What type of powers do you characters have and how strong are they? Do your characters reveal their powers immediately? Or do they hide them until crucial moments? Is there a particular reason for this?
Original Post
Ok I’m going to talk about Grandparents of the Revolution instead of Hellverse for once, and very specifically Chrisl, Adri and Vic.
Chrisl: They have healing magic and they’re pretty strong, and able to basically drag someone back from being nearly dead just by sheer willpower (although this costs them a lot of energy and makes them nearly pass out) They’ve been told all their life that they would be better of doing something that didn’t involve magic because healing magic isn’t really well regarded in Cloud, especially the small spells and weaves to help. They use their magic pretty regularly considering they’re a healer, but when training Soren for Soren’s Magistae, Chrisl uses very little magic and focuses on the more physical aspects of healing. They had hang ups about their magic when they were younger but after the revolution, they became a lot more confident about their magic.
Adri: Xe didn’t know xe had magic for a long time, because xir magic is warding. Xe’s very very good at manipulation of wards and physical space and generally magic that revolves around writing. Because xir magic isn’t flashy and can’t be controlled the way most other magic can, xe wasn’t thought to have any magic at all, and was really looked down upon for it, and it also really affected xir life in a society which was so based on having magic and using it. Xe’s pretty open about xir warding (Lightnink is basically entirely done by xir with some help from Chrisl and Adri), and uses it when xe needs to. It took a long time for xe to be okay and xe’s honestly just happy that xe has magic that can help the beings around xir, even if it isn’t that obvious
Vic: Ey has wind magic and ey aren’t very strong but has incredible control over it, which comes from using a wheelchair and using eir magic to push them around to move. Ey doesn’t hide eir magic, and can’t even if ey wanted to because ey literally uses it to move around. Ey can also use eir magic to detect things and has an entire series of wind chimes set up outside Lightnink for this express purpose. In a society where any kind of disability is looked down upon and raw power and efficiency is prioritised over intricacy and control, ey is technically very weak and ‘useless’, which drives em to create a space where ey and others like em don’t need to worry about things like that.
The Constellations Dreams Make (previously Grandparents of the Revolution)
I’ve made pretty big overhauls to GOTR so now it’s got a new name, so I’m introducing it formally
THE CONSTELLATIONS DREAMS MAKE
Synopsis: Soren flew because they couldn’t stay, taking their siblings with them. Healing seemed like the logical step, considering their studies and their chance encounter with one of the best Healers in Cloud in their first week there. And yet, there’s trouble brewing as they start their journey...
Themes: nonbinary figures (a lot of them), supportive mentor figures, politics in academia, revolutions (that have to learn to be more inclusive), older siblings, nblnb established relationship, queerplatonic relationship, cool magic systems, aro characters
Characters:
Carrow (Soren): (16 at start, 26 by the end) Soren’s fled the mortal plane with their younger siblings to escape their abusive parents. They’re very interested in biology and specifically pathology but general healing as well, but have to balance their studies with taking care of their younger siblings, especially the two youngest. They’re pursuing a Magistae (highest certification) in Healing.
Dya (Chrisl): Chrisl got their start in healing as a field medic during the Cysteric Revolution, and through many years, ended up one of the best and most well-recognised Healers around (even though their methods aren’t always considered actually good). Chrisl’s in a romantic relationship with Adri, who they met in university and ended up trying to court, and their best friend is Vic.
Vrati (Kastoris): (8 at the start, 18 by the end) Kastoris is Soren’s youngest sibling and her tokia was actually chosen by their older-sibling-by-two-years Fei. Kastoris practically grew up in Cloud, and doesn’t have a lot of fond memories of the mortal plane. Kastoris is actually fluent in Cloudian and hates it when her Cloudian is questioned just because of her accent being slightly diristerian (mortal).
Cyne (Adri): Adri’s got writing magic and relies upon xir creativity to make things work. Xe is very good at warding and set up LIghtnink’s wards, but despite all of that, xe isn’t actually considered to have magic because xir magic doesn’t fit the traditional definition of magic and xe’s considered ‘defective’ in that regard. Xe first met Vic in their first year of university (or the Cloudian equivalent at least) and actually didn’t realise Chrisl was courting xir for like several years. (it’s okay they got together in the end and they’re both really in love with each other)
Jin and Yin (Auri and Iri): The twins. Auri’s a researcher and alchemist, while Iri’s more into politics and art. Together, they end up influencing the Kystri Revolution to be more aware of non-faerie beings (They’re both 13 at the start and 23 by the end)
Ygwitz (Vic): Vic’s got wind magic but the catch here is that ey’s been unable to walk since birth because eir legs don’t work. Ey was Chrisl’s roommate and later best friend and is aromantic. Ey came up with the initial idea for Lightnink and has an entire series of wind charms outside so ey can always tell who and what is entering or leaving Lightnink.
Moineau (Fei): Fei’s older than Kastoris but that’s about it. She gave Kastoris her name from human languages she knew from reading. She doesn’t have any clue what she actually wants to do but just kind of wants to live. Fei’s 10 at the start and 20 by the end. (She ends up interested in linguistics but how she gets there on the other hand is a rather fun story)
Tagging: @andiwriteunderthemoon
If anyone else would like to be tagged, please let me know!
The shimmering streets of Cloud were all well and good, but Soren wished there was something here that actually kept time. But, if they were told to guess, they would say it had been two weeks since they had first arrived.
(Rest under the cut)
Now, Soren knew time worked different in Cloud compared to the mortal plane, but making educated guesses when they didn’t know things for certain had been part of their life for a long time.
They, and their siblings, had managed to install themselves in a little, abandoned place that Soren had found when they first came to Cloud a few months ago. They didn’t have much on them, or at least, Soren didn’t. The twins had brought as much material and notes as they could when Soren had told them about it, and knew around enough to study at least until the level universities would require. They had both been in accelerated classes, and Soren had worried at first that they might lose out by suddenly running away.
Both of them had reassured Soren that they didn't mind having to leave, and had just happily packed up their bags over the last month and got all the things they wanted to bring with them.
Soren walked down the pavements, taking in the silvery roads and the almost translucent nature of the whole place. There were beings walking to and fro, but where to, Soren didn’t know. They hadn't been to Cloud regularly enough or long enough to get an idea of how the layout worked.
They would have to, they supposed. But for now, they would just relax and enjoy the brief feeling of success at managing to escape with all their siblings.
They hadn’t thought they would manage it until they turned 18. It was fortunate, they guessed, that they had found out they had magic. It had been a complete accident, but a spirit had noticed and brought them to Cloud. It had taken a couple of months since that first visit, but all their siblings had been excited to leave.
They supposed they couldn’t blame them. Anything, even if you didn’t know what it would entail, probably sounded better than breaking bones every couple of years because you didn’t manage to get a high enough grade or do something perfect the first time. Even their youngest sister, and God, she was 8, she was 8 years old, hadn’t managed to escape from it.
She had been the breaking point actually. Soren had watched all their siblings go through the manipulation from their parents, eager to create the perfect child who would be the perfect heir. They had tried to ask for help when their second youngest sister had started being hurt, but only reassured that their parents probably had their best intentions in mind and that Soren would understand when they were older.
Soren had gotten older, and no, they hadn’t understood it two years later either.
No one had believed them, except for the spirits, and that’s what made them snap and go.
“You! Come here!” Soren jerked up. When they turned, there was a spirit looking at them from over a rainbow field with colours darting to and fro, and they looked impatient. Soren ran over, not sure why exactly they were being called.
“Anchor the field and tell me when the blue streaks start turning purple, or if the green streaks start turning red.” They said briskly, ignoring Soren’s flailing. They were wearing a dark blue tunic, unlike the other spirits Soren and usually seen in shades of metallic colours, and once they finished addressing Soren, they turned back and reached into the field.
Now that Soren was looking closer, it looked more like a net than a field. Oh, and there was a being lying within the net. “Um. How do I anchor the field?” The spirit looked up again, squinted at Soren once, and then turned back to what they were doing.
“The field needs a base of wood, but honestly any carbon-based material works, so I really just need you to twist the edges of the top together and then hold them. The streaks indicate different things, which I don’t have time to explain, but just look out for the colour changes. If there’s any sudden colour changes, say something and tell me how fast it’s happening and what’s happening.” The spirit tilted their head away from Soren, shook it once and got back to work.
Soren murmured, trying to remember what the spirit had said. “Blue turning purple, or green turning red. Blue turn purple, green turn red. Blue-“
The spirit was ignoring them, reaching into the net of colours and moving quickly. They seemed to be weaving. In spite of themself, Soren felt a surge of curiosity. The spirit looked like they were performing some kind of emergency surgery, quickly twisting their fingers and stretching through the being in the net.
The colours changed. “Orange turning red!” Soren yelps, internally cursing as soon as they said it. They needed to be calmer or no one would trust them.
The spirit just nodded. “Fast or slow?”
“Fast.”
“Alright.”
The spirit flicked their wrist once and the orange that had turned red was now turning back to orange. “Should be turning back now, thanks.”
After a while, the blue started turning purple. “Blue turning purple.” Soren said, calmer this time.
“Good.” The spirit recoiled and stood back up, looking at the net. They nodded once at Soren, just as they had done when they started. “Thanks.”
“What’s that?” Soren asked, their curiosity getting the better of them.
“Healing matrix. Helps monitor all the various systems I’m using while I heal.” The spirit, no, the healer said. They have bright bronze eyes and their hair floats behind them, all jet black with glowing streaks of purple throughout it, now that Soren stops to notice. “You new here?”
Soren nodded, not sure how else to respond. The healer seemed to take that as understood and inclined their head towards Soren, before reaching down to help the being on the ground up as the other spirit woke up. They said something quietly in a soft, reassuring tone to the spirit, before sending them on their way. After watching the spirit leave, with no apparent ill-effects, the healer turned to leave.
“Wait, I’m sorry, who are you?”
The healer turned back and raised an eyebrow.
“You can call me Dya-sikhe. You might want to consider learning Healing formally. You have good eyes.”
Dya-sikhe then proceeded to walk off, leaving Soren standing there, mouthing their name over and over.
“You’re a fool, I hope you know that.” Vic said, blunt as always as ey wheeled emself in. Chrisl came in behind them, worry written all over their face.
“Did you just come here to tell me off?” Adri asks, raising an eyebrow. “What a pity, I might be walking to my death, and my best friend calls me a fool.”
Xe keeps xir voice light, even as Vic just glares at them.
Chrisl settles themself on the floor, fiddling with part of their coat. Chrisl just looks at xir for a while, and for a moment, Adri feels a little bit bad.
“From within the Arena, I can keep more of them safe. Plus, it’s not like breaking out isn’t a possibility.” The fact that Adri is the best warder and spent the largest amount of time hiding that xe had the ability to ward and do magic with written things goes unspoken. They can’t risk the possibility of the Capitol potentially hearing that. Xe has to keep some tricks up xir sleeve.
“Anything can happen in the Arena.” Vic says, tone cold and emotionless. Vic’s eyes tell a different story.
Adri shrugs. “If anything happens to me in there, both of you can take over Vrati-kiso’s training. It’s not like I’m the only one who can do that.”
“And you would leave me behind.” Adri jolts as a quiet, furious voice sounds from behind Chrisl and Vic. Kastoris comes out, eyes shiny with tears and throws herself into Adri’s arms and immediately starts sobbing.
“Vrati-kiso-”
“Don’t.” Kastoris glares hard. “I don’t care if they find out my name. You’re going to walk to your death, I want to hear you say my name.”
“Kastoris.” Adri murmurs.
“Tie your soul to mine.” Adri’s taken aback with the force with which Kastoris says it. “I know you can. So tie your soul to mine and I’ll drag you back if anything happens.”
“Kastoris, no. I refuse. You can continue living your life and you will go on without me. I will not touch your soul.”
“Well, then you should have thought of that before volunteering shouldn’t you?” Kastoris snaps, wrenching herself a little away, before coming back to Adri’s embrace.
“Your soul is young, Kastoris-kiso. Mine is old. You know that.” Adri says softly, quickly glancing up to check the time they had left.
Chrisl moves in to hug them too, and in the meantime, slips something into Adri’s pocket. “You know what it is. You know what it can do. Use it.” Chrisl whispers, too quiet to be heard by Kastoris.
Adri’s heart speeds up. No... they wouldn’t... they wouldn’t.... but. They might?
Their time is up and they have to leave soon. Kastoris leaves Adri, sparing one last look, and then going back to hiding inside Vic’s wheelchair, which. Honestly, Adri ought to have expected. Adri had taught her warding after all, and space is one of the first things to manipulate.
Chrisl glances once at Adri, and nods. Adri nods back.
Happy STS from writingamongthecoloredroses! What would your OCs' perfect date be?
ooh ok so I’m going to answer this for Adri and Chrisl of The Constellations Dreams Make
Adri: Xe would settle for any time that Chrisl’s actually free because Chrisl has a horrible schedule as a Healer as well as dealing with the Revolution, so xe would say, any date where xe gets to have time with Chrisl. But secretly? Xe’s really fond of both the demonic tradition of creating gifts for your partner and xe would like a quiet night in where they get to craft something together.
Chrisl: Chrisl will freely admit that they are a huge romantic and once they fell in love with Adri, they have all sorts of dreams for great and really cute dates. Their absolute favourites have to be either going stargazing together or going skating together. (The second one is because they love watching their partner do xir version of dancing over the surface of the sea and they fall in love with xir all over again everything xe does it.) But they’ll settle for what they can get and they definitely plan on having these dates when they finally have the time for it.
Xhave i finished hellverse? no. do i have a new wip?
Yes.
GRANDPARENTS OF THE REVOLUTION
featuring: 3 nonbinary faerie, two of which run a bookshop/cafe which functions as a safehouse
Adri
- so faerie have 3 names: what you’re known by, your name and your True Name
- Adri is xir name, xe is known as Cyne (pronounced ‘sin’) and xir True Name... well that’s for xe and xir Namer to know
- uses xe/xir pronouns
- (xir Namer is Chrisl shhh)
- xe has wind and a small amount of weather magic!
- like xe can cause a storm if the conditions are right but like xe can’t generate a storm without the appropriate conditions. but xe can create breezes and if xe tries, stronger winds
- xe can cook really well! xe likes baking more but xir food is really good
- Adri and Vic opened the cafe/bookshop right out of uni
- (it started life as a front for a safehouse in the first revolution)
Vic
- Vic is eir name, ey is known as Ygwitz (’ig-witz’), and again True Name is for ey and eir Namer to know
- Can’t drift or walk without external help, so ey uses the equivalent of a wheelchair to get around
- (ey did not get injured in the last revolution, ey never could walk in the first place)
- uses ey/eir pronouns
- has writing magic and is really good at wards
- (and at making coffee which is eir contribution to the cafe)
- Vic and Adri room together on the upper floor of the bookstore/cafe and vic’s always complaining that adri leaves xir shirts everywhere. (but vic has been complaining for the better part of 20 years; vic’s used to it)
- Vic did not in fact realise ey had writing magic until like university, ey just assumed ey didn’t have magic
- Vic knew Chrisl first because ey grew up next to Chrisl, and later were in the same classes all the way until university
Chrisl
- Chrisl’s their name, Dya (’die-uh’) is what they go by, and True Name is literally only known to Chrisl and *shh* Adri
- Adri’s their love! they met xir through Vic and fell in love slowly then all at once
- they’re a healer but spend most of their free time with in the cafe/bookstore
- (they actually got their start in field healing during the first revolution so they’ll always love field healing the most)
- has healing magic
- uses they/them pronouns
- (organises the books even though that’s not even their job. Adri and Vic pay them in food and coffee. also they actually enjoy organising the books it’s relaxing to them)
- is currently mentoring a starborn (human that isn’t fully human and has magic) called Soren
other details:
- adri and vic’s bookshop/cafe doesn’t have a name but has a mural of a lightning struck cloud and is referred to by beings who frequent it as ‘Lightnink’
- adri, vic and chrisl were all participants in the first revolution in Cloud. adri and vic ran a safehouse, which later became lightnink and chrisl ran out into the field to take care of injured people.
- lightnink can actually have more rooms because of a neat charm that vic wove in when adri and vic were making it.
- chrisl fell in love with adri first, and begged vic to introduce them to eir cute classmate for the entirety of their first year of university and drove vic up the wall with pining
- adri figured out xe was in love with chrisl when xe saw chrisl collapse on the sofa in the backroom of Lightnink and stared at them for a while and then ‘oh’
- vic was present when adri and chrisl Named each other
- The Naming ceremony in Cloud is similar to getting married but like there’s not necessarily any romantic attraction it’s just a deep trust, a trust and love strong enough that you are willing to entrust the deepest part of your soul to another
- So how the Naming system works is: you get given what you’re known us as a child, you choose your name later, and your True Name is exchanged between you and your Namer. So you Name your Namer, and your Namer Names you.
- True Names are used in warding and other magic to strengthen it, but people who use True Names usually make oaths as part of their profession to only use it for the purposes of the job and then to immediately forget the Name. Names are also used in healing
- Chrisl and their mentee Soren often use Lightnink as a place to meet up to discuss Soren’s thesis (Adri gives Soren free coffee becos poor soul always looks like they want to die)
- there’s a group of students which use Lightnink as a place to meet up and plan the new revolution.... and who don’t know that adri and vic were part of the first revolution so. they’ll find out :>
- Vic’s Namer is a spirit called Sabrine who works at the university.
Languid cat Curl
Of satiated soul
Pressed warmly
Content shelter
Hidden Secret self
As certain dark things
Selfish richness
assumed Hades sent
Would Keep captive
Your heart, Your Heart
Masculine foundation set
As anchor's pull
Guided So certainly
Half a world away
Loaned daughter
Lost child
Repaired the fractures
Set stable the feet
Slew the dragons
Hiding beneath her bed
For tears now shed
words fall short
Time will come
Pages turn
Always honour Chosen
With open hands
Lifted to return
Kia kaha
Aroha nui
[for Daddy]
