#nefele stellarion

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

List of my WIPs

2022 has left me very little time and inspiration for my original writing. Sadly it looks like 2023 will be the same. So I decided to at least do a bit of a clean-up, figuire out what I want to keep and what I want to get rid off. I also changed a few premises, twisted a few characters and here is the final result:

Vanitas Vanitatum

Nefele Stellarion has been told all her life that she is her father’s most valuable asset, his well-guarded secret, that will one day help take down the fae ruling class. Privately, she had always thought she is his most shameful secret: proof that even the man who had done the impossible by bringing magic to humans had fallen pray to a fairy’s spell and sired her daughter. The coming Sacrifice Ritual is her chance to prove her allegiance to the man who had raised her, but blood is thicker than water and more bitter than bile. And once Nefele makes a choice, her destiny is forever altered.

Paint the town red

Everyone knows the story of Juliet Spencer, the priest’s golden-haired daughter, the town’s darling, Graveville’s missing girl. Less people know about Laura Spencer, her sister that was born after her disappearance. And what is there to know? Surely Laura’s birth has been a soothing balm for her eldery grief-stricken parents. Surely, she must have been loved and spoiled rotten. Surely, her strange behaviour is nothing but teenage rebellion. On her fourteenth birthday, Laura learns the same terrifying secret that her sister had learned two decades ago: when the door of your house is locked, you are trapped inside with the monsters. But what Graveville will soon learn is that the past always comes to haunt you. And a predator can easily turn into prey when the right monster comes along.

Pandora’s key

Christine Leclair has been accepted into the most prestigious school of witchcraft in Europe and she’s gonna redeem her family name by becoming the best witch of her generation. Falling in love with the beautiful, mysterious, effortlessly talented Elettra Fabbri has not been in her plans. But Elettra hides her own secret that might shake the entire school. Meanwhile, in a neighbouring country, Mira Adelardi has been trapped in a mental hospital for years, for the sole crime of knowing magic beyond what humans could comprehend. Escape seems a pipe dream before befriending one of her fellow patients, a seer that knows more than she should. Once the paths of these three women cross, Europe is never the same again.

All we are is skin and bone

A self-exiled werewolf, the disgraced heir to a dynasty turned vampire, the rebellious witch daughter of a conservative politician and a retired hunter; these are the secrets that the four members of the most popular up-and-coming rock band of the moment are hiding. But can secrets be kept when the spotlight is always on you? Eric Winn, host of one of the most popular morning shows, is ready to prove that the truth always comes out. The former werewolf hunter will stop at nothing to reveal to his audience what his four guests are hiding behind their glamour rockstar facade. 

[missbrunettebarbie]

Your oc Nefele for the ask game :)

@nectargrapes also asked this.

Funny enough it is canon that other fairies see Nefele's magic as being "dark purple, forest green with blinding white mixed in on the verges".

Honey, apple and bafflingly enough chicken soup xDD

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

I am going to do this for Rafael/Nefele. But because most of their story is still developing in my brain, I am gonna mark:

Blue - for tropes that are part of their story for SURE

Red - for MAYBE I will include it, but who knows

I started doing this romance bingo card a gazillion years ago when it was going around the mutuals and only remembered to finish it recently, so. give it a go!

(description & list behind the cut)

Keep reading

[adie-dee]

Well, if you really need help staying awake, babbling my WIP(s) is no great sacrifice :D.

I am in the middle of plotting a new(ish) one that will be high fantasy and I am very nervous about my first experience with the genre. Time-travel is also a big part of the story which makes it more complicated.

Here is the (overcomplicated) premise:

The male lead, Rafael Serafium lived his whole life in a semi-apocalyptic world where an actual goddess, Aniri, came to Earth and took over Raf's neighbourhood country and declared war on Raf's country. Her presence on earth is also causing a lot of natural disasters and their only hope to win are some ancient prophecies that say, in very odd terms, that the only one that could destroy the goddess is Rafael's sister, Angelina. Except that Aniri kills Angelina pretty easily. And then decides to invade Rafael's dreams. Rafael is Not Pleased, but against his will, he is sorta attracted to dream!Aniri. Until he meets the real Aniri that sends him thirty years in the past without an explanation.

So, now, our hero is alone, with no resources or friends, in a peaceful world without Aniri. At least that what he thinks, before he sees a woman that looks exactly like her. She turns out to be Aniri's human 'vessel', Nefele Stellarion (aka our heroine), and Rafael's own grandfather may the reason why Aniri took over Nefele's body. Of course, Rafael needs to stop it from happening again.

.....Wow, this gave me a headache. What do you think? Too overcomplicated?

I think this is a great idea! Time travel can be complicated, but it sounds like you have the basics worked out. I reckon it’ll be a fun one to write.

I would love to see snippets should you decide to post 💜

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

I just came up with the idea of fairies' reproduction being pretty much asexual*, which would mean Nefele being born as a result of copulation would make her even more of an outlier. I can only imagine how most fairies -including Nefele's sisters- would be disgusted by it. Which in turn would feed Nefele's issues of not belonging.

*I haven't figured out the details yet, but I know that I don't want the usual child making process to involve either sex or pregnancy, but still would involve two people (because I need Elodie and Angelina to have daddy issues LOL). Rn my best idea is that there is a magical type of giant flower that has to be sustained by two fairies magic for half a year or so, before blossoming and revealing a fairy baby inside. Yes, I kinda stole this from Barbie: Thumbellina, so what? XDD

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

Last Line Tag

Thank you @laufire for the tag. Here is some Nefele content since she is apparently very beloved xDD.

Stella had braided pearls in Nefele's hair. She didn't know where her nanny -or more likely her father- could have found them. Pearls -and jewels in general- were extremely rare as it was well-known fairies hoarded them for their magical properties. There were even legends that said that a fairy could store their magic in a diamond or a ruby, if it was powerful enough to hold their raw power. And of course, a fairy without magic was a dead fairy. So it was most likely a myth. 

However she knew that young fairies wore pearls to their Naming Ceremony, as a symbol of their young and pure magic. She had always wondered if it was more than just symbolism. Did the pearl help them channel the chaos inside them? Nefele had to admit she felt strangely calm, considering the events that would unfold tonight. Unlike the days before, her magic wasn't fighting her, trying to rip off the skin that was holding it prisoner. Instead it was at peace. Humming quietly in Nefele's blood, making the girl feel like she was dressed in armor instead of pale green silk. 

Had her father chosen pearls as a mocking gesture? A Naming Ceremony was the most important moment in a fairy's life, and she knew Xavier viewed this night as the most important one of his daughter's life. Was this his own way of paying homage to the other half of Nefele's bloodline? If yes, she was not sure if it was a kind or cruel gesture.

But she didn't know allow herslef to dwell on her father. His mind had always been a mystery to her. She tried to enjoy the last moment of piece she had left before the show would begin. She hasn't felt this comfortable with herself since before that fateful day, when she had killed the blond woman by accident. After that, she had often found herself at odds with her own magic. It had been a surprising, and entirely unwelcome, side effect of a guilty conscience. She knew that as a half-fairy, her magic was inherently tied to her emotions. If she felt revolted by herself, her magic would of course feel revolted too. 

She couldn't help but wonder what it would think of her after tonight, when she would kill with intent. And not only that, but her victim was to be a fairy. She had never heard of fairies killing each other like humans do. Maybe there was a reason for it. Maybe their magic would completely revolt and poison the kinslayer from inside out. Nefele may be only half fae, but she thought it might be a half too many.

I am only tagging @nectargrapes and @starry-sky-stuff since I know they are both interested in this verse. And of course, anyone else who wants to do this can feel free to @ me.

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

Julie London's "Fly Me To The Moon" - it's what I'm listening to rn ^-^

The soft sounds of the piano invaded her ears as soon as she entered the room. She didn't need to look to know that it was Rafael playing. He had once told her that unlike her -and other musicians- he didn't play for the sake of music, but because simply touching a piano made him feel freer than anything else. 'It's what I imagine flying would feel like' he had once whispered to her. 

She slowly made her way towards him. The light of the moon illuminated the piano, and by extension Rafael, while she remained covered in darkness. Not that it mattered, as Rafael did not dignify to raise his head and look at her, focusing instead on his own hands that were still playing this unknown song, that she could only describe as romantic, yet somehow defiant at the same time. 

"Do you still feel free now?"

The answer came without hesitation, for this was the strange dynamic between them: they were enemies, but still so close to each other, it felt like they could feel the other's thoughts. And here was proof, Rafael knowing exactly what she was talking about, without needing clarification.

"Yes. No one had managed to taint music for me yet."

'Not even you' was implied. Nefele couldn't help but wonder what else had she tainted. It broke her heart that Rafael still thought their entire relationship a deception on her part. She had hidden the truth from him, true, but not for any malicious reason. At first. But by the time she had realized that she needed to confess everything to him, she had been in too deep. 

"Have you ever wondered what would have happened if we met sometimes else? Somewhere else?"

It was hard to tell who was more surprised by the question, her or him. She wasn't usually one to wonder about what if scenarios, but as always, Rafael broke all her rules. He finally raised his head and stared at her. Or well, in her direction, since she was quite sure he could not see anything in the dark. Still, it felt as if his gaze was piercing right through all her masks and self-restrain, the way only the oldest of fairies that had learned the art of soul searching could. He was only human, but most of the time he could be more unnerving than any fairy.

"Somewhere else? Like on the moon?" His tone was mocking, but there was real pain there. "I suppose I still would have fallen for you, idiot that I am. So not much would change in that regard. What about you?"

'I would have fallen for you any time, any place. I loved you, I still do, even if you tried to kill me. You are my greatest weakness and if I was anything like my parents, I would have gotten rid of you the moment you became a liability. But I can't, because falling in love with you is the one thing I have done that was out of my own free will, not because I was born a fairy or because I was raised by a Renegade. You make me feel like a person and I both love and hate you for it.' She wished she could say the words, but she feared them too much. Even just forming them in her mind left her breathless.

"I guess we'll never know."

She registered the music stopping before she saw him rise and hit his hand on the piano. The resulting thud! shattered the calmness of the room and whatever tentative truce had been between them. He moved towards her and Nefele willed herself to stay still. He could not hurt her this time, not when she was prepared. But he only gripped her arm and moved them both into the light. 

"What do you really want, Nefele? Why wouldn't you leave me alone? Don't you understand I never wish to see you again?"

His words were like a thousand paper cuts for her heart, mostly because they were said with resignation instead of his usual venom. Rafael soudned tired and sad, the anger having bled out of him a while ago, she realized. And then it also hit her how unfair her request was gonna be. But she had no one else to turn to, so she forced herslef to utter the words that were almost as hard to say as 'I love you':

"I need your help."

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

I always have difficultity when it comes to imagining a first meeting between two characters, but in Rafael and Nefele's case I had literally zero idea how they could meet. It had never happened before, usually I have at least some vague idea(s). Then today, while reading, it came to me that I want them to meet in a gambling club. Idk how and why, but I really like the opportunities this could bring and also what it could symbolize.

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

Reading "Never Judge a Lady by her Cover" made me realize how crucial it is for Nefele having a separate identity -in Rafael's mind- from the woman he is in love with. I want to write about him vowing revenge and raging against the fairy that had hurt him while whispering promises of love in Nefele's ear.

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

Of sisters and wings

Instead of focusing on the other, more developed WIPs, my brain decided to write Nefele and Angelina's first meeting with a tiny bit of background mythology in the Fairy WIP

Angelina looked nothing like her sister. She was tall, taller than even Nefele, had lighter skin than either of the sisters and ash blond hair that was put in a ponytail. She wore freshly applied, but subtle makeup, but she had no manicure. Instead, it seemed like the bad habit of nail biting may be genetic. Dressed in jeans and a purple top, she looked like your average teenage girl and if Nefele had ever passed her on the street she would have never guessed she was a fairy, much less her own half-sister. 

But now that she had been introduced to the magical world, Nefele could see, from the corner of her eye, Angelina's fairy wings. The two masses of energy that were the metaphysical manifestation of the girl's soul, yet, like all fairy wings, could not truly exist on their physical plane. Nefele had always wondered why fairies called them wings. They were mostly shapeless waves of color that might sometimes resemble bird wings, but most of the time looked like tendrils that twisted themselves in concentric circles and - to her great disappointment- did not offer the power of flight.

Every fairy's wings looked different. Some were more prominent, like they were fighting to escape their astral prison and merge completely with the body which housed the soul that had birthed them. Others looked watered down and almost tired. Nefele had not seen many fairies, but each had wings as unique as their fingerprints. What fascinated her the most were the colors. Angelina's wings were vibrant pink, sunshine yellow and gold, all bleeding together like paints on a wet canvas. Nefele didn't know if there was some connection between the color of a fairy's wings and their personality, but Angelina's seemed fitting: this was not someone to be trifled with; brittle and assertive, she had the makings of a leader as she grew older. But for now, with the pouty look on her face and the expensive jewelry, she looked more like a spoiled brat.

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

Nefele + Rules of Scoundrels series

I can see Nefele as a fan of romance books, because she is a romantic at heart even if she sometimes tells herself otherwise. She would enjoy RoS a lot, but her favourite book would be One Good Earl Deserves A Lover. Pippa would be her favourite romance heroine, because she'll find her both relatable in some aspect and really insane when it comes to others. She would like Pippa/Cross, although she would be a bit uncomfortable with both Cross' possessiveness and how close their relationship was to cheating.

As for the other books, well, she'll like Penelope and would really hate Bourne for how he treated her. The fact that she was more or less trapped into marriage would also be a major no-no for Nefele, who knows all to well how it feels to be trapped in your own life. Because of this, I can't see her liking Mara/Temple, as she will see what Mara did to Temple as unforgivable. But she'll find Mara way more sympathetic than Bourne.

Now about Nefele's opinion of Georgiana....it will be complicated. Bc Nefele would read the first three books and instantly dislike Chase. I think she might soften a little towards her when she finds out Georgiana's backstory and she will be impressed by all she had managed to accomplish, but I can't see her really liking Georgiana as a person LOL.

I said before that Duncan/Georgiana is an inspiration for Nefele/Rafael and I think Nefele would see the similarities too and will make her dislike Georgiana even more, whom she would see as a mirror of all her bad qualities. I can't see her having much of an opinion on Duncan, except being impressed by what he had managed to build and thinking his infatuation with Georgiana is stupid :DD

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

I finally figured out the difference between how Nefele's parents view her. Neither of them care for her as a person or as their child, the one being they are supposed to protect. They both view her as a means to an end, but in different ways.

Her mother -Maeve- sees Nefele (and Elodie and Angelina) as tools to be used as she desires, with no persoonhood or will of their own, nothing but extensions of herself. As far as Maeve is concerned her daughters exist so they can carry her line, they are little more than trophies to be showed off for their beauty or intelligence or power. And if they are no longer useful, or worse, actively detrimental to her plans, they need to be discarded.

On the other hand, her father sees Nefele as a soldier, someone that would be greatly useful to his cause. Unlike Maeve, he does care about what his daughter thinks and believes, but he is also adamant those beliefs need to align to his own: Nefele is either an ally or an enemy. There is no room for sentimentalism in his eyes.

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

Long lost siblings

As I told you, this prompt made me want to revamp Nefele's story for the ....nth time. I can easily include the emotional beats from the original story here and I think I like this setting+storyline more. Please let me know what you think.

The sacrificial blade felt horribly heavy in her hand. Nefele tried to tell herself again and again that if the situations were reversed, the sacrifice wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. As it was, the girl was bound and gagged left to shiver on the cold floor of the temple.

It’s her or me. And I will make sure it is her.

Nefele’s father came behind her to squeeze her shoulder. She leaned into the touch even knowing that he was becoming impatient as well. The sacrifice will give all of the Renegated new power, and he wanted it as much as Nefele did, if not more. She knew her father would always choose himself and their people over her, but she did not care. He was the only person who had offered her love and affection and Nefele had drank it with a thirst comparable to a shipwrecked sailor.

She approached the trembling fairy with small, but decisive steps. She was small and young, younger than Nefele. Her clothes were dirty and torn and her dark hair covered most of her face. Gently, Nefele brushed it away. Perhaps it was morbid curiosity, but she wanted to look into the girl’s eyes as she killed her. Wanted the fairy to know that her death will feed her people’s enemies and that it would be Nefele- the rejected half-fairy-that would do the deed.

There was terror in the younger girl’s face, but there was also defiance. Nefele could respect her for that. But then, she raised her dark green eyes to meet Nefele’s and she knew she had seen those eyes before. Had seen them in her nightmares where she was nothing but an infant crying for the woman who had given birth to her to hold her, quiet her, love her. But just like it had happened in reality, the woman of her nightmares only looked at her with scorn in her face. A face that bore a great resemblance to the one she was staring at now.

The sound of the blade hitting the floor reverberated in the whole temple and would haunt Nefele for years to come.

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

I know this is an old meme that i took from @laufire-writes but I wanted to get into the head of Nefele and her sisters to see both their similarities and differences and well, here we are xDD

Nefele

acceptance | assertiveness | authenticity | beauty | caring | cleanliness | commitment | compassion | confidence | consideration | contentment | cooperation | courage | creativity | detachment | determination | dignity | encouragement | enthusiasm | ethical | excellence | fairness | faith | flexibility | forgiveness | friendliness | generosity | gentleness | graciousness | gratitude | harmonious | helpfulness | honesty | honor | hope | humility | idealism | integrity | imaginative | joyfulness | justice | kindness | love | loyalty | moderation | modesty | optimistic | orderliness | passionate | patience | peace | perseverance | preparedness | purposefulness | reliability | respect | responsibility | reverence | self-discipline | service | sincerity | tact | temperate | tenacious | thankfulness | tolerance | trust | truthfulness | understanding | unity | visionary | wisdom | wonder

Elodie

acceptance | assertiveness | authenticity | beauty | caring | cleanliness | commitment | compassion | confidence | consideration | contentment | cooperation | courage | creativity | detachment | determination | dignity | encouragement | enthusiasm | ethical | excellence | fairness | faith | flexibility | forgiveness | friendliness | generosity | gentleness | graciousness | gratitude | harmonious | helpfulness | honesty | honor | hope | humility | idealism | integrity | imaginative | joyfulness | justice | kindness | love | loyalty | moderation | modesty | optimistic | orderliness | passionate | patience | peace | perseverance | preparedness | purposefulness | reliability | respect | responsibility | reverence | self-discipline | service | sincerity | tact | temperate | tenacious | thankfulness | tolerance | trust | truthfulness | understanding | unity | visionary | wisdom | wonder

Angelina

acceptance | assertiveness | authenticity | beauty | caring | cleanliness | commitment | compassion | confidence | consideration | contentment | cooperation | courage | creativity | detachment | determination | dignity | encouragement | enthusiasm | ethical | excellence | fairness | faith | flexibility | forgiveness | friendliness | generosity | gentleness | graciousness | gratitude | harmonious | helpfulness | honesty | honor | hope | humility | idealism | integrity | imaginative | joyfulness | justice | kindness | love | loyalty | moderation | modesty | optimistic | orderliness | passionate | patience | peace | perseverance | preparedness | purposefulness | reliability | respect | responsibility | reverence | self-discipline | service | sincerity | tact | temperate | tenacious | thankfulness | tolerance | trust | truthfulness | understanding | unity | visionary | wisdom | wonder

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

My Fairy WIP is still in the daydreaming+researching stage which means it's the perfect time to post my "progress" on it aka I found names for all the women in the protagonist's family.

Stella aka The Grandmother - "star". Very fitting as she is Nefele's guiding star after her primary burns and she shakes off her father's toxic influence. It also alludes to the fact that she was a very powerful fairy, a rising star among her generation that 'fell' due her very fickle nature, but got eiser with age.

Maeve aka The Mother - "she who intoxicates". Her romance with Xavier (Nefele's father) is integral to the plot and you could say she "intoxicated" him. She's also more or less of a toxic influence on her youngest daughters who have severy mommy issues.

Nefele aka The Protagonist- "cloud". The only one in the family to be named after a celestial element other than Stella. It signifies their very close relationship. When we think of a cloud, we think of what it hides eg. sky, sun, stars. The entire plot hangs on all the secrets Nefele hides as well as all the ones that are hidden from her.

Elodie aka The Younger Sister - "foreign riches". She always felt like a foreigner in her own family as she suspected there is something terribly wrong with her. Whether or not his is true remains to be seen. She is a descendant of a very powerful family, rich in wealth as well as in magic. However she never felt like her birth enriched their family in any way till the start of the story.

Angelina aka The Youngest Sister - "little angel". As the baby of the family, this is how she's seen by most even if her personality is in stark contrast with the angelic image. But oddly enough, she's probably the least likely in the family to stray from the right path. While all the other have weakness that can and might/have been exploited, she is too much of a force of nature and to sure on herself to ever do something she knows is WrongTM, living up to the angelic meaning of her name.

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

I think Nefele might be the first female.lead of mine to have an actual career. Now let's see how I keep her from losing it because of PlotTM.