forgottentales_ooc | Workshop #5: April 2020

Workshop #5: April 2020—

§ instructions.

Welcome to Forgotten Tales storybook character essence workshop! Here players can come together and discuss what storybook characters they are considering for their character's essence, their new potential abilities, and even ask for help if you can't think of anything on your own.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

Workshop participation is required for Registration as this basically takes the place of the traditional application form, as well as posting to the Test Drive. You don't have to post together at the same time (you can do one first and then the other), but they are needed eventually.
Participation in the Workshop does not guarantee a spot on either Claims or Registration, but you will need it to keep a Claim so there's no harm in trying early. Feel free to look over previous Workshops.
Make sure to check the Character Roster and Essence List to see if your choices are not already taken.
The character and essence don't necessarily have to perfectly match, and all characters will inherit characteristics and themes from that particular storybook character. You are free to be creative and take elements from related works and variations (like Disney), but try to keep it central to the original version. Refer to the Character section of the Game Info as a refresher on how essences and their abilities work.
Storybook characters can be from any work of literary fiction such as fairy tales, folklore, fables, nursery rhymes, classics, plays, mythos, legends, etc. They can be well-known or obscure, and origins must pre-date the 1950s.
Because the game currently doesn't allow duplicate essences, list your top preference and any others you're considering, but also be open for other suggestions. And if you see someone else list one you are considering, list it, anyway! Anyone could change their mind. Just don't be salty or badger anyone about their choice, otherwise it's an automatic boot out the door. The goal is to try to not only match the best essence to the character, but also one that people can have fun with.
Although you can only register one character, you can workshop multiple in case you are having difficulties in deciding who to pick.
Public Registration will open May 3, but anyone with an invite and current players can register at any time. Claims will open April 26.

If you have any further questions about this or anything in general, comment to the Mod Thread.

§ form.

If you're ready, just fill out the following form and discuss away! One character per comment.

Player: Player ID w/ contact
Character: Character looking to bring in
Canon: (and canon point)
Age: (of the character)
Bio Blurb: Instead of a full written history, please link a wiki page AND provide a 1-2 paragraph summary of the character's backstory. If no wiki page is available, that's okay; you're free to link a write-up if you have one or feel like making one. The summary is more of an "at a glance" to help those not familiar to get a basic idea of who the character is and what they were doing in their canon. If it helps, pretend you're writing a blurb for a CR Meme. What key important things about your character's history would you want to point out to others?

Personality Blurb: You are free to link to anything pre-written such as an app for another game, but for our purposes you must include a 1-2 paragraph blurb highlighting the main elements of the character's personality. If it helps, pick out up to 5 vices and 5 virtues that you'd associate with them and just toss in a few sentences about it. Again, you can pretend you're writing a blurb for a CR Meme.

Preferred Essence(s): Have one or a couple already in mind? List them here! Include reasons why you are thinking about that particular essence and how you would work it with the character.
Looking For: Open to other ideas? What kind of storybook character would you be interested in? Things you're not interested in should also be mentioned.

Appearance: Any notable features both for the character in general and any appearance or style changes you may be considering to match their essence.

Abilities: Whether you have an essence in mind or not, talk about what kind of abilities you're hoping to recreate or gain while in game. Any weapons that are going to be regained or explored? What abilities or weapons are lost? Skills?

Quirks: Are you interested in gaining any quirks of the storybook character? Or do you already have one already in mind? Need suggestions from your list? A reminder that the current limit is one.

Goal: What do you hope to do while in game? This could range from just having fun with the setting to exploring new aspects of the character because of the setting.
Extra: Anything else you'd like to ask or talk about. Can be about the essences or just general ideas of what you'd like to hopefully play out.
Questions: Any other questions you might have.

Post away and go buzz about everyone else!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Player: Nyanka |

Nyanka
Character: Luca Balsa
Canon: Identity V (Right before he gets a letter to the mansion)
Age: Mid-20's
Bio Blurb: (Writeup link because there's no good wiki for him.)

Luca was once a respectable member of society. Well educated, highly curious, somewhat naive... It was no surprise to anyone the most well known inventor in the city hired him on as his apprentice. It's a shame that things came tumbling down after an academic dispute about research and plagiarism led to a nasty accident involving a strong electrical current... And the inventor's death.

Poor Luca was left with brain damage and memory loss, which didn't help when he was arrested for murder and sentenced to death. He was pardoned at the last minute for some reason, but his possessions were sold off and his reputation was in shambles. How was he supposed to secure the funds for that invention he so desperately wanted to complete?

Maybe that could change. He did receive a strange letter in his locker inviting him to some treasure hunting game taking place at the mysterious Otleus manor. Seeing this as an opportunity to redeem himself, he jumps at the offer... Unaware of the horrors that await all who enter.

Personality Blurb:

Once upon a time, Luca was a curious fellow with a friendly disposition and a tendency towards being a little too trusting of others. The fallout from the accident changed all that. He's lost much of his self worth as he rotted in prison, and he has ongoing memory issues that cause days to blur together and much of his past to be forgotten. He's prone to forgetfulness and the occasional migraine. However, there is one thing that keeps him from falling into total despair... His invention. It's an impossible dream, but he has it in his mind that completing that invention would somehow be worth all the trouble he's gone through. He's willing to take risks for that goal, even if he doesn't know exactly what he's getting into.

There are some things that haven't changed much, either. He's still approachable, though he tends to come off as cocky at times. He's still rather intelligent, in spite of his unreliable memory and focus... In fact, when he tinkers with machinery and electrical circuits he has a habit of getting a bit too focused, to the point where it takes a little longer for him to notice danger coming at him. It's as if his stubborn refusal to let his miserable circumstances bind him or define him somehow keep him together. At least he has enough knowledge about how circuits work to actively rewire the Manor during a game.

Preferred Essence(s):
The Count Of Monte Christo. Edmond Dantes was unjustly sent to prison thanks to three conspirators he thought were his friends. Luca Balsa may not remember if he did have malicious intent then, but being arrested after what amounted to a tragic accident and labeled a murderer and a thief isn't fair at all. While this essence doesn't quite go well with being a mechanic/electrician/disgraced inventor, it does provide him with the means to redeem himself... In the Realm of Stories, at least.

Looking For: Help with defining abilities, mainly. Please, I am bad with math.

Appearance:
Default: His original appearance. Due to the framing device being a detective trying to imagine events in his mind as he investigates an abandoned mansion, all of the survivors are depicted as living rag dolls. However, Luca and the others are meant to be human beings. That being said, his left eye seems to be bruised and won't open all the way. Perhaps that will heal over time.

Dantes: Luca will be surprised to find himself in a lavish outfit befitting a French count from the 1840's. He'll probably forgo the cloak and jacket most of the time. It might be fun to draw inspiration from an alternate skin from one of the hunters.

Abilities: Besides his experience with wiring and machinery, Luca's power in canon is to hold an electric charge after working on two connected ciphers and unleash it to temporarily stun enemies.

Dantes:

Treasure hunting ability: Basically, this turns him into a living metal detector. If he's actively hunting for treasure (including scrap metal, lost jewelry, loose change...), his instincts will point him in the right direction. However, he can't detect "treasure" from far away- He can only sense it in a small radius (someone please help me with an exact measurement)that will gradually increase with future upgrades. Which means he has to go looking around for the exact location.

Do you like boats?: Knows how to operate any sea vessel and is able to summon a small raft at will. The size and quality of the vessel will improve over time, but this boat should be big enough to sit four adults comfortably.

THIS is a knife: Knows how to engage in sword fighting and is equipped with a rapier for use in close combat. It's not enchanted now, but perhaps he can upgrade it...

Return of the "Conductor"... With a Vengeance!: ~~Ripping off~~ Borrowing a page from F/GO and letting Luca keep his electric charge power, with a twist. Instead of normal electricity, he passively charges dark energy over time which he can release as an electrical charge at will. This ability takes quite a while to recharge (though negative emotions like anger and bitterness speed it up) and even at full charge he can only stun whoever's close to him for a couple of seconds. The potency of a full charge will increase over time, as will the ability to aim his attack at select targets. For now, don't get too close if you don't want a nasty shock!

Quirks:
Not entirely sure I should give him one. I could give him a vengeful streak, but what good is that for someone so forgetful?

Goal: I've been playing Luca's canon (an asymmetrical horror game with a loose overarching plot and plenty of backstory) for a few weeks now and ended up getting attached to him of all people, so I thought this would be a good spot to try him in a game. I'm mainly looking to play out some kind of redemption arc for Luca so he can work out his trauma and possibly secure a better life for himself. I'm also wanting to mess around with his memory issues and how his experience is affected by them

Extra: I have no memes that would make sense so have some actual gameplay

Questions: Identity V is the kind of game that likes to leave breadcrumbs of lore, sometimes at odd times. Most of the playable characters have "Deduction Points-" goals that reveal tidbits of the character's backstory when completed. Luca doesn't have one yet, but since he's something of an amnesiac I thought it would be interesting to canon update him via recovered memories since more details about his backstory would be revealed.

Edited 2020-05-28 21:04 (UTC)

Workshop #5: April 2020

Luca Balsa | Identity V