#sylvain : study

[matchabot]

i’ll always adore the faerghus four’s friendship gradient

[meltypancake]

fe3h fashion studies

[tygertyger413]

The Parallels Between Holst Goneril and Miklan Gautier

Holst and Miklan have a surprising amount of things in common: they're both from noble families that have traditionally protected Fodlan's borders from foreign invaders (House Goneril with Almyra and House Gautier with Sreng), they're both crestless (meaning they are unable to use their families' relics in defense of said borders), they both prove to be capable fighters and leaders despite lacking a Crest (Holst at Fodlan's Throat, Miklan with his bandit group in Houses/being given a generalship in Hopes), and they both have younger siblings who do have Crests (Hilda and Sylvain).

And yet their paths in life and attitudes towards their siblings couldn't be more different. Holst is the Hero of Leicester, the greatest general the Alliance has ever had, a man respected and beloved by just about everyone, and later becomes Duke Goneril after inheriting the title from his father. He also is a doting big brother to Hilda who adores her and is overprotective of her to an almost unsettling degree. Meanwhile Miklan canonically abused and tried to kill Sylvain multiple times before being disowned, and went on to become a leader of a group of bandits that terrorized Gautier, with his final fate either being transformed into a Demonic Beast after using the Lance of Ruin in Conand Tower and killed (Houses) or being conscripted into the Kingdom army and dying in defense of Arianrhod (Hopes).

Why?

If their beginning circumstances were so similar, then why did Holst's and Miklan's lives turn out so differently? Is the difference something inherent to their characters? Or is it something else?

Could the difference be in their family situations? We know from Hilda's supports with Byleth in Houses that their parents placed a lot of pressure on Holst to meet their high expectations, that it was stressful for him to live up to those expectations even though he could most of the time, and that on the rare instances he failed, he was devastated by people's disappointment. As for Miklan, we know that his birth mom died in a Sreng attack when he was young and his father became distant and emotionally closed-off following her death. Margrave Gautier later remarried (most likely out of the pressure/desire to have a Crested heir who could wield the Lance of Ruin), but Matthias's second wife did care about Miklan despite him not being her biological son, to the point of being hit hard by his death in Azure Gleam. It's never mentioned how Miklan felt towards his stepmother, though. Still, between the Gonerils' pressure and Matthias's "Wall of Ice" personality, it doesn't seem like either Holst or Miklan would be inclined to see their parents as a source of support.

Could the difference be in their societies? Compared to Fargheus, which puts more emphasis on martial prowess and duty (and thus values Heroes' Relics and consequently Crests for the ability to more effectively fight and defend one's people), Leicester is known for its merchants and its Roundtable politics, so Holst would've been able to leverage his family's money and connections (as well as his own charming personality) to convince people to give him a chance despite his lack of a Crest more effectively than Miklan could've in Fargheus. Additionally, Crests are not only valued for granting the ability to use a Hero's Relic, they are also seen as blessings from the Goddess, so the Holy Kingdom of Fargheus would see Crests as even more special for that reason, while the less devout Alliance wouldn't care as much about the religious significance of Crests.

Could the difference be in their education? We know Holst canonically attended the Officer's Academy, but we don't know if Miklan ever did; nothing says he didn't but Rodrigue probably would've at least mentioned it offhand if he did, given how much Rodrigue loves to bring up his old school days with Lambert. Of course, even if Miklan didn't attend Garreg Mach, it's not clear if it was due to a lack of interest on his part or his parents deciding it wasn't worth it for him. We do know that he still received an excellent education from his dad despite lacking a Crest, and he taught him everything he knows. Still, Holst attending the Officer's Academy while Miklan was homeschooled could've affected them in other ways, as Holst would have had the opportunity to form positive relationships with more people and expand his worldview, including the idea that Crests (or his lack thereof) didn't have to define him nor his ability to be successful.

Which leads into my next question: could the difference be Holst's friendship with Balthus? Seeing how much grief his best friend suffered from his stepmother due to having a rare Crest while her son didn't might've convinced Holst that having a Crest didn't make someone inherently better or luckier. Also, having someone who valued Holst as a person instead of for his Crest/crestless nature from a young age (Holst and Balthus have been friends since they were teens, if not earlier) would've helped Holst's self-worth. Meanwhile it's unclear if Miklan ever had any friends: Sylvain's friends all hate Miklan for obvious reasons, and Glenn (the only other person we know of who would've been close enough in age and location to possibly be friends with him) is just a huge unknown in general - though if Glenn was half the honorable knight he is described as by others, he would've hated Miklan too if he knew about Miklan's abuse of Sylvain. The closest thing Miklan would've had to friends at the time of Houses/Hopes is the group of bandits that he led, and even that was more likely a leader/subordinate relationship rather than true friendship.

Another thing to note: Holst's and Miklan's attitude towards Crests. Miklan hates the Crest system because it was the reason Sylvain was chosen as heir to House Gautier over him, and hates and abuses Sylvain for "taking what should've been his", telling Sylvain he "should've paid for that Crest," and ultimately stealing the Lance of Ruin in Houses (which could be interpreted as Miklan taking what he considers to be "his" inheritance, given that the name of the chapter where you fight him is called "The Gautier Inheritance"). Notably Miklan seems more mellow in Azure Gleam, where he's able to earn respect as a general despite his status as a disowned crestless noble and former criminal - which strongly suggests that most of his anger/hatred comes from envy for the power and prestige associated with having a Crest. Holst's feelings regarding the Crest system are never explicitly stated, but it is telling that the Book of Crestology is one of Holst's disliked gifts in Hopes. In Golden Wildfire, while Holst doesn't oppose the Church of Seiros as a whole, he also says "to accept the teachings of Seiros unquestioningly is to abandon reason itself", suggesting that Holst disagrees with the Church on at least some issues - as such, say, the importance of Crests. Yet unlike Miklan, Holst holds no resentment towards Hilda for being born with a Crest when he wasn't - if he does, he hides it very, very well. Which poses an interesting possibility: could Holst's protectiveness and excessive declarations of affection towards Hilda be compensation for any ill will he may have felt towards her in the past, even if he never acted on it? Or a reactionary psychological response to whenever he does feel resentful towards her? (I.E. countering any impulse to hate/hurt Hilda with the reminder that he DOES love his sister and wants to keep her safe.) Another possibility is that seeing Balthus getting along well with his crestless half-brother is what convinced Holst that Crests don't have to get in the way of him having a good relationship with Hilda.

I've written a lot on this topic already, but I just want to share some final thoughts: Azure Gleam shows that Miklan could have easily become a renowned general like Holst if given the investment and opportunity, especially the Reunion at the Fortress City chapter (where Gwendal calls him "Sir Miklan" after Miklan dies out of respect for Miklan's skilled defense of Arianrhod while it was under siege by the Empire). And if Miklan could've turned out like Holst, then Holst could've turned out like Miklan. And yet Holst was able to rise above his family's and society's expectations to become a great general, while Miklan was unable to move past his resentment and blamed others for circumstances of birth beyond anyone's control. What made the difference? We may never know for sure. Perhaps it was something inherent to who they are as people; perhaps it was one of the reasons listed above; perhaps it was multiple reasons or something else entirely. Comparing what little we know about these two still provides us with a fascinating character study, and I wish we knew more about them, their families, and their early years so that we could dive even deeper.

[ruinedgautier]

litavain doodles!! i missed them a lot i hope they're having a good day (they're not)

[claudvain]

You’re talking about Sylvain, right? Huh. Are he and I really that similar?

[cielenruine]

aloe :   how does your muse handle grief ?

Do not let your sorrows still your sword, let them be the strength that guides it. He cannot falter, the lands do not allow for such sentimentality. Though he may be the one to bury the dead, to live on carrying their memories and recounting their tale, he cannot let it stop him, cannot let it sway him. He must continue on in their stead, pushing forward just as they would have should they yet live. In his younger years, grief drove him to do horrid things, to make decisions that worsened things for all...now he has learned. His grief is meant only for him. To let someone see it would be to push his weakness onto them...weaken them for his sake. He cannot allow it. There were times where he was not so well composed, where things slipped...or perhaps it was just the nature of one's own children to understand when their parent was behaving oddly...whichever it was, he did not know... All he knew was he couldn't allow it. Small hugs meant to comfort were met with scolding. Chides and gentle pushes to remove them from him. They couldn't be weak...it was best they learn that now

[oliverniko]

Devotion ❤️💙

[edns]

4, 6, 17 for the ask game!!!

Who would they most like and most hate to study with and why?

Cyan never managed to start his studies in the Academy properly before the Agarthans snatched him away, but... He was looking forward to spending more time with Dimitri and Dedue! However he was Not looking forward to having to spend even more time with Felix. Also did not vibe with Ingrid, they got into fights at some point. As for everyone else he was excited to meet them! Annette especially grew fond of Cyan and she called herself and him "The Ginger Team" when they tried studying magic together... Too bad he was no longer a ginger post timeskip. Or Cyan. Or a friend to anyone :( (or so he thought)

Would they get along with Byleth or Shez better?

OBLIGATORY "I HAVE NOT PLAYED 3HOPES" DISCLAIMER HERE I think Shez tbh. They seem to have some. Things in common... Though my knowledge of Shez is very limited but I know for a fact Cyrus is extremely wary of Byleth and sees them as a threat that can disrupt his plans (and they kinda do. Unknowingly). Idk enough about Shez to answer this question coherently

What sort of things do they find funny?

Cyrus has a really weird sense of humor, he enjoys Alois-style stupid puns and sometimes he would just. Say really strange things thinking it would be funny. Like saying "I will decimate you" when someone mildly annoys him. People think it's a little scary but he's just being funny in his head

[bourgeoning]

we  are  so  glad  to  see  you  safe  ,  LIEUTENANT COLONEL SYLVAIN DE LA TRÉMOÏLLE  of  FRANCE  !  it's  dangerous  out  in  the  world  these  days  ,  but  i  hear  that  you  are  ADROIT  and  UNDAUNTED  enough  to  handle  it  .  just  don't  let  your  RESENTFULNESS  bring  you  down  !  stay  on  your  guard  ,  because  with  your  secret  being  at  risk  for  exposure  ,  you  wouldn't  want  everyone  to  find  out  YOU KILLED YOUR DOPPELGANGER AND ASSUMED HIS IDENTITY  .

BASICS .

BIRTH  NAME :  émile zhihao sun  .

FULL NAME : sylvain lucrèce de la trémoïlle .

NICKNAMES  &  ALIASES :  VIVI and SYLVIE are both childhood nicknames employed by members of the la tremoille family . their mother would sometimes call them EMMY when they were young .

TITLES & OCCUPATION :  lieutenant colonel of the french armed forces , heir apparent to the duchess of thouars  . comfortable being referred to by his military title or " my lord . "

BIRTHDAY  &  AGE :  november 14  (  35  )  .

GENDER :  demi man  .

PRONOUNS :  he / him / his and they / them / theirs  .

ORIENTATION :  bisexual biromantic , polyamorous  .

STATUS :  unwed .

LANGUAGES SPOKEN : french , mandarin chinese , spanish , others .

TRAITS :  adroit , undaunted , resentful , magnetic , duplicitous  . neutral evil .

INSPIRED BY : patrick jane ( the mentalist ) , mizu ( blue eye samurai ) , charles sun ( the brothers sun ) , the prince and the pauper , the cain complex .

HISTORY .

TL;DR : a man born with nothing schemes seeks everything they ever wanted , no matter the price / an injured wolf found at your doorstep — you may let it in , may nurse it back to health , but remember that a wolf will always be a wolf .

born in china , the product of a torrid love affair between a local woman and a sailor . émile quickly learned that they had an older brother once ; their mother's son , from well before she met émile's father . he was gone long before they were born , yet his ghost haunted the child nonetheless . nothing they did seemed to be good enough for their mother , as she cited all of their older brother's feats at their age .

eventually , émile and their mother uprooted their lives and set out for france , their father's home country . they never found the man , but their mother became a laundress for the duchess in a city called poitiers , and there , émile met the duchess' eldest son , sylvain . the first remark , even before greetings , was that their resemblance was uncanny .

as the children played together , puerile antics led to a proposition : to switch clothes , to switch places . with noble parents and an overworked , perpetually grieving mother respectively , the ruse wasn't so difficult to keep up . especially when sylvain was allergic to study , content to live out his days mingling with the common people instead . so émile spent swathes of time in sylvain's shoes ( and pants , and shirt , and the rest of his clothes ) . they even studied his reading materials in their free time , as themself .

the duchess noticed the apparent change . her son , who had suddenly taken an interest in his lessons , in being her heir , became her pride and joy . and émile , masquerading as sylvain , basked in her praises , things they were so unaccustomed to hearing from their own mother .

as  sylvain and émile approached  young  adulthood  ,  their  similarities  were  becoming  fewer  and  far  between  .  they  were  becoming  their  own  people  ,  and  ideas  had  been  swirling  around  émile's  mind  for  quite  some  time  .  they  already  spent  so much  time  as  sylvain  ,  were clearly  worthier  of  the  title  he  was  born  with  .  so  ,  émile  devised  a  plan  .  when  the  two  of  them  swapped  clothes  for  the  final  time  ,  émile  led  sylvain  out  into  the  forest  and  struck  him  down  ,  marking  up  his  face  just  enough  for  his  identity  to  be  ambiguous  .  then  ,  they  ran  .

at  20  ,  émile  returned  to  poitiers  —  claiming to be the long - lost  sylvain  .  no  longer  a  boy  ,  but  a  young  man  ,  surely  he'd  gone  through  enough  change  that  his  appearance  would  hold  up  to  scrutiny  .  weaving  together  a  story  was  much  simpler  ,  anyway  ;  already able to  answer  obscure  questions  about  boyhood  , any gaps could be easily filled in .  and  the  duchess  fell  for  it  wholeheartedly .

once  settled  in  ,  they  expressed  interest  in  enlisting  in  the  army  ,  despite  the  duchess'  protests  .  she'd  only  just  gotten  them  back  ,  why  must  they  leave  again  ?  but  they  insisted  , citing a family history of military service .  really , though , they wished to feel wanted for something . something they couldn't find neither in poitou , nor as they wandered the far corners of the world . so  ,  after  completing  their  studies  , off  they  went  .  over  time  ,  they  rose  through  the  ranks  as  a  member  of  the  cavalry  .

but recognition for their martial achievements , evidently , wasn't enough . not before the reckoning , and certainly not after . they needed more , and set their sights on more lucrative targets , and on opportunities outside of the country he had come to call home .

HEADCANONS .

wanting to one - up the brother he never knew propels nearly every aspect of sylvain's life .

sees  his  biological  mother  on  occasion  ,  as  she's  still  on  the  la  tremoille  payroll  after  all  these  years  .  sometimes  he  wonders  if  he  needs  to  tie  up  that  particular  loose  end  ,  but  it's  been  years  since  he's  seen  any  spark  of  recognition  in  her  eye  .  which  just  …  makes  him  feel  even  worse  tbh  . but there's still an innate desire within sylvain to win her favor .

the  la  tremoille  family  is  known  for  its  influence  —  as  military  leaders  ,  as  politicians  ,  as  friends  to  the  orléans  .  they've  been  a  fixture  of  the  french  court  for  centuries  .

being  a  cavalryman  ,  they  are  also  ,  naturally  ,  a  horse  girl  (  gender  neutral  )  .  they've  got  one  mount  with  them  :  their  war  horse  ,  areion  .  normally  ,  they  also  have  at least one  hack  for  everyday  activity  ,  but  considering  the  distance  from  home  ,  and  resources  required  to  spoil  take  care  of  multiple  horses  ,  they  elected  to  only  bring  areion  along  .

has fully adapted to living as sylvain , and doesn't even react when he hears the name " émile . " rarely , overhearing " emmy " seems to get a moment of pause out of him , but it's more confusion than anything else . he'll shrug it off as hearing the name of " an old friend . "

NAME & ETYMOLOGY .

ÉMILE : french form of the roman family name aemilius , which is derived from the latin aemulus , " rival . "

ZHIHAO : from chinese . it combines 志 ( zhì ) " purpose , will , determination , " and 豪 ( háo ) " brave , heroic , chivalrous . "

SUN : from 孫 ( sūn ) , " grandchild , descendant . "

SYLVAIN : french form of silvanus , derived from the latin silva , " of the woods . " silvanus was a roman cognomen , as well as the name of the roman tutelary of forests .

LUCRÈCE : french form of lucretius , possibly from the latin lucrum " wealth , profit . "

( DE ) LA TRÉMOÏLLE : unknown . descended from la trimouille , the name of a village in poitou , france .

named after my second favorite blue lion from fe3h .

WANTED CONNECTIONS .

HIS YOUNGER SIBLINGS ( ALSO ON THE MAIN ! ) : aware  that  sylvain  had  a  lookalike  when  he  was  younger  ,  perhaps  they have  suspicions  about  his  return  over a decade ago .  despite any distrust , sylvain tries to be a good big brother , in his own way . they are influential  at  court  , within france and / or abroad ,  as  part  of  the  ambitious de  la  tremoille  brood  .  21  to  33  .

A CHILDHOOD FRIEND : someone who knew sylvain well before he became the person he is today ( when they were still just émile ) , and doesn't even realize because he's changed so much ? but he remembers them . and in spite of all the walls he's put up , all the terrible things he's done , he still holds a tenderness for them . essentially , he'll still screw them over if he needs to , but he would think twice about it .

SHIPS IN THE NIGHT : there's  a  four  or  five  year  gap  in  sylvain's  life  they  refuse  to  speak  of  .  during that time  ,  they  traveled  ,  returning  to  china  for  a  stretch  of  time  .  if someone crossed paths with him at the time , they would have witnessed a young man trying  to  find  purpose  ,  seizing  every  opportunity  they  could  to  get  ahead  ,  and  fighting  to  survive  .

ENEMIES & ADVERSARIES : not eager to burn a bridge unless he absolutely must , that certainly doesn't mean sylvain is without enemies . i'd also love to see someone he spurned in his pursuit of power , maybe turning down a betrothal with them in favor of finding a royal to marry instead .

[archer3-13]

Its often on my mind, but i do find it generally odd how resistant people are to liking characters that can also be classified as 'bad people'.

yeah theres the matter of fandom purity culture and its growing if curious 'puritanical' tendencies as of late, but i do mean it in a very broad sense of people coming down hard on and vehemently denouncing characters who are bad people when that bad person aspect of their character is an intended design function and not a bug the author of the text somehow missed.

and to clarify from the gate, theres a major difference between being an unlikable character and a character who is a bad person. The two categories often overlap, and certainly authors will often missread aspects of their characters they are writing, but there is a difference and often times a character is a bad person for a specific reason [whether it be thematic, plotting or what have you]

luke in tales of abyss for instance is during the beginning portion of the story a bad person. hes rude, crude, egotistical, childish and all around annoying. that luke is a bad person is pivotal to the plot of tales of abyss, as its luke being a bad person that helps facilitate tragedy near the middle of the games story per the villains overall goal. it is also pivotal to the themes of tales of abyss, on matters of redemption and self improvement, on the question of nature vs nurture, self actualization etc etc.

thats a fairly tame example mind you, and an important aspect of lukes character writing is how the story applies a lot of scrutiny to lukes moral character. it just baffles me how deeply people will often let parasocial relations with fictional characters get so deeply personal/invested to the point they take everything as a representation or indication of their own morality and moral fibre depending on what they do and dont like.

mind you to an extent i think it stems from a very 'adolescent' mindset on these things and a general learned social condition people absorb from others in fandom [cause i remember that being the case for myself when i was younger]. its just, critical textual analysis and fandom in general becomes less fun if the sword of damocles is ready to fall on your head the moment you happen to like a rotten bastard.

mind you, im not gonna declare it illegal to dislike characters based on moral judgements. i dislike a number of characters based on moral judgements like the fickle ass i am, but i dont think its a good rule to use as a be all end all of who you should and shouldn't like.

[avil1o]

oh the light on his hair, he's so handsome ♥️

late night study session

[maligns]

❝ i know what i was in those days: vengeful, merciless." ( dmitri to sylvain)

@tempestflames / meme id. : sylvain gautier

he isn't wrong . dimitri states the fact like he's begging for comment ; for reassurance . it subsumes him in nostalgia . that summer haze , four children with hands muddied & cheeks pinkened , dimitri's wide blue eyes & effortless grin . sylvain remembers : he'd thought that even as his life spiralled out of his control , he could , at the very least , have this for himself . today , he wavers between ten & twenty , going on thirty . eyes meeting a pair of dulled sapphires over a council table . they are both tired .

" i know . " sylvain says , muted . he'd tried his best to deal with the fallout as he always did then , but his methods only pale as a distraction , for himself & for others -- he knows well . a tang of frustration wells up , like blood in a cut . the intended recipient isn't dimitri , nor himself -- it's the age old burn of anger in light of the shitty hand of cards dealt to them by lady luck . to hell with her . he tries to inject kindness in his tone , a jagged , broken boy with his endless masks . " i ... i know . but it doesn't matter . " is this what dimitri wants from him ? the words on his script don't quite align , wavering on the page . he could be wrong . " as long as you're here with us all now , your highness . i promise i'll stand by you . "

it's true ; he would follow dimitri to the ends of the earth , but not for the reason the man thinks . not out of loyalty / belief , or trust . it's something deeper than that . it's a desperation for dimitri to be alright , to be his constant ; lest he lose himself . dimitri , he wants to call out , but the syllables catch in his throat . he doesn't know how to be himself anymore , after pretending for so long . eventually , he settles for , " i'm glad you're doing better . " it's the most genuine thing he's said this whole conversation . he's trying .

[hauntedaeon]

I love minor little detail headcanons. Like things that don’t really affect much but can make for fun things to include.

Like what if Sylvain is lactose intolerant but he doesn’t tell people because he doesn’t want to get special treatment even during the academy days. Mercedes notices though and if she slips him a different meal with no dairy every now and then that’s between them.

Or maybe Hapi was born with a minor tremor in her hands and is self conscious of her handwriting so Constance taught her a signature that was easier for her and kept raving about how gorgeous and fit for a noble it is.

Maybe Felix has minor sensory issues and can’t stand the texture of his dorm blanket so Dimitri gives him a new one under the guise of it being just sewing practice with Mercedes and he knows Felix gets really cold in the winter (even though Felix is also from Faerghus? Well Dimitri isn’t a good liar).

What if Byleth has issues connecting names to faces at first so Ignatz offers to draw little labeled sketches for Byleth to go off until they memorize them. And maybe Byleth studies them like they’re the student because they feel bad for not remembering which of their students are which.

Just little details.

[dvrtrblhr]

Any combination of Claude/Sylvain/Yuri/Hubert/Edelgard/Byleth playing chess?

the chess game (8)

this is the sort of concept that is really hard to pull off in a short amount of time (for me). but i decided to try it because i already wanted to study charles bargue's 'the chess game'. so this is a very initial stage of the study. it will need several hours of work to look even remotely acceptable, but, for this challenge, this is enough i guess!

[punkforkos]

@deityofhearts Thank you sm!! ;w; (and ty for all of your sweet comments on your reblogs!! <33) Have this lil extra doodle as a treat

And here's that extra context you requested!! (And the full writing pieces if anyone was interested in that!)

*Note: This is gonna require a bit of backstory and some characterization explanation, so hopefully I can summarize it in a way that won't bore you!!

Intro to the characters:

Sylvaine:

She/They/He, Unicorn Tiefling

College of Lore Bard

Nobleborn but got kicked out to the streets because he was taking the lifestyle for granted. Has a bit of a mean girls demeanor, but is also much more self-aware and was in the process of improving himself when he met Solaire.

Has a very big "I can fix him" attitude GHDJK but also knows her limits. They have the patience of a saint.

Solaire: (my character!)

He/Him, Pink Tiefling

Phoenix Sorcerer

Nobleborn, was the golden child of the family because of his powers but got kicked out (temporarily) because he and his older brother tried to murder each other and the family needed to try and salvage their image. (I have an animatic about this, actually!! I'll be posting it here on tumblr soon :D)

Solaire's powers came from a phoenix elixir his mother drank when she was pregnant with him... she had been sickly and used it to heal herself. When Solaire was born, he was VERY sickly too but the elixir gave him the ability to survive the sickness and also blessed him with powerful innate fire magic. He is chronically ill and has to manage his symptoms constantly. There's a lot more I can say on this but that's good for now!

Important Context: Solaire's family is an absolute nightmare. His father praised him for his powers but shunned him for his illness. The family cares more about image than anything and Solaire adopted this mentality because it was all he knew. This is why he doesn't realize anything is wrong with him! And why he has such an intense ego / behavior issues / self-perception issues. He can't handle when things don't go his way, can't handle being anything less than perfect, is disgusted by messes, hates that he is ill, hates when people see him as weak or vulnerable, doesn't know how to resolve any of this.

THAT BEING SAID!! The context behind the writing itself:

Solaire and Sylvaine first met during a three-shot battle royale event. This event was hosted by a vampire named Vito, who wanted a little extra excitement / entertainment in his life, so he plucked a bunch of adventurers and put them into an arena to duke it out. Solaire was extremely confident that he would prevail as the winner, and he easily swept the board in the first round, but the other two were way more taxing,,, and Vito made an absolute fool out of him in the last round, biting him as a power move (but not turning him into a vampire). Sol was cursed to see his failure replaying in an orb that would hover around him henceforth. Note: Sylvaine and Solaire never killed each other during the battle royale! They both took a liking to each other immediately and when the events concluded, they decided to travel together and eventually ended up becoming partners! (And Sylvaine also realized how messed up this dude was and planned on making him a project,, he needed the help and she wanted to be the one to give it to him.) This writing piece explores their dynamic after the battle royale event & how Solaire feels about the bite and the shame of being humiliated in such a way.

And! If you're not tired of reading yet, here are the writing pieces my friend made for this!! They're an extremely talented writer and they understand Solaire so well <33

If you made it this far: Thank you for reading all of this!!! It means a lot

He doesn't claw at her-- he doesn't hold on at all. He just stands there, limp, almost hiding. The blood from his neck seeps into her clothes and she whispers a healing spell as she holds him.

Drew a small moment from a piece my friend wrote for these two!! Solaire can't stand being seen at his most vulnerable,,, but Sylvaine will always be there to meet him where he falters.

>> my carrd | ko-fi | inprnt <<

[ruinedgautier]

I FINISHED MY STUDIES AND IM SO EXCITED TO START AN ACTUAL CAREER JOB!!!!! i'm v excited, and i drew an insurance agent sylvain with annette while I was finishing up studies to cope with how stressed I was 😪😪