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PLAYER
NAME: lucifer
CONTACT: pooka DM ; love.struck discord ; love_letters plurk
OVER 18? y

CHARACTER
NAME: Cater Diamond
CANON: Twisted Wonderland - with many references to Disney's Alice in Wonderland
CANON POINT: CH 7 - Just after "waking" from his own dream, prior to witnessing Ace's
BACKGROUND:

Born to a banker whose job took him all over the world, Cater never stayed in one place for very long, leaving much of his socialization and raising up to his bossy (but loving) older sisters. his sisters basically treated him as a sister, pushily dressing him up because he was so cute, and doing other pushy bossythings like making him eat all of their baking experiments. since he didn't want to disappoint them, he gave in all the time rather than bothering to be honest about his feelings. he struggled to form other social connections and was never very assertive, leaving him with few friendships for being too girly or otherwise moving away too soon. as he discovered magic, he became capable of using a Unique Spell, Split Card, that split him into many clones of himself, potentially desiring a companion as close as Cater's sisters.

by highschool, Cater has started learning to assert his own individuality to his sisters, but it's a slow journey. because of his magic proficiency, Cater is invited to Night Raven College at age 16 and sorted into Heartslabyul dorm where he becomes roommates with Trey Clover. his first year there is wild and tiring, with a chaotic housewarden who doesn't enforce any of The Red Queen's 810 rules, and a good handful of their classmates drop out, flunk out, or switch houses.

during his second year, Riddle Rosehearts enrolls as a freshman and defeats Heartslabyul's dorm leader in a duel the first week, usurping his position and beginning to enforce the Red Queen's rules. Trey becomes housewarden and Cater assists as both of them, putting himself in a position he can avoid trouble. students stop dropping and flunking out with Riddle's strict study rules.

however, during Trey and Cater's junior year and Riddle's sophomore year, Riddle's rule only gets more and more stringent. Even early on in the year, students start to become more and more fed up, while Riddle continues to succumb to the emotional poison of Blot, the negative energy that comes from using too much magic when in a trying emotional state. Cater, considering himself too distant from the problem, doesn't speak up against Riddle, instead expecting— and encouraging— Trey to, while being unaware of the deep fear that prevents Trey from speaking up.

after a series of events involving a student who entered from another world and some of the Heartslabyul freshmen, Heartslabyul as a unit stands up to Riddle. even Trey finally speaks up, feeling he should have done so earlier, while Cater tries to smooth things over. his efforts are in vain, and an emotionally fucked Riddle Overblots— or begins becoming a monster— in front of their classmates.

this compromising position challenges Cater; does he run because of his detatchment and knowledge of the safest route, or does he act as their friend despite his distance, and try to help save Riddle and the others he's come to care for? Despite his fears, Cater chooses the others, even sacrificing one of his clones to take an impalement blow for the freshman Deuce Spade.

after helping Riddle to come back to reality, Cater becomes involved in helping Riddle loosen up, encouraging him and reminding him that the other Heartslabyul students also respect the structure Riddle gives them. he becomes involved in helping with other overblots, and starts to get closer in these budding friendships— but progress is slow, and Cater remains withdrawn about many things.

later in the school year, Malleus Draconia, a powerful fae classmate of Cater's, overblots and sends everyone on the island the school is located on into a deep dream...

SUITABILITY:

Twisted Wonderland characters in general are all exceptionally suited to this kind of game, since their own canon subjects them to strange influences, changes and challenges to morality, etc. all the time. The cast, including seemingly-nice-guy Cater, go to a school specifically for the more-talented-but-more-problematic students, as opposed to Royal Sword's Magical School for Very Good Boys, making it easy to find contrast and conflict. Cater himself is avoidant of his own feelings, a big masker, and people pleaser, who often does what the group is doing to fit in, and not necessarily because he wants to do it.

it also means his growth will be completely dependent on who interacts with him, how, and how much people can get past the masks he puts on. it's completely wildcard how he'll end up. his social, nosy attitude that reflects Alice's inquisitiveness makes it easy for him to interact with all kinds of pokemon and people, his role as a Card Soldier keeps him loyal, he embodies the horny loopiness of the March Hare alongside Trey's Mad hatter, and his reflection of the King of Hearts makes him both a playful authority and again, a people pleaser— which could go any way in terms of influencing CR.

QUESTIONNAIRE:

⟡ Your character is on an exploration quest when they find an injured Pokemon in need of help. This Pokemon appears to be in distress and is quite dangerous, posing a risk to your character even if they mean well, and putting your quest mission at risk. What do they do? What are some possibilities of how they work with teammates to address this, or do they go at it alone?

this one has a few different variables, the first being whether or not Cater actually recognizes the threat and what disposition he's in when encountering the threat, especially if the injured pokemon has any ties to him. it's not that Cater has a lack of self preservation, but rather sometimes completely ignores that sense for the sake of a thrill that seems to have little regard for his wellbeing.

this changes drastically and immediately if weaker, younger, more impressionable, or otherwise "junior" companions are around. their wellbeing becomes priority, and Cater is likely to put himself at the head of the action for their sake— meaning in that position, he'd probably advise the others get more help while he's the one doing the approaching toward the risky rescue.

severity, attachment, and group action also affect Cater's choices. if the danger is too high, Cater will likely advise his team to back off in favor of stronger, more suited pokemon making the decisions— unless either the group insists on acting and his inaction would go against the group, or he has a deep attachment to the pokemon in need.

regardless, Cater's actions are always ones that are more considerate (i.e. 'with consideration' rather than 'polite'), not heroic. the chances of him bailing on an injured pokemon if he's on his own aren't zero, even though he'd be doing so for the sake of running to get someone more qualified to fix the problem. if he's got a bond with them, the likelihood he'd try to stay and help increases.

however, if he's completely certain he'd be unable to even contribute to helping the problem for some reason, his next priority would be finding someone else to help. it might not be heroic, but he won't completely abandon them.

⟡ Your character's worst enemy has recently appeared in game, and has joined the guild your character is part of. They both want to tackle the same quest, and your character's enemy suggests that they work together as a team to accomplish this goal. How does your character respond to this?

Unfortunately, there's not two of Cater, so his worst enemy could never appear in game, and doesn't actually seem to secretly fully dislike any of his castmates. But operating on the theory he's someone who'd be attached long enough to hold a grudge against someone, the answer remains the same; Cater'd cow to the request. Oh, his enemy wants him to work together? And defying that request could shake up the balance of the rest of the team, or at the very least upset someone else? Sounds like Cater doesn't have an enemy after all! Just a really, really strained allyship. there's a mission to be accomplished, and the sooner Cater gets it done, the sooner he can do the other things he wants to do— so he'll put aside his ire for the sake of a mission.

Assuming someone had such conflict with Cater that there was some unresolved issue between them, though, Cater might outright refuse and give up the quest for someone else. with his always-smiling Irritated Face, he'd remind them they still owe it to him to make up for whatever they did before they get any peace with him, and make an exit.

⟡ The leader of your character's guild has just approached your character with an offer: they will provide your character with extra supplies, reputation points, and help them with any of their current struggles. In exchange, they ask for your character to do a favor for them that may harm the other guilds, and will not specify what the favor is in advance. It sounds shady, but it's the deal of a lifetime in your character's path to get back home, and refusing it may cause strife for your character within their current guild. What do they think of this offer? What do they ultimately decide to do?

Cater has absolutely no moral objections to doing this favor. his objections would be more in the sense of, is he being asked to do something he's actually capable of doing? he'll follow the rules unquestioningly for the most part— at least on the surface— because he learns them well enough to find the loopholes of where he can get away with what he truly wants.

but Cater is very cognizant of both what he can't accomplish and what he doesn't want to be known for being able to accomplish. Cater is the type who underperforms on purpose in most situations and downplays his skills, even lying about being a total weakling in the face of a character who's perhaps the best in the cast at assessing the others' abilities. rather than be held to a high standard that people will be disappointed in him if he doesn't meet consistently, he keeps his performance middling so that any exceptionality can be a Fun Treat and not anything that has lasting consequences.

he'd make it clear to the leader that oh, he'd love to help you out, but is he really the right guy for the job? if he is, sure, Cater'll take the opportunity, especially if the "harm" to the other guilds is superficial and not physical. if it turns out to be more than he expected, though, he might have regrets— and might bend the parameters of the request to something that both suits him and solves the Guild Leader's problems.

⟡ Due to shortages on supplies, the city is facing issues deciding where to cut corners during this rough time. Somehow, the responsibility has fallen on your character's shoulders, and they have to make a decision. If they send out an extra team of Pokemon, they will be able to gather more food, and through that, save the lives of dozens of starving Pokemon that were in dire need of nutrition. However, the only Pokemon available to scout for food are those working at the pokeclinic, and sending them out would mean certain death for at least two ill patients. What does your character decide to do? How do they feel about this choice, and how would they deal with the pushback that comes from either side?

Cater duplicates himself and well first of all Cater has a private breakdown over this falling to him of all people. he'd definitely have tried everything in his power to not be the person this decision comes down to, and once there's no denying it he would have quite the fearful reaction. assuming Cater has successfully bonded with the pokemon in this world, after some waffling, he'd choose to send out the scouts under the caveat that he'll do the work of the pokemon in the clinic using Double Team.

he'd be cognizant of the fact those ill pokemon are likely going to die regardless of his intervention, but the numbers don't lie; two is a lot fewer than the number of pokemon who'll be saved. he'd want someone else to take over, but would work without sleep or rest to fulfill the responsibilities of the pokemon working the clinic, again— even being certain he won't be able to save the most ill patients. but with his work, he'd be at their sides until the inevitable end, caring as kindly as he has in him.

Cater would see the job through to the end, but when the team returned and all the follow-up responsibilities were taken care of, Cater would absolutely book it. he would not be seen for days, potentially weeks, wracked with both guilt over the deaths as much as he'd be wrecked over the idea the scouting mission could have failed altogether despite it not having done so. he would want to start over entirely somewhere else, unburdened by the memory of his actions, but would ultimately be foiled by the fact this city boy is in no way accustomed to living in the wild.

there are scenarios that could change Cater's choice, as ultimately, Cater will eventually choose what he thinks the people around him will approve of hif he is bonded to the group and may be more selfish about absconding from having to watch pokemon die in other cases. there's really no one true answer in this hypothetical because of that. however, there is one thing that remains constant: no matter how optimal the outcome of his choices, Cater would have a breakdown about being put in this position altogether. there is no iteration of the scenario that isn't followed by Cater trying to escape from public contact afterward, and where he doesn't have a crisis about the 'what ifs' of the situation. it's also possible that while the mission was in progress, he'd have a few private breakdowns about having to make these choices at 19.

there's also no iteration of the scenario where Cater doesn't do his best not to let anyone see him slip, though. he'll have his crises, but he'll be damn determined to show everyone else a brave face.

POKEMON:

Lopunny: everyone in Twisted Wonderland is "twisted" from the concepts of two-or-more existing Disney characters. one of the characters Cater is twisted from is Alice in Wonderland's March Hare, the companion of the Mad Hatter, from home Cater's best friend Trey is twisted. the original meaning behind the phrase mad as a march hare refers to the pre-breeding "boxing" habits of hares in spring, playing both on mad as 'angry' and mad as 'crazy'. the March Hare as a character in Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland reflects this madness by using common Victorian symbols of madness such as hay on his head; hay that becomes the strange blonde hairstyle of the Disney iteration of the March Hare, who is much more playful and loopy than he is angry. Cater reflects both that playful energy and is the most sexual character in Twisted Wonderland (in the JP version), flirting with men and women and speaking of the others' looks more often than the rest.

which brings us to Lopunny. in addition to its hay-like brows and brown color making it resemble Sexy March Hare (which is basically the point of TW), it's a pokemon that has long been sexualized for its shape. it's important to note that Cater's childhood feminization from his sisters, while it's something he's deeply incorporated into his behavior and doesn't necessarily regret, goes against his will. he wants to be seen as a man and as softly masculine, but redefines masculinity to his own shape, being both a boyish rockstar with a punky style and an avid youtubing makeup artist. though he doesn't do so by being mysogynist or overmasculinizing, he still very much wants to be treated as a feminine boy, not as basically a girl, the way his sisters used to treat him before he learned to assert himself.

so in that respect, lopunny both strongly reflects Cater's March Hare influence and also provides a back-to-square-one in his development of learning who he is and how to assert that. will he succumb to his past habits and keep pretending to be happy being perceived by the way he looks for the sake of not rocking the boat with others, or will he rediscover himself and learn to put that self forward? that's the real question.

GUILD OPT-OUT:

ok so the thing is every guild seems very interesting, just in different ways. Cater wouldn't be able to avoid having an opinion about the leaders of each group.

Cheri Berries' Ribombee would remind him of his own housewarden, Riddle, both in temperament, drive, and expectation of adherance to leadership. Cater's existing talent as a sort of scout for Heartslabyul would be amplified here. it's the guild that would most strongly resemble his existing canon experience with his dorm group at school.

Lum Berries' Polteageist would give him intense Leona Kingscholar vibes— the super-smart housewarden of the rough-and-tumble Savannaclaws. Their ethoses are 1:1, and Cater would recognize that vibe, lending both loyalty and intrigue, as Leona is someone he found particularly interesting and constantly vys for the attention of. Cater would be exceptional at the expected guild responsibilities using his talents as a Social Media influencer and magic-equivalent-instagram expert.

Oran Berries' Mightyena would be the most unlike Cater's met before; though her attitude would remind him of the wolf beastman Jack Howl, even Jack's more of a lone wolf than Mightyena. he'd have respect for Mightyena's altruism, but he'd feel ill-suited to her team both as someone who sees himself as selfish as well as someone who doesn't want to be known as good at battling (despite being rarely defeated in magical duels at school). this is the guild that would challenge him the most, because his existing talents aren't geared toward their responsibilities, but Mightyena's leadership might be enough to convince Cater to reorient his talents in the guild's favor.

SAMPLES:
SAMPLE 1
SAMPLE 2

Honestly your player base gave me so much to work with on his toplevel that I think you can see a lot of Cater's facets just browsing over it, though there's still more to come!

EXTRA QUESTION:

hello yes sorry to ask an extra question. however, before I go in guns blazing if accepted, I wanted to know the restrictions on the move Double Team and in doing so feel the need to explain and clarify Cater's canon Split Card spell.

in Twisted Wonderland, magic is dependant on the power of imagination, which is why Unique Magic/Signature Spells can exist even if some are passed down by generation or very similar to each other. Split Card, one of the most unique spells in the game, allows Cater to create card clones of himself, multiplying. while each Cater is autonomous rather than moving in tandem, they are not separate personalities. Cater's splitting is NOT a case of multiple personalities or DID. rather, it may be easier to think of it as Cater loading multiple instances of himself into the same game. They disappear when harmed, and while Cater seems to retain the memories of all the other Caters, the only physical injuries that remain after Split Cards disappear are the injuries that happened to the Core Cater.

Basically, I just want to know how close to Split Card I'm allowed to let Double Team be— whether that's "not at all" or "almost entirely the same".