Muse Name: Fanny Fae
Fandom: Original Character
Prompt Number:Prompt Week 1
Title: Muse Inquiries: Canon
Warnings/Disclaimers:OOC
Word Count: N/A
1. Discuss, in some detail, the primary canon source that you draw your muse from. If your muse is a non-fandom original character, talk about the outside inspirations that you have in regards to them.
The first inspiration is an ancestor of mine that initially I didn’t know that much about. I just had a name. In writing her, bits and pieces would be revealed that actually fell into place with things the Muse said. I have said this often to other writers whom my muse interacts with, but there are times when that does not feel like I am making it up, but rather taking dictation. A lot of things I draw on are from folklore and mythology. For Fanny/s role as a Priestess and High Lady of the Fortunate Island, I use my own training as a Priestess in my Temple, as well as extensive studies in the occult, mysticism, folklore, mythology, history, and herbal medicine from various cultures worldwide. Each of these things also touch my life and I am able to incorporate those elements into Fanny/s journal as well. I have often said that Fanny knows far more than I do about herbalism and various other topics, and t turns out to be absolutely true.
Recently, or I should say about three years ago, Fanny began interacting with some of the Three Musketeers muses. This led to a big part of her canon, her being married to the Comte de Rochefort. Inevitably, this little skip down the bunny trail led me to other sources that just keeps layering on top of each other. At the moment, the scribe for Rochefort, all_forme and I are talking about some very large, hopefully lucrative long term projects involving the two muses. Interestingly enough, most of the Fairy Tales that we knew and loved as children originated in 17th Century France. I sometimes wonder if there is reason for that? Fanny said it isn’t coincidental, in fact, I would almost venture to guess, she fancies herself to be the one who got it all started. *grin*
2. Are there other canon sources for your character that you have not explored? For example, are there books, other shows, etcetera, that deal with your muse’s canon? If a non-fandom OC, are there other sources that you could read/view/research that may be relevant to your character? Why have you not explored these additional sources?
Believe me, if it can even be remotely related to Fanny and her relevant time periods, I very much DO read and utilise them! I am a book and research junkie. I figure that my idea of heaven is to indulge in that practice for eternity! there is just so much to explore and to read and see and do. I sometimes get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of potential ideas. If that happens, you almost need to sit down and take deep breaths – otherwise you might tend toward creative hyperventilation!
3. How well do you know your character’s entire canon? Would you call yourself an expert? If an OC, how well do you feel you “hear” this character’s history? Because I hear that woman’s voice in my head every day! I’ve lived with Fanny for well over ten years now. She has a very distinctive voice and a very distinctive style. One example is that she will never, unless very upset etc. – ever use contractions in a sentence. She is quite the stickler toward keeping dignified, thoughtful dialogue. I have actually had people come up to me at various times and say, “Fanny isn’t just some character is she?” When that happens, I know that I’ve been called out. It is so easy for someone to just hurl the term, Mary Sue at you, and admittedly, I used to be terrified of her being a Mary Sue. Now I don’t so much care, because anyone who lives with her knowsn that she is about as far as Mary Sue as it gets, bearing in mind that all characters, canon or no, are to some smaller or lesser degree Sues in their own right. Denying it is about as effective as a plant denying the belief in photosynthesis. It still turns green.
4. If someone who never knew the canon of your muse asked you the three most important things they needed to know about him/her, what would those three things be? Fanny is a Halfling, which means she is Half-Human and Half-Fae. As such, she does not view things in the same sort of human, sometimes prudish way. Sex, morality, murder, blood, Power, mayhem, even political and historical perspective are definitely going to be slanted toward the culture that she self-identifies with, which is the Sidhe Fae, the Unseelie in particular. Fanny is fiercely loyal and dignified, so seeing her wig out, even to a slight degree is definitely odd. The thing that immediately springs to mind is when her best friend, Hsu Danmei, was turned ‘nice’, as a sort of RP with Hsu’s lover, Cody Jean, who is also a student or protege of Fanny’s. Fanny was absolutely mortified! She even threatened not to speak to Cody Jean again if her friend did not become his mostly- grumpy self once more!
5. How much do you ignore/bend/twist/manipulate your muse’s canon, to suit your needs in roleplaying? Be honest. If an OC, do you “discover” new things about your muse when it’s convenient for a roleplay purpose? I mean, how much bending is really necessary when your muse is an Immortal Fae Halfling who is well over 500 years old? I can pretty much stick her in any time period I want after 1444. Now, I do study ancient history quite a great deal, and I am not willing to stick Fanny in any time periods before she was born simply because, I mean that isn’t how I play her. I do have another muse, sekhmet_mrytamn, whom I have been writing nearly as long as I have been online (1995) who is an Egyptian Priestess, later crowned as Queen of Egypt, who does play in antiquity, but again, not before her time period, which is the New Kingdom.
As far as what is convenient; my co-writers and RP partners and I do discuss extensively what works with their characters and canons as well as historical / sociological, etc. with them as well. I have mutual discoveries with those writers all the time, and we are constant.ly feeding each other things that say, “Ooh! this would be so fun. Would it work do you think?” Ultimately, the Muses themselves are going to say yay or nay, and sometimes the muses tell us absolutely not. In order to stay in good graces with them, those of us who do this know you cannot push it, or you end up getting nothing usable in either writing or RP.
6. Does your muse have a canon relationship that you dislike and/or pretend doesn’t exist? It can be familial, sexual, romantic or adversarial. If it is an OC, do you add on such relationships to justify roleplaying scenarios?
The Comte de Rochefort, who was in fact an historical persona before Alexandre Dumas ever got ahold of him for his novels, as Fanny’s husband and Hsu Danmei, also an OC, as her very best friend, is her canon – and an agreed one by all parties concerned. The Muses were the ones that did the insisting. We have no choice but to obey them.
7. If your character is set in a particular canon timeline, how do you create a possibility for them to roleplay in other timelines without breaking canon, too much? See above. Being an Immortal has its advantages! 😉
8. What one thing in their canon is the most difficult to work with? Sometimes her not using contractions in a sentence, and the fact that she does not dance except in certain instances, even socially. There is a definite class, hierarchical thing when someone dances according to her, and if one is a lady, there are strict rules about that. For her everything is about Power. (Always spelled with a capital ‘P’)
Having been born a Scot, and really in the social sphere in her time period, she was considered not exactly high born. Her father had to be threatened in order to even acknowledge that she was his daughter! The hardest thing to work with is that Fanny, her husband Sebastien, and their daughters are all fluent in French. This writer is just learning!
9. What canon personality traits annoy you the most?
Characters that are executed apologetically. I saw this happen quite tragically once. It was, alas, a slow motion trainwreck and nearly impossible to tear your eyes away from, no matter how horrific the spectacle actualy ended up being.
10. Do you believe that you adhere to the canon core of your muse? Be honest.
Well, since Fanny and I have been working on it over the last number of years and she is an OC, I would give a definite, ‘Yes’.
Fanny Fae 