marbleglove (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
marbleglove) wrote2009-03-05 09:22 pm
marbleglove) wrote2009-03-05 09:22 pm
Entry tags:
Holy Ground, Holy Items, Immortals, & Vampires
And because I am trying to shed excess plot bunnies so that I can focus on just one or two, here's another one put to pasture:
Crossover between Highlander (ie. Methos, because he's my character of choice) and practically any vampire series (although I think I'll pick the Anita Blake series in this instance because something needs to be done to fix that series.)
Highlander style immortals don't fight on Holy Ground. it's taboo, anathema, generally considered a bad idea with no explanation given. (Although there are a couple of good stories that have good theories, none of them are canon.) However, there's nothing against killing someone wearing a cross or carrying a bible or even a relic, so the taboo only goes so far. The one thing that canon does do, however, is accept that there is such a thing as holy ground, created by any religion that has sacred grounds.
Likewise, vampires cannot stand on holy ground and are repelled by holy items. Now, in the Anita Blake universe, holy symbols can only be used by true believers to repel vampires or demons, but holy ground is holy ground regardless of whether any worshipers are present or not. Thus while representations aren't holy in and of themselves, it is possible for there to be ground and other items are infused with holiness and stand on their own, as it were.
Back with Highlander canon is the fact that Methos is Death of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as seen in the Bible, Book of Revelations. In that vision of the future, there are seven seals, each of which is opened by the Lamb. The Lamb is also a metaphor for Jesus. It's the end of the world and it's full of fire and blood and death and destruction, but it is also by God's will. So, the question is, do the four horsemen count as holy items?
They clearly don't count as Holy Ground, because they can be killed by other immortals. But neither are they simply symbols because no one would particularly recognize them and anyway they aren't representing anything other than themselves.
I imagine a story in which the four horsemen are holy and thus vampires cannot touch them without being burned.
Of course, that's just a premise rather than plot arc in and of itself.
Any plot arc I have would simply have to include Edward, called Death by the vampires of the Anita Blake universe and Ted by the civilians. Dear, dear Edward. He's an assassin.
I can imagine Caspian one of the other horsemen working with Edward on a joint project and then realizing that this man has sort of taken on his brother's name. Kronos, leader of the horsemen, would of course want to kill Edward for such presumption even if Edward would have no reason to know it was presumptive. Caspian wants to keep his colleague alive so that they can continue to go out and kill things together. In order to placate Kronos, though, Methos should come and give Edward permission to use the name.
There is possibly a scene in which some of the older vampires are mocking a captured Edward and some of the younger vampires too for the nickname. In some grand melodramatic fashion Caspian comes to the rescue bringing Methos along with. The laughter of the vampires is abruptly cut off.
"Did you really say, my dear Belle Morte," Methos nearly purred, "that you were going to kill Death?"
She hissed, uncertain what to do. She had known this man back when she had been a mere fledgling but then Christianity has risen and he had vanished. She had been sure he was dead. "Wouldn't you prefer he die, this pretender to your name?"
"If I wanted him dead, he would be dead and by my hands or by the hands of my brother. It is not your place to act in my name."
It had been a shot in the dark and it had missed.
"But come, come, why don't we kiss and make up?" His voice mocked her. She couldn't even look at him, the holy faith turning her eyes away. Any kiss would burn and disfigure.
Methos and his brother walked unchallenged through the vampires to Edward, releasing him from the chains that bound him. He, at least, she could look at, and she could almost sympathize with the look in his eye. His face was blank but it was a cover for the uncertainty that kept him balanced between gratitude and rage, that uncertainty that wondered who these men were who could walk so fearlessly among the monsters. And from whom the monsters recoiled.
Alternately, say Methos and some vampire want to have a relationship. Which is hard enough to do when one of you is edible to the other, even harder when one is deathly allergic to the other. So Methos is trying to become un-holy, but so far nothing is working. Then he discovers that there is another man called Death. So maybe he can transfer the holiness to Edward and get on with his romance. All he has to do is formally declare Edward his heir and then ... well, then discover that nothing is that simple. Heh. He may or may not be able to give Edward holiness but he can't get rid of his own. And can you imagine what being holy would do to a vampire hunter? It's all very good in a hand-to-hand fight, but it also repels the vampires so it's incredibly hard to get that close. Edward is not amused. Anita Blake is caught between finding it hilarious and horrendous. (She has all sorts of religious issues.)
Anyway, if someone writes this, I would appreciate it. Let me know.
Crossover between Highlander (ie. Methos, because he's my character of choice) and practically any vampire series (although I think I'll pick the Anita Blake series in this instance because something needs to be done to fix that series.)
Highlander style immortals don't fight on Holy Ground. it's taboo, anathema, generally considered a bad idea with no explanation given. (Although there are a couple of good stories that have good theories, none of them are canon.) However, there's nothing against killing someone wearing a cross or carrying a bible or even a relic, so the taboo only goes so far. The one thing that canon does do, however, is accept that there is such a thing as holy ground, created by any religion that has sacred grounds.
Likewise, vampires cannot stand on holy ground and are repelled by holy items. Now, in the Anita Blake universe, holy symbols can only be used by true believers to repel vampires or demons, but holy ground is holy ground regardless of whether any worshipers are present or not. Thus while representations aren't holy in and of themselves, it is possible for there to be ground and other items are infused with holiness and stand on their own, as it were.
Back with Highlander canon is the fact that Methos is Death of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as seen in the Bible, Book of Revelations. In that vision of the future, there are seven seals, each of which is opened by the Lamb. The Lamb is also a metaphor for Jesus. It's the end of the world and it's full of fire and blood and death and destruction, but it is also by God's will. So, the question is, do the four horsemen count as holy items?
They clearly don't count as Holy Ground, because they can be killed by other immortals. But neither are they simply symbols because no one would particularly recognize them and anyway they aren't representing anything other than themselves.
I imagine a story in which the four horsemen are holy and thus vampires cannot touch them without being burned.
Of course, that's just a premise rather than plot arc in and of itself.
Any plot arc I have would simply have to include Edward, called Death by the vampires of the Anita Blake universe and Ted by the civilians. Dear, dear Edward. He's an assassin.
I can imagine Caspian one of the other horsemen working with Edward on a joint project and then realizing that this man has sort of taken on his brother's name. Kronos, leader of the horsemen, would of course want to kill Edward for such presumption even if Edward would have no reason to know it was presumptive. Caspian wants to keep his colleague alive so that they can continue to go out and kill things together. In order to placate Kronos, though, Methos should come and give Edward permission to use the name.
There is possibly a scene in which some of the older vampires are mocking a captured Edward and some of the younger vampires too for the nickname. In some grand melodramatic fashion Caspian comes to the rescue bringing Methos along with. The laughter of the vampires is abruptly cut off.
"Did you really say, my dear Belle Morte," Methos nearly purred, "that you were going to kill Death?"
She hissed, uncertain what to do. She had known this man back when she had been a mere fledgling but then Christianity has risen and he had vanished. She had been sure he was dead. "Wouldn't you prefer he die, this pretender to your name?"
"If I wanted him dead, he would be dead and by my hands or by the hands of my brother. It is not your place to act in my name."
It had been a shot in the dark and it had missed.
"But come, come, why don't we kiss and make up?" His voice mocked her. She couldn't even look at him, the holy faith turning her eyes away. Any kiss would burn and disfigure.
Methos and his brother walked unchallenged through the vampires to Edward, releasing him from the chains that bound him. He, at least, she could look at, and she could almost sympathize with the look in his eye. His face was blank but it was a cover for the uncertainty that kept him balanced between gratitude and rage, that uncertainty that wondered who these men were who could walk so fearlessly among the monsters. And from whom the monsters recoiled.
Alternately, say Methos and some vampire want to have a relationship. Which is hard enough to do when one of you is edible to the other, even harder when one is deathly allergic to the other. So Methos is trying to become un-holy, but so far nothing is working. Then he discovers that there is another man called Death. So maybe he can transfer the holiness to Edward and get on with his romance. All he has to do is formally declare Edward his heir and then ... well, then discover that nothing is that simple. Heh. He may or may not be able to give Edward holiness but he can't get rid of his own. And can you imagine what being holy would do to a vampire hunter? It's all very good in a hand-to-hand fight, but it also repels the vampires so it's incredibly hard to get that close. Edward is not amused. Anita Blake is caught between finding it hilarious and horrendous. (She has all sorts of religious issues.)
Anyway, if someone writes this, I would appreciate it. Let me know.
no subject
And Oliver could have been growing bored, especially since he had become and ugly guy when surely he had been a very handsome Homo Erectus who though absurdly powerful couldn't use that because of boredom. And he must have gotten especially bored once libraries went into the church's control being located in Holy Ground. Poor guy.
he can't cut loose and party and has to do his plotting the old fashioned way, moving pawns around and with so few people to talk too... everyone who could understand him was either sleeping for a few centuries like the Mother or people who if ever met personally again would almost certainly kill each other.
Oh yes, I can see Silas doing that so clearly, they'd be treated well so long as they were animals if they shifted then they were fair game for Caspian's fun or for the whatever games they played with their slaves. The Foxes ended up being a carefully cultivated and controlled species for so long that they became it.
The bloodline being purified with every new slaves he took he thought might fit his vision for them.
There is the chance he would lose the holyness and she the homicidal tendencies... why burn a bridge when you can maintain it after all?
In any case can you picture them getting together and discussing or remembering the past over the conversation... you something like "well whenever I burned Babylon I always thought of you" or "I think I saw you during massacre at XXX" and the other (or someone else) is surprised and says "wait a minute that was you?"
You know that likely during the dark ages they were all living in comfort in the east or in the peninsula where there was comfort and beautiful things plenty.
no subject
A couple of really fabulous short stories about Methos in the future being his cool, good-by-choice psycho-by-nature self, are:
"Days Forsaken" by jacquez h. valentine
http://www.dementia.org/~jacquez/writing/hlfic/days_forsaken.html
"Methos by Firelight" by jacquez h. valentine
http://www.dementia.org/~jacquez/writing/hlfic/methosbyfirelight.html
no subject
I love how Methos deals with his few absolutes and how he alternates one life to the other going from oposites.
it reminds of a challenge I saw at Highlander Fiction once that nobody answered: (http://hlfiction.net/challenges.php?chalid=5) where several of the identities would be confronted by meeting past friends of different times in the same place.
no subject
"The Black Magician" by Shadows Dancing over on fanfiction.net is unfortunately incomplete and hasn't been updated for more than two years, but in it Hammond first meets Methos' newest identity (Methos having killed of Adam Pierson just recently) and thinks he looks a lot like a young man he met back in Vietnam (the identity before Pierson), then Daniel meets him and thinks he looks a lot like his old colleague Adam. Chaos progresses from there.
I've also seen a couple of fun stories in which Duncan meets an alternate Methos personality and is shocked. "But that's not like you!" "No, it's not like Adam Pierson, which is really the point." After all, if you don't want to be tracked, you have to change.
no subject
I love those stories where Duncan meets a new persona though I wish we could see him meeting the friends his other persona has (you know Methos has to have a rich guy identity lying around for when he wants his luxuries) and discovers that there is a persona who drinks wine and goes to the Opera .
Trying to explain how much change is good won't work for Duncan... he has kept his name all of his lives so changing personalities is a little extreme for him but Joe might get it.
no subject
"Champagne" by Lferion
http://hlfiction.net/viewstory.php?sid=1016
It's more of Richie being shocked by Methos' other persona, but it's a very cool story and I wish it weren't just a one-shot.
There's another story that I read a long time ago but failed to bookmark. In it, Duncan is saying something obnoxiously naive about people being innately good or bad. Methos asks Duncan if he ever met this one blacksmith back in the day? Duncan says, oh yeah, a great guy, more than a little crazy and rough as hell, but fun to hang out with. And Methos explains that he was killed in a challenge when his opponent's mortal girl friend snuck up behind him and hit him over the head. Duncan is furious and intent upon revenge for such a unfair death. Then Methos explains that the blacksmith was Kurgan and the winner was Conner MacLeod. Duncan is given a lot to think about.
no subject
Oh that story must have been awesome and so like Methos to twist the tale around so he can see both sides and show it to Mac so that the highlander can come up with his own conclusions!
no subject
I cant believe that the horseman survived 3,ooo years being killers all the time
even Caspian would have gotten bored or decapitated before that.
there was a lovely fic where the horseman who are killed aren't really Methos's brothers but other old immortals he and the other 3 manipulate into being there for the showdown.
I loved it
no subject
It was "Sweet Vengeance" by liliaeth
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/246523/1/Sweet_Vengeance
The other one, was actually one of mine, unless you found a similar story (in which case, let me know, so that I can read it):
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1588441/1/Death_of_the_Four_Horsemen_of_the_Apocalypse
no subject
well now you know how much I loved it, praising it to the author unknowingly!
no subject