Character Creation Questions
1: Origins! How did you come up with the concept for your OC?
A for Avvy: REJOICE, KIRITSUGU EMIYA, FOR YOU HAVE BEEN FOUND WORTHY OF BEING AN INSPIRATION.
Basically I really liked the concept of the self-hating anti-hero that Fate/Zero presented in Kiritsugu, and decided such a character would be interesting to write. I ended up deciding that a tragic, self-doubting designated hero would be a cool character to explore thematically, as well as the fact that many of his traits make him seem more like a villain.
S for Savien: A long time ago, before I ever met you guys, I was trawling around for RPs. I started RPing back when I used to play Runescape, and found out the forums had a roleplay section when I was looking for a guild to join. Never got into Runescape roleplays, but the forums hosted a variety of original ones, which I joined.
Once I found out FF was a thing, I looked for cool fantasy and sci fi stuff. One such forum was a medieval one, hosting multiple RPs. One particular one caught my eye, set in Europe during the Dark Ages. I saw that most of the characters were your typical antisocial edgelords who were apparently raised in a razor factory and fed broken glass for breakfast. At the time I used to read a lot of fantasy books from the Conan era, back when multiple short stories starring the same protagonists used to be published in fantasy magazines. One such was Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. The Grey Mouser was a charming, witty thief. Inspired by this, and wanting to counteract the turbulent vortex of negative emo energy that was steadily growing, I created a friendly, witty, womanizing Frenchman Knight, and named him the Knight of Crows. This was the birth of Savien.
2: Were they originally well received by the fandom? Or if they’re fandomless, did the RP community take to them right away or was it hard to get attention?
You tell me. Auror quite likes them both, though.
3: Has your OC gone through different incarnations during their stay on Tumblr? Were they reimagined or have they stayed the same all this time?
They don’t reside on Tumblr, but rephrasing the question to be more pertinent, then the one who has really evolved is Savien, mostly through changing universes. However, Savien has also changed in terms of mindset, and subtle ways in his personality.
Savien has a very complex personal philosophy and set of morals, which are only hinted at through his actions. His sense of chivalry is most definitely not the same as standard chivalry, which will become increasingly apparent. His motivations are also rather complicated.
He’s gone from a knight errant, to a powerful mercenary, to a central character reluctantly involved in the fate of his world.
4: How do you get into your OC’s mindset to write for them? How do you find the muse for them?
A: I stub my toe and use my resulting hatred for all life to write him.
S: Drink wine and say “O-hon-hon-hon-hon” in my best French accent while looking at pictures of swords.
5: Were you nervous about putting your OC out there? How long did it take before you decided to play your OC here on Tumblr.
6: What is your OC’s family situation? Do they get along? Do they fight? Or are they alone?
A: MY PARENTS ARE DEAAAAAAAAAAAD.
The Avenger’s only living family are his cousins, Lucius and Adiannon, who he fostered with as a child. Their relationship is... complicated. Currently he wants Lucius dead for his perceived betrayal, but Lucius admires and desperately craves for the Avenger’s approval. The Avenger is rather terrified of Adiannon, who he views as much smarter than she lets on, and the actual most dangerous person in the Erristar family. His fear mostly stems from the fact that as children, she forcibly stole his first kiss from him, and might have gone further had his aunt not found them. He has only met their son, also named Kelias, once, and the young boy was rather intimidated by his uncle.
Caecyn is also a thing, being his sister-in-law, but the Avenger effectively only cares for her because she’s the last thing related to Hareah he has left, besides her bracelets. He will fight tooth-and-nail to protect his wife’s legacy, but he actively dissuades a friendly relationship between the two of them, trying to drive Caecyn away for what he perceives to be her own safety.
S: Savien has two older siblings: Elaine, the oldest and de facto leader of the family, and Ban, a rather angry poet. They both disapprove of his mercenary ways, even if they don’t know the full extent of his activities, but mostly worry for his well-being.Ban will often get into arguments with Savien, resorting to mocking him for his lacking capabilities in the field of reading, writing and general culture, to which Savien will respond by demonstrating the disparity in physical capabilities the two brothers have.
Savien is very popular with Elaine’s children, his niece, Igraine, and nephew, Lionel, who often request gifts that he brings from far-off places, although recently they seem to favour Arienne over him, in the fickle nature of children.
However, perhaps the single most important figure in Savien’s life, Galehaut, is dead. While he will never refer to him as such, the man was a father to Savien, and shaped him into what he is today. Savien still struggles with finding out Galehaut was wrong in certain ways, and shudders when he sees how terrifyingly right he was in others. The new Knight of Crows has a staggering legacy to live up to, for Galehaut did much, from killing the Red Lord to unwittingly saving the entirety of Eun from Carrhen domination, by destroying a First Godwar weapons cache.
7: What does your OC look for in a friend? Do they value friendship a lot?
A: Kelias used to value loyalty and humour, and treasured his friends dearly. The Avenger only looks for those who don’t ask too many questions, aren’t perceptive enough to divine his true intentions, and who can be killed should they begin to become problematic.
S: Savien is friendly towards everyone, but the true title of friend is reserved for people who have fought alongside him. He is fiercely loyal to his team of mercenaries, the Raptors, and even forgiving, sparing the life of Stroud, the team’s sorcerer, when he betrayed them.
8: What does your OC look for in a significant other? Are they looking at all?
A: Kelias was not a man who looked for love, until it smacked him in the face and pulled a knife on him. His and Hareah’s first encounter was violent, as the elf assumed he was attempting to kidnap her younger sister. Eventually, it grew into attraction, as Hareah spent time with the dour young knight, and the man struggled with his enchantment with the woman, an emotion he didn’t understand. Hareah effectively taught him how to be human, and not merely a weapon for the Red Knights, and soothed his wounded heart. She completed him as a human being. Her death has left an irreparable wound in the Avenger’s psyche, and transformed a troubled but ultimately kind man into a cold, lifeless human weapon.
S: Savien is to commitment as cats are to water. Mostly stemming from a single traumatic experience in his youth, where a girl who could be considered his first love, and not merely a fling, told him that he was only fit to be a lover, never a husband. Since then, the few times Savien has committed himself to a woman, they have left him for better, more stable prospects. Savien views love as fickle and ultimately subject to the brutal pragmatism that exerts its iron rule over all life.
This belief is a major factor determining his relationship with Arienne- both distrust or disbelieve the concept of ‘love’, and are afraid to shatter a friendship that both hold incredibly dear.
However, if Savien were to look for a significant other, he would (surprisingly) look past mere physical appearance, and prefer strength of character, a sharp mind, and a resolute steadfastness.
9: What is your OC like when at work? Are they diligent? Slacker? Do they get along with their co-workers?
A: Kelias is naturally lazy. He prefers to do tasks in the most expedient way possible. In his warped mind, that usually devolves into killing everything in sight. Tearing information from a quavering soul is simpler than an interrogation, after all.
S: Savien is incredibly dedicated to everything he does, contrary to his appearance and personality. While he gives off the impression of a happy-go-lucky slacker, Savien works harder than anyone else. He is a man of few but singular talents, and he feels to make up for his great weaknesses in other areas, he needs to train with a singleminded devotion few can rival. Thus, some of his greatest weaknesses become strengths.
10: How do they deal with strangers?
S: Offer a drink and exchange stories next to a warm fire, accompanied by bards’ music.
Inside the Muse’s Mind Questions
11: Is there a place they go to in order to escape the world, the stresses of life? What’s their favourite place?
A: The Avenger’s happy place used to be the cabin he built in Tern, where Hareah and Caecyn used to live. Now, he still regularly visits the grave he erected for his wife, and plants her favourite flowers, marigolds, around it.
S: Just like Avvy, Savien often goes to Galehaut’s grave when the pressures of the world get to him, and he has questions that he needs answered. Other than that, being a nomad, Savien doesn’t really have a fixed place to return to other than Elaine’s home. Laying in Arienne’s lap usually calms him down, though.
12: What scent calms them? Reminds them of home or something soothing?
A: The smell of freshly cut flowers, Hareah used to arrange bouquets to decorate their home with using flowers from the forest nearby, and the smell would always greet him when he came home.
S: The smell of Arienne in general.
13: Do they have any favourite foods? Would they eat it all the time if they had the chance? What do they hate to eat?
A: The Avenger is particularly partial towards a kind of apple pie made near Fleetrun, only served during festival season.
S: Savien absolutely adores the merill fruit, a sweet mango-like fruit that grows in the southern reaches of Jindis as well as the Kana Empire, where it is called the goya fruit. It also makes for delicious juice, as well as with ice cream.
14: Pet peeves. Tell us what would really tick them off. Do they have a Berserk Button?
A: Shit-talking Hareah will ensure your death.
S: Insulting Elaine or showing a blatant disregard for the value of human life. Savien doesn’t mind his superiors killing, so long as they realize the weight of their actions. If they don’t, he will kill them in turn.
15: Does your OC have any awful fears? Do they get paralyzed with fear or can they work through their fears?
A: The Avenger is already living his worst fear.
S: Savien is afraid of dying without having trained an apprentice, but also he secretly fears dying in total anonymity, known only as the Knight of Crows to history.
16: What are concepts they value? Virtues? What do they look down upon?
A: Kelias valued bravery and loyalty, as well as mercy. The Avenger values efficiency and ruthlessness. Both look down on cowardice, although the Avenger particularly disdains mercy nowadays.
S: Savien values professionalism and dedication to one’s task, looking down on those who only dedicate half their energy to their duty, in fact often refusing to help those he feels are unwilling to help themselves. He also disapproves of gluttony and corruption.
17: Do they have any guilty pleasures? They embarrassed about them? Do they flaunt them?
A & S: Both are particularly partial to the lures of women (in the Avenger’s case somewhat, but not totally deadened) with a marked preference for buxom women. Savien is vocal about his tastes- the Avenger keeps his silence.
The Avenger is also very fond of cute things, which include but are not limited to fluffy animals, stuffed toys, and cute young women.
18: Do they have a guilty conscience? Why? Did they ever do something they totally regretted?
A: The Avenger is haunted every night by a specific nightmare, where he stands in a lake of blood and is slowly pulled under by everyone he has ever killed, in order of earliest to most recent, with the last one always being Hareah, holding him down as he drowns. So yes, he has a guilty conscience.
S: Savien has few regrets in life, mostly stemming from soldiers who died while fighting alongside him, but the philosophy Galehaut instilled in him allows him to move forward. Savien believes that regret is an insult to the person you have regrets about, and that the greatest tribute to the dead is to move forward. However, there is one exception to this, the nightmare period where he was enslaved by the Order of Dawn and forced to kill, kill and kill again at their behest. He still remembers killing the dark-skinned woman, and the pain he felt at the occasion. His branded arm serves as a constant reminder of the atrocities he committed, and also reminds him of why he rejected his fate.
19: Have they ever been injured? Sick? How do they deal with it?
A: It’s like his job to get injured. He’s basically Kenny.
S: The man is a tapestry of scars. He’s been injured many, many times. He used to take his helmet off rather often in battle, to get better visibility, but his throat was cut by an arrow once, and since then he’s kept the helmet on at all times (this has also instilled his long-term hatred for arrows and archers). He’s trained in first aid and basic surgery, and takes the pain stoically.
20: What are Tropes you associate with your muse?
Everything Sounds Sexier in French
21: Name an embarrassing situation that your muse has been in.
A: Multiple. From the sheer embarrassing state he’s been found in by the previous Negotiator, piss-drunk, to more comedic situations, such as when Caecyn walked in on him and Hareah about to make love after he’d been away awhile. Generally speaking, the Avenger keeps his dignity. Although....
A & S: Perhaps more embarrassing for the Avenger, as Savien wasn’t phased at all, but during their first mission together (which cemented Savien’s friendship towards the Avenger, and begrudgingly the other way round as well), the Avenger (then Kelias) was wounded with an arrow through the leg. Savien carried him out of harm’s way.. bridal-style. Kelias spent the next few kilometers, as Savien ran from enemy fire, cursing the mercenary and demanding he be put down. To this day, Savien refers to him as ‘Princess’ due to this incident.
22: If given a million dollars, what would your OC do?
A: My estate is worth several hundred times this. The fuck do I care.
S: Well I’ve spent most of it on weapons and armour repair, so I guess I’ll spend the rest on blackjack and hookers. Or, more likely, cakes for Arienne as soon as she finds out I got some money. Merde.
23: Any ships for your OC?
S: Savien x Arienne, Blackbird ship best ship.
24: Have you ever gotten anon hate because of your OC?
25: What are your plans for your muse in the future?
A: MORE PAIN AND SUFFERING. And redemption. And character growth.
S: You know that feel when you find out you’re not the protagonist of the action film? That’s what I want to achieve with Savien. He’s the protagonist. He’s Bruce Willis and you’re everything that’s not Bruce Willis in a Die Hard movie.
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