Your characters' defining Quirks?

Fallen London
1

Some folks’ pursuit of preposterously high levels of quirk are well-known, but even among the rest of us, not all quirks are created equal. We’re seeing more use of these qualities - feeding Nomen, catching fish - and it’s got me thinking about which I’d preserve and which I’d cast off. What quirks would you say define your characters?

For instance, Sir Frederick is, more or less, me, except considerably more competent and adventurous. So, well, I’m not going to pretend to be any sort of paragon, but I value being an honest, decent, straightforward sort of person, so Magnanimous and Steadfast are high on the list. I can’t deny that the world gets me down sometimes, too, so Melancholy would have to be on the list.

Hubris is quick to advance his own interests and slow to consider other people’s - Heartless is thoroughly appropriate. He’s got a fierce temper, too - Forceful describes him well. These two traits combine to create a thoroughly conniving, amoral sort of person - he’s definitely Ruthless.

Juniper has much to be Melancholy about, having lost her entire family in a series of unlikely tragedies. Years of fending for herself, living in society’s shadow, have made her Subtle by necessity. Finally, she still carries her religious upbringing - she has a strong Austere streak.

Finally, Esther has devoted her life to the socialist cause - she’s undoubtedly Steadfast. She also enjoys a certain devil-may-care lifestyle, and could be described as a Hedonist. She’s still ready to put her ideals into practice, however, whatever the danger - no-one could call her anything but Daring.

2

S.F. is Subtle, Heartless, Ruthless and Magnanimous. They’re a criminal mastermind. They’re a (literal) borderline-psychopath; they find it very difficult to feel any sympathy for anyone. They do occasionally feel some emotion, however, and that worries them–they try to take care of the people who evoke that sort of feeling in them, and to those people they often give random gifts, etc.

They’re obsessed with secrets; their ultimate goal is to step outside of time, in order to be able to see all truths and all fictions at once. They don’t know how to get there, yet, but they’re pretty sure it’ll require significant influence and finances to do so–hence their underworld empire.

3

There are not only quirks whose presence defines us, but also their absence. For example, Mathieu Psmith cultivates Magnaminity and Steadfastness, but also will thoroughly seek to rid himself of any Melancholy, being determined to keep a good humor about him at all times.

4

Soran’s most pronounced quirk is easily Hedonist. They’ll drink alcohol, honey, and laudanum by the gallon; gorge on the finest foods at every opportunity; sleep with every person the walks in the room, regardless of gender. There are very few lines Soran will not cross in the pursuit of pleasure. But the character isn’t all mindless self-indulgence (that’s an awesome band, by the way); they’re also Magnanimous and Steadfast, doing their best to help people in need when they can (even going as far as running an orphanage). Still, Soran should not be taken as being flamboyant; when they’re sober, Soran is actually quite Subtle and reserved. Melancholy, even. A casual observer might almost mistake Soran for one of the soulless, at least until they notice the small conga line of devils waiting at their door to ask for the dang thing.

Zero Hunt, on the other hand, is also quite a notably Hedonistic character, but for different reasons. For him, indulgence is less an end in itself and more of an escape from a multitude of bad memories. Consequently, Zero is Melancholy, although you probably wouldn’t be able to tell just looking at him; he hides it well behind a mask of smiles, wit, and quirky charm. He’s also Magnanimous; he likes to play hero at every turn, probably to help himself feel a bit better about all the nasty things he’s done in the past (no Ruthless to speak of at the moment, however; though that quirk does occasionally pop up with Zero, it tends to get buried just as quickly the next time he does something nice). Lastly, Zero has a fairly high Subtle. Not because of his personality, obviously (his personality’s about as &quotsubtle&quot as a neon pink stovepipe hat), but because of his status as a spy; subterfuge and stealth are simply part-and-parcel to that line of work.

5

By the numbers the Fishy Investigator is foremost a Magnanimous Hedonist, but underneath this veneer operates the Subtle, Heartless and Ruthless mind of someone who is primarily focused on getting more. More knowledge, more wealth, more options. Though one thing the Fishy Investigator is not, is Forceful. That particular quirk is always the first to be thrown under the carriage when the hard choices have to be made. It’s not that the Fishy Investigator would mind being Forceful, it’s just that subtlety offers so much more.

6

Katherine’s used to be magnanimous and hedonism, and I would carefully remove any heartless or ruthless received, but after being corrupted by a certain -nameless- quest, I stopped removing those so now she’s a bit more pragmatic.

7

Macy is predominantly Subtle, Daring, Steadfast, Hedonist. It may seem that Daring and Subtle are contradictory, but in all actuality it’s more so that she loves to invent plans on scales of grandeur - but approach them with trickery and deception. She is, however, a Hedonist through and through, being a careless flirt and a consumer of just about anything that promises to be interesting. As far as her Steadfast quality goes, Macy is rarely Magnanimous with true intentions, no matter what her quirk level says - there is always an ulterior motive - but she does keep her word in the event of a promise. Honor among thieves, so to speak.
edited by Macy Grey on 9/28/2014

8

Like so many other’s in this thread, I am playing an eccentric & exaggerated version of my own good self.
Being a ship’s Captain, Wiggles must, somewhat begrudgingly, mingle with people above his station. He’ll put on airs and graces in the company of these folk of great wealth and exquisite taste in order to make powerful connections. However, deep down he is very much the rowdy zailor you’d expect him to be. Drinking and fighting where he can. No den of iniquity is too low, nor too high for our Captain. It’s all for fun though, none of his antics should harm anyone who doesn’t want, or require to be harmed.
As such, the good Captain will try to maintain a high level of Boldness, Hedonism and Magnanimity whilst trying to keep Heartless and Ruthless to a minimum. Not too much of a minimum mind you. He’s no push over.

Long bouts at zea, however, have left their mark and there will be a certain level of Melancholy about him.

Also, Wiggles is not just a Zailor, he is a Captain, and the one trait that defines a Captain over the rest of the rabble is the ability to sense which way the wind is blowing, how the water is moving, what that tentacle is doing and be able to act on it.

That’s the plan anyway. Let’s see what happens to him shall we.

9

Edison is Magnanimous above all. Beyond that, he’s Daring and Subtle in equal measure. Formerly an avowed Hedonist, he’s become something of an ascetic, It makes sense, given that Edison is a recovering addict. This time, he’s determined to stay on the bandwagon. Though he misses the freedom and honesty of bohemia, a society luncheon doesn’t give you a hangover. Not the literal kind, anyway.

10

Subtle.

11

Ruthless, daring and also subtle: a dangerously insane duelist, fighter, professor of the correspondence and thief.

12

Sharalin is a very magnanimous person, but beyond that she is quite subtle as well in many cases, prefering to get at things from the side instead of crashing head first guns a-blazing or fist’a flying (but hey, she is up for a good fight once in a blue moon so a daring thing she be). And she is quite a hedonist when she wants to be, though, the times she lets her desires for the more pleasurable things in life take root over her ambitious goals are few and far between.

13

Zeel’s main defining quirks are Heartless and Ruthless, reflecting his nature as a faux-sociopath. He’s also quite the Hedonist, drowning himself in pleasure to forget his well-deserved (he believes) Melancholy. Steadfast is also high, but that’s not something he aims for, things have just worked out that way. Magnanimous is something that gets drained very quickly, as he is ultimately very self-serving.

Jass is defined by her Magnanimous, having been raised to 17 through all her work for the C.V.R. She is also rather Subtle, reflecting her nature of working behind the scenes. She does have a reputation for being Ruthless, but this is merely her keeping control of her criminal underlife, and deep down she really is an altruistic person. As a result, she is rather Steadfast. Finally, she is somewhat haunted by the loss of her daughter immediately after she was born, making her somewhat Melancholy, but she refuses to let this sorrow consume her.

14

Nonconformist - this, as Capt. Wiggles pointed out - is a version of my aboveground self - I love to surprise and shock - so at times I am Magnanimous or Ruthless…hedonist or Austere.

I refuse to bow down to any norm, even in the Neath.
Will it be my downfall? Who knows.
Perhaps I will be surprised for once, and meet up with kindred spirits!

15

I am apparently too melancholic to know (15). And then everything else I keep at 9 or 10, except forceful (5) and magnanimous (between 5 and 9, depending on opportunities in the last month).

16

When it comes to my defining quirks, it seems that Hedonist, Heartless, and Ruthless are all tied at 10. Normally, the seconds are Subtle, Forceful, Austere, and Daring at 5/6 (they tend to conflict), but after having been gifted a bottle of Tears of the Bazaar twice, currently Melancholy wins out at 7. Magnanimous is completely nonexistent.

Essentially, I’m a lover of many pleasures but have the control to at least prevent from drowning myself in them; I’m more than willing to ruin someone for personal gain and have no preferred method; if handouts are ever given, it ties in to personal gain; currently, spending some time staring at a fire and contemplating life as the Tears have driven me to restlessness.

17

While my defining quirk is pretty self explanatory, Nigel has also taken a great deal of pride in his Magnanimous(41) and Steadfast(20.)
Hedonism, Aestheticism and Romanticism is not just about enjoying all life has to offer, but sharing those joys with all those around you.
While loyalty and Steadfastness aren’t something that come from his philosophy, there is so much betrayal and back-stabbing in the Neath, that a Steadfast friend is worth more than gold. Nigel likes to think he can be that type of friend; one whose joie de vivre is not to be mistaken for flippancy. He is, ultimately, someone on who his friends can rely.
He hopes, if he is able to maintain such Steadfastness in the maelstrom of London, that he might expect such loyalty in return.

18

Quite so.

Passionario doesn’t have any Steadfast whatsoever. In fact, the man is a compulsive betrayer. For him, violating someone’s trust is a way of asserting his superiority over the victim of his treachery. Fortunately for him (and unfortunately for the rest of London), such psychopathic tendencies are considered valuable qualities in his line of work.

19

Lamea’s highest quirks are: Magnanimous, subtle, melancholy, and austere. That’s mostly by chance, except for magnanimous, but it seems to suit her.

Her next highest quirks are, in order of highest to least: Steadfast, and daring and ruthless, which are both at 7.

Magnanimous, subtle, and melancholy are all at 10.

Her lowest quirks are Hedonist and Forceful, at 5 and 6 respectively.

20

I, Penelope Vespers, am known far and wide for my deviant behavior and I make no apologies for my Hedonism. I proudly and eagerly sip honey and engage in torrid affairs with artists, nobles, revolutionaries, scientists, men, women, and stranger things still! The 'Neath is not about laws and propriety, it is about the absence of those things! Though, don’t think this makes me a bad person - quite to the contrary I am down right Magnanimous when it comes to sharing passion and the delights of 'Neath. Why, if you like I’d be glad to share a dream with you, my friend.

As a poet, and one who particularly enjoys massaging truths and secrets in to my lines of verse I have to be rather Subtle and yet Daring at the same time. They seem rather opposing qualities but think of it like this, it takes subtlety to do it and daring to be willing to do it, mhmhmmhmhm… My poetry has already had me visit the Tomb Colonies once over the scandal (I came home entirely unrepentant!).

Of course the life of the artist and the pursuit of beauty is a life that by its very nature must end in disappointment. It is so very difficult to chase something so ephemeral. It’s not surprise that I bear more than a touch of Melancholy. However, to me this sadness is something to be cultivating, there is beauty in it as there is beauty in the darkness of the 'Neath.

About the only thing you couldn’t call me is very Heartless or Forceful or Ruthless. I suppose I have a bit of mussed humors as it is terrifically challenging for me to engage in acts of outright cruelty. When I want to visit pain upon another (outside of special circumstance…) it is typically through slowly eroding their self-esteem over months and years til they’re nothing but a shallow shell of their former selves… You know, how high-society folk fight.