#Like Vampire: We Don't NEED a Masquerade or something

[y-rhywbeth2]

While being undead is mostly downsides, at least you can visit that city in the Negative Energy plane. Bunch of towers built inside a giant metal sphere that drifted into the plane after their homeworld died then all the survivors died in a zombie apocalypse. Not a single living resident left and all the politicians are liches and vampires squabbling for power with a vampiric minotaur making all the factions shut up and get along while he encourages planar research in what is probably a bid for ruling the universe. It's probably a riot in there. Like dead evil Sigil without the philosophy, and it's a ball instead of a doughnut on a stick.

Unless an undead villain has a holiday home there I am not impressed.

[steddiealltheway]

Happy Halloween everyone!! Here is some type of no upside down AU fic :)

Eddie drums his hands on the cafeteria table and looks around at his friends. "Alright gentlemen, what are we doing for Halloween?"

He instantly gets a sense that something is off when Jeff and Gareth exchange a guilty look. Eddie leans forward and props his chin up on his hand. "Want to share with the class?"

Gareth sighs and looks at the table for a moment before bursting out, "Well, my sister and Jeff's brother really wanted to go out trick-or-treating this year, and you know how they've gotten close. And the deal was that either Jeff and I would stay at our houses manning the candy bowl, or we would go out with the kids."

Eddie huffs out, "And let me guess, you chose free candy, torturous walking, and a cutesy group costume."

Jeff smiles guiltily. "You're looking at Shaggy and Scooby-Doo."

"Adorable," Eddie says with a big fake smile before turning to Frank. "You're not leaving me high and dry though, isn't that right, Frank?"

Only, Frank seems to be just as guilty-looking as the others.

"Frank... Don't do this to me, man," Eddie pleads.

Frank sighs, "I told my mom I would do a Halloween horror movie night with her. Sorry, Eddie."

Eddie looks between all his friends, wondering if they're pulling a prank on him and fulfilling the trick part of trick-or-treat. But he slowly realizes that they're not. "Shit," he whispers, "I guess I needed to book you guys early," Eddie jokes, trying not to feel too let down.

Jeff pats his hand and says, "Hey, you can come with us. We need a bad guy in a mask."

Eddie scrunches up his nose. "Willingly walking miles and dealing with kids on an endless sugar high? No thanks. But... I appreciate the thought." He sits back and picks up a few of his pretzels before dropping them back in the bag. What is he going to do? He has always loved Halloween, his friends know this. But what's the point in celebrating if he's alone?

"You could go to Harrington's infamous ball," Frank suggests. Gareth and Jeff immediately start laughing loudly. Eddie just glares at Frank, but he doesn't seem to be joking as he defends himself, "I'm not kidding! Come on, free beer and witnessing a bunch of shit drama."

Eddie snorts. "Yeah, because I would be so welcomed there."

"It's not like people will really notice. I hear his place is jam-packed with random people every year. Plus, you could wear your bat masquerade mask," Jeff interjects.

Eddie sighs and puts his head in his hands. "You're not seriously trying to convince me to go, right?"

"I mean... we're not not trying to convince you," Gareth supplies unhelpfully. There's an oof sound that Eddie's sure is the result of Jeff elbowing him in the side. "But seriously, you can wear the mask so no one will recognize you and your slutty vampire outfit-"

"It's not slutty."

"It has a tight leather lace-up vest, it's a little slutty," Jeff stage whispers to Eddie.

Eddie groans and dramatically thuds his head down on the table before quickly looking up. "Let me get this right. You want me to go to Steve Harrington's Halloween party in a mask as a Cinderella-type vampire because you guys are ditching me?"

"Precisely. Except the part where we ditched you because we clearly invited you-"

"Okay! Okay!" Eddie cuts Jeff off waving his hands.

"And hey, we all know that you would love to get some one-on-one time with Harrington, and what's a better time to do this than undercover?" Jeff asks.

Eddie dramatically shushes him and whispers, "I told you guys that secret while entirely way too high, you cannot hold that information against me right now."

"He's right," Frank says, "You can finally find out if Harrington truly isn't an asshole."

"And see if he has the hots for you while you're wearing your-"

"I swear, Gareth, if you call the costume slutty again..."

"Okay, but are you wearing it with your leather pants?" Jeff asks, eyebrows raised.

Eddie sighs and looks down at his lunchbox. "Maybe," he begrudgingly admits.

"Slutty!" Frank loudly says, and Gareth and Jeff immediately burst out laughing.

Eddie covers his face in his hands before joining in on their laughter. "Maybe it's a little slutty," he admits.

As the boys celebrate their win, Eddie feels someone staring over at him. He glances toward Harrington's table where he's sitting next to his ex and her new boyfriend and finds him staring directly at him. Eddie's heart beats a little harder when Steve slightly smiles at him before redirecting his attention to Jonathan.

"Jesus Christ, he looked at me again," Eddie mutters.

"Dude, you always say this, but we never see him do it," Frank groans.

"Yeah, because you don't obsessively check out his table," Gareth says with a laugh before he suddenly frowns and turns to Eddie. "No offense."

"None taken," Eddie replies as he chews on his bottom lip, thinking deeply. If he goes to the party, he can finally confront his crush on the guy he's never truly interacted with unless you count all the times they catch each other's eye then... they would be interacting somewhat often.

He can also finally figure out if it's all in his head or not.

"Okay. I'm going to the Harrington party," Eddie announces.

"Seriously?" Jeff asks incredulously.

"You guys are just so convincing," Eddie says with his hands over his heart.

"Bullshit," Frank says, "You're just going for a chance to maybe say two words to him."

Eddie crosses his arms and asks, "And what would those two words be?"

"'Slutty vampire' in response to 'What are you dressed as?'" Jeff quickly jokes, earning a shriek of laughter from Gareth and Frank.

Eddie thanks whatever entity is responsible for making the bell ring to announce lunch is over. "I need new friends," Eddie lies as he gathers his stuff up.

As Gareth and Frank rush off, Jeff lays a hand on Eddie's arm and says, "Hey, we can do a Halloween slasher night if you want to this weekend. Also, don't hesitate to call if you need help getting ready or need a second pair of eyes to make sure Harrington will approve."

Eddie gives him a genuine small smile and squeezes his shoulder, "Thanks, man."

"Don't mention it," Jeff says as he walks off with a bright smile.

As Eddie watches him walk away, he catches Harrington staring at him out of the corner of his eye, but as soon as he glances over, he looks away looking... angry? Eddie just sighs and shakes his head. He needs to stop thinking that Harrington in any way has thoughts dedicated to him.

Maybe this party will be good for Eddie.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Eddie stares at his reflection in the mirror and twists and turns. Maybe the leather is slutty, but he thinks the plain black cape does well to soften the look a bit. He stares at his hair and all the glossy individually finger-curled strands making his hair look a little more tame than usual. But hell, his arms and fingers ache. He just hopes it's all worth it.

He puts on the bat mask and frowns before taking it off and digging around for his eyeliner pencil he knows he has somewhere in the bathroom. He quickly finds it in a random basket and applies it before smudging it a bit. He puts the mask back on and smiles. He likes the way it has an elegant almost lace-looking quality to the plastic that offsets the leather of his costume.

He wishes he could call Jeff for a final look, but he doesn't want to take any precious time away from him and his brother although they're probably done trick-or-treating by now. Plus, he knows that Jeff would tell him that he looks great and not to overthink it. So, that's exactly what he's going to do.

He grabs the bright orange flyer he found on the floor at school for the Harrington Halloween House Party and cringes at the alliteration. He's pretty sure it's been the same thing for the past three years though, so it's not like Harrington has an option of changing it.

Gosh, he needs to stop stalling and finally leave for the party. He glances at his watch and sees that it's almost eleven, so people should be finally arriving an hour fashionably late. Better to be a part of that crowd to not draw much attention.

He drives over quickly, parking a little down the road when he starts seeing other cars, not wanting to get stuck if he wants to leave early. He takes a deep breath before glancing in the mirror again. He's not recognizable... right? Right.

He gets out of his van and quickly starts walking toward the intimidatingly large house. He's glad to find a group of people rushing inside and even more people outside on the front lawn who aren't sparing him a second glance. Usually, he would come to one of these things with his infamous lunchbox and upsell his stash, but he knew it would give him away tonight. Plus, it's nice to not be on edge the whole time, wondering who is approaching him for drugs and who is approaching him with a slur.

As he makes his way inside, he grimaces at the loud pop music people are wildly dancing to and the smell of alcohol that permeates the house. It's only a few minutes before someone is shoving a cup of mysteriously bright red liquid in Eddie's hand. He takes a tentative sip and shrugs. It's not horrible especially since Eddie likes terribly sweet things, but he definitely isn't going to waste time getting a second cup.

He's on a mission. And his mission is to find Steve and hope that he's not somewhere with his tongue down some random girl's throat. Eddie tries to shove away the thoughts telling him that he shouldn't expect Steve Harrington to not be doing exactly that at his party. Plus, why would he spare time to talk to Eddie of all people?

Eddie takes another sip of his drink and makes his way through the crowd, not finding a single glimpse of that Harrington mane that's usually easy to spot. He goes outside the backdoor and frowns at all the people making out in the pool before heading back inside.

He glances around a few more times before settling back in a corner, downing the rest of his drink before giving up on his search and settling on people watching. But god it’s boring.

These people are boring.

It’s just the same situation over and over again. A couple getting uncomfortably handsy with each other, or a guy and girl eyeing each other up across the room as their friends hype them up in a way that’s either grotesque or filled with squeals.

And the room is hot. So unbearably hot that his leather pants are starting to cling to Eddie in an uncomfortable way that makes him want to rip them off.

Instead, he settles on climbing the stairs and going to find whatever bathroom he can to splash some cold water in his face and hopefully get a moment to himself.

He looks at all the closed doors, pressing his ear against them before quickly backing away whenever he hears something gross. But then his ear settles on one door and there’s the distinct sound of nothing on the other side that puts him at ease.

He twists the knob and walks into the room, freezing when he realizes that, one, this is not a bathroom, and, two, someone with Steve Harrington's distinctive hair swoop is sitting in the room.

The man turns and makes eye contact with Eddie who instantly dies a little inside as he realizes it is Steve. "Sorry. I didn't mean to barge in."

Steve gives him a small smile and says, "I don't mind."

Eddie doesn't know what to do other than hover in the doorway of the dark room. Steve continues to stare at him and eventually asks, "Want to join me?"

Yes. Hell yes, he does. But also, Eddie has the distinct feeling that this either has to be a dream or a prank. But he still nods.

"Do you mind locking the door behind you? I just... don't want anyone trying to use this room as a place to hook up or something."

Now this definitely sets off a few alarms in Eddie's head, but there's a weird air of sadness surrounding Steve that makes it seem... genuine. So Eddie closes the door and locks it behind him, slowly making his way over to Steve. As he gets closer, some of the light trailing in through his blinds catches on the glittering crown that he's holding in his hands.

Eddie gestures toward it. "King Steve?"

Steve smiles sadly and looks down at the crown. "Something like that."

Eddie carefully sits next to Steve, trying to keep a respectable distance between them on the bed. His eyes trace over Steve's costume, a clearly expensive, gorgeous prince or king costume. "So, what are you supposed to be?"

"Prince Charming," Steve answers easily. He glances over at Eddie and shrugs. "Nancy thought that it would be funny because of my 'Harrington charm' mixed with King Steve, but I don't know. I kind of hate that nickname." He shakes his head and changes the subject. "What are you supposed to be?"

"Slutty vampire," Eddie says almost automatically, startling a laugh out of Steve as Eddie curses under his breath and puts his hands over his face. As his fingers press into the mask on his face, he's startled by the realization that Steve doesn't know who he is. "Sorry, my friends kept saying that, and I insisted it wasn't what I was going for. But they won that argument in the end I guess." God, he can't believe he actually said that.

"You look maybe a little slutty but in a good way," Steve rushes to say the last part. He runs a hand through his hair, getting a bit flustered. "I mean you look nice."

"So do you," Eddie admits honestly.

Steve holds his hand out to him. "Steve."

Eddie takes his hand and says, "Cinderella."

Steve laughs again. "Really?"

"I got the mask and everything," Eddie explains, not yet wanting to ruin things when Steve finds out who he really is.

"Cinderella then," Steve says with a smile that makes Eddie feel a little weak in the knees. Thank god he's sitting down.

"So, what are you doing in here in the dark all by yourself, Prince Charming?"

"I'm not by myself, I'm with you," Steve easily deflects.

Eddie raises his eyebrows although he's pretty sure the mask partially covers them.

Steve looks down at the crown again and raises it up. "I just wanted to not be this for a little bit tonight. Plus, the music was giving me a headache - too many concussions." He pauses before turning to Eddie. "And what were you doing escaping from things?"

"Looking for some quiet," Eddie says and looks down at his unnaturally bare hands. He wishes he would've kept on his rings so he could fidget with them. "I was thinking about leaving, but I wanted to stay in case I found you."

Steve shifts a little on the bed, moving to face him. "And now that you've found me?"

Eddie glances up at him and considers it for a moment. "I hadn't really thought that far."

Steve runs a hand through his hair. "Well, I hope I'm not too disappointing."

"Not at all," Eddie insists, "Actually I thought you'd be-"

"An asshole?" Steve interjects quickly, his expression becoming oddly stoic.

Eddie shakes his head. "Preoccupied with someone else. Anyone other than me really."

Steve face softens and he leans in closer, eyes tracing over Eddie's face as if trying to figure out what's under the mask covering most of the upper half of his face. "You know you can tell me your real name, right?"

Eddie swallows and shakes his head. "Maybe I'll just leave a clue behind or something. Not my shoe though. I always hated that plot line."

Steve smiles brightly. "If it fit perfectly then why did it fall off?"

"Exactly!" Eddie says clapping his hands together excitedly. "Plus, with all that dancing, I just know that shoe did not smell good."

Steve throws his head back and laughs, and Eddie just watches him, filled with pride at being able to pull that reaction out of him. As his laughter dies down, Steve glances back down at the crown.

"You should put it on," Eddie blurts out. Steve looks up at him with his eyebrows raised. "I want to see the whole costume."

Steve reluctantly places the crown on his head and glances toward Eddie. It's strange, how it fits him so perfectly at first glance, but he can see how it personally affects Steve, as if it adds a weight to his entire demeanor.

"You look good, but I think I prefer you without," Eddie admits.

Steve quickly takes it off his head and places it behind him. "Yeah, that's because it messes up my best feature."

"That's strange, I didn't see it mess with your eyes, or your smile, or your nose, or your-"

Eddie's suddenly cut off when Steve leans in and kisses him. He just as quickly pulls away and says, "Sorry. I'm so sorry. I should've asked before I just-"

"Steve," Eddie says, laying a hand over Steve's.

Steve looks up at him nervously.

"Please do that again," Eddie says.

Steve sighs in relief and instantly closes the distance between them again, but Eddie is able to prepare for it, properly cupping his face and kissing him back. He feels like he's in a dream again as Steve deepens the kiss and runs his hands through the curls Eddie took so long to perfect. But he doesn't care at all.

There's a sudden loud ringing of a grandfather clock that pierces through the house causing the two of them to jump apart. "Jesus, I forgot that I told them they could play that creepy recording at midnight," Steve says and freezes. "Wait, it's midnight."

"And?"

"You're Cinderella."

Eddie tries to swallow down the pain of once again realizing that to Steve, he's just some random guy that he doesn't know. But Eddie smiles and says, "Well, lucky for you, the magic doesn't run out until one or two in the morning."

Steve smiles back and says, "Lucky me." But instead of kissing Eddie, he surprises him by asking, "Tell me something about yourself."

Eddie shrugs, trying to think of something that won't give him away. "I play the guitar."

"Oh, is that why you wear the..." Steve trails off, eyes flickering down to his neck before looking away. "Forget I said that. I thought I saw something."

Eddie's brows furrow, but he doesn't press him on it. "What about you? Tell me something most people don't know."

Steve thinks for a moment before smiling. "I almost didn't show up to this tonight. I was going to go trick-or-treating with some of the kids I sort of babysit. But Dustin told me they didn't need a babysitter tonight, so I ended up here."

The story twists at Eddie's heart a bit. Even with his disillusioned crush on Steve, he would've never guessed there was a group of kids he cared for so much.

Eddie reaches out and intertwines his fingers with Steve's. "I'm sure they miss you."

"I don't know. They were going in custom-made costumes for these characters they play as in D and D or something. They seemed really excited about it, so they've probably forgotten about me by now."

Eddie swallows down the entire spiel he wants to make about Hellfire Club and asking who the kids are so he might be able to recruit them and instead says, "Well, you're pretty unforgettable."

Steve smiles and opens his mouth to respond when there's a sudden loud knock on the door. Steve frowns and loudly says, "Occupied!"

A voice on the other side of the door loudly says, "I think your neighbors down the way ratted us out! Someone said the police are on their way."

"Shit," Steve mutters and runs his hands over his face. "I'll be right there! Just get rid of all the alcohol you can find and turn off the music. Party is over." He stands up and turns to Eddie offering his hand which Eddie takes.

They both stand up and Eddie realizes he's never stood directly next to him and is surprised that they seem to be the same height. God, it's so nice to be at eye level with him.

"I guess this is goodbye, Cinderella," Steve says sadly and tucks a strand of hair behind his ear. "Will you leave me with at least a kiss?"

"You're too charming to say no to," Eddie jokes before he leans in and kisses Steve again, lingering in the kiss for as long as he can before they both pull away as there's another loud knock on the door.

Steve squeezes Eddie's shoulder one last time and says, "I promise to find you." He rushes out the door quickly after and Eddie is left standing in Steve's room alone. He takes a deep breath before he leaves slowly, distancing the time they were seen with each other.

Luckily, things are in a bit of a frenzy as he leaves so he doubts anyone noticed him slipping out of the same room as Steve. But on his drive home, Eddie realizes he gave Steve absolutely nothing to identify him with. He curses and debates turning back until he sees Hopper's police car pass him.

Steve's never going to find him.

-:-:-:-:-:-

The entire weekend, Eddie's friends have the pleasure of hearing him share the story over and over again while simultaneously complaining about not leaving something equivalent to a shoe behind.

"Well, it sounds like you at least left him with a lot of your saliva," Gareth says one time, and Eddie has to get Jeff to hold him back.

Monday morning is the worst when he realizes he has to see Steve and pretend like nothing happened. Because there's no way he's going to tell Steve that he's Cinderella and expect him to not punch him in the face.

Okay, Steve doesn't seem the type to do that, but there's no way he would be excited to hear that Eddie's the guy he swapped spit with - god, he really needs to get Gareth's words out of his head. But Eddie thinks he'll be able to deal with Steve never knowing than Steve rejecting him.

He sees Steve here and there in the hall but is luckily able to divert his path so Steve never directly sees him. Unfortunately, Eddie knows Steve will be at the same table as always at lunch which is right in his line of sight.

When he sits down, his friends are already nudging him and cracking jokes about Prince Charming and whatnot that pisses Eddie off. It makes things worse when he sees Steve sitting with his back to him, which he's never done before. At one point, Eddie just snaps, gets up, and leaves the cafeteria saying he needs a minute. He rushes off to his locker, digging around for his spare pack of cigarettes when he hears a pair of footsteps to his left.

He sighs and closes the locker door, expecting to see a teacher who has followed him, expecting him to do something suspicious. Instead, he gets the shock of his life when he sees Steve walking right up to him.

As Steve approaches, Eddie dumbly says, "Are you looking to buy something?"

Steve runs a hand through his hair before shaking his head. "No, I'm not, Cinderella."

Eddie's eyes widen. There's no way...

"Did you really think I didn't know who you were?" Steve asks, and Eddie can't get a read on him, but he seems... upset.

"I'm sorry?"

Steve sighs and runs a hand through his hair again. “Eddie, I know it was you, and I want to know why you've been avoiding me all day. Like did it really mean nothing to you? Is that why you didn't tell me your name?"

Eddie's head spins a little too fast at the revelation, so he clarifies, "Wait, you knew it was me the whole time?"

"Yes. I thought you were just really pretending to be in character or something, but today you were icing me out. And I know we haven't really talked before Friday night, but I thought I was clear about wanting to change that."

"Then why did you face with your back toward me in the cafeteria?" Eddie blurts out without thinking.

"There was something on my chair," Steve answers easily.

"Oh." Okay, maybe Eddie is an idiot but, "Wait, you really knew who I was and still, "he lowers his voice and leans in, "...kissed me?"

A look of realization crosses over Steve's face before he smiles. "Eddie, I've been staring at you for weeks now, and I just hadn't gotten the courage to talk to you yet. You're pretty intimidating."

"Me? I'm intimidating? You're literally called 'King Steve.'" Steve frowns at the title, but Eddie continues, "I never thought I had a shot with you without the mask on - or even with the mask on. I was avoiding you today because I didn't want you to realize it was me and reject me."

"I thought you called yourself Cinderella because I was dressed as Prince Charming," Steve laughs.

"I didn't even realize that was Cinderella's prince!" Eddie nearly shrieks, laughing loudly along with Steve. "We're a disaster," he says through his laughter.

Steve takes a deep breath, trying to kill his laughter a little to say, "I think we should start over a little and go on a date. This time without fake names and the police showing up."

"No promises about the second one," Eddie says with a big smile.

Steve smiles and looks at him as if waiting for something.

"What?" Eddie asks.

Steve laughs anxiously. "Is that a yes to the date?"

"Oh! Christ. Yes! Yes, it is. Sorry," Eddie sighs and runs a hand over his face, noting the way his hands don't catch on a mask this time. Steve Harrington is fine with him being Cinderella - more than fine with it really. He narrows his eyes at Steve. "And this isn't a trick?"

"I thought it would be more of a treat," Steve jokes.

Eddie rolls his eyes and simultaneously laughs at the horrible pun. "Did you know that you're really charming?"

Another laugh is startled out of Steve who quickly tries to hide it. He looks down at the ground and says, "I'm having a hard time thinking of a joke about a slutty vampire."

Eddie groans, "Don't remind me."

"I wouldn't mind if you reminded me," Steve flirts.

"Christ," Eddie says, feeling a blush quickly rise on his cheeks.

The bell for lunch rings again, and this time Eddie wants to curse the entity responsible for it.

"I'll slip you my number later so you can call me later, Cinderella" Steve announces, walking back to the cafeteria where he left his stuff.

"I'm charmed," Eddie replies with a wink that has Steve getting slightly flustered.

As he rounds the corner and gets out of sight, Eddie can't help but think about how Steve really kept his promise about finding him. He also can't wait to have proof that all his friends were wrong, except maybe he was a little bit of a slutty vampire... But it definitely paid off.

And it definitely was a very happy Halloween.

[wisteriagoesvroom]

LOL I can imagine for vampire au Lando starting to third wheel Carcar and so even though turning Franco is a complete accident he can’t feel too guilty bc he uses it as an excuse to hang around someone else, and somehow he learns more about vampirism lore through a human grad student than he’s learned in his whole life (he’s lived a long time, lots of info to absorb). Then also, if you don’t mind my ask, what do they all do for jobs/how do they get money and would Franco keep studying ?

HELP this is so cute. ok. norpinto-frando vampire au for those who aren't up to speed...

Lando starting to third wheel Carcar and so even though turning Franco is a complete accident, [Lando] can’t feel too guilty bc he uses it as an excuse to hang around someone else -> screaming cus, absolutely. random associated headcanons for this... i'll rewind a bit:

carlos is the oldest vampire, like, moorish/medieval era. he met lando while they were both at a masquerade ball in the early 1600s and smelled each other right away (carlos like wood and ink, lando like gas lamps and wet stone).

lando is an tudor era vampire. like he actually knew shakespeare and said he was one of the best viral marketers of the era

oscar was turned in the early days of the australian penal colony, he's like first or second generation white australian but he refuses to be called british. he moved in to the house because the rent was cheap and he doesn't feel the need to live extravagantly -- even though he, too, is $$ loaded $$

oscar didn't move in until about two decades ago - very short by vampire standards, to them it feels like yesterday - but carlos and oscar are basically They Were Roommates atp even though they squabble con-stant-ly

their neighbours think they are a new age-y polyam group but because the people who live opposite them are students, nobody ever hangs around longer than a year to remember them or dig deeper

so franco definitely brings a fun funky fresh dynamic

he learns more about vampirism lore through a human grad student than he’s learned in his whole life (he’s lived a long time, lots of info to absorb) -> things that baby vamp!franco teaches lando include

tiktok trends, like how to make ur teeth comically large in photos. lando finds this hilarious

how to use venmo

creating a roster on google docs for who needs to do what house chores

jailbreaking an apple watch so it doesn't read their pulses (they don't have any), but it will remind them of the moon phases and when they might be extra hungry to feed

at one point franco actually puts his academic skills to use and helps lando hunt down some of his family tree, because since lando was turned and it's been so long, he doesn't remember much about them : ( so one of franco's little gifts to lando is helping him trace his heritage

what do they all do for jobs/how do they get money and would Franco keep studying ? -> i love how practical-minded you are. um well let's say this fictional supernatural creatures' market mostly runs on barter trades and goodwill agreements. the entire house sometimes just gets lazy tbh so lando or carlos will just dig into one of the old chests of random shit and pull out an antique and go: "do we think this is worth anything?" then they take it to an antiques dealer who is also a mage (alex albon) and there is a 1 in 25 chance that the antique is actually is worth something, so that bankrolls them for another half a year or whatever.

carlos makes a lot of noise about being "an art dealer" just because he sold a goya painting to a museum once.

oscar is a man of industry, of the "newer" world (australia) etc etc so he spent the 80s and 90s learning C++ and Java and Python so he legit just codes for a living. or when he feels like it. oscar has helped launch at least a dozen startups under various pseudonyms and one of them is even a blue chip company by now. he doesn't do it for money tho. he just does it cus he likes a challenge, and otherwise fights with carlos too much. when he isn't coding he likes to tinker and fix things just for fun. like, he legit knows how to fix a boiler and stuff. his familiar is definitely a grumpy orange neighbourhood cat.

franco keeps studying!! he is such a nerd that he's like "i can totally learn everything about anything now, and i could in theory do like 20 masters degrees, and nobody can stop me"!! then lando is like, "well you might get bored of it after a while or burn out". but franco insists he will not. in fact with his enhanced neurological abilities he goes on an academic bender trying to fast forward through an entire harvard's undergrad degree's worth of material in a week, and he ends up faceplanting on his desk. and then poor lando has to go and find a fresh chicken or something to kill and revive franco 'cus franco wore himself out too fast being a bb vampire with accelerated mind powers.

franco promises never to do that again (but of course he will continue to do it once in a while, and everyone still looks after him in his lil study hangovers because he is so very nice. also he taught them how to use venmo.)

and. one time. franco is like. "i can't find this rare sonnet do you know what library i could maybe locate it in" and lando is like "wait i know that one" and pulls out an honest to god original copy that he at some point got laminated in the early 80s. and franco is like. "um i think this should be in a museum??" and lando is like "yeah but i gave them a copy of this, cus i spilled ink on the corner of this in 1603 after a really good night out" and franco is like "???? ok ????"

then lando swans off to moodily stare at the moon or some shit.

[rwrbficrecs]

Hope you all enjoy our recs for November ❤️ (even though they're a little late!!) Incenatus by @missgeevious (book/movie-verse)

@suseagull04: I can't recommend this fic enough! If you love Twilight and The Phantom of the Opera, this fic is for you! A mysterious masquerade, a soulmate connection, and chemistry that's off the charts all culminate to make this one of my new all-time favorite fics!

Meaning Something by bleedingballroomfloor (book-verse)

@dot524: Really enjoyed this Liam POV that goes deeper into what actually happened with Alex and Liam, his relationship with Spencer, and how Liam reacts to Alex & Henry during the book. The feelings & coming out are really well done.

Needy & Greedy by @clottedcreamfudge (book-verse)

@heybuddy-drabbles: It's been HELL of a month in good and bad ways so I didn't have time to read much. I'm choosing to recommend a series of unconnected one shots, all steamy and delicious and fun and short for casual reading when you don't have much time to commit to a 70k fic. If you like smut tis for you!

Taste the Way You Bleed by @cha-melodious (book-verse)

@myheartalivewrites: a super fun What We Do In the Shadows AU, written for the RWRB halloween fest. Alex and Henry are oblivious vampires, pining for centuries, and the rest of the super-six turn up in hilarious mockumentary-style interviews. The summary alone had me HOOKED.

Camp Llwynywermod by bleedingballroomfloor (book-verse)

@myheartalivewrites: one of my go-to for comfort, all time fave fics. Alex and Henry as co summer camp counsellors, pining and bickering for years. The tension is top notch!

@dot524: It’s funny and I really enjoyed the camp setting and their journey from enemies to friends to lovers. This is a fun and cute fic.

Downburst by @cricketnationrise (book-verse)

@rmd-writes: an AU of The West Wing ep 'In the Shadow of Two Gunmen' - mind the tags, this is an angsty but beautifully written fic with very clever use of multiple POVs to tell several stories of love (including platonic love). This is so good I was mad I didn't write several lines in it myself.

@thesleepyskipper: Truly an incredible and unique work that was done with care. The way the various memories/flashbacks are done and how they are used as part of the storytelling absolutely blew me away. Loved that we got multiple POVs here too!

Underground by @zwiazdziarka (book-verse)

@suseagull04: An adorable kid, fantasy (including mentions of fantasy classics!) and a rescue mission make this such a fun read! The world building in this fic is phenomenal too.

A Long Way From the Playground by @three-drink-amy (book-verse)

@dot524: This is a getting-back-together AU where Alex & Henry were childhood friends who grew apart in college and then unexpectedly are neighbors. I enjoyed the slow burn here and the payoff — it’s just a comforting feel-good fic!

Five-Drink Henry by @whimsymanaged (book-verse)

@daisymae-12: I was honestly already hooked from the title and the fic did not disappoint – so much so that I’ve reread it so many times the past month. Loved everything about this fic!!

The Domestication of Household Spiders by @cultofsappho (book-verse)

@daisymae-12: This was everything I didn’t know I needed from a spiderman AU! Loved it so much. There’s also 2 new recent fics published in this series – plenty of spiderman Alex to read!!

you make it look so easy, i know it's not by @anincompletelist (book-verse)

@daisymae-12: A really fun fic about Henry’s first American Thanksgiving not quite going to plan. I was already laughing from the summary alone

The great turkey calamity? by @smblmn (book-verse)

@zwiazdziarka: This fic tells us what is actually means to talk turkey and this once Cornbread is a star he deserves to be. It's crack, it's exsistential crisis, it's hilarious. Oh, and Alex and Henry fall in love here too.

Lay You Down by ronans (book-verse)

@inexplicablymine: when I tell you the fluff is fluffing, Henry runs a sleep YouTube and Alex is in his comment section and in his DM’s and in his head. Do yourself a favor if you need a sweet treat today and read this work

@thesleepyskipper: OMG this could not be any cuter. I loved the way we got to see their relationship grow as they got to know each other online. Truly an adorable, well-written story that will plaster a smile on your face throughout.

Risk is Just a Board Game by @three-drink-amy (book-verse)

@suseagull04: Angst, domestic fluff, college AU, the holidays- this fic has it all! A look at why friends with benefits isn't always the best idea that culminates in an ending reminiscent of a Hallmark movie.

On My Mind (Let's Go) by @sparklepocalypse (movie-verse)

@zwiazdziarka: contrary to popular fanon, Henry can dance and here he uses that to get what he wants on New Year's Eve party. No notes, just go and read it.

check out our past Monthly Faves here ❤️

[alaritheaurora]

Hey so, what the fuck is up with Shilo and Emizel?

Like yeah, they're brothers. Confirmed twins by Condi. How???

It's been made pretty clear that Shilo is half human, or at least in those kinds of vibes. There is never once a mention of his turning, he seems pretty clueless on humans, he has aged to his current age. But then he can also somewhat digest food, and his aura looks like a human aura. Yeah, that's all good, checks out.

What about Emizel? It is very hinted at, if not stated that Jeffrey is not his real father, but that he found or adopted him when he was still a baby. If Emizel is half vampire like Shilo, wouldn't he show that? He would, yeah, at least a bit. But he hasn't.

Even if takes more human traits, like Shilo takes more vampires traits. But he hasn't. There are no vampire traits. He's not faster, not stronger, doesn't have enhanced senses. I'm sure he would've noticed by now if he could do some mind shit or thought that blood looked particularily yummy. Even appearance wise, while we don't know exactly what he looked like, it is said that he is going through the vampire transition, becoming paler, getting fangs, pointy ears, red eyes. That is changing, he did not have that before. He looked like a human, he acted like a human.

The only time when he's human that he acts vampiric is when they say that "in the streetlight, it's almost like your eyes glow red" (not a direct quote, AT ALL, pulled from my ass and memore) but that is in reference to the all of the Demons. The whole gang have symbolism in their eyes.

The other time is when Emizel has been bitten and has the urge to bite his soon-to-be-sire back. There is something urging him to bite the guy. But that isn't necessarily a vampire thing. Vampires don't really bite other vampires. And for all we know, maybe there's some dying instinct that recognizes that vampire blood could save your life if you've been bitten. Or hell, Emizel just seems like he's kinda just like that. It does not seem out of character for his last dying action to be to bite someone.

So like, wtf? Why is Shilo half vampire and Emizel not?

I still think that the queen is their mom. I don't think she'd give a shit about Shilo if he weren't her son. And Emizel seems like the one she's keeping tabs on.

So here's my Lil theory. It was mentioned that vampires could briefly turn humans to eat shit. Now I don't know the vampire masquerade mechanics or shit, but it seems to me like maybe that could aply to more than just eating food. So like, maybe miss Queen Vampire wanted a night on the town, or hell, maybe she wanted a kid. So she got it on with some human, maybe Jeffrey, maybe not.

Gurl gets pregnant, but oops, it's twins. And when they're born, after a bit it's achingly clear one of them is more human than the other. Turns out, maybe doing the do while human fucked shit up a bit, so while the kids could carry vampire genes, they also could not at all. In fact it was probably more likely for the kid to not be a vampire at all.

So now her Majesty has two sons. One who looks like a vampire, one who doesn't. She's worried about both of them because they are at the very least half human and humans tend to die easily. She says "Hey, I'll give it time, maybe Emizel will just take time to be more vampire like, it's possible it's not an instantaneous thing"

She waits. Shilo is clearly a vampire. He drinks blood, he has little fangs, his eyes are red. Emizel, decidedly does and is not. After a few months, it becomes clear that Emizel is not a vampire. Fuck. What do they do?

Her council (or whatever the fuck they are) suggest to just kill Emizel, he's human, besides she already has one son, why need another? Miss Her Majesty is like "I dealt with too much morning sickness to get kill this kid". So maybe out of suggestion of the council, maybe out of fear for his life, she decides to ship baby Emizel off the LA without telling anyone. There he can grow up with humans and live a human life and not be as in danger as in the castle. Besides, she can just keep tabs on him so that if he does end up being half vampire she can scoop him up and plop him with his brother.

At least that's what I think. It's possible that Emizel is just built different.

[stayteezdreams]

Halloween Requests - CLOSED

Status: CLOSED

These are requests for my 13 Days of Halloween in which I post 1 or more content posts every day from October 19th to the 31st. *some requests may not be written, and some may be saved to come out later on (if they are not strictly Halloween specific).

Who I write For: *will update if a member or group is requested too much

Ateez *No longer taking requests for Yunho!

Stray Kids

Seventeen

Tomorrow x Together

The Boyz

*all members of each group (x gn!reader)

13 Days of Halloween 2023 Masterlist

Things I do not write:

Detailed NSFW/Smut (suggestive content and PG13 is doable)

Pregnancy/child Content

Abuse/Member cheating

***Notes*** You can send in the number of the prompt(s) instead of the prompt itself if you want, but please specify which section it is from (dialogue, plot or scenario)

Feel free to send in your own ideas with or without prompts as well! These are just some ideas for inspiration :)

You can request 1-3 Prompts at once; feel free to mix and match or add a plot-line to your request.

If you are not sure who to request for, but like a prompt, go ahead and send a preferred group and the prompt and I will choose who to write it for.

*Crossed out Prompts are those I have received and are no longer available to request*

**No longer taking requests for** Ateez (all members) S.Coups Seungmin Bang Chan

Prompts under the cut!

Dialogue Prompts:

“I don’t think I’m alone in here.”

“This place creeps me out.”

“I thought I saw something.”

“Don’t you dare leave me in here alone.”

“You’re not scared of me?” “Should I be?”

"I don't believe in ghosts." "You will after tonight."

"If you say we should split up I will kill you."

“Love the costume but I’d rather see what’s under it.”

"Just because I'm not afraid of the dark, doesn't mean I like being in it"

"What do we do?" "Run!"

"Did you see that too?" "Yes." "Damn, I was hoping I was going crazy."

 “What do you do when a ghost has a crush on you? Asking for a friend.”

“I wonder, how many people are dead in that graveyard?” “Hopefully all of them…”

"Who needs a guardian angel when you can have a half-decent demon?"

"If I knew all it would take for you to hug me was a haunted house I would have brought you to one earlier."

"I've seen enough horror movies to know where this is going"

"If you get scared you can hold onto me." "Oh you'd love that wouldn't you?" "Very much."

"Are you scared?" "No." "Then why are you holding onto me so tightly?"

"I couldn't find a costume so I decided to come as your boyfriend."

"Where is that music coming from?"

"You look stupid" "I'm dressed as you."

"I know what you should be for Halloween." "What?" "Mine."

"Ghosts aren't real" "Then why is that person see-through?"

"I don't want you to wear that"

"Stop touching my hand." "I'm not touching your hand."

"Why is that guy staring at me?" "What guy?"

"Would you stop breathing so loudly!?" "I thought that was you"

"Why wont you come inside?" "You have to invite me in." "What are you, a vampire?"

"All the Angels were busy, so they sent me instead." "And what are you?" "Well I'm definitely no angel."

"Stop staring at me like that." "If you didn't want me to stare, you shouldn't have worn that."

"Are you and 'x' dating?" "No, why?" "Then why are you wearing a couples costume?"

Plot Prompts:

You get left behind in a haunted house and one of the cute actors helps you out and gets revenge on said "friends".

Meeting at a Masquerade

Lost in the woods

Carnival/Fair Date

A grabs B’s hand instinctively out of surprise or fear, and continues to hold it.

Finding out the "monster" costume they're wearing isn't a costume (monster/demon/supernatural au)

Visiting a pumpkin patch

Every Halloween you are visited by a stranger in your dreams, but this year, he shows up at your door in the real world.

Haunted House

Someone summoned a demon to take your soul, but the demon likes you too much to hurt you.

Choosing each other's costumes, and unknowingly matching.

You're scared and they try their best to comfort you.

Hearing a noise upstairs, but you live alone.

Ghost Hunting

Vampire Frat - you know the guys in the house beside you are Vampires. But they don't know you're a witch. Until Halloween, when your powers grow stronger, they can't help but notice odd things happening around you.

A cute guy shows up trick or treating with their younger sibling/family member, he comes back later just to see you again.

At a Halloween themed carnival/fair and the scary yet attractive actor wont stop following you around.

Cinderella/Masquerade AU: You recognize them but they don't recognize you. Don't tell them who you are and they search for you (college/office au - or something similar?)

You save a cat/dog/other animals on the street, only to wake up the next day to find a man in it's place instead.

You move into your newly purchased house, only to discover someone or something already lives there.

Every Halloween for the last 5 years, a package mysteriously shows up in your house. This year, instead of a package, you find a stranger waiting for you.

Halloween Date

You are invited to an office Halloween party, and someone in a monster mask seems to want to keep you company. But who is it?

Jealousy: You attend a Halloween party and 'x' can't handle the attention you are getting from others, this causes them to make their feelings known.

College Au Carnival Game: Bobbing for apples but the apple you manage to get indicates who you will go on a date with.

Cozy autumn camping trip with friends leads to confession from someone.

They mistake you as their friend at a costume party and accidentally kidnap you.

Seven Minutes in Hell: You lose a game and have to spend 7 minutes in a haunted house with 'x'.

Halloween Movie Night: You have a movie night with your friends and your crush takes the opportunity to get cozy with you.

Abandoned: You are left in the woods by a bad friend, you know there is something or someone in the woods with you, but you get the feeling they're watching over you.

Scenario/Headcanons Prompts: *will do multiple members or whole group if requested *some of these might include drabbles

How 'x' reacts to you wearing a sexy/appealing costume

How 'x' reacts to you wanted to wear a couples costume + what you end up dressing as

What you would do for a Halloween/Autumn themed date

You choose each other's costumes

*Crossed out Prompts are those I have received and are no longer available to request*

Feel free to send in your own ideas with or without prompts as well! These are just some ideas for inspiration :)

You can request 1-3 Prompts at once; feel free to mix and match or add a plot-line to your request.

[alphasunpup]

Feedist Kinktober Day 2- Masquerade Ball

You look at how the suit hugs your frame. Your girlfriend had thought you needed an upgrade and at first you thought she was just teasing you about your weight again. Now, you realize she was right.

Ever since you started t you had built up a lot of muscle but a lot of fat too. Both of which you loved but you were so unaware of your size at times. You hadn't noticed how shoulders had bulked in your shirts. How your biceps stretched out against your shirts, how your thick hairy legs made any pants you wore skinny jeans. Now you sat here looking like one hot fat butch but straining against your suit. You sighed. And there wasn't a chance in hell you were going to find a tailor before the Ball tonight.

"What's wrong baby?" Your girlfriend asks as she walks into the room.

She's stunning in the deep rogue dress she has on. The corset upheld her big boobs tastefully. The dress hugged the low hanging u-curve of her belly. You scratched your own belly, a twinge of primal lust taking over.

She giggles. "Already hungry big boy?"

She rubs your belly. You hadn't eaten yet. Your girlfriend promised you that she would feed you at the ball. It was one of those kinky balls where discretion was key. Hence the Masquerade element. One of her coworkers snagged tickets for herself and her partner but they got sick. So they kindly gifted the tickets to your girlfriend and you.

"Well if you're gonna tease a growing boy, yeah I'm feeling hungry." You giggle, nibbling on her lip.

"Hmmm, we'll see how well behaved you are. Especially if these buttons are already about to fall off." She giggles again. Her big, beautiful brown curls blocking out her eyes. You nod, almost dazed.

She loops her arms in yours as you travel to your car and get in. When you arrive at the mansion, it was already an hour drive. Now you were starting to get grouchy. That t hunger was something fierce and so was your sex drive. Upon arriving at the party, your coats are taken and you are handed masks.

Your girlfriend gets handed a traditional vampire masquerade mask. But you were handed a wolf's mask. You thought nothing of it as you were granted entry into the ballroom. You sniff the air and follow your nose to the buffet line. You don't even notice the other people gorging themselves and becoming more monstrous as they fed. Some part of you know what your seeing isn't normal but you don't care, you're hungry.

While some danced, your girlfriend couldn't help but notice the two pinhole pricks on their necks. The bloating and sloshing of bellies filled with a mysterious liquid. Red tint on their teeth, more like their canines. She's asked to dance by a woman even fatter by her and seeing you enjoy yourself, she dances.

As the night continues, you don't notice your more bestial transformation. As others dance, blood and music fills the air. But you're too concerned with stuffing yourself on expensive meats. Raw, roasted, smoked, grilled. If it's meat it ended up in your snout. Your suit jacket had already burst off. Your belly sat in your lap, heavy and full from how you were gorging yourself on the buffet table.

"Awww, look at my hungry boy," your girlfriend chuckled.

She walked over, snapping you out of your daze. You let out a long belch, and rub your belly. You don't notice the red staining her lips. The slight glowing red tinge to her eyes. Or the holes on her neck. She easily lifts you up and helps you to your feet.

You rumble softly. You sniff her. A new scent blended into her old one. The smell of spiced wines and blood. Something so sweet it had to be rotting. And something told you, you should've been concerned but you very much loved the new scents.

"Shall we dance?" She asked, her tongue licking at your neck. You growled softly. A belch escapes you and lasts a few seconds. You scratch your torn dress shirt with newly formed claws.

"In a bit, gotta digest... then we dance," you murmured. Your body wanted to just rest and sleep right then.

"Mmmm, then you don't mind me having a bit?" She asked, leading you away from the buffet table and dance floor.

She had you sit at one of the round tables in a dark corner. Where other masked women rubbed their butches bellies or even feeding on some; masks still on. Your girlfriend sat you down, mask still on, her newly sharpened teeth digging into your neck. You grunted softly and then moaned as you could feel her drink from you. Her u shaped belly had inflated from her time on the dance floor. Her hands scratched at the new found firmness of your belly.

"Don't sleep baby," she murmured, "You still owe me a dance."

[gorbalsvampire]

D'you have any player-facing or secret ST-eyes-only systems that you like to use for tracking SI exposure in your games? Or (shunting you a soapbox here) for seeding and making good on consequences generally?

So in general, my absolute favourite way to generate The Quencies is Succees At A Cost. "I'll offer you a devil's bargain," to quote the Master, Mr. Carl.

Kick enough Successes at a Cost down the trail and you can have them escalate into something quite spectacular, whatever that turns out to be. The same for Messy Critical consequences. "There's been a Masquerade breach, but I need to work out the details, so it'll be with you in a couple of sessions' time." That sort of thing.

I also like to frame story beats as poison chalices and sadistic choices. Yes, you can have the Dunsirns' help in covering up the assassination attempt on that Baron you murdered, but they want her property, her territory, and you to know exactly who took the fall for you and what that's worth.

What else? Every chronicle needs a character who's talked about more than they are seen. Telegraphy is key, but don't go too hard on it - we don't want players going "we've got a BADASS over here" about them. I think the trick is having other SPCs be afraid of them, or answerable to them, or clearly dependent on them.

In my Glasgow game, Miss Drake the scourge didn't appear very often, but she was mentioned in the context of "what keeps this praxis running?" and "why doesn't anyone hunt in the West End?" Sir Thomas Dunsirn - Big Tam to his family - was the unseen hand of the nocturnal economy and, more to the point, the hand holding Alistair's leash.

There's this horrid old man who somehow gets you to do whatever he wants. You first met him when he physically and psychically assaulted his way into your turf and your crime scene. You owe him your continued liberty. And he has a boss. At that point, player imagination is doing the work.

But while we're here, I'm also going to talk about Nemesis Points. I took these a late-series Fighting Fantasy gamebook, Night Dragon, and I love them. As you quest to find the location of the titular Night Dragon and prevent its resurrection by the cult who worship it, you have various avenues of investigation to pursue, some of which are of course dead ends: you also have various bits of side business, in accordance with custom. Every prevarication, every attempt made, even the successful ones, adds some Nemesis Points to your tally. If you haven't found the Night Dragon's lair by the time you reach a given Nemesis score, Your Adventure Is Over in a sense far greater than "you got mugged by three pirates and died again."

When I was running face to face games, I'd sometimes put one of those spindown - or in this case spin up - life counters from Magic on the table. Whenever my players prevaricated, overthought, faffed about or otherwise didn't make the most of our time together, the die would spin up a little.

I think something like that could adapt to Masquerade cockups very nicely. People love a meter.

I find the Response Algorithm and Institutional Conflict systems in the Anarch and Camarilla books are a bit of a headache, but they're there if you need them. Of course, Second Inquisition also has a chapter explicitly for doing this, for running your SI presence as an active and hostile force with its own goals - almost a solo side game for the ST.

This isn't something I've used - yet - as Wild Roses was very much me finding the transitions I needed to make out of Revised era thinking, and one of those was vampire-focus, less interest in what mortals want and are doing. The SI there was a cool threat that warmed up in the third story when I wanted to raise the stakes and do a cool bank heist opening session, and again when a returning player gave me the opportunity to tell a story about collaborators and how they should die in shame. I had ideas for how they served the vampire story and they were only developed in so far as they did that.

I'm not actually very happy with how I characterised and played my SI characters, and I'd like to do them justice with another outing. One where they actually have a project. It'll be more work for me, but if I'm going to do this Spy vs. Spy chronicle concept justice, I'm going to have to do that work, aren't I?

[wanderlust-psifang]

What a vampire is not:

A sociopath, although we may be indifferent on certain issues or have a morally grey perspective. This is a serious mental health condition and not a buzzword that should be thrown around to define something you fear or dislike. Same with narcicism (below).

A narcisist, although we value and love ourselves. In folklore vampires can't see themselves in the mirror so they had to develop self love in other ways.

A murderer, don't let true crime and Satanic Panic miasma poison the well. Yes, in folklore they were murderous stinky, disease ridden blood drinking monsters, but we've evolved. Don't let our past kick us in the ass (yes, a Blink 182 reference!).

A sexual predator, no means no, maybe means no, only an obvious and excited yes means yes. Consent is key from feeding to sexual intimacy. In folklore, vampires had to be invited in, remember?

An immortal, only if science gives us the tools to extend life, we die like everyone else. Spiritual immortality is an uncertainty and is largely based on ones spiritual beliefs.

A cult member, although we may be part of communities of like minded individuals, we worship no human nor god. I have been involved in a very real cult and am still healing from the trauma of it all.

A roleplayer, yes, they exist and they are part of the community. Being that the original public Vampire Community was based on Vampire the Masquerade, and other fictions, it only makes sense it would attract roleplayers, but not all of us are.

A Satanist, although I am a practicing Satanist, that is my personal choice. Vampires have a variety of religious and spiritual beliefs, some going as far as using the concept of vampirism itself as a spiritual practice.

What a vampire is:

A condition, where we need human lifeforce to sustain us. This need can stem from a variety of issues from medical, psychological, or spiritual.

A magical practice, where lifeforce is not a need but a way a witch may utilize human energy as a catalyst for their ritual. Some may use it as an offering in place of blood.

A philosophy, where life is meant to be lived to its fullest pleasure and potential. This philosophy can stem from a magical perspective or a mundane, LARP perspective.

Conclusion and note on Otherkin and Alterhumanity

Vampires are still humans, we just have a set of needs and desires that make us different. Some may consider vampirism as a kin type, the vampirekin, but I personally do not.

I am not, nor ever have seriously been involved, with otherkin nor alterhuman specific communities. I am in shared spaces with otherkin and alterhumans and have no issues, but I do not consider vampirism and otherkin or alterhumanity mutually inclusive.

Picture sources: Krysten Ritter from the movie Vamps

[notquitedeadpod]

Don't know if it's been asked yet, but do you have any thoughts on vampires being a queer thing that you would like to share? I mean you've got everything from the inspiration and themes in Bram Stoker's Dracula, to Vampire: The Masquerade being the most explicitly queer ttrpg that i've ever seen, and your lovely podcast of course! What do you think makes us queer folk go feral for vampires?

so at some point i will be making a bonus episode type thing which will go into more detail and I'll be talking about queerness and monstrousness there, it's in draft for but this is something i think about a LOT and I have a lot of thoughts about it. here i'm going to talk about it in a specific kind of way. and i will speak here to a kind of nebulous 'us', but i'm speaking about myself, my own thoughts, and an imagined community, and i don't mean to include people in that 'us' who don't feel this resonates with them. this is a deeply subjective thing, and there are SO MANY reasons that vampires can be important to queer people, and everyone will have their own nuanced answer, I am sure. but this is mine:

vampires live on the fringes of society. the vampires i write (though not all vampires) could look, most of the time, like any other person. they blend right in. you'll only know what they are if they tell you. they are ASSUMED to be human. even the ones that don't actively pass for human, the people interacting with them are more likely to come away with an unsettling sense of difference they cannot fully articulate than a clear, definitive sense of 'they are a vampire'.

to be able to 'clock' a vampire, one needs to have some knowledge of vampireness. people will have this knowledge of vampires for one of a few reasons; they are also vampires; they have people in their life who are vampires who they love; they are fearful of vampires. if it's the third thing? to be recognised is to put yourself at risk of violence.

vampires have a vested interest, then, in being hidden. to be clear, they do not all play this game. some choose to create their own communities, entirely removed from non-vampires. others have communities which run adjacent to mainstream human society, overlapping of humans, not unwelcoming, but not directly inviting them into their spaces, either. some vampires live in plain sight, hiding what they are from everyone but a chosen few.

most importantly of all, though, vampires are thinking, feeling beings, who have personhood and identity that is the same as a human's personhood and identity, despite having a radically different experience of living, despite their experiences of the world being wholly divergent, they are still A Person in the exact way that a human is A Person, with a self, and a self-image, and a concience, and so on and so forth.

where queerness and vampireness diverge is important. vampires need to feed on the blood of others to live. they really CAN be a danger in all of the ways that those who are fearful of them believe. queer people are not dangerous just by virtue of being who we are except in that we challenge the status quo. we're dangerous only to people who think that basic human rights are something to be hoarded jealously, who think that because THEY are comfortable exploiting others, if they were to allow others to have rights and power will mean that they in turn will be exploited.

but EVEN THOUGH it's not true that queer people are inherently dangerous, i think many of us grow up believing people when they tell us we are. even before we know how to describe ourselves, or even begin to recognise sameness in places where most people only seem to see otherness, the seed of that fear is buried deep in our psyches. the fear we are frightening. we are monstrous. we are monsters.

and to me, it's about exploring that feeling, that fear of one's own monstrousness which is SO TIED to something as fundamental and gentle as who we are attracted to, or how we percieve our genders, or whether or not we feel certain kind of attraction at all. society says to queer people that the most INTIMATE parts of who they are make them frightening! and that's one of many reasons why i think vampires can hold such appeal as an analogue for queerness, and it's why they mean so much to me.

--- Eira xxx

[their-pebble-bear]

Hi there! So, I had the idea: What if it's a KiriBaku x Fem!Reader, Kinda, "My Babysitter's A Vampire" Idea, where Reader is Human, and KiriBaku are recently turned Vamps (or the other way around if you prefer) and Reader is attacked by another Vamp, and the boys have a moment where they have to decide to either save the reader or let them be turned, but dooming them to a life as Vamps (again, can be the other way around.) And you can decide how it ends, cause I'd love to see your take on it. I hope your Day/Night is good, and that you're well. 😊

Kindreds (Vampires!KiriBaku X Reader)

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Note: Hey extra. Fucking had to write this cause the others were missing and left me to run the account.

Okay and we're back. Hi darling, of course I can indulge you. Get ready for an angsty fic because this goes real sad. If you wanted something different, feel free to request again ;)

I have never seen My Babysitter Is A Vampire so this will be inspired by the Vampire The Masquerade campaign I am in. (DND sort of roleplay) I rolled a d20 to get the outcome of this story.

Hope I managed to fulfil your desires.

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Masterlist - Requests: OPEN

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Summary: Newly turned vampires Kirishima and Bakugou struggle to hide their identities from their girlfriend. What happens when their secret has to be revealed too soon?

Warnings: Angst, blood, vampires, death, kidnapping, blackmail? Kind of? (I get lazy with warnings just normal vamp shit) No beta we die like men.

SPOILER ALERT TO RECENT MHA CHAPTERS

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The rush they felt after feeding was incredible, the bloodlust that made their eyes pulse, their fangs come out from their gums as their body trembled with adrenaline. Their unbeating heart had never felt more alive, pumping their body to move faster. They woke up the next morning tired, laid in a forest they don't remember stepping foot into. Their sire was interesting to say the least, a vampire who taught them to always respect the essence they received, to hide their tracks and respect the domain. They had met him a few times, Todoroki Shouto. He seemed the same age as them, but he reassured them he had been a vamp for far longer than he appeared.

They remembered their doting girlfriend at home, the one who always made sure they were safe and the first thing they checked was their phones. 10 missed calls each, 20 messages each and a few voicemails with a worried voice. They looked at eachother and panicked, Kirishima instantly calling their girlfriend as they started walking towards their shared apartment. She picked up on the first ring, "Where the fuck where you?! Do you know how worried I still am? Couldn't you have at least sent a text message?" She sounded so tired and her voice was slightly hoarse.

"We know baby. We're so sorry we just got caught up with Sero and Denki. You know how drunk they get haha." Kirishima laughed it off, hoping she'd let it go. Bakugou scoffed and called the two, vamps like them, hoping they'd get the message and go along if ever asked. They hated this, hated lying to their partner. She was their sunshine, their lifeline. They felt like they were cheating on her, like she was on the side as they lived their lives. They had managed to satiate their hunger for only three days before they had to leave. They were still fledglings after all. They needed more blood than the rest of the older kindred.

They got to their apartment, not seeing the gaze of a vampire behind them, as they closed the door behind them. Their girlfriend wasn't at home, probably at work. They threw themselves onto the couch and held eachother. "We have to tell her. We can't keep her in the dark. It feels so wrong. I can't do this anymore." Kirishima said as he was being pet by Bakugou. "I know shitty hair, but we can't risk her coming into this life either. You know her. She couldn't handle near killing someone just to satiate her own needs. She cries at the little ads to adopt a kitten or wild animal I have never heard of, none the less an actual human." He said, near grumbling as he used his free hand to angrily wipe his face.

A few hours passed by and they got a call. Bakugou instantly picked up seeing the calling ID being their grilfriend, expecting to hear their girlfriend's voice but instead hearing a random's voice. "So, come to the abandoned warehouse just outside of the city. Bring your sire. We have some...unsettled business." Before Bakugou could even get a word in the call cut. Kirishima was already calling Todoroki, getting their apartment keys and waiting for Bakugou to get up. They looked at eachother and started running, their speed making it much more efficient than a car. When they arrived Todoroki was already there without backing up and holding what seemed to be a wooden spike. A stake.

"Why the fuck are you being asked here? Why the hell were we not informed you had fucking enemies?!" Bakugou growled grabbing Todoroki by the collar and slamming him against the ground. "Of course I have enemies. Even brutes like you have a braincell or two to comprehend that such a long running Vampire clan has enemies." Todoroki said nonchalanty as he pushed Bakugou off him. "And the love of our life is there, with god knows who, because you fucking refused to tell us to keep her fucking safe." Todoroki stared deadpan at Bakugou and sighed. "And yet, I am here to fix my mistake, yes? So I suggest we stop blabbering and get to killing." He handed each of the boys a stake that they didn't see behind him and explained how they were going to go. They'd sneak in and find her. Only kill if necessary.

They split up and each found an entrance for themselves. Kiri took the back, Bakugou took the middle and Todoroki the front. There didn't seem to be any vampires, none they could hear or smell, but they knew better than to let their guard down. Suddenly Bakugou's eyes laid in the middle of the warehouse where the lights suddenly turned on and their she was, in the hands of a vampire he had never seen before. Their eyes shone blue, something he had never seen in a vampire before, except for Todoroki who had one blue eye. "Brother. Why must you be so brash?" Todoroki said as he jumped from the railing and landed in front of Touya. "Do not call me that Shouto. You are not my brother." Dabi growled as he kept his fangs just above her shaking body. Her hands were bound and she had a rag tied around her mouth to keep her from screaming. Her eyes looked puffy and red, her cheeks stained with tears that refused to stop. She looked tired, exhausted.

"Let her fucking go." Bakugou said, jumping down beside Dabi while Kirishima did the same on his opposite side. "Wow. Has that ever worked?" Dabi smirked, licking the side of her neck. "Don't you fucking DARE." Kirishima growled his fangs sharpening and growing bigger. Their eyes shone brighter, turning into slits as they felt their anger pump adrenaline into their veins. "Oh? She must mean a lot. Tell me, fledglings, do you know what would happen if, I don't know, an emperial vampire turns a human? Or did the golden child forget that information?" Dabi turned to Shouto as he sighed and stared at his brother. "An emperial vampire turning someone would forever bind them to him, just like you are me. The only way of escape is to kill him but many cases have been that they would go crazy without their sire and start rampaging." Shouto explained his tone stern and his glare burning into Dabi. "That's right. And she smells so delectable. Like a vanilla ice cream in the Summer." Dabi licked her neck again, holding her tightly to his body.

Bakugou refused to control his rage and Shouto yelled at him to stop but his body moved before he could comprehend it. Kirishima moved with him but Dabi smirked and bit into her, quickly letting her go and disappearing as if he never existed. "Where the fuck did he go?!" Bakugou yelled as Kirishima grabbed her and laid her across his lap. "He's highly skilled." Shouto said as he examined her new bite. It would definitely take, and a vampire without a sire or a sire like Dabi would cause nothing but disaster to themselves and others. "I will allow you a moment. Do what is necessary." Shouto said as he stood and walked away, still in range enough to help if needed, but enough to not hear the conversation.

"No no, pebble...we're so sorry." Kirishima felt tears slide down his cheeks as he untied her, the wound was bleeding and her breathing was getting shallow. The process of dying, only to return has begun. Bakugou kneeled by them, blaming himself for not being faster, not being stronger, not saving her. They knew what to do, they just didn't know if they had the strength to do it. "Hey baby, we love you okay? My little explosion." Bakugou refused to cry, he had failed, he will save her. He grabbed the stake and held it above her heart, his grip on it shaking as he gathered all his strength to be able to push.

"I will always love you." A soft voice that sounded so broken said as he pushed it through. Kirishima's screams and Bakugou's sharp breaths as he laid on his knees looking at her body were deafining. Shouto gave them a few moments to grieve before coming back and ordering them to go home. He'll take care of the body. They stared blankly as Shouto commanded them to do so as their sire, a command they cannot go against, and waved them off. He cared of course, but he couldn't. He had a job and this was it. His hands trembled as they both gave her one last kiss and left.

The life of a vampire was not luxurious. It was not fun, it was not pleasant. Bakugou and Kirishima knew that, and that's why they had to use their so called powers and get revenge.

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Please note! This is all my original work! I do not give permission to repost, credit yourself or steal my ideas. Reblogs are appreciated! The picture is not to be saved and used! That is originally made by my fiancé!

[doshiart]

🖤fictional world tag game 🖤

hi so i just love reading about everyone’s fav movies and tv shows and fictional worlds and what not so here’s a little tag game if you’d like to participate!

thanks @creepkinginc for tagging!!!

ohh it'll be hard...

favorite fictional character from a movie? the Narrator from fight club,,, don't ask i like this selfcest movie…

favorite fictional character from tv? Marcus from 'Ginny & Georgia'

favorite fictional character of all time? I won't think too much about it, it's Mickey Milkovich.

if you could be irl friends with any three fictional characters, who? Debbie Gallagher, Marceline the Vampire Queen, Snufkin

favorite fictional couple: ian x mickey obviously

okay, you can only choose one fictional character to get stranded on an island with: Moomminmama, she has everything we need in her handbag, we will definitely survive.

one fictional world you would hate to be a part of: real life 'A Quiet Place'

one fictional world you would love to be a part of: life is strange?? idk… this one so hard.

your “HEAR ME OUT” fictional couple: not canon thing, but it's rare so,,, kaminari denki x bakugou katsuki (boku no hero academia) grabbed my heart, i love their dynamic and interactions so much

and finally, something you’re looking forward to this week? finish my masquerade art and start something new. yeah my life revolves around drawing…

tagging and to say hello 🖤 @jrooc @lingy910y @suzy-queued @blue-disco-lights @mybrainismelted @heymrspatel @deathclassic @gallapiech @sam-loves-seb @energievie @stocious @darlingian @vintagelacerosette @grumble-fish @ms-moonlight-inn @sgtmickeyslaughter  @mickeym4ndy @transsexual-dandelions @michellemisfit @crossmydna @too-schoolforcool @mmmichyyy @swiftfootedachilles @krysmiss @sleepyheadgallavich @astaraels only if you want to play ✨

[fckingsofthips]

Feedist Kinktober Day 2 - Masquerade Ball

This is about 1.7k words - I got a little carried away with this one. And of course a masquerade ball just had to turn into a vampire story for me.

Content: vampire, threat (kinda)

Marian and Juliet huddled together next to a display case of fine dinnerware, apparently imported from China, as Juliet told her a little dispassionately. It was Juliet's family's home, and she had insisted on this spot. They were taking a breath, skipping the present dance, and taking the opportunity to gossip. The display case was more than what it showed behind the glass - it also reflected enough for the ladies to see a good part of the ballroom, so they could discuss the goings on without staring.

"Which one do you think is Anson," Juliet murmured quietly to Marian, with a sly grin.

Young George Anson, a second son with no claim to his family's fortune. Handsome as anything and due to become an Officer of the army in two months. He'd been paying close attention to Marian lately, and Juliet was obsessed with the idea of her close friend becoming an Officer's wife. Travel, parties, and a husband who would always be fit and brave - what more could a lady want? As it stood, Marian wasn't expecting any better offers.

Marian hummed in response to Juliet's question, and studied the masked dancers. At a distance, and through a reflection, it was difficult to gather any distinctive features.

"Maybe he's the one in the red mask," she responded, "in anticipation of his red coat."

The ladies giggled, and then composed themselves as a gentleman walked not far behind them. He was closer to them than the dancers, and as such they could note the jiggle of his gut and the gaping of his waistcoat fabric between the shiny buttons. Marian's eyes lingered on the strained garment. They kept quiet, until Juliet had decided he was far enough away that he wouldn't hear her whisper under the music.

"I don't think we need to guess who's wearing the black and gold mask..." Juliet made a face.

"Count Ivelich..."

"He manages to show up fatter every year, I wouldn't envy his wife."

"I can't see that he has any interest in marrying, he only attends one social event a year and that's this one. I wonder what he does all day."

"Probably just sits around and eats like a pig all day judging by the fit of his waistcoat," Juliet sneered, and Marian flushed at how impolite her friend's words were. "And he's so sickly pale, he mustn't even get out to walk or hunt to keep fit. Not at all like your Anson, who's out riding every day! Oh, I just shudder to think what Count Ivelich does all day."

"Don't call him my Anson, that is incredibly presumptuous," Marian snapped, suddenly fired up. "And Count Ivelich is probably only attending the masquerade once a year to be polite - I imagine he must travel home rather a lot, to the company of countesses and princesses! Besides, I don't believe he doesn't hunt at all, when his grounds are so vast." And there was... something, about him. Marian felt instinctively that he was, indeed, a hunter of some kind.

They were both still whispering, but Marian took a discreet glance around the room to see if anyone was close enough to hear them. The closest to them was Count Ivelich himself, talking with some older men, but he would have to have supernatural hearing to have any idea they were speaking of him.

"Well, he can keep his countesses and princesses. You have a lot to look forward to - near nightly balls with all the handsome young men of the army." She sighed, wistfully. "Oh how I wish an officer could take a liking to me, too."

Marian felt her stomach twist. Placed next to the fantasy (far out of her own reach) of dancing alongside royalty, and the seemingly endless riches of a Count, the idea of suffering the company of rowdy and gambling soldiers every night seemed so very much less appealing.

A few moments later through the reflection of the cabinet, Marian and Juliet watched as the Count approached them again. Marian's breath caught as he stopped directly behind her. His reflection surrounded hers - inches of waist extending either side of her. Both ladies turned to greet him.

Count Ivelich stood before Marian, crowding into her space. Her eyes were on his lips as he spoke, her ears enchanted by the way her name sounded in his accent. Her whole body felt tense, as if threatened, but excited, too. She felt herself nod, and then watched as he walked away again. What had she just agreed to?

"Marian... What will Anson think, seeing you dance with him?" Juliet hissed.

"I rather feel he has no position to think anything at all about it," Marian responded haltingly. "As I have said, he is not mine, and I am not his. If a gentleman of Count Ivelich's status and connections wishes to dance with me, I have no reason to refuse."

"Well. Hopefully it will make Anson jealous enough to finally make a more certain move," Juliet only murmured.

The present dance finished, and there was a shuffle across the room as partners changed. Count Ivelich came to collect Marian, and in the meantime, Juliet had been offered a dance by a perfectly eligible bachelor.

The dance was slow, and Marian knew it well, but she was grateful for the confident and smooth lead that the Count gave her. The sparkling feeling of danger was running through her again, and her eyes kept drifting to the Count's lips, which he kept very tight at all times, barely opening them to speak. She needed to focus on anything else. She slid her eyes downward, to the crease where Ivelich's chin met his neck, stubble hiding it except in very close regard. She found her mouth watering as she imagined pressing her lips against it. Fighting that thought, she shoved her attention elsewhere again. This time, to the feeling of his warm, soft belly brushing and pressing against her body as the dance brought them closer together. With a start, Marian realised that she found him more attractive than any man she had ever danced with. Her hands, gripping Count Ivelich's arms as they danced, began to tremble. Feeling her every quiver, the Count held Marian a little firmer, keeping her up and guiding her through the dance. He began to make conversation with her, asking how she had spent her summer, sympathising with her complaints that the sun was up too long, sharing a fondness of wooded land as opposed to open fields for strolling in.

By the time the dance had ended, Marian felt light headed. Count Ivelich led her to a chair along the wall of the ballroom, helped her sit, and summoned a drink for her.

The Count attended her for a short while, until Anson found her and asked the matter. From then, the Count left rather promptly, leaving her in the care of Anson. He kept her glass full, and filled her head with enough dreary chatter, that eventually, Marian began to feel herself again.

"Where is Juliet?" she asked, beginning to search the room. Surely Juliet would not leave her to her faint headedness, unless she was still dancing?

"I cannot see her," Anson responded. "Perhaps she has gone for some air."

"Perhaps... Well, perhaps some air would do me some good also."

Marian stood, and Anson looked wary, as if he thought she might fall.

"Would you like me to accompany you?" He asked, anxiously.

"Thank you, but no. I shall appreciate a moment of quiet if I cannot find Juliet."

And so out of the doors she went, the ballroom leading into a grand garden, with statues, trees and hedges. In the dark, Marian could not see Juliet, but that did not mean she was not outdoors. Her favourite bench was behind the first row of hedges. As she made her way towards that spot, she thought she heard some shuffling. So Juliet must have stepped out. Marian picked up pace, rounded the corner, and-

Juliet was there. As was The Count. His belly was pressing Juliet into the stone bench, his head at her neck. Marian could not stop the gasp that left her mouth. After all that Juliet had said about him, she would-!

But at her gasp, Count Ivelich tore away from her friend, and in the dim moonlight, she saw something darken his lips, and a dark spot on Juliet's neck. Juliet, who wasn't moving. Marian felt herself tremble, worse than before, her fingers beginning to go numb. Terror coarsed through her.

"She's alive!" The Count exclaimed.

His mask was discarded, revealing wild, bright eyes. He quickly strode towards her, and though she took a step back, he continued and caught her by the hands, belly bumping into her, feeling hotter and firmer than before. At this distance, she could just about register the darkness around his lips as blood.

"She's alive, I swear. I didn't take enough blood to kill her. I... I was intending to resist, I fed before I left for the ball, I thought I would be satiated, but she was outside and alone, and I was just so hungry... You, made me hungry, with your beauty, and the rush of your blood in your attraction to me."

As he spoke, something glinted in the Count's mouth. Something sharp, something dangerous. And as he professed his hunger, his gut let out an agonising gurgle, but it didn't sound like hunger at all. His firm belly pressed harder into her, and the Count, who she had thought so regal, let out a sickly, overfed belch into her face. Marian tasted copper, and a shiver went through her, gathering heat between her legs.

"She will wake up, safe, with no memory of this. I have done her no harm. Please believe me, my sweet lady. Please do not run from me. I had wanted... After dancing with you, I thought to... But you were so faint, and I did not want to scare you. Though I see I only delayed your fear-"

"Feed from me," Marian choked out.

The Count's belly gurgled again as if in response. He looked confused.

"You said you were so hungry," she murmured, knowing that he could not possibly still be hungry as he digested. "But you only took a little from Juliet, to keep her alive. Feed yourself from me, until you are satisfied."

The Count belched again, and he moved his hands from clasping hers, up to cradle Marian's face.

"I had wanted to ask, after we danced. I have never met someone so drawn to me. And indeed, I have never met someone I was so drawn to. I will feed from you as often as you wish it, my dear, sweet, lady... Will you be my bride?"

"Yes," Marian breathed out, pleasure and relief filling her body.

She relaxed, as Count Ivelich embraced her, and she let her eyes close as his fangs sunk into her neck.

[sixthsensewulf]

Something just annoys me when people say that Neverafter failed as a Horror Season. .

It was a horror season. It just moved through various horror sub genres. Did the vibe change after episode 3? yes. Did it still be a Horror season? Also Yes.

The Subgenres: Body Horror. Comedy Horror (That was the most one used, because it was 7 comedians in a HORROR SETTING), Dark Fantasy, Folk Horror, Cosmic Horror.

Horror doesn't need to be scary 100% of the time. Horror can just be creating a world of dread and uncertainty. A world where anything can happen. It was tense, it was spooky, it was a horror season.

Fucking hell. .take the video game Alien Isolation. The xenomorph learns how you play, but occasionally you know it's around, but you cant fucking see it or it's not that. That is the horror of the game. That is the tension. The pay off, you get enjoyment out of it.

Also I read a lot of horror books at the moment. The times I have been scared by a scene in a book, i can't count that high, but the reason why? The tension and the building to a reveal. The pay off. It's amazing. For Example: I got creeped out in The Ritual because of the style of writing and descriptions of the forest. You don't even see or read the description of what is chasing the main characters until literally the last chapters. I'm not kidding. That book is pretty much a Folk horror.

I've read some crazy body horror / splatterpunk that I'm not going to describe fully. Been creeped out so often and scared.

Also read some insane haunted house / psychological horror books as well. Those scare you because of the tension, the atmosphere and the build up to a moment. Like I have been fooled by a moment, where I think a scare or a jump is coming then nothing until it actually hits you.

The reason why people occasionally say it failed as Horror Season, just have one view of what a horror style TTRPG is. The common examples I believe are, Call of Cthulhu, Vampire the masquerade and Curse of Strand. Or just think horror is just how much we can scare people, jump scares galore right. It's not.

For example horror moments I loved in Neverafter:

The Spider fight. . Anything and everything could have gone wrong. And pretty much the aftermath. the description of the town being that fucked up because of the spiders.

PiB with the giants at the end - if he rolled badly, who knows what would have happened. But also he is a tiny black cat.

EVERYTHING WITH THE STEPMOTHER. Just my god. The description of her eating her children. Like the description of that moment of the group fleeing from her in the Library. Her treatment of Pinocchio. "I don't even have a name in my own story" speech (yeah that creeped me the fuck out)

Everything about Candlewick. . Yeah it was played for laughs because of Lou throwing away a Nat20 but Candlewick was just terrifying. My favourite Zac moment of that "so Brennan, who is being eaten"

Honestly the whole deal with the world between pages - that's Cosmic Horror, especially with the ink pot etc.. not going to lie, I was on edge with that episode, because my mind was going, something is too good to be true here, something is going to happen.

Ylfa - yes, 100%.. just her story, on one hand it's heartbreaking but the other the description of her eating the wolf to become the wolf..

Rosamund - got to admit I think why people think it failed as a horror season is because they were expecting more scenes like we got at the beginning. That opening sequence is incredible. The other briars moment that sticks in my head is the final fight one with Thumbelina.

Sorry for the ramble rant about Neverafter.

TLDR: THERE ARE MORE SUB GENRES FOR HORROR THAN PEOPLE THINK. BESIDES IT WAS A HORROR SEASON BECAUSE OF THAT.

[maspers]

Okay so I have an idea for a Halloween movie

Not a horror movie. A Halloween movie. Spooky tropes up the wazoo. Action-packed comedy, with a taste of camp. Banger soundtrack. I don't have all the details down, but the basic gist is a pair of monster hunters ala Supernatural engage in shenanigans. Other deets include:

-The Monster Hunters duo is a blonde woman named Jack and a guy of ambiguous race (Asian-Hispanic mix?) named Cygnus, both in their mid to late twenties. They speak with British accents, but are repeatedly identified as Americans. They take turns wearing the same pair of glasses. If the audience looks closely in a couple shots they will realize Jack and Cygnus are wearing matching wedding rings, but this is the only indication whatsoever that they are married, and the fact that both of them rampantly flirt with everyone else doesn't clarify anything. 

-Jack's name is not a nickname, and is established as being her actual name. Cygnus's name is actually short for something, but we never find out what. 

-Jack speaks directly to the fourth wall often, Ferris Bueller style. Often to supply witty commentary and exposition. Nobody else does this. Cygnus is the only other character to acknowledge the fourth wall's existence, but he never addresses it directly. Once or twice when Jack is explaining things Cygnus will say something like "don't forget to tell them X" or "you forgot x" implying addressing the fourth wall is exclusively Jack's thing. 

-Enough lampshading to make CinemaSins swoon. 

-The film starts with a very stereotypical castle owned by a (male) mad scientist. Cygnus is being held captive. He jokingly flirts with the scientist. But also very quickly mentions Jack, thus ensuring that the movie fails to pass the Reverse Bechdel Test. 

-Jack, meanwhile, is providing exposition to the audience and skillfully breaking into the place, beating up bad guys and loading an Igor ripoff into a catapult. "Skullcrusher Mountain" by Jonathan Coulton plays as the opening credits appear while Jack sneaks further into the building. 

-After Cygnus is rescued, both our heroes escape in a convertible. The castle is on fire. Jack assures the audience not to worry, as no American castles are real castles anyway. 

-The Villain is a very impressive politician, ideally played by Blake Lively. Her goal is to convince the monster populace to support her and help her win the upcoming election, supposedly so that she can make things easier for monsterkind. In reality she plans to tear apart the masquerade and expose monsters and trick the regular humans into destroying them. Rude. Jack and Cygnus aren't really aware of this plan at first but they do know someone is planning something with the less reputable parts of the supernatural world and so they want to put a stop to it. 

-Jack and Cygnus need to infiltrate a fancy party. The goal is to seduce a vampire hostess and steal something she is carrying on her person. Cygnus volunteers but Jack shuts him down because the last time he tried to seduce something (a succubus) he panicked and stabbed himself with a fork (flashback scene included, apparently happened in Topeka). So Jack goes to the party instead. 

-Band at party is playing an epic waltz version of the Monster Mash. Cue highly attractive dance between Jack and the Sexy Vampire Hostess. 

-Meanwhile Cygnus goes disguised as a member of the kitchen staff. Unfortunately all the Kitchen staff are secretly robots. They attack. Cue epic fight scene with comedic/awesome usage of kitchenware. "Coconut Mall" from Mario Kart is playing. 

-Cut back to Jack. She and the Sexy Vampire Hostess have moved to a side room. 

*Jack and vamp kiss*

"Oh my… Garlic-dusted lip gloss? Spicy. I like it."

"Oh, if you like that, then I have something even spicier."

"Do tell" 

*Jack stakes Vampire through heart*"SIKE" 

-Jack escapes down fire escape. Opens window to kitchen. Last lap version of Coconut Mall can be heard as Cygnus jumps out, his hair covered in Cheese. 

-I'm still shaky on the plot but they decide to go to Denny's to unwind and figure out where to go next. The postmodern jukebox version of Stacy's Mom plays as they pull up. 

-Meanwhile the villainess is scheming and is like "frick the monster hunters killed my vampire I need to bring in the big guns" 

-Also there's a police officer played by either Levar Burton or Samuel L. Jackson, who shows up right after Jack and Cygnus leave a place. Smooth jazz plays, and the lighting darkens. He seems to be familiar with our heroes, but whether he wants to help them or arrest them is unclear. Other cops are present, but are CGId to look like identical clones of ambiguous race and gender. The detective never talks to them directly, because that would require giving them personalities and we've got too many characters already. 

-So Jack and Cygnus arrive at Denny's, get in a brief debate about drinks (they order a lot of different kinds) when a motorcyclist dude shows up. Motorcyclist dude is a werewolf in the villainess's employ. He warns them to either stop hunting their lead or die. Jack and Cygnus are very sad about this, because the werewolf is not wearing a shirt under his jacket and has very attractive abs that they do not want to kill. They decide to fight anyway. Immediately everyone else in the Denny's turns around to reveal they are actually rodeo clowns. Classic wild west shootout ensues. Jukebox in the corner goes off and plays "Saturday Night". 

-Our heroes successfully take down most of the rodeo clowns but then the werewolf proceeds to wolf out (much to the joy of our heroes, as he reveals more muscles. Jack is visibly shown getting a nosebleed, and Cygnus swoons) and chase them out of the Denny's. Inexplicably, the Denny's looks different than it did when they first drove up. This is never commented on. 

-Car chase starring Cygnus and Jack in their convertible and werewolf on Motorcycle Ensues. They are forced to trick him into swerving off a cliff. Danny Boy plays dramatically as he falls. Our heroes Mourn the death of the abs. 

-Villainess has either a kindly father who looks like a college professor or an innocent husband who dresses like Makoto Naegi (if the latter, is played by Ryan Reynolds of course). They ask if villainess is going too far. Villainess responds by singing "Girls just want to have lunch" and ominously approaching father/husband. Screen blacks out before sounds of eating are heard. They are later seen with a large head bandage and muttering the chorus to the aforementioned song. 

-Detective enters and investigates the Denny's (which again looks different) and dispatches the remaining rodeo clown with a taser. 

-Heroes pull up to Villainess's fancy mansion. Various attempts at entering are foiled. Jack points out they need to enter in order to progress the plot, so they take the car and crash it directly into the front door. They then make their way through the rooms, casually dealing with a variety of supernatural threats. Reptiles and Samurai by oingo boingo plays. 

-Villainess is getting really mad that she hasn't even really been able to enact her plan yet at ALL (elections are still like a month away) and she wants the heroes gone. None of her traps have worked (even the pit trap, which Jack and Cygnus swung over Indiana Jones style, complete with the iconic music) so she goes to meet them herself in the main hall. 

-Jack and Cygnus enter main hall, with Jack playing Yankee Doodle on a piccolo and Cygnus accompanying on the drum. Villainess rebukes them for not taking her seriously. Jack tells her to put her money where her mouth is and challenges Villainess to a sword Duel. They proceed to have an epic, fully choreographed Princess-Bride-level swordfight (which just as much homoerotic tension) while an original Halloween song plays. The song heavily features an organ and electric guitar, which are being played in universe by the Villainess's father/husband and Cygnus respectively. 

- "Are neither of you going to take this seriously?"

"Of course not, have you even been paying attention to the film? This ain't Supernatural."

"Though to be fair, people like Supernatural." 

-Abruptly Villainess (just as she's disarmed) is like "enough I can't take it anymore" pulls out a gun and shoots at Cygnus, grazing him in the arm. Record scratch. Dead silence. Villainess rants about how Jack and Cygnus are being completely nonsensical and complains about a whole bunch of other inconsistencies in the story. Jack and Cygnus respond by poking holes in her own apparent evil scheme, Villainess loudly proclaims it would have actually worked. Jack and Cygnus open doors to reveal the Detective, who strides in to arrest Villainess. 

-Detective does have a legitimate warrant and I want there to be some kind of joke that it was easy for him to get one because of some other crazy sus things the Villainess was doing but I need to do more research on how Warrants work. He asks if our heroes would like to provide any commentary, but they both shout "we plead the fifth" and jump out a window. Detective chuckles and comments "Just like in Topeka".

-Jack and Cygnus ride a zip line down a hill to a nearby graveyard. They sit on a fence together, make a couple of bad puns, and Cygnus tries to soliloquize about the apparent lack of Skeletons in the entire film but is quickly cut off by Jack thanking the audience for watching. Credits roll as "Bittersweet" by Panic! At the Disco plays. 

Think it would be called "Pumpernickel" 

[drgamenstein]

So, going back to some of my older posts about character and setting TTRPGs let's talk about Vampire: the Masquerade. Here's real quick, a fun or stupid way to play each of the 13 clans. First though, if anyone somehow finds this who isn't familiar with the VtM lore, I'll offer a bastardized version of the disclaimer the core rulebook does; there's no such thing as a morally good PC in this game, you're going to be playing as a killer, stalker, monster, however you want to put it. Vampires are monstrous reflections of humanity, and as such can emphasize certain traits that are seen as distasteful or wrong. This isn't an excuse to be an overt and openly bigoted asshole at the table, and no GM or player should ever tolerate real world hate speech at the table when speaking OoC. We cool? Cool.

Ventrue: a new age shop owner, who sells homemade essential oils, skin care products and crystals that mark potential targets for siring based on the virtues each clan upholds. They're cursed blood makes them obsessed with very specific scents, meaning they can't feed on someone unless they're wearing something that makes them smell appealing.

Toreador: a plastic surgeon, who's idea of beauty is the imperfection of the human form. They run a budget clinic and are able to avoid losing their license due to malpractice, because they have a close personal bond with the Nosferatu, and love to skincraft them into an appearance that while still leaving them deformed, could pass as injuries or illnesses, making them less likely to violate the Masquerade. These favors give them connections to blackmail and extort anyone, enough that they can hire a Ventrue lawyer to protect them.

Gangrel: a Pational Park Ranger, who may or may not have connections to many, MANY missing 411 cases. They hold a position of neutrality between almost every faction, by upholding the laws of the Camarilla, by keeping the masquerade intact, while simultaniously cultivating their own open-air human meat restaurant. A safe place for werewolves, and other kindred to engage in their most animalistic urges, without fear of leaving evidence behind.

Malkavian: an autistic dark web information broker, that somehow knows what their customers want long before they even make contact. They have a habit of logging every email, password or other piece of identifying information that pops into their head. Breaking the fourth wall, the player could improve this by listening to business, economics or true crime podcasts during sessions, and talking as if it's a conversation they're having to what's going on at that point in game.

Tremere: a character who wants to form their own autonomous enclave, separate from any form of government be it human or kindred based. This wilderness commune is under constant surveillance by several human law enforcement agencies, and is publicly recognized as a cult, though they are petitioning to be recognized as a religion. They sire high ranking members of their organization, only after several years of indoctrination, at which point the Frog has boiled over and been reduced to a fine broth. The appeal of the cult to outsiders are the opportunity for travel, under the guise of medical and disaster relief efforts. All members are also frequently asked to donate blood for "those in need." Internally they don't believe in any religion, the player could make the argument that Kain wasn't cursed by God, but instead was the first evolutionary offshoot from mankind, and they internally view each vampire clan as related in much the same way as humans are related to other apes. This internalized vampirism racism while a massive negative trait, is effectively used by studying each and every clan solely for the purpose of learning how best to manipulate them.

Bruja: (this one's shorter than all the rest) During life they were a decorated cold war era military veteran, who was honorably discharged with injuries after certain government experiments. After their siring they have dedicated their un-life to spreading good old fashioned western values to the oppressed and impoverished parts of the world as a PMC.

Nosferatu: since almost every nosferatu have the same MO, preferred hiding spots and methods of travel, I think this clan is best defined by they're personality and view of the world. The owner of an Incel forum, who uses it both to unironically post their own thoughts and feelings, but to gather info from their users about all the Chads and Staceys in need of some punishment for their arrogance. They also frequently browse social media, and may or may not be responsible for at least a few throwaway accounts responsible for doxxing public figures. They are an absolute bitch for drama, and spend their downtime binging tea channels and Beauty-tubers but can't see the irony of this hobby.

Lasombre: an old fashioned head of a boston mafia group. He's made a fortune exploiting the working class and extorting the needy for decades, and running a successful shipyard and fishing company. His preferred targets for siring are dock workers, and local gang members that he sees as either beneficial to his criminal empire, or someone that his enemies would hate to lose. He has a unique point of view among most of the kindred, in that he doesn't discriminate among humans, Vampires or oan of the other creatures and organizations around him. They're all of equal value in his eyes, that value being equivalent to a character pip from the Game of Life, meaning tiny l, worthless bits of plastic, that take up space and are only worthy of notice when they directly impact him. His closest friend is actually a human butler, that picks out his clothes, make sure he's in proper order, and takes care of him. He will never sire this friend, as they are fully aware of his true nature and have asked him kindly to not do so. This blatant violation of the masquerade is barely tolerated as an open secret, since covering this particular leak would cause more trouble than just leaving it alone.

Tzimisce: a geneticist, who's network has a hand in every animal centric organization in the world, whether it's pet care, breeding, meat production, pageantry, racing, or law enforcement training, they can somehow be linked to it. They are fascinated by genealogy and genetics, obsessed with the true history of the world and want to prove the lineage of every clan and bloodline, simply for the satisfaction of having that knowledge. They were a successful dog breeder in life and now may or may not be practicing human and clan breeding in secret. They have a strange fascination with the Caitiff, and are regularly observed by many, acting friendly with these undesirables. They have a genuine love for animals, and would never harm any of their precious creatures, but see humans as lower than scum, utterly disgusting parasites hellbent on destroying their precious mother nature. They have no desire to sire an heir, unless eventually forced to do so, have no feelings whatsoever toward the idea of harming humans, seeing their acts as mundane or even justified, and this hatred goes so far that they frequently push themselves to the brink of frenzy just to avoid drinking from these vile creatures. Before their embrace, they had a pet dog that they loved more than anything in the world, but sadly killed during their first frenzy. They keep their friends collar on them at all times, despite the guilt they feel, it's the only thing that gives them comfort and let's them sleep at night.

Hecata: (I thought of this as an experienced player, or storyteller's PC) an elderly person, though not ancient. A member of a long lived and wealthy family dating back possibly to the Methusala. A family man, with an actual family, they sired before their embrace, with the knowledge that they will one day need to make arrangements for their children to be embraced. You take on the role of a mentor figure, teaching them the ways of the kindred, necromancy, and hunting, but are planning to, at the end of their training, have more promising of your spawn, diablerize the other.

Banu Haqim: a vigilante serial killer, think Vampire Punisher, or Dexter. Seeking out rogue kindred who've strayed from their respective code, regardless I'd they're Camarilla, Sabatt, or Anarch. The kindred you hunt are blatant violators of the masquerade and do so without even the little bit of control the Sabatt has over its members. More than anything, they are the biggest threats to kindred society as a whole and expose us all to the threat of human exposure. They are the perfect target for one such as yourself, both as self-proclaimed peacekeepers, and to satiate your own clans curse. It's your solemn duty to ensure that no evidence of kindred society is left behind.

Ravnos: a backpacker, spelunker and base jumper. They are a very popular Social Media personality and travel vlogger that enjoys documenting cave exploration and nighttime adventures into the wilderness. They know all the best tourist spots, what every kind of human blood tastes like, and won't shut the hell up about how they need to take you to Venice to try genuine Venican blood fresh from the source. They have a lot of annoying habits, and frequently humble brag about their enlightened un-life, but are generally good company and easy to get along with. You still wouldn't call them a friend though. They're the type of person that always sleeps over when they visit, but you can never remember them specifically asking if they could crash on your couch.

Ministry: You are a bio-terrorist. After your embrace, you took an interest in medical sciences for all the wrong reasons. Fascinated with your new undeath, and immunity to human illness, you start to question the limits of your new undead body, and decide to push it to new limits, concocting plagues, viruses and diseases and testing them on unsuspecting vampire populations. Occasionally, maybe, sure, some human populations get sick as well, pandemics, happen, and hundreds of thousands die each time you conduct a test, but that's the price of good science.

Caitiff: literally just don't play Caitiff. It's hard to come up with a creative or unique story for this "Clan" since they are effectively nobodies. The best comparison to be made I guess would be that Caitiff are the vampire equivalent of that weird conspiracy theorist who works in retail, has a substance abuse problem and is constantly trying to get you and all his other "work buds" to rise up and unionize against the man, but doesn't have an actual plan or any understanding on how any of that works.

Thin-bloods: Why is this a clan we can pick? Who is picking this one? Don't do it.