#countdown to revolution

[cardinalbiggles]

[are-we-really-doing-this]

I wasn’t paying attention, was that fucking Colt Cabana???

[bloodycowboyclub]

COUNTDOWN TO AEW REVOLUTION (2024)

[livelaughlovelams]

30 MINUTES TILL SEPTEMBER

THE MONTH OF VON STEUBEN DAY

COUNTDOWN STARTS SOON

I WILL UPDATE

TAG EVERYONEEEEEEEEEEEE

[pepsi-maxwell]

mjf working out with a chain around his neck, just say you miss punk already

[beanie-the-bag]

ITS ALMOST HERE

[twistedtummies2]

Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes - Number 28

Welcome to A Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes! During this month-long event, I’ll be counting my Top 31 Favorite Fictional Detectives, from movies, television, literature, video games, and more!

SLEUTH-OF-THE-DAY’S QUOTE: “Change never comes without pain.”

Number 28 is…Adam Jensen, from Deus Ex.

A specific friend of mine introduced me to the Deus Ex games, via their two most recent releases: “Human Revolution” and “Mankind Divided,” both of which apparently act as prequels to the rest of the series. I know absolutely nothing about all the other games in the franchise, but as far as these two games go…I think they’re pretty interesting! The games are a sort of combo of sci-fi and film noir, taking place in a futuristic world where many human beings have “augmented” themselves with bionic materials, for various reasons. In each game, your main character is this guy: Adam Jensen, a frankly much better cyborganic sleuth than Inspector Gadget. Then again, I think a pencil would make a better cyborganic sleuth than Inspector Gadget, and it’s neither a cyborg NOR a sleuth, so…take that as you will.

Anyway: voiced by Elias Toufexis (who apparently is a big fan of noir and pulp style fiction, such as The Shadow), Jensen starts off in “Human Revolution” as a security investigator for a tech company called Sarif Industries. After being horribly wounded in an attack on the company, Jensen is augmented without his consent, and his girlfriend – Megan – is apparently killed. Despite his MANY reservations, Jensen goes out to try and discover exactly what happened, using his newfound augmentations to help him along the way. His investigations lead to him uncovering a vast conspiracy, with ties to the Illuminati, of all things. In “Mankind Divided,” Jensen has left Sarif Industries in favor of working for Interpol, acting as an agent for an elite anti-terrorist squad. He once again runs afoul of the Illuminati in the process of investigating a railway bombing, and once more goes on the hunt to find the perpetrators, using his special tools and skills to track down the criminals. Along the way, in both titles, Jensen also comes across various other cases and side missions, each of which show the different dark corners of the world he lives in.

A big part of both games – and, from what I understand, the Deus Ex franchise as a whole – is the theme of what makes a person truly human. In a world where people are replacing their limbs and organs en-masse with “superior,” artificial contraptions, how much can you do to the human body before it stops BEING a human body? What makes an individual different from the crowd, and what separates people from the machines we build? How much choice and free will does one really have in the world? These are themes integral to both science fiction AND noir-style detective stories, and both titles meld the two genres exquisitely. Jensen, his allies, and the foes he faces present different viewpoints on a world like this, and offer different perspectives on this fundamental question.

Jensen is a classic detective character of this sort; he’s like a cross between the aforementioned Cole Phelps and a superhero of some sort. He’s not unwilling to use violence and direct force on his enemies, and he has plenty of firepower to go around, but much of each game is really about him tracking leads, picking out clues, and asking questions as he tries to get to the bottom of the truth of each matter. These are a couple of those lovely video games where the choices the player makes throughout the story – from simply deciding whether to use stealth or full-faced aggressive tactics, to deciding what messages to share with the people of the world – effect the plot and other characters’ perception of the main protagonist. But even with that said, Jensen has several things that remain consistent: his dry, sarcastic sense of humor, his stonefaced demeanor, and his somewhat cynical outlook on his own life. Perhaps the most noteworthy element, however, is his sense of independence. It’s interesting and fitting that Adam’s journey effectively begins with him being forced into situations beyond his control, because from that point on, you could argue his entire mission in both stories is to find exactly that. Jensen prefers to work alone, as much as possible, and clearly resents being put in the position he is. How he comes to feel about his augmentations, and the concept of augmented people in general, can change depending on how the player handles things, but overall it’s fair to say that, for all the advantages they give him, he also knows they have clear disadvantages, too. As the story of each game grows more complex, so do the choices Jensen has to face. As a result, the player goes from having no choice in what happens to having incredible responsibility heaped onto their shoulders. It’s a unique progression for both the character and each game in general, and it’s part of what makes this sci-fi sleuth so memorable.

Tomorrow, the countdown continues with Number 27!

CLUE: “The world will look up and shout ‘Save us!’ And I’ll whisper, ‘No.’”

[oceanusborealis]

3 Body Problem: Countdown – TV Review

TL;DR – This first episode has left me cautiously optimistic, but I am not sure if it can sustain the momentum it has set for itself, and I am concerned about some of the sharper edges getting sanded back.   ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this show.Warning – This episode contains scenes that may cause distress. 3 Body Problem Review – There…

[phantomrose96]

Hello I've now played Pikmin 3 and I'm beside myself with how Nintendo keeps doing Olimar like this.

After Olimar pays off President's whole debt (and then some) in Pikmin 2 he is... back on PNF-404 in Pikmin 3. Immediately. Like immediately. Because the President lost all their money again and he's sent Olimar and Louie back to PNF-404 again exactly the same as happens to Olimar in Pikmin 2 and this time there is absolutely an undercurrent of violence in Olimar's vlogs and logs. He WANTS bad things to happen to his boss.

But he's too polite and too composed so he's just keeping his cortisol levels down with elaborate fantasies of class revolution, and the mental countdown of how many days until he can get the FUCK off this planet and get home to his family for real. He was ship-wrecked and left for dead for 30 days in Pikmin 1 and fought and bled and killed for his own survival to make it back to his planet only to then IMMEDIATELY be sent back by his shitty awful boss to the planet for another ~30 days in Pikmin 2 (he hasn't seen his family yet) and then IMMEDIATELY is sent back in Pikmin 3 and he wants to go home. He wants to go home. His daughter sends him a message asking if he even lives with them anymore. I'm fucking beside myself.

THIS would all be... okay, at least, if Olimar actually got to go home. But No The Fuck He Doesn't. Because at the end of his mission he's kidnapped by concentrated pikmin nightmare fuel in the form of the game's final boss. Some non-corporeal omnipresent monstrosity which has kidnapped Olimar as a keepsake. A pet. A toy? Which allows Olimar just the chance to attempt an escape day after day before snatching him back and dragging him back to his eternal jail cell. The man who was just about to go home and finally see his family after 3 games.

You find his logs and he's just losing his mind, slowly. He knows he's never escaping. He's losing his will to try. He has nightmares of the pikmin turning on him. Louie's not coming back for him and the President isn't coming back for him.

Pikmin 1 is horror as Olimar is stranded alone with no one but himself to save him. His life support is damaged and he has only 30 days to repair his ship to get home, lest he die in the poisonous atmosphere of this planet. And it's horrifying but at least. At least. He had his own power to save himself. He makes progress steadily over the month. He has reason to keep his hope alive.

Pikmin 3 robs him of that. There is nothing under his own power he can do to escape the Plasm Wraith. His pikmin have all been killed. He's in an unwinnable Saw trap. And this time his life support system isn't damaged. It's the only thing worse than damaged - it's completely functional.

Given that, playing as the Koppaite trio, there is no time limit to save Olimar, I can only conclude Olimar's suit is fully functional this time. He has no food, no water, no chance to ever change out of his suit, but it keeps him alive. He's the Plasm Wraith's prisoner for as long as that suit will keep him alive. Indefinitely, maybe. Unless he could work up the nerve to remove his helmet himself and just end it...

But he doesn't. Day after day he tries to escape until he doesn't have the strength anymore. His suit forces him to sleep more and more, against his will, as a life preservation method. So he's forced to fade in and out of consciousness as this thing's prisoner. And this is forever. Until he dies.

The Koppaite trio rescuing him is pure coincidence. They were on PNF-404 for reasons completely divorced from Olimar. They should never have cared who he was or where he was. Olimar just happened to come across their warp drive key when they crashed, and he picked it up, right before the Plasm Wraith took him. They find him for the warp drive key. The Koppaite trio weren't supposed to save Olimar. No one was supposed to save Olimar.

And how. Awful. Because this time people KNOW Olimar is on PNF-404. President is back home on Hocotate and knows he's lost contact with Louie and Olimar. He could send help but he doesn't. He could COME to help but he doesn't. Olimar isn't waywardly alone this time. He's abandoned. And abandoned by the man who forced him into this danger.

And depending how well you play, and how many fruits you get as the Koppaite trio, a normal run is probably 20-30 days for them BEFORE you rescue Olimar. He was taken soon after they landed. So a month. Another month. Of Olimar stranded on this planet. Worse than ever before, as he's nothing but the mouse being played with by this world's cruelest cat. He hasn't been allowed to take off his space suit for a month... After ~30 days of Pikmin 1 and ~30 of Pikmin 2 and now ~30 of Pikmin 3. His daugher thinks he doesn't live with them anymore...

And then... okay and then... the Koppaite trio rescue him... They offer to bring him home. And Olimar's beside himself because he never thought he was getting off this planet. Someone's shown kindness to him for the first time in 3 games and it takes him by absolute surprise.

He and Louie get home.

AND THE PRESIDENT CALLS THEM IDIOTS FOR LOSING THEIR SHIP AND SENDS THEM IMMEDIATELY BACK TO GET THE SHIP

THE PLASM WRAITH IS STILL THERE AND ALIVE.

IT IS LEGALLY AND ETHICALLY ALLOWED FOR OLIMAR TO KILL HIS BOSS.

[wanderingchaos]

Weekend reblog!

Jump in before the final fight starts! Get the final countdown stuck in your head as well!

Chapter 23: I Guess That Makes Me The Jerk with the Heartache Here to Sing to You About How I Been Done Wrong

GUESS! WHO! UPDATED!!!!

it me.

This is my bespoke villain proving that I probably shouldn't have needed to "prove" that my villain was "evil enough" to be the bad guy, by having their own POV chapter, but also, sometimes you need to set up your final fight by grounding the raising of your stakes in a story where people can both punch through walls and call lightening.

So you'll love to hate our subject, because she's the worst, but she's worth it.

[chocofern]

resolutions, revelations ♡

summary: where you and minghao have been secretly dating for a few months now and at the new year’s party, with your friends and his, the two of you decide to make it official | minghao x fem!reader.

a/n: hiii!! it’s my very first oneshot on this account and i think it’s my new year’s gift to all of you 🫶 the story’s kinda cute (i think) but the title’s not the most creative since i didn’t have the time to really think of one before posting. i hope you really enjoy it. HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVES!!

trigger warnings: honestly, not much, really. fluff, drinking for celebrations, kissing, established relationship between reader and minghao (at a personal level).

words: 0.6k words ──⋆｡° ♡

All the lights illuminated every nook and corner of the house. The winter chill mingled with the warmth of the holidays—contradictory, yet perfectly balanced—filled the air of the living room where everyone had gathered to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

“It’s funny how humans get so happy when the Earth finishes one revolution around the Sun,” Soonyoung remarked, holding a glass of champagne as he made small talk with his friends.

You scanned the room, trying to keep a calm expression while searching for Minghao among the sea of people. It was a big night, after all, and you couldn’t deny the nerves bubbling inside you.

A sudden tap on your shoulder sent a jolt through you, but as you turned, the shock turned into a pleasant surprise.

“Hi… I was looking for you. Where did you disappear?” you asked.

Minghao looked at you intently, his gaze warm as he admired how the lights made you glow.

“I was in the washroom. I wish you’d been there with me too… You know why,” he said, a teasing tone laced in his words.

“You really need help, you know?” you replied, rolling your eyes, but the two of you couldn’t help but laugh softly together.

As the noise of the party buzzed around you, Minghao’s voice broke through, soft yet carrying a hint of hesitation.

“So, do you think we should make our relationship official? Tonight? Is it a good time?”

You hesitated for a moment, but before you could respond, he added, “We can do it later, no worries. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

His considerate words put your mind at ease. After all, letting your friends know about your relationship would feel like taking a big step forward.

“I think we should,” you said. “It’s better than them finding out on their own.”

Minghao smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that. How do you want to go about it?”

As the night continued, the excitement in the room grew. When the countdown began, the anticipation was palpable as everyone counted down to midnight.

“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!”

You and Minghao exchanged a glance, bracing yourselves for the reveal but also sharing in the excitement of the New Year.

“Three, two, one—Happy New Year!”

The room erupted into cheers as Minghao suddenly pulled you into a kiss, almost impatiently. The world seemed to go silent for a moment as everyone turned to look at you both, their faces reflecting a mix of surprise and amusement.

You felt self-conscious for a brief second, but when the room broke into cheers, you let yourself melt into the moment.

“We knew you two would start dating!” Jeonghan and Seungcheol exclaimed, their grins wide. It was clear they were proud of their matchmaking instincts.

Minghao pulled back, his cheeks tinged with pink. He’d never kissed anyone in front of his friends before either.

“Oh, shut up, guys,” he muttered, though his smile betrayed his embarrassment.

He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer and placing a gentle kiss on the top of your head as everyone continued to tease you.

“This is exactly why we didn’t want to tell you!” you replied dramatically, drawing laughter from the group.

As the party carried on, Minghao leaned in and asked, “Well? Doesn’t it feel better to have made it official?”

You nodded, glancing at your friends, who were still buzzing with excitement and playful remarks.

The smile on your face said it all, and Minghao knew in that moment that he’d fight the world to keep that smile shining so brightly.

[kiwioala]

since early day lore keeps being referenced, here are some good early qsmp lore vods to watch if you're ever curious about what all went down:

any day 1 pov: really good introductory content (obviously), even for the lore. there’s a lot of cutscenes from that specific day iirc as well which i always think are beneficial to watch! also everyone’s first reactions to cucurucho/osito bimbo are fucking hilarious

roier, day 4: explains his and osito bimbo’s dynamic, they spend a large part of the day together.

roier, day 5: the betrayal the day of spreens betrayal, self explanatory. this is also the day we get the book from osito bimbo where it calls roier "0037"

any day 7 pov: egg's introduction morse code transmission about an “experiment,” the day the original eggs got adopted, shows how the attitude toward the eggs has changed since then, possibly could help explain some of the family dynamics?? at least how they function and treat the kids

roier, day 10: osito bimbo makes it's return but now it's different, (sort of) the day cucurucho officially takes osito bimbo's place

slime or roier, day 16: tilin's death the day of tilin's death, ultimately had a lot of impacts on various characters on the island like slime, roier, and quackity, for example.

slime, day 20: avenging juanaflippa slime tries to get flippa another chance at life by forcing a reset of all the eggs lives, meaning he goes after and targets the other player's eggs.

day 21: "save the baby" quest aka the first egg kidnapping/disappearance (continued in day 22 due to server maintenance). a rescue mission given to the islanders via egg tasks to go retrieve their eggs!

day 22 (slime, mariana, roier, bbh, quackity, foolish, jaiden, philza): juanaflippa's custody trial and revival really fucking funny but also a part of the servers history that i feel like got brushed over too fast. confirms the federation can give extra lives to the eggs if they are so willing and some other stuff.

luzu, day 24: final (physical) arin appearance explains why arin was there, what his purpose is, and how the codes are related to him. can also been seen in foolish and bbh's vod from this day.

foolish, day 26: introduction to leo’s “friends” and a few island entities, the founding of the theory bros (now ordo theoritas) which can also be seen in max and bad’s pov that day!

day 27: the funeral a funeral is held for all the dead eggs (trump, tilin, and flippa) and i believe it's the first time the federation allows parents to talk to their children after their death. for this day, most pov's do go to the funeral service, but only parents of the dead eggs (quackity, slime, mariana, and maxo) get to see their children.

anyones pov, day 34: “the countdown begins, 6 days left.” codes intercept the ducks transmission (again?) and alert the parents that the eggs will die/disappear in 6 days. we know now this obviously isn't true but still a lore-ish day

roier, day 34: even more osito bimbo content! the day when osito bimbo tells roier more about the federation, such as the existence of the "host" and how it has a specific set of duties it must follow/complete.

quackity, day 36: quackitys interrogation & las casualonas debut disguised, roier and vegetta interrogate quackity about his plans regarding the eggs (which iirc was a rumor started by roier saying he was going to murder them) and the island.

maxo, day 50: sofias creator visits maxo important for current lore seeing as the person who gave him said instructions is now known to be a part of the revolution etoiles was recruited into.

[are-we-really-doing-this]

Not me bugging out at every waking second of Countdown to for any hints about Punk-

[bloodycowboyclub]

[keesdarlin]

☆// striking midnight (MDNI, 18+)

info! cayde-6 / fluff + gender neutral reader

cw! n/a

notes! just a silly little idea i had. also new year's eve has been a little bit rough, so i'm writing this to cope a little bit lol. enjoy :]

in all honesty, what you were doing probably seemed pretty sketchy to someone who was uninformed. or maybe even someone who knew what you were doing. to the unsuspecting eye, it probably looked like-

“are you rigging a bomb? what are you doing, guardian?” your ghost asked, hovering anxiously over your shoulder. 

“no, i’m not rigging a bomb,” you retorted, moving around some wires attached to your little contraption. it was colorful and roughly the size of a backpack, mostly metal cylinders and colorful tubing with wires attached. you sighed to yourself, still fiddling with it. “...they’re fireworks.”

“ah. a colorful bomb,” your ghost replied, an air of disappointment in their tone. 

“no, no. it’s a light show. we’re gonna send these off to celebrate the new year,” you explained, not looking up as you screwed in a loose part. 

“but why do we need to celebrate again? it’s just another completed revolution of the earth around the sun. there’s been a ton of these; it’s nothing new.”

you sighed. you had set up a display leaning against a trash can to the left side of the little alley you’d set up shop in, your headphones connected wirelessly. on the screen played a sort of podcast – two humans sitting together at a table, reflecting on the year with music playing in the background. the viewer count in one corner of the screen read a measly 24, not that you really minded. a countdown to midnight sat in the other corner. the hosts wore no armor, just civilian clothes. you yourself wore minimal armor. probably not the smartest decision considering that you were currently working with explosives, but you wanted to honor the holiday. not quite in your civvies, but not in any kind of battle suit either.

your screen glitched where it leaned against the trash can, the hosts’ voices becoming momentarily distorted. you leaned over, hitting the side a few times. the screen corrected itself. old tech. “because of what it means,” you began, focusing back on the work at hand. “a new year is a fresh start, a clean slate. holds new opportunities. think the light of a new day and all that shit. symbolism.” a beat passed as you rearranged some wires, and then, “i learned that we used to celebrate it before the going got tough. guess i got a little bit sentimental.”

your ghost hummed somewhere behind you, their shell rotating curiously. “well, i think that’s quite nice, guardian.”

“thank you,” you mumbled appreciatively, distracted with your work.

a thud sounded behind you, but you didn’t think much of it. if it turned out to be a threat, you had confidence in yourself to handle it. do you stayed the course, twisting and rearranging and soldering quietly as you hummed along to the music on your livestream. at least it’s nice out. all chilly and calm, just like winter should be. not a peep. judging from your ghost’s silence, they didn’t detect a threat either.

“whatcha got there?” a robotic voice asked from behind you.

you looked over your shoulder to find none other than cayde-6 leaning against the wall of the alley, watching you work. one of his hands lingered near his hand cannon, the other draped across his torso, blue eyes glowing in the dim light.

“a bomb,” your ghost answered easily, shell spinning.

“not a bomb,” you rushed to assure the hunter vanguard. “and not funny,” you directed at your ghost before turning back to the exo. “they’re fireworks.”

“ah,” cayde nodded. “pretty bombs.”

“they’re not bombs,” you corrected, standing to face him. “they shoot up in the air, they’re not gonna hurt anyone.”

“oh, relax. i’m not here to snitch on you or anything like that,” he said nonchalantly.

you looked at him again, gazing pointedly at the hand that lingered near the gun resting in his holster. “mhm,” you said, tone disbelieving.

cayde coughed awkwardly, bringing that arm up to cross the other over his chest. “say, do i know you from somewhere?”

you sized him up, somewhat offended. “i work at the tower. i’m a weapons expert.” i’ve actually worked on the ace of spades, you thought, but left it unsaid.

“of course i knew that,” he assured, nodding. sundance thrummed by his ear, observing.

you nodded too, half-heartedly affirming him.

“so what’s with the bombs?”

“am i the only one that celebrates new year’s eve around here?” you asked lightly, tone bordering on a laugh. 

cayde whistled. “from what i’ve heard, yes.”

you frowned to yourself, shoulders slumping. “that is so disappointing.”

“i suppose so,” he agreed. “how are you planning on celebrating?”

you pointed to the podcast playing on your monitor. “once that timer hits midnight, i’m gonna get off the fireworks. probably get a bite to eat after.”

“sounds… interesting.”

“care to join?” you offered, giving him a lopsided grin.

cayde seemed to think on it a moment and then shrugged. “i mean, why not? as long as no one gets hurt, of course.”

“great!” you smiled, turning back to your machine. you quickly went back to soldering and tweaking various parts of it.

cayde came up, crouched down next to you. “so how long do we have until it’s time to set this sucker off?”

you spared a glance to your screen, checking the countdown timer. “a couple minutes.”

“a couple minutes? and you’re still working on it?!” 

you waved him off. “calm down, i know what i’m doing,” you muttered.

“you’re sure?” cayde checked.

you turned to him, eyes narrowed. “if you don’t trust it, leave.” when he didn’t, you turned back to your work. a few more sparks flew before you finally stood up, setting your hands on your hips. “there.”

cayde hummed, standing up beside you. “okay, great! now what?”

you gestured to the screen. the timer in the corner stood at only 11 seconds. the both of you watched as midnight grew closer. “5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”

the timer hit zero and you pushed a button on the contraption with your foot, stepping back. thankfully cayde followed suit because, a moment later, a barrage of fireworks went up in the air. both of you watched as they exploded in a colorful, booming display of sparks. “wow,” he whispered breathily. 

grinning, you turned your gaze to him, nudged him with your elbow. “happy new year.”

although it seemed a little hesitant, cayde smiled back, eyes glowing a little brighter. “happy new year.”

“now…” you trailed off, grabbing your display screen and dropping it into your bag. another troop of fireworks went up and your grin seemed to gleam a little brighter around the edges. “we should probably run before we get in trouble.”

cayde blinked at you. “what?”

you laughed, staring at him a moment before taking off down the alley. “we should go! you think i got permission from this?”

and then he startled into the realization. you jerk. he broke into a sprint after you, watching the fireworks over his shoulder as he went. “i guess i assumed!”

“no way!” you called, mischief clear in your voice.

he shook his head, following you around a corner. “you owe me ramen for this, kid!”

[gloomyteddybear]

dark fantasy concept

introduction

tw/cw: blood, body horror, mild suggestive, fucked up morals and content that comes with the dark fantasy genre, dehumanization(?);

isekai modern-reader into 'ye olde darke-medieval-fantasy' but instead of into the body of a human to re-create the industrial revolution. put them into the body of a very cryptid/monstrous version of a vamp

at first mc starts like rlly feral, jumbly-instinct thoughts. but as they begin to drink more blood they get more grounded. so basically hunger = madness or smth.

there's also gamer/leveling up/system adjacent things. but only for mc. where it basically counts how much kills they have and it rewards them with skills and its also kinda like a countdown to how many liters of blood they have left until they go bonkers.

since it's the medieval times, technology ain't that good, or most of anything for that matter. it's bad.

since mc is a spoiled city mouse, they rlly want to have modern commodities that only rich people at this time gets. like frequent baths, good infrastructure and basic plumbing. fancy shit like that.

they kinda get obsessed w/ it since its literally the only thing that's familiar and comforting to them so they try rlly hard to get it. either by killing rich people and stealing their houses or building their own spooky mansion by becoming a noble or smth.

it's kinda like those tropes of rich pretty vampire that gets absolutely monstrous w/o blood. with the bright eyes and growling with sharp teeth.

mc really hates when they get feral cause it makes them feel like a mindless monster, not unlike those that gets killed by hunters and mercenaries. so they cope by being as 'civil/cultured/refined' as possible.

absolutely disgusted at the idea of drinking blood, so they keep gaslighting themself into thinking it's wine. prolly has tarps or smth on their table and fancy glasses.

they often come off as arrogant or stand-offish in the 'don't touch me with ur dirty hands peasant' way, but in reality they're just... a paranoid myso/germaphobe.

they're really fancy, imagine ye stereotypical vamp aesthetic but in sleeping robes. just, like, a really comfortable vampire.

and they have really terrifying non-romanticized features as a nod to the feral-cryptid side they rlly want to hide. like the trope of vampire having tapedum lucidum  or unique teeth marks (y's in leeches or patterns)---

---not those sharp and needle-like teeth for puncture that will leave delicate dot-scarring, perfect for symbiosis, self-control and donations. but textured teeth that's obvious that there's no way to stop the bleeding even if you wanted to, meant for gouging and death. kinda like bullet shrapnel or twisted daggers.

but it won't be complete w/out character interactions.

❤︎ mercenary / monster hunter (placeholder: montague )

>kinda like the witcher or mando at first glance. stoic, gruff guy, very tanky but somehow is very stealthy. has a dog trained to smell blood-trails and harmed prey, it is very rotund 'cause of treats. it's name is whinny (a pun, win, whiny, wine(both the drink and the olde english for friend)) like it's owner, the dog find you sus but later becomes attached to you.

>tendencies probably started out in pity, 'damn is this a baby vamp? hopeless. guess i gotta feed them so they get strong enough to be a honorable adversary'. love a guy with a code of honor but dubious morality. but then he got too into it? he finds the fact that a 'monster' has more of a moral compass than him interesting (ur human kill count being lower, disliking torture, etc) lowkey wants to fix you but in a making you better at murder way.

>has a protective dynamic w/ reader but only later on (monty basically wanted them dead lol), brings them lots of prey to feed on (mostly of the bipedal variety, wink wink nudge nudge), if ya refuse to feed there's definitely going to be some tough-love to encourage a healthy diet.

>can be either romantic or familial dynamic. but there's definitively a touch of fear/intimidation on either party.

❤︎ honored guest / your good friend (placeholder: aldwin )

>is either a himbo or really 'cowardly'. the first guy you ever met that you didn't outright attempt-to or kill. kinda milk-toast at first glance. but the only guy you know can't and won't kill you. you often contemplate turning him into a thrall to keep you company for as long as you 'live', (he isn't that opposed to the idea) but often back out because you still have modern sensibilities, mind control bad.

>you often baby him, both in fear of making him scared of you (the smell is fearousel not actual fear) and also because technically he is one compared to you. that's a grown man, he's not actually scared of your mansion he just wants to be near you 24/7.

>sometimes you use him as a juice box, but only after hosting extravagant dinner parties whenever he visits (which is often, on both), making sure he eats enough to replace the blood and too drunk to feel pain. it was actually his idea, managed to convince himself that the dinner is for replenishing and not because you want to celebrate him. the actual feeding is awkward, you refuse to use your teeth and used one of the dinner knifes.

>friend zone/ one sided. mc is in denial/deeply oblivious. can be read as codependent (emotionally).

❤︎ the scholar / the monster doctor (placeholder: boris )

>doctor/physician guy. he has glasses :), someone who takes ur ideas seriously, sees you as a kindred soul, both in the studies and about your nature. has a whole jekyll and hyde situation, his jobs is kinda the reason why he goes awoo in the night. he's surprisingly very soft? mild mannered, polite, a proper gentleman. (whinny hates him lmao)

>kinda a goldigger, first approached you with the intent of having you sponsor his 'research' (monster biology) but later decided to have a collab w/ you. you still treat him as kinda of a sugarbaby still, reserving a special place in the manor to serve as his lab and giving him lots of artifacts and equipment. you mostly do it to see if he has a cure for vampirism (aside from a very painful death), but it's nice to see a very chivalrous man get flustered when it's him being spoilt.

>the wolf side is the complete opposite of his demeanor, feral, bloodthirsty and animalistic, it attacks and destroys everything in it's wake, it cannot harm you due to your strength, but the intent is obvious. it's a very harrowing affair filled with angst, (except the part where you're prepping for the full moon and needing to chain him with silver), you know what's its like to lose control and hurt someone innocent so you always try to do damage control for his sake.

>kinda puts you in a pedestal, sees you as someone out of his league.

❤︎ the oldest servant / elder-vampire butler  (placeholder: aldair )

>kinda older looking in appearance but still pretty-boy enough(? somehow). you didn't turn him, he came with the mansion. he used to be a thrall to someone else but now he's a under your reign. has beef with everyone except monty (prolly teaming to make you less hopeless), specially hates aldwin. he's less alfred, more sebastian/claude or ron molan(TCF).

> it's not exactly known why he's loyal, considering he wanted to kill his previous sire and you don't treat him any better (by your standards, vampire culture is weird). maybe it was the way you just... 'subdued' it and allowed him the pleasure of killing his torturer? causing some weird begrudging-debt turned devotion, that or the fact that you are not a pureblood---or at least act like one.

> kinda thinks ur a spoiled wimp but still spoils you. way too knowledgeable abt your habits, you stretch out a hand and he's already putting a glass of 'wine' between your fingers. you shift in your seat? he's already getting you a footstool (mostly an unfaithful servant or a prisoner), you accidentally tear out someone's throat? he's already collecting their blood in bottles, cleaning the crime scene and creating your alibi.

> you're deff being primed for something. maybe related to the dozens of bottles (and sacrifices) in your cellar.