[Saima has tattoo-like markings of the sun and the moon – one on each wrist. And on their back they have wreath like markings – that actually extend to the front across their collarbone.]
Source: translucentmind
Tag: headcanon
“You know, once you start letting go of things you don’t actually need to do – one starts to feel a whole lot lighter. I’ve really found that there’s not much use for me to take on things that don’t fit me at all.” It seems like an apparent conclusion but when one has been playing a role for a bit out of habit and starting to feel overly constrained, remembering who they really are appears to help.
Something about changing the way they conduct themselves is making Saima feel a whole lot better. It’s long past time they go their own way again and it seems to be a good decision so far.
Little things
Saima often has little issues with the line between reality and unreality because they so often cross that line. Perpetually existing going from what is considered real and what is not has blurred the sense of it – to be practically irrelevant as far as they are concerned.
Partially this can come from them being mostly ‘unreal’ in their own mythic nature and the fact that their sense of memory easily crosses over from stories to facts and back to stories again in the way they’ve experience existene over the years.
One’d would think when they formed a physical form to live in this realm would have determine a solid oundary but – it hasn’t really. Since they’ve been knwn to purposely disappear from the narrative multiple times over the years.
Little things.
When they suspect no one is watching or are particularly comfortable, Saima will release a kind of fog-like substance from their mouth – not unlike the kind of smoke that smokers breathe out when smoking, Although it doesn’t really have a smell outside of maybe something foresty and it clearly dissipates. It’s really a means to relieve tension and a habit that they’ve picked up over the years when they get a little tired while in their physical form.
Also when they suspect there are no one around, they will use a bit of help to complete tasks – like they’ll stir things without using their hands directly, pull things from across the rooms and just make life a bit easier for themselves. Especially since they are likely to lounge in somewhat unusual positions when at home alone.
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27. What do they strongly like and dislike, in any category? Why?
Likes:
Mythology – because it is comforting and it lets them feel in touch with their true self
Music – because they see it as a continuation sharing stories about experiences and lore
Food – Because it is delicious, especially rye bread. It is important.
Nature- because they don’t have to worry about trying to ground themselves in civilization, reminds them of home.
Seeing traditions and holidays celebrated – because it shows how people keep older lore as a part of their lives into the modern time.
Dislikes –
Seeing their land in distress, it takes a toll on them emotionally and has left an impact since witness so much struggle over the years
Imposing forces – because that’s usually a bad sign for the lang they care about deeply
Intolerance and suppression of home culture – because that seems to make experiences all the worse from what they can tell.
29. What kind of activities, interests, and hobbies do they have? What significance and impact do these have in their lives, both positive and negative?
They do a lot of music creation because they feel it’s a way of coping with changes and being able to truly express themselves in a way people can relate to. They collect and read mythology books, they travel and explore natural areas because those are nice places to unwind and maybe not have to pretend so much. They’ll always have something of a weakness for indulging with tales about the supernatural and horror because.. they can relate to that in ways that might be somewhat disconcerting at times.
Saima likes to write because there are so many observations that they have and want to keep track of – although it often leads to them being more willing to write things than to say things.
They enjoy cooking and baking because one of the treats of being in a physical form is enjoying food. Simple things really.
They ride their bike around the neighborhood a lot which has gotten them recognized as someone who is usually around to run errands and help people out. Which is nice because it helps them feel appreciated and connected.
33. How do they learn about the world–what is their preferred learning style? Hands-on learning with trial and error? Research, reading, and note-taking? Observation or rote memorization? Inductive or deductive reasoning? Seeking patterns and organization? Taking things apart and putting them back together? Creative processing via discussing, writing about, or dramatizing things?
Honestly, Saima has used a variety of learning styles in their years engaging with the world. These days they do a major combination of observation, research and seeking patterns. But they also do a lot of creative processing through music. In the past, they have learned through taking things apart and putting them back together which is partially how they managed to get a handle on fixing things
38. Is there anything they wish they could change about their worldview or thought processes? What, and why?
Saima sometimes wishes they could more easily connect their experiences to the reality of the world around them. Because there is a certain dissonance between the mythic experience of their living and being able to flit in and out and the reality that they are now generally living around. And it’s a little difficult to reconcile because it’s not exactly like they can go around asking people about their experiences with supernatural beings, assuming like people even believe in them anymore.
40. What do they wonder about? What sparks their curiosity and imagination, and why? How is this expressed, if it is?
Saima has a lot of wonder and curiosity about the way that people tell stories and share experiences. They are always looking for the ways that people can express mythic experiences through modern expressions and so there’s always a delight in seeking out those ways of connecting that people engage with. It’s usually expressed in being willing to join spaces that have nontraditional ways of dealing with sharing stories and looking for the frontier of what people are going to try next. They’re there to help provide a common thread through out all the changes that time has imposed so it’s natural for them to wonder and see what is on the horizon.
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[14 has been answered – but basically – ensuring the traditions and mythos of their land is involved with people into the modern day]
16. Do they dream? What are those dreams like?
Sometimes. These dreams tend to be a blend of their original ethereal existence and visions they have encountered from over the years. Occasionally they are current fantasies of desires gone unexpressed but ..those happen to many entities, surely. The dreams are generally quite surreal in nature, nonetheless.
19. How do they behave within a group? What role(s) do they take? Does this differ if they know and trust the group, versus finding themselves in a group of strangers? Why?
Saima tends to take the role of the listener and observer in a group. They are a quiet person by nature and that lends themselves to just being incredibly observant and aware of everything happening around them. Occasionally, they’ll interject with their opinion but only if explicitly asked for it.
It doesn’t really change because they generally don’t trust all that easy so the behavior is the same. However, if they are among a more familiar group – Saima is more likely to actually talk, although they’ll always be careful about what is said. Since they don’t want to be a burden if it can be avoided.
21. What kind of relationships do they tend to intentionally seek out versus actually cultivate? What kind of social contact do they prefer, and why?
[as addressed, Saima isn’t super one to intentionally seek out many relationships. Although they are more likely to seek out eccentric individuals and people who maintain stories from the old days just for a comfort aspect. They also seek out other beings with long lives just to learn from their adapting strategies. ]
23. How do they respond to difficult social moments? What makes them consider a social situation difficult?
Usually by enforcing their boundaries and if necessary, withdrawing from the situation altogether. This happens when they are feeling particularly outdone with socializing either because of a singular person or because they have become low on the will to put on a persona.
24. How do they present themselves socially? What distinguishes their “persona” from their “true self”, and what causes that difference?
It depends on who they are around.
Among humans, Saima doesn’t really maintain much of a persona. Although they don’t give much information, they don’t exactly hide the fact that they have something of an ethereal nature to them. Since it is more likely to be somewhat comforting to humans from their land, or in general (although that might cause more curiosity than anything else).
Among personifications, they’ve played the role of Eesti Vabariik (Republic of Estonia) somewhat regularly off and on through the years. So it’s a way of conducting business with these entities. They have to specifically ground themselves a little more since so many are often familiar with them because of that engagement.
Though it makes them wonder, they have disappeared a number of times throughout the years – is it possible that some of these entities might have noticed that. They usually just assume those others might have been too busy with their own lives to care.
13, 23, and 35!
[13 has been answered]
23. How do they respond to difficult social moments? What makes them consider a social situation difficult?
Saima tries to maintain a calm and patient attitude in difficult social moments. Although they won’t hesitate to be frank if the situation gets to be enough that they have to leave. Or they will be forthright about not tolerating much nonsense if comes to that.
What makes them consider a situation difficult – is being around a person that they find to be fairly unpleasant or at least uncomfortable. Or in groups, when they feel increasingly unable to maintain the persona without stress and just feeling the need to withdraw and be their entire self for a while. Being a group of those whose role they are able to play but aren’t really, can be exhausting. Since the ‘we’ perspectives that tend to come out are inherently a bit alienating.
35. How and why do they internalize knowledge? What effect has that had on them?
They internalize knowledge to have a better idea of what they can do to help, and as a way to ensure continued survival into the future. They get that information from being around people, from reading, from observing events, from talking to those of their own land, sometimes through travel, through wandering the forests. They are able to find a valid source of knowledge damn near anywhere they go.
The effect is that it makes the pursuit of knowledge not only something they have to do but something they actively enjoy. It is a passion for the spirit – because they do enjoy considering the changes and how some common themes actually just take on other forms as time passes.
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9. How do they manifest energy, exhaustion, tension, or other strong emotions?
Saima tries to keep their emotions private or at the very least contained so that their reaction doesn’t cause any suspicious interactions. But when it can not be helped, it tends to manifest in how they try to ground themselves. The stronger the emotion – the less likely they can pretend to be ‘normal’. Their aura tends to change to reflect their mood and the sense of otherworldliness which might be subtle but inexplicable before gets more and more obvious – especially in the way their eyes seem to get increasingly piercing.
So the key to really gauging them at least physically appears to be in their eyes.
10. What energizes and drains them most?
Events that celebrate traditions and holidays seem to energize them quite a bit. And gatherings that seem to ensure the survival of their people and their truth seems to give them a lot of energy. But you know, music and reading about mythos seems to be a great way to keep them consistently energized and at ease.
Also doing little favors for people in the area always seems to help them quite a bit.
In terms of draining, usually when drastic events strike their land and despite their efforts, they can’t really maintain a presence among their people for too long. So for some periods of time, they might have flitted out – to keep an eye on things from more of a distance. Non-stop physical living during especially stressful times with no time to reprieve is enough to drive them to a bad place. And they found quickly about their need to retreat from the scene sometimes.
11. How are they vocally expressive? What kind of voice, accent, tones, inflections, volume, phrases and slang, and manner of speaking do they use?
Saima has a relatively level voice but it does have something a singsong nature. They speak with a way that makes you think they are carrying a soft melody, it’s often the nature of their native language that gives that impression. They do use slang from other languages that they have picked up over the years – but it is more often seen in texts or online posts than anything else.
They use inflection for being a little playful or sarcastic. And their tone can change sharply if their mood drops to the point – the voice in that case gets increasingly formal and curt.
Although they speak multiple dialects of Estonian, their accent is more akin to that of the northern Estonia – albeit perhaps an even older version of it than many are able to easily recognize.
12. How are they bodily expressive? How do they use nonverbal cues such as their posture, stance, eyes, eyebrows, mouths, and hands?
Saima’s eyes are incredibly expressive. They use their eyes to give their real opinion more often than not – especially in combination with their eyebrows and mouth. They have a way of giving looks that in silence say a lot more than words could readily express. While they try to maintain a neutral stance, their hands are also a way that they can help communicate a skepticism or confusion with a point someone else is making.
And the color of their eyes actually says a lot – if they are grounded and trying to fit in – they have blue-green iris and white sclera. But in their more natural state, they have blue-green sclera and white iris and so if the latter eyes seem to peer at you – you are not looking at the Saima most people know. You’re encountered something akin to their true self.
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1. How do they move and carry themselves? Pace, rhythm, gestures, energy?
Saima carries them with a certain kind of grace. They move smoothly and quickly, almost to the point that it’s hard to see when they were last. They navigate through this world as if it just another road – turning and gliding through the environment. There is definitely an airy quality that seems a little otherworldly – something a little too close to the wind moving past you. They do try to ground themselves a bit just to manage to not to draw too much attention – but they might resort to quicker methods to get somewhere in a hurry.
They gesture with their hands lightly, idle and decisive measures to make a point with ease. There is a perpetal sense of ease in the way that they move. Not that they are lazy, it’s like there’s a comfort with their existence that comes from having multiple lifetimes under their belt.
Saima’s energy is best discribed as moderate. They are a very calm presence to be around with a hint of always carrying a secret of something more. If one is one from their land, there is a clear feeling of someone coming right out of the forest or out of the sea around them. Otherwise, there is this perpetual quiet otherness that is often hard to pick up on.
[answered 3]
4. What is their size and build? How does it influence how they use their body, if it does?
In this form, Saima is currently 6 foot with a slender build with a little tone to their arms, legs and a curve along the hips. It doesn’t really influence how they use the body because they are used to moving in such a way – although one could say their movements does fit the build of someone with a smoother silhouette. Although their appearance does make them more careful about how they interact with others. Despite having pretty interesting abilities, they’re not going to go out of their way to start mess if they don’t have to. It’s just much more trouble than it’s worth.
5. How do they dress? What styles, colors, accessories, and other possessions do they favor? Why?
These days Saima dresses in a fairly casual fashion. They do wear clothes fitted in a more feminine style because they are more comfortable that way. Although they tend to go for a generally soft and comfortable look. With nice shirt-dresses, blouses, little skirts, casual trousers, layering with cozy and stylish sweaters, shoe-boots are a nice show that they tend to enjoy. Although in more lazy moments, they do have dorky t-shirts they might include in their coordinates for fun. They are always inclined to be well-put together in a way that flatters them.
In warmer weather, Saima leans towards lighter pastels but as the fall season comes – they are more into neutral colors, green, brown, blue is still a favorite of all seaons and they have a weakness for a lot of black mixed in. The colors of choice just tend to associate with their feeing fo being at ease with nature.
They wear light scarves, a couple bracelets to keep things casual and complementary. Despite wanting to look nice, they are still into keeping it simple at the end of the day.
Seekesotsibteadmist 