An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
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SPOILERS FOR "EMPIRE OF THE DAWN"
Hey everyone! I spent weeks after finishing the books burning with questions after the ending, as I know many have! So, I decided to take my theories and write a sort of Epilogue of my own, to explore what really happened, some events following the ending, and to get some kind of closure for myself!
So, if you have been wondering what really happened... maybe this will answer some of those burning questions? 👀
I put a lot of effort into diving into the books to study events and even Jay's writing style, to match the books as closely as possible. I have also drawn some of my own illustrations to feature in this fanfiction as well! The project has been huge for me, taking over two months, and ended up with almost 45k words which sums up to roughly 168 small soft-cover pages, with more time spent on some of my own artwork and a many rounds of revisions. Everything here has been written or drawn by me, with some great help and feedback from the fantastic @medu_nefer.
While he certainly hasn't read it, I did get Jay's blessing to share my work. But of course, all credits for the original work go to him. 😊
Description (SPOLER WARNING):
The story has ended, but we are left with many unanswered questions. This is an extensive, in-character exploration of those events.
It continues with the interview-style of storytelling, while exploring the emotions and lingering regrets of the characters as well as some of the events that happen afterward in order to bring (some) closure to each remaining main character.
The story contains some underlying themes about acceptance, forgiveness, and seeing people for who they really are.
The characters of Jay's story are explored from an outside perspective, as I did not want to delve too deep into their internal thoughts so that the reader can keep their own vision of the main characters.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
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SPOILERS FOR "EMPIRE OF THE DAWN"
Kestrel Voss, Priori of the Blood Voss, awaits the execution of the last silversaint – Gabriel de León. Little does she know what awaits her that fateful night.
Kestrel Voss is the last of the Princes of Forever - the last child of Fabién Voss and now Priori of Blood Voss. She dances a careful waltz of power and politics with an old rival, now a potential ally in this den of wolves. The Iron Maiden wakes as dusk falls on the night that Gabriel de León - last silversaint and murderer of the Forever King - awaits his final judgement.
While it initially features a sort of relationship between Kestrel and Kariim, this is not a shipping fic.
(I have never written shipping or true intimacy between two characters before, so please bear with me on the first chapter 🙈)
Do you remember this post? Jay saw it but never answered. Since apparently it's something that happens often, I waited until yesteday, because I went to a Bad Omens concert and took the opportunity to fangirl in HIS chat and remind him of the questions.
It worked. So, here are his answers! (Spoilers of the whole series ahead!)
I also asked him if we can send him more questions eventually and he said yes sooooo good for us!
Below the cut, both questions and answers.
Question #1: Vampires usually revert to their becoming state if something of them changes. Does it apply also to hairstyles? (We were wondering if Ettiene's braided beard was his choice or if he died with it and had to keep it, specifically)
Answer: Hair would revert to the same length. Style, probably not.
Question #2: During/After the fall of Avelene, was Aaron actually crushed by the boulder and somehow healed into one piece when becoming or was that just a lie to keep Gabriel from trying to rescue him?
Answer: It's never fully explained, but I always imagined a dude standing next to Aaron got hit by the boulder and crushed. But it passed by close enough it took Aaron's sword too, and probably knocked him off the wall. Close call!
Question #3: Can vampires be thralled to each other? Like, two vampires who drink from each other would both get thralled or would that cancel out?
Answer: Yes, vampires can thrall each other.
Question #4: Can a vampire break silver chains? Does it make a difference if there's cloth between their skin and the silver? (Specifically, is there any way to tie up an ancien Dyvok?)
Answer: Most vampires couldn't break silver. Mmmmmmaybe an ancien Dyvok. Cloth wouldn't matter in terms of breaking the chain, but cloth would prevent physical contact, and thus, a burn. It would still feel very uncomfortable though.
Question #5: Vampires are physically cold. Do they *feel* always cold? Can they feel human heat if hugged? Also, being supernatural, would they feel the pressure of a hug made by a human?
Answer: They feel cold and numb, yes. Part of the allure of mortal blood is that it's hot, and wakes them up and makes them feel alive. For example, male vampires can only impregnate human females if they've recently fed (their swimmers are reanimated for a while). Yes, they feel pressure.
Question #6: Are vampires able to preserve blood somehow, like with anti-coagulants or preservatives? Or they don't and they need it always fresh?
Answer: There's no such thing as an anti-coagulant in that world. The tech isn't advanced enough.
Question #7: If EOS Dior was flayed with a silver-tipped whip, would that leave lasting scars?
Answer: If Dior was hit with silver post DAWN, yes, it would hurt her. She's a duskdancer.
Question #8: Baptiste had his bonds broken by Dior's blood at the Battle of Maergenn but was thralled again by Ilon in León. Was it a mistake, an intentional lie, or was it just the Ilon's gifts?
Answer: Baptiste wasn't so much thralled as under the influence of Ilon's power. Everyone was experiencing heightened emotions in the León sequence - Gabe's hunger, Lachie's desire, Baptiste's frustration at Aaron refusing to touch him. But Ilon was one of the Five. His manipulation power is off the charts (the emotional equivalent of being able to punch down a castle with your bare hands), and Baptiste is only mortal.
Question #9: Do the names of the vampire clans - Voss, Dyvok, Ilon, Chastain and Esani - have a meaning or were they chosen because they sounded good?
Answer: The names were from different places. All of them sorta mean something. For example, "Voss" was a fashion exhibit put on by Alexander McQueen, which had a super spooky vibe, and put me in mind of Fabién.
Question #10: How long did the De Leóns stay in Aveléne after Patience's birth?
Answer: They only stayed maybe half a year after Patience's birth. Until Astrid and Pateince were healthy and strong enough to travel.
Question #11: What was the age difference between Aaron and Jean-Luc? And his brother was the oldest or the youngest?
Answer: Age difference was undefined. Six or seven years, probably.
Question #12: How long were Nikita and Fabién together?
Answer: Undefined. Long enough for Fabién to get bored of him. Decades, I'd imagine. :)
Question #13: We are all aware that part of the magic of this series is that we don't know what actually happened (because Gabriel and Celene were two fucking good liars) BUT we need to know: did Baptiste actually go with the Voss? Or was it another lie?
Answer: Before the big finale of DAWN you mean? Yes, Baptiste was tempted by the idea of eternal life. He loved Aaron a lot.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
⚠︎ ⚠︎ ⚠︎
SPOILERS FOR "EMPIRE OF THE DAWN"
Dior Lachance is haunted by the Forever King, caught in a terrible nightmare.
She wakes up in the end, relieved to find herself safe among friends and famille.
(Extra warning for some potentially gruesome details, but if you've read these books you should be fine 😄)
While working on editing my big behemoth project, I needed to get some creative inspiration out 😅
I wanted to explore Dior's experiences while in Fabién's clutches, but it ended up being a nightmare instead. Set soon after the death of Fabién Voss, after she had been saved by her friends and famille.
Thanks to @medu_nefer for her tips and help with posting this first fic 😊
