this is Salem, a land filled with magic and maladies. It is a place where witches and their elemental familiars gather, a home to legend and
lore that predates time itself. Yet of all the wicked and wonderful stories the past can tell us of, the most magical are the ones yet to happen.
This is Salem - this is the start of your very own journey. Welcome to starfall
Starfall is an animaga witch roleplay set in mostly modern times. Members play as witches in a world plagued by monsters, where the only safe spots are walled cities. Starfall strives to be a character-driven roleplay with expansive lore and a highly interactive plotline. We want to allow members to
create and look back on a magical journey, and mold the site and its plot as their characters grow.
Sometimes it's hard to learn from all your mistakes
Percy didn't even know the library was open this late. But here he was, surrounded by stacks of books with a cup of coffee strategically hidden in a small book fort where no one could see it. The paper cup was still warm, kept that way by a knit cozy that Gabriella had let him borrow. He had a book open on his lap and his leg was bouncing, and he was having trouble focusing. He blinked in a dazed fashion, his eyelids heavy. The clock chimed eleven and the librarian, some dark eyed lady with a quirky smile who didn't seem bothered by him, peeked in and nodded sagely before returning to the desk to read her own book. She didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon so he wouldn't either he supposed.
He cupped his chin in his hand and sighed, the book not giving him as much information as he liked. His bones ached deep inside him at the joints, and he cracked his left elbow painfully. Augmentation was so hard....but he needed to persevere. He needed to be a true hero like in those storybooks that children read. His face turned a bit red thinking about it really, that he wanted to aspire to be a children's story, but he meant it. He really did. He shifted backward a bit and rolled his shoulders, sighing softly and letting his head hit the bookshelf behind him. He stuck his hand in the pocket of his hoodie, gently stroking over Cassi's soft fur. She stirred, but remained at peace.
He squinted against the soft light flickering against the dark walls and sipped at his coffee, returning it to his book fort quickly as he heard footsteps approaching.
[attr="class","lieinsidetext"] coffee stained lips smudges of sleepless nights
[attr="class","lietags"] @perseus 413 words
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She probably shouldn't be out so late, nor sneaking through the city alone - her guild members tend to get... a little angsty if she doesn't bring a 'competent, reliable adult' with her. Ling thinks that's a little unfair; she's sixteen thanks, and can look after herself decently enough. Besides, she's hardly heading towards any dangerous part of Sundial; the library is like a second home to her by now, and she could navigate to the ancient building with her eyes closed and half asleep.
The point is: she'll be fine.
As she pauses at the entrance, Valkea quietly materialises out of the shadows and pads to her side on silent feet, his pale fur brilliantly white in the moonlight, eyes dark as the night itself. "Hey Val. Come to keep me company?" Ling smiles at her familiar, fond and warm and bright. "Midnight research session - we should probably be quiet."
They slip in, waving at the librarian on duty as they pass her; Ling bypasses the familiar shelves of runescripting books and heads straight for the augmentation section - there's a certain augmentation technique that she wants to see if she can mimic with a runic array, and to do that she needs to understand the theory behind it first.
The problem, Ling considers as she stares at the shelves upon shelves of books, is that she has no idea where to find the books she needs.
...maybe she should ask the librarian?
Wandering down the row of shelves, her eyes skim over the titles embossed in faded letters on the old leather spines, looking for anything associated with self-fortification and/or durability reinforcement. If that even is what the technique is called. Her steps are quiet, Valkea's quieter still, but the living silence that seems to dwell in the heart of night magnifies each sound till they echo lightly off the walls and ricochet ahead. The library is still save for the two of them - which is probably why she's so surprised to round a corner and see another person hunched over a table, books stacked all around him.
Blond hair, tan skin, and an athletic build - he looks like someone far more suited to being outdoors and in the sun rather than tucked behind dusty tomes. Then again, Ling knows better than to judge. She's well aware she doesn't look the studious type either.
"Hi," she says, smiling brightly, though keeping her voice low in deference to their environment. "Midnight reading too?" I hope this is okay?
Sometimes it's hard to learn from all your mistakes
Sleep deprived eyes strained to focus on a face for more than three seconds for the first time in more than about four hours, and it wasn't pretty. Letters swam in his eyes and he passed a hand over his face with a sigh.
"Uh, kinda? Yeah. Been here for like....seven years."
He stretched his arms over his head and glanced down at the small bulge in his hoodie where evidence of Cassi's existence was, and puffed out his cheeks. Maybe he should call it a night soon, or try to check some of these text's out. Even though he was pretty sure he had some of this stuff memorized. In the least some of the newer stuff he could take out. The older texts would have to stay in the library though. He'd still have to get a card though, all these years in Sundial and he still didn't have one due to pure laziness.
"What about you, why you here so late? And for what subject?"
He could admit to some late night curiosity and a loosening of the tongue that wouldn't normally be there. He was typically more polite than that. But it was late and he was exhausted and she had the word "AUGMENT" stamped on her forehead about four times over and he was sure it was a minor hallucination so...
"Oh uh... I'm Perseus. Call me Percy though. Easier to remember."
[attr="class","lieinsidetext"] coffee stained lips smudges of sleepless nights
[attr="class","lietags"] @perseus 202 words
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He looks up at her, blue eyes blank and a little unfocused as if his mind was still half trapped in the spaces between words. Ling's not unfamiliar with that look - she's encountered it many times in her fellow witches after a long study session, and no doubt she's had the same expression etched on her face multiple times as well. His words confirm it.
"Seven years? Wow, wait till you see how much the world has changed," she jokes. Ling flops down in a seat next to the man, glancing curiously at the mysterious bulge in his hoodie as she does so. Secret snacks? she wonders. Or maybe a small familiar. As if summoned by her thoughts, Valkea chooses this moment to slink out from behind her and dart onto her lap, his dark eyes trained on the stranger in a steady, steady gaze.
"I'm Ling, and this is Valkea," she introduces, beginning to pat her familiar as she speaks, running her fingers down the ligaments of his spine and smoothing his fur in long, soft strokes. "We're here for a midnight research session. Augmentation technique. I had an epic idea and I couldn't wait till morning," she explains cheerfully. "You?"
Sometimes it's hard to learn from all your mistakes
He cracks a smile, her joke bring him into the real world, reels him back into reality a bit. He blinks a bit, raises his eyebrows in a slightly bewildered expression. He's mostly trying to regain feeling in his face as he yawns and cracks his neck, then his jaw. Wow, he's been sitting here too long.
"I can't wait to see the advances technology has made."
He plays along for the moment, twitching as she sits. He laments momentarily his lack of manners, mentally berates himself for not doing the chivalrous thing of jumping up and pulling out her seat for her. He nearly pinches the bridge of his nose but doesn't, decides that explaining himself isn't worth it at this time of night. Then the fox shows up and oh gods it's beautiful.
"Oh hello there Ling, Valkea. I'm Perseus, call me Percy. This is...hold on."
He gently brushed against one of Cassi's paws and the small sugar glider shifted in his pocket, and poked her head out sleepily. The baby crawled her way slowly up his sweater and he grinned, hovering a hand over her in case she fell.
"This is Cassiopeia. Call her Cassi. Oh uh, augmentation? Well you're in luck! This entire fort I've made is full of augmentation books. It's my affinity."
He scratched his nose, pink dusting his cheeks. Usually he wasn't so embarrassed about it, but explaining it now so late at night in a dead library seemed...childish.
[attr="class","lieinsidetext"] coffee stained lips smudges of sleepless nights
[attr="class","lietags"] @perseus 293 words
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He smiles at her and plays along with her joke, the dazed look leaving his eyes, and Ling slips him an easy grin in response. Good to know he has a sense of humour - not enough people take her banter in stride, which has created some... very awkward situations in the past. "There's the flying carriages, for one," she quips.
The bulge in his hoodie shifts slightly, twitches as if it were alive, and Ling mentally revises her guess as to what it is. Familiar then - it's got to be. But it's so small.... She wonders what species it is.
Her question is answered a mere moment later as Percy reaches into his pocket and a tiny sugar glider pops out. Ling gasps, eyes wide. "She's so cute!" she exclaims, then remembers herself and lowers her voice again. "Hey Cassi! You," she says, addressing the little familiar, "are adorable."
Ling brightens as Percy tells her his affinity. "Do you know any good beginner books describing self-fortification or durability reinforcement?" she asks. "My affinity isn't actually augmentation... but it's really fascinating, and I want to see if I can modify it into a spell I can use."
She carefully doesn't reveal her affinity, not knowing what Percy's stance on runescripting is. Normally she wouldn't care as much - if he looks down on her, she will prove him wrong - but tucked away in the library in the dead of night doesn't seem like the best place nor time to potentially get into a verbal fight, so better to avoid the potential problem for now.
The guy, thankfully, provides his own distraction a moment later with his semi-embarrassed confession. "A hero?" Ling tilts her head to the side, eyes wide and interested. "What do you mean?"
Sometimes it's hard to learn from all your mistakes
"No way you're joking."
He rubs his eyes tiredly, doesn't know for how much longer he can keep up the charade. He yawns, covering his mouth and smiles when Cassi yawns with him. Her mouth is a lot tinier compared to his and she settles on his shoulder, though curiously crawls down his arm to sniff at Ling. She seems to chitter excitedly at the compliment and scurries back up to Percy's shoulder to hide behind some of his curls.
Percy chuckles low and rubs at her gently before nodding to Ling.
"She says thank you. Basically."
Beginner books? He's embarrassed to admit those were the ones he'd been studying the most, and the pages by now were well worn. He picked at the books in front of him, closed a few of the covers and made a neat little pile. He shifted them over to Ling and nodded to himself, muttering under his breath about augments while rubbing his eyes again.
Then he pauses, and his face turns pink. A true hero...one people could depend on...
"Uh well...y'kknow, like the ones from the stories? Those big heroes that always save everyone in need."
He rubbed the back of his head, feeling foolish now.
[attr="class","lieinsidetext"] coffee stained lips smudges of sleepless nights
[attr="class","lietags"] @perseus 415 words
[attr="class","liebody"]
Both Percy and his tiny sugar glider familiar yawn, and Ling is suddenly acutely aware of the lateness of the hour. It doesn't bother her - she's more than used to it what with her regular bursts of inspiration in the middle of the night - but she briefly wonders if she should leave and let Percy finish whatever research he's doing so that he can go sleep.
She decides against it for now. Instead, she'll just have to be on the lookout for any subtle cues that he might be wanting to exit the conversation - something she's... not that great at, but Val can spot pretty well. Ling sends the mental request at her familiar and receives a pulse of agreement in return.
That done, she turns her attention back to Cassi as the little familiar sniffs at Ling, chitters something in response, and darts back behind Percy's curls. "I'm just telling the truth," she beams, resisting the urge to awww.
But a moment later, her attention is again diverted as Percy grabs a few books from his fort and pushes a stack over, all the while muttering something under his breath. "Ooh, thank you," she says, immediately flicking open the first book and skimming the index. It looks just about what she's looking for, which is awesome. "You are a lifesaver," she tells Percy, already partially absorbed in the text. "Hey, since we're kinda studying the same thing, do you wanna compare notes or something? Like I said, I'm not an augmenter, but maybe a different perspective could help whatever you're looking at."
She does pause and look up at his next words though. Something about his tone has changed, her gut instinct telling her that this is important to listen to. Heroes? Saving people? Some might say that heroes don't exist, that the real world holds no place for things that belong in fairytales, but Ling has always loved those stories, looked up to those characters who are strong enough to protect and defend the people they love, and she thinks those people are the people Percy aspires to be like. And she thinks, why can't heroes exist?
"I believe in you then," she tells him, her cheerful expression fading into something a little more serious, a little more wistful. "If you've got a dream, you should chase it, because that's the only way they'll come true." And perhaps others would say she's too idealistic, but Ling thinks, the world needs a little idealism. Sorry for the wait!
Sometimes it's hard to learn from all your mistakes
Admittedly he can't help but perk up, augmentation is something that's pretty hard to master and he's been pretty high strung about it. So far he hasn't found anyone else interested in it anyway, so he's been pretty bummed. Plus, being called a lifesaver? Slightly strokes his ego in the weirdest way, makes his hero-complex purr. He slumps in his chair, contented, and watches her for a moment before registering that she was talking to him. His tired almost sleep addled brain shakes itself awake and he blinks, and the words "compare notes" floats into view.
"Oh...oh! Yeah, yeah totally."
He fishes around for his notebook, pulling it out and looking over his surprisingly neat bubbled handwriting. It's...a bit girly honestly and his shoulders slump a bit looking at it, it was something he was never able to shake. The stereotypical "girly" handwriting that he had. He tries not to think about it. The way the letters mockingly curve. Whatever. closing his eyes for a moment he slides it over towards Ling, chewing on his lip.
Then he looks at her with surprise. Not a lot of people believe in him honestly, it's a bit of a problem he has. One that honestly...makes him go to bed with a wet pillow. He spends a lot of his time crying at night, thinking he's useless. Gabriella can only do so much to boost his confidence, and Vera's only so much help. But now, his smile is as bright as the sun.
"Honestly? That means so much, you have no idea. Not a lot of people believe in me, so to hear that...it's.....it's nice."
[attr="class","lieinsidetext"] coffee stained lips smudges of sleepless nights
[attr="class","lietags"] @perseus 415 words
[attr="class","liebody"]
As Percy reaches for his notebook and slides it over to her, Ling beams at him in a duality of joy and surprise. She's not used to people accommodating her research obsession like this - not with affinities outside of her own anyway - and that the other witch has agreed like this makes her feel like they could be amazing friends. Though she probably should have expected as such given that they're both in a library at midnight researching where the rest of the city is sleeping...
Flicking through the first few pages, Ling exclaims with no little awe, "your notes are so nice! I love your handwriting, and it's so neat, please, teach me." The tidy letters with their elegant slant and immaculate spacing are beautifully legible without sacrificing style, and Ling is understandably envious. It's such a cry from her own notes that she's almost embarrassed.
Speaking of which. Ling rummages around in her bag for her notebooks - plural, because she, unlike Percy, is not neat or organised and has her notes scattered over three different books - and hands them over to the older witch, flipping them open to the right pages as she does so. "They're... kinda messy, sorry about that," she apologises sheepishly. Her absentminded scrawl mocks her in comparison to Percy's writing, the script slanting two different ways in a single sentence, marks and notations and stray thoughts and tangents crammed together intercepted by half-sketched ideas of runic arrays. There are tea stains inked into the paper too, and she knows for certain that there are more than a few pages that are practically unintelligible because she wrote them running on two hours of sleep and caffeine replacing the blood in her veins. "This notebook is solely for this augmentation project, the other two have more supplementary info."
All she really wants to do now is to dive straight into the world of research, what with Percy's notebook and his book recommendations piled up in front of her. But he's talking about his dream, and dreams are important, she should know, so she shakes her mind out of the research haze it's begun to sink into and brings herself back to reality.
"Those people are stupid then," she declares. Call her idealistic, but chasing one's dreams are something she's passionate about. "If you don't dream big, and if you don't chase those dreams, how then would you ever accomplish anything amazing? To become a hero - that's a dream worthy of chasing."
Sometimes it's hard to learn from all your mistakes
Percy is admittedly embarrassed when she mentions his writing. It's one of those small things he hates with all of his being, that he hardly considers it a good thing. But the way she compliments him.... He ducks his head down and smiles just a little bit, pushing back the wave of uncertainty threatening to consume him. Instead he allowed a laugh to bubble from his mouth, slouching forward in his seat comfortable resting his chin on his folded arms.
"I mean, I don't think I can really. Pretty sure you're stuck with how you write, sorry."
She slides the notebooks over and he takes them carefully, holding them as though they are very precious - which they are. He blinks the sleepiness out of his eyes and flips through the pages carefully, not handling them for more than a few seconds. Despite the messy and somewhat unintelligible writing he understands the general gist of what she's trying to look for, and nods to himself.
"Interesting. Very interesting, you making any actual physical progress with this or is it still in it's baby stages?"
then he glances at her, something a bit wary but hesitant in his gaze. She's being so supportive, so nice to him, and he can't help but wonder when the rug is going to be pulled from underneath his feet.
"No one....well besides my madre....has ever really said anything like that to me before...so thank you. I've been trying my hardest but some people just..."
He sighs then, leans back and stares at the ceiling.
[attr="class","lieinsidetext"] coffee stained lips smudges of sleepless nights
[attr="class","lietags"] @perseus 430 words
[attr="class","liebody"]
The older witch ducks his head at her compliments, though not quite enough to hide the small smile peaking out; Ling feels a sense of accomplishment as Percy gives into a laugh and allows his posture slump into something more comfortable, more natural. She exchanges a surreptitious smile with her familiar, running a gentle hand through his thick fur as she does so, and then shrugs with a good-natured grin at his reply. "Yeah, you're right. Ah well, I guess I'm just stuck with my chicken scrawl for now, ne?"
Percy leafs quickly through her notebooks, scanning each page for only a few seconds before moving on. In all honesty, she's surprised he's able to get what she's written so fast, without needing to ask her to decipher her handwriting no less. She's not known for a coherent train of thought after all, and her notes reflect her somewhat illogical mindset.
It only adds to her conviction that she and Percy could be amazing research buddies.
"It's mostly still in its preliminary stages - I've sketched out a few partial arrays, but they're still experimental and I haven't tried any activated tests yet. I need a bit more research before that stage-" and she gestures at the library around them and the books Percy had given her, "-but I'm getting close to actual testing stages. I think. ...I probably need to brush up on my geometric formulas, but the basic ones should be fine.
He looks at her with something hesitant in his eyes, something dimming his earlier cheer, and she can't help but wonder what she'd said or done that's dampened the mood. She didn't say anything too offensive, right? Frantically thinking back over her words, she almost misses when he begins speaking again; her beautiful, brilliant familiar thankfully nudges her subtly back into reality.
Ling lets out an inaudible sigh of relief as Percy confirms that she didn't somehow accidentally offend him or something. "Hey, no need to thank me. It's the truth," she says, a little quieter than usual but no less intense. She can't help but think of her own dreams and her own passion, the struggle she's had in having people respect her affinity and the arduous fight she'll be embroiled in for the rest of her life. Dreams and their pursuit are important to her, vitally so, and some of that passion can't help but seep into her tone, her expression. "Don't listen to those people. As long as you believe in yourself, as long as you try your hardest, then you can make it." ling is still firmly in her idealistic stage ;;;
Sometimes it's hard to learn from all your mistakes
Percy takes a sip of his coffee, doesn't even make a face despite it being nearly ice cold. He's used to it, used to the almost gross chill of it all. It's almost good at this point? Unlike iced coffee, he tries not to think about it honestly. Times like this he wishes he was a fire witch, instead of a dark one. What kind of hero controlled darkness anyway? It makes him frown into his cold coffee, watching the liquid quiver. He focuses again, hearing her words.
"I bet everything will work out for you in the end though. Your formulas seem pretty solid in theory anyway. Might run into a few mistakes here or there but I don't see any reason why it would like....blow up in your face."
He admits with a shrug. He listens to her resolve, wishes he had the same. He puffs out his cheeks for a moment, then breaks out into a smile. Dissolves the serious nature of the conversation for a moment. Just a moment anyway. He laughs quietly, taking into consideration the setting he's in. He's cleaning up now, settling down in his chair as he stacks his books in neat little piles.
"So what is your ultimate aim? What are you combining with augmentation?"
He tries to get to the core, asking indirectly what her affinity is. You can't blame him for being curious anyway.
I press the button and[break]it bursts into life[break]This time nothing will escape my sight
Ling lights up at Percy's comments regarding her formulas. It's one of her first few attempts at transcribing a spell from a different affinity into a runescript array, and to have confirmation that she at least understands the basics of the spell in question is, well, it's nice to know she's on the right track. Though she hasn't considered which geometric array to use yet... Nor has she begun the modification of runes to suit herself...
She laughs a little nervously as Percy mentions explosions, hiding a wince with a sheepish expression. "Uh... some of my arrays... well... let's just say, explosions tend to happen around me when I'm experimenting... sometimes..." she trails off ruefully, thinking about the various disasters that she's been the cause of. Especially that time in the Sun Cafe, boy her fellow coven members hadn't been very happy with her.
In her defense, runescripting tends to be a little more dangerous than most other affinities, especially when testing unknowns. There are just so many variables to keep track of, ok!
And then comes the question she's been dreading and futilely hoping that wouldn't come in equal amounts. Her affinity. Actually, she's a bit surprised Percy hasn't asked sooner, or worked it out from the scribbled rune theory in her notebooks; in any case, she's not going to lie. Ling subtly straightens her spine, a touch of wariness entering her eyes as her smile fades a little. "I'm trying to use the augment spell as a basis for a runic array," she says frankly, meeting the older witch's gaze head on and holding her head high in a subconscious show of defense and pride in her affinity. Misrepresented and trivialized as runescripting is to most, Ling hopes that Percy won't look at her too differently, or at the very least will still be willing to work with her.
Sometimes it's hard to learn from all your mistakes
Okay so he was curious about just how many explosions this poor girl had caused. He smirked and tilted his head, leaning back in his chair and watching with amusement as she fades into memories. Okay so at least he wasn't that bad honestly, he could keep himself in relative check.
Then her expression falls, and so does his.
He tilts his head a little, he honestly doesn't know much about the other affinities, never claimed to be smart enough to learn much. He shrugs his shoulders at her defensive stance, leans forward to rest his arms on the table and cushions his chin.
"Okay? Tell me about it, I don't know what that is."
He feels stupid honestly, but again, he's not the smartest cookie.
"Pretend I'm four years old."
It'd be the easiest way to get her point across to him, doing something like that.
