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enbyleighlines · 1 month

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Family, Found (prt 1)

An informal drabble for my modern with magic Witchfest AU about Soren and Micaiah's childhood

(In this AU, Soren and Micaiah are both fostered by Stefan. Also, the Branded can shift into something in-between a laguz's human form and beast/bird/dragon form, but they only shift when experiencing strong emotions, and they have a hard time controlling the transformations.)

Drabble under the cut:

This wasn't the direction Stefan thought his life would take.

Though, to be fair, he never was one for planning for the future. Rather, he coasted through his life like tumbleweed, allowing the circumstances of an uncaring universe to blow him where it may. What was the point of putting down roots in any one place? He knew it would never last. Fate was a fickle mistress, bestowing misfortune on him whenever it pleased her.

Such was the cards he was dealt, cursed for the illicit love affair that begot his bloodline.

Like many of his kind, he never knew his parents. They abandoned him, left him for dead, when he was only an infant. Except, instead of dying, Stefan was found, brought in from the chill of the winter night, to the lukewarm care of the foster system.

But that was the past. Upon turning eighteen, Stefan resolved to forget about it all, to move on and never look back. He cut ties with everyone he had known. His hope was to become untraceable.

The universe never did care about what he wanted.

A man by the name of Sardo reached out to him, one of Stefan's former foster fathers. Stefan remembered him to be cruel, authoritarian, and deathly afraid that Stefan's identity as a Branded would be revealed. Sardo feared the judgment he might receive for agreeing to foster a half-breed.

Over the phone, he apologized to Stefan. His words were awkward and stilted, yet they seemed sincere.

Against his better judgment, Stefan heard the man out.

A new child had recently been placed in Sardo's care. She was bright, inquisitive, and uncannily perceptive for her young age. The details of her short life before entering the foster system were bizarre, to say the very least.

Previously, she had been in the care of a elderly woman named Prisca Clark. The two lived alone in a modest house in a small town called Salvation, located in the southern plains of the Salmo region. Ms. Clark was well loved in the tight-knit, religious community of Salvation. Though she had not lived there long, she was a gracious neighbor, attending services every Sunday, and frequently sharing vegetables from her garden with the members of the church. Her granddaughter was similarly adored and doted upon.

But then Ms. Clark died, and things got weird.

There was no record of Prisca Clark to be found anywhere. All the legal documents she possessed had been forged. The true identity of the girl — as well as her true relation to Ms. Clark — was unknown.

It caused a huge scandal. The local newspapers were speculating that Ms. Clark had kidnapped the little girl.

Sardo had a different theory. It didn't take him long to discover the strange mark on the girl's right hand, to realize what it meant. Like Stefan, the girl was Branded.

Her name, according to the forged birth certificate, was Micaiah.

At first, Sardo only wanted advice. He regretted how he treated Stefan, and he wanted to do better with Micaiah. Yet somehow, through no will of his own, Stefan wound up taking her in instead.

It was a poor decision. Stefan didn't know how to be a father. Yet Micaiah was a strangely low-maintenance child. Independent, patient, and seemingly wise beyond her years, she required almost no effort to look after.

Her true age was a mystery. According to the falsified documents, Micaiah was born on October 7th, and she was five years old. Stefan didn't know how accurate that was, but knowing that her aging would slow in adolescence, he decided to play it safe and claim she was four, waiting a year before enrolling her in kindergarten.

At first, Stefan worried that Micaiah might have trouble. She was an eerily calm child, so much so that she rarely shifted. Still, Stefan spent the summer coaching her to count her breaths whenever she started to lose control of her emotions.

It was a simple but effective tactic that had saved Stefan's hide many times in his childhood.

In the end, Stefan had nothing to fear. Micaiah continued to be a miracle child, making friends with the other kids and delighting the teachers with her inquisitive mind and good behavior. Many times, Stefan was commended for his role in raising such a well-mannered daughter.

Stefan accepted the praise, even though he knew that he didn't deserve it.

For two months, Stefan's life was surprisingly... pleasant. He prepared lunch for Micaiah in the mornings, took her to school, worked part-time at a deli, chatted with the other parents on the playground, and did other such mundane things. It felt like he was stuck in some strange suburban dream.

Then November came, and with it, another phone call that would drastically alter the course of Stefan's fate.

His name was Soren. At least, that was the name he was given.

They found him in a public park in Sienne, eating leftover picnic food from the garbage cans, and sleeping in the roots of the giant redwood trees.

The locals thought he was some unknown species of imp or gremlin, because they only ever caught glimpses of him in his shifted form.

It took weeks for him to be captured. They said he fought like an animal, lashing out at his rescuers with inhuman claws and a long, spiked tail. It was only once they subdued him that they discovered that he was no arcane beast, but a Branded child, who seemed to share blood with the rare black dragons of Goldoa.

Stefan agreed to take the boy under his care, and was glad when the truth of Soren's identity never made the newspapers.

It was for the best. Soren was the first known case of a Branded with dragon blood, and Stefan knew the poor, unlucky child would never know peace if the public learned of his existence.

Taking care of Micaiah did nothing to prepare Stefan for raising Soren. The boy was positively feral. He couldn't speak, didn't trust anyone, and was constantly shifting in and out of his draconic form. Between the horns upon his head, the webbed wings sprouting from his back, the claws, the fangs, and the patches of ebony black scales littered across his skin, Stefan couldn't blame the folks of Sienne for mistaking Soren for a demon.

Determining Soren's age was tricky. He was incredibly malnourished, so the pediatrician suspected that he was small for his age, but determined him to be about eight.

Micaiah was immediately fixated on her new foster brother, repeatedly trying to befriend him despite all of his hissing and defensive posturing. Stefan kept close watch over all of their interactions, afraid that Soren might actually hurt Micaiah. However, she remained respectful of his need for space, and slowly, day by day, she closed the distance between them.

It was impressive. Stefan knew Micaiah had a pacifying effect over others — he had sometimes even felt it for himself — but he was still amazed to see her work her magic on Soren.

In time, Soren was able to remain in his human form for most of the day, and no longer lashed out like a frightened stray.

Even then, though, Soren remained an aloof child. The next couple of years were spent teaching him to read, to speak, to behave like a civilized member of society. Soren proved to be a quick study. Despite his tragic beginnings, he was a clever boy, eager to learn, with a seemingly flawless memory.

However, when it came to behaving like a child, Soren was less enthusiastic about his lessons.

Stefan frequently took him to the park or down to the beach with Micaiah, but Soren refused to interact with the other kids, or even run around and play. He much preferred to kneel in the grass and look for insects.

He didn't immediately enroll Soren in public school, though. His ability to keep himself from shifting into his draconic form was improving, but far from perfect. Unlike Micaiah, who was frequently calm and content, Soren struggled with bouts of anxiety, which often resulted in an ill-timed transformation.

Stefan had learned to recognize the signs before it happened, but he couldn't do that if Soren started going to school.

So Stefan figured out how to home school Soren.

His days were no longer quite as easy. Soren was healing from some serious trauma, and Stefan was not qualified to help him. Of course, he wasn't working alone. Soren had a case worker, a speech-language pathologist, and a therapist, and Stefan relied on their expertise and support, but still, he felt like he was in way over his head.

And yet, Stefan persisted.

However, he eventually grew restless. Stefan wasn't used to staying in one place for so long. The need to travel became an unbearable itch, and soon Stefan spent nearly all of his free time thinking about all the places in the world he had yet to visit.

So he was grateful for the third call.

There was a Branded teenager in foster care in Nevassa named Petrine, Stefan was told, and they were struggling to find a suitable home for her. Petrine had a nasty temper, and kept shifting in order to intimidate her foster families into letting her do as she pleased. Prejudice against laguz and half-breeds were even stronger in Daein than in other beorc nations. With Petrine being unwilling to conceal her identity, it was nearly impossible to find anyone to take her.

Somehow, word had gotten around that Stefan was not only willing but happy to accept Branded children into his care. Additionally, Petrine was adamant about remaining in Daein, so Stefan was asked if he would be willing to relocate.

Perhaps all his hard work and perseverance had elevated him in the eyes of the universe.

It was with great glee that Stefan accepted.

Nevassa was nothing like any of the cities of Begnion. The climate was far harsher, with long, bitter winters, and damp, humid summers. The culture was also distinctly different. People were rougher around the edges, and less concerned with manners and traditions.

To Stefan's surprise, Micaiah thrived in Nevassa. He had worried that the change might be upset her, but in truth, she seemed to enjoy living in a larger city. She quickly made friends at her new school: Jill, Laura, and Fiona. But her closest friend was the boy that lived down the hall from their apartment, a serious-faced child who was also being fostered. His name was Sothe, and soon Sothe and Micaiah were inseparable.

The same could not be said for Soren. Stefan tentatively allowed him to try attending public school, at the behest of his new case worker.

Soren hated it. By then, on the cusp of turning 10, Soren was not only able to talk, he had a more advanced vocabulary than most adults, and he was very verbose in his scathing critiques of the public education system. Most of all, he resented that he was expected to socialize with his peers.

The long winters were also a problem for Soren. He was frequently fighting a cold or flu, and despite his hatred of public school, he hated skipping class even more. More than once, Stefan begrudgingly drove a sniffly, snotty Soren to school, only to have to pick him up an hour to two later, because he came down with a fever.

And then there was Petrine.

She was an odd addition to their unconventional little family. Petrine was fierce, proud, and prone to outbursts of anger. However, Stefan quickly came to an agreement with her. He didn't expect her to call him father or even like him, but she would respect his rules, which were only there to protect their collective safety and privacy. Additionally, Stefan allowed her a great degree of independence.

Even so, it was far from perfect. Petrine didn't care for Micaiah's multiple attempts to befriend her, and openly mocked Soren's gloomy personality and frail constitution. For that reason, Stefan encouraged Micaiah and Soren to interact with Petrine as seldom as possible.

At some point in their second year in Nevassa, Stefan bumped into Zelgius.

Truthfully, Stefan hadn't even recognized him. They were in the same foster family once, but Stefan had worked hard to purge memories of childhood from his mind. But Zelgius remembered, and once he began talking, Stefan began to remember, too.

Remembering was hard. Zelgius had been the first other Branded individual Stefan had ever met. For that reason alone, Zelgius had attempted to befriend him. But Stefan resented Zelgius.

Zelgius knew his family. He had a father, a mother, and siblings. He had memories of their names and faces. They had tried to raise him, even if in secret, not allowing his existence to be known to the outside world.

And yes, they hadn't treated him kindly, but Stefan hadn't cared about that, not back then. All he knew was that Zelgius had a family, and Stefan couldn't bear to look at him.

The jealousy had been too much for him to bear.

Stefan would have understood if Zelgius hated him for how he treated him when they were kids. He had ignored him, the same way countless others ignore their kind. But, strangely enough, Zelgius was perfectly cordial during their brief conversation.

Honestly, Stefan regretted that Zelgius wasn't openly hostile. And so, squirming with guilt, Stefan exchanged numbers with him, and promised to keep in touch.

Ridiculous. Stefan didn't keep in touch with anyone.

Or so he thought. But before long, Zelgius began coming over for dinner. Usually, they also ended up watching the game. They rarely had anything to talk about, but surprisingly, it wasn't that awkward.

Then again, Zelgius was usually distracted by Micaiah.

From their first introduction, Micaiah had latched onto Zelgius with almost religious fervor. And Zelgius, in turn, seemed to embrace his role as her newly minted uncle figure.

Perhaps it was because they were both descended from bird laguz. Stefan found it too amusing to ask questions.

And just like that, three years passed in Daein.

Micaiah continued to flourish, while Soren's immune system slowly acclimated to the environment. Petrine even eventually softened a little. But when it came time for her to graduate high school and move on to college, Stefan was more than ready for another change.

Soren and Micaiah had a collection of maps and atlases (most of them given to them by Zelgius), so this time, Stefan included them in his musings about where they would move next. Micaiah was upset at the idea, especially when she couldn't convince Zelgius to move with them, but Soren was excited by the idea of living someplace warmer.

They spent several nights scouring the pages. Many ideas were floated and discarded, until finally—

"Ohma," Soren had said, placing his finger down on a spot on a detailed map of Crimea. It wasn't phrased as a question, but as a command. And when he looked at Stefan, his face was the most expressive he'd seen in years.

Ohma. It sounded vaguely familiar.

Then Stefan remembered.

Back when Soren first began to speak about his past as a feral park child, he mentioned that a boy had saved his life.

With his sharp memory, Soren was able to recall an impressive wealth of details. The boy's hair had been indigo, with a slight sunburn on his nose, and the skin around his eyes crinkled when he smiled. He offered his sandwich to Soren, and introduced himself as Ike.

Ike, from the city of Ohma.

It looked like a small town, but even so, Stefan thought it was unlikely that they would bump into Ike. He opened his mouth to tell Soren just that.

But he couldn't.

Soren looked so serious in that moment, like he was willing to fight Stefan if he didn't agree.

And so, with a sigh of resignation, Stefan nodded.

"Ohma, it is."

(Aaaaand, that's it! I may write a part 2 at some point. I just was suddenly griped by the desire to explore Soren and Micaiah's past in this au, and I wanted to get my thoughts down before I lost the motivation. I really like the idea of the various Branded characters of Tellius all knowing each other. Thinking about how they might interact is really fun, and I hope at least one person indulges me by reading this)

#tellius #witchfest au #fe soren #fe micaiah #fe stefan

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enbyleighlines · 2 months

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I really want to get back into writing for my Witchfest AU, so in order to inspire myself I thought I would explore how magic works in my AU, along with who practices what type of magic

Long ramble below the cut

So, there is still anima, dark, and light magic, which works about the same as it does in canon (at least, from what little I can gather, plus adding extra stuff because things really aren’t all that clear). Wind, thunder, fire, dark, and light spirits exist within the world, and some people have an affinity with one of the five. Depending on how strong that affinity is, they can see the spirits and communicate with them.

When witches cast elemental spells, they are borrowing the magic from the spirits around them, storing it inside of their own body, and releasing the power through an incantation. However, elemental spells can be very strong, and cause backlash against the caster. This is where the tomes come in. The tomes can take the backlash in the place of the caster. So while it’s possible to cast elemental spells without tomes, it can be painful, so it’s best to keep a tome on hand.

However, in my AU, spirits are not the only source of magic in the world. They are beings of pure magic, yes, but everything contains some magic, from plants to bugs to even rocks. Laguz are highly attuned to the magic that exists within the world, being able to sense it, and determine how much magic something contains. They are also beings with high magic potential. Magic is what allows them to transform, along with their other special abilities.

The seid magic of the herons, for example.

Meanwhile, beorc are not born with the ability to sense magic. Some can develop a sense for it through diligent study, but it’s never as acute as a laguz’s natural sixth sense. Instead, beorc have the ability to manipulate magic.

People with both laguz and beorc blood, such as Soren and Micaiah, can both sense and manipulate magic. And while they can transform and inherit some laguz abilities from their laguz ancestors, they aren’t able to control those abilities to the same extent.

For example, while Reyson can choose to read the minds of others, but also can choose to turn that power off. Micaiah doesn’t read thoughts as clearly, but she can get the impression of people’s thoughts, such as a sense of the subject of their thought, and the emotions beneath them. Additionally, she cannot turn this ability on and off at will.

Aside from interaction with spirits, beorc and half-beorc can manipulate magic through the practice of witchcraft. This can look drastically different depending on the person. For example, Oscar can create dishes with magical effects by using certain ingredients. Through the act of cooking, he is essentially imbuing his dish with the latent magical properties of the ingredients.

Witchcraft requires the right components, but also a conscious intent to create a certain effect. If the intent and components don’t match, then the result can either have unexpected side effects, or else not do anything at all.

So, with all that out of the way, I want to explore how various characters in the AU use magic.

First is Soren. He’s a bit of a jack of all trades. He has a natural affinity with wind, so he can see and interact with wind spirits. He can also see thunder and fire spirits, but not so clearly. Additionally, only the wind spirits follow him around, hounding him even when he doesn’t require their presence. However, there isn’t a lot of need for wind spirits in the modern age. Mostly, Soren uses them to keep his hair out of his eyes, predict the weather, or to tidy up messy spaces. They’re also great for keeping cool in the summer, but not nearly as useful in the winter.

In addition to anima magic, Soren practices quite a bit of witchcraft. His special interest is plants and bugs. Plants and bugs both have a wide array of different magical properties. Soren loves to study and collect them. Primarily, he uses this knowledge to help cut costs. For example, he uses flowers that absorb the light of the sun and glow at night. This way, he can save money on his electricity bill. However, a lot of it is just honest curiosity. What happens if he grafts this plant to this other one? What if he feeds this insect the leaves from this plant? Soren does a lot of experimentation, and in notorious Soren fashion he keeps meticulous notes on everything.

Soren also dabbles in apothecary and potion-making. Potions are more powerful than magic-infused meals, but they taste horrible, considering that they include ingredients like bitter herbs, frog eyes, and insect legs. Additionally, their effects don’t last nearly as long.

Next up is Micaiah! Micaiah still has her powers of healing touch, foresight, and being able to sense the thoughts and feelings of those around her. Additionally, she has an affinity with light spirits, so she can see and command them. Light spirits can heal minor wounds and accelerate healing from illness, so Micaiah is almost constantly in good health. Even as a child, she was primarily free of bumps and bruises.

Additionally, she practices apothecary, which she learned from Elena. Apothecary is all about creating healing items for people, such as poultices and tinctures. It’s not as convenient as being able to heal people with the touch of her hand, but it does allow her to avoid transferring another person’s pain onto her own body.

Mist also practices apothecary. In my AU, Micaiah and Mist both apprenticed under Elena at the local church. However, Mist continues to train there, hoping to become a priestess like her mother, while Micaiah ultimately decides to pursue fortune-telling as her primary craft.

Oscar practices gastromancy. He even went to a special academy to study it, before dropping out so that he could support his newly orphaned brothers. Oscar eventually starts tutoring Mist in the art of gastromancy as well.

Ilyana has an affinity with thunder spirits, and is also a bit of a techno-witch, meaning that she can modify technology to give it magical properties. She can also charge electronics just by touching them.

Aimee practices fortune-telling and enchantment. Enchantment is the process of modifying objects, such as accessories, to give them magical properties. She sells her enchanted items online. Soren is one of her loyal customers, despite their long-standing beef. They are both capable of putting personal feelings aside for the sake of good business.

Aaaaand that’s everything I have for now.

As demonstrated above, magic in my AU can take many different forms.

#witchfest au #tellius

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enbyleighlines · 7 months

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I decided to draw Soren and Micaiah as I imagine them in my Witchfest AU, a modern with magic fic wherein Soren and Micaiah are raised as foster siblings. The story is set in 2007, so their clothes are based off my memories of all those tacky outfits characters wore on Disney tv shows like Hannah Montana, That’s So Raven, etc.

Modern Micaiah is a country girl and you can’t change my mind.

#soren #micaiah #my art #tellius #witchfest au

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enbyleighlines · 9 months

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Although it’s mostly irrelevant to my fic, I’ve been trying to imagine what kind of clothes the Tellius cast would wear in my Witchfest AU. I decided to set it in 2007 because that was the year I was first introduced to the series.

Which means 2000’s fashion Bay-Bee!

Here is what I have considered so far:

Soren 100% shopped at Hot Topic as a teenager. As he gets older, though, he probably goes more grunge. He pretends not to care about fashion but this man knows how to accessorize.

Micaiah dresses like Hannah Montana. Idk why, but my heart is telling me that she is a country girl. Cowboy boots and jean jackets all the way.

Ike shops at LL Bean. He is always dressed like he expects to be waylaid on an impromptu camping trip. He owns at least a half dozen plaid shirts.

Ranulf looks like he belongs in a boy band. I mean, he already has the hair! And he is a certified heartthrob.

Mist’s fashion style is just a little tacky. She loves neon colors and big flashy patterns. And in true 2000’s fashion, she always has 1 too many layers on.

Sothe is 100% punk. All of his jeans have holes in them, and only a quarter of those holes were there when he bought them. He has a graphic tee for every band he listens to (and he listens to a lot of music).

#tellius #witchfest au

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enbyleighlines · 10 months

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I’m thinking about my witchfest Tellius au again

Does anyone want to ask me questions about it? I feel like rambling

#pretty please #it would make me so happy #witchfest au #tellius #ikesoren

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enbyleighlines · 1 year

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I’d like to hear about your Tellius witchfest AU! My silly artist brain is just imagining everyone in witch outfits casting sparkly spells lol

Would Soren help Ike learn to cast spells? Would he find some way to turn into a dragon form? 🤔 Also, what are the mutual benefits (or drawbacks) to the whole laguz familiar situation?

Ahhh, thank you for asking!! The aesthetic I was thinking was more like halloween-esque witches, like you see on those pretty lofi for witches youtube videos. Witchfest takes place in autumn, and is basically their version of halloween.

Ike himself doesn’t practice magic, at least not consciously. He works as a repairman with his father’s company, and anything he fixes winds up enchanted with super durability, making it nearly impossible to break. However, Ike himself is unaware of this magic ability. He goes to witchfest to support his mother and sister, who both practice apothecary (healing witchcraft).

Branded like Soren work a little differently in this AU. They can transform into something that looks a laguz stuck in between their two forms, but they can’t control their transformations. Basically, they transform whenever they experience very strong emotions, so Soren taught himself from an early age to always bottle up all of his emotions so he doesn’t accidentally reveal his laguz ancestry.

(And like in the original story, Ike and Soren meet as young children, but Soren was in his transformed state, so instead of Ike forgetting the interaction, he merely doesn’t recognize Soren when they meet again.)

As for laguz and beorc forming a witch/familiar bond, it has both benefits and drawbacks! On the positive side, it makes both of them stronger. The beorc can cast more powerful spells, whereas the laguz can stay in their transformed state for longer periods of time. The closer they become, the more power they gain from each other’s presence. The main drawback is that, the stronger the bond, the more acutely they can feel each other’s pain. And since beorc still have shorter lifespans, that means a laguz will eventually suffer through the pain of their bonded witch aging and dying. Hence the practice falling out of favor, especially amongst the laguz.

Thanks again for sending me an ask! I really appreciate it!

#witchfest au #tellius #ikesoren #aptericia #asks

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enbyleighlines · 1 year

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Looking for beta…

I’m looking for a beta for my Tellius modern with magic witchfest AU

Details:

Ike/Soren is the main pairing, but it will also have Ike/Ranulf and Sothe/Micaiah

Soren and Micaiah are foster siblings. Stefan is their foster father. He’s also fostered both Zelgius and Petrine in the past. They keep the fact that they are branded a secret from everyone but each other

There is a witchfest celebration that happens every autumn and the Greil family + friends go whenever they can afford it

Traditionally laguz used to act as familiars for beorc witches but the practice fell out of favor in recent years. However there are people (both beorc and laguz) who are working to repair the rift between the races

It will be a lot of just exploring relationships (both platonic and romantic) with a backdrop of magic and full halloween-type events for the characters to attend

Please contact me if you’re interested or have any questions! You don’t necessarily even need to be familiar with the fandom. I am also willing to be a beta for your work, if you want to work together!

#tellius #witchfest au #ikesoren #ikeranulf #ikesorenranulf

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enbyleighlines · 8 months

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Another chapter of my Witchfest fic has been posted to ao3! This chapter focuses on Micaiah and sets up her relationships with Zelgius, Soren, and Sothe.

Here’s a little preview:

Link to the fic: HERE

#tellius #witchfest au

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enbyleighlines · 9 months

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I wanted to post my first chapter of the Tellius modern with magic au I’ve been working on but suddenly realized that I had no title planned for it. Like Witchfest is the name of the AU but I don’t think it works all that well for a title.

Hmmmm

Why are titles so hard??

#witchfest au

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enbyleighlines · 10 months

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Wait wait idea time!

Unlikely friends Soren and Mia…

Specifically I am thinking about my witchfest (modern with magic) Tellius AU that continues to take up primary residence in my brain.

(Rambly thoughts below)

At first they only hang out because they’re both friends with Ike. Soren is Ike’s best friend, and Mia was part of the same co-ed baseball team in middle school, alongside Ike, Boyd, and Nephenee.

At first Soren only barely tolerates her. She’s less bearable than Nephenee, true, but at least she’s not as bad as Boyd. Soren and Boyd really don’t get along. And Mia is similar to Boyd: big-mouthed, thick-headed, overly competitive, all too eager to share their (often incorrect) opinions… all things that annoy Soren.

Worse than Boyd, even, is that Mia actually attempts to bond with Soren— in her rough-and-tumble teasing as a form of affection way. And Soren immediately mistrusts anyone who attempts to curry favor with him.

But unlike Boyd, Mia has her moments of… uncanny intuition. Soren doesn’t know what to make of it at first. She seems oblivious to anyone and anything that doesn’t involve her (highly limited) interests, and yet without warning she will occasionally read a person so accurately that even Soren (keenly observant for trauma reasons) finds himself begrudgingly impressed.

It starts with Nephenee. She’s a shy girl who keeps to herself. Mia is determined to be friends with her, but Nephenee is a hard nut to crack. Eventually, however, Mia’s persistence pays off.

And then enters Calil. She’s an upperclassman, super popular and fashion-forward. It’s by happenstance that she decides that Nephenee will become her personal project— transforming a country bumpkin into a princess. Nephenee’s protests fall on deaf ears, and soon enough Nephenee stops protesting at all.

Soren only has to see the two girls interact once to understand: Nephenee fancies Calil. Hmm, he thinks, and then files it away in the recesses of his brain. Nephenee is like him. She is also crushing on a same-gender friend.

Not that Nephenee herself seems to realize. Oh well. Soren supposes that she will figure it out eventually. It’s not his problem.

Time passes. Calil moves away, leaving Nephenee heartbroken for reasons she doesn’t understand. Mia takes it upon herself to cheer Nephenee up, inviting her out on various “adventures” around the small farming town where they all live. Its the sort of thing Mia would enjoy, not Nephenee, but surprisingly, it helps.

Soren points this out to Mia one day after school, as they all hang out in the Greil family’s backyard (the prime hangout spot for Ike and his friends.) He tells her that he’s surprised her hare-brained plan actually worked.

Mia takes his statement of fact as an affectionate tease. “Well I had to do something,” she says. “I heard the first heartbreak is the worst.”

It is then that Soren realizes he is not the only one who noticed Nephenee’s crush.

Soren is astounded. Romance is far from Mia’s limited scope of interests. Even as a teenager, she wrinkles her nose at romcoms and has, for as long as Soren has known her, never shown any romantic interest in anyone. On his mental list of girls who are potential threats (as in, those who could theoretically steal Ike’s heart and thus destroy Soren’s fragile fantasy of them someday falling in love), Mia lands down at the bottom, just above Nephenee.

Time passes. Soren almost forgets that time Mia correctly identified another person’s feelings.

Elincia comes to visit one summer, as she often does. Soren simmers with silent loathing. Elincia is an old friend to Ike, her father a friend of Ike’s father, and she is everything Soren is not: kind, friendly, beautiful, a girl. It is clear Elincia has feelings for Ike.

Ike, as always, remains oblivious. He treasures Elincia’s friendship. He allows her to hang on his arm.

Soren simmers, but it all remains hidden. He is cordial with Elincia, or at least as cordial as Soren is with anyone who isn’t Ike or his family. He swallows his jealousy. He does not stare with abject longing when Elincia touches his arm.

It is Mia, of all people, who sees through it all.

At one moment, when the jealousy becomes too thick to choke back, Soren finds a deserted spot for himself.

Mia finds him, sits beside him.

“Oof,” she says. “Hang in there, Soren. Elincia will be going back home tomorrow.”

And Soren realizes. Nephenee is not the only person Mia has seen. And Soren does not like being seen. Defensive, he tells her to go away, to mind her own business, that he doesn’t know what she is talking about.

Somehow, Mia can see he means it. She walks away.

When Elincia leaves and he is thinking more clearly, Soren confronts Mia. He admits her assumptions may have been correct, and asks her how long she’s suspected.

“Oh, I just knew,” she says. “It’s funny, I don’t care about romance at all. I really don’t get it. I’ve never felt that way for another person, and I don’t think I want to. But I can tell when other people do. I don’t know how, and I can’t explain it. It’s just like— oh, I don’t know. A gut feeling, maybe?”

“Huh,” Soren says. And that is that.

And somehow they become friends… sort of. They talk and text, sometimes, even without Ike being in the picture. It’s strange. Mia mostly teases him a lot.

But sometimes (and only sometimes) Soren will tease her back.

#tellius #soren #mia #unlikely friends #this just came to me #i had to write it #witchfest au

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