#i might rename seraphim. i have another OC with a similar name.

[wetbloodworm]

haven't thought much about darion and seraphim in years but thinking about them a little now after that last post.

that whole 'verse was Generic Fantasy Universe, where magic was tied closely to emotions; magic responds to the emotions of the caster or whoever's using an item/potion, acts differently depending on the Vibes, etc. and those two were... i think i just called them constructs? i don't think that's a great term for what they are but i'll figure out something else later. used to be normal people who got caught in some kind of extreme magical backfire, essentially get turned into powerful magical conduits. casting magic comes almost effortlessly to them, but also just kinda. happens. like, constructs can't ever turn off the flow of magic, so it's always picking up on their emotions and can go off if the individual feels too strongly and can't control the effects. magic also reacts to other magic so stuff starts getting wacky around magic items or people trying to cast magic or use potions etc. constructs aren't super common because usually if magic backfires to that degree it'll just fucking kill the person/persons in the area, but it's happened enough that people with any kind of magical training or know-how know about them. they're more generously considered bad luck or a nuisance/obstacle to getting shit done, less generously considered walking time bombs.

being tied so intrinsically to magic in general, constructs can sense the emotions in others, ranging from just kinda feeling the Vibes around them passively based on how their magic responds to actually actively reading them. related: the magic in constructs sort of craves the emotion the individual felt strongest in the moment of their... creation? rebirth? when Things Went Awry. it's soothed by that emotion, becomes easier for the construct to control. if the individual feels that emotion personally it can help, but it also helps if they can feel it in others. if a construct DOESN'T feed the magic in them, it grows wilder, more reactive, and if that goes on for too long it will absoLUTELY end in a blast-radius kind of disaster.

darion's emotion is fear while seraphim's emotion is despair. things like anxiety/nervousness and general sadness respectively can help a bit but the Big Feelings feed their magic the most. i never worked out the specifics of their creations/rebirths, but i'd imagine that darion's happened when he was in danger and seraphim's happened when she lost her husband. since neither of those emotions are particularly enjoyable, both of them seek out situations where they'll be able to feel them in others. seraphim works at a funeral home, darion... i don't know what he does, actually. i know he's an adventurer, and he latches onto this other adventurer named markel who's had traumatic experiences with magic and developed a fear of it. both darion and seraphim have to deal with the emotional toll of needing these heavy negative feelings, and of feeling them by proxy, and of sometimes having to inspire those feelings in others so that they can stay in control. darion puts on a front of being totally chill with it when he's not, seraphim feels plenty of despair herself just existing this way.

one other thing i had going on with constructs is that their personal memories are wiped during creation/rebirth. i don't have an in-universe reason for why that happens, i just liked the idea of these people having no clue who they are or what happened to them but finding out quickly that something fucky is going on with them magically. i never figured out anything about darion's past, but i know that seraphim had a kid before her creation/rebirth that she couldn't remember after. she just woke up in the aftermath of a magical disaster confused and distressed and found a baby nearby and was just like ???? is this... is this mine??? do i take him??? what if he's not mine?????? thankfully he was but y'know, hard having to deal with what the fuck was going on with her on top of being a mom.

i may draw these two if i can.... fucking remember what they look like lmao or find a reference. they could both stand to have redesigns, i'm sure, i vaguely remember darion's hair being stupid lmao but we'll get there.