Cassandra Appreciation Month - Prompt Week - Day 7: Legacy
Final piece of art for Prompt Week!!
This was probably my favourite to make (process wise), and my least favourite results wise.
Also not my best idea.... I didn't really know what to do with Legacy so I just drew a scene from the fic I did for today.
Quality probably isn't great because the image was too large for tumblr (fair). I compressed it but Tumblr wouldn't stop giving me errors until eventually I just took a screenshot of the original art and posted that (for some reason that worked).
So yeah, I tried.
I think if you stand back and squint this is a good piece of art XD
Please accept this as my humble contribution to Cassandra Appreciation Month.
Despite the nasty behavior that prompted it, it's nice to see the fandom stand together &I too wanted to do something nice for everyone &above all for you Cass fans.𖹭
When I started this drawing, I knew I wanted to draw a dynamic pose fitting for her character &her finale outfit as we saw so little of it. I actually had no idea what to do for the background at first &I struggled like crazy with her sword. But, in all honesty, I am pretty proud of how it came out. >:3
⤿ 🍓 ⌗ discussion : ' what the hair ' + ' great expotations ' !
gentle disclaimer : when it comes to these discussions, i wanna put ahead of time that a lot of these will be my personal interpretations !
please do keep in mind that my main goal here is empathy - understanding and appreciating cassandra as a character - not as criticizing or insisting my takes onto others regarding her character or writing 🥹🩷
┆ ⤿ ☀️ ⌗ season 1 : " what the hair ! "
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : the first thing i wanna say is, cass' wanting to stay anonymous with regards to any involvement with the night rapunzel's hair came back due to the black rocks - is really valid. likee, that was literally her career on the line - she already gave up the offer to be a warrior at ingvarr - it's so unfair that she gets sent to a convent for it too ,,
( though i cant deny what they did was technically illegal either 😭 )
but im just a little sad about how all she asked for was some boundaries and although raps' journal was supposedly and somewhat kept private for some time - eugene did end up knowing and im just so ,, aaa
( though i do think it was necessary that he knows, it could've been done on cass' call and decision 🥹 )
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : speaking of eugene, i love their banter sooo much and its not just for this episode HAHSHAHAHA i really like how it shows that there's an established friendship between him and cassie ( or that at least they've tolerated each other 😭 ) long enough for cass to know eugene's secret-spilling tendencies like the back of her hand HAHSHAHHAHA
" name one time ! " and she names 100 IM CRYINGG 😭😭
also the fact that she says she doesnt trust eugene with her secrets but trusts him enough to leave him to be the one to help raps ,, 🥹 knowing that she prides herself in being her protector ,,
and then she goes after varian knowing she's faster for an urgent chase like that - she cares sooo much about corona's citizens despite being strangers, if only she had the spotlight for more of this part of her character to be highlighted and appreciated in-universe ,, huhu
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : i also really love the small details of her interactions like from ;
how she's reassuring of raps about the unknown place and trap before meeting varian, even though she was trapped too hehehe
to the way she calls for her to check if she's sure she wants to do the tests 🥹
( she calls rapunzel's name so gently i want my turn too huhuhu )
i don't have as much to say for the first episode unfortunately,because it didn't focus that much on cass either - and i don't remember all the scenes too 😭😭
┆ ⤿ ⭐ ⌗ : season 1 : " great expotations "
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : after challenge of the brave, this was her opportunity to be actually !! assigned a guard duty 🥹🥹 my baby's chance at a dream come true huhuhu
cassandra is literally sooo ready and capable for the job, i kinda think her dad was being too much for someone who supposedly trained cassie to know everything she does now ? like why teach her to defend herself and then doubt that she can do so ??
i dunno but to me, it kinda reflects back to the captain's gaps in his own skills too - which ultimately reflects to the entire guards' as well ,,
i really do kinda think it was unfair of the captain to load cassie with maiden duties instead of letting her focus on the guard assignment - it felt like it was either an attempt to make her give up or just delay her until she couldn't have the time for the opportunity anymore .. 🙁
thinking about it, half of his guards wouldnt have broken their backs if he just let her do it without those conditions of tasks she had to speedrun 😭
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : i REALLY luvvv that at the end of the day she prioritized a friend / corona citizen,
especially because the scientist she was looking after is soooo ungrateful to her, she would've been left unappreciated despite doing a good job either way and also keep on regretting not helping varian ,, it really seals her character values + morals for me especially because she did the same choosing raps over becoming a warrior at ingvarr ,,
i luv a woman who knows her priorities !! 🤭🩷
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : also she was sooo cute all approving and amazed while varian was trying to impress her w his alchemy to make her tasks easier ( platonic ofc :D )
varian wanting to impress her with what he's capable of - really mirrors cassie wanting to impress her dad of what she's capable of too 🥹 smth they can relate to each other with, regarding their separate skills in alchemy and combat huhu ,,
i love the similarities of their characters - and the whole " wanting to prove themself that they are capable of more to their family " concept even fits raps too !! i appreciate how this common goal in their characters make it so much for relatable and realistic ,,
even though it's sad that they even think that kind of respect has to be earned in the first place )):
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : but the thing is, in the end, while cassie was indeed impressed with varian's inventions - it was varians character - his compassion and kindness - that sealed the deal for her in taking him seriously.
i think she realized he wasn't just some kid trying to show off or mess around whom she had to babysit, but that he's capable of being so empathetic and understanding at such a young age - which is really important for me because while teenagers are indeed still children, they're already capable of making good decisions and deeds - and shouldn't be looked down on just because they are still young. a lot of our skills, talents, and knowledge are, while still developing in that stage - genuinely really impressive already !
though letting them voice their thoughts and opinions doesn't equal to treating them like adults or putting them on pedestals of course no !! it's still important to give them space to learn and play - and be protected.
blehh ! i ended up going off topic a bit oops HAHSHAHHAHA
but what i'm trying to say is at the end of the day, while varian is still a child, he knows what he's doing in the field that he's good at - and deserves to be appreciated for it.
just as much as cass deserves to be appreciated for her hard work and training too, even if she's already an adult 🥹
also i wanna mention that i really like that they have similar goals despite being at different stages of life ! :D teenager vs young adult, because i think it shows really well that people have their own pace in life, and neither is failing or is too late to have that kind of dream they want to achieve 🫶
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : but back to cassie !! she was more impressed by his character - his heart more than his skills. and i often wish she could look at herself that way too ,, she's so strong and capable, yes, but that's not all there is to her - she's selfless and brave, and rarely hesitates to throw herself in the frontlines for the sake of others ,, a person's worth comes naturally with their existence, it shouldn't be earned by proving oneself )):
huhuhu cass u are so loved by me ,, !! 🥹
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : and she chose to make up for neglecting her promise to varian when she had the chance to !! 🥹🥹
again, it really circles back to her first sacrifice in the beginnings that i mentioned on D-1 ,, because it was either varian or the judge, whom i think both separately represents cassandra's values over duty - or even others vs self, respectively.
it's a testament to her true character and morals that often gets overlooked just because of how often she does it, or because she shows some sass and attitude
( i personally think both are soo attractive )
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : though i do understand that while the judge cass was assigned to was awful, it doesn't cancel out the fact she wanted to do a good job in hopes of being recognized by her dad, above everyone else )):
sure, he did say he's proud of her as his daughter, but i get that cass might've wanted validation that focused on her skills and competence, not the relationship - which would come in actually entrusting her with the royal guard role that she's been working hard for. but she still didn't get it ,, 🥲
like i get hes just worried about her but theres a fine line between being protective out of love, and being restrictive and helicopter-parent like ,, no wonder cass was such a mischevious kid in that one s2 episode hehehe
꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ : also cassandrium !!??? 😭😭 varian u are so real for that im lowkey jealous he got to do something as cool as THAT bc i would also name an entire planet after cassie if i had the opportunity to 😭😭 / silly
gentle reminder : none of my discussions for cassandra's appreciation month are meant as harsh criticisms against her character !!
please take my personal thoughts with a grain of salt 🫶 and not as a factual / canonical source, i will freaaak outt 😭😭
i want to emphasize that when it comes to discussions or studies, i often focus on empathizing, and putting myself in cassie's shoes to consider what could be her perspective and feelings !
this month is dedicated to appreciation for cass after all !! ✨