#the obligatory vampire story

[ssjumi]

only when i watch other ppl's vampire stuff do i remember that i have vampire OCs of my own lol

[instantarmageddon]

I read basically every rebranded vampire series that got re-released with new covers around the time the first twilight movie came out and it drives me bonkers that they don't get talked about more. I feel like if I could go back and scour the forums on 90s-era webpages I would finally know peace

[yanderefan-kimi]

Was rereading something that I had recently written, trying to figure out why I was disatisfied with it and then realized.... this would be so much better as a webcomic

[calebisdrawing]

Verushka

The spirit of a chambermaid who chose death rather than become the murderous thrall of a vampire, and now her story is replayed, over and over, forever…

Gotta thank Dragnacarta for putting shades of Twin Peaks/Laura Palmer into a fantasy RPG monster!

cw/blood

Obligatory plug for my Patreon.

[sepublic]

Interesting that pop culture portrays Van Helsing as an experienced, seasoned vampire hunter, when it's pretty clear in the novel that this is his first go around with the whole thing, his first confirmation they actually exist, and in other words he's basically winging it and hasn't necessarily thrown a punch in his entire life (Which means he can’t just throw hands with Dracula, he needs research and backup to organize the perfect trap where they won’t be instantly killed). VH doesn’t always know what’s going on, he’s figuring things as he goes along; Like yeah he's HEARD of vampires, but it's never been anything prominent to him.

If anything, his past with vampires is probably similar to a lot of readers; Familiar with the concept, knows some of the details but not all of them, and definitely presumes them fake. He sees something going on with his patient and is like Haha damn that's just like a vampire, wouldn't it be crazy if... And then he slowly starts settling into conspiracy theory mode when more and more dots show up to conveniently connect, as he does the obligatory Protagonist Searching Stuff Up bit and realizes Mein Gott!!! It might be a vampire!!!

But then at the last second VH reminds himself, Now hold on, have I actually SEEN this vampire??? But it won't do anyone harm if I added some garlic flowers, right...? And then it just gradually escalates from there into full-on paranoia and dread that vampires exist and VH needs to desecrate the dead, and then he finally gets confirmation when he sees an Undead Lucy. What the fuck.

I think there's an argument to be made that Van Helsing was doubting himself just as much as Seward and the others initially did, if not more so, and he can’t even talk to anyone about it; So there’s an elation where you finally talk to others and realize it’s really happening, you’re not crazy.

This just ties into the theme of recording that which you did see, which is indisputable, because it’s evidence and proof. So you can be certain you aren't totally insane, and can distinguish facts from assumptions and theories if necessary; Especially when one needs to consider other explanations for the same symptoms. There’s a relief confirming what is and isn’t real to dispel self-doubt, like there was for Jonathan, who also suffered from Dracula’s gaslighting distorting his perception of reality.

I think all of this makes Van Helsing's actions and secrecy a lot more understandable when handling Lucy; If you hired a doctor and he suddenly started bringing up vampires, you might be inclined to think he's insane, doesn't know what he's talking about, and has read too many vampire stories and probably believes in 'alternative' medicine. Van Helsing still has an image and reputation to uphold here, and if it's gone, he can't actually be there to help Lucy if he turns out to be right.

That isn't to say he isn't without critique, especially in later portions of the novel, but you can kinda see where this underdog stance of "I'm right and the others around me are wrong" gets vindicated and thus develops into a bit of arrogance later down the line; Particularly, in presuming his disagreements with Mina to be no different than his secrecy with Seward and Mrs. Westenra.

In the end, VH could be described as a character who wonders if he's in the novel Dracula (compared to Jonathan who knows he's in a horror story of some kind but can't name the genre), but then has to remind himself this is reality... If this is a story, it’s probably just some medical drama. And when VH does accept he's in the novel Dracula, he assumes his character development and the lessons he learns are straightforward.

[y-rhywbeth2]

D&D Vampire Lore Dump #3

Hierarchy (Spawn VS Spouse VS Lesser VS Greater) How they're "born" and the pecking order and what distinguishes a vampire spawn, a vampire bride/groom/spouse, a "lesser" vampire and a "greater" vampire. Also, the various ways a vampire is "born". With a brief nod to the various random species that crop up; for example there are vampires who are elves and there are elven vampires and these are two different things!

OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER FOR FIRST TIME READERS: There are two things to note about the lore presented here: First, while the standard stat block in the monster manual is the default, in terms of lore vampires have this annoying tendency to be incredibly, stupidly varied. They are magical monstrosities ruled by the power of symbolism and superstition above anything else.

The next is that D&D is decades old, spans five editions, several settings and hundreds of writers. One guy establishes a piece of lore, and then the next picks it up goes "nah" and writes something else. I collected info from four different source books, all from different editions, which naturally don't entirely agree on how vampires work. Lore never stays consistent and may contradict itself. You may see information somewhere else from a source I don't have that contradicts what I wrote here. If you read this and like some of this stuff but not other bits, take the good and ditch the rest. Larian themselves have not written BG3 totally compliant with some established D&D lore or the original games.

Welcome to D&D: In your own story canon is what you say it is.

Feeding | "Biology" | Hierarchy | Weaknesses and Cures | Psychology

Ultimately, while they can be classified separately, a vampire is a vampire is a vampire. In every edition newly created vampires are enslaved to the wills of their creator, but the concept of vampire spawn as a separate category wasn't introduced until third edition. Even then, they were mainly just normal vampires enslaved to the will of the vampire that made them and the only difference was that they couldn't create spawn, turn into a wolf or command animals. Prior to 3.5e what set the "spawn" apart was the age difference: vampires grew stronger with age, and the fledglings were impossibly outmatched by their seniors.

Age is the cornerstone of the vampire world; it is expected that a vampire is to show due reverence/fear towards their elders while in turn expecting the same respect/fear from their juniors. Younger vampires are to refer to their elders as "Eminent [Name]," "Ancient One"... while older vampires tend to refer to younger vampires contemptuously as "Child" or "Fledgling" regardless of their actual age and power. The age categories shown are used more by scholars and hunters to classify the degree of threat, rather than by vampires themselves. Fledgling - 0-99 years old Mature 100-199 years Old: 200-299 years Very Old: 300-399 Ancient: 400-499 Eminent: 500-999 Patriarch/Matriarch: 1000+

-

Generally spawn are created almost exactly as Astarion tells you. A vampire kills you by draining all of your life energy and you get up with the next sundown as a member of the undead. If you were buried then you are bound to your gravesite, sometimes a vampire who is not buried will rise again, being bound to the site of their murder. Generally though, those killed by vampires who are not buried in a grave are simply dead. Sometimes vampires are bound to the soil of whatever they consider their homeland instead of their grave. …and also some of them have toxic saliva that turns you into a vampire, and some of them are born of curses that they cast on you by making eye contact that make you sicken and mysteriously waste away and rise again a vampire. A vampire is limited in the number of spawn it can create/control. The more powerful the vampire, the more it can have.

Spawn remember both their death and the identity of their killer on waking, and generally grasp what they've become within seconds.

Other ways to create vampires includes necromancy, the influence of Fiends (devils and demons) and divine will. Bhaal, for example, can cause a slain creature to rise as any form of undead he chooses. Vampires made this way are forced to complete whatever purpose they were created for and after the task is complete usually have full free will.

Vampires created by other vampires are freed of their master by either their death or by the master explicitly dismissing them from service. 5e has added a ritualistic gift of blood, but the key factor is still the vampire freeing its spawn willingly. The Turn/Command Undead ability of a cleric can also break a vampire's control over its spawn, temporarily.

There's conflicting information on the extent of the control vampires wield over their spawn. Some state that spawn are forced to not only obey but have a sensation of affection for their master forced upon them (even against their will) and spawn can be forced to take actions that will harm and kill them if ordered. Another source, however, states that while all vampires have an inborn compulsion to obey their maker, the exact level of control is not guaranteed and particularly stubborn offspring may be able to fight back, and that spawn build a resistance to their master's control over time.

Whatever the truth is, vampires don't trust their offspring and don't take chances. When it comes to educating their "children" about their condition, vampires will omit vital information or even teach them flat out lies to keep them ignorant of their own potential and dependent on their maker. One vampire is on record laughing about how he's convinced his spawn that if he dies they will die with him. Vampires are also known to kill their spawn if they're worried that they're growing too powerful or seem to be learning too much… or just because the vampire is worried by the mere idea that they might, even if their spawn are innocent of whatever slight their master is imagining. Vampires do their best to abuse and gaslight spawn into a state of self-debasing terrified obedience where they truly believe their master is an indestructible, powerful being they could never stand a chance against, while they are weak and helpless. Just in case.

-

Aaaand then there are vampire brides/grooms/spouses: Sometimes a vampire develops a fixation on an individual and decides they're going to keep them bound to them for all eternity, untouched by time. To do this they turn the target into a vampire through a slow, drawn out murder via draining the blood out of the target, followed with the vampire feeding the victim their own blood. The spouse-to-be may be permanently lost to bloodlust and die within 24 hours, and even if not the trauma this inflicts on the target is usually too much for the new "spouse" to cope with. Assuming death doesn't follow, the pair are bound together by a sensation of obsessive affection and telepathically linked, much as if they're drinking each other's blood (but without the ability to control each other). Their bond enables them able to share thoughts and share the experience when their partner is feeling a powerful emotion.

Vampire marriage follows a pattern: Eventually, the spouse gets tired of the utter repetitive tedium of existence as combination of a favourite decoration, pet and sex toy that's been put on a display shelf somewhere, and gets rebellious. They start wanting to use their powers and have and do things for themselves outside of their significant other. Said SO then responds by getting jealous and possessive and tightening their grip and putting extra locks on the bars. The emotional link creates a toxic feedback loop and everything escalates from there. Vampire divorce also exists, though only the sire can end the bond (the spouse must agree, but that agreement doesn't have to be given of their own free will). The spouse is then free. Generally the vampire, being so bound up in their chosen spouse and not wanting a free vampire running around on their turf, doesn't want to divorce and instead it's all downhill until one fatally tears the other apart in a rage.

A vampire can't have more than one spouse at a time.

-

At the other end of the spectrum are Greater Vampires. These guys are created when a succubus drains the life out of a living being - a sensation that makes you believe you're in the throes of passion but is actually "quite painful, giving no satisfaction, only utter emptiness." It also destroys their soul beyond recovery. What makes them "greater" than everyone else is simply that they cannot be harmed by sunlight. They have all the same powers as a "lesser" vampire.

Outside of that we have garden variety vampires. They die in the sun, have all the powers every other vampire has and aren't enslaved to another vampire's will. That's it.

All vampires have the following abilities*:

The ability to turn into mist, giving them the ability to fly, very good escapist skills (if you're made of air you can just enter a locked room through the keyhole, after all), and make themselves invulnerable to most forms of damage.*

The ability to mind control others by making eye contact "crushing the will of another."*

The ability to climb or walk on walls and ceilings similar to a spider.

The ability to completely heal from almost any amount of damage within minutes.

Immunity to paralysis (so a Hold spell won't work)

The ability to drain the life energy and/or blood out of a living being, and in the process create a new vampire enslaved to their own will.*

Upon being freed they gain the additional ability to summon rats, bats and wolves to do their bidding, as well as transform into those animals.

*(Most of these traits do not appear on the vampire spawn stat block in 4e or 5e's Monster Manuals, despite spawn being capable of all of the above until that point save creating their own spawn. Only spider climb and regeneration was included.)

There are also other kinds of vampires. Nosferatu are mutated by their curse into obvious monsters, and aren't harmed by sunlight. While typical vampirism affects anything, there are other types of vampirism that are pickier about hosts. Elven vampires are killed by moonlight instead of sunlight and hate plants so much. Gnome vampires age rapidly, can turn into ghosts and inflict seizures on people they touch. Then there's the vampire dragons, and the vampire illithid (which is what you get when you somehow infect a tadpole with vampirism and use it for ceremorphosis) and the vampyre - which is a type of vampire with a pyromania problem…

D&D gets a bit silly with vampires, sometimes.

EDIT: OK, apparently I didn't specify enough. Astarion is a normal vampire with the sunlight weakness. Elven Vampirism is a different type of vampirism that affects elves and half-elves, but he doesn't have it. Otherwise Cazador wouldn't be able to have human, gnome or tiefling spawn.

[desperateknot]

It will take a long while for me to fill all of this out.

I can exclude a few that I don't want to do (yet). That being: Edgar Family Butler and Zwei West for being almost the same as Ishmael's; Solemn Lament because I didn't play Lob Corp and thus can't write its uptie story; NCorp for having very similar flavour of despair to Middle and Bloodfiend Queequeg and I don't feel like it right now; Pequod for being the same as her canon self (people already know what happens); Yurodiviye for being too hard to write; Fluid Sac for being a bit boring to draw; Snagharpoon for the voiceline contains a bit of spoiler to my own fic; Pursuance is still pending (although I think with the direction I am going with her, I will keep it).

So we have:

Dieci Association ID already has an uptie story written. It's very wholesome and contains a tiny bit of Rodya/Queequeg.

I have ideas for Hex Nail's corrosion animation a while ago, and I think Hex Nail Queequeg is really smart in general. However, its smartness won't be understood until I write that Canto V for the swap AU. But I also posted the Middle Queequeg ID already, so it will be fine.

The idea of Yearning-Mircalla Queequeg is very simple, straightforward, and obvious to me. Lesbian vampire yearner and obligatory red flowers. That's it. That is her.

You may notice that Blind Obsession is not there :]

I might ditch it. I just might. Let her seasonal E.G.O be Garden of Thorns or something. This mirror world is my oyster. I can throw a random Sign of Roses in the Canto V dungeon if I want. Obsession just isn't that much of her thing in the direction I am going with her, but sins very much is.

[kipperzz]

mid week analysis!

so on Monday @magebunkshelf posted an announcement saying that there will be vamp hunt 5 coming this weekend and changed the thumbnails of the current audios in the vamp hunt series to fit the rebrand and so I have decided to analyze these thumbnails because why not? I will also analyze the small sneak peaks that was posted in the server as well but I will put that analysis under a read more. anyways lets get into this!

I shall be using this thumbnail as my example for everything that I want to talk about.

first off this symbol. we know many series will have their own symbol and that this is the vamp hunter's symbol which I love. it looks like a crossbow with a pair of bat wings which I love. first the crossbow part representing our favorite vampire hunter, David since crossbows are commonly depicted as vampire hunting weapons. the bat wings represent Batsy and with the wings combined into the crossbow represent the two sides working together! the reedmace did a great job keeping it symbol yet also showing that they are willing to work together to deal with threats.

second thing that I want to talk about is the background. It still uses the classic mage background but this time in a nice sweet red which I believe corresponds with this series specifically which I'll get into later.

this symbol here tells the viewer that the audio is a part of the Mitch's World universe and there will be symbols for self contained and the plane stories as well. One thing I find interesting is the pattern in the letters with how the connection from the M to the W transitions to white. most likely just a stylistic choice but still interesting to point out.

last thing that I'll talk about before the sneak peeks is that all the current audios with new thumbnails has a some vcr like overlay on it most obvious in this thumbnail.

again, likely another stylistic choice but it makes me wonder if the facility knows about them and if other series' thumbnails will also have it.

time to talk about the sneak peeks so press the read more if you want to see my analysis of them!

these are the 4 spoiler images we got from the discord server (and also obligatory moon sighting!!!1!!) there isn't that much but there is still information to gleam from them and also make theories while we wait. First off I think the one with the moon is possibly the thumbnail of the moon landing audio since it shows the moon and that it is much more glitchy than any of the other sneak peaks.

the other three are most likely from different series and I think I may be able to guess which ones just by the colors and the last image, the text.

Image one, I have no idea. possibly moth audio since in the mage wiki page on the series in Mitch's world, each multipart series has a color attached to it with the moth listener having the lightest color among all of them as seen in the image below

there's also some weight in this theory since the vamp hunter audios are red in both the thumbnail and in this list. now, what the symbol is? no idea, we'll find out this weekend.

image 3? it's Mitch's series partially because of the color list theory and that the symbol of what we can see looks like a raccoon.

pic 4 I believe is the merfolk listener audio since even though there isn't a color associated with it, the visible are and the light blue coloring makes me believe that is the thumbnail for that audio. anyways, time to wait for the weekend to come for me to do more analysis. good night everyone!

@capitalmaudios @obsidian-lantern @dayspriteofficial tagging y'all as well since you did a great job with helping with the thumbnails. also tagging @pool-floatie because they wanted me to.

[emsgwenstan]

death under moonlight

Summary: Character is a teacher at nevermore who saves the lives of the students, confesses love to Larissa, hardly any y/n background story, if you don't know what a clairvoyant is probably best to research first, character dies in the end. Happy ending for everyone else tho.

Warnings: blood, death, hurt.

Words: about 3.5-4K I’d say? Sorry about editing!

It’s just become the norm now, event after event, death after death, it’s inevitable. But this, this is by far the most damaging. After the following incident with laurel gates there was no stopping what else was to come. More murders, disappearances and odd mishaps that didn’t add up.

Somehow the most unlikely of us outcasts had formed together in groups, protecting each other of some sort, no segregation between the werewolf’s, vampires, siren’s, gorgons and other species of students, the teachers would lunch with some groups and become a chosen family. The fear keeping everyone from stepping out of line, no detentions, suspensions or yelling to keep in check. It was horrible, not right. Every child was always with another even on occasion, the dormitory supervisors would let children room in others dorms to have an extra sense of safety. The teachers would often do the same, some would huddle in the teachers lounge with blankets and pillows all mingled together in hopes of a restful sleep.

Larissa though was forever restless never at ease, she would spend hours peering out her office window into the dead of the night just to be sure no one harms her children. She has been more recluse and closed of, but the second she steps out of the doors to her office, she only wishes to hug-and in a way mother every child she comes into contact with and mutter sweet nothings to ensure there safe and nothing will hurt them. However she feels so much guilt that she can’t keep that promise, she would rather do everything in her power than make a promise she isn’t sure she can keep.

You are very much the same, closed off and scared. More often than not you would wake from a monotonous sleep and wander the halls in a robe, usually you would run into Larissa herself and walk in tandem with arms linked doing a non obligatory night watch in silence, you could go round and round with out uttering a word, just a ‘you know the drill let’s go’ nod when you bump into one another.

Some nights you would pace the hallways of all the dormitories and pop into some when you heard someone possibly having nightmares or uneasy sleep. One time you heard growling and realised it was coming from Enid and Wednesdays room. You opened the door leaving Larissa leant up on a beam in the hallway, you walked over the sleeping children on the floor and made you way over to Enid, gently stirring her awake. “Hey, hey it’s ok.” Enid pried open her eyes and instantly tried to slow her breathing. You opened the bottle of water she kept on her bedside and handed it to her. “Thank you… sorry.” She said softly. “Another nightmare?” You asked. “Yeah.” she rasped. You took back the bottle and put the lid on resting it back on her table. You looked a the other end of the bed seeing Wednesday dead asleep, looking as if she had been placed in a casket. You smiled at the thought of her wrapped in colourful blankets.

Enid laid back down her eyes fluttering, you caught her looking behind you, turning to see Larissa in the door way giving a sympathetic smile for Enid, she's already asleep when you resume to gaze at the young wolf. Feeling a hand on your shoulder, Larissa took to bending down and giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Love you mom.” Enid said while slightly readjusting herself. You smiled at Larissa and her sad but proud smile as she was staring at her with love and adoration. She pulled back and without question slid her hand from you shoulder to your own, tugging you to stand. She took the lead carefully stepping over Ajax and Xavier and you over Kent and Eugene. Making it to the door with out any disturbance you both took a last look at them, the boys on the floor sprawled out and the girls on the beds, Wednesday and Enid on one and yoko, divina and Bianca, piled on the other. Larissa doesn’t mind that the boys and girls are in the same rooms she trusts them enough to behave with no funny business.

Exiting the wing of the building arm in arm with Larissa you guided her to her quarters. “Do you want to stay with me, I know you probably don’t but the offer stands… if you do ever need or not want to be alone.” She whispered. “Sure. I don’t particularly want to be alone.” She led you in and threw back the covers of her bed, you hoped in next to her and turned off one of the lamps, as did she whilst eyeing the small clock on her table that read 3:22am.

Both on you backs tossing and turning, after about and hour or so you spoke. “This is awful.” She was silent waiting for you to continue. “I can’t believe how much fear we are living in… or existing in I suppose, no one’s really living at this point are they?” You ended. She was still quiet before saying. “It’s absolutely fucked.” She enunciated, You were surprised but you could tell she didn’t have the energy to keep her strong facade. “It’s all fucked.” You said blatantly. That was the end of it, no more words needed to be exchanged for you both knew what each other meant.

She rolled over to face you, out of instinct you moved up and put your arm around her and she rested her head on you forearm, you took her wrist and moved it to wrap around your waist and held her close to you. With your cheek resting on her forehead you said. “We’ll get through it, we always do, everything’s going to be ok. Your going to be ok.” She tightened her hold and sniffed. Larissa hasn’t the strength to properly cry, but you both being exhausted fell asleep eventually.

Only a couple hours later she woke and so did you. Now sitting by the fire, with a hot tea each just staring at the flames, adorning a blanket over you laps, cuddling close. You felt a little better that you weren’t lonely, but ultimately because she wasn’t either.

over the next couple of months it became routine to walk now hand in hand with Larissa around the school and finish the night in her room. Tonight she let you brush out her hair and put it in a loose braid, it was soft and smelled amazing, every so often you would look in the mirror at her peaceful face and smile a little wider at the fact that your offering her just a little peace of calmness and stress relief just by doing a small kind gesture. You get into bed, hold her close and have only a few hours sleep. Routine.

Today though was different, off. The gut feeling when somethings just not right. Being a clairvoyant with heightened senses can lead to over analysing visions or feelings that come to you although you knew for certain that something terrible was coming. It was about 5:30am when you left Larissa to go find Wednesday. Arriving at their room you snuck in to find most of the kids asleep apart from Yoko and Wednesday, both sitting in verbal silence, the only sounds were the occasional video from Yoko's phone and pencils to paper from Wednesday at her desk. They both turned to look at you. “Miss y/l/n?” They said in unison. “Hey, wens can I talk to you for a moment… outside?”

Leaving her desk but taking the paper with her, she looked at you expectingly, waiting for you to speak. “Do you feel it to?” You asked. “I had a vision last night, something is going to happen but I can’t be sure as to what. I felt something dark before it, what I did see was a funeral I don’t know who’s or when but the whole school was there.” You furrowed your brows and leaned into put ur hands on her shoulders bending down eye level with her. “If you get anymore you need to come find me ok.” She nodded curtly as you let her go. “This is what I can make out of it.” Wednesday held up the paper for you to see. It was a drawing of what seemed to be the cemetery and other details that doesn’t make sense. “Ok I’ll try figure it out.” You spoke and waited until she returned into her room before you left.

Hours later you were in your own room getting changed when it all started, the loudest bang and blood curdling screams. The sheer amount of devastation when you ripped open your balcony door to be met with one of the towers crumbling and children scattering away from the rubble, and many, many people you have never seen before. All dressed in cloaks as if it were a cult or organisation, all seemingly outcast themselves using telekinesis or elemental magic. Your eye’s search for Larissa’s balcony.

You found her, hand’s clamped to the rail she found you to, as if you could telepathically speak Larissa and yourself immediately fled your rooms running past masses of children running to there assigned safety places for if or when the time came. Larissa called for you “Y/N!” Running to her you snatched her hand and bolted down the stairs. Proud of all the kids and teachers for making a b-line to their places. Running out into the woods to Xavier’s shed, meeting the group of Ophelia hall.

Making your arrival, every one of them looked terrified. All close together apart from Wednesday. Larissa strides over to them and knelt down on the floor trying her best to comfort the children. You could hear there whispers and asks of what’s going to happen, Larissa just hushed them. “I had another vision miss y/l/n.” Wednesday spoke solemnly. Your eye sight was set on the wall in front of you, suddenly everything fell into place. What was about to happen. Wednesday knew it to. Turning to look at her you gave an acknowledging nod understanding what she saw.

There was a reason why the vision showed a funeral. There was a reason why you weren’t standing in the crowd. There was a reason why you were supposed to be sacrificed.

To save your family.

Wednesday caught on to your knowing glance to not mention it. “wens can u pass me some paper and a pencil or pen.” You asked she did so and you got to work with writing a few things down. “I’m going to check up on everyone.” You said. “You can’t leave, it’s to dangerous and the sun is about to set your not going out in the dark.” Larissa tried to reason. “I’ll be fine you need to stay here.” After writing the letter and giving it to Wednesday to hold onto you trailed over to where Larissa was, taking her hand and pulling her to stand. You went to the door and led her out side ensuring no one was around first.

“You need to stay here and keep them safe, I’ll be back soon, but first I need to tell you something… I love you. I’ve always loved you. I knew when I first met you, I knew when I was by your side at that god forsaken hospital when you were in that coma and I know now. I'm not sure how you feel about me and I know its terrible timing but it’s the only time I can tell you.” You said in a rushed whisper. Larissa was shocked, her eyes pooling with unshed tears, she leaned in and without hesitation gripped the back of your neck and kissed you breathless.

Pulling away with streams of liquid down both of you cheeks for different reasons, she told you she loved you to and embraced you tightly. “I love you so much y/n, I wouldn’t be here without you.” Placing another kiss to your forehead. Your smile faded knowing that that statement should be said after doing what your about to do. Leading her back inside, you crouched down to all the kids giving them a hug and with out noticing giving them small pieces of you, necklaces, earrings, rings and other small trinkets that you usually carry on you. Larissa was last and you slipped your phone into her pocket, with a little note with the passcode. Even Wednesday let you hug her.

Back at the door, taking a final look at your family, you leave with a watery grin. “I love you all.” Then closing the door behind you. “Why does it feel like she saying goodbye?” Ajax wondered, asking the question everyone was thinking. Wednesday was unusually quiet.

-

You made you way sneaking around the school to the places the kids were hiding, after ensuring there safety, it was time. Jogging through the woods to get back to the school grounds, you slowed your pace catching your breath to muster as much air as your lungs could capacitate to whistle with you thumb and pointer finger as loud as possible to draw attention to yourself, continuing to run further into the vast, wide spread of the nevermore's entrance.

-

"do you think this will be over by the morning?" Eugene asked Larissa. "I'm not sure sweetheart, you will all be sent home when its safe enough, as of today the school is officially on full lockdown. I'm afraid this may be the end of nevermore." she said solemnly almost breaking down at her words, but remains strong willed for her children.

"y/n should have been back by now shouldn't she?" Bianca said. all in unison turned to Wednesday, who was standing by a boarded window. "what aren't you telling us Wens?" Enid asked cautiously. "she asked me not to say." she answered. "where is she?" Larissa was quick to ask, her heart doubled in pace. nothing but a blank stare came from the girl. "Wednesday... where. is. y/n?" Larissa gritted in annoyance but doesn't know if she actually wants the answer. Wednesday took a deep breath for what she was about to say.

-

Finally making your way thought the gates, you whistled one last time. "hey! I'm over here come get me!" you yelled and just like that hoards of people came rushing. Dodging the large bits of rubble and fire thrown at you out in the open buying time until you knew all of them were there.

-

Larissa shot up off the floor "why didn't you say something!" she said frantically at Wednesday, Larissa kicked off her heals and pushed past the now standing kids to get to the door. "wait you cant leave you need to say here!" Divina and Kent said simultaneously, each grabbing an arm. "what I need is for y/n to come back, alive!" she shouted ripping her arms from there grasp. "this is reckless Weems." Wednesday stated. Larissa took a moment to collect herself and give them all a pleading, apologetic look, before turning back to the door jerking it open, "stay here and be safe." she commanded before slamming it shut.

-

Everyone that you previously saw was accounted for and you were ready, hardly getting to the center of the courtyard you stood, your head back harnessing power from the moon letting it fill your veins, the white glow traveling from your hands into your arms and up your neck, reaching just over your jaw spilling into your face. Your eyes turned completely white as well as your hair.

-

Larissa was sprinting barefoot through the forest to get you. “Y/N!” she was screaming, whipping thought the trees, wincing at the twigs that dug into the soles of her feet, the adrenaline keeping her from stopping. Noticing the light beaming from the sky, she was hell bent on getting to it having a feeling you had something to do with it.

-

"screw this we cant just stay here." Xavier said. "yeah lets go." Enid agreed. The whole group fled the shed looking to the sky bolting toward it.

-

Larissa made it to the iron gates, watching the scene unfold before her, the look of horror displayed on her face from observing you, she had never seen you or another being like that, now floating about eight feet off the ground. "Y/N." she screamed again. You hear her and glace to the direction of her voice. your first thought was to put a barrier, forcefield of a sort to protect her.

-

All the kids caught up to Larissa. "oh my god!" most of them said in shock. Larissa went to run towards you but was stopped by the barrier, leaving her and the kids banging on the invisible wall, yelling your name to stop your actions.

...

"now remember y/n, you cannot access this power, ever. if you do you will die, you will be sacrificing your life the second you tap into it your fate is sealed. us clairvoyants can only capacitate visions, extra sense ability and small intervenes with paranormal activity." your grandmother said while cupping you ten year old self's little cheeks. "and what do you do to access that power nana?" you asked with your legs crossed on the bench, playing with the dry lavender hanging from the celling beam in the kitchen. "well...we channel from the moon, some say that the event in which one uses the magic some of there features turn white but I'm not entirely sure about that little one, I have not seen it happen with my own eyes, I'm certain that you really need to want it for the power to work, unlike witches we don't need spells." she ended. "and how do-." you were cut of before you could ask the question. "that's enough questions for one day little one." she said, pulling you of the bench.

...

That one memories been a repetitive dream as of late and has proved helpful in this time, only now do you relies it was your subconscious preparing you. Sensing yourself draining of life and your body cold as ice feeling sore, so very sore, you couldn't help the tears streaming down your pale face, watching the sight of Larissa through foggy eyes trying with all she had to get to you, but you knew it was no use. the kids were no different struggling to push though the unpushable. In that moment you don't know how your able to control something you've never done before but it just goes to show what your kind can do in cases of protection.

summoning all your energy and will power, letting your tired eyes close, your whole being becomes illuminated, brighter and brighter until Larissa and all the children had to cover there eyes from the blinding light. Your out stretched arms start to tremble as you let out a shuddering bolt of energy with in the confines of the barrier.

'this is it' you thought.

Once the white glare subsided slowly, the first thing visible was the dead bodies of all the opposing outcasts, hundreds of mirror image, masked people scattered across the ground. Larissa reached her hand out to find the obstruction gone, not a second went by for Larissa to bolt to where you were last seen. The children stayed planted on the spot surrounded by deafening silence apart from the the quick footsteps of Larissa's feet against the gravel.

She came to a slow, absentmindedly using her hands to clear the fog, looking up a little she found you still floating in the air unconscious with blood tricking out of your nose a little further away from her before you suddenly fell. Larissa dropped to her knees, trying to break your fall whilst bloodying herself against the gravel. She held you in her lap, gently removing the hair that's fallen over your face. "y/n?" she whispered, lightly shaking you, her eyebrows furrowed and breathing rigged.

Your eyes snapped open as you gasped for air. A wash of relief filtered over Larissa when she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Y/n." she said as a reassurance for herself. Your hazy eyes meet hers and all the white fades from your features, the rest of your non existent energy was spent of your last actions.

Raising your hand to her kind eyes you trace her facial characteristics, from her hairline to her brows, over her eyelids and down her nose to the outline of her lips, you muster a weak smile and stare into her eyes. "I'm sorry darling...but, it was always going to end like this. I- I...love you. I love all of you." you tried to breathe at a loss of air, pleading with your body to just stay for a moment longer. "Your my family Larissa,,,,, those kids are my family. I always wanted children... and you gave me a home with them even if they aren't mine." you said with a fatigued chuckle. "do you forgive me?" it came out croaky and broken.

Your question lingered, Larissa was trying to make sense of your words. "of course i forgive you sweetheart, but you going to be ok... right? your going to be fine." she said questionably, encouraging herself. "oh honey." you breathed. "you will be ok, I promise." your eyelids are getting heavy and your breathing slows. Miming the words 'I love you' to Larissa and letting yourself succumb to the comforting embrace of her hold. Your body finally went limp.

Tears welled in her eyes as she realized you were gone. "no." she demanded. "no. no. no. no. no. no." she repeated. "Y/N!" she was shaking your lifeless body. "y/n wake up! open your eyes. y/n open your eyes darling." her distress was breaking through. "y/n don't you dare, don't you dare leave me here, get up please!" Larissa was crying, find it difficult to breath. "don't do this to me I'm begging you." Larissa's yelling caught the attention of the kids, making there way over to you both.

Small, little gasps and 'oh no's ' were heard over Larissa's sobs, gasping for air, she let out the most deafening scream that wreaked her whole body as agony overtook her entire being. Everyone quiet, not willing to make a single sound, huddled and curling into one another silently crying at the scene Infront of them. Enid was the first to take hesitant steps toward the broken woman, pacing to Larissa and sitting on her legs wrapping an arm around the principle in an attempt to give a little support, she also took ahold of your cold hand noticing the light blue that had formed at your fingertips as well as your lips.

more and more of the surrounding students gathered around Larissa and tried there best to hold back sobs of their own. As time went by the sun started to rise once again for the first time with out you since the day you were born. A warm golden glow of the rays cast over your body giving the illusion of basking in the sunlight on a wonderful day, but that's what it was an illusion, for it was not you happy, bathing in the sunlight nor was it a wonderful day.

Without a word being exchanged, Larissa rose on shaky legs, her disheveled frame wobbling and lifted you off the ground cradling you to her chest, the children stood also and knew what she was doing, taking you to the mortuary. Following Larissa to the school van and helping her lift you into the back seat, she turned to them asking to alert the other students and teachers its over and to relocate back to school grounds, with a monotone expression.

-

Four days later was your funeral, Larissa managed to keep the students at the school until the day was over to attend, all the students had forgone there uniforms and dressed in their finest black clothes, each and every one adorned a pin holding a sprig of baby's breath and a simple white rose. Not a single biological family member of yours showed up.

As your coffin was laid on the lowering belt hundreds of people gathered to show remorse and empathy, some giving speeches and some sending prayers, Larissa couldn't find the strength to speak, but opted for laying the most expensive bouquet she could find on top of your coffin. behind the large rimmed sunglasses were red raw eyes that couldn't hold the amount of tears. "i love you." she said loud enough for the closest people to hear, saying it for the last time made her feel like she had just died, words she never had the chance to say over and over and over. An empty. cold. broken woman, is how she felt.

The rest of the day went as well as it could, Larissa distracted herself with attending to students, especially Enid, but she was lucky enough to have Wednesday by her side comforting her in her own way, whilst also fidgeting with all of the flowers and and catering to make sure everything was perfect, Larissa tried her best not to break down and make a inappropriate scene.

-

A few weeks after your death, Larissa drowned herself in work, pulling every string humanly possible to keep the school afloat, that she did, barely, but she did. Not letting herself be berried in grief, she kept on top of everything until she found herself for the first time in her life out of things to do, she was lonely and tired and so, so exhaused.

All the kids eventually returned to the school resuming as normal and Larissa paced the hallways to find the students that were with her that night to collect them and bring the kids back to her office for a conversation she knew was needed.

Finding them all and entering the principles office, she asked them to take a seat. "I just wanted to say, I'm so proud of you all and I hope your holding up ok, I'm sorry you were exposed to things that I'm sure you will never forget and I hope you feel comfortable enough to talk about them if you need to, I'm always here to talk, or offer support, even if you just need a hug." she said timidly.

The girls looked among themselves affirming something incoherent. "Wednesday has something to show you." Bianca spoke, confusing Larissa. Wednesday stood and reached into her bag and pulled out your letter and started to read it.

To my dearest family, I understand you will all be hurting at this time and for that i will be eternally sorry, I need each and every one of you to know how much I care and love you. starting with Eugene, you are so brave and talented little man, never be afraid to be yourself or put yourself out there. ajax, don't let your species define who you are, go and do what ever it is you want to do and don't not try because you think there's no point. Xavier, at the moment your dream is to be an artist, be bold in your work have fun and channel every feeling you have into all pieces you do, keep up with the way your going and you will get very far in an incredible career if that's what you chose. Kent and Divina, don't give up on each other, ever, your bonded for life and even if you piss each other off never drift apart your family is a foundation whether its a chosen one or blood related. Bianca, your worry in what people think of your intentions is your downfall be free to be who you are, the ones who you surround yourself with that love you for how you are and don't question your truth are who you need most and remember your mother doesn't dictate your life. Yoko, your a badass young lady who has a fire in you that burns brightly, never let anyone put it out, keep it smoldering for as long as you can and use it to seir the ones who think they've put the flame out. Wednesday, keep your sharp mind and detective abilities, but open yourself up a little more to the ones you love and the ones who love you and maybe, just maybe don't try to make things so difficult for principle Weems. Enid, your kindness is among the most I've ever seen in one person, always fight for your voice and stand up to what you think is right no matter the consequences, your love and wit are your strongest attributes, use them always it will get you far. And lastly Larissa, my sweet darling Larissa, for you I am the most sorry, but don't stop living your life because I'm gone, you are charming and strong, important and smart and so incredibly beautiful. I wish we had more time but it was never in out favor. we will meet again, that I guarantee so really its only a temporary goodbye keep in mind you were my last love and it will forever be that way and I'm so lucky for that, I however will not be yours, go and get out find someone who makes you happy and supports you don't be tied down or feel guilty because of me, and don't think for even a moment dearest that you aren't enough because you are and always will be, do a favor for me and keep the kids together, they need you just as much as you need them, family remember. As for now I love and cherish every single time we've all had together, I've left you all a small piece of me in the pockets of your clothes, wear them don't wear them its your choice, boys I gave you and a pair of earrings each that you could have mad into cuff links if you'd like or not it doesn't worry me pawn it in and get cash if that's what you rather. Girls i gave you my necklaces and rings you can exchange with each other and Yoko my fav pair of shades. Larissa i gave you my phone and all access to my photos of me and some of the kids and you when you weren't looking as weird as it may seem. just know im watching over each one of you and will be right by your side every step of the way.

sincerly yours y/n xxx.

And for the 7th time that week Larissa cried as she sat on the top of her desk. After a minute of processing the words, she remembered the phone and ran into her private quarters to fetch the coat she had been wearing that night, frantically searching for the pocket. The screen lit up as she turned it on. Leaving the room again, returning back into her office she looked at the lock screen displaying a selfie you took of Larissa tucked into your neck asleep and you with your nose nuzzling in her hair, eyes closed and a little smile spread across your face.

Larissa for the first time since your death smiled at the photo. "what is it?" Enid wondered. Larissa showed her the photo. "you really loved her didn't you?" Enid asked. "yes darling, i really did... And I still do." She ended, the glimmering chain around her neck caught the attention of Larissa and she placed her finger tips on along the metal, grazing Enid's collar bones she stared at it with admiration also realizing all the girls had jewellery of yours on to.

"I think we have been through enough for it to be fitting to call me Larissa in private from now on, if your comfortable with that I don't mind." She said. So many things have gone unsaid, but did they really need to be spoken if everyone understands the thoughts and feeling, actions and motives of each other? Obviously not. Your death may have been heart breaking but your are the one thing that brought all of them together. All together the children walked towards Larissa and had a big group hug, among the first but not even close to the last.

-

13 years have passed and its the time of year again when the 9 now adults come back for an early thanksgiving dinner with Larissa and her wife, the school hall is warm with light and laughter, although many years have passed, age never ceased to stop the unconventional family from being them selves. A chair always reserved for you at the table in a reminder your the reason they're all together, everyone of them upholding the promise of always staying bound, never straying away from each other.

Larissa found love again and her wife always respected the love she holds for you, every couple of months she walks with Larissa to visit your grave and helps with upkeep of the little flowers she planted there for you. sometimes she's stopped by old colleagues or people of the town who ask questions of that night, she simply says you saved everyone's lives and will be infinitely grateful. How lucky she was to have found you in her lifetime.

You watch your family in complete joy from your seat at the table. Always there and never forgotten, you know they will all be ok, your family will be just fine.

————————————————————————

[aethersea]

📚 [sorry I didn't know what book to go with so I picked many haha]

You send multiple books, you get multiple fics! Kinda. See, I really want to read the stories that the people of Gotham come up with about their resident vigilante cryptids—rumors, urban legends, wattpad rpf with dubious content warnings, all of it. I have a whole list of increasingly insane theories about what the batfam’s whole deal even is, but I never got any further than writing the frame story for one of them.

Some highlights from the list include:

Batman is a warlock and Robin is a demon bound to serve him. When ten years are up, Robin gets Batman’s soul.

Batman and Robin live in the sewers and can pop up anywhere in Gotham via manhole covers. They’re always fighting Killer Croc for real estate.

Obligatory vampire theory! Batman is a vampire and Robin is the person he feeds from. If Robin dies, Batman will go into a frenzy of bloodlust and drain half the city dry.

Robin is a trickster spirit who helps Batman out because it’s fun, and because the Joker’s bad sense of humor pisses him off. Batman has to keep him constantly entertained or he’ll run off and join the Riddler.

Cass (in her terrifying void-black costume) is the vengeful shade of the previous Batgirl, who finally clawed her way back from the afterlife and is here to take no prisoners.

Vampire theory v2: This Time With Duke! Everyone’s a creature of night and darkness except Signal, who is the sun incarnate. STRONG teen paranormal romance vibes, heavy-handed metaphors of self-destructive love or something, definitely involves shipping Signal with one or more batkids.

Batman is a professional comedian who got sick of Joker’s bad clowning. Things got out of hand.

Batman & Robin aren’t real. Criminals are making them up. 

One of my favorites, though, is the theory that Robin is the ghost of a murdered child, who wants revenge for his murder but, in the meantime, is willing to help Batman make sure no more children end up like him. This would be a story written by one of Dick’s classmates, maybe for English class. Dick reads it and it’s a whole emotional roller coaster ride, especially the scene where Robin’s ghost looks in on his living parents, as he does often to make sure they’re safe, and wishes more than anything that he could hold them and be held by them just one more time.

[ssjumi]

▼ this blog's tag and OC list ▼

my general OC tag

Diamond Eyes

Pretty much everyone is dead. For some it’s everything they ever expected from heaven, others find this supposed eternal inner peace rather dull, and a lot of folks… well, didn’t even make it into heaven. Or whatever this weird afterlife place is called. Maybe the world will end as well.

Jonas ● Mika ● Lily ● Akke ● Marzena ● Maria ● Arzu ● Thomas ● Nina ● Vikesh

Yugioh OCs

Aileen is my favorite little MarySue who’s gonna end up unhappily married to Seto Kaiba. MollySue, whose actual name is Marie-Susanne, is the daughter of Isono and a German business woman called Mathilde Schneider. Nao is also the daughter of Isono, although everyone pretends she is a Kaiba by blood. And then there’s Amane, who isn’t actually an OC, since I didn’t come up with her existence, but on the other hand she never showed up in canon so I can do with her whatever I want anyway :D Akari is YBakura's mysterious daughter from an old but ongoing fic and Imu (placeholder name) and Selket are the sisters of Seth and pharao Atem.

Aileen ● MollySue ● Akari ● Nao ● Amane● Imu and Selket

The Obligatory Vampire Story

Eri finds out she’s only half human - the other half is vampiric. Unfortunately others are finding out about this, too, and she gets forced to become a part of the local Vampire Court. Femslash, murder, blood thirst, magic and other shenanigans ensue.

Eri ● Gretchen ● Leonore ● Catinca ● William ● Nefi ● Hannah

Dragonball OCs

In an alternate universe Umi from Magic Knight Rayearth became a rockstar after school and met Vegeta, whom she married and had three kids with. In a completely different universe from that, a little girl with amnesia showed up at the Brief family's doorstep and was adopted by them - only to later, as a young adult, find out she's actually a Saiyajin, just like her sister's situationship/boyfriend. Who then became her boyfriend instead.

Sue!Umi ● Arai ● Kazé ● Mizu ● Corabi

Skyrim OCs

Tizzy is the sneakiest sneak master to ever sneak. Almas is the legendary Dragonborn, although she’d rather just be a blacksmith. And Shaayee is a snarky Argonian with a little drug problem.

Thjizzrini ● Almas ● Shaayee

The Obligatory Zombie Apocalypse Story

It happened: the zombie apocalypse. Two college friends and a little boy they picked up along the way are on their obligatory search for a place the outbreak hasn’t reached yet.

Kimberlee ● Trisha ● Shortie

Doll House Drama

Dexter and Lydia are fraternal twins who run a rock band called “Doll House Drama” together with some friends. Dexter’s a pretty emotional dude with some typical rockstar problems who’d probably rely on his sister a lot - if she wasn’t so stubbornly refusing to be the responsible and caring grown-up in the band. Things get shaken up when a hot journalist joins them for their biggest tour yet.

Lydia ● Dexter ● Zihna

misc. other OCs

Karla ● witch girl ● Miyako ● Ray and Sophie

assorted other tags

original art

fanart ▪ Yugioh ▪ Sailor Moon ▪ Ties of Lapis ▪ Skyrim ▪ Dragonball ▪ Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles ▪ Neon Genesis Evangelion ▪ Pokémon ▪ Avatar: The Last Airbender ▪ Hazbin Hotel ▪ Ghost Glass (Tokio Hotel AU) ▪ Linkin Park (RPF) → sailor-bennoda

finished work

art in progress

sketches

experiments

collaborations

Inktober related posts

picture posts

text posts

own art

other ppl’s art

posts that aren’t (the art blog kind of) art

reblogged stuff

The textures I use in my art, if not my own or otherwise credited, are from CGTextures & AbsurdWordPreferred. OC pixel chibis made here.

I'd rather you didn't reupload my stuff, but if you absolutely cannot help yourself, at least credit me properly.

[alpaca-clouds]

Prince of the Night [Dracula/Johnathan Smut]

And I can finally post this story, I wrote a while ago for an exchange. Obligatory tag for @0nelittlebirdtoldme given it is her ship.

Prince of the Night

Fandom: Dracula Shipping: Dracula/Johnathan Genre: Smut

⚠️ This fic is very much noncon ⚠️

The vampire watches his visitor get ready for the night.

[prpfz]

Hey hey!! Obligatory shot-in-the-dark, but I'm itching to sink my teeth into more threads.

A quick about me, I'm 23, use she/her, and I write multi.-para. posts that range from 300-500 words, but can be more/less depending on my partner's preference! I write only on Discord. I'm looking for OCxCC or OCxOC doubles! I love OOC talk, making playlists/aesthetic boards/headcanons/shitposts, etc. I'm very active and can usually respond daily, so I'd love if my writing partner was able to do something similar!

NSFW will be involved! Triggers and such will be discussed more in DMs, but I am very open to darker themes!

Fandoms I'm looking for: 🦇 Black Butler / Kuroshitsuji 🦇 The Price of Flesh / Boyfriend to Death 🦇 American Horror Story 🦇 Metal Family 🦇 OFF 🦇 The Owl House

Fandomless Plots I'd Love To Write: 🦇 Vampire/Werewolf/Supernatural Entity x Human 🦇 Serial Killer x Obsessive Fan 🦇 Any Pretty Boy x Girl-Loser Trope (this kills me) Thanks for reading! Happy spooky season! <3

give a like and anon will get back to you

[electronickingdomfox]

"Bloodthirst" review

It's Resident Evil, but the zombies are vampires!!

Novel from 1987, by J. M. Dillard. Kind of a retread of her previous novel ("Demons"), but substituting demonic possesion with vampires. Of course, there's nothing supernatural going on, but a scientific explanation behind everything. I found it less scary than the previous entry, though it's in the same spirit of horror story, this time with a political background as well.

The initial setting is intriguing, even though it's fairly obvious what's going on and who are the villains, from the earliest chapters. The ending is also exciting, and reminded me of an actual TOS episode. The problem is the rest of the novel, and by that I mean like 90%. I had the impression of reading chapter after chapter of barely anything but filler. Kirk does little more than talking through the terminal with this or that. McCoy does little more than telling Kirk "they're close to find a vaccine" and fretting over Chapel's sickness. Spock does... nothing, really. The fact that the story was extended artificially to a breaking point is obvious by the fact it takes the crew SEVERAL DAYS to find an intruder in the ship (an intruder who wears a red cape, is sick and insane, and screams in pain every time light touches him). This with a crew of more than 400 persons, and with the full security team activated at all times (what the hell!?).

To add more padding to it, there are lengthy scenes focused on a group of redshirts. Now I don't have a problem with original characters having their spotlight if they're interesting and play some role. But these guys just reflect about their High School dramas, and they don't have a distinct role compared to any other redshirt: that is, being attacked and suffer a lot. The other characters are a mixed bag. The most interesting is probably Adams, the "vampire", and the passages that follow his sinister deeds are the only ones that keep the plot moving, in that stale middle section. Kirk is serviceable. In particular his friendship with Admiral Quince felt like the real thing. And he gets to do some of his cunning negotiations at the end. McCoy on the other hand... Look, this author makes him funny on occassion, but in my opinion, she has a REALLY odd idea of the character. From the "dirty old man" trait, to his clumsiness and cowardice. The guy who would offer himself for torture in "The Empath" is here scared shitless at the prospect of it (well, he's scared of dark corridors too, so...). Fortunately, there's no Mary Sue on sight this time. Unfortunately, there's still the obligatory romance "out-of-left-field" for McCoy, that this author seems so fond of. This time in the shape of... Christine Chapel??? We're suppossed to believe that she's not just the closest person to McCoy (closer even than Kirk!), but that all this time, they've been repressing romantic feelings for each other. And that Chapel isn't really attracted to Spock, but only chose him because he'd never return her feelings... Yeah, weeell, how about... NO.

Other random weird bits: Nobody knows what a vampire is in the 23rd century (only Chekov has heard about this legend, that had survived for hundreds of years so far). And a crippled Enterprise can only manage to go at warp 9! (c'mon Scotty, I'm sure you can do better than this shitty, fast-as-fuck warp 9 speed...). Spoilers under the cut:

The Enterprise receives a distress signal from a scientific station at planet Tanis, but upon beaming down, they just find a deserted lab, two dead scientists missing most of their blood, and a single survivor: Dr. Jeffrey Adams. Adams looks gaunt and is obviously suffering some kind of disease that makes light painful for him. He's brought to sickbay, and needs continous blood transfusions to survive. But when Kirk interrogates him, suspecting the scientists were doing illegal research on biowarfare, Adams says they were just working on agricultural projects and that the other two commited suicide. Nonetheless, the evidence at the station points to Adams as the murderer, and it seems he had drunk the blood of the victims too. The fact that Admiral Rodrigo Mendez, head of weapons research, is awfully interested in destroying any trace of the virus, and quickly bringing Adams to trial, makes it all the more suspicious. However, the landing party is unable to recover any sample of a virus at the station, and records had been destroyed, so the Enterprise starts travelling to the nearest starbase.

After being informed of this, Adams accuses Mendez of being the mastermind behind the virus development, and begs Kirk to not surrender him to Mendez, since the admiral wants to kill him. Kirk is unwilling to believe at first that Mendez, or any other top brass at Starfleet, would be involved in such deadly project. Besides, upon learning that one of the dead researchers was Mendez's son, he dismisses the admiral's behavior as natural resentment. Nonetheless, Kirk contacts his friend, Admiral Quince Waverleigh, at Starfleet HQ, to see if he can unearth some dirty laundry among the top brass.

Meanwhile, Adams attempts an escape from his isolation chamber at sickbay, and injures Chapel, drinking some blood from her head wound. Adams doesn't go far under the light. But Chapel has contracted the disease, which is contagious upon contact, and slowly slips into a coma. In the end, McCoy realizes that Chapel has died, and disconnects life support. And there's a lot of drama about this, but since the reader can probably guess where this is leading to, and what the solution will be, the scene doesn't have all that much impact. Apart from this, Spock has recovered some info from the fragmentary records at the station, that tell about a Vulcan researcher who had also died at an earlier point. This suggests that there was, in fact, two versions of the virus: a first one that was deadly to Vulcans (and thus, Romulans too), and the current mutation (probably accidental) which is deadly to humans. This deepens Spock's suspicions about Mendez, since he had lost his wife in a Romulan attack.

Once in the starbase, Adams is brought to a detention cell, which he promptly escapes again, this time more successfully. First, he attacks a guard and steals her red cape, to better protect himself from the light, as well as a device that blocks tricorder readings. After this, Adams kidnaps Lisa (a redshirt on shore leave), and forces her to ask for a beam up directly to her quarters in the Enterprise, where he also attacks her and drinks her blood. And then comes a loooong period where everyone is searching frantically for Adams throughout the ship. And yeah, he can block tricorders, but it's not like he's invisible or anything... He goes as far as entering sickbay and stealing transfusion equipment to draw more blood! (his next victim being Stanger, another redshirt).

For his part, Admiral Quince starts noticing strange things going around him, ever since he started investigating: sudden personnel transfers, tampering with his terminal, etc. He sends Kirk a quick anonymous message, to warn him that things are looking ugly. Yet Kirk is unable to reach him afterwards, and later is notified of Quince's sudden death in an "accident". This is the last straw that convinces Kirk of Mendez's guilt, alongside a small clique of corrupt admirals. So he decides to lure him to Tanis and catch him red-handed there, with a bluff: he tells him that Adams has been captured and has spilled the beans about the R-virus (the incriminating Romulan strain), and that they have found the evidence at Tanis.

At sickbay, Ensign Stanger wakes up from the dead after having been infected. And even though he shows some early signs of "vampirism", his good side wins in the end, and he's able to protect his friend Lisa and capture Adams (at long last!). McCoy has also developed an effective vaccine, that he administers to the whole crew and Chapel, who's also waking up from the dead (but strangely enough, much slower than Stanger?). The modus operandi of the virus is thus revealed: at first, it sends the host into apparent death (actually, hybernation) while it consumes the bloodstream's heme; once the host is depleted of heme, he wakes up and starts craving blood and infecting others. (But I don't know, as a bioweapon, it doesn't seem so effective to me...).

In the final chapters, Spock and McCoy beam down to Tanis and confront Mendez, who demands the samples of the R-virus (which they actually don't have). But just then, a transporter beam captures them and they appear in a Romulan ship. As it turns out, Adams had contacted the Romulans, promising them the samples of both virus in exchange for his freedom. Kirk forces Adams to cooperate by refusing to give him the cure, until he tells them where's the R-virus, so Adams confesses: the original R-virus had been hidden all this time inside a locket that he wore around his neck. The Romulan commander threatens Kirk, saying that he'll kill Spock and McCoy if he doesn't surrender Adams. Yet Kirk tries to negotiate with him and buy time, now that he has the only sample in his hands, though the Romulan doesn't agree to destroy the sample. However, Spock, McCoy and Mendez had managed to escape from their cells in the meantime. And after a run through the enemy ship stunning Romulans (with McCoy closing his eyes every time he has to shoot, the poor devil), they manage to lower the shields and beam themselves to the Enterprise, which promptly warps away. In the transporter room, Mendez makes a last, desperate attempt to escape with Adams and the sample. But Spock tricks him into confessing everything, and then Kirk informs him that he's been monitored, and now Starfleet knows everything about his involvement in the illegal research. In the epilogue, Kirk reflects about his lost friend Quince. And there's a moving scene where he receives a posthumous gift, with a last message from his friend, telling him to not feel guilt about his death.

Spirk Meter: 0/10*. Kirk and Spock barely exchange a couple of lines throughout the novel.

There isn't a lot either in other departments. Spock and McCoy don't seem to like each other much, though McCoy asks Spock for company while disconnecting Chapel from life support. Though it's hard to read that as Spock/McCoy, when it's evident that McCoy's full concern is for Chapel in this book. Maybe, maaaaybe, one could read some McKirk in the final scene, when McCoy drinks with Kirk in his quarters and comforts him about Quince's death. But at this point, that's like begging for crumbs.

*A 10 in this scale is the most obvious spirk moments in TOS. Think of the back massage, "You make me believe in miracles", or "Amok Time" for example.

tagged: @bonez-artistry

[hauntingjasper]

Well... we have the headcanons about Gumball and Marshall, could you tell us your headcanons about Gumlee (it's my favorite ship, I love them so much!)

Ofc! 🫶

1- I'll start off with their height difference, the spin-off made me love Gumball/Gary being taller than Marshall. (My hc for Marshall Lee is like 6’0. I don't think I mentioned that on his headcanons list hghshshsjue)

2- As for their story together, I think that Marshall Lee would've caught feelings first, but because they were still just friends at the time + Gumball being arospec and only developing feelings later + denial, he didn't say anything about it. Still, they were pretty affectionate with each other, resulting in multiple questions if they were dating. I think that's worth like,, , half a millennium together.

3- That's pretty much canon at this point but I love the thought of Gumball always making extra red or pink food for Marshall Lee. The equivalent of this in the human world would be Marshall Lee being a bit of a picky eater and Gary having his preferences in mind when he's cooking for both of them. He might also ask if he wants to try one thing or another.

4- Gumball has the habit of checking Marshall Lee's temperature when they're cuddling or when they're somewhere warmer. I've said this before in another ask post but Marshall can't produce or maintain body heat properly, so he tends to stay closer to things that emanate heat. It won't make him feel as warm as a normal person would, but it helps a little. Gumball has to put his hand on Marshall's face or neck to check how warm he is at least once, not for study reasons, but because he just likes to do that.

5- Meanwhile, Marshall Lee likes to put his ice cold hands on him at random just to startle him.

6- Still on the temperature thing, Gumball doesn't mind being touchy with him, especially during the summer, despite Marshall Lee being practically an ice rock, but.. sometimes, it's preferable that Marshall is fully covered and has a blanket 😭

7- Kinda nsfw, but they're switches. Gumball tops more often though, I said what I said.

8- They sometimes use nicknames for each other, of course. Gumball calls him Mars or "Schnucki", I looked it up and apparently it means "Schmoopy" in German, and then I found out that there is such a thing as a "Schmoopy couple". They're not as obnoxious as the definition says when it comes to PDA, though. Marshall Lee calls him anything that has to do with candy, but he'll especially call him Bubba, Bubbaloo or Bubs. He might call him Gary too as a nickname, Gumball's name is different in this. His full name is Gareth Victor Gumball, and "Gareth" just makes Marshall giggle.

9- Obligatory clothes sharing headcanon. To this day they keep a few of each other's shirts.

10- Marshall Lee already bit Gumball once, at his request, to see if he would turn into a vampire. He didn't. Now he keeps biting him to show affection.

11- Okay so from what I've seen, it's incorrect to refer to a prince as "Your Majesty", since that's how you should refer to a King or Queen. You should say "Your Highness" when referring to a prince/princess. My headcanon is that there's some correlation between Marshall Lee purposely using the wrong title when they're exes, the fact that he technically outranks Gumball as The Vampire King and that he's petty. I don't know how to elaborate it but the thought is there 🫴

12- Between Gumball and Marshall Lee, Marshall is the most protective of them and he's more prone to jealousy. It's easy to tell when he's jealous, because he'll instantly hold onto Gumball and stare until the person leaves. I think Gumball would get sarcastic when he's jealous.

I think that's all. Thank you for the ask!

[y-rhywbeth2]

D&D Vampire Lore Dump #4

Weaknesses and Cures Featuring that pesky sunlight problem, and how to get around it. Overview of other limitations and weaknesses of their condition (running water, invitations, etc) and how to get around those, vampires being extremely annoying to kill and how to make them stay dead, and the four ways I know of that can cure vampirism.

OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER FOR FIRST TIME READERS: D&D is decades old, spans five editions, several settings and hundreds of writers. One guy establishes a piece of lore, and then the next picks it up goes "nah" and writes something else. I collected info from four different source books, all from different editions, which naturally don't entirely agree on how vampires work. Lore never stays consistent and may contradict itself. You may see information somewhere else from a source I don't have that contradicts what I wrote here. If you read this and like some of this stuff but not other bits, take the good and ditch the rest. Larian themselves have not written BG3 totally compliant with some established D&D lore or the original games. If you want canon to work a certain way in your headcanons/fanfic, go ahead.

Feeding | "Biology" | Hierarchy | Weaknesses and Cures | Psychology

Sunlight is basically instant death and will kill vampires within moments of touching their bare skin. Even if vampires can walk in sunlight, vampires can't access their abilities while the sun is still in the sky. A sunstone, if left in the sunlight to "charge" take on an energy that will rebuff vampires with an effect much like sunlight exposure (but weaker) if they attack an individual wearing/holding the gemstone. This disorients them, cuts them off from many of their powers and inflicts a small amount of damage.

There are ways that allow vampires to walk in sunlight, although their powers will be disabled during daylight hours.

Liquid Night is a vampire sunscreen that will protect the wearer from sunlight.

Clearly, going off of BG3, the Netherese had magic that could do it. (Netheril, according to one story, was an empire whose initial magical foundation was specifically the school of necromancy, under the guidance of the priests of Jergal/Withers)

Fiends are happy to take/destroy your soul in exchange for the ability to walk in the day, as the Greater Vampire creating succubi can attest.

Vampires grow more powerful with age. One of those ways used to include that they became increasingly resistant to sunlight with age, and by the time they were 1000 years old they were fully immune to it. After almost two centuries of undeath, Astarion may be strong enough to avoid immediate death and this may be why he doesn't burn to a crisp immediately when the netherbrain dies.

Necromancers can create enchanted objects that protect vampires from the sun. One example being the Cloak of Dragomir in BG2.

They can also just keep to the shade or wear clothes that provide enough shelter to keep the sunlight from touching them. A deep hood or a parasol can help.

Vampires don't usually consider such things worthwhile, as they don't see much point if they lose their powers. They generallyhave no desire to be in the sunlight for its own sake as most vampires instinctually hate sunlight.

Vampires instinctually recoil from mirrors and hesitate to step in front of them. This hesitation will typically pass in seconds or moments. In 1e they had reflections, but their reflection turned the hypnotic properties of their gaze back at them or at least, they thought it could. After that they lost the reflections, and it's thought that the absence causes an instinctual distress for the remnants of the vampire's human psyche (reminding them that they're an accursed dead thing who's lost everything).

In a similar manner to their lack of reflection, vampires also do not cast shadows upon their surroundings.

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Vampires who don't rest in/on their dirt-bed (usually a grave or coffin, sometimes a bed with a mattress stuffed with the appropriate type of soil) are destroyed. A vampire that can't get to its sanctuary before sunrise is utterly screwed. They tend to have multiple safe havens with prepared resting places, just in case. Vampires who will be traveling sometimes use a bag of holding, essentially taking their grave with them.

Some have suggested that the dirt dependency is actually just superstition and a vampire can sleep wherever it wants, but nobody's successfully convinced a vampire to take the risk of testing that.

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As said previously, vampires are healed by negative/necrotic energy and harmed by positive/radiant energy (including heal spells)

Holy symbols can repel them, but the specifics can vary based on source. On the one hand there's one that says that the faith and belief in the holy symbol is what gives it power, and on the other there's one that says that the symbol is only useful in the hands of a priest. Only the symbols of Good and Neutral aligned deities have repelling properties. Evil clerics can still try to Command Undead however (the evil variant of Turn Undead - instead of repelling/destroying the undead you seize control of them.)

In terms of clerics and paladins attempting to Command/Turn Undead, vampires are susceptible to it, but are also the most resistant of undead, so it's difficult and risky.

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Vampires are repulsed by garlic - it doesn't harm them and can't keep them at bay forever, but a vampire will hesitate before approaching. Some vampires also randomly develop other "allergies". Salt, rose petals, rice, mistletoe, lilies, small children singing, dove feathers… could be anything, really. It's generally linked to the individual vampire's own personality and beliefs. If they believe it should repel them then it may have warding powers against them.

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Vampires will dissolve in bodies of running water like rivers or the ocean, because the running water forces them to turn into mist and washes them away. However, running water's only a problem if they're immersed in it. They can fly over it (be that with the fly spell or by shapeshifting into a bat), be carried over (bodily carried by a person, or in a boat, or by bridge, whatever) or use the water walk spell and just walk across like a basilisk lizard.

They are however, blocked from crossing a body of running water over three feet wide in mist form, for some reason. There's no answer for this, but I'd guess the vampire cloud picks up water particles and grows heavier, eventually sinking onto the water or something...?

At least 3/4 of the vampire's body must be submerged for it to count as immersion - and it must include the entire torso (the heart in particular must be below the water). The vampire must be held under for three minutes. It doesn't exactly kill them, but as their body is now thousands of particles distributed through the waterways, unable to reform, the vampire is effectively gone for good.

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Vampires are also extremely annoying to kill. They can only be damaged with enchanted weapons or weapons plated with silver.

Upon death their body turns to mist and they return to their resting place, where they reform their physical body but are rendered vulnerable. A vampire can be paralysed by piercing their heart with a wooden stake... and then, sometimes, you get the unusual ones who need to be staked with a specific wood...! Once they've returned to their coffin the body must be damaged enough to be considered destroyed. Decapitation is a favourite method, but the main point is just to inflict as much damage on them as possible. Vampires begin to regenerate once they return to their coffin, and need to be dealt with quickly, hence the stake to pin them down while you start hacking them apart. Luckily for their would-be-killers they often wake up disoriented.

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Vampires can't enter houses, or holy sites of residence like monasteries without permission, and can't enter sanctified graveyards of religious organisations. They can't enter temples, as these count as the residences of the deity worshipped there. A guest cannot invite somebody in, the invitation must come from a permanent resident.

Unless the owner of the house is the one who extends the invite, the invite only counts as a one time offer and the vampire needs to be invited again once it leaves the premise - so you can get invited in by a child, but for the ability to come and go as they please, a vampire needs permission from the parents/guardians in charge of the family and house. An invitation taken through use of enchantment magic or just plain coercion counts as a legitimate invitation.

They can also just take a third option and find a way to kill everyone inside from afar and then just walk through the door once there's nobody left alive to own the property. Also if the building no longer exists, for whatever reason (like if it mysteriously burns down), then they don't need an invite to get to whatever's inside. Or buy the building - if the vampire legally owns the house, and the residents are their tenants, then the vampire does not need an invite.

Public areas, inns, public graveyards and non-residential buildings do not count. Vampires can come and go as they please here.

Other people's graves can also count as privately owned residence upon which the vampire cannot intrude, hilariously. The final resting place of the deceased counts as belonging to them - providing they received burial rites. Vampires can however just animate the corpse and have it leave, at which point it ceases to be a resting place and they can do what they like. It's not stated whether they can also use speak with dead to ask permission.

---

There are four ways off the top of my head to cure vampirism. Most of them aren't cheap:

Firstly is the wish spell, which can be used to cure vampirism in one of two ways:

Using the spell to rewrite reality. You force reality to bend to your will and turn the vampire into a living being. Using wish this way is extremely taxing on the caster and may harm them permanently. They will basically be bedridden for a given amount of time and there's something around a one in three chance that you'll never be able to cast the spell again.

In its 5e variant, wish can replicate the effect of any spell below 8th level (including resurrection) while ignoring all the requirements of the spell itself.

Next up is divine intervention. Deities can remove vampirism, though the extent and conditions may be limited by their portfolio.

Amaunator (the ancient Netherese sun god, precursor to Lathander) had a temple over in Amn. You have to take the vampire and the heart of the vampire who turned them to the statue of the ancient sun god in an abandoned temple, place the vampire in the arms of the statue with the heart and it completes a ritual that restores them to life. This was part of a quest in Baldur's Gate 2 where your love interest (who may have been Jaheira) was turned into a vampire and needed curing.

Eldath, a minor goddess of peace, has also been known to restore some level of mortal life to unhappy vampires.

And then resurrection spells. The time limit on resurrection exists because when calling a soul back to its body there are numerous obstacles.

The body needs to be in a state fit to go on living. If it's too damaged or decayed putting the soul back is a waste of time.

The soul must be both willing and able to return. It has to still exist, to start with. If the soul has a new life it probably can't be recovered (be that by being sent back to the material plane for reincarnation in another life, or remade as a fiend or celestial). If the soul has been absorbed by their deity or into the fabric of the planes it can't be recovered. If the soul has been destroyed then you're shit out of luck.

The longer the target has been dead, the more likely the above scenarios are true and that the spell will fail. Also restoring a body and calling a soul from across the planes is extremely powerful, taxing magic that's hard to pull off, which makes it harder to succeed. Hence the time limit.

Vampires have the advantage that their body is perfectly preserved and intact and the soul is still on the material plane, and there's an argument to be made that this makes them resurrect-able.

Greater vampires are not resurrect-able as their soul is either annihilated or has been taken to the Lower Planes and tortured until the person has been turned into one of two varieties of barely sentient blobs of rancid flesh trapped in eternal agony. Wish may still work, but it may have a 50/50 chance of failure.

There's also the elven High Magic spell Gift of Life, which as it says on the tin, restores an undead being back to life. The catch with this one is that knowledge of high magic is dying out, so finding an elven archmage who can and will cast it on you is extremely difficult and probably involves a lot of favours and proving yourself.