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groundrules) wrote2021-01-08 03:30 pm
groundrules) wrote2021-01-08 03:30 pm
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applications
Eastbound is primarily an invite-only game — each existing player can currently invite up to one person per month, or get in touch about further invites. Existing players can hold two characters in game. A third character can be applied, if players can prove they have met activity requirements for two consecutive months with their existing two characters and have stayed engaged with the game. If you don't have an invite, somehow stumbled upon this neck of the woods, and you’d like to stay, drop the mod journal a line — we'll try to figure it out.
As of Oct. 1, cast/game caps are off. Please note, as of Dec. 1, Eastbound only has 3-4 months of gameplay left.
WHAT CHARACTERS CAN BE APPLIED?
YES: canon and original characters, if they have a solid and consistent personality and background. Characters brought in after they've died are a-okay. For characters taken from a time point just as they're in the process of dying, please read below on meeting medical requirements.
NO (at this time): real people, original characters set in a canon environment, characters from canons or canon instalments that have been released for less than one month, characters with imported development from other games (CRAU), alternate universe, or gender-swapped versions of canon characters.
Children or characters with very specific medical/magical/environment needs: appable, but please make a note of how your character will ICly meet their requirements and stay alive. Likewise, if you are applying for a character taken just as they're dying, provide a suggestion for how they can be kept alive on arrival (this might be easier in some app cycles than others). You can bend the world a little to make miracles happen (ex: a substitute for the medication your character needs to survive can be found for a high price at certain apothecaries, etc.)
Characters that were dropped or swept by activity checks: yes, but they’ll come back without their previous memories, if they are applied in by a different player.
APPLICATIONS CLOSED
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Regulus Black | Harry Potter
CONTACT: plurk: whoiamwithoutyou | discord: whoiamwithoutyou#4048 | email: whoiamwithoutyou83@gmail.com
INVITE STATUS: Chel invited me
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE GAME?: I heard about it through Chel
CHARACTER: Regulus Arcturus Black
CANON: Harry Potter
CANON POINT: Post death
BACKGROUND: Walburga Black was a most unkind woman. Orion Black, her husband, distant and emotionally cold himself, did not care so long as she directed her attentions on anything but him. Their arrangement worked fine for them; however, it wreaked havoc on their two sons, Sirius and Regulus.
Regulus Black was born July 23rd, 1961 and, like his brother before him, was immediately placed in the care of the house-elves for looking after. And because of that, they, fortunately, did not die in infancy. Such was the (minimal) affection Walburga had for her children. Regulus grew up knowing who his parents were, his connection to them, what deference he had to pay to each, but caring more for the welfare of the house-elves than for either of his parents.
For as long as young Regulus could remember, he was attached to his brother, but squarely in Sirius’ shadow. Sirius was loud, whereas Regulus was quiet, and while Sirius was brave and bold, Regulus was reserved and acquiescing. Naturally, Regulus thought Sirius, by virtue of being older and so much more outgoing, was wise and worthy of his admiration. And so, Regulus followed his brother’s lead during their youth before Hogwarts. When Sirius thought up wild and impossible things to do, Regulus would comply with his brother’s ideas and wishes with surprising alacrity and innovation. Their playtime became their sanctuary from their mother’s anger and their father’s indifference.
Their relationship, however, wasn't without problems. It was easy for anyone to see Walburga favored her youngest son. And Orion did nothing to stop his wife's favoritism. Perhaps it was because Sirius was much like a firebrand, burning hot always and ready to ignite. And Regulus, on the other hand, was passive and still; but when in motion, accommodating, following the path of least resistance, like water. Regulus found it unnecessary to fight against their parents or the tutors their parents hired to teach them a basic education before Hogwarts (reading, writing, mathematics, the French language, and proper pureblood etiquette). Because the adults always won. Always. Or perhaps Regulus won Walburga's favor because he was just so much more malleable than Sirius. Regulus was quicker to tell his parents what they wanted to hear, quicker to learn when to not say anything at all. It was easier for him to not fight, than it was to fight, like his brother did.
That isn’t to say Walburga didn’t abuse Regulus, too, but her treatment towards her younger son was undeniably less severe than her treatment towards Sirius. Regulus was clearly the Golden Child, even if, when Walburga went off, anyone in her path would be her victim. Either way, Walburga was so apparent in this behavior (and Orion so absent and distant as a father) the boys noticed – how could Sirius not notice? And the effect of this disparity tended to pop up from time to time in the form of arguments and fights between the brothers. Though the boys usually made up quickly, as they needed an ally in that house. It was foolish to give that up for long. They had no one else but each other.
And so things went until they were old enough to go to Hogwarts, school of magic.
When Sirius went away to Hogwarts, he was sorted into the "wrong" house - Gryffindor. At that time, Regulus had few qualms about where his brother went, simply because, well, it was Sirius, his brother. The sorting was surprising, for sure. And ostensibly, Regulus understood that Slytherin was the better - or required – house. But at that age, Regulus simply accepted that his older brother was in a different house. And at first, he found the idiotic way his mother carried on about how this tarnished the family name to be entertaining, something he only relayed to his brother through the scant few letters exchanged that year.
But the novelty of Walburga’s indignation wore off relatively quickly when it became apparent to Regulus that he would now bear the brunt of her rage and abuse at every encounter while Sirius was away. It wasn’t until Sirius was gone that Regulus saw how much having Sirius around mitigated the threat of Walburga. Her cruelty was too much for one little boy to handle on his own, and Regulus found himself giving in more and more to his mother’s ways. Walburga had tried her hardest to instill in her boys the rightness of blood purity, but while Sirius had been around it was as if her teachings fell on deaf ears. Alone, however, Regulus crumbled. He learned quickly that if he just stayed quiet when his mother was in a rage, or if he just said what she wanted to hear, the quicker it was over.
Interestingly enough, during this same period that Regulus began to be indoctrinated with purist ideology, he also started developing an interesting kind of empathy. Before now, the house-elves were just the "help" that he and Sirius ignored because they got in the way of play time or seemed to be extensions of their parents. But Regulus started noticing them now. It was an organic development, difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when the relationship between Regulus and the house-elves shifted, but slowly, that year, Regulus learned that if he was kind to the house-elves, they were kind to him in turn. And as he helped buffer them against his mother, in the small ways a ten year old could, they did the same for him, in the small ways house-elves could. With his father distant and cold as ever, Regulus' only allies during this period were the house-elves.
When Sirius came back for the summer holiday, Walburga made a point of showing even more favoritism to Regulus. And by then, Regulus had started parroting things their parents would say. Here, the fissures in the brothers’ relationship started spreading. Sirius would tell Regulus off for saying despicable things, but Regulus didn't understand why because he was just saying what everyone in their family was saying. And for the first time, Regulus was jealous of Sirius – Sirius had had all these adventures with new friends, and he talked about them constantly. It seemed as if there was no room in Sirius’ life for Regulus anymore.
That summer was awkward for the two brothers, who knew things had changed between them but they just didn’t know why, or how to fix it.
That fall, the two brothers left for Hogwarts, stepping forward onto different paths.
The whole trip from the Hogsmeade station to the school was one stressful ordeal after the other for Regulus. School, while it was said to be amazing, was still far away from "home," and Regulus had never been away from his family before. Hagrid was huge and looming, and not nearly as endearing to Regulus as he was to Sirius. Once inside the Great Hall, Regulus tried to catch his brother’s eye and wave, but Sirius was too engrossed in what James was saying to look. This only disheartened Regulus more. When the hat was placed on his head, he had a choice: please his terrifying mother or his fast-becoming-distant brother. Regulus chose to mollify the scarier of the two and took his seat on the opposite side of the Hall from his brother, at the Slytherin House table. Regulus mouthed a silent apology, but Sirius, who was now finally paying attention, understood the act to be one of treason and silently declared war.
Walburga was delighted at Regulus’ sorting and took full advantage of the situation, redoubling her efforts to raise at least one "good" son. She sent Howlers to the "disappointment" and treats and encouragement to the son she was proud of. This just made things worse between the brothers. There was no patching things between the brothers now.
While the start of school was a bit rocky, navigating a new relationship with his brother and all, Regulus soon found his place amongst his Housemates. He caught the eye of Professor Slughorn right away, due far more to his lineage than his disappointing potions abilities. But it was enough to be inducted into the Slugclub. (Later, Regulus would prove his scholastic aptitude in other subjects and thus maintain his place in Slughorn’s honored group.) Naturally curious, he thought most of his classes were intriguing. He found the kitchens right away and made friends and allies with the House-elves, thus always having a safe haven at school, and plenty of treats on his plate at mealtimes, or even in between. In his second year, Narcissa (who, previous to now, had a reputation to maintain and couldn’t take him on sooner due to his First Year newness) took her young, promising cousin under her wing and proudly showed him off to all the “right” people. This chilly closeness would last the remainder of Regulus’ life and would endear Cissa to Regulus as his favorite family member. He also, as the years progressed, formed friendships with his house-mates his age - Barty Crouch Jr. and Evan Rosier. And also with Severus Snape, even though the other boy was a year older. Theirs was a relationship that perhaps started due to their mutual dislike of Sirius.
It wasn’t long before Regulus was rather popular in his own right. Most subjects were a breeze for him, save for the ones he didn’t care about, primarily potions and divination being among the latter category. He was a rising star in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. He earned very respectable scores in Charms, Transfiguration, and Astronomy. One could say he had an uncanny ability in the Dark Arts, or the defense of them, as they were taught in Hogwarts. And he really enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures (which his mother forced him to drop after O.W.L.s because it wasn't necessary for his already proscribed life after Hogwarts). He tried out for and made the Quidditch team his third year, landing the position of Seeker. No need to lie, Sirius did get the better looks, but Regulus wasn't far behind and he had a smile that was disarming. He was a member of one of the most pureblood, richest magical families in all of England, and that bolstered a charisma all its own. He learned to move with the ease of privilege. The further he fell into his social circle, the easier it was to start espousing the rhetoric and propaganda that Slytherins, and outside of school, the Death Eaters, were infamous for. There were pureblood wizards, and then there was everyone else. And Regulus was the poster child for all things magically pure. A certain notoriety was bestowed upon him, and he readily accepted the mantle. He lapped up the attention and bought into the ideology without reservation. It was all but official that he would one day join that special organization of those trying to return witches and wizards to their rightful place in the world. His mother was so proud.
Regulus never really got into trouble at school. This was due primarily because of his mother - even in Howler form she was terrifying. A few of those from her in his first year and Regulus learned to be cunningly subtle about rule breaking. One didn't need to be bombastic in their adventures outside the lines of right and wrong. This was where he learned the power of decpetion and decite. If his mother never knew what he was doing, she couldn't chastise him for it. Regulus also never really felt compelled to be an outright bully, like some others in Slytherin House. Sure, once in a while he'd pick on a student, to keep up appearances, or - more usually - because the other student annoyed him in that moment (this is, essentially high school, after all). But a pattern of being openly hostile and cruel wasn't his brand. Thanks to his mother, Regulus understood the importance of subtlety a little more clearly than others in his house. And he'd learned by now that position was power. He tended more towards using his popularity and high societal status as a weapon or a largesse: cross him and he could ruin you, gain his favor and he could make you. And he'd much rather liked people owing him favors than be the one handing out punishments. Honey attracts more flies than vinegar, as the saying goes, and it was much easier, not as exhausting. Though of course, with him, there was a purist taint to his generosity, he clearly favored others who fit in with the movement more than anyone else at school. The Hogwarts house-elves were one glaring exception to this rule, though usually no one noticed his kindness towards the elves because usually no one noticed the elves to begin with.
His brother’s leaving Grimmauld Place hit Regulus hard. Regulus was 14, almost 15 that summer. He and Sirius had not gotten along for four years at that point; their views on the world had drastically diverged from the innocent playtime of boys in the back garden. But Sirius was still his brother, had still endured in that house with him. Now Regulus was completely alone. And Regulus resented Sirius for leaving him there. The last conversation they ever had, rife with insults and pointed jabs, was the day before Sirius left. After that, they might have hexed or jinxed each other at school, they might have shouted insults at each other, but they weren’t, thanks to a burn on a tapestry, "brothers" anymore.
Re: Regulus Black | Harry Potter
As the time drew near for Regulus to prove he was worthy to take the Mark (the summer after his sixth year), the more apprehensive and ill he became, and with good reason. He had to finally acknowledge what it took to be a Death Eater, and what the organization truly represented: the oppression and destruction of (quite possibly) innocent people, at least undeserving of torture and death. This, murdering and torturing people, was not what Regulus wanted to do. But do not mistake Regulus’ intentions: he certainly believed in the superiority of pureblood wizards - muggles had, after all, caused the death and harm of many wizards in the past due to their adherences to stultifying religions and beliefs and fears against magic - but he didn’t want to kill or torture anyone. And that “quite possibly innocent” nagged his mind enough to turn his logic into knots. But the simple truth was, whatever the reason, he didn't have the stomach for torture and murder. However, by this time, it was too late to back out. Or he'd risk his own death. And he wasn't ready to die yet. It was him, or a muggle stranger that night in early summer of 1978, just after the end of Hogwart's school year, in front of fellow Death Eaters and Death Eater hopefuls. In the end, Regulus placed the value of his own life before doing the right thing and imperioused the man to stand in front of a train.
His soul was shattered, having traded one tyrant in his life for another, but he had earned his Mark.
Consumed by the guilt of what he’d done, Regulus now started withdrawing from those he knew and the activities he once enjoyed. He avoided participating in Death Eater things as much as possible the rest of that summer, though he could not do so completely. When he had to join in, he tried to avoid killing anyone else, but torturing people… there were just some things you couldn’t shy way from when you were a member of the Death Eaters. He did what he had to, but he already wanted out.
He had one more year at Hogwarts and it was a blessed relief to be heading back to the confines of the castle where he could try to block out the war and his involvement in it. But the memories never left him and every part of him suffered for it: the quality of his schoolwork plummeted, and he stopped participating socially altogether. He could have been captain of the Quidditch team, but he passed on it. And his performances in practice and games were dismal. None of his teachers seemed to be aware of this dramatic change, but those that might have cared about such things were focused on exams, a thousand other students, and a brewing war. His classmates noticed, but one dark look from him and they left him alone. The only area of magic he strove to be better at was Occlumency and Legilmency, and that was for self-preservation.
He wondered where his brother might be (Sirius had completed his schooling by then), but quickly pushed aside any ideas about contacting his brother. It was well known among the Death Eaters that Aurors were granted permission to kill Death Eaters on sight. And Regulus didn't know if the tenuous threads of childhood memories would be enough to make Sirius look past the Mark and see his brother once again and not just outright turn him over to the Aurors. Regulus was sure attempting a meeting would only result in his death. The majority of his time was spent trying to forget his horrendous mistakes or trying to figure out how to extricate himself from the mire he’d willingly run into.
But there were breaks from classes throughout the year, and during those periods he was expected to be at Lord Voldemort's disposal, like any of the other Death Eaters. Regulus learned to fear Voldemort’s wrath more than anything else. He didn't need to know what being crucio'ed felt like to know he didn't want it. But not a single Death Eater (not even his cousin Bella) hadn't displeased Lord Voldemort at least once, so they all knew what it felt like firsthand. Reuglus ostensibly kept his regret and self-loathing over his choice to join the Death Eaters to himself. And to stave off any suspicion about his diminishing loyalty, he tucked his chin in and played the part he'd pledge himself to. He lied to their faces and hoped they never notice. Over time, his biggest fear morphed to include the fear of being discovered as a Death Eater fraud. One didn't just leave the group - it was a lifetime commitment, whether that death came sooner or later, naturally, or in retribution for disloyalty.
At this point, with the looming end of his schooling career, Hogwarts ceased to be the sanctuary it once was. Regulus was filled with dread for what was coming next.
To say the summer after Hogwarts was difficult for Regulus would be an understatement. He had no classes to hide behind to excuse himself from Death Eater activities. His composure was slipping, each time he was required to do more Death Eater things was just another chance for another Death Eater to learn his desire to get out. He learned Death Eaters didn't just prey on muggles and muggle-borns: anything "weak" would do, even if that weak thing was among their own ranks. And every day was a chance for Regulus' facade to crumble and his weakness to show. And it did, in fact, show sometimes, and it was sometimes noticed, and he suffered for that slip. He would then have to rededicate himself to end the unwelcome attention. Rededication came usually came in the form of showing just how useful he could be to the organization. With a sharp aptitude with Arithmancy and Charms, he proved just how valuable he was when it came to wards, more specifically, unraveling wards. He would have been a brilliant curse breaker if circumstance and poor choices hadn’t ruined his life.
He grasped at anything to help keep him above water during this period. And he did discover an outlet that not only let him forget his circumstances and what he’d done for a moment but punished him as well. He experimented with potions, and when he didn’t have access to those he turned to alcohol and old-fashioned opioids - surprisingly not that hard to find, Laudanum had been a staple in his mother's personal stores since before he could remember. But he kept that latter part a secret. He couldn’t free himself physically, but he could escape mentally.
His survival during this period can only be attributed to Kreacher. The last dutiful Black Family house-elf. Kreacher truly cared for Regulus by this point, as Regulus was the only person in the family who showed him kindness. Kreacher looked after Regulus when he was in his worst moments and never told a soul.
All this time spent with the Death Eaters, Regulus had come to one glaring conclusion he should have reached years before: Lord Voldemort was wrong, the Death Eaters were wrong, his parents and family were wrong. He was wrong. He did not have the clarity to trace the threads of his mistake back to their origins, but it was a start.
Eventually, Regulus found an opportunity to get out of the organization while also trying to hurt Lord Voldemort in the process.
Voldemort was always casually dropped hints about his brilliance, how he was greater than any wizard ever born. One day, the Dark Lord dropped a hint about making Horcruxes. This was the first key to unlocking Regulus’ prison.
Regulus' knowledge of Horcruxes was more innocent than it seems on the surface. He knew the etymology of his name - Latin for "little king," Latin for the Greek word "Basilisk.” In learning that, he also learned about the king of serpents and naturally, the benefits of basilisk venom - one of which was destroying horcruxes. The Black Family library was ancient and full of dark magic, and in a dusty old book that everyone had forgotten about, but, nonetheless, one that Regulus had idly read at some point previous to hearing Lord Voldemort’s hint, there was a very brief description of what a Horcurx was. That Horcruxes happen to be horrific dark magic was coincidental to Regulus knowing about them, but even Regulus knew not to talk about them because of how very evil they were. It almost surprised him that the Dark Lord would just let that information slip around anyone - but on deep review of the evidence, Regulus had to acknowledge not many other witches or wizards knew about them, ancient and forbidden magic as they were. And, after all, the Death Eaters ranks were not bursting at the seams with staggering geniuses. Regulus quietly tucked away knowledge of Voldemort's secret and didn’t share it with anyone else. Because who else could he trust?
When Voldemort summoned him in the fall of 1979, this was when Regulus was handed by Fate the second key. Regulus first assumed his lack of commitment had been finally noticed by the Dark Lord, and this would be the end. But, instead of being met with torture, Voldemort simply requested the use of a house-elf. And thinking Voldemort only wanted someone serving him food or, at worst, disposing of a few bodies, Regulus offered the use of Kreacher. However, when Kreacher returned to the hall of Grimmauld Place, barely hanging onto life, it was clear Regulus had been gravely mistaken. After helping Kreacher recover, Regulus made him explain what happened. Regulus added two and two and got four this time: Voldemort had hidden a Horcurx in that cave. And from that information, Regulus formulated an end-game plan.
He knew going into that cave to retrieve the Horcrux he would not be coming out again, but he would finally kick back at Lord Voldemort. He’d figured that if Kreacher’s magic could get the elf out of the cave, then the elf could be entrusted with destroying the locket. He ordered Kreacher to take him to the cave and he also ordered the house-elf to give him, Regulus, the potion guarding the Horcrux, because he wouldn’t put Kreacher through that ordeal again. It was the most painful and horrifying experience of Regulus’ life, as not only did the potion seem to boil his very essence but every memory of his past misdeeds was called forward and paraded around his mind over and over. When it was finished and the inferi were summoned from their underwater grave, Regulus ordered Kreacher to go home and destroy the locket, and to tell no one what had transpired. This was the end, and Regulus slipped down into that murky water willingly.
Re: Regulus Black | Harry Potter
In school, his best subjects were (and he is highly skilled in):
• Ancient Runes - the study of runic scriptures, or Runology. Ancient Runes was a mostly theoretical subject that studied the ancient runic scripts of magic. (This is probably specific to the Harry Potter universe, unless the mod says otherwise.)
• Care of Magical Creatures (though his mother made him drop it after O.W.L.s) - As the label reads: learning how to identify and care for magical creatures. Regulus really enjoyed this subject and has a soft spot for all kinds of magical creatures.
• (defense against) the the Dark Arts (strongest emphasis on the "dark" part) - Hogwarts only teaches the defense of the Dark Arts, and Regulus was good at that, too. But he was born into a family devoted to the Dark Arts so he's well versed in much of it. (Sometimes more than other dark wizards).
He didn't receive top marks in these subjects but he is respectably competent in:
• Transfiguration - the study of magic that focused on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object
• Astronomy - the study of the movement of stars and planets.
He's very good at magical wards. Like all Death Eaters, he is adept at dueling and quick apparation/disapparation (using magic to transport from one point to another), and very talented in occlumency (blocking his mind from magical mental intrusion) and legilimency (using magic to intrude into other's minds). He knows his way around a flying broomstick, and though he's not physically intimidating nor could he win a fist fight, he is dexterus and quick.
He has a naturally curious mind, so is willing to seek out new information and is a self-learner. He is intuitive and perceptive. Lying and deflection come easy to him, like breathing. He compartmentalizes easily, and he can put on a charismatic act when he wants to.
He is well-spoken and well dressed. He knows about fifty different ways to tie a neck tie. He knows what distinguishes bespoke clothing from off the rack and the difference between an oxford and a derby shoe, and why you should never wear a derby shoe to a black tie affair. Probably not a useful skill in all settings, but he's proud of this knowledge.
He speaks English, French, and reads Ancient Runes and some Latin. Given that he's learned a few languages already, he'd pick up another quickly.
Note to mod: Feel free to nerf what is necessary for the game setting
but can he please keep his extensive sartorial knowlege?PERSONALITY: Naturally inclined to be quiet and tractable, Regulus has almost always followed the path of least external resistance. Those external pressures have shaped him into a wizard who on paper checks all the boxes for the perfect purist, while hiding someone with an amazing depth of empathy and a surprising capacity for heroism.
At an early age, Regulus learned the power of compartmentalization. It was easier to endure his mother’s rages when he dissociated from the moment. This has made him a profoundly skilled occlumens and legilimens, but emotionally stunted in so many other ways.
Dealing with his mother taught him that emotions are meaningless because crying never tugged at her sympathies (the woman didn’t have any) and showing any part of himself to her that went contrary to what she wanted from him was a kind of vulnerability that only made her angrier. So, he learned to dry up his tears, to hide who he was, to hide his personality; he put his own individual wants and desires on a shelf and substituted in his mother’s, just to survive in her house. Necessity was the mother of Regulus’ formative morals.
Instead of learning emotional self-regulation, he just learned how to separate himself from what he was feeling and how to put those feelings in a box. If they were tucked away, he never had to think about them (until the box gets too full and all those emotions come flooding out, which inevitably happens). He learned how to project a facade of cool detachment, just like his father.
He has a grasp of the basic emotions: happy, sad, anger, fear, envy. It’s the complex way emotions can mix together that he struggles with.
His cruelty is rooted most strongly in his ability to compartmentalize his emotions, and it made him good at acting like the perfect Death Eater. All he had to do is lock away those parts of himself that objected to what he was doing – all that shame, and self-abhorrence, his consciences, essentially - and lie straight to the faces of some of the most terrifying people on the planet. And to himself. After all, a lie was just telling people what they wanted to hear, something Regulus had been doing since childhood.
But the cold detachment can melt away into someone almost delightful. Regulus can be engaging and personable, extremely curious about life. He’ll let a few emotions out of the box and let a bit of his personality show. He doesn’t actually understand the emotions he feels, he just rides them as long as they serve him. This show of good nature is pure privilege – it is mainly a result of being born rich, of being the most pureblood wizard a wizard can be, of being easy to look upon (okay Sirius is better looking, but Regulus isn’t far down the list, and he still has a disarming smile), of having almost everything come easy for him. Self-indulgence bleeds into arrogant selfishness because he has almost never needed to think about anyone but himself.
When pushed far enough, when the box of his emotions overflows, his downward spiral takes two trajectories: small bursts of anger, or, more frequently, destructively inward. The former is never sustained for very long (save for one exception: Sirius-related outbursts), while the latter can last for extended periods of time, days, weeks. Generally, when the top blows on Regulus’ emotions, and he responds in the form of an angry outburst, those outbursts are hot and bright, but relatively short. The energy he has for these moments is burned up quickly, leaving him exhausted, but calm and collected once again. More often, he becomes still and eerily quiet, and then he seeks release through self-harming methods – mostly alcohol and drugs (the magical kind, or old-fashioned opioids like laudanum). He prefers solitude in these moments because other people are just another variable in an equation he’s struggling to solve (that is, his emotions). And other people have a habit of either offering to help (when he doesn’t understand what’s wrong to begin with, offers of help are profoundly annoying) or making things worse.
Despite all the arrogance and selfishness and a stunted emotional intelligence, he actually has the capacity to harbor strong feelings for others. Others such as his house-elf Kreacher, a few friends (Severus and Barty), and even his brother - though to show it for his brother would be the death of him. He'll never discuss it with anyone, but Sirius’ rejection and eventual leaving felt like a betrayal. He both simultaneously hates and loves his brother. And because of how bitter he is over everything involving Sirius, his brother is the only one who can keep him angry for an extended period of time.
Regulus desperately wants approval and acceptance, a want born from a need to fill an emotional void created by his mother’s cruelty, his father’s emotional absence, and Sirius’ rejection. Though he was the Golden Child in his family, Walburga clearly had a favorite son, yet he still never adequately received anything he needed, and she was still an abusive mother. So, an abusive childhood, coupled now with his actions as a young adult, have left him with a deep-seated yearning for any kind of what seems to him to be positive affection. However, he is profoundly mistrustful of anyone on first (even subsequent) meetings for the very same reason. He gives no benefit of the doubt, as that scale is tipped towards expecting cruelty and rejection. He will push people away, even to his detriment, because he's been twice bitten and shamed and is no longer foolish.
He is arrogant and selfish, but those can be stripped away. In his world, he literally Had It All (TM) by so many metrics: his talent with magic, his looks, his wealth, his pureblood family connections. He was even able to get away with murder. The privilege of privilege is never having to see how privileged you are. But despite how blinded by privilege he is, he somehow managed to find empathy for house-elves. Bravery doesn't come to him easily, he doesn't feel compelled to run towards danger, he is very often ruled by fear: fear of disapproval, fear of being tortured, fear of rejection. He's not used to self-reflection. At the moment of his death, he’d barely made the first steps towards doing something right. And still, of all the creatures in the magical world he could pity, he cares about house-elves, he saw the way his family and other purist families treated house-elves and formulated the thought at a young age that they deserved better than the abuse they received. That empathy is innately his and the source of all the regret, guilt, and remorse he feels for joining the Death Eaters, the source of his eventual betrayal of Lord Voldemort, and the source of any good thing he could potentially do.
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INVENTORY: His clothes (which look vaguely like he stepped out of a time machine from the rich half of the late Victorian era). His wand. A soggy pack of cigarettes.
NOTES: N/A
APPLICATION RECEIVED
no subject
privilegesartorial knowledge, though he might find himself financially challenged to apply it! Before I put together your admin acceptance note, what's your poison: do you prefer a plot-lighter or plot-heavier intro? Either option's a-okay and down to sheer taste.no subject
ACCEPTED
Thank you for your application!
ADMIN
NOTES
Occasionally, Regulus will be able to spot a tall, relatively young man with a prosthetic arm, trailed by a goat, who is received by the forest people with relish for meals or wine. He never stays long, and Regulus is kept out of his path. Regulus may also notice that the forest people deserve deep disdain for the nearby lake and seem to often sneak out to spit in it or throw rocks. They will speak in excitable anger, if he tries to point to the lake or inquire about it.
This budding friendship comes to an end when a pack of Sa-Hareth youth decide to undertake Anurr’s trials in the forest, shepherded by the wood tribes. Regulus is found by the sorceresss Karsa, when she joins the party in participating in Anurr’s rites. She passes Regulus a quartz translation and communication piece and explains the basics:
Regulus is one of several otherworld arrivals. Unhalad summoned the group to use their strength and resource in the power struggle against his once dethroned but resurging undead rival, Anurr. It is in everyone’s interest for the newcomers to depart this world through long-lost portals that reside eastbound, deep in the continent. Karsa’s master, the elusive Merchant, is organising a trip to that purpose, although the voyage has been repeatedly delayed by cold storms. It is hoped that the portals will take otherworlders to their own homes. For now, they must participate in Anurr’s trials and gain more information that could help with their departure.
Re: ACCEPTED
When it says above, "a figure the woods’ people appear to revere and associate with the forest trees." Do the woods' people have an actual icon they use in substitution for their worship when Anurr is not around? Or is this just an explanation of who Anurr is for my benefit?
Where it says, "They will make an effort to keep Regulus hidden from traveling miners, woodcutters and the human denizens of the farmhouse — as well as from the visiting groups of Anurr’s undead, who meet with the forest people regularly for what appear to be exchanges of information or instruction." Is this absolute isolation from these events, or does Regulus get to glimpse a few things before being stuff away like the disgruntled pigeon he probably acted like?
(Also just wanted to say this is a perfect start for him!)
no subject
1. That is just to describe the attitude the forest people have for Anurr. There is sadly no icon of him...! Or fortunately.
2. He can glimpse as much as you like, provided he doesn't get so close that it beggars belief the farmhouse brigade never saw him and the undead didn't kill him.
no subject
Reg can see just a little, enough to continue to "WTF is my death?" all through that week (and let's be real, it will continue beyond.)
And thank you so much for the clarification.
no subject