30 Days of Character Development
[[or more like 30 times Nana could be arsed to sit down and write these]]
1.) Describe your character’s relationship with their mother or their father, or both. Was it good? Bad? Were they spoiled rotten, ignored? Do they still get along now, or no?
Oberon’s mother, Kaija, is the reason he holds so little (if any) respect for mortals. She didn’t care about him or his older sister, whom she made to take care of Oberon the moment she was old enough (by her standards). She didn’t remember either of her children’s birthdays.
She made Oberon work for his living as an escort (like herself and his sister) to men and women–soldiers mostly– and wouldn’t defend him at all when he was abused at the hands of his clients. He is only sad she’s dead because he didn’t get to kill her himself.
The only thing Oberon knows about his father was that he was fae and that his name was Murtaugh. He doesn’t know which court he belonged to, if at all, or if he’s still alive, although very few fae are as old as Oberon nowadays.
2.) What are your characters most prominent physical features?
His eyes. They’re a very rich forest green.
3.) Name one scar your character has, and tell us where it came from. If they don’t have any, is there a reas on?
There are several on his body, none that are too prominent because he has accelerated healing and is so old they are all fainted, but there are several burn marks all along his arms that he purposely keeps unhealed and uncovered by his many tattoos to remind him how cruel his mother was. Not that he would ever forget.
4.) How vain is your character? Do they find themselves attractive?
Pppppfffffff Oberon is hella attractive and he knows it. He uses it to his advantage as much as he can and is super vain, especially about his hair, his eyes, and his dick.
5.) What’s your character’s ranking on the Kinsey Scale?
6.) Describe your character’s happiest memory.
Oberon ran away from his mother when he was sixteen. He initially wanted me to say this is his happiest memory but it’s being shadowed by his sister’s death, whom he actually loved.
Still, after he ran away he spent three weeks in the forest and went a little crazy with freedom. He fished with a handmade spear for food and stole apples and meat from the residences that skirted the forest. No one made him sell himself or told him what to do. He was free.
I doubt this is actually his happiest memory considering he has several millennia of life to look at, but this one is the most heavily loaded emotionally.
7.) Is there one event or happening your character would like to erase from their past? Why?
Pretty much all of his childhood but in particular what led him to his first kill of a human.
tw: for rape, murder, bodily fluids
He had a client once and he was kind of hurting him during sec. Oberon didn’t mind the pain because he was being paid more as they had previously agreed for the client being rough.
The problem was he got too rough, making Oberon bleed and cry while begging him to stop. When he said he would even give his money and offered to help him finish elseway the client took a knife to his throat . When he finished he did so on the dirt and made him lick it clean by grabbing his hair and shoving his face down. Then he forced him to finish as well, using his mouth on him and had him clean as well. When it was all over he slashed him at several places on his skin as a reminder of ‘what happen to crying whores’
When his mother saw him after the client left the room she just looked at Oberon in disgust and simply took his gold. Later that night Oberon sneaked out with one of Kaija’s knives, found the client at the outpost he was in and sliced his throat from ear to ear.
8.) Day of Favorites! What’s your character’s favorite ice cream flavor? Color? Song? Flower?
Oberon is an ice cream junkie. He loves the stuff. His favourite flavour is probably watermelon, though.
He really likes green and copper.
His favorite song changes often but one that always talks to his heart is ‘Nature Boy’ by David Bowie
9.) Who does your character trust?
His first instinct is to say ‘no one’ but that wouldn’t be strictly true.
He does trust the court crones and also Mab to an extent. Titania has manipulated him in the past so if there had been trust there it has now dwindled. He probably trusts Goodfellow too, and on good days he might even say he trusts him with his life.
Of course, he wouldn’t ever say any of these outloud.
10.) Can you define a turning point in your character’s life? Multiples are acceptable.
When he escaped from his mother. The moment he accepted the power of Cernunnos and ostensibly turned Fae. His elevation to Erlking. Losing the power. Faking his death to escape his wife. There are stories behind all these, some are written. Some are in my head. Someday they’ll come out.
11.) Is there an animal you equate with your character?
Stag would be the primary one, mostly because Oberon used to be Cernunnos and had a headdress made from a stag’s skull. He was also able to shift into a stag (travel form) at will.
With his ascension to Erlking he became able to shift in more forms than the stag, namely a bear (attack), a falcon (scout/hunting/travel form), and an otter (aquatic form)
12.) How is your character with technology? Super savvy, or way behind the times? Letters or email?
Oberon is a sucker for technology ever since the industrial revolution. He has a smartphone and a high-tech laptop (which he uses to record music and watch porn mainly–as well as troll on twitter). He doesn’t have any technical skills and can’t tell you the difference between a modem and a router but he’s really into it.
When he has to communicate he prefers texting or calling, even though he does send letters if they’re meant for people in Faerie.
13.) What does your character’s bed look like when he/she wakes up? Are the covers off on one side of the bed, are they all curled around a pillow, sprawled everywhere? In what position might they sleep?
Oberon is a sprawler. His bed is never neat, unless he has been out long enough that the brownies will take care of it. There are several duvets on his bed, mostly for sensory satisfaction and he likes to make a fort of them when he goes to sleep.
14.) How does your character react to temperature changes such as extreme heat and cold?
He prefers warmer weather but neither bothers him.
If he’s not the Erlking, he becomes a whiny little bitch about both extreme heat and cold, though.
15.) Is your character an early morning bird or a night owl?
Oberon is a ‘doesn’t give a fuck’ bird. He’ll wake up whenever it pleases him and if left on his own can sleep for days.
16.) Are there any blood relatives that your character is particularly close with, besides the immediate ones? Cousins, Uncles, Grandfathers, Aunts, et cetera. Are there any others that your character practically considers a blood relative?
Statistically he probably has or had half-siblings all around since his father is/was fae. He has a daughter (Elanor) and a son (Taranis) with Titania, although the son is not biologically his.
Weird as this may sound Mab fits the role of the closest thing to a blood relative. She had once been his confidant back before she was queen and got lost in duties and politics. Oberon and Mab had been friends in a way he had never been with neither Robin nor Titania, because unlike Titania or Robin she sat and was willing to talk seriously with him without sex clouding their relationship
Yes they did. Once. Neither was pleased.
Both suspect that they didn’t work sexually simply because they are cut to be friends instead of lovers, and while Mab has drifted away in her struggle and her problems, nowadays she still is the closest thing to a sister he has.
17.) What’s your character’s desk/workspace look like? Are they neat or messy?
Surprisingly Oberon is a neat freak when it comes to that. His workplace becomes steadily messier when he works on something, be it music, carving, or cooking but the workspace is one of the few things he tidies up himself and doesn’t let the brownies straighten up.
18.) Is your character a good cook? What’s their favorite recipe, whether they’re good or not? (Microwave mac-and-cheese applies.)
Oberon had to live on his own for decades so with trial and error he learned. He’s best at grilling things, preferably game he has hunted himself.
19.) What’s your character’s preferred means of travel?
If the Ways aren’t accessible or an option he will use one of his shifts (stag, falcon, or otter) If he’s in the mortal world he favours a high-performance Ducati 1100S motorbike.
20.) Does your character have any irrational fears?
Oberon will never admit it but he is paranoid about being free. He is very possessive and clingy himself, but wouldn’t accept possessiveness or clinginess from his friends or lovers.
He also is terrified of losing control of his own mind, which was a factor in losing his power when he did.
21.) What would your character’s cutie mark be?
a pair of crowned antlers
22.) If your character could time travel, where would they go?
This is surprising but he’d go to the past to seek out his father and kill his mother after the time his care was given to his sister.
23.) Is your character superstitious?
24.) What might your character’s ideal romantic partner be?
He needs someone that would be entirely devoted to him but wouldn’t be clingy or possessive about it. He can’t stand overly dramatic people or whiners. He also likes to be needed and sought after, even though he’s shitty about it and won’t always answer to a call for help even though he’ll relish the attention.
25.) Describe your character’s hands. Are they small, long, calloused, smooth, stubby?
Oberon’s hands are long-fingered but not calloused despite him working with carving tools and playing stringed instruments a lot. Being Fae, his hands are very smooth and his sleeve tattoos continue all the way to the back of his hands, ending right before the knuckles. He often wears silver or golden rings on them.
26.) Second day of favorites! Favorite comfort food, favorite vice, favorite outfit, favorite hot drink, favorite time of year, and favorite holiday.
Food: ice cream after a huge beef burger
Vice: “Do I have to choose? Can’t I like all of them? Oh well…Laziness, I guess.”
Hot Drink: Warm, spiced mead
Holiday: Samhain (ERLKING, BABY)
27.) Pick two songs that describe your character at two different points of their life, and explain why you chose them.
“Imago” by Pain of Salvation
Oberon getting a Faerie mantle. It also has that underlying arrogance that is Oberon’s signature.
Teach me of the forest, teach me of the trees
Teach me anything as long as you teach me
Teach me of the ocean, teach me of the sea
Teach me of the Breathe and BE
See me! I am the one creation
Hear me! I am all the love that came from Animae
Know me! I am the incarnation
Fear me! I am all the power held by Animae
Me!
“Sisters” by Pain of Salvation [[WELL THEN]]
When he met Titania and was lured into her embrace–essentially leading to the breaking of his betrothal to Mab.
And she talks like you
And she smells almost like you
A child of the wild just like you
But she’s not all you
Even strives not to be you
Just like every sister would do
If I’d looked into her eyes
And softly asked her too
She would give herself and give her flesh
And waste a life she knew
28.) If your character’s life was a genre, what would it be?
Fantasy mixed with Urban Fantasy
29.) How does your character smell? Do they wear perfume or cologne?
He smells like the forest in the late summer/early autumn after heavy rain. Blood. Sex. Clean sweat. Arousal.
30.) And finally: Write a letter to your character, from yourself.
We used to have fun. If you perhaps would like to be around more in the new year I’d greatly appreciate it.
