#Carmilla in the distance: you rang? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hummingbirdspark · 4 months

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Feel free to use these ideas if you want! You do not need to credit me, but just let me know you did so I can read it.

Details for the story ideas under the cut

Kidnapped and forced to do maths

Pretty self-explanatory, they get locked in cells equipped with digital blackboards and stuff and can’t leave until they answer enough questions right. Penalties for wrong answers is death. Perhaps opportunities for teamwork?

Kipo and the age of Wonderbeasts au

Might not make sense if you haven’t seen Kipo but Carmilla uses megamute dna to try and make humans able to live on the surface, but after getting kicked out of her burrow, she has to wander the surface, looking for humans desperate enough to accept her ‘help’. I already have a bulletfic for how each of them gets found and mutated

Steven Universe au

Mechanisms as the Off-Colors. Gems thst either rebelled against or were thrown out by the diamonds. They wander the galaxy, and sometimes assist gem rebellions. The moon war was fought over earth’s moon base, between the crystal gems and those loyal to the Diamonds.

Doctor who TMA au

Jon and Jonny were brothers on Gallifrey, and while Jon excelled in timelord school and became The Archivist, Jonny was distracted by paying off his father’s debts and failed, never to receive the title of “the Captain” or 12 regenerations. He didn’t stay mortal for long, as Carmilla found him like in cannon and mechanized both of his hearts. They stole a TARDIS called Aurora and fled to the stars. Many many years later, The Archivist finds his long lost brother when taking his companions, Martin, Tim, and Sasha to the Steamworld Intergalactic Music Festival

False domestic psychological prison

An enterprising young member of an intergalactic authority comes up with a new idea for these immortal criminals’ containment: the only prison the Mechanisms can’t escape is the one they don’t know they’re in. They capture the mechanisms and through a combination of the sedative effects of the Lotus, and some memory altering microchips, they get the Mechanisms to think they are just (mostly) normal people on a normal planet. To make them less likely to escape, they gave them something they never could have had before. Jonny gets respect as the owner of a tailor shop, with workers who call him sir, and trust and obey his judgement. Brian, as a priest is listened to in all his advice and praised for his wise moral decisions. Will they realize it’s a trick? Or stay living this lie forever?

Spaceteam fic

The Aurora gets stuck in a strange wormhole (bifrost?) and she can’t operate anything but basic piloting. Suddenly strange new controls are on the bridge, as well as whole other consoles of controls. Instructions for what to do are provided on screens, but they don’t match the control each mechanism sees on their console. Luckily they’re all within shouting distance, but they will have to learn to work together… as a spaceteam. Set Sigmaclapper to 5! Soak Ferrous Holospectrum! Baste the Emergency Whittler!

Summer Camp Councilors

Human au where the mechanisms are councilors at Camp Cosmo, with wacky hijinks, camp names, and songs. Several units of cabins inspired by the 4 story albums, a great spot on a canal with sea kayaking, regular kayaking, sailing, and canoeing. A high ropes and low ropes course, an archery range, and an arts and crafts area are also present for those who aren’t water crazy. Pack up your sense of adventure and extra flashlight batteries! Hopefully the campers won’t get into any drama…

Kofi rat from Small Saga meets Marius

This is for the KofiAssam fans out there! Our very own rat-tailed rover finds themself on a massive metal god dwelling and encounters The Metal Armed God!

Marius Von Raum finds a rat wearing clothing that seems to be able to play the mandolin. Good thing he learned to speak rat when he and Toy Soldier went to that candy planet where Toy Soldier somehow became a prince…

Steam Powered Giraffe roleswap

What if Doctor Carmilla lived on earth and created nine singing automatons that could self repair?

What if Colonel P. A. Walter mechanized 6 humans with blue matter to create a force of galactic heroes, that then forgot their original names?

1920s American speakeasy

Probably heavily based on Lackadaisy. Carmilla’s Speakeasy is a great place to get illegal alcohol, and its secret entrance is inside the Cafe Aurora. The owner, Carmilla herself is illusive at best, and her seeming to only show her face at night has lead to rumors of her being a vampire or witch. Rumors that are only worsened when she gave each of her employees a strange new gift: pins, that she insists are a new part of their uniform to be worn at all times. The purpose of the pins is made clear when Jonny is shot by a rival rumrunner while on a job and comes back from the dead.

SCP contains Brian and Toy Soldier

Brian was on MJE and Toy Soldier was under direct orders from a researcher to not escape. The only question is would Doctor Bright be an expert on immortality, or would letting him know about The Mechanisms be a terrible idea?

Marius backstory oneshot based on the christmas armistice

There are many things Byron Marius expected to hear in the middle of a war. The pound of bullets, the screams of other soldiers, and crash of giant robot mechas overhead. What he didn’t expect to hear was singing.

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht

That’s all, folks

I have way too many ideas.

#the mechanisms #poll #fandom polls #sparky’s polls #the mechanisms fanfic

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ruiniel · 1 year

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this is a lot but I’m nosy 👀

3, 9, 10, 11, 27, 29, 30 for ao3 wrapped pls !

Oh you're so kind, ty ty!

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Another way! I'm liking how it's turning out and still enjoying exploring that scenario.

Honorable mention goes to my hurt/comfort angstfest: Beyond this place of wrath and tears because I spent some time on that one, and besides this is a sample of my character POV/dynamic sheet so far:

1- Sypha AB

2- Trevor AC

3- Alucard, Sypha AB

4- Sypha, Alucard AB

5- Trevor BC, ABC, ABC

6- Trevor, Alucard ABC, BC, AB

7- Sypha, Trevor AC, ABC, BC

8- Sypha, Trevor ABC, ABC, ABC

... so really invested in that fic but also very slow, hoping to finish it by the time Nocturne drops though

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

Aegnor x Andreth (The Silm)

Lisa x Carmilla (CV 2017-2021 series)

Trevor x Alucard (CV 2017-2021 series)

10. What work was the quickest to write?

I wrote my Scarlet Heavens fic (18+) in one sitting barring the edits.

11. What work took you the longest to write?

Again this one! Beyond this place of wrath and tears

27. What do you listen to while writing?

Sometimes silence helps, other times music! Which can be summed up as:

random playlist for *insert genre you're writing*

the same, specific beloved song/artist for days on end, probably finish a fic on said song

Shuffle Liked songs

Music ranges from atmospheric to folk to metal to art pop and darkwave and others that don't come to mind now!

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

That I stayed constant in practicing it (which was my aim for this year) despite all that went on in life and the world. And! the support from people on some of my works really helped keep the flow there, so thank you!

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

Uhhh-uhhh *fidget* ended up with two, but since one of them isn't a passage but a longer scene, I'll just add it... it's this scene between Trevor and Alucard from Trevor's point of view (context: Trevor's recently been very ill). I'll place it under the cut because it's too long!

Thanks again for sending!

“Hold on to me, Belmont, not my shirt.”

Trevor does, or tries, grunting with his arm slung around Alucard’s neck as he stands to his wobbling feet. He can’t even feel irked by Alucard’s tone, eager to be moving and, if he’s being honest, too grateful to complain. “I really could try this on my own, you know,” Trevor says anyway, receiving no reply.

Alucard’s support never falters, his arm steady around Trevor’s ribs. “I appreciate the care for my time,” he says as they take a few steps together, “but I do have an inordinate supply of it.”

Well, he’s right about that. Again, Trevor lets it slide. Maybe he’s getting soft here, or maybe he’s become more used to Alucard’s cold-shoulder retorts. He’s warm against Trevor’s side, and the hunter is absolutely not focused on that more than the important task of putting one foot in front of the other.

This is not awkward.

He recalls Alucard’s words to Sypha, to them, the honesty in his voice with the admission that he wanted them here and despite Trevor’s own previous misgivings, those moments stayed with the hunter ever since and now live free in his head to mull over.

This is not awkward.

They pass through a tall entrance to an adjoined chamber, and from there onto a long terrace overlooking the wooded pathlands. It is here Alucard eases the hunter down on a padded, upholstered bench, set in the shade and heaped with cushions.

Trevor squints, uses his hand as a shield until his eyes stop hurting from the sudden change. He blinks as the wilderness appears in tints of green and fading blue the farther it spreads, climbing up the knees of solemn mountains rising jagged in the distance. Getting some fresh air was the goal here, and the hunter takes full breaths of it.

Alucard busies himself with some bottles and flasks, then sits beside Trevor on the bench. It’s quiet up here, comes the thought, but not as silent as the stifling four walls of a chamber, and days passed since Trevor was reacquainted with lucidity — a state he’s apparently taken shamelessly for granted before the onset of his illness. It’s strange to him to be left so weakened as to need help in this manner, stranger still to actually receive it; something Trevor remembers happening but once before in his life, a kindness he clung to through the latter years when his defaced hope in humanity was finally about to give. “Thanks,” he says, shaking off the memory, because not everything must be ghosts and regret.

Alucard looks his way, an eyebrow raised; waiting patiently.

“For this,” Trevor sighs, pointing at himself. “For helping me heal.” He rubs the back of his head, furrows his brows.

Alucard picks a tome with a dusted blue cover from a sheltered table in the corner. He looks down at the damn thing, and there is that fucking sadness again; it's on his face, in the way he moves, in everything he does.

This is awkward.

But he’s Trevor fucking Belmont, afraid of no man or beast et cetera, et cetera, and if he was unhinged enough to punch Dracula in the face he won’t quail before talking about his feelings to his son.

“Neither Sypha nor I could have done any different,” Alucard says, meeting his eyes and he’s… he’s smiling. Brief and pale, but it’s there, like it was those first moments of clarity when Alucard was leaning over him, looking like something priceless had just dropped in his lap. A silly comparison, maybe, but Trevor’s never been a poet, and it’s Alucard’s expression he still sees in those states between wakefulness and sleep.

“Still,” Trevor looks back ahead, sliding lower against the bench, “I’m not dead, probably would be if it weren’t for you, again, and… and, yeah.” He sighs, “What I’m trying to say is,” he throws Alucard a brief glance to see him staring at his feet, elbows propped on his knees, “I’ve lived on lucky chances for the latter half of my life. I’m surprised I’m still alive, to be frank.”

“Agreed.”

“Shut up and let me say this. I was used to being treated like shit by people, and after a while, it’s easy to become what everyone makes of you.” He feels Alucard's gaze on him, finds it easier to stare at the clouds smeared like white pastry across the sky. “From the beginning — ever since your weird entrance into our lives you both always treated me like I’m worth something, and that’s… I’m thankful for that. Yeah? Wanted to get this out of the way. Wanted you to know.” He falls silent, observing two eagles as they circle each other in strong, graceful sweeps against a backdrop of blue.

Alucard rests with his head on the backrest, hands clasped together over his chest, finally looking like he’s got no stake up his arse. But he understands, he must. After all, his own life did a complete flip, making way for… for whatever this is. Maybe Alucard isn’t sure either. But he no longer avoids their company for most of the time, no longer slinks away at night to hunt until he returns bloody and worn. Instead, he stood by Trevor and Sypha since that morning, kept feeding Trevor that horrible tasting medicine and if he left, many times they would wake late into the night and find him there, either reading or dozing in an armchair close to the bed.

And that, too, is what Trevor is grateful for — all of them taking a direly needed breath together. No heavy topics. No talk of sieges. No questions apart from practical matters of the present. He rubs at his chest where it still hurts to breathe and a persistent fatigue renders him incapable of doing much, for most of the time, but the air is clean, they’re not running for their lives, and Alucard is here.

“So, we’re staying for a while,” Trevor speaks gruffly against his own fear. For how long? They haven’t discussed that, either. And how much does it really matter now, anyway? “You’ll need a lot of help with this place, by the looks of it.”

Alucard reaches for the water pitcher, pours and offers out a glass. His hand is pale and bony beneath the brush of Trevor’s fingers, his eyes sunken in, and he still looks like something heavy and nasty constantly drags him down by the shoulders. Trevor makes an effort and doesn’t comment. Nobody likes having their pain called out at every turn; they know it’s there, after all.

“First, regain your strength. Then we’ll see to the rest.”

Trevor can't argue with that, and a few steps forward are usually better than none.

Above them, the eagles cry.

#ao3 wrapped

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forthegothicheroine · 4 years

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Hi! Can you recommend any (non-YA) books about vampires (besides Interview w the vampire, dracula, or the Ouroboros cycle)? Thank you 💕

I sure can!

*Dons a stripey hat and gestures to a shelf of vampire books like I'm selling Springfield a monorail*

The great thing about vampire books is that they start with the letter V and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool. I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm carrying on with that joke. But seriously, the great thing about vampire books is that they can be used for vastly different tones and effects- gruesome horror, ghostly romance, psychological character study, etc. There's also a great distance between just what a vampire is from one book to another. So there's a wide range of things to choose from!

Some favorites:

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix: The nice southern ladies in a true crime book club are the only ones who notice something wrong about the handsome drifter who just came to town. It seems that all of society is completely snowed by his charm and built to excuse his faults- and meanwhile, the children keep dying. There is an attempt to talk about 1980s racism here that is a bit clumsy, but god damn is this book compelling.

The Quick by Lauren Owen: In the tradition of Dracula, here's another clash between predatory vampires and scholarly types. It's a fun, fast-paced throwback to an earlier era of gothic novels, with a more modern approach to the characters' psychology. I'm not sure why it's only at 3.26 stars on Goodreads- what more did people want?

A Taste of Blood Wine by Frieda Warrington: This is probably the best you're going to find out of vampire romance. It's lush and dramatic and swooning, and though it can't quite smooth everything out, reading it is a hell of an experience. It also has sequels, which I have not read.

The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers: Vampires haunting the romantic poets- it doesn't get more gothic than this! The villainess of this book isn't a traditional vampire but something more mythological, the fury of nature and art and desire. You'll probably never think about Polidori the same way (assuming you think about Polidori already.)

The Shiny Narrow Grin by Jane Gaskell: This one might be YA? Maybe? But it's from 1964, so it certainly doesn't read like modern YA. An unhappy girl faces the everyday horrors of her life while deciding what to do about that handsome boy she met. Is his sensitive act real, or is it hiding something inhuman? Or both? This is available online with a little googleing, and is much darker and spookier than most teen vampire stories.

Some of Your Blood by Theodore Sturgeon: George, a young soldier in psychiatric care, is a vampire. Sort of. This has a lot more in common with Psycho than it does with Dracula (though it is an epistolary novel!) This is the original gritty horror reinterpretation of a classic monster, stripped down and startling even today.

The Book of Renfield by Tim Lucas: You know Dracula, but have you read this? Rewrites of Dracula are a dime a dozen, but this look into the life of his poor traumatized minion is one of the only ones that really felt to me like it was doing something interesting. If you don't already cry for Renfield, you will.

Carmilla by Sheridan le Fanu: I imagine you know this one? If you don't, it's a classic Victorian novella about the tragic relationship between two girls named Laura and Carmilla. Beautiful prose guides us through nightmares, animal transformations, and breathless proclamations of love, and there's a very good reason it's still beloved over a century later.

Not my favorites, but interesting:

Salem's Lot, The Gilda Stories, The Delicate Dependency, Dark Dance by Tanith Lee.

Let me know what good stuff I've left out!

#vampires #horror novels

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wygolvillage · 3 years

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been thinking about how i would make a remake/reimagining of simons quest. long post ahead. might be a little stupid since im no game designer or writer or anything lol

random gameplay stuff

it would be metroidvania style, but not all in the castle. imagine it like ooe but the map is interconnected.

i would keep the day/night cycle but it would be less obnoxious of course... probably there would be a little clock on the HUD showing what time it is and how close you are to nightfall. villagers would go inside during the night, but you can still enter churches. churches are your most reliable healing method since save rooms would be pretty sparse in the rest of the world map, and saving at the churches also allows you to skip straight to morning or nightfall if you so desire. being stuck in the middle of the woods during night can be disastrous if the player is ill-prepared since monsters grow stronger then.

there would still be puzzles to figure out and complete, and it would still be a bit cryptic (not to the degree of the original of course), but there is a supporting character i would put in who you can ask for hints at any time, and hers are a lot more straightforward (more on her later). important items are gained through quests rather than bought with hearts, but drop rates would be VERY forgiving since it’s required. like, a villager promises to give you the red crystal if you can get him some fish meat from a merman, which would have about a 40% drop rate... i kind of wanted to preserve the sense of fighting monsters to forage for materials the original has without making the game a total grindfest :P

additionally, materials dropped from monsters can be used to craft food items after simon teams up with the aforementioned supporting character. like i said before, save rooms wouldn’t be super common so it would be implemented as a way to heal yourself when you’re away from town.

the bosses would be decently difficult to compensate with there being very few of them- a true challenge, but they can be beaten with both playable characters if the player is skilled enough

the plot would be expanded upon as well so lemme give a little summary

it begins in simons house where he wakes up having trouble breathing. he’s been struggling with some physical illness ever since battling dracula years prior, especially a nasty bite on his arm he sustained during the fight, and that arm has been turning a pretty nasty shade of grey, like its wasting away. he goes outside to a graveyard near a local church to try and get some fresh air, but it is largely unhelpful. suddenly, he spots an old woman standing at one of the graves. he looks over at him and says mysteriously “ah... must be a horrible night for a curse.” simon is like “what do you mean?!” the old woman tells him to “resurrect him and destroy what remains, or nothing will remain of you”. she then disappears into thin air, implying she’s a ghost or something equally spooky. simon is like “destroy what remains... dracula’s remains?!”

the game starts properly in the graveyard and surrounding forest as simon heads in a fairly straight path towards the town of jova, where he meets a woman a few years younger than him named agnes. agnes’ parents were killed by dracula’s forces when he was resurrected back then, and she admires simon greatly for defeating the dark lord (shes also implied to be a descendant of grant danasty!). she decides to accompany him on his quest after hearing about his curse. he asks the head priest of the town if he knows about dracula’s remains, and the priest tells him that he heard of some of dracula’s followers placing some of dracula’s body parts in their strongholds to worship, and points him to the direction of the first stronghold and hands him a stake. he also warns them that bringing all of his remains together can resurrect the dark lord and it holds a remarkable corrupting power.

simon and agnes then become a character swapping duo (just like portrait of ruin hehehe). agnes is low on defense but can deal plenty of damage at a close range, and her signature weapon is the golden knife. she’s fast as well, whereas simon is more of a slow, defensive character who is best at keeping distance between himself and the enemy. agnes is smart, but impulsive and stubborn, and doesn’t like being told that she’s wrong. simon is a stoic but kind individual who tends to keep to himself. their personalities occasionally cause conflict between them during the adventure, but they eventually grow to become really good friends.

eventually they reach berkeley mansion, the first of the strongholds, and its aesthetic is very much “dark evil church”. there are the usual skeletons and bats and stuff, but some of the dracula followers are regular enemies as well. the first boss is a human who has dedicated his life to following dracula (specifically to contrast against the priest dude who gave simon the stake and directions) who uses magic attacks and stuff. beating him earns simon dracula’s rib, which functions suprisingly well as a shield (which becomes important later).

the adventure continues on like this, going from town to mansion to town, with simons curse becoming more and more hindering to him (from a story perspective not a gameplay one. simon wont become worse to play as because that would be lame as hell). they go to the other mansions, with the bosses being carmilla (guarding the nail of vlad, in a mansion thats very much a vampires lair), olrox (guarding the eyeball, in a massive dining hall themed mansion) death (guarding vlads ring in a Spooky Clockwork Skeleton Mansion with slogras and gaibons and all the usual death stuff), and in the final mansion... there is no boss. just as simon is about to grab the heart, agnes stops him.

Agnes: You told me you were going to destroy the remains, weren’t you?

Simon: Of... Of course, Agnes. Why do you ask?

Agnes: Why haven’t you?

Simon: ...

Agnes: We have almost all of them. You remember what the priest said, right? That bringing them together can resurrect Dracula.

Simon: Well... I haven’t exactly been truthful, Agnes. The old woman who sent me on this quest didn’t tell me just to destroy his remains...

Agnes: So you’ve been intending to resurrect the Dark Lord this whole time? For your own selfish gain?

Simon: This curse will kill me if I don’t.

Agnes: ...So it’s true, then. You’re willing to risk the lives of thousands just to save your own skin. Lives like my parents’... Lives like mine.

Simon: I...

Agnes: There’s no need to explain yourself, oh great hero, Simon Belmont. (Scoffs) If you care more for yourself than anyone else, strike me down now!

surprise! simon has to fight against his best friend! tbh i would be pissed at him too lmao. and it’s a tough fight, as agnes can deal a ton of damage and is hard to dodge. killing her like any other boss will give you the bad ending, where simon realizes she was right and lets himself succumb to the curse out of guilt for her death. the way to the good ending is to use dracula’s rib as a shield (i told you it would be important!) or dodge/survive her attacks until she tires out (the shield is the best method though), and realizes simon doesn’t want to hurt her. they have a touching emotional moment and simon assures her that he beat dracula before and can do it again, but he will need her help. agnes nods, and they head to the ruins of dracula’s old castle, which is totally empty. there’s no music, while the rest of the game has been filled with catchy tunes, here there’s only ambient noise.

they reach the throne room and place drac’s remains on a pedestal, where they begin to glow with dark energy. blood is dripping down the walls and stuff, and the count is returning to the mortal plane as thunder booms in the background. simon begins to doubt himself. if he loses now, the world will be plunged into darkness, and it will all be his fault. but... agnes has his back, despite everything. they fight dracula together, and though it’s tough with simon’s weakened body, they eventually prevail, as simon drives the stake into his heart, the curse finally lifted.

the game ends with agnes and simon returning to jova. agnes admits that she’s still upset with simon for lying to her, but she would be even more upset if he died slowly because of her. simon sighs, stating that there was no easy solution to the situation they were in, and asks for forgiveness for breaking her trust and risking so much for his own desires. agnes says maybe one day she will forgive him completely, and she still considers him a friend, but she needs some time to herself. simon nods, and they go their separate ways.

SO YEAH idk if this is even good but i hope u at least enjoyed reading it. maybe ill make designs for this version of simon, and for agnes too ofc :D

...yeah, not exactly the happiest ending, but i always found it kind of weird that simon was so willing to resurrect the count to save himself from the curse, so that’s the main conflict i decided to add to the story. its not the sort of conflict that can be easily resolved. theres no easy answer... agnes was right about simon risking other peoples lives being wrong, but she was also wrong to insist that he just give up and let the curse kill him instead. its Complicated idk... Castlevania II: Simon’s Trolley Problem

edit: actually i decided there would be two "true endings" after using the shield in the agnes fight. the one i described, and a second one where they decide against resurrecting dracula and simon lives out the short rest of his days with agnes until he dies of the curse. both endings are considered equally canon and valid

#Castlevania #castlevania ii simon's quest #simon's quest #simon belmont

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villainimaginesby-i-t · 5 years

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“Oh, poor baby. Do you still think that lover of yours is going to come and save you?” Carmilla asks him tauntingly, dragging a sharp nail down his bruised and bloody cheek, all the way down his throat to the collar fastened there. “You betrayed them, remember? And even if they still wanted you, they’ll never find you here.” She grins with all her teeth at his broken expression, but she’s interrupted by the sound of an explosion in the distance. Faintly, with the strength he has, Hector starts to grin. “What are you smiling about, puppy?” Carmilla snarls and he chokes out a laugh.

“I know something you don’t,” he rasps, tilting his chin up and back to show off his neck. The collar shifts and her eyes go wide when she sees the perfectly circular scar that had previously been covered. A bite that marked him as a vampire’s mate. Your mate.

There was another explosion, closer this time, and your voice rang out through the halls clear as a bell.

“Oh, lover boy! Where’s the wicked bitch who’s been keeping you from me?”

#vampire!reader #castlevania #castlevania imagine #Hector imagine #castlevania hector #castlevania hector imagine #hector x reader #castlevania hector x reader #villain imagine #antagonist imagine #IsoldeTristram Imagine™️#carmilla castlevania #theo james

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chaoscaller · 3 years

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The tales of squad 13: chapter 2

"Who's there?" The man's ice-cold blue eyes looked at every nearby shadow. Yet, he couldn't find a single shadow that deviated from the rest. All of them looked as they were supposed to be until he heard a dry click from above. It sounded like metal sliding against smooth steel.

A gun, the young man realized.

"Don't move." Ignoring the warning, the newcomer jumped forwards and summoned the streetlight at his back. A second later, a bullet grazed his cheek and smashed into the cobblestone street with a shower of sparks. The young man swerved around on the back of his heels and aimed the streetlight upwards.

"Never thought I'd meet one of Cybersecurity's aces here, of all places. Julian Gromel." The female figure jumped down the roof. The man called Julian grimaced when he heard the voice. He knew she had a sharp mind but bypassing his firewall-program and decoding the entire thing he did on his office computer required some real grey cells.

"The same goes for you, boss. What would your colleagues say when they knew Carmilla Agravole loved nightly escapades like this?" When the woman finally landed on the floor and rolled another bullet into her gun's chamber, Julian readied his streetlight. The woman brushed aside her cotton vest and reached for her left hip, where a smartphone rested inside a leather pocket.

"Why did you kill him?" Carmilla waved with her gun at something behind Julian. The young man instinctively knew what she was on about. As if the drifting stench of death didn't tip him off. Julian sighed and scratched his black hair. Maybe he jumped the gun too soon. However, Julian knew that speed was key in situations like these. He shivered when he thought back at the one time he didn't act swiftly.

"I ended his suffering. You've seen the news; Once they go into that state, they never come back. Or die trying." The woman brushed her light-purple bangs back and put her gun into its sheath, which hung from her right leg. Julian was surprised by his boss' new look. During a typical workday, she'd wear her hair free. Now, she had bound it into a tight braid that reached to her hips. With a couple of quick steps on her 3-inch heels, the woman closed the distance in a matter of seconds.

"Right. And I suppose you won't be giving me an explanation for you being here on this side either?" She whispered into his right ear before taking a swift step backwards. The scent of her lavender-inspired perfume clung to the young man as he rapidly enlarged the distance between him and his boss.

"I could ask you the same thing. What the hell are you doing here?" Before Carmilla could answer, a loud bang echoed through the street. A piercing pain shocked through Julian's left arm as he sunk to one knee. Hot blood rolled down his fingers and dripped on the ground. Carmilla quickly turned around and fired one round of her gun before grabbing Julian and pulling him behind the nearest lamppost.

"Argh… That went straight through." Julian bit through the pain and stumbled back unto his feet. He threw a cold glance down the street. At the end, a fumbled figure slowly scrambled back unto his feet. His right arm had stopped bleeding, yet the milky-white bone protruding through his skin didn't give him much chance to live an everyday life after this. He didn't seem to care much about the pain, however.

"Let me handle this." Carmilla brushed her cotton jacket to the side and fished her smartphone out of an easy-to-reach pocket strapped to her right leg. Her fingers dashed over the screen as she put the thing near her ear.

"Calling cobblestone," went her voice. Her tone had shifted from her usual warmth to a calculating, cold one. "Raise temperature without limits." She focused on the man's feet, gazed over the rim of her glasses. A couple of seconds later, the ground underneath the man started warping. Or rather, melting would be a better description. The normally stone-cold rock morphed as it grew increasingly redder. A second later, a hole appeared with bubbling magma inside. Before the heat devoured the man whole, he jumped away.

"Tsk. Pesky little bastard." Carmilla typed in the same number, with the same results. The man jumped up and reached into his pockets. In his hands, he held a golden-accentuated gun. He rapidly pulled the trigger, launching a volley of seven bullets.

The purple-haired woman ducked behind a steel bench while Julian ran towards a new lamppost and slapped it with his damaged left hand. He hid behind it as it slowly hovered out of the ground, bullets creating a lethal shower of sparks as they ricocheted in all directions. When Julian heard the gun's hammer hitting only empty shells, the young man sent the streetlight flying at the man. To increase his range, he made it spin uncontrollably, reaching both sides of the wall. The man ducked, flattening himself as much as possible. The only thing the lamppost managed to hit was the man's blonde hair.

"Stand still!" Julian immediately pulled back on the joystick, causing the lamppost to slowly come to a standstill. A swift circle of the joystick later and the steel pole was already on the way back to try to get in another hit. As the man jumped back on his feet, his right arm hanging uselessly from his side, he smirked and reached into his pocket. A dim silver glow erupted from his left hand, ending when a new gun materialized between his fingers.

"Artifactor!" Those were the only words Carmilla managed to bring out before she switched the bench she was hiding behind for a lamppost and threw a stealthy look at Julian. Hiding from the spark-shower the bullets created with whatever they bounced away from, the young man tried to get the right aim.

"You can't keep hiding forever!" The man's hoarse voice barely reached above the roaring of his guns. Whenever he was out of bullets, he materialized another gun which looked exactly like the one he used first. Julian took a look at the steel barely protecting him; A couple more shots and his hiding place would be shot to bits, followed by him getting perforated.

"Hold your attacks for a while, Carmilla." Julian took a closer look at the man's position. He was walking closer and closer to them, neglecting his surroundings in the process. The young man flicked the joystick in a circle as the lamppost reared back. Occupied with the people he was using as target practice and deafened by his own guns' noise, the man didn't hear the whoosh of wind behind him. Until it hit him straight in the chest.

With a sickening sound, he crashed into the brick wall. In a moment's notice, Carmilla jumped from behind her hiding place. With her eyes trained on the man's fumbled form, she rapidly tapped in a number on her smartphone.

"Calling to brick, raise temperature thousand degrees." Her gaze was locked onto her target. The air around the blonde man rippled as the brick rapidly heated up. In a few seconds, the wall melted away. The man's screams were drowned as the entire wall collapsed in on itself, quickly solidifying the human underneath it.

"Argh… That's going to be a week off work, at least." Julian rubbed his right shoulder. The bleeding had stopped, but the bullet had torn entirely through the muscles. Carmilla chuckled as she put her smartphone back into her thigh-pocket and returned her gun to its sheath. The woman brushed against her bangs while her green eyes inspected the man in front of her.

"No matter where you go, you remain the same, don't you?" Julian shrugged. It had been 5 years since he started working as a cybersecurity officer. It was less exciting than he'd imagined it to be, but it was satisfying to see the looks on criminals' faces when they realizer they'd been done in by a nerd; A nerd who was barely 25, no less.

"Whatever you say, boss. I'm going home. I've got my free day tomorrow, and I don't want to spend it catching up on sleep." Julian yawned and turned around, wanting to walk away from the small massacre. However, insistent pressure on his wrist refused to let him escape. The blue-eyed man sighed and glanced over his shoulder, straight into the green eyes of his boss.

"Not so fast. Since you are an artifactor, you'll have to come with me. No if, and or but!" Carmilla's voice sounded resolute. Julian wiggled his wrist back and forth, wanting to escape from the woman's grip. No luck. Her fingers just dug deeper into his skin, followed by her nails. Ignoring the sharp pain racing through his veins, Julian reached for the controller hidden inside his pockets.

"I don't think—" His voice cut off when he felt the cold press of steel against his temple. "That wasn't a suggestion. You come with me, or I'll shove this thing right up your—" Julian shivered when he felt her breath rolling against his skin. It had been a while since anyone –let alone a woman—had been so close to him.

"Okay, okay! I'll follow along, but leave my ass out of this discussion!" Carmilla frowned. She put her pistol away as she loosened her grip slightly.

"Ass? Who said anything about your posterior? I planned to ram the gun down your nostrils. Get your mind out of the gutter, Julian!" She said before walking past him, leaving only a trail of lavender mingled with salty sweat behind. As the blue-eyed man looked at her figure strutting down the street with the scarlet sky looking down upon her, he felt something beside him. When he looked, he saw his shadow warping back and forth into a big question mark.

"I know, I know… keep everyone away from our goal. But you've got to admit; people make for the best pawns." The shadow wiggled back and forth, waiting a couple of seconds before it changed into a big thumbs-up sign. Julian smirked as he turned his attention back to the purple-haired woman.

"What are you waiting for?" She tapped her 3-inch heels on the ground as she glared at the blue-eyed man. Julian shook his head, a soft smile tugging at his lips as he joined her. The two walked into another street before Carmilla grabbed Julian's shoulder.

"Here we go." She closed her eyes and grabbed her smartphone with her other hand. In an instant, the scenery changed. The scarlet sky got blotted out by grey clouds as the unearthly colour changed into a more natural deep blue.

"Ah, it's great to be back." Julian Gromel took a deep breath of fresh air as he looked at the living city, sprawled out in front of him. No matter how many times he went to the other side, this was still his preferred side.

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bluepenguinstories · 4 years

Text

Happiness Overload Chapter Forty-Two

So the plan was simple: go to some parking garage and beat the shit out of the Lilypad guy. In order to do so, I would need something a little heavier than a little knife. I knew just the place.

“Hey, I need a gun,” I told the guy at the counter, working the gun store. Whatever the fuck the place was called didn't matter a bit to me. “I got $20, what can that get me?”

He was some hairy, muscular guy. Handlebar mustache. Stereotypical enough yet? Short-sleeved camo vest...okay, I could go on, but I'm making myself sick.

“Kid, we don't sell anything that cheap here. Do you even have a license to carry?”

I shook my head. “That's not important. Look, I'mma be real with you: I'm probably gonna kill some people.”

“Do I need to call the police?”

Once more, I shook my head. “Don't bother. They'll just get in the way.”

“Yeah, no. You're not getting anything, and if you don't leave the store, I'll report you.”

“I thought this was America! I thought you sold guns to literal fucking toddlers! What kind of service is this?”

“One that wants to stay in business.”

I stormed out the store.

In reality, I disliked guns and weapons of that sort, but I had to let that guy know who was in charge. Plus, when the going gets rough, you needed all that you could get. For all I knew, that guy could've been in on the whole operation. If that was the case, I'd consider not getting anything from him a silver lining.

“I probably don't have it in me to kill anyone...I just gotta scare them a little, that's all. Make myself look badass. Then they'll run away and know not to mess with the likes of me.”

Muttering such things were the only way I could reassure myself I could actually go through with the meet up. Oh, but I knew them too well: there was no doubt there would be an ambush. But if I played my cards right, I could be the one doing the ambushing...

Before I could plan my attack, my phone rang. On cue, I ducked and hid behind a trash can on the sidewalk.

“First off: That is NOT a good hiding place. You stick out like a rotting thumb.” Ah, it was that one stalker hacker who wouldn't leave me alone. Wanted information she wasn't entitled to.

“New phone, who this?”

“Second off: You can NOT use that line on me! You already know who the fuck this is!”

“Actually, I don't. You never even gave me so much as a name.”

“Celia V.” I couldn't tell if that was some kind of joke or what. She sounded less schemey there and more grumbly. So make of that what you will.

“Such is life, indeed. Won't even tell me your name.”

“WHAT THE FUCK? I JUST DID!”

“You can't fool me, I know my Latin.” That was a lie. I didn't know any Latin.

“What-ever, dude. It's not even like it's a big deal! The reason I'm calling is--”

I cut her off. “I get it. You're attracted to me. Anyone would be.”

“THE FUCK?! I'M GAY.”

“So? I'm a girl sometimes.”

“Sorry, bud. I need all the time.”

“Jeez. How come I know so many lesbians, anyway? There's Velvet, Laura, Carmilla, Ellen Page, That one Harold couple...”

“Harold?”

“Yeah. Harold. They're lesbians. What about it?”

“OH MY FUCKING GOD.”

“Look, your voice is fine enough, but you're just not my type. Everyone knows 2D is better than 3D. If we ever were to meet, the magic would be lost.” I was sure that would break her heart, but I didn't know how to let someone down easy.

I hung up, not wanting to hear what I could only imagine were her sobs.

“Besides, that C'est la girl's kinda annoying, anyway.” Right as I said that, my phone rang again, and my fingers betrayed me, as I found myself answering the call.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME, YOU LITTLE BITCH? I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW --”

Oh my god. She's memeing. Maybe I was wrong about her. Maybe she's the real deal. I think I'm in love. Yes, that can be the only explanation. She's the one for me. Now, more than ever, I have to make sure my mission is a success so that we shall meet and become the perfect couple.

“--YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD, KIDDO!”

She hung up.

I didn't even get any information out of the conniving little shit! Instead, Kelly Roger distracted me with such stupid nonsense.

“Argh!” I pulled at my hair and hit my head against the monitor. “How did I let this happen? I'm not getting anything done!”

That must have been Kelly Roger's plan all along: as long as I was distracted, the little shit could keep running around with sensitive information. To think that even a great genius like me could continuously fall for such tricks, Etna must have found me to be a disgrace.

“No. No more. I will not be made a fool any longer! I will get what I want, even if I have to take it by force!”

Even as I made such a declaration, it all rang hollow; for the moment, I felt it best to do as I was instructed and keep watching Kelly Roger. But, sooner or later, the moment would arise, and that was when I would strike. It was only a matter of time...

It was only a matter of time before the big showdown would take off. Planted behind a pillar, I waited to meet my foe. Would it be the ring leader of the whole operation?

No. That would have been wishful thinking. If I knew anything about underground organization, which I knew a thing or two from playing the Yakuza games, then I knew the boss would never show up to deal with things. It would always be some enforcer.

Sure enough, they appeared, right on cue: a man, tall. Looked like some Floridan, if you catch my drift. Overalls, orange plaid shirt underneath. Tall, thin, and right under his chin, was some big...sac...thing?

Gross. Sucker probably has some kinda growth.

He also had bug eyes. So, you know, all around, total weirdo.

I gripped my trusty knife, ready to strike. Once he was in range, I made my move:

Through the air, pounced on the man's back, putting my full force on him. My aim was simple: to knock the goon to the ground and turn the tables. Not that the tables weren't already in my favor, but y'know, figure of speech.

“AKJLSKJLKSJLKSJLKSJDlFKSJLKAJLKSJLKSJ--” He thrashed about.

“How are you saying that out loud?” Was my first demand.

“SLKJLKSJLKSJALKJSD!”

I had no words.

He tried to reach and grab onto me. To fling me off, or to show just how tough he really was. But surprise, surprise, fucker of the mothers, I was the real tough one. I kicked down to the back of his knees and knocked him down. I found myself crashing as well, a hard thud on top of the man. But that didn't matter. Little bruises like that meant nothing.

On top of him, I pinned him down and grabbed one of his wrists. With my knife pressed against his thumb, I gave my demands.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way, buddy. Tell me where I can find your boss or say goodbye to your thumb.”

“KJSKDJLKSJKDLJ.”

“Not talking, eh? Fine by me.”

I began taking swipes at the guy's thumb. That continued for a solid minute, but I was getting mighty frustrated. It was like this guy's skin was a well-done steak. I just wasn't making any cuts. How was I supposed to slice that guy's thumb clear off when my knife wouldn't make any cuts? “Oh, come on! I'm trying to be violent here!” Even with more vigor, nothing seemed to be happening. Just for the record, I was pretty squeamish about the whole thing, but I just had to keep my composure. For the aesthetic.

“Any minute now...”

“Here, let me help you with that,” I heard from underneath me.

“Wait. Did you just say words?” But before I got the reply I so needed to solve that mystery, he flipped me over, got on top of me, snatched my knife, and plunged it right into my hand.

Throughout the parking garage, my screams echoed the shrillest sound I (and probably anyone else) had ever heard. Like a mountain goat kid fresh out the room ready to tell the world that they were born. Or something like that. Analogies were never my strongest suit.

Little rivers of thick blood dripped down from my hand where the knife was still stuck in. If one were to look down, they may have compared such a sight to a chocolate fountain (okay, I swear I'll stop with these stupid analogies). Tears ran down my face. Tears of...badassery.

I rolled over and got up. If he thought he could get the best of me, he had another thing coming.

“We...can't...just...ignore...that...you...just...spoke!” I sniffled as I cupped my bleeding hand with my good hand in hopes that I could stop the bleeding (look, at least I was smart enough not to remove the knife from out of my hand, okay?)

“ALKSJLFKSJLFKSJLKJALKJLKJALKJLKDSJLKSDJ!”

The smashing gentleman stamped his foot. It was clear that he was about to charge in for the attack. Likely scenario was that he'd run right into me, shove me, and throw me off the balcony where I'd drop to the death. Hey, at least I'd die a hero. ...But real talk, wouldn't that have been a lame way to go?

So yeah, that didn't happen. Instead, when he stamped his foot, I heard a shot fire in the distance and watched as the stray bullet hit his forehead and he got knocked back, fallen to the ground.

Astonished, I looked behind me to see a sniper with an orange jumpsuit on the roof of the next building over. Go figure. Probably some wannabe Naruto cospslayer.

“Ha! Got 'em!” I did a little victory dance. If only the others could see me now. Hell, I bet Etna was in such awe over my greatness. “Everyone's always like 'noooo, Celia V, you can't have a sniper rifle! Whenever we go on target practice, you always miss!' Well, guess what? Looks like hit or miss, this time I didn't miss!”

Okay, so maybe it wasn't so victorious to trip over myself in my excitement and almost fall off of the roof I was perched on. Look, we all have those moments, okay? Doesn't mean I'm not badass!

Case in point: my next move involved grabbing a parachute, jumping off the rooftop, and sticking a safe landing at the parking lot where the feeble and lame ass loser stood hunched in pain. From out of my pocket, I pulled out a strip of gauze bandages and got to work. First, pulling that knife out that was wedged in there (yes, there was a lot of screaming), then making a hasty wrap around with the bandages.

“What are you doing?” The poor sap, Kelly Roger, looked surprised.

“Saving your sorry ass!”

“I didn't tell you to!”

“I don't give a damn!”

“Well I don't give a shit if you don't give a damn!”

“Well I don't give a damn that you don't give a shit that I don't give a damn!”

“Well I don't --”

“SHUT UP!”

From behind Kelly Roger, I could see the shape of the amphibious humanoid lying on the ground. I was still impressed with myself that I managed to get a clear shot. Pats on the back were in order, I deserved them.

“I was right about you. You really were more attractive when you were just a voice.”

“Fuck you, too! Not like you're a sight for sore eyes, either.”

“You think I think I'm hot shit? I know I ain't shit. Do you think I give a shit? No, I don't give a shit.”

“That's one shitty speech.”

I continued to get the bandage on when I noticed out from the corner of my eye, the frog man stand.

“Shit!” I panicked, just as I finished up.

“See? That's what I'm talkin' 'bout right there!”

God damn, you're a fucking idiot.

“Well, I fixed your wound, gotta jet!”

I began to run off, already one floor below what was soon to be a massacre. Look, I tried, okay? Was it shitty that I just left Kelly Roger behind to die right after fixing their wound? Yeah. But look, that was the old me. Though for the record, the new me was also doing the exact same thing.

Wait. Wasn't I gonna extract information out of Kelly Roger? Well, shit. Looks like I never get around to that. And, like, if I hadn't left my sniper rifle on the rooftop, I could've threatened them at gunpoint. Or, better yet, I could've been all badass and fought the frog guy.

I stopped in my tracks.

“C'mon, what would the others back at the office say? 'That clumsy Celia V couldn't even kill a frog'. Do I really wanna be that laughingstock? Who needs a gun to kill a frog, anyway?”

I ran back up. I just hoped it wouldn't be a complete bloodbath by the time I got there.

Okay, so what happened was this: random sniper chick in a naruto costume (at least that's what I assume when I see an orange jumpsuit) shot the guy I was trying to confront in the parking lot. Pretty sure she was probably trying to be whatever the female equivalent of a himbo is, but female himbo she was not. She was just plain dumb.

So then after frog guy got shot, she jumped down, started healing me as if she was a member of my party and this was some lame-ass RPG. Like, didn't she see that I had the situation all under control? Well, didn't matter. Frog guy was dead, day was saved.

Then, she ran off, probably in awe of my badassery. So what did I do? I turned around, and lo and behold, frog guy was alive. Alive, and angry. If I wasn't mistaken, it looked his face was red and he had horns. At first I was thinking “devil frog”, but that didn't seem right. Too scrawny, not devious enough. As soon as he started stamping his foot like he was some sort of bull ready to charge, that's when it finally came to me:

“Oh hey! You're a bullfrog!”

Just like a bull, less like a frog, the dude charged forward, but that wasn't my first rodeo (actually it was (actually, it wasn't even a rodeo, it was a bullfight, but tomato, potato, same difference)) so I knew to jump out of the way and right on cue, too, because he just fell over the platform and went splat! Right on the ground. Maybe not the most expected outcome, but you gotta imagine that it was like 5 or 6 stories high.

I looked down and winced. Oof. Not a pretty sight.

Speaking of, C'est la Idiocy ran back up just to see me.

“Hey, what happened up here?”

“Came back up just to see me, huh?”

“Hell no!” She looked around, probably flustered after seeing how great I was. “By the way, why aren't you dead?”

“I took care of things,” didn't mean to brag, but I totally did.

“That's some real bullshit if I ever smelled it!”

I sniffed the air. Maybe I smelled pigeon poop, but the bullfrog was several feet below. No way the scent carried up that far.

“Totes did! Should've been there! It was an epic moment, if I do say so myself!”

Arms crossed, I paced back and forth, basking in my brilliance.

“Now I just gotta figure out how to stop Lilypad once and for all and the city will be saved! I really am on top of things!”

She stomped up to me, pointed her finger right up to my face, and scowled.

“No! You are going to stay out of this and leave things to the professionals!”

“Now why would I do that?” I smirked.

She pulled out a knife from her boot.

“Because you're way in over your head!” The knife was raised up to my chin. “Now, what you're going to do is tell me everything you know about Lilypad, and then you're going to go home, or go sleep in some dumpster for all I care, and forget all this ever happened!”

“Yeah, not gonna happen. Just admit it, I'm better at you. If I wasn't, why would you be coming to me about information?”

“Ugh! I helped stopped the bleeding, and I can start it back up!” She growled for further effect. “Or better yet, I can slice your head clean off.”

I gulped.

“Okay! I'll talk!”

“Good,” she eased up and grinned. “While we're at it, you're going to tell me anything else you know that you shouldn't!”

“Don't push your luck.”

“Hey! Who's got the knife here?”

I looked around. I was pretty sure my own knife was around here somewhere. Couldn't have gotten far. Wherever it landed, it was sure to be all bloody, which hey, might've been perfect, actually, 'cause if I had to do a stab, I could also infect whoever with whatever blood stuff.

“Hey! Don't get distracted! Focus! Lilypad!”

“Oh yeah! So, like, they're apparently trying to gas the city and turn everyone into frog people or whatever.” I shrugged. My hand stung like a bitch, too, but, like, that was also whatever.

“What?! Would you act this casual in any interrogation?!”

“I mean, if you're asking if I value my life, the answer's probably no.”

“Ahem,” she made a fake cough, then made a fake important-sounding voice. “What I meant to say was, 'thank you citizen'.”

“So what? Are you saying you're a good guy or something?”

“That information...is classified!” Then she went back to her usual sneer. “Smell ya later, loser!”

With that out of the way, she ran off.

All things considered, the whole scene could have been so much worse. I mean, sure, I got stabbed and probably needed medical attention I knew I wasn't gonna get, and sure, I just blabbed some secret stuff to someone shady, but on the bright side, at least now I had a cold spot to sleep.

“Yeah, just gonna rest my head right here. If a car runs me over, it'll be their fault.”

Apt words to say right before a nap.

#happiness overload #writing #stories #meme #frogs #bullfrog #scifi #comedy

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brain-leakage-blog · 6 years

Text

Running Castlevania with Old School D&D, Part 6

For part one of this series, click here. For part two, click here. For part three, click here. For part four, click here. And for part five, click here.

To close this little experiment out, I'm going to end right where the games do: with Dracula. Now, statting out the big boss for a Castlevania game could be easy. After all, he's a vampire, right? Why not just use the same Basic Fantasy Roleplaying Game template I did for Carmilla?

Well, that gets back to what I said in my last post, about Ravenloft and Castlevania being two properties with different feels to them. Case in point: Strahd Von Zarovich is probably my favorite D&D villain of all time. He's devilishly smart. He's an accomplished wizard, who uses both magic and his environment to his advantage. But he's basically just a standard vampire, with a few tweaks to his power level. A canny-enough group of PCs could conceivably surprise him in his coffin, drive a stake through his heart, and end the problem. It's not likely, mind you, but it's possible.

Dracula from the Castlevania series, however, is another matter entirely. The climax is always a pitched battle, with Dracula taking on multiple forms. His human facade melts away, revealing a hideous, demonic nature. Only by defeating his final form (however many he goes through), do our heroes save the day.

And sure, part of that is because it's a platformer game, and platformers always end with a big boss fight. But I also think it's an essential part of the franchise. Simply put, if you're running a Castlevania-themed game, the only way to make it "feel" like Castlevania is to end it with an epic, shapeshifting, "now-face-my-TRUE-power"-style boss fight.

To that end, the first thing to realize is that Castlevania Dracula isn't really a vampire. Not in the Bela Lugosi/pop-culture/European folklore sense. Castlevania Dracula is really a maō, or Japanese Demon Lord.

Don't just take it from me. The Japanese title of the first game is Akumajou Dracula, or "Demon Castle Dracula." The akuma is an evil fire-spirit in traditional Japanese folklore, and when Christianity came to Japan in 1549, Akuma was the name applied to Satan. Language drift being what it is, "akuma" was sometimes shortened to "ma," meaning devil or demon, and maō is "demon ruler" or "demon king."

This article on Legends of Localization goes into more detail, but for our purposes it's enough to know that Dracula is much more than a vampire.

With this in mind, I decided to stat out three of Dracula's forms separately. I did use a modified vampire for the first one, since it seemed appropriate. For the second, I leaned heavily on the Basic Fantasy Roleplaying Game Infernal races (specifically the Malebranche and the Vrock).

The last one—based on the cluster of floating heads from Castlevania III—is a modification of the Basic Fantasy Roleplaying Game Giant Flying Brain.

But enough talk! HAVE AT YOU!

Vlad Dracula Tepes (First Form)

Alignment: Chaotic

Armor Class: 21

Hit Dice: 12 (attack bonus +12)

No. of Attacks: 1 or magic

Damage: 1d10, or magic

Movement: 40' or 60' (fly)

No. Appearing: 1 (Unique)

Save as: Lvl 12 Fighter

Morale: 11

Treasure Type: Special

XP: 2,175

In his first form, Dracula appears to be an abnormally large vampire. He resembles an 8' tall human male, with pale skin, dark hair, and flaming red eyes. His canine teeth are sharp, and his features are vaguely lupine.

Like mundane vampires, in this form Dracula casts no shadow and no reflection. Unlike common vampires, he is perfectly capable of crossing running water and entering another's home without invitation. Additionally, mirrors and garlic have no effect. He may pretend to have these weaknesses at first, in order to lure his enemies into false confidence.

A cross presented with conviction will keep him at bay, provided the wielder is at least level 3 (for more information on this weakness, see the Vampire, p. 124 of the Basic Fantasy Roleplaying Game). He may also be turned, but the Cleric attempting to do so faces a -5 penalty.

Dracula is immune to Sleep, Charm, and Hold spells. He does not use weapons, preferring to use spells in combat. If forced to fight physically, he slashes at his enemies with his claws for 1d10 damage.

Dracula is not known to bite in combat. However, his bite inflicts 1d3 damage, and drains two level of energy for each round he continues to feed. While feeding, he suffers a -5 Armor Class penalty. Victims reduced to 0 hit points by in this manner die, and they will rise again as vampires during the next sunset. These new vampires are permanently under Dracula's control, and always act as if under a Charm spell.

Dracula has access to many magic spells. One of his preferred methods of attack is to cast Teleport (which he can do at will) to take an advantageous position behind his enemies, and then attack from a distance with Hellfire. For purposes of spell duration and saves, Dracula's Caster Level is 20.

Dracula can command common nocturnal creatures. Twice per day, he can summon 10d12 rats, 5d6 giant rats, 10d12 bats, 3d8 giant bats, or 3d8 wolves. The creatures must be nearby to be summoned. Once called, they arrive in 2d6 rounds and obey his commands for 2 hours.

At will, Dracula can transform into a swarm of 4d4 giant bats. The bats are identical to those detailed on p. 58 of the Basic Fantasy Roleplaying Game. Dracula often uses this ability to flee the area when surprised or overmatched. As long as even one of these bats survives, he is capable of returning to his first form, retaining the same number of Hit Points he had before transforming.

Dracula also has the common vampire's Charm gaze, which his victims must save vs Spell to resist. Victims save at -4.

Dracula cannot be harmed by non-magical weapons. Reducing him to 0 Hit Points or exposing him to direct sunlight for more than 5 rounds only destroys his first form, causing him to assume the next one.

Hellfire

1st Level Spell

Duration: Instant

Range: 100' + 10'/Level

This spell causes a small ball of fire to shoot forth and strike a target of the caster's choosing, causing 1d6+1 damage. The target must be at least partially visible to the caster. For every three caster levels after 1st, an additional fireball is generated: two at 4th level, three at 7th, four at 10th, and the maximum number of five at 13th level and above.

Vlad Dracula Tepes (Second Form)

Alignment: Chaotic

Armor Class: 24

Hit Dice: 14 (attack bonus +12)

No. of Attacks: 1 or Special

Damage: 1d10 or Special

Movement: 30' or 15' (fly)

No. Appearing: 1 (Unique)

Save as: Lvl 14 Fighter

Morale: 11

Treasure Type: Special

XP: 2,730

In his second form, Dracula resembles a huge, ugly, gargoyle-like creature. Membraneous wings connect his arms to his torso. Ram-like horns extend from the sides of his head.

Dracula is incapable of true "flight" in his gargoyle form, as his wings cannot support his massive body. However, he can use them to leap vertical and horizontal distances of over 15 feet. He uses this ability in combat, leaping at his enemy and slashing for 1d10 damage with his feet.

He is also capable of breathing modified Fireballs at will. Dracula's fireballs are treated as if generated by a fifth level caster, causing 5d6 damage, and having a range of 150 feet. Rather than saving vs. Spell for half damage, his targets are allowed a save vs. Breath Weapon to avoid damage altogether.

While in this form, Dracula can only be harmed by magical weapons and spells cast by a character of 3rd Level or higher. He is completely immune to Sleep, Charm, and Hold spells. Additionally, as he is no longer assuming the shape of an undead creature, he cannot be turned. Reducing Dracula's Second Form to 0 Hit Points does not kill him. It only causes him to assume his Third and final form.

Vlad Dracula Tepes (Third Form)

Alignment: Chaotic

Armor Class: 14

Hit Dice: 24 (attack bonus +1)

No. of Attacks: Magic or Special

Damage: Special

Movement: 30' or 15' (fly)

No. Appearing: 1 (Unique)

Save as: Lvl 14 Magic User

Morale: 11

Treasure Type: Special

XP: 8,850

In his Third and final form, Dracula appears as a massive cluster of 4d4 giant heads. The heads float 5-15 feet in the air, continuously pulsating and moaning. Upon first seeing this form, all creatures must save vs Spell or be paralyzed for 2d8 turns, as if targeted by a Hold Person spell.

In this form Dracula can cast spells as a 14th level magic user, although for purposes of damage, spell duration, and saves, his Caster Level is treated as 20.

Additionally, each of the heads in the cluster drips a corrosive acid from its mouth. The acid causes 2d8 points of damage. Those hit by the acid drops must make a save vs. Breath Weapon. If unsuccessful, the acid dissolves 1d4 random unenchanted object on the target's person, rendering them useless.

When Dracula's Third Form is reduced to 0 Hit Points, he is not killed. His spirit is either returned to the primordial chaos beyond the world, or it is absorbed by the walls of Castlevania itself. Dracula will Reincarnate into his First Form in exactly 100 years, unless outsiders attempt to revive him early.

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