“But your film sounds awesome and now you’ve got secret funding. That’s a good start for a heist, right?” — Spoilers for Grand Theft Sorcery follow.
A seemingly young woman experienced with the Shadows. She first appeared in Grand Theft Sorcery.
Biography[]
Sunday was born in the early 19th century into a family which moved from Mexico to the Los Angeles area. At age eighteen she was abducted by a Practitioner who intended her as the sacrifice in a ritual of immortality. For unknown reasons the ritual backfired: the intended beneficiary died and Sunday ended up aging very slowly and being resurrected if she died. With time she found other people of the Shadows, and she started to work as muscle for hire.[1][2]
“Mercenary, you could say. I don’t advertise the resurrection stuff, but people know I’m tough. They know I get shit done.”
— Sunday, Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 5
She lived in Los Angeles for most of her long life, but had also done some traveling, partially for curiosity and partially in order to conceal her lack of aging. In the mid-50s she was deported to Mexico during Operation Wetback, and it took her a decade to rebuild her old life in Los Angeles.[3]
She was in a serious relationship with Omar for a period, but he broke with her when his family would not accept her.[4]
Possessed by Nahash[]
Sunday investigated the disappearance of young people some time after her break with Omar. Anatole learned of this and offered to help, but it was a trap. She was abducted herself, and became used as the host for the demon Nahash.[2]
The possesssion brought several changes to Sunday. Nahash suppressed Sunday’s original personality, conscience, and ego, with the demon ascendant, but otherwise took over her life and livelihood. He took sporadic missions from Anatole and other patrons Sunday wouldn’t work for, and killed or hurt more people, but was otherwise fundamentally lazy. Among other things, she assisted in the capture of Barstow and murdered Spencer Wood. It also brought changes to diet, clothing, and taste in entertainment.[2][4]
Bodily changes included the increased strength, endurance, and speed common to all demons wearing human skins. The body became much more flexible, and could develop snake-like characteristics like poisonous fangs and reptilian eyes.[1] The body also shed its skin, though this was not described closely.[2]
Sunday heard of Evan Murphy from Anatole after the Hill house party and was the first to track Evan down. She confronted him outside his apartment but was killed by Evan in the following fight.[1] This separated Nahash from Sunday, and banished him back to Hell.[5] Sunday herself was resurrected with her original personality restored.[6][2]
Meeting Evan[]
Sunday tracked down Evan again, rescuing him from some of Anatole’s muscle outside the Santa Monica Elites. The two formed a tentative partnership, but their first plan to base themselves in Sunday’s house came to naught due to the Baldwin Hills fire. Instead they sought temporary shelter with Sofia.
Together they approached Omar for assistance, but he declined to give any material help. Instead Sunday and Evan planned and executed the hill house heist. This proved a success, and they also gained the loyalty of Barstow. The two began a mutual romance afterwards, feeling they had gained some safety and breathing room.
After a new contact with Omar in order to dispose of some of their loot from the hill house heist they were recruited by Aminah to investigate the ifrit Uthman. This led to the battle of Westview Tower and the immediately following battle of Fifteen Percent. Sunday was killed by Anatole in the opening of the battle, but was resurrected by Evan creating an artificial sunrise in the building.
Personal[]
“I tried the bitter hard-ass vibe. It didn’t fit me an’ didn’t make anything better.”
— Sunday, Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 7
Sunday was very good-looking and naturally easygoing, despite her long life and varied experiences.[7] She considered Los Angeles to be the “best place in the world” and spoke with a Chicano accent.[3][8]
The possession by Nahash left infernal scars on her soul, but her ability to act and reason was not impaired after the possession was released. Her immediate reaction seemed to be primarily anger. Any long-term spiritual or mental consequences are unknown.[2][4]
She sometimes used the aliases Silvia and Ms. Ramirez.[7][8]
Relationships[]
Sunday made her living as an independent non-Practitioner in the Shadows. She appeared to have been well-known and her powers well-respected in the Shadows of Los Angeles.[1][6]
She was single after her relationship with Omar, and but she still had feelings for him, combined with anger over the breakup.[9][4] Matters between her and Omar’s mother Aminah were especially tense due her role during the breakup.[5] During the possession by Nahash, she lost her sex drive and did not date.[4]
Abilities[]
Sunday was an excellent hunter, tracker, and fighter, with plenty of experience of living and moving in the Shadows.[6] Her body became much stronger, faster, more flexible, and likely more durable after the possession by Nahash, but otherwise seemed to be fully or mostly human again. She was an excellent shot with a hand gun, including being able to hit a person from a moving vehicle while hanging out the window.[10][11]
She had knowledge in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.[2][12]
After being killed, she was resurrected the following sunrise or sunset with her body fully healed.[3] There are indications that her body was healed or renewed every sunrise and sunset.[9][11]
She knew some magic but did not think of herself as a Practitioner.[2] Her primary knowledge in magic was in how to counter it.[7][8]
Possessions[]
Sunday lost most of her possessions in the fire that destroyed her home in Baldwin Hills. Her only known possessions afterwards were those that Evan managed to rescue, including some keepsakes, jewelry, and a set of weapons.[3] It is unknown if she had access to other resources through other means.
Her pair of old-fashioned high-caliber revolvers were saved by Evan from the fire. She made bullets made of iron and silver for them, which were highly effective against many supernaturals.[13][11] The revolvers are her favored projectile weapon, but she usually used modern pistols since they were less easily tied to her.[3] Her preferred melee weapon is a hatchet. Against jinn she hsd a dagger made of iron.[14]
Sunday’s revolvers[]
Known facts about Sunday’s pair of revolvers:
- Old, with long barrels[3]
- Fired rounds made of iron and silver[13]
- Produced plenty of smoke[10]
- Used cartridges[10]
- Used large-caliber rounds[11]
- Probably chambered for six rounds[10]
This above would fit both the Smith & Wesson Model 3 and the Colt Single Action Army using modern black powder.
Theories[]
Compare Shannon Abrams who also became a carrier of a demon, though with the demon dormant rather than the human, and with possibly fewer physical changes.
It is unclear what caused the original immortality ritual to backfire on the Practitioner. It might be wholly natural, that the ritual caused great strain on the Practitioner’s body, or it might be the intervention of Sunday’s guardian angel, presuming she had one at the time.
It is implied that Nahash and Anatole plotted to allow Nahash to approach and possess Sunday. The rumors of her longevity might be one reason for that interest. In any case, Nahash and other demons viewed Sunday as a very valuable host and asset to claim.[5]
Sunday’s birth name is unknown. One guess is that she was named Dominica—Domingo is Spanish for Sunday, and Dominica is the Latin feminime form.
Trivia[]
Nahash means “serpent” or “snake” in Hebrew, and talks about themselves as “the serpent”.[15][1]
Sunday’s appearance and backstory was changed considerably through revisions of “Celestial Navigation”.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 2
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 5
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 6
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 10
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 20
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 4
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 7
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 19
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 9
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 14
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 16
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 8
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 11
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 22
- ↑ Nahash on wikipedia.