#duke knightly

[raespark]

Watch your step 🔍

[saintsenara]

wait how bougie was Tom Riddle Sr.? How nice would his Manor have been? Was he like an actually Lord with a title and stuff?

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

in half-blood prince, dumbledore refers to tom riddle sr. as "the squire's son" - which allows us to state with certainty that he was a minor aristocrat.

however, the word minor is important here.

there are - historically - two levels of aristocracy in britain. the first are the peers of the realm - which refers to families which hold one or more of the titles of duke, marquess, earl, or viscount. these are the elite of the elite - these gradations of nobility were created in the middle ages as a way of distinguishing those who held the titles from other noblemen, usually because of a close relationship [often one of blood or marriage or both] to the king.

the titles are hereditary by male primogeniture, and the holders - while this is no longer the case - used to have political power [such as the right to sit in the house of lords], simply by virtue of their birth.

[this is why they're called "peers" - it refers to them historically being close in status to royalty, and therefore expected to serve as royal advisors.]

there is another class of peer - a baronet - whose title is similarly hereditary, but whose position doesn't come historically with the right to sit in the lords or advise the king by virtue of birth. [baronets may - of course - have been members of parliament, or royal advisors selected at the king's discretion, but this would be separate from their title. a duke, in contrast, could historically expect to request a meeting with the king simply because he was a duke.]

while some families have historically been ennobled at the king's discretion, access to any of these titles is pretty much restricted to the small group of families who've held them for centuries.

but below the peers of the realm, there is a second, more minor class of aristocracy, the landed gentry - of which a village squire is a textbook example.

historically, what is meant by "landed" is an ability to live off of the rental income of one's country holdings, which would be leased to tenant farmers. that is, they are landlords in the original sense of the term - lords of the land. this is what tom sr. tells us his family does in half-blood prince:

“It’s not ours,” said a young man’s voice. “Everything on the other side of the valley belongs to us, but that cottage belongs to an old tramp called Gaunt, and his children. The son’s quite mad, you should hear some of the stories they tell in the village - ”

what is also meant by "landed" is that the family in question is of the upper-classes, but that they are still "commoners" - which in this context doesn't imply a value judgement, but which is a socio-legal term which simply indicates that they don't hold an aristocratic title such as duke, earl etc.

[and gentry families certainly aren't common in terms of financial standing... the most famous member of this class in literature? fitzwilliam darcy, whose ten thousand a year is something like thirteen million quid in today's money...]

gentry families might be very old - they might have received their lands from the king in the middle ages as a reward for knightly service, and it's interesting to imagine generations of gaunts and riddles brought up alongside each other in little hangleton - or they might be comparatively newer - tom sr.'s great-grandfather [feasibly born c.1810] could have been a self-made victorian industrialist who bought the lands from the original holder and established himself as gentry.

by 1900, it was becoming much harder for the gentry to live on rental income alone, and many would also have had jobs. these would have been elite, and very frequently were in politics, the civil service, the military, or the law. tom sr's father - whom the films call thomas, so let's go with that - might, for example, have served as a high-ranking officer in the army [including during the first world war], be the local magistrate, or be the local member of parliament.

in terms of titles, thomas riddle would almost undoubtedly be sir thomas - and this is how it would be correct to address him. but this title would be a courtesy, and it wouldn't be hereditary unless the riddles were also baronets [which it's entirely plausible that they were].

which is to say, tom sr. would not have a title while his father was alive - although he would have the right to be referred to formally in writing as mr thomas riddle esq. [esquire]. the correct form of verbal address for anyone other than friends and family would be to call him mr riddle, although the riddles' servants would probably refer to him as mister tom.

tom jr. would not have a title while his father or grandfather was alive. if the riddles were baronets, he would technically inherit the title after he kills the rest of the male line... but given that tom sr. never acknowledged him and his existence was presumably unknown to the riddles' lawyers this wouldn't be something which happened in reality. the estate's executors clearly took control of the riddles' property, the land was portioned off and sold, and the house became a standalone property for sale.

the riddle house - which is a name used informally for it in little hangleton, it would have a different "proper" name - is described in canon in ways which show that it's a typical manor house, which means it would look something like this:

these houses are obviously very impressive, but they're tiny in size in comparison to the magnificent stately homes - places like blenheim palace, chatsworth, burghley house, holkham hall - lived in by the titled aristocracy. the riddles would entertain - for example - by giving house parties, dinner parties, hunting parties, etc., but they wouldn't have a ballroom or a dining hall capable of seating hundreds.

[they would probably also own a property - probably a flat or small house - in london.]

they would have servants, but not colossal numbers - they would undoubtedly have a butler but not footmen, and the upstairs maids would report to the butler since they probably wouldn't have a housekeeper. they canonically have a cook, who probably had one or two kitchen maids assisting, and they canonically have a gardener - frank bryce - who probably doesn't have any assistants. they may, depending on the size of the estate, have a gamekeeper. sir thomas undoubtedly had a secretary and a chauffeur, and his wife might have a lady's maid. tom sr. would have had a nanny and then been educated until at least the age of eight by a governess, but would then have attended a prep school [either day or boarding] until the age of thirteen, and then gone to a boarding school, from which he likely went on [on the basis of social class rather than talent] to oxford or cambridge.

the family would have enormous social influence locally. most people - and also businesses - in little hangleton would be their tenants, and they would also probably have a say over the appointment of the local clergyman [an important figure in the community in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries], since the parish church is likely to have been something called a "living" - the thing which turns up again and again in jane austen - which means that the church and its parsonage technically belongs to the landowner, but is granted to the vicar as a freehold while he's in post.

gossip about the riddles' doings would also be the main source of local interest - the servants were dining out for months on tom sr.'s elopement and return.

so they're something resembling celebrities - but they're local celebrities. nobody in london - and even nobody in cities we can imagine are nearer to little hangleton, such as liverpool - would particularly know or care who they were. tom sr. might have made it into the london gossip columns if he was part of a particularly scandalous "set" [a group of friends] who socialised in the capital, but these mentions would have been fleeting - and the press would have been much more concerned by the doings of members of his set who were genuinely titled or who were legitimately famous.

[this is the reason why mrs cole doesn't recognise the name. if merope had said her son was to be named cecil beaton after his father, she may well have been prompted to hunt him down...]

so tom sr. is elite - but he's elite in a way which is extremely culturally-specific, and which is [just like the portrayal of aristocracy in the wizarding world - the blacks, for example, are far less aristocratic than the riddles in terms of canonical vibe] often exaggerated into the sort of pseudo-royal grand aristocracy which the british period-drama-industrial-complex makes such a big deal of.

and tom jr.'s character is affected by this in a series of extremely interesting ways.

by which i mean that, in terms of blood, he's probably the most aristocratic character in the series - the absence of grand aristocracy in the wizarding world would mean that [were he raised by his father] he would come from a social background which was equivalent [even as it was divided from them by virtue of being muggle] to any of his fellow slytherins, and would help him easily blend into their society because the manners, genre of socio-cultural reference points [he would recognise, for example, that quidditch heavily resembles both rugby and polo], accent and way of speaking etc. that he would possess would be broadly indistinguishable from those of his pureblood peers.

[this is why justin finch-fletchley and draco malfoy speak in essentially the same way.]

but he would then be given the enormous boost in cachet - one which would genuinely elevate him above the rest of his cohort - of his maternal line.

and we see in canon that this does bestow some privilege on him among his peers while he's in school:

Tom Riddle merely smiled as the others laughed again. Harry noticed that he was by no means the eldest of the group of boys, but that they all seemed to look to him as their leader. “I don’t know that politics would suit me, sir,” he said when the laughter had died away. “I don’t have the right kind of background, for one thing.” A couple of the boys around him smirked at each other. Harry was sure they were enjoying a private joke, undoubtedly about what they knew, or suspected, regarding their gang leader’s famous ancestor.

where he's let down socially is that people like slughorn - to whom he can't reveal his slytherin ancestry and hope to maintain cover for his wrongdoing - don't think he's come from anywhere particularly special. this is because he has a muggle father - absolutely - but it's even more that he has a muggle father who, since he left him to be raised in an orphanage, was presumably working-class.

what the young voldemort lacks is any socio-cultural familiarity with the muggle class performance which the class performance of the wizarding world parallels. abraxas malfoy boasting about how important his father is would be something a tom jr. raised by the riddles could match - "oh yes, my father gives to all sorts of causes too. in fact, he was invited to buckingham palace because of it." - establishing himself as an equal in terms of class and social influence even if he isn't an equal in blood.

what actually happens in canon is that the orphaned tom - with his uncouth manners and his working-class accent - has no hope of gaining any sort of social equality with his posh peers.

so he becomes determined to outrank - and humiliate and control - them.

[dhaaruni]

If you liked Bridgerton, here are other historical romances with the same tropes:

Virgin-Meets-Rake (Season 1, Simon and Daphne):

When the Duke was Wicked by Lorraine Heath: She's a witty debutante who's the jewel of the season, he's a seasoned rake mourning the death of his wife and child with excessive hedonism, and she recruits him to teach her how to attract a husband

The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe: She's a shy heiress and master chef who struggles to talk to men, he's an irreverent scoundrel and would-be restaurant owner she recruits to teach her lessons to catch a husband

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas: The villain in It Happened One Autumn enters a marriage-of-convenience with an heiress with a stutter (whose best friend he kidnapped, whoops) and at one point he goes, "I’m Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I can’t be celibate. Everyone knows that," and isn't being ironic.

Nine Rules to Break when Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean: She's on-the-shelf and deeply bored, he's a rake who's suddenly been given custody of his irreverent and wild teenage half-sister, she recruits him to help her be rebellious

Bound by Your Touch by Meredith Duran: He's a (seemingly) silly dandy, she's impossible to charm, and he shatters her facade

Enemies-To-Lovers** (Season 2, Anthony and Kate):

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean: She loves causing trouble, he totally hates getting her out of it, she's wild, he's starchy, and they fall madly in love

The Notorious Lord Knightly by Lorraine Heath: She's the viperous writer who's publishing explosive smut starring him, her former fiancé that jilted her at the alter, and they find each other again

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe: She's a free-spirited heiress whose reputation was ruined ages ago, he's a broke Duke looking for a wife to fill his coffers and fix his estate, they see each other for who they truly are

It Happened One Autumn (and its precursor Then Came You) by Lisa Kleypas: two iterations of the classic, "free spirited woman meets buttoned-up man who loathes her and is kind of a freak in the sheets" trope in the best way possible. Also, Alex buys Lily a bear in Then Came You, which obviously made me cry

All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan: His best friend is her brother, and they really want to fuck but hate it

Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt: She's engaged to his brother, they meet when she walks in on him fucking another woman, HATES her for being perfect, she hates him for being a degenerate loser, and infidelity ensues.

** These are true enemies-to-lovers books, not that hella lame rivals-to-lovers shit that's all over contemporary romances of late

Friends-To-Lovers (Season 3, Colin and Penelope):

The Lady Hellion by Joanna Shupe: Sophia is trying to solve a mystery (and dresses up as a man in the process), and recruits her friend (and one-time kissing buddy) Lord Quint to teach her how to shoot. She's exasperating, he's charmed and there's a puppy involved.

The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan: She's a genius botanist but can't share her research since she's a woman, and he's her public face but refuses to continue anymore. He's always been in love with her, she's as oblivious as they come.

My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh: She's a scientist, he's an anthropologist, they're longtime friends and she recruits him to help her make a visiting naturalist jealous but ends up falling for him herself

Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas: They're in a marriage of convenience, but end up becoming real friends in the process before they realize they're in love

The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath: He's a Duke looking to get married, she's his secretary and most trusted friend, he recruits her to find him a wife and they fall madly in love in the process

Forever Your Rogue by Erin Langston: He's her brother's friend who is recruited to help her manage her estate when her husband dies. She flits around constantly in anxiety and never sits still, and he likes it.

This should get you started!

[dark-kanova]

Vail - The Unsung Duke, Leader of a Knightly Legion and Guardian of the Resilient.

[eggonog]

Royal!Yandere!OC x Male!Knight!reader Part 1

(It's gender-neutral, but you go to an all-boys school)

Version 1

Unedited

1253 words

tw: Sword fight violence(?), Bullying, discrimination for status, discrimination for wealth, yandere themes, stalking, ect.

~~~~~~~

You weren't rich not by any means. Not as rich as the rest of the kids that surrounded you. But your family was well off enough to allow you to pursue knighthood at an all-boys private knight year-round summer camp-school combo. The Knightly Focus All Boys Academy. The K.F.A.B.A.

Most students were there for leisure. Something to do over the summer, a slightly more interesting school than normal where boys got to play with weapons.

But you were there on a mission.

The rich kids, because they weren't focusing on their knightly studies, grew bored with extra free time. And with no girls, you were the go-to entertainment. They would mock you, calling you names and trashing your stuff. Hiding your sword, knowing you would look for it for hours not being able to afford a new one.

It was fine, if anything it motivated you to work harder. Sure, you were all just children, but when you grew up, you promised yourself that you would become strong enough to defend yourself against them.

And so those ambitions lead you to catch the eye of Cogsworth. The richest guy there. You had no idea of course. (No idea how he went out of his way to buy the dorm above the training field to watch you train for hours. No idea how he bribed teachers so he could be in your class. No idea how he learned to draw to sketch you over and over. No idea how he snuck into your room to look through your things. No idea how he watched you sleep.) Why would the son of a duke talk to a lower upper class like you? That's ridiculous.

And yet here you were, sparring with him.

If you remembered what got you into this situation, you would have done all you could to avoid it. But the truth is, you had no idea.

Metal hit metal, clanging in an almost melodic way, if it weren't for your avoidance. If you wanted to get out of this alive, you needed to lose. There was no way would you win and not face punishment.

But the way Cogsworth was fighting...

He was pushing, putting effort into throwing himself towards you with much more force than necessary, like he wanted to run right through you. You could feel each hit from your opponent becoming harder, and you tried to sidestep, circling him so as to not be pushed out of the marked-off area.

You didn't know the rules of this fight- or perhaps it was a duel? What were the conditions for winning? First blood? Fore-fit? Push your opponent out of the circle? And what were the conditions for losing? Was it for honor? just practice? Was he doing this on some sort of bet?

The last option seemed the most plausible.

The air was filled with metallic slashing as you parried his attacks with furrowed eyebrows. You need to lose, but there's no safe way out. You had a tournament next week- you didn't need an injury to add to the already great disadvantages of discrimination and cheap gear that were already lowering your chances of winning.

A sword swung towards your shoulder, and you blocked it; locking your feet to twist your body and throw your weight forward- pushing him and making him stumble back- that's not good.

He twisted into a side slash, and you blocked again. You made sure to stumble backward this time. He pushed forward again- you glanced at his face, did he catch that it was a fake stumble? His eyes were slightly wide- shit- if he was looking at your feet then he defiantly- but he wasn't looking at your feet- or your legs- or even your sword. He was staring directly into your eyes.

Time slowed. You made eye contact with, him and he was grinning- mouth stretched wide. Something about it made you feel an overwhelming sense of dread. It was almost familiar. It made you hesitate, and gave him the perfect opportunity to push you back.

You fell, blinking up at him owlishly while sitting on the dusty ground- outside of the circle. You lost. And, surprisingly, weren't injured.

His chest was heaving, and he had a crazed look in his eyes. His hands were shaking. Was he that out of shape? Cogsworth glanced over his shoulder at the crowd behind them. No one could see his face but you.

"Now you're where you belong." He panted out. You weren't tired- maybe a little winded from a blow to the stomach, but not tired. His panting reminded you that you were supposed to have lost this fight- thoroughly.

You matched his breathing- ragged from your mouth. His eyes shifted on your form.

"Yeah! Things like you should be in the dirt!" Some other student said.

You quickly picked up your sword and bowed.

"Uh- Thank you. I am humbled to have part of your time." You ushered the sloppy gratitude out quickly and went back to focusing on your heavy breathing.

Cogsworth turned around to the crowd, you could see his face change a split second before they could see it. It was cocky, and 'holier than thou'. The expression you were used to seeing on him.

You quickly scampered away as the crowd of knights in training came over, changing from insulting you to praising him the closer they got. None of your fellow student knights but one would notice your absence.

That was you're only interaction with him- it was strange and at the time it scared you a bit. But you brushed it off as him not caring about keeping up appearances for a lower class.

You ended up winning that tournament, which got you a full scholarship to the best knight academy on the content. It earned you more respect in high society, allowing you to follow down the path to becoming a royal knight, just like you had always dreamed. And you did, graduating in the top 10, the fourth-best knight in your year.

You were ecstatic, the top 10 knights have the option to become captains, personal guards, or join the Royal Blood Lilies, the king's elite soldiers. You had always been asked about joining the RBLs by the other knights, but you wanted to be a guard. Following someone around all day seemed more interesting than sitting and waiting for the king to have use for you participating in ceremonies. Besides, guards had much more stable pay.

You applied with your resume, hoping the well-known schools you attended, and your amazing battle feats and accomplishments would allow for a good, well-paying job, even with your lowly house.

And it did! After all the years of cruelty you endured, the hard work and effort you put in, the late nights, the injuries, and the body you carved with callouses, muscles, and scars- you got the job. It all paid off.

You were qualified to be the bodyguard of the king himself. Anyone would be eager to have you as their personal guard. You could almost cry. Reading farther down the letter, an odd feeling formed in your stomach. The excitement and joy hit a wall- unmoveable object hit unstoppable force. You were still high on dopamine, but something was missing as well. Something changed.

Years later, after your one and only interaction with him, you were assigned as the bodyguard of William Eric Griffin CogsWorth-Renali.

Does he remember who you are?

~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, I know he has a long ostentatious name. I think it's funny, and it fits.

Also, I have been gone for a long time because I've been stressed and busy- also I get super depressed over the summer and my house is under construction. My plate is very full T-T

Thank you for reading part one of this! I don't know how to link things but part 2 will be out soon!

~~~~~~~~~

[blurryfangirlansuke]

I really appreciate the honesty just wanted to be sure. No worries take you're time it takes time to do art. Awwwww I love this! Duke hugging my sona together. Thank u so much for completing my request . Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! ❤️🥰

Hello 👋 I know I did a request here before would it be okay if I can request again?

If it's only for close mutals then that's okay you don't need to do it like I said very optional

Could you draw my persona with Duke from Vampair hugging her?

I'll send refs to help you out

Thank you so much ❤️

Sorry for being late on answering ^^; Anyone can send in requests. It's not just for mutuals (which I haven't done in a few years). These users that I've drawing for are simply "frequent customers" in some sense of the word. As long as the inbox is open, anyone can send in requests.

Either way, here's your requested drawing:

[spaceorphan18]

SO's Guide to the Bridgerton Children so @coffeegleek can tell them apart ;)

Violet Bridgerton

Okay, so first of all this is the mom of all these children. Her husband was Edmund. He got stung by a bee and died, so he is no longer around.

Anthony Bridgerton

Okay, so the oldest son is Anthony. He is the current Viscount (don't ask me about British nobility, I know nothing) and is currently running the Bridgerton estate, though that is not his favorite thing to do. He had very unfortunate sideburns in season one. And he likes to shout things like "you are the bane of my existence" and "LILACS". He does have oldest child syndrome where he acts like he doesn't want to be in charge, but he totally loves being in charge and telling everyone what to do.

His wife is Kate Sharma. She is a delight, and possibly the second best character on this show (obviously after Penelope). So just remember, passionate and loud guy with Kate -- that is Anthony. Oh, and they have one child who is being born in India because Jonathan Bailey is apparently very in demand right now.

Benedict Bridgerton

Benedict is the artsy, bisexual who hangs out on the swings with Eloise. He is an actual delight, but the writers don't seem to really know what to do with him. He makes a good comedic foil to Anthony. Also they cut his hair for seasons 2 and 3 which doesn't help the whole looking the same thing. We're speculating his season is next because of a bunch of hints. In the books he falls in love with a lower class girl.

Colin Bridgerton

Colin is the sweet, sensitive (most likely demisexual) writer and world traveler. He's got some insecurity issues, a massive hero complex, and is a complete simp for his wife.

HOW HAVE YOU FOLLOWED ME FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS AND NOT KNOW WHO COLIN IS - C'MON GIRL, PAY ATTENTION

He is married to Penelope Featherington, aka Lady Whistledown, aka the best damn character on this whole show. 90% of the time, Colin is hanging off Penelope, so he honestly should be easy to spot. Also, he got her pregnant BEFORE the wedding and little Lord Feathertington was born 8 months into their marriage.

Daphne Bridgerton

She was the main character of Season 1, who looks a lot like Keira Knightly. You don't really need to worry about her, because it's doubtful that she's coming back.

She is married to the Duke - Simon Basset, Lord of Hastings or something. He enjoys licking spoons. Daphne burns for him. Again, he's not coming back so, you know, I wouldn't worry about it.

They do have a child together, a little boy I believe and I think they hinted at a second one? Idk, maybe the kids will come back to hang out with Gregory and Hyacinth at the end of the series.

Eloise Bridgerton

Probably my personal favorite Bridgerton? (Idk, Colin wormed his way up there.) She stands out because Claudia Jessie is just amazing at giving her a lot quirky mannerisms. She doesn't want to get married and is really into women's rights. She is also fucking hilarious. I would love her to be asexual, but the writers insist she's getting a love story at some point, so.... The internet would prefer her to be a lesbian. That's cool, too, but also unlikely to happen.

Eloise spends a lot of her time on swings with Benedict and in is often the third wheel with Pen and Colin (though sometimes Colin is that third wheel).

She and Penelope are BFFs. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!

Francesca Bridgerton

Francesca is SUPER into the piano(forte) and really nothing else. There's really not a whole lot to say about her other than she IS probably going to be the lesbian of the show.

She is currently married to John Stirling. The two are very quiet together and that's exactly how they want it. Don't get too attached to him, he's most likely going to die in the next season. John also has a female cousin named Michaela, whom the internet is mad about because she is a woman -- making Francesca's future love interest a woman instead of a man. I say more power to the lesbians. Calm your tits folks, it'll be fine.

Gregory Bridgerton

OMG, look how adorable this kid is. He's gonna look just like his older brothers when he grows up. They've already given him a tad more to do in Season 3, and he's been an utter delight. I'm sure he'll be great leading Season 8 when we get to it in 2034.

Hyacinth Bridgerton

The youngest Bridgerton! She is excitable and energetic and super excited about all the marriages and also KNOWS who is ending up with who and is totally down for it. She is also a sassy delight and really can't wait until she starts holding her own with Eloise!

THERE YOU GO THAT'S THE WHOLE BRIDGERTON FAMILY - DOES THAT HELP??

[howlingday]

Yang VS Jaune

Goku VS Superman story

--------------------------------------------------

Thunder echoed across the mountain range, disturbing the peaceful wildlife that lived there. At the source of these explosions were two combatants, each brave heroes in their own right. One was a huntress from an island north of Vale, training her mind, body, and spirit to become the strongest who ever lived. Her opponent was a huntsman from a small farming community from the south, raised from humble beginnings and trained to be the greatest protector of Remnant. They'd once met as little more than colleagues but steadily grew into becoming rivals. And today, Yang Xiao Long was ready to prove herself against Jaune Arc.

Yang: Today's the day, Vomit Boy! Today we settle who's stronger~!

Jaune: (Chuckles) If you say so.

Jaune charged at his brawler foe, his armored weight shaking the ground as he barreled towards her. Yang gave a smirk as she slapped his punch away, deflecting herself out of his path. Watching her fly over made him grin, something she held as well as she struck him from behind with a swift heel kick.

Jaune rolled through a tree in his flight, stopped only as Yang cut him off and struck him from every direction. Jaune, now with bearings regained, delivered hard blows in kind, only to be deflected once more by a kick to the chin. Both fighters stared each other down for a moment before continuing their tear across the forests of Sanus.

More booming strikes were given back and forth them until Jaune boosted the aura within his eyes in an attempt to distract Yang. This didn't work as Yang blinked out of sight. Once Jaune blinked, Yang appeared in front of him and delivered a hook kick before blinking out once more. This time, she appeared behind him and delivered another kick into him.

Yang: You're holding back!

Jaune: (Hit from every angle)

Yang: Give me your all!

Jaune: (Grabbed by his armor)

Yang: (Spins him around) NO REGRETS!

Jaune: (Rolls to his feet) I'm doing just fine, thank you!

With little effort on his part, Jaune launched himself at Yang and knocked her across a lake. She really felt that one as her semblance flared her body to shine like gold with a superheat that caused water on the shore to evaporate just from her being nearby! Jaune quickly crossed the water to strike but was easily dodged by Yang once more with a simple leap and a struck him into the water. As he fell, he saw the golden light concentrate to a single point as Yang began to chant her mantra above him.

Yang: Golden Dragon Wave!

Jaune yelled as he was knocked deeper below the waves, searing heat scorching his body like dragon fire! However, Yang noticed something was off. Faster than she could respond to, Jaune shot out of the lake like a cannon, just over her attack, and hit her hard once again, sending her flying across Remnant. Chasing her, Jaune swung and missed as Yang dodged, and the two entered their aerial combat dance, perhaps unknowing that they'd left the world of Remnant and entered orbit!

The Shattered Moon hanging just overhead, Jaune and Yang clashed outside of all but the Brother's view. Jaune threw a punch, but was easily dodged as Yang delivered one-inch counter punch that knocked Jaune back just enough to give her the chance to launch fireballs at him. Jaune responded to these projectiles with using his eye beams once more, decimating most of them before grabbing one in his hand. Tossing it aside, he was too late to realize it was heading for-

BOOM!

The formerly known Shattered Moon, now known as the Obliterated Moon.

Yang: Whoops! Ha ha! Well, I guess we can always make a new one, right?

Jaune: (Flexes hand) Paper-thin world... (Smiles) Alright! I'll show you just how powerful I really am~!

Yang: (Giggles)

With a single strike, Yang caught a glimpse of a tear in reality, one in which she was a lot more dragon-y than usual, with scales and everything, as she duked it out with a much more knightly looking Jaune. She was sent flying a lot farther than before, stopping herself in time to throw a counter at the near-teleporting image of Jaune, who blinked out and struck again, making her see another tear in which black fire erupted from her hands against the rainbow-hued eye beams of a more sinister looking Jaune. Sent further away from Remnant, still reeling in pain, Yang didn't notice Jaune had already sped ahead of her to deliver a two-handed hammer-fist blow to her back, forcing another vision of another world in which she, in much simpler clothes, challenged a planet-sized being that looked dangerously similar to Jaune. The visions came to an end as she hurtled back down to Remnant, landing not in the Kingdom of Vale but crashed into the deserts of Vacuo!

Picking Yang up from her crash site, he tossed her into the side of a mountain. Or was it a plateau? In any case, she hit the stony structure hard. So hard, in fact, that the impact shredded her jacket and knocked the golden shine from her hair. Jaune stood in front of Yang with a beaming smile, but hers was even bigger and brighter.

Jaune: So? What do you think?

Yang: Heeheehee~! That was AWESOME~! By the way, nice shirt!

Jaune: Oh! Uh, thanks! Old Arc family fabric. My sister said it was the same kind our grandpa wo-

Yang: HYA!

Yang's attempt to strike Jaune from behind while he was distracted didn't work so well, so she tried again. Then tried again. Even as Jaune lazily blocked her strikes, she continued to battle. Going in for the counter, Jaune aimed right for Yang's face. Time slowed around her, so she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Jaune rocketed past Yang faster than she casually stepped aside with her hair glowing white.

Faster than Jaune could react, Yang delivered a gut punch that bent Jaune over. As Yang backflipped away from another punch, lights glittered around Jaune, each exploding all at once like tiny, little fire-bombs. The smile knocked off Jaune's face and a more mischievous one settled on Yang's, the two charged one another across the arid skies. Jaune unleashed a wave of eye beams so intense that they sliced the peaks off distant mountains!

Yang moved in, countering Jaune's blows with either blocks or dodges, slipping in hooks, crosses, jabs, uppercuts, and even a few kicks until Jaune was left immobilized by the assault. Having enough of being stuck in one place, Jaune super-charged his semblance to unleash an explosion of aura that destroyed everything around him! Everything, that is, except for Yang.

Tired by the sudden outburst of his aura, Jaune took to the skies and beyond Remnant's orbit once more. However, this time, he went further than the Obliterated Moon. He flew into the source of all life on Remnant, the Sun, and then traveled even further beyond, reaching a dozen or even a hundred or a thousand, maybe even a million different suns! Back on Remnant, Yang gave a soft smile as the sky began to glow brighter and brighter with from a more intense beacon of light than the star that greeted her every morning.

Yang: Finally...

Crouching into a horse stance, Yang gathered her aura. All of it, every last bit, and focused it into a single point in her hands. This technique, the same one she used earlier, the very same she'd been taught by her father, allowed her to gather all of her fighting spirit and concentrated it into a single beam of aura. As it built, she chanted the same mantra she'd always had, ever since her first day at Signal.

Yang: GOOOLDEEEN...

Yang: DRAAAGOOON...

Jaune then began his return to Remnant. The world he grew up on looked so small, so delicate from here, and yet its growing size did little to ease his worry. Even though he'd faced challenges greater than himself time and time again, fearing for his life every time, he knew he'd do it over and over again every time, because that's what she would have done. Shining with a golden light, he moved forward and kept pushing on.

WAAAAAAAAVE!

Remnant quaked as a tower, no, a CONTINENT of golden aura erupted from its orbit! This was only matched as a smaller, more concentrated beam of golden light pierced a path through towards the huntress. With a scream, she activated her semblance, forcing the beam to explode out with more power, more intensity that destroyed the world behind her. But this blast, too, however, was also cut through as the huntsman neared her position.

Using the last of her strength, Yang Xiao Long formed a conduit of pure aura from her, a titanic version of herself, and launched a fist the size of a mountain at her opponent. Jaune Arc replied with his own punch, the cosmos themselves shaking as a shockwave destroyed all of creation, shattering reality and leaving only a white void.

Yang groaned, opening her eyes, wincing from the bright world around her, confused by the white space. Looking down, she saw that she was still whole, her body still intact. It wasn't until she saw the ring above her head that she let out a sigh.

Yang: Ah, darn it.

A chuckle nearby drew her attention to Jaune, who was smiling in his cracked armor and tattered clothes.

Jaune: You almost had me there! That was actually pretty fun.

Yang: Yeah, it sure was!

Yang gave a laugh of her own, but it was short-lived as she stood up, clenching her fist with more competitive, but no less friendly grin.

Yang: But I'll be stronger next time!

Jaune: I look forward to it.

Jaune turned away from the blonde brawler, looking to the shattered reality around them. In the tears in the rifts, the two saw windows into countless, alternate worlds. In these windows of different Yang and different Jaunes, there were only three constants.

There was always a Yang.

There was always a Jaune.

And even though they fought in some tears, they were always friends.

Yang: ...

Jaune: ...

Yang: (Holds out her fist) Wanna go again~?

Jaune: (Bumps her fist) You bet~!

[the-mic-drop]

Zelink gets Isekaied into BG3 Pt5: Let's Split Up, Gang!

Zelda- High Elf Draconic Lineage Sorcerer

Link- Half Wood Elf Champion Fighter

So far: Karlach has joined the party, Zelda has begun her infernal machinery research, and Karlach asks Link about his relationship with Zelda

When Zelda finally says goodbye to Dammon, she finds Link looking uncomfortable with Karlach and Astarion on either side of him. She asks what's wrong and Link takes the opportunity to escape and ask where they're going next.

Zelda is split between continuing to explore across the bridge and looking into Moonhaven more. Lae'zel suggests they split into two teams of four to explore both. Zelink is shaken by the suggestion, but can't deny the idea.

Team Link (Link, Wyll, Shadowheart, and Gale) will investigate Moonhaven.

Team Zelda (Zelda, Karlach, Lae'zel, and Astarion) will explore The Risen Road.

The teams will meet back up at camp (probably outside The Grove) at [time is a nebulous concept.]

As the group finishes distributing resources, Zelda hugs Link. She gives him a meaningful kiss goodbye before Team Zelda warps to their destination, leaving him stunned.

Link is mercifully left with the group least likely to hound him for information, but is still asked a few questions that he responds to with characteristic brevity before Team Link warps back to Moonhaven.

Karlach and Astarion ask Zelda about her and Link in their own ways as they walk and Zelda is much more open to answering than her boyfriend.

She tells them they've been living together since the end of the Calamity and started dating a year or so after that. Astarion asks about marriage and she gets bashful, saying they're waiting for the kingdom to get back on its feet. Lae'zel is watching the environment to try and distract herself from this inane dribble.

Lae'zel notices some movement up the road from where they dealt with the Gnolls. Evidently, there were even more Gnolls. Lae'zel advises Zelda to have herself and Karlach head straight in and let her and Astarion sneak up the small hill and give them support from the high ground. Zelda gives the thumbs up and Team Zelda makes short work of the Gnolls, though the moment is sullied when they find a pair of corpses in the cave. That Iron Flask they find is spooky.

Team Zelda continues and finds Waukeen's Rest on fire. Zelda immediately orders the party to search & rescue or join these nice knightly-looking people to put out the fires. She asks Karlach just how fireproof she is. Karlach enthusiastically says she can take a quick pop into an inferno if need be.

Astarion takes a bucket and heads into the less-enflamed buildings and does some light looting veiled as looking for survivors.

Lae'zel kicks down the front door and lets Karlach take the lead into the building. Zelda follows, hitting every blaze with Ray of Frost as she goes.

They get Florrick out, but Zelda hears someone yelling for help from a closed room. She recognizes that the room will ignite further if they open the door and she has Karlach bust in, find the guy, and get out before she blasts the room with a real big Ray of Frost (Ice Storm)

While Zelda goes around magically putting out fires, the rest of the team talks to Florrick and the Flaming Fist, getting the plot info (Astarion takes the lead.) Duke Ravengard, Moonrise Towers, etc.

During a short rest, the team fills Zelda in on what they've learned.

After their rest, they continue down the road and see the red dragon flying overhead. Lae'zel jogs ahead of the party to meet her fellow Gith.

The encounter begins as normal with Lae'zel taking the lead, but eventually, Voss' dragon takes an interest in Zelda. Zelda can feel that the dragon means her no harm and gently communes with it. This impresses Voss enough to believe Lae'zel's deception (or gives Lae'zel the confidence to convincingly lie) and the encounter ends without conflict.

With the knowledge that the Gith are searching for Shadowheart's artefact, Team Zelda decides to head back to camp for the time being.

[raespark]

Some OC doobles

[yiddishknights]

Arthurian Vocabulary in Old Yiddish (Pt. 2)

I've reread Vidvilt a few more times since I made my first vocabulary post earlier this year, and I realized I left quite a few relevant words off that list, so behold the sequel!

דש ברױאן צימר - female attendants

גינעדיג - gracious, merciful

דער דעגן - warrior

דער דעגן - dagger

דער הירץ - stag

דער העלד - hero

דער העלם - helmet

הערליך - noble, excellent

דער הערצוג - duke

דער װארום - dragon

ועכטן - swordplay

טוגנטליך - noble, virtuous

דער טורניר - tournament

טורנירן - to tourney

די מאנהײט - manliness, prowess, bravery

די מײט - maiden

דש מעגיטיין - maiden

דער צװערג - dwarf

דער צױברר - sorcerer

דער קװעל - well, fountain

דש קױנגרײך - kingdom

קײזרליך - imperial

דער קנאב - boy, youth

דער קנעכט - squire

דער ריז - giant

ריטרליך - knightly, chivalrous

שטולץ - proud

שטורמן - fighting

שטעכן - stabbing

דער שילט - shield

[msfcatlover]

Moonbeam Duke (Reverse Robins)

Duke was... tough. There's not nearly as many differing designs to draw on for him, and frankly I don't like a whole lot of them. I do like the mainline Signal costumes I've seen (both the black symbol w/ full-face helmet, and the glowing symbol w/ jaw exposed) but they really have more "Independent Hero" vibes.

(These designs are all dope, but not great sidekick material.)

Digging through reference images led me to realize that even in his Elseworld appearances, Duke almost always gravitates towards those knightly vibes. Boy likes his armor with a little fantasy-flair.

("Future's End" & "White Knight" a bit less so, but I still get cyberpunk-knight vibes from both—maybe it’s just me.)

Those that aren't all knightly tend to be stylized but durable street clothes, that are just out there enough to pass for a costume but could just as easily be worn by someone in their everyday life.

(Last one is this redesign by @sufroyo, but gods do I love it!)

Duke will probably want some of that knightly vibe, but Moonbeam is kinda my Robin figure in this AU; he needs to look like the less-experienced partner to Gotham’s Dark Knight, rather than a Knight in his own right. And I should combine that with his preference for practical, durable, almost-understated fashion.

So… streetwear-squire. Let's see what I can do.

First off, we can get both sets of vibes by starting with a gambeson as our base. Go for a shorter one to emphasize that jacket look, and while they come in a whole variety of styles, I think off-center clasps looks just a little bit more modern. I'd also say he doesn't buckle up his neck, giving it that popped-collar look Duke seems to like.

(Off-centered clasps, as well as a couple casually worn gambesons to show the kind of effect you can get. Duke's is definitely the kind that covers the hip to brush the top of the thigh, but given most people think of gambesons as being knee-length, that's still short.)

And, hell, if Robin can wear bright colors then so can Moonbeam. Using the "It'll help you learn to sneak better" excuse, Duke's gambeson is cream colored. (It also looks better contrasted to Batman's black.)

I like the idea of the gambeson having built-in gloves like in Duke's "Final Knight" costume, but I don't really like the look of Final Knight’s Duke design(s). Erm, any of them. I'd define the difference on the sleeves a little more by giving him hand & arm bracers to wear over the top, probably some simple pauldrons, and maybe a gradient on the arms from cream to grey.

(Not 100% on the gradient, just think the fully light sleeve might not work even with the bracers. Keep the metal simple & understated, though, and remember the lines in the sleeves are from padded fabric rather than any kind of wrappings.)

Still, that's a long stretch of one pretty plain color. The main body needs to be broken up, and Duke should probably have a bit more protection, but we don't want to hamper his mobility. Let's add a demi-brestplate (also called a demi-cuirass or "heroic armor") on top. That protects the upper chest without going past the rib-cage, to avoid hampering movement.

(I really, really like this fluted design, but can't find anything smiliar in a demi. I've also always liked the look of breastplates which are 2 pieces held together by straps under the arms. The last one is just to give you a better idea of the size/form of the thing.)

And a steel-grey utility belt, obviously.

(...I should probably mention, none of this metal should be highly-polished. It's not glinting like a mirror whenever Duke's not redirecting light away from him, it's just a step or two above matte-finishing.)

I'd say Duke's symbol is an iridescent/opalized circle right in the middle of his chest, representing a full moon (or the bat signal minus the bat.) So it looks white, but it shimmers rainbow when it catches the light. Probably has either a black or gold ring around it to help it stand out.

(A normal opal, and opalized glass with light shining through it. No, the ring does not seem to exist outside of pinterest.)

There's also a matching smaller "jewel" on the back of each gauntlet, and Duke claims he uses them to focus his light powers. Whether he does or not, I don't know.

I don't like the look of Duke's "We Are Robin" helmet in-context, but I think it could work here. Match the grey to the breastplate & gauntlets, match the stripes to the gambeson, replace the eye-slits with a thin, one-way visor, lose the ear-circles.

(I did consider having the colors be the other way around, but that felt a little too close to Ghostmaker's look for my liking.)

Give him some dark grey cargo pants, a pair of these sports boots (minus the logos), and some metal knee-pads to finish the look.

______________________________________________________________

A handful of these characters I do actually have a degree of costume evolution in mind beyond just changing identities; Duke is one of them. In this case, it becomes more knightly as time goes on.

In particular, I think Duke swaps the gambeson for a chainmail tunic and the demi-breastplate for a laminar chest piece.

(I like the short sleeve tunic style, and I'm picturing Duke's "White Knight" armor as the basis for the chest piece. I can’t seem to find any laminar reference photos that have that same look; I’m almost picturing a scapular, but made from metal plates.)

The sports boots become combat boots, the knee-pads & bracers get swapped for splint greaves & splint bracers over black leather gloves. The “jewels” are now on the back of the gloves directly, rather than the metal, as the new bracers don’t cover his hands.

He also adds the Bat ear-points to his helmet, adds a dark undersuit to the top to replace the sleeves, and generally ups the contrast by darkening the greys & either polishing the armor or painting it metallic white (if the latter, the chainmail is probably a light, brassy brown to make them pop.)

(These colors, I believe would depend on the artist; it seems like one of those things people would disagree on.)

All of which helps evolve the look toward the Signal's "motorcycle gear meets knight armor" mash-up.

[autumnslance]

paladin talk derived- what would you have liked to see as ul'dah paladins or knights? aesthetics, oaths, lore, other stuff?

I've said before in my old post comparing various jobs (PLD, DRK) with the Oaths of 5e D&D that as they are, the Sultansworn fit the "Oath of the Crown" due to being primarily focused on their role as the Sultana's guards; they are there to be old school historical knightly guardians of the ruling family and their palace.

Oath of the Crown The Oath of the Crown is sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign, or service to a deity of law and rulership. The paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves to serving society and, in particular, the laws that hold society together. These paladins are the watchful guardians on the walls, standing against the chaotic tides of barbarism that threaten to tear down all that civilization has built, and are commonly known as guardians, exemplars, or sentinels. Often, paladins who swear this oath are members of an order of knighthood in service to a nation or sovereign, and undergo their oath as part of their admission to the order's ranks.

So if we're sticking to fantasy style paladins with a hint of history nerding from the writers, this sort of thing suits them, really.

And honestly, what lore we get in ARR isn't bad; the quest story around it is boring, but the concepts, tenets, oaths, history? It could still work. Throw out the HW "job stones vying for dominance" nonsense, and again, don't forget they exist past the starting zone, and it'd be fine! The Sultansworn should be more a part of the messy politics of Ul'dah and involved in some of the central events, especially those in and around the palace and dealing with the Sultana. Where does the order fall during all these events? How many are actually loyal to Nanamo and Papashan? How many are swayed by the Syndicate and allow events to happen? We don't know, and that's one of my issues in how the story unfolded.

Cuz the Sultansworn that are locked to their positions like at the doors to the Fragrant Chamber, it's just...business as usual. And some of it is the shorthand, truncated allowance for story in a MMO environment, but a lot of it also feels like an oversight when plotting out events like a full on coup that puts the Sultana's life on the line and her personal guard are nowhere to be seen.

So where's the storyline about dealing with the fallout of ARR, of the Sultansworn picking up the pieces and rooting out traitors...OR, since we had an Ul'dah paladin story in ARR (mediocre as it is), then give us the Ishgardian one in HW to compare/contrast. Then, let them come together in the Stormblood chain (maybe still have it be a tournament), as the two different paladin orders from two different nations duke it out and eventually come to an accord on how they're more similar than they first appeared and want the same things in the end: the safety and security of their peoples and Eorzea as a whole.

As for aesthetics, the short answer: Dhalmekia in FF16 does a better job at invoking the culture and military (with an elite guardian order to boot) of a desert nation in their clothing/armor and weapons.

However, in original and rebuilt FF14 that's now over a decade old...

The armor we get for the AFs are lacking in religious iconography, but still feel very "traditional Fantasy Pan-European Holy Knight via video game physics" you'll find in any other RPG, either video or tabletop. This includes the first set, which is what we get from our Sultansworn trainer, even if the Player is a "Free Paladin". Like the Valor chest piece almost works in its underlying construction, but they throw that style of tabard and the ridic shoulder pads on top, and those gloves and boots. And a crown instead.

Several of the ARR AFs are taken from earlier games for their iconic looks, and I am not certain if I am missing other historical references in those gearsets, or if it's all simply rendering iconic game gear from earlier FFs into something that works in 14.

Part of the trouble to is all of the common outfits in ARR are, for the most part, real generic tunics, robes, and pants for everyone regardless of region. There's very little change in appearance for outfits across the realm regardless of whether one is in South Thanalan, La Noscea, or Coerthas. And looking at what 1.x material there is, it was pretty much the same. We have various turbans in game since ARR, but I'd like something a little less "generic fantasy armor" and acknowledging other forms...that we don't really get to see until we get some Eastern-themed outfits in HW, and then especially in Stormblood. For the most part, it's either full plate or chain. We've also had curved swords (scimitars, sabers) for awhile, why not make something like that, with a round shield, more the uniform of the Sultansworn, instead of a straight blade and kite shield?

I have a Watcher paladin in a D&D game where I ended up looking into Turkish folk styles and Earlier Ottoman armors for her gear. I've also recently (and this is going a little more into the Caucasus) gotten into traditional Georgian clothes, with the chokha worn by their soldiers developed from earlier century kaftans, as they sat at a crossroads of the trade routes.

Here is an unrolled thread about Crusade history (had to auto-translate) with some art and photographic examples of different periods and regions. Even when the historical Faris (from the idea of Furusiyya, which was a knightly code and concept in Arabic medieval times and like chivalry and knights in the West, started with who had horses) wore more metal armor, it was different from traditional European styles. But given the strictures on styles in 1.x and through 2.0, that really wasn't feasible.

For a huge part, I'm just real done with Pan-West-European fantasy, especially when a token effort is made to add varied regions, but it ends being just that: tokenism, and the rest doesn't take into account the actual environment they've created (which is why I say if you're going to make just another Euro-flavored knight order, stick them in the Euro-flavored knight zone). CU3's gotten better about that over time, especially as they've gotten more budget, more people, and better technology. Development marches on, but it really makes the gaps in early game noticeable, and I kinda hope (but don't expect) for some subtle swap outs and revisions to the generic early gear everyone in ARR zones are currently stuck with.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Favorite groveling efforts in historical fiction? Grand gestures and not, where the hero has to win the heroine’s forgiveness after screwing up in some way?

Yes!

Generally, I always recommend Untamed by Elizabeth Lowell. This is a medieval romance with a true alpha hero. He is shitty to the heroine (mostly in the sense that he suspects she was sleeping with her friend before their arranged marriage, so he refuses to consummate the marriage until she has her period and also just like... holds that kind of shit against her) but not in a way that any Elizabeth Lowell hero isn't a shitbag at points tbh! And his grovel is extremely OTT in the best way.

The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe has a great one. Technically two, because Preston does his whole "wet cat grovel" before screwing up again. And having to do something more debasing the next go around lol. The Prince of Broadway by Shupe also has a good grovel!

S.M. LaViolette books have some good grovels. The Footman is my favorite, because he's just... pathetic. And he should be--he really fucked up! But yeah, this guy just sort of whimperingly approaching like an embarrassed dog while she looks down her nose at him is my FAVORITE thing. Selina has a good "she's fucked off and now I don't know what to doooo" grovel. Hyacinth has something of a grovel; I feel like it's a bit more on the "chase her down to prove my love" side, but it's good.

Oooh, His Valet has a grovel with the hero literally on his knees begging. That shit is good.

How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart by Vivienne Lorret gives good grovel. I mean, the man brings a puppy.

A Rogue's Rules for Seduction by Eva Leigh is a book-long grovel because the hero left the heroine at the altar and now must win her back while they're trapped at an island house party.

The Notorious Lord Knightly by Lorraine Heath is another one that's sort of like... a book of the dude making up for leaving her at the altar lol. I personally like this one more, as they are more combative initially, and his grand gesture is really good. But the one above is also solid!

Heath's The Earl Takes All (aka Gorilla Twins) has a big grand gesture/grovel. I love it, and boy did he need to do it. I'd also recommend Beyond Scandal and Desire, and in a different kind of way, When the Duke Was Wicked (I mean lol... he certainly does a grand gesture).

The Mistress Experience by Scarlett Peckham has a good one, especially since it's another one where it actually takes the hero a minute to REALLY realize how badly he fucked up.

The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean has one of my favorite book-long grovels because the hero has actual real adult shit to make up for her--he cheated on the heroine. (To be fair, he is groveling after she leaves him for two years, which I think helps.) Big grand gesture. Other MacLean books with good grovels include A Rogue By Any Other Name (my favorite MacLean) and Daring and the Duke (which I think works better if you read the other two books in the series first, even though they're all technically standalones).

Stacy Reid's When the Earl Met His Match has one of my favorite grovels. Another one where he hits his knees. In the rain. In the mud. Wicked in His Arms has a really unique grand gesture as well.

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare has a grovel I like quite a bit!

The Hawk by Monica McCarty gives good grovel--I mean, it's a GESTURE. Like, "grovel via kidnapping" vibes.

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley is a book-long grovel with the hero deciding to get his wife back three years after she left him. He's gotta prove himself!

The Duke by Gaelen Foley has a RIDICULOUSLY OTT grand gesture grovel right at the end. It's camp. I enjoy it lol

If you're down for an nb/nb historical romance with a grovel, Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall has a unique grovel in that like... the one person didn't mean to hurt the other and was reacting in a trauma response manner... But an apology was still necessary. Knees are hit. Tears are shed. It is raining. One party says to the other like "oh my god it's raining and you're going to hurt your knees, get up".

[linka-from-captain-planet]

Florrickology, Part 3: Wyll's Womancrush Wednesday

If Wyllyam Ravengard is gonna do one thing, it's gush about powerful ladies his dad works with big misty heart eyes and his goblet overflowing with Respect Women Juice. While it seems BabyWyll didn't hold a candle for Florrick like he did for Duke Stellmayne, he regards her as a knightly badass to aspire to, just like dear ol' dad.

Thus, when probed about her in Act 2, he delivers the following glowing endorsement... which is also implies some weird things about his (s)hero, when you really think about it.

Player: Can we trust Florrick? Wyll: I was eleven when the counsellor spotted and slayed an assassin who stalked father from the shadows. Wyll: I was thirteen when she brought word of a goblin warband advancing on Rivington. Her keen scouting saved a hundred lives that day. Wyll: The counsellor's loyalty to my father is beyond question. She's as steady as Tyr's heartbeat, as upstanding as the Sword Mountains.

These lines are a prime example of what exactly I meant by 'unintended characterization' in Florrickology Part 1. The point of this conversation is just to confirm that, yes, the player should trust and continue to cooperate with Florrick because her loyalty is well-proven. What Wyll literally says about her isn't important; it's the impression they leave you with that matters.

The writers possibly didn't really mean to imply anything extra with these lines.

But, they did.

What's more, is they seemingly managed to imply two consistent, if odd, things about her.

Wyll, what do you mean she 'spotted and slayed an assassin'?

Wyll, what do you mean 'her keen scouting'?

Both of these are pretty weird things to say about a woman otherwise presented as a urban public servant... but are they weird things to imply about Florrick? Let's dive in.

Side note: it's also funny yet perfectly in character that Wyll looks upon these subtly bonkers accomplishments with such high esteem, since he is also completely insane but manages to maintain a veneer of "the only reasonable person in the room"

In this universe, the threshold for killing people is admittedly pretty low, but the implication that Florrick kills people sounds sort of strange, especially the add-on that she just straight up and killed someone on the streets--no judge or jury, just executioner.

Florrick, a woman presented as a paragon of virtue, whom Wyll promptly then describes as 'upstanding as the Sword Mountains', kills people? And she is a wizard, so she kills people instead of casting any number of incapacitating spells like Sleep, Command, Hold Person, etc?

Yup-- if they're coming after Ulder Fucking Ravengard!

I will have many thoughts about the debacle that is her confrontation in Act 3 in another post, when she believes Wyll sold his father up the river for his freedom, slaps on a fuckass hood, and comes directly for his head, but at least it's consistent with something. She, like Wyll, looks upon Ulder as a hero and the soul of the city she loves and serves so faithfully, and so she, like Wyll, will scuttle all over creation to find him, take on any enemy to save him, and will treat any attempt on him is an attack that must be answered with impunity.

Moving on to the second line, whereas Wyll's other above is echoed in something else that comes up later, Florrick's alleged prowess as a scout is actually mentioned earlier, in Act 1... to a much less frustrating and much more amusing effect:

In Waukeen's Rest, Florrick states "the Duke has been taken westward, if my eyes and ears are to be believed."

By "my eyes and ears", one might assume she means informants... until you remember she's trapped alone and escapes with the player, so there's no way someone debriefed with her during the 15 seconds between busting down the door and this conversation.

So clearly, she was in the burning inn staring through a burning window , mad as fuck, at the drow dragging him away like

tbf "her eyes and ears" could also be people yelling what's going on from the ground while she's trapped upstairs but shhhh this is for fun

While this is again an odd thing to imply about an urban bureaucrat, this one actually makes a lot of sense... because she's a wood elf, a race famously good at scouting the wilderness.

This is slightly debatable because the game randomly doesn't list her subrace and she lacks the Fleet of Foot trait (implying she's a high elf), but I assume her dress is simply so tight and impractical that it nerfs her movement speed. On top of having a distinctive wood skin tone, she's filed under "wood elves" in the list of character models in game files, and if she dies in Waukeen's Rest, you can report finding a dead female wood elf to the Fist and they immediately know it's her. So it seems the intention was for her to be a wood elf, even if they didn't execute it fully.

So, what's strange isn't so much that she possesses this skill, but rather that she deploys it on such a notable basis.

So, unlike Wyll's first line which reinforces something we come to learn later, this line opens opportunities to wonder what we don't know about Florrick.

In the previous installment of Florrickology, I posited she was possibly around 120-130 years old, but Wyll's examples only account for what she was doing 13 and 11 years ago. Other commentary, such as by Ulder, indicates she's been a friend of the family and a public servant for quite some time, but how long? We could have up to 100 years of life to play with. She well could have been wildin' since before Ulder was even born.

Has she always lived in Baldur's Gate? Was she always a government official? Is she even a Flaming Fist (I don't think so tbh, I think she's just understood to be Ulder's stand-in) or was she and if she was, what kind of shit did she get up to? When and how did she meet Ulder? Was she always a wizard (she is only level 6 in Act 1...)? And endless more questions!

The implication seems to be that she's been an advisor as long as Ravengard has been duke, so like... what was she doing out there at all, 11 years ago, discovering goblins far enough away from Rivington that she could intervene and save the whole town? Hiking? Keeping up with her secret ranger multiclass levels? Picking up a patrol shift to stunt on all the humans by having 4 extra hours in the day to spend in service of the city? Visiting her wood elf polycule in the woods and happened across goblin tracks?

For the discerning background character fan, this is a goldmine.

Speaking of headcanons and Wyll, I have also decided that one of his best and funniest ambient dialogues references Florrick, even though it's completely unsubstantiated:

Wyll: When I was a child, father sent me to Sharess' Caress to deliver messages. How was I to know what went on behind its closed doors? Lae'zel: Eating, sleeping, and sex acts of all manner, of course. Wyll: Hm. What's plain to you wasn't so plain to mini-Wyll. Lae'zel: Mini-Lae'zel wasn't so sheltered. On Creche K'liir, very little is hidden behind doors.

We all know Ulder only has one person he'd need to talk to so damn bad that he'd send his son to bother her at the damn brothel!!!

[wonder-worker]

… Eleanor Cobham was a respectable lady who might expect to become a member of the household of a royal woman or member of the upper nobility, before being married and gaining a household of her own. Eleanor’s upbringing was likely to be typical of a woman of her class. She would not have had an exemplary education like Joan of Navarre did, but she does seem to have been taught to read in English, and she may even have learnt to write. Her education would have only been to a level that she would then be capable of running a knightly household and estate once married. The rest of her upbringing would have been focused on feminine values to help attract and keep her a husband, such as singing, dancing, music and needlework. No known physical description of Eleanor exists, and only one contemporary picture of her survives. This is an illuminated miniature from 1431 of Eleanor with her future husband, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, from the Liber Benefactorum of St Albans by Thomas Walsingham. Eleanor and Humphrey were benefactors of the Abbey of St Albans, shown in Humphrey’s hand in the picture, but little of Eleanor’s real physical attributes can be garnered from the picture, it being a typically stylised miniature of the time. Eleanor is shown with a high forehead, the popular style, but her hair is hidden under a covering, so the colour is left a mystery. She is shown as slim and tall, but whether this mirrored her real stature cannot be known for certain. She is wearing a sumptuous red dress with a golden belt, a black head covering with a golden circlet, and a thick golden necklace, representing the wealth of her station as Duchess of Gloucester. While there is no surviving physical description of Eleanor, it is reasonable to assume that she was an attractive woman. Jehan de Waurin, a Burgundian chronicler and contemporary of Eleanor, describes her as ‘a very noble lady of great descent … also she was beautiful and marvellously kind [pleasant]’. As she was later to attract the attention of a prince, it is likely that she was at least fairly attractive, and probably had sufficient wit and charm to go with it.

Gemma Hollman, "Royal Witches: Witchcraft and the Nobility in Fifteenth Century England"