#regency cullen

[sapphirebunnyart]

                           "𝑰 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒔𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏...𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖." ----- A Cullen x Kayla drawing inspired by Pride & Prejudice and @inqyhawke 's Dragon Age Regency AU that lives rent free in my head 🥺💕 ----- Commissions are open, link in bio! See full wips by supporting me on my kofi membership for as little as $1 a month https://ko-fi.com/sapphireangelbunny

[faith-less-one]

Fic: So It's You (1 / 14)

First chapter of my new AU Brennan/Cass fic! Original series here.

Brennan

Great-Aunt Lucille’s balls had been the talk of the Ostwick social season for as long as he could remember (and for quite a while before that, of course).

He used to love spying on the dancing from the gallery above, until the nanny came looking for him and his siblings and cousins, and chased them all back to bed. For years, he’d been waiting for his mother to tell him that he was finally old enough to go downstairs.

Max – the eldest of the Trevelyan siblings, five years older than him – had first attended barely a week after he turned sixteen. The heir of the family, the future Bann Trevelyan. Preparing him for his future role and showing him off to all the other noble families. Showing everyone what a good job Father had done at raising him.

Evie – his one and only sister, three years older than him – had also been allowed to attend after she turned sixteen. Showing everyone what a good job Mother had done at raising her. To start getting those marriage proposals in. More engagements are offered at one of Great-Aunt Lucille’s parties than any other date on the calendar, perhaps excepting the Grand Tourney, as Evie had once told him. He can certainly see why.

So, when he turned sixteen at the beginning of the spring, he’d been terribly excited. Finally, this year, he would be able to stand in the ballroom instead of lying on the gallery floor above. Sample the tiny nibbly bits that Great-Aunt Lucille’s eccentric Orlesian chef created especially for the occasion. Drink some of the sparkly wine that she had specially imported. Even dance! He’d made a study the previous year of which ladies rarely – if ever – got asked, and he was determined to make sure that he danced with everyone who was sat in the corners of the room pretending that all they wanted to do was eat tiny nibbly bits and sip sparkly wine while actually desperately watching the dancing. Because he knew how that felt, being left out.

And then, before he knew it, it was the evening of the ball, and he’d learned all the fashionable dances, and studied up on current events so he might have interesting things to say to people, and he’d been given a new tunic to wear, and he…

…was terrified.

Read the rest on my AO3!

[kittynomsdeplume]

Wounded Pride

Summary: Cullen Rutherford, decorated Captain of the King’s Cavalry, has been dispatched to Kirkwall with the rest of his regiment. His Lieutenant, Carver Hawke, introduces Cullen to his wealthy cousin, Miss Solona Amell. Sparks fly and prideful tempers flare due to a grave misunderstanding. Despite that, neither of them can deny the passion they feel. Rating: Explicit Pairing: Cullen/Solona Amell Word Count: 13629

Preview:

Prologue

By 9:38 Dragon, the Tevinter Imperium had finally quelled a slave uprising on Seheron. Obsessed with the dream of reclaiming the Imperium’s ancient glory, Archon Davan turned his covetous eyes upon Southern Thedas.

Determined that his country would never again bow to tyrants, in the decades following the expulsion of Orlesian occupiers, King Maric of Ferelden had attempted to convince the city states of the Free Marches that an alliance would benefit them all. Only now are they finally ready to listen to reason.

To that end, Maric has sent a host of his best regiments north, to winter in Kirkwall and be ready to bolster their allies in what many now believe to be an inevitable conflict. Sure enough, as the weather warmed and the roads became hard, the drums of war began their ominous beat.

Continue reading at AO3

[gingerteaonthetardis]

wanna prompt me? go for it! my ask box is currently open.

what i will write for:

DW: timepetals in all* forms (nuwho and classic); doctorjackrose; rose x any companions who give off even an ounce of gay energy (bill, ace, charley, martha, clara, donna, idgaf i will write it); charleightrose (iykyk)

DWxTTOI: malcolm tucker x rose tyler (let's face it, none of you know what i'm on about with this one. but i live in hope.)

BTVS: spuffy

TXF: msr

TWILIGHT: bella x jacob; bella x paul; bella x really any of the wolves because tbh the cullens don't exist to me; bella x jessica

ORIGINAL STUFF: ???? (i will literally just spitball about the high context shit that lives rent free in my head. werewolf polycules, bisexuals in the underworld, regency dramas, girls who accidentally made god fall in love with them... like, it will truly just be Whatever I'm Thinking About Today. no idea why you'd want that, but it's an option.)

*with one exception—i do not currently take tentoorose prompts, as i've done a lot of them in the past and am honestly just burnt out. sorry, guys.

do i accept nsfw prompts? yes! if you want your fill to be nsfw, please be sure to include that in the ask! (if you specifically ask for something that is a squick or trigger for me, i might have to pass and i'll let you know, no hard feelings.)

do i write quickly? no! please be patient, i do this in my free time.

how long will the prompt fill be? depends on a variety of factors! how i'm doing mentally/physically, how much time i have, what i want the fic structure to be, how inspiring the prompt is... safe answer is more than 1k words, but less than 5k. (unless i go buck wild for some reason. it's happened before.)

do i only write shippy stuff? no! i accept prompts for platonic dynamics, though usually not for characters i write as a couple. (for example: platonic doctorrose would be... challenging for me and i'd prefer to write something else, but platonic rose and mickey? other friendships, canon or fanon? i can do!)

"i have a really specific prompt in mind, not something from the prompt lists you've shared. will you accept it?" if it's about the characters we both know and love, probably, yeah! send it and see!

"i have absolutely nothing in mind, but still want to prompt you...?" that's totally fine! here are some prompts for your perusal:

three words + a character/pairing

august prompts

october one word writing challenge

doctor x rose christmas prompts

a hundred assorted prompts

physical affection prompts

two characters + a prompt

blossoming romance prompts

"accidentally turned on" otp prompts

"i want to ask for a pairing/character you didn't include, though." for now, please don't (unless you are a treasured mutual and we've discussed this beforehand). there are plenty of wonderful writers in the world who might be better able to give you what you want!

finally, to read past prompts or other fics, check out my AO3! (there's no spuffy there, alas. but i'm trying to fix that...)

[dareactions]

i need u to know all i can think of is cullen bridgerton au.

im in my own personal hell of only thinking of dragon age in regency form

[troveofcmuses]

 Hello, welcome to Troveofcmuses!!!

My name is Feyre (she/her, 30+, pst). A selective independent multimuse that contains muses from A Song of Ice and Fire, House of the Dragon, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, Bridgerton, Grishaverse, TVD, The Originals, Sanditon, Twilight, Zodiac Academy, Into the Badlands, & Greek Mythology/Touch of Darkness. I also have two OCs from Harry Potter & ASOIAF/HOTD. Side note: I do not support JK Rowling!

Activity: Blog activity is low, but I am here working on stuff when I am able.

I am still working on my carrd (slow due to working on three). So in the meantime, my muses are listed below. If you have any questions, just reach out and ask--I would be happy to answer anything. For now, the only rules that need to be followed are: reblog from the source, no harassing for replies, and messages need to be on Discord. I will block people who break these rules...

places to find me: @brideofcdragons || @reclusiveduke

Sadly, I don't have a carrd yet, and most likely won't. This is a list of my muses, with some background.

ASOIAF: Jon Snow (book only; bisexual. fc: Timothee Chalamet) || Jorah Mormont ( book & show | Fc: Iain Glen; younger version Sam Heughan) || Missandei (books & show) || Robb Stark (show and book; bisexual) ||

HOTD: Rhaenyra Targaryen (book and show; bisexual) || Shiera Seastar (fc: Diane Kruger) ||

Bridgerton: Daphne Bridgerton (book & show) || Eloise Bridgerton (book & show; bisexual) || Kate Sharma/ Sheffield (book & show) || Lady Danbury (book & show) || Violet Bridgerton (book & show) || King George III (book & show) || Queen Charlotte (book & show) || Gareth St. Clair (book; fc: Henry Golding) ||

Grishaverse: Alina Starkov (book & show) || Inej Ghafa (book & show) ||Tolya Yul-Bataar (book & show) || (note: I have not read all of Shadow & Bone--I am on book 2. I also just started Six of Crows--a lot of background will be from the show and my own creation).

TVD: Stefan Salvatore (book & show) || Katherine Pierce (book & show; bisexual) || Bonnie Bennett (book & show)

The Originals: Elijah Mikaelson || Rebekah Mikaelson (bisexual) ||

Twilight: Alice Cullen (book & movie; bisexual) || Edward Cullen (book & movie; fc: Robert Pattinson or Douglas Booth depending on preference, regency era: Corey Mylchreest) || Bella Swan ( book & movie; fc: Abigail Cowen) ||Carlisle Cullen ( book & movie; fc: Matt Lanter) || Esme Cullen (book & movie; fc: Rachel Brosnahan) ||

ACOTAR: Nesta Archeron (fc: Imogen Poots) || Feyre Archeron (fc: Danielle Rose Russell) || Rhysand (fc: Toni Mahfud) || Cassian (fc Can Yaman) ||

Throne of Glass: Manon Blackbeak (fc: Nyane Lebajoa; bisexual) || Dorian Havilliard (Evans Nikopoulos) ||

Sanditon: Charlotte Heywood (book & show) || Alexander Colbourne (show) || Sidney Parker (book & show)

Greek Mythology/Touch of Darkness series: Persephone Rosi (fc: Holliday Grainger) || Hecate (fc: Olivia Cheng; bisexual) ||

The Witcher: Yennefer of Vengerberg (book, show, & videogame; bisexual) || Cirilla of Cintra/ Ciri (book, show, & videogame; bisexual) ||

Fourth Wing: Violet Sorrengail (fc: Kaya Scodelario) || Xaden Riorson (fc: Thomas Doherty) ||

Harry Potter/Hogwarts Legacy: Narcissa Black Malfoy (book & show; fc: Young Narcissa—Emilia Schule. Older Narcissa —Helen McCrory. ||

Wednesday: Wednesday Addams (bisexual)

Original Characters: Leyton Mormont (asoiaf/got; fc: Leo Suter. Background: Son of Jorah Mormont & Lynesse Hightower; sellsword). ||

Message me if you want more details about certain muses.

Drafts: ✨asks: ✨

[mrsvalbaker]

The Cullens left Forks in New Moon, and they headed up to Ithaca, New York, an upstate autumn paradise. What if Edward did go with them? He was starting his senior year where he meets the sarcastic and interesting, upbeat and melancholic cheerleader who just happens to be a witch. Lilith Elfman is the black swan the Odile, she's naturally seductive and hardly smiles and guards a heart easily bruised, Edward describes her beauty different than Bella's, instead of a sweet and innocent, regency beauty, Lilith's beauty is dark, mysterious, syballine, she is mystifying with a petite stature and hourglass figure with curves too developed for a typical high school student. Her chestnut hair is like glass, falling like a silk curtain down her back and a forehead hidden by perfectly trimmed bangs, her head is oval and painted with wide and very full lips that are naturally rosy colored but often glossed and outlined, her eyes are very catlike and hooded, taking on a rich and pure hazel shade, accompanied by long, sweeping dark lashes, and placed below suspicious and perfectly plucked eyebrows. Her nose is in the center and uniquely Slavic and haughty, her neck is long and swan-like despite her arms and legs being short, but those short legs come with strong and shapely thighs Edward couldn't help but notice. Her smell is right away a dead ringer of a witch, she has the earthy, sulfur, and sage scent but there was something more enticing, like peaches, rosewood, and hazelnut, and it disturbed Edward that for the first time there was no bloodlust just lust.

Lilith is often accompanied by her black cat familiar, Pyewacket, will he and Edward ever get along?

[delicatefade]

Hi Fade!

6) something you see in art a lot and love and enjoy

10) a blog (mutual or one you follow) that has made your fandom experience brighter

4) say something nice about a ship you don't ship (it can be another ship in your fandom, a mutual's OTP, etc)

🥰

6. something you see in art a lot and love and enjoy

Does it make me basic if I say the tarot-inspired OC art? It's a cool part of DAI and I love with fan artists put their own spin on it. Never too much dragon age tarot fan art!

10) a blog (mutual or one you follow) that has made your fandom experience brighter

Man, so many people! Obvs I got to shout out @bluewren for being so game in letting me write her OC Lex (who is the best).

Shout out to you, @nirikeehan, and @monocytogenes for being the most zoomed in to my OC and writing.

@mrslyncx is a new tumblr fandom friend that I really enjoy!

@hekaerges is another new friend and fave. So many people!

4) say something nice about a ship you don't ship (it can be another ship in your fandom, a mutual's OTP, etc)

This question is hard for me in the abstract. I have to read the ship as specifically written by an author to really connect with it. I enjoy your Rawke (Rose Trevelyan/Garrett Hawke), snippets I've read from @crackinglamb's Varric/Shae, @nirikeehan's Thalia/Cullen, etc.

In the abstract, as in character/character ships, I guess Hawke/Fenris interests me because I see Fenris as so very complicated wrt romance.

I also like regency stuff with Josephine. She is perfect for it.

[viscountessevie]

ARC/Reviews Masterlist

ARCs

Reviews can also be found on my StoryGraph

COMING SOON: Unladylike Rules of Attractions by Amita Murray In the highly anticipated sequel for Unladylike Lessons, comes Anya Marleigh's book! Anya is Lila Marleigh's second sister and the musically inclined heroine of this book. She is a court singer and sitar player in Queen Charlotte's royal court. Anya soon comes into a large inheritance which has her involved with the executor of her new fortune, Lord Damian Ashton. Lord Ashton's banter with her is the least of her problems when she becomes embroiled in a murder case.

2023 ARCs

Unladylike Lessons in Love by Amita Murray Release Date: 30th May 2023 A realistic historical women's fiction centred on a really cool Indian heroine who runs a gambling hall. The book gives a deep dive into the working class and immigrants of the Regency era with a side of romance

Clytemnestra's Bind by Susan C. Wilson Release Date: 15th June 2023 A Greek Tragedy in every sense of the word that will have you sobbing - a prequel to Clytemnestra's story in the Trojan War.

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales Release Date: 27th June 2023 A murder mystery set in the Regency era that's a parody of itself and the Austen-universe, so much so that you can match each character to their Austen counterpart. It has a side of romance with a dashing Indian detective.

An Upper West Side Story by Rachel Cullen Release Date: 6th July 2023 A modern chick-lit/coming of age for 20-somethings set in 2004 and follows a group of four neighbours whose lives intersect together in various ways.

I Do, I Don't by Joy Argento Release Date: 11th July 2023 A contemporary sapphic romance novel about a reality show producer and her programmer for the show who unexpectedly has to step in as a lead.

The Wrong Family by Ellery Kane Release Date: 30th August 2023 A mystery novel a 30-something orphan woman gets involved with a rich family in Lake Tahoe after trying to find her father. Things start to go awry as soon as she arrives and the family's fingers start pointing to her.

Roomates by Ola Tundun Release Date: 20th September 2023 A debut novel about a roommates to lovers pairing with a seemingly perfect girl whose life is really a mess and a playboy who has to change his ways when the perfect girl comes crashing into his apartment with an offer he can't refuse.

Hunt on Dark Water by Katee Robert Release Date: 7th November 2023 A contemporary romance novel set in the fantasy world of Threshold. Tensions rise between a witch named Evelyn and sea Captain Bowen as they journey across realms and find out secrets that have them questioning everything.

2024 ARCs

The Boyfriend Subscription by Steven Salvatore Release Date: 26th March 2024 A contemporary queer retelling of Pretty Woman involving Cole Vivien, the CEO of their version of OnlyFans and Teddy Hughes, a botanist who has lost both his husband and his business. The two meet on a fateful night in New York and come up with a proposition to be a faux couple to satisfy what they each need.

Reviews

Paused: The Dark Olympus by Katee Robert [Edited: 28th Dec 2023 - Paused indefinitely for the time being]

Stone Heart - Medusa/Calypso Neon Gods - Persephone/Hades Electric Idol - Psyche/Eros Wicked Beauty - Helen/Patroclus/Achilles Radiant Sin - Cassandra/Apollo

[threebooksoneplot]

Episode 11.5: "2Bio 2Horny" (Show Notes)

listen along here

Content warnings for discussions of genocide and anti-native racism:

00:35:32 — 00:37:05

1:32:10 — 1:33:59

[00:04:51] Lorenzo’s Oil (1992), plus an obituary for the real life Lorenzo Odone including some info on his condition, ALD

[00:05:38] Chris Fleming fan Susan Sarandon

[00:05:57] The “Susan Sarandon vampire movie” M mentions is The Hunger (1983)

[00:08:52] Buzzfeed proving our entire point about the Mr. Darcy Hand

[00:10:33] Emmett whenever Edward and Rosalie are fighting

[00:18:40] Edward, basically

[00:26:31] When Stephenie tries to tell us that “all” the Cullens would “give up anything to be human” 

[00:28:57]

[00:38:25]

[00:44:43] With You by Linkin Park and its inclusion in Stephenie Meyer’s og Twilight playlist

[00:47:39] Black licorice vs Sour Patch Kids

[00:49:50] Shannon (on the left) and G (on the right) with friends at the Santa Monica Pier

[00:54:07] Strap in, it's time to read through all of G’s “Bella's favorite books are just Stephenie Meyer’s favorite books” research receipts:

Whew. Didja get all that? Don't worry, she's got more.

[00:57:53] Note that Tooth and Claw is actually based on Victorian, not Regency era novels (but seriously guys, G's point still stands. The only functional difference as far as T&C’s setting goes is that trains exist)

[00:59:50] The Zane Grey book G tried (and failed) to read was The Light of Western Stars (1914)

[01:12:01] Who's excited for Bella's Book Club? Follow @bellasbookclub for updates and info on how to participate!

[01:14:47] M and G’s original DM conversation and rec lists of “alternate favorite books we would give to Bella to read instead (to fit her character better and/or fix her as a person)”

[01:15:34] Listen to Shannon’s music (as Maybe) here and here!

[01:20:01] More of Stephenie Meyer's official Twilight saga playlists

[01:20:18] Shannon’s Spotify playlist for Bella’s Music

[01:20:42] Why Joni Mitchell pulled her music from Spotify in Jan ’22

[01:42:49] Where to find M: on Tumblr and AO3!

Another suuuuuper long Show Notes! Thanks for reading/listening along y'all, and we hope we'll see you at Book Club in a few weeks ;;;)

[nirikeehan]

Good morning Niri! For the ask game:

🌤️

A favorite bit of dialog from one of your WIPs!

HI LUCKY THANKS

here's some banter between Thalia and Cullen in the next chapter of Temperance and Templars, my silly af Regency-inspired AU, where Cullen has been hired by the Trevelyans to be Thalia's personal templar guard, that I've left languishing for too long.

---

“If I could just master ice magic, it would be cold in a heartbeat. I could cool the whole house!”

“Easier said than done,” Cullen countered. The girl had big dreams about magic, he’d learned, most of which only vaguely lined up with reality. “The substance doesn’t contain the same elements as naturally occurring ice. It works best as a targeted attack. The energy you’d need to cool the house would be concentrated in a blast that could probably bring down a wall… or freeze someone to death, and leave the rest of the space unaffected.” 

Thalia let out a wistful sigh. “You’re so smart, Ser Cullen.” 

Cullen smiled in spite of himself. “I only seem so because you’ve never spoken to a real magic scholar.” 

They had reached a delicate peace since their confrontation earlier in the month; a small spark of respect had arisen between them. Cullen knew this was mostly because he must appear to her as a font of forbidden knowledge. He shouldn’t be encouraging what amounted to illegal magic use, but he was hoping gentle reinforcement might make her reconsider what the Circle had to offer her. 

“Well, maybe you can bring one here for me,” she quipped, smirking. 

“Above my pay grade, unfortunately.”

[pinayelf]

btw your cullen/immy regency au art absolutely gives me life. Like the pride and prejudice art? Amazing ❤️❤️❤️

thank you so much 🥺❤️ I appreciate hearing that cause it was very out of my comfort zone!!!

[kittynomsdeplume]

WIP Title Ask Game

thanks for the tag @cleverblackcat.

You know, I have a recollection of doing this game a couple of years back, and I daresay some of the WIP's in my folder remain the same as then 🫣

I'm going to mostly include new ones, and things that still frequently occupy my thoughts, otherwise I'd have to tag the entirety of Tumblr 😅.

Rules: reveal the titles of the documents in your WIP folder and tag as many people as there are documents. Let others ask questions about the ones that interest them and post snippets or explain the contents as you see fit!  

Yep, my WIP titles remain pretty basic. Got a few tentative titles, some placeholders, and then mostly just the pairing, because I would honestly forget titles anyway and not be able to find the fic I want to work on. Though I have started to sort my fics into sub-folders, by Exchanges/Events, One-Shots and Series. The Series are then further sorted by pairings, and that has certainly made it ALOT easier for me to find things. It was a nightmare before.

Blackwall and Ev Flowers Blackwall assorted Liddy Regency AU 2 Regency AU 3 Passing Notes Under Her Mask Post UHM Professor Cullen AU Solavellan Bathhouse Solavellan under the vallasdahlen Dread Wolf haunts you Solavellan oasis Mirror Thread Wolf Makes You… A Bespoke Tuxedo Lover’s Noose Sacred and Profane - Steampunk AU Fallen to Dust Chapel of luuurve Dorian and Fenris pt2 Wet Little Wolf Blackwall Recruitment Hawke to the Rescue Anders makes Hawke go BOOM Solas/cullen/lavellan Dread Wolf Take Me Ancient lovers Tworians Cullistair Dorian/Cullen Loghain Dark Ritual Cousland/Loghain Lions and Tigers and Bears Ali/Cullen/Trev Death Becomes Her

Tags under the cut:

@alyssalenko | @shanaraharlyah | @rosella-writes | @dreadfutures | @thedastrash | @retrowondergirl | @inquisitoracorn | @knuttydraws | @blackwallmancer | @inky-does-art | @kemvee | @charmcity-jess | @amarmeme | @spooky-daggers | @charlatron | @isk4649 | @plisuu | @jentrevellan | @pikapeppa | @melisusthewee | @morganlefaye79 | @sidhelives | @a-shakespearean-in-paris | @theluckywizard | @kalliesa | and anyone else that would like to go through their WIPS and feel the burning SHAAAAAAAME 🤣

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

4, 9, 25, 31

4. Are there any writers that inspire you?

Just about anything I read will inspire me in one way or another. In the course of writing When the Longing Returns I've directly taken inspiration from Angela Carter, Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell. The last was especially influential on Chapter 4.

9. Which Characters do you find difficult to write

So far I've only really written 5 characters (Erik, Christine, Raoul, Meg and Madame Giry) and none of them have been particularly challenging, because I've always known exactly what I want them to do in the scenes they're in. Like they all have their little challenges situationally.

With Erik my main concern is finding the right balance of self-confidence and self-loathing. I determined early on that i didn't believe ALW Erik to be defeatist--somehow he always manages to cling on to hope. So my gauge is "Does he sound too much like Edward Cullen in Midnight Sun? If yes, dial it back.

But I think I would say the one that will be most challenging in the future will be Madame Giry. And there it isn't so much not knowing how to write her, and more just finding difficulty in actually articulating it. There's some big scenes with her coming up one of which I wrote all the way back in Ch. 3 and its one of my favourite things I've written, but it was also quite challenging.

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

No so much side adventures, more like outtakes--scenes that take place in the universe of the fic birthday just don't fit the trajectory of the story. And they're mostly smutty.

31. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

Now are we talking OC's for a piece of media or Original characters for Original works?

If the latter, not really no. If the former, my OC for Twilight, Ada, is very near and dear to my heart, to the point where I have a whole side-blog for her (@crookdeclipses).

I have always had a self insert for Twilight, but when I first came up with her she was called Audrey and she was very thinly written. I just didn't have a good enough scope of knowledge or emotional experience to come up with a character that add anything to the Cullen family dynamic. She read kind of just there. So when I embraced the Twilight Renaissance, I decided to completely strip her down and rebuild her from scratch. Just about the only thing she retained from the I original incarnation is her hair colour and her car. Audrey Cullen became Adeliza Charlotte Wakefield Cullen (Ada for short). I placed her backstory in Regency England (as I was coming off of a major Jane Austen kick) with the basis of her vampire origin being what if Marianne Dashwood's story ended.... badly? Like, at the foot of a cliff badly?

That background grew to involve her fiancé disappearing in action during the Napoleanic Wars who she then discovers (after she becomes a vampire) was actually alive, and an obsessive vampire creator who's affection she was not ready to receive chasing her across Eurasia (this aspect of her story was added to explain the numerous vampire covens of OC's I came up with back when Breaking Dawn came out and International Vampires became an option). The obsessive vampire creator (he's called Jonathan) was an idea I had because I wanted to explore Stephenie Meyers concept of "vampires can only fall in love once". Namely what happens when you fall in love as a vampire and the object of your affection doesn't reciprocate. Things don't end well for poor Jonathan (my heart goes out to the poor guy. I really feel like I did him dirty.)

Her full backstory and various other details can be read here

Thank you for asking <3

[jentrevellan]

For my fellow regency/Bridgerton/Dragon Age fans ... you know who you are 😌

[authorellenmint]

New Chapter With Duke Rutherford -- I really need a damn title if this is going to keep going.

First Chapters

Second Chapter

Third Chapter

An inhuman groan peels from Cullen’s lips as he lowers his weary body into the steaming water. The old tin tub clangs as his backside sinks to the bottom, more water slopping over the side than he anticipated. Too many days trapped in his office and not enough in the field.

“Sir,” a lone voice calls from the sitting room to his sleeping chambers. “Do you think you will require my assistance?”

Sighing, Cullen tips his head back and says, “No James. I believe I can handle a bath.”

“I’m needed down at the southern wing of the estate, but if you think...”

“For god’s sake, Jim. I’m a grown man. I do not need to be coddled like a babe.” Cullen spits, weary of the constant groveling. He winces at his tone even if the anger feels right.

“Very good, Sir.” Only the sound of the door closing answers after that curt dismissal. No doubt the lower stairs would be gossiping about their brute of a Duke for that one.

Bunching his knees up, Cullen drags his head down below the soapy surface. Just before his face slips under the water, he pulls in a breath to embrace his submersion. The other officers had hazed him something awful when he appeared on deck, green as the algae. A true sailor, a man worthy of the salt, could hold his breath for at least four minutes underwater. Cullen trained his lungs every chance he could, even as he was expected to remain dry on deck. He never could last longer than three minutes before aching for air.

Concussions rattle around him, the explosions dampened by the water swarming around him. His tries to keep his eyes closed, salt already crusting over his lashes, when a hand pushes against his back. Cullen’s eyes open upon a lagoon of blood swirling like wet fog from the mass of bodies tumbling to the sea.

Gasping, he sits up fast in the bath, the jangled memories seeping off his body like nightmares come dawn. Some nights he turns to find it is his brother’s or father’s dismembered hand pressing against his back. Others, it’s the same nameless limb as from the Atlantic. The ghosts will not cease haunting him, the man entrusted to their care, the one who lost the battle but won the war. The dead care little if their sacrifice was warranted.

With both hands, Cullen massages across his temples, trying to worry away the unending cloud. To think, the day had begun rather delightfully. Caroline invited him a bowl on her lawn. He’d adored the game as a child, and often won quite a few tournaments as he aged. At first, it was relaxing to fall back to the familiar, Caroline directing him to the proper manners of the day, guiding him to who mattered and who was on the outs. For a time, he felt all of 17 again, uncertain about this nobility curse placed upon his head, but trusting that he’d somehow figure it out.

Then his knee twisted on a throw, the ball careening so wildly off course it looked more of a cannonball aiming to take out a leg. Cullen kept himself upright; a Duke rolling upon the ground in pain was undignified after all. But the reality crashed hard around him. He wasn’t a spotty youth savoring time in the sun, he was a broken man tricked by fate into the life he tried to run from. All his efforts to try and prove himself beyond the family title and all he got was a game leg and the same yoke as before.

Reaching for the end table, Cullen uncorks one of the medicine bottles. The stench reminds him of horses, not the animal itself, but something in the care needed to keeping them going. He’s not certain what’s in it, only that the doctor’s told him to rub it into his knee every other day for the pain.

Funny, he thinks to himself while loading up his palms and slathering the herbal oil over his knee. If he were a horse, they’d have put him down for such an injury. The musket ball wobbles under his skin as he rubs. It’d been trapped too dip for the doctors to remove before, but somehow in the year hence it moved. He often finds himself pressing against the ball, wringing it through a small pocket under his skin. While there is pain for such a move, it is nominal, and the feel oddly centers him while he sits in dull meetings.

No doubt a doctor would shout him stupid for such a folly, and be right to do it too. He should tend to himself, he is the last remaining head of the household now.

Cullen snarls at the thought and grows tired of the pruning around his fingers and toes. Grabbing both hands to the sides of the tub, he begins to rise -- when a searing pain pierces from his knee down the length of his calf. He crumbles to the water, his backside bounding against the bottom while curling over in agony. Water gurgles into his gaping mouth, but he barely notices, spraying it back out as he crumples deeper to try and wick away the pain.

“James? Hello?” His pride crumbles as Cullen realizes that he cannot escape the bath alone. “Is anyone out there?” Only crickets respond to the Duke’s command. Delightful. How else could he be humiliated today?

“Hello?”

No. No, no, it cannot be...

The door doesn’t open, but he hears her body press tighter to it as she asks, “My Lord, do you require assistance?”

The Governess is the only person near enough to hear him. “No!” he cries, his body blushing at the thought of her having to haul him from the briny depths. Of her delicate fingers swept over his arms, her shoulders providing a crutch below his helpless body.

“As you say,” she says, clearly put off by his dismissal.

“Wait,” he speaks, wounded by his own barbed tongue. Wait how? How can she possibly be of assistance? “I am...I require assistance,” Cullen admits, his face cringing at the thought. “I am trapped in the...bathtub.”

“Oh? Oh...” her eagerness to help slams into a wall as she realizes what that means.

“Perhaps you can fetch the Steward, or another man wandering the halls to...” he begins when the door swings open. On instinct, Cullen pulls his naked body deeper into the tub in order to disguise as much as he can. Lady Trevelyan walks in with her hands extended outward and a handkerchief knotted over her eyes.

When she bumps into a table, she leans to the right and gasps, “Can you guide me towards you? I’m not certain where I’m heading.”

“Forward,” he squeaks realizing that the woman is dead set on helping him. Which means she will have to touch him. The flush burns to a crisp across his entire body, Cullen boiling like a prawn in his own soup. “A little more closer,” his lips fumble as the woman glides into his bedchambers. She may not be able to see anything, but the fact she’s even willing to risk so much to help him is...confounding.

Her fingers slide first against the lip of the tub, then cup the back of his naked shoulder. As she gets a grip on his skin, her touch warm and gentle, she says, “Could you put my hands where you need them?”

The trust is nearly insurmountable, Cullen wondering what she’d do if he turns out to be a cad. But, as he wants to be free of this unending nightmare, he pulls her hand around to the other side of his shoulders. “Dip down, please,” he orders, his own wet hand gripping to her pretty dress. He had never noticed before how well it frames her chest or that the color harmonizes with her deep green eyes mercifully hidden behind her blindfold.

“Lift,” Cullen commands, both of them straining as he puts half of his weight on his undamaged leg, and the rest upon her. But she does not speak a word against it, Miss Trevelyan waiting patiently for her next step. Standing on one leg, Cullen stares out over the floor he must cross. Stepping over the tub requires him to slide her hand lower.

Mother Mary, forgive me for this. Wrapping his hand over the top of hers, Cullen pulls her hands down until it rests at the start of his waist. He pushes her fingers in, trying to tell her that she will have to grip against him no matter how much it might disgust her. But the Governess seems unsurprised. “Ready?” she whispers, and Cullen counts down. Once one is reached, her strength transfers to her arm and the pair haul him clean out of the tub and to the floor.

Quickly, he hobbles towards his bed and the long nightgown he knows can hide his shame. Even as the pair limp together in a childish three-legged race, he feels the flush pooling in his loins and growing more turgid with each step. That is not helping!

At the bed, he lunges free of the Governess, snatching up towels to envelope around his hips. All the while she remains poised, her hands cupped to her stomach as if she didn’t mind having to carry him. Cullen snarls to himself, “Foolish, impotent, having to be helped from the tub as if I am some child or the elderly.”

His fussing freezes when he feels her delicate fingertips glance against his back. They press to the linen he threw across him, but with his body yet wet it sticks tight. “We all have bad days, my Lord. It is not wrong to need help every now and again.”

“I...” he turns to the woman who trudged into his bedchambers even knowing he was without clothing all to help him. If any knew, if any heard of this, she could never escape such a scandal. Yet she didn’t even hesitate. Tipping his head down, Cullen confesses, “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”

“Pickles, most likely,” she says with a laugh bringing a smile to him as well. “Do you require anything else?”

“No, no, I’m...good evening, Miss Trevelyan.”

“To you as well,” she says with a bob of her head. Turning on a dime, she exits his bedchambers with her hands extended outward for guidance.

Unable to handle the shame of his bungle, Cullen avoids the Governess and all bodies of water for a day. Exhausted and weary, when he returns to his bedchambers, he’s shocked to find a rope attached to a pully system strung from his ceiling to the side of his empty tub.

“James?” he shouts to the Steward ordered to never leave his side. “What’s this?”

“Ah, Miss Trevelyan’s idea.”

“She put this in?” Cullen marvels tugging on the rope. The pull is clean and sturdy, the wheels oiled to not even whine.

“Yes, she said it was to assist you should you ever need help,” James explains with his back straight. No doubt the servants gossiped like wet hens over their Duke’s latest escapade.

Cullen bends down to inspect the knots on the sandbag to counter his weight. Strong, unbreakable. A sailor’s knot. “Miss Trevelyan, is she...?” he begins, before shaking the foolish thought off. Women weren’t sailors. And James stares in anticipation of a command. Blushing, Cullen finishes, “Thank her for me, and please reimburse her for her work designing this.”

“Of course, my Lord,” James says while bowing to take his leave.

“Miss Trevelyan,” Cullen whispers to himself, “you are an ocean of surprises.”