the-light-to-my-dark

[the-light-to-my-dark]

Chapter 1 Now Up!

This is the second part of a series, and follows directly on from A Ravenwatch Party, so you should definitely start there if you haven't already read it.

Gwendis arrives at Arianne's home, wondering if she might take a trip with her to Blackreach. On the one hand, it is practical: a willing blood donor who already knows where Verandis is and can look after herself in danger. On the other hand...the recent lascivious party at Ravenwatch Castle stirred up a lot of feelings, and Arianne is just coming to terms with the idea that her attraction to both Gwendis and Verandis is not as platonic as she had been telling herself.

It should come as no surprise by now that the series is rated E for smut. I will be adding tags for specific scenes as and when they come up.

[the-light-to-my-dark]

Chapter 7 is up!

In which Arianne thinks, jumps to conclusions, is promptly proven wrong, jumps to entirely different conclusions and is proven wrong again. Meanwhile, the party starts living up to expectations.

(This is where I put my usual warning that the story does have smut. Unapologetic, luxuriously detailed smut. Eventually. Just so everyone is on the same page when they choose to clickthrough.)

[the-light-to-my-dark]

'Chapter' 6 is up!

It's a shorter chapter, which I thought was entirely unfair to make everyone wait a full week for and then another full week after that for the real chapter. (If you're new here - chapters usually go up every Sunday!)

In which Arianne nearly has a whole feeling about what just happened, but keeps that to herself.

(The whole fic and series is rated E for smutty reasons.)

[the-light-to-my-dark]

Chapter 5 is up!

In which Arianne finds the most comfortable chairs of her life, there is serious talk about the Ravenwatch and there is finally something that comes close to earning this fic the E rating it so definitely needs.

Fun fact, I somehow managed to associate Nine in the Afternoon (Panic! at the Disco) with this scene so hard that now every time I hear it I have a dopey grin and my wife knows exactly what I'm thinking about, which she usually acknowledges with a long-suffering sigh and a gentle ribbing. Don't ask me why, the vibe is a bit too upbeat for the scene, but something in:

Into a place where thoughts can bloom Into a room where it's nine in the afternoon And we know that it could be And we know that it should And you know that you feel it too

...just got to me, I guess!

[the-light-to-my-dark]

“The Bretons are nearly as fractious as their cousins the Nords, but their long tutelage under the Elves makes them open to the magical arts, rather than suspicious of them.”

–Excerpt from “Breton Style”, from a series of pamphlets on the major cultural styles of Tamriel

[the-light-to-my-dark]

I call upon the fan fic writing gods to bless you with the perseverance to finish one of your unfinished drafts. 

May your fingers dance along the letters upon your device with ease, may the devil of distraction stay far from you, and may your work not need much editing.

I pass this blessing upon every fan fic writer out there.

[the-light-to-my-dark]

↳ The Elder Scrolls Online : Crestshade, Rivenspire ReShade, 4K -  

[the-light-to-my-dark]

↳ The Elder Scrolls Online : The Gold Coast, Town of Anvil Dark Brotherhood

[the-light-to-my-dark]

My Wild Assumption of You Based on the ESO Boy You Crush On

Some of these make sense, some are just nonsensical but the vibe fits. If your boy didn’t make it on the list, I’ll make a part 2. 

Darien: You like solid and safe classics, like true vanilla ice cream or black evening gowns.

Razum-Dar: Warrior Cats kid. Or you’re a fan of the “there’s only one bed between you and your hot, infuriating bodyguard” trope. Either way, you used to read a lot, but you don’t much anymore.

Sai Sahan: You’re wild for the childhood friends to unrequited love to mutual pining to lovers trope. You also like the “one bed vs you and your bodyguard” trope, but you still read a lot.

Abnur Tharn: Sarcasm, wit, and merited arrogance goes a long way with you. You like to argue, and you don’t mind losing an argument.

King Kurog: No, you can’t fix him. Yes, we all wish we could. You probably saw those cartoons/shows as a kid where someone chains themselves to a tree to save the forest from becoming a parking lot or something and you decided you were going to do that specific thing. It hasn’t happened yet.

Chief Bazrag: You’re a people pleaser. The harder they are to please, the more satisfying when you win them over. You also want to be held, and honestly you deserve to be held.

Sotha Sil: You’re desperate to be the one person the unattainable and emotionally unavailable sad boy opens up to. You needed more attention growing up.

Vivec: You might’ve been a theater kid, but you were definitely involved in some wild theater kid scandal.

Divayth Fyr: You’re the same as the Tharn lovers, but you either played Morrowind first or you think mer are prettier than men (you’re right).

Ashur: Naryu was your type, but you weren’t attracted to women enough to crush on her. Or you’re crushing on both and hoping for two-for-one Morag Tong business deal.

Leythen: You like watching drama unfold like in telenovelas. You probably don’t start it, but you’re quick to grab the popcorn when you see it. You wanted to be privy of the Vivec lovers’ theater kid scandal, but you weren’t in the right crowd. You’re also a sucker for a good redemption arc.

Fennorian: You’re under 18 and you aren’t over Twilight.

Verandis Ravenwatch: You’re over 28 and you aren’t over Interview with a Vampire.

Rada al-Saran: You’re the best of the vampire lovers on this list. You’re either the sweetest, softest flower angel or you’re so hardcore, you could eat glass and not break a sweat.

Mannimarco: You had a casual Harry Potter phase and wanted to date Draco Malfoy. Or his dad.

Vanus Galerion: You had a violent Harry Potter phase and read all the books and the extra books and saw all the movies and knew all the best fanfictions and knew all the lore and the magic system and you wanted to be a wizard so bad you look out your window every moment wishing waiting wanting for your letter you look at every owl with hope and every rat with skepticism-

Za’ji: Warrior Cats kid. Or you’re probably a huge Disney fan and have been to Disney Land/World more than once. Your favorite Disney movie is probably one of the 90s ones.

Nahfahlaar: Eragon kid. Or his voice reverberated in your soul <3. You probably like the “I hate everyone but you” trope. You also probably wanted to redeem Alduin, or at least join him.

Any of the Daedric Princes: You saw the red flags, but red is your favorite color.

Rigurt the Brash: To say you like himbos is a given, but I also think you’re the type to break too easily when someone gives you puppy-dog eyes.

[the-light-to-my-dark]

Chapter 4 is up!

Wherein Fennorian is every socially awkward kid hanging out in the kitchen during a house party, Arianne learns of a salacious Ravenwatch bookclub and the guest of honour finally shows up to his own party!

(Usual disclaimer - this fic will get to its E rating. Smutty mcsmutterson. Does not remain PG-13. I will probably give a heads up in this fic for specific smutty sections but they're pretty plot integral, so skipping them will leave you a bit lost. Just so we're all on the same page: here there will be smut. In at least one other fic in the series, there is not much of a point warning for smut in specific chapters because virtually every chapter has it.)

[the-light-to-my-dark]

The Ravenwatch has a lot of rules, mostly to help them manage their condition. They're all rules Verandis found worked for himself and something he insists upon, something which the family has upheld. Some are adhered to a little more strictly than others, however.

Only feed from the willing. Or a villain. Obvious, though even this introduces grey areas - can someone truly be willing if they're being coerced with money? (This is partly why the servants at Castle Ravenwatch are treated so well - fairness in face of that power imbalance was a concern, if an unvoiced one, of Verandis, and he cares deeply for their wellbeing) And what precisely constitutes a villain? Being both the judge of someone's actions and their executioner is a difficult moral quandary to grapple with, and there is an obvious implicit bias involved when finding someone innocent means forgoing dinner.

Feed at the dinner table. The reason is simple - it helps keep everyone accountable to each other, and minimises the risk of serious harm if someone's control slips. It's an act that is out in the open, so they can ensure no one takes too much. It also helps minimise shame around their condition - while the source of food might be different, they can still be civilised and eat in a similar manor as they would have done as mortals.

Thank whoever feeds you. It's only polite to show gratitude for a favour, and thanking even the servants every single time you feed cements that it is a continuous ongoing negotiation of consent, which they are free to withdraw at any time, should they wish.

Not so much a rule as an agreement: there are occasions where the servants are unable to be fed from (such as illness or already having fed another recently) and in order to communicate this, they wear a necklace. It helps to reduce the amount of times a servant may need to refuse to be fed from, something which they of course can choose to do (consent isn't consent if they can't retract it) but most feel uncomfortable doing directly (despite the unconventionally good treatment of the servants, they are still servants and getting a wage for their service - directly refusing a request would be harshly punished in any other household and some of them have prior experience of this).

[the-light-to-my-dark]

Arianne Velain, An Introduction

(AKA my Vestige OC from this fic)

Arianne is a Breton sorceress. She prefers to tie up her hair for her own safety whenever a situation could potentially be dangerous (i.e. pretty much any time she so much as steps out her front door). Her travelling clothes are relatively plain and practical - light layers of linen tunic and leggings for the most part. She never saw much point in restricting her movement with armour - she had come long ago to a philosophy of 'kill it before it kills me', a strategy that involves slinging lightning magicka from a distance. (Fun fact: That's just DPS philosophy in a nutshell)

Arianne is ruled by her curiosity. She never could resist it, even when it led to being sacrificed. Being interested in obscure details with an open mind has come in useful on her travels - often ferreting out the truth of a situation just before it takes a turn for the worst. But she also can't help voicing the questions that spring to mind, even if it happens to be the worst possible time for them. (Fun fact: this was inspired by Verandis' exasperation at the Vestige constantly asking questions in the events leading up to Doomcrag!)

Coldharbour left its marks on her, ones she might never fully recover from. While she does her best now to carry on regardless, the ordeal of losing her soul, the repeated trips into Coldharbour and the struggle to end Molag Bal's schemes/reclaim her soul still give her nightmares and waking terrors. She also feels guilty that despite the repeated trips to Coldharbour and the many people she managed to liberate, she never found hide nor hair of Verandis there, and was unable to save him any sooner. (Fun fact: this OC can fit so much trauma inside her!)

Quick facts:

She spent a lot of her childhood in the saddle, often with her nose in a book.

She owns a small cottage in Fell's Run.

She likes solving problems for people. Or rather, she really can't leave a problem alone once she is aware of it. Even if the people experiencing the problem don't always appreciate the help.

Despite being adept with lightning magicka and can manage other simple spells from other schools, she's never managed to successfully learn a way of conjuring fire.

(Last fun fact - I chose to name her Arianne because I love a good pun in a character name. The root of the name in Welsh would be 'silver'. You could say Arianne is a vampire weakness...for at least two of them, anyway!)

[the-light-to-my-dark]

Misc. Headcanons about the other Ravenwatch ladies

Melina is mostly in love with the idea of being in love. Her enchanter hiring letters put this into more context - she latches onto any eligible man she meets, pretty much, and pines over them until she meets another. With that in mind, the fact that when you can meet her, most of her dialogue is about Fenn while he (never? Possibly once in passing? Anyone feel free to chime in and correct) doesn't mention her makes it seem like this is another passing interest and nothing serious.

Also on Melina: there is a public dungeon in High Isle (Spire of the Crimson Coin) where the quest boss (and presumably owner of the estate) is Bloodmage Cassel. Possibly a case of Cassel being a common surname (another one pops up in the Aldmeri main quest if you're interested) but given the focus on more eldritch/undead/necromantic things in the dungeon, I think that maybe Melina got turned as part of her father's experiments to try and become immortal. Could definitely see her with a few daddy issues after that.

Janeve being turned (if you spare her, which I assume you did) is eventually actually something of a relief for her. With her sister being a very religious zealot and her service in the local military, she's had a life of restricting herself. Becoming a vampire frees her from those obligations and gives her freedom that she didn't have as a mortal. She's able to pursue her own interests and develop as a person, with a support network who will happily encourage this.

Heloise masters her condition really quickly. Not even a headcanon, honestly, even when freshly turned she still has the presence of mind to keep others away. By the end of the Rivenspire Arc, she's able to join the gathering to name the new ruler of Rivenspire and stay around Fairfax without any difficulty. It's possibly because of the drive and discipline to be a healer - if so much of your life and identity had revolved around doing no harm, it's an ingrained habit and something to focus on. (This is also possibly why Fennorian has such a high level of control despite being relatively newly turned, too)

Pst! If you liked these headcanons, you might also like this series, which delves into all of these and more! /shameless self promotion

[the-light-to-my-dark]

On Verandis and Appearances

So, Verandis can appear mortal. Whether that's simply an Illusion spell (which would be relatively trivial given his magical experience) or an innate ability of his specific strain of vampirism is debatable but ultimately not super important. Either way, even after being tethered to the Dark Heart, he should still be able to do so. And he now has more reason to do so - his appearance is one of the first things he comments on (negatively - he does not like his new appearance) and it marks him out as different much more easily than his eyes.

The fact that he chooses not to, and strolls into a populated area to announce that he's still alive possibly indicates an unwillingness to hide anymore (or, you know, the writers just forgot he could. Or he forgot he could. But this interpretation is more poignant). The entire Markarth plotline was about uncovering and coming to terms with his dark past, and so much of his existence has been about carefully hiding the worst of himself - from the world, from his family, from the Vestige... Now he is forced to hide for very practical reasons but for his last 'public' appearance he is himself, no lies, no buffer, no plausible deniability. He is visibly 'other'.

Whether or not that was any writer's intention, it's a powerful message.

[the-light-to-my-dark]

A Breton Primer (circa 2E)

A collection of lore and headcanon I use for my ESO fanfiction.

Bretons as a race come from the interbreeding of the Direnni and the Nedic people they conquered. This gives them more innate magicka than other races of men, but obviously that distant past is a cultural source of shame/anger. (Lorebook for further reading)

(Headcanon) Verandis, as a noble Altmer who has ancestral lands in Rivenspire and is old enough to have seen this personally, was very likely part of the Direnni Clan in his mortal years. In any case, his current position as an Altmer noble in Breton lands is probably a sore point to many Breton nobles (possibly moreso than the vampirism, but I doubt anyone would openly admit that).

Culturally and technologically, Bretons are a mixture of a few different periods of IRL British/French history. (Disclaimer: I'm not a historian, I just live here) There's elements of Tudor architecture (C15th/16th) in towns, early medieval (C11th) ideas of chivalry and knighthood, platemail from (about C16th), some 'castles' which are more like French chateaus (C16th), some castles which are more like English fortifications (C12th), the political landscape and court structure of late Tudor/Elizabethan era Britain (late C16th). (Then of course, you have more modern attitudes towards sexuality and gender and the working classes - it's a fantasy world, you don't have to be entirely period accurate!) Generally, shooting for something that wouldn't seem out of place in the Tudor era seems safe, but there's a lot of flexibilty.

High Rock is really well positioned for exotic imports/trade routes. There are definitely shipping routes from Sentinel to Evermore - it's practically a purpose built channel. More adventurous sailing merchants would probably brave the route from Summerset (and even further afield like Falinesti) to Daggerfall if the money is right. Northpoint is probably less prosperous as a shipping point, as it mostly only serves shipping to Solitude and neither has particularly high-value goods to be worth the danger. Overland, Evermore to Chorral (via Craglorn) would be a good route to trade Cyrodilic goods...until the Three Banners War broke out, that is.

Underwear! I really couldn't find a good source for medieval underclothing (mostly because it's not the kind of thing you write down - people of the time would not have thought twice about their undergarments and wouldn't have thought it interesting enough to make a note of). Physical evidence of ordinary clothing is hard to come by, since it's worn to destruction (fabric was expensive) and even finer clothing that was cared for more doesn't stand up to hundreds of years of damp, decay and moths easily. I mostly cheat by using 'smallclothes' or 'underclothes' and refusing to elaborate further, but if you want to play it safe, there would probably be a thin cotton or linen shift underneath clothes (partly to save skin from scratchy woolen layers, partly for warmth). There is possibly a surviving medieval bra but historians are still debating that.

Indoor plumbing. Not likely. For most people, water would be drawn from a well or other sources. There's evidence that piped water exists (fountains and such) so particularly rich Bretons might have access to plumbed water inside their own home? But they also have servants to fetch water so probably not. I'll leave toilets to your imagination, since ESO seems to not have evidence of outhouses or nightsoil men and it's fiction - no one poops in fiction, anyway.

[the-light-to-my-dark]

Chapter 3 is up!

In which Arianne cannot help her curiosity and Adusa definitely knows what's going on here better than anyone else involved.

Also, Adusa is just a blast to write. Once you get the khajiiti vocal patterns down (and my first few attempts needed editing frequently because I'd automatically slip into 'I'!) it's a lot of fun. I definitely encourage anyone looking for a writing challenge to take your favorite khajiiti character out for an adventure and see what happens!

Note: this fic (and subsequent fics in the series) will eventually get pretty smutty. It's not there yet but I don't want anyone under any illusions that this will stay PG 13 for too much longer!

[the-light-to-my-dark]

The Elder Scrolls - The Gold Coast - Anvil