Welcome to The Highlands!
The Highlands is my OC literature collection which follows a small cast of my characters in a slice-of-life format!Use the buttons below to learn more about the setting, characters, and to view the collection of stories that I've currently written. I hope you enjoy it, and if you do enjoy it, please don't hesitate to tell me!CW: The Highlands may deal with troublesome and worrying topics such as mental illness, trauma, exposure to phobias, and gore. I will label each story as such in the archive if they fall under any of these categories.Written/Owned by brynijiue
The Setting
The Highlands is set in Highlands County - an extremely small rural town that resides next to a beach, both of which are collectively populated with close to 150 people.
Due to the lack of reliable travel to/from the county, moving there is very difficult but not impossible.Highlands is primarily split into two sections: The Forest and The Beach.
- The Forest is a more secluded and less social location, typically best suited for people who wish to settle down with their significant other
- The Beach is the more active side of Highlands, reserved for people who know how to have a fun time and prefer a large amount of social interaction without ever staying in the same place for too longTheir culture and economy primarily rely less on money and more on material goods, so items such as aloe vera and pots of gravy are the superior form of currency.
The Characters!
The full detailed list of characters and their long bios can be viewed at any time on this Toyhouse page, but I can also give a short synopsis of each character here (just without pictures to accompany them...)
Fin is an albino red panda who moved to Highlands County with their friend Jess after a family altercation caused by their radically different visage compared to the rest of their biological family. They're emotionally unstable and require headpats to function.
Pronouns: They/Them
Sexuality: Gay
Age: 23 Years old
Location: The Beach
Relations: Kvarcus (Ex-boyfriend), Alice (Sibling)Alice is an albino red panda who moved to Highlands County alone after a family altercation caused by their radically different visage compared to the rest of their biological family. She's absurdly socially awkward and prefers to hide in the shadows, but nobody seems to want to leave her alone.
Pronouns: She/Her
Sexuality: Aroace
Age: 22 Years old
Location: The Beach
Relations: Fin (Sibling)Jess Teel is a blue marsh deer who moved to Highlands County after fleeing from his old home after gaining a hair stylist certification after years of harsh bullying by his peers. He slings around insults like it's his love language (because it is).
Pronouns: He/Him
Sexuality: Aromantic Bisexual
Age: 25 Years old
Location: The BeachKvarcus Eiserne is a wolf who was born and raised in Highlands County by his single mother, Gladys. Raised in a religious household, it was only a matter of time before he became a priest for his Deity, Amaura. He cares deeply for everybody, but has a flawed understanding of how to show that care.
Pronouns: He/Him
Sexuality: Pansexual
Age: 24 Years old
Location: The Forest
Relations: Fin (Ex-partner), Tyan (Sibling), Gladys (Mother)Tyan Eiserne is a white mouse who was born and raised in Highlands County by her single mother, Gladys. Although raised under the same influence as her brother, she never followed in the religious pathways set before her. Due to an accident as a teenager, she always wears a perfectly opaque veil in public. She is antisocial but very caring and self-aware.
Pronouns: She/Her
Sexuality: Fem-lean Bisexual
Age: 24 Years old
Location: The Forest
Relations: Ryan (Girlfriend), Kvarcus (Sibling), Gladys (Mother)Gladys Eiserne is a white mouse who moved to Highlands County after divorcing her husband, opting to raise her two children alone in a more inclusive environment instead of the traditional Eiserne tradition of sheltering the young. She is stubborn and a control freak, opting to always take charge in any situation.
Pronouns: She/Her
Sexuality: Straight
Age: 55 Years old
Location: The Forest
Relations: Kvarcus (Child), Tyan (Child)Dakota Mattson is a black-wooled sheep who moved to Highlands County after family disputes at their homestead, preferring to live in a capitalism-free community where most people are welcomed with open arms. They openly worship the moon and are most commonly seen at nighttime at the arcade on The Beach's boardwalk, chatting up Fittle while grabbing a bubble tea, or visiting friends in The Forest.
Pronouns: They/Them or He/Him
Sexuality: Male-lean Bisexual
Age: 20 Years old
Location: The Beach
Relations: Fittle (QPP), Jordyn (Girlfriend)Fittle Redwood is a barn owl who accidentally moved to Highlands County after smuggling himself on a train to escape his hometown that ridiculed him for being himself for his entire life. He is an extremely timid introvert who would probably explode at any loud noise. He is earnestly looking for someone to move to The Forest with.
Pronouns: He/Him or They/Them
Sexuality: Gay
Age: 20 Years old
Location: The BeachJordyn Reid is a bombay cat that was born and raised in Highlands County, being raised in The Forest but moving to The Beach on a later occasion to pursue her true talent: prostitution. She is extremely loud and will absolutely sit on you, either it be on purpose or on accident. Either way, she's not getting up.
Pronouns: She/Her
Sexuality: Bisexual
Age: 20 Years old
Location: The Beach
Relations: Bryn (Boyfriend)Lillian "Lily" Hirana is a chihuahua who moved to Highlands County after growing her botany vlog to a wide audience. After she realized that this kind of internet fame isn't what she wanted, she used her generated revenue to move to Highlands. She is a complete recluse who prefers to spend more time with plants than with other people.
Pronouns: She/Her
Sexuality: Pansexual
Age: 19 Years old
Location: The Forest
Relations: Tyan (Ex-girlfriend), Kai (QPP)KA1-TA (also known as Kai) is an emotional support robot that was built as a test-run for a larger product line, but was eventually scrapped. After being found by Lillian on the side of the road, it was found that Kai had a far superior intelligence and emotional maturity, and it was also found that Kai had an artificial intelligence that completely mimicked a person's ability to comprehend thoughts. Kai doesn't know boundaries and will randomly pop up at random and give you a hug when you need one.
Pronouns: Any
Sexuality: Omnisexual
Age: ??? Years old
Location: The ForestRyan Alden is a cow who was raised in Highlands County and always believed that strength is the most important part of a person, but where that strength lies is what makes a person who they are. She is an emotionally mature woman who'll happily drop all of her work to ask you if something's wrong, but not before devouring a plate of gravy on her way.
Pronouns: She/Her
Sexuality: Lesbian
Age: 26 Years old
Location: The Forest
Relations: Tyan (Girlfriend)Ashlotte Lavender is a fluffy dragon who works at a makeup store with Jess. Although he's begrudgingly friends with a lot of people, he tries to come around eventually.
Pronouns: He/Him or They/Them
Sexuality: Gay Asexual
Age: 22
Location: The BeachJaryn Legare is a cat who doesn't currently live in Highlands County, although they know everybody there through the medium of video calls. Never being able to leave a hospital for more than a few days at a time, their mental and physical conditions left them extremely pessimistic but hopeful for the future.
Pronouns: They/Them
Sexuality: Aroace
Age: 19 Years old
Location: ???
Relations: Fin (Their only friend)Levi Ignius is a dragon who served one purpose in his life, and that was to inconvenience everybody else around him with increasingly spiteful and hateful bullying. He hates everything and everyone, including you mister/missus/mx Levi x Reader fic writer, sorry.
Pronouns: He/Him
Sexuality: Apathsexual
Age: 23 Years old
Location: ???Cervantes is an old God that gave up their divinity to live with mortalkind. They struggle to keep up with the typical norms that are held by The Highlands, but they're trying their hardest.
Pronouns: They/Them
Sexuality: Omnisexual
Age: ???
Location: The Beach
Relations: Amaura (Extremely bitter enemy)Amaura is an old God with limitless knowledge on the world, how it operates, and how to play the yo-yo. Although kind and welcoming at first, churches under her influence are said to have disastrous consequences on her followers, although that's not entirely proven.
Pronouns: She/Her
Sexuality: Aroace
Age: ???
Location: ???
Relations: Cervantes (Extremely bitter enemy)
The Archive
Welcome to the archive! This is where you can read the available stories I've wrote.
Welcome to the archive! This is where you can read the available stories I've wrote! Currently I only have a handful, but more will be added periodically!1. Migration Pt. 1 (CW: Implications/discussions of abuse, neglect, transphobia)2. Creation Pt. 1
2-2. Creation Pt.23. Wilting With The Flowers (CW: Discussion of depression)4. Inner Voices, Inner Turmoil (CW: Discussion of mental illness)To Be Written:
Deadly Hospitality
A Family In Shreds
Hot Springs
Hotfix
Illusory Sense