#vampirism the cycle of abuse vampirism as metaphor for Otherness of all sorts

[skunkes]

i wasnt even a vampyre truther til recently but aughhh there really is something about them you really can fit so many metaphors of all kinds in there. they're so Susceptible. To the Metaphors.

[glitteryinknotes]

The most excellent thing about Astarion's story as a metaphor for abuse and how it's kept perpetuated in a cycle of sick, twisted minds corrupting those below them into their own image is how truly pathetic they made Cazadorr.

Cazadorr's introduced to us through Astarion's eyes - the eyes of a terrified, runaway victim - so of course the information we're being given is that he is this all - powerful, invincible creature, a vampire lord alligned with evil beyond comprehension, possessing mysterious powers, he seems worse than Gortash, the Absolute and Myrkul himself. He can turn into mist! He could be walking into the camp right this moment! It makes every sense that Astarion sees his tormentor in this way and is paranoid that he'll jump out of the nearest shadow. After 200 years of abuse, he has every right to do so.

But what Cazadorr truly is?

Other than the facade of a local aristocrate, how powerful he really is? Especially without his spawns, who do his dirty work and provide him with sustenance? He's never bested anyone. The only ones who truly suffered at his hands were the innocent fools or drunk idiots. Outside of the city, he doesn't have much influence or reach, which he admits himself in his journal. Not even counting in the fact that he is himself an abuse victim who didn't find strength to break out of the cycle and deep inside him, he wishes for death. What kind of an actual threat he is, compared to what Tav with her gang bested before him?

That's right. In the bigger picture, Cazadorr is overwhelmingly miserable and pathetic. He is cruel, manipulative, cunning, but he is no great threat those he has under his heel see him as.

And it goes to show what kind of people abusers of any sort are. Lost, pitiable, small - minded, disgusting, trying to build their own might and illusion of power through the suffering of others, hiding from the world in their dens while desperately trying to maintain their illusion of powerful grasp they have on everything around them. And deep down, they know it's all a lie.

Cazadorr knew that too, but he lost himself in the endless circle of torment so long ago that there was nothing left of him but hunger and cruelty, that was all he knew, so that was all he chased after - the power Ritual of Ascension would have granted him. Actual power, perhaps. Not the illusion of it he's been hanging onto for centuries.

Abusers are the truly pathetic and disgusting ones. Puny, tainted minds wreaking havoc in the world to make sense of the pain and misery inside them. Not their victims, who they tried to make into their own image.

[positively--speculative]

The thing I like about AMC's Interview with the Vampire is that it can be taken at face value as a horror gothic about vampires and as metaphorical.

One line that stands out to me is this one: "All vampires are born out of trauma."

Like many vampire fans, the Twilight era frustrated me, but at the height of its popularity in the late 2000s/early 2010s, I couldn't put my finger on what exactly bothered me about the series. Later as I entered my 30s, I started to realize what it was. The Meyer-esque vampire stripped the archetype of the things that made them interesting--mainly, their queer-coding--in order to make them appealing to white cishet audiences (I wrote more extensively about this on my Medium).

The Meyer-esque vampires are not written with outcasts in mind. And by outcasts, I don't mean people who are made to feel like outcasts due to minor inconveniences in life or the trials and tribulations of typical adolescence. I mean queer people, disabled people, people of color, or anyone who was othered due to factors beyond their control.

Vampires exist in folklore from all over the world, and examining that folklore can help us learn a lot about the world outside of it--the world we live in. The act of draining the blood or energy from their victims, to me, is a metaphor for the way a real-life person (even a person who is well-meaning) can drain another person of their time, energy, and overall well-being.

Louis was vulnerable to Lestat from the beginning because he was already fighting his battles silently inside (racism and his internalized homophobia) while he maintained a tough facade on the outside.

It is agreed by many who've experienced trauma that we can easily spot someone going through similar battles. And, unfortunately, what happens with many who have gone through trauma is that they take on the toxic traits of their abusers. These people will cling to others who share similar experiences but demand too much from them. This is why many recognize abuse as a vicious cycle that is difficult to break, because when we don't take time to ourselves and evaluate our feelings about what has happened to us and seek some sort of help, we can become vulnerable to our limited understanding of "love."

Lestat loves Louis, but Lestat does not know how to love unselfishly. He does not allow him space to grieve his brother (and we don't even know for sure whether or not Lestat played a role in his suicide since we cannot trust anything he says), he alienates him from his remaining family, and he enjoys the benefits of an open relationship (likely because he enjoys how jealous it makes Louis) but is upset when Louis enjoys those same benefits.

It's been a long time since I read The Vampire Lestat, but I do remember that even before Lestat was turned, he was living a messed up life. He had issues with his controlling father, his relationship with his mother was...well, let's say not okay...he was kidnapped by the vampire who turned him and said vampire committed suicide before properly preparing him for his new life, and then he turned his first love, Nicholas, who committed suicide shortly after. He has abandonment issues that were clearly never addressed properly, and probably thanks to his mother, he has a very messed up perception of boundaries.

Yes, Lestat, Louis, and Claudia are vampires in the literal sense, but their stories can serve as cautionary tales for trauma victims who don't take the time to properly process and heal from their trauma.

[betareaderwanted]

New betas (p1)

theskymahtin Fandom: The Raven Cycle, The Song of Achilles, She-ra (reboot), The Magnus Archives, The Bright Sessions, Carry On, Captive Prince, Sense8 Rating: any No: incest, child abuse, rape/non-con, Graphic or heavy self harm/suicide Additional info: available for original stories. “I'm okay with gore as long as it's not in a sexual context. There are certain ships I'd rather not read, but just DM me and I'll let you know! “ How to contact: @theskymahtin blahdedahdah Fandom: Good Omens, Hadestown (I am open to other musicals as well, weather or not I am familiar with them), Marvel (Cinematic Universe and Comics), The Last Airbender, The Umbrella Academy, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, others open for discussion Rating: any No: incest, rape/non-con, Self Harm; Suicide Additional info: available for original stories. “Strengths in grammar, imagery, metaphor and dialogue. Will American-pick. Would love long-term work with an author on multiple stories (fanfic or original work). Happy to sensitivity-read works regarding LGBT themes (especially involving nonbinary characters), disability, and mental health (not involving graphic discriptions of self harm or suicide/suicidal ideation).” How to contact: @blahdedahdah m00nylin Fandom: Attack On Titan, My Hero Academia, Haikyuu!!, Danganronpa (all games), Fairy Tail, Hunter x Hunter, Demon Slayer, Kakegurui, Your Turn To Die, Catherine: Full Body Rating: any No: incest Additional info: available for original stories How to contact: Email: whitebloodcell@gmail.com samati Fandom: Teen Wolf, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Check Please, RPF Hockey Rating: any No: incest, gore, child abuse, rape/non-con, self insert/OC, underage How to contact: Email: samati75@gmail.com Twitter: samati minigiratina Fandom: The Adventure Zone, A Hat in Time, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Gravity Falls, The Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Venom (2018) Rating: up to T No: smut, incest, A/B/O dynamics, rape/non-con creativecreed Fandom: The 100, Jupiter Ascending, Ready or Not, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Netflix Marvel Universe, Fruits Basket, Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Underworld, Resident Evil (Movies), Vampire Diaries, Firefly, Chronicles of Riddick, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Leverage, West Wing, 1/2 Prince, Avalon High, Empress Ki, The Story of Ming Lan, Avatar: the Last Airbender Rating: any No: incest, rape/non-con Additional info: available for original stories. “I am using this to learn more and exercise my own storytelling skills. Would love to work with authors who want an actual convo about the story, not just to have commas moved and given a thumbs up.” How to contact: candycanes849@yahoo.com ToolMusicLover Fandom: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones Rating: any Additional info: available for original stories How to contact: @toolmusiclover theravenprince Fandom: Assassins Creed, Critical Role, Thief, [Prototype],Avatar The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, Dungeons and Dragons, World of Warcraft, Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines 1,Divinity Original Sin 2,Neverwinter (the mmo), Stardew Valley, Arrow, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, How to Train Your Dragon Rating: up to T No: smut, child abuse, rape/non-com Additional info: available for original stories. “I can work outside the fandoms I have listed, just thought I might not be able to help contribute advice towards story things without the knowledge of the source - though I would be willing to do some research on it. I also probably haven't listed everything I have knowledge on as I have watched/played quite a few different things. WRT: Original works - I would be willing to work on anything from short stories, novellas, novels and even screenplays if so desired! (though screenplays I might need to see what sort of formatting you prefer as I've seen quite a few different ways to format them!)” How to contact: tumblr or email: desswalkerwriter@gmail.com

[syrupwit]

Dear Yuletide Writer Letter 2017

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you very much for writing for me! This is my first-ever year signing up for Yuletide, and -- while I’m not up on all the etiquette and may make mistakes -- I am quite excited. I’m sure I will love whatever you write.  

Although some of the sections below are longer than others, please note that I don’t have a preference between requested fandoms and would be super happy to receive work for any of them. I just write a lot sometimes. (But usually not when I need to, of course.)

-

General Likes: Many things. In convenient list format...

Gen, femslash, slash, and het

Genres: humor, horror, slice-of-life, ghost stories, romantic comedy, casefic, action/adventure, angst, crack treated seriously

Atmospheric stuff where nothing really happens but you sure get an image or a mood

Intense relationships between women, whether they’re romantic or not

Surreality and silliness

Appetizing descriptions of food

Loyalty kink, especially where a more powerful or physically stronger character is loyal to a weaker character

Characters standing up for each other

Characters who are socially disliked, awkward, or shunned but secretly really good at something

Cats

General DNW: Permanent major character death; graphic depictions of violence, torture, or gore; rape/noncon; onscreen child abuse; onscreen harm to animals. I’m also generally not a fan of stories that focus heavily on characters’ experiences with social issues or identity. 

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Fandom: Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Characters: Justine Florbelle, Daniel of Mayfair

Likes/Prompts: Amnesia became my favorite new canon this year. I’m currently on my third playthrough of The Dark Descent and have completed the Justine DLC too many times to count -- though I still haven’t managed to save the last guy, darn it. Things about these canons that I adore include the morally conflicted protagonists, atmosphere of imminent doom and lingering anxiety, Lovecraft-influenced but not strictly Lovecraftian horror themes, mechanics that balance the player character’s essential helplessness with rewards for ingenuity, and the fact that you can throw stuff. And stack stuff! I LOVE throwing and stacking stuff. I... haven’t played a lot of first-person video games.

While I am interested in stories that include both Daniel and Justine, I’d be happy with a story that only focuses on one of them.

Justine fascinates me -- the contrast between her cruelty and caprice on the one hand, and her physical (and, to an extent, social/legal and emotional) vulnerability on the other. She’s also really creepy and into some weird shit. I’m not usually interested in sociopathic villains, but something about her character just hits my buttons. 

For solo Justine scenarios, I’d enjoy anything about her escapades in polite society (the ball! the irony! Justine loves irony), interactions with Clarice (how much does she suspect?), or initial meetings with the prisoners. Also, how is her poetry received among her peers? Delving more into the history and development of the Cabinet of Perturbation would be cool too.

Daniel is likewise a fascinating character. During my second playthrough, I was impressed with the slow reveal of his descent into metaphorical and literal darkness. Fear makes people scary, or something. I was also pretty into his relationship with Alexander, all the layers of manipulation and betrayal mixed with genuine connection. (For the record, I totally ship them.)

For solo Daniel scenarios, I’d like to see more about his early days at Brennenburg, interactions with the outside world post-game, and a reunion with his sister Hazel. If you want to pair him with Alexander either romantically or platonically, that’s great. Agrippa, too. I’m honestly interested in Daniel interacting with any character, if you have an idea. 

For the combination of Daniel and Justine, I’m interested in either gen or het, set around the time of either game. I feel like they’d make a great pair, for certain values of great. The Unopened Letter found in the water dungeon in Justine also seems to hint at the possibility of a meeting between Daniel and Justine. 

As an adult, Justine is experienced at manipulating people, would easily ferret out Daniel’s fears and how to play on them, and could be intrigued by his experiences with the supernatural. Perhaps, in an AU where Monsieur Florbelle answers Daniel’s letter, a child Justine would see a kindred soul in one who’s also been in contact with the artifacts. In a universe where the letter stays unopened until Justine’s day of subterranean exercise, maybe adult Justine invites Daniel to visit with the intention of adding him to her Cabinet, or tries to court him as a momentary amusement and finds it more challenging that she expected.  

For his part, Daniel has already spent a lot of time escaping dungeons and being manipulated by Alexander -- adult Justine’s flavor of betrayal would not be that shocking. There’s also his relationship with his sister Hazel and guilt over the girl he murdered, which could soften him towards a young or orphaned Justine. If it’s after the events of The Dark Descent, what choices did Daniel make? Did he favor taking revenge on Alexander over helping Agrippa? Is he guilty, guilt-free, still racked with nightmares, sound of mind? If Weyer rewarded him for saving Agrippa, has he spent time in the other world? The age difference could even be handwaved if Weyer sort of miscalculated when he was sending Daniel back to our world by 19 years. 

Fandom-Specific DNW: Please, no romance between Daniel/Justine when she is underage.

Notes: While it is my understanding that some regard the relationship between Justine and her father to have been one where she attempted to seduce him, I do not agree with that interpretation and would prefer not to receive stories that subscribe to it. It seems much more likely to me that her father abused or at least behaved inappropriately towards her.

- 

Fandom: Pocket Mirror (Video Game)

Characters: Lisette (Pocket Mirror)

Likes/Prompts: What distinguished this game to me, made it stick in my mind, and kept me playing was the atmosphere. Fleta’s bright and well-ordered domain with hints of lurid nastiness underneath, Harpae’s drafty wooden corridors with their creaking floors and distant lights, Lisette’s total abandonment of any reasonable organization whatsoever: I love it. Which brings me to...

Lisette! Poor Lisette. She gets blamed for everything, doesn’t she? She’s mean and destructive because no one else will let themselves be, and hates herself for it. (Or...? I’m also interested in alternate character interpretations, if you have different ideas.) I would like to see her have a nice time.

I’m not super attached to any of the canon endings, so if you want to go an AU route, please feel free. That includes canon divergence AUs as well as AUs where they’re all sort of... I don’t know, neighbors in the real world? Except one of them lives in a mirror maze populated by her evil shadow selves, and maybe they’re all witches.

Femslash, gen, or unusually clingy/possessive/intense friendship with romantic undertones are all of interest to me for this canon. I’m particularly interested by Goldia/Lisette, Fleta/Goldia, and Harpae/Lisette.

Prompts:

Lisette receives a new dress. Who made it?

Lisette expects to be alone on Christmas, but is proven wrong.

Harpae has had enough of Lisette’s tormenting Fleta.

Goldia is in trouble in the real world and only Lisette can save her.

The girls pay visits to each others’ domains.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica AU

DNW: No explicit sexual content for this fandom, please.

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Fandom: Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena

Characters: Kiryuu Nanami, Arisugawa Juri, Shinohara Wakaba, Himemiya Anthy

Likes/Prompts: I’ve been told that RGU is considered “the Evangelion of shoujo anime,” and I feel like that’s... accurate? Anyway, I love it to bits -- stock footage, surfing elephants, and all. I also love the movie and have a bunch of theories about its relation to the series, which I will spare you at this time.

For this exchange, I’ve requested fic about Nanami, Juri, Wakaba, and Anthy. I’d be happy to read about these characters all together, on their own, or in any combination. Gen, femslash, het, and slash are all welcome, as are stories set before, during, or after the series.

While there’s much to be said about the grand sweeping themes in Revolutionary Girl Utena, what won the series my heart is how goddamn weird it is. The Nanami filler episodes, for example, were among my favorite parts of the show. I’m interested in exploring more of that weirdness.

Possibly in this spirit, I’ve come up with a long and eclectic mix of prompts. These are just here in hopes they might give you an idea, if you’d like one.

Prompts:

Nanami goes to space to try to replace one of the stars with herself.

“A Christmas Carol,” starring Nanami.

Touga’s kitten survived... and now it’s back for revenge! Nanami is being blackmailed by a cat.

Nanami spends the night in a strange house, trying to convince herself it isn’t haunted. Anthy orchestrates small events to make her think that it is.

Anthy and Nanami are rivals at magic school.

Juri becomes a world-champion bowler.

Among the incoming freshman class, rumors spread that Juri is a vampire. In attempting to dispel them, she encounters some obstacles.

Juri and Wakaba have a super-torrid romance as adults.

Wakaba dreams of life as a Jeep.

Wakaba has an identity crisis and joins many different student clubs.

Wakaba and Anthy share a rare moment of understanding over their mutual difficulties with cooking.

Anthy embarks on a side career as a barista.

Anthy arranges for Utena to fight a dragon.

Between dueling cycles, Anthy is permitted one day off from being the Rose Bride. How does she choose to spend it? 

Fandom-Specific DNW:  No onscreen incest, please.