#Klarcel

[themoonandthedogstar]

MIKAELSON FAMILY as TEXT POSTS // PART 2 (PART 1)

[cancerian-woman]

Hey girl! I don't know if you're aware, but in Klaus and kc fics where the oc is his wife from when they were human, somehow Marcel always calls her mom/mama/mother, which I personally so find out of character for him?

He had an awful father, and there's like only one mention of his mother, who died shortly before Klaus adopted him, and I just can't see a child moving on so quickly and calling a woman, a white one at that, his mother? Don't get me wrong, I would have loved for Marcel to have at least one parent figure in his life that actually loved him like a son, but Klaus treated him like a friend/brother, the governor literally enslaved him and we know nothing of his mother.

What do you think?

Hi!

TO/TVDU made sure to sanitize slavery, Marcel’s history as a slave and limit his childhood with the mikaelsons period as much as they could. Then the audience they were marketing the show too was white teens/young adults. No I don’t think Marcel would ever call Klaus’ wife, mom! For the reasons you listed that is his past as a slave and living on a plantation. Naturally Marcel as a child should’ve been more skeptical of the Mikaelsons for the obvious reasons. Which could have been interesting to see. Hell, Kol did go as far to torture him as a human.

It is important to note Marcel never calls Klaus dad, Elijah/Kol/Finn aren’t called uncles, Rebekah/Freya as aunts and while he’s protective to Hope he doesn’t say she’s his sister either. Despite all of this Marcel does view the Mikaelsons as family. Marcel said to Hope it’s hard to hate the person that made him. It’s a never ending complicated relationship. Which applies to all of the family in total. I think Marcel can adapt to someone Klaus dates/married etc longterm but never see them as “mom”. He had a mother who died.

(Edit: I do think if they focused on Marcel being adopted, the Mikaelsons as extended family they’d have to address the Rebekah of it all.)

I think Klaus does love him in his own twisted perception of love. The problem as usual the racist writing but in Klaus/Marcel’s case..the gender norms here. Marcel being a grown man of 170+ years at that. Hope was a girl.

thanks💜

[andreal831]

how do you think the relationship between klaus and hope would have been different if she had been a boy?

I thought I had discussed this before, but it doesn't appear I have. So thanks for the ask!

We already saw what Klaus was like with a son. He viewed Marcel as more of a friend than a child, waiting for the day that Marcel was old enough to indulge in all of their vices. Now there are always debates on why Klaus viewed Marcel differently than Hope, whether it's race, biology, gender, etc. I personally think it was a combination of reasons.

Hope being a girl was very purposefully done. The show thrived on the trope of "innocent white woman saving terrible bad-boy." And Hope was no different. The show even goes out of there way to point out that Hope saved Klaus when Marcel couldn't. While boy-Hope would have the advantage over Marcel of being biologically related to Klaus, we can't discredit how the gender would play a role. Namely because he would see himself in a boy more and his competitive nature would come out. When Klaus saw Marcel succeeding and essentially becoming like him, he viewed Marcel as a rival. When he sees the power Hope wields, he is proud of her.

We already see how different Klaus is with his sisters than with his brothers. He treats Rebekah like a child most of the time even though she's close in age to Kol, who Klaus treats more as a friend. He is even more gentle with Freya than he is with any of his brothers, after he starts to trust her. But Klaus is not above using violence against women. Yet he didn't want Hope to see that side of him. To the point that he cut off contact with her after she did.

When confronted with an issue, Klaus resorts to violence. We see him do this with Marcel as he gets older. Even when Marcel was a human and the power dynamic was vastly different. There are only a couple of people Klaus' first instinct isn't violence and Hope is one of them. Klaus raising Marcel was more like raising a soldier. Klaus taught him to sword fight but didn't seem interested in his other interest, like piano or reading. While Klaus bonds with Hope over painting. Potentially if boy-Hope had been artistic, they could of still had that bond, however, I think it's likely that Klaus would still have attempted to bond with the boy in more "masculine" pursuits. But again, it would likely still backfire and create a rival.

Klaus and boy-Hope would have had an even more complicated relationship and Klaus would struggle to have a father-son bond, often letting his paranoia and jealousy complicate his love. Klaus would also do less to be a better person as he wouldn't be as concerned with a son behaving like him as he was with Hope. He would likely have had a similar relationship to boy-Hope as he did with Marcel.

[anewkindofme]

I have a lot of gripes with "The Originals" but one of the biggest is how fast they aged Hope in a short period of time. We got a couple of seasons with her as a baby. I was fine with them then aging her up to 7ish, but then we barely got her at that age before they're like "bam, we've got angsty teen Hope".

I get they were trying to set up for Legacies, but it's annoying. I wish we got more of Summer!Hope. And more of Klaus with a little girl. We didn't get enough of them together or enough flashbacks of him with Marcel when he was a kid.

[celia39494]

Not me realising that the Mikaelsons only call Marcel "Marcellus" when he's in danger or doing something so stupid, so beyond dangerous, they need to remind him of who raised him lmao like, Marcel thinks it's a good idea to join a cult? - "You could have asked me Marcellus" Elijah, actual-founder-of-the-said-cult Mikaelson.

Marcel gets bitten by Hayley to get venom through his veins and win an actual life or death battle? - "wow, way to go to impress your new friends, Marcellus, bet you're proud of yourself now? " Klaus only-my-blood-can-heal-wereworlf-bites Mikaelson.

Like if they need to actually scold him, it's Marcellus lmao and all of this just for them to jump to his protection the second they see him struggle. I'm sick.

He's their child and he hates it so much too like Marcel "I don't need your authorisation to join a cult" and "whoever comes for you comes for me" Gerard jumping directly into battle knowing damn well Elijah was about to jump between him and any other vampire trying to kill him and Klaus was going to give him his blood anyway. I'm literally so sick it's not even funny anymore.

[klonnieshippersclub]

love ur blog so many klonnie fans. question would Bonnie side with Klaus on Marcel & Rebekah’s relationship?

Thank you! Yes, Bonnie would be very cautious to have Rebekah around their children. Rebekah clearly does not understand family boundaries. I cannot imagine romancing a man you knew as a child. She didn't even truly discourage him when he was open about his feelings for her. That relationship dynamic was very inappropriate from the start and Rebekah chose not to make it clear that they were family. I'm sure it partially contributed to Marcel's understanding of his place with the Mikaelsons. If Rebekah refuses to acknowledge Marcel as her nephew, then he has another reason to feel like he doesn't belong. Marcel and Rebekah’s relationship plays well into how plenty of fans NEVER viewed Marcel as family either and won’t accept him.

[kylermalloy]

I wondered what you would have thought of a scene where Marcel drinks from Klaus by the neck while the rest of the family is forced to watch. Compelled, after he's turned into the greatest vamp

Hmm. Hmmm. I like this idea very much! Definitely something Marcel would do—because while he thinks himself fairer and more moderate than the Mikaelsons (and he is, in some regards) he can still go on a biiiit of a power trip. I’ll still never be over Vincent’s little speech at the end of season 3—“the king is dead, all hail the king.” He lumps Marcel in with the Mikaelsons, citing the destruction of the Strix as evidence that Marcel also goes too far. Marcel also promotes needless bloodshed. And Marcel, unlike Klaus and Rebekah and the others, denies that part of himself. He wants to think he’s better than that. Above all that. (He’s not.)

So yes! I think Marcel would do that to Klaus—as a show of his power, and to psychologically torment the rest of his family. See what I can do to your brother. See how you’re powerless to stop me. See how, really, he deserves it.

[bittergirlsworld]

the originals season 2 episode 11 or as like to call top tier klarcel content

[viavolterra]

says the mf that was daggered to protect marcel from him......

its the way the writers knew what they were doing with that line bc it how it blew up

crusty fckers

anyways idk why the dog was piping up when he just recovered from the bite marcel had given him 5 years before...like do u want another

Kol: (to Marcel) You were never a Mikaelson, get over it Me:

[themoonandthedogstar]

Klaus Mikaelson naming his kids “Little Warrior” & “Little Wolf” is so special to me idk why

[cancerian-woman]

I would’ve loved to see Klaus and Marcel bond about something other than having abusive fathers. Which is another level for Marcel because his father wasn’t just abusive he was a slave master. Who owned his unnamed mother and most likely raped his mother. It was not written well and just used as a prop for Klaus more than it ever meant something to former slave Marcel.

Elijah and Marcel shared music… what did he and Klaus have in common besides strength??

[andreal831]

If Marcel had wanted to live a human life, do you think Klaus would have accepted it or would he have tried to turn him? (Because an immortal narcissist with abandonment issues is the world worst’s person to adopt a human that wanted to stay human)

Absolutely not.

You nailed it. Klaus not only wouldn't be able to raise someone and watch them die, but he wouldn't be able to handle losing that control. Klaus loved holding vampirism over Marcel. Not because he wasn't going to eventually give it to him, but because he loved the power it gave him. He knew none of his siblings would go behind his back and turn Marcel. It allowed him to have the ultimate power. Marcel was clearly raised to want to be a vampire. He betrays Rebekah in order to be turned. Klaus made sure Marcel wanted to be just like him because he needed Marcel to admire him.

But if Marcel had rebelled and decided he wanted to stay human, Klaus would not only worry about losing Marcel, but he would lose his power over Marcel. We saw how he acted when Marcel decided to fight in the war. Klaus flew across the world to try and convince Marcel to come back. It's not that he feared him dying, he was already a vampire. He didn't like Marcel being out of his control. Or even how completely went off the rails when Elijah erased his memories because Elijah was "unsafe." He would like go off the rails fearing for Marcel and feeling out of control. He likely would pull a Damon and just force Marcel to turn against his will.

I agree, Klaus had no business adopting a kid. He never once put Marcel's needs first because he never even once tried to understand what Marcel needed.

Thanks for the ask!

[anewkindofme]

Klaus hand feeding his 7 year old daughter beignets like a baby.

And you’re telling me he didn’t baby the hell out of Young!Marcellus?

A lot of the flashbacks we have of Marcel are sad ones, but we know there are good moments. Like Klaus telling him to close his eyes and sing when he was frightened. And there are so many moments they tell us but they don’t show.

It wasn’t all bad. Klaus wasn’t a perfect father. But I think his biggest flaw as one was his possessiveness over Marcel. He didn’t know how to let go.

Why couldn’t this show have been about he actual family?

Like in the pilot when Marcel was so happy to see him??

[hyperactivewhore]

while obviously racism plays the biggest role in the differences between klope and klarcel, for klaus i’d say that gender plays a larger role than blood ties in comparison to elijah/rebekah/freya/kol.

i believe that klaus is fully capable and willing to love marcel as a genuine child of his despite him being adopted but hope being a girl makes him love her a bit more because he “gets” to protect her rather than feeling like he has to compete with her like he did with marcel. i mean hope as a full tribrid is stronger than klaus (bc magic) but i can’t see him having the same reaction to that as he did with upgraded!marcel

Oh, completely! A clear example of this is how he behaves with Rebekah and Elijah: he isn't nearly as protective or jealous over his brother as he is with his sister.

A lot of his issues with Marcel come from the fact that he never told him he was alive, and also that he made New Orleans the city it is today. Klaus met Marcel when he was already a child, when Marcel had already the memories of his biological father engraved in his brain: like him, Marcel was abused and that is the reason he even adopted him. I believe Klaus himself or some of his siblings said it, but he adopted Marcel because he saw himself in him.

Klaus loved the kid, that much was clear. He even got jealous of Elijah spending time with Marcel, going as far as to undagger Kol but daggering him again the moment he saw his brother was a danger to the kid he loved as his son. Klaus was actually jealous and possessive over Marcel's affections towards Rebekah too, just like he would have been with Landon and Hope. He daggered his sister because in his words "she needs a lesson on what she can and cannot take from me" or something similar. Like what happened with Hope and Hayley initially, he did not want to share his son with his sister.

Klaus was deeply hurt by Marcel's "death" too, and in 1x11 he said "I thought you were dead. It was years before I could speak your name, so keenly did I feel that los" so I completely think he wouldn't be able to actually kill Marcel at all, despite all his threats, and the same goes for him and etc.

Gender plays a big role in all of Klaus’s relationships. When killing any of Rebekah's lovers, Klaus then would proceed to verbally harass her, making her feel stupid and small and all kind of things, and he did the same to Freya with Keelin, who quickly called him out on his bullshit. He never did this to his brothers, only to his sisters.

In my opinion, Marcel holds the same value as Hope does in Klaus’s life. He just couldn't show it, because there was a lot of bad blood between them and also because he was a man.

[originalscaps]

[kylermalloy]

Your last answer got me curious, what’s your opinion on Marcel? His relationship with Klaus?

Pretty much the same as all the other Mikaelson dynamics and characters—Marcel is a complex, well-rounded individual. He’s a terrible person. He does good things. He cares deeply for his family and would do anything for them.

His relationship with Klaus is fraught, tense, Freudian in the best of ways, and sooo interesting.

I remember when we first met Marcel, I was dubious of the way they were presenting him. Like I said in my response to Christina’s ask, I was afraid the pilot was setting Marcel up to be The Monster Klaus Created Who Is Worse Than Him. But they weren’t, so my fears were unfounded!

I was also wary of his backstory—were they trying to tell me that of all the atrocities Klaus witnessed (and committed) throughout the ages, slavery was where he drew a line? And in a universe where mind compulsion exists? But again, this show proved me wrong! (Yay, Klaus…isn’t against slavery? Well, he’s Problematique. Get over it.)

Although our first impressions of Marcel are of a loud, showy, charismatic version of Klaus with way more friends—that’s not who he is. The tyrant we meet who tortures witches and murders them in public is merely punishing them for the wrongs they committed against their own children. That’s not who he is, fundamentally—although he can draw on that side of his personality easily, having grown up with Klaus.

Speaking of Klaus! Marcel has grown up to be a slightly more mentally healthy adult than Klaus, despite them both having horrifically abusive childhoods. I don’t want to give Klaus too much credit, because he created as many problems as he remedied, but Marcel did have an adult in his life who cared for him—more than one, if we can count Rebekah and Elijah (😔). While Marcel clearly has Issues with his surrogate family, he takes lessons he learned from them and uses them to build his own community, his own kingdom. Some lessons he borrows from the Mikaelsons, and some he does the exact opposite. He trusts people. He makes alliances. He kills (mostly) as a last resort. But he’s still ruthless toward his enemies. He punishes those who step out of line. He’s conniving and manipulative and he can do it all with a big smile on his face.

I do think there’s a fair amount of projection going on with Klaus when he takes Marcel in. He wants to give this kid (also an abused bastard child) something he never believed he had—someone to look out for him, someone to care for him and protect him. But as he sees himself in Marcel, it’s hard to give him the unconditional love Klaus can never believe he’s worthy of. (It’s complicated.)

And of course, the people Klaus cares for become possessions in his eyes. He expects everyone he considers family all to revolve around him. This is why he resents Elijah for showing Marcel too much kindness—they shouldn’t be allowed to have a bond separate from him! This is why he daggers Rebekah for winning Marcel’s affections; in his eyes, they cannot love each other and him.

This is something Marcel carries with him throughout his life, I think—he tries to treat his own friends as their own people, allowing them much more agency and freedom. (see: him allowing Thierry to date a witch, even though Klaus exploits this connection—it’s a worthy price, if that’s what they want. In the same vein, he allows Davina out on the town when the witches are hunting her.) Though he does not always succeed—he still uses Davina for her powers, lying to her about the danger the witches pose. He is still part Mikaelson.

1x20 is still my favorite klarcel episode, because So Much happens. So much is said, and unsaid.

“How did I fail?”

“Maybe the scars just ran too deep.”

(Is he talking about his own scars, or Klaus’s? You decide.)

But then:

“You didn’t fail me. You taught me everything I know. You taught me I can’t be weak, not when my enemies are stronger. […] And I will fight until I’m dead.”

Because underneath the war they’re waging against each other, they genuinely care about each other. They consider it unfortunate now, but Klaus poured himself into his little Marcellus, for better or worse. Marcel grew up with Klaus. He knew what kind of person Klaus was. He knew firsthand, and he chose to become a vampire like Klaus anyway. Because just like Klaus, immortality can be terrible and awful but it can also be beautiful.

Gonna go cry.

Let me skip ahead to season 3, where their dynamic changes fundamentally again. Some of the narrative choices made in this season were iffy, so I am still on the fence about Marcel’s turn. Part of me thinks it was justified, part of me thinks it should have happened differently, and part of me thinks it was a big misstep.

Marcel turning on Klaus and demanding he answer for his crimes would make sense in a different narrative than the one we were in. The events that turned Marcel against the Mikaelsons this time were committed not by Klaus, but by Freya and Elijah. Having Klaus be the target of his vengeance would’ve made sense…a season ago. Not now. Not with the moral code we’ve been going with.

But I digress.

I think this is a perfectly natural turn for the klarcel relationship to take—Marcel positions himself as a moral arbiter, above Klaus in every way, although…well, he’s not. Marcel has aided and abetted, he’s slaughtered indiscriminately before. There’s some truth to how he condemns Klaus, but there’s also some self-righteousness—as any conflict on TO should have. (These are all still, fundamentally, terrible people.)

Unfortunately, though, this conflict is much more about Klaus than it is Marcel, and their interactions during the trial are rather underwhelming. It’s not about Klaus relating to Marcel as the boy he raised, it’s about Klaus using his wits and his awfulness to stay alive.

I do think there is a certain poetry to Marcel *leveling up* and becoming more powerful than Klaus, and immediately becoming judge, jury, and executioner. Only he is powerful enough to punish the Mikaelsons for their crimes, and he will do so. Oh, he will do so. There’s a certain Mikaelson-esque arrogance in that. The god-king of New Orleans.

I shan’t go into how in season 4, Marcel has apparently ruled the city peacefully for five years now that the Mikaelsons are gone (what happened to the gang wars? Factions committing terrorism on each other?) and by then the show has strayed a lot from its original atmosphere. And its characterization.

I’ll say I like Klaus admitting in season 4 that he was not a good father to Marcel, but like. Come on. We knew that. He knew that. It seems more like a step in the writers’ plan to dismiss all Mikaelsons forever as Evil And Bad Because We Can’t Promote Bad Messages For The Kids On This Show About Murderous Immortal Bloodsuckers. Like, pick a lane, guys!

…okay, this ask has rather gone off the rails. Suffice to say I adore the angst, the ambiguity, the love/hate of klarcel. Wish there had been more nuance in the later seasons.