I saw some comments about people being confused as to who all the people were in the stories, so I made a handy-dandy reference guide from asks I got on tumblr. If there are any other things you'd like to know about the people in Shelter Forest, please don't hesitate to send me an ask!
Can I ask how many children Declan has? If possible with names and species? I think you already answer this question so if you don't want to write everything again can you links us the answer?
As of Thandurās fic, Declan has ten who identify as his children (I.E. they think of him as their father) and three who identify as his wards (I.E. under his protection but they donāt see him as their parent), so thirteen altogether. They are as follows:
As of Thandurās fic:
Declan - 68 (Male Bat Monster; Ryelās Mate; Straight)
Feera (Gnoll) - 28 (Joined Family at age 7; Straight)
Kurra (Gnoll) - 28 (Joined Family at age 7; Gay)
Reed - 26 (Male Cervitaur Ward; Yalaās Husband; Joined Family at age 15; Bisexual)
Soraya - 25 (Female Bat; Caeliās Mate; Joined Family at age 13 Mo.; Lesbian)
Yala - 23 (Female Human; Reedās Wife; Joined Family at age 4; Bisexual)
Caeli - 21 (Fem-Intersex Human Ward; Recently Married Soraya; Pansexual)
Birch - 21 (Male Centaur; Joined Family at age 12 with Yew; Straight)
Cetzu - 19 (Male Reptilian Changling; Joined Family at age 3 Weeks; Pansexual)
Lymera - 18 (Female Faun; Joined Family at age 5; Straight)
Toklo - 17 (Masc-Intersex Adlet; Joined Family at age 4; Asexual)
Yew - 13 (Male Centaur; Joined Family at age 4 with Birch; Gay)
Sayo - 12 (Female Owl-Harpy Ward; Just Joined as of Ranthaās Fic; Lesbian)
Asahi - 5 (Male Kitsune; Joined Family at age 8 Mo.)
Declan also has a three month old granddaughter named Teya, whose parents are Reed and Yala. Yala is pregnant with their second child. Also, Rantha is 36 and his as yet unnamed wife is 22. Theyāre son, Ranji, is 6 month old.
For Declanās clan, what everybodyās little fear?
Declan hates the dark. He always has a candle burning.
Ryel is afraid of spiders. She knows itās silly, living in the forest, but she canāt help it.
Feera is scared of crowds.
Kurra hates cats.
Reed is terrified of bears.
Soraya is pretty fearless. The only thing sheās scared of is humans, specifically hunters.
Yala is a bit superstitious, and hates the number 13.
Caeli doesnāt like crows.
Birch gets spooked by rabbits pretty easily. Heās not necessarily scared of them, heās just always startled by them.
Cetzu is afraid of faeries. He worries theyāll try to take him back to the otherworld.
Lymera is claustrophobic.
Toklo is afraid of heights.
Worms or other creepy crawlies squick Yew out.
Sayo is uncomfortable around males. She grew up in an all-female community. She gets over it as she gets older, though.
Asahi hates thunder. He is five, after all.
Whatās their guilty pleasure?
Declan: He eats bugs. A LOT. Just cause it makes his wifeās face scrunch up. Also he likes how they taste.
Ryel: Ryel likes to take really long baths. Like, proper baths in a tub. Sheād spend all day in one if she got her way.
Feera: Thereās a place in the forest that catches light in such a way that itās perfect for naps. Feera disappears for a few hours and naps there. He doesnāt tell anyone about it because he doesnāt want to share.
Kurra: Kurra just likes to eat. All day every day. Heās strictly a meat eater, but if he can get his hands on it, heāll eat it.
Reed likes to dance. He doesnāt do it often, because heās self conscious, but every once in a while, when he and Yala are alone, they dance together.
You already know Sorayaās, She goes to the beach and collects shells. Only Caeli knows about it.
Yala goes swimming naked in the middle of the night. Reed stands guard.
Caeli loves to climb trees. No reason, she just likes being up high. She and Soraya will race sometimes.
Birch likes to play pranks. Usually their harmless, but heās not allowed to bring animals into the main house anymore.
Cetzu is a bit of a romantic. He fantasizes about getting married and carves wedding rings for potential spouses. He has a small collection of rings heās made that heās never showed anyone.
Lymera is a holy woman in training, but sheās also a faun and likes to cause mischief. Sheās let the ceremonial temple birds free in the temple more than once.
Toklo has never been into a town before, but he has gone to the edges of some that border the forest and watched the people going about their day. He thinks the habits of normal people going about their normal lives is fascinating.
Yew likes birds. He has some that heās trained to follow him around. If you hear twittering and chirping coming from nowhere, Yewās probably nearby.
Sayo plays hide and seek without telling anyone. She likes to hide for hours at a time. Once she was perched on top of the house for two days and no one was able to find her.
Asahi doesnāt have a guilty pleasure. Heās a toddler. Same goes for Teya.
For the women of the farm, are they good at cooking? Do they enjoy it? What do others think of their cooking?
Ryel is okay at cooking. It wasnāt as hard before when it was just her and Declan, but once the kids started arriving, she had to up her game. She certainly doesnāt enjoy it.
Yala is good at and really enjoys baking, and though sheās good at cooking other food, she prefers baking.
Itās a good thing Caeli came along. Not only does she love to cook, sheās amazing at it. Yala and Ryel happily left that chore to her.
And even though you didnāt ask, Asahi helps.
Then who is the best cooker and/or baker in the clan?
Ready for a shock? Itās Kurra, one of the Gnoll boys. He cooks every once in a while, but he prefers hunting to cooking. His venison stews are to die for, though.
After I read Rantha's story I fell in love with his sweet personality, but I had the feeling he alone in the woods for a reason right? What happened to his family?
Ranthaās family were ring fighters, similar to bulls in matador fights, except the object is for the human and the minotaur to fight to the death. The minotaurs are paid handsomely when they win, treated like kings, but Rantha hated it.
After his first fight when he was only 13, during which he killed his opponent, he left and never came back. He found Declan but decided not to join the family, instead making his own way in the forest. He and Declan have been friends for years. He was the one who found Toklo being sold at auction and brought him to the farm.
I'm curious; if Rantha came from a place where humans and minotaurs fight, then they do know other creatures exist. But the village where Ryel use to live everyone acts like they don't know about their existence. Were they isolated from other places or they just hate other creatures? Can monster roam around freely or just in certain places?
Alrighty, weāre about to get into some deep lore here.
Almost all of my stories are connected, from the modern to the medieval. In Tumbleās story, itās mentioned that there are āEstablishedā non-human races, i.e. creatures that humans have known about for centuries and accept into society at large. There were nine in total:
Orcs
Man-Beasts (like werewolves or werebears; basically any being who start as humans and become something else)
Beastmen (including minotaurs, tabaxi, gnolls, lizardfolk, etc.; basically any being that is more beast than man)
Giant-Kin (like trolls and ogres)
Goblin-Kin (including bugbears and hobgoblins)
Demon-Kin (such as vampires and teiflings, and demons, of course),
Cattle-Kin, (such as centaurs, satyrs, and/or fauns; any being with human-like faces and hooved feet.)
Halfling-Folk (Including gnomes and dwarves)
The Fair Folk, otherwise known as the Fae. Elves are included in this subcategory.
Besides these well-known races, there were others who, after centuries in seclusion, decided to reveal themselves to humans, like Tumbleās people. Despite this, there are still a few who have chosen to remain in hiding, such as driders, like Jin, and certain demons, like Blue.
Back during the Shelter Forest story arc, the āEstablishedā races were well known, though there was heavy discrimination against them, especially in smaller villages. There were, of course, human-only towns and villages who were hostile to non-human peoples, as in the case with Ryel and Caeliās village.
Typically, youād find non-humans either in large cities, where humans and non-humans coexisted, places like where Rantha first came from, or in closed communities for non-human people that were far recessed from the human populations. Animal-like peoples, like the rakshasa and Tumbleās people, the leporids, lived in these communities. Non-human, non-established creatures who live outside of these communities were often hunted like animals, as Reed was.
As stated before, even though there were āEstablishedā races, there were also races no one had ever seen or heard about, like Declan. Declan and Soraya are not native to the continent in which they reside and are very rare. In fact, there are only 22 other creatures like them on the continent. Their kind come from a continent in the south and are hunted by adventurers and brought back to the northern continent when they are babies as living trophies.
Conversely, there were races that people have heard about but have rarely seen, like nagas and dragons, who were openly hostile to humans as well and have little to do with them. Even during the modern times, nagas and dragons are reluctant to interact with humans, but they arenāt hidden.
I already know this is canon but I MUST ask. Declan and Soraya, have any of you ever eat a moth out of nowhere in the night????
Declan says: āOnce, about a year after she came to stay with me, I startled Ryel by taking a moth off of the wall one evening while we were talking and munching on it. I didnāt understand why her face went all scrunchy like that so I asked her what was wrong. āYou just ate a bug,ā she said. I laughed for a long time after that.ā
Soraya says: āIām not particular to moths; too fuzzy. But I do like grasshoppers and beetle grubs. Grasshoppers are plentiful during the summer, and grubs pop up around springtime under tree bark. I typically go on bug hunts by myself and bring a handful back for Papa. Itās probably the one eating habit thatās exclusive to the two of us.ā
I need to ask Declan and Soraya; What's your favorite fruit/meal. Do you only eat fresh fruit or do you eat some other things as well? I know you can't eat meat but what about some seeds, cereals, bread or dairy products? What about food that has fruit flavors on it like; orange flavored biscuits or passion fruit mousse? Also, what about Jam? which one it's your favorite if you liked them :) (Sorry if this is too much to answer :3)
Declan says: āI adore bananas, but theyāre hard to come by where we live. Itās far too cold to grown them here, even in the summer, so I settle for my second favorite, mangos. I do love seeds and nuts. We have almond and walnut trees growing on the farm, and sunflowers and pumpkins, and we eat the seeds from those. Our stomachs donāt process dairy very well, so Soraya and I tend to stay away from it, though the rest of the family doesnāt have that problem. As far as jam, I love all kinds, but Ryel stops me from licking the jar. She says itās not dignified. As if Iāve ever been dignified. :)ā
Soraya says: āI love apricots and figs the most. I help Mama make preserves and jam and dried fruit for the wintertime, when the fruit trees arenāt producing. We also make fruitcakes and preserve them in whiskey, so they last a really long time. We grow oats, but not wheat, so we donāt eat much bread unless she brings it from market, and even then, I canāt eat a lot of it. We make nutbars and nectar flower biscuits that keep for months, though, and those sustain us through winter. Most of the rest of the family are omnivores or carnivores, so they hunt in the winter to keep themselves fed, but Papa and I have specific diets, so we have to make things that will last us the whole winter long or weād starve. Mama is really good about making and saving, and she keeps us all warm and fed.ā
For Cetzu: Do they have a good memory? Short term or long term? Are they good with names? Or faces? What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress? What do they find funny? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they funny themselves? How do they act when theyāre happy? Do they sing? Dance? Hum? Or do they hide their emotions?
Cetzu has a memory like a steel trap. Itās likely his fae heritage. He remembers just about everything. Cetzu, being cold blooded, likes to be warm, so he, the gnoll boys, and Asahi sleep in a pile in a room the family calls the āboyās den.ā Heās not all that funny, but he does like to laugh. He thinks throwing the gnolls into the river is hilarious. Heās a friendly person, but he does keep his negative feelings to himself. He doesnāt like to bother people. But itās the opposite when heās happy. He likes everyone to know when heās happy. He does try to sing, but heās a touch tone deaf.
I want to know! How did Cetzu learn to make all the stuff he does? Did he read it somewhere or have someone teaching nearby?
I think itās part of his fae heritage, since heās a changeling, but heās just naturally gifted at it. He started out making simple things when he was a small boy, though, and practiced until he could carve very intricate carvings. Heās got an expert eye now.
Since Cetzu is part fae, he can't touch iron? Or is offensive to him to tell him ''thank you'' or receiving presents?
The iron thing, definitely. The farm uses steel as much as possible, and if they have to use iron, itās kept in a safe place where he canāt accidentally touch it, sort of like allergy prevention. He also has a hang up about being invited into places: you canāt just tell him to go somewhere he hasnāt been before, he has to be invited there or he simply wonāt go. He doesnāt mind politeness but he sees receiving presents as a debt to repay. Even though he struggles with the fae part of himself, heās still bound by some of their laws.
What about a tail? Does Cetzu has a tail too? Can it grow back is one cuts it? (not that I want that for him, no! Poor thing T.T)
He does have a tail, but unfortunately, it will not grow back if cut off.
I forgot to ask, what about wings? Since he's part fae, but also I've heard of some Lizardfolks (not dragons) with wings.
Cetzu doesnāt have wings, no. Heās more like a big, black alligator that stands like a man. Heās buff as hell too.
I want to know, how little Sayo reacted when she saw so many men in the farm. Or did she already knew what men where :?
Up to that point, Sayo lived in a woman-only community. She hadnāt met any kind of male before being dropped off at the farm. She was terrified of them for the first year.
Does Asahi like shiny stuff? I've heard that harpies also like them? Did they both have a chest/corner/place where they collect shiny stuff or they have on of their own? or they compete for who has the biggest mountain of shiny stuff?
Thatās what got Sayo to come out of her shell a little. Asahi wanted to make friends with her, but she was always aggressive and snapped at him, until he showed her his hoard of treasures. The two of them became friends then, and Sayo slowly started to open up to the rest of the family.
Both Asahi and Sayo collect shiny things, but while Asahi likes coins and bits of metal, Sayo prefers petrified amber and stones. Asahi buries his, and Sayo keeps her collection under her bed.
So to Asahi, Sayo is like his big sister? (I mean, obviously, they are Declan's and Ryel's children anyways) so he often follows her and she ''tries'' to keep him away of danger and getting dirty... again?
Yep. Sayo is actually the oldest of four daughters in her original clan, so sheās used to being responsible for younger children, but sheās never had a little brother before. Once she came along, she helped Ryel keep Asahi in line.
7 & 11 for Sayo please. Also, not in the ask but... which color are Sayoās feathers?
Did they have lots of friends as a child? Did they keep any of their childhood friends into adulthood?
Do they have any special diet requirements? Are they a vegetarian? Vegan? Have any allergies?
Sayo is based on a Barn Owl, so her feathers are gold and white. Sheās a bird of prey, so definitely not vegan or vegetarian. Sheās the only female on the farm thatās strictly meat and canāt eat vegetables or fruit. As far as childhood friends, she used to have a lot of them before her mom kicked her out of her coven. Now she not in contact with any of them.
I was thinking if Lymera uses Reed's antlers to make charms, could she use Sayo's feathers if they fall? Do harpies change their feathers from time to time? Maybe doing things like dream catchers???
Sayo does drop feathers and go through molts, but she finds the use of them in charms offensive to her culture.
Somehow I imagine Asahi wearing little bells for some reason, maybe on his tail or in his clothes? I just picture him with bells (like the ones in cat toys)
He has to have bells on. Ryel has to know where he is AT ALL TIMES. Otherwise he gets into everything.
I've always pictured Lymera wearing long and loose dresses for some reason. Maybe because I have this image of people working with talismans and stuff like that
Funnily enough, nudity isnāt taboo on the farm. Sayo, Soraya, and most of the boys never wear clothing. The humans do, but thatās conditioning. Lymera, being an acolyte priestess would typically wear robes and gowns of her station, but she does go nude from time to time.
Can Lymera play any instrument/sing?
Yes, she plays the harp, flute, and drum. She does sing as well. Thatās actually where she was when Ryel found her; chained to a stage at an inn, singing for the patrons.
Since I'm a witch myself I want to ask Lymera what kind of stuff she does and what part of her studies to be a priestess she likes the most? Do you focus on healing magic or other types as well? What about divination like tarot card of a pendulum, do you work with crystals or herbs? Do you watch the stars or make amulets for protection? Sorry if this is too much I got a little excited! Hugs! 3 :D
Lymera says: āMy primary focus is sacred ceremonies, like weddings, initiations, and funerals. When not doing those, I practice many types of divination and scrying, as well as some magical healing. Mother is a far better herbalist than me, though, and helps me with that subject. As an acolyte, I am required to study all aspects of the craft, but there are some that draw me more than others. When Reedās antlers drop in the winter, Cetzu sculpts little amulets from them that I bless and give out as charms. Our family works together.ā
Wow, I canāt wait to know more about Lymera. Iām just trying to imagine the whole āescape planā to save her from that horrible place, sounds intriguing.
In Reedās fic, I had explained it as Ryel seeing her and trying to buy her from the innkeeper, and when that didnāt work, she brought Declan back in the middle of the night to scare the bejeezus out of the innkeeper until she released Lymera. Declanās a cuddly puppy most of the time, but he can be a big Papa Bear when he wants to be.
Ā I think 11 would be an interesting one for Toklo, I mean we know he eats meat but, does he enjoys something else in the farm???
Toklo is definitely a meat eater, but he also eats onions whole and stares people down while he does it. Heās a weird kid.
Ā Sorry if this is just me, but, what Toklo does in the farm? I believe there's always a lot of work in there so everyone must help somehow, right?
Toklo helps in the fields like everyone does. Heās also mostly a carnivore, so he also goes on weekly hunts with the other meat eaters of the family. Cleaning and gutting often falls to him. Heās learning currently how to tan leather from the hides.
Does Asker visit the farm alot and what does his wife usually do on the farm???
Asker doesnāt visit often. Heās very anti-social. He likes the family, but from a distance. His children visit more than he does, but thatās still sporadic. Laefa does carpentry work around the farm, building shelters and repairing the house and the barn, should there be damage.
Which character in the Declan Clan likes to knit????
Reedās mate, Yala, knits a lot. She taught Caeli (Sorayaās mate) and both of the gnoll twins how to do it.
Are gnolls twins like fire and water? or they complement each other like PB and Jelly?
PB&J, honestly. They almost have that twin telepathy. But they do have marked differences in appearance and tastes.
35 for Declanās whole Clan! This should be fun! :3
35. Whatās their guilty pleasure? What is their totally unguilty pleasure?
Holy fuck, alright, letās do this:
Declan: He eats bugs. A LOT. Just cause it makes his wifeās face scrunch up. Also he likes how they taste.
Ryel: Ryel likes to take really long baths. Like, proper baths in a tub. Sheād spend all day in one if she got her way.
Feera: Thereās a place in the forest that catches light in such a way that itās perfect for naps. Feera disappears for a few hours and naps there. He doesnāt tell anyone about it because he doesnāt want to share.
Kurra: Kurra just likes to eat. All day every day. Heās strictly a meat eater, but if he can get his hands on it, heāll eat it.
Reed likes to dance. He doesnāt do it often, because heās self conscious, but every once in a while, when he and Yala are alone, they dance together.
You already know Sorayaās, She goes to the beach and collects shells. Only Caeli knows about it.
Yala goes swimming naked in the middle of the night. Reed stands guard.
Caeli loves to climb trees. No reason, she just likes being up high. She and Soraya will race sometimes.
Birch likes to play pranks. Usually their harmless, but heās not allowed to bring animals into the main house anymore.
Cetzu is a bit of a romantic. He fantasizes about getting married and carves wedding rings for potential spouses. He has a small collection of rings heās made that heās never showed anyone.
Lymera is a holy woman in training, but sheās also a faun and likes to cause mischief. Sheās let the ceremonial temple birds free in the temple more than once.
Toklo has never been into a town before, but he has gone to the edges of some that border the forest and watched the people going about their day. He thinks the habits of normal people going about their normal lives is fascinating.
Yew likes birds. He has some that heās trained to follow him around. If you hear twittering and chirping coming from nowhere, Yewās probably nearby.
Sayo plays hide and seek without telling anyone. She likes to hide for hours at a time. Once she was perched on top of the house for two days and no one was able to find her.
Asahi doesnāt have a guilty pleasure. Heās a toddler. Same goes for Teya.
23, 24, 25 & 26 for my Favorite Lizard Boy!!!! (you know who am talking about)
Iām going to assume your talking about Cetzu, so here we go:
23. Do they have a good memory? Short term or long term? Are they good with names? Or faces?24. What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress?25. What do they find funny? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they funny themselves?26. How do they act when theyāre happy? Do they sing? Dance? Hum? Or do they hide their emotions?Ā
Cetzu has a memory like a steel trap. Itās likely his fae heritage. He remembers just about everything.
Cetzu, being cold blooded, likes to be warm, so he, the gnoll boys, and Asahi sleep in a pile in a room the family calls the āboyās den.ā
Heās not all that funny, but he does like to laugh. He thinks throwing the gnolls into the river is hilarious.
Heās a friendly person, but he does keep his negative feelings to himself. He doesnāt like to bother people. But itās the opposite when heās happy. He likes everyone to know when heās happy. He does try to sing, but heās a touch tone deaf.
Since Cetzu is part fae, he can't touch iron? Or is offensive to him to tell him ''thank you'' or receiving presents?
The iron thing, definitely. The farm uses steel as much as possible, and if they have to use iron, itās kept in a safe place where he canāt accidentally touch it, sort of like allergy prevention. He also has a hang up about being invited into places: you canāt just tell him to go somewhere he hasnāt been before, he has to be invited there or he simply wonāt go. He doesnāt mind politeness but he sees receiving presents as a debt to repay. Even though he struggles with the fae part of himself, heās still bound by some of their laws.
I want to know! How did Cetzu learn to make all the stuff he does? Did he read it somewhere or have someone teaching nearby?
I think itās part of his fae heritage, since heās a changeling, but heās just naturally gifted at it. He started out making simple things when he was a small boy, though, and practiced until he could carve very intricate carvings. Heās got an expert eye now.