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MY FAVORITE TREE!
-Quaking aspens "chatter" in the wind. People believe these are whispers from the dead. The trees are associated with fae and the underworld/dead, and therefore respected. They were used mostly as shields and not much else because it was distrespectful and bad luck to cut them down. Many people were buried with aspen crowns.
-Aspens are often single organisms, similar to fungi networks. The root system is underground and shoots pop up along the forest as "individual trees." However, the systems can be severed, leaving different organisms.
-the "eyes" on aspens are branches that fell off as the tree grew taller. They are thin, fast-growing trees with leaves at the tippy top.
-Aspen witches can communicate with the dead by connecting with their spirit and trying to locate them. Different witches "see" spirits differently. Some feel their emotions, others see them like a ghost, hear their words, etc. It depends on how they relate to others (i.e. do they empathize strongly with others? Take a strong interest in the individual person's as a whole? Care about their story and words?) The gift to 'Whisper' is rare and often skips generations or only goes to one child of many. This witch will learn from the last, and eventually be the bread-winner to the rest of the family as it is a heavily sought-out skill. It is not an immediate talent picked up, but learned. Indications that a child can whisper are many dark aspen-like markings on the skin (may be a few or many) and speaking to ghosts. All aspen witches have markings (usually 4-5 small marks), but having many makes it more likely.
-Aspen witch families tend to be Welsh, or broadly British (as in the whole British isles, not just England.)
-Owein can whisper, but refused to for a long time due to a bad experience. He visited spirits that clawed at him and begged him to help them. After, kids thought he was weird for screaming and having ocassional fits when it happened again. His family (mother+aunt) pressured him to try again when he got older as he was the only whisperer besides his old grandmother, but he refused. His aunt resents him for it and his mother is frustrated and has only a little more patience for him, however his grandmother is good to him. She never asks about it and only cares about his well-being. She continues to travel around helping others to support her family and do good. If Owein never whispered, she would not care. His friend, Antoni also finds him immature and lazy for never trying and eventually, Owein gets such low self esteem about being a coward (he has an anxiety disorder and trauma) that he asks his grandmother to take him along to learn. He is increadibly nervous and fails many times. He finds it hard to connect with the spirits and families, but even after he gets into the underworld, the spirits are scary and overwhelm his senses. Owein eventually with his grandmother's help and exposure therapy, gets used to it--especually when he connects with a boy's spirit similar to himself. Unlike his grandmother, Owein sees spirits as colorful flames of emotion. They do not speak. He talks to them and they channel their emotions to him because he is empathetic.
-Aspen witches can also locate each other if they are close to each other and allow others to find them. It's a sort of sense of direction you get--like an internal dosing rod that will lead you in the right direction.
-Owein has bad anxiety and is hyper aware of how others see him--or how he thinks others see him. He believes he is a coward, lazy, useless, talentless, a waste of space, and that his aspen markings are ugly. He usually stops himself from saying what he thinks because he's worried about saying the wrong thing and being rejected, or hurt. Owein will apologize even if he is not in the wrong. If you tell him he's wrong, he will probably believe you. He's a people-pleaser.
-Before he accepted himself, Owein wore clothes that covered himself up to the wrists, top of the neck, and feet (covering all his aspen markings.) In general, he wears a mix of masculine and feminine clothes* in neutral colors. The shapes are flow-y with very nice fabrics (lace, pleating, silk, etc.) Owein wears more neutrally-shaped, or unisex clothes that aren't tailored to typical male or female figures. He also has a fondness for colorful nails and jewelry.
-*in this universe, clothes aren't gendered, but people still have preferences for which types they like to wear (i.e. colors, shapes, tight/loose, short/long, skirts, pants, etc.) People are seen as unique individuals instead of belonging to a category in terms of gender (Yes, sex is still recognized, but there are no gender roles.) I will note, however, that as most plants are true hermaphrodites, "trans" people are respected as their own special thing. I say trans in quotes as they are individuals who feel a discomfort with their body or how people see them and change it. However, since they are not socialized as a certain gender, they are not transitioning so to speak... idk if that makes sense. Sorry!
-Owein is bisexual :] Around puberty, he got more confident and hot so people started liking him again. He dated a lot of people, but not for very long because he never trusted anyone and stayed distant with all his partners (avoidant attachment.) Sometimes he's not even sure he like-likes his partner, but since he gets along with others, is very naive, a hopeless romantic, and can't say no to others, he dates pretty much everyone who asks. His first partner was is best friend in school. He broke his heart by cheating on him multiple times with other guys. Since then, he tended to date women--until Antoni. He felt scared because of the relationship, but also because of his mother. He knew she didn't like his new male partners, so he was more secretive about them, and her fear rubbed off on him too. Owein's mother and aunt don't trust and resent Antoni--especially since they are very close.
-Owein is closest with Antoni and his grandmother, as well as his other friends, Sahar and Eunbi (more so Sahar.) He cares for his mother, but they are not close. They used to be when he was younger, but when it was clear he didn't want to learn whispering, she grew tired of trying to force him, and started to resent him. She still cares for him, but is disappointed and afraid of what will happen to them all when her mother dies. They both know there's tension--and they try--but they never directly talk about their issues because Owein refuses to be vulnerable and breaks down quickly. His Aunt thinks he's manipulative for doing this, and also generally finds him to be lazy/spoiled. She is much meaner and doesn't try to hide it as much. Owein's mother does nothing when she's mean to him and gently backs her up because she agrees with her reasoning, even though she knows her sister is being mean. Owein tries to be a good kid, but feels like a complete failure. He tries to not be at home. He is an honerary member of the Najm family since he stays over with them so often.
-When Owein feels really bad (usually after his family explodes at him or pressures him), he will run away and not let anyone find him so he can hurt himself in peace. Only his grandma can find him because he secretly wants her to be there with him. He thinks he deserves it. His grandma is sick of his mother and aunt doing this to him, so they fight. Owein feels embarrassed every time he does it cause he feels childish and that he's over-reacting. He knows that his grandma and mother will fight too, so he feels he's to blame for it.
