#⤷ ch. / characterization | soul stained with sin and scorched in flame. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dreadfamed · 1 year

Text

ON HIS RELATIONSHIPS WITH HIS SIBLINGS .

FINN. there was no love lost between finn and klaus. finn was ever at their mother’s side, and klaus, who desired nothing more than his parents’ affection ( so often denied him ), would have sheltered no small bitterness over the ease with which finn coexisted with their parents, the good terms on which they could live. however, there was nothing through which finn and klaus could connect. his eldest brother was the most serious of the lot, and even as a boy klaus did not know how to play with him. after their transformation, finn proved the most conservative of the lot, and as klaus grew more and more wild, learned to revel in what he was, he found Finn increasingly not only a bore, but also an annoyance and an impediment.

ELIJAH. elijah never stood against mikael in defense of klaus until after esther’s death, until their father hunted them all across europe. while they were brothers, while they played together as brothers would, joked together as brothers would, though elijah sought to teach the young niklaus the skills their father desired that he master, klaus lacks the same devotion to his brother that he shows to rebekah. at the very core of matters, he does not trust elijah, and especially after klaus’ heritage becomes clear, klaus always harbors a sense that elijah perceives his brother as something ‘other,’ something that does not belong. when they swear ‘always and forever,’ klaus hesitates in accepting and trusting that promise.

as years pass and klaus becomes less and less niklaus and more and more klaus, a monster who thrives off blood-filled indulgences and terror, klaus's distrust only grows: though elijah may be no less bloodstained, his refusal to acknowledge his indiscretions and the scorn he holds for klaus’s serve as but one more wedge between them. though they remain comparatively close, most of that connection comes from their mutual affection for rebekah. it is for her sake: being with her requires keeping company with each other.

and over time, klaus does convince himself that he cares for his brother, and in some ways he does. yet that affection comes less from a steadfast devotion or deep-rooted affection and the promise of ‘always and forever’ than it does from a shared past. klaus calls himself rebekah’s constant, but in many ways he, elijah, and rebekah are all each others’ constants. they shared their childhood, mikael’s temper, esther’s betrayal, the loss of Henrik, fleeing from their father over a thousand years and witnessing the eternal passage of time. that constancy creates a bond that transcends even their differences and their disputes. it is this which stays their hands when they quarrel, this which would keep them from killing each other no matter what transpired, no matter how much they might convince themselves otherwise.

KOL. in many ways klaus ever saw kol as the annoying little brother. after all, what brother doesn’t harbor such feelings toward their younger counterpart? but kol was also the most in-touch with his magic, the child of esther who showed true interest and potential. klaus always felt a special pull towards magic, but he possessed no magic of his own due to his werewolf nature, a fact he kept hidden and that left him envious of kol.

after their transformation, that barrier would have ebbed, and over the centuries, kol became most like klaus. he became the sibling with whom kaus could most identify, who, he sometimes thought, could best understand him. at times, he found in kol a camaraderie as well as that solidarity that comes with time and the passing of years. however, as kol was prone to going too far and alerting mikael to their presence, klaus was forced to dagger him with no small frequency, brewing bitterness and enmity between them. yet, though klaus may put on a facade of not caring much for his younger brother, the loss of him would affect him more strongly than he is willing to admit.

REBEKAH. of all his siblings, klaus treasures rebekah most. for all their squabbles, for all their arguments, for all he daggers her for her so-called ‘betrayals,’ he does love her unconditionally. it was she whom he was close to as a child, she who never made him feel less or unwanted. it was she he comforted and she who sought to defend him against mikael as they grew. it was she who, after learning of esther’s betrayals, swore never to forsake him. if there is one sibling he will always return for, it is her. if there is one sibling he misses in their absence, it is her. she is the only of his siblings for whom he will openly acknowledge actual and genuine affection, the one for whom he would do almost anything.

but, with the way klaus loves, he desires and has desired nothing more than her complete and unending devotion. the men who charm her he perceives as threats, for insecure as he is, he is confident she will leave him sooner or later. he does not know how to share her love and refuses to do so. even with elijah, he battles for her attention, rendering their relationship an eternal game of emotional abuse, pulling her closer and pushing her away. he would rather keep her daggered in a box ( but with him ) than permit her to abandon him, no matter how temporarily. but it is with her alone that he can be tender, her alone from whom he does not fear the same judgment he expects from his siblings.

of course, he receives judgment from her with greater frequency over the centuries, as his crimes against her pile higher and higher. her accusations pain him far more than anything elijah or kol might say to him, making him erratic and volatile, but never would he truly harm her.

HENRIK. children possess a certain innocence: they are unassuming. thus Henrik was, until his death, free of all the bitterness that klaus held for his other brothers. henrik was even, in many ways, oblivious to the violence with which mikael treated klaus. this meant there was an ease in their relationship that, while it could not come close to how klaus felt about rebekah, made henrik his second favourite sibling. klaus often dragged henrik out upon his escapades, and the two of them found themselves in frequent trouble. losing henrik, especially as klaus perceived himself responsible, was harder to bear than any of mikael’s abuse. klaus has largely shut it from his mind, all but forgetting that he once possessed a younger brother.

REGARDING ALL OF THE ABOVE. klaus has a very twisted perception of realty and a very twisted perception of his relationships, especially with his siblings. he expects to be the outcast, as mikael raised him, and so he finds in their actions proof to that end. he expects their scorn, so he hears it in their tone. he expects to be abandoned and betrayed, so he sees innocuous actions as betrayals. the way Klaus understands things is not how they are.

#it goes without saying that this is canon only for this blog #when I'm not writing with portrayals of his siblings #because I will not impose this on anyone else #⤷ ch. / characterization | soul stained with sin and scorched in flame.

4 notes · View notes

dreadfamed · 1 year

Text

ON ISALDA .

in the beginning of the 15th century, klaus and anisiia met isalda, a young and promising witch, who caught anisiia’s attention. the child’s family were witches of a conservative, ‘preserve the balance of nature’ mentality. the girl, however, possessed a brightness, a curiosity, that could not be quenched by the serious attitudes of her parents and elder siblings. anisiia took to teaching the girl, despite the disapproval of her parents. more than once, she mentioned spiriting the child away when inevitably they were forced to leave.

once, twice, thrice, klaus told her ‘no’. over time, however, his irritation with her distraction grew, and eventually, klaus insisted it was time to leave. anisiia demurred, then blatantly refused. mikael was yet distant, and the potential her young protege showed… she did as she desired, in the end, enforcing her desires with an ultimatum: the girl would come with them, or once more they might go their separate ways.

over the span of a year, klaus’ frustrations grew. his tolerance for the blossoming witch decreased, for ever did he feel her as an interloper and a challenger for anisiia's attention. when he could take it no longer, he insisted that Anisiia part ways with the girl: she was sixteen now, full-grown and capable of surviving on her own. she no longer needed her surrogate mentor. following the resulting argument, anisiia moved to follow through on her prior threat and to leave with the girl. klaus could not stomach it: the young woman, it seemed, was more important than him. klaus resolved to set anisiia back in her place, to enact some small revenge for her defiance, for the suggestion that she might leave, for the implication that this witch was more important than him.

as his revenge, klaus chose to force upon isalda the fate he knew anisiia herself would most fear: to snatch the girl from life and imprison her within an immortality which must rob her of her power. anisiia’s rage was such that in the fight that ensued, they demolished the entire city in which they currently resided. there was little choice, then, but to leave. they departed separately, and isalda refused to forgive anisiia for permitting klaus to live after what he had done to her. within three months, she too turned on anisiia.

klaus and isalda have crossed paths six times since, over the centuries. she remains bright, quick-witted, possessed of a curiosity that belies her aloofness. the first time, she mockingly threatened to kill him, one of these days. though she has repeated the threat since, she has made no move to act upon it. it was not, she decided after a few decades, such a curse to have an immortal life.

in the sixteenth century, she came into possession of an isolated german castle where she has held court since, surrounding herself with protectors both compelled and loyal, human and vampire. vaults of bloodwine, parties of hedonistic delight. the reality can almost match the stories that abound in the nearest villages. and over all presides their mercurial and cruel lady.

#⤷ ch. / characterization | soul stained with sin and scorched in flame.#⤷ rel. / anisiia | в тихом омуте черти водят��я.#this gets anisiia's tag because I don't have one for isalda whoops #isalda rel tag #the big question: which of my girls do I love more?

0 notes

dreadfamed · 1 year

Text

ON ANISIIA .

in the early years of the 11th century, peasants living in a small village in the southeastern reaches of what would one day be called kievan rus’ found a small child within the ruined remains of a wagon. any valuables were long gone, and the child’s parents lay bloodied and crow-picked by the side of the road. despite the horrors of the scene and the chilling air, the child did not bawl, but lay quietly, looking up at them with wide, dark eyes. the thin blanket about her could not have staved off the spring evening’s chill, yet she remained warm to the touch when they picked her up.

they called her a miracle.

a young man, oleksei, took her home to his wife. their five children had each perished before their first birthdays, and the couple had long since given up hope of any child surviving to adulthood. if this child faced the same fate, then so be it, but perhaps, just perhaps, she was a blessing god-sent, an answer to his prayers.

she was not a normal child, they discovered as she grew. she seemed immune to the rules that applied to others. she might skip barefoot in the midst of winter and return home without a trace of frostbite. more than once, oleksei returned home to find a wolf haunting the forest near the house. a few times, he entered to find one curled about the child. and then, as she grew older, there were the unexplained circumstances: fires which sprang up, storms which swept in out of nowhere, sunlight which shone down upon her but left all others in darkness, broken bowls which she presented to him now whole once more.

though oleksei and his wife loved the child, they feared her too. terrified of the vengeance the town, or the priests might unleash upon her should they decry her ‘witch’, oleksei found it necessary to punish the girl for her transgressions. the slightest sign of abnormality brought down upon her a fist or switch. as she grew, the signs quieted then disappeared as she learned to govern the power she possessed.

with no recourse to teaching, she fumbled her way through mastering her own magic in secret, a magic of wordless spells and the sheer transference of her will to actuality. by the age of fifteen, she found her power intoxicating. by nineteen, she believed there was nothing she could not do if she set her mind to it. the well-being of others, the lives of animals or people... these things came second to the testing of her abilities. she attempted feats of power simply to see if she could.

she was nineteen when she met klaus. a few miles south of the village, she chanced across a pair of strangers who moved unsteadily, half-drunk. they stepped into her path, and when she declined their inappropriate suggestions and made to walk past . a blow cast her to the ground. she reached out without thinking, her power closing invisible fists about their throats. as they gasped, fingers clutching and scrabbling against their own skin, drawing forth red weals, she snapped their necks. the fell to the ground, and as she rose a prickling sense at the back of her neck alerted her to another’s presence. she spun to face the interloper and drew her power in tight about her in preparation, but something stayed her hand. it was not the gesture he made, the extended hands intended to convey no intent to harm, but rather the raw power of a form wholly unfamiliar.

she was all he admired — strength and determination, raw power and force of will, an indomitable spirit. in him she found a kindred spirit, unique and alone and powerful. with her, he forged a new conception of self, embracing the strength he had tasted when he destroyed esther for all she had done. together, they were worse than either alone, but for all their selfishness, all the abandon they displayed in search of what they desired, towards each other they were warm.

klaus has married once in a thousand years, and it was then and to her, after the pagan ways of rus’. they could not stay, however: rumours had spread, those whispers that had cried witch in anisiia’s adolescence louder now than ever, for she had grown defiant and careless. and mikael, ever at klaus’ heels, could not be far.

desiring immortality, anisiia bound herself to klaus, and while he lives she cannot age nor die, for all her body might starve and sicken. for four hundred years, she came and went from his side. so volatile were they that their fights tore them asunder, forced them their separate ways until their tempers had quieted and they might return to one another. in the end, klaus, in a fit of jealousy, turned a young witch girl anisiia had taken under her wing into a vampire. it was the last of their quarrels, and between them they leveled an entire city. this time, they did not find their way back to each other. klaus stole took with him her grimoire, however, and in its pages the spell she had been working on, one that would one day undo esther’s curse.

#⤷ ch. / characterization | soul stained with sin and scorched in flame.#⤷ rel. / anisiia | в тихом омуте черти водятся.#gotta update and repost all the old headcanons nbd

1 note · View note