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Abraxas App
OOC INFORMATION
Player Name: Tsa
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
thepreciousthing
Other Characters in Game: n/a
IC INFORMATION
Character Name: Apollo
Canon: Riordanverse
Canon Point: After The Sun and the Star
Age: 4,612
Background: Wiki Link!
Arrival Scenario: The Free CIties
Suitability: Most of Apollo's godly domains — Music, knowledge, art, truth, medicine & disease, etc. — Are about society, and the things that can be accomplished through people coming together. It's in his very nature to help support a community trying to hold it together and survive. Apollo wants to see people be the best they can be, and help the humans around him in any way he can.
His first priority, however, is going to be his son, Will Solace. Seeing as Will's already established in-game, Apollo will follow his lead and provide support to him as he tries to get himself established, too.
Powers: Apollo is a god, so his powers in canon are "can do pretty much anything he wants" but having a literal deus ex machina generally means a less fun game, so I am down for nerfing him appropriately. Here's what I have in mind, if it's cool with you:
Shapeshifting: Apollo can change shape, but nothing absurdly huge. He can change into anything human-size or smaller, and needs to be an organic lifeform (so can't take his Godly Form)
Dreamwalking: Apollo can wander into the dreams of people he's close to. He has to be either asleep or meditating to do this.
Everything Else: Beyond those two things above, generalized magic, especially with things pertaining to his godly domains — Sunlight, healing/disease, knowledge, art and music... Apollo is the god of a lot of things, it's hard to make a comprehensive list.
Power Limit: Have his power come from an inner reserve of his own strength that can be exhausted & will need to recharge with rest and nourishment.
Generally his strength won't be exhausted by daily tasks or regular healing or something, just when the plot requires he not be able to use his powers. Or when I want to be dramatic.
Lots of opportunities for him dramatically collapsing after using up his power at climactic moments, or finding a burst of strength through the Power of Love and/or Friendship!
PERSONALITY QUESTIONS
Describe an important event in your character's life and how it impacted them.
TW: Discussion of physical & emotional abuse from a parent
Shortly after becoming mortal, Apollo befriended a young demigod by the name of Meg McCaffrey. She was his companion for the majority of his six-month quest as a mortal, and the adopted daughter of one of the main villains of the series, Emperor Nero. Shortly after the two of them start to grow closer, Apollo discovers that Nero planted her there to be his companion to lead him into Nero's clutches.
Watching Meg and Nero interact is the catalyst for one of the most important themes of The Trials of Apollo: Recognizing and escaping abuse. Nero expertly deflects blame by referring to his cruelty and violent actions as a wholly separate entity ("The Beast") and frames every violent action he commits — Usually toward people she cares about, like her bio Father and Apollo — as the consequences of Meg angering "The Beast" with her disobedience.
Apollo connects this to his own childhood, recognizing how his own father would do the same thing when punishing him. "Don't get on the wrong side of my lightning bolts, boy," Zeus used to say, as if it wasn't Zeus himself painfully frying every molecule in Apollo's body whenever he stepped out of line.
It takes another couple books for Apollo to finally admit to himself that Zeus was abusive to him, but the seeds of that revelation were planted here. Seeing that abuse from an outside perspective helped Apollo realize he himself is a victim, which shapes the resolution of the series and his attitude after returning to Olympus.
Does your character have a moral code, or other set of standards they try to live by?
"Whatever happens, when you get back to Olympus, when you're a god again, remember. Remember what it's like to be human."
Apollo spent six very intense months as a human, and it fundamentally changed him. In addition to the revelations mentioned above, Apollo recognizes his own shortcomings as a god. In following Zeus' orders to maintain minimal contact with mortals and demigods, he's neglected everyone who depends on him. He now understands the fragile yet intense existence of humans, seen their resolve and determination first hand, and recognizes how much they've suffered due to the careless mistakes of the gods. Apollo returns to Olympus with the understanding that the way gods do things must change, and that he cannot depend on his abusive, tyrannical father to make those changes. He's determined to be an active presence in the lives of the mortals around him, Zeus' orders be damned.
"A father should give more to his children than he takes."
In addition to neglecting his duties as a god, Apollo recognizes that he's neglected his duties as a father, too. When stuck as a mortal, his own children waste no time picking up the slack for him before he even has a chance to ask, and Apollo's at a loss for how to even begin reciprocating their efforts. Even as a god, the support he'd lent them was more in the spirit of a Disneyworld Dad: Periodically popping into their lives or dreams to say hello, checking in on them, sending birthday cards, sometimes even presenting magical gifts or other high-quality items. But Apollo never supported them in any meaningful way, and he certainly never raised any of them.
Recognizing his children's support of him while not being able to return the favor really opens his eyes. Over the course of The Trials of Apollo covers so many different examples of what parenting can look like: Abusive parents like Nero, Midas, and Zeus, as well as loving and supportive parents like Sally and Paul Blofis, or Hemithea and Josephine. Apollo takes lessons from all of these interactions, and resolves to learn from them to be the parent his children deserve.
What quality or qualities do they admire most?
It never ceases to amaze Apollo just how quick the demigods are to sacrifice themselves for their friends and family. The love and camaraderie they display with each other is beyond what any of the gods had shown each other — not even between himself and Artemis.
Of course, it's not lost on Apollo that they shouldn't have to sacrifice so much, and it wouldn't be necessary if the gods were more willing to intervene.
Do they have a part of themselves they dislike?
Apollo is absolutely disgusted with a lot of his past behavior — Not just of his neglect, but of the times when he was purposefully petty and cruel.
He perpetuated the abuse he suffered at Zeus' hands to other, smaller gods who ranked below him. He had Koronis killed for cheating on him, cruelly bullied and traumatized Harpocrates like a high school jock, and cursed the Sibyl of Cumae with immortality without eternal youth for turning down his advances. He was a horrible person and he knows it, and that remorse is one of the things that drives him to be better and a force for positive change.
What is their sign, and why?
The Star! I was so very tempted to go for The Sun, but The Star seems a better fit. Apollo is a god of inspiration and creativity.
Also I think there might be some interesting symbolism in choosing The Star over The Sun. It's like he's no longer bound to the Sun, it's no longer his responsibility, so he can prioritize other things. Also, considering the Sun is a star, it's like saying he's still the same kind of thing, but no longer constrained within one single aspect of it. He can step back and be a different kind of star!
SAMPLES
Samples: One and Two!
Player Name: Tsa
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact:
Other Characters in Game: n/a
IC INFORMATION
Character Name: Apollo
Canon: Riordanverse
Canon Point: After The Sun and the Star
Age: 4,612
Background: Wiki Link!
Arrival Scenario: The Free CIties
Suitability: Most of Apollo's godly domains — Music, knowledge, art, truth, medicine & disease, etc. — Are about society, and the things that can be accomplished through people coming together. It's in his very nature to help support a community trying to hold it together and survive. Apollo wants to see people be the best they can be, and help the humans around him in any way he can.
His first priority, however, is going to be his son, Will Solace. Seeing as Will's already established in-game, Apollo will follow his lead and provide support to him as he tries to get himself established, too.
Powers: Apollo is a god, so his powers in canon are "can do pretty much anything he wants" but having a literal deus ex machina generally means a less fun game, so I am down for nerfing him appropriately. Here's what I have in mind, if it's cool with you:
Generally his strength won't be exhausted by daily tasks or regular healing or something, just when the plot requires he not be able to use his powers. Or when I want to be dramatic.
Lots of opportunities for him dramatically collapsing after using up his power at climactic moments, or finding a burst of strength through the Power of Love and/or Friendship!
PERSONALITY QUESTIONS
Describe an important event in your character's life and how it impacted them.
TW: Discussion of physical & emotional abuse from a parent
Shortly after becoming mortal, Apollo befriended a young demigod by the name of Meg McCaffrey. She was his companion for the majority of his six-month quest as a mortal, and the adopted daughter of one of the main villains of the series, Emperor Nero. Shortly after the two of them start to grow closer, Apollo discovers that Nero planted her there to be his companion to lead him into Nero's clutches.
Watching Meg and Nero interact is the catalyst for one of the most important themes of The Trials of Apollo: Recognizing and escaping abuse. Nero expertly deflects blame by referring to his cruelty and violent actions as a wholly separate entity ("The Beast") and frames every violent action he commits — Usually toward people she cares about, like her bio Father and Apollo — as the consequences of Meg angering "The Beast" with her disobedience.
Apollo connects this to his own childhood, recognizing how his own father would do the same thing when punishing him. "Don't get on the wrong side of my lightning bolts, boy," Zeus used to say, as if it wasn't Zeus himself painfully frying every molecule in Apollo's body whenever he stepped out of line.
It takes another couple books for Apollo to finally admit to himself that Zeus was abusive to him, but the seeds of that revelation were planted here. Seeing that abuse from an outside perspective helped Apollo realize he himself is a victim, which shapes the resolution of the series and his attitude after returning to Olympus.
Does your character have a moral code, or other set of standards they try to live by?
Apollo spent six very intense months as a human, and it fundamentally changed him. In addition to the revelations mentioned above, Apollo recognizes his own shortcomings as a god. In following Zeus' orders to maintain minimal contact with mortals and demigods, he's neglected everyone who depends on him. He now understands the fragile yet intense existence of humans, seen their resolve and determination first hand, and recognizes how much they've suffered due to the careless mistakes of the gods. Apollo returns to Olympus with the understanding that the way gods do things must change, and that he cannot depend on his abusive, tyrannical father to make those changes. He's determined to be an active presence in the lives of the mortals around him, Zeus' orders be damned.
In addition to neglecting his duties as a god, Apollo recognizes that he's neglected his duties as a father, too. When stuck as a mortal, his own children waste no time picking up the slack for him before he even has a chance to ask, and Apollo's at a loss for how to even begin reciprocating their efforts. Even as a god, the support he'd lent them was more in the spirit of a Disneyworld Dad: Periodically popping into their lives or dreams to say hello, checking in on them, sending birthday cards, sometimes even presenting magical gifts or other high-quality items. But Apollo never supported them in any meaningful way, and he certainly never raised any of them.
Recognizing his children's support of him while not being able to return the favor really opens his eyes. Over the course of The Trials of Apollo covers so many different examples of what parenting can look like: Abusive parents like Nero, Midas, and Zeus, as well as loving and supportive parents like Sally and Paul Blofis, or Hemithea and Josephine. Apollo takes lessons from all of these interactions, and resolves to learn from them to be the parent his children deserve.
What quality or qualities do they admire most?
It never ceases to amaze Apollo just how quick the demigods are to sacrifice themselves for their friends and family. The love and camaraderie they display with each other is beyond what any of the gods had shown each other — not even between himself and Artemis.
Of course, it's not lost on Apollo that they shouldn't have to sacrifice so much, and it wouldn't be necessary if the gods were more willing to intervene.
Do they have a part of themselves they dislike?
Apollo is absolutely disgusted with a lot of his past behavior — Not just of his neglect, but of the times when he was purposefully petty and cruel.
He perpetuated the abuse he suffered at Zeus' hands to other, smaller gods who ranked below him. He had Koronis killed for cheating on him, cruelly bullied and traumatized Harpocrates like a high school jock, and cursed the Sibyl of Cumae with immortality without eternal youth for turning down his advances. He was a horrible person and he knows it, and that remorse is one of the things that drives him to be better and a force for positive change.
What is their sign, and why?
The Star! I was so very tempted to go for The Sun, but The Star seems a better fit. Apollo is a god of inspiration and creativity.
Also I think there might be some interesting symbolism in choosing The Star over The Sun. It's like he's no longer bound to the Sun, it's no longer his responsibility, so he can prioritize other things. Also, considering the Sun is a star, it's like saying he's still the same kind of thing, but no longer constrained within one single aspect of it. He can step back and be a different kind of star!
SAMPLES
Samples: One and Two!