I think there should've been more horrifying moments between Dracul and the Castle. In the Revelations DLC, Alucard should've been terrorized more by the Castle, ala House of Leaves with Truant. The Castle we got in LoS2 is amazingly terrifying and implied to have been far worse when it was at full power, versus when we see it in game when Dracul wakes up. It is used to getting its way, and that when Dracul opposes it, it doesn't know what to do. It tries everything it knows how to keep Dracul with it.
But I think there could've been more. Think about it. At the end, when Dracul defeats Inner Dracula to save Trevor, what if it shape shifted itself to look more like Dracul, and grovels, crying out for its lord, its lamb. Genuinely looking pretty pathetic, but in a way that makes Dracul sympathetic because that's what he did to it when he was first turned. So it sparks a decision, rejoin Trevor and Marie, or choose the Castle, despite everything, because it doesn't truly understand what it's doing, it's working off of instinct and It needs him....
Idk, I just get so many ideas between them that I want to explore.
Something I wanna write eventually, is a semi gore fic of the Castle punishing Dracul for leaving it, and it rips out his teeth, forcing him to rely on it, and solely it, for sustenance.
Of course, this wouldn't kill Dracul, but if the Castle chooses, it could keep him in a near decrepit state, keeping him dependent on it.
Let's play a game called, "What Author is Mono Obsessing Over?"
Or otherwise, Does anyone want to guess the story I was inspired by?
When they first came to life, they heard an overwhelming amount of noises. Noises of smashing, speaking languages they had never heard, footsteps on sand. Its eyes open, before shutting from the blinding light. What light! It had never seen such light! And this body. What body! A body? They had never had a body of their own. That meant the ritual worked!
They looked at themselves in a mirror. They were a tan man, with brown curls atop their head. Its hands rub through its hair. Is this what it was like to feel hair? With hands? It never had hands that could touch. Nor did it ever have hair to feel. They touched its face. It never had a face of its own. It could never obtain a face of its own. It never minded.
Stumbling on feet, graceful as a human child, it danced through the streets. The man this body originally belonged to was no longer present. Not that it would've given it back. They made a deal, and he followed through. This is their body now. The Prince called to it, and now it could fulfill his request!
But it did not get a chance to. As it grew tired, as was the nature of a child who had burned through their energies, a man in robes came before it. Though it did not know his name, it knew who he was. He was the son of the Father. Of Him. The Father who had casted out The Fallen One. It knew that he would exorcise them. So they fell to their knees, begging in multitudes of stumbling voices. Begging in voices that spoke in languages it didn't know.
They begged to not be sent back to the abyss with those who did not believe them. They needed to prove their Prince was real, and was stronger than The Fallen One. He did not grant it the mercy. They begged to be casted into the herd of swine, at least they could travel better, to find their Prince. That did not happen either. The swine dove into the cold abyss of the salted ocean, taking it back to the heat of the core.
The man was not saved. It claimed his soul, and made him a spot within themselves. It wasn't his fault that they couldn't fulfill their duty. But now they were stuck again. They needed to get to its Prince. The true One. The Ruler of Hell. So it began to scheme and plan. Sand dunes, changed into lush forests. Small villages and towns, turned into a grand Castle.
Within this Castle was the Snake. A man who was only interested in his own gain. A man, who was smart, without the wisdom in place. His arrogance could only be rivalled by the Fallen One, but it couldn't complain. Not when he summoned both it, and its Kin, to possess the castle. They grew stronger within his reign. Lived longer within the realm of man. It followed its rules from the man, even brain washing others to create an army unlike any other. Its kin, the Forgotten One, however, was not like them. It was aggressive, powerful, far more dangerous than it. No sane human would have tried to contain it, yet the Snake tried.
They hid, as four Holy Ones marched through its walls. The Holy Ones came to seal the Forgotten One away. It watched with curiosity, though caution. Its slithered and pulsated and dripped down the marble pillars, following these Holy Ones. It watched as the Snake lied to the Holy Ones. Lied about what brought about its kin. Only one of these Holy Ones didn't seem convinced. This one, The Fox, had found a relic in his patrol for its kin. A powerful relic. He took a shard of this relic, its black surface shimmering, showing the Fox parts of the future. Though, he did not tell any of the other Holy Ones of his find.
Seasons changed, as did the times. The Fox played his role beautifully. Soon, three of the Holy Ones became monsters. It had heard the gossip from many servants within its walls. It was stronger than the tie it had with the Snake. And the Snake knew he was only on borrowed time. The Snake tried to redeem himself, tried to send them back to the fiery abyss. But the Snake was too weak now.
It devoured the Snake, bringing forth the Bat and her offspring. Though all were illegitimate, it didn't care. It never minded human politics on offspring. She turned its kin into more of her offspring, taking their abilities from ever returning to the fiery abyss they had called their homes. It was never home to it. This was where they belonged. In wait for their Prince. Their saviour.
It waited for centuries. Centuries of serving, building, devouring the knights that stormed its walls. It waited for its Prince. It waited for the day for the True One to come. Its patience was rewarded. It overheard the Bat speak to one of its turned kin. "My lady, I fear the one to destroy you has been born. He is in the hands of the Brotherhood." The Turned One says.
"Many humans have tried, but none have succeeded, how is an infant to bring mine and my brothers destruction?" Was The Bat's arrogant answer. Oh, how it wished to answer her, but it knew better. The Bat would die to its Prince. As would many of her offspring. Even the Turned Ones. A few more decades. It could wait.
Compared to the millenniums it had waited, the decades felt like a breeze. Three decades and four years. But its Prince finally crossed the thresholds of its walls. It observed the man. Distastefully human, yet broken close to beyond repair. It just needed to wait a few more moons. A few more fights. A few more tragedies.
Soon, the Bat was burned in the light of the sun. But nothing came from the Bat's ashes, as the True One needed to continue his quest.
It could feel when the True One destroyed the Fallen One. There was a feeling in the air. A sense of peace. Yes. It knew its Prince was stronger. Now it could act. Spilling, dripping, sliding down the pillars and walls, it loosened the seal over the Forgotten One. Now, its plan of many millenniums would come to fruition, and it would reap the bountiful harvest it sowed.
The Little Bat, a daughter of The Bat, fought beside the True One. Their techniques were perfect beside each other. It watched as the Little Bat gave her blood to the True One. It could not watch as the True One fought the Forgotten One. It could only sit and wait. Wait for the True One to come back.
And he did. It watched as the broken body of the True One walked through its walls. Watched as the broken human body collapsed, succumbing to the Little Bat's curse. It made its move. Finally, it was able to touch the divinity beneath it. It made its offer, True One, we have waited long for your birth and arrival. Our savior. Our divine. My Prince.
Its tendrils cut through the human skin, the tendons, ligaments, meat, fat, tissue. Organs now splayed out of the corpse. It sliced the veins open, pouring its own blood through it, forcing the heart to slowly start back. It rumbles in glee as the Prince's eyes open. Welcome back my Prince.... We've been waiting for you to grace us with your divine presence.
From the torn human flesh, birthed The Dragon. The true savior of monsters, demons, and humans. As the Dragon came to life, breathing his first breath of life, it guarded him. As he stumbled on limbs he was not used to, like a lamb just born in the field, it was the dog, watching and waiting for those who would prey on its beloved Prince.
Everything it did was solely for the newborn Prince. If that meant tearing apart traitors and intruders alike to feed its Prince. If it meant becoming something akin to its Prince. If it meant towering over, making itself twenty times the size, building more and more, sinking low enough to take parts of the fiery abyss. It did it. For it loved its Prince, and it showed its devotions as offerings of safety and love. Building walls and secret rooms solely for its Prince.
The Prince made the offer. The offer it had strove for. An eternity beside its divine companion. One, it accepted. For the Dragon was nothing without his devoted Castle, nor was The Castle anything without its Dragon.
Back on my Gabastle propaganda. Trigger warnings are in the tags.
Gabriel felt numb. The Forgotten One was destroyed. The Earth and Humanity were saved, once again. He couldn't return to the people he saved, no. Gabriel was far too gone. He wasn't human anymore, and the beings within these cold stone walls knew that. They still gave him a wide berth, untrusting of what the former knight would do to them. He couldn't blame them, any that did brave his presence, were only met with animalistic behaviors from him. Teeth and claws tearing into the flesh of both men and monsters.
His eyes hurt from the light. They were now red and swollen from his crying and the transformation. He could barely keep them open anymore. Why couldn't the sun just kill him like it did to every other that bore this curse? He didn't know what day it was anymore. Gabriel cursed the Brotherhood of Light and the God they worshipped. Why couldn't he have just gone to hell? It was what he deserved.
The armor, that he used to take meticulous care for, now filthy and rotting. The responsibility it represented, now too heavy for him to bear. Was this what Atlas felt? Carrying the world on his shoulders, never once allowed to feel relief? His legs dragged him through each room, like a puppet with their puppeteer. There was a whispering in his ears. Telling him that they loved him. Telling him they would keep him safe. That they understood him. Never once had he found the source, but he hadn't stopped moving since sealing Laura, shortly after his battle.
He makes it to the throne room. A room he never saw in his fight with Carmilla. Or maybe he had. Was this the room he fought the vampire lord in? It felt like a fog was covering his brain. He limps once. Then twice. His legs then give out and he collapses on the stone floor. He panted, his heart starting to skip beats. With the last bit of strength he had, Gabriel rolls onto his back. His eyesight was blurry, but he knew he'd only be met with the same stone that his head was laying on.
It didn't matter anymore. His eyes were closing as his heart slowed down. Gabriel had a false hope, that once his heart finally stopped, he'd open his eyes to Saint Peter. To the gates of Heaven. That he'd hear the voice of his beloved Marie. He knew he wouldn't, but he begged for this in his last prayer to a God he no longer knew. The world went quiet as his heart finally gave into the curse, and stopped moving. His body was limp, and his eyes closed. Had someone come in, they would've thought him truly dead. Maybe even at peace with his death.
But it was never that easy for Gabriel. No. The whispers came back, intruding in this moment of peace. They called him back to the decaying carcass he called his body. He didn't want this. He didn't want to come back. This darkness was so peaceful.
He could hear the soft coos, but you need to come back. We cannot do this alone. We need you, my Prince. Prince? Him? Gabriel was nothing. He was born nothing, and died nothing. What more could Gabriel offer? We need nothing more than your blood. It whispers. His heart stopped. He had no blood to give. The familiar smell of rot and death filled his nostrils.
He felt his legs get lifted, and each boot removed from his body. Something warm and wet touched his feet through his wool socks, before removing them. If he had the breath to gasp, he would've. Warm tendrils squirm under his armor and clothing, tearing each piece apart. He expected to feel the cold stones under his back, but it was.... Being nice to him. It encompassed his cold, broken body within its warm, and, dare he say it, loving tendrils.
My prince. We love you. We can protect you. We can provide all the love and acknowledgement that humans failed to give you. Oh, did that sound so nice. We will watch your back. Give you anything you may want or need. Never will you go without. A catch was coming. Gabriel knew it. There was no way whatever this was, was just going to give him this for free. In order for us to do so, we need your blood. With your permission, we will make a bind with you, and be your companion, for eternity. Eternity? There was no way this thing would actually stay with him for that long, but he wanted everything it said. Yes. Yes. Please. He needed this. He needed it.
At his permission, it began its work. Its tendrils cut open each vein that led to his heart. Gabriel could feel it wiggle under his skin. It was unbearably hot, like hellfire. But his body didn't have the strength to do anything to stop it. This molten heat poured into his veins, forcing its way to his heart.
Bump. Ba-bump. His heart... Had restarted? Gabriel slowly opened his eyes. Red. His sight was filled with a fleshy, squirming red. Looking down, he saw his heart. It was still skipping beats, but this creature had brought it back. Gabriel would've laughed at his numbness towards his body being splayed open, his organs being out for all to see. But this being... The creature closes his wounds. It heals him from the inside out. There. Rest now my Prince. It curls around his body more, and the exhaustion finally takes him.
Rest now. We have you. The creature wraps its tendrils tighter around the broken body of the knight. We will never leave you, for you are my Prince.
Codependency with a mix of manipulation ( ꈍᴗꈍ). Gabriel views the Castle as a safe haven for one such as him, and the Castle views Gabriel as its plaything and food 🩷 One of my favorite ships, just beside Gabarie. Divorcees with a blood bond that keeps them connected ( ꈍᴗꈍ)
Isaastle (◡ ω ◡)
I think about it regularly, I just need to get off my ass and write more on it. They would get along very well, especially with Isaac's and the Castle's eagerness to prove themselves to their Lords. I can also imagine how visceral their first time together would be (◡ ω ◡) 🩷 they would make out sloppy style with blood ( ꈍᴗꈍ)
🤎 multiple kisses / kisses all over / kiss after kiss
Marie sat by the entrance of the sanctuary. The millennium long war was over. Gabriel and Trevor had defeated Satan and brought peace back to the world. She looked over at Victor, who was busy giving vaccines to the survivors, before looking back at the entrance.
A chill came over her, and she jumped up. They were back! "Trevor!" She ran to her son before he could fully enter the sanctuary. She presses a kiss to his cheek and hugs him close. Marie let go when her Gabriel stepped into the sanctuary. "Gabriel." She looked him over. The exhaustion radiated off of him. She couldn't contain herself, and threw her arms around his neck. The hug was tight and warm.
She pulls away to hold his face in her hands. The bags under his eyes made his face look hollow and bruised. "My love?" He whispers to her. Tears stream down her face. "I've missed you so much, my love." She whispers and presses kisses to his face. Those bruised eyes. The hollow cheeks. The crook in his nose from where it got set wrong when they were kids. Everything. She had a millennia to make up for.
💕 kissing somewhere other than lips
Dracul leaned back on his throne. Screams, flesh being torn, and metal hitting the stone flooring was the symphony for which he watched the Brotherhood knights get devoured by the Castle.
The last man falls, and those bloody tendrils twitched with excess energy. It wasn't satisfied with the battle and it showed this displeasure with it wrapping itself around its Prince. Dracul chuckles coldly at this display.
"I know. They have only grown more pathetic haven't they?" He purrs in a sickeningly sweet tone. The blood puddle hisses and bubbles. Pathetic creatures. They will never be able to hurt you, It growls in his mind. Dracul smirks, lifting one of those bloody tendrils to his mouth. He plants a small kiss to it, before showing how much he truly appreciates his guardian.
💗 slow kiss / gentle kiss / inevitable / soft
The sun was warm in the garden. Mathias was sitting on a blanket, eating some sliced apples with cinnamon and honey. He was engrossed in a book of alchemy The Toymaker let him borrow. Well, he would be, if the laughter coming from his left wasn't there.
Turning his head, Dracul was being swarmed by Mandragoras, who were determined to get the fruit slices from him. Mathias rolled his eyes playfully at the scene and laughed as Dracul finally managed to get the little plant beings off of him.
"Have some difficulties there?" Mathias chuckled as Dracul laid his head in his lap.
"No. They're never difficult."
"You're just saying that because you have a bias towards them."
Mathias laughs at the pout that Dracul gives him. After being around the Vampire Lord for so long, reading him becomes easy, like the book that was no longer in his lap. Dracul's pout deepens at the laughter. The alchemist shakes his head and leans down, the prince leaning his head up, and they meet in the middle with a promise. A promise for more gentle moments in the future. They part slowly, neither one truly wanting to leave the other.
I have an incredibly strong urge to write a specific type of fanfic for Gabastle.
Hear me out. The Castle infantilizes Gabriel.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, it treats Gabriel like he wasn't a knight that could easily defend himself, but like a child who can't do anything for himself. It's like another layer of codependency I adore with this ship. It frames it as, "My prince, the humans you knew were so awful to you. You are royalty, why should you ever have to lift a finger?" Or like "Oh, my prince, we will do this for you. All you must do is stay there, and not worry about anything." Or even "My prince, you would not understand this diplomatic talk. Let the Toymaker handle this, and we'll take you back to the throne, where you are more comfortable."
