#no unlike the vampires it is still alive and i wouldn't say kicking more like gently prodding

[canyourfavesurvivecastledracula]

Grifter

@would-we-be-friends-if-i asked:

Sophie Devereux (highly capable grifter/pick pocket, is the Dutchess of Hanover)

@pomrania writes:

I've no doubt that the OG Leverage crew (no diss to the new stuff, I'm just not as familiar with it) all together would not only survive, but they'd come out of the whole thing somehow the rightful owners of the castle, and kick the vampires out. Individually... Sophie's skill at social manipulation borders on the supernatural, so I think she'd be fine because nobody would register her as someone they could and/or should act against; she'd be given a ride back to civilization when she wanted it.

@r0sequarks writes:

Sophie is here to steal art, probably. She would not take the crucifix but also probably wouldn’t be shaving, so less of an issue. She is primed to keep Dracula’s attention, and isn’t going to be writing any letters, but is also good enough at reading people to tell something is wrong and go snooping. I’m really torn on how Dracula would react to her trying to con him - bemused, annoyed? - and could see him deliberately turning her, or letting her leave, or killing her, or her escaping.

@darthlordcommie writes:

Sophie: Charms people for survival. Her entire thing would be to be as good of a guest for Dracula as possible, trying to convince him that she'd actually be really useful as a guide in England. Even odds, made better by the fact that she'd take the crucifix.

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

I decided to do these in title sequence order, which was a mistake because that means starting with Sophie, and she's a tricky one...

I think...her amazing prowess at social engineering will work against Dracula defensively but not offensively. She's very very good at what she does but I can't see her getting Dracula to give her a ride back to the station, for instance. And while I do think she could convince him that she would be really useful as a guide in England, I don't think she could successfully convince him that she'd need to be alive to fulfill that role. (As an aside, check out a fic called A Tale of Two Counts wherein Jonathan Harker makes a similar mistake). Dracula already knows their relationship is prima facie adversarial - I don't think that even the remarkable Sophie Devereaux can convince a vampire that she's friend not food (Dracula has no compunctions about eating his friends).

For the rest though, she's golden. She is absolutely primed to keep Dracula's attention. I agree that Dracula will not react well to discovering that he's being conned, and they say you can't play a player, but I don't think there's any danger of that. Sophie is just better than he is at this. Dracula's fatal flaw is arrogance, and underestimating his opponents. It won't occur to him that anyone would try such a deception, or try it skillfully - Sophie unarguably can figure him out faster than he can figure her out. And once she does - Scheherezade is the roll she was born to play. She can charm him indefinitely, and more importantly, she can pivot faster than he can.

You seem sure Sophie wouldn't take the crucifix - I am less so. It depends, I suppose, on the type of character she has built going in. And since she's a charmer, I think she's more likely to be playing a character who graciously accepts gifts than one who doesn't. There's the secondary question of whether she keeps it - Jonathan forgets about it entirely, but I doubt Sophie would. She's very concerned about the appearance she's putting forth. If it's not in her character to be wearing such a decoration then yeah she'll take it right off again as soon as she's around the corner. In many ways her fatal flaw is arrogance as well - she's unlikely to be unsettled or deterred by the warnings she receives once she has a goal in mind. But yeah, she's not going to cut her chin shaving so it's a bit moot. If she keeps it, she won't take it off to protect her dreams either I think, so she'd still be wearing it while snooping. But again that may be moot because she's too careful a snooper to pass out on the couch of a room she's been explicitly forbidden to enter. She's going to want to stay close to Dracula. She can't work her charms by avoiding the Mark.

Art theft is a nonstarter here in the Castle, and she is very disappointed about it. She tries to draw Dracula into a conversation about his family history to figure out why tf there are no portraits here and it's very fruitful and I'm sure will be very useful information to have if she ever gets out.

If there were even one other human in the Castle serving Dracula she could turn them. But there aren't, which leaves her kind of stuck in an indefinite holding pattern.

Sophie I would believe speaks Romanian, so she may well enter the Castle with some idea of what she's up against - if she believes what she hears. It will be very important for her not to reveal that she does though. If Dracula figures out that she can communicate with other people, he might clock her as a threat and kill her.

Actually... she may also be able to speak or understand Romani or Slovak, which means there are other humans she might be able to get help from: Dracula's movers. Jonathan was unable to win their allegiance, but Jonathan isn't Sophie Devereaux. If she can get access to them ever. I don't think shouting down at them from her window is going to work, and I don't think she's foolish enough to try and risk getting made. Though possibly some degree of nonverbal flirting might lay the groundwork. If she can establish a rapport with one of them she can probably get him to come upstairs to meet with her on Moving Day (June 30th) and that's her exit strategy. It could work - so long as Dracula doesn't catch her at it.

So yes, Sophie Devereaux can surive Castle Dracula. But I don't think she ever gets a glimpse at the Hoard, which is a great disappointment to her.

#leverage #leverage: redemption #sophie devereaux #crooks #actors #leverage week #aristocrats

[ndkdndkdjdkdjkddjdl]

More Lab stuff

(more insight regaurding the lab stuff i mentioned in the last post-)

reminder note: Siren and Sebastian were younger during this time, under 13 years old

oh and if this seems like its typed weird then its bc they were copied from texts so bare with me-)

more regaurding topic about the Lab arc !!

there's a detail regaurding that

so vervain and wolfsbane

those plants were extremely hard to get

(this has always been a thing in oc world-

or Crypttales, i should start saying the actual au name damn i have too many oc worlds- when did this happen 💀)

that's what made keeping Siren and Sebastian risky

they had enough to make them woozy

but not enough to make them pass out

thats why they were always awake during surgical procedures

vervain and wolfsbane was already being taken and used by hunters (the fact that monster hunters were stocked up on these plants is why werewolves and vampires became so "rare")

so the lab couldn't get a hold of those materials

these plants were only found in the wild

and again

monsted hunters are always working in the wild

so the hunters get to it first

anyways, at that Lab, they wanted to study everything about vampires and werewolves. there are plenty of reasons but i listed that in a past post

to be able to operate and keep them alive, they needed to understand the anatomy

and that was the challenge,,

so before getting a look on the insides and the cutting and all that, they dedicated a day before to understanding the outsides

so basically they reached horrifying levels of inhumane and had horrible methods such as overwhelming them/exhausting them in ways (strapping them down didn't work, even if they were woozy with vervain or wolfsbane, being strapped down wouldn't hold them because the adrenaline kicks in)

they never did the studying and the surgical procedures on the same day so at least Sebastian and Siren got a break- they'd just dump them back into their individual cell after gathering information to prepare for the surgical procedures the next day

ofc Kaleb didn't go near them after bc well, he can clearly tell by their behavior that they arnt in the appropriate state-

he was sad he couldn't help comfort them in any way but he at least brought Sebastian a boiled egg (Sebastians favorite food 🤩)

(Sebastian would be huddled in the corner growling at anyone who gets close, so Kaleb just gently rolled the boiled egg too him

meanwhile he couldn't even step into Sirens cell or else Siren would cling to him and not let go, he felt horrible about not being able to do anything for siren (tho Siren didn't really need any comforting, unlike Sebastian, he didn't care as much)

also Kaleb cried

a lot

about what happens to them overall

the only reason he stayed was bc he was the only one giving them a hint of love

after Siren and Sebastian got out

he stayed but with a new mission

to find a way to shut the lab down

he was never successful

until Sasha got older

she started to help him and they basically made it into what it is now (still studies supernatural creatures, but they dont make anyone suffer nor hold any supernaturals there as test subjects)

Kaleb didn't even know half of the things happening either until he was given more authority

luckily he found out about this immediately on his own, the moment he noticed that Siren was being more "clingy" and Sebastian was growling at people (which he rarely does)

he realized that something is wrong

the others were messing/experimenting with Siren and Sebastian's behavior aswell

he was never told about anything going on with them until after he got "promoted", he had to figure it out on his own

which scared him even more because "what if this isn't the only thing they're doing to them?"

(he didn't have access to info, he just had to keep Siren and Sebastian alive and healthy enough)

so yeah Siren and Sebastian were seen as animals and the fact that they were forced into their cryptic forms bc of vervain/wolfsbane didn't help

because with certain supernaturals (vampires, werewolves, and seamonsters) its a fine line between animal and being

and during this time, Sebastian and Siren leaned more towards "animal", and in their cryptic forms, being seen as a being is almost pure luck

they were nonverbal aswell in this arc

so yeah, no surprise that they mostly weren't seen as real beings during this time

-

--

extra ramble i wanna add

Ever since the start of forming crypttails, this type of conflict between human and supernatural has been an existing thing! and it still is the biggest factor, and will most definitely have a much bigger play soon,,

The lab arc with Sebastian and Siren is the most direct thing regaurding this. Humans often dehumanized supernaturals, just like Sebastian and Siren delt with at that lab,,

Humans saw them as things like labrats, or potential power sources it wasn't one sided though, supernaturals saw humans as food and/or objects or "pets"

but there are plenty of peaceful/casual dynamics between the two, like Kaleb and Sasha in the lab arc, but also like everyone in the kingdom

and i love to play around with this,,

#Siren Foraster #Sebastian Fleischer

[buckysboobs]

Damaged Finds Damaged

chapter 1

warnings: none

There was tension building up in the room, with alarmed eyes and nervous smiles being exchanged. Damon was stood towards the back, arms crossed, the flames lighting up in the fireplace casting yellowish hues over the side of his face.

"No." he stated, hinting at it being the end of the conversation.

"What do you mean 'no'? Bonnie's still stuck there with some guy who tried to kill you guys and apparently sucks the magic out of people, we can't just leave her there!" Jeremy stood up to make a move towards the older Salvatore.

Stefan held him back, "That won't be necessary. We'll find a way."

"This doesn't feel right guys," Elena cried, shaking her head. "We need to get her out of there, who knows what kind of a person Kai is, what if he kills her before we can—"

"Quick to judge people, are we?" Sarah, (who had always been on the receiving side of the gang's poor judgement) decided to butt in, raising an eyebrow at her. She glanced at Damon. "From the sounds of it, he had many opportunities to kill you and Bonnie when you two were stuck in that prison but he didn't, so I think she'll be fine. She's smart. And if he's been all alone, he wouldn't want to lose the only company he has."

"Stubborn ol' Sarah coming to the rescue with her condescending remarks." Damon commented, gulping down a glass of Bourbon. "We don't need advice from a hybrid."

"Oh really?" Sarah snapped, getting up from the couch and turning to the door. "Well in that case i'll just take myself and my advice somewhere else-"

Stefan blinked tiredly and looked at Elena for help. They'd be luckier if they had Sarah as an ally rather than an enemy.

"Sarah please!" Elena called out.

The hybrid stopped, chuckled and went back to her seat on the couch, but not before throwing Damon a dirty look, receiving an eye roll in return.

"So what is this Gemini Coven thing? It can help us, right?" Jeremy asked hopefully, awaiting answers. Before Damon could open his mouth, Stefan spoke up, exasperated.

"It's nothing, guys. It does not exist. I searched all over Portland for it but all I came across was empty land."

"Let's try again, then." said Sarah.

"It's not that simple." Stefan replied.

"Guys—" Elena tried to interfere. Jeremy looked back at forth along with the conversation when Damon decided to speak up.

"Yes it is." He said. "Now that Elena mentioned it, I don't want to leave Bon-Bon with that maniac." Damon was the kind of person who would do anything against what Sarah had to say because he's petty, and he doesn't like her that much. If Sarah thought Bonnie will be fine, he believed she'll be the opposite. He pointed at Sarah, "You, me, Stefan and Alaric. We're going to Portland."

"Where we'll find nothing." Stefan sighed.

"Don't be so negative, Stefan." Elena said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

|||

They found nothing.

They walked into the empty, green land, Damon's hopeful eyes turning slightly hopeless again as Sarah walked past him and gazed across the ground.

"Like I said 3000 miles ago, it's not here." Stefan said, walking right up to her. "Can we go home now, please."

Damon dropped the bag he was carrying and Alaric spoke up, "You know what, check the GPS again. Just because we don't see anything doesn't mean it does not exist."

Damon's coping mechanism was sarcasm, which is why he tried to tease Stefan to ease the tension.

"Not unlike Caroline's feelings for Stefan." he said.

Sarah, who had been quiet for the majority of the time they spent together, snorted at his comment.

Stefan sighed, done with those remarks. "Hilarious, keep 'em coming."

Damon pulled out Miss Cuddles and did a passable imitation of a high pitched voice, wringing the teddy's stuffed arms. "Oh no, is Stefan feeling sensitive for ruining his friendship with Caroline?"

Stefan glared at him as he continued, "She really liked him and he broke her heart."

Sarah was thinking when she heard Alaric add "See, Stefan? Even the bear knew."

She held back a chuckle when Damon went on in his squeaky voice, "I saw that coming from a mile away and my brain is made of cotton—"

A thought crossed her mind "Guys I think something's—"

"Gimme that." Stefan snapped at the same time, grabbing the Miss Cuddles from him and kicking it hard. It flew across the sky and before they knew it, there was a house right before them.

"—cloaked." Sarah finished, shrugging as she looked back at them. "Well atleast we're not going back empty handed."

Damon happily skipped past her and stood on the porch as he picked up the teddy bear. "Miss Cuddles, one. Invisible creepy mansion, zero."

Alaric, Stefan and Sarah exchanged shocked glances and made their way towards the door.

"Did Miss Cuddles just help us reveal something that I missed?" Stefan asked, looking down at the teddy bear in Damon's possession.

Sarah clicks her tongue, "I should have known." When they responded with a puzzled expression, she gestured towards the teddy again, "She sent this back with her magic in it."

"Wait, Jo did tell me something about how she stored away her magic in some object." Alaric mused, snatching Miss Cuddles from Damon.

"But why would she send it back?" Stefan wondered.

Damon looked at them with a grim expression, "To prevent Kai from getting out."

"Damn. He must be really brutal, huh." Sarah commented, trying to get past the door when she was blocked by an invisible barrier.

"We gotta be invited in." Damon said, banging his hand against the barrier. "Which means the owner of this house is still alive."

Sarah looked at Alaric, "Looks like it's your time to shine."

With a sigh, Alaric walked in.

|||

"Jo lived here." He stated, passing them a couple of photographs and newspaper articles. "We have baby pictures, pictures of Jo as a kid, as a teenager.." Alaric shuffled through them one by one with trembling hands.

"Hold on a second." Damon jumped in all of a sudden, "Rewind." He grabbed a photograph from the pile and held it in front of them, "This is Kai from planet 1994."

It was a picture of the said boy and Jo together wearing red christmas sweaters, their faces beaming at the camera.

"He's cute." Sarah commented, earning an eye roll from Damon.

"Does this mean Jo is Kai's sister?" Stefan asked, and Alaric examined the rest of the photographs, looking for more evidence.

"Either that or they both have a thing for Cosby sweaters." Damon replied.

They heard a voice call out "Didn't realize I had guests."

They all turned back to see a skinny man with grey hair and stubble walking towards them. "You've met Kai?"

Damon's mouth twisted, "Met him? Watched him die. Watched him come back to life. Why, you know him?"

The man looked at them one by one, his gaze on Sarah lingering longer. He chuckled, "He's my son."

He extended his hand out, "I'm Joshua Parker."

Damon shook his hand without a moment of hesitation. "Damon Salvatore."

Joshua nodded, "Invisique."

"What the hell just happened?" Damon heard Stefan cry, and he turned around to see his companions shuffling around.

"What's up with you guys?"

"They can't see you anymore, Damon." Joshua said and Damon gave him a questioning look, "Which means they also can't see this."

Next thing Damon knew, he had earned himself an aneurysm and was crying out in pain before things went black.

|||

Around half an hour passed by and they still couldn't see another sign of the house. Stefan was on the call with Elena and Alaric was questioning Jo about Kai. Sarah was listening to both their conversations with vamp hearing.

From what she had gathered, Elena was trying to tell some random guy that she was a vampire, and Alaric was asking Jo about the ascendant which she actually had with her all along. Her dad was a coven leader who couldn't let Kai out no matter what, and was willing to 'retaliate' if things went south. Her evil twin is a murderer who killed almost his whole family, and was stuck in the prison world 1994 as punishment. They really had travelled 3000 miles for nothing, and Damon's life was probably in danger. Which she didn't worry about much, if she was honest.

She jumped slightly when she heard Jo let out a yelp, followed by a few thumps and bangs. Alaric asked what was going on, worry striking his voice. Stefan and Sarah both walked up to him.

"Jo? Jo what's going on?!"

Next thing they heard was Elena's voice on the other side of the phone, "It's her dad, he—he's trying to kill her!"

"What do we do?!" Alaric said, "How do we stop him?"

"We can't see the house and i'm not invited in," Stefan added, "Jo invite us in—"

"Come in! Come in!" She cried in pain, followed by more coughs. She sounded like she was choking.

"We still can't see the house!" Sarah said. Elena carried the message and she heard Jo's throaty voice respond, "Ask them if they see an old tree stump in the yard!"

It was right there and they ran towards it, shuffling through the pile of dried leaves before Alaric pulled out a knife.

"What's this?" Sarah wondered.

"This is probably Jo's version of Miss Cuddles." Alaric replied.

Stefan grabbed it and shot it right across the empty land, where it stabbed into the wooden porch pillar.

Next thing they know, Stefan was saving Damon from the grasp of Mr. Joshua Parker who thought it was incredibly normal to vanish into thin air.

"I did not sign up for this."

|||

"So Papa Kai just tried scrambling my brain like an egg and you three are looking like someone shoved a stick up your ass?" Damon said, walking towards the car. "I did not get undressed at the airport for this."

"Jo had the ascendant all along." Stefan told him.

"It was 5 minutes away from home. And we travelled 3000 miles. How fun." Sarah wailed, walking up behind them. "This was so useless."

"Stop complaining." Damon said, rolling his eyes at her again.

Jesus Christ, she thought. "You were literally complaining 30 seconds ago."

"Stop fighting, you two." Alaric jumped in, "Now there is obviously no way we're getting the ascendant or letting her brother out—"

"We could just kill him if he escapes!" Damon argued.

"No, Damon." Alaric snapped, "I'm not letting another maniac kill my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend? You've been on like, 3 dates—"

"Shut up, Damon." Sarah and Stefan said in unison.

Damon however, didn't listen and decided to compel Alaric into stealing the ascendant.

"It's gonna come bite you in the ass." Sarah had told him, and he had flipped her off. Stefan had let him go with a disappointed shake of his head and that thing he did where his lips squeezed into a thin line to portray his disapproval.

Little did they know Kai was already out.

____________________

some of you really liked the prologue so here's the first chapter! please let me know if you like it heheheh.

#kai parker #kai parker imagine #kai parker x oc #kai parker smut #kai parker x reader #the vampire diaries #damon salvatore #damon salvatore smut #stefan salvatore #the vampire diaries fanfic