Belated Infopost! (Follow that Bandwagon!)
So, the last time I did one of these, Karla had only one child, Kathy was alive, and Hyacinthe wasn't on the island yet. And since three things makes an infopost, here we go!
Hyacinthe, Anasztaizia's son
"He says it is vrajna for a Tsingano man to attempt the dromonde, Hyacinthe; worse than anything, worse than mingling with a gadje servant. What your mother teaches you is forbidden. And you cannot be a true Tsingano anyway, not with pure D'Angeline blood on one side. Your mother was cast out of the company for that, wasn't she?"
Hyacinthe is from the Jacqueline Carey Kushiel's Legacy trilogy, specifically from the first book, Kushiel's Dart. In this series, we're transported to a fantasy France called Terre D'Ange, founded about a thousand years ago by Blessed Elua (born when the blood of Yeshua ben Yosef combined with the tears of the Magdalene and in the womb of Mother Earth) and his Companions, a band of angels who turned their backs on the One God to rescue Elua and travel with him. Elua and his companions wandered the Earth for several years before reaching the then unnamed land, and settling down amongst the populace, sleeping around with mortals and enriching the land with their angelic knowledge.
...And, seriously, that is one of the least crazy parts of the story! (Ish)
Kushiel's Legacy follows the exploits of Phèdre nó Delaunay, raised to be a courtesan and spy (and those of you who know my reading habits know that that's my catnip right there), who travels through much of fantasy medieval Europe and a bit of Africa to save her country and eventually the world mostly by having sex with people. That is definitely a thing I just typed, yup, and as anyone who has read this series can attest, "That is definitely a thing I just typed" is something that comes up a LOT when talking about this series. For example, as a result of all that ancient, angelic ancestry, D'Angelines are more beautiful, more poetic, more talented, and more wooonderful than everybody else as they're literally descended from angels. THE RULING FAMILY HAS PURPLE EYES, I CAN'T MAKE THIS UP. (The series IS, however, both better-written and less-cracky than Karla's canon, so there we go.)
Anyway, Elua was a hippie about 1960 years early and his one big law is love as thou wilt.And one of his Companions, Naamah, lay with strangers to keep Elua fed during their travels, so sex is practically a religious rite and prostitution is sacred in Terre D'Ange. Thus, Hyacinthe is coming with a very egalitarian view of sex, romance, and dating, because he's used to Terre D'Ange where everyone is pretty and bisexual. (He also came with a very skewed notion of what was normal, as D'Angeline girls have to perform a ritual before the can get pregnant or they just never get their periods and STIs don't exist, presumably because maaagic and aaaangels. Fortunately, Dante, Ada, and Sex Ed have explained the importance of condoms and other methods of safer sex/birth control).
Hyacinthe, however, is not pure D'Angeline. He is Didikani, or a half-breed. His mother, Anasztaizia, was a princess among the Tsingani people (fantasy Rom). His father was an anonymous D'Angeline nobleman and his conception isn't talked about without a lot of IC trust and an OOC trigger warning. Anastaizia stayed in the City of Elua and provided for herself and her son by taking in laundry and telling fortunes. Anasztaizia is incredibly gifted with the dromonde, the ability to pierce the veils of time and look down the road of someone's life. Most women with the skill can only look forward; Anasztaizia and Hyacinthe are both skilled and powerful enough to look backwards as well. Though it is forbidden by the laws of the Tsingani, Anasztaizia taught her son to read the dromondeand it's one of the few things that Hyacinthe respects.
In game, Hya can and will speak the dromondefor people. For the most part, he will dress it up with flamboyance and theater, but if you cross his palm with coin, he will tell you truthfully what he sees. Sometimes, the dromondecomes to him unbidden and he'll just see things and usually speak them aloud, in a hollow-sounding voice. Of course, he won't see anything about any character without OOC permission and what he does see can and will be agreed upon. So no worries about him ruining a grand reveal or knowing too much; if you don't want him to see something, he won't. If he does read the dromondefor a character, however, it is always correct--though how your character wants to interpret things is up to you.
...Hyacinthe had become something of a fashion too. "O Prince of Travellers," she began solemnly, then giggled and cast a glance at her laughing friends, getting the rest of the words out with difficulty. "O ... O Prince of Travellers, if I cross your . . . your palm with gold, will you read the fortune writ in mine?"
At the gleam of a gold coin, Hyacinthe--who had never to my knowledge ventured past Night's Doorstep--put on his best Prince of Travellers manner, rising to give her a graceful bow, his dark eyes mirthful. "Star of the Evening," he said, at once wheedling and portentious, "I am at your command. For one coin, one answer, as scribed by the Fates upon your fair palm. What would you know, gracious lady?"
Deliberately ignoring me, she arranged her skirts and sat, rather closer to Hyacinthe than was necessary. She gave him her hand with the air of someone bestowing great favor, then whispered, "I wish to know if Rene LaSoeur will take me to wife."
"Hmm." Hyacinthe gazed intently at her palm..."Fair lady, the answer is no. Nuptials I see, not now, but three years hence, and a chateau with three towers standing, and one that crumbles."
"The Comte de Tour Perdue!" Snatching her hand back, she covered her mouth. Her eyes shone. "Oh, oh!" She reached out then and laid her fingers on his lips. "Oh, my mother will be joyed to hear it. You must tell no one of this. Swear it!"
Quick and graceful, Hyacinthe grasped her silencing fingers in his own and kissed them. "Sovereign lady, I am more discreet than the dead. May you be joyous and prosper."
"Was it true?" I asked him.
"Who knows?" He shrugged. "I saw what I saw. There is more than one chateau with a broken tower. She believes as she wishes."
For all that Hyacinthe is generally a charming, easygoing guy, his life has been fairly difficult. He grew up poor, hungry, and both adored and despised. As a Tsingano, he's used to casual dismissal and racism, "...The other guard cursed and flicked him crop at [Hyacinthe]. 'Out of my way, filthy Tsingano brat.' Hyacinthe avoided the lash with the ease of long-practiced dexterity." Nothing can go missing or wrong, but a Tsingano is blamed. But Night's Doorstep has several Tsingani residents, most of whom are half-bloods and not accepted in traditional Tsingani kumpanias (traveling families), and various kumpaitravel to the City of Elua frequently. Hyacinthe is truly the child of two worlds and none; neither side truly accepts him, even has he combines the best qualities of both.
Like many children, however, Hyacinthe dreams of something more, something better. He dreams of acceptance from his mother's family; that his grandfather Manoj will see that he is truly Tsingani and raise him up and bring him back into the fold--and his mother as well. He also dreams of becoming the Prince of Travellers--a flamboyant and fabulous persona, the toast of Night's Doorstep, rich and easy with his money. He is a good friend; loyal to a fault. His gives up his dream of acceptance by Manoj to speak the dromonde for Phèdre in front of witnesses and uses it again to take her place as the Master of the Straits' apprentice, where he lives in isolation for ten years. (That all happens after graduation). So, expect a handsome, charming, flirtatious boy with the occasional light fingers and a fast smile. Certain topics, authorities, and instances of privilege-in-action will bring out the chip on his shoulder, but for the most part, he'll be cheerful and light-hearted, in bright colors and an over-the-top personality. This summer has been a hard adjustment for him, finding himself lost in both time and space (this world is very much not his own) and he's been a bit more serious and somber than canon, but he's starting to adjust and will soon trend towards good humor and happiness as he finds his footing.
And the older crowd, who get updates in bullets!
Katherine Hana Li
"After a lifetime of being the quiet girl who sat off to the side, becoming the fastest, wildest, most colorful hero in the city was the best thing that had ever happened to me."
*Kathy is a zombie. Well, in the parlance of her canon, Peter Cline's Ex-Heroes (originally a standalone, the trilogy released its fifth book last year), she's an ex-human. But since she's wandering around, undead, eating the flesh of the living (sorry, Eli), it may just be easier to think of her as a zombie. Or an ex. Whichever.
*A senior at Fandom before her death, Kathy had gotten accepted into Stanford and had planned to move to California with roommate and bestie, tigerundercover, who is currently trapped in post-zombie apocalypse America after watching Kathy's infection, death, and reanimation personally. And then got to go back to Kathy's place to kill Kathy's zombified father, infected mother, and say goodbye to Kathy's dead little sister. In all, Raven had a worse day than Kathy did.
*Kathy also left behind her boyfriend and other longtime bestie, not_every_mage, their...undefined whatever, rebelseekspizza, her kohai, soniaroadsqueen, her adopted baby sister, that_oldsaying, her mentor vdistinctive, and a bunch of other dear friends. She managed to do a long of damage before she died and boy is Field of Dreams going to be fun and not at all painful on my soul!
*Was also known as the superhero, Banzai. Known for her rainbows, bounciness, and superspeed (she was roughly three times faster than a regular person), Banzai patrolled Baltimore and Los Angeles. It was her sense of responsibility as a superhero that got her bit in the first place. Dante was pretty anti- the whole superhero gig in the first place...fine, she'd owe you a Coke if she wasn't, you know, super-dead.
Alec Hardison
"Age of the geek, baby!"
*Hardison is a thief and a computer hacker, part of Leverage, Inc, a company committed to conning the corrupt wealthy and powerful and giving back to the little people they abused to get where they are.
*The other members of Leverage, Inc are their mastermind and sneakthief, whoisalicewhite and their hitter, vdistinctive. The three of them are also a happy poly triad and are practically married by this point, though no one mention that to Eliot. They even have a dog together named Megabyte! (Again, don't tell Eliot).
*Has Hollywood Hacking magic and can hack pretty much anything that doesn't directly belong to a high-tech character on Fandom. Often with his cell phone.
*Has a slew of other skills as well; he can play the violin, he paints, he sculpts, he can forge a 17th century book in 24 hours...
*Conversely, he has dreadful aim, overplays even the simplest grift, has claustrophobia, germophobia, and a fear of heights. Somehow, this does not stop his boyfriend and girlfriend from pushing him off of very high things.
*Is the Care Bear of the group, the most in touch with his feelings and the feelings of others. He's naturally good with people and can use social engineering.
*Was raised by Nana, his foster mother. Before that, he was in the foster system for a few years.
*Has a total dude-crush on imafuturist and the Danger Shop.
Karla Worthington
Karla bared her teeth in what might have been a smile and said, "Kiss kiss." Ranon blinked. He’d never heard anyone say that and have it mean 'shove a knife up your ass.'"
*Fandom graduate of the class of 2013, Territory Queen of Glacia, member of the Dark Court of Ebon Askavi, occasional teacher, general pain in the ass.
*Mother of four, adopted wards Cora and Nyles, and tiny winged babies Kayla and Nommy, with NPC Fandom alum Warren Worthington III, her Consort. They're not actually married, but will probably get there. Eventually.
*Birthright Sapphire descended to Ebon-Gray, which makes her the second most powerful witch in the living Realms. She's still only number five overall, beaten out by Jaenelle, Daemon Sadi, Saetan SaDiablo, and Lucivar Yaslana. Not that she knows Daemon yet. Much.
*Is one of the only three triply-aspected witches in the history of the Blood: Queen, Black Widow, and Healer.
*From the same canon as harpy_daughter and nothornlessrose, though they're from different timelines. She's also the furthest in time, just about to start the events of Queen of the Darkness, whenever I get off my ass and write the app.
*Lives in Glacia with trigons_child, her Court Healer, who is attempting to adopt every orphan in Glacia.
*Besties with endsthegame, and momslilassassin, and grudgingly admits her children will never be as smart as a Wiggin with Skywalker genes. Sigh.
*From the crackiest of all my canons, and that includes the one that's just a porn comic.
Me
"Oh, this book looks TERRIBLE. I'm gonna read it!"
*Her house is called Sass Central. Enough said.
*Lives on the East Coast, but keeps a semi-European schedule because HA! Sleeping at night, who does that?
*@shadowravyn on Twitter, booksomewench on Tumblr, booksomewench at gmail, glacial_queen on AIM, Nu or Nuance IRL
*Has been incredibly flaky recently and apologizes wholeheartedly for that. This summer has been...weird.
*Probably could think of other things to say, but is weirded out by talking in the third person.
Hyacinthe, Anasztaizia's son
"He says it is vrajna for a Tsingano man to attempt the dromonde, Hyacinthe; worse than anything, worse than mingling with a gadje servant. What your mother teaches you is forbidden. And you cannot be a true Tsingano anyway, not with pure D'Angeline blood on one side. Your mother was cast out of the company for that, wasn't she?"
Hyacinthe is from the Jacqueline Carey Kushiel's Legacy trilogy, specifically from the first book, Kushiel's Dart. In this series, we're transported to a fantasy France called Terre D'Ange, founded about a thousand years ago by Blessed Elua (born when the blood of Yeshua ben Yosef combined with the tears of the Magdalene and in the womb of Mother Earth) and his Companions, a band of angels who turned their backs on the One God to rescue Elua and travel with him. Elua and his companions wandered the Earth for several years before reaching the then unnamed land, and settling down amongst the populace, sleeping around with mortals and enriching the land with their angelic knowledge.
...And, seriously, that is one of the least crazy parts of the story! (Ish)
Kushiel's Legacy follows the exploits of Phèdre nó Delaunay, raised to be a courtesan and spy (and those of you who know my reading habits know that that's my catnip right there), who travels through much of fantasy medieval Europe and a bit of Africa to save her country and eventually the world mostly by having sex with people. That is definitely a thing I just typed, yup, and as anyone who has read this series can attest, "That is definitely a thing I just typed" is something that comes up a LOT when talking about this series. For example, as a result of all that ancient, angelic ancestry, D'Angelines are more beautiful, more poetic, more talented, and more wooonderful than everybody else as they're literally descended from angels. THE RULING FAMILY HAS PURPLE EYES, I CAN'T MAKE THIS UP. (The series IS, however, both better-written and less-cracky than Karla's canon, so there we go.)
Anyway, Elua was a hippie about 1960 years early and his one big law is love as thou wilt.And one of his Companions, Naamah, lay with strangers to keep Elua fed during their travels, so sex is practically a religious rite and prostitution is sacred in Terre D'Ange. Thus, Hyacinthe is coming with a very egalitarian view of sex, romance, and dating, because he's used to Terre D'Ange where everyone is pretty and bisexual. (He also came with a very skewed notion of what was normal, as D'Angeline girls have to perform a ritual before the can get pregnant or they just never get their periods and STIs don't exist, presumably because maaagic and aaaangels. Fortunately, Dante, Ada, and Sex Ed have explained the importance of condoms and other methods of safer sex/birth control).
Hyacinthe, however, is not pure D'Angeline. He is Didikani, or a half-breed. His mother, Anasztaizia, was a princess among the Tsingani people (fantasy Rom). His father was an anonymous D'Angeline nobleman and his conception isn't talked about without a lot of IC trust and an OOC trigger warning. Anastaizia stayed in the City of Elua and provided for herself and her son by taking in laundry and telling fortunes. Anasztaizia is incredibly gifted with the dromonde, the ability to pierce the veils of time and look down the road of someone's life. Most women with the skill can only look forward; Anasztaizia and Hyacinthe are both skilled and powerful enough to look backwards as well. Though it is forbidden by the laws of the Tsingani, Anasztaizia taught her son to read the dromondeand it's one of the few things that Hyacinthe respects.
In game, Hya can and will speak the dromondefor people. For the most part, he will dress it up with flamboyance and theater, but if you cross his palm with coin, he will tell you truthfully what he sees. Sometimes, the dromondecomes to him unbidden and he'll just see things and usually speak them aloud, in a hollow-sounding voice. Of course, he won't see anything about any character without OOC permission and what he does see can and will be agreed upon. So no worries about him ruining a grand reveal or knowing too much; if you don't want him to see something, he won't. If he does read the dromondefor a character, however, it is always correct--though how your character wants to interpret things is up to you.
...Hyacinthe had become something of a fashion too. "O Prince of Travellers," she began solemnly, then giggled and cast a glance at her laughing friends, getting the rest of the words out with difficulty. "O ... O Prince of Travellers, if I cross your . . . your palm with gold, will you read the fortune writ in mine?"
At the gleam of a gold coin, Hyacinthe--who had never to my knowledge ventured past Night's Doorstep--put on his best Prince of Travellers manner, rising to give her a graceful bow, his dark eyes mirthful. "Star of the Evening," he said, at once wheedling and portentious, "I am at your command. For one coin, one answer, as scribed by the Fates upon your fair palm. What would you know, gracious lady?"
Deliberately ignoring me, she arranged her skirts and sat, rather closer to Hyacinthe than was necessary. She gave him her hand with the air of someone bestowing great favor, then whispered, "I wish to know if Rene LaSoeur will take me to wife."
"Hmm." Hyacinthe gazed intently at her palm..."Fair lady, the answer is no. Nuptials I see, not now, but three years hence, and a chateau with three towers standing, and one that crumbles."
"The Comte de Tour Perdue!" Snatching her hand back, she covered her mouth. Her eyes shone. "Oh, oh!" She reached out then and laid her fingers on his lips. "Oh, my mother will be joyed to hear it. You must tell no one of this. Swear it!"
Quick and graceful, Hyacinthe grasped her silencing fingers in his own and kissed them. "Sovereign lady, I am more discreet than the dead. May you be joyous and prosper."
"Was it true?" I asked him.
"Who knows?" He shrugged. "I saw what I saw. There is more than one chateau with a broken tower. She believes as she wishes."
For all that Hyacinthe is generally a charming, easygoing guy, his life has been fairly difficult. He grew up poor, hungry, and both adored and despised. As a Tsingano, he's used to casual dismissal and racism, "...The other guard cursed and flicked him crop at [Hyacinthe]. 'Out of my way, filthy Tsingano brat.' Hyacinthe avoided the lash with the ease of long-practiced dexterity." Nothing can go missing or wrong, but a Tsingano is blamed. But Night's Doorstep has several Tsingani residents, most of whom are half-bloods and not accepted in traditional Tsingani kumpanias (traveling families), and various kumpaitravel to the City of Elua frequently. Hyacinthe is truly the child of two worlds and none; neither side truly accepts him, even has he combines the best qualities of both.
Like many children, however, Hyacinthe dreams of something more, something better. He dreams of acceptance from his mother's family; that his grandfather Manoj will see that he is truly Tsingani and raise him up and bring him back into the fold--and his mother as well. He also dreams of becoming the Prince of Travellers--a flamboyant and fabulous persona, the toast of Night's Doorstep, rich and easy with his money. He is a good friend; loyal to a fault. His gives up his dream of acceptance by Manoj to speak the dromonde for Phèdre in front of witnesses and uses it again to take her place as the Master of the Straits' apprentice, where he lives in isolation for ten years. (That all happens after graduation). So, expect a handsome, charming, flirtatious boy with the occasional light fingers and a fast smile. Certain topics, authorities, and instances of privilege-in-action will bring out the chip on his shoulder, but for the most part, he'll be cheerful and light-hearted, in bright colors and an over-the-top personality. This summer has been a hard adjustment for him, finding himself lost in both time and space (this world is very much not his own) and he's been a bit more serious and somber than canon, but he's starting to adjust and will soon trend towards good humor and happiness as he finds his footing.
And the older crowd, who get updates in bullets!
Katherine Hana Li
"After a lifetime of being the quiet girl who sat off to the side, becoming the fastest, wildest, most colorful hero in the city was the best thing that had ever happened to me."
*Kathy is a zombie. Well, in the parlance of her canon, Peter Cline's Ex-Heroes (originally a standalone, the trilogy released its fifth book last year), she's an ex-human. But since she's wandering around, undead, eating the flesh of the living (sorry, Eli), it may just be easier to think of her as a zombie. Or an ex. Whichever.
*A senior at Fandom before her death, Kathy had gotten accepted into Stanford and had planned to move to California with roommate and bestie, tigerundercover, who is currently trapped in post-zombie apocalypse America after watching Kathy's infection, death, and reanimation personally. And then got to go back to Kathy's place to kill Kathy's zombified father, infected mother, and say goodbye to Kathy's dead little sister. In all, Raven had a worse day than Kathy did.
*Kathy also left behind her boyfriend and other longtime bestie, not_every_mage, their...undefined whatever, rebelseekspizza, her kohai, soniaroadsqueen, her adopted baby sister, that_oldsaying, her mentor vdistinctive, and a bunch of other dear friends. She managed to do a long of damage before she died and boy is Field of Dreams going to be fun and not at all painful on my soul!
*Was also known as the superhero, Banzai. Known for her rainbows, bounciness, and superspeed (she was roughly three times faster than a regular person), Banzai patrolled Baltimore and Los Angeles. It was her sense of responsibility as a superhero that got her bit in the first place. Dante was pretty anti- the whole superhero gig in the first place...fine, she'd owe you a Coke if she wasn't, you know, super-dead.
Alec Hardison
"Age of the geek, baby!"
*Hardison is a thief and a computer hacker, part of Leverage, Inc, a company committed to conning the corrupt wealthy and powerful and giving back to the little people they abused to get where they are.
*The other members of Leverage, Inc are their mastermind and sneakthief, whoisalicewhite and their hitter, vdistinctive. The three of them are also a happy poly triad and are practically married by this point, though no one mention that to Eliot. They even have a dog together named Megabyte! (Again, don't tell Eliot).
*Has Hollywood Hacking magic and can hack pretty much anything that doesn't directly belong to a high-tech character on Fandom. Often with his cell phone.
*Has a slew of other skills as well; he can play the violin, he paints, he sculpts, he can forge a 17th century book in 24 hours...
*Conversely, he has dreadful aim, overplays even the simplest grift, has claustrophobia, germophobia, and a fear of heights. Somehow, this does not stop his boyfriend and girlfriend from pushing him off of very high things.
*Is the Care Bear of the group, the most in touch with his feelings and the feelings of others. He's naturally good with people and can use social engineering.
*Was raised by Nana, his foster mother. Before that, he was in the foster system for a few years.
*Has a total dude-crush on imafuturist and the Danger Shop.
Karla Worthington
Karla bared her teeth in what might have been a smile and said, "Kiss kiss." Ranon blinked. He’d never heard anyone say that and have it mean 'shove a knife up your ass.'"
*Fandom graduate of the class of 2013, Territory Queen of Glacia, member of the Dark Court of Ebon Askavi, occasional teacher, general pain in the ass.
*Mother of four, adopted wards Cora and Nyles, and tiny winged babies Kayla and Nommy, with NPC Fandom alum Warren Worthington III, her Consort. They're not actually married, but will probably get there. Eventually.
*Birthright Sapphire descended to Ebon-Gray, which makes her the second most powerful witch in the living Realms. She's still only number five overall, beaten out by Jaenelle, Daemon Sadi, Saetan SaDiablo, and Lucivar Yaslana. Not that she knows Daemon yet. Much.
*Is one of the only three triply-aspected witches in the history of the Blood: Queen, Black Widow, and Healer.
*From the same canon as harpy_daughter and nothornlessrose, though they're from different timelines. She's also the furthest in time, just about to start the events of Queen of the Darkness, whenever I get off my ass and write the app.
*Lives in Glacia with trigons_child, her Court Healer, who is attempting to adopt every orphan in Glacia.
*Besties with endsthegame, and momslilassassin, and grudgingly admits her children will never be as smart as a Wiggin with Skywalker genes. Sigh.
*From the crackiest of all my canons, and that includes the one that's just a porn comic.
Me
"Oh, this book looks TERRIBLE. I'm gonna read it!"
*Her house is called Sass Central. Enough said.
*Lives on the East Coast, but keeps a semi-European schedule because HA! Sleeping at night, who does that?
*@shadowravyn on Twitter, booksomewench on Tumblr, booksomewench at gmail, glacial_queen on AIM, Nu or Nuance IRL
*Has been incredibly flaky recently and apologizes wholeheartedly for that. This summer has been...weird.
*Probably could think of other things to say, but is weirded out by talking in the third person.