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#i want her to start off as a werebear but if she does the companion questline it might fuck it up
extervus · 2 years
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Sorry to Skyrim OC post in 2022 [<- not actually sorry] but I'm starting a new character and this one is gonna be a Skaal-born Nord Werebear hunter (as in, she is a werebear who is also a hunter. She doesn't hunt werebears). Her whole deal is that she's trying to embrace her Skaal roots (she was adopted and raised by a Dunmer and Imperial couple outside of Solstheim after her birth parents died) by becoming a great hunter. And of course she's a werebear so that's another reason she really likes to hunt. She's also gonna be a master at illusion magic because her Dunmer father had her go to magic school when she was young so she uses that to aide and hone her hunting skills. No she doesn't consider it cheating. At some point she's gonna join the Dark Brotherhood because her Imperial father had ties to them so they caught wind of her marksman and illusion skills and reached out to her. Her name is Vibeke :)
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nuclear-reactions · 6 years
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Hi! I love your writing so much! I don't know if I submitted this ask. So sorry if I did and forgot. Given Shaun somehow is able to "age" or progress as a person, could you write the different kinds of childhoods he'd have and what type of person he'd become based on the companion Sole raises him with. (And could I pretty please have a bonus where he's raised a little by everyone?)
(Thank you! Andyou’re fine, as long as you don’t spam me with a bunch of requestsyou don’t have to worry about resubmitting the occasional ask.Dogmeat and Codsworth excluded in the solo reactions)
It takes a villageto raise a child; Sole and their compatriots take this phrase maybe atad literally. On the bright side, Shaun has a deep, deep pool ofaunts and uncles to draw knowledge from on subjects he isn’t familiarwith. Danse and MacCready often fight over who should teach him toshoot (“I can hit a bloatfly from two miles out, I think I canteach a kid how to handle a gun.” “If he doesn’t plan on scoutingout sniper nests for a hour before every altercation, he’ll learnfrom me!”). Strong is the cause of his first broken bone when Shauntries to have an arm wrestling match. Curie is the one to set it andscold Strong. Cait and Hancock sneak him his first tastes of alcohol,each thinking they’re the only ones who do so. Cait in particular,after an intense round of day drinking, gives him an impromptu sex edlesson, and it’s an almost too honest -and descriptive- answer toShaun’s question of what sex was, not to mention quite different thanthe diagrams Curie showed him on reproductive organs. Piper isundoubtedly his best aunt, or at least, the closest thing to awell-rounded adult figure in his life. She’s usually the one he comesto with problems, and also dispels many of the myths Deacon handsdown (“No, you do not become a werebear if you eat charred yao guaimeat.”) Nick is more of the grandfather that knows card tricks.Codsworth is Codsworth, remaining the same mildly overbearing nannybot he’s always been. Preston never really gets the hang of him. Hetreats him a lot younger, being unsure what kids Shaun’s age are “into”. X6 isn’t the most helpful when it comes to rearing kids, andShaun only really turns to him when he wants brutal honesty.
Between the lot ofthem, Shaun ends up fairly well-rounded, with an…eclectic set ofskills, to say the least. He’s taught a little of everything. When itcomes time for him to leave the settlement, he leaves on dozens ofhandshakes and more than a few proud tears.
Danse- With Danse, he is groomed intothe picture of an army brat. It goes without saying that hisupbringing is strict, sometimes even a little harsh, but loving andfull of happy memories as well. Danse is not entirely warm, but then,he’s not entirely cold either. Sole never lets Danse treat Shaun toomuch like a Brotherhood initiate. They have to remind him now andthen that they’re not going to shoehorn their son into a militarycareer when he’s instructing him on the meticulous way a soldiershould make his bed in the mornings. He does learn a lot onmaintaining power armor and firearms, and leans more into becoming amechanic when he starts working. That, or following his father’sfootsteps into the Brotherhood (though he’s not popular, consideringDanse’s history with them). Making his father proud is tantamount inShaun’s mind, he pursues any life that would do just that. Danseraises him to be brave in the face of doubt, do what feels right, andto never let others decide your fate.
Hancock- Despitehis laz a fair approach to his own life, he does try to set Shaun ona better path than the one he ended up going down. He cleans up alittle, weans himself from the harder chems, and if he does keep afew habits, he doesn’t do them around the kid. He’s very much the “goask Sole” type of father, and Shaun gets away with a lot aroundhim. Just enough to be considered a mischievous kid and not adelinquent. He gets his first taste of beer early, his ownswitchblade, his own tricorn hat when he’s old enough it doesn’tslough off to one side of his head. Shaun adopts a lot of Hancock’svirtues, his self-confidence, loyalty, leadership skills, charm, butis taught to avoid many of his vices (which is mostly Sole’s doing).If he doesn’t end up taking up Hancock’s mantle of mayor, he likelyends up leader of a group like the Minutemen, leaving a string ofbroken hearts along the way of whatever path he treads. He’s acharmer, quick witted, and is taught to use his head above all- whichalso consists of keeping it clean. He doesn’t take up the casual chemuse that Hancock suffers from.
Deacon- Littlewhite lies are all Shaun is really allowed, yet he makes the best ofthem, and he develops a good poker face early on. Deacon is morehonest with Sole than anyone else, but first and foremost, he is apathological liar, prone to wild stories, and Shaun adopts that alittle too well. He impresses his school mates with all the storiesof his heroism, like the time he took down a radstag single-handed with nothing but a hunting knife. His tall tales either earn him agullible flock of followers or a beating from the kids smart enoughto see through his bravado. But he doesn’t just learn lying fromDeacon- he also learns compassion, fighting for what you think isright, protecting the people who are most vulnerable. And he is thesingle hardest kid to trick. He sees through deception just as easilyas he carries it out, so he quickly unravels most of the stories kidsget told (Sole has a nightmare of a time trying to convince him ofSanta Claus). His tendency towards “exaggeration” places him inthe position of a salesman later in life, hyping up his wares justenough that they seem shiny and appealing. If not that, then he’dfind himself with the Railroad, helping in whatever cause they followwhen the Institute is gone. Learning from Deacon’s mistakes, hebecomes an honest liar, easy going, and fights for the marginalized.
Piper- Havingmostly raised her little sister on her own, Piper sidles prettyeasily into the role of a mother, and his childhood is earnestlyclose to “normal” with her and Sole as parents. As normal asthings ever really got in the Commonwealth. He does, however, getinto scrapes in search of stories for Piper to cover. Being aninvestigative journalist is on par with being a spy in his mind-keeping your eyes and ears open, finding contacts, meeting in secret.He mostly grows out of this, but Piper still instills in him a loveof the written word and a desire to educate the Wastes on thingsbeyond the farms and cities they relegate themselves to. He takes totraveling at a young age, writing of his experiences in theCommonwealth and eventually, the rest of the ruins of the UnitedStates. If he doesn’t become a writer, he likely goes into lawenforcement, making sure (like Piper always taught him) that justicecomes to those who wrong others. He’s as silver tongued,compassionate, and as worldly as the woman who helps raise him.
Curie- She’slearning how to act human as much as Shaun is, so she mostly goeswith whatever Sole says when it comes to raising him. They knowbetter than she would; despite knowing how to keep kids healthy, shehad little experience with their emotional needs. Still, she does herbest. She reads him stories, partakes in nightly rituals like tuckinghim in and humming him to sleep, and when he’s too old for all that,she giddily encourages him in his studies. He learns more from herthan anything taught in school. She teaches him not only how to treatdisease, but passes on a genuine compassion and desire to help, tolearn, to make the Wastes a little better in some small capacity.When the time comes for him to strike out on his own, he travelsfurther than Curie ever has in search of knowledge, and exchanges theknowledge he brought from the Commowealth. He saves lives, being akind and caring figure all the while. He becomes everything Fathercould have been before he was twisted by the Institute.
Nick- Having arobot detective as a father is probably the coolest thing a childcould experience, and Shaun is in near constant awe of Nick. Nickhimself takes easily to being a dad and enjoys it. Shaun is his son,and really, with them both being synths cast from similar molds, itnever once felt like he wasn’t family. Having someone he could passthings on to… it was more than Nick had ever really hoped for. Hespends much of his childhood in the glow of the heart-shaped signoutside Valentine’s Detective Agency, reading through old case files,picking over evidence from new case files, and each case is a puzzlefor him to piece together. He grows up sharp and inquisitive, eagleeyed with a nose for lies. He also learns as much about synth’s innerworkings as he does humans. Nick needs the occasional tuneup whenSole isn’t around, so he helps now and then with the screws andpanels he can’t reach on his own. With this knowledge, if he doesn’tend up taking over the agency, he goes out to help runaway synthsstill wandering the Commonwealth, confused and with heads full ofmemories that aren’t their own. He grows to be perceptive, a naturalproblem solver, and sets the wrong things right wherever he goes.
Cait- Her biggestfear, besides sliding back into old habits, is becoming her parents.She does her damn best to be a good parent almost entirely out ofspite. Shaun is absolutely spoiled rotten. If Sole won’t give himsomething, he asks Caits, and nine times out of ten he gets what hewants. She’s as short tempered as she’s always been, yet for him, shekeeps it together. For him, she does better. She’s also wildlyprotective, and unsurprisingly, teaches him most problems can besolved with his fists. He’s reared knowing how to stick up forhimself, and the two of them spar a few times a week until he’s oldand skilled enough to actually beat her in a fight. By the time he’sready to leave home, there is no doubt in anyone’s minds that he’sbeen raised to take care of himself, whatever is thrown at him.Strength and fighting skills usually don’t amount to much more thanfalling in with a gang of raiders, but Shaun knows that’s not thelife either of his parents want, and the thrashing he would get ifCait knew he even considered it, so he goes into work as a bountyhunter, a body guard; anything that lets him both use his skills andsleep with an easy conscience. He’s a little wilder, a little louder,and grows up to be a fighter.
MacCready- Havingsome experience raising kids, he takes in Shaun without secondthought. Duncan has a big brother when he arrives in theCommonwealth, the two of them taking to each other almost right away.There’s hardly a day they’re separated, playing catch and shooting BBguns with their father. Shaun is protective and immensely proud ofhis younger sibling, and MacCready can finally loosen the tight griphe’d kept on his youngest son. He still keeps a watchful eye over thetwo of them, but he feels like, finally, there was someone he trustedimplicitly to keep Duncan safe. Of course, the more he gains, themore he fears losing, and he can sometimes be a bit harsh if eitherone of them do something dangerous. He couldn’t take losing them.This drives Shaun to leave at a fairly young age, learningMacCready’s stubbornness and the bravado of his youth, and Duncan isquick to follow. The two, having been taught to shoot guns beforethey could read (as well as stay out of the thick of fights) endup becoming a formidable pair of snipers. They know better than tojoin up with the Gunners or other mercenary gangs, instead becomingguns for hire. Freelance killers with a bit stricter moral codes thantheir father. If only a bit. He’s cunning, careful, and a hell of agood shot.
Preston- Being asyoung and new to parenthood as he is, he isn’t entirely prepared toraise a child who came to them fully formed. He’s anxious, alwaysconcerned he’s doing something wrong, but he does the things hisfather did for him. Teaches Shaun to shoot, the importance of a goodbook, that being kind is a reward in itself. He also teaches him thethings he had to learn for himself; that it’s fine to cry, to not beokay, to rely on others for strength when you feel like your own isfailing. Shaun’s childhood is as bumpy as any child’s is in theCommonwealth, but with Preston, there’s light even in the darkesttimes. He carries this indomitable sense of good and rightness withhim even when he’s grown, and if he doesn’t settle into a simplerlife in a settlement, he joins the Minutemen, carrying on the valueshe’s been taught. Preston teaches him the strength in community, thathope and mercy are not weakness, and to always lend a hand, whateverhe does.
X6-88- He hasspent more time with Shaun (this version and technically, the humanShaun as well) than Sole ever has, only, just not in any kind of parentalrole. He ferried him back and forth from the Institute and theCommonwealth and their relationship never went far past that. It wasstrange, suddenly being a role model for someone. Siblings, parents,family, they weren’t really an option for synths in the Institute.For Coursers, even less so. The first few years, he’s more of abodyguard than a parental figure. Learning to let go of the deathgrip he has on Institute protocol and the image of synths as tools,that takes awhile. Shaun helps. He loves him, which meant a synthlike X6 was capable of that. It was a comforting thought that one dayhe’d feel for Shaun what Shaun felt for him. He relies more on Solefor getting through the emotional turmoil of youth, as most of X6’sresponses to trivial things like school and first loves is fairlycold indifference. Not like he really understood it, he’d been madewithout thought for such things. He was still navigating some things(like first love) himself. What he does instruct Shaun in mostlypertains to combat, though he does teach him a skill that helped X6survive in the Institute- masking your true emotions. He’d have beenreprogrammed a long time ago if he hadn’t picked up that talent.Shaun grows up somewhat cold with him, making a habit of keepingthose pesky feelings to himself early on, to the point not even Solecan really coax them out of him. Not fully. As X6 learns how to bemore human, Shaun learns to be more machine. His nature andintelligence veer him, oddly enough, into politics. From X6 he learnscold calculation, the importance of keeping your cards close to yourchest, and that there’s little use for remorse.
Strong- Childhoodwith Strong being a co-parent is… weird. To say the least. Soledoes everything they can to keep him from feeding the kid human meat, eventhough he insists it will help Shaun grow big and strong, but now andthen there are a few bits of mystery meat sneaking their way into hismeals whose origins Sole couldn’t quite suss out. Regardless of hispotential foray into cannibalism, Shaun does, surprisingly, learn athing or two from his Super Mutant guardian. Mostly the things a mancan say that will make their fellow man spontaneously shitthemselves. More than a few scrapes with older children ends withShaun bellowing in his closest approximation of Strong; “THIS ISWHAT DEATH LOOKS LIKE UP CLOSE!” Despite Sole’s best efforts, Shauntakes after him, even beyond shouting his throat raw.Many arguments with him end in headbutts. He grows into a young manwho takes no shit from anyone, who understands brutality can be anecessity, and who fights with the feral tenacity of a mutie. Ignoring family protests, he goes into raiding (ever the lucrative business)and is renowned for his uncanny ability to shout down Super Mutantsbands that encroach on his band’s territory. That, or he’s a respectedfighter in the nearest Thorn. Sole might have more influence on hismorals, but Strong passes on the knowledge of Super Mutants. Whichisn’t much beyond violence and shouting. He grows up pretty confused.
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Interview with a Dream Catcher
Pandora recently hosted an interview with her bound Dream Catcher. Here it is!
P: So everyone, this is Jayy, my Dream Catcher friend. Can you say hi to everyone and tell them a little about how we know each other?
J: Hey there. I met Pandora quite a few years ago. She was exploring dream realms and met a couple astral bands. I’m a singer of one of them, and took an interest in getting to know her.
P: So you’ve seen how these interviews work, right?
J: Pretty simple.
P: All right, in that case we’ll just hop right in with the first question. Jayy, this person would like to know what makes you good companions for humans. (I’m assuming your race as a whole)
J: Well, I’m a bit selfish. I personally like finding humans to feed on their dreams. But as companions we are actually pretty beneficial. We’re guardians over your sleep, we can help rejuvenate you at night even. As guardians we make sure that no potential nasties are trying to get into your dreams to mess you up or sap your energy.
P: So your race desires human companionship mostly for the dream energy?
J: At our very cores, that’s what we yearn for, yeah. Many of us find an interest in being friends over time, or even lovers if the humans are into it.
P: I’m going to slip in another question here, since it’s along similar lines. What are your views on human day to day activities? What about other DC points of view on human activities?
J: My personal views? Humans differ. Some are fine, others not so much. I’m not a fan of the humans who don’t sleep deeply. As far as other DCs, you’ll get a mixed basket with them. Their behavior is a little random. I mean take my family for instance. I have eight current living brothers and only four of us are friendly to humans. Most DCs, though, have a pretty typical view of humans. Your dream energy is food. Your homes are our homes. If we like your energy, we stay with you to feed on it. Pretty simple.
P: Thank you for that. Moving onto a slightly different subject, some people seem to be curious about the origin of DCs, as in how you all came to be. And maybe a little background on yourself as well.
J: That’s not exactly an easy question. How did humans come to be? It’s debated a bit, just like it is with humans. Some say we have a goddess of our kind that is our primal birth mother. Others say we evolved from other, smaller, similar beings. “Dream Catcher” was a coined name quite some time ago, and isn’t our actual species name. I’m afraid our actual word for what we are is not easily translated into any human tongue. As far as I go, I was born into a family of sixteen children. That includes me. My mother devoured quite a few of my siblings, and I learned at a very young age to go survive on my own with minimal support from my elder brothers and sisters. I spent a very long time alone simply studying, eventually teaching myself how to make a human mask and pass as something a little more approachable.
P: Were you the first DC to work with a human mask?
J: No, an elder brother of mine learned long before I did. And I’m sure there were others that picked up on how to do it. Others I’m not familiar with. It’s a difficult talent, but it isn’t too uncommon.
P: But you were the one that sort of popularized it, right?
J: Yeah, that would be due to my status as a musician. I’m around a lot of astrals pretty often.
P: Do DCs mate for life? And what is your ideal mate like?
J: Mmm…. DCs mate… and then the females usually eat the males if they get a chance. If not, there’s an immediate breakup. My own ideal mate… I debate it a lot. I don’t really have any preferences on gender, but maybe personality. I like someone who’s as casual as I am. We do get jealous a bit, though. Some of us.
P: What do you mean by jealous? As in possessive? And if DC relationships don’t ever work out, does this jealousy pop up mostly in cross-species romance?
J: Yeah, it does. I can’t speak for the females, but as a guy, I’m not too fond of my lover suddenly trying to eat me while I’m sleeping. So… we don’t stick around females very often if we can help it. We get possessive if we’re in same-sex relationships or cross-species ones. Females won’t eat females, and males won’t eat males. Just our nature.
P: Makes sense. Oh here’s an interesting question. This person is wondering if you have subspecies within the DC community. Like, do black widows stick with black widows, or tarantulas with tarantulas, and so on.
J: Oh, I see what you’re asking. Some regions of us do. We don’t really call ourselves the same names as many spiders you might know, but we’re pretty similar. My own family is a mixed one, but there are some DCs that keep to their subspecies. Especially when you get into the royals and stuff.
P: What’s day to day life like for you?
J: For me it can get a little hectic. I’m sort of out of the spectrum because I live life as a popular musician. My home is in the astral, and I usually hang out in a trailer. During the day, I have rehearsals with my band mates, or I’m out doing live signings or photo shoots with fans. Sometimes I get some “me” time during the early evening to sit and have a drink or go out with friends. At night I’m usually actively seeking out vivid dreams in humans, but I do crash like a human does every once in a while. I only shed my mask at night when I’m looking to feed, but I do like to tease and gross Pandora out with it on occasion. *winks*
P: *rolls eyes* For those who are wondering, he chases me around the house with his mile-long tongue sticking out and threatens to stick it in my ear while I’m conscious.
J: It’s fun.
P: And then I threaten him with a newspaper or a giant boot and he stops.
J: *laughs*
P: Oh, I skipped over this one, but let’s go back to it now. Do you get annoyed/angry when humans kill spiders in their homes?
J: I do, actually. How would they like it if they were just minding their own business looking for a place to build a home, and suddenly they were severely injured or killed because someone thought they were ugly or creepy? Kind of unfair, if you ask me.
P: So how do you deal with humans who have spider phobias?
J: We want to educate humans about the benefits of having spider friends. A lot of us. I use my human mask to get better acquainted with them, and only show my true self once I have their trust, but I’ve heard from some bound buddies that their keepers have been recovering from their phobias due to having a big eight-legged companion. I won’t interact with any human who has aggressive tendencies toward spiders in general, though. I feel there’d be too much animosity between us.
P: How big do your kind usually get?
J: We can be anywhere from about 4 feet to 8 feet tall. That’s not including the length of our bodies, though. It often depends on our physical build, like bulkiness, and the length of our legs--whether they hold us up off the ground or if we scuttle across floors practically on our underbellies. I’ll bet you appreciate that image.
P: Considering how many DCs we have come through the home, I’m sort of used to it now. Do DCs lay eggs?
J: Yes, they do.
P: What’s an average guess at how many eggs there are per laying?
J: It’s usually dependent on the subtype of DC, but on average somewhere in the forties range. My family was an exception because of our mixed genetics. My mother didn’t lay too many.
P: But all DCs are descended in some way from their king, right?
J: That’s the popular belief, though it’s debated. It’s what I believe.
P: But then you have the deviants like the nobles who consistently fight with the king and try to form their own groups, right?
J: *sigh* Yeah, we do. It causes a lot of fights that the majority of us just try to stay out of.
P: Okay, so moving on from politics...this querent wants to know what sort of magic you practice. Or do you, even? Is absorbing dream energy just a part of the DC...what’s the word I’m looking for...physiology?
J: I personally haven’t met a DC who can’t absorb dream energy, so I’d assume so. As far as magic, I see that as a practice that’s relative. I don’t consider what I do to be magic. It’s just a part of my nature--my needs. But I had a sister several years back who had a few extra “magickal” talents. Like energy manipulation outside of dreams. She was able to read the subconscious really well, and she could pull in energies from humans and other creatures who were conscious.
P: So an energy vampire of some sort?
J: Yes. “Psychic Vampire” paints the wrong kind of image for me, but she essentially had the same abilities.
P: Moving away from full race focus to just you, this person wants to know what your favorite food is and what your favorite genre of music is. (Though I could answer that one)
J: Oh man… where do I start here? Okay, well I have a lot of “human” vices. I drink a lot. That’s not really food, but it’s a consumable that I just completely love. I love junk foods, like chips. And I really like pizza with a lot of different kinds of meat on it. No pineapple though, please. For music, I’m a metalhead. It’s what I sing, and I love it.
P: Could you tell us some about your band? And what other bands there are?
J: There’re quite a few out there. Ever wake up with a strange tune in your head that doesn’t match any songs you know? Mighta been something you heard from an astral band in your sleep. My band is called Volt 55. We have six members. Sometimes some guest singers and artists. There are pop bands, pop rock artists… And lately there’s been a big increase in artists doing electronic stuff.
P: Can you tell us who your band members are?
J: Sure. There’s me of course. I’m the singer. I’ve also taken over guitar recently because we had our bassist leave. Kai, who was the original guitarist, took to playing the bass instead. We’re all different races. Sometimes it causes fights, but it’s usually pretty cool. Kai is an Incubus. Then there’s Bo who’s our drummer. He’s a werebear. Felix and Curio are violinists, and they’re both fallen angels. And then last and totally least is Spike, our demonic keyboard player. *sticks tongue out*
P: You’re such a butt to him. What are some of your hobbies outside the band?
J: I still love him though. I like going to movies especially. It’s fun with a big group of friends, because then you can chat about them afterwards. If not that, then eating out is enjoyable, too. I prefer to be in the company of friends, but if I’m alone with some downtime and am not writing songs, I’ll go out for long drives or runs.
P: Okay, we’re on our final question here. Is there anything interesting about your race that we haven’t already covered that you want to share?
J: We don’t get along well with a lot of rogue Dream Travelers. For those who don’t know, DTs are beings that like to hop from dream to dream. They can often appear as noteworthy figures in dreams, but ones you don’t recognize. They can leave you waking up feeling like you’re still dreaming or feeling like you haven’t come back to reality yet. Anyway, our dream-feeding tends to bother them as they’re traveling, because it makes it a lot harder for them to get from place to place. It can cause fights. If we fight, there’s a risk of causing nightmares in whatever humans we’re feeding from at the time.
P: Anything else?
J: Eh, not really. Unless you want me to talk about how we feed on dreams. *winks*
P: *small laugh* We already covered that in our interesting facts, so I think we’re good there. Thank you for your time, Jayy.
J: No problem. Thanks for letting me answer some questions.
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