Nicknames: Dr. Levin, Dr. Livin'. Personality: Zazie has always been a diligent and hard-working sort, putting her all into whatever she set her mind to. Needed the sand swept out of the entire house? She would get the carpets, floors, and rugs completely clean before considering it done. Fence painted? Done, and with no drips. Friend wanted to put together a team for splatball? She would come up with a roster, even if it wasn’t her thing.
Her curiosity started from a young age, asking questions about everything and anything that caught her eye. How come we don’t sink into the sands? Why did this author not continue their story? What are the bright lights in the sky made of? This thirst for knowledge was the reason that her parents allowed her to go to Academy, or at least that was what she assumed at the time. At the very least it was her own reason for pursuing a degree at Asterion.
Zazie is somewhat quick to anger and become defensive; she’s right because she’s smarter than you, how dare you question her, and you better shut your face before she slaps it shut for you. This stems from her usually being right about things, but also because she feels that being wrong is one step closer to her parents being right. That’s not to say it hasn’t bit her in the tail, sometimes explosively.
She is also stubborn and resistant to change, an odd trait for someone who devotes their life to the sciences. Once she’s run through an experiment, been trained a certain way, or read a convincing enough study, she takes the information as the only truth and how dare anyone try to tell her otherwise. Sometimes the only way to get her to reevaluate her position on any given subject is to quite literally smack her in the face with it.
Relations: Her OC has a partner, but unsure if they will be joining the shop. So...uh...offer and I'll consider???
Etc. 4'5" tall, plus ears.
Magical abilities: (May need to be tweaked for NMA)
Sweet Dreams - A lullaby that puts the target to sleep Invoked through a song, duration corresponds to the time target(s) spend sleeping If used on more than one target, puts the caster to sleep as well Target(s) wake up feeling well-rested, regardless of time slept
Air Slap - Target gets hit by a wall of air, can throw depending on target mass Invoked through a chant, duration corresponds to strength Sonic boom caused by air as well, proportional to the force used Casting drains the energy in the air, proportional to the force used
War - Reduces or nullifies all damage (caster & targets) while in effect Invoked during an argument, regardless of how big or small A strike that will normally break bones will cause bruising instead. A spell that will normally kill or incapacitate will leave the target nauseous. Anyone under the effect of the spell will probably feel worn out the next day, depending on damage taken...
Quest stuff to sort
A brief overview of their life so far: Zazie was born shortly before the Swirling Storms subsided, spending the first few years of her childhood growing up in isolation. When she was still a freshling, the sandstorm calmed down, and she was a young witness to the re-establishment of communication to the outside world.
Her parents learned of the offer for young bakenekos and nagas to travel to the Academy to help their races integrate with the Below, and knowing how curious she had been about their small world within the sands, asked her if she wanted to go. She talked it over with her family, including some large gatherings of her extended relatives, reluctantly agreeing to it on the condition that she could write to them about what was going on and what she was learning.
While she did continue to write to her family, she quickly forgot about any worries she had, happily making friends and doing her best in classes. It was comforting to see other bakenekos in the Academy, and she was surprised to come across some that she knew from her home.
When she graduated the Academy, she had come to crave learning about the world over learning about the past, and applied to Asterion instead of Leviathan, despite her family's wishes that she return to her homeland. Once at Asterion, she double majored in Science and Enchanting.
Now that she's graduated from Asterion, her quest for knowledge has only started. Although now the problem is what she can do that will let her keep learning, not just any job will do.
Whether or not they're an orphan from the cache: Non-orphan.
How their status as an orphan or non-orphan has affected them: Growing up at home first allowed her to experience the greatest event in her race's recent history, and allowed her the chance to go to the Academy to have the best chance to grow, and to aid her own race in the process.
One event that changed their life or affected them: Her first biology class, where she got to play with microscopes and explore the invisible world that existed all around them. It wasn’t that the bakenekos or nagas didn’t know or understand science, but the desert only had so many things to study.
How they feel about their race and house: Very strong ties to her race, though she has drifted away from her friends and family. She had planned to visit home before moving in to Asterion, but...as happens with the plans of flitterats and bakenekos...
She was initially placed into House Eldritch, as her caretakers thought she would be interested in the history of the Below. She was at first, but she took more interest in her science classes. Eventually she realized that while the past might be useful to some, she was much more interested in discovering the present. Especially since you needed the tools of the present to uncover the secrets of the past.
Their goals in life: She wants to become a great scientist, partly of her own desire, and partly to aid her race. And...partly to spite her parents.
Hobbies: Reading (both fiction and non-fiction), hiking (and maybe a bit of casual mountain climbing), stargazing (she occasionally allows herself time to relax and unwind under the stars).
Prompt Six
Something has just reminded your Nightmare of a poignant memory. What was it, and what was the memory?
Zazie was tidying up her room at the end of the summer, sorting through things that she could toss out now that she had graduated, and packing away things that needed to be saved. Picking up her acceptance letter from Asterion, she noticed one of the last letters she’d received from her parents beneath it. Unconsciously sitting down at her desk, she re-read it, even though she had already memorized each painful word.
Dearest Zazie- This school, this ‘Academy’ is no good for you, it has filled your head with nonsense. You’ve lost your way, forgotten the traditions of our kind. All these letters you send us are filled with blasphemy, ideas of becoming something that you will never be. You will never graduate from the university, you will never become a scientist. Give up on these foolish dreams now, before you lose everything to them.
Come home, little one. All of your friends have returned after graduating the Academy, they’ve been asking about you. They miss you, just as we do. We have found some suitors who will make you happy, even with your condition, and who will bring prosperity to our family. You will never go hungry or sleep in a cold bed, and you will do better at keeping the house clean for your family and your spouse than you ever will out there.
We love you, Zazie, and we’re only looking out for your best interests. Please come home.
Love, Mom and Dad
Wiping the tears from her face, she tried to hold herself together as she let the letter drop back onto her desk. They hadn't shown up to her graduation once they caught wind of her plans to apply to a university. She had written a fairly nasty letter before this one, explaining how she had already been accepted to the university of her choice, and how she was going to be a great scientist whether they liked it or not. There had been no letter sent to her family in response to this one, and she had avoided contacting her family by any other means.
She had kept in touch with her friends at home for a bit, but they only wanted her to come back as well, talking about how happy they were with their arranged partners. She had wondered if her parents were somehow meddling with her friendships, but either way those letters didn’t last long. All she had left was the friends she’d made at the Academy, and she was uncertain about how many of those would continue once she moved on to Asterion. Would she have to start over again? She didn't want to start over again, she didn't have it in her to do it.
Sighing lightly, she tucked the letter in with her acceptance letter, then curled up in her chair. Hugging her legs to her chest, her tail wound around her feet as she buried her face into her knees. She would get back to cleaning in a moment, she just...needed some time.
