Oisin Fox (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
between_duality) wrote2016-10-05 07:06 pm
between_duality) wrote2016-10-05 07:06 pm
Between Duality: Oisin Fox
Man or selkie? Why not both?
Basics | Personality | Skills | Backstory | World
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GAME INFO!
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QUICK BASICS
[INSERT IMAGE
Name: Oisin Gabriel Fox
Alias: Kinnagoe
Gender: Fluid (often male)
Species: Human / Fae
Fae type: Selkie
Age: 29
D.O.B.: 23rd March
Occupation: Shadowrunner
Role: Face / Wizard
Height: 5'10
Build: Slim
Tattoos / Scars:
-Snake in shape of a celtic knot on his left shoulder, extending to bite his neck
-'Meara' in ogham on his right forearm
-Bullet wound on right hip
PERSONALITY
Upon first meeting Oisin, he can appear as a blunt, no-nonsense sort of person. Towards new people he will make an effort to be polite; if they're pleasant company, he'll relax and be more affable. If they're unpleasant he'll relax and be far less affable and either leave or tell them to fuck off. He refuses to waste his time on people he finds repulsive, creepy or annoying, preferring to avoid them completely and focus on the people whose company he enjoys. His world vision is often restricted to those in his social circles, as he considers them his primary concerns before society at large.
Once befriended, Oisin reveals a far warmer side of his personality. At heart he's a trickster and isn't above light-heartedly teasing his friends and family. He's often uses endearments and is very physically affectionate, leaning on people, slipping his arm through theirs and hugging them. After adopting Ash, Oisin's paternal instincts emerged. He's very protective of not just Ash but other children as well, taking it upon himself to look out for their wellbeing when it seems like nobody else is. Even when they already have a good family, he'll keep an eye out for the children he interacts with and generally offer support for them, so long as they display a willingness to listen to him and don't act bratty towards him.
While Oisin enjoys casual flirting, the moment it becomes sincere he begins to back out and become flustered over genuine compliments. Despite being a romantic at heart, his belief that he needs to atone for his past crimes along with his history as a sex worker cause him to pre-emptively deny himself any romantic relationship, even when he develops a crush on someone. He simply doesn't think he's worthy of being loved that way. This leads him to seek one-night stands he's sure he won't ever see again when he wants company which only fuels his low opinion of himself.
Oisin suffers from a jaded, self-critical view of himself. Due to his past, his lingering Catholic beliefs and his occupation as a Shadowrunner he often belittles himself and has trouble seeing himself as in a good light, firmly believing he isn't a good man and can't become better than what he is now. He certainly does have his negative traits; he's not afraid to fight dirty when dealing with someone who poses a threat to him or his loved ones, and, of course, isn't above working as a criminal for money. But he doesn't seek to hurt people and has no grand illusions about the nature of his job.
SKILLS
Mundane
Forever fond of music, Oisin has a wonderful singing voice and can play both violin and guitar. He enjoys a wide range of songs from traditional Irish folk tunes to more indie rock. He's a competent teacher, stemming from his paternal instincts and a natural knack for finding ways to explain a topic, although his preferred subjects are music and magic.
An unexpected boon from being part selkie is how well Oisin can swim. Granted he's far faster, more powerful and overall plain better in his seal form, he can still easily outdo any casual swimmer in the water.
Due to his career and background he's learned how to pick locks, fire and maintain a gun,
Magical
Oisin's magic stems from his selkie blood and, while hindered by his lack of a sealskin coat, it is still very powerful due to his constant training and honing of what powers he can access. His magic largely focuses on illusions and sensory manipulation, deceiving a person's mind and senses to entertain, incapacitate or torment them.
His most often displayed skill is to create vivid illusions, ranging from something obviously fake to help explain a concept, to an extremely life-like vision or setting, as if one is in a scenario. This includes creating sounds, the sensation of warmth, coldness or humidity and more, along with the visuals. Certain illusions can be used for self-defense or for an attack. One such spell causes a target to believe they're trapped in a net, rendering them immobile unless they have the strength of mind to overcome it. More aggressive tricks of Oisin's include creating an overwhelming clash of contrasting sensations to overload one's mind, or to create an immense feeling of agony throughout a person's body.
Another magical talent is to alter his own body. While lacking a sealskin he can still transform into a seal; he simply lacks the ability to stay as one without maintaining the spell. He's also capable of turning invisible and copying the appearance of others, usually to 'borrow' the form of his sister when he wants to appear female. He can also cast these spells on others, allowing him to disguise them.
HISTORY
Oisin Fox was born with his twin Emily in county Donegal to Commandant Oisin Fox of the Irish military (equivalent to a major in other armed forces) and a half-selkie witch named Niamh. They were raised in a very quiet, unpopulated area, permitted to play along the cliffs, fields and shoreline to their heart's content. It would have been lonely had Oisin and Emily not had each other and the two developed an extremely strong bond. Despite their father often going on tours, he was active in their lives and enjoyed sharing his love of music and rugby with his children, insisting on teaching Oisin how to play the violin with him. They were frequently taken to Kinnagoe Bay and told tales of selkies and other fae folk, as Niamh hoped that one of them would inherit her magic. Their father assumed Emily would inherit it, as selkies are typically female, and ensured he had a close, non-combative relationship with her, while raising both children in a typical Irish Catholic fashion.
Shockingly it was Oisin who developed magic during puberty. This delighted his mother but frightened his father; he and Oisin had similar, stubborn temperaments, and magic wasn't something he could control or restrict if Oisin began to use it. Regardless Oisin became his mother's apprentice, displaying a speciality for illusion abilities and shapeshifting. The family had to relocate to London for work opportunties whent he twins were in their teens. The move was difficult on them, leaving the quiet, open countryside for the smoggy, crowded and cramped heart of London. It didn't help that Oisin's magic, being based seen as 'trickery' led to him being considered a trickster and generally untrustworthy. While they would adapt to the city, Oisin always longed to return to Kinnagoe Bay.
Shortly after moving Oisin met a boy named Michael. The two became fast friends and over time, Oisin became smitten with him. Michael returned his feelings and eventually the pair began to date, keeping their relationship largely quiet for over a year before, unfortunately, Oisin's father found out. Being an extremely strict Catholic, he believed homosexuality was a sin and feared for Oisin's soul. An extremely ugly fight broke out between them while Oisin's mother was out of the house, with his father giving him two options; go to Church, repent and swear to purge himself of the Sin, or get out of his house and never return. He chose to leave, refusing to see any evil in the relationship he had with Michael.
Kicked out of his home, Oisin lived on the streets. While Emily would visit him to give him books and food when she could, Oisin was left to his own devices to survive. The following years saw Oisin reach the darkest low, working as a prosititute for money or a place to sleep and suffering from depression and suicidial thoughts. He didn't see a way out of the life he was in; too stubborn to return home and submit to his father's demands that he 'return to God and atone for his Sin'. When he wasn't working or begging, he devoted himself to perfecting his magic for what respite it could give from his life, and venting his anger at the world by destroying property and getting into fights. As Emily was set to join the army, she suggested they perform a blood ritual to tie them together, no matter the distance. It was successful and they remain magically connected to the present day.
This led to what Oisin considers the worst crime he's ever commited and the greatest turning point. At 18 he joined a gang of other 'lost souls' and helped disguise an arson with his magic, so they could watch the newly built building burn for longer before authorities came. What he didn't realise was there was a family who had moved into their new home early. The two adults died before help could arrive. Outside Oisin found the only survivor; a three-year-old swaddled in blankets and dropped from the window. Realising he had led to the boy being orphaned, Oisin took the child with him. To try and atone, and being aware of how poor the care system was, Oisin made the decision to raise the kid as his own. Returning to the remains of the house, he managed to find the boy's name; Leon Ashley Walters. To honour his parents while preventing authorities from tracing them, Oisin changed his name to Ashley Walter Fox.
Oisin's luck finally came through when he was 19. Still on the streets, now trying to support himself and a young boy, he came across a gentleman offering him work. The man was a 'Smith', an inbetween for mega corporations and Shadowrunners, and had noticed Oisin's illusion abilities while scouting out potential runners from local gangs. While it wouldn't be legitmate work, it would mean far more money and that he could stop his current 'work'. Oisin eagerly took the job and assumed the alias of 'Kinnagoe', after the bay he still wished to return to someday. The money from the job, and the ones that followed, allowed Oisin to rent an apartment for himself and Ash to live, finally getting off the streets.
A few more years passed Oisin reached out to his parents to try and rebuild that relationship, although he and his father easily fall back into explosive rows over religion and Oisin's sexuality. Naimh was extremely grateful to see him again, having never agreed with her husband's decision to kick him out. Emily remains constant in his life, writing to him frequently once he had an address and becoming fond of Ash despite her initial worries that Oisin shouldn't be caring for a child so young in such a difficult situation. While he first took in Ash due to guilt and a sense of moral responsibility, Oisin grew to love him as if he was his own flesh and blood and found his love returned, brightening his life but not without the tinge of guilt.
Currently he continues to work as a Shadowrunner while living with Ash and occasionally taking care of Ash's friends as well, who've also had rocky home lives or tough times
WORLD
Oisin's world is similar to that of many high fantasy settings with elves, trolls, orcs and magic flourishing around the globe - albeit in modern times. The times of orcs and trolls being seen as bestial beings and the mysticalism of elves are seen as extremely inflated stereotypes formed in the controversial 'chaos ages'. Trolls and orcs fall into the 'goblin' subspecies of humanity, with humans and elves forming their own subspecies. Elves often consider themselves somewhat related to the fae, another subspecies that includes a wide variety of humanoid, magical beings such as fauns, vila and kitsune. Nowadays these various subspecies of humanity attempt to live side by side, although there are still species conflicts, divides and profiling that persist in Oisin's time and cause tension or outright violence.
While magic exists only around 10% of the population are gifted with the ability to use it, and in set ways. Magic is often linked to a supernatural event or to a preternatural ancestor, such as a siren, djinn or selkie in Oisin's case, and the skills a magician can use reflect the origins of their power. A magician typically gets three 'areas' of magic they can develop from this, although all magicians are typically taught a few simple, universal spells, such as a simple 'stunning' attack for self-defense. For example, a magician who was born at the birth of a new phoenix will have powers linked to fire, regeneration and enhancing their body. Magic is commonly seen as an unpredictable force so anyone who can use it is regarded with awe, fear and caution. While magical communities and guilds are long standing traditions, nearly all require an ID badge that is uploaded onto national databases, to track and monitor magicians.
A major change to the world's environment for Oisin is the heavy presence of smoke and smog. How this settled is unknown; many people blame pollution as it lingers most strongly in densely populated cities but the cause has yet to be determined. Downpours of acid rain are thought to be linked to the fog, and while coats and outerwear had been adjusted for this it's still damaging to flora and to animals exposed to it constantly.
Permissions / Opt-Out
Backtagging: I tend to drop threads that haven't been replied to for a month but just prod me about it if need be
Threadhopping: No problem
Fourthwalling: I'd rather not thanks!
[IC]
Hugging this character: Totally cool
Kissing this character: Sure but he might not take it well.
Flirting with this character: Go for it, he'll either be sarcastic or casually flirty back
Fighting with this character: Totally fine.
Injuring this character: Okay but please discuss this first.
Killing this character: We can talk it out maybe, but I'm generally against it.
Using telepathy/mind reading abilities on this character: Needs to be discussed.
Warnings:
Oisin's background includes homophobia, homelessness, prostitution, manslaughter and ongoing criminal activity. While these won't typically come up and he won't discuss it openly unless pushed into a situation - even then he won't mention the sex work unless given a reason with someone he's close to. If these topics make you uneasy, just say so and we can discuss how likely it is to come up with your character.
Oisin's magic is largely focused around illusions and sensory manipulation; making characters feel sensations that aren't real (such as heat, cold, as if they're underwater when on land), convincing them that they're immobile and creating vivid dreamscapes as some examples. His magic cannot leave physical damage on a foe but they can cause headaches, render people unconscious and severe mental trauma. This is how he protects himself in a fight or even just as a distraction in escaping a conflict. If you'd rather not have your character subjected to that, please say so!
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HMD
Tell me if I've been going wrong in my rping! If I've treated a subject badly, overstepped a line or if I'm not playing Oisin in keeping with his personality and history!
Player Contact
I also use Discord and Skype for instant messaging, but you'll need to message me for those details - I'd rather not post them up publicly!