#wfw asks

Kurly and Curlie 23: How connected do they feel to their community and society?

Kurly does not feel connected at ALL. He feels like an ant in a termite colony, but he views this in a positive light. He's like an outsider or a thief who can do anything that he wants to. A cog rolling around the machine as it pleases, not being spun around by anybody else. Except maybe for Curlie, but he's okay with that.

Curlie feels sort of alienated, like an outsider. He was born and raised in a cave in secret, and even after integrating into society he often still feels like an outsider. He feels at home around Kurly, and when he visits his mother, but other than that he doesn't really feel like he fits.

26: How do their family and their relationship with them influence their perspective and the way they navigate life?

Kurly's family is dead to him, and he is dead to them. He was raised as a royal figure but rejected it at every possible opportunity. He fucking haaaates governments and governing figures and wants all of them to die. Corrupt power structures and the rule of the rich over the power makes him sick to his stomach.

Curlie still visits his mother sometimes, and on rare occasions his father. He was raised alone in a cave for a signifigant part of his childhood, with no one but his mother and occasionally his father. He doesn't actually care that much. Curlie is not prone to loneliness and he only hangs around others because it makes him happy to help others. He's a guy who is wired to pretty much only feel happy or concerned. He often has a desire to take someone who is hurt or weak and keep them safe, protected, away from the scary hurtful parts of the world. Paternal to the max.

29: What criteria do they use to assess others' character?

Kurly and Curlie are most likely to assess someone on how they treat others who are "beneath" them, or "weaker" than them.

And, just for fun, I'm going to add each of their respective parents. Connectedness to community/society?

Curlicue sees himself as an extremely important part of society. He's the personal advisor to one of the most influential royal figures of all time. He feels like a cog in the center of the machine, maybe even more important than Phoebos Henheart herself.

Purl sees herself as a woman of high esteem, an important royal figure, but more in the sense that a celebrity is. She feels like she is a cog in the machine but in more of a "you have no choice but to play your role" sort of way. If she had a choice she would rather be literally anything else, but she sees herself as helpless, so she makes the most of her role as the Royal Advisor's wife.

…Okay i dont actually have much about Curlie's dad (not even a name yet). He's kind of disjointed and aloof as a person, but beyond that I don't have a very solid basis. I'll get back to you on the subject

Azimuth feels about as separated from society as is physically possible. She's a relic from a bygone era and even THEN she felt alienated because she's an artificially created living weapon. Now she just feels like a passive observer, never getting involved in things. Other than falling in love with a normal mortal man and raising a child with him. That's about the extent of her involvement. Until Part 6 of War for Whimsy, that is. Family relationships influencing them?

Curlicue sees family as an inherent and inescapable fact of life. A series of chains and unbreakable debts. While Kurly is his child, he doesn't see it that way. Kurly broke the chain, so Kurly is no longer his child. He focuses on his wife and other family members, and goes out of his way to help him because he sees this as his moral obligation.

Purl sees family as an objectively unimportant and kind of meaningless thing, but in a societal way it's very important to her. She still sees Kurly as her wayward child who has strayed from the path and could be saved if they just allowed that to happen (I'm avoiding the use of the word daughter in reference to Kurly for personal comfort but Kurly's parents are both horrible transphobes about it).

Azimuth has never had a family before. She was created by splicing genetic material with magic, so she doesn't really have parents and has no idea where her genetic material came from. Her husband is more like a hobby, something she enjoys and has a lot of passion for, but Curlie is her own flesh and blood. He's very important to her, and has changed her life dramatically. What criteria do they use to judge others?

Curlicue judges someone on how they conduct themself and how it aligns with their lot in life, their purpose, and the things they have been given. Someone who maintains a lucky hand, or cultivates a bad one into a good one, is fine by him (generally speaking). But someone who fumbles a lucky hand or does nothing to improve a bad one deserves so.

Purl judges someone based on things like how they present themself, what parts they choose to show or hide. Though, she acknowledges that this is not a morally sound way to go about things, but doesn't believe there's any workable alternative in the society and world she finds herself in.

Humin, Daugue, Sandle, and Po'Boy/Toastie: 2: When someone says "this is [character name] coded", what comes to your mind? [character]-Coded Things/Images/Objects:

Humin-coded objects or images would be things that show maximalism, a lot of colors mixed together even if they don't match or mix well, a lot of things mixed together for both appearances and for function. A wall covered in shelves and paintings and posters, and the shelves are all packed with useful things but also trinkets and baubles. Humin would fucking LOOOOVE going shopping at thrift stores and antique shops if those were an established thing in the mother world (you can buy those things but it's usually just garage sales or a few stalls at markets. they don't really have stores)

Daugue-coded objects or things would be things that show minimalism and a bit of neglect. Most "depression bedrooms" have a lot of messes and dishes or laundry that need to be taken care of but Daugue is good at staying on top of that. Daugue-coded images would be like. A bedroom with one bed and one chair, with peeling wallpaper and a dusty floor. Sparse, but in less of a clean and organized way and more of a "I don't obtain anything for myself because I just don't care" kind of way. Things like precious photos scotch-taped to the wall, or a kitchen consisting of a sink, a fridge, and a hot plate. This is not really healthy and over the series Daugue gradually heals, filling out their living spaces a bit more, but it still stays relatively barren.

Sandle-coded objects or things would be a neatly organized room, everything perfectly arranged and cleaned and oftentimes labelled. Sandle doesn't do this for himself, as he really doesn't mind being in an unorganized or messy space, but he cares way too much about what other people think, and wants to present the most pristine and diligent self possible. Soulless beige and white furniture and objects, generic landscape/sunset photos hung in neat frames, the occasional motivational quote decoration if he's feeling frisky.

Po'Boy-coded objects or things would be a room that looks outwardly messy and disorganized, things strewn all over the place, containers open, objects away from their rightful places, but in a way that is internally organized and obeys a logic only Po'Boy understands. It's particularly curated to adhere to his personal views of "masculinity", and lacks anything he would think is "feminine" which includes basically anything related to hygiene, among other things.

I'm going to add Toastie to this, even though she's just Po'Boy post-transition, because pre-transition she covered her authentic self so heavily and modified her behaviors and interests and actions to appear "cool" and "masculine", and after transitioning she's much more authentic and stops hiding herself, so pre and post transition Toastie are two very different people. Toastie-coded objects or things would be a room equally messy as before, but in a more organically messy way. No old dishes or dirty laundry or anything like that, just a messy space. No longer curated towards any specific idea of gender because Toastie has long since dropped that weird and unhealthy mindset.

[character]-Coded Behaviors/Actions/Phrases:

Humin-coded actions are things like weaving logic and patterns together regarding words, behavior, and thought. Humin is very clever and would be excellent at comebacks and whitty remarks, though they might be a bit nervous to actually say them. Humin's great at thinking on their feet. They're also extremely romantic and polyamorous, and have a habit of developing feelings for a lot of people they're close with. They also love colors and nature and learning and things like that.

Daugue-coded actions are things like putting things together from ordinary objects and getting really creative with it. Making improvised tools and whatnot. Sort of like life hacks I guess. Also being very emotionally private and reserved.

Sandle-coded actions would be being anxious and self-conscious, while having a couple embarrassing hobbies and interests. Also being a big dork and nerd.

Po'Boy-coded actions would be trying to act tough and occasionally actually being tough. Being confrontational and aggressive for the sake of it.

i cant think of anything for toastie

7: How easily and frequently do they ask for help?

Humin is not the type to ask for help, it just wouldn't occur to them. If someone offers help, they might take it, but Humin's base instinct is always to figure out how a task works and do it themself. If you gave them a computer (which they've never seen or heard of before) they'd spend weeks figuring out how it works (keyboards and computer mice might be some of the hardest concepts for them to grasp, but the software itself wouldn't be THAT foreign) and not ask for help.

Daugue doesn't like to recieve help. They might ask for it if they REEEAAALLY need to, they just reeaally don't want to. If Daugue is given a task they can't do they might try to figure it out, or brute force it, or find another way to do it, usually improvising some combination of junk drawer items to try and get it figured out. Like combining a pen and zip ties and bottle caps and shit like that to try and make an improvised can opener, rather than asking someone else to open it for them.

Sandle is willing to ask for help all the time, but if it seems like someone might not give it to him, or might be upset or offended by the asking, he might find a roundabout way to do it.

Po'Boy never ever asks for help and he doesn't want it.

Toastie asks for help sometimes but she has to remember to do it.

20: Are they more inclined to give or take?

Humin is more inclined to give.

Daugue is more inclined to take.

Sandle is more inclined to give.

Po'Boy is more inclined to take.

Toastie is about a 50/50 chance whether she'll give or take.

29: What criteria do they use to assess others' character? I'm not super sure how to answer this one but I'll give it at try.

Humin is most likely to assess someone based on their willingness to learn new things, and their empathy towards others.

Daugue is most likely to assess someone based on their competence and awareness of others and the surroundings.

Sandle is most likely to assess someone based on how they behave towards others, and how they talk about themself.

Po'Boy is most likely to assess someone based on how threatening they are, or how emotional they seem.

Toastie is most likely to assess someone based on how they present themself and how they behave towards others.

53: How entitled do they feel to others' emotions, time or labor?

Humin does not feel very entitled to them at all.

Daugue feels slightly more entitled than Humin, but by default expects others not to give it to them.

Sandle doesn't think he's entitled to them at all.

Po'Boy acts like he's owed them.

1: Are they talkative? Irthe is pretty chatty. He enjoys small talk, and likes to talk about music- though the music collection on Vortex Island is a little lackluster. Music recording is a pretty new thing, and it isn't that often that trading ships bring much music with them when they go trade with the islands. Creare isn't very talkative. He usually speaks in fairly short sentences, and when he has to get a lot of information across he'll write it down on a piece of paper or use a chalkboard or something.

9: Are they good or bad at making handicrafts? Irthe and Creare are both extremely good at it. Irthe has trained himself to do it all- electronics, glass blowing, metalworking, pottery, you name it. Creare is also very good. He does delicate surgery and suturing for a living, every day for nearly 200 years.

10: Do they need their hands occupied a lot? If so, what do they do? Well, uh. Neither of them have hands. They both had their arms removed as part of the process of developing telekinetic powers. Creare uses the traditional mind powers, while Irthe uses electric lightning hands.

13: any food they avoid for reasons other than taste? Irthe hates potatoes. While they grow plenty of them on Vortex island, Irthe prefers other foodstuffs. Creare no longer eats solid food. His respiratory mask makes it difficult, so he created a system to deposit nutrients directly into his digestive system.

4: Do they have an accent or dialect? I imagine that they all have some kind of accent but I've never quite decided what that would be. I imagine that the North sounds sort of vaguely like Eastern Europe in terms of accents, while I don't really have anything in mind for the South- maybe something like America, Australia, or Aotearoa? I like Australian & Aotearoan accents, but I prefer the way rhotic accents sound compared to non-rhotic ones, so I'm really not sure. Kurly is from the North so he might have more of a Northern accent. Humin, Daugue, and Curlie were all pretty much raised around the mountains between the continents, so they'd probably have accents that were more of a mixture. Curlie might have something more like a Northern accent, and Daugue might have something a little more Southern, but with some kind of twist or difference, since they're from the Miacids, who were very isolationist. so to recap: Humin - either an American accent of some kind, or something like an Australian or Aotearoan accent Daugue - like Humin's, but different in some way Kurly - something vaguely like an Eastern European accent Curlie - something like a vague cross between Kurly and Humin's accents

8: Do they draw/paint a lot? Humin likes to draw for fun every now and then. Daugue draws sometimes, but just scribbles or doodles. Kurly doesn't draw much, but sometimes if he's really bored. Curlie likes to draw regularly. Humin and Curlie are the most likely to try painting.

11: What's their favorite food/least favorite food? Humin really likes fried sweet potatoes and hates molluscs as food (squids/octopi/snails/etc). Daugue really likes fried chicken and refuses to eat anything that has touched mushrooms or peas or has them in it. Kurly loves noodles and pasta (especially mac n cheese) and HATES soup. Curlie really likes fried rice, and he really dislikes peaches and apricots.

3: Do they have unusual speech patterns? The Duke doesn't speak very often but when he does it's planned, calm, and calculated. He cares very much about the way he appears, despite not appearing much at all. When he's mad he started fumbling over his words and hissing his words. Toastie speaks very informally and uses a lot of curse words, filler words, and very relaxed grammar. She also has a catchphrase of sorts, "fuck ya life", which she mutters to herself frequently (mostly when she's annoyed).

8: Do they draw/paint a lot? The Duke occasionally draws, but it's all technical blueprints and schematics. As a hobby. There aren't very many hidden trapdoor designers in the mother world. Toastie draws sometimes, when she's bored. Moreso when she had her Aura power. Once she gets Aura Encore (her lightning power) she starts doing it more again, but not quite as often.

17: Are they good at cooking? The Duke is very good at it. He's been making all his own meals from scratch since he was a teenager. Sometimes he'll order food from a restaurant just to study it and recreate it himself, but never eating it. He doesn't trust food made by someone else, especially someone he doesn't know and might be trying to poison him. Toastie has prepared many a packed lunch, and has often helped her dad cook dinner. She grew up in a household of 7, and once she got her Aura powers she was one of only 2 people in that household who had hands. So she had to help out a lot.

I'm gonna throw Humin and Prima Thaumaturge in as a bonus!

1: Are they talkative?

Humin starts out pretty reserved but becomes very talkative.

Prima used to be quite dramatic and talkative but has calmed down substantially and only occasionally comments on things to give a cryptic or sarcastic remark.

Riptide is pretty chatty. Sometimes she makes small talk with people she's about to kill.

The Allwitch likes to boast, rant, and make jabs.

9: Are they good or bad at making handicrafts?

Prima is excellent at most of them after much practice.

Riptide is so-so at most handicrafts.

The Allwitch is very good and getting better.

13: any food they avoid for reasons other than taste?

Humin doesn't like any seafood other than fish. It's just gross.

Prima Thaumaturge will not eat citrus fruits.

Riptide thinks beef tastes funny.

The Allwitch hates lemons and oranges.

14: How are their table manners?

Prima Thaumaturge has picture perfect manners for the love of the game. They don't actually care about manners, they just find it fun to adhere to arbitrary rules in this specific context.

Riptide knows nothing of table manners and could not care less. She eats most food with her bare hands and doesn't always sit at the table when she has a meal.

The Allwitch doesn't really care but has started to get a kick out of showing good manners for fun.

5: Do they like to sing? Are they good at it?

The Duke does not sing. He doesn't hate it or anything, he just doesn't see a reason for it.

Sandle cannot sing for the life of him and he's very self-conscious about it.

Showchyme has always been very bad at singing.

10: Do they need their hands occupied a lot? If so, what do they do?

The Duke finds it easiest to calm himself down by doing something with his hands: installing another hidden trapdoor or secret bookshelf door in his fortress over the course of a weekend, writing another list of A-Z plans for some nightmare scenario he might encounter one day, writing a convoluted array of instructions to contactlessly deliver to some underling who's never seen his face before so they can distribute instructions and commands to those on his payroll, things like that.

Sandle needs his hands to be occupied. He does a lot of fiddling and playing with the buttons on his shirt, or his hair, or his scales. Or a pencil, suturing needle, stuff like that.

Showchyme does not need to have their hands busy. Sometimes it likes to do so anyway when it's bored. Scratching furniture or playing with household objects.

16: Do they prefer to eat alone or with company?

The Duke prefers to eat alone. He prepares all his own meals from scratch. He has a garden but it's a mile from his fortress and he's only been there twice in his life. He pays random workers who've never met him to tend to it, and drop the produce off at his front door. He has a detailed notebook he wrote on how to check for poison and rotten food and things like that. He listens to classical music on low volume while he eats alone in one of his dining rooms (he has multiple dining rooms in case someone tries to guess where he'll be so they can sneak attack him).

Sandle prefers to eat with others. In 927 (before WfW) that's his parents and sibling. In 940 (after WfW) he eats with Showchyme and sometimes his sibling.

Showchyme does not care. It's used to eating alone but will ignore others when eating.

18: Morning person or night owl?

The Duke sleeps from 3 AM to 7 AM every day. So both, kind of.

Sandle is a night owl. He prefers to stay up really really late.

humin, daugue, and sandle: 3, 9, 14 ^.^ 3 Do they have unusual speech patterns? I'm not exactly sure what this means? or like. how to answer this. but I'll try Humin sometimes says something and then immediately follows it up with a fast-paced explanatory paragraph detailing out exactly what they mean to avoid confusion. Daugue's speech is deliberate and thought-out, and they'll often leave things out on purpose. Sandle stumbles over his words a lot, tends to ramble, and will often use big or technical words without explaining them (unless prompted)

9 Are they good or bad at making handicrafts? Humin would want to be good at a whole bunch of them, but would kind of fail at most of them. They'd be really good at things like crochet, weaving, knitting, detailed drawings, and things like that which require small and intricate details. Daugue is really good at throwing things together haphazardly in a way that works. MacGyvering it, in a way. They're skilled at creating makeshift items out of whatever junk is available. Sandle is very good at detail work due to a loooooot of practice (he had to put in much more work towards this than anyone else because his hands are naturally clunky and imprecise and he's training to be a surgeon).

14 How are their table manners? Humin knows nothing about table manners and just eats in the most convenient way possible, since they spent much of their childhood having dinner on trading ships with the sort of people who'd become pirates if the going got tough. Daugue grew up being taught manners but they could not care less anymore. They still have a few habits left over that aren't enough energy for them to care about stopping, though. Sandle goes out of his way to be very polite when eating with others, but if they don't care then he loosens up about it.