Literature / Noblesse Oblige

SELENE WALTZ: Would you do such thing to a damzel like me?

JULIAN VOLCEK: Just a sip can do no harm. I promise it is not poisoned.

Noblesse Oblige

Web Novel about different journeys intertwining in a recently founded empire.

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Tropes

• Anachronism Stew: Noblesse Oblige draws from many aesthetics; it’s a melting pot of gothic literature, fantasy and romanticism. Combined with the lack of a fixed time period, it ends up mixing things that never really coexisted.
• Animal Theme Naming: Some characters have surnames that allure to its animal comparisons.
  • Günter Rev, Rev is the danish word for Fox.
  • Akteon Bjarn, Bjarn is the danish word for Bear.
  • Julian Volcek, Vlček (feminine Vlčková) is a Czech surname (literally "little wolf").
• Power Trio
  • The Beasts of Traer(Günter, Julian and Akteon) are a increasingly famous and powerful team.
    • Chromatic Arrangement: In the beginning of the book they wore the same military clothes, but its details were respectively coded in Golden, Silver and Bronze.
    • Nice Mean And In Between: Günter, Akteon and Julian accordingly.
• Dead Man's Chest: Subverted, although Paul's Guild believes they're going to find one in Bendtner's Palace, it turns out the dead king thought his family was his true treasure
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • The torches in Selene’s room are described before they’re used to kill Akteon.

• Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl:

Subverted. It seems throughout the first arc that Julian and Selene are a classic case, but it's shown that she's not that innocent.

• Lady and Knight: Most notably Julian and Selene/Chelsea
  • Subverted in Yonaka's relashionship with Ty, since he is the frail noble of the couple.
• Parental Incest: Selene created Sahrer from her own blood, making him sorta her black magic child, thus making the memory switching ritual this.
• Red Sky, Take Warning: Battle of the Bloodleaves, the closing of the first arc, takes place in a twilight lit, autumn colored forest, with red undertones dominating the horizon.

Julian Volcek

Julian wearing his Traer armor

• Animal Motifs: Known as the Wolf of Traer, his personal and family marks have wolves, and his nightly behaviors and moon obsession closely mimic that animal.
• Byronic Hero: Julian was modeled after a typical melancholic,egomaniac, romantic protagonist.
• Chaotic Neutral: His desires are the things that drive him foward, he has no problem with killing or with abandoning his peers because he wants to. Sometimes has a tendency to heroism, but is too apathetic to develop this side.
• Dark Is Not Evil: He’s pretty much a broody emo prince. Except he’s not bad, just... mildly problematic.
• Day Hurts Dark-Adjusted Eyes:Julian has developed the skill to see quite well in the dark, so it's no surprise that he is very photosensitive.
• Heroes Prefer Swords: Not quite a hero, but definitely a protagonist, Julian uses a Dark Steel katana-like sword.
• Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette/*Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Has a nocturnal routine, very dark hair, and is considered pale by most characters, being often compared to ghosts and vampires. Some say those characteristics are what makes him beautiful, so it could swing both ways.
• Creepy Shadowed Undereyes: Poses eyebags throughout the book, and even starts using dark makeup after leaving Traer.
• Scarf of Asskicking: Wears a shawl and scarves during his stay in Al Baher's Palace and surely slashes some heads off whilst wearing them.
• Melancholy Moon: Is definitely guilty of spending lots of time admiring the moon and using it as his confidant
• Embarrassing Nickname: Jules and he hates it.
• It's All About Me: His actions, even if he claims are about Selene, are ultimately just about fulfilling his own desires and needs. From going to the Helium's Palace to betraying Selenes body ritual, he is only shown to act towards his own goals.
• The Insomniac: Is said to have little to no sleep, being seen lurking in the streets and castles on late nights.
• Guyliner: Starts using makeup to protect himself from the sun, but ends up adopting the habit.

Arthur Lynch

• Jack of All Trades: Is a very good warrior, is one of the smartest characters in the story and only has worse panache than Günter and Olivier.

Gallo Negredo

• The Big Guy: While not as skillful as Leon or Paul is definetely the strongest, and largest,one in the group.

Sahrer

• Black Magic:He is a black magic cult leader.
• Lack of Empathy: He pretty much doesn’t see any evil in what he does.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Sahrer never wastes any time with evil deeds which won’t actually benefit his goal in the end.
• Licking the Blade: After direct life sucking sacrifices he usually licks the blood off his cerimonial daggers.
• Purple Is Powerful: Magical prodigy, leader of a threatening black magic cult wears purple all the time
• Blind Obedience: He is completely submissive to his master's orders, and his menials are equally obedient

Selene Waltz

Her no make-up look

• Delicate Is Beautiful: Is seen as a fragile, pale and thin but beautiful girl.
• Lady of Black Magic: She's been studying magic since she was a young girl, focusing her studies in blood magic.
• Hemo Erotic: Her nights with Julian before she offers him the lifelong body spell involve lots of cutting and blood licking.
• Soap Opera Disease: Her sickness is not very detailed, people only know she is dying.
• Black Magic: She has created Sahrer, and controls him through forbidden black magic she found on her castles library.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing:

Her sickly behavior hides the fact that she has been orchestrating the magical massacres, kidnappings and sacrifices throughout the summer.

• White Hair, Black Heart: She's not the pristine victim Julian imagined her to be, when she was younger she had killed a dozen children and drained their blood to create Sahrer.

Paul Kampell

• Justified Criminal: Lost his parents and his source of income as a child, only really knew how to steal, that's what he did
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: He doesn’t see himself as a hero, despite being very often a good guy.
• Tap on the Head: He shows himself to be quite the specialist whilst using his saltire.
• Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold: He is usually very socially awkward and feels like he will never be loved by anyone, the fact that he started the story as a thief worsens this insecurity but he still has the inner desire to help and grow as a person.

Edward Slater

• Loners Are Freaks: One of the ingredients that he asks for the prison destroing spell is a princesses underwear, which has no use at all for this specific spell

Chelsea Radkey

• Himedere: She is a very rich and entitled princess, she gets really annoyed when things don't go exactly the way she wanted and when people don't obey her.
• Well Excuseme Princess: Spends most of the tournment calling Julian a maniac, tries to sabotage his poker hand and says to almost every nobleman that she hates the Eastern Prince.
• Florence Nightingale Effect:After some weird teasing, she only falls for Julian after seeing him bruised after his duel with Ethan Waltz