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defectivevillain · 22 days ago

Text

the slow surrender

pairing: Chishiya Shuntaro & Reader

reader's race & gender are ambiguous; no pronouns or physical descriptors are used.

“Number 10.” You quickly turn around, only to find Chishiya—the No. 11 player from the Beach. There's a note of something unreadable in his voice; his hands are shoved in his pockets as he takes a leisurely step forward. “The deserter.”

word count: 2.4k | ao3 version | chishiya playlist

warnings: Alice in Borderland manga spoilers; canon-typical violence, existentialism

author's notes: Chishiya/Reader is the focus of this fic, but there’s nothing explicitly romantic. I mean… canonically, he hardly has any feelings, so it felt out of character to write anything too crazy. Leaning heavily on the "Strangers to Begrudging Allies" theme here.

Look at this man and tell me he isn’t 100% gay, though. YOU CAN’T. This fic's really for the gays and theys.

The title of this fic is from Should I by Sir Chloe, because I'm obsessed with their music.

Since the moment you first arrived in the Borderlands, you have given yourself one rule: keep other players at a distance. You arrived to this strange land alone; and, if things go according to plan, you will leave alone, too. In the Borderlands, friends are nothing more than a hindrance. And you were quickly convinced of this fact after emerging from your first game, 2♥, entirely alone.

But then you hear whispers. At your fourth game, 4♣, you manage to overhear a conversation between a group of four players, who made reference to a place called ‘the Beach.’ You were equally curious and wary; you didn’t exactly want to trust other players, but you also knew getting more information would give you an advantage in the coming games. With that in mind, after you completed 4♣, you started looking for this ‘Beach.’

Unsurprisingly, your journey was not exactly straightforward. It took you a few days of searching to find a map of Tokyo, and subsequently realize that ‘the Beach’ wasn’t genuinely a beach, but instead a hotel called Tama Pacific Beach. The moment your eyes found the hotel, you knew it was the place you heard about.

You only wish it was a little less… Well. It’s hard to organize your thoughts as you stare at the sprawling hotel. The sparkling waters of the swimming pool glitter in the mid-morning sunlight; people lounge about on beach chairs and soak up the sun; there’s the faint hum of music filling the air. One thing’s for sure: this place doesn’t look like it belongs in the Borderlands. It’s everything you didn’t expect: there’s laughter, joy, amusement, sloth, gluttony. It’s some sort of dreamscape, away from the reality of the games.

Your arrival doesn’t go unnoticed, however, and you’re soon given a tour of the building by the No. 1 ranked player, Hatter. You learn almost an overwhelming amount of information in a short span of time. First, players are ranked according to their skill level and participation in games. The top nine players are considered “Executives” and given more authority. Then, each night, players are sorted into optimized groups according to their speciality and sent to finish games. Next, every new card earned upon the completion of a game must be given to the No. 1 ranked player. The No 1. ranked player will collect all 51 playing cards and, according to Hatter, be able to escape the Borderlands. (You’re very skeptical about that part.)

It’s frighteningly easy to ascertain the truth of the Beach. Players are lured in with the promise of security, entirely unaware that they will be exploited for their playing cards. From there, they’re free to live a life of “luxury” while being occasionally called upon to complete games. Assuming they don’t die, they will slowly rise through the ranks of the Beach. It’s all a rather transparent ploy. Yet�� you fell for it, didn’t you? Now you’re trapped here with no real means of escape. After all, the third rule of the Beach—“Death to all traitors”—was established to prevent people from leaving.

And while you have no desire to stay any longer than you need to, you know escape will be a dangerous and difficult affair. Just a simple stroll along the boardwalk is enough to confirm that the players are serious about the third rule: corpses are piled up so high that they nearly block the water’s flow. It’s a sickening sight that reminds you of the cruelty lying hidden underneath this utopia.

You have no choice but to play along. And, for a while, you do. You participate in games when you’re assigned to them; you comply with the rules of the Beach; and you keep your head down. Slowly but surely, you ascend the ranks of the players. Your victory in the 8♥ game is particularly impactful; as the only remaining survivor of the group, you quickly shoot up the ranks to find yourself at the No. 10 rank. And while that attracts some attention, after that, you make sure to be as forgettable as possible. You fade to the background in any subsequent games you’re called to play in. You make sure to keep to yourself. You don’t speak to anyone. You avoid leaving your room whenever possible. And slowly but surely, people start to forget about you.

Still, you need a more concrete plan of escape. In an ideal world, you’d make off with the stash of playing cards before leaving. That kind of thing would be possible if you were No. 9 or higher. But since you’re not an Executive rank, you don’t have access to the penthouse where the cards are kept. Although, if your suspicions are correct… the playing cards aren’t nearly as important as they’re said to be. After all, Hatter was the only one to assert that they were the key to escaping the Borderlands. There is no one else to verify his claims. And you get the feeling the cards aren’t genuinely important; rather, they’re a construct. With the playing cards, the players at the Beach all have a common goal—which eliminates any unnecessary conflict. They’re nothing more than an empty promise.

Accepting that the cards are useless provides you with more freedom. Combined with your efforts to slip under the radar, you think you will have a decent chance at escaping. After all, there’s no one to stop you from sneaking out in the dead of night, when even the wildest of party-goers have gone to sleep (or, more accurately, passed out). And that’s exactly what you do one night. The Beach is quiet at such a late hour—while everyone seems to behave with reckless abandon in the daytime, they still recognize the importance of a full night’s sleep. A player needs to keep their wits about them if they want to win the games. You sneak past the pool outside, quietly closing the gate behind you before breaking into a sprint. You want to put as much distance between you and this place as possible. Your heart almost seems to roar in your ears as your feet hit the pavement. You’re not sure how long you spend running before you finally take a quick break, ducking behind a wall and attempting to breathe with your hands on your knees.

In the following few days, you’re very careful. Fortunately, you succeeded in a higher difficulty game the same morning you left the Beach, which gives you some more time to lay low and ensure you don’t draw attention to yourself. And you soon learn that your timing was particularly good, as you see smoke rising through the air in the distance. Something happened. Are the players at the Beach in a game right now? You don’t want to think about it. But, then again, maybe a game would distract them from your absence. You’re secretly hoping they’ll just forget about you.

You certainly don’t expect to be cornered by another player a day later, when the smoke clears in the air.

“You.”

You turn around to find yourself met with a cunning, scrutinizing gaze. Your eyes widen as you recognize the guy standing across from you: Chishiya Shuntaro. He was one of the higher-ranking players at the Beach, just one rank below you. He stands before you wearing a simple collared shirt and slacks; his long light hair frames his angular features well.

Chishiya seems to recognize you too. “Number 10.” He says, a note of something unreadable in his voice. His hands are shoved in his pockets as he takes a leisurely step forward. “The deserter.” You roll your eyes at the title. You thought you had slipped away unnoticed, but Chishiya’s presence here disproves that notion “They’re still looking for you, you know.” He hums casually. He’s regarding you expectantly, as if waiting to study your reaction.

You stare at him for a long moment. Your heart instinctually jumps at his statement, before you remember yourself. “I don’t think so.” You frown, thinking back to the pandemonium you heard from afar. Despite the fact that the smoke cleared from the air, Chishiya has still been the only one to find you. “They died in the game, probably.” You then say. He's playing mind games—or, at least, attempting to. What reason would he have to lie to you, other than to provoke your fear or test you?

Chishiya raises a brow, suddenly appearing intrigued. “How do you know that?” You suppose his curiosity is justified, since you left the Beach several days before the next game occurred. It’s been a few days since then.

“I listened.” You settle for saying. Indeed, it was hard not to hear the agonized screams and cries of the victims. The Borderlands are rather quiet, without sounds of the crowded city and hums of electricity to disrupt the air. Many people died during that game, as far as you could tell. Their anguish was audible; not to mention, the disgusting smell of burning flesh pervaded the surrounding area. You shudder in remembrance. The foul odor still lingers heavily in the air. Just how many people died during that game?

You break out of your thoughts to find Chishiya staring at you warily. You feel like some sort of specimen under a microscope. After a moment, he speaks again. “You’re interesting.”

You don’t know what to say to that, so you remain silent. You get the feeling that his interest is rather dangerous.

“What games are you best at?” He scrutinizes you for a moment, gaze wandering across your form. “♥, I assume.” At your nod, he hums. “You should’ve stayed for the game at the beach, then. It was 10♥: Witch Hunt.” You frown. Witch Hunt? That rather ominous name only confirms your suspicions regarding the many casualties and few survivors. That isn’t exactly a good omen for whatever game will come next.

As if sensing your thoughts, Chishiya continues. “Let’s play the next game together.” He offers. There’s a long pause where neither of you speak; and you just stare at him. He looks back at you, raising a brow. “You seem skeptical.” He then observes with a dangerous smile. You hoped silence would make him lose interest; if anything, Chishiya’s gaze has only intensified.

You decide to abandon pretense. There is no real need for it in the Borderlands, after all. “You don’t seem the type to ally with someone out of the goodness of your heart,” you say. While you kept to yourself at the Beach, you were still sure to study up on the higher ranking players. Chishiya was No. 11, the number directly beneath your ranking as No. 10. And he was always regarded as a slippery, enigmatic individual who prioritized himself over all else. “You’ve probably betrayed everyone you’ve met so far.”

Chishiya doesn’t seem offended by the statement. Instead, he lets out a strange choking sound; it takes you a few seconds to realize he’s laughing. “I was right,” he says inexplicably. “You are interesting.”

You frown; the two of you are locked in some sort of staring contest. You can’t bring yourself to look away from him—he is too dangerous for you to feel comfortable doing so. Chishiya seems unable to look away from you, either—although you don’t quite believe he’s threatened by you. As time passes, your conversation slowly turns into a game of its own. You ask a question; Chishiya answers; then you answer. Then Chishiya asks a question; you answer; and so on. It’s a strange cycle of wariness and mistrust, perpetuated for what feels like infinity. But at some point, the two of you have exchanged enough information to begrudgingly trust one another.

And soon, you reach an unspoken agreement. When you turn your back and head off in the direction you were planning on going, Chishiya is at your side. The two of you are silent as you traverse the city pavement. There is little fanfare as you search buildings for supplies and shelter.

“Have you been alone this whole time?” Chishiya asks later, as the sun begins to climb further down on the horizon. You nod. “Impressive.”

“It’s easier that way,” you say. You think back to the 2♥ game you participated in on your first night; to the seemingly inseparable group of girls who promptly turned on each other at a moment’s notice. This is not a place to make friends. You get the sense Chishiya feels the same. Indeed, he nods in agreement at your statement.

There’s a comfortable silence in the air for a while. Then, unexpectedly, Chishiya breaks through it. He’s staring up at the starry night sky. “What do you think is the secret of the Borderlands?” His voice is quiet but steady. You wonder if he’s genuinely searching for the answer, or if he’s just curious about your perspective. Hell, maybe he’s just asking to pass the time. Regardless, you attempt to answer anyway.

“It could be anything,” you sigh. Every single player here is plagued by thoughts of just what secrets this place could possess. But those thoughts are often far too distracting. In the time you spent looking for any one answer, you were dominated by fear and unease. “The Borderlands defy rationality.” You continue.

“You’ve stopped looking for an answer.” Chishiya analyzes.

You nod, your throat burning. “I feared I wouldn’t like what I found, if I were to keep searching.”

“Yes, it is quite a dreary affair,” Chishiya says. “Virtual reality, temporal displacement… There is no convenient, safe explanation.”

“We don’t even know what we’re fighting for,” you remark. If your voice sounds particularly raspy or hollow, he doesn’t mention it. “Life could exist outside of this place. Yet we fight tirelessly, under the conviction that death here is the end.”

A slight nod, then silence. “I never felt alive,” Chishiya admits after a moment. You chance a sidelong glance at him, only to find his gaze is still fixed on the limitless expanse of sky above. “Before.”

“Me neither.” You admit. “Life seemed quieter before. Safer, but also boring. I grew complacent.”

You shake your head. “There is no explanation for the Borderlands,” you finish. You’re not sure who you’re trying to convince. Chishiya’s gaze falls to you; for a moment, the silence almost seems to buzz. The air is chilly yet stiff. You struggle to keep your composure under his watchful eye. Just what is he looking for? What does he want from you?

“I don’t think I quite mind that.” Chishiya says after an immeasurable amount of time passes. Somehow, the admission feels far more vulnerable than it sounds.

“Me neither.” You eventually answer.

You both look up to the sky once more, a sense of tranquility washing over you amidst your newfound companionship.

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bombasticsalt · 3 months ago

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Loustat and Loumand love vs fascination (take this analysis with no grammar because it's 1am)

One of the scenes that really sticks out to me with Loumand in season two is when Louis tells Armand he loves him and dreamstat starts laughing it's crazy because if this were a Louis and Lestat scene it would have been framed as dramatic and their would have been tears but it's comedic almost when Louis and Armand do it especially when you remember that we never see Louis tell Lestat he loves him yet we as the audience can obviously see he did. Both Armand and Lestat stalked Louis and they both had some sort of soft spot for him before they even actually talked to him and yet, look at how different the way Louis views their first meeting as he says he left the meeting with Lestat thinking only of him but Lestat was real he said things that he meant with Armand it's almost like their meeting is framed as some meetcute he says I will not harm you which yeah sounds sweet until you consider the fact that meetings later he talks about killing Louis. Ever since they met Armand has been presenting himself as a sheep in wolfs clothing and you can say a lot about Lestat but for all his acting he showed Louis who he really was before Louis got in too deep he shows Louis his temper he shows Louis his passions his ramblings his privilege everything I think that says something that Armand would rather pretend to be anything else but what he is a dangerous predator.

And the worst part is it still doesn't work sure love at first sight wasn't something to expect in a gothic romance but listen to how Louis describes meeting Lestat he wanted to be the man and murder the man when Louis was at the party getting ready to kill Lestat he still wanted him all to himself there was this passion for Lestat since their first meeting yeah sure Louis at the moment thinks of this memory fondly but at that time when it happened he was confused like the scene was almost eerily sweet to me

I don't think Louis feels absolutely nothing for Armand I think Louis thinks he loves Armand or at least Armand interests him at first he loves armand in the way you love a spring fling that you don't expect to last through the winter it's fun, interesting and new and that's the main problem with Loumand it lasted way longer than it should have because both Louis and Armand can't be alone a spring fling is nice during the spring when you're bored and depressed but what about when you have a thousand other things you could be doing and you're stuck in a marriage thats like a candle that went out almost five seconds after you lit it for 77 years when the person stops being interesting and fun what's really left of the relationship? Love? Yeah sure maybe but not when you know there's a person out there you loved more than anybody else somebody like Lestat

I feel like this is further proved by how Lestat and Armand react to the boys Louis confides in, for Lestat it was Jonah he got mad about Jonah because he famously heard their hearts dancing and felt the affection Louis had for Jonah especially since Lestat was a lot for Louis. It seems like Lestat thought Louis could fall in love with Jonah and leave him and for Lestat leaving equates with somebody not loving him anymore what threatens Lestat is the idea Louis might not love him and that's ultimately what Lestat wants love he needs attention more than we ever see him need blood he's greedy for it. However, with Daniel he didn't even sleep with Louis so what threatens Armand isn't that Louis might not love him anymore it's that Louis finds Daniel more interesting than him because I think deep down that Armand knows that their love was short lived and the only reason why Louis was still with him was desperation and fascination because Armand knows things even though Louis isn't exactly always curious about vampires he taught Louis how to use fire he does know things that prove useful he clearly doesn't care all that much about the great laws if he let Daniel live this experience because it was never about the great laws it's about Lestat the first interview was a call out to Lestat from Louis and Armand knew that I'm not saying love isn't involved but I'm saying I believe in my opinion it was more about him not wanting Louis to leave because Armand believes he needs a master he needs somebody else to pretend like they have control over him sure yeah him calling Louis Maitre is just for fun he doesn't have to listen to Louis in fact he doesn't listen to Louis sure he keeps Daniel alive but also he turns Daniel eventually Armand is so interesting to me because Armand is a puppet master who wants to feel like a puppet because he never really realized he got cut loose from his strings that's why he potrays himself as helpless even his clothes are meant to make him seem smaller than he actually is he makes people do things for him indirectly TWICE he lets Lestat and Louis destroy his cult coven and then hides behind the words I could not prevent it. Both Lestat and Armand are afraid that Louis will leave them but for different reasons Lestat's afraid Louis will leave him because Louis doesn't love him and Armand literally fucking tortures Daniel aesthetictly just because he's afraid Louis finds him boring he has to be fascinating or else Louis will leave.

Another reason that really shows the differences between Love and fascination is what Louis says to both of them when he wants to hurt them, Louis tells Lestat that's why he's always going to be alone and why they won't work because Louis knows Lestat he knows the thing that will hurt Lestat more than anything else is threatening to take his love and affection away and leave him all alone because Lestat is also a part of the three musketeers of making bad decisions because he can't handle being alone, with Armand though Louis calls him boring because for Louis the worst possible thing to say to Armand isn't I won't love you anymore and I'll leave it's you're boring something that hurts Armand worse if Armand isn't fascinating or fun to Louis then what's the point? What's the point to be in a marriage of spite what's the point of living if Claudia is dead Lestat fucked off to God knows where after the trial and Louis's only companion has lost all the traits that make him want to stay but Louis would rather die than be alone and unloved. But for Loumand the words I love you are like a dagger in both instances when Louis says it (it's fucking 3:46 am if they say it more than twice I'll edit) it's mocked dreamstat laughs Louis laughs while saying it in San Frisco. Love is a weapon when Louis verbally says it after Paul's death. In fact Louis not saying he loves Lestat seems more romantic than him telling Armand he does. Because we as the viewers know he loves Lestat in the way he talks about him, the way he remembers Lestat's ramblings, the way he reacts to Lestat telling him about Magnus, because even though Louis memory has bias ultimately he remembers Lestat as this beautiful monster who he was in love with we're shown that he loves him. But with Armand and Louis we're told their in love but when is it shown with Loustat their was an intimacy in the shadows because they were in a openly homophobic town but with Loumand their relationship seems more like a performance they hold hands in public but in private they're divided when Louis was supposedly falling in love with Armand in Paris he says they aren't companions to Santiago and I think that's why Armand lied about saving Louis because that was the only major thing he could do that would make Louis want to stay, Lestat turned Claudia for Louis in his love Lestat brought the azalea for Louis because he loves him he shows Louis he loves him but what does Armand do? He threatens to kill Louis he won't turn Madeline for Louis sure he tells Louis he loves him but it's not shown not like how Lestat's love is. AND LESTAT DOES IT AGAIN he saves Louis again he proves that he loves Louis again when Armand can't or won't the only thing is the opportunity presented itself where Armand could take the credit for it he could please the coven and keep the guy at the same time because if Armand wouldn't have taken credit for that they wouldn't have stayed together he would have left. Would Louis have gotten back together with Lestat? Probably not but the point is the 77 years wouldn't have happened. Daniel calls it a seismic lie because it is that's what the relationship is based on that's the reason Louis stayed because he felt like he owed it to Armand and that's why he doesn't hesitate to leave Armands when he learns it.

I think that's what makes Loumand so interesting is that Louis doesn't want someone soft he wants the chaos back of Lestat once it's taken away he doesn't want a manipulative pillow who hides all his flaws and does everything he says he wants Lestat who screams back at him with the same passion that burns like a furnace Lestat who can't help but be so passionate about everything he does Lestat who does too much and that passion makes Lestat feel so human even when he's doing the most inhumane things whereas Armand acts as if he's above it all like he's some type of God but also portraying himself as weak and helpless in other situations that makes him so inhumane which could also be why Daniel ends up falling for him.

#writerlbr #lestat de lioncourt #lestat #interview with the vampire #loustat #loumand #devil's minion #amc interview with the vampire #sam reid #anne rice #the vampire lestat #no i did not read the vampire Armand so thats why theres more about Lestat than Armand #im so tired #writerscommunity #analysis #vampire #armand #louis de pointe du lac #RAGHHHH IM FINALLY DONE I STARTED THIS AT 1 AND I GOT DONE AT FOUR KMS

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