SAVE THE EARTH: Application
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dadscarOOC Information:
Name: Pengu
Are you over 15? Yep.
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
squishyfeet
IC Information:
Name: In canon his title is Orphaner Dualscar, his reincarnated name will be Murdoc Ampora.
Canon and medium: Homestuck - Webcomic
Age: He has no canon age, he could be hundreds! Since that reeeally doesn't work, he'll be 45.
Preincarnation Species: Troll.
Preincarnation Appearance: Something like this.
Any differences: There are plenty of differences with the species change, he won't be horned, grey and finned for a start. As a human, he's part Greek and part Irish. As a result, he's pale (having grown up in Ireland) with dark brown hair and grey eyes. His first echo will add a pair of scars across his face to this equation, but I will cover this more in the correct section.
Preincarnated History:
Due to the Ancestors having such a vague past, assumptions are often made in regards to what positions and personalities they possessed in their time. We can judge these sorts of things by the characters they associate with, the traits that are most predominant in their descendants and even minor elements such as their appearance and garments.
For someone so high in the caste system, it's unsurprising that Dualscar's loyalties lie with both the Empress and the Empire. Why would one be inclined to fight a system that only benefits them? His flushed feelings for the Empress are no secret to Mindfang, though the reasons behind them are never elaborated upon. Perhaps it seems only right for the sole female of the highest caste to choose a suitor from the second highest caste, another thing Dualscar would not argue against. He desires what he perceives as his blood rights and he persues what he believes he deserves.
He seems the sort to maintain order, seeing as order is a reoccurring theme through his life. Everything is based on rank and everything is judged by power. The Highbloods are stronger, more powerful and guaranteed to live longer, so it's only right that they should hold the reins. Since the two highest castes of society are the sea dwellers, the authority of Alternia tends to come from below the waves. Knowing his place, Dualscar does not consider himself the ruler of the ocean, merely its maintainer. From his outfit shown in his brief appearance, it seems obvious that he's in an official position of power. His cape, armor and gold worn as decoration indicate an illustrious sort of career. It seems unlikely that a pirate would dress in such a manner, though personal grooming and appearance are key to him. An admiral or general is a far more befitting assumption for our Dualscar. Not to say he was necessarily a just and fair man of the military, it is probable that he would be more than a little corrupt. Even prone to the occasional (frequent) abuse of power and the use of underhanded methods to stake claim on lands and treasure. All in the name of the empire, mind you. Far be it from Dualscar to so selfishly take whatever he pleases (haha).
In a society built around hate, fear and inevitable death it's hardly surprising one takes names and viciously kicks ass on a daily basis. In Alternia, you do what you can to survive, even if that means sticking your feet in people's faces and stabbing them in the back. Dualscar would have to fight tooth and claw to remain the head of his fleet. This would probably call for the occasional culling of a crew member to keep the men sprightly and on their toes. All he asks for is total devotion, loyalty and the utmost respect for him. Whatever he's doing, it's to keep himself at the top. He strives to be the best, to be the most impressive, the most powerful, the richest and the one with the firmly filled quadrants. The last one seemed a hopeless cause for a good many sweeps, until he met someone who saw through all of his barriers of intimidation and hatred.
Now, if we refer back to pirates, we can begin to discuss his glorious kismesitude with Marquise Spinneret Mindfang. Mindfang is the very essence of the corruption Dualscar indulges in. While he is rigid and strict, she is wild and free. The two would have more than a few reasons to clash when it came to claiming land and serving the Empire. As a free spirit, Mindfang was inclined to do whatever she pleased, which surely did Dualscar no favours. Somehow, the two of them managed to tangle together in a black romance, which Dualscar was more than happy to foster. In fact, it's likely the two had some sort of mutually beneficial relationship. Dualscar would keep Mindfang safe from capture for her crimes (probably because he couldn't stand the thought of someone else having her) and it's possible she allowed him to indulge in her literal spoils in exchange (treasure, land and slaves who he would begin to detest). However, when he opened his lonely heart to such passion, he slowly allowed flushed feelings to creep in. When this mixed with the jealousy Mindfang's rebellion caused, his emotions became more twisted and he acted out, killing his romantic rivals. Though, such behaviour is typical of a highblood with no moirail.
Naturally, he was turned down for a mutually flushed relationship and he sought revenge through means other than his own. For a long time, he allowed Mindfang to slip through his fingers despite her crimes toward Alternia. Until now, he felt it was fair as long as he could keep tabs on her. Their mutually beneficial relationship had become problematic and awkward for the both of them. Now, too ashamed by her lack of interest to show his face, too angered by her flaunting of flushed feelings with others and too bitter to allow her to live on. He orders her slave to death, places a large bounty on her head and then visits the Grand Highblood (who is something of a tyrannical judge) with everything he knows about her. She would no longer be his problem.
Later, within the story of Homestuck, he is referenced again in relation to an Alternate version of himself known as Cronus. Cronus is himself as if raised on a planet (Beforus) with different believes and values, violence is abhorred and so that makes for drastic personality differences between the two. Where Cronus is weak and cowardly, there's no telling how quickly Dualscar would have been killed for acting in such a manner. Cronus is Dualscar in a world where unimpressive behavior is coddled and fostered and he is under no pressure to strive for his survival. Aranea, the Beforian equivalent of Mindfang, has done extensive research into the lives of the Ancestors and she has this to say of Dualscar: "Ampora was a pirate. No8ody liked him. He killed a lot of people, 8ut was later executed 8ecause he was una8le to tell a funny joke".
Now, there's a couple of things there that aren't entirely true. It's been stated in Mindfang's own journal that he is a maritime overlord. Unless she was being sarcastic, which isn't unlikely. However, we can see here that his little trip to the Highblood's lair did not work in his favour. His inability to laugh at himself or to be jovial in any sense did not score him any points. It's very likely he underestimated the abilities of the Highblood, or perhaps thought him a fool who needed to be talked down to. If that is the case, it's unsurprising that his lack of humor would result in his death, his first and only punchline.
Reincarnated History: In this iteration of his life, Murdoc didn't start at the bottom of the food chain. He is the only child of his Irish father, a professor at a university, and his Greek mother who migrated to Ireland quite late in her life. They weren't particularly well off, but they weren't starving in any sense. They simply weren't afforded most of the privileges of upper-middle class and huge expenses such as Murdoc's education put an incredible strain on their finances. As such, it was always heavily ingrained in Murdoc that he had to work hard to earn both what he had and what he wanted. Perhaps a little different from the naturally entitled version of himself on Alternia, but it is his drive to get what he deserves that got him where he is today.
His childhood, beyond the minor complications that money strains brought, was pretty standard. He'd always been more focused on school than friendships and his romantic endeavors never really lasted long due to him being kind of a douche. His ruthless attitude, objective take on arguments and his desires for a goal orientated career that pays well lead him into law. His family could not have been prouder when he graduated and earned himself an apprenticeship at a Law Firm in London, it seemed as if he had quickly begun to take steps into a perfect life.
Not long after he'd begun to rise through the ranks of his job, he'd met someone he'd come to consider as The One. It was all perfectly cheesy, she'd been the one who served him coffee every day, finally he took her out for coffee. They dated for a few years, Murdoc finally married her and they'd had a son together who they both adored. However as his pre-incarnated personality may indicate, Murdoc isn't always a pleasure to be around. Not only had he still been set on his work orientated goals (to the point of neglecting his family from time to time), he also had a tendency to be jealous and pretty much the grumpiest person you've ever met.
Amazingly, their marriage managed to last nine whole years before Kate packed her bags and left both Murdoc and Eri for a new life. Though he'd been deeply distressed and more than a little pissed off by the argument that had her leaving, it was the night of their separation that Murdoc took on a more dedicated role in Eri's life. Feeling abandoned and alone, he'd done the incredibly healthy thing of bottling up his feelings of sorrow and resentment to his ex-wife and channeling it all into either work or assuring that Eri would stay with him.
In order to start afresh, Murdoc uprooted their lives and replanted them in Locke City. Now away from the constant reminders of their mutual abandonment, it felt easier to start fulfilling his role as Eri's Father. The two began to share mutual interests and hobbies. Murdoc started their journey by purchasing the equivalent of Harry Potter books and making an effort to read them to his son, take him to signings and movie premieres and enjoy the series together. Through that, they discovered a mutual interest in magic and wizards that Murdoc happily indulged. Along with finding new hobbies, Murdoc taught Eri some of his own favourite things. When he was old enough he taught him to hunt (not a huge surprise given their pre-incarnations were hunters) and he takes an eager interest in helping him study.
His investment into his son lead to high ambitions for the boy. Surely if he could come this far himself, Eri could surpass him with ease given the right opportunities. Though he loves and spoils him to death, he has a great amount of expectations and standards for the boy to live up to. Call it family pride if you will, it's probably Murdoc projecting a little. He wants the best for Eri, he just knows Eri will need to work hard to maintain the best standard of living.
Currently, Murdoc heads a legal team for a very large, commercial business. He has no problem being ruthless and morally compromising in order to win cases, and sometimes it can bite him in the ass. Since his wife left, he hasn't had a great deal of romantic endeavors in his life, which is something that even being a great lawyer and attentive father can't really make up for. Like Eri, his life lacks a small amount of fulfillment that he will vehemently deny.
First Echo: Murdoc's first echo will be physical, his dual scars across his face. As previously stated, his job can stir up a considerable amount of drama. He can be callous and harsh when arguing against people making claims toward his company. Eventually, it bit him in the ass hard. A victim of a failed court case had managed to track him down as he exited work late in the evening. They took him by surprise and ran their knife down his face twice before having been chased off by security.
The echo represents both the scars his pre-incarnation bore and the consequences of fighting for what is not necessarily right. He had a glimpse of something distinctly alien launching at him before snapping out of it in time to be scarred.
Preincarnation Personality: Dualscar can be directly compared to two characters. One is Eridan Ampora, his descendant. The other is Cronus Ampora, an Alternate version of himself. While Cronus is essentially 'him', the two would not carry and conduct themselves in the same manner due to cultural differences. Beforus isn't nearly as fearsome as Alternia, Cronus doesn't need to be tough to survive. It seems more as if Cronus needs to pretend as though he’s a nice guy to fit in a little better. He’s not particularly good at it, as evidenced by his aggressive attempts to flirt and his flippant treatment of Mituna. They share prejudice and entitlement as some of their core traits, though Cronus acts as if he’s neither of those things. They crave romance and attention, but Cronus sinks much lower in order to obtain it.
Eridan, on the other hand, makes for a much truer reflection. Ancestors serve as guides to their descendants and Eridan is more than happy to build his life around the legacy left behind. Hussie himself makes a direct statement about their similarities: “Basically all the ancestors in various ways are supposed to be like grown up versions of the troll kids, personality and all. So Dualscar handles things exactly how you would expect an older Eridan to handle it. Which is to say as petulantly and dramatically as possible, with loads of obsessive pining and brooding, to the point where probably even he’s not sure what he wants exactly. And if anything rubs him the wrong way, which is everything, violence is the answer.”
It's important to note that while Eridan Ampora is Dualscar's descendant, that does not necessarily make them the same person. They've lived completely different lives and grown differently as characters, but they still share the same core traits. Thanks to a life of inherent superiority, they've grown up as haughty, arrogant and elitist characters. However, Dualscar has lived a longer life and has had a substantially longer time to brood over things. As such, his bitterness is deeper set, while Eridan's is more a façade for the attention of other's.
Ranking is essential to Dualscar's life. He finds joy in order and will argue and fight against anyone who tries to undermine his beliefs. He feels uncomfortable when people point out flaws or mistakes and covers his anxiousness with snark and denial. He's incredibly stubborn when it comes to such things and it's unlikely that he'll ever accept facts or opinions that don't reflect his own. To him, there's no reason to argue when it should be obvious that he's right and that's argument enough to back up any claims he has.
He doesn't have much of a sense of humour (which doesn't endear him to the subjuggulators). In fact, he finds jokes bothersome and irritating. This might be because he has a difficult time distinguishing between whether someone is being serious or kidding around and he has little patience for people who aren't straight forward. It's embarrassing not to understand them straight away and he takes jibes to himself personally and thus, becomes agitated and cagey. However, he is capable of sarcasm and the occasional grim snark at someone else's misfortune. The angriest he gets is when he believes he's being made a mockery of. It's clear he's got his share of insecurities to hide despite his social ranking.
While he's quick to dismiss things that irritate him or opt out of arguments out of frustration, he will brood on it for hours. He has a tendency to dwell on the past and mull over conversations had and conversations he could have. He often invents situations in which he's conflicted with others, which causes him to both be wary of them and beat them to their inevitable betrayal by snapping first. He's quick to make assumptions of other's based upon their blood and appearance and rarely hangs around long enough to discover if they're true. People close to him are either insanely persistent or simply there because of social eloquence. As such, he's extremely lonely.
His appearances are important to him, because he wants to reflect a personality that is formidable and powerful. He dresses as someone who is nothing short of proud in regards to his blood colour. He takes a long time to attend to himself and primp himself and loathes being seen in a disheveled state. He's early to bed and early to rise and seldom lingers around the company of others unless they give him good reason. That being said, just because he cares for appearance doesn't make him any less powerful or dangerous. You touch his cape, he will cut a bitch.
In troll society, weaknesses such as prioritising appearance over strength will not get you far. Dualscar is aware of this, and he spends as much time training and preparing for battle as he does getting dressed. He's a strategist by nature and he's skilled at formulating practical and successful battle plans. He takes his time to sit back and weigh the odds in his favour, making under handed moves before he strikes and takes all he can from the battle. He's a ruthless fighter, which is to be expected. His morals are loose, but can we really consider that important when it comes to trolls?
Even if he's not Mr. Niceguy, he believes in formalities and eloquence. He can either be painfully and almost cruelly concise or long winded and boring when speaking. He has a tendency to drone on when he gets started, garnishing his sentences with an extended vocabulary so as to put on an air of class even when arguing. However, blood colour will determine how he speaks to you. He's much quicker to snap to a nastier, less formal tone with a low blood than he ever would be with a highblood. When he does snap, he relies heavily on swearing and threats to get his points across.
Perhaps, even by troll standards, he's a bit of a dick. He expects the most and the best from everyone. He expects mutual feelings from others while he's burdened by his affections for the Empress. He seldom returns the expectations he sets out of carelessness and selfishness. He becomes possessive of Mindfang and aggressive toward her low blooded interests, all the while aware that he has other flushed interests. He expects total devotion and yet seems to believe he should be able to do as he pleases, it's within his rights. He's impatient and wishes for results and answers straight off the bat, he rarely gives things time to settle or grow before he interferes.
As well as being a strategist, he's also a collector by nature. He collects land, treasure, maps and even trolls. He'd had quite bit of land dominated and more than enough treasure under his belt before he learned to scrutinise. He slowly became more judgmental and careful about what he kept, discarding or abandoning things that didn't seem unique or rare. He's quite proud of his collection. When he acquired Dolorosa, he viewed her as a rarity and something precious because of her blood, but still treated her as an underling. He was certain Mindfang was out to snatch her from him; he hadn't figured she would be after the jade blood in a romantic sense. That was a nasty surprise for him.
Ii>It would appear that he wears his heart on his sleeve, even if he tries to hide his less favourable feelings. Mindfang was well aware of his feelings for the Empress and he did little to hide his jealousy when coming across her and her slave. Once again, he will fiercely deny any accusations and his temper will flare. Though he did trust Mindfang well enough to confide his feelings and intentions within her. He's clearly sensitive and it pains him to know it. While he relies so heavily on social status and power, he's riddled with self-doubt and insecurities. If a red-rom (loving romantic relationship) is what he desires, why should it be so difficult to acquire? It is perhaps his over-zealousness in that sense that makes him undesirable as a mate, even if pity is the basis for a relationship.
He's haunted by his own weakness and becomes defensive quite quickly; you can pretty much assume he's always got his little barricade up and about. He seldom talks openly about his emotions as he deems them far too pathetic. If you do point them out, you will need to prepare for the tongue lashing of a lifetime and an inevitable death. Really though, deep down he's got a romantic soul and he yearns for mutually flushed feelings. He expresses his positive feelings through loyalty and dedication. After all, he kept all he knew about Mindfang hidden up until she wouldn't return his flushed feelings. One could speculate that those feelings came to be because the pirate grew on him, it's unlikely that anyone had ever gotten so close to him until he met her and he'd gotten accustomed to the idea of having her around. However, it's possible he only felt that way out of a need to control and tame her and not out of something pure. His complete selfishness lead him to his own demise, something that Eridan would come to echo.
Any differences: A lot of the differences between Dualscar and Murdoc are fostered by a dramatic change of environment. Earth is not nearly as violent and dangerous as Alternia, Murdoc has no need to be as violent and blood thirsty in order to survive. He certainly has a foul tempter, but he opts more for yelling and sulking as it causes far less problems than murder would.
His birth status did not promise instantaneous respect and fear amongst others and he was not born into that sort of position or royalty. Though Murdoc is determined and believes he deserves everything he has and better, he had to work for it in a manner Dualscar would never have even considered.
With no real concept of family, his affection for his son would be unfathomable to Dualscar, perhaps even seen as a weakness. Trolls don't look out for their own, but Murdoc would sacrifice a lot in order to protect his child. He's stern with him to be sure, and his high expectations reflect the legacy Dualscar left for Eridan, but underneath it all there's genuine love and affection. He has more time for friendships and platonic relationships than Dualscar would have, but that doesn't mean he's necessarily good at making and maintaining them. He'd still pursue them, given the chance.
Though still riddled with bitterness and jealousy issues, Murdoc would not go to the extents that Dualscar would after being scorned by a lover. Again, murder is not a life choice he's particularly interested in and he's not about to get violent over romance either. It would not be past him to attempt to drag the name's of his exes through the mud an sabotage them in discreet ways, but he'd hardly be liable to kill or injure them for damaging his pride. Murdoc is just as petty but far less dramatic than Dualscar.
Abilities: As previously mentioned, he's an excellent strategist and a man hardened by battle. He's skilled at formulating effective plans, he can draw up maps and reference history books if need be. His long term memory is great, but his short term memory leaves much to be desired. Occasionally he can forget his intentions midway through an argument or he'll forget tricks Mindfang has already played on him.
As a troll he has leveled up strength and agility and a longer life span. As a sea dweller he has gills, expanding organs and fins for swimming and breathing underwater. He's slightly more graceful underwater than he is on land, but that isn't to say he's any less of a threat. Just that a land dweller would not want to engage him in a sea battle. Due to his connection to the sea, he can become cagey and uncomfortable if parted from it for long periods of time.
He's been wielding his cross hairs for as long as he can remember, he's an adept marksman and his gun is his most valued weapon. He's capable of combat without it, obviously, but he will lament the lack of it. In close range his claws, fists and anything he can get his hands on become his weapons. He's strong, but he isn't the strongest troll. If someone such as The Grand Highblood challenged him to a fist fight, he would have to rely more on wit than brawn.
Roleplay Sample - Third Person: Three weeks. Almost exactly, Murdoc recalls. It's been three weeks since he'd been jumped outside his office. Three weeks of healing, three weeks of Eri trying to bring him coffee on a near constant basis and three weeks of dreading his not-so-triumphant return. He's lucky, really. Things could have found themselves even further out of hand. Perhaps if he'd made a nasty comment or given the assailant a funny look, he could have been stabbed somewhere far more vital than his face. And what good would that be? To leave Eri without a Father and to die in such an undignified manner without so much as a girlfriend to look pretty for his funeral? It would be a sorry sight.
It has in a sense, given him a strengthened drive to achieve even more than he already has. Perhaps straying his goals out of the work place would prove more satisfactory, but he already pesters Eri so much. Maybe it's a kick-starter to midlife crisis, but there is something wholly unsatisfying about his life right now. As if he needs more, hell, deserves more out of it. His mind, as it often does, wanders to his desire for a fulfilling relationship. It's something he's lacked for a good many years, but he's perfectly smart, driven, interesting in conversation and plenty attractive.
Or at least, he was. It's not often his ego fails him, but he's still adjusting to the changes in his face. There had been multiple times after the attack that he'd been caught inspecting himself in any sort of reflective surface. Fat chance getting a someone into his pants with a face like it is now. Granted there's still some bruising and they haven't healed nearly as much as they will in the future, but he can't help feeling debilitated by their presence. He can't help but get the impression that the culprit wanted to make an impression. Leave him with something to regret rather than do something as plain and simple as murder. That thought alone is enough to fill him with anger, but oddly enough he finds it dissipating as he realises he doesn't want to give them the satisfaction. Just like Eri said, the scars make him rugged! Handsome, even, though he's sure his son wouldn't go into that much detail. If anything, the scars are simply irrefutable proof that he is a tough bastard who has weathered more storms than anyone could ever poke a stick at.
When he presents it like that to himself, it's hard not to accept it as truth. It's a big change to swallow, not to mention one that gives him the strangest sense of dejavu whenever he sees the big, ugly things adorning his face. The events of the night had been overwhelming, to say the least, but if there's anything he vividly remembers it's that stream of numbers that went through his mind before he blacked out. Whatever it is, he feels like he might be getting that "Something More" out of life he'd been thinking about for so long.
After all, chicks dig scars.
Roleplay Sample - Network:
So, this is what we do all day is it? Jibber jabber.
It's been made abundantly clear that I'm not the only one in possession of these numbers, so I presume it has important implications.
I can't say I particular share a desire to know every waking detail of your hopes and dreams, but a little more information would be appreciated. I'm sure one of you can afford me that privilege.
For that matter, if Eri does happen to be fooling around playing funny buggers on here rather than doing his homework, feel free to direct him to me. I'm sure we have more than studies to discuss now, after all.
Any Questions? I deeply apologise for how massive this thing turned out to be.
Name: Pengu
Are you over 15? Yep.
Contact:
IC Information:
Name: In canon his title is Orphaner Dualscar, his reincarnated name will be Murdoc Ampora.
Canon and medium: Homestuck - Webcomic
Age: He has no canon age, he could be hundreds! Since that reeeally doesn't work, he'll be 45.
Preincarnation Species: Troll.
Preincarnation Appearance: Something like this.
Any differences: There are plenty of differences with the species change, he won't be horned, grey and finned for a start. As a human, he's part Greek and part Irish. As a result, he's pale (having grown up in Ireland) with dark brown hair and grey eyes. His first echo will add a pair of scars across his face to this equation, but I will cover this more in the correct section.
Preincarnated History:
Due to the Ancestors having such a vague past, assumptions are often made in regards to what positions and personalities they possessed in their time. We can judge these sorts of things by the characters they associate with, the traits that are most predominant in their descendants and even minor elements such as their appearance and garments.
For someone so high in the caste system, it's unsurprising that Dualscar's loyalties lie with both the Empress and the Empire. Why would one be inclined to fight a system that only benefits them? His flushed feelings for the Empress are no secret to Mindfang, though the reasons behind them are never elaborated upon. Perhaps it seems only right for the sole female of the highest caste to choose a suitor from the second highest caste, another thing Dualscar would not argue against. He desires what he perceives as his blood rights and he persues what he believes he deserves.
He seems the sort to maintain order, seeing as order is a reoccurring theme through his life. Everything is based on rank and everything is judged by power. The Highbloods are stronger, more powerful and guaranteed to live longer, so it's only right that they should hold the reins. Since the two highest castes of society are the sea dwellers, the authority of Alternia tends to come from below the waves. Knowing his place, Dualscar does not consider himself the ruler of the ocean, merely its maintainer. From his outfit shown in his brief appearance, it seems obvious that he's in an official position of power. His cape, armor and gold worn as decoration indicate an illustrious sort of career. It seems unlikely that a pirate would dress in such a manner, though personal grooming and appearance are key to him. An admiral or general is a far more befitting assumption for our Dualscar. Not to say he was necessarily a just and fair man of the military, it is probable that he would be more than a little corrupt. Even prone to the occasional (frequent) abuse of power and the use of underhanded methods to stake claim on lands and treasure. All in the name of the empire, mind you. Far be it from Dualscar to so selfishly take whatever he pleases (haha).
In a society built around hate, fear and inevitable death it's hardly surprising one takes names and viciously kicks ass on a daily basis. In Alternia, you do what you can to survive, even if that means sticking your feet in people's faces and stabbing them in the back. Dualscar would have to fight tooth and claw to remain the head of his fleet. This would probably call for the occasional culling of a crew member to keep the men sprightly and on their toes. All he asks for is total devotion, loyalty and the utmost respect for him. Whatever he's doing, it's to keep himself at the top. He strives to be the best, to be the most impressive, the most powerful, the richest and the one with the firmly filled quadrants. The last one seemed a hopeless cause for a good many sweeps, until he met someone who saw through all of his barriers of intimidation and hatred.
Now, if we refer back to pirates, we can begin to discuss his glorious kismesitude with Marquise Spinneret Mindfang. Mindfang is the very essence of the corruption Dualscar indulges in. While he is rigid and strict, she is wild and free. The two would have more than a few reasons to clash when it came to claiming land and serving the Empire. As a free spirit, Mindfang was inclined to do whatever she pleased, which surely did Dualscar no favours. Somehow, the two of them managed to tangle together in a black romance, which Dualscar was more than happy to foster. In fact, it's likely the two had some sort of mutually beneficial relationship. Dualscar would keep Mindfang safe from capture for her crimes (probably because he couldn't stand the thought of someone else having her) and it's possible she allowed him to indulge in her literal spoils in exchange (treasure, land and slaves who he would begin to detest). However, when he opened his lonely heart to such passion, he slowly allowed flushed feelings to creep in. When this mixed with the jealousy Mindfang's rebellion caused, his emotions became more twisted and he acted out, killing his romantic rivals. Though, such behaviour is typical of a highblood with no moirail.
Naturally, he was turned down for a mutually flushed relationship and he sought revenge through means other than his own. For a long time, he allowed Mindfang to slip through his fingers despite her crimes toward Alternia. Until now, he felt it was fair as long as he could keep tabs on her. Their mutually beneficial relationship had become problematic and awkward for the both of them. Now, too ashamed by her lack of interest to show his face, too angered by her flaunting of flushed feelings with others and too bitter to allow her to live on. He orders her slave to death, places a large bounty on her head and then visits the Grand Highblood (who is something of a tyrannical judge) with everything he knows about her. She would no longer be his problem.
Later, within the story of Homestuck, he is referenced again in relation to an Alternate version of himself known as Cronus. Cronus is himself as if raised on a planet (Beforus) with different believes and values, violence is abhorred and so that makes for drastic personality differences between the two. Where Cronus is weak and cowardly, there's no telling how quickly Dualscar would have been killed for acting in such a manner. Cronus is Dualscar in a world where unimpressive behavior is coddled and fostered and he is under no pressure to strive for his survival. Aranea, the Beforian equivalent of Mindfang, has done extensive research into the lives of the Ancestors and she has this to say of Dualscar: "Ampora was a pirate. No8ody liked him. He killed a lot of people, 8ut was later executed 8ecause he was una8le to tell a funny joke".
Now, there's a couple of things there that aren't entirely true. It's been stated in Mindfang's own journal that he is a maritime overlord. Unless she was being sarcastic, which isn't unlikely. However, we can see here that his little trip to the Highblood's lair did not work in his favour. His inability to laugh at himself or to be jovial in any sense did not score him any points. It's very likely he underestimated the abilities of the Highblood, or perhaps thought him a fool who needed to be talked down to. If that is the case, it's unsurprising that his lack of humor would result in his death, his first and only punchline.
Reincarnated History: In this iteration of his life, Murdoc didn't start at the bottom of the food chain. He is the only child of his Irish father, a professor at a university, and his Greek mother who migrated to Ireland quite late in her life. They weren't particularly well off, but they weren't starving in any sense. They simply weren't afforded most of the privileges of upper-middle class and huge expenses such as Murdoc's education put an incredible strain on their finances. As such, it was always heavily ingrained in Murdoc that he had to work hard to earn both what he had and what he wanted. Perhaps a little different from the naturally entitled version of himself on Alternia, but it is his drive to get what he deserves that got him where he is today.
His childhood, beyond the minor complications that money strains brought, was pretty standard. He'd always been more focused on school than friendships and his romantic endeavors never really lasted long due to him being kind of a douche. His ruthless attitude, objective take on arguments and his desires for a goal orientated career that pays well lead him into law. His family could not have been prouder when he graduated and earned himself an apprenticeship at a Law Firm in London, it seemed as if he had quickly begun to take steps into a perfect life.
Not long after he'd begun to rise through the ranks of his job, he'd met someone he'd come to consider as The One. It was all perfectly cheesy, she'd been the one who served him coffee every day, finally he took her out for coffee. They dated for a few years, Murdoc finally married her and they'd had a son together who they both adored. However as his pre-incarnated personality may indicate, Murdoc isn't always a pleasure to be around. Not only had he still been set on his work orientated goals (to the point of neglecting his family from time to time), he also had a tendency to be jealous and pretty much the grumpiest person you've ever met.
Amazingly, their marriage managed to last nine whole years before Kate packed her bags and left both Murdoc and Eri for a new life. Though he'd been deeply distressed and more than a little pissed off by the argument that had her leaving, it was the night of their separation that Murdoc took on a more dedicated role in Eri's life. Feeling abandoned and alone, he'd done the incredibly healthy thing of bottling up his feelings of sorrow and resentment to his ex-wife and channeling it all into either work or assuring that Eri would stay with him.
In order to start afresh, Murdoc uprooted their lives and replanted them in Locke City. Now away from the constant reminders of their mutual abandonment, it felt easier to start fulfilling his role as Eri's Father. The two began to share mutual interests and hobbies. Murdoc started their journey by purchasing the equivalent of Harry Potter books and making an effort to read them to his son, take him to signings and movie premieres and enjoy the series together. Through that, they discovered a mutual interest in magic and wizards that Murdoc happily indulged. Along with finding new hobbies, Murdoc taught Eri some of his own favourite things. When he was old enough he taught him to hunt (not a huge surprise given their pre-incarnations were hunters) and he takes an eager interest in helping him study.
His investment into his son lead to high ambitions for the boy. Surely if he could come this far himself, Eri could surpass him with ease given the right opportunities. Though he loves and spoils him to death, he has a great amount of expectations and standards for the boy to live up to. Call it family pride if you will, it's probably Murdoc projecting a little. He wants the best for Eri, he just knows Eri will need to work hard to maintain the best standard of living.
Currently, Murdoc heads a legal team for a very large, commercial business. He has no problem being ruthless and morally compromising in order to win cases, and sometimes it can bite him in the ass. Since his wife left, he hasn't had a great deal of romantic endeavors in his life, which is something that even being a great lawyer and attentive father can't really make up for. Like Eri, his life lacks a small amount of fulfillment that he will vehemently deny.
First Echo: Murdoc's first echo will be physical, his dual scars across his face. As previously stated, his job can stir up a considerable amount of drama. He can be callous and harsh when arguing against people making claims toward his company. Eventually, it bit him in the ass hard. A victim of a failed court case had managed to track him down as he exited work late in the evening. They took him by surprise and ran their knife down his face twice before having been chased off by security.
The echo represents both the scars his pre-incarnation bore and the consequences of fighting for what is not necessarily right. He had a glimpse of something distinctly alien launching at him before snapping out of it in time to be scarred.
Preincarnation Personality: Dualscar can be directly compared to two characters. One is Eridan Ampora, his descendant. The other is Cronus Ampora, an Alternate version of himself. While Cronus is essentially 'him', the two would not carry and conduct themselves in the same manner due to cultural differences. Beforus isn't nearly as fearsome as Alternia, Cronus doesn't need to be tough to survive. It seems more as if Cronus needs to pretend as though he’s a nice guy to fit in a little better. He’s not particularly good at it, as evidenced by his aggressive attempts to flirt and his flippant treatment of Mituna. They share prejudice and entitlement as some of their core traits, though Cronus acts as if he’s neither of those things. They crave romance and attention, but Cronus sinks much lower in order to obtain it.
Eridan, on the other hand, makes for a much truer reflection. Ancestors serve as guides to their descendants and Eridan is more than happy to build his life around the legacy left behind. Hussie himself makes a direct statement about their similarities: “Basically all the ancestors in various ways are supposed to be like grown up versions of the troll kids, personality and all. So Dualscar handles things exactly how you would expect an older Eridan to handle it. Which is to say as petulantly and dramatically as possible, with loads of obsessive pining and brooding, to the point where probably even he’s not sure what he wants exactly. And if anything rubs him the wrong way, which is everything, violence is the answer.”
It's important to note that while Eridan Ampora is Dualscar's descendant, that does not necessarily make them the same person. They've lived completely different lives and grown differently as characters, but they still share the same core traits. Thanks to a life of inherent superiority, they've grown up as haughty, arrogant and elitist characters. However, Dualscar has lived a longer life and has had a substantially longer time to brood over things. As such, his bitterness is deeper set, while Eridan's is more a façade for the attention of other's.
Ranking is essential to Dualscar's life. He finds joy in order and will argue and fight against anyone who tries to undermine his beliefs. He feels uncomfortable when people point out flaws or mistakes and covers his anxiousness with snark and denial. He's incredibly stubborn when it comes to such things and it's unlikely that he'll ever accept facts or opinions that don't reflect his own. To him, there's no reason to argue when it should be obvious that he's right and that's argument enough to back up any claims he has.
He doesn't have much of a sense of humour (which doesn't endear him to the subjuggulators). In fact, he finds jokes bothersome and irritating. This might be because he has a difficult time distinguishing between whether someone is being serious or kidding around and he has little patience for people who aren't straight forward. It's embarrassing not to understand them straight away and he takes jibes to himself personally and thus, becomes agitated and cagey. However, he is capable of sarcasm and the occasional grim snark at someone else's misfortune. The angriest he gets is when he believes he's being made a mockery of. It's clear he's got his share of insecurities to hide despite his social ranking.
While he's quick to dismiss things that irritate him or opt out of arguments out of frustration, he will brood on it for hours. He has a tendency to dwell on the past and mull over conversations had and conversations he could have. He often invents situations in which he's conflicted with others, which causes him to both be wary of them and beat them to their inevitable betrayal by snapping first. He's quick to make assumptions of other's based upon their blood and appearance and rarely hangs around long enough to discover if they're true. People close to him are either insanely persistent or simply there because of social eloquence. As such, he's extremely lonely.
His appearances are important to him, because he wants to reflect a personality that is formidable and powerful. He dresses as someone who is nothing short of proud in regards to his blood colour. He takes a long time to attend to himself and primp himself and loathes being seen in a disheveled state. He's early to bed and early to rise and seldom lingers around the company of others unless they give him good reason. That being said, just because he cares for appearance doesn't make him any less powerful or dangerous. You touch his cape, he will cut a bitch.
In troll society, weaknesses such as prioritising appearance over strength will not get you far. Dualscar is aware of this, and he spends as much time training and preparing for battle as he does getting dressed. He's a strategist by nature and he's skilled at formulating practical and successful battle plans. He takes his time to sit back and weigh the odds in his favour, making under handed moves before he strikes and takes all he can from the battle. He's a ruthless fighter, which is to be expected. His morals are loose, but can we really consider that important when it comes to trolls?
Even if he's not Mr. Niceguy, he believes in formalities and eloquence. He can either be painfully and almost cruelly concise or long winded and boring when speaking. He has a tendency to drone on when he gets started, garnishing his sentences with an extended vocabulary so as to put on an air of class even when arguing. However, blood colour will determine how he speaks to you. He's much quicker to snap to a nastier, less formal tone with a low blood than he ever would be with a highblood. When he does snap, he relies heavily on swearing and threats to get his points across.
Perhaps, even by troll standards, he's a bit of a dick. He expects the most and the best from everyone. He expects mutual feelings from others while he's burdened by his affections for the Empress. He seldom returns the expectations he sets out of carelessness and selfishness. He becomes possessive of Mindfang and aggressive toward her low blooded interests, all the while aware that he has other flushed interests. He expects total devotion and yet seems to believe he should be able to do as he pleases, it's within his rights. He's impatient and wishes for results and answers straight off the bat, he rarely gives things time to settle or grow before he interferes.
As well as being a strategist, he's also a collector by nature. He collects land, treasure, maps and even trolls. He'd had quite bit of land dominated and more than enough treasure under his belt before he learned to scrutinise. He slowly became more judgmental and careful about what he kept, discarding or abandoning things that didn't seem unique or rare. He's quite proud of his collection. When he acquired Dolorosa, he viewed her as a rarity and something precious because of her blood, but still treated her as an underling. He was certain Mindfang was out to snatch her from him; he hadn't figured she would be after the jade blood in a romantic sense. That was a nasty surprise for him.
Ii>It would appear that he wears his heart on his sleeve, even if he tries to hide his less favourable feelings. Mindfang was well aware of his feelings for the Empress and he did little to hide his jealousy when coming across her and her slave. Once again, he will fiercely deny any accusations and his temper will flare. Though he did trust Mindfang well enough to confide his feelings and intentions within her. He's clearly sensitive and it pains him to know it. While he relies so heavily on social status and power, he's riddled with self-doubt and insecurities. If a red-rom (loving romantic relationship) is what he desires, why should it be so difficult to acquire? It is perhaps his over-zealousness in that sense that makes him undesirable as a mate, even if pity is the basis for a relationship.
He's haunted by his own weakness and becomes defensive quite quickly; you can pretty much assume he's always got his little barricade up and about. He seldom talks openly about his emotions as he deems them far too pathetic. If you do point them out, you will need to prepare for the tongue lashing of a lifetime and an inevitable death. Really though, deep down he's got a romantic soul and he yearns for mutually flushed feelings. He expresses his positive feelings through loyalty and dedication. After all, he kept all he knew about Mindfang hidden up until she wouldn't return his flushed feelings. One could speculate that those feelings came to be because the pirate grew on him, it's unlikely that anyone had ever gotten so close to him until he met her and he'd gotten accustomed to the idea of having her around. However, it's possible he only felt that way out of a need to control and tame her and not out of something pure. His complete selfishness lead him to his own demise, something that Eridan would come to echo.
Any differences: A lot of the differences between Dualscar and Murdoc are fostered by a dramatic change of environment. Earth is not nearly as violent and dangerous as Alternia, Murdoc has no need to be as violent and blood thirsty in order to survive. He certainly has a foul tempter, but he opts more for yelling and sulking as it causes far less problems than murder would.
His birth status did not promise instantaneous respect and fear amongst others and he was not born into that sort of position or royalty. Though Murdoc is determined and believes he deserves everything he has and better, he had to work for it in a manner Dualscar would never have even considered.
With no real concept of family, his affection for his son would be unfathomable to Dualscar, perhaps even seen as a weakness. Trolls don't look out for their own, but Murdoc would sacrifice a lot in order to protect his child. He's stern with him to be sure, and his high expectations reflect the legacy Dualscar left for Eridan, but underneath it all there's genuine love and affection. He has more time for friendships and platonic relationships than Dualscar would have, but that doesn't mean he's necessarily good at making and maintaining them. He'd still pursue them, given the chance.
Though still riddled with bitterness and jealousy issues, Murdoc would not go to the extents that Dualscar would after being scorned by a lover. Again, murder is not a life choice he's particularly interested in and he's not about to get violent over romance either. It would not be past him to attempt to drag the name's of his exes through the mud an sabotage them in discreet ways, but he'd hardly be liable to kill or injure them for damaging his pride. Murdoc is just as petty but far less dramatic than Dualscar.
Abilities: As previously mentioned, he's an excellent strategist and a man hardened by battle. He's skilled at formulating effective plans, he can draw up maps and reference history books if need be. His long term memory is great, but his short term memory leaves much to be desired. Occasionally he can forget his intentions midway through an argument or he'll forget tricks Mindfang has already played on him.
As a troll he has leveled up strength and agility and a longer life span. As a sea dweller he has gills, expanding organs and fins for swimming and breathing underwater. He's slightly more graceful underwater than he is on land, but that isn't to say he's any less of a threat. Just that a land dweller would not want to engage him in a sea battle. Due to his connection to the sea, he can become cagey and uncomfortable if parted from it for long periods of time.
He's been wielding his cross hairs for as long as he can remember, he's an adept marksman and his gun is his most valued weapon. He's capable of combat without it, obviously, but he will lament the lack of it. In close range his claws, fists and anything he can get his hands on become his weapons. He's strong, but he isn't the strongest troll. If someone such as The Grand Highblood challenged him to a fist fight, he would have to rely more on wit than brawn.
Roleplay Sample - Third Person: Three weeks. Almost exactly, Murdoc recalls. It's been three weeks since he'd been jumped outside his office. Three weeks of healing, three weeks of Eri trying to bring him coffee on a near constant basis and three weeks of dreading his not-so-triumphant return. He's lucky, really. Things could have found themselves even further out of hand. Perhaps if he'd made a nasty comment or given the assailant a funny look, he could have been stabbed somewhere far more vital than his face. And what good would that be? To leave Eri without a Father and to die in such an undignified manner without so much as a girlfriend to look pretty for his funeral? It would be a sorry sight.
It has in a sense, given him a strengthened drive to achieve even more than he already has. Perhaps straying his goals out of the work place would prove more satisfactory, but he already pesters Eri so much. Maybe it's a kick-starter to midlife crisis, but there is something wholly unsatisfying about his life right now. As if he needs more, hell, deserves more out of it. His mind, as it often does, wanders to his desire for a fulfilling relationship. It's something he's lacked for a good many years, but he's perfectly smart, driven, interesting in conversation and plenty attractive.
Or at least, he was. It's not often his ego fails him, but he's still adjusting to the changes in his face. There had been multiple times after the attack that he'd been caught inspecting himself in any sort of reflective surface. Fat chance getting a someone into his pants with a face like it is now. Granted there's still some bruising and they haven't healed nearly as much as they will in the future, but he can't help feeling debilitated by their presence. He can't help but get the impression that the culprit wanted to make an impression. Leave him with something to regret rather than do something as plain and simple as murder. That thought alone is enough to fill him with anger, but oddly enough he finds it dissipating as he realises he doesn't want to give them the satisfaction. Just like Eri said, the scars make him rugged! Handsome, even, though he's sure his son wouldn't go into that much detail. If anything, the scars are simply irrefutable proof that he is a tough bastard who has weathered more storms than anyone could ever poke a stick at.
When he presents it like that to himself, it's hard not to accept it as truth. It's a big change to swallow, not to mention one that gives him the strangest sense of dejavu whenever he sees the big, ugly things adorning his face. The events of the night had been overwhelming, to say the least, but if there's anything he vividly remembers it's that stream of numbers that went through his mind before he blacked out. Whatever it is, he feels like he might be getting that "Something More" out of life he'd been thinking about for so long.
After all, chicks dig scars.
Roleplay Sample - Network:
So, this is what we do all day is it? Jibber jabber.
It's been made abundantly clear that I'm not the only one in possession of these numbers, so I presume it has important implications.
I can't say I particular share a desire to know every waking detail of your hopes and dreams, but a little more information would be appreciated. I'm sure one of you can afford me that privilege.
For that matter, if Eri does happen to be fooling around playing funny buggers on here rather than doing his homework, feel free to direct him to me. I'm sure we have more than studies to discuss now, after all.
Any Questions? I deeply apologise for how massive this thing turned out to be.
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