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A depressing and mysterious shadowy creature, living at the heart of an enchanted grove, rendered forever silent by his own hand. Gan Ainm is a strange and tragic figure in the lore of the fae. Long ago a powerful and noble king, he has since been reduced to a mere shade of who he used to be. Having lost it all, his title, his prestige, his memories and even his name, it was he himself who resigned himself to eternal custody as his final act as king, an expression of his loyalty and love for both his people and the everlasting queens that command them.
Gan Ainm, as it's been said, isn't his real name. Rather, the literal translation in Irish is simply 'no name'. Ages have passed, and due to his deteriorating condition he can no longer recall what his true name is anymore, directly impacting his own power. A fae's name after all contains a great deal of magical potency, and if one were to know it, they could easily command the fairy and turn their own power against themselves. As it stands with Gan Ainm however, even he no longer knows it. Though there are brilliant and terrifying moments where the old king is capable of summoning up his former strength, most of the time he seems quite frail and confused, utilizing instead his still yet formidable command of illusions when necessary. Giving himself a name, even if it is only an acknowledgment of his lack of one, manages to maintain some basic level of strength, though since it isn't his true one, should anyone else be told of it, it wouldn't do very much.
Art by Shei!
His failing memory impacts a great deal of things, such has his short term memory and his ability to recall the names of others and other basic information that he's been told, such as promises or directions. He grasps the memories of important and major moments still, recalling that he fathered many children and had a great deal of lovers and devoted subjects. He recalls that he was a king at one point, and will answer to royal titles such as 'sire', 'liege' and 'majesty', less out of some lingering sense of royal arrogance, rather because he can still remember that as being a part of who he was, and it functions just as well as a name for him. To this day, should someone do something or should something happen that impacts him greatly, he will recall both it and them, though he may not remember what their name was, or where they had come from.
Despite his fragile state and inconsistent memory, he's a gentle, friendly if obviously confused creature. Gan Ainm comes across as old, not unfathomably ancient but rather more akin to an older gentleman. Even keel and somber, he may come across as stern and stoic at first, though spending some time with him will reveal that he's quite soft and eager for affection. The difficulty in expressing that lies in two things: his own compromised state, and his inability to speak. Ghoulishly but blatantly, his lips have been sewn shut, and a good look at the 'thread' betrays what macabre material comprises the thread: living sinew. Drawn from his own eternally young and eternally healing body, the old king created a thread that can never be permanently cut, ensuring that even should he eventually regret his actions and attempt to free himself from his self-imposed vow of silence, he would never be able to regain his voice again.
The reason behind it is at once both simple and difficult to describe. Simply, he possesses knowledge that none should ever know, not even himself though that's no longer something he can help at this point. Indeed, it's the very possession of this knowledge that has caused him to fall into this terrible state, sapping his strength and stealing his memories, only to replace it with more terrible knowledge that he can no longer resist searching for. If he was allowed to wander freely and speak, he'd surely sow madness in his wake and drag all who hear him into a state much like his own, if not outright kill them. Instead however, aware of what terrible things he could bring upon those around him, he chose a lifetime of silent imprisonment, so that even should he be found he could never harm another.
As a result of this, his personality has been altered, and the once energetic and dashing king has been since changed into a frail and often very tired old man, youthful only in his appearance. Even then, one can see the age reflected in his eyes, and deep lines still cut into his face around them, revealing just how exhausted this eternal fight has left him. Gan Ainm has a bit of a habit of nodding off whenever and wherever the urge to sleep takes him, and can be found around the grove he's imprisoned himself in napping just about anywhere. There is solace in sleep as well, where in dreams he can at least in some capacity escape the magical labyrinth, so he rarely sees any reason to fight that desire to lay down and rest. Though he's far less likely to slip into slumber if he actually has someone visiting, there is still always the chance that he might, as old habits are hard to break, and there's still the potential to just watch the old king quietly nod off right in the middle of a conversation. The desire to sleep only increases when he uses his magic, or when he's struggling to maintain control over himself.
There are still shreds of the man he used to be, within this melancholy and broken creature. As stated, he is genuinely friendly, if not a bit desperate for both attention and tenderness. Gan Ainm is still acutely intelligent as well, in spite of his fragmented memory, and has a love of words and wordplay typical of any fairy. He's also a very inquisitive and curious creature, and is rarely if ever discouraged by failure or unnerved by newness, in direct contrast to his considerable age and sheltered life. Rather, failure is seen as a lesson, and at some point in his long, long lifetime, he's accepted that one may potentially receive many lessons before they achieve true success.
His patience is exceptional, and he seems to be quite capable of sitting through almost anything without complaint or lashing out, though he does have his limits. Even in that case, irritation tends to be displayed with simply removing himself from the situation, seeing himself as above acting out in annoyance or anger in most cases. There is occasionally some indication of a grasp of sarcasm and a sharp wit in his actions and, in the occasions where he has a means to communicate, in his own words as well, and he can be quite cutting if pushed far enough. But for the most part, anger has very little place in his life. Instead, rather, it's loneliness that has a harsher hold over him, which may explain his level of tolerance. Anyone and everything outside of his grove is fascinating and beautiful, no matter what it may be. He would sit through a barrage of insults if he thought it might end better than it started, and desperately wishes only for companionship. Something, anything to break the endless days of monotony and solitude that now fills his life.
It is this that genuinely makes him dangerous. For the sake of company will one see an edge of that old fairy trickery slip from him. Beware the food and drink he offers, if you value your freedom, and never tarry long in the grove if you should find it. Gan Ainm is still a talented and powerful master of illusions even without the memory of his name, and one might find before them not a towering wraith but a desperately beautiful man with endless offers of pleasure and ease if they would just stay with him. While he does mean every promise he gives, as a fairy cannot lie, anyone who doesn't wish to share his prison with him would be better served declining any and all offers, no matter how pretty they are. Nor how painfully he may cry.
Art by ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bushyeyebrows
Gan Ainm is, without glamour, an unnerving sight to behold. Nearly monochrome in his color, the ancient fairy looks and dresses as if he is always in mourning. Though his robes are elegant and finely made, there isn't a stitch of color in them, all blacks, grays and whites. Similarly, his skin is so pale that it borders upon translucent, and his eyes are jet black, only a luminescent white point indicating in what direction the entity is looking. His hair too is as black as pitch and incredibly long, and is typically draped over his shoulders like a shawl. The black locks are inhumanly sleek and soft to the touch, and seem to drift and flow like water. He'd be supernaturally beautiful, if it weren't for the ugly, thick stitches through his lips.
The old fairy king is incredibly tall, well past human norm, standing at least over nine feet tall without taking the antlers into consideration. The gnarled and branch-like protrusions add a decent foot or so to that, and are dotted with dead leaves and shriveled flower buds. Further adding to the sheer size of him are those wings, just as somberly colored as the rest of him, the wingspan twice the size of his own height in length, and with the old king's wickedly clawed though delicate and fine hands, he cuts an intimidating figure. He has a habit of carrying about a cane that appears to be a branch plucked from an apple tree, just as gnarled and twisted looking as his antlers, so it may shave at least a little bit of that intimidation away to see him obviously leaning upon it.
His ears and legs both are inhuman, deer-like and black furred instead, the former long and pointed and capable of swiveling about just as any proper stag, while the latter are complete with dainty little cloven hooves, well kept and gleaming.
Art by bushyeyebrows
Gan Ainm, as it's been said, isn't his real name. Rather, the literal translation in Irish is simply 'no name'. Ages have passed, and due to his deteriorating condition he can no longer recall what his true name is anymore, directly impacting his own power. A fae's name after all contains a great deal of magical potency, and if one were to know it, they could easily command the fairy and turn their own power against themselves. As it stands with Gan Ainm however, even he no longer knows it. Though there are brilliant and terrifying moments where the old king is capable of summoning up his former strength, most of the time he seems quite frail and confused, utilizing instead his still yet formidable command of illusions when necessary. Giving himself a name, even if it is only an acknowledgment of his lack of one, manages to maintain some basic level of strength, though since it isn't his true one, should anyone else be told of it, it wouldn't do very much.
His failing memory impacts a great deal of things, such has his short term memory and his ability to recall the names of others and other basic information that he's been told, such as promises or directions. He grasps the memories of important and major moments still, recalling that he fathered many children and had a great deal of lovers and devoted subjects. He recalls that he was a king at one point, and will answer to royal titles such as 'sire', 'liege' and 'majesty', less out of some lingering sense of royal arrogance, rather because he can still remember that as being a part of who he was, and it functions just as well as a name for him. To this day, should someone do something or should something happen that impacts him greatly, he will recall both it and them, though he may not remember what their name was, or where they had come from.
Despite his fragile state and inconsistent memory, he's a gentle, friendly if obviously confused creature. Gan Ainm comes across as old, not unfathomably ancient but rather more akin to an older gentleman. Even keel and somber, he may come across as stern and stoic at first, though spending some time with him will reveal that he's quite soft and eager for affection. The difficulty in expressing that lies in two things: his own compromised state, and his inability to speak. Ghoulishly but blatantly, his lips have been sewn shut, and a good look at the 'thread' betrays what macabre material comprises the thread: living sinew. Drawn from his own eternally young and eternally healing body, the old king created a thread that can never be permanently cut, ensuring that even should he eventually regret his actions and attempt to free himself from his self-imposed vow of silence, he would never be able to regain his voice again.
The reason behind it is at once both simple and difficult to describe. Simply, he possesses knowledge that none should ever know, not even himself though that's no longer something he can help at this point. Indeed, it's the very possession of this knowledge that has caused him to fall into this terrible state, sapping his strength and stealing his memories, only to replace it with more terrible knowledge that he can no longer resist searching for. If he was allowed to wander freely and speak, he'd surely sow madness in his wake and drag all who hear him into a state much like his own, if not outright kill them. Instead however, aware of what terrible things he could bring upon those around him, he chose a lifetime of silent imprisonment, so that even should he be found he could never harm another.
As a result of this, his personality has been altered, and the once energetic and dashing king has been since changed into a frail and often very tired old man, youthful only in his appearance. Even then, one can see the age reflected in his eyes, and deep lines still cut into his face around them, revealing just how exhausted this eternal fight has left him. Gan Ainm has a bit of a habit of nodding off whenever and wherever the urge to sleep takes him, and can be found around the grove he's imprisoned himself in napping just about anywhere. There is solace in sleep as well, where in dreams he can at least in some capacity escape the magical labyrinth, so he rarely sees any reason to fight that desire to lay down and rest. Though he's far less likely to slip into slumber if he actually has someone visiting, there is still always the chance that he might, as old habits are hard to break, and there's still the potential to just watch the old king quietly nod off right in the middle of a conversation. The desire to sleep only increases when he uses his magic, or when he's struggling to maintain control over himself.
There are still shreds of the man he used to be, within this melancholy and broken creature. As stated, he is genuinely friendly, if not a bit desperate for both attention and tenderness. Gan Ainm is still acutely intelligent as well, in spite of his fragmented memory, and has a love of words and wordplay typical of any fairy. He's also a very inquisitive and curious creature, and is rarely if ever discouraged by failure or unnerved by newness, in direct contrast to his considerable age and sheltered life. Rather, failure is seen as a lesson, and at some point in his long, long lifetime, he's accepted that one may potentially receive many lessons before they achieve true success.
His patience is exceptional, and he seems to be quite capable of sitting through almost anything without complaint or lashing out, though he does have his limits. Even in that case, irritation tends to be displayed with simply removing himself from the situation, seeing himself as above acting out in annoyance or anger in most cases. There is occasionally some indication of a grasp of sarcasm and a sharp wit in his actions and, in the occasions where he has a means to communicate, in his own words as well, and he can be quite cutting if pushed far enough. But for the most part, anger has very little place in his life. Instead, rather, it's loneliness that has a harsher hold over him, which may explain his level of tolerance. Anyone and everything outside of his grove is fascinating and beautiful, no matter what it may be. He would sit through a barrage of insults if he thought it might end better than it started, and desperately wishes only for companionship. Something, anything to break the endless days of monotony and solitude that now fills his life.
It is this that genuinely makes him dangerous. For the sake of company will one see an edge of that old fairy trickery slip from him. Beware the food and drink he offers, if you value your freedom, and never tarry long in the grove if you should find it. Gan Ainm is still a talented and powerful master of illusions even without the memory of his name, and one might find before them not a towering wraith but a desperately beautiful man with endless offers of pleasure and ease if they would just stay with him. While he does mean every promise he gives, as a fairy cannot lie, anyone who doesn't wish to share his prison with him would be better served declining any and all offers, no matter how pretty they are. Nor how painfully he may cry.
bushyeyebrowsGan Ainm is, without glamour, an unnerving sight to behold. Nearly monochrome in his color, the ancient fairy looks and dresses as if he is always in mourning. Though his robes are elegant and finely made, there isn't a stitch of color in them, all blacks, grays and whites. Similarly, his skin is so pale that it borders upon translucent, and his eyes are jet black, only a luminescent white point indicating in what direction the entity is looking. His hair too is as black as pitch and incredibly long, and is typically draped over his shoulders like a shawl. The black locks are inhumanly sleek and soft to the touch, and seem to drift and flow like water. He'd be supernaturally beautiful, if it weren't for the ugly, thick stitches through his lips.
The old fairy king is incredibly tall, well past human norm, standing at least over nine feet tall without taking the antlers into consideration. The gnarled and branch-like protrusions add a decent foot or so to that, and are dotted with dead leaves and shriveled flower buds. Further adding to the sheer size of him are those wings, just as somberly colored as the rest of him, the wingspan twice the size of his own height in length, and with the old king's wickedly clawed though delicate and fine hands, he cuts an intimidating figure. He has a habit of carrying about a cane that appears to be a branch plucked from an apple tree, just as gnarled and twisted looking as his antlers, so it may shave at least a little bit of that intimidation away to see him obviously leaning upon it.
His ears and legs both are inhuman, deer-like and black furred instead, the former long and pointed and capable of swiveling about just as any proper stag, while the latter are complete with dainty little cloven hooves, well kept and gleaming.
bushyeyebrows