#heartsworn sister

[writeahurricane]

Cursed Heritage Main Cast

Tanya Fairwood

16 years old when the story starts

She hasn’t really given much thought to her sexuality, but probably demisexual.

Cis Female

Likes to read and write and journal, even if she doesn’t usually have the time for it.

Hates spicy food

Has a high tolerance for pain

Prefers clothes with darker colors; like dark blues or black.

Erraine Kowlwitz

16 years old when the story starts

Aroace; and honestly, the only relationships they care to cultivate is with their friends and family.

Nonbinary, with a preference for they/them pronouns.

They’re that of an Infernal race (which is essentially the demonic race of this world).

They have four arms! (Take pity on me, it’s impossible to find a Picrew that I like that lets you have multiple arms)

Their happy go-lucky nature almost makes them seem somewhat eccentric. Almost always bouncing off the walls, until their mom needs something and then they (try) to reign their self in.

Pretty much friends with everyone, though they have a select few close friends.

They have difficulty sitting still for long so their hobbies mostly consist of bugging their best friends to hang out.

HUGE people pleaser.

Mikhael Rowlf

17 when story starts

He doesn’t really care for labels (but he’s gay)

Cis Male

He’s from a race called the Beastkin.

In contrast to Erraine’s happy go lucky nature, he’s regularly moody, prone to snarky behavior, and tends to skip class. To his teachers chagrin.

He has very few friends and prefers to keep it that way.

If there’s one class he likes, it’s P.E.

Is very much a ‘go with the flow’ kind of person.

Has a crush on Caellum

Valerie Lovedoll

Also 17

Asexual

Cis Female

From the Infernal Race (not pictured in the picrew a thin, black tail with a red, heart shaped tip)

She developed a crush on the MC from the moment she saw her for the first time.

She’s shy and prone to not speaking her mind when she should. Prefers to be silent and let other people speak. She often experiences crises where her sexuality’s concerned.

Likes to read and draw and dabbles in fashion.

She belongs to the art club.

Caellum Heartsworn

16 years old at the start

Pansexual

Nonbinary and is referred with they/them pronouns

From the Celestial race (think of them as this world’s angels. They often look like normal humans, unless you can see their wings. And the only ones that can are supremely strong magical users. (Even Tanya can only see a faint glimmer)

Knows way more than they should

Has trouble realizing that people actually want to help them from the bottom of their heart.

They don’t really have time for their own hobbies (especially with the safety of the world a concern)

Her a twin sister and an older brother

Aurora Heartsworn

16 years old at the start

Caellum is her twin sibling

Cis female

Not quite sure about her sexual/romantic attraction, but she really likes feminine people!

She doesn’t currently get along with either of her siblings; she just vastly disagrees with how to solve a significant problem plaguing their world

Is known to be quite sadistic to her classmates in PE, often putting them through the wringer as teacher’s assistant

Like her twin sibling, also knows way more than she should; and has no problem being cryptic to Tanya

Is very much into sports

[inkedwolf-compendium]

30 Days of Uncommon Character Questions

Day 2: Does your character have an accent? What does it sound like?

Born and raised in Gilneas, something her accent might give away if someone listened closely. It isn’t as deep as most, like the deep Gilnean Codespeak (Cockney) accent adopted by the more common folk. Instead, it is a subtle reminder of the place she once called home (Slight English Accent). 

It is more pronounced when she is behind a bar, slinging drinks, leaning more towards the codespeak side. She often drops her G’s to mask the fact that, despite the fact that she is working a common job, she is in fact a noble born and bred lady of Gilneas. 

A day late and a dollar short. Playing catch up since I missed this one yesterday. Posted and tagged by @karicharbonneau.

@the-outliers 

[inkedwolf-archive]

Mac used her thumb to flick her tattooing machine to life, the tell-tale buzz filling the air. The humming tune of the art to come. Reaching up, she dipped the tip into the little vat that held the black ink, letting the hollow needle plunge up the pigment.

@karicharbonneau Thank you so much for sharing this scene with me. Although it has always been part of Mac’s history and backstory that she is a tattoo artist, you’re my first official victim to play out a tattooing scene with me. <3 

[my-folkoftheair-headcanons]

Taryn’s possible role in the trilogy...

Okay, so I’m gonna pull out one of my theories regarding Taryn, what she did in TWK and what she (presumably) does in TQoN:

For starters, thanks to her novella, we know Taryn is not only a lot smarter and potentially cunning that most of us thought her to be in TCP, but that she’s really has a problem with a “think like a romance novel” trope, except you scratch the romance novel and put fairytale instead, and finally, that she is deeply jealous of Jude.

Moreover so, because she thinks she is the one who should be the “protagonist” of the story because she is the “good” girl who plays by the rules set by Faerie, whereas Jude is brash, and too bold for her own good; in her head, Jude being the one who outstages her in being a pivotal figure in Faerie’s future is unfair to her, we know she thought like this with a small thing like Locke turning his attention towards her, who knows how much more she felt when she saw Jude playing her Kingmaker role and becoming seneschal of the High King? My bet is that she didn’t felt so good, heck even her long-awaited wedding was “crashed” by the sea folk taking Jude hostage, we don’t see the immediate aftermath in land but I can only imagine that this pretty much eclipsed the wedding.

Although maybe part of her bitterness was toned down when Taryn, like Madoc thought that Jude was besotted with Cardan and was more of a figurehead than anything, probably thinking that despite what Jude believed, they weren’t so different after all, that she thought by being her sister, Jude’s position would end up being good for her too.

Now, imagine what she must have felt like if Madoc choose to tell her the real arrangement Jude and Cardan had, that Jude commanded the High King, that she was the one literally running Faerie behind scenes? While saying that she “snapped” might be a harsh word, I have no better term for what she could have reacted, why she was willing to obey Madoc when he told her what to do the moment Cardan was vulnerable, and let’s not forget that after Madoc dissapears there’s no mention of Taryn either, so chances are she is with him too.

Then there’s the excerpt with her stating that she killed Locke; most of the fandom seems torn on rejoicing on his death and suspecting Taryn is playing another trick on Jude, and honestly that’s fair I’m not here to try to disprove anything, just to throw another possibility.

I think if Taryn did not kill Locke, she is very likely to do so anyway in the book (or maybe not killing him but even disposing of him in some other way), why do I think this when we see that she seems to think of him as her entire world, her story? When she said to Jude that everything is better when she is with him? When Jude herself compared Taryn to a love interest that dissapeared when her loved one was no around? 

Because of this simple sentence spoke by Taryn in The Lost Sisters: “I realized that Locke might teach me lessons, but he wasn’t going to like what I did once I learned them.”

This followed immediatly by her roping him into a deal of marrying her on her terms, and with her idea of Locke keeping her “alive” in his story. For Taryn this was the best deal available to her in Faerie at that time, falling in love with one of the Folk, and through them becoming a story and live forever, making Faerie love her in that way.

But what if someone, namely Madoc, brought her a better deal? What if rather than being the beloved one of Locke? She instead becomes a princess, the princess of Faerie no less? Because that’s what she would become if Oak is in the throne, Jude herself was tempted by the idea in TCP after all, and Taryn who is obssesed with being loved by Faerie but is also obssesed with fairytales filled with princesses who are good and dutiful etc? It seems like she would be far more attracted to the idea of finally becoming one than settling with Locke.

And what if, since she’s got a better deal, she decides she doesn’t need him, and disposes of Locke? Finally getting back at him for all he did after she has no use for him anymore? That would certainly be very fae-like of her.

The reason this idea came to me, was because recently I re-read the novella, and made me think that most of us thought Taryn had been Locke’s unwitting pawn in TCP, we thought he had roped her into the deal of marrying him if she could show him to become one of the Folk, and the novella completely turned this backwards, because it may have started out like this, but it was Taryn who made the deal, it was her with the end goal of being seen as one of the Folk, and her wish of being loved by them which Locke simply voiced out loud.

Who is to say that while we are here thinking that Madoc is using her as a pawn, and she is playing the role of the dutiful daughter (another frequent character in fairytales) she actually made a deal with him? What for? I don’t really know, but I have a suspicion is has to do with the whole ordeal of becoming Faerie’s beloved princess who helped his brother seat as the rightful High King, and now that Madoc has learned not to understimate his wards, accepted?

What if at the end is not Madoc who Jude has to face? But is Taryn instead? Her “mirror”, the one person she could become but didn’t? 

(This was partially inspired by the theory of the twins swords, Heartsworn and Heartseeker by the way.)

If this holds some water, then I think Taryn could earn my respect as a character, don’t get me wrong I would still hate her guts (because really she’s just so self-involved and hypocritical) but it would be a …respectful hatred rather than the pitiful hatred I currently feel for her.

[pappysgirl17]

"I'm not a monster!"

Darra Heartsworn knows that life is hard when you're different from everyone else. It doesn't matter if you like the same things they do, eat the same food or even play the same games all that matters to them is how you look and to them she looks like a monster. Darra just wants to live a peaceful life taking care of her younger sister Cayra out in the woods to shield Cayra from the harshness of the humans that live in the only village she can walk to and back home with hours of sunlight left in a day. One day while she's in the village her hood falls of as a human child runs into her while playing a game, screaming in surprise causeing the village to turn on Darra out of fear of her appearance. Attacking her forcing her to run, just outside the village with her right eye dripping blood from four slashes from some unknown weapon she screams at them trying to get them to understand "I'm not a monster!" But even as they walk away she knows she needs to grab Cayra and run.

[karicharbonneau]

Private Journal of Kari Charbonneau

Page 65

Well, this is it.  The hell have I gotten myself into now.   I won’t be writing in this again, not for a while. I’m shipping my journal back to Stormwind.   I can’t leave something as personal and revealing here.   I certainly can’t take it with me.  

I guess I should explain.   For whatever reason, I’ve talked myself into going undercover to try to figure out what some pirate crime boss low life wants with Wolfram.   I’m not even sure why I am doing it.   I have reasons, but part of me is starting to have second thoughts.   It’s dangerous.   Very dangerous.  One misstep and I could end up dead, or worse.  

I wouldn’t even be considering this if I didn’t feel like Sal was in danger.  If I didn’t feel like Mac was in danger.   Weirdly enough, there are even a couple others I might not want to die horribly.  Guess that’s how they get ya?  You fall in love with one, make connections to others.   Use that feeling to keep you.

Though it isn’t just that. I feel backed into a corner.  I refused to take Sal’s gold.   When I got my loans for my shop, I hadn’t figured in the fact that Wolfram was going to demand fifteen percent of my profits from a business they didn’t put a dime in.   Protection money they call it.   I don’t make enough in potions I make for Wolfram and between bills, loans, salary… the shop’s been open a little over a month, and I’m already looking at the possibility of closing my doors.  Losing not only my business but my home and my lab.  I’ve got to make up the difference somehow.

I told Gideon that if I did this, they were going to pay me dearly for it and he tried to tell me that I’m doing it for the pack.  No.   I’m doing it for the gold.   I’m not risking my life just for kicks.   I’m leaving behind everything I love, everything I care about.  Leaving my shop in the hands of my store manager.  Sal is the only person outside Gideon who even knows what I am doing.  I don’t know what Mac will do when I stop answer coms.   If I don’t die and they don’t pay me when I get back… I’m setting all their houses on fire. I swear…

I’m worried about stepping into Freehold.  It’s rough, I know it is.   I’ve got to play the part.   I have everything memorized and ready.  I’ve planned everything to the tiny detail.  Yet I know, it won’t go how I play.   I have to adapt.  I hate to say it, but I almost wish Strather was around.   He would have some nugget or fact that would help.  Sure, he was a first class piece of shit, but he knew the art of deception better than anyone I know.   He would tell me to show what I needed them to see.  Tell me how to stand.  How to hold my body.  How to speak with my eyes, or catch the eye of someone else by a whiff of perfume.   As weird as it sounds, considering where we came from, his voice will be the one in my head telling me how to do so something.   It’s strange how often I hear him.   Mostly, it makes me angry but sometimes, when it really matters, he speaks wise words.

I’m leaving on an early flight tomorrow in the morning.   Sal is telling everyone I went back to Stormwind.   I’m getting a place at Kennings Lodge.   I will ride down to Freeport from there.   They aren’t keen on outsiders, but it is a port.  Anyone can come and go, just have to be much much more careful.   I have the area scouted on a map.  I’m prepared to go straight to the bar I’ve been directed to.   I have clothing that will help me blend it.  I watched the crowd here in Boralus.  An old Drunk sitting on one of the boardwalks pointed out Southerners.   Noted what they were wearing.  He told me that it’s much warmer down there.  I figure my dark skin, dark hair and eyes will help me blend in better.  Can probably pass for someone from Booty Bay.  I know I won’t blend in, but it’s part of my plan.  I hope that I’m spotted by Theon, that I look out of sorts.   I want him to question me.  That’s when the real work starts.   If he accepts my story, everything else will be easy.  Or at least, less bullshit.  

Page 66

Anyway, so that’s the plan. Linny, if you are the one reading this. I’m probably dead, Sal as well.  I can’t leave you the shop due to the loans, but there is a hidden cache of gold in the basement.  Under the staircase, there is a rug.  Under that is a trap door to a crawl space.   There is gold hidden down there.  Take it and try to make the best of your life.  If you can find Mac, tell her I died in the field, and I love her.  She will always be my heartsworn sister.

Sal.  If this comes to you.   I’m sorry.  There are no words I can give you that will offer any comfort, and I know that.   I love you and if I am dead, know that I died happy because you will be my last thought.  Take the time you need but please don’t give up on the dreams we had. You can have a life full of love and fulfillment because you are a good man.   Any woman should feel proud to put you first in their life and look at you like you are everything.  

It’s strange, Sally.  I’m writing this, and while I know I will be okay, there is still that little what if that nags in the back of mind.   If something did happen to me, or to you.  You know I’m a practical person, and I don’t believe in a lot of things, but this last year I’ve seen a lot of things I didn’t believe in… suddenly mean everything.  You, marriage, children.  Things I never thought I could have that are suddenly so real with you in my life, and something keeps replaying in my mind.   Something that Sundiata said to me.  I can not remember the exact words, but he spoke a lot to me about the many lives we live.  That we bound to individual souls and we repeat things.  

My grandmother, when my grandfather died, she didn’t cry.   I asked why she didn’t, and she said that she knew she wasn’t far from seeing him again.  That she was excited to start the dance all over.   So if the worst should happen, Sally, remember we will dance again.   There was a reason we couldn’t stay away from each other.  Why it so effortlessly felt right.  I’ve never been so sure of something in my whole life.   We are fated to dance again.  

That or I’ve had too much whiskey, and I’m terrified.

I love you, Sally.

If for some reason my parents end up with this journal, read everything in there.   You tried hard to ruin my spirit, but your wind only fanned my flames.   Thank you for showing me the life I didn’t want to live.  Get a divorce and stop blaming your children for your mistakes.   Grow up.

((And always, as a private journal, the information is not open to the public ICly.  So please do not use information as if it is common knowledge. The information in this journal is from Kari’s viewpoint, and not all accounts are factual or accurate. They are merely Kari’s personal thoughts.))

[inkedwolf-compendium]

30 Days of Uncommon Character Questions

Day 1: What position does your character sleep in?

Mac slept alone for so many years. Even now that she has Tryn, she sprawls out in a nest of pillows and a tangle of blankets. Beg hog is a vast understatement. While Tryn happily plays the part of a living pillow, Mac rarely affords him more than a few inches of bed space. She is not a large creature, by far, yet somehow she uses her lithe and limber body to claim damn near every corner of the bed, twelve pillows, and ninety eight percent of the blankets each night. 

This was @karicharbonneau prompt originally, posted in our guild prompts as well as tumblr. I highly recommend giving this blog a look! She is a spectacular writer, with a beautiful character, and Mac’s heartsworn sister for life! 

[inkedwolf-compendium]

30 Days of Uncommon Character Questions

Day 3: Does your character have any noteworthy features? Freckles? Dimples? A scar somewhere unusual?

Most people who know Mac and see her in passing as they meander through her bar would say her tattoos are a noteworthy feature. Full sleeves on both arms, as well as, a raven and a wolf staring out from her chest, they are hard to miss if they are on display. As beautiful as they are, however, inked forever in her flesh, those that spend more time with her would pay little heed to the tattoos and notice Mac’s other features. The woman beneath the ink. 

To those rare few who truly know her, it was her eyes that made for her most notable feature. They were considered hazel, but not in the normal hues. Instead, pale blues, sea green, and rays of gold surrounded her pupils. All the hues created a beautiful pool that lay hidden behind long dark colored lashes.

If the sheer beauty of those eyes didn’t draw attention away from her inked skin, the intelligence lurking in her gaze surely did. Intelligence and something else. Something wild. Something dangerous that often revealed itself with an amber glint. 

Posted and tagged by the lovely @karicharbonneau. 

@the-outliers

[inkedwolf-archive]

A bit of Sister Time...

”Tears? Sadness? Time for drinking! I still can’t believe you spent that much on a bottle of whiskey, but damn was it good. “ - How Mac handles emotional moments.

@karicharbonneau

[karicharbonneau]

I love you more than Sal does. It's because I'm older. I have tenure even if he's known you longer. Woman logic. In all seriousness, though, you are amazing and a wonderful friend! Don't know what I would do without you. Love you to pieces!

Mac!  let’s run away together!  I love you to pieces girl.  It still amazes me how we became friends and how we are basically the same person.  You get me and that’s a really good feeling.  I know you always have my back even if no one else does.  Heartsworn sister!

[inkedwolf-archive]

Rituals of the Old Ways

A glimpse into a shared story with my heartsworn sister Kari that took place before Mac ventured to Kul’Tiras. So happy to have been able to be a part of this character arc for such a beautiful muse. With big change comes so many new and wonderful opportunities. I look forward to seeing just how Kari grows and develops in this new chapter of her life. 

After the Shift

Mac had returned to the man after Kari vanished into the tree line. A soft smile curled across her lips. To be young and free. There was nothing more pure. Kari had endured hell, both tonight and long before. But in that hell, she was forged into the wonderful woman she was today and now, the beast that resided inside her would temper her mind, body, and soul into something that would be a force to be reckoned with. Although Mac looked to Kari as a sister, it was hard not to have some manner of maternal pride in the way Kari took to her new shape.

Predators were a beautiful thing. Although she feared to be prey, Mac recognized Kari for what she was even before her own blood was injected into the spirited woman. She was a fierce and deadly hunter through and through. Now she had the means to show the world just how foolish it is to disturb resting monsters beneath calm waters.

The walk back to the manor wasn’t long, though Mac did take her time. Gilneas had been her home and everything from the scent of the rain, the sounds of the forest, and the brisk feeling of the air made her feel more alive and at peace than she had in some time. Part of that was likely due to her gifts. She was born and bred of this land and it was here that her powers felt at full force. She could feel the energy of every inch of the forest, flowing towards her, feeding her as a ley line would feed a mage. She didn’t need the arcane, however, her gift came from life itself and the primal power of the forest and the wild gods. Arcane was no match for the wild power of nature.

She walked with her eyes closed, knowing the way even blinded, and didn’t open them until her feet found the first of the stone steps that led up to her former home. There was much to prepare for. She paused at the bottom of the steps and cast her head back, her face turned towards the moonlit sky. She had been the bartender, the healer, the friend, and sister. Kari had seen all of those faces, yet the one Mac was about to don was something new. Something she hid from most, buried beneath half truths and subtle hints. Now, that one aspect of her was needed above all others. The Witch of the Old Ways. Moon Witch, many had called her. Had she known just how fitting that name was, she would have clung to the title long ago. Now it was just a memory, something that people once feared and revered her as. 

Before the Ritual

A letter was left for Kari, should she return after Mac left for the forest. She was close, yet much needed to be done in order to give Kari what she desired. Mac would be calling on powers she had neglected for decades. No, not neglected, hidden away, buried deep, like a treasure that was far too dangerous to enjoy.

Mac had called upon powers that were greater than her own a few times in her life. They had all come with a price. Tonight, she knew the price going in, having reached out for a blessing before Kari was ever injected with afflicted blood. Her blood. The price wasn’t one for Kari to bear, but rather one that Mac  had refused to accept for ages. Kari would drink and accept her demons. Mac’s task was much the same. As she rooted herself to the forest around her, grounding the spell with the power it needed to purify her sister, Mac would have to face her own demon and accept her once and for all. Beauty and The Bitch would finally have to stand on equal ground.

She had paid higher prices for family. In the grand scheme of things, it was a small price to pay to protect her heart-sworn sister. More than that, it was long overdue. The longer she kept her wolf caged, the more dangerous she became. It had been far too long already. 

The Letter

Kari,

Light the carved candle near the door. It will activate a spell to guide you to me in the woods and light your path along the way.

When you find me, Whatever you do, do not step into my circle. I will hear you but I will not be able to answer you. Regardless of what you see, I promise I am safe.

Step into the empty ring that lights to your arrival, drink the contents of the flask at its center and lay down. I cannot tell you exactly what you’ll face, Sister. I can tell you that purification is about balance.

For those who have gone through similar rituals, they speak of a dreamstate where you are faced with the hardest thing to accept in your life; Yourself.

Too often what plagues our minds is our own denials and refusals to accept who and what we truly are. You will be faced with hard truths, love, and to pass through to the other side of this ritual, you will have to accept the person you were, the person you are, and the person you will become. Past, Present, and Future.

Keep in mind, this isn’t about slaying your demons, love. It is about accepting them. Through your dream you will this magic show you that woman or wolf, a beast has always lurked beneath the surface. We are all monsters, some of us just hide it better.

Remember, Fury and Tranquility balance one another. To have too much of one or the other and you tip the scales towards madness…  

I will see you on the other side, Sister.

` Mac

The Moon Witch

As the Candle was lit a soft glow would envelope Kari, surrounding her in a gentle warmth and a sense of calm. Mac’s voice would sound softly, as if it was a whisper on the breeze. “I am here watching over you, Sister.” As the voice drifted away, the feeling that came with it remained.

The door creaked open on its own, the path before Kari glowing in a soft white light as if the moon had paved the journey for her. It wound lazily down the stone steps and into the thick, untamed forest beyond Marley Manor. Each footfall Kari took, the path would flicker beneath her feet, pulsing like a gentle heartbeat that was guided by the pace she set.

Mac was in the very heart of the forest, sitting in a clearing, dressed in black silk dress that fanned out beneath her as she knelt in the earth. Her eyes were closed, her hands raised to the sky above. Deep in her trance, she seemed serene, at peace. Or at least she would have if not for the blood trailing in crimson streams from the corners of her eyes.

A whisper returned to the wind, brushing against Kari’s ear, reminding her of what the letter said. “Do not step into my circle. No matter what you see, know that I am safe.” As the words faded, an identical ring of candles began to glow. One by one, those cream colored lights lit with a tiny flame, illuminating the ring that was meant for Kari.

Mac was in the center of the clearing, Kari’s ring to the east. The sun rose in the east, so too would Kari. To the west, staring from an unlit circle, a large dire wolf, it’s tawny colored fur gleaming in the moonlit, its eyes a myriad of colors coming together in a vibrant hazel hue. To the north, a large black bird, looking like an oversized raven, she might recognize it as a stormcrow. It’s gaze locked on Kari the moment she stepped into the clearing, black glossy eyes watching her. The ring to the south was not only unlit, but it was shrouded from sight, an inky black dome protecting Kari from what was inside, though by sound alone, it was angry, clawing and growling beneath that inky surface, fighting to break free.

As promised, a familiar flask with a leather acid etched leaf rested in the center of the eastern circle, the pale candlelight glinting off the metal. It contained the draught that would take Kari on her journey and cement this new stage of her life. A choice was made to change, now the trial of that choice would be faced. 

@karicharbonneau

[inkedwolf-archive]

A key to a safe place and a potion to rid her of the lasting horrors of the attack. Few things could comfort her right now, yet her heartsworn sister knew just what she needed. 

@karicharbonneau