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+--- Thread: Quinn Decimus (/thread-1972.html)
Quinn Decimus - Quinn - 03-01-2026
Quinn Decimus
Age: 26
Origin: Rivington Folly, England; Moscow
Occupation: Aspiring Novelist
Psychological Description of Character: Quinn isn’t unhappy, but she often feels like she doesn’t belong and is lonely for reasons she doesn’t understand. An introverted extrovert, she likes to be around people, but is often quiet, speaking when she has something to add or is excited.
Physical Description: 5’5” tall with blonde hair and green eyes.
Supernatural Powers: Vidient - VIII: The Flame
Reborn God: Eurydice
A Special Child
Quinn was raised at Rivington Folly, a large and private estate hidden away in the lush green of rural England. He lived amongst other children of varying ages, a rotation of nannies, a staff of liveried servants, and the Mothers. The children were home-schooled and received an esoteric education in addition to the usual curriculum. Naturally this also included decorum and etiquette. Healthcare was handled in-house via the private med-suite on site, and medical and psychic testing was performed regularly. Though all the children were named, they were also assigned numbers. Quinn was number ten, so was given the surname Decimus.
Quinn began to speak later in life than most children, and originally the Mothers thought that she may be developmentally delayed, but this was not the case. Quinn was an abnormally quiet child. She even cried less than most. Examinations revealed her to be completely healthy and of sound mind. She simply just didn’t speak much unless she wanted to.
As an infant and a toddler, it was noticed that Quinn had a strange interest in candles. She would often point them out and (to the dismay of the nannies and Mothers) reach for them. She was five when she first realized she was different than the others in her family and they began to realize what her fascination with candles was about.
Quinn would see candles next to people and until one of her brothers, feeling down and dejected due to a failure, realized that only she saw these candles. She told the Mothers that his candle was out. At first they didn’t understand, but they would soon realize that Quinn was special. She told them that she saw candles around people, sometimes bright and sometimes dim. Usually they were just normal candles.
The unusual ability attracted the attention of Magnus Asquith, who Quinn met at age seven. Eventually she would know that Magnus was her father. Periodically, he would see her, and she noticed that she was one of the few. Her and her brother Lucien were among them.
Relationship with Lucien
Lucien she would learn also had special abilities. He could read the history of objects. Being one of the few Folly children that had special abilities, Quinn felt a stronger connection with her older brother. She began to confide in him, and he, along with the Mothers would help her begin to understand her ability.
Quinn trusted Lucien and so she shared with him something she hadn’t shared with others. She told him that she often felt like she didn’t fit in or belong. It was little things that made her feel this way. She was blonde and the rest of the children had dark, Asquith hair. Like him, she had a special power, but didn’t know how it fit in with anything. She confessed to Lucien that she often felt alone, despite no logical reason not to. Lucien was always supportive, offering comfort when needed.
At 18, Lucien would begin to travel. This increased her sense of loneliness, but Lucien kept in contact. Lucien was a bit old-fashioned, so she would often get letters from him. She treasured them.
Learning to Understand Her Ability
In order to understand the meaning of her candles, Quinn began to journal. When someone’s candle flared, she would simply ask the person what was happening. When the candle was gutted, she would gently ask what was wrong. Soon enough she noticed the pattern. When the candle was bright, that person was feeling hopeful. When it was gutted, they were feeling despair. But there was more. Quinn noticed that she could change the candle herself. She could make the candle brighter or dimmer. She discovered this by mistake, but practiced it seldomly. She didn’t want to hurt her family.
Academics
Quinn was very intelligent and being homeschooled let her work at her own pace. A lover of reading, it was odd to find her without a book, but unlike her brother Lucien, she preferred fiction. She excelled in her literature classes.
Journaling in order to learn her ability gave her a love for writing as well. It was natural for her to combine her love of reading and writing. Quinn began writing stories for fun, but it became a love for her and it eased the feelings of loneliness.
She graduated at 18 and learned the secrets of the Di Inferi although she never officially joined the order. After graduation, she would travel to Moscow to study Literature at the University. Four years later, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Literature. She immediately moved into a Master’s program and began sending short stories and novel manuscripts to literary magazines and publishers. In 2045, Lucien relocated to Moscow, and Quinn enlisted his services as a beta reader. Mostly she received rejections. In 2046, the year she earned her Masters Degree, a literary magazine published one of her short stories. It wouldn’t be until January 2047 that a publisher would purchase her first manuscript for a novel to publish. After many rejections, her career was finally beginning.
Quinn's Literary Style
Primarily, Quinn writes literary speculative fiction. Secondary influences include gothic fiction, psychological drama, occult realism, and philosophical fantasy.
Her works blend:
- Subtle paranormal elements (rather than loud fantasy)
- Emotional interiority and loneliness
- Found family and fractured lineage
- Moral ambiguity around power
- Atmospheric, candlelit gothic tones
- Themes of belonging, legacy, and inherited purpose
- Letters, journals, and layered narrative structures
She does not write loud, action-heavy fantasy. Instead, she writes haunting, reflective novels where the supernatural reveals emotional truth.
Published Works
Short Story: “Wick” - A woman discovers that when she blows out a candle, someone miles away forgets a memory. Published in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine
Novel: Ashes Do Not Forget - Manuscript purchased by Eksmo-AST Publishing Group