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oliversrarebooks · 2 months

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The Rare Bookseller Part 43: Katherine's Advice

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September 1925

TW: conditioning, discussion of abuse, panic attacks

Oliver put the finishing touches on a set of egg-salad sandwiches, neat triangles with the crust removed, and set them on a platter along with an assortment of tea cookies from a local bakery. Truthfully, he didn't know the first thing about entertaining -- with no friends or family and a tiny bookshop apartment, it wasn't anything he'd ever had to do. Alexander had some helpful suggestions for things he'd seen other thralls do, and had procured the supplies Oliver would need for a light midnight lunch (or whatever one might call it.)

In fact, Alexander had been hovering around Oliver a great deal since their fraught conversation a couple of nights before. He'd bought a bounty of foods he supposed Oliver might like, and seemed to be popping up around every corner of the library to show Oliver interesting books. It was as though his master thought he needed to win his favor all over again -- despite the fact that Oliver was still very much enthralled, his thoughts often going hazy and filling with imagined echoes of siren song.

Oliver didn't really need the attention, but he did appreciate the advice on entertaining. Embarrassing as it was, Oliver really did want to impress his guests. So much had happened over the past few weeks, his entire life and conception of the world turned on its end. The only people who might really understand were vampires' thralls. Miriam hadn't seemed quite lucid enough for a true conversation, but Alexander had told him that Miss Ruth's thrall, Charlie, was quite intelligent and together.

It'd be nice to talk to someone else who had gone through... this. That was all.

He had just finished up in the kitchen when the doorbell rang and his master rushed to greet the guests. "Hello hello!" sang a voice that Oliver would never forget: Miss Lily. She brought both of her hands to her face in a dramatic mock gasp. "Lex? No, it can't be. You don't look like you just clawed your way out of a grave. Who are you, and what have you done with Lex?"

"Mm. Nice to see you too."

"And look at you!" Miss Lily ruffled Oliver's hair. "You look like you're adjusting quite well! Are you the one responsible for Lex's shocking good health?"

Oliver blushed, not certain how to respond to the praise. She seemed different from how she had been in the auction house, more relaxed, but something about her voice and mannerisms still made Oliver feel a bit dazed and eager to please. "I'm just glad I was able to help him, sir."

"Of course you did. I just knew a thrall like you could do him a world of good. Speaking of which..." She pulled her thrall Miriam through the front door, and she looked at Oliver with her usual clouded expression. "Miriam, you remember Oliver, don't you? Lord Alexander's new thrall?"

She looked confused for a moment before her face lit up a bit in recognition. "Oh, yes! From when we were staying at the auction house. It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you, too." Miriam's uncertain mental state made him a bit uneasy. If Lily and Alexander were anything alike, would he end up similarly entranced? Would he even realize if it happened? Was it happening already?

"But Miriam's not the only person I've brought along. I took the liberty of inviting one of our old friends that Lex has been avoiding."

Alexander looked confused. "Ruth? I haven't been avoiding her."

"Ruth's on the way, too, but no, not her."

"Oh -- you don't mean --"

A sophisticated-looking older woman, gray hair tucked in neat curls, stepped out from the porch. She was wearing an old-fashioned, dark blue flannel dress with a high collar. Behind her was another older woman, also wearing an old-fashioned flannel dress, hers covered with a ruffled white pinafore.

"Edith! It's been ages!" said Alexander.

"And whose fault is that?" she said, in the tone of a worried mother. "You kept turning me away when I called on you, and I'd hear all about it from Lily -- how you refused to take a thrall, and were drinking bottled blood --"

Alexander looked uncharacteristically cowed by the scolding. "And I'm sure she's told you that I have a suitable thrall, now, so you needn't worry about my health."

"I'll stop being worried about your health when you start taking proper care of yourself," she said. "But I'd like to meet this thrall of yours. Is this him?"

Even with his master and Miss Lily around him, Oliver could still feel the pull of this new vampire's aura on his mind. It was soothing, almost numbing, and he had the odd thought that she must be a good master. "My name is Oliver Pines, sir, and I am indeed Lord Alexander's thrall. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, what a polite and charming thrall," Miss Edith said with a smile. She shamelessly took Oliver's chin in her hand to examine his face, and Oliver was surprised that his master didn't seem to mind. "Healthy, and his blood smells very nourishing."

"As you can see, I'm taking care of myself just fine," said Alexander defensively.

"I suppose this is a better state of affairs than your usual. But where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself properly." she said, and then turned back to Oliver. "You may address me as Dr. Edith. I'm a doctor who has served the vampire community for over a century. If you're ever sick or injured, no doubt your master will call on me to help."

"You're a vampire... doctor, sir?"

"There are very few health ailments that can afflict vampires, so I primarily take care of their precious thralls. After all, healthy thralls are necessary for a healthy vampire," she said, with a pointed look at Alexander.

He rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. "Yes, yes, your point has been made."

"And this is Katherine, my faithful nurse," said Dr. Edith, gesturing to the woman who had accompanied her.

Katherine delicately shook Oliver's hand. "Good to meet you." She looked bright-eyed compared to Miriam, but her hand was warm, and she clearly was not a vampire.

"Are you a..."

"Dr. Edith's thrall, yes, and her nurse and assistant and whatever else is required of me."

"I see," he said with relief. He was looking forward to having a chat with a thrall who seemed to still have her wits about her.

While the group was still exchanging pleasantries, hanging up coats and hats, when the doorbell rang once again. It was Miss Ruth, the vampire lawyer who had sized up Oliver's suitability for a clerk at the auction house. She was followed by a tall, broad-shouldered man.

"Do you remember me, Oliver?" she asked.

"Yes, sir, I remember you very well. You asked me to recite state capitals. I'm glad to see you well."

Miss Ruth looked at him with longing. "Oh, I do wish I could have afforded to buy you," she said. "But no matter how hard I work, I just can't compete with Lex's fortune."

The broad-shouldered man was named Charlie, and he was one of Miss Ruth's thralls and law clerks. He favorited Oliver with a stoic nod, and between him and Katherine, he couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious. Now that he was fully enthralled and owned by a vampire, it was strange to be around other humans, even those in a similar boat. It made him more keenly aware of his situation, and he wondered how he seemed to other people, all too aware that he was under a hypnotic spell.

"Now that all of our guests have arrived, Oliver, why don't you get your tea and refreshments and show the thralls into the second-floor sitting room?" said Alexander. "We'll be meeting in the parlor, and I would prefer not to be disturbed."

"Yes, sir," said Oliver, feeling more than a bit like a child being shooed off so the adults could talk. But even though he'd love to hear what the vampires were discussing -- especially since he seemed to be of particular interest to them -- he was also eager to have a chat with the other thralls.

A few moments later, and he'd enlisted Katherine and Charlie's help in carrying trays to the sitting room. The curtains were open wide, offering a pleasant view of the gaslit city streets and the waning moon. Miriam settled into a plush chair and pulled a knitting project out of a small bag as Oliver poured tea for the four of them.

"Please, help yourself to sandwiches and cookies," he said.

"You're a lovely host, Oliver," Katherine commented. "And so lucid, as well."

"Um --"

Charlie glared. "An awkward thing to say to a new thrall, don't you think?"

"At my age, I don't see any point dancing around the bush. I've seen hundreds of thralls, after all, and I'm well aware that we're some of the more fortunate ones."

"How long have you two been thralls?" asked Oliver.

"Six years for me," said Charlie.

"I've been with the doctor for nearly thirty years now."

"Thirty years!" said Oliver. "I didn't know... well..."

"Didn't realize that a thrall could last so long in the service of a vampire?" said Katherine, amused. "It's understandable, but it's more common than you might expect. I'm particularly lucky in that my master is a doctor, and so I'm kept very healthy."

"Do you like your master?"

"I do," said Katherine. "I'm under her spell, of course, but after all these years, that's practically background noise. But after having met so many vampires, I'm glad it was the doctor who enthralled me. I meet lots of interesting people and vampires, and I get to help them. I'm never bored. And she's always treated me well."

"I'm also happy to serve my master," said Charlie in a tone that sounded a bit strange. "I mean, I do miss my old life sometimes, and it's hard work to be a clerk, but my living conditions are so much better than when I was working at the factory, that's for sure. My math and reading have improved, too."

"And how about you, Oliver? What's your first impression of serving Lord Alexander?" said Katherine.

Oliver's mind swirled with thoughts, of his master's siren song and his feeding and his need, of the library and the comfortable bed and generous food, of his tiny apartment above the bookshop that used to be modest but his, of the threat of his master's sire.

"It's been good so far. Lord Alexander will be a good master to me, I hope," said Oliver carefully. "But... did you two know his previous thralls?"

Katherine exchanged a look with Charlie. "Ah, yes, Henry. I remember him. He was more... subdued. Like Miriam."

"Like Miriam," Oliver repeated, his fear of having his mind fade away from him renewed.

Miriam looked up from her knitting. "Hm?"

"Nothing, dear," said Katherine. "I believe that Lord Alexander has, for the most part, always treated his thralls very well. He's a gentle vampire, and he's always treated me with more respect than is due a thrall. But..."

"But?"

"Well... I have had to treat a number of mysterious injuries on Alexander's previous thralls. Miss Lily's as well. I assume you know what those two have in common."

Charlie looked impatient. "There's no need to beat around the bush. Our vampires won't mind us talking about this. They're probably talking about the same thing," he said. "Oliver, what has Lord Alexander told you about the Maestro?"

"The Maestro?" said Oliver, his eyes widening. "Is that... his sire?"

"Oh dear. Yes, he is," said Katherine. "So he's told you very little. It's the way of vampires, unfortunately. Even my master barely tells me anything."

Oliver gripped his chair. "I need to know. Please, tell me."

"I'm afraid I don't know that much myself. He's notoriously reclusive. But I have had to visit his manor to attend to thralls on a number of occasions. Even my master would prefer not to go there, but she says it's too dangerous to defy him."

"What was he like?"

Katherine leaned in close, as though the subject of their conversation might somehow overhear. "His power lets him control people's bodies utterly. His thralls are like toy soldiers, moving to a drum only they can hear. I'm used to all kinds of thralls, but his were uncanny." Katherine shuddered. "Even though he didn't lay a hand on me, he was glaring at me the entire time, and I could feel his influence pulling at my mind. A feeling as though I had to fall in line immediately, or something terrible would happen. Like I could barely think without him hearing it. I've rarely wanted to flee a manor so quickly as that one."

"That does sound... unpleasant," he said, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he sipped his tea, unable to stop his imagination from conjuring visions of himself being used as little more than a puppet. "And his thralls were injured?"

"My master complained that he hadn't called until they were practically bleeding out -- afterwards, of course, not while we were there. Malnourished, too, with a haunted look about them." She put a hand on his knee with a sympathetic look. "But these were the Maestro's own thralls, not Alexander's. You have far less to worry about here. As I've said, I've always found him to be a very gentle vampire."

"Convenient," huffed Charlie. "A vampire with a reputation for being gentle and honest, who gets to blame all his thralls' injuries on his notoriously cruel sire."

Katherine looked alarmed. "Charlie --"

"I'm just saying that I find it hard to believe the apple falls that far from the tree."

Before Katherine could interject again, Miriam unexpectedly looked up from her knitting, fear written on her normally placid face. "But it is true," she insisted. "Lord Alexander has never hurt me. Neither has Miss Lily, except when she has to leave me there, and --" Tears began to roll down her face. "I can hear it. I can still hear it. Miss Lily told me I could forget, but I can't, I can't forget or he'll punish me --"

"Miriam, oh dear, Miriam, it's okay," said Katherine, pulling the sobbing thrall into an embrace. "It's all right, Miriam. No one's going to hurt you here. You're safe with us, dear."

"I can dance. I can do the dance perfectly, I promise, just let me try, I can do it." Miriam's anxious mumble was barely intelligible between her crying and the way she was pressed against Katherine.

"Miriam, you aren't there. You aren't anywhere frightening. You're having tea at Lord Alexander's house, remember?"

"I'm at...?"

"Lord Alexander's house. His thrall Oliver is being such a gracious host. It's perfectly safe. See?"

Miriam seemed to wake from her terror almost as quickly as she'd fallen into it. "Oh, of course, I don't know what I was thinking!" she said, glassy-eyed as she lifted her head from Katherine's shoulder. "Oh, I always enjoy when my madam visits Lord Alexander. He's very kind to me."

"Of course he is, dear," said Katherine, patting her back. "We really shouldn't bring up such awful topics around Miriam. She's a sensitive soul. Charlie, how's your baseball team doing?"

Oliver wanted to hear more, even though it terrified him, but he also felt awful that his questioning had thrown Miriam into a panic, so he eagerly went along with the topic change. "You like baseball, Charlie?"

"Love baseball, always have," he said, also looking relieved at the conversation switch. "My master gave me a great radio set, so I can listen to all the games. But my team's doing awful this year -- bottom of the league. They never shoulda traded their star pitcher..."

As Oliver listened to Charlie rant about blown games and poor referee calls, as Katherine discussed birdwatching and a new bread recipe she'd tried, he could almost forget the fear of his situation and feel a little bit normal.

It was only later, after Charlie and his madam left and Miriam was engrossed in her knitting, that Oliver was able to pull Katherine aside. "Katherine, will you please hear me out?"

"Certainly," she said in a motherly tone. "I know how hard it is, the first few weeks of being a vampire's thrall."

"What you said before..." He glanced around as if he were afraid his master would pop out of the shadows at any moment. "Am I safe here? Will I be all right? I've been conditioned to be unable escape..."

"That's normal, yes. I assume Miss Lily was the one who handled your conditioning?"

"She was."

"Then no, I don't expect you'll be able to escape," she said. She put a hand on Oliver's shoulder. "I can't promise that you will be safe. What I said about the Maestro was all true, and while I do believe Alexander means well on the whole, you're among vampires now. We live in their world, and they do what they will with us."

Oliver felt his gut twist. "So then..."

"I've met so many thralls in my life. Hundreds, probably. Most in worse situations than you, and some in better," she said. "Would you like to hear my honest advice about surviving this?"

"Yes, by all means."

"Find happiness wherever you can. Find joy outside of your master's enthralling and feeding. Hobbies, food, art, education, anything that brings you pleasure -- indulge in it." She smiled warmly. "You'll need these pleasures to keep your mind sharp and keep your soul from despair. When you're permanently a prisoner, you need something tangible to look forward to, even if it's simply a warm drink or a beam of sunshine. You seem like the sort of man who can appreciate the mundane."

"...I like to believe so, yes."

"That's a skill that will serve you well, Oliver," she said. "Even if Alexander and his sire are cruel to you, you'll still have something to hold on to during your darkest moments."

"Something to hold on to..."

"I think you will figure it out. With how much Lord Alexander seems to prize you, it wouldn't surprise me to meet you here twenty years from now, looking back on our lives with our vampires."

She seemed to mean it, and that gave Oliver hope.

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I really enjoy Edith as a character and hope to write at least one side story with her.

@d-cs @latenightcupsofcoffee @thecyrulik @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @wanderinggoblin @whumpyourdamnpears @only-shadows-dwell-where-we-are @pressedpenn @pigeonwhumps @amusedmuralist @xx-adam-xx @ivycloak @irregular-book @whumpsoda @mj-or-say10 @pokemaniacgemini @sowhumpshaped @whumpsday @morning-star-whump @shinyotachi @silly-scroimblo-skrunkl @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @pirefyrelight @theauthorintraining @whump-me-all-night-long @anonfromcanada @typewrittenfangs @tessellated-sunl1ght @cleverinsidejoke @abirbable @ichorousambrosia @a-formless-entity @gobbo-king @writinggremlin @the-agency-archives @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @enigmawriteswhump @foresttheblep @bottlecapreader @whump-on-a-string @whumpinthepot @cinnamoncandycanes @avvail-whumps @tauntedoctopuses @secret-vampkissers-soiree

#whump #whump writing #vampires #vampire whump #mind control #vampire whumpee #rare bookseller #oliver #alexander #lily #miriam #edith #katherine #ruth #charlie

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miriamforster · 2 months

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Sleeping with Astarion on a Gale romance run, just to keep myself entertained because the man keeps running away when I flirt with him. 😂

Me: *imagines kissing Gale*

Gale: “Haha unexpected but welcome, yes very welcome….yes…”

Gale: *flees*

Me: 🧐

Anyway I figure if I hit up the drow early in act two, Astarion and I can decide to be friends and that way I get my RP quota out of act one and nobody gets hurt.

#listen I like the rizzard #but if you tell a guy you want to kiss him and he starts philosophizing about the little things that make us human #I think you should get to sleep with the damaged vampire as well #as a treat #I have a tadpole in my brain #I’m not waiting around for a MAN #bg3 #bg3 astarion #bg3 gale #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #astarion #Miriam plays bg3

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collinsportmaine · 11 months

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by Brianna Ashby

#brianna Ashby #vampires #catherine deneuve #Miriam Blaylock #the hunger

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asgoodeasgold · 1 year

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"This changes everything, everything".

Matthew spent the night comparing Diana's DNA to that of pre-11th century witches. And it turns out D is a bad *ss witch. Good for her.

I could watch professor de Clermont do his sciencey things all day. I can't exactly put my finger on why 🤔

📷 A Discovery of Witches (2018) s1:05 my edits/gifs

#matthew goode #aiysha hart #a discovery of witches #adow #adow s1 #matthew de clermont #miriam shephard #hot prof #hot vampire

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thethirdvoerman · 3 months

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"unerring pursuit"

"sometimes i feel a presence near, where there is none. like a reflection has been cast behind mine where emptiness had been. it's strange. once the terror of this violation subsides, it feels like undeserved, gentle closeness. like for a moment, the reflection feels balanced then and there, and i am a part of something whole. the horror shapes itself into something beloved. how can this be?"

miriam the tremere girlie i have for @certifiedtired's future chronicle and her malkavian bestie (?) theodore! they're both weirdly into fashion history and it makes everyone uncomfortable since it means everyone has to dress to elysium in alignment with the english spring fashion of 1898 or whatever

no effects version under the cut!

#art stuff #vtm #vtm oc #oc: miriam #vampire the masquerade #world of darkness #tremere oc

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matthewsblue · 1 year

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“Matthew shook his head ruefully. “I’ve missed you, Miriam.”

“Don’t. Because the next time I see you, I’m going to bite you so hard you’ll have the scar for years.” Miriam’s voice shook. “You should have killed Benjamin long ago. You knew he was a monster.”

“Even monsters can change,” Matthew said softly. “Look at me.”

“You were never a monster,” she said. “That was a lie you told to keep the rest of us away.”

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ifindus · 8 months

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Kaptein Sabeltann and all the antagonists!

#kaptein sabeltann #greven av gral #miriam av gral #grusomme gabriel #maga khan #ngl I'm super proud of this #probably the most complex piece I've done in while!!#might crop out Sabeltann and make just him a picture too #love that they all have their own props too #this is a “villain pic” because Kaptein Sabeltann is sort of the villian too? Just all the bad guys #it's just a nice collection; a ghost - a vampire - a witch - and a sorcerer #and then Captain Sabeltann - no special powers just the most feared pirate and king of the seven seas #I've recently watched the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy too - and with the One Piece live action coming out #my life is just all pirates atm #did actually write a Sabeltann/Langemann fic but in the process of writing another one too #I'm putting a lot of effort into something only like 3 people care about but I'm having so much fun!! ✨

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not-krys · 8 months

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Seasonal Vibes Meme

So, saw a prompt on twitter about what seasonal vibes a character/ship gives off, so I think it'd be a fun question for here and a good writing exercise:

What seasonal vibes does your OC / squish / ship give off? Are they like spring or winter? Can also include not so traditionally thought of seasons, like the rainy season, harvest season, winter/spring thaw, a local holiday season, bug season, etc.

For those that wanna do this too, you can do your OC (fandom or original), or even just your favorite fictional squish at the moment.

For those that wanna do ships, sky's also the limit. MC x canon, OC x canon, canon x canon, selfship x canon, romantic or platonic, doesn't matter, just whatever the seasonal vibe is with a lil blerb as to why that is.

No pressure tagging: @lorei-writes, @kissmetwicekissmedeadly, @scummy-writes, @honeybyte, @batteryrose, @drachonia, @limonzu, @tsundere-mitsuhide, and anyone else that's wants to play.

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Houki/Mitsunari (IkeSen): Spring, Sweet blossoming beginnings. Both are discovering new things around them (Houki quite literally as she's from a different world all together, Mitsunari learning about love and confidence) and while there may be storms along the way, they help each other blossom into themselves.

(plus it doesn't help that @beni-draw-ikemen-please drew them surrounded by cherry blossoms a while back, so I'll always think of them with the springtime vibes)

---

Ophelia/Kennyo (IkeSen): Late Winter/Early Spring Thaw. Times of deep turmoil coming to an end so that something new and wonderful can grow. They both have troubling things happen to them in the past, but as time passes, they learn to grow as people and to put the harsh times behind them so they can have hope for the future.

---

Thea/Theo/Arthur (IkeVamp): Summer. Time of high heat and fun adventures. They bicker and tease each other a lot of the time, but they never turn down having an adventure together. Whether that adventure consists of solving some small mystery in town, walking hand in hand in hand through an art gallery they helped set up together, or challenging each other in cards or arm wrestling in the gaming room, they never forget that doing it together is the best part of any adventure.

---

Abby/Vincent (IkeVamp): Autumn. Change and reflection on the times of the past. Abby goes through a lot changes in her life, Vincent being present for a lot of her later changes, sometimes even triggering them himself. But he always wants to be a part of her life, especially after he lost her the first time, putting a change in him that rippled across all the lives they had connected with before.

---

Maddie/Harr (IkeRev): Early Summer. Not as young as they used to be to be like spring, but still want to have the fun they had/didn't have in their youths. Harr is a hardened academic at his core and Maddie is discovering magic for the first time, three decades into her life. They have insatiable curiosity despite not being spring chickens anymore. Their lives are shaped by their pasts yet they still want to explore the world and discover more of its mysteries and wonders.

---

Clara/Nokto (IkePri): Rainy Season. The sun after the rain is much more beautiful than the sun before the rain. At first, Clara hated Nokto. She hated him for taking advantage of her and for putting her in situations she felt she had no business being a part of. However, once his masks were washed away, as it were, she saw who he was underneath. How much this man actually cared, about the kingdom and about her despite his wicked ways. How tightly he held her when he opened up about his insecurities, about how much better everyone else was compared to the jester he made himself out to be. How he didn't deserve the ray of sunshine she was, how jealous he was about her open and honest ways. How much he wished he could be like her. And once the rain stopped and the sun came out again, they found the other much more beautiful drenched but smiling. That though they went through some hard times, they still came through the storms to see light again.

---

Miri (Obey Me): Spring, She doesn’t have a set suitor yet, but the ones that I have romantically shipped her with (and with all her platonic ships too), she has the aura of spring: sweet, innocent, blossoming love, sometimes a little unpredictable in the newness of everything. She wants to be kind to everyone, even if it sometimes is a detriment to herself. She wants to do right by the three realms, even if that sentiment maybe a little naïve compared to others who have lived through harder times than she has. Yet her newness and fresh outlook has changed some of even the toughest of opponents and has helped heal and soothe even the bloodiest wounds of the past. She's bringing about positive change in a world that doesn't want change but desperately needs it.

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eveeonaartz · 6 months

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Happy Halloween From Your favorite Gouls~

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vampiricsheep · 6 months

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4, 7, 14, and 27 for ram and miriam!

@mystery-salad

ty!!

Ram:

4: If your Tav was a companion, where would they be found?

7: Romantically close with?

Astarion. They're bad for each other but they're both having a good time

14: What hobbies does your Tav have?

He doesn't really...let himself have hobbies. It's always research and spell practice and finding herbs and if he allows himself leisure time, he doesn't know what to do with it. I think he would probably like working with clay though :)

27: What was their life like before the events of BG3?

Like his mother, he gathered, prepared, and mixed herbs into various medicinal compounds. She used to carry them to town to sell, but her health has declined so he made the more recent trips and disguised himself as her. When he wasn't doing this work or general housekeeping, he studied every scrap of illusion magic and theory he could get his hands on.

Miriam:

4: If your Tav was a companion, where would they be found?

In the goblin camp, with a tankard from which he only pretends to drink, coaxing information out of a very inebriated goblin.

7: Romantically close with?

Currently romancing astarion, but he could honestly sway anyone. Consider any romance run to be canon, though anything with Wyll, Karlach, Shadowheart will not, um, last the duration of the game. (I should do a Minthara run with him from an older save probably, just for fun.)

14: What hobbies does your Tav have?

[answered in another ask, oops!]

27: What was their life like before the events of BG3?

Oh, it was grand. He had a regular con: find someone well-to-do in a place they shouldn't be, learn their habits and mannerisms, earn their trust, then dispose of them discreetly and steal their clothes and identity. He'd then live as them for as long as he could keep the jig up or until he got bored. Fun little tidbit for you: his next intended mark was Cazador. Dodged a bullet there with the tadpoling, honestly.

#ram tav #miriam the vampire

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charlotterenaissance · 10 months

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h2o AUs - vampires: miriam and tiffany have known each other so long they've forgotten how they met. they lead a privileged life, full of riches amassed over the years, while hiding a big secret: they're vampires. currently, miriam is a fashion designer, and tiffany is a personal relations specialist, and they spend as much time together as possible, and it's about time for another wedding...

#h2o just add water #miffany #miriam kent #tiffany seaward #vampire au #moodboard #collage

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oliversrarebooks · 7 months

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The Rare Bookseller Part 26: Lily's Favorite Thrall

Masterlist

September 1925

TW: Captivity, mind control, vampiric blood drinking

Miss Lily's room was on the third floor of the auction house, and it was flanked by a pair of thralls with lifeless eyes. She opened the door with a large brass key and let Oliver inside.

It was sumptuous, the kind of room he imagined a royal or celebrity might stay in, with two enormous four-poster beds, wooden furniture with intricate carvings, thick rugs that his stockinged feet sank into, and softly flickering oil lamps -- a necessity, since there were no windows.

A woman was sitting in a plush chair in the corner, doing some complex embroidery project, and she immediately stood up to greet them. She was wearing a dusty pink cotton dress with a frilly white apron, and something about her friendly smile and slightly glassy eyes made her look a bit off. There was a prominent scar on the side of her neck.

"Welcome home, Madam!" she said with excessive cheer. "Did the auction go well?"

"Absolutely splendid, Miriam, couldn't ask for better," she said. "Oh, and this is Oliver. Don't fret, he won't be replacing you, love. He was just purchased by Lord Alexander, and I'm going to be watching him for a few days."

"Please to meet you, Oliver," she said with a little curtsy.

"Pleased to meet you as well."

"You're so lucky to be bought by Lord Alexander!" she enthused.

"Yes, I certainly hope so..."

"You won't believe how much Alexander paid for him," said Miss Lily. "Twenty thousand dollars."

"That much!" Miriam gasped.

"And that means a fat wallet for me. I'll be buying the latest phonograph and selling the record shop out of jazz albums."

"Oh, lovely! I can't wait!"

"And I'm going to buy a new mink coat. I should get a matching mink stole for you as well, Miriam. What do you think?"

"That'd be very fetching, madam! I would love that very much," she said joyfully.

"Is there anything you'd like for yourself?"

"Oh, well... I saw the most darling pair of calf leather half-boots in a magazine yesterday, and it listed a mail order address. Could I have those, please, madam?"

"We'll send away for them -- consider it done," said Miss Lily, clearly in high spirits. "And servants will be bringing up dinner for you and Oliver. Roast chicken and all the accompaniments, and chocolate cake besides."

Miriam was looking at Miss Lily as though the sun rose and set on her. "You're so thoughtful, madam, and so good to me."

"Of course, love, anything for my darling. And after dinner... I'll be taking a meal, as well."

Miriam's adoring gaze became a bit more distant and glassy. "Yes, please, madam, you deserve it."

Miss Lily rose from the bed where she'd been taking off her heels. "I'm going to be in the washroom, fixing myself up. Miriam, why don't you help Oliver out of all those fussy clothes -- I've told the servant to bring up a nightgown for him. You two can chit-chat while I take a breather."

"Here, yes, stand here, Oliver, and I'll unlace your corset and help you out of the crinoline."

"Oh, yes, thank you," he said, feeling slightly embarrassed to be helped out of his underwear by a woman he'd just met, but Miss Lily had ordered it, so...

"So, how long have you been with Miss Lily?" he asked, trying to lessen the awkwardness with conversation.

"Four years now."

"And she treats you well?"

"Oh, absolutely!" There was something strange in her beaming grin. "She treats me very well, and I want for nothing. I love her with all of my heart. When I'm with my madam, I never have to feel sad or lonely or any other unpleasant feelings. Every day is like a beautiful dream."

"I see. That sounds very nice," said Oliver, politely, but quietly disturbed. "Does she... condition you?" he asked, unable to stop himself from the obvious but possibly impolite question.

"Oh yes, all of the time! She's very good at it, and I love madam's spell. Sometimes I spend days just floating in mindless bliss, as a reward. Sometimes she wants to practice different things on me. Not that I'm very good practice, since I always go under immediately for my madam."

Well, he didn't know what else he would expect from Miss Lily's personal thrall. He remembered how good her hypnotic trance had made him feel, how easily he'd succumbed, how he was still in it now. If he were in Miriam's place, would he be any different? Would he eventually have his feelings and his individuality erased, living life as though in a dream?

Just as Miriam finished removing everything but his shorts and chemise, there was a knock on the door, which she ran to answer. It was a servant bearing a wooden tray with a small roast chicken and an entire dinner spread, and Oliver went to help her carry it in. There was also a folded nightgown in his size, one with an open neck and a blue ribbon around the collar and bottom, and he put it on.

The food was delicious -- roast chicken seasoned with herbs, jacket potatoes with salt and butter, garden salad with vinaigrette dressing, warm and fluffy rolls, and a rich chocolate cake for dessert.

"Have you met Lord Alexander yet? Since he bought you?" Miriam asked as she tore into a chicken leg in an undignified manner he wouldn't have expected.

"I actually knew him... before," said Oliver. "He was a patron of my bookshop."

"Before?" she said curiously.

"Before... this. Before I was a thrall."

"Oh. That's quite a coincidence," she said. "I don't remember anything from before I was a thrall."

"Nothing?" he said. Miriam seemed to have enough of her faculties about her that he was surprised to learn she'd been memory wiped. "Did your madam erase them?"

"She must have, to help me be less sad," said Miriam. "That seems right, but I don't remember that, either."

"...I see," said Oliver. He wondered if that was standard operating procedure, or simply something Miss Lily favored. Would Lord Alexander wipe his memories of ordinary human life, of his precious bookshop? He hoped not, even if they did make him sad.

Oliver swallowed hard, thinking of how enthralled he'd felt in Lord Alexander's mere presence, now that he was free to use his vampiric abilities. How easily he fell into the role of a servant. How he'd yearned to offer up his own blood.

"Are you okay?" Miriam asked. "You seem to have a lot of thoughts in your head. My madam could help you with that, if you like. She's very good at it."

"Yes, I'm aware," said Oliver, fiddling with his glasses. "Say, Miriam, you're really the first thrall I've actually gotten to talk to. What's your routine like? What do you think it will be like for me?"

"Well... my madam lets me do whatever I please, as long as I don't disobey her rules or her orders. I spend most of my days sleeping, sewing, and doing whatever arts and crafts catch my fancy. Madam is very generous with supplies for my pastimes, as well as all my favorite foods and beautiful clothing," said Miriam, her eyes looking more focused as she pondered the questions. "And once a week, I get to provide Madam with my precious blood. I look forward to it all week. I'm so happy I found such a good purpose. Madam is such a beautiful and powerful vampire, don't you think?"

"Yes, I suppose so." Oliver was mulling over "once a week." He wondered if that was typical or simply Miss Lily's preference.

"Lord Alexander's not as fun as Madam. He's always a little sad and he talks a lot about complicated and boring things," she continued. "But his house is very nice. Madam is friends with him, but every time we leave she says that Lord Alexander needs to get over himself and remove the stick from his ass."

"I... see," said Oliver, unsure of what to take from this. He dug into his slice of chocolate cake, rich and covered with coconut flakes. He hoped he'd at least continue to be fed well. Focusing on the delicious food was a good way to temporarily keep his head from spinning with the knowledge that he'd been purchased and was now the property of one of his bookshop patrons.

"Are you two having a nice chat?" said Miss Lily, emerging from the bathroom in a fuzzy white robe, hair wrapped in a towel.

"Yes, Madam! Thank you very much for ordering dinner for us!"

"Yes, thank you, sir," Oliver added.

"If you've had your fill then, Miriam," said Miss Lily, sitting on the edge of the bed, "then I would like to have mine."

Oliver felt the atmosphere in the room shift, his mind starting to fog with Miss Lily's vampiric aura. The effect on Miriam was pronounced -- her glassy eyes were big as saucers, the expression on her face somewhere between rapturous joy and confused daze. She stood up slowly, staring at Miss Lily as though she were the only thing that had ever mattered, and padded across the room like a sleepwalker, sitting next to her Madam, as docile as a lamb.

"There you are, dear heart," said Miss Lily, smiling and stroking her face, Miriam leaning into her touch. She turned momentarily to Oliver. "This will be instructive to you, to see what a feeding is like with a well-trained thrall."

Oliver's own eyes were fixated on the two of them, unable to look away if he tried. "Yes, sir."

"Now, Miriam," said Miss Lily, tilting her chin to look into her thrall's eyes. "When I drink from you, you will feel blissful and loved, as always. Because you are."

"Yes, Madam," said Miriam in a dreamy voice. "I love you so. Please, please drink from me."

Miss Lily ran a finger down Miriam's neck, touching her scar, causing Miriam to shudder in delight. Oliver could only watch as Miss Lily's fangs grew closer, Miriam perfectly still and utterly pliant, until finally her sharp fangs pierced Miriam's tender neck. Miriam made a soft noise, a euphoric look on her face as her madam began to drink, hungrily nursing at the punctures.

As Miss Lily continued to quietly feed, Miriam's eyelids began to blink slowly, her head tilting forward to rest on her madam's shoulder. Shortly after, the vampire finished her meal by licking at the wounds, sealing them, not letting a drop of blood spill. Miriam's eyes were glazed over and she had a sleepy, contented smile on her face as Miss Lily cradled her in her arms.

"You did so well, dear. Thank you for the meal, as always," said Miss Lily. "Sweet dreams, and do not wake until evening." She laid Miriam in one of the beds, resting her head on the pillow and draping the covers over her, as Miriam sighed in contentment, closing her eyes and curling up to sleep.

Oliver didn't know when his own hand had gone up to grasp his neck. If that was what it would be like... he pictured himself being fed on in Miriam's place, and a confusing mix of dread and desire filled his heart.

"Well, Oliver?" Miss Lily was unexpectedly in front of him. "Did you learn about feeding?"

"I think so, sir," he said, averting his eyes. He'd learned something all right, he just wasn't sure what it was.

"Good. Then it's time for you to sleep as well." She effortlessly scooped him up and laid him on the bed next to Miriam. "You're getting terribly sleepy, aren't you? Yes, that's a dear."

Oliver had a momentary sense of alarm at being placed next to Miriam in bed -- so improper -- but she was out cold and it was quite obvious that nothing untoward was about to happen. His eyelids grew heavy as Miss Lily pulled the silk sheets and thick blanket over him. He'd never been in so fine a bed before.

"Sleep now, Oliver," she said, brushing the hair out of his eyes. "Go to sleep and have sweet dreams, free of worry, free of care. Sleep so peacefully until evening."

As his eyes shut tight, he was actually grateful that Miss Lily was putting him to sleep, as it'd spare him the anxious tossing and turning that would no doubt plague him after a day where he'd been sold to a vampire.

And then he drifted away.

Part 25 >> Masterlist >> Part 27

Miriam was a kind and hardworking nurse. She had the misfortune of catching Lily's attention when she was walking home after a night shift.

Thanks for reading!

#whump #whump writing #vampire #mind control #whumpee #vampire whumper #captivity #hypnosis #blood drinking #rare bookseller #oliver #lily #miriam

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