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.