In general, I have a very clear vision of how Sam's feelings and morality function, but putting it into clear and concise words is a little harder. By extension, trying to talk about how she feels and processes guilt will be rough too.
So like... Sam's sense of guilt is a little busted. I guess you could kind of say she has guilt burnout. That's not to say she is totally incapable of feeling guilt, there are things she has done and will continue to do that she's not proud of, but her relationship with the emotion of guilt is more "divorced" compared to Ike's "tumultuously married."
She tends to "be guilty and know it" more than "feel guilty."
But that's a derailing tangent so let's get back to the question.
THINGS THAT MAKE SAM FEEL GUILT:
breaking promises/not keeping her word when she actually did intend to keep it
physically hurting someone by accident (on purpose is fine) (guilt nullified if it was funny)
Sam: Sam cycles through being burningly enthused about her interests and convictions and then smouldering down to apathetic ash (and relighting again later). I wouldn't say she's easily dissuaded because that is absolutely not true, when she has an idea in her head she cannot be stopped by any mortal man, but she is not immune to getting nihilistic and dissuaded even when it comes to things she feels very strongly about (be it hobbies or relationships).
That's a bit of a tangent though.
I think the thing she's most consistently passionate about is meat and hunting.
Isaac: To put it broadly, doing a good job. There are many things Ike is super invested in, but he's most invested in doing a good job, the best job, no matter the specifics. He's very invested in that "you're only as good as your worst" mentality and broadly misapplies it in many areas of his life. He desperately wants to do/be some sort of net good in the world to the point of anxious compulsion and is deeply shamed by averageness and failure alike.
Sometimes his drive to do good is legit and he does great work and good things for others, but a lot of the time he's just driving himself insane with arbitrary rules he's made for himself and earning Good Boy Points that only exist in his mind no one else can perceive.
Mira: Being exceptional, notable, important, great. If this sounds familiar then you're a step closer to understanding how Isaac and Mira's career power couple dynamic formed. There's a difference in how they perceive doing and being good though, and those differences result in very different mindsets. There's a sense of altruism and contributing to society in Ike's "MUST DO GOOD" mindset. Mira's mindset is rooted more in a fear of being average, boring, forgettable, leading an inconsequential life.
She's also passionate about ~drama~ but for whatever reason, I feel like that shouldn't count. Maybe it's too unconscious for me to want to count it?
Ancha: You probably won't be surprised to hear that one of Ancha's defining qualities is being a husk bereft of passion, plagued with ennui. That's not to say she has no interests or beliefs, she definitely does, but her relationship to them is dissociated and chilly. Her emotions are muted and fleeting. Her beliefs and conclusions are calculated, logical. And her interests? Fleeting, immaterial. She likes this one now but she knows full well she won't care later. She'll enjoy it while it lasts...
what are some of sullivan's favorites? color? food? ways to kill people? crimes he's committed???
Colors:
His favorite colors are black, red, and of course gold. Black and red because it's ominous and looks good and he wears it well. Gold because it's the money color and goes well with the other 2 colors.
Food:
As for his favorite food, he would probably say something lavish and expensive. A bottle of wine twice his age, truffles, a slice of Iberico ham, a sliver of rarest cheese, etc... he has more taste in his "expensive food = good" mindset than Mira (not the right kind of batshit to become obsessed with eating edible gold and the like), he is very invested in being a man of taste and it is extremely important to him that wines and meats are properly paired and all that. The art of it is important as the price tag.
It's a lot of opinions and effort for something he doesn't even taste.
Ways to KILL:
At this point in the development of his character I think he would deny that he specifically enjoys killing, though he wouldn't say he dislikes it either, he considers himself a logical man who kills by a code (that conveniently allows him to kill whoever he wants in the name of pragmatism, of course). He would argue that it's more like... "coincidental" that he enjoys taking someone's life.
When two lions fight to the death, the lion who wins doesn't make it a THING it's just what the lion needs to do to survive :/ Besides, the other guy is dead either way so who cares if the winner lion thought it was a little fun...?
That said, Sullivan doesn't actually kill people by his own hands all that often. He prefers to have lackeys do it for him, it's just easier to delegate tasks when you're such a busy busy man.
When he does kill someone outside of a split second life-or-death shootout sort of situation, his for real favorite way to kill is probably through like, some sort of terrible slow poisoning or something like that, something that keeps the sad fuck on the brink of death for a while. So he can ask them questions about what they see as they drift into the afterlife. For research of course.
If only they weren't so frustratingly uncooperative.
Fav crime committed:
His top favorite crime ever was cheating Death, of course. What else could compare to the sheer thrill of outsmarting the grim reaper? He was terrified, yes, and on the brink of death, absolutely, in a bad situation of his own making, sure... but snatching victory from the jaws of ULTIMATE defeat is something he will never forget and that cannot be topped by anything.
Literally anything. No crime he can commit in the mortal world will ever compare.
How would Sullivan describe his own personality? Who likes him the most? How was his relationship with his parents/family?
How he would describe his own personality:
His description would vary wildly depending on who he was talking to and what he hoped to get out of their relationship. I knoooow "it depends!!" is something of a cop out, but he is a calculating, aware kind of dude and he sizes up his surroundings before he runs his mouth.
The phrase "man of reason" and "reasonable man" crop up a lot in his self-descriptors though, despite his violent temper and apathy towards keeping promises. (He isn't under any delusion he isn't a ruthless snake, either. He just thinks it's important to put your best face forward.)
Who likes him the most?:
I don't have a great answer for this because at this time I haven't really developed his CURRENT relationships, his cohorts and minions and whatnot, so this could change easily in the future of his character... I imagine some of his gang like him in that they find him admirable and persuasive and share his goals, but that like is balanced by the knowledge that just about everyone in it has seen him go absolutely apeshit with little provocation.
I don't think anyone has genuinely known and liked him without at least a bit of fear element involved since his long-dead ex-partner kicked the bucket. And that was a literally a lifetime ago for Sullivan, considering that he should be dead too.
Relationship with parents/family:
Good question! I haven't thought about this too thoroughly yet but I don't think it's super good. My current working premise for his origin story involves drama over a squandered or stolen/"stolen" inheritance, but I haven't decided if that was a parent's fault or a sibling's or what. The bottom line is estrangement, bitterness, and an interest in being a "self made man."
I need to develop Sullivan more... I would appreciate some questions to help me get brain juices flowing.
If you need a refresher on which bastard that is it’s the cartoon satan lookin guy from the WTSD setting. He was Prisca’s crime mentor before she like. Died.
Just about anything you might describe as a party is going to repel Stranger. Their tolerance for social events is low. Their tolerance for other people being loud, friendly, or generally celebratory is low.
Their ideal party is one without obligation that they can leave quietly at any time without people being like “WHERE YOU GOIN MANNN HEY COME BACK WE’RE JUST GETTING STARTED!!”
T2. can they tell if someone is lying?
Yes... sort of? But also Stranger assumes most things said by most people are lies by default just to be safe even without proof. You see, their intuition for when someone is telling the truth or not would be pretty decent on its own but they “round up” to a mildly deranged degree...
This doesn’t keep them out of as much trouble as you’d think.
who tips the best at restaurants? who has long conversations with the server? what's everybody's restaurant beverage of choice? do they use a straw or put their mouths directly on the glass?
Tips the best: Terry. He CAN do math, despite what you might expect, but he’d rather not outside of business situations. Easier to just give your server a $20 for a $12 meal! He even tips fast food workers and deli people who do not usually get tips. He is extremely generous with money when food or his fursona is involved.
Sam, Ike, and Ancha also tip adequately but none of them rival the unhesitating, unflinching nature of Terry’s wealth redistribution.
Beverage of choice:
Sam: probably the most caffeinated soda on the menu, to feel alive. If it’s one of those rare pizza places that serves Monster Energy she’s getting that.
Isaac: water.
Stranger: brings her own flask, don’t worry about it.
Ancha: water.
Terry: one of those unholy soda fountain mixes that contains a bit of everything. If he doesn’t have soda fountain access he will ask for the mix verbally.
Mira: similar beverage dysfunction to Sam, but more likely to go for an alcoholic drink when available.
Chris: similar beverage dysfunction to Terry, but will give up and just order a coke if she’s dealing with a server instead of a self-serve soda fountain. Asks for no ice because she doesn’t want to be “cheated” out of the soda she’s paid for.
i think this is cheating bc im including my own character but WHAT would sam think of vintezya
Would really depend on how he approached her and behaved around her.
I've mentioned lots of times over the years that when you get down to it, Sam is a lonely person. Vintezya's domain is isolation. It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume Vintezya's weird aura would get to her, but... Sam isn't isolated. She's alienated.
It might seem semantic but I think that difference might be enough to sidestep some of Vintezya's influences, or at least have a different reaction to them than someone else might. The nature of her discontentment leaves her unmotivated by the fear of being alone or the desire to self isolate. She stubbornly exists and she's staked a lot of her life philosophy on stubbornly existing.
I'm not saying there are no cracks in her will to pick at and that he could never get to her, but I think for Vintezya to make her feel much of anything he would need to be ready for like. A fucking philosophical debate. He needs to source his arguments on why isolation is good and/or scary. She's not going to do his work for him by filling in the gaps herself. It's not her job to make your stance make sense.
On a purely personality level I think she would go through a few different opinions on him as she learned more. Being a weird guy who lives alone on a boat because he loves being alone? Cool, live your best life dude. Being a weird guy who lives alone on a boat and is weird and manipulative and backhanded? Haha eat shit dude.
Question for anyone and everyone. Give us some examples of things thy do while sick. Continue life as usual? Go immediately to the emergency room? Herbal remedies?
Sam: Stays home and is reasonably responsible in terms of self care but very mad about it. Will put off going to the doctor or the ER though because she does not like them.
Ike: Ford through his discomfort to do his job as normal as possible. Nothing is bad enough to not work. Except for in PT and other AUs where he's employed by Sam because Sam will kill him where he stands if he's sick anywhere near her precious meats.
Stranger: Behaves like an ill animal: hides illness, and when they can't hide illness, they literally hide. Doesn't usually go to the ER on their own but in modern au(s) usually has plenty of people to harass them until they do.
Ancha: knows 8 herbs and teas to fix it. She still knows when to go to a doctor when it's needed but she is also that person who is always like "oh ginger is great for that" "have you tried peppermint"
Terry: Smokes weed "to feel better" and then feels sorry for himself when he is sick AND high. How could this happen.
Mira: Doesn't get sick, asymptomatic carrier who helps spread colds to everyone else. When she does get sick she throws herself at someone else to take care of her.
Chris: Immediately calls in sick to work and watches TV. Stoked to have a day off.
Is there a person whose opinion Stranger deeply cares about? Anybody they're very keen on impressing?
Ehhhh kind of but only kind of. In general Stranger doesn't put a lot of stake in other people and their opinions. Randoms don't matter and idols disappoint eventually. Even the people they like/don't hate are frequently wrong in their mind.
That said...
1. Part of their revenge quest is to show Sullivan he was wrong for underestimating them, and they would LOVE more than anything to see him panic in fear of them and try and "take back" his judgments.
2. It is important to them that Camille maintains a certain level of respect for their capabilities. They're okay disagreeing with Camille about literal facts and accepting that Camille has different opinions on science and observable fact but if Camille no longer thought they were competent they would not be happy about that.
3. Their ego would be extremely wounded if Abel didn't think they were cool.
(I'm not counting Death as a person in this assessment. That's another can of worms.)
If their roles were swapped: how would Sam fare as a psionic and Ike as a lycomorph? How would their lives, personality and outlook change?
I actually answered this same hypothetical on my old oc blog years ago! However, my answer was pretty general, and with the development PT has had since then I have a better idea of what the specifics would be now, I think. Incoming longpost.
SAM AS A PSIONIC
SITUATION: Growing up in Rietveld would appeal to Sam for some of the same reasons it appealed to Isaac. Baby Sam ABSOLUTELY would have appreciated being stolen from her birth family, taken out of contact with her shitty father, and raised in an environment with some semblance of stability. However, with her general temperament and attitude I don't think she would ever have the same level of emotional attachment to Rietveld that Isaac does. In his most bootlicker moments, Rietveld IS his family, and a genuine savior to people like him.
Sam wouldn't share that take.
She would feel that the Rietveld Academy is more of a necessary evil. An organization with a good mission statement and a bunch of power hungry dirtbags looking to co-opt it into their personal army (a pretty on-the-nose assessment).
Adapting to her new life would be harder for her than it was on Ike, as she is generally allergic to rules and strict schedules and conformity. She would be a lot of trouble as a new recruit, hideously uncooperative and generally looking for problems. Of course, when you deal exclusively with kidnapped children, you see this kind of behavior a lot, so she wouldn’t actually be anything the Academy wasn't prepared to handle. Eventually she would tucker herself out enough to become somewhat system compliant (but she would always be looking for discreet acts of rebellion that she could get away with).
As she got older she would feel torn between wanting to put as much distance between her and Rietveld politics as possible, and feeling an obligation to every other psionic to try and effect change where possible. She would decide the latter was the morally right thing to do, and end up going down a very similar career path to Ike. In general, she would make a lot of his same choices, she'd just be more conscientious about it.
Assuming she was as psychically talented as Ike is, she'd have a similar time rising through ranks, garnering some level of recognition, reaching a sort of smalltime celeb status in certain corners of Rietveld. Eventually, though, her career would come to a ceiling. While this Sam would have learned to hold her tongue now and then, she is terminally pushy and nosy, and there would come a point where her superiors just... didn't want her any closer to sensitive information. Her career would lose steam in a much less dramatic way than Ike’s, and though she would remain respected people’s attention would drift as she settled into the life of a cog.
From here I can see two options.
1. She gets disillusioned and leaves for Verdamt of her own volition, growing even more disgruntled with Rietveld once she’s living outside of the system. She lives her best life but feels bitter that Rietveld stole years of her life from her.
2. She stays in her position for years, becoming one of those “cool middle aged mentor who is in a position of authority but not a jackass about it and looks the other way if you break a rule that hurts nobody” type characters who dies in a story’s inciting incident, either after discovering something they shouldn’t have and/or getting mercilessly betrayed by someone obviously evil who they fully trusted for some reason (fitting for her).
PERSONALITY: Sam as you know her, but with a much larger vocabulary. She has strategically polished her personality to come off as more intentional, charming, and rascal-y in order to balance her innate desire to mouth off and backtalk with her need to function in Rietveld’s existing hierarchy. Unflappably confident. Could function as a D&D party’s face without getting them all killed.
Cuts her hair short, very clean cut style, doesn’t smell sweaty. No tattoos. Still missing an eye.
ISAAC AS A LYCOMORPH
SITUATION: Ike's regular life is already stressful enough, and he is emotionally equipped to deal with psionic problems, he is not emotionally equipped to deal with lycomorph problems like Sam is.
First things first: he spent his entire childhood being raised ("raised”) by Seymour. Seymour is a career lycomorph hunter who has spent years tracking his runaway feral werewolf wife with the intent to kill her. He ABSOLUTELY expects his sons to follow in his footsteps, and when they are older, he makes sure they do. He raises his sons telling them they are obligated to help in the mom hunt and that every person they let her kill is second hand their fault. Terry grows up going “haha sure okay dad (turns to Ike and makes the cuckoo sign at him)”, but Isaac takes this to heart because he is just... really susceptible to guilt tactics.
You can probably already guess how Isaac would get infected and how Seymour would react to this.
Isaac knows his father is an awful, terrible man, even more than usual since he was actually raised (”raised”) by him. He KNOWS it. Even so, he finds himself completely caught off guard. He really for real thought “my dad would never murder me” was really a boundary Seymour wouldn’t cross. Of course, he also knows (”knows”) he shouldn’t feel hurt about this either, because executing the infected just makes sense, you know...
So this sad, wretched dogman is probably just going to let Seymour kill him, but luckily Terry is a voice of reason AS ALWAYS and kills Seymour before he can (something Terry has always wanted to do anyway).
Isaac copes very badly with being a lycomorph. While Sam adapts to her new normal relatively quickly, everything about being a lycomorph repulses Ike. He doesn’t like the transformations, they’re inconvenient and he finds them disproportionately painful. He doesn’t like being a naked wolfman once the change is over with. He hates eating carrion. He develops a psychosomatic weak stomach and struggles to eat enough for a lycomorph because he can’t emotionally bring himself to eat sub-human-grade food because THAT’S GROSS.
Luckily, good ol’ dependable Terry is looking out for him. No, really. Terry looks out for him. Not very well, because this is Terry we’re talking about, but he’s giving it his all and making sure Ike doesn’t die. (What makes you think Terry wouldn’t be there for his only brother?)
PERSONALITY: Absolutely VIBRATING with anxiety. Imagine one of those excruciatingly fearful, huge bite risk dogs. That’s him. Really hung up on and over dramatic about being a monster. Out of touch with what he likes and wants because he repressed like 3/4ths of his personality to get along with dad.
Looks like regular Ike got lost in the woods for a week. Doesn’t wax. Shakes like a chihuahua.
What does Ancha think of the feasibility of Atlantis existing in settings where she herself is not from Atlantis?
Depends on her age. Younger Ancha will scoff and talk about how Atlantis is CLEARLY an allegory and not a real place, my goodness. Older Ancha still knows it's a fuckin allegorical fictional city but she likes to play coy and mysterious so she would pretend she believes in it for funsies in order to punk kids and wage some kind of reverse-sealioning psychological warfare on Lucas.
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