- ''Thousands of years, and yet they are still in the same place. Whenever I take my eyes off them and look at the world, everything is shifting, but those stars up there, they were the stars that everybody saw. My parents saw them, my siblings saw them, anyone I ever loved or hated or read about, they all saw the same stars. They are the only compass that we have in this world, the one respite from the waltz of life. It breaks my heart that they will one day wither and flicker out of the sky.Jane was silent for a moment as she took a gulp of blood from her bag. When she was finished, she added: "That was so sappy that I think you can qualify as a house plant now.''
''A Study in Venom''
is a Volturi-centric fanfiction set after the end of The Twilight Saga. Still bitter after the events of the last book, the Volturi are deeply unsettled when a wandering monk from Russia comes before them and reveals the existence of a large coven of previously unknown vampires. Hoping to eliminate these potential dangers without much fuss, Aro sends Jane, Alec, Corin and Felix to accompany the monk back to his home in the mountains of Pjatigorsk. Once there, their misadventures lead them to realize that the situation is much more dangerous than they thought it would be, and several events start to challenge the status quo and the interpersonal relationships which the Volturi have enjoyed and maintained for millennia.
The story fleshes out the world and history of the Volturi, giving characterizations to even the most minor members of the guard and occupies itself with the idea of immortality and the many ways in which it affects vampires.
This story shows examples of:
- Affably Evil: Both Alec and Michael can appear to be quite friendly when it suits them.
- Against My Religion: Timur is horrified when the Volturi want to feed in the city where his descendants live. His decision to oppose them gives the members of the mysterious coven an opening to attack and separate them.
- Ascended Extra: The Volturi, especiall Corin and the twins. Minor characters like Athenodora and Chelsea also get a fair share of characterization and background.
- Ascended Fridge Horror: The story likes to analyze the lives of the vampires (Volturi or otherwise) and to underline all the reasons why living forever might be a terrible thing after all. See Deconstruction Fic below.
- Contrived Coincidence: Alec likes to visit the grave of a girl in Volterra cemetery because he likes her hair. That very same girl turns out to have somehow survived as a vampire - and is working for Michael.
- Big Brother Instinct: Alec and Felix both have this towards Jane.
- The Casanova: Felix is quite fond of women.
- Deconstruction Fic: The story likes to shed light on the less savory aspects of vampire existence. Vampires lose their mind, become trapped, disillusioned, obsessed with the past and overall traumatized by the enormity of history.
- Driven to Suicide: Chelsea remembers a vampire who threw himself into a bonfire after several centuries of adventures because he felt like there wasn’t anything left to do.
- Caring Gardener: Jane is fond of plants and has an impressive herbarium collection. She also pays attention to the plants in the Volterra cemetery.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Corin is seen as this due to her wildly varying range of interests.
- Fish out of Water: Timur feels woefully out of place in Volterra due to his many years spent in isolation.
- Flat-Earth Atheist: Jane is a vampire who's been alive for hundreds of years and heard of supernatural occurrences, but doesn't believe in ghosts. She's proven wrong right in the first chapter.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Both twins are frustrated by their perpetually twelve year old bodies and lament not being turned later in their lives, but Jane displays jealousy when she sees Corin's naked torso.
- The Hermit: Timur is a mysterious Russian monk who lives secluded on a mountain in Russia.
- Historical Domain Character: Jane is mentioned to have developed a rather creepy crush on the young French Revolutionary Louis Antoine de Saint-Just. Corin hints that she saw Alexander the Great in battle, as well as witnessed the murder of Caligula's family.
- Noodle Incident: Corin found something at the bottom of the ocean but refuses to tell what. The other vampires went crazy trying to bribe her into telling what she saw.
- Nostalgia Filter: Many vampires experience this as a result of their unnaturally long lifespans. Corin is a good example of this.
- Oh, Crap!: The moment when the Volturi (and especially Aro) hear about the massive coven in Russia.
- Original Character: A few minor members of the Volturi guard such as Yunan and Meishan.
- The Prankster: Alec loves playing tricks on his sister.
- Really 700 Years Old: This trope applies to all Volturi but it is explored to different degrees - Jane and Alec have to deal with navigating human society across the centuries while being stuck in prepubescent bodies. Several times Alec mentions feeling unnerved by what Aro has become after existing for thousands of years.
- Treasure Room: The Volturi Vaults contain countless priceless historical artifacts.
- Twincest: Jane and Alec are unnaturally close, and see each other as soulmates. Whether it's a natural result of a bond that was strong to begin with deepening throughout the centuries or flat-out incest is up to the reader to decide. The text leaves both interpretations open.
- Wicked Cultured: Corin is extremely knowledgeable about history (it helps that she was there to witness many of the events), astronomy, astrology and poetry. Alec likes to recite poetry and lines from works both old and modern and can speak several languages.
- Interestingly, this could technically be applied to every Volturi member. Their vampiric memory paired with their long lifespans will turn them into this trope through pure osmosis eventually, whether they like it or not.
