#inspiration:alderon

[knightedwriter]

*slams in here* hello may I pls know more about Alderon? PS ily

*slams in here too* OH MY GOSH I’VE BEEN INACTIVE WAY TOO LONG I AM SORRY FRIEND I WILL GIVE YOU ALL THE FACTS ABOUT DER

He’s ur typical moody angsty vampire stereotype who moans about his monstrousness blah blah blah

BUT his story is about completely turning that around, learning to love himself and others, and learning not to dwell on the past/negative things

Part of that is he falls in love with Garrick (and Keenan) but the other part is that he honestly was a good person before he turned. A little rough around the edges and grumpy perhaps, but really loyal to his friends and generally gentle

Which is not something that comes back easily to him bc he’s forced himself to be cruel and merciless for hundreds of years but baby steps are a thing

He’s demisexual and v insecure about it (it definitely adds to his belief that he’s a monster)

He enjoys wine even though he can’t taste it???

He’ll read all day if life would let him

(With Garrick preferably)

He definitely idolized Keenan to an unhealthy extent, which in turn added to a lot of the issues he has when Garrick arrives

He has no idea what to do with children but he somehow ends up with four of em

He makes all sorts of growling and hissing noises (it’s a vampire thing)

He doesn’t get cold (unless he’s starving) but he’d definitely be the kind of person to wrap his hands around a mug of tea and watch the snow fall

He just really likes warmth

Like cuddling Garrick is favorite thing because he’s a human and that makes him warm

I have so many facts but it’s midnight and I should maybe sleep. Hope you enjoyed friendo

[knightedwritertags]

OC Appearance Tag

The lovely @greenhousewriting tagged me to do this one!

What is/are the most defining parts of your main character(s) appearance(s)? (Bonus points if there’s a story behind them or they have a direct connection to the character’s personality.)

This is easily Alderon’s scar, and his eyes. He received the scar on his back as he was turning, and it’s forever sensitive and slow to heal because of that. He hates it. He’ll do anything he can to hide it. He’s already felt cast out and different for so long, so the scar just adds insult to injury (or injury to insult?).

His eyes are a factor just because they switch from his normal black/brown to vampiric red a lot, just to remind you (and him) what he is.

@haphazardlyparked, @sirilikestowrite, @theprissythumbelina want to get in on this?

[knightedwriter]

it’s the little things alderon does that tell u a lot about him in these first few chapters

he snaps a lot at Garrick and makes threats but then Garrick mentions that he likes to read and Alderon is transported to a whole other world

he throws a tantrum about having an “annoying human” around him all the time but then seeks Garrick out when he’s having a bad day

[knightedwriter]

Acceptance

To celebrate reaching 1,500 followers (now 2000! THANK YOU), I decided to do a mini series of the events following Alderon’s turning. This is part three of that series.

A special shout-out to both @gingerly-writing and @alittleyellowdinosaur for this part. Both of you helped me find direction for this series and got me excited about it again. THANK YOU.

[ @kai-hogan@, @alittleyellowdinosaur, @incandescent-creativity, @lux-scriptum, @kclenhartnovels, @theprissythumbelina, @polapipo, @gingerly-writing, @aesterea, @ally-thorne, @no-url-ideas-tho, @theguildedtypewriter, @abbywritesfiction, @cog-writes. If you’d like to be added to the list, please let me know! If you’d like to be taken off, please let me know too.]

[First] [Previous]

Alderon’s stomach twisted in knots. The lump in his throat grew with each step they took into the shadowy woods. He kept quiet and low, like Eliura, though he couldn’t quite match her grace as she padded through the trees. The thorny underbrush kept ripping at his stolen cloak, making him stumble with each step.

Eliura stopped intermittently to ask him questions about the scent they were following. Sometimes she gave him tips or pointers. He listened dutifully, eyes on the ground, worn out arguments still on his lips, and clinging to the desperate hope that whoever they were following would turn around and return to their village before it was too late.

His hope withered and died as the cheerful babble of a stream reached his ears, and, under it, the isolated hum of someone by the water’s edge.

Eliura stopped, mouth half-open to better catch the scent, head cocked. The breeze picked up and Alderon opened his mouth too. His heart sank as the scent they’d been following washed over him, stronger than ever.

“Hear that?” Eliura asked, voice so low that any human would need to be right next to her to catch the words.

Alderon nodded, nausea overtaking him. He thought about shouting, but at this range the human had no chance, warning or no. Not to mention, Eliura would probably rip a few of his limbs off for his troubles.

Eliura asked him to pinpoint the human’s location based on scent and sound alone. He paused only for a moment before pointing a little to their right. She adjusted his direction just a tad and nodded, smiling in encouragement. Normally, the silent praise would have had his heart soaring, but his nausea only worsened as Eliura stalked forward again, showing him the best way to place his feet to make their approach soundless.

They stopped, crouched low in a patch of bushes. Ahead of them, the human scoured clothes on a washboard, still humming. Their rough hands worked with practice and patience, and the song they hummed moved slow, loving, like a lullaby.

Eliura tapped his nose and he snapped his attention back to her. She pointed at his eyes and then to herself in a clear signal to watch closely. Alderon didn’t bother mentioning that he’d rather throw up. He’d already lost the argument that morning. Eliura wasn’t taking no for an answer, and if he didn’t glean everything he needed to know the first time, she’d likely seek out more people to hunt.

So, he watched. Watched as Eliura paced forward a few more steps before her muscles tensed. Watched as her fingers curled into claws. Watched as she darted forward, impossibly fast.

She was barely a breath of air, a skim of feet on the banks, yet still the human tensed at the last moment.

The snap of a neck yanked too hard in the wrong direction finally made Alderon flinch away. He squeezed his eyes shut as the human’s heartbeat stuttered to a stop, his breath faltering as theirs ended. Eerie silence fell over the woods.

“Hey,” Eliura said, tapping his cheek. “Were you watching, or did you have your fucking eyes closed the whole time?”

“I was watching,” Alderon replied hoarsely. “I saw.”

Eliura studied him for a second longer, as if trying to gauge if he was lying. Then she jerked her head at him. “Come on. We have a few more things to go over.”

As they reached the water’s edge, Alderon’s eyes darted down. He regretted it; Eliura’s victim splayed on the bank, neck bent at an unnatural angle, and their feet drifting in the water. Their eyes, open wide, seemed to stare into his very soul. Their lips were parted in silent shock.

If it weren’t for the countless bodies he’d seen in the past few weeks, he might have given into his stomach’s dreadful heaving then and there. He swallowed thickly.

Eliura dragged the body up the bank, and crouched at its side, gesturing for Alderon to follow suit. “Do you remember how to make this break?” She pointed to the neck and Alderon nodded. “Good, explain it to me.”

Alderon kept his eyes on Eliura’s face as he explained it. He thought back to the first time she talked him through it, using one of the bodies she brought back to him. At the time he thought his situation couldn’t get much worse, but seeing Eliura actually do it had him wishing he could go back.

“Right. You’ll remember, too, that this requires precision. You’ll have to approach slower than I did so you don’t end up mangling the neck. Once you get more practice, though, you’ll get faster.”

As she continued to explain her stalking and killing methods—voice as easy and conversational as if she were discussing the weather—Alderon prayed for it to end. If she hadn’t threatened to starve him, he wouldn’t have come with her at all. The more she showed him, the less he even wanted to think about following in her footsteps.

“Now it’s your turn.”

The words brought his thoughts to a grinding halt and Alderon’s heart pounded against his rib cage. “No.”

“Yes,” Eliura growled, eyes flashing at him. “This is my kill. I’m not sharing with you. If you want to eat, you’ll have to find your own.”

“No. I’m not hunting people. I won’t.”

“You will. You have to.”

“Never,” Alderon spat, hands curling at his sides. “You cannot make me.”

Eliura’s hand wrapped around his throat, lightning quick and near-deadly. Her fingernails dug into his skin as she leaned forward. “You should know not to sympathize with humans. Not to trust them. You knew Zaz for years and he betrayed you in an instant.”

His breath left him all at once. “Stop—"

“He didn’t give a shit about you, and neither will any other human. They’d sooner see you dead.”

Alderon ripped himself free and leapt to his feet, chest heaving. “Don’t you dare use his name! Don’t you dare talk about him as if you know!” Rage roiled deep and hungry in his gut, spreading through his veins with each burning heartbeat. “Just because there are terrible humans out there does not mean that I should not care about killing them! Or did you forget my other friend, who gave up everything for me?”

“She was the exception,” Eliura said, infuriatingly calm. “Zaz is the rule.”

“I told you not to use his name!”

“What he did is what any human would have done.”

“It’s not what I would have done!” Alderon glared at her, bright red eyes reflecting in her own. His fingernails bit into his palms. “It is not,” he repeated, each word clipped, “what I would have done. That is what matters. Not him.”

Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed back up the bank. He wasn’t about to give Eliura time to think of a retort.

“Get back here!” Eliura snarled

He put on a burst of speed, the forest blurring to a mix of greens and browns. Thorns still pulled at him, and his back itched, but he kept going until he couldn’t hear Eliura’s deathly slow heartbeat anymore. He slowed to a walk, listening for sounds of pursuit. Seconds ticked by in silence. Eliura didn’t reappear.

Alderon kicked hard at a rock in his path, watching it fly off into the trees. His heartbeat thrummed in his ears, his rage a roar of adrenaline-filled blood.

Zaz.

Just thinking the name sickened him. How long had they been friends? How many years had Alderon wasted, encouraging him? Fighting with him, only to make up? In the course of a single night, Zaz had broken everything they’d built up into a million, million pieces.

“Zaz don’t you fucking dare!”

Alderon’s jaw tightened. What happened to her was his fault, too, however indirectly. He’d ruined everything and Alderon hated that up until that very moment, he’d trusted Zaz with his life.

A shrill scream cut through his thoughts. Alderon jumped, gaze snapping to the terrified face of a young woman. She took a step back, a basket forgotten at her feet. Her heart thudded in his ears.

Alderon’s eyes burned as he caught her scent, and realization struck. He held up his hands as he turned his eyes back to their regular color. “I am not going to—”

“Monster!” the human screamed. “Please, help, somebody help!”

“You’re a monster now.”

“No, no, it is alright, I am not—” He took a step forward, hands still held out placatingly. The human bolted. Her screams echoed between the trees. “—not going to hurt you.” His hands fell to his sides, helplessness replacing his earlier rage.

“Now do you see?”

Eliura stepped from behind a tree trunk, eyes hard. Alderon rounded on her and took a step back in surprise.

“That,” she said, stalking forward and circling him, “is exactly what’ll happen if you try to live the way you keep insisting upon.”

Alderon glanced back to where the woman was standing, chest constricting. Her insults still rang in his ears, her utter terror still heavy in the air. Her rabbit-fast heartbeat seemed like the loudest sound in the forest. It set his teeth on edge. “What should I do?”

“Kill her.”

“I will not—”

“You know what she’ll do?” Eliura grabbed his front and dragged him down to eye level. “She’ll go straight to hunters. She’ll describe your face. Where you were. And they’ll hunt. You. Down. You’ll have to run for years before you’re free of them. If you’re free of them.”

Alderon’s breath caught and the nausea returned. He still had nightmares about the hunters who’d killed Charmeine: Their jeering voices as he pleaded for his life; their whoops and laughter as the crossbow bolt pierced Charmeine’s chest; the sneers on their faces as they told Zaz that if he turned on his friend he’d be guaranteed a position in their group. The ghostly taste of his own blood and fear filled his mouth.

“You have to kill her.”

Alderon met her gaze, his eyes bleeding back to red. He took a deep breath. “Alright.”

[knightedwriter]

Secrets of the Suffering

To celebrate reaching 1,500 followers (now almost 2000!), I decided to do a mini series of the events following Alderon’s turning. This is part two of that series.

[@kai-hogan, @alittleyellowdinosaur, @incandescent-creativity, @lux-scriptum, @kclenhartnovels, @theprissythumbelina, @polapipo, @gingerly-writing, @aesterea, @ally-thorne, @no-url-ideas-tho, @theguildedtypewriter, @abbywritesfiction, @cog-writes. If you’d like to be added to the list, please let me know! If you’d like to be taken off, please let me know too.]

[First]

Fingers curled into his hair, stroking. Always stroking.

Alderon looked up into the vampire’s red eyes and gulped at the hunger he saw there. Foolish. He’d been so foolish to think the mysterious traveler held the key to his happiness. Cradled in the man’s arms, Alderon wished he’d listened to Charmeine. He shouldn’t have been so desperate to find someone.

“Don’t worry,” the vampire soothed, flashing sharp teeth that made Alderon’s stomach flip. “It doesn’t hurt that much.”

Alderon’s mouth went dry. What didn’t hurt? The bite? He swallowed hard, lips trembling. “Please.” He had no pride as he let the word drop. He just wanted those hands away from him. He just wanted to go home.

The vampire hushed him, brushing icy fingers over his cheek. Ice that he’d never questioned before, that he’d been too blinded to notice. He flinched, squeezing his eyes shut. Tears threatened to fall and his mouth felt like cotton and he wanted to scream but his voice was too choked to do so.

“No, no, no,” the vampire whispered, pressing cold lips to his forehead. “Don’t cry, my sweet. It’s not so bad. The turning is the worst part. You’ll get used to everything else.”

Turning? Alderon opened his eyes, mouth working around the question.

The vampire smiled gently; a smile that had drawn him in, promising something new, something exciting. “That’s it.” He patted Alderon’s cheek. “You’ll make a fine vampire.”

“No,” Alderon choked out before he could stop himself. “You can’t—I—” He wasn’t sure how this was so much worse, but it was.

The vampire cocked his head, smile gone. “Didn’t you say you wanted to be with me? That you wanted to go on adventures? What greater adventure, then?” His fingers moved to Alderon’s neck, freezing now. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll take care of you.”

He leaned forward and Alderon screamed as fangs pressed against his throat.

Alderon cried out and scrambled up. His heart throbbed against his chest. His senses jolted with electricity, insisting on danger, but when he looked around he found nothing aside from a silent night layered under the impassive gleam of stars.

He put a hand to his chest and gasped for breath, ears still ringing from a distant scream.

“Still having those nightmares?”

Alderon jerked his head up and found Eliura perched on the lowest branch of a nearby tree, her scarlet eyes bright pinpoints in the dark. He broke eye contact with a shiver. They reminded him too much of the vampire in his dream.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Eliura continued. Her eyes jumped back to their usual electric blue as she shifted to face him.

“Are you going to tell me to get over it?” Alderon snapped. He couldn’t help it. He wanted to tear into something. No, someone. He shook the thought away.. What he didn’t want was Eliura condescending to him.

“No.” When Alderon glanced up in surprise, she continued, “I had my fair share of them after I turned, and my turning wasn’t even close to as bad as yours was. So, I get it. Partly.” She hopped down and stretched, arms rippling with muscle. She eyed him again. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“What is there to talk about?” Alderon muttered, drawing his knees to his chest. “It is nothing new.” He’d already told her everything that had happened to him the day they met. He hadn’t had time to think about what he’d wanted to share or not: She’d shaken him and flashed her eyes and demanded answers, and they spilled obediently from his bloodied lips while his body shuddered and burned.

“Don’t give me that. Clearly it still bothers you. Talking will help.”

“Do not act like you care about me,” Alderon spat, his rage boiling up his throat before he could control it. “You do not give a shit what I’ve been through.”

"Oh, and you’re so sure about that, are you?” Eliura snarled. She stalked forward, hands curled into fists. Alderon froze under her stare. “I drag you out of the dirt, tend to your wounds, teach you to survive, but of course, you’re right, I don’t really care. How could I? It’s not like I’ve been through anything similar. Not like I’ve done the same for thousands before you.”

“Eliura—”

“You think you’re the only person who’s been through tragedy? The only one who’s lost someone? You’re not the center of the goddamn universe!”

“I know that—”

“Then it’s time to start acting like it. You’re so stuck in your past that you’re convinced I’m the enemy. But the truth is, I want you to survive. For yourself, for the friend you lost. I doubt she’d want to see you like this.”

Alderon sucked in a breath, pain needling into his chest as if Eliura had driven a dagger into his heart. He tried to find the words to defend himself, but when he looked up he saw Charmeine standing in Eliura’s place. Ice slid into his veins. The specter disappeared in a blink, but not before the dagger twisted in his chest.

“You shouldn’t be so quick to give your heart away. You’re enough.”

“You’re not broken. Neither of us are.”

“Now, now, I’m not letting you sulk. You gotta march over there and give Zaz what-for.”

“I want you to learn,” Eliura continued, dropping a heavy hand onto his shoulder, “because you have as much a right to live as anyone else. And I will do anything to ensure you have that chance. What part of that tells you I don’t care?”

Alderon’s lips pulled down and he couldn’t quite meet her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

She glared at him a moment longer before her pinched look softened. With a shake of her head, she said, “I’m sure you are. I’m much too old for this shit, you know. Not like it doesn’t happen every time I take on a new student.”

“It…does?”

Eliura snorted. “You’re not the only one to go through hell. Not the only one to have a close friend die for you, either. Or to go through such a shitty betrayal.” He flinched, and she sighed again. “I’ve been at this for two thousand years. Trust me, I’ve seen it all.”

Alderon’s eyes widened. Did she just say two thousand? Three weeks, almost four, and she hadn’t said a thing about her age. He’d assumed she was a few centuries old—old enough to teach what she’d learned—but two thousand?

"You’re—you’re an Anc—”

“Don’t call me Ancient,” Eliura snapped. “It’s just plain rude.”

“I did not know.”

“I’d be surprised if you did. I was supposed to stop aging.”

“But why didn’t you tell me? I—I might have—”

“What, started respecting me more?” Eliura’s lips quirked up, a gleam in her eye. “As flattering as that is, I have a counter question: Why didn’t you ask?”

Alderon opened his mouth and then closed it just as quickly.

Eliura hummed, as if in agreement. “Right. Well, now that you’re done lashing out, I expect you to ask lots of questions. It’s the mark of a good student.”

She looked at him expectantly and Alderon swallowed hard. Sheepish, he asked, “So…just how powerful is an Ancient?”

Eliura flapped a hand, a look of disdain crossing her face. “Just as powerful as you, idiot. Don’t tell me you actually believe in all those rumors about us?” When Alderon just stared at her, she ran a hand down her face. “Everything you’ve heard about Ancients? Made up by hunters. With the exception of fae—who knows how the fuck they work—ancient immortals, or near-immortals, are every bit the same as a baby immortal.”

“Why would hunters make that up?”

Eliura shrugged. “Fear. Control the masses. Make the commoners think hunters should have as much power as possible. It’s working, I’ll tell you that much.”

Alderon avoided her gaze, looking to the stars above. The talk of hunters brought his dream to mind again. He clamored to stamp out the memory, focusing hard on the swirling constellations above, and on his next question. “You said you’ve been doing this for a long time. Why? Why do you teach new vampires?”

“No one did it for me and I wish they had.”

Alderon glanced back at her and met fiery eyes. They were a deeper, darker red than those of the vampire who turned him, he realized. “That’s all?”

Eliura shrugged. “It’s true. If I’d had someone—” She cut off and gritted her teeth. “If I’d had someone, things would have gone better. So, I’ll be that person. I’ve always liked teaching, anyway.”

“Did…did you deal with hunters too?”

She barked out a laugh and clapped him on the shoulder. “They didn’t exist back then. That was the life. Today’s vampires deal with a lot more danger with hunters around. That’s another reason I take them on.”

"Then what happened when you turned?” Alderon asked, rubbing his shoulder. Eliura had hit him a lot harder than he’d expected. He stopped when the silence between them stretched, glancing up to find the fire and amusement in Eliura’s eyes gone. He started at the emptiness in them and reached out a tentative hand to shake her shoulder. “Eliura?”

She blinked and focused on him again. “People turned on me. That’s all.”  He wrinkled his nose in disbelief but asking her outright seemed dangerous. He supposed even a two thousand-year-old vampire had her secrets. Still, that dead look in her eyes…in that moment, she seemed more human to him than ever.

“Any other questions, student of mine?” Eliura said with a sweep of her arm. Her eyes danced with light again and she gaze him a lazy look, as if she expected him to jab back.

Earlier, he might have, but the usual irritation didn’t come to him. Instead, he thought hard about what he wanted to ask next. Eliura was like a treasure trove of new information. Why hadn’t he done this earlier? He hadn’t felt this kind of excitement since the last book he’d picked up, weeks ago.

He opened his mouth to ask something else but stopped at the smile on Eliura’s face. “What?”

She shrugged. “Nothing. Just seems I found something to work with.”

Alderon scowled and crossed his arms.

“Fine, save your questions.You should sleep, anyway.” She stood and returned to her tree. Before she climbed back up, however, she stopped with her hand on the bark, and glanced back over her shoulder. “If you want to talk about that nightmare, I’m here.”

Alderon hesitated. It was almost tempting, but he answered her with a shrug of his own. “Like I said. It is nothing new.”

Her eyes bored into him, their bright electric blue lighting up the night. Then she turned away and hopped back up onto her branch. Her gaze returned to the forest.

Alderon laid back down and closed his eyes.

“How’s your back?” Eliura asked suddenly.

He frowned over at her. “Alright. It did not open up at all today.”

“Good.” Red eyes found his, unreadable. “I think I know what we’re going to do tomorrow.”

[knightedwriter]

*arrives a day late with starbucks* this is how I do this right

[knightedwriter]

okay but Serah teaching Alderon how to heal is such an important plot point to me like,,,he spends so long hurting people and then he gains these skills bc his friend’s work seemed so interesting, and suddenly he’s healing instead of hurting, and it makes him feel real again

[knightedwriter]

Also I saw you mention at one point that Der was ashamed of the scar on his back and tried to keep it hidden. I just want you to know that T'ke grew his hair out long to add another layer of protection over the whip scars on his back. Can we stop writing each other's books yet?

kajfdksjdbfkjsd are we on a mental link or something?

Der won’t even take his shirt off in front of Garrick for literal months after they start dating. Hell, there’s a point where Garrick tries to push things a little by reaching up his shirt and Alderon flinches back when he touches the scar. 

[knightedwriter]

No Longer Human

To celebrate reaching 1,500 followers, I decided to do a mini series of the events following Alderon’s turning. This is the first part in what will probably turn out to be a long series, knowing how I write. However, it might help to read what I consider the prologue. This ask I did is also relatively important, though not necessary to read in the long run. I hope you enjoy!

[@kai-hogan​, @alittleyellowdinosaur I believe the both of you shouted that I should do this? Also tagging @lux-scriptum, @incandescent-creativity, @kclenhartnovels, @theprissythumbelina, @polapipo, @gingerly-writing bc I think you all would be interested. If you’d like to be added to the list, please let me know. If you want to be taken off, that’s alright too! I can also change which blog of yours I tag, if anyone wants me to.]

“Focus.”

“I am.”

“Then do better.”

Alderon gritted his teeth, jaw cracking with the pressure. Easing up a little, he closed his eyes and breathed in again.

The world burst to life around him: A tangle of scents, wild, colorful, and much too numerous to even begin straightening out. Alderon’s brow furrowed as he tried to focus in on just one, but it was like untangling a knot made up of thousands of different strands, all while someone kept adding and rearranging the strands each second.

Just as the others faded into the background, a new scent assaulted his senses, taking his attention away from the one he’d selected. The scrape of bone on bone—his teeth rubbing together—demanded his attention as well, the sound much more detailed than he was used to: The wet slip of his saliva as his teeth moved, the creaking of his jaw, the twanging vibration of his muscles, even. He never knew he made so much noise.

“Stop, stop, stop.”

Alderon opened his eyes and, realizing how tight his face had gotten, rubbed at his cheeks. “I do not understand how to do this.”

“Clearly,” Eliura said, eyes flickering to scarlet and then back to their startling blue. “You don’t make a good vampire.”

“Well excuse me,” Alderon snapped. “If I had a choice in the matter I wouldn’t be one.”

“Don’t fucking sass me. I said that to make a point.” She stepped forward, her fur-covered cloak swishing with the movement. “You think,” she tapped the top of his head despite having to stand on tiptoe to get there, “too much. It holds you back.”

“What, so I just stop thinking? Why didn’t I think of that?”

“You keep sassing me and I’m gonna rip your arms off and make you sit on them. Just shut up and listen. That’s what apprentices are supposed to do.”

Alderon resisted the urge to say that he didn’t ask to be her apprentice. He had no doubt her threat was real, and he really didn’t want to find out how fast his arms regenerated anytime soon.

“You don’t think yourself into tracking a scent,” Eliura continued, circling him. “You let it happen.”

“Helpful,” Alderon gritted out.

“Get used to it. This isn’t about memorizing a set of steps or about what you knew before. This is completely new. You’ll have to learn as a babe learns: by shitting yourself along the way.”

Lovely. Eliura’s vulgarity never ceased to amaze him. Charmeine had been the same way, always—

Alderon sobered a bit, back itching as he looked away. His throat closed, so he couldn’t reply. Just as well, given that Eliura was already irritated with him.

Eliura sighed. “Take a break. Clear your head.”

Relieved, Alderon walked over to nearest tree and sat at its base. He tried to lean against the trunk, but the slight pressure made his back sting, so he crossed his legs and bent forward instead.

“That cut still bothering you?” Eliura asked. She sat against an oak across from him, arms crossed, head back, and eyes closed. Alderon wondered how she even knew he’d readjusted because of his back.

He grunted, running a hand through his hair. The wound had barely healed, despite a full week of vampirism. Eliura had explained that it probably never would—at least not as it should. It would become a scar, if anything. Alderon was learning that such an “imperfection” was not unheard of in vampires, depending on how they turned. Given that his turning was particularly difficult—he shuddered to remember those feverish three days—he was lucky the scar was healing at all.

“You need more blood.”

“I don’t,” Alderon said swiftly. When Eliura cracked open an eye to glare at him, he hurried on, “I am not hungry. Besides, you said it would take a long time to heal completely.”

Eliura sniffed, obviously unconvinced. “Fine then. Take your shirt off.”

“What?”

“I’m going to check it. The least we can do is keep changing out those bandages.”

Alderon hesitated a moment longer before pulling off his shirt. His cheeks burned, and he kept his gaze fixed on the grass as Eluria stepped around him. She peeled back the bandages one by one, her touch gentle. It still stung. Alderon flinched as she pulled off the last of it; the dried blood had glued the cloth to his back, and ripping it away was like ripping off a piece of his skin.

Eliura pulled in a breath and let it out slow. “Still smells like silver.”

“Silver?”

“From the blade. It had to have been silver.”

“Oh,” Alderon murmured, thinking of a sword glinting in torchlight. He pushed the memory back. “Is that why it hurts so much?”

“No,” Eliura said dryly as she applied something sticky to his wound. “It hurts because it’s not healed.”

For once, Alderon didn’t have the fight to snap back. “Will it ever stop?”

“Hurting? Yes. It’ll always be sensitive, though.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s human flesh on a vampire body.”

“What?” Alderon said, twisting to look at her. “How do you know that?”

“It’s not healing the way it’s supposed to. I’ve seen it before. Some wounds are too deep for the transformation to change.” She started to wrap him up again. “Blood would help, you know.”

Alderon’s hands tightened into fists.

“You can’t avoid it forever.”

“I will not be a murderer.”

Eluria yanked on the bandages and Alderon yelped. “Then you will die! How many fucking times do I have to tell you? This is your life now. The sooner you get used to it, the better.”

“I did not ask for this.”

“Well too damn bad!” Eliura growled. She stalked around to stand in front of him, lips pulled back to show her fangs. “When I found you, you told me you didn’t want to die. This is how you live. You can’t go back. Just accept it.”

Alderon drew his knees to his chest and looked away. He hated how his lips trembled.

Eliura ran a hand down her face. “I took you on to teach you how to survive. The world won’t be kind to you. You need to let these…human morals go, or you’ll be ground into the dust.”

“I am human. I was. I am not going to just forget that.” Alderon glanced up at her, searching her face for some sort of understanding. “Why must I kill? Can’t I just—”

“What? Bite them and only take a little? You think people will just lay down and let you do that? You’ll leave a trail leading straight to you.”

“As if bodies do not leave a trail.”

“At least dead people don’t talk. Bodies don’t clue hunters in to what you look like, or which way you went.” Eliura crouched down next to him. There was nothing gentle in her eyes as she considered him, though she did lower her voice. “Humans will take your kindness and shit all over it the first chance they get. You should know this. You’ve seen it firsthand.”

“Don’t,” Alderon breathed, clutching harder at his knees.

Eliura paused, head cocked. "You’re young. I’m giving you an easy way to learn this. Better take it before you learn the hard way.” When Alderon didn’t reply, Eliura stood and walked away without another word, her bright red hair flicking almost dismissively at him.

Alderon dug his fingers into his knees, trying to ignore the incessant rumbling in his stomach. He was sure Eliura could hear it, too. Not that he cared. She may have convinced him to drink from the bodies she’d brought him after he’d turned, but that didn’t mean her way of life was the only way.

He wished Charmeine were with him. She’d make him smile and give him direction; she’d work with him. Instead he got saddled with a centuries-old vampire who’d long since forgotten what it meant to be human. What it meant to be new to this.

His heart ached as thoughts of Charmeine turned to the night he’d left his home for good. Luckily, Eliura’s voice cut through the memories.

“Rest time’s over. Let’s get back to it.”

[knightedwriter]

I'm sad so I've been asking writeblrs to tell me a happy fact about the oc of their choice, pls?

AHHHHHHHHHHH how about a ton of OC happy facts?

Der: He’ll stick his tongue out when he’s focusing really hard. Usually when he’s reading. Especially when he’s reading.

Garrick: He has the messiest bed heads. (Alderon thinks it’s cute bc of course he does).

Serah: She’ll put on little magic shows for the children that come to her for healing. She’ll also let said children come to her when they need a safe place if they need it.

The twins: They don’t remember their birthday, but instead, if they ever have a few days to rest and some extra money, they’ll treat each other to little gifts or days out. 

Draeya: The best sleeping spot is Alderon’s chest and no on can convince her otherwise.

Rin: He weaves together flower crowns whenever he can for the fam. The fam will wear them until they’re falling apart or he makes a new one.

The Seer: She exudes so much magic that vines and flowers will burst to life where she walks. When she starts dating Serah, all the flowers and vines end up pink (Serah’s fave color).

Rella: She gives big, squeeze-out-your-lungs bear hugs. She’s also a fan of twirling people around in a hug.

[knightedwriter]

Serah: I can't find Alderon in this crowd

Garrick: hold on I got this *cups hands over mouth* GARRICK IS A TAINTED PIECE OF SHIT

Alderon: I will MURDER whoever just said that

Garrick: There he is

[knightedwriter]

the biggest mood dichotomy is Alderon, like

Alderon before Garrick: I am a thousand year old vampire and a merciless murderer on top of it. I will do what I need to to survive and I won’t let anyone get close to me because I am a poison and all I do is hurt people.

Alderon after Garrick: All I need is for Garrick to hug me every day, and maybe some kisses, and yeah, I guess I need blood but...does it have to be his blood? I don’t want to hurt him

[knightedwriter]

Alderon is the kind of person who would sit down with u and talk with u softly and give u lots of gentle smiles and laughter if ur his friend

and he’d also snarl at anyone who dares to hurt u and literally give his life for u

[knightedwriter]

IS THERE A NICKNAME FOR GARRICK? I NEED TO KNOW. Also, pet names?

Serah calls him Gar! But if you’re talking about Alderon’s nicknames for him, he doesn’t use any. He barely uses pet names. He spent so long in book one calling Garrick “Sir Knight” instead of his actual name that he vowed afterwards that Garrick deserved to hear his full name from him.

When he loosens up he calls Garrick pet names like ‘my knight’ and ‘love of my life’ but that’s definitely further down the road.

[knightedwriter]

Hi Alderon (and Garrick if you want to answer too!) what injustice have you seen in the world that you can't let go of? Who is your biggest hero? What's the best dream you've ever had? I love you (both) so much! 💖 Hope you're having a great day filled with peaceful hugs and warmth and love ❤

Alderon

“Hello. The first question would be Keenan’s death. That is the worst injustice I have ever seen in this world. It rendered everything he did void. He should have changed the world, and the world killed him instead. And I did nothing to stop it.

“My biggest hero would be Garrick, of course. He is truly my knight in shining armor. And…I believe Eliura and Charmeine deserve this title as well. If it were not for them, I wouldn’t be here.

“I do not typically have good dreams. I believe…I had a blurry one where I smelled Garrick all around me, and I felt safe. It was short. But nice.

“All this love today. I do not know what I did to deserve it.”

Garrick

“Hey there! There are plenty of injustices in the world, but I don’t hold onto them so much as try to make them better. So I don’t really have an answer for you.

“My biggest hero is my mom. She’s not the best role model, but she does what’s right. She’s the one who taught me to go with my heart and make the world better whichever way seems best to me.

“Oh, oh, the best dream I’ve ever had is the one where my whole family was sitting around a fire, laughing and eating stew. My mom was there, and so were the twins, RIn, and Draeya. And Der, of course. Oh, and Serah and The Seer. We were just sharing a night under the stars with nothing to worry about.

“Thank you! And don’t mind Der. He could use some affirmations today. I hope you’re having a great day too!”

Send an ask directed at my characters!

[knightedwriter]

OCs and Stuffed Animals

@rrrawrf-writes asked everyone in our discord chat to make a post detailing whether or not our characters would sleep with stuffed animals, so here u go u lovely person. Since this would be a modern AU, I suppose this counts for AU Tuesday yes???

Alderon - Nope, not a chance. Apart from the fact that he’s a Big Bad Vampire that must keep up appearances, they really just...wouldn’t appeal to him either way.

Garrick - You would think yes, but surprisingly no?? He’d take the real thing over something stuffed any day (though if he couldn’t have animals around for some reason, he might have one or two big stuffed animals to hug throughout the night).

Serah - Naw, she likes her bed and space free of unnecessary clutter. Even if her house in general is a mess, everything has a purpose.

The twins - A would love to have some stuffed dragons. In fact that’s probably all they’d have. N would say she doesn’t like stuffed animals, but she’s the kind of person to have a really old ratty one that has personal meaning to her.

Draeya - Would have piles of them. All different shapes and sizes, too, including “weird” ones like stuffed octopuses and ravens. Would switch out which ones sleep on her bed with her every night bc there isn’t enough room for all of them (she probably tried to convince Alderon and Garrick that she could sleep with all of them on her bed, but they wouldn’t let her). I also personally believe she has a giant stuffed pegasus like the one I do; she’d curl up next to it when she doesn’t want to sleep in bed.

Rin - He likes soft cuddly things, of course he’d have stuffed animals. He’d only have maybe five or six, but he’d say goodnight to all of them each night and good morning whenever he woke up. If he had nightmares, he’d cover himself in them. They’re probably a mixture of bunnies, cats, and other small fluffy animals.

BONUS:

Fangs - I...could definitely see him having a few. He actually likes animals, and he likes to hold something while sleeping. Usually that tends to be a uh. Very unwilling human that he’ll eat in the morning, but if that wasn’t an option, stuffed animals would do. I think he’d love those stuffed animals you can heat up in a microwave to make them extra warm and cuddly (they exist, I have one).