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the golden peacock | application
APPLICATION
AGE: 30+
CONTACT:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
lycanthropic / PM
CHARACTER(S): Makoto (MADK)
INVITED BY: N/A
AGE: 600+
CANON: Reverse: 1999
CANON POINT: After joining the Timekeeper
CRAU: N/A
OTHER: As noted in my TDM top-level, I am playing Getian with the presumption that he has avian genitalia due to his human characteristics being limited to his head and torso (he is repeatedly referred to in canon as a “human-headed bird”). Miemeng birds most represent qualities from birds of prey and peafowl, so I am basing my thought process off of the anatomies of these types of birds—my intention would to play him possessing a cloaca and no penis.
SUITABILITY: Getian is certainly of age, being a centuries-old former immortal. His maturity and the context of his life are more nuanced, however. Though he can often come across as a wise sage, most of his long life has been spent in solitude, observing from afar. When it comes to matters of sex, intimacy, and the heart, Getian might surprise himself and others by how hesitant and relatively inexperienced he is. This will certainly be a challenge to him, but it is my goal in writing him to utilize these challenges to create interesting character growth for him.
HISTORY: Miemeng birds, which call themselves “Getians” after the shared surname of their clan, migrated from the borderlands to the Central Plains of ancient China to escape the conflict of war. Getian Yanping was the first Miemeng bird to be born on the Central Plains, and he would one day be the very last of his kind to exist.
The Miemeng lived immortal lives on their mountain, but, as time passed, they one-by-one succumbed to yearning in their hearts which called them to leave the mountain, abandon their immortality, and enter the world of men. There, they helped humans build their cities, found water sources, and provided advice. Despite the Miemengs’ good intentions, humans mistrusted and feared them just as often as they praised and worshiped them. When they died, a bone collector would retrieve their bones and take them back to the mountain, where they were interred in a temple. Getian, contrary to the rest of his people, never felt the call to leave the mountain; in some ways he was resentful of these humans for whom his people had sacrificed their lives, only to be repaid with suspicion and bitterness—or to be forgotten entirely.
Getian finally heeded the call to leave when he sensed that the last bone collector, and the very last of his people besides himself, had died. It was after he returned from tracking down his bones that he overheard rumors of strange happenings in nearby Pei City, which caused people to transform into horses. He departed to help, initially believing it would only take a short amount of time to resolve. Instead, he ended up further embroiled in the conflict when he was falsely painted as the culprit. With the aid of some foreign visitors, he revealed the true culprit, Jiu Niangzi, and her motivations. After this entangling event, he found himself too tethered to the world of men to return to his mountain; he began to travel, was captured by the St. Pavlov Foundation, registered as an arcanist, and was assigned to the Timekeeper’s team.
He is only vaguely aware that, even if he had the intention and permission to return to his mountain and his era, he wouldn’t be able to. The “Storm”—a largely unexplained, recurring arcane catastrophe—had already claimed them both, washing them away with rain which fell upwards into the sky; Getian finds himself a refugee outside his own era, as are many of the other humans and arcanists who make up the Timekeeper’s team.
NOTE: Getian is born in roughly 220 CE, and the events in Pei City take place in the first half of the ninth century. It should be noted that there is time weirdness around this event, as the foreign travelers he meets are technically from 19th century Russia, who arrive in Pei City through a sort of “time bubble.” This was explained in a scrap of lore in an unrelated event that isn’t archived anywhere in the game and that I didn’t save properly. From what I remember, it was a bizarre arcane anomaly that preserved the ancient city so that it existed simultaneously with the then-modern times. I’m just noting it here that, though he originates from ancient China, upon his recruitment by the Foundation, he has been brought to a more modern era and has already faced some adjustment in that regard.
ABILITIES: Getian is an arcane creature and considered an “arcanist” in the world of Reverse: 1999, meaning he has the innate ability to cast arcane skills. This process is usually facilitated by using a wand, though it appears it can still be done without (just with more difficulty).
▶ STANDOFFISH: One of Getian’s perhaps core identifying traits is something the Golden Peacock would consider quite a vice indeed. While the rest of his clan succumbed to their personal cravings to enter the world of humans, even going so far as to sacrifice their own lifespans to change the their fates, Getian decided to remain in solitude on their mountain. Up until very recently, his 600+ years of life have been spent in a position of separation and observation. He has recently made considerable strives to change this, but an ancient creature does not change their natural propensities overnight, after a few weeks, or even after a few months. Even though he has opened himself more to spending time with others, crowds, clamor, and noise are very much not his scene. He would usually prefer a much longer period of getting to know someone before considering becoming intimate with them. He will often be challenged by the Golden Peacock’s preference towards large-scale events (especially those that end in sex…) in this way… So, hopefully he adjusts quickly!
▶ MISTRUSTFUL: Though he has met many humans and arcanists that he would go so far as to call his “friends,” this has not solved the mistrust toward mortals that he has developed in his heart over hundreds of years. Men have often blamed his people for disasters they foresaw and came to attempt to protect them from; they have also tried to capture them to use them for their own selfish means. Though Getian has hesitantly begun to trust others, he may very well revert to instincts of mistrust or wariness when dealing with strangers.
VIRTUES:
▶ COMPASSIONATE: In Notes on Shuori, the event that Getian primarily features in, he repeatedly tells foreign visitors Bessmert and Yenisei that, as a Miemeng bird, he’s not meant to intervene or interfere, that he had not intended to leave his mountain for long, and that he plans to leave them behind immediately. He even goes so far as to describe himself as a yao—a dangerous, malicious demon—to temper their expectations of him. Still, he does all of these things while… well, remaining in Pei City, in rescuing them from trouble, and in helping them uncover the secrets which lie at the heart of the city’s problems. When erroneously cast as the villain, he accepted his fate, allowing soldiers to beat and bind him before locking him away in their prison. He could have fought back, but he chose not to; he is also powerful and adept enough to rather easily escape that jail later that night, once he’d decided it wouldn’t result in anyone getting hurt. Despite what he might say (to others or to himself), Getian is just as prone to the yearning in his heart toward humanity as the rest of his people were.
▶ INQUISITIVE: Getian, like all of his clan, is fascinated by the cultures and creations of people. His people believe that it is one’s purpose in life to collect as many experiences as they can so that they can be inscribed upon their bones; after their deaths, these bones are brought back to their ancestral home, where they can be read and learned from by others of their kind. This is less applicable now, given how he’s the last of them, but he still finds himself beset with curiosity for humans, their ways, their art, their music, and everything else about them.
▶ “GO WITH THE FLOW:” This virtue is actually not one that’s innate to Getian, but rather one that he has recently decided to take to heart. When preparing to leave Pei City and part ways with the friends that he had made there, Getian did a small divination for them and for himself. When reading the Hexagrams for his own future, he saw that he would need to “go with the flow,” and so he has done his best to control his natural instincts towards routine and solitude to instead open his life up to new places and new experiences.
SUIT REQUESTS: Getian personally chose a life of isolation for hundreds of years, watching as the numbers of his people dwindled away to just himself. Solitude still tends to be his instinct and “safe place,” so my plan with his suit is to utilize it to challenge him and push him to create bonds and get closer with others. Fortunately, Miemeng birds have a natural yearning in their hearts for just this, but he will still need a little bullying to push him out of his shell (pun not intended).
SAMPLES: TDM Top-Level #1 & TDM Top-Level #2
OOC
NAME: VeeAGE: 30+
CONTACT:
CHARACTER(S): Makoto (MADK)
INVITED BY: N/A
IC
NAME: Getian Yanping, though he introduces himself as GetianAGE: 600+
CANON: Reverse: 1999
CANON POINT: After joining the Timekeeper
CRAU: N/A
OTHER: As noted in my TDM top-level, I am playing Getian with the presumption that he has avian genitalia due to his human characteristics being limited to his head and torso (he is repeatedly referred to in canon as a “human-headed bird”). Miemeng birds most represent qualities from birds of prey and peafowl, so I am basing my thought process off of the anatomies of these types of birds—my intention would to play him possessing a cloaca and no penis.
SUITABILITY: Getian is certainly of age, being a centuries-old former immortal. His maturity and the context of his life are more nuanced, however. Though he can often come across as a wise sage, most of his long life has been spent in solitude, observing from afar. When it comes to matters of sex, intimacy, and the heart, Getian might surprise himself and others by how hesitant and relatively inexperienced he is. This will certainly be a challenge to him, but it is my goal in writing him to utilize these challenges to create interesting character growth for him.
HISTORY: Miemeng birds, which call themselves “Getians” after the shared surname of their clan, migrated from the borderlands to the Central Plains of ancient China to escape the conflict of war. Getian Yanping was the first Miemeng bird to be born on the Central Plains, and he would one day be the very last of his kind to exist.
The Miemeng lived immortal lives on their mountain, but, as time passed, they one-by-one succumbed to yearning in their hearts which called them to leave the mountain, abandon their immortality, and enter the world of men. There, they helped humans build their cities, found water sources, and provided advice. Despite the Miemengs’ good intentions, humans mistrusted and feared them just as often as they praised and worshiped them. When they died, a bone collector would retrieve their bones and take them back to the mountain, where they were interred in a temple. Getian, contrary to the rest of his people, never felt the call to leave the mountain; in some ways he was resentful of these humans for whom his people had sacrificed their lives, only to be repaid with suspicion and bitterness—or to be forgotten entirely.
Getian finally heeded the call to leave when he sensed that the last bone collector, and the very last of his people besides himself, had died. It was after he returned from tracking down his bones that he overheard rumors of strange happenings in nearby Pei City, which caused people to transform into horses. He departed to help, initially believing it would only take a short amount of time to resolve. Instead, he ended up further embroiled in the conflict when he was falsely painted as the culprit. With the aid of some foreign visitors, he revealed the true culprit, Jiu Niangzi, and her motivations. After this entangling event, he found himself too tethered to the world of men to return to his mountain; he began to travel, was captured by the St. Pavlov Foundation, registered as an arcanist, and was assigned to the Timekeeper’s team.
He is only vaguely aware that, even if he had the intention and permission to return to his mountain and his era, he wouldn’t be able to. The “Storm”—a largely unexplained, recurring arcane catastrophe—had already claimed them both, washing them away with rain which fell upwards into the sky; Getian finds himself a refugee outside his own era, as are many of the other humans and arcanists who make up the Timekeeper’s team.
NOTE: Getian is born in roughly 220 CE, and the events in Pei City take place in the first half of the ninth century. It should be noted that there is time weirdness around this event, as the foreign travelers he meets are technically from 19th century Russia, who arrive in Pei City through a sort of “time bubble.” This was explained in a scrap of lore in an unrelated event that isn’t archived anywhere in the game and that I didn’t save properly. From what I remember, it was a bizarre arcane anomaly that preserved the ancient city so that it existed simultaneously with the then-modern times. I’m just noting it here that, though he originates from ancient China, upon his recruitment by the Foundation, he has been brought to a more modern era and has already faced some adjustment in that regard.
ABILITIES: Getian is an arcane creature and considered an “arcanist” in the world of Reverse: 1999, meaning he has the innate ability to cast arcane skills. This process is usually facilitated by using a wand, though it appears it can still be done without (just with more difficulty).
- FLIGHT — He can fly with his wings and is strong enough to carry a person.
- TELEKINESIS — Getian is shown to have a mild telekinetic ability. He is able to mentally manipulate his wand and musical instruments as well as do actions such as pour tea without the use of his (non-existent) hands. This appears to be restricted to smaller items.
- ARCANE SKILL: COMMUNICATION — Getian has an arcane skill which he can cast over others to temporarily give them the ability to understand any language and similarly be understood by anyone. (Admittedly this is not useful here, given the setting accomplishes the same.)
- ARCANE SKILL: BONE-READING — The most distinguishing ability of Miemeng birds is their ability to read the bones of living creatures to divine aspects and qualities of their personalities, temperaments, pasts, and futures. It should be noted that Getian is also able to discern when individuals are transformed or disguised by illusory means with this ability, as he can tell their appearances do not match their bones. When it comes to their own kind, Miemeng birds can read an individual’s entire life story of experiences in their bones; for other creatures, however, this ability is limited to a sort of divination. This ability will be opt-in, meaning that Getian will only be able to read details from another character’s bones if the player consents. I also doubt it will work on many of the other spectral inhabitants of the Golden Peacock, considering ghosts don’t have skeletons. (‘:
- COMBAT SKILLS — In the story, Getian avoids combat and conflict at all costs. In gameplay, however, he has skills and mechanics which I will attempt to translate into role-play terms. Getian can attack with shards of bone; he can also read the bones of his opponent to discern weaknesses. Once done, he can perform a brief ritual which will summon a small storm cloud of arcane energies to occasionally strike the opponent with lightning. He can also perform a more elaborate ritual which temporarily empowers himself and allies within a small area. His role tends to be more in supporting others than actively fighting himself.
▶ STANDOFFISH: One of Getian’s perhaps core identifying traits is something the Golden Peacock would consider quite a vice indeed. While the rest of his clan succumbed to their personal cravings to enter the world of humans, even going so far as to sacrifice their own lifespans to change the their fates, Getian decided to remain in solitude on their mountain. Up until very recently, his 600+ years of life have been spent in a position of separation and observation. He has recently made considerable strives to change this, but an ancient creature does not change their natural propensities overnight, after a few weeks, or even after a few months. Even though he has opened himself more to spending time with others, crowds, clamor, and noise are very much not his scene. He would usually prefer a much longer period of getting to know someone before considering becoming intimate with them. He will often be challenged by the Golden Peacock’s preference towards large-scale events (especially those that end in sex…) in this way… So, hopefully he adjusts quickly!
▶ MISTRUSTFUL: Though he has met many humans and arcanists that he would go so far as to call his “friends,” this has not solved the mistrust toward mortals that he has developed in his heart over hundreds of years. Men have often blamed his people for disasters they foresaw and came to attempt to protect them from; they have also tried to capture them to use them for their own selfish means. Though Getian has hesitantly begun to trust others, he may very well revert to instincts of mistrust or wariness when dealing with strangers.
VIRTUES:
▶ COMPASSIONATE: In Notes on Shuori, the event that Getian primarily features in, he repeatedly tells foreign visitors Bessmert and Yenisei that, as a Miemeng bird, he’s not meant to intervene or interfere, that he had not intended to leave his mountain for long, and that he plans to leave them behind immediately. He even goes so far as to describe himself as a yao—a dangerous, malicious demon—to temper their expectations of him. Still, he does all of these things while… well, remaining in Pei City, in rescuing them from trouble, and in helping them uncover the secrets which lie at the heart of the city’s problems. When erroneously cast as the villain, he accepted his fate, allowing soldiers to beat and bind him before locking him away in their prison. He could have fought back, but he chose not to; he is also powerful and adept enough to rather easily escape that jail later that night, once he’d decided it wouldn’t result in anyone getting hurt. Despite what he might say (to others or to himself), Getian is just as prone to the yearning in his heart toward humanity as the rest of his people were.
▶ INQUISITIVE: Getian, like all of his clan, is fascinated by the cultures and creations of people. His people believe that it is one’s purpose in life to collect as many experiences as they can so that they can be inscribed upon their bones; after their deaths, these bones are brought back to their ancestral home, where they can be read and learned from by others of their kind. This is less applicable now, given how he’s the last of them, but he still finds himself beset with curiosity for humans, their ways, their art, their music, and everything else about them.
▶ “GO WITH THE FLOW:” This virtue is actually not one that’s innate to Getian, but rather one that he has recently decided to take to heart. When preparing to leave Pei City and part ways with the friends that he had made there, Getian did a small divination for them and for himself. When reading the Hexagrams for his own future, he saw that he would need to “go with the flow,” and so he has done his best to control his natural instincts towards routine and solitude to instead open his life up to new places and new experiences.
SUIT REQUESTS: Getian personally chose a life of isolation for hundreds of years, watching as the numbers of his people dwindled away to just himself. Solitude still tends to be his instinct and “safe place,” so my plan with his suit is to utilize it to challenge him and push him to create bonds and get closer with others. Fortunately, Miemeng birds have a natural yearning in their hearts for just this, but he will still need a little bullying to push him out of his shell (pun not intended).
- DIAMONDS — This really feels like bullying this old man, but given how I very much doubt sex and sexuality has been at the forefront of his very long life at almost any point in it, I think he needs the help. The more direct pressure applied by the Diamonds suit to push him towards having sex will be helpful, given his reclusive and avoidant nature (which I already found myself combating in his few threads on the TDM). I also think having Diamonds as his suit could help add just a touch of flexibility with regards to what role he can play in sexual encounters—just because I believe he doesn’t have a dick normally doesn’t mean I don’t think it would be very funny to give him one temporarily and see how he tries to navigate that all of a sudden. These two choices pose very different challenges to Getian, and the one that Diamonds poses to him is that of physicality and intimacy: it will make him rapidly have to reassess how he thinks of himself in relation to others, especially given how he has tried to maintain a safe distance up until this point.
- HEARTS — If the first choice is challenging his perception of his body and intimacy, this one is challenging his emotions with the same. Getian is actually no stranger to yearning; it is innate to Miemeng birds to crave being part of the human world, even if such a thing will ultimately doom them to a mortal death. Hearts would magnify this and apply it to specific individuals, making him unable to resist or avoid the sway of his heart. I only rank this one beneath Diamonds because I believe it will less directly force him into smutty situations.
SAMPLES: TDM Top-Level #1 & TDM Top-Level #2