#about ru

Thinking about Ru and Christmas. She's never been fond of it, more so fond of the events leading up to it: The banquets, the balls, the glitz and glamour---but the only thing that made it special was Jasper. How he would make her the most delicate of cards with the sweetest of words or how Vincent would cook her favorite christmas pudding.

Small things, but yet every time she makes a christmas wish it never comes true: because she is stuck in this hell. This cage of gilded gold.

In our time, away from it all, she would find it lonely and even grow very depressed that she would sleep for days. She would forget to eat or to take care of herself: so deep in her sadness and loneliness that she would cry for hours. Being so alone, so cut off, its painful for someone like Ru who depends on others. Not just for emotional support, but to remind her who she is. She feels as if she is not real unless others recognize or engage.

Though she's tried to use her scrying mirror she kept with all these years (a gift from her adoptive mother) she just can't find them: any of them, but she found Simon. Thankfully Simon has not yet noticed her, or if he did then he would bide his time. I feel like she would get better about it: the holidays the longer she lives in our time. She'd decorate a fake tree, order a meal (as if she would ever cook. She'd end up poisoning herself ) and probably just listen to some soft jazz, but it's never the same. Ru as a whole is just a sweet, soft girl and she deserves all the happiness.

Whoo! This'll take a minute -- let's do this!

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

Carewyn, as better explained here, is a fusion of my mum and myself as kids!

Jacob, as better explained here, was inspired by the stories my mum used to tell me about her late brother!

Erik was inspired largely by a friend of mine from high school who had this very cherubic face and also the largest, sassiest potty mouth of all of my friends. His name was also inspired by two of my favorite Broadway characters -- Erik from The Phantom of the Opera and Enjolras from Les Miserables (affectionately called “Apollo” in the book).

Ana came about because I thought an INFP Gryffindor could be a really fun contrast, but personality-wise, she really took influence from both myself and my dad as kids, since my dad’s a Gryffindor and I’m an INFP.

Farid, as better explained here, was inspired by both Newt and Jacob from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Yugi Mutou from Yu-Gi-Oh.

Jackson, as better explained here, was inspired by historical stage magician Harry Houdini!

Bat, as better explained here, was inspired by Garrett Denali from Twilight and Sirius Black, as well as other “Lancer” type figures like Ron Weasley and Jounouchi Katsuya from Yu-Gi-Oh.

Ru was an evolution of an idea I’d developed much earlier on of a serial killer kelpie that transforms into various forms to eat people, but over time, they developed a love of photography and film that’s largely like my own for film and television, and in doing so developed a much more sympathetic motivation and personality. Their particular feeling of isolation and wanting to be part of this world they could only watch from afar is a feeling I’ve felt off-and-on for years and evoked both Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Ariel from The Little Mermaid, to me.

Ed’s brain spark largely came down to me thinking it’d be fun to have a 90′s style boy band (i.e. Backstreet Boys, N*SYNC, 98 Degrees) in the Potterverse around the time when Harry and crew were at school. Backstory-wise, I took inspiration from Severus Snape, Andromeda Black-Tonks, and both Sirius and Regulus Black, and obviously Ed’s a Slytherin like Snape, Andromeda, and Regulus...but personality-wise Ed actually ended up taking some inspiration from Anna from Frozen! In fact, one of the character themes I chose for him as a child is a deleted song from Frozen that was originally going to be sung by Anna called More Than Just a Spare.

Desiree came about largely because of the creation of Jules Aquila @kathrynalicemc. His spontaneous, fantasy-loving personality was just so likable (largely because of how in-tune I was with it myself!), so when I was working on a character that I thought could be a fun contrast for someone like Jules, I settled on using my late stepmum as inspiration. I’m a very right-brained, sensitive, imaginative person like Jules, while my stepmum as a girl was a very left-brained, soft-spoken, modest, scientific, nerdy overachiever the way Desiree is. Like Desi as well, my stepmum had to find freedom and happiness by breaking away from her family and home and starting a new life apart from them. Desiree also ended up gaining flickers of my mum (who has always been very sensible and organized and shares a personality type -- ISTJ -- with Desi), as well as Elsa from Frozen, Luisa from Encanto, and Tiana from The Princess and the Frog. Both Kath and I have also found amusement at how much Juliree resembles Aladdin/Jasmine from Aladdin, ship-wise, as well.

Eli was largely inspired by comic film actors Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, as well as Robin Williams and Fiyero from the musical Wicked. Like Robin did, Eli struggles with severe depression, but works hard to keep a smile on so as to make others happy, and like Fiyero, he was the sort to “tune in and drop out” at school from an academic perspective, but he’s actually a lot deeper emotionally than he seems from the outside. 

Bairn’s initial spark just came from me finding Brock O’Hurn and wanting to design a character that resembled him, honestly! 😂 I gotta thank @magical-retales for brainstorming a Renaissance-set storyline featuring Merlin, though...it was so much fun to take inspiration from different King Arthur storylines for Bairn’s character, like the Once and Future King series and Disney’s The Sword in the Stone. Bairn also took some cues from both Harry Potter and Charlie Weasley, being a Gryffindor orphan raised by uncaring Muggles with a longing for family and a love of nature and magical creatures!

I don't think I've gone over Ru's actual powers. So here we go!

**Please note this is for AU Ru (Such as Castlevania or any magic/fantasy universe), not FF14 Ru. Additionally normal Ru has these same powers and abilities as AU Ru, but they are not touched on and at best are rarely used at all outside of healing.**

Please click this link for FF14 Ru and how her abilities would work in fantasy settings outside of Eorzea.

Offense Attacks

Light Blade - Summons a blade of light that she wields in a way similar to a katana.

Needles - Summons tiny fragments of light that are thin and pointed. She tosses them like one tosses a frisbee, and they almost always land. She can summon multiples at a time and even surround herself with many tiny needles and shoot them outward like tiny bullets, devastating anything within her 5 foot radius (extending further requires more stamina). The attack has a good 65% to do critical damage.

Light Orbs - Orbs of light that will spawn around here opponents in groups of four, with very little room to move. The orbs will explode after a few seconds, so dodging them and seeing when they will appear is crucial. You can usually tell when it's about to happen because columns of light will soon surround you. Their radius of damage is 3 feet. At least 80% chance of doing critical damage. No limbs will be blown off, but holy light is, and of itself, very painful to be burned with even for a non dark creature/evil being.

Light whip - as it states, she summons a whip of light and uses it for long distance attacks. Helpful against night creatures and demons. Takes the least bit of energy to use.

Defensive Attacks

Shield - Ru will summon holy light to surround her, the radius being about a foot. She can hold the barrier for about a minute, so it's a very use when needed skill.

Regen - Ru can summon healing energy and create a barrier around a person. For about 20 seconds they'll recover energy and stamina and wounds, as long as they are shallow, will heal and if they are deep, will slow the bleeding.

Cure - Ru can summon a powerful amount of healing energy into a single shot that will heal most wounds. She can use this in succession when needed, but it does drain her a lot.

Hi there! Oh my gosh, this is such a wonderful question...thank you for sending it in!! 💚💚💚

Now let's see...let's go one at a time...

Carewyn Cromwell ~ Carewyn's greatest dream might be to become a truly great witch who has the power to help and inspire people, but more than anything, all she truly wants more than anything is to spend one more moment with the friends she's lost -- Tonks, Lupin, Dobby, Mad-Eye, Duncan, and more than anyone else, Rowan. If asked what she saw, Carewyn would lie through her teeth and say it was the first, but anyone who knew her well would know it wasn’t true. 

Jacob Cromwell ~ In a similar vein to Carewyn, Jacob's greatest wish is to travel the world and do great things, but at his heart, all he truly wishes is that Ashe was still with him and alive, so he could experience all of those amazing things with him. Jacob would probably go silent enough that anyone who knew him could pretty easily figure out what it is he sees without having to ask.

(My HPMA and HPHL kiddos under the cut!)

For the lovely Ru 💙

🧦 for a domestic headcanon

When Ru moved in with Estrid Soelberg @thatravenpuffwitch, the kelpie started sleeping in Estrid's bed that very first night, perfectly disinterested in the thought of how "an unmarried man and woman sleeping in the same bed would look." Estrid's bed looked comfortable and Ru wanted to be close to Estrid, so they plopped themselves in bed with her and fell asleep with their head on top of hers, end of discussion. Estrid was kind of flustered at the broach of boundaries at first and tried to argue the point, but she softened noticeably seeing just how quickly and peacefully Ru went off to sleep, their hand resting in her hair and cradling her head in the crook of their neck. Ru isn't a cuddler, exactly, but for the rest of their lives, they always like ending their day falling asleep next to Estrid, their first dreams accompanied by the quiet sound of her heartbeat.

🎻 for a music headcanon

Ru's favorite piece of music is Camille Saint-Saen's Dance Macabre. Violins and pianos in general, when played well, appeal to Ru's sensitive ears -- if they're played badly, Ru feels tempted to smack the musician in the face.

⛄ for a seasonal headcanon

Ru's favorite season is spring, especially during the rainy season. Not only do they love running around in the rain, but they love watching all of the flowers and trees burst back into bloom after a long winter.

😱 Is your OC easily scared? Do they get jumpy at little things? Do they avoid horror movies, spiders, haunted houses, etc.? Do they need someone to be with them cause they can't stand being in the house by themselves?

Jackson: Not really. Jacko prefers being with someone else instead of being alone, but that's largely because he is such a social being and kind of is fueled through his interactions with other people. He often feels drained and melancholy when he's alone. Even if he doesn't get easily spooked, he does try to side-step violence whenever he can, even if someone could label him a coward for running away from or dodging a fight.

Farid: Surprisingly, no! Farid may be a pacifist who's shy around other people and has difficulty asserting himself, but he's actually pretty damn brave when it comes to traditionally scary things. He doesn't gravitate toward horror movies because a lot of them involve violence and gore, both of which he really doesn't like, but he isn't really easily spooked. If anything, he would be the type to rescue spiders and put them outside and (upon learning ghosts are a thing in the Wizarding World) actively try to befriend them.

Ru: *snorts* This kiddo is the type to mess with other people around Halloween, all because they find the usual superstitions humans ascribe to completely ridiculous. I could see them totally enjoying classic horror movies and dissecting them from a film-making perspective with a perfectly fearless, methodical eye.

🦸 If your OC had any superpower in the world, what would it be, and why? Would they use their powers for good, benefiting others, or would they use it for evil, benefiting only themselves?

Jackson would want to teleport a la Nightcrawler! He loves Apparating. And he'd probably be something of a classical anti-hero, largely benefitting himself and his inner circle, but being willing to help others in need too.

Farid would love to shapeshift into different animals at will a la Beast Boy. He already is very attuned to animals, and he'd enjoy being able to fly around with Fawkes or climb trees as a monkey or carry one of his friends around on his back as a horse. And as much as he would have fun with his ability, he would definitely want to use it to help take care of the animals he works with too.

Ru would want the ability to control time, speeding it up or slowing it down at will...and hell no, they wouldn't be using it to "save the world" or anything: that'd take all the fun out of having that power in the first place. 😏

Whew! This is gonna take a while...

Carewyn Cromwell

Strength: Empathy. She's never had trouble putting herself in someone else's shoes.

Weakness: Perfectionism. Carey-bear has WAY too much trouble asking for help or even being open with others about how she feels, and because she's under the impression that she both can and therefore should meet her ridiculously high standards for herself, when she falls short, she berates herself endlessly.

Jacob Cromwell

Strength: Passion. For as brilliant of a mind as Jacob has, when he is behind something or someone, he's with them 150%. It makes him incredibly dedicated and knowledgeable about his diverse schools of interest as well as deeply loyal to the ones he loves.

Weakness: Rage. Jacob has never learned how to control his temper in a constructive manner, and so when he loses it, he goes off the friggin' deep end and can be shockingly violent in the name of protecting the ones he loves or in the heat of anger or grief.

Erik Apollo

Strength: Fearlessness. Erik is rarely afraid or intimidated, and even if he is afraid of something, he's brave enough to face it down without question or hesitation anyway.

Weakness: Pride. Erik doesn't handle disrespect or condescension gracefully -- he won't hesitate to either physically or verbally smack you around, if you do.

Anastasia "Ana" Read

Strength: Intelligence. Ana is a very worldly person despite her introverted nature, thanks to how many books she's read and how deeply she's studied multiple subjects.

Weakness: Romanticism. It took a very rude awakening right before her wedding to Charlie Copper to realize how much she'd idealized her absent father John Read her entire life, putting him up on a pedestal and blindly making excuses for him just because of how much she wanted him in her life.

Farid Sikander

Strength: Compassion. Farid strongly believes that no person or creature is inherently evil or undeserving of love and understanding, so he won't bat an eye before rushing to take care of someone else, whether they're some random stranger or a fire-breathing dragon.

Weakness: Pacifism. Farid forgives grievances committed against him way too easily, and it's made it so people have walked all over him in the past, knowing he'll accept any inconvenience they might put him through just to keep the peace.

Jackson Knightly

Strength: Natural charisma. Jackson has always been able to charm others, but it's not superficial or skin-deep -- it comes from his genuine understanding of what makes people tick and his sincere desire to see people happy. He's just a nice person to be around: amiable and outgoing, but sincere and respectful of others' feelings.

Weakness: Capriciousness. Jackson is ruled by his whims and prone to get swept up in his own flights of fancy and with his emotions, making him jump recklessly into decisions or even retaliate cruelly against those who have hurt the ones he loves.

Bartholomew "Bat" Varney / Robert Harker

Strength: Levelheadedness. For as much crap as Bat's had to endure, he always has been able to keep himself from lashing out at the world or drowning in self-pity, and he's always been able to find a way to be of use somehow, even when he only played second fiddle to someone else.

Weakness: Detachment. This guy has a lot of trouble expressing negative emotions and so -- rather than blaring it all out or venting it constructively -- he prefers to compartmentalize his feelings and put them up on a shelf rather than make decisions with them or worse, simply slink off to be by himself without a word rather than confront the issue straight-on.

Rudolph Ollivander

Strength: Lust for life. Ru is completely fascinated with the world around them and never fails to drink in every little minor joy there is.

Oh my GOD, do I adore this question!! 🥰 Okay — let’s see…

💜 Carewyn Cromwell ~ Pomefiore 

Oh, come on -- you CANNOT tell me that Carewyn wouldn’t fit in with the likes of Vil Schoenheit. Style-conscious, perfectionistic, artistic, sophisticated, and poised -- that is both Carewyn and Pomefiore to a tee. 

💙 Jacob Cromwell ~ Ignihyde

Jacob Cromwell is a nerd to the nth degree, both when it comes to academics and his schools of interest, so I think of the dorms, he’d find the most kindred spirits in Ignihyde. His room would even look a lot like Idia’s -- stuffed with random stuff strewn all over with lots of posters on the walls and a half-made bed. 

💛 Erik Apollo ~ Savanaclaw

Erik is blunt and hard-working like Jack, but he’s also loyal and mischievous like Ruggie and resourceful and calculating like Leona. Erik’s also very much a “Wampus” personality who won’t hesitate to get his hands dirty and has a bit of a hot temper, and yet he’s ambitious enough in his goal of becoming one of the youngest Aurors in British history despite his Muggle-born heritage that he more than reflects the “tenacity” associated with this dorm. 

💖 Anastasia “Ana” Read ~ Heartslabyul

Ana, as a Gryffindor, I think would both ascribe to the “noblesse oblige” moral code of dormhead Riddle Rosehearts and be dreamy and intellectual enough to not mind some of the absolute ridiculousness of the dorm’s rules. Plus I reckon she’d love the aesthetic -- she loves Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland! 

🤎 Farid Sikander ~ Royal Sword Academy Ramshackle

Although personality-wise, I reckon Farid would fit best at Royal Sword Academy with people like Neige Leblanc, given what a total cinnamon roll he is...since he’s a Muggle at Hogwarts, Farid is already basically a “Yuu” type in a school full of magic kids! I could also 150% see him both adopting and becoming very attached to Grim. 

🧡 Jackson Knightly ~ Scarabia

Of the dorms, the two that seem the most social are Scarabia and Heartslabyul, and yet I think Heartslabyul would be much too strict for someone like Jackson, who’s always been rather non-conformist. Add on top of this that Jackson could do with learning from Scarabia’s values of planning ahead and being methodical about the future (especially considering he becomes Minister) and that he’s an adder Animagus when Scarabia has such a “snake”-like theme to its crest, I reckon this is a cool fit! (Even the Kalim/Jamil dynamic is kind of similar to Jackson’s with his BFF Adelia @thatravenpuffwitch, in the sense of Kalim and Jacko being the light-hearted and slightly irresponsible social butterfly and Jamil and Addy being the sensible ones who actually plan ahead and keep things running smoothly. 😂)

🖤 Bartholomew “Bat” Varney / Robert Harker ~ Octavinelle

While he’s a vampire, Bat bestows his knowledge onto those students who intrigue him enough with their interests for him to teach them. He also tends to feel best about himself when he’s able to be of service to other people. I think that really goes well with the supposed “compassion” of Octavinelle dorm, where you can get what you want if you “cross the bridge” and “pay the toll.” There’s also definitely an intellectual, academic bent toward this dorm that fits Bat really well too. 

💙 Ru Ollivander ~ Ignihyde 

Ignihyde largely comes back to integrating technology with magic, which is very much up Ru’s alley in their canon, since they apply Muggle cameras and techniques into how they develop magical photographs. It’s also one of the most reclusive dorms that doesn’t interact much with others, which kind of suits Ru too -- they’re not really the sort of person that’s easy to earn the trust of or befriend.