the courtly love meme

[fyreflye]

The Courtly Love Meme

That's COURTLY LOVE. Not COURTNEY LOVE. Courtly love or domnei was a medieval European conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. Generally, courtly love was secret and between members of the nobility. It was also generally not practiced between husband and wife. The "courtly love" relationship is modeled on the feudal relationship between a knight and his liege lord. The knight serves his courtly lady (love service) with the same obedience and loyalty which he owes to his liege lord. She is in complete control of the love relationship, while he owes her obedience and submission.The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds, in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. Thus "courtly love" was originally construed as an ennobling force whether or not it was consummated, and even whether or not the lady knew about the knight's love or loved him in return. The "courtly love" relationship typically was not between husband and wife, not because the poets and the audience were inherently immoral, but because it was an idealized sort of relationship that could not exist within the context of "real life" medieval marriages. In the middle ages, marriages amongst the nobility were typically based on practical and dynastic concerns rather than on love. The idea that a marriage could be based on love was a radical notion. But the audience for romance was perfectly aware that these romances were fictions, not models for actual behavior. The adulterous aspect that bothers many 20th-century readers was somewhat beside the point, which was to explore the potential influence of love on human behavior. The behavior of the knight and lady in love was drawn partly from troubadour poetry and partly from a set of literary conventions derived from the Latin poet Ovid, who described the "symptoms" of love as if it were a sickness. The "lovesick" knight became a conventional figure in medieval romance. Typical symptoms: sighing, turning pale, turning red, fever, inability to sleep, eat or drink. Romances often contained long interior monologues in which the lovers describe their feelings. tl;dr characters are in a fantasy/medieval setting and having a courtly romance. How to Play - Comment with your character, preferences, etc. Also, be sure to include what "role" your character will be taking on in this little affair. Lord/lady Knight (gender neutral, of course) Prince/princess Bard or poet Servant Commoner (for the ultimate "forbidden romance") -Comment to others, using the RNG to determine your fate. Prompts When I First Saw Your Face: You are meeting your liege or your knight for the first time. What you see takes your breath away. Lovesick: Your pining for your beloved has made you ill! You can't eat, you can't sleep, you're in loves throes. Playing Hard to Get: If you're of nobility, you at least have to pretend you're not interested. You're So Coy: The art of flirtation is just getting started, but you have to be subtle about it. In Your Honor: Be it a jousting match or a battle, you're going to win this for your lord/lady's name! A Token: You must give your knight something for good luck. A Gift: This is the reverse of the above. You must give your love something. Keep a Secret: Kisses behind columns, holding hands under the table. You must sneak away little moments together, but you have to keep others in the dark. Back from War: Your knight has been away in combat, and now they've returned. You want to shower them with affection. Consumate: Believe it or not, courtly love could have a physical angle, as well. Sometimes physical afairs happened. To Defend Your Honor: Someone has insulted your fair lady or lord. You know what that means! DUEL. I'll Protect You: The lands are under an attack, and you must protect the person you love! Breaking the Rules: You've decided to abandon the pretense of courtly love and actually be with this person, even if that means running away. WILDCARD

Comments

Igraine of Cornwall - Guenevere Trilogy OC

[igraineofcornwall]

[Princess.]

Robb Stark | A Song of Ice and Fire

[wolfhead]

[Lord or a knight; either works.]

[tiare]

[So this is super late, but do you mind?]

Benedikt | The Quartered Sea | bard

[watermusic]

Marian Hawke | Dragon Age 2 | ota

[likeabasalit_an]

[Champion is kind of like a knight, right? Or she can be full out Amell noblity.]

Rapunzel | Tangled | Open to All

[daydreaming]

[Available in canon or in always a princess mode.]

Yukina | Yu Yu Hakusho | Open to All

[crylittlesister]

[Lady or lady-in-waiting.]

Nina | Breath of Fire IV | M/F for shippy stuff

[wingedfaith]

[Princess! Also I'm voice testing so please bear with me.]

marian hawke ▶ dragon age ii ▶ ota

[proelior]

[ she's technically a lady, and a champion, buuut she can also be a commoner hiding in the slums too after she's fled kirkwall. ]

Kurt Hummel | Glee | OTA

[rumchocolatesouffle]

[This meme is adorable]

Miranda Tate - The Dark Knight Rises - OTA

[restorebalance]

[She can be a lady, princess, or knight... or any of those posing as a commoner.]

Jean Grey | MU | OTA

[powerincarnate]

[ Open to any of them. ]

Antoine ღ Lovers in the Night ღ M/M

[waitingforhisbutler]

[Lord or Prince; info about his canon here and kink list here.]

Saber (King Arthur Pendragon) | Fate/Prototype | M/M, M/F

[holyswordwielder]

( OOC ; He can be anything, except bard/poet, though of course slight preference for lord, knight, and servant. PM first before tagging with #10, thank you! )

[cherubically]

[ ooc; My prince... Is there a prompt in particular that you're interested in? Figured I'd ask before I set up. ]

Elissa Cousland | Dragon Age: Origins - M/F OTA

[elissacousland]

[Can be Lady or Knight. Prose preferred, but not mandatory!]

[castamereflood]

[Prose is okay with me! I posted a top comment preferring Lord, but would be open to Lord or Knight. Any ideas?]

Sonia Nevermind | Super Dangan Ronpa 2 | M/F

[princesspool]

[Princess, of course~]

AkaRed - Boukenger Vs Super Sentai/Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger - OTA

[inheritstheredsouls]

[Can be Knight, or Lord]

jackson whittemore | teen wolf

[harder]

[prince or lord.]

mahiro fuwa || zetsuen no tempest

[likehamlet]

[ Prince or Lord. ]

Robb Stark | A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones

[castamereflood]

[Lord preferred, open to any character/canon.]

[andtheswan]

[ooc: Care for this lady?]

Syaoran || Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles

[everydayimsuffering]

14 as I roll something that isn't smut--

[poppetstrings]

[There's lots of things that princesses don't do. They don't associate with commoners, they don't not do as their told, and they most certainly don't run outside in the middle of the night to go cavort with the lower class. Because it was dangerous, because ladies of her status shouldn't be seen with the lower class.

Yet here she was, breathing hard, grinning stupidly as she waited outside the castle wall for a... friend. Damn right her dress was ripped to shreds. She'd have way too hard of a time getting out here if she had to worry about the longer parts catching on everything.]

Eirika | Fire Emblem | OTA

[heartofarapier]

[ Princess or Lady ]

Queen Porenn | The Belgariad/Malloreon

[littlemother]

Sir Mandorallen | The Belgariad/Malloreon

[inshiningarmor]

Annabelle / Swan Princess | OUAT OC | Het

[andtheswan]

[ooc: Princess or hiding out as a commoner.]

Amelia Atwater | OC | OTA

[good_at_heart]

[ooc: Impoverished lady.]