* ——————— side blogs
@xlittledragon — the elder scrolls oc. daughter muse to this blog. naenia silver-wing. very new, activity pending.
@xrebel-princess — the elder scrolls canon and ocs. sister muse to this blog. princess barynia and her handmaidens. very low activity.
@xfrozendreams — dragon age inquisition lavellan inquisitor and her brother. features a non-inquisitor verse. high activity.
@xfallendaughter — fandomless oc. lucifer's daughter, lucasta starr. features verses with: chilling adventures of sabrina, dc, the umbrella academy, stranger things, star wars, supernatural, good omens, and more. low activity.
@xironmaiden — marvel oc. tony stark's daughter, anastasia stark. currently only marvel verses, but adjustable. low activity.
@xoncomingstorm — stranger things experiment 010 oc, decima byers. verses slowly expanding. low activity.
@xhendersister — stranger things henderson!oc, veronica henderson. verses slowly expanding. low activity.
Ah that's alright then, just coincidences - yeah fairly sure youtube ate the entire comment this time but ey we're both still here so that's fine! but no worries, life and inspiration comes first - honestly, i'm fucked up health wise rn LMAO but one must simply say: hey, in medieval years, I'd be dead! 😂 I hope things're going alright for you!
I swear, I am going to fight YT because of it never giving me notifications ;^; I'll have to check with others to see if it is a 'me problem' or an overall 'yt problem.' Somehow, I bet it's just me because that's my luck lol xD
And yes! We are both alive! And ugh, omg, the health issues is the biggest mood rn. It's got me all fucked up too. They would have thrown me in the cart for the dead even before I was dead xD
heya, ignore me if this is bothersome, but have I missed a tumblr message ? I'm just paranoid bc it did that 'ding! you have a message. yeah the inbox is empty. what message?' thing, and i think youtube also ate a comment :/ suspicious that technology is out to get me rn
You and bothersome in the same sentence? Never! Idk man, technology has been weird with me too! I don’t think it was from me, but tumblr is wild. And YouTube keeps not notifying me of comments! I’m getting so annoyed about it! I’ll have to manually go in and see in the YouTube Studio because it’s an ongoing issue. I even redid all my settings hoping it would stop doing that 😭 Technology sucks lol. How are you though?! I’ve missed you! I’m sorry I haven’t been on as much, but I’m slowly getting back into my groove.
hi. yes. i am not actively on here rn because brain is dumb and has no muse. with that said, i'm currently back in my dragon age obsession (thanks veilguard). SO, if i have followed you recently, it is more than likely that i am following you for my Lavellan Inquisitor (@xfrozendreams) or for my de Riva Rook (@xthestormcrow). so please, go check them out! i love them both. so much. ;^;
👀 so uh. Besides lots of health (physical and mental) issues going on, apparently my tumblr app got messed up which is how I get all my notifications when I’m in slumps and whatnot… so uh. Sorry for my absence 😭 life sucks sometimes, you know? But I’m always thinking of Xia. Like all the time haha. I’m going to be lingering for a while as I work myself back up to wanting to rp. Mental health has been good lately but physical health could definitely be better, so I take the good days when they come. Hmu for whatever. 💜
XIA let out a small hum, tilting her head to the side. ❝Most do, yes, but not all,❞ she told him. If she could spare even one dragon, she felt accomplished. She smiled a little and leaned back in her chair. ❝You are correct there. If I could talk him down from it, I would, but I highly doubt he would listen. Alduin is stubborn.❞
❝IT only spoils it if you want to wait and believe what all the bards will write,❞ she laughed a little, although she was not looking forward to the tales that would be written in her name. If she could ban people from doing that, she would. ❝When I face him next,❞ she told him, ❝I will have to use a shout that brings him to the ground. It will be the only way I have any advantage over him.❞
SHE played with her cup, contemplating that mission in her head. She did not necessarily look forward to fighting Alduin. It wasn't just because she didn't like the idea of fighting a dragon, but that Alduin was quite powerful. It was going to take a lot, and she just hoped it didn't take her life in the process.
A young stable boy came to the carriage, hitching it to a horse, and flicked the reins as the carriage went off into the night, without a passenger, or so he thought. As he drove, the stable boy muttered to himself. “What kind of idiot demands a carriage to the castle in the middle of the night? Now I have to go all the way to some nowhere town called Erleaon just to go back to the castle, and I doubt this ‘Lord Button’ is going to so much as hint at gratitude.” He continued to mutter about “Lord Button,” as the carriage passed by some woods.
Suddenly, there was the sound of shouting and some kind of commotion in the woods, and the stable boy stopped the carriage to see what was happening. Suddenly, two figures in dark clothing exited the woods and ran to the carriage. Aloisa probably couldn’t see what was happening, but if she could, she’d see that one of the figures pointed some kind of weapon at the driver.
“Out,” the figure said. When the driver hesitated, there was a sudden flash, as the driver cried out, “My eyes!” The other figure pulled the young man off his seat, throwing him to the ground as they both got on the carriage and sped off… with young Aloisa inside.
AS the carriage lurched forward, Aloisa felt a thrill shoot up her spine. This was really happening. She was getting out of the castle! She couldn’t really hear what the stable boy driving the carriage was muttering about from within, but she could not care any less. As the carriage stopped, Isa felt a little confused, but still excited. She wanted to see what was going on, but there seemed to be a commotion outside that stopped her.
BEFORE she knew it, the carriage was speeding off. Aloisa tried to catch herself, hold herself stable, but she was bounced around within. Surely, she would have many bruises on her pale, delicate skin. What was going on? Was the carriage hi-jacked? Was she in danger? The thrill she felt earlier was slowly beginning to turn into fear.
*sneaks in quietly, whispering* hey. hi there. uhm. been gone for a while huh? been tired. and sad. getting better! still tired. not as sad! if we had threads that i didn't reply to yet and you want me to, please tag me in them? i forgot to save things in my drafts like the dummy that i am. .3. also lowkey gonna try and be more active on here. in case anyone is interested, might make a bg3 verse? might also make a bg3 character blog but like we'll worry about that later maybe.
Hope your surgery went well! Character questions as a get-well-soon gift haha - because I'd love to know, how much gameplay vs just pure imagination inspired Xia's story (ie, I've never even made Lex in game, but a different dragonborn now owes key character growth to the time I cleared a forsworn camp only to realise they had one chicken that was left all alone with no one to look after it LMAO)
And also in that vein, are there any specific quests that caused Xia's growth from more to less trusting or is it just. In general. Because Skyrim kinda does that to people haha
My surgery went well! I'm bruised, sore, and mostly tired still now, but recovery is up and up! And I love these!! Xia was initially inspired by my second playthrough (her name was Alixiea because I wanted to make my name sound... fantasy-esque (learning later that Alix was a name used for a few Bretons was cool, but Alixiea stuck soo) She would later earn the nickname Xia because of how the second half of her name sounded (and I dropped the e because well I felt like it sue meeee Xia looks better than Xiea lol. Now when I actually made her a roleplay character versus just one in my head and on screen, I figured I couldn’t really name her after me. That felt too Mary Sue-esque. I mean, I’ve done it before, but like it’s been years and years and years. I just wanted to avoid that grief, so I stuck with just Xia. Also, later when I redeveloped her character, I made her first name Aloisa because she originally had a twin sister of that name :O It’s a callback to her lol.). ANYWAY. I have played around with Xia's storyline for a while. Her first iteration here on tumblr was she was taken in by the dark brotherhood as a child and raised as an assassin so I played her very dark early on. When I rewrote her, I wanted her to have some innocence to her at some point and wanted Skyrim to turn her versus her turning dark much earlier. Because you're right, Skyrim does that to people! So she started very gameplay-based and then turned into imagination based as I delved into where she was from et cetera.
I think there wasn't any particular quest that turned Xia. I think it started very early on when the Imperials were gonna chop her head off. Then, as time goes on, as she was practically forced to kill people (bandits, et cetera) through quests she just became harder and harder the more she killed people. So it would start very early on. Then comes the dark brotherhood questline. She's already desensitized to killing at this point, so being asked to kill Greold, Xia thought nothing of it. Finding the Dark Brotherhood was like finding a family for her again, especially because as she kills more people, the less she actually feels like a hero. The betrayal of Astrid really does hit her hard because I imagine that she was starting to trust people again. I think she really fully hardens herself after that. Goes through the motions of playing a hero, but delves deep into being a cold-blooded assassin.
Alright, y’all, just wanted to come on here quick to say my health has been kinda crappy. Thankfully, though, I’ll be getting surgery next Friday (gallbladder issues) so hopefully things will be looking up. I’ll try and get on while I’m off for recovery. Probably won’t get on before then because I’m just feeling crappy.
HER father rarely let her out of the castle anymore. He said it was for her own safety, but it still felt unfair to her. Barynia got to leave the castle any time she wanted to. Being fed up with being locked up inside, she decided to sneak out of the castle.
ALOISA had waited until the sun was setting. She knew her father was busy with political things and her mother was doing a lesson with Barynia. Aloisa got out of those lessons simply because she didn’t have the same skill set as Barynia. She wasn’t like her sister in so many ways, but she tried not to let it affect her too much.
SNEAKING out was surprisingly easy. She knew the movements of all the staff. She knew which halls were unoccupied this time of day. Now, she just had to think of what to do when she got out of the castle. There was an empty carriage, it seemed, waiting to take someone from the castle. That might be her best way out. She would sneak aboard and hide. Then, when they were out of the gates and in the city, she would sneak off of the carriage and enjoy her freedom. So, she snuck aboard and waited for someone to come along and navigate the carriage away from her home.
So I have random questions because I was Having Thots and spewing out drabble stuff that's making wild assumptions - what was De Joyaux family life like? Was Barynia a more attentive or more absent father? Was Xia more, or less aware of his political difficulties? Did his paranoia ever affect his relationship with his family outside of the politics? Was Xia's education rigorous and formal, or more relaxed for only the second-born? How indulgent / strict were her parents? What did she think of her parents' marriage as she saw it (did it seem loving, did she pick up on difficulties)? Were they much of a Family Unit, spending time with all of them together? How did she get on with her sister?
Answering this publically because HEADCANONS 2. I'm having a weird anxiety thing so I just took a Klonopin, so if this gets weird... that would be why lol. But omg, I love this question! Gonna be long, so put it under a "read more" :)
Was Barynia a more attentive or more absent father?
He was a combo of both. He was a lot more attentive when Xia was younger, but as his paranoia grew, he became a lot less involved. This was because he was so focused on politics and keeping his position that he didn't have much time for his family.
Was Xia more, or less aware of his political difficulties?
She was not aware of his political difficulties until after Wayrest fell. She got inklings while captured in Wayrest and a little more while in Daggerfall, but she wouldn't fully learn until she was out of High Rock. So it was all in hindsight. The more she learned, the more she realized how much she missed when she was younger.
She realizes now that power had been her father's downfall. That he had been so paranoid about keeping his power that it took over his life and ultimately destroyed it. She sees this trait inside of herself and it is why she fears having too much power... because she really, really wants it and not always for the right reasons.
Was Xia's education rigorous and formal, or more relaxed for only the second-born?
Being the second born, Xia was not educated in the same way that Barynia II was. She was not educated in politics. She was not educated on how to run a kingdom. She was, however, educated rigorously on accomplishments: dancing, embroidery, singing, et cetera. She was raised to be the "perfect bride" that could be used for a politically arranged marriage.
Despite this, though, Aurelia did teach her some basics on the side. Things that she felt Xia might need to know. She gave her books to read that Xia wouldn't understand the contents of until she was older and reread them.
Along with education, too, it should be noted that Barynia II was also trained heavily in magic because she was very skilled. Aurelia attempted to train Xia in magic, but she had no aptitude for it. Eventually, said training kind of went by the wayside.
How indulgent/strict were her parents?
Honestly, they weren't really one way or the other. I think there were certain areas and certain situations that called for more strictness (more public appearances et cetera) and others that called for a more relaxed parenting style (if they were in private). Again, I think as Barynia got more and more paranoid, he might have been more strict with how his children acted. So if Xia was "childish" (y'know, as a child), he might yell at her to grow up and act like the royalty that she is. I think this would come from a place of fear that if his family was not perfect, it would reflect on him. But this was closer to the end of their reign over Wayrest. I also imagine during this time, Barynia would have been more strict about whether or not Xia could even leave the castle. She would have been basically hidden away for her "safety." I think Barynia would have become stricter in the sense that he felt he was truly protecting her from his kingdom and the world. He wouldn't have fully treated Barynia II the same way, only due to the fact that she was older. He probably would have been stricter in her studies, though.
What did she think of her parent's marriage as she saw it (did it seem loving, did she pick up on difficulties)?
Aurelia loved her husband very much and it very much showed on her face when they were together or when she spoke of him. Before he was too deep in his paranoia, Barynia could be seen with a similar look on his face when he was speaking with her. Aurelia also had a way of handling Barynia without him realizing that she was "manipulating" him one way or the other (for subtle things on how to act or if she thought a certain decision was better than another). I think Xia was acutely aware of how her parents acted and felt toward each other. I think she also learned a thing or two from just watching Aurelia in this situation. If she were to reflect on it now, she might remember fond memories of her parent's love for each other first before any of their shortcomings.
Were they much of a Family Unit, spending time with all of them together?
Yes, they were quite a typical family unit in spending time with each other. They ate breakfast together. Lunches were usually just Aurelia and the girls or Aurelia and Xia if Barynia II was studying. Dinners were together and then they also spent their evenings together winding down. They might have read books aloud with each other (alternating who got to pick the book), listened to music (Xia often showed off what new things she was learning this way), or just otherwise did their own separate things but together in the same room. They would also often take vacations together where they would spend their time with just the four of them. This would dwindle more and more as Barynia became more paranoid. He would be locked up in his office or whatnot and miss events. He would say that they couldn't take a vacation together because he was busy. Aurelia would continue to spend the time the same way with the girls, for a sense of normalcy, but I think Barynia II would have stopped eventually herself. That she might feel the need to study more or prepare herself to take her father's place sooner rather than later.
Before he got so paranoid, I imagine the kingdom saw them as a very happy family. Those that were in politics didn't particularly care for Barynia, but they loved Aurelia and the girls. They would have 100% seen a loving and doting father until they no longer saw him at all.
How did she get on with her sister?
Barynia II was nine years older than Xia. Xia looked up to her sister immensely. To her, Barynia was perfect and she wanted to be just like her. She was beautiful, smart, and insanely talented with magic. Barynia was very kind to Xia and oftentimes mothered her, possibly due to the age gap. Sometimes Bary was too bossy, which might get on Xia's nerves as they got older, but Xia still idolized her. They were definitely very close in terms of how they treated each other and how much they loved each other. They fought like most siblings, but not huge fights that needed broken up by someone else or result in punishments other than "apologize and hug it out." And they always apologized to each other and hugged after every fight. Because of this closeness, if Xia ever finds out Barynia is alive, she is going to be absolutely livid because 1) she thought she was dead and 2) where the fuck was she when she was held up in a tower in Daggerfall for years?? So definitely lots of angst there!
➤ devil’s on your shoulder. strangers in your head. as if you don’t remember; as if you can’t forget. it’s only been a moment. it’s only been a lifetime. but tonight, you’re a stranger.
BY THIS TIME OF THE EVENING, THE WINKING SKEEVER IS PACKED full of patrons eager to spend their hard-earned day’s coin on whatever vice alleviated their aches and tensions, both physical or otherwise. Setting this meeting amidst such a dense, boisterous crowd was intentional — a quiet, scarcely-populated tavern only drew attention to the few present.
Clad in her peasant’s garb, Ariveth sits in the chair by a desk at the far end from the doorway while waiting within the rented room specified for the rendezvous. Her markings have been covered, a cowl over her hair and all her typical implements gone from their usual sheathes around her hips: today she’s just a plain, unremarkable servant of the Blue Palace, taking a brief respite at the local tavern. Her contact is an assassin she’s never met before, despite her acquaintanceship with most of the family, and had apparently demanded to meet her cohort prior to starting the job. Therefore, the dunmer had been instructed to verify their respective identities by specific greeting and response — very Dark Brotherhood.
Her head snaps up to attention when she hears the door open, spying the feminine figure in the low light. She’d made good on the promise of time, and just as well, since Ariveth would be expected back at the palace soon. She sits up, rather curious about who this mysterious stranger might turn out to be.
“What a shame the High King’s dead.”
@xsilver-wings·
XIA did not visit Solitude often, at least not since her early days in the Dark Brotherhood. As she entered the city, she kept her cowl up to hide her hair. She knew it could draw attention and liked to avoid that as much as she could. Sometimes she wished she had looked more like her father than her mother — darker hair made it easier to blend in, she thought.
THE Winking Skeever was crowded when she arrived. Her eyes scanned the area, attempting to find the person she was supposed to meet up with. She still wasn't entirely sure how she felt about this team up. She preferred to work alone, but she knew the importance of the outsider's information and skills. She just didn't like it. When she spots who she think might be the woman, she gently weeds her way through the crowd.
WHAT a shame the High King's dead. She had been right. This was the woman she was supposed to meet up with. Good, she didn't want to have to try and track down someone else.
❝LONG live Queen Elisif,❞ she replies as she slips into the seat across from the woman. Her eyes scanned the room once more, checking to see how close others were and determining how much code she'd have to speak in. Her eyes fell back to the woman, taking in her appearance. She looked small — a little smaller than Xia, which she felt was saying something. Xia knew better than to judge someone by their size, though. She was probably just as deadly as Xia was, if not more. ❝Tell me, what news do you have? It's been so long since we've met before.❞ Playing the role of old friends seemed like the way to go. No one would really think twice of two friends catching up over a cup of ale.
His head cocked a little, thoughtful, mirroring hers in opposite, which he noticed only after he had done it - he had to grin at it, and crank his head sideways like an owl for a moment, to show what he was laughing at. But he had to ask, with less mirth, “You’re fond of them. Is the duty of kinship, or something else?”
Truth be told if he did not get to kill a dragon he would be very disappointed, even if they were relations of hers; even if they were wise. He was blind to it, but in the end all the nobility in his soul was prey to that driving need to be best, always the best, there since he was a boy.
ALTHOUGH his words were very true, he was the first one to mention it. Xia fell into a silence as she contemplated his words. What started her kinship to them? Was it before she found out who she was? It felt like decades ago and she could hardly remember. ❝I am fond of them,❞ she admitted, which felt weird to say out loud. She was supposed to be their downfall. She didn’t want to be, though.
❝I suppose it in part has something to do with Alduin saving me from having my head chopped off — by your soldiers, mind you—❞ she added, although her eyes were glittering in somewhat amusement rather than anger. She held onto that anger for a long time. She knew Lex had no involvement in that decision nor did his father, who was in rule at the time. It was just an unfortunate situation. ❝But I think it mostly has to do with the fact that I think they are beautiful creatures, and very intelligent. They have so much wisdom. I won’t kill one unless I have no other option.❞ She had killed plenty of dragons. Many did not give her an option. She always felt a profound sadness, though, when she absorbed their souls.
I’ve made the Xia video that I’ve been trying to make for… months now. Now I want to make a shippy video with Echos’ Leave Your Lover so bad. That song is so beautiful and the plot ideas for it would just be alskjdalskdj. Like… think, two political/arranged marriages that split up a couple. They can’t be together because of their obligations. They try not to be with each other. Secret glances and secret touches are all they are able to do. Maybe a secret meeting if they’re lucky. What do they try to do? Do they try to get out of their obligation? Do they continue their romance even though they get married to someone else? Do they run away together? Do they get caught? The possibilites are endless and so full of angst. Ugh, don’t mind me. I’ve just had this song stuck in my head for like a day now and yeah. lol
@dionsblood
Honestly it’s a hilarious point that it could easily be argued that Naenia has a better claim on the Empire’s throne than Alexandros does (and so does Xia), and that really Xia is ideologically her stronger blood claim, even if Lex is the stronger poltical one (bc people are weird about continuity of royal dynasties)
also i’m down for a daggerfall drama thread - proper courtroom drama, xia holding all the physical power in the room vs the political might being levied against her. idk how it would work - but tbh playing arsehole emperor is my jam haha and i wouldnt mind playing some dickwad daggerfellians as well, because even if all thats pre lex showing up its half the juice and i still want to see it
also, for double the ouch, this is all pre- lex finding out xia is still alive - and there’s either him finding out behind the scenes and walking in on the courtroom and the fact that their first moment of seeing each other is one they can’t say all the things they want to in, and yet they immediately align and become a team with only a look - or them meeting after the thing has been settled in favour of the marriage, some accidental encounter around the preparations that was supposed to be a dull old polite visit of ‘congrats from the imperial family’ or ‘the empress sends a gift for the bride’
That makes for a really hilarious interaction with anyone who tries to deny Naenia's claim to the throne.
Oof, that would actually be quite fun. The question is how much do we want it to hurt? Because lowkey, if it's before he finds out she is alive, that would be just... the perfect angst. Oooh. Oh. Wait. She's literally in her wedding dress, being prepped. He thinks he's just paying his respect to the Dragonborn on their marriage. Even more angst. Then the perfect "Shall we fuck everybody up and run away?" "Yes." "Okay, perfect." Because after they meet up with each other, there is no way in hell this marriage is going through (whether they themselves even get married in the end or not). Xia would 100% claim Daggerfall for the Empire. "Thanks for helping me not get married. Here, have this Kingdom." xD
