#verity evander

[thefourofdiamondsart]

posting this to celebrate the end of our curse of strahd campaign!

[gamingtrashbasin]

Made portraits on artbreeder of the Heroes of Myth love interests:

From top to bottom, left to right:

Evander, Alvis, Min, Meredith, Verity

[singleroad]

I love names, if you love names... this is for you

I've always loved names. It started, I think, with me being the only one in my family who isn't named after anyone. My middle name is Josefine and it was only about 2 years ago I had a great great great great grandmother (or smth) named Josefina... so I guess I have a family name. I was meant to get my paternal grandmother's name, but since I have a sister who got another of my grandmother's names and none of my sisters were named after my maternal grandmother... I got something else.

So, I knew that my child would definitely have a middle name after someone in the family, but I also want a 2nd middle name (so a 3 name child) because I love names...

I have categories of names which are the names they'd go by, their middle name after a family member, and a name with significant meaning.

Go-by names are:

Brigitte Lara Winona Uma Vera Jesper Lewis Gideon Oscar Benjamin Bronte

Family middle names:

Cecilia Birgitta Victoria Christine (maybe) John David

Now the fun part. THE NAMES WITH MEANING. These are names were they can be a bit "out there" and I wouldn't call them by it, but still names I like and meanings that I want to impart on my child. I'll share both, going by the sex I'd give the name to (I know that gender assigned by sex characteristics don't always align, so you know).

Girl: *I don't want names that mean serving others or just looking pretty*

Aerfen - end of the battle Erika -eternal rules Adrestia - godess of revolt Eyana - intelligent Zoya - Life Cerys - to love Cyra - the sun Althea - wholesome (this is a name I consider as a first given name) Verity - truth Ezlyn - Freedom Sloane - warrior/fighter Eirene - Godess of peace Fallon - leader Binah - wisedom Elips - godess of hope Aisling - dream/vision Ismene - knowledge Ilaria - joyful/happy Inga - guarded by the God of peace Peregrine - wanderer Athena - after the goddess Rhetta - speaker

Boy: *I don't want names that mean war/warrior or elude to it*

Axel - father of peace Simon - listener Farrel - brave Galen - calm Kairos - right moment Declan - full of goodness Kenzo - healthy and wise Elio - the sun Ace - one/unity Evander - good man Aramis - Ambitious Uraz - fortune/luck Kepler - after the scientist, means maker of cloaks and hoods Veles - god of earth, water, livestock and underworld Bodhin - knowledge Cato - all-knowing

[triviareads]

Have you read Aphrodite And The Duke? What are your thoughts on it?

I have! I read it to "prep" for an ARC I got of Verity and the Forbidden Suitor (see my review here), which is the next book in the series. I think J. J. McAvoy's choice to create a racially diverse aristocracy and write Black aristocrats was great. There's no weird "love cured racism" origin story here and that's just the way it is. Characters' varying skin tones and hair textures are explicitly described, which I really appreciated. I think other historical romance authors should absolutely use this premise in order to write more diverse historical romances.

The romance itself wasn't my cup of tea. I think it was stilted and I didn't really buy Aphrodite and Evander's chemistry. There's also the matter of Aphrodite's extreme naiveite when it came to sex. There is something to be said for trying to combat the oversexualization of Black women in media, but from what I remember, Aphrodite didn't understand why a couple she stumbled across was aggressively making out, nor did she know what masturbation (or arousal) was until Evander told her. Verity was similarly clueless in her book. Overall, I think anyone looking for low heat, diverse historical romances will enjoy this series (The DuBells), but it wasn't quite for me.

[synthelicjous]

VERITY and EVANDER, a new role! when? feb. 07th,　nemesis rpg　◞◞  　　　　　　　　　　　　　⟡

　　　　　𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞, 𝘣𝘶𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪

⠀⠀⠀ i capelli li ha accuratamente raccolti in una semplice coda, le maniche le ha tirate sù per evitare di fare danni ed il grembiule ha deciso di non indossarlo per avere maggiore possibilità di movimento. Potrebbe quasi sembrare strano, ma la realtà dei fatti è che ᴠᴇʀɪᴛʏ ha preso di buon grado questo tipo di compito: chissà per quale motivo. Che sia per il suo amore per la cucina, oppure per la possibilità di osservare da vicino l'altra parte dell'Accademia, questo non è dato sapere, ma non è poi così assurdo vederla sorridere mentre preparava la sua famosa torta al cioccolato prima, o mentre si trova a servire gli studenti 𝗺𝗮𝗶 poi. ⠀ « Cosa ti metto nel piatto? » che sia di buon umore, questo lo si può vedere dal sorriso stampato del suo volto, da vedere quanto questo sarebbe durato al cospetto di quel tipo di studenti. 

[mediaevalmusereads]

Aphrodite and the Duke. By J. J. McAvoy. Dell, 2022.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Genre: historical romance

Part of a Series? No

Summary: Aphrodite Du Bell has always resented her name. While the members of the ton, and even the queen herself, praise her warm brown skin, perfect curls, and exquisite features, Aphrodite can’t help but think that living up to the literal goddess of beauty is asking a bit much. Her renowned loveliness certainly didn’t stop the love of her life from jilting her and marrying another woman four years ago.

When Aphrodite’s formidable mother summons her back to London to aid in her sister’s debut, she has no choice but to acquiesce. But Aphrodite is determined to ignore one man in particular: Evander Eagleman, the Duke of Everely, the man who devastated her all those years ago. Yet why does her guileless heart still flutter at the sight of him?

Evander Eagleman lost his chance for true love, but now that he is an unattached widower, he is determined to win back Aphrodite’s trust—and her hand in marriage. But just as the couple make strides to mend old wounds, Evander’s true reason for rejecting Aphrodite threatens their coveted future . . . and even their lives.

***Full review under the cut.***

Content Warnings: graphic sexual content, blood, attempted suicide, child abuse, spousal abuse

Overview: After the release of Netflix's Bridgerton, I was hoping that more people would get inspired to write historical romances starring people of color. It seems that McAvoy was one of those, and for that, I can't be upset. But though I liked reading a romance set in a Bridgerton-esque England, I couldn't give this book a higher rating because McAvoy's writing just doesn't work for me. Between a lot of telling, the naïve protagonist, and the chaotic plot, this book was a miss for me, and I'm not sure I want to read more from this author in the future.

Writing: McAvoy's prose style is not one I enjoyed for several reasons. First, the story is written in first person; I can't begrudge this choice too much, since I am fully aware that I have personal biases against first person, but if you are like me and find first person to be a little awkward, you probably will have issues with thus book.

Second, McAvoy makes some strange choices regarding point of view. The majority of the story is told from our protagonist, Aphrodite's, perspective, but occasionally, McAvoy will switch to Aphrodite's brother Damon or her love interest, Evander, or Evander's sister, Verity. Personally, I found the change in point of view to be random; there wasn't really a clear reason for the changes other than I think McAvoy wanted to include a scene here and there that Aphrodite wouldn't have first hand knowledge of. I would have much rather seen a back and forth between Aphrodite and Evander so that we could see how their perspectives were misaligned before eventually coming together.

Third, McAvoy relies on a lot of telling rather than showing. Aphrodite dumps a lot of information on us by way of expository narrative, and she even tells us her feelings in a rather blunt manner. Moreover, there seems to be an imbalance between narrative and dialogue, with dialogue far outweighing descriptions and the like. As a result, I felt I was being told the story rather than invited to experience it. I would have instead liked to see McAvoy slow down and really dwell on what was happening, what the mood of the scene was, and Aphrodite's feelings so that I as a reader could experience them along with the character.

Fourth, McAvoy's dialogue feels a little stilted. Characters speak in a somewhat archaic fashion, which I suspect is supposed to mirror the posh style of upper class English during the Regency period. However, because the dialogue is so formal and archaic - even between characters who are supposed to be close friends or family - relationships and interactions didn't feel natural. I would have liked to see characters instead use the more formal speech for formal situations and then lapse into an easier style when they were around confidantes.

Plot: The non-romance plot of this book can be divided into two parts. Part one essentially centers around a marriage dilemma; Aphrodite has been away from Society for four years following the marriage of her childhood best friend to another woman. Now she's back to see her younger sister's debut, and their mother has decided that Aphrodite must marry this season in order to give her sisters a fighting chance. After all, it looks bad when a duke's eldest daughter can't land a husband, despite that daughter being the most beautiful woman in the ton.

Part two follows Aphrodite after her marriage and details the ways in which she and Evander seek to bring Evander's illegitimate half-brother, Fitzwilliam, to justice. Fitzwilliam is a nuisance in part because he desires the dukedom for himself and will do anything to get it, so Aphrodite must help Evander outwit him to make sure everyone stays safe and happy.

While this plot would normally be ok for me, much of the two parts came across as somewhat simplistic. In part one, McAvoy would hit a lot of the beats that are integral to most Regency romances - balls, dress fittings, receiving guests, you name it - but I never got the sense that they were building towards anything. In romances I like, these beats are sites of social tension that present a challenge for the protagonists to overcome. For a ball, the protagonist might be testing their ability to perform for polite society. For a gentleman caller, maybe the caller presents a new dilemma that the heroine has to navigate. In this book, the beats felt like they were included because "that's what's in a Regency romance." Perhaps I felt this way because McAvoy's prose style made the pace feel way too quick. Scenes would only last a couple pages, so it didn't feel like they were particularly important or emotionally weighty. When Aphrodite attends her first ball, for example, she encounters Evander directly for the first time in years, and the entire thing is over in just a few pages. I would have rather liked to see McAvoy slow down and think about what each scene is meant to accomplish, with more time devoted to building tension and suspense.

Part two was also a little chaotic while also not building suspense effectively. After her marriage, Aphrodite is preoccupied with redecorating her new home and making connections with her step daughter, Emmeline. During these moments, it felt as if we were suspended in time, since there was no threat that Fitzwilliam posed to Aphrodite's happiness or safety. When Fitzwilliam does come back in, events seem to happen at random without much thought to how they build upon one another, and rather than being excited, I mostly felt disengaged.

Characters: Before I talk a out individuals, I want to discuss something McAvoy does that applies to all characters. Because McAvoy tells rather than shows, many of her characters come across as unusually self-aware. While some introspection is a good thing, I didn't exactly buy it 100% of the time. Aphrodite, for example, always talks about how her beauty makes her feel like she lives in a gilded cage. Her mother speaks bluntly about the expectations of women, her feelings about being Evander's godmother, etc. While sometimes a little directness can be good, I felt like such directness in this book was unrealistic or at least a shortcut for not writing scenes that let the reader infer these ideas.

Now for the individuals.

Aphrodite, our protagonist, was not particularly interesting to me as a reader. While I appreciated the fact that she was a POC in an elite role in society, I didn't feel like she was fully fleshed out. I didn't know what she wanted out of life, and I didn't feel like she was striving for anything, merely doing what was expected of her. On top of that, Aphrodite has few character quirks that make her compelling; we're told that she likes to read, but it's unclear how her reading tastes influence her personality or what her philosophical quotes add to the story.

Furthermore, I really did not like Aphrodite's naivete and the focus on her looks. On some level, I can understand how McAvoy might be trying to work against stereotypes of black women - by making her heroine beautiful, she combats the stereotypes that portray blackness as lesser or ugly. By making her heroine naive, she combats stereotypes that portray black women as overly sexual. But as much as I can appreciate those things, I think McAvoy overcompensated. For one, Aphrodite is so beautiful that everything she does is perfect, which not only causes everyone around her to call her things like "angel" or "goddesses" often, but it causes a rift with her sister, Hathor. Aphrodite is also incredibly naïve - not only does she not think about the consequences of her actions, but she also doesn't know what sexual arousal is. There is a scene where she stumbles upon a couple having sex in a garden and her thoughts seem childish: "why is he kissing her like that? Wouldn't it hurt?" I felt a bit exhausted by her naivete, and she didn't seem to have any strong skills or talents to make up for her shortcomings or drive the narrative.

Evander, our hero, is difficult to see as a desirable love interest. Again, I admire McAvoy for putting POC into prominent roles and doing her best to combat stereotypes, but like Aphrodite, Evander comes across as rather flat. He lets his anger get the best of him, and though he never hurts Aphrodite, he does withhold a lot of information from her for fairly weak reasons.

Supporting characters are likewise flat and because of their dialogue, they feel stuffy or overly emotional. Aphrodite's mother, for example, could have been more complex in that she wants the best for her daughters yet also feels compelled to give Evander the benefit of the doubt (as he is her godson), but every time she speaks, she is impossibly formal and her actions lack nuance. She insists on balls and dancing lessons because those are the beats of a Regency romance, not because she has any particular insight into how these things can help her daughters, and even when she does show insight, it feels too insightful to be realistic. I also disliked how obvious it was that she favored Aphrodite and dismissed the feelings of her daughter, Hathor; the favoritism didn't endear me to her or Aphrodite, and it felt callous.

Aphrodite's and Evander's various siblings are likewise hard to connect with. Hathor, the sister whose coming out is the focus of the season, behaves like a child in that she cries when she isn't seen as absolutely perfect and chases her younger sister around the house over a ripped bonnet. Aphrodite's brother, Damon, is the dutiful heir and protective sibling, and his wife, Silva, is kind, but they disappear and reappear when convenient and I never really get a feel for their role in the story, other than to tell us (and Aphrodite's parents) that Aphrodite is still hurt after Evander's rejection. Evander's sister, Verity, is likeable in that she is kind and accepting, but her childhood trauma is used as a tool to fuel Evander's desire for justice.

The main antagonists in this book are Evander's half-brother, Fitzwilliam, and his mother, Datura. Datura is a butcher's daughter who was also Evander's father's mistress. Both of them are written as greedy and condemned for social climbing, which at first comes off as rather classist. To make sure we see them as antagonists, McAvoy writes Datura as the source of Verity's childhood trauma and makes Fitzwilliam a domestic abuser, which seems odd because the moral of the story is not that these two should be condemned for harming others, but they should be condemned because they dared to try to disrupt the social order. It was an odd conclusion, and one that I felt used interpersonal harm as an excuse to uphold the nobility.

Romance: Like the non-romance plot, the romance in this novel can be divided into two parts. The main premise of part one is that Evander rejected Aphrodite in the past, and our heroine has spent 4 years moping about it. While I love a good setup like this, it seemed like all the characters had to do to get together was have a good talk. When the protagonists are forced to interact during the season, Evander finally reveals the reason why he jilted Aphrodite and the major impediment to their union is cleared up by the 30% mark. After that, it's just a matter of getting Aphrodite's father on board and tidying up Evander's past. To me, it felt like drama without substance; Evander and Aphrodite don't really grow together by overcoming obstacles to their relationship, and it was disheartening, as I really thought there was some opportunity to reflect on things like childhood love and trust.

Part two follows Aphrodite and Evander after their marriage and gosh do they not learn from part one. The two spend a good chunk of the book quarreling because Evander withholds information for no good reason, and when they make up, Aphrodite's naivete and impulsive decisions threaten their relationship once again. I kind of felt like McAvoy wasn't sure how to write conflict after a couple got married, so a lot of it was meaningless drama that was enacted between the two leads rather than the leads forming a united front against the world.

Furthermore, I couldn't quite see what Aphrodite and Evander loved about each other aside from having known the other since childhood. Their romance felt like a proximity thing rather than a deep emotional connection, or perhaps Evander loved Aphrodite because she's so beautiful, and I wanted to see the two bring out the best in each other rather than just burn with passion. To some extent, it got better towards the end of the book; Evander seems to admire Aphrodite for the way she cares for Emeline and for her ruthless pursuit of justice, but he himself is still a bit too stuffy for my tastes.

Speaking of passion - Aphrodite and Evander's dynamic is somewhat like Daphne and Simon's in that Aphrodite is comically naive and Evander is a brooding man who has to teach her about sex. In the show, the dynamic works a little better because withholding information about female sexuality is a theme and is shown to be a flaw in the mother's character. In this book, Aphrodite's naivite is not really a commentary on women's knowledge or sexuality - it seems to be there because McAvoy liked the trope of the clueless virgin, and while it may be some readers' jam, it very much was not mine.

TL;DR: Despite featuring a number of POC in prominent, upper-class roles, Aphrodite and the Duke doesn't feel very deliberate in its plotting, and the writing style feels underdeveloped. While some readers might find joy in the world McAvoy creates, I felt personally disappointed on account of the poor characterization, chaotic narrative, and explanatory prose style.

[thefossilwhale]

abby trevor has talked about the real world analogues of each nation in heroes of myth, but since there’s not a lot of lore about each place’s culture/history, things like ithos being “vaguely greek” (as trevor puts it) only really impact the world on a linguistic level, i.e., what the fake words and place names look like.

re: different languages, afaik, the only character who is mentioned as having an accent at all is min (it’s described once, when you first meet them, as “unfamiliar,” and more likely to be remarked upon by the ithian MC than any other accent, because people from sienha rarely travel to ithos and vice versa). despina and evander have eldriyan heritage but were raised in ithos and are also, you know, part of the ithian royal family. verity is from ithos. letha too, presumably. meredith’s voice sounds... however she decides it does.

now alvis. he is from delevon, which is “vaguely english/germanic.” it’s never mentioned whether he has an accent, and either way it likely wouldn’t stick out to the MC, since they’re not meeting him for the first time. but does he? is he fantasy english. does he have a noticeable english accent and is that why no one wanted him at the academy

[a-god-in-ruins-rises]

Favorite baby names? For boys and girls?

last time i was asked this question (a few weeks ago) i didn’t have my list of names with me. i had it saved on my previous blog which was deleted and so i lost them. but luckily for you i’ve been slowly rebuilding the list over the last few weeks. the following list is incomplete. 

boy: tiberius, chosen, eloi, aiden, augustus, asher, edric, emmerich, magnus, archibald, frank/francis, frederick, charlemagne, alexander, wolfgang, cato, richard, amadeus, aresti, orestes, aitor, ander, eniko, iker, xavier, zorion, orion, asterion, osric, ciel, aryan, dorian, atticus, norman, hector, alaric, alistair, balder, aiken, artorius, dante, einar, eric/eirick, ambrose, llywelyn, holden, orson, atlas, onyx, auberon, aurelius, cleo/cleon, daedalus, havelock, evander, lysander, dominic, ajax, justin/justinian, ever, solace, solaire, florian, merit, merrit, nestor, atreus, bernard, barrett, dietrich, theodore, theodoric/theoderic/theuderic, theudis, alcaeus/alkaios ferdinand, roland, otto, erastus, theseus, clovis, ludwig/ludovic, dion/deon/dionysius, aloysius, armin, lothar, gaius, orpheus, soren, severin, valentine, leo/leon/leonard/leander, martin, martial, aristotle, aldrich, bertrand/bertram, cyril, horace, orlando, roderick, vincent, alaric, alric, ulric, virgil, ovid, arator. ulysses, roy/roi, thelonious, nicodemus, 

girl: euphemia, alexandra, andromeda, aria, agatha, beatrice, amaia, arrosa, elixane, araceli, aurora, lorelei, sophia, eurydice, ophelia, cornelia, claribel, odelia/odilia, amy, ada, adelaide, amadea, faye, claire, althea, clementine, aurelia, augusta, celeste, florence, genevieve, laurentia, octavia, penelope, sibyl/sybyl, fawn, charlotte, anastasia, thea, theodora, verity, antoinette, stephanie, artemis, cassandra, eula/eulalia, caroline, charlotte, delilah, azure/azura, gwyneth, eleanor, victoria, arabella, eudora, melisande/milicent, odessa, solei, avalon, cosima, ariadne, minerva, arista, alethea, calista, astraea, selene/selena.

[thefourofdiamondsart]

Verity has been going through some ordeals… got a new god… changed her subclass… so she’s a blood cleric now and naturally I had to draw her an new little outfit for that

[thefourofdiamondsart]

THE STOLEN SUN - alternate cover for a riso printed comic by @arugulafriend about our party’s adventures in Barovia. the comic is posted in full on their instagram page and you should definitely go read it!

Our DM is @addersmire

Magda (left): @arugulafriend

Verity (center): me

Sandrine (right): @maeowl

[thefourofdiamondsart]

if hell was the punishment due/ I can’t wait to be there with you

little drawing of a dream Verity had with her dead husband a few sessions ago after Strahd’s masquerade

Digital character design, Procreate

caption lyric: by your definition by witchcraft… ghost story by charming disaster is also the vibe but none of the lyrics are really short enough for a caption

[thefourofdiamondsart]

epic fits to wage psychological warfare in (go to dinner with Strahd)

My grave cleric Verity Evander in her formal drip. I’ve been meaning to make a proper character design sheet for her but in the meantime I have a lot of other Curse of Strahd art to post