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rhazberriquartz · 9 months

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I wonder what would swap!Rosie's relationships be with other swap AU characters (´,,•ω•,,) You don't have to write out them all, just the ones you consider to be important or fun

Oh man. I have a few thoughts so let's get into it. It's a lot.

Rosie's most toxic relationships would be with Nadia and Asra. To the point if given the chance she would absolutely eat them. Nadia and Asra managed to capture her inspite of her best efforts. Which is not an easy thing to do. And I'm sure it's due to Asra draining the magician that it's possible. Nadia treats her like an attack dog and keeps her away from anything that will boost her strength. Water, sunlight, prayer, and even has Asra put on a collar that silences her (she can only speak when spoken to by Nadia or Asra specifically.) AND dampens her Magic. So, there's a lot of turmoil there.

She cares about Ilya and Portia a lot. But also know that at this point they're both a little too far gone for her to be able to do anything on her own. So, she lends her help to MC to free these two. Though if she can save them she will she just needs help. Portia and Ilya try to be kind to her. But, Asra often reprimands them for doing so. I like to think Ilya has told both Asra and Nadia that she's let her own death into her home and it won't end well.

Muriel is a little easier to break through to on her own. And being their both in a similar spot (Rosie's used for war.) They're very kind to each other. This depending on route would be one where Muriel does break out of his mindset with MCs help and becomes an ally.

Vlastomil has some vague clue about what's going on and has tried to help her and failed. This incarnation definitely views her as a friend. And he tries to help her communicate to Count Montag what's happened to no avail.

Valerius, she loves to annoy him. Being an incarnation of The World she watches him garden in amusement. But, she never judges. Sometimes she'll help by over correcting a mistake he made. (His sweet potatoes have invaded his house before.) He gets annoyed, but it's quickly forgotten when he sees how big his fruits and vegetable are. Nadia keeps them apart as much as she can.

I haven't thought about Andrea and Agata. They probably don't interact with her a whole lot. But like her company.

Devarshi... oh man. If anyone has read my story Thistles and Thorns - you know why this one hurts. In this AU Rosie managed to make the deal with Death, but unlike Vlademar made damn sure Devarshi would live a normal life. Death happily let them be reincarnated into the life they have now after time passed. As both a show of good faith and to rub salt into her wounds. It's hard for her to look at Devarshi. But everyone does note how protective she is of them. Devarshi doesn't know and probably never will. But enjoys their time together and has learned a great deal from her. She seems familiar and they don't know why.

Count Montag. This blessed well meaning goober. He thought Nadia and Rosie were friends for a time. And before the plague and ritual is when he realized it wasn't the case and something sinister was going on. But if the AU follows the original to some degree well... *motions* he forgot and doesn't pick up on what's wrong until it's almost too late. He does end up asking for her help and freeing her.

And depending on the route MC takes. (My partner in this case.) Would depend on who she ends up with. If you chose Andrea she's with Montag. If you choose Nadia it's Valerius. And there's probably one where it's Devarshi or even Ilya by some miracle.

It all depends on who you like her with most. Rosie's core nature never changes, but her situation does. Which speaks volumes considering the plot of The Last Deal. She's just a deity like figure MC and Lucio call upon for extra support. Where here she's treated and used much differently. Being forced into whatever Nadia and Asra wants.

#courtier swap au #the arcana #drakonishe #thearcanaprojects #rosie #headcanons #free her and let her go feral #definitely ship her with montag and valerius and devarshi #and ilya clearly because im weak

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drustvar · 1 year

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Real quick collage / inspo board for Courtier swap AU Rosie...whenever I get around to designing her oop

#leaning very hard into like #cannibal evil amazoness vibe #her demon form is a manticore :3 #mine #ramblings #courtier rosie #courtier swap au

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crowpricorn · 1 year

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hi :) 6, 17 and 37 for asking game, please?

hi🥰

17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I write from start to finish😪

6. Share one of your weaknesses

related to the previous question... I think my biggest weakness is that I don't plan / don't write the plot first & then the story. I just dive head first into everything I want to write, and I expect to write everything from start to finish which is Bad if I don't finish the wip after less than a week (or if I skip writing for a couple days and then get back to it) because then my memory gets foggy and I have to reread everything every time. it gets extra bad when the things I write are multi chaptered, long, complex works with heavy plots & plot twists, because I get completely lost. also! I don't always write things that come to mind and I tell myself I will remember that... and then I proceed to forget that.

37. Talk about your current wips

prince x bodyguard au: it's my longest work, it's full of plot twists & it's also a torturously slow slow burn. I can't talk much about it without spoiling things, but basically wylan is, well, a prince and jesper is a barrel rat that jan van eck hires as a bodyguard & courtier for his son aaand they fall in love! but there's stronger forces at work, so it gets. uh. complicated. I also previously described it as:

pjo 5 + 1 things au: as I answered earlier, jesper is Hephaestus' son, wylan is Apollo's son & the plot is basically: 5 times jesper wants to kiss wylan during silly moments alone (that are definitely Not dates) + 1 time wylan takes things into his own hands

the owl house au number 1 (out of 2) (they are unrelated to each other): wylan sells cursed paintings, jesper sells blessed rocks and their stands face each other so. they are rivals!

two other long things I'm writing are: haikyuu au & fake dating au, but they are mostly just drafts

(& of course the body swap / soulmates au! I'm so excited about it!! @milkywayjj and I just started bringing it to life & I am shamelessly in love with it already!)

#ask game #six of crows #wesper #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #wesper fanfic #asks #writing game

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clevernameideaidk · 1 year

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I gave into temptation so I’m now going to make the sans aus in DnD. So what better place to start than Classic Sans.

Characters so far:

Classic Sans

Ink Sans

Dream Sans

Swap/Cross Sans

Check the reblogs if you want to see them

Few things to note before sharing the character sheet:

I’ll be using the standard array for ability scores

I’ll be using this homebrew for the skeleton race:

They’ll all be level 4 to keep it simple while leaving room to further build them with the ability score increase/feat

I won’t be making every au since there’s a lot of them, and they’re likely to overlap

Feel free to use or change anything you want to

I highly doubt it, but if you want to use any of these in a game, ask your dm. There’s a lot of homebrew and flavoring going on. Also you’re playing sans

Anyways, here’s the character sheet. It’ll be used as a guide for the rest if them

Of course, he’s a wizard. Specifically a conjuration wizard since he summons a lot of bones and blasters.

Magic Missile and Sword Burst will be used as bone magic. For his blue magic I used the spells Gust, Levitate and Hold Person.

Funnily enough the hardest part of making the build was finding a good background. Considering that he’s the judge, I went with Courtier since it had the proficiencies I wanted.

I’ll reblog when I’ve made another build, so stay tuned for that if you actually care about this lol

#sans undertale #sans #undertale au #undertale aus #undertale multiverse #sans au #ink sans #dream sans #swap sans #cross sans

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bottomvalerius · 2 years

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a long term fantasy project I would love to do is Damien essentially AU hopping. in general he is able to ✨astral project✨ (or some sort of equivalent, I’m sleepy and words are hard lol) into all of the other routes and their alternative endings anyway, so it stands to reason he could then do that with any AU :3 specifically I’m thinking of all the different fankids in my head, but also courtier!Donna swap as they’re. Very different than the Donna he knows, and it would be a very trippy mind fuck for him to experience LMAO

#he thinks his mama Donna made the wrong decision not joining The Devil #but when he sees how they are when they DO hmmm 🤔#goes from ‘oh this is great theyre so powerful!!’ to ‘oh no they’re reaLLY FUCKED UP—‘#rambling

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exhaustedbeauty · 2 years

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Leeches Suck

prompt: Inspired by @drakonishe 's incredible courtier swap au, I decided I wanted to have my canon apprentice interact with their swapped! courtier Julian. Apprentice Farah walks in on Dr. Devorak at a rather...sucky time.

fandom: The Arcana

pairings: none

word count: 672

warnings: uhhhh leeches and general julian masochism horniness

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“I’m sorry for interrupting, Dr. Devorak, but Count Montag needs you to–oH MY GOD?!”

Farah stopped dead in the doorway of the Court Physician’s chambers at the sight displayed before her; Dr. Devorak currently lying on a medical examination table, stripped of any top clothing, with what appeared to be at least ten swollen leeches clinging to the skin of his arms, chest and stomach.

Mason jars of all shapes and sizes were lined around the bottom of the examination table, positioned purposefully underneath his outstretched arms to catch the parasites if they fell.

The expression on his face was almost lustful, a deep blush tinting his pale cheeks and eyes staring into space, far off and glazed, his mouth open in a wanton display. The opening of the door seemed to bring him down from his erotic daydreaming for his eyes widened upon seeing her standing there.

“Apprentice!” His face flushed red once more. “I-I’m so sorry! I wasn’t expecting anyone! I-I was just feeding my dear leeches, y-you see…” Farah’s expression was torn between shock and sheer disgust.

“I-I, um…I-I do see, yes.” She stumbled over her words, her brain finally catching up to her and she fully registered what she was looking at. She cleared her throat, trying not to gag as she tore her eyes away from the large leeches to his face. “I-I should have knocked. M-My apologies.”

She cleared her throat again and glanced away from him, taking in a deep breath. Don’t throw up. Don’t throw up. “It’s just...Count Montag needs your assistance in the parlor and he asked me to fetch you.”

“I cannot leave now! My pets are feeding! I cannot leave until they are full!”

“Y-You...you feed your leeches your own….” She swallowed thickly in an attempt to save her lunch from coming back up. “Your own blood…?”

“Well, of course! Who else’s blood would I feed them?!”

She couldn’t help it. She turned her head and covered her mouth, coughing a bit to suppress a gag. Dr. Devorak blinked his lone red eye at her and tilted his head.

“Oh my...Kind apprentice, are you sick?” His eyes seemed to glimmer with eagerness. “Do you require assistance? I’d be most obliged to heal you...” Farah immediately shook her head.

“N-No!” She realized how quickly she had rejected, given the immediate fall of his hopeful expression and opted to dial it back, attempting to give him a slight smile. “No...thank you, Dr. Devorak, but I’m sure it was just something I ate.”

“Oh…” The doctor didn’t even attempt to hide his disappointment and sighed. “Very well then. Tell the Count I will be there as soon as possible. Allow me to just...finish up with what I’m doing here–Aah!” Farah jumped when he suddenly yelped unprompted.

“What’s wrong?!”

“A-Aah...my little ones are just feeding,” That deep lustful blush was back and Dr. Devorak’s chest heaved a bit with shuddering breaths. “Leeches have serrated jaws, y-you see, and every once in a while I can feel their teeth dig in deliciously as they suck up my delectable blood–Auh!!”

He straight up moaned that time and Farah could swear she saw his eyes roll back into his head.

“Is it...painful?”

“It feels as if many tiny hot needles are stabbing into my skin~!” The court physician laid back on the examination table. “It’s an exquisite pain....” He sighed as he arched his back, breath shuddering as the leeches dug their teeth again. “Yes, my little ones–feed on me until you are satisfied...I am a slave to your desire–Haaah! Yeeees!!”

“aLRIGHT THEN!” That was the last straw for her. In a completely flustered panic, Farah hurriedly grabbed the door handle and stepped back out of the room, eager to leave. “I’ll, uh, I’ll just go tell the Count that you’re...er...busy...” Dr. Devorak gave a curt sigh as if exasperated that she was still there.

“Yes, yes, please do! And shut the door on your way out!”

He didn’t have to tell her twice.

#reversed julian #julian devorak #the arcana #courtier swap au #the arcana game #courtier julian #the arcana courtier au #the arcana reversed courtier au #the arcana courtier swap au #dr. julian devorak #dr. devorak #my writing #beauty writes #apologies if this is out of character drakonishe akjshdskjhdas #i did my best to try and write him based on how he was presented in your drawings

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apprenticevida · 2 years

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I rise from my Depression Crypt to offer you some Court Librarian Vida headcanons

their room is basically a repurposed “study room” that’s in the library

It’d be considered sparse if there weren’t loads of books, clothes, and blankets strewn about. They’ve got a bed, a nightstand, a desk and chair, and an armoire.

“Why are there so many clothes on the desk?” “Because the armoire is full of books.” “Why is the armoire full of books?” “Because the desk has clothes on it”

Their room is a mess, but they do know where everything is. Mostly.

They do have a box of keepsakes that they keep safe and hidden. It includes: Madrigal’s first shed antler, a black feather quill, and the same trinkets mentioned in their general bio post, apart from the abandoned knitting project. That’s hidden under the bed.

#court librarian vida #vida vibes #courtier swap au

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cherryquitecontrary · 4 years

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His Darling Shadow || Elvira the Courtier

Based on @drakonishe‘s Courtier Swap AU

She had pledged her fealty to the magician long ago.

How long ago, nobody seemed to know. She was his “dearest shadow.” That’s what Court Magician Asra likes to call her, while clutching her chin tightly between his lithe fingers. There was no real affection behind it. The magician didn’t seem capable of such a thing. His tone was always too cool and his eyes betrayed a glimmer of emotion that was hard to place. But, he would grin at her the same way he did when he would see his cobra with her jaws wide open, poised to devour her latest prey.

Lady Elvira is one of his favorite pets, or so he likes to say. It’s uncommon to see one without the other. Wherever the magician walks, Lady Elvira follows close behind obediently, like a dog at the heels of her master. They are the types of people who’s eyes you can feel when they are looking at you. Their gazes are heavy, the magician’s with sadistic curiosity and the lady’s with intense, burning disregard. He whispers things into her ear in the presence of company and she responds simply and concisely. She is never verbose, never outwardly emotional in his presence, and hardly, if ever, speaks out of turn. She knew better than to do so.

It is said that she hadn’t been the same since the tragic passing of her parents. Or, at least, that is what could be heard from some of the whispers around Vesuvia. Other, less kind ones bear theories of how she was the cause of the deaths of the Lord and Lady. “Her aunt died mysteriously some years after them as well, didn’t she? That’s far from any coincidence”, they say. “She is the last of the Casimiro line. Who’s to say that isn’t on purpose?” Of course, anyone who hasn’t met Lady Elvira firsthand would scoff at these queries, thinking they were the product of baseless gossip. She is likely no more than a snide aristocrat, just like all of the other Vesuvian bluebloods. However, those who’ve been unfortunate enough to have looked into her eyes know all too well. They are dark and hollow, yet there is a burning behind them. They betrayed her temperament and gave a warning to all who came near: you are beneath me and I can dispatch you without remorse.

Like she had done it before. Like she would do it again.

“Beware the ‘Lady in Black’.” It is one of the first things mentioned to any newcomer to the palace after being warned about the magician. She hardly seemed like a threat on her own. She wasn’t known to make a move unless the magician commanded her to. But, make no mistake, crossing her was not without danger. For if she ever expressed her displeasure to the magician, there was no telling what could happen. She was his treasured pet, the dog at his heels, his dearest shadow. If she was displeased, then so was he. And there was no pleading with the magician when he was displeased. If the magician ever expressed the origin of his own displeasure to Lady Elvira, she flared up as quick as a brushfire and attacked unflinchingly. It was a courtesy, a mercy. For when the magician dealt with those who crossed him himself, people wound up missing. They are a double-headed serpent, the magician and his shadow. If one doesn’t swallow you whole, it is only a matter of time before the other does.

Beware Court Magician Asra.

Beware Lady Elvira.

Don’t look them in the eyes. Don’t turn your back on them. And don’t ever, ever find yourself alone with them. The magician calls the shots and, at his command, his darling shadow will be the last thing you’ll see before the world goes black.

#the arcana #the arcana asra #asra alnazar #Courtier Swap AU #this may have a darker tone than what is intended for this AU #but Court Magician Asra is sexy and terrifying and I wanted Elvira to match that #I wrote this instead of doing my midterm rip me #courtier elvira #Elvira Casimiro #;the apprentice #;the magician #AU; Swapped

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eurydice-khthonios · 5 years

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au tag dump so i can make better tags later but also find them

courtiers au

modern au

fae au - off shoot modern fae au

count asra au

asra/mc swap au

pirate au

mermaid au unrelated to the pirate one

au where hyperion kills eos rather than her burning at the lazaret

inevitably some au i’ve forgotten

#courtiers au #modern au #fae au #urban fantasy au #<off shoot #count asra au #asra swap au #pirate au #mermaid au #hyperion trigger happy au #au tag dump

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rhazberriquartz · 9 months

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Take The Spring: Swap!Arcana AU

AU by: @drakonishe go support them!

Writing: Rhazberriquartz

Note: This isn't edited or beta read. So, ignore my atrocious grammar errors. I have nothing posted about Rosie here. So, ha good luck. Also, big love letter to American Gods in a way. If you know you know.

The masquerade had been a disaster. My former wife, whom I had mourned had become our greatest enemy and the biggest threat Vesuvia has ever seen. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as she left with the members of her court. They held no loyalty to me or the city. But, as I watched her slink away with the others I noted a very important piece of her court missing.

“It couldn’t be…”

I looked at Andrea and the others, my hand threaded through my hair.

“What are we going to do?!” Andrea was distressed as we all were.

“I don’t know. This isn’t good.” Vlastomil Mused as he tried calming Agata.

I could barely hear anyone over my own thoughts as my mind reeled with possibilities. It wasn’t until Devarshi pulled me out of my own head that I realized I had been dissociated.

“You noticed too?” They asked me gently.

I nodded, “And I let my wife… Twenty One forgive me. I’ll be back!”

I turned on my heel and I sprinted for the terrarium room my wife kept her in. Did Nadia truly leave behind such an important piece of her plan? Or did she see herself above it? And how could I have not known? How could I have let the others torment her so? I felt guilt bubbling up in my belly like a geyser about to blow.

I let this happen. All of her approaches. Her clues. I ignored them! She knew what Nadia was up to and tried telling me.

She was here.

When I reached the terrarium I entered hoping the half baked plan I had would work. That she would agree to it. I looked around the terrarium in wonder. Her work had always been glorious. She and Valerius always made a team even the Gods would blush at. It showed even now. Monstrous flowers and plants bloomed in every corner of this room. It was almost unnatural.

But, I knew she was here waiting. If my theory was right - she was on our side and has been waiting for me to notice. To approach and ask for help.

“Ms. Lovecraft?” my voice echoed through the room, bioluminescent plants lit up around me.

She could eat me alive if she wished. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw her sitting on a bench. My shoulders fell as I noted the gentle smile she gave me.

“Please, I’m sorry. You gave me so many warning signs and I ignored them.”

I thought back to the books and notes she left. She never spoke a word. But, I had a feeling that was the work of Asra and Nadia, and the collar he forced her to wear. I could feel my knees shaking as I recalled the first time I saw Nadia sick her on some opponents in the battle field.

“You know what happened?” I asked.

Her brow quirked and she smirked looking at the view above us and then back to me.

“Ms. Lo- Rosie…” I carefully approached noting the moving flora around us, “I apologize for my discrepancies. I know who and what you are now. And… I need your help. We need your help.”

I watched her body language as she leaned back into her seat watching me intently.

“I…” I was looking for the words, but was failing to find what I wanted to say.

When Nadia said she had The World in her hands. I thought it was figurative. But, I now knew she was speaking in literal terms. I kneeled in front of her and bowed my head. Tears welling up in my eyes. I was about to speak again when I felt her hand on my shoulder.

“I want to make a deal. Please, I wouldn’t ask for your help if this wasn’t important. And… I don’t expect you to accept. Not after I- I let them treat you the way they did.” I looked up.

“I’ll free you and serve you from here on out. But, please help us conquer Nadia and the others.”

My platinum eyes met her amber eyes. A smile appeared on her face as the flowers in the room bloomed. I took that as a yes as I kissed her hand making the pact.

She gently pulled on the collar around her neck. With my left hand I grabbed where the lock was and squeezed it as tightly as possible, breaking it. It fell to the ground with a clunk.

“We have to find them. I… I know what must be done.”I looked down ashamed before standing up.

“My tribe… we used to fast. A form of ancient prayer to the deities we worshipped.” I watched her face contort into a dark smile, her eyes lighting up. “My people have never had to starve, to fight to survive in such a manner.”

I took another breath, “And while I do pride myself in taking care of my people and creating such a place where that hardship is not needed… right now - we need a motivator. My people will forgive me once they are aware of the seriousness of what’s happening.”

I held out my hands and let her place hers in mine. I knew if we did this it wouldn’t be for long. So, I held no qualms in inconveniencing my people. And by forcing people to pray to her it would increase her strength. And she would need it for this fight.

“It will draw them out and restore your magic in full. I will take full blame. I’m so sorry…”

There was a soft huff, “Sacrificing your clean name and reputation for me. What a dedication my dear starlight.”

My eyes widened as she spoke. I had never heard her voice before today and it was worth the years of waiting.

“Let’s go.” She said leading the way.

I kept up pace. I felt the ground shake with each step she took. Not even in her true form and it was affecting our surroundings. Had the collar dampened her magic? When we got to the main ballroom we passed the others heading outside.

“Montag what’s going on?” Devarshi asked.

“Rosie and I know how to draw them out, but…” I started.

“You’re not…” Valerius stared at me wide eyed before his gaze moved to Rosie who was in front of the steps to the palace.

“Montag! This will devastate the entire city!” Agata protested.

“No, he’s onto something. If she drains the city… it will take almost all magic with it. Which means…” Andrea started.

“They won’t be able to hide or draw magic from this place.” Vlastomil stated, “Montag how did you…”

“I ignored a lot during my time as Count. And even more when everything started happening. I let her be abused by the others. Thinking it was family bonding.” I stated as we watched as the spring disappeared. Color draining from Vesuvia.

Then her form shifted. Bones and muscle cracked and changed her form shifting into one I knew all too well. Teeth bared and claws dug into the ground below as she drained the magic from the city. There was a roar almost like the sound of a whale in distress as the flowers that adorned her bloomed.

I could hear whispered panic as Rosie left only existing produce and food.

“You better be right about this.” Andrea said, looking at me.

“I have to be…” I swallowed watching as Rosie’s true form let out another cry before I spoke.

“Citizens of Vesuvia. I have taken the magic and spring until we have Captured Nadia and her Court. It turns out she isn’t the ally she promised to be. And The World has agreed to help, but we must work together! This is the only way.” I let my voice boom though it was filled with regret.

I could hear the chatter. Most folks seemed to show understanding and agreed to help, while a few did throw some colorful names my way. I looked at Rosie watching her form shift back into something more human. I could see the colors swirling around her, whorls of magic zipped about as she bowed to the citizens.

She looked like herself. Her Rose Crown was in full bloom and the tendrils adorned with teeth no longer hidden in hair and ribbons. She was no longer weak and frail. I offered her my hand as she took it. I prayed I was right in doing this.

And in the end I was.

#the arcana #the arcana au #rosie #drakonishe #thearcanaprojects #courtier swap au

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drustvar · 2 years

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i think courtier swap Rosie is def in like. a sort of relationship w swap portia. But she also in general like flirts with everybody. Like swap julian desperately wants to get tag teamed by her and Asra lmfaooo I think though she has a very big unrequited attraction to Muriel in that au. Like she genuinely loves him but to him she just represents the violence and bloodshed he’s become entrenched in via his deals and hates it.

#like they still fuck for sure. but shes very 'are you gonna ask me to be your valentine ♥?' and hes more 'get out of my house.'#sorry im having WORMS!! TONIGHT!#ramblings #courtier swap au rosie #courtier rosie

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the-iron-orchid · 2 years

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Sometimes I think about a courtier-swap AU for about 5 seconds, mostly that Heron and Jinana would be horrible horrible co-conspirators, together radiating a terrible sort of power and unearthly beauty

But it’s way more fun that they’re basically just pretty gremlins with brain weasels in all our continuities lmao

#the bromance #ND QPP rides forever lol

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thekisforkeats · 3 years

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TMA Changeling AU Courts

The TMA Changeling AU Courts and their Monarchs (along with a few others we might recognize):

The London freehold is a Seasonal one; those freeholds that held to other systems wound up subsumed as Jonah Magnus merged the myriad London freeholds into one. There are smatterings of holdouts, but it's the four Seasons that hold sway in London--and, up until recently, a surprisingly strong contingent of Dusk Courtiers.

Elias Bouchard/Jonah Magnus and Peter Lukas, the Autumn and Winter Kings respectively, hold most of the power in London between them. Agnes Montague has been Summer Queen for a long time, but she mostly keeps to her own business and focuses on protecting the freehold from physical and outside threats. And Spring, well... Spring's been in upheaval, and it's only recently that Nikola Orsinov came out on top as undisputed bearer of the Antler Crown.

More details below the cut.

The Autumn Court has a great deal of power in London, which naturally means Fear is a dominant emotion for Glamour-gathering. Those few Changelings of an academic or mystical bent who don't wind up in Autumn usually wind up attached to it in some manner anyhow.

Elias Bouchard is the current Autumn King, and has held the Ashen Crown since 1996. His predecessor was James Wright, but of course that doesn't matter; it is an open secret in London that both men, and several more before, are actually aliases of Jonah Magnus, who has held the Autumn Crown of his freehold since at least 1867. The Telluric Fairest is also a Mirrorskin, however, and swaps his identity every few decades, mostly to keep up mortal appearances. It's considered polite in Court society to refer to him by whatever name he's currently under and act as though his predecessors were indeed different men, but sometimes someone will call him "Magnus" out of spite.

Jonah Magnus was a Legate of the Black Apple, and thus, so is Elias Bouchard. This is understood to be part of how he's kept the freehold safe--he makes bargains with the Others, he keeps tabs on Loyalists and privateers. He was a Legate long before he was Autumn King, and he is very, very good at his position.

Much of the Ashen Court works at or is attached to the Magnus Institute in some way; Elias likes to keep a close eye on his Courtiers. There are exceptions, of course, and holdouts, but given that the Magnus Institute pledge has a generous dollop of Glamour harvest involved, it's hard to resist the pull. That Glamour harvest comes from the collection of statements, of course, and while much of the Glamour is channeled into the Panopticon, there's always enough kept aside for those who work at the Institute.

For most of the Institute's history, the position of Archivist was the London freehold's main addition to the typical Autumn Court positions (as outlined in Lords of Summer). In the mid-1970s, however, Gertrude Robinson abruptly abandoned her ties to Autumn and took up the Mantle of the Dusk Court. This severely hampered the flow of Glamour to the Ivory Tower, and forced James Wright to find alternate sources of Glamour, which led directly to his ending the six decade balance in merging the northern and southern freeholds into the present-day London freehold. This fact shifted power away from Magnus, however, a fact that has never ceased to rankle him.

Now that the position of Archivist is firmly back in Autumn hands through Jonathan Sims, the balance of power has begun to subtly shift back. Only time will tell where it will settle.

---

Winter is firmly under the control of the Lukas family, although it wasn't always this way up north. The fact is, however, that anyone who wants to Make It in the Winter Court has to kowtow to the Lukases in one way or another. There are those on the edges, gathering power and influence, planning to take Lukas down, but that's another post.

Peter Lukas is the current bearer of the Onyx Crown, and has been since about 2000. He's an Elemental through-and-through, Airtouched/Waterborn; he uses Contracts of Smoke to disappear regularly, and can be hard to actually meet in-person if you're not Winter Court yourself. He dislikes most interaction, and when dealing with those outside Winter prefers to make pledges based around wagers rather than anything more cooperative.

Peter only spends about four months of the year in London--the two weeks before the Winter Solstice, the season he wears the Crown, and the two weeks after. He spends the rest of the year on his ship, the Tundra, which is actually a big Glamour-harvesting setup. Find people dripping with Sorrow, bring them out to sea and isolate them, drain them for all the melancholy they can get. He rarely kills people, though some do slip into the fog. But it's all in pursuit of the greater good of the Lost, as Lukas puts it.

The Winter King is ruthless, even moreso than any family member before him. Peter will not hesitate to sacrifice a Courtier in pursuit of the safety of the freehold. He has no Entitlement--that would require a willingness to dedicate himself to something other than Winter, and Sorrow. He is, however, a student of the Contracts of the Sorrow-Frozen Heart, and knowing levels of said Contracts is necessary to make it very far in the Winter Court.

Peter is smart enough to know that people need an outlet, however, and so he sees to it that Winter celebrates all the usual festivals and follows long-held traditions. He also has a dedicated member of his Court that runs Radio Free Fae, and he gives them a surprising amount of latitude in what goes on-air. This makes London's RFF station a true delight to listen to, for the content is curated enough to be coherent but with enough freedom to be truly informative and entertaining. The DJs even have a regular naming pattern, each named for a different station of the London Underground (aside from those who channel DJ Otzal, of course).

For the past five years, the London RFF has been run by Martin Blackwood, who DJs under the name of Kensington--which he is quick to point out means Kensington Olympia, one of the least-used stations on the Underground network. He seems to find this funny. Most people do not know that Martin is Kensington, nor do they know that Kensington runs all of RFF, but people have noticed that the quality's gone up in the past five years.

Martin is also Peter's man on the inside at the Magnus Institute, planted there years ago as a "liaison" and recently, at Peter's request, foisted upon the Archivist's motley, to be one of his assistants. Peter's plans go deeper than mere diplomacy, but he's playing his cards close to his chest as he usually does.

---

Spring has undergone some major upheavals in the past few years. The former Queen, Jane Prentiss, had slowly been losing Clarity for years despite the best efforts of those around her and the Blackbird Bishops. Three years ago she lost the Antler Crown to a complete newcomer, Nikola Orsinov. The loss of her position contributed to her Clarity finally slipping away entirely, and after an incident in which she dropped the Mask in a hospital and killed seven people, she was declared a danger to the freehold and cast out of the Court entirely.

Nikola is a Fairest, Dancer and Manikin, and when she came into power she began to reform the Spring Court, which had been in disarray for years due to Prentiss' mismanagement. She is an Elder of the Barony of the Lesser Ones, and has strong connections to the hobs and the Goblin Market. She re-oriented the Court to a strong focus on entertainment and commerce to gather Desire. They still offer healing services, but there's a lot less focus on courtly romance and free love and a lot more focus on what might be politely termed "capitalistic media."

With Orsinov came a whole flood of other Spring changelings, bolstering the previously lagging Court. She also brought along hobs and ensorcelled humans, all part of her rather large "Circus" motley, and it can be hard to guess just what any given member of the Circus is.

Nikola has plans that involve her Court becoming more powerful in London, and she does not trust Elias very far. Under her direction, the Spring Courtiers that had been connected to Autumn in any way have found their way out of pledges and obligations with one major exception: Sasha James, who has been part of a motley at the Magnus Institute for years and has recently gone down to the Archives with the rest of the motley. Whether this is at the behest of the Spring Queen or in spite of her wishes is hard to say; it may even be that Sasha is just unimportant enough to escape Nikola's notice.

But there is the persistent rumor that Nikola's entire purpose in coming to London was to take down Jonah Magnus and his Ivory Tower once and for all.

---

Summer has never been the strongest of the London Courts. It doesn't help that summer in London is, in terms of the weather, relatively mild, even sometimes cloudy or rainy. But for the past fifty years, the London freehold has had a strong Summer Queen and been a largely unsung backbone of the freehold. Elias Bouchard may spy the threats in the Hedge from the Panopticon, but it's Summer that forms the hunting parties to take down those threats.

Agnes Montague was not supposed to be a Changeling. Her mother was a cultist who wanted to bring forth a True Fae born on Earth, one who could tear down the Hedge and bring all the Others to the world. She conceived the child with Pedicle Velvet and gave birth in the Hedge, in a ritual that burned her pregnant body away so only the baby remained. Agnes was born an Elemental Fireheart, raised by the cult, and it was only as she grew older and more powerful that her secondary kith of Flamesiren appeared.

If Agnes has ever been to Arcadia, she does not speak of the visit; it's entirely possible that she never has. When the cult felt the need to give her further connection to the "real" world they moved her to the house of a privateer at Hill Top Road in Oxford, but that only resulted in the house burning down. The cult's control broke when Agnes was in her 20's due to magic that the Archivist Gertrude Robinson performed; it's never been clear exactly what happened, but it led to Agnes coming to London with the remnants of the cult in tow.

Agnes was crowned Summer Queen after besting the former King in single combat on her arrival in London. She is not much of a physical fighter, but her knowledge and control of Contracts is immensely powerful. While rumors insist that she is one of the Lost Pantheon, in truth she joined the Legion of the Iron Wall long ago, and it is with a Legionnaire's knowledge that she defens the freehold.

Agnes is as ruthless in her way as Peter Lukas, but with a core of compassion that can be glimpsed in rare moments. She struggles with her Clarity, and keeps close ties to the Blackbird Bishops as well as spending time on simple, mundane things. (That is, rumors say, why she continues to have an unorthodox relationship with a mortal, Jack Barnabas.)

Summer is the season of Wrath, and typically responsible for the physical defense of the freehold, and the Queen takes that responsibility very seriously. It was she who declared Jane Prentiss cast out from the Freehold, and she long ago set up ties with the police and various emergency departments in London.

Not all "Section 31" officers on the London police force are Changelings--it seems, from what little anyone outside the force knows, that there are officers from pretty much every supernatural groups. Which means werewolf police, vampire police... the mind boggles. Nonetheless, many Summer Changelings with anger problems find a home on the force, and goading mortal officers into police brutality is a great way to gather Glamour, right? Never mind the "collateral damage."

Then there's the Tolltaker Knighthood, the which isn't directly tied to the police force despite their current Knight Banneret, Alice "Daisy" Tonner, being a police detective. The London Tolltakers have a reputation for being deeply ruthless, as the only arbiter of what is a "just" bounty is Daisy herself, and Daisy is deeply ruthless. It's well-known that they rarely take bounties merely to hunt someone down and return them unharmed; Daisy seems to think that beneath her order. Roughing someone up is more likely, and killing? Well. If you can convince Daisy they're a threat to the freehold she'll gladly take up the bounty. She hands them out fairly freely to the other Tolltaker Knights, but she keeps the biggest threats for herself.

---

And then there's Dusk.

There was a time in London when the Dawn Court had more power than Dusk, but it's been so long that many Lost joke that it'd be too cloudy to see the dawn in London anyway. Some people attribute Dusk's power to Gertrude Robinson, the Darkling Antiquarian whose strange alliance with Agnes Montague and usurping of the position of Archivist from Jonah Magnus gave her Court far more power than it typically has in any freehold.

The truth is much darker, as befits the Court of Dooms.

There is something rotten in the core of the London freehold. Many of the Lost know this on some level, although few even think it to themselves, let alone say it aloud. Those who do think about the problem are liable to blame it on Peter Lukas. He has formed the Winter Court into a place where there is little hope or light, no warmth to keep the chill outside at bay. There is no longer the usual flow of fresh from the Hedge Changelings, desperate to just stay safe, to Winter as a waystop on the way to another Court; those who cannot dedicate themselves wholly to Winter find no welcome among Lukas' Court. He has supressed Fetch-hunters such as the Duchy of Truth and Loss, prefering to force new Changelings to give up their old lives entirely, and this has affected the entire freehold. He is barely present in the city for most of the year, which leaves the Winter Court's usual duties of secrecy and security to others such as Autumn and Summer, throwing off the seasonal balance.

And all of this is true, so far as it goes. Winter should, in the best version of the Court, be a place of both ruthlessness and compassion, with some who embrace Sorrow wholly and some who keep it at bay with blankets and a warm fire and good cheer.

But the Dusk Courtiers of London knew that the problem goes deeper than this. Get rid of Peter Lukas, form Winter into something more balanced, and you would still have a rot at the center of the freehold, because Winter is not at the center of the London freehold. Lukas is a symptom, not the disease.

Jonah Magnus is the problem.

Gertrude Robinson knew this, even if she did not know precisely what Magnus was doing. She saw the signs, the way the whole of the freehold bent itself to the Autumn King, the way the freehold population somehow stayed generally the same over time despite the growth of the city itself. Autumn claimed to be keeping the freehold "safe," and the Hedge usually was safe, but how many newly emerged from the Hedge found their way to the Magnus Institute to give a bewildered statement about Arcadia and then disappeared? How many Lost who lurked on the edges of their Court decided to "move" with no forwarding address?

Gertrude knew, because Gertrude was the one in charge of the system Jonah Magnus was using to perpetuate his own power. And if that had been the only problem--if it had merely been that Magnus had struck some horrible bargain to feed the "weak" of the freehold to the Others to keep the rest of them safe--then she might have merely tried to take the Autumn Crown from him.

What Gertrude found, however, was not mere evidence of Jonah Magnus being a Loyalist (which she did), nor horrible bargains with privateers and True Fae to keep the London freehold safe (which exist). What she found was the outlines of a plan to use the Archives for some horrible purpose that, she believed, would bring about the end of the world as they knew it. And so she left Autumn and became Dusk, and the Crown came to her shortly after.

Exactly what she knew is hard to say. Her notes are missing, her once-powerful Court has been scattered to the winds. Gerry Delano, long the Dusk Queen's right hand, disappeared in America a year before her death. Adelard Dekker went missing in Germany a year before that, on one of his many missions to gather information about what he claimed was a push from inside Arcadia to invade Earth. The others of the Umbral Court who have not switched allegiances have gone underground or moved away.

One could think that perhaps this is merely the usual swing of power between Dawn and Dusk, but there are no Dawn Courtiers in London at all anymore. There is no hope of a better day, no glimmering light on the horizon promising change and renewal. There is only the deepening shadows, and the ever-more-persistent feeling of paranoia spreading through the freehold like a disease.

But, then, it is precisely these conditions that leads to a revival of the Dusk Court. Surely someone will read the signs, take up the call, fight the looming disaster. And there is one member of the London freehold that knows Contracts of Entropy, who knew Adelard Dekker, who chose Winter over Dusk in a desperate bid for normality over being any kind of "Chosen One."

But Martin Blackwood is working in the Archives now, and the stench of the rot will be impossible to ignore for very long.

#tma changeling au #changeling the lost #tma #the magnus archives #am i accidentally making martin the protagonist here?#not really tbh it's just that he's got more inter-court stuff going on than jon does #i look forward to expanding on the archives motley in another post bc i love them #anyway here have a dose of foreshadowing and me playing with characters and avatars

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spell-cleaver · 4 years

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The Heir // The Luke Palpatine AU, Part 27.75

Prompt from @yelling-in-space

"Kissing... seems weird. "I don't understand what adults like about it. But I never tried it so I wouldn't know."

Zev shrugged, looking everywhere but at Luke. "Yeah... weird..." He took a deep breath and then very quickly pressed out, "Soyouwannatry."

"What."

This is the second part of the flashback arc and a direct continuation of the previous one.

Previous parts on the masterpost here!

"Kissing... seems weird." Luke shifted his grip nervously—were his palms sweaty? They were probably sweaty—as he made the observation, still leading Zev through the steps of the dance. It wasn't that they couldn't hear the music from the ballroom in here; they could hear it loud and clear. It was that Zev clearly didn't know the steps. "I don't understand what adults like about it. But I never tried it so I wouldn't know."

Zev shrugged, looking everywhere but at Luke. "Yeah... weird..." He took a deep breath and then very quickly pressed out, "Soyouwannatry."

"What."

Zev flushed. Strange; Luke had always seen him as more put together than... well, than Luke. "You shouldn't if you don't want to, Luke, I just saw you looking at me, and—"

"No, I—" Luke paused. Led Zev around in a wide arc, and a spin. "I do. How?"

"How? What do you mean how?"

"I mean how. What—"

"What do you do for it? You just push your mouths together."

"Yeah. Do other species kiss?"

Zev blinked. "What?"

"Well—if a species has multiple mouths, or doesn't have one at all, or just doesn't think that swapping saliva is romantic—"

Zev laughed and it made something in Luke flutter; he'd made him laugh. He was amusing. That had meant to be a joke, if a poor taste one, and he'd made him laugh with it.

"I don't know," Zev confessed. "Probably not. I think Twi'leks touch each other's lekku to show affection or... intimacy."

"Ew."

"You know what intimacy is meant to be a euphemism for but not how to kiss?"

"I only covered so many areas of reproduction in biology!"

"Reproduction—" Zev nearly choked to death laughing, there. He stopped dancing to cover his mouth with his hand and Luke watched awkwardly.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"What? No. I'm sorry." Zev straightened up again. "But... do you wanna try?"

Luke took a deep breath.

Vader wasn't here. His father wasn't here. There were no courtiers here. What could go wrong?

"Alright," he said with a faint smile, tilting his head back slightly to look him in the eye. Zev smiled back, then they both, somewhat clumsily, leaned forwards—

"Oh!"

They sprang apart like they'd been burnt.

Luke whipped his head around. There was a young woman there, in a servant's garb, carrying a stack of chairs to put in the corner; she'd backed away upon seeing them, but when Luke turned her brown eyes went wide.

"Your Majesty..." she said. "I— My sincerest apologies for the interruption—"

"It's nothing," he dismissed, hating the way her gaze flicked between him and Zev, how close they were, their hands still entwined. He let go. "We were just leaving."

Zev blinked at the obvious lie, and so did the maid, but she nodded politely and skedaddled as quickly as she could.

Luke hoped she wouldn't gossip. If she did, he deserved it.

"We should get back to the ballroom," he said to Zev, not quite having the guts to look him in the eye. "I have to hang around a little longer, then leave."

"And then we'll come back?" Zev's tone made it clear he knew the answer.

"No. I— people will gossip. No." He hated being put on a pedestal. He hated being recognised. He hated being judged and mocked and stared at for every moment of his life.

He didn't want to drag Zev into it, which was exactly what a scandal would do.

As friends, they'd be fine. He could be less alone—but he was Emperor. Of course he was going to be alone.

"It's alright, Luke," Zev said, reaching out to squeeze his hand. His quiet acceptance of Luke's decision made it hurt more.

Luke dropped his hand, and headed back into the ballroom.

I am no longer accepting prompts for this AU.

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#luke palpatine #luke skywalker #zevulon veers #:(#poor boy #my writing #random words on a page

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carniore · 5 years

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Castlevania AU: Vlad-Lisa Swap

A short story for this AU:

For a woman of myth, her decision for keeping people out was...questionable. What was between him and a well of knowledge was a field of skeletons on sticks, and quiet frankly, Vlad sort of expected a more common, candied version of the frequent myths and rumors that he heard from people. This was definitely not it.

These skeletons were impaled in various ways, usually straight up through the...the less vulgar and painful feelings he got from this display was from the skeleton on his right.

Well, Vlad thought, at least this is a sign of someone serious.

He took a moment to secure his dagger sheath, and moved forward.

The sudden chattering of bats filled Vlad’s ears, a common sound Vlad had gotten use to as he had brought himself closer and closer to Lisa’s castle. Something flashed by his face.

On instinct, he drew out his dagger...and promptly impaled a bat. It’s sickly red blood ran down his arm, and he flung it to the side. The broken thing made a wet splat at the base of the towering castle.

The blood reminded him of the consequences that failure could bring if he failed-whether she was real or not.

Cautiously, Vlad knocked on the enormous doors with the pommel of his dagger, all while keeping his hand on is short sword.

Suddenly, he could hear metal clanking against metal and lighting crackle in ways he had never heard before.

At least that’s promising, Vlad thought snidely, much better that muttering cheating, wise women or those thieving church officials.

The doors opened.

Vlad took a deep breath..and stepped in.

The doors proceeded to close behind him immediately. Great, he was possibly stuck in here with a monster with no way out. The only way he could look now was...forward. And in the candle-light of the various candelabra that tastefully lined the hall, was several sets of stairs.

Leaning on the railway of the stairs was...a woman. What she actually looked like, Vlad couldn’t make out. Her form was sheathed in shadows, but he could at the most make out her movements as she made her way down the stairs.

It was now or never.

“I am Vlad Tepes of Wallachia, I’m here for the hidden information you have within your realm.”

As he spoke, the figure glided past many columns. “What kind of knowledge?”

She spoke warily, like a woman with not enough time on her hands or enough trust.

Before he could speak again, the figure asked, “The kind that all men seem to seek?”

It only took a few seconds for Vlad to get the message. Night creature or a woman with trust issues, Vlad grind his teeth in frustration. He traveled several miles, almost got robbed, and stabbed a bat, to get this?

He had to take a breath to regain his worn-down temper. “No, I’m here for the true sciences, not how to woe women. Or any sort of lusting lord or lady. That’s all they seem interested in. I want to actually learn.”

The presents of the figure was behind him now, a firm hand on the small his back. Vlad steeled his nerves some more.

“I’m not hear to dabble chicken blood on people either. I have been taken for a warlock one too many times.” He could feel past resentment and anger rising at his very own words. If people were less like sheep, he wouldn’t have to deal with this thing touching his spine.

Suddenly the figure behind him spoke.

“I am Lisa Fahrenheit, Lady of Castlevania.” A pause of silence, then a sudden change of tone. “Turn around.”

Vlad turned around...and didn’t see anyone. He blinked. What in-

“Eyes down here.”

“Oh.”

She was actually smaller than he had expected. And her hair was a dirty blonde with a set of blue eyes. But like all creatures of night, her skin was deathly and smooth, and a small set of fangs peeked out. At least, that was what they claimed her to be. Although, she definitely wasn’t hideous. Lisa was-actually pretty, unmarred by any sort of suffocating makeup that many of his “fellow” courtiers wore. The only effort she seemed to put in her looks was a single braid that was pulled behind her head,

“Usually men come here for something else. So your...a new change in pace.”

Lisa tilted her head. He could see admiration in her eyes. Lisa cracked a smile.

“And definitely taller.”

She proceeded to walk around him. Vlad’s eyes trailed on her own.

“Do you want me to take your coat?”

Vlad blinked, a little stunned at the offer, but a little suspicions as well. Vlad may be a man of science, but after almost being eaten by a demon, he was a little cautious.

“Or are there no more manners in Wallachia? Do I have to teach you manners?”

Despite her seemingly cheerful-if not slightly cheeky nature-Lisa’s eyes seemed...tired. Like she had dealt with something bad to many times, and simply given up.

Perhaps she had.

She proceeded to sniff the air. “Holy water?”

Vlad internally winced.

“I had a run in with a demon.”

“Ah, you didn’t seem like a religious type.”

“I am not. Me and the Church...do not get along.”

Lisa looked to a hallway he had previously not noticed.

“Hmm.”

A light seemed to go on in her eyes. She gestured to follow her down the hallway, now lit and a little well kemp than the rest of the castle. Lisa looked at him.

“This way.”

And Vlad followed him down the hall. A question came to mind.

“Lisa...why decide to trust me so quickly?”

She looked back. The light in her eyes were a little brighter.

“Something feels right about you. A little grumpy and anti-social, but right.”

“And the impaled people?”

Lisa actually seemed a little flustered, if not embarrassed by this question.

“People had a bit of a...acceptance problem towards many women in power back then.”

Vlad surprised himself by chuckling.

“Ever been out of the castle since then?”

“Not since I became a vampire.”

Vlad may have paused for a second as they were walking down the hall. A vampire...very...straight forward. But looking at her eyes, it was an honest answer.

“I must tell you, it is best if you don’t.”

Lisa laughed. “My goodness, I wonder what people are like now out there.”

She opened the door. “Now, here we are.”

Vlad wasted not time to start handling the tools Lisa had in this wondrous place.

Lisa walked over to his side to take the valuable tool in his hand.

“All of this is a precious thing among immortals.”

Lisa looked at Vlad. Her eyes were truly bright now.

“In return for all of this, will you help me with a project?”

There was no pause to his answer: “Yes.”

“Good, we have much work to do if we are going to improve everyone’s lives.”

Vlad might have frozen on the spot.

“What?”

A man with slight misanthropy, and a humane vampire, this may be an odd mix.

#One-Shot #Castlevania #Castlevania au #Castlevania Dracula #Dracula Castlevania #Lisa Castlevania #Castlevania AU: Vlad-Lisa Swap #Castlevania Swap AU #Swap AU #DraculaxLisa #Vampire!Lisa #Human!Vlad

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