life goes on. this much had grown rather apparent to hel in her time above. people live, and then they die, and life goes on. you see, she — in her many, many years — had not experienced much of that living bit, subjected only to the after part. it was strange. life goes on, but things were different now.
hel could tell it in every soul she crossed — something had changed. everyone was much more on edge than they had been previously. she could understand why, to an extent. after all, there was a god killer on the loose. if even zeus himself could be killed . . . and yet, as everyone around her found themselves developing a rather acute case of neurosis — life went on for hel.
unlocking the front door of her antique store, hel stepped out into the golden, morning sun, watering can in hand. how she had grown to love that warm, tingly feeling of sun-rays dancing across her skin. there was no sun in niflheim, only shadows and darkness and the cold. hel decided she’d never grow tired of the sun — never.
she had caught an earworm shortly after rising that morning — some tune that played on the radio as she dressed — and found herself humming it as she watered her young, freshly planted chrysanthemums. she was in rather good spirits, considering the somewhat bleak sense of being the rest of new crete had subscribed to.
her tune was interrupted by the clumsiness of another, stopped just before trampling right over her newly planted flowerbed.
“careful now, dear.” she hummed, offering the almost-chrysanthemum-killer a polite smile. “mind the ‘mums, they’re new — and i’d be dreadfully upset if they got trampled before they even had a chance to live.”
( steven yeun, cisgender male, he / him ) the city of gods is proud to welcome orpheus. he appears to be thirty five years old and is a hero from greek mythology. orpheus can be found working as a barista at thebes coffee & bakery and is unsettled about the death of zeus. (written by saint, twenty, they / them, cst.)
GENERAL INFORMATION . . .
name : orpheus
alias(es) : n/a
title : poet and musician of greek legend.
apparent age : thirty-five
pronouns : he / him
sexuality : bisexual
relationship status : single
occupation : barista at thebes coffee & bakery and local starving artist.
traits : creative, charming, kind-hearted, clumsy, quick-witted, passionate, a dash of hedonism
BEFORE . . .
( TW : very brief mention of death & suicide )
it is said orpheus was born with the blood of the gods coursing through his veins. which god? well . . . which god was always up for debate and, quite frankly, didn’t matter. his music was said to bring calm and peace to whomever heard it: man, woman, tree, animal, even the rocks sat beneath our feet! which god was nothing more than a minute detail when he had skills so impressive.
and yet, for all his skills, orpheus was not an overtly proud man. he did not allow his talents to foster an ego, instead remaining humble in his skill throughout his years. the praise accompanied him wherever he went, and as most of his young adult years were spent traveling, it followed him far and wide.
some of orpheus’s earliest travels found him as amidst the company of the argonauts. his involvement was meant to be nothing more than that of the ship’s entertainment. he would sing and perform and play his golden lyre and to keep his fellow argonauts argonauts in tip top shape. however, he became more involved after falling in love with the argonaut, calais — an brief, but passionate affair that would end after the journey aboard the argo came to an end.
after the disbandment of the argonauts, orpheus did what he knew best: perform! far and wide and for whoever would hear. upon this second round of travels, orpheus met eurydice and suddenly, all the romantic cliches he had only ever sang about were true . . . orpheus was deeply, maddly, irrevocably in love.
but their love was short lived. tragedy struck on their wedding day after eurydice’s untimely death. orpheus was inconsolable and his tune turned sour as he called for death to strike him down so he may be reunited with his bride. behest the gods and amidst his grief, orpheus traveled to the underworld to plead with hades for his lover’s life. orpheus struck a deal with the god of the dead, but failed to bring his eurydice back due to his own neuroticism and distrust for hades. he would forever blame himself, and curse himself for abandoning his wife in the underworld while he lived on.
and then, one day orpheus disappeared. his whereabouts were unknown until his body, and his golden lyre, broken and waterlogged, washed up on the isle of lesbos. whether it was self inflicted, or otherwise caused, no one could be sure — but there was finally relief for orpheus’s many fans, for he was now reunited with his lost love.
following the founding of new crete, orpheus & eurydice were given the choice to return to the land of the living: one last chance, the chance they never got. for orpheus it meant a chance to marry, and be married to eurydice. it meant a chance to share more of his music, to tell his stories! but they each had to make their own choice, separate of the other. orpheus made his, not knowing which decision eurydice made.
AFTER . . .
orpheus . . . doesn’t remember much before los angeles. he remembers fragments of memories; bits and pieces that can almost, if he squints hard enough, form the suggestion of a memory! but . . . nothing really concrete. he only really knows three things.
one: his name is orpheus. just orpheus. no last name, no nicknames ( unless you say it real sweet, then, maybe nicknames), just orpheus.
two: he can play the guitar like it’s nobody’s business. people in town have even compared his skills to magic — isn’t that funny? orpheus the magic man, coming at you live from los angeles! . . . .it would be a lie if he claimed he hadn’t considered “orpheus the magic man” as a stage name. he would also be very, very ashamed to admit it.
and three: he came to los angeles for a reason for a reason. what reason? well . . . that’s the problem. he can’t remember the reason.
so, until he remembers, he got a job as a barista at thebes coffee & bakery during the day, and at night he plays that magic guitar of his wherever will have him. until he remembers — or until he has some big, musical break — that’s life. and for some reason or other, he’s . . . content.
orpheus never knew zeus, and yet he can’t help but be entirely unsettled by the man’s death. he seemed . . . untouchable, immortal, even. the fact that he died, and even worse was murdered has left orpheus feeling constantly on edge. he worries his nerves are seeping into his music but . . . he’s just overthinking it! entirely overthinking it.
POWERS . . .
orpheus is by no means a god. some interpretations of his mythos would suggest he’s a demi-god but . . . that’s a story for another day. so, his powers all boil down to one!
I . orpheus was blessed with superhuman musical skills. his song can charm and soothe even the most sedentary creatures ( i’m looking at you, rocks ). depending on what mood he is in when playing, he can even go as far as to sway the mood of those who hear his song. this can be a bit troublesome when he’s in a more sorrowful mood, but is otherwise a power without many downsides!
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS & TID-BITS . . .
I . orpheus spent his young adulthood as a vehement worshipper of dionysus, and thus, adopted a rather hedonistic lifestyle. it was only after meeting eurydice that he abandoned such indulgence in favor of a more reserved lifestyle. after eurydice’s death, he began worshipping apollo as the one, true god — much to the disdain of the followers of dionysus.
II . orpheus’s return to the world of the living has left him a bit scrambled. his past is not his own, so before return is mostly blank. he would not admit this, but this fact leaves him with a lot of lingering anxiety. why can’t he remember his past? who was he before he came to los angeles? and what is he looking for?
III . orpheus has an innate sense for most any instrument. he was blessed with perfect pitch at birth, and finds getting the hang of a new instrument to be simultaneously rather easy, and one of the most fulfilling things in life.
IV . he’s a damn good barista.
ADMIN NOTE . . .
as of now, i don’t have anything else to say beyond the contents of this post are subject to change as i portray and get to know orpheus through interactions! . . . that being said, feel free to hit me up if you want to plot or develop connections! i’m so excited to start getting to know him, and getting to know y’all and you’re lovely muses!
( golshifteh farahani, cisgender female, she / her ) the city of gods is proud to welcome hel. she appears to be thirty eight years old and is the goddess of death from norse mythology. hel can be found working as the proprietor at a hole in the wall vintage shop and is amused by the death of zeus. (written by saint, twenty, they / them, cst.)
GENERAL INFORMATION . . .
name : hel
alias(es) : helena
title : norse goddess of death
apparent age : thirty-eight
pronouns : she/her
sexuality : bisexual
relationship status : single
occupation : owner of lost & found, a hole in the wall vintage store
downward and northward. hel, for all her stubborn determination, cannot recall exactly what came before niflheim. logically — that is, in her logic —there must have been something! some sort of before bit prior to her responsibility over the dead of the nine worlds. she simply couldn’t fathom a reality in which there was nothing and then there was niflheim.
and yet . . . niflheim is all she can remember. she can remember — if she focuses ever so carefully — the orders given to her. board and lodging. board and lodging to the old and the sick and the unremarkable sent to her dominion. the orders were the first of her many, many memories, and so she took them to heart.
hel tried to taking special care of those sent to her; offered them board and lodging and, at first, care and compassion. however, the souls sent to her did not take so kindly to the death which she embodied, mournful and eternally regretting valhalla, which they had not earned.
hel one day found herself grown cold and detached from the souls which she ruled over — for loving those who could scarcely spare her a passing thought wore down on her spirits. there was one, however, amidst the many, who offered her a bit of solace. baldr — beauty incarnate in the weary eyes of hel. he offered her kindness, a treatment the other souls of niflheim had refused her. she could understand why the living loved him so, and almost — just almost — considered releasing him from the underworld at frigg’s pleas. it was not right to keep someone so beloved from those who loved him! . . . but hel had grown selfish and fond of the man, and would only release him if every single being — alive and dead — wept for the man’s death. when they did not, and baldr was to remain at her side for eternity, she did not feel her deserved happiness . . . she only felt . . . guilt: gnawing and numbing and all encompassing.
AFTER . . .
hel was less than impressed when knowledge of the city of gods reached her. what was a city compared to nine worlds? she had grown proud in her cynicism, and yet, with each passing day, she found that city — new crete, was it? — making it’s way into her thoughts more and more often.
she cannot remember what spurred the move, only that: one day there was niflheim, and the next there was new crete. in new crete she could start anew.
lost & found began as merely a way to pass time, a side gig while she discovered what wonders new crete could offer. but her side gig became her main gig, and lost & found has stood proud as a local favorite “hole in the wall” vintage shop.
still, hel kept to herself as she navigated the ever-growing city. when news of zeus’s death reached her doorstep, the goddess had a hard time hiding her amusement. the pompous bastard deserved it. perhaps, one day, the implications of the god’s death would dawn on the goddess, but for now . . .
POWERS . . .
hel, despite the rather large domain under her command, is not as powerful as many of the other god’s inhabiting new crete.
I . her most notable power is that of necromancy. as goddess of the underworld, she has complete control of the souls within her domain. should she will it, she can release a soul from niflheim to return and walk amongst the living once more. this process does, however, take a great toll on hel’s human form — both mentally, and physically. it is not something done often — or for free.
II . it is a grim gift — if one could even call it that — but hel can sense when death is near. she cannot determine the cause or exact time, but she can feel it’s proximity in her bones and who it comes for. furthermore, her touch can ease the pain of passing. since coming to crete, she has made it a point to assist any passing she may come across.
III . hel can also, as her domain resides over the nine worlds, understand and speak any spoken, written, or otherwise communicated language. if utilized for prolonged periods of time, it can leave hel with a nasty, thrumming migraine that only rest ( and laying off the powers ) can solve.
IV . in a more general sense, hel is not as powerful in new crete as she is in niflheim. many of her powers do not extend to this realm, left behind in the halls of her many mansions. the price of her staying in new crete is that, more often than deemed “normal”, she finds her human form falling victim to illness or fatigue. any extraneous use of her powers only aggravates this.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS & TID - BITS . . .
I . my portrayal of hel is not an evil one ! instead of playing into any true evil archetypes, i’d say she’s more of a morally grey character — withdrawn, cold, and sometimes’s self serving, but fiercely loyal to those who have proven themself a friend. once you break through her icy exterior, she’s good company to have around — honest.
II . hel does not remember her family, nor does she remember the brief part of her childhood spent in jötunheimer. she does, however, remember what brief glimpse of odin she got before being exiled beneath the roots of yggdrasil to niflheim. she does not assume him family, but does feel a strange kinship for him. this fact shames her, considering it was his command that banished her to niflheim.
III . hel has an alias — a secret identity, if you will — for when she she interacts with mortals, or simply doesn’t want to be perceived as hel. the name helena struck her fancy — similar enough that it was still her, yet different enough that, when she so desired a break from hel, she could take one. she mainly uses it when interacting with mortals ignorant of the goings-on of new crete, or those outside new crete entirely.
ADMIN NOTE . . .
as of now, i don’t have anything else to say beyond the contents of this post are subject to change as i portray and get to know hel through interactions! . . . that being said, feel free to hit me up if you want to plot or develop connections! i’m so excited to start getting to know her, and getting to know y’all and you’re lovely muses!
