[soul_campaign] Application
[ PLAYER INFORMATION ]
Player Name: Devil
Age: 24
Timezone: GMT
Current Characters: Nate “Near” River (Death Note)
[ CHARACTER INFORMATION ]
Name: The Dolorosa
Age: Unspecified; Dolorosa is already an adult troll (albeit a young adult troll) when she finds and rescues the Signless. Adding what we see of the Signless and how old he appears to be when he dies, I’d place Dolorosa at 40 human years-- approximately 18.5 solar sweeps-- which is still rather young for someone of her caste. Appearance-wise, she looks about 30-ish human years (approximately 15 sweeps).
Gender: Female
Canon: MSPA: Homestuck
Timeline: About a week after Mindfang stole her (and other slaves) from Dualscar.
Character History:
Homestuck plot in general: http://mspaintadventures.wikia.com/wiki/Homestuck
Info on The Dolorosa and other ancestors: http://mspaintadventures.wikia.com/wiki/Ancestors#The_Dolorosa
Before I begin the tl;dr of Dolorosa’s history (because there isn’t nearly enough info on the wiki page), it is important to point out that her history and personality, like so many of the ancestors’ histories and personalities, are not very well developed in canon. Contrary to what it may initially appear, however, it is entirely possible to reach a coherent and conclusive idea of Dolorosa’s history and personality if we piece together her few canon appearances, her caste and role as a Mother Grub caretaker, her role as the Signless’s mother, and the information provided by the author, Andrew Hussie, who has a Thing for for parallels and recurring themes. It is very much like sliding puzzle pieces into place to form a final picture, instead of being able to look at that picture all along, and it is with that final image in mind that I will associate and cross the available information, resorting to as little headcanon as possible, in order to show my line of reasoning to the app team and whoever else that may read this app.
Under usual circumstances, a troll’s “birth” and history is fairly simple. The Mother Grub-- a gigantic being who lives in the brooding caverns and combines the genetic material of all adult trolls into one diabolical incestual slurry, and then lays thousands of eggs at once-- is responsible for the existence of every single troll in Alternia; after hatching, the young grubs (or wigglers) choose a place where they spin their cocoons, from which they pupate as a little troll. After pupation, each troll undergoes a series of trials, and the ones that survive are chosen by a creature called lusus naturae, which will then raise them to maturity and act as a custodian, caretaker, mentor and lifelong bodyguard; in return, the young troll must act as a zookeeper of sorts. Once troll and lusus are united, they both rise to the surface where they will choose a location to build a hive, aka the troll term for place of residence / house / home.
Of course, this being Homestuck and there being all kinds of crazy timey wimey spacey shenanigans happening, the circumstances in which the main trolls (and their ancestors) were created are anything but usual.
Objectively speaking, Dolorosa’s history begins with the pre-scratch troll session. According to Doc Scratch, there used to be a peaceful Alternia, inhabited by equally peaceful trolls, far from the violent and war-hungry Alternia we are the most familiar with. In this other, initial Alternia, twelve trolls played SGRUB, but their session became unwinnable, so they were left with the choice to either doom their race to extinction or scratch (reset) their game/session so that, in the scratched session that would come next, they would be better prepared for the game. These twelve trolls-- the original young trolls playing SGRUB-- were the twelve ancestors (Signless, Handmaid, Summoner, Psiioniic, Disciple, Dolorosa, Redglare, Mindfang, Darkleer, Grand Highblood, Dualscar and Condesce), and in turn, their own ancestors were the troll kids in the post-scratched session: Karkat and co. By scratching their session, the descendants became the ancestors and the ancestors became the descendants, and Alternia became a violent world, with equally violent inhabitants, all thanks to the interference of one Doc Scratch. Ultimately, this did prepare the post-scratch troll kids for the highly difficult demands of SGRUB, albeit at a much bigger price than any of them could ever imagine.
As if the scratch shenanigans weren’t enough to twist the reader’s synapses into a tangled mess, there is something else that we must consider: ectobiology. The main twelve trolls and their ancestors weren’t simply hatched, you see: Karkat created himself, his companions and their respective ancestors via a little ectobiology accident that happened at the veil (much like John created himself, his fellow kids, and four of their own guardians/ancestors). Each grub was then meteor’d back to the past, to wherever point in the timeline they were supposed to belong in: the main trolls were sent approximately 6 sweeps (~ 13 human years) into the past, while their ancestors were sent to centuries before that.
But let’s go back to the past, centuries before the post-scratch troll kids began playing SGRUB, back to a time where Alternia was populated by both adult and young trolls. According to Doc Scratch, “The Dolorosa belonged to the rare class assigned strictly to serving the mother grub in the caverns, forbidden from visiting the surface. ”However, it is unclear whether The Dolorosa was actually raised from a grub to become a caretaker of the Mother Grub, or if she was later found as a troll teenager or adult (when the pigmentation of her blood would turn her irises jade green, thus announcing her caste and supposed duty, if it hadn’t been made obvious by then) and then brought to the brooding caverns to learn the role jade bloods were supposed to follow. Given that some of the ancestors are seen with the same lusus as their descendants (like Neophyte Redglare with a very much grown version of Terezi’s dragon lusus), it’s reasonable to think that Dolorosa may have led a life similar to Kanaya’s, living above ground and with a virgin mother grub lusus, but it’s just as possible for Dolorosa to have been raised in the brooding caverns, maybe even with the mother grub itself acting as a common lusus towards Dolorosa and other jade bloods. For headcanon purposes, I consider that the former option happened, with Dolorosa having been raised in the surface and then brought down to the caverns as she entered adulthood, so that she would follow her assigned role and never leave the caverns again… until a certain event happened sweeps later, that is.
Doc Scratch narrated: “As a young grub, [The Signless] landed in the brooding caverns where he would be expected to face his trials. But due to his mutation, surely no lusus would select him. No creature sympathetic to his scent had been bred yet. His odds for survival would have been remote, if not for a chance encounter. (…) While on an errand, she found the young Sufferer in his crater and immediately recognized the child as special, as well as in great danger. For an adult troll to raise a child was unthinkable, but she saw no other hope for him. The Dolorosa abandoned her duties in the caverns, and fled to the surface to raise him. In time, she would become the first follower of his teachings, and the first of his inner circle. ”
From the moment they met, Dolorosa’s history merged with that of the Signless; after all, they were mother and son. One can only imagine how difficult it was for a troll to raise a grub-- that was a task performed exclusively by lusii-- but Dolorosa managed, and it seems that she did a pretty good job with it, as is implied in canon. As he grew up, Signless began to have the visions: “Spontaneous, lucid imagery of his world in peace, before its fall. ” These visions showed him how Alternia used to be, before the scratch, when he and his eleven companions lived in peace and compassion, not surrounded by mindless violence. These dreams began to give more sense to their already frequent travels, and the Signless began preaching his visions to those willing to listen, careful to speak only to those receptive and never attracting unwelcome attention.
During their nomadic life throughout Alternia, the two trolls met the Disciple and the Ψiioniic, who remained by their side since then. Of course, the Signless, his close followers and his teachings could only remain unnoticed by the highbloods for so long, and soon enough, the four of them were captured. He was shackled to the imperial flogging jut, wrists bound by hot irons that were as red as his own blood; after his execution, his body was burned, and each troll from his inner circle suffered a different fate: the Disciple was surprisingly spared by the one who executed the Signless-- now called the Sufferer-- and fled, living the rest of her days in monastic savagery, and the Ψiioniic was put to service as Helmsman on Her Imperious Condescension’s spaceship. As for Dolorosa, however…
“But the Dolorosa was less fortunate, and was sold into slavery. She spent the rest of her life as property of vicious sea dwellers.”
Earlier in Homestuck, when we first take a look at the journal of one Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, she writes about having stolen Orphaner Dualscar’s slaves from his own grasp, and goes on to describe the female slave in question. It’s only logical to reach the conclusion that the female slave in question is, in fact, Dolorosa: Dualscar is a sea dweller with the reputation of being particularly vicious, and Mindfang’s words hint at the identity of the jade blood, when we piece the information together. Mindfang was surprised at the apparent color of her slave’s blood, which seems to imply that she was probably highblooded, and even though jade blood isn’t too high on the hemospectrum, it is certainly rare enough to be surprising. Not only that, but the constant parallelisms between ancestors to descendants in terms of personality and relationships are also a reason why it is safe to assume that Dolorosa was indeed the slave in question: Vriska based her own quadrants on Mindfang’s, thus seeking redrom with Tavros (because Mindfang wrote about her future matespritship with The Summoner) and blackrom with Eridan (because Orphaner Dualscar was Mindfang’s kismesis), all the while ignoring Kanaya’s unrequited flushed feelings for her. Being Kanaya’s ancestor, Dolorosa being involved in a failed redrom with Mindfang would once again call back to the relationship of their descendants. To further prove how the ancestors and descendants parallel each other, let’s examine the following events:
- Dualscar had Dolorosa killed;
- Dualscar was killed as per the orders of either Her Imperious Condescension or The Grand Highblood;
- Mindfang killed Redglare;
- The Summoner killed Mindfang.
Which contrast heavily against the events of the main troll timeline:
- Eridan killed Feferi and Kanaya, the latter having revived and killed Eridan in return;
- Vriska killed Tavros;
- Terezi killed Vriska.
These events fit the ancestor/descendant duality perfectly, specially when we consider that descendants are supposed to finish what their respective ancestors started, as is stated by Vriska Serket in one of her chat logs with John Egbert.
Finally, and after all this tl;dr to prove the point I intended to make: Orphaner Dualscar had Dolorosa assassinated, jealous of the attention Mindfang gave her and the redrom games she played with this particular slave. It is unknown whether or not Dolorosa underwent a metamorphosis similar to her descendant’s after her death, but if she did become a rainbow drinker, then she fled the Orphaner’s and Mindfang’s grasp to keep living her undead life somewhere else.
Character Personality:
Much like what happens with the other ancestors and their respective descendants, The Dolorosa is strikingly similar to Kanaya Maryam, both in looks and personality. Hussie’s own words confirm this, when he wrote the following words in his old formspring account: “Basically all the ancestors in various ways are supposed to be like grown up versions of the troll kids, personality and all. ”
With the author’s words in mind, let’s take a moment to consider Kanaya’s personality, in order to understand how we can extrapolate it to Dolorosa’s. She is mostly friendly, very patient and helpful, and doesn't seem to care about blood status; her online handle grimAuxiliatrix portrays both sides of her personality well: Kanaya is an auxiliatrix-- meaning "a helpful woman" in Latin-- but also “grim”: she won't hesitate to use violence and/or less orthodox methods if she has to. After all, this is the troll girl who cut her lusus' body to retrieve the matriorb (which would guarantee the survival of the troll race), and who chainsawed Tavros' paralyzed legs without hesitation, so he could get a functioning robotic pair from Equius. Kanaya has a recurring theme of virginity going on, from her chastity modus to having a virgin mother grub as a lusus, and she often mothers the other characters, often meddling to the point of becoming annoying.
In a nutshell, Kanaya is a gentle and helpful troll with no regards for the hemospectrum, a mother figure, and is also associated with virginity. Throughout this personality section, it will become quite clear that Dolorosa also shares these characteristics.
But even though they share the same genetic material and a similar personality/theme, and even though Dolorosa is supposed to be, in essence, a grown up version of Kanaya, they are not the same troll: after all, they were raised in completely different time periods and led completely different lives, which allowed for them to become different individuals with distinct characteristics, despite all the parallelisms between them.
To put it quite simply, Dolorosa is quite obviously a mother figure, much like her descendant. Unlike Kanaya, however, this is quite literally what Dolorosa is: a virgin mother who did the unthinkable by saving and then raising a mutant-blooded grub. This action alone is enough to show us her gigantic kindness and compassion, as well as how different she is when compared to other trolls. They are an aggressive, barbaric and war-hungry race with a penchant for intergalactic conquering, brutal justice systems, the common enslaving of those of lower blood, and gratuitous infanticide; only a very unique troll would be able to recognize the little red grub as special and decide to abandon her duties to save him.
This brings us to another point in her personality: her selflessness. Dolorosa renounced her (presumably honorable) role of Mother Grub caretaker to do something any other troll would consider preposterous and downright crazy: raising a grub, a role which had always been assigned to lusii. She saw no other hope for him: after all, no lusus sympathetic to his scent had been bred yet, so his chances of survival would have been zero if not for their accidental encounter. Given how the hemospectrum works, and that those of Dolorosa’s caste are supposed to dedicate their lives exclusively to the Mother Grub, it’s very likely that she would’ve been culled for the sheer gall of leaving her duties behind. But she chose to sacrifice her life to protect the Signless’s, just like a mother sacrifices herself for the sake of her own child. (It should be noted, however, that mothers are a thing that simply does not exist in Alternia.) And, very much like a mother would develop strong feelings for her son over time, it is only logical to assume that Dolorosa felt the same way for the Signless, and also that adopting and raising him only cemented her motherly traits even more. All this motherly love does not mean she went easy on the little grub as he grew up, though; far from it. I headcanon that Dolorosa ensured that he went through tasks similar to the ones he would have found in the caverns, had he been placed there from the beginning, but as strict as she may have been, she was never brutal or cruel: when he became so tired from her tasks that his little legs could no longer carry him alongside her, Dolorosa would take him into her arms to cradle him close, and whisper in a soft voice how well he had performed and how strong he was becoming. She taught him how to fight and how to defend himself from the creatures they found on their travels, and she taught him how to hunt and find the resources needed in their nomadic life.
As it is stated in canon, The Dolorosa was the Signless’s first follower. Given this little tidbit of information, we can safely assume that she believed his teachings of forgiveness, compassion and equality among all bloodlines. While it isn’t stated anywhere that Dolorosa already believed in such ideals, it seems obvious enough that she was, at the very least, kind and compassionate, given the path she chose upon finding the Signless in his crater.
Being motherly, kind and compassionate does not mean Dolorosa is a doormat or a pushover, however. If she needs to fight, she will, and god helps those who end up on the wrong side of whatever weapon she has chosen; although she disapproves of and hates needless violence, she will fight to defend herself, and specially those who she cares about. Like a lioness defending her cubs, she can be vicious and downright terrifying when angered and pushed to the limit. A good way to demonstrate it would be to once again call back to her descendant and what happened after she was killed: after all, Kanaya went on a revenge spree-- punching her former moirail / unrequited matesprit in the face, kicking a psycho clown in the bonebulge and bisecting the one who killed her, only to lick his blood off of her weapon when she was done-- and looked damn classy while doing so.
Likewise, being such a kind soul does not mean that Dolorosa is incapable of playing dirty or submit to another troll, up to a certain extent, in order to survive in more extreme circumstances. A perfect example of this would be Dolorosa’s actions after Mindfang chooses her from amidst the slaves she stole from Dualscar: while the gamblingnant manipulates Dolorosa enough so that she does not know which thoughts are hers and which are Mindfang’s, we can still see a hint of the jade blood’s strategy to survive. The pirate troll writes: “I imagine I cannot feel her conviction that it's not merely a matter of whether she will 8e put to the irons, 8ut how hot they will 8e if she fails to please”, and sure enough, later on Dolorosa surprises her new Mistress by slipping her fingers between the petticoat and her skin. This surprise implies that Mindfang was not expecting such a bold action, and thus that she did not manipulate Dolorosa into it, which shows us that Dolorosa was well aware of the power the Marquise had over her, and she was also well aware that pleasing her Mistress was her only guarantee of survival.
With age comes experience, and with it, wisdom: this is perhaps the most striking difference between her and Kanaya. While her descendant is only six sweeps old (approximately 13 human years), Dolorosa is far into adulthood, and thus far more familiar with how Alternia-- and life-- works. One might even say that Dolorosa is more… jaded.
Dolorosa’s strengths are closely linked to her faith in Signless’s beliefs, which she follows almost blindly; much like a believer would find solace and comfort in whatever higher power he or she believes in, the Signless’s teachings would have helped Dolorosa endure many arduous moments throughout their journey, and they would help her in-game as well. Another strong point in her personality is her selflessness; although such a trait could be considered by many as a weakness, it is truly a sign of strength on Dolorosa’s part. After all, it was that same selflessness which made her abandon her life for the sake of a grub that she found in her path one night-- a grub who gave meaning to her life and the life of so many other trolls, and who showed to whoever was willing to listen that Alternia could be so much better, if only they’d allow that to happen.
While her weaknesses are slightly harder to pinpoint, they are also linked to the Signless’s existence. In a way, his existence is one of her weaknesses, because Dolorosa will do anything to defend him from any danger that may arise, often putting her own life at risk.
Ultimately, her biggest fear has already come true: the Signless’s demise. No mother desires to see the end of their own child, and Dolorosa is no exception; having to witness his death was the most painful experience she ever had to endure, far more excruciating than any wound, and it affected her deeply. Being brought to Death City will disorient her, especially considering the existence of trolls from other timelines, but Dolorosa’s inner strength and the faith in the Signless’s teachings-- and specially in his visions-- will give her the courage she needs to carry on.
Character Abilities you would like to expand on further:
Generally speaking, Dolorosa is as strong and as intelligent as your usual troll; likewise, she has no psychic abilities, and if what happened with Mindfang is any indication, she has little to no immunity to those same abilities. Of course, it may also be possible that she does have some immunity to them but Mindfang’s powers are just too strong for her to resist; however, the former option seems much more likely than the latter.
She does have one very unusual ability, however: like her descendant, Dolorosa can withstand the scorching Alternian sun, even going as far as enjoying basking in its sunlight.
Having lived and served the Mother Grub in the brooding caverns for so long, it seems logical that Dolorosa would be very skilled at orienting herself in the dark, with barely any light to guide her; it can also be assumed that her other senses were heightened due to this period of near blindness. Likewise, she would have to defend the Mother Grub (as well as grubs, from their hatching to their pupation) from whatever dangerous creatures lurking in the brooding caverns, so it would be expected of her to not only be a very proficient fighter in hand-to-hand combat, but also to be able to handle certain weapons-- blades, most likely, seeing as they would make for a quicker and easier kill than blunt objects like bats.
Still linked to her role of a Mother Grub caretaker, and how she would have to not only defend the Mother Grub and her progeny but also tend to any injuries and illnesses that would occur, it could be assumed that Dolorosa also has some “medical” experience. Although she is far from being the troll equivalent of a doctor, she would know how to tend to the physical changes and injuries caused by the brooding process to a Mother Grub’s body. Likewise, she would be just as capable of tending to minor injuries/illnesses in trolls, a skill which she would have needed while raising the Signless to maturity, much like a human mother would know when raising her child.
Last, but most definitely not the least: Dolorosa is also the best Mom in all of Alternia.
Character Weaknesses you would like to expand on further:
Like I have already mentioned, her weaknesses are linked to the Signless’s existence. Not only when he was alive, but also after his death: Dolorosa is particularly weak to the smell of burning flesh, because it reminds her vividly of the irons shackling and burning her son’s wrists before he was executed, and the cremation of his body afterwards. Watching the Signless suffer and perish in such a brutal way was a very traumatizing experience, and it will always haunt her for as long as she lives.
She also appears to be weak to Mindfang’s manipulation powers, but like I have mentioned before, this may be because Mindfang’s powers are simply too strong for Dolorosa to resist, and not because she is particularly weak to them.
[ SOUL CAMPAIGN SECTION ]
What abilities will your character retain in Soul Campaign? Bullet-form is fine.
Considering that Dolorosa’s abilities are nowhere near super-human-- after all, trolls are generally stronger than humans, even when we ignore psychic abilities like Sollux/Psiioniic’s psionic powers or Vriska/Mindfang’s mind control-- she would retain all of her abilities in Soul Campaign.
What weaknesses will your character lose or gain in Soul Campaign? Bullet-form is fine.
There is only one weakness that Dolorosa will gain in Soul Campaign: Karkat Vantas. Being the Second Signless-- a troll which the Signless himself had prophesized about-- and the very same image of her child at a younger age, Dolorosa will become as protective of him as she was of the Signless himself. Needless to say, this may endanger her life as she tries to protect him just like a mother would.
The wish Death the Kid made to the BREW in 2009 was to “rescue Death City and stop the waves of Madness from overtaking the world.” By whatever means necessary. Pretend you are the BREW. Why would you choose to bring this character to Death City?
Dolorosa would be a perfect addition to Death City and Shibusen’s side: not only is she a very proficient warrior-- and part of a warrior race-- but she also has a very strong sense of right and wrong, following a set of morals closest to that of humans than of trolls, thanks to the teachings of the Signless. She is also compassionate and kind to the point of selflessness; after all, she was the troll who left her assigned duties to raise a grub, something which would have had her culled if she had been caught. Surely her compassion, kindness and strength would be needed amongst the ranks of Shibusen and its allies: a strong troll with an equally strong heart, who would be of help not only in battle but before and after it, encouraging her comrades and giving them the strength and moral/emotional support to carry on.
If your character has difficulty verbally communicating or can’t verbally communicate at all (mute or non-humanoid), elaborate on how this will be treated in the game.
N/A
[ MEISTER ONLY SECTION ]
Why is your character a Meister and not a Weapon?
Being part of a warrior race has given her the basis to become a strong warrior on her own, and her many sweeps at the service of the Mother Grub (and the sweeps that followed, as she raised the Signless to adulthood) have more than cemented her ability to fight. On top of being a very capable fighter, Dolorosa is also skilled with many weapons, namedly blades, a skill which she would most definitely put to use as a Meister.
In addition to her experience and skills, The Dolorosa also possesses a trait that is essential to every Meister, and perhaps every Weapon as well: the belief in equality (thanks to, once again, the Signless’s teachings). Dolorosa will not see herself superior to her Weapon in any way, but instead she will consider them her equal and do her best to be a good Meister, while demanding the same level of work and discipline that she demands from herself.
What is your character’s Meister Ability? Why?
Protective Soul: Like a mother sacrifices herself for the sake of her child, the Meister will take the damage for their Weapon, up to a critical point. This will allow the Weapon to fight for a longer period of time than they would have otherwise, but it may cause a break in resonance if the Meister sustains too much damage.
[ SOUL INFORMATION ]
Describe your character’s soul with six adjectives.
Motherly, compassionate, kind, loyal, strong, selfless.
What does your character’s soul look like? Be creative.
Dolorosa’s soul is jade green, much like the color of her blood. It is crowned with her wild snarls of hair and also her horns, and on the bottom of her soul, her sign (the sign for Virgo) is also visible. Her soul transmits a sense of calm to those who can gaze upon it; her expression is just as calm, almost serene, and her fangs are visible between her elegant lips.
[ SAMPLES ]
Provide a First Person style sample in the form of a post to the DEMISE network.
[There is a considerable amount of green showing on the screen of your communicator: the camera focuses on a very fashionable green scarf, before being pulled away from the person in question and placed on the table in front of them. Well well well, what do we have here?
At first glance, it may appear to some that the communicator has focused on one Kanaya Maryam, but upon closer look, it becomes obvious enough that the troll currently on screen is older, taller, and has much bigger horns: that is because this troll lady is indeed far older than the trolls Death City is familiar with, and is, in fact, one of their ancestors.
The Dolorosa sits up straight and poised, dressed impeccably for someone who, until a few hours ago, held the role of a slave on a dangerous gamblingnant’s ship. She smiles slightly as she addresses the DEMISE network.]
What an odd predicament I seem to have found myself in. An entirely new world, inhabited by a species far too different from my own… and yet, despite our many anatomical and presumably intellectual differences, the thirst for violence and war remains a common trait. I do so hope that Death City does not reveal itself to be as dangerously close-minded as Alternia, however.
[She speaks calmly; there is a certain gentleness in her voice that sounds almost motherly, even as she speaks about violence. But as much as she would love to preach about equality and the teachings of the Signless, there are other things she must do right now: meeting the descendants of their two companions, as well as her own.]
I have a request, if I may be so bold upon my arrival. It is my desire to meet three young trolls who were brought to this world before me: I wish to speak to the trolls of yellow and green blood -- [At this, she raises a sheet of paper where the symbols for Gemini and Leo were drawn, in yellow and green, respectively]-- and also to the jade blood who shares my sign. It is of utmost importance that I am allowed the opportunity to make their acquaintance, although I cannot reveal the reasons behind such necessity.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
[There’s a slight bow of her head at the camera before she reaches forward to turn the transmission off.]
Provide a Third Person sample set during the last minutes on their world and/or their first few moments in the Kishin Chamber.
Come to my chambers. Do not keep me waiting.
Dolorosa stood up in a rush, recognizing the sudden invasion to her mind for what it was: her Mistress’s unique way of summoning those under her command. She walked quickly to Marquise Spinneret Mindfang’s private quarters as instructed, knocked once before letting herself in and walked slowly to what could only be described as Mindfang’s throne, where the queen of gamblingnant sat, watching. Dolorosa kept her head low and did a little curtsy, before Mindfang gestured for her to look up and come closer; Dolorosa did so, and soon enough she could feel long fingers sliding through her hair in a gesture that was quite obviously possessive, before they came to rest on her cheek, only to slide away afterwards.
“Help me with these garments, girl. It has been a terribly exhausting night.”
The pirate uncrossed her legs and let a boot-clad foot drop on to the floor, unnecessarily loudly, to prove her point. Dolorosa nodded and knelt down, not only because it was the most practical way to remove her boots and thus start undressing her, but also out of the need to show servitude: after all, pleasing Mindfang was her only guarantee for survival, and although a part of her had died when the Sufferer was executed, Dolorosa planned on doing whatever she could to stay alive and relatively unharmed. Reaching forward, her fingers undid the clasps quickly and expertly, out of many sweeps of practice, and for the briefest of moments she remembered little feet and little shoes, remembered looking up at the smiling face of the one who called her Mother. She remembered helping him dress and undress, and remembered the little details she’d embroidered into his clothes in red thread, red like his blood, like the irons that scorched his skin as she watched, helpless and desperate--
Her hands faltered for a moment as the sorrow washed over her, but before Dolorosa could return to her duties of undressing her Mistress, a sudden and overwhelming wave of nausea made her collapse on to the floor. The world went dark, and Dolorosa felt panic bubble up inside her as she wondered if she had been blinded or if the lights were simply gone. She didn’t understand-- surely Mindfang wasn’t punishing her for thinking about the Signless?
“Marquise…?”
Her voice echoed far more than it should have in Mindfang’s chambers, and that was the first sign that something was wrong. Dolorosa opened her eyes, not understanding or even remembering when she had closed them in the first place, and it didn’t take long for them to widen as she took in her new surroundings, and also the fact that she was now lying on a very cold stone floor. And then, all of a sudden, the screens lit up and a very strange someone explained to her where she was and why she was there in the first place.
She didn’t understand most of it. She didn’t understand what this Spirit Albarn was, having never seen a human before, and she failed to comprehend why or how they would bring her in to help in this war… but she did understand one thing very clearly, and that thought expanded inside her thinkpan until it was the only thing she could think of: she was free. Unless this was an actual hallucination caused by Mindfang’s powers, then there was no Mindfang in the first place, no Orphaner, no Empress-- and she could try to live again, despite the overwhelming sorrow in her heart.
Dolorosa shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, seeking warmth. The metal collar around her throat clinked slightly as she moved, and then again as she began to shake; from laughter, at first, and then from a nearly delirious mix of laughing and crying, although barely any sound was audible in the Kishin chamber. It took her a long moment to calm down and to finally risk standing up, but when she did, she stood tall-- without fear of punishment-- for the first time since the Signless and his followers had been captured by the Highbloods.
As she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands, Dolorosa took a deep breath and exited the chamber, ready to face this miraculous second chance she had been given.
[ NOTES ]
Regarding the first person sample: There is no mention of Karkat Vantas in this sample because I am assuming that he would be the first individual Dolorosa would see upon leaving the Kishin Chamber, and in turn he would inform her of Nepeta, Sollux and Kanaya, after Dolorosa made enough questions.
Player Name: Devil
Age: 24
Timezone: GMT
Current Characters: Nate “Near” River (Death Note)
[ CHARACTER INFORMATION ]
Name: The Dolorosa
Age: Unspecified; Dolorosa is already an adult troll (albeit a young adult troll) when she finds and rescues the Signless. Adding what we see of the Signless and how old he appears to be when he dies, I’d place Dolorosa at 40 human years-- approximately 18.5 solar sweeps-- which is still rather young for someone of her caste. Appearance-wise, she looks about 30-ish human years (approximately 15 sweeps).
Gender: Female
Canon: MSPA: Homestuck
Timeline: About a week after Mindfang stole her (and other slaves) from Dualscar.
Character History:
Homestuck plot in general: http://mspaintadventures.wikia.com/wiki/Homestuck
Info on The Dolorosa and other ancestors: http://mspaintadventures.wikia.com/wiki/Ancestors#The_Dolorosa
Before I begin the tl;dr of Dolorosa’s history (because there isn’t nearly enough info on the wiki page), it is important to point out that her history and personality, like so many of the ancestors’ histories and personalities, are not very well developed in canon. Contrary to what it may initially appear, however, it is entirely possible to reach a coherent and conclusive idea of Dolorosa’s history and personality if we piece together her few canon appearances, her caste and role as a Mother Grub caretaker, her role as the Signless’s mother, and the information provided by the author, Andrew Hussie, who has a Thing for for parallels and recurring themes. It is very much like sliding puzzle pieces into place to form a final picture, instead of being able to look at that picture all along, and it is with that final image in mind that I will associate and cross the available information, resorting to as little headcanon as possible, in order to show my line of reasoning to the app team and whoever else that may read this app.
Under usual circumstances, a troll’s “birth” and history is fairly simple. The Mother Grub-- a gigantic being who lives in the brooding caverns and combines the genetic material of all adult trolls into one diabolical incestual slurry, and then lays thousands of eggs at once-- is responsible for the existence of every single troll in Alternia; after hatching, the young grubs (or wigglers) choose a place where they spin their cocoons, from which they pupate as a little troll. After pupation, each troll undergoes a series of trials, and the ones that survive are chosen by a creature called lusus naturae, which will then raise them to maturity and act as a custodian, caretaker, mentor and lifelong bodyguard; in return, the young troll must act as a zookeeper of sorts. Once troll and lusus are united, they both rise to the surface where they will choose a location to build a hive, aka the troll term for place of residence / house / home.
Of course, this being Homestuck and there being all kinds of crazy timey wimey spacey shenanigans happening, the circumstances in which the main trolls (and their ancestors) were created are anything but usual.
Objectively speaking, Dolorosa’s history begins with the pre-scratch troll session. According to Doc Scratch, there used to be a peaceful Alternia, inhabited by equally peaceful trolls, far from the violent and war-hungry Alternia we are the most familiar with. In this other, initial Alternia, twelve trolls played SGRUB, but their session became unwinnable, so they were left with the choice to either doom their race to extinction or scratch (reset) their game/session so that, in the scratched session that would come next, they would be better prepared for the game. These twelve trolls-- the original young trolls playing SGRUB-- were the twelve ancestors (Signless, Handmaid, Summoner, Psiioniic, Disciple, Dolorosa, Redglare, Mindfang, Darkleer, Grand Highblood, Dualscar and Condesce), and in turn, their own ancestors were the troll kids in the post-scratched session: Karkat and co. By scratching their session, the descendants became the ancestors and the ancestors became the descendants, and Alternia became a violent world, with equally violent inhabitants, all thanks to the interference of one Doc Scratch. Ultimately, this did prepare the post-scratch troll kids for the highly difficult demands of SGRUB, albeit at a much bigger price than any of them could ever imagine.
As if the scratch shenanigans weren’t enough to twist the reader’s synapses into a tangled mess, there is something else that we must consider: ectobiology. The main twelve trolls and their ancestors weren’t simply hatched, you see: Karkat created himself, his companions and their respective ancestors via a little ectobiology accident that happened at the veil (much like John created himself, his fellow kids, and four of their own guardians/ancestors). Each grub was then meteor’d back to the past, to wherever point in the timeline they were supposed to belong in: the main trolls were sent approximately 6 sweeps (~ 13 human years) into the past, while their ancestors were sent to centuries before that.
But let’s go back to the past, centuries before the post-scratch troll kids began playing SGRUB, back to a time where Alternia was populated by both adult and young trolls. According to Doc Scratch, “The Dolorosa belonged to the rare class assigned strictly to serving the mother grub in the caverns, forbidden from visiting the surface. ”However, it is unclear whether The Dolorosa was actually raised from a grub to become a caretaker of the Mother Grub, or if she was later found as a troll teenager or adult (when the pigmentation of her blood would turn her irises jade green, thus announcing her caste and supposed duty, if it hadn’t been made obvious by then) and then brought to the brooding caverns to learn the role jade bloods were supposed to follow. Given that some of the ancestors are seen with the same lusus as their descendants (like Neophyte Redglare with a very much grown version of Terezi’s dragon lusus), it’s reasonable to think that Dolorosa may have led a life similar to Kanaya’s, living above ground and with a virgin mother grub lusus, but it’s just as possible for Dolorosa to have been raised in the brooding caverns, maybe even with the mother grub itself acting as a common lusus towards Dolorosa and other jade bloods. For headcanon purposes, I consider that the former option happened, with Dolorosa having been raised in the surface and then brought down to the caverns as she entered adulthood, so that she would follow her assigned role and never leave the caverns again… until a certain event happened sweeps later, that is.
Doc Scratch narrated: “As a young grub, [The Signless] landed in the brooding caverns where he would be expected to face his trials. But due to his mutation, surely no lusus would select him. No creature sympathetic to his scent had been bred yet. His odds for survival would have been remote, if not for a chance encounter. (…) While on an errand, she found the young Sufferer in his crater and immediately recognized the child as special, as well as in great danger. For an adult troll to raise a child was unthinkable, but she saw no other hope for him. The Dolorosa abandoned her duties in the caverns, and fled to the surface to raise him. In time, she would become the first follower of his teachings, and the first of his inner circle. ”
From the moment they met, Dolorosa’s history merged with that of the Signless; after all, they were mother and son. One can only imagine how difficult it was for a troll to raise a grub-- that was a task performed exclusively by lusii-- but Dolorosa managed, and it seems that she did a pretty good job with it, as is implied in canon. As he grew up, Signless began to have the visions: “Spontaneous, lucid imagery of his world in peace, before its fall. ” These visions showed him how Alternia used to be, before the scratch, when he and his eleven companions lived in peace and compassion, not surrounded by mindless violence. These dreams began to give more sense to their already frequent travels, and the Signless began preaching his visions to those willing to listen, careful to speak only to those receptive and never attracting unwelcome attention.
During their nomadic life throughout Alternia, the two trolls met the Disciple and the Ψiioniic, who remained by their side since then. Of course, the Signless, his close followers and his teachings could only remain unnoticed by the highbloods for so long, and soon enough, the four of them were captured. He was shackled to the imperial flogging jut, wrists bound by hot irons that were as red as his own blood; after his execution, his body was burned, and each troll from his inner circle suffered a different fate: the Disciple was surprisingly spared by the one who executed the Signless-- now called the Sufferer-- and fled, living the rest of her days in monastic savagery, and the Ψiioniic was put to service as Helmsman on Her Imperious Condescension’s spaceship. As for Dolorosa, however…
“But the Dolorosa was less fortunate, and was sold into slavery. She spent the rest of her life as property of vicious sea dwellers.”
Earlier in Homestuck, when we first take a look at the journal of one Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, she writes about having stolen Orphaner Dualscar’s slaves from his own grasp, and goes on to describe the female slave in question. It’s only logical to reach the conclusion that the female slave in question is, in fact, Dolorosa: Dualscar is a sea dweller with the reputation of being particularly vicious, and Mindfang’s words hint at the identity of the jade blood, when we piece the information together. Mindfang was surprised at the apparent color of her slave’s blood, which seems to imply that she was probably highblooded, and even though jade blood isn’t too high on the hemospectrum, it is certainly rare enough to be surprising. Not only that, but the constant parallelisms between ancestors to descendants in terms of personality and relationships are also a reason why it is safe to assume that Dolorosa was indeed the slave in question: Vriska based her own quadrants on Mindfang’s, thus seeking redrom with Tavros (because Mindfang wrote about her future matespritship with The Summoner) and blackrom with Eridan (because Orphaner Dualscar was Mindfang’s kismesis), all the while ignoring Kanaya’s unrequited flushed feelings for her. Being Kanaya’s ancestor, Dolorosa being involved in a failed redrom with Mindfang would once again call back to the relationship of their descendants. To further prove how the ancestors and descendants parallel each other, let’s examine the following events:
- Dualscar had Dolorosa killed;
- Dualscar was killed as per the orders of either Her Imperious Condescension or The Grand Highblood;
- Mindfang killed Redglare;
- The Summoner killed Mindfang.
Which contrast heavily against the events of the main troll timeline:
- Eridan killed Feferi and Kanaya, the latter having revived and killed Eridan in return;
- Vriska killed Tavros;
- Terezi killed Vriska.
These events fit the ancestor/descendant duality perfectly, specially when we consider that descendants are supposed to finish what their respective ancestors started, as is stated by Vriska Serket in one of her chat logs with John Egbert.
Finally, and after all this tl;dr to prove the point I intended to make: Orphaner Dualscar had Dolorosa assassinated, jealous of the attention Mindfang gave her and the redrom games she played with this particular slave. It is unknown whether or not Dolorosa underwent a metamorphosis similar to her descendant’s after her death, but if she did become a rainbow drinker, then she fled the Orphaner’s and Mindfang’s grasp to keep living her undead life somewhere else.
Character Personality:
Much like what happens with the other ancestors and their respective descendants, The Dolorosa is strikingly similar to Kanaya Maryam, both in looks and personality. Hussie’s own words confirm this, when he wrote the following words in his old formspring account: “Basically all the ancestors in various ways are supposed to be like grown up versions of the troll kids, personality and all. ”
With the author’s words in mind, let’s take a moment to consider Kanaya’s personality, in order to understand how we can extrapolate it to Dolorosa’s. She is mostly friendly, very patient and helpful, and doesn't seem to care about blood status; her online handle grimAuxiliatrix portrays both sides of her personality well: Kanaya is an auxiliatrix-- meaning "a helpful woman" in Latin-- but also “grim”: she won't hesitate to use violence and/or less orthodox methods if she has to. After all, this is the troll girl who cut her lusus' body to retrieve the matriorb (which would guarantee the survival of the troll race), and who chainsawed Tavros' paralyzed legs without hesitation, so he could get a functioning robotic pair from Equius. Kanaya has a recurring theme of virginity going on, from her chastity modus to having a virgin mother grub as a lusus, and she often mothers the other characters, often meddling to the point of becoming annoying.
In a nutshell, Kanaya is a gentle and helpful troll with no regards for the hemospectrum, a mother figure, and is also associated with virginity. Throughout this personality section, it will become quite clear that Dolorosa also shares these characteristics.
But even though they share the same genetic material and a similar personality/theme, and even though Dolorosa is supposed to be, in essence, a grown up version of Kanaya, they are not the same troll: after all, they were raised in completely different time periods and led completely different lives, which allowed for them to become different individuals with distinct characteristics, despite all the parallelisms between them.
To put it quite simply, Dolorosa is quite obviously a mother figure, much like her descendant. Unlike Kanaya, however, this is quite literally what Dolorosa is: a virgin mother who did the unthinkable by saving and then raising a mutant-blooded grub. This action alone is enough to show us her gigantic kindness and compassion, as well as how different she is when compared to other trolls. They are an aggressive, barbaric and war-hungry race with a penchant for intergalactic conquering, brutal justice systems, the common enslaving of those of lower blood, and gratuitous infanticide; only a very unique troll would be able to recognize the little red grub as special and decide to abandon her duties to save him.
This brings us to another point in her personality: her selflessness. Dolorosa renounced her (presumably honorable) role of Mother Grub caretaker to do something any other troll would consider preposterous and downright crazy: raising a grub, a role which had always been assigned to lusii. She saw no other hope for him: after all, no lusus sympathetic to his scent had been bred yet, so his chances of survival would have been zero if not for their accidental encounter. Given how the hemospectrum works, and that those of Dolorosa’s caste are supposed to dedicate their lives exclusively to the Mother Grub, it’s very likely that she would’ve been culled for the sheer gall of leaving her duties behind. But she chose to sacrifice her life to protect the Signless’s, just like a mother sacrifices herself for the sake of her own child. (It should be noted, however, that mothers are a thing that simply does not exist in Alternia.) And, very much like a mother would develop strong feelings for her son over time, it is only logical to assume that Dolorosa felt the same way for the Signless, and also that adopting and raising him only cemented her motherly traits even more. All this motherly love does not mean she went easy on the little grub as he grew up, though; far from it. I headcanon that Dolorosa ensured that he went through tasks similar to the ones he would have found in the caverns, had he been placed there from the beginning, but as strict as she may have been, she was never brutal or cruel: when he became so tired from her tasks that his little legs could no longer carry him alongside her, Dolorosa would take him into her arms to cradle him close, and whisper in a soft voice how well he had performed and how strong he was becoming. She taught him how to fight and how to defend himself from the creatures they found on their travels, and she taught him how to hunt and find the resources needed in their nomadic life.
As it is stated in canon, The Dolorosa was the Signless’s first follower. Given this little tidbit of information, we can safely assume that she believed his teachings of forgiveness, compassion and equality among all bloodlines. While it isn’t stated anywhere that Dolorosa already believed in such ideals, it seems obvious enough that she was, at the very least, kind and compassionate, given the path she chose upon finding the Signless in his crater.
Being motherly, kind and compassionate does not mean Dolorosa is a doormat or a pushover, however. If she needs to fight, she will, and god helps those who end up on the wrong side of whatever weapon she has chosen; although she disapproves of and hates needless violence, she will fight to defend herself, and specially those who she cares about. Like a lioness defending her cubs, she can be vicious and downright terrifying when angered and pushed to the limit. A good way to demonstrate it would be to once again call back to her descendant and what happened after she was killed: after all, Kanaya went on a revenge spree-- punching her former moirail / unrequited matesprit in the face, kicking a psycho clown in the bonebulge and bisecting the one who killed her, only to lick his blood off of her weapon when she was done-- and looked damn classy while doing so.
Likewise, being such a kind soul does not mean that Dolorosa is incapable of playing dirty or submit to another troll, up to a certain extent, in order to survive in more extreme circumstances. A perfect example of this would be Dolorosa’s actions after Mindfang chooses her from amidst the slaves she stole from Dualscar: while the gamblingnant manipulates Dolorosa enough so that she does not know which thoughts are hers and which are Mindfang’s, we can still see a hint of the jade blood’s strategy to survive. The pirate troll writes: “I imagine I cannot feel her conviction that it's not merely a matter of whether she will 8e put to the irons, 8ut how hot they will 8e if she fails to please”, and sure enough, later on Dolorosa surprises her new Mistress by slipping her fingers between the petticoat and her skin. This surprise implies that Mindfang was not expecting such a bold action, and thus that she did not manipulate Dolorosa into it, which shows us that Dolorosa was well aware of the power the Marquise had over her, and she was also well aware that pleasing her Mistress was her only guarantee of survival.
With age comes experience, and with it, wisdom: this is perhaps the most striking difference between her and Kanaya. While her descendant is only six sweeps old (approximately 13 human years), Dolorosa is far into adulthood, and thus far more familiar with how Alternia-- and life-- works. One might even say that Dolorosa is more… jaded.
Dolorosa’s strengths are closely linked to her faith in Signless’s beliefs, which she follows almost blindly; much like a believer would find solace and comfort in whatever higher power he or she believes in, the Signless’s teachings would have helped Dolorosa endure many arduous moments throughout their journey, and they would help her in-game as well. Another strong point in her personality is her selflessness; although such a trait could be considered by many as a weakness, it is truly a sign of strength on Dolorosa’s part. After all, it was that same selflessness which made her abandon her life for the sake of a grub that she found in her path one night-- a grub who gave meaning to her life and the life of so many other trolls, and who showed to whoever was willing to listen that Alternia could be so much better, if only they’d allow that to happen.
While her weaknesses are slightly harder to pinpoint, they are also linked to the Signless’s existence. In a way, his existence is one of her weaknesses, because Dolorosa will do anything to defend him from any danger that may arise, often putting her own life at risk.
Ultimately, her biggest fear has already come true: the Signless’s demise. No mother desires to see the end of their own child, and Dolorosa is no exception; having to witness his death was the most painful experience she ever had to endure, far more excruciating than any wound, and it affected her deeply. Being brought to Death City will disorient her, especially considering the existence of trolls from other timelines, but Dolorosa’s inner strength and the faith in the Signless’s teachings-- and specially in his visions-- will give her the courage she needs to carry on.
Character Abilities you would like to expand on further:
Generally speaking, Dolorosa is as strong and as intelligent as your usual troll; likewise, she has no psychic abilities, and if what happened with Mindfang is any indication, she has little to no immunity to those same abilities. Of course, it may also be possible that she does have some immunity to them but Mindfang’s powers are just too strong for her to resist; however, the former option seems much more likely than the latter.
She does have one very unusual ability, however: like her descendant, Dolorosa can withstand the scorching Alternian sun, even going as far as enjoying basking in its sunlight.
Having lived and served the Mother Grub in the brooding caverns for so long, it seems logical that Dolorosa would be very skilled at orienting herself in the dark, with barely any light to guide her; it can also be assumed that her other senses were heightened due to this period of near blindness. Likewise, she would have to defend the Mother Grub (as well as grubs, from their hatching to their pupation) from whatever dangerous creatures lurking in the brooding caverns, so it would be expected of her to not only be a very proficient fighter in hand-to-hand combat, but also to be able to handle certain weapons-- blades, most likely, seeing as they would make for a quicker and easier kill than blunt objects like bats.
Still linked to her role of a Mother Grub caretaker, and how she would have to not only defend the Mother Grub and her progeny but also tend to any injuries and illnesses that would occur, it could be assumed that Dolorosa also has some “medical” experience. Although she is far from being the troll equivalent of a doctor, she would know how to tend to the physical changes and injuries caused by the brooding process to a Mother Grub’s body. Likewise, she would be just as capable of tending to minor injuries/illnesses in trolls, a skill which she would have needed while raising the Signless to maturity, much like a human mother would know when raising her child.
Last, but most definitely not the least: Dolorosa is also the best Mom in all of Alternia.
Character Weaknesses you would like to expand on further:
Like I have already mentioned, her weaknesses are linked to the Signless’s existence. Not only when he was alive, but also after his death: Dolorosa is particularly weak to the smell of burning flesh, because it reminds her vividly of the irons shackling and burning her son’s wrists before he was executed, and the cremation of his body afterwards. Watching the Signless suffer and perish in such a brutal way was a very traumatizing experience, and it will always haunt her for as long as she lives.
She also appears to be weak to Mindfang’s manipulation powers, but like I have mentioned before, this may be because Mindfang’s powers are simply too strong for Dolorosa to resist, and not because she is particularly weak to them.
[ SOUL CAMPAIGN SECTION ]
What abilities will your character retain in Soul Campaign? Bullet-form is fine.
Considering that Dolorosa’s abilities are nowhere near super-human-- after all, trolls are generally stronger than humans, even when we ignore psychic abilities like Sollux/Psiioniic’s psionic powers or Vriska/Mindfang’s mind control-- she would retain all of her abilities in Soul Campaign.
What weaknesses will your character lose or gain in Soul Campaign? Bullet-form is fine.
There is only one weakness that Dolorosa will gain in Soul Campaign: Karkat Vantas. Being the Second Signless-- a troll which the Signless himself had prophesized about-- and the very same image of her child at a younger age, Dolorosa will become as protective of him as she was of the Signless himself. Needless to say, this may endanger her life as she tries to protect him just like a mother would.
The wish Death the Kid made to the BREW in 2009 was to “rescue Death City and stop the waves of Madness from overtaking the world.” By whatever means necessary. Pretend you are the BREW. Why would you choose to bring this character to Death City?
Dolorosa would be a perfect addition to Death City and Shibusen’s side: not only is she a very proficient warrior-- and part of a warrior race-- but she also has a very strong sense of right and wrong, following a set of morals closest to that of humans than of trolls, thanks to the teachings of the Signless. She is also compassionate and kind to the point of selflessness; after all, she was the troll who left her assigned duties to raise a grub, something which would have had her culled if she had been caught. Surely her compassion, kindness and strength would be needed amongst the ranks of Shibusen and its allies: a strong troll with an equally strong heart, who would be of help not only in battle but before and after it, encouraging her comrades and giving them the strength and moral/emotional support to carry on.
If your character has difficulty verbally communicating or can’t verbally communicate at all (mute or non-humanoid), elaborate on how this will be treated in the game.
N/A
[ MEISTER ONLY SECTION ]
Why is your character a Meister and not a Weapon?
Being part of a warrior race has given her the basis to become a strong warrior on her own, and her many sweeps at the service of the Mother Grub (and the sweeps that followed, as she raised the Signless to adulthood) have more than cemented her ability to fight. On top of being a very capable fighter, Dolorosa is also skilled with many weapons, namedly blades, a skill which she would most definitely put to use as a Meister.
In addition to her experience and skills, The Dolorosa also possesses a trait that is essential to every Meister, and perhaps every Weapon as well: the belief in equality (thanks to, once again, the Signless’s teachings). Dolorosa will not see herself superior to her Weapon in any way, but instead she will consider them her equal and do her best to be a good Meister, while demanding the same level of work and discipline that she demands from herself.
What is your character’s Meister Ability? Why?
Protective Soul: Like a mother sacrifices herself for the sake of her child, the Meister will take the damage for their Weapon, up to a critical point. This will allow the Weapon to fight for a longer period of time than they would have otherwise, but it may cause a break in resonance if the Meister sustains too much damage.
[ SOUL INFORMATION ]
Describe your character’s soul with six adjectives.
Motherly, compassionate, kind, loyal, strong, selfless.
What does your character’s soul look like? Be creative.
Dolorosa’s soul is jade green, much like the color of her blood. It is crowned with her wild snarls of hair and also her horns, and on the bottom of her soul, her sign (the sign for Virgo) is also visible. Her soul transmits a sense of calm to those who can gaze upon it; her expression is just as calm, almost serene, and her fangs are visible between her elegant lips.
[ SAMPLES ]
Provide a First Person style sample in the form of a post to the DEMISE network.
[There is a considerable amount of green showing on the screen of your communicator: the camera focuses on a very fashionable green scarf, before being pulled away from the person in question and placed on the table in front of them. Well well well, what do we have here?
At first glance, it may appear to some that the communicator has focused on one Kanaya Maryam, but upon closer look, it becomes obvious enough that the troll currently on screen is older, taller, and has much bigger horns: that is because this troll lady is indeed far older than the trolls Death City is familiar with, and is, in fact, one of their ancestors.
The Dolorosa sits up straight and poised, dressed impeccably for someone who, until a few hours ago, held the role of a slave on a dangerous gamblingnant’s ship. She smiles slightly as she addresses the DEMISE network.]
What an odd predicament I seem to have found myself in. An entirely new world, inhabited by a species far too different from my own… and yet, despite our many anatomical and presumably intellectual differences, the thirst for violence and war remains a common trait. I do so hope that Death City does not reveal itself to be as dangerously close-minded as Alternia, however.
[She speaks calmly; there is a certain gentleness in her voice that sounds almost motherly, even as she speaks about violence. But as much as she would love to preach about equality and the teachings of the Signless, there are other things she must do right now: meeting the descendants of their two companions, as well as her own.]
I have a request, if I may be so bold upon my arrival. It is my desire to meet three young trolls who were brought to this world before me: I wish to speak to the trolls of yellow and green blood -- [At this, she raises a sheet of paper where the symbols for Gemini and Leo were drawn, in yellow and green, respectively]-- and also to the jade blood who shares my sign. It is of utmost importance that I am allowed the opportunity to make their acquaintance, although I cannot reveal the reasons behind such necessity.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
[There’s a slight bow of her head at the camera before she reaches forward to turn the transmission off.]
Provide a Third Person sample set during the last minutes on their world and/or their first few moments in the Kishin Chamber.
Come to my chambers. Do not keep me waiting.
Dolorosa stood up in a rush, recognizing the sudden invasion to her mind for what it was: her Mistress’s unique way of summoning those under her command. She walked quickly to Marquise Spinneret Mindfang’s private quarters as instructed, knocked once before letting herself in and walked slowly to what could only be described as Mindfang’s throne, where the queen of gamblingnant sat, watching. Dolorosa kept her head low and did a little curtsy, before Mindfang gestured for her to look up and come closer; Dolorosa did so, and soon enough she could feel long fingers sliding through her hair in a gesture that was quite obviously possessive, before they came to rest on her cheek, only to slide away afterwards.
“Help me with these garments, girl. It has been a terribly exhausting night.”
The pirate uncrossed her legs and let a boot-clad foot drop on to the floor, unnecessarily loudly, to prove her point. Dolorosa nodded and knelt down, not only because it was the most practical way to remove her boots and thus start undressing her, but also out of the need to show servitude: after all, pleasing Mindfang was her only guarantee for survival, and although a part of her had died when the Sufferer was executed, Dolorosa planned on doing whatever she could to stay alive and relatively unharmed. Reaching forward, her fingers undid the clasps quickly and expertly, out of many sweeps of practice, and for the briefest of moments she remembered little feet and little shoes, remembered looking up at the smiling face of the one who called her Mother. She remembered helping him dress and undress, and remembered the little details she’d embroidered into his clothes in red thread, red like his blood, like the irons that scorched his skin as she watched, helpless and desperate--
Her hands faltered for a moment as the sorrow washed over her, but before Dolorosa could return to her duties of undressing her Mistress, a sudden and overwhelming wave of nausea made her collapse on to the floor. The world went dark, and Dolorosa felt panic bubble up inside her as she wondered if she had been blinded or if the lights were simply gone. She didn’t understand-- surely Mindfang wasn’t punishing her for thinking about the Signless?
“Marquise…?”
Her voice echoed far more than it should have in Mindfang’s chambers, and that was the first sign that something was wrong. Dolorosa opened her eyes, not understanding or even remembering when she had closed them in the first place, and it didn’t take long for them to widen as she took in her new surroundings, and also the fact that she was now lying on a very cold stone floor. And then, all of a sudden, the screens lit up and a very strange someone explained to her where she was and why she was there in the first place.
She didn’t understand most of it. She didn’t understand what this Spirit Albarn was, having never seen a human before, and she failed to comprehend why or how they would bring her in to help in this war… but she did understand one thing very clearly, and that thought expanded inside her thinkpan until it was the only thing she could think of: she was free. Unless this was an actual hallucination caused by Mindfang’s powers, then there was no Mindfang in the first place, no Orphaner, no Empress-- and she could try to live again, despite the overwhelming sorrow in her heart.
Dolorosa shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, seeking warmth. The metal collar around her throat clinked slightly as she moved, and then again as she began to shake; from laughter, at first, and then from a nearly delirious mix of laughing and crying, although barely any sound was audible in the Kishin chamber. It took her a long moment to calm down and to finally risk standing up, but when she did, she stood tall-- without fear of punishment-- for the first time since the Signless and his followers had been captured by the Highbloods.
As she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands, Dolorosa took a deep breath and exited the chamber, ready to face this miraculous second chance she had been given.
[ NOTES ]
Regarding the first person sample: There is no mention of Karkat Vantas in this sample because I am assuming that he would be the first individual Dolorosa would see upon leaving the Kishin Chamber, and in turn he would inform her of Nepeta, Sollux and Kanaya, after Dolorosa made enough questions.