canaryrose

Men vs. Women Race to 1000: Version 2.0

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Men vs. Women Race to 1000: Version 2.0

-179

Men vs. Women Race to 1000: Version 2.0

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《 H. E. R. O. 》

"Tom?" Patricia whispered, stunned for a moment. A sudden, giddy smile appeared on her face. "Thank God it's you. I-it's a long story- yes, please! Th-that would be awesome." She laughed, somewhat happy. Patricia felt a sense of relief like no other wash over her. She had been so worried that one of the goons would find her and march her off to get her teeth pulled out or something similar. After all, she was without her powers and only had a questionably bloody machete for defense. But now that Tom and Grace were here (hopefully with their powers), escaping would be that much easier. They could find Brie and Will and get away from this fucked-up place and these Zero people's fucked-up plans. Plus, she couldn't say that she wasn't happy to hear her friends' voices. She had been half-expecting to be kidnapped and murdered, so this was a welcome change in pace.

Grace hauled Patricia into the portal rather roughly, but she didn't mind. She was just happy to see the familiar violet portal and the faces of her real friends- not that crazy villain girl. As soon as she made it into the crawlspace, she let out a relieved sigh, looking around for a moment while still on top of Grace. "Oh, I'm sorry, yeah, of course," Patricia told Grace hurriedly, pushing herself off of the other girl and onto the dusty floor of the attic. She looked at the two others, relief flooding into her eyes. This place was a little cramped and pretty dusty, but she felt safer here with her friends than she did in that girl's bedroom.

"I'm alright," she said shakily. "The-the villain that dragged me out of the room- she said that..." A deep blush appeared on Patricia's cheeks, and she looked away from them both. She despised talking about her father with her coworkers. It was so awkward. So she would leave it out. "She, um, she left the bedroom door unlocked. That's all." That was all they needed to know, after all. A-anyways, we need to free the others and get out of here. I found out some things from that villain. They're going to transfer the heroes that they capture to someplace- Zero, I think she said- after the Guglianos are done torturing them. And they're going to run them through some machine to kill them, which does something that I don't know about." Patricia took a breath after this lengthy, hushed speech, looking between Tom and Grace. "Let's start with the bad news. I got stabbed with an isolene needle, I don't have my powers. But the good news is," she dragged the bloody machete out of her skirt, laying it on the floor, "I grabbed this out of her bedroom." Patricia paused, glancing down at her weapon and then back up at Tom and Grace. "You guys do have a plan, right?"

@Hitman@KaijuBaragon

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

Here is my Witch!

Kate the Rebellious Witch!

Name:
Kate Shuang
Gender / Preferred Pronouns:
Non-binary, They/Them
Age:
17

Birthday:
June 17th

Sexuality:
Bisexual


Appearance:
Kate stands 5'3" and weight 54kg, they long black hair and dark brown eyes that just have that deadpan look into them, Kate also have a small scar on their shoulder from a little accident while training magic with their aunt.
As for Kate wardrobe, Kate usually tends wearing normal clothes but their rebellious personality still blends into it, they wear rock bands and black t-shirts, flannel and blue jeans and they always wear their green camo jackets with pockets. Kate also wear a black collar, bracelet, it was a gift from their mother and couple of rings.

Personality:
Kate is a ambitious trouble-maker that just love make pranks where ever they goes and just love being rebellious toward authority figures. Kate is mostly sarcastic toward everyone they meet but deep down, they just love making new friends and will stay loyal to them no matter what!...But if Someone is a totally ass toward them...then there is going to be a problem.

Biography:
Kate Shuang comes from a long line of witches from China. Every family member before them have been into many coven all over China, but by the time that their mother and auntie were born, their mother, Diu, decided to move into American, Virginia and join The Sisters of the Dying Branch. While there, Diu met her soon-to-be husband, John, they got marry and then they have a little gremlin child named Kate! While growing up, Kate had always been fascinated by their witch heritage and began to train to be just like them. But, overtime they began to think that they wanted to follow their own path on how to be a witch without being in a coven.

When Kate entered school, that was when their rebellious behavior kicked in. They made graffiti art throughout their neighborhood, started sneaking out of their house to go to parties and began to be a real troublemaker at school. Kate feel like there nothing is stopping them....But then, all things go downhill when their aunt, Mei, came in.

Aunt Mei and their parents finally noticing Kate troubling behavior and decided to sent them to the coven in to hopes they will give Kate some discipline but also let them learn more new magic. Without listening their choice on the matter, Kate is force to go to The Sisters of the Dying Branch, the mystery coven that they hear about from their mother, will Kate be ready to make some friends and enemies and rebel against the teachers...or will they find something far more sinister?



Notable Rumors:
Kate may or may not almost accidentally burn a house down during a party...It was probably on purpose though

Their mother is undercover witch

Their aunt made a pact with a demon

Greatest Fear:
Astraphobia

Magic:

Strong Suit: Potions
When young Kate first discover potions, they thought to themselves "Huh....I'm going to make a shit ton of pranks" and after their mother teach them how to make them, they become very skill at it and really love making them. Kate just found potions fascinating cause at first glance, it just color liquid in a bottle but it so much more then that! Every potions are different, they can be helpful, they can be funny, they can be beautiful!...At least to Kate. Kate have notebook of potions in their backpack and a couple of potions are in there too but don't worry, Kate won't use them for pranking....Yet.

Strong Suit: Healing magic
While this suit may surprise people, due to the type of person that Kate is, healing is something that Kate really want to try. After Kate mother heal Kate shoulder from the "lightning incident", They thought they can help their friends if they are in danger.

Neutral Suit: Charm Magic
Even though Kate is not good at charms, They are not bad at it either. Maybe with a little practice, Kate could trick her enemies....Oh! And help others, I guess.

Weak Suit: Divination
Kate thought trying Divination would be fun because it sounds cool! But overtime, Kate found it kinda boring cause it involves looking at people hands all day, where is the fun in that?

Weak Suit: Elemental Magic
After the "lightning incident", Kate doesn't want to do anything with elemental magic, their aunt takes the fun out of it.

Other:
Kate have a familiar pitbull dog name Clem. When Kate was kid, they beg their parents for pet all the time. So by the time they turn eight, their parents bought them a little pitbull dog and the two become buddies ever since.

Kate won't admit it but they just loves cooking! Young Kate and their father would cook all the time back at home and want to make people happy when ever they taste Kate food.

Kate color code is 5df578

@sassy1085

I really love your character sheet! However, I have a few issues with it.

1. The backstory. This is a small nitpick, but I noticed that you said that their aunt and mother 'sent them off' to the coven to learn more magic. The focus of this roleplay is young witches (witchlings) about to be initiated into the coven. You also said 'teachers'- this is not a school roleplay, although it certainly shares some characteristics with one. I would love if you cleared it up a little!
2. The grammar. I would love it if you ran your sheet through a service like Grammarly! With people who use they/them pronouns in the English language, you're supposed to use the third person plural conjugations of verbs instead of the third person singular conjugations, as you did a couple times. This is a common mistake, but I'd love it if you could fix it! Other than this, there are a few mistakes I'd love if you could correct, just to make it a little more readable.

Maggie Wilson

Name
Margaret "Maggie" Wilson
_{Don't even think about calling her Margaret...}

Gender/Preferred Pronouns
Female, She/Her

Age
17

Birthday
March 21

Sexuality
Heterosexual

Appearance
To sum it up in one word, Maggie can be best described as dainty. Standing at 5'4" with a slender build, her features and stature are reminiscent of her delicate nature- a small sloping nose, high cheek bones, and full lips with corners that are often upturned in a smirk. Her shoulder length hair currently resembles the color of wheat, with dark roots that reveal her natural coloring. Her doe like blue eyes are striking and capture your attention, while her arched eyebrows frame her feminine face. The blonde routinely wears neutrals such as black, white, brown, and beige, or pastels such as light pinks and light blues. She also enjoys a pop of color now and again. Her wardrobe mostly consists of sweaters, cardigans, skirts and flowy dresses.

Personality
Maggie is a quiet, but thoughtful and considerate person. An introvert at heart, the blonde often keeps to herself by reading books and practicing spells on her own. She tends to steer clear of overly boisterous and abrasive company, but nonetheless is not too selective when it comes to who her friends are. A shyer soul, she'll be pretty reserved around those she does not know as well, but once you get to know her, she is talkative, friendly, and incredibly easygoing. Faithful and honest, Maggie is true to her friends and the ones that she cares about, even if its to her own detriment sometimes.

Even though she may be shy, that doesn't mean Maggie isn't strong-willed. She has a good head on her shoulders and a intuitive sense of right and wrong. One could even say she's stubborn when it comes to what she believes in and her motives towards certain aspects of her life. You'd be surprised that quiet Maggie has a fiery temper, and it's not one that most people get to see. This is due to the fact she has a tendency to hold in her adverse thoughts and feelings only to erupt and let it all go in solitude.

Biography
Maggie's family has been associated with the Sisters of the Dying Branch for generations. Her ancestors on her father's side came to America from Scotland and settled down in neighboring Maryland. They associated with the coven quickly, finding solace in likeminded witches, and begun to devote their lives to the elders and the like. Her mother's side was American through and through, residing in Virginia since the beginning of time. Maggie's father met her mother in the coven and they had a love story like no other, resulting in the birth of her older brother Brent and eventually her.

Maggie was raised in a home with an abundance of love and support from her parents. She led a "normal" childhood, attending public school alongside Brent and getting a well rounded education. She was exposed to her heritage at a young age- making the hour and something trip every month to the coven alongside her family gave her parents the chance to tell the children countless stories and explanations regarding their involvement with the Sisters of the Dying Branch. Now, at 17, Maggie is ready to grasp hold of her future and devote herself to the coven like her parents did and those did before her.

Notable Rumors
It was rumored that Maggie got so angry once that she shattered a window by throwing one of her books at it in a sheer rage. Most people didn't think the quiet had it in her, so it was passed over quickly as hearsay.
_{However, this rumor is in fact true- she had to pay for the replacement glass herself.}

Fears
She is deathly afraid of spiders, no matter how small or unassuming they may appear. Her parents say its a foolish fear, but nonetheless, it's something that Maggie has never been able to shake.

Magic
Maggie's greatest strength is potions. Something about mixing the exact measures of each ingredient is therapeutic to the blonde, and although the process is time consuming she enjoys nothing more than a quiet afternoon in the kitchen throwing potions, elixirs and remedies together. She possesses the delicate care necessary to create different concoctions successfully, which allows her to excel in this area. Additionally, Maggie is quite proficient in healing magic and enjoys using her abilities to help others.

Other
FC: Malijn Pieterse | ACA1CD
Font: Font Meme Red Velvet

@Melissa

I really like Maggie! You can go ahead and put her in the character tab.

Men vs. Women Race to 1000: Version 2.0

-175

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

@WanderingSpirit

It's good now! Go ahead and put him in the character tab whenever you can C:

Men vs. Women Race to 1000: Version 2.0

-172

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

Just jumping here to say hi to everyone and I'm also interested if you're willing to have me! Please let me know if anything needs to be changed as there are some sections I just wandered off on.

Either way, thanks in advance!

Character Sheet

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Theme Song

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BASICS

Name:
Alexander Holcroft

" Alex "

Gender / Preferred Pronouns:
He / Him / They

Age:
18

Birthday:
June 22 ♋︎

Sexuality:
Bisexual, Male preference

APPEARANCE

On most mornings you can find Alex already in his morning routine before even the crack of dawn, it doesn't matter if he only went to sleep a few hours ago, he'll keep on continuing. That doesn't mean that every day is sunshine and lollipops for him, some days are definitely better than others like anyone else but this is why this is called a routine with his establish set of good habits. Whether it be keeping up with material fashion or physical health, he always seems to have his fingers on the pulse in addressing them if he wants to change anything.

His secret to taming his messy bed head? It's located in the shower with some water and a bit of soft handling, it can do wonders for anyone, isn't that amazing? Of course, that's the easy part before he has to the mop up his wet locks of dark brown hair with the blow dryer while simultaneously combing to shape it into shape. It not hard after a few years of ingraining it as his muscle memory since all the best things come after working for them, plus the countless amount of dollars spent but he doesn't talk about that. In the end though, he makes it look effortless when his wavy hair has been styled to the side yet still with volume that has strong sense of care for the way it has been handled.

Imagine all of that was just for his hair, now think about the rest of him. Just kidding. Or am I?

Continuing on for Alex, his closet of clothes has a little bit of everything that he can fit into any occasion which may come up so he could be called someone with a pretty solid foundation clothing-wise. He generally doesn't fall into any category or style for the clothes he wears but overall would be considered as someone who was well dressed for the situation. It is a skill that is much harder than it sounds as having a solid understanding on what kind of event he is going to and fitting himself to match while still being tasteful is not something one just picks up without much experience and deliberation. Thankfully, his height of 5' 8 is quite average that most things he looks for are quite accessible for him if he searches with enough effort.

PSYCHE

Personally, Alex has always seen himself as an introvert but repeatedly the idea has been rejected by people as he's seen as 'the popular one' or as 'someone who knew everyone'. This might of been a shallow observation from others, but Alex never had really close friends that he's let into his own life. Mostly having presented himself as a cheerful person who went along with anything lead many people to find him simply easy to talk to and befriend. Over time, he has come to interpret his experience and perspective of him simply having many casual friends he has but not having any close individuals who know him in and out.

However, there is truly a difference between being truly a kind and compassionate individual or being kindhearted so that other people would like you. As for himself, he's always gauged himself to fall in the latter category as a phony, keeping himself under wraps as the outside world never managed to pierce through the veil he always placed up. That never meant he didn't truly interact with people genuinely but he's like a baby chick who never broke out of their shell, having never found a solid anchor for himself to establish on. As such, he always enjoyed the presence of others who he finds as better people than him, supporting them and wishing them the best over his own self.

If he was to perform his own evaluation on his personality, he'd fall under the archetype of the Mediator, being quite the accurate description for him yet not without a few discrepancies. Same with the star sign of his birth being Cancer, it is also another aspect of him that he resonates with parts of the description yet does not fully describe him. Together with the two of them, he'd agree that he would be a prime example as he places his own emotional baggage onto the back burner while prioritizing others, being a behavior that he aptly does which align with the two classifications. In a sense, the protective and cautious aspect of his personality takes to the forefront, while his emotional side is truly evident in the care he provides for his friends that may surprise people.

However, the mask that he placed on simply didn't end when graduating, like any habit you'd continue with them until yourself or something pushes a change to say otherwise. In fact after High School, the pressure to fit into the mold and mask that he designed for himself is becoming more of a natural instinct for him. Anything that is going on in the back of his mind will build up there until he eventually implodes in one way or another, whether it be today or next week, that is simply how his personality is and always been. As time passes on, a palpable feeling of distance has become stronger, intertwined with the presence of melancholic aloofness. Sometimes if you catch him at the end of his fuse, his emotional side may violently crack its way through the mask that he placed in front of him, but that's when a person should notice that it's really a red flag.

BACKSTORY

Born to a family that always seemed to change faces, there were never the same people in one household for too long. If this family were to live together, they would be six people total who would be together with the hierarchy of the father, mother, brother, and sister who also loved each other. Once upon a time, they did exactly that but now, they were shattered and splintered into pieces that everyone knew better than to even touch or get near. Everyone had their own feelings that they had to sort out and responsibilities handed to them that needed to be worried about.

As the second youngest of the household and with a ten year gap between his older siblings, the only thing he members are the tiny flecks of the conflict that echoed throughout the household between his mother and father that largely remains scattered. Despite a few memories being firmly ingrained in his recollection, the time of his childhood were rough placed to the side as he barely remembers anything meaningful outside of a few select pieces. To him, he prefers to not think about this time when he used to bounce between two household before it became just one, being a very troubling time for not only just him but his father who served as the pillar to what remained of their family. It was a time were they were dealing with the aftermath of what had happened to their family, healing over the cracks and wounds in any way they could so nothing else have to be lost. Even in that time, things still fell through everyone’s hands as it was impossible to catch everything but they tried.

It was a hard time for everyone, as he still remembers the time when his older brothers were still troubled by their parent’s separation as they acted out in their own unique ways which Alex learned from. He was the quietest child of the family who always stuck with himself, he kept things tucked away so nobody would have to worry about him which allowed his mother to take care of his mentally challenged sister who had several complications since birth. As such he never grew much into himself but from an outside perspective, things began to get better as the years went on when they managed to plant their feet as they found a new house in Maryland to start anew from the west coast. His father even found someone special who went through something similar as they came together to raise their families together, resulting in Alex gaining an older stepbrother.

Only through his wife was Alex's dad was able to acquaint himself with the coven of The Sisters of the Dying Branch years ago, allowing his two older children to be initiated with the voucher of goodwill that was on his behalf. As such, Alex got accustomed to the mountainous roads that lead to the coven, finding it to have its own charm that he appreciated as naps were taken and music played in the car. From his family's rocky circumstances, he rarely got to formally learn magic outside of the few things he was taught and the discoveries he found out on his own. With their new start, Alex finally got the taste of magic in his system that never truly left him as he began to dig into.

As the years passed, Alex grew wiser and smarter as anyone should and soon reached the age that he was expected to join the coven.

Notable Rumors:

• Claimed to be currently seeing one of his girlfriend's guy friend behind her back
  
  _{While he does hang out with a handful of female friends he's friendly with, he's only dated one of them and even then they have broken up.}

• Had to move schools because of a bullying incident that happened with the kids there.
  
  _{It's true that he had to move from that incident but the events of what happened have been hushed up by the school for good publicity.}

• Said to have gotten involved with the cute chemistry / physics teacher at his high school.
  
  _{Calling a teacher good looking doesn't mean anything. Besides, other students have been around, even when they had a celebration at their place.}

• Heard to be involved in some sketchy things outside of school that the adults don't know about.
  
  _{His younger sister has a learning disability and activities are provided for enrichment, sometimes it's playing some soccer and other times volunteering.}

Greatest Fear:
Rejection and Failure are two palpable feelings for Alex that's caused him trouble before, accompanying each other wherever they go that hangs onto him when they get a chance.

NOTABLES

Magic:

Alex's Area of Studies

Most Notable Study: Fate/Entropy Spinning
A curious area of study that witches have done over the centuries that have been grouped up or attributed to other forms of magic. It is truthfully an area that one could be considered to be separate from other forms of magic and worthy of focusing which is what Alex has done. The roots of its influence dig into the crafting of 'good luck charms' to 'readings of the future' and even 'curses felled upon people' which only scratches the surface.

The closest practice of magic could be considered 'Divination' that deals with readings of the future by diving through time but Fate Spinning focuses instead on the 'present' that it influences to affect the 'potential future'. It is an unpredictable, ultimately uncontrollable, yet potent form of magic as probability and even the concept of 'destiny' can be bent. As such the more complex and higher forms of this practice are incredibly costly and present a danger that restrictions have been placed on it.

It hasn't stopped him from experimenting on his own, hiding his proficiency in this area under the guise of creating 'good luck charms' and performing 'fortune readings' for others which are within his capabilities. Beyond the oversight of the adults, he uses this magic more freely as a strange hobby that he indulges in, watching the patterns flow to places and strings of fate being pulled that he watches and follows. That has earned him the reputation of being someone who had his fingers in everything seemingly, knowing a surprising amount of people from different places as performs random odd jobs and favors for them. People know better to avoid playing games of chance with him if they don't want to lose and that he seems to be occasionally involved when shifts of events seem to work out a few steps in his favor.

Interested Studies: Wards
The magic used to create protected objects or spaces that have a wide area of application depending on the situation that a witch can find themselves in. As someone who has a few things he likes to hide at times, he is skilled for someone of his age group, having established the good habit of making sure no one can listen or watch when having an important conversation. It's a common joke that he likes to make about making sure that they have a 'safe space' that people would be comfortable talking within which isn't a total lie.

It is his father's trade which gives him someone to study under whenever he has time and his stepmother isn't also too bad with it either that results in him having a healthy education with this area of magic. While simple, his fondest memory was during a camping trip when he was younger where he finally set up a ward to prevent bugs once he polished it up. The sweet relief of no mosquitos or creepy critters in the night was a small blessing for everyone after getting bitten.

Interested Studies: Spatial Interference
A branch of magic that could be considered to be an extension of Elemental Magic to a degree. It is a base component to witches who are able to teleport as they bend space to physically disappear and reappear somewhere else. Taking that principle, one is able to reinforce the space around them to prevent it from being used in such ways with enough practice and extend it through the use of Wards as well. It is something that Alex hopes to accomplish one day but he doesn't have many other peers who can help him make such a task.

However, that doesn't warrant a witch to take such an interest in such nuances unless they wish to also achieve teleportation which Alex does want one day but isn't his current focus. His current expertise is involved in making compartmentalized space or 'pocket spaces' where he can put inorganic items in, currently at the size of a business briefcase out nothing. If he is given some material around the size of a school backpack or smaller, he can give about 50% more space they have within them that increases with smaller items, which is the most he can work with.

Casual Studies: Healing
His stepmother's trade as a seasoned practitioner of healing magic, she was always the one to patch up his bruises and scratches after his dad's lessons. He tried to pick the art up from a young age but always lacked the aptitude for it that he never more focus on it.

While not inexperienced or untrained, at most he's simply good at magical first aid should the occasion ever bring itself to him. He would leave any of the further delicate processes to those more skilled in his age group if they're any or the adults who eclipse him with experience.

Lackluster Studies: Combat Magic
Defensive and Combat Magic are his father's trade as he is properly trained should trouble every arise, he is more than capable of handling himself compared to the average witch.

It is an area of magic that should run in the family, with his older siblings easily picking it up from their father but Alex was always the one getting wiped even when others came to practice. Sure he was given the proper instruction and knowledge that his father isn't at fault but rather a surprising lack of affinity on Alex's part that he just doesn't 'click' with it. It does leave him being more comfortable moving his body in such situations and acting than those without but those with more combat sense and experience especially will find him easily read in upfront confrontation.

Lackluster Studies: Elemental Magic
Similar to his experience in combat magic, he just seems to be trumped in elemental magic that he obviously knows he's behind them. That doesn't mean he hasn't learned anything but natural progression just seems to be difficult for him, stacked along with the fact that he's interested in other areas. He's still able to throw pebbles at annoying people, wring out water from his hair, or try to air out some last-minute laundry. It's just that nothing is impressive or substantial compared to others in his age group.

Abysmal Affinity: Illusion/Mental Magic
If it is possible to have an adverse affinity to a type of magic, it is of this nature for Alex as they seemingly gobble him up. While it may seem that he is the type of person to excel in this kind of magic, after an incident in his childhood of trying something overambitious left him worse for wear. It was an issue that only got noticed when something designed to be 'fake' began to affect something that was 'real' which his parents scolded him for after resolving it and taking care of him.

Ever since then, he's mostly stayed away from such magic and the skill he had in that area has atrophied into a shadow of itself. Attempts to use it since that event has resulted in him easily losing control of the spells that he tried that he called it a lost cause to pursue.

Other:

• His family has two German Shepherds that got when he was around 12 years old. They're called Maximus and Hermes.
• He has three older siblings (Luke, Caius, and Melphina) and one younger (Leia).
• Recorational drugs were introduced to him by his older siblings, even then they only do it once or twice a year (that he knows of).
• He's pretty decent at roller and ice skating but he has had a few nasty falls that he prefers to do it with someone.
• Has a nicotine habit that he takes care of whether it be with normal cigarettes or electronic ones, it reaches his hands either way.
• Color is Goldenrod but doesn't have a hex code that I know of. If someone knows what it is, then thanks!

@WanderingSpirit

Whoops, fuck, I didn't see that!

I like your character sheet, but I think you might have a few misconceptions about witches. Witchery runs through a bloodline. You're either a witch or you're not- you have to learn how to properly use magic as a witch, but humans can't use magic at all. It's not anything that a human can do, and the coven would be loathe to allow an outsider to know anything about it. A lot of these questions are answered in the Discord, so I would encourage you to join.

Other than that, it's good! I liked how much detail you put into it.

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

Here's my two friends, sorry I got carried away like I always do!! <3

Rhys Lockhart

_{Faceclaim: Matthew Clavane || Color Code: #ffd9a8}

Name:
Soren Rhysande Lockhart
_{Usually they go by Rhys (pronounced “reese”) though they have a plethora of nicknames based off their first name.}

Gender / Preferred Pronouns:
Genderfluid (they/them)
_{Sometimes it changes between binary pronouns, too – they wear a leather cord necklace with a color-coded pendant for anyone who cares.}

Age:
Eighteen.
_{Being a smartass, four and a half.}

Birthday:
29th February.
_{Leap-day babe!}

Sexuality:
Pansexual
_{They like everyone and anyone, what else can be said?}

Appearance:
Tall and gangly at six feet, two inches, with knobbly limbs and a slender frame that lacks muscle definition entirely, Rhys perpetually conducts themself as though they have no idea where their limbs are. Their hair, brown and curly and almost always tamed into a bun, falls to their shoulder blades when it is freed from its prison. Well-defined brows and a delicately pointed, clean-shaven jaw frame soft lips, a strong nose, and expressive dark-brown eyes. Their face and the rest of their body are covered in a healthy sprinkling of freckles, and though their skin is of a shade that could tan easily it remains rather fair from a general lack of sunlight.

Regarding attire, the short answer is "it varies". They're usually clad in some hybrid of comfort and style, usually to about a business-casual standard, but what comprises the wardrobe varies tremendously in shape and cut. Much of it is comprised of solid color sweaters over white or cream button shirts, or sometimes a vest in place of the sweater, and a variety of trousers or knee-length pleated skirts. Overall, their silhouettes could best be described as somewhat old-fashioned. They're fond of neutrals and soft, desaturated warm colors, preferring brown and beige and warm grey over black or cool blue. Brown leather loafer shoes and a classy, gold-faced watch (a graduation present from their almost-twin) are staples of their wardrobe.

As mentioned above, they wear a thin leather cord necklace with a simple acrylic circle pendant threaded through it, for at-a-glance reference about preferred pronouns - a peach-pink one for feminine pronouns, pale green for neutral ones, and dark red for masculine ones. Most often they wear the green one, or none at all; if they have to go in public they rather like confusing strangers about their gender.

Personality:
Soft-spoken and gentle would be the first words most would use to describe Rhys. They're gently outgoing and very supportive of their clanmates, especially the younger ones. Growing up their whole life in a small town, they're quick to consider everyone as a friend or like family, and this has spilled over into the coven, though they've hardly been a part of it for very long. They're incredibly slow to anger and quick to forgive. Stubborn and deep-set in their non-confrontational patterns, others have said on occasion that it is impossible to get a rise out of them, save for when they're actively panicking.

Generally, Rhys is fairly assured of themself, moving through the world with the grace and confidence of someone unaware of the dark. There is little that has happened in their fairly insular world that has shaken their sense of self, and they've always been met with love and acceptance in their appearance and presentation. Because of this, they can seem a little bit naive or oblivious to how cruel the world can really be. Magic, similarly, has only ever been viewed through a positive and altruistic lens by them; they're entirely unaware of how badly it can be corrupted.

Moving so far across the world has turned their life upside down, but they confront the new situation optimistically and courageously all the same. After all, they've never had an experience like this that's turned out badly, right? And having a friendly face amid all the chaos certainly helps, too...

Biography:
Raised by a young single mother and an unknown father, one would have expected Rhys to have a hard early life. This could not have been further from the truth, however. They were born into the loving and tiny community of Tide Mills, a believed ghost town in England, to their parent Saige Lockhart. Saige was a first-generation witch, she believed, though had the lineage been traced back through several mundane generations there would have been clear ties to the still-powerful Lockhart family of the midwestern parts of Britain.

The town of Tide Mills had once been deemed unfit for human living, and evacuated, but by the time of Rhys's birth there was in fact a thriving miniature coven. After years and years of thankless tending, cleaning up the remains of human waste and expending an incredible amount of energy, it seemed the earth chose to give back. A sapling that had been planted in the foundations of the old mill had bloomed into a glistening wellspring, leaves of iridescent silver set on a trunk of bronze, the plant shaded from curious humans by the crumbling brick walls and general apparent squalor of the region, and from magical beings by the remoteness and small size of it. While some wellsprings could support several hundred members, theirs was clearly not one of such note, and left all but the most desperate eager to pass it by in pursuit of other targets.

By the time of Rhys's birth, the Miltide Sisterhood had drawn up about a dozen members, all of whom lived a very, very close-knit circle. Life was good, amid a glowing and brand-new village glamoured into apparent squalor. Rhys had a lovely, nurturing, doting upbringing, though they were dreadfully lonely as the only child for most of their early years. The witches of the sisterhood did their best to provide what they could by way of play and stimulation, and Rhys had no shortage of lovely charmed toys and things to experience and explore, but they still craved the contact of another person their age.

Their prayers for a playmate were answered when they were seven, with the arrival of a new witchling. Kai, they were called, and like Rhys in that they didn't have much of a fondness for roles and standards assigned at birth. The children formed a fast friendship, catalyzed by their matching given names, and further solidified when they realized that their birth dates matched to the hour.

For seven years, all went well, and then they didn't. The not-twins (as Saige had taken Kai in like they were her own child) got in trouble for going too far, exploring a forbidden part of the coastline. Kai had nearly drowned after a bridge had collapsed under them, which angered the coven elders as a needless and foolish injury. When they finally made it home and were faced down by the elders, Rhys accepted the punishment they were given quite placidly but Kai did not. The resulting argument and escalation to powers had the foster witchling expelled from the sisterhood and sent on to another.

After that, things were never quite the same; Saige grieved for her lost second child - as that had been what Kai had seemed to her - but was not allowed to publicly show it. It manifested, though, not in cruelty but in an almost smothering kindness both to Rhys and to the other children (of which there were by now three, ranging in age from two to six). Still, it wasn't enough to sate Saige's wandering maternal instinct.

Privately, Rhys believes that their parent went mad with the desire to search for Kai. About five months after their not!sibling was expelled, they quietly left the coven in the dead of night, too, turning their back on the only family they'd ever had. The following three years were spent on the road, dwelling a few days or weeks with a variety of covens throughout the United Kingdom - usually small sisterhoods; they knew better than to get involved with the biggest, it seemed. As they went, Rhys had the opportunity to dabble in many, many different kinds of magic, beyond the ones they'd been able to practice in the limited time and resources their tiny coven had had. They quickly fell in love with the art of threadwork, which they learned from a kindly old lady they'd briefly stayed with during their time in London.

Just two months ago, Rhys and Saige's paperwork for America came in, and they made the journey - Saige's intuition had said that they would find Kai across the ocean. And they did, in the arms of the Sisters of the Dying Branch. With no money, no power left from their wellspring, and their family reunited, they threw themselves upon the mercy of the coven, though its a far larger community than either of them have ever been involved in before.

Notable Rumors:
I: Rhys's mother killed a member of their old coven in a fit of jealousy, and that's why no one else has taken them in.
_{(This one is untrue, and Rhys is quick to defend their mother, always, though Saige seems to have just accepted it.)}

II: Rhys and Kai are actually dating.
_{(They're not. That's like dating your twin sibling. Ewwwww.)}

III: Rhys can talk to animals, and that's why they adore the bird flocks and so on so much.
_{(They're working on it, okay? It's a new skill and a new use of magic, as far as they know.)}

Greatest Fear:
Drowning.
_{Rhys is terrified of drowning (ironic, considering that the wellspring is a lake, and all of that.) Having watched their notsibling fall off the edge of a waterfall and nearly drown was the most traumatic experience of their life. Their anxiety around any body of water larger than a bathtub or deeper than a puddle is debilitating, or around any sort of ruunning water, to the point where they often need to ask one of the other coven members to retrieve the water they need for their recipes and charms.}

Magic:
Rhys is overall very fond of domestic applications of their skills. They care little for curses or flashy displays of glamour, and do not even practice the former. The latter they do with some minor charms, however.

Best Skill: Kitchencraft
The skill that comes easiest to Rhys is absolutely kitchencraft. It's their term for an intersection of enchanting, charms, and potionsmaking, in a sense, or more accurately the amalgamation of all of the above into the production of consumable goods. They make breads and crackers that are enchanted to provide a day's energy, herbal teas with all manner of calming or energizing effects, and beverages and dessert cakes that, at will, morph into whatever the consumer would like them to be. Other skills related include making a broth of scraps to be as tasty and filling as a hearty stew, and notably they have also worked with transmuting plant-based foods like tofu into animal-like ones, because they do not really have the heart to kill a living creature for food.

Favorite Skill: (Needlework) Charms
While others might find it tedious and attention- and energy-sapping, Rhys revels in the time they are able to spend in the library or in a well-shaded part of the garden, spinning threads drenched in wellspring water and stitching them carefully into intricate and layered designs with a variety of threadwork techniques. They've chosen to specialize in needlework charms, which few others do on account of the time commitment and attention to detail required.

Because of the possibilities of layering and wide nuances of effects (colors of threads, material of threads, spun clockwise or counterclockwise, types of stitches, and so on) in addition to the incredible time commitment each charm takes, Rhys's work is remarkably powerful and intricate. Due to the absorbent nature of the materials, as well, it is simple enough to recharge a spent charm with a generous sprinkling of wellspring water.

Neutral Skill: Elemental Casting
Rhys is remarkably average at elemental casting. They don't have great destructive power, but they're accurate enough when they choose to use it and have decent mastery over the four elements. Fire is their strongest, followed by earth, water, and lastly air, though the difference in their control between the four is rather minimal.

Least-Favorite Skill: Astral Projection
If Rhys could be said to HATE any magic skill, it would be anything to do with projection or teleportation. They get incredibly nauseous from the process and often end up laid-up with migraines as a result. The fear of the process and its effects have rendered them loathe to even try it unless it's life-or-death.

Worst Skill: Anything Divination
They can make awesome loose-leaf teas for anyone who asks, but - actually reading the remnants left in the cup? Ha. Hahahahaha. No. They managed to give themselves a papercut on every finger the last time they tried to use a tarot deck, and dropped a pendulum (and shattered it into thirteen pieces) the last time they tried THAT. The long and short of it is that they SUCK at divination, and will likely hurt themself and anyone else who's watching if they continue to try to master it.

Other:
Rhys does not have a familiar; however, they are quite fond of feeding the birds and other small wildlife in the vicinity of the coven house. Most mornings will find them out in the front garden with a satchet of birdseed and several sparrows perched on or around them - it's one of the only times they enjoy being outside.

Kai Gallagher

_{Faceclaim: Lachlan Watson || Color Code: #a570e0}

Name:
Seren Nikaia Gallagher
_{They go by Kai or rarely Nik, never ever EVER their first name.}

Gender / Preferred Pronouns:
Nonbinary (they/them)
_{They have been known to not correct people, for fear of retribution or misunderstandings, but if you use the right ones it'll make them VERY happy.}

Age:
Eighteen.
_{They've told people that they're four before, to make them fuck off, though.}

Birthday:
29th February.
_{Leap-day births are cool and magical!}

Sexuality:
Sapphic Asexual??
_{They think girls are the most beautiful and graceful thing to exist on the planet, but have no interest in ...canoodling.}

Appearance:
Whether or not it's true, one would be forgiven for thinking Kai is of fae descent. They're positively diminutive, standing a mere four feet and eight inches, with the slightest of gentle points to their ears and canine teeth that could as easily be a normal human mutation as a result of some other influence. Despite their tiny stature, however, they carry themself with a boisterous and optimistic energy; they're easily one of the most notable people in a room.

They have an impish grin and prominent dimples in both cheeks, a button nose, and wide set blue eyes, set under rather thin, high-arched brows. Their hair is curly and kept in a pixie cut or buzzed off entirely, usually swept away from their face and rarely pinned in place, more often gelled. It's a dark brown naturally, but depending on their mood they often glamour it to a tint of violet or blue. Their eyes naturally are a light blue, but they similarly will glamour them, for fun.

Their attire is all over the place, mostly favoring oversized and generally loose-fit sweaters and hoodies, vibrantly colored and often with some witticism or political statement emblazoned on the front. When they must dress up they have been known to wear dresses or suits with equal ease.

Personality:
Kai is a spunky and determined young person who is never afraid to speak their mind and make their voice heard. Fun-loving and stubborn, they're incredibly outgoing and are easily excitable by nearly any matter. While elders have named them argumentative and confrontational, they just consider themself self-assured and aware of what they want. They would say they are wise and well-adjusted to the world for their age, having lived in so many different places and traveled so much.

They have an insatiable thirst for adventure, and can make the most mundane things seem magical. It would be said that Kai has an infatuation with human cultures and politics, having had glancing contact with a HUGE variety of normal humans in the foster system and finding them altogether too fascinating to leave alone.

They crave independence, having bounced between foster homes and never been given the freedom to choose their future or family for themself. Even now being eighteen, they’ve had no opportunity to spread their wings and they’re chomping at the bit to get out of the coven house; hopefully, once one of the elders decides they’re ready for fully fledged witchhood, they’ll be allowed to go and explore more freely.

Biography:
Kai's story began with them a swaddled infant on the doorstep of a human orphanage, with only a birth certificate that had at first been deemed forged for the fantasy-like names of both mother and infant, signed from a hospital not in the city. Kai never knew their biological parents, and that was fine - they were in a busy home, for their first few years of consciousness, before the foster system swept them up. For the most part, it suited them well enough, and their early childhood was fairly uneventful, if scattered among several different families and lifestyles.

When they were seven, that changed dramatically. Their most recent placement was not a particularly great home, with a tense relationship between the biological children and the fostered ones. When one of the older children punched the youngest sibling for not surrendering a toy, Kai rushed to his aid. They held their grade-school recorder in their hand, having been practicing - music homework was the only thing they were motivated to do without prompting, even at this early age - and brought it to their lips, initially intending just to make the loudest squeak they could to hurt their older sister's sensitive hearing without touching her. But before they knew it, she was on the floor screaming in pain, blood trickling down the sides of her face from her ears.

After this, the foster family sent Kai away, and within a week, a young woman who said she was from the town of Tide Mills came seeking them by name. Eager to get rid of the troublemaker, paperwork was quickly signed and their custody was turned over to the Miltide Sisterhood.

It was the single-best thing that could have happened in Kai's life; they were suddenly surrounded by people who - though wary at first - supported and loved them and were completely understanding of what had happened. They were, in fact, a witch, and it had been the first manifestation of their magic when they had felt threatened by the older child. Under the watchful eye of the Sisterhood, they began to learn traditional forms of magic in addition to honing their skills (mostly self-taught) with voice and instrument.

More importantly, they formed a fast bond with their foster mother and (effectively) twin, settling easily into family life, though they chafed at the matriarchal and oligarchical leadership of their little coven. There was a friendly rivalry between the two young witchlings - with matching names, matching birthdates, and a similar role as the only two children, it was an easy leap for them to be competing in regard to all things magical.

The tensions with coven leadership came to a head when the twins were fourteen. Ignoring strict rules to not go beyond the coven's claimed and carefully-patrolled territory, Rhys and Kai went on an adventure. As misadventuring teens are prone to, an accident happened. A bridge over a slow-moving river collapsed, and Kai - who had never learned to swim - fell in, nearly drowning before Rhys got to them. Upon arriving back at home, strict punishment duties, and a removal of their magic privileges for a week, were placed on them. Kai, feeling all this was unfair, tried to argue and ended up escalating to an (exceptionally short-lived) duel with the coven elder. As per the charter, when magic was turned upon an elder, the wrongdoer was to be cast out.

Kai's mother had no say in the matter, and they were swiftly returned to the system, who now had NO idea what to do with them. They were belligerent and devastated at the loss of their found family, and were deemed difficult. They bounced around too many times to count, notably to a very, very wealthy do-gooder mundane family in London - upon seeing Kai's talent with the recorder (yes, the same school one they'd been issued nine years previously), they placed them in lessons with a very prestigious historical music school and commissioned custom instruments for their performing. The family seemed enamored by their foster child, and fully supportive of Kai's music, unknowing of the magic they practiced in secret. Their secret couldn't last, of course, and when the family eventually discovered Kai's peculiarity they were whisked off again to be replaced by a child who would be less of a liability. However, they were allowed to keep the instruments, and they're their most treasured possessions.

When their next foster family moved to America, dragging a hapless Kai along until the familial relationship inevitably fell through, they were left kicked out and stranded, figuratively, up a creek without a paddle in a tiny town in the midwest. Like any plucky and resourceful teen, they began to try to hitchhike to a larger city, thinking they could somehow enroll themself in a music school and make a life that way with their magical heritage more on the side. They didn't get very far, of course, before they had to use their powers to defend themself, and in doing so were swiftly tracked down by a member of the Sisters of the Dying Branch.

Since then, they've lived in the coven house for the last eight months, both incredibly grateful for the rescue and seething that they fucked up their opportunity for freedom. With Rhys and Saige's arrival in the area, however, they're hoping to turn over a new leaf, having been reunited at long last with the closest thing they've ever had to family.

Notable Rumors:
I: They are a pureblooded fae of some sort, and to disguise this, their entire appearance is an elaborate network of glamours.
_{This one is false, but has a grain of truth. They might well be part-fae, they're not sure, but not more than half if they are (considering the human surname and being left with humans and all.) While their height and ear points and so on are natural, they glamour their frame into a more slender and androgynous shape than even the best affirming garments can. Also, they have been known to use glamours to alter their hair and eye color for fun.}

II: They fled England after committing an unspeakable crime.
_{Not true, at all. Any crimes committed there were petty teenage misdemeanors.}

III: Kai leaves the coven house for hours at a time to practice nefarious things in secret.
_{True, ish. They do their best performance when surrounded by the sounds of nature, and there's less chance of something going wrong. Regarding nefarious things... no? usually, at least.}

Greatest Fear:
Abandonment.
_{Their greatest fear is probably abandonment, closely followed by losing control of their magic again. Having seen their family torn apart too many times before, they're terrified that something will happen that will make the coven get rid of them (for all they wish they could leave of their own accord, this rebelliousness =/= not ever being able to come back.)}

Magic:
Kai's favorite application of magic is sonomancy, most often played through their recorders, though rarely they'll sing or speak, depending on what the application is.

Best Skill: Glamours and Illusion
The skill that most naturally comes to them is anything to do with visual illusion, ironically. These spells are the ones which they'll speak or sing - articulation, tone, and even the words they choose to use have subtle effects on the shape of the spell, so they'll have a more nuanced cast if they plan out their words ahead of time. Every day they practice on themself, shaping their form and styling their hair, but they can cast on inanimate objects or other people, too, altering shapes, colors, or even making someone or something appear nonexistent.

Steadily developing is their ability to create sounds and distort sounds with the same skill - for creation they prefer to use their recorders to generate the base pure tones, as its easier to modify a pure tone into more diverse other sounds. They're going to try using these skills if and when they get a chance to hop into a recording studio, also, but that's ages down the line.

Favorite Skill: Sonomantic Evocation
Kai's favorite application of magic is using evocation spells within the context of their music. With their already great nonmagical control over their instrument, it is easy for them to create sounds that can be shaped into a variety of force or elemental-adjacent attacks. Force spells are infinitely easier, of course, ranging from high notes that literally stab or slash to low ones that can rattle the ground or slam an opponent to the floor. With considerably more energy, they can additionally channel a mild elemental effect in alongside, though they're still experimenting with that.

Neutral Skill: Charms and Potions
Neither great nor awful at charms nor potions, their biggest limiting factor with the creation of them is their lack of patience. Generally, non-spontaneous crafting or creating in the context of magic has no interest for them.

Least-Favorite Skill: Mental Manipulation
While they could be good at mind control or manipulation of emotions, what with music already being a vulnerability for most people, Kai refuses to even try to unless it is literally life-or-death. Even then, they find it morally reprehensible to influence another's way of thinking directly.

Worst Skill: Herbalism / Ecomancy
They CANNOT keep a plant alive to save their life. One foster parent gave them a succulent garden as a stress relief / zen thing. They killed it (a succulent array that was supposed to be near impossible to kill, remember) in about four weeks. Trying to revive it with magic (using their best guess on how ecomancy was supposed to work) resulted in a half-animated tiny cactus that continued crawling along by the root ball even after it had been split in half with a trowel. Legend says the animated, decaying cactus still crawls beneath their old foster-mom's house... and they are NEVER trying that again.

Other:
Kai owns a partial consort of custom-made recorders - They own a sopranino, soprano, and alto of the same style, and for all intents and purposes these seem to be fairly standard baroque instruments, if carved from a peculiar reddish-purple toned wood (Purpleheart wood, for the curious) that produces a distinctive sound to the trained ear.

Their goal is to get into a human conservatory and receive a performance degree; they wish to be known not as a witch but as a performer. Their hands are too small to play tenor or bass recorder, so they'll be hard-pressed to make up for that come audition time.

They DO have a record of misdemanors from their teen years in London - mostly graffiti and one trespassing charge - but they haven't had any such records in America.

They enjoy creating art, especially abstract art (the kind made with spray cans and other less classy media) but they're fairly mediocre at it.

They have no familiar, having moved far too many times to take an animal with them.

NPC: Saige Lockhart

A witch in her early 40s, who became a parent very young due to recklessness but was able to create a good life for her child all the same thanks to the support of her coven. She's soft-spoken and well-mannered, kindly and warm-hearted, and very skilled at divination and futuresight. Currently resides in the coven house while she figures out housing in her new place of residence.

@Amethyst

I love them so fucking much, accepted!