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Pick whichever one you like best, or try and create a happy medium between the variations. My original concept was the Grim and I went with the information that I found that was the most consistant as well as what I liked the best. You're not mixing two different myths, but I'd personally work with whatever most of your sources say. If you like the Welsh Grim, go with that. Also keep in mind that there is a Scottish "dog" already out there in the quest forum, so you might want to stick to the British interpretation and keep your focus around what you find there.

Since you're not combining myths (i.e. combine the Grim with another British myth) there shouldn't be a problem with mixing traits from the "black dogs" of the UK. Sosi/Kali/Cere/Arri can correct me on this, but as far as I know there was nothing wrong with my Grim concept when I wrote it up way back when. ^^

*flails* I can't pick what variation of the black dog you're going to use. xD;; This is one of the websites that I used for my quest, which you might wanna have a look at because it gives you some mythbase and choices for interpretation of the black dog myths.

Syrcaid is doing the Hound of the Highlands. *nod nod*

If you look under the "adopt a concept" I've thrown in a bunch more links on the black dog if you're looking for some more myth background. If you can't find anything you have to create some of it. My myth is based off about two lines of a hunter's story, so you just have to work with what you've been given. You can exercise your creativity with your myth, so long as the dog doesn't suddenly sprout wings and become superman. Right? xD

And no, I don't believe they're related. ^^

So, now that I've done all this research and stuff I realize that, crud, my concept may in fact be violating one of the 'What Fa'e are not' notations in the Creating a Fa'e guidelinemabobber.

My concept was based off Cathleen Ni Houlihan, basically the personification of Ireland's patriotism and unity. She, the object of the mythbase, does in fact have a few powers, but the most important aspect is the whole patriotism and so forth.

However, uh, Ireland still exists.

Mind, Cathleen was technically centered more around the time when Ireland was trying to break off from England's attempt at colonialism. Because of this (and the fact that, hey! Ireland technically isn't a united land anymore what with the Protestant and Catholic religious differences), would she still be a viable concept or should I just trash the idea and find something else?

Very plotty questionsssss-

My current idea for Jean Mollie involves a guardian change before even arriving in Gaia. I was told in a critique that without a solid guardian bond, a Fa'e wouldn't be able to exist. Is it possible for a Fa'e to be bonded to a guardian of a completely non-humanoid, non-verbal species? And, if separated from THAT guardian, would it be possible for a Fa'e to be bonded to another person entirely? When Jean Mollie is taken away from her first guardian (a dog-ish creature), they are never reunited again, but she then meets the guardian who will be with her in Gaia. Would this actually be possible? Does the Guardian-Fa'e bond have to resemble a parent-child relationship, or can it also be an older-younger sibling sort of thing?

I was also told that the lost children are found by the Conrad NPC. This is the first I've heard of that. Where can I find full information on how the lost children work? Sorry, there's just so much content written on the Fa'e that I don't know where to start looking. Right now, Jean Mollie and Mecka come to Gaia through circumstances not related to the Fa'e at all (they start off on a planet that's physically located in the same world as Gaia). Does that have to be changed? Did the lost children that Airi summoned wind up on completely different dimensions entirely?

Also, I've been having trouble justifying Jean Mollie's rebirth as a Fa'e (a problem that's been with me from the start, really). With the chupacabra mythbase I'm working with now, she would have been just one out of many chupacabras that weren't really all that distinguishable from each other. I've made up a reason for Jean Mollie to be the chupa to be reborn, as opposed to any other of the the who-knows-how-many chupacabras running around South America. But, that sort of turns her into a Mary Sue, because she's suddenly special in a race where she shouldn't be. With mythbases that are species and not individuals (looking at the database thread, we've got satyrs, pixies, kirins, dragons, kitsune, kelpies, and selkies), what's the distinction that gets one of the species reborn?

To what extent do Fa'e have to resemble the personalities of their past selves? This is kind of a nature vs. nurture thing. Chupacabras are all oh-my-gawd-its-eating-my-face-hide-the-children vicious, but my Jean Mollie grew up with species that are a lot less psychotic. Although she does a lot of gross and gorey things (she hunts her own food, and eats it raw), she will also give friends puppy-nuzzles to cheer them when they're sad. Too much divergence?

How humanoid do Fa'e have to be? Even the animal-based Fa'e are pretty much anthros of varying degree. Jean Mollie walks on all fours, and I'm thinking of taking away her opposable thumbs and replacing them with dewclaws. Is being like a human a big part of being a Fa'e? If a non-hominid Fa'e went down the human path, what would happen?

When lost children and their guardians come from their own worlds to Gaia, what happens to them, financially? Are they expected to work on their own to get a house (not that hard on Gaia, but still), or is something provided for them until they've adjusted to the move? I'm toying with the idea of Mecka and Jeany being foragers on the streets (which they did before coming to Gaia, and they were both hunters in the wilderness before meeting each other). Like, they'll hop your fence and start eating the fuzzy little grains off your weeds and the crickets out of your lawn. And then maybe go through your garbage for dessert. They kind of enjoy that lifestyle, because it's what they know and they don't understand the way complex societies work (as in, 'job? What's that?'). Would somebody step in and say 'no, that's not the way for a Fa'e to live,' or would everyone just turn the other cheek (or not find out in the first place), or would that possibility just never even be an option?

Sorry, I'm just a jibbertybox of questionhood today. gonk

Yes! This is what I needed. Thank you!

So my current idea, that she just really didn't wanna leave her family behind, is that good? Even if I wind up writing it so it's a completely instinctual, protect-the-gene-pool thing?