groundrules | applications

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applications

applications

APPLICATIONS

Eastbound is primarily an invite-only game — each existing player can currently invite up to one person per month, or get in touch about further invites. Existing players can hold two characters in game. A third character can be applied, if players can prove they have met activity requirements for two consecutive months with their existing two characters and have stayed engaged with the game. If you don't have an invite, somehow stumbled upon this neck of the woods, and you’d like to stay, drop the mod journal a line — we'll try to figure it out.

As of Oct. 1, cast/game caps are off. Please note, as of Dec. 1, Eastbound only has 3-4 months of gameplay left.

WHAT CHARACTERS CAN BE APPLIED?

YES: canon and original characters, if they have a solid and consistent personality and background. Characters brought in after they've died are a-okay. For characters taken from a time point just as they're in the process of dying, please read below on meeting medical requirements.

NO (at this time): real people, original characters set in a canon environment, characters from canons or canon instalments that have been released for less than one month, characters with imported development from other games (CRAU), alternate universe, or gender-swapped versions of canon characters.

Children or characters with very specific medical/magical/environment needs: appable, but please make a note of how your character will ICly meet their requirements and stay alive. Likewise, if you are applying for a character taken just as they're dying, provide a suggestion for how they can be kept alive on arrival (this might be easier in some app cycles than others). You can bend the world a little to make miracles happen (ex: a substitute for the medication your character needs to survive can be found for a high price at certain apothecaries, etc.)

Characters that were dropped or swept by activity checks: yes, but they’ll come back without their previous memories, if they are applied in by a different player.

APPLICATION FORM & INSTRUCTIONS

EXISTING / RETURNING PLAYERS

NEW PLAYERS

PLAYER NAME: 
CONTACT:
REFERRED BY: Who invited you, please? c:

CHARACTER: 
CANON:
CANON POINT:

BACKGROUND: written or linked history both fine. Bullet points also a-okay. If no information is available in English, please write this out in short.

ABILITIES | POWERS: Include any relevant power restrictions, so you don’t break our playground.

PERSONALITY: make sure this ties back to the character’s time point and background.

SAMPLE: one or more samples to showcase the nuances of your character’s personality. Submit at least one prose sample of five comments or more. You can link memes, PSL or other game threads, provided they took place within the last 12 months. You can also write a single prose sample in the game or character canon setting, if you think you can cover good introspective ground that way, or a top level with enough variety to show how the character engages in various scenarios. 
 
INVENTORY: No world-breaking items. For living or magical beings, or anything colossal (think... Gundams...) please let's talk beforehand!

SUITABILITY: Eastbound is a plot-heavy game that typically features sleuthing, action and the undead. How is your character likely to deal with all that (and the game bear)?

NOTES: Are there any particular accommodations your character will need? How do you propose to handle that?

APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Hello! The application is accepted, and you will receive the relevant admin note shortly — but would you like a custom intro for her that's heavier or lighter on plot? Either option is a-okay and just down to personal taste.

Let's say plot-light, for the sake of me getting my sea-legs.

PLAYER NAME: Spider
CONTACT: Plurk @

PaleAntiquarian, Discord @ CellarSpider#9984, personal journal @

cellarspider
INVITE STATUS: Nudged towards the game by Britt, player of Lee Chang (

jeoha).

CHARACTER: Slick
CANON: Star Wars (The Clone Wars)
CANON POINT: The end of The Clone Wars Season 1, Episode 16: The Hidden Enemy

BACKGROUND: Clonetroopers were a made-to-order miracle for the Republic, providing a bulwark against the droid armies of the Separatist movement. Commanded by Jedi on the battlefield, they were instilled with a sense of loyalty and a desire to excel at the job they were made for.

And they were also genetically altered to age at double-speed, conditioned from artificial birth to never question their lot in life, and sent to die in numbers uncounted under the command of a religious order that had no military experience. Clones were slaves, watched over by telepathic overseers. Their self-expression was limited to a few sad little displays of personal autonomy: Choosing a hairstyle. Tattoos. A name.

The sergeant that called himself Slick seemed a model soldier, well-liked by others and effective in carrying out his duties. But secretly, he hated it all. He wanted freedom, and nobody else around him agreed or even understood the concept. And so, desperate to escape, he reached out to the Separatists.

Asaj Ventress offered him money in exchange for information, but that wasn't his priority. He wanted freedom, and she promised that could happen. Whether she ever intended to live up to that promise is unclear, but Slick started feeding information to the Separatists via disguised transmissions, and spying on his Jedi generals.

After the Separatists used Slick's intel to out-maneuver a Republic ambush on the planet Christophsis, it became clear to the Jedi that they had a spy in their midst. They left to seek information behind enemy lines, while clone officers Rex and Cody stayed on-base to investigate. Slick overheard their plans via an open commlink and passed the information to Ventress, but the officers noticed the eavesdropping and were soon able to deduce that the spy they were hunting was a clone like them.

Rex and Cody traced Slick's transmissions back to his unit's barracks, where they questioned the soldiers in his unit. Slick attempted to implicate one of his men, but accidentally let slip information he shouldn't have known in the process. His cover blown, he attacked the others and fled. He tried and failed to kill the officers by sabotaging the base's gunships, and eventually found his way into the vents of the command center.

Rex and Cody baited him out, eventually overpowering him and placing him in handcuffs, taking him to the Jedi upon their return to base. Slick railed against them, but nothing more could be done. He was taken away and never seen again.

ABILITIES | POWERS: Slick was trained from birth to be a soldier, and has a knack for fighting dirty and hand-to-hand combat, fending off Rex and Cody in a two-on-one fight until he was baited into a bad position. His metabolism likely runs a little faster than standard humans, due to his double-speed aging. This may mean he heals a little faster than average, but also needs more food.

PERSONALITY: Each episode of The Clone Wars starts with a moral. Slick's feature episode begins with "Truth enlightens the mind, but won't always bring happiness to your heart." While this seems to have been intended by the writers as alluding to the feelings of others regarding Slick's actions, it is very appropriate for Slick himself. He looked beyond his loyalty conditioning, and what he saw drove him to commit terrible acts.

Slick is deviant from the clone trooper norm, and he hid it well. A gift for lying or a desire for self expression wasn't unheard of among clones, but few took these traits to his extent. All clones are conditioned by genetic manipulation and nine or ten years of propaganda before they're sent out as fully-grown soldiers, who've known nothing else in their life. In this context, Slick's behavior is exceptional.

While he was uncommonly skilled at manipulation and subterfuge for a clone, this is a relative statement. Slick made some grave errors and likely would've been caught earlier if the idea of a clone traitor wasn't so unthinkable. If he ends up lying to someone who doesn't have that context, he'll likely be found out.

In the clone army, Slick seemed to be trusted by others in his chain of command, and was a quick thinker. But he considered their lives to be an unconscionable act of Republic hypocrisy, and fighting for that was dishonorable.

His actions hurt and killed other clones, something he justified as part of his struggle for freedom. Not just for himself, but all clones, which was worth sacrificing for. He professed to love his brothers, and blamed the Jedi for their enslavement. They used supernatural powers and authority to enforce an unjust system, and he hated them for it.

When cornered, Slick fights dirty, and will not hesitate to take actions that could maim or kill others, no matter who they are. Much of his actions appear to have been driven by desperation, which left him open to manipulation by Ventress and willing to do the unthinkable. Despite his lack of restraint, he's not especially strategic about it--when pressed on his beliefs, he may be prone to outbursts or lose focus on important details of his surroundings. This was ultimately what got him captured.

SAMPLE: An Eastbound voice test for Slick can be found here!

INVENTORY: Standard clonetrooper armor, no helmet, no guns, no utility belt. Boots can be magnetized and contain a "grav-field alternator" which the wiki does not explain beyond permitting greater stability, most likely in low- and zero-G operations.

NOTES: No notes! Slick needs no special accommodations, and he's not a copy of anyone. Well, at least not in a way that matters for the game.

Thank you for your application!

ADMIN

When you have a second, have a last read through the game rules and comment to the TAKEN LIST.

Join

eastbound,

lostcompass,

westwhere. Feel free to make an OOC intro post on

lostcompass, if you want!

All game-relevant updates will be posted on

lostcompass, but if you’re fond of plurk, consider following

eastbound.

NOTES

We are currently in Arc I, Sa-Hareth. You can jump right into our latest event, or have a browse of the June calendar.

Since Harry Potter spells are so all-encompassing, you may need to dial Lily’s abilities down from time to time, just so she doesn’t blitz through various quests — happy to leave it at your discretion how you tackle that.

Newcomers receive a quartz piece that serves as a translation and communicator device. The sorceress Karsa has currently linked the quartz items she offers to a fishermen’s network — Lily will get the username any fin is possible. A new and less shamefully named quartz piece can be bought or stolen!

Some of the items in Lily’s inventory might suffer extensive water damage because of the below… apologies!

INTRO: Lily will come awake emerging at dawns from a chilled lake in the middle of a wintered forest. She will at first struggle to remember how she arrived there, but she will be aware she spent the night in the lake — over the ensuing days, she might faintly recall the urgent hands of the woods’ people pushing her into the waters, amid feverish mutterings of "Unhalad."

On one of her wrists, Lily will find a man’s handprints, from where the corpse in the lake attempted to keep her close. She will know that he hurts. For three-four days after her arrival, she will also find herself inexplicably drawn to the company of Winnifred Prismall (the player has been informed!).

Coming out of the lake, Lily will be collected by the sorceress Karsa, who was en route to witness the rites of Anurr. She will take Lily through the basics: she is outside of the western citadel of Sa-Hareth, part of a growing faction that was rescued from the undead forces of reining undead warlord Unhalad.

Unhalad summoned the group to use their abilities in the war against his once dethroned but resurging undead rival, Anurr. It is in everyone’s interest for the newcomers to depart this world through long-lost portals that reside eastbound, deep in the continent. Karsa’s master, the elusive Merchant, is organising a trip to that purpose, although the voyage has been repeatedly delayed by cold storms. It is hoped that the portals will take otherworlders to their own homes. For now, they must participate in Anurr’s trials and gain more information that could help with their departure.

PLAYER NAME: Ryah
CONTACT: plurk: whoiamwithoutyou | discord: whoiamwithoutyou#4048 | email: whoiamwithoutyou83@gmail.com
INVITE STATUS: Chel invited me
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE GAME?: I heard about it through Chel

CHARACTER: Regulus Arcturus Black
CANON: Harry Potter
CANON POINT: Post death

BACKGROUND: Walburga Black was a most unkind woman. Orion Black, her husband, distant and emotionally cold himself, did not care so long as she directed her attentions on anything but him. Their arrangement worked fine for them; however, it wreaked havoc on their two sons, Sirius and Regulus.

Regulus Black was born July 23rd, 1961 and, like his brother before him, was immediately placed in the care of the house-elves for looking after. And because of that, they, fortunately, did not die in infancy. Such was the (minimal) affection Walburga had for her children. Regulus grew up knowing who his parents were, his connection to them, what deference he had to pay to each, but caring more for the welfare of the house-elves than for either of his parents.

For as long as young Regulus could remember, he was attached to his brother, but squarely in Sirius’ shadow. Sirius was loud, whereas Regulus was quiet, and while Sirius was brave and bold, Regulus was reserved and acquiescing. Naturally, Regulus thought Sirius, by virtue of being older and so much more outgoing, was wise and worthy of his admiration. And so, Regulus followed his brother’s lead during their youth before Hogwarts. When Sirius thought up wild and impossible things to do, Regulus would comply with his brother’s ideas and wishes with surprising alacrity and innovation. Their playtime became their sanctuary from their mother’s anger and their father’s indifference.

Their relationship, however, wasn't without problems. It was easy for anyone to see Walburga favored her youngest son. And Orion did nothing to stop his wife's favoritism. Perhaps it was because Sirius was much like a firebrand, burning hot always and ready to ignite. And Regulus, on the other hand, was passive and still; but when in motion, accommodating, following the path of least resistance, like water. Regulus found it unnecessary to fight against their parents or the tutors their parents hired to teach them a basic education before Hogwarts (reading, writing, mathematics, the French language, and proper pureblood etiquette). Because the adults always won. Always. Or perhaps Regulus won Walburga's favor because he was just so much more malleable than Sirius. Regulus was quicker to tell his parents what they wanted to hear, quicker to learn when to not say anything at all. It was easier for him to not fight, than it was to fight, like his brother did.

That isn’t to say Walburga didn’t abuse Regulus, too, but her treatment towards her younger son was undeniably less severe than her treatment towards Sirius. Regulus was clearly the Golden Child, even if, when Walburga went off, anyone in her path would be her victim. Either way, Walburga was so apparent in this behavior (and Orion so absent and distant as a father) the boys noticed – how could Sirius not notice? And the effect of this disparity tended to pop up from time to time in the form of arguments and fights between the brothers. Though the boys usually made up quickly, as they needed an ally in that house. It was foolish to give that up for long. They had no one else but each other.

And so things went until they were old enough to go to Hogwarts, school of magic.

When Sirius went away to Hogwarts, he was sorted into the "wrong" house - Gryffindor. At that time, Regulus had few qualms about where his brother went, simply because, well, it was Sirius, his brother. The sorting was surprising, for sure. And ostensibly, Regulus understood that Slytherin was the better - or required – house. But at that age, Regulus simply accepted that his older brother was in a different house. And at first, he found the idiotic way his mother carried on about how this tarnished the family name to be entertaining, something he only relayed to his brother through the scant few letters exchanged that year.

But the novelty of Walburga’s indignation wore off relatively quickly when it became apparent to Regulus that he would now bear the brunt of her rage and abuse at every encounter while Sirius was away. It wasn’t until Sirius was gone that Regulus saw how much having Sirius around mitigated the threat of Walburga. Her cruelty was too much for one little boy to handle on his own, and Regulus found himself giving in more and more to his mother’s ways. Walburga had tried her hardest to instill in her boys the rightness of blood purity, but while Sirius had been around it was as if her teachings fell on deaf ears. Alone, however, Regulus crumbled. He learned quickly that if he just stayed quiet when his mother was in a rage, or if he just said what she wanted to hear, the quicker it was over.

Interestingly enough, during this same period that Regulus began to be indoctrinated with purist ideology, he also started developing an interesting kind of empathy. Before now, the house-elves were just the "help" that he and Sirius ignored because they got in the way of play time or seemed to be extensions of their parents. But Regulus started noticing them now. It was an organic development, difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when the relationship between Regulus and the house-elves shifted, but slowly, that year, Regulus learned that if he was kind to the house-elves, they were kind to him in turn. And as he helped buffer them against his mother, in the small ways a ten year old could, they did the same for him, in the small ways house-elves could. With his father distant and cold as ever, Regulus' only allies during this period were the house-elves.

When Sirius came back for the summer holiday, Walburga made a point of showing even more favoritism to Regulus. And by then, Regulus had started parroting things their parents would say. Here, the fissures in the brothers’ relationship started spreading. Sirius would tell Regulus off for saying despicable things, but Regulus didn't understand why because he was just saying what everyone in their family was saying. And for the first time, Regulus was jealous of Sirius – Sirius had had all these adventures with new friends, and he talked about them constantly. It seemed as if there was no room in Sirius’ life for Regulus anymore.

That summer was awkward for the two brothers, who knew things had changed between them but they just didn’t know why, or how to fix it.

That fall, the two brothers left for Hogwarts, stepping forward onto different paths.

The whole trip from the Hogsmeade station to the school was one stressful ordeal after the other for Regulus. School, while it was said to be amazing, was still far away from "home," and Regulus had never been away from his family before. Hagrid was huge and looming, and not nearly as endearing to Regulus as he was to Sirius. Once inside the Great Hall, Regulus tried to catch his brother’s eye and wave, but Sirius was too engrossed in what James was saying to look. This only disheartened Regulus more. When the hat was placed on his head, he had a choice: please his terrifying mother or his fast-becoming-distant brother. Regulus chose to mollify the scarier of the two and took his seat on the opposite side of the Hall from his brother, at the Slytherin House table. Regulus mouthed a silent apology, but Sirius, who was now finally paying attention, understood the act to be one of treason and silently declared war.

Walburga was delighted at Regulus’ sorting and took full advantage of the situation, redoubling her efforts to raise at least one "good" son. She sent Howlers to the "disappointment" and treats and encouragement to the son she was proud of. This just made things worse between the brothers. There was no patching things between the brothers now.

While the start of school was a bit rocky, navigating a new relationship with his brother and all, Regulus soon found his place amongst his Housemates. He caught the eye of Professor Slughorn right away, due far more to his lineage than his disappointing potions abilities. But it was enough to be inducted into the Slugclub. (Later, Regulus would prove his scholastic aptitude in other subjects and thus maintain his place in Slughorn’s honored group.) Naturally curious, he thought most of his classes were intriguing. He found the kitchens right away and made friends and allies with the House-elves, thus always having a safe haven at school, and plenty of treats on his plate at mealtimes, or even in between. In his second year, Narcissa (who, previous to now, had a reputation to maintain and couldn’t take him on sooner due to his First Year newness) took her young, promising cousin under her wing and proudly showed him off to all the “right” people. This chilly closeness would last the remainder of Regulus’ life and would endear Cissa to Regulus as his favorite family member. He also, as the years progressed, formed friendships with his house-mates his age - Barty Crouch Jr. and Evan Rosier. And also with Severus Snape, even though the other boy was a year older. Theirs was a relationship that perhaps started due to their mutual dislike of Sirius.

It wasn’t long before Regulus was rather popular in his own right. Most subjects were a breeze for him, save for the ones he didn’t care about, primarily potions and divination being among the latter category. He was a rising star in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. He earned very respectable scores in Charms, Transfiguration, and Astronomy. One could say he had an uncanny ability in the Dark Arts, or the defense of them, as they were taught in Hogwarts. And he really enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures (which his mother forced him to drop after O.W.L.s because it wasn't necessary for his already proscribed life after Hogwarts). He tried out for and made the Quidditch team his third year, landing the position of Seeker. No need to lie, Sirius did get the better looks, but Regulus wasn't far behind and he had a smile that was disarming. He was a member of one of the most pureblood, richest magical families in all of England, and that bolstered a charisma all its own. He learned to move with the ease of privilege. The further he fell into his social circle, the easier it was to start espousing the rhetoric and propaganda that Slytherins, and outside of school, the Death Eaters, were infamous for. There were pureblood wizards, and then there was everyone else. And Regulus was the poster child for all things magically pure. A certain notoriety was bestowed upon him, and he readily accepted the mantle. He lapped up the attention and bought into the ideology without reservation. It was all but official that he would one day join that special organization of those trying to return witches and wizards to their rightful place in the world. His mother was so proud.

Regulus never really got into trouble at school. This was due primarily because of his mother - even in Howler form she was terrifying. A few of those from her in his first year and Regulus learned to be cunningly subtle about rule breaking. One didn't need to be bombastic in their adventures outside the lines of right and wrong. This was where he learned the power of decpetion and decite. If his mother never knew what he was doing, she couldn't chastise him for it. Regulus also never really felt compelled to be an outright bully, like some others in Slytherin House. Sure, once in a while he'd pick on a student, to keep up appearances, or - more usually - because the other student annoyed him in that moment (this is, essentially high school, after all). But a pattern of being openly hostile and cruel wasn't his brand. Thanks to his mother, Regulus understood the importance of subtlety a little more clearly than others in his house. And he'd learned by now that position was power. He tended more towards using his popularity and high societal status as a weapon or a largesse: cross him and he could ruin you, gain his favor and he could make you. And he'd much rather liked people owing him favors than be the one handing out punishments. Honey attracts more flies than vinegar, as the saying goes, and it was much easier, not as exhausting. Though of course, with him, there was a purist taint to his generosity, he clearly favored others who fit in with the movement more than anyone else at school. The Hogwarts house-elves were one glaring exception to this rule, though usually no one noticed his kindness towards the elves because usually no one noticed the elves to begin with.

His brother’s leaving Grimmauld Place hit Regulus hard. Regulus was 14, almost 15 that summer. He and Sirius had not gotten along for four years at that point; their views on the world had drastically diverged from the innocent playtime of boys in the back garden. But Sirius was still his brother, had still endured in that house with him. Now Regulus was completely alone. And Regulus resented Sirius for leaving him there. The last conversation they ever had, rife with insults and pointed jabs, was the day before Sirius left. After that, they might have hexed or jinxed each other at school, they might have shouted insults at each other, but they weren’t, thanks to a burn on a tapestry, "brothers" anymore.

During Regulus’ sixth year at Hogwarts he became increasingly more involved with the Death Eater organization. There were Death Eater hopefuls among the students of Hogwarts, but Regulus had a special "in" with the organization: his cousin Bella, for one, and his cousin Narcissa's husband, Lucius Malfoy, for another. Bella and Lucius were quite instrumental in inducting Regulus. However, it wasn't all about who Regulus knew, he led himself to the noose. From the time he was sorted into Slytherin, Regulus would scour the newspapers for any mention of the DEs. At first, he didn't fully understand the subject of some of the articles for what they were - murders and tortures - because he was just 11. As he got older, he started putting parts of the picture together, but mostly he brushed the more horrific details off as the ineffectual way the stories were reported: the facts had been skewed all wrong, that must be it. He justified it all by thinking that someone was in the wrong, but it wasn’t the witches or wizards who deserved to rise from the restrictions of magical secrecy and assume power. Let’s be clear, this justification was all bollocks, shit, drivel, the graspings of a mind desperate to be "right," and not wrong. The more mature he got, however, the more it became an effort in mental gymnastics to bend through all the cognitive dissonance. He was quickly becoming a fallacy of sunken costs. Blacks were very good at ignoring what was right in front of them if they had proper motivation. And with a blind eye, Regulus barreled forward to what would be his ultimate end.

As the time drew near for Regulus to prove he was worthy to take the Mark (the summer after his sixth year), the more apprehensive and ill he became, and with good reason. He had to finally acknowledge what it took to be a Death Eater, and what the organization truly represented: the oppression and destruction of (quite possibly) innocent people, at least undeserving of torture and death. This, murdering and torturing people, was not what Regulus wanted to do. But do not mistake Regulus’ intentions: he certainly believed in the superiority of pureblood wizards - muggles had, after all, caused the death and harm of many wizards in the past due to their adherences to stultifying religions and beliefs and fears against magic - but he didn’t want to kill or torture anyone. And that “quite possibly innocent” nagged his mind enough to turn his logic into knots. But the simple truth was, whatever the reason, he didn't have the stomach for torture and murder. However, by this time, it was too late to back out. Or he'd risk his own death. And he wasn't ready to die yet. It was him, or a muggle stranger that night in early summer of 1978, just after the end of Hogwart's school year, in front of fellow Death Eaters and Death Eater hopefuls. In the end, Regulus placed the value of his own life before doing the right thing and imperioused the man to stand in front of a train.

His soul was shattered, having traded one tyrant in his life for another, but he had earned his Mark.

Consumed by the guilt of what he’d done, Regulus now started withdrawing from those he knew and the activities he once enjoyed. He avoided participating in Death Eater things as much as possible the rest of that summer, though he could not do so completely. When he had to join in, he tried to avoid killing anyone else, but torturing people… there were just some things you couldn’t shy way from when you were a member of the Death Eaters. He did what he had to, but he already wanted out.

He had one more year at Hogwarts and it was a blessed relief to be heading back to the confines of the castle where he could try to block out the war and his involvement in it. But the memories never left him and every part of him suffered for it: the quality of his schoolwork plummeted, and he stopped participating socially altogether. He could have been captain of the Quidditch team, but he passed on it. And his performances in practice and games were dismal. None of his teachers seemed to be aware of this dramatic change, but those that might have cared about such things were focused on exams, a thousand other students, and a brewing war. His classmates noticed, but one dark look from him and they left him alone. The only area of magic he strove to be better at was Occlumency and Legilmency, and that was for self-preservation.

He wondered where his brother might be (Sirius had completed his schooling by then), but quickly pushed aside any ideas about contacting his brother. It was well known among the Death Eaters that Aurors were granted permission to kill Death Eaters on sight. And Regulus didn't know if the tenuous threads of childhood memories would be enough to make Sirius look past the Mark and see his brother once again and not just outright turn him over to the Aurors. Regulus was sure attempting a meeting would only result in his death. The majority of his time was spent trying to forget his horrendous mistakes or trying to figure out how to extricate himself from the mire he’d willingly run into.

But there were breaks from classes throughout the year, and during those periods he was expected to be at Lord Voldemort's disposal, like any of the other Death Eaters. Regulus learned to fear Voldemort’s wrath more than anything else. He didn't need to know what being crucio'ed felt like to know he didn't want it. But not a single Death Eater (not even his cousin Bella) hadn't displeased Lord Voldemort at least once, so they all knew what it felt like firsthand. Reuglus ostensibly kept his regret and self-loathing over his choice to join the Death Eaters to himself. And to stave off any suspicion about his diminishing loyalty, he tucked his chin in and played the part he'd pledge himself to. He lied to their faces and hoped they never notice. Over time, his biggest fear morphed to include the fear of being discovered as a Death Eater fraud. One didn't just leave the group - it was a lifetime commitment, whether that death came sooner or later, naturally, or in retribution for disloyalty.

At this point, with the looming end of his schooling career, Hogwarts ceased to be the sanctuary it once was. Regulus was filled with dread for what was coming next.

To say the summer after Hogwarts was difficult for Regulus would be an understatement. He had no classes to hide behind to excuse himself from Death Eater activities. His composure was slipping, each time he was required to do more Death Eater things was just another chance for another Death Eater to learn his desire to get out. He learned Death Eaters didn't just prey on muggles and muggle-borns: anything "weak" would do, even if that weak thing was among their own ranks. And every day was a chance for Regulus' facade to crumble and his weakness to show. And it did, in fact, show sometimes, and it was sometimes noticed, and he suffered for that slip. He would then have to rededicate himself to end the unwelcome attention. Rededication came usually came in the form of showing just how useful he could be to the organization. With a sharp aptitude with Arithmancy and Charms, he proved just how valuable he was when it came to wards, more specifically, unraveling wards. He would have been a brilliant curse breaker if circumstance and poor choices hadn’t ruined his life.

He grasped at anything to help keep him above water during this period. And he did discover an outlet that not only let him forget his circumstances and what he’d done for a moment but punished him as well. He experimented with potions, and when he didn’t have access to those he turned to alcohol and old-fashioned opioids - surprisingly not that hard to find, Laudanum had been a staple in his mother's personal stores since before he could remember. But he kept that latter part a secret. He couldn’t free himself physically, but he could escape mentally.

His survival during this period can only be attributed to Kreacher. The last dutiful Black Family house-elf. Kreacher truly cared for Regulus by this point, as Regulus was the only person in the family who showed him kindness. Kreacher looked after Regulus when he was in his worst moments and never told a soul.

All this time spent with the Death Eaters, Regulus had come to one glaring conclusion he should have reached years before: Lord Voldemort was wrong, the Death Eaters were wrong, his parents and family were wrong. He was wrong. He did not have the clarity to trace the threads of his mistake back to their origins, but it was a start.

Eventually, Regulus found an opportunity to get out of the organization while also trying to hurt Lord Voldemort in the process.

Voldemort was always casually dropped hints about his brilliance, how he was greater than any wizard ever born. One day, the Dark Lord dropped a hint about making Horcruxes. This was the first key to unlocking Regulus’ prison.

Regulus' knowledge of Horcruxes was more innocent than it seems on the surface. He knew the etymology of his name - Latin for "little king," Latin for the Greek word "Basilisk.” In learning that, he also learned about the king of serpents and naturally, the benefits of basilisk venom - one of which was destroying horcruxes. The Black Family library was ancient and full of dark magic, and in a dusty old book that everyone had forgotten about, but, nonetheless, one that Regulus had idly read at some point previous to hearing Lord Voldemort’s hint, there was a very brief description of what a Horcurx was. That Horcruxes happen to be horrific dark magic was coincidental to Regulus knowing about them, but even Regulus knew not to talk about them because of how very evil they were. It almost surprised him that the Dark Lord would just let that information slip around anyone - but on deep review of the evidence, Regulus had to acknowledge not many other witches or wizards knew about them, ancient and forbidden magic as they were. And, after all, the Death Eaters ranks were not bursting at the seams with staggering geniuses. Regulus quietly tucked away knowledge of Voldemort's secret and didn’t share it with anyone else. Because who else could he trust?

When Voldemort summoned him in the fall of 1979, this was when Regulus was handed by Fate the second key. Regulus first assumed his lack of commitment had been finally noticed by the Dark Lord, and this would be the end. But, instead of being met with torture, Voldemort simply requested the use of a house-elf. And thinking Voldemort only wanted someone serving him food or, at worst, disposing of a few bodies, Regulus offered the use of Kreacher. However, when Kreacher returned to the hall of Grimmauld Place, barely hanging onto life, it was clear Regulus had been gravely mistaken. After helping Kreacher recover, Regulus made him explain what happened. Regulus added two and two and got four this time: Voldemort had hidden a Horcurx in that cave. And from that information, Regulus formulated an end-game plan.

He knew going into that cave to retrieve the Horcrux he would not be coming out again, but he would finally kick back at Lord Voldemort. He’d figured that if Kreacher’s magic could get the elf out of the cave, then the elf could be entrusted with destroying the locket. He ordered Kreacher to take him to the cave and he also ordered the house-elf to give him, Regulus, the potion guarding the Horcrux, because he wouldn’t put Kreacher through that ordeal again. It was the most painful and horrifying experience of Regulus’ life, as not only did the potion seem to boil his very essence but every memory of his past misdeeds was called forward and paraded around his mind over and over. When it was finished and the inferi were summoned from their underwater grave, Regulus ordered Kreacher to go home and destroy the locket, and to tell no one what had transpired. This was the end, and Regulus slipped down into that murky water willingly.

ABILITIES | POWERS: He is a talented wizard from the Harry Potter Universe.

In school, his best subjects were (and he is highly skilled in):

• Arithmancy - the study of the magical properties and applications of numbers. And linked with this, he's good at mathamatics in general.
• Ancient Runes - the study of runic scriptures, or Runology. Ancient Runes was a mostly theoretical subject that studied the ancient runic scripts of magic. (This is probably specific to the Harry Potter universe, unless the mod says otherwise.)
• Care of Magical Creatures (though his mother made him drop it after O.W.L.s) - As the label reads: learning how to identify and care for magical creatures. Regulus really enjoyed this subject and has a soft spot for all kinds of magical creatures.
• (defense against) the the Dark Arts (strongest emphasis on the "dark" part) - Hogwarts only teaches the defense of the Dark Arts, and Regulus was good at that, too. But he was born into a family devoted to the Dark Arts so he's well versed in much of it. (Sometimes more than other dark wizards).

He didn't receive top marks in these subjects but he is respectably competent in:

• Charms - the study of charm-work magic.
• Transfiguration - the study of magic that focused on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object
• Astronomy - the study of the movement of stars and planets.

He's very good at magical wards. Like all Death Eaters, he is adept at dueling and quick apparation/disapparation (using magic to transport from one point to another), and very talented in occlumency (blocking his mind from magical mental intrusion) and legilimency (using magic to intrude into other's minds). He knows his way around a flying broomstick, and though he's not physically intimidating nor could he win a fist fight, he is dexterus and quick.

He has a naturally curious mind, so is willing to seek out new information and is a self-learner. He is intuitive and perceptive. Lying and deflection come easy to him, like breathing. He compartmentalizes easily, and he can put on a charismatic act when he wants to.

He is well-spoken and well dressed. He knows about fifty different ways to tie a neck tie. He knows what distinguishes bespoke clothing from off the rack and the difference between an oxford and a derby shoe, and why you should never wear a derby shoe to a black tie affair. Probably not a useful skill in all settings, but he's proud of this knowledge.

He speaks English, French, and reads Ancient Runes and some Latin. Given that he's learned a few languages already, he'd pick up another quickly.

Note to mod: Feel free to nerf what is necessary for the game setting ~~but can he please keep his extensive sartorial knowlege?~~

PERSONALITY: Naturally inclined to be quiet and tractable, Regulus has almost always followed the path of least external resistance. Those external pressures have shaped him into a wizard who on paper checks all the boxes for the perfect purist, while hiding someone with an amazing depth of empathy and a surprising capacity for heroism.

At an early age, Regulus learned the power of compartmentalization. It was easier to endure his mother’s rages when he dissociated from the moment. This has made him a profoundly skilled occlumens and legilimens, but emotionally stunted in so many other ways.

Dealing with his mother taught him that emotions are meaningless because crying never tugged at her sympathies (the woman didn’t have any) and showing any part of himself to her that went contrary to what she wanted from him was a kind of vulnerability that only made her angrier. So, he learned to dry up his tears, to hide who he was, to hide his personality; he put his own individual wants and desires on a shelf and substituted in his mother’s, just to survive in her house. Necessity was the mother of Regulus’ formative morals.

Instead of learning emotional self-regulation, he just learned how to separate himself from what he was feeling and how to put those feelings in a box. If they were tucked away, he never had to think about them (until the box gets too full and all those emotions come flooding out, which inevitably happens). He learned how to project a facade of cool detachment, just like his father.

He has a grasp of the basic emotions: happy, sad, anger, fear, envy. It’s the complex way emotions can mix together that he struggles with.

His cruelty is rooted most strongly in his ability to compartmentalize his emotions, and it made him good at acting like the perfect Death Eater. All he had to do is lock away those parts of himself that objected to what he was doing – all that shame, and self-abhorrence, his consciences, essentially - and lie straight to the faces of some of the most terrifying people on the planet. And to himself. After all, a lie was just telling people what they wanted to hear, something Regulus had been doing since childhood.

But the cold detachment can melt away into someone almost delightful. Regulus can be engaging and personable, extremely curious about life. He’ll let a few emotions out of the box and let a bit of his personality show. He doesn’t actually understand the emotions he feels, he just rides them as long as they serve him. This show of good nature is pure privilege – it is mainly a result of being born rich, of being the most pureblood wizard a wizard can be, of being easy to look upon (okay Sirius is better looking, but Regulus isn’t far down the list, and he still has a disarming smile), of having almost everything come easy for him. Self-indulgence bleeds into arrogant selfishness because he has almost never needed to think about anyone but himself.

When pushed far enough, when the box of his emotions overflows, his downward spiral takes two trajectories: small bursts of anger, or, more frequently, destructively inward. The former is never sustained for very long (save for one exception: Sirius-related outbursts), while the latter can last for extended periods of time, days, weeks. Generally, when the top blows on Regulus’ emotions, and he responds in the form of an angry outburst, those outbursts are hot and bright, but relatively short. The energy he has for these moments is burned up quickly, leaving him exhausted, but calm and collected once again. More often, he becomes still and eerily quiet, and then he seeks release through self-harming methods – mostly alcohol and drugs (the magical kind, or old-fashioned opioids like laudanum). He prefers solitude in these moments because other people are just another variable in an equation he’s struggling to solve (that is, his emotions). And other people have a habit of either offering to help (when he doesn’t understand what’s wrong to begin with, offers of help are profoundly annoying) or making things worse.

Despite all the arrogance and selfishness and a stunted emotional intelligence, he actually has the capacity to harbor strong feelings for others. Others such as his house-elf Kreacher, a few friends (Severus and Barty), and even his brother - though to show it for his brother would be the death of him. He'll never discuss it with anyone, but Sirius’ rejection and eventual leaving felt like a betrayal. He both simultaneously hates and loves his brother. And because of how bitter he is over everything involving Sirius, his brother is the only one who can keep him angry for an extended period of time.

Regulus desperately wants approval and acceptance, a want born from a need to fill an emotional void created by his mother’s cruelty, his father’s emotional absence, and Sirius’ rejection. Though he was the Golden Child in his family, Walburga clearly had a favorite son, yet he still never adequately received anything he needed, and she was still an abusive mother. So, an abusive childhood, coupled now with his actions as a young adult, have left him with a deep-seated yearning for any kind of what seems to him to be positive affection. However, he is profoundly mistrustful of anyone on first (even subsequent) meetings for the very same reason. He gives no benefit of the doubt, as that scale is tipped towards expecting cruelty and rejection. He will push people away, even to his detriment, because he's been twice bitten and shamed and is no longer foolish.

He is arrogant and selfish, but those can be stripped away. In his world, he literally Had It All ^(TM) by so many metrics: his talent with magic, his looks, his wealth, his pureblood family connections. He was even able to get away with murder. The privilege of privilege is never having to see how privileged you are. But despite how blinded by privilege he is, he somehow managed to find empathy for house-elves. Bravery doesn't come to him easily, he doesn't feel compelled to run towards danger, he is very often ruled by fear: fear of disapproval, fear of being tortured, fear of rejection. He's not used to self-reflection. At the moment of his death, he’d barely made the first steps towards doing something right. And still, of all the creatures in the magical world he could pity, he cares about house-elves, he saw the way his family and other purist families treated house-elves and formulated the thought at a young age that they deserved better than the abuse they received. That empathy is innately his and the source of all the regret, guilt, and remorse he feels for joining the Death Eaters, the source of his eventual betrayal of Lord Voldemort, and the source of any good thing he could potentially do.

SAMPLE: Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3
Sample 4
Sample 5

INVENTORY: His clothes (which look vaguely like he stepped out of a time machine from the rich half of the late Victorian era). His wand. A soggy pack of cigarettes.

NOTES: N/A

Hello! Happy to onboard you, and you'll have a full admin acceptance note shortly — before that, though, since you guys have already played something to that effect, do you want to check with Lee Chang's player if you guys want to keep your thread as Eastbound canon? If so, I can work Slick's intro based on that assumption. If not, I'll go with something else! Let me know either way :)

Heya — the app is accepted, and yes, Regulus may retain his ~~privilege~~ sartorial knowledge, though he might find himself financially challenged to apply it! Before I put together your admin acceptance note, what's your poison: do you prefer a plot-lighter or plot-heavier intro? Either option's a-okay and down to sheer taste.

Awesome! I've checked with Britt and they're up for keeping the thread canon, so I'll go with that if it's alright! Any changes needed to fit with the current state of play is totally fine though, I based my voicetest top-level off of a post I saw on the community, and so it might be out of date.

Throw the world at him! *ahem* I mean, bring on the heavier plot!

Great! In that case:

ADMIN

When you have a second, have a last read through the game rules and comment to the TAKEN LIST.

Join

eastbound,

lostcompass,

westwhere. Feel free to make an OOC intro post on

lostcompass, if you want!

All game-relevant updates will be posted on

lostcompass, but if you’re fond of plurk, consider following

eastbound.

NOTES

We are currently in Arc I, Sa-Hareth. You can jump right into our latest event, or have a browse of the June calendar.

Within the Sa-Hareth citadel, Slick’s stormtrooper armour might trigger locals into associating him with the undead infantry factions of Unhalad. Some of Anurr’s supporters might also be wary of him on that count, assuming enmity.

Newcomers receive a quartz piece that serves as a translation and communicator device. The sorceress Karsa has currently linked the quartz items she offers to a fishermen’s network — Slick will be assigned the username what a load of pollocks. A new and less shamefully named quartz piece can be bought or stolen!

INTRO: Slick appears in the old jailhouse that remains under the control of undead warlord Unhalad. He escapes during one of the raids organised by the emboldened human followers of Unhalad’s rival, Anurr. These men free Slick on their way out, but abandon him with his quartz piece after — paving the path for his encounter with Lee Chang, who hears about an additional escapee from his good friend Haltham. Lee Chang's player has been informed :)

During his stay in the old jailhouse, Slick can notice that Unhalad’s guarding forces appear... sick or decomposing, oscillating between the typical, animal listlessness of the undead and sudden spikes of human distress. When they behave more humanely, Unhalad’s 'people' seem obsessed with a hunger that the (regular) food they consume in large amounts seems incapable to satisfy. During a fit of anguish, one of these undead will bemoan that he suffered the dark of the mines, then hunger, now the cold — and so, his sins must be endless, if he is paying for them ceaselessly, with no relief from gods or skies.

The sorceress Karsa will pay Slick a visit, once Lee Chang brings him to the farmhouse where Lee Chang and his comrades are headquartered. Karsa will explain that Unhalad summoned the group to use their strength as a resource in the power struggle against his once dethroned but resurging undead rival, Anurr. It is in everyone’s interest for the newcomers to depart this world through long-lost portals that reside eastbound, deep in the continent. Karsa’s master, the elusive Merchant, is organising a trip to that purpose, although the voyage has been repeatedly delayed by cold storms. It is hoped that the portals will take otherworlders to their own homes. For now, they must participate in Anurr’s trials and gain more information that could help with their departure.

Just out of curiosity, how long is that handprint going to be there for?

Thank you for your application!

ADMIN

When you have a second, have a last read through the game rules and comment to the TAKEN LIST.

Join

eastbound,

lostcompass,

westwhere. Feel free to make an OOC intro post on

lostcompass, if you want!

All game-relevant updates will be posted on

lostcompass, but if you’re fond of plurk, consider following

eastbound.

NOTES

We are currently in Arc I, Sa-Hareth. You can jump right into our latest event, or have a browse of the June calendar.

Given the breadth of Harry Potter spells and wizardry, you might need to dial down Regulus’ abilities now and then just to avoid making quests too easy for him — but you can figure that out on a case-by-case basis, and I leave it at your discretion.

Newcomers receive a quartz piece that serves as a translation and communicator device. The sorceress Karsa has currently linked the quartz items she offers to a fishermen’s network — Regulus will get the username fishcious rumours. A new and less shamefully named quartz piece can be bought or stolen!

INTRO: As luck would have it, Regulus arrived a week ago, coming awake in the vicinity of the mines and stumbling into the forest nearby a certain farmhouse. He was adopted by the woods’ free people, who seem both intrigued and wary of him, for all Regulus will be unable to understand their bird-like dialect. Now and then, he might make out the word Anurr — a figure the woods’ people appear to revere and associate with the forest trees. They will feed and clothe Regulus, and he will be allowed in their borrow-like dwellings within the tundra. They will make an effort to keep Regulus hidden from travelling miners, woodcutters and the human denizens of the farmhouse — as well as from the visiting groups of Anurr’s undead, who meet with the forest people regularly for what appear to be exchanges of information or instruction.

Occasionally, Regulus will be able to spot a tall, relatively young man with a prosthetic arm, trailed by a goat, who is received by the forest people with relish for meals or wine. He never stays long, and Regulus is kept out of his path. Regulus may also notice that the forest people deserve deep disdain for the nearby lake and seem to often sneak out to spit in it or throw rocks. They will speak in excitable anger, if he tries to point to the lake or inquire about it.

This budding friendship comes to an end when a pack of Sa-Hareth youth decide to undertake Anurr’s trials in the forest, shepherded by the wood tribes. Regulus is found by the sorceresss Karsa, when she joins the party in participating in Anurr’s rites. She passes Regulus a quartz translation and communication piece and explains the basics:

Regulus is one of several otherworld arrivals. Unhalad summoned the group to use their strength and resource in the power struggle against his once dethroned but resurging undead rival, Anurr. It is in everyone’s interest for the newcomers to depart this world through long-lost portals that reside eastbound, deep in the continent. Karsa’s master, the elusive Merchant, is organising a trip to that purpose, although the voyage has been repeatedly delayed by cold storms. It is hoped that the portals will take otherworlders to their own homes. For now, they must participate in Anurr’s trials and gain more information that could help with their departure.

That depends entirely on how fair Lily's skin is and how vulnerable to bruising — this is not a magical print, purely physical. So, up to you. I'd say... three, four days?

I have a few follow-up questions to clarify:

When it says above, "a figure the woods’ people appear to revere and associate with the forest trees." Do the woods' people have an actual icon they use in substitution for their worship when Anurr is not around? Or is this just an explanation of who Anurr is for my benefit?

Where it says, "They will make an effort to keep Regulus hidden from traveling miners, woodcutters and the human denizens of the farmhouse — as well as from the visiting groups of Anurr’s undead, who meet with the forest people regularly for what appear to be exchanges of information or instruction." Is this absolute isolation from these events, or does Regulus get to glimpse a few things before being stuff away like the disgruntled pigeon he probably acted like?

(Also just wanted to say this is a perfect start for him!)

Hey! Sure, happy to clarify:

1. That is just to describe the attitude the forest people have for Anurr. There is sadly no icon of him...! Or fortunately.

2. He can glimpse as much as you like, provided he doesn't get so close that it beggars belief the farmhouse brigade never saw him and the undead didn't kill him.

Aye Aye!

Reg can see just a little, enough to continue to "WTF is my death?" all through that week (and let's be real, it will continue beyond.)

And thank you so much for the clarification.

Pleasure! And I'll have your character tags done once you've settled on the Taken list!

PLAYER NAME: Molly
CONTACT: plurk: mollypocket
INVITE STATUS: Lovingly nudged by a modly~~

CHARACTER: Yennefer of Vengerberg
CANON: Netflix Presents The Witcher
CANON POINT: After setting fire to the Nilfgaardian forces at the battle of Sodden Hill in the final episode of season 1.

BACKGROUND: I fake so real, I am beyond fake. And someday, you will ache like I ache

ABILITIES | POWERS: Yennefer of Vengerberg is a powerful and clever sorceress of the Continent. The way that magic works, it exists all around in untapped, untamed forms that is called chaos. She can draw power from the elements (fire, wind, water, air) and redistribute it to her design. This can be physically taxing in large capacity like.... laying waste to a huge field of enemies by channeling all the fire from their onslaught right back at them. After such an attack, Yennefer passes out when there is no more fire to expel or draw from. The system hinges on give and take. Spells, charms and hexes will only last as the duration of what energy is placed into it, that energy being concentration, emotion, actual sapped essence of life. Some spells are channeled through incantations like Elder Speech and undone with another word or gesture to release.

Her specific specialty is making portals which will likely be out of commission at long distances in game because she would have to have an idea of where she is and where she wants to go. There are many tragic portal accidents that give them a bad reputation in canon and being such a prideful woman, she would not want to go perpetuating that stigma.

Studying at Aretuza Academy of Magic gave Yennefer a grasp of potions and chemistry. The institution's purpose was to make sorceresses to aid kings, queens and lords of the realm for the betterment of their people. She can make narcotics, medicines and fertility remedies pulled from experiences. On a visit back to her old alma mater, she got some of the young novices high by mixing herbs and showing them colors they've never seen. She helped a May-December couple get their groove back in exchange for coinage. Her healing abilities were also used by the Witcher to heal his djinn hexed friend Jaskier.

There is a metal that exists on the Continent that is abstracted from meteor pieces. It's called demetrium. Many humans and those not friendly to magic users have fashioned powders, shackles and weapons out of it. Yennefer cannot properly cast spells if she is shackled.

PERSONALITY: Yennefer has the face of a beautiful young woman but the heart and mind of an eighty year old. Age has made her even more stubborn and shrewd than the pig farmer's hunchbacked daughter that tried to still do manual labor. She could do the work! She just had to try harder. Once her mind is made up, she is going to pursue her desire to the fullest. That was how she became a powerful sorceress, through perseverance and constant effort. She didn't stop there. Finding work in court to be unsatisfactory. Pouring over tomes and spells at Aretuza had given her hopes of serving the realm in royal courts among lords and ladies, of helping people in need as she had been and becoming important, valuable through that. What she got instead was a chance to hide royal affairs, menace enemies and have her sound advice ignored. She chose to abandon being a court mage than to waste her time and talents.

Her own stubbornness has also been a hindrance. She was so ready to give up her fertility as to be made over with magic, to be beautiful that she didn't consider what it would mean to her later in life. Believing that Jaskier was the master of the djinn she was willing to risk her life if it meant a chance to be able to harness it's strength to restore her. If it wasn't for the blasted Witcher, perhaps she would have died. Yennefer is willing to compromise her comfort if it means getting her way. She will happily play doting, lady-like and flirty to an annoying knight if it means that he will gift her with money and resources.

Starting life with a physical disability while living in poverty as well as having to be quiet about her quarter-elf heritage left her feeling alone, unwanted and insignificant. Ambition alone had brought her notoriety which was not satisfying. Restoring her fertility has been a quest to make herself whole, to restore her chance to create life. Magic, her use of it, is just restructuring what is already there. Nothing she made herself. Having a child would at least be a way to ensure a legacy beyond her suffering, family and love. Her fondest wish is to be important to someone, she confessed this much to Geralt during their rendezvous during the dragon hunt. The choice of words, importance is vital because it isn't just love, and from what she knows of it love has been a fleeting emotion. She loved her family and thought they loved her to be sold to the archmistress Tissaia de Vries.

SAMPLE: lilac and gooseberries, bitter and sweet

INVENTORY:
1 ~~Impractical~~ battle dress made of rope
2 necklace with an obsidian stone
NOTES: Let's make some magic!

IF ACCEPTED, WOULD YOU WANT A PLOT-LIGHT OR PLOT-HEAVY CUSTOM INTRO?
May I please have a plot-light intro to get the hang of things?

Thank you for your application!

ADMIN

When you have a second, have a last read through the game rules and comment to the TAKEN LIST.

Join

eastbound,

lostcompass,

westwhere. Feel free to make an OOC intro post on

lostcompass, if you want!

All game-relevant updates will be posted on

lostcompass, but if you’re fond of plurk, consider following

eastbound.

Like it says on the application page tin — you can have a maximum of two characters in the game, and you can invite one new person in per month!

NOTES

We are currently in Arc I, Sa-Hareth. You can jump right into our latest event, or have a browse of the June calendar.

Just as a heads-up — while you had enough thread material within the last year to give me an idea of your playing style for Yennefer, some of your threads are very close to “expiry” and might need substituting, if you ever re-app her!

Newcomers receive a quartz piece that serves as a translation and communicator device. The sorceress Karsa has currently linked the quartz items she offers to a fishermen’s network — Yennefer will receive the username salmon had to say it. A new and less shamefully named quartz piece can be bought or stolen!

You are welcome to keep Yennefer’s portal magic, actually — our Umbrella Academy resident Five has a similar teleporting ability, and the general consensus is just to liaise if he (or Yennefer) ever want to blitz out of the already known landscape. But there’s no reason to fully deny Yennefer access to her signature magic, on my side!

INTRO: Yennefer will come awake strapped to an ancient tree at dawns, having prevailed on the last trial of Anurr without incident. She will see a series of primitive, half human, half... undead woodland inhabitants circling her, clearly stunned by her feat. They will be quick to release her, to the background screams and menacing urging of the sorceress Karsa. Yennefer will be quickly awarded a quartz stone translation and communication piece, allowing her to understand most local dialects. The forest people, sadly, seem to speak in a language of their own.

Karsa will attempt to learn how her sister witch joined them, and if the forest people abducted her — though further interaction between the sorceress and these woodland inhabitant will reveal that they encountered Yennefer alone and dazed, close to a nearby lake, and they sought to rid her of what they believed to be warlord Unhalad’s influence by subjecting her to Anurr’s purification rituals. Yennefer may find the rim of her dress frosted with old wet, suggesting she may have been partially, if not completely submerged in water at one point the night before, and never dried off completely. Over the next two-three days, she may experience an eerie emptiness dawning upon her, and she may catch the same feeling from Lily Evans (the player has been informed!)

Karsa will explain that Yennefer is the latest in a string of other-world arrivals, who are currently participating in the rites of deposed undead ruler Anurr. Karsa will explain the basics: Yennefer is outside of the western citadel of Sa-Hareth, part of an increasing group rescued from the undead faction of undead contender Unhalad, who seized the city from Anurr years before. Anurr has recently returned to reclaim his crown.

Unhalad likely summoned Yennefer and her handful of comrades to use their abilities in the ensuing conflict. It suits both the newcomers and the land for them to depart this world through long-lost portals eastbound in the continent — a trip organised by Karsa’s master, the Merchant, which has been repeatedly delayed by cold storms. It is hoped that the portals will take the otherworlders to their own homes. For now, they must participate in Anurr’s trials and gain more information that could help with their departure. After, Yennefer may join her unlikely fellows at their farmhouse headquarters. Good luck!

PLAYER NAME: Emily
CONTACT:

iluvroadrunner6 | iluvroadrunner6#1178 |

iluvroadrunner6 | iluvroadrunner6@gmail.com
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE GAME?: Sheep sent me.

CHARACTER: Allison Hargreeves
CANON: The Umbrella Academy (show)
CANON POINT: End of S2, before they arrive back in 2019

BACKGROUND: A wiki page

ABILITIES | POWERS:

In terms of abilities, Allison is trained in various forms of combat, as part of her growing up in the Umbrella Academy. As a child with an active power, she was conditioned to be a superhero by her father and still can handle herself pretty well in a fight. She also is a professional actress, so she is both very charismatic and a good liar.

However, for her actual powers, this is where things get dicey. Allison can somewhat bend reality to her whim. All she has to do is say the words “I heard a rumor…” and supply the way she wants to alter reality. For example, “I heard a rumor you punched yourself in the face” which subsequently led to her brother punching himself in the face. These are very mature siblings. That being said, there are hints that Allison could do more with her abilities. Should she choose to unleash them fully, she could even go so far as to blow some minds, literally. For shorthand’s sake, this ability will be referred to as “rumoring.”

Allison rarely likes to go around rumoring people unless absolutely necessary (there will be a permission post and what not), and I as a player, have no intention of breaking the game. Obviously she cannot rumor herself home, but if you’d also like to add NPC immunity or something similar, I’m totally fine with that! Just let me know.

PERSONALITY:

Allison may be the most well-adjusted of the Hargreeves children. But in all honestly, that’s a very low bar to clear.

Given that they were all raised by the same neglectful, hard-line father, Allison competed for her father’s attention, pushed herself to the limit and became the best little soldier she could be. That she came out of it with even a modicum of emotional intelligence is to be commended. Allison is one of the few members of the Hargreeves to form positive connections with the outside world and attempts to reason with their siblings and try to connect with them on an emotional level to mixed results. She is the one most likely to call them on their bullshit effectively, as well as look out for them to the best of her ability when she’s around.

That being said, Allison has not completely escaped her father’s damage, and has her own flaws and missteps for the way she deals with people. Initially narcissistic to a fault, Allison has a tendency to make things about her, be selfish about what she wants, and lie, both to other people and to herself. She constructs the life and relationships she wants for herself in her mind, pretends that things are okay, even when they’re not, and occasionally tries to force things that aren’t earned. And a lot of it comes down to her power.

The third in Reginald Hargreeves collection of superpowered children, Allison’s power, allows her to shape her world to her whim, and give her the attention she felt she deserved. When what you want is as few as five words away, earning things or building genuine relationships doesn’t come easily. Allison is all about instant gratification, even when she’s not being a superhero, having rumored her way to the heights of Hollywood. In the end, Hollywood, like most things for Allison, was about attention, wanting to be the focus of any room—something her father was never willing to give her. As she grew older, however, she saw the cracks in veneer she’s created for herself, and used her powers to where she lost her daughter and needed to attend family therapy in order to be part of her life.

It doesn’t help matters that from a young age, Reginald Hargreeves steered her to use her power to do away with things that were inconvenient. She’s the one responsible for making Vanya believe she didn’t have powers, as Reginald instructed Allison to rumor Vanya in order to keep her extremely powerful abilities at bay. This came back to bite her later, and particularly damaged her relationship with Vanya, when it came out that she had powers all along. Vanya lashed out at her sister, cutting her throat before Allison could use her powers on her again and nearly killed her. Still, Allison is self-aware enough that she recognized that this is something her hands aren’t clean in. While their brothers attempted to lock Vanya up, treat her like a weapon or something to be stopped, Allison was trying to save her, defending her sister’s actions, and wanting her to be free. She’s also the one who stopped Vanya without killing her, by blowing out one of her eardrums to affect the way she processes sound.

(This also…subsequently caused the end of the world, but she saved her sister. That counts for something, right?)

These powers haven’t shaped all of her relationships, though. Even though Luther is her brother, his attention and affection she’s never had to rumor. While it doesn’t seem like Allison cares for Luther as much as Luther clearly cares for Allison (she’s married other people twice), she’s never spurred or dismissed his advances, basking in how he cares for her. She likes how Luther makes her feel, and it’s one of the few real, genuine relationships she’s had, even if it’s never progressed to a physical level.

In some ways, however, it took losing her powers to learn how to make a life for herself. After landing in 1961, with no voice and no resources, Allison built a life from the ground up, making real friends, falling in love in a real way, and finally having something that wasn’t tainted by her ability to mess with reality. In some ways, what she built was still a lie—she didn’t tell any of them about her abilities, where (or when) she came from and how she got there, but in the end, she eventually came clean, and became even closer to her husband.

However, living in Texas in the 1960s as a black woman was not an easy feat, and when her voice returned, there were certain moments where she used her powers to her advantage. Allison has a lot of justified anger at the situation she, her friends and husband dealt with under segregation, and there are moments where she lashes out and occasionally goes too far. For example, after showing off her abilities for her husband, she forced a racist white diner owner to scald himself with hot coffee in retaliation for the brutality she and her husband had received a few days earlier, and Ray had to stop her before she went even further than that. There can be a coldness to her when you’ve crossed her, and he’s not afraid to do what it takes to protect the people she loves.

When Allison arrives in the game, she will have just left behind her husband amicably, as he still has more work to do in the sixties, while Allison needs to get back to her daughter. She and her family are on a united front (for once), and while she is sad to leave her life behind, if they stayed where they are, they’d keep triggering the Apocalypse, so it’s really for the best. Also, she can’t test her new resolve for things that are real if she doesn’t go back to her biggest temptations. She’s going to be very much less than pleased to not be home, but with Five and Vanya there, she will stick with her siblings to find a way home and the rest of their family. So she won’t buck too much.

For now, anyway.

SAMPLE: Some musebox shenanigans.

INVENTORY:

A picture of her daughter, Claire
A copy of From Earth to Moon by Jules Verne
A golden heart locket with A+L engraved in the front, given to her by Luther

NOTES: N/A!

IF ACCEPTED, WOULD YOU WANT A PLOT-LIGHT OR PLOT-HEAVY CUSTOM INTRO? Plot heavy is fine by me! Throw me in the deep end.

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