#the centre's a single crystal. it catches the light and shines brightly

[my-name-is-daniel-yes]

yeah okay sorry i suddenly come to the realisation im not normal about this white guy and the stuff he designs

#did you know he managed to combine different metals together using freezing techniques? #he placed them in snow to make them shrink and then let them regain heat in the holes of a 'sheet' of metal so that it would be stuck there #his team did it with tables and benches #he made a sculpture of paper flying away. multiple times. to make it look light because sculptures are normally heavy. #there was a penny sculpture he did that was magnetic so people could stick their own pennies onto it. #there were typographic statue things to symbolise 104 people getting diagnosed with blood cancer daily in the uk #all the statues are someone's real name. and built to their height. perfectly their heights. there were kids there too. #there is a chandelier. it's made out of light. once the light is gone the chandelier is gone. #the centre's a single crystal. it catches the light and shines brightly #he uses light a lot in a lot of his projects they're always so pretty #please be seated/time loop are both public structures. they're for people to sit #for people to sit and rest. maybe lie down. it's friendly architecture. it's made of reclaimed scaffolding boards. #please be seated was the temporary one. time loop is permanent and in hong kong. #coalsence uses an exact volume of anthracite that a single light bulb that was left to burn for entire year would consume. there's over 250 #he drilled holes into the floor of his studio when he was getting evicted. he won't explain why he drilled holes into the floor at the news #he made a table with the floor pieces. #he's nearly 50

[xathia-89]

Lord Hampton

This is dedicated to @shrimpalompa because it involves both of our OCs, Evelyn and Erik. Please feel free to bombard me with all the questions over Tumblr and discord, because we planned to throw a spanner in the works with this one. 

It was dark, small and cramped. Evelyn could barely turn herself over, only to find that her wrists were bound behind her back, and then she cracked her head on the top of whatever the space was. There was nothing to tell her where she was, what was going on, or who she was with as she tried to recall what she could remember. A narrow alleyway on the way back from the shelter, a change in her routine after all the reports of various unsavoury individuals stalking her out. She could hear rattling, and it certainly wasn’t a comfortable ride. The only piece of information she could gather was that she was on the move. 

Then they went over a particularly large hole. 

A loud groan was one she would recognise anywhere. 

“Leonardo?” Evelyn knew that she wasn’t alone, and she suddenly couldn’t stop crying. “Leonardo? Are you okay?” She was sobbing, throwing the weight of her shoulder against the wood in an attempt to try and find the pureblood. 

“Evelyn?” He sounded so unsure before the sounds of shuffling around her reached her. 

Then the moving stopped. Leonardo had taken to trying to open something, banging his fists on things and trying to free them was all the woman could hope for until he made a strange noise. 

“Get the girl out, we have lots to be doing,” a familiar accent but not a warm voice as Evelyn came to the realisation that she was in a box of some sorts. “But we should catch up first Leonardo, Papi has been worried about you.”

Two individuals were carrying her, that was the best of her assumptions. They were being steady in the movements, trying to not jostle her about too much and hurt her, which made her even more worried than she had been. 

The box was broken open in a stupidly ornate room. A large claw foot bath was the centrepiece of the room, running hot and cold water was something only the very rich could afford as the marble and gold glimmered in the electric lighting. Everything was designed to show off the wealth of whoever owned this place before two maids began to strip Evelyn of her clothing, eager to get her cleaned up while they were gossiping between themselves in such a fast pace of Italian that the noblewoman had no chance of trying to understand them. She caught phrases and words, but she was certainly none the wiser as to who had done all of this. 

They certainly had money. The corsets were ridiculous, and she had a feeling that she was bigger than the ideal size for the image whoever it was had of her, but then the dress was a perfect fit. Someone had all the time in the world to get it right, but Evelyn was on the backfoot here before the doors to the room she was in opened. 

A beautiful woman entered, holding herself tall and with all the grace that Evelyn would never possess. She scrutinised her appearance openly, before nodding to the maids that they were dismissed. 

“Follow me,” the woman briefly stated, turning around to lead the way. 

It didn’t seem like she had that much of a choice. The corridors were full of portraits, domineering and controlling as it seemed to go on forever until a chandelier broke the dullness of the mansion. Its crystals glimmered, reflecting patterns over the room as silence fell over the gathering below. She was being paraded like a doll, and then Leonardo broke the silence. It was more than a little relief to know she wasn’t alone as he wrapped her in his arms, glaring over her head at the strange woman. Her expression was the most confusing thing; she looked so smug and pleased with herself before she cleared her throat. 

“Thank you all for attending this celebration, announcing the betrothal of our son, Leonardo, to Lady Evelyn Hampton,” her smile was calculating, enjoying the turmoil before she went to mingle with the masses. 

“Leonardo?” Evelyn was struggling to get her head around events. 

“Let me explain things to you outside, there should be a small section of the garden where we can have some privacy,” he promised, kissing the back of her hand before leading her through the crowd. 

Everyone was delighted for them. Warm-hearted congratulations, gentle teasings and general enquiries that neither of them wished to deal with at the moment. It seemed to take an eternity to get outside, and the air was doing nothing for her nerves. Leonardo didn’t relinquish her hand; he was scared that he would lose her touch if he did as he navigated the twists of the garden, finding them the best spot for privacy. 

He chuckled dryly, able to get a proper look at the woman. 

“What’s going on?” Evelyn was shaking, she didn’t know anyone aside from the pureblood in front of her, but they knew who she was and more importantly, they also knew she wasn’t married. “Who are they and why are they saying we’re getting married?” Her grip tightened on his hands, cerise orbs gazing into his golden ones. 

“The woman who made the announcement is my mother,” Leonardo said after a small pause, cupping and stroking her cheek affectionately. “This is the Da Vinci estate in Florence, I am guessing they had us both kidnapped from Paris,” he sighed. “And they want me married to another vampire so I can continue the pureblood lineage. I didn’t realise how desperate they were to continue it. Otherwise, I would have warned you. Many apologies, Cara mia.”

“I really don’t think it’s you who needs to be apologising,” Evelyn replied, scooting closer to the pureblood before resting her head on his shoulder. “How long until the wedding?”

“It won’t be as simple as that, the marriage will be the first steps, and then it will be the first child who will need to be raised according to their principles,” Leonardo continued, sadness shining in his gaze before he kissed her forehead. “They’ve got us good right now, but I get the feeling we have friends who won’t let them continue.”

***

Le Comte wasn’t surprised that it was Leonardo’s family behind it, nor that they had taken Evelyn along for the ride. She had weight behind her title, and she was also a vampire. They must have been getting desperate because they had always tried for other pureblood females before now. It didn’t take very long for the news to spread through the world that Leonardo was to marry Evelyn, which didn’t give Le Comte all that much time to come up with an intervention. Erik had come along for the ride to Florence with him, insisting that two purebloods would be better than one. 

The Nordic man was out like a light in the carriage as they kept trundling through the Italian countryside. His snores were irritating, but then he recalled the time that Evelyn had said it was worse after he had been drinking. She would have the position of the favourite pillow when he was at the mansion if Le Comte was a jealous man than his envy would have been showing the second Erik had appeared. Evelyn and Erik were well met on many levels, but neither showed any inclination to stop being themselves just because the other was around. 

The Da Vinci estate was astonishing and made the one in Paris look like a tiny house. Peacocks strutted around the gardens, their feathers on display for everyone to see as the two vampires tried to keep their expressions neutral. This had to be carefully orchestrated if Erik’s plan was to be successful. The Da Vinci family knew who Le Comte was, especially as he was practically rushed by all of the single women in the household. 

The wedding was hours away, it had all been arranged meticulously, and Le Comte wasn’t surprised to see Caterina Da Vinci at the centre of it all. She had her claws deep in this puppet show, and she appeared delighted to see the French aristocrat making his presence to the sham, though Erik’s presence did sour her a little until she found out he was also from a pureblooded family. 

It was hard to not react to her comment that Evelyn seemed to have all these purebloods around her little finger. She made it sound as though they should all be grateful for her interference before she was called away by one of the passing maids with the implication of something possibly not going to plan. 

Le Comte had never seen his friend looking so solemn. Leonardo hadn’t even spotted Le Comte in the waiting crowd. Everyone was waiting eagerly for the announcement of the bride’s approach as Erik was already using that to his advantage to sneak up towards the altar. 

She took the collective breath of the room away as the doors to the church were pulled out in true Da Vinci fashion. It was the family-style to demand the attention. Her ivory dress was akin to that worn by royalty, and she looked like a demure woman, if Le Comte didn’t know her better, then he would have said that she had accepted her fate. She offered no resistance, she held her head high, her posture carrying her assets to show her breeding stock. That is all the Da Vinci family saw in Evelyn, a host for the next generation of vampires. 

Leonardo had a sad smile on his face as she approached him. They knew she wouldn’t change, all they knew is that they didn’t have a way out at that moment, and this would grant the smallest of reprieve for the call to settle down. 

Le Comte believed that Evelyn had never looked so vulnerable. She hadn’t had the chance to even glance around the onlookers before she spotted someone moving behind Leonardo. It warmed his heart. She lit up like her life was about to be saved, before Leonardo had a hand clamped down on his shoulder, interrupting the priest as the Da Vinci’s realised what was going on. 

“Excuse me, I believe she’s marrying the wrong person,” Erik was dressed smartly, and certainly not in anything that Evelyn had seen him in before. An over-exaggerated wink to the woman made her smile brightly, and Leonardo certainly wasn’t offering any resistance. The other vampires knew the problem with the reactions; they couldn’t interrupt at this point. “And you may wish to hurry,” the Nordic male pointedly glowered at the priest. 

The man knew what was going to happen either way, and he was eager to vacate the premises. He began to loudly read out the vows, making sure that everyone knew what he was doing.

“I, Erik Olofsson, take you, Evelyn Marie Hampton, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part,” it startled the chaotic room into silence, the wedding band pushed onto her left ring finger before the attention came onto the woman in front of him.

“I, Evelyn Marie Hampton, take you, Erik Olofsson, for my lawful husband. I promise to be true to you in good times, and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love and honour you all the days of my life,” Le Comte felt a twinge in his heart, to see her slide the ring onto Erik’s finger. But she wouldn’t allow anyone to change her, and this would stop those silly attempts by little aristocrats who decided they liked the look of her. Sealed by a kiss as the Nordic pureblood knew that Leonardo was going to be terrorised by his family afterwards, but they wouldn’t be able to try the same technique again as the four of them came together in natural gravitation. 

***

“So, does your title change now then? Are you Lady whatever Erik’s surname is?” Arthur was more than a little surprised when the news was broken over drinks on the return to Paris. “And more importantly, does that mean we can’t share anything now?”

“Lady Hampton still on the papers, but it’s Hampton Olofsson legally and that,” she shrugged, enjoying the champagne that Sebastian had brought in for the occasion. “And there are absolutely no changes otherwise to be made, Erik has his thing to be doing, and I have mine. He will be gone for unknown amounts of time, and like hell, if I’m suddenly going celibate for that,” she scoffed, attracting the attention of the three purebloods. The weight of the room seemed to then fall onto Erik so he could prove it was a mutual arrangement.

“No one can try to run off with her again and steal her away,” the Nordic man shrugged, turning his nose up at the champagne and scouring the cabinet for some harder liquor. “Which has happened on a few occasions, and nothing is changing except her name. I get to refer to myself as a Lord now too, that should be a good change,” he laughed, slinging his arm casually over Evelyn’s shoulders. “May end up taking her along for the ride for some things, always a good cover to pose merely as a travelling couple. Also means people like to try stuff if they hear ‘Lord and Lady’. So I get my fun.”

“We’ll see,” Evelyn replied, shaking her head.  

#erik olofsson #evelyn hampton #ikevamp le comte #ikevam leonardo #ikevam le comte #ikevam #ikevamp #le comte de saint germain #leonardo da vinci #throwing spanners everywhere