#it mentions vampire the masquerade but not bloodlines

[automaticdestinytrash]

Bought this from work.

[eliseliedl]

Favorite games I finished in 2024 ♡

[mybuttonfelloff]

Vampire the masquerade bloodlines makes me brain go brrrrr

YES its a game from literally 20 years ago

YES it can be buggy and sometimes peoples clothes float

YES the game is a perfect recreation of what people thought 2004 was like so its like. Kinda shit.

but NOTHING will ever take away my love of these stupid vampires fighting over political vampire power. Story is *kisses* mwah. Music? Fucking iconic. Lecher Bitch is genuinely so good. The myriad of ways u can play? Stealthy. Murdery. Politically. Manipulatey. Selfishly. Generously. ALL??? THE CLANS???? Love my tremere character who is canonically part of the Creepy Ass Clan club. Love that i can use blood magic and make security guards go Standing Naptime so i can run away

Nines is 100% my favorite and idc if its boring to say so. Man could monologue his way through anything. He literally saves ur character's life numerous times in the name of Freedom And Hating The Bourgeoisie. And fucking over corrupt politicians at the same time?? Love him.

Damsel? Love that bitch. She is ready to fight 24/7 and i love that about her. She is just. Kisses on Mouth mwah.

Jack? Coolest dude ever. Allegedly used to be a PIRATE??? VAMPIRE. PIRATE. Also hes like. One of like few people who is genuine with you. Bc he has nothing to really lose or gain by being nice to the poor new kid, he just does it for fun. But also wants to just watch the world burn itself down. Love that abt him.

Lacroix? Cant stand the bastard but he is damn good at whining and throwing a tantrum at every opportunity which usually gets him what he wants. I almost respect it. Almost. But fuck him for not giving my tremere person a new haven bc of their clan.

Jeanette and Therese? First of all, GREY DELISLE MY BELOVED. Second, their story is fucking great. Genuinely didnt know what was gonna happen until It Happened. Also, #gaslight #gatekeep #girlboss to the death.

Honorable mention Heather love u girl thanks for the money and lunch.

I am currently in the Hollywood section so ik there are people missing but goddamn my brain needed to get this out so i can keep obsessing in peace

[luoniiel]

another fake vtmb screencap! this time with my sopping wet mess of a toreador, atlas

[gith-zeri]

Felicia Aguilar

Voice claim- revised

[jennaflare]

So You Finished Disco Elysium and Don't Know What to Play Next

You may have seen my other games rec post (if not, there are a lot of recs there). But I have since played many more games that, if you love Disco as much as I do, you might also really enjoy! (Many of these are on sale for the Steam Winter Sale until 1/2/24, go check them out! Some are even as little as like 2 USD!)

A House of Many Doors

This one was mentioned very briefly in my last rec post, but I think A House of Many Doors deserves more words dedicated to it. This game is set in The House, a strange dimension of huge rooms that pulls things and people from other worlds into it, trapping them forever. You play as one of the house's denizens, and you are on a mission to escape.

If you enjoyed the concept of The Pale in Disco, I think a lot of aspects of The House will appeal to you as well.

Norco

Norco has been on my wishlist since I made the last post, but I finally got around to buying and playing it a few months ago. Norco is an RPG set in the oil town of Norco, Louisiana, and paints a beautiful and strange picture of the rural-industrial south. It contains heavy Christian themes and absolutely stunning pixel art. One of my favorite games I played this year.

Clickolding

Cickolding is a very short horror game in which you play as a person getting paid to click a clicker while the man above watching. It's weird and highly sexually charged, though no actual sexual content occurs. I can't say too much about this but it is an experience, for sure.

The Pale Beyond

In The Pale Beyond, you play as the first mate aboard The Temperance, which is bound for the Antarctic in search of a missing scientific vessel. Things, as you might expect, do not go according to plan. You must keep your crew alive, relatively healthy, and in good spirits.

This one's also a strong recommendation for fans of The Terror, for obvious reasons. (Side note: if animal death is a trigger for you, I'd recommend playing this with caution, or not at all.)

Inscryption

Inscryption is the game that changed my mind about deckbuilders (I used to really not like them), which opened the door to my current addiction (Balatro. If you haven't bought it, don't. Your friends may never see you again).

Inscryption is a horror deckbuilder roguelike that is by the same creator as The Hex and Pony Island, both of which I also recommend. It's an incredibly fun game, and I recommend not looking into the plot too much because it's way more fun going into it as blind as possible.

Slay the Princess

In Slay the Princess, you are the Hero. You must slay the princess. If you don't the world will end. That's all there is to it. Why would you do anything other than slay her, after all? You don't want the world to end, do you?

Slay the Princess is a time loop game where your choices affect the next loop -- I don't want to say too much on that because it's a fun thing to experience yourself.

80 Days

Inspired by the Jules Verne novel, you play as Passepartout, valet to Phileas Fogg. Your employer has entered a bet to race around the world in 80 days. In this text-based adventure, it is your job to balance his budget and health, and to plan your route.

There are so many ways to make this journey, and enough different events that I'm far from having seen it all despite how many times over I've played it. Highlights for me include: falling in love with a man while we nearly died in the arctic, getting jailed in Russia for nearly a week because I made some poor choices, and abandoning our mission to become a jewel thief.

Other Games You Might Wanna Check Out

Jalopy, Overboard!, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Yes Your Grace, Buckshot Roulette, A Date With Death, Fields of Mistria, Obscura, Tavern Talk, Killer Frequency, Not For Broadcast, The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante, Bastion

[porcelainseashore]

They Don't Make Them Like Her Anymore - VTM Bloodlines 20th Anniversary

Commissioned art by @medeaft

Author's Note: I wrote this to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines and for a Gallery Noir server event by @vampemoqueen and @bigswordenergy.

Step into the shoes of our favorite sick freak, Vandal Cleaver, as he ruminates on the recent happenings in his life. Pliers and blowtorch included. Terms and conditions apply.

Content Warnings: Violence, torture, self-harm, body horror, mild gore, mild sexual content, obsessive behavior, blood bond, Hannah Glazer and Therese Voerman mentions, murder.

Hannah, Hannah… oh, Hannah. They don’t make them like her anymore, do they? It was sad actually—tragic—well no more tragic than another dead hooker found in a soulless apartment Downtown. Nothing that would make the headlines, not even worthy of a back page obituary in the local paper. Heh, I may be a sap for saying this, but she was good enough for me.

You see, they don’t make them like her anymore. No shit. The new girl? She can’t quite do the job like Hannah did, but since when were beggars choosers? Yeah, I know my place in the pecking order. At least she has the stomach for what I request of her. Doesn’t outright scream, “You fucking freak!” in my face, leaving me high and dry. I need my fix afterall, like the rest of you… Hiding dirty little secrets to dig out between your sorry sack of bones with a scalpel—do you know what a skilled hand can do with a scalpel? Have you ever run your finger across the edge of a blade? Any blade—come on, don’t lie to me now, we’re friends, aren’t we? Everyone’s done it once in their life, lost their innocence as blood blooms from the vulvic slit like a bouquet of roses. Sometimes it gushes like a torrent, depending on how deep you sliced. Shh, it’s okay to get carried away. Your secret’s safe with me.

Anyway, she does as I ask, like a good enough girl, then pukes her guts out—politely—in the bathroom next door. I know, because I hear it. Her chest concave and hollowed, heaving, organ crushing against organ as she squeezes her lungs, gagging on saliva and air. They don’t make them like her anymore, you get what I’m saying?

Earlier, I watched as the flimsy fabric of my skin peeled away, acid pink flesh melting from bone, and the charred layers curling under the blue flame like burning plastic. What remains blisters and festers. I’ve done it so many times I think all that can be salvaged from me are deadened nerves and an empty husk. I like being empty though. Sprawled out on the floor, naked and clean as a newborn while the world around me spins in circles. For a moment, everything feels attainable and unattainable. 

My queen… queen of all queens—

And just like that, it’s gone. I’m left with the chick who has a blowtorch in one hand and her nose in the other, pinching it as though the fumes are toxic. Her hands are always trembling, like an addle-brained patient, maybe because I don’t know whether I’m laughing or screaming half of the time.

My body is already mending at twice the speed when she brings out the pliers. I am a god and a shitty mistake all in one—not quite like the bitch goddess who owns me, but almost. Give it another hundred years, and I’ll be standing in this exact room, cutting myself open with my bare hands, alive and kicking to see the process. Imagine tucking my fingers under the sagging flaps, flaying skin from tissue as I pull it apart. Wet, stinking clumps of flesh and its sinewy tendons will stick between my nails, overstaying their welcome, yet impossible to scrub out. And that smell—mmm, that smell! A putrid, cloying tang of filthy pennies, assaulting my senses like a hammer to the head. I want to untangle my entrails like the wires in my brain that got crossed somewhere, just to check and see if they’re the same as everyone else.

Oh, so the new girl needs a bit of encouragement, does she? Lingering there slack-jawed and taking her sweet time. The missus—no, I mean, Hannah never needed to be told twice. Deep down, I think she even enjoyed it, the sick fuck. They don’t make them like her—

“Do it,” I hiss, saliva drooling from my lips like a rabid dog.

I hear bones snapping before the pain hits me, rattling my teeth as an excruciating jolt shoots up my arm. For a split second, I’m blinded by a searing white light. My thumb is dangling at an awkward angle and I must be howling, because the look on that girl’s face… well, what wouldn’t I give to have a picture as a keepsake? Frame it up on the wall like a goddamn Picasso.

Sometimes I feel the hairy legs of spiders skittering around my skull. It tickles like the high strings of a violin being plucked—faintly, daintily, as if it were never there. Sometimes I say things, but my words aren’t my own. And it’s happening right now. The girl before me is no longer a girl, but the queen bitch herself.

“Therese,” I weep and moan. It’s lewd and urgent like a fever prayer falling from my lips. I swear I could cum from her name alone, and I hate myself for it.

“What did you just call me?”

Therese in body and blood, spirit and flesh. Therese in all her unbearable glory. The cold metal clamps down on my trigger finger and her grin is so wicked I can only grovel and lick the dirt off her boots. She’s inside of me. When I hurt myself, she hurts too, and I enjoy it.

“Yes, please! Oh, mistress, oh fuck—”

My eyes shut as I throw my head back, mouth in the shape of an “O” that’s simply ridiculous. I try not to imagine how it looks like one of those snuff tape suckers in post-coital, or should I say, post-feast bliss. Disgusting and vile. I remember mocking them with Phil as I forced him to watch every single Death Mask film in that dingy basement of the Santa Monica Clinic.

When I come to, my balls are no longer heavy and aching, like an oppressive, shameful need. Semen trickles down my leg, pooling in my pants as though I wet myself. It smells of rotting fish and I’m trying not to cry. I wish it were the Nectar of the Gods instead.

A flash of anger rears up in my chest and I tear my eyes open. Therese—no, the new girl lies like a crumpled doll on the floor, mouth agape in that stupid “O.” Good enough like a pair of single-use gloves to dispose of in the trash without a second thought. Except, I used mine again and again. What’s the point if they break apart so easily? They don’t make them—

I yank her face towards me. The whites of her eyes loll back as I squash the fat of her cheeks within my bloodied hand, and her lips mime a fish sucking in breath.

“Tell me I’m good enough! Say it!” something that sounds more akin to a pig squealing explodes like a burst tap.

The stumps of my fingers move her mouth like a ventriloquist, but she says nothing. Blood smears across her dull skin. She doesn’t wake up. That can only mean one thing: useless. They don’t—

I let her body fall to the ground with a thud. Whipping a phone out from my back pocket, what’s left of my fingers fly over the keypad, punching in a line I’ve rehearsed a thousand times.

“A special order for the mistress.”

Tears cloud my eyes as I hear my quivering breath. It’s shallow and erratic. I still can’t tell if I’m laughing or crying half of the time.

Dividers by @diableriedoll

[amberkendslacy]

Hbomberguy mentioned maybe doing a vampire the masquerade bloodlines video like 5 years ago and I'm not over it lol.

[malky-tea]

The third picture in a series about bloodlines from Vampire: The Masquerade. I like Samedi. I love their flaws, their vibe, and their awesome looks (love anything with bones and skulls). Their connection to Caribbean mythology, voodoo and necromancy certainly deserves a special mention and love too. I haven't played them yet (whenever I get a chance to do a necromancer I take Giovanni), but that didn't stop me from ending the first installment of the series with this bloodline (and it's my favorite art)

Only 6 pictures left, maybe I'll dilute this glut of vampires on my blog with something else, who knows? But I'll be sure to show them all

[felassan]

hi felassan, this news article mentions EA only bringing EA sports to gamescom, not dragon age. haven't seen anyone else write about it so I couldn't verify. https://wccftech.com/ea-and-paradox-arent-showing-dragon-age-the-veilguard-and-vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-at-gamescom/

coolbeegoesbsss asked: sorry for sending two asks about the same thing (no gamescom) but it's somewhat confirmed in the official discord by an EA employee. https://discord.com/channels/1234565251513585736/1245248476305035304/1266132999125204992

hello! ◕‿◕ tysm for stopping by to let me know about this and no worries at all!! [article link] I will update my calendar post about Gamescom.

here is the full article contents for those reading.

"EA and Paradox Aren’t Showing Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 at Gamescom Despite both being slated to launch this Fall, neither Dragon Age: The Veilguard nor Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 will be shown at Gamescom 2024 by EA and Paradox Interactive, the respective publishers. With less than a month left before the beginning of the big European convention, the exhibitors list has been finalized. Since Wccftech is attending with media accreditations, we are looking into which games will be shown there, and we can confirm that neither of two of the most anticipated games scheduled in the latter half of 2024 will appear. EA does actually have a presence at Gamescom 2024. However, we confirmed with the publisher's PR department that the only game shown there will be EA Sports FC 25, which means Dragon Age: The Veilguard is sorely missing. It feels like a weird repeat of what KONAMI is doing with the Silent Hill 2 remake, which is also skipping Gamescom 2024 for some reason despite only being a few weeks away from its October debut. It's enough to make one wonder if a delay is coming, although Electronic Arts has actually shared a lot of Dragon Age: The Veilguard info lately, which pointed to the Fall release window being respected. Another game in a similar situation is Paradox Interactive's Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. The troubled sequel is still formally pinned for a Q4 2024 launch, but Paradox is skipping Gamescom altogether, Wccftech was able to confirm via the publisher's PR, meaning Bloodlines 2 will be nowhere to be seen at the Koelnmesse. A delay in this case would be less than surprising, as what's been shown so far isn't quite as polished as we would have liked to see. It is far from unlikely that the developers will require more time before launch. Even if both games missed their Fall 2024 launch windows, Western RPG fans would still have two high-profile games pretty much assured to debut this year: Warhorse's Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and Obsidian's Avowed, both of which will be shown at Gamescom."

[source]

[Discord link] And here is what the EA CM said:

"I'm surprised so many people are surprised about Gamescom 😄 As an industry professional, I don't view that event as a marketing event at all and its completely normal for companies to not go (IMO)" [source: the official BioWare Discord]

[pattons-second-cookie-v2]

I will be going on hiatus as I work up whichever wins the final result. PREVIEW WILL BE POSTED ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

Character Summaries will give a brief breakdown on each characters’ physical and actual age, vampiric bloodline, and what role they play for the Masquerade.

The Relationship Map will be a color-coded diagram (or two) showing how each character corresponds to one another. (I will spoil now that while some characters are romantically entangled, others are supernaturally bound)

*I once again will say if anyone wishes to be tagged in this project please mention it on any of my post marked #sanders sides vampire au or DM me*

Tag List: @sethlost @thearomanticsnake

[sureokyeahwhatever]

i finished vampire the masquerade bloodlines after chipping away at it for a couple weeks after work. Those first 2/3rds of the game are a genuine masterpiece, but man, that last third gets really, really weird and racist.

The thing is, is that I actually have very little to say about that first 2/3rds. It's just good. The design is great, it's well balanced, it's open ended, it has great characters. It's wonderful. This part of the game feels like a real, worthy successor to Deux Ex. There's just nothing more to say, I think.

...

And that's why I almost have a hard time believing it's written by the same people as the last bit. The whole game up to that point (up to just before chinatown) is pretty darn smartly written with some relatively cogent social commentary. The quality of the missions also takes a really, really steep dive in that section too (lots of run and gun hallways, lots of extremely buggy areas, shitty boss fights, etc. But that's honestly understandable because balancing the endgame of an ImSim is practically impossible). Idk, it feels like a totally different game. I could almost just forgive all of that though, if it weren't for the ungodly and seemingly genuine racism with regards to the east Asian vampires.

Like. Ok. If we're being VERY charitable and we just flatly forgive all of the misguided-though-not-malintentioned 2000s era attempts at humor-via-stereotype (dialogue options referencing "tentacles" directed at a young japanese woman; old chinese guys who are always loud and drunk; jingoistic WWII-surviving japanese soldier; Chinese businessman speaking in riddles and mentioning the I-Ching; so on and so on) the whole handling of the "chinese vampire" storyline is psychotically racist.

You first hear of these guys -- the Kuei-Jin, which I learn from the wiki is a portmanteau of the Mandarin word for ghost and a the Japanese word for person, which... ok. -- as being basically like animals. They slaughter who ever they see, lots of people in the bourgeois faction see them as a nuisance, the people in the anarchist faction see them as "invaders from the east," which already had me like "Jesus fucking Christ, maybe these anarchist guys aren't cool after all". But anyway, you go to Chinatown to talk to them and -- by my estimation -- they were basically the same as everyone else. They're protective of their territory, they're secretive, they're paranoid of outsiders... I mean, yeah, they're fucking vampires and apparently all the other vampires see them as sub-human, so yeah, I'd be paranoid and secretive around me too.

The thing is, is that you have this anarchist friend who you tell everything to -- Jack -- and I wanted to go tell him "hey, I don't think these guys are so bad. Maybe we misjudged them" or something like that. And there was a dialogue option along the lines of that, but when I said it, his response was something to the effect of "don't let them sweet talk you with their 'spiritual path' bullshit. That stuff ain't for /us/". Which, I heard and again, said "ah! Interesting writing decision! We're learning that Jack ALSO has flaws like everyone else! he's not just some perfectly cool, levelheaded badass -- he has unjustified prejudices just like everyone else!" So I continued the story under the assumption that, yes, while the surface level of the whole "Chinese vampire" thing was being handled in a really immature, racist way, and in-universe all the other factions seemed to see them as exactly that -- racist stereotypes of conniving, backstabbing Chinese mafia goons -- this was all setting up an interesting "let's all learn to put our cultural differences aside and defeat those rich assholes who want to rule LA"-style ending. This would not be the case.

There was a moment towards the end that I THOUGHT confirmed my suspicion. You are told by the leader of the bourgeois faction to convince the anarchist faction to ally with them so they can, together, take down the Kuei-Jin. Around this time you also are intercepted by the leader of the Kuei-Jin who straight up warns you "hey, that bourgeois guy set me up. He's about to set you up too. Be careful. I hope we can be friends in the future." So I get this information and go straight to the anarchist faction with the intention to say "Ok, bourgeois guys are obviously doing a power play. Now's the time to join with the Kuei-Jin and take them out. We'll settle our petty differences later." (Side note, yes, I understand they were recently at war, but war happens in these situations. The best way to prevent another war is actively making peace. Not by just constantly threatening to go BACK to war). But no such option was available. Instead, all the options were different variations on "Let's join with the bourgeois faction and kill those Chinese guys!" What? But I don't want to kill those guys! And I don't really trust either of these other factions either because the anarchists are racists and the bourgeois guys are, well, bourgeois guys.

So eventually the "ending-tron 3000" comes up in the form of a conversation with a taxi driver which, as far as ending-trons go, is pretty cute. If you decide to ally with the Kuei-Jin two things happen: one, everyone hates you because it's completely impossible to convince anyone that they are anything other than parasites, and two, they kill you in a cutscene and you die in the ocean, which, all things considered, is probably the worst possible way this whole story line could have been handled. There was an opportunity here to have an exceptionally interesting moment where you bring people together to fight in solidarity against those who seek to concentrate their power over the city and all it's inhabitants. There could have been an ending where you work together with the Kuei-Jin and the anarchists to get rid of the bourgeois faction, render the "anarchist" faction system redundant, and allow LA vampires to establish their own federated society where people can live where and how they please without the iron fist of some Ivory tower pretty boys telling everyone how to live their lives. You could establish a system of vampire democracy across LA, with all the benefits and negatives that it brings. Would LA then be crushed under the heel of the bourgeois faction coming in from other cities? Or would it be able to stand the test of time and serve as an example for other cities to rise up and do the same? There's some interesting stuff here, both politically and for individual characters as perhaps you have to work extra hard to get Jack and the rest of the anarchists to believe that the Kuei-Jin are, despite superficial differences, just vampires like they are and that they all share common interests.

Instead, the game goes hard in the other direction. It calls you an idiot for trusting those eastern invaders and basically says "you should have listened to everyone else when they were mumbling under their breath about how you can't trust those Kuei-Jin as far as you can throw them". i.e., you were an idiot for not being racist enough. Like, I can understand the general theme of "trust no one", since it permeates through the whole game, but to literally introduce a faction of "conniving foreigners" who everyone hates, and then to have that hate be perfectly justified just feels boring, hateful, and honestly like a waste of a third of what was otherwise a great, great game.

Anyway. The game is good. Great, even! It's really hard to make an ImSim, so even though the last third has some rough (ROUGH) design flaws and bugs, I'm happy to look past that. However, it's really easy to not just put Chinese people in your game and make them evil stereotypes that everyone rightfully hates, so that's harder to look past.

I would say the ideal way to experience the game is to marathon the first chapter up to downtown, play less and less frequently from downtown up until the end of hollywood or so, and gradually lose interest around the time that you're asked to go to Chinatown. I think if you did that, you'd end up remembering the game very fondly.

[crownedinmarigolds]

I'm pretty sure the reason Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines is so on the forefront of my brain is because Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club specifically mentions Santa Monica and Hollywood and LA so my brain rotted self is like VTMB!

So am I imagining my coterie dancing at the Pink Pony club... yes. Also my fave cover artist did his own version of it so I hard-core am picturing Ralph as a rhinestone cowboy is heels....

[thewilliamambervein]

So The Decent DLC completely burned me out when it comes to Dragon Age Inquisition. After my impromptu stream last week that OBS fucked up while I was sick, I beat it off stream but I'm no longer trying to beat it before Veilguard is released.

In October I will probably be playing Death Stranding still, but I wanna play some horror games I've never played too. I already mentioned them but Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines modded and Voices of the Void will be the main go to options. Honestly I still need to look at what I got

So once I beat Dragon Age Inquisition after October I will move onto Veilguard.

[hehearse]

hi!! i love your orv so so much especially your yoo joonghyuk <3 i had 2 questions

1. do you mind if people use your art for icons with credit?

2. do you have any characters of your own? if you do and you're willing to share i would love to hear abt them! ^_^

i don't mind!! as long as credit is there and it's not for someone else (that is usually mention in the caption), feel free to!

i do! though they are more of blobs than characters since i'm... incredibly slow with developing things and emotionally investing into anything ;w;

BUT

i have two sets, both include a pink haired girl because i am weak to them.

these are vampire guys that appeared after i got my hands on vampire: the masquerade - bloodlines! i kept them tagged as "hearse: cats&dads" actually for the self organization reasons

and the other set is

and those are even less thought through with some vague worldbuilding as a base but they are all doomed to various extent to either be devoured or to devour the gods that support them in order to take their place <3 or not!

they also got the self organization tag "hearse: godeaters". i like my blog neat and tagged...

[tacticalhimbo]

RUNNING UP THAT HILL: A VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE BLOODLINES FICLET

WORDS: 1.9K FANDOM(S): Vampire The Masquerade WARNINGS: Mentions and descriptions of murder, transphobia, violence, and injury.

Another spur of the moment writing, because the scene with the taxi driver after LaCroix calls a hunt on the player character has such good dialog. This centers around my Toreador character, Brienne Isadora Eranthe, a transfem union lawyer who was Embraced into the Masquerade after, what was intended to be, a simple night out.

Please no spoilers about the end of the game, either! I'm newer to the game, and I've gotten to the part where you do find out Nines is alive, and you're sent to confront Ming Xiao. I just... had to write this ficlet out fjdaslkjfkslfjs. Character development and whatnot.

This isn't proofread or anything, either. Just vibes <3

Crimson blossoms bled through stained satin, sallow hands trembling briefly before stilling. Pearly eyes focused on the wound that lengthy fingers caressed, seemingly staring past the opening and through the well-coated flesh and muscle. Its owner, an older woman, was numbed to the sensation; numbed to the subtle vibrations of the taxi as its driver simply pulled away before the ravenous crowd could find themselves broken through. Concealed eyes scanned her visage in the rear-view mirror.

"Where to?"

She spared a glance. "Get me the hell out of Santa Monica… hell, just get me out of town. I just… I need to get out of town."

Surely enough, all of the chaos vanished as the pair found themselves upon the highways. The bleeding had stopped now, leaving behind a gnarly mess on a once gorgeous ensemble. Brienne finally exhaled as the towering skyscrapers became minuscule, now tired eyes scanning the horizon for any danger. There was none—none that was apparent, anyway. But that's how it was, wasn't it? None of this was apparent to her. Not being Embraced. Not facing execution. Not pushing herself to her body's extremes in hopes that someone—anyone—might take notice that she is a fish out of water and needs help. Not being captured by hunters and subjected to experimentation so pervasive in its nature that she told nobody of it. Nobody except the kindly Nosferatu man she'd helped break out; who'd experienced it with her. No… None of this was apparent that night she and her dearest friends had stepped into that club. The worst case scenario for someone like her was, usually, a one-time offense. Something she could either move on from, or never wake up from. But this?

This was a new sort of hell. One that didn't have statistics or conversations. One that, truly, had made her lose everything.

Shoulders slumped as she eased into the backseat of the taxi, lashes fluttering as she blinked back the tears that threatened to spill. Yet even still, she couldn't help the harsh laugh that'd escaped her.

"What a fucking night." Her tone was bitter. Cold and distant, just as the bustling Hollywood streets now felt all those miles away.

The driver kept his focus on the road. Spared only the briefest of glances before speaking.

"The night has not been kind to you?"

Unlike her voice, his held a warmth despite its distance. Like this was routine. Perhaps it was. And the thought was just humorous enough to steel the urge she'd felt to show her fangs and snarl with a venomous sarcasm. Instead, Brienne simply rolled her eyes and looked out the window. Watched the stars glimmer amidst the midnight sky.

"If it weren't for Jack…" She paused. Her breath hitched. A tear fell. Then another. She shook her head and harshly wiped at the falling stains, smearing what remained of her makeup onto the back of her bloodied hand. "Say, you know anything about Jack?"

A steady hum.

"I only recently made the acquaintance of Mister Jack. He intrigues me very much. There are so few like him these nights, I think. But then, I only know what I hear from others about the Kindred of this city. It sounds as if there are many who seek to sway the children of Caine to their side… many who believe they shape the destiny of the blood. You work for Prince LaCroix, don't you?"

A curious glance, which quickly returned to the road ahead as a large truck merged into the lane. The taxi driver slowed, allowing them access. Giving Brienne more time to think the question over, even if she didn't feel she needed it. She scoffed.

"I work for no one." Her voice wavered, then forced itself to steady as she scowled at the passing landscape. "I'm out of this city. Good riddance, LA."

"You could run…" Another glimpse. The subtle softening of his tone. "but do you really think you could escape your reputation? I know little about you except the rumors that you've killed the Anarch leader and betrayed your own kind."

Ire. A nasty look now directed to the driver's reflection in the mirror. The snarl of a caged animal.

"It's not true! I didn't kill Nines!" Even raised, the fledgling's voice was unsteady; strained, much like her form. She winced as she adjusted her posture.

"You have been accused." Punctually stated. "If you were to run, this reputation would travel with you until your final night. Your only recourse is to clear this charge… or to smite the conspirators working against your good name."

Another sigh, accompanied by the deflating of the woman's composure. Her head hung, eyes returning to the grisly sight sat upon her lap. In the subtle glow of the streetlights, she could see the fire. Feel the warmth of the ash and flames overtaking the mountain station as her heart raced. Muscles grew taut and she began to tremble again, her fist clenching in a weak attempt to push down the rising tension. It broke when she saw his face again—saw the fear in Nines' face as he was tackled down by a werewolf and flung over the cliff face. The almost apologetic glaze in his eyes as he'd realized he wouldn't be able to protect her now, like he had those months ago when her newly awakened form sat bound before all to see; as he'd realized he failed her. Crimson blossoms moistened as the tears finally fell.

"If the Anarchs knew what really happened…" She looked to the mirror again. "tak me to the Anarchs."

"The Anarchs… a curious experiment." Brienne winced at the usage of the word. "But they have lost many battles and more leaders—their rebellion has already failed in the eyes of many. Do you feel their notions of freedom have any real possibility?"

A genuine question. One that only brought about more twangs of guilt within the Toreador's conscience. It wasn't until too recently that she'd realized how scummy Prince LaCroix was. How he'd not cared whether she lived or died, long as he'd gotten his way. Yet even after all of the work she'd done for him… The Anarchs took her in. They were willing to look past her testimonies because a mere fledgling, all too unfamiliar with the intricate and oppressive politics of the world she now found herself in. Or perhaps, deep down, someone amongst their ranks had realized she had the potential to be the bearer of change. Whatever the reason, they believed in her, even if she struggled—even now—to believe in them.

But that was no more. It couldn't be…

"As long as a few believe, it'll remain a possibility." A lesson she'd learned all those years ago, as she came into herself. As she broke free from her own oppressive mindset, and allowed herself to flourish into the beautiful woman she was today.

A subtle nod.

"If the Anarchs manged to recapture this city, it would not be long before someone challenged them for it. Conflict is always an eventuality in their life. Could you spend an eternity this way?"

As if she hasn't already. 43 years of existence, with nearly 20 of those being as she was now. It was no easy thing to announce herself as a trans woman to the world. Not then, and certainly not now. She knew she could handle the fight for what was right; that wasn't the part that scared her. It was the unfamiliarity. The new territory of, quite literally, facing an eternity. Unless she were to find an unfortunately early demise at the hands of those she'd wronged thus far.

"It may not be the best choice, but it's the best choice I have."

"The Anarch spirit exists within the blood of many." He began, seeming to catch the lingering hesitation. "Few, though, are willing to listen to it. Perhaps, if a few more did, they would not have lost so much."

"I shouldn't abandon them." I never should have, is what she'd like to say. But now was not the time to linger on her mistakes. Lord knows she'd made enough of them. Even still… "But with Nines gone… I think it might be over."

A calloused hand briefly left the wheel, thicker fingers finding the volume control and allowing the music to fade. Smoothly as it'd left, it returned to its position. 2 o'clock.

"The Anarchs have lost less than is thought. I hear there is one left who may be able to revitalize the movement. Maybe, though, it is just a rumor." There was a hint of something; a subtle emphasis blanketing his disregard of the idea as rumor.

He didn't believe it, but he wasn't one to push the actions of another to his will. It was merely the carrot on the stick. The fuel needed for any potential flames to ignite. All he had to do was await her reaction; to drive the lengthy stretch of highway in hopes the loop they'd found themselves in was not obvious.

And it worked.

A flash of flame ignited in the fledgling's silver eyes, shoulders squaring as she'd finally brought herself to sit up proper. The pain was dulled now, enough to ignore as she made eye contact with the driver.

"Really? I'd really like to meet this person." Her voice was proper steady now. She'd found it again. The driver's lips twitched, the ghost of a smile threatening to fall upon his chapped lips.

"I know where you might find them. But," his eyes met hers, "you would have to be ready to commit to the Anarchs' fight for this city." They left, returning to the road. "I could just as easily take you downtown to see LaCroix."

It was a weighty responsibility. One that, frankly, Brienne felt unprepared to carry. After failing them so many times, and being tossed to the wolves by Prince LaCroix, the only thing that was clear to her was, "… I don't know what to do."

A sigh from him, this time. The careful consideration of the driver's words.

"Your sympathies seem to lie with the Anarchs." A calloused hand briefly left the wheel, thicker fingers finding the volume control and allowing the music to rise again. Smoothly as it'd left, it returned to its position. 2 o'clock. "The Anarchs' passion may be their greatest strength or their Achilles' heel, but imagine if they did hold on to the Free State. It could inspire others to come, and together, construct a new Enoch."

A slow nod from her, this time. The acknowledgment that, maybe, things could change. That she could do for them what they'd done for her. That she could finally repay the favor.

"Yeah. The Anarchs need me. Take me to Hollywood."

"If you share the Anarchs' passion and would share the burden of such a fire, we will go meet the last person capable of keeping them together."

A smile graced the fledgling's lips. "If they're anything like Nines, things will be free—truly free—by sun up. Let's go."

"If that is your decision."

Silence befell the duo once more, but it was no longer daunting. It was… liberating. A breath of fresh air from the hustle and bustle of the city below them. And, damned be the consequences, others would be able to feel such a relief by the time the sun rose and they settled into slumber. Brienne would make sure of that.