Bywithluke

by withluke

Heraldic OC Questions.

Here is a little list of OC Questions based on some Animal Charges used in Gallo-British Heraldry (obviously this is not an exhaustive list and there are plenty of other Heraldic traditions, such as German-Nordic, Latin and East European).

Lions: Bravery.

Is your OC seen by others as particularly brave or courageous? Is this view accurate?

What is their greatest fear? Have they ever had to confront this?

How do they steel themselves to overcome something they fear?

Are they too proud to admit to being scared? Or are they happy to admit when something frightens them?

Have they always been particularly brave or cowardly? Or has this changed over the course of their journey? Have the things they have seen and overcome inured them to things that would terrify the average person? Or have their experiences so damaged them that they are precipitated into anxiety by things that others would take in their stride?

Are they good at helping others to master their fear and able to encourage them to be brave in the face of danger or anxiety? What is their strategy for achieving this?

Dogs: Faithfulness and Reliability.

Is your OC someone that others can rely upon? Is this true in all situations or only certain ones? Can they (for example) be relied upon to back up their friends in a fight, but not to remember their birthdays?

Is your OC loyal to their friends or their family, regardless of the rights and wrongs of a specific situation? Or can they set aside personal loyalty when judging a person's actions or behaviour?

Has your OC ever been unfaithful to a partner? What led to this?

Has their faithfulness to another person ever been tested? What might tempt them to cheat on a partner or betray an oath in the future?

Who relies most upon your OC? Is it their children? A partner or lover? An employer or leader? How does the idea of letting this person (or people) down feel to them?

Is your OC as faithful (whether to another person or to a set of beliefs or principles etc.) as they like others to believe? How important is it to them to be seen as trustworthy or pious? Alternatively, how important is it to them that others see them as an unprincipled rake or scoundrel?

Stags: Wisdom and Long Life.

Has your OC inherited any traditional or "folk" wisdom from their upbringing? What value do they place upon this?

Does your OC have a notable respect for their elders? Do they believe that older people have the wisdom of experience? Or do they tend to think that older people have just had longer for their stupidity to become ingrained?

Has your OC ever been told something that they consider particularly wise? Did they think so at the time? Or is it only with the benefit of hindsight that they see the truth of it?

Does your OC expect to live a long life? Do they take active steps to ensure they will be healthy and comfortable in old age? Or do they believe that they will die before then, perhaps violently, as a consequence of their lifestyle or role?

Would your OC rather have a long, but dull or unremarkable, life or to burn brightly for a shorter time? If the latter, then what would they like to achieve or experience that is more important to them than living into old age?

What distinction does your OC make between "wisdom" and "cleverness"? Do they see one or the other as more valuable or worthy of respect?

Eagles: Power and Nobility.

How comfortable is your OC around those who are politically or socially powerful? Do they make a point of being especially deferent? Are they interested (or particularly capable) in playing the social game by being obsequious to their "betters"?

Does your OC consider themselves to be powerful? If so, then how important is it to them that others see them as such? If not, then would they like to be more powerful than they are? Would this be to feel safer? Or in order to impose their will upon others?

How aware of social class is your OC? Are they conscious of their position in society? Do they look down upon certain social groups (such as tradespeople or servants)?

Do they believe that it is achievable to move between social classes? For example, would they see it as possible (or even desirable) for someone of a lower social class to join the upper classes if they suddenly became very wealthy? Or do they make a distinction between class and (for example) the mere wealth of the nouveau riche.

Given the choice, would your OC prefer to be loved or feared by others?

What does "nobility" mean to your OC? Is there a moral or social code by which they live? What values drive them? Are there some that they reject?

Hares: Speed.

How important is efficiency to your OC? Will they always choose the fastest route or the least wasteful approach to a task? Or do they prefer to dawdle whenever possible?

Is your OC a fast talker? Or do they take their time over their words? Does this change when they are excited or anxious?

Is your OC particularly impatient with those slower than themselves? Or are they able to make allowances for them in accordance with their needs or age?

Has your OC ever rushed to complete something and then regretted missing out a detail or opportunity as a result? Or have they ever taken too long over a task or decision and lost out on a possible reward or outcome that they now regret?

Does your OC prefer activities or jobs that are frantic or require quick responses and decisions? Or are they more drawn to slow and contemplative roles, with more planning and reflection?

How quickly does your OC bounce back from failure or rejection? Do they appear to recover faster to others than is actually the case?

Badgers: Endurance.

Does your OC have notable stamina or a particularly hardy constitution? Are they able to undertake hard physical work when required?

Is your OC stoic in the face of adversity? Are they able to manage hardship without complaint? Or do they tend to moan and complain? Does this depend on the nature of the challenge? Or even on who is around at the time?

What was the most difficult time of your OC's life? What helped them to get through this? Have they recovered fully?

What is the most difficult thing about your OC that others around them have to put up with? Are they remotely aware of this (alleged) fault? And do they have the slightest intention of addressing it?

Does your OC have a particularly high pain threshold? Are they a good patient? Do they ever exaggerate an illness or injury for attention? Conversely, do they ever minimise the seriousness of their pain in order to avoid worrying others?

When your OC is enduring hardship or suffering, what do they hold onto in order to get through it? Is there a particular philosophy they reflect upon? A mantra they repeat to themselves? Or are they driven more by bitter spite? Or a stubborn refusal to allow themselves to be defeated?

@academia-lucifer

nophica

tom grice

Seven Capital Virtues - OC Asks!

Well I thought I would have a go at making one of these, since I reblog a lot of them. I've seen a few (extremely good) OC Ask lists based on the Seven Deadly Sins, so naturally I decided to do the complete opposite.

Chastity:

Is your OC a virgin? If not then how was their first sexual or romantic experience?

Does, or did, your OC consider sexual purity to be an important concept? If this is something about which they have changed their mind then what prompted this?

Are they judgemental about the romantic or sexual lives of others? Do they believe that monogamy is the only true form of relationship? Or do they view others who are less sexually adventurous as dull or repressed?

Do they ever play matchmaker for their friends or family members? If so then how successful are they at this?

Is your OC prudish about sexual matters or do they enjoy bawdy jokes or innuendos?

Temperance:

How good is your OC at self-control? Are there some things they struggle to resist more than others?

Is your OC generally calm and unperturbed by others? Or are they quick to get angry or frustrated?

What is your OC's attitude to alcohol? Do they enjoy and occasional (or very frequent) drink? Or do they look down upon inebriation?

Does your OC struggle with any addictions or compulsions? If so then how does this affect them?

Does your OC prefer quiet or solitary activities or are they a party animal who enjoys being the centre of attention?

Charity:

Does your OC believe in a higher or spiritual power which has love for them (or for their followers in general)?

Does your OC find it easy to love other people? Or are there psychological or intellectual barriers for them when it comes to loving others?

Is your OC sympathetic to the suffering of others? Do they feel motivated to offer help or support? Or do they enjoy seeing others suffer?

Does your OC have positive relationships with their neighbours or others in their community?

Does your character have any particular prejudices? Do other people ever consider them bigoted or judgemental?

Diligence:

Does your OC have a particularly strong work ethic? Do they believe that hard work is good in itself? Or do they prefer to relax whenever possible?

Does your OC believe that they can control outcomes in their life through their own efforts? Or do they see themselves as a helpless puppet of forces beyond their control?

Does your OC work better on their own or with others?

Does your OC enjoy their job or profession for its own sake? Or is it merely a means to an end?

Is your OC particularly tidy and organised? Or do they tend to be more messy and chaotic?

Kindness:

Is your OC usually kind to others? Or do they get enjoyment or satisfaction from being cruel? Does this depend upon the person in question or on other factors?

Does your OC behave differently towards other people depending upon how useful or not they might be to them?

How does your OC behave towards servants, students or other subordinates (their own or other people's)?

Is it easy for your OC to treat someone with courtesy, even if they personally dislike them or disagree with their views or actions?

Is your OC gentle and kind with children or do they avoid (or even actively dislike) them?

Patience:

How good is your OC at waiting? Do they get restless or frustrated easily?

Are there any particular habits in other people that drive them to distraction? How good are they are concealing this?

How does your OC respond to insults or jibes? Do they fly into a rage quickly? Or do they shrug them off?

Does your OC take their time when making a decision? Do they consider all possible outcomes and plan carefully? Or do they prefer to throw themselves into things impetuously?

Does your OC have long-term goals and plans towards which they are working?

Humility:

Is your OC modest? Or are there some things they like to boast about?

Does your OC ever "humble-brag"? How do others generally respond to this?

How much value does your OC place upon their appearance? Do they consider themselves beautiful or handsome?

Does your OC get irritated when encountering someone who is vain or arrogant?

Is your OC a bad loser? Or are they gracious in defeat?