Double Fanfic Post: “Unlife Is Strange” and “Love’s Sacrifices”
So I said I was gonna be posting these chapters on my birthday, but IRL shit happened and I had to get them out early. However I still decided to officially share this post on my birthday, so here we are.
Warning, both chapters are nearly two hours worth of reading.
Summaries for the uninitiated.
1. Unlife is Strange (A crossover between Vampyr + Life is Strange. And to a lesser extent Until Dawn and Control).
Summary: “Those who die in darkness, find new life in the darkness; this is the first thing Rachel Amber learned upon awakening, as something less human, or more depending on who you ask. She gained a new mother in something ancient and terrible and now must heed her call, but something from her old life is calling her back, and she finds herself in need of new friends to help her.
On the flip side, reports of supernatural happenings in Beaver Creek lead to an attack on the small community, leaving Daniel Diaz and Chris Eriksen stranded and hunted in the wilderness; and nothing is going to stop Sean Diaz from ensuring his brother's safety. Both Sean and Rachel find themselves part of the same centuries old conspiracy, that boils down to a game played by a malevolent goddess, the war with her son, and the many pawns within.”
Link to the new chapter here.
2. Love’s Sacrifices (mainly a crossover between Pitch Perfect and Carmilla: The Series. However there’s still a lot of Easter Eggs and cameos of other works; some of them are plot relevant, mainly TVDU and Ginger Snaps/Orphan Black).
Summary: “Carmilla Karnstein and Laura Hollis are trying for a baby, and find themselves in need of a surrogate. Through mutual friends of theirs, they are introduced to Chloe Beale, who has joined a polyamorous relationship with Beca Mitchell, Aubrey Posen and Stacie Conrad. Due to helping raise Stacie's daughter Bella, Chloe wants to know what it's like carrying a baby to term, and agrees to be a surrogate for Carm and Laura, to the great concern of Beca, who due to a past incident, is cautious when it comes to vampires.
For nine months, Carmilla and Laura must stay by Chloe's side, and help raise Bella as well to prepare for parenthood. As if a risky pregnancy for a damphir baby wasn't enough, yet another instance of Carmilla's past comes back to haunt her, and threatens all she knows and loves.”
Link to the new chapter here.
I can not express to you how much I’m glad to get these two chapters out.
For over a year I’ve been writing flashback chapters/arcs for both stories that I’m finally wrapping up. Both stories are still far from done, but I finally wrapped those flashback arcs, and I can finally get back to writing the present day stuff (y’know the main fucking stories ?).
With Unlife is Strange, I had a flashback arc for Rachel that covered what she was up to post “vampire resurrection”, leading up to the present day. Meanwhile I’ve been sitting on half written “Present Day” chapters I wanted to get back too. I just had to wrap up Rachel’s time in LA (and later Seattle) before we get to that. As I said, that storyline got wrapped up here, and I can now move onto the present day arcs I had in mind.
With Love’s Sacrifices, I’ve been writing flashbacks of Carmilla’s mortal life as Mircalla Karnstein, leading up to her murder; as well as covering the backstory for the mysterious, present day “Count Karnstein”. There is only so much you can do write about an innocent, naïve young woman, near oblivious to the supernatural and monsters surrounding her, before it gets grating and tedious. Especially with the foregone conclusion of her murder. Same goes for writing Count Karnstein, and teasing his identity. I might do one more flashback down the line, but as it stands, Mircalla Karnstein’s arc is over.
This chapter also features a third party crossover with TVDU; I plan on writing a sequel that crosses over with Legacies, and wanted the Mikaelson’s involved in Carmilla/Mircalla’s past - especially her mortal death. Also the identity of the present day “Count Karnstein” is all but revealed here. Originally I was gonna include more info on Pazuzu, and the Agency Danny works for, but this chapter is long enough as is.
With Unlife is Strange, this chapter wraps up Rachel’s flashbacks as her early years as a vampire - and wraps up Steph’s relationship with Rachel. Originally Steph was gonna be Rachel’s love interest for the whole story, but when True Colors was announced and released I had to write a new plan for Steph for the present day. Hence why I’m writing a “Tulpa Arc” for Steph; it covers her being pulled back and forth between two different lives; one being Steph’s canon life, the other being what I wrote before True Colors was released.
Also, Unlife’s newest chapter gives us a reveal about Bill Caulfield Price’s - Max and/or Chloe’s son - and his parentage. In previous chapters, it’s mentioned Bill was born from Chloe’s donated ovum, and an unknown donor. He is raised either by a domestic Pricefield family (Route A/Bae Timeline) or to Max as a single mother, trying to keep a remnant of Chloe alive (Route B/Bay Timeline). Anyways, in the newest chapter we find out who Bill’s “donor” is. I know it wasn’t that big of a mystery, but I thought it’d be a question that would annoy me the longer it went unanswered.
My only hint is that Bill’s biological “father” is a canon character, and someone Chloe knows and cares about; but both Max (and/or Chloe) are in the dark about this donor's true identity.
Content Warning: Both stories in general are full of violence, sex, nudity and other subject matter. Though in Unlife is Strange, the more extensive sexual content is moved to another series of prompts.
The newest chapter of Love’s Sacrifices may be the bloodiest I wrote so far; featuring my my take on Mircalla Karnstein’s murder, as well as sacrifices to the Great Old Ones such as Hastur and Ithaqua. The demoness Lamashtu is also featured in Love’s Sacrifices as one of the main antagonists; and with all the vile shit she does, Lamashtu should be a trigger warning in on itself.
Here’s a brief description of her from the TV Tropes for Mesopotamian Mythology.
Complete Monster: Lamashtu is the daughter of the benevolent god Anu. A savage monster who rejects all goodness, Lamashtu causes famines and droughts, spreading pestilence and disease in the process. Not content with this, Lamashtu induces miscarriages and will steal infants to murder them while also murdering pregnant women and innocent young mortals, rending them apart to eat them herself. So vile is Lamashtu that even another demon like Pazuzu may be invoked against her, being the most terrifying and remorseless monster in the entire pantheon.
As for Unlife is Strange, the newest chapter is also among the bloodiest so far, featuring pretty gory vampire violence; torture; another glimpse into Rachel’s questionable past and relationships; a Mark Jefferson flashback (though this is carried over from a previous chapter).
