Ernest Shelley
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“No matter what happens…
I swear my heart to you, Wife.”
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— Ernest Shelley
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General Information
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Full Name — Ernest Adam Shelley
↳ Ernest: Derived from the old high German Ernust, meaning “serious, earnest”. It happens to be the name of Victor Frankenstein's younger brother, Ernest Frankenstein.
↳ Adam: The Hebrew word for “Man”. In the Genesis in the Old testament, Adam was made from the earth by God, said to supposedly be the first human; Adam is also the official name of “Frankenstein’s Monster”.
↳ Shelley: Derived from an English surname that originally derived from a place name meaning, “clearing on a bank” in Old English; The most famous bearers of this surname were Percy Bysshe Shelley, and his wife, Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein.
Japanese ver. — エルネスト アダム シェリー
Romaji ver. — Erunesto Adamu Sherī
Twisted from: The Creature
❐ — The Creature (Lisa Frankenstein/リサ・フランケンシュタイン)
V/A(日本語): Hidenobu Kiuchi (木内 秀信)
↳ voices Victor Van Dort, Corpse Bride
V/A(英語/EN): Chris Sarandon
↳ voices Jack Skellington, The Nightmare before Christmas
Age: 19 (Biologically), ??? (Chronologically)
Birthday: February 14th
Horoscope: Aquarius ♒
Species: Human, Reanimated Corpse
Height: 186 cm
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Sea Green
Gender/Pronouns: Male, He/They
Sexuality: Demiromantic
Dominant hand: Right
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Extra Information
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Homeland: The Queendom of Roses
『 Family:
Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Shelley — “Wife”
William — Older brother †
Viktor — Second older brother †
Lizabeta — Sister-in-law † 』
Dormitory: Terrovania (@terrovaniadorm / @hallowed-delights )
School Year: 3rd
Class: 3-B (seat no. 31)
Club: Literature Club
Best class(es): Music, Literature
Worst class(es): Alchemy, all things scientific
Like(s): Lizzie, piano, sheet music, waltzing, late night walks, dressing up, poetry, writing, calligraphy, axes /j
Dislike(s): Not being around Lizzie, losing a limb, not being able to speak, “electronic devices”, being talked behind his back, Lizzie's stepmother, Lizzie getting hurt, badly written poetry, Rook /j, memories of his parents, literally anything involving the sciences
Hobbies: Tanning /j, pianoforte, writing sheet music, poetry writing/reading, late night walks, late night dancing
Talent(s): Pianoforte, literature, writing sheet music, waltzing, (ax murdering)
Flaw(s): Codependent, overprotective, judgmental, “over emotional”, old fashioned (to some degree)
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Personality
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Ernest is a man of his word. Whatever promises he's made to the people in his life, he'll go take that promise to the grave; for that is how he expresses his loyalty to those he loves and cares for.
He has a very expressive face, many people have noted. Though he cannot verbalize his thoughts now, he can convey them through the means of physical emotion.
Though very, very quiet in ways other than his… lack of a voice, Ernest is quite passionate once you get to know him! He finds great passion in what he's good at, and is easily flustered by those — Lizzie, especially — who compliment him for his talents.
It's best to not get ahead of oneself with Ernest, however. He's actually rather sensitive, over-emotional to such a degree that he can't help but shed a few acid tears every now and then; and no matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to maintain control of them.
He loves and cares wholly, wholeheartedly; and those who dare hurt the people he loves shall meet the inevitable consequences. Ernest's devotion to those he loves knows no bounds, and he isn't afraid of taking certain measures to ensure their safety.
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Unique Magic: 『 Strange… it is unlisted 』
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Thoughts on them
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『 This file is currently unavailable 』
— Maxwell Murray, Ernest's housewarden (Oc by @/terrovaniadorm)
“Peculiar, that he is… oh how I desire to run a test or two on his autonomy… alas, that is not possible. For now.”
— Walton Morrigan, Ernest's dorm mate
“Oh Ernest! He’s… alright! Truth be told.... I knew him before. I was to be engaged to him. He was pleasant but we were only following our parents’ wishes. We came to the conclusion we were incompatible and the marriage fell through. I wonder if he remembers… I’m glad to see him happy.”
— Lilith Winchester, Ernest's dorm mate (Oc by @/starry-night-rose)
“Ernest… How do I even begin? I’ve always felt drawn to him, ever since I saw that bust of him on top of his grave. He was a real piece of work back then, missing an ear, a hand, you know that sort of stuff. He’s a really emotional guy and I relate to that. He let me be myself around him, something I wasn’t able to do for a long time. He’s been there for me for my highs and lows. I think… I think I love him.”
— Elizabeth “Lizzie” Shelley, Ernest's ‘wife’ (Oc by @starry-night-rose)
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Additional Trivia
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✑ Main Theme: The Finale/“We’re simply meant to be” from The Nightmare before Christmas
✑ Backstory: 『 Unnamed Gentleman 』
༝ㅤ・ㅤ˚ㅤ。ㅤ.ㅤ⋆ㅤ• 。· 『✞』
✞ Ernest doesn't remember his name. He likely would have remembered it, had it not been for his unnamed grave.
✞ He, also, doesn't remember his birthday! Lizzie was the one to declare his “new birthday” to be Valentine's Day.
✞ Due to his… predicament, Ernest is unable to verbally communicate; he compromises by communicating with Lizzie with disgruntled grunting, sign language, and writing things down on paper, or on her hand.
✞ Incredibly protective of Lizzie. She gets a papercut and he's treating it like she got stabbed in the abdomen and is taking action in making sure she gets better!
✞ Never quite had a good relationship with his parents… or his brothers.. or just his family, in general; he was — at least — on agreeable terms with his sister-in-law.
✞ While he isn't bad with technology, Ernest doesn't like using it all that much; the most you'll see of him ‘typing’ is him using a typewriter Lizzie got for him.
✞ Almost every single one of Ernest's poems, writings, even the titles of his musical pieces, are dedicated to Lizzie.
✞ A ride or die kind of friend. In Lizzie's case, he's a ride or die “husband”. Oh, she committed a murder? God forbid, women do anything!
✞ Surprisingly feminist for someone born in the 1800s!... He can't help but still have some old fashioned views that he needs to unlearn, however. Fortunately, Lizzie's there to help him along the way.
✞ His face is comically expressive. Anything Rook says that sounds like an attempt at poetry, Ernest's face contorts to making him look like he just developed an aneurysm.
↳ Safe for certain, Ernest really doesn't like Rook 😭
✞ Ernest finds it incredibly reassuring that Lizzie doesn't care that he isn't all that scientific of a man. It was something he was deeply insecure about when he was still alive, something he was ashamed of— and he felt himself fall in love with her even more for her acceptance of him.
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Appearance
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Ernest's Tags
#ernest shelley • #『 ernest 🪓 』 • #『 the shelley couple 🪓 』
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「 Mystery Maiden 」
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Central Character ; 『 Ernest Shelley, the Unnamed Gentleman 』 | 『 Lizzie Shelley, Wife of the Undead 』
Others ; Lizabeta | Viktor
Mentioned ; Lilith Winchester
Pairing(s) ; Ernest & Lizzie
【 This is both a short story important to the central character's story; All Ocs belong to their respective owners and will be credited at the end. 】
Synopsis: “It was like his heart finally learned to beat.”
Warning(s): potentially ooc, may or may not align with the current ideas for Ernest's backstory, kinda angsty but its generally really sweet at the end?, Shelley couple shenanigans!!
[ Apologies for any out of character moments ]
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Ernest sensed it; he didn't know what it was, but it felt as though there was something in between the distant howling of winds.
He wasn't one for parties— or any of the noble gatherings his parents would fuss for him and his older brothers to attend, for that matter. Not when he'd much prefer the isolation of the music room. Of the calming, comforting quiet.
But tonight, he'd had a plan in mind. Originally, Ernest intended not to attend.
After the annulment of his engagement with lady Lilith Winchester, Ernest's parents never failed to give him anything but looks of disappointment at the dinner tables— tonight was meant to be his ‘redemption’, of sorts.
However Ernest wasn't attending the gathering for a chance at his parents' forgiveness for his so-called impertinence. He'd come, not for his parents or for a chance at scrambling to fix up his already displeasing reputation after the engagement to Lilith. But for a girl.
A girl, whom Ernest currently stared at from a safe distance. Longing, yearning for her to meet his gaze in any way that might've mattered, yet not being rewarded with anything in return.
Ernest's lips curled, his jaw tense. The girl, beautiful and incomparable with skin that called to mind the paleness of the moon, was with another person. A gentleman who Ernest knew, even if he'd never seen the man in his life, was a far better match for her than he ever could be.
He wanted to curse himself for not pursuing her more boldly. For being so cowardly that he wanted to court her openly right at the last minute, only to come to the revelation that she'd accepted the courtship of another distinguished aristocrat.
“Are you quite all right?” Lizabeta was kind to Ernest, far more than his second elder brother could ever be. Ernest wasn't close with his sister-in-law, but the point remained that she was more pleasant to focus his attention on when compared to the sight not too far from him.
“I'm fine,” Ernest said. He'd tried to sound convincing enough for Lizabeta to believe such an obvious little white lie.
He was unsuccessful. “You very clearly aren't.” Lizabeta’s brows furrowed, her forehead creased.
“I can assure you, I'm fine..”
“Has anyone ever told you that you've never had an affinity for lying, Ernest?”
He suddenly began to start seeing why his parents chose her to be Viktor’s wife in the first place. “Well—”
“Worry not about Ernest, Liza, dear.”
Viktor's presence was anything but comforting; compared to Lizabeta's kind words and gentle tone, Ernest's elder brother — hubristic genius he was — was anything but.
Viktor's arm wrapped around the waist of Ernest's sister-in-law, whose expression softened whilst gazing into Viktor's eyes.
Far too good, Ernest believed, his arms tucked behind his back until he decided he looked too militaristic in that stance.
Far too good for my brother.
Lizabeta had snark. Wit. Next to another young lady from a family of high-rank, she was more compatible with Viktor than any of the ‘options’ Ernest's parents had bestowed upon his older brother.
That being said, outside of snark and a sharp wit, Lizabeta was — in Ernest's most humble opinion — far too good for his brother.
Viktor was brilliant. Ernest had heard those words so many times in was emblazoned into his skull, at this point.
But what Viktor didn't have, was compassion. And while most people would say that Lizabeta balanced him out in that regard, Ernest believed otherwise.
In the back of his mind, Ernest hoped, in this life or maybe the next, that Lizabeta would find someone… better. Someone who'd treat her more kindly than Viktor was ever capable of— someone deserving of all the love Lizabeta had in spades.
Although right now, what Ernest wanted wasn't to think about what if. Not about Lizabeta, about Viktor, not even for himself.
Turning to his brother and his wife, the former being so enthralled in his own scientific brainrot that he didn't notice the loving looks of yearning from the latter, and spoke.
“Is there a music room, nearby?” he tried to make the question sound as natural as an unexpected query could've been.
Viktor's brow arched. “Music room?” His tone held warning. “You aren't planning to abandon tonight's festivities to write another symphony, are you?”
Lizabeta gave her miserably neglectful husband a pointed look. Ernest pitied her; tonight was meant to be her chance to bond with Viktor. Not her opportunity to look even more ‘soft-hearted’ by helping him.
Viktor was no honorable man, but he kept his lips sealed once his gaze went to Lizabeta. When she turned to Ernest, the pointedness of her wry expression had softened.
“It's in the next room over.” The music room, she meant. Ernest couldn't fight the small tug of his lips.
He didn't say much of anything else to his sister-in-law, or to his older brother, for that matter. Instead, Ernest just strode off, brushing past her and her newly appointed fiancé.
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Not many enjoyed silence. Many, Ernest's family included, found it benign. Haunting. Lonely.
Ernest saw little loneliness in the silence of what was practically an abandoned music room; the room lacked light, little to no candelabras or blown out crystal chandeliers adding any fixtures of glimmering lights.
Shadow cast over the room in the same vein as the night sky shadowed over the realms. Cobwebs were already in the corners of the room, on the unused instruments; desolate, haunted, forgotten.
Yet even so, Ernest found more company in the out-of-tune piano in the room than the crowded space of the ballroom. If he had wished, he would've stayed in that room for hours; his subconscious leaving this world and moving on to one that brought him happiness.
Until he heard the sounds of footsteps drawing near.
With a sharp hitch of his breath, Ernest stood up almost instantaneously, knocking over the stool he'd been sitting on.
He looked around every corner of the room, until he saw a shadow of a person — a woman — standing in front of the door he'd used to get to the music room; it was a convenience that said room was so close to the ballroom.
At first it was hard to see what kind of person the woman appeared to be; she had long, unkept hair; her eyes, Ernest couldn't quite make out, but her dress…
It felt like a fashion from another era entirely. Whether the dress, and the woman wearing it, were from the past, this present, or the unforeseeable future— Ernest didn't know.
He tensed up, taking a slight step back. “I…”
“Uh, sorry.” The woman's accent was different from his. And the rest of the aristocracy, for that matter. “I heard the sound of a piano and… wanted to know what that was all about.. That's all.”
“.. Ah.” Ernest's eyes went to the piano that stood at his side. It was out-of-tune, forgotten with as much lack of care as the rest of the room.
And here he was; now standing before a mysterious young maiden from what looked to be a remnant of another time; their only source of light being the shining silhouette of the ballroom behind those stained glass doors.
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“Are you okay?” Lizzie Shelley asked.
She had no idea how she even got into a situation where she time travelled. Some part of her wanted to believe it was an elaborately realistic dream— but the tricks of pinching oneself yielded very little results.
The man in front of her was handsome, that much was a fact she could acknowledge. In fact, the man reminded her of the bust in the cemetery she frequented.
Maybe he is, Lizzie began to consider. Or maybe he isn't.
For now, however, she'd mentally named him ‘Ernest’; the name belonging to the tomb at which the bust sat above.
Finally, ‘Ernest’ answered. “I'm fine.”
He said I'm fine in the same way Lizzie tried to say the same thing; a matter of effort put into saying two simple words that were opposite to how they truly felt.
“You look nervous.” Lizzie stated the obvious. “Is it… because of me?”
He hesitated. It looked like a habit of his, hesitating. “... Would it be too rude of me to say so?”
The answer to that question was easy. She gave a shake of her head. “No… I wouldn't think so..”
Ernest hummed. God, this entire conversation felt awkward as all hell…
Looking around, Lizzie tried — and I mean, tried — to not make things as awkward as they already were.
“... This place looks abandoned,” stating the obvious was the easiest choice.
Ernest nodded. “No one comes into this room anymore.”
“Why?”
“That, I am uncertain…”
“Perhaps,” Ernest's eyes softened as he took in every detail of the desolate music room; devoid of any light say for the glass doors leading to the next room over. “It is because no one truly values silence, anymore.”
Lizzie's head cocked to the side. “Silence.” She repeated.
“Silence,” Ernest's fingers lined the dusty keys of the piano, delicately brushing over each black and white key. “It isn't as treasured as it used to be. Frankly, I am under the belief that silence was never mortality’s specialty.”
Lizzie's hands clasped together, tucked behind her back as she took a small step closer. She thought of her stepmother; of her step siblings. “There's always going to be someone wanting to make noise. Even when it totally isn't…”
Their eyes met. “Necessary.” Was what they both said.
“... And your thoughts on the quiet?” Ernest took one small step as well, mimicking Lizzie's mannerisms.
Lizzie looked up at the cobwebbed chandelier; a marvel that should've been the centerpiece of heavenly light for this room, forced to submit to darkness because nothing but shadows could accept them.
“I like it,” was her honest answer, a small smile creeping up her face. “Not everyone likes being alone but… I like it. It's comforting once you find the beauty in it.”
From there, she only seemed to go on a tangent. And Ernest let her— even when he didn't understand the usage of words such as “totally” and the needless usage of “like” in certain sentences.
But then… “There's this cemetery I visit a lot.” Lizzie's smile only seemed to widen, then soften up, just from thinking of the cemetery. Of the tomb she'd labeled her favorite because of the face of the sculpted bust.
“Cemetery?” Ernest looked like the hairs on his arms shot up at the mention of the word. He looked slightly shaken.
Lizzie responded, “My family sometimes takes care of a cemetery in our town. It's mostly me that visits it, though. It's like… my safe space.”
“But-” Ernest wasn't quite sure how to say this without potentially offending her. “... Isn't that a little unorthodox? Do you not face judgment?”
Everyday, Lizzie answered in her head. My stepmom looks at me, and it's like she's deciding on whether she should be judge, jury, or executioner. Sometimes she's all three.
But she didn't breathe a word of any of that to the mystery man in front of her. Some part of Lizzie asked her if just speaking, looking, and breathing near this man could change her present timeline.
“I guess.” She gave a small shrug, trying to act like the question he'd asked didn't mean much of anything to her.
Ernest frowned. He was somewhat dissatisfied with the answer he'd been given; but he knew, better than most others in the aristocracy, that silence was golden. Treasured better than any secret.
Silence was what he'd given her in return.
Lizzie saw him turn his back on her. For a moment, she began to believe he was going to leave; to convince himself that the entire conversation they just had, the ongoing staring contests— they were but a hallucination.
Then he turned his head to face her, extending a hand that drew her in like a tug of a string attached to a puppet's limb.
“Shall we?” Ernest asked.
“Shall we what?” Lizzie replied with a question of her own.
“Promenade.” Ernest paused. “... A walk. In the garden, I mean.”
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An unchaperoned promenade, especially at a time in the dead of night, was nothing short of a disaster waiting to happen in the eyes of the ton.
A man and a woman, alone in an area where no one could find them… and if ever they were caught — especially in close proximity to one another…
An immediate engagement, Ernest thought with a slight shudder. to avoid scandal.
It didn't matter if they didn't do anything intimate. Just being with a person of the opposite sex, unchaperoned, was the equivalent to wanting a death sentence.
He didn't know if the girl beside him knew of that rule within the bounds of the aristocracy. He didn't even know who the girl even was.
“... So,” Ernest looked up at the moonlit sky. There was conversation to be had, right?
“So…” the girl looked off to the side. The pair were too awkward to truly engage in conversation— the silence was deafening. The kind that drove any socialite to insanity.
But… also comforting, in its own right.
Ernest had no way of knowing who this girl even was. And yet, her mere presence felt more welcoming than the sea of glances several nobles would give him on a regular basis.
“Forgive me, if I'm overstepping..” Ernest took a second shot at sparking conversation. “... Your family. What is it like?”
Some part of Ernest hoped that this girl — whoever she was — had a better domestic life than he did.
Unfortunately… “Not the best,” she said. Now it was her turn to look up at the moon, smiling up at it like it was some long lost friend.
That smile seemed to falter as she began to elaborate.
“My dad remarried after my mom died. My stepmom, she's… difficult.” Every word felt like they gave her tiny puncture wounds to the heart. “I'm not close with my step siblings… we don't really have the same interests.”
The more he learned about her, the more connected he felt to her. It was pitiable, Ernest wanted to believe. But also… relieving. Strange thing, human emotions.
“What about you?” asked the girl, directing the subject to him instead of her; like all she told him was everything she was okay with talking about.
Ernest understood the silent plea, and responded accordingly. “Not much different from your own familial situation…” a beat. “... except, in my case, I've no stepparent, nor step siblings.”
“Third-born sons can be… disappointing. One perfect brother, one brilliant one…” Ernest thought about the little boy he'd once been; the little boy who cried himself to sleep because he couldn't understand why his parents hated him so much.
“... And then there was me.” Ordinary. Unimpressive. Disgraceful.
Lizzie looked at him with slightly raised eyebrows. She stared at him like that for what felt like a small eternity.
Lizzie didn't have much knowledge in the art of comforting a person. Let alone consoling them for whatever they've been through; she never got that from her stepmother, and she knew she wasn't much help whenever her step siblings start breaking down into tears for God knows what.
Still. She made an effort for Ernest— he deserved that much. In some ways, they were like two sides of the same coin.
Lizzie gently bumped her shoulder against Ernest's. It made her stifle a laugh when she saw his startled reaction.
Ernest looked at her again… differently, this time. He didn't know why, but he was beginning to feel different around her. Just not in the negative aspect.
His eyes softened at her gaze, a smile crossing his face as the pair looked at one another; their only other company the moonlit sky.
Beautiful, Ernest thought. Not at the marvel that was the darkness of the night, but at her. At Lizzie.
Beautiful. Incomparable.
Like looking at her made his heart learn to beat.
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【 Taglist / Credits 】
↳ In order of OC appearances/mentions
Ernest Shelley — Me 😈
Lizzie Shelley — @starry-night-rose
Lizabeta Lenore | Viktor — Also Me 😈
Lilith Winchester — also @/starry-night-rose
| @jasdiary | @authoruio | @fumikomiyasaki | @sakuramidnight15 | @nem0-nee | @twsted-princess | @hallowed-delights / @terrovaniadorm | @absolutelyobsessedkiya / @twistedsongstressofstarz | @valse-a-mille-temps |
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