#given the number of different takes on what it takes to make a vampire that I've seen over the years

[marypsue]

You know, for years I've been thinking "the whole half-vampire situation and 'kill the head vampire and free any half-vampires' thing in The Lost Boys is so unique, I've never seen that particular approach to vampire turning in any other vampire story, and it really fits the story well, I wonder how they came up with it" and.

It's Dracula. It's literally just what happens in Dracula. Michael Emerson and Mina Harker 'having to kill the master vampire whose blood (which you ingested) is slowly turning you into a creature of the night in order to become human again' handshake meme.

[liannelara-dracula]

Can you make a part 2 prompt about the Sakamaki " What their family is like, like the household and number of kids." And i love your work

Hi Love,

Sure! I included everyone else I didn't in the other post here. And thank you! I know this was originally for scarfical bride prompt but sense the Mukami one was done in a different setting, this one will be just like it. If you want the dark setting just send in the request.

-Liannelara

M bros version -> post

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Prompt

Requests are open

Rules

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Diaboys Household and Kids Hcs

Shu:

Family + Background:

Marriage isn't the biggest thing to him but it will come around eventually.

He seems like he'd take things slow but because he's real into you, he speeds into things.

So it might be faster than you'd expect.

I don't think anyone has ever seen him get this way so everyone would become very aware of this change in behavior.

He if he comes to the point of being "in love" then he'd decided to move away from his brothers and family because he doesn't want them involved.

He finds it best to have them be seperate.

However, with the influence of woman that he loves he may be inclined to take responsibility and take care of Vampire Kingdom.

So he may infact have you move into the demon world which puts himself at a distance with his brothers.

But more than likely, given that he is rather selfish its more practical that he'd leave such a tolling responsibility on someone like his brother Reiji to take care of.

Shu would take the job of being a politician like his father did in the human world as an image in order to blend in society.

its quite easy is all is handed down to you.

He'd be quiet lousy tho and make his familiars do everything.

Never tells his kids anything about his family.

Number of kids:

Two kids, one boy, one girl. And believe me, it is enough for him.

Probably only a year or two apart.

I think the kids really made him get his act together and not be an apathetic teen.

I mean already to care for someone truly he isn't going to be his lazy self because has something to look forward to which is something he's been stripped from for the longest time.

I think children would change him if the woman he has them with is someone he cares for.

Household:

There isn't much to say.

When he met you and had kids, he became more active, moved out, and started a life with you.

He moved to somewhere relaxing away from everything, and you two have a girl and boy, so you have a perfect family.

Sometimes you have to nudge him to not be freaking lazy.

He is a lazy father, but surprisingly he does things, but only cause he cares.

Loves talking to his kids about their interests and how they have a lot of opportunity and time to be free of responsibility.

He's mostly carefree and leaves the work of disciplining them to you.

"I'm too tired, you can be Reiji."

"Shu!"

Reiji:

Family + Background:

Would be the first to move away from his brothers.

For a while, you stayed with him, but after a while, you both thought about living away from his family, given everything.

He'd mainly leave if they posed as a threat, which realistically, they do.

And given he wants the best for his lady, he'd move away in a heartbeat. which

In fact, in one of the games, he moved out and picked a house for him and Yui to live in because he wanted to "start a life with her."

And you could imagine he obviously proposed first because he's very old fashioned.

It was one night you both had come home from a ball and removed your jewelry in front of your mirror.

He came up behind you planting kisses on your shoulder and up your neck, all the once while you were distracted he slipped a ring on your finger and spoke in a low voice, "Marry me, Y/n."

"Reiji?"

"Say that you'll be my bride." He'd whisper, kissing you on the lips.

I will hint at the fact that there were times where he did tease you about getting married.

"I don't understand what you're asking me."

"Woman, I am asking you to be my bride, is it not obvious?"

"Are you being serious?"

"Silly girl, do you think I'd ask you like this? I needed you to stop crying this was the only way . . . full discourse, I would have asked much differently, my dear." He grinned, amused by your reaction.

"You shouldn't mess with me like that!" You scoffed.

"Oh no? You're quite charming when confused."

Number of kids:

You two had a wonderful little girl, and boy, the boy came first. And Reiji wouldn't be opposed to another child. Preferably another daughter.

Which is probably along the way or in his plans, knowing him.

After three I would say he is quite complete.

Reiji sometimes hints at a another child being a possibility for the two of you.

"There's always been room for another, my dear."

"Are you saying we should have another?"

"Perhaps." He'd smirk.

Household:

The most sophisticated and elegant family.

Anyone would deem you all as greatly intelligent and stunning.

Seriously, this is a family filled with good looks, so you are both well known for your children's success and strong resemblance to you both.

With Reiji, you both decided to have a place of your own and start a family, which is exactly what happened.

You two moved far away from his brothers and bought an elegant home.

Reiji planned out what street he'd want to live on, the house in particular, and if it had a special aspect of the interior which you once brought up. He'd make sure the house would have that view or courtyard you had mentioned, or that wide window you loved looking out of.

But that is something you love about him; he plans for things he cares for.

He is great at helping you with the kids, and you leave educating, and cooking to him because you know how he feels about it.

Although you try to help, he will argue with you sometimes, mostly about harmless things.

But when it comes to disciplining your kids, it can be a war of disagreement, especially because he lets his daughter get away with things, and he is harder on his son.

So this requires you to intervene all the time.

Though it is cute to see older Reiji and little Reiji argue.

But it's even cuter to see them work together.

Laito:

Family + Background:

Didn't give making a family so much of a thought. It was not on his agenda.

So he didn't think about moving out or anything.

The only thing that changed him about it was you both having a child unexpectedly.

At first, it seemed surreal, but the more he saw his stomach grow in the process, he started to think about it and soon realized it wasn't a dream.

It was very real, and he needed to be ready.

He was involved; he just didn't know what all of it was going to be/look like.

So it took some time, but he was interested and was happy to be a father because he actually loved this woman.

Although even if he had kids with a bride, he would enthusiastic about it because I think he is fascinated by it, but he later loses interest as well.

But because he is attached to his partner, it is much different. He is quite moved and is eager to see the child.

If he is worried about his father or someone else being a threat, he'll move away.

But knowing Laito, he will probably just stay with his family since there technically is enough room. But he does leave that decision up to you.

Number of kids:

He'd have two twin girls and then another little girl. So three little girls.

I don't think he really wanted a boy because he's had enough boys in the family.

Plus, I think it may have to do with trauma reasons that he doesn't want to have a son.

I also think he'd have a stronger attachment to a daughter then he would a son.

I'm so betting that the girls all have ginger hair, or that each one looks like him or one of his full blood-related brothers because genes work in mysterious ways, you know.

Plus, I think that would be interesting to see

Household:

A fun family with a chaotic bunch of three girlies.

It can be a handful since they are very close in age.

But you two make the most of it.

In terms of living in the human or demon world, he'd probably live in the human world just cause his father is usually in the demon world.

Kanato:

Family + Background:

This wasn't easy, and it was definitely unexpected.

Although, with someone he loves, he'd put everything aside and be soft with you.

This is actually something he really likes.

It would definitely move away as soon as the child was born.

He'd take no chances and have you live with his family.

After all no one paid much attention to him in the first place why should he stay?

He'd leave in heartbeat and travel around with you to find the perfect home for just the two of you, which would soon be the three of you.

He mostly made the plans because he liked surprising you.

Number of kids:

You'd have just one. He couldn't imagine putting you through that again.

As much he loved seeing you go through your pregnancy, he didn't want you to go through all the pain that comes with labor.

It would be a baby girl, for sure. Seeing him be gentle with a daughter would be so adorable.

especially because he'd sew her dresses.

Household:

A quiet and small family, but its all the two of you could ask for.

It means a lot to both of you to watch your daughter grow.

He wants the best for both of the women he loves in his life.

Is quite protective of you both and makes sure his family is not included in one single conversation.

Ayato:

Family + Background:

He hasn't figured out anything.

And he was a nervous wreck at first

Now he just kinda chills around.

Never really knows what the next plan is.

It would take his brothers to get him to think about it.

He'd also need your input on this to figure it all out.

eventually he'd come to the idea where you both would stay at the mansion. That is until too many kids came into the second picture.

Number of kids:

About three to four (mostly boys), with the second kid, his brothers told him he needed to get it together and move out lol.

so he did, because the fam was just getting too big he needed his own place with you and after some searching and planning you got it to work and moved out.

Although he does visit his bros still.

Household:

It's chaotic, especially if he is taking care of the kids.

He has a lot to learn, but he is fun.

He gets them into sports and is a kid himself.

You constantly call to make sure nothing crazy happens.

Subaru:

Family + Background:

You both would find your own place and definitely wouldn't stay with his brothers.

He'd want to be away from his family.

It's mostly cause he doesn't really like them.

And he wants it to be far from them.

And honestly just isolated from people.

Number of kids:

You had your own place by this point so it wasn't a big deal.

He'd probably really only want one at the most. (a girl)

He doesn't want a big family, I mean he can hardly see himself being a good father to one, let alone many.

Household:

It's quiet and small, but it's a good thing.

You both are able to raise your kid calmly if you have one.

you rely on each other, and that's about it.

Kino:

Family + Background:

Similar to Ayato, he would definitely not be sure of what he wants to do. He probably just does whatever you want to do since he doesn't really care.

Is more of a go-with-the-flow type, and kinda handles stuff last minute.

You are probably doing most of the thinking.

He didn't even think about family or getting his own place with you; he's just not focused on it.

Number of kids:

one because he counts as another kid.

It is boy for sure because he needed a buddy to keep himself busy and not to always bug you, lol.

He is so chaotic and teaches his son so many pranks and its just messed up.

Household:

Its a mess, you constantly have to worry about both of them.

Its a like a second kid and you just get so annoyed at Kino sometimes.

But he does keep the kid busy and learns a lot.

He gets better with more experience but he's also just all over the place.

One thing he got his kid into is gaming for sure.

Carla:

Family + Background:

He told you to stay in the castle with him and his brother since it is big and there is plenty of room.

He does think about if you will have kids, after he's married you.

Carla asked you to stay with him and build a life with him.

"I want to be the reason I stay, Y/n. Be with me."

this man

He has many plans, some to which he shares, others of which he is still unsure of.

It was quite peaceful for a while, though.

Number of kids:

Once you had kids, probably one boy or two girls.

Though he wants an heir, he definitely would love to have a daughter.

He'd have so much planned for his kids, and he was happy to have them with you.

It's probably the happiest he's ever been.

Household:

You are still at the mansion since there is plenty of room.

A lovely and quiet family but also classy.

Your children have both of your looks.

The boy would be like Carla's twin.

The girls would have some key features of his.

Spoils his kids for sure.

He is also proud of his family and you as his wife.

And he protects his family from anything.

Shin:

Family + Background:

He didn't plan too much in the beginning.

After marrying, he planned much more about the family he wanted and how he wanted to spend his life with you.

It's something he has thought of for a long time.

Number of kids:

You thought you were going to have two boys and that was it but you ended up with four instead.

It’s entirely his fault he said you wouldn’t get pregnant anymore.

But those wolf genes you know they seem to be prominent

If you were upset about being pregnant he’d find it a little cute. “This is ridiculous I don’t want another child. You said I wouldn’t be able to have another child.”

“What’s the matter, love. I thought you liked having children?” He’d ask amused.

“I love them—Omg you did this on purpose! Last month—“

He’d smirk, “in forest, yes.”

“I cannot believe you. You lied.”

“I didn’t lie to you, love. I said having more children might be rare because most in my family don’t have more than two.”

“I thought we agreed on not having more.”

“What can I say, I was curious to know.”

“Shin!”

“Oh c’mon, love, you where enjoying yourself, why should I have stopped.”

“Shut up!”

Household:

A full house, granted there are six of you so it is exhausting to keep up.

And Shin's son's are a total handful.

He does keep them busy and intertained.

You tell him not use powers until they are old enough though.

It takes a while for Shin to get used to it but he is fond of his kids.

I mean he's always wanted to procreate so I guess you could say his wish came true.

He loves that he has built a family with you and like his brother is going to protect it.

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˗ˏˋ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑦 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 ˎˊ˗ ©𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔~Present

[wrens-versus-the-world]

Intertwined with the inhuman (harbingers x reader)

Okay, hear me out

(Cross posted under Dontjudgemepels on wattpad)

Y/n L/n

the human, who has captured the hearts of some of the most powerful beings in this world

further details:

            -a college student on summer break

           -"All I wanted was a summer vacation"

Pierro:

A man who was once a human, cursed with immortality for a sin, he serves as number one of the Fatui harbingers.

the Fatui is a secret organization that serves to help the inhuman, but for a price that many deem to be far too great.

No further details available:

Il Dottore:

A vampire who has lived for several centuries, who also serves as number two of the fatui harbingers.

Dottore also happens to be called The Doctor.

Further details:

           - "You are quite the specimen, would you allow me to take a closer look at you?"

Columbina

 A siren who join the fatui along the same time as Dottore, she was notorious for luring sailors to their eventual demise. even outside of her watery home she is still one of the strongest Harbingers. 

Further details:

           -It is said that her voice has the power to hypnotize hundreds of people, even with a simple tune. 

           - "Say, would you like to hear a tune my dear?"

Capitano:

Capitano is said to have the face of a monster, although no one has seen it so no one really knows, what is known of him though is that he has been alive for several centuries, and has served as a warrior a different time periods. He currently serves as number four of the fatui harbingers. 

further details:

          - although he is said to be a war torn battle hungry warrior he seems to have a soft spot for animals and certain humans.

          -"No one has seen what is under my mask, nor will they, even you. "

Scaramouche: 

Scaramouche a man who has a perfect face he has lived for a few centuries, as is significantly younger than many of the high ranking harbingers (see numbers 1-4). although he is said to have a perfect face if you look to closely you may see the cracks of his past beneath such a beautiful face.

Further details:

                   -he has quite the tongue on him, but he can be quite soft when he wants to be

                   - "You are quite the anomaly human, I can see why the doctor has such an interest in you."

Pantalone:

Pantalone has lived for several centuries, although he has only lived in the human realm for a few centuries, he is a demon who wears the face of a banker. He often enjoys manipulating humans into giving up their soul for unimaginable wealth, along with watching many people going into bankruptcy 'mysteriously.' It is also said that he has worked closely with the Doctor number two of the harbingers. For his ability to get money he has been brought to the fatui and given the number of nine. Don't let such a low number make you think he's weak. 

further details: 

              -He almost never opens his eyes, many people place bets on what color they are

              -"you may as well be the most valuable thing that one can get."

Arlecchino:

Arlecchino, number ten of the fatui harbingers is one who was once a mother, as a human she had found true happiness, or so she thought, her child was taken away from her at such a young age and she was labeled as a witch, the two were burned together at the stake. Arlecchino woke up decades later filled with resentment towards the people who killed her and her child. It's said that the night she rose is the night that many villages who discriminated against women and hurt children fell, burned to the ground. For her history she aligned herself with the Fatui, reaching the number of ten, as a pontianak (these are actually really cool ->> from google:  It is often depicted as a pregnant woman who is unable to give birth to a child or as a vampiric, vengeful female spirit. The Pontianak lures in unsuspecting men to incite fear and enact revenge. Signs that a Pontianak is nearby include the sound of an infant crying, the smell of a decaying corpse, or the plumeria flower

but for the purposes of this story she will be a bit different...).

Further details: 

               - It is said that arlecchino will lure away children from abusive households and raise them as their own, they consider it to be a blessing but many debate about whether these children have stumbled into a blessing or a curse in disguise

              -"You are quite a beautiful human, your soul is pure, perhaps if I were a human we could've been together."

Childe:

Tartaglia better known as childe is a werewolf, the youngest of the harbingers only being a little over a century old. As a child it is said that he fell into a realm of the inhuman which lead him down a path where he eventually met a werewolf who turned him after they trained together. Since he is so young he can have quite the temper, especially when it is close to the full moon. 

Further details:

                -It is said that childe was very close with his family, but when he turned he had to leave them behind. he knew it was for the best, since it would just be torture to see them grow up while he just stayed the same. He still has nightmares about it and visits their graves from time to time, and carries a photo of them with him.

            -"Say it again, say my name. It sounds divine when you say it."

And so the show begins, let us see how it will end.

[quietblueriver]

Hit with sudden inspiration, so here's a little Avatrice Buffy AU. Now with a part two.

Now with more that can be found here.

--

It’s a trap.

Of course it is. She knows better than to do this. She has made it as long as she has as a slayer by knowing better than to do this.

It was irresponsible, and, she thinks, as she watches two more demons emerge from behind a shelving unit halfway down the warehouse, their knives glinting in the low light, now she’s going to die.

It won’t be the first time.

She hadn’t known any better, then. Had been overconfident and followed her instincts all the way to the bottom of the pool in the school gymnasium, red swirls dancing in her fading vision as she sank. She’d used the last of her strength to bend her knees and press against the bottom, weak but something, enough to get her high enough to hook an arm over a rung of the ladder before she lost consciousness, gasping for air and finding only water and the taste of iron and chlorine.

She woke up heaving and coughing to the impassive face of Suzanne Superion, who moved Beatrice’s own hand to the gauze she’d applied to the wound on her neck before standing and brushing her hands over the fabric of still perfectly-pleated pants.

A grimace. A murmur: “I just had these dry-cleaned.”

Beatrice pushed herself up from the clammy tiles, the sucking sound of her wet cotton shirt pulling free of the floor unnaturally loud without the cover of whistles and shouting and water displaced by the clumsy strokes of her peers.

She swayed slightly, felt Superion’s critical eyes on her until she stabilized. She turned, then, and Beatrice followed, slowed by blood loss and the particularly awful feeling of wet socks squishing in her wet trainers with every step. Superion did not slow for her, calling out over her shoulder, “This is why you should listen to me.”

She should have listened. To be fair, though, she had seen a vampire carrying a screaming child into the gym. Only two weeks in, she didn’t yet have the instincts to understand that the child was a vampire, too.

Beatrice is not generally particularly kind to herself, but she thinks she made an understandable decision at the time.

Tonight, though, she had merely been reckless. A moment. But she knows better than anyone that that’s all it takes.

She’s backed into a corner now, a dozen vampires and demons congratulating each other and sneering at her as she takes stock. They haven’t attacked her yet, despite their numbers, and they’re excited about something. She’s already heard a ritual mentioned in three different languages. Also, blood.

This makes sense given the symbol chalked into the floor nearby—a resurrection spell, if she had to guess, although she can only get a partial view. Most of it is obscured by the jostling bodies of a vampire—most likely newly turned, if his too-bright eyes and muddy shoes are anything to go by—and a Liliiad demon. His face, like all Lilliad faces, looks a bit like a half-melted candle, and she’s unsettled, as always, by its ability to convey its hatred so clearly through gray, blurred features.

A ritual with the slayer’s blood, then. Another one. Far from the first time they’ve tried something like this, although they’ve finally managed to catch her off guard.

She’s well and truly alone, off the trail of her prescribed patrol path, and she has the stake in her hand, the cross on her neck, and her knives. At least she has her knives.

A figure steps forward, tall and broad and dressed in red robes, his face shielded by his hood. Next to him stands the reason Beatrice entered this warehouse in the first place.

His demeanor now is a stark contrast to what it had been an hour ago, his shaking hands and disheveled hair and breaking voice.

“They slipped away,” he’d said. “The same group that got Shannon. Three of them.”

She hadn’t asked any questions. A rookie mistake, letting emotion guide her.

She thinks of the night she found Shannon on the library floor, the crack in Superion’s ever-present armor as she recognized her friend’s broken body. She thinks, very seriously, about using one of her knives to kill him, but she’s not ready to escalate, and he’s not worth wasting whatever chance she might have.

And, of course, she knows that whatever happens here, Superion will figure him out and he will pay. For Shannon, and, maybe, for her.

“Beatrice.”

She says nothing, and Vincent sighs.

“Very well.” His eyes turn to the face of the robed figure. “I’m going to the tomb. You know what to do.”

He steps back through the circle of demons and walks toward the exit. She hears the groan of one of the warehouse doors opening as the robed figure takes another step toward her.

Her fingers move for a moment to the scar on her neck and then she breathes, steady, lets her senses expand, shifts her stance.

She is the slayer. She will not go down easily.

And she doesn’t. The person or demon or creature coming toward her is slow, fumbles when she dodges, and she has somehow caught the rest of them off guard. Two quick stakes and three knives gone and she’s opening up the circle, taking full advantage of their characteristic lack of organization.

Something takes out her knee and she collapses, breath taken out of her when she hits the floor. A shadow, and a boot comes down on her knee with a sickening crunch. She cries out and closes her eyes, only for a moment, before catching herself.

She opens them to the face of the robed figure, hood now pushed back to reveal the raised planes of his vampire form, bright blonde hair and blue eyes and a predatory gaze. He rests his boot on her chest as she tries to think through the pain, moving from thoughts of escape to thoughts of sabotage. They may kill her but she’ll be damned if they use her blood to raise whatever godforsaken creature brought them all here.

“If we didn’t need all of your blood to raise our Lord, little girl, I would rip your throat open right now and have a little taste. I’ve heard slayer blood brings a real high.”

She has had more demonic creatures than she can count tell her that they’d love to rip her throat open. It’s nothing new. But the feeling of satisfaction that comes over her at his words is—he’s given her the information she needs.

She can’t run. Slayers heal quickly, but not that quickly.

But she has a knife left, and he’ll have to carry her or drag her. Plenty of time for her to bleed before he can get her to the symbol. An easy cut to the brachial artery. Her clothes are dark, and she can be quiet. He won’t realize until it’s too late.

The knife is in her boot, but when he moves to drag her, she can…

Before she can finish the thought, there’s an explosion at the symbol, heat from a raging fire reaching Beatrice’s face, and she watches as the vampire above her turns his face to the commotion. In the same moment, a stake lodges itself in his chest, and she hears his final scream of rage and confusion as the boot on her chest crumbles to ash.

A new figure looms. Small. Familiar. And Beatrice feels a new kind of pain as she’s offered a hand and a crooked smile.

“Sup, Bea? Sorry I’m late to the party.”

[wandering-winchesters]

Down Range

Pairing: Dean x Reader Word Count: 1,479 Trigger Warning: Mentions of guns Summary: The reader is new to hunting and Dean takes her to learn how to shoot. Requested: Anonymous: Could you write a dean x reader where he teaches you to shoot before a hunt. A/N: I hope you enjoy reading. Please consider leaving a like and a comment. :)

Masterlist

I was new to hunting, the whole world of monsters and demons still overwhelming to me. I had only learned that vampires existed when I was taken by one, before being saved by Sam and Dean. After that day, they had tried to get me to go back to my normal life. However, I couldn’t stand my boring desk job knowing that this whole other world was out there. It’s like if you told me the world is going to end in three weeks, there’s nothing you can do, but you have to keep taking those stupid calls and emails, good luck! I simply wouldn’t do that. Sam had given me his phone number after the vampire incident, telling me to call them if anything ever happened again. Well, nothing else happened, but I still called. I called and begged them to let me join them, explaining that I needed to learn more about this in order to even feel capable of surviving. 

Which is how I wound up in the bunker, sitting in the library, with all of Dean’s guns laid out on the table in front of me. He had started cleaning them about an hour ago and I had bombarded him with questions. How do they work? Why do you have to clean them? What is a slide release? What does that button do? He even let me hold his favorite, the Colt 1911. The engraved metal breathtaking in its own way, the ivory handles smooth against my fingertips. He was patient, answering all of my questions and expanding on the things that he considered more important. He went into depth about the different calibers, why he preferred forty-five caliber to nine- millimeter, that part went over my head if I am being honest. Nonetheless, I was intrigued. 

“Have you ever shot a gun, Y/N?” Sammy asks, walking into the room, his laptop tucked under his arm. I shake my head, still entranced by the 1911. 

“No, I wasn’t raised around them and I’ve never even held one before today.” I respond, handing Dean back his gun and smiling in thanks. 

“Well we need to get you some time down range, especially if you’re going to be joining us on the hunt tomorrow.” Dean says, a slow grin spreading over his face. “And, I call dibs.”

Dean dragged me to a range, luckily it was relatively empty, no prying eyes focused on me. I was overwhelmed and anxious, I have seen people shoot before, mainly in movies and when the boys saved me from the vampires. But other than that, I was in a whole new world of things to learn. I stand awkwardly at the bench, unsure what to do with myself. My heart in my throat and hands shaky. Dean comes up behind me, setting the case that he had locked the guns in on the table in front of me. 

“Alright Y/N, you ready to kick some demon ass?” He asks, a grin on his face. I nod, remaining silent, but focusing on his actions. He opens the case, setting the colt on the table pointed down range towards the target. 

“Okay, so first off, there are some safety rules to think of at all times. One, always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.” He pauses to make sure I am listening and when he sees my eyes trained on him he continues. “Two, always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. Only ever pointing your gun at someone or something you are willing to shoot. Third, know your target and what is beyond your target. Does all of that make sense?” He asks, loading bullets into the magazine for the handgun. I nod again, my mouth suddenly dry from the amount of anxiety flowing through my body. He hands me a pair of safety glasses and ear protection. I put them on and wait for his next instructions, my arms crossed over my chest trying to disguise the way I was shaking. 

“Alright, do you want me to shoot first? So you can see how it works and hear how it sounds?” He asks, speaking louder than normal so I can hear him over the ear protection that I have on. I nod, but when I realize he isn’t watching my face I respond. 

“Yes please.” My voice sounds strange, muffled and weaker than I intended, but he paid no mind. 

He picks up the colt, wrapping his right hand around the grip his pointer finger extended and resting on the trigger guard. His left, wrapping around the other side resting on top of his right hand, both of his thumbs angled towards the front of the gun. I watch him carefully, as he straightens his arms up, extending them as far as he can. Bringing the sights on the gun level with his eyes keeping them both open and trained on the target in front of him. He takes a deep breath, moves his pointer finger from the trigger guard to the trigger and slowly squeezes. I jump slightly at the loud bang that follows, before steadying myself and watching him fire a few more shots. When the magazine is empty, he presses the slide release, drops the magazine onto the table and sets the gun down beside it. He turns to me, focusing in on my face and smiles. 

“What do you think? You ready to try?” He asks, gesturing for me to stand between himself and the table. I nod and move in front of him, looking down at the table before me. 

“Okay, so take the loaded magazine and slide it into the bottom of the gun.” He says, gesturing with his hands what he wants me to do. I follow his instructions and then wait for him to continue. “Now, with your right hand, pull the slide back on the gun, yep exactly like that. Now its loaded, so remember to keep your finger off the trigger and keep it pointed at the target. Great. Okay, so now,” He trails off, his body coming in close to my own, he positions my body how he wants it. My chest squared off with the target, my feet spread a little more than shoulder width apart with one foot slightly further back than the other. When he is content with my stance, he moves to the way my hands grasp the gun. He slides my fingers around a little bit, his touch fleeting and gentle. He nods, taking a step back and I try not to be disappointed by the loss of his touch. That’s not what this is about, he’s teaching me how to shoot a gun. It isn’t a date, pull yourself together Y/N. 

“Alright, so now, whenever you’re ready, place the pad of your pointer finger on the trigger and squeeze, slowly and gently. You’ve got this.” He says, his tone inspiring confidence through his encouragement. I take a deep breath, steeling my nerves and focus on the target beyond the sights on the gun. I move my finger from the side of the gun, to resting gently on the trigger, I rest the sights on the bullseye of the target and pull the trigger. A loud bang reverberates, the gun jumping slightly in my hand due to recoil. But overall, not bad at all. Enjoyable, even. The sense of confidence that goes rushing through me is incredibly empowering. I fire a few more rounds, until the gun clicks. Empty. I set it down and turn around to face Dean, I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him. 

“Thank you.” I whisper, the fear of being helpless again slowly fading away, thanks to his encouragement and teaching. I can feel that he is caught off guard, his hesitation clear in his delay in hugging me back. But then he does, his arms coming to rest around my waist, his head resting on top of my own. 

“Of course, gotta make sure you can take care of yourself out there.” He chuckles slightly, I pull away and look back at the target. I had hit all of my shots on the paper of the target, while they were not all bullseyes, they still would have left the monster on the other end bleeding. 

“Can I shoot some more?” I ask, my voice sheepish and quiet. He lets out a laugh of pure joy, a smile written across all of his features. “Of course, Y/N. Maybe I will finally have someone who enjoys shooting with me, Sammy would rather stay in the bunker reading.” He says, laughing while he reloads another magazine for me. The thought makes me smile, I would be completely fine with going shooting with Dean and having a shared hobby. 

“Sounds like fun to me.” 

[the-art-block]

*kicking my feet like I'm reading a love letter as I take in the amazing lore*

Hi! Sorry to bother, but as you know I'm obsessed with Moonrise information. What are their views on Kindred Sorcery? How do they see blood magic, Thinblood alchemy, and necromancy? Do they have different views than what is widely accepted amongst "common" Kindred society? Thank you as always for your time. 💖

A very juicy question indeed!!

I do of course love to babble endlessly about the Moonrise Nation 🥰 Passion projects like these are so much fun to share 💙💙💙

As a small preface for this answer, it is important to keep in mind that while I ultimately wanted each clan to have some kind of representation in the pre-colonial Kindred lore, some clans were simply not present on the continent before a certain time period.

Folks like the Setites, Banu Haqium, Ravnos, Tremere, and Salubri only arrived in number post-colonization. Prior to the massive arrival of immigrant settlers, these clans may have been represented by singular Kindred in any given region, as the descendants of long-forgotten migrants from the other parts of the ancient world. (I standby that Kindred have no reason to stay in one place if they want to travel the world, and as long as they can secure safe passage during the daytimes, no distance is unmanageable. Humans have been crossing oceans and mountains and polar regions for thousands and thousands of years. Who is to say that the odd Setite or Ravnos traveler didn't make it across the Bering Sea Land Bridge strapped to a litter??) The Hecata in general were present in ancient times, but the Giovanni specifically only arrived after the settlement of the East Coast began. Thin Bloods are a relatively modern phenomenon, so the old tradition has little to say on the matter of Alchemy.

That said, Blood Sorcery and Oblivion were present in the indigenous Kindred population by way of Caitiffs.

This ended up being quite long so I'll hide it under this cut like a cheeky fucker

Clan Everything | Caitiffs

The creation myth of the indigenous American Kindred tells that each of the progenitor vampires learned their inherent Disciplines from three worldly spirits.

Caitiffs, while exceedingly rare in the old days, were still a quantifiable group of Kindred. It was believed that a newly Embraced Childe had the chance to become a Caitiff if they were abandoned by their Sire before waking. Rather than inherit the knowledge of power belonging to their makers, these orphaned Kindred would instead be found by three random spirits of the world, who would then offer their gifts as consolation to the forgotten newborn. The teachers of power would learn these orphans by name and follow them through their lives, happy to teach any lesson the Kindred was curious about.

Clan "Everything" because there were no limits.

While modern Kindred lore understands that Caitiffs are born without a Bane, the ancient American tradition states that their Bane is, in fact, their lack of a heritage. While most Childer would have a Sire with them their whole lives to guide, teach, and protect them, Caitiffs were often left without. In a society where an individual's Sireage was key to understanding their identity and their place in the order of things, not having a connection to blood kin made one somewhat untrustworthy, unknowable, and unpredictable. While Caitiffs were rarely fully excised from Kindred circles, they did not enjoy the same entwined lives as those with definitive clans, and were never permitted to Embrace. While most other undead sought safety in the arms of their (statistically very few) neighbors, the life of a clanless vampire could be a cruel, dangerous, and short one.

Despite the raw deal of having little social security, Caitiffs were the ones most often in possession of vampiric sorceries. If a member of Clan Everything was so fortunate to be pitied by the right spirits, they would have immense utility to offer. This singular advantage afforded many an orphan vamp a safe Haven, clean vessels, and secure standing in their local communities.

A Fox's Deal | Blood Sorcery

The heat and light of a fire in the dark is, in equal measure, blessing and curse to the undead. That was the Creator's intent. Without the life given to the world by fire, even the dead will die again. The discerning teacher Fox knew that the balance between thriving and starving was always teetering, and took mercy on his students. As other spirits once did for the living, so he did for the dead.

The overwhelming majority of sorcerers were unclaimed orphans with no Sire, no clan, no stories to learn from. This naturally meant that there were no teachers, and most magic was self-taught... or perhaps it was taught by a sly prankster in red furs?

Known in most stories for being foolhardy and unwitting scholars, it was supposedly common to find your way to a sorcerer by the craters and scorch marks that marred their territories. In a world without Chantry or temple, each sorcerer boasted a bespoke and jury-rigged collection of rituals that only they knew the full nuances to.

Sorcerers that leveraged their unique abilities for a place in Kindred society were wholly reluctant to share either the gift or the secrets of their spellcasting, and kept their processes and formulae hidden even from other sorcerers. A shrewdness decidedly taught to them by Fox.

Whispers in the Water | Oblivion

It has long been understood by humankind that deep, dark waters are no place for them. For millennia since the first thought, fear of the abyss has remained. That long and darkening horizon over endless waters has been called a hell, an afterlife, and the realm of Gods for as long as man's eyes have glanced across them. The same is true in ancient America, where large bodies of water were often said to be the dominion of evil spirits and the beds of unhappy gods.

For the intrepid undead, such realms were vaults of learning which hid stories long-forgotten. Tapping into such knowledge was known to change a person, living or not - but the bounty to be gained was worth the currency of body and soul alike.

Each time Bullhead took on a new student, she looked into the pit where their spirit once was and dictated what lessons to pass on to them.

On one fin, she held the key to the past. The world turned on a wheel of knowledge, on lessons learned by the aging brains inside the skulls of elders. Sometimes, whole mortal lives would vanish with no opportunity to pass on what they'd learned. The magics that could bring these departed souls back was regarded as a most sacred and most essential tool to preserving wisdom beyond the ken of even the immortal Promiskeepers.

On the other fin, she held a shadow. The waters of the Earth were fury given form, crashing against the realm of man and good spirits like a raving giant. The grip of the current and the hunger of the depths was known on every shore and riverbed - where the dwellings of unholy things ground against the lands of the living. Any warrior capable of pulling these demons from water would have little to fear from either Kine or Kindred, and the time between wars was getting shorter and shorter each year. In her mercy, the spirit filled the void in her most ferocious students with the salt of sea and the ice of river.

The Light of Dawn | Thin Blood Alchemy

Settler Kindred make claims of the curse of vampirism originating with some gent in a Hebrew myth. The story says that God passed down a punishment on this murderer for his acts of violence and malice, and that he walked the Earth for all time in his misery - forever barred from Heaven.

For the people that lived on the continent for thousands of years before the events of the Bible, Caine is no one. Though the detail of the curse originating from the Creator remains, there was no single ancestor, but a dozen. Maybe even more, as modern theorists say.

As this story goes, a starving tribe of people committed atrocities in their pursuit to sustain themselves. So great were these crimes that the tribe was cursed, every man, woman, and child was exiled from the good way and forced to wallow in their guilt for all eternity...

But the modern nights show us that perhaps His fury is not infinite. The coming of a new age rides on the shoulders of Kindred half-born from mortals half-killed. To most Kindred philosophy today, this is a sign of some apocalypse or another, but for the Elders of the long-gone courts, this is a sign that the Creator's hatred is easing. The curse, at last, is lifting.

The magic they wield is no different. Creation in its most simplistic form, offered to those who have been nearly devoured. These are the miracles of the Creator's mercy, a new vision for redemption that must be celebrated and protected.

Honoring the Stories | The Moonrise Nation

The modern conglomerate calling itself the Moonrise Nation is a product of its time. A stalwart but young movement eager to reclaim and preserve all manner of lost things from the edge of extinction - from knowledge, to tradition, to blood.

Though much has been lost with no hope of recovery, just as much still remains. Knowledge of how the old clans dealt with the magics of the undead informs how the modern Nation conducts its own magics.

At time of writing, the presence of Blood Sorcery and Oblivion is still rare within the faction. Efforts have been launched to court and secure teachers, and thusfar they have gained the aid of the Tremere Ishkode (@syntheticmortal), the Giovanni Bartolo Tall-House, and the Lasombra Xhuuya. Reclamation of their personal traditions from pre-colonial Kindred has proven a very difficult task, but the combined recollections of the Elders Five-Trout, Atena:ti, and Beadmaker have produced some promising results so far!

Thin Blood Alchemy is, ironically, in heavier use than the other more common sorceries, as the number of Thin Bloods present in the Nation surpasses those of the more inherently magical clans.

-

SORRY that was a lot hahahah

[ofsilentthings]

'The Vampire Ascendant's Wife', a Postmortem

Just some writer thoughts about finishing my longest fanfiction to date!

Thank you for reading and commenting/leaving kudos.

Data and Commentary below~

I started it October 13, 2023 and finished it May 27, 2024.

With 138,915 words it is the longest fic I have ever written.

Each chapter averaged 6945 words. (Though the largest was like 13000 words.) This is unusual for me and I think going forward I'll try to keep each chapter shorter.

Inspiration:

I was inspired mainly by Dracula - mainly by wanting Jonathan Harker and Dracula kiss. Why a two hundred year gap? An arbitrary number but not really - it's how long Astarion was under Cazador's control (give or take a few decades). Besides providing a nice parallel, it was a funny reference to this line from the game:

Astarion: I'll make you pay for everything you've ever done to me! Cazador: I've known you for two hundred years! Haven't I suffered enough?

Planning:

For such a long fic as this, I do a lot of planning. I like to do a vague outline of where I want the fic to go (or even the themes I want to touch upon). When I get to specific chapters I break them down by scenes or even beats. I also did a lot of background planning. I had to know how Rickard could believably raise the performance of three businesses and quickly. I had to know how Astarion was going to become Archduke. And I had to figure out how to make Rickard fall in love with Taviana AND Astarion. Manipulating all these plots was difficult and part of the fun challenge but I think I did okay. Funny enough Henrik's death was not meant to be such a plot point; it was only supposed to be a way to force Rickard into the spotlight. I never intended Henrik to show up himself.

Successes:

I really love Rickard. I love his journey from nervous uncertain man meeting Astarion to the first time, to the last encounter when he tells him the truth and slaps him. I liked my Taviana who balanced over the line of loving and hating Astarion. I liked Astarion, since it was in a slightly different filter than most fics I've seen: one that is not new to power, but complacent. Realities of life (becoming poor) forced him to reach out to new opportunities, mainly Rickard. Whether he was ultimately changed by his time with his chamberlain is dependent upon the ending you prefer.

I think the multiple plots worked for the most part. The financials and social climbing reflected the intimacy of the three main characters, and vice versa. Also I managed to use an auction as a main plot device so that's fun to me.

Failures:

Vaida and her crew did not get a satisfactory ending. I toyed with having Astarion kill her in the final plot chapter but I worried that if Rickard saw that he would be much more antagonistic towards Astarion and not even try to talk to him.

I wish I had given a bit more attention to the businesses towards the end; however the focus on the story had obviously shifted to the three of them so I think its okay. A part of me thinks Astarion's megolomania should have been toned down a little bit, at least to show that he was listening to Rickard, even when he was angry. But I think that's a very minor point that I'd fuss over no matter what.

'Extra features':

Taviana was going to ask Rickard to kill Astarion. But Rickard does not have D&D player levels (A level 0 commoner), so he wouldn't have a chance.

I considered going a power route and having Ilmater himself get involved, making Rickard a Chosen, perhaps a super-powered monk, but again that was a bit more action-oriented than I wanted to go. It also seemed to take away from the personal strength of Rickard. Why should he stand up to Astarion when he can get the power of a god and punch the Ascendant into the sun?

Rickard was going to be kidnapped by undead inside the Ancunin estate during a grand party; that didn't work because I needed Astarion's house to be '''safe''' so that's why it was out in the streets. Part of Rickard's contract was going to include a clause that, at the end of a year (or some other time), Taviana would have the choice to leave Astarion or stay. I decided to omit that simply for simplicity sake. She's a Consort, she never could leave, even if she wanted to.

I had planned on Astarion creating a crisis of undead attacking the undead in waves. He would then 'bring them down' and be seen as a hero. But then I remembered Mystic Carrion probably still would exist and so he had a natural enemy. Taviana Lovers: Loghain, Nicollus, Marius, Elliot, Imogen. Astarion Lovers: Ellyndia, Millicent, Vero, Mathias, Morgan, Andromeda, Irenica, Miriam, Henrik (most of these are video game characters or D&D/original characters) In a similar vein: Absoleth, Sylene, and Lady Murasaki are some of my D&D characters. Jack Jekyllsby Hamstead is one of my husband's characters. Yes, even the boots. Garu is one of my friend's D&D characters.

What's next?

Who knows? I need a mental break. I am busy with a family, a job, and a life and writing so much takes time from that. I want to enjoy the up coming Elden Ring DLC as well as FF14's Dawntrail. I want to read a bunch of books and be inspired. I want to do some painting. I'm even going to start up a Curse of Strahd D&D game (someone has to DM...) But I'll always come back to writing. I love it too much not to. So expect some one-shots, maybe? I am looking at some crossovers as well (Astarion and Micolash WILL BE A THING, there's too much about blood and ascension between them to ignore). Thank you, thank you, thank you lovely readers, each one of you.

[starry-blue-echoes]

Just got into JoJo and holy shit your star swap AU?????? It fucking waters my crops, and holy shit I am eating it up.

(Also Star Swap!Jolyne and Joseph being little shits and fucking up people in their swapped bodies is so. so very fucking funny to me.)

:DDDDDD THANKEE!!!!!!!!

but also YEAH SHVSRJVSDVS

Jolyne does not give a single flying fuck about any of this shit. She absolutely hates 90% of Everything that's going on, and Dio is at the very tippy top of that list. She takes every possible opportunity to use Stone Free to fuck with him and to avoid getting caught, but every once in a while she'll do something to freak him out but then pretend that nothing's wrong (ex, she'll "leave" her limbs around in places he can find or see, like a finger or two, and then will have it fall apart into string so he can't see it anymore)

Jolyne decides to Gaslight Gatekeeper Girlboss her way through her adventure and honestly good for her

and ofc, when she learns Hamon she just becomes even more of a little shit. Stone Free is criminally perfect for Hamon usage, with the strings acting as essentially wires to send the charge further as well as being completely prehensile and unable to be seen by most. If she wasn't worried about not getting found out for so long, things would've been laughably easy for her. Underhanded yes, but given everything Dio's done she feels being underhanded isn't even close to lowering herself to his level

then there's also Joseph, out beloved trickster and, I'm sure to absolutely nobody's surprise given the number of posts I've made about that part of the au, my personal favorite

just. there's so many things happening so quickly in Part 5 that Joseph is going to pull off so much shit back to back without any time to offer an actual explanation. Not because he's dodging the questions (which...... okay admittedly he kinda is), but because there just isn't any time

Him knowing Hamon throws so many wrenches into that Part because it's simply not equipped for it. Joseph's able to do so much and cause so many problems because unlike in Parts 1 and 2, there's NOBODY who has any fucking clue what Hamon is or how to fight it. Sure there are still threats and weaknesses, but the fact nobody knows what they are means Joseph is more or less running completely free

and honestly??? compared to fighting vampires and the Pillarmen, this stuff with the gang is WAY easier by comparison. Not easy, but easier. Stands have different rules and limits, the most obvious one being they roughly only have one main ability. What Joseph may lack in raw power he makes up for in sheer versatility with the almost endless ways to use and apply Hamon

[run-me-through-but-not-like-that]

You’re doing spooky fics!! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

How about monster!reader? Maybe vampire!reader x Izzy? And Izzy lets reader drink his blood?

I mean, on Blackbeard’s ship it would’ve probably been easy for them to get a drink. They went on chaotic bloody raids fairly often so no one would notice or care if reader snuck off to get a meal. But now on stupid Stede fockin’ Bonnets clown ship, they aren’t doing any proper raids and reader has no meals. If Izzy offers to let them have his blood it’s just practicality (not at all because he can’t stand the idea of them going hungry).

For Izzy “service as a love language, pain kink, touch starved” Hands, what could be more intimate? Poor man would probably pass out. It’s the blood loss (it’s totally not just the blood loss)

It's Spooky Season!

Hunger Pains:

Most people new of the existence of vampires, at least in the pirate crowd, or they had at least heard stories. Still, it wasn't something you just told everyone about, especially when a crew was particularly superstitious. You couldn't even imagine the reaction you would get if you told Frenchie or Buttons about what you were, though you wouldn't be surprised if they weren't suspicious of something.

Blackbeard knew what you were, had been a little obsessed about it when he first found out. You were new and interesting, he wanted to know everything.

Izzy knew, being first mate and Edward's best friend. Izzy was actually the first to find out, having caught you feeding during a raid. You're still a little surprised that he didn't run a stake through your chest right then and there, instead he demanded answers and told the captain. Blackbeard decided to keep you around.

Thankfully, they had kept your secret. Eventually your vampirism became old news and Edward lost most of his interest, but Izzy always made sure you used raids to feed, making sure you had the time and space to do so.

Knowing your feeding patterns and how to tell when you were going too long without feeding (just because it was his duty as first mate to keep an eye on the crew, no other reasons), Izzy could tell that you had already gone too long.

Your face had lost it's glow, looking almost gaunt, and your eyes had lost their colour, turning dull and lifeless. It's not like the two of you shared a lot of physical contact but the few touches he had given or received over the last weak had shown him just have cold your skin had become, another sign of your hunger. All in all, you looked unwell.

-

Down in the hold, you jotted numbers down on a clipboard, taking stock of the supplies. It was cooler down in the hold and away from the rest of the crew. You liked this crew, had integrated fairly well, but right now being surrounded by them was overwhelming.

You had been feeling weak for a couple of weeks now, your head aching at the sound and bright light of the deck. Down in the hold were it was quiet and dim, your headache eased, your senses had a chance to relax.

Izzy wasn't able to sneak up on you, nobody ever was. You had heard somebody walking down into the hold, had come to learn the gait of most crew members. You didn't comment on it when he came to a halt and just observed you, arms folding over his chest as you worked.

Something was wrong, or at least different. The first mate wasn't just here to make sure you were doing your job properly, you could tell that much.

"You need to eat," Izzy suddenly spoke up, never being one to bother with niceties or small talk.

You sighed, rolling your shoulders in an attempt to shift the tension in them. "Yeah? How do you suggest I do that?" you didn't look back at him, keeping on task.

Another sigh of your hunger, you were becoming short and snappy with the crew, with him. Nothing too aggressive or concerning, just enough for the others to notice something was going on with you.

"You got a plan?" Izzy asked. He didn't know everything about your condition, nor did he pretend too, but he knew that you managed your hunger extremely well, like you had it on some schedule. A schedule that you hadn't been able to keep as of late.

"Wait until the next raid...fuck, or port if that comes first," you shrugged. You liked to use raids, were violence was already rampant, but you knew how unlikely that would be with this new crew. That meant you would have to find something at port, like a predator stalking their prey. It never felt right to you but what choice did you have?

"We both know we aren't raiding anything anytime soon and we have no plans on stopping at port until the end of the month," Izzy reminded you.

You took a deep breath, steadying yourself. "...I'll be fine."

Izzy refrained from rolling his eyes. Who were you trying to convince, him or yourself? "You're not going to start feeding on the crew, are you?" he asked.

"What? Fuck no, you know I wouldn't, Izzy," finally, you spun around to face him, your brow furrowed with anger and hurt. How could he even think you would do that?

Unbothered by your reaction, having expected it even, Izzy continued to make his point. "So, you're just going to starve?"

"It won't kill me," you assured him.

"It'll will make you weak, it will hurt you," he insisted, dropping his arms to his side.

"Then what the fuck should I do?" you snapped slightly, your frustration clear. Izzy was certain that you missed the regular raids even more than he did.

"I'll let you feed on me," Izzy told you like it was nothing, as if he was offering you some hardtack for your troubles, not his own blood.

"...what?" you faltered, staring at him with widened eyes. He had spoken clearly and surely but you must have heard him wrong, your hunger playing tricks on you.

"You can drink somebody's blood without killing them, can't you?" he questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, I guess so, but I wouldn't ask that of anyone," you shook your head. You couldn't ask that of him, wouldn't ask that of him.

"You're not asking. I'm ordering."

"Izzy," you tried to protest, not understanding why he would offer you this. Why he would do this for you.

"Can't have you weakening, not when I'm first mate," he made his excuse but it didn't sit right with you, it didn't feel like the full truth.

"...I don't know...are you sure?" you asked cautiously, eyeing him like this might be some sort of trick.

"Wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't," he nodded, showing no reluctance.

"Okay...we should go to your cabin so nobody walks in. You should get something sugary to eat and some water, for afterwards. And some bandages, you won't bleed out, just to keep the wound clean," you advised. If you were going to do this, you were going to do it properly.

Izzy agreed to your terms, since you knew more about vampirism and feeding than he did, he knew it would be best to listen to you. "I'll meet you there after you've organised the hold."

"Yes sir," you nodded, watching him leave the hold.

As you finished organising the hold, you prepared yourself for having somebody put themselves in your hands like Izzy was about too. Meanwhile, Izzy grabbed a few biscuits and a jug of water from the galley, snatching up a roll of bandages on the way back to his cabin. Preparing for your visit.

-

After organising the hold, you procrastinated fumbling around the ship for a little while before gathering there wherewithal to head towards the first mate's cabin.

Arriving outside the cabin, you almost talked yourself out of it. It was a generous offer, almost too generous, and you weren't sure if you could go through with it. But you were so hungry and Izzy seemed cemented in his decision, putting his trust in you.

You were knocking on the door before you even realised you had lifted your hand. Izzy opened the door and invited you in, closing it and locking it behind you.

You understood locking the door, making extra sure you wouldn't be interrupted, you would be found out, but it also reminded you of how much he was trusting you with this. To lock himself away with you, locking people out, putting further obstacles between him and safety.

You walked further into the cabin, giving it a quick look over. Nothing too special, he hadn't really personalised the small space.

"How's best to do this then?" Izzy asked, getting right to it.

You turned back to him, just noticing that he had removed some of his layers. His boots, necktie, and vest had been removed, leaving him in his leather breeches and loose shirt.

"Uh...anywhere with a major vein is best. Don't worry, you won't bleed out," you quickly reassured him.

"I know," he nodded, not sounding in the slightest but unsure. He knew you wouldn't let him bleed out. The two of you had a mutual respect, perhaps even a friendship, not that he would ever call it that.

"So, yeah...neck is normally best, but your forearm should be fine," you told him.

"If the neck is best, just do that," Izzy chose easily, shrugging slightly, already beginning to undo his shirt.

"...are you sure?" you checked, surprised by his decision.

"Is it more dangerous?" he asked.

"No, not really. I know how and when to stop, just don't normally have too," you assured him. Honestly, you hadn't been worried about any increased risk, you had been more worried that it might be a little too intimate.

"Then it's fine. I can hide the mark under my shirt collar or necktie. Don't see the problem," his casualness about this was surprising, if not a little confusing. You wondered just how much of it was an act, feigning a certain level of confidence, but you couldn't sense any fear or discomfort coming from him.

"Yeah...okay, if you're sure," you agreed, because what else could you do?

Without ceremony, Izzy removed his shirt, folded it, and placed it down onto of the chest at the end of his cot. You watched him closely as he sat down on the edge of his cot, giving you an expectant look, waiting for you to just get on with it.

You figured you should give him a quick warning on what the experience might be like. "It's going to hurt at first, obviously, but-"

"I can handle a damn bite," Izzy huffed, beginning to become frustrated with your fretting.

"-but, it will stop...will actually start to feel kinda good," you continued on anyway, voice a little firmer this time.

Izzy frowned a little then, not concerned, just confused. "...why?" he asked.

"Stops prey from struggling, I guess," you shrugged slightly. You knew how things worked, not exactly why they worked that way. It wasn't like you had a mentor when you were turned.

"Okay," he nodded, just accepting it.

Cautiously, you climbed onto the cot and moved to kneel behind him. Better that than straddling his lap, you figured. Izzy didn't comment on it.

"I promise I'll stop before you lose too much blood but if you want me to stop or start feeling dizzy, anything like that, tell me. Feel free to just grab me and pull me off," you told him, gently placing your hands over his shoulders.

"I'll be fine," Izzy huffed, tilting his head to the side to give you better access.

"Just promise to do whatever it takes if you need me to stop and I don't," you hadn't lost control of your hunger or yourself since you first turned, having learnt how to manage these things, but you couldn't help but worry.

You didn't want to hurt him or put him at risk but he was right. You were hungry, too hungry. And he smelt so good.

"Fine. I promise," Izzy begrudgingly agreed but you knew he was telling you the truth, making you comfortable enough to go through with this.

Your gaze trailed down Izzy's exposed neck, the way he craned it even more to the side for you. You swallowed the lump in your throat at the sight, practically able to hear the blood coursing through his veins.

Slipping one hand down one of his arms, you lent down and licked a stripe up his neck, bringing the vein up to the surface. Izzy shivered against you.

"Sorry," you whispered against his skin.

"It's okay," he whispered back, fingers twitching against his leather pants. You could smell no fear coming from him, so you believed him.

You stroked your thumb over his opposite shoulder, perhaps an apology or a warning. Then you sank your fangs into his flesh.

Izzy tensed slightly at the initial sting, letting out a strained grain, but just as quickly he melted into it. Surprising you. It shouldn't have started feeling better until you actually started drinking from him, you supposed you shouldn't question it, you didn't want to hurt him after all.

Pulling your teeth away, you latched onto his neck and began to drink.

Izzy sighed as he began to relax further. You were right, it did begin to feel good. The hands against his shoulder and arm began to warm up, only making him lean into you more. He let his eyes drift shut, unable to focus on anything but the sensation coursing through him, his body feeling loose and relaxed.

Eventually you felt him sink back against your body and his head loll back a little too easily for your liking. You pulled away slowly, leaning around to check his face.

"Okay?" you asked.

His eyes opened slightly, barely little slits, but he nodded. He looked pale but he would be alright.

You dipped your head back down, licking up the rest of the blood until the sluggish bleeding stopped completely.

"I'll get you a bandage for it," you offered, carefully pulling away from him. Izzy lazily shook his head, reaching back to weakly grab at your pantleg, his weight still resting against you. "Iz, you okay? Need you to speak to me," you squeezed his shoulder slightly. Even tired, Izzy could hear the almost desperate and guilt edge to your voice.

"m'fine," Izzy murmured, "bandage it later."

You checked to make sure that the wound wasn't bleeding again, and thankfully he wasn't. Then you guided him back to lean against the wall that the cot was pushed up against, letting the wall prop him up instead of your body.

You moved to kneel in front of him, checking him over once more. He seemed to be coming around a little more now, easing out of whatever haze he had been under.

"Seriously, I'm fine. Just tired, stop fussing," even now, Izzy managed to roll his eyes at you.

"Eat and drink, then I'll let you sleep," you ordered, leaving the cot to grab the rations Izzy had placed on his desk.

You poured a cup of water and picked up the snacks before returning to his side. You handed him the biscuits and he ate them before you made sure he finished the cup of water. You offered him another but he decided, letting you return the empty cup to the desk.

"I...thank you, Izzy. You didn't have to do this," you stood beside the cot, looking down at him, trying not to stare at the reddened mark on his neck.

"It's fine," he insisted.

"Iz, I...are you sure you're alright? Do you need anything? Just say the word, I'll handle it. And, of course, you never have to do this again," despite his continued protested, you got right back to fussing over him. You just couldn't help it.

"Shut the fuck up," Izzy groaned, so you did, giving him a slightly apologetic look. "I'm fine, just need some sleep. I won't let you go hungry if I'm available, I don't mind."

With a small sigh, you sat back down on the edge of the cot. "...used to see this whole thing as a curse, y'know? Got used to it, haven't minded it for a long time. It made me stronger, faster, I could protect the crew. I had raids to help me feed, didn't need to worry about hurting anyone who didn't deserve it or wasn't going to die anyway. But this was the one thing I was always afraid of," you confessed.

"What?"

"Hurting somebody I care about."

Something fluttered in Izzy's chest before he came to your defence. "I told you to."

"I know but I still didn't have too and, fuck, Izzy, I...I'm sorry," you apologised, suddenly overcome with the worry that he had regretted it. With your hunger gone, your guilt could take over.

"Don't fucking apologise," Izzy demanded with authority, but he lacked any real bite. He wasn't really angry.

"But-"

"I liked it."

The words hung in the silence of the cabin, Izzy refusing to expand on his confession while you just processed it.

"What?" you frowned, turning your body to face him.

"I liked it, alright? Didn't know that I would, just knew you had to feed, but I liked it," he sighed, head thudding back against the wall.

"Oh...okay," you nodded slowly. You knew it would feel good when you were drinking, but he seemed to enjoy the whole thing.

"...fuck, is that weird?" Izzy asked, turning his face away as you watched the colour slowly return to him, creeping up his neck.

"No," you smiled, your voice soft and reassuring, "no, it's not weird."

Izzy nodded, looking relieved. He was too tired and loose feeling to properly hide his reactions. "So, if you need it again, I'll be here," he told you, not leaving room for argument.

"Can you do one more thing for me?" you asked, shifting closer to him.

"What?" he looked you up and down but didn't seem cautious or hesitant.

"Let me look after you until you're feeling better?" Izzy looked more unsure about that request than about letting you literally drink his blood. He could be an absolutely fascinating man. "Please?" you weren't above begging, not when you suddenly felt so protective over him.

"Alright, just don't fuss too much," Izzy muttered, a pinkish colour coming to his cheeks now. He was recovering well. "Just want to fucking sleep."

"Then go to sleep, I'll be right here," you promised.

Izzy shifted on the bed, not bothering to pull his pants off before laying down. He pulled the blanket up over his waist, sinking his head into the pillow.

You slowly lay down behind him, shuffling a little closer. "This okay?" you asked gently, not touching him until you got an answer.

"Yeah," facing away from you, Izzy allowed himself a sleepy little smile.

You pressed up against his back then and draped an arm around his waist, holding him as he rested. Izzy let out a heavy breath as he melted back into your now warm body.

You nuzzled against the back of his neck, leaning up to press a light kiss over the fresh bite mark, before settling down with him. Izzy let out a soft hum of approval as his breathing steadied out, finding sleep.

Tightening your hold on him ever so slightly, you couldn't help but wonder; were you feeling protective or were you feeling possessive?

[yuikomorii]

Greetings, I come with late night ramblings abt diabolik lovers. Big fan of your blog, I really like the side of the fandom which discusses the characters

Sometimes i wonder what it was like for the mukami bros to turn into vampires. Since vampires look so similar to humans the fact that they are a different species really slips my mind sometimes.....

So sometimes I find myself wondering what that psychological shift was like. The mukami bros were all pretty young and had grudges against humans in some way when they were turned, so parting with their humanity wasn't on their minds I think lol.

But despite spending lot of their childhood/puberty around vampires they still do act a lot more human like than the sakamakis. Granted, the sakamakis def have a lot trauma that compromises their ability to have any type of healthy relationship. But characters like ayato suggest that vampires aren't inherently incapable of the more "human" emotions (don't rlly know a good word for it mb).

I do remember ruki saying somewhere that because he is weak he stays with his family (not the only reason ofc, but having to band together/find strength in numbers to survive is a very human-like thing), yet he and his bros abandoned being human/ hold some level of resentment for humanity.

Anyways all that to say the mukami bros have an interesting relationship with their "humanity" and I'm overanalyzing characters in an otome game of which the lore is constantly retconned. Complicating this is the fact that we don't have a "average" or "normal" vampire to compare with

Also reject totally missed an opportunity to make a character that didn't want to be turned into a vampire, and had to struggle with the changes.

// Hello, thank you for enjoying my blog!<3

Hmm… If the person who becomes a vampire is kind-hearted and mentally stable enough to avoid wishing revenge upon someone or using their newfound vampire status as an excuse to treat people badly, I sincerely doubt that the psychological transition from human to vampire would hit that hard. Trauma caused the Mukami brothers to develop such a vicious nature, exactly like Yui in HDB did at one point when, as a result of being mentally broken, she started killing people in an After story. While pure-blood vampires do have their own set of morals and they obviously need blood to survive, I wouldn’t say they are inherently evil, taking into account that in LP and VC, some vampires were nice to Yui and the Diaboys. They are indeed predators, that’s something they can’t control no matter how much they try, but not all of them are malicious.

The Mukamis got rid of their humanity but they still kept acting like humans around one another because, after all, that’s how they were initially accustomed to. As for the Sakamakis… due to trauma as well, they were pretty twisted since childhood. I mean, most of them were the main cause something bad happened to any of their brothers in the past, therefore it’s to be expected that their relationship is not a healthy one. However, vampires are actually capable of experiencing human emotions, and Ayato is the living example of this given that he is confirmed as being the most human-like out of all due to the fact that he was already capable of displaying these emotions prior to meeting Yui (for example: wanting to sacrifice himself for his brothers, ruining Karl’s blue rose so as Cordelia wouldn’t get sad, crying when Cordelia died and, most importantly, valuing his life). Additionally, a vampire will begin to experience human emotions the more Eve's blood he consumes, so... that's basically part of the plan, according to what Karl said in Ayato’s DF route.

I wouldn't say the Mukamis hate humans; they held a grudge against aristocrats, but not humans in general, because they only see them as an inferior species. As for Ruki, the reason he would feel weak without his family isn’t only due to banding together or finding strength in number but rather it’s about them as his emotional support. Kou, Yuma, Azusa respect, praise and accept Ruki with all his qualities and flaws, therefore feeling needed and appreciated is actually what makes Ruki strong.

[nostalgiachan]

Blooddrunk

Thirtieth Prompt: A drunken night out

C/W: basically NSFW (vampire feeding GONE SEXUAL whoa wow), blood

Summary: Vier wants to take Astarion out for drinks, but remembers there's only one real way for him to get drunk. Good thing she's a cleric. (3,018 words)

---

It had only been two months since Vier had brought Astarion to her home in Dawnshire, but she could tell the provincial life was making him a bit antsy. While his nights in Baldur’s Gate had been an endless nightmare of blood and suffering, the fact remained that the hustle and bustle of the city was what he was used to. Eventually, she hoped he’d come to enjoy the comparative peace and quiet of small town life, but it would take time before his wild heart settled into it. What he needed in the meantime was a little excitement.

Perhaps, Vier thought, a night out on the town would do him some good. While much of the village was still rebuilding in the wake of the nautiloid attack, through sheer providence, the Golden Dew Inn had survived - not a particularly bawdy tavern, especially by Baldur’s Gate’s standards, but still a lovely place to spend an evening. They could head out, mill about town a while, get some drinks and–

Wait. Shit.

Did Astarion much care for drinking if it couldn’t get him drunk? And now that her mind was on the subject, how was he able to drink wine, anyway? She was certainly no expert on vampire biology, but to her knowledge, all food turned to ash and all drink to bile in a vampire’s mouth, thus the whole need to consume blood. Had that been why he’d always complained about perfectly good wines tasting like vinegar, or had he just been hard to please? And despite his attempts at drinking, the only time she remembered seeing him actually drunk was that night he’d exsanguinated a bear.

Planning a date would’ve been hard enough for Vier had Astarion been mortal; how did one go planning a date with a vampire spawn?

The memory of the night with the bear stuck around a bit longer than expected, and slowly, a question rose to the forefront of her thoughts: would she be able to replicate that effect with her own blood? How much blood did a bear have, exactly? Obviously, more than your average mortal, given the massive size difference. Even if she allowed Astarion to drain every last drop from her - a thoroughly idiotic notion, given she was not about to waste a truly hard-earned resurrection scroll on a flight of fancy, and she doubted that Withers (wherever he was) would summon her back if she ended up dead of her own folly - he still likely wouldn’t receive the same amount of blood.

But there was always her steadfast ally, the lesser restoration spell, wasn’t there? Casting it on herself had become almost as much a daily ritual for Vier as giving thanks to Lathander at each sunrise. Frankly, she was amazed Astarion hadn’t gotten tired of her taste yet, given how he indulged himself in her each and every night. She worked out a few more numbers in her head. By her estimation, she could lose about a liter and a half before she would need to cast the spell. Once she crossed that line, it would be much more difficult to focus on casting, and once she hit two liters, she was almost certainly a goner. She could cast the spell up to thrice, with short breaks between to allow time for the blood to regenerate, meaning she could give somewhere between four-and-a-half and six liters, all in all. Would that be enough?

As her mind lost itself in puzzling out the details, her body was left quite vulnerable as she sat on the couch in her office. Sensing this moment of weakness, a certain pale form was drawn to her side, quietly wrapping its cold embrace about her shoulders and startling her nearly out of her skin.

“Oh, dear,” Astarion cooed into her ear as he nestled his head against her left shoulder. “Someone looks deep in thought. Nothing’s troubling you, I hope?”

“No, no,” Vier quickly breathed as her pulse quickly evened out. “Just thinking, is all. Though now that you’re here, I wanted to float an idea your way.”

Astarion picked up his head to get a better look at Vier as she regaled him with the details. “Ooh, by all means, float on.”

As Vier walked him through the entire thought process, from the desire for a date night to the blood plan, a smile slowly crept across his face. “You know, I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to you being so sweet on me,” he finally said as she wrapped up her explanation, “but I do have one teensy concern. See, as much as I absolutely want this,” - his words positively dripped with desire - “are you sure you’re not going to hurt yourself? A bloodthirsty scoundrel I may be, but I’m not as alright with the idea of accidentally killing you as I used to be.”

Vier couldn’t entirely tell if he was joking with her. “I would hope you wouldn’t be alright with it at all, but we’ll get there one day, I suppose,” she grumbled with a grimace. “And about the only thing I’m sure of is that I want to try this for you. Worse comes to worse, I keep the resurrection scroll in a hidden drawer in my desk. I know you’ve already figured out how to pop that one open.”

With a tut and a pout, Astarion asked, “Have I really gotten that sloppy?”

“No, but I know you, dear,” Vier explained, “and I know you’ve probably rummaged through every container in my dormitory and at least half of those in the rest of the temple by now.”

“Aw, you really do know me,” Astarion said with a wistful sigh and a mischievous glint in his eye. “Promise I haven’t stolen anything, though; you took a great risk convincing your colleagues to let me stay here, and I swear I won’t do anything to get myself thrown out. On purpose, anyway.”

An opportunity presented itself, and Vier simply couldn’t pass it up. “You’re being a good boy?” she asked as her head leaned in just a touch, a sly smile crossing her face. Astarion responded in kind, leaning in even closer.

“Oh, I’m being a very good boy,” he hummed, his voice dropping dangerously low and quiet with each word.

“Which is why you’ve earned this little treat,” Vier replied. But just as Astarion could no longer contained himself and pressed in towards her neck, she put a finger to his lips to stop him. “Ah, wait, before you start.” 

If Vier didn’t know any better, she’d have thought the man had started panting with anticipation. His red-eyed gaze locked on her intensely as she pushed him back just a hair. “Do you think you can keep your feeding clean, or should I put down some rags? I’d rather my office not look like the infirmary when all’s said and done.”

“I’ll keep the feeding clean, I’m sure,” he breathed with impatience, “but I make no guarantees about the rest. Now, may I?”

Something about the way he asked flipped a switch in Vier’s mind. A warm blush spread across her cheeks, and her gut fluttered like it was their first night all over again. It was going to be a lot harder to focus if her mind was half turned to love-drunk mush. This elf truly did have an incredible power over her, didn’t he? The next word came out much weaker, much softer, much more submissive than she’d initially intended.

“Please.”

With a flash of a fanged smile, Astarion reached across Vier’s lap and guided her to straddle his waist. The moment she was mounted and ready, he threaded one of his pale hands into her sussur bark hair and pulled her throat down to his eager mouth. His plush lips pressed against the skin in a teasing kiss, as if he wanted to make her wait for what lay just behind them - as though he hadn’t already shown her just how much he wanted to dive right in. She wanted to roll her eyes and say, “Sweetheart, just get in there already,” but the familiar sensation of his teeth finally piercing into her neck stopped the words.

Vier braced herself against the top of the couch as Astarion drained the sweet crimson from her, the sound of his lewd swallowing filling her ears. She wanted to cling tightly to him, to grip him by his luxurious hair and pull him in more and more, but she needed to stay focused. She couldn’t let herself get lost in the feeling of her lifeblood blissfully ebbing away and the delicious pain of his fangs piercing deep.

But gods, was it hard. Vier’s pulse had already been set to racing purely by being wrapped in Astarion’s deathly cold embrace, making it difficult to gauge when it began racing due in greater part to the blood loss. The heat of her body seemed to rise and fall in equal measure as he drank deeply from her. Had he started drinking faster, or was that the illusion of her brain beginning to cloud over?

No, don’t lose focus now.

Vier recentered herself, slipping as she was into the haze. She lifted a hand from the back of the couch, and intoned the words, “Vincere est vivere”. This was Astarion’s cue to take a break for a moment, and to her slight surprise, he freed her from his hungry jaws, slumping back onto the cushions with a half-lidded look in his eye. Vier’s body followed, her head resting against his shoulder a moment as the blood quickly regenerated within her veins. Her breathing steadied, her mind cleared, and her body temperature evened out - though as her faculties returned, each would be sent into total overdrive.

Once her head stopped swimming, she simply couldn’t help herself from turning his face towards her and kissing him deeply, harshly, the acrid taste of iron filling her mouth as their tongues collided. It was almost embarrassing the way she loved how he killed her, little by little. She could feel his skin growing the slightest bit warmer to the touch, and a distinct movement beneath her let her know he was enjoying himself as much as she was. At that rate, they weren’t going to make it to the second round. But for the experiment’s sake, they needed to continue.

Vier pulled away, her breathing ragged, and moaned out, “Alright, keep going.” Astarion wasted no time obliging her, swiftly pushing back her hair and tucking in once more. Loudly, Vier whined as fangs once again met flesh and her blood became his. Though she should have kept herself braced, did everything she could to maintain awareness, she was getting far too into it now. Once more, her heart set to beating wildly in her chest, once more her mind was awash in a haze of confusion and arousal. She could feel his nails digging into the back of her neck and the base of her spine. She couldn’t tell which of the two of them started grinding against the other first, but both of them were greedily pulling at each other, wanting to sink deeper inside one another.

Astarion was moaning now, growling now, as he feasted upon Vier, and though he’d promised to keep things clean, he was beginning to grow quite messy. At first, only a trickle of blood escaped the confines of his lips. But then, the trickle grew into a stream which traveled down Vier’s chest, staining her white blouse a deep maroon. She could feel him start to pull away, intent on following the stream and catching what he’d lost on his tongue, but she kept her hand locked on the back of his head to hold him where he was - if he pulled out now, her blood could very well end up staining more than just her shirt.

Once more, the edges of Vier’s vision began to darken, and as much as every fiber of her form seemed to cry out for that sweet, final release, she needed to restore herself. Again, she raised her hand, and again, she spoke the words. But this time, her mind and body struggled to summon up the healing energies within. While they did find their strength at last, would she be able to do it once more, or would she be too far gone to pull herself back?

More importantly, would Astarion have the willpower to stop himself? Because with the second cast, he didn’t release Vier immediately. No, he seemed to clamp down tighter this time, desperate to take just a bit more before the positive energies coursed through her circulation and sent him reeling away with a sputter - for the days of being healed by healing magic were once again behind him. As he leaned back on the couch once more, a groan pouring forth from his blood-soaked mouth, Vier noticed something peculiar - the sclerae of his eyes had turned pitch black, a curious reaction.

“It’s funny,” Vier rasped, her breathing slowly growing less haggard as the restorative magic took hold again, “your eyes look just like mine now.”

“Do they, now?” Astarion asked, his words coming out in a relaxed drawl. “Then I must have some lovely eyes, indeed.”

With a tired laugh, Vier’s head slumped onto Astarion’s shoulder once more. His skin had begun to gain a blush of life, nearly as warm as her own. If she listened closely, she swore she could almost hear a faint thud somewhere within his chest. Her lips returned to his, the sanguine taste even more overwhelming now as her tongue delved deep within. 

“Are you ready for the last of it, my sweet,” Astarion moaned after their lips finally parted, “or are you going to make me beg?”

“Oh, I’m very tempted to, dear,” Vier chuckled dangerously, “but you did say you’ve been a very good boy, so I won’t keep your treat from you. I’m–”

The word “ready” had barely left her tongue before Astarion pounced upon her for the last time. Harder now, he bit into her, tighter now, his arms constricted her, as though he feared she could escape his clutches at any moment. Cries of pleasure echoed across the walls of the office, cries which Vier was far too gone to attempt to stifle now. She tried to snake one of her hands down into the infinitesimally small space between their legs to massage the mound which pressed against her, but her arms quickly grew weak with the speed of his feeding. Her mind struggled to remember her purpose, torn as her body was between sweet ecstasy and rapidly approaching death. Colder and colder, she grew, as more of her lifeblood fell from his lips and drenched them both. For a moment, she nearly forgot the words of the spell entire, and she was tempted to simply allow herself to go - she’d told Astarion where the scroll was, after all, and perhaps a little death wouldn’t be so bad?

No! She’d come too far to fail at the last hurdle now. One more cast was all she needed. Astarion would have an entire person’s worth of blood within him, he’d be happy, and they could go out and…do the thing…whatever she’d said she was going to do with him. What had it been? What was she even doing there? Why was she feeling so cold…

But just as Vier’s mind began to slip past the threshold, Astarion suddenly disengaged with a deep and thoroughly satisfied moan and a great shudder of ecstasy, and the feeling of her blood seeping out into the open air jolted her back into awareness. Though her arms felt heavier than stones, she raised a hand and strained to get the words out as the world turned to mist around her. “Vincere est…shit…Vincere est vivere!”

As he came to himself, Astarion pulled Vier back into a much gentler embrace, his hand delicately petting her head as it slumped against his shoulder yet again. “Oh gods, did we go too far?” he asked, his voice filled with a surprisingly genuine concern. “You’re alright. Please tell me you’re alright.”

“I’ll be fine, once all my blood’s back,” she sighed against his now quite warm skin. “Just, you know…give me a minute.”

Vier couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard Astarion sigh with relief. “Good, because I would feel just terrible if I was the only one feeling as good as I do right now.”

With a hint of a struggle, Vier pushed herself back up to look at him. Though he was still pale, his skin now held a healthy pink glow to it. His eyes had returned to their normal state, and he looked deeply, truly satiated in a way she’d never seen before.

“So, er…was it good for you?” she wearily joked, wiping the sweat from her still slightly clammy skin.

“Darling, aside from the bits where I was worried for your life, it was absolutely incredible,” Astarion replied, practically vibrating with excitement. “Look at me, I’m harder than adamantine and feel like I could fuck an orthon to death. You have utterly spoiled me tonight, my love.” “Oh, good, good. I think we’ll need to practice this whole process, because it was a bit touch-and-go for a while, but I’m glad the first attempt was a success. Say, erm…we can’t go out looking like this.”

For seemingly the first time, Astarion noted the fact they looked like they’d just gotten back from a visit with Bhaal - their clothes were absolutely soaked through, the couch was half-smeared, and a few splatters had even made it to the wall behind them.

“Oh…no, we certainly cannot,” he noted.

“So, I’ve got a bottle of Stagswift tucked away in my desk,” Vier continued. “What say we throw our clothes in the laundry, I polish off that bottle, and then you clean off all the blood you spilled on me, if you catch my meaning?”

“Darling, there is nothing I’d like more.”

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 11 - When Travis Met Becca

Summer: Oooh, she's cute!

Ophelia: What do you think? Want us to hype you up?

Travis: Screw it. I survived a werewolf rampage. I can flirt with a cute girl. I'm going to talk to her.

Summer: ...Should one of us make sure he doesn't completely embarrass himself?

Ophelia: I'm on it

Travis: Libby, Ophelia, hey! This is Becca. She was just telling me she's finishing up her last semester at UBrite.

Libby: Hi, Becca! We're Travis' very platonic friends.

Ophelia: Smooth.

Travis: What's your major?

Becca: Literature and Language. I'm taking a class right now on Charles Dickens.

Travis: I love Dickens!

Becca: I'm such a nerd for the classics

Travis: Well, he might have given you Great Expectations, but I can meet them

Becca: Ooh

Ophelia: Is he... actually pulling this off?

These nerds are nerding all over the place! It's Oscar Wilde this and Jane Austen that! The girls can barely get a word in between all the googly eyes.

Ophelia: I think we're 3rd and 4th wheels, Lib. And who's ever heard of a vehicle with 4 wheels? I think our boy's got this.

Ophelia: Listen to them over there. Too bad they're too into each other to focus on anyone else. You probably could have contributed quite a bit to that conversation, Miss Bookworm.

Liberty: Eh, I'm more into sapphic historical fiction vampire smut than George Orwell.

Ophelia: Well, we took the long route, but it happened. Travis is finally doing flirt interactions. This totally gave him the boost he needed. Plus, it's always nice to hang out with you, Libby.

Libby: O-Oh! Yeah, you too!

Summer: I'm literally right here but okay.

Great, now Summer is the third wheel. What has gotten into Ophelia? Is the juice making her more flirty?

Ophelia: Come on, admit you're cute!

Libby: AH! Feefs, stop!

Ophelia: Admit it!

Libby: Ahahaha!

Travis looked at his phone for just a second to pull up his contacts to ask Becca for her number and she disappeared! Just when he thought she left for good, he notices an odd bookcase... that's actually a secret door with a ladder! Where could it lead?

Well, Travis found the bartender. And Becca. And a hidden underground dancefloor. It's not the weirdest thing that's happened tonight.

Travis: Hey, why'd you run off?

Becca: I wanted to see if you'd come find me. Wanna dance?

Well, Summer was right about Travis meeting the girl of his dreams on the dance floor. She just wasn't right about which one.

Travis: Listen, I've been known to rush into things, so would it be too soon if I-

Becca: Shut up and kiss me.

Travis has always been a very good listener. He's also apparently a good kisser!

Summer: It's almost sunrise, and I haven't seen Travis in hours. Maybe he went back to that college girl's dorm.

Ophelia: Travis doesn't seem like the kind of guy to woohoo after knowing someone for a couple hours.

No, but he's not above a cheeky closet makeout sesh!

Ophelia goes to bed at 6:40 AM. Ah, the life of a young adult.

She's starting to feel different about Libby. In a good way. Now that her career is taking off, is she finally ready to start dating? Does she want to jeopardize her relationship with her best friend?

[thelioncourts]

Hello. first of all I'm so sorry to read about your sad loss. Sending you love x

Youre so lovely with anon asks, I just happened to see in a blog that Jacob said in an interview, he cried bts in the final scene as he said "he got freaked out by it all ending, and doing this to Sam, the dynamic changing next year and its going to be different". That's kinda my worry is that we'll get barely if any Loustat for a few seasons, and viewer numbers could drop a lot as they'll miss Jacob and Sam together and we might not get to see a reunion season, years down the line if its cancelled 😞 Plus seeing Jacob doing promo with the guy who plays Armand and if they have the same amazing best friend chemistry that he and Sam had, will (in the nicest way possible) make me sad and miss Sam. What do you think?

Oh, thank you ❤ Charlie was the best girl. I think about her an obnoxious amount and hope, with all that I am, that she's playing in endless snow piles and taking the longest naps on comfy couches and eating the largest amounts peanut butter treats.

Now! That Jacob interview and Loustat speculations and everything else:

So obviously a lot of what I'm going to say is going to be pure speculation because I have no actual idea at what is going through Jones' mind and this particular story, this second interview, is not something that exists within the books.

First thing is that one thing the writers of Interview have already promised that is significantly different than the books is this promise of more Louis. For anyone not familiar with the 13 TVC books, Louis disappears significantly throughout the books, all before finally coming back in a real and lovely way in the last three, the last three that cement him in the vampire world and as the love of Lestat's life. (I've said it before, but if anyone ever wants to talk about Anne and her relationship with Louis, etc. I'm always down because it's sad and understandable and yet had such a horrible impact on Louis as a character, something I'll, selfishly, never get over). By adding Louis back into the narrative, I think we're going to see a (imo, necessary) shift in certain aspects of the book, namely Lestat's jumping around, especially given the insignificance of several of his partners, partners that would take too long in a show to build up as anything other than a weird one-nighty-stand kind of thing (another thing I could talk about all day is that I don't hate the idea of Lestat with others, to a point (okay, that's a lie, I kind of do), but Lestat needs stability in love and he could have had that had Anne kept Louis in, etc. etc.). As the narrative of the show will eventually be focused on Lestat as our main character, the promise of more Louis means that we will see Louis, predominantly, in how he interacts with Lestat.

Second thing is that while the show is inspired by TVC, it's obviously its own creation. I genuinely do not believe TVC would not do well as a show in exactness, for a multitude of reasons, and one of those is the lack of stable romance. Television audiences, fandoms, they thrive on romance. And I think Interview is very obviously setting up the entirety of the show to be focused, to some point, on Louis and Lestat's romantic relationship. I think if season 3 comes around and Louis and Lestat are still incredibly separated, people that are not TVC book fans (because if they are just trying to appeal to a book crowd, they're not going to stay on air, that's not how things work, and they are, obviously, not appealing to all book fans given the backlash they've gotten from some lol) are going to start falling off.

Third thing is that the #1 consistent review that has come from Interview's first season in all of the publications and whatnot is that Sam and Jacob's chemistry is an ultimate selling point. Like, every single thing I've read is stuff like "Only Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson and their sizzling chemistry could make the ethics of blood drinking believable," or "Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson are breakout stars, both for the individual performances they display as Lestat and Louis and also for the portrayal of their romantic, and doomed, relationship." Interview is too smart to not capitalize on that. They know that.

All of that being said, I think we can fully expect some Loustat moments next season, but I also do believe next season will be the hardest season re: Louis and Lestat, because of separation. There is a line in one of Claudia's diaries that we see, something about how Louis was acting like Lestat's ghost was around every corner and/or something about his constant mourning of Lestat while they're in Europe. And I think we may get flashbacks because of that, stuff like Louis dreaming of Lestat and waking up to realize he's not there, Louis discussing how, in his grief, focused on the happiness he missed, on the happiness that was once there. I also think Daniel is going to call him out on a lot of stuff and that's a whole different thing. I have this hope that we won't just get flashbacks though, but that we'll get Louis, so caught up in his grief, so in his head, that he hallucinates Lestat there, alive and full of golden life and just -- ugh. And I also think, if the show is, again, smart (and I do think they are, this set of actors and crew and writers and everything very clearly love these characters and love the world they're writing in), they will introduce Lestat into the modern world at the end of season 2 as to allow us a smooth transition into The Vampire Lestat for season 3.

Now, as for Jacob and Sam and promotion and stuff !! They will most definitely have them do promotion together, even if they'll have Jacob do a decent amount of promotion with Assad for obvious reasons. I think we'll get a lot of Assad and Eric interviewing together, for Armand and Daniel nightmarish shenanigans, I think we'll get a lot of Jacob and Sam because Louis and Lestat are still going to be considered the main characters of the show, I think we'll get a lot of Jacob and Bailey for European adventure interviews, I think we'll get a lot of Eric and Jacob for the actual interview portions, etc. etc. And! I do fully believe that they will let Jacob and Sam do a lot of promotion together simply because they want to. I won't get into too much because some people get weirdly uncomfortable talking about it (I'll save it for another post lol), but Sam and Jacob feel safe with one another. They truly love one another in a way that is glaring obvious, and beautiful, to audiences and to the cast (specifically Eric, who calls them out 24/7). They will fight to do things together, and it would only make sense to let them anyway, so I fully anticipate seeing plenty Jam Reiderson <3 (I selfishly demand it, too, Jam Reiderson is my entire life right now.)

So. After that essay, what I will conclude is I am not too worried. I do think next season is going to have its pain because there will be inevitable separation, but I truly believe, in my heart, that the show will have Louis and Lestat together much quicker than the books and that it will be, for lack of a better word, permanent. And I think Jacob and Sam will have plenty of time to be...them <3 and I think all of that is beautiful.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Afternoon!

You might already be aware of these TTRPG designers, but I figured I'd pass them on if they might add to the knowledge pool for recommendations!

Will Uhl: https://willuhl.itch.io/ Just an absurdly prolific games designer, with a grounding in rules-light action-y games but has a wide range of tones and genres in their work. Mystic Lilies comes strongly recommended, their most famous game, Netbattlers, isn't on itch.io as it's a fangame that uses the Megaman IP (and is also excellent if you like games with in-depth character building)

Nathan Blades: https://sixofspades.itch.io/ More of a performer than a designer but has written a number of games, generally focused on upbeat anime action with queer community subtext. Heartbeats in Perfect Sync is probably their best known; they also have a one-pager in The Ultimate One-Page RPG Book.

Farmer Gadda: https://farmergadda.itch.io/ Explores a lot of system kits (CaltropCore, Lasers & Feelings, etc) to make games that reference specific game series and the like. The energy of picking up your favourite toy and moving it around the room with whoosh noises.

Rook/RJK Games: https://rjkgames.itch.io/ Prime itchio game zine production; passionate, feelings-first releases that each put a spin of a different indie game or system kit. A transformation of the orginal tone of a game to something else, like a magic trick.

Thanks for the recs! I've heard of some of these designers, and some I haven't. Let's look at a highlight of theirs that stands out for each one!

Mystic Lilies, by Will Uhl.

In a sealed-off region full of fantastical phenomena, the land is falling out of balance. You will play to find what people take and what people lose to regain that balance.

It looks like it's a card-based roleplaying game about witches fighting to get what they want. I'm interested in the character abilities, and curious about how the PvP interacts with different player styles. I'd assume that safety tools are a given at this table, and I'm definitely drawn in by the art.

Heartbeats in Perfect Sync, by Nathan Blades. (@theneoncaster)

Heartbeats in Perfect Sync is a tabletop RPG inspired by the shounen battle aesthetic. Play as a group of ordinary people who fight monsters with ridiculously over-the-top weapons.

I have heard of Nathan Blades before! I can see how this game would appeal to folks who love TWEWY, or Persona 5. I'm curious about what kind of dice this system uses - is it safe to assume that you need d6's for this game if the page doesn't specify? Also, folks should check out Iera Entera, a game by the same designer about killing, butchering, and eating gods. I think the concept is amazing.

SW//NG, by Farmer Gadda. (@farmergadda)

Because you have Power, you have Responsibility. Because of your Responsibility, you have to face your Past. And your Past? That's the one thing your Power can never fix.

I love complicated superheroes! I love emotional superheroes! This game gives you complicated and emotional superheroes! It also has some lovely GM advice and I always always appreciate good GM advice.

Our Love Will Destroy Us, by RJK Games.

You did it, exactly what the old fools of the Hunters’ Guild warned you against. Fell in love with your target, the both of you. One of you was barely trained, untested, didn’t know any better; the Guild might forgive you, but the other? You were meant to know better.

I'm pretty sure I've talked about this one before when I covered Tragic Games, so that might be why this game stands out to me. I think the use of Tarot Cards to reveal what the Hunger does to hurt the Vampire Hunter who has fallen in love with a Vampire, is really emotionally fitting.

[ren0wned]

emma d’arcy,  32 / 200,  nonbinary,  they/them   𐫱     ›   hey, isn’t that ( SINCLAIR ECCLESTON )? i’ve heard that they’ve lived in bearhold for ( FIVE YEARS ). rumor has it that they can be rather (MOODY) and ( STUBBORN), but hey, that’s just in their nature as a ( DAYWALKER VAMPIRE ). they totally make up for it by being ( OPEN-MINDED ) and ( RESOURCEFUL). if you’re looking for them, you can probably find them at their work as a(n) ( LIBRARIAN ) at ( GREAT BEAR LIBRARY ).

permanence. it was something sinclair had to let go the moment they’ve reached their thirties, at the peak of their life, the only child of parents who owned a book shop in the streets of london. that’s what they’ve grown with, knowledge, it was the only thing that could provide with much security. they were living life as it is, wanting to seek the world beyond their books, and they were about to reach it, until they were struck with cholera, which was something that had wiped a number of people in the golden square, or broad street, as most people would know. sinclair had accepted their fate, something they had made known, that was the limit they cannot change—to their knowledge.

a doctor who taken in a liking for them decided to change the course of their life, if sinclair were to think about it, any creature walking on god’s green earth shouldn’t have the power of playing god, being able to keep one alive when death was about to take them. but that has been decided, and sinclair had given the chance to continue living. though in exchange, they had to be dead to the people who knew them in this life, and live a new one, hence shedding every single fiber of their identity, and living a new one.

they have traveled the world during the first couple of decades, having different names as they have gotten to know and see things they’ve only seen on pages of books, walking amongst people clueless around them, early on they learned to distance themselves from any potentially strong connection, leaving a mysterious around them whenever they’ve crossed people’s minds. though one day, their father—the one who had given them a chance to live another life, had called them back to be the one to look after a fledgling, another life they’ve saved from their demise. sinclair came home and did as they were told, and in some unexpected twist, the two have gotten close, they were able to break through sinclair’s walls and have them wrapped around their finger.

regardless, sinclair never lacked with their teachings, making sure they knew how to defend themself, to be able to control their hunger, to hone their abilities. the older vampire themself was skillful enough, having the ability to have someone vulnerable by making them feel pain, trigger their fears, but it was someone they’ve chosen not to use, unless they’re given no choice.

and that choice was ripped away from them along with their control to do so when the most important person in their life was taken away from them, not being able to do anything to save them. sinclair had to witness them finally meet their demise, and in result to that, the rage in their mind upon witnessing it had resulted to the deaths of the very people who took them away.

after the result of their wrath, sinclair had disappeared for long, so long that it was assumed that they have also died, until they’ve resurfaced a decade ago, still the same person as they are, but have been clouded with such darkness, loneliness in them, sinclair traveled once more for years, until five years ago, they found this town named bearhold, and made the decision to settle there, for as long as they could, finding a job at the great bear library, perhaps finding the humanity that they had through the pages of books that they used to had many, many moons ago.

[rat-pagi]

Kaleesh Week Day 2 - Empire

Two Kaleesh Imperial characters (one canon, the other technically canon, but emotionally an oc)

Bentilais san Sk'ar: Him, again! When the Empire invades his planet (it's not like they'd just leave it alone after all, even after the whole Grievs-Palpatine thing), he strikes a deal with the emperor to take the position of planetary governor. In exchange? He employs the bioengineering acumen of San Pharmaceuticals (no relation to the San Banking clan) to some of the Emperor's more...clandestine projects.

(Yes, he is partially responsible for all the 'Emperor's back' bullshit in Episode IX, I apologize on his behalf) You can't just work for the Emperor though, and eventually he gets mired deeper and deeper into other projects...black ops...military campaigns...all in the name of saving Kalee, though, right? So, that's where that nine-foot tall vampire-looking guy comes in-- It's Sk'ar, but he's messed around with his own biology for the sake of combat optimization (And since some of this is chemical, it does fuck with his brain as well).

It also doesn't strike him as a bad thing that he appears to outsiders as less Kaleesh in this form, since he's acting on the Emperor's behalf, and, well, the planet's name has already been dragged through the mud enough. Yet it is fairly isolating in an environment where he already has to hide much of himself and his culture to survive (not so fun fact, the caps on his toes are there because Kaleesh claws tend to leave marks on most types of flooring; in most inter-species spaces, it's an act of courtesy for an individual Kaleesh to wear them (like humans and deodorant)...in the Empire, not so much a choice). ...But all in the name of saving Kalee, right? This, of course, is an entirely different perspective than the other character in this picture, his younger brother.... (this little shit (affectionate) vv)

Vanev san Esha: Born the youngest of the five San siblings, Esha was more or less destined to be the odd one out. Whereas the others had each taken on roles in their family, by child number five, there wasn't really much space left. If that wasn't enough to set him apart, he was also born Force Sensitive-- hardly a bad thing, but it did mean that he was born with an entirely different set of talents and senses than most in his clan had seen in generations. Or knew what to do with. Couple that the status, free time, and burgeoning resentment that goes along with being the fifth heir to Aschal-Kalee's ruling family, and his connection to the Force started to bring out his worst instincts. 'Started' though, is not 'did so unashamedly' and for a long time, the sense of restraint and general secretiveness that had been trained into him as a San, as well as the influence of his eldest brother-- Veshitar, heir to the San family khanship, and all-around decent guy-- kept him from...shall we say, doing his worst. Then an off-world diplomatic meeting goes terribly wrong, both Vesh and his father are killed, and the entire San family is left scrambling for a new heir. Esha is mourning, enraged, and most of all, believes it his right as his brother's protégé to become the next khan. The rest of the family chooses his brother, Bentilais, anyways. He almost raises a coup in response to this (mostly imagined) slight (an action that, given his raw power would have undoubtedly dealt a great blow to the San clan), but something makes him hesitate and he fucks off to the cliffside where they buried his brother's body instead. There he gains a new, even more troubling path, along with a new teacher-- Xivkha Lar Rainik (shoutout to all my SWTOR fans!). Rainik is a thousand-year-old Sith lord, distantly related to the current San clan, and also very, very dead. He needs a young, reasonably healthy host to get out of the San family crypt, and Esha needs a teacher (yeah, once I start bringing up Kylo quotes, you know this is headed in a bad direction) in the Sith arts, so the arrangement works well for them both. It does not, however, work out well for Sk'ar and the rest of the San family. You see, Esha wants power, recognition-- all the things that he was denied in the San family-- and Rainik...well, Rainik has his own agenda. This brings them to the throne of the Sith-iest Sith of the age, Emperor Palpatine, where Esha decides to swear fealty to the Emperor. Vanev san Esha he is no longer, but Sixth Brother. And unlike his brother, what he is doing is most certainly not to save Kalee.

(Also, probably more relevantly than all that, he's that guy with the cool-looking crow mask who fights Ahsoka in Tales of the Jedi)