Zanou'a Adveniho (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
yesallwomen) wrote2015-01-21 07:10 pm
yesallwomen) wrote2015-01-21 07:10 pm
Questionaire Answers
1.) Describe your character’s relationship with their mother or their father, or both. Was it good? Bad? Were they spoiled rotten, ignored? Do they still get along now, or no?
This one is a doozy. In short, there is not a being that exists, or could, that Zanou'a hates more than his mother. Since his birth they've had a strained relationship: during Zanou'a's birthing, there were complications and it left his mother unable to bear children. Zanou'a was her first and only, and with Zanou being the leader of the tribe, this didn't bode well. She was left with (what she and the tribe thought) to be an unfit heir, and therefore somehow cursed by his existence. Needless to say Zanou'a wasn't treated very fondly with his family. Degraded, abused, and neglected, there's a lot of ill feelings between Zanou'a and his mother.
Since she was denied a female heir to take over the tribe when she'd pass, she tried to force Zanou'a into staying so he could right what wrongs his existence cause: by giving her a rightful female heir. They believed through prayer to Menphina, marking Zanou'a permanently with (what they believed to be) a holy mark on his forehead, as well as him giving the tribe a rightful heir, his sins would be cleansed and the tribe might escape the dark omen his birth brought.
The truth is, nothing actually horribly befell the tribe upon Zanou'a birth besides Zanou not having the ability to have anymore children, but they believed that to be bad enough. So needless to say, Zanou'a ran away at a young age, never to return. He's not seen his mother for a decade and a half, and for good reason.
As for his father, he's never met him, but any male stupid enough to sleep with his mother isn't worthy of being a part of Zanou'a's life, or at least that's how he sees it.
2.) What are your characters most prominent physical features?
His extremely pale skin, honestly. It's very delicate looking, which over all he looks pretty delicate in presence, but the colorlessness of his skin only emphasizes this, and makes other features stand out all the more. So, if anything, the prominence of his skin makes his other features (black hair, red eyes, etc) that much more prominent in association.
3.) Name one scar your character has, and tell us where it came from. If they don’t have any, is there a reason?
Zanou'a has a scar on his left hip, it's a long, thin scar that isn't very deep, or even all too noticeable since its fading over the years. He obtained this scar from a Brassblade when he was a child, still roaming the streets of Ul'dah, pilfering what goods he could to survive. While being chased in pursuit, and trying to escape, a Brassblade's sword's tip hit his hip, cutting a good line across it.
This of course lead to his capture, where he was treated (though it's generous calling it that), and eventually let go when his bail was paid for by an (at the time) unknown donor.
4.) How vain is your character? Do they find themselves attractive?
HA! Absolutely, Zanou'a is in love with himself, and he's meticulous about his appearance. He knows he's hot, and he has no shame in expressing this to anyone. He can't even be insulted by people trying to down talk his appearance, because he knows the actually facts on the topic, and anyone who disagrees is either blind, or daft.
5.) What’s your character’s ranking on the Kinsey Scale?
6. Though that's not to say he doesn't sometime waver into the 5 territory for fleeting moments. But majority of the time he is a solid 6. If not for certain circumstances in life, he'd actually be a 3, but his repulsion to women on a social and "moral" level keeps him from finding them attractive.
6.) Describe your character’s happiest memory.
Meeting Voniho Adveniho. Honestly, being taken in by the lalafellin alchemist is definitely the happiest moment of his life. Being given a home, a chance, as well as garnering a loving parental figure (something he never had before) added such positivity to his life. Nothing since then has even come close to comparing.
7.) Is there one event or happening your character would like to erase from their past? Why?
His birth. As for why, well isn't that a mystery.
8.) Day of Favorites! What’s your character’s favorite ice cream flavor? Color? Song? Flower?
Red bean. Red or Green. Idk some Eorzean bard bullshit. Amaryllis.
9.) Who does your character trust?
His faux-father because of obvious reasons, Khamu'wo (because he's too good-natured for his own good), R'iordan (ditto), R'eza (because he's confident he's too indebted to betray him), Ikar (because he's too stupid to betray him), and that's it. Even then, the trust isn't anything deep or meaningful, but that's about the deepest level Zanou'a trusts anyone.
10.) Can you define a turning point in your character’s life? Multiples are acceptable.
Running away from his tribe, getting taken in by Voniho, founding the Free Company after the calamity, when R'iordan leaves (way in the future), Voniho's death (which is also way in the future).
11.) Is there an animal you equate with your character?
A snake. Zanou'a is vain and has highly elegant tastes, which is often associated with snakes, as well as a bit of a backstabbing manipulator. He's a quick thinker, very cunning and slippery, but can be pretty ostentatious at times. Snakes are seen as tricksters, and Zanou'a can be that to a degree. He manipulates people into giving him what he wants (typically by promises he can obviously make good on, whether he does or not is another matter), and is constantly plotting and thinking of ways to benefit himself through the exploit of other people.
This isn't to say Zanou'a is completely heartless, or always a traitor either. He can give, and does often, and he does get attached to some people. Though it's a rare occurance, however his typical outlook towards other people is how to fool them into furthering his own means.
12.) How does your character feel about magitek? Or even the garleans in general.
He finds magitek absolutely fascinating. Though he's aware that the inner workings of it all is beyond him: he's far more capable with magic than technology. Regardless, he's absolutely captivated by it and almost looks at it like shiny toys he wants to own or play with. Thus Grish'a.
As for the Garleans, Zanou'a respects their assertiveness and their ability to make their foes fall to their knees before them. It's certainly an attractive feature for an Empire to have! Especially with what advancements they've made without having their own natural talent with magic. However, he isn't very fond of them coming over and asserting their dominance on his door step, so it's a neutral feeling.
13.) What does your character’s bed look like when he/she wakes up? Are the covers off on one side of the bed, are they all curled around a pillow, sprawled everywhere? In what position might they sleep?
Zanou'a doesn't move when he sleeps. He sprawls out in the center of the bed, of course under his covers, but he sleeps like a corpse. Looks like one too most the time.
14.) How does your character react to temperature changes such as extreme heat
and cold?
15.) Is your character an early morning bird or a night owl (by their own race's perspective)?
He's a little of both, if we're to consider Keeper typical sleep schedules a mirror of other race's diurnal clocks. He's in bed by 1pm (think 1am), and up by 6-7pm (6-7am by comparison). He doesn't get much sleep, and often times he'll stay up for two days in a row with the aid of coffee (mixed with alcohol but w/e).
16.) Are there any blood relatives that your character is particularly close with, besides the immediate ones? Cousins, Uncles, Grandfathers, Aunts, et cetera. Are there any others that your character practically considers a blood relative?
He isn't close to any blood relatives. However, he is extremely close to his adoptive father Voniho, who he is forever indebted to for his unprecedented kindness. He'll often go to him for advice when he can't solve something himself. Though, the occurrence of this isn't too often, but Voniho is the person he turns to for help more than anyone else, the one person he feels he can open up to. The person he can be his most vulnerable around without being hurt for lowering his fortress-like guard.
If there is any one person that is the single most important in Zanou'a's life, it's his faux-father, hands down.
17.) What’s your character’s desk/workspace look like? Are they neat or messy?
It's actually really, really organized. Zanou'a is insanely organized with his work station, and even his room. In fact, everything has to be in order or it drives him nuts. A fact he doesn't ever let on, he'll just silently put things into place without complaint. But if something is out of order, or misplaced, it will mentally wear on him till he fixes it.
18.) Is your character a good cook? What’s their favorite recipe, whether they’re good or not? (Microwave mac-and-cheese applies.)
No, not at all. He's great at alchemy, which is similar in some regards, but he really doesn't get the science of cooking food. Besides, he never really had to, between being a stray on the streets of Ul'dah, and then being taken in by Voniho, his meals have always been cooked for him. So, he's never learned and has no desire to.
19.) What’s your character’s preferred means of travel?
His chocobo, or the Aetheryte crystals.
20.) Does your character have any irrational fears?
Being alone. He can face most other fears, but the idea of being absolutely alone leaves him terror-stricken.
21.) How does your character feel about other races, beastmen, or even the other city-states?
I'm gonna break this up to make this a bit easier!
Hyur: He finds them fascinating, even if only in a humorous way. Their practices are amusing to him, their idea of romance a little sickening to his aromantic black heart. Over all, he has no problem with them, even if the females make him think of (often times) submissive earless miqo'te women. Which leaves a bad taste in his mouth, and often inspires poor comments at them.
Elezen: He admires the pride Elezen hold for themselves. They're an elegant, willowy race of people, which fits Zanou'a's aesthetic. He also enjoys their history a lot, though his racism he could do without. Over all, he finds the males good trees to climb (if u get my meaning), and the females he can do without. But that's typical Zanou'a.
Roegadyn: A strong, masculine race that Zanou'a is highly fond of. With his association with the maelstrom, and therefore Limsa, he's very ingrained in their culture. A patriarchal race, where men are beefy as fuck and bara to all hell? HELL YES. He is all about this, not to mention the women are masculine too in appearance and demeanor. So he finds them less abhorrent for it, but he also can relate to the women in some ways, with males being in charge, where as females are in charge for Miqo'te. In other words, he finds Roe women a bit relatable, so therefore a lot easier to humanize compared to other races.
Miqo'te: For the most part, Zanou'a hates his own race. Hates their practices, and hates how they're a matriarchal society, where men are practically expendable sperm donors. Well, maybe not entirely expendable considering the lower numbers of them compared to females, but they've one purpose, and that's at the will of females to give them children.
A lot of his hang ups and problems with women derive from this sort of uneven distribute of power between the sexes, and the abuse he faced because of it. He wants nothing more than to rip the mantel off of the matriarchal society his race harbors, but he knows that's not an endeavor possible by him alone. So, instead, he does everything he can to be contrary to those traditions.
Lalafell: Zanou'a absolutely loves lalafell, he believes they are a superior race to all else. They are intelligent, cunning, and know what really matters in life: money. Zanou'a follows a lot of their traditional standards and practices, and has adapted them into his daily life and outlook on it.
As for the city-states, he likes all of them. They're rich in history, and they all have their own appeal to him. Though, Ul'dah and Limsa will always be his favorites. Ul'dah because of his history there, but Limsa because of its policies and way of life appeals to him greatly.
22.) If your character could time travel, where would they go?
The future, where he's sure all his goals will be met and he'll be truly happy. JOKES ON HIM THO!!
23.) Is your character superstitious?
Not at all, he's given up believing in anything like that, let alone even religion. He only believes in what he can see, and what is absolutely factual.
24.) What might your character’s ideal romantic partner be?
Himself. Obviously.
No but seriously, whether Zanou'a knows it or not, his ideal romantic partner would be someone who can tolerate his worst attributes and accept him despite them. Someone who can give him unconditional comfort and stability, while allowing him his alone time. Someone who allows him to make his own mistakes and grievances, but also help keep him in line and not following his every whim, someone who can be contradictory, without hating him. He needs someone he can intelligently banter with, who can handle his highs and his lows, and who is hugely nurturing and patient, but not a complete push over either.
...And who has one hell of a sex drive to keep up with the man.
25.) Describe your character’s hands. Are they small, long, calloused, smooth, stubby?
They're small and soft. He's a mage, and beyond that he's an alchemist, so he has a lot of balms and creams for skin care. So his skin is really healthy, and therefore his hands are extremely soft.
26.) Second day of favorites! Favorite comfort food, favorite vice, favorite outfit, favorite hot drink, favorite time of year, and favorite holiday.
Alcohol, sex and alcohol, Direwolf robe of casting with his battle panties and storm elite boots, coffee with whiskey, winter, All Saints Wake.
27.) Pick two songs that describe your character at two different points of their life, and explain why you chose them.
WILL COME BACK TO THIS. But Pretty When You Cry by Vast is a good one huehuehue.
28.) If your character’s life was a genre, what would it be?
lbr. Yaoi.
29.) How does your character smell? Do they wear perfume or cologne?
Sometimes he has the faint sickenly sweet smell of Morbol on him, but when he goes out, he overcompensates with too much perfume. So, his scent-based presence is a bit overpowering.
30.) How does your character feel about magic?
He uses it everyday, he is very fond of it, and relies on it hugely.
31.) How did the calamity affect their life?
The calamity didn't take much from Zanou'a, if anything, it gave him so much more. It gave him a chance to start a Free Company, and to expand upon his dreams. From the wake of chaos and destruction, he rose as a beacon of hope and prosperity for many. For him, the calamity was a hugely positive turning point for him.
32.) And finally: Write a letter to your character, from yourself.
Open up, don't be afraid to let people in, don't be afraid to love people. Everything will be fine if you let people in, you aren't protecting yourself, you're destroying yourself. You will be your own undoing.
Yhah'a Nelhah | pt 1
Yhah'a never knew his father growing up, but he was very close with his mother. He was the first born male to his clan in the last couple generations (the women were previously bred by other passing keeper males, as is generally customary), so he was treated as a good omen by most his family and the rest of his clan from his birth. However, as he came closer becoming of age, he was encouraged to go live a nomad’s life and was given the cold shoulder by the women of the clan, which really hurt his young lil feelings as a teenager.
Yhah'a's mother was the hearer of their clan, and unfortunately, she lost her mind when the calamity struck; a chunk of dalamud debris fell somewhere in the shroud, horrifically damaging a piece of nature she was attuned to beyond repair. Subsequent to her sudden mental degradation, she abandoned her family and kin. Yhah'a's eldest sisters were employed in retrieving their mother, and wanting to demonstrate his loyalty and worth, Yhah'a also volunteered. However, in trying to bring her back, the three of them were badly attacked by Yhah. It resulted in an injury that eventually blinded Yhah'a. Soooo...yeah, they are not close anymore.
Yhah'a's not sure if she's still alive, even. She's probably off being crazy and wild somewhere in the Shroud, with no love left for her children. Yhah'a often thinks about her and wonders if she's alive.
2.) What are your characters most prominent physical features?
None, actually. Part of my intention with Yhah'a's design is covertness; he likes to be the fly on the wall, and deliberately doesn’t call attention to himself if he can help it. But by the very same token, I guess you could say his most prominent physical trait the monotonousness of his palate? or maybe the elaborate face paint on his forehead (how it gets there is a mystery…)?
3.) Name one scar your character has, and tell us where it came from. If they don’t have any, is there a reason?
Yhah’a doesn’t have any cool, significant scarring. The horrible injury to his face from his mother was mostly tended to on the spot well enough for his skin to mend without much trouble. he might have some small scars on his arms and legs from clumsy hunting in his childhood.
4.) How vain is your character? Do they find themselves attractive?
YES, actually. Despite being blind, Yhah’a is VERY vain, because he got a lot of attention from women in his clan (nothing uh, productive, mind you) that fluffed his ego in his more informative years as a budding young man. He thinks he’s cute, even if he feels he isn’t particularly handsome, which he kinda laments, but he's happy to work with what he's got. He’s familiar with what his clothing looks like by feel (and has trusted sources to tell him colors etc) of the fabric/tags, and regularly has his hair tended to by professionals.
5.) What’s your character’s ranking on the Kinsey Scale?
He's a 2! But unfortunately, due to the nature of his FC that's coincidentally full of available gay men, Yhah'a doesn't really get a lot of action with ladies since joining Empyrean.
6.) Describe your character’s happiest memory.
His first blowjob is definitely one of them.
BUT UH That's hard, as he was pretty happy in general, and his life was pretty uneventful up until it started to just go downhill (and hasn't improved much, yet). But, I will tentatively say it's probably the first time he realized his mother loved him. He was little, but he remembers it pretty clearly, as the the revelation stunned him, and he experienced an incredible euphoria. According to as Yhah'a's memory currently serves, he might equate an opium high with the elation he felt.
7.) Is there one event or happening your character would like to erase from their past? Why?
His mother going insane. ALSO, getting attacked and nearly murdered by her, especially since before this incident, their mutual love was one that ran quite deep. Anyway, yeah, shit was traumatizing. So, that's why.
8.) Day of Favorites! What’s your character’s favorite ice cream flavor? Color? Song? Flower?
Ice-cream: mint or lavender
Color: celeste green, lilac, deep green? Toss up.
Song: Probably something unique to his clan. Yhah'a first started to learn to sing and play the lute when he was pre-pubescent, since it used to be an activity among the clan to gather around the fire every so often and do that sort of thing. He was never amazing with instruments, and has been improving since leaving home.
Flower: A lily! It's also his sister's favorite.
9.) Who does your character trust?
His sister closest to his own age. They haven't spoken in a couple years, and he worries about her. But they shared, uh, many things together. Maybe too many things. They grew up like peas in a pod, and even when Yhah'a was being ostracized to encourage him to leave the clan, she still nourished him with love and affection when she felt he was in need of it, heartbroken as he was by the rejection. She's pretty much solidified as a saint to him, and he always told her everything. But even though he trusts her more than anyone, she's the last person he wants to be seen by in his current condition.
10.) Can you define a turning point in your character’s life? Multiples are acceptable.
a) His clan turning their collective back to his love. Yhah'a felt like everything he knew in life that made it so vibrant and wonderful had been taken away from him; how could a pious patron to Menphina live in solitude? So it inspired insecurity and fear, for Yhah'a. He knew what his eventual destiny was, but he didn't think he really had to leave!!
b) Getting attacked by his mother. Also very scary, and finally helped Yhah'a successfully withdraw from his clan, but mostly in turn to his own grief.
c) Going blind. Besides being in a big, loving family, Yhah'a was also a very visually oriented person--he liked to look at the women in coy glances; he loved to read; he watched the sun rise every day; he hunted well, and dressed/treated/butchered the animals even better!
So yeah wow nothing positive. The end result is that Yhah'a is privately holding onto a lot of loneliness and pain. He feels like he's not sure how to experience happiness correctly and to its fullest extent, yet, and he has to relearn on his own. He's also still kind of scared of... like, the world.
11.) Is there an animal you equate with your character?
I mean... Yhah'a is a little lazy. He's really affectionate, but can be sort of playful/naughty, and despite being a good person, he likes to make people squirm a little bit sometimes. He likes attention. So. He's. A cat. I'm sorry, but that's what fits him best. OTL
12.) How does your character feel about magitek? Or even the garleans in general.
Yhah'a is really unfamiliar with technology and distrusts magitek majorly, since it was beginning to bring grief to the Shroud! But Yhah'a's also really ignorant about technology in general, since he had a simple life in his little pocket of the South Shroud. And he thinks the Garleans are horrible people. He doesn't bother recognizing their merit; the fact that they're such a horrifingly powerful foe is testament enough!
13.) What does your character’s bed look like when he/she wakes up? Are the covers off on one side of the bed, are they all curled around a pillow, sprawled everywhere? In what position might they sleep?
Yhah'a's blankets are usually all over the place when he first wakes up, but he makes his bed every day while he works on getting his brain awake. He likes to sleep on his side, curled in a blanket burrito. When he naps, he likes to sleep on his belly. If he has a bedfellow, he likes to loosely spoon them, or to loosely be spooned by them. And if they're a lady, he'll sleep on his back if it means she'll rest against his side, cuz that's his favorite. tl;dr it varies.
14.) How does your character react to temperature changes such as extreme heat
and cold?
He hates both, but especially the cold. Despite that, he prefers cool weather to warm weather, since he likes to wear well-covering robes.
15.) Is your character an early morning bird or a night owl (by their own race's perspective)?
Yhah'a is nocturnal, as is normal for his race. By the standards of Keepers of the Moon, Yhah'a wakes in their analogous mid-morning (so 9pm or so), and goes to bed around what is to us like 11pm or midnight (which in reality, of course, is 11am or noon). Most diurnal people probably only see Yhah'a a few hours a day, if they happen to bump into him at all.
16.) Are there any blood relatives that your character is particularly close with, besides the immediate ones? Cousins, Uncles, Grandfathers, Aunts, et cetera. Are there any others that your character practically considers a blood relative?
He was close with his aunts, his cousins--and many miscellaneous clanspeople--but he thinks they don't love him anymore (since they went steely on him as he was approaching Of Age), so he tries not to think about them.
17.) What’s your character’s desk/workspace look like? Are they neat or messy?
Yhah'a doesn't really maintain spaces like this anymore. But he used to be pretty neat, but his workspace would have a cute flair to it--either in how he organized things, or what little decorations he'd add around to keep his mood bright.
18.) Is your character a good cook? What’s their favorite recipe, whether they’re good or not? (Microwave mac-and-cheese applies.)
Similar to the answer above, Yhah'a doesn't do that sort of thing anymore. He wants to relearn with his disability, but he lacks the confidence to try. As a sighted Miqo’te, he was pretty skilled at butchering, skinning and dressing animals, and then he’d just skewer his beautiful cuts and cook them over fire. Or you know, eat them raw. Depends. Fish is a favorite, but so is poultry. Generally, Yhah'a's meals were taken care of by the women as far as seasonings and skilled cooking went. Yhah'a would just help with prep.
19.) What’s your character’s preferred means of travel?
Teleportation via crystals, or his chocobo, as its attuned to Yhah'a's special needs. They're a good team.
20.) Does your character have any irrational fears?
Being cursed by Menphina: unloved, forever. This is something he worries about often, but he'll never address it, even though it kills him.
21.) How does your character feel about other races, beastmen, or even the other city-states?
List, for ease of reading!
Midlanders: Rotten people. Often corrupt. They're prone to ill influence and too-often the victims of whimsy. Yhah'a thinks that a good lot of them are self-loving racists (his clan was where it was out of distaste for Gridanians, so Yhah'a's views are heavily biased by the "peace" city-state), and honestly finds them a little scary; it takes so little for them to turn their blades against one another, and they love with a possessive, borderline psychotic passion (in his opinion--he's heard the spooky rumors about Edda, but his opinion stood even before)--he feels that a hyur's romantic partner is their hostage, and he feels offended by their behavior as a devout patron of Menphina. So his impression is currently not good. He needs some good midlanders to sway his opinion.
Highlanders: Scary, brutal people, but also very noble and kind in their own ways. He admires their honor and unabashed passion (very expressive etc), and he pities the situation of native Ala Mhigans. So Yhah'a might be kind of scared around a troupe of Ala Mhigans just cuz they're huge and violent, but he ultimately does have an opinion of them being a peaceful people overall. Well, peaceful outside of their own insane inter-cultural rituals.
Wildwood Elezen: Disgusting elitists!! He admires their intelligence, and thinks in general, pride is a good quality--but the excess of it is disgusting, especially since Yhah'a is an avid believer of balance (because he's a libra HURDUR). He thinks that their society is spiraling. He thinks it rightly so, and that they will be the cause their own death as a people. Unless, of course, they turn their shitty ship around and acknowledge the rest of the world as humans regardless of their insane standards and specifics. He's also heard elezen men are hung. He's somewhat interested in pursuing this rumor for science, but really, fuck them.
Duskwights: Yhah'a knows regrettably little about Duskwights, besides that Wildwoods bully them. He's not totally sure they're without blame by nature of, well, being Elezen, but he's sure they aren't as shitty as their diurnal counterparts.
Seekers: EXOTIC. MYSTERIOUS. SEXY!! GOOD FOOD. He likes the arrangement that the Tia and Nunh have; he's heard they're solitary, like Keeper men, but not to the same extent--and he believes that they might get the choice to stay with their tribe! Also, he sort of hypersexualizes the idea of Nunh, like many people ignorant of Seeker culture do. Basically, they're foreign and titillating, but similar enough for Yhah'a to feel a sort of estranged kinship for them. He really wants to learn about the differences in their culture. There really just aren't a lot of Seekers around the Shroud...
Keepers: He has no idea what other Keeper men are like, so he's eager to get to know some. As for the women, he's a little self conscious and wary around them--like he can't impress them, or be useful to them. Sort of out his own private, sulking dejection, Yhah'a tries to be useful to them, or charming. And most preferably, sexually appealing. In all other aspects, he loves Keeper culture (ofc). He loves the food, he loves the worship customs--just their culture in general. Very biased.
Roe: Yhah'a, like... has not met many roe. He met a few during his travel, before going totally blind He finds the men boisterous, as well as strangely attractive (but intimidating). He finds the women mysterious, elegant and powerful--even if they're the less dominant gender, he thinks they're respectable and handsome in the same way he thinks of his own people's women. He's mostly met Seawolf people.
Lalafell: Yhah'a only knows that plainsfolk and dunesfolk are different in their specific origins (of which he's familiar), and their diurnal/nocturnal split. In general, he finds them to be a peppy, energetic people, and is impressed by their cunning and work ethic. He associates them with prey animals, and supposes that's where their cleverness comes from. He's heard that dunesfolk Lalafell can be corrupt, but he thinks that's more the fault of currency (which didn't exist in his clan) and other corrupt elements in excess. And besides, the Sultana seems quite composed and fair.
pt 2
Into his mother's previously loving arms. :')
23.) Is your character superstitious?
A little? I mean, religion in this world isn't exactly debatable--the presence of their Gods are absolutely indisputable, but just to keep life easier for all FFXIV roleplayers, I like to imagine that everyone has a different idea on how to properly worship their dieties. So Yhah'a is kind of superstitious in his own practices. He believes that Menphina will curse you if you hurt the ones you love, if you don't love openly, and if you close your mind to healing other people--in whatever way you're able. He also believes Menphina will curse you if you don't love yourself, or if you don't let yourself be loved.
aka bless Zanou'a's poor, lonely soul.
24.) What might your character’s ideal romantic partner be?
Lists make life easier.
Yhah'a believes in the fluid passage of love through many people, whether family, lovers or friends, but he doesn't believe in monogamous romance. He thinks it's a bloated, toxic social construct from the cultures of tailless people, and that that way of life isn't natural for Miqo'te. BUT, you know, hypothetically speaking:
a) Someone who can stimulate Yhah'a intellectually, and someone he can learn from--either academically, or emotionally/spiritually.
b) Someone who rly likes suckin dick
c) Someone open and carefree; low maintenance and stress free
d) --But someone who challenges his weaker qualities!
25.) Describe your character’s hands. Are they small, long, calloused, smooth, stubby?
Small (since Yhah'a is a little small), but proportionate and as smooth as silk. Yhah'a's fingertips are a little calloused from his harp and lute, but the undersides of his fingers and palms are super soft. Caster's hands, baby!
26.) Second day of favorites! Favorite comfort food, favorite vice, favorite outfit, favorite hot drink, favorite time of year, and favorite holiday.
Favorite comfort food: Battered and lightly fried white fish, as it's a traditional Keeper dish. Alternatively, he likes stew.
Favorite vice: Sex, and opiates. Yhah'a is moderate with his use in the latter, because 1) it's an illegal import and he doesn't wanna be out making that purchase too often, and 2) he's heard it's easy to get addicted to.
Favorite outfit: Comfortable robes. He likes the look of his vanya robe, and he can wear comfy whatevers underneath, as they won't be seen. Takes the stress out of dressing if he's particularly tired.
Favorite holiday: idk, sprint festival equivalent
27.) Pick two songs that describe your character at two different points of their life, and explain why you chose them.
I will come back to this when I find anything that reminds me of Yhah'a. x_x
28.) If your character’s life was a genre, what would it be?
Man, I don't know. Fantasy slice-of-life.
29.) How does your character smell? Do they wear perfume or cologne?
Yhah'a burns incense by his bed, so he smells like lavender, clove and…smokiness. lol. The smell is decently faint.
30.) How does your character feel about magic?
LOVES IT. He wants to learn about ALL THE MAGIC!! Even if not in practice, necessarily.
31.) How did the calamity affect their life?
Well, it ruined it.
32.) And finally: Write a letter to your character, from yourself.
Yhah'a,
put a ring on it. Nerd.
Ryu Relanah PT 1- finally done I think? @A@
Both of Ryu's biological parents died a little over two years after he was born. They were Wood Wailers of Gridania, both serving the Wailers for years after breaking away from their tribe to start their own. Sadly, they were extremely unlucky in the children Ryu's mother Toshi bore. She had three males in a row - the eldest 4 years older then the middle and the middle 2 years older then Ryu - and was killed by Ixal midway into term on what would hopefully have been their first daughter. Despite the frustration of not having a daughter, neither Toshi nor Tyaka'to (Toshi'li's father) mistreated their sons. Toshi'a and Toshi'to grew up with a loving family and wonderful memories of that happiness. Toshi'li, unfortunately, was too young to remember anything of his parents or his oldest brother (who stowed away on a caravan to go adventuring years ago when Toshi'li was ~7 and has not been heard from since).
After the eldest left, Toshi'to stepped up to take care of his younger brother, doting on him incessantly. However, unlike his older brother, Toshi'to was not large nor strong for his age and was too scrawny to be able to do any of the odd jobs the villagers in Quarrymill would feed them for when Toshi'a did them. As such, the younger brothers had considerable difficulties earning food. While some villagers would supply them with scraps on occasion, often times there wasn't enough to go around. Hunting parties were having no luck and the forest was teeming with Ixal so all they could do was attempt to guard the village and grow crops. Begging turned to stealing, stealing turned to running as the Wailers stationed in Quarrymill chased them down.
By pure luck they ended up finding a path leading into the Eastern Shroud and were chanced upon by an Au Ra man and his chocobo. Taking pity on the boys, Hidenoka took them in and raised them as his own. To Toshi'li, he was the father he always dreamed of. Hidenoka taught them to read, write, fight and defend. He was their mentor, father and above all their friend. As a Doman refugee and a scholar, Hidenoka had managed to bring a few tomes from his homeland to Eorzea - one of which Toshi'li became utterly enchanted with. It was a daring, dashing story of a fantasy warrior by the name of Ryu who saved countless people and lived happily ever after...and Toshi'li wanted to be just like him. Feeling no connection to his birth name or even to his mother where the name originated from, Toshi'li took up the new name "Ryu" instead with both his adopted father's and his brother's blessing.
Though Ryu's adventuring makes it difficult for the small family to keep in touch, Ryu still feels close to both his brother and Hidenoka and will often write lengthy letters to them.
2.) What are your characters' most prominent physical features?
Ryu's most prominent features are his bright purple eyes and his tail. The color of his eyes isn't too abnormal in Eorzea but the brightness of them often catches people off guard. As a way to sort of mask that feature, Ryu started to wear glasses and sunglasses at a young age, finding things simpler if people just didn't see the color at all. His tail is also longer than most and is also quite fluffy. He despises anything matting the fur of his tail and will take great care to make sure it stays clean.
3.) Name one scar your character has, and tell us where it came from. If they don’t have any, is there a reason?
Ryu has more scars than he can count. As a Paladin, his sole wish is to keep others safe - often at the cost of his own flesh and blood. The most memorable scar he has is on his left shoulder. While fighting against a pack of mongrels near Drybone, he underestimated how many there were and began celebrating his victory over them too soon, letting down his guard. Since his armor was substandard, it didn't take much force for the mongrel hiding behind him to chomp down on his shoulder and tear into the flesh. He managed to get it off and get back to Drybone thanks to his chocobo but ever since then he takes fighting very seriously. Before and after fighting he's as happy-go-lucky and talkative as ever but during the fight he focuses solely on the battle. The scar itself is one of his deepest and the injury did impact his range of movement of his left arm, making it painful to lift it too high over his head or to stretch out the arm to the side.
4.) How vain is your character? Do they find themselves attractive?
Ryu is not vain about anything other than whether or not his tail is clean. He knows people tell him he's decently attractive but he himself doesn't see it. He doesn't particularly notice any attractiveness in others either. Appearances don't matter to him much at all.
5.) What’s your character’s ranking on the Kinsey Scale?
Ryu is a solid 6. No women. They're terrifying to him.
6.) Describe your character’s happiest memory.
Besides his marriage to Yuuzuki Nara (his most recent and vivid happy memory), Ryu's happiest memory was oddly enough when he said goodbye to his family and began adventuring. Instead of a teary goodbye it was a joyful one. Ryu had always wanted to go on a journey on his own and Hidenoka and Toshi'to had always been supportive of that. They taught him customs of the different races and factions in Eorzea, taught him to fight as well as to read, and above all they taught him to care for others. So when they said goodbye and told Ryu they were proud of him, that they expected to hear great things about him, he believed them and still carries those words close to his heart even when the things he has to do may not be the right ones.
7.) Is there one event or happening your character would like to erase from their past? Why?
When he first started adventuring he got stuck in the middle of a lightning storm and sought shelter in an abandoned shack. The flashing lights and the thunder kept him awake all night long in terror.
8.) Day of Favorites! What’s your character’s favorite ice cream flavor? Color? Song? Flower?
CHOCOLATE. Red. Uh...anything played on a piano. Lilacs.
9.) Who does your character trust?
At face value, Ryu will trust anyone. If they need help, no problem and no questions asked. Kill monsters? No problem. Need some gil? Sure thing! Cross-country trip to deliver a broken piece of pottery because you say it's important? TOP PRIORITY. Often, this optimistic attitude about people's intentions gets him into trouble and he has been ambushed and robbed more than a few times because of it. Though he believes in honesty more than he should, he is well aware of the dangers of believing people. His view on the matter is that whether what they say is true or not (and despite any suspicions he may have) it doesnt really matter. If he rejected a job and it turned out to be true he would never forgive himself...so best to just treat them all as truth.
The free company is very quickly becoming a group he could grow to trust but some of the pranks and random assignments still make him slightly wary. He reserves his absolute trust for only a few: his adoptive father, his older brother and his very recently made husband. Those three are the only people he currently trusts to have his back in battle and the only ones he trusts will never betray or use him for their own ends. He'd follow them into anything.
10.) Can you define a turning point in your character’s life? Multiples are acceptable.
From what he can remember, being picked up by Hidenoka, choosing his own name, leaving to go adventuring, meeting Yuuzuki, joining the free company.
11.) Is there an animal you equate with your character?
A puppy. Not a dog. Puppy. He is bubbly and childish at times but manage to piss him off and it can hurt when you least expect it. It doesn't take much to get back into his good graces though. A few kind words, some food, maybe even just a few smiles and he'd forgive and forget.
12.) How does your character feel about magitek? Or even the garleans in general.
Magitek have a tendency to make sparks. See #7 as to why that would be a bad idea. In general though as long as they're not sparky he finds them useful and often intriguing. He wishes that he could learn how to take things apart and see how they work but is to scared to try and teach himself to do so.
As for the Garleans, he's quite prejudiced against them. Two of the most important people in his life were chased out of their homeland by the Empire - he has no fondness for the Garleans as a whole because of this. As always though, when faced with an individual he tries to keep an open mind and ignore his prejudices.
13.) What does your character’s bed look like when he/she wakes up? Are the covers off on one side of the bed, are they all curled around a pillow, sprawled everywhere? In what position might they sleep?
When sleeping alone Ryu sprawls out on the bed with pillows and blankets strewn everywhere. He'll always have a stuffed animal tucked under one arm, however, and he alternates between them with each night so they don't feel left out.
When not sleeping alone, he cuddles whoever is in his bed with him very closely. Thankfully for them, the stuffed animals stay on the shelf when someone else is in his bed.
14.) How does your character react to temperature changes such as extreme heat
and cold?
Ryu loves warm weather. Even extreme heat doesn't bother him. He'd just strip off some clothing and armor and lounge around happily. He has to stay out of the sun though - he burns easily, never tans. Cold on the other hand is something he dislikes immensely. He'll pile on layers and whine constantly until he's either distracted or warmer.
15.) Is your character an early morning bird or a night owl (by their own race's perspective)?
Ryu's sleeping schedule is completely opposite his race's normal schedule. He's a daytime person and though he likes to stay up late into the night he suffers for it later and has to sleep a lot to make up for it.
16.) Are there any blood relatives that your character is particularly close with, besides the immediate ones? Cousins, Uncles, Grandfathers, Aunts, et cetera. Are there any others that your character practically considers a blood relative?
The only blood relative he has left is his brother and the both of them are very close. Despite near opposite personalities, the two of them understand one another very well and help to compliment the other in social interactions with others. Where Ryu is outspoken, Toshi'to is reserved and vice-versa.
Hidenoka as said in #1 is also very close to Ryu. He looks up to the Au Ra man so much and his opinions and advice mean so much to Ryu. He can never thank his adopted father enough for what he has done for him and his brother.
17.) What’s your character’s desk/workspace look like? Are they neat or messy?
It alternates. Naturally, Ryu is very messy while working and will just leave the mess to clean up later. Once it irritates him enough, he'll go on a cleaning spree and clean everything down to the last speck of dust to make up for it. He also has a habit of leaving his armor/weapons lying around in his room wherever they land. That, he doesn't care about.
18.) Is your character a good cook? What’s their favorite recipe, whether they’re good or not? (Microwave mac-and-cheese applies.)
No, not really. He can make the basics - stew, roasted meat and other things easy to make while on the road - but using spices or anything more intricate is impossible for him. He's ruined too many dishes and now is banned from the kitchen because of it. (He claims it's because people suck at recipe writing. The difference between a "pinch" of mun-tuy pepper and handful really isn't that much ok!?) Oddly enough though, he is good at baking sweets and cakes by pure instinct. He's got a good taste for sugar and can even decorate cakes well.
19.) What’s your character’s preferred means of travel?
He loves his chocobo, Kweh'rasu. It's the same chocobo Hidenoka was traveling with when he found the boys and Ryu has loved it ever since. He does enjoy traveling by Aetheryte crystals as well for long distances but if it's a short journey he'd always prefer riding there.
Ryu Relanah PT 2
Lightning is a big one. It's so bad that even a spell can make his fur stand on end and send him into an anxiety attack if it gets too close. Other than that, he is scared of being alone - thus another reason he tries to make friends with everyone he meets. Even just being alone in a room for too long makes him nervous and he'll go seek out company after a few hours. It's part of the reason why he likes his collection of stuffed animals. Some make noise, others let out little light effects. Either way, they chase the loneliness away.
21.) How does your character feel about other races, beastmen, or even the other city-states?
Ryu is innately curious about other cultures and so is very interested in the other races and the beastmen. He'll ask questions about customs and occasionally begin practicing some he finds appealing. Because of this, Hidenoka and Toshi'to joke he's more of a mutt than a Miqo'te since he has adopted so many different customs from each race. One of the most notable customs he's adopted is the idea of a Hyur marriage.
As for beastmen, his curiosity extends to them as well and he's interacted with peaceful members of all the different races. He has some standing with all of them and surprisingly has the most with the Ixal - despite their race being the ones responsible for his parents' deaths. He avoids the Ixal in general but the few that keep the peace and simply want the freedom to fly again have inspired him since he shares that same dream of wanting to be above the clouds and free from everything below him.
The city-states provoke very different reactions from him for each one...
He loves Ul'dah. The noise and constant liveliness in the streets appeal to him and he easily can lose himself in the crowds mingling with people. The politics there of course make him frustrated but at the moment there's no change visible in how the city is being run.
Gridania calms him whenever he's there. The forests have always felt like home to him and he's equally entranced and disturbed by the power of the Shroud and what lives in it.
Limsa Lominsa...there are no words for how much he hates the city. Despite being with the Maelstrom, he avoids the place like the plague, only coming into it when he has to. He can't stand the feeling of salt in his fur of his tail and the whole city is surrounded by salt water...not a good combo. Added to that, he's gotten lost more times than he can count there. At least in the Shroud he can usually meander his way around until he finds a way out...in Limsa, he always seems to end up at dead ends filled with water and cranky people.
22.) If your character could time travel, where would they go?
Time traveling has no appeal to Ryu at all. He's happy in the present, has no desire to change the past, and would rather live out the future as it happens instead of skipping ahead. He's all good but thanks.
23.) Is your character superstitious?
The only thing he believes in (other than the gods of course) is general bad luck. He heard a saying once from Hidenoka about knocking on wood if someone said something bad might happen and now it's an unconscious response for him to either knock on wood or - if no wood is available - his own head as a joke.
As for the gods, he follows Oschon, since he is his patron.
24.) What might your character’s ideal romantic partner be?
Someone that can accept him for who he is and not want to change him. Since he grew up in such a supporting family, he expects the same from his partner and will offer it in exchange. That isn't to say he doesn't want any growth on either side - that's natural and any push towards that is welcome - but he's had too many people try and get him to be someone he's not (someone serious or more reserved) and too many people just abandon him because of his tendency to seem overly naive. Other than that, he's not really picky about partners. If they make him happy and vice-versa he'd always be willing to give it a try. Since he started traveling with Yuuzuki, however, the idea of having any different partner hasn't even crossed his mind. Yuuzuki not only provides the support he needs but also compliments his strengths and weaknesses in a near perfect harmony. In a slightly sappy romantic fashion, Ryu believes that Yuuzuki is likely the person he was destined to be with.
25.) Describe your character’s hands. Are they small, long, calloused, smooth, stubby?
His fingers are quite long and his hands are very calloused from fighting with his sword (and when that wasn't available his fists). There are also multitudes of small scars scattered over his hands as remnants from training to use a sword with Hidenoka when he was younger.
26.) Second day of favorites! Favorite comfort food, favorite vice, favorite outfit, favorite hot drink, favorite time of year, and favorite holiday.
Anything chocolate, food, either his allagan shorts and long boots with the hempen undershirt or the demon armor of fending, hot chocolate, autumn, All Saints' Wake.
27.) Pick two songs that describe your character at two different points of their life, and explain why you chose them.
Uh...shit that's a hard one. I'll come back to this? ^^; (Probably won't...)
28.) If your character’s life was a genre, what would it be?
A sappy fluffy yaoi/comedy/adventure/I dunno?
29.) How does your character smell? Do they wear perfume or cologne?
Honestly he always has the faint scent of lavender. He loves the smell and uses lavender based soaps.
30.) How does your character feel about magic?
He sucks at it. He has some skill with healing magic but so far hasn't found any kind of magic that truly feels right for him. He loathes any lightning based magic and fears it.
31.) How did the calamity affect their life?
It destroyed his home. Hidenoka had managed to get them out of their house and away from the flames but they lost everything when it happened and had to start all over. It prompted Ryu to take his training seriously and provided the incentive to go out adventuring. While Hidenoka had set aside some of his assets in case of trouble and their family was able to start over (though they lost all of Hidenoka's books and everything he brought from Doma to his horror) many people were not as lucky. So Ryu firmly decided he wanted to go out and help others recover from the Calamity.
32.) And finally: Write a letter to your character, from yourself.
Try not to give so much of yourself that you have nothing left. Keep at least a little and yes, helping people is all well and good but it also is important to find and live out your own goals. Find something for yourself to strive towards other than a blanket cause of helping others. Also...LEARN HOW TO READ A FUCKING MAP.
Just thought of something,R'eza falling for someone would be him receiving fall damage HURGH
R’eza got along with his parents well enough, even though he didn't see them to often. He was raised mostly by the community as a whole along with his sister. His dad was pretty stern with R’eza, hoping he’d go off to be a Marauder, to take on the biggest of baddies and come home a hero much like he had, where his mom would be just as happy to see him help farm in Limsa. They, of course, did not live long enough to see either option come to fruition.
2.) What are your characters most prominent physical features?
Honestly, I’d have to say it would be either his white hair with black tips, or his green eyes which is abnormal for his tribe. (his hair isn’t naturally white but it is permanent thanks to Z) He also has a few facial scars and he's a taller miqote.
3.) Name one scar your character has, and tell us where it came from. If they don’t have any, is there a reason?
R’eza has a few scars on his face from either knife fights, or spear accidents. Typical for a fighter. There is a scar on his chest starting from his left collar bone diagonally down to the bottom of his pec from taking on a pirate when he recently became a marauder. He was barely able to prevent it from being death thanks to a fellow marauder yanking him back. The cleave did break his collar bone which he gets twitchy about from time to time and why he favors being right hand dominant on weapons even though hes left handed. Poor almost handicapped baby...
4.) How vain is your character? Do they find themselves attractive?
R’eza actually stopped giving a damn whether he looked attractive or not when his parents died. He let his hair grow out and stopped paying attention. Hes aware, however, he’s at least a 7 closer to an 8 but he doesn’t like people approaching him, so he just pretends he’s about a 4 which is easy since most of his face is covered.
5.) What’s your character’s ranking on the Kinsey Scale?
R’eza is about a 3, he generally doesn’t feel attraction to anyone, but he does have needs, however hif anything, he finds imself solely attracted to people who are capable all on their own. Be it physically or otherwise.
6.) Describe your character’s happiest memory.
When he was about 11, he got his first kill with an axe and he brought it home. Not only did it provide food for a few people, but his dad hugged him which from a no contact man, almost made R’eza cry. He dedicated himself after that to the wedge and was all to happy to continue providing.
7.) Is there one event or happening your character would like to erase from their past? Why?
His parents being killed when he was younger by Garleans would be the only thing he wishes he could change. That event alone caused him to abandon his tribe and become a Dragoon. His sister was still alive and he left her behind as well, something he quickly regretted more and more.
8.) Day of Favorites! What’s your character’s favorite ice cream flavor? Color? Song? Flower?
Ice Cream: Rocky road
Color: Purple
Song: Army’s Paeon (bard song??) Piano music..
Flower: Star Gazer lily
9.) Who does your character trust?
Nobody outside of the FC. Zanou'a has his undying trust, soon followed by Ikar. Khamu'wo seemed shifty to him for awhile, but he's starting to get used to the bookworm. He doesn't see Rio too often but the freakishly tall cat doesn't seem to be a threat. Yuuzuki and Ryu were capable fighters and had been more than happy (gods only know why) to help out at the FC so he sees no reason to brush them aside. He'll probably come to rely on them a lot. The others he's tried to avoid at all costs, even by drastically changing his sleep schedule. O'gnya seems incredibly goofy and not entirely there, and Y'haha seems incredibly sketchy. Blind or not, the fool has no problem getting around so much so, R'eza wondered if they were actually blind. Damn capable bunch...
10.) Can you define a turning point in your character’s life? Multiples are acceptable.
1.) Getting slashed at a young age.
2.) Losing his parents.
3.) Met Zanou’a at his rock bottom and built up from there.
4.) Became a Dargoon.
5.) Was reunited with his sister.
11.) Is there an animal you equate with your character?
I'm actually thinking this one through this time. I'd honestly say a rooster, as sad as a cute little chicken is for him, but they're vicious and territorial. Even with the option to flee, it's to the death. Roosters have an ignorant pride about themselves and take on anything too close often resorting to vicious and even sometimes self destructive methods. They protect what they view as theirs at ALL costs. Not too mention they're louder than hell... R'eza is pretty much that. He's cocky, he'll do anything to win even if it's going to end up with him hurt, he protects what he claims is his, and he'll die screaming with the enemis limbs at his feet before he goes down himself.
12.) How does your character feel about magitek? Or even the garleans in general.
Magitek intrigues him, the idea of technology is incredible, and magic working together with it is fascinating. He's wanted to dabble in it and seek knowledge but what time does he have?
The garleans are a different story. Mere mention brings out an uncontrollable blood lust, and what once was restraint becomes drive. He'll kill Garleans publicly in front of hundreds, he doesn't give a fuck. However, if he killed someone and someone else got hurt, he'd probably go black out berserk which is probably why he refuses to go near Wineport and Mor Dhona where active outposts are.
13.) What does your character’s bed look like when he/she wakes up? Are the covers off on one side of the bed, are they all curled around a pillow, sprawled everywhere? In what position might they sleep?
His bed is never unmade, or touched really. R’eza cries when he sleeps in a bed so he just rests on his couch for a bit then hits the road again. If anything, his ride for the night would be asleep in the bed.
14.) How does your character react to temperature changes such as extreme heat
and cold?
R'eza can't stand the heat at all. His hands get sticky, he can't wear armor, weapons feel heavy, anger makes him tired... What a hell.
The cold however is amazing. You're only warm if you're active, you can see your breath... the atmosphere is crisp, not to mention he spent a lot of time on Coerthas.
15.) Is your character an early morning bird or a night owl (by their own race's perspective)?
He's a night owl for sure, he does ANYTHING to avoid talking to other people, and for the most part he doesn't seem to be sought out which he's thankful for.
16.) Are there any blood relatives that your character is particularly close with, besides the immediate ones? Cousins, Uncles, Grandfathers, Aunts, et cetera. Are there any others that your character practically considers a blood relative?
The only family member he's remotely close to is his sister. He has a few others in the FC from his tribe but they're always busy.
17.) What’s your character’s desk/workspace look like? Are they neat or messy?
Generally, R'ezas desk is spotless, maybe a document here or there, something out in the open for Khamu'wo, or Zanou'a to find should they ever come looking. More often than not , he doesn't get the paper work.
18.) Is your character a good cook? What’s their favorite recipe, whether they’re good or not? (Microwave mac-and-cheese applies.)
Becoming a Marauder taught him quite a few things, especially how to cook meat. His family was all too happy to have a good cooked meal and he's always utilized that skill even if it was only for himself.
19.) What’s your character’s preferred means of travel?
Foot, he almost always travels by foot unless he's trying to avoid Vyryx.
20.) Does your character have any irrational fears?
People flirting with him makes him uncomfortable but as a fear, I'm gonna scratch that.
He had an irrational fear of heights for years but becoming a lancer and slowly a dragoon killed that.
At this point, losing people is his only fear, someday he may wake up to more dead... Especially anyone he gets close to and denies.
21.) How does your character feel about other races, beastmen, or even the other city-states?
I'm gonna break this up to make this a bit easier!
Hyur: Nothing special, most of the ones he's seen were pirates.
Elezen: He couldn't care less, no matter how much of the Twelveswood they make up.
Roegadyn: R'eza has a slight fear of them due to their size and whenever an armed Roe goes by, he becomes incredibly aware of his collar bone.
Miqo'te: More cat people hippity doop whatever
Lalafell: Surprisingly, R'eza has a light history with Lalafell as when he ever needed help they were the only ones to provide.
Beast tribes have no positive or negative influence to him, they do them or they die, simple as that.
He's caring for and happy with Lmsa and Gridania but Ul'dah can die off.
22.) If your character could time travel, where would they go?
7 years into the past to play Trunks in this ridic DBZ bs.
23.) Is your character superstitious?
He has a slight belief in luck when it's in his favor and he's always praying to Rhalgr the destroyer, because if that God does exist, he wants ALL of Rhalgrs blessings.
24.) What might your character’s ideal romantic partner be?
Someone willing to keep pushing the envelope when R'eza doesn't outright ignore it because his interest is shown by not snuffing it immediately. He has a hard time with registering flirting and compliments so they'd have to be pretty blunt too and willing to put up with his anger issues. Maybe understand if he doesn't come to bed, or home at all. Man's got probs. Someone who isn’t afraid to put him in his place, mentally or physically. He has such a hard time bonding with anyone so they’d probably have to be pretty devoted, which once he realizes he has feelings, he’ll try to flee, so reel him in and he won’t go anywhere.
25.) Describe your character’s hands. Are they small, long, calloused, smooth, stubby?
R'ezas hands are really scarred up from various fights. Each one with history even if he doesn't remember it. His fingers are pretty normal sized in proportion to the rest of him.
26.) Second day of favorites! Favorite comfort food, favorite vice, favorite outfit, favorite hot drink, favorite time of year, and favorite holiday.
Cake, Practically naked training, Wootz armor, Hot cocoa, Fall and his sisters nameday.
27.) Pick two songs that describe your character at two different points of their life, and explain why you chose them.
Drakengard 2 Growing Wings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCN3J3EnzVM&list=FLlkjVSHlw9iMFizxH5ErQow&index=17
Its a song purely about remembering how the world was and hoping that somehow you could go back but that isn't the case anymore... All we can do is remember and look to the skies, hopeful someone's watching over us. Pretty sure this is R'ezas present theme.
Ill think of another.
28.) If your character’s life was a genre, what would it be?
Action/Suspense
29.) How does your character smell? Do they wear perfume or cologne?
If R'eza has a choice, Vanilla, but more often than not, he'll smell like him or blood.
30.) How does your character feel about magic?
He's indifferent, he hasn't approached it himself but he knows it keeps him alive.
31.) How did the calamity affect their life?
The fall of the moon didn't directly affect R'eza as he lost everything prior to it but the destruction of the lands, the almost wipe of his tribe and the still living Garlean forces frequently give him a terrible headache.
32.) And finally: Write a letter to your character, from yourself.
You left your sister? Seriously? After everything she's done for you, you left here? For what exactly? So you could use it for the exact guilt I'm giving you now? You don't have to take the damn world on! You can let people in, they can help! They don't HAVE to leave, open up and trust someone! And don't throw this away either, I'm serious, I know you're thinking about it. You can't replace your parents or those years you've lost, but look at everything you have now, don't give up... Okay?
Thielo Nybras | pt 1 | !content warning!
1.) Describe your character’s relationship with their mother or their father, or both. Was it good? Bad? Were they spoiled rotten, ignored? Do they still get along now, or no?
Thielo isn't close with his father. He's a child of a former mistress (a servant), and was taken under his father's family name only because his father essentially wanted more men to eventually serve him. Thielo's needs have always been taken care of indirectly and at arm's length, and he very seldom even saw his father. Since Thielo is a bastard child, he wasn't really priviledged with limelight, and grew up pretty solitarily, blanketed in wealthy amenities. He used to be really wrapped up in getting his father's approval, or any form of nuetral/positive attention... but he's over that now.
When he was about 5, Thielo understood the implications of the rumors throughout his manor about his birth, and was able to find his mother. She'd been taking care of him like any other servant since his birth, but he didn't realize she was legit his mother. So in his lows of feeling insignificant and or invisible, Thielo would periodically visit his mother once a week or more for most of his life. They got along pretty well, even if Thielo was never particularly warm to her. He doesn't know how to do that.
2.) What are your characters most prominent physical features?
Probably his straight, long nose, dark sunken eyes, and stark white hair. He's also ripped (but slimways), so there's that.
3.) Name one scar your character has, and tell us where it came from. If they don’t have any, is there a reason?
Thielo has a lot of misc scars, but his most significant one would be the scar on the corner of his mouth. He got it from talking a lot of shit to a downtrodden midlander hyur in a bar (who was kinda cute); just as planned, the midlander struck first, thus starting the brawl--but he hit Thielo with a broken bottle, right in his shit-talky mouth. The scar is only a couple years old.
4.) How vain is your character? Do they find themselves attractive?
For some reason, yeah: he finds himself rather attractive. He knows he's got a good body, and he's proud of it because it reflects how much work he puts into his fighting ability. He also likes his face, and he's fully aware that his hair is dorky or whatever, but it serves a purpose. Which is concealing his gross lil reptilian third eye. He's also really picky about what he wears, and has a secret skincare routine. THIELO CARES ABOUT BEAUTY AND HYGIENE
Also, to cope with his trauma-imposed prudishness, Thielo acts like he's SOOOOO much of a catch no one's worthy of touching him.
5.) What’s your character’s ranking on the Kinsey Scale?
A solid 6. Easily my gayest character. Is anyone surprised
6.) Describe your character’s happiest memory.
Maybe the first time he really beat the shit out of somebody; the adrenaline rush and endorphine spike from victory was probably the closest thing to euphoria Thielo has achieved outside of orgasm and drug use. He probably vividly remembers the stinging of his palms; the soreness of his arms; the unconscious body, and his barely recognizable face. He found that kind of power exciting, and at the same time, ultra soothing.
7.) Is there one event or happening your character would like to erase from their past? Why?
Uh... Well... This isn't something I like to talk/write about, but Thielo used to be routinely abused by his brother (it was like severe sexual harrassment). His brother always pegged Thielo as gay, even from a young age, because of Thielo's flamboyant and particular eccentricities--and harrassed him for it, mostly because he had an inherent and territorial dislike for his father's inferior child. He prompted Thielo to do inappropriate things with his friends, though Thielo had no want of it; things never escalated incredibly, as it was mostly just to make Thielo feel disgusted with himself and homosexuality as a whole. Despite his attraction to men, he instinctively finds them disgusting by the same token, as his brother gave him a hugely negative bias.
Obviously, this was traumatizing, and Thielo's head is really fucked up about his own sexuality and homosexiality in general, which brings him a lot of grief. The stress of it coupled with his brother's continually disgusting behavior through his adult life led to Thielo murdering his brother and fleeing his country, which has also brought him a lot of complicated, shitty feelings. If none of that stuff ever happened, he thinks he'd be much happier.
8.) Day of Favorites! What’s your character’s favorite ice cream flavor? Color? Song? Flower?
Favorite ice-cream: vanilla, or strawberry
Favorite color: CITRON aka brightass lime-green that's almost on the yellow spectrum
Song: anything done with string instruments, particularly cello/viola/violin/etc.
Flower: Bird of paradise
9.) Who does your character trust?
No one, really... He has big trust issues, and thinks people are naturally shitlords. His mom, maybe.
10.) Can you define a turning point in your character’s life? Multiples are acceptable.
a) His abuse
b) His brother's death
c) Fleeing Garlemald
d) Joining Empyrean Bellatorum
11.) Is there an animal you equate with your character?
Maybe a crow, or a raven? Despite Thielo's general dislike for people and shit attitude, he's all about humor--at the expense of other people. He likes to play tricks, and he mocks people constantly. He's also disarmingly clever, as well as alert and aware of his surroundings. He also likes to puff up his feathers and squawks a lot.
12.) How does your character feel about magitek? Or even the garleans in general.
Thielo mostly keeps this to himself for obvious reasons, but he's EXTREMELY PROUD of the technological progression of the Garlean Empire, and as a wealthy child of noble blood in Garlemald, some aspects that go into magitek were part of his academic curriculum. Thielo is actually very smart and math minded, so the engineering aspect of things came quite naturally to him.
As for Garleans themselves--he does personally feel that there is a coldness in their way of life that twists the minds of his people, but he doesn't exactly feel that ~love would change it all for the better!~ Because he thinks that Garleans are at least true to themselves, and that their interest in self preservation is what has lended them to so many victories and such vast expansion in conquering. He thinks his people are more adaptive than others, and more cunning to compensate for their lack of innate magical abilities. tl;dr Garlean surpemecist, so
And I think this additional perspective is worth adding since Thielo IS Garlean:
12.5) How does your character feel about the Garlean invasion?
Thielo always was very proud of his people's progression. He found their cause noble from the home of his huge, empty and ornate manor, immersed in his subjects and sitting safely in his ranks. But since coming to Eorzea, and seeing what hell it's all unleashed, he's starting to sort of second guess the Empire. He knows that war is ugly no matter what (for both sides), but he's starting to maybe understand that the Emperor and his successor are a little bit insane. He was easily brainwashed in heart of the country, and the dawning realization's been really uncomfortable for him.
13.) What does your character’s bed look like when he/she wakes up? Are the covers off on one side of the bed, are they all curled around a pillow, sprawled everywhere? In what position might they sleep?
Thielo's bed looks like it went through a blender when he wakes up. He sleeps in all sorts of crazy ways, because he's a restless sleeper, and he's normally sprawled out, whether on his back, side, or belly. He tends to fall asleep on his side first, though.
14.) How does your character react to temperature changes such as extreme heat and cold?
Thielo hates extreme heat, and loves extreme cold. His favorite temperature is around thirty degrees farenheit, because he feels the most comfortable while active at that temperature.
15.) Is your character an early morning bird or a night owl (by their own race's perspective)?
Both! Thielo only sleeps about 4-5 hours a night. There'll be a few days a month wherein he really only gets like, 2 hours.
16.) Are there any blood relatives that your character is particularly close with, besides the immediate ones? Cousins, Uncles, Grandfathers, Aunts, et cetera. Are there any others that your character practically considers a blood relative?
Nnnnnnope.
Thielo Nybras | pt 2
METICULOUSLY NEAT. Mess and disorganization drives Thielo absolutely bonkers. His room is never short of anything but emaculate, and the same of course applies to his work space. It's his sanctuary as much as his bed and bath.
18.) Is your character a good cook? What’s their favorite recipe, whether they’re good or not? (Microwave mac-and-cheese applies.)
Thielo always had servants cooking for him, and he has a really refined palette with a sensitivity to picking up poor quality ingredients. But he can't cook, and he fucking sucks at it. He gets too frustrated trying to learn properly, because he's impatient, so he mostly just spitroasts monsters he knows are edible while on the run. He's great at memorizing ingredients for recipes, though. He'll never forget the make of his favorite homey Garlean dishes.
19.) What’s your character’s preferred means of travel?
Anything but chocobo. Eugh.
20.) Does your character have any irrational fears?
HIS OWN HOMOSEXUALITY, TO THE POINT WHERE HE'S A VIRGIN. Specifically, he is super fucked up about touching dicks. No matter how bad he might want to, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it, and he'd be overcome with overwhelming dread and anxiety + would probably bail on his hook-up. Also, he fears the sexuality of men in general.
21.) How does your character feel about other races, beastmen, or even the other city-states?
Thielo basically thinks all of the beastmen are primitive people. Stupid animals, honestly. He's heard that the Ixali are pretty technologically advanced, so they're the smartest, but he's also seen some pretty clever birds. Clever birds, who, ultimately, are stupider than Garleans.
Hyurs: Thielo thinks that midlanders are lame and unremarkable. He thinks highlanders are really hot (physically of course, but he also loves their "barbaric culture"), and really stupid--he objectifies them, and finds them exotic. Cuz Thielo's gross.
Miqo'te: Disgusting. >:c
Elezen: Willowy and eerie, Thielo kind of digs their look. He also thinks their snobbish elitism is relateable and amusing both. He of course thinks that ultimately, despite their intelligence and practicality as a race, their tunnel-visioned holy hoo-ha is going to land them underneath the crushing force of Garlemald's heel. So, stupid in their own way. RIP so sad
Roegadyn: Thielo thinks the Seawolves are HILARIOUS. All the ones he's met were completely unabashed in their thoughts (at least the men), and prone to brawling to boot. Thielo's taken on a few out, amped up by their energy--and while he's had some wins, he's definitely had his ass handed to him. Even though they're stupid, as far as he's concerned (with some exceptions, such as their handsome Limsa governer, but he thinks women in general tend to be more composed than men), he respects their brutish rawness. As for Hellsguards, he doesn't know a lot about them. He has an impression they're more noble than their bluer counterparts, and perhaps more intelligent as a simple result of their culture--but he's not totally sure, cuz he hasn't met many. He secretly thinks their noses are cute, and it pisses him off. Overall, his impression is pretty positive, cuz he's all about people who are smart, and/or can drink and throw down.
Lalafell: INFANTILE LOOKING DEMONS FROM HELL. Thielo doesn't trust Lalafell. They're too sneaky, and control too much commerce. How the hell hadn't these people been eaten into inexistence by piestes? But at the same time, Thielo really respects and admires their control of wealth and political influence despite being squishy potatos with legs. He romantasizes the corruption of Ul'dah, and relates to it in a kind of power fantasy sort of way.
Au Ra: THIELO WOULD HAVE AN IMPRESSION ABOUT THEM GIVEN WHERE HE'S FROM BUT WOW I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM SO THIS IS A FUCKING *PLACEHOLDER*
22.) If your character could time travel, where would they go?
The Allagan era. He'd peep all that technology and fucked up genetic experimentation. Now that shit is fucking cool.
23.) Is your character superstitious?
NOPE. He's not even religious--but he pretends he worships Nald'thal while he pretends to be Eorzean. I guess he thinks the world will explode if he touches a dick though, or something.
24.) What might your character’s ideal romantic partner be?
Someone HUGE and MANLY, who isn't afraid to get physical to put Thielo in his place. Someone patient with his shitty personality, but combative and challenging. And exclusively a bottom....... Despite his issues with his sexuality and his general ornery, bitter ass, Thielo does daydream of romance. But he makes himself sick with it.
Also, someone who could be patient with his copious and would-be time consuming sexual hurdles--he's not confident people like that currently exist, which further discourages him.
OH ALSO A SUPER FLY BOOTY WOULD B NICE
25.) Describe your character’s hands. Are they small, long, calloused, smooth, stubby?
Long fingers, pretty calloused. His hands are kind of fucked up, because while he has horma, Thielo likes the feeling of using his fists when fighting. Lots of scarring on his knuckles and fingers, and callouses/knicks on his knuckles, as well as callouses on his palms (from gripping horma). His skin also probably looks dry on his hands.
26.) Second day of favorites! Favorite comfort food, favorite vice, favorite outfit, favorite hot drink, favorite time of year, and favorite holiday.
Favorite comfort food: Lemon orzo soup, lamb stew
, brandy with a scoop of ice-cream in itFavorite vice: ALCOHOL!! And punching?
Favorite outfit: White linen shirt with gryffonskin pants (can't remember what they're called exactly) and gladiator style boots. He doesn't do jewelry, besides rings. Alternatively: a nice suit.
Favorite hot drink: Very chocolately hot chocolate with a good serving of liquor in it. A traditional drink in his household, meaning that Thielo concocted it in hazy despair as a teenager when he crept into the kitchen in secret.
Favorite time of year: Fall/winter.
Favorite holiday: Thielo doesn't actually care for holidays, but he'll be there for the alcohol and stupid outfits. Wait, maybe his nameday. Narcissistic.
27.) Pick two songs that describe your character at two different points of their life, and explain why you chose them.
Anything before his current point in life would be too fucking depressing, so here's a song that sums up Thielo's personality pretty well both in sound and lyrics.
28.) If your character’s life was a genre, what would it be?
Action/drama
29.) How does your character smell? Do they wear perfume or cologne?
Yes. Thielo smells like biting citrus; he treats his skin with lemon.
30.) How does your character feel about magic?
It fascinates him, and makes him a little frustrated. He wishes he could use it, but it's not such a strong desire that he'd go out of his way to try to replicate it with magitek/hunt for magitek weapons. Kind of a passing fancy. He does respect mages, though, and he wonders what it feels like to use it.
31.) How did the calamity affect their life?
It didn't. Somehow. Just another trial for the Empire, eventually overcome. :)
32.) And finally: Write a letter to your character, from yourself.
Please indulge in therapy seriously if you ever wanna touch a dick. #notallmen are horrible. Learn healthy coping mechanisms. Smoke weed, probably. I'm bad at letters.
Ikar Kestrel ;; I ramble a lot
Ikar for the most part has a good relationship with his parents. Out of both his parents though he is far more attached to his mother. That isn't to say he dislikes his father, it was simply a matter of his mother being around more since his dad was often out at sea. He respects his father for what he does though and it was through him Ikar found a passion for fishing.
His family wasn't very well off money wise however, so Ikar wasn't spoiled by any monetary bought means. He enjoyed going down to the pier with his mother to meet his father as he returned, and to marvel at all the fish he had brought back. Afterwards he'd help his mother cook up the feast for the night. It was a simple life, but Ikar enjoyed it none the less. While money was sometimes an issue there was always enough food on the table because of his father or himself.
Currently Ikar's relationship with his parents is minimal at best, he still loves them but he disagrees with what they'd like him to do with his life. They'd like nothing more than for him to come home and settle down with a nice girl. He avoids going home just for this reason and to avoid any talks about if he's found a nice lady friend yet. He makes sure to send a good portion of whatever money he makes back home though, and has been doing so since he was around 14 when he first went to Limsa.
2.) What are your characters most prominent physical features?
I'd say Ikar's most prominent physical features would be his short stature and his boyish looks. He is often mistaken for being younger than he is. While its not always a bad thing to be seen as young, it has led Ikar to some problems looking for work with leves when they doubt his experience and think him to be fledgling adventurer.
3.) Name one scar your character has, and tell us where it came from. If they don’t have any, is there a reason?
Ikar has a scar across the bridge of his nose. The scar itself is not very long, and it doesn't look like it was done by a blade. He actually got the scar when he was around 15 or so, whilst poking around a small gathering of crabs. They were non aggressive so he figured he'd be fine, but he spooked a younger one by putting his face too close to it and he got his nose pinched something fierce. If asked about where he got the scar he will bullshit and say he got it in some sort of fight instead of saying Snips got his nose when he was younger.
He has various other scars over his body, some light nicks from blades, others are gashes from some manner of beast. If the scar came from a blade its safe to say he got that whilst sparring training to be a marauder or perhaps during hired work he had did where there wasn't an adequate healer as well. If the scar was from a beast then you can say with 99% certainty he got the scar from doing fieldwork for his journal and only healing himself with questionable potions.
4.) How vain is your character? Do they find themselves attractive?
Overall Ikar isn't very vain. He is very proud of his hair however and strives to keep it how he likes it to look. He typically doesn't leave his room in the morning before doing his hair for sure. In terms of thinking highly of himself or his abilities, he knows he's capable but he doesn't think he's anything astounding.
He does find himself attractive. While he wouldn't date a clone of himself because wow no homo, he thinks girls would find his appearance attractive.
5.) What’s your character’s ranking on the Kinsey Scale?
Virtual test wise he ranked a 0, but I'd put him at a 1 for certain incidents in his life.
6.) Describe your character’s happiest memory.
Some of his happiest memories would be when he was a kid on those days when his dad would come home from being out at sea. I don't have a specific night, but just the times helping his parents bring home his father's catches and then all of them preparing dinner together.
Otherwise perhaps when he first arrived at Limsa, completely stunned at just how big the city-state was and how many people there were in it. It was a flood of new exciting things he hadn't seen before coming from his small hick town.
7.) Is there one event or happening your character would like to erase from their past? Why?
Getting drunk at one of Zanou'a's parties for the Free Company and subsequently having sex with Zanou'a. The actual memory of the event is pretty hazy for him thankfully, but he is painfully aware of what he said during thanks to Zanou'a reminding him. As for why, why wouldn't he want to erase such a terrible mistake that happened.
1. He fucked a dude.
2. Said dude knows Ikar gets boners thinking about Garuda.
8.) Day of Favorites! What’s your character’s favorite ice cream flavor? Color? Song? Flower?
Vanilla? Perhaps Butter Pecan or Sea salt. He's not big on sweets. His favorite colors is a tie between rust red, mud green or olive green. His favorite song is probably some sailor/fisherman song he heard as a kid. La Noscean Lilybell for the flower? Idk.
9.) Who does your character trust?
Khamu'wo is the first to come to mind. Ikar doesn't trust him with real personal stuff, but he is that way with everyone for the most part. Still Khamu'wo has done Ikar some real favors even if some of them were in part because the blue haired cat doesn't like their leader. It works out because Khamu'wo is vaguely like a safety shield to keep Zanou'a away, and thats good enough for Ikar.
Other than that he does trust other members of the Free Company. It's nothing deep, but he trusts if he went out on a mission with them they wouldn't die because the other members of the party are capable.
10.) Can you define a turning point in your character’s life? Multiples are acceptable.
1. The first turning point in Ikar's life would be when he left home at 14 to become a marauder. He was too young then to do any real combat stuff besides training around the guild, but he felt like he could really go out and live his life away from his little home town.
2. The Calamity would be the next turning point, as it was what pushed him to travel beyond Vvlbrand. He was curious about the effects of the Calamity on the other city-states and more importantly the wildlife.
3. R'iordan saving his life after he was captured by Amalj'aa. R'iordan was the one who first suggested joining a Free Company to Ikar. If he hadn't just foolishly been captured by the beastmen and thought himself dead, Ikar probably wouldn't have taken the Seeker up on his offer. It opened his eyes more to ~working with others~!
4. AND FINALLY, the last turning point so far would be fucking Zanou'a. His life went to shit after that.
11.) Is there an animal you equate with your character?
I like to joke about monkeys with Ikar because I tend to draw him with bigger ears. If we're talking about symbolism and the like though, perhaps a bull? Ikar is pretty bull-headed.
12.) How does your character feel about magitek? Or even the garleans in general.
He prefers the term ~*~forgekin~*~ tyvm. In all seriousness though magitek is like a foreign language to him. He understands very little of it and he's feels it's unnatural. He doesn't hate it though, he just thinks it should be left to the experts.
As for the Garleans as people he can respect what their culture did considering they don't have any talents for magic. He doesn't know how to use magic himself besides like teleporting so he finds the fact that they've come so far very impressive. However when it comes to their need for conquest and from what he's heard very military society he's disgusted. He feels there is no freedom and then the fact they impose that very same belief on the places they've subjugate is terrible.
13.) What does your character’s bed look like when he/she wakes up? Are the covers off on one side of the bed, are they all curled around a pillow, sprawled everywhere? In what position might they sleep?
Most the time when he wakes up, he only has half the blankets on him as he kicked most of them off in his sleep from being too hot. When he sleeps he mainly sleeps on his back, but he sometimes does hug a pillow to his chest while he sleeps.
14.) How does your character react to temperature changes such as extreme heat and cold?
Being from the island of Vvlbrand, Ikar is used to generally warmer temperatures. He can get overheated if it gets too hot of course, but he can manage through it by simply wearing less clothes. He absolutely doesn't do well in the cold however and avoids going to areas such as Coerthas if he can help it. If he has to go for some reason or another he makes sure to bundle up and does everything he can to hopefully make the trip shorter.
15.) Is your character an early morning bird or a night owl (by their own race's perspective)?
Ikar is an early morning bird, a habit he formed as a kid. It also helps when most of the community is also up at wee hours in the morning starting farm work or heading down to the pier for the day. You couldn't afford to sleep in if literally everyone else was up, you'd be seen as lazy or unhelpful.
Generally Ikar is up around 4-5am and he goes to sleep 8-9pm.
16.) Are there any blood relatives that your character is particularly close with, besides the immediate ones? Cousins, Uncles, Grandfathers, Aunts, et cetera. Are there any others that your character practically considers a blood relative?
I'm sure he has a few aunts and uncles close by, either in his hometown or in another small La Noscean town. He wouldn't be particularly close to them though as his family isn't one for big get togethers with the whole clan or anything. Maybe for a few holidays they get together. As for grandparents they've either already died or don't live close enough. Either way he doesn't know much about them besides stories from his parents.
17.) What’s your character’s desk/workspace look like? Are they neat or messy?
He is very messy with his work. His desk is always covered in different sorts of things, papers, books, maps, scrolls, etc. Could be completely separate things in terms of topics and when he's looking for a certain thing he always has to go sifting through the stuff on his desk to find it.
Even in his research journal (which he thankfully always keeps on him not to lose it) is messy in how it's written. Monsters are kept around their same family and genus thanks to his notes using the same formula as the Raimdelle Codex, but his notes and drawings are haphazardly added to the journal. It's a pretty messy read if anyone were to see it. Good information, but all over the place.
18.) Is your character a good cook? What’s their favorite recipe, whether they’re good or not? (Microwave mac-and-cheese applies.)
Ikar is somewhat of a good cook! He learned a lot from his mother when he was younger, and as he's aged he's picked up some tips from both the Fishing guild and generally speaking to people who work at the Culinarian guild.
He mainly knows how to cook fish; he could probably make some good scrambled eggs as well.
19.) What’s your character’s preferred means of travel?
Teleporting, riding a chocobo, or riding airships. Walking is also an option. Really he doesn't have a preferred, he uses whatever is needed for the moment. Gotta be somewhere fast? Better teleport! Leisure trip? Why not ride an airship! That's fun.
20.) Does your character have any irrational fears?
He has an irrational fear of seedkin, particularly ochus. His fear has since extended to the whole family of monsters (yes even mandragoras) in varying degrees of fear. He was almost killed by an ochu on a fishing trip with his father when he was younger, which was the start of his fear.
Re: Ikar Kestrel ;; I ramble a lot
Hyur: Ikar has a bias towards his own race, who is surprised? Not me. In terms of midlanders he personally hasn't met like many out right scum bags (possibly since Ikar isn't very social) and so he generally assumes the best about any midlanders he meets.
He is so not about the highlanders though, while he's not outright rude to any that he meets, he finds most fit the stereotype of being huge brutes with low intelligence. Also while he's too chicken shit to actually say it himself, he finds the racial insults ("Your mother was a Sea Wolf!") to be pretty fitting for them.
Miqo'te: He absolutely doesn't understand a thing about these strange little cats. They're exotic, their women are strange and don't get him started on odd cat rituals. He liked them better as the occasional conversation partner around Limsa compared to daily living with them in cat frat house. That's really only because he's getting more questions about them that he didn't even know he had.
Also he is vaguely aware that there is a difference between keepers and seekers, but he personally has never bothered asking what it is. His current impression of all cats is they have huge families and fuck a lot. He has a page or two in his journal dedicated to all he's learned in cat frat house, it is full of misinformation and assumptions based on Free Company members.
Elezen: Snooty assholes!! Ikar hasn't had many good impressions of Elezens and even a few good encounters have been offset by Ikar perceiving some sort of tone or attitude they may or may not have actually been giving off. He's generally more prickly around Elezen because he feels they're being assholes and he's partially intimidated by their height.
Like the Miqo'te, Ikar is only vague aware of the differences between Wildwood and Duskwight Elezen. He knows the Duskwight Elezen are discriminated against, but he's not sure the specifics of why. Either way he has trouble telling the two apart.
Roegadyn: Very boisterous and hard working men and women, his opinion on Roegadyn is pretty good honestly. He's grown up around them for most his life and he knows they're good people. Giant sometimes very intense looking people, but good. He has met some questionable ones in the marauders guild, but considering the type of people most marauders are... he doesn't hold it against them.
He knows the difference between the two sub races here! If he has a hard time pronouncing and writing their name, they are a sea wolf. If he has no time at all with their name, they are a hellsguard. Also the red and blue skin tones matching sea and hell help. His opinion on Roegadyn doesn't change regardless though.
Lalafell: He's impressed with Lalafell as a race, for being such small people they certainly have a way with making a name for themselves. Ul'dah is a testament to that. He does believe their success has lead a lot of their race to be too greedy though. Other than stereotypes that they're good with money, Ikar is pretty neutral to them.
He applies the stereotype with money to both Dunesfolk and Plainsfolk, but thats about it. He does notice there seems to be a lot more Dunesfolk around, and sometimes wonder if Plainsfolk make a more tantalizing treat to monsters because of it. Maybe the soulless eyes of the Dunesfolk is their way to scare predators off??
Limsa: Ikar is very fond of Limsa. It's practically his home away from home, as it certainly has been for a good chunk of life. There is a freedom to Limsa that he feels the other city-states are missing. Maybe its something to do with the pirates?? The way Merlwyb runs things? He's not sure the exacts, but he is very comfortable when he's in the city. If he's not busy for the Free Company, or out in the wilderness with his research, you can probably find him in Limsa.
Ul'dah: The city really lives up to its name as the jewel of the desert, a fact Ikar is honestly impressed with. He feels that if you're ever in the market for something special, Ul'dah would be the place to start your search. There are many greedy Lalafells, you never know what they might have stowed away in their warehouses. The city is not without it's flaws however, everyone always seems to be so focused on making money that they don't tend to those who really need help. He feels bad for the people left out by Ul'dah society and blames it on the greedy, but he hasn't made any efforts to help the people as well so.
Gridania: Gridania isn't bad, but there's nothing really special about it for Ikar. The people are pretty distant to outsiders, and Ikar really doesn't understand much of their rituals with the elementals either. He doesn't think it's too wise of a set up to be following these invisible elementals orders if only a few can even hear them, but who is he to criticize how Gridania has been run for such a long time already. It works for them, so it doesn't really matter to him.
Beastmen: Ikar is definitely interested in the beastmen, though he primarily knows about Qiqirn and Goblins. He spent a good deal of his free time when he was younger hanging around and learning about their cultures since luckily Limsa is pretty lax on the friendlier beastmen being allowed in the city. It doesn't come up as much anymore, but when he was younger he could easily slip into the verbal ticks (shinies, clink-clink, odd goblin words) when conversing with them. He knows a little about the Mamool Ja as well, but for the most part he's was always a bit too intimidated to strike up conversations with them.
As for the more hostile of the beastmen races, while Ikar would love to get to know about their cultures as well he doesn't feel it is a safe time to delve into that with how the city-states are at odds with most of them. Through Goblin and Qiqirn traders he has managed to meet and have dealings with the other beastmen on friendlier terms, but the meetings were never long and it was always all business for the most part. He believes behind most of the religious fanaticism with the beastmen's primal worship that they could get along with the other races. He doesn't share this opinion with many though.
Random last tidbit to throw in here: Ikar does actively study the Amalj'aa language as it is something you can study in Ul'dah and not really be seen as something too odd. He's been studying for about 4 years now. He wouldn't be able to speak the language well enough to save his life as he has had zero practice speaking it, but he can read written Amalj'aa pretty well.
22.) If your character could time travel, where would they go?
In the past, he'd warn himself not to drink so much around Zanou'a.
23.) Is your character superstitious?
Ikar doesn't think himself superstitious, but growing up in a small town he has unknowingly picked up on his fair share of old wives tales. Silly ones like covering mirrors during thunderstorms he wouldn't believe in, but he has a lot of fishing ones he will live by. "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in morning, sailor's warning." or "Fish bite least with wind from the east." True or superstitions, he's not sure. They're passed on as knowledge so he takes it as such.
24.) What might your character’s ideal romantic partner be?
He has not settled on an ideal romantic partner at this time, though he is certainly attracted by looks. He's not too picky with looks either, though he prefers dark colored hair? He likes women who are more assertive, but in being assertive they don't lose any femininity. Other than that, Ikar hasn't been with anyone to really discover what his true ideal romantic partner will be. At the moment he is too shallow and sexually frustrated to really pound out any specifics.
I know if he found someone who had similar interests to him, and also came from a sort of similar background where they could relate to each other he'd really fall for them despite if they weren't like IDEAL LOOKS. I don't think he realizes it, but he's been wanting to share his passion with someone for a long time as he hasn't had an outlet for it at all, not even in his childhood. He's just scared to share since it wasn't taken nicely by the small folk. (ie: don't mess w/ monsters, its not safe. No you can't have them as pets, leave it to marauders, adventurers, etc to get rid of them.)
25.) Describe your character’s hands. Are they small, long, calloused, smooth, stubby?
His hands are probably pretty average for length, his fingers not too stubby nor too spindly. I imagine his hands are pretty rough and calloused from lots of physical labor.
26.) Second day of favorites! Favorite comfort food, favorite vice, favorite outfit, favorite hot drink, favorite time of year, and favorite holiday.
Salt cod puffs, Salmon Meuniere? FISH and bread the end. Favorite vice? How about thinking of hot monster women while he jerks it??? His favorite outfit is that tank top and shorts get up he has. Warm apple cider for the drink, Spring-Summer, and his favorite holiday probably is some sort of autumn harvest festival. I'm not sure if Eorzea even has those, but I imagine there is probably some sort of ritual to Nophica to celebrate the good harvest.
27.) Pick two songs that describe your character at two different points of their life, and explain why you chose them.
UH... I will have to come back to this, in the meantime listen to the songs I play while I fish on Ikar?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeaynS_80ME
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICxYi3O_SHc
28.) If your character’s life was a genre, what would it be?
Comedy. (Z says it would be a harem anime)
29.) How does your character smell? Do they wear perfume or cologne?
Generally I'd say he smells faintly of the ocean. A sort of briney salty smell I imagine Limsa Lominsa's wind smells like. Some days he may smell more fishy, say if he was down at the fisherman's guild most the day or out fishing himself. He does not smell good after a whole day of fishing for sure. Snips his crab luckily doesn't have a fishy smell to him (unless he's about to molt) so that doesn't add to Ikar's smell. Ikar isn't one to wear cologne.
30.) How does your character feel about magic?
Magic is such an everyday thing to him he really doesn't even think about it anymore. He can't cast any magic himself; both because he doesn't know how, doesn't think he can learn and I don't think he has any aptitude for it. Still it's practically an every day norm for eorzea to have magic. Maybe he's working with an Arcanist today, perhaps a Conjurer. He doesn't know the difference! It's all healing magic to him and it's great! Some people throw fireballs, sweet it kills things faster just please don't burn him in the process! Etc etc.
31.) How did the calamity affect their life?
It scared the bejesus out of him! No wait I mean, while he was getting comfy just staying around Limsa he didn't have much want to go further than that before. He hadn't even thought anything like the calamity even possible, at least not in his life time so it certainly did shake him up. There was so much more he wanted to do with his life that he almost was not able to do, and it was was the push he needed to go out in the world and really start on his research instead of keeping it a hobby.
There was actually a lot more he had to do before he could just say oh man that was almost the end of everything we knew, see ya Limsa! But he did leave when the opportunity came up.
32.) And finally: Write a letter to your character, from yourself.
Dear Ikar,
Face the facts, you are a super nerd. Also you're not a kid from a dumb little town anymore. You're a weirdo working in a house full of other weirdos. I promise most will only judge you a little for your hobbies, but otherwise I don't think they'll care you want to amass an army of critters to fight with you.