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WtW Character Event | Day 3, Representation

Redwood Witch, Branwen [She/They]

Once a child overflowing with volatile magic, now a witchling no longer, scars run through her soul; even the unbreakable constitution of a Redwood proved not enough to withstand the power that swelled inside her.

Black | Disabled | Chronic Pain | Amputee | Aroace | ADHD

The one and only MC of my (yet to be named) WIP! Disability is one of the main themes tackled in this one and how it intersects with other things.

A little backstory :

Branwen belongs to the Redwood Witch family, a crest renowned for their resilience and vigour - born with magic unbelievably potent and overflowing. The problem: it was far too great for her body to withstand.

The cost of liberating the swelling power: most of Branwen's left arm, and a not so small portion of her soul left scarred.

The lurid golden light cracked from her skin, pressure pooled into one area to spare the rest of her. A magic so bright and hot it approached divinity - the parts it touched incinerated to their barest components. Few things can leave scars on souls, and this was among them.

What was burnt away by the deluge of magic couldn't merely be healed with magic: the associated soul and essence was gone for the injuries, rendering such spells inept. Like her crest's namesake, however, Branwen persevered.

Something lingered, though, growing as years went by: a self-wrought curse. Souls are constructed from an essence; under normal circumstances it stays confined to that structure. The parts of Branwen's soul that broke down to their building blocks latched onto the expelled energy. It was barely a concept, at first. Yet the more it tangled over time the knot grew, until a curse was born.

"Cursed by the very power that constitutes you? You witches really are a ruckus"

Branwen's disability is comprised of a lot of different factors, augmented and added to by her curse, and also the cultural implications for both in setting. It's really interesting to explore disability in a fantasy setting for me and how it's navigated.

One of my fav OCs and you'll be seeing a lot more about them down the line !!!