#I would let strigoi!Dimitri do whatever he wanted to me

[the-lonelybarricade]

Hi! Separatist-Apologist said to ask you about your thoughts regarding the Vampire Academy series 😀

LOL @separatist-apologist is on a personal mission to get me to join haters book club. I'm not very good at vocally hating things! I don't like using my platform to 'yuck' someone's 'yum', but I'll indulge it because I LOVE her.

I've also talked about Vampire Academy a few times on my blog! I really enjoyed the books when I was like 12 and it was my introduction to the fanfiction world. I was on a Vampire Academy roleplaying forum for like 5 years as Christian😂 As a disclaimer, most of this critique is unserious and I do still think this series was fun overall! But if you really really love Vampire Academy (and especially Dimitri) please avert your eyes.

Anyway in hindsight the premise of the story is massively fucked up. The entire race of dhampirs is considered inferior to the moroi race and the whole purpose of their existence is to be their body shields? The dhampirs are treated like they're disposable, they're not even encouraged to have lives outside of their charges, espeically romantic attachments that would distract them from being strigoi fodder. It's actually considred "scandalous" for two dhampirs to run off together. So they're discouraged from having dhampir partners, but Moroi only marry each other, so dhampirs are stuck in a cycle of having illigitimate children with moroi who don't respect them. Then those children are esentially abandoned and raised by the academy because if the dhampir moms DO decide to stop being guardians to raise their kids they're considered 'blood whores' and are cast out of society. Like??? The moroi shame the dhampirs for reproducing even though they NEED them to have children for the prolonged survivial of their race??? Dhampirs are expected to dedicate their entire lives AND their children's lives towards the protection of a race that actively opresses them. And for what? The dhampirs get nothing out of this arrangment, why not just let the moroi fend for themselves? (I think I'm remembering that the answer to this question is that dhampirs can't reproduce with each other, but fuck having a kid just to throw them back into this backwards system)

Anyway, I don't remember if the narrative ever really addresses how deeply fucked up that all is? As far as I remember, Lissa becomes queen and doesn't really change anything. She thinks Moroi should fight alongside their bodyguards (which like??? You guys are the only ones with magic and you're at the bottom of the food chain??) but I don't think she ever says like "Hey. This is fucked up. Maybe we should start treating dhampirs like people, too." Rose gets special treatment, obviously, but do things ever get better for the rest of the dhampirs? All I remember Lissa really achieving is saying to Rose, "It's okay if you and Dimitri want to be my bodyguards AND be in love." What a great win for dhampir equality, two members of the queen's guard are allowed to have love lives.

Which like. Let's talk about that. Rose is 17 at the beginning of those books. As a 12 year old I thought that was very grown up, but as a 23 year old, THIS MAN SHOULD BE IN JAIL. And what's with all these mind games sir? She follows him all the way to Russia, somehow runs into his family and personally gets his great grandmama's approval, was kidnapped by his strigoi ass (which let's be real, awakened something inside all of us), and helps him turn him back into a man through sheer determination and he has the AUDACITY to tell her 'love fades mine has' as a LIE? Ungrateful. This man is seven years her senior and couldn't communicate, "I need some time to process what happened".

I am biased because I was team Adrian from the moment he stepped onto the page and he got done SO DIRTY. He didn't deserve that ending. We all knew Rose and Dimitri would get back together, even though Dimitri spent the majority of the last book unable to stand being in the same room as her (again, UNGRATEFUL). But tell me WHY did their reunion have to come at Adrian's expense? My poor little meow meow? I have clearly always been a sucker for a man with a smart mouth and an arrogant facade.

I'm probably missing a host of other issues that didn't even register in my underdeveloped brain. I'm sure the potrayal of mental health will be very non-offensive on a reread (she said, LYING).

ALL of that being said, I'd probably reread the series and still enjoy it. It would be intersting to experience it all again through an adult lense because I was very obsessed with these books back then. I gave the tv show a try and wasn't a very big fan, but I did like Rose's casting!

[the1northlanderprincess]

romitri episode 6 review

Ok, guys, so I’ve made the decision to not fully analyze each episode like I have been. Truth is, it’s a little weird for me to do something like that for an established book couple. I will, however, pick out my favorite moments as a book fan, and not favorites, going forward.

With that said, let’s get started on a belated episode 6 review.

The Good

Dimitri’s expression when Rose runs from the ceremony. It was subtle enough that when he looked to Alberta he didn’t really reveal much, just normal concern. But when told to stand down, he doesn’t look happy. He wanted to run after. This is the kind of Dimitri that we see in Frost Bite and Shadow Kiss, which I love. He later tells her as much when he says he wants to put her first, and wishes to relieve her hurt.

The reaction Rose had when she realized that Dimitri was the lead of the team for the royal tour was peak Rose. She’s like, “oh, great, my hot mentor is going to be in charge of me”. It’s totally in character for book Rose, especially in the second book when her crush was in full throttle.

Dimitri pulling Rose close as she walks away after being a little cavalier with everything. Like I’ve mentioned in my first review, I love seeing a true-to-book-form Dimitri who is frustrated and critical of Rose when it doesn’t seem she’s taking things seriously. This particular moment reminds me of the moment in Shadow Kiss (and avid readers will know what I’m referencing). Of course, that was when Dimitri and Rose had acknowledged what was between them. But, whatever. It still felt appropriate for the scene and their relationship in the show up to that point.

Dimitri and Rose fighting Strigoi back to back and just kicking butt. This is a general summary of how well those two work together.

The slowness and hesitancy of the kiss. This feels in tandem with the infamous lust spell. The pull was there, but they weren’t exactly sure of what was going on at first.

The not so good:

Rose running away from the Molnija ceremony. It's not exactly out of character but it doesn't feel right for her character either. It was just a contrived way to get her and Dimitri's first kiss.

Rose complaining about no one (i.e. Dimitri) putting her first. Like, book!Rose would never! I know she gets ticked by Dimitri ignoring their connection, but this isn't that. She knows that guardians don't have much say in things and make sacrifices, including how they feel on certain matters.

[gins-potter]

Casting Thoughts

Yes, I did a long post when the rumours first dropped but hey now it’s confirmed plus we have characters descriptions, and I’m bored so let’s do this all over again people.  Under the cut because it got long

Sisi Stringer as Rose Hathaway

I said this in my other post but I’m pretty happy with Sisi as Rose.

Visually I think she’s a great fit, I love that they casted a WoC in the main role, and I think if she can bring Rose’s humour and sarcasm to the role, she’s going to do great.

The character description mentions Rose being “fiery and outspoken”, happy to jump into the action, and the strongest fighter in her class but struggling to toe the line, which is all very Rose-esque, especially in the first book.  It sounds to me like they have a good grasp on her character.

I’m a little disappointed we didn’t hear more about Rose as a character since she is the lead - it felt like the descriptions for Lissa and Dimitri both gave us a little more to go on - but it is only a very preliminary description so I’m happy to wait for more.

Daniela Nieves as Lissa Dragomir

Daniele is another one who I was happy with straight away.

She’s probably not what I imagined for Lissa visually but that’s not a bad thing either; I will be interested to see if they dye her hair a lighter colour (like a caramel-blonde) but personally that’s not something I need to see for her to be a great fit for Lissa.

I think she has a very sweet face which works well for a character like Lissa but I think she’s also going to be able to stand up in Lissa’s more fiercer moments which is nice to see as well.

The character descriptions mentions her as being “carefree and kind-hearted” who “coasts” through life until a death in the family thrusts her into a new role.  That sounds a lot like pre-series Lissa so I wonder if we’re going to see a bit of that in the show before Andre (and her parents??) die and see that change.  

It’s curious though that she’s described as the younger sister of the heir apparent - which would be Andre - so it sounds like they’ve changed it so Andre was supposed to be King.  Obviously a deviation from the books but I don’t hate it?  I don’t think it would change Lissa’s arc all that much because obviously she was always going to grow up to be an influential royal figure, this just slightly changes the dynamics of it.

The description also specifically mentions that she’s uninterested in “political machinations” and the “hypocrisy of the moroi royal society” which sounds very accurate to book!lissa as well.

All in all I’m very happy with what they’re doing with Lissa.

Keiron Moore as Dimitri Belikov

This is one who’s really grown on me since the rumoured cast list started circulating.  At first I was kind of eh about him but I can really see him as Dimitri now.

I will be curious to see if he grows out his hair or not though.

As far as I know Keiron is not Russian, there’s not a lot about him online, but there’s some instagram activity on his account linking him to UK based companies so that would be my guess as to where he’s from.  They’ve kept Dimitri’s incredibly Russian name so I guess we’re to assume Keiron might be doing an accent and they’re keeping Dimitri’s backstory relatively the same?  I’m not gonna be super mad if they change it just because I think it’s doable for him not to be Russian (I know, I know a whole book is set in Russia but lbr here they could make him from anywhere and just send Rose there in that book).

The biggest thing for me will be his chemistry with Sisi, Danila and Zoey had great chemistry (imo anyway) which saved the move a little for me, so it’ll be important that Sisi and Keiron do as well.  They’ve interacted a few times online which is cute so I’m hoping they were able to do some chemistry reads and that will translate on screen.

The character description mentions Dimitri as being “lethal, disciplined, discreet, and totally committed” as well as living by “a deep moral code” but with more going on “beneath his stoic, watchful surface” which sounds exactly like book!Dimitri to me.

They don’t really specify what his role at St Vlad’s is going to be but they do mention that he is a guardian so I’m assuming they’re keeping some sort of age gap between him and Rose.  They also don’t mention anything about their relationship in the description, be it student/teacher, platonic, romantic, whatever, but they do say he has “an expansive spirit that could threaten to expose the underlying tension between his sense of what’s right and his formal duty to the Moroi.” which seems like a nod to their relationship.

Andre Dae-Kim as Christian Ozera

This was one of my favourite casting choices from the original rumoured cast list and I still love it.

The idea of a non-white Christian makes a lot of sense to me and I think Andre could do a great job of Christian’s aloofness (in the first book) as well as his sarcasm and growing confidence across the other books.

His character description confuses me a bit though: “Intelligent and thoughtful, Christian is the pariah of the school and royal court, due to his parents’ unforgivable societal sins.” sounds accurate enough to the book (although idk if thoughtful is quite the word I’d use for Christian - maybe they mean it in the sense that he’s quiet and keeps to himself?).

Even “Well-read and hungry for knowledge” doesn’t sound that far off, idk if he was *that* particularly studious in the books, but it doesn’t necessarily not make sense either you know?

But “he searches for faith-based answers and discovers a kindred spirit who is also looking for the truth” ??? My cynical, irreverent asshole Christian is now a man of faith? I’m assuming Lissa is the “kindred spirit” (again weird word choice but maybe they mean she’s feeling lost because of the death of her family?) but I just cannot see Christian as being particularly religious.

I’m trying to keep an open mind about these changes because you never know they might play out totally different on screen, but I really hope they didn’t make these changes, particularly that Christian is studious and religious, just because they cast an Asian actor as him (because they feel a little like Asian stereotypes).

J August Richards as Victor Dashkov

This is one that didn’t appear on the original rumoured cast list (as far as I saw) and it’s so different to his description in the books that I kind of don’t have an opinion about it as a casting choice.

I’ve never seen him in anything before so purely on a visual level I think he could be a great fit for Victor, I just think it’ll really come down to how he plays it.

As for this character description: “Victor is a Moroi noble vampire with a heart of gold who’s highly regarded for his role as advisor and political strategist to Moroi dignitaries.” as well as mentioning that he has intelligence and influence, sounds pretty accurate to the book.  Obviously if Andre was the heir to the throne, Victor had to be shifted out of that role, but I think his book 1 arc could still work if they wanted it to.

The “heart of gold” bit obviously made me chuckle and I really hope they threw it in there as a kind of decoy to throw non-book-readers off the fact that he’s actually the villain in book 1/s1.

As for giving him a husband and two daughters, my thoughts are: why the fuck not? He didn’t have a love interest in the original books and I’m always down for more lgbtq+ rep.  My only concern is it maybe playing into the trope of evil/villain characters being queer-coded.  And as for having two daughters, well as long as one of them is Natalie I don’t mind.

Anita-Joy Uwajeh as Tatiana Vogel

Okay this is the most bizarre one imo, not because of the casting, but just the character description.

I mean “Tatiana is a Moroi vampire and political underdog who slowly takes the royal court by storm. Motivated by love and a sense of justice, Tatiana has a unique skill of making herself seem of no consequence until we realize much too late that she was always the one to watch.” sounds extremely Tasha Ozera to me, so like why not just make this character Tasha?  Nothing about this sounds like Tatiana, and Tatiana wasn’t even a Vogel anyway (well Vogel wasn’t even one of the 12 royal families), she was an Ivashkov.

In terms of Anita-Joy herself, well I mean we don’t really have a character to compare her to, is she supposed to be more like Tasha or Tatiana?  She looks fairly young, so my guess is actually on Tasha, but we’ll have to wait to see I guess.

Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mia Karp

This is another one that I was instantly a fan of.

I was so not a fan of Mia’s casting in the movie (I can’t even remember who played her tbh but I really didn’t like it) so this Mia is a lot closer to how I imagine her.

I think she’ll be able to carry Mia’s transformation from bratty social-climber to badass fighter really well.

The character description is interesting though.  “Witty, cutting, and just the right kind of ruthless when necessary, non-Royal Mia has a long-term plan to social climb her way into the ranks of royalty, with all the privilege and freedom that entails.” sound pretty bang on to Mia in the first book.

“A plan complicated by her instant chemistry with Meredith, a Guardian-in-training, as Mia struggles to reconcile her attraction to Meredith with her lowly status.” is an obvious deviation though, and one I kind of love???  Give me all the queer rep, and if we get to see Mia confront the issue of comp-het I’m so here for it.  

It’s kind of funny though because I’ve seen theories that Meredith is a replacement for Eddie and Mia/Eddie has always been my sort of rarepair ship.

The last name Karp is weird af though.  Is she supposed to be Sonya’s daughter?  And if that’s the case I wonder if we’re going to actually see Sonya turn Strigoi in the show’s first season or something and that triggers the change in Mia?  Interesting concept but I’m not sure how the timeline will work.

Rhian Blundell as Meredith

So this is another new one, and tbh I hadn’t given Meredith *that* much though in the past but she’s probably close to how I would have pictured her which is cool.

The elephant in the room with this casting is that Meredith’s role in the books was relatively minor - she was just kind of that character that got brought up whenever R.M needed a dhampir who wasn’t Rose/Dimitri/Mason/Eddie.  So clearly she’s going to have a bigger role in the tv show which I don’t mind but I do wonder if we’re going to lose a character - probably Eddie lbr - in order to have her.  They haven’t casted an Eddie yet as far as we know, but I have seen it pointed out that Eddie’s role in book 1 was pretty small so maybe they just aren’t announcing it.  But there’s also the possibility that maybe Meredith will sort of replace Eddie and be the third part of Rose and Mason’s friendship.

I’m very interested by this part of her character description though, “She has little patience for Rose’s volatility or Mia’s elitism, and regularly calls both of them out.”

Jonetta Kaiser as Sonya Karp

I don’t necessarily dislike Jonetta as Sonya but I am confused by this choice.  She looks fairly young, which tbf Sonya was young-ish I guess, but if Mia is supposed to be her daughter she doesn’t look old enough to have a teenaged daughter.  So maybe Sonya and Mia are sisters? Cousins? Just have each other’s last names for no reason? I really don’t know.  They also look nothing alike.

Other than that, I don’t really have an opinion about Jonetta as Sonya.  Obviously looks nothing like how Sonya was described but that’s not new nor a massive concern for me.  

I can’t really tell just from looking at her, and I haven’t seen her in anything, if she would play a good Sonya.  I think with a lot of the characters it’s going to come down to the personality they bring to the part and the writing.

I looooooove her character description though:  “Quiet, careful and decidedly odd, Sonya is not of royal bloodline and sits out on the fringe of Moroi society, preferring to spend her time in the library or her gardens. Not a person who likes a scene, nonetheless she has a quiet but profound power of her own. She is taken by surprise when a Dhampir Guardian named Mikhail shows interest in her, a relationship that will expose both the brightest and darkest parts of her heart.”  It’s everything I would probably want from a description of Sonya and I’m more and more convinced that we’re going to see Sonya’s descent into madness and transformation into a Strigoi play out in maybe the first season which I am so curious how they’re going to work into the timeline.

Andrew Liner as Mason Ashford

Our last one and another one who doesn’t look remotely like his description but again? Not a surprise and not a problem for me.  He looks like he could play Mason’s goofiness really well as well as be a solid contender for a love interest for Rose.

“Charming, loyal and popular, Mason is Rose’s main competition in the quest to become the No. 1 Guardian-in-training. Though their relationship is casual on her side, he is hopeful she will finally look at him and see him as something more.” His character description makes a lot of sense, maybe him being Rose’s main competition is a bit of a deviation? But I think that’s more an indication that he’s supposed to be a strong fighter which isn’t inaccurate to the books.  The rest sounds great.

Other Thoughts

Descriptions of the show specifically mention friendship and classism as major themes which I am very happy to hear about because those are the two parts of VA that I love the most.

Am a little more worried about it being described as “sexy” though, if they shove a whole bunch of meaningless sex scenes in it just because it’s a YA show I’m not gonna be happy.

Seen the show compared to “Game of Thrones” and “Bridgerton” which at first had me like oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck not good not good not good.  But thinking about it more and trying to understand where Plec’s coming from with that description I wonder if means similar to GoT as in the cut-throat nature of the Moroi/Dhampir society cause I can kind of see that.  And as for Bridgerton I wonder if she’s referring to the kind of social-climbing aspects of it, because again that makes sense and it seems like a theme she really wants to concentrate on.  I hope that’s what she means by those comparisons, or that she just wants to compare it to popular shows to get people to watch it.  The worst would be if she tries to throw in a lot of unnecessary sex scenes to make it like those shows, because I hate when they do that, especially when the characters are teenagers.

Interesting to hear that Plec has known about the series since before Twilight or TVD - not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Seems like it’s actually mostly (or all??) written by Marguerite MacIntyre which is interesting because I know people were worried about Julie Plec - I’ve never watched anything by either of them so I’m neutral at this point.

[dimitribelikov]

The Belikov Chronicles: The Tasha Conundrum Pt.2

✶ This one got pretty long. I even ended it quicker than planned, so hopefully it’s not too overwhelming. Admittedly, this installment deals less with Tasha, and more about Dimitri’s feelings towards Adrian. **There will be a Pt.3 and probably a Pt.4. ✶ notes : All dialogue is straight from Frostbite, chapter 15. The rest is mine, based on characters written by Richelle Mead. ✶ warnings : some language ✶ ships : romitri ✶ Part 1 can be found here  |  more one-shots featuring my version of Dimitri can be found here

       My argument with Rose the day before had left me in such a darkened state, that I had completely forgotten about my original mission to check in with the guardians and find out more news on the Strigoi attacks. It was just as well, though. I knew there wasn’t going to be any big revelations unless someone where to come get me. I ended up spending the evening in Tasha’s company. Over dinner, she went on and on about her radical ideas for reforming the Moroi’s views on defense. Usually I ate her passion up with fascination, but I couldn’t help but find myself distracted. I mean, Adrian? Really?

Yet as soon as the vampiric morning came, I had only one thought on my mind as I left my room: to find Janine Hathaway to go over the tragedy that had happened and the ensuing arguments that had unfolded in the Moroi meeting. Janine was someone that I had always looked up to, and she seemed a bit more forthcoming with information than others. Surely with her, I could get a better grip on what was going on in our world. I knew that I could also provide some insight for the guardians into the Moroi side of things via Tasha’s conversation at dinner.

I was a one tracked mind, striding through the hotel’s hallways with no other worry in my head, let alone the fight with Rose. Until I heard her very voice from an open door. Damnit. Even in the wake of such important matters, her voice was able to bring me to a screeching halt, curiosity replacing my earlier determination.

I paused, wondering what she was doing in this wing of the resort. Almost immediately I realized that the open door belonged to none other than Adrian. Again?! Thoughts of her staying the night danced through my mind, but I pushed them out right away. 

“I just want to know what’s going on here,” she demanded of her audience.

Sure enough, when I stood just behind her and was able to take in the scene of Adrian’s room, it looked as though Rose had just arrived. Further puzzling was the appearance of Lissa there. Surely Adrian couldn’t be that much of a scoundrel, I thought. Then again, with the stories I’d heard, I wouldn’t put it past him. “Me too,” I said, announcing myself. I could hear the short tone in my voice, but was careful to keep my expression neutral as I studied every detail of the room.

Rose had turned to regard me with a surprised look, and though I loved the victory of catching her guard, I couldn’t help but notice the cloud fo perfume that surrounded her. Had she actually gotten dolled up for the Ivashkov loser?

My annoyance deepened at the thought and I invited myself in, clinging to the one weapon I had: my authority. “Male and female students aren’t supposed to be in each other’s room.” I’m pretty sure a younger me just rolled his eyes and made a gagging sound at the lame “adult speech”.

“How do you keep doing this?” Rose demanded of Adrian, ignoring my recitation of the rules.

“Do what?” he replied. Ugh, that fucking grin. I wanted nothing more than to smack it off his face!

“Keep making us look bad!”

“You guys are the ones who came here.”

Adrian’s reply snapped me back into the argument. The two, innocent, young girls were visiting his room unescorted? I was beginning to sound like my old headmaster, but I didn’t care. “You shouldn’t have let them in. I’m sure you know the rules at St. Vladimir’s.”

“Yeah, but I don’t have to follow any school’s stupid rules,” Adrian replied. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to actually argue this. In that moment, the girls might have well not even existed. All I cared about what putting the rich brat in his place. Somewhere in my head, a logical voice was reminding me that the Moroi were above me. They come first. I shouldn’t be so harsh in my judgement of him, but I just couldn’t help it.

“Perhaps not. But I would have thought you’d still respect those rules.” Gross. Now I definitely sounded like my old headmaster. Before I could worry about that too much, though, Adrian fired back. And he hit below the belt.

“I’m kind of surprised to find you lecturing about underage girls,” he said cooly.

I froze, feeling anger grow at the audacity with which the Moroi spoke back to me. Under that anger, though, there was fear. What had he’d heard? Clearly that had to be a dig about me and Rose, but I’d been so careful. Surely no one else knew a thing. Right?

“Besides, nothing sordid was going on,” he continued. “We were just hanging out.”

Yeah. Hanging out. Alone in his room. Nothing sordid about that, I thought sarcastically. “If you want to ‘hang out’ with young girls,” I replied, taking another small step towards him. “Do it at one of the public areas.”

My anger was unexpectedly side tracked when Adrian laughed. There was something about that laugh that didn’t sit right with me. My suspicions were confirmed when he went off, rambling about the oddest things. It wasn’t a normal way to win an argument, that was for sure. My head tilted as I studied him, wondering if he was actually as unhinged as he sounded. Just how dangerous is this guy?

Finally he wrapped up the odd soliloquy by actually agreeing me. Though hearing Adrian admit that he was a bad influence didn’t earn much sympathy from me, I was grateful that the discussion was over. It had taken a turn into dangerous territory with a near accusation about me and rose–– and then whatever that was.

Lissa, Rose, and I took our exit into the hallway, starting the walk back into the lobby. “One’s marked with life, and one’s marked with death,” he had said. It was lunacy and I shouldn’t put too much thought into it, but I couldn’t help but feel a strange sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“That was . . . strange,” Rose had said.

I couldn’t even be mad anymore. The odd turn in Adrian’s demeanor had cast a sobering spell over us all. “Very,” was all I could manage.

Stepping out into the hustle and bustle of the lobby woke me up from my tumultuous thoughts. I knew I couldn’t let Rose simply leave without trying to warn her. Whether I was jealous or not (and I adamantly promised myself that I wasn’t), I was her mentor. It was my job to steer her clear of danger and this situation was no different. “Rose. Can I talk to you?”

I saw her exchange a look with Lissa, but mercifully, the princess left us to our privacy. We moved to the side of a room, avoiding the groups of Moroi who were hurriedly checking out in the wake of the new attacks. Alone with Rose, I could feel my emotions begin to spike again. The jealousy of seeing her with Adrian, the protectiveness of needing to be a good mentor for her–– and now the scent of whatever perfume she’d gotten her hands on. She’d never worn any in the time I knew her, but the crisp, sweet fragrance toyed with my imagination.

Quickly pushing such thoughts away, I tried to figure out how best to tell her what was on my mind. I was still mad about her accusations the previous day, but this wasn’t about me. This was about her. “That was Adrian Ivashkov,” I said, trying and failing to keep the disapproval from my voice.

“Yeah, I know,” she replied quickly. I wonder just how much she knew about him. 

“This is the second time I’ve seen you with him.”

I was sure I could detect annoyance in her eyes, and knew I was losing her attention. “Yeah. We hang out sometimes.”

My stomach dropped as my eyebrow arched. That was the second time I heard that phrase used. I wasn’t oblivious to Rose’s reputation at the Academy, but I also felt that I knew her better than that. Sure, I’d caught her in a very compromising position with the Zeklos kid once, but she’d seemed to have learned from that. Or at least taken the lesson to heart in a mature way. Yet I wasn’t sure that there existed a world in which “hanging out with Adrian Ivashkov” could be anything innocent. “You hang out in his room a lot?” I asked, sounding more accusing than anything else.

I knew Rose too well, though. She wasn’t one to simply take a lecture and peacefully leave. If she felt backed into a corner, she fought. While that was usually something I admired in her, in this moment, I was worried about what rebuttal would come. 

Apparently, even my worst guesses weren’t nearly as bad as what she actually came up with. “What happens between him and me is none of your business.” It wasn’t lost  on me that she did a near perfect impersonation of myself the previous day. Shit, she’s good. Logically I knew that she was just trying to get back at me for the Tasha thing, but I couldn’t help the sudden assault of mental images of Rose and Adrian that bombarded my mind. Thanks to my guardian training, I was able to keep it all hidden from my expression.

“Actually,” I retorted, not missing a beat in my scramble to gain the upper hand. “As long as you’re at the Academy, what you do is my business.” Checkmate!

Rather than ending the argument there, however, it only ramped up, each of us firing back in quick succession. We were a good match for each other in the ring, and clearly that sparring spilled out into other areas of our life.

“Not my personal life. You don’t have any say in that.”

“You’re not an adult yet.”

“I’m close enough. Besides, it’s not like I’ll magically become an adult on my eighteenth birthday.”

“Clearly.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Was she actually blushing at that? “I meant––”

“I know what you meant,” I cut her off, not wanting to travel down that road right now. Adrian’s borderline accusations still bothered me. “And the technicalities don’t matter right now. You’re an Academy student. I’m your instructor. It’s my job to help you and to keep you safe.” I idly wondered who I was trying to convince more, her or me. “Being in the bedroom of someone like him . . . well, that’s not safe.” 

I hoped she understood what I was trying to convey. I didn’t want to fight. Our argument the previous day killed me, but I wasn’t going to let her self-sabotage herself, either. Rose had the potential to be great. Perhaps even one of the best. I wasn’t going to let a spoiled, rich, royal ruin that for her.

“I can handle Adrian Ivashkov,” she muttered. The sudden mental image of those two in a sparring ring did much to lighten my mood, but not enough to derail me from on the topic at hand. “He’s weird–– really weird, apparently–– but harmless.”

Well that was hardly true. Adrian might not be a killer or anything, but he certainly one of the least harmless guys I knew. What happened to Mason? Why wasn’t she with him? I actually like that guy.

A thought occurred to me just then. This whole time I’d justified myself not being jealous because I was okay with her being with Mason. Yet Mason was absolutely harmless. He was safe. It was obvious to anyone in the same room as those two that he was completely head over heels for Rose, but I never saw the same passion for him in her eyes. Her being with him never seemed like a threat–– ignoring the fact that I had nothing to be threatened with since I’m not even in the equation. I can’t be. It wouldn’t be right. But throw someone like Adrian in? Hell yeah I was suddenly threatened. Rose deserved better than him, but I knew how easy it was for him to get his way with that cocky grin.

Fuck. I really am jealous.

“Speaking of personal lives,” Rose said, mercifully cutting off my traitorous train of thought. At least, I thought it was a mercy until I heard what she was getting at. “I suppose you were off visiting Tasha, huh?”

My own personal revelation weighed too heavily to allow me a quippy, or even scathing, retort. “Actually, I was visiting your mother.”

“You going to hook up with her, too?” At least one of us was on their argumentative A-game.

My mind was too much of a mess to truly react to it, though I had to admit, it was a pretty good line. “No, we were looking over some new data in the Drozdov attack.” After that, any signs of jealousy or mentions of Tasha and Adrian were forgotten as we spoke about the Strigoi problem. Though the heaviness of the situation pressed in on us, I was glad that Rose could set aside our pettiness and take the real problems to heart. I kept calling her a young girl to Adrian, but she truly is mature beyond her years. That didn’t counter the fact that she’s underaged and shouldn’t be anywhere near that jackhole, but it reminded me that she’s more than just a student. One day soon, we’d be working side by side, and I looked forward to that. I may be assigned as her mentor for now, but as we spoke about the Strigoi threat and Moroi politics, I knew that Rose is more than that. She’s my equal. It felt right to divulge the guardian’s knowledge of the Strigoi’s whereabouts to her.

“Why’d you tell me this, anyway?” she asked eventually. “This is guardian stuff. Not the kind of thing you let novices in on.”

I paused, turning over the words in my head. Our heated emotions were gone, and in the wake that followed, I thought back to the way I had been treating her lately. I thought of her as my equal, but I didn’t treat her that way. I wanted to change that. “I’ve said some things . . .  the other day and today . . . that I shouldn’t have. Things that insulted your age. You’re seventeen . . . but you’re capable of handling and processing the same things those much older than you do.”

“Really?” she asked. The look of hope that kindled in her eyes melted my heart then and there. This was how I liked her best, full optimism and void of the anger that always seem to follow her.

I nodded, feeling the hint of a smile on my lips. “You’re still really young in a lot of ways–– and act young–– but the only way to really change that is to treat you like an adult. I need to do that more. I know you’ll take this information and understand how important it is and keep it to yourself.” I was man enough to admit when I was wrong, and my recent treatment of her had been just that. Surely it wasn’t too late to set things right–– and hopefully steer her away from certain disaster.

A moment passed between us. Looking into Rose’s eyes, I could swear that I could hear her thoughts. She wanted to be the kind of person that I wanted to treat her as. I think on some level, we both understood the burden that our futures carried as the last Dragomir princess’s guardians, but we were also both looking forward to carrying it out together.

That moment of peace was short lived, however, when a familiar voice greeted me. “Dimka!” With those two syllables spoken by Tasha Ozera, I felt the mood instantly shift between me and Rose.

to be continued . . .

[kate-read-that]

I posted something about Lisa's evolution in the story, and it got me thinking more and more so heres my development of Lisa along the books (partially inspired by that Dimitri POV fanfic I posted a while ago and that i 100% recommend):

I honestly think Lissa didn't consider Rose a perdon with feelings if her own, independent of her, until Dimitri got transformed into a strigoi.

Wait a second. Hear me out.

She loved Rose. She loved her as much as she had loved her brother. But they were different. Her brother was the future of the Dragomir family, he was the son to be proud of, everyone knew he'd do great things.

Rose was her guardian. Her damphir. Born and raised to protect her, no matter what. Ever since she was a little girl she knew Rose would be hers.

She didn't even consider that to be a bad thing, or twisted in any way.

But then Rose asks Lisa to bring Dimitri back from the death. She knows it would be dangerous to Lisa, that it would take a mental and physical toll on her, but she doesn't seem to mind right then. All she can think of is bringing that damphir back.

Lisa sees, for the first time in her life, how Rose puts her needs, and someone else's, before hers. Rose would put Lisa's health in danger to bring that Guardian back.

Lisa doesnt like that.

But as time goes by, she thinks Rose has forgotten it. Lisa believes Rose will get over it, just like with Mason, and everything will go back to normal in some months.

But then Rose leaves. She doesnt tell Lisa. She doesnt even want to tell her goodbye. She doesnt know when she'll be back, or if she will at all. Lisa begs, cries, gets angry, and even tries to use coertion on her, but to no use. Rose leaves her.

And Lisa hates her. She loves Rose, but she hates her for leaving her. How dare her. Rose is Lisa's damphir, her guardian. Lisa misses her so mad its like she's lacking a limb. Or was. Now, Lisa doesnt need her. She makes a new moroi friend and learns to live different. She drinks and parties and tells herself she could never do those things if Rose was there, so its good she's somewhere else.

As time goes by, Lisa loses Christian. And her other friends seem to fade away as well. Let them, she thinks. If she could survive Rose's abandonment, she can deal with whatever, and she's got a new, better friend that doesn't stop her from getting what she wants.

Until her new friend tries to kill her.

Rose is there. Lisa has no idea how, but Rose saves her life once again, and promises she'll be back soon. She's done what she needs to do.

So Lisa sits and waits for her, and as she waits she thinks. A lot. She thinks about Rose, and Christian, and her damphir and moroi friends. And realises, with no little surprise, that she's let Rose's life disappear under hers, as if her feelings and needs where not as important as her own.

She's always claimed she considered Rose a sister, but she's been treating her as a servant.

Lisa hates herself. Then she cries a lot. And then she remembers Rose face when she begged Lisa to bring Belikov back. Lisa thought she knew Rose better than anyone, but she didnt see Rose was in love with him, she didnt know she was hiding, and she didnt know how to make her feel better when he got bitten. She just let her alone in her pain and grief.

She cried again.

And then she promised herself that, no matter what, she would be Rose's equal from now then. She would treat her like the sister Rose had always been and she'd do anything for her, just like Rose had for years.

So, of course, when Rose finds a way to bring his loved one back from the strigoi, how could Lisa stand back and do nothing?

When she stakes Dimitri, she thinks he'll kill her. But she smiles, because she's doing it for the only person that's been beside her all along. As spirit fuels her, she believes this is the way she wants to die.

Making her sister happy.

[never-hesitate-comrade]

Dimitri let him talk before he laughed coldly, devoid of life. He suddenly was across the room plucking Adrian up off the floor as if he weighed nothing. He had the Royal Moroi pinned against the wall red ringed eyes staring into his. “As fascinating as spirit is, and I cannot wait to get my hands on Lissa, it won’t help you now. I can do whatever I wish to you. Rose will come she will realise I left her a note so she would come. I know you think she loves you but her heart with always be mine”

He was amused by Adrian’s protests. “Rose’s heart will always belong to me I knew it when she couldn’t stake me.” He let Adrian go letting the Moroi fall to the floor. He was hungry but he couldn’t afford to let Adrian die yet, no, he needed the leverage when Rose came.

Dimitri stalked to the feeder and threw her on the bed ripping the scanty clothing off her body. “Since you’re too pathetic to use the whore for what she is good for I will.” Dimitri pulled her up so her chest was bare before Adrian waiting to see what the Moroi would do. Would he try to stop him or sit by and watch as he tortured and killed the girl.

The other Strigoi were laughing, their eyes hungry as well, eager to have their turns with either the Moroi or the whore they didn’t care which. The feeder was groggy but she weakly tried to bat Dimitri away protesting she didn’t want to but he didn’t pay her any attention only staring at Adrian.

Never turn your back until your enemy is dead.

@adrian-ivashkov-rp

Dimitri had been watching Rose since she escaped and failed to stake him. He had unbeknownst to her and the rest of the world, survived and now, he wanted to take what was his. He had previously offered Rose a choice, to join him willingly as a Strigoi so they could rule together but she had rejected him.

Now? He was going to force her to join him or he would kill her, he refused to let another Strigoi do it.

It was during the course of his spying, or his lesser Strigoi spying for him, that he realised she was dating someone else. Not a dhampir as he expected, no, she was dating a Moroi. A Royal Moroi. Adrian Ivashkov.

Dimitri knew Rose wouldn’t willingly leave Lissa’s side again so he had to draw her out. He waited till the Royal was outside of the wards before he grabbed him. “Ivashkov” he growled his red ringed eyes amused. “You’re about to be very useful”

He knew Rose wouldn’t abandon the spoiled Moroi to die by Strigoi. He dropped a letter for Rose to find as he sank his teeth into Ivashkov’s neck drinking just enough to render him useless from the high of a Strigoi bite.

The letter was found as Rose shook with fear and grief.

Dear Roza,

I once gave you a choice to join me in my immortality. You chose to stake me on a bridge but you forgot my lessons Roza. Never turn your back until your enemy is dead. I have taken your Moroi you know I can be patient but not forever. If you want him alive you must come to me. Dimitri

[alexsfandoms]

Title: Runaway

Word Count: 1625

Fandom: Vampire Academy

Paring: Dimitri X Moroi!reader

Rating: Teen

Warning: Swearing

Request:  Vampire Academy one shot where the reader is Lissa's sister and runs away from the Academy,and they send Dimitri after her and she puts up a fight   @vampiregirl2696

A/N: Hope you guys like it, I spent a few weeks working on it in between classes.

You managed to evade capture when Rose Hathaway, your best friend, and Vasilissa Dragomir, your sister, were intercepted by St. Vladimir’s guardians. You knew neither of them would spill that you managed to escape undetected. You also knew that you would not be able to return to the college housing unit the three of you stayed at and Rose had the keys to your housing mate, Jeremy’s car, so you gathered your bags and went to a local bar in hopes of finding some guy to compel for a car.

You sat at the grungy bar and compelled yourself a drink, because Rose took the money in her bag. Not long after you received it, a young man approached you, “Hey hot stuff,” he flirted, “What brings a beautiful lady like you to a dump like this?”

“My ride kinda bailed on me.”

“Well, I can get you where you need to be,” the dark haired charmer held up a key on a keychain and grinned. “That would be fantastic! Thank you!” You shot up out of your seat and hugged him. It was all going according to your plan. The young man put his arms around you and escorted you to his motorcycle. He turned and handed you a helmet. You put your hands over his and looked into his eyes. For you, just like your sister, compulsion came easy for you, “You will give me your keys. After I leave, you will forget me, walk back into the bar, and  have a few drinks. You will not miss your bike or report it stolen. If anyone asks, you sold it to someone who needed it more than you.”

When you finished talking, he nodded his head and dropped the keys into your now outstretched hand. You put the helmet on as he walked away and put your small bag in the side compartment. The engine roared when you turned the key in the ignition. You sped off into the night and drove a few hours until you came across a small, quaint motel. The office was still open and only one room was occupied. After you parked the motorcycle, you walked into the small office and rang the bell. An old man hobbled out of a back room, “Hello, dear, how can I help you?”

You looked him in the eyes and prepared to use your compulsion, “I had a long night. I was attacked and almost killed. I have no money to pay. I think it would be generously kind of you to set me up in a room for no cost to me. It is the least you could do, considering what I’ve been through.”

The man blinked once and began to speak, “Oh you poor thing. Let me set you up with a room free of charge. It is the least I can do, considering what you’ve been through.”

“Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. How can I ever repay you?”

“Your gratitude is more than enough,” he handed you the key, “Stay as long as you need.”

After you thanked the man and took the key, you hastily made your way to your room with you small bag of necessities. That night you barely slept. In the morning you dropped off the key and compelled the old man to forget you. Then you set off and drove for the whole day until you came to another motel, that was across state lines, around midnight. You used the same method as before to get a room.

For almost a week you continued this routine until one night when you ran into trouble. You felt like you were being followed, but you saw no one tailing you. Just to be on the safe side you stopped at the first motel you saw, but used the same ruse to get in. When you found your room, you locked the main door and propped a chair under it. You tossed your bag on the bed and dug out your body wash. In the dimly lit bathroom, you took a quick hot shower. As you got out and dried off, you suddenly realized how hungry you were. You wrapped the towel around your body and steadied yourself on the sink for a moment before opening the bathroom door.

At first you thought it was your hunger playing tricks on you, but after blinking a few times, the good looking man with long brown hair was still seated at the foot of the bed. It was obvious he was a dhampir. And a good one based on his god-like looks. Fear took over. Instead of running away or screaming for help, you stood in the bathroom doorway, frozen in your tracks. The dhampir avoided looking at any part of your body except for your eyes.

“I’m not going back,” you broke the awkward silence.

“You don’t have any other choice, your highness,” He finally spoke up in a deep voice that was sprinkled with a russian accent.

“The fuck I don’t,” you spat back, “I could yell for help and the manager would call the cops.”

“I think we both know you won’t do that.”

“Who are you anyway? The KGB?”

He rolled his eyes at that remark. “My name is Dimitri Belikov. I’m your new guardian. I work for the academy.”

“Well, Dimitri, how the fuck did you even find me in the first place? Lissa and Rose would never give me up.”

He ignored your question and tossed you a pair of clothes that you had in your bag, “Get dressed. We have a long trip back to the academy, princess.”

“Who pissed in your cheerios?” you mumbled while you took the clothes into the bathroom and then you got dressed.

When you opened the door, the russian dhampir was standing by the door to outside with your bag in one hand. You were about to make a wise ass comment to him as you walked out of the bathroom, but the dizziness from your hunger took over and you stumbled, catching yourself on the foot of the bed.

“Princess y/n Dragomir, what is wrong?” Dimitri rushed over to you.

“I’m fine,” you pressed you index and middle fingers to your temples.

“No you’re not, when was the last time you had blood?”

“I said I’m fine!” you tried to jump up, but the room wobbled. The guardian steadied you.

“You are not fine” he put your bag down and sat you on the bed, “you need to drink.”

He took off his duster, tossed it on your bag, and squatted down in front of you. He rested his arms on his knees. You saw that under the duster he was wearing a thin black t-shirt with sleeves just past his elbows. The shirt defined his god-like muscles. Dimitri extended his arm out to you, “Here. Drink.”

“No, I’m fine.”

He stopped you from getting up, “You are not fine. Drink. You will not even make it to the car before collapsing again,” his voice was stern.

You glared at him but took his arm and bit into his wrist, slowly slurping down his warm, thick blood. A few seconds after you began drinking, you heard Dimitri make a noise in the back of his throat. It was not a sound of pain, but if you didn’t know any better, you would say it was one of pleasure. A bit under a minute later, you dropped his arm.

“Thanks,” you mumbled under your breath as you wiped your mouth.

He made a slight “mhm” when he got up. You sat on the bed watching him as he wiped his arm and put his duster on in a daze.

“Ya know, if you want, we can go in the morning. I can tell no one’s ever, uh,” you cleared your throat, “you know, before. So, like, if you feel woozy or whatever, we can leave in the morning. I won’t run away, scout’s honor. And Kirova doesn’t even need to find, and if you’re worried about Strigoi, I haven’t run into one yet, have I? And on that off chance that one does come, I think you’ll be able to hear my blood curtling scream.”

He looked at you, contemplating your offer for a second and then spoke up, “Okay. I’ll take the arm chair.”

“Oh no. I’m small enough to fit in the armchair lying down. You take the bed. I insist,” He opened his mouth to argue, but you cut him off, “Don’t even try to argue about it, I can stand here all night and do this if I have to. Plus I’m a royal and your are my acting guardian, so you have to do what I say,” you crossed your arms across your chest.

“Fine, we are leaving in the morning.”

“Okay.”

Right at sunrise you felt someone gently shaking you out of your light sleep, “Princess, we need to be going now. The academy is expecting us back.”

You smiled at him, went to the bathroom, and then followed him to the car where you sat up front with him on the ride to the academy’s plane.

At the academy, Rose and Lissa were relieved to see that you were safe and sound and back with them. Before you headed to your first class you spotted Dimitri.

“Hey, Dimitri!” You shouted as you ran over to him, “Guardian Belikov!”

“Yes, Princess?”

“I wanted to thank you for, um, you know. If you didn’t make me take it, I probably wouldn’t be okay. So, uh, thank you.”

“You’re welcome Princess y/n,” he said. And, for the first time ever, you saw him smile at you.

[ciceroisthefamilycat]

I’ve now done my Frostbite reread (in addition to the VA reread and film rewatch)

After rereading the first book and watching the movie (which took her character to its worst extremes), I was having a hard time remembering why I loved Mia so much- I am now fully reminded. She better not basically disappear after the SK plot in the show like she did in the books. (Also, hi to my son Eddie who begins to develop an actual character this book... you prince, I want to protect you)

Aligned with that, I want as much as we can get of Tasha’s Moroi Magic Movement- ideally with a different ending for that character (oops I really didn’t like the Last Sacrifice conclusion). I also kind of want to see the Dimitri & Tasha shopping trip on screen- one, because I wonder if he had any input on the dress Tasha bought her for Christmas (at least he gave her the sizing?), and two, because it would be a great onscreen foil to the Spokane Shopping for Doom at the end of the book.

If they insist on keeping the “hey Adrian and Dimitri are cousins” twist from Ruby Circle, I want it moved up to Frostbite- otherwise let Dimitri’s paternity stay irrelevant. And don’t turn his abusive shit of a father into comic relief, because that was a huge issue for me. Actually, it would be another great parallel if Dimitri is struggling with his paternity at the same time Rose is finally ~connecting~ with Janine (and getting the nazar). There’s also a bit where Dimitri is in the Ivashkov wing of the resort (first Rose thinks he was visiting Tasha, then he reveals he was at a meeting with her mom in the Szelsky suite) but gosh that would be the perfect place to insert Dimitri dealing with some of his own demons.

I’m not sure if I realized on former reads- when Janine and Rose are alone after Christmas at the end of chapter 9, Janine is trying to give her answers about Abe while Rose is zoning out in her despair over Dimitri/Tasha. That’s something where on screen, I hope they let us hear what Janine is saying (even if there’s some echo effect distorting it a little).

Also, I need them to keep Mia taunting Rose for being punched by Janine in the spar (and the “talk about a face only a mother could love”) so that when they’re on the plane at the end and Mia comforts Rose, we feel it 100% when Mia says Rose is lucky to still have her mother... btw, I remembered crying over these books, but I was not prepared for the pain of Rose sobbing into her mom’s arms on that plane. I had completely forgotten that and it got me hard. VA fandom loves Abe so much (with all the RDJ fancasting, and his connections to Bloodlines) but Janine in this book is everything- so complex and rich.

Onto my pet projects:

a visual effect I really want: in chapter 18, the list of the royal families, with the Badicas and Drozdovs each having an X next to them- I want that paralleled somehow with Rose’s molnija marks for Isaiah and Elena: 2 for 2; ideally, there’s that final scene between Dimitri and Rose, the camera pulls back and we see her marks beneath her ponytail, flash over to the list and an ominous suggestion of an attack (the SK attack) to come

genderbent Adrian: so I fancast Adrian with Aurora Perrineau (who just got a role on Westworld so she’s probably not available anymore but this is my dream and I’m sticking with it); I forgot how much I actually liked Adrian in the original VA series (Bloodlines, especially the latter half, soured me on him hard). That being said- every other character hated him on sight because of his reputation as a Lothario (it’s actually really gross how most of the characters react, and I did not like it). So genderbending Adrian would actually be kind of tough because suddenly Mason, Christian, Dimitri, and Janine are all more rational about Rose (and Lissa) spending her time with a Moroi girl instead of a Moroi guy. And also, Mia has her whole “another guy” schtick about Rose with Adrian (not cool babe). But I am undeterred, because I’m stubborn, like a mule. Book one, everyone was like “ew, Rose, it’s gross you let Lissa feed from you and inherently sexual, but I guess with Lissa’s compulsion urging us to let it go and the fact that at least it wasn’t actual sex and you two are soul sisters or whatever, you’re still a scratch above blood wh*re” (hey, Moroi society, I hate you fuckers). But if Rose is getting cozy with this Moroi girl (who still has a promiscuous reputation) now... all bets are off... maybe she really is a sl*t for Moroi, and you still get overly protective Janine and Dimitri (and the added Ivashkov element matters to both given certain paternal figures). It also plays into the fact that this is the book where Rose is most jealous of Christian- where she most feels the separation between her and Lissa, and where she’s getting stuck in Lissa’s mind while Chrissa are about to get it on. Like, damnit, give me bi Rose and lesbian Sydney (I’m open to Adrian being bi or lesbian or any Sapphic orientation); also give me bi Dimka please but that’s not here...

still alive Andre: gosh, Andre showing up at the resort (with his bestie Adrian because I want that too), and Mia getting to tell him off, but also him being at least a semi-shoulder for Mia to lean on after the news about her mom comes out... Isaiah even said “there’s one Dragomir left? two?” or something along those lines... there’s potential there

aging up Rose and co: There are a lot of references to her age in this book. But the substantive stuff is like near the start of chapter 13 where Dimitri says “Every second this conversation goes on, you only prove how young you really are.” Look, if they keep her 17, that is creepy af. I’m sorry, it’s not ok with me. But, I didn’t mind Rose pointing out that there are 7 years between him and Tasha, same as the gap between them. I don’t mind if she’s 20 and he’s 26ish and Tasha’s 33. Every element of this works better if she and her friends are legal adults partying like the college students their age at this resort they lucked into. But that’s just my (very right) opinion.

Anyways: Frostbite is so much better than I remembered it being. I didn’t think it was bad before, but I didn’t remember how good it was. The attacks on the Badicas and then Drozdovs were excellent worldbuilding, and the end of the book is devastating(ly good). Seriously, if it weren’t followed by Shadow Kissed, I could not have forgotten about that. I started out thinking that if I were adapting, I would do a 5/5 episode split for each of VA and FB. I think I would try and do a 4/6 episode split instead- or rather, the fifth episode would maybe wrap-up the epilogue type stuff in VA and cover the Badica massacre in its second half- weaving those plots more carefully through some of Victor’s dialgoue when he’s locked up, talking about the threat of the Strigoi present. Then you can really start up the second half of the season with Janine’s (and Tasha’s) arrival, and get Christmas and the flight out/arrival at the resort covered by the end of episode 6.