( the pines app )

[sulfide]

cw: one body horror image included for reference

PLAYER

NAME: Kiss
CONTACT: rituals or discord @ blush#3016
OTHER CHARACTERS IN THE PINES: N/A

CHARACTER

NAME: Cinnabar
CANON: Houseki no Kuni
CANON-POINT:

spoilers for casual observers

About 50 years into Phos' sleep after losing his head and attempting to fuse with Lapis Lazuli's.

DOSSIER

HISTORY: character wiki ❤ gems ❤ the land ❤ personal canon & character write up

WHAT ARE YOUR CHARACTER'S STRENGTHS?: Cinnabar has a lot of mental fortitude. His body might be fragile, but his mind certainly isn't. He's observant, taking in the world in a very detailed way, and he's used to very harrowing mental traumas like sacrifice, a sort of gem "suicide," being alone for hundreds of years at a time. This sort of thing comes from being an immortal rock being, but he also gains an additional hardened layer from being essentially forced to live in isolation.

WHAT ARE YOUR CHARACTER'S WEAKNESSES?: In contrast to the above, Cinnabar is a pretty depressive and sad person. He finds hope easily, but also has to struggle with not putting the horse before the cart. As used to his life of solitude as he is, he doesn't actually want things to be this way, internalizing any speck of positivity he has in an effort to keep his expectations low. This also means he's very likely to shield himself from telling others how he truly feels inside.

WHAT EVENTS OR CIRCUMSTANCES IN YOUR CHARACTER'S PAST HAVE IMPACTED THEM THE MOST?: Not much is known about the individual birth of any of the gems in Houseki no Kuni, but it can be assumed that Cinnabar has had this problem with emitting a poison since he was birthed. Initially realizing this would greatly impact his life as it's the main reason he feels the need to shy away from others. His relationships don't have a lot of staying power -- meaning he doesn't have very strong bonds with other gems -- until Phos. After saving Phos, the stronger gem explains that he'll try and find a job for Cinnabar outside of his self-imposed isolation during night patrol. From here on, Cinnabar finds hope in the world, although he tries his best to be realistic about this potential inclusion back into gem society. These are the two biggest events that have both isolated him and that gently pulled him away from that solitude ever so slightly.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOUR CHARACTER?: Telling the truth, Cinnabar isn't truly motivated by any internal force. If left to his own devices, he's a loner who has assumed his fate is to either live his life in eternal solitude or be ground up into gem pieces and taken away to the moon. Phos' promise to find him a job that doesn't completely submit him to solitude is what keeps him going -- but it's not as if he has much of a choice in the first place. If you want something internal and not based on an outside catalyst, it would be the possibility one day that someone, anyone -- his self included -- could find him a place in this world.

WHAT IMPRESSION DO OTHERS TEND TO HAVE OF YOUR CHARACTER?: This largely depends on their own demeanor, but in canon most gems don't feel entirely comfortable around Cinnabar. His poison isn't exactly a secret, though, so much of this unease comes from his innate ability to do them harm. Humans in game wouldn't know this, though they'd likely still be affected by his secretions, but they would notice his demeanor is one that's pretty closed off. He's not someone to shut down when approached, but he certainly isn't bright, bubbly or cheerful.

IN WHAT WAYS DOES THAT IMPRESSION DIFFER FROM WHO YOUR CHARACTER REALLY IS?: Cinnabar has sort of a deadpan demeanor to him, even if deep down he does hide a brighter, more hopeful side. However, 90% of what you see on the outside is exactly what he's got going on inside. There's a little bit of a disconnect in that Cinnabar does want to connect with others, if only he could overcome something that is a physical impossibility. His desire to shield himself from others is mostly self-sacrificing -- when he says "it's not you, it's me," he really does mean it.

HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER HANDLE CRISIS OR ADVERSITY?: Cinnabar is actually pretty quick on his feet. What he lacks in physical hardness he makes up for in mental toughness, and his observational brain goes hand in hand with his mental agility. In a physical crisis, like a hurricane or a monster's on the loose, he's a quick thinker and a fighter. Even though he's ashamed to showcase his poison and doesn't like fighting, he's someone who puts others above himself -- if someone else is in danger, they come before his desire to remain pacifistic.

WHICH 5 THINGS WILL YOUR CHARACTER REMEMBER UPON ARRIVAL, AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THEM?:
❤ He'll remember that his Mercury liquid secretion is dangerous. It will likely be evident after a while since it's like an oil spill that contaminates everything, but he'll have a instinctual memory that other living creatures should avoid it at all cost.
❤ He'll remember that he's a gem, not like the other walking, talking creatures he sees wandering around.
❤ He'll remember the image of Phos but nothing else initially.
❤ He'll remember that he wants to stay as far away from others as possible.
❤ He'll remember that he's very fragile and should avoid hard surfaces at all costs. Hopefully the houses don't have granite counter tops or he'll lose an elbow.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU FEEL WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER?: I know this is touched on in the wiki links and my write up, but just to put my reasoning in the app: if his poison has the ability to harm animals and nature in his world, it'd be likely that it would be able to harm humans and animals in this one. While the poison can eat through gems, it seems to stick to any other kind of surface. Again, think of his poison like the BP Oil spill personified. It's a toxic substance no matter what your species and if you get your poison on him it'd be a bitch to clean off.


SKILLS, ABILITIES, & PHYSICAL WEAKNESSES: In canon, gem doctor Rutile tells Phos after he's been harmed by Cinnabar's poison that Cinnabar has "extraordinary amounts of talent and combat ability." In the early chapters of Houseki no Kuni, there's a running gag that Phos is essentially useless because he's so soft. While the Mohs scale obviously doesn't exist in canon, the gems use their own version that mirrors it to a T. Phos is considered useless because he shatters so easily at a 3.5 on the scale -- Cinnabar comes in at a 2 and is still more adept in combat than the stronger gem. While a lot of Cinnabar's talent for fighting comes from his powerful poison, he also appears to be agile and smart when it comes to battle. Still, he's very prone to shattering when he comes into contact with a hard surface like another, stronger gemstone.

It's also of course worthy to note his poison, a mercury-like substance that has been mentioned throughout the app above. He secretes this substance through his mouth and manifests it in his hands -- in fact, the stuff seems to endlessly float around him and it's possible it can ooze out from any limb or place on his body; it even manifests in the form of tears. Cinnabar has the ability to control it in a variety of ways, but it can get out of hand at times. If he becomes too overwhelmed or emotionally overloaded, his ability to harness the substance wanes and it becomes out of control. He can produce and retract it at will otherwise, and the substance is a silvery colour that also produces a small amount of light (again, much like real mercury).



INVENTORY: ❤ Phos' notebook (he left it on the ground, Cinnabar picked it up and it's been in his possession ever since)
❤ That's it; he lives in a cave, is an immortal rock that doesn't need to eat and wears the same clothes all the time, what else is he even supposed to have??

SAMPLES

PROSE-HEAVY:

( The house he'd discovered as his own was bizarre, but everything about this populous, crowded world was confusing. To him, it seems like some sort of cave with a myriad of hiding places. One hiding place is cold -- it has a bunch of shelves in it, which makes it a little difficult to fit in, but he could squeeze in if he wanted to. That room in particular has a lot of empty cupboards to shove himself into if he ever needed to.

Cinnabar might drown, if that were ever to be a possibility. Since being transported here, waking up in a weird shop with chinks in his gemstone that he doesn't recall, he's been more scared than he'd been back home in a long time. He thinks a little too hard about it, trying to reconnect those dots from his fuzzy memories -- it can be hard to control his Mercury. Thank goodness it's unnecessary to be confined to such tight spaces, except when someone knocks on the door. They knock for such a long time, but they always eventually leave. He doesn't want to deal with them -- the peachy, sandy-coloured people.

The living room does him just fine as a makeshift cave. The carpet is drenched in the milky, silvery substance but creates a light he's more comfortable with than the switch that he'd discovered on the wall, making the dome at the top of the ceiling glow a hot yellow. Yuck. The soft luminescence from his own secretion, no matter how ugly, was somehow still more comforting; soothing enough that he didn't even attempt to clean it up.

He'd had a little fun with the bed, though, despite his staunch and instinctive cynicism towards this place. Cinnabar knew the other gems hibernated in a large room filled with a soft bed, but it wasn't like he was ever invited. He wouldn't go anyway, of course. This was his bed, though, and it felt good. Almost good enough to fall asleep in.

It was a thought that crossed his mind before that noise happened again -- some other peach person banging on his door, yelling at him, asking if they can come in and give him something...a cass-er-ol this time, not a pai like a few days ago. Whatever it is, he doesn't want any of it. Quickly he jumps from his bed and into one of the other cupboards in the house.

Again Cinnabar debated just killing them like he'd killed the Lunarians, but these people were different -- they weren't apparitions or an altogether different-looking species. They were living, and he was tired of ruining the lives of others. This peach person would leave. Eventually. )

DIALOGUE-HEAVY: tfln meme sample

note about gems, immortality and game mechanics:

Because gems are immortal and can't die, I'm going to assume that a death to this species will mean being shattered beyond function. For instance, gems can function with arms and legs hacked off, but if their core is shattered, there's really no moving or doing much. Tell me if you'd rather I adjust this definition in some way!