So if the characters of Valkyra were put in a modern AU, what would they be like? What would they work as? Would they be pro or con AirPods?
oh!! I love this question especially seeing as I’ve been writing a sort of modern au for some of the characters recently!! thanks so much for asking it :)
luna would run the family company (that does something… business-y) after her mother steps down and meets maria through the professional world because she works as a finance/banking lawyer. their relationship is as rocky as it is in valkrya and isn’t helped the homophobia of our world, but they make it there in the end.
nicolai also works at luna’s company, which is how they become friends and how angelica and nicolai meet. I’m not totally sure on what angelica’s modern career would be? in valkrya she’s obviously a soldier, except that doesn’t translate well to our world seeing as she only joins the army due to war going on (I don’t think she’s the sort of person to become a soldier… just cause. it’s not like she enjoyed fighting at all). for some reason artist is coming into mind? or author? she’s a creative type, I think. when she and nicolai move in together they live in the most beautifully-decorated flat and have the entire cast around for dinner at least once every two weeks.
nerism and marise are both journalists (the dying trade, but it’s what they’ve chosen), working at the same company. inferna is in entertainment somehow, I imagine? an actress maybe, I feel like that would suit her. anyway, she and nerism meet the first time in one of those classic romance film moments where they just run into each other on the street and it’s really cute, but of course they don’t know each other’s names and they don’t think they’ll ever meet again. but then nerism is given the job of interviewing her (because like I said she’s some sort of entertainment personality) and their relationship develops from there.
aquilla is a scientist, I feel like? even though in valkrya she’s a war nurse, I don’t think without those circumstances she’d choose to go into medicine because she is not a fan of blood or y’know, doctor stuff. I can imagine her as a biologist or a neuroscientist or any other science-y thing. she meets marise through inferna and nerism’s relationship.
luna is pro airpods and doesn’t get why maria keeps telling her to not use them (“but they’re far more practical!” “please lu I’m begging you”). inferna would not be caught dead using airpods and struggles greatly with the fact that nerism uses them. she and marise band together in this and are somewhat successful in getting him to get rid of them (“nerism for once I agree with your girlfriend and if you don’t take them out right this instant I will be forced to take physical action”). aquilla has an android. neither angelica or nicolai are particularly opinionated about airpods and they are not about to try arguing about something technological they don’t quite understand with the younger ones (most inferna, queen of style and social sense that she is).
as you can tell… I have thought a lot about this djskjksjks
As I haven’t actually established a year system in my world yet, I’ve used the birthdate of one of my main OCs, Angelica, as the year “0″ in this timeline. The position of my three main WIPs - Valkrya, Cursed Queen and Deus - are shown in relation to the events of Angelica’s lifetime. Deus follows the next generation of characters including some of the children from Valkrya, while Cursed Queen connects the two works by expanding the world and setting up the overarching plot. Below you can learn about all these WIPs and read excerpts from them.
@forlornraven made it impossible for me not to write this. This will probably end up in the final draft of book two because I love their relationship so much!!
Luna stared at the wall behind Maria, unable to meet her gaze. She took a shaky breath. “I don’t expect you to forgive me. I know I was a terrible person and I pushed you away and I will never not hate myself for it, so if you hate me too,” she said, tears pricking her eyes, “then… that’s okay. But I love you, Maria. So much. And I have since we were sixteen years old and you first taught me how to be brave.” She began to sob, and Maria reached out and put a hand on her arm. “And I don’t want you to leave. I don’t know what I’ll do without you, because for the past nine years you’ve been everything to me. So… please don’t go. Please.”
Maria cupped Luna’s cheek in her palm, tilting her head so that their eyes met. “Luna,” she said softly. “It’s okay.” She put her arms around Luna, hugging her.
Luna sobbed uncontrollably into Maria’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she choked out, “I’m so sorry.”
Maria stroked her hair. “It’s okay, Lu. We’re okay.”
All the emotions that Luna had bottled up over the past few months poured out of her. She couldn’t stop crying, because with every sob the weight on her heart lifted a little more.
“I could never hate you,” Maria said, her voice wavering. “I like you too much for that.” She pulled back and gently wiped away Luna’s tears. A hint of her infectious smile touched her face, and Luna couldn’t help but smile back, just a little.
“Maria?”
“Mm?”
It was time to be a little bit brave. “Will you marry me?”
Maria’s expression turned to joy. “I thought you’d never ask,” she said, laughing.
“So… that’s a yes?” Luna still wasn’t sure she could breathe out.
“Of course, silly,” cried Maria, embracing Luna tightly.
Luna felt the heaviness in her chest dissipate. There was still everything – the country, the crown, the world. But for the first time in years, Luna let it all go.
About: I had a really horrible day today so I didn’t write much at all, but in terms of my goal of writing 1,000 words a day I have got 4,000 words down over 4 days so I think I’m okay? This is just a scene I was planning to write for a while. It might need some tweaking because
“Will that be all?”
Inferna smiled, checking her hair in the mirror. “Yes, thank you Claire.”
Her maid nodded and left the room, passing Luna in the doorway. Inferna stared into the mirror as her sister entered, cursing inwardly. She really didn’t want to speak to her right now. Luna was already dressed for the evening, her shiny black hair neatly curled. It was weird how much she looked like Mama. She crossed the room and sat on the edge of Inferna’s bed, making eye contact with her in the reflection.
“Come to give me a lecture?” Inferna asked icily, turning around in her chair. She almost regretted the words.
“No, of course not. Why would you think that?”
“I saw the way you looked at me when I came in earlier,” she said, glaring.
Luna shook her head. “I don’t know what you mean.”
As if you don’t. Inferna felt anger rising in her. Who did Luna think she was talking to? Aquilla? “You don’t approve of Nerism,” she snapped accusingly.
“I’m not sure where you got that from,” said Luna blankly.
“Sorry, let me rephrase that. You don’t approve of me.”
A pained expression crossed Luna’s face. “I am not our father,” she said quietly.
Inferna felt a bit sick in her stomach. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I love you, Inferna. And I support you, no matter what. So I don’t care who you go out with, because I know you and I trust you to make good decisions. And so does Mama.”
“Right,” Inferna said sarcastically. “I’m sure she does.”
Luna looked at her imploringly. “Fern…”
“It’s- it’s just that-” Inferna felt her heart tremble and tears began to form in her eyes. She tried to will them away, but thinking about it only made them fall faster. “I’m really scared, Lu,” she admitted, staring at her hands. “I don’t want Ange to die and I’m just… really lonely.”
“Oh.” Luna patted the bed next to her and Inferna went and sat down, tears trickling down her face silently. “Fern, I’m scared too. I’m terrified. But the best we can do is keep busy and do whatever we can to help them all from here,” she said gently, putting her arm around her.
Inferna felt wrong. She hated crying. Why was everything so messy?
“And you’re not alone,” Luna continued, “you have Aquilla and me.”
“Do I? Aquilla is always at the hospital or with Marise, and you have to be busy bring queen nearly all the time. And I- I don’t mind at all, but that’s why I like spending time with Nerism. He’s there, and he actually likes me for me. And I like him.”
Luna leaned back and carefully wiped away Inferna’s tears. “The reason why I looked upset earlier was nothing to do with him. It was because I was so relieved, Fern, that you were okay. Because I hadn’t heard from you for a while, and Aquilla had just disappeared, and I was scared too. Really scared.”
“I’m sorry,” she said shakily.
“I’m sorry, too,” said Luna. “We’re here for each other, right?”
She sniffed. “Yes, we are.”
“Now, let me fix up your makeup and we can go down. I invited your young Terran friends to come for dinner, so there’ll be here soon.”
Inferna smiled faintly. “Thanks, Lu. I love you.”
Luna bent down to kiss her forehead. “And I love you too, Fern. So much.”
Her mother looked up, setting down her pen and standing. It was uncanny how closely Luna resembled her. They had the same black hair, strong features and blue eyes. Of all her sisters, Luna was the only one who really looked like their mother – Angelica, Aquilla and Inferna all took after their father with their softer, more delicate features and lighter hair. Their only real difference was Luna’s short haircut, while her mother’s greying hair was long and ornately curled.
This is just from an earlier chapter because I haven’t written much in the past few days :)
Fictober Day #2: “People like you have no imagination.”
OCs: Aquilla (POV) and Marise - Valkrya
Word count: 1550
About: This sentence struck me as a very Marise thing to say, so I chose her and Aquilla for this one. This will probably end up going in the first draft of Valkrya when I get up to it! The Noël Levett in this piece is one of the people Aquilla and Marise investigate as they search for the moles in the palace. This is so absolutely not edited so please give it some leeway :)
Aquilla watched as the man handed over a plain envelope to Noël, who quickly slipped it into his inside coat pocket. The pair exchanged a few words before shaking hands and walking away in opposite directions.
“We need that letter,” she hissed to Marise. This could be all the proof they needed to prove Noël’s guilt.
Marise nodded and slipped from behind her pillar, following Noël. Aquilla fell into step behind her, trying to walk as silently as she could in her heeled Mary-Janes. She wished she’d worn slightly more practical shoes like Marise, but at least these weren’t as difficult to walk in as the sorts of the flapper shoes Inferna sometimes wore.
Marise paused at the bottom of a staircase, peeking around the edge of the wall. “He’s going into his office,” she murmured.
Aquilla bit her lip nervously. “How are we going to get the letter off him?”
“I have a few ideas,” Marise replied, grinning.
“You’re not going to seduce him, are you?” she asked.
Marise snorted uncharacteristically. “Of course not. You’ve read to many novels written by clueless men. No,” she said, “my plan is better than that.”
“Please don’t set anything on fire,” Aquilla begged.
“People like you have no imagination,” said Marise, smiling cryptically.
Aquilla sighed. “Well, what can I do to help?”
“We’re not going to try to steal it now. He’s probably only just reading it and will notice if it disappears right away. This plan will take a little while, but we’ll just have to deal with that. Now, Your Highness, do you happen to remember what event is taking place at the palace tonight?” Marise was grinning as if she were quite pleased with herself.
Aquilla scanned her brain, trying to remember. She hadn’t really been going to dinners or anything recently, preferring to spend the time in the hospital. Tonight… tonight was… It hit her like a flash. “The charity ball,” she said.
“Correct! And our dear Noël Levett will be there.”
“But won’t you have to go to?”
Marise nodded. “I will, but you won’t.”
She realised what Marise was asking of her. “Me? Break into his office and steal from him? I really know don’t how much of a good idea that is,” she said. She didn’t even know how to pick a lock. And what if she ran into someone and they recognised her?
“Look, I know it’s a lot, but who else is there to do it? Noël can’t get wind of this and we don’t know who we can trust.”
“What about Mr Tokene?”
“I don’t know where Nerism is.”
“I have no idea how to pick a lock.”
Marise tapped her fingers against her thigh. “We’ll both come to the concert tonight. I’ll find a way to steal Noël’s keys, you can take them and go to his office, get what we need. Then you can come back and I’ll return his keys.”
That would be cutting it dangerously close. “That seems risky. What if he leaves before I get back and finds his keys missing? What if you can’t even get the keys off him until it’s too late?”
“It’s a risk we’ve got to take. We have to get this letter if we want to expose Noël and whoever it is he’s working with. If he can’t find his keys, he’ll just think he lost them. It happens all the time.”
A servant came out of a door nearby and Marise immediately grabbed Aquilla’s arm, walking away towards the gates. “I could go instead, but I’m just afraid that people will… notice me more.”
“It’s okay,” Aquilla said, steeling herself. “I’ll do it.”
“Are you sure?”
Aquilla glared at her. “Yes.”
Marise smiled and checked her watch. “5 o’clock. I’d better get back to the embassy.”
“I should go home and get dressed if I’m going to be at this party after all.”
They found the car where they’d left it one street down, Marise climbing into the driver’s seat. It felt strange to sit in the front of the car after years of always sitting in the back.
“I’ll drop you back at the palace first,” Marise offered.
“Thank you.”
They drove in complete silence the whole way. Marise seemed oddly relaxed for someone who was plotting to pickpocket a man’s keys so her friend could rob his office. Aquilla’s mind was racing a million miles a minute. Maybe she’d made a mistake in telling Marise she could do this.
The car was stopped at the gates, but they were let through the moment the guard caught sight of Aquilla’s face. She offered them a tentative smile.
“Until we meet again, Your Highness,” Marise said as Aquilla stepped down from the car.
“Yes, I’ll see you soon,” she replied softly before closing the door.
None of her sisters were anywhere to be found that evening. She ran into Maria in the corridor, who was already dressed for the evening, wearing a light pink dress woven with tiny jewels, and delicate pearl jewellery. The smile she gave Aquilla was a little less than sincere, so she decided not to ask whether Maria had seen Luna today.
She put on the first nice dress she could find - a silver and black one with minimal jewels - and picked her most sensible heels to wear on her feet. She wished she could be a bit brave like Marise and wear white tie sometimes, even though it wasn’t really that “her”. It would be easier to wear pants and practical shoes to events where she’d need to be standing for extended periods of time. She let Florence do a bit with her hair, but she was already running late so she opted for a more simple style.
She’d decided on her excuse for leaving early. She was just going to say she was “needed at the hospital” because it seemed unlikely that anyone was going to refute that.
Some people had already arrived when she came downstairs. Luna was there to greet them, wearing white tie tonight rather than her Valkryan-blue jacket. She acknowleged her sister with a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I’m glad to see you tonight, Aquilla. I thought you were going to be busy,” she said.
“Yes, well, I might be. But I’m here for now.”
“Your friend Ms Kaiyo has arrived,” said Luna, nodding her head towards the door.
Marise was coming in alongside Mr Miyara and Aquilla made a beeline for her immediately. The modern band had started playing and she had to dodge a few people starting to dance. When she came around, Marise was already talking to someone who had entered just after her - Noël.
Well, I guess we’re doing this. She stuck to the wall, watching as Marise spoke cheerfully with Levett as a footman took his coat and scarf for him. Slowly, Marise reached out and tugged at the coat so that the servant dropped it on the floor.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, that was me,” she heard Marise say as she moved closer. Marise bent down to help the servant pick it up, and Aquilla smiled as she saw her friend’s quick fingers dip into the pocket and remove a set of keys without notice. Marise placed the coat back in the footman’s arms, apologising again. She nodded goodbye to Noël before making her way across to where Aquilla stood against the wall.
“There you go,” she murmured, pressing the keys into Aquilla’s hand.
“You did that rather artfully,” she remarked.
Marise smiled. “It happens to be one of my special talents.”
Aquilla took a deep breath. She’d imagined getting more a chance to prepare before she headed off to Noël’s office. At least this way she had the most time to actually carry out the act, though.
“If someone asks, just tell them I was needed at the hospital,” she said. “I’ll be back soon.”
“See you then. Good luck.” Marise walked away inconspicuously, falling back into line with Mr Miyara. She threw Aquilla a final smile over her shoulder.
Aquilla sighed. Better to try to get this over with. She slid through a door into the next room along and made her way silently through the palace. Each dark and unoccupied room only heightened her sense of anxiety and she breathed in the fresh air of the back steps relievedly. It was only then that she realised she’d have to have one of the chauffeurs drive her to Noël’s flat, which would be far too suspicious and could jeopardise her and Marise’ plan.
The crunching of gravel made her realise she wasn’t alone.
“Inferna?” she gasped.
Her sister was standing with Marise’ co-assistant Nerism at the base of the steps. She was still wearing her clothes from that morning and looked up when she heard her sister.
“Lilla?”
Aquilla hurried down the stairs. “Fern, I need you to drive me somewhere.”
Inferna glanced at Nerism and then back at her. “What? Right now?”
She nodded. “It’s urgent, and I can’t ask one of the drivers because they might give something away.”
Her sister stared at her. “What do you mean, “give something away”?”
Aquilla felt her cheeks heat up. “Well, this is going to sound rather mad but…”
*breathes heavily* less,, a chance to talk about my playlists... Thanks @bethwrotethis for tagging me!
Rules: list the top three songs for each of your OCs.
Angelica
Youth by Daughter
13 Beaches by Lana Del Rey
I Said Hi by Amy Shark
Luna
The Scientist by Coldplay
Paradise by Coldplay
I Of the Storm by Of Monsters and Men
Aquilla
Organs by Of Monsters and Men
The Humming by Enya
Hurricane by MS MR
Inferna
Ride by Lana Del Rey
Starry Eyed by Ellie Goulding
Enchanted by Taylor Swift
Nicolai
I Found by Amber Run
You by Keaton Henson
Forever Ago by Woodlock
Marise
River by Bishop Briggs
Toy Soldiers by Martika
Send Me An Angel by Real Life
Maria
Deleted by Amy Shark
Haunted by Taylor Swift
Empire by Of Monsters and Men
Nerism
Pyscho by Amy Shark
Wilson (Expensive Mistakes) by Fall Out Boy
Skyfall by Adele
Caroline (antagonist)
Personal by Stars
Off To the Races by Lana Del Rey
National Anthem by Lana Del Rey
I mean, there are way, way more which you can find on my (slightly messy) playlists on Spotify! There are a couple of double-ups, but I hope you like them!
➙ Angelica & Nicolai
➙ Luna & Maria
➙ Inferna & Nerism
Tagging (if you want to do it): @novelistcore @ava-burton-writing @delphwrites @the-overgrowth and anyone else who wants to :)
Since Luna Valkyrie was five years old, she knew that one day she was going to be queen. Her mother had experienced a moment of softness and given her eldest daughter a piece of advice.
“You will have to make some very hard decisions, Luna. Try to be brave.”
