Story Notes: I got the idea for this fic about a year ago, when I wrote a few throwaway lines in a couple of other things that got me thinking, and wondering, about the circumstances behind them. Then the COVID-19 crisis began looming, and I started to feel pressure and concern - no clear information being shared, looming threats no one could identify or seemingly easily prepare for, vague and ambiguous news being denied, getting cut off from close friends, an ominous sense of foreboding.

Then came the quarantine lockdown, and with it, the understanding this was really happening - followed soon by the undeniable truth those in power were largely complicit in causing the danger and allowed it to flourish without any thought to ending it for the health and safety of those most at risk.

About halfway through writing this, the 2020 BLM protest movement began its resurgence. Not to say in the least fictional man-eating vampires are at all comparable to the genuine oppression Black, Indigenous, people of color, and other minority groups experience in the real world. More that, certain system are so corrupted they're beyond fixing and only ripping them out by the roots and starting afresh with something new, whether real or fictional, is the only solution. And sometimes, writing through destroying the fictional systems helps make the work of tearing down the real ones a little easier to face.

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Thanks to andtheyfightcrime, Ginger, and Petra for early and steady encouragement; to Tinsnip, Twinkles, and ZiGraves for holding me accountable; SzmattyCat for helping me with the Polish countryside; and bewildered, Kelasparmak, Niamh, and Yellowb for beta reading. all_choseny made my banner, and let's give her a big round of applause. Particular thanks go to actiaslunaris, for telling me what didn't need to be there and helping me figure out what should stay, and a shout-out to Salt and Sage Books for their consultation services, which I found tremendously useful in the late drafting stages.

Title comes from "Pitch or Honey" by Neko Case.
 
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.