#character focus

Liam could feel the bass shaking the floor as he stepped into the packed living room. The air smelled of beer, sweat, and the faintest trace of cologne. It was supposed to be just another weekend party—drinks, music, and harmless dares. But as soon as he saw Mason smirk from across the room, he knew he was in trouble.

Mason had a sharp eye for humiliation and a mischievous streak that everyone knew too well. He had noticed earlier in the night—when Liam had bent down to grab a drink—that his underwear wasn’t just underwear. It was bright, cartoonish, and impossible not to laugh at.

“Yo, Liam!” Mason shouted over the music, grinning like a fox. “Show everyone what you’re rocking under those jeans!”

Liam froze, half-laughing, half-panicking. “Dude, shut up.”

But Mason wasn’t letting him off easy. He pounced when Liam least expected it. The crowd noticed, cheering him on as Mason and two others grabbed Liam’s arms and yanked his shirt off.

“Wait, wait—don’t—” Liam pleaded, but the cheers grew louder.

In a matter of seconds, his jeans followed. Liam stood there in the middle of the living room, heart pounding, wearing only his bright yellow Transformers briefs. The room erupted in laughter and applause.

“Oh my god!” someone yelled from the back. “Are those Bumblebee briefs?”

Mason raised Liam’s discarded jeans above his head like a trophy. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he declared, “the life of the party!”

Liam’s face burned as he tried to cover himself, but Mason grabbed his wrists and held them behind his back just enough to keep him exposed. The cameras were out now, phones flashing.

Inside, Liam was torn between fury and an odd rush of adrenaline. They’re all staring at me. Oh god, they’re actually cheering. I should be mad… but maybe this isn’t the worst thing ever?

“Alright, alright,” Mason finally said, loosening his grip but still grinning. “Let’s get him a drink—he earned it!”

character trait focus: eddie diaz 911 s2 thru 7 -> put those eyes away before they hurt somebody!

this set goes hand in hand with my 'loose lips sink (friend)ships' wip

For those of you who were looking for a summary of the story so far (looking at you @sim-novels and maybe @toadifylackoffantasy)...

I've remembered the Character Focus I did last year, which are actually summaries in themselves, but from the point of view of a specific character. It's not as thorough as a full integrated summary, but it is a good overview and gives a glimpse on many other characters' lives and motives.

Anh's Character Focus:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Chikage's Character Focus

Romeo's Character Focus:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Carmen's Character Focus:

Part I

Part II

Unit type: Dark Mage of Tzeentch

Rank: Shortseer (rank hierarchy ambiguous and non-uniform; possibly a jest)

Species: Unicorn

Psyker rank: Zeta

Cult: Tzeentch

Tactical specialty: Combat caster

Shifty Sights is one of the Dark Mages of Tzeentch, a warband of pony sorcerers that have taken up worship of Tzeentch. Tzeentch is the Chaos god of sorcery as well as change and deception, and like all Chaos gods he struggles to touch Equestrian minds and souls. As of yet his only pony followers are unicorns who willingly gave themselves to him for a promise of great arcane power, which is generally not something most Equestrians are desperate to have. Even these eldritch warriors are quite difficult to contact, as their normal spellcasting does not offer Tzeentch a way into their minds and he cannot enter their thoughts or dreams without some kind of psionic anchor in the material realm.

As one might expect, there is a great deal of mystery around these cult soldiers. No one in the fleet command knows who their organization leadership is or if they’re training new Dark Mages. Even the actual total number of Dark Mages is frustratingly inconstant, with names vanishing from the registrars, changing status, or being assigned to phantom missions that nobody approved. At times Dark Mages are even declared dead and their history archived in the data-looms, only for that information to later vanish and the name appear on another deployment roster. The Iron Warriors would not tolerate such shoddy organization under their direct command, but Princess Luna has thankfully(?) shown much more flexibility (or at least much less concern for detail).

One thing that IS well-known about the Dark Mages is that their initiation rite requires they sacrifice their eyes to Tzeentch in what one can only imagine is a gruesome and terrifying self-mutilation ritual. All Dark Mages are blind, and med-auspex scans confirm that their sockets have been burned clean down to the bone of the orbit. This specific form of willful mutilation is identical across the entire class of sorcerers; although the Dark Mages will not divulge much of the initiation rite, Hierophant Mantis suspects some manner of standardized pact has been negotiated on behalf of the sorcerous warriors and enforced on each of them when taking their mark.

In return for their sight, a Dark Mage can expect several boons, the least of which is a magically attuned radar to give them basic spatial awareness. While inferior to sight in range and fine detail perception (along with less fine detail perception such as that of color), this radar renders illusions and camouflage useless against them. Unfortunately it has also resulted in several embarrassing incidents, as their unique senses mean they have extreme difficulty reading or interacting with signs, screens, or hololiths.

Shifty explains little of her own history with the cult, but has divulged that her first and pivotal meeting with Tzeentch came in a dream, several nights after she purchased a bizarre glass pyramid from a mysterious human trader. The creature she met at the time offered a warning of an attack by an lethal but dim-witted menace the very next day, but offered no further details. The next morning Shifty managed to evacuate her village to the hills just before a mob of Ork bikers blasted through the settlement at blistering speed, shooting up the walls of their empty homes and looting a few shops before they got bored and left. Having saved the village with the help of the mysterious advice, Shifty sought out the creature once more in her dreams. It showed up, but unfortunately (at least from her perspective), Princess Luna ALSO appeared and immediately drove it off before it could say anything useful. Twice more this happened, until finally Luna spent an evening asleep or indisposed. It was then that she finally learned of the power that the creature – Tzeentch, Chaos God of Change – could offer her, and the price that would be exacted for this boon.

Shifty Sights gave her eyes and promised her soul to her unholy patron, and she was transformed.

Shifty Sights wears a magic cloak and hood for ease of movement and arcane protection. The cloak can be moved and hardened with a thought to become firm and hard as steel, deflecting most melee attacks and small-arms fire. A few millimeters of steel is unfortunately often insufficient protection against the weaponry of the 41st millennium, and while its protective strength can be improved, Shifty prefers other defensive measures. Her tail has mutated, lengthening and shedding its hair, and she grafted an adamantium blade to the spike of bone that emerged at the end. Her legs and torso are wrapped in bandages that tend to bulge and writhe when she is in combat, obscuring the minor mutations that often sprout from her flesh before she can take the time to stabilize it and banish them. Finally there’s her enchanted amulet: the storm crystal. The name is quite descriptive.

Shifty Sights possesses an advanced sense of precognition and has developed (or been gifted) sufficient awareness to use it in the bedlam of warfare. Her mind is almost always processing the future, even when she’s alone and at rest. These visions are highly accurate in their prediction of the immediate future, and become far less reliable and sensible the further in the future she looks. As a result she’s able to dodge the strikes of warriors much faster and more skilled than she is, but if you ask her about your wedding day she’s probably going to see a horrifying (and highly unlikely) vision of the groom being tossed into a volcano. The nature of her precognition is also affected by proximity to certain objects and creatures, like Warp engines or Chrysalis, splitting the future into a kaleidoscope of immediate possibilities that all seem equally likely, and overwhelming her temporal senses. When her future sight becomes useless in this way it instead becomes a terrifying distraction, smothering her thoughts and driving her to inaction.

Shifty is quite proud of her precognition despite these flaws, and frequently uses it for petty purposes like predicting others’ sentences and answering their questions before they speak. Other people tend to find this EXTREMELY annoying, and given her inability to tell the distant future they often dismiss her abilities as a worthless parlor trick.

In combat, however, Shifty Sights is a terror, and unlike many other sorcerous ponies her abilities are well-understood. She is capable of a very rapid short-range teleport called a Blink, allowing her to evade gunfire and close with any enemy with ease. Her storm crystal delivers lightning blasts comparable to plasma shots, and can dispense them as whips, arrows, arcing missiles, or devastating bombs. She possesses an array of other combat spells, from illusory copies to accompany her teleports, coruscating flame-shaping, and paralyzing glyphs, but her first and - usually only - strategy is fast teleports and lightning blasts. When pressed she can also break fully through the veil of protection unicorns enjoy from the Warp, absorbing a degree of power that threatens to swallow her soul and unmake her body. This is obviously very dangerous for a caster who has never seriously dealt with the threat of the Empyrean, but not nearly as dangerous as it is for her enemies as her pyskant power rises substantially and allows her to unleash a whole other tier of magic.

One would probably expect a Dark Mage to be aloof, studious, and narcissistic, and Shifty tries to act the stereotype, but she is not any of those things. Despite having more magic strength than normal and a dark, mysterious (and unpopular) religion, she has little care for labyrinthine plots or arcane pursuits beyond what is necessary for her to succeed at a given moment. Although many find her behavior and ego aggravating, she is also quite affectionate and helpful to those who tolerate her. She also loves games, although she has a tendency to cheat.

Like many of the Company’s most powerful mares, Shifty Sights is single, and struggles to find sufficiently open-minded stallions for potential partners. Aside from her mutations and personality, she also suffers the unique temptation to look far forward in time to study her relationship. Inevitably she witnesses something traumatic or infuriating, like her partner betraying her or dying in a bloody ritual, and despite knowing the vision is extremely unlikely it always affects her relationship anyway.

Like so many other of Tzeentch’s sorcerers, she is arguably her own worst enemy.

Character focus: Wanderer

Wholesome angst? (I'm not sure what qualifies this)

One day, you were walking through the streets of Sumeru city, you were doing some clothes shopping, while it's true you already had the finest clothes in Teyvat, those are mostly for public image and not very easy to move in, so you're looking for traveling clothes as your duties require frequent traveling, not only amongst nations but villages as well. You were about to enter the tailor shop when you noticed a familiar figure.

(Y/N): Is that?

The figure was a boy with blue hair and quit the unforgettable hat, the Wanderer. Upon seeing him, you rush over with haste.

(Y/N): HEY!

The Wanderer jumped at the sound of your voice. You can't see his face, but given the sound he made, you can't help but imagine that he's wincing. It's not an unexpected reaction given his opinion of the gods. He turns to face you with a scornful look.

Wanderer: Oh, it's you.

(Y/N): I take it you're not too thrilled to see me.

Wanderer:(shaking his head.) It was inevitable. Lesser lord Kusanali would have brought me to meet you eventually. I take it you have something to discuss?

(Y/N): Yeah, given you also have a disdain for people as well, I imagine you're here doing something for Nahida, so I'll try to make this quick, but is it okay if we relocate?

Wanderer: Is it scandalous?

(Y/N): No, it's more for your sake.

The Wanderer agrees, and you two move to a field outside the city.

Wander: Alright, now what did you want to discuss?

(Y/N): About your name, the one I gave you. Do you like it?

Wanderer: What?

(Y/N): Do you li...

Wanderer: I heard you the first time. This is the name given to me, so why would it matter if I liked it or not?

(Y/N): Because it's yours.

The Wanderer seemed confused by this.

Wanderer: Human parents give their children names all the time, and they never raise this question.

(Y/N): That's because the children have neither the voice or the intellect to argue, and by the time they do, that's all they've ever been called so many don't see the point in it. You, however, have always had a voice and the intelligence to state your claim, not to mention you've also gone by many names in the past, so discarding another one should be no issue.

Wanderer: Even if I didn't like it, what would you do?

(Y/N): I could throw a few suggestions your way, but it would ultimately be your choice.

Your words seemed to shock the wanderer.

The wanderer: My choice?

He began thinking back. All he's ever known was orders. Orders from Ei on how to behave and act, orders to leave when the Shogun was made, orders to kill from the Fatui, even now he takes orders from Nahida, and the only choices he's ever made in the past he had to make himself, no one's ever given him a choice before. The more the wanderer thought about it, the more his eyes began to fog up, until he was snapped from his thoughts by your voice.

(Y/N): Well, do you like it?

Your voice was gentle, not a hint of malice behind it. That's when he realized this was no ruse but genuine concern, and there was no more holding back the tears after that realization.

The wanderer: I...I have no complaints.

(Y/N): Then I'll call you (W/N) from now on.

After the conversation was done, you began comforting the now sobbing (W/N) until the tears stopped. The two of you were about to go your separate ways when (W/N) spoke up.

(W/N): One more thing, when you said relocating was for my sake, did you know how I'd react?

(Y/N): No, I just thought if word got out that you got your name from the creator, it would cause you quite the headache.

(W/N) couldn't help but chuckle at this statement, all the while knowing just how true it is. With that, the two of you say farewell and finish up your respective business. When (W/N) gets home, he is greeted by Nahida.

Nahida: Ah, welcome back, so anything interesting happen today?

(W/N) narrowed his eyes, seeming skeptical of the archon standing before him.

(W/N): You were spying on me, weren't you? You know I hate that.

Nahida: Oh, and would you have told me about your interesting conversation with their grace if I hadn't?

(W/N) merely looks away and heads for the kitchen to make something to eat. While not strictly necessary for puppets, Nahida said it was good to indulge every once in a while. When he returned, he found Nahida waiting, seemingly in anticipation.

Nahida: So, what do you think of them after having met them?

(W/N) pondered for a moment.

(W/N): I still detest gods, but they are tolerable.

Nahida smiled at this statement. He seems better at communicating his emotions after meeting you as well. After that day, he started introducing himself as (W/N), even going through the trouble to reintroduce himself to his classmates and doing the proper paperwork to legally change his name. After all, why wouldn't he? It is his name, his choice, and he's proud of that fact.

____________________

Hey thank you Nonny! :D

Hmmm. Always a challenge to pic favorites. xD I shall do my best.

In no particular order:

Brothers In Arms--I remain very happy with all the relationships that developed in this story, both platonic and romantic. It was satisfying on a deep level to allow Max Veers and Firmus Piett to become friends when they were both at the Academy and see how their lives developed from there. Add in Max meeting his wife and Piett being his wingman, as well as two senior officer OCs I made that were hilarious and a shade of things to come for our heroes. This story naturally contains angst because it's me, but it's also very strong in depicting found family and what matters in life.

2. Rebellions Are Built On Hope---I have loved developing a father-daughter relationship between Leia and Piett in my main series--Empire Reimagined. In this AU I decided to go full bore and let Piett adopt Leia when she was eight. It changed SO MANY dynamics in interesting ways, not least of which was meeting Veers when the General was wounded and subsequently captured by Rebel Captain Piett at Hoth. At its core though---it was a wonderful time exploring how Dad coded our Admiral is and I loved doing that.