Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

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1. Contrary to popular belief, he smiles and laughs frequently. You just have to reach a certain level of closeness to unlock those features. He knows Darren’s first impression of him was “gloomy”. Once they became colleagues, that didn’t last long.

 

2. He has a stellar sense of humour but you have to pay attention or it’ll go over your head. It’s very dry and sarcastic. He’s also known for roasting people without them even realizing it.

 

3. He’s aware he has a resting bitch face and no, he doesn’t care. If he raises an eyebrow while talking to you, he probably thinks you’re an idiot. He tends to emote with his eyes but if he really doesn’t want you to know what he’s thinking, his poker face is rock solid.

 

4. He dresses only in black because he likes having a signature look. It’s that simple. There’s no deeper hidden meaning behind it. Plus he doesn’t have to worry about matching colours, and it makes him look even more intimidating. It’s all very on-brand.

 

5. He’s kind of a control freak and tends to stress himself out on a pretty regular basis. But he hides it so well that sometimes even Arrow and Paris can’t tell. If you see Mika flipping out, it’s probably already too late for you.

 

6. If you’ve ever wondered if Mika and Arrow are telepathically talking shit about you while you’re standing in front of the thrones or during a meeting, they definitely are.

 

7. He’s a little conceited, but polite about it. He’s just realistic. He knows he’s very well-accomplished and good at his job. And he wants you to know he knows.

 

8. On the other side of that coin, he’s secretly struggled with imposter syndrome because of how young he was invested. The adjustment period was rougher than he expected. For a long time he thought he took “fake it til you make it” too far. He’s doing much better now ♡ 

 

9. He likes nice things and makes no apologies for it. Just because he CAN live tough doesn’t mean he wants to. He has a silk-lined mahogany luxury coffin which was originally built to fit someone about 3x his size. He needs the extra space for his pillows and blankets.

 

10. He’s a bit of an insomniac, usually because his brain never shuts off. He’s also an early riser and too good at functioning on too little sleep. He’s taken very few naps in his life but his favourite ones have been while sitting upright in his throne between meetings.

 

11. He’s not AS much of a frat bro as Arrow or Vancha, but close. With that said he can flip the switch from strategic genius to post-work party animal in .2 seconds and can pound ale as good or better than any of them. And he’s better at remembering to drink water before bed.

 

12. He LOVES his job, loves being a Prince more than anything in the world. He’s also a chronic perfectionist, excessively critical of himself and way too competitive.  Sometimes all that comes at the expense of his mental health, but he claims he’s working on it.

 

13. He’s fluent in profanity. “Fuck” is his emotional support word. But he’s so eloquent and well-spoken, he pulls it off without sounding like a degenerate.

 

14. His throne is his happy place. It’s old and hard and uncomfortable (all the Princes should probably see a good chiropractor) but it feels like home. He knows it’s just an old wooden chair but in his eyes it’s solid gold.

 

15. In the sporting halls, his swordsmanship skills are his biggest flex. Absolutely top-tier. And on the other side of that coin, his worst thing is… the bars. He’s only *slightly* above average there, and Arra never lets him forget it.

 

16. You probably assume he likes black coffee. You’re not wrong; he appreciates caffeine in all forms. But what he *loves* is caffeine mixed with an unholy amount of sugar. He stops for a latte in every human civilization he visits.

 

17. He didn’t actually like opera all that much. He’s just aggressively competitive. It worked, didn’t it? #MikaOfTheHowl

 

18. His aversion to spiders is actually more of a clinical phobia left over from one of his Trials of Initiation where, to make a long and gruesome story short, he was trapped in a tiny cavern place swarming with spiders for an extended period and never quite recovered 🕷

 

19. He *loves* junk food. Processed food. Fast food. You name it. He doesn’t get it very often bc he spends so much time in the mountain. But when he travels, he goes out of his way to get exactly what he wants.

 

20. It’s not a headcanon it’s just him. The chokehold this photo has on me is unreal. His energy. His attitude. His eyes. It’s all right here. 🖤👑 (Thank you Luke Evans for unknowingly giving a face to my best boy via the Dracula Untold promotional material).

 

 

21. He is BY FAR the most organized of all the current Princes. Literally no competition. Man lives and dies by his daily planner.  Crafting an efficient schedule is an art, and he is Picasso.

 

22. He likes the ocean. He thinks it’s neat and enjoys sitting and watching it whenever he gets the opportunity in his travels. It’s one of the rare times he feels relaxed. (Arrow on the other hand is thalassophobic and thinks Mika’s insane but that’s an HC for another thread).

 

23. Raspberries are his favourite fruit. Second favourite, strawberries. Third, bananas. But they have to be *almost* ripe. If there’s even a single brown spot, forget about it.

 

24. He’s actually pretty chill - within reason. If you’re late for a meeting once, he’ll make a snarky comment then move on. If you’re always late, he probably hates you. But as long as you’re respectful of his time and do your job well, he’s a pretty good boss.

 

25. Sober Mika gets utterly irate over the sight of someone talking with their mouth full and will almost always call them out on it. Drunk Mika and Sober Mika wouldn’t get along. [copied & pasted directly from TIU2.0/chapt20]

 

26. Speaking of Drunk Mika, he is the life of the party every single time without fail. And this isn’t even a headcanon this is straight from the source. Look at him go. Gloomy emo where???

 

 

27. If he was a human in the 21st century, he’d be one of those people that can’t sleep unless he’s got a fan on, a weighted blanket, total darkness, and two melatonin gummies. I can’t explain it you have to trust me on this.

 

28. He’s not a music snob at all. He’s got a wide range of tastes, and a surprising appreciation for modern hip-hop/rap. Only genres he won’t touch are country and show tunes.

 

29. He doesn’t know how to drive. But if he did, hypothetically, he’d be mostly good at it. Maybe a little stressy/aggressy in tight traffic but he’d do ok. He could handle parallel parking - on the condition no one is watching him. Otherwise forget about it.

 

30. He’s a perfectionist. He’s one of those people that tends to be good at just about everything, which works in his favour. But the odd time he fails at something, he has a hard time dealing with it. Internally, of course. You’ll never see him sweat.

 

31. Ultimately, he’s a jock. All the iMpOrTaNt vampires are (except Kurda), bc they kind of have to be in order to succeed. But when he needs a break from cracking heads in the sporting halls, Mika also loves chess and he’s scarily good at it. (But not better than Kurda).

 

32. He is an exceptional public speaker and feels very confident & comfortable being the centre of attention. Something about drawing self esteem from external validation which he’s certain is a healthy and normal thing that everyone does.

 

33. He was the youngest of 6 brothers in an obscenely wealthy but emotionally neglectful / dysfunctional family, and ran away in his late teens. The inheritance wasn’t worth it. He wanted to build his life on his own terms. All things considered, he thinks he did ok.

 

34. [in my world] Kurda is the love of his life. Arrow is his platonic soulmate. But it’s Arra who gets him better than anyone else.

 

35. He secretly hopes his name is one day used as a vampire cuss (like Charna or Harnon) so his legacy lives on long after his death. (“Ah, Mika Fucking Ver Leth! I stubbed my toe”!)

 

36. His favourite TV show is the news. This isn’t a shitpost I’m being dead serious. Whenever he’s away from the mountain he prefers hotels over camping so he can “catch up”.

 

37. His job doesn’t require it super often, but he’s extremely talented at writing. Especially speechwriting. Human world leaders pay millions for that level of skill.Drawing, on the other hand? He’s comically abysmal. What is scale? Don’t ask Mika.

 

38. He tends to sleep curled up the fetal position (after he wins his nightly battle with insomnia that is).

 

39. He’s one of the funniest people you’ve ever met or will ever meet. Don’t be fooled by the deadpan delivery. I dare you to listen to his candid commentary on life and not crack up.

 

40. He’s lived long enough to have dressed in countless different styles. He likes to keep things modern. Lately he’s been feeling his black biker jacket. But his closet holds dozens of pieces from throughout the centuries. If he tells you he’s not sentimental he’s a liar.

 

41. While he’s got a killer competitive instinct, he admittedly dials it back when it comes to board games. He does like to win, but after a certain point (like hour 3 of monopoly) he can only bring himself to care so much. (Unlike Kurda. Board games are his blood sport).

 

42. Even at age 270+ has a phobia of being hospitalized due to a bad experience with a childhood illness (it was the 1700s, you’d have ptsd too).

 

43. Admittedly he’s more finicky on titles than some of his colleagues. He knows exactly who is and isn’t on a first name basis with him. And that is, in fact, Sire Ver Leth to you. (Aaaand he tends to play favourites regarding who’s allowed to address him casually).

44. [Disclaimer: In my AU Mika was originally blooded/mentored by Paris Skyle. Paris 'raised' both Mika & Arrow simultaneously. [I was very young when I came up with this; I hadn't gotten to bk7 where we find out Paris was Vancha's mentor, and the SLC hadn't yet been released to confirm Mika's mentor was Lare Shment. And having accepted all of that, I still haven't been able to let it go.] Eventually Mika's endless ambition drove a wedge between himself and Paris who was already a Prince at the time but went out of his way NOT to give Mika a competitive edge over his peers, insisting Mika simply keep working hard and let destiny take its course. That wasn't enough for Mika. He wanted everything now. This was around the time Mika's potential started to become apparent to other vampires, and when Paris's co-Prince Lare offered him an apprenticeship position, Mika eagerly accepted - only to find out Lare was rigidly strict with expectations so unreasonable it bordered on cruel. Even by vampire standards. Knowing how determined Mika is to rise to a challenge, you can just imagine how toxic that dynamic became. Mika went back to Paris after Lare's death but the damage has been done.

 

45. [This is an inside joke with myself about how l've unapologetically mispronounced Mika since day 1. For reference, the "correct" version is Mick-a. I go with My-ka. Always have always will.] Technically, Mick-a is correct. That's what he was called as a human. He went by that for 16 years. Then he met Paris. Paris saw Mika's name written on paper before he heard it spoken out loud. When Paris addressed Mika by name, he made an assumption and pronounced it My-ka because he didn't know any better. And Mika just happened to be in the process of running away from home because he was sick of his family. He decided he liked Paris's pronunciation and just... never corrected him. He's gone by My-ka ever since and nobody knows the truth.

 

46. He’s weirdly okay with travelling by plane. He is aware that contradicts his anxiety, claustrophobia, and control issues. He doesn’t know what to tell you.

 

47. He has neat handwriting.
    
    
    
    
48. High self-worth + low self-esteem is pretty much the sum of him.

 

49. He would NOT like cold pizza if confronted with it.

 

50. I did a visual ref for #20 so here’s an even better one for the #50 milestone!!! The ✨pensive meeting hands✨. The throne. The salute🖕🏻. The whiskey. The birb™️. The chess board. The blood+sweat+tears=💎symbolism. The mountain. The crown. The sword. THE. MAN. HIM. SELF. 🖤 

 

51. Nothing in the world makes him laugh as hard as Darren swearing. Doesn’t happen often but if Sire Shan drops an earnest f-bomb during a meeting, everything comes to a halt because Mika literally cannot function. Sometimes Paris sends him out to the hall to compose himself

 

54. As a human he was heavily agnostic but quiet about it cause Christianity was a pretty big deal for Europeans in the 1700s. As a vampire he feels more connected to the clan’s deities than he did to the human equivalent. But with that said, every now and then he’s still like …are we sure?

 

55. He’s a coffee king through to the core (as previously mentioned). He doesn’t “get” tea. Except when Kurda brews it.

 

56. Don’t burp or fart in front of him. He hates that. Also, he’s not that friend you can talk about TMI stuff with. He doesn’t want to be. He never will be. He’ll tell you to see a doctor about whatever you’ve got going on, then he’ll walk away.

 

57. When he inevitably finds his first gray hair, he’ll be inconsolable for days.

 

58. He loves back rubs and scalp massages. He also hates people touching him. Both are true. Do whatever you want with that information.

 

59. In continuation of the above, physical touch is actually his predominant love language. *Almost* nobody knows that. Yes, I already said he hates people touching him. That is still accurate. But I didn’t specify *which* people.

 

60. He’s always been popular and well-liked, but he purposely keeps a very small circle of friends. With great power comes great trust issues.

 

61. If he had his way (and technically he could) bare feet would just not be a thing. Put your dogs away. He doesn’t want to see them. One of these days he might just sign it into law.

 

62. He’s actually a prank connoisseur, but not in a silly goofy way. I realize that sounds contradictory but you have to trust me on this. He doesn’t prank often, but when he does, the timing is immaculate, and the commitment and production value are top tier.

 

63. He talks in his sleep a lot. Mostly about work. It’s adorable.

 

64. Clutter makes him anxious.

 

65. He’s a top-tier marksman. Darts, axe throwing, all that. Never misses. If vampires used guns he’d make an excellent sharpshooter.

 

66. The more stressed he feels, the less he eats. He knows that’s not helpful but also he can’t help it.

 

67. He loves watching any kind of human competitive sporting event. Either in person or on TV the rare occasion he’s near a TV. Even if he’s not familiar w the sport he can figure out the basis pretty quick.

 

68. Milk chocolate > dark chocolate. He loves a lil sweet treat and he thinks dark chocolate tastes like tree bark. If you assumed he likes dark chocolate he understands why you drew that hypothesis. But he does wish people wouldn’t make assumptions.

 

69. The closer the friendship, the more he roasts that person. He also has no problem disagreeing with / calling his friends out as needed. But he won’t say anything behind anyone’s back if he wouldn’t say it to their face.

 

70. ^ and if he hears you badmouthing someone he respects, he’ll put you in your place right then and there. He’ll embarrass the fuck outta you in front of whoever happens to be nearby. He doesn’t care. Only he’s allowed to make fun of his friends.

 

71. He’s extremely wary of mimes and outright terrified of clowns.

 

72. Speaking of fears, he’s also got a severe phobia of being trapped or just forcibly restrained in any way. Definitely ties into the previously mentioned claustrophobia as well as his issues with anything hospital/medical related. It’s a control thing.

 

73. He’s got a freckle right where the blue dot is.

 

74. “Mika is very honest” and “Mika is highly skilled at lying” are both true statements that can and do coexist.

 

75. His favourite artificial flavour is “blue”.

 

76. And no. He doesn’t like black licorice. Kurda does, though.

 

77. But he does like a nice dark beer. Get that IPA out of here. (Kurda will take it off your hands, please and thank you).

 

78. He is NOT short, but seems taller & bigger than he actually is because of the way he carries himself. Walks like he owns the place.

 

79. He’s a slut for butter croissants.

 

80. He has the prettiest eyelashes. Honestly everything about his stormy, grey, steely eyes is just straight-up gorgeous. Like sir you live in a mountain, you don’t NEED to look like that.

 

81. He’s honestly so much fun to hang out with. Not enough people know that. But then again, he prefers it that way.

 

82. He hates eggs. He’ll claim he’s deathly allergic to them. He’s not. But he’s not taking any chances.

 

83. He loves to push himself in the sporting halls, but he’s strategic about it. Not all vampires believe in the importance of properly warming up / cooling down. But not all vampires will live as long as he will.

 

84. ^ “Take care of your body and it’ll take care of you” Mika advises the next generation. He says that with a lot of conviction for a guy running on 🎶3 hours of sleep, 2 litres of coffee, and that one glass of water last week 🎶

 

85. He would LOVE working in a corporate office. Love it.

 

86. He enjoys reading (although he doesn’t have much time to read anything unrelated to work these days) and is very skilled at writing. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, all that.

 

87. My lifelong resentment of academia is seething at my present self for even daring to think this, but he’s good at math too.

 

88. Taking this one step further and supposing he’d theoretically excel in any academic subject and it’s real-world equivalent. Except art. Despite his steady hand and eye for detail, he isn’t naturally inclined towards creativity.

 

89. I mentioned way earlier in this thread he was the youngest of six sons in a wealthy family. Expanding on that; his parents’ names were Marius & Reina Ver Leth. The Ver Leth business empire made its fortune through their ship-building company and owning fuck tons of land.

 

90. Now just listen for a moment. Hear me out. This would never even cross his mind in a million years - but he *could* be a stand-up comedian. His public speaking skills, sarcastic wit, straight face, dark sense of humour and deadpan delivery would GIVE.

 

91. His signature glare isn’t even a glare, literally all he has to do is relax his face and there it is.

 

92. He doesn’t have a passport. His friends and colleagues don’t have passports. But let’s say they did. You know exactly who’d keep everyone’s passports and boarding passes in the airport.

 

93. He’s fluent in English, Dutch, German, Russian, Italian, and French. And he can cuss you out in every language.

 

94. He loves to travel and explore, but he loves Vampire Mountain most. Vancha and Arrow get restless if they stay there longer than a few years, but Mika feels quite content being an indoor Prince.

 

95. He doesn’t have any tattoos yet, but eventually he’s going to get a small arrow on his inner left arm to “match” his best friend. It’ll be a surprise, and Arrow will ugly cry upon the big reveal.

 

96. He actually learned how to drive — just for fun — when automobiles started getting popular in the human world. But it’s been a long time and he’d need a refresher if he got behind the wheel now.

 

97. He secretly fantasizes about having his very own luxury car. A black Benz, to be specific. He could come up with the money but where would he keep it? When would he have time to enjoy it? He made the mistake of telling Vancha and got roasted. But a guy can dream.

 

98. Full disclosure: he’s a retired fuckboy. His cub era could rival Larten’s. But it’s been a long time since those nights and unlike Larten, Mika managed to not make them part of his lifelong reputation.

 

99. Unlike many of his peers, he pays attention to trends of the human world and styles his hair accordingly — he likes to blend into civilization when he passes through town. He’s worn his hair many different lengths over his 270~ years, but this is his favourite:

100. Ultimately he’s a good person. He’d never tell you that because he doesn’t believe it himself. Hopefully he’ll feel differently someday. But until then, I like him enough for both of us. 

 

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