#roderick varmont

[forgottenarias]

OOC || the tournament

since eilia & aria get the ~honor of attending the tournament, i was trying to decide if aria would finally try to get back on her 'maybe win over the varmonts?' plan or just be a huge stick in the mud about this whole event and I think she def ended up going back to her original "plan" (lbr, this plan is an utter and COMPLETE failure in terms of its original intention!) and definitely got on board with the whole tournament thing. (but just outwardly.... inwardly she is like 'uhm this entire country is in shambles YEARS after you took over roderick wtf use that money for infrastructure!)

she's def not dumb enough to pull a complete 180 and be SO excited or anything, but she definitely talked to Cassandra abt it and asked what sorts of things ladies do at these events (i DO think she probably knows all this but she's still trying to portray this idea that's she's trying to learn/be receptive of the varmont ~civilized ways or w/e!)

ADDITIONALLY once she hears there is money to be won she is def like 'okay, so, when all these people who invaded my land win this money-- because she def doesn't think roderick is going to let an astairan best his own household!-- they definitely dont NEED the money but you know who does? ALLLL these places that were decimated by the war and still haven't rebuilt!' i could see her not outwardly saying to anyone "hey why don't you donate your winnings to help people?" directly but i DO think she'd maybe casually mention it around people who she'd think might be receptive-- and i DO think the main person would be @forgottengodfrey after some of the conversations they'd had! sort of a 'you want to prove your nephew loves the astairan people? how about all that money not going into his pocket and out to help the people!?' but you know... not saying it QUITE that directly ;)

idk if she'd talk abt this w/ arthur? she might casually mention smth like 'that money could help so many people!' or something similar but she probably set up some unrealistic (and maybe kind of unfair given how much she knows about him) expectation about him needing to reach the conclusion for himself and assuming he WOULDN'T so if/when she finds out he'd already decided he was going to give the winnings to her mother's orphanage she'll obvi have feels abt that hahahahsoihdsoifdshoisd

and i said this in a comment but i'll put it here too-- aria def did not have plans to offer favors to anyone so she didn't really have anything special prepared. I DO think at one point she was probably thinking smth like 'what if i did offer it to someone who was NOT arthur (probably @forgottenedmund lbr)-- wouldn't that make him so mad?' and then decided that pr wasn't the best course of action. (is it... growth? hahah) but then the day of just sort of spontaneously grabbed that handkerchief (which aria wasn't necessarily saving for a special moment BUT I HAVE BEEN! sfshodfhisdfa) and probably just had it shoved in her pocket until she saw arthur probably right before whatever his first event was w/o anything she went to give it to him again super spur of the moment, not a lot of thought beyond knowing she wanted to give him that and was it one of there intense romantically charged interactions or just something more formal? either way she def spent half the tournament thinking abt that/being worried arthur would get hurt, but also being impressed since even though she did use to lurk around the lists she def never bothered to pay attention to if he was actually skillful?

but also just being annoyed that @forgottenroderick was paying eilia so much attention AND that he entered the tournament AND that no one managed to mortally wound him "accidentally" ;)

idk if this would be announced publically or not but she DEF was keeping tabs on who won what money so she'd know who to go after and sort of passively poke into trying to donate their winnings to the needy of astaira! (also kate since we know roderick would NOT approve, do you think arthur would tell her his plans? or just do it any it somehow makes it back to her asp? bc if she suddenly heard 'omg someone donated 600,000 crowns to the orphanage!' she might put two and two together and figure it out herself?)

[forgottenvalentina]

OOC | Valentina & the Tournament

so as per usual, our girl is scheming <3

so some stuff ive already chatted abt a bit:

Valentina wakes up everyday and everyday decides to be the WORST I swear 💀💀💀 honestly I do think eithne does get a reprieve when in public bc Valentina wants to give the impression that they’re one big happy family and def none of her kids are serving the others why would you even ~imagine such a ludicrous thing ���😅 no but yeah!! Adhkjfdg the more I think abt it the more I think Valentina may have somehow incentivized the og girls all showing up for at least one of the tournament days as a happy family to cheer on their lord and brother (blah blah blah) bc she’s now watching first guin then arthur and now edmund slip through her fingers and she’s realizing it has to do not w her own children but w the og girls (much to her chagrin!) and she’s like DO UR THING GET THEM BACK but wo saying that so and let me just @forgottenbrigit Valentina’s probs giving alms at Malconaire for every day and every girl that appears bc she knows that’s what’ll entice them honestly! Sgjjfdg so while I was initially thinking @forgottenroisin would absent herself (I mean she just learned edmund killed her dad in battle the LAST thing she wants to do rn is watch him fight 💀😭) and I think she did insist she wasn’t coming till Valentina pulled that one out but yeah. Anyway!! Valentina also probs tried to get them all to wear green as both a malconaire and a vasilieva color anddddd I’m thinking she may have at least tried to host a private after party at malconaire for the victors!! Weirdly the peasants couldn’t make it… ;D but she probs didn’t think it was v weird if Brigit disappeared since she often absents herself from such things anyway and really this is abt reminding the princes they want to be here at malconaire!!! Agklgsdhkfd

So yeah idk if eithe Brigit or aoife were receptive to these bribes but rosie was! Tho she probs didn’t spend much time at the stands except whatever was the absolute minimum requirement for Valentina re: being seen there in order to help malconaire etc. Do you guys think ur ladies were receptive to this bribery? Valentina wants to know which jewels she’ll have to sell to bankroll this but if publicity 😂😭

@forgotteneithne Valentina forced to give alms to the poor then throwing a party for the varmonts and the only one to show is freaking @forgottensebastian while having to watch first eithne be publically hailed as cassimirs fiancée and then Cassimir lose like…worst day of Valentina’s life except the day roderick executed all her relatives and the day bran died shljdsjlfjl

Also i defff think Valentina wants them all to show up as a big happy family to support Cassimir (except she has no worries abt eithne not wishing to attend! But she ~will be reminding @forgottencassimir that this is the sort of wife he has chosen, one who will not support him, and it’s still not too late to dump her in favor of literally…anyone else atp!!! She is no longer picky!!!! As long as it isn’t Brigit anyway…afjlgshlg 😂😂😂)

forgottenaoife

@giadesstrin That makes sense! Meanwhile all the girls are like “… him? The guy who won nothing?” (Which good bc Valentina doesn’t need anymore terrible curtains or w/e 😜) but I did write a thing up for Eithne and she ends up coming to SOME of it! And idk if Rosie is there at all but I def think Rosie being their or her being there and also wanting to go asp too? Anyway I do think aoife might have been the last standing Malconaire sister (minus brigit ofc!) there by th end! @giadesstrin Aoife being the only sister to make it through the whole thing AND being the only one who brings back a prince like her step mother wanted… but Valentina like “NOT THAT ONE” is perfect after everything Valentina has put her through! She’s still doing want her step mother wants but it’s actually NOT what she wants! 😂

giadesstrin

@forgottenaoife Aoife can never win 😭😭😭 Valentina: ‘try for arthur next time’ *storms off* jk jk (but only kind of 😭😭😭)

couldn't find where i said it but i do actually think that, if its before the money disappears (if that even happens!), @forgottenroderick ~would come to this party and that @forgottenarthur would then come but largely to run interference for sebastian both re their dad and valentina (if edmund comes he might do a ~lil for him but largely lbr he is here for sebastian!! alkjsdfjks) but yeah honestly arthur is only there if sebastian is -- he doesn't wanna put eithne or sonya through it if he can help it bc hebelieves that valentina will as usual be pushing sonya at him...he'd be in for a surprise there bc valentina would ~def push eithne at him instead and yeahhhh i can't imagine that would best please cassimir or, really, ~anyone but valentina lakjsdfkljsdlkfj

lizzy, do you think sebastian, cassandra, or edmund would show?

idk if guin would be there but if she is then its bc she's still hoplessly in love w cassimir and cant bear to be parted from him in valentina's mind but conversely if she's ~not its just that again she's so hopelessly in love w him she can't bear to see him w eithne so yeah lakjsdfkljsdlkjf

but yeah, valentina is there loudly and proudly in the stands every single day and then feasting it up later!! also!!

valentina offered hers [her favor] to her 'one true champion’ cassimir but idk if he’d already accepted another or what so yeah, anyway hers was a green ribbon w the arms of vasilieva embattled w those of malconaire

@forgottencassimir also yes cormac and valentina are ABSOLUTELY taking turns cheering the loudest for cassimir…meanwhile rosie is booing him (but only when @forgotteneithne wont hear bc she doesn’t wanna hurt ~her) (also this is current!me sidenoting that the only way you can tell if you haven't gotten close etc that the frosts are all there is that you'll just randomly hear lots of booing from everywhere whenever cassimir appears ;D annnd also that valentina is kinda mad when cormac is cheering more loudly than she is and makes the girls cheer and rosie is laughingly like 'sorry i saw a swan i can't' [yes, i stubbed my toe and/or i saw a swan are her new joke excuses for everything] until she offers more alms for it lakjdsfjklsdf)

kate: I still think Eithne maybe didn’t go? But if she did she brought something to @forgottencassimir and I sort of love the idea that Valentina beat her to it? 🤣 but idk what you think cassimir would have done

lizzy: "Cassimir is wearing Eithne’s (sorry mom)"

valentina defffff salty abt her own son turning down her favor SOB lkjsdfalkjsdjf

dldskjfasdf valentina after he fails 'we can all see how much luck the favor of eithne has already granted you...' at least ONCE but...probs more often than that alksdjfalkjsdkfj his losses are deffff her fault btw!!!!! later when she accuses them of witchcraft its probs one of the signs that she cursed him or smth bc otherwise he woulda knocked everyone dead laksdjflksjdfkj

ok so like!! @forgottenmarian im also wondering if marian might mention to valentina abt eithne's pregnancy w arthur's kid bc!! valentina would defffffff run straight to @forgottencassimir w that one being all 'she's just marrying you to avoid the scandal when arthur refused to marry her himself!' laksdjfklsjdf

girl will literally try ANYTHING atp even tho that scandal would def reflect badly on her, on sonya, on cassimir, and on them all, she'd def spread the rumor laksdjflksjdf (SCREAM) hoping that cassimir would leave her lakjdsfkljdsf

ofc what she's noT considering is that would piss off @forgottenroderick to no end bc he doesn't like the way that reflects on ~his family but yeah when it inevitably turns out that eithne's ~not pregnant w arthur's baby he'd blame valentina entirely even tho he thought it too and lakdjsflkdjfdsf mess!!!!! but yeah!! laksjdfkljsdf

anyway there might be more but this is everything i can think of atm alkjsdflkjsdf

[forgottenroisin]

OOC | Enneagram & Tarot Numerology

ok so i stumbled on [ this post ], which talks abt the enneagram as sort of a...numerological play on tarot! w rosie being, herself, a type 7, this applies to her, big time!! i also have been looking into the tarot of lfr a bit myself (v new to tarot but find it really interesting for character work!) -- partially bc of a planned graphic that lbr will probs never actually get done! laksdjfklsjdf -- and id def associated her a lot w the seven of cups, too, bc of the imagination kinda thing, but the pentacle suit, in general, w house malconaire (bc of the earth associations to both) and...anyway im getting carried away but yeah reading this i was like !!!!! bc character arc reasons and im kinda like 'does this work out for all the characters' and kdsljafsldkjfjdf

anyway...no reason at all... ;DDDD what're your malconaires' various enneagrams? and/or do you have any thoughts on what tarot card(s) might represent them/their journey (regardless of whether the numbers match up!)? also non-malconaire characters!!!! i love character analysis i wanna hear it all (and ~~~~maybe potentially someday possibly do a graphic which may never ever appear i don't wanna get any expectations raised...that one i did of the malconaires for christmas was smth id been meaning to do for atp literally over a year soooo yeahhhh l;akjsfkljsdjf)

also also! what do we think bran and sorcha's might've been?

also if you're interested, here's a chart abt this:

the enneagram only goes from 1-9 ofc but yeah!!

anyway, so below is pure speculation ok but like!!!!! i think this might kinda be a thing???

another example: i know lizzy said that @forgottenbrigit is an enneagram 8, and numerologically, 8 lines up w the card of movement and action and, in that way change, which is esp interesting bc lizzy has also mentioned that brigit really hates change, but also she's got the literal fire of the gods (seeress!) going and in that sense does have the power to help inact change, etc.

additional example: i also know that kate's said that @forgottenarias is a type 2, and that's the number in tarot numerology that deals w balance but also opposites, opposing ideas, harmony, duality, dichotomy, etc!! and she's literally a captive and a powerhouse; a princess and a bastard, all at once, not to even get into the romeo and juliet thing she and arthur (who is also a two!) are giving into like!!

idk its not ~not there ig is what im saying alkjsfjksdf i just like digging into characters tho so...ngl this is just...largely all an excuse to do precisely that bahahaha

so i haven't done ~all my characters enneagrams officially but here're the ones I have:

rosie: 7

arthur: 2

roderick: 3

eilia: 1

valentina: 3

undecided/vibes based/not official:

godfrey: 5/1

tristan: 1/9

eabha: 6/3

cormac: 4

ronan: 1/8

cillian: 4/7

saoirse: 8

rian: 5/6

amira: 8

[lizzysrps]

The Long Forgotten Realm + Text Posts

[forgottenedmund]

ooc | Edmund & the Tournament

Edmund is definitely moody af throughout this entire thing!

It is coming right off of his conversation with Rose where he admits to being the one to have led/orchestrated the battle of Malconaire (so fun conversation for everyone!)

And he basically feels like he has lost her friendship at this point!?!?

I feel like he trained really hard for this, more of a distraction from his feelings than any real desire to win???

Also, I think he is tired of feeling like a failure all the time in the eyes of his parents and like his one (1) success he has is winning at Malconaire #whoops

In the end, he does win against Alaric in the on foot melee, which is honestly probably as good as he would ever get and he is proud of this win but it doesn't feel as good as he thought it would

Gets beaten by "Bran" in archery and then ultimately Tristan on the on foot melee, but as Bran wins the archery competition and Tristan is Tristan, he isn't too upset about this

Does also win in the team melee, but he also chalks that up to being on the same team as his dad

Probably doesn't go to any of the social events/parties surrounding this unless he has to and then he is a moody little prick the entire time

(I do have a headcannon that at least one of his maternal uncles told him that they were proud of him and it was the highlight of the week)

[forgottenrian]

OOC | Rian & Event 5

Name: Rian Stafford Participating Categories: Jousting, Archery, Melee (on horse) Skill Levels in the Following –

Melee (on foot): Level #2

Melee (on horseback): Level #2

Archery: Level #2

Jousting: Level #2

Overall: 8

JOUSTING

Rian Stafford (round 2)

Roderick Varmont (WINNER)

here rian first went up against godfrey and beat him! i swear, no one was more surprised than rian! he then went on to be defeated by tristan

MELEE (ahorse)

Rian Stafford (round 2)

Arthur Varmont (WINNER)

rian went up against an unknown first so once again, till there's an rper, im hc'ing that this was either bartholomew or eoin, and defeated them, only to be brought down by arthur

ARCHERY

Rian Stafford (round 1)

Bran O'Connor/Brigit Malconaire (WINNER)

rian let everyone down here by letting cassimir get through to the second round ;DDDD no but brigit deserved to kick his ass soooo maybe it was a good thing after all teehee <3

TEAM MELEE

Alaric Varmont (captain/rank 16/team 2)

Cassimir Malconaire (rank 12/team 2)

Bartholomew Varmont (rank 12/team 2)

Cillian Ormond/Cillian Frost (rank 10/team 2)

Rian Stafford (rank 8/team 2)

Roderick Varmont (captain/rank 14/WINNER)

Arthur Varmont (rank 17/WINNER)

Finley Doyle/Kale Brennan (rank 14/WINNER)

Edmund Varmont (rank 12/WINNER)

Eoin Varmont (rank 12/WINNER)

rian really contributed big time to this loss, i feel, w his overall score of ~8 so booooooo!

rian: 'i am a scholar, not a fighter!'

saoirse: 'don't sell yourself short: you're ~also a traitor!'

anyway, dnd rules, i feel like he flat out rolled a nat 1 and just tanked the whole thing alkjsdfajksdf

anyway alkdsjfakljsdf i do think this will all galvanize him to take up more training etc esp w his royal ambitions he will need to be a lil more warlike!!

some stuff we mentioned re: rian

rian wanted to request aine’s [favor]…but then he didn’t bc he chickened out. he requested @forgottenguinevere ’s but idk how that went

so, not being a winner ~or a ruler, i dont think rian scored an invite to valentina's terrible afterparty (honestly he probs lucked out there bc he def woulda gone bc ~networking) but i ~am guessing that these rumors abt malconaire ~will be reaching his ears asp which will probs sour his feelings re: a marriage or smth there bc garbhan raising a lil varmont aint a good look no matter what hes tryna pull off, in his mind, so he's probs all the more like LETS REALLY DIVE DEEP re: the lorcan connection, since as a stafford they're ~already ancient astairan blood etc and the malconaires are now part varmont (except @forgottenbrigit so she might still be on the table in his mind lajksdafjksdf honestly, sorry, brigit alkjsdfjsdf) so its lorcan full-throttle alksjdfjsdf

anyway, can def see him inviting brigit up to lorcan to stay for a couple months!! he does ~not trust valentina to watch over her stepdaughters anymore! better than brigit be safe under aine's care, as lady lorcan, and amongst her own folk!

[forgottengodfrey]

OOC | Godfrey & Event 5

ok so as we know, my man godfrey (heh) entered in the tournament!! so some info there!

Name: Godfrey Calainon Participating Categories: Jousting, Archery Skill Levels in the Following – Melee (on foot): Level #4 Melee (on horseback): Level #4 Archery: Level #4 Jousting: Level #3 Overall: 15

godfrey would request ciara’s [favor]

godfrey is betting on himself, tristan, and edmund. 

and betting on his bro and nephew got him some good stuff <3

he himself was awarded a runner-up prize of 30,000 bc his team (of which, tbf, he was captain) came in second place for the team melee but, and ngl this is more important to him, @forgottenedmund won in that same category <333333 and ngl godfrey did not ~let him win or anything!!! that was def an earned thing and godfrey is soooo proud and 1000% told him soo!!!!1 (honestly tho if edmund hadn't brought home a single trophy, he'd have been proud of him for just participating esp when he knows the pressure he's under etc!!)

but i do think all this is sort of bringing godfrey to the realization that edmund is eclipsing godfrey re: what he can teach him, and its time to get him a more skilled instructor, but one he can still trust re: discretion, so i think rn he's contemplating @forgottentristan but he's still not 100% sold bc he ~does know that tristan's loyalty is divided in the sense that tristan thinks itd be better for edmund if, yknow, he doesn't have to fight and kill his own siblings????? and given how v wild and outlandish such a notion is godfrey's not 100% convinced he's the best man for the job lakjsdfakljsdkjf

like his sister, tho, godfrey's thoughts don't rest solely on the tourney, he's still got his eye on the ball, and i do think godfrey is -- whether bc he was told or just bc...like...he knows roderick by now etc -- pr much aware of the fact that this is a trap for the resistance, and he's determined that they ~not be caught bc, as we know, they've got a purpose to serve before they are!!

so, as ive said...elsewhere somewhere lkadjfkljsdf godfrey def offered his share of the winnings to @forgottenciara for the resistance but is def going along w the 'oh no they were stolen!' thing even if the resistance themselves ask bc he's v dedicated to keeping ciara's role as double agent a strict secret!! but he's also thinking it might be time to reach out more directly to them, himself...which might just mean it might be just abt time to draw edmund, himself, into some of his plans! aklsdjfksjdf

ok so let me explain! to be clear, he's not looking to introduce edmund ~to @forgottenronan or anything like that, but i do think he's thinking, if this works for you, lizzy, of like sitting edmund down and being like 'there's unrest here, edmund, but i think that can be useful to you in conquering your brother. make astaira your base. here, he is the butcher of kil-kennar -- you can be the savior' sorta thing

speaking of which, while amira is out there spreading rumors that arthur (and possibly sebastian?) have impregnated local darlings, eithne and aoife, smth happening more or less at godfrey's periphery, ~godfrey is looking to potentially go ahead and out the true identity of the butcher of kil-kennar, since roderick covered kinda had that covered up bc of marian's influence etc! i ~do think this (and i think godfrey is aware of what im abt to say) is a bit of a dbl-edged sword bc i think a lot of varmont supporters/true believers will be like HELL YEAH abt arthur being the butcher of kil-kennar, but also obv the astairans true believers will noT be best pleased!!! lkjsdfkljsdaf and that's def what he's banking on since he's looking to make astaira, as the largest country in roderick's empire, edmund's powerbase, etc.

i do think he'll also be encouraging edmund to 1) repair things w @forgottenroisin (just long enough for her to tragically die courtesy uncle godfrey roderick ;D) and 2) to cozy up to the staffords -- he will noT be best pleased if he learns that @forgottenarthur has already made some significant inroads w @forgottenarias ngl lkajdsfkljdskf (godfrey, michael bluth voice: him?) i do think he's also ok w the rumor getting out abt edmund having potentially impregnated roisin bc he plans to ~also spread the rumor that they're star-crossed lovers that roderick cruelly parted, and that this is part of why you, as an astairan, should really accept edmund as deeply pro-astairan w all ur best interests at heart!!!! since the malconaires command a lot of loyalty in astaira etc

he's also gonna be tryna make more substantial inroads w the malconaires, himself. idk how stoked he'd be abt @forgottenamira approaching @forgottenbrigit the way she just did but...here we are! lkadsjfkljdsf if he learns of that, he'll def do his utmost to spin it like he does lakjdsfkljdsf but anyway, between edmund and tristan spending sm time there he's optimistic he can get in there and get a lil trust going so that they'll be willing to trust in him when things inevitably go badly for them etc bc he's like 'this whole situation is fully a tinderbox its just a matter of time that it ~will go badly for them' esp bc he knows brigit was already accused of witchcraft etc so yeah!!

idk that he knows amira is also doing this lakjdfkljdsf but i do think he'll be investigating the sigil treasure map ~and i think he'll be lowkey alerting @forgottenroderick esp bc somewhere in here @forgottenrian will absolutely finally get a look at the stafford sword roderick's got and be like 'that aint evenstar' a thing he will not hold back in revealing which will make roderick FURIOUS btw!! he does NOT like to be tricked!!!!!!!! and he will know it was the stafford girls who tricked him!!!!! so he wiLL be lashing out in some way ive not yet discovered lakjdsfkljdsf so ~that's fun lakjsdfkljsdf godfrey is frankly all for this and wiLL absolutely be publishing all the gory details of whatever punishment he unleashes for the ppl of astaira to consume and rail against roderick etc all while simultaneously using it all to tempt roderick into finally unleashing the gods for him <3

i ~do think godfrey's a lil uncertain what'll happen to the one who opens the lock etc and unseals the gods so i do think he's v happy for roderick to be the one to do that, plus it does set up that delish narrative that roderick is the true evil that edmund must fight against to restore peace and justice to all etc! and if roderick ~literally brings abt the apocalypse (even if unintentially) well!!! that's pr good evidence of that ladksjflksjdfjksdf

also, if post-valentina's party is indeed the occasion on which @forgottencassandra is getting nabbed by the resistance? then obv we know godfrey will def be heavily involved w all the behind the scenes, but either way, awe all already know that he's def laying the groundwork for the malconaires to be accused of witchcraft lakdsjfklsjdfkjsdf and then also for them to disappear after that. i ~do think he had it in mind that malconaire, the place, would be obliterated by roderick...the guardian destroying themself to save malconaire def was NOT on his bingo card kdlasjflksdjfkljsdfk

i also think that @forgottenbrigit linking up w the resitance ~without him~ wasn't smth he predicted (or wanted!) but here we are lkajdsfkljsdf but yeah re: the heist he will def be confirming that he, himself, ordered for his stuff to be taken out to roderick, and confirming that he ~didn't to the resitance hahaha both efforts to protect @forgottenciara and her involvement in the whole affair from the various parties who might sideye her if they heard the opposite so yeah!

def feel like there's smth else but i have gone on long enough!! baiscally godfrey is never idle laksdjfksldjf

[forgotteneilionora]

OOC | Eilionora & the Tournament

eilia may have fewer options and opportunities than most, but she hasn't been idle, either! as we know, @forgottenpercy was able to reach out to eilia and @forgottenarias on behalf of the rebellion, and eilia -- whose been chomping at the bit for an opportunity to strike out against roderick and help her people -- jumped at the chance!

i do imagine that she probably asked percy if he'd heard anything abt siobhan and was frankly disheartened to hear that he hadn't but she's tryna remain optimistic nonetheless!

swapping the trophies for counterfeits under roderick's very nose took some doing, but eilia was glad to do it, and her voluminous skirts were no small help in the matter, either. but more so she was happy to share her extensive knowledge of the citadel with them -- both for use in the heist and, doubtless, in the future!

re: roderick, she's tryna give everyone the impression still that it'll never happen but the worse things get the more and more she's despairingly realizing that that's a horribly real possibility. getting in w the resistance has given her a lil bit of hope that maybe!! things might go another way tho!! so she's probs seeming generally cheerier -- when asked she will say it was being permitted to go out to the tourney and be in the sunshine etc heehee

eilia is also formulating a plan of her ~own that she hopes to pass on to percy when she's got the details hammered out, but -- now that she has some access to the outside world and specifically forces outside of stafford, basically the plan is to to starve out the citadel, forcing roderick to rely on provisions from across the empire to feed himself and the ppl. now, she's aware that he can and will do that and w the harbor right there it'll be straightforward enough but it ~will make it difficult for him to press forward from outside of the citadel bc he'll still need to eat and if he leaves the coast that'll become a much more difficult proposition so!! its not gonna really materially change anything its just gonna make logistics tougher on him specifically in striking at the resistance

this will require basically blocking off hanthom and malconaire (iirc those're the two closest counties/breadbaskets for the citadel?) from stafford, but eilia has an idea for that too, w the coming of summer there's gonna be lotsa rain and if a couple of dams happened to ~*~somehow~*~ be popped up at strategic routes (esp bc we know a big, strategic river flows right by malconaire, for example!) a lot of flooding could fairly easily cut stafford off, and what w wild flood waters being difficult and dangerous to navigate even by boat and the citadel itself leaving precious little room for farming, well, looking to the rest of the empire to ship you stuff becomes a must

i ~do think @forgottengodfrey would (probs unwitting to eilia's plan frankly hahaha but even if he knew...) counter by sailing out into the sea, around, and coming to stafford by sea -- edmund's forces coming to the relief of the beleaguered city! -- but even so itd take time etc and yeah!!

meanwhile, she means to do what she can to discredit roderick's lords to him. he doesn't really trust her tbqh but this still won't be too hard bc roderick ~is paranoid akljsdflkjsdf so like you suggest smth bad????? he may dismiss it at first but its starts sorta weaseling its way in so like -- roderick, have you ever noticed the way aleksander looks at amira? roderick, have you ever noticed the way godfrey is always gathering more and more riches and power? etc...and i do think, having had the misfortune of him living in her house these past two years, eilia's def picked up on this by now lkjasdlfkjskdjf

now roderick's depending on ppl he doesn't trust and isn't really able to move deeper into astaira w/o them...its a lil thing but!! its smth!! and eilia means to give it a go lakdjsfkljsdf

eilia: maybe i lost the arms war, but im gonna ~win the psychological war if its the last thing i do!

(it might be!! lkajsdflkjdfj)

[forgottenarthur]

OOC | Arthur's Tourney Armor

does this matter? it does not! will you guys be forced to hear abt this notwithstanding? absolutely!!

ok so, as we know, im obsessed w heraldry!! i legit keep a lil cheat sheet on my desk to reference at any given moment alkdsjfklsdjkf so we're gonna start w arthur's crest! as we know, he's got access to crests like [ these ] but i feel like arthur's got just...gobs of armor aldksjfklsdjf and he's opting for a simpler war helm, this time, than those, which is smth more like this:

sporting simple wings. i do think he's got at least one helmet that looks a bit like an eagle but!! that's not the one he wore either its this.

also this is an italian helmet btw and he's def got this one too:

its got a sun motif and everything (also dragon wings but we will ignore that)!! but yeah not wearing that one either its the one above that.

anyway, idk if they were using real or blunted blades? im sure he's got an eagle-hilted tourney sword so yeah either that or ofc the requisite daybreak <3 at his side

@forgottenroderick was def wearing art-ified armor a la this:

and im sure arthur has armor like that, too, but for this arthur was just wearing plain silver plate covered over w his surcoat. now, i come to the moment where i must make a decision abt whether the winged sun or the eagle are his political or war banner, and i think its gonna be the eagle badge that's his war stuff so yeah he was ~not wearing that surcoat!!! he was wearing the winged-sun-w-red-eagle surcoat bc this is peacetime!! (ronan: ~is it?)

anyway, feel like the more understated astairan aesthetic may be rubbing off on arthur a bit...i fear he'll never ~fully escape the gaudy varmont thing, boy likes a lil showmanship, but he is slowly toning it down a bit...

anyway, ~most importantly, he's wearing aria's 'a' handkerchief. tbh idk that he can realistically tie that around his arm, like you usually do, so if not he's got it pinned to his surcoat, but yeah either way!! it is def there!! (roderick: 'hmmm dont love ~that' arthur: 'it was just a symbol of unity nothing more' *sweats*)

[forgottentristan]

OOC | Tristan & the Astairan War

ok so @forgotteneithne as promised a lil bg on our boy! this'll probs be an ongoing sorta thing esp bc i have a lot of hc's abt his bg etc and like??? weaving them together??? aldsjflkjsdf

ok, so since we know that stafford, lorcan, and malconaire were all kingdoms in their own right in ancient days, but are ~also within a day's walk of one another, i feel like they've all got some SUPER strategic significance going on, and so...i do think tristan may have hit lorcan later in the war along w @forgottenrian

some bg here! and corrent me if im misremembering anything? we know malconaire provides a lot of food to stafford and likely hanthom as well; stafford seems to command the sea; lorcan seems to have a mountain AND lake so that probs commands views and movement for quite a ways around!! we know @forgottengodfrey got into naval conflict w the callearies, that edmund hit malconaire, and that roderick took stafford. we also know that rian besieged lorcan but that it never fell iirc

we also know that the above are all far to the south of astaira, which is the largest country in the world, and that kil-kennar and calleary are all located in the north w the fens a bottleneck beneath them which you must cross to get north/south by land etc

ok so!! we know malconaire is landlocked and that there's a riverbend right there, and on the other side is another country that roderick had already conquered but we also know that, by the time you get down to stafford we're on the coast, along w hanthom! similarly, we know that in the north both kil-kennar and calleary are seaside, w kil-kennar high in the mountains and calleary a frozen waste situation. we also know that there's a bit of a bottleneck in the fens so if you're gonna be able to pass between them by land, you've got to go through the fens and, similarly, if you wanna hold astaira, you gotta conquer both north and south AND hold the fens so!! i think we're looking at a bit of split objective and, i think if there's one superpower roderick's army really has in spades atp its a nearly unlimited number of ppl roderick would consider effectively canonfodder ('most of you will die, but that's just a sacrifice ~i am willing to make!' - roderick, probably) whereas life is considered precious in astaira and i think roderick really just...exploited both sides of that

so!! my thought, without knowing really a single thing abt the ~center of astaira~ or really any of the other houses/places than we've talked abt is that like...i don't think ppl knew where roderick ~really was for awhile. i think he initially made a show of being south of the fens in order to sort of draw astairan forces ~there instead of meeting him in the north where he'd ~actually landed

now, how did he do this? in a word, tristan! while he kept several of his elite guard by him, disguised as someone else, he sent tristan, in command of some of his kingsguard, but largely ppl dressed up as them, complete w a decoy roderick, and a large army of disposable young men into the south to harry ppl there, and later meet up w roderick when he conquered the fens. ofc as we know, roderick got bogged (heh) down in the fens much longer than he intended, and by the end i do think the secret was v much out etc, but!! i do think that at least initially this ploy worked bc i do know that eilia was def like 'look if we can just capture roderick, himself, we can make a lot of headway in our war effort' AND tristan was comfortable w ships, being calainon/kolchean etc, and so rather than getting there by land, i think they probs sailed

A N Y W A Y!! if, north of malconaire, astaira continued to physically border somewhere...or even if tristan came on ships (i do think kolchis was largely getting by on trade by the end so i do think they had a v robust maritime culture of their own etc tho yeah i do NOT think roderick is much good w a navy hahaha i def think godfrey and/or bartholomew/eoin (given his own maritime connections re the callearies oops) were the primary point guys/admirals on most naval battles hence -- paired w edmund's success at malconaire and arthur's failure in kil-kennar -- godfrey getting hanthom/ciara -- also stole some ideas from the hundred years war and have some ideas abt ~that but that's for other posts hahah) but im guessing it would be a lil weird for roderick to arrive on ships but anywayyyyy!!!! basically i feel like tristan probs crossed over below the fens and rode around sieging the most important castles just beneath that for awhile making a show of his forces ~being roderick~

i do think tho that, w roderick tarrying so long in the fens, the plan to meet there got kinda...untenable bc you can't really have a large army just...sit, like...historically the way baggage trains used to work etc that just wasn't really an option (fun fact, that literally led to the end of ghenghis khan), i do think tristan was ultimately forced to drive south, and may have even gotten as far as lorcan before finally meeting up w potentially edmund in malconaire post battle of m, etc, to reinforce there and hold it, etc, w edmund presumably assuming command at that time?

i do have some hc's abt lorcan and rian and all the mess but ill leave that for now actually bc i really wanna talk abt the pyre walk

i ~do think the pyre walk was actually primarily done w before tristan met up w roderick but, and this is crucial, i do not think it was over

ok so i do think tristan had heard rumors abt that but ngl he had this idealized vers of roderick in his head that he'd long upheld almost like a prophet or a saint -- he's the guy that saved his family from starvation, that swept in and gave tristan a place of belonging when he felt adrift, that raised tristan in his new religion, etc etc etc, and yeah!! i think tristan spent years just sort of dismissing the bad stuff he heard

now, smth to note abt tristan is that he was raised in kolchis by his grandmother, a witch, godfrey, and amira, so his early life def highkey underscored that witches are to be revered!! but on the other side, when he was still pr young he was indoctrinated (and yes i do use that term v intentionally) w roderick's belief sytem and taught they were evil, so he kinda...internalized both messages and just!!! confusion!!!! basically, there's smth dark and evil in him (the evil of great calainon and witch-blood) but also witches are just ppl but they all have smth dark in them so they all have to fight harder than any other ppl to stay good etc, is sort of how he justified all these competing ideas to himself. but also he can't get behind burning ppl to death, even witches, but esp ppl who haven't been tried/done anything wrong, etc!!! and any time someone would tell him roderick was doing that he'd basically be like 'that's just anti-rdoerick propaganda' unfortunately -- it was not!!

ok so fast forward back to the pyre walk. tristan and his army have finally gotten word that roderick is close, have detached from edmund's forces (if them meeting up was a thing?) and have been riding for days to meet up w roderick, as originally planned, on the road to stafford, abt to hit malconaire -- and when they get there he's in the middle of this mass burning situation

tristan, immediately assuming there's some awful mistake and not seeing roderick, orders for this to be stopped but like...ngl these ppl are already on fire and are ~going to die atp but at least they don't have to continue to be ~on fire~ anyway, w the lord commander riding in the ordering a stop to this, some ppl object, but tristan's men do what roderick's soldiers do best and obey orders and all this causes a lot of hubbub. it gets back to roderick that ppl're putting out his fires and he is INCENSED and comes storming in to find its tristan. he ~immediately assumes the power of having been effectively roderick's decoy has gone to tristan's head and a HUGE fight breaks out between the two and still no one's completely sure who ordered what honestly laksdjfkljdsf tristan spends the rest of the night in the ~temple tent~ begging the god to tell him whats right. some of the fires are put out, but all those ppl are too far gone and roderick won't permit anyone else being freed. even the ones tristan managed to extinguish die anyway. the others that weren't put out die too. the god is silent.

roderick remains incensed all day and effectively convinces tristan that its his own evil, witch-infused nature that prevents him from seeing that pain here is a mercy in the afterlife, where their souls will already be closer to being purged and therefore more acceptable to the god. he sends tristan, himself, out w his men to rip up as many trees as they can find and build pyres. while he has tristan's men put ppl to death, however, he (probs judiciously), sends tristan to scout ahead at night so he's not there for that next night's fires, but he ensures that he rides past what's left of them on his way to meet up w roderick in the days that follow

finally, weeks later as they're closing on stafford, roderick commands tristan to attend him at night rather than doing his rangings and things. as usual, a mock trial is held. he tells tristan to prove that he's no witch, himself, and ready the first witch to burn. tristan does, but he secretly slips her some poison (he knows abt some of this stuff too just not nearly as much as either of his siblings...sidenote: he could probs pull off a juliet-style fake death tho... @forgottenpercy ...just saying... ;D that's not what happens here tho unfortunately...) which, if she chooses, she can use to hasten her death/deaden the pain. roderick is distressed, but not tipped off when she apparently dies of asphyxiation or smth before the flames even touch her.

i do also think asp he probs tried to help some of them escape but yeahhh they were surrounded by roderick's men and that didn't go too hot and then it was back to square one again

anyway, this goes on for a bit, and eventually roderick ~does pick up on the pattern that any time tristan is involved the victims die a lot sooner etc. he has tristan severely lashed (saying that this is a mercy, given what he's done errs on the side of blasphemy -- being both borderline witchcraft AND probs more importantly ;D a miscarriage of roderick's justice/questioning of his orders! -- enacted only for love of roderick's wife and child, instead of the much harsher punishment he deserved) and do hella penance for both his own and the souls he's now damned by refusing to allow them the mercy of mortal pain and thus instead condemning them to an eternity of immortal pain instead.

so yeah!! after that, roderick didn't really involve him much and they were v soon thereafter at stafford, anyway, and yeah!! tristan ~did perform pr heroically in the siege of stafford tho, once he'd recovered from his punishment, so roderick just sorta decided to overlook the whole thing and yeah!! his record ~before then had also been pr good, and his actions v honorable before he hooked up w roderick in the south, and while 'roderick' was besieging things in the south, roderick's conduct was notably chivalrous (bc it was actually all tristan's call and yeah) and that did good things for ~roderick's rep too and roderick will NEVER mention that but he was glad of it ngl!!

honestly, re: the pyre walk, tristan ~still doesn't know what the right thing to do was and feels guilty abt it no matter how he slices it! sure its wrong to question the god's own champion but also its objectively terrible to burn ppl alive?? but also?? poisoning ppl??? is not great either!!!! and sure his intentions, wishing to spare them as much horror and pain as he could, were good but also he still killed those ppl???? and also like...were any of them even witches???? and even if they were did they really deserve that fate??? did he blaspheme??? did he condemn them to eternal agony in the afterlife??? was it all the darkness in him feeding into some horror??? is that still clouding his judgment??? like no matter how he approaches it, tristan does not feel he did the right thing but also???? he doesn't know what else he really ~could have done???? he couldn't just let them suffer when he had a way of helping them find peace instead??? he couldn't have broken them out???? but even if he had could have, would ~that have been the right thing???? as a knight he's meant to protect the innocent???? but who even was that in this scenario???

more and more, tristan has been growing ever since then wildly disillusioned w roderick and his god and his rhetoric, and if he could go back and do it all again, well, he doesn't think he could stomach another burning, and frankly...i ~do think the next burning he sees (presumably the malconaire trial etc) ~will be his last straw w roderick and he probs ~will rebel

but yeahhhhh basically i think tristan has been through it and lowkey is still going through it, tho he doesn't talk abt it, and yeahhh this is one of the many reasons he defffff believes that hes not worthy of eithne, or any good, and also wants to do some sort of penance to the world for his actions but doesn't even know what he could do like??? its all??? just sm and he def still carries around the belief that there's smth darkand terrible inside him and he did indeed kill innocent ppl and???? like he had no choice???? and still tried to be as merciful as possible abt it all, its true, but he still v much did do that thing and yeah!!

so yeah eithne def still has plenty of reason to be pissed at him/sus of him bc it is just a matter of record that he participated in the pyre walk, and he wouldn't deny that he had either (i think tbh he probs assumes ppl know he was but yeah he does nottttt talk abt that time!!) but also probs wouldn't try to excuse himself either and feels her rage and fear re his particiipation there is competely justified, he hates himself for it too, and yeah!! this is what i meant when i said i didn't think hed been to the fens so yeah!! fun facts ig lakjsdfkjdsfkj

[forgottencassimir]

Unexpected Arrivals | Cassimir & Roderick

It was a miserable day.

The temperatures had risen, so Cassimir supposed he should be glad that they didn't have the bitter cold to deal with, but the rain beat down with unforgiving force, melting much of the snow. The roads had turned into a swampy, muddy mess that were becoming unpassable.

Cassmir was seated comfortably enough near the fire in his step-father's old study when one of his servants entered -- rather flustered -- with a captain wearing the colors of House Varmont.

"Lord Malconaire -- " A quick bow from his servant, "excuse the intrusion -- "

The Captain had little patience for this and sidestepped the servant, to make his own announcement, "His Imperial Majesty, Roderick Varmont the First of His Name, Conquerer of the Twelve Kingdoms, Defender of the Faith, and god's own Champion has bestowed upon you the honor of hosting him and his men, while his carriage is repaired. He shall arrive momentarily. He shall expect to be received in a manner that befits such a guest."

Cassimir sprung into action immediately. He had no particular love for the Varmonts, Roderick included, but he knew the very important role that he and his mother hoped the emperor would play in their plans. Cassimir knew that for Roderick to marry Sonya, he must look favorably upon their family and he was not to allow this sudden development to hinder it.

He dispatched his servant immediately -- everyone must make ready for the emperor's arrival. He knew that even his step-sisters would be needed to help in the preparations (both prior to and during his arrival), so he would need to offer some excuse as to their absences. Besides, he did not want the emperor's eye to be distracted. Sonya was beautiful in her own right, but even Cassimir had to admit that each of his step-sisters possessed a beauty of their own (except, perhaps Brigit. If she had any beauty at all, she did an excellent job of hiding it).

When Roderick and his company did arrive, there was still much work to be done, but Cassimir was pleased as to what had been accomplished in the short notice that he had received. He felt it a testament to his own leadership (but didn't give a second thought to those who had actually performed the work).

"Your Imperial Majesty," Cassimir bowed low. "It is a honor to have you grace our halls. I'm sure you and your men must be hungry. If you would care to follow me, our cooks have prepared a feast."

[forgottenronan]

OOC | Ronan's Tourney Disguise

ok so in the theme of continuing to dress up my lil barbies laksdjflkjsdjf i wanted to talk a lil abt ronan's look as cathaoir!!

also here's what i said on eithne's entry as to reasons why eithne (and others he knows) might not recognize him immediately from a distance:

I ~do think Ronan at least was pr heavily disguised…cillian ~wasn’t but he deffffff made sure he was standing as far away and as obscured as possible from anyone who could recognize him as possible…also think he might��ve like…entered as THE KNIGHT OF THE WHITE HART or smth so that (in character as ormond) like…he could do a dramatic reveal that it was lord ormond all along!!! But conveniently that reveal came only after the malconaires had left and arthur and edmund were gone etc so ppl only heard afterward that it was him (he’d told @forgottencassandra ahead of time tho so he could wear her favor bc he’s secretly a sap but you did noT hear that from me!!!!!!) Ronan like grew a beard and dyed his hair and generally looks a lot more haggard in general etc and like…probs wore an eye patch it smth to further obscure his face etc def a big cloak etc

^^^^^ reminded me what i forgot to say abt @forgottencillian 's tournament shenanigans!

ok so first of all, i think i should note that i think the ronan that went to war (and therefore the one that's depicted on his wanted posters etc) had a look like this (but yknow...younger):

but the one that exists today looks more like this:

and, like, clearly that is the same guy but obv the vibes are v quite different, plus i think his cheeks are sunken bc he hasn't been eating as much/as well and like he's got more scars and there's a completely different look out of his eyes and just...you can tell this dude has been through it w one glance yknow? whereas before it was just #bigbro vibes yknow? and so i think even ppl who know him super well have to do a bit of a double take to be like 'omg that's ronan' even just starting off so!! there is that!!

i also think he darkened his hair for this from blond to a dark brown so like a rougher vers of this kinda thing (but w the beard and the longer hair a la the above gif):

so i do think he was frankly kinda vain before he went away hahaha (i mean...can we blame him? ;D) and always took meticulous care of his appearance and now!! he does not care!! clothes are abt efficiency etc!!

i do think smth similar to the above is what he came to the melees like: ringmail and boiled leather and possibly a wooden shield but idk abt that (def did not have lions on it tho probs plain) -- basically just the war stuff he still had on him when he was forced to flee w any identifying markers torn or shorn off basically, and he def doesn't have the coin for plate armor like arthur and his (multiple) suit(s) of armor -- the chainmail was probs a huuuuuge splurge that was frankly probs provided by lord m as a gift before he left for war bc he ~did volunteer so there was some advance knowledge before others had need and yeah!!

for the archery thing, obv you don't want heavy mail on so he was probs wearing more normal clothes, but -- ok so lore drop (tho tbf i think ive mentioned this before) but i hc that his mom, caoimhe, came from ormond before she met and married their dad who was, obv, from malconaire. anyway, obv the frosts grew up wearing malconaire styles, and the clothes he had w him when he fled was ofc his usual clothes which is v malconaire-y but yeah i think he had @forgottencillian pick up some ormond peasant clothes for him so he'd also have ~that difference going for him (he might've slightly overthought that one at least re: the invaders recognizing him bc i feel like, as far as roderick's concerned, anyway, astairan style is astairan style and those lil slightly different cuts etc by county are probs lost on him...but probs did help w other astairans ig?)

his most remarkable piece tho was a big, heavy cloak worn to help obscure his features, tho i imagine he did have to take that off/at the v least lower the hood when he went to shoot but anyway here we are!! atp he had his back or at least side turned to everyone bc i doubt they were firing ~into the crowd BHAHAHA soooo hopefully that helped hahaha

butttttt i do think this cloak wasn't just to obscure his face...i think he got this cloak from the fens as a specific fuck you to roderick for what he did there, and i do think its probs a particularly thick, heavy vers they have there bc of all the rain and weather there etc so yeah and i ~do think its more recognizable so even roderick might've noticed ~that

since he was ~planning to get caught, he wasn't as much tryna obscure being seen (tho who he was tryna hide who he ~really was lakjsdfkljdkfljsdf tho it also wasn't the biggest thing in the world to him if ~that came out either just as long as he got locked up in the same prison as the others) sm as look a lil sus -- and make a statement

also the eye patch is canon now ;DDD cillian: 'ronan when did you lose an eye?' ronan: 'i didnt this is symbolic of roderick's blindness' cillian: '...ok...is he only half-blind, or...?' ronan: '...it also looks sick af' cillian: 'ok im glad we at least uncovered the real reason...it doesn't...but im glad to know anyway ur wearing it anyway' ronan: 'fuck you' cillian: 'love you too bro' ;DDDD

[forgottenamira]

OOC | Love Languages

continuing w this series...

5 love languages:

words of affirmation

physical touch

giving/receiving gifts

quality time

acts of service 

and here's what i said my initial instincts were re: my peeps...

Godfrey — appears as a words of affirmation dude but if he ~really loves you it’s acts of service!!

Tristan — acts of service he is literally a knight!! Send him on a quest!! He will goooo!

Eabha — bc of her ruling lady outlook she looks like acts of service but she’s really more physical touch

Cormac — giving of gifts

Ronan — acts of service!! I hope you like someone just wordlessly doing smth for you bc that’s what ur in for here bc sadly he’s pr rubbish at a lot of the others these days

Cillian — quality time

Saoirse — physical touch

Rosie — quality time

Valentina — receiving gifts

Eilia — words of affirmation 

Rian — quality time

Roderick — giving of gifts

Amira — tbd

Arthur — tbd

decided to finish up the fam even tho her last name is technically varmont these days...esp bc she and arthur are still???? so imma think out loud at you guys...amira is an enneagram 8 which means that she seeks to project strength (often by means of outright hostility) in order to avoid appearing/feeling vulnerable, which is what she fears. so!! expressing love of any variety, being inherently vulnerable, is really intrinsically scary for her and, given that she is obv not by any means a ~healthy example of a type 8, well, its complicated!!!!!! i feel like she's gotten it all twisted up inside of her alkdsjfskldjfdf this questionnaire is basically DESIGNED to give her an anxiety attack akldjsflkjsdlfjkdsf [ amira: I LOVE NOTHING *runs away* ]

anywayyyyyy she does love edmund, tristan, and godfrey (probably in that order!! her brothers are a lil tough to sort out tho bc she probs has more ~affection for tristan but more ~trust for godfrey so!! make of that what you will). honorably mention is the hubby: she's got smth deeply toxic w roderick where like...she lowkey wants to ~be him and he lowkey wants to devour her so!! this will mostly focus on the calainons as a result but we'll talk a lil abt roderick if he comes up too bc as much as she wants to deny it he's important to her too...but love is not the right word its more like mutual hate-obsession??? idk...its a mess

anyway, as with godfrey, amira is fully capable of ~faking any of these and can and wiLL use that to manipulate anyone...esp her husband, but im just focusing on the ~real thing~ here

words of affirmation

i feel like imma go down the line saying this just bc again ~vulnerability aint natural to her but!! neither are words of affirmation. this bitch will tell you how you've failed and disappointed her before she'd ever say i love you alkjdsflkjdsf weirdly tho?????? that's ~kind of~ a way of like...showing she cares???? like idk how to tell you this but the fact that you ~can let her down means you matter on some level to her????? so yeah 'you failed me' being amira for 'ily?' its more likely than you may think laksjdflksdjfsd

conversely tho...her ~not criticizing you probs means you're epic!!!! she's always looking for a way to tear other ppl down to make herself feel better and/or (if she cares abt you) to help you find out where you need to improve, so like if she can't even find smth to get on your case abt like damn!!!!!! well done!!!! *facepalm* so yeah either that or like...she did not notice you/cares so little that you're not even worth the effort of considering!!!!!

so yeah!! ur gonna get mixed signals from amira (roderick screams internally abt this any time he so much as ~thinks abt her he legit doesn't know where he stands w her) buT if ur someone she ~does pay attention to, such as her family members, and she's not on ur case she's probs happy w you!! or at least can't think of smth to criticize you for, so congrats!!

physical touch

ok so this might be the one?? i do think amira is a v comfortable in/w her physicality, yknow? and like lbr she 100% holds everyone at emotional (and probs physical!) arm's length pr much 24/7 but as i think of it, i can see where, if she's particularly pleased or just in a good mood for whatever reason, and if no one's there to observe!! you might get a quick touch to the cheek or press of the hand as she sweeps by. if ur really lucky you might even see the flash of a smile as she goes!!!

some circumstances that might induce this flash of affection: her coronation, the momentary triumph she felt at the death of elaine (before realizing she'd eliminated a potential son there only to elevate the daughter), realizing that marian was so terrified of her she felt the need to run away (another short-lived joy when she came back w a son amira: this is why this family cannot have nice things!!!!), learning that she was with child, bearing a son, arthur's butchery at kil-kennar and roderick's subsequent fury at that side of the family, etc.

giving/receiving gifts

here's another contender!! amira grew up in abject poverty and so being showered in goodies???? unbelievable dream come true!! she doesn't suffer from any of godfrey's need for practicality: her love of excess matches that of her husband! shower her in gold and jewels, wine and dine her on the most exquisite feasts from a world away! any and all luxury is deeply appreciated!!! and honestly?? she doesn't fully get that not everyone feels the same??? i mean on one hand she does but like...that doesn't make sense. she knows what its like to go without!!! surely no one can possibly want that!!!

part of this, tho, does def highkey feed into her wish to project strength and power!!!!!! amira is here to show offffff!!!!!! she wants you to see that she's basking in untold wealth and could use it to crush you if you come at her!!!!!!! and that her loved ones are similarly safe via power!!!!!!!!

not unlike marian, actually, amira spends a loT of time maneuvering for ~her family and allies to get their due -- while elaine's faction or certainly marian's might say that things should be divvied up by, say, individual brother, amira will argue (since she has only two and not seven) that the loot ought to be divided into thirds and from there doled out to each family. and she does this to prop herself up, sure, but she also does this out of love!!!!!! edmund does not have the sheer number of allies that arthur has, and so his need of wealth/wealthy supporters she perceives as greater, and so forth.

amira also views this as seeing to her loved ones' needs. when she rains tiltes and land and wealth upon them, she's caring for them, so this to her is ~also an act of service lakjsdfkljsdf

quality time

so we're back to me going hmmm idk that this is her thing!! like sure she doesn't ~mind their presence but like??? what you just...wanna be over there??? like...we could be conquering smth rn???? godfrey, you wanna read a book or, tristan, play a game???? what is the point?????? amira, whose only living loved ones all happen to be male: 'men are so emotional'

i do also feel like amira is pr closed off emotionally (ok, i ~know she is), and like she needs a break from being around ~anyone~ bc she's wearing that mask all the time and it is EXHAUSTING and this is less introversion as fully...dysfunctional ngl

when she's feeling more happy/settled tho you can def get her to agree to a chill hang out sesh if she loves you!! she wiLL be cheating when you play cards so she can swindle you and mock you for losing to her tho!! but this time good naturedly ladkjsfskjldf

i do feel like her inability to participate here does come out of, again, that fear that she's got constantly nagging her -- she cannot let down like that!! cannot rest that long!!! she's got to keep fighting fighting fighting!!!! u nfortunately like...this is the shit that she has in common w our buddy roderick likE this is the thing they're bonded toxically on like???? GOTTA RAMPAGE they feed e/o w that its super healthy /sarcasm

acts of service 

ok so as i mentioned above, her wheeling and dealing to get her loved ones titltes and honors and stuff is her being nurturing!!!! she would argue that she is GREAT at acts of service and does this all! of! the! time! this is however factually incorrect lbr she'd be annoyed if you asked her to pass you smth if she were in the wrong mood lakjsdfklsdjf like!!!!!! she's like 'i got everything i have -- and everything you have too -- by my own hard work. grab that pencil by your own damn self' to her four year old probably SCREAM but yeah!! if you ask ~her she does this alllll the timeeeeee!!! and fully believes it too!!!

so ive mentioned this a few times here and there but amira truly believes that she is the sole reason her family isn't starving rn and like she does everything for this family!!!!!! and none of them appreciate it the way they should!!!!1 but she's the ONLY one who sees the truth and isn't resting on her laurels and they just keep chomping at her going MORE MORE MORE and like...this is not true honestly but that's her perception of events and she's sick and TIRED of it!!! lakjdsflkjd but also she wiLL complain frequently but she will NOT eveR stop tryna advance her family!!!!! no matter how frequently she threatens to leave them on their own in all this lkajsdfjklsdf

[lizzysrps]

THE IMPERIAL ROYAL HOUSE OF VARMONT

[forgottencassandra]

zombie apocalypse!cillian/cassandra

Cassie's father, Rick Varmont, was both a doom's day preper and a guy with lots of money!

When the zombie apocalypse hit, the Varmont fam was already ready to go and had a huge gated self-sustained complex

Cassie has remained so sheltered through all of this, she never even saw anyone turn into a zombie

Literally was immediately taken from some huge mansion in the country to their new digs and hasn't been let out since

Did NOT understand the gravity of the situation tbh and was probably kept in the dark about exactly what was happening?

Cillian managed to sneak into her dad's complex when his younger sister, Saoirse, got injured and was in need in antibiotics

Cassie was one of the people he ran into and she had no idea he was an outsider and just assumed he was one of her dad's guards

Talking to Cillian discovered that they had a mutual friend in Rosie -- who went to college with Cassie

Cillian thinks he can use his ~friendship~ with Cassie to earn his camp of friends more desperately needed supplies and Cassie not only has developed a crush on Cillian, but is anxious to see the outside world again that her dad says is ~so dangerous

Cillian is dumb and 1 day goes back into the compound and manages to sneak Cassie out with him and Cassie enjoys being reunited with Rosie and thinks their little makeshift hideaway where Cillian is living with his siblings and Rosie's sisters and cousins is kind of awesome??

It's rustic, but also warm and charming and instead of the sterile complex she's been living in

Cassie literally has the time of her life but when her dad discovers she's missing, he sends all of his men out to look for her

With both Rick Varmont and zombies out for their blood, Cillian & his crew are in a very dangerous spot!

Ronan and Brigit probably want to use Cassie as a hostage to barter with Rick and get as much from him as they can, but Rosie and Cillian want to keep Cassie?

Cassie really does not want to go back, but she also doesn't want anyone to get hurt but lbr, she probably isn't even considering that things would get that out of hand #whoops

Not sure how this ends, but probably NOT WELL as Varmont & co likely outmans and outguns the others

Someone likely dies in the confrontation (possibly Ronan??) which leads to Cassie agreeing to be handed over to her dad in return for xxx amount of supplies

After negotiations between the two groups have ended and Cassie is returned home, Rick decides he won't let any of this stand and rallies his men to go back and attack them

Cassie tries to escape to warn them, but is trapped!

However, her brothers also knew Rosie's sisters and aren't about letting them die and this is likely the moment Ed, Arthur, and Seb turn on their dad??

Rick potentially dies out of this and the Varmont boys then extend the olive branch to the others and invite them to come and live in the compound with them where it's safe -- especially since most of their camp got destroyed in the fight

They reluctantly agree but there is def a lot of tension on both sides now given the deaths of Rick and Ronan

Cassie discovers that Cillian is actually in love with Brigit???

She gets v jealous over this and probably gets into fights with Brigit over nothing and her relationship is v strained with Cillian since their relationship led to his brother dying???

The structure of things has given shifted in the compound and Cillian & co have made the place a little cozier/more like a home

Cassie has also started to train on how to defend herself and how to make herself a little more useful around the camp w/ her dad gone

tbh she's terrible at both things and complains a lot and generally gets on people's nerves -- even after everything she still acts entitled #whoops

but she does start to grow as a person the more she lives like this and gets stronger and starts to feel a sense of accomplishment when she makes food w/o burning it and can actually land a punch

cillian starts to warm back up to her and even teaches her some tricks of his own

while cassie and brigit never really become friends, they do learn to tolerate her (it makes it easier for cassie when she realizes that cillian's crush is 1 sided)

cillian and cassie might actually get together at some point, but ngl I feel like this one would end tragically for them w/ one of them getting killed eventually

lbr, it is probably cillian (even if cassie is somewhat trained, I feel like she never goes out of the compound much) ... like one day he leaves to help gather some supplies and just never comes back and poor cassie nurses a broken heart for the rest of her days :(

[forgottensebastian]

Summoned | Roderick & Sebastian

"Your Highness, His Imperial Majesty, your father, Roderick Varmont the First of His Name, Conqueror of the Twelve Kingdoms, Defender of the Faith, and god's own Champion, requests your presence this afternoon."

The servant bowed low following this announcement and Sebastian had to bite his lip to catch himself from laughing -- he noted that he had transcribed his father's array of titles in the palm of his hand and was using his bow as covered so he might check that he had said them.

Sebastian was certainly not going to point out that he had missed some.

"Of course, thank you."

As soon as he excused the servant, Sebastian allowed himself to exhale. He never particularly looked forward to these interactions with his father. If he was being summoned, it often meant that his father was angry with him, or that he meant to test him. There had been a time when he would have been eager to rise whatever challenge his father might have prepared for him, even as he knew he would likely fall short in comparison to his brother's. But now? Sebastian was almost more eager to disappoint than to please: he had no interest in ever being a pawn in the same brutal game that Edmund and Arthur had been playing their entire lives.

Still, he did -- and always would -- respect his father and his wishes, and he answered the summons with promptness.

He was admitted to his father's chambers and after bowing to his emperor, he spoke, "Father? You sent for me?"