#our favorite rogue vampire

[yume-tavriel]

the most annoying man in the world (im deeply in love with him)

[yanmuffins]

I've been thinking and I've come to the conclusion that it wouldn't make much sense for Bruce to neglect one of his children.

Think about it, in canon, most of the mistakes he made that ended up harming his family were either because he was completely buried in work, or because he was slightly manipulated, both by the narrative and by third parties.

In addition, he also cannot fully communicate with others, both because of his early trauma, the loss of his parents, and all the loneliness caused by the grief he went through growing up. Not to mention the years of self-discipline and training he went through to become Batman. From everything he's seen and experienced, and all the scars he has, I can't imagine how much that grief and and especially a sense of justice, survived.

so I don't think he would simply neglect one of his children

What I propose is; accidental negligence. Think about it, if he is busy all the time with both Batman and his other persona, Brucie Wayne, and then the justice league, investigations, meetings of Wayne Enterprise, galas, charities, other rich people, the usual rogues gallery of Gotham, etc, etc, I don't think he has much time to spend with anyone.

He is able to spend more time with his other children because they are all vigilantes, like him, and are usually just as busy as he is. Having a civilian child in the middle of this mess wouldn't do much good, especially if that child doesn't know what they do most of the time, like, y'know, vigilantlism.

Imagine everyone's absolute horror when they realize, after the p&f reader is unfortunately busted, that they paid so little attention to that child that she managed to do all these crazy things right under their noses for the whole summer. And who's to say she hadn't been doing this before this summer? How many things have they inevitably missed in her life?

What I mean is that to counter the p&f reader's luck, everyone in the batfam is unlucky enough not to be able to spend time with her. And they are aware of it.

Their guilt would be immense and the angst would be delicious.

(And it would explain how Damian hás time to spend with p&f reader, since he's a kid and his only obligations are school, socialization and being Robin, so he would technically have more time??? If that even makes sense???)

context &. context.

YOU!! YOU GET IT!!

i wholeheartedly agree!

not that "accidental" neglect is any better, it's neglect all the same and has negative consequences in so many levels. but when we're talking about Bruce Emotionally Constipated And Terrible At Communication and Could Sometimes Make Better Choices Regarding His Kids Wayne, it could absolutely happen.

i'm not one to make character analysis because i have very shallow knowledge of Batman lore, but...

like you said, all of Bruce's children participate in vigilantism. they're all extraordinary, most have horrible trauma, and have relied on him for guidance. they are all Robin, and more relatable to him, in a way. that means he's consequently more involved in their lives, more physically there engaging with them, forming an emotional bond, acting as a mentor and father figure. on top of that, like you said, he has a whole life as Bruce Wayne and Batman going on.

which brings us to neglected! Reader, more specifically mine: P&F! Reader and Vampire! Reader.

on a... financial, material level, I believe they wouldn't want for anything. Alfred is the one managing their bank account and making sure they're well-provided for and though it's fun for angst purposes, i don't think they would have a tiny little bedroom isolated from everyone in the manor, mostly because it's our favorite butler who would select which bedroom Bruce's child would be staying at in this gigantic mansion with plenty unocuppied rooms. Alfred would NOT put you in the broom closet. it would be a bedroom that's at least as big as Damian's in Son of Batman, for example.

(i more than understand suspension of disbelief and playing around with all sorts of interesting concepts and characters, so I'm not criticizing anyone!)

in fact, i think it's kinda worse that, say, you have a bedroom that's a wall across from Tim's and he still kinda forgets you exist.

also, i believe Bruce's kid would absolutely have access to a more than generous amount of money. not broke at all.

so the only type of neglect going on here is of the emotional kind. your father and your siblings have created tight-knit bonds amongst themselves based on their shared experiences and the proximity brought by them all working as vigilantes, and you're just not a part of the club.

timing is also relevant.

P&F! Reader arrives at the manor some time after Damian, which means that not only have all relationships been formed over the years, Bruce has also experienced having kids, as well as having a biological child suddenly enter his life. they're a fish out of the water, and their dad is kinda awkward about this (apparently) normal child that showed up at his doorstep. while Damian is still kind of adapting, running around at night trying to bypass Bruce's security system and solve dangerous cases by himself, P&F! Reader is in their bedroom having a virtual sleepover with their Metropolis friends, streaming movies and eating caramelized popcorn.

fun fact: Damian and P&F! Reader are neighbors. he was not happy about Alfred placing his half-sibling on the room right beside his for the longest time. P&F! Reader has definetly caught him sneaking out, but they're no snitch. and you're right, he does have more free time, and he's also on summer break so no school and no homework to worry about. He's got free time to be his sibling's keeper.

and as we all know, the impression that P&F! Reader is just a normal regular kid that totally doesn't build ridiculous thingamabobs in their spare time, it's kinda easy to forget they're there amidst the Wayne family mayhem(s). Bruce is also kinda doesn't really know what to do with this kid or how to connect with them, but they don't really demand immediate attention and seem to be doing fine – so he probably shouldn't worry too much, right?

you could also argue that he's kinda awkward (emotionally constipated) with this kid and is very bad at consoling and accomodating them after the trauma that made them have to move in with him. he doesn't straight up forget they exist, although he starts paying more attention to them after Damian gets more involved in ther bio sibling's antics. and when it comes to siblings, it's just easier for their relationship to never evolve past more superficial interactions (with the exception of Damian who decides to mind P&F! Reader's business earlier on, more or less). P&F! Reader doesn't know about the vigilantism for a long time, so it's natural that they're excluded from any and all matters regarding that. and because everyone else is so busy with their own lives and P&F! Reader seems to be doing fine, so easy to overlook, has plenty of friends in and out of their new school and the Batfam is already a formed unit... Well, you get the picture.

there's also the matter of Damian. he is the kid that "needs more attention" because of his background. he's been through a lot. nevermind the possibility that you might also have gone throguh your own fair share of trauma, at the end of the day you're the easier kid. the "okay" kid with regular problems. which is sad and unfair, but that's what we're here for, isn't it? and Dick is the biggest offender when it comes to that.

not that P&F! Reader is bothered by any of that! They have an amazing summer ahead of them. 😎 It's definetly Batfam being unlucky that prevents them from spending time with P&F! Reader, but that allowed them to mostly enjoy summer without being smothered by their family. the guilt would be unmatched, that is for sure.

"And who's to say she hadn't been doing this before this summer?"

hehe :)

vampire! Reader (she was not mentioned but I'm talking about her anyway, spoilers for the fic because i want to rant) is a different story. again, timing. she arrived at the manor sometime between Dick leaving for Bludhaven and Jason being brought in, so she didn't really get a chance to develop a deeper emotional connection with Dick. that also means Bruce was a lot younger when he is faced with a biological child being thrown at his door, not to mention the less-than-ideal-circumstances in which she came to be in his custody.

and after trying to make her his newest sidekick didn't work, in the coming years he would dedicate most of his time to fighting crime as Batman and taking care of/mentoring Jason who had a rough past and is now his new sidekick. connecting and relating to Jason was easier than connecting with Vampire! Reader, but he always made sure to check on her and make sure she was okay (and the answer was always yes, because of course it was).

during this time Jason and Vampire! Reader were actually pretty close, but then he, uh. kinda died horrifically. so not only was Vampire! Reader dealing with the loss of her brother, her father was now full-on neglecting her, self-absorbed in his grief, so she felt the proper thing to do would be repress her emotions to accomodate her father and try to be his emotional support. not that it worked, but she was there! so we have the emotional neglect and we have Vampire! Reader starting to take a parental role for her own father because he's not being a parent for her. she was also completely alone in that huge manor with the exception of Alfred because none of the other kids were in the picture yet, and Dick had long since moved out. as you can see, not very nice :)

from then on she just kinda blends into the background. financially she's provided for. she is her father's daughter, so communication and expressing emotion are not her forté, but she tries her best to connect with the incoming batkids. it does not work. i have said this before, but she is the mature child, the (again) normal one who puts other people's needs before her, so she doesn't complain when Bruce makes time for literally every other kid who becomes Robin except her. but don't be mistaken: Bruce is definetly more controlling and aware of Vampire! Reader in comparison to P&F! Reader due to reasons (guess you can say early yandere signs?). Jason too is... Sort of complicated. the situation here is definetly darker and resonates with tone of the story better. and when Bruce realizes how terrible he was? oh, boy.

so I guess you can play around a lot with the neglectful! Reader trope, and that's what makes it so entertaining. yeah. that's all I have to say for today, I guess??

[roguegambitweek]

Rogue/Gambit Week 2025

💚💖 Bonjour mes amis! 💖💚 It’s time for what y’all have been waiting for—Rogue/Gambit Week 2025. We’re looking forward to a great week celebrating our favorite Southern couple. Here’s the information you’ll need to participate. Rogue/Gambit Week 2025 will be held June 15-21, 2025.

Without further ado, here are our prompts:

Prompts: Day 1 - Sunday, June 15 - Living in New Orleans Day 2 - Monday, June 16 - Werewolves (Loup Garou) and/or Vampires Day 3 - Tuesday, June 17 - Family Shenanigans (Immediate and/or Extended Family) Day 4 - Wednesday, June 18 - Fairy Tales (may also include Folklore and Mythology) Day 5 - Thursday, June 19 - Time Loop Day 6 - Friday, June 20 - Revealing Secrets Day 7 - Saturday, June 21 - Free Day/Alternate Universe

Alternate Prompts Alt 1 - Mentoring Younger Mutant(s) (and/or Thieves) Alt 2 - Wedding Re-Do/Vow Renewal Alt 3 - Rogue as Horseman and/or Gambit as Death

Rules: ♥️ This is a celebration of all things Romy! Your fanworks may cover any point of their relationship—from their early flirtations to their life together as an old married couple, from friendship to lovers. ♠️ Rogue and Gambit do not need to be in a romantic relationship (friendship is great too!), but their relationship should be the primary focus. ♦️ Feel free to draw inspiration from any medium which they appeared (the comics (any corner of the Multiverse), the animated series (XtAS, WatX, Evo), the movies, etc.) ♣️ Please tag your posts #rogue/gambitweek2025 or #rogue/remyweek2025 within the first five(5) tags so they can be easily found and re-blogged on the Rogue/Gambit Week blog. You may also tag our posts @roguegambitweek . (This often makes finding posts easier). ♥️ Fanworks are not limited to fanfic, fanart, and fanedits. However you create, that is also a part of what makes a fanworks week successful. Yes, fic, art, and edits are the most common, but I’ve seen amazing fanworks accomplished in other ways. In our fist year a short video was shared concerning what Gambit keeps in his pockets. In another fandom, I’ve seen someone share why a particular musical score reminded them of the couple. I’ve seen people make text conversations between characters focused around that day’s prompt. Handcrafts, music, photography, cosplay, and countless other creative ventures can also be part of a fanworks week. Have fun creating. Please feel free to share your talents and Romy-love with us. ♠️ The fanworks you share should be created by you. ♦️ No AI please. ♣️ Any NSFW content must be placed under a ‘read more’ break, otherwise it will not be re-blogged. ♥️ You don’t need to post something for every day/every prompt. Feel free to participate in as many days as you you feel inspired. If you have created something, but are unable to post it on the assigned day, please post it when you can. It will still be re-blogged. ♠️ You may combine days (as in cover two or more prompts with the same entry). ♦️ Alternate Prompts may be posted any day throughout the week. ♣️ Have fun. Try something new. Create something new for an old favorite. Remember, the goal here is to share the Romy love and create more Romy content for all of us to enjoy.

If you have any questions, please feel free to send an ask. 💖💚 Have fun creating! 💚💖

[brabblesblog]

In recent weeks, I have been receiving hate anons on my ao3 fic. I have tweeted about it here and there, but have mostly ignored it. Unfortunately, today I received another, and due to the content, I feel like I have to respond. It’s been said before but it bears repeating: public accusations like these are damaging to creators, even when they are phrased passive aggressively rather than direct. 

I shall endeavor to answer these in full in this message and then I don’t plan to address this issue again. I would have preferred this to be resolved more maturely, through conversation, but as these remarks have been placed in the public sphere, and have been happening for weeks now, I am opting to reply openly. 

The concept of an A!A that could be softer was inspired by a number of A!A fanfics, particularly 'The Rogue You Were', and I have always been open about this. In fact, were you to look at chapter 1 of Whither, an acknowledgment exists. Whither’s foundation was built on this concept, and grew into 2 – going on 3 now – full longfics from there. I have never been shy about where my original inspiration came from. 

These tropes that I am now accused of copying (masquerades, Raphael-esque characters, Astarion being murderous, comic relief, and bats) are as we all know common tropes amongst the fandom and amongst vampire literature, and were not new concepts when they were used by the person claiming credit for them.

My favorite thing about fandom spaces is that they are a place to share ideas and collaborate. The person who made this accusation was someone I considered a friend: we had openly expressed to each other various instances where she and I were inspired by each other’s work. I have credited her influences; she has not credited mine. Dredging up screenshots to support this statement would be exhausting, and I hope it doesn’t become necessary. I’d much rather be working on my fic than dealing with this, and I hope this is the end of it so we can all get back to doing what we enjoy with our time.

I have as of late retreated from reading other fanfic within the fandom; mental health issues and intense impostor syndrome have rendered it impossible for me to engage in others’ writing, no matter how much I’d like to. Art, being something in the fandom that is removed from writing, is something I really enjoy seeing and delve headfirst into, but I am not at all up to date on the latest fic trends. These ideas (the masquerade, batstarion, and a more light-hearted tone) are things my editor and I have long wanted to add to the fic, but they did not fit into the plot right away. Presenting a cohesive, well-thought-out story has always been the most important thing to me, rather than chasing the latest trend. 

We are all playing the same game, writing from the same base material, often for the same characters with slightly different takes on those characters. There is no way to write for a fandom, particularly one like this, without a fair bit of overlap. I've worked hard this year to find my peace with that, and to not see others using similar plot points as copying. We are all appreciating the same masterpiece of a game, after all.

And lastly, I’d like to add that I don’t in any way condone harassing anyone, anonymously or otherwise, so please do not do so on my behalf.

Comment can be seen in this chapter, will post a screenshot if it's deleted:

[lartana]

Pale Dracula

I'm a little late with my Halloween art, but here it is)

So it was a great opportunity to draw our favorite rogue in traditional vampire clothes.

Enjoy)

[mycosmicsage]

Baldur's Gate Natal Charts: Astarion

I may or may not be a huge nerd. This has led me to think of- what are the possible placements of the Baldur's Gate natal charts?

I wanted to kick this series off with everyone's favorite vampire spawn, Astarion.

Now this is going to be based on pure vibes only. I'm going to try to keep this as accurate as possible based on orbits.

I will also go in to some of the aspects that I think the pompous man has, and what that means for him going forward.

There will be spoilers- so if you haven't played the full game, or romanced Astarion (although I know I'm one of the few who haven't- I'm just on Tumblr a lot.) You may not want to read any further. This has been your warning. So without further ado- let's get in to it.

"The Full, Concentrated Power Of The Sun."

I think in all honesty, that Astarion has the sun most prominent in his chart- meaning his sun sign would be Leo.

He's dramatic, and can be so self-centered. But he's passionate. He knows what he wants and he'll do anything to get it. However, it can be said that sometimes... he doesn't know what he wants. He just thinks he does. Or at least that's my impression.

A Leo is sun is confident, and courageous. Taking the spirit of the sun and it's vitality and letting it fuel them. Which Astarion at his healthiest these traits can be seen.

I think Astarion and his path in the sun as well makes this all the more poetic, and meaningful to him as a whole.

On the negative side though what do you see from a Leo? Self-centered, pompous, bossy, controlling. Which are traits we often see when Astarion is at his worst. We're going to explore more of this as we go through the aspects that I think Astarion has as we continue on.

"I'd like to try doing things like this again, now I'm free to find my own desires."

--------------------------------------------------------------

"And yet I crossed the threshold like moonlight through leaves.

I think that for Astarion we would find his moon in Cancer. Another sign in it's ruling planet. For Cancer, they are deeply emotional, which I believe that Astarion is.

They are also known for being incredibly manipulative, secretive, and defensive. Which I think is very accurate for our rouge. When it comes down to the nitty gritty Astarion is very cautious about his true emotions and who he shares them with.

Only after building up a relationship, and getting to know him over the course of the game do you even get close to getting the mask off of Astarion and getting close to the well of depth of emotions that this man has, and when you do truly get close- hes more than willing to let you in.

He becomes protective and caring, and wanting to see what's best for you- especially if you've become friends or lovers.

"Nothing special, of course. You're only the first person who I truly care for"

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"I want to know what the world sees when it looks at me. What you see."

Astarion is a Scorpio rising through and through. He needs to fully assess every situation as it comes to him before acting upon it, and when people first meet him- although he has unbridled charisma- he's very forthcoming with any information about himself. he sees himself as this dark and mysterious rogue.

Oftentimes, especially in Baldur's Gate unsuspecting victims see him the same way. Something charming, and dark, and they want more which leads them down the path to getting straight up killed by Cazador.

It's beneficial for him as well, as he's able to immediately read someone, and can see who's the easiest around him to manipulate. Over time though of course first impressions fade, and you get to see the Leo Sun beneath, and furthermore still the Cancer moon.

"I have to say, you know me better than I thought. I'll have to be more mysterious in future."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Step one of starting a conversation: think before you speak."

Astarion has a Leo mercury (between Cancer, Leo, and Virgo- this is a dead give away for the spawn). He's so melodramatic in his speech to the utmost degree. He loves hearing himself talk.

But he talks in a way that people want to listen. Leo mercuries tend to air on the side of power, and authority easily bending people to their desires. They can be so sincere, and meaningful and lively. This can really lead into the darker, and more manipulative tendencies that we see in our favorite aspirational vampire ascendant. He really knows how to play to people, and with this working in congress with the Cancer moon it can create a very manipulative guise to make you work for his desires.

"I sound like a charming rake, you mean? The hero everyone fawns over?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aeterna amantes. Lovers forever, until the world falls down."

Astarion has a Gemini venus. He' so curious when it comes to love and finding someone that he actually cares about. he's sociable and flirty, and doesn't get easily jealous (as seen with playthroughs where you romance him and look outside of the relationship from time to time).

Relationships aren't really Gemini's strong suit, they don't like commitment, and they rarely find the want to settle down. However, if they do find someone to settle with- it really does become a relationship of the mind where you really flourish in mental pursuits.

Gemini Venus finds pleasure in teasing, and playing with strings, and making games out of love- almost eating your reactions, and that's what Astarion really thrives off of (until the Cancer moon kicks in that is).

It's not the healthiest, but over time and with the right partner it can be a very giving relationship, but it takes time. A Gemini Venus needs the time to be taught how to love and be compassionate and how slowing it down can bring a joy to your life.

"Darling, healthy relationships are not my strong point."

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"I suppose... Yes. Yes, revenge I can do."

Astarion is 100% a Scorpio mars. They think long and hard about the next steps they are going to take when pursuing something, and their rage and vengeance is anything but impulsive.

Whatever their rage is- it manifests ass something that is so deep and transformative that when they carry it out- it's very cathartic.

It also means an incredibly high and passionate sex drive. Scorpio rules over the sex organs, and Mars is the planet of sexual relationships. So for Astarion to have this as his sign would make sense considering that's how he got what he wanted in the past, was his body. He even tries to manipulate you in game using said body.

Scorpio is a sign that formulates on power, and control of the things around them as a fixed sign. So to have Astarions sign be Scorpio in it's traditional ruler makes sense. Honestly- it's really cleared up with this one quote from him.

"Please, everything is about power. Sex, relationships, violence - they're all just different forms of control."

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"You did more than that. You believed in me - believed I was enough just the way I am."

upiter is the planet of growth, understanding, opportunity, and luck.

Which is why I believe Astarions Jupiter to be in Libra.

Libra is ruled by venus, and is the planet of "we". Over the course of Astarion's journey one of his main themes apart of breaking out of the cycle of abuse he's found himself in- is learning how to trust other people again. Friends, lovers, the people surrounding him. Learning how to give up the power for himself and actually search for what true freedom means.

This is what Jupiter offers to him. It offers him the knowledge and clears the path to learn about relationships. What it means for himself. Look at the people he wound up with at the beginning of the journey. A bunch of people going through their own problems in the circle of abuse. The perfect people to help him learn how to break out of it. How to be seen as himself again.

It's why, at the end of it all, he's able to accept a new form of love- not the one the Scorpio Mars builds up or the Gemini Venus doesn't recognize- its the love that you find when you let other people in. Letting them taking a good deep look at you and liking what they see.

"You saved me from myself and let me walk a new path where I can be free. Truly, honestly free."

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"This little adventure of ours has taught me that we can't let our lives be ruled by fear. Or else we never really live."

The last planet that I am going to cover is Saturn. Saturn, our karma, our rules, what helps us devolve into our worst selves if we can not overcome it. Jupiters opposite, and the planet that clears the path to complete destruction if allowed.

This is our final Scorpio placement. Saturn in Scorpio can be incredibly vengeful- not as much as Mars- but it focuses on the rumination of that vengefulness making it near impossible to get out of that line of thinking. Getting one stuck in the mode of striving for survival- striving for power. Sound like anyone we know?

Astarion, especially when ascended falls to his Saturn and Mars instincts suffocating him, and turning him into a primal force for power and control.

"Look, I had a plan. A nice, simple plan - seduce you, sleep with you, manipulate your feelings so you'd never turn on me."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You know, I never pictured myself as a hero."

Astarion Acunin is a very complex and deep figure who has the capabilities for great good and great evil, just like we all do.

His chart shows off his personal duality with the struggle of that moral choice- very well.

At his heart, at his center- he wants to mean something, be something to someone- to everyone. Where it twists and molds itself is with the other planets in his chart disorting that vibrancy and life given by the Leo sun, and spitting it out to be either the spawn or the ascendant.

The Cancer moon may not have a full aspect with the Leo sun, butt does create a very melodramatic duo. Allowing for those fun Astarion moments we like to see. It shows off his weird, dramatic personality wonderfully. Especially when the walls put up by the Rising start to crumble. Taking away that mystery and coming to life.

Looking at the Gemini Venus and Scorpio Mars- and put it into the essence of Leo. You get yourself a very melodramatic lover. Who's focused on their needs and wants. We see Astarion understands that concept pretty well. He isn't upset when you pursue other romances when you speak with him first.

This impacted with the deep emotions from the Cancer moon and the vibrancy of the Leo sun brings forth a passionate lover and lively friend- if given on the path towards Jupiter, and if he learns the respect and discipline he needs from Saturn.

Jupiter can nourish the love, and vibrancy that Astarion has. If he learns how to surrender the power. He can learn to navigate the darkness from Saturn. On the other hand if he strays from Jupiter and falls into the ruts of Saturn. He can be fully lost forever.

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Wrap Up: "It's over. It's finally over."

Here we are wrapping up Mr. Astarion. While I've never personally romanced him, I can see why people are so into it. It would be hard not to. With an enigmatic and magnetic personality like this - not to mention his charming good looks, and impressive mop. He's eye and personality candy. So that takes the cake for Fangs, and- next time we'll be getting a closer look at Shadowheart.

Stay groovy, and I'll catch you on the flip,

Cosmic Sage

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Check out my other internet spaces!

[ceram1cs]

WISH LIST POST . . . updated 2/16

if you see something you'd like to write please don't hesitate to reach out !

𝑮𝑬𝑵𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑳. ( mostly aus. )

Music au / band or whatever

Actor au / where the characters are actors and the series they hail from isn't real but a movie / tv show.

sports au. what sport do you think your muse would be in ? pretty much a modern au of sorts.

Fantasy / royal au . fairies ? pixies ? nymphs ? bards & rogues ? knights and dragons, etc.

Vampire / supernatural au . just a fun concept tbh.

let our muses have fun ! let them go out to play mini golf or go to the bar, go dancing or even karaoke, going to the zoo and museums. etc.

𝑪𝑯. 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑪𝑰𝑭𝑰𝑪

utahime.

Threads that are centered around her scar, how she got it, reactions to it, was your muse nearby ? : did they find her ? lore here , is flexible to plot .

Threads taking place after her dad dies. this happens a few weeks after her scar fully heals and she turns into a hermit, hiding away and grieving as well as being a mess of emotion, a shorter fuse and lashing out / getting upset more frequently and over small things, things that don't really matter

march 7th .

exploring amphoreus , trying to put the pieces back together for her to regain her memories .

literally just her making friends, she's so charasmatic and a ball of sunshine, keeps herself optimistic and just sooo joyful.

LET HER TAKE YOUR PICTURE.

( my brain is blanking on anything else right now im sorry )

𝑹𝑬𝑳. 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑪𝑰𝑭𝑰𝑪.

Apartments / neighbors : y'all ever see where two people are staying in apartments in two separate buildings but can see eachother from their windows ? like.. in friends ? or neighbors in the same apartment building who see eachother consistently and talk regularly, small talk and even flirty little comments ... def. a slow burn .

Roommates : the tension in living in the same house ... being able to see somebody at their lowest and their highest. small glances and loving eyes.

secret admirer / love letter ? : our muses are friends or something, one writes the other one a love letter , anonymously and the other muse tries to figure out who it is and talks to the one who wrote it , about it.

Florist / tattoo au : one of the oldest cliches .. but it's a good one .

Reincarnation au : i love you in every life and will find you in every life.

Enemies to lovers : self explanatory .

Religious figure / demon or devil : don't judge me on this one.

boss / secretary or something to the same effect : dont judge this one either.

Forbidden love : sneaking looks, kisses etc. lying about where they've been. . . dash some angst in there ...

miscommunication . . . im sorry it's just fun to sprinkle in there for some angst ..

You belong with me .. you know the taylor swift song ' you belong with me ' .. ? yeah, a plot that centers around a similar idea ( aka yearning after somebody who is in a relationship )

Jealousy .. a cliche maybe but !! jealousy that leads into an angry confession ? some of the best plots...

equally as fun , situationships . oh no, something happened between us that shouldn't have but oh i can't stay away .

Fake dating plots , self explanatory but maybe it’s for a mission of sorts or to deceive family members / friends — could also happen in an au. turns into real feelings ?

Angst that turns into something soft , just a general theme , i dont mind plotting out what happens but it's one of my favorite theme / genres

Denial . the cliche of two people dating / being in love without ever realizing until it’s pointed out !

Maybe … toxic ships ? exes and on and off relationships . . .

[morrigan-sims]

OC A-Zs / OC Alphabet

I was tagged by @someone-elsa to show off one of my sims for each letter of the alphabet. (Fancy graphic optional, but I love playing in photoshop too much not to make a little graphic.) I could have made this a lot easier by including other characters that I've made sims of (Yasha and Nocticula, for example) but I decided to be strict about it and stick to my own OCs/sims. Surprising to absolutely no one, it ended up being very heavy on the D&D characters, though a decent number of RTQ/ATQH characters (the ones that I created) made it onto the list.

[a (very long) guide to who's who under the cut!] (and I do mean long. You have been warned.)

A - Avra Shadowbreath [D&D]

(she/her) My shadar-kai/reborn phantom rogue from my ongoing Curse of Strahd campaign. Devout worshipper of the Raven Queen, and a massive hypocrite. Kind of a bitch sometimes. Legally and biologically dead. Also a werewolf now.

B - Byron Lockwood [D&D NPC]

(he/him) Rook's least interesting half-brother. The "forgotten" middle child of Lord Alistair and Lady Evangeline Lockwood. Extremely boring. Only Lockwood brother with a job (and shockingly he's not terrible at it). The worst combo of all your shitty bosses.

C - Carrion Vice [D&D]

(he/him) My second-favorite OC at the moment. Biologically a tiefling but mechanically a beasthide shifter. Path of the Fractured barbarian. Transforms into a fucked-up monster when he rages. In an ongoing Dungeons of Drakkenheim campaign.

D - Daldinia Veneta [D&D, misc]

(she/her) A sim I made for my random D&D CAS challenge and now want to play for real someday. Reborn circle of spores druid. Named after one or two species of fungi.

E - Elira "Ellie" Duskstep [D&D]

(she/her) High elf abjuration wizard who I might never play, but I love none the less. Very autistic. Has a grey cat familiar.

F - Fallon Oakes [RTQ/ATQH]

(she/her) My queen, the first love of my life, the woman who changed my life. Queen of Anvia and the protagonist of my story. Stubborn as hell. Thinks she has to do everything alone.

G - Gwendolyn [misc]

(she/her) The hypothetical child of Amelie (I can't find the pics I know I posted of her??) and Adrian. I don't know much else about her. She was really just a CAS experiment.

H - Havoc [D&D, Video Games]

(they/them) A tiefling swords bard who stared out as a random sim, became a dnd character idea, and then ended up being my first Tav for BG3.

I - Irina [misc]

(she/her) One of two sims I have named Irina, who hilariously were both made for other simblrs. Made for @/wildfairies ages ago. A classy vampire lady.

J - Jay [D&D NPC]

(she/her) Elf. A former member of the crew of the Tide Breaker, and Rook's only friend before meeting the Vanguard (our dnd party). Made a very brief appearance in-campaign to save Rook's life before being tragically eaten by a giant rainbow snake.

K - Kholl [D&D NPC]

(he/him) Elf. Former surgeon of the Tide Breaker. Jay's mentor. Dragged Rook back from the edge of death more times than he should have had to.

L - Laverna Rosefist [D&D]

(she/they) Tiefling thief rogue. The first dnd character I ever made. Originally made for a simblr thing. Has gone through several iterations before reaching her current (and final) form. A (seemingly inevitable) product of my obsession with both tieflings and rogues.

M - Morana Novak [D&D]

(she/her) Fetchling curse patron witch for a Pathfinder game I'll eventually be playing in. Necromancer. Very practical about death. Has a sketchbook full of detailed drawings and observations about corpses she encounters. Nicknamed "mortician" by one of her party members. Her familiar is a raven named Miro. Autistic as hell and has no empathy whatsoever.

N - ?

O - Odynia Adrasteia Erinyes [D&D]

(she/her) Aasimar vengeance paladin (with a dip into hexblade warlock) sworn to Nemesis. Currently playing in a Greek mythology themed campaign. Made a literal "eye-for-an-eye" exchange. Charged with keeping a man alive who kind of doesn't want to be alive.

P - ?

Q - ?

R - Rook [D&D]

(he/him) My favorite OC of all time, my beloved idiot bastard man, the love of my life. Half (wood) elf swashbuckler rogue. Bastard son of a nobleman who ran away and became a pirate. Compulsive liar and Very Good At It. Chaotic motherfucker. Accidentally made the BBEG get very attached to him (and he to the BBEG). My little punching bag. Had daddy issues. All his parental figures end up shitty or dead.

S - Sera [Video Games]

(she/her) My PC for my first playthrough of Pathfinder: Kingmaker. An aasimar traditional monk. Has an AC of 50 and can make up to 8 attacks in one turn. Never takes her halo off.

T - Tessa Smallwood [RTQ/ATQH]

(she/her) The palace healer at the royal palace of Anvia, near Carisfell. The sweetest person you'll ever meet, but will ask you to please take care of yourself. (A hard ask if you're Fallon, apparently.)

U - ?

V - Val (Kyron Valris) [D&D]

(they/them) Tiefling hexblade warlock. Captain of the smuggling ship the Devil's Scorn. Hired by the Vanguard to chase down Captain Wolf in order to rescue Rook after he was kidnapped. (Aka, my temporary character when he was gone.) Former gang member. Criminal with strict morals. Has more common sense than the entire Vanguard put together. Still isn't entirely sure whether or not they regret taking this job.

W - Wymond of Oryn [RTQ/ATQH]

(he/him) Fallon's biological father. Member of a low-level noble house from the neighboring kingdom of Oryn. A lying, traitorous piece of shit who is directly responsible for the death of Fallon's mother. The only thing he and Fallon have in common is their eyes.

X - Xavier Blackthorne [RTQ/ATQH]

(he/him) Fallon's emotional father, even though she would deny this. Her mother's personal guard before her death, now the captain of Fallon's guard. The nicest man you'll ever meet. Has a habit of collecting strays. No biological kids, but the strongest dad energy in all of Anvia.

Y - ?

Z - Zenara "Zen" Raventhorn [D&D]

(they/them) Tiefling fiend warlock. The first dnd character I ever played. An accidental result of my Mighty Nein obsession. Occasionally gets possessed by their patron and wakes up in the middle of a mess with surprise new powers as an "apology".

[hoeratius]

🐌 What is your favorite fanwork you've made this year and why?

🐌 Do you have any fanworks projects for next year? What?

🐌 Did you have any fanworks projects for this year that you ended up giving up on? If so, why?

🐌 Is there a fanwork you made this year that, looking back now, you would have done differently in any way?

🐌 Is there a fanwork you made this year that you wish had gotten more attention?

🐌 Did fandom this year surprise you in any way? Do you have any wishes for next year regarding fandom?

Favourite: Wedding night with a rogue, which I wrote with hippolytas - writing it and adding more ridiculous, bodice-ripping details was just a blast

Next year: Continuing La Belle Dame because one day, I will finish it. Also wondering if I will be brave enough to play around with more dubious consent in fics but that is a big big question mark that might need a decade more to ripen lol

Giving up: Fiend from Hell - another co-writing project, this time one where life got in the way of the size of our ambitions!

Done differently: if I could've figured out to make the additional chapters of 'Tis Pity She's a Witch work... but I suspect they were always going to be cut

More attention: blood stains the court ruby red, just because I think we all deserve more Irene-as-vampire content in our lives

Surprises: Weird the Tag is always a good source & this year, it gave me two fics that spoke so deeply to everything I want always (yearning and smut between Gen and Irene in Shadows of Ephrata and Morrois)

Next year: I was really tickled by my HGE gift Through the Grapevine and the way it showed the relationship between Nahuseresh and his wife, as well as FRAGMENTS - would love to see more fic that explores Nahuseresh from those different angles

[batmanfruitloops]

Alternate Timelines

I'm finally buckling down to post our list of alternate timelines! As you guys know, our au focuses on a better ending for the residents of Gotham, but that doesn't mean that Fluffy and I haven't considered many other possible outcomes.

As a known example, Jo becoming Scarebeast is an alternate timeline.

To make this a bit easier, the alternate timelines are a bit like a tree branching out from the main timeline. So some alternate timelines have more branches.

I'll be showing the related tags and a brief explanation of each here, so feel free to send in asks about any of them!

- Sarsee

#riddler!dies - Batman accidently kills the Riddler, sending Scarecrow down a spiral of revenge

#lazarus!riddler -(branch of riddler!dies) instead of just wanting revenge, Scarecrow also revives Riddler through the Lazarus pit

#scarecrow!dies - Batman accidentally kills Scarecrow, sending Riddler down a spiral of revenge

#lazarus!scarecrow - (branch of scarecrow!dies) instead of just wanting revenge, Riddler also revives Scarecrow through the Lazarus pit

#scarebeast - Penguin takes Scarecrow's fear toxin and Kurk's serum to turn Scarecrow into a "Scarebeast" for himself

#villain!joker - the Joker is a villain like the other rogues instead of a vigilante with Batman (he's still silly), and overall, it's pretty lighthearted and cartoonish

#batsandriddles - Batman takes in Ed off the streets, so he works with him and the Joker

#harleybegood - (branch of villain!joker) Harley and Joker get to be girl-buddies

#detective!nigma - Ed gets to grow up with his grandma instead of his father, so he becomes a PI detective, antics ensue

#arkham! - nobody will go to Arkham normally, but this delves into the trauma of if they did

#best!timeline - although it's called the best timeline, it's not all fluff

#reverse!rogues - here, the roles are switched; where Batman and the Joker are the main antagonists, and the rogues are the ones who have to find a way to put a stop to their crimes

#juggerbat - when Bruce's parents were murdered, he was also shot, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He's more ruthless and pessimistic with a tank of a batsuit

#medieval! - our au set in fantasy medieval times, mythical creatures, magic, and all

#vampire! - we've mostly focused on our favorite characters, but let's just say it's in the 1800-1900s and some of them are vampires and (at least one) is a werewolf

#furries! - the version where they're furries. Not much changes, just some more animalistic traits/scenarios

#wormnora - Nora Fries is a worm (a sentient worm on a string to be exact) that's all

#iceandriddles - instead of teaming up with Scarecrow, the Riddler teams up with Mr. Freeze

[littlejuicebox]

Remember how it feels to have a heartbeat

-----

Chapter number: Six Themes: BG3, slow burn, original female character x astarion, dialogue heavy, canon adjacent behavior, angst, feelings realization, trauma, the slighest of smuts in this one Masterlist: Click here. Song inspiration: "Two Ghosts" - Harry Styles Notes: Don't do drugs, kids. :) I probably need to make some edits, and I will, but I wanted this up before the weekend and it's been a crazy work week. I wrote two different versions of this chapter and settled on something somewhere in between. The next chapter will prob be the one you're all waiting for.

-----

Astarion was ripped out of his trance by the Shar-worshipper before dawn; the rude awakening left him thoroughly perturbed. Shadowheart hadn’t allowed the vampire more than a quick breakfast of squirrel before she hauled the entire group out of camp, snapping orders every step of the way.  Gods, he couldn’t wait until Wren was reinstated as group leader and the cleric could go back to being the ranger's unofficial second in command. The pale elf was certain this temporary change in leadership would cause a mutiny, led by him, if balance weren’t reinstated soon.

The bog was quiet when they began their journey toward the goblin camp; the last few fireflies bid their farewells with a twinkle of lights dotting the horizon. The pale elf brooded, lamenting the thought that the world was still asleep, and yet here they were, trudging through the mud to save some fool that got himself locked up in a goblin camp. Survival of the fittest would never win as long as the merry band of misfits insisted on being do-gooders... and the rogue was, much to his disappointment, always outvoted.

“Frankly, Shadowheart… it seems a waste of a lockpicking kit.” Astarion mumbled through a yawn, rubbing at his scarlet eyes, cursing himself for not going to bed sooner. The excitement of last night kept him up for longer than he'd intended; part of him had desired to crash back into Wren's tent and take her then and there. The other part sat frozen in place, unsure what his next move should be. She had taken the chess game he’d been playing and flipped the board, scattering its pieces about and leaving him at a loss. Over 200 years of life hadn’t quite prepared him for this.

Did he actually like this woman? Had she accidentally become more than a pawn in his chess game? If he went back into that tent, would he still just be toying with her... and what would come of that when they got to Baldur's Gate? Was he to introduce his new girlfriend to his vampire overlord and expect that they would be one big happy family? Gods, the entire thing was ridiculous, and the rogue knew he had more pressing matters at hand, like a damned parasite and an obsessed master, for instance... but all his thoughts contained the smell of strawberries and cinnamon. 'You really are an idiot spawn.'

“We spoke to Volo when we did our reconnaissance mission, while you were off playing bucket brigade with Karlach.” Shadowheart huffed, “If we can get him out alive, there is a chance he can restore Wren’s vision. He showed us a magic eye that he’d hidden from the goblins and he says he knows how to install it in Wren. Gale examined it; it’s legitimate.”

At this delicious piece of information, Astarion practically beamed. One step closer to getting his favorite companion back in action and ceasing the militant behavior of the shar-worshipper... this was the best news he'd had since he found himself able to walk in the sun. The pale elf dramatically draped his arm around Shadowheart and smiled. “Darling, I’m suddenly overcome with the urge to kiss you.”

“Please don’t.” The cleric grumbled, shrugging away from the vampire's touch and rolling her eyes up at the heavens. She was probably praying to Shar to smite the vampire where he stood. Or, at least to smite him after the lock on Volo's prison cell was broken. "I truly believe I would rather kiss a goblin."

Astarion sighed, pouting at the cleric. Everyone lacked humor when Wren wasn't around; it was so dreadfully boring. “If you insist, dear... but you don't know what you're missing."

The vampire picked up the pace with renewed interest in the plan. His strides became longer, and suddenly he was ahead of the rest of the group, ready to throw himself into the action. Once Wren was back in the game, they could get out of the bog and back into doing his favorite thing... drawing blood. The rogue spun his dagger between deft fingers, practically giddy as the first rays of sunlight burst into the sky. "I suppose it is quite a beautiful day for a jailbreak."

-----

In the mid-morning, Wren stirred from her sleep to discover a barren camp; to her disappointment, she was greeted by an overly chipper Gale and a sulking Lae'zel. The archer’s heart sank when she realized she would have to spend another day out of action and withstand being babysat by the Gith woman…. again. She had originally intended to pass time with target practice, but after a flurry of misaligned arrows the ranger quickly called it quits, too frustrated with herself to continue. It was painful to suddenly be so poor at a skill that had once been as natural to her as breathing. As she haphazardly shoved arrows back into her quiver, the half-elf inwardly chastised herself for her own stupidity and irrationality causing her to lose an eye and throw off her aim. ‘Damn the Gur and damn my own stupidity.’

“Darling, I’m home!” The vampire called as he tore through the tree line, the exclamation directed perhaps toward no one in particular, perhaps toward Wren. He was nearly skipping as he made his way to the center of camp, the rogue's jovial mood an odd juxtaposition to the dots of crimson splattered across his face. He gravitated to the half-elf woman and took a deep breath of humid bog air as he pulled a final arrow from the target and handed it to her, eyes twinkling with post-battle excitement. “Oh, how I adore the smell of spilt blood in the morning… and have I got quite the surprise for you, little bird.”

“Have WE got quite the surprise for you.” Shadowheart interjected, rolling her eyes at the vampire as Lae’zel sauntered over from her tent to undo the straps of the cleric's armor. “Don’t think I’ll let you run away with all the credit, Astarion. You merely picked the lock.”

Wren's attention turned from her quiver to the silver-haired elf as she looked him over for injury. He was in too good a mood to be that badly wounded, but she'd grown so used to having knowledge of his status during battle that the flecks of blood on his person unnerved her. The lack of control she'd experienced over the past few days was infuriating. This, paired with the piss-poor target practice, had soured the ranger's state of mind; she was in no mood for surprises or games. Instead, Wren crossed her arms, eyes narrowed. “You didn’t say anything when you left this morning.”

“My sweet, forgive me and my poor manners but your beloved Shar-worshipper left no time for such social graces this morning." Astarion responded with a good-natured eye roll, not fully sure why the half-elf was upset with him, but assuming it was because he'd left her tent so abruptly last night. He'd been nearly as upset with himself at the time, truth be told. The rogue used a small pout of his lips as an all-encompassing apology, hoping to smooth the beautiful little bird's ruffled feathers; he didn't particularly enjoy the feeling of not being in her favor. But, he was in far too good a mood after a successful jailbreak and a few severed goblins to really let it ruin him and shrugged off her glare. She would forgive him in mere moments, once she understood the gift they’d brought.

Karlach and Wyll now entered the camp, escorting an eccentric man who appeared so out of place in the wilds that Wren chuckled on the spot, forgetting all about her brief quarrel with the rogue. Volo made his way up to the half-elf woman and introduced himself, all pomp and circumstance. The bard made some off-color joke about the Gur having taken "an eye for an eye" literally and Astarion bristled, tongue ready to lash Volo for the offense. He was interrupted by a burst of laughter and was shocked to discover the noise had come from Wren.

'What an unpredictable, dark and twisted woman...' The vampire mused as he turned his attentions and assisted his campmates with preparations. His hands meticulously smoothed at the blanket Wyll draped over an oblong boulder. Shadowheart began piling various tools and tinctures onto the rock, slapping the vampire's hands away as he reached out to examine a particularly interesting vial.

Volo was explaining the magical eye and the installation process to Wren as the camp bustled around them. The little bird listened intently, eyebrows furrowed in a look between confusion and trepidation. She considered everything for a moment before shrugging, "Hells, not like I can be blinded twice in the same eye."

Astarion examined the boulder's set up suspiciously before turning to Wren, clapping his hands together in an impatient chop-chop. “Well, come on then, darling. Let’s give it a go.”

As the sharp tool made its way towards her eye, Wren began to panic, and grasped desperately at the bard's wrist. Shadowheart offered a calm emotions spell and the half-elf accepted, releasing Volo's arm as visions of squirrels and red eyes crinkling in laughter flooded her mind, wrapping her in a blanket of comfort.

At the little bird's spell-drunk request, Astarion scooted closer to the boulder and held her limp, drugged, hand, his gaze completely averted. Karlach settled on a boulder nearby and gave Astarion a knowing look, pointedly mouthing "your girl" before cackling at the eyeful of daggers the rogue shot her way. Everyone else hung much further back, interested in the results but unwilling to come close to the scene.

Volo’s “surgery” was quite a grotesque affair. Shadowheart, always the miracle-worker, despite her claims otherwise, did everything she could with drugs and spells to reduce the pain. Wren barely registered a dull throb as the bard scooped her necrotic eye out of its socket with a slimy pop. To everyone’s disappointment, the blue-clad man made an unsuccessful attempt to extract the wriggling parasite before he placed the magic eye in Wren’s barren socket.

“Welcome to the one-eyed club!” Wyll cheered, raising a glass of wine to the half-elf as she sat up, clutching the side of her head.

“So?! Don't leave us all in suspense, what’s the verdict?” Astarion asked, an edge to his voice that Wren couldn’t quite identify.

The ranger sat silent for a moment, turning her head to look about the camp. Her expression was vacant as she examined her surroundings, switching her focus from the faces of her friends to the edges of the camp, where small yellow marigolds dotted the tree line. She could see everything with exceptional clarity and turned to beam at the vampire that had been watching her with bated breath. "I think it was a success."

Half a week’s worth of stress melted from Astarion's face and turned him back into the playful, silver-haired rake. He practically glowed. “Wonderful news, darling! I was really hoping we wouldn’t have to slaughter another man in the middle of our camp. The clean up last time was quite awful, you know.”

The camp was alight with happiness as soon as the procedure was declared a success; Volo was thanked profusely and invited to spend the night before heading his own way. Everyone began chattering all at once about the information they'd gathered, Halsin's location within the camp, and all the ideas they had for breaking him free.

Wren declared herself fit for battle with a few perfectly placed arrows on the target that had seen only misfires earlier that same day. Hours rushed by as the group busied itself with preparations, all focused on getting closer to finding a way to rid themselves of the parasite. Astarion left to hunt as the sun began to kiss the horizon goodnight, but Wren noticed, with some sort of childlike embarrassment, that he'd returned to sit by her and read in relative silence as she ate her dinner and prepared a few more arrows for her quiver.

-----

After everyone called it an early evening, Wren lay awake in her tent, walking the tightrope between wakefulness and sleep. Her mind began to wander, and soon it drifted to the lustful events from the night prior. The sound of Astarion’s gasp when she’d touched his ear had ignited a fire inside her, the feeling of his lips on hers stoking the flames. The grip he’d had on her forearm caused her still sore layers of bone and muscle to radiate stabs of pain down her nerves and quelled the passion between them almost instantly. Before Wren could assure the vampire she'd been okay, the moment fizzled out and he was gone, leaving her a hot mess that she’d had to handle herself. The ranger silently cursed her bruises and the missed opportunity as she drifted to sleep, the embers of that fire still glowing within her psyche.

The familiar croaking of frogs and chirping of cicadas welcomed the half-elf as she rustled out of her bedroll a mere hour later, drenched in sweat. Had she experienced a nightmare or a memory? She couldn’t be sure. Much of the time after she'd married Kol was covered in a fuzzy film; the memories were a blur the woman couldn't ever pull from the fog. The flashes from her sleep, all violent jolts of lightening and screaming, left a pit in her stomach and a sudden, urgent need to escape the confines of her tent. The pre-battle jitters were surely getting to the ranger... she just needed to relax.

The little bird dug through her pack and pulled out both a pipe and small sachet of fragrant herbs she’d snatched from the Druid Grove. Seconds later she was stoking the final embers of the campfire, coaxing it back into a small flame. The stillness of camp and the hushed snores of her companions provided an odd sort of comfort; just a few puffs and she would head right back to bed.

Wren packed the pipe with the herbal mix, whispering a small thanks to Halsin and a promise to break him out of the goblin camp as a thank you. She lit the contents of the bowl and lifted the stem of the pipe to her lips, dragging a long, deep inhale of smoke into her lungs. Hazy rings of gray floated through the air as she exhaled and looked up towards the star-speckled sky.

“Couldn't sleep?"

His voice startled her; she’d nearly dropped the pipe. Wren was always remarkably quiet in her approach, but Astarion had her beat... he was silent. Deadly. She spun to look at the vampire; one eye that familiar shade of honey and one eye a shocking blue-green. His eyebrow arched, amusement playing at the edges of his mouth as he sauntered over to her. "I didn’t peg you as a smoker, little bird.”

Another drag off the pipe and the ranger shrugged as the comforting rush of warmth floated through her, the intoxicants flooding her system. “I’m entitled to a little fun before I march into a deathmatch, aren’t I? Blame Halsin and Nettie for leaving it out… or thank them, I suppose.”

Wren proffered the pipe to the rogue with a small wiggle. He took it from his female companion and inhaled as he sat down next to her, gaze focused on the night sky. The silence between them spread, warm and comfortable, a direct parallel to the sensation spreading throughout their psyches as the druidic herbs worked their magic. The half-elf turned to the vampire, head cocked as she analyzed his profile. She eyed, with some small measure of adoration, the straight bridge of his nose that turned into a perfect point, the soft curls that weaved around pointed ears, and the nasolabial folds that framed his near-perfect lips.

“Like what you see, darling?” The rogue taunted, a cocky smirk playing across his lips as he took another drag from the pipe and turned to meet her eyes with a lifted brow. He passed the pipe into waiting hands, locked into the spell of her gaze as she analyzed him through half-drooped lids, pupils blown wide.

“What color were your eyes before they changed?” Wren responded, her voice soft, almost sleepy.

“I… well, I don’t know. I can’t remember.” Astarion murmured, brows knitted together as he searched his memories; he hadn't thought about it in 200 years, and no one else had ever asked such a question. His heart dropped. The pale-elf shook his head and scoffed in frustration; his lips pulled back in a sneer. “I don’t know what my face looks like at all. I haven't seen my reflection since I was turned."

The ranger stared at him, part of her admiring, part of her pitying, but all of her fully doped. In truth, Astarion’s face looked like it had been carved out of marble by the gods. But the little bird knew from all his stories that the people he’d lured to Cazador had always seen the vampire as attractive. That had been his entire identity for over 200 years and his greatest weapon.

Wren knew she could tell her companion that he was beautiful... it was the objective truth. But her gut made her think that wasn’t the answer he truly wanted to hear. It was too one-dimensional, predictable, and easy; he would never ask, but he wanted something else. All pretense melted away as the glow of the medicinals lit her up inside and her freckled hand reached out to run a thin pointer finger down the bridge of Astarion's nose. The vampire snapped his head to look at her, face tensed, lip still slightly sneered, almost offended, mouth open to chastise her before she interrupted him, one finger covering his lips.

“You have a very straight nose bridge,” she murmured, before moving her finger to cross his upper lip. “Your top lip is just slightly larger than your bottom lip, and they both seem to be perpetually stuck in a smirk.”

Astarion relaxed, still confused but no longer offended, as her finger grazed along his face, tracing the contours of a visage he could no longer see. She continued to trace along his face, examining him intently. He tilted his chin up slightly, suddenly quite flattered by the amount of attention she bestowed upon him and, unbeknownst to himself, yearning for her touch. Wren brushed her hand along the elf's eyebrows and then over his eyes, causing his lids to flutter as she grazed against white eyelashes.

“Your hair is a beautiful silver-gray, like moonlight. Your eyes are a shade of deep crimson... like the wine you adore so much. And they are rather round when you aren’t busy glaring at or judging someone; they can be quite soft and portray all manner of emotions. I think they may be my favorite part of your face.” She murmured, pausing for just a moment before continuing, almost coy. “Save, perhaps…” She dragged her hand through his curls and then daintily pulled her finger up the helix of his ear, tracing the pointed pinna with the gentlest of touches. "Save perhaps this part right here."

She’d stolen Astarion's breath away with ease as her finger grazed against his ear. The pale elf felt that familiar flush of desire rise up again, spurred on by the fresh blood from his evening hunt. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes, letting Wren trace circles along his ear. Their sensitivity had been enhanced by the powerful herbs running through his system and he basked in the thrilling sensation her touch sent through him.

“Darling, I’m not quite sure you know what that does to me.” He murmured, his voice just above a whisper but laced with excitement. His eyes snapped open when he heard Wren’s response, her lips skimming his ear, hot breath tickling him on the exhale.

“Oh, I do.” She whispered just before enveloping his ear in her mouth and shocking a gasp from the rogue, so similar to the one he'd uttered last night that it set her body aflame. “And I’m not as fragile as you think I am, either.”

At that tempting invitation, Astarion turned and crashed his lips into hers once more, desperate to drown in the familiar taste. Strawberries and smoke rings flooded his senses. Wren eagerly responded to his advances, her lips parting to welcome his tongue as he delved into her mouth, fraught with the desire to explore its depths. His hand found her hip, where he grasped as the kiss deepened, unleashing the tides of their mutual arousal.

Astarion broke away from the half-elf's lips and trailed kisses down her neck, just behind her ear, extracting a low, satisfied purr from the ranger. His hand walked the distance from her hip up to her chest before cupping the underside of her breast with long, pale fingers. The thin material of her chemise aided the rogue in finding the centrally located nub on her pert breasts. He teased Wren's nipple between thin, dexterous fingers and pulled a keening sound from her lips, the sound so deliciously tempting that his entire mind fixed itself on forcing that noise from her once more.

"Little bird..." The pale elf whispered, voice all gravel and lust as he continued his ministrations and the gentle kisses he placed along her neck, teeth just grazing his favorite spot where her pulse fluttered with excitement. "I could devour you right here and now, but perhaps we should make our way to your tent."

Wren pulled the rogue into another kiss before grabbing his hand and practically running to her tent, both of them half-stumbling in their intoxicated state. What further surprises did the two of them have in store for one another? The night was still young, and had much to tell.

[milo-myhigh]

Okay, this is gonna be kinda hard for us bc we don't really talk about being a system outside of specific spaces. But, we're going to do an introduction post for us, just to kinda put names to the posts.

We don't all really know our roles, we don't even really have all the terminology down. Tbh, it's only thanks to social media that I even have the words I do have to explain what I go through literally every day. Hell, a couple of us don't even have names, we just kinda front and then disappear.

Milo- the host, 27, they/them. Nonbinary puppy-cat that enjoys photography, D&D, stoner shit, and general horror media. A big ass nerd. Likes low-impact nature walks, indie games, and kink. Autistic, picky eater, and goes non-verbal occasionally. Doesn't like loud noises, Family Guy, bland food, hot (above 74°F lol), and -phobes.

Jolene- the protector, 28, she/her. Dyke dog, bisexual lesbian. Enjoys kink, anime, spooky YouTube videos (especially LazyMasquerade), and hiking. Doesn't have a filter, goes off, kind of like "I can make it up later, but that's not gonna fly". Doesn't like smart technology (too complicated lol), mean jokes, Family Guy (or other shows like it), food that isn't meat and potatoes (or cheese), and alcohol.

Skye- unknown role, 16, she/they. Demisexual queer. Enjoys art, photography, writing, and hiking. Is timid, anxious, stuck in an "ask permission to do anything" mindset. Very picky eater, will always eat mashed potatoes. Doesn't like most foods that aren't typical safe foods, authority, AI (who does lol), bugs, strong smells (even good ones), and peanut butter.

Louis- the child, 6, they/them. Has a massive crush on Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Enjoys scary movies, nature walks, cartoons, and animals. Loves stuffies, but not to play with, for snuggles. Autistic, picky eater (like, really really picky), goes non-verbal regularly. Would become your best friend for a Cadbury Egg or chicken nuggets. Doesn't like real scary movies (based on true stories), being touched, being hot, getting partially wet (like stepping in a puddle), and being told what to do.

Twilight- emotion holder, 20s, he/him. Best described as a tiger/jaguar combo, not in the furry way (we love furries, he's just not one for clarification). Ace-aro. Enjoys gaming, hiking, stoner shit, and horror movies. Loves meat, especially steak. Was non-verbal entirely, uses writing to communicate but is working on talking. Doesn't like foods that aren't meat (even cheese, sadly), large crowds, strong smells, most tv/movies (he really only likes games), and mean people.

Emrys- unknown role, 100, he/they/fae. Fictive. A half-elf rogue that basically started as a DnD character for lack of better words. Queer. Enjoys urban foraging, stoner shit, thrill-seeking, and playing DnD. Doesn't play well with others, actually can't stand people who just start talking at us. Doesn't like sitting still, reading, dogs, and fast-food. Favorite food is beef jerky.

And that's us. We're a system of 6 (as far as we know, we didn't even know Skye existed until last year, and Emrys just came forward recently) with a lot of trauma that we don't even really remember fully. We kinda thought we were one person imagining it all for the longest time, in the first place. But this is us kinda working on de-internalizing stuff in a way

[shadykazama]

Matchup exchange~

For BG3, MHA, and JJK with @rav--en / @frostfall-matches !

The results are in! And I match you with-

BG3 Astarion~

❤ [Astarion largely embodies what you like in people] He quite literally has some bite to him! Teasing and banter are second nature to our resident vampire, and no one is safe from his rather catty attitude. At every point in your journey, the two of you would be laughing and poking fun; you're at each other's necks- not so figuratively in his case. He's quickly impressed by your risk taking and eggs it on; he hasn't had this much fun in centuries! The two of you would be a chaotic force of nature, taking Faerun by storm.

❤ [You’re both independent.] He has independence for the first time in hundreds of years and is gripping it tight, even though he doesn't quite know what it means anymore; your fiercely independent attitude is just the push he needs to embrace his new life, free from Cazador. Though it may seem at first like he's dependent on you, flirting and seducing you just to secure his own safety, Astarion ultimately makes all of his own decisions. He's struggling with how to regain his independence while also being entirely dependent on the astral prism to keep him alive- but you're a good example. You show him through your actions how easy it is to impose your own will. Watching him grow and express his boundaries is a feat; he changed because of you, but not for you.

❤ [You guys bring out the best in one another… and the worst.] The two of you are playful at best and absolute menaces at worst. The fact of the matter is, you're both chaos junkies, and would endorse each other's bad behavior. Astarion would adore you for this! But I'm sure the rest of Faerun would have their grievances… A bard and a rogue are tough to beat though. Astarion wants those boots the merchant is selling? You're already doing the most to distract them with your extravagant words and music while he robs them blind~ I quiver to think what the two of you would do to someone who annoys you.

❤ [You make him feel safe.] Astarion has a fake persona that he puts on to protect himself. He's flirty and sultry and has a strong noble laugh, he's desirable- but it's all fake. He simply makes himself what others want to ensure they won't dispose of him. This would certainly annoy you at first, to some degree, but after the first time you see the real him, it'd become a challenge to keep bringing that part out. You, more than anyone, see his real laugh, his real smile. You see how his face crinkles and how he throws his head back when you tell a bad joke. He calls you a clown, but it has no malice behind it. He hasn't felt this safe in gods know how long.

❤ [He would take you on artsy dates.] Once you're free of the tadpole, the two of you are restricted only by the sun (assuming you don't ascend him). One of the first things he does is get a portrait done of the two of you. You're sat cozily, your space lit by candles or the luminous flora of the underdark. You would have your favorite coffee and laugh and chat all whilst an artist carefully immortalizes you on a canvas. He wouldn't mind, of course, if you painted him either. He hasn't seen his reflection for so long that he doesn't even remember what his eyes used to look like. There certainly is something profoundly intimate about seeing yourself through someone else's eyes... Besides that, he would like to read to you as well, on those days when you just don't feel like getting up. Elves don't sleep, but your presence and the soft melody of his words would lull the two of you into a tranquil state.

❤ [Astarion is not your knight in shining armor!] He knows full well how capable you are of handling yourself and will simply enjoy the show should you ever land in trouble. He may join in, if only for the chance to slice some necks and have some fun, but he's never under the impression that he's doing you a favor. For centuries he prayed someone would come to his aid, and no one did; he knows what it means to be tough enough to handle things without help, and likely harbors a similar distaste for unprovoked assistance. This doesn't mean he'll never have your back; he'll be very vocal if he's ever truly worried about something being sketchy!

MHA Hawks/Keigo Takami~

For this particular matchup, I envisioned you as a vigilante! I for one, know the hero system in MHA is very flawed and I see you doing your own thing as a more chaotic/good rogue hero.

💛 [This cat and mouse game never gets old.] You're independent, free as a bird- ironically enough, and Keigo is trapped under the thumb of the hero commission. He knows that hero society is broken and he strives to make it better despite his limitations. Perhaps that's why he never turned you in. It's not like he couldn't, but there was something about you that elicited envy in him. You were everything he wanted to be, making changes, true to yourself, free. So would ensue the long game of cat and mouse… He would find you every now and then, and the two of you would throw flirty banter back and forth until he had to inevitably leave. It would take awhile, but he'd eventually tell you the reason he never captured you. “But keep it a secret, yeah? The image of a caged bird isn't good for a hero like me.”

💛 [Your hearts are mirrored.] You and Keigo have the same love languages with physical touch and gift giving. He's constantly thinking, and you're constantly in the back of his mind. It Isn't uncommon for him to show up with something pretty or your favorite snack that he just happened to pass by. He would absolutely melt if you gave him something homemade! The effort and thought you'd have to put into something like that is proof enough that he's special to you, and he'd cherish that thought- and whatever you gave him~

💛 [He can't go crazy, but expect spontaneity.] Before you're properly together, he would be limited to when or how he could see you. Regardless of how much he liked you, there was simply no way for him to stay in contact without exposing you to the hero commission, which is the last thing he wanted. So, he got creative… Thanks to his superbly observant personality, he's able to figure out how you're locating villains/baddies; he uses this information to trick you into meeting him somewhere. Albeit, not the most honest way of getting what he wants, but he's sure he'll get brownie points for the spontaneity. He wouldn't want to hinder your work though, so after that, the two of you make up a different but still secret way of meeting.

💛 [There's nothing quite like flying.] Let him take you to the sky. Is it cliche? Sure, but it's the most free he ever feels. It's all worth it to see you smile in wonder or scream when he pretends to drop you… He wants you to feel safe with him though, so he won't do that too often. ;) This can be a common occurrence- he'd like it if it was, but he'd understand if you just don't like it. Heights aren't for everyone! But, if you do like it, he'll make sure to remember to lend you his goggles so the wind doesn't get in your eyes. He could easily buy you your own, but come on, you look so cute with his on why would he? <3

💛 [Too quick for his own good.] You don't need a hero, and he chronically kind of just does what he wants. His quickness would cause some annoyance on your end, since he doesn't wait for you to ask for help to step in. A majority of the time it's not because he thinks you need help, he just goes too fast while he's working. He didn't get where he is at his age by waiting for anyone else. It would be easy to see it as him looking down on you, thinking you're not good enough to do it on your own- but catch him once and give him a piece of your mind! As much as I'd like to say he'd think twice after that, and immediately respect your words- that's simply not Keigo. “Get it done faster and I wouldn't have to help you, how 'bout that?” Unfortunately, Keigo doesn't care if it annoys you, and has a very roundabout way of pushing you to do better. It's all for your benefit though, since he does end up seeing improvement in your work- if for no other reason than to shove it in his face that you don't need his help…

💛 [He's not clingy.] Your space and independence is important to you, and it's important to him too, especially once he's free of the hero commission. His dream was always to make a world where heroes could sit back and be lazy, but unfortunately it's just not that day yet. You'll have ample time to yourself, Keigo is a busy man! Trust, as often as he bothers you, he's giving you twice as much space just because of how busy he is.

💛 [Don't threaten him with a good time.] Dates with keigo would be intimate. As often as he's in the public eye, when he gets the chance, all he'll want is to be alone with you. The tops of buildings are easy enough for him to get to- or your house. Order in food, make some with him, sit and watch TV or show him your favorite games. He would adore any moment of silence, away from scrutiny of expectations and just enjoy your company. The best days for him are sleeping in, the two of you wrapped in his wings as he avoids the world. He'll make you breakfast, cuddle you, distract you- anything to stay longer in the safe haven that is your home.

💛 [Hold him close.] “Keigo. Call me Keigo.” You're one of the first people he tells and his heart just about drops out of his chest when the words leave his mouth. It's dangerous for anyone to know, but it's all he wanted… for you to say his name. He doesn't make a big deal out of it, laughing it off as he usually does with things like that, but just hearing you call him by his name makes it all worth the risk. After the final fight with All for One, it's you he finds at his side in the hospital and he gives you the biggest grin he can muster at the time. He'll tease you as he recovers, ask if you cried for him- acting hurt if you say no, and smug if you say yes. There's no winning with him, but truly, he's more free now than he's ever been.

JJK Satoru Gojo~

💙 [‘The bane of my existence and the object of all my desires.’] Oh boy. What a duo you two would make. More than anyone, Satoru is impossible to banter with- or more so it's impossible to get under his skin. You could, and I'd expect would, still tease and berate him, but expect it to be a challenge to get a real reaction out of him. You'd be his favorite person to mess with as well, simply for how fiery you are, and Satoru can be a real menace... He, just like you, loves reactions. In fact, besides the overarching challenge the two of you have with one another, you basically have the same sense of humor. He was robbed of his childhood, and finds it difficult to find people who can keep up with his enthusiasm and energy- so your attitude is just perfect. Someone his age that he can be silly and relaxed with!

💙 [Opposite polarities always attract.] Satoru is definitely the extrovert that runs around adopting introverts, and you were no different. Considering you're his favorite person, expect to be dragged along to just about everything he does- or at the very least be told about everything he does. If your social battery just can't handle it, he'll settle for bringing you back souvenirs in the form of little gifts or snacks from wherever he goes… though he'd much rather you just come along. He's not stupid though, he knows just how to press your buttons so that you don't blow up in an introverted rage.

💙 [Your independence is safe and secure.] Satoru is clingy, for sure, and perhaps too enthusiastic to drag you around for his own good- but you're not in any danger of him doing everything for you. As a Jujutsu sorcerer, you'll have tough jobs every now and then, and though Satoru could easily handle them for you, he lets you do it. He's a teacher after all! He's used to letting his students handle curses on their own, he'd have no trouble giving the same opportunities to you. Forewarning, if you get your ass kicked, he'll never let you live it down. <3

💙 [Rich man's privilege.] Dates will be the most over the top unnecessarily expensive things ever. He wants to experience the world; he has dreams and hopes of his own- he just has someone to share that with now. Art exhibits, thrilling theme parks, exquisite restaurants, risky adrenaline chasing, the works!! He wants to show it all to you. You want to travel? Say the word, he's got tickets and a hotel booked already. He's looking at tourist spots and picking out restaurants. He's fortunate enough to be able to give you anything you could ever want, and all he'd ask in return is to just share it with him.

💙 [Satoru Gojo is kind of an ass.] In the most respectful way possible, this guy is an unhinged childish piece of work. He knows you're bad with directions and will not correct you if you're going the wrong way just so he can waste more time being around you. He laughs at you when you trip, but will always help patch you up. He teases you with his height and his infinity technique to annoy you. More than anything, he does all of this because he refuses to be anyone else but Satoru Gojo. He won't pretend he doesn't have a mean and dumb sense of humor just to make you happy- he's just impressed you stayed with him anyways.

💙 [Screw those old geezers!] You and Satoru have more in common than either of you first thought; both of you don't like being told what to do, and go against the elder sorcerers’ demands. If you ever landed yourself in trouble because of this attitude, you can bet your bottom dollar that Satoru will be there to back you up. He does it to help of course, but if you ever ask he'll just say he did it to spite those old geezers. He abuses the fact that he's too important and powerful to really oppose. The council has started to avoid you because they know Satoru is always lurking around the corner, waiting for an opportunity to undermine them.

That's it! I hope you liked your matches! I considered Shadowheart and Minthara as potential choices for your BG3 match but decided against it. Shadowheart would match you bar for bar in sass, independence, and banter- but she wouldn't appreciate your risky streak and tends to disapprove of needless chaos. Minthara, the queen of banter imo, just seems too uptight for you!

Also, not sure if it's obvious but I definitely struggled the most with Astarion's. It's mostly because you can romance him in game so a lot of the things I could put were rather obvious. 😅

[amalthea9]

So @professorlehnsherr-almashy did our family time call today and played a version of the game Heartthrob that he put together using some fandoms! Characters from Doctor Who, The Terror, Hornblower, Psychoville, Six Idiots productions, a few favorites from Jane Austin, The League of Gentlemen, What We Do in Shadows, and some rogue favorite characters!

Basically the game is that you draw 3 characters and then draw 2 red flags for each character to have.

You then have to guess who the other person will date/marry and choose one yourself.

Here are the results of the game!

--------------------------

Lee had to marry Pat(BBC Ghosts) for the tax break

Both Lee and Hannah married Lt. Bush(Hornblower)

Both married Ainley!Master

Both married the 13th Doctor

Hannah married Phillip 2nd of Spain(Bill) and because Hannah the 1st of Spain

Lee will date Nandor(WWDS) and be Leto the first of Nandor's country(that ibcant spell I'm so sorry)

Both married Jamie McCrimmon because he does wax sealed love letters

Both married Jeremy (Psychoville) who is wanted in every state except Florida because Florida doesn't want him and he also dives for sunken treasure @fandomsmeantheworldtome (these were Jeremy's red flags and I died🤣)

Both dating/married Eric!Master(Doctor Who)

Married Stella(TLOG) but she refuses to wash her hands and is a serial killer(but the serial killer part isn't the bad part)

Both married Negatus who speaks only in foreign language accent and has a secret stash of frog porn(which could mean anything in Yonderland honestly)

Both dating/marry Harry Goodsir(The Terror)

Both married Mr. Blanky for both of us even though he melts if he gets wet and dabbles in torture.

Lee married Lancelot(King Arthur 2004) who eats pineapple on pizza and is jealous of Lee's cats.

Hannah marries Geoff(TLOG) who is super clingy and is a vampire(and not the sexy kind)🤣🤣🤣 @almost-born-in-1893

I marry all four Georges(Horrible Histories)

Leto marries FitzJames:

Both married Aelestan (Vikings)

Both marriedbDhawan!Master and Hannah finally succumbs to Satan's temptations.

Leto marries Lee(8th Doctor Companion) who owns the British Maritime Museum

Hannah married Styles(Hornblower) who writes erotic fanfiction and loves olives(there's no lie here🤣🤣🤣)

Prince Phillipe(Versailes) Collects humans skulls. Lee: I'm going to marry him faster!

The Google spinning wheel decided High Denis(Taskmaster) but Hannah decided Clara(Doctor Who) for Lee to marry because those two on the Tardis with a bunch of kids is too cute.

Both married George IV(Horrible Histories) who is a serial killer and has an unlimited amount of cheese.

Both married Lazlo(WWDS) because Guillermo was secretly Lee's clone.

Both married Nadjia(WWDS) who can't remember your name and spends more time in horny jail than with you.

*Highlight: Lee managed to pull Horatio, Cotard, and Pellew for one round*(Hornblower) and Hannah is dating Cotard and Lee married Horatio.

For the final round we had four candidates:

Elder Vex(Yonderland), Jenny (RRR), Marianne(Sense and Sensibility), and Romana II(Doctor Who)

Elder Vex eats crayons and ends every conversation with "you're dismissed."(which sounds right) Jenny has a dozen kids from a dozen partners and has a pet boa constrictor

Final Round: Lee married Jenny & Marianne

Hannah married Jenny & Vex

Random funny photos I took:

This was so fun and thank you everyone who reads all of these and I hope you enjoy it!!🥰🥰🥰

@ariel-seagull-wings

[canadiancryptid]

One of my favorite things to think about when it comes to modern fantasy type stories is wonder how the supernatural elements may have influenced myths, legends or aspects of history. In a world that seems just like ours, there are so many little butterfly effects that things like magic or mysterious tech could have caused.

Infinity Train has a bunch of these. The Train picking people up would have definitely influenced history, but I like to think about how the existance of the Mirror World would have influenced things like the existance of vampire stories.

As seen with Tulip at the end if Book 1, if a Reflection ever left their post, their Prime would stop showing up in mirrors. If just a few reflections started to go rogue in the right time period, and people notice thier absence, coming to conclusions based on religious stuff and superstition, then all of a sudden you've got people being wrongfully accused of being a vampire. Over time, stories spread, and a case of a handfull of runaway reflections leaves the common story of vampires not appearing in mirrors.

A similar situation could apply to ghost stories. A Reflection runs off after their Prime dies, before the Flecs can take them to have their memories wiped and get assigned to a new Prime. Having grown attached to the family and friends their Prime left behind, they hang around for a while, watching from afar. Someone catches a glimpse of something that looks like someone who died... boom, ghost story.

Reflection Enforcement, of course, would use this sort of thing happening as an excuse to tighten their grip and use more force to keep any rebellious reflections in line. Eventually, nobody in the Mirror World still remembers a time when the Flecs didn't just jump to sanding at the first offense.

How often do mirrors seem to come up with in stories in relation to souls and spirits? How often do mirrors get used as a way to see into or travel to other worlds? How many stories in this alternate world were directly tied to reflections trying to do the same thing Lake did?

Really fun worldbuilding stuff to think about, and that's just a small part of the series. How did the Train itself change history? What events played out differently? Did it change things for the better? Or did it just make them a different kind of bad?

[twistedtummies2]

Top 6 Castlevania Villains

Our final Castlevania-related list for Dracula Month was somehow both the hardest AND the easiest to make, at the same time. It was difficult because I knew who my top three choices would be without question, but it was hard because, from that point downward, it was a lot harder to work out who to include and in what place.

In my previous countdown related to this popular video game franchise, I covered the central protagonists of Castlevania: the characters that players are able to take control of on their quest to destroy all the monsters in their path. Of course, these hordes of skeleton knights, ravenous gorgons, and more bats than you can shake a Vampire Killer at cannot work on their own terms: in every game, there are bosses and antagonists who command the creatures of the night. From the shadows they plot and scheme, till the moment the heroes finally get a chance to face them head-on. And while the heroes of Castlevania tend to get a lot of attention, I actually find that the villains of the series rarely get the same amount of focus when people discuss their favorite characters from the franchise.

With that said, it’s time to start talking about some of these renegades and rogues: the Children of the Night who haunt the Belmonts and their allies on their journeys. Without further ado, here are My Top 6 Castlevania Villains!

6. Satan.

In the classic “Castlevania” games, of course, Count Dracula was the central antagonist, and the main villain of nearly every game in the series. When the “Lords of Shadow” reboot was created, however, the decision was made to make the main character actually BE Dracula. So, if Dracula is the (anti-)hero now, who is the villain the player must face? Well, I guess the creators felt there was only one enemy who could top the King of the Vampires, in that case: the Devil himself. In the first “Lords of Shadow” game, Satan is a sort of surprise main villain: his presence and machinations are alluded to throughout the game, but he doesn’t actually appear till the climax. It is revealed he has secretly been orchestrating all the Events of the game, with Zobek being unknowingly manipulated by the Devil, so that the Lord of Darkness can gain control of a magical mask. Satan is banished back to Hell at the end of the game, but in the later “Lords of Shadow II,” it’s revealed that banished does not mean destroyed: his Acolytes have continued to remain on Earth, working to bring their master back to Earth, so he can take his revenge against those who have defied him. Once again, Satan finally arrives in full form at the climax, as Dracula and Alucard must work together to stop the Devil from destroying the entire planet. It was a cool idea basically having the Lords of Shadow games be “Dracula vs. The Devil,” I have to admit, and actor Jason Isaacs was an excellent choice of voice for the role. However, I feel that the relative smallness of the role prevents Satan from rising any higher in the ranks.

5. Brauner.

While Dracula is the main antagonist of the Castlevania series AS A WHOLE, this doesn’t mean he’s the main antagonist of every story IN that series. Being the main villain and the main antagonist are two different things. Throughout the games, other villains do come and go to cause trouble for the heroes, and it’s only after they are beaten that Dracula himself finally makes his grand appearance to provide a final, terrible obstacle for the players to overcome. One of my favorite examples of this idea is Brauner, the central antagonist of the game “Portrait of Ruin.” Visually inspired by Max Schreck’s “Count Orlok” (the name given to the Dracula character in “Nosferatu”), Brauner is one of the more tragic villains in the series, as well as one of the most unhinged. Once upon a time, he was a renowned and mortal artist…but after his beloved daughters were killed in the heat of the first World War, he went mad with hatred. Brauner came to see the human race as degenerate and self-destructive, and wished to purge the world of mankind’s warmongering ways…by purging the world of mankind itself. He thus became a vampire, and brainwashed two young ladies, deluding himself into thinking they were his actual daughters brought back. He then set out on a campaign to take over Dracula’s role as the new Lord of the Vampires, and destroy humanity in revenge; his own twisted way of taking care of his family. You feel sorry for this guy, since he’s so utterly and completely out of his gourd, and his reasons for wanting to destroy humanity actually are quite sympathetic…but at the same time, you obviously can’t allow his depravity to continue. In the end, Death destroys a weakened Brauner, after the vampire is defeated by Jonathan Morris and his friend, Charlotte, and uses the opportunity to bring Dracula back once again. The character was later reimagined in the “Lords of Shadow” universe, but his role there is much smaller and, aside from the name, that version is nothing like the original, who in my opinion is MUCH more interesting. I would genuinely love to see an animated series based on “Portrait of Ruin,” and a chance to see how Brauner would fare on television as the main antagonist of that show.

4. Isaac.

There are two COMPLETELY different versions of Isaac in the universe of Castlevania, and this is something that needs to be addressed. In the original, “Classic’ games, Isaac appears as one of the main villains of the title “Curse of Darkness.” In that game, he is a sadomasochistic psychopath who looks like some sort of BDSM-obsessed nightmare goth. In the universe of the Classic era, Isaac is the arch-nemesis of Hector: the two were once servants of Dracula, each serving as his most trusted human allies; his Devil Forgemasters. However, Isaac was always jealous of Hector, and when his rival chose to betray the Count, Isaac vowed to, from that point on, make his fellow Forgemaster’s life a living Hell. The character would make some sporadic appearances in later games, but it’s his initial appearance where this sicko is most prominent. In all cases, though, in the games, Isaac is a villain, plain and simple. This leads into the second version of Isaac: the one from the Animated Series. In THIS series, Isaac stars as a major antagonist in Season 2, and his basic backstory has its roots in “Curse of Darkness”: once again, he’s a Devil Forgemaster, serving for Dracula, has a tension-filled alliance with Hector, and while his reasons for scarring himself are completely different, he still engages in acts of self-mortification. HOWEVER, things change when Season 3 gets rolling in, as Isaac actually begins a steady path towards redemption in the series. He goes from a cold-blooded follower of Dracula, just as determined to wipe out the human race as the vampire lord, to learning how to value not only the lives of other people, but also his own. Instead of becoming Hector’s arch-nemesis, Isaac instead forgives Hector, and the two become friends. This is where I’m left with a bit of a puzzle: while the one from “Curse of Darkness” is a very fun villain to see in action, I think the Animated Series version of Isaac is honestly much more interesting than the original. However, with THAT version, he’s not really a villain for most of the series…and even when he IS one of the antagonists, he’s far from the most loathsome of the bunch. One could therefore argue that he shouldn’t count here at all…however, the original character in the games is and was always a villain, and the TV version of Isaac does still START OFF as a baddy, so…yeah. I’m still counting both versions in this slot, together.

3. Carmilla.

Carmilla - sometimes called “Camilla,” minus the R - is a character with quite the history behind her. In the “Classic” games, Carmilla is a frequent recurring boss, appearing in multiple titles, but in most of these cases she’s a fairly minor figure. We usually don’t know much about her and she’s really just another enemy for us to fight and defeat. The one exception is the game “Circle of the Moon”: in that version, she suddenly got the spotlight as the main antagonist, trying to find a way to bring Dracula back to life. “Circle of the Moon” was later declared non-canon with the rest of the Classic continuity…but this marked the beginning of a shift for the character. Ever since then, her role in the Castlevania universe has expanded in other incarnations. In “Lords of Shadow,” Carmilla is depicted as one of the titular group of antagonists: in the first game, she is the Queen of the Vampires. It is her castle that ultimately becomes Castle Dracula, after her destruction at the hands of Gabriel Belmont - the future Count Dracula. In “Lords of Shadow II,” she returns from the grave, seeking to take back her throne, and has developed an unusual love-hate relationship with her successor and former slayer. The character reached critical mass in the Animated Series: in Season 2, Carmilla is the secondary antagonist, manipulating Hector and one of the vampire generals, Godbrand, in an attempt to take over Dracula’s throne. While she does not succeed, this sets the stage for her in the remaining two seasons, as she remains a major antagonist, hellbent on - you guessed it - taking over the world. This version is depicted as somehow both thoroughly repugnant and yet oddly empathetic at the same time, and was by far the most interesting take on the villainess to date. From humble roots to the height of power, Carmilla has had QUITE the journey throughout the franchise.

2. Death, a.k.a. The Grim Reaper.

The secondary antagonist for the entire Castlevania franchise, Death - the Grim Reaper himself - is one of the most recurring and noteworthy villains in the series. What’s interesting is that, through the three basic continuities - the Classic games, the Lords of Shadow reboot, and the Animated Series - while Death has appeared in every single one, the actual DEPICTION of the character is different in each. In the original games, the Grim Reaper is Dracula’s second-in-command: the Count’s single most loyal and devoted servant. He seems to be the closest thing the King of the Vampires has to a friend. In games where Dracula is not present, Death usually still is, always seeking a way to bring his Master back from the grave, and protecting the Count from those who would harm him. In “Lords of Shadow,” Death - also known as “Zobek” - is radically reimagined: instead of being Dracula’s friend, he is the Count’s arch-enemy, and arguably the one most responsible for all the misery in Gabriel Belmont’s life throughout the series. In the last game of the reboot trilogy, the two form an uneasy alliance, but naturally it falls apart and they have their long-awaited showdown in the end. In the Animated Series, Death’s alignment to Dracula falls somewhere down the middle: Death is depicted as a demonic creature who feeds on the souls of humans. He sees Dracula as his “best weapon,” as the vampire’s genocidal desires have allowed Death to feast like never before. Naturally, he’s mighty peeved when his favorite meal ticket gets slain. Thus, he works to find a way to bring Dracula back from the grave, this time planning to have the Count follow his will directly, so he can gorge himself on the spirits of everyone Dracula kills. One consistent thing with the Grim Reaper through every incarnation is that he’s a surprising master of disguise: in the Classic series, he adopts the identities of characters like the wandering priest, Zead, and even Dr. Seward from the Bram Stoker novel, to manipulate the heroes. In “Lords of Shadow,” Zobek starts off in a human guise, pretending to be a fellow monster slayer, working to “help” Gabriel for his own ends. Even the Animated Series kept this trait: for much of Season 4, Death disguises himself as Varney the Vampire (one of the fictional Dracula’s antecedents) before ultimately revealing his true identity. Whether he’s swinging a scythe or hide behind a mask of goodness, one thing is as certain in Castlevania as in real life: Death could be lurking around every corner.

1. Count Dracula.

Come on, you all had to know this choice was coming. While Dracula isn’t the main antagonist of each and every single story or game in the Castlevania franchise, he IS the main villain for the entire series as a whole. I would also argue he’s the single most important character in the Castlevania universe, throughout every continuity: even when Dracula isn’t physically present or active in a story, his presence is felt, and it’s usually because of something related to him that events in the games and other media transpire the way they do. And in terms of the games specifically…I may be wrong here, so feel free to correct me, but I believe Dracula is the only major character in the franchise to appear in EVERY. SINGLE. GAME. I’m not joking! In “Aria of Sorrow” and “Dawn of Sorrow,” the main character - Soma Cruz - is revealed to be Dracula’s reincarnation, and depending on how you play the game, each story could end with Soma giving in to the darkness and becoming the Count. While you could argue Soma is a separate character (and I certainly think of him as such), this DOES still mean Dracula appears, in some way or another. Then you have the first “Lords of Shadow” game and the title “Lament of Innocence;” in these games, Dracula doesn’t appear as a boss or by name, but characters within those stories (Gabriel Belmont for the former, Mathias Cronqvist for the latter) are revealed to be the people who will BECOME Dracula. So, once again, he still shows up, in a roundabout way. As the franchise has gone into different branches and evolved over the years, Dracula’s character has evolved with it: he started off as a pretty straightforward, nasty villain, but over time later become a more sympathetic antagonist, and occasionally even acts more as an anti-heroic figure. Whether he’s facing the Belmonts, the Morris Family, his own son (Alucard), or even various other characters, Dracula is the scourge of mankind, and there’s no sign of him losing his prominence anytime soon. There’s not a single shred of doubt that Count Dracula more than earns his title as My Favorite Castlevania Villain.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

Shaft.

A major antagonist in “Rondo of Blood” (and its remake, “Dracula X Chronicles”) and “Symphony of the Night,” Shaft is the quintessential “dark priest.” He’s a mad cultist who zealously worships Dracula, and seeks to bring the Count back from the grave in both stories. Also, his name is very easy to make fun of, but we’ll ignore that for now.

The Toy Maker.

A villain exclusive to the “Lords of Shadow” universe, the Toy Maker seems to be that world’s riff on Jekyll & Hyde. Once a humble creator of children’s playthings, the Toy Maker was possessed by a demon, and - under its influence - became one of Dracula’s chiefest allies, creating killer toys and experimenting on living subjects to turn them into even more dangerous monsters. When not under the demon’s influence, the Toy Maker is a jovial and friendly fellow…but once the darkness takes him, he basically becomes the Castlevania version of the Joker.

Celia Fortner.

Much like Shaft, Celia - the main antagonist of “Dawn of Sorrow” - is a mad cultist who wishes to bring Dracula back from the grave. However, she’s a more complex figure than Shaft: she believes that the world is only held in balance if both absolute good and absolute evil exist, physically, on the Earth. In other words, she claims that what she’s doing is for the good of the planet. (One should add that, as her magic abilities rely largely on that presumed balance, she does have ulterior motives for wanting to bring “harmony” to the universe.) Believing Dracula to be the embodiment of the evil force, she seeks to either turn Soma Cruz to the dark side, or find some other way to resurrect the Count in the process.