This page contains Out of Character (OOC) information about the character Atyiru Caesus Entar, including writing tips, tricks, and author commentary. For the DJB Character's page, click the previous link. The purpose of this information is for use in writing fictions/RO/RPs or for GFXing, but if you're just curious about Atty, then you're welcome here too!
A commission of Atyiru by Jedi-Art-Trick
Atty's Vision
Vision! Well, Force-sight, anyways. No eyes and all. How exactly does she see? That's pretty much up to each individual's interpretation. I've had some people think of it as seeing in a unique spectrum of light to imagining it as visual sonar. Me? I think of it pretty particularly, but it's hard for me to describe. Here's the rough of it:
I essentially think anything non-living is just darkness and clear lines, like seams, or standing in a glass house: you know they're there but you can see right through the walls. Living things, like plants and animals that have fewer midi-chlorians, I imagine as having this slight glow to them, constantly. Mundane sentients/people would be a little brighter but still about the same. I've fished for several examples of this, ranging from chakra networks in Naruto, to the Eagle Eye ability from Assassin's Creed, to the Detective-eye-thing in Batman: Arkham City, but none of them are a real match.
When you have Force-users though, I tend to imagine that since there's so much, well, Force there, it's very clear, overly so, almost like if you took a picture and boosted all the saturation; and the stronger the person is, the more it becomes like an aura than an outline of the person as it radiates from them, flaring and dimming with use of the Force. I like to make analogies to sources of light, referring to normal people as having a "soft glow" versus, say, Marick or Troutrooper being "like stars in supernova", and everyone in between having varying degrees of lucidity
But because Atty's seeing the Force and not light, I usually go "no color", just different magnitudes and "feels" of light. For example, Marick, who's all cool and in control/calm, I think of as winter sunlight, vs. Nath, who's more reserved but still passionate in her own way, like smoky fire, vs. say Atty, who I think of as sunshine and giggles when she's not over in an emo corner. Most often, my descriptions will include a temperature and brightness of light in describing a person: how powerful they are and their general personality/mood/intentions, as I feel these are things one could feel through the Force and therefore things Atty would innately by able to pick up on when "looking" at someone.
She can't read a screen, or signs, or tech, or anything like that (you would NOT want her trying to operate vehicles :P ). That also means she doesn't actually read, visually, written or typed word. I write her doing a sort of Helen Keller mash-up: when she types on her datapad, her keys have raised letters; she listens to messages or has orders read aloud; if driven to it, she can feel for imprints on paper from a pen (egads! those exit? how primitive). She can 'write' however, if with poor penmanship.
Up a similar alley, I toy with her ability to make out facial features or expressions. Sometimes I just imagine people, especially strong Force-users, almost as if on fire, indistinct but very obvious glowing figures. And sometimes, I think, hey, maybe her Force-sight's refined enough to make out the curve of lips and eyes, even if not very distinctly or in color/HD. I typically have her sense the emotion behind the expression more than notice the expression itself.
That...mostly-kinda covers it. I think Force sight is very open to interpretation, especially based on whatever games you've played and material you've read, etc. Really, as long as Atty isn't looking/glancing at something with eyes or her eyes aren't widening or rolling or so on, you're getting by alright--better than most, even.
Writing Atyiru
Key Factors
A few basic, crucial points to understanding and possibly writing Atyiru:
Unconditional love and unconditional positive regard: Regardless of what you are, where you come from, or who you are, Atyiru will be kind to you and focus on your better qualities. You could be anything from an innocent child to a sadistic murder and she will still appreciate you for any decent aspect of your character, be it passion for something, confidence, whatever. She might not show it all the time, but it will always be there.
Mercy: Goes right along with the above. Once, it was a rare thing that Atyiru could be hurt so badly that she could sincerely reject someone. Her life's creed was, "You need never apologize to me". This means that no matter what, she will still treat you well. There is no need to ask for forgiveness: she will see no action against her as a wrong. Her sight was merciful, and once, that was easy as breathing. Now, however, she's been wounded one too many times to take that merciful path quite so easily anymore. Atyiru lost much during her first war with the Brotherhood, and while she is still kind and forgiving, those losses have shaped her since. She has invested herself much more in combat training to augment her medic skills, and hardened herself with the ideal that she can't only heal, but must fight too. She has sworn an oath “to protect those who can't protect themselves,” even if it means getting her own hands dirty.
Justice: An addendum to her merciful side is Atty's sense of justice. She is the sort of person who only views the most dire of atrocities as crimes. She is law-abiding for the most part, but by no means a "Lawful Good" sort of character. She's too friendly to let her sense of lawfulness be too strict. Instead, she more follows a personal code of honor. Honor is very important to her, and she gives her word very seriously - however, she is more likely to forgive those who break their word than most. Atyiru will only immediately condemn those who have earned such an unforgiving stance: people who harm innocents, particularly children. The only two times she allowed or committed murder were in such circumstances, after her child cousin was killed, and after her infant goddaughters were threatened.
A Physician: Atyiru is a medic. First and foremost, this means three things: holistic care, critical thinking, and professionalism.
- Holistic care
- is defined as providing care for the physical, mental, emotional, and social well being of a patient. This means that Atyiru views all aspects of an individual whenever she interacts with them, not simply patients Furthermore, her concern is not just about stopping the bleeding, but also about ensuring an individual is stable, happy, and connected, to the best of her ability.
- Critical thinking
- is the ability to reason abstractly, analyze any given situation, adapt to new factors, and chose the best solution to a problem at the time, even when multiple solutions are correct. Atyiru employs this sort of mentality both on the field and in day-to-day life, in every situation she encounters. She is never simply arriving at a single solution, but many that may change in seconds.
- Professionalism
- speaks for itself. Atyiru has invested her life and her career in the care for the wounded, sick, and healthy. She treats her patients with respectful amiability until she can build a rapport with them. On the battlefield, she is efficient, collected, and follows the basic rules of conduct for such situations: form a triage, treat the most severely injured first, and if there is nothing to be done for a patient, move on immediately to the next. She is very familiar with death and dying and accepts loss better than most, until it is personal. This also means that despite how much she may want to help, if someone does not want it, she is obligated to refrain. She will offer assistance, advice, and her opinion, but will allow the individual to determine the course of action from there. If they seem tentative, she will continue to offer encouragement and aid. However, if someone outright tells her to desist, she will.
Sight: Atyiru is physically blind, but she sees as all Miralukas do, through Force-sight. Unlike many of her brethren, though, her connection to the Force is extremely strong. As a result, she can "perceive" people more profoundly than simply "seeing" their Force-aura, to the point that she could be called an Empath is one wished. Although this is not quite accurate, the general idea applies. Atyiru is extremely perceptive and intuitive. She senses even slight shifts in emotion easily and reacts accordingly. (See above for writing details).
Passion: Contrary to the calmer facet of her personality, Atyiru is also passionate. This is perhaps her defining characteristic in its most basic sense: she cares. She cares about people, about her goals, about dreams and ambitions, about the future, about philosophy and knowledge, about everything. And most of all, she cares for her loved ones.
- The people Atyiru loves mean absolutely everything to her. She will sacrifice anything of herself for them, be it her physical wellbeing, her morality, her integrity, her mental and emotional stability, her loyalty to a group, anything that is hers to give. If something or someone threatens the people she cares about, she will defend them no matter what. She will defy her conscious, lie without a thought, throw herself in front of a blaster bolt, anything. Her character is almost paradoxical in that who she is centers around loving these people, but at the same time she will contradict everything she is for them. It's both her most selfish and selfless trait.
The Good
Atyiru is likely one of the kindest people you'll ever meet. It's kinda freaky how nice she is...like disturbing. Not really that creepy smiling neighbor type, just more of people tend to find themselves wondering how she can be so...positive. It's unusual, and depending on how receptive your character is to "niceness" and how accustomed they are to such, they may react differently to Atty.
Atty's also honest to a fault. If she tells you something, makes an observation, or otherwise compliments you, she's being completely truthful. Or, that is to say, informing you of exactly how she sees things. She's aware that her reality isn't going to be the same as yours, but she's sincere about what she's saying. The only time you'll see her lie is to keep a friend safe (see above).
She's a cheery little thing. Kinda goes along with the kind bit. Always trying to encourage people, or get a smile, or make a joke. Laughter is medicine and smiling soothes the soul, in her opinion. Atty is almost always smiling, whether gently, mischievously, or hugely. That isn't to say she doesn't have her serious moments, as when working or discussing grave matters, but she tries to be optimistic even in such situations. She's also got a really bad troll streak.
...and the Bad
If it's not obvious, well, here it is: Atyiru's biggest fault is probably her near-complete lack of self-preservation. It's almost more frustrating that she's not doing it stupidly, either. She's completely and fully aware of the detrimental effect her actions can have on her. And I mean fully. Like, she'll sit down and think about the pros and cons of, say, committing insubordination by defending a traitor from her superiors. And every time, it's going to weigh one of two ways: either she'd definitely do it, even if it would get her killed, OR...well, actually, there isn't much of an or. It used to be that Atty might stay her hand to spare the feelings of those that care for her personally...but she's come to grow beyond that, knowing that one day, no matter what, she will be lost anyways.
That being said, her altruism is not without fault. In that recess of the subconscious that no one likes to look at, she knows that her motives go deeper than compassion and love. She's just as twisted and human (if you will) as everyone else.
- "You would throw your life away for another's at a second's notice, girl. You would die for another and be grateful to them for it because then you'd have done your good deed and you'd be able to stop. Stop fighting the hate and the anger and spite inside you. Stop fighting through all the ungratefulness, all the arrogant faces turned up at your generosity and the hard hands against your kindness. You could be a good little girl and not have to try any longer. There's no other way for you to rest, not one allowed by your precocious creed. You can't spurn these awful people, you can't leave them because of their darkness, abuse, and indifference. You care too much. You can't desert the few who actually do notice you. You care too much. You want them, you want to be needed. But you're tired, as passion eventually fails you, and you yearn for the respite only a noble death could give."
- ―Atyiru's "alternate self" from her Trial of Spirit
Atyiru at her absolute worst is cold and unfeeling, letting her detachment consumer her. While she aceepts that side of herself, she fears ever falling into such emptiness.
- "You may be right. You may be right about me and how lonely, scared, and pathetic I am, but I'm me and my faults don’t detract from that. They add to it. I’m me! I’m me and I’m proud, and caring, and passionate! The part of me that wants to be frozen and callous and ruthless like you, that is the wicked part of me. The part of me that wants to just surrender, be selfish, apathetic, and untouchable, that is my weakness. I know it’s there! I know! How could I not know myself? I know and I accept her, but I have overcome those doubts and that leniency! I am more than that! There is more to me! And I will not be silenced."
- ―Atyiru in reply to her "alter" from her Trial of Spirit
Some of Atty's other faults are miscellaneous. She'll turn into a drunk if she's allowed to, though some of her friends do a good job of keeping it in check, while others encourage it. As a former addict, she avoids narcotics and other painkillers if she's conscious enough to do so, and tends to get on a high horse about smoking or other bad habits like alcoholism, despite her own drinking. When she does get angry, it tends to be a frightful thing, all cold and mean. She doubts herself quite a bit because people keep dying around her despite her efforts, and is haunted by the events of her time in the Brotherhood. Mostly, she's just a good person trying to do good and failing a lot of the time.
Dialogue and Sayings
Being educated as she is, Atyiru tends to speak in a literate and polite manner. However, being a doctor, she's used to fluctuating a lot in her speech patterns. Her vocabulary will change based on who she is speaking to, full of medical terminology around her colleagues but in various layman's terms when speaking to patients. In general, she tends to be very formal when meeting new people, polite with everyone else, and relaxed/cursing like a sailor around her friends. If she is not referring to someone by title, or otherwise hasn't been asked to refer to them in a specific manner, she will call them "friend" or "my friend". The people she’s close with tend to get their own nicknames, such as ”Puppy”, ”Cethy”, and ”Blueboy”.
Atty is always very encouraging and calming, and her speech will revolve around such. She's always got a kind word to say or some small compliment to give. She also has a policy of constant acceptance etc. etc. that you've seen like three times already or some crap on this page. But here ya go again all the same:
- "You need never apologize to me."
- ―Atyiru
Random quotes that may give you an idea of some of her more "Confucius say"-type way of talking to people:
- "There comes a time when you realize that no matter what you do or how long you live, your current actions cannot better your past wrongs. The scales shall never be even. Balance cannot be achieved. It is that realization that grants you the strength to keep trying, for more than anything, it is our nature to rally against the indomitable and the inevitable, as we fight for every breath of life."
- ―Atyiru
- "...simply because you’ve been hurt does not make you weak, or irreparable. Being broken does not mean being defeated or beyond help. There is not an end. You can be saved, and you are strong. You’ve made it this far, this long, after all. That is strength. Our pain, our scars, our wounds, and our regrets all stay with us. They do not go away, and it does not necessarily grow any easier. But you get stronger. You reach a point where you can walk along with that pain, and acknowledge it as part of you. And if you cannot reach that point alone...then there are always those willing to walk with you. I will gladly, if you’d allow me."
- ―Atyiru
Things to Remember (a.k.a. Common Misconceptions)
- Okay. So. She's a Miraluka. She doesn't have eyes. If the word "eyes" shows up when describing Atty looking at something...yeah, bro, you're doin' it wrong. I think that's really all there is to say on the topic. I sometimes use terms like "see" or "look" to describe how Atty is actually perceiving things, but even though the verb meaning is there, it's not an action being performed with actual eyes.
- She's nonviolent, but she's not an invalid and she's not a bloody pansy. She's a soldier with advanced anatomical expertise. She can fight. Just doesn't like to. She might know how to break someone's fingers very easily, but that doesn't mean she's going to if they've got her in a chokehold. All other options first.
- Being physically blind doesn't mean blind. Without the Force, sure, yes, totally without sight. But with the Force, she's good. No crashing into walls or people unless she's seriously distracted, just like everyone else. Also doesn't mean she's gonna mangle an arm instead of fixing it. She can "see" as well as anyone else. It's just in a different manner.
Just mind these points, really, and you should be fine.
Music
Music is kickass. I can't write without it. I will spend hours hunting down songs that fit a certain moment, mood, character, relationship between characters, and even an entire story. When I can't seem to write a certain scene or character, I listen to the music that would go with what or who I'm trying to write. I suggest giving it a try. If you don't like it, that's fine. But if it does help, well...
In General
I'm no authority on writing other people's characters. In fact, I'm often scared of doing it, even if it's a NPC with no more background than, "She was a barmaid and dreams of this and that." However, I'll give the same advice I've been given: be bold. Try it! It's the only way I've ever improved in anything, whether writing, drawing, or interacting with people. Since joining the DB, I've been in a position to write others' characters more and more, and even though it can be a little nerve-wracking, I'm working at it. S'what counts, right?
So, all that being said, don't be afraid to ask, "Does this sound right?" or anything along those lines. Writing Atyiru? Want advice? Email me. Poke me on GChat or IRC.
I'll be happy to help. The same goes for any writing help. Want a proof read or edits? Just ask, and I'll give you a hand.
That's my advice: try, practice, and get feedback. Totally the best tool available and best thing about this group.