Post an image of your wol as a romanceable NPC without making a new screenshot!
Morganaux
He’ll be your heartful boyfriend! :) 🕊️ A pure and wholesome romance route involving a sweet Ishgardian nobleman who just so happens to be the Warrior of Light! Nothing could possibly go wrong here.
Phoebus
Uh... Good luck with that. He’s completely and utterly devoted to the Emperor, but perhaps you can try to change that! :) This will end well! :)
Apollo
:) It’s a surprise.
Tagged by: @irwinxiv
Tagging: If you want to do this, you’re tagged!
💕: how does my muse express their feelings? do they do through small but meaningful gestures, or through bold declarations?
Morganaux, Phoebus, and Apollo all tend to lean toward small, but meaningful gestures to varying degrees!
Morganaux:
Morgy, being a lover of faerietales and epic romance novels, is the most likely to do anything on the bolder side, but only when he's alone with his partner(s). He doesn't want to make a spectacle out of of his relationships, but at the same time, he loves putting in the time and effort for those magical, faerietale moments.
He'll do things like using the Dzemael manor's ballrooms for a private evening of dancing, fussing for months on end to make a handmade gift, and plenty of other over the top things, so long as his partner(s) won't be overwhelmed by it. And, he has no problem with dipping into his family coffers to spoil someone he loves.
But day by day, he likes to be consistent and do little things here and there to show his affection— things like leaving notes for his lover(s), offering to help them out with things, etc.
Phoebus:
Never being a fan of anything over the top, Phoebus isn't likely to make any bold declarations. ...Aside from declaring (privately, of course) his undying devotion to his partner and how he'd protect him with his life, and then proceeding to do exactly that, if given the opportunity to do so.
But, beyond that, he doesn't like making a big deal out of showing his love for someone and feels that it'd ruin the authenticity of it if he were to do so. That being said, he's not emotionally withdrawn in a relationship and is actually the complete opposite of that. He just prefers the quieter, more subtle ways of showing affection.
Apollo:
By Apollo's own standards, his displays of affection are small! Sending letters and gifts back home while traveling is a near daily thing for him, so while it might seem like a grand gesture for most relationships, this is a perfectly normal everyday thing for him.
He likes constantly giving small gifts as an endless reminder of his love and that his partner(s) are always in his thoughts. To him, it's the equivalent of wordlessly sending friends/loved ones memes that remind you of them. But, when he's back home in Amaurot, he mostly just wants to keep it simple with cuddling and spending time together.
Gods... I've been so tired lately. My sleep is always-- never mind. Sorry. It's just last night I slept nearly twelve hours and I'm running out of ways to explain this is just what it's like without lying to my friends. Because I really don't like to but... sigh what am I to do? It's not their fault for being curious as to why I'm calling it a day so early, especially this time of year when the sun's still out. Maybe they're just concerned for my health but I promise you it's normal.
Sorry I'm being so vague, I don't really know how to talk about it. You wouldn't get it anyway.
13. death : is there anything in your muse’s life that they should be letting go of ?
17. the star : what does your muse take inner comfort in knowing ? what guides your muse ?
for all :3
13. death : is there anything in your muse’s life that they should be letting go of?
Morganaux:
Morganaux is an absolute disaster when it comes to clinging to his grief, feeling that it's a disservice to the people he's lost to move on without "sufficiently" honoring their memory. Grief has caused him to make some questionable decisions and to harbor secrets that are far from heroic, and while he's gotten a bit better in that respect, he's still not the best at letting go and moving on.
Phoebus:
his taste in men tbh
Honestly, in his main canon, there's nothing he’s really holding onto that he needs to let go of in his life. He’s not really the sort to hold onto things in an unhealthy way and is surprisingly comfortable about letting go of things that do not spark joy, which often confuses those who notice that about him.
Some may assume he’s cold and unfeeling because of this (and for plenty of other reasons as well), but he just has an unusual way of processing his feelings as a result of his profession and upbringing.
One of the many lessons his mother taught him during his training as a reaper was that in order to survive, he needed to have a healthy relationship with his feelings, which means letting himself experience emotions but never dwelling on them to the point it hurts himself and others around them. Voidsent take advantage of those who are consumed by their emotions, luring them into giving up their bodies and souls in exchange for what their heart desires, and the same applies to a reaper’s voidsent.
But in his WoL canon, he clings to a huge amount of guilt over how blind he was to the Garlean Empire’s cruelty and is entirely convinced he’s handling that guilt in a healthy way. His idea of “healthy” is self-isolating while obsessively doing everything in his power to protect those suffering as a result of the Empire, even at great risk to himself.
A little fun fact about Phoebus is that I actually had the Death major arcana (representing endings and change) in mind when developing his personality since it fits with him being a reaper!
Apollo:
This gets a bit dark, so I’ll be placing this under a read more. For anyone who wants to read the answers to the second question without reading this particular answer, just keep scrolling until you see the bold text at the end!
Content warning for death, specifically in a medical setting.
While an untimely death was a rarity in the unsundered world, his unusual choice of career resulted in him having to see quite a bit of it.
The Ancients had invented a cure for nearly every injury and ailment known to them, but there were always a few exceptions that would catch healers by surprise. Alongside his responsibilities as Azem, Apollo was also a healer who specialized in working with patients suffering from unusual conditions that did not respond to any known methods of treatment. Most of the time, these specialized healers succeeded in saving the lives of their patients, but this wasn’t always the case.
Apollo remembers the name and face of every patient that passed away under his care and feels responsible for their fate, even though realistically he and the other healers did everything they could to save them. He sometimes disappears for months at a time following the death of a patient, and even when he returns as cheerful as always, he’s hiding a whole lot of pain beneath the surface.
It certainly doesn’t help that most Ancients never experience what he’s had to experience, so he doesn’t have a whole lot of options for people he can talk to who can understand what he’s feeling. Plenty of Ancients feel grief over their loved ones who willingly return to the star after living a fulfilling life, but it’s not the same as watching someone who had so much potential and unfulfilled wishes fading away before his eyes.
(and this is actually one of his unspoken reasons why he declined the seat of emmerololth, since being the highest authority over matters of healing and medicine would most certainly expose him to even more early deaths.
...also i like to think that this is something he and emet-selch can bond over, since as keeper of the underworld he’s probably familiar with what apollo feels.)
He might seem shallow with the way he prioritizes having fun over everything, but this carefree attitude stems from a desire to live life to its fullest with as few regrets as possible, all while drowning out the grief he carries with him. (there’s other similarly-related reasons too, but apollo is full of secrets that need to be uncovered!)
Aaaand, that concludes Apollo’s secret mess of mostly unaddressed trauma about death!
17. the star : what does your muse take inner comfort in knowing ? what guides your muse ?
Morganaux:
Despite his complicated feelings toward his home in Ishgard, Morganaux takes comfort in knowing that there’s plenty of people there who care for him— Uncle Tarresson, his former conjury tutor Clovis, his childhood fashion mentor Brorant, his butler, and so many others. When he feels like he’s not good enough or feels crushed beneath the weight of his responsibilities as the Warrior of Light, it helps remembering that they’re there to support him.
As for what guides him, it’s love. Love for humanity, love for the world around him, love for knowledge, and the unholy amassment of romantic love that’s stored in his gay little heart.
Phoebus:
Unfortunately, Phoebus takes comfort in a lie— that the Garlean Empire is a force of good in the world and that they’re making peace with the people they’ve defeated in battle. It brings him peace knowing that his countrymen won’t be pushed around anymore and that the magitek revolution has brought them into an age of prosperity, and that no one in Garlemald will ever go cold or hungry again. It’s fine. :) Everything is fine. :) Emperor Solus is a good and wholesome man who has only the best of intentions. :) :) :) :)
(and then his entire life is shattered when he finds out otherwise)
Like Morganaux, he’s also guided by love, but a lot less blatant about it and also doesn’t actually think of himself as motivated by it. He absolutely is though, but he refuses to associate himself with anything he considers sappy. But his whole reason for doing basically anything is out of love for his countrymen and a desire to see them peacefully coexisting with the rest of the world, even in his WoL canon where he takes up arms against Garlemald.
His sense of justice also guides him as well, and he has no qualms with standing up against comrades and loved ones if he thinks they’ve done something immoral. He doesn’t get much opportunity for that side of him to shine through once he starts living in the Imperial Palace, but it’s much more apparent in his pre-imperial military career and in his WoL AU.
Apollo:
What brings the most comfort to Apollo is simply the knowledge that the world is full of new experiences and surprises. If he’s feeling down, all he needs to do is go out and find something exciting to occupy himself with, and with how vast the star is, he’ll surely never run out of things that’ll make him happy. While for the most part, it’s great for his mental health to go out adventuring, but sometimes, he’s just running away from his problems without really addressing them.
Just like his shards, love guides most of his actions, manifesting in his fixation on healing magic and his eagerness to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.
04. the emperor : how much respect does your muse have for authority ? why is this ?
Morganaux:
Morganaux tends to be distrustful toward authority until proven otherwise, and while he might seem outwardly sweet toward people who have any kind of power over him, he can be quite petty toward them if he feels slighted by them in any way. He's subtle about it, though. ...Mostly. He is an absolute terror when it comes to causing problems for the Count de Dzemael.
He used to view figures of authority, especially Halonic church officials, with the highest regard as a child, but that ended up burning him pretty badly. So, he's critical of them, wanting them to prove that they're decent people who will do good in the world before he gives them any respect. Even then, he's going to be wary, since he knows that monsters are perfectly capable of disguising themselves as saints.
Phoebus was answered here!
Apollo:
Apollo doesn't have anything against authority, but simply enjoys doing his own thing. So, he'll respect authority figures as individuals and trusts that they have good intentions, but he's not going to let anyone stop him from doing what he wants to do if he sees nothing wrong with it.
A professor at Akadaemia Anyder was wrong about something? He's going to raise his hand and correct them because no one's perfect. The rest of the Convocation explicitly forbade him from doing something and didn't give him a "good enough" reason for it? He's gonna do it anyway and he'll deal with the consequences later.
02. the high priestess : how does your muse make decisions ? do they trust their instinct or would they rather trust their heart / their logic ?
Morganaux:
In matters of decision-making, Morganaux trusts his heart and logic instead of following his instinct. Mostly his heart, though. This tiny pink Elezen man can fit so much love inside of him and it drives nearly every decision he makes, for better or worse.
He also has a tendency to set aside his self-preservation instincts by purposefully getting himself into dangerous situations if he feels there’s something to be gained by doing so. Usually, it’s in pursuit of knowledge or out of a desire to help others. (...And sometimes, it’s because of his incredibly questionable taste in men. He can’t help that he leans heavily toward morally questionable mages.) He’s aware it’s a problem, but also has no intentions of changing his ways anytime soon.
Phoebus:
Having heightened senses as a result of the bond he shares with his voidsent avatar, Phoebus is a lot more comfortable trusting his own instincts than his reincarnation is. Sometimes, he gets a feeling that the vibes are off about something while not understanding why, and he knows it must have something to do with his blessings, which is a good enough explanation in his eyes. He’s usually right trusting his gut feeling though, so he’s not too concerned with it, but maybe that’ll change someday.
That being said, he likes to think of himself as a rational pragmatist, which is ironic considering how nearly all of his actions and decisions are shaped by love for his family and his people. (...And the Emperor, of course.) Just don’t try to convince him otherwise because he’s not gonna be swayed.
Apollo:
Apollo trusts instinct, heart, and logic all at once and doesn’t really think any of them are better for decision-making than the rest. He has a much more balanced way of thinking than both of his reincarnations and doesn’t try to discount his instincts or feelings, while also not obsessively following them to the point of being too reckless. (A bit of good and harmless recklessness can be fun though, he insists!)
And, while logic is obviously important to him as someone who loves a good debate, he thinks it’s boring at best and cold-hearted at worst to fixate on logic too much to the exclusion of everything else. Some might see him as childish for his way of thinking, but he doesn’t let that get to him. He’s here to live his best life, all while trying to help others live their best lives too, and that’s what matters to him.
It seems to be common courtesy to remain honest in a world where lies exist. Even so, we cannot help but challenge the imaginary rules in place. To your muse, is it okay to do something “wrong” if no one sees it or knows about it?
One of the things that ties Morganaux, Phoebus, and Apollo together is that all three of them are willing to do things considered "immoral" if they feel it's for the greater good. However, none of them feel it's alright to do the "wrong" thing simply because no one will find out about it.
For them, it's all about what sort of positive change they can make in the world, even if it's frowned on by the rest of the world. (And in Morganaux and Apollo's case, it's about satisfying their curiosity, so long as no one gets hurt in the process.)
So basically, let's say they borrowed a book full of forbidden knowledge without permission and then return it later without anyone finding out. Regardless of whether or not they got caught, all with what they did because they're not inherently hurting anyone in the process and are simply interested in learning something new, frowned upon or not.
All of them would feel some degree of guilt over their actions, however, since in a way, they're still going against what's considered acceptable in the eyes of others. They just won't beat themselves up over it too much. (Except for Morganaux, but he was a former devoted follower of Halone, so guilt is always going to stick with him. It just won't stop him from indulging in his more questionable habits.)
Now, if they were given the option to do something that would have negative consequences for someone else strictly for selfish purposes, they would all likely refrain from doing so and feel terrible about it in the rare occasions they actually do something like that.
tl;dr: It's all about whether or not they feel they can justify their actions.
A♣️ - What’s your muse’s strongest talent? K♠️ - What is one thing your muse considers a grave injustice?
A♣️ - What’s your muse’s strongest talent?
Morganaux:
Ignoring his magical strength caused by his unnaturally large personal aether supply, Morganaux's other greatest talent is his ability to easily memorize information. This knack for memorization has gotten him far in life, allowing him to stand out at the orphanage he grew up as well as at Saint Endalim's Scholasticate.
(He also put these skills to very good use in his childhood by having a relevant quote from Halonic scripture for any situation, but as an adult, he likes to pretend this phase of his life never happened. Plus, it ended up making him a prime candidate for an expurgator, whose sole job is to memorize forbidden scripture deemed too dangerous to write down.)
Most importantly, it makes it much easier for him to learn new spells and he's always itching to learn new spells.
This talent of his only applies to situations where he's consciously studying something, so he's still capable of (and often is guilty of) forgetting things he's told.
Phoebus:
Gardening may have started off as a way of keeping his family's traditions alive, but it didn't take long for others around him to notice he had a green thumb once he got his own greenhouse.
While others in House Albinus had relied on their patron voidsent to bless their harvests, Phoebus couldn't use their same methods in the imperial botanical gardens for fear of being caught. (Or, rather, he couldn't do it very often.) Yet still, he had a gift for growing the most beautiful roses and the most delicious berries while toiling away in his private greenhouse, even if he wasn't doing anything differently from the other imperial gardeners.
Apollo:
Apollo naturally excelled at anything involving healing due to top secret spoiler-related reasons. The details are something that'll need to be unlocked via RP! ;D He would have made the perfect Emmerololth, were it not for his need to wander, and in scenarios where he doesn't go on to hold the seat of Azem, that's exactly the role he ends up filling instead.
The extent of his healing powers also veer into spoiler territory for many of the secrets he's keeping, otherwise I'd gladly ramble about them lmao. (Someday, when work calms down again, I'd like to get some RPs going for him!)
K♠️ - What is one thing your muse considers a grave injustice?
Morganaux:
In Morganaux's eyes, to willfully harm a child is the worst thing someone can do. He might be a pacifist who tries his best to make peace with his enemies until he's forced to resort to violence, but this is one of the very few exceptions to this rule. He sees a little of his past self in children who are put in harm's way, and he wants to protect them the same way he wished someone else would've protected him during his youth.
Phoebus:
To be willfully, pointlessly cruel toward others, and a refusal to intervene in the face of such an injustice. Seeing those things as the most grievous sins of all, it's no wonder he throws himself into a self-destructive quest for repentance the moment he sees the Garlean Empire as the monster it truly was.
Throughout his career as a legatus during pre-imperial times, he had a reputation for showing genuine care toward the men who served under him, but also was known for harshly punishing those who acted out of malice. It was one thing slaying invaders, but he had no tolerance for inflicting needless suffering upon them and would take matters into his own hands the moment he saw any of that happening.
He hoped that one day, the Garleans could make peace with the magic-wielders who threatened them and to work together with them, and mistreating them wouldn't make that vision a reality.
Apollo:
To Apollo, for someone to die before their time is the worst injustice that could happen. Returning to the star by choice was something to be celebrated— a well-earned rest after one had accomplished all they had set out to do in life— and the idea of someone dying unfulfilled deeply unsettled him.
Even so, before he was Azem, he made the choice to be a researcher of the healing arts, and though unnatural deaths were rare in the ancient world before the Final Days, his career of choice made it much more likely for him to have to witness such a thing. Those rare occasions where he had to watch someone's life slip away were devastating to him.
Seeing such a terrible sight, all he could think about were the hopes and dreams they had that would never come to pass, the loved ones they left behind, and the happiness they could have achieved at the end of it all if only they could have been saved. He never took moments like these well, sometimes disappearing for months at a time to mourn the patients he had lost, even if he didn't know them.
No amount of blankets is going to change the fact that you’re still falling apart inside, that it feels like everything you’ve ever done wrong is crawling underneath your skin, that you feel like there’s something wrong with you but everyone says that it’s fine, you’re fine, it’s all going to end up okay but you can’t change anything, no, it’s not in your control, they say. They’re wrong. You deserve to get better. Don’t you? Aren’t you tired of the bags under your eyes, of the weight on your shoulders? You have a hard time figuring out which relationships are toxic because they’re so fundamentally ingrained into your personality - or so you think - and you don’t know quite how to take care of yourself. You want to touch the stars but you’re so stuck in your problems rather than your dreams it feels like drowning, not flying, and it’s hard to tell the difference between the two feelings of weightlessness.
Somehow, I got the same result for all three of my muses, even with different answers? It’s fitting, at least.
Tagged by: @seatedsacrifice
Tagging: See the thing and want to do the thing? I’ve tagged you. Go for it.
