โ burn the sky, clouds become ash . fireflies becomes a star . ย
๐ vic ( she / they ) 30 . est โ mumu blog for ยฉย courtsfmย . characters & tags bellow the cut .
CEREN DรNMEZ โ youngest lady of the night court + 205 years old / high fae daemati .
โ when your blood sings of justice and your brain screams for freedom, when you were once a girl with pomegranate stained palms and sore feet from running; and you grow, your hands still stained red, and you are still running - towards but never against, going far but never too far.
"someone needs to give the first step, i know." ceren welcomes the nudge, the warmth of her sister besides her coming as more soothing than anything else at that moment. "but i swear, if they take us for granted..."
she lets her thoughts trail off for a moment, leading them to an empty promise of her own, unintentionally. her head comes to fall on sena's shoulder - unusual for ceren to be so vulnerable, but when it came to her sister, it was natural; her place of safety. "it's just a lot of responsibility, a lot of possible outcomes, a lot of people we don't know."
the youngest lady of the night court sighs, chewing on her bottom lip, feeling how unlikely herself. worried and filled with anxiety - things she usually didn't let transpire, only making her wish the whole ordeal was over with. "are you having a nice night, though?" ceren nudges her sister back, smiling softly as she tries to take on a positive route. "tell me everything..."
"our powder room." she felt the smile spreading across her face, matching his own. he was something - and she wish to know more of his game, to play by her own imposed rules. out of reflex, her mind reached out to his, and quickly, ceren managed to hold back her urges, covering the twitch in her lids with a drop of her gaze, falling on the rug between them.
which made her cock her slightly. "well, indeed you have strayed far from our powder room, but i don't blame you." she moved a step closer, gaze back to his slowly as she moved. "night court can be very misleading, sometimes. right?" she extends her hand, waiting to hold his in a greeting. "i can show your way back, or" with her foot, she nudges the edge of the rug, certain it wasn't as it previously was. "i could take you on a tour, so you won't get so awfully lost again..."
Chuckling at her words, he pushed himself away from the wall he'd been propped against, his movements all loose-limbed and fluid. "Never been close to them?" he repeated, his voice a playful lilt. Taking a step toward her, Yihua closed the distance until he could properly see the light of those pretentious stars reflected in her eyes.
"My lady, I fell from them," he said, a roguish grin spreading across his face, youthful and utterly shameless. He didn't care if it was a terrible line, the fun was in the saying of it. "They cast me down out of pure jealousy, I'm telling you. It's tyranical up there," he added before promptly tossing his head back and bursting into immature laughter.
"I'm very certain," he declared, his confidence unwavering even as his body swayed gently on the spot. Yihua gave into the pull of gravity and slumped back on the railing, leaving heavily onto his elbow as he gently swung the goblet between his fingers like a pendulum. "Perhaps you're the one who's had too much. Seeing things that aren't there. Like a perfectly capable lord who's had a drop too much wine."
Lifting his cup to drink, he remembered it was empty, and instead, stared into its silver depths with an expression of profound sorrow. "Ah. But it seems your famous hospitality has abandoned me in my hour of need," he said, rattling the cup mournfully. "A crime, wouldn't you say? Leaving a guest of your court to die of thirst?"ย
he was close, enough to see the shadows the moon casted on his brows, to see the way the wine had stained his lips; a wayward droplet dancing at the edge, daring ceren to reach the gap and wipe it clean. she tilted her head up, soft smile in place, eyes never leaving his. "a fallen star is never good news, you know." her own lips, pressed in a thin line as she repressed her laugh. " too much trouble up there, and way too much trouble down here, as well..."
"well, i don't drink." a half true statement - she hasn't been drinking that night, feeling the need to be sharp in her senses, clear in her mind; the influence of outside ones were already enough to give her a premature hangover. "so, my lord, your argument falls to the ground - just like you, our little star."
and it was her time to push herself off of her spot, closing the gap that had expanded in a moment during their interaction. ceren had been holding her own goblet for shows, the contents of it still untouched. "don't ever question my generosity again." slowly, she poured the liquid inside his own, eyes on his. "nor tell this to anyone, it wouldn't look so good to me."
the taste of blood makes her snap out of it, her hand falling to her side with fingers still red and sensitive. it was a childish habit, and part of her was ashamed of it; of how she was regressing when under stress, as ceren always does.
velaris was beautiful at any moment, but when the stars were at their peak, so close that you could almost touch them, that was when it was at its most breathtaking form. with eyes sweeping the scenery, she sighs, bringing her fingers back to her lips, chewing on their corners. "how are we sure they won't maim every corner of our home?"
ceren could feel the nudge of his presence; the warm steel of his mind, the heaviness only he could bear. her brother, their ruler. "i really expect they have an ounce of intelligence to not do so, but i don't want to be too hopeful..."
FOR SENA / @wrathgaze
within the night court residency
her breath comes out unevenly, fingers slowly massaging her temples. crowds always made her waver; her self-control slipping, ever so slightly, every mind present there brushing against hers, making itself seen -- like months to a flame. ceren needed a quiet place, a cold and quiet place.
she dips her bare feet in the pool, trying to find solace in the highest place she could, as far from everyone as she could. this is worth it, she managed to repeat, like her newfound mantra. it is all going to be worth it.
"it is going to be worth it." words are said aloud because she feels the tug of her presence. warm like the sun, sharp like steel; her sisters' colors, unmistakably her own. "all this noise, it is going to be for something good," she felt incredibly small; suddenly, she was back at being their youngling, immature and scared. something only sena could evoke in her at times. "right?"
FOR ROMAN / @protagoniam
trophy room? weapons room? somewhere they shouldn't be.
the night sings its tune, and the breeze envelops her quiet steps. there's nothing like a time like this; when the sun is long gone, and the glitter in the sky stretches itself above them, not so nightmarish, after all. ceren has no set direction as she makes her way down the hallways, gently holding the glass of wine that is already more than half empty.
would it be too hopeful to expect the night to go smoothly, with nothing really to disturb them? like fortune being foretold, good omens, only, she snorts at her own thoughts, but quickly stops briefly. the light bleeds through the crack, the lead someone mistakenly left behind.
" can i help you find your way back? " her tone is even the tone not as brisk as it could have been, and the smile upon her face unfurls slowly, way too gentle. " this room is off limits," she leaned against the door, closing it behind her. " but i understand it's easy to get lost around here. "
yichen is focused this evening, on passing conversations, on the way people lean in to whisper or laugh too loudly at something unremarkable. the music swells, laughter carries, but the shadows tug at him, whispering things he struggles to ignore. his eyes follow the line of them across the floor, to where they brush the shoes of another. a stranger, perhaps, or simply someone standing too close.
he looks up to notice their owner and inclines his head, always polite. โyouโll have to forgive me,โ he says, voice low. โiโm better at watching than mingling. were you saying something?โ
prone to the shadows as they were, nona usually found themselves on the sidelines. easier to blend there, and just as easy to observe; not to mention finding a way out. it didn't surprise them much to see the same shadows gathering and pulling around them, such was the case of the dusk court and the darkest corners of this world. " i was just... " they trailed off slightly, noticing who she was mindlessly speaking to.
" what a night, i meant to say. " they nodded their greeting back, resting bare back agains tthe cool of the wall. " if you told me a few months back we would be here, of all places, i would never believe it. "
He'd worn the finery, spoken in clipped, careful tones and bowed at all the proper angles. For all of two hours, he'd done his best impression of a dutiful son of the Dusk Court's high family. But Velaris was too pretty, too polished, and too pleased with itself for him to keep the act up any longer. Somewhere between the second and third glass of wine, the pretense had cracked.
Now here he was, lounging on a balcony with a cup dangling lazily from his fingers. His grin was broad and his posture all careless charm, the kind that could almost convince a person he wasn't drunk at all if not for the flush of pink in his cheeks and the way his words came out just a little freer than usual.
"Magnificent city," Yihua announced to no one in particular, sweeping his arm as if presenting the whole of Velaris to a captivated audience and sloshing wine while at it. "But between you and me..." he leaned (teetered) conspiratorially toward whoever lingered close enough to listen. "I think the stars here are showing off. Pretentious things, aren't they? Acting like they're brighter than me."
He took another generous sip that turned into his throat bobbing for an uncomfortably long time as he swallowed the contents with all of the grace of a fish. After swiping his lips with the back of an expensive, fancy sleeve, Yihua leaned back, looking utterly unrepentant and self-satisfied by the stain.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm perfectly sober. Soberer than my brothers, certainly. They're off entertaining the idea of peace while I-" he gestured expansively with the now empty cup, "-am making the most of the Night Court's hospitality."
it was all she had said for a brief moment, watching the display of grandeur coming from the dusk court brother, movements as relaxed as the wine allowed it to be. how interesting it was to see the differences between siblings -- she wondered if that's how others perceived her and her own just the same. " but i differ about the stars, to think you would be able to outshine them only shows you truly were never close to them, at all. "
ceren observes the fae while leaning against the door; she takes in his mannerism, his slouched words, following the way the wine rolls down his chin, and smiles. " are you sure about that? " an open question, one that, given another time, she would fee the need to explain a little further; but tonight was one for the books, and she wanted to ensure she would have fun.
pushing herself off of her spot, she carefully steps closer, leaning against the balcony, eyes up at the sky. " we really are a hospitable bunch, aren't we. " and affirmation, not a question at all. " how lucky you are. "
โฆ through the veil of stars, we are pleased to welcome NONA CARDINAL to the night court. the SPYMASTER from the DUSK COURT is said to be ADAPTABLE & CAREFREE amongst their closest friends, but i suppose we will soon learn if they are BLUNT & CYNICAL as the whispers promise. we can clearly see their presence is reflected by ECHOING LAUGHTER IN AN EMPTY CORRIDOR, THE COOLNESS OF A SHADE IN A HOT DAY, THE FIRST SIGHT OF THE OCEAN WHEN YOU COME OUT OF A TUNNEL, TARTNESS OF A RED STRAWBERRY, LETTING YOUR HAIR LOOSE FROM A TIGHT BRAID. mother hold them, for their true loyalties lie NEUTRAL TO the peace treaty, and such things will always come to light. โ
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full name : nona cardinal, nickname : thinks her name is too short for a nickname, dob + age : octover 16th + 155 years old, loyalty : dusk court, title : spymaster of the night court, zodiac : libra sun, pisces moon, sag asc, gender & pronouns : demi woman & she + they, sexual orientation : bisexual, romantic orientation : biromantic.
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height : 5ft8, eye color : deep brown that lights up in the sun, hair color : black, tattoos : many, the whole body covered, some have meaning & some are solely for the aesthetic of it all, piercings : ears, nose, distinguishing features : a faint scar across her left eyebrow, abilities : dusk court ability, faceclaim : tia wood.
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fears : extreme heights, habits : constantly cracks her knuckles, rolls her shoulders whenever she is nervous, scratches her scarred eyebrow when she is lying (will deny this), positive traits : compassionate, daring, empathetic, reliable, selfless negative traits : disobedient, critical, extreme, irritable, obsessive, moral alignment : neutral good.
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(bio incoming because why am i suddenly so busy )
nona cardinal was born in the dusk court to wandering parents who were as hard to catch as the shadows, and to grandparents that were as hard to move as the mountains. raised by the two peaks, then, she grew to be a little obstinate thing, with the will as unmovable, and the dreams as fleeting.
life passes quick, and nona didn't even notice when here child plays had become little missions of the daily โ one whispered word that becomes coin, one tail followed that becomes a whole cascade of the same. a pat on the head, an affable smile from her grandfather.
it took her a while to realize the true nature of these actions, the true nature of what her grandfather did. albeit everything, the court life has never put a glitter in her eye, but when given the patchwork of information, she saw that maybe, only maybe, there was a future for her then.
at the age of fourteen, nona started to be a shadow; slowly but surely, they had shown the aptitude to become one of the same, a spy like her grandfather, who then had become her master. he schooled her in the art of the shadows, in the listening and gathering, in the precious art of the information trade. she was set for the future, set to become his next in tow.
but life acts in funny ways, and everything was taken from her in a swift act. ambushed, they were locked away in a place of complete disconnect, unknown to what happened, unknown to what would follow. they gave her comfort and warmth, but tortured her with the silence and lack of knowledge. it was a fairytale, it was something she never asked for, on the other side, there was only the engulfing abyss.
it took her a while, but finally she found freedom coming from the hands of yijun; but with that also came the word of her grandfather's passing. everything started tumbling down when the realization came to her โ she was to fill into his shoes, and she felt anything but prepared.
nona is!! plagued by the biggest impostor syndrome ever. her confidence was slowly destroyed by the time she spent in her "forced asylum" in another place. she is working into regaining that and becoming what she was supposed to become!!!
disclaimer : all connections can be taken up by existing or new characters! we can hc about it, and i am open to changing things up in order for it to make sense.
DRAGONFLIES โ any gender & species, dusk court, 100 +
a spymaster is nothing without their eyes and ears everywhere, this means that this is a formal request for her allies!!! they could have any background, and i could see them being like a little band of misfits because nona will give people chances they dont care!
THE CLASSIC ONE THAT GO AWAY โ any gender & species, any court, 150 - 350~
i need the classic plot of the one that got away.... that one person that slipped through their fingers, that when she was gone, thought everything was done and did not wait (not that it was ever communicated that it should wait, i fear) basically, caught a lot into the miscommunication of things, a lot of angst, a lot of pain. even better if they haven't fully moved on, but they are with someone else regardless.
DONT SPIT UP โ any gender & species, night court, 200ish (same age as her, or close to.) TAKEN BY ICARIAN FEYWIN
I WANT RIVALS! Classic RIVALRY, they are fighting and competing, always at each other's neck, not always the healthiest dynamic to exist, but i need this!! unknowingly pushing each other to be better versions of themselves, just because they want to outdo the otherโฆ
AMBUSH??? โ any gender & species, night court, any age
this was going to go into the general request but i decided to make its own little space. i am requesting the person who set up the ambush for them / their grandfather, the one that led her to be "locked up". could be from any court, or any spymaster rival to them, whatever!! i think it would be a nice little angsty touch.
GENERAL ONES โ
always open for friends with benefits, exes, enemies, etc, etc . whatever dynamic, once again, slide them to me! i know i didn't put something outwardly romantic for her yet, but it's because i haven't thought of one! so hit me with that as well.
โฆ through the veil of stars, we are pleased to welcome CEREN to the night court. the YOUNGEST LADY from the NIGHT COURT is said to be COMPASSIONATE & CONFIDENT amongst their closest friends, but i suppose we will soon learn if they are CONNIVING & IMPULSIVE as the whispers promise. we can clearly see their presence is reflected by PEARL NECKLACE STAINED BY RED LIPSTICK, MORNING BLOSSOM OF CITRUS FLOWERS, RESTLESSLY SITTING AT THE DINNER TABLE, FOLDED CORNERS OF LIBRARY BOOKS, CHERRY STEMS TIED IN A KNOT. mother hold them, for their true loyalties lie FOR the peace treaty, and such things will always come to light. โ
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full name : ceren dรถnmek, nickname : ren, renna (both used by family and close friends only), dob + age : march 27th + 205 years old, loyalty : night court, title : lady of the night court, zodiac : aries sun, libra moon, leo asc, gender & pronouns : cis woman & she + her, sexual orientation : bisexual, romantic orientation : biromantic.
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height : 5ft4, eye color : black with very subtle silver specks, hair color : black, tattoos : dagger in between her boobs, (more tbd) piercings : ears, left nipple, distinguishing features : dimples, abilities : night court abilities, daemati (known only by one person), faceclaim : ozge yagiz.
the last jewel in the crown of the night court, you were born of desperation โ an explosion, burning bright into the night, one final sigh of the greedy. they labored to sharpen your edge: malleable, smoldering steel pulled from the forge, hammered thin and honed to precision. but once blinded by the supernova, the void that follows arrives ravenous in its quietude.
the youngest and the last meant to stand in contrast to the oldest and the first โ a phrase whispered too often, as they held you close and spun venom-laced tales, serpents coiled in their endless hours. you were forged to be the blade. to strike true, every time. resilient. unyielding. a child of shadow. they sang praises of your beauty and poise, while murmuring legends of your cunning, deceptive heart.
and for a time, that is who you became. slipping into their patterns came swiftly. you mirrored their image โ raw in instinct, sharp in speech, quick in thought. the courtโs intrigues became your stage, as if you'd been born to waltz through its tangled games in this brutal, gilded world.
but a weapon only serves while it obeys its wielder โ and you learned, firsthand, how easily they shattered. how hollow their ambitions rang. how nothing endured unless the force came from your own hand. a lurking shadow crept through the court, unfamiliar to the umbra running in your blood โ something foreign, clinging, unwanted. a corruption you could no longer bear.
doubt took root, festering in the quiet โ were you no different? a product of their endless schemes, a vessel shaped by intent, not choice? it felt like swimming against the tide, lungs burning, ready to give in. but you are a stubborn thing โ and you chose not to drown.
the flicker of hope you hold to now lives in him. and with him, your loyalty remains.
tl;dr : the youngest lady of the night court was seen by their parents as their last resort on maintaining their reign of the night court as it always was โ so she had been raised in their customs; more nightmarish than otherwise; manipulative & cunning, smart & quick, she was the snake beneath the mountain. however, that was not what she wanted to be โ upon finding her true nature, she also realized she could not stand for anything. against all odds, she stands beside her brother as his blade, even if this challenges everything she was raised to be.
disclaimer : all connections can be taken up by existing or new characters! we can hc about it, and i am open to changing things up in order for it to make sense.
KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR? โ any gender & species, night court, 200 +
ceren was training for the mind battles. a born tactician, a made player of the game, a natural manipulator. she excels in that part of the battle, but she really falls short when it comes to the physical aspect of it. her parents had left her to see to a knight, someone who would act as the shield of her sharp wits, someone who would watch for her, in a way she couldn't, not really.
12 of 12 โ any gender & species, any court, 200-400.
unexpected lovers, a complicated relationship. (the lyrics pretty much sum up the dynamic) something that probably started as a one-night stand, or something just for fun, really โ ceren would never have admitted catching feelings, or wanting anything more; but also being true to herself, she would feel a certain way about it. stolen glances from across the room, secret moments, all of that...
STAMPED ON MY BODY LIKE A TATTOO โ any gender & species, night court, 200ish (same age as her, or close to.)
always known to be not the easiest of people, ceren had one close friend, childhood friends who grew up close together; together through thick and thin. something happened, and a fallout followed suit. she misses them as if she missed a rib that was not supposed to have been taken out, but she is also stubborn enough to not reach out first. (childish af)
HER OWN "INNER CIRCLE" โ any gender & species, night court mostly but it could be from other courts who are friendly, 200ish (same age as her, or close to.)
she calls it "inner circle" but they are actually her close group of friends (unfortuantely, she cannot be normal sometimes), people whom she trust, and people who would just hang around and follow suit with plans and endeavors and parties. just frends being frends!
GENERAL ONES โ
always open for friends with benefits, exes (they are centuries old, we need exes), frenemies and actual enemies. whatever dynamic, throw them my way!
titsay
tangentwithtanner
pixelskylines
gummygunk
