[OOC: Character Reflections]
Talk about taking a meme too far. I'd already listed some things in my mun journal, but since playing Mel this past week, I've realised some more things about this Slayer, so here it is in essay form.
Melaka’s History
Pre canon
In my mun journal, I said Mel’s parents died when she and Harth were 8. This is not true. Her father died when they were 8 - killed in a mugging. Her mother ran out on the four of them when the twins were babies.
Erin, then 18, took charge of the twins.
When Harth died, and Mel was dismissed from hospital, she never went home. She went straight out on to the street. Two months later she met a man, who she will not name (because I can’t think of a good one right now). She may or may not at the time have thought she loved him, but he gave her food and shelter for about two weeks before he tried to pimp her out and she punched him in the face (causing some pretty serious brain injuries that she never knew about) and left.
When she was 15, she tried prostitution once, for one night, and decided never again. She’s had no other lovers.
She started working for Gunther when she was 17.
Post canon
Mel and Erin have made an assertive effort to get along. Erin has sort of assumed the role of the Watcher, researching on the grid for hints as to what big bad Mel is facing each time. Erin wants her sister to move in with her, but the Slayer’s not having any of it. Lurks like to hunt in the lowers, and Mel thinks she can best fulfil her duty down there. She also wants to be close to Harth. She shares her room now with Legs, the spider-monkey demon from Tales.
Melaka still has recurring nightmares about Harth. Waking up screaming is a fairly commonplace occurrence for her, so she makes an effort not to sleep in the same room as anyone else.
Melaka and Violence.
Melaka is an adrenaline junky.
Mel’s life after losing Harth was just a matter of making it from one day to the next and not starving. Thieving and fighting gave her something to live for, kept her mind off her woes. Also, aside from the feeling that she’s immortal (see below), there’s always the chance she might die, and this might just stop the nightmares and the reminder of everyone she’s failed to save.
She ahs no goals, no plans, and nothing in her life she considers living for. Fighting fills that void. It’s the only thing she considers herself good at.
Mel’s fighting style takes advantage of her small stature and speed. She’s not the most graceful person in the world, but moves quickly and tries to tire or confuse her opponent. Her world is full of superhumans: pumps and radies as well as demons, which she’s been fighting all her life. She tries to stay in the air, when she can, because she can manoeuvre well in free fall (comes of falling off all those buildings). But she’d still rather hit once, accurately, than tire herself out.
Melaka and Slaying
Melaka’s glad to be a Slayer. It suits her. Grabbing, Slaying, it’s all the same to her. In fact, she’s quite happy for the excuse to go around beating things up. She doesn’t work so much anymore, but Gunther knows she’s doing good work and makes allowances for his favourite. Unlike Buffy, she has no regrets over a lost future or a secret life. All the vampires in Haddyn know her, so a secret identity is moot. Her life on the streets and as a thief in dangerous situations didn’t afford her a much longer lifespan than she has now.
However, she is paranoid that she is not a real Slayer. She worries that maybe Harth's the Slayer, and another Slayer was called when he died, or will be called when he dies again. Her not!scythe is, to her, what makes her a Slayer, and she sleeps with it in her hand. She is a little bit resentful that Faith can feel the magic in it that she can’t, but it is hers. She sometimes wonders if she’d be a better Slayer if she had the subconscious fighting moves, and thinks she might be.
Because Mel has no magic of her own, not even Slayer dreams, she resents and distrusts magic, and will never choose to have it used on her.
Melaka and Sexuality
Melaka genuinely doesn’t think of herself as sexy. She thinks anyone who thinks so is a horndog, or crazy, or both. Canonically, she is shown to have a complete lack of modesty in front of Urkonn (who admittedly is a demon), and the only time anyone mentions sex to her (other than the flirting with Gunther), she proceeds to beat the crap out of him.
Mel has known one monogamous couple her whole life: Loo’s parents, who as far as she knows, are still together. Bisexuality is the norm in women of her time. She just doesn’t think there’s a lot of point to sex, and doesn’t miss it in her life. It’s not like she’s ever intended to settle down and have children or anything.
Melaka and the Future.
Mel doesn’t live, she survives. She’s convinced she and Harth will kill each other one day, as she can’t envision a world in which one survives without the other. In fact, she’s so sure of this fact that unless she’s fighting Harth directly, she considers herself effectively immortal.
But she knows she won’t live even to 30. Friendships and other long term relationships are therefore not something she factors into her world view. She is certainly not looking for love. If she lives to tomorrow, she’d be satisfied. Not particularly happy about it, but satisfied.
Melaka’s History
Pre canon
In my mun journal, I said Mel’s parents died when she and Harth were 8. This is not true. Her father died when they were 8 - killed in a mugging. Her mother ran out on the four of them when the twins were babies.
Erin, then 18, took charge of the twins.
When Harth died, and Mel was dismissed from hospital, she never went home. She went straight out on to the street. Two months later she met a man, who she will not name (because I can’t think of a good one right now). She may or may not at the time have thought she loved him, but he gave her food and shelter for about two weeks before he tried to pimp her out and she punched him in the face (causing some pretty serious brain injuries that she never knew about) and left.
When she was 15, she tried prostitution once, for one night, and decided never again. She’s had no other lovers.
She started working for Gunther when she was 17.
Post canon
Mel and Erin have made an assertive effort to get along. Erin has sort of assumed the role of the Watcher, researching on the grid for hints as to what big bad Mel is facing each time. Erin wants her sister to move in with her, but the Slayer’s not having any of it. Lurks like to hunt in the lowers, and Mel thinks she can best fulfil her duty down there. She also wants to be close to Harth. She shares her room now with Legs, the spider-monkey demon from Tales.
Melaka still has recurring nightmares about Harth. Waking up screaming is a fairly commonplace occurrence for her, so she makes an effort not to sleep in the same room as anyone else.
Melaka and Violence.
Melaka is an adrenaline junky.
Mel’s life after losing Harth was just a matter of making it from one day to the next and not starving. Thieving and fighting gave her something to live for, kept her mind off her woes. Also, aside from the feeling that she’s immortal (see below), there’s always the chance she might die, and this might just stop the nightmares and the reminder of everyone she’s failed to save.
She ahs no goals, no plans, and nothing in her life she considers living for. Fighting fills that void. It’s the only thing she considers herself good at.
Mel’s fighting style takes advantage of her small stature and speed. She’s not the most graceful person in the world, but moves quickly and tries to tire or confuse her opponent. Her world is full of superhumans: pumps and radies as well as demons, which she’s been fighting all her life. She tries to stay in the air, when she can, because she can manoeuvre well in free fall (comes of falling off all those buildings). But she’d still rather hit once, accurately, than tire herself out.
Melaka and Slaying
Melaka’s glad to be a Slayer. It suits her. Grabbing, Slaying, it’s all the same to her. In fact, she’s quite happy for the excuse to go around beating things up. She doesn’t work so much anymore, but Gunther knows she’s doing good work and makes allowances for his favourite. Unlike Buffy, she has no regrets over a lost future or a secret life. All the vampires in Haddyn know her, so a secret identity is moot. Her life on the streets and as a thief in dangerous situations didn’t afford her a much longer lifespan than she has now.
However, she is paranoid that she is not a real Slayer. She worries that maybe Harth's the Slayer, and another Slayer was called when he died, or will be called when he dies again. Her not!scythe is, to her, what makes her a Slayer, and she sleeps with it in her hand. She is a little bit resentful that Faith can feel the magic in it that she can’t, but it is hers. She sometimes wonders if she’d be a better Slayer if she had the subconscious fighting moves, and thinks she might be.
Because Mel has no magic of her own, not even Slayer dreams, she resents and distrusts magic, and will never choose to have it used on her.
Melaka and Sexuality
Melaka genuinely doesn’t think of herself as sexy. She thinks anyone who thinks so is a horndog, or crazy, or both. Canonically, she is shown to have a complete lack of modesty in front of Urkonn (who admittedly is a demon), and the only time anyone mentions sex to her (other than the flirting with Gunther), she proceeds to beat the crap out of him.
Mel has known one monogamous couple her whole life: Loo’s parents, who as far as she knows, are still together. Bisexuality is the norm in women of her time. She just doesn’t think there’s a lot of point to sex, and doesn’t miss it in her life. It’s not like she’s ever intended to settle down and have children or anything.
Melaka and the Future.
Mel doesn’t live, she survives. She’s convinced she and Harth will kill each other one day, as she can’t envision a world in which one survives without the other. In fact, she’s so sure of this fact that unless she’s fighting Harth directly, she considers herself effectively immortal.
But she knows she won’t live even to 30. Friendships and other long term relationships are therefore not something she factors into her world view. She is certainly not looking for love. If she lives to tomorrow, she’d be satisfied. Not particularly happy about it, but satisfied.