(Sorry this was so late, I was actually on vacation last week D: )
Lyddie’s childhood was actually pretty good aside from not being able to be in the public view. She spent most of her time reading old books in the house, learned to cook and even went fishing from time to time Holly even taught her some archery. Holly, her caretaker made sure she was well educated and raised her to be a lady, even though Lyddie was quite rebellious and kept a tomboy side of her.When Lyddie wasn’t doing any of these she would sneak away to a small stream nearby, sitting on a mossy rock listening to the whispers of the Aether around her. She found some comfort in the voices and feeling that engulfed her when she did hear them, as if something was around her, but unfortunately this hobby didn’t last long as she was bullied by a few boys passing by in the forest one day. She saw these boys as Bastians age and wanted to befriend them, but her appearance made them uneasy and they began to tease and pull hair and try to attempted to pull her tail off, as they grew bored of their game, one tried to throw a rock at her, but the small rock was caught before it hit her square in the eyes. Bastian made sure they would never come around again scaring them off and Lyddie never returned to her mossy rock.When Bastian was home and not traveling with his father to accompany him on his business travels (his father very much wanted him to learn the family business of selling very fine metals for armor and weapons) that was her companion and playmate. They would run around in the house causing lots of trouble, mostly pretending to be old Adventurers or Pirates from Holly’s tales of her time as a traveler (retired adventurer). This really influenced Lyddie to be more adventurous later on in life.When the father figure was home, he was a very kind and gentle man, he always had a surprise for them when he returned from his business ventures, bringing them small handmade toys and sweets from the cities he’s traveled. He was also the more strict parental, when he gave a certain look it was time to settle down and get chores done.Most nights in the house were quiet and fun, they had family time where they would sit together, play a game of cards or listen to Holly’s stories. Even though Lyddie knew very well, from a small age she was different and not really apart of their family, they never made her feel like an outcast even when it came to talking about herself or appearance.It was a pretty good childhood for what it was, but cut short when the family tragedy happened when Lyddie was about 11 or 12. Her world was turned upside down after that.
i know you confirmed nora as filipinx but may i ask if the mc is a poc as well ? they seem like they would be and i was wondering what race they canonically are ?
Hiya,
Canonically the MC is not from anywhere but they are POC. We left the character as a fairly blank slate so they can hold whatever backstory you want to give them. The key biographical details so far about the MC:
They are of mixed heritage
Dad is not in the picture at the moment
They have a sibling(Alex) who has the same birth parents as the MC
Mom is concerned and competent
MC uses sarcasm as main coping skill (I am sure you have already figured that out)
Our rationale for the mixed heritage is that the experience of being culturally hybrid is common to many young people and we wanted players to understand that our MC has that life experience in their back pocket to draw from.
We welcome your thoughts and ideas about what those two cultures might be, and where dad is from & where dad’s gone to for the time being.
I wrote this plot when I was 12, now I'm rewriting it, here are some character back-story bits
Please Reblog not repost!
The Twins come from a long line of elementals. Their grand mother, aunts and mother (late in their lives) (Basically it runs in the women's blood) had all been captured by the government. Their mother did her best to keep them hidden in the world, having them change schools often, and just in general keeping them away from people in power. They were home schooled for most of they're childhood. Their mother was discovered when they were sixteen, and they were left with they're grandfather on their dad's side (he died saving their mother when they were four and escaping for the first time). That's when they were enrolled in a public high school (they used a fake last name in order to elude government notice). Their grandfather keeps them as safe as he can, and he dies shortly before their 20th birthday.
The sun filtered down through the tree leaves, and the little girl giggled with her father. “Daaaad! You’re so silly!” He patted her head and chuckled with her. “Dear Zaphina” Zaphina looked into his eyes and was instantly warmed. “Daddy, I love you!” She gave him a huge hug and he returned it. “Come Zaphina, let’s get you home.” “Ok Daddy!”
They walked back to their village, quite secluded from the rest of the world, just in time for dinner. The smells of every mother’s good cooking made Zaphina’s stomach grumble. Her father smiled at her and picked her up to carry her on his shoulders. Everyone in the street was friendly and waved to them.
When they got home her mother was standing at the little wood stove stirring the soup. She looked up and smiled at the both of them. “Well darlings, I’ve set up the table, go ahead and sit down.” Zaphina rushed over to the table and pulled out the chair for her father, then sat down in her own. “Well thank you Zaphina.” “You’re welcome Daddy.” She smiled at him not noticing her mother’s frown. “He is your father Zaphina and you should respect him enough to call him that.” Zaphina shuffled her feet and looked at the ground. “I’m sorry Mother.” Her father frowned at her mother and whispered to Zaphina, “Don’t listen to that cranky woman, you can call me whatever you like.” She smiled at him and nodded.
Zaphina’s mother came over to the table, set down the food, and started serving for everyone. After everyone had food, she sat down and asked Zaphina, “Have you been thinking about which tribal side to take?” Zaphina shuffled her feet under the table and refused to meet her mother’s eyes. “Now Zaphina, the time is coming to choose and you know which side I expect you to take.” Her father glares at her, “Go easy on her, Lithium; it’s a big decision for someone so young.” She sneered at him and put her nose in the air, “Well she needs to figure it out soon” Zaphina sat quietly and munched on her food. The rest of the meal passed in silence and Zaphina slipped off quietly to her room. She snuggled into her bed with the little ragdoll her father made her. “Lacy, what should I do?” Like every time Lacy only stared back into Zaphina’s face. She sighed and flipped on her back to go to sleep.
The next morning her mother woke her at dawn to gather vegetables. “Come Zaphina, we must go now so we will have plenty of time.” She rubbed her eyes and yawned “Ok Mommy.” She put on her shawl and grabbed her basket. When her mother wasn’t looking she snuck Lacy into the basket. “Come on, Zaphina, we haven’t got all day!” Her mother huffed. “I’m sorry Mother, I’m coming.”
As they were walking, her mother kept her eyes ahead, and almost never looked at Zaphina. Soon she was feeling out of breath. “Can we slow down Mommy?” She rolled her eyes, which Zaphina couldn’t see, and went noticeably slower. “Is that slow enough for you, Zaphina?” She clutched her basket and tried to walk faster to please her mother. They arrived at their personal garden, at the edge of the woods, a few minutes late, with Zaphina completely out of breath. She sat down on the ground to rest, but her mother cuffed her on the head and said, “What the hell are you sitting around for, hurry up and pick the vegetables!” She rushed over to the garden and started picking.
“No! Don’t put that in the basket, it a weed!”
“Stupid Zaphina, you’ll bruise the tomato is you pull it like that, and you’ll be the one eating it!”
“WATCH WHERE YOU STEP, YOU STUPID LITTLE GIRL!”
Zaphina was ready to burst into tears but she refused to let her mother see that and be satisfied. She wiped her eyes and tried to do better for her mother.
Soon they had enough food for tonight and tomorrow, “The basket is so heavy. Why did we pick so much anyway?” Zaphina thought. Neither she, nor her mother talked on the walk back to her home. Soon the village came into sight and Zaphina’s spirits were lifted “When we’re around Daddy, Mommy isn’t mean to me.” She started humming until her mother gave her a harsh look. “Stop that, Zaphina.” Zaphina kept her eyes on the ground and continued walking.
Soon the village came into view, and you could also see the large pillage of smoke rising from the clearing. Zaphina’s little heart began to race. “Oh no, what happened?” She started to walk faster, ignoring her mother’s calls to slow down. Soon she began to run, dropping the basket. She lifted her tattered skirts and ran as fast as she could.
The villagers were running out and the ones with powers that could help were trying to put out the fire. Zaphina ran down the dirt paths to her house. It was obviously the start of the fire, but somehow the inside wasn’t burnt, just the outside. She touched the door and found it surprisingly cool. Curious, she stuck her hand into the flame. It was so cold she screamed and pulled her hand back. Zaphina nursed her hand and went inside her home. Instantly she froze. The blood, it was everywhere. There seemed to be too much blood from just one person.
Over by the dinner table where just last night she had eaten, was a bloody pile of goo and flesh. Zaphina was so terrified that she couldn’t scream. She slowly climbed up the ladder to Daddy’s and Mommy’s room. There was the most blood. Huge splatters on the walls and even the ceiling. The bed, it looked as though Daddy had been dragged out and slid across the floor. There was a large smear on the floor as well as small chunks of flesh. She began to shake as she went back down. She tripped and fell face-first into the biggest glop of pulverized flesh. Zaphina could barely stand, she was shaking so much.
Suddenly she heard low laughter and looked around, still scared out of her wits. Up above her, was a female, unknown age, on the roof looking straight down at her.She was literately covered in blood, even her eyes were red. Zaphina finally screamed, high-pitched and long.
Her Mother frantically rushed in and stared at the blood everywhere. Then she shook her head, to clear it, and rushed over to Zaphina, picking her up. “Hush, Zaphina baby, it’s alright. Let’s get you out of here” She turned away, heading towards the door, and smiled before she walked out.
_______“and the power’s out in the heart of man”—kieran prothero’s _______
notes:
• Pertama-tama, saya tahu ini nista. Saya tahu. Saya tahu betul ini nista. Saya tahu, saya tahu, saya tahu. Tapi ini...pelampiasan, soalnya, gara-gara pada suatu hari saya kebanyakan baca wikipedia soal Texas dan Houston, dan juga karena saya fangirling sama album Suburbs-nya Arcade Fire yang ngebahas soal beginian. Dan saya lagi (agak) blending juga...jadi, yep. Ini hasilnya. .///. Mungkin kalau saya lagi mood, saya coba lanjutin. Mungkin. tapisiapayangmaubacajuga?=)) . Dan ah, ini menceritakan mengenai masa lalunya Kieran sebelum dibawa ke Tower Prep, sorta.
• Setting: summer 2009 (...kalau enggak salah hitung, dan intinya umurnya Kieran 13 tahun), di Houston, Texas.
• Credited :Arcade Fire (untuk judulnya, terimakasih—diambil dari lirik Neighborhood 3: Powers Out, ngomong-ngomong.)
• Enjoy reading!
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Pemuda tanggung berumur tiga belas tahun itu tidak sedikitpun ingin tahu apa yang terlintas di pikiran ibunya saat mobil tua berwarna hijau itu melintasi jalanan menuju rumahnya yang begitu ia kenal setelah sang ibu beradu-mulut agar ia dibebaskan dari tahanan. Lagipula, ia sudah keburu memiliki beberapa ide mengenai apa yang sedang ibunya pikirkan, dan semuanya sama sekali tidak baik. Marah. Kesal. Pepatah-pepatah konyol yang dicuri dari pemikiran orang lain. Nah, bau-baunya saja sudah tidak menyenangkan, bukan? Sejujurnya, otaknya kelewat kalut untuk mengatasi kalimat-kalimat yang akan diucapkan ibunya. Kesunyian seperti saat ini terasa lebih nyaman baginya, jadi ia memilih untuk tidak mengucapkan kata-kata apapun untuk merusaknya.
“Kau kenapa melakukan itu?”
Suara sang ibu rupanya berniat merusak kenyamanan yang ia rasakan. Kenyamanan semu, nay, tapi tetap saja, lebih baik ketimbang ketidaknyamanan yang nyata. Sekarang, ia betul-betul merasa tidak nyaman. Seakan-akan sabuk pengamannya mengikatnya erat-erat sampai ia tak bisa bernapas. Cih, pikirnya sebal.
“Itu penting?” Ia bertanya balik, nadanya lelah. Mulai dari adegan tembak-tembakan dengan paintball sampai kejar-kejaran dengan polisi, itu semua jelas menguras energi, tahu. Tak perlu ditambah dengan harus menjawab pertanyaan essay dari ibunya, dimana setelah jawaban panjang, akan ada pertanyaan yang membutuhkan jawaban yang lebih panjang.
“Penting.” Ibunya menghela napas sejenak, matanya masih fokus ke jendela depan mobil. “Mama ingin tahu, Kieran. Bagaimanapun, Mama tetap saja ibumu yang tahu segalanya. Kau tahu bagaimana rasanya mendengar anak satu-satunya tiba-tiba ditangkap polisi dan Mama sama sekali tidak mengerti mengapa?”
Oh, pikirnya sederhana, lantas kenapa? Ia tak ingin tahu apa yang dirasakan ibunya atas penangkapan tersebut. Ia sendiri sedari tadi menyalahkan dirinya mengapa ia sempat-sempatnya menolong Jesse yang terjatuh dan pada akhirnya membuat mereka berdua tertangkap. Tidak, tidak berdua, satu anggota gang tersebut pada akhirnya tertangkap karena si bocah baru yang pakai acara tersandung ria segala dan ia pakai acara menolong segala. Sial.
“Aku tertangkap karena menolong temanku. Dan aku menolongnya karena dia temanku.” Jeda sejenak. “Puas?”
“Kamu tahu bukan itu maksud Mama, kan?” tanya sang ibu, mendesak. “Mama bertanya, mengapa kamu pakai acara ikut-ikutan acara tersebut? Merusak fasilitas umum dengan paintball? Kau tahu itu jelas-jelas salah, kan? Dan juga—kenapa kau berteman dengan mereka, pada awalnya? Tolong, bantu Mama.”
Ia ingin tertawa mendengar kata-kata tersebut. Membantu. Ia tak tahu apakah kata-katanya akan membantu. Yang ia tahu adalah lembaran-lembaran dollar akan sangat membantu ibunya di saat-saat seperti ini. Yang ia tahu adalah ibunya akan melakukan apa saja demi lembaran terse—
“Bukannya uang lebih membantu kita saat ini? Sampai kau meniduri boss cafe tempatmu bekerja?” Melihat raut wajah ibunya, ia tahu ia sudah berhasil men-skak mat sang ibu. Ia bersyukur bahwa nadanya terdengar begitu datar saat ia memberitahukan bahwa ‘hai, ia tahu’, karena ia tidak terdengar seperti bocah cengeng, dimana itu jelas membuat ibunya akan menenangkannya...atau malah berusaha mengubah topiknya. Atau meyakinkanya bahwa itu cuma ilusi, padahal matanya tak bisa membohonginya.
“Jangan alihkan topiknya, Kieran.”
“Kau tidak menyangkalnya, Mum? Oh, baguslah,” tohoknya, sinis. “Dan alasanku melakukan itu, ngomong-ngomong, adalah karena—,” terpaksa, “—itu yang dilakukan mereka dan toh itu terdengar menyenangkan. Dan aku tidak tahu mau melakukan apa lagi. Dan alasan mengapa aku berteman dengan mereka—kau bisa pilihkan teman yang tidak menatapku seakan-akan aku monster atau, dan tidak mengasihaniku?” Ia menghela napas berat. Ia tahu ia sudah kelewat batas, tapi siapa duluan yang mulai kelewat batas? Ia hanya mengikuti
Like mother, like children. Pikiran itu berhasil menghibur otaknya yang kalut.
“Kieran,” ujar ibunya, mukanya nampak pucat, “Kau cuma salah paham—soal itu. Lagipula, kau tahu dari mana? Dan kau—kau seharusnya bisa mencari teman yang lebih baik, dan kau seharusnya bisa menolak ajakan mereka.”
“Mataku, dan itu cukup jelas terlihat, ngomong-ngomong bahwa kau dan dia sedang melakukannya alih-alih bergulat dan setelahnya tanganmu memegang uang,” ujarnya, dibuat sekasual mungkin, seakan-akan ini omongan warung kopi. “Dan yah, whatever. Yang penting kita sekarang sudah pulang dan aku tidak punya masalah lagi. Bahkan aku tidak perlu community service.. Problem solved.”
Pemuda itu tahu, ia ingin menyakitinya. Memandangi wajah pucat pasi ibunya membuatnya merasa seakan-akan ia baru saja men-skor touchdown dan ia tak bisa membohongi dirinya bahwa melihat wajah tersebut membuatnya merasa menang. Dan semua kemenangan akan membuat orang bahagia, bukan?
“Kau salah anggap, Kieran.” Hanya itu kata-kata yang bisa ibunya ucapkan.
“Trims atas infonya.” Nadanya sama sekali tidak menunjukkan kepercayaan atas kata-kata ibunya. Mendadak ia tidak kuasa menahan diri untuk mengucapkan kata-kata yang ada di otaknya “Maaf, maksudnya sih kebohongannya.”
Kali ini tidak ada komentar. Tidak ada kata-kata untuk menyangkalnya. Tidak ada kata-kata untuk menenangkannya, dimana ia sama sekali tidak membutuhkannya. Tidak ada kata-kata untuk memarahinya, menghardiknya. Ibunya bahkan seakan lupa bahwa ia baru saja ditangkap polisi untuk tindakan konyol yang baru saja ia lakukan—atau mungkin betul-betul lupa, entahlah—karena ibunya tidak nampak berusaha untuk membawa topik itu lagi. Setidaknya, ia kin mendapatkan kenyamanan semu yang ia butuhkan sekarang.
Ia membiarkan tubuhnya bersandar di sandaran kursi mobil. Matanya perlahan menutup. Ia tahu, ia butuh istirahat setelah hari yang melelahkan ini.
Lagipula, ada hari-hari yang lebih berat ketimbang hari ini.
