#so in terms of evil blond vampires........
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IAD Hero Power Rankings: Part Dieci
I have read Lothaire, and while I think there are potentially heroes who hit my personal buttons more.... for now, I must admit that Lothaire (the character) lives up to the hype and is in fact a very clearly highly influential romance novel hero. Which I'm sure he would love. Whatever.
Lothaire, the Enemy of Old, vampire, Lothaire
Pros:
--well you can't say he isn't goal-oriented
--takes kids trick or treating
--does not support rape or child murder; and he actually likes dogs a lot!
--"ELIZABETH. WITH MY COMPLIMENTS. YOU WILL NEVER GET YOUR CLAWS INTO ANOTHER ONE OF MINE. ROT IN HELL. L." he says as he tries to make a point when sending her his Heart in a Box (TM), failing to make that point because it's clear that he's just sitting in his murder castle listening to teardrops on my guitar on repeat
--listen between the tittyfucking and the "let me drink my heroine's virgin's blood after I very literally pop her cherry" moment, you can't call him boring
--actually hilarious, basically just a very scary vampire with a to-do list punting decapitated heads around like they're soccer balls
--just did some shifter beheadings!!! it not like he goes around cockslapping gnomes!!!!
--loves a couch sex moment
Cons:
--does support murdering everyone else if need be, casting out innocent souls to achieve his aims, unleashing untold evil, trench coats, biting unwilling people and being like "look if it gets weird go with it"
--clinically insane
--will forget someone he was talking to like half an hour ago because he's lost all concept of time and space, will talk to himself during sex to be like "DON'T KILL HER @ me!!!"
--Ellie spends like 30% of this book covered in his semen, to the point that she literally just goes to sleep in it in order to piss the demon inhabiting her body off
--I thought he couldn't sleep because of his madness but when you get to his POV he's like "MY DICK IS TOO HARD FOR ME TO SLEEP"
--watches everyone have sex, which, considering this series, is a lot of people. I don't even think it's sexual it's just his shit
--his only friend is a teenage quarterback, but then again, that QB is Thad and Thad is God
--put the Valkyrie queen underwater to drown eternally and forgot where she was lmao (this came out before The Old Guard.....)
--was into "juvenile skullfucking"
2. Garreth MacRieve, werewolf, Pleasure of a Dark Prince
Pros:
–invented “werewolf versus demon” basketball because he was SADS
–smells Lucia masturbating and is like WAIT WAIT WAIT I CAN FIX THAT
–gets Lucia off through prison bars…. a determined man
–engages in a Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote dynamic with his heroine for a YEAR where he’s just chasing her around the globe while she crushes him with trucks and shit… he sees it as foreplay
–is actually truly the most woke werewolf hero; rightly points out to Lucia that she’s not exaaaactly being chaaaaste when he’s tearing that shit up every night even if there’s no penetration; keeps himself from going full moon crazy with magic in order to keep Lucia from being pressured into sex with him, and even when that magic breaks super holds back until she makes a conscious decision; does not do the Ritual Doggy Style Full Moon thing because he wants to look into her eeeeeeyes and ground her and even puts her on top, a KING
–catches a special new butterfly for her and names it after her leave me alone I’m crying
–“lass, I’m about to make you a widow” …. this shit works every time
–even a GOD can’t make him hurt Lucia
Cons:
–does not believe that women should have jobs after they find their werewolf soulmates, but to be fair, he is completely right, why the hell would I work if I had a rich werewolf soulmate who hunts big game for me and does all the cooking and cleaning and work and shit
–is honestly big stupid about plunging into danger
–is honestly big stupid about a lot of things… plan for keeping his woman from pursuing her immortal mission was “I’ll just fuck her until she passes out and then I’ll go do big mission for her”, admirable but not flaw-free logic
–was gonna help Lachlain steal a baby
–BIG “dumb younger brother” energy
–“we’re werewolves we’re very curious and always have to solve mysteries” lmao okay Scooby Doo
3. Rydstrom Woede, demon (king), Kiss of a Demon King
Pros:
–called Sabine a “good girl” even when she’s actually being a bad girl
–is explicitly a dom
–the first time he smiles is after she flips him off
–is into spanking
–takes Sabine to a bar and everyone leaves the bar because she’s evil and he’s all “awwww baby I don’t understand why they don’t like you :(” when she’s committed, like, war crimes… down ridiculous…
–his big comeback to his enemy is like “lmao well I’m about to make your girl’s eyes roll back in her head SOOOOOOO EAT IT CUCK”
–has two elaborate fantasies in this novel: a) suspending Sabine from the ceiling and edging her until he lets her grind against his face B) watching Sabine cuddle their cute baby. The duality of demon king
Cons:
–I mean I guess he did some pretttttyyyyy dubious shit to Sabine, but only after she did them to him
–met a woman and became her friend and talked to her for days and literally didn’t remember fucking her once until she reminded him…. I thought it was funny
–that time he went at Sabine’s tits for so long that the next day she was all “THEY HURT SO BAD” so I assume he was like a newborn baby or something
–“I don’t have any fetishes!!!!” has every fetish known to man
–was so down ridiculous that he went to try and kill himself to save her… this is a pro… but I’m gonna pretend it’s a con
–is pretty hard on Cade who was just trying!!! his!!! best!!!!!!!!!! but again this is only mildly a con because his disappointed dad thing is hot
4. Conrad Wroth, vampire, Dark Needs at Night’s Edge
Pros:
–exceedingly good at removing obstacles between him and what he wants
–a virgin and SUPER embarrassed about it in a way that is INCREDIBLY precious (when he finally fucked this woman and went “So I was good?” I almost fucking wept)
–murder puppy only wants death and blood (until he discovers………… other things)
–a natural born dirty talker
–BABY BOY…. BABY BOY…./EVIL
Cons:
–has erectile dysfunction for a significant part of his book, he gets better but I was so sad for him
–I mean, is fully insane and wants to murder his entire family, but nobody’s perfect and Nikolai kinda deserves it
–wears sunglasses indoors
–got aroused while buying underwear for her and had to limp home
–made Bowen MacRrieve sad and that makes me really upset because I love Bowen MacRieve
5. Bowen MacRieve, werewolf, Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night
Pros:
–is a werewolf general
–was celibate for 1200 years after his lover got so scared of his wolf form that she gored herself on a tree stump (lmao)
–spent those 1200 years trying to bring her back to life
–great at catching and preparing seafood
–breeding kink (wants to put all the bairns in Mariketa)
–kinda into bondage…?
–gets hard at the thought of Mariketa’s carnage, even when he is the carnage
–update pro: gets sent to a party by himself so that Mariketa can run an errand and just sits there confused and miserable at the bar by himself waiting for her to show up even though he knows people there; I imagine this is much like that SNL skit about a dog park for boyfriends, where the shy boyfriend hides under a picnic table
Cons:
–kind of a fuckboy (will say his dead lover’s name when he comes, ONE TIME, but “Mariketa” and “Mariah” begin similarly so)
–doesn’t like it when Mariketa chant incantations into her mirror because it creeps him out
–breeding kink (casually tries to get her to stop taking birth control)
–makes fun of Mariketa’s vibrator, even if I found that actually hilarious
6. Lachlain MacRieve, werewolf, A Hunger Like No Other
Pros:
–chewed his own leg off to get to Emma, pinned her to the ground in broad daylight, and inhaled her neck like a fucking FREAK
–actually pretty good at being the werewolf king (saves Bowen from his own stupidity multiple times, much daddy, very authoritative)
–saw Emma kill her own dad and basically swooned
–is absolutely down to get his blood sucked… through his penis (I believe he says that’s the only way he’ll accept BJs now…?)
–gets by on missing 150 years of progression purely on intimidation, which I personally find deeply sexy
Cons:
–I mean yes Lachlain is one of the rape-iest IAD heroes even if most of that was werewolf instinct and burning alive for 150 years
–doesn’t know how to use an iPod
–but will max out your credit cards
–a werewolf supremacist (is this a bad thing…?)
–says “Kiss me like you want to live” which I guess I should put as a con because it’s non-consensual but whatever I was dow–
7. Murdoch Wroth, vampire, Untouchable
Pros:
—just extremely determined… his heroine can’t bear skin to skin contact? He’s gonna use an icicle as a dildo. He fucked up so bad she fled to an ice kingdom? Well, he’s gonna fucking find her
–probably the closest IaD gets to a himbo… HE WAS MORE THAN A RAKE, DAMMIT!!! HE DIED IN A WAR!!!!!!!
–I don’t think y'all get how impressive it is that he consistently hit the clit through a blanket AND fucked her to orgasm with an icicle for like a year
–is actually a very good brother
–finds out his woman maybe married another guy and goes “she’s going to be a widow” I love mess
Cons:
–I mean does bitch a lot about how sexually frustrated he is but his heroine is an ice princess who can’t stand skin to skin contact without extreme pain so……………………… I do get it blue balls kill
–will masturbate to the thought of you in the shower while you’re unconscious six feet away covered in arrow wounds… if that’s something you’re not into…
–has confidence issues because the Wroth brothers are rattled off like Nikolai: the leader! Sebastian: the brain! Conrad: the mysterious babe! Murdoch: … the slut?
(do love that the Wroth bros are the Charlie’s Angels of this series)
–bit Dani without her consent blah blah blah
8. Cadeon Woede/“Cade the Kingmaker”, demon, Dark Desires After Dusk
Pros:
–extremely loyal to his brother (which I found cute)
–orders ahead to get pre-packaged food for Holly to accommodate her OCD, while helping her Walk on the Wild Side
–was the first guy to 69 with his heroine in this series
–stalked Holly for like a year (stalking is love)
–gets adorably tongue-tied around her, but not in a lame way
Cons:
–lied to Holly for like… that entire book lmao (even though it was fun)
–is called the Womb Raider for a reason, apparently (a little tooooo potent)
–sort of fucks with Holly’s birth control, in the sense that he made sure she was super fertile, but to be fair Holly did not… actually… take birth control
–threw out Holly’s OCD meds, though I chalk this up to the year the book was published
–just sort of drove around giving Holly head for WEEKS while Rydstrom was getting sexually tortured, so like…. maybe doesn’t have GREAT priorities…. maybe has the best priorities… Rydstrom was fine…
9. Nikolai Wroth, vampire, The Warlord Wants Forever
Pros:
–deeply efficient and good at his job (being a bloodthirsty warlord), which turns his mate on as much as it should literally everyone else
–scars all over
–very family-oriented, which means he’s extreeeeemely daddy, and very much uses that in the bedroom
–will try to make nice with your bitchy sisters for you
–is receptive to therapy, even if the therapist was his beaten and bruised brother whose advice was basically “do better”
Cons:
–did steal Myst’s chain and used it to make her come on command; which, while I liked it, was very much non-consensual
–insecure about Myst’s history as the greatest femme fatale of the last couple millennia (though he gets better and decides to be a sex-positive feminist)
–that time that he turned his little brothers into vampires against their will
–was so down bad that he literally started to waste away when Myst didn’t let him get off for five years
–does not properly heat his manor
10. Declan Chase/Aidan the Fierce/Gabriel/Edward/whoever the fuck else he was, berserker, Dreams of a Dark Warrior
Pros:
--I mean you can't really go wrong with someone who is so determined to have his heroine that he just defies death and keeps coming back throughout the ages
--probably the only employee at Torture Island to get in trouble for workplace sexual harassment.... impressive
--that time he cried after suffocating Regin (it must be truuuuue love truuuuuue love)
--that bathtub scene where he was like "wait no actually I'm taking over this weird sexual interplay thing we have going on"
--his days-long island hike grovel where he was like just sadly walking around and being like *eye emoji* at Regin.... hilarious
Cons:
--I actually totally got why Regin forgave him (true love + dick too bomb) but personally I feel like it's basically impossible that Lachlain and Rydstrom and Sabine are gonna let the shit he pulled slide forever so suspension of disbelief was rough there
--he did vivisect a MacRieve, and I am nothing if not a MacRieve Stan For Lyfe
--the drug addiction issues are rough
--that time he had to let Lothaire bite his neck whenever he wanted and Lothaire was like "if I call you a girl's name just go with it" and it DIDN'T turn into sex? Sads
11. Malkolm Slaine, demon/vampire, Demon from the Dark
Pros:
–we love a virgin hero always
–gave Carrow the heads of her enemies As A Treat
–very good at giving sensual baths
–a responsible, loving step-demon to what is admittedly an annoying child
–made Rydstrom, Nikolai, Garreth, and Myst all “YOU WANNA GO BRO???” in what was by far one of the funniest parts of the series
Cons:
–honestly a very sweet guy
–swallows toothpaste TWICE
–comes against Carrow’s leg like thirty seconds after meeting her (actually a pro in terms of hilarity)
–TOO BIG, WON’T FIT (pro)
–could’ve been meaner, I’m not gonna lie
11. Sebastian Wroth, vampire, No Rest for the Wicked
Pros:
–all but a virgin when he meets Kaderin
–Gentleman in the Streets Freak in That Random Nightclub Where He SNAPS
–joined the mile high club remarkably fast
–throws out all his principles for her
–Speaks Like Dracula but in a “I vant to suck your clit” way
Cons:
–borderline beta, or as beta as a murderous centuries old vampire warlord can be
–a little tooooo accommodating of Kaderin’s bullshit
–could have been more demanding, to be honest (Bowen and Lachlain would noooot have been as patient as he was, which some would like but I was a little weary of)
#romance novel blogging#immortals after dark#look would i marry lothaire??? obviously not but the iconicity cannot be denied#lothaire is both much worse than lestat generally and a much better partner romantically#and lestat also does give some pillow princess vibes im ngl.... i know ellie is having better sex than louis#so in terms of evil blond vampires........#anyway this list is hard because tbh most of the heroes in this series are a 10/10#most of the heroines too#it's just aggressively good
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Headcannon: If The Sakamaki Brothers actually fell in love with you.
^_________^ Includes: Shu, Reiji, Ayato, Kanato, Laito, Subaru, and all of them together (Because I love all of them and can't choose). ^_________^
Shu Sakamaki 💛:
∆💛: Like all the brothers, he would hate he fall for someone who wasn't a vampire. He would try to deter himself from you, but he would fail.
∆💛 Converse-shoe would still be super lazy, but he would perk up a bit if you walked in.
∆💛 Would mock you even more. Calling you names and roasting you a lot, he would love your reaction.
∆💛 He would show off his violin skills and possibly play for you. He would try to make himself seem impressive.
∆💛 Shu would have a slight fear Reiji might attempt to take you from him since his younger brother has always wanted what he had. So he would be possessive around Reiji especially.
∆💛 He would sneak into your room and snake himself underneath you, so you were laying on top of him.
🎧You jolted up in shock when you realized the blonde vampire was underneath you. "Ahh! Shu-kun! What are you doing in here?!"
Shu smirked, his eyes still closed, and pulled you back down on top of him with one arm. "Shh... be quiet... you like this anyway... you lewd woman."🎧
Reiji Sakamaki 💙:
∆💙 Reiji would first try to tell himself it wasn't a crush, he would stay away from you. Whenever you visit his lab or study, he would turn you away. Until he came to terms he was in love with you.
∆💙 He would start giving you tasks, which you somehow completed perfectly, exactly the way he wanted. He would start being softer with you and less strict.
∆💙 He would take time to teach you about things, and he would be more patient with your trial and error. He finds it very admiring that you won't give up so easily when you don't get the information.
∆💙 You would become almost like his assistant, helping him with notes, and labeling formulas and mixtures.
∆💙 Rei-Rei would keep you away from Shu as much as possible, in fear that you would fall for him instead.
∆💙 Even when you make a mistake, he remains calm and very early goes off on you. It surprises you, since with anyone else he scolds until they start crying.
🧪The glass hit the ground with a shatter, you froze in fear. "Oh god, Reiji-kun... I'm so sorry, please don't be ma-"
"It's no problem." He said almost calmly. "Just clean it up. We shall get back to what we were doing after."🧪
Ayato Sakamaki ❤:
∆❤: This man would know right away he was falling for you, but he would be meaner to you to hide it.
∆❤: Eventually, he would try to impress you more. He would still be super mean, but he would do everything he could to make you notice him.
∆❤: He would invite you to his basketball games a lot, and he would hang out with you afterward. Which made the other girls give you an evil eye.
∆❤: However, he wouldn't lay up on you. Christmas Eve is the type to keep treatment the same. He'd still call you out by your breast-size, and drink your blood. (All the brothers might still drink your blood, but eh)
∆❤: Keeps you away from his brothers, particularly Kanato and Laito because he knows they can be the most dangerous. Only he's allowed to hurt you.
∆❤: If you were to ever do something nice for him without him having to ask, he would be stunned. You might even catch him blushing a bit.
🏀You walked up to Ayato with a kind smile on your face. "Hey, I made you some Takoyaki."
He paused for a good moment, almost in happy disbelief, before he regained his normal stature. "Good, Ore-sama was getting hungry anyway."🏀
Kanato Sakamaki: 💜
∆💜: He would be angry you made him fall for you, but after a few hours of angry screaming in his room, he calmed down and talked to Teddy about it.
∆💜: He would get you gifts, like dresses, babydoll shoes, and hair accessories. You would become his only, non-wax doll.
∆💜: In fact, Kana-na would never feel the want to turn you into a wax doll. You aren't like his past victims, he wants to watch you squirm forever.
∆💜: You would get princess treatment, except when he's angry. He would yell and scream at you, but he would very rarely hurt you when mad. He would hurt you more when he's happy, and he would praise you after for being so strong about it.
∆💜: He wouldn't just keep you away from his brothers, that's for sure, this man would keep you away from absolutely everyone. If someone so much as looked at you, he would slit their throat. You're his after all.
∆💜: The amount of tea parties you had in his room would be uncountable. Sometimes you talked, other times it was just comfortable silence.
🧸Kanato smiled at you, not the creepy off-kilter smile that made you feel hunted, but an actual, genuine smile. "What is it?" You asked sweetly.
Kanato kept staring at you. "It's nothing, my doll. Don't worry about it. You don't ever have to worry about anything."🧸
Laito Sakamaki 💚:
∆💚: He would have no idea what was happening to him. You weren't like the other girls he had been with, and it confused him. His heart rate quickened around you, heat rushed to his normally cold cheeks and he felt almost... nervous.
∆💚: Lai-Lai would probably end up asking Reiji what you were doing to him. Reiji would deadpan and explain.
∆💚: Laito was first in denial, because that's not what he thought love was, but Reiji carefully told him everything. After that, Laito made it his mission to get you to fall for him.
∆💚: He became the most romantic man on earth. Laito gifted you roses, chocolates, and anything else he could think of that you loved. Yet he was still shy around you sometimes and you caught him stuttering over his words a few times.
∆💚: Almost all sexual thoughts left his mind, (He still had a few, come on, this is Laito) all he was focused on was wooing you, and it stayed this way for a very long time.
∆💚: You would be very surprised by this change in him, and he would try to convince you nothing changed.
🎩Laito had snuck up behind you and put his arms over your shoulders. In his hands, was a beautifully arranged bouquet of roses. "Hi Bitch-chan." He purred with his Cheshire cat smile.
You giggled and took the bouquet from him, admiring the flowers. "What has gotten into you lately? What have you done with Laito, stranger?"🎩
Subaru Sakamaki 🤍:
∆🤍: He would break everything in his room in terror. He didn't want to fall in love, especially not with you. Subaru couldn't stand the thought of hurting you severely.
∆🤍: Toyota would avoid you like the plague, hoping he would fall out of love with you. Somehow you always found your way into his mind again...
∆🤍: He was crazy over you, he started admiring you from a distance, watching you as you did your homework in the living room. He was scared he would hurt you if he actually approached you. Soon, you noticed and confronted him.
∆🤍: After that, he spoke to you a little more often, but still kept his distance. Subaru also turned up his tsundere level from 100, to 10,000.
∆🤍: Would be secretly leaving white roses in your locker, and also doing little things to make you smile without you knowing it was him.
∆🤍: Tsunbaru might never confess to you, you might be the one to make the first move. He would be way too nervous to talk to you.
🗡Carefully you glanced at Subaru, making sure there was nothing he could mistake for anger or upset in your voice. "Subaru, did you leave this-"
His red eyes flashed to you in what you thought was disgust. "W-why would I leave you a rose?! Leave me alone, foolish mortal!"🗡
The Sakamaki's 💛💙❤💜💚🤍:
∆💛💙❤💜💚🤍: If they all fell for you, I wish you luck my friend. They will be competitive AF.
∆💛💙❤💜💚🤍: Expect their normal behaviors to either become more intense, or softer. It could go either way.
∆💛💙❤💜💚🤍: Reiji and Shu might try to battle it out for you since they will be each other's biggest threats. Ayato and Subaru might just fight too, since they don't get along well.
∆💛💙❤💜💚🤍: Kanato would end up dragging you into his doll room in the middle of the night. I can see him trying to brand you, burning his name onto your skin.
∆💛💙❤💜💚🤍: Laito would be relentless and would never leave you alone. You would have to fend him off 25 hours a day.
∆💛💙❤💜💚🤍: They all might just start fighting like little children, pulling you toward them like a rope in tug-a-war.
🎧🧪🏀🧸🎩🗡"Boys! I'm not a rag doll! Stop or you're gonna break my arms!" You shouted over Kanato's hysterical screams and Reiji and Shu's accusations toward each other.
Laito yanked you away, which released you from Reiji's and Shu's harsh grip on your wrists. "She's right, Bitch-Chan will choose me anyways, so why is it we must make a big fuss over this?"
"God, will you stop being such a pervert for one moment?!" Subaru yelled, looking as though he was about to punch something.
Sadly, your wrists only got that break before Reiji grasped onto the wrist Shu was holding onto and bit down into the sensitive flesh, making eye contact with him as his fangs made contact. "You fucking bastard," Shu growled and bit into the wrist Reiji had grasped before, possessively biting down hard enough for it to leave a mark that would last a long time. Soon, you had all the boys' fangs buried in your skin, gnawing on you like you were prey.
"I'm the best, right dolly?"
"Tch, don't be stupid, Y/N."
"You're smart, Y/N. You'll choose me."
"You lewd woman, choose the best choice."
"Ore-sama, obviously."
"Or your Laito-kun, Bitch-Chan."🎧🧪🏀🧸🎩🗡
#diaboliklovers#diabolik lovers headcanon#shu sakamaki x reader#shu sakamaki#reiji sakamaki x reader#reiji sakamaki#ayato sakamaki x reader#ayato sakamaki#kanato sakamaki#kanato sakamaki x reader#laito sakamaki#laito sakamaki x reader#subaru sakamaki x reader#subaru sakamaki
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Story time with the evil trio
“So kid” the blonde man starts a conversation after half an hour silence while walking to the train station “what’s your name?”
“Y/n” you answer with your head constantly looking behind you, scared that at any moment your freedom would be taken away from you
The boat ride had been fairly silent but the walk and waiting for the train had sparked curiosity in the three.
“That’s a cute name” the woman compliments and you smile slightly “I’m Victoria and this is my mate James, and that’s Laurent”
“Mate?” You ask, unfamiliar with the term “like a friend?”
James laughs and the other two join in. They soon realise that your not joking and look confused.
“How much did your coven tell you” he asked curiously “actually, how old are you?”
“Are you a newborn?” Victoria joins in with a hint of excitement
“No I was turned nearly three hundred years ago” you correct
“And you don’t know about mates?” Laurent asked confused, you shook your head
“Those cullens must have kept you under lock and key huh?” James scoffs out “a mate is someone who you are with for the rest of eternity, someone you love and feel like you share a soul with”
“Do I have one?” You ask with a small bit of excitement building up
“You tell me” James chuckles out “do you love anybody enough to spend your eternal life with?”
An image of Brad flashes in your mind, that was just a crush though. You barely knew him let alone loved him, that didn’t mean you didn’t mourn him. You shook your head sadly
“You’ll find one kid” James reassures as he ruffles your hair
Your train comes and you all get on and find a booth seat. You sat next to Victoria as she curiously looks at you.
“So tell us” Laurent asks “how did you end up in the cullens clutches”
You let out a sigh as you look out the window at your yellow eyes before looking back
“Carlisle forcibly turned me after he killed my family” you let out with anger “he kept me locked up as he added more to the sick family he wanted”
They all looked stunned but chose to not interrupt your story and looked at you for more
“They force me to have no contact with others and if I do they kill them and then punish me” you feel yourself clenching your fist “they force me to look and act childishly as they all use me as they’re personal doll, If I fight back they starve and beat me”
“Oh sweetheart” Victoria coos out as she rubs your hand soothingly
“If your only taking me to kill me or to use me for my power, I don’t care” you confessed with slight desperation “please just don’t send me back there”
“While I admit your power will be useful for us, we have bigger plans for you” James admits with a smile “for now you can tag along with us and we’ll teach you the ways of a vampire, not a vegetarian”
“Have you drank from a human before?” Victoria asked almost gently
You remembered a time with Caius back when you lived with the volturi. He had offered you a human girl to drink from, you were hesitant at first but after he had told you it would make you stronger you didn’t care. You nodded and Victoria smiled
“So you know how to hunt humans” James asks and you shake your head “well, we can teach you”
“Thank you” you said gratefully
“Your not morally outraged about hunting them or anything are you?” Victoria giggles as she leans on you affectionately
“No” you confessed “I envy them, it makes it easier to forget they’re people”
“Envy them? Why would you do that?” Laurent asks amused “we’re the strongest beings to walk the earth and they are defenceless and weak”
“But they’re free” you correct sadly
“We’ll teach you that being a vampire is the most freeing thing in the world” Laurent answers “when your not being held back”
“You could be very powerful if given the chance” James nods while confirming
“You’ll see” Victoria says excitedly “we’ll make you one of the scariest, powerful and free vampire the cullens could never hurt again”
The train jerks as it stops slightly before starting again as you looked for signs curiously
“Where are we going” you ask and the rest laugh
“We’re going to Seattle” James answers “and we’re gonna need to get lunch soon”
You nod and look out the window. You feel slightly at ease with these people, even though they talk about killing humans.
You felt joy, something you hadn’t felt in a long time.
#slashers x reader#i am officially bella goths wife#yandere twilight#yandere cullens x reader#bella cullen#esme cullen x reader#edward cullen x reader#alice cullen x reader#the cullens x reader#carlisle cullen x reader#rosalie cullen x reader#rosalie cullen#emmet cullen x reader#edward cullen#esme cullen#emmett cullen#carlisle cullen#rosalie hale#jasper hale#yandere jasper hale x reader#jasper hale x reader#yandere rosalie hale x reader#yandere aro x reader#yandere marcus x reader#yandere caius x reader#yandere volturi x reader#volturi x reader#Victoria x reader twilight#Jane x reader#Alec x reader
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Cangel Appreciation Week Day 1
Monday - Fluff
“If you had told me…. Five years ago that I’d be here, doing this, right now, I’d have called you crazy.”
Cordelia smiled as she straightened up Connor’s onesie after snapping it back together and then kissed his little cheek, lifting him to her shoulder where she could feel the warm, soft weight of him. He nestled his head against her and made a soft cooing sound that sent her heart aflutter all over again.
“I mean diapers? That’s for nannies.”
“You volunteered,” Angel reminded her from where he was stretched out on the bed, watching her with something like adoration in his eyes.
She made herself look away from him to press her nose into the soft blonde wisps of Connor’s baby-fine hair.
“Well he’s our’s,” she said without thinking. “I don’t want to hand him off to some stranger… I mean, they could be dangerous, or evil. What with Wolfram and Hart always lurking around trying to get to us and all.”
“Mmm hmmm,” Angel agreed. That was a worry, but he was absolutely certain that was not why Cordelia wasn’t in a rush to pass Connor’s care off to someone else.
“Besides, teenage me didn’t know how much I’d love him.”
“Was that something teenage Cordelia thought about?” he wondered. He couldn’t picture her daydreaming about a family or babies.
“Maybe not specifically. More like in the nebulous inevitable future… the way I pictured myself marrying rich and living in a mansion in Beverly Hills. Like, that was what I was supposed to want. That was expected. A family probably came with that package, but that kind of family… like my parents. That’s not really what I want. They might as well be strangers to me.”
She sat at the foot of the bed and Angel shifted to sit beside her. He wanted to offer her comfort but she didn’t seem to need it. She’d come to terms with her parents’ failings and moved on. She didn’t want that kind of life anymore because now she knew better. He could understand that better than one might think.
“When I came to LA, I wanted to be an actress, because I knew I could only rely on myself… but I still wanted to be rich. Growing up not having to worry about money, having anything I wanted. It was hard to change my mindset after that… to have to give things up, to budget. It made me realize how much harder life is for people who don’t have that. And all the other things that can go wrong on top of it…” she trailed off. “I’m not sorry that didn’t work out. I love what we do. We help lots of people. People who really don’t have anywhere else to turn.”
“So you don’t still dream of being rich and famous?”
She smiled at him faintly, remembering that birthday dream. How lost he and the others had been without her.
Been there, done that, She thought. Can’t turn off these visions. Floating on set would probably be a problem.
But she had the opportunity to give them up. And she hadn’t.
“What about you, Angel?” she asked instead of answering. “Did you want to become a father?”
“Well, I didn’t think that would be possible since I’m a Vampire and all,” he arched a brow. “So, no. Besides, what kind of life can I give a kid?”
“Don’t go bemoaning playing catch in the sunshine with him again. He’s loved and he knows it. That tops everything else.”
Angel sighed. Cordelia was giving her patented ‘Don’t argue with me’ look so he just raised his hands in surrender. He did regret the things he couldn’t give his son, specifically a normal life, but there was no way to change that at the moment so there was no use brooding about it. She was the one who had taught him that life lesson.
“Dreams can change, you know.”
He was startled out of his rumination as she tipped her head against his shoulder. He looked down at her, where the soft yellow light of the bedside tables washed a soft halo over the highlights in her brunette curls. He rubbed his fingers together, resisting the urge to tangle them in those strands.
“I don’t dream about being rich and famous anymore,” she said softly. “I dream about this. A moment just for us. When things are good. Where we’re happy. Where Connor is safe and loved. I dream about the future. When we’ve faced all our demons together and come out on the other side - all of us okay. Watching Connor grow up. Seeing you get the reward you’ll have earned. And then… seeing what happens next.”
He looked at her, stunned. His fingers had found their way into her hair after all, but she hadn’t shrugged him away. Connor was drooling on her shoulder, asleep. She didn’t complain. Her eyes met his, dark and liquid-shining in the low light. If his heart was beating it might have tripped staccato.
She cupped the side of his face with her free hand and smiled. Permission, perhaps. He took it as so, leaning in slightly to close the scant distance between them. She tilted her own head, eyes fluttering shut as his lips whispered softly over her’s. The kiss featherlight and testing. His fingers tightened in her hair as he tipped her head further back. She parted her lips on a soft gasp as the kiss changed from hesitant to bold. She clutched at his shoulder, her knee pressing into his thigh as they both shifted closer.
Connor stirred, flailing out with his arms and legs. One tiny fist smashed into Angel’s nose and the vampire reeled back more out of surprise than any pain.
He rubbed at his face, blinking at Cordelia who was biting down on her lower lip against a giggle. He couldn’t help but smile back, affection warming his gaze.
“You know what Cordy?” he asked. “I have the same dream.”
~Fin
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“Oh come now Shawn, don’t pout! You’re still the big bad boss vamp! I merely request that you listen before you pass judgement!”
“I’ll listen, but I won’t change my mind!”
“You really do know how to make a girl slick between the thighs don’t you?”
“Eww!”
“Come on, sit with me! I won’t bite...well...not unless you want me to!”
“Again, eww!”
“I know, you only have a hard on for blonde, freckly humans who carry your spawn!” Everything that came out of her mouth was gross, I now understood why Caleb chose me as the lesser of two evils!
I sat with her, I listened, but her ideas were even more abhorrent than her thoughts, which she liked to share regardless of whether I wanted her to or not. “So you want me to overturn Vlad’s ruling that donor banks are illegal, so that you can grab innocent people off of the streets and drag them there to feed off of?”
“You would get that from what I said wouldn’t you!” She huffed at me, “No, the donors will not be grabbed or dragged, they will volunteer!”
“And what human being will volunteer to be your dinner Hell?”
“The werewolves have their fans and so do we! You are aware of the term fang chaser yes?” I was, Lilith Vatore referred to Morgyn Ember as a fang chaser. He admitted to being one when he got me alone that day in Glimmerbrook, he also had puncture marks on his neck.
“I still don’t think it’s something we should be encouraging! I mean what if a vampire loses control and kills their human in one of these banks? We’re opening ourselves up to all sorts of legal problems! What you do in the privacy of your own home is up to you, but no, petition still denied!”
“I see, well Halliekins still under threat! Why don’t you sleep on it? Hmm?”
“If you’re having trouble in that department I can help you, I’m dynamite between the sheets, just say the word if you want to go for a ride, I’ll blow your mind pretty boy!” That wasn’t happening, she repulsed me, but I was backed into a corner over this donor bank thing. I had to come up with a plan, so I agreed to sleep on it...alone!
<Previous_Next>
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TftW: Friendly Neighborhood Merchant.
Duke (Resident Evil: Village) TF
Once upon a moonlit night in the quiet village of Wrenhaven, nestled in the heart of a dense and mysterious forest, lived a man named Ethan. Ethan was an ordinary villager with a simple life, working hard to provide for his family and enjoying the peaceful serenity of his surroundings. Little did he know that his life was about to take a dark and twisted turn.
One evening, as the villagers gathered in the town square for a traditional festival, a mysterious figure emerged from the shadows. Tall and imposing, the stranger wore a cloak that concealed his features, and an air of malevolence surrounded him. As the clock struck midnight, the stranger approached Ethan, whispering ancient incantations that sent shivers down his spine.
In an instant, Ethan felt a surge of power coursing through his veins, an otherworldly force was pulling him closely towards a shack that sold weapons and he found himself naturally being interested in purchasing them, as he picked up them he felt a strange and unusual warming sensation in his heart and in his entire body, his arms slowly broadened and gained weight as did his hands which thickened and developed chubby fingers and broad palms but he was still able to move and hold things.
His stomach gained quite a lot of weight as did his chest and torso, his clothing slowly turning into the Duke’s signature attire as his feet enlarged and altered in the same way as his hands, his back broadened as did his shoulders while his rear fattened up, giving that he was the type that he liked weight gain tfs in a positive way and not in a sexual/creepy way he thought this was really a positive experience that he liked.
He found himself growing taller as his neckline fattened up and he developed a double chin of sorts but it was a cute kind of change for him and not the type where it is blatant fat worship, he looked at himself and chuckled as his hair turned sandy blonde.
In addition to this his face plumped up and his features altered into those of the character as his voice deepened and refined itself, becoming the character’s voice, he had been searching forever for a weight gain transformation he could actually like, one that wasn’t gross in terms of detail and wasn’t stereotyped to hell and now he had found one.
He smiled as his transformation completed itself and he decided to run the shack himself, helping to sell food, weapons and upgrades just in case travellers were to come his way. He saw a woman walking buy and the woman looked familiar to him, she had black hair and was wearing a white dress and sunglasses to hide her eyes, the woman picked up a serum of what appeared to be a red liquid.
“Excuse me miss, what do you have there?”
“Is that container of D Pathogen for sale?”
“Yes it is.”
“I’d like to buy that, please.”
The woman presented some money to him and he handed over the pathogen container…’That serum contains a pathogen that gives the drinker vampiric attributes.’ ‘Well i’ve got a boyfriend who loves vampires so he’d be thrilled to know i’ve got a potion to give me those powers.’
She chuckled as she picked the potion and left, smiling as she did so, he smiled to himself, as he continued to sell more items to passing customers, making a lot of money as he did so.
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The van Zieks are antithesis of the Gavins (MASSIVE spoiler for TGAA2, also long read this essay have 2,5k+ words)
People keep talking about how Barok is Edgeworth expy, when in fact Kazuma is the one with more Edgeworth elements, that even wrightworth parallel asouryuu in several ways, people have already done analysis about that,(so I wouldn't bother with that, as ppl already pointed that out) as well Kazuma also have elements of Godot, Mia, Blackquill , Apollo, and even few elements of Kristoph, as 2-4 come, Barok makes it clear he is Klavier's antithesis instead, which come in set that Klint is Kristoph's as well.
First, let us look look at their design. Both sets of brothers are clear examples of the sibling yin yang trope. Klavier is red-black,
Kristoph is blue-white,
(therefore, in terms of the red oni blue oni trope, Klavier, the younger brother, is the more sociable red oni, Kristoph is the calculating blue one), when in the case of the van Zieks, Barok is the younger, he's the one with blue-black color theme,
the more reserved , introverted , as well even shy when younger, and Klimt is the older, yet he is the one with red-white theme,
and he is highly implied to the himbo the extrovert to barok's introvert, as he is designed to be the yang to barok's yin. Basically, the van Zieks color theme is kinda like Apollo-Trucy too.
Then there is their physical design. Both set of brothers have blue eyes, but the Gavins have long blonde hair with tan skin, overall more down to earth design but they actually have screwed up relationship between them, as well feel less human (at least for me) that Klavier is depicted as pure cinnamon roll and Kristoph is depicted as pure evil. Meanwhile, the van Zieks have short gray hair (with purple highlight) with pale skin, their design give off ethereal/vampiric, aristocratic, out of touch,, and yet they are the ones who are more human inside, that they loved each other dearly, more actually down to earth, as well they are more human as they are more morally grey, with their own flaw as much good point-Klint is open minded and he's the one who initiates the transfer student program, but still he's a serial killer. Meanwhile, Barok didn't give in to his despair, but yes, he is racist.
Then again, the plot does punish him for being a racist but not for being a brocon because this is not drakengard. Even the way Klavier and Barok clearly have tiddies as strong point are part of their contrast, Klavier does it by tiddy window, when Barok does it with very tight jacket that even looks painted on.
This closeness (or lack of it) is even reflected in their names. At first sight, it looks like both Gavin's initials are K.G. But what similarity there is in Kristoph and Klavier? Meanwhile, for the van Zieks, Barok is named of a genre of art, baroque, when a version of Klint's name, Klimt, is based o Gustav Klimt, another big name artist, reflecting a theme in their names.
How the older raised the younger. Both sets of brothers have wide age gap, Kristoph is older by 8 years when Klimt is older by 10 years, and it's implied the older raised the younger. However, the manga makes it clear Kristoph abused Klavier, both physical and emotonal, gaslighting him, when TGAA imply that Barok is coddled by Klint. Albert refer to Barok as "little darling of the van Zieks family" as well the image of Klint teaching Barok the Legjection. This of course affect how the younger brother becomes, in the ironic way. Klavier becomes nice to everyone because he desperately wanted to have someone else in his life that is not Kristoph, hiding his pain. When Barok is sour because he is busy mourning Klint (Nuri confirmed he tried to draw Barok to look like someone who have loads of pain inside) , openly showing his pain , desperately cling to the idea that Klint never left him. Klavier, despite his smile, never shown actual sign of getting better , when Barok slowly is getting better, from accepting Klimts flaw as well accepting more ppl to his life. You know those fanworks where Klavier did try to distinguish himself further from Kristoph, sometimes by cutting his hair off, haunted by shadows of Kristoph? Barok canonically emulate Klint, and accepted the rumor of Klint haunted him to console himself that yes, Klint never left him. What is nightmare for Klavier, is the sweetest dream for Barok.
The more Kristoph abused Klavier to control him, the more Klavier slips from his hand. The more Klimt coddle Barok to show the world is still full of hope and kindness, to widen his horizon , the more Barok wanted to retreat back to his bubble. Basically both older brothers screwed up and not getting what they want for their younger ones. This also result in the character growth of the younger brothers. Klavier starts out scared shitless on Kristoph, later grow to be able to stand against him and ditch him. Barok was later revealed to put Klint on pedestal, and later accept that Klint has his own flaw, a lesson Kazuma and Maria also learn in the same game , but still loved him, still cling to him and goes around with his badge, even if he changes from be like "please don't leave me" to "please watch me from afar"about Klint, accepting he is dead, but not cutting him off his life.
Furthermore, Klavier didn't only ditch Kristoph but also Daryan, when Barok didn't only still loved Klimt but also still have Albert and stay keep in touch with him. Daryan have long been by Klavier's side, part of the law enforcement as well, but turns out to be actual criminal, the one trying to frame another (Machi). When Albert's relationship with Barok is long -distanced, but it lasts, as well he is innocent and the one who is framed (by Enoch) . This also applies to the meta level contrast that, there are loads of fanworks depicting Klavier has PTSD when Apollo reminded him of Kristoph in DD. Meawhile, in TGAA canon, Barok says it to Ryuunosuke's face that he regains hope and interested in him because Ryuunosuke reminded him of Klint.
Both older brothers are taller than the younger,foreshadowing how they overshadow the younger. However, while Klavier wants to escape it, Barok is proud of it. That's why Klavier is a prosecutor, he didn't completely follow Kristoph's footsteps as defense, but he didn't completely take different path that he is still part of law world much like Kristoph is either . Meanwhile, Barok has that gigantic painting in his office, interior design that pretty much forces you to look at it the moment you entered his office, clearly deliberate.
Ryuunosuke even note how "this painting's presence dominate the room" , as well Barok is a prosecutor just like Klint is, hell, his badge was even Klint's and he can even empathize with Ryuunosuke with how Ryuunosuke wanted to be a lawyer for Kazuma and carry the armband as momento.
Klavier legit didn't know it was Kristoph, not until he met Vera. When Barok does get all the clue Klint is the Professor, he did think about it ONCE, but shrugs it off because of his bias that "no way Lord Brother did anything wrong" . Again, Ryuunosuke note that "no way prosecutor as brilliant as Lord van Zieks didn't notice it" . Smaller details, but Klavier is a rockstar, therefore, audio art, and he actually did make some money from it. when Barok makes miniature, visual art, and his tendency to make miniatures is not monetized but it's part of the investigation. in JP version, Klavier used the most slang honorific for older brother (aniki) to refer to Kristoph, when Barok used the most formal as well archaic one (aniue) to refer to Klint. Klavier is simped adored for being a rockstar, Barok is loathed for being the Reaper of Old Bailey. Their physical similarity to their older brothers are also noted in universe, both by a young girl, but while Vera is understandably traumatized by Klavier's similarity to Kristoph, as he is her extorter, Iris is , even if sarcastically, in awe with how good looking Klint and Barok are, mistaking the gigantic painting as Barok. And then turns out they are her biological father and uncle respectively.
Kristoph's animal motif is so subtle- it's dragon, his japan family name means "dragon fang" , and he is meant to be that kind of JRPG final boss dragon, and neither did he share it with Klavier. Meanwhile, the animal motif of the van Zieks are so on the face, helps that both brothers own pet of their spirit animal, as well sharing the motif- Barok also have the dog element that he still is loyal to Klint as well justice itself, while Klint's bat element is that he is like a mother bat trying to nudge her pup to fly on its own (the pup in question is Barok, who is the one with most bat motif)
This animal motif further show the contrast of the elder brothers. Kristoph is a dragon, animal that often depicted as top of the food chain, even above lions or even humans, supreme being that surpasses many other in many fiction in so many ways , that many other served them instead, and he is the mastermind , the one controlling another. When Klint is a dog, and a dog is often used as metaphor for low status or someone that serve another, Kazuma even explicitly say that Klint is Mael's attack dog. (cue those fanarts of Klint wearing the Baskerville collar. Even saying he is pet play fetish bait is spoiler. Man. ) Related to this, dragon and wolf are, in the many cultures of this world, are animals believed to have cause eclipse by devouring the sun, symbolizing how both single-handedly caused a dark era, the Dark Age of Law by Kristoph and the Professor Killings by Klint. Kristoph not only is overarching villain, he is also still alive by the end of AA4, when Klint is long dead and he is the one getting extorted by another, as well only mentioned at final case (Twisted Karma and the Last Bow and Resolve of Ryuunosuke Naruhodou are pretty much the same case)
Speaking about dogs, both elder brothers have dogs. but while Vongole speak for tiny shred of humanity Kristoph still arguably have, Balmung speaks for Klint's utter monstrosity. The names of the dogs too, Vongole literally means "clam" in Italian.Yes, it sounds silly, and maybe I was thinking it too far, but what if it's reference of Katekyo Hitman Reborn , where the MC's mafia FAMILY's name is "vongola" ? Meanwhile, Balmung is other name to the sword Gramr, which Gramr means "wrath" in old norse, when Klint used Balmung to kill the corrupt nobles out of his wrath and exasperation. Speaking about monstrosity, Kristoph embraced his monstrosity, Klint asked Genshin to take him down like he's rabid dog (heh) before he complete monster.
Their surnames are both puns, that are status of the elder brothers thinks they are. The Gavin is actually pun of "gewinner" that means winner in German, that Kristoph thought he already won when Phoenix is disbarred, when "van Zieks" is pun from "banjikkusu" that means "it's all over" in Japanese, that Klint thought he already far gone and lost to Mael. However, both status turns out to be temporary, and by the end of their respective games, Kristoph lost everything even beyond bars, Klavier and Apollo slips from his hand, his status, his wealth, as well Phoenix' name got cleared, when even beyond grave, Klint got everything he wanted, Iris is raised full of love, Barok become an excellent prosecutor , as well Mael's fall.
Both elder brothers are depicted as having influence (with Kristoph being part of Lawyer Association, when Klint is the Chief of Prosecution) as well initially depicted as more trustworthy, with lighter color themes, but later turns out to be serial killers. Kristoph is depicted as pure evil, that he is indeed petty bitch who deserved everything coming to him with petty motivation, and to symbolize this, he has black waistcoat hidden by his blue blazer, hiding how rotten he actually is , that he evil to the core. Meanwhile, Klint is depicted as tragic fallen hero, that he could have accomplish his noble goal with better methods, and to symbolize this, his red coat have black cuff with gold buttons , that he admits he is a monster and wished another to NOT follow after his METHOD but while trying for that noble goal, wishing the better for another. Also, Kristoph himself fabricated evidence, when Klint is (or rather, his dead body) used to fabricate evidence. In contrast, both younger brothers are depicted as sus, with darker color themes, but later gets close with their lawyers of their game.
Both older brothers are cause why a girl become fatherless, but while Kristoph, well, is the one who killed Zak , as well Trucy is still old enough to remember Zak, when Klint is Iris' very own biological father that chose suicide, and Iris knows nothing about her real heritage.Note that other than Klint's red-white theme contrast Kristoph's blue-white, it also paralells Zak's red-white. (Barok do know at the end tho. Yea, this parallel how Thalassa know Apollo is her other kid but Apollo himself doesn't know it, bonus Barok have blue-black theme just like Thalassa. Klint's color theme parallels Zak and Apollo, Barok 's color theme parallels Thalassa and Trucy, see a pattern here? Yes, AA4 parallel TGAA a lot have you seen how much Apollo in Ryuunosuke,should I make another essay on how AA4 parallell DGS? ... anyway-)
Kristoph isn't exactly friends with Phoenix, they are more like two people playing 4D chess against each other with loads of passive aggressive remarks. Meanwhile, Klint and Genshin are truly partners , even in crime, they are very literally partner in crime in international scandal why does TGAA throw the word partner like candy, Kazuma and Ryuunosuke are partners, Sherlock is also partners with Yuujin is there anymore partners I have to know
Klavier didn't assign himself to go against Phoenix, he doesn't even know Phoenix before his first trial. Meanwhile, Barok signed up to prosecute Genshin as he's out for blood to avenge Klint, and it's also implied he already know Genshin for years, way before the Professor incident.
Kristoph rejects change, and is taken down by jury system. Klint initiates change , and truth about him comes out in trial without jury.
Both set of brothers are based on a major arcana tarot card. The Gavins are based on Kristoph's moniker the Devil, when the van Zieks are Death, as represented by Barok's title "Reaper of the Old Bailey."
The Devil design depict a pair of naked human couple chained to the baphomet. Klavier wears plenty of chain accessories .
The Death is depicted as Death wearing an armor while riding a horse, giving knightly feel, and the van Zieks brothers looks more like they are part of the military than the law world (bonus that Nuri did design them based on guards as well they go around with sword) .
Quoting labyrinthos./co , the upright meanings for the devil are oppression, addiction, obsession, dependency, excess, powerlessness, limitations , when the reverse meaning are independence, freedom, revelation, release, reclaiming power, reclaiming control. According to A.E. Waite's book, the meaning of the Devil is .—Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil. Reversed: Evil fatality, weakness, pettiness, blindness. The card represents: Being seduced by the material world and physical pleasures; lust for and an obsession with money and power. Also: Living in fear, domination and bondage; being caged by an overabundance of luxury; discretion should be used in personal and business matters.
Kristoph unarguably oppress not only Klavier, but also Vera, as well having obsession with Phoenix. He also quite the hedonist, indulging himself in luxury even in prison. Other than luxury, he certainly has a thing to be in power/for someone else to depend on him. He is not above going physical when abusing Klavier either. He also have petty motive behind his actions. When Klavier, he initially is scared shitless of Kristoph, later got the revelation he really is a serial killer, and finally reclaiming control over himself. To add to the devil motif ,the previously mentioned dragon motif match, as dragon are often depicted as demonic in western mythology with the horn and all. Perhaps the hair drill is indeed, supposedly a devil/dragon horn?
As for the death, also quoting labyrinthos./co, the upright meanings for death is transformation, endings, change, transition, letting go, release , when the reverse is fear of change, repeating negative patterns, resisting change, stagnancy, decay . According to A.E Waite, the meaning of Death is, End, mortality, destruction, corruption; also, for a man, the loss of a benefactor; for a woman, many contrarieties; for a maid, failure of marriage projects. Reversed: Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism; hope destroyed.
Klint, being the other half of the reaper, is the one who initiates the student transfer program to broaden British Empire's horizon. On the other hand, he got corrupted by is despair and starts committing murder, His death meaning loss of Barok's benefactor/mentor/guardian, as well of Barok's own hope, ergo, death of his innocent self and birth of the cynical one. Barok being racist meaning he is resisting the change Klint himself tried to bring, something Barok himself is aware, and by prosecuting Genshin, Kazuma come after, him, repeating the cycle of revenge. At the end of Resolve, only then Barok finally letting go of Klint, finally accepting he is dead even if still wished he stlll watch him from afar.
Tying back the Death motif with dog animal motif, Klint is the Grim, a mythical black dog that inspires the Baskerville as well the black dog in Harry Potter, that it's believed that if you see the Grim, you will die soon. However it's not the dog that picks the death's soul, it's the reaper. So basically the Grim Reaper is combination of two different word/thing, the Grim, the scary thing that heralds the coming of death, (especially a black dog), and the reaper,who actually does the soul picking job. However, perhaps in intentional irony, it's Klint, who is the Grim, but is actually the one doing the job, when Barok , the reaper, is the one who heralds the coming of the actual soul-picker.
#barok van zieks#klint van zieks#klavier gavin#kristoph gavin#ace attorney#aa4#the great ace attorney#tgaa#dgs#dai gyakuten saiban#there is plenty of chars i would also tag here....#but they are spoilers so oh well#tldr i lowkey want ppl to stop comparing barok with edgeworth because kazuma is right there#as well klavier is right there#or i'm the one too focused on the whole brothers thing#but ngl that barok shares color theme with thalassa and klint with zak hits different#sort of
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Casting Thoughts
Yes, I did a long post when the rumours first dropped but hey now it’s confirmed plus we have characters descriptions, and I’m bored so let’s do this all over again people. Under the cut because it got long
Sisi Stringer as Rose Hathaway
I said this in my other post but I’m pretty happy with Sisi as Rose.
Visually I think she’s a great fit, I love that they casted a WoC in the main role, and I think if she can bring Rose’s humour and sarcasm to the role, she’s going to do great.
The character description mentions Rose being “fiery and outspoken”, happy to jump into the action, and the strongest fighter in her class but struggling to toe the line, which is all very Rose-esque, especially in the first book. It sounds to me like they have a good grasp on her character.
I’m a little disappointed we didn’t hear more about Rose as a character since she is the lead - it felt like the descriptions for Lissa and Dimitri both gave us a little more to go on - but it is only a very preliminary description so I’m happy to wait for more.
Daniela Nieves as Lissa Dragomir
Daniele is another one who I was happy with straight away.
She’s probably not what I imagined for Lissa visually but that’s not a bad thing either; I will be interested to see if they dye her hair a lighter colour (like a caramel-blonde) but personally that’s not something I need to see for her to be a great fit for Lissa.
I think she has a very sweet face which works well for a character like Lissa but I think she’s also going to be able to stand up in Lissa’s more fiercer moments which is nice to see as well.
The character descriptions mentions her as being “carefree and kind-hearted” who “coasts” through life until a death in the family thrusts her into a new role. That sounds a lot like pre-series Lissa so I wonder if we’re going to see a bit of that in the show before Andre (and her parents??) die and see that change.
It’s curious though that she’s described as the younger sister of the heir apparent - which would be Andre - so it sounds like they’ve changed it so Andre was supposed to be King. Obviously a deviation from the books but I don’t hate it? I don’t think it would change Lissa’s arc all that much because obviously she was always going to grow up to be an influential royal figure, this just slightly changes the dynamics of it.
The description also specifically mentions that she’s uninterested in “political machinations” and the “hypocrisy of the moroi royal society” which sounds very accurate to book!lissa as well.
All in all I’m very happy with what they’re doing with Lissa.
Keiron Moore as Dimitri Belikov
This is one who’s really grown on me since the rumoured cast list started circulating. At first I was kind of eh about him but I can really see him as Dimitri now.
I will be curious to see if he grows out his hair or not though.
As far as I know Keiron is not Russian, there’s not a lot about him online, but there’s some instagram activity on his account linking him to UK based companies so that would be my guess as to where he’s from. They’ve kept Dimitri’s incredibly Russian name so I guess we’re to assume Keiron might be doing an accent and they’re keeping Dimitri’s backstory relatively the same? I’m not gonna be super mad if they change it just because I think it’s doable for him not to be Russian (I know, I know a whole book is set in Russia but lbr here they could make him from anywhere and just send Rose there in that book).
The biggest thing for me will be his chemistry with Sisi, Danila and Zoey had great chemistry (imo anyway) which saved the move a little for me, so it’ll be important that Sisi and Keiron do as well. They’ve interacted a few times online which is cute so I’m hoping they were able to do some chemistry reads and that will translate on screen.
The character description mentions Dimitri as being “lethal, disciplined, discreet, and totally committed” as well as living by “a deep moral code” but with more going on “beneath his stoic, watchful surface” which sounds exactly like book!Dimitri to me.
They don’t really specify what his role at St Vlad’s is going to be but they do mention that he is a guardian so I’m assuming they’re keeping some sort of age gap between him and Rose. They also don’t mention anything about their relationship in the description, be it student/teacher, platonic, romantic, whatever, but they do say he has “an expansive spirit that could threaten to expose the underlying tension between his sense of what’s right and his formal duty to the Moroi.” which seems like a nod to their relationship.
Andre Dae-Kim as Christian Ozera
This was one of my favourite casting choices from the original rumoured cast list and I still love it.
The idea of a non-white Christian makes a lot of sense to me and I think Andre could do a great job of Christian’s aloofness (in the first book) as well as his sarcasm and growing confidence across the other books.
His character description confuses me a bit though: “Intelligent and thoughtful, Christian is the pariah of the school and royal court, due to his parents’ unforgivable societal sins.” sounds accurate enough to the book (although idk if thoughtful is quite the word I’d use for Christian - maybe they mean it in the sense that he’s quiet and keeps to himself?).
Even “Well-read and hungry for knowledge” doesn’t sound that far off, idk if he was *that* particularly studious in the books, but it doesn’t necessarily not make sense either you know?
But “he searches for faith-based answers and discovers a kindred spirit who is also looking for the truth” ??? My cynical, irreverent asshole Christian is now a man of faith? I’m assuming Lissa is the “kindred spirit” (again weird word choice but maybe they mean she’s feeling lost because of the death of her family?) but I just cannot see Christian as being particularly religious.
I’m trying to keep an open mind about these changes because you never know they might play out totally different on screen, but I really hope they didn’t make these changes, particularly that Christian is studious and religious, just because they cast an Asian actor as him (because they feel a little like Asian stereotypes).
J August Richards as Victor Dashkov
This is one that didn’t appear on the original rumoured cast list (as far as I saw) and it’s so different to his description in the books that I kind of don’t have an opinion about it as a casting choice.
I’ve never seen him in anything before so purely on a visual level I think he could be a great fit for Victor, I just think it’ll really come down to how he plays it.
As for this character description: “Victor is a Moroi noble vampire with a heart of gold who’s highly regarded for his role as advisor and political strategist to Moroi dignitaries.” as well as mentioning that he has intelligence and influence, sounds pretty accurate to the book. Obviously if Andre was the heir to the throne, Victor had to be shifted out of that role, but I think his book 1 arc could still work if they wanted it to.
The “heart of gold” bit obviously made me chuckle and I really hope they threw it in there as a kind of decoy to throw non-book-readers off the fact that he’s actually the villain in book 1/s1.
As for giving him a husband and two daughters, my thoughts are: why the fuck not? He didn’t have a love interest in the original books and I’m always down for more lgbtq+ rep. My only concern is it maybe playing into the trope of evil/villain characters being queer-coded. And as for having two daughters, well as long as one of them is Natalie I don’t mind.
Anita-Joy Uwajeh as Tatiana Vogel
Okay this is the most bizarre one imo, not because of the casting, but just the character description.
I mean “Tatiana is a Moroi vampire and political underdog who slowly takes the royal court by storm. Motivated by love and a sense of justice, Tatiana has a unique skill of making herself seem of no consequence until we realize much too late that she was always the one to watch.” sounds extremely Tasha Ozera to me, so like why not just make this character Tasha? Nothing about this sounds like Tatiana, and Tatiana wasn’t even a Vogel anyway (well Vogel wasn’t even one of the 12 royal families), she was an Ivashkov.
In terms of Anita-Joy herself, well I mean we don’t really have a character to compare her to, is she supposed to be more like Tasha or Tatiana? She looks fairly young, so my guess is actually on Tasha, but we’ll have to wait to see I guess.
Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mia Karp
This is another one that I was instantly a fan of.
I was so not a fan of Mia’s casting in the movie (I can’t even remember who played her tbh but I really didn’t like it) so this Mia is a lot closer to how I imagine her.
I think she’ll be able to carry Mia’s transformation from bratty social-climber to badass fighter really well.
The character description is interesting though. “Witty, cutting, and just the right kind of ruthless when necessary, non-Royal Mia has a long-term plan to social climb her way into the ranks of royalty, with all the privilege and freedom that entails.” sound pretty bang on to Mia in the first book.
“A plan complicated by her instant chemistry with Meredith, a Guardian-in-training, as Mia struggles to reconcile her attraction to Meredith with her lowly status.” is an obvious deviation though, and one I kind of love??? Give me all the queer rep, and if we get to see Mia confront the issue of comp-het I’m so here for it.
It’s kind of funny though because I’ve seen theories that Meredith is a replacement for Eddie and Mia/Eddie has always been my sort of rarepair ship.
The last name Karp is weird af though. Is she supposed to be Sonya’s daughter? And if that’s the case I wonder if we’re going to actually see Sonya turn Strigoi in the show’s first season or something and that triggers the change in Mia? Interesting concept but I’m not sure how the timeline will work.
Rhian Blundell as Meredith
So this is another new one, and tbh I hadn’t given Meredith *that* much though in the past but she’s probably close to how I would have pictured her which is cool.
The elephant in the room with this casting is that Meredith’s role in the books was relatively minor - she was just kind of that character that got brought up whenever R.M needed a dhampir who wasn’t Rose/Dimitri/Mason/Eddie. So clearly she’s going to have a bigger role in the tv show which I don’t mind but I do wonder if we’re going to lose a character - probably Eddie lbr - in order to have her. They haven’t casted an Eddie yet as far as we know, but I have seen it pointed out that Eddie’s role in book 1 was pretty small so maybe they just aren’t announcing it. But there’s also the possibility that maybe Meredith will sort of replace Eddie and be the third part of Rose and Mason’s friendship.
I’m very interested by this part of her character description though, “She has little patience for Rose’s volatility or Mia’s elitism, and regularly calls both of them out.”
Jonetta Kaiser as Sonya Karp
I don’t necessarily dislike Jonetta as Sonya but I am confused by this choice. She looks fairly young, which tbf Sonya was young-ish I guess, but if Mia is supposed to be her daughter she doesn’t look old enough to have a teenaged daughter. So maybe Sonya and Mia are sisters? Cousins? Just have each other’s last names for no reason? I really don’t know. They also look nothing alike.
Other than that, I don’t really have an opinion about Jonetta as Sonya. Obviously looks nothing like how Sonya was described but that’s not new nor a massive concern for me.
I can’t really tell just from looking at her, and I haven’t seen her in anything, if she would play a good Sonya. I think with a lot of the characters it’s going to come down to the personality they bring to the part and the writing.
I looooooove her character description though: “Quiet, careful and decidedly odd, Sonya is not of royal bloodline and sits out on the fringe of Moroi society, preferring to spend her time in the library or her gardens. Not a person who likes a scene, nonetheless she has a quiet but profound power of her own. She is taken by surprise when a Dhampir Guardian named Mikhail shows interest in her, a relationship that will expose both the brightest and darkest parts of her heart.” It’s everything I would probably want from a description of Sonya and I’m more and more convinced that we’re going to see Sonya’s descent into madness and transformation into a Strigoi play out in maybe the first season which I am so curious how they’re going to work into the timeline.
Andrew Liner as Mason Ashford
Our last one and another one who doesn’t look remotely like his description but again? Not a surprise and not a problem for me. He looks like he could play Mason’s goofiness really well as well as be a solid contender for a love interest for Rose.
“Charming, loyal and popular, Mason is Rose’s main competition in the quest to become the No. 1 Guardian-in-training. Though their relationship is casual on her side, he is hopeful she will finally look at him and see him as something more.” His character description makes a lot of sense, maybe him being Rose’s main competition is a bit of a deviation? But I think that’s more an indication that he’s supposed to be a strong fighter which isn’t inaccurate to the books. The rest sounds great.
Other Thoughts
Descriptions of the show specifically mention friendship and classism as major themes which I am very happy to hear about because those are the two parts of VA that I love the most.
Am a little more worried about it being described as “sexy” though, if they shove a whole bunch of meaningless sex scenes in it just because it’s a YA show I’m not gonna be happy.
Seen the show compared to “Game of Thrones” and “Bridgerton” which at first had me like oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck not good not good not good. But thinking about it more and trying to understand where Plec’s coming from with that description I wonder if means similar to GoT as in the cut-throat nature of the Moroi/Dhampir society cause I can kind of see that. And as for Bridgerton I wonder if she’s referring to the kind of social-climbing aspects of it, because again that makes sense and it seems like a theme she really wants to concentrate on. I hope that’s what she means by those comparisons, or that she just wants to compare it to popular shows to get people to watch it. The worst would be if she tries to throw in a lot of unnecessary sex scenes to make it like those shows, because I hate when they do that, especially when the characters are teenagers.
Interesting to hear that Plec has known about the series since before Twilight or TVD - not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
Seems like it’s actually mostly (or all??) written by Marguerite MacIntyre which is interesting because I know people were worried about Julie Plec - I’ve never watched anything by either of them so I’m neutral at this point.
#wow this took me most of the day to write so i got absolutely no uni work done#oh well#worth it#vampire academy#va#va tv show#rose hathaway#dimitri belikov#lissa dragomir#mason ashford#meredith (va)#mia rinaldi#sonya karp#christian ozera#respond to this and tell me your thoughts cause i want to hear what everyone things#*thinks#keep things respectful tho guys
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side character deaths in buffy
I've been thinking a lot recently about death in buffy, mainly inspired by Help and everything that has to say to us about avoiding, accepting and understanding death
obviously the main characters' deaths are heartbreaking, because they're written to be heartbreaking and break our relationships with characters we love and know well. buffy (twice), angel, spike, joyce, tara, anya, and all the many alternate universe and dream vision deaths that kill the main characters rip my heart out of my chest for obvious reasons. but today I've been thinking more about the deaths of people we didn't know that well and whose deaths we watch without knowing them well. so I'm gonna talk about some of those cause it's my blog and you can't stop me.
(for the purposes of this post I'm counting main characters as anyone who was in the credits, with the addition of joyce because come on)
Deputy Mayor Allan Finch/Warren in Bad Girls and Villains
These two deaths both make you gasp for the same reason - they're sudden, physically icky (warren has the edge here with the flaying but the dark blood and death rattle for allan is also horrible to watch) and while we don't have a lot of positive feelings for the victim, we gasp because of what it means for the murderers and how we suddenly realised this season is going to get darker than we thought. faith and willow both spend the rest of their time on the show dealing with the consequences of these deaths and the audience knows in the moment they happen what it has to mean for the main characters. we want to save faith and willow from the consequences of having done this. just like faith, we're confused in the dark when a figure comes towards the slayers and we don't realise what's happening immediately, and with willow we've been watching her friends approach through the forest the whole time she's giving her evil speech thinking they have to be in time to stop her because no way would the writers let willow torture a man to death on screen. If warren or the deputy mayor had died because of a demon or accident we probably wouldn't have noticed (in the deputy mayor's case) or we'd have actively applauded (I rly wanted to watch warren die).
Jesse in The Harvest
I'm guilty of forgetting about Jesse (and so is the buffy writers room when they fail to mention him for seven years) but killing off a character who looked all set to become a scooby in the pilot and then making his best friend dust him as a vampire was both shocking and showed us a lot of the issues the show would go on to consider in miniature, right at the start. we've had campy vampires running around and wisecracking, we've had vampires being cool and edgy, the master being a total ham, but then we suddenly have to watch xander grapple with the idea that vampires are more than strangers in graveyards, they're the people you knew with yellow eyes and no soul, they can talk to you with all their childhood memories of you intact. season one might do a lot of floppy cardboard monsters but Jesse's death tells us they fully intend to Go There with the horrifying psychological implications of what vampires can do to you.
Jenny Calendar and Kendra Young in Passion and Becoming
I think of these deaths together because they were both characters that we half-knew and thought we'd get to know more. they were both characters who we felt could have gone on to be in the credits, have their own plots, and had a lot left to explore on the show. having two slayers in town could have been interesting (and would go on to be interesting in season three) and as well as her love story with Giles, we'd just had the veil pulled back about Jenny's heritage and reason for coming to Sunnydale - so both of these deaths were in the horrible sweet spot of having got to know the characters more than someone like Jesse, but not feeling 'done' with them yet. they were both killed by vampires who didn't even feed on them, by neck injuries that weren't bites by 'big bad' vampires who were really after someone else. after their deaths they both set more in motion and had long thematic afterlives - we think about Kendra when faith is called, and when we meet the potentials, and Jenny gives us the soul curse and gets willow started casting spells. Kendra definitely deserved more remembering than she got, and in a world where Joss Whedon had more time for Black characters I like to think we'd have got more of her and Mr Pointy.
the normal teens buffy couldn't save
before I started writing this post, I knew this was where we were going to end up.
(Jonathan maybe doesn't totally count here but I did because his final lines made me so sad)
characters who chose to join a battle between good and evil and died as part of that fight break my heart, but at least with Jenny and Kendra they knew at least partly what they were signing up for. Larry and Harmony we knew enough to have compassion for, and even when they were mean they were mean in regular school kid ways rather than big bad evil ways. I went to school with all of these people and probably so did everyone else.
Larry and Harmony died on graduation day when they were meant to be becoming adults under posters that said 'the future is ours' - Larry was newly out as gay and Harmony was about to get out from under the popular girls and maybe become a person who could stand on her own two feet, and Buffy could have helped them if there'd been less murder and death going on everywhere around them. harmony as a screaming blonde teen was exactly the type of victim buffy saves ten times an episode in alleys outside the bronze. Jonathan had more of an arc but at the end, back in high school after making an optimistic, bittersweet speech about coming to terms with high school and being optimistic about the rest of his life, leaving behind Andrew and Warren's bitter obsessive revenge of the nerds fantasies.
and Cassie, my heartbreaking queen, the one that gets me more than anyone that I wrote about a lot yesterday, knew what was coming and that no one could save her, and all the things she listed that she knew she'd miss were teenage coming of age things. she wanted to go backpacking, attend college, go to a dance with a boy, and fall in love one day. the whole of Help, she's considering the rites of passage she won't get to do, and in her therapy sessions Buffy tries to inspire her to want to go to college or join the french foreign legion. for buffy, saving Cassie means giving her a future. we haven't met the potentials or heard the word potential yet in Help but this episode is all about potential, and Buffy's attempts to save a life meaning safeguarding someone's potential and right to grow up.
#buffy#buffy the vampire slayer#btvs#buffy meta#season one#the harvest#jesse#season two#becoming#kendra#Kendra young#passion#Jenny calendar#Larry#harmony#Jonathan#cassie newton#season three#graduation day#season seven#help#conversations with dead people
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Can’t wait until Overlord gets posted!!! I’ve only ever found one fanfic of it I’ve liked and it’s a HP crossover
:)
Character Sheet
Name: Momonga
Title: The Strongest Magic Caster with the Appearance of a Skeleton
Level: 100
Race: Heteromorphic Race; Undead
Job: One of the Almighty 42 Supreme Beings; Ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick
Residence: Great Tomb of Nazarick; Room in level 9
Alignment: Extreme Evil; Sense of Justice - 500
Racial Level: Skeletal Mage lvl 15; Elder Lich lvl 10; Overlord lvl 5
Job level: Necromancer lvl 10; Ruler of Death lvl 10; Eclipse lvl 5
Creator: N/A
Personality: Cautious, loyal, avid collector.
.
Name: Lumière
Title: High Priestess of Light
Level: 100
Race: Heteromorphic Race; Angel
Job: One of the Almighty 42 Supreme Beings; Lady of Light
Residence: Great Tomb of Nazarick; The Hidden Tower
Alignment: Extreme Good; Sense of Justice 500
Racial Level: Angel lvl 15; Archangel lvl 10; Seraph Empyrean lvl 5
Job level: Light Priestess lvl 10; High Priestess lvl 10
Creator: N/A
Personality: Demure, loyal, romantic,
.
Name: Albedo
Title: Warm and Caring Devil of Pure White
Level: 100
Race: Heteromorphic Race; Succubus
Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick Overseer
Residence: Throne Hall; and a room in level 9
Alignment: Extreme Evil; Sense of Justice - 500
Racial Level: Imp lvl 10
Job level: Guardian lvl 10; Blackguard lvl 5; Unholy Knight lvl 10; Shield Lord lvl 10
Creator: Tabula Smaragdina
Personality: Loyal, yandere, extremist
.
Name: Jack
Title: The Smiling Ripper
Level: 100
Race: Heteromorphic Race; Undead
Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick Head Researcher
Residence: The Hidden Tower; and a room in level 9
Alignment: Extreme Evil; Sense of Justice - 500
Racial Level: Skeletal Mage lvl 15; Elder Lich lvl 10;
Job level: Necromancer lvl 10; Researcher lvl 10; Assassin lvl 10; Master Assassin lvl 5
Creator: Lucille
Personality: Loyal, yandere, cruel
.
Name: Aura Bella Fiora
Title: Renowned Trainer with an Indomitable Will
Level: 100
Race: Human Race; Dark Elf
Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 6th Floor Guardian
Residence: 6th Floor Giant Tree
Alignment: Neutral ~ Evil; Sense of Justice - 100
Racial Level: N/A
Job level: Ranger lvl 5; Beast Tamer lvl 5; Shooter lvl 5; Sniper lvl 5; High Tamer lvl 10
.
Name: Mare Bello Fiora
Title: Unreliable Envoy of Nature
Level: 100
Race: Human Race; Dark Elf
Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 6th Floor Guardian
Residence: 6th Floor Giant Tree
Alignment: Neutral ~ Evil; Sense of Justice - 100
Racial Level: N/A
Job level: Druid lvl 10; High Druid lvl 10; Nature’s Herald lvl 10; Disciple of Disaster lvl 5; Forest Mage lvl 10
.
Name: Cocytus
Title: Ruler of Glaciers
Level: 100
Race: Heteromorphic Race; Vermin Lord
Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 6th Floor Guardian
Residence: 6th Floor Snowball Earth
Alignment: Neutral; Sense of Justice 50
Racial Level: Insect Fighter lvl 10; Vermin Lord lvl 10
Job level: Sword Saint lvl 10; Asura lvl 5; Knight of Niflheim lvl 5
.
Name: Demiurge
Title: Creator of the Blazing Inferno
Level: 100
Race: Heteromorphic Race; Arch-Devil
Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 7th Floor Guardian
Residence: 7th Floor Blazing Shrine
Alignment: Extreme Evil; Sense of Justice - 500
Racial Level: Imp lvl 10; Archdevil lvl 5
Job level: Chaos lvl 10; Prince of Darkness lvl 10; Shapeshifter lvl 10
.
Name: Shalltear Bloodfallen
Title: The Bloody Valkyrie
Level: 100
Race: Heteromorphic Race; True Vampire
Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 1st ~ 3rd Floor Guardian
Residence: 2nd Floor Burial Chambers
Alignment: Great ~ Extreme Evil; Sense of Justice - 450
Racial Level: Vampire lvl 10; True Vampire lvl 10
Job level: Valkyrie / Lance lvl 5; Cursed Knight lvl 5; Cleric lvl 10
.
Name: Pandora’s Actor
Title: Ever Changing Man Without A Face
Level: 100
Race: Heteromorphic Race; Doppelgänger
Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick Treasury Zone Guardian
Residence: Treasury Zone Manager Office
Alignment: Neutral; Sense of Justice - 50
Racial Level: Doppelgänger lvl 15; Greater Doppelgänger lvl 10
Job level: Expert lvl 10; Craftsman lvl 10; Lord of the Castle lvl 15
.
Name: Cheshire
Title: Cackling with Madness
Level: 100
Race: Heteromorphic Race; Fairy
Job: Hidden Tower Guardian
Residence: Hidden Tower
Alignment: Neutral; Sense of Justice - 100
Racial Level: Fairy lvl 15; Trickster lvl 10
Job level: Illusionist lvl 15; Shapeshifter lvl 10; Stalker lvl 10
.
Name: Victim
Title: Sacrificial Fetus
Level: 35
Race: Heteromorphic Race; Angel
Job: Great Tomb of Nazarick 8th Floor Guardian
Residence: 8th Floor Tree of Life (Sephiroth)
Alignment: Neutral; Sense of Justice 1
Racial Level: Angel lvl 10; Archangel lvl 10
Job level: Patriot lvl 1; Saint lvl 4; Martyr lvl 1
.
A Sneak Peek
In the year 2138 AD there was a term: DMMO-RPG. That word was an acronym for “Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game”. It was a revolutionary new way to play games that used virtual reality and nano-technology. Among the myriad DMMO-RPGs that thronged the market, one of them stood head and shoulders above the others: YGGDRASIL.
That game had been painstakingly developed and released twelve years ago, in 2126.
Compared to other DMMO-RPGs of the time, YGGDRASIL’s selling point was player freedom; it had over two thousand basic and advanced job classes.
Every class had a maximum of fifteen levels, and so in order to reach the overall level cap of one hundred, one would need to take at least seven different classes. However, players could take as many classes as they wanted as long as they met each class’s prerequisites. A player could even take a hundred classes at level one each. As such, in that system, it was exceedingly difficult to make identical characters unless one was deliberately trying to do so.
One could use various creator tools (sold separately) to fully customize one’s armor, weaponry, flavor text, appearance, and other cosmetic settings. A vast playing field awaited its players. There were nine worlds in total: Asgard, Alfheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, Midgard, Jotunheim, Niflheim, Helheim, and Muspelheim.
In essence, YGGDRASIL boasted a massive world, numerous classes, and freely customizable appearances.
It was inevitable that it would skyrocket in popularity and infinite the muses of millions of creative players.
Of course… that was all in the past now.
.
A gigantic table carved of gleaming black stone sat in the center of a luxurious room, surrounded by forty two chairs. Of all of those chairs, only three were occupied.
One of the seated attendees was clothed in a magnificent black academic robe edged in violet and gold. The collar was excessively gaudy, but it still melded well with the overall design. The person’s head was exposed, revealing a bare skill. Points of dark red lights glowed in its large eye sockets. Behind that skull pulsed a halo of black radiance.
Further down the table was a being that was not human either, merely a mass of black, sticky substance. Its tar-like surface roiled and writhed continuously, never staying in shape for more than second.
At the very end was a person who at a glance could pass as human, if not for the pointed ears and wings at their back. That person wore magnificent priestess robes of silver and blue. Its halo at the back of its head illuminated its long curly white-blonde hair.
The first attendant at the table was an Overlord, the highest-ranked of an undead magic-caster. The second was an Elder Black Ooze, which boasted the most powerful corrosive ability of the slime families. The last was a Seraph Empyrean, the highest-ranked of an angel-raced healer.
One might encounter those monsters in the most difficult of dungeons in YGGDRASIL. Overlords could use powerful curses or spells of the highest tiers of magic; Elder Black Oozes were dreaded for their ability to degrade weapons and armor; and Seraph Empyreans were universally despised when found near bosses.
However, they were not game monsters, but players.
In YGGDRASIL, players could choose their character races from three broad groups: humanoid, demihuman, and heteromorphic.
Humanoids were the basic player type and comprised humans, dwarves, wood elves, and the like. Demihumans tended to be ugly, but possessed superior attributes to humanoids. Examples of demihumans were goblins, beastmen, ogres, and so on. Finally, heteromorphic races had monstrous abilities, but despite their stats being generally higher than those of other races, they also possessed various drawbacks. There were around seven hundred playable races in total, including the advanced versions of those races. Naturally, the Overlord, Seraph Empyrean, and Elder Black Ooze were among the high-tier heteromorphic races that were playable.
The Overlord—who was speaking at the moment—did not move his mouth. That was because even the most advanced DMMO-RPGs of the time still could not overcome the technological hurdle of properly modelling the changes on a character’s face in response to emotions and speech.
He spoke in a jovial tone, “It’s really been a while, Herohero. Although this is the last day of YGGDRASIL, we didn’t expect you to show up.”
The slime wobbled. “Indeed it has, Momonga.” The slime nodded in the direction of the Overlord, then at the angel who nodded back in return. “Lumière.”
“How has work been for you?” asked the angel.
The slime sighed, letting loose a small tirade of complaints. Momonga and Lumière listened patiently as their friend vented.
After about ten minutes, the torrent of words that flowed from Herohero dwindled to a trickle.
“...I’m sorry for making you listen to my whining. I can’t complain much IRL.”
“It’s really no worries,” assured Momonga. “We’re happy you were able to come by at all.”
“Ah. It was so nice to see you both after so long. I was afraid to find no one here.” Herohero’s tentacles waved at both of them. “But it is getting late… How long will you two be on?”
“Until we’re automatically logged out once the servers shut down,” answered Lumière.
“Since it’s still a ways off, we might get more visitors like you,” added Momonga.
“Ah. I hope so. I see you both have taken good care of this place.”
Momonga and Lumière did not respond, neither of them wanting to show the surge of mixed emotions Herohero’s words caused.
There were a few more parting words, but eventually, Herohero left and it was only the two remaining members once again. Momonga sighed again and Lumière spared him a glance. Their expressions could not be relayed through their avatars so she sent him a frowny face instead.
The quiet disappointment was understandable. Their guild, Ainz Ooal Gown, had slowly died out over the years as more and more members left the game. In the past two years only Momonga and Lumière regularly logged on. They had sent emails out to the other members of the guild asking for them to join them on the final day, but unfortunately only Herohero responded.
“I’m going back to the tower,” said Lumière. “Meet up later?”
“Yeah. I’ll talk to you in a bit.”
Lumière left after that point, teleporting to the Hidden Tower at the 10th floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick had once been a six floor dungeon, but it had been dramatically altered after Ainz Ooal Gown took control of it. Currently, it was a ten floor dungeon, and each floor had its own unique theme. The First to Third Floors were modelled after a tomb. The Fourth Floor was an underground lake. The Fifth Floor was a frozen glacier. The Sixth Floor was a rainforest. The Seventh Floor was a sea of magma. The Eighth Floor was a wasteland. And the Ninth and Tenth Floors were the realm of the gods—in other words, the home base of Ainz Ooal Gown, which had ranked among the top ten of YGGDRASIL’s thousands of guilds. In the Tenth Floor there were a few hidden areas, although only one was regularly used—The Hidden Tower.
The entrance was hidden in the Throne Room. It was a tower built by Lumière, Blue Planet, and Amanomahitotsu as a hidden level. Not that it mattered since the only raid that came close to it was stopped in the Throne Room.
The tower had five levels, the first three dedicated as testing areas for Nazarick’s lead Researcher, Jack. The fourth floor was a luxurious library with a big fireplace, and lots of comfy spots to lounge in. At the top of the floor was Lumière’s room.
Upon entering the tower Lumière stopped before the Tower Guardian, Cheshire.
In a game like YGGDRASIL, guilds enjoyed several benefits if they possessed a guild base of castle tier or higher. The NPCs that the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick could field were undead monsters. These automatically spawning NPCs—or “pop monsters”—had a maximum level of thirty. Even if they were destroyed, after a while they would respawn on their own, at no cost to the guild. However, players could not customize the AI and appearances of these “pop” NPCs. They were hardly useful in deterring intruders, who were universally players.
There was also another type of NPC; the ones designed from the ground up to their makers’ satisfaction. If a guild possessed a castle-grade guild base, the owning guild would be allowed nine hundred levels to be distributed between any number of NPCs they wanted.
Because the highest level in YGGDRASIL was one hundred, by those stipulations, a guild could make seven level one hundred NPCs and four level fifty NPCs, or any combination thereof.
When designing an original NPC, one could customize weaponry and other equipment in addition to clothing and appearances. As a result, one could create NPCs that were far stronger than the automatic spawns and place them in key locations. Of course, not every NPC had to be designed for battle. A certain guild which called themselves the “Kitty Kingdom” fielded no NPCs other than cats or cat-related creatures.
It was a nice guild to visit.
Cheshire was one of those specially crafted NPCs. It was a shapeshifting fairy created by Lumière. Its default form was that of a dark cat with stripes and an eerie smile that showed several rows of sharp teeth. It was heavily inspired by the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, albeit with a more malicious mindset. It was designed to use “illusions” to trick players when entering such as changing what they see on screen to something else, or swapping what keys did what and so on.
Cheshire always floated down to whoever entered the tower. Its default setting would be to greet whoever came. It had a special message tailored for all the Supreme Beings.
“Welcome back, Mistress!” greeted Cheshire. As Lumière was its creator, she designed it to greet her as mistress, or my dearest lady. She gave the same order to her other creation, Jack.
Jack was stationed at the first floor of the tower. He was near some desks in the lab designed to look like a mad scientist laboratory. Lumière made up his character, leaning into an assassin-lich trope. She almost went with the skeletal appearance, but Bukubukuchagama talked her out of it. Bukubukuchagama bemoaned how there were already plenty of other “scary” monsters in the guild. She tried to bribe Lumière to make Jack a genderswap like her Dark Elves, but Lumière resisted. She compromised as a bishie. Or at least as much of a bishie as an undead could get.
Not that anyone could see it since Jack wore a mask.
That way he could appear as a “scary” monster to befit the evil lab, but in actuality, he was a pretty boy underneath which satisfied Bukubukuchagama. A happy Bukubukuchagama meant free visual novels for Lumière which in turn made for a happy Lumière.
Win-win all around.
Lumière brushed past both of her creations, stepping in to the laboratory and looking around.
Well, it is the last day, she thought as she glanced over at her creations.
“Come with me,” she ordered both of them.
Neither responded, both simply stepping closer to her. Er, well, Jack stepped forward while Cheshire hovered closer. She guided them up the tower to her favorite spot in Nazarick; the cozy little library.
With a wave of her hand she turned the fire place on and took a seat on the lush, red couch in front of it. She let out a slow sigh as she stared at the flickering flames.
[23:55:48]
She hadn’t even realized so much time had passed, she had zoned out watching the flames dance. That had been happening with greater frequency the past couple of weeks. Lumière’s body in reality wasn’t in good condition. It was a struggle to even get out of bed, her lungs slowly filling with fluid each day. She’d need another draining surgery in a month.
Her fatigue caused her mind to drift away, not quite falling asleep but close to.
What will I do when they shut the game down?
It was a question that had occurred to her several times, but she never found an answer. It wasn’t that YGGDRASIL was the only game she ever played--Civilizaiton CXI and Warhammer were nice ways to pass time, but YGGDRASIL was special to her. Ainz Ooal Gown was a place she finally had proper friends.
[23:59:58, 59—]
Lumière closed her eyes. What a shame.
[0:00:00...1,2,3]
?
Lumière knew something was immediately wrong when the first breath she took was not one hampered. She reflexively breathed deeper and found that it did not incite a fit of coughing. Her eyes shot open and she abruptly stood up from her seat.
Even the movement came with ease.
What in the?
[0:00:38]
Lumière twisted her body one way to another, breathing in the scents of--
Scents?! YGGDRASIL couldn’t mimic smells.
But lo and behold Lumière could distinctly smell the fire. It had a odd woodsy scent to it, as if it were scented logs burning inside. Lumière had never gone camping before, nor had she experienced fire first hand in her life. She marveled over the odd smell it emitted, sniffing delicately at it.
I quite like this smell, she thought.
“My dearest lady?”
Lumière twitched in surprise, looking over at Jack. The NPC had approached Lumière, a hand placed over his chest where his heart would have been had he not been undead. Jack, like all of Nazarick’s NPCS, had two default outfits: battle and casual. The battle would originally have only been triggered during a raid, so he currently wore his casual.
Lumière had been pretty huge into Sherlock and anime at the time of his design, so he was heavily inspired by an anime version of Jack the Ripper.
He had a black ulster coat with the collar flipped up. Underneath was a white button up shirt, and black and red suit vest. He had the classic dark white gloves, and black slacks to complete the look.
Oh, and of course the famous top hat. Could never, ever, forget the top hat for someone inspired by Jack the Ripper.
Lumière opened her mouth to say something but rapidly closed it. She placed a hand over her chest, breathing.
I can breathe easy. I have a sense of smell and touch. Is it--did I die?
Isekais were rather popular. Given her sickly body it wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch to say she passed away and had no memory of it.
The end result was still the same: she was in her avatar’s body. A body strengthened by a hundred levels and not plagued by illness or frailty. A smile curled her lips and she said, “Jack, how are you today?”
A question that an NPC could never answer unless specifically programmed for. Lumière had never given such line to Jack which meant that if he answered--
“Lovely now that I can gaze upon you,” he answered, stepping closer.
A surge of embarrassed adrenaline shot through Lumière at his intensely warm tone. Ah, wait--
She had almost forgotten how she programmed Jack’s personality. Leaning into the guild’s theme of “monsters” and “evil” she pushed on with his serial killer design. Cruel, sadistic, obsessive, and dangerously smart. She went all out, using a character design sheet Tabula put together. Lumière wasn’t as inventive or imaginative in the edgy department so she asked Ulbert to help. Ulbert had already made a pretty evil demon, Demiurge, and was delighted to try his hand at an evil undead serial killer.
At the end of the design she, as giggling joke with Peroroncino she added that he was a yandere for her.
Ahahahaha… I’m sure it’ll be okay.
「Message from Momonga」 Lumière?
Uwa! Momonga’s here?
「Message to Momonga」 Momonga! You came here too?
「Message from Momonga」 Came here… you’re really in the game, too?
「Message to Momonga」 It looks like it. I can breathe without trouble.
「Message from Momonga」 Ah. I’m happy for you. I’m going to conduct some tests to make sure I can cast more spells. Do you want to meet up in the arena?
「Message from Momonga」 Yeah, I’ll meet you there.
“Cheshire,” Lumière said, raising her hands up. “Come here.”
The fairy disguised as a monster cat floated over with a wide smiles. “Yes, Mistress?”
She reached out and the monstrous feline leaned into her palm. She felt his fur, his warmth, and beneath it all a heartbeat.
Jack responded with an answer on his own, Cheshire is warm and has a heartbeat, I can move freely… I’m here. This is real. They’re real.
Lumière smiled shyly, taking Cheshire into her arms. He was fluffy and warm. “We’re going to the arena to meet with Momonga.”
“As you wish, my lady,” demurred Jack while Cheshire flicked his tail.
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Venom - Ryuk / Eddie - Light?
I guess its the same as the previous ask, huh? *facepalm*
Well I wrote for it a few months ago but never got around to posting it but always meant to go back and edit but, ahhhh I'm sorry!
Here is the mostly unedited brain vomit from November 2020:
I'm sorry, I guess I don't understand the ask.
Were you asking me to compare the characters, compare the ships or shipping them all together?
I guess I'll just ramble for a bit about my two main hyperfixations...
I've long seen parallels between Light Yagami and Eddie Brock, especially comics!Eddie in terms of the flavor of their characters, their moral codes and character flaws (arrogance, conniving, opportunistic), power from monster partner, and (for comics!eddie) their relations to their narrative foils.
Also I see parallels between comics Eddie and Mello but I feel that's more terms of aesthetic/superficial. Blonde, catholic, like leather, motorcycles, chocolate and revenge. But I digress...
Comics Eddie and Venom initially during the original villain run I believe was meant to be a kind of narrative foil for Peter Parker, a kind of what if Peter went evil, Spiderman with murder.
And Light's character also reminds me a lot of Peter Parker, especially in the beginning of the series--both in character design and the lying, sneaking, hacking, and ha-ha I'm so clever... but instead of like leaping off buildings his secret is murder.
Light and comics!Eddie are both obsessed with their narrative foils/nemesis/equal and-opposite but for different reasons and with different outcomes.
L-Embarrassed Light and threatened to have him caught and killed him.
Develop a "friendship" to try and murder each other. Kills L and later regrets it, or at the very least seems sad he's no longer around.
Spiderman-embarrassed Eddie while he was already having the worst day of his life, getting him fired AND he hurt Venom. Tries to kill Spiderman but doesn't succeed but they think they did for a while and are happy about it. There's no angst because from their perspective they had rid the world of an evil, the man that hurt them both.
When they think they succeed at killing Spiderman, the man who hurt them, that everyone lauds as a hero is dead.. Eddie and Venom are just happily living on an island together, deciding to stay together even though the revenge that brought them together was over and just living, free of burden of hating Spiderman knowing he got his revenge... then spidey shows up alive and that's the end if that.
Later after Spiderman saves Anne, Eddie realizes he wasn't the evil he thought he was. So they move away, and tries to let it go of their obsession, even though Spiderman hurt them (and continues to do so), focusing on themselves instead and protecting a homeless community.
Of course its easier to try to seek redemption when you're bulletproof.
Venom's character has changed and grown since the initial villain days, (well depending on the writer) and the Venom symbiote has become a character with autonomy and not just a costume/plot device/metaphor for drug addiction--again Venom stories can be very different depending on the writer. Being a long-time fan my perceptions of Venom are shaped by comic canon but for the most part we'll focus here on Eddie and Venom as a loving couple.
In a way Movie!Venom feels like a fanfic version, a soft boy!Eddie, but in a good way--it's fun. Eddie gets to learn and grow from his mistakes and the movie ends with Eddie and Venom as a hero...
A hero who eats people--a situation that cannot be sustained. Much like wanting to solve all the world's problems with a murder notebook--barring some comic book miracle this can only end badly.
First impulse upon encountering a problem is kill it.
But this manifests in different ways.
If you've pissed off...
Light- he will find your name and your death will be carefully planned down to the minute.
Venom-Your death will be immediate, swift, and messy.
---
Even though I use the venom movie as a basis for headcanons here. I feel we can pick and choose from the often contradictory comic canon (the way these characters are written varies wildly depending on the author) which canon parts we like.
Comic!Eddie is more like Light than movie!Eddie in their character flaws.
Conniving, opportunistic...
They have a similar moral code.
Black and white morality
In the comics they have another thing in common-a nemesis to obsess over.
In philosophy...
Kill the guilty, save the innocent.
Comic!Eddie develops a God/messiah complex at one point though it's a temporary thing.
Movie!eddie is just he starting on his venom journey but has notably less compunction than comic!eddie about eating people.
---
Eddie and Light
I'm not shipping them romantically in my current found family au Stray. But I could see the potential there to ship--Venom has scores of different canons to pick and choose from, not just the movie. So you could have an au with College!Eddie meeting college!Light so they are closer in age.
How Light and Eddie would interact depends entirely on how they meet. For instance in the comics Venom is ride or die with friends who are also "protectors of the innocent" like Morbius the living vampire. But has animosity with the Punisher who also has a very similar outlook on life. It all depends on how they meet whether they are allies or they might try to destroy each other.
Kira
In canon Kira sees himself as a God beyond reproach and anyone else doing what he does as a murderer deserving of death. He might be allies for a time with other killers like Misa and Mikami but ultimately sees them as scum and will kill them the moment they are no longer useful.
Of course this is fanfiction and canon has no power here.
Canon was dark enough, so if I want Light to grow as a person, make friends and be happy, he will--canon be damned, lol.
Eddie = writing nerd
Peter = science nerd
Light and L = total nerds
Ryuk likes soap operas, sitcoms
Venom likes medical dramas
Ryuk and Venom = soft goth monsterboys or NBs who love snacks, tv, and one (1) justice-driven human.
---
Tropes VenomxEddie Symbrock/veddie and Ryght/Terraito/Deathgods have in common
Beauty and the beast-- "but I would never call you beast." You've got you're ruthless human and cinnamon roll monster that just wants snacks and cuddles
Living in close proximity
Secret boyfriend/partner
Vigilante justice
Deep voice
Sharp teeth
Long tongue
Alien biology
Optional body alteration
Optional--tension with rival/Narrative foil
Angst tropes-- the threat of being imprisoned, institutionalized, or subjected to unethical experiments
Daddy issues
Praise kink
#death note#asks#symbrock#terraito#ryght#venom#light yagami#eddie brock#spoilers#meta#headcanons#ramblings#ryuk#symbiote#symbiotes#klyntar#symbiote!ryuk#lawryght#detectivedeathgods#spideyvenom#crossover#fushion#death note x venom#death note spoilers#venom spoilers#dn spoilers
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I posted 601 times in 2021
124 posts created (21%)
477 posts reblogged (79%)
For every post I created, I reblogged 3.8 posts.
I added 639 tags in 2021
#resident evil - 221 posts
#wesker - 168 posts
#albert wesker - 156 posts
#william birkin - 22 posts
#alex wesker - 17 posts
#fanart - 13 posts
#willsker - 12 posts
#jill valentine - 11 posts
#writing - 10 posts
#lady dimitrescu - 9 posts
Longest Tag: 138 characters
#please note there is no pressure to reblog and i won't assume you have something against poly people if you don't see this or don't reblog
My Top Posts in 2021
#5
I love how Wesker just casually walks around with his sleeves rolled up in ANTARCTICA.
OK, yes, if I was superhuman and could do that I probably would too just to show off, but it’s so funny to me. He can’t stop flaunting his powers for a second.
106 notes • Posted 2021-11-12 19:47:37 GMT
#4
A question about Lady Dimitrescu
Where did the wiki get this from?
the resulting mutation, in conjunction with Alcina's blood disease, caused her to develop porphyria.
The actual term porphyria is nowhere in the medical report in either English or Japanese...
I know it's a disease that some people have associated with vampires, but it's been shown pretty clearly that drinking blood doesn't actually help it in any way (though it used to be believed it might)...
The other main reason the disease is associated with vampires is it causes extreme pain in sunlight, but I don't actually recall any proof that she is harmed by sunlight, and she doesn't have any of the facial disfigurements...even her teeth are normal (she doesn't even have fangs--or the receding gums that porphyria causes that make the teeth look like fangs).
Is the term actually used somewhere that I didn't notice? (Japanese versions of the game? Dev comments?)
Or did the wiki just make a guess based on the fact that it's a hereditary blood disorder that's been associated with the aristocracy especially in Eastern Europe? (And associated with vampires, though it probably wasn't actually the origin of the myth as most vampires in myths are not harmed by sunlight, that's a relatively modern addition to the vampire legend.)
As far as I know the game only specifies it's a hereditary blood disorder, which could be any number of things or even a fictional condition--have I missed somewhere where it actually says porphyria?
86 notes • Posted 2021-06-28 09:12:00 GMT
#3
So I saw this from the RE1 Japanese guidebook on Twitter
And Wesker has really nice handwriting and I can’t stop thinking about this
84 notes • Posted 2021-04-30 19:37:39 GMT
#2
Wesker is the most relatable character in Resident Evil because he spends his time talking to himself while alone in a room, making terrible puns, and laughing at his own jokes.
77 notes • Posted 2021-11-09 04:18:18 GMT
#1
Guys. Please. Wesker did not dye Jill’s hair blonde.
It is stated, clearly, in canon, that she lost pigmentation as an unintended side effect of the experiments. It’s not hair dye. It’s a medical condition caused by the experiments performed on her. And it’s not something Wesker did on purpose or even expected.
Why is this still a thing when it’s there in the files?
77 notes • Posted 2021-11-24 22:12:27 GMT
Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →
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Hell is a Relative Term (1/2)
Title: Hell is a Relative Term
Category: Plays/Musicals » Les Misérables
Author: AliceInSomewhereland
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T
Genre: Supernatural/Romance
Published: 05-21-13, Updated: 05-22-13
Chapters: 2, Words: 9,662
[Part I] [Part II]
Summary: Eponine is one of the few who stand between humanity and hell, sworn to fight evil and protect the helpless, even if it costs her her own life. Vampire slayer!Eponine. e/e. Rated for language/content
Original author’s note: Ok guys, here we go with fic #2 for the Fic War on tumblr! This one was a prompt from tumblr user poeticbibliophile: "Modern AU prompt? One line for you, m'amie — 'Are you afraid of the good you can do?' from Les Miz, V. Hugo. Tag me if you chose this. TY!"
Part I
What if I told you the stories were true?
What if you knew that there really are things that go bump in the night? Things that live under your bed and in your closet just as much as they live in your mind, things that stalk you in the dark and prey on your terror? That all the monsters your parents ever promised you were pretend exist? That sometimes, people die, evil wins, and that the light cannot always banish your fears?
*
The world was hell.
There was no other way to put it.
No one really knew why these creatures existed, but they did. They ruled the night, mauling and feasting and terrorizing the population all the world over. It had always been this way; God had long ago forsaken the world and its inhabitants. Hell had swallowed Earth, and its demons walked with sorry humanity.
But there were people to fight it. Men and women, chosen for their strength, their character, their skill. They were given tasks, they learned the weaknesses of the different creatures, and eventually specialized in one specific type of Hellbeast.
*
"Eponine!" a voice shouted.
A young woman, olive-skinned, brown-eyed and dark-haired, stopped short, closing her eyes in trepidation before slowly turning.
"I've been looking for you everywhere," the man said sternly. He was middle-aged, with a close-cropped, graying haircut and a beard that matched. "I want you to patrol tonight."
The girl, Eponine, clenched her jaw. "I promised my brother I would be home tonight. He needs me. You have Musichetta, send her instead."
"Don't question me," he scolded. "I'm sending you."
When Eponine opened her mouth to protest, the man cut her off. "You are a vampire slayer, Jondrette. This is your job. This is your duty. You were chosen to protect the people of the world, and you will patrol tonight."
"One of those people I have to protect is my brother, Javert," she snapped. She loved the man, but he so frequently forgot that she was one of the rare slayers who had people at home to take care of. She had yet to lose everything, and she planned on keeping it that way. "I have a duty to him, too. And I promised him I would be there tonight. Send Musichetta instead."
Without waiting for his response, Eponine turned on her heel. She knew that Javert would probably punish her later for her insubordination, but she didn't care. Gavroche needed her.
*
Eponine was a vampire slayer. One of few slayers, in fact. Most of the women who became slayers died young.
It was not a fate she coveted.
In fact, she hated everything this life. But she had been chosen, as Javert constantly reminded her, by a power bigger than herself. And since he was her Guardian – the Guardian of all the slayers in this quadrant – and essentially her boss, it was he she answered to.
She was on the train, headed home to her brother. The dark world rushed by her, and she wondered how many vampires were out and active tonight.
She hated them with a burning passion. When they Turned, they kept their souls, but the bloodlust was so intense that they rarely heeded what little remained of their consciences. Eventually, most lost themselves in the Hunger or went insane from the guilt of what they did when their urges were unbearable. Most that she had met, however, loved killing. She had yet to meet a truly guilty vampire.
True to legend, they could not be in sunlight, and a stake to the heart or a clean swipe of the head from the shoulders would kill them immediately. Crosses, churches, hallowed ground – all unbearable to them. They couldn't even speak the name of God; that's how damned they were. They were vicious, evil creatures, and she wanted nothing more than to kill them all.
She hated being a killer, but she loved the fight, loved the moment when they lost. She would watch them victoriously, almost arrogantly, as they died in front of her. It gave her a rush, and afterwards, she would run through the streets, high on adrenaline, hungry and horny and happy.
She would find Montparnasse when she could, but otherwise she would grab a burger and indulge at least one of her urges until the high wore off and the real world crashed down on her again.
*
Several weeks later found Eponine back on patrol and deep in the throes of combat with a vampire. She could almost taste her victory when she felt, rather than saw, the presence of more of the loathsome bloodsuckers.
Panic bubbled up in her; she faltered and was knocked to the ground. She could feel blood trickling down from her brow, and her opponent, standing above her now, bared his teeth menacingly. She was surrounded
"Good job, little 'un," a grating woman's voice cooed.
Eponine felt her insides go cold. From her place on the ground, she stared up into the eyes of her mother.
She had hated her parents when they were alive, and had not been surprised when the police showed up one night, delivering the news of their deaths. She was, however, surprised when she saw them months later, their faces twisted as they sucked a woman dry.
But that was years ago, well before she was a slayer.
"Hello little Eponine," the creature that was once her mother sang.
Eponine pounced, fighting like a madwoman. But she was outnumbered; she only managed to slay the original vampire she was battling before she was repeatedly beat down… by her mother and her father and the rest of their gang.
Her father wrenched her head back by her hair, exposing her neck. This is it, she thought, fighting against those who were pinning her to the ground. I'm about to become another dead slayer.
The vampire broke her skin with his teeth, followed on the other side by her mother, and Eponine heard herself cry out. It all seemed to be happening from somewhere else; she knew and understood that she was dying, but she couldn't feel it, barely noticed it. Heaviness spread through her body, and her eyes began to get heavy.
Just before they closed, she became aware of a movement to her left. Her mother was ripped away from her neck.
Then everything went black.
*
When Eponine woke, she felt like she had been out drinking all night. Her body was heavy, her head was pounding, and she felt sick.
When her eyes adjusted to the daylight seeping in through a crack in the curtains, she looked around – turning her head slowly so as to prevent the exaggeration of her nausea and headache.
The room was simple, bare. There was some framed art on the gray walls, though her eyes were too weak to make out the pictures. A small flatscreen TV was on a small bookshelf that was packed with more books than DVDs, and even more books were piled on the dresser near the bed, as well as on the nightstand next to her. Those, she could make out: The World According to Garp, an anthology of the works of Sartre, Catch-22.
The bedspread was red, the sheets were white. Thick, black curtains were pulled together, though a ray of bright sunlight streamed through a crack.
Where was she?
Eponine wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she was several pages into The World According to Garp (whoever lived here had great taste in literature – this was one of her favorite books) before a gentle knock rapped on the door and it opened.
A man stepped in. Tall, curly blonde hair, casually dressed in dark jeans, a white v-neck t-shirt (that gave her a peek of just a little hair on his chest below a defined collarbone), and a black jacket. He was like a marble statue come to life. His eyes, she noticed, were impossibly blue, and his face was achingly handsome. A small bit of stubble covered his jaw and the top of his neck. She had no idea whatsoever who he was.
"How are you feeling?" the man asked. Eponine, in spite of herself and the weirdness of the situation, found that she liked his voice.
Instead of answering – Eponine hated answering direct questions, especially when she didn't know the inquirer – she countered, "Who the hell are you, and how did I get here?"
The man perched himself on the edge of the bed, purposefully staying as far from her as he could. Still, he smirked at her. "I saved your life last night, Slayer. You were outnumbered by the Thénardier Coven, and they would have killed you."
Eponine glared at him. "They took me by surprise," she grumbled. Then, "How did you know I'm a slayer?"
The man snorted. "You slayers wear your rank like a badge of honor. It's impossible not to know."
Eponine actually felt a little affronted, even though he had answered the question lightly.
He shrugged, apparently aware of the insult, and added, "Plus I was watching you."
"What?" she asked, dumfounded and staring at him.
The man grinned again. "I was following the Thénardier Coven, and so were you. You fell for their bait, you know. They were planning to ambush you. You should be more careful," he admonished.
Eponine raised her chin indignantly, but said nothing.
"Yeah, you would've died if it weren't for me," he continued.
He was actually fishing for a thank you. She couldn't believe it.
"Slayers are only women," she pointed out, ignoring his comment.
He ignored hers as well. "You're sleeping in my bed, you know. I saved your life, brought you back here at my own personal risk, nursed your wounds. A 'thank you' wouldn't be unwelcome," he said pointedly. It angered her that he seemed to find all of this so humorous.
She sniffed, realizing that he wouldn't talk about anything else unless she voiced her gratitude. "Thank you," she said tightly.
He smiled. Dear god that was a beautiful smile. "Why, you're welcome," he deadpanned.
"Now, who are you? Where am I?" she asked impatiently.
The man frowned. "You may stay as long as you need. At least, until you are well enough to make it home. Get some rest, and I'll bring you some food. You need your strength," he said, ignoring her questions. He stood, reaching the door in two short strides.
"Why won't you answer me?" she asked, before he could take his leave.
He stopped, hand on the doorknob, the door partially open. Then he shrugged, turning back towards her and seriously replying, "This is the last time you'll ever see me, so it doesn't matter." Then he was gone.
*
Montparnasse was a vampire.
What was worse, he now belonged to the Thénardier Coven. They were the most violent of the covens in this part of the world, and the most deadly. But also one of the biggest.
Javert had lost many a slayer trying to eradicate their ranks, their power.
Eponine was determined not to become one of them. Especially since she was the human daughter of the clan leaders.
But Montparnasse had been her last friend from her old life. He was in love with her, as a human, but he knew she was uninterested in him, even before she had become a slayer. Still, he had let her use him (not that he didn't console himself with some on the side, anyway – he was no virtuous man).
She felt guilty about how she had treated him now, though. He hadn't deserved to be used for sex. He was a good looking guy, and could've found someone who might have loved him back, even if he had some issues with alcohol and was kind of a klepto.
Eponine found that she was crying as she drove the stake into his heart. She hadn't noticed during their fight, as she was far too entranced by their dance to the death. But she would not lose.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to him as he died.
This time, she felt neither hungry nor happy, and definitely was not horny.
It was Montparnasse that she had gone to for that reason. And here she was, responsible for his death, in so many more ways than just this one.
When she looked up, tears flowing freely from her eyes, she thought she saw a flash of blue eyes and blonde hair disappearing into the shadows, but she couldn't be sure.
*
Marius, Azelma, and Gavroche were the only good things in her life anymore.
She had met Marius not long after becoming a slayer, and had fallen in love with him almost immediately. Sometimes when she had gone to Montparnasse, it was because she wanted Marius, and she could close her eyes with the other man and pretend that he loved her too.
The thought caused a wave of guilt to flow through her body. The hurt of Montparnasse's death (by her hand) was still very close.
Marius was kind to her, though. He was a sweetheart, always stopping to chat and inquire after her and her sister and brother, always ensuring that she was uninjured and being safe on her patrols.
She hoped that he might someday fall for her too. Eponine felt less damaged and depressed and hopeless around him. Perhaps he would even be willing to put up with the uncertainty of her life, her future, for a few passionate years by her side.
But one evening he ran up to her, more excited and worked up than she had ever before seen him.
"'Ponine! Oh, 'Ponine, I've fallen in love," he told her dreamily, taking her hands in his and spinning her gaily.
For a fleeting moment, Eponine thought her meant her.
"She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Her hair is long and so blonde, her eyes are beautiful, and my god she probably has a wonderful soul to match."
Eponine gave him a strained smile.
"Can you find her for me, 'Ponine? You know your way around, and you're good at finding people."
Before she could stop herself, Eponine heard herself agreeing to help him.
*
She found the blonde beauty, all right.
Her name was Cosette.
She was the daughter of Jean Valjean.
Jean Valjean was the patriarch of the Fauchelevent Coven.
That idiot Marius had gone and fallen for a vampire.
Jealousy and contempt bubbled up inside of Eponine. She didn't know what to do with herself. Or with Marius. And when she had told him what she had learned, he had dismissed it.
"Not all vampires are bad, 'Ponine," he insisted. Eponine wanted to punch him for his stupidity. He might as well have been suggesting that he take a leisurely swim in the ocean in the middle of a hurricane. "She's a good one, I just know it. Besides, the Fauchelevent Coven has always been fairly peaceful. They don't attack humans, not like the Thénardier Coven or the Tholomyes Coven or the others."
Eponine stormed out, going on a hunt.
She would kill something tonight. She could only hope that it was a vampire, not that idiot, love struck boy she had left in the bar.
A few hours later, Eponine was on her third kill (she had been on the offensive tonight, though it wasn't strictly protocol to hunt alone and without a secure plan that Javert knew).
That's when she saw him.
When the vampire woman was dead, Eponine spun on her heal, flicking her sweaty hair out of her eyes.
"Why are you following me?" she demanded.
The blonde man regarded her seriously. "You seem angrier tonight than usual."
Her eyes narrowed. "Are you stalking me?"
He gave this some consideration, before replying, "More like ensuring that you don't get yourself into any sticky situations again."
She took an involuntary step closer. His eyes were so blue. "Why?"
He shrugged. "You're not like the other slayers."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
He thought for a moment. "They're all driven by something. You just go through the motions, but you're so talented. What's keeping you from rising to your full potential? You could be the best slayer alive, if you wanted. You could eradicate the entire Bloodluster population if only you tried."
Eponine regarded him incredulously. "I don't even know you, I'm not talking to you about my reasons for slaying!"
He was watching her closely, looking for something in his face. "Are you afraid of the good you can do?"
Her face darkened. "Look, bro, my reasons for slaying are my own, and are certainly none of your business. And, I will have you know, I'm not afraid of anything."
"Whatever you say," he scoffed.
Eponine shoved him back angrily; he grinned, lazily taking a step back to keep his balance. It only pissed her off more.
"You're intriguing, little slayer," he said, quirking a half-smile at her.
Without missing a beat, she replied, "And you're an annoying jackass, mystery asshole."
He laughed at that.
*
Eponine still did not know his name, but she began to enjoy his somewhat constant presence when she patrolled. Somehow, he always seemed to pop up in time to see her fight, and ended up staying with her until her patrol was finished just before dawn. Then they would go their separate ways.
"Don't you ever sleep?" she asked as they walked slowly together through the empty streets. No one was ever out at this time of night except for the slayers or the occasional other fighter. She often wondered what his specialty was.
"Don't you?" he countered.
Somehow he always kept things balanced between them. She wasn't sure whether he answered her questions with questions of his own because that's what she did or because he wanted to maintain a certain balance between them. She was fine with boundaries, but the more time she spent with him, the more curious she became. She liked this marble man, this beautiful boy that seemed to gleam with the light of the sun even at night. She wanted to be his friend. She enjoyed hearing about his true friends, the ones that knew him as more than the Marble Man, and she found relief in telling him about her own fucked up life.
Rather than taunting her by knowing her name (which she had never actually told him) while she did not know his, he mostly referred to her as "Slayer" or "Little Slayer." She couldn't decide whether the whole thing was creepy and whether or not she liked his nicknames, nor could she decide if, when he did call her by her name, the shiver that went down her spine was because it sounded so foreign on his tongue or if it was because she liked hearing her name on his lips.
They had become friends, somehow. She wasn't sure what exactly had happened, but she truly did appreciate that he had saved her life, and he hadn't left her alone since, for whatever reason, and she had grown to like his company.
He was driven. He talked a lot about his dreams of helping the people, saving them from these circumstances, finding a way to eradicate the violent covens and hopefully rehabilitate the rest.
Eponine was less in favor of rehabilitation, but her Marble Man insisted that not all covens were violent like Thénardier. He told her frequently that she was blinded by her hate for her parents and what they had become. When he said this, she told him to fuck off and mind his business, usually storming off and leaving him behind. And he usually let her go.
It irritated her to no end that he knew her so well – seemingly without even trying – when she knew nothing about him. Was she that easy to read? He always seemed to guess her emotions – which she had spent so many years learning to hide – without any effort at all. He was always telling her about her potential, about how her circumstances could improve if she only tried a bit harder. He knew her name, he knew her story, but she knew nothing about him. Not even his name.
So one night, she asked him. They had been friends now for a few months. He had watched her fight, had even stepped in a few times when she got a little too close to death for his comfort (though she loved the rush that just escaping death gave her).
"What's your name? You know so much about me, but I know nothing about you."
He was silent for a long moment, and Eponine was fully expecting him to change the subject or stay quiet until she felt humiliated enough by her prying to change it herself, just as he always did. But tonight:
"I'm Enjolras," he told her quietly.
She froze in shock, unable to keep walking. He had actually told her. Her Marble Man had a name, and he had finally given it to her.
After a tense moment, in which she stared at him with an unattractively open mouth and he stared back with trepidation and dark eyes, he stepped up to her. She couldn't read his face as he searched hers, slipping his hand into her own.
Eponine wasn't sure what he found in her face, but he must have been satisfied because he was suddenly turning away, tugging on her hand to pull her with him so they could resume their walk.
But she didn't move. Instead, she tested his name, whispering it into the slight wind. "Enjolras…."
He immediately turned when she said his name, cupping the side of her face with his hands and bringing his lips urgently to hers.
Eponine was waiting for him; her lips parted almost immediately against his, her arms wrapped around his neck, and she pressed herself into him just as he pulled her closer with his free arm.
Enjolras deepened the kiss, meeting the tongue that had only moments ago held his name so tenderly. She shivered as his hand traveled down her rocky spine to rest at the slight valley that had formed at the small of her back.
He kissed her passionately, and she rose to meet the challenge, just as she did with her slaying. His kisses moved from her lips to her jaw, to her neck, to her collarbone. His hand preceded the actions of his lips, tracing their route before he made it. Now, his fingertips traveled down her chest, lips following as he unzipped the jacket she was wearing to reveal her cleavage.
Her hands were entwined in his hair and god she had forgotten how good this felt, and his fingertips and lips and tongue had just reached the top of her breasts when he cried out in pain, leaping away from her.
Eponine stared as a bit of smoke rose from his fingers, as though he had been on fire. He was staring at her with a torn, almost heartbroken, and pained expression.
She knew that she was staring back in horror. Her hand found the pendant buried in her cleavage – a silver cross. It was meant to protect her from her foe.
Anger like she had never before felt suddenly overtook her and she wanted nothing more than to kill him where he stood.
He just continued to stare.
"You're a fucking vampire!" she screamed at him. She could hear the hurt and anger and fear in her voice. What had she done?
"Eponine–."
"No!" she snapped, cutting him off. The way he had implored her with her name – without even needing to say anything else – had twisted her heart in her chest. "If you ever fucking come near me again I will stake you through the heart, and cut your head off, and cause you a lot of fucking pain as I do it!"
Enjolras listened to her scream, holding his burned hand in the palm of his uninjured one. Staring at her with almost heartbroken eyes.
Then he was gone.
#enjonine#enjonine fanfic#enjonine fanfiction#enjonine fic#eponine x enjolras#enjolras x eponine#e/e#é/e
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Slayer of Slayers
Warnings:I do not own, nor do I claim to own any of the copyright or characters within the Buffyverse which includes but not limited to the television shows Buffy and Angel, as well as the Darkhorse comics series’ continuation.
15+ Strong to moderate violence, Graphic to mild descriptions of gore, and torture, sexually charged scenes, sexual innuendos, mild to strong language, and practices of witchcraft.
M/M, F/F, M/F, GEN, OTHER +
PART FOUR LINK HERE
Part Five - Parental Guidance Advised
Theo Frey, the slayer of slayers, was now a vampire, a vampire unlike any other before him, one that sired themselves, and along with his new undead status, he found his slayer strength, speed, and healing, was now matched with his vampire side making him even more powerful than ever before, all working towards Drusilla’s grand plans which were created after she had a vision of the vampire/slayer hybrid bringing about the end of days.
Drusilla and Theo traveled to the outskirts of New York, in the middle of nowhere, located deep within some woods, arriving at an abandoned asylum which Drusilla had claimed to be her home for many years now, the first place she took Theo after his parents died, the place in which Theo first met the love of his life, Tobias.
“The future is a funny little thing not once did I see the death of my darling Tobias in any vision and now it’s the first and last thing, I see every day.” Drusilla sadly revealed to Theo, as the two walked down a hallway within the abandoned asylum late at night.
“Well, it would have been good to get a whole heads up about becoming a vamp myself before it actually happened, but I guess I was not on a need-to-know basis with that one.” Theo slyly snapped at his fellow vampire.
“It was you and Tobias who chose to go off on your own create your own paths and become number one targets for all slayers,” Drusilla replied. “Everything was meant to happen the way it was for you to become the best version of yourself, a version strong enough to kill your birth mother.”
“Did Tobias always know? That I’d one day become a vampire?” Theo could not help but wonder, as he began to wonder whether falling for Tobias was all just a part of Drusilla’s plans.
“No, he did not…you two were truly destined to love each other it is with great sadness that your love story with my beautiful Tobias has come to an end but sadly it does not surprise me either,” Drusilla revealed to him, before going on to say. “Buffy will stop at nothing to slay us all, yet where was she to slay the monsters who took the ones that raised you?”
“Buffy and Angel will pay for abandoning me in fact I am already putting a plan into action for them both but let me make myself clear when I say I will not be waiting as long to take revenge for Tobias,” Theo promised her, much to Drusilla’s delight. “Now why do I still feel the same?”
“Well, another little hitch has occurred it seems you still have your soul,” Drusilla answered him, both looking as shocked as the other. “I do not know why that pesky thing is still in place, but I am not worried about it, some of the biggest monsters in the world still have souls after all…now please do tell mummy what you have planned for other mummy and naughty daddy?”
After being M.I.A from the slayer world as well as her friends, loved ones, and all real-world connections, Buffy Summers had taken to a cabin in the woods, in the middle of nowhere, the perfect place to get lost and forget about the rest of the world, and for one whole year she had uninterrupted bliss as she attempted to get over the loss of her son, but as she sat on the steps of her cabin porch and felt a sudden change in the wind nearby, she knew her perfect isolation was about to be intruded and after a blast of lightning struck the nearby grounds it became abundantly clear that her best friend Willow had found her.
“I told you not to come looking for me I told you when I was ready, I’d come looking for you,” Buffy told the red-headed witch after Willow appeared from out of the ripped air that the lightning strike had just caused. “But it is good to see you again Willow…I’ve missed you.”
“We found him, Buffy…” Willow said with great sadness, knowing the story she was about to tell her friend would only cause her more hurt but also knowing she had to be the one who Buffy found out from.
Willow sat Buffy back down on the porch, sitting next to her, and went on to tell her everything she knew about Buffy’s son Theo, the revelation that he was somehow a slayer like his mother, that he was seeing a vampire just like his mother, but that was where the similarities ended as she went on to talk about Theo hunting other slayers before being captured and possibly killed by Buffy’s former watcher Rupert Giles in self-defense.
Willow made it clear that they had no idea who he was until it was too late, that despite not knowing who he was they fought hard for his redemption, and how she believed that despite it being unlikely, that Theo Frey had somehow survived and was still out there somewhere.
She hugged Buffy as she cried, listened while she shouted, advised her while she tried to make sense of it all, and stayed with the blonde-haired slayer until she was ready to act towards the shocking revelations.
“He’s been hiding in plain sight this whole time, living a life before our very eyes…god knows what he has been through, what I was not there to protect him from.” Buffy cried as she tried to come to terms with the news about her now fully grown son who was just born over a year ago. “And now he could be gone again…”
“I have several covens working on locating him, Faith’s headed to Los Angeles to speak to Angel about it all and get him involved in finding him too,” Willow confessed to the slayer, trying to give her some positive news. “We are going to find him; I know he is still out there I just know it!”
“Oh god, we told him his son was dead and now he might actually be.” Buffy realized as she felt the weight of lying to Angel for all this time.
Angel sat behind the desk in his office within the Hyperion Hotel looking through the books he had gathered through the years as he searched for information on the latest demon he and Illyria were hunting when he was surprised to hear the front door to the Hyperion Hotel being opened thanks to his advanced vampire hearing and so he rose out of his chair, grabbed a hold of a nearby knife and walked into the main foyer of the hotel where he was shocked to find Faith stood there waiting for him.
“You can drop the weapon big man it's only little old me.” Faith said to the vampire with a soul, before the two walked into his office, as the slayer slowly began to prepare herself for telling Angel the truth, fearing it would change their friendship forever.
“Thought you were held up at slayer rehab trying to mend the boy slayer’s broken ways,” Angel replied as he placed his knife back onto his desk table. “Do not tell me he’s already redeemed and ready to be put back into society.”
“Far from it actually,” Faith answered nervously. “The thing about Theo is, well he kind of, sort of, turns out to be your long lost son, the miracle child you had with Buffy who we kind of told you was dead…there is no better way to say this than we kind of lost him through a portal last year and told you he died because well Connor…but he’s back all grown up just like Connor and sort of evil again like Connor.”
“You guys told me he was dead, you told me he was dead!” Angel snapped at the one slayer he believed would never keep something from him, especially not something like this. “I help you capture him, we could have killed him, and all this time he was my son? How that hell is that even possible?”
“Well, the good news is he wound up in the past and not a hell dimension.” Faith told the vampire reluctantly, feeling his fury over the lies that she helped tell, even if she believed it was for his best.
“None of this is good Faith! You lied to me! You, Buffy, and Willow told me he died! I mourned the loss of my baby son, I blamed myself for not being enough to protect him, I blamed her.” Angel shouted in disbelief, infuriated to learn his son had been alive all this time. “Where is he now? Where is Theo?”
“Okay do not get all murder and Angelus like on me but Giles sort of shot him multiple times then he swan dived out of a window into deep waters but hey on the plus side Willow is pretty sure he’s still alive…” Faith quickly responded, making sure she gave him all the information needed as she wished for this conversation, and for her friend’s anger, to come to an end, despite knowing this was only the beginning.
The several covens working on finding a location for Theo Frey through magical means had finally got some results, questionable results, as they informed Willow that the male slayer was in his hometown of Riverborn, of all places, Theo had headed home, and despite the gut feeling that this was most definitely some kind of trap, Willow revealed her covens’ findings to Buffy and the two best friends quickly headed for the Californian small town located rather close to their own hometown of Sunnydale, or where Sunnydale once stood.
“This place is giving me all the wrong kind of Sunnydale vibes which only serves to convince me even further that we are walking straight into a trap,” Willow told her blonde-haired friend, as she and Buffy walked the streets of Riverborn, late at night, in search of the Frey family home, where Buffy’s son once lived.
“I do not care if he wants to trap me or not the point is he wants us there which is a step in the right direction for me,” Buffy admitted to her, as the two stopped outside of an abandoned home, the tell-tale signs of its boarded windows, and the decaying build revealing it to be the former family home of Theo and his adoptive parents. “I hope this was a happy home to grow up in…I hope his life has not all been as twisted as the recent years we know about.”
“Well, if it was not, it is not like I could have done anything, you know with the whole fact that I thought my son was dead this entire time.” Angel snapped at Buffy, appearing from behind the slayer and witch.
“Angel…I can’t begin to apologize for everything I’ve put you through, that I forced Willow and Faith to put you through, so I’m not going to, not yet anyway.” Buffy told the vampire with which she shared a child, as his eyes never left the view of their son’s former home.
Willow quickly informed Angel of the plan which she and Buffy had made while on their way to Riverborn, hoping to avoid as much awkwardness between the two as possible, as she revealed she would wait outside ready to cast any spells needed if Theo had not come alone so that the two could focus on trying to get through to their son, and after a few minutes of talking things through it was time to put their plans into action.
As Buffy and Angel walked through the front door of Theo’s family home and into the living room he once shared with his adoptive parents it became abundantly clear, by the photos in frames placed above a cozy fireplace, that the people who had raised their son truly loved him like he was their own, and for a brief moment, they found comfort in that knowledge, until their minds began to wonder what happened to them for this once loving home to become so empty and for their son to go down such a wicked path.
“All I wanted for him was a normal life, a normal home, and to be safe,” Buffy told Angel as tears formed in her eyes, while the slayer and vampire moved into the kitchen where they found a sinister-looking Theo gleefully awaiting their arrival as he held a crossbow in his hands ready to fire at any given moment.
“Before or after the monsters that you were supposed to slay took everything away from me.” Theo sarcastically replied to his mother, finally meeting her for the first time after all these years. “The blood-stained carpet in the living room is where I found my mother on my sixteenth birthday…oh the irony, and here is where I found my father.”
“Theo I am so sorry!” Buffy cried, seeing nothing but hatred for her in her son’s eyes, beautiful eyes which he had gotten from Buffy’s mother, with his facial structure very much like Angel’s.
“You seem different!” Angel stated to his son, realizing something had changed within him since the last time they met when he did not know Theo was his son.
“So, the cat is clearly out of the bag about who I really am. That’s good it’s going to make this so much more enjoyable!” Theo declared revealing to them both that he knew exactly who they were and that he hated them more than anything else on this planet.
“Theo, you have got to know I had no idea that you were even alive. I’d have stopped at nothing to find you otherwise.” Angel promised his son, hoping to explain his absence to Theo, that he was not to blame for not being in his life.
“I thought I had lost you forever I had no clue where you wound up…I should’ve looked for you, but I hoped you were better off without me.” Buffy confessed as Theo kept the crossbow firmly pointing at both of his biological parents, seeming untouched by their words.
“I do not want answers, you idiots.” Theo scoffed at them both. “Answers are what some lost boy looks for as he longs to be found but I’m no lost boy and I found myself a very long time ago. All I want is revenge!”
Theo did not wait for either Buffy or Angel to reply before shooting two arrows in their direction, arrows which Angel managed to catch, one in each hand, before it made any damage towards him or Buffy as Theo quickly scurried out of the kitchen ready to play a game of hide and seek, a game he intended to not only win but to use as another trap for the two people he blamed for everything wrong in his life.
Angel took to the upstairs of Theo’s family home while Buffy went down to the basement, figuring if they took both options to where their son could have run to, then he would not be able to get away so easily, and as Angel reached the upstairs hallway, he found himself walking into Theo’s bedroom which looked like it had been kept the same way since he was last in it.
Angel scoured the room where he found shelves filled with books, a desk filled with awards, and a picture by Theo’s bed of himself and a friend, which he did not know at the time was Ruby Moon, and as he continued to look around his son’s room he realized Theo once lived a happy life in this home, which is exactly why they were brought here because Theo blamed them for his happy life coming to an end.
Although Angel’s search led to nowhere, Buffy’s search was going much better as she reached the bottom of the basement stairs to see Theo stood there, having ditched his crossbow, for a shiny blade.
“I was hoping you’d be the one to find me first, mother and son, slayer versus slayer, you’re going to be my biggest kill.” Theo boasted to a horrified Buffy who was left unnerved by her son’s desire to kill her.
“I do not want to fight you, Theo, you are my son and I love you,” Buffy replied cautiously, fearing she would have no choice but to go head-to-head with her own son.
“I’m a vampire just like daddy now, did I forget to mention that? So, if you think you’re going to win against me then I have to tell you I’m a lot stronger than when I went up against your friends.” Theo confessed to a stunned Buffy, who realized her son had died before she even got a chance to meet him and at the hands of Giles, nonetheless.
“You’re dead?” Buffy answered in complete shock, blaming herself for her son’s doomed fate.
“But you still have a soul…” Angel announced as he appeared at the top of the basement stairs and began walking down towards Buffy and Theo. “I don’t know how it’s possible, how you are a vampire, and yet somehow you are still you but the fact that you’ve kept your soul is very much evidence that you are not as evil as you want us to believe.”
“Or maybe my soul is so damned the devil himself does not want it?” Theo replied to his father, eager to debunk Angel’s theory about him. “I am the first vampire in history to ever sire himself I guess that means the rules are different for me and although there are two of you, I like my odds considering I am both vampire and slayer.”
“I am not going to fight you!” Buffy repeated herself, refusing to lay hands on her son.
“I will,” Angel stated before going on to say. “If I have to beat the good back into you then I will.”
Theo charged towards Angel swinging his blade multiple times in his direction, Angel managing to avoid being cut before knocking the blade out of Theo’s hands leading to the two vampires going head-to-head in a brutal and bloody fight.
Angel managed to hold his own against his son Theo for some time, but it was not long before Theo began to get the better of his father but not because of his new undead status but rather because Angel was holding back, and Buffy could see that, so as Theo threw his biological father to the floor Buffy rushed across the basement floor and picked up Theo’s knife.
“Stop it now!” Buffy shouted at her son as she placed the knife against her son. “If you are so damned determined to kill your parents then start with me.
“Buffy…” Angel muttered before being knocked out by a killer right hook punch by Theo, who left his father unconscious on the ground as he began to walk over towards his mother.
“Do not think that I will not kill you right here right now!” Theo told Buffy as he placed his own hands on the blade pressed against Buffy’s chest.
“Then do it! If it is going to make you happy then do it!” Buffy pleaded with her son as tears began to form in her eyes. “All I have ever wanted is your happiness…”
Theo pushed the blade into Buffy’s chest ever so slightly, just enough force so she could feel the blade but not enough force to break the skin, and he stood there with a knife
to his mother’s chest for what felt like forever to Buffy but in likelihood was less than a minute, before Theo threw the blade to the ground, unable to kill his own mother.
“I do not remember what happy feels like anymore,” Theo admitted honestly, his words making Buffy realize how truly broken he was, much to her own horror, and as he began walking up the stairs leaving both Buffy and Angel in the basement, Buffy could not help but feel responsible for her son’s fate, vowing to save him from himself even if it did lead to her own death.
#buffythevampireslayer#btvs#buffy#angeltheseries#darkhorsecomics#buffyverse#fanfiction#fanfic#buffyfanfiction#angelfanfiction#buffyfandom#buffyfamily#angelfandom#angelfamily#lgbtthemes#lgbtcharacters#canon lgbt characters#childofcharacters#originalcharacters#buffysummers#angel#willowrosenberg#faithlehane#drusilla#vampire slayers#vampires#witches#werewolves#creatures#monsters
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I have no idea if there’s a subsect of people who both love the Captive Prince novels and the Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV show, but as a person who adores both, I couldn’t get this AU out of my head.
For those who haven’t watched BTVS, it’s a 90s show about a teenage girl who becomes the Slayer -- a young woman who’s gifted extraordinary strength and fighting abilities in order to fend off vampires and other demons.
Let’s say Captive Prince characters exist in this world, in the modern day. I imagine Laurent comes from a long line of Watchers, the (usually male) scholars who are paired with Slayers to guide them. Basically, Slayers are expected to handle the fighting, Watchers usually stand on the sidelines and offer knowledge about demons’ weaknesses or when the next apocalypse will show up.
Aleron and Laurent’s uncle are Watchers, though they’ve never been paired with a Slayer. There’s only one Slayer at a time, and her powers get passed on to the next girl every couple of years (they have short life expectancies, unfortunately.) Auguste is a Watcher-in-training, and he’s totally against the current system. He think it’s unfair for Watchers to expect Slayers to do all the fighting and take on 99 percent of the risks, while Watchers usually sit back, maybe offer some advice, and also make a lot of money while Slayers get nothing.
His opinions don’t really make him popular, even though people are predisposed to love Auguste. They think it’s brave, but other Watchers fear that they’ll actually be expected to share some of their wealth with Slayers, or to take up weapons. But Auguste trains day in and day out, knowing he can’t match up to a Slayer’s superhuman strength but wanting to make himself a partner that could be relied upon.
At 13, Laurent’s dream is that he can follow in his brother’s footsteps to some degree. He hasn’t really started training to fight, since his brother worries he’d get overzealous and try to fight actually fight demons, but he reads as much as he can of demonology lore. Auguste is super proud of him, and they plan that when Auguste gets paired with a Slayer, Laurent will come along and be the brains of the operation.
Slayers fight lots of demons, but killing vampires is their primary fight. Vampires are demons who used to be human but were turned, losing their lives and their souls. They don’t age, but they can be killed with a stake in the heart, decapitation, fire, sunlight or lots of holy water.
The most infamous vampire of the day is Damianos. He and his brother Kastor were once sons of a prosperous noble family in Greece a few centuries back, but a beautiful blonde vampire named Jokaste turned them both. For 300 years or so, they’ve traveled as a group throughout Europe, wreaking carnage wherever they go. I imagine Jokaste would play them off each other, continuing relationships with both at the same time. Damianos doesn’t really care, but Kastor nurses a bitter jealousy.
As vampires, they’re not capable of remorse. Atrocities are commonplace. Damianos delights in finding strong warriors he can defeat and kill, or beautiful maidens he can feed from. Perhaps he’s even killed one or two Slayers.
When they’re sighted in France present-day, the de Vere family goes on high alert. But Laurent’s uncle is scheming. Maybe he’s after powerful, extremely dangerous magical artifacts that the de Vere family has been entrusted with, but which Aleron and Auguste keep away from him.
So Laurent’s uncle makes his move and kills his brother. But he sets it up to look like it’s Damianos who’s responsible -- Damianos, who’s known as one of the most dangerous demons in the world. Vampires aren’t super high on the demon totem pole, but Damianos fights with a skill no other vampire possesses.
Auguste believes the lie wholeheartedly and makes up his mind to go after Damianos. Let’s say the currently Slayer is also a Frenchwoman, maybe a younger Vannes, and they’re friends, though not officially partnered. They go after Damianos, who doesn’t even know, or care, about the de Vere family.
It goes badly. Damianos might not know what’s incensed Auguste and Vannes, but he likes a good fight in any case. He’s delighted, really, that two strong fighters sought him out instead of the other way around -- and he looks forward to killing them.
They put up a good fight, but Damianos is skilled on a level they didn’t expect. He gets a hit on Vannes that knocks her down hard, and Auguste, who’s been disarmed of a sword he was wielding, sees that she’s about to die. And suddenly, through all the grief and pain, he feels selfish.
If Vannes dies, the world loses a Slayer who has experience and hardiness, who could still save so many lives. If she dies, her powers get passed on, but they have no idea who’ll get them next, and Auguste has learned what a terrible burden it is to be the Slayer -- to be forced to give up your life to an often thankless duty.
So when Damianos raises the sword to cut Vannes down, Auguste leaps in the way and takes the blow. He tells Vannes to run, because while he dragged her into this fight for vengeance, Damianos isn’t the biggest fish to fry in terms of saving the world from demons.
Vannes hates herself for it, but she does run. And Auguste resists to the end, but he dies.
Auguste takes his last breath while Laurent struggles to get to him, held back by his uncle. They’ve been in a hidden vantage point. Laurent was so sure Auguste and Vannes would win, and when the tide turns, his uncle holds him back, saying no, Laurent, your brother wouldn’t want you to throw your life away, would he?
So Laurent watches, like the kind of Watcher he and Auguste were so determined to reject. He watches as Damianos looks at Auguste’s corpse without a care in the world. He watches as Damianos licks blood off his fingers and grins with satisfaction.
Damianos leaves France shortly after, and seven long years begin for Laurent. Years where he learns that his uncle doesn’t have his best interests in mind after all. Where he suffers abuse, and realizes that his uncle could care less about a Watcher’s duty -- he’s taking the de Vere family’s dangerous artifacts and selling them to whoever can pay for them. Maybe he’s been in league with, and is scheming to take over, Wolfram & Hart, an international law firm that specializes in enabling demons’ interests. Evil, but pays well.
By the time Laurent’s twenty, he’s a full-fledged demon hunter all on his own. He knows he’ll never have the power a Slayer would have, but he’s trained himself ruthlessly just like in canon. He’s matched that with an encyclopedic knowledge of demonology and the occult that’s unmatched by any other current Watcher.
Of course, Laurent’s uncle campaigns among the Watcher’s Council to convince them that Laurent is unfit for the position, that he’s dangerously obsessed with the vampire Damianos and would only get a slayer attached to him killed. The Council agrees, and even with all of Laurent’s skill and knowledge, he’s never invited to any Watcher business.
So he goes freelance. Laurent tracks and kills demons across France, maybe venturing into other countries as well. He builds his own network with other demon hunters, and gets a reputation of being ruthless and unbeatable.
With him is Berenger, another Watcher-in-training who was friends with Auguste. Maybe he had to leave the Watchers because of his lover -- Ancel, an incubus. Obviously, the Watchers aren’t big on human/demon couples. Then the rest of the gang -- Jord, Lazar, Orlant, etc. Perhaps Aimeric tags along by Jord’s side as a plant from his uncle.
(I wish Captive Prince had more usable female characters that could also fit in with this. Let’s say Laurent has a lot of female cousins from his mother’s side who are badass demon fighters.)
But his uncle wasn’t wrong that Laurent has an obsession. A hatred and quest for vengeance that kept him going through the worst years -- his desire to kill Damianos, the soulless vampire.
But Damianos hasn’t been seen in years, pretty much since the day he killed Auguste. Unknown to Laurent, Damianos got himself in trouble soon after he left France. He kidnapped and tortured Kashel (sorry!) and then carelessly left her body to be found by her clan of powerful witches.
Obviously, Halvik and the rest of the clan are enraged. They resolve to curse him with a punishment far worse than death, something that will make him suffer for the rest of his eternal life.
They give him back his human soul.
Without a soul, Damianos could kill, rape and otherwise destroy without any pangs of conscience. While the demon retained the human Damen’s memories and some parts of his personality, as a vampire he was slave to his basest instincts. His lust, both for fighting and sex, and his lack of empathy for what other people feel and experience.
But when his soul is returned, Damen’s better instincts come rushing back -- his sense of honor, his capacity for love, his belief in fair play and doing the right thing. He’s ripped out of the afterlife and forced to confront 300+ years of senseless violence and brutality, and to remember each person whose life he took or ruined.
At first, he’s lost. He goes to Jokaste and Kastor, but they reject him. Jokaste’s not a fan of his return to morality, and Kastor jumps at the chance to ditch Damen for good and have Jokaste to himself.
Let’s say that for a few years, Damen despairs. What does a vampire with a soul do with his life? He can’t live as a human, because he won’t age, he can’t walk in daylight without catching on fire, and he still needs blood to survive (though now he buys pigs’ blood from the butcher.) He wants to make up for what he’s done, but he has no idea how. He returns to his hometown in Greece, seeking some sort of comfort.
There, he meets Nikandros. He’s a fledgling demon hunter who only started hunting demons because his family was killed by them. Most humans have no idea demons exist, so he got thrown into that world headfirst. No superpowers, but he’s athletic and strategic.
He realizes what Damen is pretty quickly, though he knows nothing of his history. He’s ready to kill him without mercy, since no one’s ever heard of a “good vampire.” But Damen wins his trust -- maybe Nikandros gets outnumbered in a fight, and Damen swoops in to help him. Eventually, they team up, and Damen finds a new purpose -- and a means of redemption -- in fighting other demons and keeping innocent people safe.
Meanwhile, Laurent’s pissed that in seven years, there’s been no new sightings of Damianos or any word on his exploits. Damianos was never one to hide, so it’s baffling that he basically disappears. Laurent never considers that he might have been killed -- he saw for himself just how good he was.
As much as he wants to devote himself to hunting Damianos down, there’s the rest of the world to worry about. He also knows that if he confront Damianos too early, he’ll throw away his life for nothing. So he keeps training, keeps killing other demons, and tries not to think about the countless other victims Damianos surely must be racking up.
Suddenly, he gets word that a potential apocalypse might be happening soon in Greece. Vannes died about a year after Auguste (though she lived to save the world a few times in that period), and currently there’s a very new Slayer in Mexico who’s pretty untrained. Still, the Watcher’s Council wants to send her anyway, fairly unconcerned with whether she dies or not, since a new one will just take her place.
The new Slayer’s Watcher just died, and she hasn’t been assigned a new one. Laurent’s uncle volunteers him for the job, saying that since Laurent’s always wanted more of a role, this is perfect. The Council agrees, though of course they all figure Laurent and the Slayer will probably die.
Laurent knows what his uncle is up to, but he wants to go. Even if the risk to his life is greater than ever before, he knows it’s what Auguste would do. The new Slayer is just fifteen years old, and he won’t leave her alone to face the end of the world. He’ll train her to the best of his ability, then fight by her side. His team agrees to go as well, because despite the odds, they believe in Laurent.
So this sets Laurent on a collision course with Damen. I imagine that Laurent sets up camp in Athens, meets the Slayer, grows very attached, and starts training her. They don’t have much time, only three months before a potential apocalypse -- the world falling into hell, etc, etc.
Damen and Nikandros have also heard of the coming apocalypse, and naturally they’re also determined to prevent it. But when they arrive in Athens, they hear that the Slayer’s in town. And she’s not alone -- she’s got a whole team that fights beside her. For a Slayer, that’s pretty unheard of, and Damen is shocked -- he’s known (killed) a few Slayers, and they were always, always alone.
So he’s curious. He’s not stupid enough to make his presence known when the Slayer’s around, but he starts lurking a bit, tries to learn more about her and her team. Eventually, he catches them fighting a group of vampires.
He can tell the Slayer has a lot to learn. Even with superhuman strength and agility, she’s hesitant, doesn’t move confidently in a way that could really harness that power.
But he sees someone who does fight with confidence, even arrogance, who moves like quicksilver even though he has to be a normal human.
He sees Laurent, and a part of him’s already in love.
But he recognizes that scent. He sees the resemblance between the younger brother and the older, who he remembers all too well. Even though Laurent was hidden, Damianos knew he was there that night. Yet even as a vampire, he had no interest in hurting children.
Damen sees Laurent, the Slayer and the rest of the gang kill a dozen vampires like it’s nothing. He’s never seen teamwork like that, except for maybe him and Nikandros. It’s obvious that Laurent’s the leader, and Damen is possessed with the overwhelming, but futile, urge to know him, to understand what’s in the mind behind that golden hair.
But Damen knows he has no right to know anything about Laurent. Even with Kastor’s rejection of him, he still loves his brother. Killing a person’s brother is not something you forgive. Even though Damen and Damianos aren’t truly the same person, Damen still carries a deep guilt for everything Damianos did in his skin.
All the same, he can’t resist lurking a bit more, just to get a few more glimpses of Laurent in battle. He gets a bit stalkerish, finding out where Laurent’s team is camping out, getting an idea of each member and their fighting style, their personality. Of course, he’s also fighting demons with Nikandros. Let’s say that as the apocalypse gears up, more and more demons are drawn to Athens, so it’s a fight just to keep the city from burning down in the meantime.
It’s inevitable that their paths cross for real. Laurent, still a bit solitary at heart, goes on long walks by himself to think and to drink in the local history and art. One night, he’s set upon by several demons eager to rid the town of him. Damen had also been following Laurent at a distance, curious about what he did when not fighting.
Laurent’s armed, but only with a small dagger. Damen watches him fight three or four demons singlehandedly and is impressed yet again by his skill and versatility. But he realizes that it’s not enough -- Laurent’s going to at the very least get badly injured during this fight.
Even knowing it’s a bad idea, that he’s basically signing his death warrant, Damen rushes in to save him. He fights off the demons easily, having enhanced strength that Laurent can’t match with any amount of training.
Laurent, on the ground and bleeding, can’t believe his eyes. Damen, like the sweet idiot he is, offers to help him back to their camp, thereby admitting that he’s been aware of Laurent and his location this whole time.
Laurent lunges at him, overcome with rage, but he passes out from his injuries. So Damen does what he promises and takes him back to camp. Laurent’s team is surprised, horrified and even a little amused at this infamous vampire carrying Laurent in like he’s something precious, setting him down softly and then escaping before they can stop him.
When Laurent wakes up, he thinks it was a dream. But he saw it himself -- Damianos is really back, and Laurent has no idea what he’s playing at. Did he hunt Laurent here, wanting to kill him for some reason? Why didn’t he take the chance he had?
Laurent decides it’s Damianos’s typical MO -- he wants a good fight, and Laurent was too injured to be interesting enough to kill. But he recovers, and now he’s ready. Damianos is in Athens, and so is he, and their battle will come any day now.
But instead, Damen starts jumping into Laurent’s fights whenever it looks like things might take a turn for the worse. He even helps the Slayer once or twice when she’s caught alone by a pack of demons. Nikandros thinks he’s an absolute moron, and he rightly deduces that, despite all common sense, Damen has feelings for Laurent and wants to be close to him any way he can. More than that, he just wants to help Laurent, to make up in some small way for the harm he caused him.
With each friendly save from Damen, Laurent grows more and more incensed. He’s convinced Damen is playing some sort of game with him, although that was never Damianos’s style. Again and again, Damen helps him and his team. Sometimes he’ll even show up with tips about a new demon in town, or something about the swiftly approaching apocalypse.
It comes to a head one day when Damen and Laurent are both captured by a witch who wants to use them for some nefarious ritual. They’re chained in a cellar, out of each other’s reach but forced for once to stay in the same room, able to see and talk to each other.
At first, Laurent wants to ignore Damen. Being in the room with his brother’s killer, and not distracted by an imminent fight to survive, is almost too much for him. But then he takes the chance to pour all the invective he can on Damen, his tongue the only weapon he currently has.
Damen takes it all silently. And when Laurent’s spent, when his grief chokes him, Damen tells Laurent that he knows he can never make up for what he’s done. That he’s been selfish to force his presence on Laurent during those fights. He’s honest, so he tells Laurent how much he admires him. Not for his looks or even just his fighting ability, but for the way he guides and protects the Slayer, the way he looks out for his team.
Because he just can’t stop himself, because some part of him still craves for Laurent to see him in a positive light, he also tells him about the curse. That the Damianos he knew is gone, and that Damen carries his sins but is not that same demon.
Laurent still thinks it’s a trick. He’s forced to rely on Damen to get out of the witch’s cellar, but when they’re free, he challenges Damen to a fight. No holds barred, in which victory means death for the opponent.
Damen agrees, because he feels it’s what Laurent is owed, that chance to take out his rage. And a part of him that sounds too much like Damianos is eager to feel for himself Laurent’s prowess for battle.
So they fight. Laurent gives it everything he’s got, everything he took seven years to build. Like in canon, it isn’t enough. Damen doesn’t hold back, respecting Laurent’s anger and skill too much.
But when it comes time for the final blow Laurent’s expecting, looking up at Damen in hatred, it doesn’t come. The monster Damianos, the soulless vampire, has a look in his eyes that Laurent can’t fathom.
Damen tells Laurent that if he wants to take his life, he’s earned it through the suffering Damianos caused him and so many others. But Damen doesn’t want to see the world end, and he knows that Laurent needs him to stop the apocalypse. The Slayer, though improving in leaps and bounds through Laurent’s tutelage, can’t be expected to take on the end of the world by herself. And she isn’t yet the partner that Laurent needs -- that Damen can be.
Laurent’s tempted to take up his weapon again and cut Damen down from behind, but he’s also realizing that the apocalypse is coming too soon, and he, his team and the Slayer might not be enough. Damen, however, has 300 years of experience with demons, has seen apocalypses from a distance and is surprisingly intelligent behind all that muscle.
He accept Damen’s offer, as painful as it is. He’ll work with Damen (and begrudgingly, Nikandros) to stop the apocalypse with the help of the Slayer. But when it’s over, they’ll fight again, and Laurent will win. He’ll kill Damianos.
In the month left before the end of the world, they’re together constantly. Laurent doesn’t take this gracefully, using his vicious tongue against Damen at every opportunity. But Damen sees how he is with the Slayer, how he’s strict but gentle in teaching her. He falls in love with Laurent even more.
For Laurent, it grows harder and harder to deny how, at least professionally, Damen completes him, makes him a better hunter. His eye for strategy finds what Laurent misses, and his strength and skill in battle still manage to shock Laurent sometimes. Again and again, Damen saves his life, and against his judgment, Laurent saves Damen’s life too. They become the scourge of the Greek underworld.
When the apocalypse comes, they’re ready. It’s not easy, but they stop it, and they all manage to survive. Damen grins at him, and Laurent can’t stop looking at him.
When it’s over, they fight again, one on one. This time, Laurent really does win. Over the past month, he’s watched Damen like a hawk, partly for any hint of betrayal and partly because he just can’t figure him out. He’s starting to believe that Damen really did get his soul back, but if that’s true, what does that mean for Laurent? Damen’s still a vampire, still wears the face of his brother’s killer.
But Damen’s also the one who fought by his side like no one else ever has, ever could. He talked with Laurent through the night, planning and strategizing, making up for what Laurent overlooked. Damen, a vampire, helped Laurent train the Slayer, his natural enemy.
So with the blade at Damen’s neck, Laurent stops. It’s the most difficult thing he’s ever had to do, but he lets his anger go. As much as he hates Damianos the vampire, he’s seen Damen the man beneath the monster, and he can’t kill him.
The Slayer returns to Mexico, and she asks Laurent to return as her full-time Watcher. The Council isn’t happy about it, but it’s hard to argue after his stunning success.
Laurent’s team is on board to go with him. And Damen says, well, he’s never been to the Americas. (Nikandros, ever-suffering, goes with them, too afraid to leave Damen to Laurent’s mercy. He’s the only family he has left.)
After that, it’s slow but inevitable. Damen and Laurent come together, helpless to do anything else. For the first time in Laurent’s life, and even Damen’s centuries-long existence, they both feel they’ve found a true partner they can trust. A person they love more than they thought possible.
On the night of Laurent’s twenty-first birthday, they consummate that partnership. It’s a moment of true happiness for both of them, for two people who felt unworthy of that kind of happiness, who thought they’d never find it again after all they’ve lost.
But the curse that returned Damen’s soul wasn’t full-proof. He was meant to suffer, to never find a moment’s rest under the burdens of his guilt. Finding happiness with Laurent changes that. It breaks the curse.
He staggers out of the room as Laurent sleeps peacefully. Damen tries to cling to his soul with everything he has, but the pull is too strong.
When Laurent wakes up, he’s alone. At first, he’s irritated, then he’s afraid that Damen’s run off to some fight. A day passes, and he can’t find him everywhere.
But Laurent’s network has started to whisper. The whole underworld beneath Mexico City is buzzing.
And it says, Damianos is back.
Laurent loses his lover, his partner, and is faced again with his brother’s killer. A soulless vampire who remembers the last eight years with disdain. Who’s obsessed with Laurent, which isn’t exactly new, but now sees him as the ideal target -- someone he wants to defeat in every way possible.
To make things worse, Laurent’s uncle shows up. An extraordinarily powerful artifact has been unearthed in Mexico -- Acathla, a demon turned to stone centuries ago, who if reawoken can swallow the world into hell.
Laurent’s facing his uncle on one side and Damianos on the other, who’s joined up again with Jokaste and Kastor. He knows that with Damianos returned, he finally does have a chance at true revenge -- and yet now, when he looks at Damianos, all he sees is Damen.
Laurent takes down his uncle and his whole network of smugglers before he can sell Acathla to the highest bidder. But at the last moment, Damianos sweeps in and steals Acathla right from under him, killing Orlant in the process.
Now, it’s do or die. If Laurent doesn’t fight Damianos and kill him, he could use Acathla to end the world. For months, he’s scoured every possible resource for knowledge on the curse, something that could bring Damen back.
He thinks he’s finally found something, but it’s badly translated and Laurent doesn’t have the gift for magics that it would require. Ancel pulls out a precocious young witch, Nicaise, that he says he can do it, but Laurent says no. Magic is dangerous, especially a curse on the level of Damen’s, and he doesn’t want a young teenager taking that risk.
So he steels himself and goes to face Damianos. When Jokaste and Kastor stand in his way, Laurent manages to kill Kastor, and Jokaste makes her escape. He’s left with Damianos, who’s enraged at his brother’s death. Damianos, despite himself, also hates Laurent for the emptiness inside him, the hole left by the love Damen felt for the human.
Except that emptiness loses him the edge Damen always seemed to have. Once again, Laurent has his blade against the vampire’s neck, the neck of his enemy and his lover.
Of course, Ancel and Nicaise didn’t listen to Laurent when he told them not to try the curse. It’s hell on Nicaise, and probably opens some doors he can’t close again, but the power passes through him -- and it works.
Laurent sees a light go back into Damen’s eyes, right as he’s bringing down his sword. He can’t believe it -- he’s too afraid of being wrong -- but Damen gasps, falls to his knees and looks at Laurent like hasn’t seen him in years. The curse hits him like a train, and he doesn’t remember Acathla or losing his soul.
For the first time in months, Damen’s arms are around Laurent. There’s a kiss to his hair, to his forehead, and then to his lips, and Laurent finally allows himself to hope.
But when he opens his eyes again, he sees what Damen can’t -- that Acathla’s eyes are also open. He’s awake and ready to suck the world into hell, unless the one who awakened him is sacrificed into that pit first.
And Laurent finally understands what his brother felt in those last moments. What every Slayer knows. That duty comes before everything, before love and before life.
So he kisses Damen one more time. He tells him, for the first time, that he loves him. And he tells him to close his eyes, knowing he will, because Damen trusts him without reservation.
In a mockery of all the times he could never do it, Laurent’s blade goes so easily through Damen’s heart, pinning him to Acathla. He looks into Damen’s shocked eyes as the vampire is thrown into hell. The portal closes with a snap.
Laurent is alone.
(If you are a BTVS fan and you’ve seen season three, you know how this goes. Damen will return from hell by some act of god or devil, throwing Laurent into turmoil again -- after everything, what would it mean to forgive Damen for a second time? But unlike with their counterparts Angel and Buffy, I like to think true love conquers all in their case.)
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What We Do In The Shadows
( Warning, this is in RP format, but has been edited and proof read for grammar/flow. A change between writers with both characters is symbolized by italics. )
Chapter 2: Entering The Wolf’s Den
Werewolves and vampires: two species that are mortal enemies. But in a small town in Upstate New York, they seemed to find a way to co-exist by staying out of each other's way and minding one's business. However, the dynamics of the local pack of werewolves and coven of vampires would change when a certain pair got too close for comfort. Alfred is an over seventy-year old werewolf posing as local law enforcement, while Ivan is a centuries old vampire working at a blood bank. Both try to get through the struggles of being immortal creatures, who find themselves in a cultural and family struggle when they fall for each other. Between an anti-vampire pack leader, suspicious in-laws, and a death that could nearly tear two families apart, the pair questions if a relationship is a reality, or if they have too much baggage they carry.
Alfred could tell he offended his baby bat. From his body language to ‘Don’t wait up’, his vampire was not pleased with being forced alone and having to wait. It seemed that the vampire had a lot of pride, they were prideful creatures after all. Being told by the wolf ‘Hang by yourself then’ must have hurt his ego, as he reached out to hang out with Ivan in the first place. Smelling the man’s disdain, once he got back into his room, he hoped that Ivan would knock on his door again. But when he didn’t he did pout. Perhaps he was too harsh on his crush. Rethinking his actions, he did wish Ivan would have knocked on his door. He would welcome the man in and enjoyed some light cuddling while he watched dragons breath fire on people. However, it seemed to be that the man was too offended by the idea. Watching the show, he got bored as he wished Ivan was next to him. Thinking for a moment, he came up with an idea to tempt Ivan into his apartment. Standing up, he didn’t bother to pause the show as he went into his room. Grabbing his pencil and sketch pad, he decided to let Ivan see his secret hobby: drawing. His love of anime and cartoons inspired him to take up drawing as a hobby. But he was very embarrassed about it, and would rarely show people his artwork. Even if it was great and matched up well with popular artists on social media, his own anxiety made it a hidden talent. He’d let very few people see his drawings, for him it was about the fun of it. He didn’t need validation for it, it was his hobby. He’d color, sketch, and draw, just for himself. Sitting back on the sofa, he decided to use a more cutesy-anime style. Drawing him and Ivan, he gave Ivan little bunny ears, and wolf ears on himself. Nicknames like ‘bunny’ and ‘ kitten’ were ones he saved for people he found cute.
It was ironic since it was the prey of wolves. He did want to eat up a cute bunny or kitten, but more in a playful manner. Ivan’s foreign accent made him think of a hot blonde he’d see at a ski resort. With the cutesy image of him and the bunny, he made sure to draw him smirking and showing off his canine teeth. Ivan didn’t look scared in the art, only giving the cocky smirk he usually gave Ivan. It was only their heads and torsos, and on the top, he wrote ‘After your sister’s leave, wanna get something to eat?’. It was Alfred’s peace offering. Getting up, he walked to Ivan’s apartment door. Instead of knocking, he simply slipped the art under his door. Ivan would come across it once he was around the area. He didn’t want to disturb the blood-sucking bunny current if he truly had plans. Going back to his room, he continued on his Game of Thrones binge, praying that the vampire would come by later. In terms of a ‘meal’, it could be anything the man wanted. They could go hunting together, Ivan finding some unsuspecting human, and Alfred a lonely deer. Or, more orthodox, actually somewhere to snack. Or just stay in his house and cook something homemade. Whatever the man had a thirst for, blood or food.
Over in his own apartment, Ivan put a sponge to his red-stained mugs, putting his strength into getting the crusted blood left to the bottom. When he turned his heel to load his dishwasher something white caught his eye. He set his dishes in the rack before scanning the floor before his door. Stepping away from the sink, he approached the mysterious note and turned his head to look down upon it. Recognizing the resemblance of his face, his cheeks flushed with red. He bent down and snatched up the paper into his hands. His heart nearly lurched from his chest and onto the freshly spotless floor. He'd have to deal with the recycled blood burning his face for a few more minutes before getting over the gesture. The strange conversation and insight earlier blended oddly with the feeling he had now. Mostly charmed, but slightly uneasy. He found it bold, not unwelcomed, but surprising from Alfred. His finger traced over the leaded indentations as he took a seat at his breakfast nook. It was beyond flattering, a style he hasn't seen before, but charming. He thought of it slightly egotistical to be set next to the man who drew it, but grateful for it. It made it easier on his eyes. Bunny ears. That was a new one for him. Bat wings were a popular addition for scriptures and etchings. He wasn't used to seeing some draw him in a kindly way. Most depictions of him resonated with evil tellings and horrifying accounts of his figure hunched over a decaying body. Town folk never were pleased when he would make an appearance in their streets. It's why moving was a must for him, he needed supplies like everyone else. Curiosity struck him as he wondered how much moving Alfred must have been up to. Being ageless caused too much suspicion. 'My, Avgustin, you don't look a day over twenty-five' were the last words he heard before leaving his old home behind. Sometimes he wishes to grow old.
The little question scribbled down beside the art was one he had to consider thoroughly. One that made his heart stop. He rattled his fingers across the surface of the table and reread the words. 'your sisters' it didn't make any sense to him, he swore up and down that he didn't whisper a word of his relations. Sighing and sliding the paper away from him, he sat quietly to calm his nerves and lay his head down on the table. He did plan on inviting his sisters over and that included sharing his haul of blood, but now all he wanted to do was head next door and talk to Alfred. The warmth clung to him like it usually did, an unbearable heat holding to his face. It would only embarrass him further to give in so easily. He pressed his face into the cool wood and closed his eyes for a moment before leaving it behind. Nothing would give him closure, he wanted to be next to Alfred and that would be the only way to get the werewolf out of his thoughts. Groaning, he began finishing up the rest of his dishes. After flicking on his dishwasher, he took the art and walked it back to his room. He was trying to wait out the lingering warmth to his face and most of it faded, but not all of it would give him that peace. Before he finally left his apartment, he messaged his sibling group that he wouldn't be home. There wasn't much his poor sisters could do if something were to go wrong, but he just didn't want them asking him to death about where he went. Hesitantly, he knocked on Alfred's door and waited. His heart didn't stop racing, he didn't find himself nervous around werewolves very often, but Alfred had that effect on him.
It was good for Alfred’s ego that he wasn’t there to witness Ivan’s reaction to the note. Seeing blushing, flattered Ivan would cause the wolf to grin, and show off his canines in the glory of knowing he charmed the vampire. It would be in Ivan’s best interest to let Alfred enjoy it if he enjoyed the ‘bunny’ persona, as Alfred would happily go with it. A cute nickname for a cute boy, not to mention, Alfred understood the niceness of not being referred to something scary. Alfred was like Ivan in that way, no one knew better than him what it was like to be personified into a godless beast, with nothing charming and cute about it. Being compared to something as harmless and pretty as a bunny was probably emotionally soothing, which was part of the reason Alfred did it. A bunny is adorable, warm, and cozy, the last thing that goes to someone’s head is fear over the animal. Ivan could be Alfred’s harmless, sweet bunny if he wanted too. Even if Alfred drew himself to be a wolf, he was still a childlike puppy in many ways, even with the slight bloodlust that he had. Minus that, he was a silly, carefree man. But the transformation did take some part of his personality and make it more intense. Alfred was lost in his marathon when he could smell Ivan walking down the hallway.
Sniffing the air, a smile popped out when he could smell the nervousness on him. Has the note made him nervous? He wasn’t sure if it was ’I’m nervous about how excited I am to see him...’ or ’I’m just scared of him’ anxiety, he couldn’t smell that. Only that the man was dealing with some emotions due to the note. He wondered if the part about his sister’s had made Ivan worried. In all honesty, it was just a bold guess on who was coming over. Alfred was aware that Ivan had siblings or at least relatives, he could smell other vampires around, and two females had a similar scent to him. He concluded that someone was either related to him, and a female. Sister’s were the most logical answer, but cousins, aunts, and other distant relatives were all possible. Alfred’s lucky guess had helped his case. Standing up, he walked to the door, offering Ivan a gentle smile as he raised a brow. “Did your plans cancel? That sucks. But, you’re welcome to come in, babe. I got a spot on the sofa for you.” He stepped back to let Ivan inside his house, the first time he’s ever done that. Inviting a vampire into your home? The biggest no-no in the world, but here was Alfred not caring, per usual. He was going to bring up how they’d dined tonight, either traditional or unorthodox, but he’d give Ivan a moment to settle in before speaking of murder and hunting. He was a gentleman after all! Sitting down on the couch, he leaned back and patted the seat next to him.
Being a man who admired his dignity more than his enjoyment, Ivan had already become irritated with his own decision. He was visiting a friend, he didn't understand why he had to make it stand out so much for himself. There wasn't any loss to giving in to spend time with someone you enjoy, but he couldn't help but consider how overly friendly the drawing was. Trying not to overthink it, he mimicked the grooves he felt and pressed them into the palm of his hand. He adored the small act, but it was overshadowed by the fact that Alfred was a suitable match against him. The fact that he actually found himself pining after the chummy little wolfman was alarming at times. He was risking many aspects of his life by even accepting the invitation to come over. If he ever got closer to Alfred, it wouldn't be logical. With the outgoing personality Alfred shined out constantly, he was sure that he couldn't be a lone wolf. There were others. He smelt them when he walked down the street or by chance in the meat section of the corner store. Werewolves, vampires, they all hid in plain sight, but it wasn't right for him to assume that all of their kind knew each other. Much like dogs though, he knew that werewolves must greet each other. Alfred had to have at least, he guaranteed himself that. It confused him to be welcomed in with that case, it scared him almost. He didn't understand why Alfred trusted him so much when he knew what he was. Unfortunately, a vampire's sense of smell isn't as powerful as a dog's thus he wasn't able to detect other bodies in the apartment. His nose was just used to Alfred passing by and in his baskets of clothes.
He wrote off the name babe quickly, trying to blame it on habit. "My plans didn't cancel. You were just acting particularly lonely so I thought I would give in and offer you some company." Teasing, he calmed down significantly at the sight of Alfred smiling patiently. Elated by the idea of finally setting foot into Alfred's humble abode with the help of some keywords, he beamed and eased his head through the doorway. He's never seen beyond the door so it was a new experience for him. It wasn't much different than his habitat, the layout was a given, but he didn't catch any deers hanging from the ceiling so it was a bonus. Ivan liked to keep his living area tidy along with his kitchen, but once someone hits his room, that's when everything starts falling apart. Never does he bother to make his bed or take out his clothes from the basket to hang them up. His nightstand, though barely a foot wide, somehow holds a lamp, three different alarm clocks, and always a few dirty dishes. A part of him wanted to head through Alfred's apartment and check out his bedroom. "When were you going to tell me that you knew how to draw?" He paced over to the sofa and took a seat away from Alfred, a cushion between the two of them so he had some space.
Alfred was pleased to have Ivan enter his house. The bunny entering the wolves den, almost. Stretching out his legs, he rested one of his arms on the headrest, eyes lingering to his shows. Ivan's excuse was cute, he didn’t even cover up with a lie about them canceling. He canceled on them for him. What about that, it added to Alfred’s ego. His eyes were careful not to linger too long, but every few moments, they’d turn to Ivan’s body as he found a quick way to verbally eat him up. “Well, thanks for giving the company. And I don’t really like talking about it since I get shy... It’s kind of a personal thing. I just draw things for myself, and no one else.” It truly was a personal hobby, but he would draw more for Ivan again if it made the man come around often. It worked the first time, so why not again? He wouldn’t mind after all. He smirked when someone was murdered on the screen. Alfred’s house proved to be on average with a clean to messy ratio. He wasn’t the cleanest guy, but he wasn’t the stereotypical dirty, living off of paper plates type of dude either. He knew how to mop, take out the trash, and vacuum, but sometimes would get lazy with dishes and let it pile up.
His habit of being sexually open also gave him a reason to keep his apartment good looking. Showing a cute boy or girl a disgusting, dirty apartment would be embarrassing. His room was surprisingly not that bad, his only problem with being lazy and letting clean clothes stay in a pile and not putting them away. He’d also never make his bed, but he’d always throw away garbage in fear of getting ants in his room. He was proud of a fox fur blanket that he had, he’d love to show Ivan. It was during a couple of days in wolf form, he hunted down several silver foxes. They are known for being used heavily in the fur trade, and lucky enough, he was able to find some living in the wild nearby. It took a few days of stalking, but he was able to hunt down enough for the blanket. Another older werewolf knew how to skin fur and make coats and blankets, and helped him with the process. It was special to him, proving his strength and hunting skills. It was also soft and luxurious; usually, he had to lie to people and say it was a gift or passed down in his family. There wasn’t much pride in saying someone gave it to him. But with Ivan, he could open up and tell how he got something worth thousands of dollars in his hands; he worked for it. The warm fur was perfect during cold winter nights in upstate New York. “I’m so lucky to have a nice friend like you. I owe you a warm meal after this...” He teased, patting Ivan’s leg before putting it back in his own lap, eyeing the TV.
"You being shy? That's a first. With the way you draw, I thought you would boast about it." Ivan was trying to compliment his host, something small, but not enough to curse himself with. In both ways, Alfred's ego was something he had to handle with caution. Cheer on the man too much and he'll be putting up with cocky smirks up until the time he had to leave. Say something a little too cruel and the bubbly wolf will turn into a babbling mess. Simply acknowledging that fact to Alfred would tear him up one way or another, Ivan knew it and planned to keep things nice and light. "You somehow captured your narcissism on a single piece of paper, it's really impressive." He made sure to sound disingenuous, eyes taking note of Alfred's position. As time went on, the show became less interesting to him. Any shock value or plot development was drowned out by the way the werewolf's face lit up. The small dust of color that humans held in their cheeks was pumping across Alfred's face. He could feel the warmth radiating off the other body. If he buried his face into Alfred's shoulder, he could get a little taste. He didn't plan on chomping down hard, just a small nip. All he needed was a drop of blood to satisfy his burning curiosity. Alfred was too smart, the vampire knew that he'd be shoved away if he even kissed his neck.
There was pride in tackling down a difficult opponent, he understood that. He had grown immune to feeling too miserable about killing some creature or human off. Animals weren't inherently evil, but humans could be. He's witnessed hundreds and hundreds of years of solid proof of how villainous a single human can be. It gave him some peace to think that he was killing off someone who deserved it, but the consequences of his actions stabbed into his thoughts when a moment was too quiet. They were all just people like him and his sisters, but he couldn't help the survival of the fittest. It was inevitable that he would kill again, he knew that his blood bank job wouldn't last forever. Eventually, he'd have to relocate again, find new prey and discover more immortals. Alfred, for now, was a dash in his timeline, but he hoped to extend it. He wanted to stay a little longer and enjoy his time with the werewolf. The thought of dining outweighed heavily on his mind, but one he was certain that what he was nearly drooling over wasn't what Alfred was implying. He could lurch over and sink his fangs into the nape of his dear friend's neck and sample the blood. "I'm lucky to have a good friend like you too... and, as friends, I'm sure you don't mind me asking how old are you- how old you really are." Returning the physical contact, he reached over and pinched at Alfred's cheek. It slightly broke his heart to be called a friend, but it was what they were and he'd rather be on Alfred's good side than be against him.
“I’m glad you like my art.” He commented, rolling his eyes as he slightly blushed from the words. He was embarrassed by the skill but loved it still. He had plans of doodling Ivan later if he had the time. Perhaps even slipping it under his door again. But it was the best of Ivan’s interest to not kiss or go near Alfred’s neck. While he did adore the vampire; he wasn’t born yesterday. Far from it, and it would win a physical push or any other action that showed dominance. The wolf inside him was an Alpha, no doubt. There would be no neck biting, kisses, or smooches unless Ivan wanted a bite back in his neck. But Alfred did accept the pinch, finding it cute that the man was finally getting to the point. After all the time they’ve been neighbors, now he wants to know some real information? He’d play, as long as Ivan played back. “My age? Well, I like to tell people I’m twenty-three. Most people buy it. I was really born in 1941 though, so I guess I look young for my age! Ha! What about you?” He turned, his eyes smiling along with his lips. Raising a brow, he looked at Ivan up and down, checking out the man. He picked up details from his encounters with Ivan and compared to it how other vampires acted. “What are you? Four? Five? Six hundred? Oh wait- Are you post or pre Catherine The Great?” He teased, knowing basic Russian history. His adulthood was during the height of the Cold War, so he knew a lot about Russia.
He was about to make a joke about if Ivan was post or pre ‘Commie-Russia’, but he didn’t want the man huffing and puffing out of his house. Ivan appeared to be the type that might be highly offended by a stereotypical ‘commie’ joke, so he wasn’t going to play his cards. He had the bunny in his den, no need to ruin it. Taking a chance, he decided to lay his head on Ivan’s outer leg. Adjusting his body, he laid on his sides as his eyes stayed on the screen, but his head was resting on top of Ivan’s thigh. He wanted a way to feel Ivan without touching her per se. His messy, blond hair was screaming to be touched, Alfred’s cheek pressing against his leg. He tried to act relaxed as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Man, sometimes I feel old but I bet you feel ancient when anyone speaks to you, huh?” He joked, appearing not to be startled by the conversation. He wondered, was Ivan’s skin soft? Could he blush? Was his fat soft? If he squeezed him, would it feel like a stone? Or skin? He never got close enough to a vampire to touch them intimately, the only times he’s had his physical contact with vampires was in wolf form, killing them in his bite. Not a great comparison to what he wanted to do to Ivan.
Ivan was thrilled to receive a blush, it always warmed his ever slow and cold heart. It made the involuntary expression even more rewarding when regarding that Alfred was a perilous creature just as he was. He felt a bit guilty for not having anything ready to give back when he came over. Drawing wasn't much of a passion for him, he was more into crafts. He could knit something for Alfred, but he wasn't sure if that would be too bold. With how high strung he wound himself up to be, he figured that the werewolf didn't fall far from the feeling around him. Anything made to comfort was suspicious as if to butter the other up. He had to be careful not to cross any lines and set alarms off in Alfred's head. Even if he wanted to drag the relationship further along and at least get to hug on Alfred without being awkward or stepping over bounds, he knew he had to be slow. It was a precaution for himself and Alfred. Hearing the werewolf's real age was a good step, not too big but not too small of a step. "Ah, so you're... in your seventies? My, I guess you really have aged well. Twenty-three does fit you more than an old man who's lived through a world war." It was better to congratulate Alfred than to compare himself to him. To be given a seemingly honest answer was a bit of a surprise to him in the first place. There were a dozen more questions he wanted to ask about the American. He's never found a werewolf civil enough to sit down and talk to; he wanted to know everything about the culture and the process. He wasn't clear on whether or not Alfred was joking or not, grimacing either way. "Do I really come off as that young? Young enough to be post Catherine the Great... That's nice to know." The home he knew wasn't quite developed enough to secure the capital and allow a ruler. "I was there before they even had tsars."
He held his tongue when Alfred cozied up onto his leg, a faint smile to his lips as his hand twitched. "I prefer the term antique... even if being born in 1174 does make me more of a relic." Propping his head upon the armrest, he inched his fingers along his thigh towards Alfred's head. He could abuse the trust, grab the werewolf, and snap his mouth around his waiting neck, but he had better control over his intrusive ideas. "How do people become... werewolves? Is it by a bite from a werewolf or maybe something more ritualistic? I assume they don't consent to it, right?" Asking along, he slowly combed his fingers through Alfred's hair. Later on, he'd have to scrub himself down to get rid of the scent before his family meets him pinching their nose. "Or should I not ask that? It might be too personal." His smile calmed as he teased the other by scratching at the area behind his ear. "I'm sure you don't mind though."
He was happy to feel Ivan’s fingers play with his neck and hair. Ivan not rejecting his touches, but accepting them was all he wanted. Yawning, he closed his eyes as he let his body relax around the man. He was even getting used to the smell, the overly sweetness not bothering him much anymore. “Wow... You are antique... I feel young compared to you, and I can remember Vietnam, Korea, the Middle East, and the Cold War.” Fighting for freedom and America was close to his heart. “My father fought in world war 2, and I entered Vietnam.” Coming back from service due to some injuries was how it happened; one day, camping with his comrades celebrating a return from service, they were attacked by a wolf. Alfred was the only one who survived, getting a deep cut on his chest. He put a silver bullet in the chest of the wolf, making it pay for taking his friend’s lives, but in the end, it’s curse never stopped. “You get bit or scratch. I got scratched, really hard. Most people die when they get bit or scratched, but I survived. I killed the wolf who attacked me and my friends. One silver bullet. That’s all it took...” Alfred whispered, his leg twitching when his ear was scratched. “How did you become a vampire...? It’s your turn to tell....” He asked, wanting to know every detail. “Did it hurt?” He asked, wondering if the transformation caused pain. It did for Alfred, becoming human to a werewolf the first time. The pain he wished he could forget. He turned his head up, looking up at Ivan with big eyes. Curious eyes that wanted the truth, not games. He pushed his body up, so more of his back and head was laying across Ivan’s lap, not just his thigh. Like a true puppy, he wanted to take all the attention and show his dominance. Laying on Ivan, and getting a pet was truly dog-like at this point. But the man could be more of a puppy than a wolf, he just had to be in the right mood. A great, calm, playful mood.
There was no heat coming off Ivan’s body, the only source of warmth was Alfred. He couldn’t feel any heat over his clothes, he guessed if it put his hands on bare skin, Ivan would be chilly. He wondered if vampires feel hard or still have a softness to them. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m just curious. Vampires, are you guys stone? Or is your fat soft? Do you guys blush?” He asked, attempting to seem innocent. Blinking a few times, his innocent expression turned into a cocky grin. “If I grabbed your ass, would you move in my hand and turn red? Or? Would it be like grabbing a rock?” He asked, knowing he’d get an eye roll from Ivan, but he didn’t care. He needed to know the answers to his weird questions. His brain wondered a lot of things about Ivan and vampires overall. While he assumed that Ivan wouldn’t let him touch him with a ten-foot pole, he still is curious if the occasional thought is accurate.
"I guess you really earned your dog tags that day." Ivan offered lightly, laughing quietly at the puppy-like mannerisms of a grown man visible unwinding over his lap. Turning into a werewolf sounded just as much of a travesty as being a vampire to him. He didn't have to imagine what waking up in a new body was like, but he didn't think that he could ever really fully understand what Alfred went through either. How he earned his status as a vampire was a shorter story, but he'd spare Alfred the details. There wasn't much special about the day when he first laid eyes on the tall lanky figure barrelling toward him, but the pain was still distinct and stabbing. If he hadn't been at death's doorstep that day, he would have put up a better fight, but being at his age back then was a time for letting the earth take you. His body was preserved in the age he died and awakened. His eldest sister landed at twenty-nine and his youngest encased himself with health by being eternally twenty. They could age at will, but never make themselves younger. In that aspect, he considers himself lucky, but being a vampire wasn't his fondest thing. The moment was still fresh on his mind, how vulnerable he was, and how he let the same fate happen to his sisters. It was embarrassing to retell his inevitable cowardice. Since then, he's become more agile and stronger, but that was mostly due to his transformation. "There's a serum that comes out only from certain fangs, but you can feel it course all over your body when they stab into your neck... It hurts about as much as someone sticking two needles into you- you don't like those, do you? That's fine." He continued to tease Alfred over the blunt lie, refusing to call him out on it. It was hard for him to give that up. "I couldn't turn you into a vampire though, I'd only end up sucking your blood because I don't have the stuff to inject you with."
The science behind being a vampire wasn't widely available, but he tried to pass on the information he learned over the years as best he could. "The original vampires are the only ones who carry the serum to turn others into vampires... I'm not sure how they came about- no one does, but them." He separated and wiggled his fingers through more sections of Alfred's hair as he explained, grinning at the way his leg jerked like a dog. It was precious to his heart. "Every millennium or so, they show their face from their tomb and bite a few more unsuspecting victims. That's what I and my sisters have gathered from different vampires at least." The facts were hazy and never written down in fear of discovery. His thoughts trailed off as he enjoyed the heat coming off Alfred when he stretched across his lap. The inquiry seemed wholesome enough at first and he didn't mind answering it until Alfred had to make it dirty. "Oh, I don't know. If I slapped you in the face, would it be soft? Would you be blushing?" He snapped sarcastically, squishing Alfred's cheeks together in turn. "We're not gargoyles! Our skin is just the same as human flesh... So, yes... I guess if you were to grab my ass, it would turn red and move, but I'm not about to give you an example." Patting his face before returning to play with his hair, Ivan furrowed his brows. He grew up in a different time, getting those sorts of comments wasn't something he was used to. "Why are you curious about that sort of thing anyway? What makes you think I'll answer any questions after that?" Frustrated, he went back to scratching behind Alfred's ear to calm himself and the warmth sprouting over him. "Make it up to me by telling me how the moon affects you.
Alfred was shocked to learn the truth about vampires. He was told that all vampires had venom that had the potential to kill. Finding out that only a few did make him relieved, vampires aren’t as dangerous as he was told before. Seeing that even other vampires were unsure how they got the venom explained why his own kind was misinformed. Not to mention, vampires never made it clear about that little fact, nor would Alfred see why they would. Most vampires would rather seem scary and dangerous, having a poison inside them looming over someone’s head. “So? If you bite someone, you don’t have any venom? You’d inject nothing? That’s crazy, everyone thinks all vampires have something in their teeth.” This didn’t mean vampires were harmless, he knew that the creatures had superhuman strength and skill just like him. If a vampire wanted a werewolf dead, it was completely possible. Alfred was biased, and always thought he had the upper hand against vampires. In his personal, werewolf opinion, they were faster and stronger than vampires. But it came to pride than anything else, Alfred would never let his kind down. Even if he thought being a werewolf was more of a curse at times, he would show honor and stand up for himself and his other pack members. They weren’t human anymore, but they were still living beings. “Werewolves, we are different I guess. In wolf form, I think our saliva and body fluids when entering someone else’s skin, can turn them. I think of it as an illness... You get exposed, you’re one of us. With bites, it’s easy to see why it gets into someone’s bloodstream. I’m less sure about scratches though, how it turns us into werewolves. I’m gonna guess there’s just something in our claws that carries the virus.”
Alfred was no scientist, and there wasn’t exactly anyone out there experimenting and explaining the biology of werewolves. He couldn’t hold back his laugh when Ivan pinched his cheeks and got annoyed with his question. He deserved all the cheek squishes! “I just wanted to make sure my wet dreams were scientifically actual, that’s all.” He teased, closing his eyes when Ivan scratched the back of his ear. “Mm....” He lightly groaned, his leg twitching slightly. “Ugh. I hate full moons, man. It doesn’t make us mindless or crazy; we just are forced into wolf form as long as the moon is out. So usually, we have to stay outside. It isn’t too bad in the summer and spring, but when it’s cold out it's kind of annoying to have to find shelter. Nowadays, I go over to my friend Allen’s house during full moons. He has basically a farm and tons of areas that we can just... chill and wait out the full moon. It’s why I left the city, it’s one thing to find somewhere to hide during the countryside, another thing we’re everyone’s running around.” Alfred viewed it as more of an inconvenience if anything. Having to plan his life around one night was annoying! Making sure he had no work, no one visiting, no one expecting him, and if anyone needed to contact him, he was M.I.A for about twelve hours. Alfred got over being horrified about his werewolf status, so more just bothered. “It’s just irritating to have to plan around full moons. But it’s just one day of the month a least....” He took a deep breath, deciding to ask Ivan a question. “Vampires, do you guys like....? Do you guys have a preference when it comes to blood? Like, do certain races taste different? Or is there a difference between boys and girls?”
"I may not be able to turn you, but I can still drain every ounce of blood out of you and leave you as a husk." He didn't like being underestimated. While he found Alfred semi charming, it was made clear to him that the werewolf was still a threat. It was only right for him to assure that he was the same, someone who shouldn't be tampered with. He didn't plan on devouring the sweet neighbor, but he's considered it. The man might just be naive enough to feel safe around a vampire. He didn't even feel comfortable around a vampire he barely knew. It came down to territory between him and a member of his kind. If there were too many vampires in the area, then suspicion rises. Too many bodies are dropping and someone isn't getting enough to drink. He's never personally killed a vampire, but he fought a great few years ago. Times have changed, most vampires have mellowed out and found alternatives to slaughtering a cognitive being. While Ivan has cooked up some solutions to give him the nutrients he needs in a blood-soaked diet, he finds the rich frothy taste of real blood to be too tantalizing. It's been a few months since he's actually stalked and killed someone; he's proud of himself for it. If his tracks are uncovered at the blood bank, he may have to come back to that lifestyle. Living life as a murderer was less glamorous than living life as a hunter. Hearing Alfred say that he could only turn people when in wolf form was a relief. He thought that at least he wasn't stumbling around accidentally making people immortal. "So you can only turn people into werewolves when you're a wolf?... I've never heard about the claws part, that's new to me." It wasn't known to him whether or not he would become a werewolf too if he was bitten, but it was most definitely a concern to him now. A werepire? A vampwolf? Whatever it was, it was conjured up disturbingly in his head. He'd keep his distance from now on if that was the case.
Rolling his eyes at the wet dreams comment, he stopped rubbing his hands through Alfred's hair. "Are all werewolves this dense and vulgar? Or is it just you?" He'd roll the big puppy off his lap if he wasn't going to end up on the floor. Angering a werewolf was something he found surprisingly easy so he kept calm and tried not to seem too upset with Alfred. He liked the company; he didn't want to lose it. "Only during full moons? So you're essentially powerless up until then." Werewolves weren't too strong if they couldn't change at will. He felt significantly less threatened by Alfred's habit of showing his teeth. It was more of a parlor trick to him now, a small way to tease him. He thought of himself as lucky to have his powers with him all the time. It meant that he could tease and frighten Alfred all he wanted until the full moon popped out. He smiled to himself, gently rubbing a thumb to the American's open neck. "We do have preferences actually. The flavor really only varies with the blood type. My least favorite type is B-negative... it's a little bitter. Ah, but my favorite blood type of all has to be O-positive... thankfully, the most common." Shutting his eyes, he leaned back onto the headrest. It was always funny to him when someone walked into the clinic asking for a blood test to be done on them when he could just tell them then and there what they were. To remain undetected, he had to take a blood sample and let the customer wait out the process. He's seen a handful of mythical beasts walk through the blood bank doors while undercover, but those were the only creatures he couldn't seem to smell around. "Usually I can sniff out someone's blood type as they stand- but I can't detect your type on you. Your... werewolf musk has been blocking me." Furrowing his brows with sorrow, he twirled a piece of Alfred's hair between his fingers. "It's made me nothing but curious to find out yours- mere curiosity, trust me. I don't bite."
Alfred wasn’t scared of the warning of getting his blood drained, as Ivan didn’t scare him. The vampire could puff out his chest and appear more frightening than he is, but Alfred stayed unfazed. He was too prideful to let a vampire put any terror into him. He scoffed when Ivan said that he was only powerful during a full moon. “Ha! Who said that I can only turn during a full moon? I said I’m forced to turn during the full moon, I can turn anytime I want the rest of the month. I could turn right now. It rips my clothes off, so I would rather not give an example.” Ivan shouldn’t feel any more relief in it, Alfred had his power all year round. “Don’t think I could turn you, though. I think our... virus is immune to you guys. Vampires aren’t alive, so it just... dies on you. We just end up killing you with our strength and fighting powers.” He explained, never hearing of a vampire and werewolf crossbred. He didn’t think it was possible, but who knew. He kept his eyes closed, enjoying getting his hair played with. A smirk crept up his face when he was accused of being vulgar. “I’m just a vulgar guy, that’s all. I say what I think.” That was true as well, Alfred didn’t have much of a filter, especially around other immortals. He was a man who laughed and cried easily, who displayed all the emotions he had in his heart. It was just who he was, and he didn’t want to change anytime soon. He offered a cute act of nuzzling his cheek on Ivan’s thigh, wanting his attention again. Getting his hair played with was a major comfort. His body would relax, and calm down when someone’s fingers ran through his dirty blond locks. There was something about Ivan that offered him comfort, even if he was a vampire. His disgustingly sweet scent wasn’t bothering him anymore, and his soft voice was more soothing by the moment.
He smirks again when he hears about the blood type. “Oh? Then you’d love me. I’m O-positive.” He confessed, not scared since he knew Ivan wouldn’t bite him. If Ivan was going to drain him of his blood, he would have done it by now. Ivan didn’t need to cuddle up with him on his sofa to do it. “I’m glad my werewolf musk blocks it. Protects us from being victims of hungry, thirsty vampires like you. I’m not shocked at all that you work at a blood bank. I’m just surprised that you haven't noticed that you are stealing all the blood. How do you steal it anyway? Don’t they have protocols and stuff for this?” He questioned, always wondering how Ivan did it. He was either extremely talented, or the office was just stupid and lazy with their security. Who knew a man could get away with stealing countless pints of blood, but it was better than him going into town and murdering men in cold blood. “I’ll be honest... if you need some victims, I got a list of every sex offender, pedophile, and creep in town. Some people escape justice. So if you are hungry.... just tell me. I’ll get you a meal.” He had a sneaky grin, loving the idea of Ivan doing his dirty work. Instead of hunting these sickos in wolf form, his blood-sucking bunny could find a use for them.
It shut Ivan's small victory down when he heard about the ability. The possibility of seeing wolves walk around during the day skyrocketed and he wasn't sure where his emotions landed on the issue. Everything about having the upper hand over someone was comforting to him, but he felt as if it wasn't that overwhelming. Alfred was harmless and most of his worries about werewolves came from prejudice. The only rivalry between the two creatures was one he welcomed. He had fun flirting with and teasing Alfred, but he didn't want to risk being too attached. If something were to come up that jeopardized his facade, then he'd have to book it out of New York with his sisters not far behind. Knowing Alfred's own immortality, he was sure the situation would be the same for him. He'd end up miserable if he grew even fonder of the man only to disappear the next day. Anyone else, he didn't care to shatter their heart, but the cute playful furball was just too hopeless. "You talk like a child telling me about how strong their favorite superhero is when you describe your own species." He humored, rolling his eyes at the nonchalant bragging. There wasn't much that annoyed him about Alfred, the man was pleasant to be around, but he had his own honor to attend to. Being a blood seeker wasn't glamorous by all means, but he had to defend what was a part of him. The relief felt from immunity still didn't suffice against the show off's insistence. Every step of the conversation was an act for him to prove that he could stand up against a werewolf; the worn-out joke tired him. He wanted to feel comfortable around Alfred, but nothing felt genuine as if he was waiting for something specific to come out. It reminded him of a patient puppy. Most stereotypes held about the bouncing, yapping few. Like dogs, they roll onto their back and practically beg to be pet, loved on at the very least.
Giving in before the manchild started whining, he scrubbed his fingers along Alfred's scalp and through his strands. His eyes lit up at the confession, a big grin attached to his face. "Oh really? It's the most common blood type... but the most special to me. The rarity of it is only measured by my own longing for it." He wormed the corners of his mouth slowly down to mask his eagerness to jump on Alfred and dine out. "It's a very sweet taste- you should let me lap up any cuts you have in the future. I'll come over in a heartbeat and suck your wounds dry." The talk of blood left him parched, he distracted himself by fluffing up Alfred's hair. He wasn't entirely sure how his blood stash was known by the mutt, but he wasn't about to question it. His trust was growing high enough that he didn't care. "Most people don't know a pint from a pint and a half... it's a little dangerous for the donors, but I do sneak out an extra snack for myself when I think someone's gullible- so, I'm technically not stealing from the blood bank because they still get their pint of blood... I just drain another pint for myself. " He assured, hoping Alfred wouldn't rat him out. It would slip his mind often that the man was a cop. The only reason staff picked up on his master plan was the high rate of lightheaded donors coming out of his section. Now and then, they sent someone to check the equipment he was using, but nothing came of it. He's slowed on the packs he takes home to cool down the heat trailing behind his tail. "I might take you up on that offer someday, but my hands haven't been this clean of blood in a while... Unless you're in dire need of my assistance then I can help mark off some names for you- at a price, of course." Leaning down, he placed a chaste kiss to Alfred's forehead and gently brushed back the hair in his way. "Come over to the blood bank and I'll give you a donut if you behave... then maybe we can go track down some pedophiles and rip them apart together."
Alfred didn’t have too many plans for leaving the town soon. He only had lived there for a few years, and he knew he could get away with his non-aging status for a while. People usually only would start to talk about how young he looked. Alfred would just lie and credit on genetics. ’My parents look super young too. ‘Our whole family doesn’t age.’ he’d lie, and it worked. He looked young and was young to everyone else, so no one questioned his age. He guessed he could last until he was in his mid-thirties before people thought it was just downright weird that he hadn't aged. It was why he attempted to stay out of the spotlight. Keep to himself a few groups of friends. It was hard, he was an extrovert. He is a popular personality, everyone would know who he was and wanted to be around him. But that changed when his mortality did, and unless he wanted to become a scientific experiment for the government, he had to keep a low profile. But he always came out at night, hitting clubs and finding relief in intimacy. If he couldn’t be surrounded by dozens of friends, he’d surround himself with pretty girls and boys, even if it was just one night. A sucker for love, it was even more troubling knowing he couldn’t get into a relationship with anyone. That was the hardest about this life, knowing he’ll always be alone. Almost everyone in his pack was male and straight. How come there were only a few queer werewolves? He was aware that he should branch out to new immortals, but it was difficult since his pack was so tight. There was a sense of betrayal being around other werewolf packs, it was frowned down. Your pack was your family, case closed. You suffered with them.
[ Here is the link to my Ao3, thank you if you read it <3 ]
#rusame#amerus#aph russia#aph america#fanfic#I've just decided to keep it in its OG format#but i still edit for flow#yeee everyone have a good night
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