Profile
He naturally has a kind, caring heart. His mode of connection is to reach out and help others with their problems. After learning healing magic, which he found out was his highest natural element, his fondness for support only increased.
After the kingdom's crown was stolen by none other than his father, Houghton was already a young adult with no affinity toward the crown when it was given to him. With his father's plans to empower their people, he feels like he's little more than his father's lackey, but wants to believe in him. He doesn't feel much like a prince, and would rather abdicate the throne to his sister if it were ever given to him.
Having lost people he cared about one after another after another, Houghton is scared of death and dying, so he uses the imagery of death with the belief it could ward his own away.
He loves his dad, but considers the man much of an extremist and thinks he made a lot of bad choices. He doesn't think highly of his own choices, either. He hates admitting it aloud but partially blames his father for his mother's death, mostly due to how hard the pregnancy with Kallio was on her.
He struggles to let himself become close to people and worldhops before he has his feelings hurt. He frequently acts out in order to push people away when he feels he becomes too close to them. He's somewhat of a hopeless romantic and develops crushes easily, but is waiting to hopefully find a fellow kyklourian to be his future queen before he becomes serious with relationships and settles down back on his home world. Highly prefers AMABs over AFABs for casual relationships to prevent 'oops', but his crushes are fairly even across both sexes.
History - Traveling Prince
Houghton is a prince who only became one recently, after his father forcefully took over the kingdom a couple years after his mother passed away. While his father is the ruler of the kingdom, he is truly only caring about any other Kyklourian they can get within the kingdom. Houghton feels conflicted about his father's aspirations but wishes to prove himself not a natural failure without his mother's support, anyway.
In an effort to bolster the universally low Kyklourian headcount in the kingdom, his father taught him the magic needed to travel the universe, across other worlds, in order to find their people and send them to their new home under King Laurium's rule. He's a free roamer, nowadays, hopping between different worlds and doing his best to blend in. It's difficult for him to blend in with some non-magic universes, where his looks stand out, but that also makes it possible for him to find other Kyklourians, too.
He's successfully hopped between dozens of worlds, and sent home 17 individuals so far. While searching for his kind, he takes time to learn about the worlds he lands on, and hopefully learn magic to expand his abilities. He flees from any dangerous situations he thinks he will get hurt from, even though he knows healing skills.
History - Exiled Future
After a near-death experience, Houghton lost a chunk of his lifespan in order to do an emergency heal, giving himself a bit of mana burn. While recovering from both, he decided that he was ready to form his own path, giving up on being a prince officially, and traveling worlds as he was before. He still offers the Kyklourans he meets the option to live with more of their kind, but no longer pressures them if they seem like they'd rather stay where they are.
No longer scared of death, as he experienced the peace of it personally, he not only gave up the prince look, but also the skull themes. He is more exploratory with his outfits, enjoying wearing the clothing of the locals in the places he visits. He also cares less about hiding his Kyklouran heritage when out and about, but will honor the code of not introducing magic to worlds that don't believe.
Forsaking his father for the most part, he still does the rare visit home. His father truly believes he is unforgivable, and his sister has learned this as well. He rarely visits the castle, but instead drops in and says hello to the friends he didn't want to leave behind.
He struggles to let himself become close to people and worldhops before he has his feelings hurt. He frequently acts out in order to push people away when he feels he becomes too close to them. He's somewhat of a hopeless romantic and develops crushes easily, but doesn't pursue them because he does not know where he wishes to settle down once his adventuring days are over. Highly prefers AMABs over AFABs for casual relationships to prevent 'oops', but his crushes are fairly even across both sexes.
Likes
- Helping People
- Oil Paints
- Motorcycles
- Flavored Breads
- Fish (both alive and as food)
Dislikes
- Strife
- Red Meat
- Milk
- Chatterboxes
At a Glance
- Height: 195cm
- Build: Fit but Lanky
- He is considered an adult equal to his late 20's, but suffers from baby-face and looks quite a bit younger.
- Hair: Green on his Right, White on his left; both eyebrows are green.
- His fingernails are naturally the same green, and his hands are a little claw-like.
- When acting as a prince, he never wears his mask. When adventuring out, he never wears his crown.
- Has an aura of poor self-worth. He generally has a worried expression.
Timeline
Houghton was a curious and happy child, cared for greatly by his ever-doting mother. She was so happy that he grew up with a magic profile similar to her own, above average though not as high potential as his father, and taught him some of the best wind and lightning magic she could muster. He was very much a mama's boy while they were together, but his father only gave performative attention when it was the three of them together. Houghton learned some basic metal attack and shielding skills from his father, at the pressure of his mother.
Houghton's confidence in himself was at a record low when his ring fell off, though his mother was quite proud. Laurium considered his son's magic a little undercooked, his ring too simple, his son far too cowardly, and that affected Houghton's confidence greatly.
His mother stitched a couple gold stems and some runes on his tail during his ring ceremony, in an effort to both protect him in the future, and help his newly-found healing skills grow farther.
Though his mother's health began declining, Houghton's wishes for independance and his inability to withstand his father's cold personality won against his wishes to help his mother. If there is one thing he knew about his father, it's that his love for his mother ran far deeper than any ocean, and he would make sure the best of care was given for her. With that, Houghton traveled to another kingdom to study healing magic under a master, with the intent on becoming one himself, and being a professional Healer.
There he met someone he considered the love of his life, and their feelings for eachother ran parallel with his parents' to eachother. A couple years passed, they moved in together in a little flat to themselves, she became pregnant, and then and there they promised to wed.
His father's despirations became more and more chaotic, and around this time he requested Houghton return immediately. When he did, he found out that his mother was also pregnant, his father was missing an eye, and he was barred from returning to his fiance and new home permanently.
Some time passed and he struggled to return, finally learning that his fiance had continuously tried to contact him. He made his escape deep into the night, finding the pregnancy had failed, and his fiance cold on the floor of their bathroom, in what only could be determined as a double heartbreak ending her life.
Finding himself unable to live in the home he and his love made for themselves, he returned home to help out his parents. His mother passed away shortly after his baby sister was born, and he found himself as a makeshift father, rather than a real one.
His father took out the royal leaders in anguish, and then Houghton and his little sister became a prince and princess. He raised her, he her favorite person until she was given schooling, and he was given the magic to hop worlds.
The biggest thing Houghton feared as he got older, he almost experienced for himself. He made peace with what is the inevitable, though healed himself to the best of his ablities. In the process, his hair grew out, and he got into exercise while his mana ran low, suffering a bit from mana burn in the beginning. He decided to live his life not to prove himself to his father, but to be his own person.
He still world hops, staying on a world for about a year to find any other Kyklouran. He highly prefers the magical worlds over the mundane ones, where he's not forced to blend in. He's still proud of the amount of Kyklourians he's sent back to what could now be considered their New World, but currently doesn't have any inclination to make that his permanent home too.
Trivia
- Because of all the world hopping he's done, he's not sure how long he's been away from home. Time feels like it passes differently on other worlds compared to his own.
- Hates red meat. Dislikes dairy. Likes poultry and flavored breads. Loves fish, fruits, and veggies.
- His highest proficiencies are in wind magic and healing magic.
- He is unable to cast poisonous or fire magic without the assistance of catalysts.
- He will charge small magic orbs with elemental magic to save on his own mana during downtimes.
- He is still considered quite dangerous.
Relationships
They never bonded very well across Houghton's lifetime, but Houghton still respected him as his father as a very powerful man, while growing up.
In his younger years, against his better judgement, turned his attention away from the more questionable deeds.
When he got older, Houghton's faith in his father had broken completely, and neither of them show any respect for the other. Houghton seriously hates how much they resemble each other.
Behind the scenes, King Laurium calls Houghton a traitor to their kind. The Kyklourians that Houghton has met and reached his hand to understand there is more to him than what the king says, but the king does so much to keep everyone happy and safe that they pretend to take his claims seriously.
While she was in her toddler stage, Kallio was one of Houghton's favorite people in the universe, and always told her she was the sweetest princess he had ever met. As she got older, she begun to pick up on her father's negative energy regarding Houghton, and she can be somewhat hesitant around her brother because of it. He did what he could to keep her feel safe around him, however.
Once she hit her adult years, Kallio had been radicalized by their father to not trust Houghton's judgement, after all these years. Houghton still respects her ability to keep their father from making any other rash decisions.
One of the last things Houghton observed and told her, once they're both adults, is how much she resembles their late mother, and that might be the only reason their father listens to her, too. She did not appreciate this and told him she never wanted to see him again. He knew this was coming, anyway.
Childhood friends from well before his dad took over as king, they're closer to each other more than anyone they've dated. They're both willing to throw hands to keep the other safe. She's always hated his dad and would fight him, no questions asked.
They went on a date once and it want terribly. Everyone expected them to marry but they both agree that it would be a terrible idea. She's into girls, anyway.
Milly keeps making comments that Houghton and her should take down his dad and he become the new king. He doesn't want the responsibilities but appreciates how much she believes in him as a person.
Riki, used to his older brothers' shenanigans and Guntram's antagonistic behaviour, finds Houghton's quiet demeanor welcoming. They became pretty quick friends, despite Houghton's recent prince-ship, and Riki's happy to play a few board games whenever they see each other over more royal reasons
