#but tbh seeing as every poet and their mom has written the phrase 'run away with me' im highly doubting it

[etchedstars]

this is your local bitch of a poet here to say that the phrase "run away with me?" is NOT a poem and should not be framed as one. that is not a poem that is literally just a phrase. hit it with your car

[fingersinhisass]

DO ALL THE QUESTIONS FOR AL, MY FAVORITE, BELOVED, BEST BOY.

YES MA’AM OF COURSE MA’AM

1. what does music mean to them? what role does it play in their life? 

he likes it well enough, he’s always enjoyed dancing and is an incurable habitual whistler. the only songs that really have any deep meaning for him are probably the lullabies his mom would sing to him when he was just a lil’ kid, which have been passed down in his family for generations. (he 100% sings them to his own kids when he has them.)

2. if you were to hug them, what would they smell like?

pipe smoke with a hint of lavender. he keeps lavender sachets in all of his clothing drawers and his handkerchiefs all smell like it. his mom grows lavender on her farm so he picks some every time he visits

3. what’s their favorite food?

the simple, rich soup his mom would make in the winter on the rare times they had a bit of meat to spare, but also just soup in general. he’s fond of a good soup.

4. what’s their least favorite food?

porridge. yech. bad memories.

5. do they like nature? if they do, what’s their favorite natural setting (woods, beach, desert, lake, etc.)? 

he likes nature from a distance. he doesn’t like nature if it ruins his clothes. which is most of the time. generally he prefers to stay away from any sort of hiking or camping – he’s a city boy at heart – but he appreciates the beauty of the open fields around his mother’s farm.

6. what’s their most prominent personality trait?

he’s. he’s an idiot. an exceptionally charming, exceptionally kind idiot.

7. what’s their mbti?

jeez idk. i don’t even know my own mbti 

8. hogwarts house? 

probably gryffindor

9. d&d alignment?

neutral good

10. if they were in a modern high school clique (jocks, goths, hipsters, geeks, etc.), what would it be? why?

oof. he would hang out with the delinquents because at that age he was also a delinquent and also just. noticeably poor. he’d generally keep to himself but he’s got a pretty hot temper and i wouldn’t be surprised if he got into fights a lot over shit kids would say.

11. tea or coffee?

both? coffee for the caffeine if he’s working a case, tea for leisure and pleasure

12. dusk or dawn?

dawn. for some reason he strikes me as an early bird. but also the kind of person who stays up all night doing something they’re intensely focused on and getting no sleep? but when he is getting reasonable sleep, he likes to wake up early. he likes the sunrise

13. country or city?

city for sure. he likes his mom’s farm, but he went back to the city after he left the gang for a reason – it stole his heart a long, long time ago and he couldn’t stay away.

14. what do they do in their free time? do they have any hobbies?

al isn’t the kind of person who really has free time – he’s kind of a workaholic when it comes to his job since it’s intensely important to him. that being said, when he does have free time, he likes to read poetry and go see live performances in taverns, things like that. he’s a sap for a good romance story.

15. do they like animals? if they do, which ones?

he likes animals, but he’s terrible at keeping them. i think he had a big ferret in the campaign once that he stole???? no idea what happened to that

16. how are they in platonic relationships?

he has very few of those, considering his devotion to his job and his sketchy past. he’s the kind of person that’s liked by many but truly known by few – he’s outwardly charming and charismatic and a very likable person, but people who’ve known him for years realize frequently that they know next to nothing about him.

17. how are they in romantic relationships?

absolutely doting, sometimes to the point of suffocation for some people. he’s all about giving himself over to the relationship – when he does things he cares about, he puts himself into them totally and completely. he doesn’t halfass anything. he’s also an absolute hopeless romantic and a surprisingly eloquent poet, despite the fact that he’s not very smart, so he likes to shower his partners in little surprises and gifts and thoughtful love letters.

18. do they have any insecurities about themselves?

hoo boy. he considers himself a monster. full stop.

19. what’s their favorite genre of book or movie (if they like to read or watch movies)?

oh romance, hands down.

20. what would their dream vacation look like?

see: his and shaelle’s beach honeymoon tbh

21. how many hours of sleep do they get on average?

oh lord. between insomnia, nightmares, and and all-nighters for work, he is a bad sleeper. at best he gets maybe 2-5 hours; at worst he gets none. luckily he’s an elf, so. i don’t think technically they’re supposed to need to sleep? but fuck it, he needs to recharge SOMEHOW, so i say he needs sleep.

22. what is their body shape? are they trim or tubby? tol or smol?

he’s tall for an elf, about 5′10, 5′11. thin, wiry body with taut, lean muscle. shoulders a bit on the wider side and a trim waist. legs for fucking years, y’all. he hansom.

23. if you had to pick five words/phrases (objects, places, weather, etc.) to describe your oc’s aesthetic, what would you pick?

the curl of smoke from a pipe, a man’s silhouette outlined against a streetlight, the soft, warm ambient chatter and music of a bar, golden cufflinks and a sharply pressed suit, a purple ribbon tied around a roll of parchment with a flourish

24. do they hold onto grudges?

only if the wrongdoing was against someone he cares about 

25. are they fiscally responsible? or would they prefer spending with wild abandon?

having grown up in deep poverty, he tries his best to be frugal with his money. that being said, he is very, very weak to neckties and is absolutely an impulsive spender.

26. what’s their favorite kind of weather?

hot, lazy summer days and soft, mild spring evenings with just the slightest nip to the air

27. how old would they be if they didn’t know how old they are? (e.g., what’s their mental age?) 

oh jeez, that’s hard. he’s been through some fuckin shit. probably like. mid to late forties? or the elf equivalent of that. so a good fifteen to twenty elf years older

28. what’s their opinion of children? how are they around children?

he fucking ADORES children and gets along with them fantastically. he thinks they are incredible, fantastic little creatures and dreams of being a dad.

29. what’s their sexual orientation?

probably pansexual, with a bit of a preference for men, although he ends up marrying a woman.

30. what’s their favorite color?

any and all shades of purple.

31. what temperature would they prefer the room to be?

he runs a bit warm-blooded, so probably in the high sixties, but he’s also not one to pick a fight over the thermostat.

32. how mannered are they? how proper do they act?

he’s very, very lucky he’s so naturally charming. he was able to pick up on things very quickly once he started mingling with higher society, but he still is more inclined to dislike nobles simply because of his upbringing.

33. how do they dress?

very well, for within his budget. he’s a detective, so he’s not rich, but he’s certainly better off than he was as a child. still, he loves clothes and looking good, so he dresses like a gentleman as much as possible. he’s very fashionable.

34. which season do they prefer? why?

summer. lots of good childhood memories associated with it.

35. what is their “morning ritual”?

if he gets the chance to actually sleep through the night, he wakes up, makes himself some tea, washes his face, brushes his teeth, combs and styles his hair, chooses an outfit and puts it on, smokes his pipe and grabs a newspaper on the way out to work. otherwise he does all of that but without the waking up part and with very, very strong coffee instead of tea.

36. what is their “nighttime ritual”? 

on the nights he isn’t working a case into the wee hours of the morning, he takes a bath with a glass of wine and some poetry or a romance novel, then brushes his teeth, changes into his pajamas, and reads in bed until he feels ready to fall asleep.

37. have they ever had a one-sided crush?

no, actually. again, he is remarkably lucky he’s so goddamn charming. usually people he’s interested in tend to be interested right back. whether that goes past the initial mutual attraction is a different story.

38. do they like art? what form?

he’s very fond of music and writing, and admires paintings and illustrations as well

39. how do they read a book (if at all)? slowly, over the course of a few days, or within a few hours? do they sit, stand, lay down, all of the above?

usually he has to do his reading in the brief snippets of free time he can snatch up between work, so it can take him months to finish a fairly short book. he usually reads either in bed or on the loveseat in the living room of his apartment, and frequently falls asleep reading in both.

40. do they have any recurring dreams/nightmares?

oh yep. all sorts of stuff he regrets from his time as a thief/assassin. he’s literally got a whole selection of nightmares that like to replay themselves from night to night.

41. what would be their favorite subject in school? (e.g., English, Math, Science, History, Recess, etc.)?

oh english for sure, he has great appreciation for the written word

42. what physical features do they find attractive on other people?

kalsjdf;adjfklajsdklf idk. he likes shaelle’s hands and hair and neck – he finds them all very elegant and lovely and they’re probably written about in some of the letters he sends her, ngl.

43. are they patient or impatient? what situations would make them feel one or the other?

he’s generally pretty patient, especially when conducting investigations, but he has a very short fuse when it comes to people he perceives as committing an injustice or a wrongdoing. his sense of justice is very strong.

44. what is their opinion of authority?

sometimes it should be respected, other times it shouldn’t. it’s all circumstantial. usually based on whether he agrees with them or not.

45. what is their opinion of tradition?

he doesn’t have much tradition to speak of, other than the bit of elvish culture his mother passed on to him. it’s very important to him because he associates it with her.

46. are they into folklore and/or conspiracy theories? or do they think both are garbage?

he doesn’t really care about them either way, tbh.

47. if they were to have a “happy place” they retreated to in their mind during stressful/boring situations, what would that place be? what would be in it?

a comfortable study space with a crackling fireplace, full bookshelves, and a cozy armchair to read or fall asleep in.

48. what is one value they hold higher than any other, in others and in themselves? (e.g., loyalty, intelligence, compassion, responsibility, etc.)

probably compassion. like i said, he’s got a very strong sense of justice and cares deeply for the wellbeing of others, especially innocents.

49. what is/are their love language(s)?

gifts for sure

50. what is their opinion of cheese?

excellent. he enjoys a good cheese every now and again.