another one for everyone!
Nit - horse care taking. it would be around 10 pages of bullet-point explanations, but very informative
Lux - wilderness survival done in 12 volumes
Nebula & Sorrel - patience in healthcare, it'd be 5-10 pages
Sid - music composition, he'd never finish it
#VeilOfStarlight
ooh! :D
going by genuinely friendly, as in underlying suspicion of strangers from lowest to highest:
Nit
Nebula
*outwardly friendly but suspicious
Lu
Sid
Lux
Sorrel
*neutral until trusting or just acting friendly
Helena
Sol
Gabriel
Stella
#VeilOfStarlight
Sid loves running
Nit likes sparring and ropes Lu into doing it with her
Lu, Nit, and Sid like riding horses and hiking
Sorrel can only walk, but he does enjoy it when he can
Helena misses racing horses
Nebula and Stella are not a fan of exercise
#VeilOfStarlight #MainCast
there's only two people in the dozen lead and side characters with hair. John keeps his hair very short to stay low-mantainence and Helena has fur that she brushes daily. she can't bathe fully very often bc she has an undercoat that takes ages to dry out but--
#VeilOfStarlight #Helena
Nebula likes writing romance. she's found out by her siblings and Sid has to walk away to avoid laughing and hurting her feelings, but Lu convinces her to share with him and he helps her get better at it. he also convinces her to try writing spicier moments for her stories
#VeilOfStarlight #Nebula
if the cabin could stay warm, Lu and Sorrel would definitely have fun together. until they got it warm though, neither of them would be doing great 😂
Lu is technically molten rock inside, and getting too cold slows him down and makes it difficult for him to move--
#VeilOfStarlight #Lu #Sorrel
--Gabriel also has Afflicted Nerves, much milder than Sorrel's
Lu has lingering complications from multiple injuries
Sol (briefly) lost his left arm. having molten rock as muscle and bone made reattaching it easier, though it still shocked everyone--
#VeilOfStarlight #Gabriel #Lu #Sol
several other characters have injuries that caused disabilities as well as a few who were born with them like Sorrel
Helena broke her pelvis and hip during a battle
Stella is nearly deaf and blind on her left side
Nit can't read due to dyslexia--
#VeilOfStarlight #Helena #Stella #Nit
Sorrel, my poor boy, has asthma, celiac disease, and an in-universe disease unique to monsters/hybrids called "Afflicted Nerves" which is similar to sickle cell and MS and causes multiple complications as it progresses. people often lose limbs because of it and--
#VeilOfStarlight #Sorrel
in a way? everything looks perfect for the main protagonists by law and appearance. but bigotry and abuse of power is a constant for them, which is less symbolism and more just a reflection of reality.
but to myself personally? yes. very much so.
#VeilOfStarlight
in canon, Lu takes it as a compliment. in modern AU's magic is significantly lower so he can't change sex with magic, he absolutely *hates* it. he got into a lot of fistfights as a kid/teenager bc of it but around 16 he calms down slightly. at least he stops punching people lol
#Lu #VeilOfStarlight
eh... floating around 17th century Europe as a baseline? but it's also a fantasy and i'm just going with what looks and feels appropriate🤷
it's mostly medicine that i'm taking from further in the future. i'm drawing the line at muskets lol (at least for now i might change my mind)
#VeilOfStarlight
Nebula is a trans woman, Lu and Helena are gender-fluid, Nit is gender non-conforming, Web is a minor character but they're non-binary.
#VeilOfStarlight #Nebula #Lu #Helena #Nit #TDV
A mood board for the main character of my novel "Veil Of Starlight". In the upper right corner is a castle nestled in misty mountain foothills, surrounded by forests. Just below that is a photo of a purple fire and a black and white photo of two sets of chains entwined. Below that is another black and white photo of a pair of hands delicately brushing the inside of each other's fingers like they're slipping away. In the bottom right corner is a woman in a flowing white dress that covers her legs and feet, the train laying in the dirt beneath her as she sits on a swing with the ropes holding it draped in flowers. The Bottom right is a close up shot of a blue crushed velvet shirt with golden buttons and lace around the opening with a white lace ruffle showing from underneath. In the bottom middle is a photo of a sunset over a field of lavender. His bio reads: Inlustris “Lu” - The youngest of five and gender-fluid. He’s restless and confident until he meets Sorrel, becoming easily flustered, clumsier and finding a stability that eases his aimless passions. Not old enough to be an “official” Companion, he was forced into the illegal arrangement by his mother, Stella before he was a teenager. Most of his callers take advantage of the gray area in the present as he’s an adult but not protected by a contract. Stella uses all of her children for her own gain, but Lu’s safety and sanity are often threatened behind his back as a way to keep his older siblings in line with her wishes. He runs into Sorrel by chance and as their relationship develops, everything turns upside down. Not only does their love for each other change them both, it changes their families and derails carefully laid plans, which results in a civil war.
The same mood board as the previous picture with this written instead: Description: A short and slim teenager, Lu got taller and stockier after joining the army. With purple flames, though darker than his sister Neb’s, people often confuse them for twins. Strengths: Adept with languages and reading body language. An excellent actor and singer. Head-strong. Struggles: Stubborn. Poor impulse control as a younger man. Suffers from dissociation when stressed and poor body image. Quote from book: "Dancing with you in front of everyone would be the best night of my life." he softly told Sorrel. Quote about him: “Gentleness is not weakness” Songs: “Miss Nothing” - The Pretty Reckless, “Rain” - Sleep Token
Lu's character intro!
#VeilOfStarlight #Lu #TDV
A mood board with pale purple flames in the upper left corner, a sunlit lilac-colored stem of small flowers in the upper left corner. In the middle left a young woman in a white dress sits with her eyes closed in a meadow of daisies, she's closing her eyes with her kneels pulled up and her elbows resting on her knees, hands tucked gently under her chin. The bottom left shows a small cast-iron skillet filled with dried herbs on a wooden table painted white; a red candle burns near the skillet, a wooden spoon on the other side of the skillet as well as a clear glass jar above the candle are filled with dried herbs as well. The bottom left photo is of a small leather case with two short rows of four glass corked vials filled with various things, the vials are attached to the leather pouch by small straps and a pair of hands are putting another vial in its place on the top row. Her bio reads: Nebula “Neb” - Lu’s sister, the middle child. A trans-woman and an accomplished healer’s apprentice, she works under Gabriel and with Sorrel. She is quiet, and observant. She picks her battles wisely and will concede defeat in public but is planning a strategic exit from the castle for her and her siblings in private. In the present, she is a licensed healer working on the front line of the civil war. Her position kept her close to her eldest sister Nit when she joined the army and together they ran into Lu when the two main battalions combined on the main front.
the same mood board as the previous image but it now reads: Description: Medium height, slim build, lilac colored flames Strengths: Very practical, even-tempered, studious, natural talent for healing. Struggles: Body image, eating disorders, suffers silently “Others have it worse”. Quote from book: She shrugged. "Maybe I need to be more aggressive." Quote about her: “Still and silent, the calm before the storm.” - TheFatRat Song: “The Calling” - TheFatRat
in honor of Trans Visibility Day, i'm adding Nebula's character intro from my WIP novel
#VeilOfStarlight #Nebula #TDV
omg keeping it simple: Lu is a theater/music major working as a barista in the university coffee shop. Sorrel is a med student that comes in often to study. Lu shamelessly flirts with him and it all goes right over Sorrel's head until he writes his phone number on a cup while--
#VeilOfStarlight #AU
Lu is much better at things that are conventionally attractive; dressing well, makeup, flirting, etc... he fucks up a lot when he tries to do most of that around Sorrel for a while
Sorrel is self-conscious about his looks; short, thin, physically weak but puts in--
#VeilOfStarlight #Lu #Sorrel
Sorrel and Lu saw each other around the castle a lot but they only "met" properly at the crown-prince's wedding. Sorrel caught a lieutenant man-handling Lu in a hall and pretended he knew who he was and needed him for something to get him away from the asshole--
#VeilOfStarlight #Lu #Sorrel
Lu doesn't really have friends, and when he did, he was protective of them and sensitive to their feelings but they frankly couldn't hold a candle to how much he cares about Sorrel, so romantic love is more important to him.
he also self-isolates and has serious trust issues--
#VeilOfStarlight
i thought i had an obvious answer here but i don't 😂
by physical appearance and conventional standards only, it would likely be a tie between Stella and Lu before he was kidnapped by Sol the second time, getting very scarred bc of it--
#VeilOfStarlight
the main cast are all very fond of Harvest and Year's Turn as they're both celebrations when the weather gets worse and colder. the castle ballroom is heated, meaning they can all be comfortable and everyone is happy
#VeilOfStarlight
Nit, Nebula, Sid, Lu, and Sorrel learned that the only people they can possibly trust are each other.
Lu sadly took much longer to realize that they would be there for him *no matter what* and it nearly ended his life more than once
#VeilOfStarlight
--Gabriel was a level-headed man and overprotective father who became a cold-hearted monster to "protect" Sorrel from "ruining" his life by staying with Lu. something he deeply regrets only because of the effect his choices had on Sorrel directly.
#VeilOfStarlight #Gabriel
Lu has changed the most within the story, Sorrel and Gabriel come in second and third for development.
Lu changed from a naive, slim and short teenager to a tall and built young man with even more trauma and physical scars than before
#VeilOfStarlight #Lu
Lux and Nebula have a Dog for a father so they have higher sight, smell, and hearing. Sid and Lu have an even stronger sense of sight, smell, and hearing being related to a Lynx which have stronger senses than "domesticated" animal monsters
#VeilOfStarlight
rain is iffy for Lu, a little wont hurt him as long as his clothes dont get wet, but he'd rather not risk getting drenched so he stays inside/under cover. Sorrel's joints ache when the weather changes or if he gets cold and they take the perfect excuse to have lazy days in together
#VeilOfStarlight
related to last repost, but not enough to quote it:
i had a scene begin unintentionally hilarious bc i double-checked the height difference and Sorrel only comes to Sol's chest, like he's staring at the dude's sternum if they're toe-to-toe. *but* it ends on a more triumphant--
#VeilOfStarlight
definitely not. i don't think any of them would. even in the modern AU's they all have jobs/future careers that are very far from desk jobs
the closest would be Helena: Senator, & Gabriel: Head of Health Services/Medical Research
#VeilOfStarlight
im tired so im gonna blab a little about the AU's
sex workers have *some* protections as brothels are supposed to be licensed and whatnot, but that's just to keep them paying taxes really. on paper everything is in place to protect them, but in practice it's difficult to enforce and it depends on what locals think about--
#VeilOfStarlight
okay, Lu would melt if Sorrel could manage this, but it would also require a chair. either Lu sitting against the wall or Sorrel standing on it 😂
Sorrel would secretly be into it if it were the other way.
#VeilOfStarlight bc why not? lol
