#OC: Dale Dagwood

[monsters-and-mystics]

*rubs hands evilly * Ooooh boy I hope you’re ready. 100 OC Questions, gogogo. Amethyst Dagwood – 92, Dale Dagwood – 63, Cypress Dagwood – 25, Chrysanthemum Dagwood – 9, Audrey Devereux - 1, Esme Devereux – 11.

Ah, my darling @whether-morning-whether-night!! I’m always so happy to see you in my inbox!🥰💕🥰💕

Sorry this took a bit. I actually couldn’t find the original post with the questions, so I hope these are the ones you wanted answered 😅

Aurélie “Audrey” Devereux #1 - “How do they present themselves to others?”

Audrey is very polite and proper in most situations, especially with adults and/or people in power. Ever since discovering she’s a Devereux (and the power her family has) she’s felt like an imposter or like the fairytale could get ripped away from her. That scares her.

So, to combat that fear, she often acts as prim and ladylike as possible. (Some might even call her a kiss-ass.) In reality, Audrey is a very warm, fun-loving person. She just doesn’t feel like she can be that and a Devereux, and she chooses being a Devereux over being herself.

Chrysanthemum “Chris” Dagwood #9 - “Why is their name their name?”

I have in-universe reasons and author reasons for her name.

The in-universe reason is two-fold. Firstly, in my world, magical families traditionally name their children after something part of/found in nature, so naming a kid after a flower is not uncommon. The reason her mom specifically named her “Chrysanthemum” is that they were her mom’s favorite flower (aka Gram’s fav flower) and they have symbolism with love and joy.

My reason as the author is honestly more to do with the symbolism of white chrysanthemums. In some cultures, they are seen as a symbol of loyalty and devoted love, while in others they symbolize adversity and grief (or even death itself). The juxtaposition of the white Chrysanthemum’s symbolism just felt perfect for Chris who is so full of love and grief that it’s almost painful.

Esmerelda “Esme” Devereux #11 - “Do they have a romantic interest?”

Not currently! I’ve been playing around with the idea and trying to figure out who she might be paired best with – or if she’s even interested in romance – but I don’t really know yet! I think I just need to write more of the actual story and see who (if anyone) she gravitates towards. I’m open to ideas, though!

Cypress Dagwood #25 - “If they were given a task to prank someone, who would it be, what would they do, and would their prank work?” 

Dale. He would instantly pick Dale. Cypress wouldn’t have the energy for anything too sophisticated or time-consuming, so he’d do something simple like sneak up behind Dale and blow an air horn or put a fake cockroach in the shower just before he gets in.

It would 100% work as long as Amethyst doesn’t know about it. If Amethyst knows, she might accidentally tip Dale off without meaning to. 

If it works, Dale will scream and everyone will laugh at him. He’ll probably try to hit Cypress to get back at him, then go off about being so abused by this family!! (Eyes will roll. Chris might punch him. Good times all around 🥰)

Dale Dagwood 63 - “Have they ever harmed anyone and regretted it? Verbally or physically?”

Dale’s a pretty fun, laid-back guy, but there is definitely a line for what he’s willing to take. And once that line’s crossed, you’ll find he has as much of a temper as his sisters. Most of the time, he doesn’t regret his actions and rarely sees himself in the wrong. If someone got him mad enough for him to get that nasty, he feels they deserve whatever he did to them.

The only time he might regret it is if it’s one of his sisters. He has way more patience for them than anybody else, but he’s no saint. If they push him too far, he will get mean and say things that hurt. He might feel bad about it or he might think it was something they needed to hear; it depends.

Amethyst Dagwood #92 - “If they were given minutes to live, what would they do? Who would they want to see and say?”

Oh gosh. This depressed child… She’s 100% thought about what she wants to happen when her “inevitable demise” comes. 

In an ideal world, she’d like to be with all the people who matter to her and just stay with them until time ran out — Cypress, Dale, Chris, her parents, and Edward especially. She’d tell them how much she loved them, thank them for everything they’ve done for her, relive favorite memories with them, and just squeeze the life out of all of them. 

But realistically, she would want to see all of them but choose to stay by herself. She’d probably write a hasty letter telling them how much she loves them and doesn’t want them to be sad, and try to put a positive spin on her death or make jokes about it, cuz that’s how she is. If there was any time left after writing the note, she’d just listen to her favorite songs (especially the sad ones), maybe sing along a bit before she started to cry. She would regret choosing to die alone. 😢 

Thanks for the questions, lovely! 💕😚💕 

Let me know if you have any more! 😉💕

[jaygrl22]

Hey! Just finished rereading your twilight fanfiction "Monsters and Mystics" and was pleased to remember how good it was. Inwas wondering if you have any fancast for the Dagwoods or if you made any artbreeder pictures of them?

Hi!! I have no idea when I got this so I hope you haven't been waiting too long for my answer!

I haven't done much fan-casting myself, but a few people have messaged me before telling me their fan-casts, so if you have some feel free to share! The only one I can remember fan-casting was Dale as Froy Gutierrez.

Otherwise, I just make occasional picrews (2) that I post to my twilight side-blog or save pics of random people to my Monsters & Mystics pinterest board 😁

[monsters-and-mystics]

How I (kinda) see my OC family, the Dagwoods: Amethyst, Cypress, Dale, and Chrysanthemum (Chris). 

The first pic is how they are seen by &/or present themselves to others. The second pic is their more private selves. (Except Dale. If he’s not being a flirt, he’s being unashamedly dorky.) More on that below!

I made them here! The art style is super cute, so if you like icon makers/dress-dress up games, try it out! The color choices are limited, but it’s chock full of hair/clothing options.

1) First up is my main character, Amethyst. (Amethysts are purple, and I’m a sucker for puns, so of course I put her in mainly purple.) She’s the only one who got an outfit/background change because she’s the one with the biggest difference between her “public” and “private” self; fun, friendly, theatrical teen vs. depressed, overwhelmed, hunted witch who can barely control her power.

One of Am’s main physical characteristics is her hair, which she describes as often looking like she “recently stepped out of a wind-tunnel, complete with twigs on occasion.” It turned out crazy but perfectly so. (The other, and more important, main identifier is her eyes, but there was no way for me to get the Mark of an Essence across in the game.)

She’s a huge music lover, so I gave her the rock symbol in the first pic. I also but a flower in her hair both to reference the “twigs” that sometimes end up in her hair, but also because she’s one of those kids who likes to make flower crowns (and it just looked cute shut up leave me alone). For the second pic, I put her in entirely witch attire just to show how heavily her being a witch/Essence impacts who she is. She’s also the Head Witch of her family when her mother is away, so full witchy garb yes

2) Now for the eldest sibling, Cypress! While Amethyst is in charge of all things magical and supernatural when mom’s away, Cypress is in charge of the everyday needs of the family. He tends to keep to himself and isn’t very comfortable around strangers. He tends to come off as quiet, reserved, and responsible — and always a touch exhausted. 

Cy’s is not the type to flaunt himself or his talents out to the world, but he’s actually a skilled painter and sketch artist. He’s also a bit of a dweeb (hence the peace sign). I gave him the rainbow flag because he’s the only Dagwood whose sexuality I am 100% certain of (he’s bi). I also gave him a coffee in the first pic because he works long hours to provide for his siblings and needs that bean juice. 

He’s the only Dagwood who actively rejects his magic so I tried to give him the most “normal” pupils the game offered. He wishes more than anything that he were Normal and didn’t have to deal with his memory talent or magic in general. (The winking eyes only had two options for pupils so I just gave up with the second pic)

3) The fan-favorite: Dale! (I’m a little annoyed with his hair because I found a more suited style afterwards but was too lazy to redo him.)

How to describe Dale... In Amethyst’s words, “He’s just one of those Spring babies who loves Love.” He’s a flirt with a heart of gold. He tends to fall in love quickly and deeply, but that’s not a good idea when you skip town as often as they do, “so he tries to make up for it by treating no girl different from the rest.” 

Because he’s the school’s beloved popular flirt, I gave him a smooch mark, heart fingers,  and Anime-style cherry blossoms in the background. The flower is because he’s a pretty-boy and not afraid of defying the patriarchy (pink is his favorite color) and the halo for being the fan favorite. (Also, just look at him in that first pic. Doesn’t he look so sweet and angelic?)

The second pic is his more... dorky side. He loves a good pun, quoting memes, and making people laugh. He’s a dork and I love him for being so unabashedly himself. (ngl, I identify with Dale the most out of these four ahaha)

4) Last but not least, the youngest Dagwood, Chris! She’s only 14 but refuses to be treated like a little kid who has no say in things. She’s got a poor temper and uses that (and her sharp tongue) to force others to listen to her and what she has to say.

All the Dagwoods inherited their father’s “gentle waves”, but Chris’s are more exaggerated thanks to her “dark choppy layers” that are “excellent for hiding in.” I really love how her hair turned out in this. (Chris’s eyes are supposed to be glowing slightly, but since that wasn’t possible in-game, I gave her squiggly pupils instead. cuz why not.)

Despite her rough exterior and many self-protecting layers, deep down, Chris would love to be as playful and carefree as Dale and Am act, but fears it would only worsen them seeing her as a kid. She doesn’t have this issue with Cypress because he’s always given equal weight to her thoughts and feelings. (she also sees him as more of a father figure than another older sibling, so it’s easier for her to let her guard down with him.)

I gave her a book because she loves reading novels (and spell books). She’s the only other Dagwood I gave a proper wand to because she takes her role as a witch very seriously (unlike Dale who’s really just living it up and therefore got a sailor moon wand instead lol)

[monsters-and-mystics]

Daily life in the Dagwood household

Dale: i'm genuinely hurt & distressed that no one's tried to serve me poisoned wine in a trick goblet yet

Cypress, confused but trying to be supportive: Maybe they have but you didn't drink it???

Dale DramaQueen™ Dagwood: excuse you i have drunk from EVERY goblet i've been offered, including many that i haven't

Chris, not looking up from her book: we've yet to find a poison that works

(credit to @biggest-gaudiest-patronuses, @immortal-fool, and @stabthesoup)

[monsters-and-mystics]

[monsters-and-mystics]

Thanks for sharing about your OCs! They're really interesting and I love the lore you've created around them! Can you tell us more about how they fit in the twilight universe? Or the plot you're developing? (If that's ok)

💕💕 of course!! 💕💕

Let me start by saying one of my biggest miffs about the Twilight universe was just how... bare the supernatural world felt. Like, we really only got three supernatural creatures: Vampires, of which there is a healthy chunk; Shapeshifters, of which there is only one known group in the whole world; and the Children of the Moon (aka actual werewolves) who we only hear about in passing and have been hunted to near extinction by the Volturi. And... that’s it.

And idk it felt like this supernatural world had so much potential but like... it only scratched the surface, I guess? And that really hit home for me in Eclipse (I think?) when Bella made a little quip like, “And if Angela’s secretly a witch she can come too!”. Reading that line, my brain exploded with the sudden possibility of witches and more magic existing in the Twilight universe than we’d seen. And I could totally see how it could’ve existed in canon, entirely hidden but also answering the question of why some vampires got these amazing, otherworldly powers when they turned and others either didn’t have anything beyond the standard vampire package: ✨Magical✨humans vs Normal humans.

So, the way I’ve weaved it, witches and magic are just another layer to the Twilight universe, hidden from both the normal and supernatural worlds in such a way that if my OCs had never gone to Forks, literally nothing in the actual Twilight story would’ve changed. So, in a way, I guess my story is kinda a Twilight AU, a la “What would’ve changed if witches existed in secret and a family of them moved to Forks before Bella showed up?”

Just before the start of my story, the Dagwoods have to leave their current home in California. Because their Mom is away like always they have to go to a predetermined backup location and lay low until she can reunite with them. They’ve done this once or twice before, so it’s not too nervewracking for them but it’s still a hard move. Their current backup plan is the tiny town of Forks, Washington.

Amethyst ends up sharing a few classes with Edward and Alice (and an elective with Rosalie) and Dale has Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie in some of his. Amethyst accidentally reveals some of her less-than-Normal-ness to the Cullens while also picking up on their own strangeness. Friendships (and a crush on Edward that will totally not go away) start to bloom. She and Edward eventually make a deal that neither family will start asking questions or kicking up too much of a fuss about the other; that way, neither will get in trouble with any higher powers for revealing things, no one has to leave Forks, and both families can peacefully coexist  Now if only Amethyst would actually tell her own family about this deal rather than keep them completely in the dark...

(oh. uh. this is probably the point where I should mention my story is a slowburn Edward/OC fic haha 😅)

But yeah. So that’s really the main premise: magic, secrets, the comfort of having people who – like you – aren’t Normal, the curiosity/unease of not knowing what they are, fighting Fate/Death, dealing with the turmoil that comes with bringing constant death/danger into your family’s life, etc. etc.

tbh, there hasn’t been a whole lot of danger to Amethyst’s life since coming to Forks, so I sometimes worry readers might think she’s blowing things out of proportion or being overly dramatic. But after Amethyst gets out of her current depressive state (and I reward my dear readers with some happier times to make up for the angst and heartache of the last... idk... 4 chapters?)... well... they’ll have a better idea of what the Dagwoods are constantly going up against. 😉

Thank you very much for your questions, anon! 🥰I’m thrilled to be able to share my OCs and their story with you! It’s a lot of fun to talk about them here on tumblr

[monsters-and-mystics]

Hell me about your OCs, please. I'd love to hear about them!

Hi, Anon! I’m not really sure what to tell, so I’ll just give you a basic rundown for each of them! (But uh... since my basic rundown is a lot because i don’t know how not to word-vomit about my OCs I’ll make it a read more thing 😅)

The main OCs I have for my Twilight story are the Dagwood siblings: Amethyst, Chris, Dale, and Cypress. They’re from a long family of magic-users, aka witches! 😁

Minor Backstory:

They’re originally from Maine but they’ve lived all over the US mainland and tend to move every three to six months. This is usually due to one of them (*cough* Amethyst) “slipping up” and revealing their magical nature to Normal People (”Norms”) or catching the attention of other witches — which they DO NOT want. 

Their mother often ventures off without them as she tends to work directly with other magic users and/or Norms dealing with supernatural problems and doesn’t want to endanger her kids — particularly Amethyst. Their father is out of the picture, but whether he’s dead or just abandoned them is heavily debated in the family.

The Siblings:

~Cypress is the oldest, having just turned 20, and is the family’s main source of income and Resident Adult when Mom’s away — he makes sure the rent is paid, decides if someone gets to borrow the car, signs permission slips, etc. Even though he’s oldest and technically in charge, he tends to defer all the bigger decisions to Amethyst and/or support her ideas because she’s the family’s official temporary Head. He used to go to college but had to give it up in lieu of taking care of his siblings. 

He’s a fairly quiet person who prefers staying in the background. He enjoys building things and usually finds work as a mechanic, but his real passion is in the arts — namely painting and sculpting.

He has a magical Talent where, if he touches an object with his hand, he can see the memories attached to it. Strong emotions cling to objects more readily than every-day events though, which can be incredibly overwhelming. 

Cypress doesn’t like being a witch and really only practices enough magic to keep his Talent from interfering with his everyday life. Other than that, he prefers to live and act like a Norm as much as he can.

~Dale is a senior in high school and is an outstandingly fun, hilarious character. He’s quite vain with his appearance, is an extreme flirt, and loves being adored/the center of attention — especially with girls. However, he’s also a very caring and loving person and will not hesitate to fight in defense of others. He thinks he’s the knight in shining armor, but I think it’s his genuine, over-the-top nature that makes people irl love him.

He has a Talent in crafting and creating; which means whatever he’s working with, his magic draws out the best qualities. This makes him phenomenal with potions, spell pouches, and charms — which helps with the glamors he makes to improve his looks. But this Talent also comes out with Normal activities too, like cooking, baking, and even making paper-airplanes.

He and Amethyst also have a psychic link that resulted from a spell gone wrong in their childhood. They generally can’t “hear” each other's thoughts, but they have an innate awareness of the other’s wants/feelings/etc. The closer they are to each other, the stronger the link; if they get too close while their guard’s down, they tend to start “echoing” each other – saying the same thing at the same time –, “synchronizing” – doing the same movements at the same time –, and/or mix up whose consciousness is whose. If they aren’t careful, they could get stuck like this again.

~Amethyst is the eldest daughter and my fic’s main character. She’s the family’s Head Witch while their mother’s away, meaning she makes all the final decisions regarding magic though she can be (and has been) out-voted by her siblings. Amethyst takes this role quite seriously but does tend to abuse it from time to time, too.

She’s very good with numbers and keeps constant tabs on the number of days until her 18th birthday. Nothing special happens then, but witches like her – called Essences – rarely make it to adulthood, so she hopes to make it that long in order to spite everyone who told her parents they were foolish to try keeping her alive.

Essences are sort of “made of magic” and their human bodies have a hard time keeping their power contained; which is why it’s so easy for her to “slip up” compared to her siblings and most other witches. This volatility could also kill her if she isn’t careful. Additionally, because Essences are basically “magic incarnate” they are highly coveted by other magic users — sometimes in a “please you’re the only one who can help me” kind of way, and sometimes in a “I’m going to use your blood and bones to gain godlike power” kind of way.

Am often anguishes over this and the guilt of her existence always screwing her family over, which creates a depressive, fatalistic mindset that Dale frequently worries over. Despite this, however, she does find joy in her life through music and theater (and musical theater!). She’s a talented actress and good liar but has a few blatant tells that her siblings can pick out instantly.

Amethyst has a Talent for storms and electricity but it often works against her due to the instability of her magic.

~Chris (aka Chrysanthemum) is the family hothead. She’s only 14 but uses her anger and attitude to seem older. She cares viciously about her family and will do anything to keep them safe, but she’s also extremely bitter about the life she’s been forced to live because of Am. 

She swears constantly and tends to lash out against Amethyst and Dale by punching or hitting them. This tends to be quite painful as she is inarguably the strongest of the four – almost inhumanly so – despite her small size. 

She, ironically, has a Talent in healing magic, but this is overshadowed by her curse gift of Sight. She naturally Sees other realms, magical energies, and supernatural entities like ghosts, demons, and the fae. Other witches have to work quite hard to “turn on” the Sight, but Chris can’t “turn it off” at all and so has to endure these sights constantly. Additionally, because of this, her eyes always give off a subtle glow. Most Norms don’t notice however because her eyes are already a bright blue and she often hides behind her hair.

She takes being a witch very seriously and has little patience for commercialized Norm holidays that have “taken over” witchy holidays (e.g. Halloween & Samhain; Christmas & Yule). Outside of her siblings and magical life, she’s painfully shy and typically doesn’t like having a lot of attention. She’s a bookworm, takes honors classes whenever possible, and rarely makes more than one or two friends per school to “keep things simple”.

uuhhh so yeah. Thems my babies 😅 As you can tell, I will gladly talk about them all day and night haha💕💕

[monsters-and-mystics]

@howlonghaveyoubeenseventeen said it was free game so i took it

Favorite color: it changes from time to time, but right now it’s like a warm sunflower yellow color

Last song I listened to: i’m currently listening to music so i feel like that’s cheating. the last song i actively went out of my way to listen to was probably Over Yet by Hayley Williams

Last film I watched: i watch movies so infrequently i couldn’t even tell you tbh, but i watched a Russel Howard special recently

Last tv show I watched: the news cuz i’m so interesting 

Favorite original character: uh... of mine? I adore all of the Dagwoods, but I guess my fav would be either Amethyst or Dale... (tho a few older Naruto ocs also hold a special place in my heart)

Sweet, spicy, or savory: savory for sure

Sparkling water, tea or coffee: water or tea

Pets: currently none. I feel incomplete without two cats and a dog tho cuz that’s my default state.

I also tag anyone who wants to do it or is just bored