#oc. niara rai

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Hello and happy blorbo blursday :D

What would your characters do if they received a love confession? (from someone they don't like in return, from someone they DO, or both!)

Hello!

Okay, Lar? He would not handle any confessions great. Horrible romantic history with him. He's painfully aware how people try to befriend/flirt with him simply for status. Also, his first actual partner turned out to be using him to spy on his dad.

If someone said they loved Niara she'd basically be like "Who doesn't?" then walk away. If she didn't care about them, that would be it. But if it was someone she liked back my girl would lie awake at night processing what happened.

For Fel, if she didn't like them she'd probably just brush it off, but if it was someone she liked? Girl would be a blushing, stuttering mess. She's pretty insecure and can't really understand why someone would like her.

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heir of the eternal king; a wip intro

genre: high fantasy

status: drafting

themes and tropes: immortality, ancient magic that shouldn’t be messed with, a tad of anti-colonialism, love triangle turns into polyamory, friends + enemies + lovers in almost every possible order

summary:

Lar Sorin spends his days at the kingdom’s edge, hunting ancient monsters and neglecting his duties as heir of the Eternal Empire. Not that the empire needs an heir – not when the Emperor has lived for thousands of years and is likely to survive thousands more.

Except he doesn’t. When news of his father’s death reaches him, Lar is dragged back to the capital where an unwanted throne and the court politics he’s been running from his whole life await. No allies but his harsh brother, an old flame and his best friend turned bodyguard, Lar must navigate the unfamiliar waters of ruling while beneath the surface, the ancient conspiracy that killed his father continues to unfold…

characters:

alaric ‘lar’ sorin. the prince who ran away from royal life to an outpost at the empire’s edge that holds back the beasts roaming beyond. he has daddy issues. trust issues. a lot of issues

niara rai. diplomat, mage, and lar’s first love from before he ran away. also a spy for the immortal sorceress known as the black rose, which may have been a contributing factor in lar’s trust issues

felicien ‘fel’ gladiol. lar’s first and only true friend at the outpost. she also happens to be the latest of a family sworn to serve as the emperor’s bodyguard, however unnecessary that job may seem

taglist: tell me if you want to be +/-

Tagging @maddilynmuse since she mentioned being interested. Sorry if this bothers you!

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Another excerpt from my wip. Don’t worry she’s just checking if he’s immortal. Lar will be fine – physically at least since I don’t think meeting your ex like this is good for you. Transcript below!

taglist (ask to be +/-): @angie-j-kay @reneesbooks

Niara spoke with the confidence of someone used to being listened to, “I need to see Lar.”

“You and every other lord and lady in the palace tonight,” Fel snorted. So far, she’d done her best to be polite to people as she told them to get lost, but something about Niara Rai and her pretty brown eyes made Fel forget her manners. Maybe it was how Lar had stared at her at the dinner. Maybe it was how she’d treated him after that – like they were strangers, when the look in his eyes had told Fel they were anything but.

“I am not ‘every other lord and lady’,” she said, “He’ll want to see me.”

“I find that difficult to believe.”

“We’ll see, shall we?” Niara suddenly raised her voice, “Lar! It’s me, Niara! Tell your guard to let me in!”

Fel clapped a hand over Niara’s mouth but Lar – along with half the palace, most likely – had heard her. She hadn’t known whether Niara was telling the truth, but the door to Lar’s chambers slowly swung open. He stood with his shirt half-unbuttoned, his dark hair no longer neatly combed. Heat crept into Fel’s face – she’d seen Lar in far worse states of undress back at the Eleventh, but something about this new environment, their new roles, made it feel… improper.

His eyes were on Niara. In a small voice, he said, “Sayang?”

Niara struggled out of Fel’s grip and gave a smile, “Hello, lover.”

Then she drew a knife from where it had been hidden in her sleeve and stabbed him.

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Happy STS! Do your characters swear? How often? Why or why not?

Happy STS!

Funnily enough, I don't think any of the main ee trio swear much.

Being the prince, Lar had a pretty sheltered childhood and I don't think his father would've allowed him to hear a swear word till he was like 14. Also the general pressure to be the perfect heir didn't leave him comfortable with being rude.

Niara has issues and is so dedicated to wearing the mask of the diplomat/noble/whatever that she can't take it off. The role she's playing needs her to be perfect and polite, so no swears for her.

Fel is the only one who would swear, really. She doesn't do it often – she's not that kind of person – but if shit's bad enough she'll drop a swear to two.

Okay but an ee character who would swear a lot? Faris. He'll give a nice proper speech to the public then turn around and cuss out his brother in private. General rage built up over years of very clearly being the least favorite child and a very low tolerance for Lar's shit.

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storm!

Storm: share a snippet where a character is angry.

Recovering from her shock, Fel spun around and shoved Niara, “You attacked the Emperor!”

“He’s not the Emperor yet – the coronation’s not until tomorrow,” said Niara, “Besides, it’s not like I hurt him.”

There was a whoosh as Fel drew her sword, “You have five seconds to explain yourself,” she snarled, blade at the other woman’s throat, “Otherwise, we’ll see how quickly you heal.”

Honestly everything I've got with the ship so far can be summed up as Lar/Fel fluff, Lar/Niara angst and Fel/Niara fighting in a way that looks like they're going to kiss

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a dance with an enemy

A scene I had fun writing and decided to share. This scene does not pass the bechdel test but that’s okay because these girls are flirting with each other as much as they’re talking about their mutual bf

taglist (ask to be +/-): @angie-j-kay @reneesbooks @serenanymph

Fel took Niara’s hand and let herself be led towards the dance floor. She threw one last glance over her shoulder at Lar, sitting on the throne. Five years of fighting side by side made it easy for her to read the mixture of relief and worry running through the frown on his face. She gave him a look she hoped conveyed “I can handle this”, before turning back towards her partner.

“You know how to dance?” asked Niara.

“Well enough.” She’d been taught when she was younger, though she was certainly out of practice.

Niara nodded, and together she and Fel joined the crowd of happily dancing nobles. With how Fel, Lar and Faris had looked towards the coronation with nothing but fear, tension and a desire to get it over with, it had been easy for her to forget how for everyone else, this was a joyous occasion. Sure, some of them were only happy because their new monarch was far easier to manipulate than the last one, and Fel would likely spend the next several weeks making thinly veiled threats at half the people in this room – but some of them were simply enjoying the festivities, or celebrating a change they hoped would lead to a brighter future.

Niara’s voice pulled Fel from her thoughts. “So, why is the Imperial Protector accepting the Emperor’s dance offers?”

You know why, Niara. “I do what my liege requires,” she stated simply.

The music quickened, and Niara spun away from Fel briefly before returning to her arms, eyebrow raised. “Darling, you know no one can hear us over the music. Anyone with half a mind can look at you and him and tell you’re far closer than an average guard and her liege.”

Fel resisted the urge to ‘accidentally’ step on Niara’s pretty shoes. “You’re one to talk. I didn’t hear any your imperial majesties when you were stabbing him last night.”

“Fair enough.” For the next few moments, no words passed between them. They simply moved along with the music. Then, Niara spoke again.

“Why are you here, Felicien?”

“What?” the unexpected question made her miss a step, but Niara’s steady grip pulled her back into position.

“Why are you here, protecting the Emperor? Why was your whole family, really? The Gladiols spent a thousand years guarding a man with no need for protection.”

“The Emperor needed protection,” Fel interjected, “If he’d had more security, we might not be in this situation.”

“He had your mother. She was there, and she wasn’t any help. So clearly, you’re not able to prevent any actual threats to the Emperor. Why is the Imperial Protector here, then?”

Fel took a moment to answer, focused on not tripping over her own feet. “It’s our duty.”

“Your duty’s to stand there and look pretty?”

“The Emperor wanted a bodyguard, so we did the job. It was never our place to question it.”

“It wasn’t your ancestors’ place. But tell me Lar wouldn’t listen if you told him you didn’t want to do a useless job.”

“I’m not useless,” Fel said, perhaps too quickly, “Maybe Emperor Alaric didn’t need my mother or my grandfather or everyone who came before them, but Lar needs me.”

The current song ended, and all the dancers shifted to match the new tune that was struck up. This new dance had the partners much closer together, so Fel could feel Niara’s breath on her face when she asked, “Do you think you can protect him when the Servant comes calling?”

“Perhaps not,” Fel admitted, “But at least I’ll be able to protect him from you.”

“Me?” Niara spun with the music, her back now to Fel’s chest. As she took Fel’s hand again, she turned her head so Fel could see the smirk on her face. Fel scowled.

“I’m not a fool, Rai. You and the Black Rose aren’t telling us everything. I don’t trust you in the slightest.”

“That’s rather hurtful,” she said, her voice wholly unbothered.

“I know what happened five years ago. Lar’s lingering feelings may blind him to your intentions, but I know you’re far from pure of heart. Know that I am watching you, and if I believe you’re a threat to his safety, I will not hesitate to drive my blade through your chest.”

Niara chuckled. “Worry not, my dear Felicien. The only injury from me our beloved Emperor is at risk of is a broken heart.”

With one last twirl, the music ended and this time Fel and Niara broke apart. Niara curtsied, then placed a hand on her chest.

“Though I suppose,” she said, “A broken heart is the most painful injury of them all.”

[lyssa-ink]

1, 2, 4 and 11 from the ship ask game? For either or both of your ships! Sorry if it's too many questions fjshsdfgshdf you don't need to answer all of them if you don't want to

Thanks for the ask! Splitting this up to two for each ship–

lar/fel/niara

1. What’s their love languages?

Lar: Quality time. Even just being in the same room is good to him, a reminder that he’s not alone

Fel: Acts of service. Maybe it’s the whole raised to fulfill your families’ legacy of servitude deal, maybe she just wants her partners to know she’s always there for them

Niara: Gift giving. She was expected to ‘earn her place’ as a kid so giving something freely, no matter how small, is the biggest act of love she can think of

2. Do they have a dynamic trope? (enemies to lovers, sunshine x grumpy, etc?)

I think I’ve called them ‘enemies, friends and lovers in almost every possible order’ before which is an accurate description. Niara and Fel are enemies to lovers, Fel and Lar are friends to lovers, and Lar and Niara are friends to lovers to enemies to lovers

mira/auryn

4. What’s their favorite sleeping/cuddling positions?

Okay I think Mira’s the embodiment of that old “Are you the big spoon or the little spoon?” “I’m a knife” “She’s the little spoon” meme.

11. What’s a song that describes their relationship? Or, what’s the song that they’ve deemed “their” song?

If Only. Yeah from the disney movie. But literally it’s about a girl pretending to date a guy to achieve he own ends but falling for him. That’s literally them.

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Happy blorbo blursday!! Your OCs are playing monopoly today! (Or some other similar board game.) Who goes mad with power, who starts threatening bodily harm, and who goes bankrupt within just a few rounds?

Fel is the bank, desperately trying to keep things calm. Lar was required to leave his sword outside the room before they started playing but when he pulled a card that sent him to jail he did burn it a little with magic. However he's still more chill than Niara and Faris who are engaging in monopoly strategy more intense than you thought possible. Anytime someone lands on someone else's property Fel readies herself to tackle an angry mage before they blow something up

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Happy blorbo blursday!! If I said to your OCs "Home is ( )", how would each of them complete the sentence?

Hello!

Lar: Home is wherever Fel and Niara are

Fel: Home is where you know you belong

Niara: Home is where you feel safe

Faris: Home is where I've always lived the palace

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blorbo blursday!!! <3 what kind of yearbook superlative do you think your characters would have (Most Likely to Succeed, Most Likely to Commit a Felony, etc.)?

Happy last week's blorbo blursday!

Lar: Most likely to start a fight (he likes problems that can be solved by stabbing)

Fel: Most likely to win a fight (her job is protecting Lar and that includes the fights he starts himself)

Niara: Best smile (it's fake)

Faris: Most likely to become president (He was second in line for the throne during the only change of power in the last thousand years. He's gonna start looking for other options)

[lyssa-ink]

Hello and happy blorbo blursday!!

Your OCs have gone... *drumroll* ice-skating! How do they fare? What shenanigans occur? Which OC can pull off a perfect triple axel and which OC slips and nearly dies?

Happy last week's blorbo blursday that I'm only now getting around to answering!

So, here's how I imagine it going. Lar is fairly active but has never actually gone ice skating before, so he's very shaky at first however once he gets the hang of it he's pretty good. Fel is the best skater, out there doing triple axels and whatever other tricks there are. Meanwhile, Niara has been skating gracefully... until Lar and Fel call her out on using magic to balance herself. They try to help her learn to skate properly but it's just Niara holding tightly onto her partners because if she lets go she's falling on her face.

(They also invited Faris but he declined because a) he's not playing fourth wheel to these idiots and b) he would embarrass himself and he's not giving his brother that ammunition)

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13 for the ship game!

13. What’s their opinions on PDA?

Right now, PDA’s not for them because if someone saw the emperor making out with his guard, the entire world would know about by the end of the day and that would cause some problems. However in an AU/Future where they don’t deal with that, I still think they’d be kinda shy about it (hard to stop repressing your emotions when you’ve been doing it since childhood). They might hold hands and share kisses if the setting’s appropriate.

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12 and 17 for lar and his disaster partners <3

12. Who gets up the earliest? Who has the worst sleep schedule? Who is the sleepiest?

Lar and Fel were both soldiers, so both of them (especially Fel) will get up at the crack of dawn. Meanwhile Niara’s got the worst sleep schedule. Magic can be used to replace sleep but generally it’s not a good idea to do it too much. Niara… well, she’s avoided any side effects but girl needs some rest.

17. What does a relaxing night in look like for them?

Likely the three of them cuddling up by the fire in the library. Lar and Niara are reading, and every now and then they’ll stop to share a passage or line they liked. Fel has her head on Lar’s shoulder, perfectly comfortable in enjoying her partners’ presence.

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what pokémon would my characters have?

So I’ve been procrastinating writing by playing scarlet, and with Pokémon on the brain I’ve decided to procrastinate even more by imagining what mons my characters would have!

If anyone else wants to do this please do! Didn’t make this tag game because it got kinda long and I don’t want to assume people know much about Pokémon

(i could absolutely do a full team of six for all of them but that would be long so you’re getting two each)

eternal empire

For Lar, we’ve got Armarouge and Flapple. Armarouge is the exact regal sort of Pokémon he’d be expected to have as the crown prince (but that doesn’t mean he loves it any less). Also it’s red, which is ✨symbolism✨. Flapple represents the dragon he gets later on in the story that’s not at all fleshed out yet, but also another thing which we’ll get back to later.

Fel’s got Ceruledge and Gallade. Both knightly Pokémon with sword arms (peak character design), perfect for our badass royal bodyguard. Ceruledge was inherited from her mother and she struggles a bit to command it. Gallade’s aesthetic just works.

Niara has a Gardevoir and an Appletun. Gardevoir represents everything she wants to be seen as – elegant, powerful. Meanwhile Appletun’s her little baby that she spoils in private. Remember Lar’s Flapple? And that bit of lore that says if you give an Applin to someone you love you’ll be together forever? Lar and Niara gave each Applins while they were dating and while their relationship went to shit they’ve kept the little guys and evolved them.

And by now you may have guessed the theme. Armarouge-Ceruledge, Gardevoir-Gallade and Flapple-Appletun are all branched evolution counterparts! This makes a perfect triangle for the three idiots who’ll start dating as soon as they get over their many issues (spoiler: it won’t be soon)

[lyssa-ink]

15 Questions Tag

This is super late but still thank you to @serenanymph for the tag! I’ve been trying to figure out Niara some more so this is about her. Open tag because I’m lazy, but don’t by shy to jump in because this is really fun.

1. Are you named after anyone?

No. Though she can’t be a hundred percent sure since she lost contact with her birth family when she was really young.

2. When was the last time you cried?

If you asked her, she’d scoff and say she hasn’t cried since she was an infant. The real last time she cried was when Lar broke up with her found out she was a spy and his dad threw her out of the palace

3. Do you have kids?

No.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Niara is someone who’s outwardly very formal and composed and wouldn’t lower herself to using sarcasm. Though the balance of love and annoyance she has for Lar and Fel can occasionally bring out her sarcastic side.

5. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Their nationality maybe? Because 1) She was trained to play the politics game and 2) She’s always curious about people from her homeland

6. What's your eye color?

Really dark brown, almost black

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

She would never admit it, but deep down she’s an absolute nerd who loves reading books, especially happy endings. They kinda give her hope to find one for herself.

8. Any special talents?

She’s a highly skilled mage. Also she’s good at pretending she doesn’t care while caring a lot.

9. Where were you born?

A yet to be named fantasy country that’s based off south asia

10. What are your hobbies?

Practicing magic is what she’d say. It’s reading. She’s a nerd.

11. Have you any pets?

Nope, but she does have a soft spot for most animals

12. What sports do you play/have played?

Is shooting magic beams at monsters a sport?

13. How tall are you?

Can’t think of an exact number but she’s short.

14. Favorite subject in school?

Niara really likes history. Kinda related to the fact that her mentor is an immortal sorceress who was there for most of it.

15. Dream job?

She says she’s happy being an agent of Lady Artoria – the Black Rose – but she has no clue what she really wants. She would enjoy being a scholar of some sort but my girl is repressed and can’t even admit it to herself.