Name: Jacqueline "Jac" Feng Occupation: Tutor Age: 23 (October 15) Sexuality: Bisexual Pronouns: She/Her Species: Witch Clan/Pack/Coven: Feng-Lindon Coven Hometown: Port Leiry, Oregon Relationship Status: ???? Personality Traits: Innovative, disciplined, paranoid, insecure, logical
Biography (tw: parental neglect)
Having a family name that's also the name of a coven, comes with a type of pressure that Jac has never known how to cope with. From the moment she was born, expectations were piled on her, ones that she inevitably failed to meet because even witches couldn't make the impossible happen, despite her family's best wishes. As the fourth-born child of six, it didn't take long for Jac to fall between the gaps. Her family demanded excellence, a trait that all of them shared… except for her. She never developed the ability to manipulate water or earth as her siblings and the rest of the members of her family did. Seemingly, she had no magic at all, something entirely unbecoming for a child of the named family.
Where Jac struggled in practical application, she excelled in theorycrafting and research. She devoted time to learning not only the coven's history, but the history of other species and families in Port Leiry, as well as a few others throughout the world. Jac became something of a mini encyclopedia for the other members of her family, keeping them updated and apprised of the latest developments (whether they wanted to hear them or not).
For a time, Jac was content in this role. Though she had been disappointed when her magic never really flourished like the others in her family, she had settled into something else resembling usefulness to the rest of them, if only so they would pay the slightest bit of attention to her. It was also why no one believed her when she first conjured a breeze inside a locked room when she was 13, long after the age when her magic should have manifested.
Every child in their coven has secret hopes of being one of the rare fire or air wielders. It means guaranteed prestige and power. It means being remembered. When Jac proved her magic to the rest of her family, she thought this finally meant she would be included as part of the family, and celebrated as someone who was just as valued as the rest. However, her mother decided that she didn't want Jac to be the face of the family or their coven. Instead, she told Jac to teach her siblings the same magic, in a vain hope that one of them would pick it up instead. None of them take to it as easily as she does.
Still, her mother forbids Jac from using her powers in public. Instead Dani makes her debut as the generation's latest air elementalist. Her middling magic seems impressive to the rest of the witches in Port Leiry, but only Jac is aware of how clumsy it is compared to what it could be. She dutifully teaches Dani how to wield the magic, explains how the energies come together so it's easier to control, but it's never the same.
Her mother finally finds a use for Jac in the family: an arranged marriage to one of the Lindons. The hope was that any children Jac bore might inherit her affinity for air magicks, an heir that could actually be shown to the public. Jac uncharacteristically stands up for herself against this plan, much to her mother's dismay. But finally, they agree to postpone the plan, at least until Jac turns 25, at which point, she'll agree to the arrangement without further argument. Since then, Jac has had a new drive and thirst for life, hoping to experience more of what Port Leiry has to offer before she resigns herself fulfilling her family's expectations. Part of that includes moving out of her family home for the first time in her life, and delving into a world that may or may not be hostile to her.
The Game So Far (tw: parental death)
Upon moving out of her family home, Jac found a space with Lara Rivkin and found herself becoming roommates with a vampire. At first, she had been wary and there are still times that certain aspects of Lara’s life can be off-putting to her, but Lara has been one of the few people who seem to care about Jac’s well-being beyond what magic she can offer.
The witches come under constant fire by the hunters, and first Iris, then Jen disappear. Her mother, leader of the coven, doesn’t seem inclined to do anything, so Jac does. She asks her friends, fellow witches who are ready to fight back and show that they aren’t to be underestimated. They save Jen. They lose Iris.
Her mother punishes her for her boldness, for ripping through the carefully-constructed facade that they had been working towards. Witnesses had seen Jac use her magic, something that most people had thought impossible until now. The timetable on the arranged marriage moves up, an attempt to stifle the local gossip.
It’s desperation that has Jac searching through the old grimoires that live in her family’s library. She’s not sure what the solution is, only that she needs one. The spell she finds is imperfect, but implies that it would help her understand her magic better, to put herself in a position where she couldn’t be used as a bargaining chip. She wasn’t expecting the coma.
Someone tells her that she was stuck for four months but her body feels like it’s been far longer. She hasn’t aged necessarily, but her muscles have transformed as a result of the constant running. She still wakes up in a cold sweat, dreaming of the barren, red landscape and the snarls of the monsters chasing after her. She carries the guilt over killing her mother, unable to shake the way her hand had been outstretched towards her even in death.
Her magic is powerful now, almost too powerful, and every second is spent keeping it in check. Jac finally has what she’s been wishing for her entire life, but raw strength doesn’t necessarily mean control. She no longer fighting for survival with every moment, but those instincts don’t disappear overnight. It takes conscious effort to keep her magic from lashing out on instinct and the effort is exhausting in its own way.
Plot Ideas
The Former Betrothed - With the death of Jac’s mother, the arranged marriage that had been set up with this Lindon coven member has fallen through. They could be anything from disappointed to relieved to insulted. [Please come talk to me if you’re interested. This is a semi-delicate topic and will not result in an endgame and would prefer we’re on the same page. Black or biracial FC required.]
Mentors - Almost all of Jac’s magic is self-taught, and no one bothered to walk her through being in the spotlight. While Jac’s magic is now amplified, she still has little to no control over it and could use someone who is willing to teach her.
Connections
The Roommate (Lara Rivkin) - The (un)fortunate soul who put up an ad looking for a roommate and found Jac. As housemates go, she is tidy and quiet, if a little awkward. She’s come to consider Lara as a good friend, often goes out of her way to bake for her using Lara’s stash of bloodbags.
The Reflection (Dani Feng) - The second eldest of the Fengs, and the sibling that Jac has been trying to teach air magic to. Dani seems to be everything that Jac isn’t, confident and capable of leading, and she understands why her parents picked Dani to act as the face of the coven, but it doesn’t stop the latent envy she has towards her sister.
The Flow (Jen Tseng) - Unlike most of her immediate family, Jen and her mother provided Jac with a safe place to land when familial expectations became too much. They treated her the same, with or without her magic, which is something Jac will never take for granted.
The Kindred Spirits (Jamie Miller, Avi Hassim, Riven Victors, Everett Roy) - Other supernaturals around her age who have their own issues with the existing hierarchy, who encourage her rather than asking her to stay stifled. In many ways, she sees them as more supportive than her own coven.
TBA
