#i decided technically shes a vampire bat here

[sixteenth-days]

Vampire pearl for a prompt?

"Hey, guys, have you seen- oh!"

Pearl raised her head, long ears twitching in surprise, and Impulse glanced back over his shoulder towards the entrance, wincing slightly as he did. "Oh, hi, Gem!" he called. "What's up?"

Gem, standing in the doorway of the keep, had her eyes notably averted, staring very hard at a patch of floor. "Sorry!" she said, flushing. "I didn't realize you were, um. Busyyyyy?"

Impulse blinked, confused. He stayed confused as Pearl started to shake with silent laughter where she was kneeling over his lap, clapping one hand to her mouth to keep from making a mess. "What? Gem?"

Pearl, after a moment, finally managed to swallow her mouthful of blood and gasp out, still laughing, "No, it's not like that, Gem! Promise!"

Gem's eyes flickered back up, finally, and widened. "Impulse! You're bleeding!"

"No! ...Well, yes," Impulse admitted. Pearl twitched, apparently reminded of the line of punctures now freely bleeding down his neck, and dove down to hastily lick up the drips with approximately the same haste as someone eating a rapidly melting ice cream cone. "It's fine, though! I'm fine!" he hastened to add. "This is, uh. An arrangement we've had since last season."

Pearl nodded against his neck, licking the bite mark clean before sitting up to face Gem over his head, propping her bony elbows on his shoulders. She looked, to her credit, distinctly sheepish. "It's a vampire bat thing," she said. "I don't need a lot of blood, but about, eh, once a month or so? And Impulse is a big guy." She patted him on the shoulder. "He can usually spare me plenty."

"You only love me for my robust circulatory system, is that it?" Impulse said, grinning.

"Excuse me! You're also good for moving heavy objects," Pearl objected.

"Ohhh-kay," Gem said, finally leaving the spot where she'd been frozen by the door and walking over. "You should've just said! That's way less weird than what I thought I walked in on."

"...Is it?" Pearl asked.

"Wait, what did you think you walked in on?" Impulse said, at the same moment.

"Well, sure," Gem answered Pearl. "Deer are omnivorous, you know!" She grinned, all teeth, vaguely threatening.

"Hm," Pearl said thoughtfully, crossing her arms on top of Impulse's head. "Say, do you know your blood type?"

[wifelinkmtg]

Neon Dynasty Kami- wait hang on

Are we still on Innistrad? I thought we did Innistrad last time. Excuse me while I review the previous post.

***

Yes, it seems we started Innistrad, but I got sidetracked by talking about all the corrupted angels from Shadows block. Odd. When I try to remember the process of writing the last post, there aren’t any specifics, just this... warm, hazy thrum. That’s probably fine, right?

Anyway.

INNISTRAD: MIDNIGHT HUNT + CRIMSON VOW, CONTINUED

Henrika Domnathi (art by Billy Christian)

It really is so easy to make vampires hot, isn’t it? Like there’s a formula: take a pretty woman, give her opulent clothes, put a little trickle of blood from her mouth as a crack in the facade of controlled civility, right, just to indicate that she may look like nobility but is in fact a decadent animal, and then give her a wine glass full of blood and have her hover a bit. There you go: buttons pushed, hotness achieved.

Henrika, Infernal Seer (art by Billy Christian)

Oh, by the way, Henrika apparently drinks demon blood exclusively, which is a cool character detail I thought you should know. There is something very Mardi Gras about this whole look, which just makes me want to reread some of Caitlín R. Kiernan’s New Orleans short stories. Actually, you could do a very interesting Innistrad reskin using Kiernan’s mythology, their dog-like ghouls and Southern vampires in houses with decaying wallpaper. Wizards of the Coast did a bunch of alternate versions of cards from Crimson Vow as Dracula characters - I’m imagining something similar with Jimmy de Sade as Sorin, Salmagundi as Avacyn, and so forth. Free Secret Lair idea, if Wizards want to make a product with a target audience of one.

MUCH LIKE THAT WHOLE PARAGRAPH. LET’S MOVE ON, PLEASE.

Gisa, Glorious Resurrector (art by Yongjae Choi)

You know, there is something really compelling about a woman who is passionate about her art, even if that art is raising the dead. Not a lot of fun to be had on Innistrad, generally speaking, but Gisa is having the time of her life: bloody cleaver, picnic basket full of hands, horde of adoring undead, evil shovel. Some respond to the horrors of Innistrad by retreating to the safety of ritual or religion, hiding in their hamlets, hands gripping axe or torch, mouths set in grim hope. Gisa responded to the horrors by saying, “I could do your job better, actually,” and it is working out great for her. Apologies to Olivia Voldaren, but Gisa is Innistrad’s premier girlboss and it is not close.

Bat Whisperer (art by Jodie Muir)

I’m sure the other vampires get judgy about how Sabrina’s always getting fully contoured and dressed to the nines just to go lounge around on rooftops with bats, but frankly she has captivated me with her #AutisticGirlSwag. I am so excited to learn all about the difference between bat species in Nephalia and Stensia.

Saryth, the Viper’s Fang (art by Igor Kieryluk)

There aren’t any gorgons on Innistrad, so Saryth has decided to DIY it. About eighty percent of the sex appeal here is the massive, luminous constrictor. That’s not just me, right? Igor made the snake really hot, right?

ANYWAY, YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THE CROSSBOW SEGMENT OF OUR SHOW.

Apprentice Sharpshooter (art by Steve Prescott)

Personally I think it’s good to have to watch out for spikes when you kiss a pretty woman. There’s a lovely textural contrast between cold pointy metal and the softness and warmth of fur and skin. More spikes on women in 2023, please.

Bloodthirsty Adversary (art by Heonhwa Choe)

Yes, like that, exactly! Spiked pauldron, spiked hips, double crown of thorns, and we’ve escalated to two crossbows. She will kill you, unfortunately, but you’ll get to experience several interesting and different piercing sensations on the way out.

Sawblade Slinger (art by Joshua Raphael)

And speaking of escalation, um. Look. We can argue about whether the Fuck-Off Buzzsaw Hurler is technically a crossbow, but I hope we can all agree that it is an Effective Visual Metaphor for the best goddamn strap game in Innistrad.

THIS HAS BEEN THE CROSSBOW SEGMENT OF OUR SHOW. THANK YOU.

Creepy Puppeteer (art by Marie Magny)

If you’re not at least curious about what it would feel like to get double-teamed by a lovely hammer-wielding maniac and her mannequin duplicate, you might be reading the wrong blog. Hey Marie, this is pretty good, but can we get the horny turned up a couple hundred percent?

Blood Hypnotist (art by Marie Magny)

Amazing, thank you so much. Where to even begin with this? I don’t know exactly what blood hypnosis entails, but I would very much like to learn. The dominating eye contact, the blood-soaked talons, the coy little heart in blood on her previous victim’s face (”previous” because what this image communicates above all else is “you’re next,”) fat braids straining against their prison of riveted leather strips, the way the outline of her head irresistibly suggests a praying mantis head (that one’s just for me, thank you!), and - why not - fat tits into the bargain. Honestly, the only thing that could possibly make this any hornier would be the visible bulge of her thick cock, which I’m sure they only didn’t do because this game is 13+. Then again, they printed this card as-is, so I guess Magic: the Gathering is real educational, huh? Tap lands, cast spells, make friends, feel things about card art you can’t yet identify but which will shape whole swathes of the rest of your life.

Alright, that’s been Innistrad, a welcome change of pace from almost two years of mostly-neutered art. Thanks for going on this journey with me!

NEXT TIME: CYBERPUNK, ART DECO, AND TAMIYO'S HOT GIRL MAKEOVER COMES AT A TERRIFYING COST!

[animatorweirdo]

The Kingdom of the Sindar elves

You find yourself in a unnerving predicament, but fortunately, things didn't end up as badly as you first thought. On the contrary, you possibly found the place where you will find the medicine you need.

Warnings: some social awkwardness, mention of bloodied clothes, injuries, Thingol is a bit of a brick, Melian scares the soul out of reader, and something positive for once in reader's life.

Chapter 13

------------------------------------------------

The courtroom was expansive and magnificent. Stone beams flanked the sides of the room, carved to resemble the flow of a river, adorned with leaves and flowers from the green life. There were openings in the walls where you could see the further parts of the kingdom, making you feel small. You were impressed because the kingdom looked like the most fanciest and nature-friendly place you have ever seen. 

However— you did not like the number of elves that were standing on the corners and at the side, watching like an exotic drama show was happening since it was Luthien's mom that brought you here, a lone human that somehow managed to pass through the girdle and wander into their realm. 

You never worked well under the pressure. You felt like an eyesore because it was now clear what Luthien meant that you were the first human she had ever seen. The place was only filled with elves and not a single other human was in sight. It was a bit unnerving because you had heard how these sindar elves can be just as prideful as the Noldor, maybe even more stuck up by how protective they are of their forests. 

It was not good because you had heard their king, Thingol, was especially known for his pride and protectiveness of his forest, and you were technically trespassing even if it wasn't intentional. 

He already did not look happy to see you since he was sitting on his throne with a very obvious glare with Melian by his side. You had a feeling you were going to need to watch your mouth because you already looked bad enough with your bloodied clothes and messed-up hair. There was a very high chance he was going to take you for a savage criminal or something. 

Luckily, Luthien decided to stand with you, so it brought a certain amount of comfort. 

"Human, what is the meaning of this? How did you pass the girdle?" the tall gray-haired grump of an elven king demanded. "Well..." you started, trying to think carefully about what to say. "I got lost, and I don't know. The last thing I remember was falling into a river and waking up here," you answered. "It most likely carried me here when I was unconscious because I hit my head pretty badly," you added, rubbing the back of your head, which still ached and itched. 

"A river carried you here? " Thingol asked. "And how did that happen?"

"Well, to put it short. I was kidnapped by orcs yesterday. I escaped the orcs then got lost in the woods then I was attacked by these giant bats," you answered, feeling uncertain about what to call them. "They were very big and nearly bit my arm off with their teeth as you can see," you motioned your arms to describe the size then pointed at the wound on your arm, which did not heal from frost breath. "Vampires, foul spies of Morgoth, and wild beasts that feed on anyone that ends up wandering in their traps," Melian spoke for the first time after being quiet for so long. You frowned in confusion. "Those were vampires? I guess that makes sense," you stated. 

"But anyway... I got into a fight with one of those things, trying to survive, and then it pushed me off the cliff with a river below, and then everything went dark. I then remember waking up at the riverbank here. If you don't believe me, you can still most likely find the vampire's body in the river some distance away. It's not actually that far," you pointed out. Melian instinctively stared at you like there was more to the truth than it seemed. Her stare made you nervous since you did leave out an important part, which was you turning into a beast and hunting the orcs. 

Luthien took the chance to speak. "(Name) speaks the truth, so I do not see why she should be suspected of something foul. This could be her blood she's covered in," she motioned at your clothes. You felt gratitude for her support even though it was just half of your blood that was staining your clothes. 

Thingol was about to say something, but then Melian spoke before him. "I see... I believe your truth," she said, making her husband look at her surprised. "My dear... are you certain?" he asks with uncertainty. "I sense no evil within her, and she bears bite wounds from a vampire, so she is speaking the truth about her last night's misfortune and falling into a river which brought her here," she explained. "It could also be a possibility that was meant to find her way here by fate," she added. 

"I'll trust your insight, my dear wife. However, I'm not certain if we should allow her to stay in our kingdom," Thingol looked at you skeptically. 

"I would be more than happy to leave if you just show me the way out," you stated. 

"(Name), you're in no condition to travel. You nearly passed out when you tried to stand and have been in pain ever since we left the forest," Luthien suddenly looked at you. "I insist that you stay for a while and have our healers take a look at you before considering leaving. I fear you will only get worse before you even reach your home," she grabbed your hands and held them with sincere eyes. 

You hesitated when she looked at you with those eyes. Personally, you did not want to reject her since there was something wrong going on with your head. Maybe you should stay and have it checked. 

"I don't know... if my good king and queen will allow me to stay for the time being," You looked at her parents. "You may stay," Melian answered before Thingol could say anything. "I can sense you have sustained an injury to the head, so I also think it would be best for you to stay here and rest, but as long as you can respect our rules and laws," she said, making you sigh with relief. 

"I will... thank you, my king, my queen," you bowed your head in gratitude. 

"I guess this matter has been settled, but be warned... break any of our rules or cause trouble, and there will be consequences," Thingol looked at you with a warning glare. "I will not even dream about it, my king," you bowed your head. 

"The court is dismissed!" Thingol said, and then everyone began leaving. Some curious outlooks continued watching you while others left to do their things. 

You had a minor headache from all the noises. You felt relief you did not get into serious trouble, but the headache was personally killing you. 

"(Name) come, walk with me. I will walk you out of here," Luthien said, and you then quietly followed her out of the courtroom. 

You two walked along the corridors. 

"Are your parents always this cautious with every stranger that ends up here?" you asked. 

"Actually, in the past, we used to be quite welcoming toward our visitors, but I guess all the things happening outside and the terrible truth the Noldor kept hidden from us had caused some mistrust," Luthien explained. 

"Well, I can't blame them for that. It's pretty wild out there. Danger can be lurking around just behind the corner, and you won't even know what hit you," you said. 

"Where are we going?" you asked. 

“My mother spoke to me through Osanwe and told me she wanted to talk to you privately,” you paled at Luthien’s answer. 

“Oh god!” you unintentionally uttered. Luthien stared at you, confused. 

“(Name)... tell me. What is it about my mother that frightens you so much?” she asked. You silently panicked. 

“I…” you started. “I… don’t mean anything bad. It's just—I had some past encounters with maiars before, and they weren’t exactly good,” you confessed while remembering what happened with Langon and Maluk. 

“Oh? Oh?! Then I can assure you, my mother will not do anything to harm or do anything against your will. You can trust her,” Luthien said after realizing what you meant. 

“I’m not exactly sure… if you didn’t notice back in the courtroom. Your parents don’t seem to like me very much,” you pointed out. 

“They’re not usually like that, and I’m certain they will come around once they see you mean no harm or evil,” she said with a smile. 

"I hope you're right," you replied as the two of you arrived at a pair of doors. They weren't as massive as many other doors you had seen. They were adorned with carvings of leaves and vines, giving them a pleasing, nature-inspired appearance. There was no need to wonder if Melian was inside or not.

“We’re here. And since my mother wished to speak to you alone. I will not intrude and wait here,” Luthien said. “Will you save me if your mother does something bad to me?” you asked, making her chuckle, even though you did not fully mean it as a joke. “You will be alright. Now go,” she gently pushed you toward the doors. 

“Alright. Wish me luck,” you said and stood before the doors. You raised your hand and knocked on it a few times, and when you heard her answer. You opened the doors and walked in with a heavy breath. 

Melian watched as you walked in and closed the doors. Her gaze was sharp and still filled with cautious suspicion. 

You stood in front of her awkwardly. 

“You wanted to see me…?” you asked. 

“I believe you know why I wanted to speak to you alone,” Melian stated. You hesitated slightly. “I have a slight feeling, but not certain,” you answered. 

“I know what you are, and you knew what I was when you laid your eyes upon me and were filled with fear by the sight of me,” she said. 

“Well, I had a few unpleasant encounters with a couple of your kind before, the fallen ones, I mean. Their hospitality was anything but pleasant,” you said, then frowned. “Wait? What do you mean you know what I am?” 

“You do not need to hide. I sensed you coming when you passed through my girdle,” Melian said. You became even more confused. “You did?” you asked. 

“You carry darkness within you, cold as winter and wild as a beast,” Melian described. “A curse of some kind, so tell me…” she looked at you. “What are you truly?” 

You mentally sighed, having your suspicions cleared out. Melian knew, just like how Langon and Maluk knew. “Of course, you would sense it. You are a Maia after all —” you muttered before mustering the courage to look at her in the eye. 

“Okay, listen. I truly mean no harm, so—will you keep it a secret if I tell you?” you questioned with your hands slapped together. 

“It depends… You have my word, but if it's something that will prove to be a danger to us all. I’m afraid I will have to take an action that will not benefit you,” Melian replied with a rather cold tone. 

You exhaled, not liking the answer but knowing you can’t back down. “Okay…” you sighed, trying to think how to explain the curse without getting yourself into trouble. 

“You are right. I am carrying a curse. I’m cursed living with an evil spirit inside me. It’s a creature that knows only greed and hunger, and it can take control of me and possess my body upon chance,” you explained. 

“I can control it and push it back with the medicine, but since I took my last proper pill some months ago. I’ve been without it,” you said. “My friend and I have been trying to find a replacement, but— we have not been successful, and our latest concoction might be the true reason I’m here now,” you added. 

“I was kidnapped by orcs last night. They tried to use me as leverage to get back to the North, but then the beast came out and killed one of them. I then escaped into the woods and had been hunting and eating orcs all night, then I was attacked by the vampires, then fell from a cliff, and now I’m here,” you looked at her. 

“I really don’t mean any harm, and I’m sorry for causing you to feel unsafe. That’s why I’m more willing to leave than stay here,” you said and then waited for the Maia’s reaction and possible punishment.  

Melian’s gaze softened after hearing everything. 

“I see… so you’re the infamous Orc eater I’ve heard about?” Melian questioned. You stared at her with a surprised expression. “Oh, so those rumors even reached here?” you asked. “I mean yes! I am,” you fixed. “I got captured during the Sudden flames and got really angry at someone, which resulted in me turning and devouring an army of orcs, and those rumors were born,” you explained.

“I believe you, (Name). I apologize for the caution. To think you can use your curse to face the dark lord’s forces instead of harming others is an incredible feat.” Melian said. “No, no! It’s alright. I’m glad this did not end up like last time,” you said. “And actually… I don’t control it. I’ve just been lucky enough to keep the beast’s attention on orcs than on other people,” you added. “Bad things might happen if it wants something else,” 

“About this medicine of yours…I believe I can help with that,” Melian stated. 

“You can?! I would be grateful, but do I need to do something in return?” you quickly asked. Your eyes filled with a hopeful glint. 

“No need. I do not demand any compensation except maybe to keep my daughter some company since she has grown fond of you,” she said. “Sure! I can do that. She’s nice. I like her. What about your husband, though? He doesn’t seem to like me very much?” you questioned. She chuckled. “Do not worry about Thingol. He had always been overly cautious. He will leave you when he sees you have my blessing,” she explained. 

“Now go. You need to heal from your wounds,” Melian said.  

“Will do. Thank you, my queen. You’re the first friendly Maia I’ve met, “ You bowed and left while she shook her head with a smile. 

You walked out of the room and closed the door behind you. You glanced at Luthien as she stared at you eagerly. 

“So… how did it go?” she asked. 

“It went better than expected. Maybe I was worrying too much,” you sighed with relief.  

“Excellent! I knew it would be fine. Shall we go to the halls of healing now? You must be exhausted,” she questioned, extending her hand to you. 

“Yes, please. This headache has been killing me,” you grabbed Luthien’s hand, and she then led you through the corridors toward the healer’s halls. 

[mings-lore-library]

So here’s where I’ll do lore drops and some roleplays with my OCs if ya wanna. Send asks about any of them.

Real quick brief lore, we have

Ming- My main OC. She’s a demon princess, she’s got it all. She was raised by the ninja turtles and is a ninja. She’s short and can’t swim and allergic to wasps.

Victoria- Ming’s evil clone. Created by darkness and Ming’s DNA. She eats wasps for breakfast just to flex on Ming and her inferiority. She’s evil evil. Ish. Possibly redeemable?

Damien- Ming’s twin brother. He loves sex, drugs and alcohol. He’s been raised as a prince, and by that I mean spoiled as fuck. He gets his way, whether he has to use force or not.

Rex- Vampire boy. He’s a sharpshooter and he loves basketball. He likes Ming, but he’s fine just being friends if she is. Also he’s secretly a clone.

Ted- Rex’s twin brother. A werewolf. He was nearly mauled to death so his transformations hurt more than they should. Pretty smart, but mostly cares about biology. They’re both Latino.

Tweet- Ghoul. Spanish. Albino. His real name is Daniel but everybody calls him Tweet and nobody knows why. He’s a hacker. A computer whiz. He also has black tentacles that sprout from his back. He can barely control them and they scare him.

Kyle Wu- He’s a drummer he’s a rockstar! He ain’t very bright but he’s a sweet guy. His parents immigrated from China when he was nine, and his “American name” was Kyle up until he was 17, when he decided he wanted to be called his birth name, too, and combined them. He’s also a wizard. He loves his ace girlfriend.

Elsa- Tweet’s girlfriend and Kyle Wu’s twin sister. She’s a pretty girl, and she’s a witch. She’s also polyamorous and very much pansexual, so she’s flirted with Ming a few times. She loves her birds!

Hami- Kyle Wu’s girlfriend. She’s a vampire from Cuba who isn’t afraid to get in a fist-fight. Her parents enrolled her in boxing classes when she was younger to try to let out her anger issues, but now she has anger issues and can throw a punch. She’s very proud of who she is and thinks bats are for sissies. Asexual and proud of it.

Ivy- Ted’s girlfriend and Tweet’s cousin. Both her and Tweet were raised by their grandparents. She’s very sweet but very shy. She loves horses and she’s a werewolf, just like Ted.

Those are my main 10. I’ll include my other OCs under this cut (there’s a lot) (the list is probably incomplete)

My Little Pony OCs

Vine girl-

Alyssa- Ex-Girlfriend to Ming, used to be Christian. Mortal.

Oak- So, technically she’s my first OC. Anything to do with dinosaurs, that’s her. She raised a T Rex by hand and several other babies that are all named after most of my other OCs lol. Because the dinosaurs were the first form of lots of my OCs.

Sky- I found a place for her. She is Ming’s current girlfriend and also a forest fairy. She’s South African and short and chubby and has bright blue hair and vampire fangs. She’s great. I love her.

Lucifer and Arianna- Ming and Damien’s parents. (Allegedly). Devil and Angel.

Mien- In some iterations, she is Ming’s mother. She was the first version of her mother.

Angennika- Ming’s daughter in Mutant Mayhem. Her middle name is Ming because Ming is currently trapped in a crystal, so her mother (vine girl) calls her Ming. But she actually prefers Angie.

Spruce- Victoria’s twin and Damien’s evil clone. He’s not evil. At all. He sucks at it.

Samar- Hami’s evil clown. She’s ACTUALLY evil, and irredeemable unlike Victoria and Spruce. I was going to make an evil clone for each of my main ten but considering Victoria is ALREADY an evil clone and Rex is a not-evil clone too, that might be hard.

Ducky- Tweet’s baby sister. He will do anything to protect her.

Pebbles- Ducky’s best friend and Rex and Ted’s little sister. Real name is Roxanne.

Razor and Martha- Rex, Ted and Pebbles’s parents. Vampires. In some iterations, Razor is Lucifer’s secret boyfriend.

Alex- Ted’s real identical twin brother. When Theodore and Alexander were young they were both kidnapped. Ted was found safely but Alex was never found. In heartache, and to give his young son his best friend back, Razor used Alex’s DNA to create Rex. Which nobody found out the truth… until Alex showed up on their doorstep 15 years later.

Angel- So in some iterations, Ming’s mother is Mien. And in a universe that Mien is her mother and Ming is raised by the turtles, Ming has a younger sister. That’s Angel. Mien’s second daughter.

Angel Draxum- So y’all know Baron Draxum? He has a daughter. Who was kidnapped and raised by Ming as her older sister.

This list is in no way complete and I will add more OCs as I remember them (or create them)

[pokemonxhyperfixation]

It's that one Vampire!

In honor of the spooky month, I've decided to do one of Touhou's vampires, Kurumi!

I don't really have much of an opinion on most PC98 characters, but Kurumi is one I do quite like and have many a headcannon on! Oh, and one of those is that Yuuka and her have been married for like... a LONG time, and Kurumi took Yuuka's last name due to a lack of having one herself =).

Swoobat is here due to me feeling an obligation to give bats to Touhou's vampires (Remi would have Crobat and Flan would have Noivern). Swoobat also kinda fits the vibe I feel like she has!

The next two are actually byproducts of her time as a gatekeeper (I like to think she has long since retired). Mightyena was like a scary guard dog using it's intimidate ability to scare off intruders. Now it just gets spoiled rotten tho.

Feraligatr on the other hand was the thing that actually killed the shit outta people. Wanted to give her something big, mean and aquatic due to her guarding a BLOOD LAKE, and due to something of a trend I have when building modded zoos in Minecraft, Feraligatr felt most natural. (The gators go in the blood pool, that's the rules.)

Sunflora was something she got from Yuuka once they got together. Instead of doing something like a ring, I like the idea that Yuuka proposed to Kurumi in this hypothetical pokemonxtouhou setting by giving her a Sunkern egg, since she's the funny sunflower lady.

The Skorupi is only kinda hers. Like she technically is the one who owns it, but it's really Medicine's (I LOVE the idea that Yuuka adopted Medicine after the events of Touhou 9, and since Kurumi just kinda stays home all day because of the whole vampire thing, she's the one who spends copious amounts of time with their doll daught). Think Dedenne from the XY anime if you've seen it.

While the last slot is empty, that's because the thing she uses in it isn't a pokemon SHE owns, but is actually Yuuka's Tyrannitar from my Yuuka team. I love the idea that to Yuuka and Kurumi specifically it just acts like a giant scally dog, and they treat it as such. That T-Tar is the most spoiled member of its kind know to man, and only because that's just the kind of pet owner I imagine Kurumi to be.

[jaydonsjam]

Morbius II

Here we are again to talk about the first five issues of Vampire Tales specifically the five Morbius stories! I know I keep saying it but these horror comics are enthralling and engrossing in the best way. Plus, following a villain is a lot more interesting than your run-of-the-mill superheroes. I did some research after noticing the non-existent stamp of the Comics Code Authority and found out (thanks Wikipedia) that since Vampire Tales was published as a magazine it didn’t fall under their judgement. Which is why there’s more violence and all around edgier content in VT than most Marvel comics of that era. After reading these five issues, Morbius has definitely jumped up the list of my favorite Spidey villains. Morbius’ struggle for humanity in the face of his endless need to feed on humanity makes him so interesting to me. I love the writing here because they manage to keep Morbius villainous and yet put forth other villains for him to face that make you root for him. The art is all in black-and-white but I think it really suits the horror genre and makes it feel like a 30’s universal horror film. My experience with black-and-white comics are really only with manga or The Walking Dead series.

“Morbius”

Steve Gerber wrote the first Morbius story in Vampire Tales #1 and Pablo Marcos did the art which looked absolutely beautiful with an eerie sinister undertone with a bit of watercolor effects. I love the fact that these comics actually have blood, because seeing the bites happen makes it more horrific. Also Morbius is seriously terrifying to look at. Morbius is searching for his love Martine and meets a girl named Carolyn so she leads him to Madame Laera who might be able to find out her location. They look through a crystal ball and Morbius sees Martine stabbed through the chest and throws the crystal ball shattering it. A demon named Nilrac is freed and fights Morbius but Michael defeats it. He tries to feed on it but finds there’s no blood so he attacks Laera and feeds on her, killing her. Carolyn, a child of Satan, is fascinated by this and takes Morbius to her place. Morbius leaves so that he doesn’t feed on her. I liked the fight with Nilrac but it wasn’t anything special. The best part of this issue was how good of a vehicle it served for Morbius and it even references previous stuff we had seen in Marvel Team-Up with the X-Men. I love how the story opens on an unsuspecting person walking down LA and they look up and just see Morbius pouncing them. Another thing that is referenced several times (and it’s a little unbelievable) is the fact that Morbius looks like a bat faced crazy man and when people ask him why he’s wearing a mask, he always says, it’s not a mask. It’s funny but I don’t buy the fact that people just think it’s a mask. One of the things that make Morbius so interesting is the idea that he doesn’t want to feed on people and when he does, he hates himself for it. He’s got a piece of humanity but he just can’t fight his hunger. He’s of course a monster but there’s something else there too.

“The Blood Sacrifice of Amanda Saint!”

The next Morbius story in Vampire Tales #2 was written by Don McGregor and pencilled by Rich Buckler and inked by Pablo Marcos. I love the title page (pictured above) with a bat serving as the background but at the same time resembling the shape of a human heart. One technical issue I had with this scan on Marvel Unlimited was the fact that some of the lettering was hard to read and there was like a pixelated look to some of the images. I don’t blame the art cause I think it’s just a digital scan issue. Anyways, Morbius decided on his next victim Amanda Saint, who has also been chosen by a satanic cult named Demon-Fire as a sacrifice. Morbius leaps down, feeds on one of her would-be captors and stops the kidnapping, saving his victim from her fate. There’s a cool fight that he has with one of the cloaked figures who’s wields a scythe. Morbius disarms him and then runs away with Amanda. They come to her house and her sister, Catherine is waiting for her. We find out that Amanda is with a man named Justin and he planned for her to get kidnapped and sacrificed but Morbius stopped it. Catherine looks an awful like a female masked figure that we saw earlier in the issue (we find out in a later issue that her sister was that figure). Justin has roommates who are involved in drugs (which comes back later). Morbius feeds on a taxi driver and Amanda gets kidnapped by Demon-Fire. Morbius tries to stop it but is thrown out of a two-story window and is forced to flee.

“Demon Fire”

The third Morbius story was written by Don McGregor and pencilled by Rich Buckler and inked by Klaus Janson. This issue had the same technical problem as the last one where the digital scan made some of the lettering hard to read. Morbius heads to the place where the cult took Amanda and finds a coffin that serves as a secret entrance to an underground lair. We get the Catherine reveal here along with Justin revealing himself to Amanda. At the top of the atrium in this underground lair is a giant demonic spider named Arachne with which they sacrifice people to. It’s quite ironic that Morbius fights a spider in this issue with his superhero nemesis being Spider-Man. I loved how creepy and sinister the black and white art added to the giant spider. It webs Michael and takes a bite but then runs away dying from whatever is in Morbius’ blood. The spider’s death throes cause the whole lair to start falling apart and Morbius escapes with Amanda as the whole cult is crushed except for sweet, silly Justin. We get an epilogue of police brutality. They were trying to hit Justin’s drug dealing friend but instead hit Justin and it ends with the cops dragging his unconscious body out of the apartment. Overall I dug this issue a lot. It’s ironic that Amanda is saved by the vampire who wanted to feed on her. It’s also funny that she didn’t know everyone around her was involved in a cult (including her mother and sister and boyfriend). I really felt bad for the taxi driver who was in the midst of a Watergate rant when he was killed by Michael. It’s also interesting that Amanda has no idea Morbius is a vampire even though he’s leaping and moving with obvious powers and he has a bat face. I just find that unbelievable. I get that she’s often not paying much attention or indisposed every time but I really feel like she should’ve known by the time she actually does find out.

“Lighthouse of the Possessed”

This issue in Vampire Tales #4 was written by Don McGregor and pencilled and inked by Tom Sutton. This issue opens with one of the most brutal kills Morbius does in these issues yet (pictured above). They really do a great job of showing that you’re reading a story about a villain. Morbius with Amanda has started staying at a boarding house. There’s a really weird eugenics mention after Morbius sees two grotesque people living there. I was taken aback but then I remembered that Michael is a murderous psycho so whatever. We also meet two characters one named Brock Kilbride an idealistic politically minded guy and his friend Arlene Randolph who spends both issues trying to make Brock see that the politician, Duke Mannery isn’t what he seems. We also meet another sect of Demon-Fire but this time they are led by a mysterious being called Blood-Tide. We also meet Amanda’s mother who was mentioned before having her husband leave her because she was a member of a cult (Demon-Fire) but there’s a reveal about that later. Amanda is prattling on and on about politics to Morbius but they are interrupted by Oliver barging in trying to cut them with his hook hand. Morbius throws him out of a window and he’s cut by shards of glass. Morbius with his bloodlust taking over feeds on poor Oliver. Amanda sees him and realizes he’s a vampire and freaks out. This is a big reveal but again, it makes Amanda seem kinda dumb for not already figuring it out. She runs out the door right into an axe swing from Mrs. Agnes. They are then mobbed by seafarers who are trying to kill them. At this point they run into Brock and Arlene knocking them over as they are chased by a giant mob of people. Mrs. Agnes catches Morbius still swinging her axe. Morbius flings the axe away and then slams Agnes’ head into the axe. It’s definitely the most brutal death in these five issues for sure. Morbius takes off Mrs. Agnes’ mask and it’s revealed to be Amanda’s mom. Like a true scoundrel, Morbius takes her wedding band and plans on giving it to Amanda someday. Lots of action in this issue and also plenty of dirty deeds done by Morbius. Reading these issues really makes me realize that while they call Man-Thing a monster or Jack Russell a monster, the real monster here is Morbius. You guys know I see him as a tragic figure but he is a murderer who constantly feeds on innocents (also bad people). I also appreciate the idea that is he trying to save Amanda to wipe out the stain of all the evil he’s done as a living vampire? It’s a good question.

“Blood Tide!”

The next Morbius story from Vampire Tales #5 was written by Don McGregor and pencilled by Rich Buckler and inked by Ernie Chua (he was also credited under Ernie Chan in his career). I gotta start off by saying the art is the best in this issue out of the five stories. The scan was fantastic and I had no issues reading this one (same with the last one). Morbius and Amanda see a film and get attacked by Blood-Tide! Brock and Arlene investigate a shadowy figure who works with the politician and it leads them to the same theater. There’s a cool moment where Blood-Tide and Morbius fight behind the screen and he tosses Morbius through the projection. There’s a moment where he’s about to pierce Michael with his staff but Brock kicks him in the head and leads Morbius and Amanda out of the theater. In a conversation with Arlene and Brock we get another moment where Morbius tells them it’s his face that looks like that not a mask. I’m starting to like this throughline joke. They follow The Godfather character to outside the lighthouse and Morbius decides to be stealthy and try to sneak into the lighthouse. There’s a cool fight between Morbius and Blood-Tide!

Blood-Tide has a really cool design with glowing eyes that seem to control people. There seems to be merit because of the mob of people who all want to kill Morbius and Amanda. He uses his gaze to freeze Morbius in place and is about to stab him with his staff when Brock distracts him. Morbius takes advantage of the distraction (he’s also freed from the gaze) by throwing one of the cult members out of the lighthouse window. He takes down Blood-Tide and unmasks him revealing him to be Duke Mannery the politician that Brock believed in. The guy is so taken aback and disgusted that he doesn’t realize that Duke has a pistol. In another gruesome kill, Brock has his brains blown out.

I was shocked by the gore in this moment but we did see Amanda’s mom get axed in the head last ish so maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised. I actually felt bad for Brock cause he did seem like he had his heart in the right place just supported the wrong guy. I will say that I’m not super into the Scooby Doo type reveals with both Blood-Tide and Mrs. Agnes. I feel like that trope got overused in this story especially in such quick succession. Overall though, Vampire Tales was a fun read and definitely the goriest, bloodiest and darkest Marvel comics I’ve read from this era so far. Marvel does horror really well. Like I said, I’m glad it’s not colored cause the black and white art adds so much to the horror genre. I’d love to read a black and white Man-Thing comic now. Next up we’re back to Adventure Into Fear #17-18! Thanks for reading this whole thing. I hope you enjoyed my moronic thoughts about funny books!

[ruki--mukami]

I decided to try and spice up my writing by using some more... Synonyms? I suppose. I hope I didn't use any wrong ones! //

The woman, albeit stunned at the man before her, quickly got up from her place and dusted off her large dress. It was jingling with each one of her movements. Her dress was designed with hanging gears and bolts and such, clearly, she was not just some noble woman.

"Well, technically it wasn't you that approached me. I fell to your footing, a lot harder than I anticipated a fall like that would've been. "

She spoke, and then, she looked around the place, puzzled at first, horrified a few seconds later as she dug her delicate, dull digits into her soft, green hair and cried out loudly.

"OH NO! I went far too back in time! It's 21st century now, right? "

Eyes of bright bronze filled to the brim with anguish stared at the ashy face of the demon before her and inhaled before exhaling in a useless attempt to calm down her raging heart.

"This is horrendous! Appalling! Abominable! I wasn't supposed to come all the way here! "

She shrieked out and then immediately looked at her ruined train, and screamed in terror.

"MY BELOVED TRAIN! How come did this happen?! My train is meant to be able to take this kind of rough treatment! I wasn't even supposed to be here! Did someone sabotaged it or me...? "

She wondered while running to her train.

"Well, yes. You certainly have a point there. However, I could have just as easily left you for dead," the Vampire cackled sardonically. "By now I definitely would have turned the other direction, but the train from the sky raises far too many questions for me to simply turn a blind eye to you. And those clothes... You're going to stick out like a sore thumb with those. Perhaps I should show you to the nearest store and we can pick out apparel that's much more modern—and practical—compared to those bolts and gears you have on."

Upon the mention of time travel, Ruki could only raise an eyebrow in disbelief. Suspicious and slightly bewildered by the panicked woman who drove her own hands into her hair and screamed bloody murder, he half didn't want to think of an eccentric person like her would come from the future of all places while the other half still questioned how time travel could exist. If Vampires and other demons roamed the realms, then perhaps traversing through the fabric of time and space and all the dimensions in between was also possible.

"Wait... Don't tell me," Ruki clutched her by the arm, separating her hand from her tresses, "are you from another century? Oh, for pity's sake... Relax. You are in no danger—at least not yet. Perhaps we can repair your train together with the right tools and materials. Certainly some magical force from the demon realm might be of service to you, or I could even summon my bat familiars to investigate the problem."

Gazing resolutely into her eyes, he took her hand in his.

"Come with me. I highly doubt you can return back to your time in the current state you're in. Together we can devise a solution for all this."

🧩 No, you wrote it very well!! I'm impressed with this, honestly throughout our time together you've always shown a lot of improvement, bestie. I'm proud of you. 😩💗 Also poor steampunk s/o omg- 🧩

[theyreonlynoodlesmike]

It’s Just a Movie: Part 10 (Poly!Lost Boys x Fem!Reader)

<- Previous Chapter Next Chapter ->

Warnings: cursing

Word Count: 1849

You and the boys had been discussing their plan for the past two weeks, having kept track on your notes app in your phone. The first few days had just been with what their ending 'goal' was, which turned out to be harder than you thought for them to agree. Well, for you and them to agree. When you proposed their desired ending, Dwayne had quickly said,

"Kill Sam and the Frogs." And Marko was quick to second him. It seemed that neither of them were quick to forget their killers, even if you were sure the only reason Dwayne wanted the Frogs dead was because they went after Laddie. You, however, were quick to argue,

"They're kids, guys." And, before they could appall you with any loose morals, you added, "Plus, Max is gonna tell you to turn Sam, remember?" But neither of them seemed too bothered by only being able to kill the Frogs. So, you reminded them, "They haven't done anything yet. They might not even suspect vampires exist yet." You pointed out, and the boys frowned. After a few days, you got them to agree to only kill them if they attempted to kill them first. Quickly, you tried to steer them in a different direction.

It was decided fairly quickly that the boys wouldn't be able to disobey Max once he ordered them to turn the boys, and it would be near impossible to get to them beforehand. So, you suggested,

"Well, why don't we just try to make Max's plan work? I mean, it wouldn't be too bad having Lucy for a mom, right?" You offered, but the boys exchanged a glance as they mulled it over. Lucy was sweet, kind to her boys, and probably wouldn't force them to change. And, with how much freedom she gave Michael and Sam, they could imagine that their lives wouldn't be all that affected. You tried to defend her case, but, as David eloquently put, 

"That's exactly why she shouldn't end up with Max." He said, and you frowned. 

“He can’t be that bad...right?” But even you didn’t really know. You remembered the ending, where he didn’t even bat an eye, let alone shed a tear, at the death of one of his ‘sons’. Without missing a beat, Paul said, 

“He’s a dick.” You expected a slap of the head from Dwayne or a look from David. When neither came, you let out an uneasy breath. So, it seemed that Max's 'Blood-sucking Brady Bunch' was out of the question. When you pushed the topic of Max, it was decided that perhaps his ending shouldn't be all that changed. By the end of the first couple of days, it was decided that Max would die, and that David would take his place as the head vampire. You had to admit that it seemed to make more sense, with how detached the boys already were from their sire. And because it had technically been Maxs fault for their deaths in the first place. But, making sure Max bit it and they didn't was definitely going to make things more difficult. Especially when you factored in Star and Laddie. 

“Wait, why are we turning Star again?” Marko asked. It was a couple days later and the five of you were eating pizza in the cave, having already visited the boardwalk. You, Marko, and Paul sat on the floor while Dwayne laid sprawled out on the couch and David sat in his chair. You were revisiting your ideas for how they were going to change the future, and you were doing a rebriefing of what the five of you had agreed on. Really, with having been there for two weeks, it was the only thing to keep your mind off of the improbability of you ever going home.

“She’s the one that’s gonna lure Michael in.” Paul reminded him, reaching over to snag one of your fries. You batted his hand away, and he gave you a grin as he popped it into his mouth. Marko scoffed, shaking his head.

“And why do we need to lure him in again? I mean, we already saw how that goes.” He grumbled, and you tried to choose your words carefully. He was always a little tense during these discussions, as his death would be the first you’d need to avoid.

“If we stray too far from the movie, then we have no idea how the events will turn out. And no idea how to prevent any near-death experiences.” You reminded. It was the exact reason that you had crossed out the potential of keeping the Emersons away completely. “We’re only gonna change some minor things, so Michael still needs to be turned into a half for everything to work.” You said calmly, and he let out a long sigh. He pushed the pizza box away from him, and your fries away from you before he laid your head in your lap. Over the past week, the boys had gotten comfortable with you. Almost a little too comfortable. While you hadn’t done anything with any of them yet, platonic affection didn’t seem to bother any of them. Even if Paul constantly offered otherwise. You already knew what he expected, and you gently began twirling his curls and scratching his scalp.

“But he’s such a poser.” Marko said, and you couldn’t help your smile at the use of slang. Your mind instantly flashed to when he bought the leather jacket, and then the earring. He seemed to try so hard to fit in, or perhaps impress, that you hadn’t even considered that that might describe him perfectly. You watched as his face relaxed, his eyes fluttering closed as you used your nails to scratch one of his sweet spots.

“Yeah, but he’ll be human again when Grandpa kills Max, and then you won’t have to worry about him anymore.” You said, and you didn’t notice the small smile on David’s face as he watched you calm the blonde vampire. Marko let out another sigh, before wriggling his way further into your lap. He let out a small grunt, apparently satisfied enough to stop his arguing. For the meantime. After a moment, you added, “Plus, you won’t have to watch Laddie all the time with Star.” You said, giving Dwayne a look. He had been reading a book, and he perked up at the mention of the little boys name. When he looked over and saw that you were already looking at him, he was quick to look back down at the piece of literature in his hands. Paul let out a small snicker, and you smiled.

You knew that, while he would never admit it, Dwayne was eager to meet the little boy that had become so close to him during the movie. It was like he was awaiting the birth of his younger brother, even if the little boy was already walking around somewhere. Though, you and David had silently agreed not to discuss the fate of the young boy. While the five of you could plan your ideal ending all you wanted, the most important thing was being able to roll with the punches and to be realistic. And, well, Laddie had stuck to Star more than he had stuck to the brunette haired boy. 

With keeping most of the story-line and only a fraction of the ending the same, there was only one part of your plan left undecided. 

“So, how are you gonna stop Sam from coming down here with the Frogs?” You asked. There was, of course, the expected chorus of,

“Kill the frogs.” From Dwayne and Marko. It was a frequently revisited issue, and the five of you had yet to agree. You had to make sure you spent their nights with them after Paul, surprisingly, had suggested finding their comic book store earlier that week. But, before you could argue your usual point over again, David said,

“We don’t have to kill them. We don’t even have to stop Sam from meeting them.” And you were quick to arch a brow. Paul let out an audible,

“Huh?” And Marko and Dwayne both sat up to look at their leader. It was an undiscussed idea, but, from the way David said it, you guessed that he’d been sitting on it for a few days now. It seemed that whatever ideas he had, he was finally willing to share them. He took a drag of his cigarette, before he began to elaborate. 

“You said it yourself, y/n. We can’t risk going too far from the movie. We just have to make sure that Sam and the Frogs think that Max is the head vampire, and a few other things.” He added the last part vaguely, and you stared at him. With the way the edges of his lips curled, you were positive he was leaving you in suspense on purpose. You sighed, giving him a look. Finally, you asked,

“Like what?” And you watched the way his smile grew. He seemed to love whenever you gave in to his egging, and he supplied you with,

“Like thinking that by killing him it’ll turn all his children back to being human. Including us.” He said, and you felt your jaw fall for a moment before you quickly recovered. You didn’t want to inflate his ego, even if he already looked immensely satisfied with your reaction. Paul let out a low whistle before he said,

“Shit. That’s perfect. Michael will totally-”

“He’ll treat us like Star and Laddie. Same with Sam.” Marko finished for him, even if Paul went on rambling. He rambled about how they could blame the murders on vampire instinct, lack of human memory, or play into the thirst for sympathy. Or how they could make it almost hero-like by saying they only went after assholes. Dwayne, his deep voice cutting through Pauls chatter, said, 

“And Grandpa won’t go after us. Not if we could be saved.” And you stared at all of them. It was a good plan. A great one. But, you could only think of one fatal flaw in it, and it was staring you in the face. 

“Do you really expect them to believe you though?” You asked David. No matter how charming they could be, you didn’t expect them to really be that stupid. And it wasn’t something that they could just naturally bring up to Star and Michael without it raising some sort of suspicion from the pair. Especially when the Frogs were so hell-bent on killing all vampires, even if said vampire was only a half and a child. Davids smile turned into a smirk, and he gave you a small shake of his head as he said,

“Oh, not at all.” And confusion filled your face. You stared at the pale boy, his stubble dusting his cheeks and his hair practically glowing in the light. The smoke from the end of his cigarette curled and floated towards the ceiling as he said, “I expect them to believe you.”

[lumilasi]

So, initially I meant to also add examples of their power usage on each bio, but I then realized not everybody’s power is gonna have so much visuality to it. Plus I was too lazy to do hers rn, I might add it later

I decided to change her into a dual wielder instead of three. Her dad will be the one with three powers instead. Also boy figuring out surnames to characters is so difficult....

Minerva’s bio below:

Full name: Minerva Vasquez

Nickname: Mana (prefers this over her real name)

 Sexuality: Bi

Height: 165 cm

Notable relationships: She has a good relationship with both of her parents Vincent and Livia, as well as her “adoptive” brother Kaspian. (in quotations because its not official, they all just treat Kaspian like he is part of the family)

Role: The future heir of the Vasquez family business (Generations old restaurant/club business) and the leader of her vigilante group that protects the city from the personality cultists/criminals who worship her dad’s old persona (he’s retired from being a notorious underworld figure)

Personality summary: Pretty laid back most of the time, doesn’t take shit too seriously when she doesn’t need to. Patient with a good sense of humor (required given how chaotic her dad is) and generally likes to do stuff her way and have fun; quite an adventurous young woman.  Does however have a  “no nonsense” side with more serious matters. Does very much get embarrassed by her dad at times, but loves him anyway. She has a very strong moral compass, even if her family are technically considered criminals.

Minerva is basically a combination of her dad’s more impulsive and lighthearted nature, and her mother’s ability to be patient and take shit seriously without being a party popper all the time. 

Aspect details: 

BASICS: usually people can only wield one, but thanks to her dad, she has two powers. Rage and “Moxie” as she calls it. (technically its perseverance, but she hated the long term so she chose to use a shorter, more fun sounding term) Any anger type aspects are usually offensive, whereas perseverance types are healing/energizing powers. (not as strong as Joaquin’s Serenity, they don’t heal as absolutely as Serenity does)

Most people only know she has “Moxie,” the rage-aspect is a secret. 

GENERAL: 

Rage basically enchants her physical strength, speed and stamina, allowing her to partially transform into a dragon-like being. She can also throw fire from her hands, or channel the said fire into a weapon. (she prefers bats or other blunt weaponry)

Moxie enchants her healing and gives her some regenerative abilities; mostly just helps regenerating bad flesh wounds or broken limbs quickly, won’t fix an actual missing limb (she’s not gonna test that either). She can also use this to heal others to an extend, mostly just physical injuries. It can also give her or others an energy boost and strengthen their powers.

Minerva-specific thing with her powers is that her Rage-aspect transformation’s look is unique to her (like with every person with similar aspect) and thanks to her dual power, her rage-aspect is much stronger than average.

FUN FACTS

Minerva’s style is either Goth/punk, or neon colors, or she combines all three aspects

She studied costume design, before dropping out because her vigilante shenanigans began to take most of her time (she didn’t mind, being adventurous) and most people assumed she quit studying to join her mother’s family business.

She always matches her make up to her outfits. The only times she might not bother is when she goes out in her “battle outfit” with the dragon mask

Overall, you rarely see her with natural looking make-up. She prefers being bold with colors.

It was Minerva’s dad who brought Kaspian to their family, and Minerva just accepted his presence with a shrug, which confused Kaspian as he wasn’t used to people being okay about his presence so quickly

Minerva’s dad is a retired “supervillain” of sorts, who was active over forty years ago. (he’s older than he looks thanks to his aspect granting him the ability to extend his life - insert a vampire joke here) And her mum runs a family restaurant business, which includes a few locations with bars and clubs attached.

Minerva doesn’t hold her dad’s past against him, given he clearly doesn’t want to be that “reckless, careless and arrogant piece of shit” anymore, as her dad puts it. 

Minerva often gossips with Kaspian about random stuff, or they paint each other’s nails. They have a very strong sibling-like bond, though she’s also aware that Kaspian still cares about his actual biological brother strongly, and doesn’t really mind.

She’s always ready to help Kas if something about his brother is concerned

The most common thing Minerva says in her life is “Dad no.” (Not anything sinister, more he’s impulsive and does kind of random-non-villainous-shit at times that could cause a mess, it’s basically like a running joke where she scolds him about doing random chaotic shit - which is funny considering she also does a lot of random, chaotic shit with her vigilante shenanigans)

Her nickname Mana comes from her dad referring to her as his energizing force when she was a toddler. Also probably because her dad was/is into D&D where that term is sometimes used.

Kaspian’s joking nickname for Minerva is “Lady Godzilla” because of her dragonic form. 

[twisted-broth]

So I recently watched dirk gently for the first time, and I really love the rowdy 3, Martin in particular. Can you maybe do a Martin x reader?

Aaaaahhh how did you find out about my undying love for Martin?? Tbh I wrote that one fic for myself I didn’t think anyone would ever read it. Okay I don’t ~technically~ write for Dirk Gently but I’ll write it anyway because I’ve sold my soul to the rowdy 3

Waking up in a beat up van, surrounded by four intimidating men? Yep, this was how you were going to die. 

“Ha! I told you they weren’t dead!” The smallest of the four grabbed $10, presumably bet money, off the dash. “What’s up, bro? I’m Vogel.”

“Hi…” You said hesitantly. 

Vogel introduced the rest of the men surrounding you as Gripps, Cross (the one who lost the bet) and Martin. Martin seemed to be the least personable of the group. As soon as he was sure you were awake and unhurt, he fixated himself in the driver's seat without saying a word.

“So, why am I in your sketchy van, Vogel?”

“You were in the road, boss. We almost ran you over! Martin’s the one who made us take you in. Make sure you were okay or whatever.” Vogel explained. 

“You got a nasty bump on your head, so you probably got a concussion. And your legs was all cut up from the gravel. We ain’t doctors, though, so we just slapped some band aids on there.” Gripps continued. 

You shakily managed to sit up against the side of the van, which you only just noticed was moving. It wasn’t a situation you were hoping to find yourself in today but, considering you could have been roadkill if it weren’t for these guys, you decided it was probably not the worst thing to happen. You groaned as you rubbed the bump on your head. You had no idea where you got it. Last thing you remember was walking to the library. 

“You want some advil, dog?” Cross asked. 

You gently nodded your head, careful not to disturb the aching that was already there. Cross handed you a bottle of painkillers and a bottle of water. You quickly downed them and then took a moment to look around the van. It was barren except for four metal bats rolling around in the back. You also saw a small bag that held first aid supplies. 

“Do you… have any food?” You asked cautiously. The baseball bats brought back your nerves a bit. Your head shot to Martin when you heard him let out a soft chuckle. Cross also looked like he was holding back a laugh. “Oh my god are you gonna eat me?!”

The three boys in the back burst out laughing. You caught a glimpse of Martin smirking in the mirror. 

“No!! Chill, boss, we’re not gonna eat you! We just don’t eat like you do. We’re kinda like vampires-” Vogel started.

“What??”

“Jesus christ, Vogel. Gripps, you take the wheel. The rest of you, go away I’ll explain to them.” Martin sighed as he pulled the van over. Gripps replaced him in the driver’s seat as Vogel and Cross squished together in the front seat. You pressed further into the wall as Martin crouched down in front of you. “Look, uh… What’s your name?”

“Y/n.”

“Y/n, we’re not like you. We’re part of a… project that brings together people who are different. And all these people have a part in the interconnectedness of all things. We are holistic vampires. We feed off of energy. It’s better for us to feed off of people who are in pain, or very stressed.”

“Yeah, that’s why we’re going to see Dirk!” Gripps cheered.

“Right. That little dude is just an anxiety generator. It's great. The reason you’re still in this van, Y/n, is because everything is connected. The person who hit you over the head? Her name is Bart. She’s a holistic assassin and for whatever reason, her senses told her to knock you out and leave you in the road for us to find. Which we did.” Martin finished explaining. 

“How did she know another car wouldn’t come run me over?” You questioned.

“She didn’t.”

“That’s reassuring.”

“Listen, Y/n,” he warned, “You’re gonna have to start calming down. Otherwise…” Martin leaned in to you and gently bit the tip of your ear. “You’re starting to smell really good,” he whispered in your ear. 

He pulled away from you as the van screeched to a halt and Gripps announced that we were here. Martin stood up and looked down at your bright red face. He smiled and extended a hand for you to grab. You refused to make eye contact as you grabbed his hand and hauled yourself up. The other three hopped into the back of the van to grab their bats, splitting apart you and Martin. 

“Woah, what happened, boss? You’re all red! Do you have a fever?” Vogel innocently pressed his hand to your head. 

You gingerly removed his hand from your head. “I’m fine, Vogel. Thanks, though.”

Cross flung open the back doors of the van and jumped out, followed by Gripps and Vogel. Martin leaned into the front of the van and pulled a crowbar out from under the passenger seat. He weighed it in his hands before offering it to you. 

“What’s this for?” You asked as you grabbed it.

“We’re about to have some fun, baby.”

[boneswriteswords]

Lost boys, poly or individual meeting their s/o?

A/N: Hi nonnie! Thank you for sending this ask in. I am majorly hyper-fixated on these chaotic bat bois and needed to write about them as soon as possible. I thank you for the indulgence.

I went the head-canon route with them being poly because I needed it. I can always do a head-canon version of them meeting their future S/O individually with no poly later on if that is something people want. 

This is unbeta-d because we die like men here. Read at your own risk.

~~~

Poly!Lost Boys meeting their Future S/O

~~~

- So it all started on the boardwalk. Obviously. These little bat bois rarely go farther than the boardwalk unless they are hunting so that is where they came across you.

- Well, it was actually Laddie that came across you. Or, if you wanted to get more technical, you came across him. The band playing that night ended up starting a vicious mosh pit that had security guards swarming left, right, and center and Laddie ended up getting separated from Star.

- You used to have the early morning shift at one of the shops on the boardwalk to make some extra money while your full-time job paid the bills but your manager had to fire two of your coworkers and gave you a temporary shift change so you got the really weird shift from late afternoon to early evening.

- You spotted the boy half-way through your shift and pulled him away from the increasingly rowdy groups outside. You tucked him behind the counter until you clocked out, making small talk. He was very shy but he opened up when you told him that you fancied some ice cream and would he like to join you?

- Star found you both an hour later. You were sitting on a bench with Laddie, eating ice cream, and listening to him tell you about how he once broke his leg climbing off the edge of a playground when he was small. She hugged him tight, apologized for losing him, and thanked you curtly, eyes flicking over you briefly before taking hold of Laddie’s hand.

- You didn’t think much of it. You said goodbye and parted ways, putting the evening out of your mind.

- But Laddie couldn’t stop raving about the nice lady with pretty eyes. When Star and the boys reconnected for the evening, he spoke - at length - about how you pulled him away to safety and that you really liked animals.

- This immediately caught the boys’ attention. Laddie rarely ever spoke, much less emoted - the abuse he suffered at the hands of those who were supposed to love him damaging his ability to outwardly express his feelings - and it was almost refreshing to hear him act so lively. 

- He also developed some sort of attachment to you, one that seemed to rival the one he had with Star. 

- After a couple of nights of listening to Laddie rave about you - Y/N, he said your name was -, David decided that they were going to meet you, if only to get the kid to quiet down. He wanted to know what was so great about you that brought this sad child back to life. 

- But finding you proved difficult. Laddie could only vaguely remember where he met you and Star only saw you at the bench. They only had the vague description of “she had really pretty eyes” from Laddie to go on because Star hadn’t taken note of much else. 

- On top of that, the boardwalk was often bustling with people and shrouded in lights and music. Finding any one person, even with their vampiric sense, was a task and a half. 

- After a week of following Laddie around, he spots you in the window of the shop you were working and darted between the many bodies on the boardwalk to greet you. You smile widely when you see the boy enter the shop but it drops the faintest bit when you realize he brought company.

- Yeah, you had pretty eyes alright but what Laddie neglected to mention to them was that the rest of you was pretty too.

- Almost too pretty. Unfairly pretty. 

- For the first time since becoming creatures of the night, they were intimidated. There was something about you that felt familiar, like coming home and taking a shower to wash the day away. They take in the way your clothes fall against your body. The way you styled your hair. The way your skin looks under the artificial light. The way your voice lilts and pulses.

- Your blood was singing to them, enchanting them to get closer and wrap themselves around you.  

- Paul has to take a step back and let the others in front of him, overwhelmed. 

- But they don’t let any of this deter them from their goal. David glides up to the counter like he owns it, Dwayne, Marko, and Paul flanking him. 

- There is no fear in your eyes, just curiosity and a little bit of suspicion and David is immediately taken by it. Your smile turns polite, eyes flicking down to look at Laddie, who - in true child form- was asking you a million and one questions.

- A week is like an eternity in kid years. He had a lot to say to you.

- Dwayne quite likes the way your eyes glitter, how obvious it is to tell that you are engaged and enjoying yourself. There is honesty in your gaze and he wants it on him, wants to wrap himself in it. 

- Your coworker for the evening comes out before you could put on your best customer service voice and ask them how you could help them, and tells them to leave, that their nonsense won’t be tolerated inside this store.

- “Oh come off it,” you interject when his tirade starts approaching the five minute mark, “They were probably dragged here by the little one. He’s my new buddy, aint that right Laddie?” Laddie nods profusely, “Yeah, Y/N gave me ice cream and talked to me and helped me find Star and we are friends!”

- “See? Now, how about you go back there and be sulky over how much better dressed they are than you and let me handle this? If they destroy the store, you can say “I told you so” all you want with only mild snark from me, yeah?”

- Marko is tempted to ask if you liked to big spoon then and there because this subby ass boi is a weak mess. 

- The two dirty blonde boys giggle and snort respectfully and the dark haired one cracks a small grin. There is something dark in their leaders eyes though and it sends a shiver up your spine. Your coworker grumbles but disappears in the back all the same.

- You turn back around to look at this rag-tag group of punks and, in that moment, you all know you will be seeing a lot more of each other.

~~~

End

~~~

[my-fanfic-library]

Something Different {BBC Dracula x Reader} [22]

Masterlist

~^*^~

“Drac!”

The gasp of his name filled the hallway, right after the sound of his hand slapping your ass. He chuckled, your pout only managing to be adorable to him.

“I couldn’t help it. My god, I never want to see you wear anything except leggings again.” He breathed.

“Typical male.” You rolled your eyes, hitching the strap of your gym bag higher up your shoulder.

You stalked towards the elevator, ignoring the hot gaze the vampire was currently giving you. Maybe inviting him to the gym was a very bad idea. Especially in the outfit he had decided to sport to “fit in”. A muted grey/green t-shirt, a little baggy, a little low cut on the neckline, exposing just a tease of his collarbones. The black joggers were an anomaly to his usual wardrobe choices.

“Instead of going to the gym, I propose we stay here and improvise.” You finally turned your head to send him a venomous look.

“You literally took months of reluctance to even fucking finger me and now you won’t even let me go to the gym because my leggings rile you up?” You feigned an angry tone, “stay here if that’s how you’re going to be.” You pressed the button, waiting for the elevator.

“I already told you, I can’t do what I want to you. Did our little session the other day ease any of your tension?”

You rolled your eyes, face flushing as you thought back to a few days ago. The doors opened and you strolled in, the tall vampire hot on your heels. You turned to face the doors, only to almost knock into his chest. His arms immediately wrapped around your waist and pulled you up to your tippy toes. You glared up at him as the door snapped shut.

“You didn’t answer my question.” His voice was a little gravelly, the sound of it making your heart skip a beat.

“I rolled my eyes. That’s an answer in my books.”

“Clearly I’m going to have to do something more... strenuous next time.” His lips came down on to your jawline, pressing tender kisses to your skin. You hummed.

Then, his fingers slipped a little lower, eventually making their way to your ass. He squeezed, making sure to get as much into his hands as he could.

“Stop!” You laughed, twisting away from him. His grip tightened.

“Why?” He whispered against your skin, “we are the only occupiers of the elevator, right now. Would it be so terrible?”

“Yes, seriously I’m about to go back upstairs and change.”

“Don’t,” he growled, squeezing harshly, causing your to gasp, your hands moved to snake around his neck, “even think about it.”

“I have no idea what’s made you so possessive all of a sudden, but you pack it in now, mister.” You playfully commanded.

Dracula’s lips continued on your neck, and he clearly had no intention of stopping even after the elevator had reached the bottom of the building and the doors opened.

~^*^~

The gym was an... experience. Upon leaving, you vowed to never let Dracula tag along again. No less than four times did he get into altercations with other men who had been ogling you (three out of the four being during your squat session), and he was adamant on just watching you which was off putting. When you had invited him along, you had hoped that he would actually partake in exercise.

Apparently you were too distracting.

Said the man who had sat on the bench press, practically drooling whilst you did your warming up lunges and stretches.

Yeah, he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere near the gym again if that was where you intended to go.

When you returned back to the apartment, you noticed a missed call on your phone. Your mother. Whilst you had been in contact with her, it was time for her annual summer party, in which all of her friends, and their friends, and her colleagues and their friends crowded your home for hours on end. It was so exhausting to have to socialise with so many people that you didn’t know or care about.

As you called her back, you regretted it almost instantly.

“[First]! Finally, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you!”

“Yeah, sorry, I was at the gym.”

“Look, you know that my party is next week, right? You’re going to come, aren’t you?”

“Erm, I don’t actually know...”

“Oh come on, [First], I haven’t seen you in so long! You have to come!”

“Well, I mean, I’ve not been in London long and-“

“Yes, apparently you’ve shacked up with some man!”

“Mother!” You shrieked. Clearly Dracula had heard, since he turned around to send you the most devilish grin. You batted him away, “that’s not true!”

“Well, Martha rang me up and told me she saw you out shopping with some man your father’s age! And then Daphne FaceTimed me and told me she’d seen you in a car on two occasions with the same man!”

“Oh my god!” You groaned, “stop listening to gossip about your own daughter from the fishwives!” You scolded.

“I’ll keep going if you don’t agree to come.” You could hear her playful smile.

“Alright! Fine, I’ll come.”

“And bring your mystery man - apparently he’s quite a looker-“ you hung up, not wanting to think about your own mother drooling over your boyfriend.

“Who was that lovely woman?” Dracula was very clearly trying to wind you up.

“Oh shut it.” You snapped, “you’re just smug because they think you’re attractive.”

“Well, I am.” He stated matter-of-factly.

“Oh!” You groaned, stomping away to get dressed.

The week dragged. Your mother was constantly ringing to harass you over the party. ‘Black tie but casual, [First]!’ ‘Don’t forget that Brenda’s son Mark is coming, I believe you’d suit each other quite nicely!’ ‘Have you decided what you’re going to wear?’ ‘Your entrance fee can be a platter of those nice little sandwiches you make!’

It was dizzying and to add insult to injury, your mother’s constant inquires on your “mystery man” was blowing up his ego quicker than you could say ‘bloodsucker’. Oh, if you had a stake you’d strike it right through his heart if it meant one moment of peace. You eventually told him about your mother’s plan to hook you up with this Mark (which had been ongoing since you were 16 and he was 18) which switched his mood a whole 180° extremely quickly. Now you had an impatient mother and a grumpy vampire.

Was god punishing you for your fornications with the man currently lying next to you, facing towards the wall instead of you?

Technically you hadn’t even had sex, so technically there was nothing to punish.

Or was it just because he was a vampire?

You scoffed in amusement at your thoughts.

“Thinking about Mark are you?” Dracula grumbled.

“Oh yes.” You jeered, “tall, handsome Mark and how I think I may have to take up my mother’s offer and see him to dinner. I wonder how far he’d go on the first date... it’s been a long time since I’ve had sex-“

Within a matter of seconds, you were pinned under the vampire, his dark pools swimming with all sorts of angst. His lips curled down into a scowl. You felt like you deserved a punch to the face. How you managed to dig yourself an even deeper hole was beyond you.

Well, Dracula found use for the belt that had been on the bedside table and you had learnt your second lesson on purposefully making him jealous. You were sure you were growing addicted to his fingers.

~^*^~

You swallowed, looking over yourself one last time in the mirror before you stepped out of the room. The black satin cami dress was formal, right? It came down to your knees, with a little bit of a peplum hem at the bottom. It was a little revealing, mostly on your chest, but you had accessoried to keep the attention on the gorgeous Whitby Jet wrapped around your neck concealing your bite. Yes, you looked fine.

Nerves would always eat you up before you attended these stupid parties.

Stepping out into the main room, you held your breath. Holy fuck. Dracula was leaning against the table, clearly bored of waiting for you. His hair was tousled back, a few strands falling forwards towards his forehead. A black shirt sat undone on the upper half of his chest, and over the top a black suit jacket rolled up past the elbows. You oggled his forearms and the image of the way they flexed as he pumped his fingers into you flashed through your head. Your eyes moved down to his legs, form fitting suit pants showcasing his thighs and you almost drooled. Running a hand through your hair, you coughed, grabbing his attention.

The moment his eyes fell on you, your heart quite literally stopped. His eyes... oh dear god. It was the way you’d begged god to make someone look at you. Just once. So much love, a sparkle of utter awe of you, glistening the truth of his affection. His lips quirked up into a smile. His eyes racked over your body, loving the way your dress fit you perfectly, hinting at your body but leaving the majority of it to the imagination. It was long enough to not be dignity-diminishing, but short enough to give attention to your legs.

“If I hadn’t made a promise to give you the best life, I would take you right here on this table,” he patted the marble, “and drink every ounce of nectar within your veins.”

“Keep talking like that and I will make you do it.” You smirked.

“I promised you I’d help you live,” he prowled towards you, unable to wait another moment to pull you into him, “and I believe you see our union differently to how I do.” He fornwed just a little and you pulled yourself into him, drowning him in your perfume and warmth.

“It’s just sex.” You retorted, looking up at him.

“Not with you it wouldn’t be.” He whispered, “and whatever coward made you think that it’s “just sex” would be advised to never come a step near to me.”

“Why, would you teach him your ideas on union?” You chuckled, your slightly dirty joke apparently going over his head.

“I’d fucking kill him for taking your body so intimately and convincing you that it meant nothing.”

You chuckled, pressing a sweet kiss to his neck. He hummed, feeling the soft fabric of your dress beneath his fingertips. He was so thankful that you had chosen him. Lucky was the understatement of the century.

~^*^~

Your mother continued to look out of the window every minute or so, anticipating your arrival. After most adamantly demanding that you bring the gentleman you had been living with, she was at a peaked curiosity. Was he truly so much older than you? And was he as handsome as her friends made out?

He turned out to be definitely rich, pulling up in a sparkling Jaguar. She almost squealed in anticipation - much like a teenager - and the tray of appetisers she had been holding flew up into the air.

Your father grumbled at the commotion and apologised to the men he had been speaking to. He explained that your mother was on edge, awaiting to see what her daughter was about to drag into the house.

The aura that swept the house when you and Dracula entered seemed to affect every guest present, and all eyes were suddenly on you.

“[First]!” She greeted lovingly, pretending she hadn’t been waiting for the last 45 minutes by th window.

“Hi mother,” you greeted, letting her pull you into a brief hug. Her eyes wandered past you and to the tall gentleman standing just at the step of the door, smiling sheepishly, “it’s alright, love. You can come in.”

Your wicked eyes sent him a mischevuous look. He frowned, knowing that you were internally laughing at him still not entering without an invitation. Would your parents mind so much if he spanked you in front of them?

“And, my, who is this... gentleman?” She breathed, clearly impressed by his face, but unimpressed at his presence with you.

“This is-“

“Count Dracula.” He cut your off, “it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mrs. [Last].” He smiled at her, taking her hand and briefly kissing her knuckles, “[First] has told me so much about what an amazing woman you are.” She couldn’t help but laugh airily at the compliment.

“Well, I’ve done my best for my daughter. Come on through, both of you. [First], your father is just by the kitchen.”

She rushed past you, pushing past people as quickly as she could to make her way back to the kitchen. That gossip! Your eyes filtered through the people until you found your father talking to a few people. Intertwining your fingers with Dracula’s, you began to pull him into the living room when you were stopped by a man you didn’t recognise.

“What an honour it is, Count Dracula! My name is Richard Johnson, I own Johnson and Moore, a law company under your own. I was wondering when I’d finally meet the famous Dracula.” You turned to look at Dracula, who was smiling a little shyly.

“Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you as well, however as you can see I’m with-“

“No, it’s okay!” You quickly interjected, “I better go say hello to my dad before he feels rejected. I’ll let you two businessmen talk.” You winked at the vampire before scampering off towards your father.

“What a beautiful little thing she is!” Richard eyed you as you left, “you’ve got to tell me how you got such a young one.” He laughed.

“Well, I could tell you,” Dracula began with a fake smile, “but I’d have to kill you afterwards.”

Neither of them realised that you had heard and you grinned at Dracula’s words.

Your arms snaked around your father’s waist as you rested your head on his shoulder. He continued his sentence to the two men he was engaged in conversation with. When he had finished, he took a sip from his drink and then manuvered his head to press a kiss to your forehead.

“Here she is, my little detective!” He laughed, wrapping an arm around your shoulders, “you wouldn’t believe this kid used to poop in our garden drain, would you?”

“Do you have to say that to everyone you introduce me to?” You rolled your eyes, but you were grinning.

“Baby, I’m going to bring it up at your wedding and tell all of my grandbabies.” The two men standing opposite from you laughed at his words.

“I’ve read some of your journals, [First], you’ve grown into a very intelligent and respectable young woman.” You pulled yourself from your father as he spoke to you, smiling shyly.

“Thank you, I’ve worked hard to be where I am today.”

“Yes, didn’t you spent quite some time in Yorkshire?” The other man began, “your father was telling us you were part of some coverup story within the Jonathan Harker Foundation.”

“Well, that’s simply not true. And even if it were, I couldn’t tell you, Pauly.” You grinned, clearly teasing him.

“Awe, come on, [First]! Don’t you remember when I used to dress up as Santa and bring you all those wonderful presents?”

“Well, I suppose I could tell you,” you began, “but I’d have to kill you afterwards.”

Your eyes moved across the other side of the room and locked with your favourite pair in the entire world. He was smirking right back at you. ‘Touche’ he mouthed at you. His eyes sparkled as they continuously washed over you. Wait... was he really eye fucking you in a room full of people?! Your father’s conversation ended quickly after that and he was quick to pull you into the corner to have a private word with you.

“You, young lady, are driving your mother up the wall with the gentleman you’ve been seeing, you know that don’t you?” He was unable to hold back his amusement.

“Of course I know that.” You laughed.

“Then go and talk to her!” He laughed. Clearly he was already growing drunk.

“Alrighty. Don’t drink too much, okay?” You patted his arm, side stepping to get ready to make your way to the kitchen.

“I can’t promise you anything, buttonnose.” He pressed a kiss to your cheek and sent you on your way to the kitchen.

Before you even made your way in, you could hear all of the wives whispering and giggling. Did they seriously not realise that they were not still school girls? You rolled your eyes and made your way in.

Your mother jumped at your intrusion and you were soon bombarded in compliments on how pretty you’d gotten, how tall you’d grown, congratulations on your work, and question upon question about Dracula and intimate details of your plans. Mostly marriage and children.

Two hours later and you found yourself by your mother’s side. Dracula had blended in well, making conversation with almost everyone that approached him. You had barely seen him, but your mother had been talking quite a bit to him. Standing washing your hands after eating a few greasy little bites, she came to your aide.

You were dreading whatever she had to say and prayed that this would be a short and sweet conversation. She was obsessed with you getting into a relationship and you had finally found someone that made you happy and she wasn’t satisfied.

“[First],” she began warily, “Dracula seems... nice...”

“He is.” You answered stoically.

“When did you meet him?”

“When I was working in Whitby last year.” You grasped a tea towel, beginning to dry your hands.

“Is he a detective like you?”

“First of all, I am not a detective - I’m a Supervisory Special Agent specialising in criminology. Secondly, he is not a detective and you would know from all of your eavesdropping that he is a businessman.”

“Don’t accuse your own mother of eavesdropping!” She scolded.

“Weren’t you?” You challenged.

“I just... I just think you’ve made a mistake, [First]. He’s your father’s age for crying out loud!” She hissed, clearly not wanting the other wives to hear such an embarrassing conversation.

Silly woman. He’s ten times your father’s age.

You scoffed at her words.

“What, so because he’s a little older than me I can’t be with him?”

“No, I’m not saying that I’m just-... is he your sugar daddy?!” She suddenly gasped.

“No mother!” You exclaimed.

“I had to ask, sorry.”

“What, did Brenda tell you that? Or maybe Daphne? When will you all grow up and stop gossiping over your own children?!” She went quiet.

“...Will you at least consider Mark...?”

You groaned, having to throw the tea towel down and leave the room. Your face was flushed with anger and when you looked back up, your jaw hit the ground.

“Jack?”

~^taglist^~

@vampiregirl1797 @avalanet @bunnyreese12 @nerdonpluto @teamceleries @grifffins @hitbythunder @winterseoul @mymagicsuitcase @angeli-fucking-cat @benedictethegoddess @bloodhon3yx @nifflersravenclaw @writteninthestars288 @labelladrama @frankcastlesgrunts @angelicdestieldemon @quakerlasss @aliisa-jones @wolverinexmenn @clairedragonessbaker @cryiner @mitsukatsu @piratewhore @your-pixels-are-showing @tardisnesss @ladydovahkiin180 @catwomom @god-of-dramatic-death-scenes @th3rah @viper-queen @mephdcosplay @greghouse7 @faeprinces @kokoro-no-yami @trishaferdream @therealmoni @crazytxgradstudent @sansthelonelypunster @crowley-needs-a-hug @girlonfireice @wasntpriscilla @ivanna6026

[floofiestboy]

Senyuu AU Masterpost

I asked if I should do this on Twitter but Twitter is trash for big posts like this so I’m posting it on Tumblr. 

I’m calling this an AU masterpost but I’m including canon alternate versions of characters too. I’m writing this assuming you don’t know anything past S4, but it will contain spoilers for F5 and the Haruhara Robinson Channel content.

Since the majority of these AUs are entirely fan-based with only the slightest bit of official content, I’ll also discuss common fanwork concepts, including things like special ship names for particular AUs.

Table of Contents

Common AUs

Web

SQ

High School

Magical Girl Alfo-chan

Visual kei

2P

Less Common AUs

High School Detectives/Police

Himura + Yami

Rosicks + Hialba

Sheepba

Wild West

Obscure AUs/Outfit Changes

Feral Ros + Adventurer Alba

Formal Wear

Karaoke

Kindergarten

Saeki-san

Scientist Ros

University

Urashima Tarou

Vampire Ros

Wedding

Canon-Adjacent AUs/Canon Alternate Characters

Albatross 

Boss + Sleepiez

Creasion + Maoruba

Elf’s Universe (”0verse”)

Meta Ros

This got super-long so I highly suggest using CTRL/CMD+F to jump to just the ones you’re interested in!

Common AUs

All the AUs in this category are universes you see everywhere in fan content, regardless of how much official content there is for it. 

Web

Alright, this isn't an "AU", but including it for completion's sake. This is the main canon, the original Alba and Ros from the original webcomic. The anime and the Main Quest manga can be considered to be equivalent to the web-verse.

Official Japanese | English Scanlations 

SQ

(Image from Jump SQ’s website.)

SQ is an “official” Senyuu AU - it’s basically Senyuu if Alba and Ros kept their Season 1 dynamic forever and nothing really bad ever happened. Haruhara has said a number of times that an important thing about SQ is that everything sad has gone poof, which is why he decides against giving a sad dramatic reason why Ros’ name went from Sion to Ros in SQ-verse. Other notable changes in SQ include Januar being human, Elf being a demon, and Foyfoy being cute and shy.

Senyuu SQ originally ran in the Jump SQ magazine for thirty chapters (Official Japanese | English Scanlations), named as such because of the magazine it ran in. More recently, Haruhara began releasing SQ Senyuu! on his channel, where the SQ stands for Super Quality and definitely not anything copyrighted (Official Japanese | English Scanlations.) The chapters released on his channel were sometimes in draft form, so he additionally inked some and released it in doujinshi form (Official Japanese | English Scanlations), along with a doujinshi-exclusive chapter.

Senyuu SQ Alba (seen above) looks identical to Web S1 Alba. SQ Senyuu! Alba (seen below) looks like Web S2 Alba but short and without the Red Fox scarf. SQ Ros doesn’t change appearances between Senyuu SQ and SQ Senyuu! He has the Web S1 Ros hairstyle, but lacks his armour and sword - his bat is his most defining feature.

High School

There’s actually two different high school AUs:

SQ Academy: There’s three omake chapters in SQ Senyuu where everyone is in high school - see here and here, in volumes 1 and 2 respectively. In the SQ High School AU, Ros, Alba, Hime-chan, Foyfoy, Januar, and Rudolf are students, while Rchi is a teacher. Alba is the president of an unnamed club with Ros as a club member. 

(Image from Haruhara’s twitter.)

Soccer Club Drama CD: This drama CD was released with one of the MQ volumes. You can only buy the original Japanese on auction sites now, but you can listen to the audio and read a translated transcript here! This AU features only Ros, Alba, and Crea, who are all part of the same soccer club. Alba is the club president.

In both AUs, Ros calls Alba “Prez”. The canon content for both AUs is rather sparse, so the Prez thing is usually the only thing that’s retained in most fanworks. Reincarnation stories are pretty popular in fanworks, but there’s no hints or implications in either official High School AU that it’s connected to SQ or Web canons. Usually people use the Drama CD designs (probably because they don’t want to draw Ros with S1 hair.) Sometimes they use the SQ Academy designs at the start, then change to the Drama CD designs in second-year or something.

There’s also the Senyuu Light Music Club from one of the web omakes, which features Crea and Elf. I haven’t seen any works incorporate it though.

Japanese terminology glossary

High School AU: 学パロ - Gakuparo

Prez:  部長 - Buchou

---

Magical Girl Alfo-chan

This is the mahou shoujo parody of Senyuu, featuring Alba as a girl - Alfo-chan - and Ros as a cat - Roll.

(Image no longer available online.)

Roll is usually made into a cute catboy that can transform into a cat, because I mean, why wouldn’t you. And also presumably people want a Roll they can ship with Alfo-chan. For some reason there’s also a lot of works that ship Alfo-chan with Creasion, though I’m not sure where it came from.

The “official title” of this parody is actually Magical Princess Alfo-chan, not Magic Girl Alfo-chan, and most fanworks on pixiv are found under this name.

Japanese terminology glossary

Magical Princess Alfo-chan: マジカルプルンセスアルフォちゃん

Alfo: アルフォちゃん

Roll: ロール

Alfo/Creasion: アシルフォ - Ashirufo

Alfo/Roll: ロルアル - Roruaru

---

Visual kei 

Visual kei is a music genre - you can read about it here. This AU started because Haruhara drew a pic of Alba and Ros in visual-kei-like outfits, and then it all spiraled from there. There’s three images that fuel this entire AU:

(Image from Haruhara’s twitter. Note that you can find a higher quality scan of this art if you download this artbook scan here.)

(Image from Haruhara’s twitter.)

(Image no longer available online.)

The Alba and Ros in the first image were dubbed Visual-ba and Visual-ros, the Ros in the second image “Roppongi” (because his t-shirt says “Roppongi Hills”, and the Alba in the last image “Kuroba” (because Kuro means black and he’s black-haired.) Why were the bottom two images lumped in with the first? That’s a mystery that may never be solved.

There’s two common variations of the AU in fanworks. 

The first is where Kuroba + Visual-ba and Roppongi + Visual-ros are two pairs of brothers, and typically the pairings go Kuroba/Visual-ros and Roppongi/Visual-ba. In this variation, Visual-ba basically always gets to be Alba, while Roppongi and Visual-ros often take the names Ros and Sion respectively. 

The second common variation is where Kuroba and Roppongi are just the civilian identities of Visual-ba and Visual-ros, which doesn’t have a pithy shipname in Japanese.

With regards to their visual kei identities, I’ve also usually seen two main variations - either Alba and Ros are currently in a singing group together, or Ros used to be a famous singer and Alba is currently trying to get famous under his tutelage. 

Haruhara has also recently posted a glow-up pic of Visual-ba, bringing the grand total of official art in this AU to... four.

Japanese terminology glossary

Visual kei: ビジュアル系 - vijyuaru kei  (Note that while technically ヴィジュアル is the correct term in Japanese, in the Senyuu fandom, ビジュアル is used for everything, probably because it’s easier to type and say.)

Visual-ba: ビジュアル - bijyuaru

Visual-ros: ビジュロス - bijyurosu

Roppongi: 六本木 

Kuroba: 黒髪アルバ - Kurokami Alba (lit. Black-Haired Alba) --> クロバ

Kuroba/Visual-ros: ジュロ黒 - jyurokuro or 黒ジュロ - kurojyuro

Roppongi/Visual-ba: 六ビジュ - rokubijyu or ビジュ六 - bijyuroku

Visual-ros/Visual-ba:  ビジュロスアル - bijyurosuaru, 派生ロスアル - haseirosuaru

---

2P

“2P” is used in many fandoms to refer to alternate character designs that are often associated with different personalities as well. In Senyuu, the official 2P designs are all alternate colourings:

(Image from Haruhara’s pixiv.)

(Image from one of Haruhara’s artbooks which doesn’t seem to have an online scan, sorry for the bad quality.)

Likely because the bottom two are only available in an artbook, I haven’t seen many fanworks with them. 2P AUs tend to be only 2P Alba and Ros, with some occasional 2P Rchimedes or 2P Crea (who’s typically drawn as 2P Rchimedes with short hair.) 2P Ros is usually drawn with blue eyes, presumably to match with his red Mana Maker. 2P Rchi is also common enough - she tends to be drawn with a blue and black scheme, to contrast with her canon pink and white scheme (example). 

2P Alba and Ros have varying personalities in fanworks, but the one consistency seems to be that their personalities are nothing like canon. 2P Ros tends to be the silent serious type or a yandere. 2P Alba tends to be an innocent happy boy or a yandere. You may be seeing a pattern here.

Note also that 2P Ros is usually referred to as 2P Creasion, for obvious reasons.

Japanese terminology glossary

2P Alba/2P Ros: 2Pアシアル - 2P ashiaru or 2Pアルアシ - 2P aruashi. Both are sometimes shortened by removing the “2P”.

Less Common AUs

These AUs aren’t seen quite as much as the juggernauts above, but you’ve probably still seen them around occasionally.

High School Detectives/Police

There’s a few different detective-related fanworks floating out there, based on one of the three official chapters: Detective Ros in Senyuu SQ, Senyuu Police from the webcomic, and High School Detective Teufel in Main Quest Vol. 6, which hasn’t been scanlated yet (runs):

I haven’t seen too much art of High School Detective Teufel, but I’ve seen a couple fics and art out there for both Senyuu Police and Detective Ros, mostly Senyuu Police.

Himura + Yami

(Image from Haruhara’s Skeb.)

This isn’t really a Senyuu AU, but it shows up enough to include it here. Himura and Yami are two characters that Haruhara drew - you can see this original picture of them on page 12 of the artbook here. Himura is the redhead - at first, he meant to draw Alba, but he decided in the end it wasn’t Alba anymore and renamed the file to “Himura,psd.” Yami is just a fan-name - he’s only referred to as “the boy that shouldn’t be seen” in the artbook. Himura and Yami eventually appear in Gakumon! with the names Rahimu and Damia respectively.

Senyuu fanworks that include them usually have Himura being an Alba that fell into despair after Ros’ disappearance, while Yami is a physical manifestation of his despair.

Japanese terminology glossary

Himura-kun: 火村くん

Himura-kun/Yami: やみひむ

---

Rosicks + Hialba

This is yet another AU that was born from a mere two pieces of official art:

(Image from Haruhara’s twitter.)

(Image from Haruhara Robinson channel.)

The first picture is entitled “Soldier Rosicks” - Haruhara posted it saying it was a Ros beta design. The second picture is an scrapped Alba design for web season 2. Hialba was originally revealed on the NicoNico channel Hiaruron that Haruhara shares with a couple other artists, and so he got the name “Hiaruba” --> Hialba from the channel name.

Fanworks typically have Hialba as dead inside and sad because of Ros’ disappearance, and Rosicks as a gruff irritable guy who isn’t Ros and doesn’t like being compared to him. Cue angst because Hialba sees Rosicks as just Ros, etc.

Japanese terminology glossary

Hialba: ひあるば

Rosicks/Hialba: ロシひあ - Roshihia

---

Sheepba

Sheepba originates from a New Year’s illustration Haruhara made for the year of the sheep:

(Image from Haruhara’s pixiv.)

While Haruhara has done this for multiple years - there’s illustrations of Alba as a dog, a rat, etc. - Sheepba in particular became particularly popular. Why? Is it the floofy body? The innocent expression? Nay. I say there’s but one reason for Sheepba’s popularity in comparison to other Chinese Zodiac/Alba hybrids-

Haruhara has produced a crapton of Sheepba merch over the years.

I believe he’s made coloured sheep versions of other characters too for merch, but I unfortunately wasn’t able to find any of them. I was, however, able to find outlined drawings of them:

(Image from Haruhara’s twitter.)

Enjoy this flock of Senyuu sheep. And be prepared to see some uh... questionable things if you choose to browse the ひつじるば - Hitsujiba tag.

Wild West

This AU comes from the Wild West parody in this chapter. The fanworks I’ve seen tend to have Ros be some dangerous outlaw with a huge bounty.

Obscure AUs/Outfit Changes

These AUs tend to be only used as outfit changes, or aren’t seen often at all.

Feral Ros + Adventurer Alba

Basically a Tarzan AU. Based on this Haruhara Channel comic: Official Japanese | English Scanlation.

Formal Wear

You may sometimes see Alba and Ros wearing suits. There’s two pieces of art this originates from:

(Image from Haruahara’s twitter.)

(Image from Haruhara’s twitter.)

There’s also a corresponding Ros-in-suit-with-striped-shirt photo that you can see in the artbook here.

Karaoke

You may have seen characters dressed up as what seemed like waiter outfits. That may have come from the Senyuu Karaoke collaboration that happened around when the anime aired:

(Image from collaboration website.)

Kindergarten

This comes from the recent Haruhara Robinson channel comics - Senyuu Kindergarten Story #1 and Story #2.

It features Alba and Rchi as kindergarten teachers to the rest of the Senyuu cast.

Saeki-san

Haruhara was the writer for a manga called Dignified Asleep Saeki-san (Official Japanese | English Scanlations), which was a romcom that featured a girl called Saeki determined to sleep in class, and a boy called Tokimiya who sits next to her. 

When the manga began serialization, Haruhara drew a parody sketch of the manga where Ros is Tokimiya and Alba is Saeki.

(Image from Haruhara’s twitter.)

Scientist Ros

You may have seen art of Ros wearing the glasses + lab coat combo from when he made the Mana Maker in season 3:

Or from when Alba had his... questionable body measurement exam in Senyuu+:

Or when they both wore glasses in the Haruhara Robinson Channel doujinshi Crea-kun Has Cheerfully Fallen to the Dark Side:

University

A while back, Haruhara drew a picture of Alba and Ros in the winter wearing coats:

(Image from Haruhara’s pixiv.)

A little more recently, he was commission to redraw the image:

(Image from Haruhara’s pixiv.)

Fanworks that use Alba and Ros in these outfits often treat them as university AUs (and usually have them on a date.)

Urashima Tarou

Urashima Tarou is an old Japanese fairytale which Haruhara used as the setting for one of his omake segments. If you’ve seen turtle Alba:

Or Ros in old-timey fishing clothes:

That’s where it’s from.

Vampire Ros

The typical Vampire Ros design comes from an SQ chapter where Alba and Ros disguise themselves as demons after chasing Elf into the demon world.

Alba is usually either a werewolf (presumably because werewolves and vampires are a common pair) or some hapless human that Ros sucks blood from. 

Wedding

(Image from Haruhara’s twitter.)

Haruhara drew this when he was getting married(?) because it apparently felt less embarrassing to draw his protagonist getting married than to draw him and his wife. 

Fans promptly used the outfit to marry Alba off to Ros, likely galvanized by the Mana Maker + Hero Symbol combo on Alba’s head.

Canon Adjacent AUs/Canon Alternate Characters

Moved to an overflow post here because this one got big enough that Tumblr stopped saving my post.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt.33 pt.1

Lance was still a bat come the following morning. When Keith had finally had to get up to make himself something to eat, Lance decided he needed to go with, the bat scaling up his back to sit himself on Keith’s shoulder. When Keith had gone back to bed, Lance had climbed up his shirt and settled himself next to Keith’s chest. The following morning went much the same, though Lance had had a bath in the bathroom basin while Keith tried not be embarrassed as he showered. Blue wasn’t keen on her master being a bat. When Keith had started making his morning coffee, the feline had stretched herself up so she could swat at Lance from the kitchen counter. Lance protesting profusely over the treatment which Keith didn’t stop until Blue smacked Lance on the head as she hissed.

Juggling his two “problem children”, Keith wasn’t prepared for the doorbell to ring so early... not that he was prepared for it to ring, but someone coming around before he’d even had his first cup of coffee was something someone cruel and viscous. Squeaking at him, Keith lifted Lance to his other shoulder, as the doorbell rang again

“Yeah, I fucking heard them the first time. How mad will you be if I throw you at them?”

Lance didn’t seem amused, not that Keith was joking. He wasn’t in the mood for people who had no respect for others and their clear lack of need to interrupt him before his coffee. Waiting for the last drops to drip from the machine, Keith cradled the precious cup as he made his way to the door, nearly yelling to “fuck off” when the person on the other side rang a third time.

Opening the door, Keith nearly dropped his coffee in shock. The man in front of him he’d known, until he dropped off the surface of the damn planet by being reassigned suddenly

“I believe you’re expecting me. It’s nice to see you again, Keith. And this must be Lance... Coran should have mentioned I was coming?”

Keith kept gaping at Curtis. The man had been Shiro’s charge for a short time, what felt like a lifetime ago

“Keith?”

“I thought you’d been reassigned. Hell. I thought you were dead”

Curtis laughed, brushing his fringe back to reveal a nub protruding from his head

“Had to transfer after a run in with a nasty little curse. You know what those werewolves were like. Curses might as well be the damn plague. Are you going to invite me in?”

Lance squeaked at him, Curtis smiling as he nodded

“I have no idea what you’re telling me, but I assume it’s “hello”. Don’t mind me. I’m a little cursed, but mostly human on the outside”

Keith had never heard of anyone being actually cursed. It was like those “friend of a friend” kind of stories back in the Blades. James didn’t need a reason to be a dick, but a curse would have made it pretty hard for him to keep working on the front lines

“Does Shiro know...?”

“That I’m alive? Cursed? Or that I’d transferred here? He knows I’m alive, but you know how the Blades can be when they want a secret kept”

“Fuck... you’d better come in... What’s in the case?”

Curtis wiped his feet on the doormat before slipping inside past Keith, who still hadn’t moved

“Oh, just some things Coran thought might help. Now, how long has Lance been a bat?”

“Nearly a day”

Curtis whistled

“That’s rather impressive”

“His record is three days”

“Oh... I hope that’s not the case this time. Why don’t we head back to the kitchen? You look like you need that coffee. From what I remember you could barely function without your daily caffeine dose”

“Which you interrupted. Who rings a doorbell three times?”

“It’s not my fault you’ve gotten lazy. Lance, I hope he isn’t a terrible house guest”

Lance decided to be a pest by climbing down along the hem line of Keith’s shirt. The bat miscalculating and ending up with his butt in Keith’s face as his squeaks directed at the floor as he flapped his wings. Keith had no idea how to interrupt that. Lifting Lance off his shirt, the bat started flapping his wings as he squeaked at Curtis

“You’re a spirited one, aren’t you little fella?”

That only severed to make Lance squeak more

“Lance, stop moving. You’re being too loud”

At this rate Keith was going to drop his coffee, which might bring actual tears to he hunter’s eyes. All he wanted was his morning coffee in peace... now it seemed they had an extra houseguest...

Curtis placed his briefcase down on the kitchen table, smiling as he looked around the space

“I like it. It’s all very homely. You must be enjoying your time off?”

“It hasn’t been terrible”

Taking his seat, Keith moved Lance to the kitchen table where he immediately started “protesting”. Laying his left hand on the table, Lance wobbled his way over, before chomping down on Keith’s thumb

“What did I do?”

Lance licked at the spot he’d bitten, then looked up at Keith

“You’re hungry. Are you trying to tell me you want blood?”

Lance continued to stare up at him

“You want me to get you a blood bag? Cant you just bite my thumb? You don’t need a full bag”

Lance squeaked loudly, Keith not about to be bullied. Raising his coffee cup, he finally got his first mouthful of his beloved caffeine

“Perhaps I can help? Where’s his blood stock? The fridge?”

Lance wouldn’t want a stranger in his office. Keith regretfully placing down his coffee cup

“It’s in his office, so I’ll go . He doesn’t like people going in there due to client confidentiality”

“Ah, family court I believe. Given your own experiences with the system, I can see how going in there may make up uncomfortable...”

The Curtis Keith remembered wouldn’t say things like that. He had no right at all

“... though, I suppose knowing Krolia has eased some of that pain. Coran mentioned she’d enquired as to why you hadn’t returned from you last mission”

“That’s enough. She made it clear that my life isn’t her business. Lance doesn’t need to hear about this”

Curtis looked uncomfortable

“Sorry. With the curse, one of the stipulations was truth telling. That’s why I was asked to transfer to the technical side of things. It’s hard to maintain cover without a cover story”

Keith groaned. He didn’t need this. He didn’t need Curtis telling Lance too much. Lance would want to know about Krolia and then about him, and how his dad died and how he was a legacy and this was all too much for a man who hadn’t had his coffee

“Maybe you can tell Lance about what’s in the briefcase while I’m gone. Lance, Curtis is a friend of Shiro’s from work. Try not to bite him while I’m out the room”

Lance looked sad about being left behind. Grabbing the already open blood bag from Lance’s person stash, Keith wondered if keeping blood in the fridge might not be more convenient, though he supposed Lance was all about being human and having your own blood bank in your kitchen wasn’t exactly a normal human vibe. Returning to the kitchen, he found Lance very much not looking at the range of sex toys across the dinner table. Curtis had shown up like some Tupperware salesman, only with a different kind of plastic casing

“What is that?”

“Well, Coran said Lance may be feeling certain urges sexually. He sent me to pick an array of toys, which I was explaining to Lance”

Keith nearly groaned again. He’d brought this upon himself, and now a great big pink dong was sitting next to his cup of coffee

“I think maybe Lance isn’t comfortable with this. Is there anything else in there that might help with the situation?”

“I do have lube and condoms, if you’re interested”

Lance let out a miserable squeak, Keith with him on that one. No one had told him that he’d have to deal with damn dildo display. Why did everyone they know have to be so weird?

“Let’s just pack that up for now... Lance can work these things out later in private”

“Oh! Right! Sorry, my mistake. I was under the impression you two were a partnership”

“We’re friends. Just friends. I’ve been taking care of him where I can, seeing it’s my fault his body started to change”

“Yes. I’ve been informed of your quintessence connection”

“Not this shit again. Lance, bag or saucer?”

Lance squeaked at him, Keith being nice and fetching Lance a saucer. Sitting himself down, he could only shake his head mentally at how routine blood bags had become. No longer disgusted over the fact Lance had to drink from a bag, Keith untwisted the cap, pouring out what he hoped was enough for Lance, while not being enough to cause a mess. Climbing over the saucer, Lance had no balance or grace as he got himself settled to lap at the blood

“He doesn’t feed from you?”

“Nope. He’s his own vampire. He prefers bags to fresh, and that’s fine”

“Coran had mentioned he’d hoped you would try feeding him?”

“Lance didn’t want my blood when I offered. You and Coran seem pretty fixed on this quintessence thing”

“It is the spark of life. I believe in human terms, your closeness would be called soulmates”

Keith choked on air, Lance face planted into his blood. Retrieving the bat out of the blood, they both glared at Curtis

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Lance squeaked, like he was agreeing with what Keith said

“It means your compatible one a base level. Soulmates don’t need to be romantic, some may even be siblings, it means you’re very close and naturally drawn together. Most friendships revolve around a closeness in quintessence”

“You could have just said we’re friends. Nothing romantic here. Lance is having a hard enough time as it is”

“I misspoke. I apologise. Sorry, I’m still learning how to talk around the curse”

Keith huffed, before taking a breath and trying to channel how Lance would approach this. Lance would be all calm and sympathetic, while counting down the seconds until Curtis left. The damn vampire has sass coming out of his arse

“Alright. Is there anything you can do about the curse?”

“Not at the moment. Coran is hopeful up it’ll fade with time. We’ve been having issues with a nasty coven, who left me like this for meddling. They had hoped to channel a berserker into one of their wolves. Instead, I was forced to prove my loyalty and this is the result. Half a horn, half a tail, and foot odour”

“I didn’t think magic like that was real”

“Yes and no... Coran and Allura prove that, though there aren’t many actual spell casters left. For the most part bloodlines have become too diluted, or people are relying on popular culture for law. How can you not believe when Lance is a bat in front of your eyes”

Stupid logical points. But Lance wasn’t human, so the normal laws didn’t apply

“They don’t teach us about that”

“There’s a lot the Blades of Marmora fail to teach hunters. Now drink your coffee, I have the feeling you’ll find it quite cold. With Lance eating, I’m finding myself quite peckish. Have you two been shopping lately? I expect housing two wolves and Shiro will put a major dent in any foot supplies you have”

“I thought he was only bringing Matt back?”

“Shiro secured both Matt and his girlfriend from the order with transfers for you both. I expect he will tell you when he returns here on Thursday”

“Wait. You’ve talked to him?

“This very morning. Now, don’t tell me where anything is, I want to figure it out by my self”

For the second time that month, Lance’s toaster went up in flames. Squeaking up a storm, Lance changed back to his human form on the kitchen table right in front of Keith. Copping an eyeful of a naked Lance, Keith blushed hard. Lance had nice proportions... very nice proportions that Keith stared very openly at. Lance’s butt jiggling as he slid off the kitchen table and fled the room trailing that scent behind him, starting to swear about the loss of his new toaster as he did. Casting a glare at Curtis, Curtis shrugged, not even offering an apology as the toaster smouldered in the sink

“Stay here. I’ll check on him”

Walking slowly up the stairs, to give Lance time to dress, Keith knocked on the wall beside Lance’s open bedroom door. Out of all the places in the house, it felt the one place he was never supposed to be in, and he was fine with that for the most part. Lance gave him privacy when he was in his room, the least Keith could do was the same

“Lance?”

Lance was sitting on the edge of his bed with his face in his hands, he’d gotten as far as putting pants on before giving up

“Want to talk about it?”

Lance raised his head to look at him, the vampire looking a messy jumble of emotions

“Not really”

Keith snorted, forcing himself to invite himself into Lance’s space in a way he hoped seemed casual. Sitting down beside Lance, the hunter nudged Lance’s knee with his own

“I’m sorry about Curtis. He’s not a bad guy. Well, he didn’t used to be before this curse thing”

“You know him well?”

“Shiro trained him for a bit after Adam died”

“I gathered that... God. Why is when I think things might look up, something else happens?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know how deal with you being unhappy”

“I’m not unhappy... well, I am, but, I’m mostly confused”

Keith snorted, bumping Lance with his shoulder

“Try being me”

“No thanks. Being me is hard enough. I’m sorry I turned into a bat again”

“It’s fine. You can’t help it, plus, you’re much nicer as a bat. You’re all cuddly”

“Don’t remind me. I came to ask if you’d watch over my body, then turned into a bat all over again”

“Again?”

“Turned in the kitchen. It was only a minute or so, but... I don’t want to be a bat. I’m sick of feeling so out of control. I spent years living the same way, only for this... and I don’t know how to get back into the same routine”

“Maybe Curtis can help us figure out how to control it? Was there anything you remember that set it off?”

With a long groan, Lance flopped back on his bed

“Nope. I’m scared that I’m going to randomly turn into a bat in front of Hunk and Pidge, plus Blue wasn’t that fond of me not in human form”

“I don’t think she’s fond of anyone really. She rules the house and we just live here”

“She’s perfect. And she’s got you trained. God... I’m so frustrated over being so scared. I’ve always been afraid of myself, but I was alone then. Now I’ve got you and Curtis to think about, and apparently Shiro, and two mangy mutts... I’ve got the spare rooms, but... why is my house getting so full?”

“It won’t be forever. Apparently Shiro decided we’re moving. He didn’t even ask me”

Keith was pissed. Sure, if Shiro was transferring then he probably would too, but to just move them both without telling him was too much. Lance patted the spot beside him, Keith taking the invitation to lay back like the vampire was. Turning their heads, they laid there looking at each other. Keith taking a good look at Lance’s features for any kind of clue what to do next

“You can talk to me. You’ve done a lot to support me, and the least I can do is listen to you”

“Because I’m known for my great conversation skills”

Lance smiled at the retort, Keith’s heart giving a funny beat as he did

“You’re no where near as bad as you were. You’ve finally accepted not being turned, and that I’m out to poison you, or kill you. I know things are complicated with Shiro, but I’m not asking you tell me everything, or anything if you don’t want to. What you tell me I’m in no position to judge, and what I learn, I’ll keep to myself until you’re ready to tell me in your own words. I want to be able to do something for you, support you, even if it’s in just some small way”

“You provide the coffee and you know not to disturb me until I’ve got some form of caffeine in my veins. Seeing we’re living together, maybe we can work on your schedule? You said everything was complicated”

“It is. I’m so used to being alone, you know?”

Keith nodded, because fuck if he didn’t know what it was like to be independent, only relying on himself and cautious of the whole world around him

“What did you used to do? Before Shiro and I turned up?”

Lance stretched his arms above his head, before lifting his head and crossing them to use as a pillow

“One bag of blood a day, across three meals. A glass or two of wine before bed. Work, mostly. I used to reach out to people seeking advice and try to help them out the best I could without all the ridiculous fees. Hang out with Pidge and Hunk, visit Mami on the weekends... online shop for things for Blue... I might have spoiled her too much”

Keith wasn’t in a position to say anything about how Lance had lived his life, but it was clear he was happier then than he was now

“You can’t change that you need more blood now. Maybe we can make mornings your time? Where you work and catch up on what you need to? You won’t have to be stuck with me as much when Shiro returns”

“I suppose... but... I’ve thought about it. I think I should take a break from work. I don’t want to be a video call, then suddenly I’m a bat...”

“We can work on that too”

“This is too much about me as it is. I mean, what are you going to do?”

“I can train...”

“There’s more to life than training”

“It helps... Shiro says I have anger issues”

Lance chuckled, still smiling the same damn smile that made Keith’s defective heart go weird

“I never would have guessed. I suppose we need to get up. I can’t believe Curtis killed my toaster”

“I don’t think we should leave him alone in the kitchen”

“Probably a fair call... I don’t want to go back in there”

“If it’s about what he brought with him, I’m not judging. What you do is up to you”

“You don’t want to hear me masturbate? I’m shocked, absolutely shocked”

Keith snorted. Right now he wanted to lean over kiss Lance’s troubles away. It’d be far too easy... Covering his awkwardness over wanting to kiss Lance, Keith joked

“I mean, if you want me to...”

“Nope. Fuck. I’m 44 and the most I’ve done is kissing... I don’t know how I feel about more”

“I haven’t had sex either. You’re not the only one who wished they could unsee all those dongs”

“Did you see how big that pink one was? My butt was totally clenching”

“I don’t want to think about it. I didn’t know what to say, then Curtis started talking about soulmates... I didn’t think magic “magic” was a real thing”

“I did try to tell him we were just friends...”

“It’s a bit hard to translate when I don’t speak bat”

“Try thinking you’re speaking, only to remember what you’re saying isn’t even human...”

“You did seem to have a lot to say”

“Of course I did. My house is being invaded. I was thinking maybe you and Shiro could take the spare room up here? Werewolves tend to be sexual creatures, that don’t think of others... No offence to Matt, but I really hate werewolves”

Keith wrinkled his nose

“I don’t want to hear Matt banging it out. It was bad enough when Adam and Shiro would forget to close the door”

Lance cringed

“Great. Now I’m going to be thinking about that for, like, ever”

“It was just as bad the next morning when one of them would be limping around, trying act smooth about it”

“Ewww... that’s festy. Ugh... Do you think Curtis would notice if we ran away?”

Keith’s heart was still being arsehole, his heart rate picking up at the thought of running away with Lance. They’d be hunted down if he ever thought of skipping out on the Blades

“Your bedroom’s on the second floor”

“Shit”

“Pretty much. Besides, Curtis really wasn’t that bad. He can’t help being cursed”

“He doesn’t feel like a normal human... I mean, I don’t know, he kind of feels like when there’s death close”

“Like a ghost?”

“Maybe, but not quite... I guess it’s the same though. I don’t see like ghosts, and whatever’s going on with him it’s there and it’s not at the same time”

“You’ve got really weird superpowers, you know that right?”

“I’m more like a “superzero”, than a superhero”

The only people allowed to pick on Lance was his friends, not himself

“What’s it you’re always saying? Something about “you’re fine the way you are”?”

“Ugh. Don’t start quoting me back at me, I’m old and lame as it is”

“Yep. Super lame. So laaaaaame that the 70’s called and want their idiot back”

“Sick burn, you better call the wambulance before I start crying”

Keith snorted, before rolling on his side. The position kind of awkward seeing his legs were off the end of the bed

“You’re going to need an ambulance after I fight you next”

“Puh-lease. You haven’t kicked my arse once since you moved in”

“I will, one day”

“I look forward to seeing that. Right. We’re doing it this. We’re really getting up and going to talk to Curtis”

Neither of them moved, Keith the first to break. Rolling on his stomach, the hunter climbed off the bed backwards, quick to extend his hands towards Lance, eyes on the thin line of hair disappearing beneath the man’s jeans

“If you keep looking at me like that, I might be forced to believe we’re soul mates”

“Dream on. You heard Curtis, platonic and stuff...”

“Right. Yeah. I suppose. As if anyone could have a Hollywood love story with you. You’d awkward them into mumbling through the date then skipping out mid movie”

Lance’s words stung. He knew he wasn’t the greatest looking person, with the greatest personality, but he thought he and Lance were teetering on the edge of maybe something... now Lance was shoving him away and it fed on those parts of his abandonment issues. Biting the insides of his cheek, he pulled Lance to his feet, Lance sighing as he looked him in the eye

“It was a joke, dude. I’m sure you’ll find someone out there who’ll make you happy. You’ll have a whole broody little Keefy babies with scowls and mullets, and a good life being a dad. Whoever you love will be a lucky person”

“I don’t know how to be a dad. My dad died when I was around 8. He left for work and died in a house fire”

It slipped out. Keith couldn’t picturing putting his future children through the loss of him so had pushed it aside. He didn’t mind kissing girls, but had preferred men since his hormones started deciding they were a thing. Keith was sure he’d mentioned his dad before, but he couldn’t quite remember what he’d said

“I’m sorry to hear that man. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me”

“It’s not like you’re going to run around yelling from the rooftops that I was in the system. We talked about this before”

“Yeah, but talking about it is always a big step. I told you, I want to know about you. If we’re soulmate friends, I feel like we’re gonna be in each other’s lives whether we like it or not”

Keith nodded

“Especially with my douche brother transferring us...”

“Hey, if you get a house here, you’ll officially be a Garrison local”

“Ugh. It’d have to be Platt. Shiro needs access to greasy junk food”

Too much healthy living was bad for the soul. They ate mostly healthy enough, for a pair of two single men, but Keith would never recognise kale as edible. It was disgusting and far too over hyped

“Shiro does, or you do?”

Shiro had a soft spot for curry, Keith for kebabs

“Both? Both is good”

“Well, tonight, as a special treat, I’ll treat you to the greasiest pizza you’ve ever had in your life”

[heysoup]

Fluffy February Day 4 - Halloween

Phew! I’m a little late, but I managed to make it while the day’s still here. This is day four of @fluffyfebruary and the prompt is Halloween.

Chapter 4: I’ll Be Yours

Pairing: Butch DeLoria/Male Lone Wanderer

Summary: During a Halloween party, Susie suggests that the group of teens play spin the bottle. Jamie isn't one for parties, isn't even one for socializing if he's honest with himself, and he definitely isn't excited to play this game. But Butch has been looking at him all night, and something in his heart tells him this might be different.

Ao3 Link

“Thanks for helping, Jamie,” Amata says from where she’s perched at the top of a step ladder hanging colorful streamers along the ceiling.

Jamie smiles up at her from his own task of making Halloween-themed snacks, “of course.”

She climbs down the ladder and brushes her hands off on the pants of her vault suit, looking up at her handiwork with an approving nod. Orange and purple streamers hang in delicate loops from the ceiling. Hanging among them are dainty origami bats – all handmade by Amata and Susie. They even found some old Christmas lights and strung them up along the walls, hoping that when the main lights were turned off it would create some kind of spooky atmosphere, even if they were red and green.

They’re preparing for their first ever Halloween party as ‘adults.’ Now that everyone in their class was eighteen, Amata had finally gotten her dad to cave and allow them to throw a party at the Mack’s apartment, since it was one of the largest. How she managed to pull it off, Jamie has no idea.

He finally finishes icing the last of his ghost-shaped cookies and walks over to join her, letting out an impressed whistle. “Looks great!” he says, and she smiles at him.

Susie and Wally walk out into the living room from the hallway – they’re wearing freshly pressed vault suits that are tailored a bit closer to their bodies than the normal ones, the blue and yellow fabric even more vivid than usual. Susie’s platinum hair is poker-straight and pulled back into a ponytail with a cherry red bow. Her lipstick matches the bow’s color perfectly. Wally’s hair is plain, but neatly combed – they look nice, but if Jamie’s honest, he doesn’t see how it’s supposed to be a costume.

Amata seems to think the same. “So… what are you guys going as again?” she asks, a sheepish smile on her face. Wally rolls his eyes and elbows Susie.

“I told you they wouldn’t get it!”

“Oh shut it, we just have to do the thing!” Susie pulls at her brother’s arm, who groans in response.

“FINE.” They both look at Jamie and Amata with their cheesiest smiles - Susie’s looking much more genuine than Wally’s – and give them a thumb’s up.

“Uh…” Jamie doesn’t see how that’s supposed to clear anything up for them.

“We’re Vault Boy and Vault Girl!” Susie snaps, crossing her arms. Wally huffs and shakes his head before walking over to the couch and plopping down, reaching into the pumpkin-shaped plastic bowl on the coffee table to shove some chips in his mouth.

“I could tell!” Amata says, trying to appease her. “You look great, Susie! I love the lipstick.” She grabs Jamie’s hand and twines their fingers together. “We have to go get our costumes ready now, but we’ll be right back. Party starts in thirty, right?”

Susie nods, changing into hostess mode once again. “It looks really good in here, by the way. You did a great job, Amata” She smiles and then says, as an afterthought, “uh and Jamie, too, I guess.”

---

Back in Amata’s room, she and Jamie busy themselves with changing into their costumes. Amata is dressed to the nines in a slim-fitting black dress with emerald green accents that she had sewn herself with her mother’s old machine. She has a pair of elbow-length black gloves made from leftover pantyhose and a pearl necklace around her neck that Jamie found in the lower levels of the vault. He kept the details of where he found it to himself. Her costume is pretty close to looking exactly like the original Mistress of Mystery, they've just taken a few creative liberties.

She’s sitting at her vanity, applying her makeup and curling her hair when she asks, “so, are you excited?” Jamie puts down the comic he’s reading and sits up on her bed. He’s already changed into his outfit – just a simple flannel, some jeans, aged brown leather boots that his dad had stowed away in his closet for some reason, and the closest thing they could find to a ten-gallon hat, which is currently around his neck and hanging at his back. A plastic pistol and a makeshift paper holster sit beside him.

“Yeah,” he settles with, trying his hardest to sound convincing. It’s not that he isn’t excited, he’s just nervous. He’s already kind of a social outcast, which is bad enough. What’s even worse is that Butch will be there, which was fine and normal, except for the fact that it wasn’t because just a last week they’d technically had their first kiss down in their hideout, which Jamie had freaked out over and literally ran away from, and then proceeded to pretend it never happened. Outside of work they’d been too busy to hang out recently, so this will be the first time he sees him in such a casual setting since. It’s not like he can ask Amata for advice – she doesn’t even know he’s friends with Butch for one and she’s unlikely to approve, and what if she asks about their hideout? It’s too risky, not to mention humiliating!

“Jamie!” Amata is snapping at him, a soft smile on her face. He blinks and laughs, feeling out of breath despite the fact that all his talking was in his head. What a mess.

“Hah, sorry. Just thinking. I’m kinda nervous, but you know how I am with people.” He shrugs, picking at his nails. Amata walks over and ruffles his hair.

“Hey, it’ll be fun!” she says, trying to sound encouraging. She takes his hands in hers and pulls him off the bed. “But if you get overwhelmed just let me know, we can just come back here and listen to something on the radio – I don’t mind.”

Jamie smiles at her and pulls her close, pressing a sweet kiss to the crown of her head. Man, he missed her.

---

It’s been about an hour and the party is going pretty well. The lights are all off aside from the string lights, which, as Amata predicted, create a pretty nice ambience. Everyone is chilling out and listening to music and talking amongst themselves. A few people are playing board games and enjoying snacks, some are dancing.

Jamie’s nerves have calmed a bit – Wally had the brilliant idea to bribe Stevie to leave them some beer, which Jamie is sipping on contentedly from his seat on the couch beside Freddie and Amata.

Everyone’s costumes turned out great too, Jamie thinks. Freddie came as a werewolf – he’d ripped the arms off his vault suit and used grease paint to draw brown hairs all over himself. He’d even given himself a little black dog nose and glued paper triangles to a headband that could pass as ears. It’s a little messy, but he put effort in.

Paul decided to be a vampire and he’s dressed almost as well as Amata, in a fancy white shirt, black slacks, and a tie – probably the same clothes he wore to prom. He has a long black and red cape wrapped around his shoulders. The fake teeth he’s wearing keep popping out of his mouth when he laughs, and Jamie grins at the sight of him fumbling to catch them across the room.

Butch is next to him, laughing his ass off, flask in hand. Apparently, he’s supposed to be a Greaser – he’s wearing his Tunnel Snake jacket and his hair is slicked into its usual pompadour. The only difference is he’s swapped out his vault suit for a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, which he says are classic. He meets Jamie’s gaze from across the room and smirks, sticking his tongue out at the other boy. Jamie looks away quickly, his face red.

Christine is across from Amata on the other couch, chatting with Susie. She’s dressed in a long white sleeping gown with matching slippers. On her back, she has small, handmade angel wings. Their puffy feathers occasionally fall off and stick to every surface, leaving a trail all over the apartment wherever she goes.

Susie turns the radio down a bit then stands and claps to grab everyone’s attention. “Alright, ghouls and gals,” she giggles to herself, “I think it’s about time we started the real party!” Jamie quirks a brow at her and can’t help but notice Amata’s peeved expression.

Everyone who wasn’t already near the couches crowds around and Jamie jumps when he feels two hands clap down on his shoulders. Butch is leaning over the back of the couch, grinning down at him.

“Hey, Nosebleed,” he says with a smirk, leaning closer to his ear. “Cute costume. Who are ya, Calamity Jane?” He tips Jamie’s cowboy hat down into his face playfully.

It’s supposed to be a jab. They don’t typically act friendly in public; something still just feels off about that and they aren’t ready for their relationship to change that drastically. This feels different, however, and Jamie can’t help the smile that pulls at his lips. He hadn’t spoken to Butch all night, he wasn’t sure if the other boy would want him too, but somehow this felt like an invitation.

“Nice costume yourself,” he taunts. He can still feel the heat of the other boy’s body against the back of his neck even as Butch pulls away and stands up straight again. “You supposed to look like a knock-off James Dean?”

Susie clears her throat, shooting Jamie an impatient look. “Anyway, as I was saying,” she continues, the giddy smile returning to her face as she holds up an empty beer bottle. “We should play spin the bottle!”

Butch groans from behind him. “Come on, Susie, that’s such a kid’s game.”

Susie sticks her tongue out at him. “If you could let me finish! We’re going to play it with seven minutes in heaven rules, obviously. This isn’t middle school. We’re adults now.” She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “So, whoever it lands on gets to go into the hall closet. That more grown-up for you, Butch?”

Butch shrugs, “I guess.”

“I think it sounds fun!” Christine chimes in.” It’s harmless, anyway. Come on, let’s just play. Who knows if we’ll ever be allowed to have a party again?”

---

After moving some of the furniture and grabbing a few pillows for them to sit on they’re all crowded in a circle on the rug in the living room. Jamie is still next to Amata, then Freddie, Wally, Christine, Butch, Susie, and Paul. There’s eight of them, so the odds would be even, but Wally is related to both Christine and Susie – which he continues to complain is unfair.

“Oh shut it, Wally. If it lands on us, just spin again.” Susie snaps and sets the bottle in the middle of the circle. She leans back on her knees, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “So, actually, there’s two choices. You can either kiss whoever the bottle lands on in the circle publicly,” Christine interjects with a low ‘ooooooh’ and leans closer to Butch, who grins.

“Or!” Susie continues, “you can choose to go into the closet for seven minutes.”

Jamie’s gut twists uncomfortably. He really didn’t want to play this, anyway, let alone when he might be forced to watch Butch slobber on someone. But he’s here for Amata and for his dad, he guesses, who said it would be good for him to behave like a well-adjusted and social teenager for once.

They’re a few spins in and nothing incredible had happened. Wally spun on Susie twice before landing on Paul and the two went into the closet with their handheld games to pass the time. After, Christine landed on Freddie and chose a kiss – which was more of an awkward peck on the side of the mouth than anything else.

Butch rubs his hands together before leaning forward to spin the bottle, making eye contact with Jamie for a split second and shooting him a wink. Jamie’s heart leaps into his throat and he splutters mid drink, trying to hide his embarrassment behind a small cough.

The bottle spins around the circle once before slowing. For a split second, Jamie thinks it’s going to land on him, but it keeps going achingly slow past Paul and… lands on Susie. Christine claps, Amata wolf whistles, and Wally spits out a half-hearted threat about Butch touching his sister. Jamie sees Butch’s smile fade when he looks at Susie, but he catches himself quick and shoots her his most charming smirk.

“How’s about we hit the closet, babe?” he says, laying the greaser schtick on extra thick tonight. Susie blushes red as her bow and stands with him. They hold hands and both go down the hall and into the closet, the door closing softly behind them. Once they’re inside, Christine sets the egg timer they have to seven minutes and the murmur of conversation breaks out among the small group once again.

“How are you doing?” Amata nudges him gently. Jamie didn’t realize he’d just been staring at the bottle, his shoulders tense. He lets out a long sigh and shakes his limbs loose, leaning over to bump their shoulders together.

“I’m fine. This is fun, huh?” He says, trying to convince himself more than anything. He stares at the egg timer, trying not to imagine what could be happening in the closet. He looks back over at Amata and sees her smiling at him, a soft sadness behind her eyes – almost pity. Was he really that obvious?

“I’m gonna get another drink, want one?” he asks, standing up and stretching his arms above his head. Amata just lifts her bottle that isn’t even half empty, a sheepish smile on her face.

“No thanks.”

Jamie walks to the kitchen. He rubs his eyes, his face already feeling warm. He’d only had two, maybe three beers. He definitely isn’t even close to being as drunk as he was when he and Butch… he shakes the thoughts of that night out of his head, dropping his empty beer bottles into the garbage can with a bit more force than he’d intended.

Before grabbing another beer, Jamie pours himself a shot of vodka for good measure. Butch must have brought it from his mom’s stash. It burns like hell going down and Jamie almost gags – how could anyone drink this stuff?

“Yo, Jamie!” He hears Freddie call for him and he grabs his beer and heads back to the circle. Butch and Susie are back. Her lipstick is smudged and she’s fixing her ponytail while whispering excitedly to Christine. Butch doesn’t look much better – his hair slightly mussed up and a bit of cherry red still spread on the corner of his lip. Jamie thinks he might be sick.

The timer goes off just as he sits back down, and Paul walks out of the closet with Amata. He’s scrambling to put his vampire teeth back in his mouth, his cape crooked around his neck, and Amata’s face is flushed when she sits next to Jamie. He can’t help his snort and she slaps him on the shoulder.

“It’s your turn, spaz.” Wally says, kicking the bottle his way. He looks pissed, glaring at Butch. Jamie wonders if they’ll fight later because he played tonsil hockey with his sister. He almost hopes they do, just so Butch can get his ass kicked like he deserves.

Jamie reaches forward and gives the bottle a half-hearted spin, just wanting to get his turn over with as soon as possible. It twirls and lands immediately on Butch. He feels like he’s swallowed a rock.

Butch let’s out a theatric groan, “I ain’t kissin’ you, Nosebleed, so let’s just go to the closet and get this over with.” Jamie’s face is on fire and he slams his beer down on the floor.

“Get stuffed, Butch!” It’s my turn, not yours, so I choose what we do!” Butch quirks an eyebrow at him and barks out a laugh, joined by everyone in the circle – aside from Amata, who squeezes Jamie’s hand reassuringly.

“So, you’re sayin’ you wanna kiss the Butch-man?” Jamie thinks he’s going to die, then. Or kill Butch, and then die. Like a murder suicide. Him and his stupid fucking mouth; he didn’t even think about how that would sound.

“N-No!” Jamie practically yells, his voice a squeak. “Fuck you!” He stands, crossing his arms. “Let’s go, closet then. Get this over with before I kick your ass.” He storms to the closet. Butch gets to his feet and follows him with a smug confidence that Jamie wants to beat out of him.

Suddenly remembering who he’s dealing with Wally says, “Hey! No fighting in my closet. You get blood on my dad’s coats and I’ll pummel you both.” They both turn and simultaneously flip the other boy off before shouldering their way into the closet and slamming the door.

It’s more cramped inside than Jamie expected it to be. Darker, too. The darkness is perfectly fine with him – he doesn’t even want to look at Butch right now. Though, that doesn’t last long as his eyes adjust.

“Hey, Nosebleed,” Butch whispers, his voice and his smile infinitely softer than they were a moment ago. They’re close, really close and Jamie’s head is swimming. Their knees bump when they move and the heat of their bodies radiating through the small space is almost suffocating. He can just make out the details of Butch’s face – the handsome slope of his nose and the playful quirk of his lips. He tries to stay mad, but it’s hard. He wants to kiss him so bad.

“Fuck off,” Jamie breathes, but his aggression is lackluster. Butch’s breath is warm against his face and it smells sweet, like mint. Butch chuckles softly.

“Aw, you’re mad at me?” he coos, leaning in closer and practically pressing Jamie against the opposite wall. “You know I was just kidding, Jamie. C’mon, they don’t know what we do.”

Jamie gulps, wondering if Butch means them just hanging out together or if he’s referencing something more. “As if I’d take Susie’s sloppy seconds ,” he hisses, determined to hold his grudge. Ok, so maybe their first kiss did mean something. He’s pretty sure they’re both drunk again, but they definitely aren’t wasted like before – there’s absolutely no way for Butch to pass whatever happens off as a mistake later. IF something happens.

Butch pulls back a little and looks almost hurt. “Hey, it’s just a dumb game,” he says, tilting his head to try and catch Jamie’s gaze, who refuses to look at him. “I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, okay? You know how much of a crybaby she can be.”

“Well, I’m not a crybaby, so you can keep it in your pants,” Jamie snaps and crosses his arms, shooting Butch as convincing of a glare as he can manage. The other boy just rubs the back of his neck, his posture suddenly a bit more closed off.

“Dammit, Jamie, ya know that’s not what I mean!” Jamie’s heart is thundering in his ears and his chest is so, so tight. He swallows thickly. He does know what Butch means but fuck it if he isn’t going to make the other boy work for it.

“Maybe I don’t,” he states matter-of-factly. Butch clicks his tongue in annoyance and shoves his hands in his pockets. Jamie can feel the distance between them growing further and he panics, desperate to cling to whatever moment they’re having here.

“What do you want?” he asks finally, his voice barely a whisper as he offers Butch this olive branch. The intensity he finds in Butch’s gaze when their eyes meet almost knocks him over.

“You.” It’s a single word, spoken so softly that Jamie almost can’t hear it, but it steals his breath away, nonetheless. He doesn’t even stop to think when he reaches forward and grabs the lapels of Butch’s jacket. He pulls him close, his eyes closing as their lips crash together in a clumsy kiss. It’s just as good as the last, the other boy’s lips warm and inviting as he returns the gesture with enthusiasm.

Butch grabs the back of Jamie’s head, knocking his silly cowboy hat to the floor, and curls his fingers into his hair. Jamie grins into his mouth when Butch nips his lower lip and he grabs the collar of his shirt, playfully shoving the taller boy against the opposite wall.

“Ow!” Butch hisses when he hits his head off the shelf above them, pulling back for a second to make sure it wasn’t too loud. Jamie’s face goes white.

“Oh god, sorry!” he whispers, letting go and pulling back in embarrassment. Butch just laughs.

“S’fine,” he mumbles, unable to stop smiling. He reaches out and pulls Jamie close again, silencing the other boy’s concerns with his lips.

They continue like that for a while, breathless and excited, their tongues exploring each other’s mouths and their arms holding them close like their lives depend on it. It really does feel like heaven, Jamie thinks, an excited laugh escaping his chest.

They could have stayed there forever, lost in their own little world, but they’re interrupted by a sharp knock on the other side of the door. “Time’s up! You can leave hell now.” Wally is laughing out in the hallway.

Butch and Jamie jump apart, their chests heaving and their lips pink. Butch just grins at him, blue eyes shining with mischief. “Should we pretend we were fighting?”

Jamie laughs. “Sure, but that means you’ll have to admit that I won,” he teases, picking up his hat and turning to leave. Butch grabs his wrist and tugs Jamie back to him. There’s a very serious expression on his face all of a sudden and he's biting his lip like he's thinking before he reaches out to tilt Jamie’s chin up. He leans down and presses one more open-mouthed kiss to his lips and it feels almost desperate. Jamie’s breath is stolen away again, at least whatever was left of it, and when they part, he just stares, dumbfounded, at Butch’s adoring smile.

“Whatever you want, Nosebleed.”

[flutteringphalanges]

Summary:  “Am I in Hell?” Agatha’s voice was hoarse, a hint of fear in her tone. “That depends on your definition,” Dracula answered. “Perhaps.” His fingers felt cool against her burning skin, the fever raging through her body. “If you’re going to kill me, then do it,” she mumbled. The count chuckled, gazing into her eyes. “On the contrary,” he smirked. “I’m going to save you.”

((In which Dracula cares for a gravely ill Agatha))

Characters: Agatha Van Helsing/Dracula

Rating: M 

Read on FFN and AO3

A/N: Thank you for all of the comments and reblogs! This was a much darker chapter to write! I hope you guys like it! Feedback is greatly loved and appreciated! -Jen

                                         Chapter Nine

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." -William Congreve, 1697

The rain had stopped long ago, but the puddle from the aftermath collected at the bottom of her feet and up to her very edge of her dress. She ignored the numbing feeling it brought on by the cold air, her mind still reeling from before. As the sun finally broke through the clouds, offering with it a little warmth, she finally stood up. Agatha ventured towards the edge of the balcony and looked out. It was a beautiful sight to behold if she was to be honest.

For the briefest of brief moments, a part of her wondered what would happen if she merely flung herself off the edge. Down, down, down to the solid ground below. But the bigger and better part of her waved away that feeling. That same urging need to fulfill her grandfather's dying wishes. Her family's pact. So she turned around and strode with purpose back into the dark castle.

"Emotion is a weakness, Agatha. It kills. Murders. If you allow yourself to feel, you allow yourself to be vulnerable. Look at where it got me. Your father. Be hardened. Don't let yourself become a victim. Love leads only to pain. Save yourself the trouble. There is no happiness at the end of a rainbow."

Abraham watched as Agatha cradled the dead rabbit in her arms. It had been a pet she'd kept hidden from the older man. But he had found it and did what he claimed was best for his granddaughter. The girl looked up at him with a tear streaked face, anger fierce in her blue eyes.

"I hate you!" She snapped. "I hate you! I hate you! I HATE you!"

"You'll understand with time what I did for you was in your best favor." He said quietly, turning his back on the girl. "Now drop it and come inside. It's getting dark and it isn't safe to be out in the opening when it is."

It was quiet. The air still around her. The only sound that broke the silence being her wet feet as she walked across the stone floor leaving damp footprints in her wake. Agatha's eyes scanned the area around her. No sign of Dracula. Good. Maybe he had turned in for the morning. That would make things easier. Not that the idea of a good, solid fight wasn't overly tempting.

Descending the staircase, she made her way over to the table where the stake still lay untouched. She picked it up, examining it closely. The wood was carefully carved, free of splintered. Agatha couldn't ask for a more perfect weapon. Had the Count really been that reckless as to leave something like this out? Perhaps he no longer worried that she was a threat. The idea of such a thing only made her blood boil even more.

"Don't you have any family Anyone who cares for you?"

Agatha stood outside of the infirmary as they lay a blanket over Abraham Van Helsing's corpse. The only other person in the world she knew was gone. Perhaps she had an extended family, but she knew not where they were or had any means of contact. Her grandfather had made sure of that. Separation was safe. Something he'd taught her.

"No." She answered quietly, finally addressing the young woman who spoke to her. A nun of all people. "I don't."

"Oh," the nun said softly. "That must be very lonely. Surely you need someone."

"I don't mind it." Agatha said with a half smile. "Sometimes it's better that way. You don't get hurt. Or broken. Perhaps being by myself was what life always had in store for me." That and her mission to end Count Dracula. "I'll manage."

"But you don't need to." And the woman rested a hand on Agatha's arm. "Come with me to my convent. You'll be welcomed there. You don't have to be alone. God always has room for another."

Religion. Christianity. The young Van Helsing gazed down at the nun's hand. To be somewhere. Maybe able to find herself. Maybe able to study more in the process. Had she much of a choice? What money had Abraham left anyway? Barely a cent to his name. Agatha thought long and hard before inhaling deeply.

"Okay," she finally decided. "Okay."

What exactly would happen when she struck him deep within his chest? Would he immediately turn into dust? Burst into a flaming pillar? The possibilities seemed endless as Agatha traveled down the all too familiar path towards Dracula's coffin. She'd be quick. No hesitation. If she should show the slightest amount of pause, he'd be able to take advantage of the situation quickly.

Her still mending hand began to sting from how hard she was gripping her weapon. But she ignored the pain. Ignored how chilled her wet feet were against the stone. She was hellbent. Ambitious. Abraham would be proud. But the further she walked, the closer she got to the cellar, the more she began to wonder if she was really doing his bidding. Doing it in his honor. No. No, it was something else. Something Agatha was forcing herself not to think about.

"A nun's heart belongs to God and God alone. We embrace those around us, but our true love is to the Lord and his teachings."

Agatha sat on the opposite side of Mother Superior's desk, hands folded tightly in her lap. She hadn't been at St. Mary's Convent for very long, but already she was being assimilated in. The head nun wasn't as old as she had anticipated. A round face with a firm voice that still held some friendliness to it.

"I hold no intentions of romance," Agatha assured her. "I never have. You needn't worry about that."

Mother Superior smiled. "I'm not worried about you, Sister Agatha. There's something different about you. I'm not sure what, but I think you'll do well as a nun." She straightened up in her chair and held out her hand. Agatha took it without hesitation. "Welcome home, Sister. Welcome to your new family."

Slaughtered. Just like her rabbit. He'd slaughtered them all. Her family. Mother Superior. Each and every nun. Why had she allowed herself to forget that? Ignore what he had done. The horrors. The hatred. He hadn't batted an eye. So many lives lost and she forgave it. Or rather, from her actions, acted as such. She swallowed thickly. What was wrong with her? Agatha Van Helsing. Protector. Altruistic. Supposed to guard all those around her. A failure. Laughing stock. A singe on the Van Helsing ancestral lineage. Not anymore.

Her name was Mina. Frail. Blonde. Tiny little thing that had stumbled upon their convent in desperation. Agatha knew why. Jonathan Harker now in their care. Or what was left of him that was. The girl knew nothing of what vampires were. Sheltered from such tales. And yet, here she stood before the nun of all people. The woman who knew Count Dracula like that back of her hand. At least that is what she had convinced herself.

"I...I don't understand." The young woman stammered. "Johnny was attacked by a...vampire? But how could someone be so...cruel?"

"Not someone, something. A beast so vile has no heart, Mina. He's poison. Venomous. Count Dracula literally drains you dry. Takes away your life as if it were a mere scrap of spoiled meat." Agatha felt a little guilty for her words. For how timid the girl looked. But she needed to know the truth. "You are Christian, yes? Despite my status, I do not hold the same beliefs as you. But I swear to you, what attacked your Jonathan is the literal Satan."

"I cannot lie to you, Agatha." Mina murmured, nervously playing with her hair. "I'm frightened."

Her eyes were wide. So round. For a moment, Agatha thought she was gazing into her own reflection as a little girl. But immediately, she snapped back to her senses.

"You should fear him. Be terrified. Because the emptiness within him, any prospect of empathy or sympathy has been smothered." She finally answered.

"What must I do?" The girl asked, staring at Agatha as if she knew the answer to every question in the world. "What do I do?"

In that moment, Agatha really hadn't an answer. But she said what had been spoken to her so many times as a nun. "Pray, Mina. Pray for Jonathan. Pray for us all. And maybe, maybe someone above will listen." She paused before exhaling slowly. "Though, I can't say He's heard me yet."

Agatha approached the coffin that sat in the center of the room. No longer did boxes occupy it. Just the single casket. Fist still clenched around her weapon, the former nun managed to heave the lid open. There he lay. Still. Pale. Count Dracula in a deep slumber one might mistaken him for being dead. He was technically.

"End him."

The words rang in her head as if Abraham was speaking to her from beyond the grave.

"Do it!"

She raised the stake, positioning it over his chest. Over his heart. Her hands were trembling. Why was she shaking? Agatha sucked in a breath, trying to collect herself. This was it. Her life's work. Just one fluid motion and everything would be finished.

"Now!"

But before she had a chance to bring it down, Dracula's eyes flew open. In a matter of seconds, Agatha found herself thrust backwards. She collided with the stone, the wind knocked out of her by the motion. She panted, now face to face with the Count.

He had her pinned against the wall by the wrist, her hand still gripping the stake. Dracula's fingers tightened around her with such force he could have easily snapped the bones in two. But he didn't. Instead, he stared into her eyes. Expression still. Mouth pressed into a thin line. There was no malice. No resentment. Humor. He just stood there, holding her back.

"Abraham taught you well." The vampire stated. "Well. But not well enough."

"I sure as Hell plan to get farther than he ever did." Agatha spat back causing a small smile to cross the Count's features. "I don't plan on letting you live."

"Oh?" Dracula said, cocking an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Much to Agatha's confusion and alarm, he brought the fist that held the spike to his chest. Applying pressure, she could almost begin to feel it give way into his skin. Her eyes flickered from her hand, to the spike, and then his gaze. But instead of any reaction she'd expect, he merely gazed back at her emotionless.

"So do it," Dracula challenged. "End me, Agatha Van Helsing. If that's what you truly desire." He smiled and began to push harder. "End me."