glady!! thank you bb <33 // oc questions

49 answered here!

1. What first impression do they typically make? Are they likeable from the get go, or take time to grow on people?

russo absolutely has go grow on people usually lmao. he tends to give the impression that he doesn't want to be where he is at that moment before he opens his mouth, and when he does it's a 50/50 shot of whether he'll try and be polite or just try and get to the point. he's not Mean, necessarily, just not the most tactful

16. Do they easily rely on others to help them out, or prefer doing everything themselves?

he's so, so bad at asking for help. it does not occur to him to do this at all. he is good at delegating tasks if he's part of a team, but if it would be helpful to, say, have somebody stir a pot of sauce while he's working on cooking something else, it Does Not occur to him to ask someone to keep an eye on that pot for him

the rest go under the cut!

yeah sure, why not? why shouldn't i respond to an ask that was sent literally a year and a half ago? // send a leaf and a question

taber's had crushes on more fictional people than real, and it would be difficult to say she's been in love before. she's always loved the idea of love, that unbreakable force that drives book characters to act like fools or monsters or gods, changing the world in the name of that One Person. it's beautiful, it's terrifying, it's comforting, it's painful. she's always sort of assumed that kind of love was going to stay out of reach for her, if it did exist

now, after she's been free from the broker -- and her family -- for two years, and she's found love for herself, she can safely say that the love she knows isn't like love in the books

aracelli and belasco are her first friends after felix, and she knows she would do quite a lot to keep them safe, but she's also learned that love also means helping her friends when they're in crisis and staying with them even when they aren't. zuzanna is the first person she's truly fallen in love with, and through her, she's been learning that love also means keeping herself safe so she can come home to her girlfriend. she, felix, and deniel have been rebuilding their own kind of family, and have been learning that love is being patient with each other and trusting each other, even when worrying about each other

1-3, 5, 7, 8 10, 15

Of Course i gotta answer this for the one who got me on the yakov train in the first place! // ship ask game

1. Describe their first date.

oh damn, it's been a minute but i Know they had a first date in the first book. i think it involved walking together in winter, stopping by a couple of shops just to check them out. in my own headcanon that wasn't a Date-Date, per say, bc it would've taken eloise a bit more time with him before deciding she wanted to be together properly

tbh, their actual first date would've probably been after winter vacation, and it was something similarly low-key and nice. a coffee/tea shop would be a good place to stop by, taking shelter from the cold and sorting out the What Are We question in a quiet atmosphere separate from school

2. Who wakes up early/Who sleeps in late?

honestly i feel like they both wake up pretty early. yakov has the vibes of not sleeping in very much unless something has happened, and eloise is much the same way. if anything yakov might sleep a little later than eloise usually, but not by a ridiculous amount. theoretically, just long enough for eloise to get breakfast for two started on the stove

the rest will go under the cut!

3. What was their first impression of each other?

yakov probably felt like eloise was asking a Lot of questions, which made sense once he learned she's new here but didn't make him want her to ask him personal questions any more than before. he was probably grateful when she didn't ask him too much, and curious how she was going to deal with this brand new environment

[ID: a reply to this post by @grapecaseschoices​ that reads: “all of capella’s pleasures are unguilty <- Iiar, crushing on Iea!” /end ID]

first of all, that implies that capella derives any pleasure from this crush. it is So Frustrating that they can’t get into fights with lea without feeling bad about Hurting Their Feelings or whatever, can’t have lea try to deal with people like duncan without their stomach dropping when she gets hurt, can’t seem to have a conversation with lea anymore without one or both of them getting upset

I do love how many asks you sent for my blorbos hehe, thank you!! // sixty-nine more questions for your ttrpg characters!

40. if you had to remake this character right now, how would you change them?

no joke, she would have had a french accent the entire time, possibly a very strong one. i might have also established her connection to felix more firmly from the start -- i had actually initially focused more on cora, the family's guard captain who taber'd had a crush on, as opposed to him. i think where those two are right now is solid enough even without a foundation from the start of the campaign, but making everything more cohesive would be fun, y'know?

52. how would they dress themselves up for a formal event?

now that she has the means to choose And the opportunity to go to such events, she likes to dress up very formally. floor-length ball gowns, subtle makeup, tasteful accessories -- accessories that might have been acquired through her jeweler girlfriend, if and whenever possible. there's a vague idea for dress blues that she'd have as a paladin in my head but nothing solid enough to state for fact, beyond a white half-cape

58. how often do they swear? do they mind when others swear?

she doesn't, generally! she'll say the occasional 'damn', sure, but she generally does not curse, to the point that belasco has half-jokingly said it would be illegal if she did (despite his own potty mouth lmao). she Does drop the occasional stronger curse word in corellic, which is the french equivalent in this universe. especially when talking with her family, and Especially when she's exhausted, she prefers to express herself that way in corellic

as mentioned, belasco swears quite a bit, and aracelli does too on occasion. neither of these things bother taber; she'd be more surprised if belasco decided for whatever reason to Not swear

59. what’s an element of their philosophy that you disagree with?

this question is tricky for me, bc taber's philosophy sort of developed alongside my own as we both kind of simultaneously converted to our faith. a lot of what she does is the idealized version of what i'd like to do, especially if i had the financial means for it

Ty dear!! 💕// OC ask prompts

14. Choose an AU you think would be interesting for them to be part of. Who would they be?

this is Way out of left field but i think eloise would have an interesting time in a pacific rim au, specifically because of the vulnerability required to be a jaeger pilot. it's not that she's never vulnerable, it's that she consistently puts other people's concerns over her own in an attempt to appeal to them so she can do her own thing. but you can't really do that if you want to successfully keep the world safe with your jaeger co-pilot (wonder what yakov would have going on in this au tbh, but i bet they'd still fall into each other one way or another)

another interesting one is dnd au tbh. she gives sorcerer vibes (reflavoured shadow magic sorcerer maybe? shadow/light to reflect duality in the keeper series' titles) but if given the full choice of it, she'd probably become a paladin

oh wait i'm dumb. she's a lightning elemental, she'd be a storm sorcerer lmao

15. Are they the type to adopt strays (animals or people)? What or who have they "adopted" over the years?

she's probably adopted a few stray animals yeah, lmao. i'll probably figure that out when i play more of the game. as far as stray people go, she does kind of feel that way about kol and katia in particular. she Loves adopting stray people and forming connections with them!

16. How do they take their baths/showers? Hot/cold, long/short?

ella likes to take a shower every day when she's able! she'll settle for every other day for a little while if she must, but if given the chance, she ends every day with a nice hot shower

17. Do they consider themselves a romantic? Why or why not?

honestly she Hadn't before coming to college. a big part of that is just the fact that she didn't make any time for romance for herself, and she ended up focusing elsewhere. she would have been in way over head with an overly romantic partner, but she's grateful to have a partner now whose main love languages appear to be quality time and acts of service instead of gifts or such like that lol

18. How has their hair changed over time? What is their favorite hairstyle?

she definitely had a bit of a bowl cut/helmet hair phase when she was too young to do her own hair, the sweet baby lmao. she's always had some form of straight bangs with her hair, and over the years her hair has grown longer. she's probably gonna start wearing it in a ponytail more often if she has to do more fighting in the future, but for now she prefers to just wear it down!

19. What do they wish they knew more about?

who her birth parents were as people, really. she knows their names, but she doesn't really know who they were or why they got together or what happened that killed them both. she's happy with the parents who raised her, don't get her wrong, there's just some questions she doesn't think she can get an answer to

20. How many friends do they have?

hiii thank you hon <3 // (oc interview questions)

1. Who makes up your family? How close are you to them?

"i'll spare you the frivolities and titles that make up the lamburn family name," taber responds, her tone carefully even. "high lady astrid and lord ciro, my mother and father, as far as anyone else knows, never had a child, so i won't bore you with more details about them. my cousins: high lady judoc, lord felix, and lady bryndis. i am... doing what i can to show judoc compassion, now that we can see ourselves on even footing. it hasn't been easy, however, given our history. bryndis, unfortunately... well. she was killed. she takes a steadying breath, and when she speaks again, her tone gets lighter: "felix was the one member of the family i was close to at any point in my childhood; he went out of his way to befriend me, and to be consistently kind to me. we're still close, to the point that he's helped me on more than one occasion with the adventures i've gotten myself caught up in, without a second thought on his part. "i haven't mentioned deniel yet. my junior by twelve years, the son my parents had in secret. ...we never had the chance to get close when we were living in the lamburn estate. in the span of just a couple of months, however, i think deniel has started to come into his own. i feel like i'm meeting him for the first time, when he and i talk. ...i'm eager to see who he becomes as he gets older."

2. Who is your best friend? Tell us about them!

"oh, well..." she looks down slightly and smiles, seemingly pleased with herself. "other than felix, i think i would say i've two best friends. aracelli, and belasco. "aracelli is possibly the steadiest person i have met. she's exceptional in a crisis, and it seems she surprises herself sometimes with her own wisdom. she and i have understood each other many times on... yes, i would say it is on personal matters. not to mention, i envy her skills in combat. i have never been good at archery, and here she is." she gestures as if demonstrating something. "with a bow she made herself, also. she is very impressive. "belasco, meanwhile... he is more difficult to describe. i think we understood each other better earlier into our friendship, in an odd way. ...we're very different people, ideologically," she admits. she shifts in the ensuing quiet. "i think his perspective is valuable to me, however. perhaps having someone who cares about me the way he does, yet still challenges me on occasion, is good for me. i trust him."

3. What is your favorite childhood memory?

"well... there have been a few good moments i think fondly of." she blinks and looks up -- it seems like she needs a moment to think about a specific memory -- but her face lights up after a moment, and she smiles softly. "ah, i know. i did not have tutors to teach me how to fight; what i know now, either i taught myself, or i was taught by felix. we used to spar often, usually with practice weapons. "he used to be able to defeat me very soundly; he was my teacher, after all. but he favoured a light blade and quick movements, while i was much better at attacking head-on. i got very good with heavier swords very quickly." her shoulders shake as she laughs quietly. "he didn't get better than me until we tried to fight with staves. he surprised both of us when he was able to put me on my back again. "but my point remains: with a heavier blade, i am better at fighting than the man who would later be given a title for his prowess." she squares her shoulders, her chin raised slightly with pride.

4. What is your least favorite childhood memory?

her expression falls completely. she shakes her head, dispelling the ease in her face. "...there are more least favourite memories than favourites, i'm afraid. hmm... overall, it's difficult to think of just one memory. judoc was... consistent in her dismissive, condescending treatment of me from the time we were young. i understand she had been upset and jealous of me, now, but back then... well, the reasons hadn't mattered then, and i suppose they don't matter much more now."

5. What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?

"well, i've always enjoyed reading. it's fortunate that i have such easy access to a robust bookstore in fallhaven. otherwise... well, when given the opportunity, i do enjoy just being able to take a walk. i've taken some long walks in the past, just wandering to see where i end up. it's been lovely."

6. What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?

"hm. once again with the difficult questions?" she observes, a single humourless laugh in her voice. "hmm... the hardest thing... as one answer, i would have to say that my paladin trial was very emotionally taxing. seeing two other versions of yourself, the sort of people you could have become had you made different decisions... it's the sort of event that makes you very aware of who you are as a person, and what you're capable of. it didn't help that i truly did not know what i was getting myself into. i had barely been religious beforehand, so to be given such a deeply personal trial was quite the shock. it must be known, i don't regret doing it, nor would i have changed a thing."

7. Who do you look up to?

A Bit is right, i believe what we have is a short remark about how he and daesung could be cute. tbh i do agree with that, they aren’t as perfectly matched personality-wise as kendis and fyfa in that i think dae is more boisterous than irvin, and i don’t think dae is weighed down by the same sense of guilt and duty that irvin is (though i’ll have to see how that holds up if and when i’m able to finish his kotsam run). but they also get along just so swimmingly. dae would absolutely call him Bro even if they’re actually in a relationship together skdjhg

but i also think that it would be sweet for irvin to have a soft place to land for a partner, and maybe someone who wears their heart on their sleeve more readily. (daesung does fit those boxes i would say, but you get me skdjsd). he could be a good fit for raz i think! and listen, i haven’t talked about her a whole hell of a lot on my blog (bc i have only played the intro of heroes of myth like... 0.5 times with her, oops), so bear with me: she’s a very earnest person, maybe kind of tired but she’s got such a warm heart and cares deeply for making the world a better place. i think these two could kind of fall into a trap of trying to please people, though raz i think would stick up for irvin if she noticed that’s what he was doing. they can take some solace in being quiet together, and i also think they’d be great at supporting each other in the difficult tasks they’ve got to do thanks to their respective duties