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Tell me that there's some way that I'll get through the night
Notes about Modern Settings [In regards to Race, Nationality...]
These are notes always in regards to him in modern settings/real world. Please note the difference between Race, Nationality, and Ethnicity.
● He is mixed Asian / White, in the world he lives in/was made for [Astera] that's contextualised differently / There's no easy 1:1.
● It's best to look at his parent's real world race/ethnicity. His mother is French/Japanese, and his father is Southern Chinese/Russian. His nationality doesn't always line up, and often isn't consistent. It changes depending on the premise of the modern setting.
● Generally there are two interpretations of his upbringing: He grew up in Mongolia/Russia/North China area, moving around a lot due to his family's status as missionaries. He is not Mongolian or Northern chinese. Second being a similar but more static situation where he is raised in Texas, and similarly has an upbringing involving mission work.
● He was raised Jehovah's Witness [Later excommunicated.]
He still holds onto his spirituality to some degree but recontextualised and away from JW teachings. He doesn't always retain a connection to a specific religion but almost always holds onto some spirituality, and almost always has complex feelings in regards to it.
Hideaki Liao is a Tiger Therianthrope with a complex relationship to his religion, his family, and his general upbringing. (More in his backstory section)
He is also my favourite character. Initially he was made for a D&D 5e campaign that fell through. He is in a relationship with Apollo Kalimeris (Who belongs to Nir4z, my partner).
My partner and I had always sort of intended for our characters to have a relationship, but their story and romance really began to bloom after they were removed from their original context of the D&D campaign. Now they exist in their own universe/world by name of Astera (Unfortunately I do not have any public information to share on Astera, but when referencing Asteran specific information appropriate context will be provided).
Additionally to the universe they exist in, we have made many AU's with them, some of them we've RP'd out, made with the intent to RP, and some purely visual! Images that are AU's will be marked as such. In settings that allow it, Hideaki is almost always a therianthrope or shifter of some kind - or be the setting's appropriate near-human feline species like in the case of Star Wars' Cathar species.
You will see some of these AU's in his galleries, and some you will not see. If you're curious about an AU or want to ask if he has a specific AU counterpart, please feel free to ask! There's a bunch of them and I may add a section at some point to list all of them out!
If a word has a * next to it, that means there is hover text with a note on it!
Notes About HoTM and Therianthropy
IntroThis section is for reference to the backstory, explaining terms, contexts, and other necessary details!
Hunters of The MoonThe Hunters of The Moon are a group of skilled Therianthrope hunters all over the continent of Calidum, with their main numbers being within the regions of Khaluyah and Tuzrok, and in smaller numbers in Solesia and Arteizount.
Their origin goes back to the end of the 1000 year war/colonisation of the central region of Calidum. They originated as a combative group against the newly emerged Therianthropes within the region that is now the border between Khaluyah and Solesia. This event coincided with the God of Light[then Choranastus now Solios]'s, disappearance and leaving the world in darkness for 100 years.
The Hunters of The Moon believed that the Therianthropes were to blaim for their God's disappearance and thus promised to eradicate them in the name of The Choranastus.
Though their existence persists to this day, support for them is dwindling as Therianthropes gain recognition as people and the myth of their barbarity is dispelled.
TherianthropyI wont go too deeply into the lore we have established for Therianthropy, as it is kind of long and possibly subject to change. There are a few things that are necessary to know for this character. Therianthropy is a condition that can be permanent or temporary depending on how you contract it/if you were born with it etc. Therianthropy is mostly harmless in the way of it does not turn you into a blood thirsty monster set out to destroy anything that moves. It's as dangerous as any other type of magic.
Additionally Therianthropy takes time to manifest. Born Therianthropes exhibit traits and go through a type of 'puberty' at the ages of around 8-11.
For historic reasons listed above in the HOTM section, many Therianthropes have been systemically hunted. Their reputation is changing and growing as people begin to understand them more, and some places in Astera have no preconceived prejudice against Therianthropy as it originated in the region of Calidum, and therefore they have no historical or cultural touchpoint to know to fear them.
Hideaki Liao was born to Soliel and San Liao, two prolific hunters within Hunters of The Moon. He was raised with the ideals of the guild, and told to worship Choranastus, the true God of the Sun. Most of his childhood he spent throughout the region of Khaluyah, learning to survive in the wilderness, and more importantly, to hunt that which lurks in the shadow. Hideaki was not one to make a scene, or to stand out in a crowd. He was reserved, well mannered, and obediant, the perfect son and an excellent hunter.
Unknown to him or his mother, his father had at some point contracted Therianthropy before his birth. It was no cause for alarm, it was a cureable condition but if word got out that he'd been infected the guild would strip him of his title, belonings, and abandon him. Fearing this, he opted to cure his condition in secret. Stealing supplies in small quantities and practicing some minor magic he was able to rid himself of the condition before the next full moon.
What his father failed to do however, was practice restraint and be resonsible*. Hideaki was born a therianthrope, his father's temporary mistake made permanent onto him. The guild had meassures against contracting therianthropy and so he remained ignorant to his condition.
Like many hunters within the guild, his right of passage was soon to come nearing his 16th birthday. He had passed his trials and proved himself and now it was time to join the real hunt. But as the full moon took its place in the night sky, Hideaki would finally transform after years of it being suppressed. There was the usual panic, but he was in a place of trained and skilled hunters and was quickly suppressed. The assumption was that he had been bit, or scratched somehow. The hunt that night continuted for the rest of their guild. Soliel stayed back to await her son's recovery. The clerics worked hard, but through their magic they discovered that he was not able to be cured at all*.
Of course all eyes were on Soliel, as she was his mother. Accusations were thrown, and she was cast as a heratic and a whore. Soliel knew of her innocence, and more importantly she loved her child above all else. She looked to her husband for support, for him to take her side and believe in her and to protect their child. But his intentions were clear upon drawing his weapon aimed at her.
Soliel could not let her child be murdered - monster or not. She fought off her friends, her family, the people who she had made a life with*. She managed to release her child, who was a confused and startled beast. She ran with him into the forest but sustaining an injury she could not keep up with Hideaki. She ordered him to run and to not stop running. He knew well enough how the guild worked, how well they could track him. She would do her best to hold them off to buy him time.
When the search party found her, she was killed by San.
CAN'T TRUST YOUR MOTHER, 'CAUSE YOUR FATHER WAS A TRAVELLING MAN
- Eventually on his journey he picks up cooking! And he's really good at it. This carries over into AU's.
- He's easily frightened, but that mostly manifests in anger.
- In some AUs he has a cat named Elias, this is because in the original D&D campaign he was made for, he used the name Elias as an Alias...
- He's not particularly torn up about his gender in the same way he is about his sexuality. He just doesn't care/doesn't know enough to be existential about it.
- He has a strong dislike of sweet things. He finds the taste a bit nausiating in excess or intensity.
- He absolutely HATES the cold. He can't stand it and is used to much warmer climates.
