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theladyofthevarioussorrows · 3 months ago

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In honor of Lestat de Lioncourt's 264th birthday, I present to you...

Written in Blood, or the Play in which The Brat Prince Ties the Knot

Part I (of IV)

Fandom: The Vampire Chronicles (Gothic horror novel series, 1976-2018); Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (TV series, 2022-present)

Pairing: Lestat de Lioncourt/fem!reader; Lestat de Lioncourt/You

Word count: 3,900+

Characters: Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid, the best version…the only one that matters, obviously); fem!reader; The Vampire Armand (lol ouch); Nicolas de Lenfent (even bigger ouch, RIP); Santiago; Estelle; Celeste; Eglee; Sam; Gustav; Quang Pham; pretty much the entire Theatre des Vampires.

Summary: Fem!reader is the newest addition to the Theatre des Vampires, and Lestat becomes smitten with her (of course he does, the little whore!). Lestat’s allure, charm, beauty, and viciousness are not lost on the reader, and she falls for him (I mean, who wouldn’t, let’s be honest). With fem!reader being the freshest member of the Coven, Santiago “initiates” her (similar to how he brought Claudia in) by casting her as Lestat’s co-star in the next play as his love interest. The play, overseen reluctantly by Armand is about a wedding (in the vein of The Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It, or something similar but accurate to the time period, that is the vibe…Lestat, little miss Lady Macbeth himself, “barely Balthazar” Armand, “too old to play Hamlet, too young to play Polonius” Santiago, and I are all Shakespeare girlies, so I thought it would make sense); fem!reader and Lestat are actually getting legally married, unbeknownst to the mortal audience. Fem!reader and Lestat are to be the bride and groom, Santiago is the Justice of the Peace, and the rest of the TDV are the wedding party. While Armand is still the Coven leader, he “directs” the play and Nicki leads the orchestra. Things do not go the way they were planned to go (in Armand’s case); a story of love, sex, and vampire drama unfolds.

Warnings and additional tags: New/eventual relationship, established relationship, smut (P in V), fluff, mention of sex, mention of masturbation, (F and M), oral sex (F and M receiving), all characters (except the reader, duh) are written to be as close to the way they are in the books as well as the show to the best of my ability, reader-insert, reader-interactive, use of Y/N, Lestat gives the reader pet names in French (this is Lestat, after all), mutual pining, flirting, slight voyeurism, slight exhibitionism (is anything Lestat does really a secret? No, not really), blood drinking, blood sucking, bloodletting, biting, gore, violence, murder (feeding on humans is the only instance of this), both Lestat and fem!reader are bisexual, age gap (fem!reader is younger than Lestat by at least a bit but it doesn’t really matter as much because he himself is a new-ish vampire; Lestat would still be somewhere in his thirties in mortal years by the show’s timeline), Lestat is very seductive and persuasive (fem!reader doesn’t need much persuading, so it’s not a bad thing), a bunch of mentions of Shakespeare, lines from As You Like It are in italics and dialogue from vampires using the Mind Gift are in bold italics.

Notes: This story takes place while Lestat is still performing with the Theatre des Vampires and is newly a vampire himself. Magnus is obviously dead by now (thank God). The events of this fic take place after Lestat breaks up with both Nicki (he is still alive at this point in time) and Armand, but before he meets Louis de Pointe du Lac and later Claudia. I don’t have anything against either character (I adore both greatly!), this is just a “what if?” kind of situation. This is a basic idea I had had for literal years ever since I read the books, but I didn’t do anything with it until the second season of the show started, specifically episode 10. I wasn’t immune to Harlequin Lestat, and I was FERAL about it. Sam Reid only made that worse for me (God, I am so in love with him…that man IS Lestat. He doesn’t just play him, he BECAME him, and no one else has come close. Tom Cruise and Stuart Townsend could NEVER!). The premise of the fic came to me while listening to “Written in Blood” by She Wants Revenge…one thing led to another, and here we are! Also, yes, I KNOW the vampires don’t “have sex” in the novels, but they do in the show (a LOT). I might make references to things that have happened in the books (mostly Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat, possibly a bit of Queen of the Damned) but might not have been shown in the TV series yet, so reader beware of that. Let this be the spoiler warning if you are not familiar with the books or haven’t watched the show. I am completely ignoring both movies, because they mean absolutely nothing to me now that the (far superior) show exists. The piece that fem!reader uses for her audition comes from Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It…she is reading as Rosalind while disguised as Ganymede, and Lestat reads with her as Orlando. I thought the parallels were a nice touch. I obviously do not own the rights to As You Like It, I merely used the one scene for Y/N’s audition, and to add romantic and dramatic effect. Special shout out to my best friend Riley for their contribution and ideas!

Language: English (except for a handful of pet names and expressions used by Lestat in French, hopefully I did it correctly. I took 4 years of French in high school, but I am not fluent)

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It was a cool autumn night in Paris, and while mortals slept, the undead were busy welcoming their newest member to their coven inside the old auditorium. The Vampire Armand stood proudly in front of the stage, looking up at the Theatre’s founder and poster child Lestat de Lioncourt, giving him notes and stage directions he knows full well Lestat will not listen to. Next to Lestat was Y/F/N Y/L/N, a freshly turned vampire herself.

Today was Y/N’s audition to join the Theatre des Vampires, and although nervous, she felt at home already among the other thespians in the room with her. With her lifelong love of theatre and literature that only intensified in her newly immortal life, Y/N knew she was in good company. She caught herself stealing glances at Lestat, as if against her will, but she knew she couldn’t help herself. Of all the vampires in this room—the stage director and Coven leader Armand, fellow company members Eglee, Celeste, Estelle, Sam, Gustav, and Quang Pham in the seats, as well as the gifted violinist Nicki hiding in the wings—there is something captivating and enchanting about this charismatic blonde actor. Y/N felt immediately attracted to this man, and she was both alarmed by and pleased with this sudden revelation. Lestat could feel Y/N’s attraction to him, something he found adorable, endearing, distracting, and quite arousing. Lestat gazed at her, a charmingly wicked smile on his face as he admired the young vampire in front of him. Armand, annoyed but pushing the uneasy feeling down, turned to look at Y/N.

“Welcome to the Theatre, dear Y/N. The Coven and I are interested as to how you found yourself in Paris, and how you found us. Please, enlighten everyone,” Armand said, with a slight air of both curiosity and mild arrogance rolled together. Y/N quickly moved her glance from Lestat to Armand and shivered slightly before she answered.

“Hello all, my name is Y/F/N Y/L/N, and I was visiting when I was given the Dark Gift. I have been in Paris ever since. I heard about the Theatre through my maker, and through discovering the Theatre, I found out about the Coven.” As she told the truth, she felt Santiago staring daggers at her, full of amusement.

“So, little miss Y/L/N, it seems as though you enjoy the arts, is that right?” said Santiago, with a slithery snark. Y/N nodded her head. “A birdie told me that you’re auditioning with one of Shakespeare’s lesser works, yes?” Y/N nodded again. Lestat’s blueish violet eyes widened as he grinned a little bigger.

“Yes, I will be reading as Rosalind disguised as Ganymede. I hope you find it suitable,” she said politely, trying to stifle a small tinge of laughter. Santiago exaggerated his giggle to mock her slightly before speaking again.

“Hmm, I assume you would like to have someone read with you. I wonder who that could be…” Santiago’s voice trailed off as he shifted his glance from Y/N to the left of her.

The slender, blonde, and devilishly handsome vampire beside Y/N spoke before she could even have the thought to respond. Watching from the wings, the violinist Nicki put a hand to his forehead with a quiet groan.

“I volunteer myself. I know the play by heart,” said Lestat. He shot Y/N a soft but sly grin as he placed his hand on his chest, reeling in the blush that appeared on her face. Armand had to hold back a scoff as Lestat offered to read with her. “I’m quite curious to see how she does, if I may.” Lestat gently bowed as he spoke to her, with a smile on his face and intrigue in his heart. Lestat was many things, and subtle was not one of them. Y/N nodded, smiling slyly back at him.

“You may,” Y/N said, bowing slightly. Her cheeks cast a rosy glow upon them as she smiled. Santiago chuckled to himself, and Armand choked down another scoff as he looked back to Y/N and Lestat.

“As you wish. Lestat, you will read with Y/N as Orlando, starting from his entrance after Jaques exits the scene. Y/N, you will follow.” Armand crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the two vampires in front of him on the stage.

“Yes, maître,” said Y/N, slightly nervous but strangely excited about reading alongside this hauntingly tempting creature next to her. She got herself into character quickly, trying to fight off the thought of how sweet Lestat’s blood might taste on her tongue and how soft his full lips must be, among various other salacious and primal things that she wasn’t aware of that she needed or wanted. It wasn’t an unwelcome thing—Lestat had something disarmingly attractive about him. Y/N felt drawn to him somehow, but she tried in vain to hide it. Lestat cleared his throat and prepared himself as well, his own pale skin turning a faint pink as they moved to the middle of the stage. Butterflies fluttered inside their bodies as they began their scene. After a few seconds of silence passed, Lestat launched into character.

“My fair Rosalind, I come within an hour of my promise.” Lestat said, remembering the lines from memory as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. Despite her nervousness and giddiness, Y/N began herself.

“Break an hour’s promise in love? He that will divide a minute into a thousand parts and break but a part of the thousand part of a minute in the affairs of love, it may be said of him that Cupid hath clapped him o’ th’ shoulder, but I’ll warrant him heart-whole.” Y/N matched Lestat’s intensity and focus as she spoke her lines. Astonished by her delivery, he carried on with his own lines.

“Pardon me, dear Rosalind,” continued Lestat, feeling a rush of adrenaline in the pit of his stomach, the pleasant sensation only growing stronger as she went on. Lestat watched her as she moved effortlessly through her audition, overcome with awe, very nearly stumbling on his own lines as a result. Armand and Santiago watched from the bottom of the stage as Y/N and Lestat kept going.

Armand watched from the front row and noticed Lestat’s immediate and oddly natural chemistry with Y/N and was well aware of the subtle attraction and quiet infatuation she felt towards Lestat. Armand could feel it through her, and it bothered him. He couldn’t help it; he began to feel his face turn green with envy. Santiago, however, was greatly amused at what was unfolding in front of them—and he relished the drama of it all. The rest of the Coven watched from the seats intently, some engrossed, some unbothered. Nicki leaned up against the wall backstage, a pained expression etched on his features. Looking on at his former lover floating across the stage with a woman whom he had only met mere hours ago and watching her fall under his spell just as he had, Nicki shook his head, a grimace forming on his face.

With all due respect, maître…maybe we should keep an eye on the new one, said Santiago, filling Armand’s head with his thoughts without moving his mouth. It’s only a matter of time before our dear founder tries to take her to bed with him…you know as well as I do how he is. And seeing how she’s looking at him—Armand did not want to hear this. Lestat and Y/N were too immersed in their scene and lost in each other to hear them through their own minds.

Armand cut him off. Enough, Santiago. I know very well how Lestat operates. Let them finish. I’ll allow Y/N to continue, for now. We shall decide what measures to take when the time is right… As Armand and Santiago sized Y/N up, she breezed through her audition.

“Come, woo me, woo me, for now I am in a holiday humor, and like enough to consent. What would you say to me now an I were your very, very Rosalind?” Y/N continued as she blushed and smiled at Lestat. Anything he did in his impromptu performance, she followed with masterful skill.

Lestat slowly walked closer to her, his gaze never leaving her eyes. Lestat looked at Y/N, smirking as he brushed some of his long blonde hair behind his ear. He let the silence expand for a second before he continued.

“I would kiss before I spoke.”

Lestat and Y/N gazed at each other as if they were the only beings in the room, amusing Santiago morbidly and annoying Armand profoundly. A mixture of admiration and a deep hunger formed inside Lestat’s chest, and Y/N’s heart pounded against her ribcage. She gulped quietly as she tried to keep up with Lestat. Determined to give the best audition she could despite having to act opposite the most gorgeous creature she has ever laid her eyes on, alive or dead, Y/N tried to fight off her own desire building within her. Soft gasps could be heard from the other vampires watching them from the seats.

“Nay, you were better speak first, and when you were gravelled for lack of matter, you might take occasion to kiss. Very good orators, when they are out, they will spit; and for lovers lacking—God warn us—matter, the cleanliest shift is to kiss.”

Sensing Y/N’s struggle to maintain her composure, Lestat met her energy with his own words. “How if the kiss be denied?” He looked at her for a beat, cocking his head to one side quizzically. Y/N answered him with a playful shrug.

“Then she puts you to entreaty, and there begins new matter.”

Lestat continued his teasing, delighted by the thrill Y/N gave him. “Who could be out, being before his beloved mistress?”

Y/N pretended to scoff. “Marry, that should you if I were your mistress, or I should think my honesty ranker than my wit.”

Lestat looked at Y/N with a look of mock surprise. “What, of my suit?” he said, his voice harboring a more sensual tone this time.

“Not out of your apparel, and yet out of your suit. Am I not your Rosalind?” Y/N floated across the stage like a ghost, every single movement calculated and carried out so smoothly.

“I take some joy to say you are because I would be talking of her.” Lestat’s face reddened slightly as he noticed how Y/N’s jaw dropped, but only for a second before she kept going.

“Well, in her person I say I will not have you.” Y/N let out an exaggerated giggle as she playfully spun around slowly.

A dramatic sigh escaped Lestat’s lungs. “Then in mine own person I die.” He looked back at Y/N as she turned to face him again.

“By this hand, it will not kill a fly. But come; now I will be your Rosalind in a more coming-on disposition, and ask me what you will, I will grant it.” Y/N gazed at the vampire in front of her, only inches separating them now. Lestat reached out to gently caress Y/N’s cheek as they looked deeply into each other’s eyes, making her blush even more obvious in her face now. He has her right where he wants her, and as fate or some other mystical thing would have it, Y/N is right where she wants to be. Once again, Lestat drew the silence out for a beat too long before he spoke.

“Then love me, Rosalind.”

Y/N’s voice trembled a little as she leaned into Lestat’s touch. His unbroken focus on her made her feel slightly faint just from the way he looked at her, but she kept her cool as best as she could. “Yes, faith, will I, Fridays and Saturdays and all.” She shyly smiled up at him, trying and failing to hide her quiet swooning.

Lestat hung on to every word that left her lips as if he had never heard such language spoken before. Of course, he was no stranger to the stage himself, having been the Theatre’s main selling point for a few years now. The act of performing on a stage in front of an enamored audience always thrilled him, but she…she was different. This new and sudden but pleasant feeling cut him way deeper, hit him harder—he knew that she was something magical. And Lestat wasn’t quite sure where to put that desire and hunger, so he decided to do the thing he does best: he needed to have her all to himself, by any means necessary. Lestat was delighted to find that the feeling was so clearly mutual.

Santiago watched Lestat enchant Y/N as they continued with their performances. He gasped quietly as he saw Lestat become smitten with Y/N, rolling his eyes. Just look at those two! Can you believe them? They’ve made eyes at each other from the second she came through the door. They’ve only just met a few hours ago and he’s looking at her like Venus de Milo herself…and she looks as if she’s about to melt through the floor. Armand found himself becoming more and more annoyed as Lestat and Y/N carried on like they were, and Santiago took notice. Maître, you’re grinding your teeth…

Armand huffed quietly. I said let them continue. Y/N is smarter than we realize. If she doesn’t know who she’s getting herself tied up with, she will. I can guarantee that. Armand maintained his mildly annoyed expression as he crossed his arms over his chest. I see potential in her. We can use that potential.

Santiago, ever the drama queen but also the suck-up, tried to push Armand’s buttons. How shall we do that, maître? I wonder what our violinist has to say about this…I can’t imagine he’s especially thrilled about—

Armand cut him off once again. Be silent now, Santiago. Nicki is the least of my worries right now.

Now mildly aware of the growing discomfort in the pit of Armand’s stomach and Santiago’s antagonizing of him, Lestat continued to read with Y/N. He was enraptured by her, this was true—but he also found quite a bit of amusement in making Armand uncomfortable. Y/N, less aware of the effect her performance is having on the Coven leader and his all-too-willing sidekick, matched him masterfully.

“And wilt thou have me?” said Lestat, sultry and low.

Y/N nodded her head and smiled. “Ay, and twenty such.”

Lestat felt his heart flutter in his chest as he moved closer to her. “What sayest thou?”

Y/N gently bit her lip then let it go with a smirk. “Are you not good?”

“I hope so.” Lestat rolled his eyes in a sassy manner.

“Why then, can one desire too much of a good thing?” Y/N went on, closing the small space between herself and Lestat.

The vaguely pained expression did not escape Armand’s face. Still wanting to maintain some sort of order and power over his Coven, Armand kept his focus fixed on the two vampires on the stage in front of him.

Santiago, an evil grin taking shape over his features, watched Lestat and Y/N’s bond become deeper by the second as Y/N continued. “Come, sister, you shall be the priest and marry us. Give me your hand, Orlando.” Y/N gently reached for Lestat’s hand, and he placed it in hers, tangling their fingers together. She looked to where the audience would be sitting. “What do you say sister?” Y/N looked back up at Lestat as he gazed back at her, their vampire eyes blown out with love and desire for each other.

After what felt like an eternity, Lestat put his finger under Y/N’s chin and gingerly tilted her head up. He started to move down to press his lips to hers, and she moved up to meet him. He closed his eyes, and her eyelids fluttered shut as his lips gently—

A groan could be heard from Armand as Santiago abruptly rose from his seat and applauded loudly. Lestat and Y/N snapped out of their trance and pulled away from each other, no longer able to hide their blushing. The rest of the Coven began to applaud as well. The vampires Sam and Gustav were enthusiastic in their encouragement of the new potential member of the Coven and her undeniable and palpable chemistry with their Theatre’s founder. Celeste looked on with a proud smile on her face, while Estelle clapped wildly. Eglee rolled her eyes before eventually joining in with her applause. Backstage, Nicki shook his head again as he quietly left the auditorium, quietly cursing under his breath.

“Very well done, Y/N. Very well done indeed,” said Santiago, sounding giddier than he probably should. He looked at Armand. “What say you, maître?” he asked with mock amusement.

Armand once again did not listen. He looked up at Y/N as Lestat released her from his gentle but bold embrace. “Exquisite work, Y/N. Exceptional. While we evaluate your performance, you are welcome to remain here with the Coven. We have provided a coffin for you near your maker’s.” Armand started to dismiss everyone before he turned back to Y/N. “We do expect you to keep our hours, curfew is three o’clock sharp.” He shot a subtle but menacing glare at Lestat. Lestat rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself as he turned his back to him. Armand looked at Y/N again. Lestat smiled warmly at Y/N as he winked at her.

Still reeling from everything that just occurred, Y/N nodded and bowed. “Yes maître, I will. Thank you all.” Armand dismissed Santiago and the rest of the Coven, and they all left the auditorium.

It was then that Y/N heard a sensual and seductive voice inside her head.

Très bien fait, ma chérie. I’m impressed.

Y/N turned around to find Lestat leaning against the piano on the stage, his arms crossed over his chest, looking her up and down, dripping with genuine curiosity and insatiable desire. She blushed and smiled as she met his gaze.

“That’s very sweet of you to say, Lestat. It really means a lot to hear.” Y/N walked over to him, slightly nervous but not at all deterred. “You were amazing yourself.”

Lestat rolled his eyes playfully at her compliment but accepted it. “You flatter me, mon amour.” He stood up straight and walked over to her, looking down at her with that softly sly smirk again. “I must say, my dear Y/N, you are quite the actress. Many have come and gone from this theatre, but none have bewitched me so like you have, ma petite fleur.”

Y/N swooned at his words, slightly taken aback by the sincerity in them despite the obvious attraction. “Oh, you’re too kind. It’s not often I’m in the presence of someone so…” She caught herself getting lost in his eyes again—something she has by now realized is very easy to do—before she continued. “So…enchanting as you.”

Lestat chuckled lowly. “Is that so? Well, you have captivated me too, love,” he said, pausing briefly as he took the sight of her in. “I haven’t seen such talent on this stage in quite some time, Y/N.” She blushed deeper as she took a second to gather her thoughts. Y/N sighed softly before speaking.

“Thank you! I’m just happy that I can finally do what I love to do. Up until today, I thought it was unfortunate that I couldn’t do this kind of thing when I was mortal, but I don’t have that feeling now that I’m here. In an odd way, it feels right like this.” Y/N chuckled lightly.

Lestat listened to her words intently. “I know that feeling very well, mon coeur. For what it’s worth, I’m quite glad you wandered into our midst. I can see already that you’re passionate about the Theatre, and it’s refreshing. You’re simply lovely.” Y/N smiled at his words of admiration and encouragement. “I cannot wait to see what other talents you possess, if you don’t mind my saying so,” he said with a smirk, appreciating the slight drop of her jaw. Noticing the positive tension on her face, Lestat spoke gently to her. “Oh, and don’t be nervous, chérie. There is nothing to be afraid of. I have no doubt you’ll fit in here, I am sure of it.” He traced her jawline affectionately before tilting her head up to bring her eyes to meet his, just like he did during her audition. “And, if I may be so bold, I would love to get to know you better. If you’ll have me, of course.” Y/N’s eyes widened as she swooned. She nodded as she stuttered slightly.

“I’d love to, Lestat. I would be honored.” Y/N felt her heart jump into her mouth. The gorgeous blonde vampire in front of her reveled in how flustered she looked as he spoke to her.

“Very well then, dear Y/N. We’ll continue our little conversation after your initiation tomorrow.”

Y/N gulped. “My…my what?!”

Lestat giggled slyly. “You heard me correctly, ma chérie. Welcome to the Theatre, darling. You’re one of us now as far as I’m concerned.”

“But…Armand said—” Lestat gently placed a finger over her lips to shut her up as he spoke lowly to her, sultry and dripping with desire.

“Shh, ma jolie fille…never mind what that manipulative gremlin Armand said.” Lestat let his finger gently drag across her bottom lip before letting it go. He brushed some of her hair behind her ear as he continued. “I’ll be seeing you backstage afterwards, yes?”

There was no way for him to be coy about his appetite for her any more than he had earlier. The vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, the Brat Prince himself, was anything but shy about his unquenchable thirst for Y/N; it only grew exponentially in the few hours since he met her.

Y/N felt as though the air had been knocked out of her lungs as she nodded. “Of course, Lestat. You will.” She smiled at him, trying to regulate her breathing.

Lestat smiled wickedly at her again. “Très bien, mon amour. I’ll see you then.” He caressed her face again before turning to walk away. “Bonne nuit, ma belle. Sweet dreams.”

Y/N could feel her heart pounding in her throat as she smiled. “Good night, Lestat. I hope you sleep well.” Blushing, she beamed at him, and he smiled back, a blush of his own on his face.

With that, they left the room. As she lifted the lid to her coffin next to the others to crawl inside it, Y/N gasped as she heard Lestat’s voice in her head again, stopping her momentarily.

Remember what I told you, ma petite fleur. There is nothing to worry your pretty little head with. And know this too, my darling: I don't bite...hard.

#lestat de lioncourt #lestat #sam reid #the vampire lestat #interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #amc immortal universe #theatre des vampires #lestat x reader #lestat de lioncourt x fem!reader #lestat de lioncourt smut #the vampire armand #nicolas de lenfent #iwtv #the vampire chronicles #happy 264th birthday lestat!#Spotify

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oathkeeper-of-tarth · 3 months ago

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Time for a long Aylin ramble, because I haven't indulged in a while.

I'm actually really invested in Aylin being an aasimar! I do not think it is a misnomer or mistake, as I've seen people suggest. She was referred to as a celestial explicitly in some older builds of the game, but this was changed at some point during development. And I noted aasimar enjoyer Oath, quelle surprise prefer it this way for a variety of reasons. Primarily, I think, because it lets her be larger than life, have a touch of that other-worldliness and otherness, while keeping her very much "of this world" still, very (physically and otherwise) present and part of the prime material plane, and ultimately far more human than I believe even she herself would sometimes like to be.

To bring up the most basic and rules/mechanics-bound "creature type" level of categorisation, as an aasimar she is a humanoid, and not a celestial - outsider. Her outsider status is absolutely there and a goldmine of things to explore, but that's a different post sitting in my drafts for far too long that I'll get around to one of these days (but for now you should read this post that I love). Yes, she is in a very real sense above it all, she will outlast everyone around her and whatever she gets involved with. We also get to see her dramatic poetic archaic speech idiosyncrasies (Ho!), her odd sense of the passage of time, and, of course, her oft-discussed and joked about apparent lack of filter or regard for current social graces.

(Endlessly amused at her just going: I'll do it when my mum tells me to.)

All things combined, Aylin feels more like a being of two worlds to me than a guest visiting this one, even as she is called the emissary of a goddess. She embodies a blending and an odd balancing act between the lofty divine and the mundane, duty and preordained purpose and personhood, and touches on the many ways this balance can be tipped. A classic D&D aasimar struggle, really, and a well I am happy to keep returning to.

Balthazar: She was a unique specimen even before I began my work. Aasimar. A god's blood united with mortal flesh.

She honestly isn't even that far from a regular aasimar stat- and ability-wise - Aylin does have several special abilities, but these are flavoured as blessings from her divine mother instead of an inherent property of her as a creature - though, notably, Aylin herself at one point claims she is always reborn because "it is [her] nature".

“Blessed with the favour of a goddess, Nightsong cannot be permanently killed. When unconscious, at the start of her turn she recovers 1 hit point.” “Nightsong will be resurrected by the powers of Selûne whenever she dies.”

Importantly, she does not get to reincarnate, or get a new body, or flit away to her "home plane" or anything like what celestials get to do. She is anchored to this one physical existence (again, very human of her), tied and limited to this one body as it painstakingly repairs itself over and over and over (to a sometimes extreme extent, e.g. the all but outright stated regrowing of amputated body parts in a frankly horrifying context), insistently and indomitably but ultimately imperfectly. And I think that's part of why the kintsugi design drives me utterly wild, why her immortality setup is more interesting to me than, say, a mutant healing factor, or something like the characters in The Old Guard. Her history is pretty literally engraved on her skin, and when she, in the role of a power-granting artefact and the object of a ritual sacrifice, tells you she will feel every wound you inflict upon her, it is so easy to believe her. And I'm not even that invested in physical suffering, just that it means it's all still very palpably there, forever, and she doesn't get to magically restart with a clean slate in this sense, nor does she get to forget past lifetimes as some creatures like devas do. It's just a flavour of immortality I personally find far more engaging than most.

(I mean, yes, I am also a known hurt/comfort sucker and if you're going there in order to set up a scene where she's, I dunno, getting doted on by Isobel who's invented new scar tissue pain relief massage techniques, you know I'm going to be all over that.)

I'm also not sure I'd say she can just pop over to Argentil to hang out with her mum at will. I mean, planeshifting is not that hard to achieve, and also she can just… ask Selûne, ultimately, I guess. But I wouldn't say she has spent much time there, and I think she takes her role as Selûne's champion and representative in the Realms too seriously and too much to heart to be away from them for very long.

Which also calls to mind the issue of the obvious and "simple" answer to Isobel's eventual death - namely that with Isobel picked up as a petitioner soul they'll all just go live out the better part of an eternity in Selûne's realm. Probably in some form they will - it's never guaranteed, but this time, yeah, probably something like that will happen, and there will be, as Melodia says, no loss, only temporary separation. But I'm really not into just handwaving or stripping away most of the mortal/immortal pairing issues inherent in the relationship. If we're going for the "hang out in a different plane of existence forever" option, I think at one point Aylin would have to "complete" her duties and lay down her sword, in a way, and pick between Faerûn and the Gates of the Moon - meaning she herself is effectively moving on to a completely new phase of her existence as well.

And while Selûne carving a lovely marble statue and bringing it to life and similar takes are fun and beautiful and interesting, I'm very invested in an Aylin who was born, raised, and had to actually grow up and learn and be trained. I have a ton of headcanons of Aylin being a weird glowy baby at some point (with all the Disney's Hercules jokes I've seen folks make, of course), being entrusted to a series of Selûnite enclaves and temples and cloisters, hounded by Shar and her agents pretty much all her life.

(Neither here nor there, but Aylin also comes off as a fairly "young" immortal to me - note that I am basing this on absolutely nothing but a general impression and there's no actual hint anywhere about how old she really is. Just vibes.)

To finish up, I'd like to shout out Isobel, and the big humanising factor she is presented as. For instance, a very concrete bit of motivation for Aylin to eventually "humanise" her perception of time, if nothing else.

Aylin without Isobel is horribly depressing to me mostly because she seems to distance herself from her humanity and err on the side of holy duty (see: her epilogue letter, ouch). And Isobel is definitely the person who (invaluably, imo) explicitly and consistently insists on Aylin's humanity and personhood, who cares for her as a woman and not a divine weapon, who actually treats her well-being as a priority, and who understands her so very well and so deeply. Who does acknowledge the gloriously resplendent Dame Aylin, daughter of the Moonmaiden herself in all her awe-inspiring presence and occasionally amusing foibles, but who never fails to look past the titles and fronts even Aylin herself is so keen to put up, and focus on what lies behind it all.

A moment that sticks out to me in particular is her bemoaning Aylin's disregard for her own safety, then actually getting very angry if you suggest Lorroakan can't hurt Aylin:

Isobel: Even after all she's been through, she thinks herself unstoppable - invincible. It all feels like recklessness to me. Player: Lorroakan can't harm her. Have faith. Isobel: He can harm her. Just as Ketheric did. She'll survive it, but she can suffer like any of us - and for longer.

Using Isobel's words verbatim is a good conclusion to my thoughts here, I think: the truth of Aylin being "singular among us all" coexisting with all the ways Aylin is "just like any of us".

And now I'll pay the cute Aylin screenshot tax one last time.

#yes i know i'm sorry i forgot to dump some water over her head before taking these #dame aylin #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #aylin x isobel #isobel thorm #meta #headcanon #long post #aasimar #i genuinely cannot find what my meta/rambling tag was #anyway once again for the record i find her endlessly endearing #on top of being an interesting and engaging character

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emptyjunior · 1 year ago

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Does anyone want to Goncharov them with me

I think Balthazar's arc was So refreshing, like him showing up for the kids!!! Throwing himself at the night yorb the thing RIGHT AWAY after we learnt all about his struggles with avoidance and running from danger?!!

Like it's such a turn around and you can SEE the kids impacted him so much, and I love seeing that he has those relationships now with Riz and Duggans and has like genuinely opened himself up instead of the 'faking being nice' thing that we saw him doing when we first met him at that seedy tavern in that wild poker episode.

(And honestly thank god Squeem headed home before he showed up, wouldn't want to see a rematch of THAT epic rivalry😭😂)

#unreality #Fantasy high #dimension 20 #Goncharov #Balthazar #brennan lee mulligan #d20 #fhjy #fantasy high junior year

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monsterlimbs · 17 days ago

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Okay third "sympathetic big bad" from bg3 post for Ketheric because he is the one guy that I think most can sympathize with, and he's truly the easiest to sympathize with.

Some horrible day, your beautiful Melodia, your darling wife, dies, protecting your daughter. You grieve horribly, but you keep going for your children. Everything for them.

Your daughter brings home a fucking IMMORTAL Aasimar, child of a god and declares her as her lover. A child or your god, yes, who you've known so far to be good, sure, BUT STILL A CHILD OF A GOD. It almost makes it worse that the Aasimar is a child of your god, considering you raised your daughter, per your wife's wishes, to trust Selûne, and you're worried that this Aasimar may use this to her advantage. And they're so in love yes, but that's such a scary power dynamic for you- what if Aylin asks your daughter to do something she's not ready for? How OLD is that Aasimar? And how could you live with yourself if your daughter was put into an unsafe situation, simply because you didn't put your foot down? So, you do, and your daughter's angry. Of course she's angry, you're telling her that her and her girlfriend can't be together, but she has to come around eventually, she has to understand what a horrible power dynamic that is.

And worse, worse than when your wife died, you're told your daughter, precious, sweet, innocent Isobel, is dead (who I believe was killed by Halsin in self defense with the Sorrow glaive, even though that content has since been cut from the game but y'know! so essentially, his daughter, in his mind, was killed by a damn druid, the guys who were supposed to be PEACEFUL). You spiral, of course you do, your precious baby is dead, how could you not? And when your god, Selûne, damned mother of that damned Aasimar, ignores your prayers to have your baby back, you turn to her sister, Shar. And Shar, for a moment, helps relieve your loss. In return for killing Selûnites, the same wretched folk that turned against you in your grieving, she rewards you, turns you immortal by letting you imprison that Aasimar that took a liking to your daughter. You're more than pleased to do so, to lock what you believe is a predatory Selûnite up. Shar helps soften your loss.

And then she lets you die to Harpers of all people, and uses you as a way to release the Shadow Curse.

You're revived (I like to believe by Balthazar), and shown the way of Myrkul's path, and HE, is the one to bring your baby back, a century after her fall. You're happily indebted to him, to have your child alive again, anything and more for your baby.

....But she's mad at you. She won't talk to you. She looks at you like you're a monster. She's STILL upset over you forbeying her and Aylin's love, and even more now that she knows you've been using her as a means for immortality. She doesn't get how much you did for her, even while she was gone. You've practically forgotten about all else besides her, and it hurts so bad knowing your baby is not only angry at you, but thinks of you as a MONSTER. You know she'll come around, though. ...And she's now running from you and hiding in the Last Light Inn.

Eventually, you send a Fist to get her and bring her back, and either, your daughter has been killed AGAIN by some random wretched folk- oh gods it's not random is it? That's Durge. OR, she survives and is brought back to you, OR she survives and is even angrier at you now. She doesn't see how much shit you've waded through, just for her. She only sees a man who's "gone too far". She doesn't even know how far you'd go, to keep her safe. Everything and more, just to keep her safe.

Whether she's with you or not, one day you wake to a suddenly... off feeling. ....Fuck, why do you feel so odd? FUCK, your immortality's gone, you can feel it. Your wounds don't close, you're vulnerable. And it's all the problem of, either, the folk that kept your daughter from being returned to you, or the folk who killed her and sent her back.

And once, Ketheric truly was redeemable. But now, he gets SO, SO, SO close and then Aylin's like "nah he'd NEVER surrender, isn't that right, you worm?" and he gets up and is like "oh fuck you" and every chance is gone. Then you see him again, and he's already decided, he WON'T grovel again. He's gone too far, he sees it now. Sweet, precious Isobel was right. There's no coming back from this. And if you try to convince him he's worthy of redemption, he selflessly gives up and his god ixnays his retreat. And otherwise, he may go down yes.... But if he's going down, so are you.

And then he dies. He dies knowing he's given up everything for his daughter, cursed an entire land, caused Hell for everyone, and that his daughter, sweet Isobel, doesn't even think he's her father anymore. In her eyes, he's so far gone that he's not even the same man.

#bg3 #ketheric #ketheric thorm #bg3 ketheric #i actually really love him #i wish he was still redeemable #he's actually perfect #i have a soft spot for parents who would do anything for their children #so yes he's a villain #but considering he's doing all this for his daughter?#i don't really see him as THAT bad even though i know he IS that bad #but he's just #grieving? and he's doing all this for his little girl y'know?#and also I LOVE LOVE LOVE Aylin and Isobel's love but #would you not be fucking pissed if some old lady immortal and A CHILD OF A GOD #came to you like “your daughter's my girlfriend”?#their love is very pure imo but there IS a power imbalance and isobel even comments on it #and if i were a parent and my kid came to me w that situation? i would do the same

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melanieathene · 2 days ago

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Thy Will Be Done

I didn’t understand much of anything when I was Jack, just Jack, Lucifer’s new-born son. Everything was new to me. I was new to myself. I didn’t know if I was good or bad, I simply was. And who knows what I might have become, had Cas not been there for me from the start.

Cas... and the Winchesters. Three father figures for the orphan who had expected none. Not that Dean trusted me at first. And who could blame him? Power without reason or control is a scary thing. But he trusted Cas, and that gave me the hope that he would someday come to trust me too.

That trust was not easily won. There were far too many setbacks, too many times when he hated me, even wanted to kill me. But nevertheless, in his own gruff way, Dean taught me duty, respect — and who better to teach me righteousness than the Righteous Man himself.

Sam gave me friendship. He taught me patience, diligence, and nurtured my insatiable thirst for knowledge.

And Cas? Cas taught me love. Free and pure, love flowed from him to Sam, to Dean, to me — you did not have to be an angel to see it. He was my protector. He believed in me when I did not even believe in myself.

We were a strange, dysfunctional family. But we were family. All four of us believed that.

And then Cas was taken by the Empty...

And, soon after that, I became God. All Chuck’s power, all His knowledge poured into me. And because my three fathers had helped shape the man I was, so too they shaped the God that I became: kind and just; forgiving and peaceful; all knowing and, most of all, full of love.

I loved all of my adoptive fathers. I loved all of the humans and angels now in my care. But, most of all, I loved Cas. Although I had become the Father of All, still he was my father. There was so much more he had to teach me...

I could not be without him. And so, I took him from the Empty. He and those whose names he spoke of with the greatest longing, with the deepest affection: Joshua, Balthazar, Anna, Gabriel, Samandriel. These angels all became my trusted lieutenants as we began to reform Heaven into all that a heaven should be, but Cas was my right hand man. I trusted his opinion above all others. And in all things we were were in complete agreement, save for one crucial matter...

Earth was for living humans. That was my firm belief, and so it became my law. Earth did not require divine intervention. It had seen far too much of that under my predecessor's reign. I would keep an eye on the happenings there, of course, but it was off limits to the angels. This was hard for Cas to accept. He raged, he wept, but I could not — would not — allow any exceptions. Not even for my favourite father. Over and over, he begged to become human himself, but this too I would not allow. I needed him by my side.

For a while, all was well. Great progress was made. Angels and human souls worked together, and perfect harmony prevailed.

In all hearts but one...

Castiel’s.

Clearly, the greater portion of his heart remained on Earth, with one human in particular.

I once naively thought there were limitations on love: the heart is only so big; it has room for only a select few. As God, my comprehension expanded to encompass love for all. But, what I initially failed to understand, is that there are different types of love — and while all of them are true, not all of them are equal.

Cas loved me as a son.

Cas loved Sam as a brother.

But Dean... Ah, that was a different story.

I had always known that Cas loved Dean but, only now, as I saw the omnipresent sadness on his face, did I begin to understand the fathomless depths of that great love. The desire that lay behind it. The passion, the longing for more. The sad conviction that it could never be. The acknowledgement that love, unrequited, was the cruelest love of all.

But I also knew something that he did not know: Dean loved him too.

Something in Dean died when the Empty stole Cas away. He tried to hide it; he had no time to lose himself to grief with the world to save. And, after that war was won, he put on a brave show. He buried his feelings deep. He forced a smile on his face and lived each day as if it were a gauntlet he had to run.

He was tired. Bone-deep weary.

When the vampire’s attack impaled him on a protruding nail, Dean welcomed death as an old friend. He didn’t pray. He thought the angel he had always prayed to was lost to him forever. What further use had he for prayer? He believed the nail to be a fatal blow, that it saved him from the slow death that was his life.

And I — I who could have healed him with a thought, who could have given Sam’s mind the tiny nudge it needed to override Dean’s protests and call the paramedics — I let him die.

As Dean had always suspected I might be, I was the instrument of his death. My will, not the nail, ended his days on Earth. Because Cas needed to be with him, and Dean needed Cas too. How could I stand by and watch them both suffer needlessly?

And so Dean came to Heaven.

It took a while for Cas to forgive me for that. It took longer still for him to overcome his fear of facing Dean, of hearing what Dean’s response to his ill-timed declaration might be.

But when that reply came, when Dean confessed his love...

The joy it sparked in my heart to see them come together was unlike anything I had ever known, but the joy that flared between them shone brighter than the brightest star.

And so I left them to their happy reunion. Holding each other tight. Locked in a lover’s embrace. Trading kisses and murmuring tender words that had been denied for far too long.

And I looked upon what I had wrought and, lo, it was very good.

* * *

Also posted to AO3. Come and visit me there!

#supernatural #spn #destiel #dean winchester #castiel #sam winchester #jack kline #post season 15 #Canonical Character Death #jack kline POV

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fieldofdaisiies · 4 months ago

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Kinktober Drabble 3 - Gwyn x Balthazar

request: Gwyn x Balthazar please. Would love praise kink and/or breeding kink if you’re feeling it 😊 | masterlist | ao3

“Gods!” Balthazar throws his head back with a growl, mouth parted in pleasure, eyes closed. His fingertips dig into the soft skin of Gwyn‘s hips, supporting her as she rides him.

“You’re so perfect, making your mate feel so damn good.” A sensual smile plays on his lips that only widens when she squirms atop him at his praise. Balthazar makes sure to not only let his words speak, but also his entire body. Gwyn deserves nothing less than perfect love making. Gently, he lifts her up, letting her sink down slowly to make her feel every glorious inch of his length.

She moans when he slides in to the hilt, fitting so perfectly she thanks the mother once again for making him her mate. Gwyn throws back her head in pleasure when she has fully adjusted to his size, sighing softly.

“That‘s it, Gwyneth,” Balthazar drawls. “That‘s how you ride your mate.” He thrusts his hips up again, not able to avoid the grin from spreading from one ear to the other. Watching her come undone atop him is a sight for sore eyes, the most beautiful view that has ever been presented to him — right after watching her laugh.

Gwyn gasps when he thumbs her clit, and her eyes open slowly as she lowers her head. She looks at him, lips parted, soft breaths and high-pitched moans leaving her, her eyes glazed-over with desire.

“Look at how perfectly we fit,” Balthazar groans, drawing her attention to where they are connected, where he disappears inside her. He almost comes at the sight, his breathing deep and ragged, his fingertips leaving imprints on Gwyn‘s pale skin as he grabs her just a hint tighter.

He loves her so much. They are made for one another, fitting perfectly in every way. There is no part of his body that doesn’t belong to her, he is fully hers. And she is his.

“Look how perfect your sweet little cunt takes me, how she hugs my cock. You feel so good, Gwyneth.”

No verbal answer leaves Gwyn‘s lips, rather a breathy moan that should convey her agreement.

Balthazar pushed his hips up, meeting each roll of her hips with a thrust that slowly makes her fall apart. He knows she is close and his own release gathers in his spine. He can’t wait to see her come undone, to fall apart on top of him, riding out her high, with her head thrown back, lips parted and eyes closed.

Not much more is needed to tip her over the edge, and a few more praises will make her melt. He loves praising her, showing her exactly how good she makes him feel. He has never felt as good as when he is with Gwyn and he wants her to know exactly that. Panting slightly, Balthazar tells her,, “Be a good girl and make your mate come. Gods, Gwyneth, you are taking me so well.” He releases a long breath, his chest heaving. “Show me how good you can make me feel. Show me how well my River-nymph can fuck her mate.”

Gwyn sucks in a sharp breath, rolling her hips against him just how he likes it and her hands fall to his chest, nails biting into his skin and scratching down his torso as they simultaneously fall apart. Shock waves of pleasure and release course through their bodies as they come together, riding out their high together with nothing but bliss and love within their hearts.

With their limbs entangled, they lay in bed in the moments after. Balthazar is stroking through Gwyn’s hair as she rests her head on his chest, drawing idle circles to his dark skin and the swirls of ink. “My perfect and stunning mate. You have no idea how good you always make me feel. I fucking love you, Gwyneth.”

taglist: @littlest-w01f @christeareads

#daisiieskinktober2024 #gwyn x balthazar #gwyn berdara #balthazar #acotar #acosf

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violetpurpleviolet · 4 months ago

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Supernatural , Season 6 , Episode 22

The Man Who Knew Too Much

Finaleeeeee

Also is the episode name talking about Chuck? Is Chuck back? His damm evil smile in the end of season 5?

Carry On My Wayward Son

Is Raphael like Lucifer? Stabbing him won’t kill him?

What????? Why doesn’t Sam remeber his name?? Huh???

Is it Cas , so thay Dean will be searching for Sam instead of stopping him?

Oh that girls curiosity is gonna kill her.

I was right , ding ding ding

“One was , like a male-model type, and the other was an older guy named, uh Bobby.”

Did Sam just admit thay Dean is pretty? 😂

That’s not your car Sammy.

What??? Sam got shot by Sam? and he’s in the panic room?

Cas broke the dam that Death put up????What the fuck Cas.

what is this ? No memory Sam vs Souless Sam?

Meet the other Sam? What’s worse than souless Sam?

“You look more constipated than usual”

“Have your forgotten that you’re the bottom in this relationship?”

- Crowley

Oh no , the Sam that remebers hell. Oh no :(

I’m glad Dean wasn’t there to see that.

Is Cas going to kill Balthazar? Oh No. He’s gonna regret this. Oh noooo

A swarm of demons? They flipped the car? What about Dean and Bobby? What the frig?

Crowley made a deal with Raphael? Holy hell. I thought hed get revenge but not , team up with Raphael.

Ah no Sammy made it despite everything. He’s gonna do it and kill Raphael.

Oh did Cas swap the blood???

Cas did it? Oh? Oh no :( I have a feeling he’s lying? Just spooking Raphael? Or not. My bad. Raphael just exploded so..

Dean is scared of Cas. :( Oh no he’s gonna power crazy.

Also is Dean trying to use the power of love to get to Cas?

Oh no Sam just stabbed Cas. But it didn’t work? Oh No don’t do anything to Sam. Again!

Cas is God? What the fuck? Oh my God the season ends like this????

Holy shit.

wow I pity those who watched it as it released.

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synchodai · 12 days ago

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Replying to this person out of the inbox because I don't want their identity published. I will have a not-so-nice reply to this message, and I don't want anyone who reads this to send hate their way or think I'm dunking on this person.

I do think they wrote this in good faith, without meaning to condescend or lecture me about my favorite game of all time that I have been obsessed with for over a decade. I met my best tumblr friend @lehdenlaulu because of our shared love for Baldur's Gate among other games, and you can see in my tumblr post history (especially the motherfucking rangers post) that the reason I came to tumblr was to BG shitpost. This is basically going to be a "Do not cite the deep magic to me, witch. I was there when it was written" type of reply.

I feel the need to reply because there's some facts here that are questionable at best.

Firstly, the Five are not usurpers.

The Five (Illysera, Yaga-Shura, Sendai, Abazigal, and Balthazar) are legitimate children of Bhaal and therefore legitimate inheritors of his legacy as much as Sarevok and Gorion's Ward. Abazigal outright brags about Bhaal fucking an actual dragon when talking about his birth. The Five weren't usurping the throne -- they were building it. OG Balthazar planned on betraying Bhaal by killing himself once he inherited his divine legacy, but Balthazar was never a pretender. His betrayal couldn't have worked if he was.

The only usurper was Amelyssan, a high priestess of Bhaal who did not have any of his divine essence and had to steal his throne from Gorion's Ward, and she was never considered part of the Five. She brought them together but it was very important to the plot that she was considered merely a servant who was beneath them.

Secondly, Orin's effigies are a mockery of the Throne of Bhaal events.

She most likely thinks she's honoring her god by making these displays that mimic the deaths of the Five and Amelyssan, but it just betrays how much she doesn't get it.

Orin naming Amelyssan "the sixth" in one of her effigies shows her lack of understanding of Bhaal and his machinations. To count Amelyssan among the Five who had actual god blood would be an insult to him, not an honor.

Similarly, using petty adventurers as stand-ins for Bhaalspawn is also an insult to his blood.

Bhaal's grand plan was for his children to sow chaos and murder one another, with the last Bhaalspawn standing to be the inheritor of his throne. He revels in the spilling of Bhaalspawn blood. Orin is miming this highest act of worship (killing your Bhaalspawn siblings) by not actually doing it. She's substituting half-gods with nobodies and pretending they're Bhaalspawn. She's pretending to be the best worshiper of a carnivorous god by offering him plant-based substitutes.

The one time she could have murdered an actual Bhaalspawn, she failed. OP is right in this regard -- this is what makes her no different to the disinherited and dishonored Five.

Thirdly, the cult was not made to inspire terror.

Now, this one is a more debateable point since worship is a subjective thing and the methods of worship naturally change over time. But for context, Sarevok was the person who revived the worship of Bhaal and he did so with the express purpose of ascending to godhood by killing all the other Bhaalspawn. Once only one Bhaalspawn remains, Bhaal's essence will accumulate in a single vessel and he shall return to the material plane. In other words, the original point of the cult of Bhaal (at least the one in the city of Baldur's Gate) was to resurrect Bhaal. He didn't care if the normies were terrorized along the way -- his main goal was to cheat death and come back in some form. That was the intended purpose of siring so many children in the first place.

This is the reason why Sarevok in BG3 thinks Orin is pretentious. She's doing all this flashy bloody hubbub, but none of it actually furthers the goal of reviving Bhaal. She doesn't seem to care about bringing back their god to power at all when she does her murders. It's hollow symbolism that apes without actual understanding.

And all this is why she doesn't get it. Orin's tragedy is she is so devoted, talented, and trying her best to impress her father(s) only for them to scoff at her grand gestures. She doesn't understand where she's going wrong -- in her mind, she's giving them everything. She's giving them all the blood in the world, but she's doing it by putting it in a pretty decanter that makes it virtually useless to them.

Lastly, Orin's artistry goes against Bhaal's ideology, not just modern cult orthodoxy.

To Bhaal, Orin is the spawn of a twice-dead failure who fills his temple and tribunal with other echoes of failure. She overcomplicates when pleasing Bhaal is really simple — murder your family, murder the ones you love and cannibalize their essence. Durge is closer to doing this because they've canonically murdered their foster family, they (possibly could have) murdered their lover in camp, and now they're murdering their sister (and the whole tribunal). Sure, Orin killed her own mother, but to do it in self-defence? To preserve her corpse and not consume her soul? It shows weakness, unneeded sentimentality.

When you go full Dark Urge and accept Bhaal, you surrender your being to Bhaal and effectively become the new Bhaal. That's why the game keeps insisting that "this is not you" because you are allowing an erasure of your identity to bring back a dead god. This is the philosophy of Bhaal and all other evil entities in the game -- the cost of unchecked power is depersonalization and loss of humanity. Artistry and beauty is antithetical to that. That's why blank slate Durge who is willing to off themselves to usher Bhaal's return is the favorite while Orin is not.

#orin #orin the red #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #long post #replies #dark urge #she recites the lord's prayer in perfect studied latin. she does not know why only that it makes father happy

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ananke-xiii · 6 months ago

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Angels would prefer not to: a dilemma

As you may know by now I LOOOOVE angels in Supernatural. However there's one tiny thing that I would have loved to see as an added bonus to their characterization. I'm talking about obedience to humankind.

Like, that's the whole reason why Lucifer fell. Because he didn't want to bow down to humans. When humans pray, angels must respond. They must be obedient to them. And, I mean, I understand that this doesn't serve SPN narrative but think about it for a second. The drama of it all.

Generally speaking, angels seem to feel a vast array of things towards humans: from open disgust to obsessive love and from pure hatred to unending curiosity. But they would all obey their Father and therefore obey humans when they call them even though a good majority of them would prefer not to.

They do so because they long to be chosen by him so what they DON'T want doesn't matter to them.

Because that's the key: angel can and indeed do what they want but their issue is that they don't know how to deal with what they DON'T want to do, or would prefer not to.

Castiel's and Dean's relationship becomes even more complicated because the thing is that angels don't think Cas is lost for doing what Dean asks him to or even for forming a bond with him: what they don't get is Cas not obeying Dean. Like, how can he do that? Has he been corrupted by Lucifer? More importantly, WHY is he doing that now? What's going on?

And the thing is that Cas obeying Dean and getting to know him taught him that he's able to NOT want things. Like, Naomi's brainwashing takes on a whole new different meaning because angels cannot NOT want things. Not wanting things means establishing a limit, a boundary and angels can't have that.

Gabriel and Balthazar are a good example of angels setting limits: Gabriel escapes because he doesn't want to take part in his family drama while Balthazar doesn't want to fight. But these are sort of minor sins because theirs "I don't want to" can be just another side of "Instead, I want to...".

Bur disobeying their Father by NOT wanting to obey humans is, like, THEE angels' number one cardinal sin.

Would Cas be just like Lucifer? Yes and no. Because he would learn this by loving a human, which is not Lucifer's story. He only pretends to be humans' dead lovers.

And, like, this would make Cas'sin even worse: cause love always teaches real disobedience, just like Lucifer loved God so much he couldn't bow down to humans, Cas loved a human so much he ended up learning the importance of saying "No".

#spn #supernatural #castiel #character of all time #spn angels

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asexual-disaster · 1 year ago

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‼️FHJY SPOILERS ‼️

Here’s all my thoughts and whatever from watching episode one.

WE ARE SO BACK BABY

— THEY ALL LOOK SO GOOD (looking mostly at you, murph and Lou)

— no the new layout of their character sheets is so cute

— MOGGY

— BOGGY AND BABY MINI

— WHAT IS GOING ON

— New dome background <3

— MURPH MY BELOVED

— RIZ USING MAGE HAND TO STEER THE CAR

— THE GUKGAK GUN ‘THE SUN GUN’ THATS SO COOL

— riz being really into science now, he’s so adhd coded

— riz is so decked out in jewellery I love him

— just everything about riz driving this massive van

— Lou literally only needing to roll a 2 or higher to pass and rolling a fucking Nat 1 😭

— what a great first round guys 😃😃

— Ally and Lou rolling a nat 20 and a Nat 1 respectively as their first rolls of the season is so on brand

— NEW CASSANDRA ART????

— SQUEEM? WHAT IS GOING ON AM I GOING CRAZY

— ALLY HAVING THEIR SPELLS ORGANISED AND ON CARDS MEANS SO MUCH TO ME GOD BLESS

— the try guys stop

— this entire episode feels like a fever dream

— Fabian basically flirting with his own reflection is the most Fabian thing ever

— BALTHAZAR NOOO WHAT ABOUT HIS SIX MONTH OLD PARROTS

— Fig throwing her phone away AGAIN

— Balthazar’s shadow sprinting into the desert please I’m crying

— WHAT WAS THAT END

Another note; I’ve already got two squares off my bingo card

Nat 1 count; 1 (Lou)

Nat 20 count; 3 (Emily, Ally x2) - honesty I may have missed one?? I got distracted

#fhjy spoilers #dimension 20 #fantasy high #intrepid heroes #fhjy #riz gukgak #brian murphy #brennan lee mulligan #fabian seacaster #gorgug thistlespring #kristen applebees #fig faeth #adaine o'shaughnessey #lou wilson #bugs fhjy spoilers

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theladyofthevarioussorrows · 15 days ago

Text

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay...but here it is...

Written in Blood, or the Play in which The Brat Prince Ties the Knot

Part II (of IV)

Part I here! | AO3 link here! | Spotify playlist!

Fandom: The Vampire Chronicles (Gothic horror novel series, 1976-2018); Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (TV series, 2022-present)

Pairing: Lestat de Lioncourt/fem!reader; Lestat de Lioncourt/You

Word count: 3,800+

Language: English (except for a handful of pet names and expressions used by Lestat in French, hopefully I did it correctly. I took 4 years of French in high school, but I am not fluent)

Taglist!: @themorriganisamonster @notsostrangerthing @witcherfilms @inthiseverymoment

Following the performance of the night, everyone in the Coven came backstage to officially welcome Y/N into the Theatre des Vampires. As she joined them in the middle of the room, Y/N was pleasantly nervous, not only because all of this was foreign to her, but also because she was reeling from her encounter with Lestat the night before. Never in her life, before accepting the Dark Gift or since, has she ever felt so enraptured and enamored by anyone as much as Lestat. He watched her with a sly smile on his face as she sat down in the chair in the middle of the room, and she looked at him with a rosy glow on her cheeks as she beamed back at him.

Look at you…you’re glowing, ma chérie. Absolutely stunning… Y/N heard Lestat’s sensual voice in her mind, and it made her head swim. He winked at her as he moved to stand behind her in her chair. As the rest of the Coven formed a tight circle around Y/N, Armand moved to stand on her left, a large book bound in red leather in his arms. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

“Y/N, before we begin, we have something we would like to give you,” Armand said, his voice proud but his hesitation still evident. Armand turned to the beautiful blonde vampire behind her. “Lestat, I believe it is you who would like to have the honor? It was your idea, after all.” Armand tried his best not to sound bitter.

The violinist Nicki leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and biting the inside of his cheek, trying to appear as neutral as possible despite being uncomfortable with the events of the past couple of nights. He didn’t have anything against Y/N; there was no reason to, he became numb to the way his former lover operates, and he only hoped that Y/N stayed happy—and safe—with Lestat by her side, should it come to that. But Nicki already knew better, Lestat had his sights set on Y/N, and there was nothing anyone could do to tear her away from him now.

“Of course, how could I forget?” Lestat said in his special syrupy and sultry way, gently caressing Y/N’s cheek before turning to walk over to his vanity in the corner of the room, a deep blush appearing on her face. Lestat opened the drawer and pulled out a gift wrapped in purple paper, shutting the drawer with his hip before walking back over to Y/N. He gently placed the present in her hands. “Thou art wise as thou art beautiful…isn’t that right, darling?” Lestat said, starting to blush himself. “Go on, mon amour, show us what it is.” Y/N, momentarily at a loss for words, smiled again as she gingerly freed the item from its wrapping. Once she realized what it was, her jaw dropped and red tears welled up in her eyes. Finally, she found herself able to speak again. In her hands was a gorgeous tome that housed the entire works of Shakespeare, bound in green leather with gilded edges.

“Oh…my God…it’s incredible…” Y/N said, blood tears starting to fall down her face. “Thank you all so much…” Y/N wiped her face. “Lestat…this was your idea?” Lestat nodded with a charming smile.

“Let’s just say I know more than you’re aware of, sweetheart,” Lestat said as he wiped a tear from her face and brushed some of her hair behind her ear. “When I said you were lovely, chérie, it was not in jest. I meant it wholeheartedly.” Y/N swooned and blushed at his words.

“Thank you, Lestat. This is the most wonderful gift anyone could ever give me.” Y/N said lovingly.

“Oh love, believe me,” Lestat said. “This is only the beginning.” Sensing a change of tone in the air that he wasn’t keen on being present for, Armand spoke up to break up the growing sexual tension between the blonde charmer and his newest possible paramour.

“Alright, dear Y/N…it is time. Will you have us?” Armand said with a small genuine smile, his voice tinged with apprehension.

“Yes maître. I will,” Y/N said as she smiled back at the amber-eyed vampire to her right. “I’m ready.”

“Good then…let’s begin the initiation. Santiago will read you in.” Armand said, trying to sound more confident than he felt in his cold heart. Lestat once again took his position standing behind Y/N’s chair. Armand handed the red book to Santiago as he stood on Y/N’s left, opening it to a page with the title “The Great Commandments Which All Vampires Must Obey.” Santiago moved a bit closer to her and began to speak proudly.

“The Five Laws…law one,” Santiago said. “Each Coven must have its leader, and only he might order the working of the Dark Trick upon a mortal.” Y/N looked up at Santiago as he read her the rites, gasping quietly as she suddenly felt Lestat’s hands brush her hair off her neck and place his hands on her shoulders, holding her to the chair gently. “Will you abide?” Santiago continued, noticing Lestat’s gesture and smiling wickedly. Y/N nodded.

“I will,” Y/N replied, eyes widening as she began to feel the rest of her body begin to flush. Santiago smiled and continued.

“Law two: the Dark Gifts must never be given to the crippled, the maimed, to children, or to those who cannot, even with the Dark Powers, survive on their own,” Santiago continued. “Will you abide?” Armand stifled a small sigh as he looked on. After a few seconds, he placed his hand over Y/N’s heart.

“I will,” Y/N answered again, trembling slightly. Celeste moved in front of Y/N, while the others tightened the circle. Lestat, gripping Y/N’s shoulders only a bit tighter, offered his praise without moving his lips.

My my Y/N, you’re adapting wonderfully, mon ange. Very, very good, darling.

Santiago cleared his throat dramatically before carrying on with the initiation. “Law three,” Santiago resumed. “Never should an old vampire work this magic lest the blood of the fledgling be too strong, for all our gifts increase naturally with age, and the old ones have too much strength to pass on. Will you abide?” Y/N nodded once again.

“I will.” Y/N felt her breath becoming more uneven as she squirmed under Lestat and Armand’s hands. Celeste moved to place her hand over Y/N’s heart as well. Eglee, Estelle, Quang Pham, Gustav, and Sam moved in closer and followed suit. Y/N’s gaze briefly drifted to Nicki, who hesitated for a moment before he placed his hand on hers, offering a friendly but sad smile. Y/N smiled back.

Santiago flashed Y/N another smirk before he began again. “Law four: no vampire may ever destroy another vampire, except that the Coven Master has the power of life and death over all his flock. Will you abide?” Y/N swallowed hard as she shook her head.

“I will.” Y/N took a deep breath before letting it go.

Santiago spoke up again. “Law five,” he continued. Noticing the anxiety in Y/N’s movements but not sensing any hesitation of any kind from her, Santiago chuckled to himself before beginning again. “No vampire shall ever reveal his true nature, or ever reveal the history of the vampire to a mortal and let the mortal live.” Santiago paused as he shot Lestat a knowing look, fully aware of the hunger and want coursing through Lestat’s body as he held Y/N to the chair. Lestat did not break his concentration on Y/N for a second, his attention solely on her. Santiago rolled his eyes. “No vampire must commit to writing the history of the vampires, and a vampire’s name must never be known to mortals, save from his tombstone, and never must any vampire reveal to mortals the location of his or any other vampire’s lair. Will you abide?” Lestat let his fingers drag gently along Y/N’s collarbone, smiling slyly and giggling lowly under his breath as he felt her shiver. Y/N inhaled sharply.

“I will,” Y/N said, a little more breathlessly than she probably intended. She let her head fall back slightly before gingerly shaking her head, as if to shake the feeling off. The other vampires moved closer to her, preparing her for the final phase of the initiation. Santiago clapped the red leather book shut loudly before smiling at Y/N, placing his hand on her as well.

“An outsider no longer,” Santiago beamed. “Welcome to the Coven, little miss Y/N.”

Reluctantly, Armand motioned for Lestat to be the one to offer his blood to her first. Lestat moved one of his hands from her shoulders to her neck and gently tilted it back. He bit a significant gash into his forearm before lowering it to Y/N’s lips. She swallowed softly before gently holding onto his wrist.

“Good girl,” Lestat whispered as she pressed her lips to the dripping wound and eagerly lapped up the blood that oozed from it. “Tres bien fait, Y/N. You’re a natural, my love. Just as I knew you would be.” Y/N’s eyes rolled back into her head as she drank his blood, the flavor of him sweeter than anything she had ever tasted. Lestat moaned softly at the sight, trying in vain to control his need for her. After a few moments, Lestat gently pulled his arm away, smiling as he watched a small trickle of blood fall from the corner of her mouth. He slowly wiped the blood away from her face with his thumb, letting his finger press against her lip and pull it down before letting it go. Never breaking eye contact with her, he took his bloody thumb into his mouth and licked the blood off. Y/N’s eyes widened as he smiled hungrily at her, her head beginning to swirl with love, hunger—and something else entirely. Armand, not at all surprised by Lestat’s bold display of sensuality towards Y/N, shook his head and bit his tongue to keep himself somewhat calm. Lestat stepped out of the way. Next was Celeste, who then offered Y/N her wrist, and she accepted her with gratitude.

“We’re happy to have you, Y/N. Welcome to the Theatre,” Celeste said with a proud smile.

With that, one by one, the other vampires offered their blood to Y/N, and she eagerly accepted each of them as they accepted her as one of their own, thanking them for the gifts they have given her.

After the rituals were over and Y/N was fully initiated into the Theatre des Vampires, she gasped lightly as she felt a soft but firm arm wrap around her waist from behind.

“You are nothing short of magnificent, love. Beautiful work, mon ange. Y/N, you were dazzling as always,” Lestat said with a sly smile. “I am still interested to hear more about you. What do you say we continue our little tête-à-tête from last night?” He smiled a bit wider as she turned to face him as she beamed back at him.

“Yes, Lestat. I’d love to,” Y/N swooned. “What would you like to know?” Lestat gently took her by the hand and led her to the corner of the room. Even as a mortal, no man had ever made her feel the way she did now…it was intoxicating. He was intoxicating.

“Only whatever it is you’re willing to tell me, mon coeur. Anything and everything,” Lestat said with a charming smile as he brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to it. “I find you absolutely enthralling, Y/N.” He reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Y/N’s ear, his fingers gently grazing her skin as he does so. She felt warmth spread across her face under his touch as she leaned into it. “I must say, I’ve been wanting to share a moment with you, ma belle,” he said as he sat down in the chair at the vanity. Lestat gently pulled Y/N onto his lap and wrapped one of his arms around her waist, while his other hand brushed some of her hair over her shoulder. Y/N felt her heart begin to pound against her ribs again as she settled herself in his tender but strong hold. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself, chérie?” Y/N swallowed softly as she gazed at him.

“Well, I’m flattered, truly. I would love to get to know you better, too. You’ve all been very kind and helpful, and I feel very lucky.” Y/N said as she rested one of her hands on his shoulder to anchor herself to him. “I feel especially lucky to have shared the stage with you yesterday.” She giggled quietly as she took a deep breath before beginning again. “But I guess I’ve always loved everything about the theatre, ever since I was a little girl. I never really had the chance to explore or experiment with anything of the sort until I was turned.”

Lestat’s periwinkle gaze never strayed from Y/N’s vampire eyes as she spoke, his attention focused solely on her. He acknowledged her answer for a moment. “Ah, I see. I am sorry to hear that you haven’t been able to embrace your talents until you were Born to Darkness, but I would argue that might be one of the reasons some of us consider our nature to be an honor. You seem to be adjusting exceptionally, ma beauté. Please forgive me for asking, but who was it that bestowed the Dark Gift upon you?” Lestat gently ran his long fingers through her silken hair as he spoke to her, intently listening to her words. He was madly in love with this beautiful young vampire in his arms, and she had fallen just as hard for him. Y/N couldn’t imagine any other place she would rather be than in Lestat’s embrace. She blushed deeper as she answered his question honestly.

“Celeste is my maker. I’m still learning from her, Santiago, Armand, and the rest of the Coven…this is all very new to me.” Y/N caressed Lestat’s face and smiled. “I really am glad to be here.” Y/N gazed at Lestat, delighted to find a blush forming on his face as well. He smiled back at her as she continued. “Lestat…this is the most alive I’ve ever felt.”

“Oh, ma chérie …” Lestat traced the curve of her jaw with his hand as his voice dropped to a low and loving tone. “I want you to know that I am happy to see you bloom and flourish here with us…” He caressed her cheek and jaw with the back of his hand, maintaining eye contact with her. Lestat watched her blush and tremble slightly as he touched her, making mental notes of what she seemed to enjoy the most before he broke the brief pause. “…with me.” Y/N’s eyes widened as her jaw dropped slightly; a look Lestat came to know very well. She gulped silently.

“Do you really mean that, Lestat? I…I don’t know what to say…” Y/N, smiling, began to feel overwhelmed by his clear love for her, and it made her feel dizzy. Lestat was aware of this, and he held her closer to him, his grip on her hips tightening slightly, silently promising her he would catch her if she were to fall.

“You don’t have to say anything, mon amour. I meant every word. I have been entranced by you from the very second I laid my eyes upon you.” Lestat’s hand travelled down to find Y/N’s and tangled his fingers with hers. “You have me utterly spellbound, Y/N.”

Lestat hooked his thumb and forefinger under Y/N’s chin and gently moved her head so that their eyes were locked in each other’s gaze again. Slowly, Lestat leaned in closer as he closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers. She smiled and blushed as she moved down to meet him, her eyes fluttering shut once their lips met. Lestat kissed her softly at first, taking his time with her. She kissed him back gingerly, allowing herself to savor everything he offered her.

As Lestat and Y/N shared their tender but increasingly intense kiss, someone was lurking across the room, only barely out of sight.

Santiago could not help himself. He stared at the two vampires at the vanity, so lost in the throes of their hungry passion that they weren’t aware that he was watching them, or for how long. Santiago ran his fingers through his slicked back bottle-blonde hair as he watched Lestat practically devour the new Coven member whole, smirking once he became aware that there was no holding back on Y/N’s end either. Y/N kissed Lestat back as if she would disappear into thin air if she stopped, and she knew well enough by now that Lestat would not let her go if she tried. Whatever Lestat gave her, she returned to him with equal vigor and thirst. Santiago could not decide if the sight unfolding in front of him thrilled him or sickened him. All he knew was that, for whatever reason, he needed to alert Armand. Is Y/N a threat to the Theatre? She doesn’t seem like it. Is she a victim? If she was, she wouldn’t be so quick to give herself to Lestat…right? What if she’s doing all of this of her own will? Santiago wasn’t sure, but he could not tear his eyes away from Y/N and Lestat’s hungry embrace, no matter how hard he tried.

Completely oblivious to Santiago’s spying—or, more likely, aware and unbothered—Lestat carried on with his discovery of Y/N’s mouth with his tongue, her ministrations matching his. Lestat’s hands made their way from the back of Y/N’s head and down her neck, dragging his fingers gently all the way down until he reached her hips. He gripped her and held her in his lap, not hard enough to hurt her but firmly enough to leave light handprints on her skin through her clothes. As Lestat moved his lips from hers to trail light kisses along her jawline, his hands found the hem of Y/N’s blouse and lifted it up slightly to let his fingers graze her skin beneath it, making her whimper softly and shiver under his touch. He let his long fingers dance along her sides and spine, up and down her ribs and chest, then back around again, his movements agonizingly measured. Immediately loving the effect he had on Y/N, Lestat chuckled lowly.

“Such beautiful sounds you make, mon ange,” Lestat whispered lowly between kisses. “I wonder how many more I can coax out of you…” his voice trailed off as his lips continued their exploration along Y/N’s jaw and neck, gently nipping at her collarbone before moving back up to capture her mouth in another searing kiss. Lestat helped her change her position in his lap, so that her thighs were around his waist, pulling her closer against him in the chair as he leaned back. He let his hands travel lower as he tightened his grip. Y/N showed her approval by moaning against his lips, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to stabilize herself. Lestat chuckled slyly again. “Shh, ma chérie…” Lestat whispered, his voice sultry. “Sois une gentille fille et tais-toi... tout le monde peut entendre...”

Y/N answered him breathlessly, completely caught up under Lestat’s spell. She knew some French but wasn’t fluent; she wasn’t entirely sure what Lestat said to her, but whatever it was sounded absolutely sinful. “What…? What did you say?” Lestat chuckled and smiled wickedly once more.

“Oh, my love…I said…” Lestat trailed off as he let his fangs softly scrape against the skin between her ear and her neck before speaking again. “Be a good girl and keep quiet…anyone can hear…” Lestat said, making Y/N gasp. “But it wouldn’t make any difference who hears us, now would it, darling?” Lestat’s words made Y/N’s breath catch in her throat before she whimpered a bit louder. Lestat let out a low growl. “I suspected as much, mon petit monstre.” Lestat bit her neck ever so gently, hard enough to cause a small bead of blood to drip down her neck. He quickly lapped it up and kissed her again before she could speak, making her yelp against his mouth and twitch in his arms.

Santiago was both so stunned and so morbidly entertained by this display of lustful longing that he nearly forgot his own mission. Maître…there has been an occurrence. A sort of…expected occurrence, shall we say? I have eyes on them now and…it seems it’s serious already. Very serious in fact.

Armand, also painfully aware of the steamy romance brewing between the Theatre’s founder and the Coven’s newest addition, answered Santiago with an annoyed snarl. I know, Santiago. Leave them be. There isn’t much we can do now. And don’t give Lestat the satisfaction…you know he revels in it. Don’t encourage him. He knows what he’s doing.

Santiago answered his master, deciding he should let these two vampires have their little moment. As much as he wanted to keep watching them, he knew that Lestat would catch on soon, if he hadn’t already. Yes maître. They’ll wear themselves out soon. Though I reckon it could be a while—

Armand winced and interrupted him. Enough, Santiago. Coffin, now.

As the two riled-up vampires explored their newfound love—and lust—for each other, Lestat broke the kiss softly, resting his forehead against hers, both trying to catch their breath and come back down to Earth. Lestat sighed and chuckled lightly.

“Mmm, mon petit chaton…you are insatiable,” Lestat breathed. “But it seems we’ve attracted some attention.” Y/N whimpered as Lestat felt her quiver in his arms, giggling as he held her harder, stopping her from falling backwards. She wrapped her arms around his neck tighter.

“We did…? Where…?” Y/N answered breathlessly, resting her head in the crook of his neck. Lestat smiled slyly.

“No need to concern yourself with that, my darling.” Lestat said, trailing soft kisses along her neck before moving to whisper into her ear. “What do you say we continue this tomorrow, hmm? I don’t want you thinking I’m anywhere finished with you yet…” Lestat growled. He gently patted her hips, signaling for her to stand up from his lap. He held her hand as she stood up, chuckling to himself as he watched her wobble as she stood. He stood up with her and held her hand. “Come on, my love,” Lestat said with a sly smile. “I’ll walk you to your coffin, you look tired. We’ll meet again here after rehearsal tomorrow, yes?” Y/N nodded and followed Lestat out of the room. She could have sworn she floated beside him, and Lestat knew that he was dangerously in love with her. He knew he had her in is clutches now, but he wanted to drag this out as long as he could.

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