#Kieran: Musings

[coreofgold]

@youllalwaysbemyporcelain for Kieran for a Discord starter

The difference between Aloth and Iselmyr is always apparent. While Aloth is graceful, methodical, shows affection in private, Iselmyr is loud, boisterous, not afraid to fight and not afraid to show anything in public. So, the person who runs and hugs Kieran from behind while shouting his name is definitely Iselmyr. "Kierie! I found ye!" She lifted him up in the hug

[kourabiedes]

Carmine and Kieran Roleswap AU: Teal Mask Edition

Sweet Arceus do I have a long AU for ya, because I am Very Normal about the Kitakami siblings and definitely don't go out of my way to find new ways to mess with their heads. Long AU summary under the cut! Beware all ye who enter here, for there are Ogres afoot.

There is now an Indigo Disk continuation to this!

So the most important thing to understand before we start is that Carmine and Kieran still retain aspects of their normal personalities.  A 1:1 swap would be kinda boring (specifically, boring for me). However, their life experiences have changed here and that does give us some new juicy tidbits to explore.

Sketches provided by @funakounasoul... except for the Ogerpon sketch. I made that.

Kieran is the older sibling in this scenario.  He's still shorter than his sister, but he's now older than the player character and probably has some devilish good looks.  He's generally goodnatured, and being the older sibling and having to look out for a younger sister has balanced his personality a little bit.  He's more mentally stable and mature than his standard self.  He still has a pretty huge fondness for the ogre in the old legend, admiring its independence and strength.  The major change to his personality here is that he's not as insanely shy, since he hasn't had a big scary savage sister to hide behind all his life.

Younger sister Carmine is shy of strangers and still wary of outsiders.  Her posture visually in the Teal Mask is probably kind of stooped, like she's trying to hide how crazy tall she is.  She has a bratty, slightly spoiled attitude in this scenario, because big brother Kieran is always hovering nearby to keep her out of trouble.  She appears to be the player character's age or maybe a touch younger.  Despite the initial shyness though, she's all aggression when she feels she or her family or really any of Kitakami as she sees it is threatened.  She still dismisses Kieran's ogre obsession, but chalks it up to boys liking scary things.  (You know, cuz girls never go for that kinda thing </massive sarcasm>)

The PC would meet them both for the first time in Mossui and Kieran is welcoming while Carmine glowers at you from somewhere behind him.  Kieran's all about helping your classmate get safely to the community center and probably runs off to help, or perhaps to get the caretaker.  Maybe you battle Carmine then because she's definitely not enjoying having these tourists in her fucking town.  Whatever the scenario, Kieran and the caretaker get the rest of the Random Paldean Students safely to the community center and you get settled in.

Now, for a while, things don't change much in this scenario, except for Kieran not being super emotionally unstable.  The next day, you're being introduced to the Blueberry kids properly and Kieran immediately suggests you and he pair up.  Carmine isn't thrilled but as he points out, it's not like they can pair up together based on Briar's directions to make interschool pairs.  She sulks off to find a Paldean student to deal with.  Your character and Kieran have a friendly battle and he admires your skills.  You go find the first two signboards and follow him up to the Dreaded Den more or less the same way as in Teal Mask.  Then he invites you to the Festival of Masks and you go back to the family home.  Carmine is not overly pleased to see you still hanging around, but she's unbending a little bit since you and Kieran obviously get on so well.  They only find the two masks in the shed, Kieran tries to offer you his ogre mask, Carmine stops him, you get to the festival and do some balloon popping and maybe even beat Carmine's score.

It's Ogerpon's appearance that changes the story dramatically.  At first, you are the only one that sees her, but then Kieran comes looking for you after pacifying Carmine.  Ogerpon spooks, drops her mask, and you both have a moment of shock as you realize this is not a child, this is the damn ogre.  Then Ogerpon bolts, leaving you with the Teal Mask.  Kieran is stunned  --  the ogre was so smol!  And seemed so nonaggressive!  And holy shit this mask is beautiful, except there's a chip in the big crystal!  He's excited as hell to have one of his childhood dreams materialize before him.  He wants to go after Ogerpon, but Carmine turns up at that moment.  She has deeply internalized the ancient Kitakami legend of the Loyal Three, and when Kieran excitedly tells her you just saw the ogre, she insists it can't have been, because you and he are both not fucking dead.  She and Kieran argue for a minute, long enough that once it's over, Kieran has to reluctantly admit you'll never catch up to the ogre in the dark.  He tells you to hold onto the mask and you two can go ask his grandpa about it in the morning.  You do, and it's Kieran who is with you when you hear the story of Ogerpon.  Carmine appears at one point and is shooed off by Kieran, but overhears the majority of the story herself.  Unlike Kieran, she can't believe it  --  the heroic Loyal Three, actually villains??  Impossible!  She realizes that if Kieran believes this story, he's likely to go chasing the ogre again, and probably get himself killed, a prospect that chills her to the bone.  She ambushes you both as you leave the family home and demands that Kieran (and just Kieran, she doesn't care what YOU do) not go chasing monsters, making no effort to pretend she didn't overhear the whole damn thing.  Kieran tries to correct her, but she insists you both go have a look at the final signboard, the one that reminds everyone that the ogre murders anyone it comes across without a mask on.  You go, but discuss with Kieran how the story doesn't make any sense compared to the ogre you both saw and the story Kieran's grandpa told you.  You go back mutually determined to get Ogerpon's mask back to her after gramps fixes it. 

You go off to the community center and Kieran goes home.  Something he says at home will alert Carmine to your resolve, and that kicks off the next event.  Carmine demands you meet her at Loyalty Plaza, where she makes an impassioned plea to her brother not to be fooled into getting himself murderated.  He tries to explain that she's still got the wrong impression and she blows up on him, refusing to listen to reason (he almost certainly points out that Gramps has no reason to lie to his own grandkids, for example).  Truth is, she's afraid, afraid for his life, and that's making her act irrationally.

And then a thought occurs to her, a thought that marks a huge turning point in this scenario.  It's you.  You are making her brother act this way.  You are the reason he's doing these insane things.  She accuses you directly of manipulating her family.  Kieran protests, but she's convinced.

Now, in canon, I am convinced that the venom in Kieran's thoughts is what somehow channeled Pecharunt's energy (or some variant thereof) into the Lousy Three's grave and brought them back to life.  In this scenario, imagine the same, only it's the poison of fear which is rapidly spreading through Carmine.  Her fear is being expressed as anger, but it's still fear, and it's consuming her rapidly.  Before either sibling can argue further, the grave splits open, and the Three emerge.  No one knows quite what is happening, so no one can really react effectively as they take off to Kitakami Hall.  It's only as they're already receding into the distance that Carmine realizes they must be the Three.

You and the siblings rush to the Hall to hear the news of the Three's arrival and retrieving of the other masks before going up the mountain.  Kieran starts to rush after them, but suddenly Carmine blocks the way.  She is going to save him from himself if it's the last thing she does.  You battle her and defeat her, and the idea that you are the cause of all this etches itself that much deeper.  She has no choice but to step aside, but you can feel her furious eyes on your back as you run to save Ogerpon.

Poor little ogre is getting the shit kicked out of her and you save her, driving off the Three.  She is nervous around Kieran because he smells like a local and therefore Dangerous, but while a little hurt, he is not crushed by this.  You take her back to the town (she refuses to enter of course) and consult with Kieran's grandpa.  He promises to fix the Teal Mask for Ogerpon if you and Kieran go get a crystal from the Crystal Pool to replace the chipped one, and suggests you and Kieran go pound the shit out of the Three to get Ogerpon's other masks back.  Carmine is sulking at home and overhears the conversation.  You and Kieran go to the Pool with Ogerpon shadowing you, but Carmine blocks your way at the top, angry at Kieran too now for bringing an outsider to this sacred place.  The standoff is broken by Briar also appearing at the summit, distracting Carmine.  Kieran slips past her and you stop her from following with a battle.  Ogerpon stays near you, and her presence only serves to enrage Carmine more.  Kieran retrieves a crystal cluster during the battle and you both bolt back down the mountain to give it to Gramps, leaving Carmine fuming.  He begins to work on the mask and you turn your attention to finding the Three.

You find the Three with Kieran's help and return the shit kicking they gave Ogerpon threefold, retrieving her masks.  Ogerpon becomes more comfortable around Kieran as you go.  You return to the town only to discover Carmine stole the Teal Mask after Gramps fixed it and left Kieran a message telling him to come to the Dreaded Den.  Gramps notes that she spoke with him about the story of Ogerpon before she left and seems to be disturbed by how the ogre has acted since the whole mess began  --  Kieran guesses her good sense is starting to win out over her fear.  You go back to the Den with Kieran and Ogerpon and find Carmine there.  Kieran confronts her, finally convincing her that the story of the Loyal Three was indeed wrong, and she's been wrong about Ogerpon the whole time (probably aided by Ogerpon with her sweet lil face staring like a sad puppy at her). 

Carmine finally accepts the truth of the matter, and apologizes to him and Ogerpon.

But there's one thing she hasn't let go of.  She hasn't forgiven you.  And Kieran doesn't realize that she's still hung up on that part because, while he's a lot more emotionally stable in this scenario, he's still pretty oblivious to subtle emotional cues from other people.  When Carmine walks away from the Den, it's with a venom-filled look in your direction.  Insert Heart's If Looks Could Kill here.

Inevitably, Ogerpon wants you as her human, because you're the damn hero.  This version of Kieran is disappointed, but not shattered by this.  He's spent a lot of time over the last couple days with you and the little cutie, and he's had time to get used to the idea.  It's Ogerpon's decision where she wants to go, and he lets go of the long cherished dream with regret, but nothing worse.  He does ask to have a battle with you and her in the morning, after which Briar calls to tell you to get your asses to the community center to finish the actual school trip thingy you'd probably forgotten all about.  Kieran also tells you that Carmine has holed up in her room and won't talk to anyone.

You know more or less how this ends, with Briar yoinking the Kitakami sibs back to Unova to prepare for some globetrotting and the antagonistic sibling swearing to get stronger so they can kick your ass.  In this case it's Carmine, and boy does she hate you right now.  In the end, Kieran came to no harm, and Ogerpon was not a monster, but it doesn't really matter, because rationality went out the window for her where you're concerned a while ago.  She's going to get stronger, and she's going to hand you your ass for humiliating her so often, and she's got a great idea for making that happen...

[limitlesspossibilities]

//I am. Debating moving a couple Pokemon muses to this blog

[spooktacular-dolls]

If the IDW comic is giving us g3 Valentine *IN ADDITION* to our first completed official look at Spelldon, I'm actually going to flip out

[sparkledleaves]

☆ﾟ*·ﾟ ACROSS THE ROOM she stood, looking beautiful. kieran's heart beat faster and faster with every moment he looked at her. from that first moment they'd spoke, he knew he was in trouble. after spending hours during the gala wondering how to go back and speak to her, he knew this was his chance. she stood there under the light, glowing like an angel. her beauty was unmatched. his eyes were locked onto her as he walked toward her, feeling like he was floating on the clouds.

he'd gotten advice and hoped words would form once he stood in front of her. the closer and closer he got, the faster his heart beat. how could one person be so beautiful? kieran put on his best smile, one that he'd realized he only had because of her. it was radiating through him, filling him with love and light. "you really look ethereal tonight. your smile fills me up with a warmth i didn't think i needed and those eyes pull me in with every passing moment. elise, i'm captivated by you."

@healersheartsandsouls

[mrswxllaroy]

ajcession in a nutshell (credit to @mlovesmoons)

[not-gonna-lose]

Huh...? When did I get this app? Don't remember ever downloadin' it...

[relicsongmel]

Was doing some thinking today and realized that one of the reasons I'm really drawn to Kieran is because he's a rare example of a character that's shy (and usually good-hearted) but still has some rougher edges to him.

I feel like all too often shy characters are shoved into being portrayed as either "smol bean who would never hurt anyone and just wants friends uwu" or "brooding loner who snaps at people to cover up the fact they don't actually know how to socialize" with not a lot of wiggle room in between. While I can and do enjoy characters that (arguably) fall into those respective categories, they're a bit reductive in the sense that things are very rarely that black and white in reality. Even the kindest people have a limit to what they can tolerate. They have bad days or respond poorly to events around them that cause them stress. And the same can be said in reverse as well—point being, people are multifaceted and don't always behave as predictably as we'd like to think.

And I think Kieran reflects that dichotomy perfectly. When we first meet him, he's meek, timid, and relies heavily on his more brash and forceful older sister to help him navigate social situations where he would otherwise lose out on something valuable because he's too afraid to come forward and ask for what he wants (like how she has to ask the player to battle him on his behalf). He's often quick to cower whenever she starts to get heated, but he's also not afraid to point out when he thinks she's wrong and sometimes even gets sassy with her himself. He's undeniably sweet and gentle and shows eagerness to make friends with the player, but he becomes much more curt when he notices we're lying to him about Ogerpon. The rest of the Teal Mask storyline shows him fluctuating even further—yelling at Carmine and the player for keeping secrets from him, punching things in fits of anger...then backpedaling and apologizing for the trouble he caused a few scenes later. Spreading the truth about Ogerpon to everyone in the village to help make her happy...then selfishly demanding a battle to see who's worthy of being her Trainer when she has already clearly chosen the player.

After being lied to and suffering repeated losses at our hands (including the Pokemon he's idolized all his life choosing us over him), he leans even more heavily into his bitter side during the Indigo Disk—being cold and ruthless to pretty much everyone around him, but at the end of the day it's primarily overcompensation for what he perceives as his own personal weakness (because he's still just a kid trying to be taken seriously). He's shown to drop the act on multiple occasions—most notably when he's caught off guard by our appearance at Blueberry Academy and at a few points during the Area Zero expedition. He antagonizes the player up until the moment of his defeat and tries to catch and use Terapagos in a last-ditch moment of desperation that ends up going horribly wrong, but after everything resolves he's quick to admit his mistakes and asks the player for forgiveness and if they can still be friends. After the epilogue he's mostly back to his old self, but still seems to get worked up when provoked (e.g. when he yells at Drayton for refusing to stop calling him "ex-Champ" in one of their League Club Room interactions).

And I think this varied and sometimes contradictory behavior is precisely why Kieran is such a cohesive and believable character—because it shows how even kind, well-meaning people may have a hidden darker side that can show itself under the right circumstances. How they might let their insecurities get the better of them. How a shy, timid kid might not have the experience to know how to deal with sudden feelings of frustration and/or jealousy that are far too strong to keep to himself, so he lashes out as a result. How despite all this he remains kind, sensitive and loving at his core and shows willingness to learn from his mistakes. And that is what makes him so compelling to me.

[adventureswithdipplin]

haha,,, uhhh,,, i dont think this is my blog ??? (・・;)

i can’t seem to be able to log into my own, though

so,, hi I guess ??? i hope this isn’t too much trouble for you all!! (^ ^)

[wcvensouls-archive]

" actually, we have a gig coming up later if you want to come watch. it's a small venue, but still. "

@lucidrims : sc .

[multiversal-muses]

Out of all your muses, which ones do you think youd get along with the most if you met them IRL? Which ones do you think you would dislike?

Probably Kieran, I get trying to compare yourself to someone and always coming up short to the point where you feel frustrated. So I’m sure we would have things to talk about.

As for who I would dislike in real life…

May I introduce you to Yomi, Director of the Peacekeepers from Rain Code. While I enjoy role playing as him, if he were to exist in reality I would probably hide in fear, he’s insane. Torture, imprisonment, threats, blowing places up…etc. I could go on but you get the idea.

[coreofgold]

@youllalwaysbemyporcelain for Kieran

"Don't mind the heat. The forge always makes things hotter than it is." Taka said, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. "Now, how can I help you?"

[startgamc]

[ the way I'm so hype for Fox's Carmine!!! ]

[ooachilliaoo]

IABN - Kieran

It was the nose that stopped her dead.

She’d known the boy had come to Skyhold, of course. Had seen him around the place a number of times since. But she hadn’t really looked at him until the day she’d been crossing the garden to the chantry, and he’d happened to cross her path.

In an instant, she had taken in all the details, just as she had been trained to do. But it was the nose that had struck her first. Then the jawline. Then the look in his eyes… Something brave and good and honourable. 

Not something that would have come from his mother.

Honestly, she was hard-pressed to see anything in the boy that had come from his mother, save the shape of his eyes, perhaps, and the almost unsettlingly still way he held himself.

No, the sum of his features belonged to his father, and it was odd to have the sudden realisation that she knew exactly who that was.

Her first immediate impulse was to storm across the garden, grab Morrigan by her slim shoulders, and snap the witch in half.

Because in that same moment, she’d remembered that night. The night before the march to Denerim. She had gone in search of Elissa, looking for comfort ahead of the battle, and had instead found her friend collapsed on the floor. Tears coursing down her face. And Alistair nowhere in sight. 

True, she didn’t know the boy’s age. Not exactly. Morrigan had dropped off the face of Thedas following the battle and Elissa had urged her not to go looking. It was possible that something had happened, after the Landsmeet. After Elissa had left…

But he looked old enough for it to have been that night.

And she couldn’t imagine Alistair seeking Morrigan out, not even if...

She had always known that the rumours were true. Not for certain, not in so many words, not confirmed by either party, but in her heart, she had known. That somehow, somewhere, her two favourite Grey Wardens were continuing their relationship in secret. She didn’t see how it could be otherwise. She had never seen two people more alike, or more in love.

It had been the reason why, back before the Conclave, before all the mess of dear Justinia’s death, when they had sought Elissa to lead the Inquisition, she had gone not to Vigil’s Keep, but to the palace in Denerim. After all, if anyone knew where Elissa was, it would be Alistair. Wouldn’t it?

Read the rest on AO3

[oceanhcir]

𓂅 ˙ ˖ ⠀ ⠀ ❪ 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 ❫

com: @ilya-kieran-muse

na enfermaria

ele disse: "just stay here a while, if you don't mind."

O pedido do outro rapaz foi incomum, especialmente porque Sebastian estava evitando a enfermaria, porém, assentiu com um gesto mínimo de sua cabeça e aproximou-se um pouco mais do outro. " como está se sentindo? " indagou um pouco constrangido com toda a situação. " eu sei que deve estar com dor ou algo do tipo, mas logo um curandeiro vem dar uma olhada em você, conversar ajuda a distrair. " ele próprio não aguentava permanecer muito tempo em pé, mas negava a demonstrar que estava machucado ou dolorido.

[sparkledleaves]

☆ﾟ*·ﾟTHE COURTYARDS HAD trees that were products of kieran's dreams. while stuck here, he knew he needed to practice his trap skills. but maybe this wasn't the best idea. because while kieran generally knew what he was doing, he'd never met this tree before, so he wasn't sure how the leaves felt or how they worked together. even though he used his best knot skills to connect the vines and leaves together in order to make a climbing rope strong enough to move through the trees.

but there was a problem here. in trying to make sure he learned enough about these trees and how the branches grew, kieran stepped into the trap and was now hanging from a tree. laughing lightly, he felt absolutely ridiculous. trying to reach something in his pockets to cut himself free was proving to be difficult. turning his head, he saw someone walking towards him. and immediately, he recognized the boots. "oh, vyr, uhm... help."

@vyrcs