#its really hard to break them down into traits tbh its easier to be like 'they'd do x in x situation' u know

[gatheringbones]

bones!! your writing posts have been illuminating and wonderful and exactly what i needed to hear. if you're still enthusiastic about answering questions about writing - what do i do when i know everything i Don't want to write, but i have no idea what goes in the big grey spaces i haven't figured out? or, just - the vast majority of my drafts are either me not knowing what i want, or me wanting every single direction i could possibly take an idea and not wanting to get specific.

what helps about breaking stories down into nuts and bolts and composite pieces is that it allows you to consider each individual element with an eye towards what specific function it serves. Once you can look at any one piece and decide what it actually does for the story— decide its function— it becomes easier to think about story elements as, datapoints on the x-y graph that is your story, as part of the overall trend you're trying to construct that is a character or story arc.

this is why I love vonnegut's story graph (even if it's a really simple tool that isn't for every situation), where he uses the x-y graph to track Good Fortune versus Ill Fortune across the time the story takes place. 

here's mine for my protagonist:

as you can see, she starts out very low on the fortune scale (like the metamorphosis example vonnegut gave, but tbh I was thinking more like Eleanor at the beginning of Hill House, where she starts out very low on the misfortune scale and just keeps circling the drain from there). Since I’m writing primarily a recovery story, I wanted to place her somewhere on the scale that definitely wasn’t fortunate but still had much, much further left to fall, which she does as the events of the first quarter of the plot tick on. When constructing those events, I always kept in mind that I was devising a near-inescapable trap much like Hill House (or Gregor Samsa’s cockroach body) that made the dismal circumstances of the beginning seem comparatively peaceful; but in doing so I always had a general idea of what those events should look like and what they should accomplish; they needed to be draining, they needed to be terrifying, but they also need to be very specifically contrasted with the terrifying events in store for the protagonist after she finds her escape hatch and leaves the circumstances of the first quarter of the book, here: 

notice that sudden plunge into Bad Circumstances (think Ashitaka’s first death in Mononoke, when all hope seems lost and only a sudden intervention and miracle saves him) before we rocket all the way up to...... Okay. Just Okay. 

Not great, but not terrible, and most importantly, exponentially better than the circumstances at the beginning, and in reality they are the best circumstances the protagonist has ever experienced in her entire life. Whatever plot events or characters I come up with have to reflect that, they have to show that contrast and what that means to the protagonist; by this point a new crew rolls in who are all meant to show a whole realm of possibilities and contrasts, each and every single one of which has to fit in with the larger story I’m trying to tell and support the romance I’m trying to construct. Their form is dictated by their function; I can play around with those forms all I like, but they still have to serve very specific roles. I have things I want to say about recovery, about varieties of gender experience, about making friends when you’re no good at it and your brain is broken, and my cast has to serve those goals; I can’t make them just anybody, and I can’t load them up with traits that distract or contradict my major themes. Likewise with my magic system and the mystery I’m trying to build and realistically solve; it’s all code and metaphor that serves a very specific function, which means that each and every single plot beat where we gain a particular piece of knowledge or win a particular conflict has to serve that function as well. 

those stepping stones are the information/power gathering bit, where our larger mystery starts getting more and more hints dropped, each one of which has to provide a very specific clue that supports the Great Reveal/Dramatic Ending. It’s also where the friend-making happens and where the romance really gets its legs under it: we’re slowly crawling up and out of Just Okay and into the realm of happiness, which means I know that whatever I put in there it still has to serve the function of providing those stepping stones before I pull the rug out from under it all when All Hope Seems Lost 

sudden plunge into disaster! pitch blackest night! fat little kodama bodies raining from the skies! But note: nowhere near as pitch blackest black as our beginning. Our protagonist has been hard at work and doesn’t want to lose everything she’s gained as a result. The comparative happiness of Just Okay has been replaced by the inconceivable joy of Actually Pretty Good(!) and what looks like pitch black to everyone else is still miles above our actual lowest point (when our protagonist was alone and friendless and imperiled), or even her origin point (alone and friendless but thankfully pretty chill). THEN we rocketship straight into everlasting joy and prosperity with each and every character and story arc mirroring and supporting the larger one in one form or another. 

Having even a loose little sketch of a direction you would like to move towards helps so much; it helps you break your story into sections, it helps you conceptualize what those sections are meant to do, and if you know that you can use those parameters to build all of the moving bits and pieces inside of each one. It’s much harder to plonk something in the middle of it that feels right when all you have to do is ask yourself how it does or doesn’t support whatever larger meaning it’s meant to convey.  Draw a roadmap, then fill in the waystations that will get you there! 

[francesderwent]

are there are songs from reputation that you think work really well for delena?

A WONDERFUL question, anon!!!  I went slightly overboard.  In my defense, the intersection of Taylor and TVD is one of my great loves.

Firstly: reputation as an album has its own, overall story arc, which fits Delena pretty neatly!  Just as reputation begins with the very rock bottom, and has to work its way upwards to the happily-ever-after which is truly earned because it’s found where there seems to be no hope – so, too, Damon and Elena meet each other in each of their darkest moments.  Damon has lost and been betrayed by Katherine, Elena is still devastated by her parents’ death.  Damon is distanced from his humanity; Elena is far from her true magnetically charismatic self.   But they see and recognize each other, even through their pain.  And they love each other.  They find peace together, in the midst of all the darkness and craziness and people insisting it can never work.  

That said, there are some individual songs that really scream “DELENA”

“…ready for it?” is the “it is right, just not right now” of songs.  As such, it is more from Damon’s perspective than Elena’s – as soon as Elena figures out “I know I’m gonna be with you” she does not “take her time,” she makes the jump straight from 0 to 100.  Also, the line “in the middle of the night in my dreams, you should see the things we do, baby”, paired with the restraint of the next line insisting on taking time, is a little reminiscent of Friday Night Bites, wherein Damon says he’s going to sneak into the Gilbert house in the middle of the night and do with little cheerleader Elena whatever he wants…and then he breaks in and just tenderly watches her sleep.    

“End Game” has three perspectives, so if you squint I think it can be about the love triangle: Damon proclaims, “I got a bad boy persona, that’s what they like / you love it, I love it too cause you my type / you hold me down and I protect you with my life”.  Stefan’s verse is both a little gentler and a little more cautious: “For all your beautiful traits and the way you do it with ease / for all my flaws, paranoia, and insecurities / I made mistakes and made some choices that’s hard to deny…I’ve passed days without fun, this endgame is the one”.  (Bonus points for “it’s easier to ignore it, believe me, ” because Stefan is King of Denial.)  And finally, we find Elena’s perspective in the bridge: “I don’t wanna be just another ex-love you don’t wanna see / I don’t wanna miss you like the other girls do.” She doesn’t want to lose either of them – but it’s the one who “calls my bluff on all my usual tricks” that she eventually chooses.

“I Did Something Bad” is not a Delena song. I’d posit that the first verse is Katherine and the second verse is Rebekah.

“Don’t Blame Me” is more of a Damon/Katherine song, but there’s something kind of charming about imagining a Damon in-love-with-Elena saying “don’t blame me, love made me crazy” when he’s accused of doing something nice or self-sacrificial.

“Delicate” reminds me a lot of pre-relationship s4 Delena, when Elena has just turned and is most self-conscious about who she is and how she’s perceived by her friends and family.  Damon looks at her and sees not a problem to be fixed, but the woman he loves, the most alive he’s ever seen her.  Also “sometimes when I look in your eyes, I pretend you’re mine, all the damn time” is a big time Delena mood.

“Look What You Made Me Do” is sort of the universal humanity-switch song.

“So It Goes” is one of Taylor’s saddest songs, tbh, because the phrase “so it goes” expresses a kind of determined inevitability. And in the past – in “Style” and in “You Are In Love” – she’s used the phrase to describe the way that relationships progress, how things fall into place despite difficulties.  Even though he’s been out and about with other girls, they fall back together because they can’t stop thinking about each other.  Relationships that start with one look in a dark room progress inevitably to pictures kept in an office downtown.  In 1989 particularly, Taylor insists stubbornly that as long as you have the courage to stay, things can work out.  As long as nobody leaves, things move along a set pathway: so it goes.  But with “So It Goes”, the track, what happens inevitably isn’t staying together, it’s not the relationship growing closer and more real.  It’s falling together and falling apart, and “doing a number” on each other.  What’s fated is the whole progression of believing that you’ve found something to keep, and then finding it’s just another thing to lose.  Destiny becomes fatalism.  And this, long story short, is pretty s5 delena.  For a moment, it looks like the love that pushed them both to be better versions of themselves is just going to twist and fall apart, like everything else that’s disappointed them in the past.  The magnetism and chemistry is still there - “'cause we break down a little, but when I get you alone, it’s so simple” – but now it looks like it could be leading them to their doom.  

“Gorgeous” fits pretty neatly into s3 Delena, particularly that one time when Damon is distracting Rebekah and Elena is distracting Stefan and they’re both mad about it.  Also, “you should think about the consequence of you touching my hand in a darkened room” is CLEARLY the hand-holding in the motel-room-of-sexual-tension, and the consequence is making out on the ice machine and embarrassing Jeremy.

“Getaway Car” is not a Delena song, as it is pretty clearly a Katherine song: “us traitors never win…that was the last time you ever saw me”.  But it does kind of describe the season 3 finale moment when Elena says she picks Stefan, “but maybe if we had met first…”  She was the first to leave, because she was thinking of the place where they first met – but she was wrong about where they first met, and that changed the whole arc of the story.

“King of My Heart” is a nice counter-point to “…ready for it?”, encapsulating how as soon as Elena realizes she loves Damon, she is “all at once” totally confident, totally committed, all-in.  “Your love is a secret I’m hoping, dreaming, dying to keep” is very Delena, as is “is this the end of all the endings? my broken bones are mending”.  “Baby, all at once, this is enough.”

“Dancing With Our Hands Tied” is another s4-5 early relationship fate-fighting bop.  “I’d kiss you as the lights went out, swaying as the room burned down, I’d hold you as the water rushes in if I could dance with you again” particularly reminds me of “I wanted to dance with you today”.

“Dress” is THE Delena song, because everyone thinks it’s just about sex - but it’s about someone seeing who you are, and about belonging to someone so deeply that it’s written all over you.  It’s about all the things which define you suddenly having a new meaning because of how truly you know you are loved.  “Everyone thinks that they know us, but they know nothing” = “What do they know about us?”.  “Even in my worst times, you could see the best of me” = “I like you now, just the way that you are.”  She doesn’t?? want him like a best friend????

“This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” is a pretty great anthem for Damon “the fun brother” Salvatore and Elena “just as crazy as me” Gilbert.  Y’all know I love forgiveness and believe it is the truest kind of strength, but Elena and Damon both have petty sides, for sure.  This song is the moment where Elena walks in on Damon and the boys playing a drinking game to celebrate Katherine’s demise, and she says if anyone’s going to drink to it, she is.

“Call It What You Want” feels like a mid-s6 song to me, before Elena’s gotten her memories back, but when she’s beginning to realize just how lucky she is to have Damon back.  She doesn’t fully understand it yet – “call it what you want” – but she knows somehow that despite everything, this is where she belongs: “And I know I make the same mistakes, every time / bridges burn I never learn / at least I did one thing right.”  “You don’t need to save me, but would you run away with me” marks the decision to become human together.

“New Year’s Day” is sort of the perfect song for all the bookends of Damon and Elena’s story.  First, “there’s glitter on the floor after the party…you and me from the night before”: her eighteenth birthday party, the first time she realized she loved him.  “I stay when you’re lost and I’m scared and you’re turning away”: no matter what, they always survive. “I want your midnights”: the epic moments, the night of Miss Mystic Falls, the night at the motel, the night of the meteor shower thunderstorm – “but I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on new year’s day”: the everyday moments, cooking and sitting together on the sofa and going to parent-teacher conferences.  But midnight and new years day also symbolize the wild, powerful, heightened life of immortality and their peaceful, homey life with their family.  The song ends on “there’s glitter on the floor after the party…you and me forevermore”: Alaric and Jo’s wedding, when they decided they’re going to get married and be human together.

[elftwink]

hey!! if u don't mind could u tell me about ur ocs??

i absolutely don’t mind akhdgwjhds here are the 4 main ones from my current project, none of them have last names bc it’s not relevant to the story which is like. vague post-apocalypse and tbh it bothers me but im lazy so. 

skylar - my soft sweet sunshine boy (im kidding hes very nuanced i spent a lot of time on him). he makes a conscious effort to always see the best in people, tends to put himself at risk to help other people. dwells on his mistakes a lot and focuses on the past too much. worries he’ll turn out like his father. very emotional person but he’s not very good at reading emotions in others. super gay. biracial (his dad was white and his mom was latina). 20 years old and has been 6′2 since he was 16.

winston - impulsive idiot, also puts himself at risk, but instead of it being bc he wants to help others its bc he has 0 self preservation. very Bad at Emotions (not like toxic masculinity bad bc i am Tired but he Struggles to express himself in words, however he’s kind of an open book via his expressions; skylar, the narrator, is just an idiot who is bad at that). lives in the now. thinking about the future stresses him out. cynical but tries not to be too much of an asshole about it. bisexual, has a thing w/skylar although thats a plot point so its not static. he’s japanese n 5′11. everything he wears looks simultaneously like he grabbed random shit off of his floor but also it’s a Look™. also 20, a couple months older than skylar.

max - has the same Protect Everyone™ kind of mentality as skylar, but isn’t a gd idiot about it; very reasonable and careful, doesn’t like to take unnecessary risks (skylar and winston are going to kill her one day tbh every time they get injured she’s like !!!! i’m not mad but im worried and ok a little mad you guys what the fuck). comes off as serious and guarded and jaded but listen... she is doing her Best ok and she has a great sense of humor. she’s a lesbian and her and skylar bonded over being gay, mostly, also oreos and the fact that the world was ending, but being gay was important.  she’s black, 5′5, also always looks good. she’s 24 and calls winston and skylar ‘kids’ sometimes bc they are children. she’s not really the mom friend tho. she’s like that cool friend you meet at university and they keep going for coffee w/you even though they’re way?? better than you?? at everything?? only thinks about the future; uncertainty stresses her out.  

riley - at 29, they are the closest thing to a real adult these dumbasses have (they had a degree and everything!! an apartment!! too bad it collapsed when the world ended :/ rip). v good listener, easy to talk to, really good at quick comebacks. kind of the Mom Friend™ in the ‘you can always talk to me!!’ sense but also like if vine existed in canon they would pull their phone out every time winston made a Bad Choice and post it so. theyre pan, 5′7, and jewish. also tbh riley is the least developed bc they changed so much from when i started in terms of.... basically everything except the fact that they are nb. 

and that’s... one of 3 ongoing projects, but the only one where i have a full draft done, so sjhkdkej. thank you for asking!!! i love to talk about myself and my projects lmao

[mercurialsmile]

random writing asks: multiples of 3?

why would u make me do math…… jk 

What POV do you prefer and why?

Third person for sure. I tend to have more than one main character in all my novels and I tend to have stories that require a third person point of view rather than anything else.

However, between limited or omni, I kinda like omni a little more, tho it’s HARD AS FUCK to write in

So I tend to stick to limited. I do have a story planned that will use third person omni tho ;3c 

Do you outline or not?

I outline like FUCK. I outline all my oneshots, chapters, and novels. I sometimes will outline scenes if I can’t quite get the flow or pacing correct either. 

Not only that, I actually outline 3 times per draft usually. I have a sticky note outline, a written summary outline, and then I take that summary outline and break it down into the actual chapters. 

And then, when I go back and start writing the second draft, I outline AGAIN to iron out the kinks I found while writing the first draft.

So. tl;dr yes I outline XD 

Do you write characters based off of real people or make them up?

I make them up! I have very few characters based on anyone at all. 

Actually I don’t really think I have ANY characters based on people I know... tho I will take traits, quirks, likes, and dislikes from people I have met. 

Like, for example, in a lot of stories I write, there is at least one Star Trek reference somewhere because my mom loves Star Trek and is a trekkie. So yeah. lol 

Which is easier to write: original fiction or fanfiction?

Fanfiction because I don’t have to care about it.

Also a lot of stuff in fanfiction is done for you. There’s already a world with characters. It’s easier to get feedback. 

And people don’t really have... expectations either. You can be a shitty fucking ass writer and yet have lots of people read your shit and genuinely like it. It’s great like that. 

And I am not putting down fanfiction authors saying that, I used to be a fanfiction author, but let’s ALL be real here: original fiction is a lot harder to write than fanfiction in the majority of cases. 

Do you let people read your rough drafts?

Hell yeah! I used to post my rough drafts online, but not anymore. But I am not opposed to it at all tbh as feedback is how you get your story better. 

How many stories do you work on at one time?

*Glances at my 10 WIPs* too many

Actually novel-wise, I try not to work on more than 3 projects at a time, and even 3 is pushing it. I like writing two novels at once so if I get bored of one I can hop on over to the other. 

And then on the side, I like writing oneshots and stuff for some Instant Gratification so ye 

I don’t count world building as part of.... working on the story. But I also like working on world building when I am not doing oneshots. 

What do you do if you come to a fork in the road (where your story could go one of two different ways)?

Tbh I haven’t really run into this problem TOO much? As usually there isn’t two different ways, but like. 200. I had that issue with Osiris’ Trials (which had a different title once upon a time ago), Love Thy Sacrifice (THAT story has gone through like. 4 ideas now) and lastly Monster Hunters... which I am still struggling with. Oops!

Usually I try and let my brain wander. If I sit down and talk out my issues with someone, they work themselves out. That, or I’ll get an epiphany and figure everything out. Osiris’ Trials just kinda. Expanded. As I talked about it with @xerohn-alighieri. Same thing is Love Thy Sacrifice, except I mainly was just blabbering about it to @skyeofdragons one day and kinda figured everything out more or less 

Monster Hunters..... god who even knows with that one! 

Usually the issues isn’t really in the plot actually tho! Usually its in the world building, which shapes how the plot will run its course. 

Tho... again with Monster Hunters I’m having issues locating a really good and strong plot that works with the characters and themes I wanna explore >.> 

I don’t even know if I answered the question I just rambled. Sorry. Mainly I talk myself through the issues, but I usually don’t have issues with how the plot should go since I tend to get how things should end in my head before I figure out everything else. 

How do you figure out your characters looks, personalities, and speech patterns?

I don’t figure my characters out, my characters figure themselves out, then they beat me up for making them OOC for months on end. 

Idk. I just make characters and then they Do The Thing and welp there they are fully fleshed out amazing. 

A lot of the way I do things isn’t like. Deliberate I think. I don’t really sit down and think “Here is a character. This is their name. This is what they will be like”

its more like. I have a concept of a character. A theme maybe. The design forms in my mind from that concept and theme. Then I start thinking what type of person they would be based on the appearance I suppose? 

This isn’t always the case, mind you. But yeah. Like with Xero... he’s an old man. He must have lived a long life. He has chain-like scars on him... what happened to get those? He wears a lot of rings too. Why? he likes dressing in suits and he talks formal... where did he come from them? I want him to be 3000 years old... okay what was happening 3000 years ago and how would that shape him?

That’s how I kinda work thru things. Characters more or less make themselves in my head. I just have a blueprint. Then they steal that blueprint, rip it to shreds, and just. Be. 

SORRY FOR THE RAMBLING ANSWERS but thanks for the ask!! 

[chromsai]

Thank you for answering my mini rant. (The one about Yuuya). Idk, is just pisses me off when ppl say x character is badass or is a Dork/adorable ignoring their faults then when it comes to Yuuya its instantly bashing him straight away I mean, where's the justice? Like you said ignore the haters but idk it just gets to me sometimes.

lmao such is consumer culture. people love their exaggerated character tropes.

example (sticking with/picking on arc v here since if i mention any of the other spinoffs, someone will literally come at me all offended & what not): when you said “badass” i immediately thought of Shun. he’s just the very definition of badass, ya know? and it’s because of him acting so badass that made him one of the most popular characters. being badass & stoic is a character trait that, especially in shounen, is so beloved, you can’t have a series without a “badass, stoic” character otherwise the fans won’t deem the story to be “deep”. however, the moment that Shun showed some humility and worry for his comrades or started acting “soft”, the fandom started to claim that he was being written completely out of character.

and i don’t understand that? sure, i’m picking on Shun here as an example because, despite the fact that he’s one of my absolute faves from the show, i will admit that his character development was handled a bit wonky, but not entirely terribly. mostly, i felt it was somewhat rushed, but not too much tbh. but i wouldn’t call it out of character at all. he’s a traumatized character, and he copes with his trauma by being ruthless, reckless, and distrusting of others, which is what leads many to see him as “badass”. but people forget that there’s ways for characters- for people- to break away from that trauma and just want to try to heal and be normal as they used to be. sure, things won’t ever be the same for him again and he’ll always have to cope with his pain, but him showing signs of being “soft”, of wanting to move on, of smiling despite his pain- there’s nothing “out of character” about that.

people just liked him a lot more when he was “badass” and angsting all the time. because him being JUST “badass” all the time was HIS THING. no one ever expected him to move on beyond that.

returning to criticism of yuya, well that’s just the thing... i don’t think people can deny how much he grows over the course of the show. hell, it’s extremely hard to deny that he grew a lot by the end of the show. and i think that’s what trips people up about yuya specifically. he’s so damn dynamic as a character that people don’t exactly know where to place him under in a list of tropes; he doesn’t fit just one trope specifically. he may exaggerate on some parts of his character, but then again he always tends to show us the other side of the coin: he can be extremely happy at times, but breakdown completely the very next second; he can show when he doesn’t care about something yet the very next scene he’s up in a fiery rage; he’s a complete noob at times but the very next moment he’s shown thinking thoroughly and logically and surprising his opponents and audience, etc. some characters treat him like a complete joke, while others have the utmost respect for him.

he’s done some really “badass” things, but he’s also done some really “dumbass” things too. 

in fiction, people don’t usually expect a character to be as dynamic as yuya, they usually expect characters to represent one or two traits as best.

now logically the argument to this is “well yeah duh if a character shows off more than these one or two traits about them then they’re not going to be as memorable in the end.”

and the way you combat that problem is pretty simple: you make your character relatable while still giving them a unique quirk or power only they possess.

all those things i described yuya as make him relatable. just like us, he’s not always right but sometimes he is, and when he is, he shows it in a grandiose way. that’s his entertainer personality. THAT’S what makes him unique and memorable. not his pendulum, not his monsters (you could hand these things to any character and call them the protag). it’s how he uses them in his own way to create a style all his own that will become memorable to us. 

and this is, ironically, also a part of his character development: learning to break away from his dad’s entertainment style and developing one of his own that will push him to become even better.

anyway, as i said, people like breaking down characters into tropes that are easily recognizable since it’s easier to find individual things they admire in characters- in people- that they can label easily. our brains kinda just work that way on auto-pilot. but taking the time to dig deeper into things, the more facets of a person you see, the less you tend to become fascinated with them unless it turns out that you like everything about that person, which, in real life, isn’t always gonna be the case. like i said last time, not everyone’s gonna like a certain person or character and of course some are gonna be criticized harsher than others, but that all depends on how real they feel to you.

lastly, to answer your question “where’s the justice?” with regards to bashing yuya over other characters, well... that’s subjective. the answer to that, tho, will always rely on the tropes you like (and which you like) and whether or not you like tropeyer characters or prefer more dynamic characters, or both.

personally, i like both, but i prefer more dynamic characters since i just find them way more interesting than their tropey counterparts, but a lot of people find dynamic characters to be... too much? or... too realistic for their tastes? idk... i don’t think like most people, apparently...

to give you a more concrete answer tho: (imo) there is no justice. the standard of fiction that people are used to is to have a cast of characters where each character represents a different individual character trait or trope (which is so cliche and formulaic, especially in anime, and also unrealistic) and have them all interact and call it a “diverse” cast. this is bad enough as it is in shounen, but in ygo, in particular, we don’t see characters like yuya very often so they’re kinda breaking the mold in a well established formula-based franchise that whenever they come along, they’re treated as “over the top”, when in reality... they’re just... not limited to the formula we’re so used to seeing. in truth, if yuya was a character in a different anime, especially a different genre, i have no doubt that he’d be hailed as a franchise fan favorite and bashing or negative criticism of him would be kinda... (i don’t wanna say “nonexistent”) not as common as it is in the ygo fandom.

at least, that’s what i’d like to believe.

[kensingtcns-blog]

( CHARLIE HUNNAM, MALE, HE/HIM ) —— [ BENJAMIN KENSINGTON ] is a [ THIRTY-FIVE ] year old that has been part of the [ HEATHENS ] for [ FIVE ] years. They have been working as a [ GUARD ]. The people in Boulder say that [ HE ] is [ CUNNING ] but also [ RECKLESS ]. Lets see what this wasteland has in store for them.

*uberhaxornova voice* alright helLO ( watch, no one else knows who that is ) its me, ur new resident trash queen & angst n pain lover, caitlyn. i’m 23 and i live in cst so like ?? yeah hi hello how are ya’ll ?? this is my baby benjamin that’s actually ?? a hot ass mess lmao ?? under this is a basic af bullet point bio, personality traits n stats & the three headcanons!! i’m so ridiculously excited to be here as well so that made my rambling worse ?? just like it is right now jfc okay i’ll stop. anywHO i’ve got a basic af list of wanted connections for him right HERE & i'll be working on making an actual bio for him over the next few days!! if you wanna plot w this hot ass mess, just like this or hop into my IMs bc i cannot wait to plot with all ya’ll!!

( TW: mentions of death, cancer, alcohol & weapons. )

BIOGRAPHY

was born and raised in denver, which means he’s always had a love for colorado.

ben’s the oldest of two siblings, his sister being ten years younger than him.

raised by two v loving parents who gave the pair everything they could have every wanted.

however, his mother did from breast cancer when he was 12 and that heavily impacted his father.

causing the older male to teach ben that having feelings wasn’t a good thing and that ben should bottle up everything because he wouldn’t get hurt that way.

something that ben took to heart and kept with him all throughout school.

speaking of, ben did really well in school, graduated at the top of his class and decided he wanted to go into the medical field.

so he did, went to medical school and started learning how to become a surgeon & to his surprise, he was really frickin good at it.

& along the way, he happened to fall head over heels for another student who was there to be a registered nurse. something his father frowned upon due to what’d happened to ben’s mother, but it was something his father quickly began to accept because he saw just how good the two were for each other.

ben ended up proposing to her about a year after they started dating & she said yes so they had a small courthouse wedding surrounded by loved ones... and a few months later they found out that she was pregnant.

this drove ben to be even more dedicated to his job because he wanted to be able to raise his son like his parents had raised him.

nine months later, along came his son and ben’s world quickly started revolving around that baby.

but all of that came to a screeching halt the second the virus hit.

benjamin knew that they had to get out of a populated city, so he packed his wife, his son, his father and his sister up and they were gone by sunlight.

however, his father and sister ended up getting separated from them and he didn’t know where they could have gone, even though he searched for days to find them.

things were okay for the first few month or so, they’d taken enough food to last from their home and the store but with an infant, keeping those supplies in stock wasn’t the easiest thin in the world and soon enough, ben found himself having to go out and search for formula and things like that.

those trips usually went pretty smooth, making sure his wife and son were safe before leaving them for a few hours. however, the one time he happened to be gone longer than a few hours was the one time they weren’t safe at all.

he came back to find both of them gone, something that hit him in the chest so hard that he sat in that buildings for nearly two days just waiting and hoping they’d just moved to somewhere more safe.

but all the hoping and waiting wouldn’t make up for the fact that they’d been taken from him.

this caused him to start being reckless, to go down this dangerous path that he figured would get him killed.

but not only did he do that, he started to have to figure out how to survive on his own. he didn’t have anyone, which meant he’d have to figure out how to shoot a gun, how to hold a knife, how to protect and fend for himself.

so he did, finding guns and ammo that’d been left behind by people, practicing by lining up the numerous alcohol bottles he’d killed off days before and firing into them.

sure enough, he seemed to be a natural with that and with knives.. or a natural for violence in general. he liked the feeling, and it wasn’t something he was going to deny anymore.

& he didn’t deny it one bit. if he met people, he’d resort to violence and threats faster then he could blink an eye because he didn’t trust them, didn’t trust anyone but himself with the feelings he now kept bottled up.

fast forward to about five years later, ben runs into a group that calls themselves the heathens and they instantly catch his interest.

offering him food, water, anything that was needed and gave him purpose.. something he hadn’t had in years. not since he lost his wife and son.

he took the offer almost instantly and has been a guard for them ever since.

PERSONALITY.

hides behind a wall of sarcasm, cockiness, anger and lust.

doesn’t really care to get to know people and had a tendency to push people away before they get too close to him.

is …. stubborn as hell and refuses to ask for help with anything.

has a motorcycle and it’s his baby..

a hot mess

fluent in a lot of languages, picked them up so that he didn’t need translators at meetings with patients.

lowkey worried that people will figure out that he’s not the complete asshole role that he plays on a daily basis and is actually a very hurt person bc if people started realizing that, he’d have to start feeling again and tbh, he don’t wanna do that.

is the biggest flirt you will ever meet??

will try to either get u to drink w him or take ur alcohol.. there's a v thin line between the two options tbh.

super, super intelligent but keeps that on the dl ?

he cares… god he cares so much about people and the world but he pretends to hate everything because it’s easier than letting people in.

is a highkey hoe but he also keeps it on the dl

super into keeping fit as it’s a way to keep his mind from wandering onto subjects such as his wife and son. so he’ll like ?? find random shit to use as a homemade gym ??

still wears his wedding ring but wears it on his middle finger so that know one knows the real story behind it.

also keeps a photo of his wife at baby boy in his leather jacket.

actually super loyal and caring once you’re able to see get past his wall??which is really hard to do due to his job but if u do it he’ll cherish u.

has a bad habit of smoking so he looks for packs of cigs like ?? everywhere he goes.

is actually super open to teaching other people how to fight / use weapons because it's fun for him but acts like it'll kill him to do so.

is a burnt cupcake who has really good intentions but has horrible execution skills.

HEADCANONS

Benjamin was raised solely by his father, who taught him that most emotions were bad things to feel or to talk about. Meaning that he usually hides all other emotions other than anger and lust. Which means that most people see him as an asshole, something that Benjamin is actually fully okay with because in his mind, having people view him in that light is far easier than having to address and/or deal with his feelings. But that doesn’t mean that Benjamin is unable to feel any other emotions other than anger or lust, but he does keep a wall up around him that not a lot of people can break down. If you can break past that wall, though, you’ll find that Ben is far from the ‘asshole’ character he likes to play.

( TW: mentions of death ) Before the virus broke out, Benjamin was actually going to medical school, hoping to be one of the best surgeons in Colorado, maybe even the United States. However, the virus took his wife and son from him and it caused him to break, causing him to give up on the little bit of hope he had left and away from the 'helper’ path he’d be heading down. Instead he found himself becoming extremely reckless, loving everything about violence and danger. He started doing things that his old self would have hated and not caring about the fact that it was risky, that he could easily get hurt or lose his own life in the process. But in all honesty? He doesn’t care about his own well-being, letting the grief that still sits deep in his soul cause him to drift towards dangerous things.

( TW: mentions of weapons. ) Due to him being on his own for a few years before he found The Heathens, Benjamin had to learn how to survive in the toughest ways possible. Meaning that whenever he ran into other survivors, he rarely trusted any of them and if it came to it, he’d resort to violence to get what he needed to survive, food, weapons, whatever it was. Not to mention the fact that he had to teach himself how to use knives, guns and anything else that could have been considered a weapon, how to hunt for the food needed to survive and how to deal with the infected anytime he happened to stumble upon them. After a few years of that, though, he started figuring out that maybe the life of survival and violence was something that he was rather good at, and something he really enjoyed as well. Which was the beginning of him turning from the 'helper’ he wanted to be before the virus hit to someone who’s actually rather selfish.

STATISTICS.

full name: benjamin rhys kensington.

nickname(s): ben, benji (used by his wife mostly).

age: thirty-five.

date of birth: october 31st.

zodiac sign: scorpio.

place of birth: denver, colorado.

gender: cis-male.

sexual orientation: bisexual.

religion: n/a.

occupation: guard for the heathens.

language(s) spoken: english, french, spanish, welsh, russian, korean, japanese, italian, romanian, greek, gaelic and bulgarian.

accent: american.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.

face claim: charlie hunnam.

hair color: blonde.

eye color: blue.

height: 6′ 1″.

weight: 225 lbs.

build: athletic.

PERSONALITY / TRAITS.

label: the cataclysmic.

positive traits: cunning, adventurous, intelligent, charming, loyal & brave.

negative traits: reckless, hedonistic, cocky, impulsive, flirtatious & closed off.

FAMILY

father: gideon james kensington. ( undetermined. )

mother: marie ann williams-kensington. ( deceased. )

siblings: a younger sister ( undetermined. )

TESTS.

myers-briggs: estp-a

enneagram: type 8 ( the challenger. )

moral alignment: lawful evil. ( the dominator. )

temperament: choleric.

hogwarts house: slytherin.

[jestbee]

June 23: Ships that pass in the night (Chapter Three)

[angel-nero]

11 questions...

I was tagged by @pureren @zaevran @glaspaladin @z-ayauitl and @kcgane ty so much !!! ♥

RULES: 1. Always post the rules 2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you 3. Write 11 questions of your own 4. Tag 11 people

my questions…

1. what’s the worst piece of clothing you own?

2. what’s the coolest piece of uh fashion that is so cool you can’t even wear to go out? lol

3.- what book have you read that you feel it has been the worst?

4.- What’s the healthiest meal you actually like?

5.- do you love keith kogane? (or vld keith lmfao what u prefer to use)

6.- something paranormal ever happened to you? if yea, what?

7.- do you get jealous easily? with who? (friends, popular ppl, talented ppl, the s/m)

8.- what’s the cutest thing you own?

9.- what are your favorite crisps?

10.- do you have a favourite drink?

11.- can you tell im hungry? what hobby you wish you liked or wish you did?

i tag: @kukinta​ @kittyr0se​ @heirith​ @liesfromsatansbuttcheeks​ @sheith-love-always​ @acequeenm​ @blessedkeith​ @lukaspatel​ @ke1th​ @ace-pidge​ @keith8​ but only if you want to!

TESSA’SS AND!! TAMI’S QUESTIONS1!!!

1.  Do you connect with people easily?

mmm, I don’t becos im a very quiet person and can be w u w/o talking at all and I get overwhelmed by convos I don’t care about also it’s kinda hard to win my trust and also interest lol. I’m nice tho, i mite not be enjoying myself but i’ll forev b nice w u.  

2. Did something good happen to you this week?

uH yeah, i’m doing things to improve my health, i did my uni exam, im frEE, i finally don’t have to go to rEliGIoUs classes aNYMORE and UH,,, i got a diet to win weight and its cool i get to eat ESQUITE LMFAO. i will see my bffs in friday and i have browney mix there i should bake but im lazy

3. What’s the personality trait that annoys you most in other people?

When people pretend to like something just 2 b friends w someone or ME, do you know we can be total dif and maybe still b friends if u cOOL. Ass kissers, hypocrisy, LIES LOL. I don’t like fake ppl at all.

4. If you could participate in any existing tv reality show, which one would you choose?

The ones where they change ur style and buy clothes for u 2 love urself and do ur hair and make up and buy u xpensive undies. I loved that crap when i was in secondary school lmao

5. What’s something you’re insecure about?

That I can’t be in one place without wanting tofuckin run, the fact that i can’t eat w ppl at all, that i have to go to the fucken gYM

6. What’s your favourite way to hang out with friends?

:’)) well,,, i go to my bff’s house or they come. If im fine then walk around my neighborhood cus it’s nice ahaha anxiety am i rite. oKAY, even if i get anxiety i like ice skating, or roller skating, i have a lot of fun. My friend want us to go to this pixies concert and im like :(( boo i love u

7. What’s your favourite fic trope?

lol idk,,,,, pining? mutual pining? no pining and they getting to know therngs im melttin sTOP idk…… it depends on whAT shIP. I just know i’ll read any fake dating of my otp. idk idk duuuude i legit don kno. It’s not a trope but i love crunchy feelings, showefjsid fksjnj its hard to talk about this im sOrry

8. What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve liked in the past?

hahahahahaha my crush

9. What do you consider to be the best period of your life?

When I was 14. I went to parties more than i go to them now lol, i drank and smokkd w who where my best friends back theN i know it’s whack. we used to go to roller skate? all the damn time and did sleepovers and everything was funny, we practically lived together and my friend that was 16 drove us to places lmao,, everything was so good. but like, dont imagine me too wild i only smokd like 5 cigs in my life and hookah and we even broke one.

10. What do you consider to be the worst period of your life?

mpghgg, when i turned 15,,, in the middle of it everythin went to shit to the actual date. But im trying to change that

11. How did you meet your best friend?

I met her,,,, 11 years ago. Look, I usually have best friends in pack. I have 3 bffs at the moment, one of them sat next to me in 2nd year of primary school. IDK how i got to actually know my absolute bff tho but we did a lot of weird shit. we also met in the same classroom and she was my bff back then. The third one was also a frind but not so much during those years. Later i changed of classrooms and shit and bonded more when I was 14 w 6 friends and those r i did crazy shit w but we got separated and stopped talkin and they invited me to the club a week before my uni exam but i was high on meds and sick af. and never replied also going to meet em again at the club makes me nervous af tbH…. I have had a lot of super close friends in my life wTf. In my new school i have also 7 friends that r super close.And we’re also a pack of bffs. I actually had a hard time to use the word bestfriend lol, not bc of me havin a lot or anythin, i was just emo i guess

BEX’S QUESTIONS YOo

1. What’s the strangest nickname you’ve ever been given?

:))))))))))))))))))))))))) gabhole, gabaloney, TETI THAT SOUNDS LIKE TITTY. now ft Aztec secret 

2. Do you like to gossip?

UMMMMMM,, i dont like to listen to another ppl judging someone, I hate it and i normally tell them to stop. it depends i guess

3. Are you afraid of the dark? um,,, no but i dont like it lol

4.Have you ever been stung by a bee?

no, but i steppeddd on one. I also was pickin a tree and till this day i dont knoW wTF it was but i had something big in my middle finger and it fucken hurt like a bitch and i had A BALL on it UGHHHHH I HATE BUGS

Bigfoot or mothman? fucking none

Do you trust anyone with your life? i mean, idk

Do you have any habits you wish you could break? yEAH, to stop tweeting my mental breakdowns is one lmao. 

Would you go ghost/alien hunting? 

both tbh, who wants to break into abandoned houses w me, i live in front of one,,, i mean not so infront but in the row of houses infront of me lmao english whO? dude rosetta stoned by tool is my aesthetic, alien stuff. bex listen to it pls

Best pickup line? (you’ve heard or used on you/you’ve used)

u r the best chair *proceeds to sit on em* keith to shiro probably

Mint or fruit gum?

I dont like gum much cos it makes me hungry or thirsty. I also drink too much soda to fuck w mint stuff :(( say that to the mints i bought lol :( i only eat halls or gum bc im nerves w ppl so they stopped bein a thing i enjoy for me lol. i do that since im like,,, uh,,, idK 15. it fuckd my stomach

What do you want to be remembered for?

I mean if I have to pick and b unrealistic, for art maybe,,, or for the thing i end up working with, like architecture or somethin. Art, def art cus i like art so much

ZURI’S QUESTIONS!!!

1.-if you had to chose one thing to eat for the rest of your life what would it be? 

I MEAN THIS QUESTION IS THE DEVIL I GET TIRED OF EVERYTHING TO THE POINT I DONT WNAN EAT ANYTHING I WILL JUST IGNORE IT SSAYS ONE AND SAY MEXICAN FOOD

2.- what are you most afraid of? Mental illnes and being ill and living 

3.- do you have a favorite place to visit?

I mean,,,, i love walking in the center? centre? of my city bc is like going to another place. Is also fucking Cuba in there. Everyone says that, my dad asked a cuban marine he met if it was true and he said it was ‘’ the fackin same’’ So its like,,, travelling in time and places. also the beach and the port.

4.- what type of weather you enjoy the most?

I need the sun, otherwise i get sad… i like cloudy w sun. I just like to go out in the afternoon tho lol so like,,, sun pls so the sky can turn pinkish

5.- do you have a rare ability like dislocating your thumb or moving your eyes really fast?

i move my tongue real real fast and also can do the cherry knot thing and uh i can like, be aberrantly stupid too. hey but dont fuk w me and bother me 4 bein stupid, i will fist fite u and i mite b stupid but i will also mite think u r stupid if i don like u so fuk off. Dam,,, i get like, bothered so easy LOL like, think u r better than me and i’ll fist fite u LMFAO WHY THO I SUK, but like, if not bothered, i think of everyone as my equal… wow this was not the question

6.- do you think it would be easier to create one universal lenguage or an accurate translator? nO… dont delete culture like that,,, an accurate translator mite come in handy u kno but like, some languages have words that don’t exist in others so like :-/

7.- is there something that soothes you no matter what? um no i wish

8.- favorite piece of clothing? boots and thights

9.- is there a song stuck in your head right now? YEAH dig down by muse i love it, every1 says it sUCLks but i can’t stop listenin to it

10.- why is your favorite animal your favorite animal? i don play favs but i love the honey badger bc of this pleas fuckin watch it and THIS

11.- morning person or late riser? Oh,, i cant wake up to save my life so late riser

SUNNY’S QUESTIONS!!!

1. do you have any plushies? a LOT but im like,,, they r in my wardrobe and i luv em but like,,, they’re all gifts,,, did u kno one of my past bffs bought me a dino for christmas?

2. have you ever walked out the cinema before? 

Yeah, i love drive’s aesthetic and Ryan gosling a lot but is SO boring so idk if my friends and I got kicked out or we prefered to get out to talk haha. 

3. if you could have a mascot what would it be and why?

A CHINCHILLA, they’re a irl pokemon and they r so cUTE

4. what would your theme song be? kool thing, sonic youth maybe or is she weird by pixies. All Over the world by pixies too lol

5. do you have any phrases or sayings you find yourself coming back to often? not really, im so bad at remembering sayings and quotes

6what’s the nearest object to your right? a book called azul by ruben dario

7. would you rather live in the big city or out in the middle of nature? 

Big city forever. I love high? buildings a lot. I dont do that well in the rural life lmao 

8. are you working on any creative projects right now (fic/art/music/photography/ect) Nope at all and das sad cus i should b doing art lmao

9. what’s your favourite movie score? idk what is score… but the soundtrack of trainspotting is one of my favs… oh but score… aghgsdhaj any tarantino movie tbh or wes anderson movie… or before I disappear or demolition oR southpaw or the girl w the dragon tattoo

10. i say vol you say….? uuhhhhh,,,,,  vol….tron??? (ICONIC, I MELT, I LVOE HIM)

[niceness-before-knives]

Here is the second part of @smalllemonade‘s questions for Mir because they’re too good to ignore and I finally had time to sit down and finishing answering them. <3 Thanks again, because seriously. I love all these questions a lot. :D

18. What kind of person could they become in the future? What are some developmental paths that they could take, (best, worst, most likely?) what would cause them to come to pass, and what consequences might they have? What paths would you especially like to see, and why?

Good question! I ...honestly haven't thought about much of Mir's future because DA4 will make it all moot or just very sad. /shrugs That being said, kind of person he possibly could/will become I can definitely work with. Developmental path he'd go down is actually recovery, finally! From Mahrenan, from everything the Inquisition threw at him, from losing his arm and the anchor, just, there's a lot and Mir needs to chill and finally deal with it. I mean, he does want to save Solas and plans to, but once again devoting all his time and resources to one major thing of his life isn't going to help. Mainly because I see 'i'll show you the world can be saved' as Mir promising to find the unignorably good and beautiful things in his world. To do that, Mir kinda needs to let his life be his for awhile. You know?

That's what I see as his best path he could take. Let Mir finally be Mir, not Mahrenan's brother, not the Herald/Inquisitor, not Solas' redeemer. Let him be a Red Jenny for fun, let him be an alchemist with Dagna, let him hang out with the Chargers and Bull, chat with Dorian and not have the world hang over his head for once. And it's the path I want him to take it. I really truly want him to save Solas not with an army or conventional means, but by offering him a view of this world he can't brush off. For that to happen, Mir needs to expand his horizon and see more of the world imo.

Worst (and possibly most likely?), ah. Simply burning out completely. Kid just needs a break. Keeping up the pace he's been going at after all he's been through, ah. He'll burn out, fast and hard, and it will be ugly.

19. How do they behave within a group? What role(s) do they take? Does this differ if they know and trust the group, versus finding themselves in a group of strangers? Why?

Mir prefers being more of a follower to a leader, tbh. It was one of the traits his momma offered as 'this is how you don't confuse mahre and mir'. Mahre imitates, but Mir follows. It didn't help anyone though. 

But, obviously, isn't the truth 100% anymore. If he's within a group that he's not acquainted with or just a more general one, he finds it easier to relax and play support for a bit (support that includes recon and explosions~). It's the least stressful option though he'll still butt heads with the planners/leaders because he's used to making decisions as well. Also, he can't bite his tongue to save his life.

With his trusted bffs for life group, eh. He still prefers getting their opinions and ideas instead of relaying on him all every chance they have. Because that's not planning, imo! He's just the one that makes decisions and sticks with his choices, for better or for worse. <3

24. How do they present themselves socially? What distinguishes their “persona” from their “true self”, and what causes that difference?

As an talkative emotional space cadet? Like, that's basically who Mir is anyways to a degree. I'm sure he tries a few times to be a more ...traditional Herald/Inquisitor, but it sits on his skin all wrong. It's not who he is. Firstly, because no thanks. Secondly, he acts while he thinks so most plans are easier thrown out the window.

It's a still a persona though. Mir's "true self" is more toned down than what people in the Inquisition typically see. It isn't that he tries a lot, but he's more used to aggressively being louder to be noticed. He forgets he can still be noticed even if he takes it down a few notches. Also, his "true self" is a bit more open about his vulnerabilities and shitty feelings while his persona is like 'nay it's golden don't mind me~!' Gotta let yourself be sad sometimes.

27. What do they strongly like and dislike, in any category? Why?

Strongly is Mir's middle name, basically, hah. Ah! Okay! I talked about it briefly (kinda) in another question but respect & honesty are big things to Mir because he's used to not getting either. He honestly adores people (and probably has had a crush on a good chuck of Skyhold because everyone is so good and nice and wow). He also likes learning in general and experimenting too, normally with chemicals and the like, making explosions~. Because it's just fun and he has the mind for it. 

Dislikes, ah. People and/or organizations obvs treating anyone like shit. It goes against his respect thing. While he's alright with Andraste, he can't stand the Chantry or its Templars and he'd honestly prefer to burn it to the ground completely and then steal its foundation too because kid ain't taking no chances. None! He really isn't fond of going underground either, because of a nasty event when he was a kid when he got stuck in an old cave that possibly also was part of the Deep Roads for a few days. That's less a dislike though and more of a deliberating fear. Descent was not his DLC for this reason. :l Darkspawn fall into this dislike/fear category too because of that event. Mir was sure he was going to be eaten or worse, and the feeling hasn't really left him yet.

Oh, and pants. He vastly prefers skirts and dresses and leggings. No-Pants-Friday is a serious cause he'd put his soul into.

29. What kind of activities, interests, and hobbies do they have? What significance and impact do these have in their lives, both positive and negative?

So! I have a dumb little  headcanon Mir and Rocky started an Explosions Club of sorts, sharing secrets and tips and just using them out in the Frostbacks (explosions on a mountain, guys, please stop). Dagna joins up too (exchanted explosions, guys, so good), and then Sera because is a Tempest too (which is how her and Dagna met) and then Dorian because he probably played 'i don't trust anyone of you' card but secretly, he likes a bit of chaos and talking magic with Dagna and Mir. 

It's a really cute club, don't ever take it from me. :'l

Thing is despite Mir's own belief on the matter, kid is really smart. His mind just speeds ahead of his mouth, so he stumbles over reading and talking and people take that to mean the worst. But he sincerely loves to learn and experiment and have fun with the world. His room at Skyhold constantly has odd little (very dangerous please don't touch) experiments in it. It's just a good stress relief for him. One that does sadly rob him of his hearing in chucks because he's often far too close and exposed to his creations and custom-made Tempest flasks. 

Another headcanon I have though is Rocky, Dagna and another OC of mine teach Mir a bit of Orzammar sign language because needs to be a thing that exists in general and Mir's frequent handling of grenades in close proximity of himself has fucked up a bit of his hearing and it's just helpful to know.

Again, don't ever take it from me. :'l <3

Mir also likes singing? Like, he sings a lot. He's definitely a performer at heart. In a modern AU, he'd be a chemistry student who does street performances on the side. Mir Lavellan~.

32. Already answered over here. <3

39. What sort of questions or thoughts recur in their lives, either specifically or as a theme? Why are these never answered, or answered permanently to their satisfaction?

On the more deeper end: Am I good? Was I right? Is this real? Mir... doesn't trust his memories absolutely. He often finds himself wondering if he truly is the person Mahre said he was deep down, if he is a liar constructing vast fantasies for the sake of his own ego. Mir, doesn't think that's true but he honestly doesn't know if that's entirely false either and he's honestly never going to know for certain. It's weird. He doesn't like these thoughts but they do exist all the same time.

It continues on even in Inquisition too. Did I make the right choice? Am I remembering this correctly? Etc, etc. It's why he's so steadfast in sticking with his choices. He may internally (and externally to the people he trusts) question himself, but he's sure as shit not going to backtrack over them. He made a choice. It's done. Move on.

40. What do they wonder about? What sparks their curiosity and imagination, and why? How is this expressed, if it is?

Kid wonders about everything. He's amazingly curious space cadet. Most of his internal filter keeps his sad thoughts about Mahre at bay, so everything else? It comes to surface fast~. Mir just asks a lot of questions, about the world, about people, about magic, about all cultures, all ranging for good to bad to the seriously wtf.

One of the things he wonders about and really enjoys learning about is other culture’s folktales too? Like he thinks it a good way to get a better view of them and what they’re about so he pokes his companions to tell about them about. It’s how he learned about the tooth thing from Bull, but he also poked Cassandra about Nevarran folkstories and Josie about Antiva and Dorian about Tevinter. It’s just fascinating to him. He loves them dearly.

He just likes to know, likes to expand his horizons and find something new to see and how else can you do that besides asking? /shrugs!