Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
oathshackledbird) wrote2015-12-04 07:39 pm
oathshackledbird) wrote2015-12-04 07:39 pm
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soulgemmed (SoulGemmed) Application
Player name: Neko Sandy
Contact info:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
NekoSandy or PM oathshackledbird
Other characters currently played: None
Character name: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Lancer)
Apparent Age: Early to mid-twenties
Actual Age: This is a little harder since he was summoned into the world about 1800-2000 years after his first death, which likely occurred in his mid-forties going by the myths and the fact he had five children and a thriving homestead when it happened. He has the full memories of his previous life, even though his body appears younger than the age he died at.
Canon: Fate/Zero
Canonpoint: The end of Episode 16, "The End of Honor." This episode is a little more than half way through the series itself and is the episode where Diarmuid is betrayed by his master and forced to kill himself, marking the end of his part in the series.
Background: Typemoon Wiki Link and a text version of his myth. (In case the link does not directly take you to the section for Diarmuid, the books related to him are book 6--his early life and adventures--and book 7--the pursuit itself. I use this primarily to round out his character. Wherever anime canon contradicts his actual myth, anime canon always takes precedence.)
Personality:
One of the first things people notice about Diarmuid is that he almost radiates nobility. This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering how much pride he takes in being a knight. Nobility is something knights are well known for, and he has built his whole life around that. He also takes a pride in his skills and his ability to fight against others. Even more than that, he is proud of every battle he can have against an opponent who is just as skilled as he is. Not the kind of man who would ever want his opponent to be at a disadvantage to make the battle easier, it is not surprising that he is thrilled when he realizes that Saber is not affected by his cursed love spot during their first battle. Fighting a ‘handicapped’ opponent is not noble nor is it a true test of skills. His nobility shines again when Kayneth uses a command spell to force him to fight with Berserker against Saber. This two-on-one battle is something that screams dishonorable to Diarmuid, so he fights against it so hard that his body is wracked by spasms and he actually bites his lip open (as shown in the manga version of the series). It is a great relief to him when Rider makes Kayneth withdraw because it brings an end to the dishonorable action he is being forced to participate in.
This scene is also an excellent example of how Diarmuid’s greatest conflict in the war comes not from his fellow servants, but from his master and his master’s fiancée. Unlike the other servants summoned into the Holy Grail War, Diarmuid’s wish doesn’t require actually winning the Grail. He only wishes to serve his master loyally and honorably until the end. He fights for the Grail only because his master wants the Grail himself. However, from the way Kayneth fights from the shadows to his willingness to do anything to win, his way of fighting is the very opposite of Diarmuid’s honorable method of fighting. To make matters worse, Sola-Ui is very obviously affected by Diarmuid’s curse. This adds friction to a pair who already feel it because they have very little in common when it comes to beliefs and values.
Making the friction worse is the fact that much like the perfect knight he is called in myth, Diarmuid is very self-sacrificing. While he is fighting against Caster, he doesn’t think twice about sacrificing one of his weapons because saving those Caster’s monster would kill is the noble and right thing to do. Never does he think this weakens him or puts him at a disadvantage. Instead, he focuses on saving others and optimistically believes that things will turn out for the best because he has done the right thing. Unfortunately, this optimistic and idealistic view Diarmuid has, while able to help keep him going in difficult situations, also blinds him to one of his major flaws: passively accepting things that happen around him and refusing to take responsibly when they go wrong.
When Sola-Ui has taken Diarmuid’s remaining command spells, Diarmuid himself realizes that his history might be starting to repeat itself. Even though he worries about this, he takes no specific action to prevent it. Instead, he hopes and believes things will go okay because it is what he wants, and he as a knight, is doing everything ‘right.’ This is an odd reaction for a knight who is used to taking action to make things happen for his lord and reveals that Diarmuid has a passive streak. Be it because he is used to taking orders from a lord or is just a strong believer that some parts of one’s Fate cannot be avoided, often Diarmuid’s course of action is just to hope for the best. This is not the first time that he has just accepted something may happen and hoped for the best either. During his first life, he was told by Fionn that if he fought the boar he would be facing his death because of a curse that was placed on him. Instead of finding another way, Diarmuid still goes to fight the boar stating that if he is fated to die then, he has no power to change that. He takes no responsibility for the outcome nor does he try to change things. The result is his death as Fionn foretold. The result in the War?
It is also his death.
After Diarmuid is forced by a command spell to drive his spear through his own chest, he never stops to think any of this is his fault. Instead, he blames everyone, the world, and the Grail. In this moment, there is nothing left of the knight Diarmuid started the war as. Instead, all that remains is a man full of anger and hatred. He feels wronged; he feels cheated, and not just for the first time in his life, but the second time. It is a very different side of Diarmuid than is normally presented since it is said that during his first life, he never felt hatred or rage at all because they were unknightly emotions. It doesn’t help that as level-headed as Diarmuid can be in battle, he has problems controlling his emotions outside of battle. This is very clear when he almost breaks down when Kayneth lectures him after Sola-Ui is kidnapped, and even clearer when he loses so much control after he has been betrayed to his death a second time. That is why he makes the wish he does when the chance is offered to him. Later, when he comes back from his berserk and rage-filled state, he will regret his wish, but it will be too late then. All he will be able to do is try to find out how much of the knight he used to be remains.
Wish:
"... let my blood taint your dreams! Let the Grail be cursed! Let the wish it grants bring disaster! And when you fall into the pits of hell... remember the rage of Diarmuid!"
When it comes to a character like Diarmuid, what wish he will make depends on what point in canon he is taken from. If he comes from near the beginning, his wish would be very similar to the wish he originally made that caused him be summoned into the Holy Grail War. Indeed, Diarmuid from the beginning or even the middle of his time in the war would not accept making a contract at all because merely fighting in the war for his master was his greatest wish. It was all he wanted: the chance to serve his lord faithfully until the end. However, at the canon point that I am pulling Diarmuid from, his wish, his beliefs, and everything he thought he knew has crumbled down around his ears. His master has revealed Diarmuid is not exactly who or what he thought he was, that he never trusted him, and that Diarmuid's wish--the wish he thought he was living--actually was a cruel lie. At the end, Diarmuid doesn't even have his life left because his master uses a command spell to force him to kill himself right in the middle of his honorable duel with Saber. Losing all of this is what causes a model knight to make what is ultimately a very selfish and hurtful wish:
"I wish...I wish you all could feel what I feel!"
I believe that, despite all he has lost, Diarmuid feels that if they just knew how much they had hurt him, they would regret their actions. In his rage, that is all he cares about. He wants them to know exactly how much their actions have taken from him. He wants them to know how he feels and how he hurts. He is not just a copy and not just a tool to be thrown away. He has just as much value as anyone else.
This wish has been purposely written in a passive way because of how Diarmuid often refuses to take responsibility for what is going on around him. He becomes a passive rider. Instead of trying to actively change the path he is traveling down when he sees it possibly going wrong, he just continues going, hoping things will go well, and ultimately blaming others when things do go wrong. This is a kick back to his past when he walked into a situation he knew would very likely lead to his death. Also, it is important to notice that his wish in the Grail War is to serve a master. This greatest wish of his is also a passive one as he is giving up his freedom to do whatever he wants in the interest of serving another and fulfilling their wishes instead.
Because Diarmuid's current mindset is so full of hate and rage when he makes his wish, I want it to be interpreted in the worst way possible. This is even more fitting because of the fact the Holy Grail is corrupted. Diarmuid doesn't know just how fitting his curse is. The Grail cannot bring about a beautiful wish because it is filled with evil and hate. In my mind, when everyone present at Diarmuid's death feels his rage and hatred, they turn on each other with Saber ultimately killing her master out of disgust for what he has done. The problem with this is that will take her out of the war as well, leaving no one to challenge Kirei and Gilgamesh at the end of the war. In canon, Saber is forced to destroy the Grail, but she will not be there to do it now, leading not to the partial destruction of Fuyuki, but the complete destruction of the town and possibly even worse. However, because Diarmuid will be detaching himself from that world and the hurt it caused him completely, he will not care how the wish is fulfilled. Selfishly, he will only care to know they ended up feeling the same pain he did no matter where it leads. Once he calms and begins to return to himself, he will wonder what happened and be ashamed of his choice because of how selfish and terrible it was, but there will be no going back at that point. Diarmuid will only be able to continue forward and try to make up for what he did in his rage-filled and nearly berserk state.
Since Diarmuid's wish involves making others feel the emotions he was feeling, I want him to be granted empathic abilities as a result of it. At first, especially since Diarmuid has issues controlling his own emotions at times, I would like him to have a hard time controlling the empathic ability. It will make it so he is overwhelmed easily and may even accidentally influence the emotions of those around him. As he gains more control over his abilities, though, I would like them to grow in such a way that he can eventually use his empathic abilities to help soothe and calm those who are upset or falling into despair. I would also like for him to be able to track centers of strong emotion. Of course, these kinds of actions would be very straining on him and will also open him up to becoming overwhelmed by despair and may possibly sped up soul gem corruption if he is not careful or does it too often.
As this is an ability that influences other characters, I will be sure to put an opt in/out permissions post on his journal.
Power:
Stemming from the ability Diarmuid is granted by his wish, I would like him to be able to take the strength of his emotions and create a shield out of it as his power. He can use this to protect himself and others, but the shield's strength will vary in direct correlation to his own emotions. If he is unsure, unfocused, or hesitant about his actions, the shield will be weak and he won't be able to protect many with it. If he feels strongly about what he is doing, is convinced he is doing the right thing, or extremely focused, the shield will be much stronger and will easily be able to protect others as well as himself. How far away from him the shield can be will also depend on his emotional state. If he is not focused or in control, he will not be able to protect a person right next to him, let alone a person across the room from him. However, if he is controlled and feeling very strongly about what he is doing, then distance will not matter. As long as he can see the person, he will be able to set a shield around them.
Weapon: A red spear.
Sample: TDM Thread Here!
Contact info:
oathshackledbird Other characters currently played: None
Character name: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Lancer)
Apparent Age: Early to mid-twenties
Actual Age: This is a little harder since he was summoned into the world about 1800-2000 years after his first death, which likely occurred in his mid-forties going by the myths and the fact he had five children and a thriving homestead when it happened. He has the full memories of his previous life, even though his body appears younger than the age he died at.
Canon: Fate/Zero
Canonpoint: The end of Episode 16, "The End of Honor." This episode is a little more than half way through the series itself and is the episode where Diarmuid is betrayed by his master and forced to kill himself, marking the end of his part in the series.
Background: Typemoon Wiki Link and a text version of his myth. (In case the link does not directly take you to the section for Diarmuid, the books related to him are book 6--his early life and adventures--and book 7--the pursuit itself. I use this primarily to round out his character. Wherever anime canon contradicts his actual myth, anime canon always takes precedence.)
Personality:
One of the first things people notice about Diarmuid is that he almost radiates nobility. This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering how much pride he takes in being a knight. Nobility is something knights are well known for, and he has built his whole life around that. He also takes a pride in his skills and his ability to fight against others. Even more than that, he is proud of every battle he can have against an opponent who is just as skilled as he is. Not the kind of man who would ever want his opponent to be at a disadvantage to make the battle easier, it is not surprising that he is thrilled when he realizes that Saber is not affected by his cursed love spot during their first battle. Fighting a ‘handicapped’ opponent is not noble nor is it a true test of skills. His nobility shines again when Kayneth uses a command spell to force him to fight with Berserker against Saber. This two-on-one battle is something that screams dishonorable to Diarmuid, so he fights against it so hard that his body is wracked by spasms and he actually bites his lip open (as shown in the manga version of the series). It is a great relief to him when Rider makes Kayneth withdraw because it brings an end to the dishonorable action he is being forced to participate in.
This scene is also an excellent example of how Diarmuid’s greatest conflict in the war comes not from his fellow servants, but from his master and his master’s fiancée. Unlike the other servants summoned into the Holy Grail War, Diarmuid’s wish doesn’t require actually winning the Grail. He only wishes to serve his master loyally and honorably until the end. He fights for the Grail only because his master wants the Grail himself. However, from the way Kayneth fights from the shadows to his willingness to do anything to win, his way of fighting is the very opposite of Diarmuid’s honorable method of fighting. To make matters worse, Sola-Ui is very obviously affected by Diarmuid’s curse. This adds friction to a pair who already feel it because they have very little in common when it comes to beliefs and values.
Making the friction worse is the fact that much like the perfect knight he is called in myth, Diarmuid is very self-sacrificing. While he is fighting against Caster, he doesn’t think twice about sacrificing one of his weapons because saving those Caster’s monster would kill is the noble and right thing to do. Never does he think this weakens him or puts him at a disadvantage. Instead, he focuses on saving others and optimistically believes that things will turn out for the best because he has done the right thing. Unfortunately, this optimistic and idealistic view Diarmuid has, while able to help keep him going in difficult situations, also blinds him to one of his major flaws: passively accepting things that happen around him and refusing to take responsibly when they go wrong.
When Sola-Ui has taken Diarmuid’s remaining command spells, Diarmuid himself realizes that his history might be starting to repeat itself. Even though he worries about this, he takes no specific action to prevent it. Instead, he hopes and believes things will go okay because it is what he wants, and he as a knight, is doing everything ‘right.’ This is an odd reaction for a knight who is used to taking action to make things happen for his lord and reveals that Diarmuid has a passive streak. Be it because he is used to taking orders from a lord or is just a strong believer that some parts of one’s Fate cannot be avoided, often Diarmuid’s course of action is just to hope for the best. This is not the first time that he has just accepted something may happen and hoped for the best either. During his first life, he was told by Fionn that if he fought the boar he would be facing his death because of a curse that was placed on him. Instead of finding another way, Diarmuid still goes to fight the boar stating that if he is fated to die then, he has no power to change that. He takes no responsibility for the outcome nor does he try to change things. The result is his death as Fionn foretold. The result in the War?
It is also his death.
After Diarmuid is forced by a command spell to drive his spear through his own chest, he never stops to think any of this is his fault. Instead, he blames everyone, the world, and the Grail. In this moment, there is nothing left of the knight Diarmuid started the war as. Instead, all that remains is a man full of anger and hatred. He feels wronged; he feels cheated, and not just for the first time in his life, but the second time. It is a very different side of Diarmuid than is normally presented since it is said that during his first life, he never felt hatred or rage at all because they were unknightly emotions. It doesn’t help that as level-headed as Diarmuid can be in battle, he has problems controlling his emotions outside of battle. This is very clear when he almost breaks down when Kayneth lectures him after Sola-Ui is kidnapped, and even clearer when he loses so much control after he has been betrayed to his death a second time. That is why he makes the wish he does when the chance is offered to him. Later, when he comes back from his berserk and rage-filled state, he will regret his wish, but it will be too late then. All he will be able to do is try to find out how much of the knight he used to be remains.
Wish:
"... let my blood taint your dreams! Let the Grail be cursed! Let the wish it grants bring disaster! And when you fall into the pits of hell... remember the rage of Diarmuid!"
When it comes to a character like Diarmuid, what wish he will make depends on what point in canon he is taken from. If he comes from near the beginning, his wish would be very similar to the wish he originally made that caused him be summoned into the Holy Grail War. Indeed, Diarmuid from the beginning or even the middle of his time in the war would not accept making a contract at all because merely fighting in the war for his master was his greatest wish. It was all he wanted: the chance to serve his lord faithfully until the end. However, at the canon point that I am pulling Diarmuid from, his wish, his beliefs, and everything he thought he knew has crumbled down around his ears. His master has revealed Diarmuid is not exactly who or what he thought he was, that he never trusted him, and that Diarmuid's wish--the wish he thought he was living--actually was a cruel lie. At the end, Diarmuid doesn't even have his life left because his master uses a command spell to force him to kill himself right in the middle of his honorable duel with Saber. Losing all of this is what causes a model knight to make what is ultimately a very selfish and hurtful wish:
"I wish...I wish you all could feel what I feel!"
I believe that, despite all he has lost, Diarmuid feels that if they just knew how much they had hurt him, they would regret their actions. In his rage, that is all he cares about. He wants them to know exactly how much their actions have taken from him. He wants them to know how he feels and how he hurts. He is not just a copy and not just a tool to be thrown away. He has just as much value as anyone else.
This wish has been purposely written in a passive way because of how Diarmuid often refuses to take responsibility for what is going on around him. He becomes a passive rider. Instead of trying to actively change the path he is traveling down when he sees it possibly going wrong, he just continues going, hoping things will go well, and ultimately blaming others when things do go wrong. This is a kick back to his past when he walked into a situation he knew would very likely lead to his death. Also, it is important to notice that his wish in the Grail War is to serve a master. This greatest wish of his is also a passive one as he is giving up his freedom to do whatever he wants in the interest of serving another and fulfilling their wishes instead.
Because Diarmuid's current mindset is so full of hate and rage when he makes his wish, I want it to be interpreted in the worst way possible. This is even more fitting because of the fact the Holy Grail is corrupted. Diarmuid doesn't know just how fitting his curse is. The Grail cannot bring about a beautiful wish because it is filled with evil and hate. In my mind, when everyone present at Diarmuid's death feels his rage and hatred, they turn on each other with Saber ultimately killing her master out of disgust for what he has done. The problem with this is that will take her out of the war as well, leaving no one to challenge Kirei and Gilgamesh at the end of the war. In canon, Saber is forced to destroy the Grail, but she will not be there to do it now, leading not to the partial destruction of Fuyuki, but the complete destruction of the town and possibly even worse. However, because Diarmuid will be detaching himself from that world and the hurt it caused him completely, he will not care how the wish is fulfilled. Selfishly, he will only care to know they ended up feeling the same pain he did no matter where it leads. Once he calms and begins to return to himself, he will wonder what happened and be ashamed of his choice because of how selfish and terrible it was, but there will be no going back at that point. Diarmuid will only be able to continue forward and try to make up for what he did in his rage-filled and nearly berserk state.
Since Diarmuid's wish involves making others feel the emotions he was feeling, I want him to be granted empathic abilities as a result of it. At first, especially since Diarmuid has issues controlling his own emotions at times, I would like him to have a hard time controlling the empathic ability. It will make it so he is overwhelmed easily and may even accidentally influence the emotions of those around him. As he gains more control over his abilities, though, I would like them to grow in such a way that he can eventually use his empathic abilities to help soothe and calm those who are upset or falling into despair. I would also like for him to be able to track centers of strong emotion. Of course, these kinds of actions would be very straining on him and will also open him up to becoming overwhelmed by despair and may possibly sped up soul gem corruption if he is not careful or does it too often.
As this is an ability that influences other characters, I will be sure to put an opt in/out permissions post on his journal.
Power:
Stemming from the ability Diarmuid is granted by his wish, I would like him to be able to take the strength of his emotions and create a shield out of it as his power. He can use this to protect himself and others, but the shield's strength will vary in direct correlation to his own emotions. If he is unsure, unfocused, or hesitant about his actions, the shield will be weak and he won't be able to protect many with it. If he feels strongly about what he is doing, is convinced he is doing the right thing, or extremely focused, the shield will be much stronger and will easily be able to protect others as well as himself. How far away from him the shield can be will also depend on his emotional state. If he is not focused or in control, he will not be able to protect a person right next to him, let alone a person across the room from him. However, if he is controlled and feeling very strongly about what he is doing, then distance will not matter. As long as he can see the person, he will be able to set a shield around them.
Weapon: A red spear.
Sample: TDM Thread Here!