#one reason this ask took so long: tryna find my old version bc i was 99% sure id answered that question before

[vvardenfellcat]

6 and 21

6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?

I could’ve sworn I’ve answered this one before, but I can’t find it in my asks, so…maybe I didn’t?? Anyways.

Mostly affection. J’hasi was a little weird in comparison to the other kids in the tribe, but kids are curious and accepting generally at that age, so no worries. Some of the adults were a little ehh with him, but Sees put a stop to that fairly early. The first incident of rejection I can think of is when J’hasi first met Shadows, but that’s…sort of a weird thing altogether. During his enslavement, the others in bondage with him were caring towards him and Shadows, and thus J’hasi didn’t have incidents with rejection again until his second master bit it and he was left to the streets to fend for himself.

So…both?

—

21. What are your character’s manners like? What is their type of hero? Whom do they hate?

Answered! TL;DR he’s polite unless you’re rude to him, then fuck you, he likes Robin Hood/Grey Fox -esque heroes, and hates rich people that benefit off the backs of the poor.

[nikanndros]

Alright, so I have Ideas™ about a convoluted Moulin Rouge Laurent/Crime Lord Damen AU, so bear with me, bc I’m probably never going to write this.

Um, TW: Violence, prostitution, the Regent being gross via implied CSA (but I’ll try to go into minimal detail for that), anything else let me know oh but Laurent!Satine doesn’t die so there’s that at least. Also a warning bc this was written in the early hours and has not been proofread at all.

Okay, so I’m real into Dual plots, so we’ll start with Damen, who is in this crime empire of some sort, I don’t know a lot about organised crime but the Akielos family is a Big Deal. So they make most of their money from the usual stuff: ‘protection’, drugs, etc. but they also have a name in prostitution, but the high-class kind. Their escorts are perfectly trained and come in all shapes and sizes etc, and in return for giving their lives and bodies (and most of their earnings) to the Akielos Family, they get to choose their own customers. So it’s shady, but like, not as bad as it could be. youtried.jpg

Except, our boy Kastor isn’t happy with being swept to the side and Damen being the inheritor so he’s been trying to get a following of his own (and Jokaste is helping him, but more bc she’s one of the escorts and she knows beauty runs out eventually and she’s got to move up in the world or get thrown away eventually. And Damen won’t marry her, so yeah, Kastor). And then surprise! Theomedes dies suddenly and totally mysteriously like wow, he was so healthy, how did that happen? (Murder!!). 

And Kastor is all: Suprise, bitch! This is a coup @ Damen, but he manages to escape with his life bc Jokaste has feelings of remorse and gives the poor guy a hand. So then it’s like the Crime Family equivalent of a civil war, Kastor’s got half the territory loyal to him, Damen has the other half, shit is going down.

Anyway, so at this point, it’s basically just mayhem: Damen’s trying to reason w Kastor and keep things together, and Nikandros is like, “We need to expand our territory,” so they can beat Kastor and regain control. 

This leads Damen one night to Vere, the notorious burlesque club that happens to one of the places Damen wants to take over. 

(Now time for a readmore, bc this is just the prologue, baby, it’s time for Laurent’s story)

Laurent AKA The Starburst Prince is the Sparkling Diamond equivalent of Vere, he’s the dancer everyone comes to see, and he’s beautiful etc etc. 

His backstory is Laurent and Auguste got orphaned, and The Regent (as is his title in Vere, what a fucking loser) took them in and maneuvered Auguste into getting shipwrecked (but I can’t kill Auguste off bc I’m weak, so let’s say he’s off with Pirates having his own adventures and trying to make his way back home to his beloved baby brother). Anyway, the Regent is gross, and he raises Laurent in Vere, where’s he’s taught things like dancing and singing and seduction and awful things happen. But then Laurent turns sixteen and he’s too old for the Regent, so the Regent is like ‘time to earn a living as a dancer’, but Laurent being Laurent is like “uh, go fuck yourself, buddy, I’m out” EXCEPT(I am so sorry) The Regent is of course prepared for this and oh look, out of the goodness of his heart he’s adopted a ten year old orphan Nicaise, who Laurent probably befriended prior to this when sneaking out etc. and The Regent is like, ‘if you leave then Nicaise will be your replacement and I’ll have to train him like I trained you bc I’m a sick fuck’. So Laurent stays, and he dances, and he Plans.

Unfortunantely, Laurent is stunning and an amazing performer and he quickly becomes the most popular dancer. Which brings us to present day - Laurent is 19, Nicaise is still too young, and the Regent is like, “it’s past time for you to make your proper debut, Laurent” and is pretty much like, time to earn some real cash and fuck one of the rich regulars.

Alright, so it’s like a big thing!! The Starburst Prince is going to choose someone to ‘deflower’ him and obviously it’s like a jam packed night of dudes tryna flash their cash and get a look in with Laurent. This also happens to be the night that Damen is checking out the club, anonymously. 

Anyway, just imagine something kind of like the Sparkling Diamonds scene at the start of Moulin Rouge, Laurent does some hella performance, everyone is like fuck yeah!!! Damen is obviously the human equivalent of the heart eyes emoji. And then the Regent cuts in during one of the costume changes or whatever to inform Laurent that he needs to pick a particular guy in the audience who is filthy fucking rich, let’s make it Torveld.

Except. Except. After everything that has happened to him since he lost his parents and Auguste, all the loss of agency, his only friend getting used against him, and essentially becoming a pretty play thing for the Regent, Laurent had somehow actually thought The Regent would let Laurent choose whoever he wanted for this night (as long as the person was willing to pay enough). And now he’s absolutely furious in that way that makes him wanna be a little fucking reckless. 

So Laurent goes out there, takes a good fucking look around, and picks the most intimidating dude he can see out there - bc his uncle can hardly argue with a guy whose bicep is the side of his head - and that dude is Damen. (Who is trying to keep a low profile, jfc Laurent). 

Laurent chooses Damen and pulls him onto the dancefloor and Damen is just like ??? but also <3 <3 <3, (And Nikandros is off in a corner somewhere, sighing loudly, like ofc this would happen, sometimes he has nightmares where he’s just like drowning in a sea of blonde hair, get your fucking fetishy shit together Damen). And The Regent is like Mad As Fuck, but also pretending that this is fine. Torveld is like, cool whatever and finding someone else to catch his interest. This would probably be Erasmus, but also like, pal pick someone your own age.

Anyway, they dance and it’s v sensual but also v romantic, and Laurent is kind of shocked but in a good way because Damen is letting him lead and he’d kind of just assumed this brute of a man would immediately take control but no. And Damen has no idea whats actually going on, so the dance finishes and he just like, thanks Laurent and probably says something disgustingly earnest about how lovely Laurent is, like “Tonight, I will dread sleep with the knowledge that not even my wildest dreams could compare to this” idk I’m not Shakespeare.

and Laurent is like, uh no pal, you’re not sleeping tonight, i’ve just like publicly invited you back to my room, will that be cash or cheque??? And Damen is used to the whole Escorts can choose who they get with kind of thing, so he’s like, Yeah, down for this. So they go back to Laurent’s gaudy room that is essentially a gilded cage. And Laurent is like okay seduction time.

except this part he’s never actually done before, and he’s actually quite awkward, and he keeps going between like all charming and like overcompensating masculine posturing. Damen is just “are we about to have sex or are we about to fight??”

Damen’s not entirely inept though and “Have you ever done this before?”

Laurent: What did you think this being my debut night meant?

Damen: Are you nervous?

Laurent: Please, you don’t scare me.

And Laurent just, kisses him, and it’s like the most hostile kiss of Damen’s life, like Laurent is trying to prove that he’s not scared and that he’s like down to fight any time any place m8. But Damen kind of gently pulls back and “Wait, I don’t know your name?”

Laurent: Were you dropped on your head as a child? I’m the headliner, the Starburst Prince.    (except he says it like it means something hideous, he’s not bragging)

Damen: No, that’s a title, don’t you have a name?

Laurent: Does it really matter?

Damen: I’d like to know who you are. I’m Damen.

And Damen is so god damn gentle and earnest that Laurent finds himself saying his name without registering he’s even doing it, and then Damen is sitting down on a chaise with him - an appropriate distance away - and they end up talking and laughing and Damen finds Laurent’s under the bed novel collection and they discuss them, and maybe Damen rolls up his sleeves and ends up telling this fantastical tale on how he got the scar on his bicep. 

Then it’s truly into the night and their both leaning back on the lounge and smiling at each other, and Laurent: “I’m glad I chose you to come back with me tonight”

“Why did you pick me?”

And Laurent explains a very condensed version: he had to pick someone, the regent tried to make the choice for him, he got mad. but it’s enough for Damen to know that Laurent actually doesn’t want to be here, he has no choice. Damen gets up and “Thank you for tonight,” he says, “I enjoyed every moment.”

“You’re leaving?” Laurent asks. Part of him actually suspected Damen was trying to lure him into a false sense of security by being charming before he pounced and yet here he is: leaving.

“I’m more than happy to pay, still,” Damen says. “The company of your sharp tongue is worth every cent.”

((It’s a Moulin!Rouge AU, it’s allowed to be a bit schmoopy))

“Stay,” Laurent says. “I’m not adverse to spending an evening with you.”

“I don’t want anything that you don’t wholeheartedly want to give me.”

“I’ve never allowed myself to want much in this life,” Laurent says, “But...”

And he stands up, and he’s almost at a height with Damen, and all the years dancing have made Laurent broad shouldered and lightly muscled, and Damen is really seeing him. Not as a courtesan, but as young man, who is witty and fiery and sharp and strong, but also a little vulnerable. And this time Laurent kisses him and it’s gentler, softer.

“Don’t make me say it,” Laurent says, quietly. “Let me show you.” 

And then they bang, but like, romantically, and for purposes of the story they are both pretty darn in love by this point. And they spent the entire night together learning each other both mentally and physically, then it’s dawn, and Damen has to leave (Poor Nikandros is just waiting out the front of Vere, checking his watch and hating his life). And when Damen is at the door, Laurent puts a hand behind his neck and pulls him down, and just as their lips are about to meet, he says “Come back to me tonight,” and then he’s pushed Damen out and closed the door. 

....ANDDDDDD this is getting way longer than expected, so let’s call this the end of Part One, and I’ll work on Part Two tomorrow.