so, i was gonna jump on @starwright 's open tag [here], but @firesidefantasy tagged me on it [here] before i could do it. it's a really good picrew, and it was very fun
i'm tagging @lizardperson @elkieselkiewrites @vauhna and @ace-malarky plus open tag for anyone who wants in
You can use this picrew as your profile picture or in any other way that isn't commercial. You can edit it slightly, like putting a color la
i did the main cast of Elegy to the Desperate Stars, so you can find them under the cut
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đDragon: What is one thing your character would protect at all costs?
ooo, this is such an interesting questionx tysm!
i have some very interesting answers for you from Elegy To The Desperate Stars
Aira and Ele want to protect each other. they are extremely dedicated to this, and it actually puts them at odds with each other on occasion, as they don't always agree on what's dangerous. they also sometimes step over each other's agency, as they go behind each other's back to block the way to danger
Beriel wants to protect his heritage and identity. it's already tough as-is being the kid of a Livi's host, but being a rich merchant and a noblewoman's firstborn on top of it? hellish. of course people need to legally know he exists, but Beriel hasn't gone by her actual first name since she was twelve. and also, she shapeshifts very often and very publicly, because that's not a thing shirevis can do so she couldn't possibly be her parents' son
Dani wants to protect his own peace of mind. he has had enough of loving people and getting burnt for it, so he's just stopped. he has his five people and he's fine, thank you very much. trying to care for someone new would simply be setting himself up for pain. (and then Aira and Ele enter the picture)
and then, two more really interesting answers from the two antagonists
Sonia. Sonia wants to protect her sense of self. unfortunately that sense of self has been weaponized by the bbeg, so it requires her to be the smartest, it requires her to be useful, it requires her to the prettiest, it requires her to fit in and be invisible but also to be exceptional. and Sonia really can't do all of that
and then Laura, Aira's mother. she wants to protect her pride. she has this facade of everything working out just fine and of being fully in control of herself and her surroundings. but it's just that. it's a facade, and it's very hollow underneath, and that's all she tries to protect. what's beneath the facade is fully on its own
jumping on @starwright 's open tag [here] as well as @firesidefantasy 's [here]. have a little something from me trying to catch up on the fff i skipped
How did she get here? Empty walls in an emptier house. Shaking with fear. Unable to talk. Resorting to cryptic messages and the flimsy hope that Eleonora will catch on, because she knows Aira won't. Maybe Dani will, even if he hates her. Even if everything between them shattered, and it was her fault.
iii will tag @lizardperson @aalinaaaaaa @askyaphelion @inspirationallybored plus an open tag
i was tagged by @cat-esper for this [find theirs here], and i'm tagging in return @lizardperson @firesidefantasy @elkieselkiewrites and @ace-malarky, plus open tag for whoever wants in
your lines are:
A line you're proud of
A line inspired by a friend
A line showing off your world
A line with double implications
my lines are:
A line that's a lie
A line that's a confession
A line that's funny
A line that's painful
have some passages from the old draft of Elegy to the Desperate Stars (the new one is still in prep phase TwT)
a line that's a lie
Eleonora huffs and flicks her arm harshly enough that Aira feels it through the jacket. «Good enough. But you need to tell me these things. Or one of these days youâre going to land yourself in big trouble with no help.»
Aira chuckles, even though her mind is going right to the Lanthorn. «Right, yeah. Canât have that.»
Gods, Eleâs gaze nearly burns as she narrows it on her. «Yeah,» she says, and Aira can hear the suspiciusness in her voice. «Which is why weâre telling the others as soon as we can.»
«What, no,» Aira exclaims, startling a couple of nearby pigeons. She whirls around, only to find Ele with an impressive glare. She shivers. «Iâm not saying we donât tell them at all, Iâm just saying⊠Look, Zhan and Krin and the others Iâve talked to have all been nice and really helpful and itâs not like we tell each other private stuff, yâknow? And itâs not like I think theyâre idefexi. I just wanted a way to check, yeah?» she says, sending a hopeful look at Ele.
Ele doesnât budge. If anything, she looks even more skeptical. «Oh really? Would you let me stay in the room while you talk to them then?»
Aira opens her mouth, but interrupts herself without a sound. She grimaces.
a line that's a confession
The silence hangs. Leo raises a hand and tucks a stray hairlock behind her ear. His eyes land on the marks on her cheek. «What woke you up?»
«Thatâs complicated.»
«ThenâŠÂ» Leo trails off, looking towards the window that faces the forest. He sighs. «What did vie show you?»
Aira looks at him. His gaze is both far away and right on her. She gulps. «Vie was trapped. There was a sigil, and I copied it to free viem. IâŠÂ» she shakes her head, clutches at the highlighter. «I did magic, Leo. I actually did it.»
Leo smiles and gently ruffles her hair. «And it freed viem?»
Airaâs voice is breathy in her throat. «Yeah. Vie showed me⊠some things. I didnât understand them. But she made me feel the sigil again, and she showed me this, and then everything collapsed. And I know this is important. Thereâs⊠a clue here. I just donât know what it is.»
«It will probably come to you easier if you get some rest,» Leo says.
Aira looks at him. She shakes her head. «No. No, I donât think I can go back to sleep. I⊠Itâs allâ Fuck,» she interrupts herself, looking away. The mana from the forest reaches out, brushing over her. She shivers. Her eyes land back on Leo. «Can you feel it?» she whispers.
Leo looks confused for a second, but then his shoulders slump. «I can.»
Aira sucks in a breath. She forces her shoulders to lower, but the tension doesnât leave her spine. «How long?»
«A while.»
«LeoâŠÂ»
Leo looks at her. His eyes are so sad. Framed by slowly whitening hair, he looks older than he is. «Twelve years.»
a line that's funny
Despite the gray and humid atmosphere, the place is really pretty. And busy too, with plenty of people moving along the main street both in groups and on their own. Itâs not as busy as back in July, on that one occasion that Aira destroyed her sense of taste on some skewers, but itâs still enough to liven the mood by a lot.
It's made way different by Sonia at her side, brushing close the way she does in university, with quiet suggestions and giggled commentary. It's unusual but... nice? Though, Aira has seen Ele glance back with furrowed brows multiple times.
Itâs Daniele, who for all that he acts posh and classy has the manners of a brute, that snaps his fingers right in Airaâs face while Sonia is whispering something about a cat cafe. «Bet you you canât handle a bowl of tteokbokki.»
Aira immediately whirls around to face him, Sonia completely forgotten. «You know what, fuck you. Bet you you canât.»
«Oh yeah?» he says, completely impassible. No. No, almost lazily, with his hands carelessly in the coat pockets as theyâve been since he threw the empty bubble tea cup in the trash. Heâs so infuriating.
«Yeah. Put your money where your mouth is, bitch.»
a line that's painful
A little ways away, under the noise of the crowd, a voice whispers. «Oh Tahila.»
Aleji turns to glance a little ways behind where Aira came from and freezes.
It shouldnât surprise them, but Leonardo feels older. He doesnât look much older, though thereâs specks of gray in his hair and crowâs feet at the edge of his eyes.
But though he may look in his mid thirties, Aleji just gets caught into the manâs eyes. Theyâre nearly ancient, heavy with something like fear and sadness and something Aleji canât tell, and thatâs terrifying. Never has Aleji not been able to read peopleâs emotions. Not since thirteen years ago.
But then Leonardo is walking closer, and Aira and Ele are still talking to each other and Aleji canât ask for help. They can just freeze, because thereâs magic surrounding Leonardo that theyâre sure wasnât there last time, and he has a large black umbrella that shouldnât make him seem as intimidating as he does.
Leonardo stops in front of them, just a step away. Heâs shorter than them, though that doesnât take away from his presence. Aleji can barely meet his eyes, a warm brown so dark that itâs nearly black.
That doesnât stop Leonardo. «Itâs really you,» he whispers. He reaches out with a hand, and stops an inch from Alejiâs face. Aleji doesnât move. They meet Leonardoâs eyes. Theyâre watery, and filled with grief and hope, and he lays his hand on their cheek.
His thumb is exactly over the scar that crosses his eye under the glamour. «What did they do to you?»
azzyyyyy can you talk about Sonia? whats her deal? đđ
ah, i should have expected this. your love of toxic women is well known
so, Sonia. she's... definitely a character i should have included in the list of problematic characters, but i didn't really think of her much at the time as she's a book 1 exclusive. as for her deal, her deal involves a lot of being a triad of narrative foils with Aira and Dani, so expect the two of them to be mentioned a bunch as well
[tw for mentions of dubious consent and drugging]
for starters, Sonia is the main antagonist of book 1. she's a course mate of Aira's in uni, but Aira knows her because she used to be class representative with Ele (whom Aira is soulbonded to) back in highschool. and Aira has held a grudge for forever because during their highschool graduation Sonia accidentally fell on Ele and made her fall down the stairs. Aira's been convinced Sonia did it on purpose since (she did) but has no proof nor motive so she got called paranoid a lot for it
aside from this tidbit of backstory you get really early into the book, here is more information. Sonia is an enchantress, which is a specific type of mind mage specialized in altering people's emotions, but also can slightly alter people's perception of the world around them. that's a trick she uses a bunch to make people not notice when she slips up about not being fully human
speaking of, she isn't fully human! she's half deri'keriji on her mother's side, which means that under the glamour she wears 24/7 she cuts her claws short and has a (very pretty actually) pair of horns. most people who know she's magic think she's shirevi, but that couldn't be more wrong (she mirrors Dani in that)
as for her deal, she is a fear-driven character, and that makes her so fucking interesting and dynamic to me as she can go so far just by putting her fears right there in the corner
and this is where she acts as a foil to Dani and Aira in that her fear reflects Dani's resignation and Aira's determination. the three of them are all outsiders, but where Aira is determined to not let people's prejudices and ideas of what's allowed stop her and Dani has given up on being accepted by anyone beyond his close circle, Sonia clings desperately to any scrap of affection and approval thrown her way and she is willing to do anything for more
so in the past, fresh off of acquiring abandonment issues because of her mixed heritage, Sonia clung to the one figure in her surroundings who was both a) mixed and b) outspoken: Vez. and Vez is Dani's guardian
and let me tell you this, Sonia and Dani were actually friends (and later genuinely together) at first. their feelings were real, and Dani's more casual affection was great for Sonia while at the same time Sonia was an incredibly supportive part of Dani's inner circle
but
Sonia is completely and totally controlled by her fears and insecurities. and Dani is notably both also extremely platonically affectionate (just in quiet ways, like cooking for someone or helping them brush their hair, or taking care of them while they're sick) and very very very asexual and sex repulsed. you can imagine how Sonia took the multiple rejections to anything more than some light making out
this is what leads to Dani's pov in The Sweetest Of Them All. and that leads to Sonia and Dani's explosive and violent and horrible breakup that leaves actual ashes and scorchmarks in its way. it was so destructive that the people around Dani put him back on suicide watch (he has a history of bad mental health) but Sonia had none of that. in fact, Sonia was alone, and vulnerable, and had a very obvious exploitable weakness as a promising mind mage
when i tell you, that is some premium free real estate for the bbeg of the series, who needs a way to get rid of enemies (political and not) in a discreet enough manner that said enemies won't even notice. one such nuisance is someone on earth who has the potential to be a threat and ruin said bbeg's plan but isn't yet there. still, better to take care of things when they're not a problem yet and so Sonia is tasked with getting Aira out of the way. how? well that is up to Sonia for as long as Aira is not a problem
however if you're familiar with Aira you may know that she is very aroace. attraction is not contemplated, and even if it were Aira actively hates Sonia at first. so Sonia's usual tricks don't work and she needs to use a far heavier hand
trying not to spoil how things get to that point, i think it's obvious that it becomes necessary for Sonia to pretty much drug Aira with love spell-adjacent magic considering the state Aira is in throughout both The Sweetest Of Them All and Follow My Lead (my other piece with Sonia). however, if you think people around Aira haven't noticed you'd be sorely wrong
problem is convincing her she's under a spell. as you can imagine, Sonia is not very in favour of letting Aira go
p.s. sorry this took so long. my thoughts about Sonia are already non-linear at best, and exam season is making me extra slow
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đ§ What food/drink do they hate that everyone else loves?
đȘ„ Whatâs their most oddly specific daily routine?
đȘ What do they secretly hate about their own appearance?
woo. Sonia, okay. the most toxic girl of all times whom i love so much
edit: goddamn tripped on meh feet and hit post gimme a minute
edit 2: finally have your reply @lizardperson
so, Sonia. i have for you one normal answer, one vaguely threatening answer and one feral answer, let's go
number 1, đ§ What food/drink do they hate that everyone else loves?
Sonia actually has a few things she really doesn't like. anything particularly sour or bitter is a no go, and she drowns most of her drinks in sugar and syrups. however those syrups cannot absolutely be fruit syrups, and especially not strawberry, cherry or mango. really, in general fruit is very hit or miss with her
she also has a mild dislike for avocado, and gets offended when people tell her she looks like the type to eat avocado on toast
off to the worrying answer we go, đȘ„ Whatâs their most oddly specific daily routine?
every weekday on the way back to her apartment from university Sonia goes to this specific bakery to get herself a very sugary coffee, a treat for herself and a bag of meringue biscuits. once at the apartment, she laces said meringue biscuits with a love potion
she also closes the blinds immediately after getting back, or if she doesn't get out then she doesn't open them at all. 90% of the time, she won't have the lights on either. those get turned on only to cook, clean and study
and last but not least, đȘ What do they secretly hate about their own appearance?
so. allow me to go feral now. i've mentioned before that Sonia is a halfblood; deri'keriji on her mother's side and human on her father's side. ever since she moved to Izerko after her parents' divorce, she's had a problem with looking too human. her teeth aren't sharp enough, her nails are blunt, her eyes are wrong, her marks are faded, it's all off
and for a while that's not a problem. not too much of one at least. she's around a bunch of other halfbloods, like Inspector Dernot and an odd-couple of friends and she's dating Dani, and Dani is very wary of magic but he still calls her beautiful, and Dani doesn't lie so she must be beautiful, right?
but then that explosive breakup with Dani happens, and Sonia loses contact with the halfblood friends and ends up in the hands of the bbeg. this is a problem for multiple reasons but also because it pulls Sonia into a circle of mostly pureblood deri'keriji and deri'seneis, which shoots up her insecurities about being a halfblood like they're on crack
to add insult to injury, the bbeg gets Sonia a "gift" to help her in her mission for him: a glamour that makes her appear fully human since her mission is on Earth (which Sonia hates, Earth is a bad place to her). but the glamour is also ever so slightly off. it makes her eyes appear wider and more doe-like, it covers up her freckles and it makes her chin look softer. Sonia hates it from the start, but then she finds out the glamour is stuck to her. she can't take it off
so in the end? Sonia is extremely disphoric. she cannot look at her reflection, because she doesn't see herself, she sees a stranger that hits the uncanny valley spot of just a little too different. i have the difference between her looks in a couple picrews (i have not had the chance to draw her yet ;-; ) so lemme pull them up
