#little warrior || Marcellus

[rebelheartedviking]

𝖁𝖎𝖉𝖆𝖗 𝕽𝖆𝖌𝖓𝖆𝖗 𝕴𝖛𝖆𝖗𝖘𝖘𝖔𝖓

the Viking king of Scotland.

Vidar Ragnar Ivarsson, better known as the fierce Viking King of Scotland, who rules alongside his wife, his queen and his one and only, his Marlena. Proud father of Ragnar Ivain, Lidija Marlene and Ranva Aleen. He is the son of Ivar the Boneless, King of Kattegat and all of Norway and Princess Xenia of the Rus, Queen of Kattegat and all of Norway and is the Prince of Kattegat. He is the little brother of his foster brother Cailan, Edda's twin brother and big brother of Iwan. Nephew of Bjorn, Hvitserk, Sigurd and Ubbe and cousin of Illian, with whom he shares a close bond like his father and uncle Hvitserk, Marlena and Ellinor and the grandson of the great Ragnar Lothbrok. Although Vidar comes from two ruling houses and is raised strictly by his father as the heir to Kattegat, from an early age he is neither interested in power nor the throne or ruling and rebels against his father's upbringing and the burden of being a king. Although Vidar inherited his father's hardness and natural arrogance, as well as the dominance that was in his blood, he is often compared to Ragnar, whom he resembles more in character. Vidar is curious and open-minded, very intelligent and always likes to challenge others and the gods themselves, not even willing to bow to the gods. The young warrior also has charm and humor despite his dignified, composed demeanor and, behind the determined facade, has a good, pure heart. His family is especially important to the young Viking, whom he loves more than anything else and protects, especially the women of the family, and would defend them with his life and blood. The well-being of his people is also very important to Vidar, who are very popular with him because of his nature, but he does not make any effort and does not care about his lineage. From a young age he took part in raids and battles with his big brother Cailan and Illian, together with his father and uncle Hvitserk, where Vidar learned quickly and proved his talent as a warrior and in bloody battles, in which he always fights hard and mercilessly. Despite the hard, arrogant, introspective and skillful facade, he is always open to his family and the people he loves, sincere and inquisitive and absolutely loyal, especially to his brother Cailan and Marcellus, who go into every battle together, whether victory or Valhalla, which the young king is not afraid of. Despite his open-minded nature, which he does not show to everyone, the King of Scotland, who becomes its king through his marriage to Marlena and is considered a great, warlike, hard but good king, is also haunted by the darkness that he always tries to keep under control, which is why he understands his little brother better than anyone else. The young Viking, husband, king and father remains loyal to his family and his people and would always do anything for them. Together with Marlena, they are considered the great, confident royal couple who not only strengthen Scotland but are invincible. ( ⸺ Vikings. )

[meekmedea]

House Dovecote - Capitol Crypt Edition pt.2

second part to the lore from this post about Hector's parents. Haha thanks @maidstew for the push

(Guys, I'm in disbelief too... I thought I could be free from creating more lore, yet here we are...)

Ludius Dovecote

Somehow, he's the only character I've been able to give a middle name to? (New HC spawned - he thought it made him sound so pretentious, he didn't give Hector one, and Hector just sort of continued this tradition with Endymion, then Endymion with Clemensia...)

Anyway his full name is: Ludius Marcellus Dovecote

His middle name means 'young warrior' and is likely associated with Mars, the Roman god of war. Hector's temper definitely comes from him. May or may not have duelled someone for his wife's honour once. Or twice. Or more?

A bit of a recluse to high society. Will take spending hours in his art studio over dealing with the 'prats' of high society. (makes Hector take over any high-society appearances the moment he could)

Has probably dipped his paintbrush in coffee and drank paint water at one point. His then-fiancée teased him for days after that.

Leaning into the Dovecote crime origins/rumours - yeah, not really a rumour, if it's the truth. You want high-quality forgeries? Doesn't matter if it's of documents, artworks, the lot - he's the guy you go to for things like this.

There's probably some art piece in a museum that displays Ludius' work, rather than the original artist.

Anise Dovecote

maiden name - unknown. Supposed Capitol origins, or at least, this depends on who you ask. Born in District 11.

Studied in the Capitol for her med degree before returning to the Districts to treat the people there. Travelled from district to district with her husband, and later son.

Was the muse to a good number of Ludius' paintings - in his paintings of a Venus, a Madonna etc. If you look close enough, she's the model.

Mother to Hector and passed when he was 7/8.

Given Dovecotes and their tendency to attract someone murderous or become the murderous one (ie. Cleopatra, Endymion...) I'd say she was the murderous one in the duo.

Yes, she is a doctor and there's the Hippocratic oath. But in Anise's eyes, this oath only applies to humans, and not scum on earth.

Scary thing is nobody suspects it, her 'charm' (that all Dovecotes descended from her inherit in addition to the already existing Dovecote charm) is pretty effective at casting away any suspicion. Besides, anyone who does dare accuse her of any crime is probably going to have to face off Ludius - he's a very good shot.

Oops, made them both a little murderous...

~~~~

Collection of all Dovecote family thoughts

[thefrankishprincess]

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝐶𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑦.

Celsa of Normandy, Princess of the Frankish Empire, is the only daughter of Princess Gisla and Rollo Lothbrok, better known as Rollo of Normandy, and the younger sister of William and Marcellus. Niece of Ragnar Lothbrok and cousin of Bjorn, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar. Like her siblings, she was raised under the strict supervision of her mother and in the Christian faith, and from an early age was raised to protect and build up the Frankish Empire, and to devote herself body and soul to it. Celsa was always more attentive than her older brother and heir to the throne William, and even as a little girl she was a mediator between her brothers and torn between them. Unlike her mother and William, Celsa always showed understanding and love for her brother Marcellus, and despite his hatred of the Vikings who rule her people, she stood by his side, always understanding both sides, and always contradicted her mother and William when it came to Marcellus and her father's Viking side. Celsa has always felt responsible for her brothers, cared for them and always had the well-being of the Frankish Empire in mind, sharp, controlled and with a brilliant mind and knowledge of what her people need, which is why she was always envied by William and took care of the country's affairs, why her opinion is always valued and heard and the only girl among the brothers knows how to assert herself. Unlike William and her Viking brother Marcellus, Celsa takes after her mother through and through. She does not allow her opinion to be imposed on her and voices hers exactly as she pleases, skillful and strong, knows she will get what she wants and is not afraid of her duties or of an enemy and can always assert herself with her strong will and masters the art of ruling even though she does not seek it and has a better view of the country, tactics, protection and negotiations. She inherits the fearless streak of a Viking from her father, fears no battle but faces it confidently, knows how to handle it and always knows how to spur and encourage her father's warriors with her words. Despite her gentle nature, the young princess is strong and self-confident, fearless and does not let herself be defeated. After her mother succumbs to the plague, Rollo gives the throne of the Frankish kingdom to his son William, who wants to get rid of Marcellus and Celsa, in whom he sees strong competition for the throne and in order to rule alone. In order to face her eldest brother, who succumbs to power and sees an enemy in everyone, and to tell Marcellus about the situation in the country and her mother, the brave princess travels to Kattegat on her own and without the protection and support of her father. ╰──╮Vikings. ╭──╯

[exaltedandpure]

Marlena Caya Hvitserksdóttir

The norse Queen of Scotland

"Scotland has one true ruler, Marlena Caya Hvitserksdóttir, Queen of Scots, daughter of Hvitserk and Caya Lothbrok, crowned on her wedding day and not appointed by the Pope, or the Almighty himself. But it is my duty, my from the gods given destiny and my crown! And I defend it from anyone who attempts to take it!"

"You're beautiful and clever and unpredictable. Like your mother, you know how to use your beauty and could have the whole world at your feet. You are aware of it, but you don't use it because other people are more important to you than you are. You are like your mother, a whirlwind but with a heart of gold. There's this fire inside of you that's the same as your mother's. You're a warrior, you know how to fight, but you prefer to use your wits to win wars. That's what makes you who you are, what makes you special." Hvitserk to his daughter.

Marlena Caya Hvitserksdóttir - Daughter of Hvitserk and Caya, younger sister of Illian and older sister of Ellinor, granddaughter of the two great men Ragnar and Flóki the Shipbuilder, niece of Xenia, Ivar, Ubbe and Bjorn and cousin of Vidar, Edda, Cailan, Iwan Ragnar and Leja. She's the wife of Vidar, her one and only true love and the mother of Ragnar Ivain, Lidija Marlene and Ranva Aleen. Passionate and balanced is what best describes Marlena, but she is also a headstrong woman. She proves to be a fearsome enemy to anyone who stands in her way. She is also a great ally as she always puts other people before herself. As a child, Marlena was described as very talkative and free with words, but in her youth she became stronger to stand up for what she believes in. She has grown into an independent woman who will do anything to protect the people she loves and her country. She is a warrior but she is also the romantic, both in equal parts. Many describe her as a truly remarkable woman, she is funny, charming, adventurous, wild and full of passion. Just like her mother, she has an unbridled fire, an unbreakable will and is often unpredictable, but like her mother, she is also an extremely intelligent young woman. She speaks various languages, she rides horses and she is good at hunting. Marlena has a close relationship with her brother, her cousin and her cousins ​​because she grew up with them. And an even stronger bond and relationship with her little sister, who she admires and loves deeply. Marcellus is her best friend, her guidance and the person she finds most support and comfort in, except for Edda who is not only her cousin, but her best friend. Family always comes first for her and she would defend and protect them with her own life without hesitation. Her father is her greatest hero, whom she loves more than anything else. Marlena also has a very close relationship with her uncle and her aunt, and loves them unconditionally. She is a real whirlwind with the heart of a Norse, a strong belief in the gods and the fate they have given her. Together with her family, including Edda, Vidar, Illian and Marcellus she was send to Scotland to meet the Scottish king and to marry him. After their marriage the king died, which made Marlena the new Queen of Scotland. She married Vidar, who is through their marriage the King of Scotland and together they have a son and two daughters.

Married to my one and only true love, my life, my heart, my happiness and my king,- @rebelheartedviking, mother of a beautiful and perfect little boy - Ragnar Ivain and two perfect and precious daughters - Lidija Marlene and Ranva Aleen.

[bjornironsidelothbrok]

Bjorn Lothbrok, better known as Bjorn Ironside is the firstborn son of Ragnar with his first wife Lagertha, a famous and great shieldmaiden. He is the half-brother of Hvitserk, Ivar, Ubbe and Sigurd and has a father-son like relationship with the Flóki, who is an old friend of Ragnar and Lagertha. He's the uncle of Vidar, Edda, Cailan, Iwan, Illian, Marlena and Ellinor, the great uncle of Vidars and Marlenas son Ragnar and the cousin of Marcellus, who's now his brother too, after his mother adopted him, with whom he shares a deep connection and an unbreakable bond. He's the former king of Kattegat and lost the election for King of Norway to Harald. He is a descendant of Odin, as are his father and brothers. Bjorn is a great warrior in all respects, just like his father. As a young child he tries to keep his parents from fighting. He also wants to become a man in society so he can go on raids with his father and uncle. Norse society adheres to the belief that a “real man” is a killer, so Bjorn is eager for the chance to fight to prove his manhood. This is evident in how when he’s asked what a man does, his first answer is, “He fights.” Ragnar approves of this response, but nevertheless reminds him that they do more as well. At times, Bjorn seems to be the reasonable one in his family. Unlike his father, he appears to be much more in-tune with the emotions of those around him, which becomes even more apparent when he grows older. As an adult, Bjorn is Ragnar’s most trusted lieutenant and right-hand man. He shows extreme loyalty to Ragnar even after years of separation. With the death of Ragnar, Bjorn becomes arguably the most renowned Viking in Christendom aside from possibly his mother. The only person who is not frightened of him is Ivar, and even Ivar will later admit to Bishop Heahmund that he is a little scared of Bjorn. Like most Viking men, Bjorn yearns for glory on the battlefield and a place in Valhalla. He is passionate about fighting and eager to battle. He is a highly skilled warrior, even when he is young. He was strong enough to match Rollo in a drunken brawl and in his first battle is fast enough to get through without ever been struck. The true testament of Bjorn’s prowess as a warrior comes during his time alone in the wilderness. He survives for several months in the icy mountains, manages to track down and kill a bear with only a hatchet and knife, and outwits and overpowers a supposedly invincible Berserker who was sent to assassinate him. He calms down a bit after. Bjorn tends to be the most emotionally stable of the brothers. He is noticeably much more mellow and agreeable as an adult than he was as a child. Bjorn has a somewhat different personal code than most other Viking men. He refuses to rape women in raids or slaves. After his time living in the wilderness, Bjorn tends to act cold and distant to most people. While he still is a lot less willing than most Vikings to kill or throw away lives without need, he has definitely hardened since he was a kindly young adult. It’s clear that Bjorn doesn’t have his father’s intelligence or penchant for outside-the-box thinking. When he realizes that Ragnar doesn’t trust him to follow in his footsteps, this prompts Bjorn to strike out on his own and do some traveling to prove his worth to both himself and Ragnar. He takes great pride in his battle scars, bearskin cloak, and tattoos. His tattoos and hairstyle are clearly modelled after the ones Ragnar had in his younger years. Bjorn’s courage, deep devotion to his parents, and unshakeable code of honor are all similar to the personality of the god Baldr. He has been the new head of the family since his father's death and, like his father, sails under the Raven Banner.

[miasmultifandomdump]

I find the way the name Marcellus is used in The Originals fascinating. At one point when they're fighting Klaus uses it in a condescending way and Marcel asserts that his name is Marcel (perhaps because it means "little warrior"), but it seems that mostly when Klaus uses the name it's in a fond manner. When he's worried for him or sad at his misfortunes he always reverts to Marcellus. I think that's interesting.

[sceledrus-plays-regicide]

Prologue pt.1

TW: Needles, (off screen) medical gore and brain surgery, (mentioned) drug use

Featuring some other OCs from the Emperor's Children warband The Choir of Wounds

Word Count: 1320

Prologue pt.1

“I never had the luck to listen to his teachings in person.” Said the apothecary, as if assuring him with that, while testing the obviously non-standard trepan in his hand, its buzzing noises accompanying every word.

"That's quite relieving to hear. I would start running if you tell me Fabius Bile trained you." Sceledrus sat down on the operating chair as he spoke.

His nose and throat still irritated from whatever colorful smoke he inhaled yesterday. It left his voice dry and whispery, but the duelists told Sceledrus, when all of them were woken by a misfired ship-wide sonic blast, that he sounded more terrifying than before. I like your whispers, they must frighten the Imperial boys to death, said one of them, he forgot which one. Voluptuous, too, if you practice a little.

"But he did instruct the one who trained me for a while. I guess that made me part of the line of his legacy." Said the apothecary, turning to his neatly lined up tools on a table right behind Sceledrus.

“Legacy? The Spider’s not dead, Vespomin.” Said the swordsman who first invited Sceledrus to their ship back in a station near the ruins of Canticle City. He had no wish to further discuss the history and current state of their legion’s most celebrated Apothecary, though; Sceledrus could tell that he was just bored. The Emperor’s Children were always bored when they weren’t enthusiastically seeking joy for themselves. “I doubt if he could die at all.”

“Let’s just hope we’ll never need him,” said another swordsman. He stood in a corner by the open gate, wiping his deformed left gauntlet with a piece of cloth. Something pink and slimy covered his forearms when he arrived to see the operation, and he was instantly forbidden from stepping any closer into the Apothecarion.

Sceledrus had heard of him before, Battle-Brother Mettius, during the time of the Great Heresy, but he hadn’t gone by that name for millennia. He was renamed Marcellus the Beguiling Lacerator, the new name fashioned across his right pauldron in twirling silver runes. According to Marcellus, all the warriors of the Choir of Wounds did the same.

He and the two swordsmen laughed dryly at the joke, his thin patient gown rustling. One of the things Sceledrus liked the most was that a sense of humor hadn’t abandoned all boys after the Imperium turned them into weapons.

The apothecary, Vespomin, held a gloved hand to Sceledrus' forehead, muttering “Stay still,” while he applied cold liquid disinfectant on his scalp where a square-shaped pattern was drawn across the back of his head, in bright purple lines that marked where to cut him open, where to drill in deep.

Two cultist slaves had bathed him and shaved off his chin-length black hair a few hours ago (or so he presumed. He tried not to think too much about time in these warp-cursed nights), and he already missed having hair like his primarch did.

Sceledrus refrained from his chuckles and shifted to a more comfortable position in the operating chair, then kept still effortlessly. Behind him, the apothecary abruptly turned the lumens brighter above his head. His Nostraman eyes automatically fell shut.

“You look uptight, on edge, Scelley. Or is it just the lights?” The closer voice commented, its tone managed to be sharp and smooth at the same time, like that fine, serpentine sword clasped to his waist all the time.

Sceledrus opened his eyes again and squinted slightly at the light. He realized just then that he didn’t even know the first swordsman’s name. He wanted to shake his head but remembered Vespomin’s instruction just seconds ago. “Someone I just knew is about to drill my skull open, of course I’m tense.”

“Ow. You have no time to complain now, even if you don’t trust me.” Said Vespomin, pretending to be a little hurt. “And you’re already stupid for trusting any of us with this.”

"I don't trust--"

“No need to worry, love.” Marcellus half-yelled from across the room before Sceledrus could say anything, “Apothecary Vespomin is proficient. He told me I was going to lose every nerve in this hand when he saw my wound that time, but he fixed them all. My hand came back just as perfect as before.” He flexed his right hand and waved giddily, the loathsome pink fluid still shining in the crevices of his gauntlet. Marcellus looked down at his hands and the filthy cloth. “Oh, ignore the blood. A daemon tried to get into my body on my way here.”

They laughed again, including Sceledrus, but he tried to kept himself still.

Venting systems labored to keep the Second Apothecarion from getting ominously warm like the other parts of the Lash of the Princess, but still not as cold as inside the old ship that died with all of Sceledrus’ former warband. Sometimes he missed the freezing adamantium bones of that ship.

Without warning, a needle pierced his scalp near the back of one ear. The pain was nothing; Sceledrus didn’t even blink, but it was a strange sensation. Had he ever been injected with anesthetics in the back of his head? Never. It felt as if someone stuffed a piece of ice into a wound, but entirely bearable. He’d had much worse. Everyone in this room – everyone on this ship – had had much worse.

Vespomin swiftly pulled out the needle and started the second injection, the spot symmetrical to the first one on the left.

When the drug was still spreading from the tip of the needle into his flesh, another figure emerged from the gate. He strode inside to stand closer to the first swordsman – Sceledrus had to ask both of them their names, but not now. He knew he made a grave mistake, handing his health (and his life) over to a group of Emperor’s Children whose names he didn’t even know. But he never trusted them fully, right? And besides, he needed the help.

“Right on time. Could have been here earlier,” said the newcomer. Clad in the same purple and fleshy pink armor as his fellow brothers, the third swordsman constantly had a small smile on his face. He looked almost sorry.

Sceledrus wanted to nod but stopped himself in time, so he only grinned a little. Then, the needle was retracted from his skin.

“The numbing effect won’t last long, but a little pain is nothing for you, I believe?” Said Vespomin, ignoring the newcomer, and the other two warriors looked at him approvingly, eyebrows raised. “The human brain has no pain receptors in it, anyway.”

“Hmm.” Sceledrus agreed. He could smell the drug now, a sharp and metallic tang of cold chemicals.

“So, who is this? We have a little pet now?”

“He’s a son of the Eighth, and just as old as us. We pocketed him at some deserted post on Harmony, when the Noise Marines were off doing their business. We departed not long after.” Marcellus answered first.

He often forgot that the majority on this ship is Noise Marines. The swordsmen formed a circle by themselves, and got their own way to protect their ears while honing their skill to perfection with each other. They have their special indulgences as well.

"A surprise, really. This Sceledrus even heard of Marcellus and some others when we were at the siege." Said the other. "He was lucky our forces never met him on Terra. We would have turned such a tortured soul into a sip of wine."

“I hope I didn't miss much, then.” Jested the smiling one. “I was gone for a day, and you are getting him lobotomized?”

His two brothers giggled. “We got him naked, too.” Said Marcellus, joyously eyeing Sceledrus up and down. “Feast your eyes upon this scrawny soul-starved chiropteran, Kel.”

“I'm here for a surgery,” Sceledrus told him, “For the headaches. I've had enough.”

TBC

[littlelindyloo]

Marcel Gerard

[athanasius-symposium-of-writings]

Could you do a moon knight imagine where you leave them because you think that they had more in common with layla and still want her, and you find out you’re pregnant (twins) but don’t tell them and one day (maybe the twins could be like 2 years old) steven sees you with your little boy that looks like you but somebody says goodbye and the little boy yells out lators gators! and you try to deny he’s their child but then your little girl (marceline) comes out and she looks EXACTLY like them and maybe marc comes out and is like “i have been looking everywhere for you, but it’s worth the wait because you gave me 2 whole new reasons to love you’ and maybe jake looks at the kids and he’s like “i’m in love, let’s have more” i know it’s all over the place but i think it’s such a nice little fic where it goes from angsty to loved up

Not my best work but definitely did my best! Hope you like

Marc appreciated how realistic you are, how grounded you can be, and how once a decision is made you follow it through. That is who you are: a doer and realist, which is often good but in this case it has turned against you.

The boys, two of three, blamed themselves for not driving out those thoughts of doubt… They could not risk you being put in danger, they would never forgive themselves if you had gotten hurt because of them.

It was a mistake to keep at arm's length when it came to his extracurricular activities. Worst is how bad it must have looked for him (Steven too) to be talking with Layla for long hours. They are friends nothing more, but you saw only two exes getting close… Rightfully.

Late hours coming home. Jake once came home smelling like another woman's perfume.

You did not shout nor cry. Marc would have preferred a reaction rather than a smile and wishing him good luck with his marriage before leaving the flat. It was horrible! Steven was fronting trying to get you to listen to an outlandish but true story and how Lalya is just a friend.

"It's okay. Take care of her." You meant it too.

That was probably two to three years ago.

One of the worst three years of his life. You disconnect yourself from his life completely, you probably thought it was for the best so Marc and Steven could focus on Layla rather than an ex.

It hurt.

It hurt you a lot more when you found out you were pregnant two weeks after the breakup. God, you practiced over and over what to say and how to approach him but… You never did it. You took yourself by bootstraps and moved on, priorities shifted, you are going to be mom and make it fucking work!

And you did.

It was a learning process, a few stumbles, and a lot of humility; but you did it.

Two healthy kids. Twins, a boy and a girl.

You cannot believe the boys and you made such beautiful little humans.

Yeah, it was rough dealing with the heartbreak especially with how wacky hormones are during and after pregnancy. Still, you knew better not to wallow for now these little humans need every ounce of your attention and love.

The boy is named David, meaning beloved in Hebrew. He is a happy boy, quiet and prefers to watch others before attempting to interact. Reminds you of how you met Jake, he watched you and tried to learn about you interacting.

The girl is named by Marceline, meaning young warrior because of its relation to Marcellus, a Roman name. She is a ball of energy! Always trying to get into things she is not supposed to (like the tin of cookies your mother brings during the holidays), to asking a thousand questions to every answer to try to give. She likes to watch history documentaries (you used them to try to get them to sleep but she watches intensely).

Her brother is always close to her, she is always close to her brother; neither from the other. Nor ever far from you.

Today you took them to the park on a warm spring day. Soon it will be their fourth birthday and since your parents are planning the party (you know they are going all out on this as usual) you have time with them to enjoy some quality time.

You forgot this park is where Steven once took you for a picnic, the very thing you are doing right now. Watching your children play with the other children in this open part.

David comes over holding a flower he found, "For mama!" Proud of himself as you thank him and place a kiss on his sweaty forehead. "Later gators!" He has been obsessed with saying that after seeing it once on a kids' show. Steven used to say that.

"(Name)?"

You jump when you hear a familiar voice.

"Huh?" Standing up then turning to see… "Steven?"

"Stewn" Your son had not left to go back to playing when Steven showed up.

Steven looks over to see a shy boy hiding behind your leg, your son waves when you whisper he can say hi to him, Steven returns the wave while in shock.

"You… Congratulations!" You cringe for him on how pitched up that sounds, "He looks cute, just like his mother."

You both laugh awkwardly.

"Yeah, um."

"Who's the father?" The American accent causes you to look at the man in front of you again, you had not realized you were looking away.

"Marc." You take a deep breath before looking at your son, "Go play, mama has to talk to an old friend, kay?"

"Okay. Later gators!" Running off to play.

"He…" Marc is staring at your son, "Looks like you."

"I hope so, I put a lot of work in for nine months." You smile small, "How are you, Marc?"

"Can you tell me his name?"

You tense up. You do not want to tell him because you named your son David with Marc in mind.

"Sorry." He apologizes when he sees you doing your little tell when you get nervous.

"Mama! I'm Godzilla, rawr!" Bumping her small head against the back of her calves. "Rawr!"

"Hah, sorry, kids." When you turn and kneel down to speak with Marceline. It was like looking in a mirror, sort of, she has his baby face but your eyes. The boy had his eyes but your face.

"Bye mister! I'll eat your house later."

"Marcy, be nice. Haha, kids I'm I right–"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Shit. You sigh heavily. Marceline looked so much like Marc, that is undeniable.

"... You have Layla, Marc. I didn't… Want you to feel obligated to stay with me."

"Layla is my- our friend, nothing more." He looks hurt.

Bitter and jealous of Marc's wife though you know you really should not be, "You always were with her. Miss dates and coming home late." The list goes on and Marc, Steven, and Jake know it looked bad. "Listen, there's no hard feelings so–"

"I love you."

You flinch at those words, "Marc…"

"We love you."

You swear you will not cry. Not here nor around your kids.

"When you left… God, we wanted to explain everything, but you left! I've been looking all over for you—"

You give him a worried look.

"Not like that."

You chuckle at how embarrassed he looks, "Go on."

He does, for a long while talking and explaining everything that happened. Sitting down listening to them while keeping an eye on the kids, they never see this side of you nor did they ever think about it. With the trauma of his childhood… He fears messing up.

"Wow." Is all you can say. It sounds crazy, unbelievable level crazy; the only reason you can believe it is because there is often wild shit on the news about superheroes and crazy phenomenons. "So, you both really are friends… Damn, I really fucked up."

All those birthdays you thought about calling Marc or Steven, or maybe Jake to include them in the children's lives. The number of times you stopped yourself not wanting to be a house wrecker.

"Love," Steven holds your hand as your lip trembles, "Don't blame yourself." You lean towards his hand that cradles your face, sighing at warmth you missed for four years.

Yes, four whole long years, Steven and you kept a better track of time.

"I missed you so so much." Confessing, "I'm sorry. Truly sorry."

"Shh," You hug him, squeeze him close as you cry softly into his shoulder. "Hey, the brightside: we made those!" Steven is ecstatic about kids!

"A piece of you," Pulling back to pretend to grab a piece of you, "And a piece of us." Then gestures to himself, "Amazing."

You laugh, "Yeah, though I did the heavy work." Teasing.

"Let's make more," You jump when Jake kisses your neck, "Carñio."

"Not in front of the kids!" Playfully hitting Jake's chest.

God, you miss them all.

[babygirlkiki1016]

Home Sweet Home

Masterlist

Y/n's Pov-

"You haven't been yourself lately." Marcel confronted, sitting on the black leather sofa, staring at me like I was acting this way with no purpose.

"Normally your all chatty and bubbly, now your..." He waved his hand, gesturing to my curled figure by the ledge of the balcony. I sat there leaning on the cold metal bars watching as people walked the streets looking for something to buy while touring the town. The star lights lit up the city, it was like magic, I would always look up at the sky and it was just...amazing. Like a huge artwork but always moving. It was the only sight worth seeing these days, and the only thing I looked forward to.

I looked over at him with a hateful look, which didn't make him happy.

"What do you expect me to do? After what you have decided Marcel, I can no longer feel joy towards you or in this place we call home." Segregating the witches, punishing them for their nature was unacceptable. It hurt my heart knowing I couldn't save them and wasn't as powerful as I used to be. I was always being watched, except at night, that is the only time I have privacy anymore.

"This again?" He sighed, leaning forward with a frown on his face. Jane-Anne was caught doing ma- "

"She's a witch Marcel!" I abruptly sped over, making him go silent as I stood in front of him with rage flowing through my body. "Witches do magic! She lost her daughter because of you, if you had let the ceremony continue, they would all be alive but now you have screwed us all! This is why vampires shouldn't meddle with witch business, you undead bastards understand nothing!" I turned away shaking my head, tears springing to my eyes, I couldn't save her...Marcel had the upper hand, after he stopped the harvest, he demanded all witches stop using their magic, and that included me considering I didn't agree with the new rule. He stole my grimoire, which is tethered to my magic and if he eradicates it, my magic and every descendant's charm of my tribe will be gone.

"Then tell me, what would have happened if the harvest continued?"

"I have told you! The girls would be sacrificed and brought back with more magic than they had before. Now Davina is stuck with all 4 elements, and the ancestors despise her for disobeying her coven. "

"I get it the end will come but you're not an ancestral witch, you don't know how to use their magic. So, until you can give me evidence instead of words that this will happen, the witches and you will still be under my command understand?" He walked over, getting a little too close for my liking, and whispered. "And the next time you yell at me, I will make sure to burn that book."

"I used to think of you as my son Marcellus, but you've turned into him. I am very disappointed in you, little warrior." He stopped for a second, upset that I felt this way, but continued to walk out without another word. He didn't care about me anymore, or he did but didn't want to seem weak in front of his men. Soon he was out of sight, and when I knew he couldn't hear me I jumped off the balcony, I needed to find Sophie, maybe she will know what her sister was up to with the new spell she decided to sacrifice herself for. Unfortunately, Jane was publicly executed earlier today, before I could ask her anything. Was she trying to find Davina and finish the ritual? It's the only thing that makes sense as to why she would use magic. I sped down multiple dark alleys towards the cemetery when I heard a whoosh behind me, probably one of Marcel's guards trying to follow me. I stopped and quickly slipped into the shadows above, watching as the vampire searched the area for me.

"Y/n!!" I gasped at the man, Klaus...No it couldn't be him, it's not him, he wouldn't come back after all this time. We never went to another place twice, unless...Mikael was dead. "Where are you..." He silently sobbed running up to the other balconies across from my position trying to get a better view of where I was, he could find me if he tried hard enough. That's how I knew, he would know that I was hiding in the shadows. I was a witch as well as a vampire and shifter, I was called a tribrid though I wasn't born under the moon like Klaus was. I could shift into any animal as I pleased, but with Davina having the ability to see who does magic my abilities are limited. However, my disappearing skills came in handy when I wished to hide.

"Niklaus," Elijah called, appearing from out of nowhere, with a sudden look of care as he saw his brother's state. "What is it?"

"I saw her brother; I saw her running down the alley." Klaus pointed to the road below, "She was right here...and then she was gone." He looked above, in all dark places that would be a perfect pocket to slip into, but he didn't find me.

"Who?" Elijah began to search the street with his eyes, looking for any signs or sounds but yet could find none.

"Y/n." When Elijah heard my name he sighed and placed his hand on Klaus's shoulder. He didn't believe his brother, mostly because they thought I was dead.

"She's been gone for 300 years; I believe this town is making you see things. We never truly got to say goodbye-" Klaus pulled away shaking his head, denying Elijah's statement.

"I saw her, it was her Elijah, she was running somewhere. She was wearing modern clothes, her hair still white but all her clothing black. She sensed me; she's hiding watching us this very second-" Elijah grabbed Klaus by his shoulders shaking him to get him to understand.

"Brother enough! Listen..." They both stopped, using their hearing they listened for my breathing or a heartbeat. Elijah was trying to prove I was no longer alive but his eyes widened as they heard it.  They looked in my direction but I moved as they zipped over to my original spot. Could it be them? There was only one way to find out if it was Klaus, the song we made together on our wedding day, an ancient song.

"I'll swim and sail on savage seas..." I sang, zipping to another area as both of their heads shot up looking at the place I had originally been. "...with never the fear of drowning..." I moved again, and yet they followed my voice once more.

"If you would marry me..." Klaus finished the tune that we had made, we wanted to create a song yet neither of us could write songs that well, he quickly turned to his brother. "Believe me now?" I smiled and whistled moving again, they looked to my original spot and realized I wanted them to follow me. Every so often I would let out a whistle as the brothers ran after me, trying to find my exact location but I wouldn't let them get me so easily. Soon we arrived at the cemetery, and I hid behind a tomb, watching them as they entered but Klaus stopped. Why was Elijah allowed to enter but Klaus was not?

"Come in," I said and disappeared before Klaus could catch me, he sighed tired of my little game of hide and seek.

"Why do you hide in the shadows?" He asked waiting for me to appear but I did not, I stayed in my exact spot. Watching, waiting to see what they would do next. I whistled again and followed the sound of Sophie's breathing; she was nearby probably putting her sister to rest. When I entered the tomb, I spotted Sophie pacing the room, she stopped when she saw me.

"You were never going to tell me, were you?" I asked as Klaus and Elijah slowly walked towards me. They saw my white hair and knew it was me instantly. "Your sister brought them back to town, why?"

"We needed help Kiley, with your grimoire stolen we had no choice. "

"Your grimoire was stolen? "Elijah questioned, both of them knew how important it was. "By who?" He growled. 

"Marcel," I whispered, turning to face them and for the first time, my eyes met his, my beloveds. He reached out for me, caressing my cheek lightly, then suddenly he pulled me closer. Taking in my scent he cried, he missed me so much just as I missed him. I let my guard down and wrapped my arms around him taking him in.

Elijah watched us in silence like his heart was broken; I held out my hand for him, he took it with a smile but he still looked upset.

"Good your both here, I need your help." Sophie cuts in trying to get our attention, hesitantly we both pulled away but he kept his arm tightly around me. He looked deep into my eyes, memorizing my face after all these years. I could tell he had so many questions about how I was still alive and where I have been.

"Y/n perhaps you should leave..." Elijah tugged on my arm but my focus went to the brunette woman who was brought in, she was born under the moon.

"Y/n come." I looked to Eli who was desperately trying to get me to leave but Klaus pushed him away.

"I just got her back and you're already trying to take her away?" Klaus snarled standing in front of me protectively.

"Niklaus, you will see her in a little while. What is going to be said next is a...sensitive topic."

"Hayley is pregnant with Klaus's child." Sophie blurted trying to get things moving, I looked to Hayley, so this was his new lover...And she is with child? Elijah sighed but kept his eyes on me, and I was angry beyond words. I looked to my supposed husband who loved me, who still cared for me and promised to never lay with another even if he lost me.

"So, after all these years of me begging and pleading to you for a child, you impregnate someone else...not only that you...slept with another?" I pulled away from him, and the look on his face broke me, he didn't seem to care, he just...he said nothing. "I knew it...you denied it so many times but I knew it! You despised me! That's why you didn't want a child!" I cried out, he tried to explain saying he knew nothing, and grabbed my arm but I swung my right arm. Punching him right in the jaw, his head went to the side. Elijah tried to calm me but I shrugged off his hand and walked out crying all the way home.

~~~

"Im sorry this happened." Elijah appeared, looking at my small sniffling self on the balcony. "He didn't do it on purpose, nor does he despise you. As the witches explained it, his wolf side is still human, and Hayley being a wolf-"

"I know how it works," I whispered, sighing he sat down next to me, thinking of what to say.

"I know you're beyond angry, after so many years of wanting one and he refused...he still doesn't want one. And I know you'll hate me for this, but I need you to convince him to help. He will help you, but he wants the baby dead and Hayley he won't save them from the witches."

"She is not my problem Elijah, convince him yourself."

"He won't listen to me; he believes that if the baby dies you will forgive him for betraying you...If you do this for me, I will convince him to give you a child of your own-"

"Enough about it! He will never say yes! He will say no and I will never have the children I want that belongs to me. Instead, I'll be the stepmother to a child I despise..." I cried, he pulled me into his chest, rubbing my shoulder to make me feel better. He knew I was right, Klaus never wanted children, a sign of weakness he told me, a waste of time.

"Then I will give you a child of your own..." He replied, but once he realized what he said he desperately tried to change the topic. "You don't have to be a stepmother, no one asked you to take up that responsibility. All I ask is that you save this girl and her child, the witches will kill her if Klaus does not agree." I wanted to refuse, I wanted to say no and let the bitch die but it's not her fault that this happened. She probably didn't even know about me and the history I have with the original hybrid.

"I will talk to him, but after I save her and get my grimoire back...I am heading home." His eyes teared up, he knew what that meant, that I would never be coming back. I had frozen my world and left them all behind to marry a man I loved. Though I should have never turned my back on my tribe, nor should I have stolen their power. I was tired of this family, always being the one left behind, the number one plan. I was just a pawn to them, especially to Klaus.

"Of course, just don't tell Niklaus. He will be devastated and may go back on his word."

"...I promise." Hesitantly after the little chat with Elijah, I headed to the witches' quarter to find Klaus sitting on a bench leaned forward with his hands tangled together. His nose was bloody, I guess I had hit him harder than I thought. "Klaus." He shot up and walked towards me hoping that I came back to cave in like I normally did but I backed away this time.

"I didn't mean for this to happen..." He sniffled while stopping in his tracks, "I swear it, I didn't mean to get her pregnant! "

"Well, you did..." He looked down ashamed of what he had done. "And now you have to keep it, you have a responsibility."

"...You want me to keep it?" He wasn't surprised by my request; I've always wanted a small child of our own though he always denied me it. A weakness to the family with a thousand enemies, he was right of course but everyone was a weakness, a baby made no difference. "It'll be a liability to this family; would this child guarantee me power?  Can it protect our family?"

"Family is power, haven't you learned that already? After a thousand years of us constantly saving our family, we have always won. Everyone is a weakness in the family; a baby may be more fragile but there is not much difference. You are the original hybrid; we are the original family! We have all the power in the world, you have no excuse to not take this baby."

"People will come for us-" I sighed and with a fit of rage I slapped him across the face, making him go silent. He slowly looked back at me, surprised I had struck him again.

"No! They'll come for you! It's always been about you! Your always so worried about what will happen to you! So shut up get your head out of your ass and go protect the child that you made during your affair!" He was not happy, finally, I had the strength to stand up to him, I wasn't so innocent anymore. Ever since my grimoire had been stolen, I realized I had to become stronger and take a stand instead of being silent like I used to.

"Stop hitting me-"

"What? You'll shove me in a box? Put me away like the rest of your siblings, I'd like to see you try." I turned away, I was going to let him stand there and think about what I said but he grabbed my arm pulling me into his embrace.

"I would never hurt you...ever." I accepted it, and to be honest I didn't want to let go.

"I understand you're angry and feel betrayed, but as do I. How do I think I felt when I learned you were still alive- "

"And? That was one heartbreak, I've dealt with a thousand by you." He took a step back and shook his head. "I had to run for a thousand years because you begged me to marry you, I left my family behind for one I barely knew! I became this monster because of your mother! And then I asked for a child, a sign of weakness for the thousand enemies we have well who's fault is that Klaus!" Tears slipped down my skin, and never have I ever seen him so broken, so...speechless. "I didn't ask for this, I married you, but I didn't sign up for this nightmare of a life. Neither did that child, but I hope you give it a better life than I did, and maybe you'll keep your promise this time."

[meadow-of-rye]

Fancy/Posh Names

Girls

Adamina - Meaning: Child of the red earth

Araminta - Meaning: Prayer and protection

Cordelia - Meaning: Heart, daughter of the sea, jewel of the sea

Cosima - Meaning: Order, decency

Cressida - Meaning: Gold

Esmeralda - Meaning: Emerald

Mignonette - Meaning: Delicate, dainty

Octavia - Meaning: Eight

Olympia - Meaning: From Mount Olympus

Pandora - Meaning: All-gifted

Persephone - Meaning: Bringer of death

Sophronia - Meaning: Sensible, prudent

Boys

Alastair - Meaning: Defender of the people, defender of man

Aurelius - Meaning: The golden one

Aurelian - Meaning: Gold or golden

Caspian - Meaning: White

Cornelius - Meaning: Horn

Ferdinand - Meaning: Bold voyager

Hadrian - Meaning: Dark-haired

Ivo - Meaning: Yew wood, archer

Leonidas - Meaning: Son of a lion

Lorcan - Meaning: Little fierce one

Lysander - Meaning: Liberator

Magnus - Meaning: Great

Marcellus - Meaning: Young warrior

Willoughby - Meaning: Farm near the willows

[the-only-bax]

I will have a crush on this man till the day I die 😍❤️❤️

[whyisev]

-plops in- Tell us more about your vampire ocs? 👁

nnn I'm stuck between the desire to overshare and not wanting to clutter my mutuals' dash with vampires and their silly little politics so here's a brief rundown! Other content about them are under the tag #Chisdar Lore

Keiran

The Founder and former King of Chisdar -- the City of the Undead.

OP sorcerer, created Chisdar with his magic, but is just so lazy. Lazy bitch. Was crowned king but didn't exactly govern. Just sulked in his palace for like 1200 years.

So depressed and paranoid in Chisdar that he lost his mind in the end there.

Wants affection and respect but doesn't know how to get it. Resorted to violence and got assassinated for it. The City of Chisdar fell soon after his death.

Was resurrected centuries later but got a redemption arc thanks to his sweet bard boyfriend (Callon belonging to @veni-vedi-perivi) who also inherited half of his magic.

Now is just touch starved and stupid. Simping for Callon 24/7. Held hands once and immediately went "I will die for you."

Has a pet bunny whom he calls "Bunny."

Celosia

The General of Chisdar's army and Protectorate of City

A warrior-socialite who is also just a natural leader. Charismatic and generous. While Keiran sulked in the palace, Celosia put in the effort to know her people and gain their favor.

Follows rules established by honor and chivalry.

Loves nothing more than wine, fierce battles, and fiercer lovers. Would rather have a feast than a crown, but she still took up the responsibility of leadership and delivered excellent results.

Has a bit of a cult of personality around her.

Polyamorous monster fucker.

Gallant knight in shining armor. Absolute Greek hero. Admiration, power, respect, love, she's got it all.

Like a proper Greek hero, Celosia grew to have so much hubris that it led to her eventual down fall.

Marcellus

King Keiran's personal executioner.

A mutation during his turning process made Marcellus an extremely dangerous vampire. He was stronger and faster, but his bloodlust was far greater too. An absolute beast of a man. Would be on a murderous rampage 24/7 had Keiran not put him in collars and chained him with magic.

Swallows his food raw and whole (skin, blood, bones all included).

Everyone was scared to get eaten by Marcellus except Celosia who was too proud to know fear. She laughed and kicked him around in sparring and choked respect women juice down his throat. Later she became his only friend.

Brutally honest and brutally violent.

Celosia: The rules of hospitality state we need an invitation to enter their home.

Marcellus: *slams a whole tree down the roof and collapses the entire building* now they don't have a home let's go eat them.

Eranthe

Servant girl who cleaned up after Keiran and did his bidding because he fed her his sorcerer blood (which gave her temporary access to his magic).

Eranthe grew to be fairly meek and jumpy after stepping around Keiran so carefully to avoid his wrath especially later when he grew paranoid. She was so obedient and small in Keiran's eyes that she had the chance to assassinate him when he went mad.

Survival and prosperity are so central to Eranthe's motivation that she high key betrayed everyone she ever swore loyalty to.

Selah? Sold her out. Keiran? Stabbed him dead. The world can burn and dignity can yeet as long as Eranthe gets to keep her head on her neck and blood in her belly.

Bit of a leech. People hates her but she outlives them all.

Selah

A captain in Celosia's army, and the leading traitor of the Last Rebellion.

Honestly I made Selah on a whim because I was in an rp server. They were doing medieval fantasy, and I was like "Great I'll finally get to write a thirst trap lesbian vampire villainess with a cool sword haha" but then I accidentally shoved her too close to the lawful alignment, which prompted a redemption arc and then she became an elegant but justice orientated leader who talks fancy and goes on quests for vengeance from time to time due to unresolved trauma.

Ah well. She got to keep her cool sword

Are you really friends if she never threatened to kill u even once?

Wants (and also by Veni's courtesy now has) a girlfriend who not only can kick her ass but will do so upon request.

The vampire oc who started it all. Had Selah for about a year now but I still physically cannot settle on a design that felt right. A picrew rendered her better than I ever will so here:

would love to link the original picrew but it was taken down from the website. ;;

[xxsovereignsarayaxx]

A King Needs His Queen - The Originals

“True love is like playing chess the King may be the most important piece on the board however the Queen is the most powerful and dangerous as she performs more moves than any other. The Queen will always protect her King.” Word Count: 5054 Warnings: None Authors Note: For those who have read Elizabeth Mikealson - What If? Here is the original origins for Elizabeth. I’ve given this a lot of editing to make it worth the read and I wanted to give everyone an alternate view point. I hope you like it. I have up to chapter 4 written so I’ll be posting a new chapter everyday until that point. For those who enjoy my ‘Lizzie-Lijah’ fanfic don’t worry I am in the process of writing a new chapter. If you want to be tagged in this series please let me know <3 

True love is like playing chess. The King may be the most important piece on the board however the Queen is the most powerful, most dangerous as she performs more moves than any other. The Queen will always protect her King.

Being the wife to Niklaus Mikaelson was never an easy task, he was impulsive, rash, a temper which has a dangerously short fuse, competitive and many other things but the one thing he had going for him was a lovely irresistible puppy face. But one of the one things we loved nothing more was to sit back and have an intense game of chess why you may ask? Chess is a war game and currently we the Mikaelson family were stuck in the middle of one war between the witches, werewolves and vampires. And myself my husband and the rest of our family were not welcomed with open arms when we first arrived back in New Orleans. It didn't quite help due to the fact Niklaus was a hybrid and the very large statement he insisted on making when we returned home. I understood he was upset that Marcellus had continued Nik's empire without him but we were all under the illusion that he was dead, burned to ash. But the little warrior had survived the attack made by Mikael at the Opera House in 1919, I remember the events vividly and it still haunts me to this day the terror I had felt when I thought my family was going to die but we escaped by the skin of our teeth, Nik carried Rebekah out onto the street while I had received aid from Elijah we watched as the Opera building had lit up the cities dark evening night sky and from that moment we fled for our lives together as a family. After that dreadful night I was and never will be afraid of whatever enemy I will stand in front of because I know who stands behind me. Who will protect me as I will protect them. I promised Nik he would get his empire back at whatever cost because I too also shared his personality traits.

I remember when first stepped foot in New Orleans back in the 1800's we had made a name for ourselves and ended up getting very cozy with the Governor we ended up staying at his residence, it was a delightful place very elegant but Rebekah who I love so dear got a little too involved with Emil, the son of the Governor and one particular day Niklaus had killed him, another one of her lovers had bit the dust or should I say had a snapped neck, it wasn't the first time and surely wouldn't be the last but I did feel sorry for my sister-in-law at this rate she would never be able to have a suitor to settle down with if Nik carried on being the over-protective brother and so we attended the funeral of Emil it was a hard day for his remaining family as well as Rebekah I held her so close as she wept of my shoulder, her sorrows broke my heart. But Niklaus had really chosen the worst time to remove the lover from existence as we was the height of the summer season and I was sweating so profoundly in my dress. I encouraged Rebekah to start heading back to our temporary lodgings as I guided her down a quite dirt road accompanied by my husband and Elijah to see a young boy no more then 6 years old being whipped by a man on horse back. 

The cries of the young boy tugged on my hearts strings as I too wanted the chance to bare a child with my husband but because we were vampires we could not procreate but we sure as hell loved to try. But back to the matter at hand turns out we was not burying the only child of the Governor, it had turned out he had another son from a mother to whom he owned. I walked arm in arm with my husband, Rebekah on my other side, but as the whipping of the boy intensified so did the poor screams that left the child's mouth, Nik had ground to a halt and myself and his sister and brother also stopped in our tracks the funeral that was going on ahead of us continued without us. Niklaus just stood there and stared at the boy, but to be fair we all did, how anybody was able to treat a child to the manner were the real monsters of this world. The boy fell to his knees and took hold of one of the nearby apples that had fallen from one of the many apple trees and threw it with all his might at his attacker, the boy gave a look of courage as he stood up for himself panting because of his beating, without me noticing Nik had left our sides and started to move closer and closer to the situation in front of us. Elijah stood in complete silence while I continued to hold Rebekah and dried the tears that were flowing down her beautiful face.

The attacker on horseback and re-composed himself and began swinging his whip around for another session when Nik had interfered and grabbed another apple that was left on the floor and threw it with such force the man fell down dead from his horse, unfazed by what had happened. He then strode other to the boy who was on the dusty ground, as he fallen to his knees in pure agony. 

"What is your name?" Niklaus asked the boy. The boy looked shocked but not frightened with Nik's presence panting he replied.

"Don't got one, Momma wouldn't name me till I turned 10 case the fever took me. Then it took her." I un-linked my arms with Rebekah and left her in the care of her brother, I picked up my skirt and made my way over to the two males who were talking, I had a small smile on my face as I re-joined my husband and softly held on to his arm. The three of us just stood quietly when I carefully knelt down in front of the boy.

"Your a survivor, and survivors need names don't they Nik?" I said softly.

"Indeed they do" Niklaus replied as he also crouched down to join me.

"How about Marcellus?" Nik added.

"Marcellus?" The boy asked while he looked at the pair of us.

I nodded gently "It comes from Mars, the god of war and it means little warrior" I say to him.

I offer a hand to Marcellus and Niklaus held mine as we helped each other back to our feet, I dust myself down from the dirt that had collected while I was knelt on the ground. I turned my head back to Rebekah and Elijah who stood far back shock on their faces, Niklaus was acting very different too how he had been acting days well years prior instead of being reckless and indulging on the humans he was showing compassion.

Nik had decided to take Marcellus under his wing, I could tell that Nik saw himself in the boy as he too was beaten when he was a child. Niklaus was never fond to talk about his life when he was child and I was never one to push him, but the fragments I was told were from his siblings, I had been married to Niklaus for nearly 300 years, so I understood my husband very well to say the least.

During the 1500's I was the handmaiden to Anne Boleyn the second wife to Henry VIII, I was the handmaiden of Catherine of Aragon but after the divorce I was re-assigned to Lady Anne. Even though I was just her handmaiden we were very close. In April 1536 I became incredibly ill, I had been diagnosed with dysentery by the castle doctor. Days had passed I had taken a turn for the worst and I was on my death bed, it wasn't until then Lady Anne revealed her biggest secret. She in fact was a vampire and saved my life by turning me, a gruesome act really being fed the blood of a vampire and then the fastest act to the process done I had my neck snapped, it was quick and clean and that was it I was turned into one of her kind.

I was forever grateful that she saved my life but days after she was arrested and sent to the Tower of London with some people saying she was involved in witchcraft as I had made a remarkable recovery. Funny really they were right in the supernatural sense just wrong species.

After Anne was beheaded Henry had re-married, during that time was how I was introduced to the Mikaelson family a loving family a bit dysfunctional but loving non the less. I had grown close to them and being and a new vampire I had struggled with my blood lust, the castle being a busy place food was no shortage but my methods for feeding were not discrete at the best of times and I was sure to be found out, it was then I was taken into the care of the Niklaus and he siblings. At first we didn't see eye to eye and I spent my days with Rebekah or locked away as I hated what I had become. After moving around from place for years on end me and Nik grew closer and he personally taught me the perks of being a vampire, he explained that his family were the first vampires ever created, I was fascinated and was falling for him hard. But turns out Niklaus had fell for me the day he had met me and shortly after we was wed.

And that was how I married a Original vampire.

Over the course of my long life I have come to believe we are bound forever to those with whom we share blood or by name. And while we may not choose our family, that bond can be our greatest strength or our deepest regret. This is the unfortunate truth that has been my downfall for as long as I can re-call . And yet I'm starting to tell you my story as I lay desiccated by a witch in a coffin being hauled around the country in whatever decade this may be. While my so called husband flaunts around doing whatever he pleases. Being angry with him was the understatement of the century, I was livid and when I get out of this god-forsaken box I will rain hell on him. I admit I was no Original but I sure was stronger then the average vampire thanks to a very good witch friend of mine who cast a spell to make me just as strong as my husband and his siblings. I would not die from a stake to the heart and I could be daggered just like Niklaus had done to his brothers Finn and Kol. But as I lay here unable to help my remaining family I was forced to lay and wait for my time to rise once more to wreck havoc with my husband.

Present Day

The night is still young in the French Quarter of New Orleans, humans party in the streets and the soothing sound of jazz plays throughout the streets, laughter and enjoyment heard by all and yet Niklaus is stood on a balcony over-seeing the festivities when Elijah appears next to him out of nowhere.

"Evening Elijah" Niklaus greets his brother.

"Niklaus" Elijah responds bluntly.

"What an entirely un-welcomed surprise" Niklaus says with sarcasm.

"And what an entirely un-surpising welcome but do tell me Niklaus how long do you intend to keep Elizabeth confined to her coffin?" Elijah asks.

"Elizabeth will stay put until I say so" Niklaus says with a sneer.

"She has been confined for nearly 100 years, you are meant to be her husband Niklaus, but we have other matters to discuss, come with me" Elijah says.

Niklaus takes a step forward towards his brother and looks him dead in the eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, Elizabeth will be kept safe and hidden until I find out who is conspiring against me, against this family"

Elijah just stands there and straightens his tie "I believe I just found that out for you, but I warn you Niklaus once Elizabeth is freed she will not be pleased" Elijah warned.

And with that the two originals leave the balcony and through the busy streets of New Orleans to arrive at a cemetery, they head inside to a tomb to see some witches and another young girl present.

"No! It is impossible." Klaus had said shocked by what he saw in front of him.

To which Elijah replied "I said the same thing myself"

The two originals stood in front of  young werewolf called Hayley to whom was pregnant with a child, Niklaus being the father to said baby. So when Elijah had warned before that Elizabeth would not be pleased with the news he was not wrong.

"This is a lie! You are all lying. Vampires cannot procreate!" Niklaus had shouted to everyone in the tomb.

"We are aware that vampires cannot, what I would like to know is why you would betray your wife, you wife Niklaus! The one woman who always stood next to you in whatever plans you had devised. This will be like killing her when she finds out!" Elijah ranted at his brother.

Hayley looked at the two males, dumbfounded.

"But werewolves can, magic made you a vampire, but you were born a werewolf. You're the original hybrid, the first of your kind. And this pregnancy is one of nature's loopholes" The witch stood next to Hayley admitted.

"You've been with someone else, admit it!" Niklaus had turned and screamed at Hayley, he was about to take a step forward to be held back by his brother.

"Hey! I've spent days held captive in a freaking alligator bayou because they think that I'm carrying some magical miracle baby. Don't you think I would've fessed up if it wasn't yours" Hayley shouted back looking the hybrid square in the eyes.

"My sister gave her life to perform the spell she needed to confirm this pregnancy. Because of Jane-Anne's sacrifice, the lives of this girl and her baby are now controlled by us. We can keep them safe. Or we can kill them. If you don't help us take down Marcel, so help me Hayley won't live long enough to see her first maternity dress." The witch shouted.

"Wait? What?" Hayley stuttered.

"Enough of this nonsense, if you want Marcel dead, he's dead. I'll do it myself" Elijah said sternly. "No we can't not yet. We have a clear plan that we need to follow, and there are rules" The witch continued. Elijah looks over to his brother, who looks like his blood is boiling with rage.

"How dare you command me? Threaten me, with what you wrongfully perceive to be my weakness. This is a pathetic deception. I will not hear any more lies!" Niklaus rants.

"Niklaus! Listen!" Elijah shouts to his brother, after that silence fills the tomb, and the soft heartbeat of the baby that resides within Hayley can be heard. Niklaus looks at Hayley, towards the witches and then looks at his brother, he swallows and then clears his throat.

"Kill her and the baby" He says bluntly and turns to leave the cemetery into the night.

Elijah runs and catches up to his brother who had taken to running through the streets of the French Quarter, he grabs his brother. "Niklaus please" He says.

"It's a trick Elijah" Niklaus replies still angry with the news.

"No, brother its a consequence to your actions while Elizabeth has been absent from us but also a gift, its your chance, its our chance" Elijah starts.

"To what?" Niklaus interrupts. "To start over brother, take back everything we lost have lost, everything that was taken from us. Our parents came to despise us. Our family was ruined... We was ruined I mean for heavens sake you made a witch cast a desiccation spell on your wife and stored her in a box for the past 100 years. All you and Elizabeth have ever wanted was a family, all that we ever wanted was a family" Elijah told his brother.

"I will not be manipulated" Niklaus growls and turns away but Elijah vamp-speeds over to block his path not allowing his brother to run any further.

"So they are manipulating you. So what? With them, this girl and her child - your child might I add live" Elijah says trying to reason with his brother.

"I'm going to kill every last one of them" Niklaus threatens and shoves Elijah and turns away in the opposite direction but Elijah once again speeds over to block his brother once more.

"And then what? Then you return to Mystic Falls to resume your life without your wife as the hated one, as the evil hybrid? Free your wife or is it so important to you that people quake with fear at the sound of your name?" Elijah continues.

"People quake with fear because I have the power to make them afraid. What will this child offer me? Will it guarantee me power?" Niklaus argues.

"Family is power! Niklaus. Love, loyalty that's power, this is what you swore to another one thousand years ago, what you swore to Elizabeth almost 500 years ago, before life tore away what little humanity you had left, before ego, before anger, before paranoia created this person to keep their wife sealed away, someone I can barely even recognize as my own brother This is us! The Original family and we remain together always and forever. I am asking you to stay here, free Elizabeth from her slumber and I will help you, stand by you. I will be your brother. We will build a home here together. So save this girl. Save your child." Elijah pleads.

Elijah places a hand on Niklaus' shoulder, were his brother brings his own hand to Elijah's neck it was their own brotherly gesture, a sign where they showed each other how much they cared and loved one another. They look at each other and Niklaus just whispers

"No" and walks away leaving Elijah standing in the street.

Walking into New Orleans Elijah knew where his brother kept his wife hidden, he knew that the only person who stood a chance to get his brother to see reason would be Elizabeth, yes it would be dangerous for the werewolf, but in order to save the child, and his brother Elizabeth needed to be woken from her century long sleep. Finally arriving to where the coffin was stored he lifts the lid to see his sister in law peacefully asleep, he gently lifts her out and holds her tightly to his chest. There was a time before where feelings for Elizabeth were deep in his heart, but after she fell for his brother she was no longer seen as a love interest and was only seen as family, and Elijah being the noble family man that he is, he had swore to protect her as well.

Elijah had made his way back to the tomb where Hayley and the witches were talking. Elizabeth still in his arms he entered the tomb to just have everyone look at him as he interrupted a conversation.

"She can't, I'm not entirely sure I can, but the woman in my arms is our best bet. But now that your coven has drawn ire. I have a question, what prevents my brother from murdering you instead of cooperating?" Elijah asks with a smirk on his face.

"Who is the woman?" One of the witches ask.

"This here is Elizabeth Mikealson, Niklaus' wife and the only force I believe that can get him into submission. Unless you have a better alternative?" Elijah responds.

One of the witches takes a needle, and holds it up to Elijah and sticks the needle into her hand, pricking the skin drawing a drop of blood.

"Ow!" Hayley yelps and there is blood on her hand in the exact place where the witch had hurt herself.

"Hey what the hell!" Hayley shouted.

"The spell my sister performed, the one that got her killed? It wasn't just to confirm the pregnancy. It linked me to Hayley. So anything happens to me, happens to her which means her life in my hands. Klaus may not care about his own child, but its very clear what it already means to you. If I have to hurt Hayley, or worse to ensure that I have your attention, I will" The witch threatened.

Elijah looks at the witch with a smirk on his face. "You would dare threaten an Original?" He asked.

"I have nothing to lose" The witch replies and with that one sentence the smile was wiped of his face. He takes a few steps closer to the witches, Elizabeth still in his arms.

"You have until midnight to get Klaus to change his mind" The witch threatens once more.

"You have until midnight to awaken Elizabeth" Elijah responded gently placing his sister in law on the ground and left the tomb.

After the chanting of a spell cast by the witches I was awoken, the grey that once covered my skin slowly drained away, my eyes start to flutter open and my crystal blue eyes are met with the world. I slowly get up and runs a hand through my long black raven hair.

"Where am I?" I ask the crowd of witches.

"Your in New Orleans, Elijah wants you to find him its regarding your husband" A witch starts.

"My husband is a dead man walking, do you know what it is like to be kept in a coffin for a century?" I snap and with that I left the tomb, I was hungry and if I didn't get blood soon I would do some serious damage to something or someone. My long white dress drags along the floor, while I walked barefoot the cool concrete was welcomed to try and damper my fiery temper that was ever growing by the minute.

As I walked out of the cemetery I spotted a elderly couple, I approached them with a small smile and looked the man in the eyes.

"Don't be afraid" I said. And with that the veins under my eyes grew visible and my fangs bulged through my gums, as I pierced the neck of the elderly woman in front of me, her blood followed into my mouth and down my gullet I was so hungry but I was never a killer when I was feeding, I gently released from her and bit into my own wrist for her to drink my blood to heal her wound. I did the exact same with the man and I was feeling much better, I compelled them to forget me and wished them a safe journey home. It was now time to find my brother in law.

As I walked through the streets I heard loud music playing and the sound led me to a courtyard, I remembered this courtyard from years before this was our home but before I could enter I was whisked away up onto a balcony, from up here I could see vampires drinking and dancing the night away. Until I noticed one vampire in particular Marcellus the very boy we had raised ourselves, but also the very boy we all thought had died in 1919 all thanks to my twisted father in law. After what had happened I was shoved in a box for the next 100 or so years to rot.

"Elizabeth, I trust you found yourself here ok?" Elijah asked me.

"I did thank you brother, but enough small talk where is he Elijah? Where is Niklaus? Where is he so I can rip his heart out" I shouted

"Hush now my dear, we must watch" Elijah said calmly as he gestured down to the scene which was unfolding down below us.

"Hey man, where'd you run off to? Someones put you in a mood. What can I do?" Marcellus asked my husband.

"What you can do is tell me what this thing is that you have with the witches" Niklaus replied in a low voice, a voice he would use when he was displeased.

"We're back to that" Marcellus said in a bored flat tone" To which all my husband had said

"Yes, were back to that" Marcellus had taken a step towards Niklaus with his arms wide open

"You know I owe you everything I got, but I'm afraid I have to draw the line on this one. This is my business. I control the witches in my town. Let's just leave it at that" Marcellus had said.

And I felt outraged all of us were responsible for what he had here today, it wasn't his town! The town belonged to the Mikealson's not Marcullus Geraed.

"Your town?" I heard my husband shout.

"Damm straight" He replied.

I was again angry with the situation to which was in front of me, I gripped the railing and glared down at the vampires beneath me and Elijah, I felt a soothing hand run circles on my back and I was starting to feel calmer.

"Part of me is debating to go down there and start ripping out hearts, and tearing of heads Elijah" I hissed at him.

"I know, but its not time for you to reveal yourself just yet." He told me, still rubbing my back.

"That's funny, because when I left 100 years ago, you were just a pathetic little scrapper still trembling from the lashes of the whips of those who would keep you down, and now look at you master of your own domain, prince of the city. I'd like to know how" Niklaus boosted.

The music that was playing in the courtyard had stopped playing and all that could be heard now was the two vampires trying to have it off and the slow breathing from everybody else.

"Why? Jealous? Hey man I get it. Three hundred years ago, you helped build a backwater penal colony into something. You and your family started it, but then you all left, actually, you ran from it. I saw it through. Look around. Vampires rule this city now. I got rid of the werewolves. I even found a way to shut down the witches. The blood never stops flowing and the party never ends. You wanna pass on through? You wanna stay a while? Great. What's mine is yours, but it is mine. My home, my family, my rules." Marcellus says loud and proudly.

But he was down right wrong, this was our home and our family but the one thing that was certain is that everyone in my family played by my rules. "And if someone breaks those rules?" Niklaus asks.

"They die. Mercy is for the weak, You and Elizabeth taught me that, too. And I am not the prince of the Quarter, friend. I'm the king! Show me some respect" Marcellus shouted.

All is silent, down below us all is quite no one moved and when I turned to look at my brother he just looked on, his jawline tense and he didn't move a muscle. The wind had picked up a little and blew my hair around a little, as I brushed some behind my right ear I see my husband rush forwards to one of the other vampires that are present at the party, he bites him viciously in the neck and I was confused to as why, Nik was a vampire so biting another vampire was pointless...Unless he broke his cure that he had vowed to do years ago.

If that was the case my husband was what they call a hybrid, a being that had vampire and werewolf blood run through his veins and venom in his fangs, he truly was a force of nature. My thoughts were interrupted when Nik had said "Your friend will be dead by the weekend, which means I've broken one of your rules. And yet I cannot be killed. I am immortal. Who has the power friend?" My husband just stands in front of Marcellus, no more words are exchanged, Nik smiles at the crowd turns and leaves.

Myself and Elijah were still stood on the balcony as we watched Nik leave the mess he had caused. "So he finally broke his curse?" I ask him. Elijah nodded at me

"That he did, but that story is better told another day, come lets get you in the warm and cleaned up. We can worry about what Niklaus is doing tomorrow" Elijah held out his arm and led me to a hotel to where he had been staying and ran me a warm bath. I laid back in the large tub allowing the hot water to soothe my body, turns out being in a coffin for 100 years leads to more aches and pains then you can imagine. As I got out of the tub I wrapped a towel around my body, while I had been getting cleaned up Elijah had been on the phone talking to my dear sweet sister Rebekah. I quickly got changed into the spare clothes Elijah had kindly left out for me. After getting dressed, I re-joined Elijah to where he now ended his call. "How about getting some sleep my dear? It's been an eventful few hours for you" Elijah suggested. I looked at him but I didn't wish to pry, I did feel exhausted even though I have been asleep for the past century, I complied with him and padded over and gave Elijah a long hug and kiss on the cheek. Once we had broken the hug, Elijah had pulled me back to kiss my forehead.

"Niklaus does love you, Elizabeth always and forever"

[killerkol]

[ WOLFGANG NOVOGRATZ, CIS MALE , HE/HIM ] hey, isn’t that KOL MIKAELSON ? you know, that 24 / 1000+ year old ORIGINAL VAMPIRE. i’ve heard they are UNEMPLOYED, which means they must know what’s going on in this town, right ? anyways, i’ve heard they’re looking to GET UNDAGGERED AND WREAK HAVOC in beacon falls. don’t tell anyone, but they’re AWARE of the supernatural. you can’t miss them — they’ll remind you of BLOODY HANDS LIGHTING A CIGARETTE, AN IMMENSE SENSE OF LONGING FOR SOMETHING YOU ALREADY HAVE, NEVER BEING GOOD ENOUGH, RUNNING SO LONG YOU FORGET WHAT IT MEANS TO SETTLE DOWN, FEELING AS EMPTY AND HOLLOW INSIDE AS YOUR COFFIN.     

welcome to my feeble attempt to apply approximately seven seasons of mediocre characterization and justification into current kol, because nothing after season 3 is real anyway. we out here speeding up the process.

as a human:  wild, excitable, mama’s boy.  always striving to make his father proud.  the only of his siblings to truly tap into his magic, he was enthralled by esther’s abilities.  reveled in the power that being a witch gave him.  closest in both age and relationship to klaus and rebekah, the three of them essentially popped out one after the other.  looked up to elijah, even if they had little in common.  and even a thousand years ago, found finn to be an impossible stick in the mud.  he aspired to be a role model for henrik, like klaus and elijah were for him.  RIP henrik.  kol missed out on the tatia hype because he was chasing after a young warrior in their village.  keeping it on brand for an entire millennium.

the Big Bang™:  immediately disdainful of his newfound bloodlust when he realized he lost his magic.  discovered that violence and pain was as close as he would find to a replacement for the power he so desperately craved.

vampirism heightens emotions, and it was evident.  free-willed.  disobedient.  wild.  dark.  abandonment.  jealousy.  fear.  shame.  a fire blazing beyond control, the only solution is to let it burn itself out.  

literally as clever as the devil and twice as pretty, idk what else to tell you.

over the next 800 or so years he traveled the world.  when it was convenient he joined his siblings, and when their precious always and forever became too much to bear, he left.  outrunning mikael, learning about magic from witches of all cultures, getting daggered by klaus.  little mikaelson things.

in the 13th century, he was ordained by a monk.  if you need someone to officiate your wedding, he’s your guy!

over time, he learned how to and taught witches to create dark objects so he could essentially perform magic without actually having any magic.  catch him going on a grand video game quest to find these because they’re probably scattered around beacon falls

he hated marcellus, he hated that his siblings cared more for this newcomer than they cared for him.  too blinded by his rage to reflect on what part he might have played in that.

his violent, gory, sadistic antics were no more than a desperate cry for attention to his brothers and sister.  by the 1800s, blood and suffering was all he knew.

christmas, 1914.  bitter are the wars between brothers.  the one he once thought himself closest to became his greatest adversary.  kol wanted to neutralize his brother, retaliation for countless daggerings over the centuries, but he trusted too much for his own good.  rebekah, his own sister, ratted him out to klaus, and into the box kol went one final time.  his strategic mind got the better of him, and now he was paying the price:  a hundred year nap

SEASON ONE.

daggered!

SEASON TWO.

daggered 2:  still daggered!

SEASON THREE.

the bitch is back.

perhaps it’s a survival tactic learned from his prior daggered returns, but kol adapts to the modern world shockingly quickly.  

he learns that secrecy is a thousand times harder now.  but it’s subtlety, or back in the coffin he goes.

kol wants to be better, though.  his time in the box taught him a lesson.  and he longs to be a part of always and forever.

at least, that’s what he tells his siblings.  how much is true and how much is manipulation is beyond even kol.  after all, some men want to watch the world burn.

what matters now is that he’s alive.  and hearing how much power is contained within beacon falls, he’s sure that he can find a way to restore his magic.

plot wise????  idk he’s probably just.  helping klaus out of a skewed sense of loyalty, subtly plotting his own revenge, and generally just fucking about.  

[ginnyzero]

Writing Breathable Moments; What/Why

I’ve mentioned “breathable/ma/quiet” moments in the past and how the Dawn Warrior has very little of them and the Lone Prospect is chock full of them. But I don’t believe I’ve ever explained what that means.

So, what are “breathable/ma/quiet” moments? Is it anything like breathable cotton?

No. Not really.

Breathable moments in your manuscript are moments of rest for the reader. In the Japanese, this is called “ma.” Miyazaki explains these moments as being extra. They are the rests between action. It’s the backgrounds, the sighs, the little moments in time between beats in the story that convey time, space and who the character is.

Not everyone is a fan of these types of moments. They feel that the ‘breathing’ room in the story slows it down and delays the action. That these scenes have no purpose and need to be cut out entirely. This is a very Western and very modern contemporary type of thinking where everything is about speed and the bottom line and cutting things “to the bone.”

Books of all types have been reduced to pulp fiction penny dreadfuls rather than Dumas or Dickens who were paid by the word and so they really bloated their works to get more money. Then there is the High Fantasy Tolkien approach where the breathable space in the story is Tolkien either giving backstory like in the Ents or describing massive amounts of scenery. Or, there is the Brian Jacques approach where breathable moments are describing epic feasts and putting in funny songs.

Whether or not you find these moments of rest important really depends on your style of writing. How much do you care about character and relationship development? How much do you care about relaying the background and history of your world? How important is describing the setting of your story? Is there something going on in the culture of your people that’s important enough to show it rather than to summarize it?

Because breathable moments, the quiet moments are about showing the intimate details of your characters, your setting, and your world building. Depending on what your goal is for your story is going to necessitate whether or not you have these breathable moments in your work.

Tolkien was trying to write a history. He wasn’t telling an adventure tale. He was relaying/translating a historical document. It was important to him to tell the history of the world, of the Ents, and to expound upon the landscapes. Whereas, his contemporary, Lewis was writing an allegory for children about the Christian life. To him, the story was more important than the details and history of the world. So much so, that he only included tiny bits of history that were important in the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was only later in other books that we found out more about, say Jadis, and where she came from.

Are you a Tolkien or are you a Lewis?

Both types of storytelling are valid! It’s up to you as an author to decide how fast you want the action beats to proceed. Your story can be tight and fast and like an action movie in words. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Or your story can still be tight but punctuated with moments for viewers to relax. This could be more drama or art house or well, Spirited Away. Bang. Pause. Bang. Long Breathe. Bang. Bang. Pause. Bang. Bang. Bang. End. Or, the plot of your story can be conveyed with mostly breathable moments leading up to the final action. This is more maybe an adventure story or a thriller story type of set up. Maybe even horror.

Let me use different Urban Fantasy writers as examples. Kim Harrison and Patty Briggs have very little breathing room in their books. Patty Briggs writes books at about 110K words and Kim Harrison’s Hollow Series clocked in between 150K and 165K words. Kim Harrison usually put her biggest breathing moments at end of the book. Patty has a bad habit of even turning dates into major action sequences and cuts off any breathing before it really begins. Breathing room is more like a punch line. Most urban fantasy writers including Seanan Maguire, Faith Hunter, Jennifer Estep and Cassie Alexander all fall into the category (plus a few others I’ve read.) We are told these characters have friends and hobbies and lives outside of their job, but we’re never really given a chance to see them do more than ‘finger their shell collection.’ (I think that’s a Cat Adams example.) We “know” the characters, but at the same time, we don’t because we’re never given that breathing space where they aren’t about to be pushed off the edge of a volcano all the time. It’s all quips and punches but no long walks on the beach and banter with their friends.

Jim Butcher puts a moderate amount of breathing room in his books. Whether or not this is a good thing is debatable. Harry Dresden’s investigations don’t always involve a lot of explosions right off the bat. He is a private eye and this does involve some tedious things like “talking to people.” Harry isn’t completely without friends. He just tends to avoid them for months at a time until he’s got three days to save the world and then suddenly he needs them again. But at least we know that Harry walks his dog and spends time playing DnD with the Werewolves. Because we see it. Laurell K. Hamilton also has a moderate amount of breathing room in her books. Most of it is taken up with sex! Rachel Caine is also a good example. Occasionally, she drives her car real fast, manages to get a tan, and goes shopping.

The urban fantasy/dark fantasy writer with the most breathing room that I’ve read is Anne Bishop. Anne Bishop makes the characters and their relationships the heart of her story and the plot is moved forward more by what the characters do rather than outside forces acting whether the characters like it or not. For instance, in the Others series, the main character runs away and the villains are trying to reclaim her. She is learning how to live life as a normal person and hold down a job interacting with species that are in no way human. And these non-human creatures (who can look human) do everything they can to protect her and that is the story. So, there are long stretches of the book that is her learning her limits and how to do things like drive a golf cart. The characters and the culture is what makes the story enthralling. (And, yeah, you don’t want her to go back to the villains either. You’re rooting for her to remain free.)

You as a reader or writer have to decide what category you fit into. I’m more of a Jim Butcher/Anne Bishop preference type of reader/writer. I liked Kim Harrison well enough because there was enough words put into the book that I could sink my teeth into the world even if there wasn’t a lot of quiet moments. It was the fact the character never seemed to learn anything and became super special important that put me off The Hollows Series.

Now, back to my own books. In the Dawn Series, there isn’t a lot of breathable moments. I have Roxana and Marcellus go on a date. There is some teasing all around and at the end I have a wedding because there has to be a wedding. (Is it Roxana and Marcellus? I’m not telling you!) But honestly, the book goes from one action beat to the next with very little pause. It’s not a history. It’s an adventure story about a Princess trying to evade her curse. It doesn’t need a lot of history or explaining or paragraphs of ogling the scenery. None of that is important.

On the other hand, Tales of the Heaven’s Heathens MC, while not a history, I’m trying to write about a culture. It’s a mix of biker culture and in this case werewolf culture. I created a werewolf society that lives within the veil hiding from the greater human society. They don’t necessarily think like humans or act like humans completely. I want to show this instead of telling it. The characters also take jobs, security jobs, and they can either step aside and let things happen or they can take action doing something about it. The books are very character driven in this aspect.

For instance, in the upcoming book, I have a chapter or so where Savannah takes Gideon shopping. Now, I could just say that Gideon hates clothes shopping and be done with it. But Jasper is “special” and they don’t have department stores, so Savannah is being nice and taking him to where he needs to go to buy clothes. But that’s still not the point of the scene, the point of the scene is to compare and contrast Savannah and Gideon and their werewolf states of mind. I want to show the difference in how they’re handling being attracted to each other and resisting it. It’s part of the romance aspect of the book.

But for many people, many writers that type of scene would be redundant and be edited out because it has nothing to do with the main story of smugglers invading the Heathen’s territory. I agree. It doesn’t have much to do with that at all, except getting Gideon to look like a villain in leather pants.

Sometimes a girl just needs a boy to be in leather pants.

To me, the meat of the story in Heathen’s isn’t the explosions. It’s not the gun fights or car chases. It’s the people. It’s the families. It’s showing the relationships and how they work together for the good of the pack while still managing to have disagreements. (And it’s not as easy to write as you’d think because I’m going against years of ingrained prejudices about emotional labor. And I’m not a werewolf, I’m a human. I have to reorient my thoughts.)

It's also set in a future where the world has been reshaped by a war. The town they live in was built after the war to very specific codes. Eventually, we'll go to a huge city and I'll describe that too. That's breathable moments.

There are lots of readers (and publishers and agents) that really love books that are 100% action all of the time. They want books that are plot driven where the character is an afterthought rather than the instigator of the action. Which is fine. I get it. At the same time, there are those readers who like authors like Butcher and Bishop who put more ‘breathing’ space into their works. I think there is plenty of room for both.