Hmmm, let's go for some other characters than Rion, Rannon, Relonia and Lazuli for this one. Aljana: 20, 21 When: 38, 18 Maqaxha: 6, 45
Oooh, interesting! Thank you!
Aljana: 20 - in what ways does your charactercompare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake ofself-validation, or self-criticism?
In many ways, Aljana can be read as a parallell toRannon – younger sibling overshadowed by the golden firstborn heir.While she was raised with love and appreciation, I do think sheconstantly measures herself, consciously or not, against Relonia.
But rather than try to emulate her, shestrives to distance her identity from her sister as much as possible,possibly to escape the constant comparison from others. So whereRelonia is extremely extroverted, assertive and down to earth, Aljanachose a spiritual way of serious introspection and higher purpose.
She shares the same innate arroganceand assertive nature Relonia has, but paired with her black-and-whitedogmatic view of the world, she can often slide into self-righteouspride, teetering that Frollo line of ”pure enlightened me vs thecommon, vulgar, weak crowd that needs to be told what todo/think/be”. So insofar as she compares herself to others, shefeels that she knows better, and acts more righteous than most. Ifshe is self-critical, that would be between her and her goddess,striving for higher enlightenment.
She is dedicated to her dutiesand her people, worshiping truth and justice as absolute, but shewalks a very fine line between justness and tyranny.
Aljana: 21 - If something tragic or negativehappens to your character, do they believe they may have caused ordeserved it, or are they quick to blame others?
That's a tricky one! And really nailingthe hypocrisy at her core. On the one hand, as a high priestess ofChima, goddess of judgment, she is all about justice. Act andconsequence, weighing the scales of right and wrong and reaping whatyou sow. To the point she doesn't believe in the concept of mercy,since it upsets the equation of absolute justice.
On the other, she most often fails tosee any of her own flaws – she is dedicated and enlightened, howcould she possibly misstep? So yes, definitely more likely toblame others, or unfair circumstances.
That is not to say she shiesaway from responsibility, or fixing things that are wrong – that ispart of her calling. But there's still that personal disconnect –her work is more that of a martyred leader, shouldering the burdensof others, than the repentant sinner owning and making up for theirown mistakes.
When: 38 - Is your character more likely toremove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?
Well, I mean, if the threat is anassassin with a raised dagger, then running very fast is the wisecourse of action. Other than that, removing threats is pretty muchher job description. As the highest administrative instance ofMachra-la, she is very good at analyzing the ebb and flow of thecity-state - what people are up to, where trouble may be brewing,what political trends are rippling through the populace and wherevents are needed.
So removing people or movements thatmay grow into threats before they gain traction is a large part ofher job, whilst being smooth enough about it that the interventionitself won't trigger any uprisings or protests.
She has people to carry out the dirtyjobs, though, it's far beneath her paygrade to handle the messy bitsherself, unless absolutely necessary.
When: 18 Is your character more likely toadmire wisdom, or ambition in others?
I mean, she is Machralese, soambition comes with the territory. That aside, however, shedefinitely values wisdom higher. Any ambitious idiot with charisma anda nice smile can take the throne of Machra-la – and have,traditionally, done so – but the ones who actually have the skillsto run the place are few and far between.
So she does grudgingly respect Lazuli,who manages both. There's a sharp and dangerous intellect behind thatparticular nice smile. Even though it is a bit annoying tohave a ruler who actually butts in on her work and doesn't just sitpretty and throw parties.
Maqaxha: 6 - Does your character have recurringthemes in their dreams?
That depends on the timeline, ofcourse. Once he was blinded and exiled, he often dreamed of home.Colours and light became synonymous with Ku'Ombos and the life heonce had. After being freed and living in Kayalana, he often hasnightmares of his life in the Machralese slums.
The most recurring nightmare, however,is killing Crow. Crouching by the water, his hand fisted in silkyhair with bubbles against his skin. Wanting to raise his arm, stopit, make it undone, but unable to. A meaningless death in the end, ofa man he would never have thought he would ever grieve.
But he wakesup crying all the same.
Maqaxha: 45 - What does your character believewill happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?
In the Ku'Ombian religion, the best wayto die is sinless, in the sun. Then your spirit will become one withFather Sun, the creator, and be part of the light for eternity. (Thisis why many offer themselves up as voluntary sacrifices during thegreat festivals in the sun's honour – if you die that way, you areabsolved of all sin and guaranteed nirvana.) If you die in the dark,your spirit is doomed to wander lost in the shadows of the afterlife,a purgatory or shedding your sins until you find your way back to thelight.
But if you are an irredeemable sinner,you will end up in the dark underworld, forever denied the light.There creatures of the dark and decay - serpents and crawling things,rot and mold - will feast upon your suffering soul for eternity.
Let's just say that Maqaxha knows verywell where he's headed, and it does terrify him.
He believed he acted in accordance withthe wishes of the divine when he aimed to take the throne and leadhis nation into a bright era of his God's glory, but... well. Hismanifest destiny was very different from what he had expected. Heknows he is disgraced and doomed. In many ways, it's that fear thatmakes him do everything he does just to stay alive. Machra-la may behell on earth, but hell in actual Hell is so much worse and heis in no rush to go there.
In the end, he does die in sunlight,sacrificed himself to save those he cared about. Whether that isenough for absolution, who can say?
Thank you so much for the asks! It really means a lot to me! ♥