#salem cobriana

[justawfulxmenart]

The Kiesha’ra characters as John Mulaney quotes

I just (FINALLY) finished the - highly underrated- Kiesha'ra book series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. It's all about shapeshifter nonsense and I am here for every blessed word of it! If you haven't read it and you're looking for a great read check it out. But, as I love the Kiesha'ra and John Mulaney in equal parts, here are the Kiesha'ra book characters as John Mulaney quotes. Two great tastes that go great together! Hawksong * The Dasi- Aaaaah, oh no, it's the olden days. We're going to have to fill up our days with some stupid slow activities!

*Kiesha @ Maeve- Y’know I used to wonder how someone could murder another person. Then I got cheated on. And now I’m like, ooooh, now I get it. * Danica Shardae- I'll just keep all my feelings deep down inside and someday... I'll die. * Danica upon meeting Zane Cobriana- I'm not going to stand here and let some Blockbuster Video employee talk to me like I'm some floozy! * Erica Silvermead- As you can see I am very tired, I am very small and I have no money. *Danica comparing Rei to Zane - There are some people who give off this vibe that says 'Do not *mess* with me. As for me, I would probably apologize if you spilled soup in my lap. *Danica trying to keep the peace- Ok, ok, ok, ok ... Feel like Andy Cohen at all those *stupid* reunions. Snakecharm *Zane- This is MY WIFE! Don't you touch MY WIFE! I didn't kill MY WIFE! *The reader @ Zane- oh my, who is that fellow? I bet he did kill his wife. *Zane - My wife is my hero. She doesn't care what anyone thinks about her. Meanwhile, I have to make everyone like me all the time. It's exhausting. My wife says I'm running for 'Mayor of nothing.' *A'isha- I am TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED * Zane @ Betsy the avian doctor - 'Not allergic to anything but work' ... Seemed to be a questionable work ethic for someone in the medical field. *Zane and Danica prospective parents - People ask us 'Are you sure you don't want kids? Are you SURE??' Well, I don't know. I smoked cocaine before my college graduation and now I'm scared to get a flu shot. People change. *The falcons running around the kingdom causing chaos- This is like having a horse loose in a hospital. Nobody's ever seen that before! Falcondance *Nicias- To all you people behind me honking, I hear you and I don't want to be here either! When people pass me and find out who's driving, they're always surprised not to see a half-blind dog drinking a Slurpee, but instead a fully grown man trying his best. * Nicias upon reaching Ahnmik- It's deeply haunted but has a lovely kitchen backsplash. * Nicias: What's wrong? Hai: I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand. Nicias: Now what the *hell* am I supposed to do with that?! *Danica, Nicias, Hai and pretty much everyone to the royal falcons- You have the moral backbone of a chocolate eclair. *Cjarsa to Araceli and Syfka- the other shoe has dropped. Wolfcry *Marus and Urban courting Oliza- AWW she's BEAUTIFUL. She's ENCHANTING. *Oliza and Hai discussing sakkri- So we'll call it back to the past? Hai: No, no, back to the FUTURE. Oliza: Sure, we'll make three of them. * Betia upon meeting Oliza- And *my* best friend is a disgraced nuclear physicist. Betia: A wha- A disgraced nuclear physicist? Uh, OK... * Keyi roaming around causing destruction- One feels like a duck splashing about in all this wet *QUACK QUACK* * Oliza @ Betia- You know how a relationship makes you feel good about yourself? That's not a joke, it's just something sweet I like to say. Wyvernhail Hai @ Keyi- Sometimes a baby will point at me and I don't care for that *crap* at all. Stop snitching muthaluver! Hai @ sakkri- Imagine me, a twenty-something, hungover, hearing this. And it gave me- I don't know? Hope?! Hai's visions of destruction- Yes, we've just received word that everyone's father and brothers are ... Dead. Yes, *Salem* you had something? Salem: Yes I do! Have you ever been walking with your betrothed and it starts to rain? Then may I present to you - and again all my condolences to the families of the deceased- a GAZEBO!! Vere Obsidian courting first one wyvern princess then another: Hey can I walk ya home? Hey can I walk ya home? Hey can I walk- The Obsidian Guild in response to the Cobrianas' "treaties"- GIVE US SOME MONEY! GIVE US SOME MONEY AS A GIFT! Pretty much every character in the series- Well, adult life is already weird enough. This might as well happen. <seriously read the Kiesha'ra! And watch John Mulaney! You'll thank me!>

@simply-yelly2

[simply-yelly2]

Hmm...you know it is bad when she looks more Targaryen than Daenerys, although I will confess that I did use Dany's one dress as a reference for this one. Just use different colors...and damn do I like it.

Quite an improvement for a character who was meant to be a demon child who could destroy the world with magic and yet seem blissfully unaware of the fact that she was doing so (having lost her mind at some point along the way).

So for my dear friends, @opal-tea and @justawfulxmenart, and everyone else, in general, I would like to present to you...

Wyvern Princess (and later Queen) Keyi Shardae Cobriana Silvermead Obsidian

I don't think she can actually claim that last part since she is not an actual member of the Obsidian Guild, but it's more or less her dad's last name. Just Keyi will do just fine.

Like Tirna, she is a character from my Kiesha'ra Rewrite. Although her design is based on Keyi from the canon storyline. Keyi was commonly depicted as the probable child of Oliza and a number of different men (one of which was Vere, hence the white hair and garnet eyes). BUT she also could have been born to Hai (so driving Oliza off did what now? plus the fact Sive was getting cozy with a snake man on the side?)

So in the world of the Kiesha'ra Rewrite, Keyi is the only child of Hai and Vere Obsidian, the granddaughter of Oliza and Nicias (plus Ailbhe and A'isha who are Vere's parents...Vere is way older than Hai I admit). She succeeds her mother as the third Wyvern Queen of Wyvern's Court. Keyi does inherit some magic due to Hai now being a purebred falcon and Vere has some magic of his own that he can't actually use except to protect his tribe. She does not have the destructive power of canon, but kind of works like Malachi from the Maeve'ra books.

She sometimes "phases" out and has visions from time to time. Darien and Hai do educate her about Ecl and the dangers of exploring the void. She never is really in any danger of falling but could flee to Ecl and maybe fall if she was not careful.

She has a serpiente man for her pair bond and Nag, and they are the parents of a daughter named Kontiel...Keyi is very cheerful and has a sense of humor...Kontiel means "tumble" or "avalanche". She has a good reason for that name choice.

So...one last detail is the nape feathers which I totally did not forget this time! One thing that has bothered me about Keyi is just her composition. You have several species that breed true, so...in the end, what do you get? How do genetics work?

So my Hai is Hawk (golden eagle), cobra, and peregrine falcon. But now I realize that if Hai has given away her Hawk and cobra forms (to save Sive and Salem in particular), that means she probably would breed pure peregrine...but just looks like a cobra. So Keyi here gets to show off her falcon DNA. Since her Avian blood is out of the picture, she instead tends to wear more Avian fashion, just colorful. As for the garnet eyes...weird genetics.

[raevenlywrites]

Dasi High 2 of ?

All day long, all I wanted was my book. My book. I thrilled at the way the thought seemed to pulse in my head, heavy with the weight of destiny or something. It had to be some kind of strangeness at work, to put this exact book into my exact hands with my exact little name on it. Kiesha... It wasn’t exactly a sorceress’s name, but still, it wasn’t that common. Not for books that looked like they’d been buried under the sea for the last thousand years or whatever. “This should be in a museum,” ala Indiana Jones and all that. My book. It filled my chest with warmth just thinking about it.

But I kept it in my bag all through school, even during lunch. No Coke, greasy pizza, or nosy teachers were going to threaten my ancient tome. I wasn’t an idiot. I was going to keep it safe until I got home.

Safely ensconced in my beautiful window seat, the envy of all book lovers and cat nappers everywhere, I savored the moment, feeling the heft of the book in my lap, breathing deep of its good, good book smell. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a technophobe, but books man--nothing compares to the feel of thick pages beneath your hands, the crinkle, the earthy smell. Yeah. There was a reason Brass thought I might be into it, namesake notwithstanding.

The cover was plain, well-worn, shiny and slick to the touch with the press of so many hands before. The finish had worn off the lettering and embellishments, but fingers could trace the rise and indents of them. I suddenly wondered if I should be handling something so hold, then realized I had no idea how old it even was. Oh well. Brass’s mom wouldn’t have let him have it if it was priceless, right? With a steadying breath, I cracked the cover.

The glue had long since stopped holding the pages in, but the binding was still sound. Maybe I’d ask Donte or Nalini later if either of them knew anything about repairing old bindings. They were both always doing handsy stuff, Donnie with his computers, and Nani with eir soaps and stuff. Surely one of them would know something, or be able to point me in the right direction. For now, I gingerly laid the cover open in my lap and turned the pages with a reverence I almost never felt for anything. I hadn’t been this careful with a book since my Sandman hardcover omnibus I got for my last birthday.

Enough stalling. It was time to read.

I was surprised to note my own reluctance. I’m not usually one for drama, but this... it just felt heavy. Important. Like it mattered.

The front endpaper had a yellowed bookplate pasted in, painted with an elegant symbol or crest or something I didn’t recognize. It looked almost like a stick figure of someone dancing, arms reaching up and stance wide--except there were weird branches coming off, like cursive flourishes. Maybe it was a signature? If so it wasn’t in any language I could read. I suddenly panicked at the thought that I wouldn’t be able to read any of it, aside from my name, and eagerly turned the page, anticipation mixing with dread.

But instead of a title page, or anything even printed, it was another handwritten page, like a dedication, or maybe a poem or something. It was written in the same kind of cursivey, wavy letters as the bookplate, and with growing anxiety I turned to the next page.

The family tree.

Thin, spidery hand writing covered the pages, faded, but definitely in the familiar English characters. Arabic? Or was the for numbers? Whatever. I could read it, that was what mattered. It was hard to parse, just as it had been at school, but I found the letters of my name quickly, and my finger hovered over the page, tracing the line down. Don...Donovan? Sisal... Salem... It was almost impossible to make out, save for the ever-clear Kiesha. Almost like that was the only part I was meant to read. I stared at the whole page, trying to let my eyes go soft focused, to see if anything else jumped out at me, but the longer I looked, the harder to read it became. I gave up and turned the page.

A list of names and dates followed, like you’d expect from an almanac. But instead of useful things like “March 3rd” or “Spring Equinox” it said things like, “the fourth night of cheres” or “the eve of Namir-da”. It was English, but just barely. I skimmed the page but quickly moved past it, eager for something that made sense.

It was hard not to let my disappoint take hold. This book had felt so special--it was special, just... not what I’d been expecting. Recipes, as Brass had said, and almanacy things, lie when to plant, but nothing that gave me any sense of wonder, or importance. I was just about to give up when I finally came across a section written in plain English.

They say the time has come. I have been given the family book, and told its mine to keep. But what I am expected to do with it, I cannot say. I have nothing of my own to add. I am not even the oldest of the family line. But I feel I should write something, to mark the occasion if nothing else. So here I do write, on this, the first of August, in the year seventeen hundred and seventy-one, that I, Kiera Cortana, am now in charge of the family book, for better or for worse.

Whoa. Now that was seriously cool. I flipped back to the family tree, to see if I could find Kiera. There, near the bottom, Kiera Cortana, 1753. Neat. That made her... seventeen, eighteen when she wrote her entry? Wow. Barely any older than me. That warm tingle started again, that sense of connection, and I just let my hand rest on the page, fingers just below her name. There wasn’t any more after hers, though there was room for more. Hope for the future that never came.

The warmth turned to sadness, a kind of longing I couldn’t really put my finger on. I got that way sometimes, just out of the blue. Homesick for a place that didn't’ exist. At least here I kind of got it, sad for a girl who may or may not have ever grown up. There was more after her first journal entry, but it was just more recipes and things, and more of that squiggle script I had no idea how to read. On an impulse, I got out a notebook and copied down what letters I could make out, including the symbol on the front book plate. I wanted to look at it more later, when I was stuck at school, but I didn’t want to risk bringing the actual book there. It was so old, at least three hundred. Man, Brass totally shouldn’t have let me have this. I decided to call him and give him a hard time about it.

“Hey, Ki, is everything okay?”

I frowned at the concern in his voice. “Yes, Dad, I’m fine. I’m not always in mortal danger or whatever you seem to think.”

Brass snorted. “Well I assumed you had to be in trouble since you’re calling. Normally you just text.”

Oh. Right.

“Just wanted to chat,” I said, too casually, but he'd caught me off guard. I used to call Brass all the time. It was weird to realized I’d stopped. “I’ve been looking through that book you gave me.” When in doubt, change the subject.

“Yeah? Anything good?”

I heard the sound of a sliding glass door in the background, the tell-tale sign of Brass going out to sit on the back deck. He used to do it to be near the TV antenna, hoping it would give him better cell signal. Now it was just habit. I smiled, picturing him there, long and lanky and lean, back against the side of the house as he balanced on the deck railing, one long leg trailing down...

“Kiesha?”

“Hm?”

I made a startled little noise as I came back to myself. “Oh, right. Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Did you know it was so old? There’s an entry from the 1700’s in it.”

“Oh man, really?” He sounded equal parts excited and embarrassed. “I didn’t know that. Maybe I should let Mom look at it again...”

“No way,” I teased, “It’s mine now. Has my name in it and everything.”

“It has mine too.”

His voice was so soft I almost missed it. But I scanned the page and sure enough, Brassal was on a similar line as Kiesha.

“Weird... Almost as weird as your stupid name.”

I laughed to take the edge of, both from my words and from the creeping feeling working its way up my spine. Brass had always gone by the nickname, with Brassal being reserved for his father. I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me to see it in an old timey book like this; it had probably been handed down a long line of people, like Maeve’s super grandma name. But still. It freaked me, and when I got freaked, I teased. Make everyone else feel off balance and it was an even playing field again.

“Yeah, yeah, Cobriana. Tell me all about weird names.”

I stuck my tongue out, even though he couldn’t see. Still, it made me feel better. Sky blue, grass green, Brass and I teased. I had missed this. It was good to be getting it back.

“You wanna come over for pizza and movies Friday?”

It was out of my mouth before I’d really thought about it. But his hesitation made me wish I’d just kept railing on his stupid name.

“Uh, how ‘bout Saturday. I have... plans. For Friday.”

No way. No freakin way. “Don’t tell me you gave in to Izzy,” I said with a disinterest I didn’t quite feel. “You know she’s only sharpening her claws on you for a real takedown.”

“Don’t be like that, Ki. Isadora can do what she wants, with who she wants.”

I mocked “Isadora,” in as childish a tone as I could manage. No one called her that, not even Izzy herself. Except Landon. But Landon was cyborg and completely incapable of using contractions or imprecise grammar, like ever.

“And what she wants is apparently to play kissy face with Serv, for all the good that’ll do her.”

“Serv?!” I could not keep the surprise out of my voice. Serv was like, canonically asexual. Or at the very least, not interested in someone as bubblegum pop as Izzy.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Brass said. “I didn’t ask, not that that stopped her from volunteering. Apparently they’re driving into the city to see a show or something.”

“Okay....” Izzy on a date with Servos. What an odd couple. I couldn’t fathom what sort of attraction would hold interest for both of them. But then, if such a thing existed, it would be in the city, not in this whole in the wall town. We didn’t even have a mall. “Well, good for them, I guess. So what about your mysterious plans?”

Brass groaned. “I’d hoped you’d forgotten. ”

“Nope. Spill it.”

He sighed. “I’m going to the movies... with Syfka.”

I gaped. “You’re joking. You’re joking! Why on earth would you want to go to the movies with her--xem?”

I was normally better with Syfka’s pronouns than this, but it was hard not to think of anyone out on date with Brass as anything but a her--a her he might want to kiss. Trying to apply that mental box to Syfka, of all people--

“Because--” Brass cut through my thoughts, “we have a project due, and it was either write a paper on a French film, or try to speed read through a work of French literature that I have zero hope of understanding because its kind of my worst subject.”

Oh. Right. School stuff. A perfectly reasonable reason to go to the movies with someone.

“Right. Okay. Yeah. So, does that mean you need to stay in and write it on Saturday.”

Brass laughed, and I couldn’t help but feel like it was at my expense.

“Nah. Come Saturday night, I’ll either be done, or I’ll be failed. Either way, pizza and a movie sounds great.”

“Okay...”

I couldn’t shake the little tight feeling in my chest. This call had thrown me. Everything about Brass seemed to throw me lately.

“Why don’t you invite Nikki over too? Or maybe Maeve?”

My toes curled under at that last. Maeve may or may not have been the reason Brass and I finally broke up. I hadn’t decided yet. Either way, I couldn’t imagine him volunteering to hang out with her.

“I wouldn’t subject you to that....”

“Ki, I told you I’m alright with it. Have her over, see if you still feel all tingly.”

I laughed, but it was hardly humorous. “I can’t believe you’re encouraging me to get my flirt on in front of you.”

I could feel him shrug through the line, that careless raise of a shoulder that meant everything and nothing.

“You’re too shy to do it yourself. I’m just gonna keep inventing reasons to get you two together until you get over yourself. Or she asks you.”

“Brass!”

But now I was really laughing, and his goal was achieved. I felt better, so he felt better. Stupid big brother mother hen. I smiled through the rest of the phone call, chatting about everything and nothing, and feeling more like myself than I had in a long time.

-

Raev’s general tag list: As always, let me know if you want to be added or removed or whatevs (especially since this is kind of a far cry from what I usually do)

List is currently: @lordkingsmith @writinglyra @drbibliophile @mperialscribe @adie-dee @lexiklecksi @theramwrites @writinginslowmotion @faithfire @apollon-arium  @thehellinsideyourhead @raenawrites @adventuresofacreesty @anika-writes.

[fth2018offerings]

Lyss - FTH Contributor Page

See Lyss’s works here and here!

To contact the seller before bidding, please email eperkins1892@gmail.com

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Lyss’s offerings:

Lyss Auction #1

Type of fanwork: fanfiction Subtype(s): N/A Fandom(s): Harry Potter, Den of Shadows (Amelia Atwater-Rhodes), Kiesha'Ra (Amelia Atwater-Rhodes) Highest rating creator will work with: E (explicit) Length: 5 -10k words Especially interested in: In Harry Potter, I usually focus on the Marauders, both in the first and second war eras. I have a special love for Remus Lupin, Teddy Lupin, and for the Black brothers and their relationship. Pairings I enjoy are Sirius/Remus and Remus/Tonks, James/Lily, and Regulus/canon OtP member (past) or canon DE of any gender. I enjoy themes such as betrayal, sibling rivalry, difficult family dynamics, unexpected or forbidden love, the strength of friendship and family, slipping sanity, unreliable narrators, and the idea that war is tragic whether victorious or not. In Kiesha'Ra, I have an obsession with the Cobriana family, particularly Anjay, Zane, and Salem. I support all canon pairings as well as Urban/Marus and am willing to play with some non-canon. I am interested in the the Cobriana family in the days when they were complete and whole--how did they all get along?, Anjay's time in Ahnmik, the friendship between Zane and Andreios, and the unique relationship between Salem and Hai. Unwilling to address: I tend to steer clear of the Trio and co as we already know seven years of their lives--I don't see much wiggle room in that to pique my creativity. I am not willing to address any pedophilia pairings such as Sirius/Hermione, Snape/Hermione, Snape/Harry, etc. Although it is canon and I have nothing against it, I also have no real interest in Teddy/Victiore. While smut may be alluded to or creep into a fic featuring a pairing, I no longer write fics that are purely smut. Notes: If you have an idea that isn't expressly mentioned either in my likes or dislikes, please feel free to email me.

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[graphicallyill]

Honey and Wine and Unspeakable Atrocities

Part 1: Black Tar and Burgundy Sheets

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11455362

This first one is set immediately after Nicias returns from Ahnmik the first time. It's kind of a fix-it, kind of just filling in the gaps. You can read here if you like, but my AO3 link is at the top

My breath caught in my throat as I pushed back the burgundy curtains to enter the dark, warm guest room. Brightly colored silks adorned the walls and chaise, soft woven rugs across the floor, and a plush bed, covered in luxurious pillows, decorated the inside. These rooms, found throughout the palace in Wyvern's Court, were often used for serpiente guests, usually of the Dancer's Guild. It was exactly the environment they would make for themselves in the Wyvern's Nest, and before at Sha'Mehay. However, the current resident was not a dancer, or a merchant, or even a friend.

Nearly the entire Cobriana line in one room, all for one visitor. Lying all but dead to the world on the burgundy bed was a young woman, maybe five or so years older than I. She had lighter skin than the avians I grew up around, but darker than the falcons who had delivered her. Her hair looked almost identical to my own taut black curls long and splayed out around her head like a halo. The only difference there was the shimmering red highlights dyed by magic. It looked like a fire scorching across smoke. She had been called Hai.

Every bit of her was Cobriana, except for a few things here and there, and one big thing. Her wings lay broken and battered behind her back, stained and dripping with an endless black tar that seemed to vanish a few moments after it dripped in huge clumps against the ground and bed. The tar kept bubbling to the surface of her angry, fiery wounds. I imagined she must be in incredible agony, awake or not.

Diente Zane and Tuuli Thea Danica, my parents and the only people whose advice I wanted most in the world, stood stoically in a far corner of the room. A united front, as always, perfect mixture of both worlds. Mother looked wonderingly at the form on the bed. Among the serpiente, she always made a conscious attempt to display her emotions freely. My Aunt Irene leaned lazily against Zane, anxiously running her fingers through her long, black hair. The melos tied around her waist, along with the revealing emerald green dress she wore, told me she'd run straight from Wyvern's Nest. I wondered idly if Salem was following close behind.

I crossed the room to stand next to my parents, opposite Kel and the falcon who called herself Darien. As I got closer, I examined Hai's face. She had the features of the gods and goddesses, demi or otherwise, associated with stories I'd heard the serpiente tell. I'd come to associate those features with falcons, with Nicias and Kel. My own face was more angular, more avian. My cobra parentage rounded my face more than my mother's, but Hai's looked like it had come straight from paintings or mosaics depicting Kiesha's days. I watched, as if an optical illusion, as her face changed emotion with ever angle- from serene, to angry, sadness, frozen in fear, and, amusingly, a smirk. I shuddered.

Magic unnerved me.

“Anjay and I were lovers,” Darien began her explanation. Irene snorted loudly, interrupting. Darien turned her head crisply towards her.

“Yes, I gathered that much,” she retorted. I resisted a chuckle- despite the obvious falcon wings, folded behind her broken and burned, Hai was as Cobriana as I was. My uncle, Anjay, was the only cobra to ever be a guest on the White Island of Ahnmik. It wasn't hard to figure it out.

Darien continued. “I was going to send word to him, but he was killed before I was able.”

The atmosphere in the room shifted slightly. Anjay had been killed by my mother's brother, Xavier, afer he'd killed my mother's original alistair, for revenge after an avian killed my aunt, Sisal, and her unborn child, after someone killed someone on their side after some killed someone else after so much revenge and bloodshed stretching back a thousand years so that it was untraceable. My family had a rule about not blaming each other, or using strong words. There was too much at stake, and by now we loved each other too much to approach those topics like that. It always felt so odd when others did so callously.

I hardly noticed that Darien had continued talking the whole time. “Shortly after Hai's birth, the Empress branded me a traitor, and I was locked away until Nicias freed me. Quemak, mongrel children, are forbidden to be conceived.”

Mongrel children. I swallowed hard at the description of not just my cousin lying out on the bed, but myself. I wondered how much she and I felt in common, being of two different worlds, yet also of none. It was an ache that no one else could ever understand. At least, I had thought.

My mother stepped forward, extending a hand to the falcon. “Thank you for bringing us to her, of course she is welcome here,” she said warmly, and Darien gave her her hand, smiling wryly.

“Is she?”

It was no secret that falcons made everyone in Wyvern's Court nervous. They were of the same origins as the serpiente, but allied with the avians in the war for years. Since our peace, they had been nothing but nuisance and pain. And regarded us as little more than insects. Still, two members of our Wyvern's of Honor were born falcons, and their son was my best friend. None of us were a inherently mistrustful people.

“Of course,” my father answered, his face a stone mask. It was a trick he'd learned from years mingling among the avian court. They expected everyone to wear one, physically or emotionally. He was far from a master at concealing his feelings, but adept nonetheless. I, however, had twenty years of being his daughter to practice in reading him.

His eyes were trained on Hai's face, unmoving, unyielding. Studying him, I could guess everything he was feeling. He was looking back in time, the last imprint his older brother had left on this world. His last gift, in a way. He undoubtedly felt a strong desire to protect his brother's only daughter. At the same time, he was looking at the previous Arami's eldest child. The only possible threat to his daughter's rule. A potential pretender to the throne- Anjay was beloved by the people. But he was also beloved by my father, and his child would be too.

Salem burst into the room at that instant, pushing curtains aside and practically running over to his mother's side. I noted his long hair tied up in what must have been a time consuming process, his golden yellow melos around his waist, and side-slit pants, I wondered what possible dance he could have been practicing.

He took his mother's hands in his own, asking questions with his eyes only. Irene gestured to the bed, and Salem turned to look.

“Son, meet your eldest cousin, Hai.”

Salem, without missing a beat, took a large step over to the bed, staring quizzically at Hai's Cobriana hair and jaw, coupled with her falcon wings and nose. He glanced up at Darien, still wearing her demi-form wings, for a moment, before back down to our cousin. With his back turned towards me, I couldn't see his face. I wondered if he thought the same thoughts that plagued my father.

As if having read my mind, Darien repeated the same statement she and Nicias had made earlier. “Unfortunately, she's unlikely to ever awaken. Nicias and I have tried everything possible, and she refuses to be pried from her place.” She met eyes with my father, her silver eyes turning violet. “I only hope that here, in this land of freedom and peace and serpents and birds, she has sweeter dreams.”

I shuddered again.

Salem, ever the friendly dancer, smiled diplomatically at Darien. “Of course! She's family, and she belong with the Cobriana.” He stated it like undisputed fact, and I knew we all agreed with him. Salem moved closer to the bed, taking a downy blanket and spreading it across Hai's body. For a moment, she looked serene again.

Salem shouted in pain, jumping back and grasping his arm guardedly. He looked back at Hai, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He let his arm go, and I watched as a slash formed across his bicep, blood beading and beginning to flow slowly down. Irene gasped in horror.

Darien crossed the distance to stand between Salem and Hai. She seemed almost more protective of Salem than her own daughter.

“I am so sorry, I had no clue she would lash out with her magic,” she explained. Before Salem had a moment to protest, Darien grabbed his arm and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they gleamed purple again. She removed her hands from his arm, and not only was the cut completely healed, but the blood seemingly evaporated. Salem rubbed absentmindedly at his arm and glanced back at Hai, whose face was now warped in anger.

“I think the surroundings here are still unfamiliar to her. She has never been around a cobra before, much less every last one left. I'm sorry,” she bowed her head in defeat. A moment later, she turned to Kel, smiling again. “I do have an idea, if you would help me?”

Kel tensed, but nodded. I wondered exactly how well they had known each other, if Darien was the only thing Kel remembered from her previous life.

Darien scooped up Hai effortlessly in her arms, wrapping her in the Cobriana black blanket.

“Royal blood calms her. Would it bother you if I let her stay near Nicias, at least for now?” she asked. I couldn't help but notice the way she bat her eyelashes at Kel.

Kel visibly hesitated around the phrase “royal blood” being used to refer to her son, but agreed nonetheless. She bowed to my parents, dismissing herself to follow Darien as she simply left. I could hear soft, but curt, conversation as they disappeared down the hall.

For a moment, we all stood in pained silence. There had been a lot in such a short amount of time, and we were unsure how to react. Within half an hour, we had found out that we had a missing family member, of parentage that was so foreign it felt like myth, and watched her be carried away. My head was still spinning, struggling to catch up. It felt unreal. Salem was the first to speak up, with a raised voice.

“What are we doing?” he asked incredulously, gesturing towards the empty doorway. “Oliza, that's our cousin. She's every bit Cobriana as you and me! We should be insisting she be at home here, in the palace!”

Me more than you, I resisted responding. It killed me that someone who might understand the feeling of not belonging I had was in the city, but that I might never get to speak with her. My small family somehow felt smaller the second she was taken away.

“Salem, I want her here too, but I don't know anything about what she needs, and her mother thinks it would be better for her elsewhere. I know next to nothing of falcon magic,” I admitted, my throat tight. Nicias was my only real experience with falcons, though my parents had told me of Kel and Andreios'

I think part of why Salem wanted her there so bad was a loneliness he didn't want to admit. Maybe not in the same way I felt, he still had cobra family like my father and his mother, but still lonely. Cobras were incredibly social people. And Salem could be such a hothead.

“Oliza's right. And there's nothing saying she won't be comfortable here, eventually. But for now, we know nothing about how to make her feel at home,” Irene added, reaching out to take her son into her arms. After a warm hug, I reached out to take his hand.

“Come. Let us see if we can't try to find her and Kel. Maybe we can visit her wherever she's staying for now,” I said, pulling him slightly in the direction of the curtains. He obliged, following me close behind. I heard my father and aunt begin talking in hushed whispers as the drapes fell behind us.

-

-

I know it kind of sucked but I decided it made the most sense, chronologically, to be from Oliza's POV and she had the least to feel about Anjay. I think Zane will narrate the next one. I have most of Zane and Irene's conversation after this, I just need to iron out some details. So stay tuned for that.

[justawfulxmenart]

Zane and Danica had the courage to forfeit their personal loves and dreams for the good of their people. Irene and Galen had the courage to love during wartime and bring life into an unsteady world... The best underrated couple from the Kiesha'ra series - Irene Cobriana, younger sister to Diente Zane, and her mate Galen, as well as their kiddo Salem. It's not specified in the series (that I know of) what snake species Galen is, but I think there is a headcannon (?) that he is a mamba. At least I like to think he is. Sadly, Galen isn't given much attention in the books, but he seems a pretty laidback guy (a rarity among the serpiente it seems). I think he nicely compliments the more diplomatic level-headed Irene, who doesn't seem to have much of the Cobrianas' fiery temper. I think she also has a fun-loving side (or at least she would have if the war hadn't forced her to grow up so quickly) I love Irene because she didn't abandon kindness and compassion despite being tormented by the cruelty of war. She is much like Danica, her sister-in-law, in that regard. I loved seeing their connection in Hawksong; I wished to see more of their bond in the following books, but alas :( Characters belong to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Art is all mine. @simply-yelly2

[justawfulxmenart]

Me and cousins and you and your cousins, it's a line that's always running … You could turn your back on a bitter world. -Vampire Weekend, "Cousins" Rereading the Kiesha'ra book series (which is excellent and underrated as all hell btw) and decided to take a stab at the "Next Generation," so to speak. These are characters largely featured in the Falcondance/Wolfcry installments. You can find part 1 (characters from the Hawksong/Snakecharm books) here: www.deviantart.com/dead-raccoo… I was just so sad there is no book about these fantastic kids growing up together. Technically, they aren't all cousins (Sive is technically Oliza's auntie despite being 3 years younger) buuuut they all seem to have the same platonic rapport cousins have. From top left the Kiesha'ra kids in their human and bird/animal forms: Sive - golden hawk, daughter of Nacola and Gerard, Danica's baby sister and Oliza's aunt Oliza - Wyvern (half hawk, half cobra), daughter of Danica and Zane, heir to the avian and serpiente thrones Salem - black cobra, son of Irene and Galen, Oliza's cousin Nicias - peregrine falcon, son of Sebastian and Kel, it's teased a bit that he and Oliza might hook up, but they just remain very close friends * Sive, raised in a conservative home, is quite innocent and sheltered and sometimes alarmed by her boisterous cousin Oliza, but she often backs Oliza up on her mischief teasing the boys (top left corner). Growing up, Sive is Oliza's partner in crime. But she can still look just as innocent and sweet around her mum Nacola who would be horrified if she knew her daughter was dancing with snakes! * Oliza, is the gang's natural ringleader. She's a tough scrappy little tomboy, though she and Sive get together often to give Salem makeovers (bottom left corner). * Salem takes after his uncle Zane in many ways, but has his mum Irene's diplomatic personality, but still a cobra's temper. Though he takes quite a bit of provoking to lash out. He's a romantic who falls HARD for a gorgeous emerald boa named Rosalind (top right corner). Oliza and Sive are not impressed. * Oliza's two childhood suitors (bottom right corner) are Marus (a serious young raven) and Urban (a sassy python). Their rivalry is infamous. Urban is very flashy and daring, I thought an albino python form would suit him just right Characters belong to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Art is all mine.

[simply-yelly2]

Got her done early this morning, but then had to leave for work at 6:00. During my lunch break, I touched up a few things that were bothering me. And now I am ready to share her with the world.

Special mentions to my friends, @opal-tea and @justawfulxmenart for putting up with my random shit. XD

This lovely lady is Tirna Shardae, a character from my Kiesha'ra Rewrite. I kind of want to try drawing all my OCs for this at some point since it will be fun to work with the various traits.

So first we start with Tirna who is the daughter of Aleya and Jaye Kejamarl, the granddaughter of Sive.

Would you believe me when I say that just as I was walking out the front door...I realized that I had forgotten the feathers on her nape?

Her name means "butterfly" and she is a dancer! Since the wyvern line are the ones who currently hold the throne, the Shardae and Cobriana royal Houses can focus their energies on other things? Like we are talking about two royal families who have had to raise their children during wartime, thus those kids were forced to grow up fast and many died...if you are not longer in a war, it might be a bit tricky to realize that you can now do so much.

Obviously, Salem's interests lie in dance and he is the first cobra to officially join the Dancers' Guild in 800 years. But what about Sive? we do not really see much of what she does when not around Oliza and the Serp, but in my mind...I think she is a good storyteller and also has a beautiful singing voice. As she slowly gets more involved with the dancers, Sive learns that you can tell a story in more ways than by the use of words, books, or even dance. I don't think she is ever a brilliant dancer, since she kind of enters into it late in the game like Danica. Plus that would be too scandalous for Nacola and the Old Order Avians.

Sive's daughter Aleya has it slightly better, but Tirna is when things start looking more blended? Tirna is raised to be a perfect hawk lady, but she also learns to dance and is initiated into the Dancers' Guild (the first for an Avian, much less a Hawk). Tirna has no problem wearing a melos scarf around her waist.

She later has a daughter named Sagira.

[simply-yelly2]

Kiesha’ra Gems: Hai

ButNow, this is a tricky one since I have two gem canon designs for Hai. For canon, I see her being a Lapis Lazuli since she is a lot like Lapis from SU. But for my rewrite, she is the daughter of Nicias (pearl) and Oliza (quartz) and a pairing/fusion for that equals rainbow quartz. 

Since losing her wings was a big part of Hai’s fall to Ecl, I had to include that. When Hai lost control of her magic, her gem is cracked and her wings are crippled. 

Now, I have not gotten far with my rewrite idea...so I do not know how Hai gets her wings fixed. My original idea was that both Salem and Sive are attacked by assassin and Hai pushes in her own and cobra selves into their bodies. Saving them and is thus a pure peregrine. 

Hmm...maybe I should go back to that part of the plan...that sounds like a far better solution to the main conflict (and kind of ties into canon).

The idea I had then is that Hai is brought to the white city and meets Araceli. At one point I did want to ship Lillian x Hai, but in this case, maybe it is Lily who fell to Ecl and Mer is tasked with showing her around and later becomes her pair bond. Despite her mix-blood heritage, I expect that Hai can now breed true. So she and Mer have a peregrine baby.

But then...does Hai and her family stay on the island or do they return to Wyvern’s Court? Hai would be heir to three thrones, though I saw on Amelia’s site that Araceli apparently has another child before being killed by some falcon who also kills Cjarsa...

Nah, even if Hai did fall in love with the White City, I do believe she would want to return home. She may be of falcon royalty, but her black hair, black-and-red wings, and red eyes will mark her out as being of mix blood. She is greeted by whispers of the word “quemak.”

I imagine that Araceli is coolly polite, but probably also passive-aggressive. She hates that this mongrel is of her bloodline, but losing two heirs...I figure that the Heir is getting kind of desperate. 

But then you have a new problem, Hai may look like a Cobriana with wings, but her pair bond/ nag is a falcon and her child is pure falcon...even if the avians and serpiente come to be comfortable around falcons, I kind of seem them being reluctant to accept two falcons on the throne, even if this child is the great-grandchild of Danica and Zane, even if it is the grandchild of Oliza who was well-loved by her people. 

Hmm...maybe Hai returns only to abdicate the wyvern throne, then returns to the island to be Araceli’s Heir. That way she can ensure that the falcons will not meddle further in the affairs of Wyvern’s Court and her child can grow up accepted and loved (even if some may still call her a quemak behind close doors).

Wow, that turned out kind of long...but it was fun and I kind of like it. I dedicate this post to @sugar-tea who likes Hai very much, and has put up with my random thoughts and ideas. 

[simply-yelly2]

Kiesha'ra the Rewrite

Only a few people know of this little project of mine, but I think I am ready to share it with the world. I decided last year that I wanted to do a rewrite for some of the later books of the Kiesha'ra series.

Love the series and love the character, but Amelia really made a mess and in the end, what was the point of Danica and Zane even getting married? The avian throne went to Dani's little sister, the serp throne to Zane's nephew. I love Sive and Salem, but they both proved a further disservice to Oliza.

I feel the worst problem was for Oliza. I do like her and Betia as a couple, but I feel like it was forced and there was no real choice. Oliza basically is told, in person and through magical visions of the future, that her choice of husband could kill her and if she somehow survives that, she will be killed by her own child...how is that fair? and even Hai had Keyi appear to her as her own potential offspring, plus Hai is a gyrfalcon and falcons hate two different falcon types breeding, I doubt Araceli would have allowed her and Nicias to breed, if she allowed them to be together (just to keep her grandson at her side...).

So...for what the Rewrite would entitle...

Basically, I feel the canon route came because Anjay and Darien conceived a child. That threw a wrench in how Fate would have go because, in reality, Hai was meant to be Oliza's child.

And in this storyline, she is. With her father being Nicias. I get that serpiente were raised to consider falcons as wielders of dark magic, but a falcon can argue that they were raised to believe that serpents were warmongers or whatnot due to their worship of a chaos goddess.

Oops, I am getting a little ahead of myself. ...maybe Darien does get pregnant but the stress of Anjay's death causes a stillbirth. It has been said a few times in canon that falcon magic is toxic to new life, thus is why Araceli has only had one child for a thousand years and why children are considered precious on the white city, of course this means pure children...but you know, I feel the falcons are wasting their time not allowing ka'jaes falcons to breed. If falcon magic makes it hard to conceive and carry a child to term (I hc that falcon magic often mistakes the fetus for a foreign body and will attack it), then having a falcon with no magic is a boon. Just look at certain breeds of cats, breed two cats with a lethal gene and you get kittens that are dead or have defects (and die not long after).

I think I may go along with that. Ka'jaes falcons are important for the survival of their species (maybe to at least curve off some of the inbreeding), but they are still consider to be lesser than a pure blood falcon with magic. I will ponder more on this later.

Okay, first let's address the Avians in this new storyline.

I love Sive to death! She is sweet and accepting, and would make a good queen. But...why was she even born? Nacola was 54 when she was born, which means she is around 71 in the later three books. She was 25 (If I am doing the calculation right) when Mara was born and she first became queen. And was 49 in Hawksong. Kind of old to be a mother, especially after knowing so many years of war and losing her first husband, two of her children, and her sister's family. Plus her daughter married the Crown Prince of the enemy...I really feel like Nacola was ready to retire with members of the old guard and just come in every so often if Danica needed advice.

So why was Sive born? I kind of wonder if it was a spiteful move. Nacola did not approve of Danica and Zane's coupling, and we never know how she felt in regards to her only granddaughter (Oliza). Did Nacola like Oliza? Did she view her as an abomination even though the wyvern has gold eyes and eagle wings?

Sive will appear in the Rewrite, but not as a pure-blood hawk princess.

So...now for the Serpiente.

I love Salem just as much as I love Sive. He is carefree and funny and just does his best to make everyone feel included (like Sive or Betia in Wolfcry). He would make a good Diente and, unlike Sive, I can see why his mother's pregnancy was important for the plot.

Irene was pregnant which made Charis and Zane fear for her life. Because the last pregnant Cobriana princess was stabbed in the belly which killed her and her unborn daughter (I do wonder how they know if it was a girl...unless the blade sliced her belly open...ew...poor Sisal). Zane even said this to Danica when they were...in the Mistari?

And Salem was a cute baby/ toddler in Snakecharm.

But then, as an adult, he becomes Diente after Oliza abdicates the throne. And in Snakecharm Zane even considered just naming Salem as his heir since he was having doubts over his own child.

Now for Oliza:

First is that Danica and Zane sit down and have a serious talk about the future of their child and their kingdom. They decide to come up with a compromise. If the child is a girl, then she will assigned an Alistair. If a boy, then he will be free to choose his own spouse.

Hai is the daughter of Oliza and Nicias. She has Anhamirak's full magic, plus falcon magic. Hai should be the Keyi of this story, but maybe there can be a chance for control...though Hai ends up falling to Ecl. This prompts her father to go to the White City which causes some problems...

In the end I was thinking that Hai and Vere get together since his own magic seems to support Hai after she had a vision.

They would be the parents of Salem and Sive (who is based on the viper-hawk child from the epilogue of Wyvernhail)

Don't ask what happens next...but somehow things do not go to hell.

[simply-yelly2]

Kiesha’ra Gem-verse

Inspired by a question and ongoing conversations with @sugar-tea. What if the shifter nations from the Kiesha’ra series were gems? Amethyst is proof that a gem can change his or her form into that of different people and animals. Plus you can get some neat fusions...but that sounds like it could get complicated real quick. 

I think I got something that works...but it is not 100% concrete. I think the upcoming movie may reveal more gems and maybe we will get a new season...the Crystal Gems have grown from just five to many more now that all the corrupted gems have been restored. 

What I got so far...

Cjarsa and Darien: gyrfalcons - > Ametrine. I chose this stone because of its colors, clear on one side that fades into a purplish color. Cjarsa and Darien both are described with having pale, almost white-blond, hair that fades into shades of purple at the fronts. 

Hai: falcon x cobra wyvern hybrid - > Lapis Lazuli. For this character, I chose the gem because of how Lapis acts in canon. A lot of her own experiences mirror what Hai went through and in the end both overcame their struggles and found happiness. For this AU, Hai’s fall could have cracked her gem and that explains why she could not fly (just like how Lapis could not fly until Steven healed her gem). 

Oliza: Hawk x Cobra Wyvern hybrid - > Quartz. This was what started this little project. I could not stop thinking of Oliza as being like Rose Quartz and the end result was worth it.

Danica: Hawk - > Royal Sahara Jasper. This one just hit me, but I am in love with it! I had a gemsona that is one and realized that gem kind of fits the Avian look. Jaspers are part of the quartz family too. 

Zane: Cobra - > Garnet. Kind of obvious due to how the eyes of his and others members of the Cobriana line are described. 

Irene: Cobra - > Ruby. This one is because her eyes are said to be ruby-colored compared to the normal garnet description. And Garnet was formed by a ruby...so there you go. 

Andreios/ Rei: 

Kel: Sparrow - > Pearl. This one is kind of tricky because pearls are mostly meant to be servants of the Diamonds. They are knowledgeable and elegant (and good dancers as seen from Pearl’s part of the Fusion Dance). A normal pearl may  not have an opinion of her own, but if one is independent then they can be a good ally or opponent when it comes to debates or keeping order. 

Rosalind Lakeyi: Emerald Boa - > Bloodstone. Her snake form has green scales and her human form has auburn hair. They are considered a healing stone too which can be a nod to how Rosalind and the other dancers sang and danced prayers for Salem’s life. 

TBC later...though suggestions are welcomed.

[thewingedwolf]

OK OK BUT obviously oliza had to leave bc political shenanigans and magic issues but like. let's say idk Salem has a kid and the kid is gay. could they just like. turkey-baster it to get an heir and still rule? (i know they didn't have turkey basters back then but like I'm positive *something* could be used in a similar way). like. "ya I'm diente my name is, idk, Amos Cobriana, and this is my super cool hubby/nag and this is our kid. we gave the mom a sick ass room nearby in the palace so she can see the kid. she's married to a dancer, I think he's p cool, my kid calls him Uncle Keiynan, which I think is p cute. shout out to aunt oliza for giving me the idea to Turkey baster it since the world won't end if I have a baby with another serpent, oliza is the bomb.com" like. ??? how plausible is that scenario

[graphicallyill]

Salem Cobriana

Well I'm done with the cobras for now. Might come back and do Irene after the falcons...