🌹 = How would your muse react to romantic gestures, expected or not?

Unexpected gestures, Atieno’s reaction will depend on who it’s from. If it’s from a stranger, Atieno may be mildly curious if not somewhat wary of that person’s intentions. If it’s from someone who they enjoy being around, they will take the surprise as a pleasant gesture and give a warm smile. Such also occurs when the romantic gesture is expected - then they can be prepared to relish in the romantic nature of such actions.

🌷 = Is your muse likely to be the one to make the first move, or would they wait for the other to make a move first?

Context dependent. They have been known both to make the first move and also wait for the other to make a move. In any case, Atieno is likely to at least try to engage with the person who may strike their attention - whether things tend to go further depends on who they are trying to talk to

Hm, I really like Atieno having a few aesthetics in how they present themselves:

Casual encounters with the leather jacket, piercings, markings, fingerless gloves and very space goth - biker-esque looks. On the move and always with a hint of smokiness that you can’t avoid.

And then when they’re feeling more regal shit like this:

FLAWS.

^{moody | short-tempered |emotionally unstable | whiny | controlling | conceited | possessive | paranoid |lies | impatient | cowardly | bitter | selfish | power - hungry | greedy | lazy | judgmental | forgetful |impulsive | spiteful| stubborn | sadistic | petty | unlucky | absent-minded | abusive | addict | aggressive | childish | callous |clingy | delusional | cocky | competitive | corrupt | cynical | cruel | depressed | deranged | egotistical |envious | insecure | insensitive | lustful | delinquent | guilt complex | reclusive | reckless | nervous | oversensitive}

STRENGTHS.

^{honest | trustworthy | thoughtful | caring | brave | patient | selfless | ambitious | tolerant | lucky | intelligent | confident | focused | humble | generous | merciful | observant | wise |  clever |  charming | cheerful | optimistic | decisive | adaptive | calm | protective | proud | diligent | considerate | compassionate | good sportsmanship | friendly | empathetic | passionate | reliable | resourceful | sensible | sincere | witty | funny}

SKILLS & HOBBIES.

^{art | acting | astronomy | animals | archery | sports | beach combing | belly dancing | bird watching |blacksmithing | boating | calligraphy | camping | candle making | casino gambling | ceramics | racing | chess | music | cooking | crochet | weaving | exercise | swordplay | fishing | gardening | ghost hunting | ice skating | magic | engineering | building | inventing | leatherworking |  martial arts | meditation | origami | parkour | people watching | swimming | puppetry | pyrotechnics | quilting | reading | collecting | shopping | socializing | storytelling | writing | traveling | exotic dancing | minor/major potion tricks & trinkets
---}

GENERAL

Name: Dark Matter, Atieno
Nickname(s): Ati, the darkness one fears, lurking space void
Age: billions upon billions of years old.
Species: cosmic entity- some ties to primordial darkness

PERSONAL

Morality: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / grey / evil
Sins: lust / greed / gluttony / sloth (of the melancholic type) / pride / envy / wrath
Virtues: chastity / charity / diligence / humility / kindness / patience / justice
Primary goals in life: to do their work as part of the cyclical nature of the universe, to not be controlled.

PHYSICAL

Build: slender / scrawny / bony / fit / athletic / curvy / herculean / babyfat / pudgy / obese /
Height: ranges from 5′10 to 10′ depending on mortal form, ultimately - no height limit.
Scars/Birthmarks: starry patterns, void swirling can be seen beneath any ‘human’ skin that they have
Abilities/powers: immortality, darkness manipulation, darkness generation, tendrils, reality warping, matter manipulation, vast destruction and creation, star generation/destruction

FAVORITES

Favorite food: ..they like sweets when they can get them.
Favorite drink: Any is fine. The stronger the better, obviously.
Favorite color(s): Black, purple, blue
Favorite music genre: Enjoys most of them - especially fond of funk and funk rock
Favorite book genre: Horror/scifi
Favorite movie genre:  Thrillers, comedies, avant-garde films
Favorite season: Likes the darkness that comes with winter. But can enjoy any season really.
Favorite curse word(s):  [shrugs] Maybe damn, likely something eldritch and incomprehensible.
Favorite scent: Warm food, the sea, the forest, graveyards.

FUN STUFF

MUSE SURVEY: BATTLE EDITION.

repost, do not reblog! ( source )
bold what consistently applies.
italicize situational, not always.

       DOES   YOUR   MUSE,     WHILE    FIGHTING    .   .   .

• ^{fight honorably  /  fight dirty /  prefer close-quarters  / prefer range   /  chat during   /  go silent  /   low pain tolerance /  high pain tolerance  / attack in bursts   /  attack steadily / go for the kill  / aim to disarm  /  fight defensively   /   strike first / provoke easily  / provoke their opponent  / tease /  get visibly frustrated / shout while attacking /  use strategy /   focus on their battle  /  experience conflicting thoughts during battle / rush in recklessly /   try to read their opponent before fighting   /   fight wildly  /  fight calmly  /   fight with anger   /  fight with excitement / fight because they have to   /  fight because they want to  / fight without regard to wounds / run away when wounded  / hide wounds / take a blow to protect another /  prefer a blade  /  prefer a gun  /  prefer a bow  /  prefer a shield  /  prefer a spear  / prefer a personalized weapon  / prefer magic or spells / prefer brawling / their greatest weakness is physical /  their greatest weakness is mental / their greatest weakness is emotional /  transform for battle / fight as they appear  /   rely on strength  /  rely on speed  /  use everything they have  /   hide their full potential  /  exhaust quickly  / high stamina /  doubt their strength  /  proceed with caution  /  behave arrogantly /  brag after landing a hit / belittle foes abilities / use psychological tactics  / use brute strength  /  avoid civilians /  strike down civilians  / damage surroundings/  avoid damaging surroundings  /  signature fighting style /  making it up as they go  / mastered skillset  /  learning their skillset /  fancy footwork /  sloppy footwork  / messy fighter /  elegant fighter /  accept defeat  / refuse defeat  /  beg for mercy  /  compliment their opponent / insult their opponent  /  use unnecessary movements ( flips, twirls )  /  move efficiently  /  barely move  /   prefer to dodge / prefer to block   /  defend their blindside  /  has no blindside   / use all available advantages /  strictly use one main method  /   play around /  hold back  / fight ruthlessly  / show mercy  /  wait for opponent to be ready  /  strike when opponent isn’t ready  /  fear death  /  fear pain  /  fear killing  /  has PTSD /  avoid fighting   / has lost a fight / has won a fight   /  has killed   / refused to kill /  want to die standing   /    would succumb slowly.}

How do you articulate something like this in your midst. Is this a god? A force? An energy? All of the above seems to work as far as Ati is concerned.  Different names for the same function. It all seems to mean that people don’t really know what to do with her.

After all, if she were to come in her full splendor, it’s usually a sign that changes are coming to that realm. Changes that will put many in danger but maintain balance at the same time. But as long as she wanders in a smaller yet distinctive guise, the locals are safe. For now. 

Only for now, she can not guarantee how long anyone will be safe from the changes she makes. However, now is not the time for that. Now is the time for people-watching, passing through the streets of societies to see what’s at the heart of them, how do they function? 

There are trends that tend to arise among the mortals and she is somewhat curious to find out what they are. Curiosity, perhaps the only motivator that she truly has these days, an interest in learning all there is until the end of existence. At least it will keep her preoccupied, one way or another.
 

 A reminder that this one, this one can not and shall not be beholden to anyone. Besides, she knows where she comes from. She knows the kind of company that makes her feel most readily at home. It’s something that she can not and will not let herself forget easily. 

Fun times in ambivalence, no?

Being part of a cyclical nature of creation and destruction, wielding these abilities with ease and massive strength - it sometimes makes her wonder if one should take priority over the other.

She’s got memories, plenty of them. When she was younger, all she really wanted to do was make, and make - toy with existence but still see these places blossom and grow. It was a fascinating process.

Still is. But now that she’s a whole lot older and the process of decay, of the inevitable breakdown… Atieno finds that just as fascinating. And she can’t say that she hasn’t had moments where she’s sped up the process for some groups or another. 

Sometimes it’s out of anger, sometimes out of the sheer ability to do so. It’s something that comes when you have some much at your fingertips and no obligation to traditional morals. 

Even if she’s heard of them, even if there are moments where she has been able to show some individual chillness that makes life interesting for others. The utter briefness of others lifetimes makes it all too easy for her to regard these incidents as just things she does for fun.

She does a lot of things for sheer entertainment - and what side of the coin they might be, one could never know. 

I guess that’s truly what is meant by being uncontrollable.

----

“If you’re going to look at me that way, you might as well kiss me.”

The way her companion gazed at her hadn’t gone unnoticed. Oh the contrary, she couldn’t help but fixate on those golden eyes that always seem to drink her in. Such was the deal getting to know someone who clearly Sees oh so much, there’s not much that can get out of his line of sight. 

Not used to drawing too much attention to herself, the entity hadn’t been certain how to process this. This admiration of sorts was certainly enjoyable. At the very least the feeling was mutual, that she knew for sure. 

But he’s not the only one whose been looking though. Atieno has found herself paying attention closely, happily to any detail that she could find. The sound of his voice, the hints of feeling seen in the crinkle beside his eye or the slight movement of his mouth. The delivery of his words had been running around in the back of her mind for quite some time.  She had to admit to herself that she could listen to him for what could possibly be ages with no regret at all. Or sit in quiet if he was more inclined to do so. The wanderer was nothing but flexible about it - as long as she could be in his company, it would be delightful. 

This combination had her feeling all the more hopeless she supposed. Ati had made a stop to this region just to see what it was all about and got a surprise that was really catching her off guard. It was not often that she found herself getting so attached and intrigued, fascinated by someone. It was difficult for her to really bother emotionally with individuals - there was always a good reason for her to maintain something of a comfortable distance.  There was always a reason to maintain some kind of composure, she was all too used to playing a role, what else could she really expect?

And yet, here she was looking at this Guardian like he was …like he was. Words seemed to fail her in trying to describe this situation. All she knew was that there was a certain longing, a desire flowing through her that she hadn’t experienced in quite some time. It scared her a little bit since when was the last time she had felt like this? It was- she could barely remember and sometimes she wondered if she wanted to.  

Back to the situation. Despite starting to get really distracted by her internal thoughts, Atieno made a point to hear everything that her host had said. She hummed for a bit in response, as if thinking of what her response really could be.

“Then again…” She draws out her words, teasing and affectionate at the same time. She idly runs her fingers down the side of this Protector’s face. 

This feeling, that is brewing, the need to release tension is greater. There are moments where they don’t remember to shift their eyes and people think they’re just going for a ‘look’ when their eyes seem to gaze too much, see too much. Z finds themselves out late, outskirts, liminal spaces - gateways to what has to be another world, another realm. Or at least another way of being.

The tension inside them is leaving them increasingly restless in ways that they don’t really know what to do with. They try to put into their work, so often they try to channel so much into their creation. A lot of the time it works, but sometimes it really doesn’t - and they need to do, they need to be. To expose what lurks, that makes them twist and turn and follow way too many threads at one time.

There’s a certain awareness, there’s an awareness that there’s an incident that’s coming. Maybe they’ll just shift by accident, maybe something will be warped in the process - they’re not entirely  sure exactly what it is. But something has got to give. They can feel it - trying to maintain something that seems so constraining is really taking a toll. They used to get mostly sad about it - but now it’s making them more irritable, more likely to use the means of self-defense they were given, of sending out these blasts of something beyond understanding,  that they avoided out of not wanting to make a scene. There’s still a sense of.. this scene is going to be unfortunate when it comes.

Perhaps- it can be in an isolated area? That’s the best case scenario, minimize witnesses, don’t place others in danger. That is what they can hope for with the countdown towards something arising that they know very well .. and feel that they should fear more than they do.

First heartbreak?

There was that time that they had a crush on a ghoulish girl they were friends with in high school. And how getting cut off really kind of bothered them for a little while. But I’ll talk about another big early heartbreak. It was in college where all hell happens - although technically Zora did a lot of their coursework from a distance, they did hang out on campus enough to have connections  - or at least acquaintances that they were familiar with.

One of those acquaintances was a young man that they would collaborate with on interesting and strange art stunts around town. Making installations that were poignant, funny and sometimes very surreal (very fitting). Spending enough time with this guy, Z started to have a serious ..affection for him cause he was funny, he had skills, he kind of went to strange places in his mind. There were options there.

And maybe they thought he could like them back. They’d like to think to hope that things would go better this time around.

However, there was a party that the whole casual collective Z was around went to and the atmosphere was getting kind of weird and stressful. Whispers, rumors spreading around them - jokes that seemed to cut way too close for people they barely knew that well.

As the night went on, they noticed the looks that they were getting from people - and not entirely being certain why, they felt a pressure inside that was building and building. And no noise would be enough to distract them from it.

So they had stumbled outside in a need to escape and inadvertently shifted in the dark, hoping desperately that no one would witness the process that they were going through at that moment. It was a strange, discomfiting experience - it should’ve been a sign that there was much more to their background than they were aware of at that moment. But all the knew is that there was way too much to be handled and the stress needed to be let out - even if that meant losing ‘form’ for a moment.

After a few, they managed to come back to a more anthropomorphic form and casually stepped out of the dark only to see that - one.. not only had they not been alone, two the guy they had been crushing on had been there with some of the people trying to figure out what the fuck their deal was.. and 3.. there was a look a utter terror and repulsion on the faces of those standing there.

It was then and there that any hope for connection with these people died, quite violently at that. In multiple ways, their heart was utterly shattered in a way that still haunts the way that they engage with people.

From there one - Zora kept away from the campus for a long time and didn’t even attend their graduation ceremony out of not wanting to deal with the aftermath of that incident.

—

Requirements for a potential partner.

For Z, at this point - the biggest thing is you have to be down for some really weird shit. Cause the closer one gets to Z, the more weird mess one finds out about them. It’s one thing to like the pleasantly strange eccentric artist - it’s another to realize how far that eccentricity goes into a whole another world of being and existing. Not to mention the familial relation with entities one may not even believed existed.

So chances are, they are more likely to date nonhuman entities at this point their life. (obviously exceptions arise)

Or at least people who are okay with them being very strange themselves. Cause they’ll make sure their partners are as safe as possible but..it’s still just kind of a thing. They remember the terror with which people gazed upon them and they .. kind of expect that from most humans if they get too close. 

But outside of that big thing - Z likes creative people or at least those with a passion about something. They really enjoy seeing people get caught up in their interests and they love listening to people talk about their passions and plans. So that’s pretty major.

[Sometimes I just amuse myself with thoughts about the kind of entities that Saima just gets oddly.. fascinated with from time to time. Whether they do anything with such interest remains to be seen. (often not but.. that’s.. a lot of previous experiences weighing on them there)

Like obviously those involved with creative work, music, storytelling, nature, travel, crossroads, and mischief tend to really pique their fancy. Kind of seeing that kind of potential for commonality and adventure across those things.

But honestly they really just like exploring the ways many embody what they are supposed to be associated with. And cause they do like seeing those kinds of perspectives vary depending on the content, time and the individual being in a given situation, they just find themselves with a curiosity that often leads them into strange places internally, and strange places in general. But the latter is a lot easier for them to handle.

Saima definitely idealizes happiness most. Although they have worked a lot towards trying to fit some kind of success in spite of what they have been through. Having such a history of trying to navigate through challenging experiences and help others to the best of their abilities..I think what is ultimately more important to them is finding some kind of happiness.

The overarching fear though is that they are unable to keep the stories that have built up people’s beliefs …and to see those stories forever lost, forever dismissed and discontinued. Because of either outside forces suppressing them or things changing at a rate that they can not adjust to.

In terms of making a scene, any attempts of subjugating those they care for, those they look after and try to protect. That would easily provoke a scene-making action - yelling, fighting, showing signs of their true selves to scare the hell out of anyone who would try it. When they see a harm and people don’t feel able to take it into their own hands, they are all too willing to make a point out of it. Even despite coming about in a place where making a scene tends to be avoided whenever possible. They prefer doing things on the sly to make a change and have done so before, but they are not above doing whatever is necessary to get the wrongdoing to stop.

There were moments where the occasional animal - sometimes a Lynx, sometimes birds would sleep nearby and that was no problem. They had rested among creatures before and had no hesitations to do so again. These moments of reminding themselves of that inherent wildness and natural comforts was reassuring in ways they could not express. The sounds of their surroundings was like music to their ears, forming a rhythem and expressiveness that they cherished deeply.

After time of laying about, they found themselves able to walk around. A few snacks brought with them, a few things picked up along the way - they were able to sustain themselves on fairly little. The feeling of the ground beneath their feet let them place spells on themselves and their surroundings, letting the energy just flow through them as if they were merely a conductor.  That electrifying feeling was healing - making them feel anew. The height of this venture was a few days end, Saima spending time in the bogs in the countryside - between the swampy environment, the water and the sheer distance from civilization, they had never felt so at home. To be away from the responsibilities that they carried, to not be bothered for a few days with anything but wandering..it felt like their core was fed.

your smile so super quiet.

A phrase directed their way from someone they helped from time to time. Sometimes it had to be enough to help people talk through their ideas for creations, to point out different directions where they would go.

When an idea would really appeal to their sense of fancy, to the otherworldly nature that barely lurked beneath their appearance. As if it didn’t spill into the ways that they moved, that they gestured. As if it didn’t register in the way that their voice carried in means that seemed unnatural.

But still, if there was an idea that made them feel truly warm.. Saima would return a little smile. So quiet and yet deafening at the same time. For them to explain further would be too much, say too much that humans may not easily handle - especially not in the modern world.

The modern world had forced a lot of changes to the way that stories were told. Saima just had to adapt as they usually did. But that quiet smile had stayed with them throughout the years, a signal that something had reached them - and reached them deeply. It was a feat that felt difficult to do but not entirely impossible… just difficult.

Which made it all the more impressive when that little smile would actually come out. Made people wonder, what exactly had caused that response?

But Saima could only say so much- maybe pointing to a casual detail or a phrasing of words that would serve as enough of an explanation for people not to press any further. In most cases that would be enough, and when it wasn’t, they could only shrug a bit in response.

“There’s something about it that just really works for me. I apologize for not being able to put words to it.“ There were feelings that words could not readily express and the words that they did have always felt horribly inadequate in setting the scene.

  Some days certain songs take Saima way back to earlier days. Days before intrusions, before having to hide themselves, to force guises that stuck in weird ways. And never did suit them the way that they wanted them so. These songs repeating in the back of their minds conjures memories of roaming, of being among the creation of these songs. Of having the songs passed down to them so that they could spread it among others.

Perhaps they were missing that feeling of being around a mentor. Of someone who clearly had an idea, had ways that were central to the purposes Saima wanted to fulfill in some form in fashion. They missed the Old Wizard deeply, the one of song, literature - they missed the moments of hearing directly, listening carefully to every phrase, every note of each song. To studying the ways that such creations had an impact, had somehow influenced the realm around them.

The way that song could just weave through someone, through many people at once had never really been lost on Saima. They had learned it firsthand and welded that ability in their own journey. It had taken them through many eras, shifts, developments, struggles. Only to come out to the other side - feeling that more than ever that these songs, stories were incredibly necessary.

Maybe it was the changing season, the slow creeping towards Midsummer that’s getting these thoughts surfacing so intensely. The season cycle always did manage to bring out the multitudes that come with having lived such a long life of riddles and mysteries. Nonetheless, one must get through the Spring Solstice first - and that enough is something of an occasion, to say the least. Still, the fact that their surroundings are starting to liven up once more - and the hidden side of their people. Having dual, no, multi-layered sense of self really does make one very aware of the changing of the seasons. Hiding away, keeping to oneself through most of the colder days felt like something that should and does come quite naturally to Saima.