MOODBOARD TIME: Elric // my genderbent Cinderella OC!
// An animal that fits him:
The Stoat!
Often small and overlooked, like the small, fiercely predatory mammal. It is most clever and resourceful. One of many examples is their opportunistic diet. While they primarily hunt small mammals like rabbits and voles, they will readily switch to birds, eggs, insects, amphibians, and even fruit when preferred prey is scarce.
Like Elric, the Stoat is fierce and resilient despite its size, being highly adaptable by living in a wide range of habitats, including woodlands, grasslands, and brushy or rocky areas. (In Elric’s case, perhaps, size may refer to societal status). While it looks delicate it can survive harsh conditions.
What its winter coat reminded me of is the glittering dress from 1950 <333 it kind of echoes the transformation motif me thinks.
// A color that fits his vibe:
Blue!
I believe it’s quite similar to his original character; a combination of powder blue, flyway and dynamic blue. And the whole magic-swirling effect reminds me of Cinderella!
// A song that feels like him:
The Family Jewels ~ Marina!
When I first stumbled upon these few lines, I immediately thought of his relationship with his aunt and her daughters. He’d be lying if he said he saw any resemblance to himself in comparison to them. Not to be egotistical, really, but he…simply can’t grasp their way of existing.
Stomping on daffodils that just saw the light of the world which occurs unnoticed because they had to make haste to make it to the seamstress in time, to stitch them new gowns (perhaps she ought to stitch some actual brain cells into their empty cavities of a brain). When he’d mention it, they’d preserve a split second, to let their eyes draw over the dirtied and lifeless blooms, a look they’d offer peasants that they deem unworthy of their attention before quickening their pace.
“Will you quit distracting us?”
Buuut I also thought about
⤷ ‘Class of 2013’ by Mitski!
“Mom I’m tired.”
I feel like in moments where the duties and the pressure and the expectations grow too heavy for Elric’s shoulders to wear and he does not have the space or time to fall apart (because Ruth will just tell him to brew her sixth cup of tea), he’d like to reminisce and wish his mother to be there.
She wasn’t the best mother for sure, and only actually cared for her son when he had done something to be ‘rewarded for’ but if he’d had to choose, whether to wish his father or mother back, I’d say it is his mother.
His father may not have been as emotionally distant to begin with but those little slivers of attention he received from Cordelia was what he cherished, like a dog’s eyes that begged to be noticed, to be praised, to be acknowledged.
// something they’re passionate about:
Gardening and herb keeping!
As it was mentioned in my abo submission, he planted herbs in the second residence between him and Erevan. I also just believe it won’t be massive, opulent gardens, more like…herbs. Wildflowers. Things that grow quietly.
I imagine he was always curious about the wildlife that grew between the stoned pathways of the gardens and outside of the high walls of the Colborne estate. Now, whether he was being with Erevan or not, he still enjoyed it.
He’d know which flowers bloom first after winter,how to keep basil alive, what herbs soothe burns from hot water and which plants attract butterflies and honeybees. It’s symbolic too: He spends his life nurturing things that never ask anything of him.
“Lavender likes neglect more than fussing. Funny. Most nobles I know are the opposite.”
// an object important to them:
His father’s old dublet!
That he wore on the masquerade ball, the day he allowed himself to indulge a sliver of freedom before having been deprived of it, which in turn, of course, caused a chain reaction that made the bad events (fighting in war), but the good ones (being with his lover, at last) worth it.
// a weather pattern that fits their mood!
Stormy + Cloudy!
Admittedly, I was a little confused about that one and it took me the most time to find the right weather pattern to fit his mood. While there is storm, the external threats that he’s endangered by, there’s lightness that rises from the clouds. I also think it reflects back on his mentality; to be grateful and to make the best out of his situation, despite the challenges and difficulties life throws at him. Furthermore, the fact that after a storm, there’s a chance of a rainbow stretching over the horizon, offering a beautiful moment of peace and serenity, it…strangely fits him.
// The food they’d order as their last meal:
Poached Salmon!
While I’m not sure whether he would have to ‘order’ it, as he is a Prince after being married and can just have his kitchen staff ready the food. For this, I chose poached salmon after researching common, recurring dishes in the 19th century:
It was a luxury dish for the upper classes. While salmon had been an affordable, everyday food for laborers and servants in previous centuries, overfishing, industrial water pollution and the rise of upscale culinary trends caused it to become a grand, high-status meal by the 1800s.
As the rightful Duke of Cordelia, he is used to more of the exquisite dishes that the land has to offer, like poached salmon in this case. But because of his aunt, he is merely given leftovers and scraps, not plates full of food to ravish like his cousins. So for his last meal, I believe he’d choose this, reminiscing back on the moments he used to enjoy a sliver of it, or even a full plate like now back when his parents were still alive.
Moreover, I chose it because he remains a humble man after becoming Prince, unlike the salmon that became a sumptuous dish (one of the most prominent causes being the human greed.)
// An outfit they’d wear!
An elegant vest made of silk brocade with a Baroque pattern combined with a laced dress shirt!
Genuinely, I think he’d have an obsession with this shade of blue. The drapes, the carpets, he’d have everything matching (not an innuendo, get yo mind out of the gutter!), his fits mostly consisting of blue. Plus, I think the collar would look cute asf on him 😚💗
