#like moreso in an intellectual way rather than a personal crack at him

[solemnpancake]

Y’all, I don’t expect cutting political commentary from PBS, but the fact that the Washington Week panel is calling Donald Trump’s behaviour “skanky” has me dead. 💀

[khazadspoon]

If it's not too late... for the Character Solidifying thing, could I ask one (or all aha) of 3/19/23/46/49 for Lin and/or Hunter and/or Ash? ☆

Never too late!! Thank you for sending some in, I chose to do all 3 characters because why not? Feel free to ask more! Here are the questions and here is my askbox

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3. Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings?

Lin is an only child, but she always wanted a sibling to play with as a child. But her family couldn't afford another child. She never played with the other children in town out of fear they would reject her or bully her because of her poverty

Hunter had an older brother who died when they were both very young; no one talks about him that much, preferring not to bring the pain back to the fore even so many years later. But there are others he grew up with around his own age, though he got irritated at how careless they all were about safety. He secretly loves when the younger kids cling to him and ask for rides. 

Asher is one of many children and is very social because of it. They grew up in an environment where everyone's kids grow up and learn together. Out of all of their “siblings” they love Gwynn the best - he was their first kiss, he taught them how to embroider, and always let Asher have the ripest fruit from the gardens.

19. What were your character’s deepest disillusions? In life? What are they now?

Lin is convinced that love and happiness are only for those with the time and money to find them. She grew up without softness, and it is incredibly hard for her to accept that she can have good things regardless of how she grew up. For a long time she believed she wasn't good enough, but now she knows that is a lie - she always was.

Hunter thinks the world is unfair at it's core. He thinks that even after gaining more affection than he knows what to do with, even after seeing goodness in all it's forms. Though he might now think goodness isn't as scarce as before.

Asher, conversely, believes the world is inherently good. They think the best of everything and everyone until proven otherwise. That has shifted over time as they saw more of the world, saw more cruelty and unhappiness, but the basis of that belief remains.

23. What do they want from a partner? What do they think and feel of sex?

Lin, when she lets herself think about it, wants a partner who will shower her with love and gifts and kindness. She thinks that is selfish of her, but she wants it anyway. She has no strong feelings about the physicality of sex but is not averse to it. Her only concern is of losing control and hurting her partner. 

Hunter is unconcerned about romance for the most part. It is a surprise to him as much as anyone else when he falls in love. He had always imagined settling down with a woman from his own clan and raising an heir to continue the matriarchy if possible. Then all of this happens and he is suddenly unsure of what he wants. He has always had a strong libido, has had crushes and desire though.

Asher always thought they would just marry Gwynn when they were of age. They didn't love him like that though, and the thought faded after a time. They did imagine a partner who was confident, funny, strong and exciting though, even if that wasn't what they ended up with exactly. They grew up without specific notions of gender so that wasn't a factor for Asher, even if it was for some of their siblings. Sex was also just a matter-of-fact thing that happened, was talked about, and in a way expected. Asher didn't think it was all it was cracked up to be when they first experienced it.

46. Is your character tall? Short? What about size? Weight? Posture? How do they feel about their physical body?

Lin is average height, around 5 and a half feet tall. She has been thin (almost dangerously so at times) all of her life, and gains weight very slowly. She holds herself tight, makes herself smaller than she is to avoid being noticed. Her body is just her physical presence, just something that needs to be cared for to keep it running, and she often looks at it with disdain. 

Hunter is short, just over 5 and a half feet, but he is solidly built. He has thick muscle and knows how to use it, stands straight to bring his height up as much as he can, is compact and built for endurance more than speed. He is proud of his strength and tries his best to keep his body as fit as he safely can. 

Asher is tall, 6 foot 4, and has the limbs to match. Leggy and gangly, they are all flailing movement. They aren't especially broad but they have some hidden strength. They have been brought up to take part in every part of their culture, from the intellectual pursuits to harvesting and ploughing. They don't experience crippling dysphoria but it creeps up at times and they wish they looked... different. 

49. What about voice? Pitch? Strength? Tempo and rhythm of speech? Pronunciation? Accent?

Lin speaks quietly and usually in a clipped tone. If she can get away with saying less, she will. Talking means being vulnerable and she doesn't want to open herself up to others. There are lots of words she has only learned through listening to others, and she picks up the pronunciation of them through the people she learned them from, so her accent is a little bit confusing for most. It ranges from elevated and “posh” to low and “common” all within a single sentence.

Hunter can be rather quiet, but usually because he is thinking about how best to say what he means. He is well spoken, has a strong and deep voice, he speaks slowly and with a gentle rhythm. His accent is unique to his own clan, with a fluid sound where words can easily run into one another - often outsiders get lost in conversations between clan members, but Hunter makes a conscious effort to slow his speech down when dealing with anyone new.

Asher is a talkative and expressive person. They speak a lot generally, and moreso when happy or excited. They have a higher voice than Hunter, similar in pitch to Lin's, but it is stronger than her's. The tempo and rhythm very much depend on whether they are invested in the conversation or not - if it is boring, they will speak in a close to monotone voice with little expression, but if they are invested and excited their voice will rise and fall almost musically. 

[yenrps]

“Forgive me. You’re right. I put you at risk. It was too dangerous a task for a—’ 

‘For a woman, you mean? Is that what you were going to say?

 Are you playing the gentleman all of a sudden?

 I may have to squat to piss, but my coat is lined with wolf skin, not coney fur! 

Don’t call me a coward, because you don’t know me!”  ― Andrzej Sapkowski

CHARACTER SUMMARY

Boisterous, buoyant, blunt. Not unlike her sister, she’s a storm. It is impossible to ignore her booming voice when she enters a room because no matter what: Síle always elicits a response. Stereotypes, decorum and all those chains do not do much except leave guys with black eyes --- or authority figures, respectively. All Morrisons are fighters, and so is she. Brawls and fists up; that’s usually her first impulse. Though others have tried to quiet her down, to bottle her emotions up, Síle stubbornly wears her heart on her sleeve, facing life head on.  All turmoil aside, if there is anything she stands for, it is her personal freedom. There isn’t much that can faze her and if it does, the long-term planning she usually leaves to her sister.

Although Síle bid farewell to her home country, she is proud to be Irish and makes no qualms about it either. As somebody raised by Lin, Síle places family and friends over everything else without any second thoughts. Passion, hospitality, and compassion being the only guidelines she takes seriously.

APPEARANCE DESCRIPTION

Although Síle tiptoes around anything too serious, there is an perceptive glint to her blue eyes. On most days, she keeps her brown locks tied up in a messy bun if she can be bothered to put her hair up --- which is to say her hair usually stays the unruly mess that it is, even after furious combing.

Despite her average height, Síle is not to be trifled with; she can throw a damn good right hook and is not afraid to crack her knuckles. There is nothing petite about her figure due to the training she’s undergone. Muscular in spite of only being 173 centimeters, you won’t be seeing any fear when she goes up against grown ass men. Those she gladly taunts in her South-Western accent, often said to be musical. And while high-heels, in her book, are mostly top-shelf stuff because legal throwing stars, the extent of her vanity stays shoe-box small. Sure, she is proud of her top-notch eye wing; otherwise her vanity mirror serves as a place on which to dump dirty laundry. Tattoos, meanwhile, aren’t really up her alley. They’re cool but as somebody who rocks the girl next door look, ink doesn’t suit her. The only exception is the partner tattoo she has with her sister which they got after their reconciliation.

PERSONALITY DESCRIPTION

Barely a day goes by during which her blood doesn’t spool down the drain. In some way or another, there is always a split lip, a scrap, or the faintest hint of a black eye - much to Lin’s chagrin. While Síle no longer dances with danger as much - for her sister’s sake - she is still pretty much on second base with the frozen peas in their freezer. On the bright side, you will not meet anybody as brave, spontaneous and welcoming as Síle if you let her in. Jokes, fun, teasing - this is her lingua franca and once she has adopted someone, she’ll see it as her chivalric duty to make sure you’re having fun, too. Not a single bone in her body craves alone time and as such, she is rarely seen on her own. Though her ideas are more idealistic, Síle does her best to swap reckless abandon for serious plans about her future; her freedom, nonetheless, will always come first.

Ever the social butterfly, with little to shame her, Síle can hold a grudge as easily as she can welcome somebody into her family. The slightest lie, ambiguity or sneaking around her back is bound to bring out the infamous Morrison rage. Family is her lifeline and to be dishonest with Síle equals an emotional coup de grace. In this, Lin and Síle are alike. Let them down and they’ll make sure you’re going to have the scars to never forget it.

In the end, she is the jack in the jukebox: unlikely to stay put, trampling all over traditions and all too happy to keep her head up out of sheer spite.

SKILLS / COMPETENCES

Pretty sure anyone robbing her of her debit card would be disappointed to find there’s nothing on it (definitely not mid-month) and even be so kind to give it back afterwards. Since her parents thought it important to teach their children Irish and would therefore use the language outside the classroom, Síle is fluent and equal parts proud of it as her heritage is very dear to her. English takes second place as a result of being raised in a bilingual household. 

After her family broke apart, Síle sought a way out and decided to live with her aunt, who had married a Finnish man and subsequently followed him to Finland. As such, her Finnish is at an upper-intermediate level, though Síle never managed to reach fluency --- Finnish frayed her brain much too much; and quite honestly, she has since then lost some of it after returning to England to live with her sister.  And while Síle would never call herself an intellectual, she did - at Lin’s behest - make it through law school and came out on top with a degree. Without her sister’s nudging, Síle would have likely let her intelligence gone to waste. She is unemployed because she hated every second of it, however.

What’s more, Síle is a skilled kick-boxer and regularly exercises to stay in shape. Along with this, she also knows a thing or two about Taekwondo, making her more than able to hold her own in a fight.

INTERPERSONAL MANNER

Without doubt, the Morrisons are loyal, selfless souls, readily offering their hospitality and ear to those held dear. Albeit Síle’s style is undoubtedly warmer and more uncomplicated than her sister, they share this quality --- most of all because it was Lin who instilled those values in her. Unsurprisingly, Síle is a packaged deal. If you want to be friends with her, you better be prepared to befriend the whole family.  

What she expects from others, moreover, is simple. Be friendly, no assholery and no bigotry. In a way, she sees herself as a crusader for her friend’s freedom and her own, not taking kindly to rules, restrictions or expectations.

Indecision is something she cannot stomach. People without opinions ---- sheep --- have her boiling with blind fury, so, like her, Síle needs somebody who is not afraid to speak up. Sure, this leads to fights and arguments; but most of those are forgotten rather easily. Sometimes all she needs is to be loud, knowing she is heard. Ironically enough, however, it is Síle who fears true commitment in a relationship, moreso than Lin. Most Morrison women, after all, have terrible taste pertaining to lovey-dovey escapades.

INSPIRED BY: Cirilla (The Witcher), Cerys (The Witcher)