magnolia

OC . written by Aku - circa late 1800s - additional characters/sideblog @lireensilence

[mxgnolium]

other notes. I'm not very far in yet.

Rich People could have carpets, but most homes were floored with wood. this was often Cold. Stepping out of bed in the morning could Suck. Rugs were useful, but could be expensive, the less wealthy would oft make do with rags

adding to the Cold is that there was a fear of suffocating or breathing Poisons and Miasma and [carbon dioxide] so the best solution was to leave windows open As Often As Possible. so. cold.

Popular advice was also to set out a pitcher of water in the morning, to absorb the gases and leave the air purer. This water was considered filthy in a few hours. Were these things true? Who knows. But it was repeated enough and people like to feel safe, esp when they're not sure what's going on with diseases exactly.

As said, bathing with water had only recently become a thing around here. You would bring a pitcher of clean water and a bowl for the then-yucky water, dip a cloth in, and wipe yourself down right there in the bedroom first thing in the morning. You could shuffle your clothes and wash a little at a time so you didn't have to undress if you didn't want to feel exposed. (Nathaniel likes this). -- Technology improved wildly and by the end of the period running water to every house was much more feasible, but it seems around the mid of this period it was mostly washing like that. Chilling in the bathtub was a once-a-week kind of deal, while washing like this was easy and daily.

^ It was important to bathtub or otherwise wash with hot water at least once a week, bc victorian soaps didn't lather well with cold water, which was much quicker to gather and a popular choice for the daily cleaning.

Soaps were also just popping up. There was a clear distinction between the Wealthy and the Not by how they smelled -- not because poor people were stinky, the way they washed worked perfectly fine. they just smelled like a body, while the ~luxurious and fashionable~ echelon took to strong smelling soaps, which very much stuck out. esp when floral scented variants started coming out.

Nathaniel probably smells like rose or some shit idk

[mxgnolium]

((btw I bought some books on victorian life. 👆for him. does anyone care to hear ab it

[mxgnolium]

R O L E P L A Y   C H A R A C T E R   S T A T S   S H E E T

Repost, replacing the old information with your muse’s information.

Hover underlined ‘links’ for better explanations, should you need them.

Pass it on to your mutuals for a better understanding of their muses.

Tagged by: –

Name: Nathaniel Bradley Baker Age: 20 Gender: Male Lineage: French-German Birthplace: Chichester, England Birthday: December 24 Sun Sign: Capricorn Residence: An nondescript place somewhat near the English Channel. His home is some distance out of the way, in a grand but very private manor. Marital Status: Engaged (verse dependent) Alignment: Lawful Neutral

» L I K E S

Drink: Tea. The type varies, but oft chamomile Food: Honey roasted duck Day or Night: Dusk and Dawn Snacks: Most anything their chef decides to make is lovely. But.. stuffy victorian man he may be, he enjoys a fair biscuit with his tea. Song: Schubert's Serenade, Dvorak's Serenade for Strings (.. on piano) , Satie's Premiére Gymnopèdie -- He'll stop there. For now. Quote: Not recalled at the moment Historical Character: There's feelings to be had about Hamlet. And Telemachus. Hm. Pet: They used to have a dog. His name was Edgar. Book: He doesn't read much these days. Colour: Pale blue, pale green, white, gold Flower: Magnolia Sexuality: scared

» L O O K S

Body type: Endomorph-ish? I guess? He's something close to this one.Eye colour: Green Hair colour: Blonde Body reference: Above Beauty Scale: ??? idk he's a pretty boy

» T A G G I N G

🫵

[mxgnolium]

🤸‍♀️

🤸‍♀️ - How active is your muse? Do they exercise regularly? Do they do things like yoga? What else do they do to keep fit and active? Are they flexible? Can they do parkour?

Oh heavens no -- ( He couldn't bear to watch someone do parkour, far less do it himself. ) He's... perhaps less active than he should be. Might at best be once a month that he drags himself to do anything near 'proper exercise'.

He... walks? He... occasionally might remind himself of swordsmanship techniques. ... He'd like to pass this question by.

[mxgnolium]

🍺

🍺 - How does your muse feel about the consumption of alcohol? Do they drink? Are they a heavy drinker, or are they on the lighter side? What's your muse's favorite alcoholic drink?

..

Unpleasant. Yes. Depending. ... Port. ... Perhaps. Truly depends which mood he's in.

[mxgnolium]

⛄️

⛄️ - What would be your muse's ideal weather conditions? Do they prefer being hot or cold? What's their favorite season?

Ideally, of course, sits temperate weather -- no? That's if he's to go outside, of course.

Well.. He prefers stormy weather, otherwise. The grey sky, the swaying trees, the painting upon the windows -- His heart can't help but find it all rather romantic. Oh, he could write poems about it, but none wish to hear them, surely-

At any rate, a brisk breeze is welcomed, especially if it caries that particular scent. Chill is far preferable to heat, in his opinion -- Spring. Certainly spring. Though there are some whimsical aspects to Winter that he can appreciate, placing it well in second.. Summer is dreadful.

[mxgnolium]

🧸

🧸 - Does your muse own any sentimental objects from their past? What makes it/them so special?

Beyond the importance his ring holds as a conduit, it's in fact quite sentimental to him, as well. It was gifted to him by someone very dear, when he was very young, at a very turbulent time -- as such, it sits among the few material things held cherished in that way.

There's a sword, designed by his mother and crafted by his father. It hangs on the wall, untouched, besides by the gentlest of feather dusters

His brother built a music box. Designed, put together, gifted to him- his young brother did such a thing! It rests upon his dresser.

A book, The Velveteen Rabbit, was something he'd read to his brother often when they were children.

The study is carefully preserved. The whole house, rather, is carefully preserved -- Every inch of it is sentimental, in truth... Some details more than others, as mentioned - But one could never, never, underestimate the importance of the things his parents left behind.

[mxgnolium]

Whats his opinion about gender norms?

It's something of a mix, regretfully. On one hand, he's sheltered beyond sheltered, to the point where many 'cultural norms' mean very little to him. His biggest concerns are comfort within his own house, and assuring that people behave basically decent outside of it.

On the other hand, some things seep through. Victorian ideas of 'decency' are hard to see past, when you're living in the midst of it.

In all though, he regards it as... not his concern, what other people do. He can't help seeing it as a little ' strange ' to bend these 'norms', but another's comfort is their own business. He'd certainly be one to talk if he complained about it -- he does plenty of other strange things himself.

Personally, though... He's far less brave, in that regard. He adheres, and is never comfortable straying too far.

[mxgnolium]

here's a starter call! (mind they might take a little while)

[swordduels]

It was an odd thing to feel guilty about destroying flowers when they had done far worse things. Curious. Actually talking to someone on the outside, without elders breathing down their neck, felt like talking to an actual human. No devil horns, torture or maiming. No attempts to have them leave faith. Though. He were probably not aware of their background. "I...Was looking for a place to sleep. Because, because I've been wandering and then I saw this place and well. I. I was scared." They had a hard time forming a believable lie and ended up with a stuttering mess.

They blinked and began searching their dress pockets. There wasn't much to be found, a roll of threads with a needle, a tiny piece of dried bread, a hat pin and a few pennies. Clarimonde tried to carefully collect the coins but accidently dropped everything as the hat pin stung and pricked their finger. "I oh." At first they stared at the blood with admiration before quickly sticking the index finger in their mouth.

@mxgnolium

[mxgnolium]

A lie - What a cruel thing to wish to lie to him, whose heart is so easily duped by a performance so sad. Even though he knows better, even though he can't place that sort of trust in a perfect stranger -- they went and pricked their damned finger, of all things.

His lips pulled into a tighter frown, and he looked away. Turned away. Walked away. "Come -- " Damn it, damn it all. "I have a bandage and a bed. Keep your finger out of your mouth, if you please."

.. His feet paused as he reached the door, and he turned a very sharp look back to them.

"And do not touch anything."

[mxgnolium]

((what is this. who am I.

[mxgnolium]

here's a starter call! (mind they might take a little while)

[mxgnolium]

normally I don't care for all these newfangled aesthetics the Kids These Days are into. but for nathaniel I might

[playground-of-devils]

from @mxgnolium

“Whaat? Scary? Never! I respect the people around me and I'm not going to make them uncomfortable!”

“—by the way, I can tear off a limb and not even bleed to death, want to see~?”

[mxgnolium]

"N-- No. Thank you. I do not want to see that."

He misses two seconds ago, when you respected people and didn't make them uncomfortable.

[mxgnolium]

It's funny to me how deeply Nathaniel rejects any new sort of ''magic'' or ''supernatural'' things, even as simple as fortune-telling, despite being very well aware that they exist. despite handling a very powerful magic personally. No they don't, actually. Please don't.

As such I think everything that's even a little bit supernatural should be thrown at him full-force.

[mxgnolium]

Nathaniel: Uses magic regularly for 10 years Nathaniel, on the slightest supernatural qualities in someone else: oh god oh shit I gotta go

[mxgnolium]

What's his opinion about horoscopes?

He finds it rather nonsensical, in truth-- Hardly pays mind to it, and is always a little thrown when reminded that it is... somewhat standard-- believed. Any sense of 'fortune-telling' like that is... hm.

He doesn't mean to be rude. But is it not a bit silly...?