screenshot of text that reads: nd his scent is stronger, too. cherry shifts, working her nose against the soft skin of his neck and rough fabric of his choker. she inhales, thancred flooding her senses. she relaxes further. he chuckles softly. “comfortable?” “you do not smell like this, back home,” she explains quietly. it’s easier if she’s quiet. “you smell… sick. incomplete. wrong. but here… here you smell like you.” “and what do I smell like?” he asks, his voice equally soft. his gloved hand moves from her ear to her hair, combing through her ponytail gently. there is something restrained in his touch, and cherry knows in her gut that they are both preventing themselves from rolling around in the flowers, their bodies glued together. she inhales deeply again, filling her lungs with him. she wants to keep him inside, forever. her eyes water. she squeezes them shut more tightly. “musk and body odor, worn leather and something woody. warm clove and amber. something fresh and green. oil and gunpowder… and…” he scoffs quietly. “musk and body odor, hm? what else?” “you smell like *home*, thancred.”

#lorecrafting • they drive me crazy

#lorecrafting • something i never find the time to mention is my hc for the cultural folklore of where sunseeker clan marks come from. but as i work on cherry i cannot help but ponder it as i try to set something up that helps tell the story

#lorecrafting • thinks abt how aymeric and cherry are actually p similar; earnest and open in their affections. thinks abt how thancred sees it and thinks affection like that is something he would--could--never display... how he thinks that surely cherry and aymeric are a better match in that regard

#lorecrafting • thought about cherry and thancred and intimacy earlier, and how certain levels of intimacy are so, so normal for her. and they are so very NOT normal for him. post-prae she hovers, heals, brings him meals. she does not think to ask for permission or if he wants it

#lorecrafting • boring, boring, boring

#lorecrafting • i need to redesign (and rename) chetna… i’m thinking she’s actually cherry’s auntie that goes w her + jani to leave gyr abania when tensions are rising from the empire. i’ll feel a little better about some of cherry’s history that way i think. feels grounded and less cobbled together

#lorecrafting •

#lorecrafting •

#lorecrafting • i waffle on this a lot tbh. kissing is one of cherry's favorite things to do, so idk how well she would handle not really kissing her fwb. maybe pecks, corners of mouths, cheeks + necks + bellies. but i'm so enamored w the idea of first real kiss being in the tunnels at the banquet

#lorecrafting

#lorecrafting

#lorecrafting • could go a couple of ways

- infantilized because of her autism, sincerity, and lack of knowledge / regard for social cues and norms
- seen as someone that forces or pressures thancred to be w her, fodder for certain ship fans, bc she does for him what he doesn't let himself ask for

#lorecrafting • due to a mix of gameplay and story reasons:

arr: praetorium
post-arr: keeper of the lake
hsw: the vault
post-hsw: the antitower
stb: ala mhigo
post-stb: ghimlyt dark
shb: amaurot
post-shb: paglth’an
edw: atiascope
post-edw: troia
dt: skydeep cenote
post-dt: yuweyawata

#lorecrafting • she is so very, very kitty

#lorecrafting • decided that urianger gives cherry her ear and tail armor / jewelry after 5.0 as a gift (and apology) to try to help her feel better about them (her ears are bigger / tail split after The Horrors). fae-made jewelry to match his ast stuff

#lorecrafting • was talking to oomf the other day about thancred being afraid of doing something that reminds cherry of haurchefant and upsetting her. and just now remembered haurchefant would go to sleep w his lips pressed to her forehead and thancred eventually does the same thing

#lorecrafting • i think cherry would be a seo nightmare LMAO which she is honestly very okay with

but if i had to guess,

- cherry real name
- cherry wol split tail
- cherry wol white hair
- cherry wol dating
- cherry wol bodyguard
- cherry wol accent
- is cherry wol from thavnair or gyr abania

#lorecrafting • good morning. thinking about how no one knows cherry dies in prae til minfilia has an echo vision of it. in front of thancred's sickbed. and judging from her reaction he can tell that the memory he has of hurting cherry is real after all

#lorecrafting • it's extremely easy for cherry to say 'i love you' to someone she loves, esp if saying goodbye, even if it's just for a short while. after the calamity, the attack on the sands and even the bloody banquet, she regrets not saying it more and is resolved to never feel that regret again

#lorecrafting ish? • pets. scritches. maybe even,, lovins

#lorecrafting • kitten cherry chewing on the end of her tail as a nervous habit... 🥺

a screenshot of text that reads: “if you think it to be such an undertaking, why would you have ever put it in a child’s mind that it might one day be her fate?” thancred huffs, harshly exhaling from his nose as he pointedly looks away. “so you heard about that. minfilia seems to have taken a liking to you,” he grumbles. “she wants for warmth,” the miqo’te replies icily. “and I suppose you’ll supply it?” “who else is available? certainly not you.” he huffs again. “you don’t understand.” “I was in your head, in case you have forgotten. I understand better than most.” “that—that was three years ago. i’ve…” “changed since then?” she supplies. “oh, yes, that much is quite plain.” “cherry…” “*thancred*,” she retorts harshly. “quit while you are ahead. I am just glad to be here to take on that which she never should. hydaelyn has taken enough from her daughters. I will not let minfilia’s fate be decided for her.” “you can stop fussing over me,” he says, trying to nudge her away.

#lorecrafting • i’m trying to outline and something terrible is happening between them instead

#nsfw #lorecrafting •

1) thancred (probably currently doing that)
2) riol (done that w + w/o thancred)
3) yshtola (did that once or twice)
4) estinien (also did that, w + w/o aymeric + haurchefant there too)
5) urianger (no comment)
6) lyse (maybe kissed)
7) minfilia (sister)
8) g’raha (brother)

#lorecrafting • hrm… cherry finds blaise locked away in coils—louisoix tried to magic them away but it got messy—but now i’m wondering if louisoix’s magic could’ve had them stuck in the lifestream til the exarch yoinks them. i’d have to seriously consider how they changed while in there tho…

minfilia opens her mouth to reply, but stops herself. she nods instead, her expression pensive. she is silent for several beats before she speaks again, her voice quiet. “I wish I could have helped,” she confesses. “but I suppose thancred was right. I would have just gotten in your way.” cherry’s chest seizes, her empathy for ryne growing overwhelming as the girl’s self-doubt eats away at her. the miqo’te narrows her eyes, glaring at thancred from her peripheral vision. he has no idea what effect he has had on this child—and cherry knows entirely too much, minfilia’s emotions bleeding into her own due to the echo. “thancred should learn not to speak for others,” she says coolly. he shifts and looks away. “he would have gotten in the way, too.” minfilia doesn’t seem to know what to do with the jab at her guardian. “i…” “the lightwardens are *my* prey, minfilia,” cherry says, trying to soften her tone as she returns her attention to the girl. “it only makes sense that the warrior of light is their natural predator, no? it is not a matter of how useful you might have been.” the girl’s brow remains furrowed, even as she nods. “of course. of course, cherry.” “you will find your purpose. this is mine. you do not need to worry about taking on my responsibilities any longer. you have a life ahead of you to make your own.”

#lorecrafting • good morning. woe, cherry and young minfilia be upon you

marked for spoilers - nekh and ciph are banned til they do the first shb trial

a screenshot of text that reads: “i’m here,” he mumbles at length. “don’t—don’t cry.” it’s a plea. “I shall govern myself,” cherry says, her lips brushing against his neck. he lets out a slow breath and tries to repress a shudder, but fails. cherry flicks an ear in curiosity before pressing her lips against him again in a featherlight kiss, and then again, and again. he exhales uncomfortably through his nose and squirms, pulling his neck away from her mouth as he tugs lightly on her ear, reprimanding her. “don’t do that, either,” he says gruffly. cherry ducks her head to nuzzle her nose inside the collar of his coat, instead. it’s thick and heavy and warm, worn from years of use but well-maintained. it smells almost as overwhelmingly of him as his own skin. “i… I should not have assumed,” she admits. “it’s not that I don’t like it,” he murmurs, his voice hoarse. “you do not owe me anything,” cherry continues, shaking her head. it’s been five years for him—plenty of time to move on or find something he likes elsewhere. “rhyse,” he whispers. her name sounds like a hiss. his hand leaves her hair, and she thinks this is the end of their little breather. but then his hand covers hers on his chest and gently guides it down, down, down…

#lorecrafting • anyway, i worked on a shb reunion rough draft for a bit. it’s post-trial and part of a much longer thing exploring a few free days in il mheg before returning to the crystarium. it wasn’t supposed to go in this direction but i shouldn’t be surprised, because it’s them, after all

#lorecrafting • i’ve wondered about this a lot. i think the answer depends on When this is. the more msq goes on, the more distance cherry feels between the public personal of Cherry, the Warrior of Light, and herself.

i think ultimately it solidifies that she’s not a real person to folks