Ceres Q and A

‘How does your character think of their parents? What do they hate and love about them? What influence - literal or imagined - did they have?

Adoptive: Loves them dearly! Greatly admires and looks up to them, and was greatly disappointed when they didn’t share their parents talents in forging weapons or glasswork. Incredibly grateful to them for taking her in and treats them with the same regards as she did her biological parents. Her favorite things about them are their sunny dispositions which she tries to emulate and their ability to handle conflict calmly. If she has to say she doesn’t like something about them it’s the fact that they don’t expect a lot out of her. She wants to make them proud but they don’t push her to achieve as much as she’d like. They’re definitely the reason she’s turned into the cheerful person she is today.

Biological: Ceres misses them terribly some days but the reality is that she can’t say she loves them more than her current parents. She thinks fondly on their better memories together, exciting stories told by the fireplace, trips to the forest to pick flowers, piggyback rides and wide grins, not all recollections clear but every one tinged with love. Ceres tries not to dwell on them too much though since he knows it’ll make him sad.

Siblings? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings? What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?

Have a little sister named Marina and an older brother named Aspen. They adore both of them and are incredibly protective of them, especially Marina. The siblings are all very close given they all come from similar circumstances, natural disasters and bandit attacks having left the other two without their parents as well. Their fights are few and far in between and never anything serious, they very much would do anything for each other. If pressed Ceres would tell you that she’s a little jealous of her siblings for their natural talent as craftsmen, it does bother Ceres that she sticks out in this regard no matter how much effort she puts into a given craft.

Discipline at home was fairly lenient but only because all the kids were never the types to act out. Ceres’ parents are capable of being strict but there’s never been a need to, and more than anything they realized the kids needed to be shown kindness and understanding, the world was cruel to them and they didn’t want to add on to that.

Were they overprotected as a child? Sheltered?

He wasn’t overprotected or really sheltered, Ceres isn’t smart but they know the world around them can be cruel and that monsters are not the only thing you have to be wary of. Come their adoption though their parents DID do their best to make sure Ceres had all their needs accounted for and were kept away from people and places that might be dangerous until they grew up.

Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?

Affection, followed by horrific loneliness, followed by affection again. Rejection isn’t exactly the way to put it but sometimes when bad things happen you look up to the sky and ask why you were born at all, was it only to suffer? What good does the hope of better days do when you’ve hit your lowest point? But still you live on. Still, time goes by. And before you realize it, the better days are here.

What was the economic status of their family?

Fairly wealthy! Leggio traders tend to be welcomed wherever they go and when almost the whole family excels in crafts that’s a whole lot of things to sell! They’re not crazy rich but they live comfortably for sure.

How does your character feel about religion?

Believes in gods and myths but not particularly knowledgeable about them. Prays fairly often to the titans (especially the titan of chance), local spirits or deities they happen to know of, and sometimes just to anyone who might be listening. Her and her family have taken to leaving offerings for any local deities on all the stops on their trade route.

|s your character street-smart, book-smart, intelligent, intellectual, slow-witted?

Absolute fucking idiot, head full of butterflies. Not particularly well read and generally dislikes complicated problems or issues that require a lot of thinking. Ceres might have been street smart once upon a time but hates relying on this knowledge because it’s all stuff they picked up at their lowest point in life (knowing how to sneak around, figuring out the best places to find shelter, exactly how much produce you can sneak from a vendor's stall before they notice.) Almost compensates for this by acting before they even have a chance to think just in case the idea they end up conjuring is one born from the logic of the person they refuse to be again.

‘What does your character do for a living? How do they see their profession? What do they like about it? Dislike?

A spellsword/bodyguard! Technically employed by their parents and other families or individuals operating in the same trade caravan, but it’s not like she’s really in it for the money or anything. Ceres initially really wanted to be a craftsmen, particularly a blacksmith like her mother, but that absolutely didn’t pan out given her klutziness and general lack of talent. She finds being a bodyguard a good way to put her literal strength to use though, and is glad to have a job that lets her protect others. What she dislikes it is that somehow, even with her certification and years of practice, she still miscasts her magic sometimes and fries herself. She sees being a spellsword as a way to protect the peace and maintain order while wearing a cute uniform and looking cool.

‘Who are their friends? Lovers? Type’ or ‘ideal’ partner? What do they want from a partner? What do they think and feel of sex?

Ceres wants to be friends with anyone and everyone! Kindness is paramount, and sometimes all people needs is someone who cares, so she tries her best to be good to everyone she meets. Bad guys are also just friends who need some sense smacked into them. As for her ideal type she’s very much waiting for a prince (gender neutral) on a white horse to sweep her off her feet one day.......Or a princess (also gender neutral) to save from a big scary dragon. She’d settle for someone who’s cool though and she's a sucker for a pretty face. Well, he’s a sucker in general but you get the point. Ceres might know what sex is but it’s simply too embarrassing to think about for more than 10 seconds.

Has had exactly 1 significant other in his life and it was someone at the guild academy who agreed to go out with him only to promptly end the relationship after Ceres accidentally miscast a spell and nearly electrocuted the both of them. Being a disaster magnet makes getting a date kind of hard.

How easy or difficult is it for your character to say“I love you" Can they say it without meaning it?

She can say it super easily, and probably far too quickly for some peoples comfort, she really does mean it though.

What is your character's weaknesses? Hubris? Pride? Controlling?

Hasty, impulsive, rash, unintelligent, clumsy, clingy, kind of overbearing, and she has a hard time functioning alone nowadays. Ceres knows she isn’t perfect but it doesn’t bother her terribly. It might bother her more if she stopped to think about it though. Hence why she doesn’t think much at all. If the night has dragged on too long and unpleasant thoughts make their way into the caverns of her mind she’d sooner knock herself out by smashing her head on something than actually let herself linger on those thoughts.

‘Are they holding on to something in the past? Can he or she forgive?

Ceres will never truly get over losing her parents she thinks, but the funny thing is that while grief never gets smaller your world changes and grows around it until it’s no longer all consuming. Ceres can forgive others fairly easily but not herself.

How does your character react to stress situations? Defensively? Aggressively? Evasively?

Defensively, if you were to scold or attack Ceres for something she might actually be a bit timid about it, after all, she’s a bit of a screw-up at times so it’s probably warranted. She’ll defend herself if she doesn’t think it’s fair but probably won’t get all that mad. Conversely though, if Ceres is angry at someone else she can be aggressive which doesn’t bode well in conjunction with her habit of acting without prior thought.

Do they drink? Take drugs? What about their health?

Ceres is straight edge, but only because her family and peers have kept her far away from drugs or alcohol because it seems like a recipe for disaster. She herself doesn’t have a problem with drinking at least. She takes fairly good care of her health in that she likes to get a lot of sleep, exercise, and eat properly but uh. Disaster magnet. Will actively rush into a dangerous situation if it means someone needs help. Not exactly great for self preservation yeah?

Do they like to suffer? Like to see other people suffering?

No and double no! She’s had enough of all that suffering nonsense and she’s sure everyone else has as well. Picked up the sword to protect not destroy.

‘What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain?

Ceres just wants to be happy, and make the people around her happy. Her safety and health mean little if she can’t assure the safety and joy of those around her. What happened after she was adopted felt like a miracle, and if a miracle is what it takes to make someone happy then she’ll make that miracle happen one way or another.

|s your character tall? Short? What about size? Weight? Posture? How do they feel about their physical body?

Teeny tiny (thanks ray) though the heels at least give her a smidgen more height. Her posture is actually pretty rigid despite her easygoing and carefree personality, she holds herself as though she’s in some kinda military force.

Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target?

Ceres is banned from guns after The Incident

|s your character's current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up?

Kind of? Ceres’ biological parents weren’t poor but they definitely didn’t eat as well or have the same luxuries Ceres’ current parents do. And the leggio life super duper beats being homeless In What ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?

Ceres doesn’t think hard enough about that kind of stuff, it doesn’t matter too much to them how they compare to others unless it’s something incredibly important to them. Hence why they’re a bit jealous of their siblings for doing a better job following in their parents footsteps.

How does your character normally deal with confrontation

Bolt and sword in accord. But if talking (and by talking I mean politely asking) can’t stop someone from doing something Ceres can’t abide by, some good old fashioned violence will probably do the trick.