War
Maybe a companion piece to last weeks? idk technically it's the same family but also fucking yonks down the line like Blodwen here is Calia's uhhhhh great-great-great-granddaughter? I think?
Anyway yeah Calia solved her problems by marrying into the Nightgales and deposing her father and it was all very dramatic and then they fled Leritheyar on dragonback and now they're set up out here in the Mist on some floating islands running a sanctuary for injured creatures and Inira has some,,, Inventive Ways of getting patients
~~~
Blodwen froze where she was on the stairs, hearing raised but muffled voices coming from the study on the ground floor.
“You’re being ridiculous,” came her mother’s voice, clearer and sounding like she was striding nearer the door. “I will not–”
“It could mean war, Inira, if you and that fae continue like this.” That was Blodwen’s grandfather, head of the family, all but roaring his disapproval.
Inira scoffed. “They wouldn’t dare, even if they could pin it back to us.”
“Half of your escapees make it back to our sanctuary. The evidence is beginning to look fairly damning.”
“And you think they will attack us over that.” Inira’s voice was dripping with disbelief. 2all of our patients make it to us under their own steam, in their own way. To suggest that we’re – what, handing out flyers to the unjustly imprisoned creatures? Running a – a prison break just to give ourselves more work? It’s ridiculous.”
“Yes, you’ve made quite clear your opinions on our worries,” said Blodwen’s great uncle, his voice level but strained. “Unless you have anything more useful to add, I suggest you leave this matter to us.”
Inira laughed. “I have nothing more that you’d wish to hear.” She sounded as though she was right on the other side of the door.
Blodwen straightened up to do her best to look as though she wasn’t listening in, and started to walk down the stairs again.
“Would you like Altair?” Inira asked, as she opened the door. “I’m sure he’ll be able to phrase it in a way that you can accept.”
“Thank you, Inira, but no.”
Inira backed out in a low bow. “Until the next time. Thank you for your time, gentlemen.”
Blodwen attempted to stifle the giggle that bubbled up at that.
Inira closed the doors as she straightened up and smiled up at Blodwen. “How much did you hear of that, little flower?” She held her arms out.
“Not much,” Blodwen said, stepping into her mother’s hug. “They’re worried about war?” Her mother gave good hugs. She was taller than Blodwen – and she’d just about reconciled to that – which meant that Blodwen could just bury her face comfortably in the crook of her neck and bpretend to be young again.
Inira squeezed her and pressed a kiss to her head. “They’re being melodramatic. It won’t come to that.” She stepped back, slipping her hand down to take Blodwen’s hand. “Where were you going?”
“To check on some of the new patients.” Blodwen twitched a slight smile. “I hear those dastardly bandits hit another private zoo last night.”
Inira laughed and turned to walk at Blodwen’s side. “Mind if I join you?”
“Of course not.” Blodwen squeezed her mother’s hand.
The sun had burnt off the last of the morning mist. From the front door of their house – Blodwen stopped, as she always did – she could see down to the docks and out across the clouded sea. They were thick today, not letting a single glimpse of the chaos below through.
“It’s clear today,” Inira shaded her eyes, “you can just about see the neighbours.”
Blodwen laughed, spotting the next ring of islands easily; it wasn’t as far away as all that. “You might need to think about stepping down if your eyesight’s failing you that badly.”
“Ooh, you little menace!” Inira laughed, wrapping an arm around Blodwen and squeezing her to her side.
“Ok, ok!” Blodwen put up a token protest, not trying hard to wriggle free.
“Don’t go planning your uprising just yet, I’d hate to have to keelhaul you.” Inira let her go. “Although that would change their focus, so…”
“Come on.” Blodwen skipped down the few steps and turned her path towards the line of trees that hid their sanctuary.
Walking through the wooden arch was like walking into another world. In the woods it was cool and dim and smelt more earthy, a slight hint of the wild, the slight spice of creatures that travelled the Mist.
There were sheds full of the feed and equipment needed for anything that might happen within the sanctuary.
Blodwen ignored them for now; she wouldn’t know what was needed until she’d seen what was there.
“What… what would happen?” Blodwen asked. “if it came to war?”
“We remind them that we once rode dragons,” Inira said grimly.
“But the dragons are long gone.”
“And before we rode dragons, we were pirates. This world was ade for us.” Inira frowned. “But it won’t come to that.”
Blodwen nodded, still a little uneasy.
“It won’t, Blodwen, I promise.” Inira tugged her so that they were face to face; she tilted Blodwen’s chin up to make eye contact. “Alright?”
“Alright,” Blodwen mumbled. “Alright.”
Inira smiled. “That’s my girl.”
“Besides,” said someone else, “no one’s following through the Mist, let alone track them here.”
Blodwen jumped, looking around for the intruder because that wasn’t anyone of her family.
“Kam.” Inira looked up. “Delightful as always.”
A reddish-purple giant squirrel – partway to human – was lying in the branches above them. “Of course.” The werecreature pushed himself back against the trunk behind him and scrambled down to the forest floor. “Not that any creatures came back here yet.” He became more human, losing height until he was only as tall as Blodwen. He flashed her a grin. “You must be Blodwen.” He offered her his hand. “Inira’s very proud of you.”
“You must be the fae creature,” Blodwen replied, taking his hand. “My grandparents don’t approve.”
Kam laughed.
“You don’t look like the books.”
“I’m adopted.”
“What brings you here?” Inira asked.
“Can’t I just come and see how my favourite pirates are doing?” Kam slid to Inira’s side and slung his arm around her shoulders. “Call it a social visit.”
“Oh, so you’ll be coming back for some tea?”
Kam wrinkled his nose. “Your Archyn is still mad at me, isn’t he?”
“Oh, mad’s a strong word.”
“I don’t think it covers it, either,” Blodwen said. “They think you’re bringing war.”
“War?” Kam squawked. “Oh, I would be so grounded if that happened.”
“You still get grounded?” Blodwen asked, as Inira laughed. “But you’re an adult.”
“Unfortunately, my guardian is old as balls and I will always be a child to him.” Kam shrugged.
Blodwen giggled.
“Sorry, she isn’t too young for my coarse language, is she?” Kamal turned to stage whisper in Inira’s ear.
“We’re a family who never forgot we were pirates first; what do you think?” Inira pushed Kam away. “Do your folk think there will be a war?”
“Unlikely.” Kam wrinkled his nose. “Besides, no one’s going to track us back here unless they have Mist crossers of their own.”
“And considering we’re freeing them all, that’s highly unlikely.”
“We? Which of us keeps getting threatened with pitchforks for this?” Kam held a hand to his chest.
“You make a very good distraction.” Inira grinned. “Your service is appreciated.”
“Can I come?” Blodwen asked. “The next time you go out.”
“Sure,” Kam said. “The more the merrier.”
Inira hesitated.
“If Kam is doing all the heavy lifting–”
“I am–”
“Then surely it shouldn’t be dangerous for me. And – and grandfather likes me, maybe if I tell him it won’t lead to war, he’ll listen.”
“Or he’ll be more mad at me for endangering his sweet granddaughter,” Inira replied. “I don’t know, Blod.”
“Please?”
“I swear no harm will come to her,” Kam said. “You have my word.”
Inira looked between them both and sighed. “Alright. If she’s hurt, Kam, it’s on your head.”
“Understandable.” Kam grinned. “I’ll come back once I’ve scouted the next place.”
“And they’ll have to listen to me and there won’t be a war.” Blodwen nodded decisively.
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So I had a busy weekend and didn't wanna get bogged down writing because that always gives me The Executive Dysfunctions. So I got bogged down arting instead!
My OC Tegyd Lowri Humphries! She originates from Birds of a Feather, my spite-motivated fic wherein I queer the fuck out of the Potter universe and pointedly do better wherever I can than Her Despicable TERFness did when it comes to disability, nonhumans, etc. She's a Welsh half-human, half-caprid centaur, which are centaurs but goat instead of horse. So she's effectively a faun. Lives in a lil cottage in a secret village in the Bannau Brycheiniog called Pen ôl y Ddraig with her father, the caprid centaur. Her Mum comes and visits frequently, though she lives in Cardiff - it's not a broken family situation, it's just the most convenient arrangement for them. Tegyd's adventurous, and loves a good hike up a mountain. At the current point in the story I'm writing, she's in her third year at the wizard school, and a prominent member of the Nonhuman Club, with her dryad friend Blodwen, who is a crab apple tree, whom she grew up with.
Tegyd is one example of how I actually deal with the implications and consequences of my worldbuilding (looking at you, Jowling), she's an exploration of the Statute's fuckery as it affects anyone visibly nonhuman, as well as just in general, what it's like for a nonhuman to grow up in that world, though post-Kaleidoscopic Grangers (my original spite-fic, BOAF is a sequel to it, where I made Potter a blind trans girl adopted by the Grangers and had a whole heap of fun).
She's also getting migrated to an original story idea where she's a Welsh fae who's gone off to live among humans who are in that universe her special interest. Finally she doesn't have to deal with fae bullshit- oh wait, she gets the crown princess of the Seelie dropped unwittingly in her lap along with a package deal quest. But that's the Seelie Princess version, not the BOAF version - the SP version got combined with another BOAF OC, Alpin Faughn, a Welsh-Scottish lil lad with heterochromia and a penchant for sewing and embroidery.
I don't often draw, so this one was a Process™. I started off by finding a reference pose, which I then destroyed by photoshopping the goat legs, ears, and horns onto. Then I gave up for several months lmao. Then I decided to resurrect it with some art tips a friend gave me (shout out to @brewbellwizardry and later @death-munchkin who babied me through shading), starting by tracing a skeleton and general shape onto paper on my screen - 'cos one of the things that pissed me off previously was trying to use a drawing tablet, which I discovered is actually a skill. Then I began iterating, tracing over traces, general shape first which needed a little adjusting since Tegyd's canonically a bit curvier than the model. I used that as a reference for the clothes, did the tops first then the skirt, then I traced all of the components onto a master trace, which I then scanned with my printer into my computer. Did the hair on a separate piece of paper so it wasn't hell.
And then came my second ordeal of computering it. Started off by blocking out the colours, then doing outlines (which are still manky but shush I don't need to fix thoSE-) and then other details. The tartan be wonky as hell, but hey. Thanks to my friends I was able to figure out how the fuck to do shading, and voila!
And there we have her, my shoddy attempt at my funky six foot satyr lass.
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