#askcerulea

I realized most of the Evangeline royal family is obscured behind makeup and headwear, so for the sake of having accurate references, I went ahead and scribbled this up.

Lazuline's self-conscious about her tiny eyebrows, so she overcompensates by drawing big caterpillars on her face lol.

Teal tries to copy her mom's hairstyle, but can't quiiiite get it right. Fitting for her character.

It's a shame Cerulea makes Teal and Cyana cover up their freckles with all that dumb clown makeup because I think they look so much cuter with them!

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

If they were all magically teleported to Uekoro, I think the first thing they'd do is complain about the heat/humidity. Average temps in the Blue Valley are around 50-70f, while Uekoro is more like 80-100f. They'd all be sweating buckets in their layered dresses, thick makeup running down their faces, wishing to dress modestly because of their culture but suffering miserably because of it.

Azura's wearing a typical Matuzan crop top and loin cloth. "If you ladies want to borrow some of my clothes, just say so. You must be dying in those dresses!" she tells them.

Scandalized, Lazuline's like, "But auntie, we can see your...[whispers] knees!"

Saphirra tries seducing Jelani, but just creeps him out. He's been around the block enough times to know batshit-crazy when he sees it.

Clementino has attached himself to Teal and cannot be extracted. He's like a barnacle. She just has to carry him everywhere now or he starts screaming louder than a volcanic eruption.

Cyana is a little too intrigued by the harem ladies...

Marine and Tyger are raising hell together. They cause 400k in property damages within 10 minutes.

Skylie is reading to Rustafi. He throws a tantrum because he didn't like how the story ended. Skylie makes up a new, better ending on the fly and he instantly calms down.

Cobalt is terrified. He's scared to move, speak, or do anything at all, because he's never been away from his mother before and everything here is so alien to him. Eventually Azura reassures him and he ends up having the time of his life at the palace. He never wants to go home.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Cyana:se supone que un detector de mentiras, que dice la verdad

Cerulea:no importa ahora, te mostraré otro pretendiente

Cyana:*suspiro*

[me gustan las mujeres, vieja ridícula]

Cerulea:aaahh!! Cyana, deshonrada a nuestro pueblo, lo que hago es por tu futuro

[en verdad no me importa nadie de esta familia, lo único que me importa es el dinero que puedo obtener de ustedes]

Marine y cyana:madre!

Teal:no le griten así a madre, ella es la que tiene la razon

[en verdad no me importa nada lo que diga está vieja, solo lo hago para complacerla]

Marine:teal...

[marine, te comprendo. Cuando tenía tu edad, también era muy torpe y me metía en muchos problemas solo para que nuestra madre me diera atención. Marine, te quiero mucho]

Marine:ooww teal, yo también te quiero, aunque seas tonta

(Translated with Google Translator)

Cerulea: What was this thing? Cyana: supposed to be a lie detector, telling the truth Cerulea: it doesn't matter now, I'll show you another suitor Cyana:*sigh* [I like women, you ridiculous old woman] Cerulea: aaahh!! Cyana, disgraced to our people, what I do is for your future [I really don't care about anyone in this family, the only thing that matters to me is the money I can get from you] Marine and cyana: mother! Teal: Don't yell at mother like that, she's the one who's right. [I really don't care at all what this old woman says, I only do it to please her] Marine:teal...[Marine, I understand you. When I was your age, I was also very clumsy and got into a lot of trouble just so our mother would give me attention. Marine, I love you so much] Marine: ooww teal, I love you too, even if you're stupid

This is such a fun look into their family dynamic! Oh, the chaos a device like this would cause lol.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

-ay, como le digo esto...? Ehm, su majestad, le traigo noticias de la princesa azura

-*suspiro* dígame, que cuenta de ella

-bueno, esto no me lo creo ni yo. La princesa azura.....se caso con un rey de matuzu

-*recalculando* eh...que!?

-si, yo tampoco me lo creo

-ay, encima con un matuzano....*toma aire y repone su compostura* bueno, ¿Eso es todo?

-hay algo, más, tuvo hijos

-*respira Ondo* adivinare, otra niña

-eh.....de hecho.....fueron tres varones

-*aguantando* discúlpenme un momento *se retira a sus habitación* AAAAAAAHHAHAHHAHAH *grito de vieja al enterarse de esto*

Posdata:me gustaría ver la opinión del resto de la familia

(Translated via Google Translator)

(Note: In this case I did some of my own editing because Google did not do a very good job...Apologies if I messed anything up! Sometimes Google Translator spits out something incomprehensible so I have to guess.)

How I imagine Indiga's reaction when she found out about Azura's children: -Oh, how do I say this...? Ehm, your majesty, I bring you news of Princess Azura. -Indiga: -*sigh* tell me, what is it? -Well, I don't even believe this. Princess Azura...married a king of Matuzu. -Indiga: *recalculating* eh...what!? -Yes, I don't believe it either. -Indiga: Oh, on top of that with a matuzano...*takes a breath and regains her composure* well, is that all? -there is something, more, she had children. -Indiga: *breathes Ondo* I'll guess, another girl. -eh.....in fact.....there were three boys. -Indiga: *holding on* excuse me for a moment *retreats to her room* AAAAAAAHHAHAHHAHAH *old woman screams when she finds out about this* PS: I would like to see the opinion of the rest of the family

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Sounds about right to me! Indiga and Cerulea were both so irritated when they heard about Azura's marriage and children. I think Indiga was more disappointed, while Cerulea was probably angry and jealous.

Cerulea married an old misogynistic preacher who looks like a leather bag and treats her like an idiot...Azura married a rich hunky king who treats her like a queen.

Cerulea gave birth in a cold hospital with dark age "medicine" that probably did more harm than good...Azura gave birth on a sunny tropical beach, doped up on magic potions to take away her pain.

Cerulea begrudgingly endured sex with Rodrig's ugly old ass over and over, struggling for years to birth one son, and he may not even be a son at all...Azura happily jumps Jelani's bone and pops out 3 sons at once, first try.

Cerulea's kids constantly annoy and disappoint her, and she resents them for not meeting her strict expectations...Meanwhile Azura loves her kids unconditionally and is proud of their individuality, imperfections and all.

I imagine Cerulea is fuming over all this. It chaps her ass every single day. She feels like she did everything "right" by obeying her mother and living by the holy Lindist doctrine...yet her heathen sister's life is still leagues better than hers, and Cerulea is too narrow-minded to understand why.

When she heard about the birth of her three nephews, she probably faked a polite smile and acted reserved as ever. "Hm. It's a shame their father is a foreigner, isn't it? If only my little sister cared about our kingdom the way I do. Excuse me for a moment..." then she retreats to her bedroom, softly closes the door, and just...angry-white-woman.gif

Rodrig uses the news as an opportunity to push his agenda. He writes a sermon about how Matuzans don't respect Lindist values and their whole culture is backwards. Deep down I think he is truly, deeply jealous of King Jelani, with his hot young wife, triplet male heirs, and free culture. He expresses this jealousy by writing scathing sermons about him.

When Lazuline heard the news of her triplet cousins' births, she just felt sad that she couldn't spend time with them. She desperately wishes her family would put aside their differences and get along.

Saphirra has the big horny for Jelani, but can't admit it because she knows her parents will disapprove of her thirsting over a foreign noble, especially one that is already married, and who they personally hate. But Saphirra's crush is as subtle as an atomic bomb, so they already know. Everyone knows. And they are disappointed in her--but not even slightly surprised.

Teal just parrots all the scathing things her mother says about Azura without having any opinions of her own, because she's not intelligent enough to think critically about anything. Danus simply agrees with his wife because it's easier than listening to her bitch at him. He really doesn't care about any of this drama. Frankly neither does Teal, but she has to pretend she does to please Mommy.

Cyana is fascinated by her aunt Azura, but is also forbidden from talking to her without her mother's supervision. Cerulea knows Azura will fill her head with "lies". I think Cyana would be very motivated to break the rules and contact Azura anyway.

Marine wants to meet the triplets and be "the best cousin ever". Cerulea tells her she is not allowed to interact with babies because she's too clumsy and she'd injure them somehow. Marine tantrums over this and accidentally breaks her own arm doing so. Point proven.

Skylie is too young to care about any of this family drama, she's off in her own little dream-world. I think she will care more when she's older and she realizes her auntie Azura may be her ticket to a better life.

Cobalt doesn't care about this either. The poor kid already has so much to worry about! I bet Cerulea and Indiga try not to talk about Azura around him at all. She's just "that bad lady who makes Mommy and Gramma mad". He may not even know he has cousins.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

I feel like Emli and Trista would get along really well. They're both spoiled, melodramatic little shits. Emli is a lot smarter though. Marine gets bossed around by Trista and Trista gets bossed around by Emli. Together they are a whirlwind of deliquency.

Kast, OJ, and Cyana form a moody teenager clique and talk about how awful their parents are.

Azura respects Kobi a lot. She isn't sure if she agrees with her cause, but she respects her passion and bravery nonetheless. They would have a lot to talk about. Jaq and Winnue could get on in this group too. They're the rebel clique.

Cerulea's girls are freaking out over all the minotaur tiddies just floppin' around in the open. Cyana pretends to be offended, but is secretly peeping the hell out of Naduna. 👀

Emli bullies all the younger kids relentlessly (Cobalt, Nate, and Azura's triplets). Kast eventually gets tired of her crap, so he spills punch on her pants and accuses her of peeing herself. All the other kids laugh at her and she runs away in tears.

Thetos wouldn't be at the gala, but if he was, I feel like he and Kast would hang out. They do canonically go to the same boarding school in Sodergen, so I intend for them to be friends in a future story. Kast is a moody little punk and Thetos is a happy cinnamon roll, so they have a fun dynamic together.

Hestal and Keatto are comparing muscles, arm-wrestling, and trying to out-macho eachother like idiots. Their wives are all equally embarrassed and bonding over how dumb their husbands are.

Blomi and Naduna get drunk together and exchange beauty tips. Marghan asks to have a threesome with them, gets iced out by Blomi and headbutted by Naduna. He wanders off with severe head trauma, but no one notices because he's already a dumbass.

That's all I can think of at the moment!

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

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Cyana can wear her hair a lot of ways! A tactical braid would look cute on her.

I agree, Cerulea is quite pretty in my opinion. Her traditional Evangelite clown-makeup really does her a disservice...I laughed when you said she and Rodrig look like teachers because you're SO RIGHT! They look like mean, strict teachers in particular. Rodrig looks like he'll give you detention if you so much as fart in his class.

Teal having Down syndrome is an interesting thought I never considered! Unfortunately I don't think it would fit in to the existing lore, because Evangelite culture is not very friendly to those with obvious disabilities. Since her family has money, they would likely send her to live in a nursing facility and she would not be permitted to marry, as they would fear a man "taking advantage" of her condition.

If anyone has an intellectual disability, I would say it's most likely Danus. It may not be obvious enough to get him institutionalized, but his peers definitely suspect something is slightly "off" about him upstairs. I imagine he has some kind of mild, unspecified developmental delay. Teal doesn't have a delay, she's just intellectually lazy. She doesn't like to think too hard about anything, she'd rather be told exactly what to think and do. I think her face just looks odd here because 1) I drew it very quickly, and 2) her face is at a slightly downward angle, so her features look more "squashed" than they would if she was looking straight-on.

Cyana does look a lot younger without her makeup! She has a baby face, but she'll probably grow out of it as she gets older. We'll say she's a late-bloomer. She looks sad and tired here because she IS sad and tired, her life in Evangeline Kingdom sucks! But one day she will find happiness, one way or another. I'm determined to give her story a happy ending!

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

You mean her kids? I think they would all start freaking out because they're pampered rich girls who have never experienced untamed wilderness before. All they know is manicured lawns and gardens.

Lazuline throwing a fit because she walked into a spiderweb. Saphirra screeching because she got mud on her dress. Teal crying for her mommy. Cyana frozen in fear by the loose fae and gaians around her. Marine already got herself stuck in a tree somehow. Cobalt is just crying because his sisters are crying and it's scaring him...he's like 5, cut him some slack. :(

The only one not losing her shit is Skylie. In fact, she's having a great time! She's intrigued by these new surroundings, running around to talk to every stranger she encounters. She's the one who finds the Freelance Good Guys, who ultimately help the noblewomen get back home.

They're all relieved to be back in their homeland, except for Skylie, who decided she's going back when she grows up. I'm sure her mother is thrilled to hear that...

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

I'll take your experienced word for it! I declare autistic Skylie canon!

---> READ DARKWINGPHOENIX'S FANFIC ON AO3 <---

I just read your fanfiction, and I'm so impressed with the way you utilized the lore! You also characterized Indiga's family very well, they're all behaving pretty much the way I imagined. That little interaction between Cyana and Marine was perfect! I also like the way Cyana and Lazuline confide in eachother. Cyana trusts Lazuline like the mother she wishes she had. Even though they have their sisterly squabbles from time to time, they do share a common enemy: their overbearing parents. This is something they bond over, as they are both hiding secrets from them.

I realize this is only the first chapter but it's already so good, you've got me eager for more!

Here are some relevant lore tidbits that may or may not be useful to you:

-In addition to hand-copying Traditional Lindist texts, Lazuline also recruits the help of literate slaves to do it for her. The work is tedious, but the slaves are eager to do it because these texts are anti-slavery in nature, and spreading them to the public may help guide Evangelite culture in that direction one day. These texts also support women's rights and magic use for non-commoners, which are all things that Modern Lindism opposes.

-At some point, Lazuline's slaves learned to carve stamps out of wood or other scrap materials to make copying the texts faster. Each stamp contains one page of text. Obviously Lazuline must keep these stamps hidden when not in use.

-There are many illiterate people (especially slaves) in Evangeline Kingdom. So, Lazuline also spreads the texts by mouth. She does this by reading Traditional scriptures to groups of goblin slaves, then selling those slaves to masters all over the kingdom. Since goblins never forget anything they learn, they can recite these scriptures to other slaves they encounter while they work.

-Evangelites believe homosexuality is a literal disease that is spread by sexual activity between the same sexes. They believe victims cannot be cured, so they must be executed to contain the spread. However, exceptions are made for minors (in Evangelite culture this means under 16 years of age for humans), who are instead sent to special clinics to "treat" their disease (essentially conversion therapy). Evangelites believe there is a chance to cure the disease while the victim is still young, but once they are adults, it is too late.

Practically, this is meant to serve as a lesson to young gay Evangelites to shape up and pretend to conform, or else. It also offers mercy to children who contracted the disease through no fault of their own, such as in cases of sexual abuse. Less mercy is shown for adult victims, who are expected to "know better" and "protect themselves". Yes, victim-blaming is a rampant issue in this culture...

-Wealthy adults can also wiggle their way out of the death penalty by buying their way into special adult institutions, marketed as "quarantine centers" to keep the homosexual "disease" from spreading. The price is steep and they can never leave, but it does spare them from death. The royal family would certainly take this route with Cyana, and though these institutions offer cushy accommodations fit for the wealthy, the thought of being confined to them forever horrifies Cyana. These places are basically golden cages. Residents are closely monitored and all sexual activity is forbidden. Visitors are allowed, but they are watched the whole time to make sure there is no disease spread going on.

I imagine if Cyana's parents found out she was a lesbian, they would go on a rampage trying to find out who gave her the disease, and a lot of innocent slaves, castle staff, and townsfolk (especially the women Cyana hangs out with) would be executed without trial. I mean, just look at how they treated Saphirra's husbands: all imprisoned for life based on nothing but their daughter's accusations!

This fact alone scares the hell out of Cyana, so she is very careful not to get caught. She knows any woman she dates is in danger just by associating with her, and it plagues her with fear and guilt. This is why she dreams of just fleeing her kingdom entirely one day.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost