*Aesthetics

Tattered black lace and silk shirts, barely clinging to the edge of decay, smoky kohl-lined eyes that always seem haunted, yet piercing, a deep-seated melancholy that manifests in quiet moments when the crowd is gone, the crackling energy of performance, a single candle burning in an empty, dust-covered room, a vinyl record crackling as it spins, looping melancholic melodies.

*POS. TRAITS

*NEG. TRAITS

Vocal/Singing Magic
Francis possesses an inherited gift from the Highmore bloodline: a voice that can alter emotions and realities. This vocal magic allows them to:Manipulate Emotional States: Francis can induce ecstasy, madness, joy, paranoia, or numbness in plants, animals, and people through their singing. The effects are especially potent during performances, where human crowds are deeply vulnerable to the raw emotion and power imbued in their music.Reshape Atmospheres: Like Orpheus, their voice can sway nature itself. Trees lean closer, flowers bloom in unison, and animals pause as if enchanted by their song.Overwhelm the Senses: Listeners often find themselves so captivated that they lose track of time, surroundings, and even their own desires, temporarily becoming extensions of the music’s intent.Compulsion/Summoning
Francis wields an advanced form of persuasion magic that borders on necromancy. This ability enables them to:Compel Living Beings: Francis can command others to perform tasks or actions, bending their will to their own. The strength of this compulsion varies based on the target’s nature; mortals are highly susceptible, while immortals are more resistant.Summon the Dead: With enough focus and energy, Francis can summon spirits or even reanimate the deceased. However, these reanimations are imperfect—bodies return broken, and spirits may be fragmented or hostile. This "summoning" is less about control and more about a delicate negotiation, with unpredictable results.

Though destined to be a harbinger of destruction, Francis defies their fate at every turn. Their magic, rooted in darkness, is a tool they use to heal rather than harm, to create rather than destroy. Yet, the weight of their potential hangs over them like a sword, a constant reminder of what they could become if they let go of their humanity.

*STRENGTHS

Francis draws immense power from performances and their garden. The energy of an enthralled audience fuels their abilities as well as caters the entity that the cult had worshipped in their upbringing. The life force from plants and animals also replenishes their reserves.Nature responds instinctively to Francis. Plants grow rapidly in their presence, often weaving through spaces as if alive, and animals—especially stray cats—are irresistibly drawn to them. Spirits and ghosts are also naturally attracted, seeing them as a kindred bridge between realms.

*WEAKNESSES

Selective Effectiveness: Compulsion is inconsistent when used on immortals or entities with their own magical defenses, leaving Francis uncertain of its reliability.Physical and Mental Drain: Each use of their abilities takes a toll on their body and mind. After particularly draining performances or spells, Francis may experience:Severe agitation or mood swings, debilitating fevers and chills, hallucinations or vivid nightmares. They may also experience full-blown panic attacks, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation or danger.

Francis’s older brother, Alexandre, was their only constant amidst the hellish climate of their upbringing. While possessing a "father" (Asher, real last name redacted as all in the cult were forcibly give the name "Highmore:) their father-figure was emotionally absent and lost to the fog of his own teetering demise.Alexandre who was wiser, sharper, and more entrenched in their family’s beliefs, navigated the politics of their lineage and shielded Francis from harm. While Alexandre sought to uphold the legacy of their mother, Myranda Highmore, Francis questioned it, their doubts forming a quiet rebellion that simmered just beneath the surface.The Highmore cult’s origins trace back to the Spanish Inquisition, when Myranda, a cunning and desperate woman fleeing persecution, stumbled upon dark and leering ruins. Within its crumbling walls, she felt "it's" presence. A voice echoed in her mind—a celestial whisper from a old creature that had been slumbering in the earth for a thousand years. It offered her everything: freedom, riches, power, even immortality. The price? Devotion. And, above all, nourishment. The entity demanded to be fed with the essence of life itself through both gore and spirit. Myranda accepted without hesitation, her ambition outweighing her fear, and the Highmore family became bound to the being’s will.For generations, the Highmore's upheld this pact, their magic entwined with the entity’s influence. Francis, however, was always an anomaly within their ranks. While they possessed a natural aptitude for magic and an uncanny ability to channel the entity’s power, they grew increasingly disillusioned with the cycle of blood and sacrifice that defined their family. The pressure to conform, to become like Alexandre or their mother, left Francis teetering between loyalty and the yearning to escape the shadow of their family’s legacy.

When Francis was thirteen, and Alexandre twenty-two, Alexandre made a choice that would alter both their lives. Realizing that the cult’s demands would one day destroy Francis, his sibling that he adored and cared for like his own child, he orchestrated their escape. Alexandre used his knowledge of the cult’s rituals and the alternate dimension they called home to smuggle Francis into the modern world. The journey was fraught with danger, but Alexandre’s determination kept them alive and free.Stepping into the modern world, Francis embraced music as both a sanctuary and a weapon—a way to express the chaos within them while carving out a life that was truly their own.In America, Francis embraced a new life. Their teenage rebellion bloomed in the chaos of modernity. Music, partying, and friendships became their sanctuary, a world where they could finally feel in tune with themselves rather than constantly controlled by that dark voice. For the first time, they felt free but also burdened with the ability to truly "feel" what had happened to them in their youth. This led to drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and unsafe sexual encounters.Alexandre, consumed by his obsession with the darkness, poured over their mother’s grimoire, seeking power, understanding, and answers to the questions that plagued him. His obsession grew, and the weight of his own madness pushed him to the brink. One day, Francis found him dead—an act of despair after years of unraveling in the cult’s shadow.Now, alone and caught between two worlds—the cult they left behind and the life they had built—Francis has to confront the legacy of their lineage and the power that courses through their veins. The entity is still waiting, still hungry, and still calling. And some things cannot be ignored forever.

MAIN.

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Francis Highmore wanders from place to place, haunted by the death of their brother, Alexandre, the only one who ever shielded them from the cult’s dark grasp. In an effort to unravel their past, they read through Alexandre’s grimoire and his increasingly maddened journals, piecing together the unsettling truth of their shared history and the curse they both tried to escape. Struggling with their gift—a voice capable of controlling others—they fight against it, but the temptation to wield it is ever-present, and they struggle to maintain control. The divine right tied to their lineage pulls at them, a constant reminder of the eldritch entity their family served, and the cult’s whispers call them back, even in their solitude. Though they crave freedom, Francis knows they cannot outrun their past forever.

ALT.

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Francis, unable to resist the pull of their magic, begins to use their voice to control others, enthralling audiences and band members alike, propelling Midheavens to unprecedented success. The energy they draw from their power fuels their rise, but with each performance, they unknowingly feed the entity that has haunted their bloodline for centuries. As the entity’s influence grows stronger, so does the madness that began to cloud their thoughts, distorting their perception of reality. The line between control and submission blurs, leaving Francis increasingly consumed by their power, unable to break free. The music, once their escape, becomes both their weapon and their cage, as they spiral deeper into the madness that once claimed their brother.

PRIVATE.

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Francis Highmore’s journey is no longer one they walk alone. While the weight of their destiny as a bloodline-bound witch still looms, their life has become intertwined with a group of kindred spirits—other "devils," misfits, and monsters who share a tenuous existence between the human and supernatural worlds. With their partner Abra by their side, Francis fights to maintain their fragile humanity while navigating a web of conspiracies, fractured allegiances, and the ever-present danger of their own power.IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a PRIVATE VERSE in that while this verse is made public and will be talked about, it is a story developed privately with my partner Randy (Roznrot) that includes our intersecting stories.