#cara lore

[thecomfywriter]

If Cara had been born the eldest of Carmel's family therefore getting the thingamajig instead of Carmel how would that have affected the storyline?

okay i literally had to hunt down our convo from last night to figure out what the thingamagig was. lol.

WHAT A SPOILERY ASK LMAOOO. let's jump straight into it!

day three pt 2 of tcw's 12 days of askmas--cara/caramel role switch au [tov & sai spoilers]

i know i did a spoiler tag but i'm going to try and keep spoilers at a minimum. lol.

okay! so three fun facts for you: (a) caramel and cara are not actually related; they just consider each other sisters; (b) cara is older than caramel, who hates this fact and therefore refuses to acknowledge it (lol); and (c) the curse has nothing to do caramel's family tree.

caramel wasn't born from anyone special that she inherited the curse. her parents didn't carry it, neither did it have to do with her family tree. ALAN'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY ON THE OTHER HAND??? but that's a different topic altogether.

HOWEVER, in the spirit of making this a headcanon, let's pretend cara was the one who somehow inherited the curse instead. a lot of things would change plot-wise. first off--caramel probably wouldn't have been of any interest to hilbert, because the main reason hilbert was interested in her as a child was because seh had a strange ability to perform magic from all the families. if caramel didn't have the curse, that wouldn't be a thing. cara would have had it instead, but cara only encounters caramel after watching her train with hilbert. so cara and caramel would have never met.

another thing--cara probably would have been raised by von doro, or stayed with the black dragon she was raised by. but most likely, she would have been raised by von doro. she would have been groomed for von doro's desired task, and as a result, alan's entire downfall probably wouldn't have happened because cara would have inherited his curse too in his place, allowing alan to have a somewhat? happy ending. especially considering he wouldn't have known her to become attached to her, cara would have simply taken the fall for one generation before alan's children would inevitably have to reinherit the curse. unless cara managed to, during her generation, figure out how to break it. but i seriously doubt it, not going to lie. it's extremely difficult to break, hence why it has lasted so long.

anyways! that was an interesting headcanon. thanks for the ask, wyked!

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[thecomfywriter]

✨️AND ON THE SECOND DAY OF ASKMAS-✨️ Cara was raised by a dragon, right? I'm not misremembering that? Did being raised that way give her any peculiarities? (If I'm fully wrong, same question sans dragon, I suppose)

hi ilia! thank you for the ask! this is a fun one! i'm not gonna yamble at ALL lets get into it!

day three of tcw's askmas--cara and her underwater childhood:

okay! first off--you are correct: she was indeed raised by a black dragon as a child. her history is slightly revealed in her first pov chapter in tov, "cara the cairoyas pixie", where she tells alan the story behind her collarbone tattoo. in terms of if her childhood gave her any peculiarities, YES. YES AND THEY'RE SO COOL.

let's start with her breathing style. so fun fact about cairoyas/dragon anatomy--they only have one lung. where their second lung is supposed to be, there's a magical organ called the "magic bladder" which synthesizes raw magic (arcanic materials) for magical use. it connects directly to the lung and extends out to the rest of the body in a similar fashion to the nervous system. i have a whole lore doc on the anatomy of cairoyas (lol its the med in me), but the most important part of me mentioning this is to highlight how the magic bladder works for dancers and for dragons.

see, rather than simply synthesizing raw magic in that hollow organ, dancers and dragons also have the capability to synthesize their singing element. so a black dragon or a water dancer would be able to synthesize water in their magic bladder, which can travel throughout their networks and excrete out of their skin (or their claws/breath for dragons) for usage.

additionally, the lung in black dragons are different. it is made of a dual membrane of regular semipermeable epithelial tissue and GILL TISSUE. aka, their lungs can function as "human lungs" or switch into "gill mode" and start filtering oxygen out of water, allowing them to breathe underwater.

why is this important? because the black dragon cara was raised by taught her how to use her magic bladder to not only fill her lung with water on command, but how to recreate the dragon "gill mode" in her own body. aka, she can breathe underwater.

its the reason why she is such a good swimmer, and also why she's inheritly a better water-dancer than all of them combined. the black dragon also taught her how to find her specialty magic at a young age by teaching her how to deconstruct every tissue in her body and turn it into liquid that she could control, effectively allowing her the ability to liquify and rematerialize her body at will.

when i tell you cara is FASCINATING bro...

anyways! thanks for the ask ilia!

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[thecomfywriter]

What is Cara's opinion of how evan was raised?

this is fascinating. let's get into it before i take a mighty nap because turns out post-exmas will fry your brain and eyes.

day three pt 2 of tcw's 12 days of askmas--cara's opinion of evan's upbringing [lotf series spoilers]:

okay so cara's opinion in general is a topic of a lot of intrigue in the entire series. starting from sai, alan mentions how:

I noticed how quiet Cara was. It intrigued me because she was the middleman between the two. She always was. It was why I wanted to hear her opinion above all of theirs. I knew Caramel hated Hilbert, though I did not know why, neither would I ever trust myself in someone else’s memories again. I knew why Morreial saw me as a shell of myself. Why he called me a walking corpse. But what was Cara’s opinion, when she saw me suffer? Cara, who knew what Caramel endured at Hilbert’s hand and kept those secrets sealed on her lips in an oath of silence. Cara, who accepted her title as my older sister. Did she regret her deception? Did she regret digging the hole that planted the seeds of my distrust? I never found out. She never said a word.

- Throne of Vengeance, SaI [available for preorder may 2025]

cara's opinion is always the most interesting, because she always has the most context of the entire cast. she knows the most because she sees the most, but also because she's the most trustworthy. but its because she doesn't talk about people's secrets that people find her trustworthy to begin with.

now, this quality of cara's is what makes deciphering her opinion about evan's childhood difficult. see, morreial's opinion is pretty evident considering how many times he argues with alan about his parenting choices. but cara never peeps a word. not to caramel and not to alan. not a word, never a protest. all she does is watch from afar and seal her judgements behind her lips.

she is a kind motherly figure to evan, but not with the same intimacy as bimyllis is to evan, which is why evan never considers cara his pseudo-mother the way he considers morreial his godfather.

HOWEVER, the two of them start to bond more once she helps him go to the north, and he realizes just how pivotal she is to soilailan politics. they both start to see each other, and evan is the only person cara reveals the meaning of her name to.

so in terms of what cara's opinions are of how evan was raised, i can't say for certain because they girl is as mysterious as her secrets. however, i could imagine she holds silent disapproval, considering she goes out of her way to disobey alan and caramel and sneakily help evan out. but she never casts any judgements to anyone, but cara is always the neutral party, and she is always the one who understands the nuances of everyone's stance. she knows why alan and caramel have difficulties in their parenting in ways morreial doesn't. she also understands why evan is jaded. it's hard for her to blame either party.

HOWEVER--i will say... there is one thing that cara doesn't find out about until mott, and by the time she does, that is the only time she is super vocal about her disapproval. to the point where it's almost uncomfortable because putting her foot down is icy and acidic. there's a reason why she doesn't often cast judgement, and its because when she does, it's scalding.

but i'm not going to spoil that oops. teehee.

thanks for the ask, wyked!

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[thecomfywriter]

What is Cara's favorite animal? Why? Does she ever get one?

i’m pretty sure her canonically favourite animals are snakes, hence why zella and dilla are her babies. so technically yes, she does have / own pet snakes 🐍

thanks for the ask, wyked!

[thecomfywriter]

Do you think Cara's humble nature is a strength or a weakness for her?

What do you think is the most surprising thing about Cara's character?

What do you think Cara values most in her relationships with others?

hi hello i'm finally getting to my asks. apologies for the delay.

THIS IS SO IN-DEPTH WOW. okay let's unpack this:

day three pt 2 of tcw's 12 days of askmas--a character analysis on cara's weaknesses [tov/sai spoilers]:

okay i'm going to answer this in parts based on each question you asked to keep this organized:

(1) Do you think Cara's humble nature is a strength or a weakness for her?

hmm...i'd say a strength more than a weakness. while her humility prevents her from ever seeking out glory through credit and results in people undermining her, it never diminishing her own self-worth or her value. her self-esteem operates independent from external validation, since she often acts from intrinsic motivators and her own personal moral code. meanwhile, her humility grounds her in a way that allows her to understand people, enough to want to help them.

unfortunately, the chapters exploring cara's passion projects have been deleted from the official canon draft of tov, so its technically not canon anymore, but you're getting this psa from the author herself--this is canon. i don't care if it's not in the book. it will always be canon:

essentially, cara had an entire subplot in the older drafts of tov where she pursued the foundation and development of orphanages and community-funded educational programs because unlike the rest of cairoyas society (which is extremely prideful and independent), she believed in more harmonistic societal ideologies. she didn't care if the programs didn't have her name on it, or if she never got credit--all she wanted was for everyone in society who had been disadvantaged by the incident to have an opportunity to overcome their trauma/hurdles and start over. she wanted the children to have access to an education, even if it came from her own pockets. you discover that was the entire reason why she was working at all, was to fund these children's educations and feed the needy. cara's humility guides her actions in all the ways she deserves to be a jervee.

(2) What do you think is the most surprising thing about Cara's character?

ooo this is hard. i think her hidden personality is the most shocking part. i remember when i first reread tov (fun fact and important context--i have something i like to call "post-writing amnesia" where i essentially have no recollection of anything i wrote, causing me to read it like i've never seen it before), when i got to "hilbert and the book of dragons" chapter, i literally recorded a mockcast episode live-reacting to it and i started frEAKING OUT when cara's personality switched and she finally showed what it looked like when she was "the cairoyas pixie" again. HOLY SHIT

cara's lore, her backstory, and her pixie nature genuinely rattles me to my core. because the cara you become familiar with throughout the story is intelligent, yes, but bubbly, kind, and fun-loving. cara the cairoyas pixie, on the other hand? DEVIOUS. DEVIOUS, ICY, COLD, AND CHILLING.

bro that one line from that chapter lives in my mind reNT FREE:

"You're right, Hilbert. Only Red can do magic within the borders. That headache must be entirely your own."

GOODBYE-- 😭🤚🛑 I STARTED CHEERING AND PANICKING ALL AT ONCE

(3) What do you think Cara values most in her relationships with others?

honesty, trust, and compassion. when caramel lies to her or acts petty, refusing to communicate or talk properly, she walks away because she doesn't entertain stupid shit like that. she values maturity. she values respect and compassion. and she values trust. that's why even though she and morreial are in a relationship at that point, she never divulges alan's secrets to him. that's why she never tells alan caramel's secrets either. she doesn't gossip, because to her, that's a breech of a person's instilled trust in her.

she's better than me. lol.

thanks for the in-depth asks, inky! this was fun!

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[thecomfywriter]

Hi hello hope it's not too late to submit a Cara ask since it's technically Cara's day still

Does Cara have any fantasies about being the centre of attention, and if so, what's her most common one?

hi! hello! i am responding literally 24 hours later :D

oopsies. so i didn't follow the plan. i didn't take a nap. i didn't finish all the cara asks and move onto the morreial ones. i didn't do essentially anything except chores and write. so... win? i guess?

anyways this is not naveena monologuing time. this is cara ask time. and this is an interesting one, so without further ado...

day three pt 2 of tcw's 12 days of askmas--cara's fantasy for recognition [lotf series spoilers? maybe? idk]

honestly...i had never deliberately thought of this before, but now that i am, i feel like the arc she undergoes in the background of evan's series does have her pursing this fantasy of recognition. i think 60 years of being sidelined finally pushed her to a point of desiring attention and credit for her merit, but not in an obvious way. moreso in a silent ponder of what it would be like to actually be recognized and prided for how she contributed to the singer era of soilaila. like i have said in a previous ask, she is the backbone to the huge change in soilaila, and she never gets credit for it.

i'd imagine if she ever did have this fantasy of being the centre of attention, it would quite simply be for two things: (1) to have a title independent of morreial, since her current title is a martial title vs a earned title**; and (2) to be the person who is accredited for the resurrection of hellash // dancer culture in soilaila. since she LITERALLY WAS THE PERSON WHO DID IT, but apparently she "didn't contribute to the Second Incident or the revitalization of Cairoyas society" in any way that garnered her a title 🥲 like shut UPPP

** to expand on this a bit, there are two ways to earn titles in soilaila: through merit, which basically means you went through the rigorous training and proved you were worthy of that title (i.e. to become a limious, you'd have to earn it through merit), or through marriage, which earns you an el-xxx title. you don't inherit titles (except for ra, but that's barely anything)--everything is earned unless you marry into your title. so if you married a jervee without being one yourself, you'd become el-jervee rather than just "jervee". and that's essentially what happens to cara in evan's series. you find out the only reason she has a title is because she married morreial, who "earned" his title, vs her who only married into his.

shut up it makes me so mad.

anyways, thanks for the ask, ain!

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[thecomfywriter]

If cara was a flower what would it be?

hello again, wyked!

i'm going to respond to this one quickly (short and sweet) because my inbox is back in the double digits 😭😭

day three pt 2 of tcw's 12 days of askmas--cara's flower symbolism [no spoilers]:

anyways! if we're talking about in universe flowers, semerynths! she quite literally defines her birthday as the first day of their blossom. i think i've talked about them on this blog before. if not, lemme know and i'll describe them in a reblog or something.

but in terms of irl flowers? lilies, daffodils, or snowdrops. why? no clue. vibes. lemme quickly search up their meaning and see if it's accurate:

lily of the valley: "purity, joy, love, sincerity, happiness and luck." seems accurate enough daffodil: renewal, hope, and new beginnings. CONSIDERING HER ROLE IN SAI??? 1000% WOW snowdrops: new beginnings, hope, rebirth, and the capacity to triumph over challenges.

the vibes really popped off in harmony, huh? i'm telling yall... i was a botanist in my previous life.

thanks for the ask, wyked!

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[thecomfywriter]

Is there any symbolic significance to the way Cara’s hair covers one eye? Is there any reason she’s never fixed it?

ooooooo hi smihi! this is a cool one! i think this might be the last ask of the night. let's get into it :)

day three of tcw's 12 days of askmas--cara's hidden eye [tov and sai spoilers]:

okay so congrats! you've unlocked a symbolic meaning in tov!

normally, i'd let yall interpret it how you please, but since tis the season of spoiling, i shall tell you what the intended symbolism was behind her hidden eye.

cara's hidden eye is supposed to represent her full capabilities, which she keeps masked. she operates within the shadows, stealthy like a snake in the grass. that's also why i chose to make her eye colour green and her hair black. "the shadows that hide the snake that watches"--cara's second eye essentially acts as her "hidden eye", constantly observing people behind the safety of not being noticed.

there's a scene in sai where her second eye is actually exposed and alan comments on how bizarre it was to see both of her eyes, because it was only then did he realize just how intensely she looked at people when she did. her eye contact is unwavering, her notice is inescapable, and it is all concealed within the shadows of being underestimated.

thanks for the ask, smihi! :)))

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