Hi, so I’m what you’d call a name nerd, and here’s that post I talked about discussing character name meanings. I’m going to start with the LIs (including name changes), and if y’all are interested, I can try and track down the meanings for side characters as well. Or you can send me your OC/MC names and I can track down meanings if you aren’t a fellow name nerd.
Anyway, here we go!
Asra - Arabic origin, feminine. Variant of Isra. ‘Travel at night’.
Julian - Latin origin, unisex. 'Youthful, downy’.
Ilya - Russian origin, masculine. ‘Strength of God’. Variant of Elijah.
This piece was death to do but I was determined. Used a Sakimichan BOTW piece as a pose ref. I just wanna go swimming fam lemme go I’m a Marylander out of water
Still trying to figure out how to do white hair? But I don’t hate the weird lavender/pink thing Asra’s got going on.
“In all the time we’ve spent together...you’ve never looked at me this way.”
“You mean I’ve never been caught.”
I’m highkey soft for this scene (Book X: Wheel of Fortune, Rise and Fall) and I really wanted to make a self-indulgent CG featuring my apprentice Zelda. Hope y’all accept my trash because there’s definitely more happening
(The background is Nix Hydra’s, I just slapped it in)
You know how I mentioned that rewrite of my novelization a bit back?
This is that rewrite. Orchids from Ashes is a novelization of Asra’s route, with a few tweaks of my own to hopefully add to the story in an interesting way. I post long form writing like this to AO3, since each chapter averages around 20 pages in the original, and it’s only getting longer from here.
Features AFAB Asra and my Fem!Apprentice, Zelda Hollyheart. I’d love to hear your feedback if you have any and I’d greatly appreciate it if you all gave it a read. :)
So you know how nobody asked for headcanons about the scents I associate with my OCs? Yeah. This is what @arcanecadenza and @justfortuna get for making me gay on main
Zelda is the essence of fresh-tilled earth, cherry blossoms on a cool spring breeze. She’s the warm spice of fresh pumpkin bread, the pine that lingers on the tail ends of her magic and follows wherever she goes. Forever on her lips is the taste of earl grey and bergamot, sweetened by a touch of cream and honey to help her perk up in the mornings.
Astoria is fresh coffee grounds and the age-old bindings of ancient tomes, the scent of ink and paper clinging to her like a second skin. She’s the garden she spends her time in, tucked away under the magnolias with a book spread open in her lap. Where Zelda is the earth, Astoria is the sky, carrying with her the scent of crisp autumn and spices that just make you feel at home whenever you’re near her. And she’ll never fail to taste like peppermint tea, her preferred drink on late night reading sessions that often carry into the late hours of the morning.
Miriyam is the heady tobacco of hand-rolled cigarettes, the same caught between her lips - sometimes unlit - as she works charcoal-smeared fingers across the surface of her sketchbook. She’s the lingering trails of the sparks that fly from the clash of steel on steel, the nighttime air when she spends hours on the balcony gazing out toward the bay. Find her guilty pleasure on her tongue - the sweet notes of ripe peaches she can’t help but pick up on runs down to the market.
I’m not sure I’ll get all the days, but here’s day one of the @lovelikeyoursfest prompts: first meetings!
Alt title: How Zelda met Asra.
Zelda had fallen in love not once, but twice.
And she didn’t fall so much as she did stumble and slam her face into the nearest surface on the way down the first time.
The first time, long before the days of devils and deals, Zelda had slipped out onto the streets of Vesuvia to join the Masquerade festivities. She was nervous and excited all at once - she hadn’t been in Vesuvia a year yet - but the air was heavy with music and laughter, thick with exotic scents that drove her curiosity to exploration.
She’d spent hours circling the stalls, following her nose and stomach to try things she’d never tasted before. Only when her belly was full and exhaustion pulled at her shoulders did she make her way home, waving to the other merchants on her street and giggling when one in particular caught her attention.
Greta, the aging seamstress who had embroidered the orchids on the neckline of her blouse, had beckoned her over with a withered hand.
“Zelda, are you going home?” She pulled out a linen wrapped bundle and offered it to the girl with a smile, the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes deep from many years of such an expression. “I just finished an order for your aunt, if you don’t mind bringing it to her. Though I was sorry to see there wasn’t a dress in all these clothes! Why won’t you let me fit you for something? A young girl like you would love the Masquerade!”
Snorting, Zelda accepted the bundle and held it close to her chest. “I’m not going to that dance, Greta. It’d be like a mouse among vipers - I’d be so out of place. And what would I do with a dress I can only wear once?”
Greta placed a hand over her heart with a dramatic gasp. “Oh, you wound me! It’s not about the dress, darling, it’s about the experience while wearing it. “Just a dress’ - your aunt would disagree, too. She even had a plan for getting you in one…”
Zelda raised a brow and laughed, starting to step backwards away from the booth. “Yeah, I know, she wasn’t at all stealthy about having me try on some of her old ones. And I overheard you and her plotting when you came by for tea.” She waved, grinning at the disgruntled look the older woman wore, and was halfway through turning to walk up the steps to the door of the Honeypot when she slammed into someone’s side.
Her hand flew up to her nose, where it had hit something hard, grumbling as she rubbed the tip of it before she fully processed she had hit a person, not an object. She quickly looked up, mortified as her hand still held her nose and her wide eyes watered.
“I’m so sorry.” She rushed out, blinking past the tears that had welled up to try and meet the person’s eyes. “I wasn’t paying attention, it’s my fault -”
Zelda felt hands on her face and heard quiet laughter, sweet on her ears before the person spoke.
“Hey, you just busted your nose on my shoulder. I think I should be apologizing to you.” The hands on her face gently nudged her own away, then gently pressed against the sides of her nose. “Thankfully you didn’t break it. I think that would make me feel somehow worse.”
She managed a slight snort of laughter, blinking away the tears that blurred her vision as she adjusted the bundle in her arms. “If I managed to break my nose on your arm, I’d be both frightened and impressed by your bone structure.”
And then her vision cleared, and she got a real good look at him.
Soft looking white curls swept across high cheekbones, framing glittering amethyst eyes that held just a little too much amusement at her predicament. His clothes, though patched, were vibrant and colorful, with a fox-faced mask pushed down to hang around his neck. His palms were warm against her cheeks, touch gentle as his gaze held hers. This close, she could smell something warm and spicy on his skin, like a tea blend she couldn’t name but would absolutely be hunting down on the shelves as soon as she was inside.
Gods, he was lovely. So much so it made her heart ache.
Before she could tamp it down, magic fizzed around her ears, gardenias blooming vibrantly against the dark of her hair as they sparked into existence.
Her face burned as his eyes widened with clear delight, the brunette quickly stepping back to try and pull the blossoms free and shove them out of sight. His hand came up and took one of them for himself, bringing it carefully to his nose and breathing in the scent.
“Well, thank you.” He murmured, a smile playing on his lips as he tucked the flower behind his ear. “I happen to find you quite lovely myself.”
Well, if she wasn’t blushing before, she was on fire now.
This was mortifying.
Her arms wrapped around the bundle as if it was a shield that could protect her from her own embarrassment. Her gaze lowered to the ground, toe of her shoe scraping the cobblestones for a moment before she nodded to the shop door.
“I should go.” She whispered, lip caught between her teeth. “Sorry again about bumping into you.”
She turned, ready to flee up the stairs inside, but the gentle hand on her arm made her pause and turn back to look at him.
“Hey...why don’t you come pick something out?” He gestured to the display of masks and trinkets laid out on the worn rug beneath his feet, which she’d missed in her efforts to flee before she made a bigger fool of herself. “I’m sure you’ll find something you like.”
Zelda hesitated, looking between him and the door before she gave in to those beautiful eyes of his.
Gods, she was already so fucking weak.
“Okay.” She breathed, her lips turning up at the broad smile that graced his face. His hand stayed on her arm until she came down from the steps, circling to look over the items laid out before her.
Zelda’s fingertips trailed over the surface of hand painted masks, a variety of animal faces peering back up at her as she looked over each one. She could feel his eyes watching her as she looked but kept her own down, still feeling somewhat nervous under his rapt attention. She picked up a mask, intending to look at the painted doe’s face a little more closely - only to jump and laugh when it revealed a coiled up snake hidden beneath.
“Oh, hello!” Zelda smiled as it lifted its head, vibrant red eyes gleaming and its tongue flicking into the air at the loss of its hiding place. “Aren’t you a pretty little thing. How’d you get under there?”
“I was wondering where you went!” He slipped in a golden hand to scoop the snake up, letting it coil around his wrist and fingers before lifting her to Zelda’s eye level. “This is Faust. You can pet her, if you like.”
She eagerly reached forward, stroking the tips of her fingers over the snake’s head and smiling when her nose pressed back into her fingers. Her hand slipped under Faust’s jaw, gently scratching underneath her chin and watching as her tongue darted faster into the open air.
“She’s beautiful.” Zelda said after a moment, relaxed enough to meet his gaze and offer him a bright smile. “You’re very lucky to have her.”
He smiled and moved his hand, letting Faust coil around his shoulders. “Oh, I am. She’s a very good friend.” Her head peeked out over his shoulder, and he kissed the side of her head before he looked back to Zelda. “Find something you like?”
Zelda looked down to the mask in her hand and quickly nodded, smoothing her thumbs over the spots on the fawn-shaped mask. In moments, it was gently plucked from her hands, and he was leaning in to carefully tie the sage ribbon behind her head. Once it was affixed, he smiled, tweaking the carefully carved nose to adjust it on her face.
“Perfect.” He murmured, and she blushed, letting him carefully untuck bits of her hair to better frame the mask.
“Thank you.” Zelda whispered, then started to reach for her bag. “How much do I owe you?”
Before she could pull out her coin purse, he had taken her hand in his, wrapping carefully around her fingers. “I’ll trade you for it.” He said softly, a slight smile on his face as his eyes flickered over the mask. “I’d like your name. You got Faust’s, and I still don’t know yours.”
She managed a smile as he brought her hand to his lips, the touch featherlight as he met her eyes over her knuckles.
“Zelda.” She whispered, watching the smile spread wider over his lips. “But it’s quite rude that you gave me your friend’s name and not your own.”
He laughed, and the sound was music to her ears as he released her hand and ran his fingers through his curls. “I’m Asra. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure’s mine.” Zelda smiled before she nodded to the door, hefting the bundle up carefully. “I should go bring this in…”
Hesitating for a moment, she balled up her courage, following the fluttering in her chest that begged her not to let him go just yet. This person...something about him felt right, something in her heart ached at the idea of missing out on the chance to know him and see where this went.
“Would you like to maybe join me? For tea?” She blurted out, feeling her face flame under the cover of the mask. “My aunt has some lovely blends, and...I wouldn’t mind the company.”
Asra seemed startled for a moment before his face broke into a smile, one that made even his eyes shine with visible delight. “I suppose I can.” He drawled, shoving a hand into his pocket. “After all...the festivities don’t pick up until evening.”
Relief settled on Zelda’s shoulders, and she smiled at him, stepping backwards again to reach the steps. “I’m glad. I’ll...I’ll meet you here? I live upstairs, so...I’ll be around.”
She didn’t wait for an answer before she fled, heart pounding in her ears as she slipped inside the Honeypot Herbalist and pressed her back flat against the door. Slowly, she sank to the floor, a dopey smile on her face and her face warm as she settled a palm over her heart.
She was so, so done for.
Note: Gardenias, among other things, mean ‘you are lovely’ in the language of flowers.
Hi I’m rewriting my entire novelization of Asra’s route because one (it sucks) and two (I am now radically invested in the afab Asra camp and I wrote him as amab originally).
Anybody here wanna read it when I’m done? because it’s gonna go on my Ao3 no matter what but I’m not sure what the interest will look like over here
This is also me realizing putting together a page for all my writing might be a good idea in the long run
