ofncdya‌:

Nadya’s dark gaze shifted around the large ballroom, features solemn to keep her inner thoughts hidden. She felt out of place, out of sorts just standing off to the side with her dainty hands folded in front of her tiny waistline. Normally whenever she felt a disconnect, it was for her inability to communicate. Seeing as her mother tongue was not a popular language, she struggled to learn czech and english, only recently being able to hold light conversation in both. However, it wasn’t the language barrier that had her put off, but the dancing and the laughter and the public display of absolute joy. French court was different, so very different than where she hail from – a place where men never danced and the women were always poised. She shifted uncomfortably in place before taking a step back and gently bumping into another body. “–Özür dilerim,” the words came out as more of a gasp, “Forgive me, I sometimes forget I am not the only one in a room.”

Erik have spent at least half an hour in the hall, caught among pretentious nobles whom he’d forced himself to mingle with when all he wanted was to be left alone in peace; to enjoy whatever little there was to enjoy in events such as this. As he did not want to appear distant nor imperious, he played along with the others; initiating small talks about the weather, the wine, their wealth -- every trivial topics Erik could think of yet none that addresses the tension that seem to cloak the hall itself. The rambling goes on, along with feigned smiles and greetings exchanged to those who pass by him, and soon Erik is on his third goblet of ale before he knew it; the only thing that helps him endure and survive through this whole thing.

As he turns to a servant and get a refill, a very familiar figure caught his eye from the other side of the room: Nadya. Dark tresses falling against the rich fabric of her gown and even from a distance, he could make out her features ( despite not spending as much as time as he probably needed to looking at them ); could see the hint of rigidness that set her shoulders as she conversed with someone Erik himself only knew by name -- or his title, at the very least. While there’s nothing blatantly wrong with the encounter, Erik found himself suddenly having the urge to pull away from the small crowd of nonsense he’s in -- and pull away, he did, as he’s then subsequently pulled to move over to the other side of the room, closer to Nadya but not close enough. He halts by a stone pillar a couple of steps away from her and the man, the rim of his newly filled goblet settling against his lower lip as dark gaze followed the way the person before her moved, as if waiting for him to make the wrong one so he has a reason to step in.

@ofncdya

dovenilsson‌:

“Trust me, I completely understand your choices,” she replied with a laugh, looking at the crowd with a small hint of sadness, knowing that she ruined her chances of actually finding someone who would care about her. She was royal member of a family who not only left her husband but got pregnant by another, she was an outcast in every sense of form. “The drinks I haven’t tried yet, but I’m going to grab one the next chance I get” she laughed softly. “I’m Dove,” she introduced, hand outstretched

With a nod, Erik accepts and gently shakes the lady’s hand with his free hand; minding the fact that she’s a noble just like him whom he knew always had to be greeted as such. “ Pleasure to meet you, Lady Dove. I am Erik, ” before he slowly pulls his hand away, letting it down on his side as he looked around the crowd within the room. “ And I must say, French ale is something yet not quite as palatable as the one we have back in my country,” of course, Erik will always pride over the ale brewed in Bohemia, given how fond he is of the drink itself. “ But it is acceptable though I’ve heard the wine is better, although I have yet to try it for myself. ”

would you be open to asian fcs for the wife wc?

ooc: i would certainly love an asian fc for the connection however, i’m also looking at the logistics of it if ever. since erik is a duke, the most plausible wife candidate for him is someone who lives in the nearby nations (or at least, within europe) because that’s the area that he’s most likely actively involved in. i don’t think he travels as far as asia (if he was king, that’s possible for the reason of strengthening ties in the east) but being a duke...that doesn’t really help him much in his position? however, if there’s a reasonable enough backstory behind (i.e. she was a child — illegimate turned legitimate or just legitimate from the get-go — of a royalty who ventured a lot in the east and married / had a relationship with an asian lady) then i don’t see why not! so long as there was a reason how she became a nobility in one of the european nations (since i believe, for now, it’s the nobility in such nations that would have a direct and/or impactful effect on securing erik’s seat in the duchy), it’s perfectly fine! i’m sorry if this sounds rigid or too technical because i understand the rp itself is not aiming to be 100% accurate but this is just my preference for the role and i hope you understand! but as always, my IMs are open should you need my opinion about certain things about her.

princetaej‌:

Tae sometimes felt like he was the court’s entertainment along with the actual performers his parents had. So it didn’t surprise him when his father wanted him to join them and perform a traditional Korean song. He didn’t mind performing as he did love music, but he simply hated that he was more of a show off pet at times like this, rather than his son. However, he did as he was told and performed the song, looking rather uninterested, which was rare for someone such as him. 

After the performance, he bowed down to the royals around him and quickly made his way to the crowd, not wanting to be part of the entertainment any longer. Handing his instrument to one of the servants and sighing. His eyes wandered around, looking for someone to provide him with a much needed drink. “Thank you.” he spoke softly, to the servant who filled a cup for him. Looking around at the crowd, he was curious about the other royals, what they were like and what they thought about being there. “When will this end.” he whispered to himself, taking a big sip of the wine right after.

Erik was leaning against one of the pillars on one corner of the hall when he overheard the prince’s muttering to himself, causing for him to look his way and letting out a low and barely audible chuckle. The younger male have unknowingly yet certainly expressed words he dared not to say right at that moment, which fueled a level of amusement within him. Who knew that royals themselves -- not just from within Europe but from an entirely different continent as well -- felt just as forced to be attending this ball as he somehow had been since he first heard of it? 

Clearing his throat, he lowers the goblet he’s holding down by his stomach before finally deciding to speak aloud; addressing the prince. “ It only has began, unfortunately, so it might take awhile before everyone decides to retreat back to their chambers, ” the duke says, glancing around them to see if anyone was near enough to hear what he just said. Not that it would cause such a scandal anyway, but Erik knew better than letting his mouth utter the first thing in his mind in occasions such as this. “ My only advice is to not wait for it to end but to attempt to at least enjoy it even for a bit. The more that you yearn for the event to end, the longer it appears to run -- at least, that is what I have observed. ”

dovenilsson‌:

She let out a small sigh, feeling her nerves grow as she watched the people around her dance, and laugh, and sing as if there was nothing wrong with the world around them. She knew she shouldn’t be so negative, she had a child that she was bringing into this world, but at a cost she didn’t think she’d pay. But, at least his family were kind enough to take her in, in a way giving her the family and comfort needed, even if it was to just keep themselves liked among their people. But, as she fiddled with a napkin, she jumped and looked up at the nearing figure. “Oh, hi,” she said, a smile quickly plastering on, “I can explain why I’m here, I’m… Well… I’m a horrible dancer” she said with an awkward laugh, making it all too obvious this was nothing more then a lie

Erik didn’t mean to startle the lady. He just had only meant to find a secluded-enough spot among the seats provided to them at the hall so he can drink his ale in peace, without having to spike up conversations with people he didn’t know ( or he’s not interested enough to get to know -- or worse, he despised ) and feign interest in the said conversation. If things were entirely up to him, Erik would’ve been very much happy to retreat in his chambers or roam around the outside the palace without seeming obviously detached from the gathering taking place. But neither of his ideas would work so he had to be there and silently hope no one would come up to him and ultimately ruin his night. The woman near him, however, seemed harmless enough that when she started addressing him, Erik was all too quick to utter an apology before a hint of smile shapes his lips soon as he heard her an explanation ( excuse ) coming from her. “ Oh, I can assure you now, my lady, I am the last person you should be concerned about when it comes to such matter, ” the smile remains as he glanced around them, seeing the same set of bodies swaying to the sound of lute echoing within the hall. “ Pay no heed to me. I’m not here to judge anyone who choose not to participate in the dancing and is merely here to enjoy the music -- ” he raises his goblet, “ -- and the drinks. ”

hi, who would you like for erik's wife, in terms of fcs and personalities? thanks!

ooc: hi anon! i just sent a wc app on the main about this so hopefully you’d still be interested in the role by the time it gets posted on the page. i also included a couple of fc ideas there (though i’m just gonna throw it out there that my main choice out of the ones i listed on the wc is between emilia clarke, eleanor tomlinson and deborah ann woll) but if you have someone else in mind, feel free to message me about it! as for the personality, i imagined she’s a strong willed but at the same time, gentle woman? like, her personality both compares to and contrasts with erik’s in some ways. i imagine she’s the type who doesn’t shy away from speaking her mind to him (most especially when she voices out concerns either about his well-being when it came to his role/s as the duke and head of the bohemian army, or about his past / present unfaithfulness to her.) she probably doesn’t mind getting into arguments with him but might also back off when he loses his temper (one, because she doesn’t want to drive them further apart; two, well…erik can be scary when mad though he’s never violent towards her, if that makes sense? his voice gets loud though so…). but yes, she’s a mix of stubborn but also levelheaded because she knows her duties and would probably strive to make their marriage work despite erik’s flaws and everything. he might sound like a terrible husband (in a way, he is lol because of the cheating and everything) but believe me when i say that his feelings towards her progressed overtime. he just might not show it as often as he should but he learned to genuinely care for her. as such, i also believe she’d grown fond of him in the few years they’ve been married and may have learned to love his flaws, his rough edges and believes that she’s not too far away from really winning over his whole heart. but honestly, this is just my idea and if you have anything in mind for her, i’m all ears! i’d prefer to plot over their dynamic over IMs anyways so we can share some ideas if you do decide to message me about this connection or if you apply for her :)

it’s me again, june! here is my second child, erik vitkovci, duke of cieszyn in bohemia. i have missed having alexander dreymon as an fc for a muse because i just love so much omg. under the cut are some things that i have thought for erik so far (and more things may be added here as his character develops ):

( ALEXANDER DREYMON. HE/HIM. CISMALE. ) make way for ERIK VITKOVCI, the DUKE of CIESZYN and HEAD OF THE BOHEMIAN ARMY. i’ve heard they’re 36 years old. rumours around the court believe them to be VINDICTIVE & DAUNTLESS but when i see them, i imagine CALLOUSED HAND GRIPPING THE HILT OF A SWORD, A SILVER GOBLET FULL OF ALE  & SCAR-ADORNED SKIN. hopefully they know their way around the court.

erik & the duchy of cieszyn

erik was born in the duchy of cieszyn in bohemia to parents of noble blood, adela slavnik, a former lady-in-waiting to the former queen of bohemia (mother of the current king) and ivo vitkovci, duke of cieszyn and head of the bohemian army until his death.

his mother suffered a total of 4 miscarriages before he was born and another one before his younger brother was. he would’ve been the fifth child, had his mother successfully delivered his other siblings. before she gave birth to him, his parents’ marriage was on the brink of ruination due to adela’s failure to deliver healthy babies but much to their relief, she finally had a child — a son — which basically saved their marriage from being abrogated.

at the young age of 10, erik was taught to wield a sword by his father. ivo, whose roots traces back to the early dukes and warriors of bohemia, was true to his ancestors and insisted that knowing how to fight like a ‘true warrior’ was a must for him to be able to call erik his ‘son’ and so, even before erik could learn how to properly read and write, he first learned how to fight and be a warrior —and a warrior, he became, much to his father’s satisfaction, since he mostly spent his teenage years joining his father in preparation for any war that might strike bohemia in the future.

it was erik’s mother who taught him to be more finesse and diplomatic when his father was too busy dealing with the army that the kingdom he served needed. she taught him to read, write letters and talk professionally when need be when it comes to the matter of states. erik was raised knowing that at some point, he will have to be the head of their duchy one day.

erik’s father died when he was 25 after succumbing to a disease (leprosy) and from that point, he was basically forced to be the head of their duchy and their kingdom’s army -- which idea he both disliked initially. in a way, it overwhelmed him and he hated it because he knew at the time he wasn’t ready to shoulder the responsibilities suddenly thrown at him. 

basically, he hated the part where he’s basically forced to find a wife all of a sudden because it’s supposed to strengthen his hold on the duchy seat.

despite the budding pressure from the people surrounding him, including his mother, he  remained unmarried for the next 6 years since he became duke due to his being frolicsome, who prefers to bed women with no commitments whatsoever and leave them as quick as he met them the next day — this attitude was definitely frowned upon by his mother. (would be cool to have connections in relation to this lol )

but all the fun and games have to end for erik after sometime as usurpers, who wanted to take the seat from him alarmingly grew in numbers. he was unmarried at the time, with no heirs (or at least, none legitimate), putting his claim to the duchy in a rather unstable state. so he ends up finding himself a wife (connection here!) so as to stop -- or at least, make the attempts difficult for those trying to steal what’s rightfully his.

erik & the bohemian army

because his father often brought him to military-related meetings when he was still head of the army, erik was very much familiar with the king (father of the current bohemian king) and this connection grew stronger when his father died.

basically, his ascend to being the head of the army was quick because the late king trusted him and believed that his tactics would just be as great as his father’s had been (i’d like to believe both ivo and erik contributed to the reason as to why the bohemian king and his army was considered ‘great’ at the time, which made it difficult for countries like austria to invade them until now). 

the death of the bohemian king struck erik and his army greatly, mainly because many of them were there for the king and to him, it was like his right hand was cut off because now he has to start all over again in building that same dynamic his late father had with the late king but this time, he’d have to do it with the son, king cyril (hoping to plot this out with the mun ofc!)

at this moment, part of the army is still distraught over the king’s death  -- some grieve and some talks of assassinations or that the king was poisoned. erik remains level-headed about such things because the greater issue and enemy now is the constant threat from their neighboring country, austria.

for the same reason is why he comes to france, both as the duke of cieszyn and head of the army, and joins the gathering despite the fact that he disliked diplomatic meetings. he hopes that things might be resolved through talks but erik knows better than to not expect the worse.

personality

erik is a man whose heart was imbued by courage and determination. he’s brave and will not hesitate fighting alongside his men in the battlefield when caught in the midst of it. he’s a man who would protect his loved ones from being hurt or from their enemies and will protect them at all cost, even if its his own life. 

he became hard-bitten especially after his father’s death, forced to shoulder the responsibility that his father left to him in a rather unexpected time when the last thing he wanted was to be the head of their duchy and the army when he didn’t feel as if he was ready for the responsibility and commitment that comes with it.

 that being said, he may turn out being quite difficult to harmonize with during political talks as he tend to give out vague opinions or answers on some things. he can be impulsive at times and ruthless especially in the battlefield — and those two traits never mixes well, but he tries to be as levelheaded as he can most of the time. 

he tends to come off brazen as well, to the people who don’t know him well, and a little too prurient for some people’s tastes.

despite the flaws that he has as a man, it’s safe to say that erik is a reliable man, who has so much empathy in his heart, too. he’s never boastful about his title and most of the time, couldn’t careless about other people’s wealth and whatnot (he’s never the type of king who’ll look down on you just because you have rags for clothes or you were a lowborn). his attitude mostly depends on other people’s attitude towards him, too, and needless to say, it’s up to the person whether erik could turn out to be the greatest friend, ally they could ever have or their worst enemy (nightmare). 

They love to fight but hate to lose? Hardly a revelation.