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#specially the red once married speaks so much abt him
florbe-triz · 7 months
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Catocala unijuga, the red once-married underwing moth.
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laughableillusions · 3 years
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Farkas Meets Neloth
((AN: I wrote this at like 2am last night and I thought it was funny, I proofread it a little but of you find any errors just ignore them)) ((Also idk if this is a bit out of character for Neloth, but mostly I think he’d be at least a bit curious abt the LDB romance choices bc of research abt the magical aspects of dragons or smth))
Lindir wasn’t expecting a manhandling interrogation when he floated up to the top of the Tel Mithryn tower, he almost tripped when the old wizard rushed up to him; berating him with questions as he held his chin in a tight grip. Poor Farkas, he could tell he was a bit overwhelmed. Then again, how many times in a Nord’s life does he float about in a giant mushroom tower?
“Well you seem fine to me, or at least you’re still exactly the same as when I last saw you…” Neloth sounded disappointed.
“I-I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner, I didn’t know you still needed m-“
“Who is this?” Neloth had now turned to Farkas, his yellow eyes narrowing as he eyed the Nord.
Lindir stammered, his protective instincts slamming right into him at the question.
“H-He…I-I got married remember?” Lindir managed, his charm automatically masking his nervousness.
Neloth’sbrow furrowed, he was ironically a few inches shorter than Farkas. But he examined as if he was some kind of strange insect, he walked around him looking him up and down. Farkas watching him stiffly, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
“Well, he certainly is quite the specimen.” Neloth concluded, halting back in front of the man.
Lindir was struck dumb. He didn’t know if he should be flattered or offended at the wizard’s remarks of his husband. I mean the approval of an old Telvanni Wizard was something to be proud of right?
Neloth didn’t seem to notice or care about Lindir’s reaction, only taking his hand and yanking Farkas’s face down to his level by the chin. He looked over him, turning his face this way and that, brow furrowed in concentration. The poor Nord only glanced fearfully at Lindir, awkwardly leaned down at the mercy of the dunmar. He knew better than to stop him at least, he trusted Lindir enough to know when to act and when to stay back. The half-elf knew how to charm and maneuver social situations as well as Farkas could hear a rabbit in the brush. So he would do what he did best, stand and be silent and wait until he felt it was safe enough to speak.
Lindir on the other hand was still caught up in his mind, he didn’t know if he should stop him or not. If he did he was half convinced he would be thrown down the long shaft of Tel Mithryn by Neloth if he protested. Usually if anyone even tried anything like that to Farkas they’d receive sharp consequences (be it verbal or otherwise). One could safely say Lindir was overprotective of his husband, he had the scars from multiple altercations to protect his honor to prove it. Farkas was no exception either, though he was long-cured of Lycanthropy. The possessive instinct to “protect his own” lingered, and it showed. There were many a man (and woman) who had the bruises to prove that too.
Neloth finally let go of Farkas’s chin, brushing the dust that had coated his face off his palms.
“Well, he doesn’t seem in any way special.” The old wizard half-sighed. “But I can see why you like this one, he is quite pretty if nothing else.”
Lindir flushed a deep red at that. His temper now flaring at the back-handed compliment. “This one” “specimen” “not special” it was all simply intolerable. He couldn’t allow any more of it. Farkas was probably the most special person in his life, and he wouldn’t have some old grouch determine his worth.
“How dare you speak to him like that!” Lindir shouted, his hands flying all about him. “Why do you care about who I marry?! It’s not any of your business anyway!”
Neloth didn’t even react to his tirade, which only fanned the flames of Lindir’s anger.
“You act like he’s not even a person while he’s standing right in front of you! How about you treat him like a normal person would and address him properly you wrinkly freak!”
Neloth gave the half-elf a sidelong glance of withering boredom. Sending Lindir sputtering uselessly for words and insults.
“Of course you’d say that, you’re his husband.”
Lindir let out a cry of complete and utter disgust, looking angrily at Farkas. The Nord met his eyes, obviously taking his look as a sign that ‘this was not okay, and he had to do something.’
“I think he married me for a reason other than just the way I look.” Farkas interjected firmly.
The look Neloth gave him silenced him instantly.
“Where did you find him anyway?” The wizard sounded like he was referring to a prize horse. “In Skyrim I know, but what province?”.
Lindir huffed.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself? He’s literally standing right in front of you.”
Neloth frowned, obviously he didn’t enjoy having Lindir be pouty with him. Not that he much cared for what Lindir felt, but it was much too noisy and it distracted him. But if it would shut him up, he supposed he would ask him.
He sighed annoyingly, turning back to Farkas.
“Where are you from?”
Farkas forced himself to look at him, he would hate to admit it, but the wizard scared him. He was always a bit wary when it came to magic, even when Lindir taught him some basic restoration spells he never really trusted it. But those countless burns he sustained from battles against mages, the fireballs shot straight at his face…it was enough to at least have some respect for the craft. He could never really picture going into battle without any sort of weapon, sure swinging a sword around took training. But even then anyone could pick up a sword and use it training or not.
Coming face to face with a master wizard, a wizard that probably studied his craft for more years than he had been alive; honed and perfected every spell so that even the twitch of his fingers would produce what he wanted. Farkas couldn’t fathom the ability this man had over magic, and it was awe-inspiring as well as terrifying.
Neloth was obviously getting annoyed from Farkas’s lack of answer. He could feel himself being read by the Nord, like those pale eyes tried to prod into him.
“Well?” Neloth barked.
Farkas blinked, glancing back at Lindir before pulling together an answer.
“Whiterun, Jorrvaskyr actually.” He choked out. “I-I’m with The Companions…”
Neloth nodded a bit thoughtfully.
“The Companions eh? As in the 100 companions of Ysgrammor...” He thought for a moment, looking Farkas up and down once again. “I suppose that means you’re his legacy hm?” He concluded.
Farkas decided to keep the obligatory Companion Value Lecture to himself, he only knew so much anyway, and didn’t care much for the history either. He just nodded, hoping it would appease the wizard.
It seemed to, and he finally turned away from him. Farkas let out a breath of relief, scooting closer to Lindir to try and recover himself. He didn’t know how much more of this interrogation he could take.
Lindir took his large hand and squeezed it, obviously feeling the same way.
“Well with that out of the way, what is it that you want?” Neloth now said, his back to them.
Lindir thought for a moment, he had gotten so carried away with protecting Farkas the reason for making this tedious trip had escaped him briefly.
“Oh right! Yes,” Lindir said, now completely composed once again. “I’m here about the black books?”
Neloth turned back to him, not even paying attention to the couple’s interlocked hands.
“I thought as much, now come…I have something to show you.” He said, already walking off and not waiting for either of them to catch up.
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rhodesmystery · 5 years
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Omgg I have so many questions abt Natasha but to begin with - 7,8, 16. 27 because I was always curious about her magic. And 29 - about that breakup... Sorry if it's too much and take as much time as you need, tbh I'd like to send you the whole list haha 🌸
YOU ARE TOO KIND and I am VERY embarrassed but thank you SO MUCH!!!!!!
7. Socioeconomic background – and how it affects their behaviour.
So, her family is pretty well off. Both sides. Her father’s side has sketchy kind of results of money, as no one can confirm or deny if they’re tied up with illegal business but they’re also involved with like advertising and music so who honestly knows. Natasha doesn’t question it, obviously, also because like the more she spends away from her dad and that home, it’s just not really her problem? At least that’s how she sees it (unfortunately). Does make travel easier for her though.
As for her mother’s side, the Urquhart family does well on their own, even without connections to other pureblood/halfblood families through marriages. The Urquhart family raises and trains Sainglens - which are slightly smaller Abraxans, with solid black coats similar to Friesians (I made them up for something ages ago but am still fond of them so they stay even though the idea doesnt count anymore lol). Even with like generous gifts from her grandparents on holidays and birthdays, Natasha was very comfortable.
In saying all that, it’s really obvious it does skew her kind of. Understanding. Of everything. Natasha can catch herself a lot before saying anything but sometimes it gets out. She can buy gifts, and eats well, dresses nice, in both muggle and wizard society. Can casually buy Charlie a new wand. She’s not quite that level of “what does one banana cost? $10?” but there are times when yeah, she lets the ball drop, and there’s a bit of ire. Money doesn’t buy her happiness, though. Aquila, her uncle, at least encourages regular donations and activities here and there to keep her grounded.
8. Their family house – how does it look like? What’s the interior like, is there garden outside? Trinkets, furniture, books? 
The Rhodes family home consists of an apartment in Manhattan, that’s honestly a little isolating and cold, plus the family manor that’s outside the city limits, that is older than most people, and makes Natasha feel out of sorts. Both of her rooms in those places are actually surprisingly sparse, with the bare minimum of clothes, maybe a few plants, blue sheets on her bed. The walls have clear discolouration from posters being taken down, and some chips in the paint because of blutack. 
The Urquhart manor is pretty much her home. Her room is bright yellow and open windows with a squishy old armchair in the corner that belonged to her great great grandmother. There’s a few bookcases shoved up against the walls, the red wood clashing with the white vanity sitting next to it, that’s covered in beaded jewellery and stickers and photos that are laughing and dancing. There’s a footstool that Natasha is pretty sure walks on it’s on when she’s not looking, and she’s got her posters there now, papering one whole wall. Stuff is hanging and there’s paper cranes flying around her ceiling and there’s so many little things to find, from the crystal ball to the little dog figurine to several brooms and exactly twelve pairs of odd socks lying on the ground.
16. What’s their taste like re: interior design, art, gadgets? If they have (had) money - antiques or modern design? Ikea or whatever? Art collecting, fashion, wine? Pokemon cards in the 90s? 
Natasha is honestly pretty messy havoc with making things work if only because they have to exist. Her mother’s insistence on having minimalism didn’t take, because surprisingly it was her father who encouraged her to pick up and collect things, so she’s very fond of picking up rocks and feathers. As far as collecting goes… clothes, definitely. And magazines. Lots and lots of magazines. 
27.  MC’s magic – white, black or some shades of grey? Are they mainstream or do they push the envelope with niche stuff? Are they showy or subtle, systems oriented or intuitive? What’s their strong and weak points? Can they go wandless or wordless? Do they do tarot, divination or alchemy? NECROMANCY???
For the most part, Natasha has the white magic, except when its something like red sparks, of course. Very controlled and tight, however, with not overly large brushstrokes (thanks, Lyra). It works well for her, at least, because she isn’t throwing heaps of energy into her work either, so it gives her a little more stamina to work with too. Maybe it has her looking like she isn’t trying, which can be a serious downside when Natasha is seriously trying to duel, but people take it as her being slack.
Natasha likes the mainstream stuff, don’t get her wrong, but she completely has looked into other magics available. Whilst she’s not the most creative, or at least, not the most dedicated to creating, there have been a few spells made by her. Mostly in the form of waypoint stuff, just to help friends when exploring. Niche stuff that’s kind of whispered about, and she has delved into fancy hexes and jinxes that are frowned upon, especially some that were made by people unknown and just passed down through the years. Those are the showier magics though, the flashy bangs and noises that she gets into when she lets herself go. Which is why they’re very rare for her to perform, not because she can’t, but Natasha just hears her mother’s voice and disapproval.
She’s a strong dueller, by a long shot, with nice footwork and a good centre of balance. But she fights too tightly to her core. It can lead to her being exposed, especially if there is someone to defend. Suddenly having to throw out her barriers isn’t a strong suit, as Natasha has a long line of learning to defend number one, first. Not anyone else. 
There are some things she can do wordlessly, but they’re more lower level charms. As for being wandless, she can’t do it. At all. Natasha relies on her wand like crazy as that focal point. If anything, the only thing she could potentially do wandless is legilimency, but that’s a stretch. I’ve said before that if someone is open with strong emotions, she can skim them, especially with eye contact. But when it’s the spell and actually directed vocally, it’s a helluva lot stronger. And divination runs through her blood. She jokingly makes up stuff to freak out Trelawny, but sometimes she’s honestly not wrong. On certain days it’s a sneaking suspicion. On others, a heavy dream that plays out part by part. Natasha tells only her great great grandmother, and no one else. 
Don’t ask her to do potions. She’s absolutely shite at it. Charms and transfigurations are her strongest points, with defence against the dark arts pulling up the rear.  
29. MC’s close people dynamics – it can be anything from aromantic soulmates to romantic dynamics, the special people for your MC and how these relationships change over time? 
Bill is her life long nonromantic partner. Nothing will ever break them up. Ever. At one point, they joked about if they weren’t married by 30, they’d marry each other for tax benefits. Natasha is largely influenced by Bill, and doesn’t know who she would be without him. Even when Natasha seems to have disappeared from the world for a time, Bill always receives letters, updates. They keep in constant, almost regular, contact, and their letters are pages long, so that neither of them miss out on anything. 
Penny is a very solid point of origin for Natasha. It might’ve taken a while for them to get to that point, but Penny is a hallmark in the history of Natasha. Since first meeting, it’s just been a solid friendship, with lots of tears and late nights and like Natasha is open with very few people, and even deeper again with others… but Penny knows her. They may mess around and Natasha might be her guinea pig for potions, but if you need to find out something about Natasha, where she is, what she’s doing? Penny. Find Penny.
Tulip is another unlikely friend. For the most part, they seem the opposites. Tulip comes across as the perfect, ambitious, conniving Slytherin, and Natasha the studious, wise, careful Ravenclaw. Tulip’s parents are law abiding, hard on everything, please follow suit. Natasha’s parents flaunt the law where they can, only encourage strictness when it comes to protecting oneself, but let Natasha grow.They have joked more than once that maybe they were switched at birth. They fit each other’s jigsaw pieces. Their rough edges match, forming a softness only they understand. They don’t really talk much, but honestly they don’t need to. 
Talbott kind of influenced a shift in Natasha though. With him, not only did she awaken her animagus form, but it helped her reconcile a lot of her internal struggles with being in Slytherin, and who she should be as a person to her parents (especially so, when her form was that of a great eagle, which honestly broke her heart a lot more than she let on). Whilst they didn’t really solidify a friendship until later in their education, Natasha treasures Talbott. There might’ve always been a sneaking suspicion, of her telling herself to leap, but she doesn’t. Not that it stops them from being friends. Natasha made sure to friend Talbott hard.
And as for Charlie… it took a lot for them to get to a point, where they finally understood each other, and there wasn’t anymore confusion and stalled conversations and awkwardness. It took them breaking up more than once, going months without speaking, then spending a whirlwind six months together, but they got there. Charlie is her best friend, confidante, lover. Natasha doesn’t bother working out the math, of how they got from point a to point b, because it would be difficult to map out, let alone make people understand. Both her and Charlie are open, just as much as they are closed. Private people, who also crave a certain sort of company. And having to go from close quarter living, to their own spaces, letting themselves breathe, really helped. Might’ve helped them get level headed about what was actually happening, and how their lives crossed over. 
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put down your sword & crown (come lay with me on the ground)
[this is rly late for clexa week but whatever it’s here (day 7 bc this is like future canon world but like nothing happened past 304) - clarke rly wants lexa to rETIRE partially bc her wife is hurt & stubborn abt it. also they have a baby. its soft & theres not a lot of plot. ao3.]
//
put down your sword & crown (come lay with me on the ground)
.
achingly beautiful how the sky/ looked as i stood after they left. nicer somehow/ in the middle. all the trees tucking blackbirds/ into their darkness. it really did take this long.
—gabrielle calvoccoressi, rocket fantastic (poems)
//
she has a limp. it’s more pronounced during storms, especially in the winter, and sometimes you think your wife is far too young to have a limp. other times you think it’s amazing she’s made it this far, alive and mostly in one piece.
you’ve been together for fourteen years, been married for ten of them. lexa is kind, attentive, and very funny—sides of her most people don’t get to see, but ones that you know almost better than any of your own moods. hers come with some warning: a tick in her jaw, solemn, sad nods, hours of swordsmanship when she’s upset. you think she’s more beautiful now than ever, a few laugh lines around the corners of her eyes; she takes you to the ocean whenever she can, and you think her eyes are the sort of jade—clear and depthless—as seaglass, as lightning left here for you to see.
she’s the most incredible, tender, intelligent person you have ever met, and she has a limp, shuffling in from training, again—and you. are. furious.
hale is babbling away in the corner, playing with some toys your mother had brought during her last visit. you watch her carefully because she’s walking now, and sometimes she looks at you  before she darts off across the room with an expression that reminds you so much of your wife that you have a hard time believing that lexa didn’t bear this child herself.
but today, soothed by the rain or the smell of bread you’re baking, she seems content with the small stuffed dog in her tiny hands. she looks up when lexa barges into the house, soaking wet and grimacing, but then goes back to her little game.
you open your mouth to say something, to snap at your wife, but she only holds up her hand exhaustedly before limping past you toward your bedroom quarters. you hear a stone sink into the bath you had started to draw, and then her first boot hit the ground. you wait for a moment, think about the old saying—wait for the other shoe to drop—and then, unsurprisingly, your wife’s does, softly and finally onto the worn hardwood of your bathroom.
you put hale in her little playpen—she doesn’t protest, just clings to her stuffed toys, and you brush back the mess of dark curls on her head and kiss her forehead when she smiles up at you—and then sigh. she’s the brightest, most special thing in the world and it had been lexa, surprisingly, who had advocated so passionately to adopt this tiny baby, abandoned in the woods near her home village. you had been hesitant: the ground is still not a gentle place, and it is not easy to love the most powerful person in the world. it is not easy, not really, for you to be mothers.
but she smiles, little dimples and all, and you hold her cheek for a moment before turning to go tend to your wife.
when you walk into your bathroom, lexa is naked, sort of staring at the tub. she’s put oils in it, and a few dried flowers; the room smells like lavender, like milk and honey, and if you weren’t already so mad you would be struck by it all, how beautiful and long and toned your wife is, wiry muscles and gentle curves, the steam causing her sun-kissed skin to flush gold. but lexa is crying, heaves a sigh, and then looks at you sadly, and some of your anger melts away.
‘i can’t get in,’ she says, quietly, and you’re surprised she’s speaking in english. perhaps it’s to feel further away from the words. she does this sometimes, when things are especially difficult for her to admit.
you don’t say anything, just take your shirt off and lay it on the chair. you slip out of the loose pants you have on, then your underwear, lexa watching you with an unreadable expression, one full of apology and relief.
‘hale?’
‘she’s in the playpen. she likes the toys my mother brought.’
lexa nods once, and then you step into the tub, and hold out your hands.
she takes them, is graceful with one leg when she steps into the relief of the warm water, but then it is slow going for a few moments, and her hands grip yours tightly, almost frantically, while she gets her other leg over the edge of the tub, her hip not bending like it should.
you stay quiet when you settle in, and she leans back and closes her eyes. her hand massages the muscle above the sore, stiff joint, and you know you need to wait, no matter how much you want to berate her, or argue, or yell.
‘you’re angry with me,’ she says, after a while, sitting up and looking at you. she does so with tenderness and no trace of anger herself.
‘yeah.’
‘we’ve been fighting for a while, now,’ she states, no question, and reaches for your hand.
‘we have been,’ you agree.
you take her hand, her gentle, calloused fingers, turn it upside down and trace the scar on her palm from so many years ago.
‘i do not know how to stop,’ she says, shakily, after moments of quiet.
‘you don’t have to stop being a leader, lexa,’ you say. ‘i’ve never wanted that for you.’
‘how can i be commander, though, if i do not fight with my people?’
a rush of frustration wells up in your chest, but her eyes are wide, and she looks young and lost and scared. and you are her wife.
‘we are at peace.’
she stares down at the water, swallows. ‘the other clans cannot revolt, if i were to relinquish power in any way.’
‘you are a brilliant leader,’ you say, and reach toward her to raise her chin. you nod when she meets your eyes. ‘you brought them together when you were 16. you overcame a shit show when we fell to the ground, and the mountain, and the ice nation.’
she sighs, nods minutely.
‘things will not fall apart of you give some power to aden. if you usher in someone capable and guided by your own hand.’ you squeeze her hand. ‘you are a brilliant leader, my love.’
‘he is quite capable.’
‘you’ve trained him since he was a boy.’ you smile, because you very much do like aden, and he’s grown into a fine warrior and strategist, perfectly adept and passionate and willing. ‘he will be good for polis, good for your people.’
‘i still want to lead,’ she says, looks at your seriously, tilts her head in a challenge.
‘you will,’ you say. ‘just with a little more help.’
you give her the few minutes she needs; you stay quiet and wash her hair gently, massage her hip.
‘okay,’ she says, finally, resolved and upset and relieved.
you kiss her—tender and kind, rough, a mess of a kiss, the first of a certain kind—and she kisses you back.
when you back up, your foreheads pressed together as you both breathe, she says, ‘i do not trust your machines, and i only vaguely trust your mother’—you laugh, nod—‘but i think i may want to learn more about the procedure.’
you want to sing, or shout or dance or something, because your mother has offered surgery to fix lexa’s hip for months, since you forced lexa to go to arkadia for x-rays and a consult.
‘we can do that,’ you say. ‘i’ll radio her.’
lexa shakes her head, kisses you again. ‘tomorrow,’ she says, and when you lift a brow, she sighs. ‘i give you my word, clarke.’
‘alright.’
‘just,’ she sighs, stands slowly, less stiff than before because of the warm water, ‘i need a day. i want a day with you, and with hale. to—to, i think, know what i can have.’
‘we do want you around, you know.’
lexa smiles, and, almost as if on cue, hale starts wailing for both of you, her little voice full of over-dramatic sobs. if you had to bet, it’s because she tossed her toy over the side of her playpen.
‘your daughter, undoubtedly,’ she says, as you help her out, and you flick water on her with a laugh before you follow.
she wraps her hair up in a towel and puts on a robe before walking out and collecting your mess of a child, her eyes brimming red. hale sniffles in lexa’s arms and you bend down and then hand her the little dog, wipe her tears before she hugs it tightly against lexa’s shoulder.
‘come on, strikon,’ lexa says softly. ‘mama made us breakfast.’
she situates hale at the table in her little chair, and you bring the fresh bread and cheese over with some fresh berries you’d had to trade a significant amount of venison for, but you are the commander’s wife, after all.
and you have breakfast with your family, lexa breaking the bread into pieces small enough for hale, and trying to get her to speak in complete sentences, and making both of you laugh. lexa looks at you after one particularly stupid joke that had pulled a snort out of you, and she says, ‘i am glad to no longer argue, niron.’
‘you’re an exhausting person to love,’ you say, but you’re smiling and she kisses your hand.
you clean up together, in rhythm and quietly, and hale starts to nod off in her chair, so you take her and put her between you in bed, watch her little chest rise and fall before you look at your wife.
‘she will need braids soon,’ she says, sifting her fingers through hale’s soft hair.
‘that’s all on you.’
lexa laughs softly. a weight has been lifted from her, you know, years and years of pain and being in a lifetime of forced debt to her people. she has fought for peace, and been willing to die for peace, and all you want—all you want for her, for your love, more than anything—is the same grace she has given to everyone around her.
you brush a strand of hair behind her ear, trace down her jaw. ‘you can rest,’ you tell her, and she closes her eyes like it’s some kind of holy benediction. a few tears leak down her cheeks but you let them, and then she dries her eyes and nods and props herself up so she can reach over hale to kiss you.
‘ai hod yu in,’ you say, quietly, and she smiles softly, tiredly.
‘i love you too.’
you put your hand on her hip, rub gentle circles below the waistband of her loose pants, her skin smooth and soft. your mother will cut it open, fix her bones and her nerves, and after that you will trace healing into her scar.
but for now you are all whole, and the rain has turned to heavy snow outside the windows. the fire is full and burns away; hale sighs and lexa’s breathing evens out. you watch them, and the wind howls outside, but you are warm.
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gayruthven · 6 years
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history and inspiration for the character lord ruthven + the similarities between him in the vampyre vs. tcsov
read a short story that was published in 1816 in spanish class lmao and i decided to write this post for fun its long as fuck but honestly a interesting read if u want to know more than u need to abt lord ruthven
here is a link to where you can read the vampyre. its really good but really outdated and hard to read soooo theres a pretty detailed summary in this post. 
a quick backstory for the creation of the vampyre and the man who was used unwillingly as the inspiration for the original lord ruthven:
 in the year 1816 a famous french poet named lord byron (he was considered very edgy for his time and everyone thought he was sexy, dramatic and scandalous lmao) rented a house at lake geneva in switzerland for the summer (he fled england due to his divorce to avoid social fallout- some say he was actually driven from england due to the possibility he would be outed as bisexual, which he was). his personal physician john polidori accompanied him and his lover claire clarement made arrangements to be in switzerland at the same time and bought along her step sister, mary wollstonecraft godwin as well as mary’s lover, percy bysshe shelley. 
1816 is famously known as the year without a summer due to a huge volcanic eruption in modern day indonesia that caused a majority of the northern hemisphere to be covered in a thick layer of ash. so despite it being summer, it was very chilly and the sun was dimmed due to the fog to be red and it happened to rain a lot. because of the atmosphere surrounding that summer, lord byron spent a majority of his days reading ghost stories and decided to challenge his companions to each write a horror story of their own. 
that summer lord bryon worked on a piece published in his collection fragments of a novel. it featured a dastardly, possibly supernatural nobleman. john polidiri, who had previously written what mary wollenstein godwin described as horrendous was about a woman with a skull head lol, and after reading the fragment polidiri was inspired to write the vampyre. its claimed he kinda completely copied the fragment, i haven’t read it and can’t talk abt it cause this is supposed to be abt lord ruthven lmao. he decided to model the devilishly attractive lord ruthven after lord byron himself (which sucked for lord byron cause that really wasn’t good for his public image). the two of them had a thing- this woman macdonald once described polidiris jealous outbursts and tantrums over lord byron. it was sorta like a angry ex demonizing their past partner lol. 
before i move onto the differences and similarities between the two lord ruthvens here is a summary of the vampyre: 
the story the vampyre tells the tale of a attractive young man named aubrey. both lord ruthven and aubrey  appear as newcomers in high class parties in london around the same time. everyone, including aubrey, find themselves oddly fascinated with lord ruthven due to the intensity of his stare, his wicked handsomeness and his strange paleness. after becoming entranced with lord ruthven, aubrey is invited to accompany on his trip throughout europe. already being expected to travel in order to truly be considered to have reached adulthood, aubrey jumps at the opportunity. 
as they travel together aubrey starts to notice some REALLY WEIRD shit about lord ruthven. the guy loves to gamble and gives his money away to the people very often, but only people who use the money for their vices who don’t really need it. lord ruthven tries to seduce a young italian girl, but aubrey ruins that for him and decides it would be wise to distance himself from lord ruthven and travels to greece alone. 
once in greece aubrey falls in love with a woman. or, well, he likes the fact she doesn’t love him and that it would be absolutely ridiculous for him to ever want to marry him. basically he finds comfort in his attraction to her cause it means he DOESN’T REALLY like lord ruthven lol. she tells him stories about vampyres living the woods by athens, which aubrey thinks is absolutely ridiculous.
after failing to make it to town after tending to something important, he gets caught in the woods after nightfall and has a encounter with a vampyre who kills the woman he was in “love” with and after a close encounter with the vampyre, he is saved by the towns people appearing flares. 
aubrey is bedridden after this incident and loses his mind a bit. he curses ruthven quite a bit in a crazed daze, yet comes to his senses one day only to realize he was being nursed to health by no other than lord ruthven himself. aubrey accepts ruthvens kindness and they decide to put their past agreements behind them and travel together again. 
lord ruthven gets murdered in a run in with some bandits. upon his death bed, aubrey is forced to swear he won’t tell anyone anything negative about lord ruthven for a year and a day after his passing. 
when he returns to england, it’s around the time when aubreys younger sister is finally about to enter society. she is very excited that aubrey will accompany her. but after attending his first party upon his return, he is pulled aside by someone who whispers for him to ‘remember his oath.’ its lord ruthven and that fucks aubrey up. 
he loses his mind a bit, which delights lord ruthven, and stays locked in his room mostly. he receives news one day that his sister is getting married and hes absolutely delighted! however, when he opens the heart locket she keeps around her neck he discovered the photo of the person inside of it is none other than lord ruthven. 
aubrey tries to get them to cancel the marriage. he fails, dies, and then his sister is killed by lord ruthven on the night of their wedding and he mysteriously disappears. 
its a very gay coded story that is REALLY GOOD so heres a link abt that
FINALLY the parallels between the two lord ruthvens relevant in tcsov:
lord ruthven in tcsov is obviously inspired by the one featured in the vampyre. two easy similarities is their lack of one eye and the fact their both highly regarded noblemen. their charisma is strongly attributed to their supernatural powers.  
in each piece of media, a young man becomes fascinated with them. while it isn’t as present in tcsov, it’s obvious lord ruthven is attempting to groom noe. which i believe is even relevant in their first encounter, despite ruthven not necessarily being aware of noes importance yet. lord ruthven holds noe against his chest when he melts the ice, forcing them to be in a position one would describe as affectionate closeness. 
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similar to how aubrey is described as lord ruthvens curiosity, i believe the same applies to lord ruthven and noe. lord ruthven in tcsov’s acts of kindness towards noe remind me greatly of when lord ruthven tended to aubrey when he was bedridden. while i do believe lord ruthven in the tcsov does indeed feel some sort of affection for noe, its pretty obvious their acts of manipulation. 
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him renting out the entire restaurant he brought noe to forces them to be isolated. he claims it was his favorite and says the reason why he rented out the establishment was because he wanted to have a leisurely talk with noe. this is supposed to make noe feel like hes receiving special treatment, similar to the way lord ruthven in the vampyre lures aubrey into a similar situation when he invites him to travel alone with him.  
the way he talks to other people in the series only furthers this point. while speaking to veronika or vanitas, he is incredibly apathetic and when he does smile its devoid of emotion. lord ruthven in the vampyre is described with these characteristics, as a cold, withdrawn man with a dead stare. this is contradicted only by his change of attitude when tending to aubrey. both noe and aubrey are lured into a false sense of safety.
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another striking similarity is the fact they both put someone under an oath. while aubrey was manipulated emotionally by lord ruthven in the vampyre to swear he wouldn’t reveal anything that would harm lord ruthvens reputation, we’re all aware of that fun little scene from chapter 19 lol.
this oath ultimately drives aubrey insane that due to it hes unable to save his sister or anyone else who would ultimately become a victim of lord ruthven. while we havent witnessed what lord ruthven in tcsov forces noe to do yet, its easy to infer it will have similar results to noes mental health. perhaps as a result he’ll be forced to witness the death of someone he cares deeply about and blames himself for not being able to save them much like aubrey and his sister?? 
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Tagged by @snowcatmoon​ ayyyyyyyyy nice thanks i lo v e doing these things
Rules: Answer the questions and tag 20 people. (but not rly bc i’m a nerd who never knos who to tag so basically if u see this and u wanna try it go for it my dude!)
LAST: 1. Drink: Water 2. Phone call: i mean if this is like personal calls it would be my mom calling me @ work but if not it would be a person calling @ work to talk to my boss 3. Text message: uhhhhhh i don’t have a phone so i can’t text but my last fb message was abt my follower count 4. Song you listened to: tally hall - & 5. Time you cried: I frustration cried a little yesterday
HAVE YOU: 6. Dated someone twice: what is this word, dating 7. Kissed someone and regretted it: kissing? completely foreign concept what’s that 8. Been cheated on: No 9. Lost someone special: yes 10. Been depressed: Have u Seen Me i am a Wreck At All Times 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: never
LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS: 12. vibrant or saturated Reds 13. greens across all spectrums 14. warm metallic colors like gold or bronze but not silver bc it’s ugly imo
IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU: 15. Made new friends: yah! a precious girl who comes into the library p often, she told me abt the story she’s writing and it’s rly cute nd funny and she’s sweet she gave me some of her ar 16. Fallen out of love: nope 17. Laughed until you cried: often lmao 18. Found out someone was talking about you: idk man i’m boring what would they have to talk abt? my sleep patterns? lmao 20. Found out who your friends are: nah not so far this year 21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: there’s that word again!!! kissing what is?
GENERAL: 22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: can’t remember bc i unfollow them and soft block them from all my posts when it happens so honestly i forget they exist lmao ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 23. Do you have any pets: Yah!!!!!!!! archie my love, and two betta fish! 24. Do you want to change your name: yes plea s e 25. What did you do for your last birthday: uhhhh 26. What time do you wake up: a brief moment at 5 to feed my son (archie) and then usually anywhere from 10:00 AM to 2 PM. Depends if i have work 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: FIGHTING A FUCKING CHEATING AI IN A GAME 28. Name something you can’t wait for: leaving this fucking hole of a town i live in rn
29. When was the last time you saw your mom?: this morning 30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: FDAHS;KJL just ONE (1) thing???????? 31. What are you listening to right now: Tally Hall - & idk man i just rly like it
32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: i..... don’t???? know????? 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: Being POOR(tm) 34. Most visited website: TUMBLR, YouTube, and fb so i can talk to most of my friends
35. Mole/s: idk 36. Mark/s: idk???? 37. Childhood dream: veterinarian but i gave up on that bc i’m super squeamish 38. Hair color: brown 39. Long or short hair: medium 40. Do you have a crush on someone: what is this crush thing you speak of? 41. What do you like about yourself: i am a god damn fiLTHY TRASH GOBLIN/DEMON AND IT’S FABULOUS 42. Piercings: the standard ear piercing you get when ur little but i’m allergic to metal so i can’t actually wear earrings (however, despite years of never wearing earrings, the holes haven’t actually ever closed so i still could if i wished which i don’t bc no thanks it gets itchy and hurts)
43. Blood type: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 44. Nicknames?: hoo boy okay any and all variations one can spin on my name (rachel) and: squisheebug (nobody calls me that anymore but it’s become my art handle so i still use it for myself), one friend sometimes calls me kitten, and a bunch more tbh i have so many 45. Relationship status: Single Pringle Not Looking To Flamingle 46. Zodiac: libra scorpio cusp 47. Pronouns: She/her 48. Favorite TV Show: mH i am bad at picking just one favorite lmao 50. Right or left hand: Right-handed 51. Surgery: Not technically? i almost had surgery once when i was like eleven bc the doctors srsly thought i had gallstones but it was actually just acute stress and emotional trauma related pain (i also had a lump of tissue removed from my neck but idk if that counts) 52. Hair dyed in different color: i’m scared it would mess my hair up too much 53. Sport: i don’t sport but i love watching ice skating videos 55. Vacation: i have never been on Vacation(tm) unless you count the trip the seniors took after graduation which was just to make sure that we didn’t Do Drugs. However, ideal vacation would be going across the world visiting abandoned and really old (or haunted) places bc i love that shit i eat it up W/ a S p o o n 56. Pair of trainers: is that like... tennis shoes/sneakers? bc?? i have a pair of converse??
MORE GENERAL: 57. Eating: hot cheetos 58. Drinking: an otter pop 59. I’m about to: get ready for work 62. Want: A house in my very own forest and for nobody i didn’t like to ever visit me and also the complete destruction of capitalism and world peace and the complete deconstruction and rebuilding of our government and far more time in one life than currently exists and abt a billion other things but on the more “realistic” (yeah right not in this economy) sidei just want to not live in an apartment anymore, i want to live in a house (also to meet a bunch of my fav youtubers i’d LOVE that) 63. Get married: maybe idk i’m not violently against it but it’s doubtful 64. Career: i wanna be an animator ahfsdlkjsdafagdfs 65. Hugs or kisses: currently: neither! Hands Off Pls 66. Lips or eyes: both preferably but u kno we can’t be picky 67. Shorter or taller: aaaa who cares?????? 68. Older or younger: doesn’t matter idk 70. Nice arms or nice stomach: both! tummies are so cute and arms are Good for Hugging (when i’m not touch repulsed) 71. Sensitive or loud: what is the correlation between those two they aren’t opposites what 72. Hook up or relationship: bitch miss me w/ hookups if i ever do date somebody it’s gon be ride or die it’s gon be Commi T m e n t(tm) 73. Troublemaker or hesitant: why
HAVE YOU EVER: 74. Kissed a stranger: No 75. Drank hard liquor: No 76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: yah 77. Turned someone down: probably? if so i wouldn’t have known 78. Sex on the first date: St O p 79. Broken someone’s heart: Probably not? i’m not the most Lovable(tm) person, as far as i kno nobody has even liked me lmao 80. Had your heart broken: yah but like?? platonically 81. Been arrested: No 82. Cried when someone died: only ppl i didn’t kno that well have died around me but if i even THINK one of my friends might die i start bawling my eyes out and can’t stop 83. Fallen for a friend: ??
DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 84: Yourself: sometimes 85. Miracles: yes 86. Love at first sight: nope 87. Santa Claus: yesssssss but the concept of him not the actual jolly fat guy who brings presents. 88. Kiss on the first date: I DON’T UNDERSTAND DATING (just leaving @snowcatmoon‘s response bc i’m laughing rly hard and same)
OTHER: 90. Current best friend name: what are u just supposed to have one? 91. Eye color: brown 92. Favorite movies: *rolls out a mile long list* okay do u want this alphabetically, in order from the first time i watched it? in order of How Many times i’ve watched it or?
i am not going to tag anybody bc i am an eg who doesn’t know ppl to tag so!!!!! if u see this and u wanna try it like i said before!!!! feel free to pls!!! also if u do i’d love it if u tagged me in it bc i’m curious abt who all follows me aaa
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