#cassidy w.i.t.c.h

[dailycanonlgbtq]

Day 41

Cassidy from W.I.T.C.H is canonically lesbian

[nerissa-crossnic]

C.H.Y.K.N. by 张朔嘉 (Shuojia Zhang)

[kaiapanito]

Cassidy

An instagram follower asked if I could draw the old guardians... so I did! I wanted a more simple style without shading but I think I'll shade them for printing 🤔

[eaeulfl]

[riyacrane]

[mewbyss]

Are you C.H.Y.K.N? /╲/\╭[☉﹏☉]╮/\╱\

[met-la]

[miamarypunkt]

Cassidy (C.H.Y.K.N)

[badly-drawn-pigeon]

Continuing with W.I.T.C.H. villains... Nerissa is an absolute definition of what could have been.

Like, when reading/watching her, I always have this feeling in the back of my head that she was totally supposed to be a sympathetic villain with a point, one to expose hidden darkness within Kandrakar. Only we sort of... never get any details on this. We know that it was the case that Kandrakar at some point decided that she'd steered too far onto the dark side, but we never learn what had exactly happened that made her like this. Killing Cassidy happened way past the point of no return.

And while Nerissa's efforts to corrupt Will might have been intended to mirror her own descent, this doesn't feel genuine, because of how many lies / literal mind magic she employs to make this happen. And it's especially frustrating because Will makes perfect material for corruption without that. She's so much drama by the sheer power of her own actual traumas and actual insecurities that she doesn't need to be straight up deceived (this is btw what I love about her as a character - the constant balancing on the edge of darkness). I imagine young Nerissa shared a lot of toxic personality traits with Will, but it would have been nice if we'd seen it unfold. Or at least if Nerissa tried to nudge Will into coming to the same conclusions as Nerissa had without bullshitting her about everyone secretly hating her.

The cartoon version of Nerissa makes a great narrative promise. Her intense reaction to a mention of Cassidy, "You don't know how much she meant to me" made me lose my shit for a bit and I almost melted on my couch (iirc it was also hinted at by one of the show creators that there was some romantic stuff going on between them, so, you know, it's not only me going shipping mode). And again, this plot point gets immediately axed never to be brought up again. Cassidy comes back and there is zero chemistry between the two. Cassidy is innocently oblivious to everything going on in the world of the living while Nerissa dispassionately treats her like a tool. What was that emotional display from before for? Show don't tell ffs. Also Nerissa eventually gets a Bleach villain treatment by having her actual intentions revealed in a few words during her defeat scene. And it's also not that deep, definitely not compelling enough for a villain with a point, even though I can actually see her point.

On the other hand, the final episode of the cartoon was so goddamn entertaining. One day I'll make a meme out of the backstabfest that happens there because it's so hilarious. In a good way, I love chaos.

Edit: I feel like I should also add that cartoon Nerissa is incredibly entertaining and quite charismatic. And her voice gives me goosebumps, I could use it as ASMR.

[doowlssleep]

[karmavirtanen]

[nerissa-crossnic]

Arts by paula_hosho

[krchar]

[eaeulfl]

[riyacrane]

[bellatrixobsessed1]

The Hemorrhaging Aether

Nerissa had never cared for crowds but she has never hated them either. On one hand they are too loud, they drive her mad with the overload of sights and sounds and smells. On the other hand, if a crowd is large enough, then she can get lost in it, slink to the back of it. Blend in and go unnoticed and that is precisely what she is looking to do. Especially today. 

Earthy tones had been a good choice. They keep her out of mind even if she is not out of sight. They keep her inconspicuous in a building full of people who seem to be doing their very best to stand out, to become the center of attention. 

She has heard that about America; the people value their freedom and by extension their individuality. And she supposes that that isn’t a terrible thing in moderation. America overall is terribly different from Greece; everything and everyone seems so…sensationalized. Everything is so forward driven—a rejection of tradition in favor of what might and very well could be. The fashion is daring and different, the hairstyles are showy. They do however seem to be as friendly and welcoming of strangers as she is used to. 

More than anything else though the school itself is strange; there are no split in their secondary schooling—no gymnasium and no lyceum. Instead there are freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior years. There is no 20 point grading system; they stick to letters past primary school. 

The layout of the school is different. Different and larger than her old school had been. The hallways are mostly empty now, save for the uncaring stragglers and several people looking frantically from the sheets in their hands to signs on doors. People like herself, who have no idea where to go. 

Truly, how hard can it be to follow signs to a classroom.

She finds that it is much easier than actually entering the classroom. Even if she enters at the very moment another student does. 

At least the teacher has two people to choose from now. 

“Charlie and Nerissa, I assume.”

“Yes mam!” Charlie declares. Nerissa simply nods.

“I do not know how educators handled tardiness at your last schools, but this one does not tolerate them.”

“It's our first day, cut us a break, man.”

“Does life ‘cut breaks’?”

“It should.”

“You seem very opinionated…”

“Charlie.” She fills in.

“You seem very opinionated, Charlie. Perhaps you would like to taketh class through the icebreakers. And Nerissa, you may introduce yourself next. I'm certain that the class will be intrigued to hear about Greece. You are the exchange student, yes?”

And so her inconspicuousness expires.

“I'm not an exchange student, I've moved to this country.”

“Well then, you should pay extra close attention to how tardiness and discipline work here.

Things are going splendidly already.

.oOo.

The new girl, she concludes, is shy. Shy and quiet to a point where Cassidy wonders if she only speaks Greek with a sprinkle of English phrases here and there. She touches her hair a lot, and she has an abundance of it. She runs her fingers through it or wraps strands of it around her pointer. And so far their conversation hasn’t gotten much further than.“You’re from Greece, right?” A lowering of a novel—just enough to peak over it and a nod. An “I’m Cassidy.” And one more nod.

But she has closed the book and put it to the side. 

“Do you want to come eat lunch with me and my friends?” She jabs her thumb in the direction of her usual lunch table, the one under the ash tree. 

The girl follows the direction of Cassidy’s finger with her eyes, seeming to study the rest of the group. She locks eyes with Yan Lin who flashes her a huge grin and waves. Hesitantly the new girl lifts her own hand and returns it. 

“See, they’re friendly. We’re basically this school’s welcome committee. Unofficial.” Cassidy declares. “It’s better than sitting all by yourself.” But maybe the girl likes it that way—Lisa Paige Allan prefers to be alone with her paintset. 

The new girl presses her lips together and stares at her book. As quietly as the rest of their conversation has gone, she gets to her feet and Cassidy is certain that she is going to pick up her book and skitty on out.

Instead she makes her way towards the ash tree. 

Kadma, Yan Lin, and Halinor are already quite deep into looking over each other’s class schedules. Something that Cassidy had been trying to get them to look at well before the school year actually started. If for no other reason than to open a discussion about the school's state of the art copy machine and how far journalism has come in such a short time. 

She slides her own class schedule onto the table skims over the papers. “Oh! Looks like we have literature and history together too, Yan Lin. And Halinor is with us for literature.” She peers at Kadma’s schedule. Aside from lunch, it would seem that she only has one class with them. And it is the only one that she doesn’t share with Halinor—math.” 

“Well I guess that lunch is the only class where all of us will be together.”  Kadma shrugs.

Yan Lin frowns at her own schedule. “None of you signed up for band!”

“That’s my favor to this whole school.” Kadma crosses her arms.

“Well I’ll be all alone. Bummer.”

The new girl reaches down and into her bag, fishes out a fair sized wooden case, and puts it onto the table. Cassidy watches her fumble with the latches for a few seconds before she turns the case around to reveal a flute. 

“Oh! You signed up for band?” Yan Lin asks. 

The new girl nods. 

“That’s a flute, right?” Kadma asks. 

“It is.” She replies, brushing her fingers over the metal as though it is some fragile thing. Cassidy watches her dig around lunchbox. Cassidy isn’t sure exactly what the dish is but it is wrapped in grape leaves, contains rice and some type of meat, and it smells rather amazing. 

Cassidy’s own lunch isn’t particularly impressive aside from the sandwich that her mother cut for her in the shape of a star. Other than that she has whatever packaged snacks that she had swiped from the pantry in her rush to get to school. 

“I’d love to learn to play an instrument. I don’t know which one I would be good at though.” Cassidy muses. 

“Would you even have time?” Halinor asks curtly. Cassidy doesn’t think that the girl means to be so cutting, it just sort of happens now and then. Sometimes she realizes it and softens it with something like, “I mean you said that you were interested in trying both journalism and an art extra-curricular.” Most of the time she just makes it worse in the end. “You have so many interests, it would probably be a good idea to just focus on one. Ya know, so you can master it.” 

“Maybe I don’t want to be a master. Maybe I want to be the journalist with the best painting skills.” 

At this Yan Lin laughs. And the conversation carries on like that. With each of them discussing their extra curricular goals. Each of them save for the new girl who seems more interested in her meal and the swishing of the tree canopy. If she has any goals of her own she doesn’t cut in to mention them and she has nothing to say of their choices.

Maybe she really hasn’t learned English yet; Η φόνισσα is scrawled on the cover of her book. But that can’t be it, she seemed to follow the conversation just fine. 

So maybe that is just how she is; a quiet woman who would rather be silent sitting next to someone or several someones than sit in perfect quietude by herself. 

Or maybe she is trying to learn the mechanics of their conversation and the dynamics of their group before deciding to part take. 

It could be simpler still; nobody had expressly asked the new girl for her opinion. It could be that the girl is just trying to be polite. 

Kadma takes one last bite of her apple and tosses it into the wastebin. “I suppose we should start heading in.”

“Oh yeah, I can’t be late for Mrs. Sharppa’s class again. “She said that I would lose a whole letter grade if I did.” Halinor grimaces. One glance at the watch on her wrist puts a haste into the gathering of her belongings. “Thank you for lunch, Yan Lin, you’re the best and your parents are amazing cooks.” She shrugs her bag over her shoulder and sprints towards the school with a “Peace, love, and granola!” from Yan Lin to send her off. 

“See you inside, Cassidy.” Kadma says. 

“For sure!” 

Yan Lin is the next to stand. She tucks her orange-tinted sunglasses back into their case and puts it in the breast pocket of her overalls. “After school?”

“Usual time.” Cassidy confirms. And with that it is just she and the new girl who has already tucked her flute case back into her bag and has taken to fidgeting with the charm on her necklace, watching it slide back and forth on the chain. 

“Well thank you for having lunch with us.”

The new girl parts her lips. 

Cassidy gives her a little nod. “Well I’m heading to class then.” 

“Can I sit here tomorrow?” 

Cassidy grins. “Of course!” 

And maybe tomorrow Cassidy can ask her what her name is.