#having artists you enjoy/craftsmen you like be mortal is a pain in her ass because if they die and she hasn't found a suitable replacement

[wcrstarter]

meta headcanons: Sonja and Materialism

Sonja was raised in a time where to show one’s wealth, it was custom for husbands and fathers adorned their wives and daughters in fine jewels, furs, silks, and fabrics. Given that vampires possess eternity to collect and hoard wealth if they should choose, means among vampires this practice was brought to a new level.The daughter of a vampire Elder who ruled as a sort of King over all the kingdoms, considered a high ranking Warlord over the Maygar Empire to which many local barons and lower ranked lords paid tithe to each month--Sonja had much of what was considered to be the finest in the lands to show just how wealthy and powerful her father was. As his sole child, she was heavily doted upon and wanted for nothing.

However she has never cared for the pomp and circumstance of the court and ‘higher’ society, her concern over the quality of an object lies solely in how strong and durable it might be. Will she have to replace it before the next season comes, or will it be easy to maintain it’s upkeep to have it remain in her possession for years to come? A a result, she tends to ignore fine silks and satins (their dyes fade overtime, especially after the 19th century) in favour of having linens, wools, leathers, and furs to clothe herself with. 

Up until the modern era and the dawn of the twenty first century, she continued to wear obsidian plate armour in battle. Afterwards, she favoured thick woolen and leather armour, before turning to kevlar and similar textile fabrics to allow her to be protected in combat but be unburdened by the heavy weight of the black plate and silver chainmail she once wore. In modern times it’s easy enough to find a few fine silk dresses in her wardrobe for special occasions; with the rest being leather jackets, fine woolen sweaters, coats, and cardians, and soft stonewashed linen clothing of varying weights for the bulk of her wardrobe.

She has no place for gold in her personal belongings, due to how fast the metal fades and how soft and delicate it is--easily dented and scratched by daily wear. Nor does she have much gemstone jewelry in her jewlery box, she does not care if the gems are of the actual stone or merely paste--if they were gifted to her by someone she cared about then she will keep them with her wherever she goes, and upon the rare occasion when the need for it is called she will adorn herself with it. 

Her most prized pieces of jewelry is the brass pendant (that truthfully is one of two keys) with a piece of polished malachite in its centre, something given to her by her father under the belief it belonged to her mother Illona; the other is a simple brass ring she keeps on a length of oiled leather, a ring forged by her beloved lucian to mark their union to one another. The brass necklace can be found around Sonja’s neck, whereas the brass ring can be found coiled and tied onto her wrist as a bracelet (often hidden beneath long sleeves to avoid attention towards it due to her private nature).

Sonja’s residence is never anything grand, usually she finds a spacious apartment that possesses a nice windowed view so she might freely look out at the moon and the stars without having to climb up onto the roof. Sometimes this means she resides in the penthouse suite that has roof access, other-times its the apartment with the largest balcony so she can go out to lean against the railing and stargaze. 

The one constant in every single one of the places Sonja calls home for any large stretch of time, is that the bathroom always has a large soaker tub she can relax inside. Her one true vice is having a long hot bath, modern plumbing is a marvel to her for this used to be a rarer treat--a true display of wealth to be able to have the bath basin filled to the brim with steaming hot water to lounge comfortably in. She collects perfumed bath oils, dried flowers, and scented bath salts from across the globe in her travels and enjoys them at least once a week. 

In addition, even though the modern convenience of electricity makes it so that she is not entirely dependant upon candle light to see; her home is usually outfitted with various sconces, lanterns, candelabras, and candle holders to provide the option to go by candle light if she chooses. Though to human eyes the candle light might seem far more dim to them as it does to her, given Sonja is capable of seeing perfectly in the dark.

Her choice of furniture might strike guests as rather spartan and minimalist, though the few pieces she have are usually of excellent quality and handmade from centuries past from master craftsmen that caught her eye--allowing her to forgo having to replace anything as the decades fly on by. But it does present a unique problem should she need to get something repaired, as finding a craftsman to do so means she runs the risk of a museum curator contacting her in the hopes of getting her to surrender the piece for their collection. Everything has a place and a purpose, but its not uncommon to find odd little trinkets scattered across her home. 

Little gifts or items that were either gifted to her, or remind her of a loved one in her life or from her past. If you were to crack open the massive oaken chest that sits in the corner of the living room; you would find stacks upon stacks of well loved leather bound books, letters from friends and lovers alike, portraits and photographs and scrapbooks of memories of loved ones from Sonja’s life, including her original set of armour from her Deathdealer days and the silver sword Lucian forged for her. Anything gifted to her or that sparks a deep enough memory of someone she loves, is usually gifted and found a place within her home to keep with her and her journeys throughout eternity.

Despite the scarcity of furniture and the trinkets decorating the tables and shelves, Sonja’s home has a welcoming atmosphere and often is bathed with the soft light of candle flame and strongly scented of incense burning somewhere nearby. Fine cashmere blankets or soft fur pelts are thrown over the chairs and the sofa, making it more comfortable to sink into and relax in her space. Rugs will cover most of the flooring, but shoes are never permitted beyond the threshold of the door. 

There is the occasional piece of macabre decor she will collect around October, to lightly poke at the fact the average person expect’s a vampire liar to be something terrifying to behold, even if her space is a sanctuary away from the world and the drama of the covens she has to deal with. Sonja’s home is where she retreats to get away from the world, somewhere she can freely be herself and not have to act human when she is not. The same rules apply to any guests of hers, there is never a need to hold up a front in her home or worry for someone watching through the windows. Even if they were to try to, she has had the windows tinted to block out UV rays and thick curtains she can draw shut to keep out peeping toms.

She might keep almost every gift she is given (some become lost to time or damaged in her travels and force her to let go of them), but its not often for her to gift something to anyone. The gifts she herself will give are few in number, but always with careful thought and consideration towards that friend or loved one’s needs and desires. Sonja has an abundance of time on her hands, and will use it to observe and collect the occasional gift to surprise others with. Some are done by complete impulse when out, she sees something that she knows they will like and she simply purchases it. When you’ve had as many centuries as she has, the price of an object is hardly an obstacle from the money you’ve had sitting in various banks or safes over the years.

A material possession is a rare gift, usually only being handed over during a holiday (either one of her own that she has always celebrated such as the harvest festival days or solstices, or that of the other party’s belief system), but gifts such as experiences or a favoured food or drink will be freely given whenever she has the chance to do so. It’s not uncommon to open Sonja’s fridge or pantry doors to find the favoured food, snacks, or drinks of those she holds dear to her heart even if she is incapable of consuming any of it herself.

#--&;I'm not a hero or a martyr;think I'm the villain of the story(headcanons) #rpcdev #she doesn't really participate in materialism outside of spoiling her loved ones #having artists you enjoy/craftsmen you like be mortal is a pain in her ass because if they die and she hasn't found a suitable replacement #she will be grouchy as hell about having to get something else made by someone else that she might not trust the same #but its a big part of why she keeps such few custom pieces and looks after them extremely well #museums would kill to get her to surrender half her furniture as they're probably half as old as her #modern furniture would absolutely enrage her #she'd always be concerned about breaking it and probably would just offer to get you something more sturdy made up #she absolutely has a mini library full of books shes collected over the years some are first editions others are secondhand ones shes found #in thriftshops #brand names mean absolutely nothing to her unless its one she knows a friend/lover/loved one likes #if you ask her for something specific she will get it for you. sometimes she might judge it a little but she will get it for you #long post for ts