#lucien is very vampiric to me but also

[dent-de-leon]

Lucien is like a fun vampiric archetype kinda character to me. His whole power is about blood and sacrifice. In the Orders, blood hunters would mix their blood together and then literally just drink it. Lucien gifts Cree a vial of his own blood, something that they both consider sacred. He even vows to her, "Blood of mine for blood of yours."

Lucien is both dead and alive--Taliesin mentions he was always certain Mollymauk would've set off Detect Undead. Lucien is among the living once again, and yet, still a ghost forever haunting his own skin--he's felt death sink its claws into him. He's tasted immortality. He sees himself as a god, a king, claims other mortals are beneath him. "I've come to take my reign, long may it be."

(And if we want to talk about Tealeaf as a spirit, Lucien as metaphorically undead--I think it's also worth noting that Mollymauk is also intended to be Taliesin's interpretation of a mermaid. Specifically, because they supposedly have no souls. Soulless? Clawing out of their own grave feeling hollow, empty, forever changed? Sounds very reminiscent of vampires to me, at least thematically--)

Lucien is the ruling lord; inheritance of the whole broken world is his destiny, his birthright. He's an orphan child all alone in the world, curled up in an abandoned cellar for shelter, desperate for an escape.

To the ruling families of Shadycreek and powerful mages of the Cerberus Assembly? Lucien Tavelle is nothing, nobody, another tool to be discarded when he's no longer of use. In another life, he's the exact kind of unfortunate, lonely soul who would've been led to a monster. The kind of person Gustav let Kylre devour--"Those no one would miss." As just a chid, Lucien is forced to feed other desperate souls to a monster himself. Just as much of a victim as the puppets on display in the witch's house.

Something about how Lucien has all these vampiric qualities of a powerful--cursed--undead monster, how he hungers for connection and control over other desperate souls, feeding on the dreams and minds of city trapped for centuries. And yet, the fact that his whole power is about sacrifice, and how that's reflected in Molly.

Someone who will bleed himself dry to save everyone else. Recklessly risking his neck for someone who might never thank him. Unable to bear watching others suffer--willing to stand and fight in their stead. Taliesin taking this premise of someone who's supposed to be hollow and empty and without a soul, someone who's often seen as monstrous, and yet...being so full of love and joy, he gains a soul all his own--

[dukecollinsbf]

more darlin hcs..... evil laugh

tw for mention of death and drugs

im gonna give u guys the family names cus itll get confusing w the siblings i think.

their oldest brother is called lucien, then its their sister camilla, then julius (darlin) then their little brother kenji (kenny) and then the youngest, aisha.

IM SORRY IF ITS CONFUSING!!!!

their dad is called ronan and their mom is called kalliyan

ronan was a vet! he lost his leg in an explosion and wears a prosthetic which julius helped him take off and put it on. he also would take his dad to the store in his wheelchair and stuff

julius used to also get into arguments w racist strangers who would insult his parents when they didn't even know enough english to understand what was going on.

despite his parents' abuse and neglect, julius loved them he saught out their approval a lot. he wanted to make them proud and happy even if it seemed impossible. he hated himself for it and tried to stop, but he always felt ashamed and guilty when his parents would be disappointed in him. he wished he didn't care like lucien and camilla.

he used to have a little brother who was aisha's twin, but he passed away from cancer when he and aisha were very young, around 4 years old. julius was 14 and he didn't get a chance to properly until he was nearing his adult years because of how much responsibilities he had

he blamed himself for a long time. he did everything he could to give his younger siblings a good life despite their parents and he felt very useless, like he should have been able to stop it even though he was literally unable to. he cried for hours when the family dog accidentally ruined one of his little brother's stuffed animals

one of his first tattoos was one for his little brother

julius was sent to an empowered tti (troubled teen industry)

he tries to come off as very cold and aloof, but he feels things deep

his dad pushed toxic masculinity onto him and his brothers, so he was convinced he was unable to cry until being with sam

rather than letting himself feel sadness, he often let it turn into anger. it was something he was more familiar with, something that felt more manly, which is why he was so reckless

he also threw himself into dangerous situations because he cared very little for himself. he felt like he deserved the consequences because he hurts people with his anger. it was like revenge to himself for hurting people he cares about

he had unhealthy coping mechanisms, often turning to drugs whenever things became too much. he used drugs more while dating quinn. (he went to rehab in washington)

julius never really got much sleep. as a teenager, he'd either be dealing with his parents during the night or working night shifts. when it'd be neither, he'd be woken by kenji because he often got night terrors. after breaking up with quinn, he slept even less. he felt extremely guilty for his unempowered friend, trevor, being attacked by quinn. he'd have nightmares and sleepless nights filled with guilt and regret. the first time he slept a full proper night was in the cuddles and confessions audio with sam.

the first time he was healed by marie, she was so gentle and talked to him softly, like a mother should, and it was something he had been longing for from his mother for so long that he cried when he got home

ON A MORE LIGHTER NOTE...

julius used to have a crush on milo. they like pretty boys with accents, its a given

julius had more muscle than quinn. quinn was just a vampire, so he was stronger

idk if this belongs in the angst section but he used to wear one of his dad's vet hats a lot. it's still in his closet somewhere

he and his siblings would have arguments over stupid shit then forgive each other in 5 seconds. like yelling at each other than a minute later julius is like hey do you wanna go to this restaurant with me lol...

when sam zipped away from him in their very first audio, julius was sooo giddy cus he loved sam's accent

HE LOVES LIZARDS!!!! he used to go around and look for them. one of his first times at david's house as a teen there was a tiny lizard on the wall nd he just picked it up and was just like "...lizard."

hes just an awkward little loser i lvoe him.

FNAF PHASE! CREEPYPASTA PHASE! NIGHTCORE PHASE!

he has a shirt that says "blowjobs are real jobs" and he wears it unironically

one of his first roommates ever had a whole room for her big ass iguana. to this day, julius is bitter that he never got to pet it

he need glasses but he never wears them outside. he's walked past the pack and the mates multiple times without even knowing, especially cause he goes into his own little world when he walks

one time he walked past lovely with his headphones on and he couldn't tell it was them. all he thought was "dude why is this stranger staring me down??"

he calls sam his bitch sometimes cause he thinks its so funny. sam stares at him with a deadpan expression

he has a metal plate in his eye socket that he needed to get when he was a baby. he sticks magnets to his face when he's bored but it gives him really bad headaches in the cold

loves side-eyeing

will talk about his trauma casually.

"that actually reminds me of the time my mom tried to shoot my dad! haha, oh that was so crazy. the cops came. :)"

also, leather jacket luvr

he has a motorcycle

tongue piercing (sam loves it)

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Annabel Lee Whitlock: The Hypocrite, the Vampire and the Femme Fatale. A review of archetypes

Good news: I'm on vacation. Bad news: I'm on vacation.

And that means rest. A positive externality. But on the other hand, it also means that my brain, which is constantly thirsting for stimulation, has lost eight hours of activity a day that it has to fill with something. You know what happens to orange tabbies who suddenly become quiet and behave as if possessed by all the demons of Ars Goetia? Well, sort of.

So my brain in need of stimulation decided to dust off my college notes and talk about archetypes, because it's a thorough enough job to keep me away from climbing walls or checking random stuff on the Internet for 10 hours a day.

What is an archetype?

Just to make sure we're all on the same page, an archetype (a "type character") is a writing model that describes a role and has certain characteristics.

The term was coined by Honoré de Balzac, a French writer obsessed with what he called "micro-history. His life's work, "La Comédie humaine", is a massive collection of more than 80 novels, which, when read, will give you more information about that historical period than any theoretical book on the subject.

You may not know this sir or the protagonist of "Illusions perdues", but you do know the archetype that Lucien Rumempré represents: a young from the provinces, full of dreams, who moves to the city only to discover that the lights are there to dazzle and distract from the misery.

But at the same time, the characters that come to mind are likely to be very different from the good Lucien. This is because the archetype is a different construct from the cliché.

If I had to explain the difference, I would say that the cliché is a recipe, while the archetype is a mold.

If you follow a recipe, you will always get results that are very similar, even if you make small variations in the recipe. But if you have a star cookie cutter, the contents of the cookies can be quite different: no one would dare say that a chocolate chip cookie tastes the same as an oatmeal cookie or a gingerbread cookie. Even if all three are cut in the shape of a star.

So I'm going to do a little review of the archetypes that Annabel notices. The differences, the similarities, and let's see what comes out.

The Hypocrite

Not "hypocrite" in the sense of a personality, but in the sense of a way of behaving in the world: The Hypocrite is a character whose way of relating to the world is a pantomime, whose role is to build themselves up to fit into a system (which, by the way, they despise). If they don't have what you want, they will at least pretend enough to make you think they do. Usually for personal gain.

The founder of this archetype is Julien Sorel, the protagonist of "Le Rogue et Le Noir", the most famous work of Stendhal, one of the most prominent writers of the literary realism founded by Balzac.

Julien is this poor boy, but smart enough to memorize the Bible, which makes him seem educated enough to get him a job as a tutor in a rich house, and eventually a priest's cassock.

A more modern example is Nick Wilde from Zootopia. This fox has decided that if he alone can be a con man, he will be one, though he desperately wants someone to see him as an individual beyond that. He hates the system that condemns him, but he wants to be a part of it and will play by the rules he is given in order to profit.

Annabel, like Julien and Nick, has built her entire identity around being what is expected of her, in her case a perfect Victorian high society lady. Something that has given her a tremendous amount of knowledge about how people move in such circles. And from her point of view, people are the same everywhere (Miss Marple would be proud of her).

And in this oppressive context that fosters an environment where people kill each other, she knows what currency to give in return for loyalty: people will look for a leader, someone competent, someone who knows what they're doing.

Annabel has no idea what's going on, what awaits them outside the Nevermore gate, or even if there's a way to escape. But she can pretend to know. The quietest person in the room wins, and she's the one who takes the prizes to achieve her goal. The performance is justified as a means to an end.

Another thing that characterizes stories with a Hypocrite as a relevant character is the exploration of the consequences of this lifestyle: identity is consumed by the role, the line between actor and character is lost, and the Hypocrite is often faced with the reality that they have put so much of themselves into the character they are playing that once it is exposed, there is nothing underneath, or at least nothing worth saving.

In Annabel's case, this is expressed in her utter horror at not being trusted by Lenore. She puts her hypocrisy at the disposal of her lover and comforts herself with the reward of her affection, but Lenore's love for her is the only thread that binds her own identity: that Lenore does not trust her means that the role has completely consumed her, the complete confirmation that she, as an individual, is no longer a disturbed poseur.

Related to this point, we have the final transversal line in the conflicts that Hypocrites tend to have: loneliness. When all their relationships are based on a carefully rehearsed performance, the Hypocrite knows that they are alone in the world, that no one really knows them, and they are usually so deep in the role by this point that they don't want to (or can't) leave it. The longing for honest relationships overlaps with their self-destructive tendencies.

As much as Annabel insists that it's her and Lenore against the world, that her life is meaningless without Lenore, and that she is enough, these phrases indicate that Annabel is painfully aware of how she is perceived by others, and though she tells herself that Lenore's love is all she needs, it seems more like a mantra to keep her sane than a reality.

As you may have noticed, the main difference from the usual Hypocrite is that Annabel has Lenore. A bit like Nick has Judy. But Nevermore is a story that takes the psychology of its characters much more seriously, so while Nick just needs someone to reach out to in order to form honest relationships, Annabel passes because she has no fucking idea how to form an honest, healthy bond.

That Annabel is extraordinarily self-destructive, emotionally dependent, and so afraid to step outside the box she knows so well are, in this light, natural consequences of the Hypocrite lifestyle.

The Vampire

Here we must make a leap to another movement: during the Romantic period, the Gothic novel was at its best, and it was Edgar Allan Poe who squeezed out the last drops of what this genre had to offer.

Now, looking at the bibliography, Annabel does not have much in common with the gothic heroine (that is something Lenore takes care of), neither on an aesthetic level nor on a value level. To find her in the works that inspire her, one must look in a slightly different direction: the female vampires of gothic fiction.

Aurelia ("Vampirismus" by E.T.A. Hoffmann), Carmilla ("Carmilla" by Sheridan Le Fanu), Clarimonde ("The death woman in love" by Théophile Gautier), the vampire in the poem "The Metamorphosis of the Vampire" by Baudelaire, the three vampire women, and Lucy ("Dracula" by Bram Stoker).

All these characters have something more in common than their fangs: they are beautiful women capable of making anyone who sees them fall completely into their arms, as opposed to their role of making the one they have chosen as their prey "fall".

The Gothic vampire is practically a succubus, but much less sexualized than one might think. Although many of these works, with the exception of the poem by the good Baudelaire (an author who should be fed separately on these matters), spare no pages in describing how beautiful they are, neither do they overly sexualize them, nor are they particularly flirtatious: even Clarimonde is dedicated to simply being there and letting her presence alone do the work.

This is something Annabel shares with the gothic vampire: though physically gorgeous, the framing in the comic doesn't tend to focus on her as an object of sexual desire, her beauty is highlighted, but in a way that is more akin to an ethereal or unattainable entity.

This is due to a mixture of two things: the Gothic novel is steeped in Catholic puritanism, and even if it is to present a villain who uses her attractiveness as a weapon, the erotic component is subtly exposed, and the vampire's angelic beauty offers a contrast to her status as an antagonist: beautiful on the outside, insidious on the inside.

This is another thing Annabel has in common with the gothic vampire: she is aware that her appearance gives her a haughty, elegant, and dignified air, identifiable enough to earn nicknames like "Queen" or "Queenie," and she knows how to capitalize on it. This contrasts with the darker parts of her personality.

Another thing that terrifies romantics about vampires is that these fangirl succubi possess a quality that makes us 21st-century readers raise an eyebrow because it's supposed to make us uncomfortable: a deep, honest, and sincere willingness to be affectionate.

In context, this makes sense: the vampire is a representation of sin, temptation, and lust. So their affection is something that leads the object of it away from the path of morality (this is the 19th century, this is really important).

I understand that because of the vampire's role in all of this, she is a devoted lover. Incredibly devoted, in fact: Clarimonde is Romuald's sugar mommy (no, I'm not kidding, I'm not exaggerating either), and Carmilla never stops showering Laura with affection and attention, satisfying this girl's craving for companionship after living in isolation.

Annabel does something similar: there is a genuine interest on her part to reach out and connect with Lenore, and in scenes like this, she goes out of her way to show her that she is an amazing person in her own right, rather than being her brother's shadow.

All kidding aside, I think of the archetypes I could find to analyze Annabel, this is the one that fits her best, even though she is not, well, literally a vampire. She seems to have several things in common with Carmilla in particular.

The Femme Fatale

We all have a more or less clear idea of what a femme fatale is: this extremely attractive, sexually active, badass woman who is there to make the male character's life miserable and has a 50% chance of smoking fine cigarettes with a cigarette holder. This is…partially true, but also highly inaccurate.

Although these characters can be traced back much further in mythology, this archetype gets its name and very specific form from Raymond Chandler, the founder of the noir novel. I'm not going to go into too much detail on this topic, as entire books could be written about it, so let's just focus on what's important.

The thing to understand about the context to understand the Femme Fatale is that we are in the 30-40's and although she has many more rights than 19th century women, the decadence shown in these works emphasizes that she is in a macho context where every single rule of the game is stacked against her. This is something that Femme Fatale is acutely aware of: no matter how well she plays the game, she will always lose.

This is something that Annabel shares with this archetype: she is very aware of the rules of the game, she knows backwards and forwards how the world works, so she is also aware that they are too heavily stacked against her to ever win. All she can do is resign herself, play the role as best she can, and find small distractions to cling to like a burning nail so as not to lose her head altogether.

Therefore, the Femme Fatale's approach to life is this: if the rules are stacked against her, that means she has the right to do whatever it takes to survive. These tactics usually include manipulation, deception, exploitation, and, of course, making the most of her sexual attractiveness because, unlike the vampire, she knows how to flirt and use sex as a weapon. What needs to be kept in mind here is that for this character archetype, the use of these wiles comes not because she is factory evil, but as a coping mechanism within a system she cannot win against. If this ultimately makes her a villain, it's more about her role within the story in which it plays out than anything about the archetype itself.

Here's an interesting difference between the Annabel we see in Lenore's memories and the one we see in the present day of the comic: Annabel used to be willing to play by the rules, but the thing she learned from Lenore is that cheating is more than possible. As a result, her attitude has become much closer to that of a Femme Fatale, using her extensive knowledge of the rules to her advantage, going with the flow for personal gain. Her methods are much closer to those of the Hypocrite (especially since we haven't seen Annabel use her body or affection as currency yet), but there are definitely similarities.

Another thing about the Femme Fatale (when she is NOT a villain) is that, like the Vampire, she operates within a duality: an exterior built to be sexy in a somewhat intimidating way (which is why the aesthetics of many of these characters can be interpreted within BDSM culture), but with some goodness in her heart. A really clear example of this is Vivian Sternwood from The Big Sleep (the first novel on the subject published by Raymond Chandler): her own father describes her as "rude, demanding, clever, and quite ruthless," and Marlow, our detective, will have a long series of uncomfortable encounters with her. But by the end of the novel, when he is faced with the same choice Vivian must have made in the past, he cannot help but realize that despite everything, this woman would rather keep painful secrets than harm her family, whom she loves dearly.

So if you're wondering why the framing of scenes like this looks familiar, that's why.

Add to that the three layers of how her aesthetic works: an angelic appearance for when she needs to play dumb, her gaslighting, gatekeeping, girlboss bullshit face for when she needs to demonstrate authority, and framing where it should make you directly uncomfortable.

Looks are one of the strengths of Femmel Fatale's performance. And it's one of the strengths of Annabel's performance.

Conclusions

One interesting thing about looking at Annabel in this light is to realize two things: first, that many of the archetypes her character seems to take notes from are often in the role of antagonists or, for that matter, villains. 

The other is that these archetypes are quite well ordered and connected: the gothic vampire is the inspiration for the Femme Fatale of Noir (her beta version, if you can call it that), and the Hypocrite shares a historical writing period with many female vampires. From her conception, Annabel is constructed in a fairly orderly fashion, and believe me, that's a huge contrast to what's going to happen with Lenore (which I'll get to soon, but I need to brush up on my picaresque novel notes). 

The last thing I want to point out in this review is this: unless you're a Nick Wilde-style Hypocrite, Hypocrites and Vampires in general tend to have utter destruction in store for them. The Noir, for its part, puts us in a situation where the Femme Fatale, even if she wants to change, is generally too deep in this tangle to get out. 

So what I find interesting about Annabel in this regard is:

This is actually THE scene that shows us Annabel timidly stepping out of the scheme of things. She doesn't seem to want to change, in fact I'd bet she's terrified to change, but even though she's repeating her father's toxic pattern here, she's also breaking it without realizing it. 

It's too early to tell if we'll see Annabel have some sort of redemption towards less harmful behavior, or if we'll end up seeing her become a villain altogether. But I'm really curious to see where this story goes with all of these elements.

[niphredil-14]

Hihi Renza! :D

I was wondering if I could maybe request some tmnt if that's ok! I was wondering if maybe you'd be comfortable writing a headcanon for the 2012 turtles finding out reader's secret of having an otome game obsession (me) ><

I was just kinda wondering what thier reactions would be to like...the honest to goodness library of otome routes both of us have read at some point in time! ><

Hope that's ok! No pressure to write at all! This is only if you're comfortable with it!

Hope you're having the loveliest day, and getting plenty of rest, and receiving some warm happy hugs!!!

Girl I am so sorry that this has taken me so long to get to!

Leonardo:

Leonardo has definitely dabbled in otome games, although I don't see him as having played a whole lot of them. I could see him being a huge fan of Ikemen Sengoku, though. His favorite IkeSen suitor would probably either be Hideyoshi or Sasuke, no you cannot convince me otherwise. I think he would have a loose-liking of Nobunaga but mostly just because he kinda gives Karai vibes (i do not ship Leo/Karai). I can kinda see him kinning Hideyoshi and admiring Sasuke, being more attracted to Nobu. Leo may be taken sightly aback if he realizes just how many otome games you've played. I don't think he would judge you, though. In fact, he might find it fun to play some of the routes with you and share thoughts, almost like an otome version of a book club. I giggle at the though of playing IkeVamp Leo's route and talking to TMNT Leo about IkeVamp Leo (his almost-namesake) and just how they're so different lmao. I NEED TO HEAR HIM VOICE AN OTOME MAN, HAVE YOU HEARD HIM SPEAK??? HE'S GOT THE PERF VOICE

Raphael:

As much as I hc Raph to be such a (secret) sucker for romance media, I feel like he wouldn't really understand or be interested in otome games. He wouldn't seriously judge, but he would tease you for playing so many. He'd joke, saying that you probably like your anime boyfriends more than him, but I think deep down that he would really want the reassurance. If he was gonna like any otome game, it would have to be one here the MC falls in love with a "monster," be that a literal one, in the sense of them just not being human (Like IkeVamp) or in the sense of the LI just having irredeemable qualities/being aggressive/being evil, I think that's the only kind he could really get behind. Any kind of Beauty and the Beast type of story he looovesssss. Because of that I could see him enjoying Ikemen Prince (very lightly, he just likes the comparison to beauty and the beast), but if he were going to get attached to any otome game, it would be Ikemen Vampire. I think Theo would be his kin, and his crush.

Donatello:

No matter how many otome games you've played, I guarantee that this man has played more. And not just otome games, but really any dating sim. The FNaF Dating Sim will always (ironically, mostly because of nostalgia) have a place in his heart, but honestly, I kind of see him being a big fan of MLQC (Lucien is his favorite 100% sweetheart, but also evil scientist? What do you mean it's not Don?) No matter what game he plays, he always either falls for his kinnie, or a woman way out of his league lmao. Without fail. I think he would also be a fan of the Your Boyfriend Dating Sim. It scratches the immoral, fucked up, obsessive part of his brain (my boy just wants someone to love him as much as he loves them :c)

[andreal831]

What do you think the Mikaelsons would be like if the Aurora fallout didn't happen?

TW: Mental Health/Mental Illness, bipolar disorder

I'm assuming you mean the Aurora fallout when she was human and not when she took the serum. I personally don't think it would be the fairytale a lot of Klaurora shippers want it to be. Don't get me wrong, I like Aurora's character and she did not deserve being compelled to be Rebekah for a hundred years and I also think she is one of Klaus' better ships. I also think we need more (and better than TVDU gives us) representation of mental illness in media. But I personally think people romanticize their relationship a lot. I do think Aurora is Klaus' first love and he loved her deeply, as she did him. But they were both in very bad mental places when they were together. This was only exacerbated by the vampirism. They likely would have led each other down a dark path rather than help each other out of it.

When Aurora is first turned, the vampirism makes her slightly out of control, which is not good considering the Mikaelsons had not mastered their control yet. This meant that shortly after she turns, Mikael tracks them down because of the carnage they were causing. If Elijah hadn't compelled Aurora, she would have run with them. She likely also would have wedged herself between Klaus and his siblings. This is especially true because Elijah would have likely still remembered that Klaus killed their mother and lied to them about it all of that time. The memory was behind the red door because of what Elijah did to Aurora, not because of what he discovered.

This would have created a huge rift between Finn and Klaus, likely causing Finn to do what he claimed to want to do and leave his siblings behind, potentially even seeking Mikael out to help avenge his mother. With Finn leaving, Kol would also part ways shortly after. We know this happens anyway as Kol is already on his own when the Mikaelsons encounter the Hunters.

Tristan would also have sent an army after the Mikaelsons to retrieve his sister, likely with the help of Lucien as I think he partly always believed Klaus manipulated Aurora. I personally was never a fan of how Lucien interacted with Aurora. He always acted like she was unable to think for herself so it would be easy for him to believe Klaus had manipulated Aurora and not that she rejected him. It also would give him an excuse to go after the Mikaelsons and make Klaus pay for "stealing" Aurora.

It would have been Mikael and whatever army he mustered up and Tristan/Lucien and their army chasing after the trio and Aurora. I think it would be a fascinating story and if anyone wants to write it, I would definitely read it. However, it wouldn't be positive for either Klaus or Aurora's mental health. We are told Aurora battles bipolar disorder. This mental illness, unfortunately, for the vast majority of the time cannot be handled effectively without medication. Bipolar disorder was not even diagnosed until the 1800s and it wasn't effectively treated until the mid-1900s. Because vampirism already exaggerates emotions, Aurora's battle with bipolar disorder was extreme. The symptoms of bipolar disorder are also exacerbated by stressful life events, like being on the run from your brother and your homicidal father-in-law.

Stans, and even Klaus himself, changed their tune after finding out about Klaus' first heartbreak and, instead of blaming his parents, shifted blame to Elijah for why Klaus behaves the way he does. But we have to realize that Klaus is Klaus. Vampirism and his werewolf side only heighten who he is. We see Klaus as a human get in angry, heated fights, he is still fairly self-centered (kissing Tatia without even considering her feelings), he kills his mother for lying to him before his heartbreak, he goes on a killing spree before this heartbreak. He wasn't some innocent, good-tempered person before all of the heartbreak and betrayal. He was also in a fragile mental state and it would have been easy for Aurora to convince him to leave Rebekah and Elijah behind. Klaus was clearly suffering some level of depression and likely PTSD from his childhood trauma. Aurora already thought Elijah was too obsessed with family and didn't have a positive association with family in general. To me, she would have wanted her and Klaus to be a family on their own. She even seemed to cast Rebekah aside as her friend when Klaus showed her romantic interest. She was so quick to tell Elijah she knew something about Klaus that even he didn't know. Whether intentionally or not, she would have caused a separation between the siblings. I personally think this would have been for the best for Elijah and Rebekah. They could have gone off and lived a happy life, finding love.

But Klaus and Aurora likely would have gone down a dark path. We already see them begin to right after she is turned. She, like Klaus, reveled in the gore of vampirism early on. Without Elijah or Rebekah there to even him out, Klaus may have gone off the deep end, making it easy for Mikael to find him. If Mikael had an army, it likely would not have ended well for Aurora and Klaus.

I've seen two people who were struggling with their mental illness try to make it work in real life and it unfortunately usually does not work. When you are struggling, you need someone who can support you, but if your partner is also struggling, that is too much pressure. They created a beautiful relationship in the comfort and safety of the castle but they would have struggled to support each other once life got hard on their own.

It is really sad because so many people in history suffered unnecessarily because of mental illnesses before treatments or understanding was available. Aurora's conversation with Cami gives us just a small insight on what people in her position were often forced to undergo in an attempt to "fix" them. If Aurora and Klaus had met in modern setting where treatment was available for both of them, I think they would have a beautiful relationship. It just was unfortunately the right person, wrong time.

Thanks for the ask! This was really interesting to think about. Sorry, it took so long to respond, but I wanted to make sure I really thought this one through. I try to be delicate any time I discuss mental illness.

As always, if you disagree or have a different perspective, feel free to share. All I ask, is that you keep it respectful, especially when discussing mental health.

**EDITED: To correct the improper use of BPD for bipolar disorder.***

[popjunkie42]

I’m A Court of Thorns and Roses fanfiction writer, mostly Feysand-focused and all my works are available on AO3. I also have some short poetry pieces and a few art commissions! All works complete unless otherwise noted.

✨Feysand✨

Hate Me Instead 🌶️ - Rhysand and Feyre both struggle with her first visit to the Night Court in this alternative version to early events in ACOMAF. What if Rhysand had stuck around for more for lessons and both of them were making rather poor decisions? From Rhys's POV. Read on AO3.

Eureka - A one-off where Rhysand finds something exciting in one of his dusty old books, and goes on a late-night research tear, much to Feyre's amusement. Nerdy Rhys wears glasses. Read on AO3

Present - Written for Feysand Week 2023. Feyre and Rhys have fallen into a comfortable pattern of training, bantering, and living life on the precipice of war and uncertainty. Rhys tries to enjoy their newfound domesticity while moving between the past, present and future. Read on AO3

One for My Baby, One for the Road - Five nights Feyre lost to the faerie wine Under the Mountain.

Enchanted, Enthralled 🌶️ - Vampire!Feyre is unleashed upon an unsuspecting Rhysand

Blossoming in Winter - A first Hybern war AU inspired by the story of Faramir and Eowyn in Lord of the Rings. Written for the ACOTAR 2023 Gift Exchange for @witchlingsandwyverns. Check out the Playlist.

The Thief and the Rake 🌶️ - (ongoing) A Feysand Regency AU. Forgotten by all good society, the Archerons receive a surprise invitation from a distant relative that gives the sisters a chance for one single season in London.

Painted Blind 🌶️ - (ongoing) What Feyre Archeron wants is simple: enough food, gold and safety to take care of her family. But when a terrifying fae beast crosses the wall and enters the human lands, she finds that simple, safe life slipping out of reach. Part one of an ACOTAR re-telling inspired by the Greek myth of Psyche and Eros.

Chains 🌶️ - (Ongoing) Lucien steals Feyre away from the safety of the Night Court as she and Rhys train in the Illyrian Steppes. Winnowing her to the Spring Court and Tamlin, Feyre must contend with the consequences of leaving while held against her will. An ACOMAF Chapter 47 divergence.

Night Falling - After the murder of his mother and sister by the Spring Court, Rhysand confronts his father, longing for punishment and absolution. Instead, the High Lord has a lesson for his youthful son. Written for Rhysand Week 2024.

Upcoming Project: time won’t fly (it’s like I’m paralyzed by it) aka Timeloop!

🩶Nesta and Feyre🖤

sirens in the beat of your heart - Nesta discovers Feyre on the roof and enlists all her training to try and build bridges between the sisters. For Nesta Archeron Week 2024.

Books and Wings - A very fluffy one-off where Feyre goes to the library in the House of Wind to ask Nesta for a book recommendation. Post ACOSF, the sisters work to build their healing relationship.

✒️Poetry📜

Under The Mountain

Thorns

Huntress I

Calanmai

Knight Errant

🎨Art Commissions🖌️

Glasses Rhys by @b-astora (pairs well with Eureka!)

Feysand Dirty Dancing by @lilitherie

Psyche-Eros Feysand by @witchlingsandwyverns (for Painted Blind)

Art Nouveau Psyche-Eros Feysand by June Page (for Painted Blind)

Elucien Armageddon AU for @wilde-knight by the_megabee33

🎵Playlists🎶

Feysand of the 70’s for Feysand Week 2023

Blossoming in Winter playlist for ACOTAR Gift Exchange 2023

Painted Blind Part One playlist

Thanks for reading and sharing your comments! ❤️

[fieldofdaisiies]

Elucien x Reader | Dracula’s Brides

type: smut warning(s): vampire!Lucien, mortal!Elain, mortal!Reader, blood drinking, explicit descriptions word count: 3k words

request: the queen (aka @separatist-apologist) has redirected me to another queen…so…would you perhaps be interested.....in a polysandwich elain × reader x lucien......(monster fucking is optional)…also they told me to say something nice and i love your blog aesthetic <3 — hope this is what you wanted? not sure tbh, loved writing it though & thank you @moonlightazriel for the picture!!!!

-all rights reserved-

Lucien Van Serra — at day, a nobel male hidden in his mansion. But at night an even nobler male in the sheets. It is in the dead of night that he worships his victims, praises them, loves them tenderly for the heat of the moment until his fangs pierce the surface of their oh so soft skin, dragging over their throat, drawing blood until the very last ounce.

His prey those oh so lovely mortal females that stroll outside around in the city, that are so easily lured into his mansion, his private chambers, his bed. 

He only ever takes what is offered, not once has he forced himself upon one of those beautiful females. They have to consent. The same does not apply for blood–he takes that anyway. 

Sometimes more, sometimes less, but always enough to keep him sated. Blood is what brings him pleasure, brings him warmth when his skin turns cold once again, when his heart beats slower, when his soul aches because of loneliness. Oh, and does it get lonely in this large mansion. 

He yearns for a partner, a lovely female that wants to spend her life with him. But who would be willing to do so? Who would willingly want to spend the rest of her life with him? Someone like him?

No one.

He is a monster, he knows that, hiding inside his villa for the most part of his life—always actually, safe for the one hour at night he goes out on his hunt. 

And it is that time of the night again. A warm autumn night.

Lucien wraps his belt around his waist, fixing his thick cloak of black velvet. His hair, as usual, tied at the nape of his neck. He smoothes his hand over his head once, hoping to fix any strands that are out of place.

He halts for a moment, his gaze moving to the mirror where there is no reflection. The only inkling of what he looks like he has from paintings, paintings an artist called Feyre Archeron has made. She has been brave enough to enter his hell hole, but has stopped that after marrying the mayor of the city Lucien has been living in for centuries. His mansion has since ever been right on the border to the large, dark forest where the least mortals would wander and annoy him by trying to peek inside his home. 

The early autumn air is cold when it brushes his skin and the male draws in a deep breath, loving the smell of this season. A sudden feeling of tangy sadness fills his chest – he gets to experience this out here, this freedom, way too little. 

The big oak door falls shut behind, rattling the whole old buildling. There is no need for locking it, no one anyways dares to enter this place. People are curious and want to peek inside, but they do not enter just like that. Lucien’s knows that the mothers of this town tell their little children to stay away from this place, from his house, as he would kill them if they entered.

Of course, these kinds of accusations land a blow to his heart, hurt him, but what can he do against them? Those mothers are not fully wrong about him—only that he would never take a child’s life. 

Only the mortals who deserve it would die at his hands. And those mortal females that offered themselves up to him, but they did not count, they wanted this themselves, wanted to give themselves to him, knowing what expected them. They were willing prey.

Sometimes Lucien does not really care about his partner, most of the time actually, as long as they consent, he was content. Mostly he is driven by blood lust and is anyways oblivious to any flaws and does not care about what his partners look like. 

Not that one particular night, that night he is more sated, the night he goes for a stroll.

And then–

This night changes everything. Because he no longer just needs. He wants. All of the longing, the yearning, increases this night. His loneliness is dreadful because for the first time in his life he has someone to yearn for – two mortal females, young, kind, curious. Rosy cheeks, full lips, bright eyes. 

Lucien watches you and Elain from afar, taking an evening walk probably? 

But Lucien does not want to ponder what has brought you out here. He decides it was fate that has brought the two of you here and he would never contradict fate. 

And so his eyes follow, you, the both of you. Your steps, your bodies, your voices, how you talk, what you talk about. It is like a trance for him, like sweet oblivion, his legs and arms numb, his heart light-weighted, his head foggy, mind clouded with desire. 

He finds himself reveling in the sound of your voices, figuring that he could get drunk on your laughs every night and coming to the conclusion he desperately wants to meet you. Not like this though. If he approached you like this, you would scare away, he knows that. He also does not want this to be a thing for one night. He wants this to be…forever. His forever. Your forever.

So an invitation has to follow and since the clever vampire has lived for centuries he has his ways to figure out where you live and who you are. 

And so the invitations are sent. To Elain Archeron and Y/N Y/L/N. 

You names already taste like heaven on his tongue although hell is the place he belongs to. 

Because, although he is a reserved male who wants no company, who does not want people to interfere with his business, there is one day each year where our Lord of fire and blood opens his gates, his doors, when he hosts his ball. Only the brave and fearless come to dance in his halls, drink expensive wine, dine from the finest dishes. Only the bravest and those with invitations.

You and Elain are on the guest list this year, the reason unknown at that point. And so you are not aware how this night will alter your lives forever, how everything will change from then on.

And so Elain, your best friend, and you enter his mansion, anticipation bubbling inside of you and making you both feel bubbly. You are excited, not sure if you are ready for what you will see and you are definitely not ready for what will happen in a few hours. But that is unknown now – at least to the two of you.

The feast presented to you and all guests is outstanding, every possible food served, the finest wines, the tastiest meat, fruits and vegetables. Both Elain and you keep looking around, hoping to steal a glance at the mysterious male hidden behind these walls. You have only ever heard stories and legends, you are obviously curious. 

It feels like something –more than this invitation– has drawn you here, like a pull, a tug on your chest. Tingles erupt in your whole body when you think that you might be able to steal a glance at the master leaving inside these walls.

Later that night, tipsy from the finest wine, you and Elain decide to dance, swaying over the floor, the music so beguiling, luring you towards the centre. 

Skins clammy with sweat, hearts beating frantically, faces glowing, smiling brightly, he joins you. Slender hands touch your hips when you are pulled back towards a large male behind you, falling against his chest. You revel into the feel of his broad, cool chest and pull Elain with you.

Only when a deep chuckle sounds in your ear, his solid chest rumbling against your back, you know in whose arms you find yourself in. But you find yourself unable to turn, Elain’s hand, that hold yours, tremble because she is looking, her gaze solely focused on the male behind you. Her mouth gapes, eyes wide open, aglow.

Bringing her closer, the three of you move together, as one.

It is a dance filled with desire, heated touches, swirling and twirling, bodies connecting and parting. Everyone around your seems to disappear, merge into the big crowd that starts to vanish as desire clouds your vision. There is only want and need, every other emotion eroded. 

And so you do not only enter his mansion, you find yourself following after him, alongside your friend Elain, to the back of his villa where the music is only whisper in the air.  

Moving on light steps the two of you enter his bedchamber to continue dancing there–the devil’s tango.

He asks for your consent and you give him your consent. All of you are ready to enter this, although slight hesitation blooms inside both your and Elain’s chest as realisation of what is about to happen dawns on you two. 

Lucien’s sharp fangs flash when a grin parts his lips, eyes aglow. “You both look stunning tonight. Lady Elain. Lady Y/N.” You smile, cheeks flushing when you lift your hand and brush it over Lucien’s scar, thumb softly stroking his skin. There is no hesitance in your movement and it nearly draws tears into Lucien's eyes – if he was able to produce such things.

“You are beautiful, my lord.” 

A delighted growl is the answer, his desire just as acute as yours.

Lucien lets you both undress him. Tentatively removing the pieces of clothing, you reveal his glorious body underneath, every little inch of it until the male stands, dressed in just the skin he was born with, in front of you. He is stunning, cruel beauty, all hard skin, edges and muscles.

You kiss Lucien’s back, tongue sliding over his left shoulder blade when your hands curl around his waist. He is helping Elain, whose face is a deep beetroot red, undress before sharing a passionate, breathtaking kiss with her. It takes her a little by surprise, making her knees wobble, but she is the one to connect their lips just once again.

You are following, both of them helping you undress because you dress is the most difficult to get off. Once fully bare, you draw in a deep breath and lift your gaze to the male whose skin is like porcelain.

Encouraged by desire, you worship his body, pampering it with sweet kisses, loving touches and soft squeezes. A lot of conversations happens without actually talking, but since Elain and you both have heard the stories about him you are very well aware of what will happen this night. And you are more than ready to give yourself to the Lord of blood – his veins filled with fire and he is said to fuck like this too.

It is Elain who dares to ask a question, her knees wobbly when her hand grabs yours and she steps up next to you. “You will draw blood from us now, won’t you?”

“I will, my lovely flower. But only a little.” “Will it hurt?”

His smile is warm and understanding, his expression sincere and honest. “It will sting a little, but I will be gentle," Lucien says, his voice, the deep tenor reverberating through your bodies, making wet heal pool in your centre and your toes curl. He guides you both over to the luxurious bed, the bed posts made of the most beautiful mahogany, the sheets of velvet red.  

You can scent both Elain and Lucien’s arousal, just as poignant as yours, their passion just acute as your own. 

It is this want, this primal need, that has not decreased since the very first touch of Lucien hands earlier that evening, it has only gotten more and more intense. 

“I can go first,” you quickly say, noticing Elain’s slight discomfort and hesitation. You want to spare her from having to go first, wanting to show her that it is fine. Elain flashes you a warm, thankful smile and you bow your head. 

“If that is what you want.” Lucien steps closer to you, hands brushing up your arms and he kisses the top of your head. “I won’t hurt you, my sweet lady.” 

You believe him, trust him. He will not hurt you, you know this. And you know that, even though he has this bad reputation. He seems like a generous male who cares about your feelings. He seems to care about you two like no one has ever before. And that is because you also care about him. You know he knows that. Knows that this is not just about physical pleasure.

His erection presses against your belly, when the tall male leans in, and against your skin he says, "May I?"

Your voice is a breathy whisper, your answer a clear yes.

Lips closing over yours, he kisses you deeply, one hand leaving you, he reaches over to Elain, stroking her cheek softly, before his hand grabs you again.

His lips are cool, but soft, plump. Your mouth waters at the thought of what his lips can do and you can barely contain your excitement, grinning into the kiss with pure bliss, while holding back a tiny squeal.

The stunning male carefully places you on the mattress, only to turn to Elain, who flashes him a sheepish grin. “Will you allow me another kiss?”

“Yes” With that his mouth captures hers as well, kissing her deeply, helping the young female move onto the bed as well before breaking the kiss. And then his eyes widen, lips parting slightly. 

He silently regards you, eyes on fire, burning flames of fire leaving heat in every place they touch. 

“Gods have mercy on me,” he says, fangs shining brightly in the dim room. “The two of you will truly be my end.”

He moves onto the bed, opting to glide up your body, kissing you deeply. But you don’t want him to draw blood immediately, you want him to suffer just a little longer, want his need to be stronger. You want him to beg for a drop of the sweet, thick liquid. 

So what you do is curl your leg around his hips, rolling him over. Leaving the kiss, you tilt your head, and with some silent conversation make Elain aware of your plan. She understands, cheeks flushed, strands of hair curling around her face when she nods.

Both Elain and you don’t waste a moment to worship him, your from then on master in the bedroom. You pamper his skin with kisses, moving up and down his body, soft brushes of your fingers and tongues accompanying your actions. There is not much guidance needed, somehow all three of you perfectly fall into place, in a role. Lucien finds himself in a state of ecstasy, his head thrown back, a breathtaking grin blooming on his flushed face. 

Your hand, somehow on its own accord, curls around his proud length, stroking slightly which has the male growling. His leg jerks up and when he wants to move, Elain pins him down, arching her brow, eyes glowing with mischief. “Let us play a little, master,” she coos, grinning viciously. Lucien thinks he might just come at her wording, or you handling his cock. 

Either thing is too much, and he needs…needs more. And needs blood.

He decides he has let you play long enough and so he moves, now guiding you so he is propped up against the headboard, you sitting beside him, Elain kneeling between his thighs.

“This is what you want?” Lucien asks, softly, his gaze solely focused on Elain.

“I want you in my mouth, yes.”

“Such a good girl.” He speaks with so much admiration, it has both yours and Elain’s toes curling. And without many words being spoken Elain kisses up his thighs, her hand now curling around him, softly stroking. She makes her way up to his groin while the glorious male pulls you in for a kiss. “I will be gentle,” he assures once again, his thumb brushing your cheek. The kiss is needy, full of fire and passion. Damp lips coast lower, brushing over your jaw. You feel heat pool in your core, his scent, his voice, making your toes curl. 

His fangs sink in and Lucien groans low in his throat, the sound so guttural and raw it has your knees shaking. Lucien holds you, helping you sit straight while draws the first drop of blood from around the puckered skin of your breast, his tongue latching on your nipple, front teeth teasing the tight bud. 

You arch into the strong male, his hand sliding to your backside, squeezing ever so softly. A growl leaves the hungry male when Elain takes him in his mouth, lips closing around the tip, suckling, licking, teasing.

Taking one sip that has his head spinning, his heart racing, Lucien pulls and you feel it in your whole body. You moan, the feeling so overwhelming. Your thighs clench and you fist the sheet next to you, squeezing your eyes shut. 

You walls clench around nothing, and so you let one hand travel down your belly, parting your hot flesh, sliding two fingers inside. A warm hand moves over yours, his skin now warmed by your blood and Lucien presses down on your fingers, adding more pressure. When you gasp lightly, he lifts his mouth from your breast, flicking his tongue over the tiny dots, and grins at you, his brow lifted. 

But the moment is only short, his lips close over the spot once again, the skin already a bit darker from the bruising kiss he leaves there. The same moment Elain’s hand falls to the apex of her thighs, she moans loudly around Lucien and can feel him twitch, knowing he is close. 

Fueled by the taste of your blood he cannot last too long and his undoing is when Elain swallows around him, teeth grazing his sensitive skin. Lucien sharply pulls back from your boob, his face clammy with sweat, eyes ablaze, lips blood streaked. “In you?” The flick of her tongue against the crown of his cock is answer enough and Lucien lets go of every restraint he had on himself. Hips no longer moving with shallow movements, now jerking up, pounding into Elain, his hand–the one not occupied with you, holding her head down. He no longer drinks from you, just kisses you with hunger, desire and lust. His fingers still resting over yours, his thumb caresses your clit, pushing you over the edge the same moment his hot release fills Elain's mouth. 

You feel a bit dizzy, he has not taken that much blood but some and for someone not used to that it can make them feel and so Lucien suggests you to take a little from Elain. She agrees, you are her best friend after all, and especially after that night you will be closer than ever before. 

His fangs once again pierce her skin, on her wrist, he brings his arm to your mouth, letting you drink. You almost want to cry at the taste–she tastes absolutely succulent, sweet and spicy.

Lucien, the glorious and completely misunderstood male he is, makes sure you don’t take enough because you are greedy and can’t get enough. He lets Elain feed from him as well, her lips and tongue hungrily suckling on his skin, his blood, and then he worships her, while you worship him. 

Later that night your bodies come together once again, moving in perfect sync. You devour each other in more than one way, sweet love making followed by some rougher, harder sex that has all of you gasping, panting for air, and cursing the gods and lord above. 

Only when you fall to the mattress, fully spent and sated, you know that this is what you want for the rest of your life. Not one day would you want to spend without the two of them. You share this with them, Elain’s heavy-lidded gaze lifting to you from Lucien’s chest, her hand placed over his heart. You own head is placed on the other side of his chest, his arms around the both of you, the thick velvet blanket covering you all. 

“Perfection,” Lucien drawls, his lids closing when he hears your breathing getting heavier, knowing both of you will sleep soon. And you will sleep in this bed for the rest of your lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

tags: @rippahwrites @shadowhunter2003 @my-inner-crisis @ladyelain @acourtofthought @itwasalwaysaboutthetea @multifictional  @moonlightazriel @brekkershadowsinger @velidewrites

[madam-whim]

for that character ask game: the gray prince, lucien lachance and baurus! :D

Why would you do this to me... why would you give me the tragic ones...

Gray Prince

First impression: I thought he was a bit ridiculous and didn't really fit in with everyone else in the arena, mostly due to the way he speaks and acts.

Impression now: God that poor guy... I really do feel for him. I cannot imagine the shock when he found out about his true heritage, and I can understand why it was all too much for him. After all, the general consensus is that all vampires are evil, and poor Agronak really doesn't have a way of knowing that's not the case. And I really don't think his mother made things better for him with how she must have told him half-truths about where he came from. I know she likely meant well, but in that particular case, it would probably have been better if she'd just made something up instead of giving her son these bits of information that of course he'd want to follow up on if given the chance.

Favorite moment: None, because the best ones are all tragic and I refuse to call them "favorites."

Story idea: The HoK going "fuck this, you don't need someone to kill you over this, you need friends" and supporting Agronak, and somehow this kickstarts a series of changes in the arena that results in people just... not getting killed as much anymore, where there are no more "criminals who are given a chance to earn their freedom", only professional fighters who fight to win, not to kill.

Unpopular opinion: Agronak's mother should either have told him the truth or nothing at all. She allowed him to build his life around a fantasy, and so she's partially to blame for what happened to him when it came crashing down.

Favorite relationship: The one that he could possibly have had with his father, who we know loved his baby and was excited to be a father.

Favorite headcanon: Agronak was the kid that got bullies to leave other kids alone. I can totally see him being that kind of person even at a very young age.

Lucien Lachance

First impression: *incoherent screeching because someone just You Sleep Rather Soundly For A Murderer'd me* Not gonna lie, he scared the shit out of me the first time around because I was not expecting him. It got better once I realized he was the alive version of my ghost buddy from Skyrim.

Impression now: I love, love, love that man. He's undoubtedly one of my favorite characters in the entire franchise, mostly because he is so dramatic, and he's utterly unapologetic about what he does. I may or may not have a mod that allows me to kill Arquen for what she did to him.

Favorite moment: I think that would be that one moment where he shows up after you just killed Ungolim and he realizes that both he and his Silencer have been played. He's usually so calm and confident about everything, and in that moment, he's just... not.

Story idea: This is a rather obvious one, but... the Silencer being a lot smarter than the game allows them to be and instantly noticing the different handwriting and strange wording of the first switched set of orders. Why would Lucien suddenly change his handwriting? Why would he suddenly give reasons for killing someone, when that's never been an issue before? Bonus points if the Silencer has also managed to keep the Shadowscales and Vicente alive and they team up to figure out who has it out for Lucien. But I haven't yet figured out a good enough reason to let them live.

Unpopular opinion: He's not this mysterious, silent and brooding man that some people see him as? He can play that part exceptionally well when it suits him, because he's a great actor, but it's not really him. The real Lucien can be pretty goofy and over the top and overly dramatic, and his family loves him for it.

Favorite relationship: Dad Lucien and his Shadowscale kids!

Favorite headcanon: Lucien shows his affection through keeping people on their toes, i.e. sneaking up on them and scaring and attacking them. He never does serious harm, of course, but he's serious enough about it that people fight back and defend themselves. The family eventually figures out why he does it - he wants them to live, and by making sure they can handle him when he's serious either by escaping or matching him in a fight, he ensures that they will live through pretty much any contract.

Baurus

First impression: Oh thank the Divines, a competent Blade!

Impression now: Still pretty much the same, only now I'm also aware of just how young he has to be when the crisis happens, and he still proves to be one of the bravest and smartest people around. Also, I think he played an important role in making sure neither Martin nor the HoK crumbled under the pressure of being just some random people suddenly burdened with having to save the world.

Favorite moment: I think my favorite Baurus moment is when he meets with the Mythic Dawn agents, and he walks into that meeting knowing that if anything goes wrong, or if the HoK's aim is just a little off, he's dead, and he still does his job perfectly. The amount of trust he places in the HoK is insane, especially because he knows they were in prison just a little while ago and could easily walk out on him or even turn on him.

Story idea: ... and this is where I currently can't come up with something :(

Unpopular opinion: I don't think I have any unpopular Baurus opinions. And why would I?

Favorite relationship: Baurus and Martin. Those two deserved more time together. It would have been a life-long friendship.

Favorite headcanon: He's a little bit of a matchmaker and definitely ships Martin and the HoK. Jena is his accomplice.

[nostalgic-muffins]

your ocs question mark

YAYAYAYYAAY THAKN YOU SO MUC BOOKIE JUMPS UP AND DOWNNN YAYAYAYAY

uhmmmm i have a lot so ill js break them down into groups amd not all of them individually im skibidi like thay

genhouse - random ass high schoolers who live together so basically its like the hype house but if they werent tiktokers (star, noa, oliver, cassidy, max, tommy, light, and nina ^^) (nina does not live with them but shes like. their frient.)

melodists online - pjsk unit 😈 one day akari (leader) puts them in a group chat for funsies and they become besties. after that they make their songs using what i can best describe as like. fuckinf blob opera and begin performing street shows of their sogs!!! they also post them online naotos kinda like their pr manager (akari momoi, megumi yamada, kenji shimoda, naoto tero)

genspy - spy agency who kill billionaires and take down evil villians for the greater good!!! also some in-agency betrayal and perchance lost siblings and undercover spies (miki, rin 1, sam, lana, charlie, connie, fritz, and like a lot more like a lot lot more)

freaky obey me part 1 - basically all my obey me mcs and also the demon rad students i made up in my head (minus serun and diaval theyre already canon i just assigned them sins but i also gave them designs and personslity so theyrebasically my ocs) and good lird i have a lot prepare urself (chia, zephyr, ren, mika, ale, rin, elise, saku, jun, yuki, asami, jade, skylar, kye, abbadon, rex, serun, mckenzie, gabi, diaval, and paimon)

freaky obey me part 2 - basically the offspring of the last mfs theyre still not very fleshed out tho whoopsie poopsie (hannah, rori, serena, frankie, ally, and aster)

genvamp - a resistance of 7 vampires joining together and struggling to survive the vampire genocide of humans !! (badicalllu humans are EVIL!!!! (theyre not EVIL evil but like they js got the wrong idea of vampires in their head) (also this is inspired by thirsty vampire on roblox bc i KEEP GETTING KILLED BY HUMANS FOR NO REASON LEAVE ME ALONE DAWG I DIDNT DO ANYTHING) (augustine, lucien, lucky, haruki, kit kat, grace, and winona)

and thays basically it yippeee !!!!!!!!

[sawtastic-sideblog]

As of right now I've only read/listened through chapter 31 of Mist and Fury and have had time at work to dissociate and think about it. Here's some thoughts on the some characters.

Please keep in mind that these are my opinions and I would love to hear others' thoughts on the characters as well as long as we don't spoil anything past what I've read.

Anyway here we go:

Feyre: she's complex and simple at the same time. I like how she's more trusting of Rhysand and how well she's fitting in with the Inner Circle. I'm excited to see what powers she posses and how well she can master them.

Rhysand: I have loved him since day one. We love a bad boy. The way he helped Feyre during the trials, the way he was so quick to send Mor to yoink her from the spring court when Tamlin locked her in and she literally encased herself in darkness. I love that he is so kind and selfless when it comes to his people. His sacrifices during Amarantha's reign of terror were made for his people. He loves them all and he cares deeply for them. And he cares for his Inner Circle even more. The bonds he has with each of them. The fact that he buys jewelry for Amren just because. I can see him and Azriel and Cassian being in a boy band. I'd pay the $3 I have to my name to see that. But it's the way he cares for Feyre that makes me lowkey swoon. He's kind, he's patient, he gives her the choice of what she wants to do, he treats her as an individual and not as a prisoner or as property. He wants feyre to succeed, to be able to protect herself, he wants her to be who she is unapologetically. She doesn't have to dress up or plan things. She just has to be herself and that's enough for Rhys. He treats her as if shes his equal. As of right now I fully believe that the mating bond clicked into place for Rhys but not for Feyre just yet. This man truly has me in a chokehold. Also the boy bands front man/ guitarists.

Cassian: where to begin with him? I love this man so much. He's funny. From what I can tell he has/had a thing for Mor. I joked about him Mor and Azzy being in a throuple. I do think he has a thing for Nesta. He's obviously a great fighter and I like the way he's training Feyre so far. I hope to see more of him in the future. Also he's the drummer with chaotic energy who always ends up wearing at least 3 bras that had been flung up to the stage by the bra wearing fae.

Azriel: sweet boy. A baby. He's quiet and shy and obviously likes Mor which just adorable. I want to hear more of his story. I just hope he's happy. He's the boy bands quiet bassist but has the voice of an angel.

Mor: lowkey gives me Alice Cullen vibes and we love her. I think she's a great friend to Feyre and the friendship they have will last forever. She's smart and apparently very powerful and just like to have fun. We love her and her goofy little attitude.

Amren: I'm a little weary of her but I think she's a badass. "Vampire fae" as I called her to my friend. She knows what to do to get the job done like giving Feyre the necklace to get through the Prison. Plus she is kind to the locals which is a bug plus. Her story is super interesting and I can't wait to hear more of it.

Tamlin: I loved Tam in the first book and I get that he's gone through trauma with Feyre Under the Mountain but that does NOT give him the right to treat Feyre the way he did. In a recent post I called him something along the lines of a fucking asshole which is true because he is. He never listened to Feyre's needs or wants. I get that he loves her and doesn't want to lose her but the way he treated her, pushed her away while trying to hold her close, is what broke her and made her leave. That being said I still love this character but he has fucked up so bad in my eyes that I don't think I can go back to loving him like I did. I'm so mad at him. Like all that respect is gone. Like Tamlin, baby, you're a little be delulu. I truly hope he can redeem himself.

Lucien: I will die for this man. He was my absolute favorite in the first book and I get that his loyalties lie with Tamlin but he did try to stand up for Feyre. That has redeemed him a small amount. That being said. He is still my sweet baby angel.

Bonus:

Alis: a servant who isn't afraid to speak her mind and won't put up with anyone's bullshit. She took in her nephews. A queen. No notes. I love this woman with my whole heart.

[dent-de-leon]

playing Astarion's romance and rewatching Vanitas has given me so many vampire writing thoughts--

[separatist-apologist]

your tag of “sometimes i gotta test it out on eris first” is very true on many levels. we could go angst and be like beron would test out emotional and physical damage on eris first (and only on eris if eris has anything to say about it) AND ALSO we can go funny because now im picturing eris and lucien like chilling on a bench in your mind and you going “VAMPIRE AU! 😀” and eris going “……goddamn it” while standing up and grumbling towards your open document as lucien laughs at him

Sometimes, when I want to test a particularly...weird...premise, I'll start on Eris because fewer people read it and the people who DO read it will give me all the feedback I need without it becoming a dogpile.

So like, Vanstalker, Vanscarecrow, Vanghost, and Vanmerman were all preludes to fics with other characters and potentially darker themes (minus vanscarecrow- i never did finish my series there). Vampserra is very tame by comparison, but I do also think its easier to work with him because I can build more things around him and have less canon I need to adhere to

[temperedink]

20 questions for writers

thanks to @itsybitsybluesy for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? Ten

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 42,862

3. What fandoms do you write for? ACOTAR

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

talk refined (Elucien)

you don't get well no more (Elucien)

can i be close to you (Elucien)

love me in chapters (Nessian)

Workout Gear (Bryce and the Valkyries)

5. Do you respond to comments? YES! I try to respond to everyone because they took the time to comment.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Oh, I don't do angst. I'm an angst weenie. (I do have an idea for a mean!Lucien fic, though...)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? They all have HEAs, baby.

8. Do you get hate on fics? No, thankfully. But I'm also not a very prolific writer, so I think that helps.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Hell yeah. Attempts at PWP, but with a lot of explanation before the fucking because apparently I need you to know how they got to that point.

10. Do you write crossovers? I suppose Workout Gear is technically a Crescent City/ACOTAR crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? No, and I hope I never do.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but that would be cool.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I would love to, just to learn from someone else's writing practice.

14. What is your all-time favorite ship? In ACOTAR? Feysand. Overall? Darcy and Elizabeth are my #1 OTP forever and ever.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I only have one real WIP active (and it WILL get finished), but there are lots in my head that will probably never come to fruition. I have one about Feyre and the Valkyries reforming Illyria that I currently do not have the skill to write.

16. What are your writing strengths? Character building, I think? It's important to me to understand their motivations and get deep into who they are.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Description. OMG, I am so bad at this. Can't they just be in a white room? And have faces? Is that not enough?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I have very strong feelings on not italicizing other languages in fiction--it's so unnecessary and it's a practice that I really want to die out.

19. First fandom you wrote for? ACOTAR only! The first online fandom I was ever involved in (just as a lurker) was Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? you don't get well no more is the one that most matched the version in my head, but I also have a lot of fondness for Unlikely Alliances, which is about Rhys and Eris UTM and the parallels between them.

tagging @bibliophiliaxvignette and anyone else who wants to jump in!

[andreal831]

Where does Lucien rank among your favorite TVDU villains? Personally, outside of the Mikaelsons, he’s my favorite.

It's complicated. Mostly cause I don't really have a rank in my head for villains. I love/hate them for different reasons.

Lucien is a really good villain and I like that they just let him be a villain. Yes, he has a sort of sad backstory, but so does everyone. I hate how people say characters "aren't evil, they're just broken." 99% of villains in media have tragic backstories. It doesn't make what they do ok. And Lucien's story was not more tragic than a lot of what we saw. He was essentially a "lower class" person who got rejected by a girl... and then, yes tortured and killed by the nobility... But who hasn't?

I like that they never really tried to play up his backstory. We see him in flashbacks and can feel a little bad for him, but then Lucien is still just Lucien in present time. He never feels sorry for what he does. He never questions his choices. In his mind, he deserves to do what he is doing and doesn't hesitate. Even when he has bonded with characters, he's still willing to harm them to achieve his end goal. Like I said, I like him as a villain because he is unapologetically a villain.

He came to New Orleans with an elaborate plan to take down the people who he felt wronged him. I really liked the storyline where he was going after wealthy men, but the show kind of dropped it. I love vampire serial killer storylines because they all are serial killers but most of them are just sloppy with it. Lucien was methodical. It makes him even scarier as a villain. He had this hatred towards elites, yet he was one. He complains about how he grew up, yet he spent the vast majority of his life at the top of the food chain.

I will always hate him for what he did to Cami, but it makes him a better villain. He had a fondness for Cami or was at the very least amused by her bravery and spirit. But it didn't matter. His revenge was above everything. So this may put him at the top just for the fact that he was such a good villain all the way through.

I also really love Dahlia, Celeste, and Aurora. Yet, they spend so much time trying to make us understand Dahlia and Aurora that they lose some of their edge. Don't get me wrong, I love that they got their redemption, but it felt like it took away some of their "evil." It was supposed to. We were supposed to root for them and their redemption at the end. So it just makes me not want to list them as my favorite villain.

Celeste, not surprisingly doesn't get this ending (since she is a woc, I am not surprised by how quickly her arc was finished). If Celeste had a main story, she would probably be my favorite villain. She doesn't get enough credit for how she manipulated and launched TO. People love to credit Katherine for sending Katherine to NOLA, but Celeste was the one that manipulated the prophecies and was there at the beginning, destabilizing the factions in order to make the witches desperate to call the Mikaelsons back. She was incredibly powerful and actually had the Mikaelsons running scared because she knew how to emotionally manipulate them.

Speaking of Katherine, I know people love her as a villain, and she is fun. But if we are talking about the top villains, she doesn't rank very high for me. She was too caught up in the teen drama of it all and revolved around Stefan. It was just never a good enough reason to me to like her as a villain. But I don't want to turn this into me just going through each villain and analyzing them, because that's not what you asked for.

All of this to say, Lucien ranks pretty high for favorite villains for me. To me, the TO villains were all a lot scarier than TVD since they all had to be so much more powerful because the main characters were. While I liked TVD, the villains just don't rank as high for me. But I really liked all of the TO villains. I can't think of one that I was bored with actually, I can, Greta, but all of season 5 was a mess so that's not surprising. Even the Hollow, which was a bit of a messy storyline, still had a really neat backstory and was scary.

Season 3 is one of my favorite seasons because the story was so interesting. You can see where the villains are coming from, but they are never redeemed. They are villains and choose to be villains. It also plays on the idea that one mans villain is another man's hero. Like I don't consider Aya a villain at all because she was just fighting for her freedom, whereas some of the other's were motivated by power. I definitely prefer Lucien over Tristan, but Aurora is my favorite of the trio. Yet again, I never felt she was as good of a villain as Lucien because Aurora's actions were more understandable and even justified at times. She did things that weren't, but so did everyone. It really just depends on how you rank your favorite villains.

Sorry for answering this in a stream of consciousness. Let me know if you want any clarifications!

Thanks for the ask!

[blorbologist]

Vampire Bashter AU?

Buckle up folks! TW: temporary character death.

“I want you to have my blood.”

Beau has to spit her soup to sputter “Yasha, what the fuck?!”. It spills hot and holy on her chin and she wipes it away with the back of her hand. Nothing comes with - Heroes Feasts are certainly something. 

“I hate to echo Beauregard, but…” Caleb hesitates, grilled cheese mid-dip. He drowns it a little further. “Please, elaborate on that?”

Yasha fidgets. “I, well. The soup made me think of it, because blood is like your body’s soup, right-”

“Gross, not while we’re eating!”

“Sorry, Veth.” She winces. “I mean… I can’t really die. Or, I can, but I’ll just poof into mist and mosey on to where we left my coffin outside Aeor, right? On top of the rage rage rage thing.” Her fingers threaten her bowl’s integrity, so Beau eases her hands down. “I don’t want you to die,” Yasha admits softly. “I don’t - I know this isn’t -”

“Thank you for the offer, Yasha,” Fjord says gently. “It’s very thoughtful and considerate of you.”

The sentiment is echoed by the rest of the Nein, though with a lot more unease. 

Yasha’s gaze scatters against Beau’s face. She can feel it as she pokes studiously at her rice. “Ah, Beau?”

“I’m staying me,” she says quietly. “If anything happens, I trust Jester and Caduceus to bring me back, and you to stop me from going down in the first place.” She grins weakly. “Besides, I can’t be your juicebox if we both… need… juice?” That made more sense in her head.

Jester’s hand flies up.

“I want to be a vampire!” she proclaims. “See, I already have the fangs for it, and I bet I’d be so cool-”

The Nein bicker back and forth, with Yasha vehemently insisting that no, she really wouldn’t want to be a vampire, and this is only just in case she dies. Fjord also agrees to the measure, just in case. Essek almost does, only to clench his fist, ears flattening very much like Frumpkin’s might. 

Yasha slices the inside of her forearm (“I need these hands for swinging swords! Who would cut their palm?”). Her blood (Beau’s blood, taken and made new) looks just as red as the rest of theirs. Fjord, grimacing, uses a cup to gather it up and throws it back with a shudder. 

Jester scoots over, takes Yasha’s hand. “That took too long,” she says brightly, before gently pulling her forearm close and pressing her lips to the wound. 

Beau swallows hard. Holy shit. Looks away - stupid, she looked away to Yasha, whose eyes are cut red, fangs peeking out of her just open mouth. 

It’s an agonizing few gulps (gulps, holy shit, the way her throat moves-) before Jester draws back with a gasp. When she wipes the rivulet of blood away (Yasha’s(Beau’s)), her sleeve comes away cherry red. Nothing heroic about this.

“That was hot,” Beau blurts out. She promptly shoves her bowl of soup to her lips and chugs. 

--

Lucien impales Jester with the claws of his wings. A butterfly pinned to a collector’s board, and just as perfect. Until he shakes her off and twists around to jab at Yasha, her own wings burning her with their dark light. 

“Jester!” they scream, Caleb screams, Fjord screams, everything and everyone is screaming, because their heart has been skewered and their hearts have stopped beat-

She gasps

- beating. Beating, beating, as Jester gasps and hacks and hauls herself up on her elbows.

“I’m okay! I’m okay!”

Beau’s eyes catch on the red of her pupils, the red of her blood, the same shade between them, and has only a moment for her gut to lurch before it’s back to saving their friend (and maybe the world).

--

Send me an AU/WIP (see my pinned post) + a ship and I'll give you a lil romantic moment for them set in that universe! Either a whole complicated HC or a lil snippet <3

[kagedbird]

TESSDE AU (+ Lucia :]) (??? part 1)

*The next day*

Allora: *fully healed, stretches her arms over her head with a small whine, sighing and dropping them after* Back to normalcy.

Lucien: Well, as normal as one can get with reconstruction taking place. I can't believe she was a Hagraven the entire time! I knew she had sharp teeth, but those things were awful.

Allora: *shudders* Tell me about it. I can still feel her latched to my arm. Thought I was going to lose it, if it weren't for my scales.

Taliesin: *pulling her head close and kissing her temple* You have no idea how relieved I am that everything is all right. We all feared the worst when you were launched from the window. Don't do that again.

Kaidan: *holding Lucia as she eats her snack on his lap* Aye, felt like my heart fell outta my chest with you. You sure yer a'right?

Allora: I'm fine. Super cool dragon powers, remember? I'm more worried about you, Lu-Lu.

Lucien: *feels ridiculously happy hearing that awful nickname again after so long, taking her hand and squeezing it* I'm all right! You took care of the worst of my injuries, and I feel much better after a rest.

Allora: *smiles softly, kissing his knuckles softly* I'm glad. How're you holding up, chickadee? You all right?

Lucia: *nods, munching on a homemade riceball Allora made, sans seaweed* Mhm. She was scary, but mama and Lucien-papa are way stronger. Your dragon form was so cool too!! I didn't know you could do that!!

Allora: *chuckles, wiping some rice from her cheek* I rarely use it if I'm not in danger. I get really hangry afterwards.

Inigo: Hehe. Yes, I am surprised you are so jovial now.

Allora: [jokingly] That can change if you really want.

Inigo: I am good, thank you!

Allora: *chuckles, leaning against Taliesin and squeezing Lucien's hand* That's what I thought.

Lyra and Davidicus enter the dining room, both wearing relieved smiles.

Lyra: I'm glad to see you're all well. Thank you for taking care of Silvia- I never would have thought she was a Hagraven. In personality, maybe…

Allora: *hums* I don't think she's your typical Hagraven.

Davidicus: Whatever do you mean?

Allora: She felt more like mine.

Kaidan: *jolts* Thought you said yers were made up?

Allora: They are. We've seen plenty of Hags before here, she didn't read like any of those. It's also possible she was toying with us and she's not a Hag.

Davidicus: Did you… not kill her?

Lucien: She escaped before we could, I'm afraid.

Allora: She used blood magick to teleport herself. Wherever she went, she's likely connected to it via her blood, which is how she escaped so quickly. That's the part that gets me- I've never seen anyone use blood magick here before. Just necromancy.

Taliesin: Disgusting vampires use a type of life draining spell… would that qualify as blood magick to you?

Allora: She used something like that as well as the blood magick, so for this world, I'm going to say no. Life draining is more necrotic to me anyways.

Inigo: I do not like the idea of something fantasy coming from your world becoming real here… the things you have talked about are very scary sometimes.

Allora: I doubt she's really from my world. But if she were, I'd know how to beat her. *shrugs* So she better watch it if she's knows what's good for her.

Lucia: Yeah! Mama will kick her butt!

Taliesin: *squints disapprovingly* Dangerously close to foul language, young lady. Kaidan, you've been awfully excessive near her lately. I haven't said anything due to the recent events, but I will punish you if it continues.

Kaidan: *rolls his eyes* Whatever.

Lucia: *giggles, finishing off her riceball and reaching out to Taliesin to sit on his lap* Sorry papa!

Taliesin: *hums, picking her up and squeezing her close* I suppose I forgive you. But don't make it a habit! *wags his finger*

Reberio: *pokes his head into the dining hall* Mistress Flavius?

Lyra: *jolts in surprise* Reberio? What's wrong?

Reberio: It seems the events of yesterday caught the attention of some individuals who claim they are from Temple? Some… priests… are here… they wish to see Mistress White.

Everyone turns to look at Allora who merely just sighs and drops her chin to her chest.

Allora: Always something…