#⚜ perhaps i'm not making myself clear here. this is a headcanon ▬ headcanon

[deceptivemorals]

— character info sheet.

(repost, don’t reblog)

name: ᛖᛚᛇᚨᚺ ᛗᛁᚲᚨᛖᛚᛋᛟᚾ - elijah mikaelson

name meaning: elijah: the lord is my god (please note that elijah is of viking origin, so the meaning of his name wasn't really why it was picked). mikaelson: son of mikael.

alias/es: 'the noble one', 'the noble stag' - all names given by others.

ethnicity: norwegian (viking)

one picture you like of your chara:

three h/cs you never told anyone:

he has an extra employee who irons his suits for him.

he composes music but rarely anyone knows about that.

he always leaves generous tips if he's dining somewhere or if he lets someone wash his car.

three things your character likes doing in their free time: 

reading

cooking

boxing / fencing (if he feels frustrated)

eight people your character likes / loves:

in no particular order!

rebekah mikaelson

freya mikaelson (@viikingwitch )

klaus mikaelson

leah mikealson (@troubleah )

ziva king (@fbiartist )

katerina petrova (@malka-lisitsa )

kisa (@ladicsa ) → yes, he starts to really like her

tatia (doesn't count cause she's ✝ )

the one anon who sent in many interesting questions (btw i hope your move went well)

not on this list is wolf ( @storywolf) because elijah still doesn't see him as a friend :p

two things your character regrets:

not having protected klaus better from their father.

killing tatia.

two phobia fears your character has:

losing the people he loves. no matter if family or partner, elijah is scared to lose the ones who are most important to him. this fear is reinforced by the fear that he is the reason they die.

losing himself / losing control. in elijah slumbers a terrible, bestial demon, which he suppresses. he's afraid of losing control and surrender to bloodlust and limitless violence. he's scared of eventually giving up on following morals and following his principles.

Tagged by: @malka-lisitsa ♥ Tagging: @viikingwitch / @troubleah , @fidelissimi , @hellsurvivr , @storywolf , @oblitum @ladamedemartel @lordofthestrix @the-last-doppelganger and you

[deceptivemorals]

META + Tristan (Because you subjected me to the arduous challenge of writing something concrete about these two with a meme first so now it is your turn to suffer. Best of fortunes!)

*         send   META   +   a   word   ,   a   name   ,   or   phrase   and   i   will   write   a   head  canon   based   off   of   this   !!!  || @lordofthestrix || accepting

first of all, i have to apologize because you already sent in a similar request in … may. i don’t always respond chronologically and i take forever but it's not forgotten. i also wanted to answer this properly and knowing that i tend to make things long, i needed the right time for it to be answered. and yes, after i finished this really long headcanon/meta post, i noticed that i rambled. i still hope this thing here makes sense and i hope you all enjoy reading it and discovering more concerning young!vampire!elijah.

tristan is a black spot in elijah's story. elijah avoids mentioning him or even worse, giving him recognition for anything that makes elijah elijah. however, tristan had an impact on what & who elijah is now.

to make this meta work, i have to go back a little further.

it is known that elijah is descended from a witch and a viking warrior. rich people (rebekah explains in tvd that they were rich landowners in europe), but simple people. i firmly believe that elijah has been trained to be an outstanding fighter (mikael says he is proud to call him his son which confirms this). even as a human, elijah was gifted in strategy, different fighting styles, the ability to hunt, etc.

elijah has always been naturally gifted at being charming and polite, but as already mentioned, he came from a simple family. he lacked what makes him today: the elitist behavior, the formal language, and the way of dressing.

but until he came to the court of the de martels, elijah had not considered that this attitude/lifestyle was a direction he could take that would complete him.

in the originals 3x01, klaus described the situation of the mikaelson siblings as the following:

"in the beginning, we were so naive. our mother had made us into beasts who fed on blood. but immortality was beyond our grasp, compulsion a trick we had yet to learn. all we knew was a fear of being hunted… that, and a terrible hunger."

but despite this, elijah is shown as the one who is capable of acting farsighted. he's the one who covers the tracks, who insists that they stick together, he's the one who made the rules (of not letting anyone live who saw what they are). i think it's fascinating to say that even finn turns to elijah to present his desire to split up. finn wasn't simply deciding that this would be the way it's done, he's asking elijah.

it should also be added that back then, the mikaelson siblings didn't see themself as vampire royalty, solely because a) they were still figuring vampirism out, b) they were the only one of their kind, c) because they were very much focused on being on the run.

nevertheless, even back then elijah appeared to be a natural leader although i think elijah also had an identity crisis during that time.

elijah was a man who had long had the age and the necessary maturity to lead his own life. he had concrete plans with tatia (i think they soon would have married and started their own family). his parents' decision to turn them into vampires deprived him of this life and stripped him of his wishes. he was no longer human, he was something he could not fully comprehend, something he considered a beast, tatia was dead (and as far as he knew it was her blood that he was forced to drink which made vampirism worse), they were fleeing from their own father, they were in an entirely unfamiliar environment, living in fear and suddenly it was he who was responsible for the welfare of the family, as even their eldest brother finn didn't seem to take responsibility and take leadership. suddenly he found himself being head of the family which wasn't an easy task, especially at this time of new beginnings. in addition, there were also feelings of guilt in connection to klaus which had been intensified by the whole vampirism.

he also had issues with being 'in control' / having the necessary (from him desired) self-control. i think that self-control was already important for elijah as a human being. a good fighter needs self-control, control over the situation and a clear head. i think it's something that was expected in his upbringing (mainly from mikael) and also some kind of protective instinct.

i think the desire for self-control has increased since he attacked tatia. he obviously does not remember, but the trauma of his loss of control remained subconscious. so yes, he strives for (self-)control and to be in control of the situation which gets harder as a vampire.

but how does that get us back to tristan?

funnily enough, elijah was the one who was totally averse to the idea of posing as nobles:

"masquerade as nobles from a land we do not know and whose customs we cannot begin to understand? ridiculous!" - the originals 3x01

his objections were overruled and they were on their way to a real castle, in an environment where they had to be careful not to attract attention and elijah was very aware that this was a dangerous decision ("we're placing our lives in the hands of a stranger." - the originals 3x01) while his siblings mainly saw the luxury of having a comfortable life.

when presented to the count, elijah was impressed by the building, the high ceilings, by everything. he could see the appeal of it, of being something more.

again, it was elijah who stepped forward to answer the counts' critical question of never having heard that his actual expected guest had children.

even later at the party, elijah is shown to converse with the count. on another day, elijah was the mikaelson-sibling in an axe-throwing contest with tristan. he seemed to integrate into this lifestyle with the right amount of confidence while it seems that the other siblings did not do so to that extent and rather focused on romance or feeding.

since the siblings had a very long stay at the court, elijah had a lot of time to watch and learn. he adapted to the 'correct' behavior and the proper way to speak. elijah is a quick learner. he is someone who does a lot automatically after having it picked up and considered it important, and he had copied most of it from tristan.

so why tristan of all people? why not the count? why not aurora?

i think he identified with tristan (a bit) over time.

they probably have roughly the same age and i think they did spend some time together. out of curiosity perhaps, out of sportsmanship (the competition of throwing axes, perhaps even swordfight etc.), out of recognizing that they are both brilliant minds.

although far from being as educated as elijah is now, he was even back then a smart mind with diverse interests, which have been increased during their stay at the court and the new possibilities that it brought (a library, for example). although i do wonder how they even communicated (how did the mikaelson siblings learn to speak french within a year after turning into vampires?).

tristan was an older brother who was always concerned about his younger sister’s well-being, even though elijah soon noticed that this concern was (almost) an obsession. nevertheless, this reflected what elijah felt for his siblings: concern for their welfare, and the need to protect them. they also shared their disdain for their respective fathers.

but above all, tristan radiated control. tristan always seemed (outwardly) self-controlled and he was in control of the situation. a (self-)control elijah was looking for and something he desired as being in control/self-control is up to this day an important matter to elijah.

tristan also radiated a matter of course to deal with power. it struck elijah how naturally tristan saw his position of power, how he rose above others, but mostly how he wasn't scared to use what was given to him. power wasn't a curse, it was a gift. of course, elijah’s power (even with his limited knowledge of vampirism at the time) differed from the power that tristan had, nonetheless, he learned how to handle/use power by watching tristan.

and even if elijah did not always approve of the treatment of tristan's (or the counts) subordinates, he also learned qualities of leadership from his time with tristan. something elijah had to deal with as his family relied on him (and not on the oldest brother finn). don't get me wrong, i think elijah was taught how to be a leader by mikael but that kind of (required) leadership was different.

elijah learned valuable things during his time in southern france and there are two quotes from 'game of thrones' that fit the situation:

"power is power" – people like the count martel & even his children radiated a different kind of energy when it came to leadership, power, and control. a unique power that elijah (and his siblings) now held as well. a power elijah learned to use and not be ashamed of doing so (the first time when he compelled aurora to despise klaus).

"power resides where men believe it resides. it's a trick. a shadow on the wall. and a very small man can cast a very large shadow." – this can’t be transferred one-to-one to the situation, but it’s also something elijah had learned. appearance is important, without the right clothes (and of course without the initial help from lucien), they would have been noticed immediately. the right clothes/appearance/demeanor immediately brought their family a different kind of power, and respect. through the right appearance, you can achieve a lot without having to play the real trump cards. in the originals season two, esther explains to elijah that he dresses the way he dresses because he subconsciously wants to be 'clean'. i don’t think that’s the only reason, he prefers his suits because they give him authority / strengthen the authority he has. because the right clothes are important to make an impression. his suits are like an armor.

of course, the second quote is no longer quite so relevant, because elijah is now a powerful man. appearances are no longer deceptive and he no longer has to hide behind a false facade to be considered powerful. nevertheless, it is still a valuable lesson when it comes to assessing others. opponents are sometimes just puffed-up pomp, to whom one attributed too much power.

what i find interesting, however, is that tristan (and i am referring to my interactions with @lordofthestrix) acknowledges elijah’s power/monstrosity, while he does not acknowledge klaus' position and considers him small (x) (x).

learning from tristan gave elijah direction and i think that also ended his identity crisis.

nonetheless, elijah was not blinded by the lifestyle. he knew the count was a cruel man (a warning lucien had issued). that not all gold is what shines and a beautiful appearance deceives, was also confirmed when elijah (and klaus) discovered how tristan tortured lucien. there was nothing noble in these noble people. elijah was admittedly appalled by that discovery because despite being a monster himself, elijah still did value humanity and decency.

elijah found the fact that a man was capable of such a terrible thing, although lucien, a loyal servant, had done nothing wrong, horrible and he was disgusted by it, especially because tristan felt entitled to give such a vicious punishment and didn't even question his position as 'judge'.

this behavior, this entitlement, and the lack of humility are also something that elijah still has in mind and that he condemns. my elijah had a magnificent exchange about this topic with @lordofthestrix here.

fun fact: this situation was also the moment when elijah should have intervened. not to stop klaus, but to finish off tristan as soon as he had made his threat to spread the news of their true nature. because even if this threat hadn't been a bluff, they would have had enough time to flee. it's something he regrets in retrospect.

i think it's interesting that elijah and tristan left together after the latter was done torturing lucien. i assume they made some kind of deal (which had nothing to do with turning tristan at a later point).

so what does it mean to say that tristan contributed to making elijah elijah? it was definitely not an active process in the sense that tristan had consciously taught elijah. elijah evolved through interaction and observation of the 'wordly power'.

and he embraced the qualities he had picked up in this place.

"we made each other" - the originals 3x04

without tristan, elijah would have taken a different path or would have taken much longer to become the elaborate, elitist man he is now.

he enjoys not only being 'vampire royalty', but also presenting himself as such: powerful, superior, unassailable. over time, the mikaelsons have repeatedly presented themselves as nobility, 1112 in italy and most prominently 1492 in england.

so yes, tristan did have a major influence over what elijah is now although elijah would detest having to give him credit.

[deceptivemorals]

💋

@hellsurvivr || (selectively accepting cause there aren’t many hc i have)

for each 💋 ill write a nsfw headcanon about my muse.

he does not make an impression due to his impeccable and polite appearance, but elijah can be very intensive and animalistic in bed. he's a dom and he needs to be in control (no matter if he makes love with his partner or absolutely devour them). nonetheless, the intensity of how rough he gets depends very much on what preference his partner has. if they are okay with him being rough, he will manhandle his partner into the desired positions/places and he will give orders (such as 'strip', 'spread your legs' etc.). he will absolutely fuck his partner senselessly and they will feel him for some time after as well.

[deceptivemorals]

(bridgerton) Who is Elijah closest too in his family? Who causes him the most strife?

@malka-lisitsa

elijah is closest to rebekah. he is very protective of her. there is not only peace and harmony between them, because they are very different in character. rebekah wants to fall in love and is very romantic, if she had her way, she would marry the first one who smiles at her. elijah is very strict in this regard and even if rebekah often mad at him for this, she did not regret his decisions in the end.

most of the strife was caused by finn, the actual firstborn son, who should have inherited the title and responsibility. elijah has always been a responsible person, but being the head of the family is another league. elijah would have imagined his life differently, he actually wanted to build his own right to exist. his studies were also not designed to manage the considerable family estate. there is a lot of pressure on elijah (which he also additionally places upon himself). if finn had made other choices, elijah’s life would be different.

that being said (and with finn out of the picture), it is probably kol who causes elijah the most trouble, as he often stands out through negative behavior. klaus behavior is often a burden as well, but unlike kol, klaus can also act prudently.

[deceptivemorals]

what is Elijah's preferred blood type?

hello anon,

thank you for this really interesting question. <3

elijah's favorite blood type is rh-null. it's called the 'golden blood' and fewer than 50 people in the world have this blood type so it's really rare. so yes, it's similar to a really good old wine. i also headcanon that doppelgangers have this blood type, so perhaps that's one of the reason why he's so attracted to them, and which only adds to the factor of why he couldn't stop feeding from tatia although he loved her.

apart from that really rare blood type, elijah does favor the type b. he likes its brilliant color, the intense & aromatic scent, and its good length on the palate.

[deceptivemorals]

If Elijah had to choose, which one of his siblings is the most and the least annoying? Or do they all give him the same headache?

unexpected cool questions 😍 || @troubleah

the least annoying siblings is easily answered: that price goes to freya because she's not only the least annoying, she doesn't annoy him at all. she doesn't need supervision and the only thing elijah does have to say to her is to eat/drink/rest from time to time. before freya was revealed to be alive, rebekah held that position. she does need supervision sometimes but she doesn't purposely annoy him.

the most annoying person? that's certainly more difficult to answer because his remaining siblings are sometimes annoying in different areas. okay, well, finn doesn't count under that category because he mostly doesn't bother elijah (cause he's daggered or because they have rarely interactions). kol is very annoying, he's childish and has no self-restraint. leah is annoying because i have a feeling she does try to annoy him on purpose but it's nothing really harmful. klaus is annoying because he doesn't listen and overthrows elijah's carefully crafted plans. so yes, it's probably equal between kol and klaus.

[deceptivemorals]

K, A, T, H, E, R, I, N (E)

Dirty A-Z headcanon game || @malka-lisitsa

K - Kissing (what parts of their body do they like having kissed? what parts of their partner do they enjoy kissing? do they like leaving marks / having marks left on them?)

kiss elijah: lips, the area behind his earlobes, the neck, sternum, stomach. areas elijah loves to kiss: lips, neck, the underside of boobs, the paths from the navel down south, and the inside of the thighs. he also kisses his partner's forehead if they fall asleep after their makeout session. elijah loves to mark and he also doesn't mind getting marked.

A - Alone time (how do they get off when they’re all by themselves? do they watch porn, is it all in their imagination, do they jerk off, do they use toys?)

elijah doesn't have that kind of 'alone time' as he doesn't masturbate. if he feels horny, he either suppresses it or goes find his partner.

T - Top or bottom (self explanatory…)

top.

H - Humiliation (does degradation and insults get them hot? do they get off on humiliating someone else? what kind of humiliation is good for them?)

no. big no. it's disrespectful. even if a partner should ask him to humiliate them, he wouldn't do it.

E - Extra info (any other fetishes? feet? leather? role playing? blood? fantasies that they might want to experience not on this list?)

he's into blood play although he prefers that his partner asks him to bite them.

R - Routine (do they have a routine when it comes to picking up one night stands? do they have scheduled sex with their partner? are things spontaneous or planned ahead of time?)

elijah doesn't do one-night stands so there's certainly no routine. he also doesn't have scheduled sex with his partner. if he has sex it's spontaneous and depends on the situation. if they are on a date and his partner makes certain hints, however, a 'plan' will mature with time. ;)

I - Impact play (here’s where talking about things like spanking, paddles, canes, floggers and the like.)

he's not aversed to spanking although he only uses his hands and never anything else. it can vary between a light pat and more. but for the 'more' to happen, he wants the approval of his partner first.

N - Not yet (orgasm delay? orgasm denial? do they tell their partner not to touch themselves for a certain amount of time or under certain circumstances? do they delay or deny other things like bathroom usage or food? do they need to beg first? do they like being denied / delayed?)

elijah will inflict orgasm delay or orgasm denial onto his partner if it's part of their game or if they behaved badly. he'll also use that to rile his partner up / tease them. 'your body your choice' is important to elijah so he won't ask his partner to not touch themselves unless it's part of their game. he will never ever deny bathroom usage or food (he will deny the possibility of biting him tho). begging elijah will arouse him but he most likely won't make his partner beg. regarding the being denied/delayed topic: no is no, so there's that. apart from that, elijah doesn't get denied or delayed cause he's the one in control.

E - Extra info (any other fetishes? feet? leather? role playing? blood? fantasies that they might want to experience not on this list?)

elijah doesn't mind having full-clothed sex where just the necessary pieces are removed. he also doesn't mind being fully dressed while his partner is naked / only in underwear. he also loves including things he wears - his belt or tie, for example.

[deceptivemorals]

meta + Elijah’s time in the 1920s (when he’s not with Klaus and Rebekah).

*         send   META   +   a   word   ,   a   name   ,   or   phrase   and   i   will   write   a headcanon based   off   of   this   !!! || @the-last-doppelganger || accepting

first of all, elijah looked gorgeous in that era (the pic is from 1919 but it also counts)

to explain the situation correctly, one needs to view what happened before 'elijah's alone time':

the post-war period after wwi was very turbulent. the mikaelsons had lived in new orleans for more than a century (with shorter interrutions), and their claims to power were increasingly challenged by the various parties (wolves and witches). there were many negotiations, many agreements, and of course the corresponding events/parties that went along with it.

unfortunately, the climax of the tension was the arrival of mikael, who wished to speak to elijah. mikael claimed that he was proud to call elijah his son, that his hunt was never directed at his true children, and that elijah should help to erase klaus. elijah, of course, denied and proceeded to fight mikael which ended up in elijah getting staked (although deliberately not killed). when elijah woke up, he immediately rushed to his siblings only to discover that mikael was feeding from – and apparently killing – marcel as well as starting to burn the city down. elijah urged klaus and rebekah to flee while he tried to delay mikael.

mikael showed up again in chicago in 1922 (where klaus & rebekah lived) so i believe that until then, elijah had successfully managed to keep mikael on his toes.

in order to get rid of elijah so mikael could continue to track down klaus, i also think there was probably some kind of 'final' fight between mikael and elijah, which caused elijah to probably be incapacitated for a long(er) time until he managed to reunite with his brother in the 1930s.

in summary, i unfortunately come to the conclusion that elijah has not experienced much of the flair of the 1920s.

[deceptivemorals]

META + sister <3

*         send   META   +   a   word   ,   a   name   ,   or   phrase   and   i   will   write   a   head  canon   based   off   of   this   !!!   || @viikingwitch || accepting

if elijah had to choose between his sisters and brothers (and if we ignore the special position klaus has) he would choose his sisters. he finds his sisters in general more affable and reasonable. they don't always have the same views and opinions and agree with each other but that's okay because they can act like civil people. a disagreement is no reason for war or harming each other.

elijah for example will always express his concerns but in the end, he lets his sisters make their own choices (remember when he gave 'rebekah' the cure although he wasn't entirely convinced it was the right choice?).

and in return, his sisters respect him. there was a moment in tvd s3 where elijah told rebekah 'no' and forbade her to snack on elena and she respected that. reluctantly but still. his sisters also have never harmed him in any way which gives them a big bonus.

unlike his brothers who often do things just to spite him. do exactly the opposite of what was discussed? check. destroying things elijah is fond of? check. killing people elijah is close to? check. daggering (yes, i look at you klaus)? check. using his daggered body as a deposit? check.

[deceptivemorals]

"that night, my father offered us wine laced with blood. and then he drove his sword through our hearts. and he wasn't delicate about it either." – rebekah in tvd 3x08

we see how rebekah and klaus woke up after being stabbed and then forced to feed but what about elijah?

the night they became vampires, there was a large shared meal that the family had eaten together on the grounds that their family would from now on overcome all dangers and adversities. no one really questioned that there could be more behind it. it actually was the first festivity after henrik's death. however, this meal was more or less the last supper.

elijah (and probably also finn) got not only the wine laced with tatia’s blood, in this wine was also a sleeping remedy. his parents knew that elijah would successfully fight back if they put their plan into action as he was already a good warrior, so they wanted to take him out of action.

he therefore excused himself early to go into his night quarters and fell into a deep sleep. elijah did not notice what his parents were doing with his younger siblings. when mikael stabbed his sword through elijah’s heart, elijah actually woke up only to lose consciousness seconds later.

he remembered this experience more or less like a nightmare and when he woke up again, he was all the more shocked when he saw the blood on his chest. when mikael brought a human to him and asked him to drink the blood, there was a scuffle in which the weakened elijah succumbed. his transformation was actually initiated by mikael brushing his hand smeared with human blood over elijah's mouth, which immediately triggered an indescribable feeling of hunger and caused him to voluntarily tear into the victim.

[deceptivemorals]

💭 + Katerina (obviously you knew i was gonna send this one)

structuring this headcanon is difficult, but i try my best. please note that this headcanon focuses on katerina, not on katherine.

elijah had known for quite some time that a new doppelgänger will arrive eventually. he had done research, was involved in the search / making sure that the new doppelgänger was found, and believed that he will be prepared when the time comes although it was unknown to him when / how the new doppelgänger appears.

the different myths and legends about the doppelgänger also implied that it will be not a reborn version of tatia and also suggested that a doppelgänger has evil intentions.

please read the very detailed separate headcanon about elijah's research / search / expectations here.

elijah always knew that the doppelganger had to die - although he knew that she will look like his first great love tatia - and he knew what the ritual of sacrifice would look like.

he was therefore prepared not to get involved with this person in the first place, because she was ultimately only a means to an end. a person who would be sacrificed without hesitation at the next full moon.

for elijah, it was ultimately a fortunate coincidence that one of his own people, a young vampire named trevor, had tracked down the doppelganger.

after having been assured by him that it is actually the person he is looking for, elijah has made further plans - without actually getting to know the doppelganger beforehand. klaus' birthday was coming up and the doppelganger would be the perfect gift. it is not disputed that elijah wanted to pay his own debt to klaus - namely his role in the spell that bound his werewolf side - by handing over the doppelganger because even after all those years that had already passed by now, he felt guilty for what he had done.

in short, the doppelganger was a means to an end in elijah’s eyes, whose fate had already been coolly calculated by him. the whole setup (letting her be invited by trevor to accompany him to the birthday party, their introduction, etc.), including the ceremonial handover as a gift for niklaus birthday, was part of a perfidious plan.

and elijah was uncompromising, he would have killed the doppelganger himself if the time was right. that was his mindset before he met her and especially before he got to know her.

but then he actually did meet her and elijah was … hit / shocked / however you want to name it.

as mentioned above, elijah had been prepared. he knew this is going to happen. he knew that she would share similarities with tatia. he also knew that there was no scope for even being tempted to believe that katerina was tatia (which in fact had never been the case).

nonetheless, elijah had underestimated the optical similarity to tatia and the impact meeting the first doppelgänger after tatia had on him.

elijah: forgive me. you remind me of someone. trevor: katerina, may i introduce the lord elijah. - tvd 2x19

the first time he actually met katerina, he was hit with memories of tatia he had long sealed and stored away. he was able to uphold his facade until katerina was 'handed over' to klaus before he withdraw from the celebration. the long-suppressed memory of tatia occupied elijah's mind and caused emotional turmoil the following night. at the same time, however, it was also katerina's radiant smile and the pure delight in her eyes after klaus addressed her in bulgarian that managed to touch something within him. a small light in his darkness.

obviously, the initial plan still stood and elijah would still have killed katerina himself for his brother's sake if this role would have fallen on him. but the reaction she managed to stir consolidated his decision of staying away from her.

he was basically - at least to her - absent and pretty distant, also because he knew that niklaus had become very possessive of his doppelganger.

he knew that klaus was very tense in this state & during the preparations and would take every little occasion as a reason to become paranoid - even if it was about his own family. so elijah didn't interfere and remained his distance from katerina even if he was in the same room as klaus and her. of course he was not cold, but he was always polite & respectful to her but he didn't talk to her more than necessary. elijah also thought it cruel that klaus pretended to want to get engaged to her. in his eyes, it would have been enough if he had striven for a simple friendship with her.

important to note: apart from klaus breaking his promises to her (of spending time with her) and often neglecting her attention-wise (and the fact that he wanted to sacrifice her since the beginning), i don't acknowledge anything abusive in the relationship between klaus & katerina. klaus acted civilly toward katerina. she was klaus' precious doppelgänger, after all, and the salvation for his curse he waited to break for 500 years.

elijah focused on making sure nothing happened to the doppelganger, making sure she couldn’t escape, etc. he mainly acted in the background. klaus trusted elijah with the doppelgänger and when klaus was gone / not capable of keeping an eye on her, it was elijah's role to watch her. from afar. he refrained from getting too much involved with her. nonetheless watching her from afar was still revealing about her personality. the way she interacted with her surroundings with the animals (horses) they had in the stables, with the flowers, or even with the few people that were allowed near her, told elijah much about her.

and whenever he had to interact directly with her (he didn’t want to be rude after all), especially when they were alone, he was impressed by her. she was the sparkling, flourishing life with an intellect so alert and a so natural and easy-going curiosity that it fascinated him. she loved life and whenever she laughed, it had something infectious.

even if he didn’t want to, he eventually connected to her, and bonded with her. interacting with her changed him. it made him more human and feel more connected to his humanity. it made some worries shrink and make him more carefree.

elijah is incredibly stoic and serious, but katerina often managed to surprise him and make him laugh. she even managed to get him to play catch with her and enjoy it.

he started to care for her and threw his own principles overboard. at some point, she was no longer a means to an end, but a person he sincerely valued.

katherine: thank you for entertaining me. elijah: you looked lonely inside, so i took pity on you. katherine: klaus promised to spend the day with me, but he never returned home from the night. - tvd 2x19

katherine: i know not why he courts me. he seems to not care about me at all. elijah: many a union has been built on much less. katherine: Is it wrong to want more? - tvd 2x19

he could understand katerina’s doubts about the relationship with klaus, but he still had to encourage her that the engagement was the right thing, although he knew better. the direction klaus had chosen might not have been to elijah's liking (because a friendship would have been sufficient enough) but it allowed katerina to have a more than comfortable life. elijah is aware that katerina could have met a crueler fate in the last weeks of her life if klaus had decided to imprison her and lock her away, only giving her enough nourishment to stay alive – something which would have been quite possible. and something that would happen quickly should klaus have doubts about her loyalty to him. a fate elijah wanted to spare her.

in this context, elijah also asked if she felt more for trevor. the way trevor was looking at her hadn’t escaped elijah, and he was also aware that trevor had spent time with katerina before she was introduced to elijah at the birthday party. however, especially because of katerina's response, elijah didn't deem trevor as a threat to their plans. foolishly so.

then, however, they had a conversation that was unlike elijah. he is a very private person who usually doesn't voice his inner thoughts or feelings.

elijah: i do not believe in love, katerina. katherine: that is too sad for me to accept, my lord. life is too cruel. if we cease to believe in love, why would we want to live? - tvd 2x19

this hit him because katerina made him realize something: that not only his siblings had changed but he had changed as well. elijah had not noticed that he had drifted so far away from humanity (and empathy) in the past 500 years. vampirism had changed him from the man he used to be. made him colder, vicious, unpredictable, unforgiving, and conniving. he always believed love to be rare - at least for him - but over the past centuries, he had completely ceased to believe in it. and he was once again reminded of tatia. a woman he certainly did have loved.

katerina’s openly shared thoughts gave him a lot to think about himself and to become aware of himself.

and all of this, all what katerina's presence triggered within him, all the realizations he won about himself, made him care even more for her. i won't go as far as to say that he fell in love with her because for that to happen, more needed to have happened and the situation also wasn't right but he felt connected to her. attracted by her spirit. he didn't want her to die (and stay dead).

don’t get me wrong, that didn’t mean elijah wanted to stop the sacrifice, she still had to die - for his brother’s sake. but he intended to change the course of things.

elijah: i have been to see the witches. they believe they may have found a way to spare the doppelgänger. klaus: what does it matter if she lives or not? she's a means to an end that is all. elijah: what, she should die for your gain? klaus: she is human. her life means nothing. elijah: i beg you to consider this. - tvd 2x19

klaus: are you so foolish as to care for her? elijah: of course not. klaus: love is a vampire's greatest weakness, and we are not weak, elijah. we do not feel, and we do not care. - tvd 2x19

but even though elijah denied any feelings (no matter if romantic or merely friendly ones) for katerina, and made it appear as if he does agree with klaus, he still wanted to follow his own plan even if it meant going behind his brother's back. he had hoped klaus would have discernment but since he made it clear that he wasn't interested in the doppelgänger's survival, elijah needed to act on his own.

elijah had a plan that he had already set up after he visited the witches. in fact, he had the magical antidote already in his possession. he carried it with him, all the time. elijah's plan was - in his eyes - perfect.

he intended to compel katerina before the sacrifice so that she isn't scared and didn't have to endure agony and fear of death. he intended to give her what he had made by the witches and compel her to forget that he had. and after the sacrifice was done, he would volunteer at burying her. only that he wasn't burying her but waiting for her to wake up.

he would then compel her one last time, making her forget everything that had happened, that she would not remember him or klaus. he would give her freedom, set her free and allow her an independent life. he would make sure that she doesn't have to worry about money and that she could build a safe life somewhere else, so that no more harm will come to her.

he had everything handled.

he had only overlooked the betrayal. it's something he hadn't seen coming.

klaus: what have you done? elijah: i don't understand. klaus: katerina has gone. she has fled. … elijah: i will find her. you have my word. klaus: if you do not, i give you my word you will be dead. - tvd 2x19

elijah was enraged.

betrayal had always been something he hated and had no tolerance for because loyalty was one of the things the valued the most.

he was so angry and thrown off track that he didn’t even question why katerina had fled, where she got the information, who might have helped her. at that moment, he still considered trevor loyal and trusted his information.

only when he could not find katerina it dawned on elijah and did he understand the connection. since then, trevor’s death was already and always set in stone, for there was nothing that could forgive such a betrayal.

elijah had no part in the killing of katerina's family. in fact, he was brutally daggered by klaus after he returned home with empty hands and remained in that state for 54 years.

so why did elijah still want to get his hands on katherine and take revenge on her?

elijah: i have my own reasons for wanting katerina to pay. - tvd 2x19

for that to understand, you need to see elijah's side.

elijah didn't only start to care for katerina (despite his initial plan and intention), he also started to trust her. he opened up to her. he let her see sides of him no one else gets to see. he started to be more human around her. all these things she triggered within elijah were things that no one (outside his family) have triggered in him in the past 500 years. i once again repeat that elijah hadn't fallen in love with her during that point in time but he was attracted to her spirit. he was ready to go behind his brother's wishes to ensure that she's going to survive the sacrifice and not suffer during it. he in fact had come up with an entire plan to ensure her survival. all his studies, all his talks with the witches, making the impossible possible, and ensuring that she survives was only because of her, because she impressed him. because he wanted her to live.

by fleeing, katerina had broken elijah's trust in her, had ruined the faith he had in her. she shattered the delicate humanity within elijah that was starting to grow.

elijah:i let this person in. i let her in! i don't let people in! you knew this. you've taken her from me! i needed her, and you've broken me. - to 1x22

it's hard for elijah to open up to anyone and it's even rarer that he does so with a complete stranger (and someone who wasn't family). he doesn't care for anyone outside his family but he started to care for katerina. he had trusted katerina and she had trampled it.

her betrayal had shown him that klaus was right, that they weren't supposed to care about others. that letting a person in will only result in hurt and betrayal. a weak spot he's not allowed to have.

elena: you cared about her, didn't you? elijah: it's a common mistake, i'm told. and it's one i won't make again. - tvd 2x19

katerina's flight also didn't only hurt elijah, it also caused a major rift between him and klaus because klaus always believed elijah had helped katerina run and that he is no longer to be trusted. her escape ruined the connection he shared with klaus and it never fully healed again.

elijah in general is a very emotionally hardened character and has difficulty at times handling and accepting certain emotions. he turns his sadness and pain into revenge against the person who hurt him. it's what he also did in katerina's case.

if he had found her human, he would have dragged her back to klaus and ensure that the sacrifice would happen as planned. he still would have shown her mercy by allowing her to survive it but he would not support her any further.

elijah never would have done something as horrible as killing her family or carrying out psycho terror. he would also never actively torture her. if he found her a vampire, he would have granted her the mercy of a swift death. in fact, she is lucky that elijah hadn't found her sooner because he would have killed her on the spot. his rage dimmed down over the centuries which caused him to not kill her but merely compel her to stay in the tomb to starve when he finally did find her.

i also wanted to add that elijah would have never handed her over to klaus in the 2010s. it was elijah's revenge to exert, not klaus'. in fact, by compelling her to stay in the tomb, he did her a major favor because it ensured that she won't get into klaus' hands.

i don't think he would have imprisoned her forever in there but i do think he intended to keep her in there for a few years. until she paid her debt, at least in his eyes.

how could things have been different?

all katerina had to do was come to elijah. trust him. trust the connection that they share. share what she has heard and what she feared. elijah believed that katerina knew that he meant no harm, and that she felt that he was different from klaus.

elijah has deliberately withheld his plan from her for her own safety. to ensure that no one, especially not klaus, will ruin it. if everything went according to his plan, then she would have never been in a position to fear for her life because he would have already compelled her beforehand and given her the opportunity for a safe, independent life afterward. elijah never expected that anyone would be as foolish as to openly double-cross his family hence why he didn't take any precautions.

elijah: but unfortunately, katerina took matters into her own hands first. i believe you already know how that played out. tvd 2x19

katerina's life could have been entirely different if she had only trusted

[deceptivemorals]

💋 💋 💋 (but in relation to Katherine ehehe)

@malka-lisitsa || (selectively accepting cause there aren’t many hc i have)

for each 💋 ill write a nsfw headcanon about my muse.

katherine is the only person with the personality of a brat that he tolerates. there's a small line between him being annoyed by it (which results in him ignoring her) and him enjoying it but i think she’s found the right balance by now. if she does it right, it does manage to get him horny incredibly fast although he would never admit it.

speaking of bad behavior, if she's a 'bad girl' (within the boundaries of him still considering it acceptable), he does not refrain from edging her. call it a special game of chase. sometimes, he also refuses her his cock and only gives her his fingers. he has gifted fingers (i mean really gifted fingers) but he knows that for her, it's not entirely satisfying.

one of elijah's favorite body parts is katherine's hair. he's someone who enjoys pulling hair and wrapping long hair around his hand/wrist but he knows that her hair is her shrine so he won't touch it without her explicit permission. however, whenever they spoon, he usually has his nose in her hair.

bonus 1: the fact that katherine submits to him means a great deal to him because he knows that she actually isn't a person who submits to anyone. he is always very considerate of her boundaries and i even think they agreed upon a safe word so that elijah knows when he needs to stop (which he does immediately), although a simple 'no' is usually enough. he can be a beast in the sheets and pretty intense. he makes love to her as well but they often have a quite rough fuck.

bonus 2: this also follows my headcanon about condoms. in a scenario in which hayley's pregnancy happened and elijah is dating a cured!katherine, he is worried about accidentally getting her pregnant somehow. in this case, he is less of the problem, but he actually has concerns that her cured body could transform something into something more. probably his worries are unfounded, but he is someone who thinks a lot. he also knows that the pulling-out method is no safe method of contraception, so he will probably look into condoms or other options for him (and yes, he looks for options for himself because he would never expect her to do something) to prevent something from happening.

[deceptivemorals]

💋💋

@fidelissimi || (selectively accepting cause there aren’t many hc i have)

for each 💋 ill write a nsfw headcanon about my muse.

elijah prefers to finish inside as he's not fond of making a mess. in general, he prefers to keep things clean. if he bites you and drinks from you, he will make sure to not waste a single drop / lick everything up. if they both don't pass out after the act, he will also usually offer to clean his partner up. if things get spicy somewhere outside of their homes/bedrooms, he will also always offer his handkerchief to his partner to help clean up.

elijah has never used a condom. he obviously knows they exist but since he's infertile (and also can't pass/get any illness), he doesn't need them for their initial purpose. if a partner insists on it, they must say it early enough so that he can figure out/deal with this whole product. i think the picture of elijah trying to figure out condoms is funny.

[deceptivemorals]

💋

@ladicsa || (selectively accepting cause there aren't many hc i have)

for each 💋 ill write a nsfw headcanon about my muse.

elijah is no man who masturbates. his sex drive is specifically person-related and he needs some kind of bond to even feel sexual attraction. this in turn means that in the absence of a partner, he also has no real sex drive which he has to satisfy. in addition, it also plays a role that he is generally a very emotionally hardened character and strives to keep himself under control in every aspect. but even with a partner, he does not masturbate, because in this case, he very much prefers the real deal.

[deceptivemorals]

Is Elijah aware that hes an enabler for his brother? If he is, how does the affect him? are there actions hes taken that he's regretted? Choices hes made in favour of his brother that he wishes he could take back?

@malka-lisitsa || accepting ♥

send me questions you have about my character!

elijah is not always aware that he is an enabler for his brother. sometimes he notices it if he thinks about certain actions in retrospect, and sometimes he gets called out by rebekah for granting klaus things she doesn't get granted.

in retrospect, there are of course some things he would do differently.

this includes, among other things, how klaus treated katerina in 1492. for example, he would have campaigned for him not to play with her feelings in such a way, as she would certainly have lived with them in the castle under another pretext, for example as some kind of lady-in-waiting for rebekah. he would not have asked klaus for permission to use the elixir on katerina, but would have just done it without his knowledge.

this also includes that elijah often sees past the bad treatment of rebekah through klaus' hands. although he often does share klaus' opinion that rebekah often does not make the right choice with her lovers and that it is not possible to turn them into vampires, especially if it is the son of a well-known personality in society, he actually dislikes how klaus gets rid of these lovers. however, apart from sometimes scolding klaus for his ways, nothing happens.

another thing is finn's treatment. although they didn't get along, he should have tried to undagger him and not let him rot in that coffin for 900 years. he didn't do anything against it (or the daggering of his other siblings) because he knew if he tried, he would end up in the coffin next to him.

elijah often enables klaus because he feels guilty. elijah has enormous guilt for not stepping up and stopping mikael from beating klaus (although i need to add that elijah too was scared of mikael), he also feels guilty for having helped their parents bind klaus' wolfside. somehow he even feels guilty that tatia didn't return klaus' affections and picked him instead although the happiness over this choice outweigh it.

the thing is that klaus knows of these feelings and sometimes uses that guilt against elijah. klaus also knows that he needs elijah so there's definitely also some kind of manipulation going on.

elijah is aware that klaus often treats him badly. he punishes in the most inhuman ways (by taking away his lovers, torturing him with his hybrid poison, etc.) and he knows he should walk away and leave klaus to his own doings but he knows he can't. it's not necessarily brotherly love but guilt and also the knowledge that if elijah isn't there to keep klaus in check, innocents will suffer.

"the monster in me can only be checked by the monster in you." - klaus to elijah in the originals 2x07

[deceptivemorals]

How does Elijah show his love? Are his love languages conventional? Or more on the "you really have to understand him" side of the spectrum?

@malka-lisitsa || accepting ♥

send me questions you have about my character!

when he starts to develop feelings for someone, it's mostly not obvious to that person. elijah naturally is well-mannered and polite so it's probably not really noticeable if his feelings switch from something indifferent/casual to something more. elijah is also very reserved when it comes to feelings. he's not a person who makes it publicly known if he's in love with someone by writing it on a banner. he knows it's risky if he falls in love (because most of his lovers end up ☠), so sometimes he also keeps it to himself for a longer time. sometimes it takes some time until he even realizes that he has feelings for someone.

elijah also doesn't automatically assume that his feelings are returned.

since i portray elijah as someone who is demisexual, he is only attracted to people with whom he shares a bond / a connection. if he realizes he has feelings and knows there's a possibility these feelings aren't returned, he won't make it obvious in order to not burden the connection they already have.

he also doesn't force his feelings onto anyone. they always have the choice to return the affection or not.

when he was in love with tatia, he didn't fight as offensively for her heart as klaus did. he would have never kissed her as klaus did at the celebrations. nonetheless, he did love her immensely even if it might not be as obvious to others.

another interesting example is gia. despite his initial aversion to having to teach her, he eventually started to like her. however, it didn't turn into more until gia initiated 'sexy times'. only then did elijah really indulge. it could have turned into a great relationship if klaus didn't kill gia, and elijah mourned her death greatly.

but when the cat is out of the bag, then it is obvious.

elijah has more than one love language.

he's big on physical touch although that's mostly shown with little, perhaps even inconspicuous gestures. a peck on the lips after the main kiss, a kiss on the forehead, a reassuring/affirming press of fingers/hands, a soft brush over his partner's side, a hand on the small of the back, kisses on the back of your hand/wrist, etc. i'm sure i made a post somewhere about all his little touches but i can't find it...

he's also big on acts of service. one of the most common things is that elijah will cook for you, and regularly take you out for dinner/lunch. if you need his help with something, he will help you. he's there if you need him.

words of affirmation are something elijah does as well although it's probably not that big of a topic. elijah is naturally good with words and placing certain words and the right time. so yes, words of affirmation are also in his repertoire. depending on if his partner wants it, he will leave little notes. back in the day he also wrote letters / poems although that really depends on the receiver and if the receiver wants that / is into that kind of thing. he does make it known how important his partner is to him. he does give regular compliments. and yes, he's also good at praising.

quality time is another thing that is important to elijah although it's admittedly hard to have the necessary time as he's a busy man + he also doesn't really want his partner around his family for safety reasons.

elijah gives gifts, of course, but it's not really a love language for him.