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Lady Jace Beleren
Ugh, Susan...
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2014
- Location
- United States, East Coast
"You all spoil me. How am I supposed to log off if you keep donating?"
Just as he spoke, a small tombstone appeared in the corner of the screen, a bat sprouting from the ground with a number five held up below. Then, the animation cut off, replaced by another fresh notification. Then, another. Four more times it restarted, each time lifting up a number five.
"That is playing dirty. I have a video to work on. I can't sit here and look pretty all day. I appreciate the dono train, but I have to go. I'm taking tomorrow off, but I'll be back the day after. Now, don't do anything too sinister while I'm gone."
The stream switched to another screen, an ominous castle sitting in a hill. Slowly, the sun rose over the horizon. Except, instead of a sun, it was golden text saying "Stream Ending."
---
With a small sigh, Hale pulled the half-mask off his face. It was the only part of his stream persona that was easily removed. Online, Hale posed as a vampire. He played the character of the charming lord, inviting all of the viewers into his castle to face down a creature of the night. At least, that was the premise. When you spent between twenty and forty hours a week being stared at, the improv eventually fell apart. Now, he mostly chatted with his viewers and occasionally played social games, where he would lean into the character again.
That was what everyone thought. Hale was just some strange guy with a handsome face, even if they only saw the bottom half. What no one knew was that the act was nothing but true. Hale was one of the few of his kind living among humans, a genuine vampire. He drank the blood of the living to sustain himself, burned under the sun, even possessed a few innate magical powers. Even if he was young by the standards of his people, a mere sixty years old, Hale was the monster that went bump in the night. Except, now he mostly lived online, playing as a piece of entertainment.
It had started as an attempt at killing time. Without any real need to sleep and the annoying tendency of the human body to follow a circadian rhythm, vampires were left stranded inside for the whole day. A computer had been the first step. Then, watching online videos. He had tried it himself on a whim, setting up a camera and streaming to an empty chat at first. Hale had never intended to become famous. Slowly, at first by single digits, then by tens, then finally by hundreds, his viewers had increased. Now, Lord Hale was the second most famous vampire on Earth, after only Dracula himself. People expected videos of him, updates and stories. They loved his commitment to the character, never understanding it was reality for Hale.
It meant money was no issue. A few sponsors was all it took to keep his home and his luxuries. It covered the cost of bribing hospital staff to keep him fed, bought new masks for his collection. Hale lived a life that most, even among his kind, would only dream of. All that was missing was the one thing Hale really wanted. Power.
It was what streaming gave him in small doses, the perfect drug for someone with everything. They watched and he told them what he wanted them to hear. People imitated him, wanted him, and they got only what he gave. However, it was no longer enough. He needed to see someone break in his hands, to take everything from them. Hale wanted to collect a fledgling of his own, to keep and mold. That was his real project today, not the video he had already sent out to be edited.
Hale's choice of victim, his selected human to turn into his personal pet, was one of those imitators. She claimed to be a long-time fan, though he had no proof. All of her posts tagged him as inspiration, like she was begging for his attention. Until recently, she had no idea she had already gotten it. Not until he had sent the message.
Things were simple on the surface. She was a budding content creator, someone who looked at Hale as the perfect example. The problem was that she missed the wave. Hale had been trendy for a while, but even he knew his popularity was past its peak. The novelty was gone. No matter how gorgeous you were, and she certainly was, no one wanted to see a pretend vampire when there was already a perfect model on the market. Unless that perfect model gave you a boost. So, he had offered the perfect bait. A collab.
She was coming to meet him today, to work on what she saw as the next big step in her career. Hale had never let a hint slip that he intended to take everything from her in exchange. For now, he stopped in the kitchen, tearing open a room temperature IV bag with a razor sharp canine. With comfort and easy, he drank from the bag like it was a smoothie, guzzling it greedily. Being hungry was a big risk today. Meal tucked away, Hale hit the shower next, washing away the discomfort of spending the day in a chair. When he emerged, pink hair falling in lush waves to his shoulders, there was still the slightest hint of scarlet at his lips.
Now only in a pair of loose gray sweats and a thin long sleeve shirt that was sticking to his freshly washed body, Hale was just in time to open the door when the knock sounded, a lethal fang shining at the edge of his even deadlier smile.
Just as he spoke, a small tombstone appeared in the corner of the screen, a bat sprouting from the ground with a number five held up below. Then, the animation cut off, replaced by another fresh notification. Then, another. Four more times it restarted, each time lifting up a number five.
"That is playing dirty. I have a video to work on. I can't sit here and look pretty all day. I appreciate the dono train, but I have to go. I'm taking tomorrow off, but I'll be back the day after. Now, don't do anything too sinister while I'm gone."
The stream switched to another screen, an ominous castle sitting in a hill. Slowly, the sun rose over the horizon. Except, instead of a sun, it was golden text saying "Stream Ending."
---
With a small sigh, Hale pulled the half-mask off his face. It was the only part of his stream persona that was easily removed. Online, Hale posed as a vampire. He played the character of the charming lord, inviting all of the viewers into his castle to face down a creature of the night. At least, that was the premise. When you spent between twenty and forty hours a week being stared at, the improv eventually fell apart. Now, he mostly chatted with his viewers and occasionally played social games, where he would lean into the character again.
That was what everyone thought. Hale was just some strange guy with a handsome face, even if they only saw the bottom half. What no one knew was that the act was nothing but true. Hale was one of the few of his kind living among humans, a genuine vampire. He drank the blood of the living to sustain himself, burned under the sun, even possessed a few innate magical powers. Even if he was young by the standards of his people, a mere sixty years old, Hale was the monster that went bump in the night. Except, now he mostly lived online, playing as a piece of entertainment.
It had started as an attempt at killing time. Without any real need to sleep and the annoying tendency of the human body to follow a circadian rhythm, vampires were left stranded inside for the whole day. A computer had been the first step. Then, watching online videos. He had tried it himself on a whim, setting up a camera and streaming to an empty chat at first. Hale had never intended to become famous. Slowly, at first by single digits, then by tens, then finally by hundreds, his viewers had increased. Now, Lord Hale was the second most famous vampire on Earth, after only Dracula himself. People expected videos of him, updates and stories. They loved his commitment to the character, never understanding it was reality for Hale.
It meant money was no issue. A few sponsors was all it took to keep his home and his luxuries. It covered the cost of bribing hospital staff to keep him fed, bought new masks for his collection. Hale lived a life that most, even among his kind, would only dream of. All that was missing was the one thing Hale really wanted. Power.
It was what streaming gave him in small doses, the perfect drug for someone with everything. They watched and he told them what he wanted them to hear. People imitated him, wanted him, and they got only what he gave. However, it was no longer enough. He needed to see someone break in his hands, to take everything from them. Hale wanted to collect a fledgling of his own, to keep and mold. That was his real project today, not the video he had already sent out to be edited.
Hale's choice of victim, his selected human to turn into his personal pet, was one of those imitators. She claimed to be a long-time fan, though he had no proof. All of her posts tagged him as inspiration, like she was begging for his attention. Until recently, she had no idea she had already gotten it. Not until he had sent the message.
Things were simple on the surface. She was a budding content creator, someone who looked at Hale as the perfect example. The problem was that she missed the wave. Hale had been trendy for a while, but even he knew his popularity was past its peak. The novelty was gone. No matter how gorgeous you were, and she certainly was, no one wanted to see a pretend vampire when there was already a perfect model on the market. Unless that perfect model gave you a boost. So, he had offered the perfect bait. A collab.
She was coming to meet him today, to work on what she saw as the next big step in her career. Hale had never let a hint slip that he intended to take everything from her in exchange. For now, he stopped in the kitchen, tearing open a room temperature IV bag with a razor sharp canine. With comfort and easy, he drank from the bag like it was a smoothie, guzzling it greedily. Being hungry was a big risk today. Meal tucked away, Hale hit the shower next, washing away the discomfort of spending the day in a chair. When he emerged, pink hair falling in lush waves to his shoulders, there was still the slightest hint of scarlet at his lips.
Now only in a pair of loose gray sweats and a thin long sleeve shirt that was sticking to his freshly washed body, Hale was just in time to open the door when the knock sounded, a lethal fang shining at the edge of his even deadlier smile.
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