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Banshee Headcanon: They are a group extremely prone to suicide for a multitude of reasons. The main ones being generational trauma, a desire to make the voices stop/a desire to join the voices which occasionally beckon instead of warn, a desire to avoid being captured, tortured, and used by people seeking oracles, guilt over accidental deaths and maiming. Banshees all stem from a group of ancient Celtic women. When the Ancient Roman Empire invaded their lands a group of mothers prayed to The Morrigan (Queen of the Celtic Gods) not that they would be spared, for if she had decreed that it was their time, they would accept it. Instead they prayed for the legacy of their people never to be forgotten. The Morrigan, softened by their humble plea, granted the women their wish and transformed them and all their daughters and all future daughters into Banshees. Banshees can hear the whispers of the souls of the dead, the souls of the dead do not exist linearly, they merge with the spirit of the earth and therefore know and see more than anyone living. The Morrigan decreed that Banshees would be the only living beings to exist outside the constraints of Fate. They have enhanced vocal chords and can use them to manipulate sound waves, they also have extremely sensitive hearing (think Dolores in Encanto), and they have perfect pitch which makes them incredibly enchanting singers. They are capable of wailing for the death of anyone but they have no choice but to wail for the death of a loved one. The wail is as much a way to honor the dead as it is a way to curse the living. Those who hear a Banshee's wail are haunted by it until the day they die. A Banshee's wail is capable of permanently deafening or even killing someone. There are two categories of Banshees: Awake and Asleep. Those that are Awake are aware of their heritage and embrace their powers, they can learn control so their wails are prolonged and therefore non-lethal, they also can access the memories and knowledge of all the Banshees that came before them. Those that are Asleep are Banshees that deny their powers and heritage, they refuse to learn about their history or how to exert control over their abilities, they cannot communicate with their ancestors and are prone to lethal accidents. Banshees are much paler than everyone else in their family, their hair takes on reddish tones no matter what the natural color is, and their eyes take on greenish tones no matter what the natural color is. When they wail, their eyes turn completely white and begin bleeding, the air around them is disturbed and they're lifted off the ground with their hair splaying in a halo formation.
Lydia Martin Headcanon: Lydia Martin is the last living Banshee. She constantly waffles between her desire to have children, be a mother, continue her people’s legacy, and the guilt of passing on such a heavy responsibility to any future offspring. Lydia is a math genius and has received the Fields Medal as well as a Nobel Prize in Physics. She operates under a pseudonym and maintains as much anonymity as she possibly can. She is married to Jordan Parrish, her romantic soulmate (whose career is subject to change based on the fandom I’m dropping her in). Her platonic soulmate is Stiles Stilinski (His soulmate and career are also subject to change depending on fandom). Stiles is a type of Fae known as a Spark. He finds it physically painful to lie but he can do it. Like most other Fae, he has a natural charm and allure. Unlike Seelies, the “ruling class” of the Fae, he has no relation to Angels or Demons, his magic is sourced from the Spirit of the Earth. Sparks, unlike Sprites (beings made of pure light) and Pixies (fairies that sow chaos) do not feed on any sort of human emotion to build power. They get along best with Druids, who are servants of nature, and Elves, who are natural healers. Hellhounds run hot and Banshees run cold so Lydia and Jordan are excessively tactile and snuggly, cuddling and touching at every possible opportunity. Lydia hates being cold, it’s linked to feelings of fear and loneliness in her mind, so Jordan tries to keep her as warm as possible at all times. Jordan doesn’t mind heat at all, it’s familiar for him, but when he’s cold his Hound is more alert and closer to the surface. His Hound is extremely possessive of Lydia and is also closer to the surface when they’re touching. She of course doesn’t mind because Jordan’s body heat rises when the Hound surfaces.
Hellhound Headcanon: Hellhounds predate demons and the fall of Lucifer, they are the original occupants and guardians of hell. Unlike angels and demons, they do not gain power from harnessing souls. Instead, it is their job to make certain that impure souls are dragged down to hell to be cleansed in fire before being released to become one with nature. Angels and demons are the ones that attempt to manipulate and influence souls in an attempt to get them to join their realm, and therefore add to their power, after death. While Hell is a place, Heaven is not, the concept of Heaven stems from the feeling of euphoric freedom experienced by pure souls after they pass on and join the Spirit of the Earth. The concept of Heaven may also refer to the realm inhabited by the Gods, but no human soul can enter and it holds many different names in many different languages. Hellhounds are immortal beings whose species began when Death took the souls of ancient dead Wolves and transformed them into Hellhounds to serve as guardians and harbingers of the dead. Their hierarchy mimics that of a Wolfpack and because they have souls, they also have soulmates. They are capable of existing on Earth in both Hound form, invisible to the human eye, or in Human form where they merge with an existing human being found to be worthy. The human soul becomes one with the soul of the Hellhound and they can exist together within the human body. They have complete control over all forms of fire, their claws and teeth can tear through any material, and they’re physically stronger and faster than any other known species. All of their senses are stronger than any humans and they’re resistant to all forms of illness and injury.They have an impenetrable sense of justice. Children born to Hellhounds in Human form are not Hellhounds but may exhibit some Wolf qualities, new Hellhounds are only made if the Alpha or King Hellhound chooses to transform Wolf souls after their death. “Wolf” refers to humans that were either born merged with the soul of a wolf or were merged at some point during their lives. Wolves follow the same pack hierarchy as Hellhounds and have similar qualities in terms of strength, speed, and senses. Both are capable of full body transformations but with Hellhounds it’s inherent, with Wolves, it’s a learned skill.