OC Spotlight December: Vanu // sfw-ish

once lucifer had fallen from heaven, he conquered and united hell into one kingdom (better to rule in hell than serve in heav'n, you know). many new demons were born in the wake of this conquest, whether spawned by the depths of hell itself, created from the bitterness and spite of the fallen angels, or as children to the devil or other demons.

amongst the offspring of lucifer and lilith was a pair of twins; fire and darkness, intertwined. one was a fiery snake, its coils white-hot with lava, and the other was a pitch black wolf with fur made from shadows and smoke. when they were born the snake was coiled around her brother's neck, trying to strangle him, and the wolf's fangs were buried in his sister's body, attempting to tear her apart. the snake was named nara; the wolf was vanu.

they soon became experts at shapeshifting and would take on countless forms, just as they mastered their respective elements. they both rose to prominence, but in different ways; nara was a demon of wrath, far colder than you'd guess from her ember scales, but no less fearsome. her forte was war and violence, bloodshed and pain. her brother, on the other hand, was a demon of greed; he preferred intrigue, manipulation, and guile to achieve his goals. the twins were bound to never fully understand one another, but there was an undeniable bond between them, forged from birth, and they soon turned snarky bickering into an art.

vanu wasted no time in disguising himself as a mortal so he could walk among the earliest humans. he despised them, like his father, but wanted to study them and learn how best to destroy them. he learnt how to ruin them from within, and found that he could best ply his trade if he was hidden in plain sight, patiently laying his nets and pulling at the right strings at just the right moment. he learnt how to ensare the corrupted and how to corrupt those who claimed to be beyond corruption. vanu is a personification of greed, and he is himself guilty of being very greedy, but first and foremost he's an expert at recognising, manipulating, and punishing the avarice of mortals. he's a chess master or spider-in-the-wep type of demon, a cunning and clever schemer who rarely gets his own hands dirty. 

as human society developed into complex civilisations, vanu fine-tuned his skills. in his own subtle ways he incited and encouraged the greed and conceit that came to govern so many humans, from the lowest beggar to the highest ruler. he promises wealth, power, and fame, fanning the flames of avarice within human hearts, and then claims the souls of those who fall into temptation. but he preys on the wealthy and powerful in particular--greed thrives where there's luxury, money, and decadence. he haunts those who have so much already but who are never satisfied, people who have everything but who wants even more, often at the cost of others. he's particularly fond of making deals of the sort that never ends well for the human(s) involved. perhaps they get what they want but it's not what they thought it would be, perhaps they lose something more important in the process, perhaps they ultimately lose everything... and either way they condemn themselves to the hell vanu has crafted for people who are guilty of the sin of greed.  

he made his way through the ranks of hell and eventually became the prime (aka the prince) of greed, one of seven demons who governs a sin each. throughout history, vanu has stood in the shadows of many a major event, watching and nudging, capable of ruining lives and toppling kingdoms with a single well-placed word. he loves politics and intrigue, and you'll often find him in big cities that are centers of power and other places where world events are taking place.

vanu's true form is wolf made of pure darkness, but he's crafted many other shapes for himself, human and otherwise. he is vain and concerned with elegance and style, so his human forms are always handsome, neat, and well-dressed. he takes the guise of a businessman, aristocrat, lawyer, or politician, and prefers a refined and classy lifestyle; his mansion in hell is grand and elegant, in a tasteful and stylish way. he's masterful in that calmly superior way, snarky and arrogant but oddly charming, and enjoys a good game of wits and words (...and sometimes cards or chess). he's quite particular (even obsessive-compulsive) with the way he wants things to be, he can't stand a mess, and gets deeply annoyed if someone messes with his stuff. speaking of which, he's a lover and patron of art and culture, and a collector of many valuable things, including fine paintings and sculptures, rare inventions, and the most prized posessions of humans he's dealt with (ranging from priceless physical items to cherished memories and secret wishes).  

but one important thing about vanu is that his true nature is that of a demonic wolf. in a way, his gentlemanly appearance, dignified demeanour, and refined tastes is a facade, a veneer that covers his actual self. deep down he's a beast, wild and untamed, insatiably greedy for more and more and more. he rarely loses his composure, hardly ever fully gives in to his own avarice, but when he does it's a terrible thing to behold. 

on rare occasions, he also collects exquisite humans. he feels a deep disdain for the human race in general, but every now and then there's a human who grabs his attention, for one reason or other. perhaps they're uniquely beautiful (vanu loves collecting beautiful things), perhaps they're particularly brilliant (he values intelligence and wit), or otherwise remarkable. he finds different ways to make these humans his, to preserve the aspects of them that he wants to possess; he may trap their spirit and likeness in a painting or marble sculpture, preserve their mind in a body that won't die, keep their heart ever beating, or otherwise bind them to himself. he can often be seen wearing necklaces, tie pins, and cuff links made of pitch black pearls; these are soul beads, in each of which he has trapped a human soul. once vanu has set his mind on owning something or someone it's difficult to stop him.

but that's not to say that all the humans who entered a bond with him were unwilling or unhappy about it. there's two people who are particularly important to him: his unexpected daughter, and his equally unexpected lover.

1. sarava

when the greed of the europeans led them to start sailing the world, looking for new trade routes and sources of riches, vanu followed. he came with the spanish to the americas, with the british to every corner of their empire, to every place that europe sunk its avaricious claws into. with the amount of sins the europeans committed, they made it easy for vanu to prey on them.

on one of these ... travels, while he was haunting the spanish who were ravaging the aztec empire, vanu came across a pair of humans who wanted to gain wealth and status. in exchange, they offered him their newborn child. mind you, vanu isn't usually the type of demon that accepts human firstborn as payment--what the hell is he supposed to do with a mortal toddler? they are not valuable to him, in any way, and they're messy, loud, dumb, and a lot of other things he can't stand. and yet, this time, he went against his own principles and ended up with a human baby in his care. he would never be able to explain why, exactly, but there was something about this child--something different from most humans. 

as it turns out she was usually a very quiet and good baby, and from very early on proved unusually intelligent. not that vanu was interested in spending every waking hour caring for a mortal child--even if he had had any idea how--so he ends up entrusting her care to a couple of his servants (demon nannies, if you will). but vanu finds himself strangely endeared by this child, surprising both himself and everyone else with the degree of interest he takes in her upbringing. he has high expectations, but the child lives up to all of them; she's clever, witty, and cunning, a straight As student, with a sharp tongue and an even sharper mind. vanu soon comes to call her daughter. he cares about extremely few people, but she's the apple of his eye. 

and as she grows up in vanu's hell mansion she turns less and less human by the day. she ends up a demon in her own right, taking the name sarava, and vanu has plenty of reasons to be proud of her. her mind is sharp as a razor and she's a master at all kinds of games--she's the only person who can beat vanu in a game of cards or chess. she soon turns her aim on human gamblers and thrillseekers, punishing (and sometimes rewarding) as deserved. father and daughter often cooperate, but even more than that vanu loves seeing what sarava can accomplish on her own.

2. hadrien

vanu feels right at home in the french revolution, too, when the populace rose to punish the wealthy aristocrats for their greed and pride. and while he was staying in paris, he met an inventor named hadrien. in many ways, hadrien is the embodiment of vanu's pet peeves--he's messy, disorganised, rude, and a drunkard. but he's also absolutely brilliant, a rare type of genius. vanu first takes an interest in him as he finds out that hadrien is, in fact, the true inventor of the guillotine--that hadrien had had an abusive relationship with dr joseph guillotin, who then went on to claim all the credit for his lethal creation. 

vanu contacts hadrien to order a card-playing automaton as a gift for his daughter, but his actual purpose is to find out what kind of person hadrien truly is. he may be a human with many bad habits, but despite this, vanu's attracted to his exceptional mind. hadrien, in his turn, feels an initial disdain for the snarky businessman that walks into his workshop like he owns the place, but grows to appreciate his dry wit and dignified charm. they bond through sassy banter and little moments of intimacy and allure, with vanu getting very intrigued by this remarkable (and good-looking) human, and hadrien enjoying the (handsome) company of someone who can match his fast-paced mind. the mutual attraction turns into desire and sexual tension, and culminates in sharing a bed. vanu had wanted to add hadrien to his collection because of his genius, but realises that there's many more reasons to be fond of him--and hadrien finds himself feeling oddly safe with vanu. somehow, the two of them strike up a chemistry that's good medicine for the anxiety and feeling of loneliness that dr guillotin's abuse had left hadrien with. 

and even when hadrien realises that his lover is a demon, he handles the discovery with remarkable composure. the first time he sees vanu as a black wolf, he runs his fingers through his fur, marvelling at the tufts of smoke slipping between his fingers. he watches vanu disappear into the dark or step out of a shadow, and finds it strangely comforting to know that he might be with him when he least expects it. when vanu takes the form of a man made of shadow, with no visible eyes or mouth or other features, hadrien simply asks "...how do i kiss you?"

and eventually, hadrien decides to inquire what vanu would charge for granting his wishes. vanu gives him a bracelet with three black pearls, each representing an opportunity to make a request. 

"call for me upon one of the pearls, and i will come to you. but you can only use each pearl once. three pearls--three requests." 

in return, vanu wants three things. "first--your body." 

hadrien smiles; "you already have it."

"second--your soul." 

"it's yours."

"third--you heart." 

"take it." 

and the first time he wishes upon the first pearl, hadrien manages to genuinely astonish vanu. out of all the things he could ask for, he simply requests vanu's company. he calls on his demonic lover to treat his loneliness, instead of turning to drink. "you could have just visited me." "i wanted to see if the pearl would work." you know, for science. and since the first aspect of hadrien that vanu wants to own is his body--well, i'm sure you can guess how they spend the night.

the second time, dr guillotin shows up at hadrien's workshop, very unexpected and very unwelcome. it's an extremely unpleasant meeting, where the abusive ex (who added insult to injury by marrying hadrien's sister) gloats and threatens hadrien. it leaves him having a panic attack, and he uses the second pearl in desperation. when vanu steps out of the shadows, hadrien simply asks him to "...help me." 

in terms of their sexual dynamic, vanu is the dom and hadrien is the sub; it doesn't often bleed into their everyday life, because hadrien does not have a submissive personality in general. but when hadrien is overwhelmed by anxiety and having panic attacks, turning on the D/s dynamic in a non-sexual way proves to be a good cure. it allows hadrien to let go, to hand over control to someone else, someone he trusts to take good care of him; vanu takes the reigns, makes him focus on him, on his voice and his touch and his eyes. he guides hadrien and his emotions, calms him down, gives him a safe harbour by relieving him of control. it wouldn't work for everyone, but it works for them, for hadrien. and as his anxiety fades away, his soul spills into the black pearl vanu wears as a tie pin. it leaves hadrien feeling a little bit ... lighter.

the third and final time, hadrien's had enough of caring about people who take advantage of him. he stayed with guillotin even as he grew more and more abusive, until guillotin abandoned him, and he did his best to protect his sister but she takes guillotin's side, thinking hadrien is just jealous. he's ready to be relieved of his humanity.

vanu finds him on a rooftop, holding the third pearl in his hand. 

"that is the last pearl. once it's gone, you'll be all mine." 

"i don't mind being yours."

"then what is your third request?"

hadrien says that out of all the things he could think of, none seemed good enough. rather than giving him an answer, hadrien asks vanu why he chose him; "what do you want with me?"

"you are a rare mortal, with a rare and exceptional genius. at first i simply wanted to own you, possess you, add you to my collection of brilliant things..."

"and now? what do you want now?"

at which vanu just smiles and responds; "how about your company."

hadrien looks at him for a moment, and then kisses him, clenching the pearl in his palm and making his decision. 

"you wanted my heart, right?"

"yes."

"then my third request is for you to have it."

hadrien undoes his own shirt, one button at a time, and vanu's lips wander down his throat and collarbones. his teeth lengthen and sharpen into fangs in his mouth, and claws sprout through the tips of his gloves, tearing the leather apart. in front of hadrien's eyes, black fur covers his skin, his face lengthen into a snarling snout, a multitude of yellow eyes blink open across his face. shadow and smoke envelop them, as vanu's true self creeps through his refined facade, ravenous and greedy beyond human comprehension. his claws dig into hadrien's chest, tearing it open; his jaws crush the bones of his ribcage, laying bare his beating heart, and vanu devours it.

the next morning, hadrien wakes up in his bed. all the pearls are gone and his clothes are covered with blood, but there's not even a scar on his chest, and no pain. no pain whatsoever. 

the next time he meets guillotin, he doesn't feel anything. the man tries to intimidate him, but hadrien feels none of the anxiety and fear he used to experience. soon afterwards, guillotin meets his end under the blade of the innovation he stole, and the last thing he sees is hadrien and vanu watching him from the crowd. 

hadrien has been relieved of the burden that is a human heart. there's no pulse in his veins, no rhytmic beats in his torso. but even so there's love, for the demon at his side, the monster that hadrien has willingly and happily given himself to. and vanu, with his scorn for the human race, had never thought he would fall in love with a human--yet here he is. hadrien proved to be the exception that makes the rule. 

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phew, that was another long one. hope you liked it, and as per usual, comment below if you have any questions about this character! <3

// art + vanu © me; nara, sarava, and hadrien © kubi.