#yeah lets see how many complexes ellie can give her oc

[bunnibai]

... *sits down* Let’s talk about Ari’s relationship with love. 

Ari grew up with two parents who did not marry for love. Ari’s dad was a war hero and gifted a spot in the city, and her mother was from another city entirely to an upper class family; it was purely for money and status (particularly being a family of the same race, god forbid they end up with a mixed child). At least, this is the story Aridove was told. With the whole Luxon and Noxus thing, who knows if it’s true. Either way, don’t get it twisted; Ari’s parents never really loved each other. They rarely spent time together at all, even less so that Ari herself saw. But on the occasions she did see them together, it was never lovingly. It was like a business relationship, polite and cordial but definitely not in love with one another. Aridove never saw them kiss, or hug, or say I love you. It was like having two business partners living together. 

Aridove first learned that this wasn’t a normal thing with Edea? Edea herself wasn’t married, but she happily talked about her son and his grandchildren and it confused Ari at first, seeing pictures of them hugging and laughing and being in love. She didn’t get it, how something so business-oriented looked so magical. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but part of the reason Ari is so dead set on Lanna being her friend is because, to Aridove, marriage isn’t something you do because you love someone. She’s aware that that’s how it is in books and with most families, but only ever in theory. Never up close. You can be told that marriage is cute and lovely and magical over and over, but if you only hear about it through stories and books, it won’t seem any more real than other ideals like world peace or ending racism. It wasn’t real. And it definitely wasn’t real for her. 

Ari herself was told she was going to be married off from a pretty early age. She never really minded? She saw it the same way she saw her parent’s marriage; a business transaction. He was sweet enough, at least, from what Aridove saw. She was never ever in love with him, or even really liked him more than a pretty okay friend, but her standards were already so low she had wanted to quietly accept her marriage. At least maybe her and Thallan would be friendly after they were married. That would have been enough for her. 

We don’t talk about it enough, but Ari has a rebellious streak a lot bigger than she lets on. It’s hard to see when she’s surrounded by “5th regicide” gang but when placed in her home she broke a lot of rules, and it’s a miracle she was never killed. That rebellious itch was what she had blamed for the terrible, terrible feeling surrounding the marriage. The way she said and assured herself she didn’t mind, but would purposely dodge any of Thallan’s advances and turn him down when things like dates were ever brought up. It didn’t help that Lanna didn’t like him, and if Lanna didn’t like someone, Ari immediately got weary. Ari doesn’t like to talk about her least favorite birthday, but it’s when she sort of solidified the running-away-with-Lanna thing and really decided that marrying Thallan wasn’t in the plan. 

Did she ever think about marrying Lanna? Not once. To her, marrying Lanna would feel like she was ruining the relationship. Like she was taking something special and turning it into a business transaction. The idea of putting Lanna anywhere near Brinatia customs and traditions made her feel really uneasy and sick. And then after she died, people started teasing her about having a relationship with Lanna. A lot. Only one other person has ever really done this? But he was less “you need to marry her” and more “wow Lanna really deserves better” but like in a joking way (and I can go into more detail about this if y’all want, Olli isn’t meanspirited but if he’s ever openly nice to Ari assume he’s been replaced). Ari is suddenly thrust into this setting where marrying Lanna isn’t only a viable option, but encouraged. And she hates that. Or she did, anyways. 

That’s why she insists she’s straight, that her and Lanna are just friends. To be in a relationship, to add these labels she’s only ever seen be used in order to hurt and manipulate and trap. Well. 

That doesn’t sound like her and Lanna at all. 

If Laci doesn’t mind, I wanna place that conversation the night before they storm the ziggurat. Ari was dealing with a lot that night? A lot of feelings. I’m writing a meta about that next but Luxon really fucked her up in a way that she wasn’t expecting but she doesn’t want to say anything, but basically, she asked Quill what the ring was for? And Quill points Oukki out of the Order, and says that they were planning to get married. Ari says that it must have sucked, having to get married, but like? Quill seems to like Oukki? So Ari was confused. Quill tells Ari that Oukki was the best person, and Ari asks why they got married if that was the case. Ari goes on to explain that marriage ruins everything and Quill is like “no???”. She says marriage is taking two ribbons (pleading,,) and tying you both together and saying that they will be together no matter what. Ari starts stuttering and rambling and says that she’s never seen a marriage like that. 

Quill is. The least traditional person Ari has ever met besides maybe Lanna. I could go on and on about how Ari feels about Quill, but she’s definitely never seem Quill as someone to agree with stupid Brinatia customs. So to her it’s like, that really means something. That Quill spoke such good about it. And it’s the first time she’s ever really considered. 

...

...should she marry Lanna?