[sunhallowed]

also i've always imagined serana being "stuck" at home very akin to jester in critical role (yeah yeah insert your laura bailey female character bs here) where she wasn't just confined to the castle but was expected to stay close. or if she did go anywhere it was in the presence of her parents (winterhold with her mother as an example) and she does have very similar reactions to having this freedom like jester as well, just a bit more reserved. meaning, it's so clear that she gets caught up in what she's seeing and experiencing because she's had little exposure otherwise. and like jester, she has a tendency to romanticize things that play out similarly to books she's read, it's just internalized more often than not. here's some examples from her dialogue:

"Wow. Look at this place. No one's been here in centuries. I doubt there's any other place like it in Skyrim. It's beautiful." "It's not like anything else in Skyrim, I can tell you that much. From now or... before. There's probably groves like this all over Tamriel. Most people just don't even know what to look for." "This is incredible. It's like a whole other world." "This is the kind of thing I've been wanting to see. Makes everything else worth it." "That... has to be the place. I've never seen a building like that before. It looks like some kind of temple. Are you seeing this? It's fantastic!" "I'd read stories about the Solitude windmill, but I didn't expect it to be that big!" "From the castle, you used to just be able to see Solitude over the mountains. It's exactly what I imagined." "They used to call Windhelm, "the City of Kings." In my books, anyway." "I've never seen leaves this color." "I was always taught to avoid these types of ruins. I think I see why, now." "Oh wow. This is gorgeous. I'm glad you're here with me."

[sunhallowed]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐎𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐇𝐀𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 ,.., 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭

harkon volkihar ( gary oldman ) ,..., progenitor , lord valerica volkihar ( monica bellucci ) ,..., progenitor , lady serana volkihar ( segovia amil ) ,..., daughter , lady garen marethi ( ben kingsley ) ,..., senior member , chancellor vingalmo ( jude law ) ,..., senior member , chamberlain orthjolf ( tom hardy ) ,..., senior member , marshal hestla ( cate blanchett ) ,..., arms merchant , castle blacksmith rargal ( adrian brody ) ,..., thrallmaster , dungeon overseer feran sadri ( jeremy irons ) ,..., physician , castle alchemist ronthil ( justice smith ) ,..., alchemist apprentice , castle scribe

[sunhallowed]

𝐕𝐔𝐋𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 / 𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 ,.., it's very clear to anyone who meets her how removed from her emotions serana is especially with first impressions. similarly, getting her to be vulnerable in any way takes a lot of time and trust, on her end, that you won't use any of these things against her because so often in the past it has. when your closest relations have proven time and time again to be sources of betrayal, violation and cold detachment, these walls have risen as a means of safety to her. she had to learn to suppress that desire for connection through vulnerability because time and time again she was shown that love was conditional and that intimacy was dangerous. it was a way to protect herself from further disappointment - it isn't because she doesn't feel or desire connection, it's a way to protect herself from pain.

this is why we see that wit and sarcasm. it acts as a buffer. it helps keep her from being fully open. fighting with you, sharing observations, even sharing memories are easy because it's all detached. she doesn't have to offer emotional transparency that way. not until you directly ask.

Do you regret becoming a vampire? "Nobody's ever asked me that before. I... I don't know. I think... mostly I hate what it's done to my family." It sounds like they were both being selfish. "Oh, they definitely were. I just wonder if that meant it was my job to be giving." Are you all right? "Don't... Just leave me alone for a bit."

and even then, it results in quick deflection again, pivoting before it gets too personal.

Do you still feel lonely?"Not as much. Let's... uh... let's just keep going." "Anyway, this is all very touching, but don't we have some more important things to worry about right now?" "Anyway, we should keep moving."

it isn't because she doesn't want connection, in fact it's what she craves the most. having been so lonely didn't result in her becoming emotionally-deadened, but instead deepened her feelings more. but in the past, intimacy came with a price or fell dead at people's feet. becoming close to people meant risking being used, being betrayed or becoming exposed. love wasn't safety, it was leverage to use against someone. so she learned to stay just out of reach as a force of habit. not absent necessarily, just a bit unreachable. you can see as she continues speaking with the dragonborn she opens up more and more, despite recoiling like we see above. she'll try again and again the more she trusts them and sees that they're receptive to her vulnerability.

and even when she starts opening up, we really don't see her react harshly until she finally has the chance to confront both her mother and her father. normally, she's restrained. detached. she doesn't dramatically monologue or have emotional outbursts, everything she says is calculated and you have to learn about her through not just what she says but what she doesn't say - what she decides to sidestep. and she isn't restraining herself to be quiet and submissive to others, but more as a way to be strategic through what she shares and doesn't. the fewer demands she makes of others to connect, the less open doors she gives them, the less risk she has at being denied that desire for intimacy or what she may want. despite how sincere she may be and raw her actions are throughout your time with her, until she trusts, everything is a filtered and moderated sense of self.

and until she feels she can trust you implicitly, every moment of closeness, every act of trust, all of it is navigated with a careful reservation she's spent thousands of years crafting to stay safe.  

[sunhallowed]

I like my theory that Harkon was the last king that inherited an already dying kingdom lost to Skyrim's history. Realistically it probably encompassed northwestern Skyrim. So Haffingar, and possibly the north Pale, and north Morthal, maybe part of north-eastern High Rock.

It was likely a seafaring focused kingdom considering the Volkihar family crest resembles a ships helm wheel. Considering Serana was sealed during the Interregnum. Their mortal family line's kingdom would probably exist between the end of the Dragon War, and through the Nord-Snow Elf War.

I like to theorize that during that time Skyrim's nords were split in to two kingdoms, east and west. The eastern Nords were chauvinistic toward the Snow Elves, where the western ones admired their great civilization and had cultural exchange with them. The west's Snow Elf alliance led to it becoming more advanced than the rest of the ancient nords in every way, despite commanding less territory. When the eastern Nords built a city over the Eye of Magnus, an artifact sacred to the elves, despite the western Nords warnings, it sparked a war. The Western Nords refused to partake and were branded traitors to Nordic kind by Ysgramor. Their kingdom was able to hold its own, but unable to save its Snow Elf allies from their fate.

Without the alliance that made the Volkihar's western kingdom great it began a slow decline, and due to the rest of the Nords seeing them as a disgrace, they were written out of Skyrim's history. Harkon was its last king, and despite his efforts, some even tyrannical, he couldn't stop the kingdoms fall.

Fearing dying in disgrace, he began his obsession with immortality. He convinced Valerica to go along with it as her only other choice was to flee with her daughter alone into a land hostile to them.

Serana was never asked.

As their kingdom crumbled, Harkons sacrifice of 1,000 of his last loyal subjects to Molag Bal, hastening its collapse. They held on to their seafaring ways. Both Harkon and Valerica tried to bury their pre vampiric past seeing it as disgraceful, and Serana actually did to as it reminded her of her of what was done to her during the ceremony.

The Volkihar clan at its height becoming the terror of the northern seas, vampiric pirates taking the crews of passing ships for thralls. This explains the ruined longship at the castle docks. They became part of the reason that the Sea of Ghosts got it's name. When you see them in game they're actually in decline thanks to Valerica foiling Harkons prophecy, causing many vampires to leave the clan and the castle to fall into disrepair. - not mine, credit to a comment

[sunhallowed]

modern serana engages in food more often than other verses mainly to keep the mask up but also because she likes a lot of the modern textures. while she can't taste the sweet of sour things like warheads, she can still feel that tingling/burning sensation that comes with sour candies, and she enjoys it a lot. she also really likes those peeling candies because she just likes doing something with her mouth. in a similar vein, this is also why she will smoke. again, appearances, but also . . . something something oral fixation something something something

[sunhallowed]

modern/historical serana has had a litany of jobs to keep her busy. most of them have to do with the arts, and as much as she can, she tries to find ones that let her travel. in the most modern of times, she travels to restore old paintings, typically because she had a relationship with that artist (unbeknownst to anyone, she just keeps that information to herself) and/or because she was there when the painting was being completed or first up for display and thus knows it quite intimately. her good eye for detail, ability to work long hours, and her patience, with little where else to be, has provided her a great reputation that gets her most of her clients.

[sunhallowed]

not me hearing this amazingly correct opinion that contains the quote 'can you hear her body without assuming she's naming your soul. and can she trust your presence without gambling her life? if both answers are yes then safety can begin, not because fear is gone, not because guilt is gone but because the ghosts stopped talking and the humans showed up. ACHIEVING SAFETY IS ROMANCE.' in regards to women's bodies feeling unsafe around men because of past experiences and men needing to understand she can feel unsafe without it persecuting them specifically and their specific ego AND I JUST THINK OF SERANA AND IM---- RELEASE ME FROM THIS PRISON

[sunhallowed]

if you ever have wondered why i favor the volkihars over the dawnguard, just peep how the following respond to her needing to kill her dad (and her whole family for the dawnguard path)

Garan: My lady, you have my deepest sympathies. I am sure this was not easy for you.Serana: He was out of control, Garan. It had to be done. I'm not happy about this. He... he was still my father. But I suppose my father really died a long time ago. This was just the end of something else.Garan: Of course, my dear. All will be well now.

Isran: "It's over. He's dead, and the prophecy dies with him. I... I suppose this is difficult for you." Serana: "I think my father really died a long time ago. This was just... the end of something else. I did what needed to be done. Nothing more." Isran: "I think perhaps... I think you did more than that. You have my thanks."

garan, to me, clearly reads as someone who does feel for serana and wants to give his condolences. it reads and sounds (when he speaks) as someone who understands how hard this must've been. and i know you could argue 'politics' or argue 'manipulation' but garan has made it clear to the player that he's not interested in playing games. he looks down on the people in the court who do.

meanwhile, isran is still holding onto his resentment. he is STRUGGLING to show empathy. and i'm sure it's an internal struggle, i'm willing to lay that down, but i can still be mad that even after witness all of this, after serana has done nothing but help his cause, that he's still struggling. that he can barely even get the words out. "i suppose" "i think" "perhaps". it's all non-committal language modifiers because he still doesn't want to admit she did the right thing. and doesn't want to sympathize.

so yeah. sorry that i think serana deserves to be in the guild that has at least one (1) person who genuinely feels for her. two if you count her making up with valerica.

and to further clarify, it's fine if isran is struggling. it's fine that one event didn't completely change his mind about vampires, but was maybe the catalyst. you don't overcome your biases quickly, not all the time.

then that shouldn't be where serana spends her time. that shouldn't be where she's forced to exist, is in a building of people who are still struggling with their biases.

[sunhallowed]

important portrayal notes

below are just some canon divergencies or nuances that i want to make explicitly clear are important to my development of serana. these are all pieces i've built over the years that, if we're writing together, and especially if it's in any high fantasy verse where serana's backstory is a bit more in play, that i'd appreciate you know and accept. hell, these matter more to me over you knowing her general plot to begin with since that's easy for me to summarize to you.there's just stuff in the game i've gotten sick of as far as how it was handled and i want to make sure we're on the same wavelength when it comes to writing and plotting together.

most importantly: your character (mainly if you're an ldb or tav or inquisitor - esque character) does not get to kill harkon. i'm glad we're all finally at a point where we want characters to have agency in their story rather than playing 'side-piece' to main player characters and this is something i've harped on for literal years. this is serana's story, this is her trauma that she has to come to terms with and make the final decision that her father can't live any longer. you don't get to take that away from her. it's a perfect character arc for her to go through and thus, all other characters will play a side-role in the final battle at castle volkihar. you don't have the history with him. you don't have the memories she has and the emotions she's had to go through to get to this point. do you understand how much it takes to get to a place where you know you have to kill your parent and not only just that but actually do it to begin with? it's stupid to think that serana has all this rich backstory with her clan and parents just to have someone she met maybe a couple months ago come in and sweep it all away. give her agency, my fucking god. you got your hero moment defeating alduin, the absolute, corypheus, etc. let serana have hers.

in my canon harkon does kill serana in kind. their final moments together are supposed to represent not only serana finally needing to accept her father's megalomania will never be cured and that he isn't the same man who raised her, but also she needs to see that in his final moments he will take the plunge and kill her. it's one thing to battle with him and try to continue to reason with him, it's another to stand there seeing he actually staked you through the heart at a final grasp of power. this happens within seconds of each other, there's nothing anyone can do about it. granted, it's a cop-out for me that her mother is a notorious necromancer and can bring her daughter back over a couple of days, so her story can and will continue, but for all intents and purposes, these two kill each other.

this blog is castle volkihar favorable. i'm staunchly against the dawnguard, but more importantly against the extermination of serana's entire family leaving her with no one once the dust has settled. it's fine if your character is a part of the dawnguard, but understand that if there's no compromise between the dawnguard and serana to keep the rest of the coven alive if the vampires agree to follow her instead, then you abandon any further 'friendly interaction' with her once the battle at the castle is over. you don't get to have your cake and eat it too because 'vampires = evil' in this godforsaken, lack of nuance game. as long as the coven continues to live, serana will then take over her parent's role and lead the volkihars.

while devs did confirm their intention was that serana was sealed away during the interregnum, we never get solid proof of how old exactly serana is. community discussion and some small crumbs of lore ( the existence of 'vingalmo's treatise on the altmer antecedent', no information about harkon's reign as a 'king', talking about 'previous owners' of the castle they reside in, her confusion on why the state of the dwemer, durnehviir in general ) have me settling on the family existing in the late merethic era, turning into vampires, then following ysgrammor down into skyrim where they took up residence in the sea of ghosts. this places her at around 4000+ years old. in other verses, just figure she's old as hell. ancient.

serana will canonically have two sets of scars. and only two, considering her ability to heal. one is a pair of burn marks at her hips from when she became a daughter of coldharbour and was assaulted by molag bal. this is something, in my own canon, every vampire with the title of daughter of coldharbour has. it's a mark the prince of domination wants to have on his property. the second will appear after being resurrected by feran and valerica, a pitted scar at her sternum where harkon attempted to kill her. both of them bleak reminders of her deaths.

as she continues to develop, and metas i have become more solidified, i will be adding to this list and i'll make sure to make a post/update everyone when it's been adjusted to reflect my current canon.

[sunhallowed]

the more i think about it the more serana's lack of agency throughout her entire life makes me sadder and sadder. you start with the normal and expected puppeteering from being a noble outright. her life isn't her own. she is to be groomed into a lady with specific interests and skills, who dresses a specific way, believes what her family believes and will do, inevitably, what is best for the family name and nothing else. especially in her fantasy verses, where magic is very prevalant, learning what her family knows and following in valerica's footsteps in her necromancy was likely forced upon her as well once it was clear she had an aptitude for it. she fought in her family battles. went to their events. met who they knew. all of it. already she's forced to live a very specific life from the get go.

then. harkon makes a choice. and i'm not even just talking about forcing vampirism upon his family. this man had to read up and learn about specifically what molag bal requires of his devout followers and still decided to force that choice onto serana. potentially valerica too, but she seems to me like someone who went along with this plan as a means to further her powers in necromancy. like it was a choice where she directly gains something from it. serana? she gains nothing. outside of immortality, she's forced to be with the same people, live the same life, stay stuck in the same castle. where her father gains power over people and her mother gains power in the magical sense, serana gets virtually nothing out of becoming a vampire in the beginning.

AND THEN VALERICA MAKES A CHOICE. in seeing the path her husband is taking and how that could be a terrible outcome for their kind, she decides its best to rend that prophecy useless by taking the elder scrolls and her/serana out of it. without talking about it with serana. THE PERSON SHE'S LOCKING AWAY. valerica gets to decide she will spend her time in the soul cairn. serana doesn't get a say in being shoved in a box deep beneath the earth until god only knows when. even the dragonborn asks "what was serana's opinion about this plan?" and valerica completely changes the subject.

it takes serana directly confronting her about it for her to even consider her opinion KIND OF.

"how dare you! i gave up everything i cared about to protect you from that fanatic you call a father!" "yes, he's a fanatic, but he's still my father! why can't you understand how that would make me feel?" "oh serana if you'd only open your eyes." "so to protect me, you decided to shut me away from everything i cared about? you never asked me if hiding in that tomb was the best course of action, YOU JUST EXPECTED ME TO FOLLOW ALONG BLINDLY. [ . . . ] i'm still just a pawn to you too." "i'm sorry, serana. i didn't know. i didn't see."

even waking back up and going home wasn't her choice, it was ferried by the dragonborn. and i'd even go so far as to argue that the "choice" she makes to stop her father isn't even really her choice. yes, she decides to do it, but because it inevitably is the right thing to do for her kind. she sees what tragedy it could cause, she's heard her mother argue the fact. what other choice does she actually have? let him kill her? would she have not gone along with what he did if it didn't involve her death? i don't have the answers to that.

the first true choice she makes i think for herself is adventuring afterwards. asking the dragonborn if she can still tag along because she just wants to be a part of the world again after being locked away for so long. when i make the choice to have her lead the clan, it is still a choice made for her (similar to killing her father, she feels it has to be done) but she learns slowly how to make her own choices for them as they begin to show their trust in her decisions. and being with the dragonborn, who trusts her decisions pretty implicitly, at least val does, that's the first step in her really starting to find her footing in regaining agency for herself after a literal lifetime of never having it to begin with.

[sunhallowed]

like i want to be so explicitly clear, serana loves. i really feel like she experiences feelings and connections with people deeply because of how she was isolated and abandoned. for someone to come in and show her attention/interst after years of basically being denied it from the people who were supposed to be closest to her, how could you not be expected to treat every crumb as precious? and especially because, you could be the most treacherous being in skyrim and she still vibes with you, i think it's very rare that she comes across someone she doesn't like - weirdly enough. it doesn't mean she falls in love romantically with everyone. like we see in iwtv, as a vampire, her bonds with people are strong and sort of go beyond romantic intimacy. her bond with the dragonborn can be close and intimate without crossing the line into romance. and if it does, that's okay ! it can happen, but the dawnguard quest isn't the prerequisite for that.

and even when she does love someone, she will never marry them (outside of trusted plotting with someone and honestly there's really only one way i can see it happening until proven otherwise) and if you actually listen to her, it isn't even that she's opposed to marrying, it's that she's uncomfortable with the idea that her very existence is a spit in the face of the beings who she would be asking that blessing of. how dare she engage in that? she doesn't have to marry someone for the love she has for them and their partnership to be valid. just the same as she doesn't have to be romantically involved with someone for her bond with them to be important to her and just as meaningful.

yes, she can fall in love. yes, i write romantic ships with people. no, they are not more important to her than her platonic bonds with others. and i can still, forever, appreciate skyrim for not making her a prize and perpetuating that idea.

[sunhalloweda]

some miscellaneous sexual headcanons i had locked away - due to the ritual, serana does have a hard time being on her back, at least in the beginning of her relationship with someone. if it happens, she's usually broken out of the moment and act entirely by her body resisting, or she'll be in the right mind enough to change positions, usually so that she's on top. as trust is built and the relationship gets stronger, this feeling passes, but it's very prevalent at the start - she isn't sexually driven but she's very intimate. that's what she craves the most with people. being close with someone. touching. existing. being. if it leads to sex, so be it. she's never opposed, just not actively searching. - she's love kissing. oh she loves it so much. in the beginning she's a little clumsy with it (the same as with sex, remember she hasn't done either since her becoming) but once she gets some practice in? this activity could last hours upon hours until you're decorated with hickeys and little love bites. she absolutely gets carried away unless you reign her in. - it is very rare that you'll have a quick romp. these are worshipping sessions. and will last a long time and/or multiple times in one go. either way, stamina is a good skill to dump into. - she's very 'soft dom' [ . . . ] huge on praise for her partner and taking care of them. she'll edge and tease until they're practically delirious and only relent when maybe some declarations of everlasting and immortal love are made - her most sensitive areas are her stomach and thighs - hope you don't mind blood, there's usually some present, whether it be on accident or on purpose. she won't bite you during unless you ask for it and maybe after some time she'll let you taste her own

[sunhalloweda]

𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒 ,.., serana is a very sympathetic feeder. if she's feeding from a friend or loved one, she will never take more than she needs, will only take from them if she feels they can handle the loss and will attempt to make the experience as painless as possible. living in the environment she did, with the rooms dedicated to bloodletting and torture of different mortal types that rargal looked over, being surrounded by the sounds of pain, she's lost her appetite (in most situations) for that kind of feeding. IF she were to do anything of the sort, she either did it when she was freshly blooded or attacked those she thought deserving of pain. though she can be convinced into hunting and feeding for sport, usually the death is quick and the feeding quicker. she doesn't take any thralls in the typical sense either. however, if friends or loved ones are willing to lend her a hand consistently or if there's a shortage of food available, she'll take them up on their offer. once or twice a day usually helps keep her humanity in check (with her vampiric powers growing stronger the longer she goes without food) but she is capable of lasting for many days without eating if needed due to her age.

i also wanted to expand upon my interpretation of vampires as far as when they're about to feed - serana will rarely actively seduce someone to convince her to feed. instead, what happens naturally and out of her control is from stephen kings 'salem's lot' interpretation which is a seduction that happens when she's actively feeding. the moment their lips touch the skin, their prey will ease and relax into it (kind of like spiders or snakes paralyzing their prey, just not nearly as severe). this allows for feeding to be much easier and less messy. once her teeth breach the skin, prey is practically hypnotized into believe they want this to happen, in some cases becoming subconsciously aroused. because of this, she's not opposed to feeding while engaging in sex with her significant other, as it typically becomes a pleasurable experience for both parties. once she detaches, the effects almost immediately wear off and everything returns to normal. there's no lasting impact on whomever she's feeding from if they're still alive.

as for any marks, serana does carry healing potions and salves that can be applied to the skin so that it'll heal with little to no trace left behind. of course, she doesn't have to apply this if requested that they'd rather bear the marks.

[sunhalloweda]

𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 ,.., one legend claims that molag bal created the first vampire [ . . . ] when he defiled lamae beolfag [ . . . ] she was killed by the ordeal and rose again a vampire [ . . . ] he has also made pacts with mortals and bestowed the gift of vampirism upon them [ . . . ] one such example is lord harkon having been turned by the daedric prince himself [ . . . ] female followers of molag bal are traditionally offered to him on his summoning day [ . . . ] granted vampirism in a similar fashion to lamae [ . . . ] women who survive the horrific ordeal are dubbed 'daughters of coldharbour' [ . . . ] molag bal's gifts are never given freely , those who seek to ask him for favor must always pay a price and it is usually in blood.

[sunhalloweda]

𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐓 ,.., 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 & 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 , while not adventuring or needing to wear something more practical, serana greatly enjoys wearing the formal outfits in her wardrobe. many years of being a noble allowed for her to collect the perfect set of pieces for most occasions, whether it's as fancy as a ball or as simple as wandering the castle. the dresses are crafted of high quality silks, satins and cottons, many with little embroidered detailing. all of them have windows throughout whether it be at her sternum, her back or on her thighs so that her pale skin can peek through mesh or lace. if the dresses reach the floor, most have a slit up the side. they range from being very form fitting or having many layers of fabric that's cinched at the waist and belled out at her elbows. sometimes, you can catch her wearing pieces that are simply only lace.

patterns will range from floral in nature, to sharply peaked and bowed in order to replicate glass stained, cathedral windows. all of it very extravagent as a blue-blooded woman should have, and all of it, as you can imagine, black. though sometimes she may indulge in the occasional ivory gown.

[sunhalloweda]

𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐓 ,.., 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐬 & 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 , few see her in these clothes, but despite what skyrim would have you believe, serana (and of course other vampires i'm sure) does have a preference to not wear day clothes when she sleeps. it doesn't matter whether it's a coffin (of which she doesn't sleep in much anymore considering her claustrophobia) or a bed. throughout the ages, serana tends to lean towards slips and chemises to wear to bed, only wandering the halls if she has a simple housecoat to cover them. they are typically either black or white, rarely including any other colors and it will be a very rare sight for them to be anything other than silks, satins and laces. she likes the soft feel and movement of the fabric.

the only time you'll ever see any embroidery would be on the occasional appliqué she may sport. these only come about during intimate moments with partners for a love of the beauty in the patterns that are usually floral or arabesque ornamentations. of course she's beautiful to look at during the act too, but isn't she just that much more ethereal strapped up in pretty flowers and detailing?

[sunhalloweda]

something you can do with serana is give her the most mundane task. you need garlic peeled for a dinner dish? tell her to do it. need herbs pressed and dried for potions and alchemy? she'll happily get started. anything just to share the same space as you. turn pages for your sheet music. stir a sauce so it doesn't burn on the bottom. hand you tools while you're adjusting your armor or sharpening your weapons. clean the dirty water from changing colors on your paintbrush. the list is endless. just ask her.