♞ Sasha Talbot ♞ Preferred Name: Sasha
Age: 23, though usually mistaken to be in his late twenties or older.
Birthday: July 9th
Gender: Demiboy.
Sexuality: Florentinsexual/romantic.
Category: Citizen, villain by association (he does what he has to, and doesn't need any guilt weighing him down).
Birth Place / Hometown: Travelled constantly in early childhood, but was born in India.
Occupation: Personal bodyguard/servant/babysitter, self-published author.
Race/Species: Harbinger.
Appearance Description
Sasha is very tall at six feet five inches, powerfully built, and knows how to use every single thing he has to his advantage. His features are angular, and his limbs are on the longer side. He has scars everywhere, and tends to wear more covering clothes due to that- not because he's uncomfortable with them, but because they tend to draw attention. The scars on his face are left in the open, and do enough.
He has dark brown, near black hair, in a short, edged cut. His eyes are an odd, tangerine orange color, and permanently shadowed through repeated lack of rest. His skin is a dusky brown.
He near religiously wears shades of black, grey, and plum colors, and the styles lean towards practical, thick, and intimidating.
They're also pretty damn comfortable.
Sasha has an extremely good poker face, but he's not completely stuffy and stern or anything like that- when absent, he'll either look neutral or relaxed, and isn't against smiling. At just about any given time, though, he also has his alertness levels dialed up to eleven, and is never quite as casual as he seems.
He can be an unseen, deadly presence, that drifts behind the scenes and waits to intervene if something goes wrong, and a very publicly terror inducing, ready to destroy you individual. The best of both worlds.
He has less human additions to his being, but they're not something usually seen by anyone. Though if one were to attempt to explain them- things like multiple, heavy, dripping ink black wings. Many, reflective, seeing eyes. Things that didn't look quite right, but were very stunningly beautiful, and would bring some to cry with how overwhelming they were.
Sasha has an even, controlled voice and... absolutely a heavy french accent. 100%.
Yes. He is indeed always carrying weapons. Don't touch them, thanks.
Personality Description
Sasha is a being of dramatic purpose that both embraces and rejects his role. He's not a harbinger in the traditional sense, instead choosing the path of a guardian angel. He's spiritual, but only towards his own beloved, who he treats as a saint, a god, the judge and jury to his executioner. What Florentin Blanchett once was, is now, will be some day, Sasha idealizes and treasures. As a celestial, dedicated romantic, he's alarmingly intense when head over heels in love. Don't bother trying to change his mindset on this-- it'll never happen. You could call him codependent, or obsessive, but it brings him true happiness to have his own personal meaning for existence, and Florentin is safer thanks to it. They're both less lonely. Sasha and Florentin are far better people with each other in their lives than without. To be needed, to need in return, and to love is what truly matters to this man.
His personality and talents are hugely built around Florentin, his childhood best friend, lover, and superior. Sasha works for Florentin's parents on paper, not in behavior, following the young man as his bodyguard. He goes the extra mile, playing caretaker and secretly, going so far as to help him with kidnapping his necromancy experiments. While he was friendly with Florentin's parents and the other staff as a child, he's grown distant, his thoughts consumed, world revolving completely around Florentin.
And then… there's his call to destiny. That nonsense. He doesn't care for one bit of it, for reasons some might see as cowardly, but that he would argue was having sanity. Sasha pretends it doesn't pressure or effect him, toughing out his instincts and becoming quiet at questions about his origins, sweeping it under the rug. Making it imaginary to him. Despite being inhuman, he cherishes whatever humanity he can have. Hard work. Domesticity. Childish, exhilarating affection that makes him feel alive and in the present. Sasha partakes in taboo, a relationship between person and monster, master and servant, using his power for own gain, but he can never manage to prioritize the guilt over his everything.
From time to time, rarely, Sasha may use his abilities for others, even share a milder prophecy. Don't expect him to act enthusiastic, though. It's to ward off the urges, get a grasp of a situation, or have something to do while bored. He won't let himself grow invested in it. Couldn't, even, attention already belonging to his princess.
Sasha's desire to be a competent, adult individual, and his bitterness at harbinger status can be traced back to being the sole survivor of his family's slaughter. He hated being helpless. He learned from his mistakes, and the mistakes of those close to him, then moved on and made something better. Now, he has a strong sense of what he has to do that centers around his own willpower.
((after this, personality needs more rewrites))
Sasha justifies most things, good and bad, with it being what he has to do. He has to.
In an everyday conversation, Sasha can seem pretty normal and friendly. But when you really get down to it, he's distant, and he knows exactly what the most important thing in his life is. Everything else is second rate and worse. Near meaningless. And if you speak seriously to him about Florentin, or make him snap, this is as clear as day. For some, it's almost unbelievable, they can't mentally rationalize and comprehend, so they blind themselves to it instead. Pretend it isn't exactly, so boldly and strongly, what it is.
Sasha is patient, caring, very sincere, and skilled at many practical tasks- as well as enjoys doing them. He's actually... a full on sweetheart softie. Sometimes a bit of a gruff sweetheart, but a sweetheart nonetheless.
He can also hurt people and feel nothing, absolutely nothing at all, except that he's in the right. And if you really do something to Florentin? He'll enjoy every single thing he does to you. It's only fair.
Sasha can both make himself unnoticeable, just the polite and brief servant, or just a shadow, but he can also settle into a very intimidating mode- and fully own every second of it.
Sasha has a lot of bitterness around his own species, which is partly self protection, so he doesn't have to think about all of his original family being gone, and so horribly. So he doesn't have to put too much meaning to his scars.
It'd all just weigh him down, distract him from what's really important.
Sasha is selfless and selfish in the same instant, and always will be.
Powers/Species traits
Harbinger
Harbinger
Sasha is a harbinger, an inhuman observer and messenger, a being of great importance and weight. Something dedicated to foretelling possible great disasters, but also ominous and detached, overwhelming, monstrous. Not much is known about this very elusive and not always liked species, but some theorize that they're related to angels, and that more common prophets descended from their mixing blood with others.
But they aren't a social species by nature, nor are they encouraged to mingle due to the scorn and fear people liked to respond to them with. The majority of the time, harbingers warn of things, very bad things, not sunshine and kittens- and their personalities, usually either neutral or mischievous, as well as their ominous aura and appearances... it made others believe that they weren't simply messengers, but that they brought horrors with them on purpose. That if they were avoided completely, those horrors wouldn't come true.
That isn't how it works, and it really does make their job harder, but they're still very, very good at what they do.
Sasha has the basic enhanced senses and strength, as well as regeneration that crackles while it works and, if left alone, immortality. His healing is fast on small things and slower on bigger, more overwhelming things, and giving him a lot of physical damage can slow him down but not kill him.
He can be killed through enough effort, it just takes a lot of intense magic to do it (and sometimes, if you're especially determined, rituals!)- as well as the fact that killing a harbinger can be a very bad thing and leave a great deal of negative karma on you. It sticks to a person like a plague, and the workings of fate aren't too happy with it. Killing a harbinger should be a last resort move for anyone smart- but stopping them from doing their work, in general, has consequences.
Harbingers cannot see purely self involved/other harbinger related disasters, which can put them at a weakness, as they are distant and mostly socialize with other harbingers by design.
Their abilities, generally, are not supposed to be used for personal purposes like warning yourself or loved ones, but if the visions are at least partially including other non-harbingers? This can be ignored. Some honorable types take vows saying they won't, but for others it isn't as relevant. It isn't a rule, just looked down on by some, and pointless to others.
Harbingers cannot falsify anything about specific prophecies, visions, etc when officially delivering them.
Omen sensing/interpreting
As well as full blown prophecies, whether direct or confusing, Sasha can see meaning behind other signs. He can do some of the basic, purposeful, personal things here with barely any effort needed, like reading tea leaves, palms, tarot/other cards, etc. He can also have things like gatherings of animals, odd deaths, dying plants, storms, etc resonate with him. And those sorts of things will call out to him, ask to be understood.
Prophetic messenger
Fate is not always rigid, sometimes there are multiple outcomes and warning of one will help it not come true. That's where a harbinger comes in. Prophets, but more. Harbingers aren't usually as diverse as the range of general prophets, and have a lot of very set rules placed upon them. They are big and bold and overwhelming, certain to tell the hard truth and stay neutral, as they are more and their purpose is more. They are angels, monsters, shadows.
Sasha can receive prophecies and become a vessel for them in many ways, dreams, through other beings, simple instinct, etc. He can't force them, they comes naturally or are given.
Reciting full, intricate prophecies, especially if also looking into multiple outcomes of a situation, is exhausting.
Prophecies don't always have to be huge and in the form of weird poetry, they can just be imagery and feelings, or knowledge placed within one's head- and there are also simple small visions that'll probably have much more immediate urgency, those are very short and easier to use regularly. This is really what Sasha uses the most- in order to help his master not screw up too badly or get in a lot of danger.
Higher purpose
When specifically working towards reciting a prophecy, or reading omens of great importance, Sasha's invulnerability will intensify, and if he encounters obstacles he'll have more temporary power to overcome them. This fades quickly once the job is done, and may only be used for selfless goal completion.
A harbinger can gain the ability to speak in languages they wouldn't otherwise know in order to pass along their warnings, as communication trouble counts as an obstacle.
Sasha is also compelled by nature and higher powers to deliver warnings when he has them, and will feel an annoying prickling when he avoids it. A harbinger that was more dedicated to what their species is known for would feel worse if pushing away their duties, but Sasha has grown up oddly for what he is, and has a much bigger immunity due to that. He won't suffer much by going against what he is.
Author's note: Sasha's bigger prophetic abilities are very based around helping the plots of others (or one of my own more personal plots), and would not be used without permission, ever. And although they might feel interesting if they're involved, he doesn't automatically have to know someone's involved in a big thing or even look into it past that, because it's very easy to just go ahead and say he doesn't want to deal with the trouble/isn't bored enough for it.
Biography
Something happened to Sasha as a child. It left him without family, in exchange for scars over his whole body that would never leave him or fade. He escaped and they didn't. Harbingers, harbingers, what use was being one if you couldn't predict your own end?
None, no use at all.
There was a beach, and a family, something he no longer had. But there was kindness in response to his suffering.
He dared to hope, and to want to be useful this time, to start over another time, forget everything else.
And so he was adopted by the Octavius', and everything before that? It didn't really matter.
It was good, solid, something real. Julien Octavius was especially encouraging towards him, and Sasha was quick to get along with the rest of the staff in their estate, to work hard and make something of himself. He took on all the jobs available to him, learned all the practical skills he could, eager for others to be proud of him, and to help them in any way possible. Sasha, truly, was perfect for what he did, endlessly loyal and active.
And then there was Florentin, the heir, a little boy who was often sickly. Who threw tantrums at first over Sasha taking any time in the spotlight away from him. So, naturally, the harbinger tried to make up for it by offering up his own attention, in large, honest quantities.
It worked. More than worked, on both ends- and especially with Sasha. He was innocently smitten with the younger child and, decided at one point (much like others might declare they were going to get married, and with just as much passion), that he would protect this boy forever.
Sasha still felt the same way, and felt it more every day.
These were extremely happy times for Sasha, peaceful days spent helping others or with his best friend. A recurring theme in games they played were that Sasha was the knight, the guardian, the savior- and this included how things were outside their imaginations, as well. It felt right, perfect, even. Keeping Florentin safe made him feel important in all the right ways, the ways that really mattered.
When Florentin was twelve, his aunt, who he was close with, died. And the sixteen year old Sasha wasn't helpful enough anymore, not with this. The boy was denying things, for about half a year, but… Sasha felt things coming. It was part of what he was, and had buried, to feel like this. Only he couldn't keep it buried, not with someone to worry about, to care for. He'd already been using small visions to prevent small screwups.
This was different. Now everyone was out of their comfort zone, and trying desperately to change and fix.
These were not happy times for Sasha. He was scared. He was still good for something, though, even if it was simply helping Florentin with his basic needs and attempting to coax out more.
He told the boy he couldn't, wouldn't, die at some point in this. The first time he'd ever hinted towards being anything more than human.
And then, things still weren't exactly good, but it was better, and that counted for a lot. Florentin felt for something, truly felt and exhausted himself with his efforts, and kept going.
Sasha would not just protect Florentin, he would support him.
…And really, Sasha had always known the boy would make an escape from the estate, it was just about when exactly.
Florentin was sixteen, Sasha twenty. Flor left, and Sasha followed, he let him do it, because the harbinger had always been better at drifting through shadows. And, really, it's just the way things go when you watch someone grow up and get personal with all their tricks.
Florentin probably already knew Sasha always followed him, anyway. It was all very fair.
Into the city they went, a place Sasha was more familiar with. It was dangerous, dirty, made the harbinger in him kick up a fuss- because there were simply so many things ready to go wrong. It was overwhelming and Sasha knew the other boy was falling in love.
Death wasn't hard to find, especially when looked for, and the duo found this in the form of a homeless man that, if he'd ever been anything, wasn't going to be anymore. They watched the life fade.
Sasha thought it was anticlimactic.
But that thought didn't last long, as before they could try anything, Sasha could feel bad things with worse intentions coming, and it took just about no encouraging for him to pick up his everything and get the hell out of there. And everyone was… happy with him. That was all he ever wanted. But, of course, Florentin had already fallen in love, it was too late to turn away, and if everything would be faced head on, then Sasha would be right next to him for it all. The parents, the higher power, agreed with the sentiment eventually, as well as realized their power was fading.
And Sasha officially received the job he'd been doing unofficially near all his life. Florentin's personal bodyguard. Caretaker. Babysitter. The last part was mostly teasing from the harbinger's perspective, but probably very serious coming from others.
Florentin was stunning, and Sasha was, oh, god, he was fucked, wasn't he? And had been, for a long time now.
And it seemed like almost as soon as Sasha came to that very inappropriate realization, Florentin started flirting with him. More than boldly, more than stubbornly, and in the end Sasha didn't take nearly as much convincing as he would've wished.
Things were good again now, perhaps even better than before. Sasha could touch Florentin, whisper things to him, make the promises he'd already made out loud and shamelessly.
Some of the criminals, muggers, that had seen fit to target his master… they hadn't all hidden their faces. And Sasha remembered, made himself remember. They died by his hands, and it wasn't anticlimactic at all this time. It felt right. He only did what he had to.
Things were very good.
Too good. Florentin is seventeen, and Sasha twenty-one. Another death, a trip, a spill, most definitely a spill in all senses of the word. Gone. Sasha brought his prince home, kept him safe, like he always did. And he went back to that previous state, one which seemed fated to repeat itself… and Sasha was truly starting to despise the idea of fate. What a filthy, ugly thing that loved to stare him down in the mirror.
No wonder people hated his species enough to slaughter them.
More time passed, the present nearly here, and Florentin was bound to make something happen this time around. He slinked off, more than suspicious, and killed a real, living, breathing being. A person. Sasha found that he didn't care at all, and when it all went wrong (as it did), Sasha ended it without blinking.
He did what he needed to do. Which was what Florentin needed, above everything.
Florentin told him that he needed one more time. Sasha listened, he went against everyone else for his one true master, his everything, who was desperately telling him that this was important. He didn't feel so good about this, not anymore, but that wasn't what mattered.
Aunt Cosette wasn't happy. But they'd done it, they'd brought her back. One more time. And Florentin was the one who ended it, as she screamed and screamed. Sasha supposed it was only right.
But things were at an all time not good, and the police found them, and Sasha felt like his life was over. Like he was dying. As though he was Florentin's true experiment here, and the boy's mere presence was what was keeping his otherwise rotting self together and whole.
Florentin was also the one to make a promise, this time. You don't need to perfect your magic, you don't need to do anything, Sasha had wanted to say, the single complaining bone in his body finally speaking up. The voice was so very small. I've made that choice, to always be with you, over, and over, and over. And I'll keep doing so.
But then Florentin was gone. And Sasha didn't understand anything anymore.
He wasn't in the estate now, scorned by his family. He was scared, and within that awful month he sent so many love letters it was embarrassing, thinking he would never see his darling again when he still had so much to say, that he'd never said before been too afraid to- but it was a lesser fear, now, compared to what was happening.
He was contacted again, after that month, one of the worst months of his life. Florentin was going to Manta Carlos, to study at the well known Starlight Academy. And Sasha was being asked to go too, under the condition he give weekly updates on the now young man back to his parents. This seemed endlessly kind, after everything.
This was all he wanted, and all he ever would want.
None, no use at all.
There was a beach, and a family, something he no longer had. But there was kindness in response to his suffering.
He dared to hope, and to want to be useful this time, to start over another time, forget everything else.
And so he was adopted by the Octavius', and everything before that? It didn't really matter.
It was good, solid, something real. Julien Octavius was especially encouraging towards him, and Sasha was quick to get along with the rest of the staff in their estate, to work hard and make something of himself. He took on all the jobs available to him, learned all the practical skills he could, eager for others to be proud of him, and to help them in any way possible. Sasha, truly, was perfect for what he did, endlessly loyal and active.
And then there was Florentin, the heir, a little boy who was often sickly. Who threw tantrums at first over Sasha taking any time in the spotlight away from him. So, naturally, the harbinger tried to make up for it by offering up his own attention, in large, honest quantities.
It worked. More than worked, on both ends- and especially with Sasha. He was innocently smitten with the younger child and, decided at one point (much like others might declare they were going to get married, and with just as much passion), that he would protect this boy forever.
Sasha still felt the same way, and felt it more every day.
These were extremely happy times for Sasha, peaceful days spent helping others or with his best friend. A recurring theme in games they played were that Sasha was the knight, the guardian, the savior- and this included how things were outside their imaginations, as well. It felt right, perfect, even. Keeping Florentin safe made him feel important in all the right ways, the ways that really mattered.
When Florentin was twelve, his aunt, who he was close with, died. And the sixteen year old Sasha wasn't helpful enough anymore, not with this. The boy was denying things, for about half a year, but… Sasha felt things coming. It was part of what he was, and had buried, to feel like this. Only he couldn't keep it buried, not with someone to worry about, to care for. He'd already been using small visions to prevent small screwups.
This was different. Now everyone was out of their comfort zone, and trying desperately to change and fix.
These were not happy times for Sasha. He was scared. He was still good for something, though, even if it was simply helping Florentin with his basic needs and attempting to coax out more.
He told the boy he couldn't, wouldn't, die at some point in this. The first time he'd ever hinted towards being anything more than human.
And then, things still weren't exactly good, but it was better, and that counted for a lot. Florentin felt for something, truly felt and exhausted himself with his efforts, and kept going.
Sasha would not just protect Florentin, he would support him.
…And really, Sasha had always known the boy would make an escape from the estate, it was just about when exactly.
Florentin was sixteen, Sasha twenty. Flor left, and Sasha followed, he let him do it, because the harbinger had always been better at drifting through shadows. And, really, it's just the way things go when you watch someone grow up and get personal with all their tricks.
Florentin probably already knew Sasha always followed him, anyway. It was all very fair.
Into the city they went, a place Sasha was more familiar with. It was dangerous, dirty, made the harbinger in him kick up a fuss- because there were simply so many things ready to go wrong. It was overwhelming and Sasha knew the other boy was falling in love.
Death wasn't hard to find, especially when looked for, and the duo found this in the form of a homeless man that, if he'd ever been anything, wasn't going to be anymore. They watched the life fade.
Sasha thought it was anticlimactic.
But that thought didn't last long, as before they could try anything, Sasha could feel bad things with worse intentions coming, and it took just about no encouraging for him to pick up his everything and get the hell out of there. And everyone was… happy with him. That was all he ever wanted. But, of course, Florentin had already fallen in love, it was too late to turn away, and if everything would be faced head on, then Sasha would be right next to him for it all. The parents, the higher power, agreed with the sentiment eventually, as well as realized their power was fading.
And Sasha officially received the job he'd been doing unofficially near all his life. Florentin's personal bodyguard. Caretaker. Babysitter. The last part was mostly teasing from the harbinger's perspective, but probably very serious coming from others.
Florentin was stunning, and Sasha was, oh, god, he was fucked, wasn't he? And had been, for a long time now.
And it seemed like almost as soon as Sasha came to that very inappropriate realization, Florentin started flirting with him. More than boldly, more than stubbornly, and in the end Sasha didn't take nearly as much convincing as he would've wished.
Things were good again now, perhaps even better than before. Sasha could touch Florentin, whisper things to him, make the promises he'd already made out loud and shamelessly.
Some of the criminals, muggers, that had seen fit to target his master… they hadn't all hidden their faces. And Sasha remembered, made himself remember. They died by his hands, and it wasn't anticlimactic at all this time. It felt right. He only did what he had to.
Things were very good.
Too good. Florentin is seventeen, and Sasha twenty-one. Another death, a trip, a spill, most definitely a spill in all senses of the word. Gone. Sasha brought his prince home, kept him safe, like he always did. And he went back to that previous state, one which seemed fated to repeat itself… and Sasha was truly starting to despise the idea of fate. What a filthy, ugly thing that loved to stare him down in the mirror.
No wonder people hated his species enough to slaughter them.
More time passed, the present nearly here, and Florentin was bound to make something happen this time around. He slinked off, more than suspicious, and killed a real, living, breathing being. A person. Sasha found that he didn't care at all, and when it all went wrong (as it did), Sasha ended it without blinking.
He did what he needed to do. Which was what Florentin needed, above everything.
Florentin told him that he needed one more time. Sasha listened, he went against everyone else for his one true master, his everything, who was desperately telling him that this was important. He didn't feel so good about this, not anymore, but that wasn't what mattered.
Aunt Cosette wasn't happy. But they'd done it, they'd brought her back. One more time. And Florentin was the one who ended it, as she screamed and screamed. Sasha supposed it was only right.
But things were at an all time not good, and the police found them, and Sasha felt like his life was over. Like he was dying. As though he was Florentin's true experiment here, and the boy's mere presence was what was keeping his otherwise rotting self together and whole.
Florentin was also the one to make a promise, this time. You don't need to perfect your magic, you don't need to do anything, Sasha had wanted to say, the single complaining bone in his body finally speaking up. The voice was so very small. I've made that choice, to always be with you, over, and over, and over. And I'll keep doing so.
But then Florentin was gone. And Sasha didn't understand anything anymore.
He wasn't in the estate now, scorned by his family. He was scared, and within that awful month he sent so many love letters it was embarrassing, thinking he would never see his darling again when he still had so much to say, that he'd never said before been too afraid to- but it was a lesser fear, now, compared to what was happening.
He was contacted again, after that month, one of the worst months of his life. Florentin was going to Manta Carlos, to study at the well known Starlight Academy. And Sasha was being asked to go too, under the condition he give weekly updates on the now young man back to his parents. This seemed endlessly kind, after everything.
This was all he wanted, and all he ever would want.
Additional Information
Caretaker to Florentin Blanchett, and to a lesser extent, will answer to other family members. Mostly makes reports back to Florentin's parents.
Sasha's full name is Sasha Talbot, but he hasn't gone by it since he was a small child, as it carries unfortunate implications. He's from a very important line of harbingers, and the single survivor of a hate fueled killing spree that his close relations perished in. He could be something important to a great deal of people, tangled in conspiracies, and a target-- but he doesn't want to be. He's fine where he is, thank you.
Sasha can help you out with pesky omens or prophecies, but it depends on his mood. Sometimes you get lucky, but he definitely doesn't take it seriously.
