoughts,” Kyungsoo murmured in his strange, monotone voice. “Always the same thoughts.”

“One day you will have to let it go,” Junmyeon sighed. “This is our existence now. And forever will be.”

“Acceptance of the present doesn’t erase the past.”

“But it does make the present more enjoyable.” The red liquid sloshed against the rim of the goblet as Jongin draped an arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulders. He wore a mischievous smile. A clear indicator of his true intention. 

Junmyeon shook his head. “We’re not going out tonight. There’s nothing out and about in this storm.” Hunting in these conditions would wield no trophies. Tomorrow would be a better night. 

“Jun’s no fun tonight,” Jongdae teased as he and Baekhyun emerged from the hallway. 

“If you want to go out in this mess,” Junmyeon waved towards the front door. “Be my guest. Just don’t you dare get mud on the rug–”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Help! Please! Help!”

Nine pairs of eyes snapped to the echoing sound. None moved. 

Bang! Bang! 

BANG!

One of the double doors burst open and a figure fell to the floor, landing on its knees and palms. It looked up. A flash of lightning illuminated the face.

The face of a beautiful young girl. 

*****

Your knees vibrated when they hit the wooden floor. Water fell from your loose hair that clung to your cheeks. The chances of  the door opening when you pushed on the handle had been low–yet the barrier that kept you victim to the storm fell open and you crashed downward with it. 

Greeting you in this strange hall were several men, their jaws hanging open in a mirror of your own surprise. More men appeared from a side parlor, curious as to who dared intrude on their evening. One, two, three–you counted nine total. Nine men. This was not ideal–a bit terrifying, really–but you didn't have a choice. The storm raged outside.

"P-please," you stammered past chattering teeth "The st-storm overturn-overturned the carriage.” 

The men stayed silent as they exchanged unreadable glances. One raised a questionable brow. 

"Jongdae, go run a bath," ordered the man closest to you. One of the shorter residents nodded and disappeared into the darkness that led into the rest of the manor. 

That's what this place was. A grand old manor, not a castle. Isolated. When you'd first run through the rusted iron gate, you'd feared it abandoned. A long dormant instinct whispered that you might have been better off if it had been. 

The first man approached, each motion slow, deliberate, and hauntingly graceful. He crouched down in front of you and captured your frightened stare. The fear in you began to melt away. He was… beautiful. Obsidian fell over his forehead in gentle waves. His tunic was of a fashion your grandfather would have worn. There was something strange about this man–all of these men. Something... different. 

"Let's get you warmed up." He held his hand out and you were up on your feet before you even realized your fingers were resting on his. "Don't worry," he murmured. "You're safe here. My name is Junmyeon." 

You nodded, somehow believing him, but unsure if you should. Through your violent chattering, you managed to stammer out your name in response. 

Bang! 

You jumped at the sudden noise. One of the other men had somehow appeared behind you to shut the door you'd fallen through. 

"Thank you, Yixing," the man beside you said. The one named Yixing nodded and then shifted his eyes to you. “Come.” A hand pressed into the space between your shoulder blades and guided you down the hall, leaving a trail of mud in your wake.

The man led you down several halls until you reached an unoccupied bedroom. Red blankets draped the oversized bed. Matching curtains hung limply from the canopy. All of the wood was a dark sort, rich in color but not quite welcoming like other, brighter woods. 

Jongdae emerged from another door on the other side of the bedroom. Steam rolled out after him as if it were following him for its next set of orders. “Anything else?” he asked drily. 

“No, thank you.”

Jongdae strolled the from the room without a glance either of you and closed the door behind him. Your breath hitched in your throat. The two of you were… alone. It wasn’t appropriate. It was…

You looked to the man still with you, fear causing your heart to pound painful against your chest. You tugged your cloak closer to you, but it was soaked from the rain. Shivers violently raced down your arms and spine. The man didn’t seem to notice as he walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. He pulled out a long white cloth. 

“These should suffice for tonight.” He held up the cloth for you to see. A nightgown. An old one by the cut of it, though thankfully it hadn’t been devoured by moths or mice. “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.”

You nodded. “Thank you.” 

He visibly suppressed a laugh at your small voice and waved you into the adjoining bathroom. Taking the nightgown, you tried your best to avoid his gaze. You scurried inside and shut the door. 

*****

Junmyeon smirked at your mousy state. It was understandable why you were so frightened. The women of this period were warned of being alone with a man. And now you were alone with nine. 

Nine very dangerous men. 

The proper action for him to take was to leave your room now that you were safe inside the bathroom, but his feet didn’t move. Somehow, the storm had stranded you in their forest. What had happened to the driver, he wondered. Surely a gentlewoman such as yourself was not controlling the carriage. And yet, you were all alone. Circumstances were… ideal.

A small hiss echoed in the bathroom. It stretched out, along with the sound of sloshing water. Junmyeon frowned. 

Hm.

He stood there for a few minutes more, listening to you sigh as your skin grew used to the scalding water. The sound of soap scraping against skin reached his ears, followed by more sloshing water. Soon, you would be getting out of the tub. Time to leave. 

He emerged from the bedroom, careful to close the door as quietly as possible. Everyone had gathered out in the hallway since they were too curious about their visitor to go about their night. Junmyeon found Jongdae blending in with the cluster. He glared at him as he hissed, "The water was too hot." 

Jongdae merely shrugged. Why would he care about water possibly being too hot? It would never hurt him. 

On the opposite end of the group, Yixing cleared his throat. "What are we going to do with her?"

Junmyeon glanced at the door behind him. There was only one best option, for all their sakes. "Tomorrow morning, we will send her on her way." 

The eruption was instant. 

“Enough!”

In an instant, the hissing ceased. 

Baekhyun huffed and folded his arms against his chest, collapsing against the wall. Jongin scoffed. "Such a waste." 

“A waste that will keep this household from tearing itself apart,” Junmyeoun countered. It was an outcome none of them wanted. No one wanted to cause a fight, but resisting was difficult. The temptation was great. The quicker you left, the better off they would all be. 

"Do you really think it’ll end so well?" Minseok’s mocking comment hung in the air. Silent agreements rippled through the air. 

Junmyeon looked to Kyungsoo, whose answer was to look away. "No one touches her," he ordered. They all would try, he knew. But their strength would only get them so far. He stared down a few of them especially, so they knew he meant it.

Sehun pushed off the wall with a roll of his eyes. "Just get her out of here so I can get some peace." 

Junmyeon started to call after him but was interrupted by a soft thud from the room behind him. Confused, he opened the door to find you lying on the floor.

[ethereal-choi]

~ he's my favorite boy, he makes me melt...

© ethereal-choi 2023–2024.

[mejomonster]

I 'm writing a vampire au dmbj fic Vampire's Notes where Zhang Qiling and Hei Xiazi are vampires, which is panning out to be a horror/comedy, all cause I thought I'd like a pingxie vampire au once upon a time, then a heihua one because why not two good things, then I got into vampires again and well now it's Finally Being Writen >o<)/

Tune in for the life and times of vampires Zhang Qiling and Hei Xiazi as they shack up together, find jobs (ur typical roommate stuff), find crushes, blatantly go toward vampire hunters instead of away when they realize that's who the cute guys they're eying are, San shu is there being the shady guy as always (maybe I'll make panzi a vampire), and gratuitous vampire/dmbj esque horror and random supernatural shenanigans (as is expected of dmbj and me), Zhang Qiling contemplating what is a monster to him and that delicious introspective angst (also expected of xiaoge and moi) while Hei Xiazi is pretty much indifferent about any particular unique parts of being an undead blood drinker, and as expected wu xie is there to ground Zhang Qiling and remind him he's still just a person deserving kindness and care and to connect like anyone (and Xiao Hua and Hei Xiazi are there to ground each other to reality from their lofty judging on their own respectively skilled pedestals). It'll be fun! It will likely fall on the dark horror side more often than not, while I expect a lot of comedy/slice of life too (it's just me lol I excel at action horror and emotional angst with hurt/comfort at the end).

If ur up for that, feel free to check it out >o<)/ and feel free to mention if there's any vampire au scenarios you think would be cool to see (as a big reason I wanted to do a vampire au so long was to see how it'd work in/change dmbjs situations)

[thelordofshrimp]

summary: a lot can happen when you find out that the hot nurse at the blood drive is a little more than meets the eye

AKA nico meets a cute boy and finds out vampires are real on the same day and one of those has a significant impact on his life

AKA the red cross au

[UPDATE/REUPLOAD]

i went back and added some stuff to chapters 1-3 but most importantly there is a chapter 4 now!

[olderthannetfic]

Escapade Dance Party 2023 Writeup 3/3

Second Half

Jaskier has no more fucks to give by Gondolin AMV

Obviously, having just shown the other Witcher, I had to open with the more familiar one.

Vids under 2 minutes also aren't actually danceable no matter the tempo, so this makes a good upbeat intro to a section.

Grandmaster of Troublemaking (The Untamed) by NKZephyr Edits

I love the enthusiasm and goofiness of this vid.

Goncharov (1973) | Read the description! by Etoile

Come on, we had to have Goncharov!

TBH, there were other vids, but basically none of them were danceable.

【HIStory3-圈套】On a daily by Nerjaveika

Trapped's moment seems to have passed, but the combination of great use of text and this fun song made this one a perfect fit.

Ego | AMV | Mo dao zu shi & Heaven Official's Blessing (CC Lyrics) by Nitisha Donghua Productions

I was more looking for Heaven Official's Blessing alone, but most of the options I was finding weren't really danceable. I love this song and was looking for a vid to it anyway.

trouble in my head | lan jue & zhang ping | a league of nobleman by Victoria

I have no clue what this is. I probably found it in the sidebar while searching something else, but it's such a pretty vid.

История Бай Ци (AU, Bai Qi/Shen Zui) by Kemriko

What is this? Who knows. I liked it, and it was m/m, so people got to watch it.

BTS Jhope • Gasolina• |FMV|• by kookie taex

In a concession to how many people the previous song would inevitably chase from the dance floor, I wanted to follow it with something much more booty-shaking. I fucking love Gasolina and am always looking for more vids to it. Tragically, a lot of English-speaking vidding fandom has No Taste and does not vid this kind of music.

Yes, this is a vertical vid of J-Hope dancing to Daddy Yankee. No regrets!

Мания Хирото by Fausthaus

Ah, my favorite source of vids: Russian fandom combats. Are they on AO3? Yes. Have English speakers gone anywhere near their vast stores of battshit content? No, absolutely not.

No one at the con, including me, knows anything about this fandom. Too bad. The music is great, and I wanted to dance to it.

Отступники by fandom Vampires of Central Russia 2021

This is another fandom I spotted in the fandom combats. The vid is shorter than I'd normally show, but I wanted to showcase this interesting vampire fandom that I didn't think most people at Escapade had heard of yet.

Sex and Violence by bironic

Another one breaking my rules. Nandermo was a must-have for a vampire-themed year, but mockumentaries are shot like ass on purpose, and that makes them hard to vid, so my options were limited. Bironic's always a sure thing, if not exactly obscure to an Escapade audience.

Sadly, the embed seems to be dead at the moment.

Sex Drive by Franzeska

Yes, I will always play my own vids when I need to fill a hole in a playlist.

Night Watch was such a passion of mine for a while and the source of my ill-fated attempt to learn Russian. I always meant to go back and add text to this vid to echo the weird subtitles they did for the movie, but I never got around to it. Oh well.

【盾冬衍生】no body no crime 黑暗爽文利刃出鞘兰森/我们一直住在城堡里表哥 by 蜜桃奶霉包

Batshit AUs are my favorite. When I found this, I knew I had to inflict it on everyone.

The Hunger - Say Yes To Heaven by themaybatatter

I had a long list of vampire fandoms, most of which I never did find a vid for, but The Hunger was at the absolute top of my list. After scouring the internet, this was the only arguably danceable vid I could come up with and one of the few in general. What the hell, internet? What the hell?!

“你不了解你的妻子，我吻过她” by 没饭呲了

This would be a lot more danceable if it weren't quite so plastered with show audio… but too bad. As usual, sufficiently horny femslash gets an automatic pass. Everyone swayed vaguely on the edges of the dance floor staring, so I still consider it a success.

【巍澜】这可是极限拉扯的鼻祖！！！ by 甜飞惹

Guardian is another fandom where I'm spoiled for choice, but the Chinese vidders do like to include an awful lot of dialogue. This vid stood out for great dance party music and no audio clips.

Morpheus & Hob | The Night We Met by WolfPhoenixWriter

A lot of people were into Sandman this year. I liked this vid for making me feel a lot of feelings despite never having seen the show and barely remembering the comic.

It's a bit slow dance for Escapade, but I loved the emotion in the song too much to not include it.

Boyfriend | FMV | Yan Wei X Xu YouYi by Nitisha Donghua Productions

I guess this was my horny femslash year.

Lee Soo Hyuk - Gwi (Scholar Who Walks the Night) Savage by Serendipity

What's this? Dunno, but it's got a vampire and this great song.

The Monster by frayadjacent

This one was pure self-indulgence on my part. It was made for a con by a vidder everybody knows, but the vidder felt it required too many content warnings and didn't send it in the end. I, however, reserve the end of the dance party to show more content warnings-heavy things if I feel like it. I despise how fandom has turned into a "compromise" where anything that reaches into my soul is never on the table while pabulum always is. Fuck that. I am the arbiter of what's normal.

This vid lit me up in places I'd forgotten.

Ahs Hotel :| Tear you Apart by xxxxxx

This song was used in the show and there are a billion vids to it, but this one is far better than the others aside from how it just cuts off.

AHS isn't a fandom most at the con are in, but I just had to include its vampire season.

A Shot for the Pain by Franzeska

I honestly did go looking for other Penny Dreadful vids. Sadly, the selection was not impressive, and most of it was not to anything danceable, let alone goth club-appropriate music.

【拔杯|暗黑慎入】你是我奇怪的瘾症 by 两只阿夏跑不快

I've seen a lot of Hannibal vids. Almost all of them are gross. Few are as interestingly edited as this one.

Twilight Zone by hmmyeahokay

Okay, this one is a massive blast from the past. Do people outside of Highlander fandom even remember this bad 2001 movie?

I loved the song, and I appreciated that there was a black lead. That and vampires trump the fact that it's a het vid (ish).

Supernatural ►Cry Little Sister by Gwen

I scoured Youtube for vids to this song. I thought this was a particularly interesting take out of the extensive genre of horror set to Cry Little Sister. (No, seriously, it's a genre.)

【荣耀向我俯首｜kinnporsche】没长出恋爱脑前的少爷们怎么能错过这首BGM by 旧城与笙Zz

Kinnporsche hit big this year. I wanted a really fantastic vid that people hadn't seen. I love that this one is by a Chinese vidder (probably) to a French song.

Sadly no longer online, probably for being of a horny BL series and posted on a Chinese site

Kingdom come by fandom ATEEZ 2022

Okay, ATEEZ isn't a big fandom at the con, but this vid is some sort of kink AU, and I'm always weak for that. It's also to a Taylor song everybody loves.

Last of the Real Ones by colls

I cheated again and included a well-known vidder, but do you know how hard it is to find stormpilot vids? Kylux has like eight billion genius animatics and fan art vids. Finnpoe? Bupkis!

I don't know if people still care about this part of Star Wars, but all of the Bandom trash immediately rushed the dance floor when the song started playing.

louis & lestat | take my breath away (interview with the vampire) by ScribbledDreaming

I have ended with this song before, with finnpoe in fact, so that's a little in-joke for myself.

What better way to end the vampire party than the new IWTV and the most over-the-top vid I could find?

[hils79]

Catching up on some of the things I've been tagged in. Some of these are very old. So sorry. I'm crap.

Fic author interview! I was tagged by the fantastic @lynne-monstr

No-pressure tagging: @pangzi @foxofninetales @merinnan @killerandhealerqueen @strandedchesspiece @thesilversun @silver-colour

How many works do you have on AO3?

266 as of now

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,467,370 words however some of those words are on collaborative fics. I don't know how to filter out the ones I wrote by myself but it's well over the 1,000,000 mark and that makes me happy

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Unleashed  (MCU, Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers) - 801 kudos

Visible to All But Me - (DMBJ, Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling) - 666 kudos (ehehe 😈)

The Truth About Cats, Dogs and Penguins - (Men's Hockey RPF. Evgeni Malkin/Sidney Crosby) - 621 kudos

In which Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are surprisingly capable parents - (MCU, Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers) - 530 kudos

Not The Russian Way- (The Man From UNCLE movie, Ilya Kuryakin/Napoleon Solo/Gaby Teller) - 516 kudos

I find it fascinating that a DMBJ fic is in my top 5. The other fics are all pretty old and in large and popular fandoms. I think it was just good timing in that I posted when a lot of people who have since moved on to other fandoms were into DMBJ off the back of Ultimate Note airing.

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try! I think it's just polite to at least say thank you. Occasionally I do forget of miss one though.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don't really do sad or angsty endings

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Yeah, pretty much all of them.

7. Do you write crossovers?

Very rarely. I think all my crossovers have been co-written with other people.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not hate exactly, but somone once accused me of plagiarism because I posted a fic with vaguely similar themes to one of theirs. Luckily for me this was back in the LJ days where there was a comm specifically for reviewing accusations of plagiarism where independent people would review both fics. Of course they ruled in my favour but it was really fucking upsetting at the time.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I have, but I prefer not to.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! Someone translated one of my MCU fics into Chinese which made me very happy.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, a bunch of times! It can be really fun if you get along well with the people you're writing with.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

That's like asking me what my favourite fandom is. My favourite ship is whatever ship I am into at the time.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

RIP my au for The Untamed where Lotus Pier was a hotel that famous musician Lan Wangji came to stay in while he was on tour.

15. What are your writing strengths?

Probably dialogue or soft domestic fluff

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Description. A beta reader recently commented that in one of my fics I hadn't actually described what anyone looks like. I just want them to talk and kiss, okay?

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Not full dialogue, no, but now that I've started writing in Chinese fandoms I think there are some words that can be used. Generally only terms of address, though. Like someone calling someone 'laoban'

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I do still kind of want to write some Mysterious Lotus Casebook fic. At least one at any rate.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written

Juxtaposition (DMBJ, Wang Pangzi/Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling)

I don't generally write AUs, and I definitely have never written anything close to this long before. It took me a year to write it and I am very proud of it.

[decapolicemoment]

supernatural au (wip)

credits to @awesomeart-83 for originally coming up with the idea

harvard is a vampire, carl is a changling, mikey is a werewolf. manimani is a faerie, and zhang is a ghoul (idk)

lycanthropy is different from being a werewolf, as lycanthropy is a disease

they solve normal crime and supernatural crime

decasim still exists, although isn’t very useful against supernatural crime

the clown steals her victims souls, forcing them to be stuck in our realm, unable to move on to the afterlife

after solving their murder case, the soul is able to move on

harvard’s mother turned him fully into a vampire before dying, to save him from the clown

if you lose your soul before dying, you go blind and slowly die if you don’t regain it

misae is a siren and boston is an orc

mystery girl is a human, who doesn’t like supernatural creatures due to someone she knew getting killed by one

supernatural creatures are common, but aren’t the majority

i’ll update this if i get more ideas

[etherealvoidechoes]

Aaaah fever dreams be producing some weird stuff for the Vampire AU. Mustered up enough strength and willpower to draw out this future mutations for dear ol’ Zhang. Jawsplit is different. Single tongue is now a tri-tongue, and an additional tongue strictly for siphoning blood. Oh and slit pupils off and on.

Nanomachines, son.

[marshmallow-phd]

A Manor of Shadow and Blood

Genre: Regency Gothic AU

Pairing: EXO x Reader

Summary: A stormy night brought you to the manor in the middle of the woods. Nine strange men occupied its halls. They won’t let you leave. A dangerous secret haunts this estate. Learning it might either be your saving grace or it could lead to the last breath you ever take.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5

**

Leaning against the faded brick of the manor inspecting his cuticles was the one you remembered as Baekhyun.

"You've hardly cared in the past," Jongdae said drily. He shifted so subtly and minutely that you would have missed it if you hadn't been looking at him, silently pleading for protection. And, for some reason, he'd given it to you. That small shift was enough for him to come between you and Baekhyuon. 

"We haven't had this kind of excitement for a while." Baekhyun leaned to his left so he could see you. "Enjoying the moonlight?"

"That seems to be a normal activity in this place,” you murmured. Jongdae sent a rather pointed look in your direction. The message was clear. Speaking was not wise. 

The left corner of Baekhyun's mouth curled upwards. "Mind if I join you?" 

"You don't have an errand to run?" Jongdae raised an expectant brow. 

A deep, rumbling chuckle slowly escaped from Baekhyun's lips. He leaned forward menacingly. "Already done." 

Jongdae released a sigh full of resignation. His gaze moved to you. If protest was to be given, then it had to come from you. But fear kept the two-letter word from passing your lips. 

Gathering your skirt in your hands, you said nothing as you passed both of the men and continued on your walk. They quickly fell into step on either side of you. No one spoke, letting the silence become the norm as you took in the manor from a new angle. But it was difficult to focus. 

On your right, you could feel Baekhyun's closeness. One inch separated an accidental brush of fingers. The flutter of his loose sleeve continuously caught your attention. A wind had picked up, moving the distracting fabric even more. Giving in to your peripheral, you watched Baekhyun as he stretched his neck from side to side, his grin now gone. The long lithe fingers of his right hand gently massaged the soft skin. 

"Are you injured?" 

The idiotic question was out before you could think it through. Jongdae, apparently done with the protector role, shook his head with a huff and roll of his eyes. Baekhyun's earlier demeanor returned in force. No longer walking, Baekhyun shifted his body and gradually leaned in. 

"Why? Do you want to... take care of me?" 

"No," you said sharply, trying to make your voice a cracking whip. It was the wrong approach. His grin grew and something flashed behind his lips. Your eyes refused to leave his own. He came closer. No matter how hard you willed it, your feet refused to move. 

"Baekhyun." 

At the soft, confident call of his name, Baekhyun backed away, a rather... grumpy expression on his face. 

Junmyeon approached the group with his usual authoritative air, hands clasped behind his back and hair somewhat tousled. "Will I have to keep an eye on all of you at all times?" he asked in a very exasperated voice. His gaze narrowed in on Baekhyun. "Don't you have an errand to run?" 

Baekhyun straightened, gleefully replying, "Already done." 

Junmyeon didn’t waver. "Go find another." 

Slackjawed, Baekhyun glanced at Jongdae for a possible retort. When he gave no protest, Baekhyun turned to you, as if you would protest his dismissal. Quite the contrary, you were thankful for it. 

Knowing he'd lost, Baekhyun whirled quickly on his boots before stomping away. 

"Jongdae," Junmyeon moved in closer. "I'd like to speak to her alone." 

Not caring for this sudden dismal towards him, Jongdae shrugged and held the bag of buns out for you.

"No, thank you,” you said bitterly. He was abandoning you to the most terrifying wolf. The food already in your stomach churned and threatened to come up again at the thought of being alone with Junmyeon. What would he do with no witnesses to intervene?

Your acidic response slid right off of Jongdae. Swinging the bag by his side, he walked away without a second thought for you.

"There's still some path around the house,” Junmyeon said, suddenly appearing by your side, his elbow offered out for you. When you didn't accept his elbow, he took possession of your hand and held it hostage in the crook of his arm.

You would be going with him whether you found it agreeable or not. 

"I want to apologize for keeping you here," he said rather cooly, as if he were apologetic about missing dinner.

You scoffed at the heartless comment. "The only true apology would be to let me go."

"That was my original intention." 

You stopped just before the turn around the corner. With the hold he had on your hand, Junmyeon's steps also came to a halt."You– You were going to let me go?" Your throat constricted. What had happened to snatch your freedom away so quickly? "Then why keep me?" 

Junmyeon sighed and forced you to continue the walk. "We took care of you for the days you were sick with fever and realized we've been missing a feminine touch around here. It brings out the better sides of us." 

You didn’t believe him for a second. "The better side of you? I hate to see the lesser side." 

He leveled his eyes with you, his features hardened like stone. "No one is to touch you." 

"Really?" You scoffed. "Should I list the few incidents just in the past twenty-four hours?" 

Junmyeon’s eyes flashed. "Sehun has been reprimanded. That won't happen again." 

"And Mr. Yixing?" 

"Mr. Yixing? What about him?" He blinked, confused.  

"He was in my room last night." 

"What!" His voice cracked like the lightning before the storm rolled in. You flinched at his severe reaction. Realizing your face was full of fear, he composed himself. His voice came out more gentle. "He will be reprimanded. No one is to go into your room without permission." A frown knitted his brow. "Is that why you fortified the door?" 

You swallowed, forgetting that he had tried to enter earlier this evening. "Yes. Yes, it is." 

The way he nodded gave you reason to believe that…. Well, that he might actually be listening. 

"No one will ever enter your room without permission again," he promised. His leveled gaze made you believe him. 

"Even you?" you asked. 

His throat visibly constricted, but he didn't argue. "Even me." 

As relieved as you were for that promise, you couldn't be entirely ecstatic. "Why keep me here? 

The earlier coolness and arrogance of his demeanor had washed away. "I told you. We need a companion."

"We?" You pulled away from him, disgusted. For reasons unknown, he let you slip from his grasp this time. "I'm not something to be passed around for you all to play with." 

"Of course not." A ghost of a smile began to cut in the corners of his lips. "You'll choose. In time. Whoever you wish, we are at your disposal. Until then, you’re all our guest."

"That doesn't make any sense,” you pushed. "You're all fine gentlemen." In looks anyway. Manners was an entirely different  discussion. "Surely by the end of the season in town, you can all find a suitable wife." 

"We... have our reasons," he said slowly. "Your traditional ways aren't suited for us." 

"My traditional ways?" What could that possibly mean? 

Junmyeon didn’t explain. He merely took your hand and pressed cool lips to your knuckles.

"In time, you will come to see the truth. Until then, no harm will come to you." He turned your hand over and gave another kiss to your wrist. Letting you go, he walked away, his promise still lingering behind. 

On the edge of the gardens, a small swing made of a simple plank of wood and two long ropes hung from a mighty tree. It whispered a minute comfort. Not having been on one since your childhood, you were wary of sitting on the sun faded seat, unsure if the fringed ropes would hold your grown woman weight. 

There was no governess or wealthy aunt around to warn you of snagging your dress with such unladylike behavior. With cautious movements, you slowly turned and sat on the swing. The ropes didn't snap. 

Not wanting to test your luck, you didn't push yourself into full motion. No, you simply kept your toes on the ground, shifting only slightly from side to side. 

It was peaceful here, in this tucked away corner between the manor and maze-like hedges of the garden. No one else seemed to be around and that allowed you space to think. This was to be your home for... a longtime, it would appear. The negatives were more than obvious. So much that dwelling on them was pointless. That meant you needed to try and find a good thing in this situation. 

Your aunt. 

Well, that was easy. 

While she wasn't really a terrible human being, having to serve as her companion wasn't pleasant. Every whim of hers had to be met, the truth of your dowry hung over your head. And she could be as demanded as the Queen. Her holiday was not to be your holiday. 

And then there was the matter of your future. 

It wasn't that you didn't want to get married–you did. But you wanted love, passion. You wanted fire in your blood and yearning that could never be quenched. You wanted to know what it was like to be desperate for another person’s touch. Someone who looked at you with a gaze that sent your heart racing. Perfectly adequate was not what you wanted. 

Perfectly adequate was what your aunt was planning for you. Perhaps even less than adequate.

The rustling of nestled branches pulled you from your depressive, lonely thoughts. Kyungsoo had emerged from the garden hedges, his boots crunching to a halt on the rocky path. He stared at you with a horrified expression. The first bit of emotion you'd seen from him and it was accompanied by widened eyes and tightened lips. Was there something wrong with you merely sitting here? 

The one called Chanyeol appeared behind him. His gaze was more on the friendly side, something resembling a smile sent over to you. He took a step to start your way, but Kyungsoo grabbed a hold of his sleeve and dragged him away.

"Don't mind Kyungsoo, he avoids us all at one time or another." 

Jongdae suddenly chopped from the branches, landing on his feet beside you. Standing from the seat, you glowered at him. "You've come back, have you?" 

"If Junmyeon wishes to speak with you alone, then I'll give him that wish." His tone suggested that Junmyeon's wishes were met more like commands. 

"Well," you huffed, "then please obey my wish to be alone right now." 

Jongdae bowed deeply yet mockingly. He stayed behind, watching as you retreated back into the house.

Shoving the door closed, you leaned back against the wooden barrier that separated the main hall from the outside world. Only a few days ago, you had stumbled through those very doors, desperate for sanctuary. As insane as it sounded, perhaps you were given a bit more of a sanctuary than you had asked for. 

With a new resignation, you continued forward until you reached the main parlor on your left. 

The room was empty. Signs of recent usage were scattered amongst the furniture. Red stained goblets, chairs pushed away from the card table, a blanket half falling from an armchair. Thin slivers of moonlight broke through the heavy curtains, cutting across the floor like knives shattering the darkness. 

You stepped in further, drawn in by the grand piano off in the far left corner. It was so large it took up nearly a fourth of the room. Its black coat shimmered, even with your dull eyes. Someone loved this instrument, that was certain. They kept it polished and tuned. The ivory keys beckoned to create music. 

But you didn’t know how. Of all of the lessons to educate you that you latched onto, the piano had not been one. Still….

You jumped at the piercing sound of the plucked cord, a quiet gasp passing your lips. Your finger had pressed down on its own accord. Eyes frantically searched behind you, but none of the men appeared. You brushed your fingers along the keys, astonished by their softness. If only you could play the songs you knew in your heart. 

A hand suddenly covered yours. Several keys screeched at your second jump. 

Chanyeol didn’t apologize for scaring you or say anything gentle at all. Your mouth went dry in worry as he removed his cool hand from yours. You watched as he rolled the sleeves of his black silk shirt up to his elbows. He didn’t look up at you. He sat down on the bench and began to play. 

For a moment, you simply stood and listened. But you needed to be closer. Closer to the music, to the beauty that was being created before you. The remainder of the bench was under you before he could second guess. Your eyes fluttered close as the notes drifted up from the piano and wrapped around you, protective, whispering sweet nothings in your ear like nothing you had heard before. They were a lover, a comfort. You could lose yourself in that melody forever. 

The song too soon faded to an end. Your eyes remained closed, desperate to hold on. 

“Did you like it?” Chanyeol whispered. His deep voice was so low you almost missed it. All you could do to answer was nod. Coldness touched your cheek. Your eyes snapped open. 

Chanyeol was only an inch or so away, his dark eyes staring not at your own gaze, but lower. He ran his tongue over his lips. All you could do was breathe. 

You'll choose. In time. Whoever you wish, we are at your disposal.

The fingers against your cheek drifted down and brushed against your collar bone. 

In a blink, he was gone, only the ghost of his touch and the echo of the melody left behind.

Your breath quickened in panic. Jumping from the bench, you ran out into the hallway. The barely visible back of Chanyeol was on the edge of darkness. 

“Wait!” you called out to him. “Mr. Chanyeol, wait!”

He paused. Then slowly turned around so his face, half covered in shadow, was to you. 

“Play it again,” you begged. You wanted to hear more. Needed to hear more. And, he didn’t scare you. Not in this moment. You had been wanting to discover a story for yourself that you had read a thousand times. Perhaps, this could be the beginning. 

A shining smile growing on his face, Chanyeol nodded and came back to you for another song. 

*****

Chanyeol played for hours, never tiring or stumbling over the keys. Every note came from within himself. He never pulled out a single piece of sheet music. Each time one song ended, he paused only long enough to seek approval from you for another before beginning the next. 

For most of the concert, you sat in silent appreciation, but occasionally, you risked speaking to ask about the piece he was currently playing. Nearly all were his own compositions.

"How have you had time to write all of these?" you asked as the newest song came to a close. 

His fingers paused on the last keys, elongating the notes in a way that felt out of place. Throughout his playing, he had looked at you to gauge your reactions. But now he kept his eyes on the instrument, his brow furrowed. 

"I've had a lot of time," he said quietly. "All the time I could have asked for." He lifted his hand from the keys and stretched his fingers, curling them inward and then back out again. 

You laughed light-heartedly." You look hardly eight and twenty,"

"Have you been composing your whole life?" A forced smile pulled tightly at his lips. 

"For a very long time." 

You frowned at the cryptic answer. But your stomach prevented you from pushing another question onto him. The gurgling sound was soft, but enough to bring your hand to your stomach. 

"Oh, that's right," Chanyeol chuckled softly. "I forgot you have to eat." 

"Yes, I do that on occasion." The memory of his lack of dinner the other night brewed in your mind. And he said “you have to eat”. Not “we”. Was it merely a slip of the tongue? "Will you show me the kitchen?" 

"The kitchen?" he echoed. 

You nodded. "Yes. I don't need a full meal. Some bread, cheese, and salted meat would suffice." 

"Oh, erm." He stood from the bench somewhat clumsily. "Actually, you stay here and I’ll fetch you some food." 

"But-”

He was gone before your tongue could click on the “T”. 

"Well, humph." That was abrupt. It wasn’t as if you had asked to see the coffers. You merely asked to go to the kitchen. 

Many times at home you had prepared your own midday meal. There were obviously no servants around here. What could be wrong with you entering a measly kitchen? You had half a mind to go try and find it yourself, but... you were hungry. And if you got lost, it could be a decent amount of time before you were able to eat. You could always search another time. 

Standing up from the bench, you wandered over to one of the tables still holding a dirty goblet. Remnants of deep red wine stained the inside of the glass.

At first glance, the drying liquid looked like any dry red wine you'd seen a hundred times. But there was something odd about the way it coated the glass. The thick red stain it left behind....

You wiped a finger around the inside and brought the coating closer to your vision. There was a stickiness to it that was different from your previous experiences with spilling the nightly drink. And the color... it was richer, more striking red than a deep purple. A color you had seen time and time again. You pressed the finger to your tongue. And immediately spat the taste out. 

Blood. 

It was undeniably blood mixed in the wine. What the hell were these men? 

"Do you insist on being everywhere?" 

You stumbled back from the deep voice, your hand colliding with the goblet. The delicate cup flew off the table towards the hardwood floor. Before it could shatter As a million pieces, a hand snatched hold off the goblet. 

Kyungsoo didn't replace the goblet onto the table. He stared at you with a hardened expression. His dark eyes like hickory seemed filled with shadow. 

"What are you?" you whispered, your heart beating so fast it was traveling up your throat. 

Blood, reflexes, cold breath. 

Things that weren't human yet familiar to you anyway. Somewhere in the back crevices of your childhood. 

Kyungsoo leaned in, forcing you back until you stumbled into one of the chairs. 

"What are we?" he scoffed mockingly. His top lip curled upward, revealing unnaturally long canines. "Figure the monster out for yourself." 

Fear charged through you like a prized stallion. You scrambled past him to get away, tripping over the hem of your dress as you fled. Chanyeol reappeared in the entrance, two others by his side and a tray of the exact morsels you had asked for laid out in an intricate picture in his hands. But you didn't pause long enough to appreciate it. You ran from the room, their confusion in your wake.

You ran until you reached the sanctuary of your room. You shoved all you could in front of your door to keep them out, keep them all out. 

Reflexes, grace fullness, nighttime. 

Blood, cold breath... fangs. 

Not human. 

Monster. 

That was what Kyungsoo had said. Had called himself. You were in a house of monsters. But what kind of monsters? 

Gathering the blanket from the floor, you crawled onto the bed and buried yourself under the fabric shield. Immediately, the air grew hot, but still you folded in on yourself, your arms tight around your shoulders. Eyes squeezed shut, you wondered how you ended up here, what you had done to deserve it. 

You prayed silent prayers that you make it simply through the night.

[ethereal-choi]

~ blood sucker.

© ethereal-choi 2023–2024.

[zazzander]

The Seven + Others in The Magnus Achives (AU)

Some ideas for a TMA AU for the Seven. Some of these might be a little controversial.

Jason Grace = the Lonely

Cares deeply for people but is always distant, sometimes it's just easier to embrace the Lonely rather than fight it...

Nico di Angelo = the End

In this AU, Nico is touched by the End after the death of his sister. He seaks out a means of bringing her back. Eventually he comes to the understanding that the End comes when the End comes.

(Inspired by how Nico justifies killing Bryce because Bryce "escaped" death + how he was ready to what Octavian die without trying to stop him "some deaths should not be prevented").

Piper McLean = the Web

In canon, she uses her powers to help her friends - calming them down before a fight. And while that is useful, it also crossing a line into manipulation, especially because she doesn't actually inform them. I think she hates it though.

Percy Jackson = the Buried, specially regarding drowning

In canon Percy starts to fear drowning, obviously he's got water powers and while the Sea can definately veer towards the Vast, I think under the water is where you'll find the Buried. The crushing pressure of the deep ocean... Also, Percy lives his life trying to fight a tide that feels impossible to resist

Frank Zhang = the Desoluation

In this AU, he carries with him a Artefact which means he will die if it ever burns out. Unlike with Leo, the piece of firewood feels a lot more like the Lightless Flame.

Annabeth Chase = the Eye

Books. Architecture. The pursuit of knowledge. Enough said. Annabeth would be a modern day Smirke (but less evil).

Octavian = the Eye

While he could felt be a canditate for the Web, I think Octavian ultimately falls into the Eye. He's noted to be obsessive regarding finding the Sibylline books and his reaction towards Ella feels like ver Eye-like. While Octavian does us his knowledge to manipulate, I think that's just a by-product and he would absolutely search for knowledge for knowledge's sake.

I think Annabeth and Octavian would be rivals and be constantly trying to stop the other's plans.

Leo Valdez = The Stranger

This one is hard and I'm not sold on anything in particular. Leo's main thing is building machines - which doesn't really collect with anything.

The Desoluation (fire powers) and the Lonely (feeling like the seventh wheel) are definitely options.

But then I thought about how Leo looks exactly like his granddad, Sammy Valdez. And that's kinda spooky if you think about it... Like it could definitely give "I Do Not Know You" vibes, because while the face is the same every generation - the person is different.

Reyna Ramirez-Arellano = The Hunt

This one doesn't really fit her but I think she might join the Hunt in a similiar way she joins Artemis's Hunt in Riordanverse, like searching for a new purpose gets locked into the Hunt for "Monsters". I can see her becoming a vampire hunter...

Hazel Levesque = The Spiral

The obvious option is the End, because she was literally dead for a while... but Hazel escapes death, which is very much not an End thing. Because the End is the End.

However, this process left her with faiting spells where she re-experiences her past memories. In canon, she fears that she is in the wrong time. In the AU, this element of her character could manifest as the influence of the Spiral. Slowly being dragged into the memories of a past life that might not have really existed at all.

She wouldn't be an Avatar, since they tend to be all-or-nothing, but she would be touched by it.

[geekygirl24]

MisTResShawnie - 4th. Chinese prompt for the Grave Robbers Chronicles. Vampire AU. Sequel to Chapter 37. Wu Xie and Zhang QiLing. Let's tackle forming the Iron Triangle (Wu Xie and Zhang QiLing meet Wang PangZi.) Hopefully with humour.

[kjmcotton]

The twelfth chime-Yixing

From the Halloween advent calendar🎃

Zhang Yixing x general!reader

Vampire!AU

Warnings:blood,spooky content,supernatural creatures

If sensitive,please,don’t read

Bong….

You turned the corner of the living room,tripping on a ripped carpet and falling on the ground

Bong…

You stood up and cleaned your hands,blood was staining your palm as you had cut yourself with a wooden piece coming out from a broken beam of the floor

Bong…

Clunk…clunk…clunk…

He was getting closer,you had no time

Bong…

You looked at the pendulum clock,catching your breath before running towards the entrance of the mansion. You grabbed the door handle and tried to open the door,but,suddenly it was locked.

How could it be possible? That was the way you had used to get inside that dusty building!

Bong…

Clunk…clunk…clunk…

He was getting closer,you had no time

Bong…

You turned around,crossing the hall to reach the marble stairway:it was black,cold,stained by the blood of your hand that was leaving prints everywhere

Bong…

Your steps resonated through muffled sounds while your breath was short:you didn’t know where those stairs were leading you,but you had no other way to escape him

Bong…

Clunk…clunk…clunk…

He was getting closer,you had no time

You turned around,frightened,but you couldn’t see him anywhere. You could only hear him close:t was freaking you out

Bong…

Once you reached the second floor different doors appeared in front of your eyes. The rooms hidden by them were obviously unknown to you, but anywhere was better than waiting for him to kill you in that ancient hall with cracked pots and the smell of death in the air

Bong…

While holding back your tears,you walked a few steps deeper into the corridor,hiding in a random room

Bong…

Clunk…clunk…clunk…

He was getting closer,you had no time

You hid under the white fabric covering the forniture,hoping that he wouldn’t find you,but you were wrong…how could you not be? That was his house after all,his hell,and he every corner of that mansion

Clunk…clunk…clunk…

Creak…

He was there,he was in the room with you now.

Scared,you closed your eyes and held your breath,bringing your hands to your mouth. You wanted to become small,so small to disappear,but you knew you weren’t Alice and that mansion wasn’t Wonderland

Clunk…clunk…clunk…

“Time out little mouse,the cat is here” he talked. His voice was husky and sharp,as sharp as broken glass

Swoosh…

The smelly air hit you skin,metaphorically scratching you,so you opened your eyes just to see him standing still in front of you. The left edge of his lips lifted up in a devilish smirk.

“Please…” you talked in a breath of sound,trying to beg him to let you live,but he didn’t listen;he grabbed you and dragged you out from your hiding place

“It won’t hurt…not too much at least” he said.

You gulped as you watched his eyes turn into a bloody red and his fangs sharpen from behind his purplish,cold lips

Bong…

“Twelve chimes. The cat has won the final round” those were Yixing’s last words before sinking his fangs in your neck and putting you to sleep once forever

[miss-ingno]

🗣❔️ and I'm really curious to know 🤬

🗣️Talk about your favourite WIP

I don't think I have a favourite right now 🤔 the problem with work sapping so much of my creative energy ^^° I am looking forward to working on the vampire sequel after I'm done with my F5K exchange fic, though! It's a casefic that involves the stealth lesbians Zhang Ruonan and Wang Yike, as well as more Zhu Hong-Li Qian bonding :3 Plus Shen Wei being protective of his fledgling! Also one of my favourite Weilan scenes of the series already but shhhh

(and I really want to go back and finish In This As In All Things. I had a breakthrough back in March! I haven't had much time to write since tho :( )

❔Choose a random WIP and talk about it.

There's an Imperial AU that's more in the planning stages of a WIP (I only have one small snippet written so far) but ngl I'm gonna love writing it. WIP title: Imperial Murder Mystery!

In which Guo Changcheng is a newly minted offiial getting his first task: figuring out the gruesome murder of Someone Important. He's assigned Chu Shuzhi as his partner/palace guide, and together they go about proving that the death had nothing to do with Empress Shen Wei... except once they present the evidence, Guo Changcheng starts to doubt and does some snooping on his own time.

Intrigue! Court politics! Scheming! Assassin!Chu Shuzhi! Emperor!ZYL and Empress!Shen Wei! And poor Xiao Guo caught in the middle of this mess! :D!

🤬Is there a WIP that you hate?

Hate and love in equal terms - the Arranged Marriage AU I keep fiddling with off and on. Part of me is scared to not be able to write such a longfic, another is stuck on some details I need to know to write it, another knows I need to just sit down and tackle the scenes as they come. But then I'll have to edit it afterwards and will I be patient enough with no validation and comments throughout the process to pull through!? It's a dilemma :')

(What I won't do in any case is post it as an on-going WIP. That path leads to too much pressure and disappointment because too many readers avoid WIPs as they are posted in this already small fandom. Which leads me to my last worry, that I'll start posting this fic finally as most people have moved on from Weilan... ^^")

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Monday Fic Recs

Wang Pangzi/Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling (DMBJ)

we're still here by ravenditefairylights

The number of times Wu Xie has woken up beaten up and loopy on pain meds in a hospital room is frankly concerning.

A lovely sweet and soft bit of hurt/comfort

Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling (DMBJ)

Bite by shaish

The car jostles as they turn off the smooth, paved road of the highway and onto the rocky mountain path, low tree branches brushing and scraping along the roof. They wail and screech like the beasts his grandfather told him stories about, and Wu Xie curls up tighter in the pitch under the jacket in the backseat footwell, flattening his small hands over his ears.

An absolutely fantastic vampire AU. Really loved how the author wove their own lore in with the canon mythology.