Strange Names & Guessing Games

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[Thanks to Noelle for help with story development]

"I will give you three days’ grace and if during that time you tell me my name...."

...................

The story of Rumpelstiltskin is a lie.
And you're about to hear the truth.





Once there was a miller who was poor, but in no way was he humble. He possessed a beautiful daughter...one so beautiful that often she was confused as royalty. One day, during the presence of the king, the miller, foolishly boasting, told the king he had a daughter who could spin straw into gold.
Now the king was a curious man. He was intrigued by this girl who could do the impossible, and he called for her presence. He placed her in a small room full of straw, and promptly left her there to spin the straw into gold. The miller's daughter, although clever, could not possibly spin this straw into gold; for if she knew how to, would they still be this poor?
We all know what happens next. There comes a man, a tiny one with strange clothes and a mischievous smile, and he offers to spin the straw into gold for tiny treasures in exchange; the girl's necklace, her ring.

But this, in fact, is where the story goes wrong.

Wandered into the room was a woman of infinite life, an immortal being with nothing better to do but travel the realms and repeat the endless cycle of life. Feeling pity for the poor girl in this foolish land of people, the woman kindly offered to spin the straw for her, and asked nothing for exchange.
She did this again, for the next night, and even on the third night, she finished spinning all the straw into gold although it had exhausted her. On this third night, however, the miller's daughter felt so grateful that she demanded to know what this mysterious woman would like in exchange, and finally, for she had always craved a child of her own, she mumbled,
"Would it be alright, after you marry, if I obtained your firstborn child?" for the miller's daughter would be marrying the king the next day.
The miller's daughter, too wrapped up in her attempt to be able to repay this beautiful woman, agreed immediately. Years passed, and the daughter soon forgot of this promise. However, when she did decide to have a baby, the immortal traveller stopped by, young and beautiful as always, and held her arms open for the tiny boy that would become her son.

The miller's daughter was horrified. She loved this boy more than anything, and she was overcome with jeaousy for the young beauty of this woman.She shook her head, vigorously. "I'll give you all the riches in the world, just not my baby."

The immortal sighed. "I'm sorry, but we had a promise, did we not? Something alive is dearer to me than all the treasures in the world," and she smiled reassuringly. But the miller's daughter would not relent. Finally, the immortal woman struck a deal; if the miller's daughter, now the queen, would be able to guess her name, she would keep her baby.

The immortal woman was not foolish. She did not reveal her name in a song. It is said that when the queen guessed Rumpelstiltskin's name, he yelled, "The devil told you that name!" A part of that is undoubtedly true, for a demon, very like the immortal woman, from the world of demons, came down upon Earth and whispered the name into the queen's ear. The bundle of life the woman had yearned for was stole away from her, and yet she still loved him as her own. She watched him grow, and then when she could not take it anymore, she left.

And that is the end of the story.
Well, not...quite.


...................


"The demon lord always gets what he wants, no matter how long it takes him."







Centuries passed. The little kingdom became a blooming city, and the story of the immortal woman had become a vague interpretation; a folkstale about a tiny man named "Rumplestiltskin." Life was normal, as normal as it could be. Streets of the city would be ridden with crime at night, and yet life would go on, and no one would question the evil that had continued to fester in mankind.

All but one.

A boy, one with a remarkably similar face to the baby of the queen so long ago, questioned it. He questioned everything. And it wasn't long until thsi very questioning brought that same immortal from that story, back to him, to the very place where long ago, a woman refused to keep a promise.

......

Who was this immortal woman, you ask? An offspring of the dark, she carried within her demon blood, and she had escaped the constraints of hell itself. That is why, on that third day of name guessing, did the demon lord come down and whisper into the queen's ear, the woman's name. She was wanted back in hell, but no demon had enough power as she, and they couldn't remain on Earth for long. However, the woman knew that one day, the demon lord would catch up to her. Until then she continued to travel, seeking nothing and everything. Seeking...love.

It was a matter of fate that drew her back to the wretched place she had lost her chances of having a baby to call her own, a spark of life she could not create. For a moment she did not realize where she was, until she saw him.
And suddenly, she knew.

She had to have him.

N a m e
Calcifer 'Cal' Goldenrod
A g e
19
G e n d e r
Male

P e r s o n a l i t y
II Curious II
Calcifer, although a fashion photographer, had always wanted to be the sort of photographer who took pictures of interesting new things, or used the pictures to tell a story found through extensive investigations. Ever since he was a child, after all, the charming young lad has always been the most curious of souls, and is constantly wandering off (mentally and physically) to follow his most recent fascination. This tends to apply both to mysteries (which he positively adores) and women, for he is always fascinated by the next one to come along, being rather easily bored, and so will jump from woman to woman, although they are all very interesting characters. Often times he has found himself sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, and has paid the price for it here and again when wits and charms were not enough for him to evade a nasty situation. He simply lacks a sense of danger when trailing his most recent fascination, and will devour any sort of information regarding what he is interested in. His curiosity may be strange for one of his age, and may be considered borderline childlike, but it is both an endearing and irritating trait in the handsome young man with a taste for adventure and new things.

II Flirtatious II
Oh, yes, have no fear; Calcifer the ladies' man is here and ready for action. Our beloved hero can very well be considered to be a major flirt, to the point where he can attract a woman without even thinking about it, because the flirtatious manners and sweet words simply come naturally. Elderly women fawn over what a sweet boy he is, and girls his age simply desire him, because he happens to be attractive, confident, and already making a name for himself in the world of fashion photography. The fact that he is in the fashion industry is a great plus, actually, because girls are always falling over themselves trying to seduce him into giving them a job as a model. Honestly, he prefers the models themselves, people who didn't use others to get to the position they are in- although he is willing to pay attention to any girl, beauty is most certainly a plus, and most of the lovely ladies he photographs have no problem having some fun after the shoot. The problem for the girls is his short attention span, which leads to him quickly growing tired of them and moving on. He has never found someone who could truly hold his interest, not since his first love anyway, and so basically has become a player. Many girls don't mind, of course, because they are young enough to not be looking for anything serious either. He has, however, been stuck in some odd situations with clingy exes and bitter girls, of course. Still, he continues to flirt, having no inkling as to why a woman wouldn't be absolutely thrilled to play around a bit with him. The only thing that keeps someone from being flirted with would be age, probably, because he isn't exactly in to grannies or kids.

II Arrogant II
Remember the mention of him not having any idea why a girl would not be flattered to be played around with from him? If not guessed already, this assumption is based on his incredibly swelled ego, for our hero is an arrogant soul who, often times, seems to think the world revolves around his desires. It is why he can drop everything to follow a curiosity without a second thought, because he is arrogant enough to think that he is talented and coveted enough to do so. The young man grew up being fawned over by girls, and the only time his heart was broken, he found it very easy to avenge himself and turn the tables. With a life full of coasting by on looks and charms, why would he ever think himself anything less than brilliant? Even in photography, he got the first job he applied for, due to connections, looks, and sheer natural talent. So yes, the boy has way too much self-confidence and that can be very irritating to coworkers, but he also has no reason to feel any other way about himself. Besides, the ladies seem to like a man who is self-assured, and it works very much in his favor when courting the newest interest.

II Kind II
Believe it or not, for all his arrogance and flirtatiousness, Calcifer can actually be an incredibly sweet and charming young man- how else would he keep the women he dates, past the initial flirting stage? (not that he keeps any for long, but that is more of a personal choice) It is the reason that grandmother types fawn over him, and as a kid he always got extra servings of lunch for free from the lunch ladies in the cafeteria. He remembers birthdays, plans extravegant and thoughtful dates, and has a capacity to be incredibly caring and gentle when he wants to be. His house often has stray animals that he picks up and nurses back to health, he stops to help lost children, and carry bags for others. It is a mix of chivalry and being something of a secret sweetheart- he may have the tendency to play around with girls, but leaving them is rarely his intention at first. The boy is alsways genuinely enamoured when courting a girl, but then he isn't anymore. And being handsome and kind has gotten him plenty of perks in life, not just extra doses of lunch and the like, take note.

II Fickle II
Well, our dashing young hero has a bit of a short attention span, whether in interests, hobbies, locations or women- the only passion he has managed to keep would be photography, but that is because there is always something new to deal with. He is kind but unconstant, genuine but then distractable, and in general a rather unreliable sort of person in his loyalties and affections. It isn't that he harbors any ill-will towards a person, but his mind is constantly changing, as well as his metaphorical heart. To hold his interest would be a great feat, championed only by someone with the capacity to be ever evolving, always a bit more interesting, and full of depth and life to explore.

S k i l l s
II Observation II
Living behind a lense does have a sort of advantage, besides the fact that he tends to attract women like flies to honey, and it is his ability to notice that which others may overlook. Paired with a great curiosity that rivals that of a small child, it means that Cal is quite gifted in the way of discovering and observing things. That which goes unnoticed by others is caught by his artist's eyes, and obsessed over by the easily-intrigued mind of his. Emotions are his special talent, and he is able to draw emotions out of a person as one pours water out of a cup- he needs to know how a person will react to take the most beautiful pictures, and this translates over to the real world as well. Do not expect to easily hide things from him unless you are especially talented in this field, because he has a competency for noticing in general.

II Persuasion II
A combination of good looks and charm is all one really needs to coast by and manipulate people, honestly, but adding this to his talent for prompting emotions out of people creates a young man who is very talented in the art of persuasion. He used to joke that he could talk a person into giving him their car, if he tried to. Many young women have fallen for his violet eyes and boyish smiles, but it isn't only those of the female persuasion whom he can manipulate to see things his way. He's a talker by nature, a social person that is, and knows just how to act around people in order to get on their good side and turn any opinions and events to his advantage. Basically, the young man can be very convincing when he wants to be- and is rather charming even when he isn't trying, to tell the truth.

II Details II
His keen eyes make Cal a person whom has a talent for spotting the details of life, and his ability to point them out give him competency in the way of arranging them in a suiting manner. Whether it be angling the lighting or the position of a model just so, or planning a lunch meeting with an employer so that it gives him a favorable impression. Details are how he runs his life, nearly, the only time he is able to see the big picture being from behind a lense. Other than that, he has a case of tunnel vision.

W e a k n e s s e s
II Arrogance II
"He's SO full of himself-" "How full of himself is he?" "He's SO full of himself, he made Narcissius seem humble!"
Alright, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but Calcifer's swelled head will surely be a player in his downfall when he takes a risk he shouldn't have, flirts with the wrong woman, or has his entire world crash down the one time things don't go his way. The boy is a risk-taker, certainly, and though luck has been on his side as of yet, there will definitely come a time where he will put all his pieces on the board, and have it turn out that his hand was soundly beaten by a royal flush. If he makes a wrong move, and isn't able to coast out of his on confidence and charm, the boy will be lost on what else to do. Those who only win will crash even harder when they finally fall.

II Beyond the Lense II
Calcifer is more of a detail kind of man, and therefore cannot see the big picture unless it is through a camera lense- that is to say, he can think that everything is working out, without seeing that the details are crashing together to create a complete disaster when one steps back and sees the entire thing. He has tunnel vision, unable to see everything at once, and therefore could unknowingly set up his own downfall.

II Speed II
Okay, truth be told, though he lives in the metaphorical fast lane, Calcifer is kind of a slug with running- he may notice things quickly, but has somewhat delayed responses to it. Don't let the fast talking fool you; a short-legged toddler could outrun the boy, who always managed to skip his way out of gym class- especially the runs and such. He can run for a long time, but not very fast. To comfort himself, he likes to imagine himself as the Tortoise and everyone else the hare- he always ends up winning in the end. Of course, that doesn't mean he can end up victorious in a sprint. And personality wise, he's more remnant of the hare.

II Superstitious II
Although not religious, Calicer is secretly very superstitious- he avoids broken mirrors, never walks under ladders, and all of that hocus-pocus crap. Even his arrogance manages to be curbed in these ridiculous beliefs- he even has a lucky rabbit's foot and wears a necklace with a small vial holding a preserved four leaf clover her found as a child.

M a n n e r i s m s
II Impromptu Photoshoots II
Cal has the habit of randomly whipping out his camera in order to take photographs of anything that catches his fancy for that specific moment. He has taken pictures of plants, animals, people, and general scenery on a whim, and is fond of going back and looking at all of the things he has taken pictures of. Even while flirting with a girl, he will rapidly take it out and snap a shot of a certain expression of her face, or the wind catching her hair in the right place. When he explains the specific reason for taking the shot, their shock generally fades into being flattered.

II Natural Flirt II
See the personality trait for more details, but basically the young man has a simply flirtatious manner about him that he has to put effort into turning off. He is so used to flirting and messing around with girls that his way of speech is very 'come hither', and has offended a few people when he doesn't even realize that he is unintentionally hitting on a person.

II Bang Flip II
Simple to explain, instead of using his hands to brush hair out of the way, Calcifer does that annoying thing where people whip their head back and the bangs move back a bit. His hair always falls back, however, and so he does it fairly frequently.

L i k e s a n d d i s l i k e s
SII Photography IIS
This is kind of a no-brainer, and is explained throughout his skeleton- photography is always something new, always interesting, and allows him to see the world in a way that he is normally incapable of. As of yet, it is his one true love, and the only loyalty he has managed to uphold for an extended period of time.

SII Women IIS
Once again, fairly well explained in his flirtatiousness, besides, he has always seemed to prefer hanging around women more than men. They are softer, smell better, and are less likely to outrun him- plus, hey seem to like him a lot more than most men do anyway, so why wouldn't he reflect their sentiments?

SII Strawberries IIS
The smell, the taste, even the color red: he loves every aspect of the delicious fruit, and is constantly eating something that has its flavor. He finds it preferable to anything else, from chocolate to blueberry, and one of the things that he really likes when flirting with girls is when they smell like strawberries. There is also a trend of him staying slightly longer with girls who have some sort of strawberry flavored lipgloss, because then their kisses taste good.

DII Commitment IID

DII Dull people IID

DII Vanilla IID