[Text: "I am truly sorry, sir, but I don't believe that I can in good conscience sign that document."]

Inktober Day 3 — Path

Crispin makes a life-altering choice

Please vote based on the picture AND the description!

Conas [8 men @starrystories2]

Conas is the second of three sons of a Lenn man and a woman of an ancient forgotten race. They live in one of the Lenn refuge villages in the artic north of the island of Lenndabar, though his mother, tasked with an ancient duty must leave her family often. Conas is young and frankly stupid. He often spends his time entertianing the children of his village and getting into trouble. But deep down, unknown to himself, he is a kind and compassionate individual. After the death of his father, and an argument with his older brother, he sets off on a hunting trip up a mountain alone.

Crispin O'Callner [Fallen Breath @larissa-the-scribe]

So committed to his ideals that he continues to shoot any business opportunity he has in the foot. A Tired Noir Detective who works with both the natural and supernatural, and is physically incapable of asking money from any old lady who wants his help. Just wants one nice weekend where he doesn't have to worry about anything and can go read at the public library until he falls asleep.

I'd love to hear about First Meetings and The Witch in the Woods from that WIP ask game!!

Thanks for the ask! (from this ask game)

First Meetings:

Info:

The first part of the scene is actually already up on tumblr! You can find that >>here. It's (currently) the opening scene for Fallen Breath, a story about a Lawful Good(tm) detective and a probably insane sailor lady investigating the supernatural curse that's sweeping through Santa Juliana. The idea already existed but it got solidified and made A Thing by Inklings Challenge 2022.

So this scene would be the first time they met, and also the hook for the mystery (Julia has info and she wants Crispin's help because he's not affiliated with the Detective's Guild, unlike most private investigators).

Snippet (this is from the document, after the scene on tumblr):

The day drew to a close, the black darkness of night smothering everything until the streetlights struggled to stay alight. Further toward the middle of Santa Juliana, loud peals from the belltower marked the time. 1800hs.  Crispin shrugged. Maybe she’d had to stay overnight in the hospital.  Turning up the collar of his coat and shoving his hat over his mop of red-gold curls—wondering wistfully if maybe the darkness meant it’d be socially acceptable to not wear a hat—he went out to call a cab for Ms. Hallifax, then began locking up. It didn’t take long.  For all that the monstrous and skeletal building of bronze and glass was large and sprawling, there weren’t many rooms and, consequently, not many doors. Most of them were on the second story, anyway, and there were only two stairways to that.  Clicking the locking mechanism closed and shoving the fold-key into his pocket, he thought for the twentieth time that week that it was time he got to cleaning the multitude of windows. Sometimes he regretted not having thought about that when he bought the place. Maybe that had been why it was so cheap; either that or the fact that it was constantly falling apart. 

The Witch in the Woods:

Info:

This is a slightly different kind of project, since it's an AU of my ocs, but also it's canon. It gets complicated but (spoilers) basically a thing happens where reality gets fragmented and as a result a bunch of AUs happen with different versions of and different storylines for the four core Rifters (Kathryn, Benn, Lyn, and Zo).

In this AU, the "Assassin AU," it takes place in a more medieval fantasy setting. Benn and Kathryn didn't come in and shut down the assassin program run by the government (well, its equivalent in this world), so Zo is never rescued out of that. Benn has disappeared, Kathryn is hiding in the woods because she's become bitter, and Lyn never gets friends who care about her and take care of her, so she's just fully letting the depression win.

The story for this timeline gets kickstarted when Zo is sent to assassinate Lyn (who, in every universe, knows far too much), and for the first time comes face to face with someone who *wants* him to kill them. This is too weird and intriguing and Wrong, so he refuses to kill her (to her frustration). Instead, he goes rogue and starts figuring out why she's supposed to be dead, dragging her along for the ride until she learns that life is worth living, and he learns to have a moral compass. They also meet Kathryn and Benn along the way :)

This scene takes place when Zo goes back to his "guild," expecting to find help after his clients double-crossed him, only to find out that, no, yeah, his guild also wants Lyn to be dead. His mentor tries to make it a lesson in "don't get attached to people--you're an assassin so you're supposed to be Smarter Than That," but Zo has gotten a Friend now and doesn't fall for it. They make it out, barely, but Lyn is mortally wounded, and they need help, now. So there's this borderline eldritch witch in the nearby woods that his guild has always feared and avoided, but like, he's left them, so, uh, maybe it could be a good idea to ask her for help.

Snippet:

“Go.” Lyn waved a weak hand at him. “I’ll be here when you get back.”  He set his jaw, curling his fingers around one of his knives, and set out deeper into the woods.  It was darker, more silent than ever, the tree trunks crowded closer, the roots more knobbed and scattered under foot, making walking more difficult and uncomfortable. But he wasn’t going far, anyway.  He unsheathed the oak-wood dagger he’d swiped on his way out of the castle--polished, worn, carved with letters he couldn’t read. He knew what they said, though. It was the title of the person he was summoning, and he remembered it clearly; it had been the day Julian had told him to never go into the woods. Fitting, then, that it'd be one of the first places he went after cutting ties. On one hand, the fact that he had stolen a magic artifact from the castle meant that [people from the castle] would definitely be after him, but on the other, it wasn’t like they were going leave him or Lyn alone anyway. He hadn’t told Lyn what he was planning to do, and unease churned in his gut. No matter which legend held truth, this was probably a stupid move. It wasn’t like he had anything to offer in return, and he was the last person who’d be able to appeal to someone’s humanity. Not that he’d really tried yet, but there was also the doubt as to whether or not whatever was here was human.  This was a fool’s hope, certainly.  But desperation had certainly made a fool of him.

(and one more because I couldn't resist)

The girl tilted her head, cloak fluttering about her in a wind he didn’t feel. “And why do you think I will do what you ask? Last I heard, the rumors were that I was a monster.” “Because those aren’t the only legends, are they?” He hoped Lyn was right. “At least that’s what she believes. That the old tales of a being who traveled throughout the land, in this region specifically, and gave aid to those who needed it.”  “Oh?” Her eyes narrowed. “Why is that me?” “I…  don’t know exactly.” He bit back his growing frustration with an effort. “Something about the legends ceasing around the time you showed up here, or some of the characteristics being the same. It’s not really my area of expertise.” “No, it wouldn’t be,” she said thoughtfully. She didn't sound judgmental, but, considering her earlier vague remarks about “Castle people,” Zo felt his efforts to check his irritation failing rapidly. “So what are you going to do?” Zo asked.  “Avoid history repeating itself,” she said.  The cloak fluttered a little more, and she vanished.

Crispin?

I am actually not super sure.

Julia came first, and was originally the main character; I think I was originally going for the amateur detective vs established police force dynamic, but they ended up being friends who worked together.

I think I might have just decided that she needed someone to Actually arrest people, since she's a civilian, etc.

I also can't quite remember how he got to be the main character, honestly adfas. Somehow his POV was just working better. And then I started making things up.

Thanks for the ask!

Crispin O'Callner, also in color.

For more info, his Artfight Profile Here

hmmmmmmmm something something one of the images central to this story is light, something something Psalm 37:6 and righteousness and justice being made into a bright light in times of darkness and one of Crispin's main character traits is how dedicated he is to rules and justice and protecting the good in the world

No thoughts vibes only sorry

Crispin: I'm going to assume it's probably best to not ask questions. Julia: Sometimes I worry about your lack of curiosity, O'Callner. Questions are very important for investigations.

Julia asked if she could bring a friend of hers along to supper. They were in a spot of trouble, she told Crispin, but still needed to socialize.

She apparently did not see anything else worth mentioning about her friend.

Meanwhile, Crispin, who has known her for a while now, is wondering why he's surprised.

Crispin O'Callner

MC #1

A private investigator in one of the poorer sections of the city. After graduating (with honors) from the academy, he turned down both a police commission and a place in the Detective's Guild.

Probably hasn't slept in the past three days.

Reads all the terms and conditions very carefully. Has been kept up at night worrying he skimmed too quickly over the terms for joining the book club at his local library (it was like two paragraphs but he got excited and read too fast).

Does not like hats but feels compelled to wear one anyway.

May not be entirely human.

Methodist.

Interest in the extra-normal may or may not have started through sad events and dumb decisions as a teenager, but that's a different story.

Synopsis

Working Title: A Bright Breath Falling

When a new client shows up asking for a private investigator experienced with "land-based extra-normals," Crispin assumes that his next case is going to get interesting. With fae, superpowers, an (un)deadly curse spreading through Santa Juliana, rumors of a cult plotting to bring about an apocalypse, and a new companion helpfully volunteering (without his sanction) to be his partner-in-stopping-crime, turns out that the assumption was perhaps an understatement.

World: [Still unnamed]

A kind of "alternate history" steampunk version of our world. The plot (and connected series) is set in Santa Juliana, a made-up city in Florida, near Saint Augustine. The time period is the mid-to-late 1800's. Superpowers have recently been discovered, which has been deemed unsettling by both the regular and the magical portions of the population.

More detailed ref of Crispin, plus doodle.

Trying to add a little more detail + a bit of steampunk flair, but also struggling with details askdjf. He has a gun in his pocket, fuller design still pending.

Julia: Congratulations, it seems that your three-year-old brain suppressed the horrors nicely! Crispin: I beg your pardon? What horrors? Julia: Exactly!

Julia: I would suggest it was hypnotism but I know that was banned a few years ago. Crispin: Naturally, and as we're all aware there are few things gangs of criminals love more than following laws.

I don't think this dialogue/scene is going to end up in the actual Inklings story now, since things have taken a different direction, but I had fun with the concept. They are breaking into a building of some kind to access the attached crypt, for reasons I never figured out.

Crispin pulled the brim of his hat lower, as if that would help him be not instantly suspicious if anyone happened along the lane. This was as much as either of their necks were worth, but that didn't seem to occur to the mad woman who was still sedately picking the lock.

"Well," he hissed, "if you're not worried about the laws of the country, what about the laws of the Lord? You said you were a Christian, too, right?"

"Mmmm yeah," Julia said, sticking her tongue out in concentration as she slowly wiggled one of the lockpicks.

"So, that doesn't give you any cause to rethink this?"

"I'm not stealing anything," Julia said. She leaned closer to listen to the lock.

Which was also infuriating--if she absolutely insisted on this method, she should at least have the decency to be good at it.

"So? Is that really the only thing that comes to mind?"

"Oh. You're right. I forgot about that commandment."

"Which commandment?"

Julia jiggled the handle. She grinned up at him. "'Thou shalt not break and enter.'"

The door swung open. Dusting off her hands, she got up and stepped through it into the hallway beyond.

OC Propaganda:

Subject: Crispin O'Callner

A strictly rule-abiding noir-style detective, who still fulfills the loner archetype because his need to study terms and conditions drove him to refuse to sign on with the Detective's Guild; he found some of the clauses to be shady, and potentially limiting in his ultimate goal of helping the unfortunate. The only time he has been known to Not meticulously read over the terms and conditions was when he got overly excited about joining a local library's book club. In his defense, he trusted the people setting it up.

Currently, he is a committed Christian, but that wasn't always the case; as a youngster, he summoned a demon because he frivolously and rashly assumed that he, as someone who went to church and nominally believed in God, could control it. That was not the case, and he had to be rescued by his grandmother--but he was not freed from the consequences. It still haunts him, sometimes literally. It also caused a very awkward conversation with his unsuspecting pastor.

May possibly be part fae.

Does not like hats because of sensory issues; unfortunately, hats are seen as necessary by the culture of his time.

Also, consider, he used to be a tiny babey:

(Text: My, what a well-behaved boy!) (Ma'am he is currently thinking about all the reasons he's not allowed to set hats on fire)

He's also (jokingly) convinced that Julia Cook was sent to him as a personal tribulation.

(Text: I'm going to assume it's probably best to not ask questions)

.

Project: The Santa Juliana Files

Local lawful good private investigator joins forces with an eccentric sailor to solve the mystery of the supernatural curse creeping through Santa Juliana, Florida.

Includes found family, steampunk/"Victorian" worldbuilding vibes, the fae, something that is very definitely a cat—and also there are the horrors.

I started this story for the Inkling's Challenge 2022, as a kind of background for a more developed story, and it has been growing since. I hope to have started the first draft by the end of the year (or maybe even have written it, if we're gonna get crazy about stuff).

Current characters: Crispin O'Callner, Julia Cook, Dae, Fisher, Corwin Burnes, and Ms. Hallifax.

Current status is WIP, Primary Project.