Character Info and Permissions

[draconisrose]

Rastaban Aesen

Rastaban is one of eight people that have been blessed with magic by a nameless goddess, who was created by humanity's imagination and desire for there to be something after death. Each mage carries a piece of that original wish inside their magic. As the life mage, Rastaban's energy magic holds the fear of death and the desire to cling to life.

→ Character Info

World History

Rastaban's story takes place in a version of Earth which loosely follows history but with a magical twist. Human's imagination and fear of the afterlife created a magical entity. The nameless goddess that was born from that loneliness wanted to be a part of the world that created her so she tore a hole in her dimension and gave humanity a piece of her magic. Over time, people grew to fear magic and its potential to destroy the world if it escaped the other dimension completely. Around the Victorian era, an order dedicated to protecting mankind found an ancient portal and banished the current mages and their supporters to whatever lied beyond.

The exiles found themselves on Althiya, a desert world with aimlessly floating islands in a sea of sand. The mages magic awakened hidden crystals that allowed them to stabilize the islands and stop them from wandering. The nomads treated them like saviors and they were treated like royalty.

However those peaceful days did not last. At first, everyone worked together to stabilize Althiya but the other exiles slowly grew to resent the mages for their banishment and they worked with the locals to imprison the mages, in an attempt to control the disastrous magic that was slowly eating away at their world. The mages were tortured whenever they tried to use magic since manifesting their magic into the real world was what damaged the veil. The mages died quickly, and painfully due to not being able to release their magic. When a mage died, a witch hunt was conducted to find the next mage and lock them up. This dark chapter of Althiyan history lasted for many years until the mages finally revolted and slaughtered everyone that tried to oppose them. They created a bloody tyranny and formed the noble houses to rule over the powerless people that imprisoned them.

Many people were unhappy with this dark stain on their history and one man bravely negotiated with the mages and managed to broker a peace. The unfairly imprisoned mages were allowed to keep their place at the top of the hierarchy and their former tormentors were stripped of their land and titles and became commoners, with one exception. The Bakhar family, the one who created the peace treaty was allowed to join the nobles, as a show of good faith. The leaders of both sides decided that they should erase their bloody history so it would not sabotage the future and the truth of the divide between the nobles and commoners was lost. However there is still a strong sense of resentment towards the commoners among the nobles and fear of crossing the nobles for the common people, it’s just wrapped in layers of arrogance (the nobles believing they are better suited to rule than the weak common people), and a fear of change destroying what they have built for the common people.

Fast-forward to the modern day and no one knows the dark truth about the mages or their bloody history. Hints of Earth that slipped into the culture were recreated as myths and legends from the ancient gods who used to live amongst the humans before disappearing to a hidden sky that only the gods can see. Althiya is now a mix of the original nomadic culture and an oppressive steampunk-like ruling noble class who are the descendants of the first mages, with seven mages at the top who are chosen by the nameless goddess as divine protectors.

Charater History

Rastaban is the heir to the Aesen house, the oldest, and therefore most respected noble family of Althiya, until he was born. He was born weak and as the sole son of a noble house that weakness reflected poorly on his family. In order to protect the family image, and to escape all the judgement and pity, which he despised, Rastaban created the persona of a twin sister, Rasta, to be the family's public image instead of him. It didn't solve the problem but it gave him and his family a shield. Women were allowed to be fragile and as Rasta he and his family faced less criticism, while he was free to be what he wanted, away from prying eyes and without having to deal with anyone's pity. (quick note about his name. He prefers to go by Rasta with friends who know both personas. It feels like they acknowledge both sides of him.)

It allowed him to turn his attention to medicine in the hopes of finding a cure for his weakness. He discovered a love of plants and became an herbalist, although he insists it's just a hobby that just happens to give him money. Over time Rasta became more than a shield for him as well. His secret persona allowed him to temporarily escape his responsibility as heir and he felt freer as her. He discovered an interest in beauty with her, which he sees as the freedom of expression, and when he was sixteen he got a rose tattoo on the back of his shoulder.

His family's reputation was still was on a knife's edge but some of the family's respect was restored when Rastaban was chosen as the Life mage. Being a mage was considered the highest honor and Rastaban could show his face in public now although he still preferred to hide behind Rasta whenever he had the chance. After he was chosen, his body slowly changed so it could withstand his new magic, which was dangerous for humans. Over the course of a month he was steadily poisoned by his magic until his human self died. His current body is created by his magic, using the memories of when he was human. His humanity feels like a memory instead of something real, although with practice he learned that he can focus on those memories in order to feel more human.

Life quieted down after he was chosen the nobles found a better victim to torment when a commoner, Altair, was chosen as a mage. He sympathized with Altair but he was worried about his family's already fragile reputation so he didn't side with him until he got the approval of the rest of the mages, something even the most respected nobles wouldn't be able to protest against him.

Rastaban struggled with his life magic at first. The original wish that was woven into his life magic fed off his insecurity about his weakness and Rastaban quickly grew addicted to his life magic. It allowed him to steal life energy and finally feel strong for the first time in his life and he clung to that, sometimes too much and the first time he tried his magic on another person, he took too much and killed them. With the help of the other mages, he hid the body so no one would know what he had done and he vowed to never take too much again. He practiced both on animals and with his fellow mages who was strong enough to stop him if he went too far until he could control his hunger, although he still tends to push his limits as far as he can without breaking them.

Rastaban's entire world was shattered when his world was destroyed and he and the other mages were forced to flee through an ancient portal none of them knew existed. Left with nothing but questions, the mages found themselves on Earth, during modern day, where they met Skylar, who had a mysterious connection to them. She dreamt of them and despite being wary of them, she took them in and taught them how to survive in this new world. In order to adapt to their new home the mages chose to make the day they arrived on Earth, August 8th, their new 20th birthday as a way to celebrate their new life and a tribute to their fallen home since celebrating death with new life was a tradition on Althiya.

A year after they arrived on Earth they were met with a new threat. Rastaban was shot and would have died if not for Skylar saving him with her magic, which none of them knew she had. He woke a week later, only to discover that Skylar and his friend Arrakis had been killed and his friends had learned the dark truth about everything. The mage's bloody history and why they were exiled in the first place. The mages never were divine protectors. That was a clever lie to hide the monsters they truly were. Now he and the other mages had to decide whether or not they had the right to live and some people had already decided they did not.

→ Skills and Abilities

Mage

Magic is complicated in his world. It comes from a different realm and as such, it can’t exist in the real world without being tethered to a human otherwise it would be catastrophic. When mages are chosen, they slowly are transformed into a being of pure magic energy wrapped around an echo of their human self. This allows the magic to work past the limitations of the human body while also being contained. Mages are greatly enhanced by their magic and stand above normal humans. Due to their transformation, mages no longer feel human. They are similar to corpses that are kept alive by magic but their magic gives the illusion that they are still human. All of magic is fueled by imagination and mages can use their memories of being human to feel like one again, although it doesn't feel quite real, their senses feel more like looking back at the memory their imagination recreated.

Being of Magical energy

His magic side feels like an unnatural, shapeless mass of magical energy. It doesn't belong in the world and it doesn't have a form until Rastaban shapes the magic into energy. To people who can see magic, this invisible magic looks like a golden haze. It's hard to make out any distinctive shape with the way it tightly clings to him, but if you look you can see thorny vines with roses. This is his human soul that is now tied his magic. It's not completely grounded in the real world. It feels like an idea instead of a physical soul until Rasta's magic gives it a physical form. Rasta can see and hear when he's connected to his magic but it feels like an afterthought, like when you see or hear something out of the corner of your eye. This gives his magic a weightless, ghost like feeling. When Rasta gives his magic a physical form however, his blurred senses do become a bit stronger.

Rasta's soul naturally leans towards his magic and it takes a conscious effort to switch back to his human memories. Also, when Rasta's soul resonates with his magic side, the magical energy is strongest around his eyes and they glow. Rasta can use his magic without going full mage mode, but extreme emotions are more likely to make him resonate with his magical side. Think of it as tug of war with his consciousness with a ethereal pull towards his magic.

Rasta’s magic feeds on the world’s residual magical energy, just like how humans breathe air. Using magic drains his magic reserves and temporarily weakens his magical core, but building up too much magic can damage his human body. It’s a delicate balance and the strength of his magic is directly tied to how strong his magical energy is.

Minor Healing

Mages cannot survive without their human vessel and his magic keeps his human body alive and the magic boosts their body with magical energy. Mages don’t get sick, they have a higher tolerance for alcohol and drugs, and they heal faster than normal humans. They can still get injured, but it takes less time to recover. An injury that takes a week or more to recover would only take them a few days. However if a mage’s magic reserves are low, then there is no extra energy to heal and the boost in healing doesn’t work.

Magical defense mechanism

If his magic gets too low or his magic has to adjust due to outside magical influences, Rasta’s magical form will take over, shapeshifting him into a small animal form. It’s a defense mechanism that allows the magic to focus all its energy on magic recovery. Rasta turns into a squirrel with branch like horns and plants on his back. The plants on his back grow, blossom or wither depending on his mood and he can revitalize small plants, nothing big and it makes him sleepy.

Energy magic

Mages use imagination to give the pure magic they are made up of a physical shape. Each mage controls a different element. Rasta's magic acts a little differently. Since his magic comes from a strong desire to hold onto life, his magic needs life energy not just imagination to give his magic a physical form. Usually Rasta uses his own energy or takes it from plants but he can steal life energy from any living thing, including humans who have the richest life energy, especially those blessed with magic. (He has an Opt In for his Energy Vampirism here)

Once he has the life energy he needs, he can give his magic a physical shape which takes the form of plants made of light. Rasta can also transfer life energy to something else allowing him to grow things and speed up healing.

Non Magical Skills

Herbalism and medicine - Rasta was born with a frail body so he studied herbalism and medicine to find a cure for his weakness. He never found a cure but he did discover ways to combat his weakness and he became a very skilled healer as a result.

As the sole heir to the Aesen house Rasta was given an extensive education. He has most if not all of the skills one would expect from a medieval noble: strategy, political intrigue, proper etiquette, etc. Combat is his weakest subject since he doesn't have the stamina for most fighting but he stubbornly stuck with it and learned sword fighting so he wouldn't be seen as completely helpless. He tries to end the fight as quickly as possible by taking advantage of his frail body to make his opponent underestimate him and quickly finding any weakness he can exploit. In a prolonged fight though he's almost useless unless he used his life magic to steal more energy. He doesn't like bringing attention to his energy vampirism though so he doesn't use this method unless it's absolutely necessary.

Rasta prefers the quiet life of an herbalist and unless it is required of him, he tends to ignore his responsibilities as a noble. He finds political intrigue tiring.

→ Permissions

In Character

Physical Affection - yes, he probably won't like it and he will be more anxious with Rasta's persona since it's easier to maintain his feminine disguise if he can keep people at a distance.

Violence - yes, please talk to me about major injuries and/or death.

Romance/Flirting - yes, romance can get a bit complicated with Rastaban since he secretly crossdresses as a woman part of the time. He's also clueless when it comes to romance since he's convinced himself that everyone just wants to take advantage or mock him for his weakness. Genuine kindness confuses him.

He's bi, but doesn't realize it. The nobles of his world forbid you to sleep with another man and Rastaban has internalized what is expected of him. However his disguise as Rasta complicates things and unintentionally broadened his horizons. He's attracted to guys more when he's disguised as Rasta, and women more when he's Rastaban, as that is the expected way to act. Although gender becomes less important to him when someone knows both sides of him, as he's being true to both sides.

Sexual Content - I'm not comfortable writing smut, sorry. I have very little experience writing romance but I'm eager to learn so I'm open to anything up to that point if you don't mind the fade to black method.

Psychic Abilities - yes

Magic/Power - Absolutely! Have fun!

Medical Info - Rastaban looks human but he's actually a being made of magic that is tied to a human soul and body. For all intents and purposes he seems like a healthy human, except that he never gets sick and he heals a little bit faster than a normal humans. His true form is an invisible magical aura around him that feeds on the residual magic in the air. Mages have to maintain a balance with their magic so too much doesn't build up and damage their human anchor, which they can't live without, but a part of him is still very human.

Offensive Subjects or triggers Guns can be triggering for Rastaban and he hates when people call him weak.

Content Warnings - Classism, elitism, cultural homophobia, genocide, addiction, death, chronic illness

Out of Character

Backtagging - Always! I'm a snail

Thread Hopping - Please ask first

Off limits - parasites are a hard no, please use content warnings for child harm and suicide. Other than that most things don't bug me. As long as you provide content warnings I'm fine.

Anything else - I suffer from chronic fatigue which can affect my tagging speed. Please be patient with me.