Do you have a Mystery Skulls Animated O.C.? I've seen lots of skull headed, flame haired, O.C.s and they look awesome.
I don’t! If I was gonna do that, I’d probably want to know a little more about the universe and how it works.
That said, I do have my own original project that’s also a little ghostbustery, and for a while I’ve toyed with the idea of trying out the Mystery Skulls style on one of my characters from that universe.
So here’s Ruth! Totally unrelated to Mystery Skulls Animated I think I’ve been trying to kick out a good hairstyle for her for ages, and I think both she and I are pleased by the result.
Ruth is one of the four main characters of Twofaced!, and if this ever becomes a proper book she’d probably be the main character. Reliable, affectionate, fond of motorcycles and cute dresses. Tends to wing it with her plans and works best with her more technical brother along for the ride. Unironically wants to be a superhero.
Comparing her to the MSA cast I’d put her as like, a few inches shorter than Lewis? She tall. Most of her jewelry is just there for aesthetics except her earrings- which are based on a concept I saw around tumblr for hearing aid gauges.
for the headcanon meme: favorite minor twofaced! character (and jasper, if you haven't gotten a req for her yet!)?
Going with Harriet, she hasn’t gotten much love.
What they smell like:
Musty, and a cloying flowery smell over something like old blood.
How they sleep (sleeping position, schedule, etc):
Curled up very tightly not touching any hard boundaries. She’s a very light sleeper and doesn’t like having anyone but Abigail in the room with her.
What music they enjoy:
Piano and organ solos. She prefers performing her own music to listening to others’, because in creating music she can completely wrap herself in the experience and forget about other things.
How much time they spend getting ready every morning:
If there’s the expectation that she’s Going Out she probably takes a lot of time, but very little effort- mostly just her usual clothes and a suitable hat but she spends as much time as possible fussing with the hat.
Their favorite thing to collect:
Feathers. She lines them up all in a particular way.
Left or right-handed:
Left, but was trained to use her right hand instead.
Religion (if any):
Catholicism.
Favorite sport:
Birdwatching.
Favorite touristy thing to do when traveling (museums, local food, sightseeing, etc):
Upon discovering digital cameras, she likes to take pictures. A lot of pictures.
Favorite kind of weather:
All.
A weird/obscure fear they have:
Fairly severe claustrophobia.
The carnival/arcade game they always win without fail:
9: What is your OC like when at work? Are they diligent? Slacker? Do they get along with their co-workers?
Moxxy is very diligent! Sometimes this leads to conflict with people. She’s full of restless energy and if she can’t do something useful with it it goes straight to her nervous habits. She sometimes tries to inspire other people to match her level of activity by pacing angry circles around their ankles and yowling.
12: What scent calms them? Reminds them of home or something soothing?
She likes the way Oliver smells. She was actually very put-out the first time someone gave Oliver a real bath with soap, because she was at first angry and didn’t think his scent would come back, but it did after a while. Now when he takes a bath she mostly just jumps on his back and kneads over and over again.
20: What are Tropes you associate with your muse?
It’s been a while since I’ve troped a thing (kinda fell out of favor with TVtropes) but here goes!
No worries! 1, 6, and… I’m sorry, I drew a blank on the third.
1: Origins! How did you come up with the concept for your OC?
Honestly I just really like the idea of human children being raised by spirits or gods or whatever. It was something that Princess Mononoke kindled in me and various other works, The Graveyard Book among them, fed.
Oliver’s most heavily influenced by The Graveyard Book as a very young person in a vulnerable place that was able to find and seek shelter with spirits (ghosts in The Graveyard Book, motes for Oliver)
One of the earliest ideas I had for Oliver was of a young boy walking around a darkened house after the power has gone out during a storm, and a huge shadow is visible behind him, but ultimately when he acknowledges the figure, it’s Oz, and he’s following Oliver because he (Oz) is scared of the thunder- Oliver was never in any danger, and the figure behind him was seeking reassurance rather than acting maliciously.
6: What is your OC’s family situation? Do they get along? Do they fight? Or are they alone?
Family structure is not very intuitive to Motes; they’re incredibly social creatures but they don’t have a lot of the ‘structures’ to relationships that humans do? Labels like “parent” or “romantic partner” or “uncle” aren’t really there, not that there aren’t motes that act in a manner we’d call parental (Moxxy’s relationship with Oliver, and many of the other motes in the warren) but they don’t feel the need to define their relationships by those bounds.
Oliver has a big pile of family, and his relationship with them is overwhelmingly positive. Outside of Moxxy, there’s another mote called Dab that is another very protective/nurturing presence in Oliver’s life. Most of the motes like Oliver, and those that aren’t that attached to him are still respectful of him and will look out for him, because he’s part of their warren.
It’s at the point where Oliver is at a bit of a loss when he feels lonely, because he’s so used to being surrounded by other motes. Feeling alone, especially in a crowd of strangers, is incredibly anxiety-inducing for Oliver and he’ll get overwhelmed and lightheaded.
Take one Twofaced character and one from your post-apocalyptic story for each question (you can repeat characters or use different ones each time, whatever works): 1, 4, 6, 10, 21
Going with Ruth for Twofaced! and Scion for Rekindled, and gonna stick with them for all the questions. This gets long!
1: Origins! How did you come up with the concept for your OC?
Ruth
Ruth is actually an incredibly old character of mine- originating all the way from the depths of my middle school years. At the beginning, she was a violinist who raised the dead, and looked like this. (She was also named ‘Necropolis’ generally attending by Necro; I didn’t have a tendency to name my characters after the aesthetics of a metal album, I guess it was just her)
She’s been Ruth for a long time and her aesthetics sort of gradually progressed from gothic fantasy to punk and now we have present Ruth who’s invested in as many frills and cute flouncy things as can be coordinated with serviceable jeans and sturdy boots.
While I can’t begin to recall what in particular led me to create my original draft of Necro, I will say that the most recent incarnation of Ruth came from this vocaloid song [link is to youtube, might autoplay], “Panda Hero” and a lot of throwaway lines from the song worked their way into Ruth’s character. “A black and white hero with a metal bat in their left hand” led to Ruth being a lefty, her signature weapon, and, most recently, her very distinctive premature white hair contrasting with particularly dark skin.
The consistent core of the character that’s stayed with her all this time is that Ruth is a hero. She’s a laconic, strong-willed and good-intentioned person who wants to venture into whatever darkness she sees in the world and help people.
That song really is a formative influence that can’t be understated, as a lot of it has crept into Twofaced! in the form of certain ongoing motifs, especially radios which have significance for Ruth, her brother, and their respective power sets. Conceptualizing the city of Boundary as a complex urban jungle full of hidden pockets and memories of the past, and the shift from the more straightforwards action genres of my youth to something that’s much more introspective, mysterious, and at times a little scary.
Scion
Since Scion is a far newer character, I have a much clearer idea of where Scion came from, and they sort of formed like a tumbleweed after a lot of my frustrations with the post-apocalyptic genre and some of the things I’ve been encouraged to think about and analyze in my discussions of Peridot from Steven Universe and the attitude about technology in narratives.
So Scion is partially inspired by Peridot- green as a character color, moving from a clinical/sterile environment to a nature-oriented one, a blend of a smart/perceptive character with a somewhat sheltered one trying to get their feet under them in a foreign world- and partially by 9, the titular protagonist of a post-apocalyptic movie that I had a special interest in for a long time in high school. (And one of the first works that drew my eye to the post-apocalyptic genre in general). Somewhere in the process the aesthetics of Portal- specifically the early, ‘overgrown’ segment of Portal 2, got in there. (This is what I blame for most of Scion’s sass. The Portal series more or less drips sarcasm from its every instant of dialogue)
I wanted to showcase a character where their ability to get “back to nature” and survive in a dangerous environment is facilitated and, in a way, reliant on, technology. Science is present in their life as something that gave Scion back control of their life, and lets them open their eyes to a whole new world. New growth and recovery is a big theme in Rekindled and in Scion’s case, none of that would have been possible without their very extensive assistive technology.
At least I feel like that’s a better way to frame it than saying that Scion’s character is more or less an express telegram full of expletives to the concept of “technology is evil you must renounce your sinful science and come live in Good Supportive Nature what do you mean disabled people exist”
4: How do you get into your OC’s mindset to write for them? How do you find the muse for them?
Something consistent for both of them: Music! I have specific character songs I associate with them (in the case of newer characters, I often have to pick out new character music.)
Ruth
Ruth is actually a particular character, since music had so much to do with her inspiration, that she’s got such a strong character song that I can’t hear that song without Ruth coming to mind. In general, Ruth is a very cooperative character to write- even without the song, I can piece together her mentality nicely. (That’s the other part- just giving some thought to how they tick and trying to see the world as they see it)
In Twofaced!, characters’ personalities sort them into one of two camps: powers that are about direct action, and powers that are about information gathering. Ruth is a kinetic power- her focus is extroverted and active.
Her response to stress is to try and push back. She has spent her entire life being someone who wants to make safety for others- she wants to save people. At her best, this makes her wonderfully caring and compassionate- she’s a builder of safe spaces. Her power is the ability to radiate energy, sound, light and information. Ruth is a provider, a generator, and this is exactly where she wants to be.
At her worst, standing in the spotlight can blind you to the people around you. It’s sometimes hard for Ruth to understand that there are people that don’t want to be swept off their feet and ‘rescued’ and it’s not always her business to intercede. Sometimes there are things Ruth can’t do on her own, and her tendency to sling herself headlong into danger like a knight in shining armor comes with some serious practical problems as she’s a car mechanic, not a knight, and that doesn’t come with the full plate.
Scion
Scion is one of those people I’m still figuring out at this point, and I think they’re someone who’s trying to figure out themselves. Before encountering Project Rekindling and getting a new lease on life they were basically shut down and had lost motivation or really thinking in the big picture. As much as they wanted to get back into the world that they felt was running past them, they hadn’t quite thought out what they wanted to do once they got there.
And now here they are in a demanding world but also one where they have a lot of influence, and a pretty darn radical cyborg body to boot, and it takes a while to dawn on them that their interest in just toddling along and poking at things that look neat doesn’t work as a long term life plan (as various people who care about them have to play the game of “SCION NO THAT’S DANGEROUS”)
And it’s also incredibly hard to deter someone who’s been bedridden for years and is now put at the helm of a perfectly healthy verging on superhuman body, and Scion also occasionally needs to be reminded that they do, in fact, have something to lose now and the “fuck it, doing it anyway” attitude that got them into this situation might not carry them further.
6: What is your OC’s family situation? Do they get along? Do they fight? Or are they alone?
Ruth
Ruth lives with her brother Lawrence. She adores her brother dearly, but their relationship is occasionally a little strained since Ruth feels like she wants to ‘take care’ of Lawrence, and Lawrence, an ambitious individual itching to beat his own trail, isn’t quite content in the role of “dearest baby brother” that Ruth sometimes puts him in.
The siblings live near to, and frequently check in with, their mother Mariella and their stepmother Rook. There was a dad somewhere but Mariella doesn’t talk about him much and he exited the picture when Lawrence was way young. Ruth’s relationship with her dad is mostly “I can do better than you did.”
10: How do they deal with strangers?
Ruth
Ruth will politely make eye contact with strangers, nod at them, and then go back to what she was doing most times. In general she will make occasional small talk and, if they’re in her house, offer them food (Ruth has a thing about offering people food).
Pretty much Ruth will respect your space, keep the silence comfortable, and intervene if your hair is on fire.
Scion
Scion is a little worse at acknowledging strangers. They often tend to be cooped up in their own thoughts, they forget names, their ideal social structure is having the same five friends for years and not talking to other people all that much. Nothing is more awkward to Scion than sitting at ‘acquaintance’ with people; they don’t really know how much to share or how little to share and it’s frustrating for them, as Scion is more or less a twenty-four-hour nightblogger (they’re just really used to thinking of weird things) but they are very uncomfortable at the feeling of being judged.
(This is part of why they continue to wear clothing after becoming a cyborg. They hate how much they stick out even though they’re super fond of the actual being a cyborg thing)
21: Name an embarrassing situation that your muse has been in.
Ruth
Ruth is a little hard to catch wrongfooted because part of her charisma as a person is that she’ll take a lot of things in good humor. Being in a job with as many hard knocks as ghostbusting, especially the kind of ghostbusting where the philosophy is “let’s gather information and try to go about this peacefully if we can rather than running in guns blazing” you kind of need to be able to at least make fun of yourself.
Things like a sudden succession of crashing noises, followed by Ruth’s voice distinctly going “Found the stairs!” are pretty common. That said, she is rather sheepish about the “souffle incident”.
Scion
Sometimes binging a bunch of horror movies while you were recovering from chemo doesn’t prepare you for hypothetical apocalypse as much as you think it will.
In less words, the first time Scion met Mill, they threw a trash can at his head while screaming at max volume and it was not a first impression they lived down very quickly or quietly.
Lloyd really likes spicy food but he simultaneously has zero tolerance for spice. He will be sitting there as patiently as possible chowing down on something incredibly spicy and trying to maintain his composure as he’s crying furiously and his nose is running and he has to keep a glass of milk at hand the entire time. He insists he enjoys this.
In general, Lloyd eats like a bird; he’s pretty particular about food.
Ruth is not very adventurous when it comes to cooking. She just doesn’t have much practice and would sooner microwave herself a TV dinner than attempt to sauté. She does occasionally bake but it’s usually from a mix and for special occasions (like someone’s birthday).
She’s much more of a hearty eater compared to Lloyd.
Lawrence consequentially handles most of the cooking. It was cheaper and more accessible than a chemistry kit in his childhood and it’s something for him to do in his endless hours of sitting around the house- and it’s a hearty boost to his self-esteem that he’s accepted to be better at something than his sister. Being up in time to make breakfast for everyone also helps him keep his sleep cycle in order (and much of his daily routine- he has a bunch of alarms on his computer that remind him about various meals)
Thanks to a lot of experimentation and long years of choking down near-inedible results out of stubborn pride, he has a very specific understanding of how to fudge with the ingredient ratios to get exactly the result he wants- shave a little off the cooking time, add a little more of this and substitute that for something else, and the result comes out wonderfully almost every time. He has a battered old cookbook lurking around the kitchen somewhere that he’s personally editorialized with enough blue pen that parts of it are nearly illegible to anyone but him.
Ivy is good at simple meals that can be made with very few resources. Upon initially coming to her current lodgings, she was uncomfortable eating at the table, but gradually came to trust Ruth, Lawrence, and Lloyd enough to sit and eat with them.
Having been homeless for a certain amount of time, Ivy is a little anxious when it comes to food and tends to eat quickly. She greatly looks up to Lawrence and occasionally he teaches her about cooking.
Decided to draw another member of Oliver’s family, Oz! (Oliver for scale, and moral support)
While Moxxy is a very adventurous mote, Oz is... not. They’re terribly anxious and cry very easily. Their eye and mouth occupy the same position on their face so they have to swap out which one they’re using.
Oz has very poor vision and relies mostly on feeling vibrations and tracking movement. They’re very, very heavy- compared to most motes their ‘skin’ is more dense than vaporous- think a little bit like the muscles of a constrictor snake. They move a little more like a slug, though, with their upper body upright and the lower body sort of oozing along. Leaving soot everywhere.
While all Motes will flash colors if they’re agitated or excited, Oz virtually always has flecks of red (distress color) just because things are terribly upsetting.
It’s advisable not to bully Oz, not only because that’s a terrible thing to do, but because Oz’s teeth are hollow and produce a hallucinogenic venom. It doesn’t do lasting harm unless at high concentrations, but it does cause headaches, mild nausea, and a powerful sense of fear or paranoia (that’s where the hallucinogenic part comes in). Oz usually doesn’t bite unless cornered and panicking- and once they know someone they’re less jumpy.
A calmer Oz is very snuggly, especially with Oliver. (Motes don’t need to thermoregulate but they like warmth, and they can generate a little with fluorescence)
About Versallasrev, they’re two separate demons (Versal and Lasrev, generally referred to by the collective ‘Versallasrev’) but they only occupy one... space in reality, essentially. So sometimes they can split out of each other and wander around on their own, but they share all physical sensations, and they have some difficulty telling themselves apart or sorting the idea of what’s a trait that belongs to which of them. And most of the time they’re just glopped together in one body or two conjoined bodies.
They switch off which one is Versal and which one is Lasrev, and as far as “what’s their deal” goes, they sort of... grew up alone without much connection or socialization or explanations about what is a ‘proper’ thing to do.
They like to form contracts with people by convincing said person that they need Versallasrev in their life to accomplish something, because feeling needed is good and important, but once they’re there, they don’t really know what to do and a lot of the time they end up treating their contract holder really badly, lying to them and isolating them.
At the core of it they want someone to tell them who they are, and they want to feel special and needed, and they’re scared of the hibernation ‘void’ that demons go into when they don’t have a contract. But they do a lot of damage to the people around them.
