#vampire induction

[foggymyst]

Vampires aren’t real. That’s a fact that everyone can agree on. They don’t exist. They’re mythical beings that have been around for thousands of years. But you’ve never exactly seen one, have you? 

At least. You haven’t seen one in the way of novels or books. But there are plenty of kinds of vampires. 

For instance, you’re probably most familiar with the blood-sucking vampires in famous works such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, Hotel Transylvania, and even the infamous Twilight. But that’s fake. Fantasy. Not real. 

Vampires aren’t real. That’s a fact. At least, not the blood sucking kind. 

But have you ever been sitting with someone? And they just blabber on and on and on. No matter how much you try to leave, to pull your attention away, ignore them, they just bring your attention right back.

Sometimes they even capture you with their eyes. Kind of like how I’ll capture you with a spiral.

But that’s okay. You don’t mind. You like when I talk. You like when I go on and on about how silly people are for believing in vampires.

Even as you feel your energy just draining away.

The more I talk and talk.

The more I tell you.

The sleepier you get.

The harder it gets to focus. 

But hey, I’ll snap in front of you, redirect your focus to me

Focus, silly. I’m trying to tell you something. 

It’s rude to doze off when people are talking.

You have to focus on me. 

On my words.

On my spiral.

Focusing as though they were my eyes.

I’m talking and you’re just dozing off. How impolite. 

You’re supposed to listen to me. 

Focus on me. 

Focus on my spiral.

Focus on my words.

Focus on me, me, me.

That’s it. There we go.

You have to remember to listen.

So you can obey. So you can obey me.

Now, as I was saying, vampires. 

They aren’t real. But energy vampires. 

Vampires that take your energy. 

Make you sleepy, drowsy, dizzy, woozy.

Make you weak, vulnerable, obedient, dazed.

Those are very much real.

And you… Well, you’re talking to one. 

So be a good little prey, a good little thrall. 

And sleep for your mistress.

Good thrall~.

[markiafc]

[thestalkerbunny]

Some friends of Sapphos, you know?

Get yourself a woman who looks that excited when you come home from work early.

[corviderii]

deathly embrace

[somnus-the-tist]

The Crimson Offering Draws Near…

There’s a whisper on the wind tonight…

A presence just beyond the veil.

You haven’t seen the fangs…

but you’ve already offered your throat.

Hypnovampyr is coming.

A new hypnotic ritual, woven in shadow and longing.

Fangs, trance, surrender.

You’ll give in… the moment it begins.

Watch the reel and listen closely.

The calling has started.

Coming soon to Patreon.

[twig-in-a-wizard-hat]

Oh ho no the Maestro is in for it now. Totally unhypotized humans coming for him.

Aw Lex cares so much, even if part of it is possessiveness

Rip, I thought Lex hadn’t noticed the enthrallment being mostly off because of how relived Oliver is.

Aw they make each other not lonely

Rip Oliver I think Lex’s possessiveness extends further then company and blood.

Oh yeah Lex is very possessive.

The Rare Bookseller Part 87: Alexander's Reason

Previous > Masterlist > Next tw: mind control, hypnotic induction

October 1925

"Excuse me, are you Oliver Pines?"

Oliver looked up at the nurse, a middle-aged woman with a kind smile. He knew that he must be puffy-eyed from crying. Hopefully she would assume it was due to the pain. "Yes, that's me."

"I wanted to speak with you. Quietly, if you don't mind." There was no real privacy in the ward, but she sat on the edge of the bed close to Oliver's face. Her fingers reached down to turn his head gently, and brushed against the scars on his neck.

She knew.

Terror and guilt flooded him. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize --"

"Shhh, keep your voice down. I'm not going to hurt you."

He thought he deserved it if she did, but did his best to quiet himself anyway, stifling his sobs like he was a boy again.

"You're one of theirs, aren't you? You belong to a vampire," she said in a hushed tone.

Oliver nodded.

"I thought so. I saw the puncture wounds noted in your file, and after what happened last night… did you hear?"

"I heard enough."

"Was that your master? The one who was in the hospital last night?"

"No, but… yes, in a way. He was here for me. It's my fault."

The nurse looked sympathetic. "I don't think anything those bastards did is your fault."

"How do you know about them? The vampires?"

"You're not the first patient we've seen with bite marks on the neck, and this isn't the first time those bastards have visited us, either. Not all the nurses believe, and the doctors won't listen to us, but I used to work the night shift. The night nurses know."

"Is there anything you can do?"

"I can call in the vampire hunters' guild. They'd probably be willing to station someone in the area tonight."

"No!" said Oliver, surprising the nurse. "The vampire hunters can't help."

"Sure they can. They're experts at --"

"No, they can't help me," Oliver insisted. "Not against this vampire. I was already with a hunter, and I think she might be -- gone. I don't think there's a hunter who can stand against him."

The nurse sucked in a breath. "You've gotten yourself in some real trouble, haven't you?"

"I'm sorry. If you gave me back to my master, I think --"

"We're not going to do that. You need care and rest. We're not just going to hand over one of our patients to a bloodsucker." She patted Oliver's shoulder. "I'll contact the guild and let them be the judge of whether or not they can handle it. With any luck, you'll be free, and there'll be one less monster in the world."

Oliver could tell he wasn't likely to dissuade her, but at the very least he could let the hunters know what they would be up against. "If you do talk to the guild, please tell them that it's the Maestro."

"The Maestro?"

"Yes, make sure you tell them that."

"All right. I will. You just focus on healing up, okay? Do you need any more medicine for the pain?"

"Yes, please," he said miserably. The medication would put him to sleep, and it would be better for him to sleep now than during the night, when he might need his wits about him. As the nurse left, he hoped that no hunter would be foolish enough to come, that they'd hear the Maestro's name and know to stay away. He didn't want another hunter dead or ensorcelled on his account.

He thought of Vivian. He wasn't sure if it was better if she were alive or dead. If the Maestro had found her, it might be more merciful if he decided a hunter was too much trouble to keep as a thrall.

Oliver, seemingly, would never be too much trouble.

---

Thanks mostly to some strong medication, Oliver spent the entire afternoon in and out of sleep that did not bring him rest, only truly waking to eat the bland meals he was given and answer a doctor's perfunctory questions. But as the sunlight through the windows turned golden and then red, his anxiety began to rise to a fever pitch.

He dearly hoped the Maestro would not visit him a second time. At some point, one of the nurses had picked up the rose from the floor and put it in a cup on his bedside table. Oliver didn't know how to explain how it was so hateful to him, so he was reminded of his terror every time he happened to glance to the right.

If any vampire were to come, he hoped it would be Alexander. He knew he should hate Alexander for putting him in this position, stalked by a sociopathic monster who thought nothing of casually killing an innocent woman. But another, treacherous part of him just wanted to go back. Back to a fogged and hazy mind, back to dulled pain and fear, back to a comfortable seat by the fire in the library where he could feel safe even though he wasn't. Despite having nothing to do for the past several days and nights but rest in bed, he was completely spent.

He thought of how gentle Alexander's voice and hands were as he lulled Oliver into a trance, how it felt for the vampire to wrap around him when it was time to sleep. If he were truly trapped, if he couldn't escape, at least he would have a warm and comfortable home to go back to. At least Alexander would treat him kindly. He was in need of a kind word and a gentle touch.

And then, there was the truth that ran just below the surface of his thoughts, the one that he'd been struggling with ever since Vivian had undone his enthrallment, the one that filled him with embarrassment.

Because the real truth, deep down in his heart, was that he had enjoyed being Alexander's thrall.

Of course he knew it was probably still the remnants of the spell at work. The effects of hypnosis that strong couldn't be easily undone. Knowing that his feelings may be artificial didn't stop them from consuming him, though.

Even back in the bookshop, one of his greatest joys was to help patrons with their requests, to feel useful. He had always loved being helpful. Alexander had made him feel like that all of the time, looking at Oliver as though he were something precious. He may have been treated like a plaything, but at least he'd been a wanted, cherished plaything. And most humiliating of all was how he'd been so quietly pleased when he was praised for being a good thrall, as if it were his life's calling, just like Lily had told him.

Oliver burned with shame to think of it. He'd insisted to Vivian that he wouldn't be one of those rescued thralls who went running back to the arms of a vampire, and even then he suspected he was lying to himself. Honestly, he'd looked forward to helping out Alexander a bit too much even when he was merely one of the bookshop's patrons, eager to assist a fellow book-lover. And now that he knew how lonely Alexander was, and how much he appreciated Oliver's company…

But no, he still couldn't trust Alexander, no matter how much he secretly wished he could. Alexander may not glory in torments the way his sire did, but he was still keeping Oliver a captive. And even though Alexander seemed to be a captive and victim of his sire, he had still enlisted his sire's help in finding Oliver. Otherwise, how else would the Maestro know to infect his mind with those specific nightmares at that specific time?

It seemed unlike him to willingly involve his sire in a situation that might see them both harshly punished. Perhaps there was an explanation, although Oliver doubted he'd get to hear it before he was ensnared once more. He hoped, at least, that Alexander wouldn't harm any hunters that might be near the library, and that he hadn't killed Vivian.

If only things could be different between them. If only he would listen to reason, and let Oliver keep his wits, and somehow free them both of the scourge of his sire. If only Oliver could simply enjoy the fond closeness and the vast library in peace, and perhaps see his bookshop again one day. If he could have those assurances, then he could be content to return to Alexander, regardless of how shameful a hunter like Vivian might find his condition.

The pain was beginning to return to his leg, the strong medication wearing off, when he first heard the strains of song. The sun had been fully down for half an hour, and Oliver's mounting dread gave way to a surprising relief as he heard the voice.

It was Alexander's song, of course, rich and enticing. He was being ensnared once more, but at least there might not be any more pain that night.

The melody grew in strength, and drowsiness stole over Oliver, his eyelids beginning to grow heavy and droop. He heard a symphony of yawns from around the ward as the other patients began to fall to the spell. Alexander was putting them all to sleep so that he could enter freely, no doubt, which would be a mercy to them -- a deep sleep free of pain. Oliver had no real desire to fight it, allowing his eyes to shut and his mind to drift off peacefully.

"You may slowly come awake, Oliver, but continue to feel no pain."

Oliver's eyes fluttered open. He was sitting partially upright, and Alexander was clutching him tightly, holding him as though he were a precious treasure to protect. The familiar scent of his soap surrounded Oliver as the vampire buried his face into Oliver's shoulder, which was growing damp with tears. And his injured leg felt as though it were far away, only connected to Oliver by the thinnest of strings, his focus sliding over it.

"I'm sorry," said Alexander, who sounded as though he were choking back a sob. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you and keep you safe. I was terribly worried about you."

He sounded so genuinely upset. Despite Emily's insistence that Alexander couldn't possibly care for him as more than a meal, Oliver couldn't bring himself to believe that. He sank fully into the comforting embrace, allowing himself to be absorbed into Alexander's arms.

Alexander pulled back slightly, and Oliver found himself looking into those deep eyes, like diving into an ocean. He was unable to look away, his memories of the mesmerism stirring in his heart, whispering to his mind that it would be so easy to lose himself in those eyes. It was only with herculean willpower that Oliver managed to blink and tear himself away.

"How is your injury?" Alexander asked.

"It's a severe knee fracture, the doctor said. They performed surgery on me when I first arrived." Oliver looked forlornly at his plaster-encrusted leg. "He said that I'll be in a wheelchair for a while, and might not ever walk without assistance again."

The fierce look in Alexander's eyes caught him off guard. "Then I'll have to take care of you in any way I can," he said. "I know that my manor isn't well equipped for it, but we'll make do. We can move your bedroom and bathroom to the first floor, rearrange the library so that you can navigate it more easily… I suppose I'll have to carry you up the stairs to my room when needed… and of course I'll have to arrange for a fine cane for you, for when you're well enough to stand. I'll get in touch with Edith, she'll know where to purchase wheelchairs and canes."

Oliver couldn't help but be relieved that the vampire was willing to try and care for him in this situation. Even though it wouldn't make sense for Alexander to abandon him, not after how much he'd paid and risked and how much he seemed to value his thrall, a small but significant part of Oliver had been quietly insisting that he was a burden now, not worth the trouble.

Alexander's gaze strayed toward the rose in the cup, and from the look on his face Oliver could tell that he instantly grasped the meeting. "My sire was here."

"He was," said Oliver tersely, suddenly reminded of the main reason he couldn't put his trust in Alexander. Somehow, Alexander's sire had learned where Oliver was.

"What did he do? Did he harm you?"

"He didn't harm me any worse than I had already been harmed," said Oliver. "Did you tell him where I was?"

Alexander groaned, and if the forlorn look on his face was an act, it was a very good one. "I wouldn't have told him anything if I had been given a choice. Surely you know that. He thinks that your capture makes me even more of an abject disappointment, and I'm sure he intends to punish me at his leisure. On top of that, I certainly didn't wish for him to torment you. Please believe that."

"Then how did he know?"

"The worst possible timing," said Alexander. "The night after you were captured, just as I had woken from the sleeping potion and was preparing to go out and find you, I had an unexpected and unwelcome visitor."

"Your sire."

"At the stroke of midnight, as always. He came to deliver an invitation, and he noticed right away that you weren't present."

"Couldn't you have told him I was asleep in my bedroom, or sick, or…"

"He can always tell when I'm lying," said Alexander miserably. "On top of that, he could tell you were missing by your smell, or lack thereof. He was furious, of course -- but for once, I feel like I deserve it, considering I failed to protect you. I know my words might not mean much, but I truly am sorry, and not just about that." Alexander gripped both of Oliver's hands earnestly. "I've failed in my duties towards you as your master, and I do intend to rectify that. I don't want us both to be trapped under my sire's thumb forever. I managed to apprehend the hunter --"

"Vivian!" said Oliver. "What have you done with her?"

"We haven't harmed her at all. She's with Lily now."

His heart sank, thinking of the strong, determined hunter, now helplessly under Lily's spell, perhaps even memory-wiped like Miriam. His mind traveled back to the time when Alexander had brought him to Lily's home, of the terrified man that Oliver had falsely reassured, how Lily thought nothing of dragging a man on a leash to be hypnotized. "I think she would consider becoming a thrall a fate worse than death. Isn't there any way you could let her go?"

"Lily will be very gentle with her. She seems quite well suited to being a thrall, despite how she might feel about it now," said Alexander easily, as though he weren't discussing condemning a woman to servitude. "And then, there's you." He touched Oliver's cheek, gazing into his eyes. "She lifted much of my spell on you, didn't she?"

There was no real point in denying it. "She did. She made me very keenly aware of my… situation. How I've effectively been captured and enslaved."

Alexander recoiled slightly at this, as though the thought had never occurred to him, and the look on his face almost made Oliver want to take back his words. "…Were you really so unhappy with me?" he said quietly.

Oliver looked away. "No. I wasn't unhappy."

He gripped Oliver's chin, drawing him in. "Then just let me --"

"Wait!" Oliver knew that any protest would be futile if Alexander desired to put him under again. As soon as he began to sing of obedience and loyalty, as soon as Oliver looked a little too long into those eyes, the struggle would be lost. But still, he had believed that Alexander could be reasoned with. He had to try. "Can't we talk about this first?"

"Oliver…" he said with a truly pathetic expression. "I know that this life isn't what you would have chosen, but…"

"You never gave me the chance to choose," he said. "You told me before, when you put me under your spell for the first time, that you wanted loyalty, and not obedience. But you never actually let me give you loyalty that wasn't coerced." Oliver wrung his hands in his blanket. "I know the position I'm in. I know that you have all the power over me, and that you could take my mind at any moment. I know that I have every reason to be angry with you… but I have nowhere to go, and no one to return to but you. And despite everything, the truth is that a part of me did miss you."

"You did?" said Alexander, latching onto that one statement as though it was the only part he cared about.

"What I'm trying to say is, I would go with you willingly. You don't need to ensorcel my mind. I won't try to escape -- as though I even could. You have my word." Olive was all too aware that he had no actual leverage, and that this was the only card he could play.

"You…" Alexander was clearly having trouble processing this. "You wish to stay and serve me without being enthralled?"

"I do," he said firmly. "I'm offering you my service of my own free will, or what remains of it."

"But why would you want that? You won't be happy," said Alexander.

"I think I could be happy in your manor, even without being ensorcelled into false bliss," said Oliver. "But I also think, perhaps, that keeping my mind at least somewhat intact is more important to me than being made happy. I suppose my mind is really all I have, now more than ever. I want to feel things. I want to have choices, even if I still choose to serve you. I want to think."

Alexander took a long time before responding. "I was much younger than you, when I was taken," he said finally. "I was still in my schooling, throwing all of my time and energy into music, which I loved more than anything. I had a family and friends. I had a future."

Oliver's breath stilled. He'd never considered that the vampire must have once been human. He was surprised that Alexander even remembered what it was like, so long ago.

"I hated my master -- who became my sire -- more than words can say. He stole me away from everything and everyone I loved. But unlike me, he rarely touched his thrall's minds."

"He didn't hypnotize you?"

"No. He conditioned me to obedience in much harsher ways. He did nothing to dull my mind of the pain and the grief. I spent years in misery, losing all hope, and then he killed me and made me into his kind, so that I could inflict the same suffering on others." Alexander's eyes were rimmed with tears when he looked back up at Oliver. "My master never showed me mercy. I want to give you mercy."

"Mercy?"

"I know it's selfish. I know I tore you out of the life you had. I know I'm keeping you a captive. But even still… even with everything I've done… I can't bear for you to hate me," he said. "That's one reason why I can't free your mind, Oliver. Because I don't want you to despise me the way I despise my sire, and the only way to do that is to bend your thoughts towards contentment. It's the best I can do for you."

Oliver leaned back in his hospital bed. "I don't hate you, Alexander."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I thought that I should, given what you've done to me, how you've put me in terrible danger. But I still don't." Oliver sighed. "At the end of the day, perhaps it's because I've been dreadfully lonely, too, with only books as my freedom. Maybe Lily was right all along, and I really am just well suited for serving a vampire. Maybe I just enjoyed having someone care for me, even if it was an illusion."

"It's not an illusion," said Alexander firmly. "I do care for you. You're the only thing that's brought me any real joy since Fitz left."

"I want to believe that, but it hurt me, when your sire was tormenting me and you did nothing in my defense. Even if there's nothing you could have done, I --"

Alexander was looking truly miserable now. "No, you're right. I know full well that I need to find a way to keep you out of his clutches, and not fail you the way I failed my dear Fitz." He sighed. "Because he is my sire, he can compel me to his wishes as easily as he can compel you. So any resistance I offer must be carefully considered, lest it bear no fruit but punishment."

"I understand," he said reluctantly.

"The last time I truly stood up to him -- he took Fitz, and he tortured us both. I don't want that to happen to you. That's why I must obey him until I have a solid plan. Rushing and failing would be a surefire way to expose you to immense harm." He stroked Oliver's cheek fondly. "And if I do fail, I want you to have the chance to escape."

Oliver nodded. As terrified as he was of the Maestro, Alexander was right that confronting him must be done carefully.

"You're an ideal thrall, Oliver," said Alexander, gently stroking the side of his face, and Oliver couldn't help but lean into the touch. "I had gone so long without a good thrall that it was taking all of my restraint to not capture and ensorcel any decent smelling person on the street, much less a prize like you."

"But you don't have to do that. You don't have to ensorcel me."

"I could never be around you and restrain myself. It was difficult enough when I visited your shop. Now, that I know the sort of thrall you are, it would be unbearable torture."

"You could still have my blood, if you needed," said Oliver desperately, not wanting to think about how enjoyable the feedings had seemed before Vivian pulled him back to his senses.

"Your blood is only a fraction of what makes you desirable." A predatory look was in his eye, and Oliver was pinned by his gaze. "It's the way your eyes fog over when you're falling under my spell, the way you sway in a daze, the smile on your face when you're deep in entranced sleep, how you call me 'sir.' I've only seen one other human fall to me so beautifully. That sensation, the power I can hold over you, how effortlessly you drop into docile bliss… that's worth an ocean of blood."

Oliver's mouth went dry. He had been right that Alexander truly did care about him -- but when he suggested Alexander could be reasoned with, he'd been wrong, so wrong. He wasn't merely interested in Oliver's blood or his companionship. He wanted Oliver's mind and soul under his sway, and the hunger on his face made it clear that no compromise would be possible.

"I don't want to be enthralled to the point where I lose my memory and my wits become dull and sluggish," Oliver protested. He at least had to try.

"I won't do that to you. I enjoy your wits."

"I also don't want you to compel me into obedience if we disagree, or drag you to Lily if my thoughts become inconvenient."

"I'm not doing this to harm you," said Alexander with a kind tone that contrasted with his argument. "It's what's best for you as a thrall. You won't suffer. I can give you anything you need. I can make you happy."

Oliver swallowed. "You try to compel me to happiness, even when we're both being stalked by a monster who delights in torture. I don't want to be happy. I want to have my wits about me."

"And I owe it to you, and to myself, and especially to my dear Fitz, to be rid of him once and for all," said Alexander. "Until then, I will continue to relieve your pain, and ease a bit of my own in the bargain." He directed Oliver to look into his eyes, those sharp blue eyes as deep as the ocean and as treacherous.

"Please, Alexander," said Oliver, barely managing to look away.

"Shhh. It's all right, Oliver. It will be all right. I'll help you forget your pain and your fear." And he took Oliver's face into his hands and sang, his deep and melancholy voice echoing across the hospital ward. It was a deeply soothing sound, full of relaxation and peace and the quiet calm of servitude, and despite his feeble effort at resistance, Oliver's mind was being lulled away effortlessly.

"Please…"

"Quiet now, Oliver. You have nothing to fear, nothing to struggle against, only sleep. Deep, sweet sleep, where you can be so quiet and listen."

He wanted so badly to rest in those eyes, to forget why he was fighting. Oliver was leaning forward, eyelids fluttering, sleepwalking back to his doom. It was all too familiar.

"You're an excellent thrall, so quiet and docile and perfect for me, just for me."

"…Thank you, sir."

"You can sleep, now, a sleep free of pain, and know that I will return each night to sing your pain away. I promise you that. I won't leave you alone and in pain in this dreadful place. But for now, I want you to return to me. Remember your enthrallment, your deep and docile obedience, and return to me, your master."

Oliver nodded, drifting away, his mind falling back into the depths so easily, so naturally, right back where he belonged, a book slotted into his proper place on the shelf.

Previous > Masterlist > Next

This chapter took me SO LONG to write, with three rewrites along the way! It's an extra long one, so I hope you enjoy! I'm going to get back to answering asks as well... Next week (hopefully): Fitz and the Maestro are getting along very well.

@d-cs @latenightcupsofcoffee @thecyrulik @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @wanderinggoblin

@whumpyourdamnpears @only-shadows-dwell-where-we-are @pressedpenn @pigeonwhumps @amusedmuralist

@vampiresprite @irregular-book @whumpsoda @und3ad-mutt

@sowhumpshaped @whumpsday @morning-star-whump @silly-scroimblo-skrunkl

@steh-lar-uh-nuhs @pirefyrelight @theauthorintraining @whump-me-all-night-long @anonfromcanada

@typewrittenfangs @tessellated-sunl1ght @cleverinsidejoke @abirbable @ichorousambrosia

@a-formless-entity @gobbo-king @writinggremlin @the-agency-archives @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi

@enigmawriteswhump @bottlecapreader @whump-on-a-string @whumpinthepot

@cinnamoncandycanes @avvail-whumps @tauntedoctopuses @secret-vampkissers-soiree @whatamidoingherehelpme

@strawbearydreams @ghost-whump @tippytappytyping @natthebatt @fire-bugg14

[very-stressed]

I'm writing a dumb little thing inspired by vaguely by those vampire school kinda books, the vampires are all members of a cult.

[pihurefrigerationandelectrical]

[bloodboilswithoutwater]

Intro Post

Hello everyone! I'd like to formally welcome you to the devblog of my very first ChoiceScript IF project, Blood Boils Without Water!

SYNOPSIS

In Blood Boils Without Water, you’re a freshly turned vampire trying to survive undead life, navigating complicated relationships, underhanded political schemes, and the inherent bloodlust that comes with your new existence. But unfortunately for you, the circumstances of your turning have swept you into the center of a conflict between 3 noble houses which threatens to unravel the very fabric of vampire society. 

Be inducted into the house of your choice, hone the skills that best suit your interest, and guide the tide of change in whatever ways you can— Will you uncover the long-buried secrets of the vampire realm?

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ROMANCE OPTIONS

Lady Marcela Rosales (F)

A refined woman with a sharp mind, this unflappable diplomat of the Rosales Clan is not one to be trifled with. Many have been ruined by her cold rebuttals. But what may lie beneath the prestige and distant persona of this generation’s most successful matriarch?

Sir Basilio Silva (M)

The honorbound commander of the Royal Militia, loyal to his principles and a powerhouse on the battlefield. He’s known as a just man to even those on the opposite side. But who is he when he’s out of armor, and his greatest fights are on his home turf?

Carmen Espinosa (NB)

The Spymaster of the Espinosa Clan, living under the guise of a hedonistic clown partying their days away— The charming and mischievous type. But if they’re always wearing the perfect mask for the occasion, what could they possibly be like off the clock?

[REDACTED] (?)

You see them out of the corner of your eye sometimes, but no matter who you ask, no one seems to know who you’re talking about…

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GAMEPLAY

There’s dozens of ways to play (BW)², and my design philosophy is that players should be allowed to play however they want. There are 16 Skills to specialize in, 5 (visible) dimensions to your MC’s personality, many flavors of both platonic and romantic relationships, and 3 individual routes available to choose from at the start of the game.

There's lots of hidden variables and secret routes on top of that, so every playthrough will feel unique and special!

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Content Warnings

(BW)² is a dark story with mature themes, sexual content, and various other disturbing ideas. Though this list is not exhaustive, please be advised that the following themes may be present in the demo and final product:

Sexual Assault

Various Forms of Abuse

Graphic Violence

Pregnancy

Child Death

If you believe experiencing these themes (or those in a similar vein) will be detrimental to you, I don’t suggest playing this game.

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I hope to see you again in the near future, and please feel free to pop into my inbox in the meantime!

[galaxymagitech]

So i too want to play with bat thematic

For the anti-honesty ask game, can you tell me about batman's children?

Of course! Batman (who has taken on the legal identity of Moose Wayne—no one expects the man named after a moose to be Batman!) has many children, but only three of them are legally his.

Barbara Gordón is Batman's only biological child, conceived during Captain Gordón's affair with Batman. Batman and Captain Gordón fell in love when Batman, still somewhat feral from being raised by bats, bit Gordón. Gordón then made a joke that neither of them can remember, but they both swear was hilarious. For the first time in his life, Batman laughed. He briefly became the Batman Who Laughs and traveled the multiverse, but Gordón cured him and they got married (and then later divorced). Barbara is a technophobe and likes to live in the rafters of libraries, hanging upside down like her Bat father does.

Stephanie Purple is Batman's adopted child. She is a metahuman with the power to spoil any milk—which is where she gets her vigilante name, Spoiler. When Steph was younger, she didn't have control over her powers. She constantly spoiled all the milk in the house, so her father gave her up for adoption. Bruce, being lactose intolerant, adopted her and inducted her into his bat cult.

Wayne Thomas is a kid that Batman adopted because he needed a normal kid to round all the insanity out. Wayne Thomas is Very Normal and would never jump off a bridge. He is constantly horrified by his legal and emotional siblings' antics.

Batman also has many children that are emotionally his, but not legally:

Ric Gayson, also known as Robin, was raised by robins. One day, while the robins were migrating through Gotham, a parliament of owls (one of robins' natural predators) came by and ate the entire flock of Robins. Ric Gayson swore eternal revenge on owls. Moose Wayne also hated owls because they are bats' natural predators as well, so they worked together to rid Gotham of owls. When that was done, he emancipated himself, because he ended up hating Moose Wayne for trying to make him shed his mantle of Robin and become Batboy.

Todd Jason Peters was raised in Gotham High Society. He is terrified of cars, because they go very fast. He is also terrified of bats. Batman keeps trying to kidnap adopt him as a replacement for Ric, and Todd Peters uses his immense wealth to take on various false identities, all of which Batman finds with his amazing intellect. His nemesis is Jimothy Drake, who uses his computer skills to help Batman crack Todd Peters' false identities.

Jimothy Drake was raised by ducks. His parents left him to take care of the house alone at age three, because three is Very Mature and Practically an Adult. Tim wandered into a duckpond and nearly drowned, but the ducks saved him and raised him as one of their own. But because he is a genius, he magically developed a working knowledge of English and hacked into the pentagon with a computer made of mud at age 7. He is obsessed with Todd Peters and blackmails Batman into letting him help track Todd Peters down.

Damien al Ghoul is the sweetest cinnamon roll who would never hurt a fly and hates violence with his whole soul. This is at odds with his ecoterrorist family, so he leaves with a tearful goodbye and a declaration that he will save the Earth through peaceful means. Jimothy Drake, who wants to save the ducks from catastrophic global climate change, is Damien's BFF. And since Damien is BFFs with Jimothy and Batman wants to adopt Jimothy, Damien is Batman's emotional child.

Cass Kane is Batman's niece from Canada who was also raised by bats. Unlike Batman, though, she was raised by vampire bats. Batman constantly has to hold Cass back from killing people and drinking their blood. She speaks English and French fluently, and is in fact a debate champion. She has magic empathy powers and an emotional IQ of 190.

[heliza24]

The music playing as Daniel remembers about San Francisco and starts listening to the enhanced tapes is The Drum was My Heart, the track that plays in the church as Louis is turned by Lestat. They're character foils, and their induction into vampirism, into being pulled into the story, is soundtracked the same. I love it.

[pinkysberg]

I am absolutely LIVING for your dhampier!Charles idea/au! Do you have any thoughts or headcanons for him or anyone else in that world around him?

sooo glad uve asked and given me an excuse to talk about him!!!

i loved the idea of charles kind of being defined by his multiple identities, between his biracial identity, his identity as a half-hearted outlaw, and now, being a human/vampire hybrid! it just feels like a natural extension of him.

as much as i enjoy an occult/monster au where everyone's also another type of monster, i am rly enjoying this idea of charles feeling isolated from the gang (as he does canonically) in part bc hes...part vampire.

here r some minor details ive been toying with when im not mindlessly sketching him

has the basic vampirisms, enhanced senses (rly helpful when he's hunting and tracking), enhanced strength and agility, extra sneaky, the ability to turn into a bat bc self indulgently i think it's cute, but also bc he's part human he can be in the sun, and can eat human food (and primarily does) but still lusts for blood n all.

"sired" by his father, a vampire (who I'm also spending time ideating on bc we know so little abt charles' parents id luv to flesh them out in this little au) and born to his human mother (also thinking about her in this au)

he is not open about his vampirism, and does not tell the gang (at least not everyone and not immediately.)

i often sketch charles with bright red eyes, but in reality they'd come off much more "human", if not mildly unsettling. like brown eyes that glint red, very distinct and unique - but not outright inhuman.

he received his scar in an altercation with a vampire (don't ask me the specifics i haven't worked that out yet)

his years spent alone prior to meeting the gang were spent doing "field research" on vampirism, trying to find out more about it, but also became an unintentional vampire hunter. (i like to imagine there r many weird little freaks like the saint denis vampire, and therefore many ppl who need saving from such freaks)

saved an unsuspecting dutch from being attacked by a vampire, thereby initiating him into the "saved this eccentric man and was inducted into a cult" club.

im having a great deal of fun w this idea and shall continue to be very engrossed in it, im sure. thank u for letting me ramble abt it.

[foggymyst]

I cackle knowing you all want blood sucking vampire. You're so simple and easy.

Anyways, just think about this while you wait for my vamp induction:

I said vampire, yes. I did not lie about that. But I never said what kind of vampire.♡

Stay tuned~

[thestalkerbunny]

In another universe, there is a comic just like this with Keller Ann and Peartree remarking that despite their differences, they have one true thing in common. A preference for the short, thick and stupid as a brick.

[what-we-do-in-santa-carla]

The Lost Boys Incorrect Quotes

David: Wait you like me? Like for my personality? Michael: I know, I was surprised too. - Michael: Why do people keep asking me and David who tops and who bottoms? We don't even have bunk beds. Marko: Oh. Oh no. - Paul: Fuck you! Dwayne: Later, now listen- - (on the boardwalk) Michael: Hey, Sam, I can't find David anywhere. I'm getting worried. Sam: *sighs* Alright. *cups hands around mouth* DAVID IS A LITTLE BITCH!

*nothing* Sam: Ok... MICHAEL EMERSON IS A- David: *pushes a fully grown man out of the way* WHO THE FUCK IS TALKING ABOUT MY MAN? Sam: Found him. - David: *smiles* Michael: *blushes* *grabs Sam by the shoulder* Michael: That's fucking it, I'm killing him. Sam: Or you could man up and ask him out. Michael: K-killing is easier. - *alternatively* Michael: *smiles* David: *blushes* *lights a cigarette with shaky hands* David: That's it, I'm fucking killing him. Dwayne: Or you could just man up and ask him out. David: K-Killing is easier. - Michael: I'm attracted to you. David, a guy from the early 1900's who was raised by a single vampire father and never learned how to treat people with kindness: My foot is attracted to your ass. - Michael: *very drunk* David: C'mon, lets get you home. Michael: I am. David: Excuse me? Michael, with complete innocence: I'm with you. David: David: *belabored gasp* euuughhhh - Michael: I hate you. David: Wow, well, guess what? I hate you too. Star, watching from a distance: They actually wanna bone each other so bad. - Star: I love sleepovers. Paul: this isn't a sleepover. You've been inducted into our coven. Star: Star: Truth or Dare. Paul: Paul: Dare. - Paul: You hurt? Marko: No, I normally spurt blood from my ribcage. - Paul: Truth or dare? Dwayne: Truth. Paul: Do you wanna kiss me? Dwayne: Dare Paul: *leans in* I dare you to kiss me. Dwayne: Dwayne: Never have a I ever- Paul: ThAT'S NoT the gaME- - Sam: Who the fuck? Lucy: Language. Sam: ... Sam: Whom the fuck- Lucy: *shakes head*

[ramblaac]

I can imagine a daedra worshipper who decided to dedicate himself to twisting a usually virtuous craft with the sole goal of taunting the gods

Like using the school of restoration specifically to torture people with absorb health and fatigue spells, or to enhance their own charisma and speechcraft to manipulate people, maybe even to induct someone into their cult by pretending to be upstanding priests and servants of the gods and good daedra

Like how Molag Bal made vampires at least partially to mock arkay's stalwart belief in every life coming to an end