Character Applications

[yhlee]

Please post character applications as comments here.

Edit: We're currently closed to new characters.

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[lookingforoctober]

PLAYER APPLICATION FORM

Player name or handle: October

RPG DW account (if separate): n/a for now, unless you'd prefer me to make one

How can we get in touch with you? (email, DW messaging, other): PM, please.

Character name: Elesa Avery

One-paragraph (100 words) summary of your character.

Elesa is a historian from the planet Samhill, in the far future of the Milky Way galaxy after humans have colonized most of the galaxy. Her area of expertise is the Biological Wars on her planet, and like most historians of her time period, she uses time travel to visit the time period she is interested in. (Her kind of time travel has limits that in theory don't allow major changes in the past.) She has genetic modifications that allow her to survive during the Biologic Wars: she is able to change her shape and to protect herself from psychic effects.

NOTE: In the following section, limit your answers to up to 100 words per question.
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How did your character first learn of the hexarchate?

Elesa was attempting to return from a trip to the past to her present, but the time field generator malfunctioned (her theory is that the path she meant to take through time was intersected by a rift such as those currently plaguing the hexarchate, and it carried her much farther in some exotic direction than her own technology even admitted the possibility of). She ended up on a minor world within the hexarchate instead of her own world.

Why did your character join this rebellion?

Although Elesa has been working as the companion to a rich woman (sort of a fool, providing amusement with her strange ideas and stories of another world), she is still a historian. She has theories about history that she wants to test in the most practical way possible: by changing the past in ways that can't be done by historians in her own home. Plus, coming from a somewhat less torturous civilization (though not by any means perfect) she has no scruples about changing history to eliminate the worst aspects of hexarchate -- if it's possible.

What would make your character consider giving up the cause?
(Note for this and further questions: Tell me things that you're willing to have happen in the game. I may go this far with your character. I will not go further. What I'm asking for is story/character hooks.)

Evidence that what she's doing might have a negative effect on Samhill or on the wider multiverse in some way.

Name something your character does not want to lose.

She lives to try to prove her theories about history, even in this strange and unsettling new world where she's found herself. She would not want to lose the ability to observe and theorize and endlessly refine her theories about history.

She also hopes (though she is completely vague on details about how this might be possible) to return where she came from someday, and would not want to lose that hope.

Name something your character would die for.

She would be willing to risk death to test her theories about history. She would be willing to straight up trade her life to protect the wider multiverse, but that might take some working up to, because she tends to look for other options when she doesn't like the one she's given, so she'd have to think that it was the only choice.

Name something your character would kill for.

The chance to seed some of her core values from her childhood on Samhill into the history of this foreign land. (She doesn't realize how much this matters to her, she thinks she's impartial, but she absolutely would without even realizing why she's so motivated.)

Who is your character's best friend?

The rich woman she works for is not exactly an equal friend, being an employer with power over her, but Elesa enjoys talking to her a lot, because she can say almost anything and have it taken only just seriously enough to be a thought experiment.

Describe your character's perfect partner (romantic or friend or coworker, your choice).

Elesa has a scientific approach to history but history is also her only passion; she is not interested in romance. Her perfect friend would share her interests, and be willing to talk about her theories long into the night (and she would love to reciprocate and talk about alternate theories that her perfect friend might have).

Her perfect friend (from her pov, at least) might also be a little bit more willing to do extreme things than Elesa, so that Elesa could feel like she has appropriate scruples (even though she sorta doesn't).

What is your character's secret dream or desire, the one they've never told anyone?

Eventually, she wants to publish all her observations about history. She'd prefer to find a way to return home and revolutionize the study of history by introducing them to a multiverse of new history, but if that never happens, she still wants to publish.

In anticipation of that day, she's writing an entirely truthful diary (encrypted) and also working on a constantly changing draft of her magnum opus.

How will your character die?
(NOTE: I will not kill your character unless you pre-arrange it with me, but I may put you in a dangerous situation based on this.)

The changes to her genetic code will only last for about fifty years before they begin to unravel, which will eventually cause Elesa's death if not treated.

Does your character have any powers that the hexarchate would consider "exotic" (magical)?

Shapeshifting and protection from psychic effects. (I can tone this down or change it to something else if it's not a good match for the game.)

What do you (the player) enjoy most in an RPG?

I find that different games have different things to enjoy, and try to enjoy the thing that makes the game unique...but in general I enjoy collaboration and making stuff up and seeing other people react and use that stuff.

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You have 500 words to tell me anything else you want me and the other players to know about your character. Do it here.

I would like to make up more about Elesa and her homeworld Samhill and its history on the fly, if/when it becomes relevant to current situations, but for the record, my current broad inspirations are Connie Willis's brand of time travel (more or less) and a colonization of the galaxy which happened over a long period of time via generation ships, only to have the invention of spacetime travel connect the galaxy suddenly (a bit like John Barnes' A Million Open Doors).

[yhlee]

Hello! This largely looks good, although I do have a question. (And no, you don't need a separate character account--that's purely optional.)

You are welcome to have shapeshifting and protection from psychic effects, but if Elesa is obvious about them, it will get her noticed. (She could very plausibly have figured that out early in her stay in the hexarchate.) I'm assuming that shapeshifting is something that she can control, but if the psi-protection is always on, and a Rahal tries to scry her (semi-mind-read) or an Andan tries to enthrall her, and their abilities "bounce," they might get suspicious. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of that? (I mean, you could have fun with that too--it all depends on where you want to go with it.)

(It's been a while since I've read Willis, but I'm roughly familiar with "Fire Watch" and a few of the novels. I'm afraid I haven't read A Million Open Doors.)

Making up more about Elesa and her background on the fly is perfectly fine. :)

[lookingforoctober]

Yeah, I'm thinking she'd try not to be obvious, though on the other hand, she's not trying to hide that she came through a rift (in the present, at least), so there's that.

But I could also go with resilient enough to counter or break free of some psychic effects without damaging her mind, with concentration and effort, if you think that would work better? It's more flexible than an always on protection, at least?

[yhlee]

Well, the hexarchate authorities are probably in a tizzy trying to deal with people coming through rifts, LOL. As long as she's not walking up to a cop and shapeshifting right in their face, she's probably fine. :p

If you want something that's less likely to get her arrested on the psi front, a more flexible anti-psi effect would probably be safer for her--I would tend to recommend the revised suggestion over always-on protection, yes.

In any case, welcome to the game! I'll add you to the roster.

[lookingforoctober]

Hmm, yes, they've got a lot to deal with. But should she be trying to hide that she came through a rift, or just that she has some unusual abilities? I.e. is anything happening to rift folk in general so that it would be advantageous to not be identified as one (it might be possible that Elesa's patroness is willing to cover for her, maybe?), or are they free to figure out how to make their living and fit themselves into the world as best they can?

And sure, let's go with the revised version then. Sounds good, thanks!

[yhlee]

The hexarchate tends to be suspicious of foreigners in general, but just hiding the unusual abilities is probably sufficient. I think realistically the general attitude toward rift folk is that the authorities are going to go after troublemakers and anyone who keeps their head down and assimilates (or doesn't make obvious waves) is going to be left alone. And sure, I could definitely see Elesa's patroness covering for her.