Porphyria my lovely Mage: the Awakening OC ! (Alt color included!) By the lovely @crownedinmarigolds

So so happy with how she came out.

Porphyria: "It's ok, we can't always slay."

Porphyria: *always slays*

commission of @blood-bound's mage oc porphyria! [commission info]

here she is... miss america...

i mean here is Porphyria! Born as Charlotte, Porphyria awoke to magic in the Spring of 1850, and took the name from the poem "Porphyria's Lover." Livin' in the midwest, she is travelling West with her cabal tracking down .... something (?) that the bad guys (Seers of the Throne) want. Along the way they have lots of wacky adventures such as discovering this purple egg. Except to everyone else, this egg is normal, non purple.. But Porphyria can see it correctly... probably from a parallel universe or something. she can see those. Queen.

alt: A bust of a woman, holding a purple egg. The woman has round glasses and messy curly hair in a bun. She has a questioning, surprised, expression.

May I ask 1 (What inspired you to create your oc?) about both Mark and Porphyria?

ok well i answerd 1 for mark in my last ask so for porphyria...

she is my second OC so i was like ok. i need to make someone totally different from mark, so its gonna be a girl, who instead of being paranoid and worried is gonna be Optimistic and hopeful!

Then i thought about what type of woman i could make set in the 1850s who awakened to magic. and i had already looked at the types of mages in the corebook and one of them, ancanthus, did stuff with time and fate so i was like. OOOO clockworkers wife??? yes?!??! + because they are like happy-go-lucky and confident and thats the vibe i wanted. so it all worked well.

i dont think i took inspiration from any specific characters.

after i decided that is how she was gonna be after awakening i made it so she was always a dreamer hoping for something better. but also happy cause of her kids. i also wanted to take the grimoire merit so i made it so she had a library and it was an old hidden tome that only revealed its importance after her awakening.

also witches are cool and i wanted someone who could Potentially fall into chaos and i think that could sooo happen for her <3

thank youuu for letting me rambleeee

20.) What attracts them to someone - platonically and/or romantically, anything counts. 40.) If you had to remake this character right now, how would you change them? 52.) How would they dress themselves up for a formal event?

For Pory!

20.) What attracts them to someone - platonically and/or romantically, anything counts. 

Having lots of energy! She wants sometime to inspire her and go Get Stuff Done and Try New Things with her. Someone who isn’t afraid to speak their mind. Someone who respects her intelligence. Someone creative that keeps her on her toes. - 40.) If you had to remake this character right now, how would you change them? I would probably make her a bit more resentful of her husband, and age-up her kids. Her leaving her family behind makes me feel baddddd and not in the fun angsty way, I just feel bad for the kids. This would free her up to be more chaotic and even though its an avenue to show her becoming more Chaotic… I don’t like it lol. I would also do better to flavor the grimoire merit that she has because it’s kind of a dud right now. I would have also alwys intended for her to help start the free council and so would have made her a bit more rebellious, but that can come from Character Development. :) - 52.) How would they dress themselves up for a formal event?

May I ask 🌿 [HERB] for both Porphyria and Mark?

🌿 [HERB] Is your OC religious? What do they believe in?

Mark: he used to be an atheist; now he is questioning everything. He obviously thinks all organized religion got it wrong somehow but there must be SOMETHING to it because he has witnessed a religious man use true faith against vampires. Oh and he knows demons exist. So yeah. he thinks there is some bastardized version of the christian god out there somewhere, I guess. he's shocked about it.

And he's right, kind of?

Mark is trying to Not Think About What Comes After Final Death but I'm sure he will have a crisis about it at some point and want to look into this further lol.

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Porphyria: Used to be a Christian... I think she still thinks there must be a God out there but isn't sure how he works. Requires more research nd talking to more experienced mages to find out, i think! It is not something she cares about right now.

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Sorry I feel these are both short and boring answers but they are both still New in their respective magical worlds and r figuring things out

🪨for both Mark and Wendy

and 🎭 for... hm lets go with everyone

🪨 Someone gifts your OC a shiny rock. What do they do with it? Mark: Would use sense the unseen. If magic rock, ofc keep and investigate. If not, depends on who gave it to him. By default he would keep it though. Just in case...

Wendy: Would figure out what it was made of and make the decision on whether it is useful to keep from there! if it is just pretty she would not keep it.

🎭 What is the one thing your OC regrets most? Would they undo it, considering how their life turned out?

-Mark: Murdering that one innocent homeless man. Yes, he would change that.

-Porphyria: Not realizing Maribel was trapped in the Horror Dimension with the demon Filonious. Yes, she would change that too.

-Eden: Investigating the stuff that she did that got him noticed by her sire. Yeah, she'd probably want to change that and stay human (for now...)

-Emerson: That is a secret 2 u :)

May I ask 1 for both Porphyria and - since I'm already here - Mark, out of the edgy/misc. asks?

1 for Mark was answered previously anyway :D

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Porphyria: OOO YES I FOUND FUCKED UP PORPHYRIA LORE. Part of her - A Dark Part of her - wishes she could forget her husband. he wasn't abusive. but it was a loveless marriage out of being Expected to marry. Now, she does NOT want to forget her kids - she loves them - but her husband? it would be freeing to forget he existed. i think at some point she'll let go of him entirely but right now its a nagging guilt and preventing her from Romance (which i dont think would come up in our game per se but eventually, i want it to for her in her life. and she would love real romance.)

now. i dont think this want is messed up. but it is a little messed up that she wants to forget him instead of just. move on. lol. because she could easily remove her memories of him and that idea has crossed her mind for the future even if she dismisses it. LOL I LOVE MAGES THEY CAN DO SOOOOO MANY FUCKED UP THINGS.

(gehenna-calling) um. 22&23 for mark, 38 for porphyria

I. I TYPED OUT A LOT AND THEN IT CRASHED AND LOST MY PROGRESS. UGHASHFDAJF Anyway thank you beloved mutual for helping me out of the pits of despair.

22 and 23 - What does your character like in other people? And: What does your character dislike in other people? (I’m gonna answer in one paragraph.)

I’ll kind of divide the people Mark likes into two categories - the people who he more quickly gets along with, though sometimes in a shallow sense, who he likes (liked?) to surround himself with - and the people who he Likes on a more deeper level even if they don’t vibe at first. For the first, Mark likes people that are similar to the image Mark projects of himself. Being around other snarky academic types makes him feel safe; he knows what role to play, they understand him, and it’s easy to find things to talk about that aren’t too personal. The conversations are legitimately enjoyable and yeah, it’s basically Comfy. They aren’t going to push him too far and any deep conversations won’t be about personal topics, and as long as they aren’t misanthropes (Mark truly loves all that humanity has accomplished and believes it will keep improving, though he doesn’t show this side of himself often), they’ll get along well. His touchstone Dr. Armatto falls into this category; though this is a deeper care/like because he shares that love of humanity’s history and Mark has just accepted that he isn’t gonna share deeper personal things (like that he’s gay) with him, and has made his peace with that.

For the second part, of course the standard things that make people like others apply - but there’s a certain type of personality, that is willing to meet Mark where he’s at but also know the right ways to push him gently, subtly, in a way that doesn’t have to make him acknowledge that he’s being pushed, that he likes, even if he couldn’t put his finger on why. This type of person also has to be capable of indulging Mark’s nerdiness even if they don’t share it, lol. So someone more extroverted but with patience, if I had to oversimplify it a bit. Sampson fell into this category. I think his coterie member Rose might fall into this too, though their friendship kind of developed weirdly because they had to start trusting each other with their lives on like, night 1 of knowing each other and then for many battles after. 

What he doesn’t like is overt misanthropy - which I mentioned before. Like, Mark IS cynical, but not about humanity in a large sense. He also doesn’t like impulsive people; he needs stuff to be planned and if possible, know what to expect. Incompetence bothers him more than the average person I suppose; he’s less likely to brush something off as ‘its fine don’t worry’ (even if he helps out the person who screwed up anyway, lol). He doesn’t like laziness either - Mark works hard! (Don’t think about the fact that at this point, some of that GrindSet is just an excuse to Not Think About The Horrors). He doesn’t like it when he’s pressured into things, he’ll get stubborn about it and think the individual is obnoxious (even if again, he does deep down want to be pushed, it has to be in a certain way.) Uhhhh also even if it is the 2000s and a lot of people are homophobic, if they’re vocal about it obviously Mark won’t like that either even if he wouldn’t say anything. 

Then for Porphyria: 

Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?

This one is pretty easy - she is more likely to remove the problem, because she sees it as a mage’s duty to help sleeper society. So if it’s a problem, she and her cabal can certainly fix it, instead of leaving it for someone else to run into. She would only remove herself if she can’t fix it - and she can check this with a simple scrying spell. It’s easy for her to know if something is possible, or very unlikely, even if she isn’t yet strong enough in the time arcana to know the details. 

So yeah - she would see it as irresponsible to avoid the problem when she could fix it, and she’s pretty confident that she, with her cabal, can solve most anything they come across. What a QUEEN i love her. 

(gehenna-calling) sunflower and rosette for mark! cherry blossom for pory!

🌻 [SUNFLOWER] Where would your OC get lost in the moment/beauty of the place?

his lovers eyes

any huge group of people doing something together that humans have always done - im thinking of like those videos of modern sailors singing songs as they come to shore, you know what im talking about?

This one is obvious but also if he went to Rome and saw a bunch of historical stuff he'd be going insane LMAOOOO he wanted to go soooo bad.

🏵️ [ROSETTE] What flower symbolises your OC best and why? What does the flower mean in floriography?

Amaranth maybe? I SPENT AWHILE RESEARCHING THIS IS HARD

Based on my brief google searches, it represents death/immortality, and eternal love. it also has a LOT of history. but this one is hard.

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🌸 [CHERRY BLOSSOM] Does your OC believe in legends/myths?

She sure as hell does now! Actually unlike Mark she isn't so much as interested in history as she is Starry Eyed about the Future and the Possibilities of the Present - but i mean like. she's a mage. vampires are real she found out and she kills them now <3 changelings are real and one is their friend <3 ghosts are real and she wants to help them <3 so like. yeah.

Like I said she hasn't pondered many specific legends or myths yet but I htink she would prob either believe in most of them OR think there is an element of truth to them! but this question is also funny because in WoD these legends and myths are usually real so like.it makes sense to believe.

🍀 and 🌾 for porphy!!

🌹 and 💐 for mark!!

🍀 [FOUR LEAF CLOVER] Would your OC spend hours looking for a four leaf clover?

No because it'd be very easy for her to cast a spell to come across one. Lol. <- autistic answering the question literally

in Vibes she would be the type to seek them out and if she has time, yea she'd be entertained looking for a long time.

And as a mage i feel using 4 leaf clovers would be helpful in ritutals so yeah. she's down!

but again it would literally be so easy for her to come acrosss them it would NOT fucking take hour slol

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🌾 [RICE SHEAF] How picky is your OC with food? What will and won't they eat?

So she's not picky in the sense of what they have, she will eat - but due to her time period there's not a lot of variety of food. However I imagine she has no spiciness tolerance LOL no spicy food for her!!! So picky w that.

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🌹 [ROSE] Does your OC believe in true love? Why?

:D I was HOPING SOMEONE WOULD ASK THIS FOR MARKKK you know him. He Does believe in it. It's a conviction and romantic love is sooo important to him actually it's his lil Softie trait.

Why? cause he's a lil gay ass motherfucker. No seriously though hm hard question. i'll just list some things ig. i think its because he saw how brave his bf in high school was for being proud of his sexuality. i think its because he was a gay teen during the aids crisis. i think its because he connected his love of history to a love for humanity to a love for individuals. i think its because he feels a romantic partner is someone who you can truly be yourself with and he has... identity issues. (i am not saying *I* believe that im just saying MARK does btw). i think its because now that he lost his life he needs something to hang on to and hey, isnt the idea of living eternally with someone you love such a beautiful thing?

Whenever Mark tells someone that eternal life is the best part of being a vampire, his secret is he also has to imagine its with someone else, too.

💐 [BOUQUET] If you could send your OC a bouquet, what flowers would make it up and what is the overall message?

White lilies - mourning, but also purity and rebirth. Blue star - admiring determination and endurance Begonias - thank you Zinnia and forget-me-nots - a reminder never to forget absent friends

the message is: STAY STRONG, STAY HUMAN, YOU CAN DO IT + THANKS FOR ROTATING IN MY BRAIN

I know nothin abt flowers so i used this link https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/g2503/surprising-flower-meanings/?slide=85

May I ask 💚 GREEN HEART about Mark, and - if you also take questions for her - Porphyria as well?

i am so sorry this was so delayed lksajfsdf im a mess. i will always take porphyria questions as well! :D

💚 GREEN HEART - what things make your oc feel comforted? hugs, kisses, food?

Mark: well food can't comfort him anymore so that's out. lol. I think. Someone would have to recognize he's feeling bad. And just be there. Quality time love language. Sit next to him. If a romantic partner hold his hand, and just sit quietly with him. Ask simple questions, and just let him internalize and process what he needs to. Ask if he wants to talk about it, and accept the answer whatever it may be - if its a recent hurt, probably will be "Not right now. Thank you for being here."

Cries im so not normal about him he just needs someone to be there and to show acceptance...

Porphyria: On the other side of it, I think Porphyria would appreciate genuine words of comfort, and does feel better explaining how things went. She would like to be validated- "I get it, that is awful/you did the right thing/I think you're awesome" etc etc. She wouldn't mind physical affection as well :) She will accept hugs <3 It's not super unique I suppose but truly if it comes from a well intentioned soul it'll make her happy.

bonus porphyria. shes in a much better place and is much cooler than my vamp ocs

for the Edgy/misc OC ask meme thing #17. if you are willing, describe it either as vaguely or as comically as you can. also i am afraid i dont know your ocs yet but i would love to learn more about them

OUGh yeah let's get some Silly Lightness here also wow if ur reading what i just posted sorry if u dont have context feel free to ask for context im love them.

What is the worst thing you have put your OC through story-wise?

I will make this something i did On Purpose to Cause Problems.

for Mark: wow ok actually im so attached to him that im struggling for this. Uhm. OH. Right. Well. Yeah youre gonna connect the Changeling contract ur forced into to your ex that you have complicated feelings about. surely this will not have unintended consequences (it did, ones i wasnt even thinking of. whoops).

For Porphyria: you're gonna be so confident things are gonna work out that you make a deal with an actual Demon whose real name, Filonius, means evil. (he introduced himself as Phil.) have fun doing Tasks for him and be thankful a much more powerful mage saved ur ass so you have freedom still alksdjflkjsdf

🍁 - for Mark and Pory!

🍁 [MAPLE LEAF] What is your OC's favourite season? Why and what do they do during it?

Mark:

He was a Fall dude like me. It's when school starts in earnest and he likes teaching in college. And honestly its more like he doesn't like other seasons as much: Winter now has REAL BAD associations, the Spring wasn't much better, and the Summer well. The summer is just too hot! Or at least it was and his favoritism for Fall has remained.

As for what does he do? I mean right now he is still teaching his college courses and hopefully that continues! I imagine he tried to do small stuff on Halloween and it varied lol. For Thanksgiving unfortunately I think he had some lonelier ones - maybe not recently, but Ithink this upcoming one probably will be .

-

Porphyria: Spring, probably. Winter in her time is not fun in the midwest at all and, as mentioned, Porphyria is alll about the future and possibilities and spring is the time for New Stuff! :D love my ray of sunshine.

Now that Porphyria is a mage I imagine the winter is for like. reading books and stuff. which she likes don't get me wrong. but she will be ready to head out and do stuff in warmer weather again for sure!!! its a time to be social :D and im struggling to answer this more cause idk what ppl did in the 1850s!! lol

to pory, from someone she trusts - what's your fondest memory?

ough im sorry im bat at dialouge. i will also say this person is a mage because. well obviously now her bestmemories are of htat stuff id say.

"These days I've quite a few lovely, exciting memories. But I'm sure fond of an evening just a few weeks ago on the trail. We came across an apple orchard, and this sounds strange but Alburich met a Mexican family who didn't speak english. Though he's a german he knew their language - not sure myself if he used magic or not - but we had a lovely time by the fire anyway, sharing food and whatnot. They have quite a few tribulations ahead but we did our best to steer em' on the right way and I did my best to bless em. It was lovely seein' their kids - reminded me of my own - and to have a quieter night with simple folk. Certainly good we came across em' so we could set them on a better route. I worry what would have happened otherwise. Guess that's just how fate works - but I do my best to help common folk when I can."

Out of character Alburich is hilarious and pretends to not fully understand English despite being a mind mage who can understand every language. so that is why porphyria is a bit confused. King Shit tbh.

Porphyria looked into their future and it was very up in the air, but there were some Bad Endings that we helped them avoid lkfdajlkdsfds

Sorry for possible cringe dialouge im bad at writing dialogue that sounds like things a normal person would say but whatever TY so much