#of vampires producing a living offspring

[mercymaker]

me having a normal one today

[faerievampling]

Miracle - Part 2

Summary: Astarion asks a pregnant Tav to marry him and settle down for a bit. Can be read as a stand alone story!

Word count: 2.1k

Pairing: Spawn!Astarion x F!Tav / Reader

Link to Part 1

Link to Ao3

My Masterlist

Warnings: 18+! Explicit! Astarion being a perv for pregnant Tav! Pregnancy kink. Breeding kink. PiV. Vaginal fingering. Cunnilingus. Body worship. Panty sniffing. Mention of body changes, symptoms of pregnancy.

A/N: Do y'all want more of these two? because I have more. I hope you enjoy!

You and your beloved continue to travel and work. Despite being expert adventures, you both had decided on taking low risk journeys and dealings. You were lucky to have found an enchanted ring long ago, one that allowed your vampire to walk in the sun, so there was no disruption to your living schedule.

Astarion insisted that you take it easy, and had even wanted you to stop traveling altogether, but he could only get you to acquiesce to directly participating in battles.

But you were starting to get rather big, and you weren’t so quick or nimble as you once were. The extra weight was daunting on you.

You are nearing the end of your pregnancy, now.

“Darling, you know I’m not one for…tradition, or convention, or any of that,” Astarion said one day as he massages your swollen hands. You were propped up in bed, your legs draped over Astarion's lap as he sat upright, working the fluids out with his strong digits. It was hard work, growing a baby, and strange things happened, like swollen hands. “But, I was reading something the other day…”

“Oh?”

“In one of my romance novels…you know the ones,” Astarion admits coyly, and you smile, nodding because he had shared this guilty pleasure with you before. “In one of them, the love interest wanted the mother of his child to share the same surname as their offspring. And he, the love interest, wanted to also share…this last name with them.”

You raise an eyebrow.

“What do you think of that?” Astarion inquires coquettishly, turning on an almost boyish, shy charm that makes your heart swoon.

“I think it’s romantic. The love interest wants his family united, and I think that’s lovely,” You say. “What do you think about it, Astarion?”

“I think I want that. With you.” Astarion turns your hand in his, pressing a kiss to your knuckles. “I don’t care to do it traditionally, I just want you to be mine. I’ve already talked to Wyll.”

Astarion moves your legs off his lap onto the bed, moving for his things across your suite. The two of you were quite wealthy at this point, and had found a lovely little inn to stay in outside of Athkatla, the capital of Amn.

Astarion produces an envelope, pulling out the papers inside before handing them over to you. Astarion, not having the patience for you to actually look them over, tells you that it is the paperwork for an annulment of his death certificate, an official acknowledgement of the destruction of a previous marriage, and a marriage license –

“Wait a minute,” You stop him.

Astarion has an ‘I’ve been caught’ look on his face. “Ugh, I had hoped you’d just ignore that part I sandwiched in there.”

You knit your eyebrows together, shaking your head at him. “I’m no stranger to your ‘sandwich’ tactics, Astarion,” You quip back. “A previous marriage?”

“One that I have no memory of and was contractually destroyed upon my first death. Now that I’m legally alive again, and they are still alive, it’s just to acknowledge that marriage is no longer legitimate, so that our marriage is.”

“Oh,” You say, digesting these two things at once; Astarion had an ex-husband or wife, and he was asking you to marry him right now.

“I figured we could go back to Baldur’s Gate for a while, get Wyll’s stamp of approval, and there was that midwife Shadowheart suggested to us…” Astarion trailed off, his mind wandering at all the things there was to do. “You should probably get a check up. It's been a while, darling, and my 'inspections' of you are hardly medical in nature.”

You give him a gentle smack on the shoulder, prompting a handsome smirk from him before you narrow your eyes at him. You knew he was going to tell you that now was the time to settle down. You knew it was coming.

“Don’t look at me like that. Not after what I’ve just asked of you.” His rounded eyes look away from you, like he’s embarrassed.

You change your tune, realizing you’re being a jackass. You ease yourself out of bed, Astarion rushing to help you. You take his arm, and once on your feet, you place your hands on his chest, looking up at him as he looks away from your cleavage, meeting your gaze.

“Astarion, of course I’ll marry you,” You say with a smile, bringing him into a tender kiss. Astarion cups your cheek with one hand and a breast with another: he has become rather obsessed with them lately.

“I guess I’m just not ready for our grand adventure to end.” You explain, tears in your eyes as you think about all the change that’s to come.

Astarion cradles you closer. “My love, this is just the start of a new adventure. And let’s be reasonable, we both know you’re terribly uncomfortable with all the traveling. Don’t you want to just rest your tired, but very sexy body for the last part of your pregnancy, my darling?”

You couldn’t help but agree.

He’s being cheeky, trying to hide the tears that have welled up in his eyes. Astarion has never known family. He couldn’t fathom having a wife, nonetheless a pregnant one. But here he was, with the object of his desire in his arms.

“I love you so much, Tav. I just want you and our child to be safe.” Astarion says. “Baldur’s Gate is the safest place for us. All of our friends are there, we have ample protection and resources – don’t make me beg.”

You’re back in Baldur’s Gate before you know it.

———

The night you arrive, you and Astarion stay at Jaheira’s house; the two of you are utterly exhausted from your travels, and you collapse in bed.

Astarion watches as you lie on your side, trying to find a pillow to place beneath your large, aching belly. Realizing how little options you had, Astarion lies beside you, snaking his hand beneath your belly.

“Ah,” You say in relief, earning a smile from Astarion, who just wanted you to be comfortable. He had seen how hard your pregnancy had been.

“I guess it’s alright if you use my pillow, darling. I wouldn’t be opposed to staying just like this, though.” Astarion’s voice is light and gentle, the smoothness filing your ears in a pleasurable way. “We have a long day tomorrow. We’ll likely be at the courthouse all day…”

Astarion shivers at the thought, giving a dramatic sigh, making you laugh.

“Could you imagine going back to that? Being a magistrate? Spending all day in the courtroom settling legal disputes and passing ‘Astarion approved’ laws?” You smile over your shoulder at him; a perfect opportunity to steal a sweet kiss, Astarion plants one on your cheek as he chuckles.

“No, certainly not. I love being an adventurer with you.” Astarion places another kiss on you, this time to your neck. “But I may have to find something to do in the meantime while our little one is…well, little.”

“What do you have in mind?” You ask as you intertwine your fingers with his, the warmth in your chest nearly bringing tears to your eyes.

“I’ve got a few options. You know that Jaheira wants me to help her recruit more Harpers in the city, but that sounds like far more trouble than it’s worth. Maybe I’ll work in the city with Wyll, continuing to help with the various outreach programs he's implemented as Duke," Astarion explains as he listens to the beating of the hearts of both his child and his beloved.

He can tell once you've fallen asleep, but he keeps talking, because he can feel the fluttering in your stomach as his child responds to his voice.

It takes everything in him not to choke up.

---

The next day, you try look as beautiful and bridal as you can being so heavily pregnant. But today was the day you’d become an Ancunín, and you wanted to look nice.

“A pregnant bride is so very scandalous,” Astarion teased as he watched you dress. Your husband-to-be was a bit of a peeping tom.

Astarion picks up last nights panties you discarded on the floor.

“Tsk tsk. You can’t be so messy, my wife.” Astarion was testing the word on his tongue, bringing the fabric that absorbed your carnal scent to his nose, inhaling as he gazed at you devilishly.

You blush, rolling your eyes at him as you slip on a new pair, but Astarion stops you, beckoning you to him.

Astarion sits on the edge of your bed, bringing your body between his thighs as his pretty lips circle the tip of your breast, gently suckling your nipple as he flicks his tongue against you.

“So sensitive…” You moan, but you make no motion to move away, so Astarion doesn’t stop.

“Mmm,” He moans back, his hand moving from the curve of your belly to your slick mound, which was also increasingly sensitive as you got further in your pregnancy.

Astarion tenderly massages the folds of your cunt, easing a finger between your walls as he brings his thumb to caress your swollen clitoris, the very one that he was dreaming of devouring with his tongue after he gave your gorgeous breasts the proper attention they deserved, of course.

Astarion loved you like this. Swollen with his child, evidence of being filled to the brim with his come. His sensitive nose could smell your ‘baby’ hormones that made your skin glow, made your hair thick and shiny.

It made him ravenous. You were absolutely gorgeous to Astarion.

He couldn’t even believe it, really. It had been nearly seven months since the two of you found out, seven months of adventuring, of watching your body change, and it awakened something within him.

Although you often complained how swollen you felt, Astarion loved the way you looked: your nipples and labia puffy, clit engorged, your ringed muscle puckered, your stomach rounded and full.

Not to mention how desperate you were for him; you quivered under his every touch. You were just so responsive, so sensitive, like your every nerve was on fire for him; he couldn’t help but indulge you whenever possible. He just wanted to touch you, to watch you squirm, to look at your body and know that you, your womb, is his.

Astarion stands up and gently pushes your back against a wall as he moves to get on his knees, lifting a thigh up and to the side as he kisses down your inflated stomach.

Reaching up to take a breast in his hand, Astarion brings his mouth to your center, engaging your core with his lips. He brings your folds into his mouth, sucking and caressing your sex with his tongue.

He just wants to worship your body. He needs just a taste of you, of your depths, and he plunges his tongue between your folds, gathering your juices on his lips before focusing on that sensitive bundle of nerves at the top of your mound.

You’re delicious, beautiful and maternal, pliant in his hands as he reaches two fingers into your depths, reaching behind your clitoris to rub your spongey walls. His motions have you seeing white, causing your breasts to heave and bounce as your body clenches around his dexterous fingers.

He loves the way you drag your fingers through his hair; feeling your nails on his scalp sends shivers throughout his body.

Astarion pulls away as you come undone, watching as you writhe above him. Astarion is fully holding you up with his strong hands, making him feel like quite the family man at this moment, physically carrying both his bride and his child in his hands.

He still can’t believe this.

Astarion brings the both of you to the bed, stripping his clothes off as you get comfortable, maneuvering yourself for his entry.

Being so large, you couldn’t lie on your back anymore, and riding him was far too difficult, so you opted to bend yourself over, putting pillows beneath you in all the right places to ensure your comfort.

Astarion moans at the sight of you exposing yourself to him.

“Fucking yes, my love. You’re so beautiful, Tav.” Astarion grasps his wet cock. He’s dripping with so much pre-cum that he’s almost surprised, and he uses it to wet his member, which so desperately needs to be inside of you. "If I could just keep you like this forever..."

Astarion pulls back his foreskin with his thrusting motions, moving the skin up and down his shaft, groaning as he admires you.

Parting your folds with his finger and thumb, Astarion lines himself up with your entrance before enveloping himself into your warmth, earning a gasp from him at the sensation.

“Gods, you feel even tighter, Tav, with my child in you…” Astarion drifts off, the squelching and slapping of skin on skin making him entirely forget himself.

Astarion felt your waves of pleasure wash over you as you coiled around the base of his cock. With two fingers, Astarion massages that sweet button of yours, causing you to gush even harder around him, your orgasm evident in your entire being: you cried his name as you convulsed around him, giving him your milky come.

Astarion followed soon after, releasing his seed deep inside you as he spoke a love confession in your ear. Careful not to collapse on top of you, Astarion rolled over, giving you space to catch your breath.

Your muscles were already exhausted, fatigued from pregnancy and your spasming muscles. Astarion starts to mindlessly rub your back as you lay on your side, giggling as he draws you into his chest.

“Well, now I’ve got to fix myself,” You say, moving to stand before Astarion pulls you back into him.

“Maybe you should go just like this. Full belly, looking freshly fucked and used by your husband-to-be.” Astarion kisses your cheek, nuzzling his nose into your face as he does.

“Ha. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” You giggle as your beloved finally releases you. Once you’ve fixed your makeup and properly dressed yourselves, the two of you walk out into the streets of Baldur’s Gate, hand in hand.

A few hours later, you would be known as Tav Ancunín, and your stomach leapt with joy at the thought. It wouldn’t be long, now.

Masterlist

[sanctus-ingenium]

What role/niche do dragons fulfill in their environment? Or, if that is [secret]/redacted/Unknown [by universe parameters], are there other, smaller beasts - creatures not within our world, but common in theirs?

I've been meaning to draw a lot of these for a while now and this was a nice prompt thank you :)

Dragons support a large and surprisingly diverse community of animals. The primary producers are the unique photosynthetic cyanobacteria which are found lining the transparent flotation sacs of cloud fleas. 'Cloud fleas' can refer to any type of airborne zooplankton - that is, animals which do not actively fly but rather drift. Pictured is a daphnia type but there are a few others. The bacteria produce lighter than air gases as a byproduct of photosynthesis as well as nutrients for their hosts. The daphnia type pictured retain their large claws and use them to cling onto other individuals, sometimes producing really large structures which can form fantastic shapes at times. This is how they reproduce also (unlike in the water, they can't just externally fertilise eggs because gravity exists)

When they aggregate in large numbers (swarms reaching billions and billions of individuals), they become easy prey for dragons. The dragons capture the fleas using a dense array of rictal bristles. Living in and among the bristles are the monkey birds, a unique species of flightless bird which act as kleptoparasites, stealing the clumps of fleas bound up in dragon mucous before they can be transported to the dragon's mouth. The bristles are so dense that in order to get in there where the fleas are most concentrated, you wouldn't be able to fly. They spend their lives clinging among the bristles with their feet and wing claws, and they make their nests out of woven strands of mucous. New individuals join the birds' colonies when dragons are mating and their bristles come into contact with one another. Bird populations are controlled by hive serpents, who pick them off for a nice snack.

Barnacles and other filter-feeders are common on the windward-facing side of the dragon (what you'd call the front of the dragon). These do not harm the dragons and offer not much useful food for serpents while being very annoying to eat so they're usually left to their own devices.

The vampire chiton exoparasites can be found basically all over a dragon. They find a piece of cuticle that is thin enough to pierce and drill their siphons down into it to suck the watery connective tissue beneath. They are about a foot long and the main food source for hive serpents.

The serpents themselves are mammals. Nearly every dragon hosts a hive. Despite spending most of their lives on their hosts, they are quite strong fliers; they need to be, in order for the young queens to set out to make their own hives. The 'hive' consists of a reproductive pair and 20-50 of their offspring, with the queen being 1.5x larger than the others and by far the most aggressive. They have one tooth, a single elongated tusk which is used like a crowbar to lever the chitons off the dragon's cuticle. When working on the underside of a dragon, it takes a certain amount of skill to catch the chiton before it falls away. The serpent's neck and legs are very strong to produce enough force to dislodge a chiton, which are often so deeply attached that a human with a pickaxe would struggle to knock one off. The chiton is swallowed whole, and the shell digested.

Serpents viciously defend their dragons, controlling parasite populations and fighting off and attacking humans or large metal creatures they perceive as a threat. The name 'serpent' is given to them in the Mezian theocracy because they are associated with sin; hive serpents can be among the most dangerous combatants a holy beast might face. When the dragon has been killed, its serpents will flee and, more often than not, restart their hive on the ground if they aren't killed first. Outside of the theocracy, humans do raise serpents and use them for various tasks - a baby queen is taken from the wild (by killing every other hive member) and raised to imprint on humans. If their diets are not heavily supplemented with calcium carbonate, they fail to thrive.

[y-rhywbeth2]

Half-undead are a mostly obscure but weird part of DnD. Also innevitable, you can half-anything in this setting.

(Might also, if you're looking for a way to make Isobel Thorm a case of 'came back wrong,' be a place to mine for ideas even if she doesn't quite fit (except maybe half-zombie), seeing as many half-undead are the product of botched resurrections.)

Half-vampire: Garden variety half-undead. Usually either the case of the misguided 'vampires are sexy' or a case of somebody who is irresistibly attracted to pretty self-destructive idiots brand of 'vampires are sexy,' either of which, producing a blood-addicted toddler with a sunlight allergy. Sometimes the parent takes an interest, which is almost guaranteed to be for the purposes of using it as a pawn but sometimes, unfortunately, involves a case where the vampire genuinely wants to parent and has affection for their offspring. Vampire, being a vampire, will inevitably fail. Dhampir child pretty much guaranteed never to return the sentiment.

Half-ghost: 'logistical nightmare'. Sometimes when your lover dies and hangs around as a ghost the power of love and some deity thinking this is a good idea and/or mad necromancy experiments will spontaneously make you pregnant with their child. Considering ghosts age the living with their touch and traumatise them with a sight it's frankly impressive that they gave you a foetus instead of menopause. And sometimes you get half-undead when you try and res a ghost and fuck it up. Due to being half-dead and only half-corporeal, they're all incompatible with physical reality, chronically ill and need 24 hour supervision lest they die.

Half-ghoul: Pregnant person contracts ghoul fever. Foetus doesn't die and ghoul can carry to term which... raises questions about ghoul metabolism but moving on. Child is born in a ghoul pack and, ghouls being social, child is raised by a pack of extremely protective feral undead cannibals who are barely anchored to baseline reality. Then you get a permanently emaciated nervous wreck who's obsessive about bathing and bath products due to smelling of grave dirt and decay whose digestive system is built for solely for carrion who is going to get horribly bullied in school. Will never get invited to a dinner party. They will never know the taste of chocolate, and will never forgive you for this.

Half-zombie/skeleton: These are usually the product of necromancy or a botched resurrection spell grafting undeath to a living body and if somehow one comes about otherwise society is judging you. Also they have, like, no nerves. They just can't feel shit especially pain, so keep healing spells and rings of regeneration on hand.

[transguydeuce]

queer twst headcanons pt 7: diasomnia

OKAY HOLD ON TO YOUR PANTS THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG FUCKIN POST

first. we must establish fae genderisms.

(if you wanna just scroll to the headcanons for the lads tho feel free)

i think fae have around 3 “sexes”. i say “around 3” “sexes” bc science has proven repeatedly that sex is way more complicated than it seems lol. anyway i think fae have majority intersexed individuals with some female and some male. this definitely means that there’s not really a gender binary to trans around in, and fae don’t have the same concepts of trans and cisgender that we do. plus the fact that most fae, including both male and female (which here i’m referring purely to whether they produce egg or sperm) have a range of traits that are traditionally viewed by humans as gendered aka breasts, external/internal genitalia, etc. i would say body hair also but tbh i don’t think they have any, baul’s beard looks more like scales or horns to me and unless i’m wrong i don’t think we’ve ever seen a fae with body hair.

i would almost hesitate to say that fae are mammalian but they do have some hair as well as boobs (thank u meleanor for screwing w my fae biology headcanon /j) and it’s also known that they r capable of creating hybrid offspring w humans so they have to be closely related enough to humans to do that so they are mammals, my thought is just that they have adapted to live in environments with higher magic. that’s why they’re typically more magically gifted yet it’s more dangerous for them to be without it (cough cough glomas cough cough) ALSO. BECAUSE THEY LAY EGGS, FAE ARE BASICALLY MONOTREMES. HAVE FUN WITH THAT.

anyway it's impossible to tell what bits a fae has just from looking at them. so they don’t really get assigned a gender at birth and therefore they don’t really have the same concepts of cis and trans that we do. personally, i hc that "he" is the default gender-neutral pronoun most fae use. that is all thank you for your time now ON TO THE HEADCANONS

malleus: personally hc him as intersex :) doesn’t really understand human concepts of gender, but is curious about it since arriving at night raven. he doesn’t really know what an “all boys” school is especially because some of his classmates r definitely not all boy. (he thinks that’s neat though.) dressed masculine primarily for convenience and would have no complaints wearing a gown. he/him pronouns bc it's the default fae pronoun and that’s what he grew up with but after interacting more with humans he enjoys a she or they from time to time. gender is like a fascinating human custom to him. also i love the hc that he’s pan bc he’s attracted to player character regardless of gender so i’m sticking to that

sebek: [just insert the entire knuckles pronouns comic here]

ok all jokes aside he uses he/him as well, and thinks that that’s the default for everyone. the most important human in his young life was his dad who is also he/him so naturally sebek gets very confused when humans have more than one gender. most likely finds out more after asking about why epel doesn’t like being mistook for a girl (uh oh) he concludes he must be a guy cuz he’s big and strong (epel what have you done). i don’t really have a read on sebek’s sexuality and i don’t think he does either tbh.

lilia: THEE genderqueer just look at him. she is genderfuck incarnate. he’s on that immortal vampire gender. he’s on that ftmtftmtftmtftmtf type shit. a different pronoun set each day. throw some neopronouns in and stir the pot. basically he’s genderfluid. gendergas even. she’s traveled all around the world, if you think he didn’t pick up all the different genders like a crow hoarding shiny objects you would be wrong. if you ask them directly they’d probably say their gender is gamer (to be hip with the kids). also a bisexual king and definitely had a thing for meleanor and her husband there is no doubt in my mind.

silver: well he was raised by lilia so….. afab doesn’t really apply to him. he grew up in briar valley and was never assigned a gender besides the default pronoun “he”. when he’s older lilia probably teaches him a bit about human culture and asks silver what he feels like doing and i think he’d most likely go on t, partially for gender feels and also partially to build muscle mass and be a better royal guard lmao. his gender is knight boyprincess. no i shall not explain. i think he’s sex-neutral grey ace that’s just the vibes i get from him

[fangswbenefits]

So, unpopular kink (opinion?) -

I love breeding kink....without the pregnancy. I know! It seems counterintuitive. I just love the thought of him breeding you and telling you about how he could and the fantasy of it. However, the rarity of a dhampir kinda rides that line of both. So, I get it.

Also, Dad!Astarion...but not with bio kids. I would want nothing more than this man loving his found family and bonding/loving/protecting a charge that he is not biologically connected too.

That being said.

Bonus Horny Astarion Thought (C) -

The crew finds a baby (say in the underdark, so not many mammals around). After trying to find its parents without luck, Tav figures out a way to lactate to feed the baby. Spell? True polymorph? Hormones go crazy, who cares its dnd, this game is goofy and vague. Anyway, Astarion is annoyed at the risk of having a baby in the camp, he doesn't see the point in risking their lives to save a random loud baby. She makes some comment about feeding him and yet they keep him around, which passes him off, until he sees her nursing and that breaks something in him. The fact that she's willing to take in and save someone helpless and selflessly give her body to nourish them. It mirrors their current situation and his past where no saved him, no one cared enough to see he was in trouble. Stuff happens and they find the baby's parents, but now Astarion has conflicting thoughts/emotions, especially when feeding on Tav. The lactation hangs around, he's hopelessly intrigued and has no idea what to do or how to tell her about it. Until Tav leaks all over him while he's feeding....

Idk where I was going with this, it just sort of happened?

Astarion brain rot. It's so bad. When does it end? Does it end? Will I ever be normal again?

Sorry for yet another rambling ask!

Someone on discord mentioned that there is nothing in D&D lore that suggests dhampirs are rare because they are difficult to conceive (and I searched around and it is true). I think they are not that common because I assume not many vampires are interested in mixing themselves with humans to produce an offspring that could potentially kill them and their kind. Cause yeah... in lore, dhampirs are very skilled monster hunters since they know first-hand how a vampire behaves and how to exploit their weaknesses 😅

I tend to have that premise in my breeding kink fics cause I just love the idea of Astarion having to keep trying and trying again 🤭

But I do love your ideas tbh! I can see why the breeding with no consequences is hot 👀

And that cute scenario with Tav breastfeeding the baby and Astarion just falling in love because of how selfless she is.... 🥹

[mc-survivalist-steven]

I've been thinking and thinking. Call me a researcher or just a stranger. And something's been gnawing on my mind.

I didn't know Herobrines could reproduce let alone be female. There's an overabundance in males and females are a rarity from my observation. That is such an odd thing. Not to mention that Herobrines don't really- reproduce. Of course with exceptions, but the cases I know do it rather traditionally.

Your mother- (likely a brine all the same - as you describe yourself one too) Your mother produced children by spreading spores of some kind. Some parts of herself I guess. A power to mend into the elements and create another living being in such a way is baffling.

To get to the point and my actual question.

I've been pondering- spreading Herobrine offspring on such a wide scale (as you mentioned you had plenty of siblings) and seemingly not weakening herself if she could do that en mass. Maybe it's less of making more Brines from herself but something more akin to Brine-Spawns. (like vampire-spawns- a weaker kind of vampire sprung from a true one)

With that odd thought- you are the child of a Herobrine, but not a full brine yourself? Do you think that is kinda true?

Brines are such a rarity, your mother releasing tousands of offspring into the world and them being true Brines seems a little unreasonable.

Of course I may be mistaken as every elusive indivitual of a brine works different than the next. Maybe you and your "species" aren't actual brines by many a definition from each their own flaws.

Ah..... I've been talking a lot. What do you think about this whole- thing? Maybe you know more than I do. Probably.

[localsharkcryptid]

"The Vampiric Bloodletter"

"Out of all the dragons I've seen and studied, along with the one's I've only heard of in passing conversation, the Bloodletter wasn't one I thought truly existed. Tales of a bright red dragon with ten eyes that drank blood...? Seemed too much like an old story to scare children but it seems this nesting year at the colony has proven me wrong.

I noticed the new egg amongst a clutch of Monstrous Nightmare eggs, an odd oblong shape with a dark red shell amongst the pale orange-pink eggs certainly stood out. Moving the egg wasn't an option so I left it. Come hatching day I kept a close eye on the nest, only to find an entirely unique dragon to hatch with the Monstrous' brood. At first I figured it was a case of hybridism but that theory was dropped quickly, after all just one hybrid offspring in a nest of six didn't make sense. Not to mention the tiny-tooth's features, ten eyes that all were a dark black, unique extra digits that I assume are opposable to a degree and a notable blade on the end of it's tail.

So I can conclude that the Bloodletter is in fact a living and breathing dragon species, a colony or nest parasite from what I can tell but also it's behavior is still unique. From what I have observed the nestling has been acting like a Monstrous Nightmare, mimicking their vocal calls and behaviors which is fascinating. For now I see no need to try and relocate the dragon, nor do I think it's surrogate mother would allow me and I personally would like to keep my good record with her.

This will at least give me time to study it and hopefully pull together some proper information, since I fear the number of these dragons may only be in single digits... I've also noted while looking through some other old local legends that the Bloodletter shares some shocking resemblance to the few descriptions of the Lycanwing... I can't help but wonder if they're connected somehow, but that's research for another time." - Excerpt from "The Nature of Dragons", an extensive series of books and journals by a man named Salamander.

-----

Class: Mystery

Size: 6 to 7 feet tall, with a wingspan of 10-11 feet at Broadwing stage - Titanwings are roughly 12 to 14 feet tall with a 20-22 foot wingspan.

Preferred Food: Dragon blood or incredibly fresh meat along with specifically certain organs of most creatures.

Status: Critical - Maybe only a handful of individuals exist on the surface world, that or they are just really good at staying away from people.

The Vampiric Bloodletter is noted for it's vibrant colors and unique features that assist with defending itself and securing it's specialized diet, due to the low amount of sightings and encounters little is truly known about them by humans. They are parasites in truth, spending a lot of time in flocks or colonies with other species so they can feed easily and also mimicking the dragons around them in terms of mannerisms for survival.

Their numerous eyes negates any blindspot they would normally have, along with this a forked tongue and heat sensing pits along their upper lips makes for the perfect tracking equipment. They have opposable digits on all their limbs that are topped with claws that are much like switchblades, used for further opening the bites they leave on other dragons or for defense - same to be said about the blade on their tail.

It's vibrant coloration is a classic animal warning system of "I'm toxic, stay away!". Seeing as they possess a highly potent venom which actually changes throughout their lives.

Tiny-Tooth to Shortwing: They can use this venom as a projectile to blind much like spitting cobras and generally deter threats to them. It's noted that it also stings if it makes contact with human skin. It has mild anticoagulant properties when administered via a bite along with slight numbing, think vampire bats.

Broadwing: The venom glands develop fully, producing a highly anticoagulant hemotoxin that causes numbing and disorientation even causing dragons to become incredibly drowsy. In humans it causes severe hallucinations, supposedly making one think that they're turning into a dragon.

Titanwing: Not much changes aside from more potency and the ability to even render some dragons unconscious for a certain amount of time after being bitten. Though at this stage they can afflict humans with something much worse, it's unknown how exactly it works but if a human is bitten by a Titanwing Bloodletter there is a chance they will be afflicted with the curse that is becoming a Lycanwing - if they survive the initial bite and the first shift that is...

----

WOO! Done at last!!

The Vampiric Bloodletter is one of my very few fanmade httyd species and I love how they came out!! Also if you couldn't tell these guys are my explanation for the Lycanwing legend, basically these guys are the ones that turn people to Lycanwings and somewhat go off of the description of the one in the story told by Gobber in RTTE. I have some more notes on them so uh if anyone has questions I will gladly elaborate on my fellas!

Also I will say: Anyone is free to make one of these fellas just please credit me! The lineart of the image is under the cut and can be used as a base.

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

The Vampire Moth: these moths use a specialized proboscis to pierce the skin on pieces of fruit and feed on the juices inside, but some have also been observed using the same tactic to feed on human blood

Members of the genus Calyptra are often collectively referred to as "Vampire Moths." All members of this genus are obligate fruit-piercers, meaning that they all subsist primarily on fruit, and they must use their proboscis to pierce through the skin -- but 10 species of Calyptra (out of 18 species in total) have also been documented using the same technique to feed on the blood of living vertebrates, and some are even known to feed on humans.

Blood-feeding (i.e. hematophagy) seems to occur only among the adult males. In various cases, vampire moths have been known to feed on the blood of pigs, antelope, water buffalo, deer, tapir, cattle, elephants, and humans (among other things). Before it can feed, the moth must press its proboscis against the surface of the skin and then oscillate its head back and forth until it is able to pierce through the skin.

Then, according to an article in Entomology Today:

As blood from the host animal wells up, it opens hooks on the sides of the proboscis to anchor it firmly. The proboscis has two parts that alternate between anchoring and drilling through host tissue using an “antiparalell” movement. A bite from a Calyptra moth is red and sore, but is believed to pose no danger to human beings. A vampire moth can suck blood for up to 50 minutes.

Calyptra is a widely distributed genus, with species appearing on most continents, but blood-feeding only seems to occur within the Calyptra populations in South/Southeast Asia and North/Eastern Russia. Some species have been known to feed on blood within certain parts of their geographical range, while feeding only on fruit throughout the rest of their habitat. It's widely speculated that differences in elevation, precipitation, and/or other macroclimate conditions may have an effect on those behaviors.

The biological purpose of blood-feeding among vampire moths is not known, but many scientists theorize that it may allow the males to supplement their salt intake in order to produce healthier offspring.

Calyptra moths are also excellent leaf mimics; their wings are patterned/textured much like dry leaves, enabling them to remain camouflaged when their wings are folded.

Sources/More Info

Purdue University: Investigations of the Vampire Moth Genus Calyptra (PDF)

Entomological Society of America: Geographic Distribution and Differential Feeding Behaviors of the Fruit-Piercing and Skin-Piercing Moth, Calyptra thalictri

Science Direct: Wound-Feeding and Skin-Piercing Moths

Entomology Today: Vampire Moths Suck the Blood of Vertebrates, Including Humans

The Daily Garden: Vampire Moths

Images: [1] C. orthograpta [2] C. minuticornis [3] C. minuticornis [4] C. thalictri [5] C. minuticornis

[karatekels]

Heirloom - Chapter 2

Previous Parts:

Chapter 1

Valek’s POV:

The moment that he and Cassandra had returned to the castle with their prizes, he had seen to it that the Berziers Cross had been stashed somewhere safe in the dungeons, set to be guarded by at least two other Masters or Mistresses at all times. He would take no chances, with either of his new treasures.

Once the Cross had been secured, Valek had ascended the spiral staircase to the top of the tall tower, where Cassandra had felt it best to keep you. She was Valek’s right hand, she had been for centuries, and was the only one (other than himself) that he would trust with you, the young human woman that shared the blood of his greatest enemy.

You had been a pleasant surprise, the first time they had spotted you wandering the catacombs. The Master Vampires had known of the catacombs under the fortified city of Monteriggioni for nearly a decade now, and had found one of the few disused entrances to the tunnels that went beyond the city’s walls last year.

Ever since, they had taken to exploring the subterranean depths – only Master Vampires, and always in pairs of two. They didn’t need some typical or goon getting lost down there, or worse: being spotted and giving away that they had found a way into the Slayers’ city. You had been the only human that they had seen wandering so far into the catacombs, and they came through often. It had been a fascination to those who came upon you to figure out what you were trying to do down here, especially for Valek.

There was something about you that he found… well, not familiar, but almost like you produced a constant sense of déjà vu, and he couldn’t imagine why. Though you were an adult – appearing to be in your mid- to late-twenties, only slightly younger than he had been when he’d been Turned – you were clearly a new Slayer, meaning that you had likely spent your life within the walls of the city. He couldn’t possibly know you.

They vampires had played this cat and mouse game with you nearly every time you had been in the catacombs – not that you had had any idea that you’d been playing – following your movements, seeing if you could lead them to anything of value, like a way to infiltrate the city with the whole vampire population efficiently enough to take the fortress.

There were also rumours that some of the ancient and forgotten relics had been returned to Monteriggioni after centuries. They had come across a few symbols carved into the stone during their exploration, but all were marked as requiring the blood of a willing Crusader and could not be opened, even with their inhuman strength.

The first time Valek had watched you unseal a passage, he’d been incredibly surprised that you had even known what to do. That sort of knowledge was not easy to come by, and was certainly not the sort of thing that his sources had told him were taught to new Slayers. But you had known what to do, slicing your thumb and pressing it to the stone to open the door.

From the moment your blade had torn open your flesh, he had been certain about what you were, who you were, at least to some extent.

A Crow.

Having traced his enemy’s family tree as much as he could, Valek hadn’t thought that Jack Crow had any living relatives, no matter how distant. His family had intermarried with other Slayers for generations, living and dying for the cause; there had been no offshoots that he knew of. And you were still young, which meant that the only likely possibility was that you were his offspring, his child.

He had wanted to steal you away right then, but Cassandra, calm and wise has ever, had persuaded him to wait. Not only could he not be certain of your lineage, but you were providing them a great service, allowing them to access the hidden altars and alcoves within the catacombs without realizing that they were watching.

So from then on, he and Cassandra had been the only ones patrolling the catacombs, tailing you as you mapped out the underground labyrinth.

It hadn’t been until recently, when you had started exploring the Western quadrant of the tunnels, that he had felt it. An unsettling, prickly feeling at the back of his neck that he didn’t really recognize, it had been so long: Fear.

Rather than fleeing from the sensation, Valek had found himself seeking out the source, wondering what it was that was causing such a primal, human reaction in him. He followed the feeling to the entrance to the secret alcove you had discovered today, recognizing the symbol of the moon as one of transformation.

Only a few relics were worthy of being marked by such a symbol.

And only one would cause him to react the way he was.

The Berziers Cross…

Of course, it made sense for it to be here – this was one of the Vatican’s most secure locations, after all. But still, to have it so close…

They had been trying to guide you towards it for a few weeks now, ghosting ahead of you, leading you towards it by the mysterious breeze whose origin you could not discern; they had merely been running past you, moving too quickly for you to see.

The moment you had opened the passageway tonight, and he had looked within to see the Cross, he had known you would both be returning to the castle with them. As you had ducked into the alcove to investigate the Cross, he hadn’t been able to help himself, pressing against the stone and licking your lifeblood from the rough surface, savouring the taste like one would a fine wine.

You had served your purpose here in the catacombs, guiding him towards his salvation and the salvation of his species; there was nothing else of value to him in here. Having you with him could serve a variety of purposes: forcing you to reveal information about the Slayers’ teachings, using you as a bargaining chip should such an occasion for one arise, or (his personal favourite) luring Jack Crow out to come and save his precious daughter.

And if neither of those options was feasible, he could always use you for the ritual sacrifice.

It was a shame though; you actually seemed to have a brain that you put to use, unlike the rest of your Slayer ilk that he had encountered over the centuries.

But enough pondering for now. It was time to get better acquainted with you.

Opening the door to the master bedchamber – it wasn’t like he or any of his associates would be needing to sleep – he finds you spread out on the dark sheets, Cassandra keeping vigil over you, ever his loyal confidante.

“She has not yet awoken – I fear I was needlessly overwhelming with my mesmerization.”

Valek waves off her concern; as the first vampire, his own abilities would be able to supersede her own. You would wake when he wanted you to.

“I will wake her shortly. Thank you for your aid as always, Cassandra. If you would, please ensure that we are not disturbed; it will be easier to speak with her if she is not distracted or frightened.”

“Of course, darling. I will tell the others to go and feed and stand watch for you.”

“Thank you, dearest,” he murmurs, watching her exit the room. The terms of endearment came naturally to them now, after centuries together, though they viewed one another as siblings and close companions, neither having the capacity for romance. Cassandra’s Love had been taken from her before he had Turned her; and Valek had never encountered someone to take to his bed.

As a human, Jan’s life had been devoted to the Church, and he had abstained from the temptations of the flesh. As the first vampire, he had partaken in many a sinful pleasure, but his heart had never been stirred by another; he had come to believe that he was incapable of love, yet another sacrifice exchanged for the immortality of his soul.

He is brought out of his thoughts by the sound of your heart steadily beating, looking over to your slumbering form once more. Idly, he wonders if he has taken you from a partner. He hopes not; he has seen that devastation firsthand with Cassandra, still sees it now, and wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Approaching the bed, Valek contemplates how best to set the scene. He doesn’t want to intimidate you by towering over you, and sitting on the edge of the bed was far too intimate. He decides on leaning against the old wooden vanity across the room, to give you the most space possible. But first he approaches the bed; without being able to make eye contact with you, he needs to touch you for the mesmerization to take. He gently takes one of your hands in his own, marveling at your warmth as he always did when experiencing human touch. Your hand was so tiny in his, like a doll’s…

“Awaken, little one,” he says softly, waiting until he feels your heartbeat quicken as you come out of sleep before releasing your hand and moving across the room. He detects the imperceptible tension in your body as you regain consciousness, but you make no attempt to move or speak. He resists the urge to chuckle as you play dead, crossing his arms across his broad chest. He could be patient.

--- Reader’s POV ---

You wonder if the presence in the room with you would just get bored and leave eventually if you stayed frozen like this. Well, either that or kill you. Probably not; if they had wanted to kill you they would have done so already.

You had known you weren’t at home immediately upon regaining consciousness – none of the beds in the dormitories at home were anywhere near this soft, their sheets nowhere near so decadent. The memories leading up to your unconsciousness had returned immediately afterwards, and you know that you are in the possession of the vampires. You hope the rest of the city is safe and secure.

Forcing yourself to sit up, you open your eyes, expecting to see the smaller female vampire that had hunted you down. Instead, her partner sits staring at you from across the room, the contrast between his pale complexion and dark hair and clothing making him look like he was a ghost made of shadows and moonlight. Even from across the room, his size and stature are immense, and it feels like he’s filling the room with his form.

“Welcome to Castello della Chiocciola, Y/N Crow,” he says by way of greeting, spreading his arms wide like a gracious host. “I am Jan Valek.”

Your spine stiffens as he introduces himself.

Jan Valek, the Master Vampire…

So, you were definitely going to die then.

“I take it from your expression that you have heard of me,” he continues smoothly, using the deceptive, crooning tone that you had been told some vampires used to lure in their victims. You give him a tight nod.

“Then you know that you need to cooperate with me and answer my questions, isn’t that right?”

You nod again, not trusting yourself to speak.

“Very good,” he purrs, his seductive voice sending unwelcome shivers down your spine. “Now, I want you to tell me everything you know about the current movements and plans of any active teams of Slayers.”

“I don’t know anything,” you tell him honestly, trying not to let your irritation at that fact show.

“Do not make things difficult for yourself, Y/N,” he suggests, his voice like honey. “Now, tell me about the active hunts the Slayers are undertaking,” he croons, his eyes glowing again, and you feel compelled to answer. He won’t be happy with what you tell him, though.

“I don’t know,” you groan, your body starting to ache as you fail to acquiesce to Valek’s persuasion. “Please, make it stop, it hurts!”

Valek blinks, and his spell – or whatever it was, the Scholars still had no idea – is broken.

“Thank you,” you say sincerely once you’ve shaken off the discomfort. And you do mean it – the mercy of vampires had not been mentioned in your training, and him ending the mesmerization surprises you. He cocks his head, surveying you with a strange expression that you’re not sure what to make of.

“You seem to be telling the truth. But how can this be? Slayers of your age are, to my knowledge, part of a team or assigned a role within Monteriggioni. Either way, you would have some information.”

You scowl. Great, you were such a waste of existence that the being responsible for the creation of all vampires was disappointed in your lack of value.

“Well, I haven’t been. So sorry to disappoint,” you snap, your voice dripping with sarcasm, “but if you took me in the hopes of learning new information, you could not have picked a worse person.”

Valek seems to consider this for a moment, looking out the window into the night. You curl up on the bed, feeling a chill, but don’t dare make to pull the blankets around yourself.

“I don’t suppose you’ll make my death quick and painless?” you ask, half-joking, and his head snaps back to look at you, pale eyes trying to ascertain the intention behind your comment. Did vampires not understand sarcasm?

“You are regrettably cursed by your lineage, Y/N Crow; your death will be anything but a brief ordeal. I cannot abandon such an opportunity to lure out the Master Slayer. I imagine that he will be desperate to rescue his precious daughter, his only child, from the clutches of his enemies.”

There is a prolonged silence, and Valek imagines that you need a moment to let your fate sink in.

And then you burst into laughter.

You know that you shouldn’t, you’re sure you should be terrified, and that laughing hysterically at the plans of the world’s most powerful vampire is probably assuring your death, but you can’t help it, laughing until tears are pouring down your cheeks. Blinking through your watery eyes, you see Valek has risen from his position on the vanity and moved towards the bed, staring at you with a perplexed, almost concerned expression.

He seems to finally recognize that you are laughing at him, anger clouding his expression before he closes the distance between you faster than you can blink, a large, pale hand curling under your chin to grip it firmly, but not enough to hurt you.

“Enough of this,” he hisses, his eyes glowing with the inner light of mesmerization, and you feel the laughter immediately die in your throat.

“What exactly is so amusing to you?” he asks, not releasing your jaw. You take a moment to compose yourself, wiping the tears from your cheeks and taking a calming breath.

“If you think that my dear father will lift a finger to go out of his way to ‘save’ me, you are very mistaken, Valek.”

The vampire looks at you with a neutral, flat expression, his pale eyes staring into yours like he was trying to read your mind. That wasn’t an ability that vampires were known to possess, but with this first vampire you couldn’t really be sure; only a couple of people had encountered Valek and lived.

“Explain,” he orders, and you feel the pull of the hypnosis again.

“Jack Crow doesn’t give a shit about me,” you spit out the words bitterly. “I’m just another new Slayer to him – actually, I’m not even that important. And you don’t need to use your magic powers to get me to talk, you know. It’s rude.”

You’re not sure where you’re getting the brazen attitude to demand politeness from a being who could tear you into a million pieces in an instant – it probably stems from the slow-burning rage you feel at the mere thought of your father and your lack of relationship with him.

“My apologies. I am not used to your kind being nearly so… forthcoming,” he replies, not seeming offended by your audacity. On the contrary, he seems rather fascinated, looking at you the way a young child did when he found an interesting insect on a leaf. He releases your face and lowers himself to crouch beside the bed at your eye-level like he didn’t know what to make of you.

“Well, I’m not quite like the others; I wasn’t born and raised with the cult mindset of the Slayers. They aren’t particularly fond of us thinking for ourselves,” you inform him with a frown.

“Then why are you in Monteriggioni?” he asks, seeming genuinely curious. You suppose he hasn’t exactly had the opportunity to speak to a human – or anyone born in the last several decades – and can’t fault him for being inquisitive.

“I was born and raised in America, away from all of this. I didn’t come here until I was thirteen. I didn’t know about Jack, or… any of this, until I was brought here and put through the training. I don’t know why they haven’t let me leave yet; I went through the training and everything, but no one comes for me. I haven’t left the city for over a decade, until tonight, that is.”

You look over to the window with a wistful expression. You’d been wanting to get out of Monteriggioni for so long, and now you finally were, under circumstances that were going to result in your death.

What had even been the point of your time on this earth when the entirety of your life had been spent trapped under someone’s authority?

“To be perfectly honest with you, Valek, I’d rather you just kill me now – waiting around just for him to never show up will be far more torturous than being torn apart.”

You turn away from him, angrily brushing away the tears that fill your eyes. You wonder if Jack thought you were as much of a disappointment as he had been to you.

A large hand gently grips your shoulder, sending a chill through you, and you close your eyes, bracing yourself for the end.

--- Valek’s POV ---

“B-Before you do it, can I do one last thing first?” you ask quietly, your voice trembling and thick with emotion.

You are a strange creature, Valek thinks to himself as your heat seeps from his hand on your shoulder up through his arm. So young, and yet already so filled with despondency, rejected by the world of the living. You had proven you would not be useful to him for any of the reasons he had taken you (except, of course, as a sacrifice), but he finds himself wanting to keep you alive and under observation.

“What is it that you wish to do?” he finds himself asking, not bothering to hypnotize you. It hadn’t been necessary.

“Can I just look out the window first? Just for a minute?”

The longing in your voice is palpable, but he doesn’t get the sense that you are mourning your impending death. You truly seem to just want to see outside.

“As you wish,” he replies, removing his hand from your shoulder and taking a couple of respectful steps backwards. You take a deep breath before slipping off the bed and taking the few hesitant steps you need to reach the window, as though you were afraid of what you’d see.

You lift your head and look out into the night, the moonlight illuminating your expression with a mystical glow. Your breath comes in heavy gasps for a moment, but then you regain your composure once more, gripping the windowsill with your hands.

“We were never allowed out at night,” you murmur, and Valek wonders if you remember that you are talking to him. “They locked the doors and sealed the windows at dusk every night, just in case we were attacked. The only reason I’ve been able to explore the catacombs is because my sleeping cot was moved out of the main dormitory once I completed my training. Nobody knew where to put me, and I ended up in an old vestry of one of the churches that had access to them…”

Valek files that information away for later.

“I can’t remember the last time I saw the moon,” you breathe, your voice infused with a sense of such wonder that he finds himself enthralled by it, and by you.

Valek could understand the grief that came with being restricted by a greater force, perhaps more than anyone. For over six hundred years, half of his life had been spent in hiding, unable to sleep or while away the hours with anyone other than whichever handful of vampires that were with him at the time. In some ways, you have been even more confined than he was; not only were you limited by time, but space, living within the same four fortress walls for half of your life. At least he had seen the world, even if only shrouded in darkness.

For the first time in centuries – since the creation of the last Master Vampire, in fact – he feels compassion as he observes you taking in your freedom, as ironic as that was.

He isn’t sure how long he stands there, watching you, but after a time you turn, jumping slightly when you see him looking at you.

“Alright,” you say with a degree of finality, a cross between a smile and a grimace twisting your lips. “Let’s get this over with.”

You lower your hands to your sides, your eyes closed and your body radiating tension as you brace for impact, and he finds your sage-like acceptance of your death oddly profound.

Deciding to spare you – just for the time being, he reassures himself – he silently moves to stand next to you. You were such a fragile, delicate little thing, as Cassandra had been when he had first come across her. That was probably the reason behind this act of mercy.

Indeed.

He slowly raises his hand and caresses the side of your face, feeling you vibrating in fear beneath his fingertips, and the whimper that you let out would have his heart clenching, if it still had the capacity to beat. He stills, waiting for you to look at him, and eventually you do, uncertainty reflected in your beautiful eyes. You were braver than most humans he had come across, even as you calmly accepted the notion of your death.

He lets the glow escape from his eyes to mesmerize you, the only reason he has decided to touch you, wanting to make sure that his instructions stuck, and your eyes go glassy as your mind switches to a suggestible state.

“You will not make any attempts to harm or kill yourself or others while in my… care,” he begins, pausing to let the message sink in. He doubts that you could do any significant damage to a vampire with what was available to you here, but harming yourself risked triggering a vampire’s bloodlust, and that wouldn’t do with his plans for you.

“When you hear a knock at the door tomorrow, you will seal the windows so that no daylight enters the room,” he instructs, knowing that there was enough to work with in the room that the compulsion would guide you sufficiently in completing the task. You seemed to be a resourceful thing.

Satisfied that the mesmerization had taken, he dims the glow in his eyes, waiting until you return to full consciousness before removing his hand from your face, taking a couple of steps back. You don’t say anything, stunned silent by this staying of your execution.

“Other than that, you are free to do as you wish in here. Enjoy the night, Y/N Crow,” he says softly, turning and exiting the room, locking the door behind him. He pauses at the top of the steps, contemplating his decision as he listens to your stuttering breaths.

He’s sure he can find some use for you.

---

Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Epilogue

[mercymaker]

me to a couple of my most trusted mutuals: so do you wanna hear about vampires and dhampirs and how unlikely the undead are to produce a living offspring? do you think it would be crazy if a vampire spawn knocked someone up? you think it could happen to mal? wait, no, come back, it makes sense, I swear. it's not wholesome, trust me!!!

[muraenide]

Thread/Plot Wishlist

Updated as of 9/3/2024

Merfolk extinction (canon verse). A few years or a decade into the future, merfolk gradually come to the brink of extinction. The ones that remain either do not have the interest to produce offspring or refuse to. Jade gives up some of his genetic samples for the labs to produce copies or clones of himself as part of a trade. Eventually, he meets his "son" or someone else who happened to adopt him. || Status: Open

Floyd (canon verse, mid-chapter 7). Floyd develops a terminal illness that gives him a limited amount of time to live. Jade suddenly becomes incredibly interested in the spell used on Silver that preserved his youth, condition, and the state of his body for thousands of years and Briar Valley. || Status: Open

Hostage Situation (canon verse). As part of his plan to usurp King Triton, Antonio seizes the chance to have King Triton adopt Jade, then subsequently trades him with another prince from a rivaling kingdom and calls it "Friendship Exchange" but in truth, Jade's there to be a hostage. The princes and princesses in the rivaling kingdom were not fools themselves. Jade grew up being an object of discrimination and becomes twice the monster people think he is. || Status: In Discussion.

Vampire Hunter AU (modern verse). A time travel spell gone wrong caused Jade to be transmigrated into a time in the past where vampires existed in the victorian era. This leads to Jade joining the vampire hunter's guild, imposing as one, while he secretly captures vampires to conduct experiments on them and their blood in order to find a way back. || Status: Open

King of Gamblers (canon verse, post NRC graduation). In the heart of a bustling city on Earth, a mysterious casino sprung up to fame overnight. The owner was rumoured to be one of the merfolk, as well as several of his employees. They have been running the casino business for as long as half a decade and have never broken any rules, yet the amount of discourse surrounding it regarding its hidden identity as a hub for criminal activities has reached surreal levels. Jade Leech has always been cooperative with the police, offering them unconditional passes for introspection and searches, but the smile that accompanies his eyes whenever he watched them searching through his belongings suggested he knew more than he lets out. || Status: Open

The Eternal Engine AU (canon verse or independent verse, futuristic/sci-fi, actually a romance plot though it's possible to not be shippy between our muses). A thousand years from now, the world crumbles from the influences of mankind. Their actions have led to fatal climate changes and pushed nature to fight back, turning incredibly hostile. The new world is highly hostile against all former lifeforms, for all humans, merfolk, and beastmen. The Faes managed to withstand longer in the now seemingly eternal winter that blanketed the world, but there were still hostile particles in the wind that could be potentially fatal to a Fae over a long period. Almost 70% of the world's population has been wiped out. The numbers were close to 90% for non-human species. On the side, a once powerful organization decides to unite all living things who were still present and build a main facility amid the apocalyptic setting to sustain life on earth and at the same time, conduct experimentations on various living organisms to find a way to allow life to adapt to their current environment. Jade and Floyd were elected to be part of that research team. They created a large base next to the facility and placed various human beings/other species inside for specific experimentations while having complete control of its environment. The base was set up to mimic the last time in the past before Earth turned hostile, while scientists such as Jade and Floyd, who control the environments in the base would periodically release scheduled hostile changes and study how life forms react to it. One day Floyd got bored, and without Jade's knowledge, he created an NPC, Jacques Leech, based on Jade's personal data and released him into the stimulator. One of the test subjects somehow managed to fall in love with Jacques, before finding out that he's not real. The day when the experiment finally succeeds comes. The world moved towards rebuilding their homeland after the research facility was shut down and all test subjects were released. Jade runs into that test subject who falls in love with a stimulation of himself while being assigned to factions of people in charge of rebuilding the new world. Both are weirded out simultaneously and respectively by the real-life existence which Jacques is based off of, and someone who knows almost everything about himself who is otherwise a total stranger. || Status: Open

[free-for-all-fics]

Random thoughts and ideas/prompts for Van Helsing 2004 Dracula because he’s underrated and I want more content of him 🩸If any of these inspire you to write something, please tag me 💜

1. What if you were in an enemies to lovers/Beauty and the Beast situation with Dracula? He keeps you a prisoner of sorts so he has eyes and ears on the human villages, maybe makes you pose as his sickly wife even, to lure humans to the castle under the false pretense that his wife is in urgent need of a doctor. But you also have a fire in you and stop fearing him at some point so you stop taking any of his melodramatic crap. You fall in love eventually. What would your relationship be like?

2. Write something for Van Helsing Dracula with the dialogue, “I will search forever in the dark.”

“You’re here. You’re here. I’ve been waiting for so long.”

“I’m so sorry. I’ll never leave you again.”

3. Write something for Van Helsing Dracula with the Tuck Everlasting quote, “Do not fear death, but rather the unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.”

4. Write something for Van Helsing Dracula with the quote, “Ever think you’re lonely because you kill people?”

“Or I kill people because I’m lonely.”

5. While in his black wolf form, Dracula is injured badly enough to pass out. He wakes up in a wildlife rehab center, still in his wolf form, being cared for by the reader, who might make a delightful new bride. (That “There’s much to be learned from beasts” scene in Coppola’s Dracula got me like)

6. What if Dracula was actually successful in his efforts to reproduce and had children? What do you think Dracula (and his brides) would be like as a parent? Just imagine if Dracula produced viable offspring and they survived.

7. You accidentally cut yourself while using a letter opener or something. Dracula displays some self control, overcoming his vampire instincts so he can treat your injury. He knows you don’t want to be a vampire yet, and for some reason he can’t explain, he cares about you. You can tell it’s hard for him, you can see the pain & conflict in his eyes, fangs threatening to come out as he struggles to contain himself.

8. Reader is human and Dracula’s secret lover. But then tragedy strikes when reader is either killed or dies (accident, disease, what have you). So instead of Dracula going to Victor to make a monster, he demands Frankenstein resurrect you. He still wants you as his bride and he won’t take no for an answer. He loves you too much to let death claim you and take you away from him. He’ll make you immortal, even if you’re not a vampire as he intended. He may claim to be hollow, but you’re different. You make him feel.

9. In the video game, it’s shown that Dracula had a secret life and lover while he was mortal, even though this was forbidden by The Order. When her existence was discovered, the plan was to exile her. But after she was accidentally killed during attempts to capture her, Dracula turned to necromancy to try to bring his beloved back to life. Imagine a fic where reader was his past lover from the 1400s and is reincarnated during the movie’s timeline.

OR The Order was actually too late to stop him and little did Vladislaus know, he succeeded in resurrecting her before he was murdered. The resurrection just wasn’t instant and instead centuries had to pass before reader could wake up again, fully healed and regenerated - As if her murder never happened. Now she’s crawled out from her grave, awoken in Transylvania which looks different than what she remembers, even though to her it feels like only minutes have passed. What’s become of Vladislaus? What’s happened?

10. Or maybe a fic inspired by this dialogue from the game: “Why would any man betray his best friend? Jealousy? Ambition? Love? Someday you too will be cursed by love as I was, and all your efforts to resurrect it will turn to disgusting mockeries of what you once had, as have mine.”

11. Ok this one may seem very obvious but how about a fic or headcanons for being in a poly relationship with Dracula and his wives? Whether you’re human or vampire, up to you.

12. You’re on a trip to Transylvania with a few of your best friends. All of you collectively make the stupid decision to camp nearby Dracula’s castle. When you wake up in the morning, your friends are gone and you must go into the castle to save them. Who knows what lies within?

13. You’ve been raised to be a monster hunter by your village, but you’re getting tired of the chase and are wanting it to be over. For your latest mission, they’ve sent you to Dracula’s castle to put him down for good. You ascend the steps, gripping your sword in one hand and your crossbow in the other, prepared for a fight. What you find instead is a severely aged and tired Dracula, waiting for you. His brides are dead, and he hasn’t been able to feed in so long. Like you, he’s tired. Perhaps you can come to an arrangement that benefits you both.

14. You’ve just purchased a 15th century castle in Romania and moved your entire family in. Unfortunately, Dracula and his brides have returned home from an extended vacation.

15. Imagine being Dracula’s daughter (you’re a human he kidnapped surprise adopted from the village as a child after the first attempt of creating offspring burned to ashes). You’re now an adult and It’s your final birthday as a mortal. He throws a special Hallows Eve Ball in his summer palace because tonight you’ll be turned into a vampire and feed for the first time. (Imagine if you took after your mothers and father, and wanted to create 3 vampire brides for yourself as well. These brides could be male, female, whatever lol)

16. Imagine being Anna’s sister and one night you and some other people go off into the forest near Dracula’s castle for a mission, only for your party to get ambushed and killed by Dracula in his black wolf form. He kidnaps you and keeps you locked in a golden cage that’s attached to the ceiling, with only candles and a stained glass painting of the sun giving you the illusion of light in the dark room. He tells you that you “remind him of someone he once loved and lost long ago”. He wants to use you as bait for Van Helsing and Anna, but he actually has no intention of trading you. He wants to keep you for himself, believing you’re his reincarnated wife.

17. Imagine being human and living with Dracula and his wives. You’re either their daughter or another bride, up to you. Either way, imagine if monster hunters broke into the castle and found you first, mistaking you for a vampire. They incapacitate and start hurting you in ways that feel like torture, to try to get you to tell them where the other vampires are. Your screams and sounds of distress awaken Dracula and his brides, alerting them. It’s not yet dusk/twilight, so they’re unable to help you since the sun is still up. They can’t reach the room you’re in. By the time the sun sets and they can kill the hunters, you’re so wounded and on the brink of death. Dracula has no choice but to turn you. In your weakened state, you try to tell him no, that you’re not ready, but he regretfully tells you he must do this now. He bites you and forces you to drink his blood. Even if you try to spit it out, he won’t let you.

[tumblingxelian]

Supernal World Building

History:

This history may be familiar to many of you; why would it not be, it is history after all? But let’s highlight some familiar factors.

In times before the written word, humanity spread across the African Savannah and beyond, at their side or perhaps before their time or even after it, were the monsters, as much a part of life as a storm, a lion or rival hunting band.

In times long past, when temples were raised beneath the sun and crafters of copper shaped their first tools, one could find beast men in the company of God kings, and rumors abound of Lilith’s trading relief for crimson blood in the night.

In ancient days, a Gorgon monarch was deposed by the rebel leader Perseus, democracy his rallying cry. Worlds away, the dead monarch of the land are imbued with new life through ritual and prayer that they may guide their people again.

In days long gone, the Mongols rose, spreading destruction and plague upon all who challenged them, all who could challenge them. Amongst their victims were those whose very nature, whose very existence, was deemed a threat to the war.

In years of exploration and conquest, cities and farms spread akin to locusts, beasts extinguished and those who hunted them starved. Preachers spoke of the need to cleanse the world of that which was inhuman, even as they enslaved their own kind.

In days so recent they may as well be modern, the Monsters, the predators, and the hunted became the Outcast. United by need and creed, they carved out a place for themselves in a world eager to see them cast into the shadows of history as though mere folk tales.

Today, the world is at peace, or as much peace as it has ever known, but all it could take is one spark to set everything ablaze. Who or what remains to look over the ashes may well be the next to write history.  

Outcast Genotypes:

Just as there are various monsters and outcasts of the world there are many means by which to sort and categorize them. The main overarching castes of Monsters are as follows:

The Born – These Outcasts were born from an Outcast parent of the same type and regardless of whom or what the sire is, the child bearers’ species will be the Childs. 

The Turned – These Outcasts, while capable of reproduction, can also convert others, namely humans or those lacking a strong Supernal affiliation, into their own kind. 

The Shifters – These Outcasts can, at least in part, masquerade as their prey, namely humans, and alternate between this suppressed form and that of their true selves.

The Crafted – These Outcasts are the results of Supernal forces influencing a mortal form, be it by choice or force, it encompasses Undead, practitioners and many more.

The Hybrids – These Outcasts are the result of intermingling between the rare monster capable of copulating and producing viable offspring with other species.

The Undead – These Outcasts can be of any Genotype and could even have lived as humans their entire lives they are, however, no longer humans and should be treated as such. 

The Rarities – These Outcasts are unique, their manifestation unexpected & uncontrollable, their mere existence not replicable even with intense study.

NOTES:

All Supernal creatures are tied in some way to two distinct magical affiliations that shape and define them; & while one can earn skills outside these designations it is a labor.

There is a degree of crossover between Genotypes, The Born can often be born to the Crafted and the Turned are naturally Shifters; What’s more, some among the Born can shift, while others appearance is immutable.

Among Shifters there is variance, the difference between the shifting of a Vampire, Siren and Lycan is all rather immense. Vampires experience marginal shifts in appearance & are still recognizable as looking akin to mutated humans, while Lycans experience a total metamorphosis and Sirens fall in between.

Being different species, all Outcasts have varying degrees of innate and distinct instincts. Such as isolationist and highly individualistic natures coming naturally to Sirens and Gorgons, while communal and collective natures occur naturally in Vampires and Lycan. Individual personality, culture and life experience still plays a determining role in behavior, but the base, instinctual needs of a given person will vary between species.

The Born

Gorgon/Naga/Lamia - Reptilians with strong ties to the magics of the earth in the form of stones both bejeweled and mundane rock, which among their species lends itself naturally to petrification, paralysis, and stillness, seemingly born as a survival mechanism, be it for hunting or self-defense. These Geomantic ties blend strangely with that of the flesh, blending together scale and skin and providing long lives through renewal.

Often solitary and long lived, they were once perceived as regal leaders or protectors but, in many regions, have some to be seen as alien and predatory. They have a rather minimal sense of community by most species’ standards, with last names only being adopted to honor noteworthy ancestry rather than born of a sense of shared blood or bonds. Love is indeed possible, but they are often quite distant and can spend years in total isolation with no harm unto themselves.

Their snake-like traits can manifest in a myriad of ways from scaled skin to snake-like hair or their bottom half being reptilian. 

Oni/Troll/Ogre/Yowie/Yeti/Minotaur/Jotnar - Large and powerfully built beings, often associated with the boom of thunder and swirling blizzard, they can also manifest their ties to storms in the clashing and grinding of discontented parts as though their own forms were a furnace. Their second affiliation is tied to the mountains and deep places in which they tend to congregate, the Grounded Earth is their bastion and their boon, filling their lumbering bodies with the stamina and strength to survive and thrive.

These creatures tend to have elongated arms and larger heads proportional to their bodies with single or several horns of varying shapes and sizes. They are ponderous beings who perceive and respond to most events slowly but with keen eyes. They do tend to have families, but familial & communal bonds tend to be rather loose outside the most immediately familiar. They do not look at strangers among their kin with hostility, but giants tend to prefer their own privacy & company outside of the odd festivity. 

Centaur/Satyr/Ipotane/Tikbalang/Nuckelavee/Ichthyocentaurs/Glashtyn - Built unto as Equus, these people are bound to the primal magics of the beast and the Living Earth be it forest or grasslands or savanna alike. Easily able to commune with animals and entreat the plants, their magic is often quite wild and free; but one must remember there is more to nature and animals than mere trees and frolicking. This more brutal, primeval side, beyond morality and familiar forms of life always hangs overhead of these four-legged travelers.

They have moderately strong communal instincts, but these tend to cap out at the size of a clan or small polity, and their physical structure also often makes larger societies more hassle and less practical until recently. They do not strictly resemble any breed of horse, deer, or even human, but they have some strange collection there-of, often informed by their locality. Most bear four legs, but some stride on two alone.

Oozlum/Sirin/Kinnara/Kalaviṅka/Inmyeonjo/Harpy/(Siren) – Avian beings, they are born with a Supernal connection the air itself which allows for their flight at incredible speeds with their passing often described as accompanied by a thunderous boom. But they have another magical nature, that of the Song; like their aquatic cousins, their singing can hold influence over the minds of others.

These avians have stronger communal instincts than their water dwelling cousins but lack the Supernal   connections between themselves and their kindred such as held by Lycan or Vampires, they simply prefer to flock together as a group. Unlike their cousins they are not shifters by birth but have a natural preference for meat greater than most, which shows their shared heritage.

The Shifters

Selkie/Finfolk/Piscine/Mermaid/Undine/Ningyo/(Siren) –

Some argue Sirens are an example of what some might call convergent evolution. They hold powerful sway over the minds of others, through their ability to subvocalize and convey messages through water which can become a song on land. & they are Shifters, who draw strength from Flesh magic in the same manner as Lycans.

The stories of their gory feasts on sailors, while somewhat exaggerated, do reflect their carnivorous and hungry nature. A second row of jagged teeth line the backs of their mouths; their legs and strange skin become a tail and scales when submerged in water.

There are many 'types' of Sirens from fresh water to sea water to deep sea; though all among them have rather loose concepts of family and minimal communal instincts, even if they may enjoy singular individual companions. They often form bonds with Kelpie and other types of water 'horse'. Siren are comparable to Clown Fish as far as reproductive matters are concerned, but able to consciously control the change as needed.

Jorōgumo-Tsuchigumo/Iktomi/aqrabuamelu/Anansi/Arachne/Pabilsaĝ - These beings have two forms, that of a more 'human-like' guise and their natural form which is multi-pronged and tough but smooth to touch; they tend to resemble a blurred line between spiders and scorpions. Their magic naturally tends towards the acts of binding and consuming, with words and magic as equally valid avenues to tether and entrap their prey as webs and craft.

They have strong paternal instincts, rarely if ever being separated from their infants if they can avoid it and forming large networks or web-works together. Though they tend towards having fairly weak romantic instincts, the sires will usually return to their blood family and assist in raising their siblings' children as opposed to their own children. 

The Turned

Vampires/Lilu/Jiangshi/Aswang/Asanbosam - are also shifters though be it of a limited type, who can seamlessly blend in amongst their human prey, save for their blazing crimson eyes. However, they have another form, one sharper, longer, more bestial with long wide ears with pointed tips, a fanged maw that unhinges, with extremely prehensile tongue, as they adopt more 'bat' like qualities alongside clawed hands.

Their primary magic is tied to the very concept of draining, drinking, or absorbing, this often takes the most primal form of absorbing life essence from a body through touch or blood but can be trained to let them drain magic from spells and even drink curses.

Blood, being the carrier of life force, is also closely tied to vampires and is their primary means by which they externalize magic, through bloody spells and crafts. Meaning they are quite poor at offensive or defensive matter, especially if there isn’t a splash of crimson around.

They are intensely communal creatures, with a subtle but ever-present psychic bond to their extended clan that shares their blood. They tend to lose their identity and even sapience when losing all or even most of that support network. Through blood or life force, vampires can grow their numbers without the need for biological reproduction, though possible it is quite rare biologically and culturally speaking. 

Lycan - Bultungin/Werewolf/Kóryos/Asena/Itbarak/Rougarou/Nagual/ Glawackus are also shifters who can, by their nature and the whims of their patron moon, live in the form of what appear to be humans, or become the epitome of all predators; hyena, wolf, Jaguar, and bear can all be seen in its mighty form. Further still they can adopt merely some of the desired traits such as clawed fingers or fanged maw as they come to master their true nature.

Their inherent transformation is tied to the cycles of the moon, but matured Lycan can choose when or when to or when to transform and the degree. This connection to the moon also gives them a natural tie to magics such as scrying or using the moon as a medium to commune with the dead.

Their most natural and inherent magic, however, is that of flesh and bone and the marrow, it is of the meat and muscle and sinew, this is inherent to their ability to transform. But it is also tied to their swift healing, voracious nature, and their ability to make others like themselves, or otherwise alter the flesh of their targets.

They are an intensely communal species with a strong bond between families, be they born or turned or bonded and hold ties to larger pack structures. The loss of these bonds, be it through death or banishment can be so traumatic they turn deadly, usually via heart attack, or an all-consuming melancholy that simply causes the body to shut down.  

The Crafted

Witches/Shamans/Priests/Seers/Sages/Psychic - Practitioners -For as long as there have been monsters and creatures of Supernal power there have been humans who, blessed or through back breaking labor, could wield Supernal   powers of their own. Often passing these abilities down to their children.

Some were even taught by monsters, or mutated themselves through taking on the traits of Supernal beasts or through living in spiritual locations and becoming attuned to its natural magics. Whatever their source, these people can and do use Supernal   energies for their own purposes, their primary methods both for personal use and as a means for others is through ritual and craft. 

Put simply, while some humans may be born with an abnormal connection to a Supernal power source, this will usually at most amount in only one or two marginal powers unless trained or developed and can easily amount to nothing or overwhelm and destroy their user. But these people are the exception, most practitioners gain their abilities through some form of in-depth study or communion with greater powers and through the lens of ritual begin to tap into these energies using their own body as a conduit and commanding force to give the powers intent and purpose. 

Runic languages and symbology designed to entreat, trick, or terrify spectral beings. Potions and elixirs crafted from Supernal   ingredients. Chanting in languages that do not die as metal is forged and shaped with blood as a key ingredient. These are but a few examples of how Practitioners tap into the sources of magic, and they are among the most common and known methods, with talismans, potions and wards being the most common forms of magic; but at more advanced levels one can call on and command spirits or scry on distant locations and even commune with the dead. 

Some can even cheat death itself. 

NOTES:

It must be made clear that in order to advance past the point of arduous ritual or relying on amulets, trinkets or talismans, a Practitioner must attune themselves to one or more sources of magic, always one or two but never more. This can even lead to some Practitioners seeking adoption among monsters, or to seek out specific Living locations already attuned to the magical source they wish to infuse their being. 

What's more, Monsters can also be Practitioners, and in fact most are, but their natural alignment means that they both have an easier time studying their natural magic, but also a more difficult time trying to become attuned to a new Supernal   source and in fact trying to do so can often be a self-destructive risk, even for Practitioners who were not born attuned to any specific magic. 

Practitioners usually form conclaves, covens, clans, or other forms of small organizations, though some seek to create bloodline specific lineages exclusively, or not share their abilities. They are also considered by the world at large to be no different from the Monsters themselves, and in truth are not once attuned, or if born attuned to their magical source as such energies tend to create a mind and even body subtly or overtly distinct from an ordinary human. 

As the practitioner casts more and more spells the more they risk drawing attention from external entities with their own goals and motivations, while weakening their own essence and making themselves pliant and vulnerable to anything from death to possession or infection by immaterial parasites.

It should also be noted that through ritual even a charlatan can invoke dangerous powers. Those who dabble in the Supernal with no experience or guidance can at times accomplish impressive feats in their freedom and blissful unawareness. But every spell is a dance with death and danger at the best of times.

The Hybrids

Hybrids are in themselves both rare and common.

Rare in the sense that few species can actually intermingle without the use of Supernal   aids and when they do the resulting child will be the birthing parents’ species thanks to being doused in their Supernal energies for so long. (Though they may inherit some traits from their sire or a knack for magic outside their birthing parents’ nature, it never goes further than this.)

But some are also quite common thanks to Vampire and Lycan who are the exceptions when it comes to mingling with humans, though between one another the rules remain much the same as above. The reason for this could be genetic, or tied to their natural Supernal energies, being that of blood and flesh allowing them to cross the barriers between species.

As is custom, a child sired by a human parent will be the carrier’s species.

However, in cases where a Lycan or Vampire impregnate a human, the resulting child will generally be a Wira or a Dhampir. These newborns may well develop into their sire’s species with time or in rare and often dangerous cases can be born as such. However, generally speaking, they will emerge as something in between and will be lacking one of the core Supernal connections that makes these species what they are.

Wira – Are often quite obviously inhuman, bearing a resemblance to a partially shifted Lycan but with an overall more stable and cohesive body. They will inherit many of their sire species traits such as a strong sense of smell, excellent hearing, claws, and strength. But are bereft of a strong connection to the lunar cycles, which is what keeps them from being able to shift or commune with the spiritual essence of their sire species.

More often than not, Wira will choose to forge this connection, or make the decisions before they are old enough to know better and thus become Lycan, but there are many who choose their own path. These Wira can still be considered part of the wider pack or direct family and can be quite well regarded for the unique skills they bring to the table.

Lacking the lunar connection however can cause a spiritual divide between Wira and their sire species, hence some forming their own small communities. As with other Outcasts, the Wira, if impregnated by a human will give birth to another Wira, while if they impregnate a human the resulting child will be by and large human, though be it one who could manifest as a Wira or even a Lycan under the right conditions.

Dhampir – Easily the most ‘human passing’ of the Outcasts, at least insofar as their appearance is concerned, internally however they are quite distinct, and their natural affiliations are very unique. Rather than inheriting their sires’ ties to blood and the taking of vitality, the Dhampir’s initial imbuement of vitality draining Supernal can both make them dangerous to carry and if not, will usually keep the resulting infant near the realms of the spectral and through that, decay.

Dhampir have slow but extremely powerful heartbeats that lead to the Dhampir having minimal adrenaline production and a subtle resistance to narcotics due to their slow dissemination rate in the body. Though once they are affected it can easily become lethal. They tend to “age well” though their lifespan is not notably impressive. Otherwise, they tend to be quite pale, with glassy eyes and slightly larger canines than one would see in most humans, though still much smaller than even a human presenting Lycan.

Dhampir are not negatively regarded in the vampiric community, in fact many are considered incredibly useful due to being able to pass through human society unnoticed. However, their acceptance is rather hinged on them playing a role for their extended family or community. Like with Wira, Dhampir often ascend to become vampires, though strangely they don’t have an inerrant natural advantage in this contest, as their strong ties to blood can sometimes make them more inclined to be slaves to their instincts than newly introduced humans.

While not directly tied to the hive instincts of the greater clan, Dhampir are known to be extremely possessive of their loved ones and respond very poorly to isolation. They have a natural inclination for blood magic and can ingest the substance and receive some nourishment. Dhampir and human born children are barely distinguishable from humans in most cases, though certain locations, magic use, or locations can bring such traits to the forefront.

NOTES:

These rules are by and large hard and fast, though intermingling with Practitioners can at times result in a purely ‘human’ child who may only have marginal left over links to their heritage, or more likely a hybrid whose second Supernal affiliation is ingrained from birth.

Other Monsters intermingling with humans can only conceive via magical ritual and in this context, the human carrier is more akin to a surrogate, or donor whose genetic influence will be marginal at best.

Dhampir are technically counted among the Living Dead, whom are covered in detail below.

The Undead

The Undead are a complicated topic, made more so by the nature of spirits and ghosts, but the easiest distinguishing trait is their possession of a material body and naturalized presence in the material plane. Their Supernal   energies may align with decay and spectral, but they are as much a part of the living world as anyone else. Decay is, after all, an extant form of life.

What's more, technically anyone can become undead, though it does necessitate losing one of their magical affinities in order to be able to function. Some Undead are also mere creations or not thinking creatures in of themselves, but usually the creation of natural magical well springs or skilled Practitioners and can often operate rather similarly to Familiars. 

Of the free dead there are many variants, most of whom exist thanks to spell and ritual or themselves being bound to a location suffused with such energies that will not let them go. Others however exist more in a state of near death, they are on the cusp of the world of the living and the dead by their very nature, but they were born in do age. 

Of the former, one can find creatures like:

Kukudh, Ro-langs, Vetala and mummies – These are usually powerful practitioners who for one reason or another did not wish to move on and so have bound their spirit to a prison of flesh, sometimes their own ritualistically slain body, preserved just as it was, while other times they may become a specter and possess an empty vessel.

Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, but the greatest weakness of both states is inherent to the premise, existing as such a being naturally untethered you more from the material plane than any other, meaning banishment rituals are indeed viable in a manner they would not be for the living or other Undead. Their magic affiliation is always of the spectral variety. 

Those bound to a location tend to manifest as:

Ghouls and Zombies – brought back by the land and spirits themselves, sometimes with their mind and will and spirit intact but in other instances they are mere extensions of the land itself, some strange curse or housing a newly born spirit. Ghouls and Zombies are aligned with both decay and spectral.

Any links to their former heritage are superficial at best and rarely grant much advantage thanks to their forms withered state. Those who become powerful in this state can be terrible indeed, spreading their curse through decay and spiritual sickness and their bodies still pump some sickened approximation of blood and ectoplasm. Their inherent nature to decay often means they age... In a manner of speaking. 

Finally, there are the:

Living Dead – these beings are people who live on lands suffused with Supernal   energies tied to the spectral, are born of Death magic aligned covens and Practitioners. The Dhampir also fall into this category, emerging in families with vampiric ancestry under the right conditions. With a preference for bloodier meals and a dab hand at blood magics, slow to bleed and hard to kill or scare, they often evoke a sense of the uncanny valley in humans. Many consider them near a Supernal   species unto themselves, save for their relative rarity.  

Spirits/Ghosts/Yūrei/Mononoke/Lemures - In the simplest form, these are the ectoplasmic forms of the now deceased, they can be human, animal, monster, or even 'other' beings entirely. Many do not exist in the material plane but can be communed with or called to it through ritual or key periods of the year when the barrier between life and death is thinner. Those that do remain tend towards being malevolent or maudlin, but some among them can be more akin to their living selves; much is dependent on their locations, motives, and the means by which they stay incarnated.

Regardless, all such beings are inherently tied to the magics of life and death, for all living things have a soul that becomes a spirit when their material form stops functioning and through that they become attuned with death.

Most tend to only have whatever skills they had in life, though it is possible to grow after death the more one separates them self from their old self the harder it is to re-emerge on the material plane. Afterlives are nebulous and vary wildly in what is said but are all agreed upon as existing in some form. 

Shikigami/Familiars - These beings can be spirits created from several component parts and imbued with power to become in essence, like a ghost. Or they are usually animals or alchemical experiments to create a new material life imbued with spiritual essence from their creator or other source to create a new being.

These creatures are usually closely bound to their maker, and have some degree of natural Supernal   affinity, one tied to their previous form and the other to the materials their maker utilized when making them.

They are usually devoted and loyal, but there are stories of familiar going rogue due to mistreatment, mistakes in their creation or from having been made through malevolent means, making a living curse. 

The Rarities

Changelings, Cryptids, Living Curses and more, there is not a singular way to define or designate these Supernal creatures. They are inherently one of a kind, both to their benefit and their detriment.

 The Changeling is one born so suffused with Flesh magic that they can alter their form as they need to; no efforts to pass this trait along by blood, to mimic or steal it have been successful. Cryptids are akin to one-of-a-kind mutations, the Chupacabra would be a fine example of something too unique to be a Lycan but far too beastly to be a vampire it was born and will die alone. Even Living Curses, such as that of the Hyde that can be passed down family lines requite unique triggers and ritual to release, and the resulting creature is anything but predictable.

It must be noted that rarity does not inherently designate power, wisdom or majesty.

Changelings are not granted special exemption and among most Outcasts are not deemed as especially potent as their scent can often still be detected and all so far have been unable to alter their body what is feasible with the right rituals. However, they do make good spies among humans.

The Chupacabra is as far as anyone can tell a creature that may be akin to a blend of vampire and Lycan. Consumed by its own hunger and instincts and rules by their magnified weaknesses, and bereft of a true mind, of course this is mere speculation, and it could be something else entirely, born from the darkness and nightmares of goats.

Living Curses can have their origins in true Supernal, such as Hydes being in part a craft born of tethering the tortured and maddened soul of a Lycan to a human infant to make a weapon. That evolved into a curse that could attach itself to a bloodline but is ultimately a sordid ritual magic inadvertently latched to someone by birth or by chance.

These are but three examples of the myriads of mutations & majesties seen among the Supernal rarities.

The Supernal World

Now that we have covered the Supernal peoples of the world, let us again turn our attention to the world itself and discuss the very nature of the Supernal World as it is. After all, for better or for worse, it is our world and one we must understand well if we wish to survive it.

This segment shall cover topics ranging from places of power, magic, those who hunt monsters and the organizations and political powers and histories one will need to overcome, master, understand or navigate to survive.

Living Locations:

These types of Supernal   beings come in two forms and flavors, the first being Spirits of the World and the latter being Household Spirits. 

The spirits of the land - can come in any form, shape, or size; they are technically in everything, everywhere, from trees to bricks and steel and more. But to be a Spirit of the Land is more than merely having essence, it is having a sense of self, a personality if not a sapient sense of identity. These locations can be anything from a haunted forest to a large stretch of savannah that cannot be tamed, to a thunderous mountain that allows no interlopers.

What is to be understood is that these places have power and personality, enough so that even the armies of the modern world are wary of dealing with them, lest the bombing or a sacred grove lead to mass crop failure and forest fires as a final act of revenge.

Still, these locations tend towards having mediators, mortals who are allowed to live upon them and advocate for their needs and desires while also protecting them from more subtle encroachments and intern, often gaining power from the land itself, many-a coven has been formed around such sites. 

Household Spirits - are often much humbler than their greater spirit kindred, but they are also far more numerous and often far more in tune with those around them, with many having been able to manifest some form of medium or intermediary through the creation of a familiar, usually from common rodents to act as their mouth and hands. Household spirits are in essence, a building, or castle or compound given a sense of life and purpose.  

The means by which this happens can vary from intentional cultivation, to being built on a well spring of Supernal   energies or being the 'child' of a spirit of the land, or even ghosts merging with their former home and taking on a new identity. Their personalities can vary wildly however, but while less easy to offend than their seniors, Household Spirits have their own counsel and expect their fair treatment to be met with a similar degree of respect and regard.

They will close the door on pursuers and warm the hearth, you should repair that leaky pipe and leave something tasty out every now and again, thank you very much. 

Magic Types & Systems:

The powers of the Supernal are strange and primal things, as much concept as they are material one must wonder if their power was shaped by their observers or if they shaped our perceptions.

Even the structures of magic systems and guidelines born of the innate power of monsters cannot wholly define magic as we know it. Not its limits, interpretations, or its flexibility.

So much is to the wielder themselves, no wonder many prefer the more predictable power of technology, lifeless and restrictive as it tends to be.

First, there are sources of magic, the Supernal, and from them come the methods of magic, the ritual, the spell, and the curse.

Supernal Sources:

The Grounded Earth: Geomancy/Petrification Rocks upon the raging shore, mountains against the winds, & pillars that shoot deep into the core, they all are petrified.

The Storm: Alchemic/Sympathetic Not merely of clouds & thunder but born of the roiling clash of energies to create resounding sounds & severe heats.

The Song: Phonic/Aural Instinctive vibrations echo in the mind and sound crashes against the body; a song that promises all & gives nothing.

The Living Earth: Chthonic Called from trees, bushes & fungus, roots will dig deep, pollens will poison, decay will foster life as grass devours bone.

The Beast: Druidism Animal instincts, the bestial spirit, the very hunt inherent to nature itself, this power is primal and productive.

The Mind: Psychics/Mediums Perception beyond what the traditional senses can perceives and thought made manifest into the material world.

The Depths: Abyssal Waters ripple with imprisoned air, they embody the deep, dark places, can kill, cleanse and foster, but not create life.

Binding: Tether/Contract To trap the body or tether the soul, crimson strings to bind a spirit, or a web laid to catch their prey, their net awaits.

Consumption/Absorption Draining, drinking, the act of devouring life through blood or essence gives & even wisdom, strength to the consumer.

Life Magic: Anima/Blood Born of blood and living essence, this magic brutal but powerful, it can control and curse, and cure in equal measure.

Flesh Magic: Shapeshifting/Therianthropy It is primal magic of shaping marrow, muscle, and flesh, it can heal, strengthen and hasten, but above all it is change.

The Lunar: Esbat/Astrology/Transition The moon and its skies ever shifting, the moons face’s ever changing, a satellite & symbol of transitions that sees all.

Decay: Necromancy/Shamanism, The power of the dying and dead, of the steady erosion & conversion of that which falls, it is sickness & it is innate.

The Spectral: Spiritualism/Ectoplasm Spirits & ectoplasm, invisible, powerful & endlessly varied, that which is dead can be a building as much as a person.

Methods of Magic:

Sympathetic or imitative magic relies on attuning oneself to a Supernal source. 

Innate and inborn powers, that are then trained over the course of a lifetime.  

Sigil, Runic or Apotropaic born of the written language’s scripts & etchings.

Ritualistic magic that uses the environment, elements, or tools & time.

Enchanting talismans, amulets, bottling, fetich’s, totems, & tokens.

Concoctions, potions, balms, elixirs, toxins, gases, and poisons.

These are all different structures & systems that can at times overlap, so the easiest means by which to understand them is to break them down into their most basic forms, that being, their modus operandi:  

Sigil/Ritualistic/Enchanting/Concoctions: These methods rely on time, place, tools, materials and can be done, in theory, by anyone and are the source of practitioners becoming other than human.

This is very structured in concept, but variations appear the world over. These powers can be dangerous for the inexperienced as one mistake can spell doom. All monsters and human societies have some.

Sympathetic/Innate: The magic of monsters, the world, and creatures beyond, this Supernal power is in the bones and blood and bark of those blessed or cursed with abilities beyond the rational world.  

They often start small but like a muscle can be grown and mastered, allowing for incredible and impossible feats, though to get more than what comes innately one must work.

Casting: This is the most advanced form of magic, though with psychics/mediums some elements can be inborn such as visions or telekinesis. Many masters of the Supernal can uncover or create a single, or small collection of minor ‘spells’ that would normally require reagents or environmental conditions, or even exist beyond inborn powers. This is quite rare.  

Ingredients of Magic: As has been well established, tapping into Supernal powers can often rely on tools, materials, and other intermediaries. These sources can range from the flesh and blood of living beings to more mundane fare like typical fire made miraculous by ritual and placement. But when it comes to matters of concoction, crafting and creation, there are more innately Supernal resources in the world than others.

Their power can be drawn both from their interplay with Supernal powers. Such as how Belladonna and nightshades can be made into a more potent poison than contemporary plants of seemingly similar strength. Other examples might include oak, roses, Sorbus aucuparia and yew.

Then there are more innately Supernal materials that manifest in nature, usually in Living Locations, but at times on their own from one source of another. These can include such esteemed members as: The Man Eating Plant, Lotus Tree, Raskovnik, Sanjivani, Adder stone, Vampire pumpkins and watermelons and more!

There are also of course mineral examples, such as iron, Thogcha silver and obsidian that blur the line between mundane and magical, and that often serve as the basis for tools and weapons used by and against Outcasts, or to tap into the Supernal  world as a whole.

However, there is no shortage of other examples, such as specialized incense, mercury blessed under a full moon, specific crystals or stones and even more arcane and mysterious concepts like ectoplasm, spirits of nature shadows.

The production and trade of all these ingredients and more can be a profitable if at times very risky business, especially when touching the more Supernal subjects which often require a high level of expertise, or a willingness to risk someone’s life and limb on a potentially doomed venture. Warning said limb need not be our own.

Magical Animals: These creatures tend stay within Living Locations or are carefully cultivated by outside assistance in the modern era thanks to either their unique nature or the danger they pose making them target. The Western Wolves for example raise and trade powerful Dire Wolves., & Sirens live among Kelpie. 

Many of these animals are familiar creatures but grander, imbued with innate magic or familiars. While a handful are very alien indeed and can often prove inscrutable to even many Supernal that did not grow up around them, being as they are so tied to magic and nature but less so the mind.

Such creatures make for prized exotic pets, leading to an extensive black market, and dangerous hunts deep into the amazon jungle seeking feathers serpents, often to the hunter’s demise.

Supernal creatures can at times act more akin to manifestations of nature itself, akin to avalanches or storms, such as the terrible boar charges and other such events.

Still, many are extinct, or rather subdued by the standard of their mythic inspiration, and in more mild cases can be found even in human homes.

NOTES:

Shifters have inborn resistance to mind magic thanks to their morphic physiology, while for others magical defenses, or even ear plugs, can be used to resist as well.

The sun cannot be drawn on directly but only distantly and conceptually, through aspects woven into other Supernal powers than its true self for its raw power and proximity promise destruction to all who try. Though it can emerge in divination, its meaning is interpreted differently by many Practitioners & sometimes can lead to madness or death.  

Those born with the powers of the mind often serve as mediums, willingly or not. Their minds assailed by visions of the dead, they might have been past and scattered glimpses of maybe futures. One can train oneself into a medium through scrying and spectral excursions, it takes great time and effort. On the other hand, many Mediums are vulnerable to possession or self-destruction. Mediums are more adept at utilizing other Supernal energies than most through rituals, though only so much so.

Monster Hunters:

The term, the concept, the very role, and those who bore the duty of battling the Supernal forces of the world have a long and storied history and no history at all.

For you see, while some wish to claim that there have always been orders of humans striving to eradicate the endless scourge of the unnatural. The truth of the matter is that for much of history and in many lands and among many people, that which was inhuman could have as much to do with culture or birthplace as it did species.

Thus, while there were always those who specialized in combating magical threats, they could just as easily be a Lycan as they would an armored warrior or holy speaker.

The role was more about filling a niche, that of a detective and defender against the dangers of the Supernal as a whole and while this role varied, evolved, grew, and shrank across generations it is not they we are here to discuss.

History:

No, today we speak of the ‘Monster Hunters’, those who see a stark line between the Supernal versus mundane, or as they call it, what is normal and natural. Orders like these claim several different lineages and ideologies, some more modern and others more ancient.

Some descend from the Kheshig of Genghis Kahn, whose campaign against Monsters but not practitioners stained the world in blood. Even after their Great Khan’s death and the splintering of his empire, this masters of blade and magic continued their hunt and preached of the great storm that would cleanse the world.

Others owe their origins to the rise of Christianity and its ardent belief that the world was made for man and man alone and that all other beings and powers are thus unholy. Inquisitions and noble families wielding flames and silver in their pursuits of the unholy, be it in a grand crusade or by skulking in alleyways and farmhouses.

There are more, of course, the Assassins, or Ḥaššāšīn themselves the heirs to the stranglers and lynchers of the pre-Lilu dynasty era. Or the Priestly Orders of the Aztecs who viewed the more isolated Outcasts as easy prey for training and offerings. Some had more practical motivations than purely religious, but ideologies grew and flourished with time.

Modern Ideologies:

Most modern incarnations of Monster Hunters share several broad caveats.

The first being that the Outcasts, the monsters, and lands in rebellion to man have no place in this world & are in fact corruptions, or aberrations of the natural order be it scientific or divine.

The second is that these orders feel human centric governments and officials are not doing enough to curb the existential threat presented by the Supernal powers of the world. 

This leads modern Monster Hunters to be broadly ‘illegal’ but also quietly tolerated and even funded by either human governments directly or through turning a blind eye. 

Beyond these elements however one can find a diverse range of opinions, methodologies, and ideals.

Magi/ʿUlūm Some will argue that it is only the Monsters and other beings outside of man’s control that must be purged. They are however entirely comfortable with utilizing Supernal   energies for themselves and tend to hold a special contempt for the Practioners who align with Outcasts.

These orders tend to be quite old, often founded in ancient days by everything from sages to militants, fanatics or just the wealthy for their own ends. They hold clandestine meetings in elegant halls and regal wear, participate in the conventions of high society, before donning robes & invoking secret rituals.

Goetia/Hermeticism Other movements take from a more ‘enlightenment era perspective. Matters of faith still matter, but their thoughts trend towards the scholarly over ritualistic. They dabble in matters of potions and poisons and whispered words behind closed doors.

To them the Outcast is a thing to be picked apart for its components, but the powers, the magic kept at arm’s length. Too dangerous, too chaotic, and slyly influential, but the tools and rituals have their place in securing humanities salvation.

Militia/Hunters Finally, there are those who hold all that is Supernal   in low regard. These orders are far more modern, though most have strong roots in racist ideologies. Some are indeed fairly venerable by their own reckoning, but most are but a few decades old at most.

These groups form tightly packed, extremist militia in the woods & hunting lodges, they arm themselves with silver bullets and bombs laden with toxins offensive to the senses of a given Outcasts. They are also ardent trophy hunters and hold their seniors in low regard.

Modern Orders:

Some of the modern orders include:

Militia – Sons of Silver, Bloody Cross Brotherhood, Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists

Scholars – Inquisitors, Freemasons, The Root of Wisdom

Magi – Mithraists, Ḥaššāšīn, Knights of the Old Table

Tools:

The tools employed by monster Hunters in history ranged from their own hands to silver swords & prayer born flames. In the modern era, Monster Hunter organizations take inspiration from their forbearers & modern resources to craft weapons that best capitalize on the weaknesses of the Supernal. Though it must be noted on hand, that weapons born by hand tend to be more innately effective against the Supernal than others, thanks to the presence of a soul & intent which can be lacking in other areas.

Silver is one of the most versatile metals on the planet. Constantly existing in an ‘excited form’, associated with both the moon and sun in different cultures, naturally antimicrobial and useful in medicine. These are its mundane forms, but they influence its Supernal strength, and so when properly prepared and attuned it can be of great use for magic rituals, but also harmful in its base form to most Outcasts, even leading to allergic reactions in some Lycan.

This is mostly rooted in its nature as something resistant to external influence, meaning Supernal energies have limited impact on it compared to most other materials. Thus, allowing it to pierce or cut, or burn Outcasts with ease, especially as it can still be engraved with symbols hostile to Outcasts, even as the metal itself carries no magic. Thus, it is considered a key basis in magic and martial matters by both Outcasts and humans, and especially beloved by Hunters.

Cold iron/shaped iron has a long history of being useful for wards and weapons both for and against the Supernal and is a natural defense all its own from weak or subtle Supernal forces. This is because of its incredibly stable and sturdy nature, that when shaped to one task it can perform better than any other. This perfect blend of sturdiness and flexibility lets it be shaped into ideal warding forms and highly specialized weapons for a given foe or task.

The greatest power of iron, however, hails from Meteoric iron, alien, or our world, it and the Supernal find themselves inherently in conflict and essentially reject one another, due to their respective ‘alien’ natures.

Nightshade, a particularly virulent poison on its own is uniquely hostile to Outcasts, if applied in large enough quantities it can prove near instantly lethal. In lesser qualities, it will trigger panic attacks, hallucinations, and can even forcibly trigger magical reactions such as a Lycans transformation, if a wretched one.

Garlic and other plants that tend to cause watering eyes or sickness are common to use in gas weapons, they do not kill, but they are disruptive to Outcasts more sensitive senses and occasionally one gets lucky and there is an allergy.

UV Lights, while not killed by the sun, vampires are still light sensitive and can be harmed, tanned, temporarily blinded, or even burnt by too intense and sudden injections of light.

Fire, as is to be expected, because fire can harm almost anything; flamethrowers and incendiary weapons are much beloved.

Hawthorn & Blackthorn, when properly prepared, make for painful concoctions, toxins, and even wooden weapons. 

Mundane weapons do have an impact on Outcasts and the Supernal, but it is heavily reduced, a Lycan can more easily shrug off a steel bullet than an iron bullet and could die from a silver bullet for example.

NOTES:

Despite broad approval or at least indifferent to the hunters; most governments who hold treaties with outcasts have a quiet understanding that if a Hunter or even roguish civilian intrudes onto Outcast territory and dies it is not their obligation to investigate it.

This does not extend to notable or wealthy figures, but any given bigot with more bullets than brains breaking into a Lycan Legionary camp is not going to be missed or mourned.

What’s more, many governments prefer to view them as disposable weapons at best, or an equal threat to Outcasts at worst, as these secret societies keep themselves every bit as much as the Monsters themselves, if not more.

Supernal Factions & Alliances:

Much as noted above, the modern days state of political factions, alliances and cross species treaties is a rather new affair. Not to say that across history a given Lycan pack might not align with a clan of vampires, or a crew of Siren raiders did not exchange gifts with minotaur kinds.

But these were largely always local affairs, or the matters of key individual states and not born of any sense of unity among non-humans as a collective. In truth, most regarded their counterparts with as much suspicion as did humans barring a few exceptions.

The shifts began in the East with the genocidal campaign of Genghis Khan, leading to the greater integration of major Outcast populations into multiple East Asian governments.

Then reached fever pitch during the height of the First Colonial period, where-in the great alliances came to be formed for mutual protection and survival.

Finally culminating in Africa with the salvation of Kanem-Bornu from the hands of European colonists and the establishment of the first Outcast controlled state in the modern era.

History:

Across this period of torrential political shifts across the world, Outcasts steadily began to organize and adapt to an increasingly globalized world where there were too few to easily wield influence even with their powers.

The integrated Outcasts of Southeast Asia were able to bare the initial brunt of Muslim expansion, but most save a few did indeed buckle before European powers via sheers numbers. Still, some nations such as Siam, Japan, Vietnam, and Tibet were able to either maintain their independence, or never rallied enough support to inflict the same kind of staggering losses on Outcasts seen elsewhere.

There are many bloody holidays commemorating those who were not so fortunate as even the best nation found itself needing their share of scapegoats and martyrs. The name Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry is still treated as a curse by the vampires of Japan. Generations of work older than any given nation reduced to ash by his edicts and the Shogun’s cowardice.

In contrast the Outcasts of the Americas were motley refugees fleeing persecution and seeking land in which to grow strong, only to encounter colonists, indigenous nations, and cousin species. Violence was common early on, but pragmatism beget alliances to ensure survival as the colonists continued their maddened expansion Westward.

Some Outcasts, mostly among the Practitioners, managed to secure treaties early on.

Their saving grace being their more human appearance and skills at engaging with Supernal landmarks as the sheer scale of death and destruction caused by the colonial invaders had torn much of New Spain to shreds and colonists wished to avoid a similar fate. Thus, came contracts and treaties with great families and powerful covens in exchange for cooperation or at least no resistance to the colonies. 

The assembly of monstrous armies on the West Coast who managed to drive back the colonial armies were the breaking point of the ‘New World’ and laid the foundations for what was to come.

Humans engaged in every depravity from child soldiers, to scorching earth to stem the tide and fought the Western Supernal armies to a standstill rather than the crushing victory they desired. Then, betrayed by their ‘tame’ Outcasts refusing to aid them, and imperials powers looking weaker by the day, government conceded to a treaty lest their empires bleed themselves dry fighting monsters.

To say some felt this a cheat would be an understatement, but few would deny that even if the humans lost the war for the Americas, they could likely win the war for the world if it came to that.

So, peace was deemed necessary.

Thus, leading to the creation of the Outcast Enclaves, where monsters and their human allies could own land and conduct the law as they saw fit. Though be it still needing to pay tax and tariff to the new colonial governments despite not being represented in the legislature in any official capacity.

Those who dwelled on the Western coasts, be they Lycan, Siren, or the still persevering if shrunken nation of Kusko would be swift to seek other potential allies across the sea, while those further inland tightened their bonds and tethers to weather the ensuing wave of angered humans.

When it came to the colonization of lands like Sahul and Africa, the matter of Outcasts extermination was approached with more care and twice the ruthlessness. However, Outcasts, by their own hand or through international aid, were not so easy to turn the tables on even as economic strangleholds and disease assailed their homelands.  

This was the birth of large-scale nonlinear warfare and it raged for generations as the European powers greedily devoured as much of Africa as they could. While surviving Muslim and African imperials fought to hold onto what was theirs.

The Outcasts, many having already had to flee inland during the era of the slave trade, both found and created their salvation around the great Northern lakes. Here the Outcast who had fled slavery had been building strength for generations and with the arrivals of so many of their kindred fleeing and sly aid from their kindred it was time to make themselves known.

The great powers of France and Britain dueled for control of the Great Lake, and both saw their armies met with not merely modern munitions but organized magic and Supernal   strength in such skill and number it ground them to a halt. Experimental gas weapons were turned against them as the winds howled and raged, while vast tunnel networks unleashed hordes of cackling Bultungin.

It was not one but several great humiliations that intern ensured a string of rebellions and aggressive plays by surviving African monarchs, such as the rulers of Abyssinia. Forcing the first true Outcast and human treaty in the modern era.

Most believe outrage at this and perceived weakness on the part of France and England is the key part of what dovetailed the world into its first world war. But that is a story for another day.

With their country on the hill established and safe for now, the Outcasts of the world stepped from the shadows and into greater prominence. Even as the masters of their nations tried to penalize, punish, and persecute them, they persevered and still survive to this day. In large part thanks to the mutual aid and trade and support of their fellow factions’ members and the greater United Supernal Community, (USC).

Though things remain hard for many, the monsters of this world have made it clear they will not go gently into the night, not unless it is to hunt at least.

Outcast Political Factions:

Political factions tend to be a mixture of ideological and pragmatic alliances among different Outcast communities, enclaves, and collectives. These political factions are what divide the USC, with many having internal trade deals and united voting power, as well as tense rivalries with their counterparts. Still, matters never fall into bloodshed, not when humans are always searching for signs of weakness. 

Pacifica Pact – Some of its members include the Gokudō vampires of Japan best represented by the vast Tanaka Clan. Along with the Western Wolves led by the Safran Pack who hold domain over Colorado’s mountains with their human allies. The Kinnara Collective of Sia, the united pā (Fortresses) of Aotearoa and the surviving state of Kuzko with its undead hordes.

This faction and their other members hold a great deal of influence over the Pacific Ocean through which extensive trade in Supernal, legal, and oftentimes illegal goods flow. They are widely considered among the most aggressive and isolationist factions when it comes to human interactions, despite or perhaps in part due to living in such close proximity.

Obsidian Order – Heavily centered in the Easter Americas and with strong ties to Western Europe survivors. Their members include the Arkadia Alliance which persists in Greece and the Great Lake Siren   Galère. But also holds numerous powerful families and covens like the Addams, Frumps and Thorpes who make up a large part of the Onyx Coven Collective.

Many of the members of these factions were among the first to cut deals with colonists by becoming wardens to dangerous lands that needed a Supernal touch or by being too useful or dangerous to dismiss. They are not well liked by humans, but most have an ambivalent attitude towards humans, preferring polite indifference to political power plays.

Kanem Country – The only country in the world with a majority outcast/monster population and government. It is not a staggeringly large country, but neither is it small and certainly most respects its strength. It is a representative democracy with a lower house representing the states and an upper house representing the various species demographics.

Serving as a city on the hill to many Outcasts, even if some rankle at the tension this causes with their neighbors, Kanem is one of the world’s most exotic and dangerous locations because of its residents. Tourism has become something of a staple, alongside the production of high-quality Supernal goods, fish farms and was an early adopter of solar energy.

Apolitical Factions:

There are other such political alliances of course, and more members to say the least, but for now let us move our attention to some of the groups designed to either meet a specific need or generate unity among Outcasts.

The Lycan Legionaries – an international organization which blurs the line between scouts, military boot camps and private security companies or militia. Packs are expected to send one or several cubs to learn the arts of survival, war and universally understood Lycan magic. It is generally felt if war between humans and Outcasts comes again Lycan will make up the largest body of soldiers thanks to their high populations and Supernal   durability.   

The Amber Alliance – an international organization dedicated to the goal of discovering, reclaiming, and protecting Supernal locations, relics, and unique persons. That is to say, those who were born as unique even among Outcasts that might otherwise get exploited. Generally seen as a politically progressive and polite organization, there is something of an underbelly to it given how spread their members are allowing for disreputable conduct. 

The USC Union – A well-structured organization of scholars, diplomats and media experts that work to smoot over ruffled feathers, organize large events and do charitable work on behalf of struggling Outcasts of strained communities. Their actual political and military power is relatively middling, with them needing to rely on the real power players to orchestrate major turns, but without them the bureaucracy would grind to a halt.

Gen'yōsha, Dark Ocean Society – A broad title applied to the Supernal Underworld, that rather akin to the Yakuza operates semi legitimately and with strict codes of conduct. They are heavily tied to smuggling and are often where Outcasts among Outcasts find themselves filling the lower ranks. Vampires tend to have the strongest presence, along with many criminal Practitioners finding themselves pressganged into service when they’ve nowhere left to go. Officially they are unknown, all being merely local gangs, or club owners, but they play a useful, if oftentimes unseemly role in Supernal society.

NOTES:

How much acknowledgement the larger scale political factions, or the independent factions receive from human governments varies wildly. But most prefer to frame them as external agitators to their own nation’s interests and a reason to distrust their own Outcast populations.

Though this is not universal, and many are only vaguely aware of their existence at all as these alliances and organizations are either semi-informal and held together by arrangement and friendship, or otherwise operate through fronts and or only show a small portion of their face to the public.

Arranged marriages, while not enforced, are relatively common in some circles, though they can be rejected by those assigned them provided it is done so respectfully. These, like other matters such as oath, are more about emphasizing which family is closest to which or which pack and clan have strong trade ties.

Conclusion:

Our world is old and young, it is varied and familiar, magical and mundane.

What I have told you this day does not even scratch the surface of the true width and breath of this wonderful, terrible world of ours. & though I am sure some of this was well worn knowledge to you, I am hopeful it proved illuminating all the same.  

[sephirthoughts]

Weirdo/Villain/Wet Possum Character Ask Game

I made a character headcanon ask game of my own, because I like these a lot, but I wanted something for people whose blorbos are weirdos/ villains/ ridiculous edgelords/ wet possums/ enemy agents/ necromancers/ career criminals/ ancient demons/ yandere siblings/ sullen loners/ tentacle horrors/ /juvenile delinquents/ serial killers/ vampires/ cyborg war criminals/ people who like cilantro etc. 

Respond in the ask box with the number(s) and character you’d like headcanons for!

NOTE: Wherever I’ve used “you” in here, it’s the general sense, just referring to whoever they’re close to/into/shipped with/etc. 

NOTE 2: All questions are meant to be open-ended and the examples given are just prompts to get you thinking!

What ‘normal’ thing do they love, that no one would ever guess?

What seemingly innocuous thing do they absolutely hate?

If applicable, do they realize they’re one of the baddies? If so, how do they feel about it? Are they proud/indifferent/ashamed/amused/delusional/other?

Assuming they can consume human food/drink, what is their favorite?

What is their living space like? Austere and impersonal? Elegant? Ultra hip? Full of self expression or devoid of it? Super weirdly cheerful? Covered with pizza boxes and empty beer cans? A howling abyss which no mortal may enter unscathed?

What is their attachment style? I hate everyone but you? I eat everyone but you? I must possess your body and soul to the exclusion of all others? You’ll see me when I feel like it or need food (stray cat style)? I quietly watch you from the shadows? You’re one of my many toys? You’re the only thing that stops me from [certain behavior]? You’re the reason I [certain behavior]?

They got a cell phone (if they’re a tentacle horror or other nonhuman creature, just imagine it’s a magical communication device that they can use). How often do they make calls? Do they actually answer their phone? Do they text often? What kind of messages are they (lovey, silly, jealous, purely practical, cryptic)? Do they use emojis?

Do they enjoy the spotlight? Or would they rather go unnoticed? Or are they indifferent to such matters?

What super annoying little habits do they have?

Do they pet the dog?

Are they social? Popular? Relentlessly solitary?

How do they feel about family? Want one of their own? Hate the very idea? Would grudgingly accept one? Want a spouse and (number) children? Produce thousands of offspring and can’t be bothered to know their names?

Are they loyal to a specific person/organization/clan or family/ideology? Intentionally antagonistic to the idea of belonging to someone/something? Do they just not care about anyone/anything that much?

Do they have a nemesis/rival/someone who they absolutely despise? Who is that? Do they really despise them, or is it a love-hate thing? Do they have sexual tension with them?

Do they have some sentimental item that they care about deeply and would flip out if they lost? What is it?

[Person of interest] shows up at their door (or equivalent) late at night, covered in blood. What do they do? Do they let them in? Do they help? Do they take advantage of the situation?

How intelligent are they? Smarter than most people? Average? Kinda dumb? Possessed of the eternal and unknowable secrets of the universe, incomprehensible to mortal minds?

What diagnosable mental health issues/chronic conditions/disabilities do they have, if any? How does that affect them?

What’s their sexual orientation (in your headcanon)? Also, are they asexual? Hypersexual? Demi? Where do they fall on that spectrum?

How experienced are they with romantic/sexual stuff? Never touched another being in that way and it would never occur to them to do so? Awkward virgin? Monogamous but intense? Enthusiastic slut?

What’s their most toxic trait?

How do they feel about children? Indifferent? Annoying? Precious? Delicious? 

Do they have parents? Are they living? What is their relationship with them like?

They make [person of interest] dinner. What is it?

Do they remember anniversaries/traditional holidays/sentimental occasions? What is their favorite holiday, if they have one? How do they observe it?

Name five items that they always have with them (if any).

[n3kk1tty]

Lore Dump for Beasts of Santa Carla universe. Part 1

The Alternate Universe of the lost boys Beasts of Santa Carla takes place in my home brewed multiverse. Eternals are the biggest and most powerful of all the multiverse. They exist in the very middle of everything the very outskirts of all of existence.

-They aren't living beings they are a combination of concepts across all the fluctuating multiverse.

- One example is the eternal of change. She's a combination of all construct's of change. Because change exists, so does life and death, growing old, becoming a better person. All of that exists because of her and she exists because of it.

- Eternals live in the in-between. They guard over, make, and break multiverses and observe them.

-Eternals made gods which mirror infinitly across the multiverse in many different universes.

- Gods are responsible for creating life and planets in their universes bubble.

-Many different religions and gods exist all at the same time. There is no one god as there is to many souls, demons, creatures and magic for one poor religion to put up with.

-Universe bubbles are set up like a rotation of sorts with heavens on the outskirts were good souls go to be repurposed, made, or retired. God's and good beings exist like angels and such.

- In between the Heavens and earthly cosmos realm is the in-between which connects everything.

-The in-between is purgatory of sorts.

-The earthly realm is where space and planets exist and Earth were the boys are of course.

-Certain creatures come from the earthly realm. Such as elves, fairy's , dwarves, animals and humans. They belong to the earth and there physical forms will return to her while there souls will flow either to the heavens or underworlds depending on judgment and tainting of there souls and what religion takes them or they follow.

- The underworlds are were the dark of the universe comes from. Succubi, Devil's, Imps are examples.

- Vampires are regarded as a species that can only be created by infecting others or mating with species that can harbor offspring. A conception between two vampires is impossible as the freezing of age hinders pregnancy growth.

- Vampires can mate with humans, half humans, and succubi.

- Succubi were created by Lucifer and Asmodeus as a parody to love Creatures like cupids. Succubi are Creatures of lust who help other species continue to reproduce even with lack of procreation.

- Succubi are viewed as a breeder species for multiple other species.

-Succubi are beneficial to species like Vampires or Elves. For vampires they provide a way to make offspring that can naturally age up until they eventually stop at full brain development stage. While succubi helps beings like elves who have zero sexual want to reproduce thanks to their long lifes.

- Succubi are infertile until they are marked by a species which unlocks there extreme fertility but locks there desire for anyone who isn't there mate to help speed up reproduction.

- Succubi change gender based on how they feel and present and can change and mix match parts like genital size shape and type at will.

- A succubi female presenting is a succubus a succubi male presenting is a incubus a succubi presenting nonbinary is just a succubi.

- Even when male presenting a succubi can still become pregnant from male or female mate.

- Succubi do not conceive from just sperm. They can produce offspring from any genetic material given from mate. Such as spit, female secretion, even hair follicles. Any ounce of DNA can be used to produce offspring and can mix multiple mates DNA into one offspring (not by choice). Offering certain species who don't produce through sperm better luck at producing with succubi.

- The only way to stop pregnancy from mates for a marked succubi is to get fixed. This involves taking meds from Lord Asmodeus and the procedure is reversible.

-Succubi can be marked by multiple different mates.

- A marked succubi is completely reliant on there mates for soul energy which they feed from energy in air but is most potent and effective from genetic material. This has been used to enslave succubi.

-The only way open more choices for succubi from enslaver is to be marked by another.

- A succubi only lives as long as their mate does. Succubi can live longer by staying single but the solitary life is not in their nature as succubi adapted to cosleeping for safety from other species in the underworld and they are biologically designed to want to reproduce.

- When a succubi's mate dies it causes an almost fatal heart break for them. Usually they can survive if they have multiple mates but if they only have one they will die quickly after from heart break.

- When succubi reproduce their offspring has a 10% chance of being a hybrid 45% chance of being a succubi or 45% chance of being the species of non succubi parent.

-Hybrids are counted as their own species as they are a 100% true mix of both parents species abilities and often present entirely new abilities.

-Hybrids biologically require more soul energy as they are stronger then both parents species.

- Hybrids can also reproduce with other species and have the same fertility as regular succubi.

-Hybrids are responsible for alot of different new entire species.

-Baby succubi are kept in the succubi pack or family unit until they learn how to control their energy intake as an untrained succubi can quickly kill a crowd of 30 people in under a minute by just sucking their souls to the point of death.

-Succubi can easily detect illnesses, sexual transmitted diseases, and pregnancy with their sense of smell.

-When mated all other suitors start to smell like STDs which is often described as different kinds of rotting fruits. Chlamydia for example smells like hot rotting oranges.

-Succubi are not attracted to other succubi.

-Placeing foreheads together is a succubi familiar term of endearment.

That's all the lore Dump I have for the first post. It's very succubi centric so next one I'll dwell into vampires in the universe.

@hypocriticaltypwriter bon appetit my friend and fellow comrade