#the thing is that viago CLEARLY loves you

[vigilskeep]

what gets me about viago’s letter to de riva at the start of the game is that he tells them to consider this trip with varric a contract, in the most completely-giving-up move ever. i thought from what i saw before the game came out that since he referred to it as a contract, de riva must have been sent to help deal with solas by the crows, who do have an interest in the world not ending. but no, de riva fully joined the team of their own volition, and viago just threw his hands up and said please think of it as a contract so we can all pretend i have any control over you whatsoever. and then they didn’t even get the “contract” wrapped up.

[thesummerstorms]

You know that conversation you can have with Emmrich where he asks what your plans are for your body when you die?

I think Arsinoë accidentally horrified him. Not by clinging to non-Nevarran ideals about cremation, but by telling him she never thought anyone would care that much one way or the other.

She would be dead, so she wouldn't care. And honestly, a majority of compradi die as Fledglings without graduating; she thinks their bodies were probably burned (since you have to do something with bodies) but they certainly don't have funerals, so it certainly wasn't worth worrying about then.

Emmrich interjects, trying to wrangle his own shock long enough to point out that she's not a Fledgling now, so surely...?

Well if she dies now, Arsinoë all but shrugs, it would depend on the circumstances, wouldn't it? She isn't someone important like a Talon or the scion of an established Crow family. She certainly isn't Caterina Dellamorte, who warrants something verging on a State Funeral.

If she died, there is still a non-zero chance it would be at another Crow's hands, in which case it's anyone's guess what happens after.

If she dies honorably fulfilling a contract, then Viago might feel obligated to do something if he isn't pissed off at her failure and she's isn't still in Exile. He's her mentor, so probably he would manage at least a small pyre. Maybe even a flower or two for the flames if he's letting himself feel sentimental. Teia would probably be there because Viago was.

But just as often, when a contract goes wrong, there's no time to go back for the body. The mark get ahold of it, or whoever's left on the contract has to focus on survival rather than the dignity of a corpse that can't feel any of it.

But really, none of that would matter to Arsinoë, would it? She'd be off wherever dead souls end up going, or maybe in oblivion, who knows. She doesn't have any family to be horrified by her corpse unless you count Viago, who is Fifth Talon, has bigger things to worry about, and will get over it.

But anyway, why do you ask, Emmrich?

Emmrich is too aghast to answer clearly at that point because every single point of Arsinoë's answer goes so deeply against everything that is ingrained in him as part of the Mourn Watch, from the belief that a corpse just doesn't matter to her sincere belief that no one would care enough about her for any particular mourning rights.

And the thing is Emmrich does care. It's his professional duty to care, but he's also become fond of his young friend and he cannot handle imagining that she could die on this mission or the next and potentially receive no rites at all.

Cue Emmrich starting to plan how he's going to have Rook interred in the Grand Necropolis when the time comes. It may involve some string pulling, especially if (hopefully) she dies not on this mission but in the distant future, and even more so if he precedes her and has to leave the job in one of his colleague's hands. But Maker help him, there will be a plan and her death will be respected.

When it comes to light, Neve is uncertain and a little weirded out, but also a little offended by all this. She's fallen in love with Rook, but even before that, the respect between them would have warranted a pyre and Arsinoë's name on the Wall of Light if there was no one else to arrange things. Is this why she's never asked about what happened after Varric-

Lucanis is horrified by the idea of Arsinoë as one of the spirit-possessed skeletons in the Necropolis or one of the jewel-eyed skulls in its many niches; he snaps at Emmrich about Nevarran obsession and respecting Rook as Antivan.

Emmrich refuses to budge. She expected the Crows to do nothing for her. She deserves better, deserves to be remembered, even if she isn't Nevarran.

Lucanis seems fully stunned by the idea that Rook believed this in the first place, given Viago's attachment. Given Lucanis's own growing feelings. Emmrich does soften a little bit when he sees that Lucanis truly didn't realize, but he also doesn't fully divert his plans.

Gathering a grave-dowry is normally left to a lover or family member if the deceased was themselves unable, and Emmrich is neither. But needs must, and though his friend now seems attached to Neve and Lucanis, hearts can be fickle. A plan is better. So he puts away small things here or there, eyes which of Rook's enchanted rings and amulets she seems to favor just in case.

It almost helps him live with the knowledge that Arsinoë believed she would die unmourned. Almost.

[vaguely-concerned]

teia and viago's idle animations when you first approach them in the cantori diamond before a slow poison being them just gesturing vehemently at each other is something that can actually be so personal. to meeee. as is the way teia's body language stays open and bold if clearly frustrated and 'vi c'mon please work with me here' at points through the whole thing/animation loop, while viago has a defensive kind of vulnerable-seeming one-arm-crossing-his-chest-to-grab-the-opposite-elbow pose he retreats to between bursts of gesticulating exasperatedly or beseechingly back at her. there really was no reason for bioware to put this much of an individualized touch on a set of animations that no one but crazy people like me and fellow eight little talons heads are going to look at for more than say two seconds, but I really appreciate that they did do it haha. it builds up under their characterizations so well that they emote with specificity, even if most players will only see it for a split moment. there are so many good little character animation details tucked away in this game I swear! sometimes I think about how much work goes into even these little things like establishing the sets of 'non-flashy' animations in game dev and I feel my sanity start to slip away. no one should ever make a game that's fucking nuts.

(also viago being like 'yes yes it's an atrocity and ongoing injustice and everything but more importantly it's insulting' sfsdkjhfsadfjaskj I LOVE him so bad. king of Priorities if nothing else always and forever)

[inquisimer]

Loving the rook and viago dynamic, chefs kiss 🤌.

If your taking requests, I love the idea of rook slowly becoming more angry or snappy after the regret prison. Thought the "I've been taking care of myself for a long time and don't need your help" prompt would be perfect for an angry rook to their bro. viago

YESSSS I love them so much, Crow Dad makes me [screeches unintelligibly]. And yes, I always take prompts, thank you for this one!! It had me looking at Arlow & Viago's relationship through a different lens, which was great 💜

Arlow de Riva & Viago de Riva | 680 words | endgame spoilers, referenced major character death

-

Arlow’s fingers slipped against her armor’s leather straps again and she huffed, frustrated. It was a buckle, it shouldn’t be so damn hard—

“Need a hand?”

She stiffened, fist clenching around the strap instead. “No. I’ve got it.”

Viago stepped into the meditation chamber anyway, the door shutting with a deafening click behind him. The blackout curtains over the windows kept the room dark, save for a few clusters of candles that flickered over the sharp, familiar planes of his face. Arlow stared pointedly down, cursing under her breath when the strap slipped from her grasp again.

“Yes, clearly,” Viago said dryly. He leaned against the buffet at the back of her couch and folded his arms. “The offer stands, if at any point you’d like to be less stubborn about it.”

Arlow ignored him. She wasn’t going to tell him that dregs of Solas’ Fade prison lingered on her, a numbness in her fingers and toes, a persistent chill that no fire or blanket could ward off, an unmistakable sense of being watched and judged and found wanting. He didn’t get to kick her out of the nest and expect things to be the same once she’d found her wings; she’d gotten this far and she would get through this, too.

Her fingers slipped once more. “Cazza,” she muttered.

“Arlow—“

“No, Viago,” she snapped. “I just need to—“ She pinched the strap between her nails this time and pulled it through the buckle. It left a little half-moon indentation in the purple leather, but it was fastened and it would fade. Much like she assumed the bitter coating on her teeth when she looked at Viago would fade… eventually.

She knew he was proud of her. She knew that he cared, in that closed-off, brusque way of his. But her heart was only getting about two-thirds of the way to letting him back in, because Solas’ trap finally had her dwelling on the way this contract started.

If Viago were caught in a prison of his own regrets, would he see her, leaving with Varric? She’d told Lucanis that she knew he didn’t have a choice, with the other Talons out for blood. And she did believe that. But the job had finally scraped her too raw for that to be anything other than a cold comfort.

He could have saved her. And someone else might have tripped into Varric’s crosshairs—someone who might have saved him. And Davrin. And Bellara.

Guilt and regret crept up her throat. They curled around her neck and trailed after her like a smoky shadow she just couldn’t shake. So she clung to the anger instead and let it shield her from the breakdown they threatened.

“Did you need something?” she asked, pulling on her gloves and flexing her fingers. “I should go check on my team.”

“Look at me.” His stern, quiet voice brokered no argument; it never had. Reluctantly, Arlow put the wardrobe at her back and did as he ordered. Her eyes were steely and the hard line of her jaw invited no comfort—not that she expected he would have offered, anyway.

His own expression was as inscrutable as always, almost foreboding in the odd shadows cast by the half-melted candles. For a moment, Arlow had the sense of how everyone else must see the Fifth Talon—terse, unyielding, the quiet threat of an expert assassin without any of the care that she was accustomed to.

It almost chilled her enough to make her relent. Almost—but her hands were still numb, and her heart still hurt. She still needed the anger, or she was going to get someone else killed.

“No, I—“ Viago cleared his throat. “No. You should go.”

Before we say something we both regret, Arlow thought. She knew what it would be for her. As he glanced away—he never looked away first—she wondered what he was afraid of letting slip. And she wondered, as she gave him her back, if he, too, felt the painful echo of watching her walk away.

She left.

[miriani-lavellan]

Final Thoughts

Well, I beat the game. Some thoughts:

The Very Good

Combat (for mages, haven't played the rest) was a massive improvement over DA:I. It got a little repetitive after I learn the button combos, but this was solved by respeccing and doing something different. Fights felt pretty satisfying, and I didn't feel like I was getting interrupted during side quests/exploration as much as DA:I. And FINALLY, finally, I had to think a little tactically again. Not as much as in Origins, but definitely more than DA:I. It turned out not being able to take control of my companions directly didn't matter as much - you do command and direct them when you tab.

It looks fkn great. And I mean, amazing. The marketing really didn't do it justice - it made it seem super stylised for some reason. It's honestly just like a massively upgraded DA:I - they clearly saw they were doing it right that game and chose to develop it further. Everywhere we went, I felt like I was properly in Thedas again, and I super super wanted to dive into the screen and have a little ocean swim at some points.

Sidequests were all excellent. No more wasting time with busy work, every side quest felt like it was worth the effort, either for a little satisfying side content, or puzzle solving. And they matter more in the outcome of the area, too.

Your decisions have outcomes later in the game, and the game makes it explicitly clear this is happening because you did this. As someone with limited time on their hands, I didn't want to save scum or end up irritated because I didn't realise I was making a key decision.

I thought the companions were an amazing bunch, and I enjoyed getting to know all of them. The quests did an amazing job of making me feel like I was a leader trying to get to know the people they were trusting with so many lives - I felt like I was putting effort into my relationships and being rewarded for it.

The ending quests were fantastic. I bawled my eyes out at The Reveals.

The CULTURAL differences!! We are NOT in the south any longer, and also decades have passed since the attitudes and actions of some key characters in the series. I love that Rook's outlook on spirits, mages, and other things seems to be different from our past heroes. I love that things are different here. The vice grip of the Andrastian chantry is not present here, and that was a culture shock for me. We've been hearing this whole time from characters with different 'unusual' outlooks on life, usually because they came from the places we visit in this game. Now we really get to see it.

The sorta 'key' NPCs, Isabela, Teia & Viago, Antoine & Evka, the Viper and Tarquin, Irilen and Strife were all amazing.

The Good

The music was lovely. I missed Trevor Morris - I feel like he captured Thedas best, and there were no moments where the soundtrack hit me like In Hushed Whispers and Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts - but the music was definitely great.

We got a LOT of closure on big, big questions. I'm sure the lore people will point out some inconsistencies or whatever, but for me it answered and satisfied all of my questions in a big big way. Felt pretty good to have guessed correctly on some things too!

I love that you got some input in the Inquisitor's actions, instead of it being determined by only your 'past choices' selection. In the light of what were uncovering, that was extremely appreciated. I'm still not sure I made the right decision, but what happened and what can happen definitely felt like proper closure on the Solavellan era that tied me up SO bad for a while.

The romances (and I've seen them all, if only played Lucanis) were fulfilling, although I agree with some comments they might have been paced better. Lucanis' lock-in scene was particularly confusing - how it goes down makes perfect sense for the character don't get me wrong, but some follow up would have been nice.

I love the companion relationships that blossom when you have your romance locked in. There was a little set-up that made me jealous between Neve and Lucanis early on though. :)

What I Sorta Wished were Different

The pacing of the whole story felt quite... idk. It seemed all piled towards the end, in a way. The main quests definitely didn't seem to tell a continuous thread like the DA:I quests did - there was a kind of theming and stuff with those that DA:V doesn't seem to have. That being said, there was nothing about the main story I didn't enjoy as such.

I wished we could hear a little more about our decisions from past games. Even a few codices would have been nice.

The Well of Sorrows should have mattered.

It would have been nice to get more variation in armour. There were lots in DAI that seemed to fit my character thematically, I didn't really find any for Rook I really loved. I thought some of the companion armours were a little gaudy looking too.

[adamwatchesmovies]

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Taika Waititi is a big name now so I'm not sure I can call What We Do in the Shadows a hidden gem, but it FEELS like a hidden gem. Outrageously funny, this satirical mockumentary on vampires happily takes a stake to the bloodsuckers but also loves them. Try to keep an eye and ear out for countless clever references between the wild fits of laughter.

A documentary crew (wearing crucifixes) follow four vampire roommates who share a flat in Wellington. Viago (Taika Waititi) is the 379 year-old prissy and motherly household member who tries to keep everyone in line. Vladislav (Jemaine Clement) is 862 and fondly remembers his tyrannical days as “The Poker”. At 183, Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) is the “young rebel” of the group. In the basement, Petyr (Ben Fransham) sleeps in a stone coffin and generally keeps to himself… not that the others mind. The 8,000 year-old vampire kinda creeps them out.

Basically, we’re following a bunch of dorks through their day-to-day misadventures. These vampires would be pathetic if they weren’t so endearing. Out of touch with mortals for hundreds of years, they struggle with things we take for granted, such as getting into outfits that will get them invited into clubs. If only they could look at themselves in a mirror! Too bad vampires don’t cast a reflection. They stick out like sore thumbs everywhere they go but no one would ever believe they’re supernatural creatures. I know when I think vampire, I don’t picture a bunch of guys who pull pranks on unsuspecting victims by hypnotizing them and who only manage to be scary when they jump out of a closet yelling “BOO!”

In another movie, you might grow to dislike the vampires as they murder people while the camera crew follows them. Not today. Anyone who crosses their path kinda deserves it ‘cause come on! How could you be dumb enough to willingly enter these guys’ lair? Deacon has been promising to his familiar, Jackie (Jackie Van Beek) that he will turn her into a vampire for years - why she wants to become one is a mystery to everyone watching - but he’s clearly just stringing her along so he can have someone to clean up the blood from the kitchen floor after a meal. The more you learn about them, the more their eccentricities emerge and the funnier it gets. There's a scene where a vampires tries to show off his ability to transform and he botches it so badly it's the funniest thing I've seen in years.

At 85 minutes, What We Do In the Shadows is just the right length. It moves quickly from one joke to another. So fast, in fact, you may miss more than one gag while trying to compose yourself. And then, just as you wonder what aspect of vampirism is left to be lampooned, the movie’s over. Aww man! Already?

I’m not equipped to tell you just how hilarious What We Do In the Shadows is. I can’t even tell you what my favourite part was because I can’t choose. I can tell you to stick around for the end credits (all the way to the end) to get the maximum enjoyment out of it. This film only gets better the more you know about vampire stories, and even if you don't, it will have you in stitches. (April 5, 2019)

[marcell-arts]

snippets from Rookie XII

Rook suffers the consequence of freeing captives with Varric. Viago is faced with a tough decision between duty and love.

Rookie stumbles into the Diamond with Santiago slumped against her, and Viago's face is white.

"What have you done."  

Rookie trembles. "Santiago is injured. He needs—"

"Dareth. Jacobus. Help Santiago to the Infirmary," Viago interrupts coldly. 

The two Fledgelings hurry over silently, and take Santiago's heavy body from her grasp. Leaving her alone with her livid mentor. 

There is shouting coming from further inside the Diamond. She recognises the voices of the Talons, and her name spat with vitriol. He grabs her upper arm roughly and drags her back outside. 

"V-Viago! Where are we going?" she gasped as they exited the same way she came. The outside courtyard was deserted. He threw her up against the wall. 

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" he said, scarily quiet. 

She swallowed. "I did the right thing. There were captives. Antivans. I had to set them free." 

He slammed the wall beside her head. "You have no idea what is going on!"

"Well, you never tell me anything!" 

"You blew up an entire Antaam camp! Do you think they're going to let that slide? That they will not retaliate?" 

Rookie bristled. "And what, we should just roll over, belly-up after all they've done to us?" 

Viago gritted his teeth. "We are not rolling over. We were lying in wait! We had a plan. A counter-strike that would take out their blockade. If we take out the blockade, we can stop their supplies, and slowly choke them out of Treviso. But you? You just took out one camp," he hissed, "Out of the ten here. Overall, you have done nothing except make them slightly more annoyed. They have the means to make another. And while they lose almost nothing, they are going to make us pay." 

Rookie's face paled. "Viago, I didn't—" 

"—You didn't think? You didn't know?" His eyes were piercing. "Your job is to follow orders! You have just cost the lives of your fellow Crows today and Santiago was nearly one of them." Rookie flinched.

He lowered his voice and dropped his head closer. "Maybe no one died tonight, but they will die tomorrow when the Antaam strike back. And the days after that. We cannot launch our counter-strike now when they are on the alert. You have no idea what you've set in motion." 

Rookie let out a pained whimper. "Viago, I didn't know! How could I have known?"

"You should have trusted me!" he snapped, "You always trust me! Except this time, when I needed it the most. There is more at stake here than just you and me." He pulled his head back with a sharp inhale, clearly trying to calm himself. 

Rookie's lip trembled. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't realise. Forgive me, I—"

Viago clenched his eyes shut. "Rookie, they want you dead."

"What?" she said in confusion. 

Viago opened his eyes slowly. "The Talons want your head. For what you've done." He took a deep breath, his voice wavering, "They're asking me to take control my Crows and my House. To set an example and kill you." His voice broke on the last sentence.  

Read Rookie on ao3

[thebonerpit]

I finished Veilguard ;_;

Overall I really enjoyed it. I do have some issues but I also have a lot of things I absolutely adore. And tbh it's hard to judge it only on one playthrough because I feel like I missed a lot of companion dialogue etc. It's hard to compare it to any of the other games that I've had YEARS with y'know?

So spoilery things under the cut, be warned! And a lot of yapping.

I called Varric being dead about halfway through. As soon as that scene happened where he was like "ahh I'm tired, I need to go lay down" I was like oh either he's only alive because the Fade is sustaining him and it's draining slowly or he died back at the ritual, and yup. I'm actually kind of shocked they went there tbh! He's never been a favourite for me so I was ok with it but yeah it was wild.

DORIANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!! Oh my god the scream I scrumpt when he showed up. And he looks gooooood oh boy. And MAE! Literally the two characters I wanted to see the most ha ha. I was absolutely terrified something was going to happen to him though. I specifically saved Minrathous instead of Treviso in case he might have been hurt, and I didn't make him Archon because I thought it would make him a target. But I think he's fine regardless which is a relief lol.

I genuinely teared up the first time we meet the Inquisitor. The music in the background omg ;_; Hearing her voice again was incredible. I cannot BELIEVE all the shit that happened in the South though. I was reading those reports with my face like :OOOOOOOO the entire time. Redcliffe, Denerim, Kirkwall, all destroyed? WHAT? It kind of gives me some great ideas for fic though lol. I'm not upset about it because I think there's of course an opportunity for them to rebuild and they never said "hey btw all the characters left in the South are dead" so I'm saying they're not. The Skyhold mention also made me cry ha ha. Same with the conversation with Harding where she talks about all the Inquisition companions. I definitely think they did surprisingly well with callbacks to that game without basically any choices carrying over. Clearly some things were vague and they couldn't include everyone but I was actually quite happy.

Prince Sebastian Vael mention!!!!! Lmao I also screamed at that.

I loved seeing all the characters from the comics and Tevinter Nights show up like Strife, Antoine and Evka, Teia and Viago, etc. That helped to make it feel a lot more connected to the DA universe for me. Also some other cameos like VALTA (sort of lol), Johanna Hezenkoss, and Felassan ;_;

However, I'm really disappointed that there was literally NO mention of Fenris. He was with so many of those characters in that comic and some of them talk about their adventures, yet no one says oh btw Fenris was there too?? CRAZY. Also sad that neither Zevran or Merrill showed up simply because the story would have been incredibly relevant to include them. Instead we get Isabela... yay :/.

So the romance... once again I fucked myself over. I romanced Davrin and I was absolutely loving it. My Rook was as stoic as I could make her, down to business type, and she meshed so well with Davrin. They were absolutely adorable with Assan and they had such a cute scene where they admitted they were really falling for each other... AND THEN HE FUCKING DIED. WITH ASSAN. I was getting war flashbacks of Alistair lmao. I made him the leader of the other team because I trusted him to get the job done and I mean he did I guess?? But wow I did not expect any of your companions to die. And it HAS to be either him or Harding. Both of those options are so hard but did I really need to pick my fucking romance /sob. I didn't go back on my choice though because I'm fine with a bit of tragedy in my first run anyway but yeah it was pretty devastating. It was feeling very 'Mass Effect 2 suicide mission' so I was like great I've done all of their personal quests, relationships are maxed, we are GOOD... screw you Bioware lol.

The companions overall were... fine? Idk the only ones I really loved were Davrin, Emmrich, and Harding. I just felt like it was almost too easy to have everyone like Rook, and like each other. I missed Fenris and Anders constantly at each others throats. I missed Morrigan absolutely destroying Alistair every time he opened his mouth. I missed Blackwall and Dorian bickering but slowly growing into friends. There was almost NONE of that. Davrin and Lucanis had the tiniest bit of conflict and I got a few scrappy dialogues between Emmrich and Taash but they were all resolved so quickly. I wonder if the reactions to characters like Sera and Vivienne scared them off writing more complexity. Sadly Lucanis in particular was disappointing but I think he was much more closed off because I didn't save Treviso so maybe I'll get more out of him next time.

In the same vein, I didn't love how there were basically no opportunities to get disapproval from the companions. I think there was only one big moment where there were approval/disapproval notifs but almost all the rest were constant approvals. I liked the fact that in the previous games it was at least moderately difficult to get along with everyone in one playthrough. Like if you were bffs with Vivienne it's likely Solas would not have liked you. In this game I don't even think it's possible to have low approval?

One thing I really loved was the reactivity to your background! I played Mourn Watch and not only did I get a bunch of amazing dialogue options but I had special dialogue with Emmrich which was SO SWEET. I decided not to romance him because the Rook I made just didn't feel like a good match but man it was so cute to see them talking about life in the Necropolis and having someone who understood that. Really curious to see what the other factions have!

Combat was super fun as a warrior with the Reaper specialization. I was a necrotic damage machine lol. Throwing the shield was AMAZING and it gave you so much more range and motion in battle. I liked synchronizing abilities between party members and it was nice to not have to have 1 rogue, 1 mage, 1 warrior since the abilities can still work in a lot of different configurations. I wish the companions did a BIT more in battle... I definitely prefer the Inquisition AI for that for sure.

There were a lot of insane lore reveals (eg. the Evanuris originally being spirits and stealing Titan blood/life force to make their bodies was... WHAT) and most of them I thought were cool or interesting. I personally loved the teaser at the end for the Executors but I guess a lot of people didn't? Idk I don't agree that it invalidates any of the previous antagonists motivations or whatever because we don't know anything about what type of influence they would have had over them. It's way too early to speculate but I would be HYPE for that to play a role in a sequel (and maybe see what's actually "across the sea"???)

Ok I could really go on forever here lol but I want to finish with the ending. I thought it was beautifully done. I got the "true" ending where you use Mythal's essence to convince Solas to bind himself to the Veil (which, tbh, was very "Loki becomes the World Tree" y/y?) and my Inquisitor went with him. I think for a romanced Lavellan it's perfect imho. I don't know if it would have the same impact with another Inquisitor but idk even the whole scene with Mythal basically releasing Solas from servitude to her was quite emotional. Solas as a presence in this game was one of the best parts and I wish we had more convos with him in the Fade!

[corvus-frugilegus]

OKAY BUT YOUR TAGS ALSO!!

#the canon of veilguard in my head is that Emmrich has unwittingly been giving them both romantic advice without knowing it #like Rook will go to Emmrich for advice on ways to help with Spite acting up etc. while Lucanis is like asking him about his life experienc #both subtly trying to get insight into the other/how to handle romance and Emmrich is unaware until Lucanis asks for the recipe and is like #oh. #Neve clocked it all super early seeing Lucanis and Rook on a mission together and has just been watching it all play out #teasing all the while of course #but i bet he and Bel like to chat sometimes about their romance novels and such and she eventually figures it out after a while #bc i'm betting Lucanis always disguises his advice seeking in other forms #he rarely asks outright #i think he's scared to actually talk about things (then it becomes Something. Then it's tangible in the world. Other people could hear. #other people could take advantage of it. It's something he can lose.) #eventually she's just like 'i think you should just be yourself and tell Rook how you feel' #and lucanis like 'what do you mean?? :)' (acting casual) #bel is like 'you're reading books about a protagonist leading against impossible odds who falls in love with one of their inner circle- #theyve been popular since the 5th Blight in ferelden. but it's kind of........... telling.'

Like this has so many layers because of the teams dynamics too! Bel and Neve being close and knowing exactly what's going down??? There's no way they aren't Discussing. And like the amount of tension that builds up between Rook and Lucanis after the almost kiss? (My take on it at any rate is that Rook's probably trying to give him space about it because they think that's what he needs... But then Lucanis is freaking out because he has real feelings for them and also it seems like they're maybe avoiding him now and so clearly he's fucked it all up). The team is collectively READY for the weird vibe to be over. Like I feel like even the folks who haven't figured out that they're into each other have felt the weirdness?

The way both of them are talking during inner demons makes the whole thing extra funny to me. Like in Lucanis's Mind Ossuary they're both outright like "I can't lose you!!!" and then referring to themselves as a "we" and looking at each other with so much affection in front of Viago and Teia. It almost feels like that's the point where they really fall into being a unit- it just takes them both a few days to figure it out and indirectly acknowledge it. Because talking about a feeling directly would probably make at least one of them implode (both depending on the Rook).

when you don't romance Lucanis he opens up about his anxiety of making dessert for Neve, so like, does a romanced Lucanis open up like that with another companion

[izzy-b-hands]

Viago: So, as you know, since Katherine and I opened up our relationship-

Cut to a shot of Katherine surrounded by shirtless vampires, though by their trouser style and still-on cravats, they're all clearly from the same time period as Viago. She has a Type.

Viago: We've both been exploring lots of new feelings and new wants and well...

He blushes as Anton pops up behind him, waving.

Viago: One of my new wants is...Anton! Actually, the only new one so far-

Deacon, unseen in background: What about that orgy we all had?! I thought you had fun at the orgy?

Viago: I did, but I spent most of it with Katherine and Anton! (to camera, whispered) I think his memory is going the older he gets; what a shame.

Deacon: It is not, and I can hear you, you know!

Viago: I can come say it to your face-

Anton: Hey, hey! There's no need. It's alright. You're both just riling each other up now.

Viago: We are, we are. You're so good at that!

Anton: I lead a conflict resolution class, actually. Only once a month though.

--

We cut to a shot outside of a plain looking building. A foldable sign out front lists the time for a new night session of Anton's conflict resolution class.

Another shot through an open window shows a circle of people of all sorts sat together, including Anton, speaking to everyone, and a delighted Viago watching him.

Back to our talking heads, outside of the building while the class participants walk to their respective cars/transport.

Anton: It was really well attended, better than the late afternoon sessions! I might start holding more of them at night. Well, as long as my teaching assistant can come along.

Viago: I think he could make that happen.

They kiss, softly and briefly, before a nervous and giggly look to the camera. Clearly this is their first time kissing on camera in front of the crew.

--

An intermission type card tells us a week has passed. We then cut to a shot of the vampires' home at night, windows lit up with light and sound. Loud sounds. Potentially bad sounds.

Viago, clothes torn: So, things are okay! I know they don't seem like it, but-

A crash interrupts him, and a shirtless and bloody Anton falls down the stairs into the foyer.

He stands, looking absolutely like shit, and limps over to cling to Viago.

Anton: It'll be over soon, yeah?

Viago: Yeah. Just your body dying, and unfortunately it still hurts. You think the worst of it is passed?

Anton nods.

Viago: Okay, we'll get you a bath-

Anton whines, slightly dog-like in nature (think a v sweet golden retriever that for whatever reason really does not want a bath.)

Viago: I know, but you're a mess, my love!

Docu Crew Member: Did...did he ask you to turn him?

Viago and Anton nod.

Anton: Not sure what being a vampire and werewolf will be like. But I was sick of our schedules never matching up, and I already can't do things during the day too close to the full moon.

Cut to B roll footage clearly taken over multiple days, in the day time, near the full moon. Each brief shot shows Anton stopping to scratch against things like a dog, barking at a cat while people walk past him and stare, and finally him chasing a squirrel through a park.

Anton: So, I thought hey! Why not make it so we can spend time together more often, and I can get a night shift job and just take days off near the full moon as needed!

Viago: I'm excited. We've got dates planned, some with Katherine, when she gets back from her cruise.

Cut to a shot of Katherine sat in a cruise ship's ballroom, taking shots from vampires of various genders, but all turned at a much older age like she was. They're dancing and supping on drug and alcohol infused blood and having the time of their lives.

Viago: But for now, it's the two of us.

They turn to gaze at each other, and Viago gently pushes the camera away as Anton kisses him hard and pulls him towards the stairs and presumably whichever bedroom wasn't completely wrecked while Anton finished turning from werewolf only to vampire/werewolf

The camera person hesitates a few steps towards the stairs, then thinks better of it, and the camera shuts off.

[vigilskeep]

I just started playing a Crow Rook and literally WHAT is going on between Rook & Viago. Why is he so worried about them, why does he care?? It’s not like they’re actually his kid or something…? Rook could probably even be his same age. & we know it’s not a romantic thing! Would love to know your thoughts on it. It’s giving me Hawke & Meeran for some reason lmao

i think they left this open to player headcanon in a way that i personally find delightful and entertaining. the incontrovertible canon facts are that he worries about them, that he is distinctly less bearable when they’re not around, that he has so much faith in them that he puts all their failures down to them being thoughtless or acting out on purpose, and that he expresses all of this via frustration when it’s clearly love. why and how we got to this point is up to you!

so i can only really talk about how i’ve been interpreting that. to Me, viago is so uptight and distrustful that i would struggle to believe in this dynamic if he hadn’t known rook for a really long time. which makes sense, because crows who belong to a house grow up together. i mentioned this way back when we first saw footage of him with rook de riva, but to me he talks to you a lot like an older family member who still kind of thinks of you as a kid. i read into it as him acting sort of like the equivalent of an older brother with a big like 5 or 10 year age gap, but that is obviously dependent on your rook’s age and feelings

i am going to delve into closely-canon-based headcanon territory for a moment but show my workings as i do it. viago is not from a crow family like lucanis. he is not related to whoever was his predecessor as house de riva’s guildmaster. he is a royal bastard who elected to join the crows rather than be exiled, because that is, for some fucking reason, the system they have in place. since his memories prior to the crows are distant boyhood ones, and the crows typically start training early, i think we can guess that he was at most a teenager when he joined the house

please take a moment to picture lanky teenage viago de riva, with all his distrust and temper, accustomed until now to certain noble comforts, terrible at making friends, inclined less towards physical strength and more towards poisons and the fantasy equivalent of excel spreedsheets. does anyone honestly think for a second that when this kid arrived, all house de riva’s scrappy cutthroat embittered crow recruits didn’t immediately smell blood in the water? does anyone honestly think he would have had a good fun time or been well-liked? that he eventually rose to talon by asking nicely or indeed anything other than his ability to cultivate fear as the foremost poisoner in the entire antivan crows? does anyone, for that matter, believe that every crow knows how good at poisoning viago de riva is because his afaik unmentioned predecessor died of super 100% natural causes?

and if rook de riva grew up with viago—which as i said, makes sense!—that would mean they were there. if they’re close enough now to, despite everything they did, have no fear of their talon and for him to be completely incapable of anything harsher than calling them an idiot, isn’t it reasonable to assume they must have been, then, the one person he had? the person who chose and kept choosing to stand by him during all that, when he was the easiest target in the house and it was still a very foolish gamble to make. young and impulsive, sure, but who else would have backed him? young and impulsive, but also so brilliant and determined that he firmly believes there’s no dragon they couldn’t chase away. if we accept all those workings, isn’t the question less why does he love them, and more: how could he not?

[jazy3]

Free Guy Review

!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

If you haven’t seen the movie Free Guy (2021) stop reading right now! Drop what you’re doing and go get yourself a ticket! You’ll thank me later!

I loved this movie! I saw it this weekend for the second time because it’s that good! I first saw the trailer on YouTube a while back and then when theatres reopened a few weeks ago I saw the trailer again and my interest was piqued. I had high hopes for this movie based on the fun looking trailer, the premise, the cast, and the sense of fun and escapism that the movie seemed to embody and it did not disappoint. It’s always nice when you have high hopes for something and it meets or exceeds your expectations.

Free Guy is just such a fun and joyous movie. Never taking itself too seriously, packed with lots of heart, cool cameos, full of gaming and pop culture references, and it’s fueled by a unique concept that is well executed. There are just so many things I loved about this movie! It was a ton of fun to watch and the actors clearly had a blast making it. During the movie I kept trying to figure out where I knew most of the actors from but couldn’t place them. When I got home, I googled it and I instantly realized why. The roles are just so different and the actors embody their characters so completely you lose yourself in the film and get completely sucked in. I was honestly so surprised when I figured out what I knew most of the actors from because the roles that they’re known for are so different from their characters in the movie. Their appearances, established ages, and even the accents are so different that I literally did a double take, but that’s what makes the movie so good! Because the main actors obviously didn’t need the paycheque they were just there to have fun and it shows. I think if the situation had been different and the actors involved had been desperate for money or took the role for some other reason it wouldn’t have worked. The film would have come off as cheesy, forced, cringeworthy, or just plain bad. Free Guy is none of those things. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as ‘Guy’ a bank teller in a video game called Free City, Jodie Comer whose best known for playing Villanelle in Killing Eve as programmer Millie Rusk and her avatar Molotov Girl, Joe Keery whose best known for playing Steve Harrington in Stranger Things as programmer Walter ‘Keys’ McKey, and Taika Waititi whose best known for playing Viago in What We Do in the Shadows as the Head of Soonami Studios and the film’s main antagonist and villain Antwan. Rounding out the cast are Utkarsh Ambudka as programmer Mouser and Lil Rel Howery as Guy’s best friend and bank security guard Buddy. In a nutshell, Free Guy is about a bank teller named Guy who finds out he’s a non-playable background character (NPC) in an open-world Grand Theft Auto style video game called Free City. Guy becomes the hero of his own story after meeting Millie, the girl of his dreams, and winning fans all over the world by racking up points by being the good guy and helping others. After leveling up and helping Millie escape a dangerous situation in the game, Guy wins her over and she falls for him thinking that he’s another player. But when the world that Guy knows and all of the people in it are threatened, he teams up with Millie to save his friends before it’s too late. In the real world, Millie enlists the help of her former programming partner and best friend Keys in a race against time to stop their code and all of the sentient characters from Free City from being deleted by Antwan the developer who stole their code when the game’s sequel launches. I love that the movie had a unique premise and didn’t overcomplicate things. There are so many movies that I’ve gone to see over the last few years with such excitement only to be disappointed. For example, I loved Wreck It Ralph, but was so disappointed by its sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet. The trailers made it seem like it would take the premise of the first movie and move things into the online gaming world, and I was excited for that. Instead, the sequel left the premise of the first movie behind entirely and way over complicated the plot and the end result was extremely cheesy and disappointing. Free Guy’s strength is that it’s a self-aware movie made by self-aware people who are excellent at what they do. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously, nor should it, and that allows the story to flow and the characters to feel real and genuine. The movie achieves that perfect balance between being entertaining and telling a cohesive and important story because while the movie never takes itself too seriously the people behind it are serious about what they do. This was very clearly a passion project for all involved, especially Ryan Reynolds, and it shows! As he’s spoken about in interviews and on Twitter, Reynolds called on a lot of his friends to be in Free Guy and help him out and the end result was fantastic! I loved all of the cameos! The Chris Evans cameo was by far the funniest and the Alex Trebek cameo got me right in the feels. When I saw the movie in theatres me and everyone else in the theatre gave a collective “awww” when he appeared on screen. Enlisting real YouTubers to show up as fictional versions of themselves to talk about Blue Shirt Guy’s popularity was a nice touch and you’ve also got blink and you miss it voice cameos by John Krasinski, Dwyane The Rock Johnson, Hugh Jackman, and Tina Fey. Channing Tatum appears as the avatar of player Revenjamin Buttons which for the most part was hilarious. One of my few criticisms of the film is that they went a bit overboard the avatar’s antics as Guy and Buddy are attempting to leave and it got bit a cringeworthy. But I know other people found it hilarious so to each their own. I love all of the little details and references in the movie. Just listing them all would be a post in itself. If you’re someone that loves pop culture references and Easter Eggs this is the movie for you. The characters are fun and believable, and you get attached to them quickly. The actors commit completely to their roles which is makes the humour, romance, and heartfelt emotion of the film work. You buy it. 100%. Something that I absolutely loved was that the characters felt realistic and that the dialogue, attire, and settings for each character really felt authentic. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched a movie or TV show and walked away thinking, “The person who wrote that clearly never meet a kid, teenager, or twenty something in their life! That was so unrealistic.” The slang’s all wrong. The dialogue is so eloquent everyone sounds like they did Shakespeare in the Park last summer. You walk away thinking, “What the hell was that? No one talks that way!” What I loved about the characters in Free Guy is that they felt like real people you could actually run into or walk past on the street. I’ve read in interviews that in addition to the written dialogue the cast did a lot of ad-libbing and improvisation and the end result is both hilarious and relatable. The dialogue feels real because it is. The big exception to this of course is Antwan who is altogether off the wall and ridiculous. Antwan is such an outrageous, absurd, vulgar, and cartoonish character. He’s so fun to watch and the actors clearly had a lot of fun with his scenes! I’ve read that a lot of his lines with Keys and Mouser were improvised and I believe it. When he goes all Jack Nicholson on the servers? Lord. He’s such a great villain to watch. The characters that are established to be in their twenties like Millie, Keys, Mouser, and the other employees at Soonami Studios talk, act, and dress like they’re in their twenties. The actors that are in their forties are styled to look like they’re in their thirties and honestly, they’re in such great shape it works! I mean I was honestly shocked to find out Taika Waititi’s real age. I love how the costuming really fits each character and allows you to learn more about them. Keys’ clothing is your typical gamer chic which makes because as we learn from his interview with Millie coding is his life and what gets him up in the morning. From Mouser’s clothing we learn that he’s a sports fan, but also isn’t afraid to take risks like with that blazer ensemble he wears in his final scene at Millie’s apartment.

Millie’s clothing shows the contrast between her and her avatar Molotov Girl, and Antwan’s ridiculous coat enhances the overall wackiness of his character. Guy’s clothing tells us something too. He wears the same thing every day until he meets Millie in the game at which point, he starts deviated from his Free City programming and chooses a different blue shirt. I also really love that they put thought into why Keys needs to wear glasses. Something I noticed on rewatch is that Keys is far sighted which is why he has his glasses on when he’s looking at his laptop or computer and sometimes when’s talking to other people, but not when he goes to see Millie at her apartment or when he goes to get them coffee at the end of the movie. Another interesting aspect of Keys’ character that I noticed on rewatch is self-confidence is really something he struggles with in contrast to Millie and Mouser who are very confident. Millie is a genius programmer and Mouser is excellent at what he does, and they are both very confident in their coding abilities, but Keys isn’t despite being every bit the genius that Millie is. At the beginning of the movie when they first notice the issue with Guy Mouser jokes that Keys needs to be better at his job. In response Keys meekly says he thinks he’s pretty good at his job and trails off at the end. Mouser is just joking around, but because Keys lacks self-confidence comments like that hit him hard. Mouser is moving towards his own desk as he talks so he doesn’t notice how self-deprecating and uneasy Keys’ response is. In the interview from the indie games conference that Millie plays for Keys at his apartment, he brushes off the interviewers comment that he’s a genius and says Millie is the real genius because she created the AI engine and he just wrote the code to make it work. Later on, when Keys helps Millie get into the stash house, she calls him a genius and he tells her that as he’s currently sitting on a toilet stealing user code he doesn’t exactly feel like one. Millie responds offhandedly that he never does, but luckily, she knows better. When Keys realizes that Millie was right, and that Antwan did steal their code and their game worked he tells Millie they need to celebrate because once everyone sees their build she’ll be celebrated and she could win a noble prize. Both Millie and Keys are geniuses in their own right. The game wouldn’t have worked without both of their skills and Guy wouldn’t have come to life without both of them working together. Millie’s AI engine made his sentience possible, but Keys is the one who gave him hopes and dreams so that when he met Millie in the game, he came alive. When done right the settings we see tell the story just as much as the characters do and I love how realistic the settings in Free Guy look. The floor at Soonami Studios where Keys and Mouser work looks like a real office and I love that the desks have clutter and personal effects on them like real cubicles do and that they show Keys taking a box of his stuff with him as he leaves. The lobby with the moving water videos and Antwan’s massive but largely empty office fits perfectly with the obnoxious, zany, and over the top character that he is. I also love the contrast between Keys and Millie’s apartments and how those settings tell us a lot about each character and where they are in their lives when the film starts. When Keys comes home from work to find that Millie has broken in, we see that he lives in a stylish one bedroom apartment with an open concept kitchen full of stainless steel appliances, a large living room centred around an expensive wall mounted TV and entertainment system, with his computer and gaming station set up in the corner. On the walls we see artful clusters of black picture frames, through a partially open door we see a bedroom off to the side, the apartment is full of black and white furniture including a plush couch and nice lamps, and features a textured silver accent wall. All of which makes the fact that Millie managed to break in even more impressive because it is clearly an expensive apartment in a nice building. Keys’ style is minimalist and upper scale and based on what we learn about the events that took place before the start of the movie this indicates that Keys got the apartment and all of the nice stuff in it using the money he received when Antwan bought his and Millie’s game. In contrast, Millie lives in a bachelor apartment and spends her time in coffee shops ordering one single black coffee over four hours. This tells us that she kept her original apartment that she had from before the game was sold and is living off the money she got from the sale while she spends all of her time trying to find the proof she needs to win her lawsuit. When we see Millie’s place, we find that it’s cozy, full of plants, throw rugs, quilts, and comfy furniture. She’s got a bike in the corner, you can see her bed from the centre of the room where she’s got her computer and gaming station set up adjacent to the coffee table and the rest of the living room furniture. Her kitchen is smaller and full of wooden cabinets and her bathroom door has DIY multicoloured square panels on it. Keys and Millie’s apartments are very different and through these settings we see the contrast between where these characters are in their lives, their wealth, and their personal style. The song ‘Fantasy’ by Mariah Carey is featured heavily in the film and is guaranteed to get stuck in your head in the best way! Jodie Comer’s cover of it is amazing! It fits the moment where Guy makes it to the island that is Millie and Keys’ original build and shows it to the world perfectly. This movie made me appreciate Mariah Carey’s music in a whole new way and I can’t be the only way. After watching the movie, I went looking for the song on Apple Music, wound up listening to the Mariah Carey Essentials Playlist, and I’ve become obsessed. I knew some of her hits, but after listening to her music more I get why people love her so much. Her five octave vocal range is amazing, and her music is just so fun to listen to. The film has a really great soundtrack overall and I’ve had many of its song on repeat since I saw it. Something I really loved about this movie and the reveal at the end that Keys is in love with Millie and is desperate for her to notice, but she’s been oblivious the whole time is that they don’t do the supposedly nice nerdy guy whose really a jerk trope. So many movies do this where you have a nerdy male character whose unluckily love, looked over, or his love is unrequited, and we’re supposed to root for him because he’s a quote “nice guy”. But really, he’s not. He’s a jerk who feels slighted because a woman in his life doesn’t love him back or notice him and he feels as if she owes him something. The scene at Millie’s place where Millie tells Keys he looks cute when he brags, and Mouser encourages him to tell Millie how he feels is super frustrating to watch but it’s so important to Keys’ character. He asks Millie out for coffee and when she turns him down to jump back into the game, he doesn’t make a big deal about it even though Mouser wants him to. Instead he gets up and goes and gets her a coffee anyway. She goes to tell him her order, oblivious to the fact that he’s memorized it, he tells her he remembers, and goes to get the coffee anyway much to Mouser’s and the audience’s dismay. This is big because Keys clearly doesn’t want to be walking down the street by himself to get coffee. He wants to be getting coffee with Millie so that he can tell her how he feels to see if she might feel the same way, but when she turns him down he goes and gets the coffee anyway because he truly loves and cares about her and he values their friendship enough to put his own feelings aside and suffer in silence rather than lose her and what they’ve built. So, he takes the opportunity to get some air rather than continue to sit there in disappointment. Which is why he’s so confused when Millie runs after him and calls out to him from across the street. He doesn’t understand what she’s doing there. She turned down his offer to get a coffee and he already knows her order so why is she there? I love that they chose to make that scene non-verbal. I think if Millie had come out and made some big declaration of love it would have felt cheesy and overdone. But her running after him and silently communicating through her smile and body language that she understood and that she felt the same way was perfect. It was subtle and beautiful and perfectly acted. It also felt realistic to the characters because in real life when you’ve known someone a really long time and you’ve spent a lot of time with them you don’t always need words to convey what you mean. What Millie wanted to express in that scene was so big and so all-encompassing she couldn’t find the words to say everything that she wanted to say so she didn’t. She just stood there and smiled knowing that being the genius that he is he would understand. It’s like Keys says in their interview, words will fail you, but code never does. His coding worked and now she understands so rather than try and say it all and fail she just looks at him and smiles to show him that she finally gets it. She finally understands what he’s been trying to say to her all this time. And you can see the exact moment Keys realizes why she’s there. The moment where he goes from being confused as to what she wants to realizing that she saw the video and she knows how he feels and that she wouldn’t be standing there smiling at him like that if she didn’t feel the same way. When I watched the scene the first time around, I was anxiously clutching my nachos the entire time because when Keys ran towards her my immediate thought was, “Oh my god he’s gonna get hit by a car and they’re never gonna get to be together! Oh my god!” But then he didn’t get hit by a car and Millie ran out to meet him and for the first time in their relationship she met him halfway and they kissed and it was beautiful! I think because Free City had so much violence in it that’s where my mind went and I’m very glad they didn’t go that route. One of my only criticisms about the movie is that I wish they had stayed on Millie and Keys just a little bit longer. They kiss and embrace and then very quickly they cut to black. I wish they’d linger on that moment just a little bit longer because I love those characters so much and in the scene that follows where Guy and Buddy are reunited we see them hug and then walk away together to start their new lives and I wish we’d gotten just a bit more time with Millie and Keys. I also really loved the parallel between the different kinds of relationships within the movie and how platonic relationships are just as important as romantic ones. The reveal at the end about Guy being Keys’ creation and a love letter to Millie and her realizing she’s been loving Keys vicariously through Guy and them finally coming together and being on the same page is beautiful because from the very beginning the movie is full of clues, hints, and foreshadowing that all comes together at the end. Meanwhile, we see the friendship between Guy and Buddy and how important that friendship is to him because it’s something that he created on his own. His love for Millie is born out of the programming that Keys gave him, but his friendship with Buddy is something that Guy created all on his own of his own volition. Which is part of what makes Buddy’s death on the bridge so tragic. I cried when Buddy disappeared. Reynolds and Howery play their characters with such sincerity that his death pacts an emotional punch you don’t expect. I love that the security guards at Soonami are so moved by Buddy’s heroism and are so captivated by what’s happening with the live stream that Millie is able to sneak past them into the server room and stop Antwan from destroying what’s left of the game. Something else I noticed on rewatch is that during the final battle after Millie gets booted from the game and Guy has to fight Dude on his own the glasses he’s wearing are very similar to the ones Keys wears in the movie which I thought was a cool nod to Guy being Keys’ creation. This really is a movie in which you find something new every time you watch it. For instance, the second time around I noticed that the foreshadowing that Keys is in love with Millie, but she’s oblivious to it because she’s so focused on the game was really well done. In the video from the indie game conference that Millie plays for Keys at his apartment when asked by the interviewer about their chemistry Millie responds first and says that their friends, their relationship is completely platonic, and laughs off the idea that they have chemistry. In contrast Keys falters and is silent and then eventually says meekly that they’re just friends. Millie is looking ahead at the interviewer and to the side away from Keys as she’s laughing and so she doesn’t see Keys’ reaction. At the end of the apartment scene after Millie breaks in to ask Keys for his help, he tells Millie he cares about her and he almost says something else. It feels like he’s about to say, ‘I love you’ but then he catches himself and instead tells her that she needs to leave. When Keys visits Millie’s apartment to tell her that she was right and they’re sitting on the couch he reaches out and puts his hand on her knee and then snatches it back when he realizes he’s gotten too close. He wants so desperately to be closer to her and in his excitement, he gets closer than he normally would before realizing that putting his hand on her knee in that close proximity is not a platonic gesture. Millie is so caught up in the realization that Guy, the person she’s fallen in love with, is an AI and not a real person that she doesn’t notice. My heart broke for Keys in that scene as he realized that Millie had fallen for Guy and kissed him and was so upset about it and meanwhile, he was right in front of her desperate for her to see how much he cares. It must have just wrecked him to go home that night and realize that Guy was based on the lovelorn character he created and that Millie had fallen in love with his creation while at the same time being so oblivious to his real world affection for her. In the scene at Millie’s apartment after they’ve gotten the server from Antwan and Mouser encourages Keys to say something, I noticed on rewatch just how weak and meager Keys’ attempt to ask Millie out is. He stumbles his way through asking her to get a coffee and trails off at the end so it’s no wonder Millie doesn’t clue in that he’s trying to ask her out. And in Keys’ defence he sent her a whole video confessing his feelings for her and all of the little things he loves about her and then told her to watch it and he has no idea if she did or not. We the audience know that Millie only saw half of it, but Keys has no idea if she saw none of it, part of it, or all of it. He knows she got Guy to remember, but she’s also sending him mixed messages. One minute she’s saying he’s cute when he brags and the next, she’s turning him down for coffee to talk to Guy. From the outside it’s so obvious that Keys is in love with Millie, but she doesn’t see it because she’s always looking the other way, not paying attention, so caught up in the game, and too focused on their work to see what’s right in front of her. On rewatch one of the big things I noticed is that Keys is always on the edge of telling Millie how he really feels but he always stops himself because she brushes him or the idea off and because he’s scared of what will become of their work and their friendship if she doesn’t feel the same way. It’s a huge leap. If Millie doesn’t feel the same way it’s going to make their relationship incredibly awkward and could potentially destroy their partnership so Keys decides it’s better not to say anything or only hint at how he feels rather than run the risk of ruining everything. Something else I noticed on rewatch is that in the interview they give Keys says he thinks of himself as an author and that code is what gets him up in the morning and that he loves the ones and zeros of binary because words can fail you and let you down but code never does. At the end of the movie when Millie goes to talk to Guy in Free Life he tells her that he loves her and while he knows that’s his programming he’s realized that he’s a love letter to her and that somewhere out there in the real world is the author. Such a great callback. All in all, I can definitely say that Free Guy has been my favourite movie so far this year! Definitely my favourite movie of the summer. I went to see it twice in theatres and I’ve never done that for any other movie before. I’ll rewatch them at home sure, but I’ve never actually paid money to see something twice on my own. I’m very excited to see the sequel and my hope is that it will be just as good as the first.  Until next time.

[mostlybats-partiallyrats]

Been out of commission this week as a result of certain aspects of my biology that I'd rather not possess. So I've mostly been watching YouTube and Vampire movies. So I guess I'll chronicle my thoughts here:

Interview With The Vampire (1994): what started this whole venture. Really decent movie, loved the costumes. Your average melodramatic gothic horror (loved it). Two things I noticed immediately with this movie that remained pretty consistent throughout: INCONSOLABLY HORNY. Seriously I've never seen a movie where every character except a literal child should go to horny jail (also, the horny is very concentrated between a trio of male characters so... Pretty gay, bro). Holy shit. The second is that Louis will always set something on fire. Usually a building. With varying numbers of people inside. It literally happens three times. So....🔥🔥🔥

[Gif Description: Antonio Banderas as Armand being unnecessarily horny with a lit candle. He runs his hand over the flame and then whinces with pain, pretty much. End ID.]

I think this gif sums up that movie.

The Hunger (1983): didn't even get around to watching this one actually. Only really considered it because of David Bowie and Susan Sarandon (and also some sapphic themes, always nice). Then I just saw that it was too poorly rated by too many people. Maybe I'll watch it at some point for sheer shits and giggles.

[Gif Description: Catherine Deneuve as Miriam, is smoking a cigarette. She has on red lipstick, a pair of dangling earrings, some black leather gloves, and a pair of statement silver sunglasses. End ID.]

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992): somehow even hornier than Interview With The Vampire in some parts. Always a fan of blasphemy against Western Christianity, so that was nice to see. Winona Ryder is always a win in my book, love her. And it was nice to see a younger pre-Matrix Keanu Reeves. Anthony Hopkins did a great job as Dr Van Helsing too. I liked it, very dramatic, tragic, horny (duh), and lots of blood👌

[Gif Description: Sadie Frost as Lucy Westenra after she has been turned into a vampire. Her face is painted white, she is wearing a gaudy wedding dress with a massive round collar, and a wooden cross is seen being held in front of her. She bears her bloodied teeth. End ID.]

Cronos (1993): haven't been able to find this anywhere, but I really wanna watch it, because I like Guillermo Del Toro and I know he has a particular affinity for monsters. So I'm excited to watch this one. As such, there is no gif, I don't wanna spoil it for myself🤐.

What We Do In The Shadows (2014): different from the others because it's a comedy, but I loved it, it was awesome 😊. Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi did so well in making the whole thing awkwardly hilarious. Very quotable and great for if you want a change of pace with vamp movies. Will always bring a smile to my face I think😁

[Gif Description: Taika Waititi as Viago, dressed in old 18th Century European clothing, is using a toothbrush to clean the "teeth" (fangs) of the character Peter. Peter's look is clearly influenced by the 1922 film Nosferatu. He is bald with long pointed ears, pale mottled skin, grey irises, and several long yellowed fangs. He's wearing a simple black cloak. End ID.]

Sidenote: seems like the early 90s was for some reason a really good time for vampire movies. Also I've already seen Lost Boys, a while ago. Maybe I'll watch it again soon, who knows. 🤷 I also wanna watch Nosferatu.

✨💀🥀🦇✨

[metaphorical-love-for-a-car]

Look What the Cat Dragged In-- Viago (WWDITS) x Reader

Request: "Saw this [comic below] and totally thought it would a good idea for a fic as I could totally see my cat Oliver doing this lol 😆" @minigirl87​

Warnings: none!

Word Count: 1k

Notes: sorry its so short :/ writer’s block has been kicking my ass lately

      Viago and Deacon had another fight. The latter neglected his share of the flat chores and refused to put in any effort in maintaining the property. It had taken many years for him to widdle Viago down to his last nerve, but he finally snapped. What would have been them bowing up and hissing at each other turned into a bat-fight. Deacon was more scrappy than Viago was, and he often fought dirty. Viago left before things could get any worse. He planned to stay out as long as possible, not wanting to endure the teasing that was bound to happen when he went back home. Viago grew up learning prose, not how to fight, and the others often gave him grief over it. 

      You had never been the type to live in the middle of the city. You loved nature and the sense of peace it provided. Plus, you wanted to have plenty of room for your cat to explore. He was always getting into something. Speak of the devil, he was pawing at the back door, ready to be let inside. "Alright, alright! Calm down, I'm coming," you laughed. When you pulled the door open, you weren't expecting the fat tabby to come trotting inside with a bat in his mouth. You froze for a moment, unsure of how to react. You finally snapped out of your stupor. "Oliver, no! Drop it!" You grabbed the cat and wrangled the poor creature out of his grasp. It didn't appear that Oliver was trying to harm the bat, but he was clearly annoyed that you had taken it away. You tsked, shaking your head. The bat had a few scratches, but nothing that seemed too serious. 

     You found a cardboard box and put a fluffy blanket in the bottom of it, along with a small bowl of water and some fruit slices. After cleaning the bat's wounds, you placed it in the box. "You can stay here tonight, then we'll figure out where to go next." You figured it would be best to leave the box in the bathroom. If the bat escaped, there wouldn't be much for it to destroy, and Oliver wouldn't be able to get a hold of it. 

     You returned to your desk and desperately tried to focus on the droning phone call. Your boss was addressing the team on unimportant matters that could have easily been explained in an email. Propping your head on your hand, you struggled to stay focused. Your eyes fluttered shut. It wouldn't hurt to rest your eyes for a brief moment... if it had only been a brief moment. A loud thud startled you awake. You groaned, realizing that you had been asleep for several hours. The meeting was long over, and you had quite the angry text from your supervisor about not participating in the group calls. It was nearing five in the morning, and you knew that there was no way you'd be able to go back to sleep after such a rude awakening. You pulled yourself from the chair and stretched your back. You figured that it was just Oliver getting into something again. Another loud thud came from inside the bathroom. Your brows knit together. What could the bat possibly be doing to cause such a racket? You slowly pulled the bathroom door open, only to freeze when you saw a man standing inside. He was wearing vastly outdated clothes, including a cloak that was somehow wrapped around the shower curtain rod. Taking a deep breath, you mustered up the courage to snatch the door wide open. "How the hell did you get in here?" you snapped. The man yelped, stumbling backward with wide eyes. He tumbled to the floor and snatched the curtain rod down with him. "You have ten seconds to explain yourself before I call the cops." He quickly waved his hands in the air.

     "You will walk away and remember nothing of me." You scoffed, mimicking his movements.

     "Your Jedi mind tricks do not work on me." 

     "Damn it! I can never get that right when I'm stressed," he mumbled. The man flashed you an apologetic smile. "I hope I did not scare you. I was about to thank you for your hospitality, but as I was changing from my bat form, I-- er, uh-- had a little mishap." He gestured to the cloak-wrapped curtain rod. You pinched the bridge of your nose, beginning to question your sanity.

     "You're saying that you were the bat? What, are you like... some kind of vampire or something?" His face lit up.

     "Exactly!" You crossed your arms.

     "Okay, prove it." The man sat there for a moment, thinking. He finally returned his gaze to you.

     "Well, I have these fangs. See?" He widened his smile, pointing at the elongated teeth. You pursed your lips. There were three possibilities: 1. He was telling the truth, 2. He was lying and actually snuck into your house to murder you, or 3. You were going insane and hallucinating. You decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and hesitantly sat in front of him. You started untangling his cloak from the curtain rod. He quietly watched.

     "So, Mr. Vampire, you got a name?" He sheepishly laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

     "Oh! Yes, my apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Viago." You held out a hand as you introduced yourself, and he shook it. When you finally freed his cloak, Viago repeatedly thanked you.

     "Don't thank me yet. You're probably gonna be stuck here for a while. The sun should be coming up any minute... this is the only room without windows, so you should probably stay in here... but I can bring in some pillows and blankets, and you can tell me about the wondrous world of vampires?" Viago smiled, nodding.

     "Yes, I'd quite like that."

~*~*~

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Permanent Tag List:

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[boldly-ho]

Another Life - Chapter 13

Fandom: What We Do in the Shadows 

Pairing: Vladislav x Reader

Series Rating: E

Word Count: 2022

Chapter Summary: Reader and her flatmates finally meet the man... the myth... the legend... STU! (I just really love Stu, ok?)

A/N: Ok. Now that all the characters have been introduced, I promise there will be more plot and less filler. Most of the very plotty chapters I have outlined couldn’t happen until everyone was in the picture. As always, cross posted to AO3.

You looked up from your novel when you heard a series of knocks on the door. Viago and Deacon, also having heard it, entered the lounge, both looking a bit more than mildly concerned.

“Are you expecting someone?” Viago asked you in a hushed voice.

You silently shook your head, their air of discretion rubbing off on you.

“Vladislav!” Deacon called quietly up the stairs.

Vladislav came running down, somehow managing not make a sound on the ancient, usually creaking steps. “Who’s here?”

The three moved stealthily towards the door, and you had to bite back a laugh. Your flatmates had explained the risks present to vampires, of course, but you could hardly imagine a vampire hunter politely knocking on the front door at the decent hour of 7:03 p.m.

The door was gingerly cracked open for a moment, then thrown widely open to a chorus of “hellos” and “it’s just Nick!” From your spot on Viago’s antique couch, you couldn’t see Nick, but you could hear their conversation.

“What are you doing here?” Deacon asked. His harsh tone reminded you of how he treated you when you’d first moved in, and how he treated everyone when he was in a sour mood.

“You brought a friend!” Viago cheerily observed.

“Yeah, this is my good friend, Stu.”

Nick and the good friend in question entered the lounge, while your flatmates invaded his personal space and asked inappropriate questions about his sexual history. You considered going upstairs before things got violent, but then Nick gave you a small wave before gathering up your flatmates and ushering them into the hall.

“Y/N, Stu. Stu, Y/N.” And with that brief introduction, the four vampires were gone and you were left alone with the newcomer.

You rose from your seated position to shake his hand. It was unusually warm and made it very clear that this man was human. You wondered if ‘good friend’ actually meant ‘good friend’ or was a euphemism for ‘dinner.’ As you stood in awkward silence with the potential victim, you were able to catch snippets of the conversation between the vampires in the hallway.

Nick asked something about your fourth flatmate. “…Petyr… coffin?”

Viago said something about cake. You eyed the container Nick’s friend held.

“…eat him!” Deacon finished whatever that whole sentence had been rather enthusiastically.

Nick answered with a short rant you couldn’t quite make out. “…my mate… Stu…hang out… can’t…like Y/N!...pretend…cake…” You couldn’t be entirely sure, but it seemed that Stu actually was a friend, one who probably didn’t realize Nick was no longer human, and was not to be eaten.

You shot him a glance and realized he was also straining to listen to the vampires’ hushed conversation. Not wanting him to hear anything too damning, you decided to get him out of earshot of your flatmates and Nick.

“Stu, why don’t we go into the kitchen and get some wine for everyone?”

He nodded and followed you silently into the other room, throwing one last questioning glance over his shoulder towards the hallway.

You gave a silent thanks to the universe that there were no bloody dishes in the sink as you pulled six wine glasses from the cabinet. “Is chianti okay?”

“Sure.” You were glad he said yes. You shouldn’t have even asked. The only other wine you had was a white, and that definitely wouldn’t work. You poured two glasses of the dark red wine, taking a sip of yours and handing the other to Stu.

“So, how do you know Nick?”

He blushed slightly, his face becoming even redder than it already was. “I used to date his sister.”

“Oh.” Unsure of what to say to that, you took another sip of wine.

“How do you know Nick?”

“Oh, uh…” You weren’t what Nick had told Stu, and you didn’t want to poke holes in whatever stories Nick may have spun him. You decided to keep to the truth, albeit simplified. “Nick ended up befriending my flatmates. I have a room here.”

“Oh. Nice.” Stu gestured to the container he’d brought with him. “Do you have any plates? I brought cake for everyone.”

“Yum!” You had no idea how the vampires were going to deal with cake, but it left more for you, and you could certainly think of worse things. “They’re in the cabinet up there,” you told him, gesturing to the appropriate cabinet.

While Stu had his back turned to you, you took the decanter of blood from the fridge and poured it into the remaining four glasses. Vladislav entered the kitchen then, and you silently passed him the decanter, looking pointedly at the fridge, trusting him to put it back quickly. You grabbed the bottle of chianti, topping off your and Stu’s glasses just as he turned back around with the plates. You felt inordinately proud of how sneaky you had been. Maybe your flatmates were rubbing off on you?

“Stu, if you take the cake and plates, Vladislav can fetch the flatware.�� As the two did as you directed, you raised your voice and called into the lounge, “Deacon! Viago! Come in here and help me carry the drinks!”

While Stu and Vladislav left, Deacon and Viago entered, both looking warily at the cake as it passed.

“How are we supposed to pretend to eat cake?” Deacon grumbled.

You shrugged, taking another sip of wine. “I like cake. Viago don’t drink that!”

Viago stood frozen beside the table, Stu’s wine glass almost up to his lips. He looked at you questioningly.

“That’s Stu’s chianti. Give me that. The rest of these are all blood.”

Viago grimaced at the glass as he handed it to you.

“It’s one night,” you told him. “It’ll be fine. Besides, how late can he stay, anyway? We humans go to bed at night.”

“I still think we should kill him,” Deacon huffed.

You rolled your eyes. “Well Nick is your friend, so you can’t go around killing his friends.”

“Nick is not my friend!”

You ignored him, heading out into the lounge and trusting that your pouting flatmates would follow you.

Stu already had the cake sliced and served onto six plates. You handed him his wine and took two slices of cake, handing one each to Deacon and Viago to ensure that they took them. Vladislav had already taken his and was glaring at it as though it personally offended him. Perhaps it did. The lounge didn’t have much seating, so you sat cross-legged on the floor beside the coffee table, looking up at the rest of the group.

Once everyone was situated, the silence was palpable. You could sense Stu’s discomfort. Taking yet another sip from your glass, you could feel a pleasant buzz beginning to form. At least one person wasn’t uncomfortable.

“This is really good cake,” Nick lied. You looked at his plate so see that a bit of cake was in fact missing from his slice. What had he done with it?

“It is really delicious,” you added honestly. It was a moist chocolate cake with a sugary vanilla icing- a classic for good reason.

“Thank you,” he said mutedly. He was a fairly quiet person, it seemed.

“So, Stu, what do you do for a living?” you asked.

“I work in IT. GIS, specifically.” His tone lightened a bit. He clearly enjoyed talking about his work, so you decided to follow up. It was looking like you may have to carry the evening’s conversation on by yourself.

“GIS?”

“Yeah, that’s geographic information science. We take business’ requirements, and we analyze those requirements, and then with GIS we make a sort of layered map, depending on what each particular business needs.”

You nodded, though you were having trouble keeping up. “Is that sort of like Google Maps?”

He nodded hesitantly, which you took immediately to mean you were off the mark with that analogy. “Sort of. But there’s more layers of information. Like a map of Wellington could feature a layer of historic houses, a layer of nightclubs, a layer of steep hills, or anything else considered noteworthy.”

“Oh.” Though the example was helpful, Stu was really playing a whole different game with his IT knowledge. This GIS stuff was not your area of expertise. “That’s really impressive.” You weren’t sure if it was or not, but it sounded impressive to you.

“Wait, go back. IT?” Vladislav was looking quizzically at you, Nick, and Stu.

Stu faltered. “Oh, uh, that’s information technology. Computer sciences, basically.”

“Computer?”

You shot Vladislav a look somewhere between disbelief and horror. He offered only a shrug in return.

“I’ve seen one of these computers!” Deacon interjected. “It is like a television screen with a typewriter in front of it.”

You let out an involuntary noise of shock at that remark. You might not have anywhere near Stu’s level of understanding in this area, but you could scarcely believe that this conversation could possibly be happening in this century. You now felt much better about your Google Maps remark. Had they really never used a computer? Any of them?

Now that you thought about it, you’d never seen them use a desktop, laptop, tablet, or even a smart phone. Not once. Your work had provided you with a mobile hotspot when you started working remotely, so you never bothered to get onto their wifi. Did they have wifi? You were starting to think the answer must be no. Even if they didn’t use computers, did they even have mobile phones? Even just a basic flip phone? The only technology you’d actually noticed in the house was a TV, not even a flatscreen one at that, a record player, and a landline phone.

Holy crap.

Stu looked questioningly at Nick. He was probably thinking something along the lines of ‘Where the hell did you meet these lunatics and in which century?’ That’s certainly what you were asking yourself right now.

“They’re Eastern European,” Nick explained.

Though that explanation was useless and nonsensical, Stu didn’t say anything about it, explaining to your flatmates, “That’s what a computer looks like, yeah. But it’s more like a complicated calculator.”

He was really going to sit here and explain computers to your flatmates. God bless this guy.

“A calculator?” Viago asked, his brow furrowed. You weren’t sure what upset him more, the complicated nature of computers or the chocolate cake.

“Like a giant abacus,” Deacon suggested.

“Yeah, kind of like an abacus,” Stu agreed, “but it can do much more complex calculations and functions, at a much higher speed.”

From this one conversation, you were willing to make the call that Stu was the nicest, most patient man that had ever lived.

“Guys,” you addressed your flatmates, “come here and look at my phone.”

You pulled the phone from your pocket as the three gathered around you. You unlocked it with your fingerprint to a series of impressed murmurs from your friends.

“That’s not a phone,” Viago said, though he didn’t sound entirely confident.

“Of course it is. It makes phone calls. It just does other stuff, too. It sends text messages and takes pictures and connects to the internet.”

“Internet?”

“Yeah. Look.” You opened the web browser on your phone, and thought for a minute on what to Google. Looking briefly around the room, you typed ‘chianti’ into the search bar, and displayed the results to your flatmates.

Reading aloud from the small screen, Vladislav said, “‘A chianti wine is any wine produced in the Chianti region of central Tuscany. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket called a…’ It just stops in the middle of the sentence!”

“Yeah, well, it’s just a preview. These are the search results. If you click one,” you tapped it to open the Wikipedia page, “it displays the full result.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Vladislav said, eyes glued to the phone.

“Stu,” Deacon called over your head, “can we get internet computer technology in the house?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m sure you could. I could probably help you guys with that if you wanted.”

“Yes! When are you free?”

[kimhargreeves]

Vampires Suck-Viago x Reader (What We Do In The Shadows)

(Based on the movie:What We Do In The Shadows from 2014)

*Beep beep*

I grab the alarm and threw it against the wall making it crash down but that didn't stop it from beeping, I groan out loud and lazily get up from my bed and tossed the infernal thing out of the window. It's night time..time to wake the boys up. As I begin to walk down the hallway I hold onto the wall,my eyes still not open enough to see where i'm walking.

These vampires have been living with my family for centuries, and now it's my turn to deal with them. I'm in my mid twenties and I live with four vampires. No one from outside would believe me if i'd say them that.

I knock heavily on the first door, "Hey! Viago you awake yet?! It's time for you guys to wake up." the door slowly opens and i'm face to face with a scared looking vampire. "I have awoken from my slumber.." i stare at him confused and rub my eyes.

"Make sure to wake Vlad and Deacon up, they have to finish their chores." i yawn once more before walking away and heading for a shower.

Vlad is the eldest if the vampire, he dresses up like he claims he did back in medieval times and has a sex dungeon, has long dark hair and a mustache, likes to wear fancy clothing and spends his time talking about 'the beast'

Deacon is the young and rebellious out of them and the most annoying to deal with, he claims to be sexy vampire and can deal with anything,besides he dances horribly.

Viago is the kind and sweet hearted one of them, he lost his love when he traveled and found out she was married, he's the one in charge if everything and tries his best but mostly fails since the others are stubborn.

I still remember clearly the day I met him.

***********************

It was Halloween night when I finished trick or treating and decided to enjoy my book near the cemetery, "Pssh." i looked around even more annoyed at whoever was trying to prank me since it's Halloween after all. I gripped onto my book and started to read when someone fell from the bushes scaring me. I let out a tint scream before seeing it was a man, he was cursing and dusting his clothes.

"Hello young lady." he smiled, he was wearing fangs and was dressing funny.

"Hi? Were you spying on me?!" i ask annoyed and the man shakes his head, "I can assure it wasn't me, it was-"

"Me!" another man appears out of no where and tosses his arm around me. I push his hand away and backed away against the tree I was sitting by, "What are you doing?!" another man in a top hat asks the one who touched me.

"That's no way to approach a lady." the man began to lecture him and now they were both fighting. The man who first appeared groaned and took a step closer, "I apologize for them..they can be quite a problem."

"Uh huh? W-Who are you-"

"You're (Y/N) (L/N) right?" the man asks and I nod my head.

The other two five each other before explaining me how my previous family let them live at their house and since I'm the only member alive I should let them continue on living with us. Before agreeing they all introduced each other.

"My name is Viago. The man in the top hat is Vlad and the other one is Deacon and this is Peter..we're vampires!" he happily says and a tall man dressed entirely in black with the palest face i've seen appears, he has long fangs and nails, "Holy shit..n-nice to meet you, what do you mean vampires-"

"What were you reading? Twilight?" Viago asks at the book I let fall when they scared me. I scoff and take the book from him, "Does it look like I read garbage?" he looks taken back. "Of course not! Vampires suck." i angriot tell him.

He gasps, the two other's look hurt and Peter hisses. "Hey lady listen-" "What?! It's the truth. The way they portray your species in the media is cringy."

*************************

It was a blast having vampires living with me but soon they began to really get to me, they constantly left my couch and furniture a mess when they invited their victims over. I finished blow drying my hair when I heard them again fighting.

"You haven't done the dishes in five years!"

"Now now we have to make sure to make (Y/N) happy. Let's not disappoint her." Viago tried to reason with his friends who began to hiss at one another and left the dining room. "Wanna go out to the city?" I ask Viago who happily nods and begins following me like a lost puppy.

"Are you sure I look good?" I eye him up and down to see him wearing an 18th century outfit, I shrug and tell him it's okay. Deacon and Vlad tagged along with us and they tried to keep Deacon with us so he wouldn't run away.

Over the years Viago and I got closer as friends since he still remained in love with his probably already deceased girl he had a crush on. It pissed me off at certain times when he wouldn't let go and was so sadly heartbroken cause of it, "So..Viago? What would you like to do?" I ask and see his dark eyes wander around the public area.

"How about to a pub?"

We all agreed to go to one since they are always together, "Viago..would you sometime like to go on a date with me?" i blurt out when we sat down and he nearly choked on his drink, "A date? w-with you?"

"Yes."

"I cannot, you're to young to date." I glare at the centuries year old vampire and fight back, "I'm not that young and you know it, compared to your years I am but that's it, why won't you hang out with me? Each time I do you blow me off."

Viago tried to explain himself on shy he refuses but gives me the same answers every time. "Alright if you won't agree to one date, why don't you turn me into a vampire?" i cross my arms and wait for his answer.

"Being a vampire isn't that easy (Y/N)-"

"Bloody hell! Everything's the same with you, i'm sick and bored of you three treating me like i'm nothing, I agreed to take you all in cause I thought you'd all understand me..guess none of you do..especially you." i look at Viago before running out of the bar and out the chilly night.

"Stupid bloody vampires." i curse to myself as I start making my way towards home, till I saw a bat fly past me and into the window of a car, "Bloody hell!" I see Viago turn back to normal and runs over to me, "(Y/N) wait!"

"Enough Viago! I'm tired of this."

I enter the house with Viago still following me, "I-I love you okay!" he shouts when I start walking up the stairs. I stop and turn to look at him "What..did you say?" i'm sure he would've blushed if he'd have blood .

"I love y-you (Y/N)..Since the moment I met you but i didn't want to forget her so quickly?" he says looking away before extending his hand for me to grab, "Forgive me for denying your feelings every time you ask me."

I smile and took hold of his hand, "I forgive you Viago.."

"I'll turn you into a vampire if you wish on one condition.'

"What is it?" i curiously ask Viago who kisses the back of my hand.

"If you stay with me forever."

I blush and wrap my hand around his neck and rest my forehead against his, "I'll never leave you." smiling i tell Viago before brushing my lips to his.