prismatica | Voice | un: overlords (Forward-dated to September)

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Voice | un: overlords (Forward-dated to September)

I'm sorry if I mess anything up, I'm still rather new to this sort of technology.

I wanted to ask other moonblessed about vampires in their worlds. Such as whether they actually exist or not, and what they're purported to be like.

I'm a vampire myself, and it's been [...] enlightening to hear about the sheer variety that exists out there.

[Yeah, sure, that's a word for it.]

And if there are any other vampires out there... how do you deal with it?

[He's being vague here, but he has reason to believe that any number of the struggles he's faced in living here may be universal among other vampires to some degree.]

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Oh dear.

I don't know if my own world is the standard on this thing and we're referring to the same sort of creature, but we *are* talking about the undead bloodsucking variety, yes?

[He stares at this reply and the username saying it for a long time. There sure are a lot of different kinds of people here.]

I suppose that's what you would be talking about, but I'm very much alive. Just like all vampires in my world.

This is my first time hearing otherwise-- how does that work, exactly?

You live your life, and then whether by curse upon death or by dying at the hands of a vampire, you become one.

It's not great.

People... become vampires? Does that mean they were originally human?

Well, yes, but also no. Other mortal races can become vampires just as easily.

Or are you from one of those worlds without elves?

My world only has vampires and humans. But we're two distinct species -- I was born one.

I... don't actually know what elves are?

Oh, dear.

You might need to sit back. This is going to take a while.

You're in luck. All I have right now is free time.

What are elves?

I only know about some of the myths and stories from my world. A year ago I would have said for sure that they don't actually exist, but I also would have said there wasn't a planet out there where touching other people generated magic energy, so... yeah.

The main thing that makes them "vampires" in my world is drinking blood, being undead, and having an aversion to sunlight. [Certain movies aside.]

There are a lot of other things that aren't always the same, though. Transforming into bats, magically hypnotizing people, a weakness to garlic or holy water, and being unable to cross running water or into places they aren't invited are the common ones I can think of.

What is it like for you, if you don't mind sharing? [...] I mean, I wouldn't want to share my weaknesses, but other than that.

Honestly, not much is similar between myself and all the fantastical versions I keep hearing of, outside of drinking blood. I'm very much alive, and while I dislike being in the sun because of the heat, I can tolerate it as long as I don't get a sunburn.

[Just... deadeyes that whole list.]

Can I ask-- why garlic? I've been asked about that one before, and it seems so oddly specific... I can't tolerate it in the same way I can't tolerate anything that isn't blood or meat, but that's only if I tried to eat it.

I wish I could tell you. My best guess is that there was some kind of superstition about it warding off evil, because of the smell? Incense is used in religious rituals in my world for reasons like that, I think.

Sorry you're having to deal with a lot of weird assumptions. I wonder why we all refer to different things with the same term. [... translated through Prismatica's magic or whatever, but still.]

It just kind of sounds like you're a carnivore where humans are omnivores.

Well, if it's simply meant to ward them off by the smell, then I can see why it could be considered effective. My sense of smell is stronger than a human's would be, so it's pretty hard to tolerate in large amounts.

[Never order the garlic bread while on a date with a vampire.]

But that's a pretty simple way of putting it. We do have other differences, at least as far as my kind is considered. We live longer, we can tolerate colder temperatures and don't shiver, we can use pheromones which... I suppose that's as close to "magically hypnotizing people" as we get, but they're used for more than just that.

[He'll take notes.]

I've only got a human sense of smell, but even I can agree with that.

[It all sounds pretty Sanguis, which seems appropriate, given the name... but aside from that, the longer lived aspect isn't unexpected.]

Oh, really?[The term pheromones makes this a risky question, but his curiosity gets the better of him.] What else can you do with them?

[How does he explain this without it just sounding lewd--]

I guess the easiest explanation is that we used them to communicate? When used on humans, they can induce feelings of fear, or bend their will to make them more suggestible. But when used on other vampires, it's more like a means of deciding who is in charge in any given situation.

Vampires with stronger pheromones tend to be in higher positions of power. That's why it's common for ruling families to intermarry and ensure their bloodline's pheromones stay strong.

I see. That's not [a great idea, genetically speaking, is what Ferran thinks but does not type.] too surprising.

I think I get it. Living things use all kinds of things to communicate, and you just have another way to do it. I'm guessing it's a chemical thing, then?

[He does have a specific interest in this kind of thing—namely, he has magic he can only kind of control that has a similar effect. It's interesting to find others who have that kind of ability and learn how they handle it.]

[...]

I don't think I'd be the person to ask about the specifics with how it works. But the pheromones are technically always present in our general scent. They just don't have any particular effect unless we will them to have one.

[Waves hands author comments say it's a psychic ability?? but it's never explained like that in series?? It's a mystery.]

Oh, and also if we're feeling a particular emotion very strongly! They get a little harder to control when that happens.

Fair enough. [It's not like he's an expert on human function, either...]

Does it ever cause problems when you can't control them as well?

I have pretty good control over mine, so using them unintentionally in a way that could be harmful generally really happens if I'm startled.

But admittedly... it's a little embarrassing to be told I smell like roses when I'm happy.

[Hmm... it's good to know not everyone is as much as a disaster as he is at it, but he doesn't know that asking for advice would get him anything useful. He couldn't describe exactly how his powers work, either, regardless of how well someone else controls theirs or how similar their abilities might seem. It's something to think about, anyway...

The "problem" Shell follows up with is plenty to distract him for now, though.]

Hah! Is there something you'd prefer to smell like?

It's not something I've ever put much thought into. But there are worse things to smell like, I suppose.

[Really, it'd only be annoying for someone else with a sensitive nose, because that floral scent is strong.]

But I'm still not sure how the moons will factor into all of this. I'm cordis, and I've been told they have pheromones, too. And I don't really want to think about what would happen if I lost control of mine because of the moon.

I come from a line of Bloodlords, so they're pretty strong.

I haven't been on the other end of Cordis pheromones that did anything [yet], but it's definitely possible. I wonder if they've made something to help control them?

[It's less a question of whether the Prismals are capable and more of whether they've wanted to, given their obvious opinions on what the moon does to them. "Blessings," indeed.]

It might be best to prepare for the worst case scenario, though.

Worst case scenario...

In that case, I'd better make plans to live in the woods for a week, because I don't think my neighbors would appreciate feeling terrified for no reason.

[Some people are into that, probably.

... this place is getting into his head, that he'd even think that.]

I wouldn't go that far, but maybe a warning wouldn't be amiss?

Yeah. I should at least do that.

But I don't exactly want me neighbors to be afraid of me, either. The whole reason I made this post was in the hopes that people would think twice before asking me if I'm going to eat them as soon as they learn what I am.

[Shell already doesn't think very highly of himself -- and being casually accused of being some kind of monster lacking in self-control every single time he mentions being a vampire doesn't help.]

People here tend to be a lot more forgiving than you might think, honestly. Even if you do end up affecting them by accident, they'll probably turn around and offer to help you out once Cordis is out of the sky.

[That's been his experience, anyway. Not that there aren't plenty of people who wouldn't take things as well, Prismal and Moonblessed, but they seem to be in the minority.]

Besides, you seem friendly enough to me that I'm sure that kind of negative reaction would be rare.

...that's a relief to hear. I haven't been here very long, but aside from the assumptions, that aligns with my experiences so far.

[Honestly, he never thought about how nice the kindness of strangers is until he arrived here. Vampire society was so different in comparison...]

My name is Shell, by the way. Since I forgot to mention it in the post.

It's nice to meet you, Shell. My name is Ferran.

[The name might have given him some pause a few months ago, but after you meet people named Leaks and Gumshoe, you stop asking why parents named their children seemingly random nouns or awful puns.]

Sometimes I forget how long I've been here, but it's been about half a year for me now. It's strange to think about.

[Shell Overlord is totally a perfectly normal name--]

Half a year? I've hardly been here a month and it feels like it's been forever.

Do things always get as... crazy as they did last month? I don't know if I can handle having my apartment literally floating away again.

[Sure, buddy.]

Unfortunately, something or another happens every month. Nothing since I've been here has been on the same city-ruining level as Tempeste, but it can be dangerous.

"Expect the unexpected" is kind of a useless piece of advice, but it's relevant here.

I see... then perhaps I'll be lucky and this will be the last major thing for another six months.

[He can dream, right?]

But I guess it makes sense for things to be chaotic, in a world like this, bringing in people from all different sorts of worlds... and I thought the moonblessings would be the hardest thing to deal with.

Yeah, I hope so too.

[Give them a break, Prismatica!! ~~And then it didn't.~~]

At least we're all in it together, and the Prismals are almost always willing to help us when we need it. It's nice, in that way.

Edited (wow brain thanks for reading that properly) 2020-09-11 05:15 (UTC)

That, too -- the generosity of the locals here really do make things a bit easier.

Perhaps even more so for me -- I'd be struggling just to live if they didn't have alternatives to make adapting to life here easier. Even if some things aren't perfect, it's nice to know they're really putting in effort for us.

We're doing a lot for them just by being here, so even if they weren't as friendly, they'd have reasons to help. If you've seen any of the greenery on the way to Amegahara, that wasn't there when I first got here.

[Chroma sure is something...]

I don't know much about what they're doing for people who aren't humans, though. You're getting what you need?

[Well, that explains why the planet was being described as "dying" despite looking more lively than anything he's seen back home.]

For the most part. The climate where I come from is a lot colder than it is here, so it's been hard to go outside. But they directed me to a place that puts cooling spells on fabric to prevent overheating. And they have pills I can take that give me the same nutrients I'd normally get from drinking blood. It's not a complete replacement, but it does make things easier.

It is the hot season right now, so I'm not surprised it's uncomfortable. Since you're Cordis, you might be able to use ice magic yourself.

[It sounds handy, but he guesses it's a trade off with the other traits, like every other blessing.]

There are things you can buy to have it available outside of the moons, too, when you get enough Chroma... but it's kind of a gamble.

Ice magic, huh... but what do you mean, a gamble?

The person who sells the bracelets for it is kind of suspicious.[That's one way to put it.] The other things he sells have worked well enough, but sometimes I can't access the magic I bought the bracelet for. It's kind of inconsistent.

[Putting aside things like the rain-induced power drain, of course.]

So they're nice to have for the convenience, but if you do get it, it's better not to rely on that alone.

Hmm... I'll keep that in mind. Honestly, even having it as a potential back up would be nice.

[...well, that and it sounds so cool?? Literally.]

[It is cool... though less literally for Ferran.]

That's my thought, too. It's better to have the possibility of another option than nothing.

Mm. Particularly for something like this. I can't exactly change how my body reacts to higher temperatures, after all.

[Total heat exhaustion in 70 degree weather, RIP.]

That would be too convenient, wouldn't it?

Well, the guy's name is Lumi, and he shows up around the end of the month, though it's never in the same spot. If you ask around at that time I'm sure someone can point you to him.

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Voice | un: overlords (Forward-dated to September)

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