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opaleyedprince · 2 months

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dorian lorepost 3: friends, family, and fun (for me - not he)

under a cut bc this is L O N G and i mean. essay length probably

family

apart from his birth mother (roza), dorian has five members in his immediate family: his father (stephan), his stepmother (carmen), and three older half siblings: eduard, andrei, and isobel. the rest of dorian's family lack his dark hair and eyes, with all of his sibling having dirty-blond, red, or brown hair, leaving dorian to stick out like a sore thumb in family portraits.

his father was not expecting another child, much less one that inherited the family crest, and his relationship with dorian has always been awkward. as a child, dorian was very pushy about whether or not his father even cared about his birth mother at all, and for a period of several years refused to speak to him after a particularly bad fight. despite this, they are currently on speaking terms, with stephan teaching dorian how to properly activate/wield/manage his crest. he also ensured dorian was given proper combat training, along with scholarly teachings involving history, strategy, and politics.

dorian was very shy around his stepmother for months after being rescued from the bitter cold, and in turn carmen was conflicted about dorian and everything the child represented. but she was the first to notice the way dorian shivered at the slightest hint of a chill, his hesitance when it came to touch and his refusal of skin on skin contact despite how obviously he wanted connection. for his fifth birthday, she gifted him a pair of gloves that served to help alleviate his fears, and in turn he began to view her as a parental figure.

she took him under her wing - he was about a year behind her youngest - and raised him as her own. while his father provided dorian with lessons based around his future responsibilities as an inheritor of the family's crest, carmen ensured that he had not only a well-rounded education (expanding his lessons to include the arts and practical skills like cooking and sewing), but that he had hobbies as well (he took to things like dancing, poetry, embroidery, and fencing).

of dorian's three half siblings, the eldest is eduard, who took the addition of a new sibling in stride despite the fact that he was being raised to be the future head of house konstantinov before dorian's abrupt arrival. he doesn't have an adversarial relationship with dorian, but neither does he have a particularly close bond with him; he's always been distant and cold. since he's several years older than dorian, he has no real idea how to have a proper conversation with him. most of dorian's memories involve eduard talking about how dorian has to be perfect, exemplary, without flaw so that he does not bring shame upon their house. this sentiment comes from a place of genuine care, it's just that eduard hasn't made the effort to actually get to know dorian, absorbed as he is in his duties.

andrei is the middle child of dorian's half siblings, and the only one who has taken a wholly adversarial view of him. they find dorian's presence shameful and used to bully him relentlessly when they were children. it was only after their parents intervened that andrei backed off, though their relationship has never grown any warmer. andrei is a performer who travels throughout faerghus and is often on the road. they're generally a bit stuck-up and very proud, with a soft spot for their two siblings and no one else. secretly, both they and dorian wish to bridge the gap between them, but andrei has no clue how to go about apologizing for the way they've treated dorian in the past. despite no longer holding any real animosity towards him, they continue to be combative.

the youngest of dorian's half siblings - and the one closest to his own age - is isobel. she's just a year older than him, and took to dorian like a duck to water when they were introduced. the pair quickly became thick as thieves and would often get into trouble, with isobel becoming more outgoing around dorian (who managed to be even more shy than she was). out of his entire family, isobel is the one dorian is closest to; he writes letters to her regularly and hers is always the first opinion he seeks when he needs advice. a gifted and talented mage, isobel has chosen to spend her time teaching others using her skills. when she's not travelling throughout the kingdom offering herself as a tutor she spends her time honing her magic and putting her lessons on paper. as of dorian heading to the academy, she hopes to make copies of her work available within the next five years.

friends

as a member of house konstantinov, dorian grew up mostly hearing about the other houses in the holy kingdom via proxy - due to his status as the only child of the family that bore a crest, he was raised mostly secluded on the konstantinov grounds. on rare occasions when other nobility visited, he would spend most of the time in hiding due to his shy nature. he happened to meet several of the blue lions briefly throughout his earlier years (felix, ingrid, and dimitri). dorian had very few friendships apart from his close bond with his older sister.

due to his house's close relationship with the church of seiros, dorian is very used to being around knights and other members of the church, including even the archbishop herself. before the events of three houses, he had been to visit the monastery multiple times, and thinks of it as a safe place without needing time to settle in once the academy phase starts. he's friends with flayn and views seteth as a sort of older brother figure, and keeps up his swordplay skills by dueling the knights in their spare time.

dorian is capable of getting along with almost anyone, but as of the academy phase his circle of friends includes felix, mercedes, dedue, ignatz, linhardt, and tentatively dimitri.

lil misc details

dorian is deathly afraid of heights and the cold, often wearing more layers than is strictly necessary and refusing to look out of high windows or over railings

dorian's favorite animals are those often considered to be pests: vultures, ravens/crows, and foxes

dorian's room always has a large fire going in it, even during the warmer months

dorian is considered mysterious by others his age who don't know him (he's actually just shy)

dorian likes going on horseback rides and was given two hunting dogs when he came of age

when he's unable to sleep, dorian can be found going on walks outside or playing piano

so, about that crest

since it's stated that the nabatean's blood was a required component in giving the elites their crests, constantine likely already was in possession of a crest when they defected. however! since the game doesn't elaborate on the exact methods i chose to believe it was some sort of magic-laced blood transfusion, one which constantine was notably on the lesser receiving end of; because even in their elevated status they were still just an ex-stablehand.

so at some point i do think - as a form of hazing - constantine was forced to drink blood. which did suck but also well. you did betray your friend dude maaaaybe you should not have done that? and this is why the konstantinov crest behaves differently/the way it does.

anyway- effects of this! constantine's hair was probably run through with streaks of gray by the time they switched sides again to support seiros, and by the end of the war their hair was almost fully white. it was only with rhea's help that they were able to better manage the effects of their crest on their body and psyche.

among these effects was the ability to hear the other relics, or rather to hear bits of who they had once been. their own weapon, which beat in their hands to the tempo of the crest stone imbedded within it, whispered to them in the voice of the friend they'd allowed to be killed. even after the war, constantine was seen as a mysterious recluse, driven mad by their own guilt and oath-bound to the church in a form of eternal repentance.

constantine lived far longer than any of the other elites, becoming a pale shadow who lingered at rhea's side and served her faithfully as one of her very first knights. upon their passing, they were entombed by their family in what would become the konstantinov mausoleum, located in the cold frostbitten mountains where the family grounds was also constructed.

now, decades and decades later, their crest still allows the inheritor to hear the whispers of the hero's relics, though said whispers have grown quieter and rarer over time.

even individuals that do not inherit the konstantinov crest still find themselves preferring their meats rare, and some have been born with particularly sharp senses or found their incisors growing in more pointed than before when they lost their baby teeth. depleting ones' energy by overusing the crest will cause the user to crave rare meats, and outsiders who know the workings of their crest often refer to them as vampires as a joke (they don't actually drink blood - except in cases of desperation orrr well. what partners do is their business and not anyone else's mkay).

dragon and blood imagery is prevalent outside of the family's coat of arms, and dark maroon is the most common underlying color when it comes to decorations or things that are associated with the family, such as a flag or a handkerchief. rather than ordinary gargoyles, the mansion sports draconic ones, along with dragons incorporated into the architecture or furniture inside, with the primary accent color being gold or golden-bronze.

#opal.txt #oc lore tag #oc tag: dorian #i do like constantine i am very compelled by them #haunted literally. by that one choice for the rest of their life #any crest inheritors who were also vegetarian go down in the family's history btw they're held up as very strong #the prevalent dragon imagery is a thread connecting them back to the nabateans #isobel and dorian are so so close. she was probably the first one dorian talked to abt not being a girl #i also think all of dorian's siblings and his dad have green eyes. it's the dragon in them continuing to peek through even after so long #dorian's pupils do turn to slits when he activates his crest - as a child he used to not be able to switch back and forth with such ease #anyway. have this whole essay on dorian. i've made my own wiki article for him w/this almost

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