#caitríona rowan

[unseelie-grimalkin]

HELP ME DESIGN TRÍONA'S DOG PART 1

[sallertiafabrica]

@unseelie-grimalkin hey, look, it’s ya fox

alternative background

[unseelie-grimalkin]

Original Post: (x)

I cannot explain myself, I just had to do it to THEM

[unseelie-grimalkin]

HELP ME DESIGN TRÍONA'S DOG PART 2

[unseelie-grimalkin]

For context, the original V-Day Letter from Flan posted back in 2022: (x)

This letter has found me well, Flannán. How could I not be well when you've taken such thorough and thoughtful care to ensure I'm ready for anything I might face? My survey is almost complete; I shall be on my way home soon.

How delightful it is to have a home at all. I sometimes find that the sensation that I have somewhere to return, folks waiting for me, is dreamlike. I keep waiting to wake up.

You may, of course, for the boys' leisure, take one of my spare cloaks and let them lay on it. I'm sure the scent is still there from hikes and other misadventures, so mayhaps that can soothe any withdrawal they may have during my journey home.

Of course, I'm certain they'll be willing to share with you, should you also use it as a talisman to calm any void I left behind. Though, to be sure, I've enclosed a small sample of my findings that you may toy with until I return.

Keep warm, my heart.

Tríona Witchwood

[unseelie-grimalkin]

“I mean. They called me a witch back home. How different could a druid be?”

I think...I think that's been my mistake, all this time. I mean, “keeping the peace”, what a deceptive phrase. What if kindness and love are at the root of rage? Why shouldn't I be angry, when I care so much, and just want people to be happy, healthy, and hale? Why shouldn't I be angry when people are mistreated? Why should I link my happiness and love to a rotted stagnation?

Template here: (x)

[unseelie-grimalkin]

hewwo! i juwst wanna awsk: since fwan iws based own cuchuwainn, have u evew thought abouwt twiona being emew? touches fingews togethew i think vewy cute yes thawt'd be vewy cute

There are so many layers to answering this, UwUnon (I'd take credit for dubbing you that, but that'd be @bella-daonna).

So, in a way: yes. Yes, Tríona has some inspiration from Cu Chulainn's wife, Emer, because I read a very fascinating essay breaking Emer down (you can find this here). However, in the same breath, I gotta say that my girl has some Láeg in there too.

Which, yeah, does mean I've been reading Láeg/Emer/Cu Chulainn fic because Tríona/Flannán is basically that trio but in two people.

From Emer, Tríona gets a spine of steel, a "No Nonsense Please" attitude, and this sort of narrative framing to have her parallel Flan, in the same way, Emer parallels Cu Chulainn: both have their spheres of influence and skills and they're both very good at them (showcased as experts in their respective fields that others learn to defer to, eventually; Cu Chulainn with warriors, Flannán with his court, Emer with noble ladies, Tríona with druids). In the same way that Cu Chulainn is a hound at war, Emer is swift to keep ahead of him (not up with him; from my understanding, Emer is always ahead of her husband, in some capacity), and that's something I try to reflect in Flannán and Tríona both.

But from Láeg, however...you get "One Foot Stuck in the Mounds" as a character trait, you get "I would traverse horrors for you", "I am at your side no matter what idiocy you're getting yourself in" in Tríona. There is this post about Láeg that really, really nestled its way into Tríona's vibes overall, one that I'll let speak for itself (I'm certain that, if a certain someone reads that post, I will get DMs yelling at me for hurting her wife). From Láeg being a spiritual parent of Tríona, you get this sense of loyalty that is very "I am extremely respectful of you [Cu Chulainn/Flannán] in my acts of service, but I will snipe you disrespectfully with barbs, maybe even especially when you're being an unmitigated ass", which is often met with Láeg/Tríona being given titles of respect for it from Cu Chulainn/Flannán ("a mo phopa Láeg"/"a mo draoi Tríona").

My big moral takeaway, for anyone reading, is that being a fan of Flannán is an entry gate to reading the actual Ulster Cycle, Ulster Cycle fanfiction, and Ulster Cycle shitposts.

[unseelie-grimalkin]

GOT MY BACKER SPRITE REWARD TODAY, FOLKS, AND I'M SO EXCITED

Flannán ain't ready for this

[unseelie-grimalkin]

#1

Prompts here: (x)

"come to my arms, love."

She hadn't seen him since their fight this morning. Out of respect for her...gods, what would she even have the right to label him as? Her king, obviously, she was pretty embedded into Unseelie loyalties at this point, but...her partner? Her...her lover?

Tríona sighed, leaning against the kitchen countertop. Maybe she'd only have him as king at this rate, the way she had snapped at him earlier.

"You've found out enough, you don't need to return there anymore-"

"I can't not return, Flannán! I can't give them excuses to go to war, I can't do that to you and every other who has given me kindness while I've been here."

"They've poisoned you more times than you can remember, they've sent assassins after you, you don't need to throw yourself into danger."

"And what?" she had snarled. "Do I simply sit back, do nothing? Do I become the very indolent queen that I hate, locked away for my own good while I could be chasing a truth that could set not only our people free but all of the Tuatha Dé as well? What would you have me do, if you think me that weak?"

Wincing as she remembered her vocal tone, she resumed mixing dry ingredients together. She paused a moment, hearing familiar footsteps behind her. She paid more attention to her bowl as they stopped beside her.

"Might I take care of that while you work on what's next?" Flannán asked.

Tríona bit her lip, then nodded, relinquishing the bowl and whisk to him, trying not to shudder as their fingers brushed in the exchange. Scurrying around, she found the crate of oranges she smuggled from Temair, plucking one out. She grabbed one of the vegetable peelers and began taking off the colorful skin of the orange, leaving the white pith behind.

The two worked in silence, him mixing her dry ingredients methodically and her chopping gently with a knife to make some orange zest, until they both spoke at the same time.

"I'm sorry-" / "I apologise-"

They met each other's gaze, both blinking at each other in surprise. Tríona physically felt the tension melting from her shoulders, like a popped balloon slowly leaking. She gestured at him with her free hand to speak, putting the chef's knife down.

Flannán sighed. "I want to apologise. I do not think you are weak. I...the things that have been wrought on you on my behalf...they horrify me. It scares me that you've been hurt because of what I've forced you into."

She took a long, steadying breath through her nose. She measured out the orange zest, slowly replying, "You know, I had options." Tríona poured it in, gesturing for him to start mixing again. "I didn't have to take your offer."

"...what do you mean?"

Tríona gave him a small, crooked smile. "Everyone was barking up my tree because they thought I was the Seelie Court Druid. I could have slipped away, guilted Robin into taking me back, and we would have never seen each other again. But." She grabbed buttermilk, measured it, and poured it into the mix. "I chose you, knowing full well it would be dangerous. Any path I chose would have been dangerous, you must understand. Escaping here as the Seelie Court Druid with any mishap would've been disastrous, with as thin of ice I was treading back then. But then, I suppose I could have tried to appeal to Maeve again to escape as well. But instead, full well knowing I would be playing double agent against people who had actual experience doing this sort of thing, while I'm just...well, it's not self-deprecating to say I was a village apothecary with not an ounce of experience politicking or the level of deception common where I would tread, walking down this path for you. But. You must know: I knew that going in. I didn't fully get the threat of assassination, of poisoning, of whatever have you, at the time, but I knew I would be essentially going into battle. I chose you, Flannán, and all the risks that entailed. Safety's not a luxury I get to have at this junction."

"Safety is not a luxury, it is a right," Flannán replied. "And you deserve it."

And the way he said it was so solemn and sad that it made her pause. In the middle of kneading the dough into a bread shape, Tríona opened her arms. "Hold me a moment, my heart."

Like a man who had gone without water for days, he leaned down to meet her like she was a waterfall, kneeling on one leg, and wrapped his arms around her. Avoiding getting baking mess in his hair or on his cloak, she resisted stroking him with her hands, instead gently laying her forearms along his shoulders, readjusting her legs so she could support what little of his weight he let himself lean on her for this moment.

"Right here, right now, with you, I get to be safe," she said quietly. "But we both know that to have that in the long term, I have to return and safely take on what I can. I assure you, I'm not the type to ingest poison for fun." She kissed his forehead. "Not when I have you to return to."

"Then one day," he rumbled quietly against her neck, "I want you to come home. I want you to come to my arms, my love, so you can finally be safe."

Tríona blinked rapidly, trying to suppress tears from falling. "I'd like that too. If we both work hard...mayhaps we'll even sleep in past sunrise."

[unseelie-grimalkin]

🍓 Triona

So from a Doylistic angle, me putting in song lyrics is because I’m not very confident at writing my own lyrics, but from a Watsonian angle, Tríona has always lowkey stimmed (she’s AuDHD, Im giving myself representation) with extremely mild palilalia (repeating one’s own words/phrases at different volumes and speeds; part of her built up shame reserves is from people being cruel about this vocal tic [because it’s a speech disorder like stuttering and echolalia] and her forcing herself to be “better”. She’s gotten very good at masking and “being normal” about it) and thus just zoning out and stringing words together.

So in private when she lets herself not mask, she just sort of stumbles onto these combinations that sound good to her and she remembers them to an extent, then when she’s casting magic, all she knows is that she needs a somatic component to channel her intent, so she just starts stimming with those combinations to both provide that somatic component and help her focus.

It’s less that her autistic tendencies make her magic here (because GODS am I tired of that trope) and more that she’s utilizing her autistic tendencies to be the best mage she personally can be. She just ends up with some real bangers for somatic components (I’m sure this won’t end up biting her in the ass at some point, I’m sure someone won’t ask her to sing in front of an actual audience, I’m very sure people won’t take her as an actual singer 😇).

[unseelie-grimalkin]

😍 : What does your OC find irresistible in others? 💌 : How would they plan a romantic evening for a significant other?

😍 : What does your OC find irresistible in others?

Tríona: A sense of grounded confidence. The loftier the confidence, the less attracted she is. Confidence in one's skills though? Tempered by a clear sense of caring for others, by gentleness wrought by choice? 🥰 Even if it's hidden by a sense of grumpiness or prickliness, she's good at finding the light cracking through built-up walls and seeing it for what it is. Confidence and kindness, in tandem, together, usually in a blunt and straightforward way so she really gets that's what it is and does not think it's a ploy to trick her into something. So what I'm saying is that she finds Flannán's closet show-off behavior the hottest thing ever and she's SO MAD ABOUT THAT GUYS-

Ronit: Voices, specifically how they carry emotions. The more emotion you can put in, the more varied these emotions get, the better. Shae yelling at her with concern and anger all at once triggered her initial interest, and then she started mentally classifying them as her muscle for schemes and plans, yes, definitely not an instant crush based on curiosity about how one could fit so many emotions in one soldier, definitely not.

Lachtna: Hmmmm. Oh, this is hard, the guy's something of an open net. Easier to answer what he finds irresistible in the long term than the short (because if I answer in the short, we will be here forever). Long term, he wants someone who'll have his back, even at his most monstrous. Acceptance is very appealing to him. Also good hair, he finds good hair very irresistible, he likes playing with hair (his own, other people's [if he has permission]) while he cuddles and boy howdy does he like to cuddle.

💌 : How would they plan a romantic evening for a significant other?

Tríona: She has been planning this for months. Not down to exacting detail, but she's been workshopping an outline for months in between duties and projects. She leaves herself enough flexibility for if things go wrong, but also to be spontaneous at the moment and adapt to the needs of who she's going out with. Like she's done research, she'll know your food sensitivities and preferences, along with other details she can get from polite observation, she's gonna do something that'll make the other person happy because if you're in a relationship with her, Tríona has a high priority for making you happier than you can imagine. Overachiever in that regard, some might say while blushing all the way to their moobs.

Ronit: If she's actually planning and not doing something spur of the moment...then Ronit plans romantic evenings like heists, and I wish I was joking. She makes dioramas and assembles a team to go undercover (if necessary; things like restaurants, shows, that sort of thing, if Shae showed an interest in those, which is unlikely. She's relieved that Shae likes simple picnics; no team needed for a picnic). The whole nine yards. It's not overly showy, if anything, she takes pride in all the mechanics of her planning being invisible and never telling Shae ever beyond a whimsical joke that she overthinks about them and everything that surrounds them and never going into detail of what that all means ever.

Lachtna: Never fully plans beyond "hmm. Date night" and then uses keen observation, knowledge of his partner, and whims to guide him. He's confident enough to make it work, too.

[unseelie-grimalkin]

Could not decide between them, had fun anyway

[unseelie-grimalkin]

📎 💧 ☁️

Prompt List: (x)

📎 PAPERCLIP - a random fact.

"There's a herd of Irish elk about 25 meters to the southwest of us, right now. There's a mam in the midst who's makin' sure her babe doesn't trip again, bless 'er."

💧 DROPLET - random angst headcanon

This one I won't answer as Tríona but: she's got a heavy need for spirituality, but a lot of Christianity (based on both British Protestantism and Irish Catholicism) burned her on that front. She used to jump a little internally every time someone would say "god" because she thought she'd done something wrong.

☁️ CLOUD - a soft headcanon

She'll use magic to sometimes find injured animals left on their own to die and help them get stabilized.

[unseelie-grimalkin]

an ask that wasn’t on the meme but I’m curious anyway: which of the LIs would you say Tríona, Ronit and Lachtna have most in common with?

Tríona has the most in common with Flannán and Shae, easily. Though, she has a fun foil relationship with Aífe (they are so different, yet the ways they are similar are both telling and haunting).

With Flannán, both are wilderness junkies in very different degrees (together they make a team that could, in theory, win the Hunger Games and I wish I was kidding). The two of them are both haunted by various pieces of violent backstories that have left both physical scars and emotional. Both miss obvious social cues about flirting (though I would say Flan has a better handle on it than Tríona), both are very work-oriented, both would rather combust than PDA but are cuddly bastards the minute they think nobody is looking.

With Shae, both are short, protective, fussy, with narrative arcs centered in loyalty to people who gave them kindness (Shae to princess, Tríona to Flannán), work with plants and healing others, feel very at home in domestic settings but will fuck you up in a fight.

Tríona and Aífe have a very similar backstory told in different wealth castes. They were both kept and raised the ways that they were by their respective parents and other adults because they were “convenient”. The key difference is that Aífe had a spark Tríona never had, along with plans for the future (“Was all of it worth it?”). Tríona never had plans for the future beyond “Survive”.

Ronit, to her immense dismay, has the most in common with Keagan. She dislikes him SO MUCH (it’s because they’re both cats and she is the kind of cat to not tolerate another cat). If Aífe and Tríona are foils, then Ronit and Keagan absolutely are as well. In the version of Shae’s route that exists in my head, with Ronit as the MC, Ronit and Keagan have a Spy v. Spy thing going on. In another lifetime, another timeline, they would be found family siblings and get along like a house on fire (with some spats; Ronit I think would ask for more honesty than Keagan would be comfortable with). Shame Keagan fucked up and tried messing with Ronit’s crush henchman muscle.

Lachtna has the most in common with Maeve and Flannán, which tracks given that he started off as an OC meant for Flannán’s infantry unit (The Pack). Lachtna and Maeve have similar magical girl energy, along with both the haunted by that magical girl energy energy. Flan and Lachtna share the canine energy (their SO is gone? They wait, staring out the window).

[unseelie-grimalkin]

Tríona Rowan Character Inspiration Chart

Sophie Hatter, Howl's Moving Castle (original artist here, because Movie Sophie is not the vibe here)

Shirayuki, Snow White with the Red Hair

Maxi Calypse, Under the Oak Tree

Emer, The Ulster Cycle

Láeg, The Ulster Cycle

Tara Elias, I'll Save This Damned Family!

Sypha Belnades, Castlevania

Isaac, Castlevania

Eris Morn, Destiny

Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Star Trek

The Hellsinger, Metal: Hellsinger

Ranni, Elden Ring

Firekeeper, Dark Souls 3

Faye, God of War

Angrboda, God of War

[unseelie-grimalkin]

💜 ❣️ all!!

Tríona

What’s their favorite kind of gift?

She will say it is small things, snacks, foods, etc. she is lying. Her favorite kind of gift is something she can keep for a long time. You get her good boots? She will wear down the soles until they no longer exists because she is so happy to have something that isn’t a hand-me-down but something just for her. She is not used to having things for her. You can make her go so red and so happy-cry if you make her stuff that she gets to keep.

What makes them blush/gets their heart pounding?

Go for her gut: she thinks she cannot be a fairytale princess? Treat her like one! Princess carry her, kiss her wrists where you can feel her pulse quicken, hold her protectively, challenge her low self confidence (call her pretty, say she’s smart, push her to believe she’s worth more than she lets herself think).

But you shouldn’t cage her. That turns the flustered energy into terror real quick. Let her have her wild side too and enable it: compliment her on her sparring, let her do feral things and say they’re fun, offer to teach her unorthodox skills.

Ronit

What’s their favorite kind of gift?

Tools. Give her a good set of lockpicks or knitting needles or a spinning wheel and she will be purring forever.

Lachtna

What’s their favorite kind of gift?

FOOD! Food or clothes! Armor? Armor! Knives? Swords? OOOOOH FANG TIPS HE CAN PUT ON HIS TEETH?

Good luck finding Lachtna’s favorite kind of gift, he likes most things.

What makes them blush/gets their heart pounding?

Kiss his knuckles! Call him intricate pet names that he does not decipher immediately but man when he does he will be so red and will be every time you call him that after! Forehead kisses! Kiss his jawline!

Flirt with him and he will tap his foot on the ground in very quick bum-bum-bum like you’re scratching behind his ear.