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edenfallingAt the beginning of the month, I posted about a deeply stupid AU idea that I had for Code Geass, which has not only refused to die, but which continues to tick away in the back of my mind, developing world-building details and plot incidents. (I am still not actually writing it, but I am now resigned to at least producing a detailed outline.)
Also, I have written two sidefics. Which are really more like backstory fics, or let's-try-out-the-world-building fics, but whatever. One of them I posted in a somewhat sloppy version as a comment!fic for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
askerian. The other is new.
So. Here is the second one, about Cornelia li Britannia and her family. (1,450 words -- and you really ought to go read the background post first, or this will make very little sense.)
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Made Manifest: Etiquette
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Euphemia wanted to play with Lelouch and Nunnally. Cornelia had no pressing duties in the afternoon, so she bundled her little sister into a lightly armored car and drove through the palace grounds to Lady Marianne's isolated villa. The sun was warm in the clear blue sky, and Cornelia took a meandering route past gardens, villas, and guard posts to let Euphy chatter about everything Cornelia had missed while she was away in officer training.
Lady Marianne kept the area around her villa in a carefully landscaped imitation of wilderness: a large pond fringed in water-lilies and less reputable weeds, an acre or two of largely unmanaged trees, and a vast, sweeping meadow filled with wildflowers and tall, unmown grass. Cornelia parked her car on the granite-paved plaza before the main doors of the villa and stepped out, pocketing the keys. Lady Marianne rarely had guests; leaving the car here would cause no imposition.
Euphy climbed out of the passenger seat without waiting for Cornelia to open her door, and dashed along the drive toward the corner of the villa, chasing the sound of children's voices. Cornelia raised her skirt and followed, easily catching up to her sister.
Lelouch and Nunnally had not waited for Euphy. They were already outside, sister chasing brother through the meadow, their small bodies nearly swallowed by the grass. Suddenly Nunnally vanished with a shriek of surprise -- tripped on a stone or a rabbit hole, most likely -- and Lelouch spun on his heels, slipping his human skin as he turned.
A black dragon, perhaps ten feet long and three feet high at the shoulder, lunged forward and down. Then Lelouch rose, Nunnally's dress delicately pinned in his fangs, and pulled his sister back to her feet.
"Nana! Lulu!" Euphy called, and flung herself at her half-siblings. Lelouch let Nunnally go, and the two girls collided in a spinning hug.
Lelouch ought to have shifted back to human. It was understandable to manifest when Nunnally fell, but to remain in one's other skin outside of war or ceremony was simply not done. First and foremost, humans were human.
But Lelouch remained in dragon skin and curled himself around Nunnally and Euphy, circling tighter and tighter until the girls laughed and climbed onto his back -- Nunnally seated just before the joint of his wings, holding his neck for balance, and Euphy behind, lying flat and stretching her arms down around his sides.
"Take us flying, Lulu!" Euphy shouted. "To the lake!"
"Yes, the lake!" Nunnally chimed in.
Lelouch laughed, a rumbling, growling sound, and hurled himself into the air, threshing his wings until he caught an updraft from the sun-warmed ground. He banked, and vanished beyond the back corner of the villa, heading toward the pond.
"It's heartening to see them get along so well," Lady Marianne murmured into Cornelia's ear. "Family should be close, don't you think?"
Cornelia twitched, and her heart pounded briefly. Humans were human, and Lady Marianne observed etiquette faultlessly, but a trace of wolf always seemed to linger about her regardless of her outer form. She took a positive delight in ghosting within striking distance of her fellow royal consorts, and startling them with double-edged comments.
"I'm glad Euphy has friends among our siblings," Cornelia said, turning to face Lady Marianne. "But... forgive me, your splendor, but--"
"How many times must I tell you to stop calling me that?" Lady Marianne said. "You are not my servant or my vassal. You are a princess of the realm. If anything, I should be using your title rather than vice versa." She tapped Cornelia on the cheek with a chiding smile. "Do show some backbone, Cornelia. A lack of self-respect ill becomes a dragon."
Cornelia flushed, her hand rising involuntarily to her face and pressing against the skin Lady Marianne had touched. "I-- yes, Lady Marianne."
Marianne smiled once again, more warmly. "I suppose that will serve as a truce, your highness. Now, what did you mean to say before I interrupted?"
Cornelia dropped her hand and attempted to gather her composure. "I meant to ask, Lady Marianne, whether you thought it appropriate for Lelouch to remain in his other skin so frequently. I understand the appeal of size and flight, especially to a child, but if his habit were to become known, it would cause... talk. And I worry that Euphy may chafe against etiquette if she can hold up Lelouch as an example of someone who seemingly flouts the rules without suffering consequences. I'm sure you have excellent reasons," she added hastily, "but I would not see Euphy nor you and your children come to any trouble over misunderstandings."
Marianne's smile had faded as Cornelia spoke, and now she favored Cornelia with a cool, measuring stare. "May I ask you a question?"
Cornelia nodded.
"How old were you the first time you manifested?"
"Six," Cornelia said, puzzled.
"How old were you when you were told that you must only change at certain times and for certain purposes?"
Cornelia frowned, casting her mind back. "Also six? Though I may not have been overly compliant until I was seven. But it is not right to manifest so casually. It creates bad feeling among those who cannot, and it makes light of a great gift, especially for dragons. We are born for battle, to defend and glorify Britannia and the emperor. It's an insult to the dignity of our family and our nation for Lelouch to let Nunnally and Euphy treat him like a tame pony."
Marianne threw back her head and laughed, long and merrily.
Cornelia pressed her hands into the folds of her skirt, hideously embarrassed. Lady Marianne was the epitome of what a noblewoman should be -- strong and fast and ruthless in defense of her lord, her land, and her children, yet still beautiful, graceful, and kind. Cornelia wanted to be like her. And now she had shared her fears and Marianne was laughing.
"Oh, Cornelia. You poor dear." Marianne shook her head and laid a warm hand on Cornelia's left shoulder. "I knew when I married Charles that I was stepping into a strange new world. I thought by now I'd learned all the rules, but here you are, presenting me with a new piece of madness."
Cornelia's confusion and frustration must have showed on her face, since Marianne stepped closer, brought her other hand to rest on Cornelia's right shoulder, and looked up very earnestly into Cornelia's eyes. "There is nothing wrong with manifesting whenever and however a person wishes to manifest. Yes, it's inadvisable to manifest in formal situations such as school or the military, and to manifest at court is taken as a potential threat. This is why your mother and your tutors trained you to remain in your human skin. I am teaching Lelouch and Nunnally to follow the rules in situations where others will insist that they comply."
Marianne lifted her right hand and gestured at the ground and the villa. "But this is my home. I make the rules here, and I think it's an insult to common sense to expect children not to explore all aspects of themselves. You are a dragon as much as a human, Cornelia. Don't be ashamed of your other self."
She tapped Cornelia on the nose and stepped back with a mischievous grin. "In fact, I think you and I should join the children down by the pond. If you fly, you should beat me there, but if not, I will claim a forfeit -- say, seven full nights watching my children so your father and I can attempt to recapture our youth."
Marianne's teeth gleamed white and fierce in the sunlight, and the grin on her human face echoed the challenge in her wolf's eyes a moment later. "Catch me!" she called as she ran through the meadow, her body lean and gray against the grass and flowers.
Cornelia stood in shock for a long moment before she gave chase, her skirts whipping awkwardly around her ankles.
After several steps, she tripped and caught herself on her hands and knees, swearing. This was impossible. But she shouldn't change. It wasn't proper. She had drilled the rules into her bones in an effort to excel and win her mother's praise.
But. Nobody was here. Nobody would see. Nobody would care.
And if anyone did care, she was a princess of Britannia, and a dragon. Who besides her father had the right to tell her what she could and could not do?
Cornelia stood and leapt into the air, slipping her skin to catch the summer wind with her wings, and flew to rejoin her family.
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End of Story
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Teen!Cornelia is very cute when she is trying to be serious and adult. I suspect Marianne agrees.
Also, I have written two sidefics. Which are really more like backstory fics, or let's-try-out-the-world-building fics, but whatever. One of them I posted in a somewhat sloppy version as a comment!fic for
askerian. The other is new.So. Here is the second one, about Cornelia li Britannia and her family. (1,450 words -- and you really ought to go read the background post first, or this will make very little sense.)
---------------------------------------------
Made Manifest: Etiquette
---------------------------------------------
Euphemia wanted to play with Lelouch and Nunnally. Cornelia had no pressing duties in the afternoon, so she bundled her little sister into a lightly armored car and drove through the palace grounds to Lady Marianne's isolated villa. The sun was warm in the clear blue sky, and Cornelia took a meandering route past gardens, villas, and guard posts to let Euphy chatter about everything Cornelia had missed while she was away in officer training.
Lady Marianne kept the area around her villa in a carefully landscaped imitation of wilderness: a large pond fringed in water-lilies and less reputable weeds, an acre or two of largely unmanaged trees, and a vast, sweeping meadow filled with wildflowers and tall, unmown grass. Cornelia parked her car on the granite-paved plaza before the main doors of the villa and stepped out, pocketing the keys. Lady Marianne rarely had guests; leaving the car here would cause no imposition.
Euphy climbed out of the passenger seat without waiting for Cornelia to open her door, and dashed along the drive toward the corner of the villa, chasing the sound of children's voices. Cornelia raised her skirt and followed, easily catching up to her sister.
Lelouch and Nunnally had not waited for Euphy. They were already outside, sister chasing brother through the meadow, their small bodies nearly swallowed by the grass. Suddenly Nunnally vanished with a shriek of surprise -- tripped on a stone or a rabbit hole, most likely -- and Lelouch spun on his heels, slipping his human skin as he turned.
A black dragon, perhaps ten feet long and three feet high at the shoulder, lunged forward and down. Then Lelouch rose, Nunnally's dress delicately pinned in his fangs, and pulled his sister back to her feet.
"Nana! Lulu!" Euphy called, and flung herself at her half-siblings. Lelouch let Nunnally go, and the two girls collided in a spinning hug.
Lelouch ought to have shifted back to human. It was understandable to manifest when Nunnally fell, but to remain in one's other skin outside of war or ceremony was simply not done. First and foremost, humans were human.
But Lelouch remained in dragon skin and curled himself around Nunnally and Euphy, circling tighter and tighter until the girls laughed and climbed onto his back -- Nunnally seated just before the joint of his wings, holding his neck for balance, and Euphy behind, lying flat and stretching her arms down around his sides.
"Take us flying, Lulu!" Euphy shouted. "To the lake!"
"Yes, the lake!" Nunnally chimed in.
Lelouch laughed, a rumbling, growling sound, and hurled himself into the air, threshing his wings until he caught an updraft from the sun-warmed ground. He banked, and vanished beyond the back corner of the villa, heading toward the pond.
"It's heartening to see them get along so well," Lady Marianne murmured into Cornelia's ear. "Family should be close, don't you think?"
Cornelia twitched, and her heart pounded briefly. Humans were human, and Lady Marianne observed etiquette faultlessly, but a trace of wolf always seemed to linger about her regardless of her outer form. She took a positive delight in ghosting within striking distance of her fellow royal consorts, and startling them with double-edged comments.
"I'm glad Euphy has friends among our siblings," Cornelia said, turning to face Lady Marianne. "But... forgive me, your splendor, but--"
"How many times must I tell you to stop calling me that?" Lady Marianne said. "You are not my servant or my vassal. You are a princess of the realm. If anything, I should be using your title rather than vice versa." She tapped Cornelia on the cheek with a chiding smile. "Do show some backbone, Cornelia. A lack of self-respect ill becomes a dragon."
Cornelia flushed, her hand rising involuntarily to her face and pressing against the skin Lady Marianne had touched. "I-- yes, Lady Marianne."
Marianne smiled once again, more warmly. "I suppose that will serve as a truce, your highness. Now, what did you mean to say before I interrupted?"
Cornelia dropped her hand and attempted to gather her composure. "I meant to ask, Lady Marianne, whether you thought it appropriate for Lelouch to remain in his other skin so frequently. I understand the appeal of size and flight, especially to a child, but if his habit were to become known, it would cause... talk. And I worry that Euphy may chafe against etiquette if she can hold up Lelouch as an example of someone who seemingly flouts the rules without suffering consequences. I'm sure you have excellent reasons," she added hastily, "but I would not see Euphy nor you and your children come to any trouble over misunderstandings."
Marianne's smile had faded as Cornelia spoke, and now she favored Cornelia with a cool, measuring stare. "May I ask you a question?"
Cornelia nodded.
"How old were you the first time you manifested?"
"Six," Cornelia said, puzzled.
"How old were you when you were told that you must only change at certain times and for certain purposes?"
Cornelia frowned, casting her mind back. "Also six? Though I may not have been overly compliant until I was seven. But it is not right to manifest so casually. It creates bad feeling among those who cannot, and it makes light of a great gift, especially for dragons. We are born for battle, to defend and glorify Britannia and the emperor. It's an insult to the dignity of our family and our nation for Lelouch to let Nunnally and Euphy treat him like a tame pony."
Marianne threw back her head and laughed, long and merrily.
Cornelia pressed her hands into the folds of her skirt, hideously embarrassed. Lady Marianne was the epitome of what a noblewoman should be -- strong and fast and ruthless in defense of her lord, her land, and her children, yet still beautiful, graceful, and kind. Cornelia wanted to be like her. And now she had shared her fears and Marianne was laughing.
"Oh, Cornelia. You poor dear." Marianne shook her head and laid a warm hand on Cornelia's left shoulder. "I knew when I married Charles that I was stepping into a strange new world. I thought by now I'd learned all the rules, but here you are, presenting me with a new piece of madness."
Cornelia's confusion and frustration must have showed on her face, since Marianne stepped closer, brought her other hand to rest on Cornelia's right shoulder, and looked up very earnestly into Cornelia's eyes. "There is nothing wrong with manifesting whenever and however a person wishes to manifest. Yes, it's inadvisable to manifest in formal situations such as school or the military, and to manifest at court is taken as a potential threat. This is why your mother and your tutors trained you to remain in your human skin. I am teaching Lelouch and Nunnally to follow the rules in situations where others will insist that they comply."
Marianne lifted her right hand and gestured at the ground and the villa. "But this is my home. I make the rules here, and I think it's an insult to common sense to expect children not to explore all aspects of themselves. You are a dragon as much as a human, Cornelia. Don't be ashamed of your other self."
She tapped Cornelia on the nose and stepped back with a mischievous grin. "In fact, I think you and I should join the children down by the pond. If you fly, you should beat me there, but if not, I will claim a forfeit -- say, seven full nights watching my children so your father and I can attempt to recapture our youth."
Marianne's teeth gleamed white and fierce in the sunlight, and the grin on her human face echoed the challenge in her wolf's eyes a moment later. "Catch me!" she called as she ran through the meadow, her body lean and gray against the grass and flowers.
Cornelia stood in shock for a long moment before she gave chase, her skirts whipping awkwardly around her ankles.
After several steps, she tripped and caught herself on her hands and knees, swearing. This was impossible. But she shouldn't change. It wasn't proper. She had drilled the rules into her bones in an effort to excel and win her mother's praise.
But. Nobody was here. Nobody would see. Nobody would care.
And if anyone did care, she was a princess of Britannia, and a dragon. Who besides her father had the right to tell her what she could and could not do?
Cornelia stood and leapt into the air, slipping her skin to catch the summer wind with her wings, and flew to rejoin her family.
---------------------------------------------
End of Story
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Teen!Cornelia is very cute when she is trying to be serious and adult. I suspect Marianne agrees.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-27 04:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-28 01:01 am (UTC)There are three basic things that need work: general world-building, the backstory elements and character traits that have changed because of that world-building, and then a plot that starts in Shinjuku and gradually slides away from the anime's plot. At the moment, I have more of the first two than the third, though I do have some vague notions up through the end of the first season. By that point, the story will have slid so far from canon that I am very much at a loss where to take it, and I have learned that it's a bad idea to start writing without at least some notion of one's intended destination. :-)
Re: Warning: comment made while sleep deprived
Date: 2010-05-28 01:41 am (UTC)I completely made up the grounds around Marianne's villa. I figure the palace is going to be different from canon, since it needs to accomodate people who can and do turn into animals and might want a lot of space to themselves. Marianne in particular wants some faux-natural terrain so she can teach her children to hunt. :-)
People who can turn into mythological creatures -- dragons, phoenixes, thunderbirds, unicorns, kelpies, winged serpents, etcetera -- often have magical abilities. People generally manifest for the first time between the ages of five and eight, but magical abilities don't develop until closer to puberty. What happened to Suzaku is that he accidentally manifested the phoenix's ability -- fire -- for the first time when he was arguing with his father about the war with Britannia, and his father burned to death. Suzaku has therefore decided that his other self and all the characteristics he associates with it -- anger, wildness, pride, and so on -- are evil and need to be suppressed and denied. So he has issues similar to canon, but not quite the same, and his breaking points will likewise be a bit different.
The matching operates through the World of C, which seems to be, among other things, the manifestation of Jung's collective subconscious. So a child's soul animal will be influenced by the animals that the people around it are aware of (or have imagined), by the expectations of people who know about the child's existence during gestation, and somewhat by its own developing personality. This means that children of famous people are influenced by the expectations of many people -- which is one reason the Britannian royal family has a much higher incidence of dragons than they otherwise ought to. I think people are aware that expectation plays a role in childrens' affinities, but since it's subconscious expectations rather than conscious ones, that's not an especially controllable factor.
There are dragons outside the royal family. They're just very rare, like all mythological creatures. (And in Britannia, they're killed as soon as they're discovered, if they're commoners, or 'adopted' into a cadet branch and made special guardians of the true royal family if they're nobles.) Almost all cultures have a handful of animals they consider more auspicious than others -- for example, the Japanese considered it very lucky that their prime minister's son was a phoenix -- but I don't think other monarchies identify as strongly with a single animal as the Britannians do.
I have not firmly decided what percentage of the population can manifest, but it's probably going to settle around 1/6 or 1/7, though manifestation runs in families much more than affinity with any particular animal does, so the distribution of manifestation is more uneven than a strict percentage view would suggest. Still, in a gathering of ten random people, at least one and maybe two should be able to manifest.
I am always willing to talk world-building! The more questions people ask, the more I am able to figure out what points I need to address. :-)
Re: I need to get my hands on R2 somehow!
Date: 2010-05-28 04:39 am (UTC)Re: I need to get my hands on R2 somehow!
Date: 2010-05-28 05:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-27 08:59 pm (UTC)and Lelouch spun on his heels, slipping his human skin as he turned.
--eee!!
And I love the idea that "humans were humans" and lelouch shouldn't be using his other shape more than strictly necessary. But the girls riding him -- SO CUTE. X3
"It's heartening to see them get along so well," Lady Marianne murmured into Cornelia's ear. "Family should be close, don't you think?"
Cornelia twitched, and her heart pounded briefly. Humans were human, and Lady Marianne observed etiquette faultlessly, but a trace of wolf always seemed to linger about her regardless of her outer form.
Oh Marianne. X3333 I love the edge of danger. prrt. Mother wolf indeed.
It's an insult to the dignity of our family and our nation for Lelouch to let Nunnally and Euphy treat him like a tame pony."
She's parroting an adult she knows here, isn't she. At least indirectly. Heh. It's interesting to see Cordelia of all people acting unsure and wishing to please.
Lady Marianne was the epitome of what a noblewoman should be -- strong and fast and ruthless in defense of her lord, her land, and her children
Heeeee. Love that their ideal woman isn't purely a mom who depends on her husband for her safety.
say, seven full nights watching my children so your father and I can attempt to recapture our youth."
Shocking! XD
Aww Cordelia. She was so squishy as a teen. X3
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-28 01:50 am (UTC)Cornelia's ideas about when it is and isn't appropriate to manifest are learned from her own mother... who I have decided died a year or two after Euphy's birth (from cancer or a heart attack, most likely), which is why Cornelia is the one always taking responsibility for her sister. This is probably a good thing for Euphy.
Britannia is run on the principles of Social Darwinism: if you want to lead, you must be strong. This Britannia is also more strongly feudal than canon Britannia, so leaders must be able to protect their vassals as well as themselves. I have ideas for playing with and subverting that concept later on. *plots evilly*
Middle-aged parents can have sex too! :-D
Cornelia is indeed squishy around people she cares about. It's a shame she can't see non-Britannian people as having equal importance. *sigh*