Hi Erika! For your ship game, can I get your thoughts on Obanai x Mitsuri (kny), Jellal x Erza (Fairy Tail), Lumiere x Secre (BC), and if I can be a little bold (and because I’m very curious), Henry x my oc Lorelei? Also, if you haven’t gotten asked about them Nacht x Josele (but I’m sure you’ve been asked already). Please 💖 Thank you! (Sorry if that is too much 😅)
😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈
Oh Acacia, you absolutely SPOIL ME! 🥰💖
Buckle up, folks, this’ll be a long post.
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To start, there shall be a trend in these ships that boils down to “brooder and comforter.” One half of the couple is a bit (or maybe a lot) down on themselves and their partner is the warm embrace they need in life. The dynamic will forever and always be beautiful to me, just as much as “two pure sweethearts.”
Obanai x Mitsuri
Makes sense and 1000% compelled by it.
Obviously Obanai and Mitsuri fit that to a tee! Obanai is very clearly a broody boy and he states outright that Mitsuri saved him with her cheerfulness and smile. But it would be a massive disservice to the ship to ignore that Obanai also was Mitsuri's comforter in a way. She felt the way that he looked at her with affection whenever they were together which meant the world to her since she felt like it would be hard to love. They never judged each other and felt loved with one another and AAAAHHHHH HADKJHFLKAUHEILTHALEKTHKAEJG!
I know I've brought this up in the past but it bears repeating that I love this ship so much that I managed to work it into a college paper about depictions of (failed) romance in Japanese literature. Because, well, in a sense Obanai and Mitsuri's love wasn't successful. Let me share a bit of that essay to get my point across.
This mutual but unrecognized love is best described by the chapter title revealing Obanai’s backstory. The Japanese title is “hitsūna renjō” (悲痛な恋情) which I would translate as “a painful, miserable romance.” Mitsuri and Obanai’s feelings of self-loathing make their love a painful burden on their hearts. Even their confession is ultimately tragic, as both are in tears and on the cusp of death when their feelings come out.
Then again, the cycle of reincarnation allowed that love to continue and be acted upon. Still, this ship makes me VIBRATE with all the emotions. It's so unfair that Gotoge was able to invest me in this romance with only brief snippets and a small reassuring epilogue. And then the fandom just hammers the stake deeper into my heart. ObaMitsu. Beloved ship~!
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Jellal x Erza
OOOOHHHHHH! Man, it's been forever and a half since I really watched Fairy Tail but Jerza is that ship that sticks with you (and Gajevy but that wasn't the ship asked for, now was it).
So much sense is made with the ship and it'll never not compel me.
Again, Jellal is the more blatant brooder but Erza has plenty of moments of hitting low points (and it's usually over Jellal). And again, they both act as a source of hope in each other's lives. These two knew each other as kids and they made strong impressions on each other clearly. I mean, Jellal made some strong impressions on many people for a variety of not good reasons... ANYWAYS! It makes so much sense that Erza is always holding out hope for Jellal because his turn to darkness back in the day was very out of the blue so deep down in her heart, she'd know that something wasn't quite right. And even as she loves him, Erza expects Jellal to take responsibility for his actions. You talked about it yourself when discussing this ship but with Jerza, their personal feelings don't immediately mean Jella's sins/crimes can be ignored. He has to work to right them and fix himself. Jellal changes not because he's browbeaten into it but because he wants to be better for Erza. And Jellal isn't the only one changing. Erza is able to open up and let herself wish a little more because the trauma of their history is slowly being healed. Their love is such a journey. Multiple times they're pulled apart before finding each other again. And each time they meet, they heal a little more, grow a little closer.
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Lumiere x Secre
I won't say as much about these two as the others but I'm still a sucker for them!
In this case, Secre is the brooding soul while Lumiere is her comfort. She looked down on herself and her magic while Lumiere saw potential and inspiration. Lumiere gave Secre something to hope for and she gave him devotion. The way Secre's love endures over the centuries and she remembers to have hope from Lumiere's example is something that makes their love really special without them ever having to be in a relationship. We don't get Lumiere's perspective on Secre directly but the fact that he named his super special magic tool (the big spherical one) after her says quite a bit to me. She's important and special and helpful in Lumiere's eyes. Secre living on while Lumiere moves onto the afterlife is sad but he wishes her more happiness in a continuing future, even without him. It's an ending of separation but not of mourning and it's beautiful (even if I wish Lumiere could've stuck around).
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Henry x Lorelei
UwU CC x OC time~!
I actually did read the fic where they meet a bit ago. It's just in my queue for reblogging. But ooooooohhhhhhh! I CAN GUSH HERE!
So I will be real, there is one detail of the ship that doesn't make sense to me. But that's Tabata's fault for making it that even low mana people feel drained by an extended exposure to Henry's mana draining. It's just unfair that really no one but Asta can safely be around him with his curse in place. So it's not on you. You made every other aspect of the ship wonderful. Henry definitely would fall for someone as openly sweet as Lorelei and her sense of whimsy is a wonderful complement to Henry's loneliness. The way he so shyly begins to talk to her is so in character and I think adding Lorelei to Henry's backstory helps explain why he's easily able to just talk to Yami and later Asta since he now has experience meeting someone new. Lorelei's Lucky Magic seems interesting (and fits in with David's Dice Magic) and well, I think it brought luck to both her and Henry. And do I even need to say it but this ship got me hooked with one fic. It may need more time in the microwave before it finds a permanent spot in my heart but... I'm digging the vibes already.
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Nacht x Josele
YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
I’ve talked Nacsele before for the ask game but I’m gonna talk again!
GAAAAHHHH! The way Nacht always loved Josele and was content(?) to simply love her from afar... Josele harboring her love for Nacht when she felt he didn't love her back... It gets so messy when she's with Morgen because he truly did make her happier than words could say. But half of Josele's heart was with Nacht. And when they finally get together, after much heartache and soul searching and doubting, it's gorgeous. Nacht is so hesitant about the relationship that he doesn't even call Josele his girlfriend for a while because he still sees Josele as Morgen's love. Josele too was hesitant, not wanting to risk her happiness being destroyed again, but once she got a talking to from one of the Bulls, she embraced the chance to be with Nacht and helps him with his steps into the future.
AND I LOVE THEIR FUTURE TOGETHER! Josele never really stops mourning Morgen and the future they could've had. But she doesn't lose sight of the future she's attained with Nacht. She loves Nacht and the way he's able to forgive himself. And Nacht accepts that Josele will always have Morgen in her heart, he really wouldn't have it any other way. Nacht slowly but surely frees himself of his guilt and self-loathing to full embrace all the affection that Josele always had for him.
My ship... I love...
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AND I LOVED TALKING ABOUT AAAAALLLLL THESE SHIPS! AAADJHGLKHAIUHAETKJHAETUHUI!
(Art Left from Faelion's Avatar Creator Picrew (she is much younger here, obviously, but she is really about the same age as Henry and Gordon 😅); Art Right from Roiworld™️ Regency Doll Maker).
Lorelei Swallow
Lorelei is David's bright, sunny, and extroverted "Big Sis," and Henry Legolant's fiancée from a betrothal arranged by their parents that they both end up actually wanting in the end. Though she is a little bit clumsy and quirky, she is naturally cheerful, open-minded, and kindhearted and has a great sense of humor and a warm, friendly nature that makes her very popular even amongst the most serious curmudgeons. 💖
Birthday: June 12th
Magic: Lucky Magic
Likes: Oranges, Birds, Sunflowers, Good-Naturedly Teasing Her "Little Brother" David, Making People Laugh or Smile
Lorelei appears in "Lucky" (a backstory for how she became friends with Henry) and briefly appears in "A Family Where There Once Was None" with her and Henry's future daughter, Summer. I also answered an ask about her and made this "My Ship In 5 Minutes" post about her & Henry.
Fun Facts Under the Cut 💙 (Warning: Spoilers for the Spade Arc)
Lorelei is David’s “Big Sis," and they're very close. Technically they’re cousins, but Lorelei was orphaned and raised by David’s parents from the time she was around 10, so David basically grew up with her as a big sister since he was around 4 or 5 when she came to live with them.
Lorelei has “Lucky Magic.” It’s similar to David’s dice magic in that it changes things just slightly in her favor. For instance, when she trips, she falls on soft ground or ends up catching her balance on conveniently placed things or when she gets lost, she ends up stopping to ask for directions at the location she was trying to get to in the first place. Lorelei's magic is extremely weak though, and, as such, her grimoire is very small and thin.
On account of her weak mana, Lorelei is not a magic knight herself; however, she loves to visit David at the Golden Dawn's Headquarters. Since she has such a naturally cheerful and sunny personality, she often tries to make a game of trying to get some of the more serious Golden Dawn members to smile. For instance, she once got Alecdora Sandler to smile by asking him about his favourite memories of Captain Vangeance. She has not succeeded in getting Yuno, Langris, or Letoile (who she ‘not-so-secretly’ ships with David) to smile yet, but she’s working on it.
Before her parents died, they had arranged a marriage for her with Henry Legolant. The Swallows and the Legolants considered it a win-win because Lorelei's parents were ashamed of her lack of mana/magical ability and Henry's parents were worried they’d never marry Henry off and their noble line would die out because of his curse. However, his curse didn’t affect Lorelei much since she had weak mana to begin with.
Henry and Lorelei used to play together quite a bit when they were little. Lorelei never saw Henry, but he would build things for her out of the floorboards and tiles in the house and she’d guess what they were. She was always very fond of Henry and considered him a dear friend, and Lorelei was Henry’s only friend, for a long time, even if they never saw each other [and I think he may have been a bit sweet on her (in the most innocent kind of way) 💕]. However, when she was taken in by her aunt and uncle (David’s parents), they were much more accepting of her lack of magic and were much kinder to her than her own parents. As such, they didn’t want to give her to Lord & Lady Legolant (because Henry’s parents are awful), so they called the engagement off, and she wasn’t allowed to visit Henry anymore.
After Spade, Lorelei heard about Henry's curse breaking and decided she should visit him. She shows up randomly and unannounced at the Black Bulls’ hideout introducing herself as Henry fiancée much to everyone’s confusion (and probably Captain Yami’s "Oh hell no—we’re not doing this again" 😂) She’s really just there to tell Henry how happy she is that’s she has heard he is cured now, and also because she has been curious about her friend she has never seen. Unfortunately, because she has never actually seen Henry before, she accidentally though well-meaningly mistakes almost every other man on the squad for him 😅(while he avoids her for a little bit because he's Henry and he's shy. Poor thing.)
Eventually, Henry and Lorelei end up getting married because they actually love each other and that's what they want for themselves. (Her aunt, uncle, and David are incredibly supportive as are all of the Black Bulls, of course). They have five children together, the eldest of whom is Summer.
Lorelei has a strong maternal streak and has always wanted to have children. She is a wonderful mother to the kids she has one day.
Lorelei is incredibly clumsy and has a tendency to unintentionally trip over, run into, or break things. When she was little and her parents would bring her to the Legolants' country house, Henry (from a distance) used to adjust or extend the stairs so she wouldn't fall down them and get hurt.
She has a pet canary named "Dot" and often sings with her.
I most certainly will ask about your OCs 😤💖 Can I get Eros 3, Storge 5, Agape 1, and Ludus 1 and 2 for Lorelei Swallow please 👀
Aww thank you so much, friend! I'm so excited to have been asked about Lorelei. I need to write more about her one of these days and should probably talk about her more often... 😅 I'm trying to talk about my OCs a little bit more, so really thank you so much for this opportunity! Your ask made my day! 🥰
Also this game is really reminding me of having to take Classical Greek back in high school (it was not an elective and, unfortunately, I was never very good at it 😅) so it's nice to have the opportunity to actually do something fun related to that. 😁
Questions are from this OC 7 Loves Ask Game, and answers are below the cut. Thank you so much for playing and for asking about my OC! 🥰
Eros 3 -- How do they feel about public displays of romantic affection? Does it make them uncomfortable? How do they feel if a romantic partner kisses them in public?
Lorelei doesn't mind public displays of affection. She might get a bit giggly if her significant other kissed her in public, but she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. I do think she'd probably be a bit reserved about initiating PDA though since she's very concerned about and sensitive to others' feelings and really wouldn't want to cause her friends discomfort. In a non-romantic sense, she is very openly affectionate with her family and eventually her children, but I think when it comes to more romantic affection, she's sensitive to how that could make others feel uncomfortable so she wouldn't want to be super, over-the-top touchy-feely with her significant other in public. (Also, I think knowing that her eventual husband is very shy and reserved when it comes to this kind of thing, she's sensitive to that as well and, in that way, I just don't imagine that they engage in a lot of PDA. Maybe curling up next to each other on the couch or holding hands or even a quick kiss on the cheek or very rarely a peck on the lips, but they're just not going to be the couple that is all PDA in front their friends).
Storge 5 -- Is your OC able to love without necessarily needing or expecting reciprocation or reward? Or are all their relationships to some extent transactional? Have they ever loved another person unconditionally, whether a child or another adult?
Absolutely. I think this is really one of Lorelei's defining personality traits. She's a very generous, relationship-oriented and people-oriented person. She wants to believe in the best in people, and it doesn't really occur to her to view relationships in a more pragmatic or transactional way. I think this does leave her vulnerable to a certain extent in that there are people who would/could take advantage of her kindness and generosity (It's definitely a big worry for her cousin/honorary "little brother" David who tends to be a little more mistrustful and pragmatic, I think). But for Lorelei, I think she really is just naturally a big-hearted person. She loves with everything she has and doesn't expect anything in return. It doesn't even occur to her to put conditions on her love. At the risk of sounding cliche, she really does just follow her heart. It can be a little unwise or impulsive sometimes and she does run the risk of putting her trust in the wrong people, but ultimately, she loves unconditionally and is very devoted and loyal.
She was a little isolated so she didn't have the opportunity to make a lot of friends, but she does love her family (her Aunt and Uncle who are essentially her adoptive parents and her cousin, David, who is more like a little brother to her) and the friends she has had the opportunity to make (Henry, Finesse, William, Letoile, Most of the Golden Dawn, and eventually, the Black Bulls) very much. When she has children one day, she will love them unconditionally as well (and her beloved niece and nephews (David's kids) as well).
Agape 1 -- Does your OC wish to make the world a better place? How far do they see that as being their responsibility? What lengths would they go to in order to help achieve this?
I would say yes, but I don't think Lorelei thinks of it in such broad and idealistic terms as "making the world a better place." Since she is more much of a relationship-oriented person rather than a goal (or ideals)-oriented person, her dream is more to make the lives of the people she cares about better and/or to make her loved ones happy. It's not that she doesn't want the whole world to be better--it's just that her dreams and her way of thinking is much more immediate and closer to home. Lorelei isn't a magic knight, and it was never her dream to be one. She doesn't have a lot of ambitions or big dreams of making a difference to the whole kingdom or the whole world (like David), but she does feel very strongly about helping those who are around her and making a difference in her own community. In that way, her way of making the world better is through small, grassroots acts of kindness and making little but meaningful differences in the lives of individuals through being generous, kind, joyful, and helpful. She believes that even something as seemingly insignificant as showing someone kindness or trying to brighten someone's day, could make a big difference and impact and does make the world better, even if it's not on as big a scale as say what a magic knight would be capable of. In Lorelei's mind, not everyone gets the chance or opportunity to change the whole world, but that's okay because there are small things that everyone can do like being kind and compassionate to others that do help make the world a better place.
Ludus 1 -- Does your OC have any particular favourite chat up lines? If not for themselves then perhaps ones they have suggested to a friend? How effective do these tend to be?
While Lorelei is very in-tune to the emotions, feelings, and hearts of others, she is a bit oblivious when it comes to flirting that is directed at her, so I think if someone actually hit on her (even if they used an obvious line) she wouldn't quite pick up on it and would take it a bit literally. [i.e. If someone used the line "Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?", she'd probably get confused and try to reassure them that she didn't fall and that she is okay, "so please don't worry"😂]. Cheesy pickup lines tend to make her giggle, in general, I think, and I think she must prefers when people just want to have a normal conversation and show a genuine interest in her and her company.
The go-to advice that she always gives David is just to be himself and speak from his heart. She gets a little bit frustrated with him sometimes and thinks his biggest problems arise when he pretends to be disinterested or tries too hard to be aloof or charming. She insists he'd have better luck in love (and wouldn't have to keep coming to complain to his big sister) if he would be a little more sincere. In her personal life, she definitely takes this to heart and tends to find someone who is awkward but sincere more endearing as a potential romantic partner than someone who is suave and charismatic but disingenuous.
She tends to be pretty friendly so she'll chat with pretty much anyone about anything, but the quickest way to her heart is definitely to ask her about music, her family, or her beloved canary, Dot.
Ludus 2 -- Is your OC particularly skilled at flirting? Have they had to practice this or does it just happen naturally?
Lorelei is a very bubbly and friendly person which does make her very warm and approachable by nature and can definitely lend itself to flirting. That said, she is much better at flirting if she isn't thinking about it and is just taking a natural, sincere interest in this other person and is genuinely enjoying her beloved's company. If she purposefully tried to flirt, I can imagine she might psych herself out a little bit and end up more awkward than she would have been otherwise.
(A/N: She is nowhere near as awkward as Henry, however, so next to him she definitely looks like some sort of flirting master even at her most awkward 😁).
