#Seer mun and I are questioning what it could be

[askmercenary]

Handle bean Naib with care (please don't eat them)

[He's chillin with a mystery sprout dw]

[withwitandhope]

The Traveler's Guide

Hello there! This is an RP blog for the Eighth Doctor, from the Doctor Who movie, Night of the Doctor, the Big Finish Doctor Who Monthly Range, and the Eighth Doctor Adventures audio series, primarily. As this is a sideblog, any follows or likes will be from @just-kept-running. Below the cut you will find blog rules, the Doctor's bio, a bit about how the Doctor is played here, and a brief mun bio.

Conventions of the Shadow Proclamation

This blog is selective and non-exclusive for IC interactions.

I reserve the right to refuse an RP for any reason. (Though in most cases I'll at least explain what the reason is.)

Mun and muse are both well over 25.

I will not RP with any mun who does not have listed somewhere on their blog that they are 18+.

No god-modding. (Please see the "Abilities and RP section for more info.)

Please do not like open starters you do not intend to reply to.

DO NOT reblog RP threads you are not involved in. I block for this.

There may be smut on this blog. These interactions will be much more selective.

I will not answer NSFW anon prompts.

NSFW material will be tagged "nsft." ("Not safe for Tumblr," as the site has gotten very weird about that in the last 5 years or so.)

The trigger tag is "tw: [trigger]." So, for instance, "tw: violence."

If you need something beyond the usual triggers tagged, please let me know.

OOC posts will be marked with // at the beginning and a tag denoting the post is OOC.

The mun is not the muse. Just because Eight has said or done something in a thread, that does not mean I condone it in real life.

This blog is OC, crossover, and multi-muse friendly.

If your muse is not someone Eight could be expected to know on the basis of his canon, he will not know them immediately unless we have discussed this ahead of time.

Ever the Optimist

Eight's about page info will be moved here soon. In the meantime, it can be found here on browser or mobile browser. This page does not show in the app. This portrayal is based primarily on the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie, the short feature Night of the Doctor, the Big Finsh Doctor Who monthly range, and the Big Finish Eighth Doctor Adventures audios. There may also be references to the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels, the various Eighth Doctor comics timelines, and various bits of Faction Paradox. The nebulous world of Doctor Who is just complicated like that...

That Which Rassilon Feared (Abilities)

Eight has some inhuman abilities that will likely come up in threads. These include:

Touch-telepathy

Empathy

Foresight

Knowledge of history

Touch-telepathy:

All Time Lords are telepathic. However, this ability varies from one Time Lord to the next. This is one ability in which the Doctor is actually quite weak. He can communicate telepathically with any person or species that are strongly telepathic, such as the Ood and other Time Lords, but he has difficulty communicating across any significant distance. He is also not able to exert any influence over another person, telepathic or not. In order to communicate telepathically with a non-telepathic entity, such as a human, he must be touching them.

Empathy:

While the Doctor is terrible at telepathy, he is a fairly strong empath. He is usually able to pick up on even a non-telepathic being's emotions pretty clearly even without touching them.

Foresight:

Seers are uncommon, but not unheard of, amongst Gallifreyans of all races. Generally, in order to be considered a true seer in Time Lord society specifically, the Time Lord in question must have this ability across all regenerations. However, the Doctor only has this ability during their Eighth regeneration. Eight is able to "see" the threads of different possible timelines and discern which is the most likely to occur. He does not have as much control or insight as a non-Time Lord Gallifreyan might, however, and these things often come to him in flashes.

Knowledge of History:

This is less an "ability" and more just the fact that the Doctor is a Time Lord. He has extensive knowledge about the history of the universe of linear time and some knowledge beyond that.

Use in RP:

These abilities are likely to come up in threads. However, if there is an instance in which this would have a measurable effect on the scene playing out, I will consult with my RP partner about it. Eight will not be able to influence your muse telepathically regardless, as he’s just not a strong enough telepath. However, he is likely to pick up on any strong emotions your muse is feeling. Any and all use of these abilities, though, is something I'm happy to discuss. I don't want to end up god-modding your muse any more than I want you god-modding mine.

Who is the Author

Hello! I'm C.S., also known as Cyan. I'm genderqueer and use they/them or xe/xir pronouns. I've been a Whovian for basically my entire life, having grown up on Four and Six reruns. Eight, though, is my favorite. I can remember watching the movie when it premiered back in 1996 and I fell down the rabbit hole of Eight's EU appearances after suffering a back injury. I couldn't do much, but I could certainly put in headphones and listen to audio dramas. I've been writing various Doctor Who characters on Tumblr since 2013, though I've had a bit of a gap in that. (I've still been part of Tumblr RP that whole time, I just haven't been RPing in this fandom that whole time.) I'm very much looking forward to getting back to writing Eight!

[blindedguilt]

What made you pick up this character? 7. What’s the best thing about the canon you are writing?

Mun Ask Meme||TW: Mentions of Paedophilia, suicide. Long post ahead fhfjfjdj

1. What made you pick up this character? //In short, a lot of things: For starters, I was getting sick and tired of the bullshit from my old fandom and was basically ready to up and leave the moment I found something that had caught my interest — Well, some way or another I remembered Drakengard and started playing it again and was like “Damn this metal as hell”. Leonard had always caught my eye in part just because his whole struggle, ending, and general character arc in terms of how he perceives other characters and himself throughout the course of the story. And of course, the fact that they went there with him just absolutely blows my mind. Paedophillia is something that, while becoming a bit more commonplace, is hardly ever seen in fiction and RARELY ever handled with as much sensitivity as it was in Leonard’s case. Many times it is used for the sake of shock value or just introducing an antagonist, but moreso the disease itself is what’s shown/explored than the relation of the inflicted to that disease. Instead of being written as the traditional image of “nabs kids from the park and murders them” sort of thing that’s commonly represented with paedophiles in media, Leonard is written more along the vein of just…. Being a guy who happens to have the disease? While it plays a heavy part in his character, very little is the disease itself as much as it is his depression caused by it (particularly the role it played in the deaths of his little brothers) and his struggles to keep it in control. That, and the survivour’s guilt he feels after his brothers deaths is just… The suicidal aspect of his character just nailed those feelings to a T. “I am already dead. Where this body drops and rots is of no matter now.” Is probably just,,,, one of my favourite quotes of his because of not just how fucking metal it is but the fact it just,,, encapsulates what it feels like to come out of something absolutely traumatic and not seeing the point of life burdened by what could have been or just constantly being burdened by that depression/feeling of emptiness to where you don’t even want to deal with it anymore. They got that so, so perfectly. His will to do what’s right and seek redemption on top of being a generally soft-hearted and gentle person outside of his disease, paired with his weakness and cowardice to actually get the only form of redemption he believes is fitting for his “inclinations” + leaving his brothers to die while he was out occupying himself, AKA literal suicide, is just…. It’s such a struggle? And I love being able to write it. Leonard’s are like onions, they have layers. So that brings us back to the story where I had re-entered my Drakengard phase and then saw @voicelesshatred‘s blog on a Tumblr search (They’re a fucking AMAZING Caim RPer I highly recommend you check them out if you’re looking for new writing partners or just some amazing writing in general tbh) where I started to get ideas and was like “holy shit there’s a DOD rpc? That’s lit” and THAT’S when I started considering doing Leonard.  I almost didn’t do it lmao because of his whole deal with paedophilia I was kinda unsure I even could do it, not to mention how I just,,, was scared of the backlash I’d get playing him. I didn’t want people to think anything wrong of me like that I endorsed or undermined it, so I was pretty on the fence???? I was literally so, so close to doing Seere lmao eventually I decided, “Fuck it, I’ll try” not expecting it to last for over a week and this blog blew the fuck up. So I was like “??????? Okay! I guess this went way better than I expected it to.” I deleted my old fandom account, and have stayed here ever since~  7. What’s the best thing about the canon you’re writing? Lordy if my long-winded reply for the first question didn’t give it a hint chefjvhfndnf I feel like it’d be a bit repetitive since I already covered a lot of the big points but in short:  Leonard is an interesting guy. He has so many different things to write in regards to him and his personality; whether it’s his suicidal thoughts/survivours guilt he’s dealing with in being pitted against his own fear of death (which I really want to touch on more tbh), or just exploring more into the nature of his paedophilia and hammering home how much of an uphill battle it really is (Particularly where Seere is involved), I want to think about how Leonard would respond to different things that weren’t seen in the game, even if it is just confusion half the time lmao In regards to the two things I just mentioned though, I myself go back and forth on whether or not to touch more on/really hammer it home a LOT of times, whether in how I respond to things (when given the opportunity) or just writing about it in drabbles. It’s something I’d love to just,,, break down and examine, but on the other hand it can’t be pretty hard and uncomfortable to try and write that sort of thing — And while that certainly is the point, I want people to be disturbed and grossed out so they too can kind of get a better glimpse into his character, I don’t want to go overboard and have them getting TOO repulsed to where it just comes off as simple shock value or scares them off.  All in all, being able to round this guy out like puddy and make him feel more human than ever before by relating his established layers to different interactions and events is amazing and I love it. Adding even more depth to an already deep character is an EXPERIENCE 

[fatebreaking-a]

Tagged by : I am a thief. ( Stolen from @starthieve​ ) Tagging : steal it from me.

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

( I will not, I will pick all my muses, how dare- I’ll leave everything except this blog + my other Sona blog out, for length’s sake.) long post, so it’s under the cut.

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless /

Is your character popular in the fandom?  YES-ish / NO. ( people who like her like her, and people who don’t... really don’t. )

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK.

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK.

Are they underrated?  YES / NO.

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

Were they relevant for the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG.

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

How strictly do you follow canon?  — lol. I take inspiration from canon, let’s put it that way.

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.  —  Your local patron saint of lost causes, a heroic entity who has overcome betrayal and judgement to become an existence that can save the world. Also she’s tall and strong and hot and nice, what more could you want? Huh? You want more than being hugged by a 6′4″ lady??? Sona can also be in various countries, and can participate very easily in fluff, angst, and all sorts of other types of threads.

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  —  Lots of angst and drama, a bit of a loner with a distant vibe. Having no etwahl and not playing music kills the interest and ‘usual interactions’ for a lot of people, and being mute & not jumping to telepathy can make threads dry and slow. Being a ‘sexy boob lady’ ( u g h ) also has painted her in a certain light - I’ll never forget that someone said that ‘ofc everyone ships with Sona, she’s the village bicycle.’ I’ve made her exceptionally strong ( almost overpowered ), and that doesn’t jive with people sometimes - shoving in all these themes that I personally like and crafting an interesting story of a divine / demonic seer witch who doesn’t know what to do with herself, is finally ‘too strong’, and finds power distasteful... The themes can be a little depressing and cold, even when she acts nice. And seeing “Even though she feels nothing, she still acts nice” in character can feel... tiring. A mute is not an easy person to write with, and I don’t shy away from trying to give the impression that ‘waiting for Sona to communicate can be tiring’ - because I want my readers and mutuals to feel the kinds of things she goes through everyday. While I try to make the blog accessible, Sona has a speech disability, and that can be tiring.

Also that she doesn’t act like a fancy noble... I don’t know. I feel like the way that I write her is very, very different to the fandom’s impression of her, and that leaves people disillusioned. “This isn’t what I expected or signed up for.” She’s just not that person... And because she doesn’t speak, a lot of prompts are off limits. I’ve also recently reset because I wanted to emphasize that she is patient, grim, and secretive while still being kind. I’ve toned down her tendency for mischief a lot, she used to be an absolute gremlin.

A lot of these things also apply to my other Sona blog ( @virtuous-dignity​ ), where she is extremely structured and self-confident and a bit of a recluse, so while she’s much much nicer, she’s also a complete hardass. It’s rough stuff, especially since I make sure to point out, “hey this Sona practices music over 8 hours every day.” “Hey this Sona finds it morally wrong to play music for small audiences.” There are certain traits that just cut ideas in the bud.

What inspired you to rp your muse?  —  I played Sona a lot in bot lane. Multiple years of sexist remarks, shitty writing, and bad characterization made me frustrated. A lot of things were left unexplained and the etwahl felt like too much of a focus that I could not answer, “who is Sona besides a musician with a fancy instrument”. She has to be someone, right? But we never get to that in the story ( nor in the apparent upcoming lore rework either... ). She has to be someone, her being a famous musician is not everything. So I forcibly tossed aside the music part, especially to also prevent accidentally being pulled into ‘your music is so pretty’ plots. Plus: I wanted to write a character with an internal conflict who was going through some things but wanted to be nice anyway - I believe in that idea a lot. And I wanted to write a character that, tbh, could ship and flirt and just... be flirty and easy going more ( hah! didn’t work out so great now! ). My first canon characters were a ‘left by the void Malz’ dealing with his sins and Ori, who I talk about below, and neither were really great for getting that flirty vibe out. I also really wanted to emphasize that... Well, to be blunt, that if I wrote Sona as sexually promiscuous, that wasn’t a bad thing. That ‘being sexy’ and ‘sex positive’ did not equal ‘objectified tiddy witch’ and ‘perfect candidate for oppai mouse pad’ and other things I’ve heard directed at me in my league experience. Many, many things. Ugh. It kind of did end up turning into a thing where Sona herself draws an interesting line between ‘haha I can tell everyone’s looking at me with those eyes and it’s the fucking worst’ and ‘ok but I trust you and am in bed with you, so I want you to grab me’ - but that’s getting more into ns/fw topics so I’ll leave it there. 

What keeps your inspiration going?  —  All my characters tend to be expressions of myself, as well as answering important thematic questions, like “What does it mean to be rejected by your home and no longer have a place”, and some other stuff. I usually go back to that. Plus, exploring concepts around abandonment and loneliness is something I do a lot with her - feelings of neglect and disillusionment, and ideas surrounding “do I need to like someone or be liked by someone to treat them with dignity”. ( virtuous-dignity, on the other hand, was created because I wanted to write something as soft and uwu as possible, and then it turned into something about ‘balancing dignity for oneself with duty to others’ and handling those kinds of conflicts. )

I also really do enjoy, on some level, turning people around on these characters. “You made me care about character x” is such high praise.

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless /

Is your character popular in the fandom?  YES / NO.

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. ( idk, how many of you think robots are hot- )

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. ( I think people downplay Ori’s intelligence a lot, but Riot also casually implied she did open heart surgery on herself so??? )

Are they underrated?  YES / NO.

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

Were they relevant for the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG.

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

How strictly do you follow canon?  — hahahahahahaha. hah. hah. Sorry. Everything I write is divergent by default.

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.  —  A genius inventor and cute spherical robot duo who speak to other robots and shoot lightning, run around acting cute, and try to save their city one step at a time - all while dealing with deep existential dread and fighting off a fate that decrees Ori’s death. Between ‘pancake bot’ and Ori being an accidental flirt, there’s plenty of variety and development here as my oldest canon muse. Not to mention that the blog ‘grows’ and ‘changes’, and in the last year, Ori has taken to dying her hair pink ( because Vi is cool is why, just don’t let her near a rifle or she’ll try to imitate Cait ). I also regularly think about / draw different hairstyles and clothing styles. Ori is very much ‘alive’, the most so out of the three muses on this blog. A human that has the memories of being a robot, trying to live on and live a good life. Also, there are bird, angel, and time themes. So many clocks. Mega clocks!

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  —  Deep angst and existential dread, because she knows her fate is to die and she’s cheated time. Themes of dysphoria and other troubling topics abound. Being stuck in time loops, thinking she’s an aberration, needing crutches because her legs stop working, etc.

Also, removing the fact that she is a robotic automaton is a bunch of the appeal of Ori. Or well, it’s what makes her character ‘interesting and unique’ to many. Without that, she is ‘yet another Zaunite’, as the thing that made her most interesting was her death and rebirth. ( Nevermind that her entire story is that she’s a selfless person but- I’m supposed  to act like she’s bad, right? )

What inspired you to rp your muse?  —  Hey remember when institute of war was a thing? And then when it wasn’t? And Ori’s lore was “died to a turret shot trying to be a champion”... and then it was up in the air for two years?

That’s why. If no one else will love her, I will. She deserves better. And then the lore became close to my lore so I rewrote everything a second time trying to stick to the themes I had.

Ori’s thematic question is, “What do you do when you don’t recognize yourself anymore? How do you get back to ‘okay’ and what do you do from there?” It’s a pretty dim question that has a lot to do with body image, but also to do with abandonment and neglect, and  just dropping out of people’s lives. I think that’s something that people can really relate to. I originally wrote her on a multi with a ‘post void Malz’, who was dealing with the trauma of being puppeted around for years and all the things he had done, trying to get back to ‘okay’ without getting killed. More below:

What keeps your inspiration going?  —  Themes as noted above, Ori is super cute, and a lot of my art & general ideas. I’ve kind of turned these three characters in borderline OCs and keep developing them as they grow... Sometimes I think the stories and concepts I’ve written have outgrown the fandom. And thinking about her, and how she would live, and what her story is... mmm.

Also, the themes I write... I think they matter. Maybe it’s not obvious to anyone but myself, but writing a character who feels dysphoria and hates their body for ‘betraying them’... is relatable. It’s not nice. It’s not simple. But it’s relatable and it matters. Ori’s theme on this blog has a lot to do with “fighting a fate that says you’re going to lose and defying expectations” as well as “coming back from something wicked and rotten in your psyche/body”. And I do write some other skin verses for her but they’re all adapted to meet that theme. ( For example, in SG, she rises to guardian after finding out she’s fated to become a dark star and fights that fight alone, because ‘hell no she’s not going to go dark’. This was 5+ years ago back when there were theories SG and DS were same universe. )

Mostly it’s writing about these themes of expectation and reality. Overprotective parent, absentee parent, dealing with trauma... All my writing is like that. It can make my characters seem overly tragic, yes, but these ideas are not so far gone that they’re completely irrelevant and beyond belief. I’m sure many people have experienced emotional exhaustion and problems with body image. Even though I do write ‘polite but ready to fight’ characters only... Well, I believe in exploring and expressing these kinds of problems. Inner conflict and all. But also fluff! Fluff is really nice! Talk to her about pancake robot.

I also really do enjoy, on some level, turning people around on these characters. “You made me care about character x” is such high praise.

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless /

Is your character popular in the fandom?  YES / NO. ( post rework??? oh my god )

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK.

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. ( hard to consider ‘martial’ characters strong when Xer/ath and Syn/dra exist )

Are they underrated?  YES / NO. ( she’s a little overrated, isn’t she?  )

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

Were they relevant for the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG.

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO / MAYBE ?

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

How strictly do you follow canon?  — I still draw from old lore with her big four blades of doom and ‘reviving’ with the help of Raka ( though I leave it vague / easy to gloss over ). I also had a lot of ideas about music and rhythm and tradition before the update ( drums were a big thing for her, so strong percussive beats and motions reign over the more silk and ribbon dances that flow more, drawing on things like Zelos existing, Lito’s lessons & harsh behavior, and her own internalized habits of trying to calm herself ), so I draw on those a ton. For me, the progression is ‘classic’ -> ‘infiltrator / nightblade ‘ -> ‘aviator’ all as one timeline. Also wrote her as being ‘missing in action’, which makes the awaken cinematic weird. I also really try to emphasize that she’s an emotionally stunted wardog with scars and not ultra pretty, so.

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.  —  A world traveler and a wardog, you can find her anywhere, any time, ready to kick some butt and enjoy the local food. Her simmering fury is a counterpoint to her relatively muted demeanor and adventurous spirit. However you may find her, there’s a definite charm to being flown up above the clouds to watch a sunset and talk. She will fly you where you need to be.

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  —  I’m a little stuck on old lore and writing Lia as a character that has “left behind” her past and is pretending to be dead does make certain interactions tough. She’s also a deeply stunted character, emotionally, and I write her ten years of experience as having chilled her to a cold, ever burning ember rather than a passionate flame. Also, ‘aviator’ is kind of weird to handle for a lot of people.

What inspired you to rp your muse?  —  This one is really simple. When this blog started, the only splash where Irelia was smiling was the aviator splash. That’s it. That as the whole reason. “I want her to be happy and have found her happiness.”

What keeps your inspiration going?  —  I will admit that Lia is the character that I give the least attention to out of these three, and part of it is because I don’t really do flirting or shipping with her as much. She’s not one to reach out to others, and there are a lot of popular Lia blogs to the point that when I, as a multi, write with someone... She probably isn’t the first pick.

But I just... want her to be happy. That’s it. As I mentioned with the Ori section, what I’ve worked out for her has kind of outgrown the fandom itself, she’s become a different entity. Her themes largely involve recovery and finding oneself anew, and writing a character that is passionate about others while still being cool-headed is some of the variety I need. Because Lia is ace/homosexual, she sits out on a lot of the flirty content, but the chances I get to write her being romantic and caring... my god. Just a few posts back and forth with @unholyshe​ ‘s Akali and a So/na I used to write with....... Unforgettable. ( On that note go follow @unholyshe​ what a good writer, gosh dang. ) It’s these small interactions I find intensely compelling, and having a ‘quiet intensity’ and really thinking about her body language...

Also it’s nice to write a character with little secret agenda, who is just straightforward. “Will I enjoy kissing you? Only one way to find out. ‘It was okay.’ “ A ‘the only way forward is through, just do it’ attitude is refreshing.

------------------

Learning to write all three characters helps me write the others: The little things I think about that are specific to each person really help me out for the others. The depth of using body language from Sona bleeds into how Lia uses body language, and how Ori doesn’t ( even common ticks ), etc etc. Ori’s blunt, observational style of speaking ( telling you that you look good like it’s an observational fact ) helps me understand how to be straightforward with Lia.

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES …? / NO. ( sometimes I do get very anxious abt it, esp. since I’m so divergent and do things like ‘so/na is one part succubus lol’ )

Do you frequently write headcanons? YES / NO. ( do excerpts count? less headcanons and more musings, since I’m on like 5+ years with 2/3 of these. )

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES / NO. ( time is not a thing but I used to write a ton, my drabble energy goes to novels now )

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day?  YES / NO. ( this is why you see mobile posts from me constantly, and so many excerpts / musings ).

Are you confident in your portrayal?   YES / NO. ( It’s what I want but it can also be disillusioning / disappointing to people so. Dunno. Anxiety. =/  )

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO. ( It takes me a bit to warm up to a character again, but yes. I know my writing is not bad but I can be a little insecure about it. )

Are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO. ( Very. I cry a lot and I get upset pretty easily. Sometimes I end up being really cold instead but idk. )

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?  — To a point. Sometimes criticism is irrelevant or meaningless, or is just personal taste. “Sona shouldn’t be that strong” isn’t helpful ( but thinking about ways to pare down the complexity is good! ) Sometimes I get criticism that is the equivalent of tasting a chocolate cake and going, “It should have been vanilla, I like vanilla better.” That’s cool, but that has nothing to do with the taste of the chocolate cake I made. ( Ori as a human isn’t interesting, talk more about Sona & the etwahl even though it’s broken, Lia flying doesn’t make sense, etc - these are foundational flavors, so what can I do? ).

Also sometimes people make comments that make me feel they’re just being petty / catty and not sincere. I’ve seen quite a few hypocritical comments and it’s hard to take them seriously. So, yes, but ‘to a point’... Mostly I take suggestions, which I then talk about for the muse. Exploring those ideas. Unsolicited criticism is... hmm. In my experience, about half of it isn’t constructive. And from the wrong person, it can sound judgemental. 

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?  — Of course? I love asks. Always. Great. Awesome. If I have a chance to draw to answer these asks, even better.

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?  —  Not really. I’m divergent, they probably disagree because they have a different vision for the character. I’ll be honest here and say I’ve had enough people tell me that “my portrayals are not what they expected” that this can be... disheartening. I usually have a good reason for 80% of my hcs. If we’re talking in IMs though or just conversing, I’m totally fine with it. This comes back to unsolicited criticism - to be a little blunt, some people just straight up don’t know what they’re talking about. And given that I put a bunch of effort in trying to make sure most of my headcanons can be glossed over, so it doesn’t cause conflict and my ‘ultra grim take’ doesn’t cause the end times... I dunno. I’d rather that someone tell me “the kind of interactions they want”, so I can lean into that direction. If you just want fluff, I can leave most of my darker hcs for So/na at the door... But you need to tell me that, so I can work with you. 

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?  — just leave? huh? I mean, I already know people disagree. If you’re not rude, then we’ll just move on and be chill. Otherwise... well, we won’t be chill and you can still go, but I’ll consider you a dick. I don’t expect everyone to agree with “Ori is a human”, but why bring that up to me?

This is why a lot of the time, when people talk about characters and my muses, my brain defaults to “Well that has nothing to do with me.” Why should I invest any time being upset that people are disappointed with my portrayal or I’m not what they expected. It’s exhausting. People have some really strong opinions about Lia and Sona sometimes, but... ‘that has nothing to do with me.’ There’s no point in trying to convince someone to try your flavor of ice cream when they’ve already decided what flavor and toppings they want. It just leads to tremendous insecurity. I should not have to argue that ‘my portrayal is worth paying attention to’. 

Ugh. I might be too sensitive about this. There was a point where people really got in the habit of saying, “this is how character x is” ( not their muse ), and it felt like someone trying to enter my kitchen. It did not feel like a suggestion or an idea. It was an assertive, “this is how Irelia is” by, say... a Ry/ze or Ken/nen blog or something. That felt extremely isolating and alienating to me, because it felt like I could not participate in that conversation at all. Or stuff after. I had to sideline myself, because... that has nothing to do with me or my interpretations. Ofc griping at them is wrong because I know they mean, ‘this is how I see it’, but ye. I’m short tempered and easily upset. Working on it.

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?  — um? bye? hello?

god I used to go “ ok that’s cool you don’t like my portrayal, here are some other great So/na blogs that I love” but I realized that I was directing someone who felt the need to tell me my portrayal or character is bad to those people... and no. no no no. I still feel a little guilty about it, because thinking I directed a toxic person to my duplicates...  yuck.

If you don’t like the characters, or you don’t like my divergent takes, that’s fine. I get it’s not for everyone. Just unfollow me. You’re not paying me. You’re not under any obligation. To an extent, i don’t mind being critical of the character, but there’s a difference between being critical and being hateful to someone’s muse? And it depends a lot on how close I am with a person. For example, I think Sy/las is a complete scumbag and I hate him, but I don’t go yelling that to every Sy/las blog I see. C’mon.

Another bit of salt but it’s... kind of a sad topic, really. There are some characters people love to hate, whereas other ones get the ‘protection squad’. And in general it’s really disheartening to see someone shittalk Lux every two weeks, but go ‘these other champs are off limits’. If you have that attitude, it makes me think you’ll shittalk my characters the moment they get popular ( COUGHIRELIACOUGH ) and that’s kind of sad. And mean. So general advice on this is: Probably just don’t tell someone you hate their muse, you know? Idk. Everyone has their own tolerance level too so. meh.

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?  —  Somewhat.  Not much to say here, sometimes I am very tired, sometimes I comma splice like a madman, sometimes I overuse hyphen dashes to avoid deciding whether to use a comma, period, or semicolon - like this. I don’t need an editor. English is my first language. But if there’s something egregious or you have tips, let me know? I’m someone who looks up grammar rules regularly, and breaks teh rules just as regularly. Knowing when and how to break grammar rules is useful. Though I do tend to... overuse something once I’ve learned it. Hyphen dash, I’m looking at you.

Do you think you are easy going as a mun?   — Yes and no. I’m chill, I can be a little overly passionate, and I’m pretty quick to apologize... But I have certain moral standards and if you break those, you’re done. Also I can be a vengeful bastard. I try to give as much benefit of the doubt as I can and many chances, but I’ve noticed that I really... have a sour attitude towards a lot more people than I expect. Sometimes people who are very well liked, just because they said or did something that ticked me off. Luckily, I have the special skill of not being a jerk even if I don’t like you, and overall trying to be nice to most people, so it usually won’t matter. 

Ah and I can be a little selective in who I talk to / play favorites a bit. I’m a busy person with an adult life and a stressful job, I only have so much patience. I skip from “tolerating it” to “leaving”, and that can seem like I ghosted, but that’s not always the case. Just better to leave than to pick fights. I have some pretty strict standards and harsh opinions. Short temper. Vengeful. Alas.

Somehow people think I am very nice and baby, so take that for what you will. Pft. I just want people to be happy and feel comfortable and okay. Wrong is wrong, blah blah blah ok I stop now.

That’s about it, congrats for filling out!

( If you managed to read all this, with 3 full muses... Let me know, I want to hug you??? )

[blindkarakul]

Long Survey - M’yhe Tia

BASICS.

FULL  NAME :  M’yhe Tia NICKNAME :  Youta, Little Sheep  AGE :  25 Summers BIRTHDAY : The beginning of spring (Apr 13) ETHNIC  GROUP :  Seeker of the Sun / Keeper of the Moon NATIONALITY :  Gyr Abanian LANGUAGE / S :  Huntspeak, Eorzean (Common and Ala Mhigan Dialects) SEXUAL  ORIENTATION :  Homosexual Homoromantic RELATIONSHIP  STATUS :  In a Relationship; Ninka’ir Tayuun HOME  TOWN / AREA :  The Lochs, Gyr Abania CURRENT  HOME : None; Lives with mate in the Lavender Beds PROFESSION :  Diviner, Fortune Teller, Oracle, Ritualist, Bounty Hunter, Absolute Dumbass

PHYSICAL.

HAIR :  Sandy Rose-Blond EYES : Pale Blue FACE :  Thin, Scrappy COMPLEXION :  Deep Tan BLEMISHES :  None SCARS :  Lashing scars across his back, a band around his ankle, a few deep cuts in his abdomen TATTOOS :  Seer’s tattoos around his entire body, white ink HEIGHT :  5 fulms, 3 ilms. WEIGHT :  Trying to steadily pack on some weight-- 118 ponzes BUILD : Lithe and agile, recovering from malnourishment.  FEATURES :  Chalky face paints, bright white eyes, Claws, Snaggletooth Grin ALLERGIES :  n/a. USUAL  HAIR  STYLE :  Cut and groomed short, braids woven at the side of his face and stained red USUAL  FACE  LOOK :  Smudged on face paint, a coy grin USUAL  CLOTHING :   Free and flowing, rough and tumble but dependable

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR / S :  Whips, Dogs Barking, Maggots, Infection, Loneliness. ASPIRATION / S :  Becoming a Fist of Rhalgr. Happiness. A home. Found Family. POSITIVE  TRAITS :  Wise, Caring, Light-Hearted, Fun-Loving, Mischevious, Adventure-seeking NEGATIVE  TRAITS :  Hotheaded, Stubborn, MISCHEVIOUS, Self-depreciating MAJOR ARCANA :  The Hanged Man ZODIAC :  Aries, the Ram TEMPERAMENT :  Sanguine  SOUL  TYPE :  The Spiritualist ANIMAL :  The Sheep VICE HABIT / S :  Bullheaded Adventure; they rarely think of the consequences, and would rather have fun first and say sorry later. Very defensive about this. FAITH :  Worship of the Twelve + Tribe Specific Religion; M’yhe’s branch of the M believed in the intrinsic spirit of all things. Everything as it is known was formed by the hands of the twelve, and is derivative of what were once larger spirits. Communication and appeasal of these spirits grants good fortune. Angry spirits that die unhappy turn into spectres, and while the nature of an angry spectre is harmful and dangerous, it is a terrible thing to kill a spirit rather than give it the chance to find peace. GHOSTS ? :  Yes. AFTERLIFE ? :  Yes. REINCARNATION ? : Yes. ALIENS ? :  Maybe? He doesn’t often think about it. EDUCATION  LEVEL :  Has never been in a school, but has had various tutors over the course of his life.

FAMILY.

FATHER :  Unknown Keeper of the Moon; whereabouts unknown MOTHER :  M’iraa Vuehe, deceased (haunts as a spectre) SIBLINGS : M’iaho Nunh, adoptive brother, alive. M’koyo Tia, adoptive brother, alive. EXTENDED  FAMILY :  M’ahsasha Vuehe, adoptive mother, deceased. M’ahli Jedte, adoptive mother, unknown. M’rhaxis Tia, tribe brother, alive. M’zhrii Zurrie, tribe sister, alive. M’zhbi Zurrie, tribe sister, alive. J’kebun Tia, half-tribe cousin, alive.  NAME MEANING / S :  ‘Yhe’ is an utterance in M Tribe Huntspeak, often used to indicate positive affirmation, or sometimes joy.

FAVORITES.

BOOK :  Anything Ninka’ir reads to him DEITY :  RHALGR, the Destroyer HOLIDAY :  Winter’s Knell MONTH :  ‘Budding Season’ in Gyr Abania SEASON :  Spring PLACE :  Ninka’ir’s Apartment + The Velodyna River WEATHER :  Warm Sun and Cooling Breezes SOUND / S:  Ninka’ir’s Voice and Music SCENT / S :  Rose, Chamomile, and Frankincense TASTE / S :  Savory and/or spicy FEEL / S :  Silk and/or Leather NUMBER :  What The Fuck Come After Seven? (n/a) COLORS :  Red, Purple, Blue, Black, White.

EXTRA.

TALENTS :  Fighting, Charisma, and Healing. BAD  AT :  Being decent. And most tasks that require eyesight. TURN  ONS :  Ninka’ir Tayuun TURN  OFFS :  Whips!! Shit, dude. HOBBIES :  Training, Painting, Fortune Telling QUOTE : “A hurrrting hearrrt is not so weak as you have been lead to believe.”

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 :  If you could write your character your way in their own movie,  what would it be called,  what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about? A1 :  Blood Moon; an action packed drama about M’yhe’s life growing up and the pitfalls that make him eager to seek happiness and redemption in his current life. 

Q2 :  What would their soundtrack/score sound like? A2 :  IT... VARIES... But honestly I’ve always been a fan of folk music, and so has M’yhe. Music by Blanco White is pretty close.

Q3 :  Why did you start writing this character? A3 :   I made M’yhe around 6 months into having started FFXIV. My ex and I were trying a new server, and making alts there. I had a previous M tribe character, M’iaho, who I made because the more I learned about the plight of Gyr Abania, the more the concept of a tribe from Gyr Abania became interesting for me. But M’iaho was a very irresponsible Nunh who claimed his title by accident, and as fun as that was to play, I wanted someone who was a bit more grounded and grumpy. M’yhe was actually supposed to be a bunny from the Gold Saucer who just happened to be able to read fortunes AND was from Ala Mhigo, but I became really invested in him and his character. He was interesting to me because of his background in the occult, and so he just grew from there (and I ended up leaving the Bunny concept behind). He would always be my favorite go-to character that I would play when I needed to get into a place of destress. Because he was so seemingly carefree on the surface, his natural mischief made his interactions with others fun, and helped me branch out and find new friends when I needed it most. Toward the end of my relationship, I would use him as a crutch to give me a happy place to turn to. I placed so much love and work into him that when I finally made the decision to be free for myself, I took him with me. And while he grows, I continue to grow too. So... he’s a very personal character that was kind of born out of my subconscious desire to break away and be free. And now that we’re both in happier places, I’m relishing getting to play him growing as a person. World knows I am too.

Q4 :   What first attracted you to this character? A4 :  Honest to god I just wanted another catboy? But one that I could connect with more. The first two I made were fun, but not what I was looking for in terms of a character. Also yeah, all the above stuff too. I wanted to explore the concept of finding personal freedom after being in a place where I didn’t feel like I had much.

Q5 :  Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse. A5 :  M’YHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A LOT RUDER but I’m too soft to be terribly mean. Each time M’yhe makes a stupid life decision a little part of me dies.

Q6 :  What do you have in common with your muse? A6 :  We’re both adept tarot readers! But that was obvious. So less obvious is that we would both kill for oranges. (I can’t eat oranges though, sadly, because I’m allergic to them, so I get to live my citrus impulses through M’yhe). 

Q7 :  How does  your muse feel about  you? A7 :  Real talk I don’t think M’yhe would find me especially interesting and I don’t blame him.

Q8 :  What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with? A8 :  Because he’s such a charismatic character... really he can bounce off of just about anyone? But I really like the characters that are able to peel away his charismatic exterior and get to actually make him act as the kinder and softer person he can be deep down. I like the people who get him to say his cryptic wise quotes without a shred of sarcasm. M’yhe is a very manic character and can sometimes feel so on top of the world that when he’s grounded and serious are sometimes my favorite times to write him.

Q9 :  What gives you inspiration to write your muse? A9 :  Music, honest to god just me imagining scenarios... and also my lovely as FUCK Free Company, Nightraid. As well as Coeurl’s RP community as a whole. I mean, I know it’s cliche to say. But I have a lot of people there who plot and poke fun at scenarios with me, they always keep me on my toes and keep me thinking of the next story beat. They’re all amazing and lovely people, and while there are things I miss about being on a more populated RP server like Balmung or Mateus, Coeurl is my home and damn if it isn’t M’yhe’s too.

Q10 :  How long did this take you to complete? A10 :  Do I mention the fact that I finished like half of this and then took a 3 month hiatus or what

Tagged by: No one I stole this but I caN’T REMEMBER WHO I STOLE FROM.... I think @huntspeak​

Tagging: ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO THIS! Also;

@akaiwakizaka @unatobajhiri​ @impure-ivory @sangria-fangs @donpom-house-of-alts  @of-shadow-and-storm @renofmanyalts@fakuboy@weaveroftruth @amurr-reha @rkhdaj-tia @khabataaq-buduga @ballade-du-mage  @ofmasters@divineseer-marcella @lavender-hemlock @yululu-and-co @sedatayuun @ritsuka-aoki  @an-honest-waltz​ @alusbeauregard​

(For a character of y’alls choice, for you multimuse buddies)

It’s been a while since I was really active, so I thought I’d do a big comprehensive on M’yhe’s character again!

[hyperdrivehearts]

Is the number ask thing still something you do? If so, 2, 15 and 18 please ^-^

QUESTIONS FOR THE MUN, REGARDING THE MUSE

(Always accepting these anon!! Seeing people ask me things (especially strangers on anon– it makes me happy that people are interested in my muses!!))

2. What made you decide to write this muse? 

Kalin and Yusei have always been my favorite 5ds characters, ever since it originally aired in Canada! There’s this channel called YTV (youth television) that had a Saturday morning bit called Crunch where you’d get your regular Saturday morning cartoons, and in the early afternoon some anime would air! It was always in this order: Beyblade Metal Fight, Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, Pokemon Diamond & Pearl.) My parents were and are seperated, so I was only able to catch episodes every second week (I relied heavily on the previous episode recaps but it would mess me up when things would have repeats) had a very hard time remembering the name of 5Ds for some reason, and was never able to catch up online of missed episodes like I did for beyblade.

Because I never could catch up on what i missed, I didn’t get back into YGO as a whole until 2012, where I originally wrote Yusei on wattpad in my original Dark Signer AU. (He had a really cool old lady seer for a friend (who was supposed to be Carly’s grandma(??)) and I had a self insert OC who was Crow’s sister and was supposed to be Yuseis love interest (how how far I’ve come.) ANYWAYS what I’m getting at here, is that Yusei has been a muse of mine since like 2012.

I rewatched 5D’s in about…..2016?? Maybe later????And then again not long after I met Kasa ( @soulburnings ) on her Manjoume blog, and then Kasa made her Yu boys blog, and THEN HER CURRENT BLOG FOR TAKERU and it’s Kasa’s fault entirely for getting me back into YGO. Since Kalin and Yusei were my faves back then (What can I say?  I love batshit murderers and cool bro characters– I have terrible tast,) it only felt natural to gravitate back towards them.

TLDR: Blame Kasa. Ily Kasa.

15. Would you like your muse as a person if you met them in real life?

Yusei could get along with a fucking LAMP POST honestly. He’s friendly, understanding, a bro, and he’s very patient with people and always sees the best in them. I feel like he’d be a person you could spill tea to, and he’d never tell a soul.

Kalin on the other hand…. not so much. Enforcer!Kalin would have definitely been someone I could get along with, while Dark Signer!Kalin would, y’know, try to kill me as one does. My Present!Kalin and hell, even canon Present!Kalin, are not a) approachable, b) are very open c) they both have the habit of shoving people away. And like, I also self project onto Kalin A LOT, and something that not a lot of people seem to realize that if you met someone so similarly like you, ESPECIALLY in the negative aspects, you probably wouldn’t get along that well and butt heads.

18. What aspect of your muse’s personality is most important to you? What aspect of your muse’s personality do you think is most important to them? Is it the same? Why or why not? 

Unpopular opinion: the fandom likes to make Yusei seem like an “uwu good cinnamon roll boi who can do no harm uwuwu” so for me, personally, it’s very important to acknowledge that he has one hell of a petty attitude and temper. It’s established right from episode 1, where he revs his engine because his friends didnt realize he was back home in the subway– he doesn’t say anything (and the reaction of Tank, Nervin, Blitz and Rally implies that this is a regular occurrence with him.) Yusei has shown on multiple occassions that he isnt afraid to throw his disk down and knock sense into someone with his fists. He built another, and better duel runner, to go after Jack solely for his Stardust Dragon card– it wasn’t even a revenge plot, he just wanted what was rightfully his.

(Not to mention, he has one hell of a resting bitch face. He’s scowling so much, I don’t think he even realizes it.)

Despite all of this, from destroying duel disks and decks as an Enforcer, to he and Jack punching each other in the face, I think it’s equally important to know that even when Yusei is being a bit of a prick, he doesn’t hold onto negativity and resent– he essentially doesn’t hold any grudges. (However, he does hold onto grief and sadness, so much so that Luna picks it out while communicating with his duel spirits in the dub.) After he got Stardust back, while he was still rightfully peeved at Jack for his actions, Yusei forgave him and moved on.

Despite all of Yusei’s good qualities, and being an excellent friend, Yusei does have negativity inside of him and that part shouldn’t be ignored. People are not black and white.

As for what he values about himself: nothing. Yusei doesn’t really have an ego. He knows he’s good at dueling, he knows he’s good with technology and mechanics, but hes humble about both things. He doesn’t value one over the other. He loves his friends, and protecting them is second nature to him, but he believes that everyone needs to value the people they’re close to, so it’s not really a part of his personality that he finds the most important.

Honestly, if theres anything that he’d think that’s the most important to him, it’s his pride. I know that sounds selfish, especially when it’s in Yusei’s case, but when Kalin crushed his pride, it shook him to the core where Yusei felt as if he didn’t trust himself dueling. For him, I don’t think its a matter of honour as much as it is a matter of justice. He takes pride in his friends and family, he takes pride in being a Satellite, he takes pride in fighting for the right thing: it’s less about himself than it is about other people.

For Kalin, I’m going to solely focus on my portrayal bc fuck canon, but anyways, it’s his determination to keep fighting, to keep living and knowing that people can change. He probably valuse that part of himself too, but he’d never admit it.  Kalin has literately gone through hell and back, and has come out entirely traumatized, but he doesn’t let that trauma win.

(suicide mentions below.)

Kalin’s suffering from PTSD and depression, and he is suicidal, yet he never truly gives up (until he’s sent to the mines in Crash Town, really.) When he first arrived at Crash Town to die, he could have lost his duel on purpose, but he never did until Yusei showed up. I think a part of it is pride, not wanting to go down without a fight, but I don’t believe Kalin was only fighting other duelists– he was fighting himself and his right to live. He already offed himself in the Facility.

As someone who tried to commit suicide twice, it’s important that Kalin keeps on fighting through it. There’s going to be bad days, days where you can’t leave your bed, days where you let out a nice cry in a hot shower. Keeping yourself going, for any reason, is very important because things do get better. (Im not great, but im better, and so is Kalin.) If that reason is as small as needing to feed your cat, its a good reason to keep going. For Kalin, he wanted to see Yusei once more and then he’d be satisfied.

Kalin’s not perfect, he is an ass and he knows that, but he does want to be better so other things can get better for him and rebound off of each other. (I was a prick too when I was in that mental state.) Things get better, but you also need to take charge and make it better yourself and Kalin knows he can force light into the darkness he was wallowing in for nearly 4 years.

It’s not a personality point, but I’m sure Kalin is just happy to be alive.

[ffxivash]

Your Muse’s Backstory Ashliel‘a Vallenya

OOC answers will be Italic Ic answers will be in normal text 1. Where were they born? What is the story behind their birth, if any? Mun: The alpine forests east of Coerthas. His mother Ashliel fled the Raven clan after becoming pregnant. She feared the wrath of the clan and her mother who is still the matron. She secretly was in love with the Clan’s Seer who happened to be a Seeker. Such things were frowned on, especially seeing her birthright was to be the clan’s priestess. Ash : Mismatched eyes look to the interviewer.  “In the northern woods, it was just me and my mother for the first bit of my childhood.”

2. Has their living situation changed from when they were born?

Min: Yes, though after the age of 8, his living situation changed dramatically after his mother died. Becoming a Imperial Conscript, meant his tribal ways had to be purged from him. He also received a formal education.

Ash: White ears fell to the side as his eyes looked to the floor. “Yes.. Living in the Empire, even as a conscript, is a huge change. Before that I was happily living as a savage in the filth of the forest. I didn’t know any better. Now things are at least better then they were in the Empire. Living near family, having friends, and having choices.” There was a pause as he changed how he was sitting in the plush chair, leaning forward some. “The little ones like what I’m allowed to ware, personal freedoms are a big thing, once you realize what it’s like not having them.”

3. What occupations did their parents have when they were born? Did this job influence your muse in any form?

Min: His mother was a huntress, seeing she ran away before getting the blessing from the Raven Totem. That ever burning need to hunt and find stronger prey is what eventually lead to her long painful agonizing death. Ash was there for her as much as the seven year old could be, but he had no real medical knowledge to really help. Tribal remedies could only go so far. Even before he witnessing her death, Ash made some choices. One was to become a pescatarian, the second was to never follow in her footsteps Ash: “My mother was a savage tribal Huntress, it in the end that is why she died. I’m well beyond that, and I’ve no interest in harming animals for food or sport.” There was a clear tone of disdain in his voice, though Ash’s eyes still kept to the floor.

4. Did they have any childhood enemies? Any friends? Enemies that became friends? Mun: When he lived with his mother, it was only them and the woods. After he was found and conscripted, he was isolated and re-educated. Not wanting his savage ways to infect anyone else. When he was in his late teen years, his purpose was exposed to him. That purpose made him very unpopular with in the castrums his handler brought him to.

Ash: “No. it was just me and my mother.” Pausing Ash took a moment to consider as his gaze went to the interviewer once again. “After that, it was just me and my tech. No, I haven’t really made many friends, or rivals.”

5. What sort of religion was practiced in their home? Did religion play a role in their upbringing?

Mun: His mother was in line to become the next clan priestess. The belief in the gods and Menphina especially, as the Moon Mother of all Keeper Miqo'te. It did, but not in a good way. The Empire sees Gods as something the Savages cling to and use to make Eikons. The re-education Ash went through was mentally traumatic, and one of the things that turned good memories he had of his mother into painful lies.   Ash: “Most Eorzans believe in the gods, my mother was no different.” Shaking his head with a small smirk, like Ash was talking about how the Easter bunny is just a made up to sell chocolate. “I no longer believe in them.”

6. How many siblings did they have? What was their relationship like? Were they an only child who wished for siblings?

Mun: None, it was hard to write such a backstory for one Muse. I was not about to put a second through this tragic backstory.

Ash: “I was an only child. I personally never really thought about siblings, I suppose I didn’t have any other children around to even know it was a thing.” Ash shrugged, “By the time my mother died, we never really had the talk about chocobo’s and the bees.” 7. What is their fondest memory? Their worst?

Mun: His childhood has some wonderful memories, not all of them were corrupted or destroyed by the Empire. The best memory he has, not including recent events, is trying to teach his mother how to fish. 

As for worse, Ash was forced to do things for the Empire that he will never speak about. He has witnessed things that no one should ever see. 

Ash: “After I sworn off meat from animals, I tried to show my Mother how to fish. I was never really taught how, but as a clever child, I fashioned some netting from plant fibers. I didn’t learn there was a tool for that till I was in Eorzea.” Ash’s gaze hardened, and featured darkened as he remembered some of his worst memories. “As for worst, how about I save you the nightmares and keep that to myself. No you don’t have to thank me.”

8. If they could name the worst moment of their life, what would it be? Did this change them as a person or change how they perceived the world, themselves, and others? Mun: Well I would say it would be The Allagan Experimental Weapons Project. Yes, this changed him, the events of it and his initial refusal to follow orders. He realized freedom was not something he would ever achieve. He accepted he was a slave, and a monster for his heinous acts. He will not talk about what he did openly, only to those who he believes needs to know.

Ash: “I was sixteen.” Ash’s white ears flicked back seeing the interviewer had to push the topic. “The Empire had plans for me, those plans, made up the worst moment in my life.” Pain showed in his eyes, and regret. “Yes, it changed me, made me a much colder person, numb to the consequences of my actions. Even though I didn’t have a choice, I feel it has somehow...” There was a pause as he looked down. “...corrupted me. I don’t talk about it unless I feel I have no other choice. I know people will start seeing that as who I am.”

9. If they were to make a timeline with their life events, which ones would they list? Which would they leave out?

Mun: His first and only hunt, his mother’s injury and eventual death, being found by the Empire, the aforementioned worst moment in his life, the day his Father died, the day he escaped the Empire during an attack on Castrum Abania, Aunt Talrhin summoning a void-sent in to his hideout, going to the Scarlet Bloom Inn, meeting his niece, and meeting Lucerna.

He would leave out much that has to do with the artificial Allagan echo, exactly what was done to him by the Empire, things he did for the Empire, the Re-education process, and his first murder.

Ash: “Timeline of events? You’re writing a book aren't you? My first hunt, My mother’s death, being conscripted, escaping the Empire, arriving at The Scarlet Bloom, and trying to understand what it feels like to be in love.” Shaking his head as Ash rubs one of his temples lightly. “I’d leave out a lot of things, as you’ve figured there are things I don’t really want to remember or talk about.”

10. What was the hardest lesson they had to learn as they got older?

Mun: I’d say the hardest lesson was accepting he was a slave.

Ash: “Accepting my purpose within the Empire.” Ash glanced back at the interviewer. “The Empire had a significant impact on my life.”

11. What occupation did your character want to have growing up? Is this the same as what they wish to be, or are in, now?

Mun: He had a lot of dream of what he wanted to be when he was still with his mother. Fisher, taking care of animals, just being a Keeper and exploring the world. No, he didn’t even know about any sort of Tech, or even his own affinity for magic. Now he wishes to learn all there is to know about Allagan tech, find a way to help people with it. Ash: “Growing up?” Pausing for a moment thinking back. “I just wanted to be a savage just like my mother was. Tech wasn’t even a word in my mother’s language. I truly feel I’m destined to work on Allagan tech, my innate abilities should not be wasted. I plan to use it in some way, hopefully to make someone's life better.”

12. Did they face any kind of bullying or abuse growing up?

Mun: Not till he arrived in the Empire. Now I know some Imperial writers out there may try to brush off the brutality of the Empire. In the game there is plenty of lore bits to paint me a pretty straight up picture of who the Empire is. The extend of the abuse, Ash had to endure in the Empire. Is with in my head the same lines as the Re-education I’ve seen in history books done to people in Germany. Even to some extent in Russia with in the last 50 years. Ash: “Yes...” Leaning to the side as his arm rested on the chair, it was clear that was all he was going to say.

13. Are there any moments of their past they keep secret?

Mun: Yes.

Ash: “Yes.”  Ash then just stared at the interviewer waiting for the next inquiry.

14. Did they live near extended family in the past? How did this shape their environment? Are any of their relatives near their age? What are their feelings towards extended family in general? Mun: No he only had his mother growing up. He has since met his Aunt Talrhin, and he was not impressed. She however has her own story on how she became such a twisted corrupted person. He has recently met his niece, Akyhi Tyme. His feeling on his extended family is tainted by the Empire, however he does want to know more about her. Ash: “I only recently learned that I had an extended family. I have no interest in meeting the Raven clan, my mother saw it fit to run away from them.” This question didn’t seem to bother him like the ones before, he looked much more relaxed. “Akyhi isn’t around my age, she is younger by a decade, and still has a lot of the clan’s savage ways.”

15. Would they rather go back and relive their childhood? Why or why not?

Mun: Yes and no. While he does treasure many of the memories he had with his mother, he knows with the good memories comes the bad ones. Can he change things? Can he bring his knowledge of medicine and save her life? Ash: “No, it’s painful to think about my childhood, even the good times with my Mother. She suffered for three months...” He rolled his eyes and corrected himself. “...I mean Moons.” Feeling the need to explain he lowered his voice some in regret. “I don’t know if I’ll ever will get past the Imperial words for the passing of time.” With that out of the way he went back to the question at hand. “My memories and my feelings of my childhood, have been corrupted by my time with the Empire.”

Source:blackcreatiives

[turtle-in-the-mums]

Question for the mun! Do you think every bot is forged to be something specific? Like Ratchet would be forged to be a medic. Or do you think they chose what they do?

(My headcanon is that the majority of bots are Sparked with a “generalist” bot-mode body, capable of doing any number of tasks. I think Vector Sigma does sometimes intentionally skew the Spark specifications of some of the bots it Sparks in order to supply Cybertronian society with a certain minimum population of bots in a profession. Just as some humans seem to be “born to be a doctor”, interested in biology and caring for people from the moment they realize other people exist, some bots emerge from the Well and seem to need only to hear that “medic” is among the available career tracks to choose a profession.)

(The historical caste systems aside, I like to think of the enlightened Cybertronian societies as set up to try and 1) find out what occupation fits a bot’s temperament and capabilities, 2) get that bot trained and placed in that profession, and 3) allow the bot to change his mind and take on a new occupation if he later chooses to. Exactly how it’s handled varies from place to place and depending on the time period–sometimes the intentions match up fairly well with the results, other times, not so much. I vary the details and degrees of inefficiency and oppression depending on the story I want to play out.)

(A job that requires special built-in equipment–like the medical profession–usually involves a prolonged period of training and apprenticeship before the first built-ins are installed, for a number of reasons.)

(Since you mentioned Ratchet–in my head, Vector Sigma didn’t Spark him to be a medic. He came out of the Well with a built-in interest in how small simple parts combine and work together to make large and complex systems–a category that includes but isn’t restricted to living bodies. He could easily have settled into the engineering profession and excelled in it, and he did take some introductory engineering courses and do some of his newspark labor for engineers. Some external factors combined at a critical point in his early life to sway him toward the medical field, and while he might (does) grumble about some parts of his job, he’s a medic to his core and wouldn’t be happy in any other profession. He might not even be able to retire–not completely, anyway.)

(One of the reasons my Prowl is as messed-up as he is is that his designers tried to impose a vocation he wasn’t really suited for on him. In some threads he was Sparked to be Optimus’ Seer–a combination of second-in-command, (nagging) angel on the shoulder, and majordomo with a side order of clairvoyance. In others he wasn’t specifically Sparked to devote his life to advising the Prime and running his administration and he doesn’t have visions–he’s just very, very good at handling logistics and strategy and spotting weaknesses in Op’s reasoning.)

(Optimus himself is a bot in the “wrong” profession. At least he thinks so. He wasn’t exactly happy as a file clerk–his mind was too imaginative and omnivorously inquisitive to be content with just reading and indexing the work of others rather than doing his own original research–but he wasn’t especially unhappy either. Being a leader, especially one who makes life or death decisions and is imbued with religious as well as secular authority, wasn’t something he aspired to, and if his conscience would let him he’d lay down that authority and retire to someplace quiet. Or so he believes. In truth he was Sparked to be a Prime. Vector Sigma tailored his soul for the job, and anyone who thought to look for the signs would have seen them from the very first days of Orion Pax’s life.)

(Megatron is THE cautionary tale about the folly of boxing in a sapient mind. He was assigned to the mines “at birth” and treated as property, but that by itself wasn’t enough to drive him into leading first a protest movement, then a revolt, then a war. Had there been an escape route of some sort, even an incredibly arduous and time-consuming one, he might well have “percolated” up out of the mines and into some other sector of society without hitting the level of despair and desperation that makes the risks of violent rebellion acceptable. Megs is certainly of above-average intelligence and quite adaptable. It’s an interesting question to ponder–what if Megs had been assigned to the mines as a newspark, but told that after some period of time, he’d have a chance to try for something better? Would he have tolerated the injustice if it was a temporary one? It’s still grossly unjust to stamp someone “slave” at birth, but if that slave can metaphorically see a path out from under the injustice, will the slave choose to endure the injustice and wait for the promised opportunity to get out without risk to his life, or will he opt to risk his life to claim freedom right now?)

(At the far extremes of circumstances it’s pretty easy to answer the question. If the conditions of slavery are so bad that there’s a fairly good chance the slave won’t live long enough to see the opportunity for lawful freedom arrive, he’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain by chancing violent rebellion. It’s when you start pushing the metaphorical slide switches up toward less-unbearable conditions that the decision gets harder.)

(Suppose, say, that the society was set up so that every bot who came out of the Well was initially property. Every last Well-born bot started life as a slave–but a slave with certain minimum expectations. (I say expectations because the word “right” in this context implies legal protection–which isn’t necessarily coterminus with social norms. As an example, in the U.S., it is perfectly legal to have your puppy put to sleep for peeing on the rug. A huge percentage of the U.S. population would call someone who did such a thing inhuman, a psychopath, or some other term cutting the perpetrator out of decent society. In the case of Megatron as a Cybertronian slave, what was legally acceptable wouldn’t matter half as much as what was actually happening.))

(Start with the barest minimum–the expectation not to be randomly murdered by one’s owner and to be freed after 50% of the average Cybertronian lifespan. That’s a tiny flicker of light at the end of a very long tunnel–is it enough to convince the likes of Megatron to accept his role in society? Is it enough to inhibit him against using violence, opting for peaceful protest and resistance instead? It probably wouldn’t be enough for Megatron, but it might be for others.)

(Push the sliders another few notches. Megatron begins his life as property that can be freely bought and sold, doing unskilled and unpleasant labor, but his owner sees to it his working conditions are reasonably safe, he has a sheltered if not especially comfortable place to sleep, adequate fuel, medical care if he gets sick or injured, and will free him after 35% of the average lifespan. Now Megs has more to lose if he opts for rebellion. Will he start a protest movement? Will he resort to violence if he doesn’t get some concessions?)

(Another few notches along the sliders. Everyone starts life being owned by an older person, but can expect not just basic comforts and courtesies but some education that will be useful in making a life after manumission, and freedom after 10% of the average lifespan. Now what’s Megs likely to choose?)

(Now push just one slider back down. It’s not everyone who begins life as a slave, just some people. Combined with the other sets of conditions, how does that one gross injustice change Megs’ decisions–or does it change them at all?)

(Another scenario–what if everyone begins life as a slave and almost everyone stays a slave all his or her life, but the terms of that slavery make it possible to rise fairly high in prestige and wealth (based on merit) before hitting the end of the slave chains? Suppose Megs started out as a miner, but had the chance to study and educate himself and work his way into more comfortable and powerful positions? If he could reach the point of managing whole trade networks or running the administrative affairs of a district for his owner, would that be enough for him? If he could not leave his home district without his owner’s permission, and he knew he was unlikely to ever receive permission, would he consider rebellion? What if he could ask to be sold to another owner, one who would put him to work in some profession more to his liking?)

(Okay, that veered way off the original topic–but tossing around hypothetical social structures is one of my favorite pastimes. In fact, it’s most of what my RPs end up about–if the social conditions are this, how do the people in society act?)