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nikoldragonne12 · 9 months ago

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Warning: OLD POST (will be replaced by a new one) Vampires (Midnight’s Pack)

Warning: This article may include heavier topics (blood, death, animosity between magical species, mentions of slavery etc.) - consider it before you continue.

Overview:

Overlords of the night and one of the most prominent beings in the world of “Midnight’s Pack”. Alongside magic-sensitive people, vampires are the oldest of all magical species in the world, resulting in vampires being mostly cold or even repulsive towards anyone they don't see as worthy of their good will.

Biology:

Vampires are almost human-looking beings, usually considered attractive and beautiful/handsome by the community.

Due to their lower body temperature, their skin has an “unhealthily” pale shade (which applies to dark-skinned ones, as well - their skin is dark yet yet with seemingly unhealthy shade) and their touch can be viewed as uncomfortably cold. They are more resistant to warm temperatures but they can easily get too cold, which is also the reason why you can spot vampires wearing significantly warmer clothes during cold days.

The most significant differences between them and normal humans are definitely big, sharp fangs (fun fact: most of vampires have only one pair of fangs but in rare occasions, the vampire can be born with two pairs of fangs - one pair in upper jaw, the other in the lower jaw) and eyes.

Speaking of the eyes, vampires are naturally born with blue irises (this also applies to dark-skinned ones) but they can change color depending on nutrition (we'll talk about the reason later).

A vampiric stomach is also very different from a human's: their organ is separated into two parts and one of them works almost the same as a human's stomach, the other accepts only the nutrition they receive from blood. Also, this side is significantly bigger, meaning that vampires technically don't need to eat normal food, although they do it to both avoid being too thin and to smell the taste of dishes.

Aging:

In the world of “Midnight’s Pack”, vampires aren't immortal like in most media, though they can live over the age of 1,000. Actually, they're aging for 30 years like humans and then the process gets significantly slower, which puts them into the "long-living magical species" category.

Abilities:

Despite being two oldest magical species, vampires and magic-sensitive people hold different magical abilities, although some of their powers might have almost or 100% the same result.

The most significant abilities include shapeshift into a bat, mist form, object/being levitation, mind control and mind reading (can be used only on non-vampires), super strength and speed, better healing, etc.

Compared to magic-sensitive people, vampires use their powers only non-verbally, as they’re mostly tight up to their will. Magic-sensitive people have to learn how to cast spells non-verbally and because it's difficult, there's only a few of them who can do so.

Unlike in most media, vampires in Midnight’s Pack can't turn humans into new vampires with their bite - and even if they were able to, vampires wouldn't do so, as most of them see humans as something even worse than other magical species.

Weaknesses:

Sunlight isn't fatal for vampires in Midnight’s Pack, however they can feel very dizzy without wearing a hat and without a suncream or an umbrella, some of them can even get an allergic reaction on their skin - it looks like a red rash that's itchy and hot, sometimes even painful at touch.

Their eyes are also pretty sensitive to sunlight, so most of the vampires wear sunglasses outside during the day. Without them, their eyes would become watery in reaction to irritation.

Garlic is something vampires are very afraid of, mainly because it causes even worse allergic reactions to their bodies than sunlight, so they avoid it as much as they can. This vegetable not only makes their throats swollen, but they can also irritate their stomach, resulting in a long time of vomiting.

In the worst case, they can get poisoned and… die.

And lastly, silver is the only metal that can hurt or kill all magical species and magical animals from Midnight’s Pack universe, for sure.

Nutrition & “Moonlight fangsberry”:

It was already mentioned that vampires have a very specific stomach with two parts: one that accepts normal food and one that only gets nutrition from blood. Also, the second-mentioned side is bigger, which results in vampires eating normal food only to avoid being too thin and to smell the taste of dishes.

Like in most media, vampires from the universe of Midnight’s Pack can drink blood to get the needed nutritions, however the law of the world has strict rules:

For example vampires can't just go and directly drink blood from somebody’s neck. Instead, they have to go and buy it from the hospitals.

Also, there are the rules about how many packs of blood vampires can buy, as blood might be needed elsewhere.

And of course, vampires can't buy too rare blood types.

Earlier in this chapter, it was stated that in Midnight’s Pack, the eyes of the vampires are naturally blue but can change to purplish blue, purple or even red through time. This is affected by hemoglobin, more specifically by iron that's in it (iron can become red in reaction with oxygen), as this protein can get in a vampire's body and change the colors of their irises.

However, there are still vampires, even adult ones, with clearly light blue eyes. These individuals decided not to drink blood, either because they feel guilty for drinking blood, because they hematophobic/hemophobic or because they just don't want to.

In these cases, there's a plant that's an alternative food for vampires in the world of Midnight's pack.

Moonlight fangsberry, what’s the plant called, is a unique fauna from the universe. A bush with a black wood, dark green leafs, white petals and big berries (about 15 centimeters long but can grow bigger). It's not only pretty unpretentious with the ability to adjust to almost every climate (although the plant was first found in the mountains), it's also 100% edible.

As M. fangsberry has the same nutritions as blood and the only thing that's missing is hemoglobin with its iron, it can't change vampire’s irises.

The plant itself has no specific smell or taste, so it’s usable in both salty and sweet dishes, or even in drinks.

Products made from M. fangsberry, for example crackers, bonbons, teas, lemonades, champagnes, etc. can be found both in the supermarkets or in small shops with stuff only for vampires.

Lifestyle:

Most vampires are wealthy, aristocratic descendants who own great mansions (each family even often owns more than 1 mansion) and a great number of known companies and factories.

As it was mentioned at the start of this article, a lot of vampires act cold, sometimes even repulsive towards anyone they don't see as worthy of their good will, which is almost every other species. Unfortunately, these opinions aren't just a thing older vampires believe in - actually, young vampires often share the negative view of different species and they might even be worse, as they usually struggle with keeping a permanent poker face and a neutral demeanor.

This is mostly affected by the fact that vampires from wealthy families are educated at home until the age of 15, then they're sent to private high schools - Diaemus Academy is known to be the most prestigious, as well as the most expensive vampire school in the world. Although their education is overall on a high level, there are still stereotypical thoughts of other species the teachers unintentionally or purposely spread, resulting in feeding these lies even more.

And it doesn't help that a lot of the vampires introduce these thoughts to their children when they're still little.

Most vampires meet other species at universities (which are only public in this world) for the first time but because they're mostly “brainwashed” from home and earlier education, about 95% of them is unable to form at least a neutral relationship with other species - the only exception are, of course, magic-sensitive people, because vampires consider them as equal to each other. This is affected by the fact a lot of scientists who developed important products for vampires, for example sun-protecting creams, were magic-sensitive people.

The biggest animosity mostly stays between vampires and werewolves - in the past, especially during medieval times, werewolves often worked as slaves or poorly-paid servants of the most wealthiest vampire families and even if the laws about same rights for everyone came, vampires still look down at the lycanthropes, mainly because of how unpredictable, wild and destructive they can become.

Werewolves also keep negative opinions of vampires, so it’s almost impossible to see friends or even multi-species couples.

If there are any positive, vampire-werewolf relationships, they are mostly between werewolves and middle-class vampire families (these families aren't common but they're not the rarest, either).

Trivia:

Vampires have a light liquid instead of blood - this means periods/menstrual cycles are a thing in vampires’ life, as well.

Vampires mostly wear dark clothes (black, dark purple, magenta, dark green, etc.), especially those from wealthy families - it's something they were wearing even in the ancient and medieval times. In the past, it was mostly because vampires were originally a nocturnal species and they didn't want to be spotted in the dark. Nowadays, it's mostly just a style and/or a “rule”.

Vampires celebrate national holidays, although in a very tamed way, and then specific events of their offsprings they consider “important and worthy of a great celebration”. Among these are for example birth, enrolling in a private high school, graduation, legal adulthood and marriage.

There are often multi-generational households among vampires - the most significant example of this are the Desrosiers.

Vampires’ eyes glow in the dark - they can also turn light pink (when they're shy/nervous in a romantic way) or black with white irises (when they're starving). These colors aren’t connected to their nutrition.

Wealthy vampires still sometimes have servants, including werewolf ones - even if they still don't like them as a species, vampires pay them well and don't actively treat them as sh*t (there are exceptions but not many - in these cases, werewolves usually just voluntarily quit the job).

One of the most significant werewolf servants in my story is a chef of the Desrosiers family, Roxanne Cantellow - she is a elder lady who has been working for Dorian for a long time. She took care of Ronan and Sorren (Dorian's sons) when they were little and she also wanted to help raise Valerian (Sorren's older son) - Val himself didn't want to, however. Roxy currently still takes care of Liam (she serves as a grandmother role to him, even) and even if Dorian constantly pisses her off (he's pretty bossy and arrogant), she's used to him and doesn't want to leave just because “His highness doesn't know what a proper behavior is but always commands people around him to be proper themselves”... And she's also grateful to Dorian's deceased wife Adriana for the job she gave her (the two of them surprisingly had a friendly relationship, despite Adriana being a very wealthy vampire and Roxy being “only” a werewolf chef).

By the way, Dorian is very aware he needs Roxanne - she can cook (Rosine can, too but she's mostly busy), does laundry, because she's most likely the most patient with him out of all members of the household, etc. ... he's secretly grateful for her being around, and not only due to her positive bond with Adriana.

Known vampire characters in “Midnight’s Pack”:

Desrosiers family (means “from the rose bushes” or “among rose bushes”)

Dorian Desrosiers

Adriana Desrosiers (née Darkmoore - means “dark marsh”)

Ronan Desrosiers

Sorren Desrosiers

Rosine Desrosiers (née Belladonna)

Valerian Desrosiers

Wren Desrosiers (née Baudelaire)

William Desrosiers

Lilith Darkmoore

Stella Gatti (means "Cat")

Belladonna family (means “beautiful lady” - also the name of a poisonous plant known as nightshade)

Mauricius Belladonna

Sienna Belladonna (née Poe - means “peacock”)

Baudelaire family (means “short sword”)

Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire

Vesper family (from a word “vesper” that means “evening star”)

Mr. and Mrs. Vesper

David Vesper

Alaister family (means “the one who repels”)

Quirina Alaister

Andre Alaister

Eris Alaister (unknown birth surname)

Vendetta Alaister

Lucius Lunerini (surname derived from the name “Luna” that means “Moon”)

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blorbologist · 2 years ago

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Just wanted to be brave like you

Gen | 1.7k | Perc’ahlia and little Vesper | Modern AU | Just fuckin sad

Cross-posted to AO3

She’d warned him.

Vex had taken her husband aside when it became clear this film was on the agenda for the day. “Percy, darling,” she’d said, all filed edges and feather soft, “you don’t have to-”

“I do,” he’d insisted just as gently. “I’m not missing out on time with the women of my life because of a movie. Not an obligation, but a pleasure.” Then, wry: “Besides, we’ve both seen worse. Been through worse. The reviews are great, Keyleth has recommended it for as long as I can remember. Now is as good a time as any.”

“Are you sure?” And she’d pulled back to scrutinize him. Vex’ahlia is and always has been very good at that. There are no lies in him for her to find, though he suspected that’s not what she was looking for. “Percy, it made Vax sob the first time we watched it after our mother-”

She fell short of words, so he went the extra mile to find some for her: “I know, I know, dear. But it’s Vax. He’s like that. It’s a silly movie, and I have you both to protect me. It’ll be fine. Please?”

“Alright, darling. If you’re sure.”

She’d warned him, and he hadn’t listened.

Percy buries his face in Vex’s shoulder, waits for the music to pick up a little louder, and uses all this to cover a pathetic, wet sniffle.

Peeking through his lashes, it does not seem like Vesper noticed, too enraptured by the television screen.

She clutches her stuffie to her chest with a gasp. The dusty scene glides slowly over the still golden form of a magnificent beast.

“Dad?”

Vesper mouths no - he thinks, because his eyes are burning and he really can’t look a second longer. Percival de Rolo has another embarrassing, probably snotty sniffle in his wife’s (his, but she’s stolen it) sweater.

Why the fuck is he, a grown man, getting weepy over animated lions?!

Bless his wife - no I told you so, just a calloused hand running through his hair, over and over.

“Dad, c’mon,” begs Simba - he thinks it’s named Simba, “you gotta get up. We’ve got to go home.”

And fool that he is he looks up just in time to see the cub tug at his father’s ear - oh gods, just like at the beginning of the movie when he woke him up for the patrol - and the horror, the realization -

Percival does not say fuck because he is the father of a five-year-old. He comes close, though, because even a vehement “Fudge,” is wholly incapable of conveying how truly wretched he feels.

He knew the stupid lion was going to die. The film is just about as old as he is, and Vex had warned him repeatedly. For all that he never watched these movies growing up, Percy was not found under a rock either - everyone knows Mufasa dies.

It’s just something else, to be presented with the desperate loneliness again. This can’t be happening. He can’t be gone, they can’t be gone. Help - somebody, anybody, help. (And no one did.)

“Percy?” Vex murmurs, and he can hardly hear her beyond the raspy breathing. His raspy breathing. Oh dear.

“‘m coping,” he gets out.

They both freeze when Vesper starts whimpering. Percy just has time to see her cheeks become tantrum-red before she bubbles into hiccups.

“Vesper, sweetheart - what’s wrong?”

The words are a trigger - springloaded, she spins around to bury her face in Percy’s chest with a sob that breaks his darned heart. “I don’t want you to go-” she sobs, and that heart crumbles to dust in tiny hands when she takes fistfulls of his shirt.

“Dear,” and he’s so watery, he doesn’t want his baby to see him like this, surely it’ll make it worse, “I’m not going anywhere-”

“He promised! Papa, he promised!” He gets a shaking hand to the nape of her neck, rubbing soothing circles that do little to make him feel better. They don’t seem to help Vesper, either, who clings tighter. She also makes a very obvious smear of snot, which, really, is enough to get a choked laugh from him.

Vex might have paused the television - Percy can’t be sure, when she shuffles around to hug them both. “Vesper - little Whisper,” Vex whispers, barely beyond tears herself, “what do you want, sweetheart?”

“I want Daddy,” she sobs, “and - and you, and me, and - and-”

Vex’s free hand takes up running through as much of Vesper’s hair as she can. It usually works on her just as well as it does Percy - instead their little girl jerks back, almost offended her mother thinks she can soothe this new pain.

“He’s alone! His - his Papa’s dead and he’s alone and he promised-”

“It’s just a movie,” Percy warbles. Takes a moment to sound less devastated than his child. She needs him. “Vesper, darling, it’s okay. There are no stampedes here, no evil lions. We’re not going anywhere - I promise, I give you my word.”

He can’t promise that.

He knows better than anyone, anyone at all. There’s worse than wildebeest, worse than evil uncles. Long live the king, death to the de Rolos, there’s little difference.

But he’s a father, now, he’s Vesper’s father, and if this is her reaction to the understanding that he could die - that he could be gone - he will build every bulwark, every defense against her ever experiencing this heartbreak as he has. Fuck tragedy, age, accidents - he won’t leave his family. He won’t. Death will have to face him, and he’s got good odds that death will lose.

Death had won back then, though, which makes him clutch Vesper tighter.

One day. But he will fight for each one he has with them. And knows well Vex will do the same.

It goes around like that - the DVD player faintly whirring in protest, here and there, as Vesper keeps repeating the tragedy in her mind, as Vex and Percy keep trying to soothe her of it.

Vex shoulders most of it. Percy is still in much of a state himself, to his shame. Bouts of comfort before he needs to take some for himself: Vesper’s hazel eyes made dark grey by the film of tears, or his grief-rough voice sounding like his father’s to his ears.

It’s not fair to Vex, to be juggling the both of them. He hates this, badly, but struggling to keep his breathing even just makes it buck his control and throw him into more crying.

He has a family, now. Vex and Vesper and Cass and Vax and Keyleth and Velora and those bound to him by no law but forces greater than them. No one here is alone, and never will be again.

“Daddy, you’re sad.”

Well, so much for hiding it. Percy cannot exactly wipe away the tears regardless - hands full and all, and unlike his progeny he is not going to wipe snot on his shirt. “I guess I am,” he admits.

“You -” Vesper has to pause to work through the words - stuck somewhere in her throat, he thinks, maybe wiggling in her mouth like a frog, he knows the feeling. “You don’t-”

He leans into Vex’s touch. An anchor for the wave he knows is coming. He takes the time he can to measure his breathing before Vesper says, “I - Daddy, you don’t have a daddy.”

“No - no, sweetheart, I don’t.”

(He doesn’t include the list, the tombstone-script of names. He’s lost so much more than his father, but he supposes that’s a good place to start. Let alone Vex’s mother. One at a time, or he’ll break again and break worse and Vesper doesn’t need that.)

Vesper looks up at him with streaming eyes. “I’m sorry, Papa.” She squeezes him with all her might - which is considerable, to him. So much love to give and with no remorse. Those perfect little brows - more Vex’s than his - furrow something fierce, and she struggles just free enough of his hold to offer her stuffy. Who is also covered in snot. “’m sorry. Will - will Bauble make it better?”

And oh, fuck, he isn’t ready for that.

“Thank you, dear,” he says solemnly. “Yes - yes, Bauble makes it better.”

He lets Vesper press the owlbear (it was supposed to be a bear, but - Velora, dear, that’s a beak) to his chest, where his heart struggles to pet it.

“I love you, Papa.”

She says it often. More than daily, more times than he can count - and he has tried, diligently, to count and treasure each one.

This one makes his face melt into something awful, and Vesper looks so worried, so scared, and it’s because of the stupid animated lions -

He must have made a gods-awful sound, this time, because there’s a racket of tags and claws on the hardwood as a brown blur bounds over from the kitchen and launches himself at the couch.

Which he’s not supposed to be on, strictly speaking, but who could keep Vax from encouraging the habit? And who would dare fault him now when all the de Rolos shriek.

“Trinket,” Vex scolds, hardly scolding at all. “Down, buddy!”

He just wuffles and noses Vesper’s ear until she wails with giggles, shoving her open palms at their dog. Those get licked too.

It’s very hard to cry when a huge fluffy dog is whining at you for every whimper and licking at your mouth until they turn into laughs.

Percy will be sure to sneak him a little ham, later.

“Tell you what,” says Vex, in his ear. Vesper wiggles to look up at her, too. What must their daughter see? Vex is too close and his eyes too damp to make out much of her beyond redder than normal and shaky. What a portrait, what a distressing sight. “You remember what the daddy lion -”

Sniffle. “Mufasa, Mama.”

She smiles. “- what Mufasa said earlier? About the great kings of the past?” Trinket’s collar rustles when Vex ruffles his soft ears. “Later tonight, after supper, we can go look at the stars, and… talk to them. Would you like that, darling?”

Percy is fairly sure she means Vesper. But when their daughter pinches her eyes shut - overwhelmed? To think? - she’s looking at him with eyes he’d surrender his fears to.

Would he like that?

“Yes, Mummy,” Vesper burbles, with a final rub of her fist to her nose. She then pats Percy’s arm, snot and all. “Can - can we keep watching the movie, Papa?”

“It gets scary,” Vex warns gently. A glance at the screen confirms that Scar looms, some shadows in the dust behind him. “If it’s too much, just tell us and we can stop, alright darling?”

“Trinket will protect you,” Percy adds quietly. The thump of a stubby tail seconds that.

Vesper nods so bravely. “Alright.”

Dutifully, Vex - the only one with a free arm to reach the remote, and with the least gross hands - presses play, and soon enough the thrilling music and fast-paced chase have Vesper distracted again. Even Trinket watches, with his old eyes, laying his head on her little lap.

Percy brands a kiss to Vex’s brow. As hard as he dares.

She hugs him a touch too tight. It’s a promise.

#im Fine im totally Fine im so Fine im So okay I dont have Issues regarding dads dying i swear #critical role #cr fanfic #critical role fanfiction #perc'ahlia #percahlia #percival de rolo #percy de rolo #vesper de rolo #de rolo family #vex'ahlia #modern au #my writing #just a lil ficlet to get over some writer's block

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