u n i v e r s e

jianyu song - venus vampire

[jianyuxsong]

sacrilcgiovs​:

where. midsommar night’s dream who. @jianyuxsong

“Another party that we have found ourselves swept up into,” he noted with a curious glance around them. Everyone seemed to be well hidden behind various masks, while also being tailored in garments he had never seen the likes of before. A high level of magic had certainly been at play, but the consideration to what that would mean seemed to not be at the forefront of his thoughts. Instead, Kaan reached out to take hold of two drinks from a tray that passed them by, before he turned to offer one to Jianyu. “I suppose that means we get the night off, wouldn’t you say?”

-

There was music around them, a spotlight as Jianyu pulled Kaan closer, “What you want, baby, I got it. What you need, do you know I got it? All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you get home. (Just a little bit) Hey, baby. (Just a little bit) when you get home. (Just a little bit) mister, (Just a little bit).” Raffaele was in the background, singing the ooh’s for his dads as the vampire pulled the sovereign impossibly closer. 

“I ain't gon' do you wrong while you're gone. Ain't gon' do you wrong 'cause I don't wanna. All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you come home.” Jianyu brought the drink to his mouth now, humming, He dipped Kaan now, pulling him back up to press a kiss against the witch’s mouth, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to me. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Take care, TCB.”

[jianyuxsong]

sacrilcgiovs​:

It should have been ingrained into his thoughts after so many years, that he would be wiser to ask Jianyu’s opinion before ever uttering his own. For if they differed, it would almost always be the vampire’s that was correct; and Kaan would have been expected to agree without so much as a hint of debate. Marriage was silly like that. Even as the thought ghosted through his mind, his hands lifted without one as they found placement upon the other’s hips. There had been one occurrence, when he had dictated where Jianyu had gone, or rather, where he had not gone. It had been when death was at his druid’s door, and Kaan had not been strong enough to let him go, to give up the many, many years that they could have had together. He had not asked, he had not second guessed himself, he had simply done what he thought had been necessary. And now he wished to do the same thing, even if that meant he went against the other’s wishes once more. “Have I ever told you,” he started as his fingers pressed in, as he pulled his vampire that much closer to him, “how absolutely stubborn you are?”

-

Jian frowned slightly, knowing what the witch was thinking about. They’d avoided death for Jianyu once, a blessed druid who’d reached the end of his lives. There was nowhere for him to go, and Kaan didn’t wish to give him up, so they’d fought for it. And now they had more choices to make, and while he refused to lose Kaan, Jian would ensure he was right there with the sovereign. “Yes, often. I think it was in your vows last time around,” he put his hands on the other’s face, framing the features he memorized over and over again. He had a memory of Kaan’s first face, it had never left him – always there in his druidic memories, but even then, those were few and far between. “Together.”

[jianyuxsong]

sacrilcgiovs​:

For centuries, that was how it had been, always beside each other through everything. During the years that Kaan had practiced his magic, had joined the Asphodel and became the necromancer that he had always been meant to be, Jianyu had been there. And through each new cycle, Kaan had remained true to the other and found him wherever his soul had been born once more. It had always been this way, even after the necessary step had been made to ensure they were not without each other. Until then — “No, you can’t be by my side for this. Not this time. You have to stay here, for Raff,” and the rest of the Narcissus coven, to ensure that Kaan’s choices did not further affect the family that he had built. “I won’t. Not him, nor the others. This is our family.”

-

Jian looked at the other for a moment, though he was sure that the witch knew better than to argue with him. Their arguments ended quickly, with the vampire on top, but alas, he still moved a bit closer to crowd the witch’s space. “Kaan,” he murmured, tilting his head, “No. You don’t get to decide where I go, you know that. I will be with you. Raff is an adult. We’ve taught him a lot; he has a familiar, he will be okay.” The Narcissus Coven couldn’t be led by a vampire, anyway. Efigenia basically had a foot out the door as well. “And I’ll help protect them. With you.”

[jianyuxsong]

raffaelexfiore​:

“Oh.” It was a vampire party but Raffaele had just assumed that Jian would’ve stayed home with Kaan, settled in with a bottle of wine and watched Extreme Home Makeover like they always did. He suddenly felt very underdressed, tits out had been a choice and he’d made it because… Well, he hadn’t really think he’d needed it. Access. “You could always, you know, not tell him.” The witch said, hopeful. It’s not like he could be grounded but the disappointment and the lecture that would lead to another lecture and then another lecture followed by the silent treatment? Raffaele couldn’t spend the next month hearing Kaan sigh everytime he walked into a room. 

-

Tits out were always a good idea, it wasn’t like Jianyu’s shirt was buttoned up very much either, he had too much chest to be contained. Either way, he found it amusing that Raffaele hadn’t even considered that an original’s party would have every vampire in the city within it. “Oh no, I’m ready to hear about it every day for the next three months at least. You’ll get some new clothes out of it.” Jian had to stifle a laugh, though he picked up a glass from a wandering waiter, “Are you having a nice time?” The question was clearly loaded, but Raffaele knew how to be safe; he was certain they didn’t need to have the talk in the middle of a garden with super-hearing vampires.

[jianyuxsong]

bloodygiovanni​:

“I think it’s just a matter of time, you live long enough and you’re bound to do something messed up. We’re always someone’s enemy.” It was true, don’t meet your heroes. Giovanni turned to lean against the banister, he was looking forward to the party - he’d look forward to any party. “More or less the same, thinking about sticking around for a while.” Jian had been shacked up with a witch for as long as he’d known him. “How’s the misses?” 

-

“Oh, you know, adding to our extensive wine collection. It’s the envy and talk of Rome at this point.” It was a good joke, a great joke even, but Gio had the right idea. Jianyu could only think of what this all meant. Kaan had been involved in the death of the druidic god, something that Jian used to be. The maker of his old kind. It was a strange thought, lives that had come to him in brief flashes, but never anything concrete or complete. Either way, he had lived long enough where he was the enemy, sometimes the hero, but never the same at once. “You missed one hell of a year. Poisoned blood supply, water, it was a day. That what drew you in to stay?”

[chrisevansbuddy]

Lewis Tan

via Insta Stories, 10.4.22

[jianyuxsong]

bloodygiovanni​:

A magister was dead, truthfully the vampire had never heard of anything like that. Romulus was the youngest on the magisterium, the most recent addition - that so many of them existed and hadn’t traded places in so long, it was a testament to their strength. “It’s funny,” Giovanni commented lightly, “Ayla told me that Amulius once conquered most of the Med, a conqueror and a warlord. Romulus and his brother saved these people, founded this city: now he’s dead and everyone spits at his grave.” Giovanni wondered how long it took or if it was an inevitability. “I haven’t seen Pluto yet, no. I don’t know what I’d say to him… Or what he’d say to me.” The originals felt larger than life, too big for some sit down conversation with beers. 

-

“No one likes to meet their heroes and find out they’re assholes, now do they?” Jian figured Venus would be pretty badass, though if they could’ve met one, why couldn’t it have been her? Pluto, though, was perhaps the safer bet. “Probably something out of a fortune cookie. Big words, a somber face, I can see it now.” He tilted his head slightly, “The party coming up – that’ll be what everyone is waiting for. It’s not like vampires are at the top of everyone’s list at the moment. Anyway, how have you been?” 

[jianyuxsong]

sacrilcgiovs​:

There was a brief narrowing of his eyes, before Kaan emitted a sigh of defeat. For he knew that there would be no winning any argument that he even attempted to bring up between them, even if he thought to bring up any valid points to ensure that Raffaele stayed safe. Centuries of marriage, and Kaan had become well accustomed to the arguments he could win, and the ones that he would be stupid to even attempt. So instead, he leaned into the palm on his cheek, “Pythia, the Necronomicon, they both could very well kill me. Or take everything that I’ve gained with my loyalty. They could do any number of things to me.” One of which could be feed him to the book, to sacrifice him to the very thing that had made him powerful; it would be quite full circle. His hand lifted, rested against the top of Jian’s, “Even if Raff hates me, even if he wants nothing to do with me, you need to make sure he doesn’t leave.”

-

“I know. But I’ll be right beside you.” In any way, the vampire would be there. He didn’t have magic, but he had his other abilities, and that would have to be enough. Jian looked at the sovereign, putting his hands on his partner’s shoulders, “You won’t be alone. No matter what.” If one went, they both went. That’s how it always had been, anyway. The thought of Raf hating them made him huff out a laugh for a moment, “I think you underestimate how much he cares. He’s going to be confused. Don’t abandon him, and he won’t leave.”

[jianyuxsong]

efigeniax​:

          a gift for @jianyuxsong​,

          location: narcissus coven gardens

          “Did you sign the contract?” There’s hazards and warnings flitting all around as Efigenia hones in one her one pertinent missive. The Advocate had garnered great promise and feats of magic, the very antithesis for her pathetic parents and though she adored the Narcissus Coven, and the family she made within it, passions of revenge sometimes won out. Loyalty to Kaan was above all, though conflict rose within her at the idea of having to clash with her sovereign, her family; she’d seen all Kaan and Jianyu had done to pry Kaan away from the Asphodel and here Efigenia was, starkly walking towards them regardless. The Artificer had plans to meet with her, within the confines of the unstable Otherworld to enact out her pledge to the book and for the first time ever, there was hesitance, looking to Jianyu now as though a final vestige to reconsider what she was about to act upon.

“I’m not a marshal, but I didn’t sign it. I didn’t need to.” Kaan had, and that was enough for the vampire. The Narcissus coven was more his home than the Venus house, that much was obvious, but there was still the fact of Kaan’s secret – one that he’d kept for so long. That also meant Efigenia’s secret, whose desires were obvious, “I’m helping him no matter what. My blood for his spells, anything – we’ve been playing this dance too long.” They’d spent centuries together, it wasn’t going to end because the Pythia snapped her fingers, “It’s better for us.”

[jianyuxsong]

raffaelexfiore​:

@senatusstarters​

location: somewhere in the gardens, Pluto’s Estate

notes: blood slut starter, open to vamps + thralls

Naturally, Raffaele had hidden his invitation when it came. He’d lied and told anyone who asked that he was staying at Epimetheus’ place, then proceeded to drag the demigod out of the house and bring him to the vampire orgy extravaganza happening on the outskirts of town. Demigod was still a term that Raffaele was adjusting to as he worked it into his vocabulary, but in true whorish fashion he’d given Epimetheus the slip so that he could hunt down his real reason for coming here. The last time Raffaele had been to this house had been on Halloween Kaan had sent him home early, told him to lock the doors and he’d been grateful for it. Tonight the sovereign didn’t know where he was, and for the moment Raffaele wanted to keep it that way. 

Raffaele was in the gardens catching his breath, the most recent wound at his neck was healed by his magic, but his actual blood supply was replenished by the wine that had been spiked with donated vampire blood. Different venom in his system, different blood, no thrall bond - it was a nice system, meant that he could give until dawn without worrying about something like death. 

“Looks like they did a good job rebuilding the place.” Raffaele remembered the estate was practically rumble by the time the smoke had cleared. It was an attempt at conversation as he stood up, nearly drained glass between his fingers. A statue of a well-endowed individual spouted fresh blood into the fountain beneath it and Raffaele had to ask, “Where’d they get it all from - ? I mean, they filled a whole pool, right?”

-

There was a meme for this, Jian was sure of it. He was standing there in the garden, hands on his hips as he looked at the witch. His drink was somewhere, forgotten for the moment, as he looked at Raffaele. “You are in so much trouble when we get home.” Jianyu wished he could say that it was surprising, but how could it be? The Venus vampire had to come to show face, support one of the originals that had returned. He’d wished it had been Venus, but he supposed that beggars couldn’t be choosers. He followed the other’s gaze to statue, but that was beside the point. Jian couldn’t remember the last time he’d had blood from anyone but Kaan, and this was a whole thing – but Raffaele? “You’re wearing the shirt Kaan got you for Christmas? It’s covered in blood. He’s going to flip.”

[jianyuxsong]

bloodygiovanni​:

@jianyuxsong​ location: Venus Palace notes: god of war connect

Rumours travelled fast, it wasn’t hard when you spent a lot of time hanging around lushes and strung out horn dogs that liked to vibrate on laps at Just A Bite. People talked and because Giovanni just couldn’t help himself, he liked to listen. “Word from the Pluto house is that he actually showed up.” None of the originals had been seen in thousands of years, that one of them had cropped up maybe meant that others would appear too. “You think it’s because that magister is dead?” Giovanni didn’t love fighting, in fact he hated it, but Jian had been kicking his ass and shaming him for centuries. Venus loved her fighters, but the Medici couldn’t help that the sword fighting he was best at had little to do with an edged blade. 

-

Jian had to wonder when he’d transformed from cool, young and hip vampire to dad!vampire. It probably had something to do with Raff, with how Kaan kept buying the young witch interview shirts, and Jianyu found he had some fiercely strong protective streak when it came to those who could basically be his psuedo children. Giovanni was one of those, a kid who kept getting up each time despite the fact that he was pretty crap with a blade. “Yes. Romulus took over the Senate, and now he’s dead. If Pluto takes over, then it’ll be back to how it was so long ago. Though I doubt the rest of them will show up. An original hasn’t been seen in centuries.” He crossed his arms over his chest, “Have you seen him yet?”

[jianyuxsong]

sacrilcgiovs​:

For so long, life had always been about what Kaan could take from it. Power, money, immortality; there had never been enough for him, no matter the costs that it would eventually require from him. It seemed life had finally caught up to him, and the cost for all that he had taken would be one he would never want to make. He had always tried to keep others at a distance, save for Jian, and yet, in recent years, he had allowed too many to get close to him. Raffaele being one of the most important. “I know, I know,” he seemed to express the words in exasperation, the heaviness of what he had done weighing upon his shoulders. He should have rid himself of the Asphodel mark decades ago, even before he had come to the Narcissus coven. His hand held onto Jian’s, as if it were the only thing keeping him where he needed to be, “What if — he hates me for it?” The question was perhaps one that Kaan never thought himself to be asking, but somehow in some way, Raffaele had become more than just another member of the coven. 

-

“If you don’t tell him, I will.” Jian fixed the other with a look, one that left little room for argument. Raffaele was young, of course he’d feel betrayed, but keeping him in the dark was doing more harm than good. The vampire placed his hand on Kaan’s cheek, “It’s too late to turn back. And at this point, there’s no mourning all this time that you’ve spent doing what Pythia wants. The necronomicon will hurt you, now. Have you seen what she’s done? That’s not what we signed up for.” He said we, though it was the witch – far before Jianyu had become a vampire. His druidic life had lasted nearly 5 centuries, the necromancer had done what he needed to.”It was just supposed to be us forever, not this.”

[jianyuxsong]

sacrilcgiovs​:

Perhaps when he had been a younger witch, when he had thought that Pythia could give him the world, Kaan would have looked upon the prospect of killing a God as something to behold. As some mark to show that he was a witch of great power. But he was not a young witch anymore, and he no longer viewed Pythia as this formidable savior. Not when he had a coven of his own to protect, to guide into a better world where they were not viewed as blemishes on the community. He had Raffaele to look after, Bruno to instruct, and even Efigenia to perhaps one day pass the Sovereign mantle onto. But Jian’s question tarnished those hopes, for the amount of care that he had for each of them would leave them in grave jeopardy. “Presumably everything,” he finally noted, an air of equal parts exasperation and worry surrounding him. “Though I didn’t deliver the final blow, my part has certainly sealed my fate. The Eladrin will know my face, will know my association with the Asphodel. But that’s not all…,” his words trailed off as he sighed heavily, as he collected himself if only to come to terms with the grave dilemma that hung over his head now. “The next person that I lose… I won’t be able to save. There will be nothing to save.”

-

Souls and necromancy, nothing that Jian had ever truly worried about. How could one when they had no soul? He was simply the shell of who he used to be, they both knew that, no matter what he hid behind with a smile and a sharp comment. Druidic reincarnation had ended early for him, that had been the only thing he’d been told in his last life. His memories of his past lives were muddled, echoes of more battle, some exploration, but mostly the world and nature. He knew Kaan remembered, but they didn’t speak much of it. Even their first meeting had to be replayed to him by his witch. Kaan was exposed, Jianyu would only do what he knew best – he’d kill anyone who got too close. Moving forward, he took the other’s hand, “Nothing can happen to Raff. We need to tell him. You’ve kept this secret long enough. If you really want to stay here, with this coven, then you have to be honest.”

[jianyuxsong]

sacrilcgiovs​:

For centuries, blood had been on his hands, both of his own and of those unfortunate enough to get in his way. Power had always been what Kaan had wanted, from the moment that he had been a young witch, kicked from his home for the sole reason of where his magic had stemmed from. Scars had marked the palms of every body that he had stolen over the years, that he had claimed as his own when the last no longer fitted him. In recent years, however, he had craved power for a different reason, from a separate calling that had found him as the Sovereign of the Narcissus coven. He had sworn to do all that it took to ensure their safety, their survival when the world would have otherwise turned their backs on them. But this — what he had done for the Asphodel coven… it had marked him in a way that he was no longer certain would be good for his coven. “Jian —,” the name had been spoken softly, Kaan’s gaze fixated upon the other’s features. A sense of relief momentarily flitted over his being, for he had not known what would happen to Jian, nor whether he would get this moment to see him once again. “I did what I had to do, that was it,” for he had not wanted to participate, but how could he refuse without letting the Asphodel coven know what he had already done? Or what he intended to do against them?

-

There was no way that Kaan could have avoided what the Asphodel had planned, but there was always a catch, wasn’t there? How could one kill a god and walk away unchanged? Unmarked? The vampire twirled the ring around his finger, perhaps a nervous habit that he had picked up as of late. Lying to Raff, having a coven that would be caught in the crossfire — the Venus vampire had followed his husband of many lives into everything, and he wouldn’t trade that for whatever power the Pythia promised. They could have forever, unbothered again and again, but perhaps this was the price of Kaan’s necromancy from centuries prior. “Did you?” He moved now, standing in front of the sovereign and frowning again, “At what cost?”

[jianyuxsong]

raffaelexfiore​:

That school had been something out of pure, nightmare fuel, but him and Hazal had found the entrance after they’d crossed the playground of terrors and left through the principal’s office. “Yeah, I was in this school, and then… I don’t know, a funhouse. There were mindflayers, and a killer fucking clown.” Kaan had said to go home at the first sign of trouble but that hadn’t been an option, “I’m okay though, I was with Hazal, that Amaranthus sovereign the whole time.” Jian looked fine, but Raffaele hugged him just the same, “Where’s Kaan?”

-

He ran a hand through Raffaele’s hair, though the vampire released the witch so they could start their way back to the Narcissus house. There was a lot he wanted to say, things that Kaan had pressed him not to talk about. There would be questions, and Raff would have to be trusted to not speak of it. But it would change their relationship, and it was something the vampire had to contemplate. “I’m not sure,” he admitted, sounding mildly embarrassed at the fact. He always had tabs on the witch, they were paired in that way. His daylight ring was imbued with magic that would allow them to communicate if need be, but it’d been unresponsive. Almost like Kaan was no longer there. The Asphodel had been planning a spell, and that was all Jian had known. “Listen — there’s a lot going on, kid. But you just have to trust me, okay? I’ll tell you more when we’re home.”

[jianyuxsong]

@sacrilcgiovs​ Location: The Narcissus House

“What did you do?” Jianyu stood in the courtyard of the coven’s home, most of the halls silent. The mazes had put breath into his lungs, only to take it away once more when reality was put back together. But he did remember losing Kaan, something about the Asphodel’s spell – and he was here, yet another bystander. Jian hadn’t gotten involved in that whole ordeal, it wasn’t his place. Or his calling. What would a vampire do for a dark coven? Kaan was supposed to be out, the deal with the Senate keeping him safe, but the look on his witch’s face told him something different. It told him that something had probably worked, but the effects of it? “What the hell did you do?”

[jianyuxsong]

raffaelexfiore​:

Understanding was a blood witches bread and butter, particularly those of the Narcissus coven. It wasn’t enough to cut your palm and say a few words, you had to thoroughly understand the forces you were contending with. One syllable flubbed or spoken out of turn could be disastrous, one calculation drawn out of place could spell your end. Malignant forces would try to destroy or possess at every turn, which was why the Asphodel was something he could not understand - why would anyone give themselves to something that would actively try to destroy them? Raffaele wasn’t sure if it was just the same sort of superstition that polluted the rhetoric that surrounded blood magic, or if there was some truth to it, but if Kaan was involved with them in some way, then he was in danger. “If he was in some kind of trouble, would you tell me?”

-

What Jian had given Raff was a non-answer. There was always room to manuever at times, but he worried too much for the young witch’s safety. And as Mercuralia ended, the vampire had only sought out the young witch. Kaan was gone, had been pulled to whatever the hell the Asphodel had done. The air of the city was changed, and the vampire was in front of Raffaele immediately, seemingly appearing out of nowhere as he checked the young witch over for injuries, “You’re okay?”