#thea cuore

[jadeoxfordrose]

OC Kiss Picrew Meme

Alrighty y'all, @littleladymab tagged me in this and who am I to resist a challenge that involves picrews or heroforge :)) Taking inspo from Mab, here are 5 ships involving characters of mine getting their smooches in xD

Adelaide Sylvestri nee Ontano & Thea Cuore (Il Covo Nostro:Court of Blades)

(Thea is my character, Adelaide is her paramour who is an NPC played by Zach) So these two haven't actually kissed yet in canon but the yearning, oh the yearning! Still, I'm hoping that there will be a chance soon xD Their situation is complicated to put it mildly- some of it can be found explained in my 'Thea Cuore' tag.

Max Valera & Merrill Whitmer(Space Gorls)

These two have it all - childhood friendship, faked deaths, pining, the slow rebuilding of trust, banter - and I miss playing them. Merrill is @citadelofswords's roller skating jewel thief of a dream girl and Max is my sarcastic to a fault mechanic.

Davey-Jane & Theo Delaney (Multiple FTL universes)

Sometimes they are a less tragic version of Hamlet & Horatio in ✨Space✨, sometimes they are a version of Orpheus & Eurydice, sometimes they're youtubers (one hunts ghosts, the other does crafts) - regardless, they always give me feels. Davey-Jane is @littleladymab's character (I'm sorry the picrew does not show how truly beautiful he is Mab), Theo is mine and I cherish them deeply despite my continuing to put them in awful situations.

Arkady & Arctorus (formerly of Stormhold | Fall of Magic + Mages Against the Machine)

These two began life as Fall of Magic characters played by me and Zach respectively, who came from the same place and from that came a goldmine of character fuel. Amusingly, I didn't even realise I'd started shipping them until after we wrapped the game - I blame the sheer number of delicious tropes that provided ship fuel we hit upon the way. They've only been played once since, and Arctorus (renamed Arthur in a new universe) was more of a cameo but the relationship was officially canonized xD Characters that I need to do more with to be sure.

Benny LaFontaine & Dante Voight & Kel Mahoney (Dumb Kids Playing Hero)

Oh my wonderful, messy, complicated Team Chaos (played by Richard as Benny, Bryan as Dante, and myself as Kel). A slow-burn of an OT3 despite active shipping from multiple people, all I can say here is please go listen to @dumbkidsplayinghero - it's Animorphs inspired Boston college students in the early 00s and I'm supremely proud of the story we all told together.

Alrighty, I've said enough - tagging anyone who fancies having a play in picrew and talking about their OC OTPs xD

Edited to include link to the picrew used x

[jadeoxfordrose]

OTP asks: 5, 10, 11 for your favorite ship that has you in a stranglehold!

So I'm gonna answer these for one of my TTRPG OCs, Thea, and her paramour Adelaide (an NPC). For a little context, the game where I play her is Court of Blades which is a Forged in the Dark system focused on interpersonal relationships, political intrigue & the interplay of the noble houses as you play a retainer for one of said houses. It's very Game of Thrones meets the Borgias in fantasy renaissance Venice.

I won't go into full details of the backstory but while Della is *mechanically* Thea's paramour, the two of them are still in the longing/yearning part of the relationship - yes they are both in love with each other, no they haven't actually said those exact words to each other yet. It is complicated of course by the fact that Della is currently married to Thea's former husband who did try to kill her 12 years ago and until very recently believed he had been successful. And Della is pregnant with his baby. Like I said, it's complicated lol.

With that in mind, I'm gonna approach answering these as if the two were already at a more established point in the relationship :))

2. What would they do if the other woke in a manic state after a nightmare? Of the two, Thea is the one who struggles with nightmares more often. I can see Della putting Thea's arms around her, letting Thea hold on to her as tight as she needs to, hands resting over Della's heart and the two of them just breathing together until Thea feels ready to talk (if she wants) or fall back asleep. Then Della turns to face her, hands wrapped around one of Thea's, so she can fall asleep knowing Della is there.

5. Describe their cozy night in. Baby settled for the light, the two of them curled up together on a big pile of cushions or a conversation pit style seating arrangement. Thea working on some embroidery or sewing something, Della working on research or reading aloud to Thea.

10. Describe their first date. Arguably it was Thea bringing Della a picnic that they got to share in the vineyard in late summer, the heat of the sun kept at bay by the shade of one of the trees that are peppered through the arbor.

If they were to do an official first date? A walk through the artist's quarter, listening to music and watching performers, small gifts being bought and a meal as the sun goes down, making the canals look like they are shining pink and gold.

11. Do either try to hide their emotions if upset? Can the other still tell? Thea definitely does, a habit born of necessity, and while she isn't there quite yet, Della will get to that point soon. Roles reversed, I think Della does it less/is less practiced at it and Thea can usually tell right away. (Her inability to realize Della was in love in her is due to other factors, Thea is usually pretty emotionally perceptive.)

20. Choose one song that perfectly describes their relationship. I don't know if I have found the song that does it perfectly but if I think about them while listening to First Light by Hozier, it's like being body slammed with feels lol.

30. Your OTP gets to pick out each other's outfits; what is each wearing? Thea for Della: Long floaty dress in a light but rich colour, soft outer layer, well worn boots. Comfort is first priority, but also a mixture of pretty and practical. (Della has had to dress to social expectations for a long while, Thea doesn't want or expect that from her.) Della for Thea: Genuinely not sure, I kind of want to ask the GM lol. I could see it being something simple, without all the layers of (mostly metaphorical) armor Thea wears, a sign that Thea was safe enough to not need them.

44. Who would dance in the kitchen making dinner? Would the other join in or watch from the doorway? Della is making dinner and dancing, Thea would watch for a little while (probably until she's spotted) then join her because Della would absolutely hold out a hand to her and Thea is always going to take it. Thanks for the questions @emilykaldwen and @homosociallyyours <3

OTP Asks!

[jadeoxfordrose]

Thea - Break and Future

break: What would cause your OC to break down completely? What do they look like when that happens? Has anyone ever seen them at their lowest?

The collapse of House Bastien. Losing Della (either due to her dying or emotionally, if she were to go all in with Sylvestri + Rowan). Jules (her brother) being killed. Her mental state feels very precarious right now I won't lie, especially given the moral gymnastics she's been having to reckon with. I'm not sure what this version of Thea looks like fully broken in spirit but the old Thea? That was bad. Tino and Hamelin bore witness to some of that and I think it was very much a dead woman walking - very checked out with periods of lucidity and feralness - before she was able to rebuild herself.

future: What's the worst possible future for your OC? Are they taking steps to avoid that outcome? Are they even aware it's a possibility?

Aside from the one that appears to be rushing towards the coterie lol. but seriously, the machinations of the conspiracy to make the Lord the religious figurehead of the city, with the conspirators in the top seats of power given who these men are as people? that is the nightmare scenario and there is no telling just how far reaching the consequences of that would be. thea feels *excruciatingly* aware of this possibility and just close it might be to coming to pass and is trying her damnedest to stop it.

From oc asks: not-so-nice edition

[jadeoxfordrose]

Thea - wound and secret

(From the not-so-nice OC questions)

wound: How does your OC handle being wounded? Are their wounds mostly physical? Mental? Emotional? What's the worst wound your OC has ever experienced?

*ugly sad laughter* So, the thing about someone nearly successfully killing you and going through a spiritual resurrection/rebirth of sorts following that event and the abusive relationship that proceeded it has left Thea with some...baggage. As a forged in the dark character, one of her XP triggers is addressing a challenge through recklessness and she is upsettingly willing to put her personal safety on the line.

Arguably she has dealt with worse wounds since the attempted murder (she is significantly stronger now - party tank is gonna tank) but that is still her most significant wound - especially given the psychological weight it carries. The scar around her neck and the one on her cheek are the markers of her old life and the one that was taken from her, and the person she might have been.

She's very much a 'walk it off until you can't' type, I picked up the triage move for her let lets her effectively reduce the severity of a wound until a job is over and then it has to be dealt with. Her body is something to be used (it's no real surprise that she has been a sex worker before moving into this more violent ine of work, as much as she doesn't relish in hurting other people) and her physicality is something that often catches people by surprise (short round woman in her mid-30s, will kick anyone and everyone's ass who tries their luck)

secret: What's one secret your OC never wants anyone to know about them?

This one is harder to answer - I'm not sure if she really has any secrets that aren't known by at least one person, much to her frustration. I'm definitely gonna think on this one some more though because it feels like she should lol.