#;letters

I AM HERE FOR GWYNETH LORE. I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU. (One of these are your questions but I'm super curious.)

1: What is your favorite piece of lore? Pre-canon, mid-story, or post what you intend on writing, I'm not too picky. Something that you love dearly about Gwyn, whether that be because it's sweet or because you put lots of time into it and therefore it's important.

2: Does your OC's name have significance or reason it was chosen? Both from a meta/narrative perspective (why you, the creator, named them) or possibly from an in-world perspective (why their parents named them)? And what's their relationship with their name like? Do they like their name? Do they not think much of it? Would they rather be named or called something else?

aaAAAA FINALLY HERE D:< thank you so so much, crimson!!

1: what is your favorite piece of lore? pre-canon, mid-story, or post what you intend on writing. something that you love dearly about gwyn, whether that be because it's sweet or because you put lots of time into it and therefore it's important.

i have a hard time picking a 'favorite', and i think that's in line with my usual… "'favorite' is whatever has my curiosity and attention at the time" state (much like 'which turtle is your favorite', etc etc). soooo the bit of lore i'll share here, i'll share because it probably won't make it into the fic itself! i'll try keeping the context as tldr as possible:

there are liáfsian creatures i've been calling sithóran (placeholder name), which are wolf-like. when gwyn's young, she comes across several trapped pups, manages to communicate to the mother she's trying to help (at the cost of some warning bites), and gets the pups safely returned. over time, the pack welcomed her presence and would follow her around while she explored the forest.

fast-forward to the lore i wanted to share.

the morning gwyn and ash made their escape from the realm, darach had spotted them and sent a flock of beings to catch and kill gwyn. these (unnamed) things have hands that burn and mold flesh like clay, and they easily caught up to her as she fled through the woods. she could have died as they swarmed her had it not been for the sithóran, who ran to her aid and began tearing the creatures away from her. one of them guided her from the scuffle to the ruins, where she'd make a threshold portal and leave the realm behind.

the twins and the pack WILL be re-united at some point in the fic, though, and several of them will have burns from fighting off the creatures. the sithóran are extremely important to both gwyn and ash; not only were they one of gwyn's primary connections when she was young, but she wouldn't have escaped the realm alive without them.

since this would be a flashback sort of thing, i don't think there's a way to justify writing it into the actual fic as a scene—it'd throw off pacing.

gwyn's long had a large burn scar across her chest that's deformed her right breast (it's usually hidden by her shirt, but you might spot it in a few of my art pieces), and i need to account for this experience, too, when i get around to finalizing her design. she'd hide the scars with glamor, though; they'd make her stand out in a crowd, people would remember seeing her, ask questions, etc etc. the only reason she'd hide them would to better merge into a crowd; she's not ashamed, embarrassed, insecure about them from an appearance standpoint.

...HOPEFULLY that all made sense. i was trying to keep it as condensed and low-prose/detailed as possible.

2: does your OC's name have significance or reason it was chosen? both from a meta/narrative perspective (why you, the creator, named them) or possibly from an in-world perspective (why their parents named them)? and what's their relationship with their name like? do they like their name? do they not think much of it? would they rather be named or called something else?

from a meta standpoint, i went back and forth between 'gwyneth' and 'maeve' for a while and wound up choosing 'gwyneth', because 'maeve' could come with a nickname that sounds like 'may'.

the o'neil family already has a name-of-the-month theme going: april, uncle augustus, and june (this was going to be april's sister's name originally; jenn and i kept that instead of 'robyn'). i didn't want any kind of narrative implication that gwyn had a connection to the o'neil family, because… she doesn't.

as for 'aislinn', i chose her name almost immediately; it translates to "dream" or "vision"—both fitting words for ash's more ethereal presence. her nickname, 'ash', had narrative potential, too, from the perspective that her physical body's died and she needs to 'rise from the ashes'.

while both are celtic names, aislinn is irish and gwyneth is welsh; liáfsini pulls from celtic influence, with irish mythology/culture/history/language as the primary well. gwyn's name being welsh is another way to "other" her (intentionally on my part, unintentionally in-world).

in-world, aislinn was named by their parents. gwyn wasn't. it wouldn't be until they were old enough to… understand the hurt of not having a name that ash would give gwyn her name, and gwyn accepted it.

'gwyneth' means "happiness; white, fair". i might alter the spelling of her name, so it better matches liáfsian grammar, and i doubt that in-world their names have one-to-one meanings with their earth counterparts. but! from a meta standpoint: ash would have given gwyn a name with positive meaning. to their community, gwyn is seen as an ill-omen and a curse but, to ash, she's happiness. and the color white has strong association to the divine, deep and long-lasting emotion (i.e. hope or grief), and the most important member of the gentry would ride the white horse.

i've also read from a source or two that 'gwyn' is the masculine spelling and 'gwen' is the feminine spelling? unsure how legit that is, but--if true--i like it as a detail that compliments her genderqueerness.

'maeve', on the other hand, translates to "strong, intoxicating" or "she who intoxicates". fitting enough alias for gwyn during her travels, considering how she often uses flattery and charisma to work her company and get what she wants or needs, as well as the trail of harm she's left in her wake, intentionally or not.

ash is neutral about her name, i guess? she doesn't hold any strong feelings, positive or negative, about it. gwyn loves her name, because it was a gift from the one person who's always been by her side, who's always had her back and has always loved her. it is so, so special. which makes it all the more irritating that she often has to use aliases to better cover her tracks.

My dearest Roslyn,

I hope that this day finds you well. I write to you now for I have no one else to write to that would read my words and understand them as you would.

There comes a time in every man's life where one must check his conscience, to review the sins of his past and see how he would like to set himself up for the future. Turning points are beautiful, even if they bring one through the valley of death.

In this same vein, I believe I will get for myself a cat! I was enamoured the other day in seeing such cute mustelids, desiring an animal familiar for myself. However, in my current housing situation, it would be difficult to care for much else other than a small creature. I am drawn to cats, though I wonder what you think would fit me? So long as it can fit upon my shoulder, I believe it would do me well.

While I do think of how to care for a new animal, I am putting thought towards a place I can call my own, for the mantid, while they enjoy the things I bring them and the services I offer, are not kind to my presence, and I am not fond of their religiosity. The idea has come to me that I may become a smith's assistant, so I may learn a proud craft and make gold of my own!

I spoke with my brother the other day, and we did not come to a proper accord. It seems he wants little to do with me, but seems to value me highly enough to take on a project of his which is near and dear to his heart, and one I am wary yet Proud to take on. I wish I could have spoke with him more, though I do not see him as receptive to the idea. I did want to update you and say that I did indeed try to reach out, for he is family, and I love him dearly.

I did appreciate your coming over and spending time with me, of seeing me through my own mire of thoughts, so I sought to make you something worthy of your own countenance. While I was not able to make it of my own two hands as I had hoped to do, I did have a lovely Klaxxi smith assist in bringing my vision to life.

Your Stagehand,

Upton O. Goode

Enclosed was a small pouch made of green-tinged insectoid wings, and within the small pouch was a pendant of bronze and amber, life energy strong within.

tired,  sore,  rayan simply cuddles himself against akari's shoulder,  arms wrapping around her to keep her close.  he's missed her so very much.

unprompted. || always accepting

|| 明莉 || :: if it were someone else, the panther would have been startled and might even retaliate a bit more violently. however, the WARMTH from his body and his scent were more than enough to tell her exactly who it was. his embrace was accepted willingly, as the female instinctively let out a soft purr-like sound, face rubbing to his cheek like an affectionate feline she was.

four relationship headcanons meme | 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠!

This is probably one of the most complex relationships Créa has with anyone (and the most complex to write--just shows how much great writing Vez has!) so honestly there’s a million things I could write!!

        I really love just how much one brings perspective to the other, and I’d say it’s Vez who gives Créa more eye openers than she ever thought she’d have before. Being around Vez you’re guaranteed to learn something new and force your thinking to be a little different from what you’re used to. While Créa thirsts for any knowledge, some things can be more uncomfortable than others and force her to confront biases or beliefs she had before. (ie; Créa wanting to be forgiving and move on from the war, yet...not doing that when she learns of Vez’s past 😬)

        I like to think their personalities clash and confuse each other so much. They really are almost complete opposites in every way and it’s like watching water and oil interact. Of course after their falling out (if they ever had a ‘falling in’ to begin with) it’s to their detriment, but I think later when Créa’s cooled off enough, she doesn’t necessarily view it as a bad thing. They come from two entirely different cultures as well, which is something to account for.

        Their relationship is more than likely neutral after said cooling off, but once their children start being born I think things are a little warmer, at least on Créa’s end. The time for war and strife has passed, and wanting to make the world a better place for your children starts at home--and letting go of those grudges long seated is one of those steps. Things are probably still somewhat awkward but Créa either ignores or powers through it, until she assumes Vez is tired of her presence lol.

Gifts every day, of varying extravagance. Stefano was, without a doubt, spoiled for the entirety of his birth week. But this is different, and softer. “I want to be sincere, for a moment. Unabashedly open. You are so wonderful—so loved—and I am so lucky. I’m so grateful to have you.” His hand gently grasps at his, fingers linking. “This past week, I’ve organized things, planned things, knowing you’d like them, and it might seem counterintuitive, but I don’t have anything planned for today. (2/?)

Today, I want you to make all the decisions.” A gentle kiss is pressed to his lips here, something soft and warm and loving. “It is your day, after all. I’m here for you, whatever it is you want to do.” He presses his face into Stefano’s shoulder now, just breathing, just existing. “I’ve never felt so lucky. Thank you, for existing as you.” (3/3)

Knowing Shuu, Stefano should have predicted the dramatics leading up to his birthday. And yet, each day is filled with welcome surprises – many at a degree of extravagance he never would have requested himself. Shuu understands him well enough to know what he likes, and Stefano certainly isn’t the type to disagree with being doted on for a time.

But now, this quiet moment on the advent of the day itself, he finally feels as if they have arrived at a culmination of the preceding events.

All of Shuu‘s faces are beautiful, radiant, worthy of making every muse seethe with envy – but by far, the most lovely is the one he wears now – one of delicate happiness. That is the most profound gift he could ever have offered. 

“No, thank you,” he says at last, fondly smiling as Shuu leans into him. “I would not be here, as I am now, without you. You welcomed me into your life, and it has been like a magnificent dream. Not so long ago, I would have said that being this happy was impossible.”

There’s a pause, silence between breaths and heartbeats. 

!! Letter to !!Status: not accepting

Dear future me,

Honestly boy, hope you learned how to chill because you are so annoying right now. I hope you learned to be tougher and not take everyones shit anymore. You better tell me you didn’t let anyone force themselves on you. I know you left the bad vibes in the past. Boy you better improved your singing and dancing skills as well because your passion is the most important part of you. 

No bad feelings allowed! Stay strong dude! Friends and passion always come first.