Rec: very good vampire fic :)

[winter]

As people perusing the comments to this LJ might have noticed, I've infected fyrie with Tanz der Vampire, for which I'm sure she'll never forgive me. (She's also most of the way through the first Coldfire book, and I'm not sure what she'll do to me for that.) As part of her vengeance, a few days ago she started sending me fragments of vampire crossover pr0n featuring Spike from Buffy and Herbert. It soon transpired that the other two (Drusilla and von Krolock) were similarly engaged elsewhere. Between the pr0n at work thing and the quality of the writing, I may have acted a little undignified ^_~

Till The Moon Is Abed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Tanz der Vampire, Von Krolock/Drusilla & Herbert/Spike, rated 18 or NC-17.

Go, read, admire. And poke her about the sequel.

Comments

[ciciaye.livejournal.com]

Read and commented with admiration - excellent stuff.

By the way, I didn't realise that Herbert was Krolock's son - I'd thought they were brothers. (This is probably because the Warsaw Krolock looks a bit younger than the others you've shown pictures of here.)

Hmmm...so, if Herbert is his son, who is Herbert's mother? Does it ever mention her? *intrigued*
CCA

[winter]

I think Herbert's mother might have been the first woman mentioned in Unstillbare Gier:

The corn was golden and the sky was clear
Sixteen-seventeen, it was summer then
We lay in the whispering grass
Her touch on my skin was tender and warm

She had no idea I was already lost
Even I then believed I could yet win
But that day it happened for the first time
She died in my arms

In the Warsaw version, there's a total of four years' difference between the actors playing von Krolock Senior and Herbert, which does make it a little hard to believe unless you see them onstage - our Krolock does act paternal and alternately proud and exasperated :) I've speculated that Warsaw!Herbert might have been truly little when his father was turned, which would account both for the lack of visible age difference and how spoiled the brat is, having been raised by a single parent ;)

[ciciaye.livejournal.com]

So did Krolock turn Herbert?
CCA

[winter]

That one was never explained. Personally my bet is for one of Krolock's lovers to have done it, and promptly get their head torn off by Krolock Senior...

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Ooh, an intriguing idea ;) After all, who wants to be stuck with a rampaging hormonally charged son for all eternity? When he's older and interesting, perhaps, but when he just runs and jumps on anyone not fast enough?

[winter]

Even apart from that, I'm sure Krolock would have wanted Herbert to go around and try being human first, perhaps ensuring the survival of the line while he was at it. He would have thought Herbert too young to take an informed decision on his fate like that, and oh, he would have been furious and raging and calling down every demon in hell...

:D

[ciciaye.livejournal.com]

I'm sure Krolock would have wanted Herbert to go around and try being human first, perhaps ensuring the survival of the line while he was at it

Hmmm...might be a little problem there though, whether he was human or not! *g*
CCA

[winter]

Well, little issues like gender never stopped Krolock himself, so he might have been hoping for Herbert to get over the guys-only phase ;)

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

*flails a wee bit* Not just one sequel, dear. Not just two either. There's several prequels which have assailed me. This was a tiny bit of a pain last night when I tried to sleep and ended up laying awake to 4am, pillow over my head, mentally shrieking that I was to be at work for 7.30...

Plus, re-reading Angel scripts hasn't helped. William was still called William in the 1890s, so yay! I got that right :D And yay for multiple reasons for them to visit ;)

[winter]

...you expect me to be remorseful about it? :D :D :D

*does the happy dance*

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

When I start siccing bunnies on you in revenge, you will be. You will be.

So far, we have Darla's first visit with Angelus, when Angelus is still young enough to be slightly more polite. Visit 2 brings along Dru. #3 is the first visit with Spike, when he's not quite so cocky or up himself thanks to Angelus' lessons. And then, the sequels begin.

[winter]

:PPPPP

I'll go get the popcorn, then. And wonder if Herbert was ever desperate enough to try hitting on Angelus - or if Angelus hit on Herbert instead, and got soundly thrashed for his trouble...

(Also, Spike or Angelus realising for the first time that oops, you're up against a sorcerer and not just any vampire here, would be precious.)

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Herbert definitely strikes me as the type who, despite seeming to jump on anyone, is actually very selective about the pretties he chooses. Angelus would expect to be picked on, because he's such an arrogant git and thus, behaves accordingly, and Herbert ignores him entirely.

He prefers to have a challenge. Having someone saying "yeah, you're cute, I'll have a go" isn't nearly as fun as chasing them in circles until they're dizzy, then pouncing :) Plus, Angelus is an obnoxious git. Just to amuse himself, Herbert says he would flirt with Darla to completely get up Angelus' nose ;)

As for realising how powerful von Krolock is, I think Angelus wouldn't even notice that kind of thing, while Darla is yanking his arm and hissing "Shush you moron!1". Spike would see there was something more to him right away. Very astute, that boy. Plus, he likes the gentleman thing :D

Just out of curiosity, what would it take to get von Krolock angry enough to lay a smack-down on Angelus?

[winter]

Heh, you're reading my mind with that Herbert analysis :) And in relation to it, I think Angelus trying to intimidate Herbert and not taking no for an answer, to the point of destroying furniture and/or minions in an attempt to get at Herbert, would be enough to get von Krolock to get the heavy spells out. Pinning Angelus to the ceiling until he promises to behave would be a good one :>

Plus, he likes the gentleman thing

Now I'm imagining William with a teenage hero-worship crush on Krolock and Krolock going "oh, how precious" in his quiet dignified manner. Hair ruffling might be involved...

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Angelus having a temper tantrum and showing how manly he is would be priceless. All the while, Herbert is sprawling on a chaise and deliberately ignoring him/pointedly yawning, making things even worse until dad has to intervene :D

Spike's muttering he's not that bad. I think that's a translation of that was probably the case :D And I think that's another reason he would choose to return to the von Krolocks without Drusilla. He's seeking comfort in the presence of one who reminds him of how he was and what was decent and respectable - von Krolock makes him feel peculiarly safe and comfortable with who he was, while Angelus tried to stop him remembering that.

[winter]

Oh, Herbert is good at ignoring people in infuriating ways. And then Angelus throws something(someone) through a window, von Krolock appears in a swirl of his cloak, snaps his fingers and smackdown is delivered :D

Spike's generally attracted to dangerous authority figures, so it's quite predictable that way ;) For souled Spike the attraction would be even greater, since the reminder is of the good parts in him.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Bahah! I've just got the mental image of Koukol being hurled through one of the larger windows :D Darla's sitting with her head in her hands, groaning, saying "it was bad enough when he insulted my Sire..."

As for Spike, he remembers what he looked up to when he was human and, as a vampire, it was rare to find that in another vampire. Von Krolock was admirable all on all levels; demon and human. Spike still respects that. There are few vampires he would respect for being older and wiser, but yes, von Krolock has a modest little fanboy :)

[winter]

I can see Krolock coming downstairs, brushing some ceiling plaster off his cloak and idly informing Darla to please make sure the next pet she brings along is already housetrained...

Aww. For a murderous little blighter, Spike's the cutest vampie imaginable.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

And next time they visit, Angelus brings Dru to show he can actually work like a proper, patient vampire, while Darla is headdesking like no one's business because "hello! You made a crazy psychic nun into a vampire!"

As for ickle Spike, I read a fabulous essay on him recently and oh, it pointed out so many little things I had noticed but forgotten. Especially on the fact that, without question, he is a carer. With people he feels deeply for, his emotional ties are unending. He cares for his mother before her death, he cares for Dru for centuries, he cares for Dawn - with no thought of reward or kindness - after Buffy dies. He's a fascinating characters - Dru says herself that he's the "bravest knight in all the land" and that's the thing - he's still from an age of gentlemanly, courtly behaviour and manners and decorum and he can't forget that :D

[winter]

Which would give her quite a surprise when von krolock pronounces Dru fascinating, wouldn't it? :>

Hm, you wouldn't happen to have a link to that one, would you?

Also, I think it's telling that Spike was originally middle-class - with aspirations higher, and idealistic enough to believe in ideals like chivalry and romance and gentlemanly behaviour. While Angel was from an older, possibly noble family, with all that it entailed, including Not Caring about what the peasants thought or felt. I think Terry Pratchett once phrased it as the difference between the upwardly mobile people who think lords eat with seventeen kinds of forks, while real lords eat with their fingers and throw the bones to the big shaggy dogs under the table. Sort of like Louis versus Lestat, in a way.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Entirely so :D I love seeing them get all confused :D

Essay-wise, this site is fabulous. It's the Spike-reference guide from the BtVS writers guild selection. The essay is The Pre-Raphaelite Punk :)

Definitely. I adored William's back-story. He was high enough to acquire a respectable doctor for his mother, but that could have been his (probably dead) father's influence more than William himself. He's a joke to his Peers, but tries so hard to be more and is increasingly adorable accordingly.

One of my mates has ranted long and hard about Angel's background in accordance with the anglo-irish traditions and the whole religion-thing of the time, right up to his choice of name. Let's say that Joss' people and historical accuracy never met :D

[winter]

Heh, now I have reading material for this evening :>

You mean that Angel's people should have been so-called Irish gentry - English invaders making their home on Irish soil along the lines of the Wellesleys? At times like these, I find it apt to use a certain icon...

(I'm convinced that Joss has a memory for trivia, but just no will to research anything. Argh.)

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

I can't remember the rant in detail, but it was something about him having a clash of social standing, which could be seen in the house they lived in, the fact William had an English-rooted name and that in one way, the family should have been poverty-stricken scum, but in another, they should have been in charge.

Amusingly, Faith is also of Irish stock ;) I did have a bunny handed to me, when it was revealed that Faith's surname is Lehane and that's a regional Irish accent and could be tied back to Liam's old roots.