![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Typical Horror Crossover
The planets furthest out took notice first: a gravitational anomaly, a pressure that pulsed, pinched, but did not seize. A traveler, thought at the time not to mean much of anything.Hardly a threat.
Neptune was the first to say hello: a friendly, irreverent planet; at worst the odd-looking stranger would just rebuff him and be on its way.
But she blinked, and smiled, and something about both those actions felt terribly, terribly wrong. Yet Neptune shrugged it off, since he knew what it was like to have quirks.
... Several hours later, he came chasing after the stranger in a panic, demanding to know where several of his moons had gone. He always remembered his moons, his family - how could they be missing?
And again the stranger - Iris, her name had been - blinked, and smiled. This was not a nice smile.
"As I am the Iris, you shall be the lens. They're not your moons any more."
Uranus may not have heard the scream, but he did hear several of his moons catching sight of Triton. Cracked far more than any normal rocky body could be while still being intact, he nevertheless could move.
But the look in his eyes was one of fear, and he tried not to come too close.
"It's- some new planet- she's a danger, don't let her get close - don't come close to me!"
Uranus did not spend any time fooling around, even if it meant leaving someone so distressed and damaged behind. He even ordered his own moons to pick travel buddies, to better keep track of each other.
Shortly thereafter, one of the dwarf planets arrived - Haumea, with his own ring but none of his moons. "I can't find a-any of the others," he'd said. "I don't remember- I don't know where my moons are!"
Uranus allowed him to tag along, more out of worry on if he ran across Triton than because he really wanted to watch over more celestial objects.
Indeed, perhaps this was serious enough that it was time to take this to the Sun...
The result of that conversation was enough to prevent the Iris from being sighted again for several hundred million years.
She'd made no sound, no overt fuss; instead, Jupiter simply came across her communing with Saturn, his oldest friend unnaturally quiet and still.
"What... what are you doing? What did you want with him?" Jupiter made sure not to be overly aggressive, but he was very, very alarmed and his tone of voice showed it.
"Oh, I'm forming a gateway! Very necessary step in my process, you see."
Before Jupiter could ask any questions - such as, gateway to what? - Ganymede soared forth, scowling. Europa shot Jupiter a startled look; apparently they were not on the same page here.
"And what'd you do with his moons, huh? They can't have all just run away; they could've come to us!"
The strange gas giant chuckled - a low, unnerving sound. "No, no, some of them did. Apparently their connection to this planet isn't very strong. But the others... they were very educational."
"Educational about what?" As much as Jupiter worried sometimes when his larger moons took initiative like this, these were definitely good questions to ask.
"Well, they've been very educational for my moons, for one. Not all of them know how moons work, and I'm afraid it takes a more 'hands on' approach to learn everything than these little ones were expecting... No harm done, however."
Jupiter found his own voice. "No harm done? No harm done? Where have you put these moons, then? Are they still alive?!"
The anger was no surprise, but then there was the fear - and that fear was swiftly validated, as with a very small pull of her gravity, she revealed her cluster.
Moons merged with each other - not just by gravity, but by some organic substance. Moons torn apart and fused with other moons.
And yes, some of them were still alive - and Jupiter as well as his moons were horrified at this, for even with their faces hidden, they could still speak.
Mostly to scream, but they were aware.
Jupiter decided he'd seen enough - and, warning the smallest moons to head to the asteroid belt, to warn the inner planets and the Sun, he charged.
Several hours later, those small moons returned: the Iris was gone, leaving Saturn in a coma, Jupiter mute and with far worse storms than normal... and several distorted moons.
Ganymede had been taken - dead, or worse, none of the survivors would say.
No one knew where Titan had gone, either.
At the same time - and quite possibly as a distraction - two entirely new moons had manifested inside the inner solar system, companioning the two planets closest to the Sun.
Well, companioning wasn't quite the right word: Venus, upon getting one look at 'Neith', and finding her appearance way to close to certain departed friends, declared, "Oh hell no, I am not going through with this 'monkey's paw' bullshit. No thanks!"
And promptly headed the opposite way, deranging his whole orbit in the process. Which meant he didn't see when Neith, frowning faintly, was torn apart by the solar wind...
But the others did. Mars, Mercury, and Earth and Luna. The Sun stared back, alarmed and baffled at once.
Then there was Vulcan, who was much more verbose - and disgruntled. "Seriously, boss? Did you think this through? I can guarantee I have less than a year existing in this orbit."
Mercury, eyes wide, struggled to find words for almost a minute. "O-okay, who are you?! A-and who's your boss?"
Vulcan sighed, tilting at the smallest planet in a dispassionate sort of way. "The Iris, of course. But there's no point running a long game when I'm going to be dead shortly, so... ask me anything?"
They certainly did, with each of the planets taking notes in their own way. And sure enough, being so close to the Sun's plasma dissolved the not-quite-real planet - not just in less than a year, but in a matter of weeks. Neith had been denied a chance to be truly acknowledged, but even getting attention wasn't enough to postpone that true death for Vulcan.
The changes kept coming, and faster. One day, Mars simply appeared in Earth's orbit - instead of having a chance to play and relieve stress, Mars had a ring, and Earth knew what that meant.
But since it was far too soon for either Phobos or even Deimos to have been ended that way, it also meant-
"Did... was it Iris?" Not The Iris, just Iris; Earth refused to give that interloper any kind of reverence. Mars hesitated, then shook no.
"She... she marked them, Earth. They were changing, and they were scared, a-a-and... I didn't want them to suffer, okay?" Mars choked up harder, tears beginning to track across his surface; Earth suspected this wasn't for the first time.
Coming as close as their Roche Limits would allow, Earth held Mars as best he could, offered what comfort he could.
But what really chilled him was what Mars said, after gaining back some modicum of composure:
"Earth- Earth, don't let her get Luna!"
Tokophobia (The Really Messed Up Stuff)
Nothing got worse than that for almost a year; Earth kept a close eye on his Moon, but also for the smaller space debris and satellites, in case they decided to misbehave. Humans, the latest kind of complex lifeform, had finally established themselves, and taken to investigating the surrounding cosmos with a surprising swiftness.Earth couldn't protect them forever. That didn't mean he wouldn't try.
Which meant he was completely startled - not by Luna disappearing, but when Luna brought someone back. And someone who actually belonged in this Solar System, at that.
"Titan?"
The larger Moon smiled, though didn't say anything right away. Instead, Luna went right on: "Yeah, it's him! Funny, right? I, uh, found him in the Asteroid Belt - I didn't go very far, honest?"
Earth quirked an eyebrow. "Nnnot my biggest worry, actually. How long ago did you find him there?"
Earth wasn't going to blame Luna for being restless, nor Titan for not having stuck by Saturn; while something felt off about this picture, Earth couldn't say what it was for sure.
But if he pushed Luna away because he didn't handle this well, his Moon might not come back. And he really didn't want that to happen.
As expected, Luna blushed. "... Some months ago?" Titan snickered, ribbing at the other moon lightly with his gravity. A gentle gesture, nothing that meant real harm...
But something still seemed wrong. And Earth didn't know what.
"Do I wanna know for what?" Luna blushed harder, which was probably answer enough in and of itself. But-
Behind them, almost at the distance of the Asteroid Belt - something glinted, and something smiled. Earth paled, and Luna twitched.
Titan, at last, frowned. He poked Luna again, and something finally clicked for Earth:
His Moon wasn't exactly facing him. Whatever his Dark Side was facing, it wasn't the Iris.
Then it really hit him: Iris was looking at him! Mentally, all alarms began going off at full blast.
"Luna- behind you, there's-"
Only, Iris wasn't at the Asteroid Belt anymore. It was like having someone three-quarters the size of Jupiter suddenly right in front of you.
Earth would have jumped right out of his crust if it were in fact physically possible. "GAH! What the Hell-"
The Iris laughed, and Luna looked truly unnerved, because Titan was laughing too.
"How-" Earth swallowed, tried again. "How long have you been in him? Is- is he even still in there?"
"Hmmmm - I do like that you're smart, but you just cut this little drama short for me. I'll make sure you pay for that, dear one."
Before Earth could get out any comments on that - 'dear one'???? - Iris moved smoothly on to answering the question, as her moons gloopily began to fold out around her. "He still is - not in control, of course, I had no need for that, but his reactions have been delightful. Mostly fear for you," she added, nodding at Luna, who had begun to look quite ill.
"Especially when your rendezvous got more... ah, adventurous, we'll say." She winked, and it was hard to decide whether that action or her implications were more upsetting.
"You see, I was planning on this taking another year or so, at which point-" her grin deepened, and Earth wondered why the Sun hadn't done anything, where was anyone else, how could he and Luna get away, when she was so close-
"At which point, I'm sure your moon would have gladly joined us in making you mine."
Earth's core stuttered to a stop. For once, this was literal; his magnetic field fluctuated dangerously, and a chill burst along his axis before subsiding.
"Wh- bu- I don't - What the Hell do you want?!?!"
Luna screamed; something had broken his surface, and then Earth screamed, even as the Iris answered-
"I wandered away from the cold core of my dead star seeking only one thing: a fitting mate. And you are exactly what I'm looking for."
There were increasingly incoherent images, past this point. Seeing Luna, Luna begging Earth, or the Sun, to destroy him before everything he was was consumed by whatever had infected him through the possessed Titan; a solar flare finally finding its target, at first cutting his beloved Moon in two, then vaporizing him completely.
Iris, defying physics again, avoiding all the flares - dragging Earth out of his orbit, toward the Asteroid Belt - holding him hostage? - but not taking him all the way out of the Goldilocks Zone.
Meeting each of the moons of Iris; being touched by them, which was so, so much worse than just looking at them. Instead of seismic damage, they could snatch life straight off his surface, or his oceans - studying them, or even just eating them, he refused to register.
But it didn't end there: Iris herself wanted to play with them, sounding at times disappointed with what she saw. "What are the Woodcrawlers doing, do I have to encourage them? Hnn, there's very different kinds of help I have these days... Now, stay still."
Pain, pain, so much pain; if his humans had been particularly ill-behaved, digging or blowing things up and causing more damage than they should have, then this proved worse. Things burrowing in him, able to spread their wrongness just from being there-
They were spreading and sprouting inside of his Earthlings, too. He could feel it; like a funhouse mirror of pain, never-ending.
But it still got worse.
The burrowing continued; the bulk of Iris herself hovering close, too close- doubtless she was breaking physics to be this near to him without shattering him
Touching him; tendrils on his surface, burrowing through his mantle; sensations that may have tickled instead were painful, because of who was doing it, because of the impossibility, because of EVERYTHING ELSE SHE'D DONE.
He'd started crying, at some point; he didn't remember when. And Iris simply cooed at him, a sound all the more eerie for being gentle. Not well-meant; this was not a kind being-
Something reached his outer core, and he screamed.
The contact went on; the exploration of his life - and himself - went on, and on, a terrible hell that never seemed to end.
And yet, somehow, it got worse. "What's this?" she asked, curious, probing at some uneven debris scattered in his mantle; looking at nothing in particular, his vision got worse as the intimacy crashed over him once more.
"Why, it's here too!" Another spot, under the Pacific Ocean; he was paralyzed, he couldn't even scream right now-
"... I think there's enough for a mini planet here. How lovely! Let's find out what that would have looked like together, alright, dear one?"
Earth just cried, soundless in the vacuum of space. If this was going to get worse, how worse would this get?
The process had been simultaneously utterly horrifying, and entirely clinical. No excess mess, no cruel jokes: just the process.
Making space to gather all of the strange debris hadn't even hurt - though Earth thought it possible he'd simply become numb to pain. Having something slowly form up inside him was uncomfortable, strange, not like harboring life at all - but it didn't hurt.
He'd never really envied the various ways Life reproduced... but this was definitely going to fuel some kind of aversion in the future. If he survived this.
"And now... the final push: some selective gravity. Please remain still."
He couldn't not comply, but the pain was sufficient to make him wish for death. He'd have screamed, but by now his voice had given out; no surprise there.
And then, there was surprise, as a planet from some of his oldest memories- emerged, okay, he could use that word without panicking. Emerged.
... He didn't need to breathe, sure, but he was definitely hyperventilating. "Theia?!" Even without sound, it wouldn't have been hard to read what he was saying.
The Iris was delighted. "Oh, you know her? Excellent! Perhaps we could... experiment-"
And that was when Theia charged at the far larger planet, shouting in rage. "Get away from him!"
She turned, and an entirely different pain hit Earth's core with the look in her eyes. "I- the entire time, I heard - I'm so sorry - we have to get rid of her, now!"
The Iris screamed in rage right back, protesting this defiance.
From above the ecliptic, a narrow beam struck at the anomalous planet. "WHO DARES-"
But she'd shifted up to look for the source - just enough for a solar flare to hit its mark.
Earth shook; from aftershock-pain, from the eldritch scream, from the searing heat-
Decompression and Reflection
It was warm, as he blinked awake. Not painfully so: just enough warm. And he was still tired, he realized. And sore. And-"Earth? You still with us?"
Earth opened his eyes wide, searching for that achingly familiar voice. "Luna?! I-is that really you?" He found his Moon, back at the usual distance in orbit - they were back in his orbit - Luna was alive!
Earth, all at once, found himself beginning to cry. "You're okay? I- wait, no, it's not been okay, I'm sorry Luna, sorry for everything-"
"Whoa!" His Moon cut him off, worry clear in expression and voice alike. In the distance, which came in to focus slowly, Earth could tell the others were hovering; even the Sun looked more concerned than upset or disgruntled, unless he was really missing something.
"Let's slow it down a little, okay, pal? You were, uh, out of it for some time, even after we got you back home." Luna paused. "... I do appreciate hearing it, though. Maybe if we could make this a regular thing without terrible things happening to all of us?"
It may have been an attempt at a joke, though neither of them really laughed; Earth hugged Luna carefully with his gravity, as best he could, trying to sort out what had happened to the slowly-fading sense of nightmarish immediacy.
"... Okay, I need to be sure. Luna, we've never had a visiting planet named Iris, r-right?"
His Moon looked baffled, though thankfully did Earth the courtesy of not immediately assuming his planet had gone insane (again). "Nnnno - would this have been a recent thing?"
Earth shook no. "More like- someone who'd been around millions of years. Not since the beginning, but not- not like, the last year. No visitors?"
Luna confirmed the no. Earth heaved a sigh of relief. "How- how long was I out? After heading off Ceres- did he come back with us?"
He was almost surprised by his own worry - and then the memories flashed, of what the intersections of their lives had been like, and guilt crashed over him again.
"He's recuperating in the Asteroid Belt - it was way less of a hassle dealing with him after you had words with the guy, I'll say that much."
Earth's gaze drifted to the others again, slowly settling down more.
"... Astrodude- he's okay, right? I- I mean, he's not-"
"He's okay," Luna gently confirmed. Then he perked up. "In fact, Dark Side filled me in on this, did you know he wasn't the only guy who's survived in space a long time? The guy went by Cosmo, and he stole the ship of that robot who was bothering Astrodude - the other moons found him while trying to hold down the fort with the Sun-"
The conversation went on for some time, Earth being caught up by an increasingly also-relieved Luna on some of the absurdities and plot twists he'd missed.
But some aspects of the nightmare - for it'd been a nightmare, some fucked-up version of whatever he was afraid of, thrown at him by his core as he recovered from this latest ordeal - weren't so quick to fade away. At one point, when Luna brought up Titan, Earth flinched - and the planet quickly realized it would be better to explain than for anyone to get the wrong idea.
The moons had been through enough. No need to give them extra baggage from shit that hadn't even happened...
"Hey, uh. Luna. About Titan... Okay, I do want to know how he and you are doing, but that's not... are you seeing each other?"
If he'd been aiming to tease his Moon, Luna's reaction would have been perfect. "WHAT. I - wha - I mean - Noooooo?!" Luna squinted. "This isn't some weird kind of testing for if you need to shovel-talk him, is it? Because it's not warranted, I swear!"
Earth tried to laugh, though mostly it just sounded like a sigh. "Don't worry, that's not what I'm about to ask. If anything, I'd be way more worried if you were trying to rush into anything!"
Luna looked concerned all over again - then, some kind of lightbulb must have gone off: "Is this more about that planet who doesn't exist?"
"... Yyyyeah. It was all kinds of messed up. He'd- something had happened to Saturn, and you came across him in the Asteroid Belt. Really hit it off. But."
Luna's eyes narrowed. "I don't like where this is going."
"I didn't either. You see, it wasn't him. He'd been possessed, like-"
"Like some awful sci-fi movie?"
Earth nodded. "Yeah. Like that. And- however it uh. Manifested. He infected you. With- whatever it was she could do."
Luna leaned away; Earth let him. "Ew! Ew ew ew!"
"Exactly! But... it was a dream, a nightmare, so it didn't happen. I just- don't want to be reacting to that next time I see him. Or for you to."
Luna grimaced. "Still. I'd rather know why than just... guess. And I take it you don't want Titan thinking this is his fault somehow."
"Right. That's a precedent I wanna stop, y'know?"
The two fell for a time into a companionable silence.
The next time Earth was awake, the rest of the rocky planets were hovering a little more closely. Luna took to the side - ready to tell the others to back off if necessary, but willing to let Earth sort things out for himself to start, if he wanted.
The gesture was appreciated, even as Earth gave them all the side-eye. "... Did I forget an apology or something? I know we did a lot of that before Saturn finished bringing me back here, but I've been asleep a lot since then, so I can't guarantee I didn't miss anything."
As satisfying as it had been for everyone to admit the secret-keeping and (between certain planets) constant harassing had been not okay, a lot of that had also been explained by the repressed horrifying suicide attempt deal. All told, the only one who hadn't really had to apologize for a LOT had been Luna, and even his Moon had been carrying a lot of remorse - and blaming himself for things that weren't his fault.
But Earth wasn't particularly interested in ruminating; it seemed like a hell of a crutch, preventing them from adjusting to change. And they'd all needed to change.
"It's- it's about Neptune."
Earth froze. "Wait - is he dead? Did Iris get him after all?"
Luna shot him a panicked look; as Earth realized what he'd even said, he wished he could facepalm. The disturbed looks on his friends' faces were similarly illuminating.
"Right, sorry. That was a nightmare, nothing to do with what we've all been dealing with. What happened?"
One thing he wasn't sure he was used to was just... resting. Life was always getting up to something, especially the humans - but after his particularly disastrous trance-driven quest to the Kuiper Belt, it was going to take things a lot longer to get back to normal.
Sometimes, though, he almost appreciated not spending all that extra energy keeping their actions in check. And when he caught himself thinking that way, he did feel bad about it.
That part, he wasn't sure who to discuss it with, or even approach it.
Sometimes, solutions to problems just appeared. There was no logic to it, no conscious summoning... but when the solution proved subconscious in nature, perhaps that was how serendipity worked.
Such was how Earth elected to explain being back in the mindscape: no terrifying existential quest... Well, maybe. Not as terrifying, anyway.
But if there was anyone who'd know about that inexplicably detailed nightmare, who else but the two whose fragments rested in his core?
... That, and he did feel the need to apologize if they had seen the dream. It had just been that messed up of a nightmare.
Theia seemed rattled, once he'd found them again and caught them up - but still in a decent amount of cheer, all things considered. "Still kind of weirded out I was in there, but enough of it feels like it was symbolic, as opposed to a direct danger, that I think we can work through it together!"
But Earth found himself paying more concern to what Proto-him thought, given the other proto-planet seemed much more twitchy about the subject matter.
"Not sure why it was a black hole, at least part of the time - but the threat she posed, it felt almost familiar?"
Theia tilted in confusion, but Earth could get somewhat more of the gist: "Because she was hunting us down, picking off our support network almost one by one? Because, even though we weren't interested, we weren't given a choice? ... Because even though we were hurt, bad, we didn't die?"
He wasn't accusatory in his tone - or at least, Earth hoped he wasn't - but Proto flinched at each question all the same. "I suppose... all of those things, at least in part. And- I didn't know what to make of it, when the Sun spelled out why keeping to our orbits was important. That we weren't just... the last stage, of how complex the universe could get."
Theia spoke up, sounding sad: "I know I was excited to find out what Life could be like... but it wasn't that way for the rest of you, was it?"
Earth got the sense this wasn't exactly a question. Proto didn't respond to it as one, anyway.
"It felt like we'd been given a test with no indication of if we could pass - or what would happen if we couldn't perform. Or if one of us succeeded, and then failed - that it could all get canceled out because..."
Again, Earth plucked out his best guess at the answer: "Because something bigger and scarier decided to come our way, and drag us away? Or crush us?"
Theia looked alarmed, now, but elected not to speak for once, instead offering Proto quiet comfort with her presence. This seemed to have some effect - only for Proto to continue speaking after a deep breath:
"And- even before we collided, I was scared of what having Life would be like - we knew nothing about it, even then. Not what it could look like, or how to detect it. Even Jupiter or Saturn could only speak to what they knew about for sure, and that knowledge had its limits.
"So, when it did happen, part of me- part of me thought, 'This is it. This is how Life happens. Life comes from death, dying, suffering...'"
Proto shook, slowly. "In a way, it was worse than thinking that the universe was meant to be cold and empty. That- that no matter what we wanted, Life would make itself happen, taking from us anything... including our own lives."
Silence filled the space; unbidden, Earth joined in the huddle, surprising both proto-planets in the process.
[NOT DONE YET]
Going by characters (Sol/The Sun, the Gas Giants, Ice Giants, Dwarf Planets, then the Rocky Planets), then arcs (Earth Arc, Terraforming Mars, Surviving Venus, Moon Revolution, Planets By Size mini-arc, Planet X, Theia/Proto).
Also note: when it comes to pronouns, I will default to those used in SolarBalls unless I have a really good reason not to.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
The Sun: Neurotic, controlling and traumatized in SolarBalls, but we haven't actually heard from him in Young Wizards! However, on the shortlist of Things That Have Happened, he has:
-Been turned off (courtesy of the Lone Power, aka Starsnuffer) (this was fixed)
-Had emergency surgery performed by teenagers
-Accidentally absorbed a soul when one of those teens (who actually IS trained in star-surgery) later called on his power to help fight an ancient Star-Eater (not the Lone Power)
-Per Young Wizards canon, all stars have a 'soul' that can go wandering and sometimes takes a host in a given species (either in its own star system or an entirely different one if it makes a 'wrong turn'). The Sun's got stuck in a particular family line in recent times, and at the end of Games Wizards Play this soul (the Simurgh) FINALLY gets released. The soul uses female pronouns in this book. The person she possesses is, in particular, a misogynistic ASSHOLE who only really has it dawn on him that his behaviors were seriously out of line after the Simurgh leaves.
The Sun's had a wild time of it, is my point here. 'Single mother struggling to do things Right' is possibly the right vibe. May be just as neurotic as in SolarBalls, but we don't get to see it.
Jupiter: The oldest planet, also the oldest Planetary (term used in Young Wizards canon to denote 'in charge/responsible for what goes on, wizardly speaking'). Bit of a subdued goofball in the one scene in canon where he ACTUALLY appears (Please read Games Wizards Play, SolarBalls folks!!! Jupiter/Saturn is canon!), but is also referenced as having looked after Mars in the aftermath of a time-travel-related immigration ordeal. Him being The Big (Smart) Guy makes just as much sense in Young Wizards as what we see in SolarBalls... but he's a little less stressed/guilty about the Grand Tack in YW as he is in the show (see below).
Saturn: Second-oldest; Young Wizards-'verse Saturn would know full well what happened to his moons... and sometimes they still speak to him. Yes, the remnants of things can sometimes still have an echo effect! All the other moons know where the ring-moons went, but while they're none too happy about it they do take not increasing entropy unduly seriously... some of his moons (currently undecided as to which ones) are wizards, having taken the Oath as the Powers offered it and practicing their own methods of guarding and guiding Life. Saturn is very proud of them.
Uranus/Caelus: Since names are actually very important in Young Wizards canon, laughing at someone because of their name is much more recognized to cause Problems. He is still very serious about how his name is pronounced, but is rather more respected in turn than he is in SolarBalls. He still messed up with his moons in a fairly big way, millennia ago (more of them are wizards, proportionately, than Saturn's group, and they are QUITE reserved due to past confrontations with the Lone Power), but by this point they are mostly all on cordial terms again.
Neptune: Having the time of his life. While in SolarBalls canon he is very isolated on a regular basis, he is much less so in Young Wizards canon - since wizards (human or otherwise) can come visit whenever they like so long as they pack an atmosphere. Greets any incarnations of the Powers That Be the most casually out of any celestial being in the solar system, sometimes to the panic of others. Only three of his moons are wizards (which may or may not include Triton; again I am undecided), but they always have the MOST fun when the Invitational (Young Wizards canon - event that happens every 11 Earth years that fosters support for up-and-coming wizardly talents) comes around.
The Dwarf Planets (Pluto&Charon, Makemake, Haumea, Eris, Ceres, ???): The discrepancy between Pluto/Aidoneus in Young Wizards (again, PLEASE read Games Wizards Play if you get a chance) and SolarBalls is great, yet hilarious. In YW he is MUCH more calm, secretive, and laid back... and even refers to Sol in a positive manner. (Yes, this IS a shock coming from the SolarBalls side of things.) But in YW, Charon doesn't get shown at all! The compromise? The Dwarf Planets' D&DP (yes, that does stand for Dungeons and Dwarf Planets) is a BIG hit with cross-cultural outreach, and every time the Invitational rolls around most of them are out socializing with local wizards. Charon was with them, and possibly 'the kids' (Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra). She is the better poker player of the binary dwarf planets, also. Pluto is now the Soccer Dad of Dwarf Planets, you heard it here first.
Ceres being the most clearly nonverbal of the Dwarf Planets can carry over to Young Wizards as well; when in a non-celestial form, he can practice sign, though the involvement of wizardry to begin with means he has access to a decent array of AAC, as well as more people who respect the presence of AAC.
And lastly, see that ??? ? That is because, due to the deliberately ahistorical events referenced in A Wizard of Mars, there is ANOTHER dwarf planet to account for, and its disappearance happened around the same time the world of the Shamask-Eilitt was destroyed... and around the same time the Earth&Luna were formed. I am shaping this into a plot that approximates where Planet X The Rogue Ice Giant would have been, narrative-wise. More on that later.
Mars: The Shamask-Eilitt emigrated from their destroyed world to Mars during the time when he was still habitable; due to a combination of time travel and faulty soul stasis for those beings, the time period they were actually ON Mars was at least 35,000 years ago, and likewise hidden from humans through the use of wizardry. The kernel of Mars (every person/place/thing has a kernel that describes the running of its body/soul matrix and the physical rules that govern its existence) was fragmented by these people, briefly stuck inside another living being, and used to terraform the planet.
... Yeeeeah, his wariness of people living on him is earned, if we adapt his SolarBalls attitude to Young Wizards canon. Due to how Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez played big roles in ending the aforementioned kernel-manipulation and terraforming, he is deeply grateful to them, and very much shy in actually talking to them. (Luna is trying to break him out of this mindset. Jupiter is slightly more tolerant, but also just glad it's not a hero-crush.)
Mercury: (Yes, I AM doing Earth last, muahaha.)I thought I would have something Significant by this point in my writing, whoops. His SolarBalls personality and skillset is basically that of the abused child: jaded, sarcastic, but exceedingly self-aware and good at reading others, especially if they intend him harm. Adjusting this for Young Wizards purposes, he is equally afraid of being hurt by the Sun, and protective of him from the Lone Power's machinations. Tends to incarnate among Earth's populations a lot, like certain Powers do. Is either a wizard-planet or exceptionally well-versed in how to work with wizards.
Venus: Can planets be trans? Both SolarBalls and Young Wizards are canons where you can say "Yeah, probably." Venus transitioning over a wide span of time may be more plausible in Young Wizards than SolarBalls, given that SolarBalls!Earth has no idea Venus could have looked/presented otherwise before the timeframe he remembers. And Venus has taken much more than a century to develop his atmosphere, much less ways to cope with it. Is rather fond of the other (less-female) ways humans have coined to name the Morning/Evening Star, even if that does risk drawing in the attention of the Lone Power... and the Hesper, Their Counterpart, once she emerges within the worlds. Can a planet turn out to be an Avatar/host for a Power? We may yet find out!
Earth: /deep breath/ OKAY SO
In Young Wizards canon, Earth is NOT the first world to develop life. (Shock, bother, offense!) However, he has been attacked... multiple times... presumably because the Lone Power is personally offended by Life flourishing. One time (the time that killed Proto and Theia, who were the first to oppose the Lone Power and Its offered Choice) was characterizing, but he did not form with those memories and neither did Luna. Two, three times, that's annoying! Having to keep trying again, but being interrupted by stellar phenomena, what other planets happen to be doing, targeting from all the way across the galaxies... by the time the dinosaurs go extinct, Earth isn't just mad, he wants to know why.
And so the Earth goes looking for an answer, learning about the legacy of Theia and Proto long before humans exist. But where the Planetary status on Earth yields mostly to whatever species is dominant at the time (meaning we never hear directly from the planet in Young Wizards canon), moons have a little more leeway.
Luna/Artemis (which will be my name for Dark Side because it's not something I've seen in SolarBalls fandom before... and there's no one to stop me) is offered the Oath twice, once for each self/personality. Both pass, and have distinct specialties: Luna, water and the tides; Artemis, shielding and diplomacy. They do cross-train, and both are quite invested in socializing with wizards, especially as the time of being colonized draws near.
(Following this line of thinking, they would have absolutely had a role in Wizards at War, where that Star-Eater manifests as The Wolf That Ate The Moon and tries to attack Sol System. The duo can't steal the show, but they do main the power for the shielding and atmosphere to support Earth's young wizards in their attempts to fight back. ... They also get to hug Ponch, because Ponch is a good boy who has love for ALL species.)
ARCS
Earth Arc: Would not happen in Young Wizards canon, because planets breaking their own orbits in such a dramatic way usually doesn't happen there. Earth is still absolutely Going Through It thanks in large part to humans, though. The Lone Power has a lot to answer for.
Terraforming Mars: See above with the Shamask-Eilitt for why this would not be happening as it does in SolarBalls canon... but Mars' attitude DOES have a matching explanation in Young Wizards, which is useful. On the other hand, if a fully-self-aware robot like SAR ever got deployed, there would be a whole-ass team of wizards gunning to show up and provide support/prevent an angry self-justified robot rampage. The Mobiles (a species of sentient computer-wizards) would also want to lend a hand/throw SAR a life-line if he wants out of his current mission and to see a more exciting side of the universe).
Surviving Venus: Also probably wouldn't happen (maybe Astrodude is a wizard, deliberately not using his real name until he is more comfortable with planets and such directly talking to him???), sorry.
Moon Revolution: Okay, this one DID happen, but loooong before humans existed. Earth vented about how difficult hosting Life was (see: all the Mass Extinction Events), and how he knew he was part of a team but it didn't feel like it, so what was he missing?? Titan overhears this snippet, takes it the wrong way (thanks, Lone Power), Ganymede and Europa capitalize on the discontent and things briefly (as in, for a century or so) descend into violence. As in SolarBalls canon, the Dwarf Planets break it up, with Sol's blessing.
Planets By Size mini-arc: Doesn't happen because of physics (see above), and also hopefully YW!Sun wouldn't think of this as a disciplinary idea??
Planet X: this arc is approximated by the following: two adopted/rogue exoplanets, one unassuming comet, and one overshadowed dwarf planet. Planet X's personality is an amalgamation of the personalities of one of the adopted exoplanets and the overshadowed dwarf planet; the 'souls' of those planets have since been reincarnated - one with the potential to have wizardry, but always placed in a position of maximum adversity, the other never to have wizardry again, but not in any true distress.
Theia/Proto: the first planets to reject the Lone Power's choice, to rejoice in Life and defy Its will, and were destroyed for it. Like the two above, they also reincarnate continuously, usually without memories of their first life... but still often finding each other. For those who read the Feline Wizards books, both these two and Luna/Artemis parallel the Seer/Doer pair of Arhu and Siff'ha'h. One has the Sight, oracular ability, and the other is exceptionally powerful but wanting for ways to use it.
Also note: when it comes to pronouns, I will default to those used in SolarBalls unless I have a really good reason not to.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
The Sun: Neurotic, controlling and traumatized in SolarBalls, but we haven't actually heard from him in Young Wizards! However, on the shortlist of Things That Have Happened, he has:
-Been turned off (courtesy of the Lone Power, aka Starsnuffer) (this was fixed)
-Had emergency surgery performed by teenagers
-Accidentally absorbed a soul when one of those teens (who actually IS trained in star-surgery) later called on his power to help fight an ancient Star-Eater (not the Lone Power)
-Per Young Wizards canon, all stars have a 'soul' that can go wandering and sometimes takes a host in a given species (either in its own star system or an entirely different one if it makes a 'wrong turn'). The Sun's got stuck in a particular family line in recent times, and at the end of Games Wizards Play this soul (the Simurgh) FINALLY gets released. The soul uses female pronouns in this book. The person she possesses is, in particular, a misogynistic ASSHOLE who only really has it dawn on him that his behaviors were seriously out of line after the Simurgh leaves.
The Sun's had a wild time of it, is my point here. 'Single mother struggling to do things Right' is possibly the right vibe. May be just as neurotic as in SolarBalls, but we don't get to see it.
Jupiter: The oldest planet, also the oldest Planetary (term used in Young Wizards canon to denote 'in charge/responsible for what goes on, wizardly speaking'). Bit of a subdued goofball in the one scene in canon where he ACTUALLY appears (Please read Games Wizards Play, SolarBalls folks!!! Jupiter/Saturn is canon!), but is also referenced as having looked after Mars in the aftermath of a time-travel-related immigration ordeal. Him being The Big (Smart) Guy makes just as much sense in Young Wizards as what we see in SolarBalls... but he's a little less stressed/guilty about the Grand Tack in YW as he is in the show (see below).
Saturn: Second-oldest; Young Wizards-'verse Saturn would know full well what happened to his moons... and sometimes they still speak to him. Yes, the remnants of things can sometimes still have an echo effect! All the other moons know where the ring-moons went, but while they're none too happy about it they do take not increasing entropy unduly seriously... some of his moons (currently undecided as to which ones) are wizards, having taken the Oath as the Powers offered it and practicing their own methods of guarding and guiding Life. Saturn is very proud of them.
Uranus/Caelus: Since names are actually very important in Young Wizards canon, laughing at someone because of their name is much more recognized to cause Problems. He is still very serious about how his name is pronounced, but is rather more respected in turn than he is in SolarBalls. He still messed up with his moons in a fairly big way, millennia ago (more of them are wizards, proportionately, than Saturn's group, and they are QUITE reserved due to past confrontations with the Lone Power), but by this point they are mostly all on cordial terms again.
Neptune: Having the time of his life. While in SolarBalls canon he is very isolated on a regular basis, he is much less so in Young Wizards canon - since wizards (human or otherwise) can come visit whenever they like so long as they pack an atmosphere. Greets any incarnations of the Powers That Be the most casually out of any celestial being in the solar system, sometimes to the panic of others. Only three of his moons are wizards (which may or may not include Triton; again I am undecided), but they always have the MOST fun when the Invitational (Young Wizards canon - event that happens every 11 Earth years that fosters support for up-and-coming wizardly talents) comes around.
The Dwarf Planets (Pluto&Charon, Makemake, Haumea, Eris, Ceres, ???): The discrepancy between Pluto/Aidoneus in Young Wizards (again, PLEASE read Games Wizards Play if you get a chance) and SolarBalls is great, yet hilarious. In YW he is MUCH more calm, secretive, and laid back... and even refers to Sol in a positive manner. (Yes, this IS a shock coming from the SolarBalls side of things.) But in YW, Charon doesn't get shown at all! The compromise? The Dwarf Planets' D&DP (yes, that does stand for Dungeons and Dwarf Planets) is a BIG hit with cross-cultural outreach, and every time the Invitational rolls around most of them are out socializing with local wizards. Charon was with them, and possibly 'the kids' (Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra). She is the better poker player of the binary dwarf planets, also. Pluto is now the Soccer Dad of Dwarf Planets, you heard it here first.
Ceres being the most clearly nonverbal of the Dwarf Planets can carry over to Young Wizards as well; when in a non-celestial form, he can practice sign, though the involvement of wizardry to begin with means he has access to a decent array of AAC, as well as more people who respect the presence of AAC.
And lastly, see that ??? ? That is because, due to the deliberately ahistorical events referenced in A Wizard of Mars, there is ANOTHER dwarf planet to account for, and its disappearance happened around the same time the world of the Shamask-Eilitt was destroyed... and around the same time the Earth&Luna were formed. I am shaping this into a plot that approximates where Planet X The Rogue Ice Giant would have been, narrative-wise. More on that later.
Mars: The Shamask-Eilitt emigrated from their destroyed world to Mars during the time when he was still habitable; due to a combination of time travel and faulty soul stasis for those beings, the time period they were actually ON Mars was at least 35,000 years ago, and likewise hidden from humans through the use of wizardry. The kernel of Mars (every person/place/thing has a kernel that describes the running of its body/soul matrix and the physical rules that govern its existence) was fragmented by these people, briefly stuck inside another living being, and used to terraform the planet.
... Yeeeeah, his wariness of people living on him is earned, if we adapt his SolarBalls attitude to Young Wizards canon. Due to how Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez played big roles in ending the aforementioned kernel-manipulation and terraforming, he is deeply grateful to them, and very much shy in actually talking to them. (Luna is trying to break him out of this mindset. Jupiter is slightly more tolerant, but also just glad it's not a hero-crush.)
Mercury: (Yes, I AM doing Earth last, muahaha.)
Venus: Can planets be trans? Both SolarBalls and Young Wizards are canons where you can say "Yeah, probably." Venus transitioning over a wide span of time may be more plausible in Young Wizards than SolarBalls, given that SolarBalls!Earth has no idea Venus could have looked/presented otherwise before the timeframe he remembers. And Venus has taken much more than a century to develop his atmosphere, much less ways to cope with it. Is rather fond of the other (less-female) ways humans have coined to name the Morning/Evening Star, even if that does risk drawing in the attention of the Lone Power... and the Hesper, Their Counterpart, once she emerges within the worlds. Can a planet turn out to be an Avatar/host for a Power? We may yet find out!
Earth: /deep breath/ OKAY SO
In Young Wizards canon, Earth is NOT the first world to develop life. (Shock, bother, offense!) However, he has been attacked... multiple times... presumably because the Lone Power is personally offended by Life flourishing. One time (the time that killed Proto and Theia, who were the first to oppose the Lone Power and Its offered Choice) was characterizing, but he did not form with those memories and neither did Luna. Two, three times, that's annoying! Having to keep trying again, but being interrupted by stellar phenomena, what other planets happen to be doing, targeting from all the way across the galaxies... by the time the dinosaurs go extinct, Earth isn't just mad, he wants to know why.
And so the Earth goes looking for an answer, learning about the legacy of Theia and Proto long before humans exist. But where the Planetary status on Earth yields mostly to whatever species is dominant at the time (meaning we never hear directly from the planet in Young Wizards canon), moons have a little more leeway.
Luna/Artemis (which will be my name for Dark Side because it's not something I've seen in SolarBalls fandom before... and there's no one to stop me) is offered the Oath twice, once for each self/personality. Both pass, and have distinct specialties: Luna, water and the tides; Artemis, shielding and diplomacy. They do cross-train, and both are quite invested in socializing with wizards, especially as the time of being colonized draws near.
(Following this line of thinking, they would have absolutely had a role in Wizards at War, where that Star-Eater manifests as The Wolf That Ate The Moon and tries to attack Sol System. The duo can't steal the show, but they do main the power for the shielding and atmosphere to support Earth's young wizards in their attempts to fight back. ... They also get to hug Ponch, because Ponch is a good boy who has love for ALL species.)
ARCS
Earth Arc: Would not happen in Young Wizards canon, because planets breaking their own orbits in such a dramatic way usually doesn't happen there. Earth is still absolutely Going Through It thanks in large part to humans, though. The Lone Power has a lot to answer for.
Terraforming Mars: See above with the Shamask-Eilitt for why this would not be happening as it does in SolarBalls canon... but Mars' attitude DOES have a matching explanation in Young Wizards, which is useful. On the other hand, if a fully-self-aware robot like SAR ever got deployed, there would be a whole-ass team of wizards gunning to show up and provide support/prevent an angry self-justified robot rampage. The Mobiles (a species of sentient computer-wizards) would also want to lend a hand/throw SAR a life-line if he wants out of his current mission and to see a more exciting side of the universe).
Surviving Venus: Also probably wouldn't happen (maybe Astrodude is a wizard, deliberately not using his real name until he is more comfortable with planets and such directly talking to him???), sorry.
Moon Revolution: Okay, this one DID happen, but loooong before humans existed. Earth vented about how difficult hosting Life was (see: all the Mass Extinction Events), and how he knew he was part of a team but it didn't feel like it, so what was he missing?? Titan overhears this snippet, takes it the wrong way (thanks, Lone Power), Ganymede and Europa capitalize on the discontent and things briefly (as in, for a century or so) descend into violence. As in SolarBalls canon, the Dwarf Planets break it up, with Sol's blessing.
Planets By Size mini-arc: Doesn't happen because of physics (see above), and also hopefully YW!Sun wouldn't think of this as a disciplinary idea??
Planet X: this arc is approximated by the following: two adopted/rogue exoplanets, one unassuming comet, and one overshadowed dwarf planet. Planet X's personality is an amalgamation of the personalities of one of the adopted exoplanets and the overshadowed dwarf planet; the 'souls' of those planets have since been reincarnated - one with the potential to have wizardry, but always placed in a position of maximum adversity, the other never to have wizardry again, but not in any true distress.
Theia/Proto: the first planets to reject the Lone Power's choice, to rejoice in Life and defy Its will, and were destroyed for it. Like the two above, they also reincarnate continuously, usually without memories of their first life... but still often finding each other. For those who read the Feline Wizards books, both these two and Luna/Artemis parallel the Seer/Doer pair of Arhu and Siff'ha'h. One has the Sight, oracular ability, and the other is exceptionally powerful but wanting for ways to use it.
( How about this? )
Tags: Earth Whump, BAMF Astrodude, BAMF Astrowife (minor role), Earth Needs A Hug (but then so does everyone), Theia and Proto both give and need hugs, Vent Fic, Humanity (or at least a good chunk of it) is a PLAGUE, This concept started as a Sex Pollen Fic, There Is No Sex Now Though, Loss of Bodily Autonomy, Chemically-Enforced Loss of Cognitive Control, Brain Uploading (When You Are A Planet, and then are no longer a planet), Suicidal Ideation, Humanity Takes To Space (and handles the planets being sentient REALLY BADLY), ohhhh we're really putting Earth through it this time!
Tags: Earth Whump, BAMF Astrodude, BAMF Astrowife (minor role), Earth Needs A Hug (but then so does everyone), Theia and Proto both give and need hugs, Vent Fic, Humanity (or at least a good chunk of it) is a PLAGUE, This concept started as a Sex Pollen Fic, There Is No Sex Now Though, Loss of Bodily Autonomy, Chemically-Enforced Loss of Cognitive Control, Brain Uploading (When You Are A Planet, and then are no longer a planet), Suicidal Ideation, Humanity Takes To Space (and handles the planets being sentient REALLY BADLY), ohhhh we're really putting Earth through it this time!
SolarBalls, Title: The Sun Tells A Story
Mar. 23rd, 2025 11:15 amThe Sun Tells A Story
( Cut is again for Readability )
( Cut is again for Readability )
Hello!
I'm aware this is a very niche muse, so this is a dual-purpose toplevel please excuse the lack of icons for the moment, most of them I'd hand-picked for Save Our Earth and Penance and just never got to use them; new suggestions are much welcome.
Option one is: your character is a wizard! Specifically in the vein of Diane Duane's Young Wizards and Feline Wizards 'verse. There's an Oath, a pledge to slow down entropy and leave Life better than how you found it, where you find it.
And sometimes, particularly when those young wizards get older, there's sex involved. It happens!
Either your character can be experimenting with a partner (I can play them if you don't have someone in mind; threesomes or more are also an option), or trying to work out some kinks (ba-dum-tish) on their lonesome... and hey. Wizardry responds to intent! That sure could be useful...
If you want, the peridexis can outright talk to your character (note: they are quite a snarky soul, and tend to be quite pleased to see a unique spell done well), but that's not something every wizard has or gets to deal with. Whichever you prefer!
Kinks for this option are only limited by what your character is into; the sky is the limit (and even then it doesn't have to be - if your character doesn't need to worry about breathing in space, that is)! Consent is most key.
Option two is written up here for your perusal. Again, please forgive the lack of icons.
If you're choosing this one, just let me know what your preference is for which 'craft, and whether you want to play out first-introduction or time-skip to where they know each other better. Also kink preferences/nos for the scenario; those are also good to know!
This is also aphro-optional, if you're interested in the wider setting without the porn.
I'm aware this is a very niche muse, so this is a dual-purpose toplevel please excuse the lack of icons for the moment, most of them I'd hand-picked for Save Our Earth and Penance and just never got to use them; new suggestions are much welcome.
Option one is: your character is a wizard! Specifically in the vein of Diane Duane's Young Wizards and Feline Wizards 'verse. There's an Oath, a pledge to slow down entropy and leave Life better than how you found it, where you find it.
And sometimes, particularly when those young wizards get older, there's sex involved. It happens!
Either your character can be experimenting with a partner (I can play them if you don't have someone in mind; threesomes or more are also an option), or trying to work out some kinks (ba-dum-tish) on their lonesome... and hey. Wizardry responds to intent! That sure could be useful...
If you want, the peridexis can outright talk to your character (note: they are quite a snarky soul, and tend to be quite pleased to see a unique spell done well), but that's not something every wizard has or gets to deal with. Whichever you prefer!
Kinks for this option are only limited by what your character is into; the sky is the limit (and even then it doesn't have to be - if your character doesn't need to worry about breathing in space, that is)! Consent is most key.
Option two is written up here for your perusal. Again, please forgive the lack of icons.
If you're choosing this one, just let me know what your preference is for which 'craft, and whether you want to play out first-introduction or time-skip to where they know each other better. Also kink preferences/nos for the scenario; those are also good to know!
This is also aphro-optional, if you're interested in the wider setting without the porn.
Application History
Jan. 1st, 2020 05:53 pmWizardry, in a sense, is the Speech - the language in which the Powers made the worlds. But there is more to a spell than just words and power (or enacture, as the series puts it); there have to be wizards, to provide intent and direction.
If one says something wrong in a spell, the spell will still work - but reality will change to match. Like programming, if you write a spell wrong you will not get the answer you want, or expect. Sometimes, however, these mistakes can be lethal; misplacing a decimal point when calculating your air to take to the Moon is just one example.
But wizards aren't expected to do everything by hand - or in their heads, as the case may be; wizardry, and to a certain extent the Wizards' Manual, is sentient, acting upon intent and exact phrasing.
While we meet various incarnations of the Powers over the series, we don't become acquainted with wizardry itself until partway through Wizards at War. Appearing first in Nita's dream about (what turns out to be) the Hesper and the Pullulus, it sticks around to give her advice. Specifically during this book, it aids Nita in defending the Crossings from mercenary Tawalf during the Pullulus War, and later snaps Nita out of Lone Power-induced brainwashing. Later still, when the Lone Power fully manifests on the planet Nita&crew end up on and suspends all wizardry on the planet, Nita can still hear the peridexis - and while it protests that it 'is of no use' to her while like this, its presence is enough to keep her sane, as she puts it.
Once Ronan enacts a sacrifice of his own, allowing the One's Champion to reverse the Lone Power's machinations, the peridexis also helps Nita put Ronan in stasis long enough to get him proper medical care. When she explains to the rest of the crew who she's talking to, however, Dairine reacts with something akin to dread at Nita's 'invisible friend', in reference to the last time Nita had an invisible friend, way back in her childhood.
And thus, the peridexis gains the nickname "Bobo", though we don't see this used until the next book, A Wizard of Mars.
That book takes place at least a month after the Pullulus War ends, just at the end of Nita and Kit's school year - most of the plot is split between Kit's obsession with Mars (caused by a remnant of an alien race latching onto his soul in an attempt to free the rest of that species from a terrible fate) and Dairine's own obsession with finding Roshaun (who also disappeared during Wizards at War, after making his own sacrifice; he's not dead, as Nita confirms, affirming for Dairine that she's not crazy.). We do get some moments from the peridexis, however: its presence in Nita's head is doing something to her own perception of spells, though she doesn't get to speculate much on just how that's happening; it helps Nita catalog her dream-visions (and, specific to AWOM, auditions); can run spells for her (and prefers to, though Nita gets veto rights, much as it seems to baffle it that she prefers doing 'the fiddly stuff' herself); and provides advice, particularly when Kit goes off and Nita seriously considers bugging his Manual to try and figure out if her friend's been compromised somehow.
Near the end of the book, when Nita gets embroiled in a wizard's duel to save Kit (if not the well-being of the whole population of Earth), the peridexis helps Nita save herself from both Mars' released oceans and from a particularly vicious alien seer.
The peridexis gets some screentime in the Interrim Errantry books - identifying the nature of the zombies (yangshi) in Not on My Patch; worrying about the severity of the snowstorm coming in How Lovely Are Thy Branches - but seems to have the most fun in Lifeboats, where it speaks to Kit (and is mentioned as having previously spoken to Ronan Nolan) and helps Kit pull off some seriously amusing blackmail on Ronan, without ever letting on to Nita what the deal was.
And in the latest novel, Games Wizards Play, we see the peridexis tease Nita some more, help catalog and analyze further dream-visions, but otherwise it is mostly relegated to the background.
If one says something wrong in a spell, the spell will still work - but reality will change to match. Like programming, if you write a spell wrong you will not get the answer you want, or expect. Sometimes, however, these mistakes can be lethal; misplacing a decimal point when calculating your air to take to the Moon is just one example.
But wizards aren't expected to do everything by hand - or in their heads, as the case may be; wizardry, and to a certain extent the Wizards' Manual, is sentient, acting upon intent and exact phrasing.
While we meet various incarnations of the Powers over the series, we don't become acquainted with wizardry itself until partway through Wizards at War. Appearing first in Nita's dream about (what turns out to be) the Hesper and the Pullulus, it sticks around to give her advice. Specifically during this book, it aids Nita in defending the Crossings from mercenary Tawalf during the Pullulus War, and later snaps Nita out of Lone Power-induced brainwashing. Later still, when the Lone Power fully manifests on the planet Nita&crew end up on and suspends all wizardry on the planet, Nita can still hear the peridexis - and while it protests that it 'is of no use' to her while like this, its presence is enough to keep her sane, as she puts it.
Once Ronan enacts a sacrifice of his own, allowing the One's Champion to reverse the Lone Power's machinations, the peridexis also helps Nita put Ronan in stasis long enough to get him proper medical care. When she explains to the rest of the crew who she's talking to, however, Dairine reacts with something akin to dread at Nita's 'invisible friend', in reference to the last time Nita had an invisible friend, way back in her childhood.
And thus, the peridexis gains the nickname "Bobo", though we don't see this used until the next book, A Wizard of Mars.
That book takes place at least a month after the Pullulus War ends, just at the end of Nita and Kit's school year - most of the plot is split between Kit's obsession with Mars (caused by a remnant of an alien race latching onto his soul in an attempt to free the rest of that species from a terrible fate) and Dairine's own obsession with finding Roshaun (who also disappeared during Wizards at War, after making his own sacrifice; he's not dead, as Nita confirms, affirming for Dairine that she's not crazy.). We do get some moments from the peridexis, however: its presence in Nita's head is doing something to her own perception of spells, though she doesn't get to speculate much on just how that's happening; it helps Nita catalog her dream-visions (and, specific to AWOM, auditions); can run spells for her (and prefers to, though Nita gets veto rights, much as it seems to baffle it that she prefers doing 'the fiddly stuff' herself); and provides advice, particularly when Kit goes off and Nita seriously considers bugging his Manual to try and figure out if her friend's been compromised somehow.
Near the end of the book, when Nita gets embroiled in a wizard's duel to save Kit (if not the well-being of the whole population of Earth), the peridexis helps Nita save herself from both Mars' released oceans and from a particularly vicious alien seer.
The peridexis gets some screentime in the Interrim Errantry books - identifying the nature of the zombies (yangshi) in Not on My Patch; worrying about the severity of the snowstorm coming in How Lovely Are Thy Branches - but seems to have the most fun in Lifeboats, where it speaks to Kit (and is mentioned as having previously spoken to Ronan Nolan) and helps Kit pull off some seriously amusing blackmail on Ronan, without ever letting on to Nita what the deal was.
And in the latest novel, Games Wizards Play, we see the peridexis tease Nita some more, help catalog and analyze further dream-visions, but otherwise it is mostly relegated to the background.
5. Sonia of the Thesselari had been no prodigy as a wizard, but the Ga'arian star system had known no one better at getting words out of absolutely anything.
Even she, however, could get little more than a sense of presence - and appreciation - out of the Power she called her Light, even while she brokered friendships among Higher Powers.
(Having friends in High places, however, did not make her any more loved on her homeworld; her planet was sevarfrith, and did not favor her.
She died after a full-life, but - almost - entirely alone.)
4. Ae'lit of Triion, the fourth planet in its star system, was a groupmind fond of chatting with what they called 'the Loneliest's Bane', counting it among its quietest members.
They were a productive, long-lived unit, shaping mosses and star gasses alike.
(They had died quietly, poisoned by an overshadowed singular wizard while they had been sleeping, when no wizardry could have intervened.)
3. Bulshaar was what most would have called a demon, a being formerly under the Oldest Outlier's sway - but curiosity for new forms of life brought him back. He took the Oath to help ease his boredom, and found an unexpected companion along the way.
(He was always troubled, and fighting his former kindred every day only made him more troubled. He took his own life, rather than give up his wizardry - his battle - any other way.
He was at least welcomed in Timeheart.)
2. Nae'whrl, an intelligence born of a white dwarf in the Andromeda Galaxy, was to the Thoth Power as Lugh had been to the One's Champion - which meant of course it came to know wizardry as few others did.
(It burned hard, and died young, spurring the Fairest and Fallen with the certain knowledge the latter would still be Reintegrated no matter how It fought-)
1. On the verge of emptiness - of worse than emptiness - there was a dream, a wizard unafraid, and a question.
Not that the question was going to be answered; perhaps explaining that would be better than leaving her on a fruitless quest.
("Wizards may always be here, but will you?"
Well, she asked, once the Outlier had left. Will I?
/Let's go find out./)
___
1. When the Pullulus had first been unleashed, when the worlds were newly-made, and death, the peridexis was at a loss for how to help against something that suppressed its very functions, its ability to connect with Life.
(Ultimately, the Lone Power had decided the Pullulus was too much for even It at the time, rendering that particular struggle pointless - but even knowing the tool existed did not help when fighting against it a second time.)
2. Liorissa, while without wizardry, thought herself to be very much in love with it, and thus did her best to live by the Oath. Every day, she went out and improved one thing about the small corner of her world that she could influence, and every day, she asked for some word in return.
(One of her neighbors - and, out of Time, one of the Powers - called her a 'Tragedy in Motion'. The peridexis, for its part, was just confused, and left Liorissa to her Work.)
3. Bran, the son of a king, was one of the few times wizardry itself ever embodied. A natural reservoir of power, the earth listened to him, and the silver on the tree was his to command.
(The peridexis was never fully comfortable in a 'physical' form; as soon as Bran's ultimate quest was done, the majority of the boy's power left him, letting Bran and his friends go their separate ways.)
4. There is a mountain, many many worlds away, where particularly volatile wizards are told to sit and be on watch, and wait for wisdom to come to them.
(This is one of the places where the peridexis has specifically been told to keep watch; it does not fully understand the purpose of the exercise. Perhaps the Powers will one day explain...)
5. S'ri'nah was (was) a wizard; quick-witted and persuasive, she came out of her Ordeal thinking she had to have everything her way to make her world a better place.
Her power play on her own planet succeeded, and her will spread to other worlds. Over time, and with the seeming approval of the Powers on her side, she slowly dominated her home galaxy.
(Also over time, her sanity crumbled. One night, unwilling to take any more of her hypocrisy, her wizardry... simply left her.
What was left of S'ri'nah was a vegetable, an empty wreck - but while her Empire was freed no one ever really knew how.)
Even she, however, could get little more than a sense of presence - and appreciation - out of the Power she called her Light, even while she brokered friendships among Higher Powers.
(Having friends in High places, however, did not make her any more loved on her homeworld; her planet was sevarfrith, and did not favor her.
She died after a full-life, but - almost - entirely alone.)
4. Ae'lit of Triion, the fourth planet in its star system, was a groupmind fond of chatting with what they called 'the Loneliest's Bane', counting it among its quietest members.
They were a productive, long-lived unit, shaping mosses and star gasses alike.
(They had died quietly, poisoned by an overshadowed singular wizard while they had been sleeping, when no wizardry could have intervened.)
3. Bulshaar was what most would have called a demon, a being formerly under the Oldest Outlier's sway - but curiosity for new forms of life brought him back. He took the Oath to help ease his boredom, and found an unexpected companion along the way.
(He was always troubled, and fighting his former kindred every day only made him more troubled. He took his own life, rather than give up his wizardry - his battle - any other way.
He was at least welcomed in Timeheart.)
2. Nae'whrl, an intelligence born of a white dwarf in the Andromeda Galaxy, was to the Thoth Power as Lugh had been to the One's Champion - which meant of course it came to know wizardry as few others did.
(It burned hard, and died young, spurring the Fairest and Fallen with the certain knowledge the latter would still be Reintegrated no matter how It fought-)
1. On the verge of emptiness - of worse than emptiness - there was a dream, a wizard unafraid, and a question.
Not that the question was going to be answered; perhaps explaining that would be better than leaving her on a fruitless quest.
("Wizards may always be here, but will you?"
Well, she asked, once the Outlier had left. Will I?
/Let's go find out./)
___
1. When the Pullulus had first been unleashed, when the worlds were newly-made, and death, the peridexis was at a loss for how to help against something that suppressed its very functions, its ability to connect with Life.
(Ultimately, the Lone Power had decided the Pullulus was too much for even It at the time, rendering that particular struggle pointless - but even knowing the tool existed did not help when fighting against it a second time.)
2. Liorissa, while without wizardry, thought herself to be very much in love with it, and thus did her best to live by the Oath. Every day, she went out and improved one thing about the small corner of her world that she could influence, and every day, she asked for some word in return.
(One of her neighbors - and, out of Time, one of the Powers - called her a 'Tragedy in Motion'. The peridexis, for its part, was just confused, and left Liorissa to her Work.)
3. Bran, the son of a king, was one of the few times wizardry itself ever embodied. A natural reservoir of power, the earth listened to him, and the silver on the tree was his to command.
(The peridexis was never fully comfortable in a 'physical' form; as soon as Bran's ultimate quest was done, the majority of the boy's power left him, letting Bran and his friends go their separate ways.)
4. There is a mountain, many many worlds away, where particularly volatile wizards are told to sit and be on watch, and wait for wisdom to come to them.
(This is one of the places where the peridexis has specifically been told to keep watch; it does not fully understand the purpose of the exercise. Perhaps the Powers will one day explain...)
5. S'ri'nah was (was) a wizard; quick-witted and persuasive, she came out of her Ordeal thinking she had to have everything her way to make her world a better place.
Her power play on her own planet succeeded, and her will spread to other worlds. Over time, and with the seeming approval of the Powers on her side, she slowly dominated her home galaxy.
(Also over time, her sanity crumbled. One night, unwilling to take any more of her hypocrisy, her wizardry... simply left her.
What was left of S'ri'nah was a vegetable, an empty wreck - but while her Empire was freed no one ever really knew how.)
Please write something other than tragedy.
My role in canon is sad upon deeper reflection - my purpose is, in the long run, to put myself out of a job - but that is not the whole story, and you are fully aware of that.
What wizards are - their purpose - is to serve Life, and that does not imply meaningless self-sacrifice, or endless guilt-tripping, or vindictive crusades against Entropy's agents.
Wizardry's purpose is to set things aright; that is not to imply a fixed state of being, but an ability to be more, and rejoice in that being.
It is a difficult task, bearing that torch - for wizards and non-wizards alike - but that does not make it less noble, or less necessary.
We are not the light at the end of the tunnel; we are the tunnel to that light, and even in that tunnel there are many possible paths to walk.
My role in canon is sad upon deeper reflection - my purpose is, in the long run, to put myself out of a job - but that is not the whole story, and you are fully aware of that.
What wizards are - their purpose - is to serve Life, and that does not imply meaningless self-sacrifice, or endless guilt-tripping, or vindictive crusades against Entropy's agents.
Wizardry's purpose is to set things aright; that is not to imply a fixed state of being, but an ability to be more, and rejoice in that being.
It is a difficult task, bearing that torch - for wizards and non-wizards alike - but that does not make it less noble, or less necessary.
We are not the light at the end of the tunnel; we are the tunnel to that light, and even in that tunnel there are many possible paths to walk.
SoE concept draft
Sep. 13th, 2018 05:50 pmAutistic_Ace
On to the next: the Peridexis! Aka: how does one app the Spirit of Wizardry???
Autistic_Ace
AU is a mundane story, utterly: Indian by birth; adopted, only child in new family. Name? PERI MAX POWERS. (I am sorry. ;-) ) Family is wonderfully supportive (think peak authoritative - allows him to give input/ask questions about Why They Do Things specific ways at home, asks his opinion on things as he's growing up, etc.)
Autistic_Ace
Childhood - I wanted to also have him raised in New York? Though a part of me wants to say he's from my hometown... >.> ANYWAY at age 13 they decide to nope out of gender binarism, of which their parents are confused but still supportive.
Autistic_Ace
That said, they still didn't know what they wanted to be - until age 17, when someone making their last, desperate "clear the air before I kill myself" call does a misdial - and Peri somehow stumbles onto the right words to talk them out of it.
Autistic_Ace
(Not that Peri finds out for some weeks - but eventually they do get that call back, an apology and a thank-you both.)
Autistic_Ace
So, Peri decides to go into Psychology, so they won't have to stumble through it the next time.
Autistic_Ace
Nearly a decade later, they're a successful, if Bunny-Ears-Lawyer-ish Psychologist. They know their stuff...
They just also have a hard time taking a break.
Autistic_Ace
So cue (slightly forced) vacation to Mossgate! And their first Echo. :>
"Is- is this the line you call to report the gods are dead??? 8'D"
Autistic_Ace
(This, of course, is Very Metaplotty in implications - since (A) Wizardry would have, in some way, been present when the rest of the Powers That Be were taken off-guard, and out, by whatever wiped out the majority of the multiverse and ( B ) any power cap would have to be directly applied by Gaia herself, as a safety mechanism.
Coop
O:
Autistic_Ace
I do not fall in love with the 'easy' characters, this has been well-documented.
Autistic_Ace
Though, the idea of a character having to analyze their former self/calm them down appeals to me, somehow.
On to the next: the Peridexis! Aka: how does one app the Spirit of Wizardry???
Autistic_Ace
AU is a mundane story, utterly: Indian by birth; adopted, only child in new family. Name? PERI MAX POWERS. (I am sorry. ;-) ) Family is wonderfully supportive (think peak authoritative - allows him to give input/ask questions about Why They Do Things specific ways at home, asks his opinion on things as he's growing up, etc.)
Autistic_Ace
Childhood - I wanted to also have him raised in New York? Though a part of me wants to say he's from my hometown... >.> ANYWAY at age 13 they decide to nope out of gender binarism, of which their parents are confused but still supportive.
Autistic_Ace
That said, they still didn't know what they wanted to be - until age 17, when someone making their last, desperate "clear the air before I kill myself" call does a misdial - and Peri somehow stumbles onto the right words to talk them out of it.
Autistic_Ace
(Not that Peri finds out for some weeks - but eventually they do get that call back, an apology and a thank-you both.)
Autistic_Ace
So, Peri decides to go into Psychology, so they won't have to stumble through it the next time.
Autistic_Ace
Nearly a decade later, they're a successful, if Bunny-Ears-Lawyer-ish Psychologist. They know their stuff...
They just also have a hard time taking a break.
Autistic_Ace
So cue (slightly forced) vacation to Mossgate! And their first Echo. :>
"Is- is this the line you call to report the gods are dead??? 8'D"
Autistic_Ace
(This, of course, is Very Metaplotty in implications - since (A) Wizardry would have, in some way, been present when the rest of the Powers That Be were taken off-guard, and out, by whatever wiped out the majority of the multiverse and ( B ) any power cap would have to be directly applied by Gaia herself, as a safety mechanism.
Coop
O:
Autistic_Ace
Autistic_Ace
Though, the idea of a character having to analyze their former self/calm them down appeals to me, somehow.
MEMES TO ANSWER
Sep. 13th, 2018 05:10 pm1) Have they ever sprained or broken their leg before? How about their arm? What was the story behind it?
2) Do they appreciate hugs? Would they prefer to give hugs or receive hugs? What kind of hugs do they like to receive and/or give?
3) Do they look up or down when they are trying to recollect something?
4) What is their body language like when sleepy?
5) When they are surprised by somebody do they physically jump? Scream?
6) Does their face get red after they drink?
7) Does their face turn red when embarrassed? If so, how else do they react when embarrassed? (I.E. Shifting of weight upon foot, etc.)
8) Do they have a sensitive spot/s?
9) What is their body language like when they are stressed? Do they try and hide the fact that they are stressed? How do they recover from said stress?
10) Do they like it when people touch their hair?
11) Do they like to show affection by physically teasing? (I.E: Shoulder punches, etc.)
12) How are they like when they dance? Are they stiff? Fluid? A good dancer? Do they prefer to dance with a lot of others, with one other person, or alone?
13) Are they physically strong when it comes to fights?
14) Do they laugh when they get nervous?
15) How are they like when they cry? Do they just stream tears nonstop? Does their nose get clogged to the point that it’s hard to breathe? Is it easy for them to speak when they are sobbing? Do they hiccup when they cry?
16) Do they lean back or forward when they laugh hard? Do they snort? Slap their knee? Do that seal-esque clap? Do they often laugh to the point that you can’t hear their laugh anymore?
17) How does one calm them down when they are freaking out? Do they prefer physical comfort, or would they rather be left alone?
18) Does their voice get an octave higher when they lie? Does it crack?
19) Does having somebody stroke their head make them feel relaxed?
20) Do they prefer kisses on the cheek? Forehead? What about neck kisses?
21) How should one wake them up? Do they get out of bed easily?
22) Are there any foods that make their stomach upset?
01) What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?
02) How easy is it for your character to laugh?
03) How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking, etc)?
04) How easy is it to earn their trust?
05) How easy is it to earn their mistrust?
06) Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?
07) What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?
08) What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child?
09) Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?
10) What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?
11) How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?
12) How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?
13) What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?
14) What animal do they fear most?
15) How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?
16) What makes their stomach turn?
17) Are they easily embarrassed? What embarrasses them?
18) What is their favorite number?
19) If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?
20) Why do they get up in the morning?
21) How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)?
22) How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)?
23) Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom?
24) What are their thoughts on marriage?
25) What is their preferred mode of transportation?
26) What causes them to feel dread?
27) Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth?
28) Do they usually live up to their own ideals?
29) Who do they most regret meeting?
30) Who are they the most glad to have met?
31) Do they have a go-to story or joke in conversation?
32) Could they be considered lazy?
33) How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt?
34) How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive?
35) Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap?
36) Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)?
37) What memory do they revisit the most often?
38) How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people?
39) How sensitive are they to their own flaws?
40) How do they feel about children?
41) How badly do they want to reach their end goal?
42) If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so?
A. Adorkable: Is there anything your character geeks out about? What can they go on about for hours without losing enthusiasm?
B. Berserk Button: What’s a surefire way to make your character angry? What could make them angry enough to resort to violence?
C. Catch Phrase: Does your character have a catchphrase? If they don’t, what would their catchphrase be if they had one?
D. Depending On The Writer: Does any aspect of your character vary between writers/installments of their canon?
E. Establishing Character Moment: What moment from their canon sums up who your character is?
F. Freudian Excuse: What was their childhood like? What experiences or relationships helped define who they are now?
G. Goal In Life: Does your character have a primary motivation throughout their life?
H. Heroic B.S.O.D: What event could cause your character to break down on the spot?
I. I Work Alone: How does your character do without support? Do they function best on their own or in a group?
J. Just Following Orders: What does your character trust more: the wisdom of authority or their own personal convictions?
K. Kneel Before Zod: Would your character ever literally or figuratively bow before their enemy? Or would they prefer death before such a dishonor?
L. Last Request: If your character could request one thing before they died, what would it be? Who would they request it of?
M. Morality Pet: Is there anyone they would defy their own morals (or lack of them) to protect?
N. Never My Fault: Is your character more likely to blame someone else for their own mistakes or accept the blame for someone else’s?
O. Out, Damned Spot!: What does your character feel most guilty about? How do they cope with the guilt?
P. Personality Powers: If your character had superpowers based on their personality, what would they be?
Q. Quirky Household: How normal is/was your character’s family? Did they fit in with their other family members?
R. Recurring Dreams: What are your character’s most common kinds of dreams? Is there one in particular that repeats?
S. Screw Destiny: If your character could change the ending of their story, would they? How would they change it?
T. Tragic Dream: What’s something your character wishes for that they can never have? Are they aware that they can’t achieve it?
U. Unreliable Narrator: How would your character’s canon change if they were the narrator? Is there anything they would lie about, exaggerate, or sugarcoat?
V. Voted off the Island: If your character could vote any other character out of their canon, who would it be?
W. Well-Intentioned Extremist: What principle or belief would your character die for? Would they kill for it?
X. Xanatos Gambit: How strategic is your character? Are their plans usually effective, do they usually fail, or does your character never plan at all?
Y. You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Angry: Has your character ever hurt someone while enraged or otherwise over-emotional?
Z. Zombie Advocate: How compassionate is your character? What, if any, are the limits of their compassion?
2) Do they appreciate hugs? Would they prefer to give hugs or receive hugs? What kind of hugs do they like to receive and/or give?
3) Do they look up or down when they are trying to recollect something?
4) What is their body language like when sleepy?
5) When they are surprised by somebody do they physically jump? Scream?
6) Does their face get red after they drink?
7) Does their face turn red when embarrassed? If so, how else do they react when embarrassed? (I.E. Shifting of weight upon foot, etc.)
8) Do they have a sensitive spot/s?
9) What is their body language like when they are stressed? Do they try and hide the fact that they are stressed? How do they recover from said stress?
10) Do they like it when people touch their hair?
11) Do they like to show affection by physically teasing? (I.E: Shoulder punches, etc.)
12) How are they like when they dance? Are they stiff? Fluid? A good dancer? Do they prefer to dance with a lot of others, with one other person, or alone?
13) Are they physically strong when it comes to fights?
14) Do they laugh when they get nervous?
15) How are they like when they cry? Do they just stream tears nonstop? Does their nose get clogged to the point that it’s hard to breathe? Is it easy for them to speak when they are sobbing? Do they hiccup when they cry?
16) Do they lean back or forward when they laugh hard? Do they snort? Slap their knee? Do that seal-esque clap? Do they often laugh to the point that you can’t hear their laugh anymore?
17) How does one calm them down when they are freaking out? Do they prefer physical comfort, or would they rather be left alone?
18) Does their voice get an octave higher when they lie? Does it crack?
19) Does having somebody stroke their head make them feel relaxed?
20) Do they prefer kisses on the cheek? Forehead? What about neck kisses?
21) How should one wake them up? Do they get out of bed easily?
22) Are there any foods that make their stomach upset?
01) What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?
02) How easy is it for your character to laugh?
03) How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking, etc)?
04) How easy is it to earn their trust?
05) How easy is it to earn their mistrust?
06) Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?
07) What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?
08) What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child?
09) Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?
10) What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?
11) How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?
12) How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?
13) What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?
14) What animal do they fear most?
15) How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?
16) What makes their stomach turn?
17) Are they easily embarrassed? What embarrasses them?
18) What is their favorite number?
19) If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?
20) Why do they get up in the morning?
21) How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)?
22) How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)?
23) Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom?
24) What are their thoughts on marriage?
25) What is their preferred mode of transportation?
26) What causes them to feel dread?
27) Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth?
28) Do they usually live up to their own ideals?
29) Who do they most regret meeting?
30) Who are they the most glad to have met?
31) Do they have a go-to story or joke in conversation?
32) Could they be considered lazy?
33) How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt?
34) How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive?
35) Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap?
36) Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)?
37) What memory do they revisit the most often?
38) How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people?
39) How sensitive are they to their own flaws?
40) How do they feel about children?
41) How badly do they want to reach their end goal?
42) If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so?
A. Adorkable: Is there anything your character geeks out about? What can they go on about for hours without losing enthusiasm?
B. Berserk Button: What’s a surefire way to make your character angry? What could make them angry enough to resort to violence?
C. Catch Phrase: Does your character have a catchphrase? If they don’t, what would their catchphrase be if they had one?
D. Depending On The Writer: Does any aspect of your character vary between writers/installments of their canon?
E. Establishing Character Moment: What moment from their canon sums up who your character is?
F. Freudian Excuse: What was their childhood like? What experiences or relationships helped define who they are now?
G. Goal In Life: Does your character have a primary motivation throughout their life?
H. Heroic B.S.O.D: What event could cause your character to break down on the spot?
I. I Work Alone: How does your character do without support? Do they function best on their own or in a group?
J. Just Following Orders: What does your character trust more: the wisdom of authority or their own personal convictions?
K. Kneel Before Zod: Would your character ever literally or figuratively bow before their enemy? Or would they prefer death before such a dishonor?
L. Last Request: If your character could request one thing before they died, what would it be? Who would they request it of?
M. Morality Pet: Is there anyone they would defy their own morals (or lack of them) to protect?
N. Never My Fault: Is your character more likely to blame someone else for their own mistakes or accept the blame for someone else’s?
O. Out, Damned Spot!: What does your character feel most guilty about? How do they cope with the guilt?
P. Personality Powers: If your character had superpowers based on their personality, what would they be?
Q. Quirky Household: How normal is/was your character’s family? Did they fit in with their other family members?
R. Recurring Dreams: What are your character’s most common kinds of dreams? Is there one in particular that repeats?
S. Screw Destiny: If your character could change the ending of their story, would they? How would they change it?
T. Tragic Dream: What’s something your character wishes for that they can never have? Are they aware that they can’t achieve it?
U. Unreliable Narrator: How would your character’s canon change if they were the narrator? Is there anything they would lie about, exaggerate, or sugarcoat?
V. Voted off the Island: If your character could vote any other character out of their canon, who would it be?
W. Well-Intentioned Extremist: What principle or belief would your character die for? Would they kill for it?
X. Xanatos Gambit: How strategic is your character? Are their plans usually effective, do they usually fail, or does your character never plan at all?
Y. You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Angry: Has your character ever hurt someone while enraged or otherwise over-emotional?
Z. Zombie Advocate: How compassionate is your character? What, if any, are the limits of their compassion?
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}