#I love it when a thrall is happy to go under.

[sophiethewitch1]

Before any asks come in, I figured I'd do some for my current crowning hyperfixation, which is the boys. Did one for each of their initials but Dick got two because I couldn't choose <3

Warnings: 18+ MDNI! , gen soft yandere behavior, murder, kidnapping, dacryphilia, sadism/masochism

D = Darling (Beyond Morality, is Any Act Justified in Their Pursuit of Their Darling? Is Consent Merely an Obstacle to Be Overcome?):

Dick: Dick is the most moral of the yandere batfam, and considers doing the right thing very important. Of course, you’re still much, much more important but… He’ll definitely start small. He’s manipulative. Always begging and pleading for a little more of your time, whining when you don’t give it. And he does it openly, too, not even trying to hide it. Maybe that will absolve him of some of his sins, he thinks a little pathetically. Things like murder and other crimes are harder for him to get into, as he’s quite loyal to Bruce’s code. And he probably wouldn’t kidnap you, just move into your house instead, then your bedroom, then under the covers and with your arms around you. Very slowly, so he doesn’t scare you away. And as someone who has experienced s/a before, he wouldn’t do that to you. No matter how desperate, no matter how many nights he spends taking a suspiciously long time in the shower, he’d never do that to you. In the end, he just wants you to be happy so… so the other stuff doesn’t need to matter as much.

Damian: Damian has a very black and white form of thinking. It took Bruce a hell of a lot of work to change that, and with the advent of you in his life, he swings right back to that black and white. Morality is thrown right out the window when it comes to getting you, to getting you to love him. Murder? He’s done it before. Kidnapping? He’ll keep you safe with him. He’s a romantic, though (like they all are) and he wants you to love him back. He’s irritated that he can’t force that, that if he broke you, you wouldn’t be you. So in the end he won’t ever do anything too far, nothing that would truly get in the way of his goal. Still, with the kidnapping thing, you guys are just going to get stuck together for a while, because he’s certainly not letting you go. The two of you are just gonna have to suffer together till you inevitable fall in love with him. Don’t worry, he’s got a plan!

J = Jealousy (Does Jealousy Course Through Their Veins, Leading to Possessive Outbursts and a Relentless Need to Eliminate Perceived Threats?):

Jason: Jason is so unbelievably jealous it sometimes physically hurts. Like he’s being burned alive by it, which, well, he knows what that’s like so he can say it with confidence. He finds your presence calming, usually, but that first time he sees you laughing at a close friend’s joke, he realises you bring out every emotion in him. This time, fiery rage from the literal pits’ of hell. He won’t ever hurt you (and if he ever thinks of it, even for just a moment, the pure horror is enough of a cool bucket of icy water over his head to snap him out of it) but others? Oh, oh no. He left that silly ‘no killing’ code behind a long time ago, and he’s very glad for that as he beats one of your admirers into the concrete. And if you have other yanderes under your thrall? You’ll find yourself constantly breaking up fights, and maybe one day, cleaning up a body. Even then, Jason doesn’t like seeing you touch them, so he does it for you instead. What a sweet guy, eh?

R = Regret (Would Guilt Ever Be a Foreign Emotion, Overridden by the Conviction That Their Actions Are Justified? Is the Idea of Letting Their Darling Go Inconceivable?):

Richard/Dick: Constantly. Dick is constantly suffering under the weight of his choices, the way he’s treated you, the things he thinks about you. And even as he does it again, does worse, he’ll still have that bit of guilt in the back of his mind. He wants to stay with you, to fucking climb inside your rib cage and live next to the comforting sound of your beating heart, but he knows that’s all unhealthy. He sometimes can’t banish the guilt from his head, sometimes it’s overwhelming, and those are the moments he’ll back off a bit.

T = Tears (Does the Sight of Their Darling's Suffering Evoke a Twisted Pleasure, a Morbid Satisfaction Reinforcing Their Control?):

Tim (Going to play around with this one a bit, if you’ll forgive me): Tim is purely fascinated by you. He’s one of the yanderes who gets obsessed with you first, and falls for you second. Your tears, just simply by being a byproduct of you are fascinating to him too. And yeah, they turn him on. Everything about you turns him on, but the sight of your weepy face, has his cock weepy too. As a sadomasochist switch, he likes it when you’re suffering just a little bit. It’s just too cute to resist. But on the other side… he likes when you make him cry too. He likes when you hurt him, as long as you’re paying him attention, looking at him. He’ll cry all you like, if you think it makes him cute, too.

[yuri-is-online]

...so you just threw this beautiful idea of Fyuuture kid, and left me with a brainrot? Especially after you answered one ask with i quote "he loves his parent so much and was really fighting it to keep it together when he saw them alive again" end of the quote. WHAT DO YOU MEAN AGAIN? WHAT? HOW?

ask 1 and ask 2

Oh 👉👈? I wasn't expecting to get an ask about this au ever again actually, but I am so glad you did, I like it a lot. I mentioned Fire Emblem Awakening in the first ask I got about it but for those of you who haven't played the game, the plot features the children of your army traveling back in time to try and prevent the end of the world. That's more or less what happened in the fyuuture kid au, at least in my first draft... I always end up associating the "future kid meets their parents" trope with either FE: Awakening or I guess Golden Sun? Which I think is the name of the jrpg where something similar happens idk I just like there being a reason for the kid to need to meet their parents.

In my original draft of the au, Yuu was told by Crowley there was no way home for them, so they settled down with Yutu's father and started building a life together. This turned out to not be true, as the Magical Marshall's office began investigating the overblots that happened while Yuu was in school and came to the conclusion Yuu had something to do with them; so they were secretly arrested, cursed to forget everything about Twisted Wonderland, and sent home. The curse was meant to trigger every time Yuu vaguely remembered their time in the otherworld, with the idea their brain would prevent them from thinking about it after a while. They would have justified it, if anyone had been there to ask, by saying Yuu wouldn't know they were missing anything and would be able to live a happy life. When Yutu was born that made that outcome impossible, but the Marshal's office didn't think to check if Yuu was pregnant...

Shortly after they did that though strange things started happening. Monster attacks got more frequent, blot levels started rising, not to extremes immediately but still enough to be concerning. Reports of a strange, abyssal magic using beast, started pouring in to S.T.Y.X. suspiciously close to Grim's description. While Yuu was busy trying to put their life back together in their world, Twisted Wonderland slowly began to fall apart drowning under an ink colored sky. The overblot phantoms they fought come back and begin hunting in their respective homelands, and rumor has it they can turn certain mages into their thralls...

The curse slowly eats away at Yuu's brain, every time they see something that reminds them of their friends, their time at NRC, every time Yutu does something that would make them think about how much he takes after his dad, they feel a great deal of physical pain and temporarily lose the ability to function. It's killing them, and no doctor or specialist can figure out the cause, so Yutu just has to sit there and watch his parent slowly die and not be able to do anything about it. I was uncertain of where exactly I wanted Yuu to die in the story, but it always was around when Yutu gets isekaid to NRC, either before and he had to leave them behind or after when they both get to go home finally! But Yuu doesn't completely make it, they're able to have one moment of peace with their son and Professor Crewel before passing on.

Yutu's dad changes depending on who you want it to be of course, as does whether they met before he and his friends decided to go back in time to prevent this version of the future from ever happening, but his feelings about Yuu never changes. Yutu really admires his parent, he did even before he learned about them facing down overblots! They were really close and the more he learned about their curse, the more responsible he felt for their death. He's very determined to keep Yuu alive and safe in Twisted Wonderland in this timeline, even if it costs him his life.

His opinion on his dad really changes depending on who it is and what he learns about them. Like can you imagine learning your dad was known for being obsessed with teeth and no he had no intention of being a dentist? Clown behavior 💀💀💀 His friends were all ocs I made but never really developed... I do remember that one was a younger sibling of Kalim's (who could be his aunt if you like Kalim and absolutely embraces that role), her retainer, Crewel's son who also sees himself as Yutu's uncle (the feeling isn't mutual) because he is old enough to sort of remember Yuu and thinks of them as a sibling, and a random oc I based off of the kid from Up for no reason other than I like the movie. They also came back in time, but only Yutu ended up in the right place, just like fire emblem awakening.

idk I should probably do something with it. like writing the reactions for the other dorms...

[alienartfriend]

today i give you squid. tomorrow? who knows...

preliminary/concept design for my mindflayer (ulitharid), sovereign, she/it pronounds. <3

gonna play around w a lot of the elements but clothes are a placeholder entirely, just wanted to put something on her that didn't cover up a lot of the body. coloration and markings based off the coconut octopus!

rambling about her under the cut

my wife came to me a few months ago saying, "i want to do a side campaign and i'd really love to DM for someone whose character gets turned into a mindflayer session 1." i IMMEDIATELY responded, "i'm your man let's do this i wanna be a baby squid."

i went in to prep once we had the group solidified going, "yeah i'm just playing a normal human fighter. (: his name is john he's gonna be a battlemaster. (: you know normal stuff." and even with everyone being like "???? that is so not your M.O." the other players didn't really question it, except our friend wren who immediately clocked me

and then everyone lost their mind when the transformation happned LMAO

obviously she is very depowered, to be in line with the other player characters. mechnically she is a way of the astral self monk, but all her abilities and ki and all spells gotten through feats are flavored as her psionics.

she was transformed using an experimental tadpole so she didn't like, overwrite or "kill" john the way other mindflayers are typically written as killing the personality of their host body so much as she's the tucked away parts of him brought out. he's as much a part of her now as she was part of him before the transformation. the very condensed reasoning is that he was hand-selected so it was seen as a "waste" to totally overwrite him. the experimental nature of her transformation is also why she's so forthright with her emotions.

(i was kinda playing it as… john was a trans woman who hadn't allowed himself to come to that conclusion yet, to make the transformation both an allegory for transition and also making her literally trans. if i'm not fucking around with gender expression in a DND character it's not me. this is based a little bit off my own experiences of seeing my pre-transition self almost like a second person who is now part of me but isn't, like, me.)

and she's very happy to be alive! very full of love for herself and her party! very unlike your typical mindflayer! very much does not understand why the rest of the party is so horrified by her! she's keeping their tadpoles from transforming them (bg3-style) but she doesn't understand why they don't want to be transformed! john hated being what he was, so why don't they want to experience the joy she's feeling? we have only done the first session so she'll figure out in time that it wouldn't bring them joy the way it brought her joy. but for now, like any good cephalopod, she's full of curiosity and life.

she technically doesn’t have a name name yet, but she’s going by sovereign because the thrall that was assigned to follow her around calls her “my sovereign” and she’s like "well that is close enough to a name for now i suppose."

[britany1997]

Fate Yields For No One

Chapter Two

It’s here y’all! The next chapter of Fate Yields For No One! I’m so excited for y’all to read it! Hope y’all love it🥰 let me know in the comments if you’d like to be added to the FYFNO Taglist, or to my main list:)

Poly! Lost Boys x Max’s Daughter Reader

Please reblog to support my work!

Prologue, Chapter One

California, 1986

“I know you resent me now, but I’m only doing what’s best for you. I take care of my children, and I hope that in time you can learn to see me as your father.”

Fuck Max. Fuck California. Fuck everything.

The second you’d carved even a sliver of a life for yourself, it’d been forcefully ripped from you. You weren’t allowed to be free. You had been “gifted” with eternal life, but you couldn’t truly live.

Max saw himself as a savior. According to him, he’d rescued you from the gutter, from an impending death. But you’d died everyday since his fangs had sunken into your skin.

A stake through the heart was a kindness you would never be afforded. Your future had never been yours to control.

The room you’d been banished to at the top of Max’s house felt more like a gilded tower as the nights wore on.

You were semi-imprisoned by your self-proclaimed father, and semi-imprisoned by your own will. Max didn’t trust you enough to allow you out alone at night, but you’d be damned if you ever went out with him.

So you stayed, confined to your prison and guarded by Thorn. You seethed in malice, all alone.

Or sort of alone, as you’d done in life, you allowed yourself to escape to worlds within literature. Your bedside table was stacked with Mrs. Dalloway, The Bell Jar, and of course, Jane Eyre. What were you if not a mad woman locked inside a room. All you needed was a match.

You were skimming the pages of The Feminine Mystique when you heard a firm knocking on your bedroom door. Shortly after, Max entered, his tall, broad frame filling the doorway. “I want you to come to the video store tonight, in fact, I’d like you to start working there for me.”

You continued to read, refusing to so much as look at him as he spoke to you, “why’d you knock if you were just going to come in anyway?”

Max frowned, “you’ve been here for almost a month now and you’ve done nothing but refuse to acknowledge me and behave terribly.”

“Not true,” you said nonchalantly, holding up your book and finally meeting his eyes, “I’ve also been reading.”

Max’s head fell into his hands in frustration. “I’ve tried so hard with you but-”

“Tried what?” you interrupted, “thrusting the curse of immortality onto me without explaining what you were doing? Without telling me what it meant? Without giving me a choice?!”

Max crossed his arms, preparing himself for another of your monologues.

“Or maybe you mean ripping me from my home, from the life I’d made for myself. Because God forbid I do anything on my own, God forbid I allow myself to be happy for once in my unlife. No, you’d rather keep me under your thumb, calling yourself my father just to spite me.”

“Are you done?” Max asked, eyebrow raised.

“Might as well be,” you spit, “you can hear me but you never listen.”

“You mock me for calling myself your father, when all you ever do is act like a rebellious child.”

You grimaced and turned your eyes to the ground.

He stepped forward, “I don’t want to use it, but I will.”

You sucked in a breath at his words. He was referring of course, to his thrall.

As your sire, Max had completely power over you. If he chose to, he could utter the words and force you to do whatever he wanted.

Max had assured you that he wouldn’t use this power unless he deemed it absolutely necessary. Yet this didn’t set you at ease. The threat of your agency being stripped from you was constantly present in the back of your mind.

It was better for you to choose to do what he wanted, if it could be called a choice.

You sighed, dog earring your book and throwing it into your tote as you slipped it over your shoulder. You moved to walk out the door but paused in front of Max, “I hope you know how much I hate you.”

He sighed, a sad smile stretching across his face, “I do.”

You arrived at the video store to find that an application had already been filled out for you, and your employment had been approved.

You glared at Max as he pulled out your name tag, “this is demeaning,” you told him.

He rolled his eyes, “having a summer job you were given because of nepotism? Yes, no one has suffered as you have suffered.”

He clipped the name tag to your shirt, “enough with this attitude,” he whispered.

He turned to a pretty, curly haired girl working the counter, “Maria, this is my daughter,” you waved awkwardly, “she’ll be working here this summer, show her what to do.”

He turned back to you, “I’ve got to do inventory, listen to Maria she’s a nice girl.”

With that he patted your arm and headed to the back of the store.

Maria came out from behind the counter and offered you her hand, which you gladly took. “I’m Maria,” she smiled the most genuine smile you’d seen in a long time as she shook your hand, “I’ve been working the night shift alone for forever! I’m really glad to have you here.”

Your cheeks flushed at her words, “well, I’m glad to be here,” you said genuinely. It’d been awhile since you’d had anyone you’d been able to truly connect with.

In her smile you saw the potential for a confidant, something you desperately needed. Maybe you couldn’t tell her about the monstrous side of you, but you wanted her to know everything else. You wanted someone who truly knew you.

The night passed quickly as Maria taught you how to work the register, stock movies, and use the stores check out system. With the rest of your time you were content to listen as she rambled about her life.

You smiled softly as she told you about her friends, her classes, and her family. Maria was the oldest daughter of a huge, tight knit family. Five siblings meant she spent a lot of her weekends babysitting, but she didn’t seem to mind.

She gushed to you about each sibling, their personalities, their quirks, their likes and dislikes, by the end of the night you felt like you knew each of them. You were touched by her obvious care for them.

When the end of her shift came, you were holding back tears. She loved her family just as you’d loved yours. For the first time in a long time, you’d met a kindred spirit, for the first time in a long time, you had a friend.

When she’d finished packing up her things, Maria pulled you in for a hug. “It was so nice to meet you! I can’t wait to see you again for our shift tomorrow.”

Your heart swelled, “I can’t wait either!”

She shot you another one of her bright smiles before turning to head out the door. You beamed to yourself as you fiddled with the register.

“Hey babe, heading out already?” your ears perked up at the sound of someone speaking to Maria.

She giggled, “Paul, you know you’re not supposed to be in here anymore,” she sing-songed.

Paul sighed dramatically, “oh babe I’d stay away, but I’d miss seeing ya every night!”

Maria laughed once more, “we couldn’t have that now could we.”

You rolled your eyes at this Paul guy’s cheesy flirting, wondering why he wasn’t allowed in the store.

“Who’s the new chick,” Paul whispered.

You tried to ignore him as you counted the cash.

“Why don’t you see for yourself Paulie,” Maria teased, “I’ve gotta get going.”

“Sure baby, let me just turn on my charm.”

You could hear his voice dripping with fuckboy confidence. This would be good.

You were jolted from your thoughts by the repeated ringing of the bell on the counter. You sighed, turning around slowly, an annoyed expression on your face.

Your eyes met the blond man’s piercing blue ones, as you stared into them your frustration melted into shock.

Paul’s eyes widened as he realized who you were to him. You wished you could have stopped the word that fell from his lips.

“Mine.”

FYFNO Taglist❤️:

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[whumpsoda]

I raise that anon who raised you.

Vampire keeps their thrall hypnotized so they do all the chores without making a fuss and so they don't accidentally hurt themselves bruising or spilling any of their precious blood.

Whumpee breaks out of it randomly by something silly like a sneeze and comes back to hella confusing circumstances.

WOHEO Masterlist

Love this sm. Kinda mad cause I wrote all of it and then realized I was originally gonna go in a very different direction😭

cw: hypnosis, dehumanization, vampire whumper, human whumpee

———————————————————————

Nevan smiled contentedly to himself as a pile of dust flew into the pan. The broom, brittle and old scratched against the hardwood flooring of the mansion. Satisfied, he carefully poured the dust pan’s contents into a nearby trash can.

He had almost done all of the cleaning for the abode, the only room left being one of the many dedicated for storage. Nevan always felt exceedingly proud of himself for fulfilling his sanitation duties so well, even if there wasn’t much to clean when he repeated the same tasks every single day.

Darius liked his home spotless, and Nevan was more than happy to oblige to the wills of his master. Cleaning was the one thing he was notably good at, subsequently making it his sole job in Darius’ home. Besides being a food source, of course.

Transferring to the next room to be cleaned, Nevan was giddy with the thought of receiving his promised reward. 

Cleaning was his purpose, his sole job in life, so there was really no need for a reward. Yet, Darius was so kind hearted and generous, that he always promised his thrall a reward for his work. Whether it be presenting him with another place to cleanse or an extra feeding for that week, Nevan was over the moon simply with knowing he had pleased the vampire.

Nevan studied the mess he was presented with. The storage rooms were always a bit arduous to take care of, mainly due to the overwhelming clutter that had formed over centuries. 

He began with a smaller brush, sweeping the tops of boxes and junk. Before he knew it, whatever dirt inhabited the room had unsurprisingly mixed with the air, floating into and itching at his nostrils. 

He leaned his head back, readying himself for a sneeze.

Seering pain sliced through his brain as his body forcibly doubled over, almost as if splitting his head in half. Nevan clutched his head desperately, stumbling and slipping over his feet. He pulled frantically at his hair, the agony spreading to his scalp as well.

The human dropped onto sore knees, expelling a distraught whine. He panted heavily, attempting to settle himself. 

Luckily, after an endless repetition of deep, calming breaths, the pain subsided into a faint throb. Nevan groaned, rubbing at his tear prickled eyes. Out of reach thoughts danced inside his mind, too rapid to be coherent.

Holding his head in one hand, he forced open his soggy eyes. Gazing down at his own lap, confusion began to settle in.

How did-? Why was he…? Cleaning supplies?

Clutching the short broom in his hand, he noticed what was under it. “What?” He groaned, grabbing at the fabric covering his lower body. Whatever it was, it was large, frilly, and itchy, a terrible combination.

Nevan felt around, pressing his palms to the floor and pushing himself onto wobbly legs. He clung to a tall stack of cardboard boxes, his knees buckling. He took in the room, filled to the brim with piled up rubbish. 

Particularly, Nevan’s gaze landed on a long, thin mirror several feet away. He shuddered, digesting the image of the figure reflected. 

It was him. The reflection held Nevan’s eyes, Nevan’s moles, Nevan’s nose, yet they looked so different. Like a failed clone. His hair was lengthy with a healthy shine, his face and body meticulously clean shaven, and he wore a grand, luxurious dress. 

Worrying of all, were the achining wounds in his neck. Red, oozing and sore, Nevan gaped at the sight.

It couldn’t be him. Nevan didn’t do those things. He kept his hair short and easily manageable, he never gave a second thought to body and facial hair, and he sure as hell had never been very comfortable in a dress. He began grabbing at the excessive tool covering his thighs, trying to ease the irritation on his skin.

Once again, the burning sensation returned full force, tearing apart his brain in a wave of remembrance. 

Fear settled over him, a whimper catching in his throat. He was in a vampire’s home. Caught in a web of mind-bending magic, and by some miracle had broken through. His breathing quickened, short and frantic. 

What would he do? What could he do? If he got caught, there wasn’t a chance he’d ever get the opportunity to escape again. Maybe the monster would be so angry, they’d kill him.

“Nevan? Are you almost finished with your chores?” His heart stopped. Nevan lifted a trembling hand to his mouth, pushing his back against the objects behind him. “Where are you?” They called. 

Nevan slid down the boxed, landing on his bottom. Darius was close. Too close. If he tried to leave now, he would surely be caught, but the same was ensured if he didn’t.

Footsteps picked up, the clicking sound of Darius’ heels growing closer. “There you are.” Carefully, Nevan turned his head to face the beast, meeting a wicked grin. “Are you ready for your reward? I’m especially hungry today.” They said, adjusting the collar of their jacket.

Nevan let out a whimper and a snivel, alarms blaring inside his head. The vampire paused, studying him, his smile contorting into a confused frown. “What’s wrong? What did you do? You shouldn’t look like that.” 

Darius reached their hand out, taking several steps toward the human. Instinctively, Nevan hysterically crawled in the opposite direction, knocking over a pile of random contents. 

Darius met the other man’s stare, his eyes just as wide-eyed as Nevan. Slowly, as if faced with a wild animal, he descended to the floor, resting one knee to the ground. As the human continued to make a mess, Darius reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a glistening little item between two fingers.

Nevan recognized it instantly, squealing with terror as he violently shook his head. “Please! Don’t, please, I can’t-!” Ignoring the human’s pleads, Darius lightly began ringing the tiny bell in his hand. 

The ringing, no matter how light, how delicate, held a commanding, unexplainable presence. Betrayed by his own body, Nevan was unable to cover his ears as means of blocking the noise. The sound was soft, almost musical, causing Nevan’s terrified heart to flutter against his will.

“Come here, little servant.” The vampire sang. He began to lean into the constant ringing, as well as the glossy voice of his owner. “That’s right, return back to master.” Darius beckoned him over, settling onto both knees comfortably. 

The matter of his mind was melting, replaced with the weight of the bell’s authority. Lazily, the terrified shake if his body liquefying, Nevan shifted onto his hands and knees. Mesmerized by the sound licking his ears, he clumsily crawled closer, to Darius’ satisfaction.

“Good boy, almost there. Nothing is more important than the bell, isn’t that right?” The movement of the object never ceased. 

He smiled. That was right. It was Nevan’s bell, captivating and alluring. The only thing possibly more significant was Darius.

He soon reached the vampire, resting onto his knees with glazed over eyes. Darius gently placed the bell to the floor, ending the loop of hypnotic noise. He tenderly cupped Nevan’s cheek, caressing it with his thumb.

The vampire took a moment to adjust Nevan’s body, picking up limbs and turning his face as if he was searching for something. After a moment, he let out a sigh of relief. “I would’ve been very upset if you managed to lose some of your delectable blood in all that panic. Fortunate for you, it seems you didn’t.”

Nevan would’ve been utterly distraught had he made such a mistake. What a terrible thrall he was even risking it. “Now, are you ready for your reward?” He nuzzled into his master’s comforting touch.

In no other universe could he have been more ready.

[oliversrarebooks]

I've been thinking all day about Lex accidentally putting Fitz to sleep with his humming. Sleepy Fitz, calming the energetic puppy.... He's so cute when he's sleepy

I want you to know that I very much love this prompt. Sleepy Fitz!

Masterlist

TW: hypnosis (but consensual and very gentle)

"Hey. I need you for a minute."

Lex frowned, trying to finish the paragraph he was reading despite Fitz's sudden demand for attention. Normally, he was happy to indulge his partner's whims, but this particular book was incredibly engrossing and he was almost at the end of it.

"I've got this great idea for a new magic trick. I doubt anyone on the whole East Coast has done it before," Fitz chattered, either oblivious to or ignoring the fact that Lex was still trying to concentrate on the book. "It's perfect. It's new, it's fresh, it's got volunteer participation, it uses a flashy, eye-catching prop, and it's great for suspense. Audiences are going to go nuts for it, I can already tell."

"Mmm," said Lex, doing his best to keep his focus on his book.

"So I altered the magic cabinet -- you know the one, the one I used for the knife throw trick. I think it'll work, but I need a tester." He flopped down onto the sofa next to Lex, shamelessly occupying every inch that Lex wasn't. "That's where I was hoping you could come in. All you'd really need to do is stand in the cabinet and look like your handsome self while I do the hard work performing all the dramatic flourishes."

"I can help you once I finish this book."

"There's no possible way that book is more interesting than my magic." Fitz had the audacity to worm his way onto Lex's lap, disrupting the book, as though he were a house cat. "Besides, you've read one book, you've read them all, I'm sure."

"Mmmhmm." Lex knew very well that Fitz was just trying to get a rise out of him to get some attention. And it wasn't as if he didn't want to provide, just --

Fitz had stopped talking, actually. And he was looking up at Lex with a dazed expression.

"Hmmmmm?" He drew the word out purposefully into a hum to confirm his suspicions, and was rewarded with a sleepy, slow blink. That's when he noticed the dark circles under Fitz's eyes. He'd been having nightmares again, a fact that was obvious to Lex but which Fitz still relentlessly denied. Once more, he was trying to cover his stress and exhaustion with excitement and demands for attention. 

"Mmmmm." Lex drew out the word into a hum, petting Fitz's hair a bit. His eyelids fluttered, looking so sleepy that it seemed like he might doze off right then and there. How had Lex not noticed? Lex hadn't even put any real hypnotic power into his words -- just the trace amounts that always tagged along on his voice -- and Fitz already seemed ready to hand over the keys to his mind.

It was awfully endearing to watch the chatter and bluster devolve into calm, sleepy submission.

Still, Fitz hadn't been a thrall for a long time, now, and Lex knew better than to invade his mind without permission, no matter how much his subconscious clearly seemed to want it. He snapped near Fitz's ear. "Wake up, love."

Fitz nearly toppled off the couch as he startled awake. "Hey! Were you trying to hypnotize me?"

"I certainly was not," said Lex. "I wasn't doing anything with my voice. I honestly think you're just so tired that you can't listen to me without starting to drift away."

"I'm not that tired," said Fitz, the barely concealed yawn betraying him. It was clear that discussing the subject, or perhaps even just listening to Alexander's speaking voice, was slowly but surely putting him to sleep.

"You don't have to be 'that tired,'" said Lex. "If you're tired, then I can help you sleep."

Fitz glanced away, and Lex could see the temptation in his eyes. "I'm not a thrall or a child. I don't need a lullaby to sing me to sleep. I'll be fine. I'll keep myself busy working on the magic  trick."

"As I said, I can help you once I finish the book. And until then, why not have a bit of a nap? I don't mind singing to you. In fact, it would be my pleasure."

The struggle behind Fitz's eyes was short-lived. He really must be tired to consider this so readily. 

"I'll ensure you don't have any nightmares."

A second yawn escaped Fitz as he conceded this. "All right, you win," he said. "Just this once, I'll let you pied piper me into a restful sleep."

That was all Lex wanted to hear. He cupped Fitz's cheek and sounded a low note, one filled with the command to relax, and drank it all in as the anxious energy in Fitz's eyes began to fade, his shoulders slumping, his jaw going slack. Relax, relax, relax.

Lex's singing was far more powerful than simple verbal commands, nearly irresistible to ordinary humans. The primary downside was that he couldn't give complex instructions that way -- his song was limited to very simple ideas and strong feelings. That was ideal for putting someone to sleep, though.

Relax. Calm. Peace. Setting aside his book for the moment, Lex continued to stroke Fitz's face and guide him down so that his head was resting in Lex's lap, golden ponytail spilling over his thighs. Relax, relax.

Fitz's gaze was both focused on him and so far away. Lex was making absolutely certain he had drained all of the unpleasant thoughts that were keeping him from true rest before he went to sleep. He kept his voice as soothing and quiet as possible as he washed Fitz's mind with the command to relax, rest, let go.

"How are you feeling, love?"

Fitz looked up at Lex with sheer adoration, and Lex hoped it wasn't all due to the song's influence. "That does feel real fucking nice," he said. "Gotta be careful, I'll want you to do this all the time."

Lex understood the temptation so very well, knew how uncharacteristically trusting Fitz was being to simply allow Lex to do this. And if he were simply some human thrall, Lex probably would keep him in a half-entranced state for perpetuity. But Fitz had always been, and always would be, an exception. 

"I don't mind," said Lex, burying his hand in Fitz's hair and rubbing at his scalp. This time, he laced into his song feelings of safe and comforted along with commands to relax, enjoying the effect as Fitz simply melted in his lap. A soft groan escaped Fitz's lips, and Lex couldn't resist adding in the urge to drop your defenses, let go, surrender.

Watching Fitz succumb to the siren song was always so beautiful, whenever Lex had the opportunity to do it. 

"Relaxed?" Lex questioned.

"Huh?" Fitz looked up at Lex as though even processing a simple question was a herculean effort. "Mmm, yeah. You're doing a number on me."

"Want to sleep?"

"Yeah, that'd be good," came his easy answer. No denying his tiredness, no trying to escape his nightmares by keeping himself up far too long. 

Lex hummed a soothing tune, this time filling it with the desire to go to sleep. Go to sleep, go to sleep, he commanded. So sleepy, so drowsy, shut your eyes down...

The effect on Fitz was immediate, his eyelids blinking slowly as the need to go to sleep took hold. Lex's sleep song was impossible to deny, he knew. He could easily stop a hostile human in their tracks just by casting his spell on them. Lex wondered what it felt like. He wasn't sure he could bear being that vulnerable around anyone.

All the more reason to protect Fitz.

Lex sang to sleep, go to sleep, as Fitz's eyes fluttered close and his face went slack. He brushed the heavy bags under Fitz's eyes. This would be good for him. He needed this sleep so badly.

Fitz curled up in Lex's lap, utterly unguarded and peaceful, as Lex stroked his hair and sang. He was like an energetic puppy whose motor had run low. Lex felt comforted himself, knowing that Fitz was content and safe. He picked up his book and resumed reading, this time petting Fitz's hair as he read the final chapters.

Masterlist

@d-cs @latenightcupsofcoffee @thecyrulik @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @wanderinggoblin @whumpyourdamnpears @only-shadows-dwell-where-we-are @pressedpenn @pigeonwhumps @amusedmuralist @xx-adam-xx @ivycloak @irregular-book @whumpsoda @mj-or-say10 @pokemaniacgemini @whumpshaped @whumpsday @morning-star-whump @shinyotachi @silly-scroimblo-skrunkl @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @pirefyrelight @theauthorintraining-blog @whump-me-all-night-long @anonfromcanada @typewrittenfangs @tessellated-sunl1ght @cleverinsidejoke @abirbable @ichorousambrosia @a-formless-entity

[chaoticstarlightwonderland]

Danganronpa Characters as the Dungeon Meshi races

Makoto - Half-foot/human hybrid because he is forever short and baby-faced. It's been confirmed in side material that tall-man are able to produce children with halflings and gnomes and the offspring can reproduce (unlike half-elves) so I think it makes sense to have Makoto connected to the most underestimated races. In an adventuring party, he does a lot of the halfling jobs like looking for and dismantling traps. I also think because of his caring nature and how accident-prone he is Makoto learned some healing spells from his party's mage. He has low mana thought (2/5) so it's really in case of emergencies or as a simple first aid until real help can come.

Nagito - A half-elf. I think it would suit his brand of luck; born with a natural lifespan of 1000 years but has to watch anyone and everyone he loves pass away. Because he still has his luck cycles, everyone is sure is some kind of curse but no mage can do anything about it, let alone even understand it. He probably would go through a lot, losing his parents, being discriminated against, being sold off into illegal slavery, and probably a bunch of health problems. But Nagito is still Nagito, he just keeps kicking away.

Hajime - A normal tall-man who was frustrated with the fact that he was never particularly special in anything. I think when he found out he had even a hint of magic he begged his parents to send him to a magic boarding school they could barely afford, only to find out first-hand how lacklustre his magic was compared to the kids. Hajime pushed himself to continue studying, which lead him down a path of dungeon hunting, and of demons. He made a deal which backfired on him, turning into a Lord of the Dungeon and slowly becoming "Izuru Kamukura-ised". If/when he gets out of the demon's thrall, his case is a lot like Mithrun's. Although he does have more skills outside of wanting to hunt demons, that was because of the initial deal he made. Hajime lost the ability to enjoy his talents or get satisfaction from being skilled. He is more talented than ever but he is incapable of enjoying it.

Junko and Mukuro - Demons. Junko is a demon that helps people achieve their hopes and desires and feeds on their happiness. This makes people think she is the nicer sister but that just means she enjoys giving people what they want and watching their despair as they lose the capacity to enjoy it. Mukuro is described as a 'war demon' because she grants humans their wishes with violence and feeds off their rage and the resulting bloodbath. However, over time she actually grew to love the humans (at least more than Junko) because it was so shocking to see the kindness that mortal beings can show each other, especially when she has seen first-hand the cruelty they are capable of.

Now for the shorter ideas that I still think are interesting:

Fuyuhiko - A half-foot that is the heir to a shockingly powerful crime/loan shark family. His family flew under the radar for a long while because the Elves and Gnomes kept underestimating them until they become so powerful they couldn't be handled.

Peko - A tall-man who was abandoned by her parents when she was young and was brought by Fuyuhiko's family to be his servant and bodyguard.

Chihiro - A Gnome mage who is very talented in communicating with spirits. He has one such spirit that he has raised all by himself that is this reality's 'Alter Ego'.

A minor thing, in a side comic it was said that the races consider music to be the thing that Tallmen are known for, so I think all the characters who have interest in music are Tallmen. That includes Kaede, Sayaka, Ibuki, Hiyoko, and Leon.

I'd love to hear people's thoughts and suggestions!!

[eggcats]

This isn't connected to anything, but I thought of a random scene in the Everybody Loves Vox AU while I was relaxing this morning.

And I've decided that Alastor only criticizes and mocks things about Vox that he knows Vox will argue with him about, because he enjoys teasing and fighting.

But he's also super careful about not saying any preferences towards things about Vox that he could easily change, because he knows Vox's first instinct is to want to be liked and so he'd change whatever it is for Alastor’s (or anyone's, really) approval - but Alastor DOESN'T want Vox to do that, because that's boring. If he wanted someone to do whatever he says he'd ask one of his thralls - he likes that Vox does and likes and wears things he doesn't like or wouldn't do himself, because the differences are fun and entertaining and interesting.

And Vox only finds this out one day by complete accident because Alastor happens to find him relaxing after a shower (on a bed or a couch, just a surface they could lay down and cuddle on) and immediately decides to join him to cuddle. Like, laying entirely on him, shoving his head in his neck, the whole nine yards.

Vox is visibly confused because he KNOWS Alastor doesn't like to cuddle and is very particular about physical touch. (It's the one thing he's had to get used to since they've started "not dating." Part of the reason he stayed with Val for so long was because he enjoys physical contact with his partner, but he's adapted to Alastor’s lack of desire for it to the best of his ability.)

So Vox tries to tactfully ask what the hell is going on, because while he's really enjoying the cuddle he's Extremely Confused and would like an ounce of clarification.

And it turns out that Alastor hates his cologne and that THAT'S why he refuses to touch or cuddle him, to prevent the scent from getting on himself. (It's too strong, too much, it gives him a headache with his more sensitive sense of smell, etc etc).

Vox is like, "Were you ever going to TELL ME that?! What the hell, Alastor?! I don't have to fucking wear it if it bothers you that much!"

Alastor, grumbling, with his face still shoved in Vox’s chest, "No, I was not, because any time someone says anything, you immediately mold yourself into whatever that is, so I would appreciate you forgetting this conversation ever happened."

Vox, with one arm holding Alastor and his other hand pinching the spot between his eyes, "Absolutely the fuck not! Alastor. If I had to choose between over-priced colonge and you fucking TOUCHING ME, I'm fucking choosing you? What the hell, this is insane, I cannot believe we could've been cuddling this entire time. I'm fighting you when we're done because of this."

Vox absolutely ditches the colonge the first chance he gets, despite Alastor's protests.

I like to think that eventually Vox gets comfortable enough to NOT do his initial instinct of immediately changing himself towards Alastor's preferences, once he now knows that Alastor won't say anything - even if it's something he'd be happy to change - to keep him from doing exactly that.

(Also, I think Val tended to do the opposite, where he'd often criticize Vox until he does whatever he wants, so it's hard for him initially to not do the same for Alastor, and to realize that Alastor's mode of affection is softly bullying him but that Alastor dislikes it when he tries to change himself to appease).

It takes some trial and error until they find common ground between "changing anything your partner doesn't like" and "never saying anything you dislike to your partner." Neither of them are good at relationships, so it takes a bit.

(I just couldn't get the idea of Alastor refusing to get too close to Vox because his scent bothers him - and then the second he finds Vox without it he practically tries to bury under his skin to catch up on all the affection (and enjoying his natural scent) he can before Vox puts that scent back on. And never thinking, hey, maybe I should say something about that because he doesn't understand the difference between that and controlling Vox's personality.)

[whumpshaped]

HUNTER BECOMES HUNTER FOR THE BINGO

i didnt mean to lump so many of these together but i had a Vision and i couldnt figure out how to Not lump them together- also it got super long i am so sorry

masterlist bingo card

tw vampire whumper, vampire whumpee, mind control, death, murder, a whole massacre really, stalking, loss, grief, minor burns, conditioning, manipulation, threats, memory loss

As the days passed, Beck found it harder and harder to ignore the memories. Helle had done a wonderful job at making him remember, even when he wanted nothing more than to forget. All that conditioning, manipulation, paranoia, gaslighting– it was all coming back, and it all made him fear them again. It made him see how rotten to the core they really were, no matter how desperately he tried to stay ignorant.

And he was stuck with them. Stuck with a monster who was more than happy to exploit all his fears and desires, his wishes and his vulnerability. They allowed him multiple more chances to practise his magic, entirely confident that he wouldn't be able to do it; and they were right. It was a wretched fucking situation to be in. Helle was giving him more and more reasons to want to run, while simultaneously blocking one exit after the other.

He was a rat trapped in an impossible maze, and the floor was getting hotter by the second — no matter how fast he tried to run, no matter how many times he thought he saw a way out, the only thing real in his life were the burns on his little rat paws.

He wanted the easy bliss of memory loss. That was the only thing that could've made this all bearable. He wouldn't flinch from Helle brushing against him if he didn't remember all the times he'd cried for them not to. He wouldn't question their sweet smiles and honeyed words if he didn't remember all the times they'd hidden traps and lies.

He tried to pretend he was still oblivious. He remembered what it felt like to be under the vampire's spell. He remembered the unconditional trust, the love, the adoration. He could replicate it. He could make it a reality again, if he tried hard enough. He could manufacture those same feelings, possibly even hold onto the last remnants of his rose-tinted glasses. He just had to try harder.

-

Helle was on cloud nine; had been for the past week. Everything was going splendidly! Beck was slowly remembering his life from before, and while he was getting more and more anxious in a way that might've otherwise been a cause for concern, now that they knew he was a runt, it was merely entertaining. Beck wasn't going to run off, nor was he about to commit some atrocities against them. No, he was just going to sit there and take whatever they decided to put him through, like a good boy.

The thought made them shudder with pure excitement. This was everything. Everything they'd wished for after their siblings had left. Everything they'd wished could've gone right was now going right. Beck was the perfect thrall and the perfect sired, he was their prized possession, their pampered little lapdog, their most important project for the next several decades, if not centuries. The first vampire they'd make so obsessed with them that he wouldn't ever want to leave.

That was where Lady Marie had miscalculated, they thought. She'd tried to use fear as the primary motivator. They weren't going to be so stupid. They were going to use something far more compelling.

Of course, being the perfect candidate he was, Beck was already working hard to make their job infinitely easier. He was practically deluding himself into loving them, they barely had to say a word. Even with his memories returning, he seemed to be trying his damnedest to push them aside and stay good. What more could they wish for, really?

Helle stopped in their tracks, and the enthralled human they had with them followed suit. As exciting as all the planning was, and as untouchable as they'd felt in recent days, they had to stay present sometimes. Especially when they got the distinct feeling that they were being watched.

They turned around, squinting at the empty road and the bushes and trees on either side. They couldn't smell any humans other than the one they'd brought here... nor any vampires, really.

Maybe they were wrong. Who would come to their mansion anyway? No one had attempted to kill them since that poor fucker Beck had tried to hire, and the last attempt before that had been decades ago. Still... They had just properly kidnapped him. If his family was anything like him, they might actually try to get him back.

Helle shrugged and turned back towards their house, throwing the doors open theatrically and announcing they were home.

-

He never fucking heeded any warnings, did he? And he never ever considered that he wasn't invincible, that bad things could happen to him, that maybe his mother was right to worry.

Joey's heart was pounding loudly in his chest as he lay — hopefully — hidden by an overgrown barberry bush, waiting for the vampire to continue walking. Fuck. Fuck. Why weren't they going? Did they spot him? Did all the things he had rubbed into his clothes to cover his scent fail? Please no. Please, he just wanted to see his brother. He couldn't die like this.

He held his breath for as long as he could, squeezing his eyes shut in utter terror. The night was quiet and chilly, and he tried his best not to shiver lest he rustle any leaves and give his position away. It felt like an eternity before he heard footsteps again — ones that were slowly fading.

Never in his life had he exhaled so slowly and carefully before. He couldn't even imagine what the vampire would've done to him, had they figured out he was there. Would he have been turned into a thrall? Or simply killed? Or scared halfway to death, then sent away to bring word of just how much of a terrifying monster they were?

It didn't matter. They'd left. He was safe.

He cautiously crawled out from under the bush, unable to resist a closer look at the mansion. In a perfect world, the vampire would've been away for just a few minutes longer, allowing Joey time to peek inside. But of course, the world wasn't perfect, and he couldn't be lucky in everything.

He flinched at every little sound, expecting the front door to open and the vampire to find him just a few feet away from the walls, lying in the grass like an idiot. The thought nearly made him flee at the last second, but he persevered, eventually arriving to a spot right under one of the huge windows.

Oh, how wonderful it would be to break those damn windows during the day, and let the stupid bloodsucker burn.

Joey took a few steadying breaths, then began slowly rising to his feet. Just a peek. All he needed was a peek inside. Just one glance at his brother, so he'd know he was alive.

He almost ducked back down when he spotted the vampire from before. Thankfully, they had their back turned to him, granting him just a few seconds to at least look around what seemed like a huge living room. Should vampires even have living rooms? A question for another day.

The setting was perfect for some stalking, really. With the lights on inside and the darkness outside, Joey didn't have to try very hard to pick out even little details. The vampire was holding the thrall by the waist, beckoning to someone else. Fuck, were there more of them? Taking out one vampire was difficult enough as it was, but a whole den...?

He shouldn't panic. At least he would have valuable information to bring back for the hunters, right? Thank god he decided to go on this rogue mission!

But all manner of conscious thought went out the window as soon as the other vampire arrived.

That couldn't be right. Was he hallucinating? Were the sleepless nights finally getting to him? That couldn't be right.

Joey felt like he was going to pass out. Why...? There was no reason– Why did they turn Beck into a vampire? Was this real? Was this actually real? Beck should've been kept as a thrall!

Well, he shouldn't have been held captive at all. But being a thrall would've been reversible, it would've been something– something he could fix! But this...?

He watched with wide eyes as his brother hesitantly approached the human, looking awfully distraught and apologetic. Of course. Beck would've never hurt anyone if he could help it. God, this must've been... this must've been...

Joey froze when Beck glanced towards the window. For the briefest moment, he thought it wouldn't end badly — that was his brother, his best friend, the person he would've sacrificed so much for. Surely, Beck would be happy to see that he came to rescue him, right?

But the fantasy was shattered when the other vampire turned and followed his gaze, their curious red eyes settling right on him. An intruder. The human they'd failed to notice just a few minutes prior.

He ran without thinking.

He knew this was the end of the line for him if the vampire caught him, and he also knew that there was no way he could outrun a monster like that. All he could count on was Beck somehow holding them back, or distracting them, or– or–

He didn't know. He just ran, as fast as he could, hoping, praying he would live to tell the tale.

Joey only stopped when it felt like his lungs would explode otherwise, collapsing on the sidewalk from utter exhaustion. He waved off several people who'd tried to help, assuring everyone that he just needed a moment to get himself together.

"I s-saw a vampire," he choked out. "I– I'll b-be fine, I just... I just got scared."

"Where?"

"Is the vampire close?"

"Are we in danger?"

Joey shook his head. "Several streets away. I ran a lot."

He didn't start fully processing the events until he got home. Tears of helplessness and sorrow were streaming down his face, washing away some of the dirt that had stuck to it.

Honestly? He could've lived with Beck becoming a vampire. It wasn't a good situation, not by any means, but Beck was his brother, and he was prepared to love him through whatever nonsense he'd got tangled up in.

The thing that absolutely ripped his heart to shreds was the fact that there was no recognition in his eyes when he'd looked at him. The two of them looked so alike, there was no way to deny them being brothers... and yet, Beck just looked startled and confused. Like he was nothing but a stranger.

-

"Don't!" Beck cried desperately, grabbing Helle by the hand before they could've gone after the stranger. "Please, don't, you've already kidnapped someone tonight! Please, let him go!"

"Do you have any idea who that was?"

He paused, slowly letting go of Helle's coat when he realised they weren't going to hunt him down. "I... n-not really." Now that they mentioned it, the guy did look familiar in a way. Nothing he could pin down, though. He already hadn't been good with remembering faces before dying, and death certainly hadn't helped. "But it doesn't matter, I just don't want– I don't want more innocents getting hurt. Please."

Helle considered him for a second. "Do you really have no idea?" they asked again, gentler this time. It was beginning to make Beck feel quite stupid. Was that person important? Someone who had been close to him in his life?

The brother Helle had spoken of?

No, Helle had said he'd left behind a twin brother. There was no way he could forget–

Beck frowned. He... had no idea what he looked like. How could he recognise his twin brother, if he had no recollection of his own face, and no reflection to check?

"Who was it?" He sounded timid, as though he was afraid of the answer; and in a way, he really was. Did he even want to know? Or did he want to simply ignore all of this emotional turmoil?

The decision was made for him when Helle waved him off. "I will tell you later. Or the next time he shows up. I have a feeling he will not be alone."

-

"I have to go with them!" Joey demanded, and his mother sighed.

"Listen... As much as I want to go as well, I think it'd be counter-productive. If we tell the hunters not to hurt him, then they won't! We don't need to be there to enforce it, or... or I don't think..."

"But you don't know! They're hunters! They want to kill vampires, that's what they do, they don't care who Beck used to be! Especially since he didn't even recognise me!"

"Joey, if he doesn't recognise you–" Her voice broke, and she abruptly turned away with a hand over her mouth. She was trying to hold back tears, and Joey tried to remind himself that he needed to dial it back. It was a difficult situation for everyone involved.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, and his mother shook her head.

"No, it's... It's understandable. You want to protect Beck. I do, too."

"I know."

"I think..." She took a deep breath, wiping away a tear that threatened to betray just how emotionally exhausted she was. "I think if Beck doesn't recognise us, then we can't really do anything to help. I can't drag home an unwilling vampire. Neither can you. I don't even know if..."

"If we should," he finished quietly. His mother nodded.

The implications hung in the air between them, unspoken yet still so loud. What was the alternative? Let Beck live his new vampire life? Never talk to him again? The hunters wouldn't like that. Unless they figured out a way to make Beck remember, a way to show everyone that he was still the same awkward guy deep down, and not a dangerous monster... there was no way he would avoid a stake to the heart.

"I have to go, mom. If I do, maybe– maybe he'll realise who I am, and..."

She dragged both hands down her face, visibly frustrated with the whole thing. They both wished it could've been easier. "I'm scared," she admitted after a pause. "I'm scared of losing him again. I'm scared of losing you. I'm scared of being killed by the vampire who took him. I'm scared of seeing those hunters hurt him... I'm scared."

"You don't have to come. I can go alone–"

"Again?" Joey stayed quiet. Clearly, his mom hadn't yet forgiven him his little outing. "It doesn't matter what I say, does it? You'll go either way."

He didn't see a reason to lie or pretend. "Yeah. I have to be there. I know he'll be scared of the hunters, he needs at least one... semi-familiar face."

His mother nodded. "We'll go. We'll bring him home."

-

Helle wasn't the least bit surprised when they woke up the sound of glass shattering. It was the middle of the day, and they were pretty sure they could hear the hunters tearing down the curtains downstairs.

Great.

"Go into every room!" someone shouted.

Oh dear. They were going to trash the whole place.

Beck barged in just a second later, slamming the door shut after himself. He looked terrified, and for good reason; if he had been found alone, he would've had no chance of surviving against a large group of trained humans.

Were they trained? They sounded trained.

"What's going on?" he whimpered, reminding them of their younger self. Their first hunter encounter. Oh, they had been scared too.

"We have visitors," Helle replied with a soft smile. "Your family must have worked very hard to find such a big group."

"M-my family?"

"Who else?" They walked over and patted his cheek. "They want their darling boy back."

"I don't want to– I don't want them to be here!" he blurted out. "I want them to go! What if their hunters hurt me? What if they hurt you? This is going to be a massacre again, I don't want this, I don't want any of this!"

"They're upstairs!" came the voice from closer than before, followed by the sounds of quick footsteps on the carpeted stairs. Beck was sobbing by now, and Helle realised they hated it. They didn't want anyone else to make Beck cry. Or scared. Or distressed.

"Stay here," they ordered gently. "You shall be safe and protected so long as you do not leave my bedroom. Understood?"

"A-and you? M-Master, you can't–"

"Beck, listen to me. Do you understand?"

In the midst of all that chaos, the sound of hunters kicking down doors and breaking windows, he finally nodded. They couldn't resist giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before they shoved him towards the back of the room, then walked out into the hallway.

-

Beck was shaking uncontrollably. His mind was so consumed with panic that for a moment he even forgot he was a vampire, attempting to pull the curtains aside to peek out– He abandoned that plan very quickly when his fingers got scorched, letting out a cry of pain.

Stupid. He was so stupid. Stupid, weak, useless, possibly about to be staked within the next five minutes. Maybe Helle had already been staked! What were they thinking?

He couldn't pick out too many specific sounds from the hall, and it made him anxious. He heard screams, and cries, and... and sounds he couldn't even describe. He smelled blood, a lot of it, and it scared him, and all he wanted to do was hide under the bed and never come out.

But Helle had said his family was out there. Was it their blood? Was Helle about to murder his family? Would he even recognise their corpses? He suddenly remembered the stranger from a few days ago. Would he be among the dead? He looked so hopeful that night, in the window. Almost relieved, for a split second, before Helle noticed him. Helle never ended up telling him who that was.

"Beck!" someone shouted desperately, and he felt an overwhelming urge to answer, to run out of the bedroom and look for the source of the voice. "Beck, please, we need to go!"

Go where?

Home, a little voice whispered. You could go home.

But he was home.

In the end, it wasn't the strangers' calls that lured him out. It was a pained hiss from Helle, one he would've recognised anywhere, finally prompting him to fling the door open and rush outside no matter the cost. Helle was all that he had, and they were risking their life to keep him safe. There was no way he was going to keep cowering in the corner of their bedroom.

The scene in front of him was something out of a horror movie. All he saw was blood everywhere, painting the floor and the walls bright red. There were glass shards, limbs, and guts scattered about, the mutilated bodies of several people dressed in protective hunting gear, there was sunlight pouring inside from broken windows, silver weapons stuck between wooden floorboards or uselessly lying several feet away from anyone who could've used them.

None of that mattered. His eyes went to Helle immediately, and he dashed between them and a half-dead hunter who was just about to pull the trigger on her crossbow.

Several people screamed his name at the same time, but it was mere background noise compared to the sharp pain that exploded in his chest. He didn't look down. He didn't dare look down. He looked at Helle instead, drinking in the image of them being okay and alive, almost giddy at the thought of having protected them.

"She a-almost hit you," he stammered between two wheezing breaths, as an answer to the question he saw in Helle's wide eyes.

What the fuck are you doing outside?

-

"No!" Joey screamed, abandoning all precautions and running over to his brother. He tried not to think about the bodies he had to step over, or the sound his shoes made as his feet landed in puddles of blood.

It couldn't be. It couldn't be. It couldn't be.

"Beck!" He tired to pull him away, only to immediately be grabbed and thrown across the hall. He heard his mother's scream before he hit the ground with an agonised cry and a dull thump, and he knew just from the way he landed on his arm that it had to be broken. Still, he tried to get up right away, desperate to help Beck.

"Joey!" His mother ran over to help him up, wincing when she saw his arm. "Joey, you can't–"

"Is he okay?" he demanded. "Is he alive? Is he fucking alive?" He could see the vampire on their knees next to the body, and he felt his blood boil. How dare the fucking bloodsucker pretend they cared about his brother? When they were the one who turned him, the one who put him in danger, the one who– who had possibly gotten him killed? "Get away from him, you fucking monster!" he yelled, but he didn't even get a reaction.

"Joey," his mother tried again, her voice shaky and urgent. "Please, they'll kill you–"

"So let them," he choked out. "Let them. If Beck's dead, then I don't even care. But I need to know." He yanked his good arm out of her mother's hold and tried to approach the vampire again, but she ran ahead, blocking his path with outstretched arms.

"Is he alive?" she called, way less hostile than Joey had been. "Please, we just– we just want our family back!"

"You almost got your family killed," the vampire replied coldly, and Joey could've wept from relief. Almost. The stupid hunter missed. Beck was alive, he was alive, there was a chance–

A chance for what?

He stared at the bodies in front of him, slowly processing what this all meant. They were all dead. The vampire had killed seven hunters by themself, and now they were trapped in here with them, almost completely defenceless, and with a broken arm in his case. And the vampire was angry.

"We just wanted to get him back," his mother went on, and she sounded so heartbroken and scared, he couldn't imagine anyone wanting to raise a hand at her. And the vampire didn't, not yet anyway. They stayed in the shadows with Beck, never even looking at the two of them.

"How sweet," they said sarcastically.

"You wouldn't fucking know the first thing about it, would you?" Joey snapped. "No, you kidnap and murder for fun, you tear apart families, you– you're a fucking demon!"

-

"Stop," Beck begged weakly, and the entire mansion seemed to fall silent at his request.

Now that the stupid piece of wood was out of his chest and Helle was holding his hand gently, the situation felt less dire, but he couldn't handle the anxiety of listening to others yell at them. Were these people really his family? The ones causing all this destruction and fear, all this death?

"Why would you try to protect them?" the man — his brother — asked. Joel, was it? Joey. "We almost– almost got them, and... and you stood between..."

"I had to protect them," he said like it was obvious, and Helle squeezed his hand a little.

"You are so stupid," they whispered. "I told you to stay in the room." Although they were scolding him, Beck felt like the tone was somehow simultaneously loving. Not quite grateful, but... close.

"Don't you want to come home?" Joey tried again, and he could hear the woman — his mother — sobbing. His chest ached for reasons beyond the stake that was shot through it, and he wished he could've just said yes and gone with them. But they didn't feel like the family from his fragmented memories, nor did he want to make Helle angry with him.

"I don't think I should," he forced out eventually. Helle squeezed his hand again. Good answer.

"Beck–"

"He gave you an answer," Helle cut in before his mother could've said anything more. "Do not assume my patience lasts forever."

"Go home," Beck asked, the urgency evident in his voice. He didn't want more bloodshed. He didn't want his family to be killed, even if they'd made an attempt on Helle's life. Even if they'd scared him half to death and one of their hunters almost finished the job. "Please. I'm sorry I can't go with you."

"Of course you can," his mother breathed. "Beck, we miss you so unbearably much. We love you."

"I love you too. I think. I, I know I do, it's just... it's so hard to remember..."

"We can help you remember, sweetheart."

Beck shook his head. "N-no, mom, I– I need to stay. I want to stay."

I can't survive out there. Who will feed me? Who will protect me?

"Will you visit?" Joey asked brokenly.

He glanced at Helle, and he felt a sudden rush of terror. He had no idea what it was, but something about their expression told him that nothing good would come from it.

Would they kill his family just to keep him to themself?

He didn't want to find out.

"No," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

"How tragic," Helle remarked without any emotion behind it. "I do believe that is the end of this discussion, then."

Joey stepped forward, his grief making him bolder than what would've been smart. "You can't do this! You can't keep him from his family–"

"If you take another step," Helle began slowly, "it will be your last. Do you want your mother burying two sons?"

Beck closed his eyes, hoping Joey would make the right choice.

Please. Please. Just leave. Just leave me already. Forget me, and let me forget.

"Let's go home, Joey," he heard his mother say as calmly as she could.

"Mom..."

"Our door is always open to him. But we can't force him."

Beck sniffled, and this time he was the one squeezing Helle's hand. They gently brushed a thumb over his skin, silently reassuring him. He was making the right choice for his family, even if they were being so difficult about it.

So why did it make him want to cry so much?

"You really just expect us t-to leave without you?" Joey choked out.

"Okay, I think I have been more than patient." Helle stood up from next to him, and Beck turned towards his family in a panic.

"Go!" he yelled. "Go, please, just go! Mom, do something, take..." He trailed off as he saw his brother's eyes become distant and hollow. Why? Why couldn't he just leave? Why couldn't he leave when he was told to, why did it have to go like this?

"Joey?" His mother gently shook him by the shoulder, worried out of her mind. "Joey!"

"It will wear off," Helle said nonchalantly. "Joey, be good and go with your mother."

She flinched when Joey turned to face her, his expression way too blank for someone who had been so heated a moment ago. "Are we going?" he asked almost impatiently. So eager to obey the command.

Beck couldn't even say goodbye to him.

"We are," she conceded. "Goodbye, Beck. You know where to find us, if... if you ever change your mind. I love you. We love you."

"Goodbye, mom. I love you too." He watched as she took Joey by the hand, as though she expected him to suddenly forget how to walk properly because of the enthrallment, and led him back down the stairs. "Goodbye, Joey," he whispered.

His tears didn't start in earnest until he heard the front door open and close behind them.

~

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[thenightfolknetwork]

Hello,

So I was turned by accident about a decade ago. I struggled. I won't lie, several people disappeared because of me before I understood what was happening and was able to ask for help. I stayed in self-exile from people I could hurt for a long time, only making contact by phone with my loved ones for over five years. A little extreme, I know, but it was the option I was most comfortable with and most of them understood. I got through it, re-entered society and now have a near-complete grip on my feeding to the point where I can have donors.

When I told my friends, sapio and creature, about this personal milestone they were so, so happy for me. They threw me an amazing party and a couple of them even surprised me by volunteering to be donors themselves. It honestly brought me to tears, I'm so, so lucky to have them.

I gave them links, information packets and ways to stop me should things ever go too far, then we started feeding sessions, and that's where it began.

As it turns out, one of my best sapio friends… Well, it happens that feeding gives her a lot of pleasure. When she discovered this, I asked regularly if she wanted to stop sessions, but she said no. I'm asexual and feeding doesn't do anything for me (probably for the best given my history) but I don't mind, honestly? It actually makes me feel better that she's getting something out of it in exchange, and after some research, the rules and aftercare surrounding kink helped make the whole experience more comfortable for me and my donors.

This has been going on for a good six months, but things between us have started getting… weird.

Her heartbeat pounds every time she sees me. I find her continually glancing down at my lips, even when we meet up outside of feeding. I'll be talking and realise she hasn't said anything for ages, she's just sitting there staring at me with this little smile that I've never seen before.

She touches me any chance she gets too. Don't get me wrong, physical affection is the best, big hugger, me. But while it's not excessive; it is noticeable that she leans on me, puts her head in my lap, and adjusts my outfit when we go out. Small things that we did before because we're friends, just more. A lot more.

She's also become a little… jealous over feeds? For her height and weight, I can only take so much blood before it’ll put her out of commission for more than a couple of days and she knows I have multiple donors - hell, she knows my other donors - but I think it upsets her now in a way it didn't before. 

I'm really concerned that it's going to cause a rift of some kind, but I'm also worried that this has been bad for her in some way.

Have I given my friend some sort of Pavlovian response to me due to the nature of our feeds? Or worse, have I somehow put her under some kind of thrall? 

I can reassure you with absolute certainty on one front, reader: it is not possible to accidentally enthral a person. People with extremely strong powers of magnetism might find they have unconsciously exerted more influence over those around them than they intended, but never to the degree of full thralldom. In practice, the effect is barely distinguishable from the effect of natural charm.

Indeed, there are plenty of figures in history who have been thought, at one point or another, to be exerting magical influence on those around them, only to prove to be enjoying nothing more than the inherent social benefits of good looks and elegant manners. The claim that Hollywood is full of malevolent nightfolk tricking the humble American everyman with their magical wiles, for example, is a favourite among conspiracy theorists.

I think it's also safe to rule out the possibility of Pavlovian conditioning. Your friend is an intelligent adult, and while she may associate your feeding sessions with general feelings of comfort and pleasure, she is still very much in control of her own behaviours.

I'm afraid the solution seems to me at once far simpler and, in its own way, far more complicated. She's flirting with you.

Your friend already felt close enough to you to volunteer as your donor. She trusts you and enjoys your company. To that, you added the potent mixture of spending time with her in an intensely personal and vulnerable situation, paying her close attention, and performing an act which gives her a great deal of physical, erotic pleasure.

In short, I think it very likely that if your friend does not already consider herself in love with you, she is well on her way. This might be a comfort, in some ways – the worst case scenario here is a broken heart. Painful, perhaps, but not usually life-threatening.

You need to talk to your friend directly. Get this all out into the open, and then work together to find a solution. I understand you're concerned this will create a rift between the two of you. But it is far better to take that risk than to try and sweep these feelings under the carpet and just hope everything will be alright.

And the thing is, everything really might be alright. It might be that nothing needs to change. If you feel comfortable with your friend's romantic feelings, and are able to enjoy her increased physical affection and personal attention, then by all means, enjoy yourself.

However, I want to be extremely clear upon this next point. You do not owe it to her – or to anyone else – to embark upon a romantic relationship. You did not “lead her on”. That kind of thinking is nothing more than social pressure to conform to amatonormative expectations of love, sex and romance.

If you don't want your relationship to take on a romantic dimension, you need to draw that line clearly and firmly, and stick to it.

Finally, if that is how you feel, I would also strongly recommend removing her from your roster of donors. The alternative just feels rather unnecessarily cruel.

[For more creaturely advice, check out Monstrous Agonies on your podcast platform of choice, or visit monstrousproductions.org for more info]

[tumblingxelian]

ML Season 6 Wish Fulfillment Outline

This is never going to happen but its what I want to happen, so here's the gist:

Starts in media res like the first season, Akuma are causing trouble on Lila's behalf but are being easily handled by the team.

But if you look closely you can see a Red Akuma flittering in the background sometimes that fuses with the person post purification.

Marinette's life is basically perfect, old friends and new a boyfriend, no school bullies, its great.

We see that Lila's new identity has managed to weave her way into Marinette, Adrien, Kagami & Felix's circle.

When we see Lila operating its obvious she has an accomplice who is powering her up as Nathalie once did Gabriel for Heroes Day.

This person is Chloe, seemingly being controlled via the Amok-Bracelet from season one & described as "empty" by Lila.

Things start going off the wheels however when Lila 'finds out' about Kagami's Amok & questions if she really knows she loves Felix or not.

Kagami finds out that while Felix never commanded her to love him, he did make it so she had a rose tinted view of him. He offered to let her do the same to him. She Akumatized & thrashed him, causing his Miraculous to be taken.

To his nominal credit, Felix does accept he did a terrible thing and refuses to Akumatize over it to 'get his happy ending. This causes Marinette to realize that she can't keep hiding things from Adrien and reveals the truth.

Suffice to say, lots of drama, they are on break at best, Marinette does Akumatize but pulls out of it as she keeps getting flashes of stuff she feels bad about that undermines her sense of anger.

Lila delights in the suffering & its revealed she is actually Chameleon. Basically, Hawk Moth harassed her dreams with Akuma to prime her for Heroes Day but it led to an Akuma being born inside her that took over, now it wants god hood.

This is also where we find out, Chloe was the one who broke the Peacock when Audrey made her. Thank you @generalluxun which is also why her Amok doesn't let one command her, but merely makes her easier to Akumatize if one has it. Lila briefly freaks out but determines she & Kgamai who is now under her thrall, are 'empty. We see a gold & red Akuma vanish into her back.

Things continue to progress with escelating Kuma & Sentimonster attacks & also Adrien prodding into various bits of his life that confuse him.

He & Marinette are secretly attending therapy sessions, but the camera makes it seem like they are always alone rather than sometimes.

This includes finding out Jean cannot find where Chloe lives to send Mr Cuddles & Jean musing on caring more about her than either of her parents did given their Akuma to Zoe after she & Andre have their first fight from her acting overshadowing his film making skill.

We also find out after an Anance battle that Kim is indeed afraid of spiders & even Marinette has no idea what the hell the spider prank is about. Lila muses that was something she orchestrated in secret to further isolate Chloe & only she & Adrien had even been in that pool.

This is when the cast start putting together someone very deft is pulling the strings and there is likely more going on, putting Chameleon on the clock.

We see gold & red Akuma link with Caline, Jean, Sabrina, Felix, Marinette & Adrien in secret. Also Adrien via Plagg maybe discovering Chloe & Kagami have been captured in his own investigation, & while they get away its an important reveal.

Everything comes to ahead when Lila plans to reveal Marinette's lies about Gabriel to the whole world... & gets beaten to the punch by Ladybug telling the truth.

There's still enough anger to utilize but its not what she wanted, especially as hating Marinette/Ladybug is what keeps the Akuma going & without it she'll fade.

Lots of big battles with lots of Akuma & those with red & gold reveal themselves as basically harboring parts of Chloe & Kagami's psyche that are rebelling against Lila & want to help.

A big show of Marinette's growth is that she both trusts them and is willing to make a group plan, with a lot of emphasis placed on Adrien's contributions to the plan.

Especially as it involved him becoming Chat Blanc and attacking Ladybug to distract Lila & make her feel she's won. Though Rena is on back up with illusions.

An Akumatized & transformed Sabrina breaks into Chameleon's base with Lila's mothers when it seems like she's won & the Mega-Akuma activates, letting Lila split herself from Chameleon who is them protected by Nino.

We see the mothers searching for Lila in background scenes throughout the season.

Chameleon makes a last gasp attempt for the Miraculous, but the illusions drop & she gets sucker punched with Cataclysm the thousand butterflies that made her up being purified by a Mega Miracle Cure.

The final episode is basically falling action showing the next year taking place, covering stuff like:

Marinette & Adrien's therapy sessions & the emphasis on the idea of being happy on one's own terms over someone else's.

The Kwami all spoiling their finally returned siblings as well as a subtly resolution with Chloe & Pollen.

New shows demonstrating how Hawk Moth manipulated the likes of Chloe & Lila to help sway public opinion.

Lila re-integrating into society.

The rich kids with shitty parents divorcing them to thunderous applause.

Jean taking over the hotel.

Marinette & Chloe's resolution, with Chloe conceding it wasn't the other girls job to salvage her & Marinette saying she has a better idea of how someone could choose to do things they know are bad for love.

A lot of minor fun things showing emerging dynamics like study and gaming sessions ETC.

Finally it caps off in the park where the statue of Gabriel has been replaced by a giant glowing dance floor. XY, Nino, Jagged Stone & Kitty Section are performing at the first annual Kwami Family Reunion Celebration.

We see more stuff, like Chloe & Kagami seemingly being together & talking with Juleka. Zoe and Lila dancing to the music. Kwami celebrating and chilling with people. Felix & Sabrina engaging in a spirited debate. The Guardian Monks doing a choreographed dance.

Then cap off with Marinette & Adrien taking five away from the party to talk and decide to give it another go. No secret identities, no secrets and not no surprises as both reveal a present for the other.

& that's how I'd handle that!

[pencil-peach]

G Witch Onscreen Text: Prologue

I'm going to try my best to transcribe all of the (relatively important) text that appears on monitors and screens throughout the show, and talk about what they mean. Because they put WAY too much work into them just for them to be completely ignored. And also because I can.

More Under the Cut awooo awooOOooooOOOooo

TEXT: CONFIRM THRALL >>> LP-03

Not very important, clarifying communication is active between THRALL (Control) and LP-03 (Lfrith Prototype 03)

TEXT: PMET LINK REGRESSION TEST. INTERCONNECT

Device and Program Supporting Selection for Control Test

STATUS: READY

Just a Pre-Test status screen to make clear it's ready for the Permet Link Test

TEXT: GUND FORMAT [DISCONNECT] ERROR PHASE

Here we see the error message that's displayed when the Layer 33 Callback Test fails.

TEXT: PRESS BRIEFING: MS INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE OFFICIALS WARN ABOUT GUND FORMAT INTERPLANETRAY NEWS NETWORK

Here we see the news station (INN) reporting on the ongoing investigation by the Mobile Suit Investigation Committee into Ochs Earth and the Gund Format.

TEXT: (Top Left) SPACEFLIGHT OSTEOPENIA

(Bottom Left) MICROGRAVITY MUSCLE ATROPHY

(Top Right) SPACELIFE-ASSOCIATED NEURO-OCULAR SYNDROME

(Bottom Right) EQUILIBRIUM DISTURBANCE

(Middle) IMPAIRED SPATIAL ABILITY

(Bottom) HEALTH THREATS FROM COSMIC RAYS

This is a graph showing the various health risks humans suffer from prolonged exposure to cosmic rays in space, which is one of the issues the GUND Format was originally created to solve.

TEXT: BIOINFO INTERACTION SCORE per Second

DATA STORM OCCURENCE MAXIMUM: 4.89888 BACKFLOW: 187.69

WARNING: DATA STORM could damage GUND linker.

This graph is displayed when the reporter is speaking about the appearance of physical damage to GUND pilots emerging as a problem. It's difficult to tell exactly what this graph means, but I'll give my best deduction:

The graph is measuring the amount of interaction a pilot is currently having with a data storm, measured in seconds. The higher the Interaction Score, the greater a pilots exposure to the data storm. Thresholds of exposure are called "Stages" (as seen in the second image.) Based on the coloring, the higher the current stage of exposure, the more danger a pilot is in.

TEXT: WHAT ISSUE DO YOU WANT POLICY MAKERS TO SPEND TIME DISCUSSING?

(Left)

[Earthian Issue] Yes Poverty Reduction 95% Fair Trade 89% Educational Gap 89% Taxes 85% Employment 83% (Right)

[Spacian Issue] Yes Defense/Security 98% Free Competition 92% Infrastructure 90% Energy 87% Welfare 86%

I actually really really like this graph because of the stark difference between Earthian and Spacian issues. The issue of Gundams and defense doesn't even break the top 5 of what Earthians NEED policy makers to discuss. It's even more depressing when you realize the prologue is set 21 years before the main story, and not only have these problems not been addressed, they've actually gotten worse for the Earthians.

TEXT: HAPPY BIRTHDAY

It's Eri's BIrthday :3

There's zero way to deduce what the text on the whiteboard or the laptop in this picture could mean, but I really love this picture of Cardo and Elnora, so you should just look at it anyway.

TEXT: INSTALLATION COMPLETED C03_DISCONNECT TIMER

What this means is hard to pinpoint exactly, but presumably this person is working for Delling, and has uploaded a file into the main server of Folkvangr that will disconnect it from the network, so that there will be no way for anyone in the institute to call for help once the massacre begins.

TEXT: CONFIRM YOUR INTERNAL PMET SYSTEMS LINKED DEVICE AND PROGRAM FOR SUPPORTING SELECTION FOR CONTROL TEST

Just the screen that appears when Eri is linked to Lfrith. Presumably this screen appears for anyone who links to it.

TEXT: NO SIGNAL Code: CO4 CONNECTION IS LOST.

The Disconnect Timer we saw installed onto the Folkvangr server has just gone off.

TEXT: GUND FORMAT INTERCONNECT

ERICHT SAMAYA LAYER 34

The scene where Elnora sees that Ericht has not only gotten a callback from Layer 33, but has gone even further.

What I really like about this scene (and maybe I'm reading too much into it,) but look at the way the text is formatted on the screen. It's distinctly different than how it was when Elnora was trying to get a callback from Layer 33, specifically because, for some reason, it's displaying Eri's name. It didn't display Elnora's name earlier in the episode, and so the only way that makes sense is if, when Eri was talking to Lfrith and introduced herself by name,

It was listening.

(You can even see this during this shot. The display on screen is reacting to her voice)

Bonus: We can't see what the display on Nadim's Lfrith is saying when he goes permet score four cause he's currently having his brains melted out of his skull, but I'm gonna assume it says something along the lines of "You are currently having your brains melted out of your skull."

That's all for the prologue ! This will probably take me a long time to finish. But eh, I'll have fun with it.

Click here to move on to Episode 1! >>

Click here to go to the Masterpost!

[somuchbetterthanthat]

JONELIAS WEEK IS HERE!!!!!! Day 1 - Vampires / Self-destruction A small ficlet to complement the beautiful stunning art from @kalgalen

Day 1 - Self-destruction / Vampires 

Without his weapons, Jon feels naked. His hands itch for them as he follows Jonah to the bedroom, all too aware that his host can hear the fear pulsing at his throat, his heart racing in his chest, so loud that it fills all the quiet, solemn silence between them. He wishes that Jonah had lost it immediately, that he’d pushed Jon against a wall and sucked him dry before Jon could even formulate why he was here, when he should have fled London a week ago.

But Jonah’s too old a vampire to be so thoughtless, and too much of an arse to let Jon have this one kindness. Jon wonders what he would do if he attacked him anyway — there are ways to kill vampires bare-hands, if you’re competent enough and Jon… God, Jon is competent. He was not even nine when he got rid of his first vampire. 

He could kill Jonah. Instead, he’s going to let Jonah kill him. 

The bedroom is softly lit, and Jonah’s hand brush for the first time against Jon’s wrist. Jon startles, skin burning under the gentle and icy touch, but he lets Jonah grab him, lets him pull them both to the couch in the corner, near the fireplace, until Jon is half-sitting on Jonah’s lap, now too close to ignore the unmoving torso against his, its unnatural coldness, and the hint of sharpness in Jonah’s thoughtful smile. 

“I could keep you as a thrall for a few decades first, if that reassures you,” he murmurs at last, fingers dancing at the edge of Jon’s throat.

Jon scowls at him. He thought he would be too terrified at what’s to come to manage to speak until it was done, but apparently his annoyance at Jonah’s general behaviour is enough to make him snap:

“Out of the question. You promised, Jonah.” 

“Equal, or nothing at all, yes.” 

The words are spoken with too much fondness, too much desire. They’ve been burnt into Jon’s mind ever since they were first whispered, months ago. They send goosebumps on his arms, as Jonah raises his wrist to his mouth, pressing a delicate kiss on it. This is me, saving the world, Jon had growled at Basira and Melanie, two weeks ago, but he knew then, as they knew too, as he knows now that saving the world of Jonah’s thirst for horror is only a happy, fortunate afterthought. That Jon would have ended up here anyway, because Jonah is not the only one who was caught in something unexpected and wider than his initial plans.

“Get on with it,” Jon mutters, softer than before. 

“I know you’re not one for rituals or formalities,” Jonah chides in return. “But I am not going to treat it as a matter of little importance. I should have made a party of it, truly. This deserves to be savoured, beloved.”

Jon shivers. Instinct is screaming at him to run. His years of training are, instead, reminding him of all the weaknesses Jonah is displaying right now, everything Jon could be exploiting. He wants to close his eyes and shut it all out, wants Jonah to take charge and stop talking and make the choice, but he’s made the promise right back at him. Jon has agency here. Jon has power. Jon has chosen.

“Fine,” he breathes. “Fine. Kiss me, then.”

Jonah obliges, leaning forwards. This is another way to lose himself, Jon thinks, clumsily burying his hands in Jonah’s silky hair. Every kiss with Jonah feels like drowning — there is little one can do to stop a vampire that loves you once you’ve allowed him to touch, little you can say to remind them that you need to breathe, even if they don’t. Jonah only drags his lips to Jon’s jaw once Jon is already seeing blackspots, and keeps going lower and lower until his teeth are grazing against his stuttering pulse.

“You’ll learn to love it,” Jonah promises with a certainty that Jon doesn’t have at all. “You were not made for something as insignificant as human life, Jon. You will love eternity.”

“I love you,” Jon only replies, dizzy and terrified. 

“I love you,” repeats Jonah and offers no other warning before biting him.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Could Edward ever lose his pedestal worship for Carlisle (without Carlisle acting OOC)?

Ooh, very tricky question that.

Let's dive in.

Difficult, Very Difficult

The trouble is that Edward doesn't simply admire Carlisle for who he is but is also haunted by feelings of guilt and shame over his own actions.

A few years after turning, Edward left Carlisle to devour humans, believing Carlisle had been depriving him of the one meaningful joy in a vampire's life and that if Edward chose his victims carefully then his feeding habits could even be a good thing for human society/better than what Carlisle does who doesn't seem to do anything about bad humans or man eating vampires.

Edward however not only comes to regret this and returns but is terrified of the meaninglessness of his life in such cases and how he himself was not simply a murderer but one who far exceeded any human's crimes.

As a result, what we see of Edward in canon, is a person who can't afford to not worship Carlisle/be favored by him because then he'll be back in the headspace he was in during the years on his own.

I don't think Edward ever truly recovered from leaving, in other words, and that means he desperately needs the Cullens and Carlisle especially to be his safe haven.

Carlisle is Who Edward Wants to Be

The thing is, in character Carlisle is the man Edward desperately wants to be. As a result, Edward's not going to look to critically at him and doubt himself before he'd doubt Carlisle.

There's Also a Lot of Excuses

The other issue is that Edward can easily make up excuses for why Carlisle's not behaving in a way that Edward would appreciate.

If Carlisle gathers only witnesses during the Volturi trial, rather than an army, it is because Carlisle is naive and believes too well of even people who are not his friends. Edward doesn't see this as a fault but instead an admirable trait.

In the case of not aborting Bella's child, Edward blames Esme. Carlisle chooses not to abort Bella because doing so would upset Esme. It's the only thing holding him back, Edward's certain of it.

The vote to turn Bella into a vampire, Edward truly is upset over, and we don't know his thoughts on it but my guess would be he sees it as Carlisle making a terrible sacrifice so that Edward can live and be happy. Edward doesn't agree but he's not upset with Carlisle over it (and he just has to convince Bella to say no).

If Carlisle were ever to truly do something Edward sees as a betrayal of the family post-New Moon/Breaking Dawn then Edward would blame the Volturi. Either they're threatening Carlisle somehow or else Carlisle's under Chelsea's thrall.

This last especially means that Edward has endless excuses as for why Carlisle isn't disappointing him but is instead either simply too naive, swayed by his love for Esme, or else controlled against his will by an outside party.

So, How Do We Do It?

The obvious one is when Edward left: Carlisle certainly wasn't on any kind of pedestal then. Edward, rather than choose to return, could have been too afraid and ashamed to and his desire to return could have instead become resentment over the certainty that Carlisle would humiliate him and throw him out if Edward tried to come crawling back.

Then, Carlisle would become a figure of contempt and loathing, and I imagine Edward would slowly change so that his every action is to spite the imaginary Carlisle who ruined his life.

Of course, Carlisle's still on a pedestal in a way here, it's just uh a pedestal of hatred I guess we'll call it.

If you mean in canon...

The Blue Moon route.

Should Edward bully Carlisle (with Esme's help) into giving Bella her human experience, Bella then gets pregnant, and Carlisle then refuses to abort the child then it's not him protecting the baby for Esme (as this is the child of an affair and an unholy demon) but it's him committing adultery in a way that Edward did not condone (fuck Bella sure, get her pregnant, no)

Edward would view Carlisle as an adulterer, cheating on Esme who is the greatest of women, condemning the love of Edward's life to death, and having committed the greatest betrayal of Edward.

It's so personal that Edward doesn't even consider the Volturi angle, this is just Carlisle stabbing him in the back and then laughing merrily.

"I DON'T KNOW YOU" - Edward Cullen

[badassbutterfly1987]

How ACIAG Should Have Ended

Since there's a big chance A Child is a Gift is a dead fic (unless the next book manages to rejuvenate my interest) I figured I should clarify certain behind the scenes stuff and what the final story was going to be. I feel kinda bad that it died just as the tension and mystery was ramping up.

So, proceed if you don't mind spoilers and are curious about what was going to happen next:

Backstory: Lord Raith had a sister Andrea, who had a son named Gideon. Since she had no interest in motherhood, she basically tossed him to LR's care. Gideon grew up and was increasingly not suited for the White Court, especially as a budding practitioner. He decided to run away to a distant small village, fell in love, and had a son. LR responded in his typical manner: the wife was killed and Gideon + baby son were dragged back, son held as hostage to make Gideon behave. That worked for a few years until the son died of a presumed childhood illness; Gideon blamed LR and the fallout was so explosive that the Keepers mutually agreed that what happened would be buried. All the later generations knew was a sort of We Don't Talk About Bruno situation, there was a problem child named Gideon of an unknown house who broke WC rules and was now used as a warning to behave.

But because of incompetence/bad luck/LR's hesitance to kill one of his own kids for the first time, Gideon didn't die and went into hiding. Over the next 1500 years Gideon occasionally popped up to cause problems between periods of trying to settle down and find happiness but couldn't with the memory of the life LR had ruined. Then one day he noticed the sudden decrease in a handful of living sons of various quality to just one living boy, and the gears start turning. The he hears about that last son Thomas being kicked out of the court for an attempted coup only to be welcomed back into the family for good behavior a mere five years later, strange for Lord Raith to kill most of his male relatives only to be lenient with this one. So he has Serafina, a Malvora practitioner he's taken under his wing, to keep an eye on Thomas. And what do you know, Thomas and his thrall girlfriend are taking care of a toddler together, isn't that interesting?

So he makes contact under the false name Jameson, relying on the fact that the WC have purposefully forgotten him, and presents himself as an ally outside the court. Does Thomas want a similar outcast to bond with? Does he want to be tutored in magic? Maybe taught how to create a healing bracelet for his sick girlfriend? Jameson can do that!

Then begins the next phase of the 1500+ year long chess game. He's prepared to either manipulate Thomas onto his side if possible, gather any info on what's going on with LR, and if the magic transference bracelet happens to help Justine while also weakening Thomas' Hunger, well he can use that if he has to. Thomas knows none of this backstory but is reasonably wary of Jameson, continuing the contact partly to keep an eye on this potential threat to Lara. LR has caught on to some of the oddities of how Thomas has been behaving (because Natalia has been reporting back) and is sure Gideon's involved, but because Thomas isn't being open about it even when pressed, has decided to let it play out with Thomas as the unknowing pawn.

And that's the recap! Now for what was going to happen...

Keeper visit: Galatea and Blair stop by and the conversation is rather messy because Galatea and Lord Raith immediately get in a personal argument (if you've read Cras es Noster, you can guess how intense it can get). They have a proper talk behind closed doors that the others are left out of; they agree that Gideon needs to be dealt with and come to an interesting conclusion.

My memory's a bit fuzzy around this part but things escalate pretty quickly: Thomas, Natalia, and Theo are away from the estate and Gideon (and maybe Serafina, more on that later); Thomas is taken out of the fight early because his Hunger has been slowly weakened by the magic bracelet; Natalia tries to fight him but Gideon is a powerful and experienced practitioner, so she dies :( Thomas and Theo are kidnapped by Gideon.

This is where the backstory lore dump would be. Thomas' reaction would basically be "I get why you want Lord Raith dead and I don't even disagree with you, but you killed my sister and kidnapped my child. you don't get to do that and call yourself the hero." While Gideon is real mad that Thomas is seemingly allowed to have a wife and child while Lord Raith denied him both. (I am so sad I never got to this conversation, Thomas and Gideon make for fascinating foils). Basically Gideon wants Thomas to help him kill LR and is not above using a child as blackmail to force his hand (no, he does not recognize the irony of repeating LR's actions with his son). He may or may not magically mess with Thomas' head to 'encourage' an assassination attempt. He promises to return Theo once Lord Raith is dead.

Serafina, either because she just realized how in over her head she was or because she's been a double agent in contact with Lord Raith, calls in the rest of House Raith. So this is where it gets as convoluted as you would expect from a White Court political play. Thomas is released and sent back to the family; he may or may not try to murder LR here, I hadn't decided; there is a lot of talking and arguing on what to do because everyone has an opinion and I don't really remember all the perspectives and how it reached the result. Also debated whether or not to drag Harry in here.

End result: there is a rescue attempt in which they use LR as bait (he's weirdly okay with it), it goes a little wonky. Gideon is definitely dangerous but he's also rattled just by being near Lord Raith (they're all walking bundles of trauma) and he eventually dies. LR is badly injured and his Hunger is too starved to heal it; Thomas kills him (there would've been a lot going through his head at that point and LR might've been egging him on). Theo is rescued.

aftermath: LR's death was partly planned on Galatea's part; she knew he was bound to die soon enough and figured a death at Gideon's hands was a decent send off (even if Thomas did it, the public blame would be on the mad warlock). Yes she did kinda manipulate her nephew/adopted son into a suicide mission, that is messed up even if he agreed to it. So Gideon is dead, LR went out on a respectable enough note/his death was suitably avenged, Thomas and Theo are alive and make for an intact legacy (as well as room for future children), so overall a victory.

Lara's still mad about it since Galatea went over her head to arrange it and Thomas acted without her approval, she hadn't planned for LR to die quite yet even if she is ready to officially be Queen. While Thomas ends up in a weird mental space for a bit because he was being used as a catspaw by his father, great-aunt, and cousin; would end on a positive note with a hint that child #2 Shiloh was right around the corner.

[southaway]

Hi! I just found your corrupted elven ringbearers and just wanted to say how much I love them! The Círdan and Elrond designs are giving me life, I want to eat them<3

Do you have any more info on that au you're willing to share? Perfectly fine if not, I'm just curious and your art scratches my brain in the best way<3

Hey, thanks for the ask, I'm always happy to answer questions about my art!

( I realized after I wrote this up how long this ended up being, sorry in advance)

I wish I had an interesting answer here, but honestly, I haven't thought it out too much. I was rereading the books last year and the idea of the Elven Ring bearers having to keep the rings hidden so they didn't fall under Sauron's thrall kind of stuck with me. I thought it'd be fun to play with what that could look like.

I'm not much of a writer, unfortunately, and I haven't thought too much about it besides some of the aesthetic choices I made. I can talk about the design decisions I made, if that's worth anything.

Galadriel is probably the most basic in concept for me, I wanted to play visually with being underwater and being kind of distant and above everything. The eyes were an attempt to play with idea of foresight

For Olorin I was thinking that everything that was Gandalf was burned away and kind of playing with a Balrog theme. I think as a Maia he's the most dangerous and the most powerful of the group. We see in the books Gandalf is definitely very proud, he knows how powerful and intelligent he is, you could potentially end up with another Sauron

For Cirdan I just had this thought of burning from inside. He's put up with so much, accepted so much pain and grief and disappointment that I feel like that would be the source of the flame, that it would just burst out. And then I kind of went with a dragon theme to match the Balrog theme (Olorin was drawn first)

Elrond was the first I conceptualized and the first I drew. The idea of the wings were what sparked everything. His mother got wings so he gets them, but more. Biblically accurate Elrond. I just wanted to kind of mess with the themes I always do with him so stars, and blues. But now instead of being a show of his lineage it's the void consuming him. Really wanted to play into the Eldritch Peredhel concept I've seen bounce around tumblr

And this final one is a bit of a spoiler. It's going up tomorrow, but I'm sure with the inclusion of Cirdan, Gil Galad isn't a suprise.

For Gil-Galad I wanted to play with the concept of air in a different way. He's dead, he's barely there. Just a memory of what was, twisted.

This ended up being WAY longer than I meant! I think a lot about design choices when I'm drawing, but don't usually end up saying much about them when I post. It was fun to talk about it!

If anyone has any other thoughts or additions to the AU I'd love to hear or see it!