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deadmenandthedivine · 1 year ago

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DEAD MEN § the DIVINE

chapter fourteen: what the lady beetle does

Maetilda Targaryen, First of her Name, was supposed to be many things. What she became was entirely different.

table of contents

trigger warning!!! this fic contains many graphic topics and depictions. such as but not limited to: dead parents, abusive parents, toxic family systems, incest, medieval misogyny, forced marriage, threats of assault (sexual § physical), actual assault, imprisonment, kidnapping, murder, blood/gore, uxoricide, familicide, disassociation, thoughts of self harm and annihilation, PTSD and other neurodivergence. i will do my best to update as i go along, but please let me know if i have missed anything!

word count: 3955

The first thing the princess did when she woke up that morning was check beneath her pillow, terrified the cloaked figure might have been the culprit behind the stones. There had been nothing in the Godswood the night before, but she could not take the risk. Her knight had searched her room but not her pillows. That morning, she checked every last one. Had the counter-curse not worked? Had it been too late? There were no more stones to be found. There was nothing beneath her pillow or any of the others. The dream had just been a dream — a nightmare. Although the small relief from a lack of looming runes was enough to let her breathe again, every hair on her body still stood straight up. Uneasy and on edge. Her limbs were tangled in her bed sheets just as they had been in her dream the night before as she fought to sit up properly and look around her chambers. Her heart pounded. Nothing looked out of place or disturbed; however, the feeling of eyes watching her every movement remained. She had felt the same way as Ser Gunthor had assisted her back to her chambers in the night, but she had been far too tired to worry about it. She glanced around a second time to find her room still empty. Nothing had changed. She successfully got out of bed on her second try. Her feet were still in her shoes, surprising her when her bare feet did not meet the ground. When she looked down, she found herself still dressed in her red evening gown too. Jewelry and all. Her maids knocked and entered soon after. They burst into giggles upon seeing her.

“You slept in your shoes and everything?” Adelyn smiled lovingly, “How were you comfortable?”

“Soldiers and knights do it, do they not?” The princess smiled.

“Aye and you, princess, are as tough as they come.” Noarysa joked.

“I am!” Maetilda nodded despite the maid’s sarcasm.

“You are!” Adelyn echoed as she began unlacing the princess’s shoes.

The two maids worked together to undress the princess before wrapping her in her housecoat and sitting her at the vanity. All with smiles on their faces. They brushed the knots and dirt from her hair before they began to weave it into the usual cascading style. From the speed at which they worked, it was clear that they were in a hurry. The princess took off her earrings, her rings, and her bracelet as they braided. But she could not get her necklace. She had hoped to save them time. That morning marked her sixth day at the Red Keep, and it felt as if she had been with her two maids for ages. Similar to her maids back at Dragonstone, she felt warm in their presence. Safe and looked after. But unlike her maids back home, she was oblivious to where their loyalties resided, and that was what kept her careful. Once her hair was done, Noarysa went to her wardrobe and pulled out a soft plum gown. It had a higher neckline than the red one from the night prior, puffed sleeves, and a full skirt that flared out beneath the bust. The hems and trims were decorated in blush pink and squash orange. Little ivory bows adorned the decorations. The princess selected her bronze citrine and sapphire jewelry to match. She was full of color, but not a single one clashed. At least not to her eye. The maids began to work at cleaning her chambers as Ser Eddrin came to collect the princess.

He gave her a warm smile as he held his arm out for her to take, “Ser Gunthor told me you had a cold evening.”

“He got me an extra blanket. I was not cold.” Maetilda smiled.

Ser Eddrin chuckled quietly as the princess took his arm. His creaking armor echoed down the hall as he escorted her to Rhaenyra’s chambers for breakfast. The princess’s eyes and limbs remained heavy and tired as they walked. The morning had come upon her quickly and she almost felt stuck in the events of the evening — the last two evenings. She did not understand what it all meant. The cloaked figure, the valley, the horse, the fall. It all felt so foreign and familiar at the same time. She wished Shrykos was near so they could go flying until they found the cliffs and hills of her dream. But just as her father had said the day before, Rhaenyra knew what she was doing when she made them travel by ship. Both the princess and the Rogue Prince were trapped in the Red Keep. In the castle of their ancestors that no longer felt like it was theirs. It was her sixth day at the Red Keep, and her life had been completely flipped onto its head. Rune binding, deception, marriage pacts, secret corridors, plotting, humiliation. It was as if she had been listening to a badly written book. What more would she encounter? What could possibly be worse? They made it to Rhaenyra’s chambers quickly. The anxiety in the princess’s veins set the pace quicker than normal. Two kingsguard stood at the entrance as usual. They smiled as they knocked and opened the door. The table seemed lively as she quietly stepped across the threshold. Jacaerys and Lucerys were already laughing. Joffery was haphazardly throwing words together to get his point across. Rhaenyra followed Joff’s story attentively as Daemon watched the group with pride. They all turned to Maetilda as she made her way toward the table and took her usual seat.

“There she is!” Lucerys teased, “The beautiful bride to be.”

“The prettiest in all the Realm.” Jacaerys chimed in.

“We have been blessed by the mere sight of you!”

“Like a star, plucked straight from the sky!”

“The brightest diamond!”

“The twinkle in my eye!” The two boys' eyes filled with tears as they held back laughter.

“Make one more remark about my beauty.” The princess warned.

“You are very pretty, Til!” Joffrey interjected.

She could only sigh, “Thank you, Joff.”

Luke smirked as he opened his mouth again,“It’s going to take one beautiful lady to handle—“

“That is enough. Both of you. As far as I am concerned, you older three are still treading on thin ice.” Rhaenyra warned.

“Thin ice?” Maetilda gasped.

“For dinner the other night when we were,” Jacaerys glanced toward Joffrey before looking back at his sister, “disruptive.”

“I was only defending Luke!” The princess immediately barked in her own defense.

“Of which, you did wonderfully.” Daemon chuckled.

The princess nearly choked when she heard his words. Complete and utter disbelief. She nearly did not hear the conversation that followed as she questioned if she heard him correctly. If he had truly said she had done something well. Certainly he did not, but he had laughed. He spoke jovially. Did her ears deceive her?

“My favorite part was when you threw the carafe!” Luke muttered not so quietly.

“Til threw what?” Joffrey gasped.

“Nothing!” Rhaenyra pointedly exclaimed.

Jace and Luke looked down before taking big bites of their food to avoid talking. Joffrey took an innocent sip of his tea, clearly basking in the safety of being the baby of the Velaryon brothers. Both Daemon and Rhaenyra adjusted themselves in their chairs.

Rhaenyra cleared her throat before she opened her mouth to speak again, “I expect all three of you to be on your best behavior for the rest of our stay. Make amends with Queen Alicent’s sons. I will confiscate inheritances if I must.”

In unison, Jacaerys, Maetilda, and Lucerys nodded their heads shamefully. It was never fun being scolded by the King’s heir. The future Queen did not threaten or punish often. And so there would be no question when her fire did spew, it was well deserved. The three had acted like children at dinner. They had embarrassed themselves and their parents. Even if they were defending themselves. In doing so, they had almost done more harm than good.

“How was dinner with the Queen last night, Maetilda?” Rhaenyra calmly changed the subject.

“It was… the food was wonderful.” The princess smiled.

Her father leaned forward to listen closer while her stepmother fixed her brow suspiciously. Rhaenyra gave the princess a once-over with her eyes, “And how was the company?”

“The Queen said that she was looking forward to seeing you more.” Maetilda stated innocently.

“How lovely of her,” Rhaenyra smiled, not at all fooled, “What else did you speak of?”

“So many things. I can hardly recall them all,” The princess nervously laughed.

“The wedding hasn’t been called off yet.” Her father pointed out.

Jace and Luke laughed, but Maetilda knew what that really meant. He was not happy with her, but neither was Rhaenyra. To make one happy, she would undoubtedly have to upset the other. The thought filled her with panic. If she wanted to get through the day unscathed, she would have to be honest. In front of her stepmother.

“Dinner did not go well,” The princess confessed, “I believe there was a time when the Queen told me that I was lucky she did not have my tongue taken out.”

It was then Daemon’s turn to laugh, “Those Hightowers would love themselves a little silent bride.”

“You riled her up, didn’t you?” Rhaenyra fixed her glare on her husband who straightened in his chair.

“I only told her to do what was necessary.” He seethed.

“Necessary for what outcome?” She retorted.

“The best one for all of us.”

“Daemon, you will ruin everything.”

“The only thing I will ruin is Otto Hightower’s fucking plans.”

“Children, you may be excused.” Rhaenyra barked for the rest of them to leave as the tension between her and her husband grew, “Go bond with your uncles. Behave yourselves.”

Maetilda did not wait a moment longer before she practically ran from the room, nearly crashing into Ser Eddrin on her way out. The knight caught her by the arms but said nothing as she led them far away from the chamber doors. They did not cover their suspiciousness well. She practically dragged the aged knight into the first empty corridor she found. Her breathing was labored when they stopped. She had no choice but to take a moment to collect herself before even looking up at Ser Eddrin. With his back, he shielded her from where the end of the corridor they stood in met the main one. Her mind replayed breakfast on a loop. She had no doubt that her father and Rhaenyra were arguing at that very moment. She wondered if her father argued with his wife like he scolded her. She feared what would happen in that room. But not enough to go back. Her feet would not carry her in that direction.

As soon as the princess caught her breath, she narrowed in on where she needed to go. They needed to move out of the open. She needed to get away from everyone, but did not want to be alone, “I wish to spend the day with Helaena.”

“Funny you say that, mi’lady,” Ser Eddrin smiled, “A certain white cloak happened to inform me that the Princess is in her chambers with her children and requested your company.”

“I never thank you enough.” She looked at the man like he had put the sun in the sky.

But the knight only chuckled and shrugged before replying, “He came to me. Told me she asked for you. I merely stood there.”

“You have my gratitude nonetheless.”

“Shall we?”

Mindful of the amount of stairs, the princess and her knight paced their journey to Helaena’s chambers. The corridors only grew busier after everyone broke their fast. She was stopped numerous times to be congratulated on her engagement. Every well wish felt wrong, as if each one were a farce. She thanked each one as politely as she could manage before excusing herself. While the script of it all started to become soothing, the whole charade quickly became infuriating. Just as she had guessed, many were condescending in tone. Most were. They looked down at her out of their inflated heads with cold eyes and poorly hid crocodile smiles. She was no fool. She saw right through their kind words. The Mootons, Lord Fossoway, Lady Graceford, the lot of them. By the time they had actually reached Princess Helaena’s door, the princess-by-title found herself wondering if she had gone mad. If she was seeing enemies in everyone. Or if the Red Keep was truly more dangerous than she had previously thought. With every lord and lady she encountered, Maetilda could not escape the piece of her father that lived in her mind. Never afraid to voice his opinion. Sometimes to the point where she could barely hear her own thoughts. Most times. She was not surprised to see one of the twins guarding Helaena’s door. Both kingsguard bowed their heads respectfully.

“Good morning, princess.” He sounded like Arryk, the one from the gardens.

The princess mustered her best smile, “Fine morning, Ser Arryk.”

“Ser Erryk.” He corrected, debunking her earlier suspicions.

“Ser Erryk.” She repeated, staring him down in an attempt to find the differences in his face from his brother’s. Yet even his own mother was known to struggle.

The door opened to a large bedroom chamber. The princess gave her sworn knight a parting nod before she entered. Not focused on a single hue but the entire spectrum of color, Helaena’s chambers were perhaps the most colorful of all the rooms within the Red Keep. Greens, yellows, reds, blues, purples, oranges, and everything in between. There was less furniture and more space for activity, but it was soon clear why. Two white haired children scurried in front of her as if she had been a permanent fixture. They did not even turn to look at her. Their giggles bounced off the walls. A tired maid chased after them. Twins. Maetilda still remembered the day they had received the raven with the news. A boy and a girl, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. Born to Aegon and Helaena in the dead of night. The princess-by-birth had been young at the time, still was. The maester at Dragonstone had privately expressed his concern. That fortnight had been one of the first times the princess-by-title had been thankful for her father’s overbearing nature. At least she did not have to marry Aegon. Or produce children before her body had finished maturing. It was a fate no woman deserved, Helaena least of all. Maetilda got a strange feeling from watching her cousin’s children running about. She had never met them as babes. They were still quite young, and yet old enough to run and jump and play. A younger babe, old enough to have perhaps seen his third nameday, sat next to his mother as she pointed to different creatures in her needlework. He was white haired, just as the older ones, and already bore a resemblance to Aegon. Maelor. She could remember that raven too. Prince Daemon had been sour for three whole moons after it came. He drank from sun up to sun down, and grumbled tirelessly about the heir and spare that Otto planned to supplant him with. But they were all only children. Children that ran and played through their mother’s chambers. Children that still needed help feeding themselves. Children that held no responsibility or blame. What harm could they cause? Princess Helaena perked up when she noticed Maetilda, both grinned ear to ear. The King’s second daughter was dressed in a chartreuse gown with long paneled sleeves. Her neckline was high cut to her mother’s approval.

“Maetilda, I am so happy to see you!”

“It has been too long yet!”

“I know. I miss the days of our girlhood.”

“When we would sleep in each other’s beds.”

“Never went a day without seeing each other when we were in the same castle.”

“I miss those days.”

“Me too. But you must meet the children.”

“I must!”

The tired maid cornered and corralled the twins while Helaena readjusted the youngest’s outfit. As the older pair became aware of the unfamiliar presence, they quickly lost interest in their game of cat and mouse. Maetilda watched them with a smile. The maid instructed them on appearance and etiquette before moving aside to give them practice. Jaehaera rushed forward on the balls of her feet, a wild grin to match. The girl skid to a halt mere inches away from the princess-by-title.

“You are my aunt.” Jaehaera declared.

“Not yet, my love! She will be your aunt. First, she must marry Uncle Aemy.”

“She will marry Uncle Aemy?”

Helaena nodded eagerly as the bride-to-be used every ounce of her strength to keep her face even. Staring at the unfamiliar children wide-eyed, her weight shifted from foot to foot.

“Hello, Jaehaera.” The plum-clad princess crouched down to the girl’s level, “It is lovely to meet you. My name is Maetilda.”

“Muh-til-da!” Jaehaerys enunciated from behind his sister.

“Maedilda!” Jaehaera cheered after him.

“Very good,” She giggled, already picturing the three moons they would spend together before she left.

Suddenly, it all felt real. Her engagement, her marriage, returning to her castle, producing heirs. Terrifyingly real. In three moon’s time, her life would begin to look like Helaena’s. She would be responsible for bearing children of her own — Aemond’s children. They would run and giggle and play through the halls and courtyards of Runestone.

“Do you like lady beetles?” Jaehaerys inquired.

“I love lady beetles.” The princess confessed, “And butterflies. And earthworms… And silverfish.”

“I like earthworms!” Jaehaera exclaimed.

“They are so funny!” Maetilda replied.

“Funny, yeah!” Jaehaera giggled.

“Do you know what a lady beetle does?” Jaehaerys quizzed.

“No, I do not. Do you?” Maetilda shrugged

“Of course! They eat the bugs that eat the garden.” Jaehaera jumped at the answer.

“How honorable!”

Jaehaerys nodded, “Do you like dragons?”

“I love dragons very much. I have one!”

“Where?!” The twins gasped in perfect unison.

“She lives in a volcano!”

“Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, do you remember what a volcano is?” Helaena chimed in.

“A mountain with fire!” The boy answered as his sister did a big, loud, and bold demonstration.

“Well done!”

“You are both so smart!”

“That was a compliment! What do you say to a compliment?” Helaena asked them.

“Thank you!” Jaehaera butted in before her brother could answer.

“Well done! You are welcome.”

“Very good, indeed! Judyth, send for refreshments and then you may be excused until nap time.”

With a nod, the tired maid left the room. The door clicked behind her, leaving two princesses and three children. Helaena handed Maelor over to Maetilda before setting the older children up with a new game that involved their dolls. Maelor wiggled restlessly as he fought to join his siblings. The princess-by-title did not argue, promptly setting him down on his feet. He took off like a little winged bug. As soon as the children were lost in play, their mother returned to her previous seat. The giggles chorused in the background as the cousins smiled to each other.

“I am very glad you came.” Helaena grabbed Maetilda’s hands in her own.

“I am sorry I have not been around more.”

“No, you are newly engaged and this place is exhausting. Besides, I must be the one to apologize. When we saw each other in the Godswood, I was feeling…”

“Overwhelmed?”

“Yes, overwhelmed. There is so much I must tell you. And I do not know where to begin.”

“The words will come when they need to. It is alright.”

“But it is not. You are in danger. We all are. What I told you in the Godswood was only the beginning.”

“One eye closed, two fires sparked, the heads of three have long been marked. That was what you said. Are you telling me that more than three will die?” Maetilda asked, “Who?”

Helaena’s eyes filled with tears, “All of us.”

“And it shall start with the death of three?”

Helaena nodded.

“When? How much time do we have?”

Helaena shook her head; she did not know. Maetilda wrapped the other princess up in her arms. They sat in still silence for a moment. After a while, Jaehaerys brought his mother a doll to hold before he ran back to his siblings. Helaena held it close to her chest.

“I’m sorry, Maetilda.”

“For what?”

“What will happen.”

“Whatever shall happen, it will not be your fault.”

“I… I feel as though… I feel… dread.”

“I shall be here with you for at least three more moons. We can dread the future together.”

“You will leave and never come back whole.”

Maetilda’s heart sank, “Will my marriage truly be so terrible?”

A tnk, tnk, tnk signaled the opening of the chamber door before platters of food and carafes of teas and juices and wines were carried in by several hands. It was all laid out neatly, placed just high enough to be out of the children’s direct reach. But of course, all three ran over to their mother and future aunt, begging for bites. Helaena loaded a small plate up for all three of them. The siblings scrambled for a place to sit. Maelor settled on his future aunt’s lap while the twins took the floor. Their mother handed them their plates, and for once they were silent as they snacked.

“May I hand you anything, Maetilda?”

“I have just come from breakfast, but I would love some wine.”

Soon, both women were giggling with goblets of wine in hand. Maelor leaned back against the princess-by-title even after he had finished eating. The servants tidied up slightly before they bowed and left. Just as they had been directed to. It surprised the princess-by-title to see how matronly her cousin’s servants looked. It was almost suspicious how none of them seemed close in age to the woman they served. They looked old enough to have grown children, not nursing babes. Helaena was the King’s second daughter, wife to his first son — more appropriate maids could not be found? Maetilda drank deeply from her wine, careful to hold it out of Maelor’s reach when she was done.

“You are scared.” Helaena observed aloud.

The princess-by-title nodded, “Have been since I got here.”

“You are not going mad.”

“Did you hear about my behavior at dinner with Aemond and your mother?”

“He recounted the evening to me.” Helaena nodded, “Word-for-word.”

“Yet you think I am not mad?”

“A mad woman would have no reasoning behind her actions.”

Maetilda sighed, “‘Suppose you are right.”

Jaehaera tried to hide her yawn as she rubbed her eyes. Jaehaerys blinked slowly with heavy eyelids. The twins had been watching the two women the entire time. Maelor had gone limp with sleep somewhere in the middle of it all. His half-eaten plate had been forgotten on the seat cushion next to them.

It was Helaena’s turn to sigh, “It looks as though we should take a nap early.”

The twins immediately perked back awake in order to voice their dissent. As if the word alone was enough to give them a second wind. Their whines filled the room and awoke Maelor, who then began to cry. Helaena took her youngest back into her arms before calling for the wetnurses. More matronly maids filed in. Maetilda watched it all wordlessly, as if she were looking into a crystal ball that told her future.

“I shall see you once your family has left.” Helaena smiled to her cousin, “I will be busy with the little ones for quite some time.”

A/N: Maetilda and Helaena never get enough time together imo. But stress will do that to you. Miss Tilda is in here over her head! But this sixth day is not over yet!!! Just y'all wait!!!

TAGLIST: @marvelescvpe @snh96 @imsoshygirl @faesspace (if anyone wants added or removed, please just let me know!)

xoxo messy

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shadowqueen402 · 1 year ago

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Balan Wonderworld Outfits: Chapter 7

Here are all of the outfits in Chapter 7. Since this world is medieval themed, everyone is going to be wearing medieval outfits! Enjoy!

Leo Craig

A metallic redwood visor over his eyes, metallic redwood torso armor with a silver hemline and four redwood metal flaps over a black shirt with rolled up sleeves, redwood shoulder plates, metallic redwood gauntlets, silver metal gloves, a brown belt with a silver buckle, black leather pants and redwood boots.

Emma Cole

A pink and white medieval dress with bell sleeves and gold trimming, a black waist cincher, and magenta kitten heels. Her dress touches the ground and her hair is worn in a low braid.

Jose Gallard

A red peasant shirt with long sleeves, a black belt with a gold buckle on his waist, brown ankle-banded pants, and black medieval moccasins.

Fiona Demetria

A blue medieval dress with gold trimming, white over-the-shoulder long sleeves, a gold tiara with blue gems, and blue stilettos. She wears her hair in a low bun.

Yuri Brand

A peasant styled white shirt with puffed sleeves and a small black ribbon, a brown corset vest, a long magenta skirt with a white accent in the center, and indigo moccasins.

Haoyu Chang

An olive green cravat, a grey long-sleeved tunic, a black belt with a gold buckle, green pants, and brown moccasins.

Sana Hudson

A silver and light green visor with a cyan, oval-shaped gem and a gold hemline, a long-sleeved green shirt underneath a silver and light green coat-like torso armor that has gold trimming, silver gauntlets with cyan gems, silver metal gloves, a black belt with a gold buckle, dark green leather pants, and silver and light green metal boots. She no longer sports her bandana.

Cass Milligan

A white bonnet, a white dress with ruffled, elbow sleeves and a long black skirt, a fuschia corset with black strings, a white apron, and fuschia moccasins.

Cal Suresh

A gold crown with red jewels, a grey and white long-sleeved tunic, a red cape with white fur lining, a brown belt with a gold buckle on the waist, black pants, and brown boots with gold trimming.

Iben Bia

A gold diadem with light blue, rhombus-shapes gems, a purple juliet-sleeved dress with the cuffs being triangular and light blue lining on the collar, cuffs, and rim of the dress, and purple kitten heels.

Attilio Caccini

A jester's outfit which consists of a magenta and yellow jester hat, a magenta and yellow long-sleeved shirt with miniature bells on the rim, matching pants, black stockings, and magenta pointed shoes.

Lucy Wong

A gold tiara with emeralds, an emerald green dress with long bell sleeves and gold trimming, a white panel in the center, black lacing cord, a pair of emerald earrings, and green kitten heels. She lets her hair down.

Eis Glover

A gold viser with red accents and a red gem, a deep red long-sleeved shirt underneath a gold torso armor, gold gauntlets with red accents on them, gold metal gloves, a black belt with a silver buckle on the waist, deep red leather pants, and gold metal boots with red accents.

Bruce Stone

A mauve hat with a black feather, a mauve tunic with cream colored accents and gold trimming, a matching brocade, black pants, and tall black boots.

Act 3 Outfit (Specifically for Cal)

A black blazer over a white dress shirt, a red tie, black dress pants, and black dress shoes.

#balan wonderworld #leo craig #emma cole #jose gallard #fiona demetria #yuri brand #haoyu chang #sana hudson #cass milligan #cal suresh #iben bia #attilio caccini #lucy wong #eis glover #bruce stone #random thoughts

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winterapocalypse · 1 year ago

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Winter Apocalypse chapter 41

The Intercontinental Team has arrived!

Roose Bolton returned to the shadows, and the boys continued their way down the corridors, towards the Slytherin common room.

Their feet clattered sadly on the black and silver carpet that completely covered the floor of the Slytherin wing corridors, trying to hurry despite the incessant headache since they had woken up. Who knows what had happened?

They came to an enormous door, made of wood lacquered in a deep, dark green, at least twice as tall as the massive and powerful Randy, and edged with silver that glittered eerily in the green and silver flames of the Dragonglass candles that hung on it. Those candles were difficult to light even for an experienced wizard, and impossible to put out. The obsidian of which they were made had a sharp and pointed appearance, black glass and created by dragons millennia ago, and their extraordinary firepower now extinct.

Randy and Theon walked through the door, opened with a special spell that only they Slytherins knew, and stepped into the common room teeming with students.

The room was a huge open space, also barely lit, in pure Slytherin Gothic style.

The enormous windows, in medieval Gothic style, were tall and narrow, with an imposing and slender shape, and the glass was decorated with colored drawings depicting the great deeds of Slytherins in the history of Westeros. The windows were so tall they reached the ceiling, several feet above their heads and black as a stormy night sky, from which hung enormous chandeliers of black obsidian. Each chandelier, with elegant and refined and at the same time raw shapes, carved into that sharp and dangerous stone - like Slytherins, after all.

The silver and green flames of the candles hanging from the enormous chandeliers helped shed light in that immense, majestic and gloomy room, aided by the various fireplaces, which in turn shone with green and silver lights, and gave off the typical aroma of the Hall, strong and dark, to which Randy and Theon had become accustomed by now: the burning embers under the fire crackled and seemed to scream, while the wood of the Tree of Death, which grew only in the Suicide Forest and took root only in blood, burned.

Near the fireplace, set into the wall and enclosed by large black basalt bricks, Emily was sitting, elegant and beautiful and with skin as pale as the moon and hair darker than her abyss. Emiyl that fateful day wore her hair in two long black and green braids that fell to the sides of her neck adorned with a black leather collar and various silver chains with a black bat-shaped pendant hanging with an emerald gem in the Heart. The black gothic and lace dress she wore was thick and heavy, to protect her from the cold of that day, and on her legs were long thigh-high boots with several buckles and chains hanging from them. She wore heavy black makeup around her eyes, covered by red contact lenses, and her black coat was floor-length and trimmed with lime green ribbon on the back and sleeves, intertwining into various flakes.

As always, she was surrounded by her large group of friends and her inseparable boyfriend, and they were amiably discussing by the warm multicolored fire. The temperatures had dropped further in those days when Randy and Theon had inexplicably missed.

Before Theon could get close to his impossible love Emily, all the students started shouting.

Sheamus, who had remained silent and aloof in a corner the whole time, wrapped in his beige coat and with his nose glued to his emerald green cell phone - probably texting with his best friends, locked in the Ravenclaw common room -, faced the windows, and pulled aside a dusty, dark green curtain that covered one of them.

Outside, a cloud of flying brooms of every color fluttered around the castle towers with unmistakable dexterity.

"The Intercontinental Team has arrived!!" shouted Sheamus, who for the first time was smiling and giggling like a little kid.

The Slytherins, all together, poured from the common room into the gloomy corridors of their part of the house, following the flying brooms that seemed to have landed in the back garden of the castle, where the Quidditch matches were usually held.

Randy and Theon were dragged by the sea of students to the back garden, where the Ravenclaws were already sitting on their personal bleachers.

The Slytherins sat in their designated stands, the ones alongside the Ravenclaws and opposite the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs.

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#winter apocalypse

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newhairstylenet · 2 years ago

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justgarb · 2 years ago

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Hello! I'm James of Rosenfeld, and this is a blog dedicated to garb, costuming, SCA, and other costumed nerd activities.

Originally intended for how-to guides and photosets for constructing my own kit, but it has evolved into something more.

Main is @nerdintheforest and I do alot of renfaire vending and craft stuff over at @easternwoods

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masquerade-story · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter 5 - Commencing Plan

"Earth has magic too. Alchemy and enchantments. Chemistry and technology. Same things, different names." Crystal spoke slowly as she examined the cloth material in her hands, checking for tears or weak points in the weave.

Grey pumped his fist, a triumphant look on his face. "I knew it! No way that backflipping robot was natural science."

"Science is the study of the world around you. It doesn't cancel out the existence of magic, it just helps to understand its rules better."

"Listen here, little miss know-it-all."

"I don't know it all, just more than you."

"Hey!"

Crystal grinned, finishing her examination without sparing an extra glance for the outraged Grey stomping his foot at her side.

"That's a low bar some days," Rayne said with an exaggerated sigh, then promptly ducked as Grey chucked a pillow at her face.

"Lils!" Grey whined, draping dramatically over his sister's lap, interrupting her own costume examination. "They're bullying me!"

"The truth hurts sometimes dearest," Lillian muttered, much to her twin's dismay. He recoiled away as though she'd flung him, pressing the back of his hand to his forehead in distress.

"Betrayal! Mine own blood doth betray!"

"My point," Crystal continued, using a needle and thread to tighten up a bit of beaded tape on a hem that came loose. "Was that when I said magic exists on this world, I mean I don't know what form this world's magic is going to take, so we should be careful until we understand more. It may be familiar, like chemistry and technology, or it could be something more fantastical, like what that Eater pulled on us. Until we know the rules, we shouldn't be reckless."

"What if being reckless is part of the rules?"

"Then we'll find out soon enough and adjust our course of action."

"I hate that you have an answer for everything."

"Then stop asking questions."

Crystal and Grey stuck out their tongues at each other while Lillian giggled, and Rayne shook her head at the foolishness of it all. "Children, please."

"You're the youngest one here!"

"Hard to tell by looking, huh?" Rayne shrugged. She wasn't nearly as useful with sewing, so she'd taken to tying on little chimes and ribbons to decorate her bodhrán since her large acoustic kit was much too large and bulky for their purposes. The small frame drum, just a bit over a foot in diameter and only four inches deep, was much easier to carry and play.

When they brought their main instruments for the music video, they brought along a few supplementary instruments to use for the mixing as well. Actual recording was going to happen in a proper studio, but sometimes having them around and playing them when practicing could spark more natural inspiration than trying to force it during a recording session.

So in addition to Crystal's small harp, Grey's bouzouki, Lillian's electric keyboard and Rayne's acoustic drum kit, they also brought along macho bongos, a bodhrán, a tambourine, a fiddle, a bombard, an ocarina, a zither, enough bell bangles for the four of them, and a kalimba which Lillian was unnaturally proficient with. None of the instruments were particularly large, so it was easy to fit them in alongside everything else in the hand cart. Especially the kalimba - a hand-sized wooden board with attached staggered metal tines, which made an ethereally charming resonating sound when played despite its minuscule size.

"Rayne's got her drum, I'm taking my bouzouki, Lils is bringing..."

"Kalimba."

"Right, right. Coco, which instrument are you grabbing?"

Crystal snipped the thread with her teeth after tying a tight knot. "Since Lils is bringing the kalimba, I'll go with the fiddle."

"Ooh, are we gonna do a jig?"

"Maybe. We have to see what the climate's like in town."

"Climate is cold, Coco. There's snow."

"Emotional climate, Goofus! If something terrible happened recently, if there's an illness going around or a famine or what have you, it'd be inappropriate to run in with a nice cheerful Stick Across the Hob."

"Ah, Morrison's Jig. A classic."

"We can play it if people are friendly to us. Who knows, maybe they hate folk music. There was a time in our own history where the only socially appropriate music was religious hymns, you know."

"Gross."

"Right? So again, we just have to be careful."

"And then once they like us we can do fun songs, right?"

"Maybe slow tempo drinking songs or instrumental sea shanties to uh, test the waters."

"Har de har. Lyrics?"

"I really, really, extremely thoroughly and tragically doubt they'll speak English or any of the other languages we can sing in, and they might be alarmed by foreign languages. Classic orchestral music might be our best bet, honestly."

A potentially insurmountable language barrier was part of the reason their little group hemmed and hawed about heading to town. On the one hand they definitely needed more information about the world, but on the other hand, walking in without any knowledge or method of communication was a terrifying prospect.

So they did what they all did best, and procrastinated productively. The costumes were a good start, but they weren't sturdy enough to withstand frigid winter winds since the things were entirely cosmetic. Lillian proposed they somehow create thicker linings for their clothes, and Grey suggested they make use of the house's ability to restore items in order to do just that. But for that to work, they'd have to understand how it worked.

That night they waited with bated breath after destroying a single pillow, shredding it to bits as a sacrifice to the experimental gods of magic science. As soon as midnight ticked over on the household clocks, a new pillow appeared in its original place on its appropriate bed, and the shredded remains of the sacrificed pillow were still laying sad and limp on the floor.

"Infinite pillow glitch," Grey had whispered with delight, setting the other three to helpless giggling at his dumb joke.

The next day was spent ruining disposable objects around the house to various degrees and moving them around in order to determine the magic house's threshold of accounting damage and item 'respawning' limits. Some items were completely replaced, some were merely repaired, items from outside the property didn't count, and everything else had different thresholds for what counted as damage and what didn't.

While everyone was running around wrecking their house and generally having a good time doing magic science, Crystal put an empty jar outside of the fence to sit overnight. After the reset that night, it was fully replaced complete with its original contents, while the original empty jar remained outside of the property wedged into the snow.

Crystal smiled to herself with this new discovery, and put several small jars of preserves outside the fence in one of the small wooden crates she found in the cellar, covered with a thick towel to help insulate the glass.

"What were you getting up to?" Grey asked, as she stomped back into the house rubbing her arms to fight off the winter chill.

"Wishing we had warmer clothes," Crystal sighed, the mischievous glint in her eyes telling Grey he wouldn't get any answers yet. "Or at least pajamas with sleeves."

"Plotting something sinister?"

"Maybe."

"Rock on. Lemme know if I can help."

"Of course."

With their new knowledge regarding item respawn rules, they set about tearing more pillows and sheets into raw materials for upgrading their silly stage costumes into something functional, and copied the costumes into several spare sets for each of them just in case.

The costumes were inspired by fantasy medieval fashion and Renaissance faire finery, all four virtually identical in styling. Surcoats with silver bead tape and embroidery, high collar tunics with voluminous bishop sleeves, canvas cloaks with deep hoods, leather bracers, leather boots, leather belts with ring clasps, assorted leather bags, gloves, and leggings. Aside from the white tunic, everything was black with silver embellishments such as bead tape and braided fabric trims, or embroidery that shimmered in the light. The cloaks also sported little silver jingling bells attached along the hem, matching decorative bells on the boots and bags.

Most importantly, each of them had a unique Venetian masquerade mask with an attached beaded black face veil. The intricate, ornate masks had little bells dangling from loops on the sides, and were decorated with gemstone accents around and above the eyes; each member of Aos Sí Echtrae used a different gemstone for their stage name to capitalize on all the 'Fairy Rock' jokes they could make.

Plus, Crystal was already named after a shiny rock, so it was convenient all around.

"How are we gonna make these clothes warmer?" Grey asked, holding up his surcoat and raising an eyebrow in Lillian's direction.

"Quilting." Lillian said, gesturing with her hands to try and pantomime what she meant. "Gonna create pocket insulation layers using sheets, fill them with cotton and feather down and foam and whatever else we have to use. Then sew the pocket insulation layer in the middle of the original costume layer and an inner lining, to make the clothes warm without sacrificing their aesthetic!"

"The cloaks too?"

"The cloaks especially. They're already a strong sturdy material and have been water sealed, insulating them will basically turn them into actual quilts to shield us from the wind. In fact, I'll probably use cloak copies to make waterproof pants, since insulating leggings is a bit hard thanks to their thin material..."

"Too bad we can't make better boots too," Crystal sighed, glancing out the window. It hadn't stopped snowing since they arrived, and though most of the layers didn't completely stick, there was still a foot of snow outside they'd have to slog through to reach town. If the weather continued, they would have to put off the visit until some of that snow melted off.

"I'll break the path for you guys," Rayne said, flexing a powerful bicep. "No worries. We should still wait until it stops snowing, though. Walking through bad weather always sucks, even more so if it's over a big distance."

"Remembering high school?"

"God, that hill was brutal."

"Hey, everyone gets to help out with this!" Lillian said, pointing at the other three who were subtly edging toward the door during their conversation.

"I can't sew," Rayne quickly protested, and Lillian held up a finger to shush her.

"The lining doesn't have to be sewn pretty, the stitches just have to be strong. We need to make several copies of the belts, I want to repurpose them into something else... And I wanna keep an original copy of the costumes as well as have several sets of each so this is gonna take a few days worth of resetting to complete. Oh! Rayne, you can find big branches to make into walking sticks, the ground will be uneven under the snow and we don't wanna trip."

"Yes ma'am..."

Under Lillian's watchful eye, everyone got to work on different tasks in order to prepare for their first visit to another world's town, feeling a combination of trepidation and excitement in their hearts.

------

"Hey guys? There's uh. There's something weird." Rayne's voice echoed down the hall, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps as she hurried toward the living room where the others were gathered around the finished costumes and enjoying the last of their breakfast.

"What in the... Is that... Is that a telescope?!" Grey asked incredulously as Rayne rounded the corner with something large and heavy in her arms.

"I was checking out the study and found it in one of the cabinets. So, the study has that windowed alcove bit that sticks out from the side of the house, right?"

"Yeah, like a breakfast nook but for books. Book nook!" Grey grinned, switching his attention from the costumes to the big brass telescope that Rayne was hurriedly setting up in front of the largest living room window. "This thing is ancient! There's no way this isn't some priceless antique or something!"

"Yes yes it's very cool and belonged to a former trade ship navigator about a hundred years ago don't ask how I know that I'm not sure either I understand why this weirds Coco out now, but that's not important!" Rayne wheezed, peering through the eyepiece and adjusting the focus before stepping away. "Look at the town."

Grey peeked through first, too excited about the telescope itself to wait much longer. He stared in silence for a good long moment, then frowned and stepped away to give Lillian room. "That's... You're right, that is weird. But I can't quite put my finger on why... I mean, aside from the architecture itself? But something else is bugging me..."

"It's hard to see detail from here even with the telescope, but I think some of them had glowing symbols decorating them?" Lillian said with a shrug after she had her turn. "They're pretty, and unusual for sure. Either magic or electricity, but I hope it's magic. That'd be cool!"

Crystal took her turn last, automatically touching her face to lift up the glasses that she no longer had to wear. She gave a soft laugh at finding her face naked, shook her head, and peered through the eyepiece.

The buildings were indeed strangely pretty, smooth white or silver constructs with colorful glass roofs, in sleek appealing shapes that more suited a science fiction setting rather than fantasy. Some had glowing symbols etched under arched windows or in rows along walls, but the light was dim and flickering, and it was impossible to tell from afar what shape the symbols had.

"The town has a uniform layout," Crystal said quietly, furrowing her brow. "It's a planned city. Wide roads on a grid, a perfectly arched wall surrounding the whole thing except where the harbor is. The tallest building is in the middle, might be a palace or castle? But... There's no people."

"Wait, what?!" Lillian exclaimed while Grey snapped his fingers in realization.

"That's it! Even though it's winter, there'd still be people moving around and working and stuff, right? But those roads are totally empty! No cars or wagons or pedestrians or nothing."

Crystal swung the telescope around, peering into the empty harbor, then past that toward the horizon where puffy white sails broke the barrier between sea and sky. "Ah, the ships... The city is really sleek and almost futuristic, but those ships are..."

Grey nudged Crystal aside to steal the eyepiece again, bouncing his leg with excitement. "Yo! Those are some real nice maritime vessels, my friends! Four-masted wooden masterpieces, and is that mizzenmast lateen-rigged? Squared raised stern, that's a nice prominent booty on those ships for sure. Those big boys are either carracks or galleons, or whatever they're called in this world. Whew, they're real beauties!"

"Was it an evacuation?" Lillian asked, concern coloring her voice, but Grey shook his head.

"Doubt it. The sails are torn and mended all over the place, and I think I see minor hull damage on the ones up close, but those lads are definitely pointed toward the town, and resting in a recognizable formation at that. They've been through a long journey to get here specifically, I think. In fact..." Grey swung the telescope, adjusting the focus as he went, searching to and fro until he spotted what he was looking for.

"They were further away when we first got here," Rayne said, holding up her fingers in a little pinching gesture. "The sails were like, this big on the horizon."

Grey nodded, then exclaimed aloud. "Aha! Found a pinnace! I dunno why it took them so long to approach, but they're moored in the deeps now, not sheltering in the harbor. And there, by the town wall! There's a little camp. Looks like... Ten people? They used a small pinnace boat to approach so it's probably a landing party scouting the area to see if it's safe to approach."

"I didn't see people! Let me see!" Rayne bumped Grey aside with her hip, stealing the telescope back. "There they are! Oh, they're still unloading the boat."

"It was still snowing pretty hard until like, today. They probably only just sent the team out." Grey said, and Rayne nodded in agreement.

"Looks like it. Hmm... Their clothes do look a little like our costumes, I think? They're tiny colorful blurs, but I think I see a couple people in cloaks, and possibly armor? Using our costumes is probably the best idea after all."

"But now things have gotten a bit more complicated," Crystal muttered, drumming her fingers on her bottom lip as thoughts tumbled around in her mind. "There's no permanent settlement yet. For some reason that city is empty, and we don't know why. The city looks more advanced than anything the people in wooden ships would be capable of making, no matter how nice the ships are, so they probably aren't the same civilization. If they have that many ships, are they colonizers? Are there natives to this land we need to worry about? How would they see us if we, as strangers who don't even speak their language, suddenly walked up while they're trying to settle an apparently empty foreign city?"

Grey and Lillian exchanged glances, while Rayne turned from the telescope and placed a hand on her hip. "Coco. Relax."

"How can I relax? If they're not friendly we're probably boned! They'll definitely come explore the forest for resources and they'll find us and-"

"Crystal!"

Crystal flinched as Rayne grabbed her by the shoulders and gave a gentle shake, bringing her back to her senses. She hadn't even realized she'd hunched over and started scratching at the delicate pale flesh of her arms, bright red tracks screaming their distress under her fingernails. She shivered, forcing her clawed hands to relax, and took a deep breath. "Ah... S-sorry, I... I just..."

"Does it feel dangerous?" Lillian asked, her voice calming Crystal's nerves with its serenity.

She thought a moment, then pressed her lips together and shook her head. "No. It doesn't feel dangerous. I'm just... Worried, I think. Anxious. There's so many unknowns..."

"If they're gonna find us anyway, let's go to them on our own terms," Grey said, giving Crystal's face a gentle tap with his knuckles. "Right? We readied the costumes anyway, and Rayne whittled us some fine walking sticks."

"I even polished them."

"See? She polished them, Coco."

"There was wood lacquer in the maintenance closet."

"Wood lacquer, Coco!"

"Alright, alright!" Crystal threw up her hands in defeat, struggling in vain to hide the growing smile on her face. "You win. Let's get dressed and go make first contact."

"The masks are mandatory!" Grey said, grabbing his off the living room table. "If we're gonna be a minstrel group we gotta look the part!"

"I finished the slings for your instruments, so you can carry the cases on your back under the cloaks. Should make it less of a strain to lug them through the snow." Lillian looked proud as she showed off the repurposed leather belts, carefully measured to fit each of them and evenly distribute the weight of the heavy cases across their torsos. "My kalimba is small enough to fit in a bag so I felt like this is the least I could do to help."

"You're so great Lils," Grey sighed, giving his twin a grateful hug.

"I'll go get the sticks," Rayne said, running upstairs.

Meanwhile, Crystal rolled her eyes and heaved a despondent sigh. "Man... I have to wear actual clothes again..."

"It's too cold to be a nudist, Coco."

"I'm not a nudist, I'm just texture sensitive!"

"You'd be a nudist if it was socially acceptable."

"Eh... Debatable. I'm kinda lumpy."

"No you're just soft and huggable."

"Which makes me lumpy. Oh well, at least the costume materials feel nice." Crystal sighed once more, grabbing her outfit off the living room table. "Alright, everyone turn off their vision for a second."

"We have all seen you naked, Crystal."

"We all took turns washing your back when you went through physical therapy, Crystal."

"Also this is the living room."

"Nudist."

"Exhibitionist."

"Can't hear you guys I'm already naked!" Crystal stuck out her tongue as, contrary to her statement, she headed down the hallway toward the bathroom in order to change in privacy.

"Who's naked?" Rayne called down the stairs, accompanied by the thumping sound of four walking sticks repeatedly hitting the banister as she descended.

"Everyone except you!" Grey called back, his voice muffled as he pulled the blouse over his head.

"I had to get the sticks, no one told me we were having a nudey party!"

"Nudey parties are better fun with guests that aren't basically your relatives," Lillian grumbled, and Rayne nodded as she dumped the walking sticks on the nearest sofa.

"Eh, true. No offense, you guys are our unofficial adopted siblings."

"No no, it's mutual. You both are our sisters, seeing you lot naked does not rustle my jimmies in the slightest."

"Completely unrustled?"

"Not even a jostle."

"Damn."

"Wait, why are we unofficially adopted? There's no birth records in this world for us. We can just be siblings and no one will ever be able to prove otherwise."

"Shit, you're right! Okay, you're all adopted by me now. You can call me Mama."

"Like hell we will, you're the youngest!"

"Respect your elders, young man!"

Crystal laughed to herself as their voices echoed faintly through the closed bathroom door, then focused on getting dressed. Her costume was modified further thanks to a personal request she'd made, adding a long black wrap skirt that went to her ankles to be worn over the leggings. She also added a silver sash around the waist and under the belt, made using one of the spare bedsheets.

She didn't mind pants so long as the material was nice, but she preferred the swish of long skirts and dresses because it felt more fun, and if she had to wear clothes anyway they might as well be layered and interesting. Just so long as the inner layer actually touching her body was a nice comfortable fabric!

Lillian made the skirt match the rest of the outfit using bead tape and braided fabric, and liked the resulting skirt so much she added a shorter skirt and some frilly modifications to her own outfit. Then Grey wanted some fancy embellishments and dangling cloth bits to look more dramatic, so in the end only Rayne kept the original design.

"We look amazing," Grey said with a delighted sigh as everyone gathered together in the living room once more to don their masks.

"Are the masks really necessary?" Lillian mumbled as she tugged on the gossamer veil, causing the beaded decorations woven into the fine material to jingle and shimmer. "I mean... What if not being able to see our faces scares them, or makes them suspicious?"

"Then we can take them off?" Grey said with a shrug, slinging the shoulder strap of his instrument case over his arm before settling his cloak. "But I think it adds to our mystique as wandering minstrels, and we look fantastic rather than threatening. Plus, they're the ones landing near our house, right? We're the ones living here. For all they could know, it's culturally inappropriate to walk around with naked faces!"

"We'll have to get pretty close to know for sure," Crystal said. After a moment's thought, she took out her hairclip and left it on the coffee table, allowing her long blonde hair to tumble free in the brief moment before she put up her hood. She'd spent enough time in cold climates to know long hair was best left protecting one's neck from cold air. "We'll watch their body language as we approach. If they seem hostile, we'll back off. In the meantime, we should bring some food. It's a long hike."

Everyone agreed, filing into the kitchen to pack snacks and sandwiches into their bags. Crystal tucked a few jars of preserves into hers, bringing only those and a couple sandwiches instead of cramming the space with small packs of miniature cookies and potato chips like everyone else. Her choice of foodstuff went unnoticed, since everyone else was busy playing Tetris trying to fit their chosen assortment of snacks into relatively small bags.

Once everyone felt prepared enough for their journey, they took a moment to brace themselves, each grabbing a homemade walking stick, then stepped out of the house into the snow.

#writing #chapter #original #original story #masquerade #fantasy #isekai

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thebeauregardbros · 4 years ago

Text

“The Ultimate Character Questionnaire”: Alus Beauregard

a fuckton of random questions abt alus ramblingly answered

questions stolen from [here]. i cut out ones that ask the same questions i accidentally answered prior, or just didn’t interest me enough to answer, so if you wanna do this for your own OC I recommend copy+pasting it from the source!

Basic Character Questions

First name? Alus (pronounced ‘Ah-Loose’)

Surname? Beauregard (taken from adoptive father)

Nicknames? Alus wants to be called “Al” but it doesn’t stick because his name is already short. Lots of people unfortunately call him Alice. he does not like that

Date of birth? unknown but he celebrates his birthday on All Saint’s Wake (aka Halloween)

Age? Funfact: Alus and Arc’s age is the age between the RPers’ real-world ages (I’m 24, Arc’s player is 25, but for a brief period Arc’s player becomes 26 while I’m still 24.) So they’re going to be 25 this year (2020)... what the fuck. stop growing. dont do that.

Physical / Appearance

Height? I... he’s tall. Despite Alus being the max height for Miqo’te characters (5′8″/173cm), other male Miqo’te RPers say their characters are taller than that anyway, so I’m like.. not sure what to answer. I don’t want to break reasonable canon of what’s possible for Miqo’te but I also don’t want him to be short or average sized in comparison to other average Miqo’te. I’m just gonna say, definitively, “Alus is tall for a Miqo’te”. If you have a tall Miqo, Alus is just as tall. Or half an inch taller. Take that as whatever you want. I’m tired.

Weight? I... don’t know? This question really doesn’t clarify anything to me; people can be the same height and weight and look totally different in body type. If you absolutely had to get an answer from me, my best guess is maybe somewhere between 170lbs-180lbs? (assuming he is 5′8″)

Build? Wide shoulders, slender hips, long legs, big wide chest and a nice strong core. He is muscular; burly and brawny; his body type feels intimidating and large. He has a healthy amount of fat over his muscles, but still has much clearly visible muscle especially while flexing.

Hair colour? Golden blonde; it’s got a subtle yellow-ish tone that reminds you of sunshine.

Hair style? Alus’ hair is naturally thick and wavy. His hair is grown out long; about armpit length. His hair is choppy, even somewhat feathered. It’s a bit badly damaged from years on the road, but the split ends and fly-aways sparkle brilliantly in the sunlight like a messy halo around his head. His hair naturally very poofy, like damaged 80s hair. Long bangs that were once pushed back fall gracefully over his face like a wild child running about in spring. Whilst resting away from work, he braids it loosely.

Eye colour? Heterochromia; A raspberry red in one pupil, and a sun-shiny yellow-orange in the other.

Eye Shape? Thin and serious, and slightly down-turned. Small double-lid.

Glasses or contact lenses? His eyes are overall pretty healthy, but he’s slightly far-sighted. He uses glasses once in awhile to read, but they’re not super necessary.

Distinguishing facial features? Heterochromia and his adult male Miqo’te markings. He tends to wear purple eyeshadow around his eyes and a subtle purple lip tint.

Which facial feature is most prominent? The facial structure of Alus more resembles an Elezen than a typical Miqo’te; he has a long slender nose, a oval face shape and noticeably high cheekbones.

Which bodily feature is most prominent? Alus’ lion-like tail is somewhat unique among other typical Miqo’te.

Other distinguishing features? His style of dress tends to stand out in a crowd; he favors pure white and soft pastels over more popular color tones among adventurers like blacks and greys. Also unlike the typical adventurer, he is more want to wear fabrics of the fancy and soft nobleman, decked out in frills and lace like a prince locked far away in a chamber more than any man on a dusty and bloody battlefield.

Skin? Uh... a... “medium tan” skintone? (again I have no idea how tf I’m supposed to figure out labels for skin tones when there’s no widely used phrases for specific tones fghdjkgh) with a “warm gold undertone”. The small amount of skin that’s ever exposed upon him is surprisingly soft, as if he never did much hard work in his life. [SPOILER]Underneath his clothes, however...The countless scars upon his torso, back, legs and upper-arms are rough and hard, like treated leather.[/SPOILER]

Birthmarks? Not that he knows of. He has lots of scars from messing around in his childhood but he can’t remember the origin of them all. Any of them could be birth marks as far as he can tell.

Tattoos? None! And he never plans to get one. He has yet to see any tattoos that match his personal aesthetics of what he’d put on his body yet and even if he did, he can’t imagine liking them enough to want to get one.

Physical handicaps? [SPOILER]Numbness in various small patches of skin throughout his body.[SPOILER]

Type of clothes? I already answered this somewhat but if you’re curious about specifics, I made [this pinterest] of stuff I’d imagine he’d wear. Pretty much just take the “aristocrat” Japanese street fashion genre and turn it white, and give it a bit of a gold trim. Lots of frills and lace; heavily inspired by fantastical shoujo manga glorified depictions of what a Prince Charming looks like in medieval setting fairy tales.

How do they wear their clothes? Some (not all) of the specific guidelines I have in my head of what his wardrobe’s like; Colors are only pastels, white, or gold - once in a blue moon he might wear a rich dark raspberry red color or bright orange or yellow. He will NEVER wear grey or black. Pants have to be long enough to reach the ankles. He prefers wearing his shirts tucked-in. Clothes MUST fully cover everything on his body excluding head, neck, and hands at all times - low neckline acceptable in off-duty time. Under special occasions only (ie beachware); lower arms, top of feet or shins can be uncovered. He wears a lot of jabot ties.

What are their feet like? (type of shoes, state of shoes, socks, feet, pristine, dirty, worn, etc) Alus takes his quality of fashion seriously. He’s the type of guy who wears expensive fancy soft white socks trimmed with gold nobody will ever see with the little suspenders on his legs to keep the socks from sagging down. He adores wearing white pointed dress shoes, especially if they have a bit of a high heel. Gold jewelry or buckles are lovely, and any shoe with lace, bows, ribbons, fancy beadwork or faux flowers are supreme. (Google image search ‘Bridal Boots’ if you wanna see his shoes. He’d seriously wear any of them.)

Race / Ethnicity? hhhhhhhhh it’s 5am man I dont have the energy to google faces until i find a reasonable faceclaim and try to figure out that person’s ethnicity... they’re Fantasy Characters... alus is a miqo’te.. maybe had some elezen or hyur in his lineage? idk

Mannerisms? Alus is like a living embodiment of a cartoon Disney prince. I don’t know how to better describe it; He’s elegant and gentle for the most part but can also so comically stiff you could mistake him for an automaton or a piece of background cardboard - then when the moment hits, he can spring into an unrealistic slapstick looney toon nightmare. He always seems to be in a constant state of floating between elegance, stiffness, and slapstick. There is never a break. There is never an in-between.

Are they in good health? For their active life circumstances of constant physical hardship, they are in amazingly good health.

Do they have any disabilities? I don’t think of ADHD as a disability (and I’m saying that as someone who has autism and most likely ADD or ADHD myself) but it’s classified by a lot of people as a disability. So yeah, uh, Alus absolutely has ADHD.

Personality

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic? Definitely more optimistic, sometimes to a fault. I think there’s a degree of choice in there but he’s kinda lost the boundary between blind trust and trying to believe in people and situations because he morally wants to. He is still a worry wart, and that is what causes him to fight so hard as he does for making things around him better as well as making himself better - but I think he makes a very active effort of not letting anyone see that part of him, maybe in an effort to convince himself as well that everything is and will be okay.

Are they introverted or extroverted? Extroverted in a lot of ways and introverted in others. Alus loves and thrives around people, and I think he’s a bit more drained than the average person when he’s alone vs. being in a crowd, but he’s still living more as an introvert - one-on-one deep talks can make him extremely anxious. He’s great at the surface niceties but can often find himself too devoted to strangers, which leads him into trouble sometimes. He’s like a really great social co-worker and a extremely awkward off-duty member of society that doesn’t really know how to function or navigate normal relationships.

Do they ever put on airs? A b s o l u t e l y. Alus’ entire persona is carefully hand-crafted over a lifetime. It’s not to say “This isn’t who he really is, he’s a liar”, but moreso “He’s not quite the person he wishes he was yet.” He makes a really large effort to put on airs of this confident and beautiful Princely type of heroic figure straight out of a fairy tale where he simultaneously knows that such a goal is impossible, since this isn’t a story book - this is real life, he is flawed and complicated, and nothing is as perfect as you wish it was. But he keeps trying no matter what.

What bad habits do they have? Low-key bullying his brother, for sure. Arc is the only person Alus just can’t really put on airs with so his perfect image just breaks down around him. While Alus appears to be a very gentle and kind individual around other people, he’ll comically slap and roast his brother without mercy. (Don’t worry; it’s mutual between them.)

What makes them laugh out loud? Almost anything. Alus is definitely a big giggler, and an even bigger loud spontaneous laugher.

How do they display affection? There’s two major levels of it. First, it’s showering you with little gifts - sweets, flowers, even money if you’re in need, with nothing asked in return. If you’re very close to him, it’s skinship; he loves spontaneously hugging others and holding hands and all that kinda platonic stuff. He’ll pretty much not let go of your arm if you’re around him. He also loves dancing with people, you bet he’ll do the whole nine yards of weaving you around him, lifting you above his head and dipping you.

Mental handicaps? Hates being touched. He has some really bad memories of being manhandled and despises any type of physical restriction on himself, especially from people he doesn’t find VERY close to him. He hates even more to be seen in casual clothes, especially clothes that expose his skin. He’s really not a fan of his exposed body and it’s gonna take a lot for him to get over it. He’s slowly getting better but it’s a long journey.

How do they want to be seen by others? Someone to look up to; someone to rely on. He wants to be the hope for humanity, essentially. He wants to inspire others to heroism and kindness just by seeing him, and he wants to make the world a better place just by existing in it.

How do they see themselves? Someone who’s just not good enough; Someone who needs to keep working to be better; someone who’s chosen destiny is to be the hero of humanity.

How are they seen by others? Probably as a weirdo. He definitely comes off as eccentric; his strange comedic ramblings and sudden dancing mid-conversation, as well as his random gifts and bag full of pranks, magic tricks and fireworks just really feel off-the-wall. His immediate devotion to others may also come off as exceedingly suspicious. I think how he dresses and his cafe also indicate he’s kind of the ‘rich unhinged guy’ stereotype. People who know him well though know that he’s an extremely good person who would give you the clothes off his back if you needed them more. He loves humanity and would do anything for it.

Strongest character trait? His stubborn devotion to his ideals, for sure. If he wants something, he’ll work his hardest to make sure it happens.

Weakest character trait? Far too trusting of strangers; he gets taken advantage of very easily, and he’s almost always happy to come back for more. He’ll even give the biggest villain a 2nd and 3rd and 4th chance. His inability to condemn anyone as truly evil may cause far more hardship for everyone in the long run than if he just chose to kill the person or lock them up indefinitely and be done with it.

How competitive are they? Alus thrives in competitive environments due to an absolute love and adoration for sportsmanship. He does a fantastic job making his competitors have fun and feels that a competition that is too one-sided doesn’t have any fun or worth. He loves difficult competition because he feels that it helps better himself and his rival.

Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider? Oh, he’s absolutely a “strike now while the iron’s hot” type of a guy. He knows that even a second of a wait can change things for the worse. He’s also definitely a philosophical type that thinks over every possible scenario in his mind in his off-time, but ultimately, he’ll always be the one running off to get things done as soon as they’re brought to his attention. He’s the opposite of his brother, who wants to slow things down before making rash decisions. Alus just knows those decisions need to be made, so it might as well be now, so he just gets it done and worries about the outcome later.

How do they react to praise? He’s actually probably never used to it. I think he has a bit of a low self-esteem problem in how he sees himself as never quite as good as he wants himself to be, so praise can catch him off-guard pretty easily. He’ll cover that up by clumsily stating something comically over-the-top like “Of course, I am incredible! I am the best! Mwahahaha!” but not before gasping for air and stuttering like a shy schoolgirl first.

How do they react to criticism? He has a great ability to deflect toxicity into positivity; he asks what people mean and tries to understand them. I think if the criticism can be taken as constructive, he’s always happy to take it. If the criticism is just plain mean, I think he’ll ask if there’s anything he can do to help the person he’s talking to - he knows nobody would say such mean things to another unless they were having a pretty bad day.

What is their greatest fear? Oh, y’know. Losing his brother. Slugs and slimy things. If you wanna get painful and philosophical about it, I think he’s terrified of the future. He tries to live in the moment and just do the best he can at all times, but when he sees that what he does doesn’t help a lot of the world to stay safe, it freaks him out. In his mind, he’s doing a lot, but in reality - it’s not much at the grand scheme of things. He tries not to think about it too much. He tries not to think much of the past either - of all the mistakes, of what he could and couldn’t have done. It frustrates him. I guess you could say his greatest fear is his own limits. It never feels like he’s doing enough, or even if he ever could do enough.

What are their biggest secrets? [SPOILERS, OBVIOUSLY] Alus is absolutely disgusted with the military powers of the world, and the politicians. He tries to stay optimistic and bright on the outside - he stays useful and does what he can without complaint, he tries to lie to himself and say it isn’t too bad, tries to focus on the good these systems do, to be placated and trust his brother that things will work out alright in this setup - but he sincerely wishes that somehow they could be abolished entirely. He’s frustrated with the idea of any one person or power having control over the lives of others - people those single powers may never meet - will inevitably cause a lack of humanity and understanding of others. Nobody should have this power, not even him, not even the gods. As Alus’ writer, I don’t think he knows a good alternative, he just knows he’s seen enough immoral and inconsiderate shitfuckery in these systems that he can barely stand it anymore. I think many soldiers probably feel like this eventually. [/SPOILER]

What is their philosophy of life? literally just look at the [quote insp tag]

When was the last time they cried? I FEEL LIKE ALUS IS THE TYPE TO TEAR UP AT EXTREMELY COMMON SHIT TBH?? EVERYTHING IS SO BEAUTIFUL I STARTED CRYING TYPE??

What haunts them? [SPOILER]Literally just... becoming a soldier or a fighter to begin with. He wishes it never happened, he wishes the world didn’t need fighting to begin with. But he knows he can never go back now, and even if he did, he’d probably still become a soldier all over again. It’s all he can do in this violent, terrible world.[/SPOILER]

What are their political views? Notable traits would supporting equality rights for Beastmen, more funding towards helping refugees, more funding to adoption agencies and orphanages, more transparency about tax profit and spending, creating opportunities for different countries to share their culture.. etc. (Note: I like to believe that larger glaring IRL political issues like lack of LGBTQ+ rights, gender inequality, ableism, skin-color-based racism and other large current inhumane social problems aren’t problems in FFXIV’s universe. If your RP character uses bigotry in accurate line of these IRL social issues as a character trait, you are not welcome in my RP circle. Period.)

What will they stand up for? He hates violence in general, so he’ll do whatever he can to stop it. Anyone who seems to be controlling or keeping other people against their will is something he loathes. No means no!

Who do they quote? Urianger. like a lot. Probably mostly accidentally; he picks up a lot of vocal mannerisms from the guy.

Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy? Outdoorsy, for sure. He grew up under the stars and being forced indoors for a long time will probably give him feelings of anxiousness and claustrophobia, especially if the space is small. He has had some bad experiences being unable to go outside so he takes his freedom to roam outdoors very seriously.

What is their sinful little habit? He loves sweets. This guy is all about boasting a healthy diet, but his weakness shows the exact opposite. More serious answer: He tends to procrastinate bad, especially when it comes to his passive military duties.

How do they treat people better than them? If they breathe, they’re royalty. Utmost respect and courtesy. Treats them as if he’s the royal butler to their fancy ass selves, even if they’re the lowest of the low in poverty.

How do they treat people worse than them? Honestly? Pretty much the same answer as above. If he gets truly angry at someone, he’ll tell them how and why straight-up, but he’ll never stop giving them the respect and courtesy he believes every human being deserves.

What quality do they most value in a friend? Someone who is as ridiculously open-hearted and ready to confess love to the nearest person along with anything else in the world as Alus tends to do, but also someone who pays close enough attention to him that they can tell when he’s in distress. Alus has a hard time speaking up about when he feels uncomfortable, so someone who has a talent for empathy - detecting other peoples’ emotions - would be incredibly invaluable. That’s the fastest way to his heart.

What do they consider an overrated virtue? None, and all. He thinks that if anyone gets carried away with any traditional virtue to the point that they’re causing evil in the world, they’re just misguided. He understands that - or at least actively wants to understand that - so he can forgive.

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be? He... honestly thinks of himself as more of an Elezen than a Miqo’te. So anything that ‘gives away’ that he’s a Miqo’te, he could probably do without. He likes his ears and his tail though! But maybe if he was taller? lmao. (I don’t intend to ever Fantasia Alus FYI, MAYBE if male viera comes out and my partner agrees to it AND I have absolutely no active RP going on, but it’s very unlikely, and if it does happen it will be considered a retcon, not a character development)

What is their obsession? Definitely his aesthetics. He spends an incredibly large amount of time, effort, and money on making himself look and properly act like a “fairy tale prince charming”. It’s not only a philosophical mindset of being moral and heroic, but also being charming and supportive to everyone around himself. He honestly hopes and believes that if he succeeds in creating and upholding this image that every person who rests their eyes upon him will be filled with determination and hope that heroism and safety is real.

What are their pet peeves? He disapproves of the glorification of alcohol, smoking, or any other vices that are bad for the average person’s health. He won’t turn away the people with these vices as potential friends, but he’ll certainly be tempted to lecture them on it. He is also really not a fan of casual skinship between strangers, nor is he a fan of an aggressively pessimistic attitude, nor will he ever really be used to people who wear very little clothing (He isn’t disapproving of the sex industry or sex workers per say, he just doesn’t ‘get it’; he could never imagine himself in their shoes), nor is he a fan of other people trying to change him to be more chill about his aesthetic code (how he dresses, how he positively interacts with others, etc.) - but he tends to be more quiet about his dislike of these things. He tries to stay open minded and patient, but yeah, maybe it’ll take a bit longer to get to ‘close friend’ status with these things.

What are their idiosyncrasies? (special mannerisms?) His posture tends to be stiff as a board: too perfect, like some sort of breathing statue or mechanic humanoid, while at other times it’s as if a switch is flipped to make him become a crazy slapstick ragdoll. He tends to speak in a constant fluctuation of ‘ye olde English’ and common casual speech, and he keeps a few feet distance from people he isn’t especially close with at all times. He’s generous with money and far too trusting of strangers to the point it feels like an overblown parody of these traits. He’s painfully optimistic and takes compliments first with a moment of surprise before he adjusts his reaction with over-the-top narcissistic vigor. He’s a constantly faltering image of himself. He’s a walking symbolism of good-hearted chaos.

Friends and Family

Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of? The only people Alus regards as true family is his twin brother, Arc, and his late adoptive father, Gwenneg. There are other Beauregards in the world, and other great “found family”-esque friends yet to make, but Alus cannot imagine them ever meeting the kind of friendship and connection he has with his brother and had with his father. Perhaps he’s tried in the past, but it just never feels the same. He’s at the point he’s given up on the idea of it happening casually.

What is their perception of family? A close-knit group that is always there for eachother, practically living at eachother’s hips. The type of people you can just glance at and they can read your mind, and even if they disagree with you, they’ll go along with you and fix it later. They’re always up for improving eachother. They are essentially extensions of oneself, and like limbs, even if such is cut - it is carefully looked after and healed, the rest of the body worries and tries to better it, never blaming it’s limb for not being good enough. All part of one system.

Describe their best friend. Arc is undeniably Alus’ best friend. I feel a bit weird talking about my friend’s OC for them, but I will say this; Arc’s strengths are in his slow and strategic approach to things; his love of politics and ability to glide through them, the way he finds the best routes and setups in battle, the timing, everything down to the little tiniest details to turn a battle of either wits or blood - he thinks over all of it, something Alus lacks. And despite being much less prone to trust than the willingly naive Alus, he can find the good in just about anybody when it really comes down to it. Arc knows the dark side of this world and is constantly aware and remembering of it, but understands it’s still worth fighting for. He’s also got a pretty good fashion sense! He seems extremely shady when it comes to his bar business though... It seems to be played up as a joke, but you’re never quite sure as you’re talking to him about it.

Ideal best friend? In assumption this means ‘a best friend besides Arc’, I think Alus’ standards are low. Of course, he’d love to have someone who shares his basic interests of aesthetics and his moral philosophy that centralizes on a love for humanity, and the honor and strength of action to act on it, but he also wants to know someone who can teach him a lot. I think that type of person could be absolutely anyone, especially someone that is nothing like him. Alus doesn’t want to necessarily completely change himself through the journey of knowing anothers’ life, nor change someone else entirely either, even if it’s for the better. He just wants mutual understanding with others. He finds a joy that can be found nowhere else when he feels two people, who don’t have anything in common, can find a common ground. This kind of thing excites him. I think something in-between -- someone who is a lot like him in a lot of ways, but has a few traits he lacks completely -- is ideal for him.

Describe their other friends / Describe their acquaintances. (combo’d) Alus doesn’t really have other people he regards true friends, I think. He kinda regards every person he meets as his friends. That’s really all there is to it for him.

Do they have any pets? No pets, just a lot of animals that follow him around for food scraps and snacks. He always has an open window for birds and butterflies, and an open door to dodos and chickens and stray cats. He enjoys the company of birds the most, though he’s a fan of the loyal doggy too. In terms of his mounts - He mainly only claims ownership over his military-issued chocobo for paperwork purposes, but regards her as a friend without a voice more than an animal under his ownership.

Who are their natural allies? Anyone who agrees for humanitarian rights, I think. Alus just exists to be a hero, really.

Who are their surprising allies? People he once fought. He always reaches out a hand for people who’ve made mistakes and tells them that he’ll be their friend if they agree to stop their mean-spirited behavior.

Past and Future

What was your character like as a baby? As a child? Equal combination “good kid” and “absolute little shit”; On the surface, he’d always be loyal to his father and polite to strangers, but the second he and his brother got some time to themselves they’d get into all kinds of shenanigans - especially if they manage to find some way to conceal their identity. Most of those shenanigans were pranks trying to scare people with All Saint’s Wake-esque props. They were also a time they were absolutely not above purposely trying to confuse people on which brother was which whenever it was convenient or just funny.

Did they grow up rich or poor? Poor, but I think he still thought himself as lucky. He might not have had a big room to himself or a lot of possessions, but he got to travel the world and meet so many interesting people and see so many interesting things in his father’s caravan.

Did they grow up nurtured or neglected? Nurtured for sure. His family were joined at the hip.

What is the most offensive thing they ever said? I’m sure Alus used to have a potty mouth when he was a kid and young teen. He picked it up from being exposed to so many different individuals growing up. If he’s been around a lot of sailors in Lima Lominsa, I think it’s a safe bet that he probably swore like one too. After his father died that changed almost immediately though in order to honor his dad’s memory.

What is their greatest achievement? I’m sure there’s much more impressive individual achievements he has accomplished - monsters he’s fought, hostage situations he’s negotiated, villains he’s managed to persuade to become heroes, but if you asked him, he’d tell you that simply being lucky enough to be chosen to become one of the Warriors of Light or opening his cafe are the achievements he’s most proud of.

What was their first kiss like? [spoiler]Still haven’t had it![/spoiler]

What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved? I feel like even though Alus adored his father, he probably did a lot of things to make him worried or stressed out, maybe even ran away once or twice just for the fun of it. It was a lot more innocent time for Alus and I don’t think he’d do anything like that in adulthood.

What are their ambitions? Alus just wants to end all war. Full stop. It’s not that complicated. He doesn’t really know the most effective way how to, though. He just keeps doing whatever he can when people request his help - which usually ends up taking advantage of his physical combat skills.

What advice would they give their younger self? Cherish this time. Hug your father and tell him you love him more often. And maybe focus on being a medic or someone who helps the world peacefully more than someone who uses violence to solve the world’s problems. Maybe care a little more about politics.

What smells remind them of their childhood? Chamomile, road dust, seasalt, and old fancy dusty antiques.

What was their childhood ambition? To grow up to be a glamorous warrior that saves the world again and again and to rescue a pretty princess.

What is their best childhood memory? Dancing on the streets of Ul’dah with his brother for a little extra pocket money and becoming unexpectedly popular.

What is their worst childhood memory? Losing his father to the calamity and being passed between temporary foster homes again and again, then finally losing his brother in that mess, too.

Did they have an imaginary childhood friend? Alus left out honeyed milk for faeries all the time as a child. Post-calamity, he started to quietly make-believe that faeries and little unicorns visited him when he was particularly lonely or bored, or just wanted to escape his own mind for awhile.

When was the last time they were crushed with disappointment? [FFXIV POST-STORMBLOOD SPOILER]Hearing about Zenos’ body being revived against Zenos’ wishes for a perfect death.[/SPOILER]

What past act are they most ashamed of? Any time Alus can’t save someone from death. Sometimes, Alus must be the one to kill them himself. This is an unbearable sin to bear for him.

What past act are they most proud of? Any time he can save someone. Any time he can help the suffering of someone by giving a little coin. Every time he has made someone smile. It is all the most cherishable, wonderful memories to him. None better than the others.

Has anyone ever saved their life? His twin brother Arc probably on at least a weekly basis. I think saving eachothers’ lives is a regular thing on a battlefield, even if your ally is basically a stranger.

Strongest childhood memory? Just sitting underneath the stars, curled up under a blanket with his brother while they rest their head on their father’s lap as he reads them bedtime stories.

Love

Do they believe in love at first sight? Absolutely. Guy will trust anyone at the drop of a hat, why not fall in love, too?

Are they in a relationship? Not officially, no. I think he casually flirts a lot and has gone out on sporadic dates with many people, but he hasn’t become anyone’s “steady”.

How do they behave in a relationship? Alus is extremely inexperienced. I think he’ll end up trying so hard to show off to whoever he’s dating that he’ll become exhausted. He wants to treat his future spouse like royalty.

When did you character last have sex? [SPOILER]Never![/SPOILER]

What sort of sex do they have? Nothing kinky or out there, he’s a shy confused mess to begin with when it comes to sex - he’s probably very reserved and traditional about it. I should note that Alus is canonically asexual, even if he doesn’t fully realize it yet. He doesn’t really understand the appeal of sex but he’d want his significant other to be happy. [NSFW/18+] He’d definitely insist on being a top, though. [/SAFE!]

Has your character ever been in love? As an greyromantic writer, I have no fucking solid idea what romantic love is supposed to be defined as. If you define it as ‘fantasizing about having a certain person in mind as a future spouse’ then, yes, Alus has been in love loads of times.

Have they ever had their heart broken? Many times, but it rarely gets him down for too long - he’ll fall in love with the next person he sees, then the cycle restarts.

Conflict

How do they respond to a threat? A fake, forced smile. Explaining calmly to the enemy that what they’re doing is wrong. Explaining calmly to the enemy to drop it and go drink tea with him instead. If being calm doesn’t work, yelling at them about their hypocritical morality like some sort of shounen superhero making a speech.

Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue? Tongue, for sure. Alus will be so painfully reasonable with his enemies that the only way he’s drawing his sword to fight is someone else draws first.

What is your character’s kryptonite? Like any hero, he’s a sucker for hostages. Also, math completely turns him fucking stupid. [SPOILER]Also... having his morality questioned, especially being accused of being a hypocrite.[/SPOILER]

If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be? A faerie tale storybook from his childhood his father read to him often when he was alive.

How do they perceive strangers? “A friend he doesn’t know yet.”

What do they love to hate? I don’t really imagine Alus truly ‘hates’ anything or anyone, just greatly dislikes or disapproves of them. And even then I think he doesn’t particularly enjoy disliking them. I don’t think he views negative feelings as something to be prideful over.

What are their phobias? Slugs and other slimy creatures, as well as mild situational claustrophobia.

What is their choice of weapon? His fists, for sure; there’s some sort of philosophy inside his mind that fighting with his bare hands or body without tools or weapons to aid him is the ultimate form of respect towards other human beings’ pain and livelihood - he wants them to know he shall feel pain right back if he strikes someone else, and he’s allowing himself the possibility to be hurt in return.

What living person do they most despise? I think anyone who justifies war or pain as a glorious and wonderful thing instead of a tragedy is someone he dislikes. Especially if said person has no respect for human life or the bodies of the fallen.

Have they ever been bullied or teased? Plenty. Unfortunately mostly his given name is particularly targetted. He’s also been called too soft plenty of times.

Where do they go when they’re angry? Home - his house is well soundproofed and cozy. He may go on an off-trail walk alone in the middle of Thanalan or the like.

Who are their enemies and why? The Garlean army, the Ascians.. do you really need to ask why? They wish to create death and chaos, that’s plenty of a reason enough.

Work, Education and Hobbies

What is their current job? Maelstrom military field medic, café proprietor, free paladin

What do they think about their current job? The café is seemingly always empty, but he doesn’t mind continuing to pour money into it. It’s a safe haven to him and a symbol of his independence from the violent life of military duty. Being a field medic is endlessly horrifying, but he’s glad he can help people. His status of Free Paladin makes him obligated to carry out duties to help Eorzea, which is something he’s proud of - but he is always not all that great at drawing his sword at the sign of trouble.

What are some of their past jobs? The only other “jobs” Alus has had in the past were mostly just side jobs for a little extra pocket money, mostly dancing on the street.

What are their hobbies? Dancing, capoeira martial arts, piano, tea brewing, baking, reading, writing, sketching, watercolor art, goldsmithing, fashion, bird keeping.

Educational background? Went to a school for accounting for a few years. He retained absolutely no information about accounting.

Intelligence level? Literate; can read older more complex texts easily. Good with maps. More of a “physical education” kinda guy.

Do they have any specialist training? Paladin training. Nothing else formal.

Do they have a natural talent for something? Weirdly incredibly good at parkour - stuff like navigating tightropes and climbing up buildings without any hesitation or struggle.

What is their socioeconomic status? At the moment, Alus is pretty well-off. He and his brother own their own business in the Lavender Beds, and Alus can afford high class clothes, hobbies, furniture and the like. He’s also prone to donate to charity near constantly.

Favourites

What is their favourite animal? whatever birds are ROUND

Which animal to they dislike the most? S L U G S

What place would they most like to visit? His cafe, honestly. It’s a safe haven.

What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen? People.

What is their favourite song? Simply Satie

Music, art, reading preferred? Alus loves playing piano, drawing sketches and reading storybooks. I don’t think he could trade one for the other! (He’s awful at singing though.)

What is their favourite colour? Pale blue, white, yellow-gold, and pastel pink.

What is their password? “Password”. Nobody will ever get it!

Favourite food: La Noscean toast! (AKA French toast!) with lots of berries and whipped cream!

Who is their favourite artist? ??? ((OOC: if Alphonse Mucha was in FFXIV it’d be him idk))

What is their favourite day of the week? E V E R Y D A Y (but probably mostly Sunday)

Possessions

What is in their fridge: Fresh salad, fruits, fresh berries, vegetables, tofu, jackfruit, orange juice, leftover strawberry shortcake, protein shakes, leftover rice, eggs, butter, yogurt, frozen berries... and even fresh flowers?

What is on their bedside table? A dozen lighthearted fairytale and academic books on aether he recycles through reading every night as he goes to bed, a pitcher & glass of water, a vase with a flower in it, reading glasses, 3 inch tall lil stuffed dodo.

What is in their bin? Compost bin for old fruits/vegetables/egg shells/bread and a recycling bin full of paper and packaging garbage.

What is in their bag? A lot of coin, a hairbrush, a box of ice chilled flowers, travel-size beauty products, lots of fireworks and other fun little spectacle toys, a pocket-sized book of poetry, a basic armor polishing set, a miniature sewing kit, bandages, healing potions.

What is their most treasured possession? A very old and damaged book of fairy tales from his childhood.

Spirituality

Who or what is your character’s guardian angel? His adoptive father - at least, that’s what he wants to believe.

Do they believe in the afterlife? Yes! Very much so.

What are their religious views? [SPOILER]Alus has a complicated relationship with religion. For the most part of his life, he’s believed in The Twelve like every other Eorzean, but as he’s grown older he’s found himself more and more impatient and even disgusted of the cruelties that the gods allow to happen, and the ways followers of Nald’thal and Halone use their religion as a means to prey on the weak for the sake of money, classism, and racial disparity. Hearing the words of Garlean soldiers point out that proof that The Twelve exist is seemingly nonexistent has further disrupted Alus’ belief in them. Alus does, however, firmly believe in Hydaelyn.[/SPOILER]

What do they think heaven is? Alus has no true confident belief in what exactly the seven heavens are, but he likes to think heaven is a place where flowers bloom all the time, the weather is always warm and sunny, bugs don’t bother you and war and violence never happen, and relaxing tea parties are hosted all day long, clothes are comfortable and pretty and never soiled by dirt and mud no matter how much you play in the grass.

What do they think hell is? Like many Eorzeans, Alus believes in the seven hells. The seven hells are a place that one must climb out of to eventually make it to heaven, and depending on how bad of a person you were in life, the deeper in hell you start out in after you die, and the more you have to climb before you get upward into heaven. Alus finds great comfort in this ideology because it means that no matter how bad a person was in life, they may still find forgiveness and redemption in death.

Are they superstitious? I think he’s open-minded. He seems to discover so many legends of being real every day that it’s difficult for him not to believe in anything and everything he hears. He tries to be respectful of the unknown and follow their rules, but when push comes to shove it’s all about the grandest happiness for everyone - he will challenge whatever fae or ghostly apparition that wants to mess with him if he thinks what they’re doing is immoral or unfair.

What would they like to be reincarnated as? A stream. A rosebush. A rainbow. Something that others can look at and feel at peace, something for others to enjoy. A way to give love without living a life that inevitably creates suffering through heroism. To just exist as part of the beauty in the world.

How would they like to die? He doesn’t know. Death scares him. He does not want to die in battle. He does not want to die sleeping in a bed. But he wishes he’ll be old. He wishes he’ll have lots of friends. And he wishes he did everything he could while he was alive to make the world a better place as much as he possibly could.

What animal is most like your character, spiritually speaking? .... A golden retriever. Eager to please, extremely loving and loyal, a strong body, picky about weird things, and incredibly goofy.

Values

What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person? Betrayal?? torture?? bullying?? rape?? what do you want from me. He hates all forms of toxic and violent behavior!!

What is their view of ‘freedom’? The ability to form your own path; the ability to be whatever you want, even if the dream seems impossible to everyone else. The ability to go anywhere you want, walk and run anywhere you want, travel anywhere you want. The ability to say no when you want. The ability to be respected as independent.

How often do they lie? NEVER!!!!!!! He might bend the truth a little bit or side-step an answer but even white lies he’s not into. He rarely needs to white lie about anything anyway; he tends to see the best in everything.

What’s their view of lying? BAD AND UNNESSESARY

How often do they make promises? Constantly.

How often do they keep or break their promises? He 100% keeps his promises unless he’s literally physically incapacitated and in which case he will apologize and try to make it up to you so much

Daily life

What are their eating habits? Vegetarian. He eats really healthy and he eats a lot. Big fan of asian food I think. Has no problems eating stuff that’s bland as hell; I feel like it’s part of his determination to better himself. Has a terrible weakness for sweets, though. Secretly hates stuff that’s slimy, like mushrooms, but he will never complain if it’s given to him.

Do they have any allergies? Nope, he’s lucky. If he does, he hasn’t discovered it yet.

Describe their home. Very white, tons of gold nouveau trim on everything, and tons of flowers everywhere. Looks like the home of royalty. [Here’s his housing aesthetic.]

Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder? Neither, I think. Maybe leaning closer to minimalist over clutter-lover; he likes everything being clean and easy to access in his house. His design aesthetic of nouveau isn’t necessarily minimalist in inherent style though imo.

What do they do first thing on a weekday morning? Wakes up extra early, takes a quick cool shower to wake himself up, eats a quick and simple breakfast full of protein; most likely something with a lot of nuts and eggs as it’s ingredients + big salad. packs a simple lunchbox and starts his day: Every morning, he walks to the statues of Nald and Thal, viewing the warm pink sunrise in the process. he pays his respects to each; cleans and dusts with a simple cleaning kit he’s left there prior. Leaves some simple offerings. Finds somewhere nice and empty in Thanalan to do some excercises and martial arts training for the day. sits down and eats lunch afterwards. lazily walks home, takes another quick shower to get the sweat and dust off. while his hair is drying, he puts on makeup and decides a proper outfit to wear for the day. meets up with arc, goes on their obliged military-issued mission for the day.

What do they do on a Sunday afternoon? Makes an effort to drag Arc over to his place for a big fancy dinner. Tea and crumpets as an early evening appetizer. Alus cooks everything while Arc hangs out and talks, lending a bit of help when Alus demands asks for him. Arc sneaks in alcohol. Alus yells at him. repeat next week.

What do they do on a Friday night? this but like, outside, alone, in the middle of thanalan somewhere

What is the soft drink of choice? If soft drinks existed in Eorzea I can’t help but feel like Alus is one of those freaks who don’t like any of them.

What is their alcoholic drink of choice? NO

Miscellaneous

What is their character archetype? This question originally linked to some basic archetypes, but I already have TVtropes collected and they’re far more interesting as an answer imo SO: [All-Loving Hero], [Reluctant Warrior], [Cloudcuckoolander], [Warrior Poet], [Stepford Smiler], [Motor Mouth], [Large Ham], [Stupid Good], [In Touch With His Feminine Side], [The Fashionista], [Light Is Good], [Flower Motifs], [Declaration of Protection].

Who is their hero? I don’t think Alus has a specific person in mind that isn’t fictional - fact is, nobody is as perfect as the type of person he strives to be. I think he finds traits of admirable heroism everywhere in people, though. Everything from his friends who fight for the good of the world no matter what, from the villain who unexpectedly saves someone while nobody else is watching, to the single mother who works hard to raise her children, to the homeless people who just continue to fight on to live even when everything feels so hopeless around them. I think he sees traits in others he wishes he had all the time. He wants to embody all the good traits of everyone. And I should mention, if one is to have a ‘hero’, it is expected that person to be better than one, yes? I don’t think Alus believes he’s particularly better than anyone else, especially in their positive traits.

What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween? Alus goes HARD on All Saint’s Wake. He and Arc’s signature best costume always ends up being these hyper-realistic ghost costumes that they trick out with special glamours, magic, and tech to surprise the passerby. If it doesn’t genuinely scare someone, it isn’t enough!

Are they comfortable with technology? I think he’s absolutely got the boomer brain when it comes to allagan technology. He can get by fixing old mechanical clocks and the like but when it comes to allagan stuff, he’s just absolutely out of his element. He’ll certainly listen if someone wants to try explaining it to him, but it’ll take considerable time before he fully “gets it” and usually when he does, it’s more on blind faith and an ability to follow basic directions more than true understanding. I think in general it just doesn’t really interest him and if he’s going to spend the time and energy to learn about it, he’d rather use that energy on his other interests - books, physical training, baking and the like. (Modern AU: He’s absolutely the guy still using an ancient flip phone because “It still works!” Also, he capitalizes and uses perfect grammar in all his extremely-hard-to-type number code texts.)

If they could save one person, who would it be? It’s a difficult question, because of course - the first person to come to mind is Arc. But the thing is, Arc can take care of himself. And Alus knows this. Alus trusts this. So when it comes down to choosing between Arc and someone less capable.. Alus will most likely help the less capable person. If Arc is hurt, Alus knows he’ll forgive him. But if Arc were to die? And it be Alus’ fault? It would utterly crush him.

If they could call one person for help, who would it be? Arc, of course. There’s nobody Alus would rather have by his side while dealing with problems.

What is their favourite proverb? “Since it is likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and courage.” – C.S. Lewis (Personally my fav proverb in thinkin about Alus is “Because the world is so full of death and horror, I try again and again to console my heart and pick the flowers that grow in the midst of hell.” – Hermann Hesse)

What is their greatest extravagance? This is kind of a depressing and even controversial answer, but it’s honestly any time he has ducked out from military duty with or without permission when all of it has just gotten to him too much. He knows that him not being there will be more of a problem than a solution - he knows that - but any moment he can just pretend, for a moment, that he’s just a normal man running a normal little girlish cafe during a time without war.. That’s his greatest extravagance.

What is their greatest regret? The amount of enemies he has been forced to down when talk wasn’t enough is piling higher and higher every moon cycle. It’s an absolute horror. He tries so hard to be nonlethal as possible. He’s studied so much how to avoid vital organs, how to down someone without hurting them badly, but no matter what there is always the chance of there being a prior injury he didn’t know about, or a undiagnosed medical problem that was just activated by the smallest knock.. That isn’t even to mention the people who have been hurt because the people he talked down didn’t keep their word or stood back up when he thought they’d stay asleep. No matter what, he just isn’t enough to save everyone. Why is it that no matter how hard he works to have this ideal of pacifism, it never works completely? Why is it never enough?

What is their perception of redemption? That the unwavering truth of this world is that people are fundamentally capable of change. He refuses to believe otherwise, no matter what. Perhaps it is an active choice instead of an instinctual one, nobody is certain for Alus’ mindful case. He believes the expectation for lifelong punishment for a past crime is petty and cruel, and in itself deters people from switching sides for the better. He believes anyone and everyone deserves the right to have the choice to right their wrongs at any time. Don’t misunderstand though - He understands sometimes people are far too gone for simply dropping everything they’ve done and that’s enough to erase their mistakes - he knows that some people can only find rightful redemption in the afterlife after execution, even if execution is not an ideal solution to stopping them in his eyes. But he prays for them. He’ll never give up on anyone.

What would they do if they won the lottery? Back into investments or savings to get an even bigger profit later. Alus knows how to play the smart long game. But uh... If the fates play a trick and he sees a beautiful fashion piece in a shop window, maybe that won’t last too long. He’s also notoriously overly generous with money to the needy, he spends money on service tips like pouring water out of a glass. Money is always moving, and if he starts to run low, he just works a little harder to get back to the comfort zone. He’s in a pretty good place in his life monetarily wise atm already.

What is their favourite fairytale? It’s difficult to answer this because I don’t know what sorts of stories exist in Eorzean canon! But I can say that the real-world 1986 manga “The Sword of Paros” is a huge inspiration to Alus’ character. It’s about a person born with the title of ‘Princess’ who believes to have been born the wrong gender, and does everything in their power to prove themselves worthy of the title of ‘Prince’ despite immeasurable odds against them from their family and their country. The hero also falls in love with a commoner woman who wishes nothing more to be loved by the idyllic image of a charming knight in shining armor that comes and rescues her, and their love is ultimately tragic as it’s also not recognized as valid.. but the prince never stops fighting for his title and the right of his love, and the ability for them both to be happy. Though the story ends without the ideal conclusion, the very concept of these characters fighting against all odds for something genuinely better for the whole world is something Alus is really all about. (Also, seriously, read this manga. It’s groundbreaking. It’s Utena done right.)

What fairytale do they hate? Any faerietales that have unhappy endings, or seem to focus strongly on tragedy or pessimistic ideas of realism in the world. That tends to fall into the category of ‘cautionary tales’ most the time. He’s also really not a fan of stories with body horror or gore.

Do they believe in happy endings? I think he believes that happy endings should always be the goal, but I don’t think he truly accepts that they actually exist. He understands that happiness and safety is always temporary, and this is why he should always strive to make the world a better place. If he helps someone get to a point that they’re happy, healthy, and safe - he’ll just move on to the next person who needs his help. A happy ending for himself though? I think he’s not confident in it, but he wants to live every day to the fullest as he can before he dies. He accepts this as part of his duty - he knows he’s living on ultimately borrowed time.

What is their idea of perfect happiness? Being in love, being surrounded by people you love, having the support of others you trust and having the ability to spoil the people you care about. Having a home you’ll never be kicked out of.. And no war that you have to leave to. No people you have to harm. Just the peace to drink tea with your former enemies as you gaze out onto flowers on a warm day... That’s all he ever wants.

What would they ask a fortune teller? I think he’s concerned if he’ll ever someone to truly share his life with besides his brother. He just really wants a good friend.. Ideally, someone attractive he can hold the hand of!

If your character could travel through time, where would they go? Before the Calamity. He’d just want to listen to his father tell him a few more stories again. He misses the peacefulness of his childhood, the certainty that someone out there stronger than him loved him and wanted to keep him safe, the ability to ignore his own call to war... He wouldn’t so selfish to want to try and bend fate enough to save his father, though he would if he had the chance.. But he knows it’s impossible.

What sport do they excel at? (Modern AU) He was definitely a cheerleader in highschool and/or college, I feel like. Probably into dancing! And ofc a dedicated martial artist. I feel like he’d be pretty good at football and wrestling too - games that require a bulky build to be great at - but he just doesn’t have a particular interest in either of those.

What sport do they suck at? (Modern AU) Probably stuff like archery and tennis - not only would he’d thrive better in big team sports, he’s just not much for long-range dexterity. He’d also be absolutely incompetent as an esports competitor lmfao.

If they could have a superpower, what would they choose? Anything that was especially effective at saving peoples’ lives. Time travel to stop mistakes before they happen or say the right thing before a war breaks out, super effective healing powers... anything. Just to stop suffering and death.

#meme #alus beauregard #ffxiv rp #this literally took me like 4 months to complete fuck

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drawing-way-outside-the-lines · 5 years ago

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Ragnall McKinney *Supporting character.

Voice Claim: (Ciaran Hinds) https://youtu.be/OPxuoX_1MRw?t=18s (Right click on links and open in new tab)

Partner(s): None Parents: No longer alive. Kids: Several. Age: Ancient. Height: 179cm Body type: Muscular, but not too buff, has a small bubble butt and pretty muscular/thick thighs. Eye color: Golden/Honey Classification: (Immortal) Demon Known powers: Possession, Levitation, Necromancy ( The power to utilize magic involving the dead) Resurrection (The power to bring the deceased back to life) Teleportation (The ability to move instantaneously from one location to another without physically occupying the space in between) Poison Generation (The power to create/generate variety of poisons.) Soul Absorption (The power to absorb souls and utilize them in some way.)

About: Contemplative, Genuine, Kind, Intelligent, Observant, Protective, Sentimental, Rational, Empathic, Courageous, Open-minded, Adventurous, Confident, Flexible, Humble, Honest, Fair, Logical, Friendly, Generous, Respectful and Balanced. ~ Sexuality straight, but doesn’t mind gay activities once in a while. ~ Has several tattoos, including: Right arm full sleeve Viking theme with Vegvísir right below his shoulder (Vegvísir is an Icelandic magical stave intended to help the bearer find their way through rough weather, often used by Vikings) In fact all of Ragnall’s tattoos are of ‘Viking theme’, like the two Viking hounds on his chest, Thors Hammer on his back, a hound sigil on his right foot and dragons on his left leg. ~ He loves nature and spends as much time in it as possible. ~ He’s very social, but loves alone time. ~ Irish. ~ Has a battle scar under right eye which was given to him by his first wife, when she switched sides in battle after she fell in love with Ragnall’s sworn enemy. ~ Always smells of herbs, such as Basil, Lemon Balm, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage and Fennel. ~ Excellent with both sword, ax and bow. ~ Is pretty good at common and some uncommon witch craft, but doesn’t consider himself a witch. ~ Is a great cook. ~ Is an excellent horseback rider. ~ Used to be an actual Viking and that’s where he got some of his tattoos. ~ Used to be the Captain of a very large Viking ship fleet. ~ Huge beer drinker and loves to hang out at pubs. ~ Very family-oriented. ~ Never shaves! NEVER! But he keeps his beard at a certain length. ~ Loves Irish music, horses, dogs, his family/clan, beer, pubs, getting drunk, loud music, pub brawls, pub crawls, sailing, the sea, the ocean, home cooked food, grilled meat, juicy steaks and harmonica music. ~ His style is Irish? With a dash or Viking? One gif to describe him:

Collum McKinney *Supporting character.

Voice Claim: (Kevin McKidd) https://youtu.be/owPupwzbClo?t=37s (Right click on links and open in new tab)

Partner(s): None Parents: Father diseased, unaware of mother’s whereabouts Kids: None Age: Ancient. Height: 200cm Body type: Muscular, Pretty buff, but with a slimmer torso. Eye color: Bright green with some specs of dark brown. Classification: (Immortal) Demon Known powers: Possession, Psychic Navigation (The power to track people/objects with one’s mind and/or create mental maps of an area) Weapon Manipulation (The ability to manipulate weapons) Enhanced Crafting (The ability to craft weapons, armor, items, artifacts, statues, etc. flawlessly.) Telekinesis (The power to manipulate objects/matter with their mind.) Illusion Manipulation (The power to manipulate illusions) Invisibility, Unhealing (The power to undo healed wounds, injuries and diseases) Curse Inducement ( The ability to place a curse on anyone or anything.) Death Inducement (The power to cause death, either instantly or after certain time.)

About: Contemplative, Observant, Protective, Sentimental, Logical, Alert, Calm, Clear-Headed, Firm, Forthright (direct) Intuitive, Orderly, Principled, Fair, Serious, Tolerant, Proud, Strict, Reserved, Focused, Responsible, Self-reliant and Stoic. ~ Sexuality unknown. He’s very religious in his own ways and has never actually had sex with anyone, nor felt strong enough attractions to want to. ~ Is from the Scottish side of the McKinney clan. ~ Has a large Celtic cross tattoo on his back. ~ He loves nature and spends as much time in it as possible. ~ He’s a loner, and doesn’t talk much around people. ~ Has multiple battle scars on his face, from when his father tried to kill him in battle, when he was just a teen. ~ Excellent at both sword and ax fight. ~ Pretty thick Scottish accent, which he tends to tone down when he speaks to strangers. ~ Always smells of Cedar Wood or warm metal. ~ Is a very skilled blacksmith. ~ Dislikes large crowds. ~ Is a great cook. ~ Is an excellent horseback rider. ~ Reads a lot. ~ Has a great and smooth singing voice. ~ Never shaves. But trims his beard every day as it grows super fast. ~ Loves sunrise and always gets up early enough to watch it, solitude, cooking, reading, Whiskey, beer, mead, coffee, working on iron, horses, dogs, nature, bonfires, winter, thunder, quietness and minding his own business. ~ His style is somewhat Viking/Medieval-ish?

One gif to describe him:

Declan McKinney *Supporting character.

Voice Claim: (John Hannah) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOLjdlecESU (Right click on links and open in new tab)

Partner(s): None Parents: Alistair Laird & Roisin McKinney Kids: None Age: Ancient. Height: 177cm Body type: Muscular, Pretty buff, but with a slimmer torso. Eye color: Honey Classification: (Immortal) Demon Known powers: Possession, Teleportation (The ability to move instantaneously from one location to another without physically occupying the space in between) Intangibility (The ability to pass through physical matter) Energy Blast (The ability to release energy on a specific target area.) Disease Inducement, Despair Inducement, insanity inducement.

About: Charismatic, Confident, Humorous, Open-minded, Fun-loving, Optimistic, Friendly, Outgoing, Flirtatious, Spontaneous, Competitive, Outspoken, Cheeky, Sarcastic, Stubborn, Irresponsible , Argumentative, can be a bit blunt, independent, Insulting (but mostly for fun) Morbid, Perverse, Strong-willed and Flexible. ~ Sexuality Pansexual, Zoophilia, and pretty much any other Parahilia out there! ~ Half Irish half Scottish, his dad being the Scottish one. ~ Has multiple tattoos in Celtic/Viking style. ~ Speaks with very thick Scottish accent and uses a lot of Scottish slang, specially really horrible cuss words. ~ His name means ‘full of goodness’. ~ Has long beard he braids in multiple braids. ~ Typically smells of warm, spicy-sweet Opium as he smokes a lot of it, although it has no effect on him, he just loves the taste and smell. ~ Loves beer! In fact when he doesn’t smell of Opium, he probably smells of some sweet dark beer. ~ Plays violin, and is quite skilled at it. ~ Used to be a pirate. ~ Loves the ocean and often longs for his days at sea, but not enough to actually leave mainland. ~ Doesn’t like pop music. ~ Is often seen scribbling down music in a small black leather book he carries around, so that he can play it later on his Violin. ~ Smoker. ~ Dislikes humorless people. ~ Hates Rum. ~ Is fairly skilled with a sword and fairly skilled at fighting. ~ Loves family gatherings, as it often means LOTS of beer! Pub crawls, pub brawls, any kind of brawl, hot baths, large breasts, food, spring, dancing, playing violin, flirting, sex and insulting people. ~ His style is somewhat Piratey?

One gif to describe him:

#Ragnall McKinney #Collum McKinney #Declan McKinney #Irish demon #Irish demons #demon #demons #immortal #supernatural #ts3 #sims3 #sims 3 #simblr #simographysup

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halcyonsteppe · 2 years ago

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melisusthewee · 5 years ago

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I am going to tell you a story

I've already mentioned on here that I've taken up rock climbing. I go once a week with a couple of friends. It's good exercise, and I might go more often once the auto-belays are back up and running. We'll see. It's good to spend time with some friends who have been nothing but supportive and nurturing when it comes to what I've been going through. It's a nice distraction for a couple hours while I climb walls, and try to figure out puzzles, and throw all of my concentration into things.

But that's not what I'm here to tell you about today. And I am also not going to talk about the ex. It's not one of those posts. But I am going to tell you about a boy. Or several.

No, scratch that. I am going to tell you a story about men. And some badass women. Because as much as rock climbing with friends is good for me and is a good post-betrayal hobby, I really needed something that was just for me. Something I could focus on and put time and energy into, where I could meet new people who didn't know me or anything about me prior to the moment they first met me.

Which is exactly how (and why) I found AEMMA... otherwise known as the Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts.

To give you a basic rundown, the AEMMA is a HEMA-affiliated academy. But they do things a little differently. The curriculum is ever-evolving and they develop their curriculum primarily from the writings of Fiore dei Liberi who wrote an illustrated manuscript that covers fighting and combat from unarmed grappling all the way through to mounted combat. In addition to this specific manuscript focus (though they do also lift instructions from other manuscripts), more advanced members who have reached the scholler and free scholler rank are expected to assist in studying the source material, adding their thoughts and interpretations in order to further develop the program, as well as assist in teaching recruits.

So this is where I ended up, signing up for their intake class, enthusiastic about something both practical (in terms of the wrestling and dagger fighting) and unique (the sword fighting, and promises of eventually pole axe combat, sword and buckler, and full armour fighting), but also nervous as hell. HEMA groups sometimes can have... reputations. For being dramatic, cliquey, and in more recent years having an issue with being a target for alt-right infiltrators. I didn't know what to expect. Would I walk in and be the only woman? Would I be surrounded by metal heads? Basement nerd bros? Neo Nazis?

I show up to the first class, where the office door is open and two people are sitting inside. A woman with bright red hair, some of which has been braided in Celtic style jumps to her feet to welcome me and shake my hand. She introduces herself as one of the free schollers in the academy who also runs the warm up fitness class beforehand. I immediately notice her hands are covered in runic tattoos. She then hands me a waiver to fill out and tells me to just hand it back once I'm done so she can "WITNESS ME UPON THE FURY ROAD!!!"

I am then introduced to the other occupant in the room, a man sitting at a computer who is introduced as another one of the schollers and also the academy's secretary. If he's not in the office, Mr. Secretary (obviously not his real name) can be found either at his second job in the north end teaching children how to fence or practicing his fire breathing after hours when no one else is around. I can only describe this man as looking stereotypically like a samurai, long black hair pulled back in a simple tie. You would think the mention of the fire breathing would be the part he brags about. But no. Instead, he turns to me and grins. "The Russian and Chinese parents tell me I have full permission to make their children cry."

These people are weird and I love them already.

The remaining members of the new intake class gradually show up one by one. We all introduce ourselves, talk about what led us to be here, etc. Then we meet the senior scholler in charge of the intake class who takes us on a tour and shows us around the place, introducing us to the folks we're going to meet and the teachers who are going to beat us senseless with swords. It's honestly great, because the ongoing recruit class shows a big mix of both gender, age, culture, and fitness level. It's explained that the goal of the academy is to make it an open and welcome environment for people of all types who want to learn how to hit things with swords really well!

I decide to stay along with a couple of the other intakes after our intro lesson because Monday nights at the academy are Fight Nights. After the evening's lesson, the advanced recruits and the schollers basically get together in full sword fighting kits (those that have them), and two lists are set up for duels. It's open for schollers to fight each other, recruits to spar one another, or recruits to flag down a scholler and get in some one-on-one practice and lessons. And this is when I meet our next character - Jacques.

"Jacques" is not actually his name. I don't know his name yet. We were briefly introduced, but it was in passing so I've forgotten it! But I shall call him Jacques because he is extremely French.

So here we are. It's Fight Night. The advanced recruits and schollers are all changing into their kits. And out of the armoury walks Jacques. Dressed in his gambeson and gorget, battered leather gloves on his hands, fencing helmet tucked under one arm, and his broadsword held in the other. With the way this man's hair was combed and his beard trimmed, if it weren't for the New Balance sneakers on his feet you would have sworn this man had just walked out of the Hundred Years War. I had to do a double take. I am still not convinced he is not secretly a time traveller.

Lastly, we have Duncan who is our wrestling instructor and gets a mention because of Dragon Age. Duncan does not look anything like Warden Commander Duncan. He is stocky and broad-shouldered, and built more like DAO Alistair than Duncan. Duncan, however, gets a special mention because Wednesdays are Bologneise night where the schollers study a special Italian style of sword fighting. This style of fighting involves the use of a sword in one hand, and a dagger in the other. It is so on point that I had to share it with the rest of you.

I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to like this place.

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skullssales · 6 years ago

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Costume: The Language of Fashion

Welcome to the unending Knot! As we put together for Halloween, lets take a appear on the customized of costumes. Costume and customized are eventually the identical word, costume being only the custom of how one dresses, however these two varieties of the phrase got here into English by way of extraordinary paths. Each are from Latin consuetudo which means custom, dependancy tracing its source back to a Proto-Indo-European root which means oneself, which also offers us the words self, suicide (killing oneself), idiom (ones possess means), and ethnic (a band of people dwelling together). At bottom, then, costumes and customs are approaches we outline ourselves. So Im going to take a seem at one of the most language of fashion, and also at how trend can perform as a language, communicating your status, background, identity and more to the arena round you. Customized came into English first, in the 13th century, through Anglo-Norman French within the feel of ordinary apply. Costume however came by means of Italian after which French to arrive in English within the seventeenth century as a technical time period within the quality arts to consult the type of portray or sculpture of a unique historical period.

Costume step by step came to refer to garb rather, now not handiest in the basic experience (as in bathing costume), but in addition the specialized feel of apparel of a special tradition or time (think custom), as in a national costume. Of course the feel of costume we are inclined to believe of first is the outfit worn for specific events reminiscent of Halloween, Mardi Gras, or a fancy gown celebration. A further contemporary phenomenon is cosplay, a eastern portmanteau of the English phrases costume and play, where contributors dress up to recreate characters from a sort of media including comics, video video games and films. Cosplay is extra than just hanging on a dressing up, thoughit has developed right into a highly complex tradition with specified subgroups, in which the choice and variety of costume indicators allegiance to a certain fandom, may also be an outlet for creativity and for difficult stereotypes and cultural norms, and also can point out facets of your price method to different contributors of the group.

However its no longer simplest what we think of as costumes that can participate in this operate. Fashion has continuously been principal in marking ingroups and outgroups, equivalent to whether youre a part of a unique social, religious, or political motion, if you happen to belong to a unique subculture, or effectively how cool you’re. One severe example of this is the macaroni. In and across the 18th century it used to be fashionable for younger guys of way to go on the so-referred to as Grand Tour to Europe to absorb the finer features of European culture and history. Within the 1760s a bunch of such vacationers grew to be enamoured of Italian tradition, as a result the macaroni membership, and took to carrying outlandishly exaggerated patterns of apparel and fashion, with bright colours, much lace, gold embroidery, and comically oversized wigs.

In succeeding generations there was once both an outgrowth and a backlash to this trend known as dandyism, led partly by way of essentially the most noted dandy Beau Brummell, which used to be equally obsessive about matters of sort, however as an alternative moved closer to a incredibly refined look with dark colours, exquisitely tailored clothes, long trousers instead of breeches, and difficult neckties. This kind set the trend for the formal mens go well with that we still know at present. These trend traits grew to be immortalized within the track Yankee Doodle, wherein the uncouth American, most likely not part of the ingroup, rides into city on a pony as an alternative than a horse, and considers the mere ornament of a feather in his cap adequate to qualify him as macaroni making him a Yankee Doodle dandy! Now, its no accident that costume and custom come from the same root, as we are able to inform by means of watching at a parallel pair of words, habit and addiction. That is, dependancy meaning custom and dependancy that means clothing, as in a nuns dependancy. The phrase, which etymologically means what one has, comes by way of French from the Latin verb habeo that means to have.

Both the English addiction and the Latin habitus might refer to the outside, so ones appearance or in different words garb, and to ones interior or persona, and from this develops the feel of ordinary behaviour. Latin habeo goes back to a Proto-Indo-European root this means that to provide, acquire (observe the reciprocal nature of this phrase), and correctly gives us the phrase give, though fairly not the phrase have, although the 2 roots do share a an identical semantic development indeed behaviour, concerning have, mirrors addiction within the sense of routine action. While the word dependancy used to consult clothing frequently, today its customarily restricted to the apparel of monks and nuns.

Another detail of a nuns dependancy that used to be fashioned to ladies mostly was the wimple, a form of material that covered the pinnacle and neck as much as the chin, as it was once viewed immodest for a lady to show her hair. Of course trend changes and the wimple was once dropped by means of every person except nuns, and instead different adornments had been observed for the necks of females, such because the gorget or gorgias, a style of throat protecting which derives its name from the French phrase for throat. This new apparel used to be considered so fashionable that we get the word gorgeous from it. Unless you consider the alternate conception that the phrase is a reference to the Greek thinker Gorgias who used to be apparently really into luxurious and displaying it off.

He was mainly recognized for praise rhetoric and wrote a reward piece for Helen of Troy, whose gorgeousness kicked off the Trojan conflict, exonerating her from any blame. A further neck masking that became standard within the later core ages and early today’s durations was once St Audreys lace, so known as in view that it used to be offered at St Audreys fair. St Audrey, or to offer the long-established Anglo-Saxon variant of her name thelthryth, used to experience necklaces in her early life, and when later in life she bought a horrible tumour on her neck, she took it as divine retribution for her self-importance, a story acknowledged through the Venerable Bede in his Ecclesiastical historical past of the English persons. So i suppose these St Audreys laces have been thought of as modesty preservers. Best as soon as again, trend alterations and by the 17th century these laces came to be inspiration of as inexpensive and gaudy, and so St Audrey used to be shortened to our pejorative phrase tawdry. Bad Audrey, what a legacy! But getting back to those wimples, the source of the word wimple will not be distinct, however it’ll come from a Proto-Indo-European root this means that to turn (as in a cloth wrapped around the head), a root which also gives us the words wipe, whip, and vibrate.

This root additionally gives us the word gimp. No no longer that gimp, however a kind of braided twine used for trimming fabric and in lace–like St Audreys lace, I suppose. Although speakme of that other type of gimp (to not mention whips i assume), this would remind us of yet another part of fashion, apparel fetishes, though perhaps the less stated about that the simpler, notably within the context of nuns! Getting back to these nuns, at the same time they had been covering their hair for modesty, the monks were doings whatever altogether distinct with theirs.

Tonsure, from the Latin for barber, is the shaving of some part of the hair in order to exhibit religious devotion. Extraordinary devout traditions have different patterns of shaving, like for illustration in the Roman church where the very prime of the top is shaved. The Irish church within the medieval period, alternatively, had another pattern of tonsure, a point of so much competition. Certainly the Venerable Bede (don’t forget he wrote about Saint Audrey) connects this difference to the corresponding change between the Roman and Irish approaches of calculating Easter, and the fine climactic second of victory in his historical past is when the English definitively adopt the Roman practise over the Irish. An instance the place coiffure rather did make a decision ingroup and outgroup! No person now really knows what that Irish tonsure used to be like as descriptions are vague, however one suggestion is that the hair was shaved at the front ear to ear however allowed to grow at the back.

So business within the front, celebration within the again? Genuinely there may be a different candidate for the medieval mullet. In the 6th century Procopius wrote of this coiffure in Constantinople where it used to be known as the Hunnic appear. Incidentally, the modern day word mullet for the hairstyle seems to go back best to the Beastie Boys 1994 tune Mullet Head, although some sources additionally point to the 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke wherein the time period mullet head is used, though its not absolutely clear that this is a reference to shaggy hair. The expression mullet head goes again to the 19th century within the feel a silly individual, and springs from the fish mullet, whose title can most likely be traced again to a root that means black. So clearly hairstyle like garb is an essential marker of fashion and thus costume and custom. There had been of path many top notch hairstyles over time, many with fascinating etymologies.

Famous might be are sideburns, named after the the united states Civil warfare normal Ambrose Burnside. Within the seventeenth century when King Louis XIV of France started to lose his hair very likely as a result of syphilis, his donning of a wig kicked off a trend for wigs. Even folks who werent thinning on prime began to put on them. That is what we could now call a celeb fashion pattern. A equivalent trend trend sparked through sickness round that equal time was once the fashion for wearing synthetic beauty marks, at first to hide scars left through smallpox, however soon as a fashionable item in itself. An additional superstar hair fashion was once the pompadour, named in honour of Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis the XV. This trend trend would ultimately return some 200 years later on the heads of the greasers in Nineteen Fifties the united states, most famously exemplified by way of Elvis Presley. Well developments do come and go. Of direction clothing as a marker of tradition has been around ever on the grounds that it moved beyond the in basic terms realistic, however the swiftly moving fashion pattern had to wait except the late core a long time and early modern day period to relatively take off. Official tailors commenced to appear in Europe in the 14th century.

And although the button had been round when you consider that ancient instances, believe or no longer it wasnt unless the thirteenth century in Germany that the buttonhole was once invented, permitting the button for use as a fastener. Both of these traits, the tailor and the button, resulted in extra form fitting garb, as a substitute than the loosely draped type of earlier eras, and this used to be the real impetus for trend trends. Moderate variants in reduce and form would exchange quickly, going inside and outside of type. Maybe the primary first-class runaway trend craze is slashing, in which cuts are made in an outer garment to disclose the lavish materials of the garments underneath. This development began off with Swiss squaddies, after defeating the forces of Charles the bold, duke of Burgundy, threading bits of material taken from the tents and banners of their enemies by means of the holes in their possess ragged clothing.

After they again home, the kind caught on and soon unfold by way of Europe. This displaying off of additional fabric is an example of conspicuous consumption, essentially showing off your wealth, like the prominently displayed fashion designer trademarks of at present. Of path to be competent to show off by means of clothing you had to be of the higher classes. Actually throughout the core ages and early present day interval, legal guidelines have been handed to prevent curb class men and women from dressing above their stage.

You see right now there used to be the upward thrust of the middle type all of a sudden non-nobles had disposable earnings, made out of alternate and manufacture as an alternative than the land owning of the noble classes. So these so-referred to as sumptuary legal guidelines have been handed proscribing what people might wear at one of a kind levels of society. This wasnt of direction the first time such restrictions existed. In ancient Rome, for example, best Roman citizens, in different words free-born Roman men, were allowed to wear togas. It used to be a marker of repute and rank. I someway dont think these Romans would approve of the toga celebration! Speaking of which, that institution tradition started it appears in 1953 at Pomona tuition, and later grew to be noted within the movie country wide Lampoons Animal residence. Nevertheless, before this there is a narrative of First girl Eleanor Roosevelt throwing a toga party to spoof the criticism of her husband FDR as being like a Caesar. As soon as once more, the politics of trend. As for apparel as a marker of repute, even after those sumptuary laws were dropped, it wasnt relatively unless the advent of competent-to-wear clothing, with standardized sizing that you would purchase off the rack with out want of tailoring, that fashion really started to be democratized.

Eventually the center category could be trendy as well. Despite the fact that those outstanding clothier trademarks of today, and the whole haute-couture world, show us that fashion and status are quite still a factor. Getting back to France, the dwelling of trend, a further fashion-setting elite used to be Marie Antoinette, spouse of King Louis XVI, who is the ultimate illustration of excessive extravagance.

It seems that she preferred being known as the queen of trend to the queen of France. Her designer Rose Bertin, who is the primary noted fashion clothier, created the trend doll as a way to disseminate the in trends to Marie Antoinettes loved ones and friends, and this was form of a precursor to the fashion magazine as we know it at present. Really the very first fashion publication was once Castilgliones The guide of the Courtier from the early 16th century, which dealt with etiquette at court docket. The magazine Mercure Galant from the late seventeenth century began to offer advice concerning the trendy tendencies, and by means of the late 18th and early nineteenth century there have been numerous such publications in general with trend plates demonstrating the styles. Marie Antoinettes successor as fashion pattern setter was once the Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Rejecting the lavish styles of Marie, Josephine took a web page from the neoclassical developments of the day and wore attire an identical in variety to the peplos of old Greek females, cinched excessive above the waist.

We now comprehend of this because the empire waist in honour of Empress Josephine. Additionally to being belted on the waist, the old Greek peplos used to be fixed on the shoulders with broaches often called fibulae. Without a doubt the fibula is similar to the modern day defense pin. The protection pin was reinvented in ultra-modern instances by using a man named Walter Hunt, whose other important fashion declare to fame is inventing the lockstitch mechanism that makes the stitching desktop viable. The stitching machine is honestly the mixed work of a number of different inventors coming together. The one to quite make it sensible, viable, and popular was Isaac Singer, who put into practise the today’s manufacturing facility creation approaches to mass produce the machines. Singer was subsequently sued for the patent by way of inventor Elias Howe, who had designed his own lockstitch mechanism, Walter Hunt having declined to patent the thought as he used to be afraid it might put seamstresses out of labor.

But in the end, it was Singers stitching machine that helped to democratize trend, not best making manufacturing of garments more cost-effective and less complicated, however making it possible to do the work in the home. As for Elias Howe, his other fashion claim to status is developing with the primary automatic, steady clothing closure in different phrases the zipper. Unusually, Howe made so much money from his lawsuit in opposition to Singer that he on no account stricken to market his zipper, and it wasnt until the thought used to be later reinvented by way of Whitcomb L. Judson at the finish of the nineteenth century and additional developed by using Gideon Sundback that the general public got the zipper as we know it today.

Incidentally, the word zipper initially talked about the boot it was once designed for, no longer the fastener itself, but the term soon transferred over. At present the zipper is the fastener of alternative on many other forms of garb, such as jackets and probably on trousers, besides on buttonfly denims, the place the button remains as a quaint holdover of days previous. Speaking of jeans, this staple of brand new trend was invented for the nineteenth century gold rush, as the miners wanted tough durable trousers for working in. The tailor Jacob Davis had the proposal of setting up trousers with rivets to make stronger the seams. He bought the hard denim material from wholesaler Levi Strauss, and eventually the 2 went into trade collectively, and Levi denim denims were born. However the language of this fashion predate this invention and is derived from far afield. Jean is an ancient sixteenth century word that comes from the city identify Genoa, and came to consult a rugged variety of fabric that came from there.

The word denim is derived from the French de Nmes meaning from Nmes, a city in southern France. And to high it off, dungaree, one other identify for jeans, comes from the identify of a village in India, Dungri. So this icon of american fashion actually comes from far and wide the sector! And indeed as the globalized 20th and 21st centuries have become more and more fragmented and uncentred we can now not speak a few single trend, and there are some distance too many trends, styles and subcultures to say right here. But probably one of the most hanging that borrows from the prior is the goth style.

Combining retro Victorian patterns with the gloominess of gothic horror fiction, the development used to be taken up via these feeling isolated from and wishing to rebel in opposition to mainstream tradition. And that brings us properly back to Halloween costumes. There seem to be a quantity of traditions that contributed to dressing up in costumes at Halloweenwhich I discussed in some element in my video on Jack-o-Lantern. One part of this practice is that it offers licence to misrule, dressing up in taboo costumes, and breaking average social boundaries. In additional latest years there’s the unfortunate pattern of dressing up in the (regularly stereotyped or caricatured) country wide costumes of other cultures, decreasing these cultures to a type of costume that may be placed on via any individual. Additionally theres the sexualized costumes, chiefly where it creates a pointy contrast, as within the attractive nun costumes. Far from that modest wimple! If trend is a language, might be we should feel about what we’re saying with these costumesand no longer make a habit of it! Thanks for observing! If youve loved these etymological explorations and cultural connections, please subscribe to this channel or share it; you can also signal up for electronic mail notifications of recent videos within the description under.

And verify out our Patreon web page, where which you can make a contribution to help me make more videos go away a remark or query, or tweet @Alliterative; which you could additionally read more of my thoughts on my web publication at alliterative.Internet .

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