#mft's characters: medea of angelopolis

[medeaft]

In the safe dark under the pier (originally: A móló alatti biztonságos sötétben) 2025 Acrylic on paper

This is my Bloodlines self-insert Tremere PC, at the time still alive, a little while before the events of the game, hiding under the pier with Kai, its future Sire. I wrote out the scene under the cut.

@beach-episode-by-night

Contents: feeling sick (light sensitivity), cursory discussion of death (including non-human animals), comfort, friendly conversation

. ⋆ ˖ ⁺‧ ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽˖⁺✩⋆◯⋆✩⁺˖☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ ‧⁺ ˖ ⋆ .

I hold a hand in front of my forehead, shielding my eyes. Even looking down, the shifting colours of the Ferris wheel invade the corners of my vision and spill across the boards of the pier. "I'm sorry, I don't think I'm well. The lights are very bright. Can we leave?"

I expect to have to explain, but I don't. A shadow falls across my vision, and I can't be sure just then, but I think it's Kai deliberately stepping into the path of the worst of the lights. "Of course," he says. In this state I have to concentrate to make out his words, but I can still tell that there is sudden concern in his normally-cheerful voice. "Can you walk okay? Do you want to hold my arm? Or my sleeve, then you don't even have to touch me."

I don't think I have ever been asked that before. At first, simply because I'm not used to it, I want to refuse, tell him I can walk, this has happened before, I haven't gotten lost permanently yet; but honestly, this is… nice. It's nice to be helped and it's nice to be taken seriously. And I'm not taking anything from him, right? He won't be worse off from me holding his sleeve for a few minutes while I'm disoriented. I nod nervously, and tentatively reach out for his offered arm. "I'd like that. …Thank you." I pinch the cuff of his sleeve between my fingers where it buttons shut, so I'm not pulling on anything that could tear. "Like so? Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay. We all need help sometimes, right?"

We start walking slowly; I look at our feet, letting my hair fall down around my face to shade my eyes against some of the bad light. "So," he asks, "how are you feeling? Are the lights the problem, or are you just sensitive to them now because you feel sick?"

"No, I feel sick because of the lights."

"Do you think you're going to have a seizure or anything?"

That's a possibility I had not considered before, and one that I don't like very much now that I am considering it. "I don't know. Am I? If I had seizures, would I remember them?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe not the individual seizure, but you'd probably know you have them by now. You've felt this way before, right?"

"Right."

"Then if feeling this way made you have seizures, your family would have noticed and you'd know."

That makes sense, and I nod, relieved. "Okay, you're right. Then I don't think I'll have one. I just feel nauseous and disoriented and, I don't know, unwell, I can't explain it."

"Is there anything you need, a drink of water, or something?"

"Just darkness, I think."

I can hear the warmth in his voice. "That's even kind of fitting for you, right? Come, I know where we can go."

...

Soon, we are out of the range of the lights on the pier, down on the sand, under the structure, where it is darkest. I breathe easier instantly. The sand is firm and cool under my feet, much more supportive and comfortable than the wood slats of the pier, and it feels good. I let go of his sleeve and lean against one of the supports, allowing the water to lap at my feet. "Thank you", I say. "Also thank you for showing me around. I'm sorry it ended like this."

He shrugs amiably. "You didn't do anything to be sorry for. I'm sorry about taking you to a place with bad lights."

I shake my head. "You can't have known it'd be like that."

"Next time we'll go somewhere quieter. It's better for talking anyway. Did you still enjoy it, though, until it got bad?"

"I did."

"Good. If you're going to accidentally end up stuck in Los Angeles, at least you should get some good memories out of it, right?"

"Thanks, Kai. You're very nice." Slowly I sink into a crouch, nearly sitting in the lapping seafoam. I realise I'm soaking my clothes and my hair, but it really doesn't matter. I have to rest. I wet my hand in the waves and wipe my face with it, even placing it over my eyes for a moment. Maybe that's a bad idea, it can't be that clean here, maybe I'll get conjunctivitis or something, but I only think of that later. At the time, I don't care.

I can sense him standing near me. I can't see him grin at that moment, but I can hear very clearly that he is, and in my mind I can see the lopsided, mischievous curve of his mouth and the way his grey eyes narrow. "Oh, I hope you're not mistaking me for some kind of omnibenevolent being," he says. "I can be pretty terrible. I'm just nice to you because I'm trying to befriend you."

I laugh at that; weakly, but I do. "Isn't that how we all are? I'm a complete serial killer when it comes to onions and carrots. It's refreshing that you at least admit it, most don't even recognise it."

"Exactly! See, you get it." He kicks his shoes off and pulls off his socks, until he stands barefoot on the sand, like I am. He rolls up the bottom of his trousers, then he stuffs his socks in the shoes and dangles the shoes by their laces in one hand. "So is the Santa Monica pier uniquely terrible, or do you hate lamps in general?"

"City lights in general are pretty bad."

"And on previous nights you just didn't mention it?" His voice sounds... hurt? Concerned?

"It wasn't this bad before. I'm not always equally sensitive, sometimes I can stand it more. These ones look quite bad, but maybe they aren't as bad on a different night, I don't know. It's bad that they are moving. But cars do that too, cars are also pretty bad sometimes."

"I see." He crouches too, the better to talk. "Honestly, I don't blame you. Other animals get disoriented too, right? Not sure why the expectation is that we won't."

I nod. "And then they get hit by cars and stuck in lampshades and whatnot. It's not unlikely that'll be me someday."

He goes quiet for a moment. I assume I probably said something wrong. Well, it's not very presentable to talk about dying so casually like that; though I had hoped that he and I were past getting hung up on that kind of thing. But his expression is thoughtful rather than put off. And finally he asks, "So, how bad is it? Like for example, in theory, if you had a safe and dim house to stay in, how okay would you be remaining in a city indefinitely?"

"A quiet house, and I can spend most of my time in there if I need to?"

"Yes." After a little pause, he adds, "And let's say there is even somehow a place you can stand on the soil and under the night sky like you like to, and still not see the city lights. And the sky is dark and you can see the stars."

It warms my heart that I feel so known, and I smile. "How would that even work? The sky is never dark in a city."

He shrugs. "Magic? Let's posit the house has a pocket dimension and there's a garden in it, for argument's sake."

"Okay. Then that's not so bad, I think I could deal with that, even if there are bad lights every time I leave."

"Would you do it if it was for the sake of arcane knowledge?"

"If it was for arcane knowledge, I'd do just about anything. Plus, hey, if it's a magic house with a pocket dimension, where better to learn arcane knowledge, right?"

This time I can see his grin. "Right."

[medeaft]

The Wizard King takes the throne (originally: A Varázslókirály trónra lép) 2024 Ink on paper

This is the 31st and last picture of my Inktober pictures, in which I visually narrate the events of Bloodlines (according to my self-insert player character). This is the post with the rest of the pictures.

(The building elements are not intended to look like Venture Tower, of course.)

"When you're taught through feelings..."

[medeaft]

Rune of the Third Eye 2024 Ink on paper The 16th day of Inktober, slightly delayed (I was working on a commission on the same day). Here are the other pictures.

Strauss gives me a protective amulet for the fight against the gargoyle. Yes, gameplay-wise that just happens in dialogue, but I had to imagine it. I'm just touched that he wanted to do something to keep me safe. I know, I know, it's important for me to win this fight, but... still, let me have this. I'm very normal and okay about him.

[medeaft]

Goodbye to daylight (originally: Búcsú a napvilágtól) 2025 Watercolour and ink on paper

This is my Bloodlines self-insert PC watching its last sunset directly before the events of the game. It doesn't know yet that this is its last sunset, of course. But after darkness sets in, when it returns to its hotel, the phone will ring, and it will be Kai - its future Sire -, and he will want to meet immediately, for important reasons he can't explain on the phone right now. It will not leave this meeting alive.

Once, when I was little, I drew a sunset by the seashore, not for any particular reason except to celebrate the colours; of course, living in a landlocked country, I had never seen a seashore sunset at that time, I just imagined how it would be. My mother looked at it and told me that sunset pictures were kitschy, especially seashore sunsets. I felt sad. I had so many sunset picture ideas, but I didn't want to do bad art. This was, of course, a very minor thing, she probably doesn't remember, but I will never forgive her; who says a thing like that to a little child who just wants to enjoy colours? And I will paint as many sunsets as I choose, because I can paint anything I like.

[medeaft]

Examining the sarcophagus with Beckett 2024 Ink on paper

Day 24 of Inktober, with the other pictures here.

Beckett points out some of the interesting features of the sarcophagus to me.

I can't help but wonder, by the way - how did I sneak that out of the Giovanni mansion? Did I pick it up and put it under my arm or throw it over my shoulder, and then just walk up all those stairs and through those narrow, winding catacombs that it definitely does not fit through? How was it ever brought in to begin with? I will never know.

[medeaft]

Wherever you feel safest 2024 Ink on paper

Day 29 of my Bloodlines-related Inktober drawings; here are the other ones.

This one is about choosing my allegiance during the blood hunt.

I reach the doors of the Chantry and almost fall rather than step inside, bloody and muddy and wet through, ears still ringing with gunshots. As I stagger along the non-Euclidean corridors (no doubt tracking mud all over the infinite rug), I try to phrase in my mind how I will go about explaining everything that happened; will he believe me? All I can hope is that he will at least not attack me on sight; the prospect of having to defend myself against him is more than I can handle, and I know I wouldn't. But then I am at the double doors with the window like a Moon disc split in half, and my Regent has been waiting for me, and as soon as I look him in the face, I realise that I don't even have to explain, he believed in my innocence all along (and later I realise that there were no clanmates hunting me on the streets tonight, not even one). "Greetings, neonate," he says. "I have heard of your recent… difficulties with LaCroix. I can't say that I am surprised. Love of power always leads to betrayal, but I'm glad that you have survived." And that's enough. All of a sudden, now that I know that he's still on my side, now that I am safe for the moment, the heaviness and weariness of it all falls upon me, and I find myself collapsing into his arms. For a moment, he is motionless, as if startled - both of us are usually more reserved than that; but then, before I could withdraw and apologise for probably getting dirt on his beautiful coat, he's supporting me and holding me against his chest, and I can feel the weight of his hand coming to rest on my head. And I'm safe. It doesn't matter what comes next: whatever he thinks the solution is, I want to help, and it doesn't matter how much danger that puts me in; as long as he considers me one of his, I am safe.

[medeaft]

Lost in Santa Monica 2024 Ink on paper

My second entry for Inktober, as per this post.

Somehow, despite Santa Monica (in Bloodlines) consisting of, what, two streets and a tiny stretch of beach, I immediately got lost the first time I played, and I remained lost for the longest time. I have played many times, and I still have some difficulty getting around.

I have been given clear directions: "Walk to the end of the alley and my building is the next one on the right." It was literally the house right beside mine, and I still couldn't find it. Santa Monica is cursed, this is the only explanation. No wonder someone who is wanted by the police would choose this place to live; he will definitely not be found here, not even with directions, not even if there is a literal cutscene showing the man I'm looking for going into the house I'm looking for and leaving a blood puddle on the doorstep (a blood puddle that still remains there, and I probably walk past it a hundred times looking for the correct house).

[medeaft]

In the Hollywood Forever cemetery 2024 Ink on paper

Day 14 of my Bloodlines-related Inktober pictures. Here are the rest of them.

I don't actually have anything against the undead. I actually quite like them, even aside from the fact that I'm now one of them. So it's a little regrettable that this picture is occasioned by needing to stop them from overrunning the city; however, I still couldn't resist this being the next picture, because it's such a backdrop, and I love cemeteries, and I also welcomed the excuse to display the fact that my abilities of blood magic have been significantly increasing.

[medeaft]

The bad place (originally: A rossz hely) 2024 Ink on paper

Day 10 of Inktober.

I'm infiltrating the underground hideout of the plague cult, very expressively named by Tin Can Bill "the bad place". It just looked so dramatic that that was what I wanted to draw. I don't have anything against sneaking around in the sewer water right now; that is probably the cleanest part of this whole establishment.

The rest of the pictures can be seen here.

[medeaft]

Talking about a lost friend (originally: Egy elvesztett barátról beszélgetünk) 2024 Ink on paper

The 7th day of Inktober. Here are the other pictures and the way I go about this.

After destroying the warehouse, finally I was allowed back in downtown Los Angeles. I had been looking for the chantry ever since I got the letter, not realising that I need to be downtown to find it; and now, even though I'm supposed to report in to LaCroix, I'm going to visit the Regent first. (This is how it happened during my first playthrough, and how I imagine my self-insert acting every time.) I am immediately drawn to him and like him. And (according to my headcanon) he knew my Sire; it is a relief to finally be able to talk about him with someone.

[medeaft]

"I want to show you something." 2024 Ink on paper

So this is my first entry for Inktober; I'm sure there are prompts, but I have instead decided to theme it around Bloodlines, as I have described in this post. This is my self-insert PC, and the mysterious new friend who offers it arcane knowledge at the cost of its life. Neither of them know how poorly this is about to go. But in the end, I could never not have accepted a deal like that. Which means I'll be right at home in my new clan.

Yes, in the master post I said that I would keep close to the canon parts as much as I can. But, well, I can't. This was a really important scene to draw, and I most definitely cannot have gone about it the canon way. If someone is going to seduce me, they are going to have to seduce me with arcane knowledge.

[medeaft]

Spellcasting from cover (originally: Lesből varázslás) 2024 Ink on paper

So this is me as my Bloodlines self-insert PC (Tremere, as you can see), going through the tutorial building. This evening, before everything happened (was it really just a few hours ago?...), it had no way of knowing that it should wear something inconspicuous because it's going to be sneaking everywhere. However, it manages.

I'm starting to have increasingly many moments of my Bloodlines unlife as different pictures. (Not all of them uploaded.) I suspect that eventually I'll just end up with the whole game, as I interpret it, drawn as scenes with my self-insert.

[medeaft]

Visiting the Giovanni mansion 2024 Ink on paper

Inktober day 23, slightly belated because I was away, but it's uploaded now. And here are the other pictures.

I'm attending a party I'm not invited to, which is a family reunion for a family I'm not part of, in order to steal a sarcophagus I don't want, for the sake of a man I don't want to follow the orders of.

The dress is very makeshift; the jewellery was kindly lent to me by a very helpful clanmate. I did my best to look the part, I even put on shoes! Well, sandals. But still!

[medeaft]

This fire is not good (originally: Nem tetszik ez a tűz) 2024 The 28th installment of my Bloodlines-related Inktober pictures. These are the rest.

And this time at last it really is Nines, not just someone pretending to be him. He deserved to be drawn long ago, since he has been such an important part of the story so many times, and I felt a bit bad that the first time I drew him for this series (though certainly not the first time I've drawn him in my life), it wasn't even actually him; but there are only so many days in October, and I knew I was going to draw him today.

[medeaft]

Watching Andrei's terrible tape (originally: Megnézzük Andrei rémfilmjét) 2024 Ink on paper

Day 15 of my Bloodlines-related Inktober drawings; the rest are in this post.

This is my first exposure to Andrei's meat art. I will later find out this is not some of his better work; but I am still fascinated.

[medeaft]

The poor ghost! (originally: Szegény kísértet!) 2024 Ink on paper

For the fourth day of Inktober (for which the master post is here), here you may see my Bloodlines self-insert investigating the Ocean House hotel and finding the amulet of the ghost. I really do feel like she just wanted to be heard and understood, she just wanted a sympathetic ear to whom to tell her story in whatever ways were available to her...