Nimmue: Corruption of the name Nimue, the name of the enchantress Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend. Lefaye: Derived from Morgan le Faye, the name of another enchantress in Arthurian legend.
BLOOD COLOR Purpleblood; #491E75
GENDER: Female
SYMBOL: Star wand
PROFILE: Nimmue is very much a troll bound to her history and Lusus. Entrusted with a tome containing ancient Alternian medicine and alchemy - often referenced by Nimmue as her WITHCRAFT - by her Lusus when she was still a wriggler, Nimmue wanders the world to study and become the best witch in the universe. She finds no discomfort in her odd wandering lifestyle, so long as she has her Lusus by her side for guidance and support. With Owlfather's whisperings about the troll he had raised many sweeps ago, Nimmue idolizes the ancestors of Alternia's past. She is determined to do just as much good as the creator of her tome had done, hoping to use her talents to eventually aid the fleets of adult trolls conquering planets across the galaxy.
As a purpleblood, Nimmue's opinion on the hemospectrum may seem odd, but is majorly influenced by her frequent traveling across Alternia. She uses her status as a tool, but has no qualms or many thoughts of those in the warmer hemospectrum, especially given her current residence in Chittentown - she intermingles with others of different bloodcolors quite easily, often especially unaware of some of the intimidation others of warmer bloodcolors may feel about her presence. One bias Nimmue does hold is that trolls on different parts of the hemospectrum are more inclined towards certain types of skills and interests, both of which are cores to Nimmue's own motivations and personality. Having rarely seen other purplebloods, this bias Nimmue has usually has her immediately magnetized towards others of the same caste, hoping they have the same love for applied 'witchcraft' that she may have.
In lieu of hobbies and interests, Nimmue has A Lot of Them. Nimmue is a very studious troll, and she is always seeking to expand her knowledge and skills base. As a big fan of Terror Night, a lot of Nimmue's hobbies center around preparing for it sweepround - costuming, candymaking, and decoration included. While these hobbies include a crafty hand, a big part of it for Nimmue is also the collecting, allowing her to travel to different places to gather the perfect materials for her projects. Nimmue also has a great love for stargazing and making jewelry.
STRENGTHS: (+) HORRENDOUSLY DETERMINED: If there is one thing Nimmue doesn't comprehend at all, it's when or how to quit. Despite her status as a purpleblood, Nimmue's constant travels came with their own unique hardships, and the feeling of inferiority compared to adult trolls have been constant. It's steeled Nimmue's determination throughout many sweeps, and now, she is only ever optimistic about improving herself and her craft. (+) YOUR SELF APPOINTED LIFE COACH: Just as Nimmue doesn't let herself give up, she doesn't allow others to, either. Nimmue thrives on social interaction, finding a great thrill in meeting trolls across Alternia and learning their own ambitions. Driven by Alternia's future success and wellbeing, Nimmue always extends support to other trolls to improve themselves. (+) FLEXIBILITY IS KEY: Nimmue has an immense abiliy to adapt to new situations, places, and people, and is malleable to most changes, using them as learning tools. With Owlfather constantly providing for her needs, Nimmue has never wanted for much, and is never in doubt that anything and anyone can be replaced if need be.
FLAWS: (-) PUSH IS ALWAYS SHOVE: Nimmue might think that things are always a Ray of Sunshine, but many others don't, and she doesn't always acknowledge that. Being a Self Appointed Life Coach can come with its own detriments - Nimmue can often attach herself to others and try to push others in ways that they can't handle or are uncomfortable by. Her stubbornness can make it difficult for her to understand that not everything in life has to be fast-paced and perfect. (-) SELF UNAWARENESS: As a purpleblood with an attentive Lusus, an immense wealth, and personalized education, Nimmue has had many boons in her life that many trolls were not afforded. Nimmue isn't aware of her own privileges, many times, and is constantly overestimating and assuming that other trolls are offered the same opportunities that she has had. Because of this, she is easy to criticize trolls if she thinks they aren't making the most of their lives. This often presents Nimmue as being prissy, or somewhat of an elitist. (-) DYNAMITE ANGER: When there is a moral disagreement, or Nimmue feels as though someone is trying to personally attack her, Nimmue's patience wears very thin very quickly. If she is irritated, it can turn into a blistering, vengeful anger, and she is quick to challenge others to duel or otherwise prove her mettle against them. Her competitive streak is fierce, and Nimmue can be violent if not in full control of her emotions.
WEAPON: Nimmue's weapon is a giant TOME, about four feet in height with metal protecting the edges of its leather binding. Inside of the tome are all of Nimmue's known recipes and remedies in her arsenal, along with an almanac of Alternian ingredients and their functions.
APPEARANCE: Nimmue Lefaye is a Proper Witch, dressing in clean-cut formal attire when she can, adding ruffles and glitter to add a personal flair to her outfit where she can. The one constant Nimmue has on her person is her pointed grey witch's hat, which has a band identifying her place in the hemospectrum, and a golden wand pin.
As a young troll, Nimmue is about average in height. She has pointed, small horns, protruding her pointed hat, and one fang that sticks out when she smiles. Nimmue also has poofy hair cut at shoulder length, which she keeps perfectly clean at all times.
HOME: Nimmue's hive is a very out of place mansion in CHITTENTOWN, located on a hill surrounded in wildlife. It is extremely easy for Nimmue to navigate up the difficult terrain encompassing her hive, since her Owlfather is there to provide an easy air ride in and out of the mansion. Given how sociable Nimmue is, her hive's location doesn't help the looming sense of loneliness she feels when other trolls do not accept her invitations to parties at her hive. Nimmue tolerates the location anyway, as it is an ideal place to gather the ingredients necessary to create her elixirs.
The hivemansion itself has two stories - the upstairs quarters, where Nimmue's respiteblock and toyrooms are, the ground level, where Nimmue's kitchen and dining hall are, and the downstairs floor, where Nimmue's study and Owlfather's dwelling place is. The ceilings reach high and each room has enough room for a very small hivestem. The walls, made of stone, make the inside of the castle very frigid during the cold nights.
LUSUS: Nimmue's Lusus is a giant owl, spanning several yards, with long legs and a crown on his head - reminiscent of Prince Stolas from Ars Goetia lore. Nimmue affectionately calls her Lusus OWLFATHER. A silent, scholarly type, Owlfather is Nimmue's mentor and determined mount that flies Nimmue wherever she pleases, making travel incredibly simple. Owlfather had once raised another troll many sweeps ago, returning to the caverns only after his previous charge had passed away, carring on her legend in the form of an ancient tome. Owlfather extends his previous charge's wisdoms and learnings to Nimmue frequently.
Owlfather is a scholar, helping Nimmue extract information from her ancient tome and teaching her in the ways of ancient herbology, astronomy, and alchemy. He speaks in whispers and employs the respect of trolls across the hemospectrum as employees under Nimmue's orders, namely to construct hives wherever she pleases across Alternia. Despite Owlfather's discipline while teaching, he's also prone to spoil Nimmue, offering her the world, so long as it doesn't intrude her studies. . . .
Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:33 pm
. . . NOTES:
- DECEMBER 23: Quest thread up (complete Nov 23) - DECEMBER 26: Quest thread complete for review/acceptance - ONE MONTH AFTER: One month after receiving mod crit, resubmit profile
ADVICE REQUESTED: I am curious about the magic that exists in Hivestuck, if there is any at all. Either way, Nimmue's magic is mostly stemmed in herbology, medicine, and chemistry, and not flashy spells a la Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.
One thing I am uncertain on is if Owlfather is allowed to have raised a troll previous to finding Nimmue. The previous troll is intended to be Nimmue's ancestor, the Conjurer, but I have limited mentioning this figure re: the advice Snoof and I were given after the Halloween contest was over. Please let me know what I should do about this and I will fix the profile accordingly!
THE VENEFICA AND THE CONJURER MALEFI NOCTIS * ex o ex Snoof NIMMUE LEFAYE * Rookeries
Once upon a time, many, many sweeps ago, there was ladytroll named The Conjurer. The greatest witch in all of Alternia, she used great magic to remove all ailments and invigorate fleets. Born from the farthest reaches of the Busthind Mountains, The Conjurer bested every element, tamed every herb, and brewed the finest elixirs. Highbloods and lowbloods alike were in awe of her magnificent power.
Except for one: the pesky Venefica. The rude, pestilent Venefica, who never used her magic for good. After the Venefica and the Conjurer’s meeting and subsequent feud - a battle that was said to halve mountains and part clouds - their anguish and hatred carried on through their bloodline. And so came their heirs, a redblood and purpleblood destined to meet by the fate written in their ancestor’s tomes.
That was what Nimmue Lefaye had believed, at least. And this Terror Night, after two sweeps of horrible loss, she was determined to right all of the wrongs the Venefica had unleashed upon her ancestor a millenia ago.
How, you ask?
By making the best candy ever.
And if every troll in her neighborhood was too lazy to cross a moat to get to her mansion? Fine. Nimmue Lefaye, witch incarnate, six sweeps of stubbornness and muster, was going to build the best booth ever.
“My candy has glitter in it,” Nimmue said, airily, tossing another handful of sparkles at her otherwise pristine black-and-gold booth. She hadn’t bothered taking a look at her booth yet - not closely, anyway, but Nimmue knew the candy she had was nothing short of enviable and perfect. Nimmue had almost felt pity for her competition, but she cackled away the thought, enveloping herself in her booth drapery.
“What about yours?” she asked, sneering at the Venefica’s heir - Malefi Noctis, to be exact, a witch who only had a dilapidated old hut in Chittentown to her name. It was a wonder why people loved her magic - or maybe they pitied her, too, like Nimmue did.
***
The opposite booth was certainly dingier by comparison, not quite ramshackle but far more humble than the purpleblood’s decorations. It was mostly covered with tattered black fabric spread out like leathery wings. Manned by one Malefi Noctis, redblood and descendant of the Poisoner, The Venefica; and like the dreaded rival of the Conjurer, she held an air of malcontent around her -- unlike her ancestor, this air was misleading.
Malefi sat at her booth while Nimmue set up her own. She watched with a calm if not sour expression that changed little when the purpleblood spoke. “Glitter,” the lowblood repeated with a dull tone. Her own assortment of candies were laid out on a red cloth, twisted up in black paper. Though you couldn’t see them through it, they looked a little misshapen. “Mine have crispies. They’re chocolate.”
It was two sweeps ago, two Terror Nights past, that this “tradition” started: with a total coincidence, or at least that was what she thought at the time. A highblood in a lowblood town, there was no way Nimmue wouldn’t become a spectacle somehow, and did she ever. They came across each other in the same costume and that, Malefi thought, was where everything started. A full declaration of rivalry was announced and Malefi was challenged to a contest of candy acquisition, which she didn’t pay much attention to while making her usual rounds across the lawn rings. She couldn’t quite remember what the outcome was, but the other little witch certainly didn’t seem happy with her results. By the following Terror Night, the challenge was changed to the amount of candy given out and once again Nimmue was displeased.
Now, it seemed, the challenge was the quality of candy.
“They’ve got goo inside so when you bite them it looks like they’re bleeding.” Malefi poked at one of the candies. It rolled once, then fell still on a side that was clearly more flat than it was meant to be.
***
Nimmue bristled when Malefi replied, having expected silence on the redblood’s behalf. She tidied her booth, smoothing out the cloth, fangs biting into her lower lip as she listened. “Chocolate, how blase,” the purpleblood blurted, wanting to interrupt her, but her voice came out muted, almost shy.
If the Venefica’s heir was trying to intimidate her, it was working. The more she explained, the more Nimmue thought the candy was genius - and she clenched her fists, turning away from Malefi’s booth. “Well, that sounds amazing,” Nimmue admit, huffing through her nose. She grabbed one of her own candies, staring at it; true to what she had said, it was covered in glitter. It was a hard candy, wafting of lavender, that was wrapped pristinely in a translucent purple wrapping.
“But mine’s better. I’m going to win this year, Malefi Noctis,” she said, finally turning around to face her rival, puffing her chest up with her booth’s drapery wrapped around her shoulder. She flustered at the fellow witch, shoulders tightening, as she took in her booth; the cloth she chose was shoddy at best, and the candy deplorable to look at.
Her face fell for a moment, but she turned back towards her booth. She sat squarely in her seat. “You’ve put up a decent fight, but this year, it’s over.”
***
The redblood merely shrugged at her opponent’s sarcastic assessment. While Nimmue gloated, built herself up, Malefi checked the time. It was still a little early for the real festivities to begin but there were trolls milling about their hivestems. Their booths were situated within easy sight and reach, side by side, in the center of their adjacent lawn ring.
“Okay,” she replied to the highblood, not sounding perturbed in the least. Malefi glanced at the ornate hard candy, brows raised curiously over her narrowed eyes. The wrapping was attractive, and her booth’s decoration eye catching even in the dark. There was little doubt in the lowblood’s mind that it was Nimmue’s booth which first attracted attention and before long a couple of fellow warmbloods tread closer. When they caught sight of Malefi, they waved with familiarity.
“Are you just handing it out?” a yellowblood asked as he scrutinized the setup. He was dressed as some sort of cartoonish musclebeast that only looked mildly terrifying thanks to its bulging eyestalks.
Beside him, another redblood took a closer peek at the trimmings of Malefi’s booth. “Or do you want trolls to run up and jump you?” Her costume wasn’t much better, just a dim glow in the dark red skeleton body suit.
Another shrug from the so-called Venefica’s heir. Malefi leaned an elbow against the booth and propped her cheek against her palm. “Do you want one or not?” Both of the trolls straightened up and nodded. “You get one each.” At this, she looked to Nimmue for confirmation.
***
Nimmue had worn the same Terror Night garb since her fateful meeting with Malefi Noctis three sweeps ago - it was a fitting ceremonial garb that represented the start of their rivalry, she thought, and it was only right to respect that tradition until her inevitable victory. She adjusted her witch’s cap when her bragging was met with but a word on Malefi Noctis’s part, and Nimmue huffed again, preparing herself as she saw two lowbloods approaching their booth. The purpleblood, understanding Malefi’s more silent approach as an air of gracious professionalism, did her best to mirror her. Smiling, she linked her fingers and rested her hands atop her booth, waiting as patiently as she could for their first round of Terror Night-goers to wander towards their booths.
It was hard not to cringe at what Nimmue thought were crude costumes on the yellowblood and redblood’s part. Her neighborhood in New Hemisect City was certainly more prepared for Terror Night than the trolls in Chittentown, but Nimmue quickly berated herself for disrespecting the potential customers of her booth. Instead, she quickly perked when the attention was on her own booth, not Malefi’s.
“That might be what Malefi Noctis may be saying about her candy,” Nimmue began, airily, “But you can take as many as you’d like from my booth. I can assure you, you’ll want more than one,” she boasted, straightening herself out in her seat. She waved one hand across her candy display. “Enjoy, my fellow Chittentonians. I promise you, this candy will invigorate you for the rest of Terror Night!”
***
Such a promise was quick to light up the two lowblood’s eyes. They looked between one another, then back to Malefi; the yellowblood chuckled but the darker witch just rolled her eyes and handed them both their single sampling of candy. Her numbers were limited, which made it difficult to give any troll more than one at a completely free booth. Such a declaration of unlimited candies made Malefi wonder how much Nimmue had prepared.
Of course, once the two trolls received their paltry single serving, they eagerly grabbed handfuls of Nimmue’s candy. The redblood stuffed her pockets with a greedy smirk before she stopped to remove one of the wrappers. She inspected it with the same scrutiny one would hold to a precious gem -- held to a street light, one eye closed, tongue poked from the corner of her lips -- then popped the lavender morsel into her mouth.
The reaction was slow as the redblood’s expression turned from utter contentment to confusion. Her face scrunched up and she spit the hard candy into the palm of her hand.
“What’s in this?” The red troll looked positively aghast. Malefi wondered if it was the glitter.
Her companion laughed as he unwrapped one for himself. “Don’t be such a wriggler.” Despite his apparent certainty, the yellowblood likewise fell prey to the odd flavor. Rather than spit it into his hand, he hocked it clear across the road to another neighbor’s lawn.
“Wow,” Malefi muttered dully as she watched it sail through the night, sparkling with glitter and glistening yellow saliva. “Come on, they can’t be that bad.”
***
Nimmue smiled smugly in Malefi’s direction at the two lowbloods’ seemingly positive reaction to her offerings. Truth be told, the purpleblood had been cautious with her strategy this Terror Night, having underprepared her batch in reflection of the disappointing turnout from last year. Having hoped for thousands of trolls to flock to her hive last Terror Night, Nimmue had poured days of her time into making so many batches of candy that she hardly had space for it all in her living quarters, even though her room alone was larger than some of the hives she had seen across Chittentown.
Nimmue, last competition, had no idea what went wrong. So what if her hive was the only mansion in town? And so what if it was miles away, up in a hill, past a moat filled with acidic slime, guarded carefully by her Owlfather?
Either way - the only candy Nimmue had prepared were on the booth and in a tiny cauldron she had tucked away beneath the table. She smiled past the lingering regret she felt when she saw two lowbloods take a significant portion off of her table, mentally fighting to see this as a victory over Malefi Noctis. Crossing her arms, Nimmue let in a proud breath as the redblood held her beautiful candy up to a streetlight. The praise she expected was beyond worth her efforts and past disappointments.
As the redblood’s expression shifted from pleasure to confusion, though, Nimmue’s own smile fell. “Simple, just some lavender, sugar, rosemary, and… just a dash of mind honey,” she explained hastily. Emboldened by the yellowblood’s jibing, she nodded, hoping his reaction wasn’t similar; but it was worse, and she jumped, quickly grabbing a candy for herself.
Maybe the mind honey was too much - but the Conjurer had theorized that just a bit of it provided a boost in mental simulation even for non-psychic trolls. As she prepared herself to explain it, to excuse away the lowblood’s poor reaction to bad judgment and lack of taste, Nimmue quickly unwrapped a candy and popped one into her mouth.
Nimmue’s eyes were wide as she rolled the candy in her mouth, assessing its flavor. First, her excuses seemed valid. She stared incredulously at the two lowbloods who had insulted her -
Then, just as quickly, the taste of lavender and rosemary were overtaken by salt. She turned to spit the candy out onto the ground, then covered her mouth, mollified.
She turned slowly to Malefi Noctis and her booth.
“You,” Nimmue pointed at her, her face flustering a deep purple hue. “You! Venefica, this is all your fault! What did you do to my candy?!” she blurted, grabbing a fistful of candies off of her booth and tossing it at the redblood. “Explain the spell you used, or I’ll win this Terror Night in a duel, wench!”
***
As soon as Nimmue unwrapped a candy for herself, the two visiting trolls clammed up and watched. Malefi, too, observed with much curiosity though it read on her face as abject boredom. When the foul taste was confirmed, the two lowbloods sighed with relief that it wasn’t just them and, with much less enthusiasm than before, began to empty their pockets of the purple candies and return them to the booth.
Neither could ignore the sudden accusation; they froze where they stood and watched the confrontation despite the so-called Venefica remaining calm. Malefi raised an arm to block some of the candy from hitting her in the face but otherwise made no move to dodge Nimmue’s ammunition.
“Calm down. Did you see me do anything?” she asked, raising both arms and then scooting her chair away from the booth. There was no spell book or any sort of magical tome on hand and not enough room around the booth to properly hide one..
In the midst of the exchange, the two other trolls hurried to empty their pockets and flee before the highblood’s wrath might be turned on them.
Malefi stood from her seat and approached Nimmue’s table. She plucked one of the candies and examined it through the wrapper, out of it, gave it a cursory lick, then smacked her lips. “Yeah, that is not right. I think I know what happened.” The redblood locked eyes with her fellow Terror Night witch and asked, plainly, “Did you taste them before you left your hive?”
***
“You must have planned this - this - this curse - beforehand, you foul, foul - harpy, you shrew! Harridan,” she yelled, roiling with anger. Nimmue Lefaye, as angry as she was, did not notice as the two lowbloods empty the contents of their pockets out on the table. The purpleblood reeled as Malefi Noctis stood from her seat, and she backed away defensively, pulling off the wand pinned to her hat. “Stay away from me! This isn’t the proper distance for a duel, crone,” she said, weakly, sputtering into nervousness near the end of her sentence.
As Malefi Noctis reached for one of her candies, the purpleblood stared, horrified. “What are you doing?” she blurted, staring with disgust as Malefi Noctis tasted her candy. Flustering, Nimmue held her wand between her hands.
“Of - of course you know what happened! Your curse worked. You ruined me,” Nimmue blurted. Truth be told, the wand on her hat was useless, but she pointed it squarely at Malefi Noctis. “What does it matter to you, if I tasted it beforehand or not?!”
***
While Miss Lefaye made a complete spectacle of herself, the redblooded Noctis hardly bat an eye. This sort of behavior, this exemplary poor sportsmanship, was quite in line with the reactions she had during their previous Terror Night encounters and it did little to surprise Malefi. She let the highblood rant on until she was purple in the face, then looked her square in the eye.
“You didn’t taste it, so you have no idea what you were handing out.” Malefi stated this with a droll tone -- no hint of superiority, merely explaining a fact as prompted. She looked back at the candy between her grey fingers and waved airily at Nimmue’s fake wand, as if dismissing it. After another experimental taste of the confection, she nodded.
“I didn’t put a curse on your candy. There’s no sugar in them.”
***
Malefi’s intentions despite, just hearing the redblood drone on in the same neutral tone aggravated Nimmue to no end. She gripped the handle of her wand, tears welling around her eyes the more Malefi Noctis, her dreadful rival and winner of yet again another Terror Night, continued.
Of course Nimmue knew that she hadn’t tasted her candy beforehand. The fact that the Venefica’s heir was lecturing her on her own bad practices stung her. There was no curse, no great magic, but Nimmue wasn’t going to humor Malefi with any subsequent answer.
She stared meekly over at Malefi’s booth for any hint of solace in this embarrassment. The booth, as shoddy as it was, was still properly decorated for Terror Night. The candy, as crude as it looked, was also decently wrapped. But ever the optimist, Nimmue remembered that the redblood and yellowblood hadn’t had the chance to have a bite of Malefi’s offerings before trying hers.
Sprinting past Malefi, Nimmue quickly snatched one of the candies off of the table. After roughly unwrapping one of Malefi’s chocolates, she shoved it into her mouth, ready to prove that the redblood had somehow made a mistake even worse than hers. She bit her fangs into the crunchy exterior, wincing as she prepared for the inside to be awash with salt. Nimmue closed her eyes.
What she got instead wasn’t anything close to salt, but it was bland. As she chewed, tears streamed down her cheeks, and Nimmue stared dumbfoundedly up at Malefi Noctis, heir apparent to the Poisoner, the Venefica, the second greatest witch in all of Alternia.
For the first time in three sweeps, Nimmue Lefaye felt disappointment.
“No… these aren’t even that good,” she murmured. Was it because Malefi Noctis was so sure of her won victory - had she foretold Nimmue’s own great mistake? She took another one of the redblood’s candies off of her booth, staring at the crude shape, the boorish black wrapping. Even if Malefi Noctis had set up her booth right next to her, she hadn’t really studied the confection fully.
“You aren’t even taking this seriously?” Nimmue asked, slowly staring up at the redblood. “Why?”
***
The redblood stared after her counterpart as she bolted for the other booth. Her tumultuous snatch of the candy and resulting look of dejection made Malefi’s head spin but she hardly showed it aside from a slight tilt of her neck. It was the highblood’s tears that finally broke the bat-winged witch’s stony exterior and she blinked, perplexed by such a reaction.
“I don’t know,” she answered dumbly before her mind caught up, “I thought they tasted good enough.”
Malefi shrugged, uncertain what else to say for herself when confronted with Nimmue’s apparent anguish. With a glance to her own booth, she stepped back and took one of her own chocolates. She chewed it with the same level of scrutiny she offered to Nimmue’s candy and, after a short moment, nodded her head. “Yeah, I guess they are kind of boring.” Even if they were sweet like they were supposed to be, they didn’t have much flavor beyond that -- they tasted cheap.
Sighing, she set both candies on the top of her table and crossed her arms. “I guess it’s a good thing hardly anyone’s come up yet. What a waste.”
***
A numbness settled in Nimmue’s heart as she processed the candy she had just eaten. As Malefi Noctis spoke, her words seemed to stream from one ear out the next, and Nimmue quietly unwrapped another chocolate, popping it into her mouth. She heard the words good enough, at least - good enough for whom? Whoever it was, the two greatest witches in Alternia were certainly not among them.
The second morsel was just as bland as the last. When Malefi took a bite herself, agreeing with her assessment, she shook her head. Nimmue Lefaye, wanderer, heir apparent to the miracle-maker of Alternia, was not one to settle easily. “No,” she began, simply, voice strong, calm. “How can you just settle for that? You’re supposed to be the best witch in town. The best one other than me. How can someone who makes mediocre candies be born from someone so notorious?” the purpleblood studied Malefi’s expression.
“This candy wasn’t the best, it wasn’t even that good,” she chided, pointing her wand at the rest of Malefi’s booth. “I can’t accept this! If you’re not the best witch in town, Malefi Noctis, you shouldn’t be…”
“Beating me,” Nimmue murmured, wavering. She sniffed, face flushed, as tears streamed down her eyes. If Malefi Noctis could beat her like this, at what Nimmue could only assume was the redblood’s very worst, Nimmue Lefaye was doomed to be the most mediocre witch in all of Alternia.
She wasn’t worthy of the Conjurer’s tome at all.
Nimmue wailed.
***
Arms folded, Malefi frowned at her own booth. She really had been lazy by comparison, hadn’t she? The more her self proclaimed rival spoke, she could only agree. It wasn’t any matter of life or death -- in all honesty, Malefi found their competitions to be wholly arbitrary but there was something fun about them, a little exciting, and she supposed she lost sight of that somewhere during this sweep. There was some irony felt in the accusations, when they were the only witches in town.
The highblood’s admonishments turned to cries that made Malefi painfully aware of how quiet the area around them was. She looked around, no sign of any other trolls; they must have all been further up the road in the denser parts of Chittentown.
“Hey,” Malefi started, uncertain. She waved a hand weakly, as if that would gain Nimmue’s attention any better through her tears. “I didn’t beat you. We both messed up, let’s say it was a draw.”
She frowned. Her half eaten chocolate sat on its crumpled wrapper oozing sugary teal goo. “Mine’s definitely missing something… do you want to come over and help me make it better?” Knit brows put her expression somewhere between confusion and concern. “We can figure out what happened to your recipe, too.”
***
Nimmue, wailing, slowly knelt to the floor, hands covering her flustered face as more tears threatened to fall. If she had been conscientious of where she was, who she was crying in front of, the purpleblood would have been overwhelmingly embarrassed - but her realization was the worst defeat she had felt in her life. If she was a mediocre witch, she would honor the practice by removing herself of the title. But what was Nimmue Lefaye if not a witch? What would she tell Owlfather?
“Don’t pity me,” Nimmue snapped, wailing still, at Malefi’s first attempt at consolation. “What help do you need from me? Are you mocking me? You don’t even take these competitions seriously,” she cried, staring purplefaced and angrily up at Malefi Noctis, no longer her peer, a troll she wanted to hate. A poison to her esteem. “Go away. This is your victory. I won’t give you another chance to humiliate the Conjurer!”
***
She wasn’t quite sure what response she had been expecting from the invitation, given Nimmue Lefaye’s responses to the results of Terror Nights past, but that wasn’t what she had prepared for. Malefi’s arms dropped to her sides as she frowned, eyes not roaming from the highblood on her knees in the dirt.
“It’s not pity...” For several beats, Malefi wasn’t sure what to say past that. It wasn’t, truly, more of a feeling of camaraderie in their mutual bungle this holiday. Digging her heels in the dirt, Malefi straightened her shoulders and took a more solid stance, a more proud stature before Nimmue. Her voice strengthened in kind as she took on a more self assured and authoritative tone not unlike the one Nimmue often touted. “And it’s no victory. We both failed. What I propose is a rematch. We’ll be on equal ground, both at our peak, and see who the real winner is.”
From there, her strength waned. Malefi settled onto her own knees where she stood and became eye level with the crying witch. She hadn’t realized just how important these competitions were; while she thought of them as little more than a fun routine to spice up the holiday, Nimmue had based so much of her self worth on their rivalry. It was an honor, really, to be pitted so directly and so equally to a highblood.
Softened and humbled, Malefi dipped her head. “I’ll try harder. I’ll try my best.”
***
The anger Nimmue had lashed out with was not quick to dull, but as Malefi stood proudly before her, she straightened her shoulders, wanting to stand just as proudly as the redblood was. But Nimmue was still kneeling, weak and flustered from her crying, and the confidence in Malefi Noctis rekindled something in the purpleblood - that fiery, intense need to do better, to be equal to her.
It felt almost instinctual, this competitive need, and a part of Nimmue Lefaye truly hated it. The purpleblood sucked in her breath. She had heard Malefi Noctis’s proposal for a rematch, and the blistering anger in her wanted to refuse. Instead, she took in a breath, fangs biting her lower lip, as she considered the offer.
“Don’t you ever look down on me again, Malefi Noctis,” Nimmue began, rising to her feet shortly after Malefi knelt. The purpleblood did not immediately regain the confidence in her posture, but she stepped back, the distance between them giving her enough space to take in a breath. She pointed at the redblood - not with her wand, but her finger. “Your ancestor defeated mine, once, and I will never understand it. But the reason, I know, was never mediocrity.”
“I will only accept this offer if you are never mediocre again,” Nimmue said, trying to regain her air of propriety, despite the blush still lingering on her face, the tears still wet around her cheeks. “Do you understand? So rise, you fool.” The purpleblood offered Malefi her hand. She glanced away from her rival, hastily wiping her eyes. “Witches kneel for no one.”
***
There was no anger on Malefi’s side, no bitterness in the rivalry. When Nimmue stood, her eyes followed but she did not match the motion; Nimmue spent her time on her knees, now it was her turn. Except, it seemed, that wasn’t good enough. A knot of disappointment tightened in her gut when Nimmue spoke again and her efforts to quell the situation seemed in vain. Then, with the strength in her voice that the redblood had grown so accustomed, the purple witch cast her judgment.
One corner of Malefi’s mouth twitched and nearly curled up.
She rose to her feet and approached within a polite enough distance. To her, what had been meaningless fun now became something much more; their hands clutched each other with decisive agreement and the promise of a partnership more than a simple rivalry -- at least, that was how it felt to her and that was how Malefi Noctis intended to uphold it.
“Never again,” she swore. It was an arrangement that transcended the hemospectrum and one that Malefi could safely say was unlike anything else she had endured, for better or worse.
hey! I'm not an official critter but I wanted to respond to the magic info for you!!
basically powered trolls are only given out in meta events(or in the one that's currently happening now!) unless specified in the event, your girl and the red blooded babe do not have powers. however, they could be earned through future metas as latent powers, through hard work and effort!!
if you'd just meant wanting info on magic in general, there's a ratio for it but I can't really remember it aha SWEATS (my softguess is 1:10) if we'd put it in the common-rare spectrum, powered trolls are fairly uncommon in hivestuck! magic is known about though it's generally referred to as powers. (though the troll can think they have magic which we have with another witchy troll here! rianon if you wanna search her up) it's not rare to see trolls with powers around alternia but it's certaintly not something you'd see everyday ehe!! (@the lusus thing, I think it's okay if he mentions it but i don't know how in depth owlfather would be able to go!)
one more tip!! you don't mention her stance on the hemospectrum, which is very important in the shop!! I'll let an official critter take a look at the rest but that's generally asked for haha!
Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 9:05 pm
quite uneventful
Rookeries
hey! I'm not an official critter but I wanted to respond to the magic info for you!!
basically powered trolls are only given out in meta events(or in the one that's currently happening now!) unless specified in the event, your girl and the red blooded babe do not have powers. however, they could be earned through future metas as latent powers, through hard work and effort!!
if you'd just meant wanting info on magic in general, there's a ratio for it but I can't really remember it aha SWEATS (my softguess is 1:10) if we'd put it in the common-rare spectrum, powered trolls are fairly uncommon in hivestuck! magic is known about though it's generally referred to as powers. (though the troll can think they have magic which we have with another witchy troll here! rianon if you wanna search her up) it's not rare to see trolls with powers around alternia but it's certaintly not something you'd see everyday ehe!! (@the lusus thing, I think it's okay if he mentions it but i don't know how in depth owlfather would be able to go!)
one more tip!! you don't mention her stance on the hemospectrum, which is very important in the shop!! I'll let an official critter take a look at the rest but that's generally asked for haha!
Thank you for the crit, Quite! That is really useful to know. Nimmue's focus is definitely more in medicine, alchemy, and chemistry, with her just calling it magic and withcraft in lieu of her identity. I've edited the text as shown below to reflect that.
Quote:
Nimmue is very much a troll bound to her history and Lusus. Entrusted with a tome containing ancient Alternian magic by her Lusus when she was still a wriggler, Nimmue wanders the world to study and become the best witch in the universe.
Nimmue is very much a troll bound to her history and Lusus. Entrusted with a tome containing ancient Alternian medicine and alchemy - often referenced by Nimmue as her WITHCRAFT - by her Lusus when she was still a wriggler, Nimmue wanders the world to study and become the best witch in the universe.
Quote:
Nimmue's weapon is a giant TOME, about four feet in height with metal protecting the edges of its leather binding. Inside of the tome are all of Nimmue's known recipes, incantations, and other spells in her magical arsenal, along with an almanac of Alternian ingredients and their functions.
Nimmue's weapon is a giant TOME, about four feet in height with metal protecting the edges of its leather binding. Inside of the tome are all of Nimmue's known recipes and remedies in her arsenal, along with an almanac of Alternian ingredients and their functions.
And I've also added Nimmue's opinion on the hemospectrum - thank you!
Quote:
As a purpleblood, Nimmue's opinion on the hemospectrum may seem odd, but is majorly influenced by her frequent traveling across Alternia. She uses her status as a tool, but has no qualms or many thoughts of those in the warmer hemospectrum, especially given her current residence in Chittentown - she intermingles with others of different bloodcolors quite easily, often especially unaware of some of the intimidation others of warmer bloodcolors may feel about her presence. One bias Nimmue does hold is that trolls on different parts of the hemospectrum are more inclined towards certain types of skills and interests, both of which are cores to Nimmue's own motivations and personality. Having rarely seen other purplebloods, this bias Nimmue has usually has her immediately magnetized towards others of the same caste, hoping they have the same love for applied 'witchcraft' that she may have.
I will continue being open to changes regarding mentions of Nimmue's ancestor and Owlfather for now. Thank you again for your help!
Rookeries
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Rookeries
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 1:12 am
Added hobbies and interests:
Quote:
In lieu of hobbies and interests, Nimmue has A Lot of Them. Nimmue is a very studious troll, and she is always seeking to expand her knowledge and skills base. As a big fan of Terror Night, a lot of Nimmue's hobbies center around preparing for it sweepround - costuming, candymaking, and decoration included. While these hobbies include a crafty hand, a big part of it for Nimmue is also the collecting, allowing her to travel to different places to gather the perfect materials for her projects. Nimmue also has a great love for stargazing and making jewelry.
Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 3:27 pm
quite uneventful
Rookeries
hey! I'm not an official critter but I wanted to respond to the magic info for you!!
basically powered trolls are only given out in meta events(or in the one that's currently happening now!) unless specified in the event, your girl and the red blooded babe do not have powers. however, they could be earned through future metas as latent powers, through hard work and effort!!
if you'd just meant wanting info on magic in general, there's a ratio for it but I can't really remember it aha SWEATS (my softguess is 1:10) if we'd put it in the common-rare spectrum, powered trolls are fairly uncommon in hivestuck! magic is known about though it's generally referred to as powers. (though the troll can think they have magic which we have with another witchy troll here! rianon if you wanna search her up) it's not rare to see trolls with powers around alternia but it's certaintly not something you'd see everyday ehe!! (@the lusus thing, I think it's okay if he mentions it but i don't know how in depth owlfather would be able to go!)
one more tip!! you don't mention her stance on the hemospectrum, which is very important in the shop!! I'll let an official critter take a look at the rest but that's generally asked for haha!
A note on this - if it's a troll's powers they should either be physical (caused by some sort of mutation in how their body works) or psionic (psychonauts! brain powers!), but trolls can call it 'magic' if they're whimsical, a juggalo, ignorant, or just likes to think of it that way.
Anything 'magical' that's an object should be just advanced tech. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" - etc etc.
amicableAggressor Vice Captain
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saedusk Crew
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Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 3:32 pm
And on that note-!
Nimmue is super solid and I love her aaaaa. Can't wait to see her around. The extent to which you mention her lusus's previous troll in the profile is fine, as they are allowed to have raised other trolls in the past.
NAME: Nimmue Lefaye
