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Headcanon post! (under construction)
Aug. 28th, 2013 11:33 pmTam Lin is a character from an old Scottish ballad from the 1500-1600s. He is also a demon in the Shin Megami Tensei series. This version of him is an amalgamation of the two.
For information on the ballad, here's a handy link.
For the purposes of this journal, his history plays out much the same as it did in legend, with a few notable differences;
1. In retribution for his attempted sacrifice to hell, he, at some point, devoured a pixie (or several). This is evidenced by his in-game dialogue with a Pixie in Devil Summoner 2, of which this version of Tam Lin is a mix.
2. His time in Faerie left a permanent mark on him, and even though Janet rescued him, he remained distinctly inhuman. He didn't age, and could only watch as his wife and son grew old and eventually died, while he remained ever as he had upon their first meeting. Whether this was a result of simply existing in Faerie for a number of years or from consuming faerie flesh is unclear.
3. This version is taken more or less from modern day, where he has become a skill-order demon allied to Raidou Kuzunoha XIV. Because of this, he has considerable knowledge of the world and technology up to the 1930s.
Those are the major deviations from the ballad.
As for Tam Lin himself, while he once was human, his time in Faerie has changed him. Now, as half Fae himself, he appears to be an inhumanly beautiful young man with silver hair and emerald eyes. His skin is impossibly smooth, giving it the appearance of porcelain, and his eyes seem to lack pupils entirely, nor do they seem to ever blink. His facial expressions have a strangely false and uncanny quality to them, as if made by an actor imitating emotions rather than feeling them himself. Overall, he seems more doll than human, posed and controlled by an unknown puppeteer. He can move without making a sound, even in full armor, and he can bewitch mortals with nothing more than eye contact.
His body wasn't the only thing to change as a result of becoming Fae. His mind also twisted, and his code of morals became near-incomprehensible at times. He sees no problems with robbing or killing, and has trouble grasping the concept of altruism. He's also somewhat racist toward both humans and the Fae, though he technically belongs to both groups. The racism toward the Fae stems from his abduction and the fact that they had planned to sacrifice him to hell. The racism toward humans stems from the fact that, as half Fae himself, it's natural for him to have at least something of a superiority complex.
He did, however, retain a few of his human mores. He did legitimately love his wife Janet and their son and remained faithful while they were alive, but he saw no shame in pursuing romance again once Janet passed away (though he never again loved as deeply, and never remarried). He remains a philanderer to this day, and sees it in no way as disrespectful to his late wife.
For information on the ballad, here's a handy link.
For the purposes of this journal, his history plays out much the same as it did in legend, with a few notable differences;
1. In retribution for his attempted sacrifice to hell, he, at some point, devoured a pixie (or several). This is evidenced by his in-game dialogue with a Pixie in Devil Summoner 2, of which this version of Tam Lin is a mix.
2. His time in Faerie left a permanent mark on him, and even though Janet rescued him, he remained distinctly inhuman. He didn't age, and could only watch as his wife and son grew old and eventually died, while he remained ever as he had upon their first meeting. Whether this was a result of simply existing in Faerie for a number of years or from consuming faerie flesh is unclear.
3. This version is taken more or less from modern day, where he has become a skill-order demon allied to Raidou Kuzunoha XIV. Because of this, he has considerable knowledge of the world and technology up to the 1930s.
Those are the major deviations from the ballad.
As for Tam Lin himself, while he once was human, his time in Faerie has changed him. Now, as half Fae himself, he appears to be an inhumanly beautiful young man with silver hair and emerald eyes. His skin is impossibly smooth, giving it the appearance of porcelain, and his eyes seem to lack pupils entirely, nor do they seem to ever blink. His facial expressions have a strangely false and uncanny quality to them, as if made by an actor imitating emotions rather than feeling them himself. Overall, he seems more doll than human, posed and controlled by an unknown puppeteer. He can move without making a sound, even in full armor, and he can bewitch mortals with nothing more than eye contact.
His body wasn't the only thing to change as a result of becoming Fae. His mind also twisted, and his code of morals became near-incomprehensible at times. He sees no problems with robbing or killing, and has trouble grasping the concept of altruism. He's also somewhat racist toward both humans and the Fae, though he technically belongs to both groups. The racism toward the Fae stems from his abduction and the fact that they had planned to sacrifice him to hell. The racism toward humans stems from the fact that, as half Fae himself, it's natural for him to have at least something of a superiority complex.
He did, however, retain a few of his human mores. He did legitimately love his wife Janet and their son and remained faithful while they were alive, but he saw no shame in pursuing romance again once Janet passed away (though he never again loved as deeply, and never remarried). He remains a philanderer to this day, and sees it in no way as disrespectful to his late wife.
