shipoftheseus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shipoftheseus) wrote2018-02-27 05:55 am
shipoftheseus) wrote2018-02-27 05:55 am
app to ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
piper90
APPLICATION
Player Name/Handle: Kelly
Plurk Handle:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
tinybro
Player Status: New Player
Other characters: N/A
Invited by: YOUUUU
Character Name: Phosphophyllite
Fandom: Houseki No Kuni (Land of the Lustrous)
Character Journal:shipoftheseus
OU, AU, CRAU, Canon OC, or OC? OU
Canon point: Chapter 44, just before the attack that gets them decapitated
PB: N/A
SETTING BACKGROUND
Houseki No Kuni takes place far in the future on a post-post-apocalyptic Earth. On an idyllic little island in the middle of the ocean – potentially the only land left on the planet – lives a small community of gemstone people, descendants of humanity made entirely out of precious stones. Under the care and leadership of the mysterious Sensei, the Gems live routine, stagnant lives. They're regularly besieged by Lunarians, equally mysterious beings from the moon that hunt the Gems. Phosphophyllite, the youngest and weakest of the Gems, looks for purpose and answers, while their search for the truth threatens to destabilize the Gem's entire world.
HISTORY
- Phos is born fully formed from the earth like all Gems. Sensei teaches them language and the basics of the world and Phos loves him as all the Gems do.
- They have no specific job or responsibilities, unlike the rest of the Gems, due to being clumsy and fragile.
- When Phos is 300, Sensei tasks them with creating an encyclopedia. While out looking for something to write about, they're attacked by Lunarians. They're rescued by Cinnabar, who keeps watch at night and isolates themself away from the others due to the poison that constantly seeps out of them. After hearing that Cinnabar feels useless and wishes the Lunarians would take them away, Phos promises to find a better job for Cinnabar.
- Shenanigans happen involving a giant snail creature dropped by the Lunarians. Afterward, Phos finds they alone can now understand the snail creature.
- The snail-slug thing introduces itself as Ventricosus, king of an aquatic species called the Admirabilis. Phos agrees to help it get back to its home in the ocean and sneaks off to do so. It turns out Ventricosus lead them into a trap and Phos is captured by Lunarians, losing their legs in the process. Ventricosus tries to use Phos to negotiate with the Lunarians for the return of their brother, but said brother breaks free and Ventricosus decides to return Phos to the Gems. They're left on the shore alongside some pieces of shell.
- Due to the loss of their legs, Phos loses a chunk of their memories which included everything that had happened in the ocean. As the Gems don't have any material similar to Phos' own mineral to fix their legs, replacement legs are crafted for them out of the shell and the agate that had lined it. Surprisingly (as Gems can usually only bond with materials very close to their natural ones), the new legs take and Phos finds they can now run extremely quickly with them.
- Phos gets a chance to go out on patrol with the fighters but immediately fucks it up and nearly gets someone captured.
- When it comes time to hibernate for the winter, Phos can't sleep from the guilt and asks to stay awake instead, so they're tasked with helping Antarcticite with winter duties. Phos sucks at it but comes to admire Antarcticite for being so skilled and dedicated despite also being a fragile gem.
- Phos loses their arms in a freak iceberg accident and they go with Antarcticite in search of replacement materials. All they can find is some chunks of a gold-platinum alloy, so they slap it on to see if it'll take. While Phos is stuck weighed down by the giant chunks of metal, the Lunarians attack and Antarcticite is eventually shattered and taken away. Phos gains control of their new alloy arms too late and fails to save Antarcticite.
- Phos takes over winter duties, modeling themself after Antarcticite. They've lost their speed due to the weight of the alloy, but they've mastered control of it. Phos struggles with depression and hallucinations that keep them from sleeping.
- Spring comes and the other Gems wake from hibernation. Phos' new arms make them useful finally, but they feel strange and out of place among the Gems now.
- The Lunarians send a new, giant furry creature to attack the Gems. Sensei eventually deals with it, but he seems familiar with the beast. Phos seems to be the only one who notices or cares that this shit is suspicious.
- While trying to gather information, Phos gains a new partner, Ghost Quartz. During a Lunarian attack, Phos is shattered and left helpless and Ghost defends them until help arrives. Ghost's entire outer layer is shredded off in the process and those shards are lost, leaving only the separate Gem Ghost's mineral had originally formed around.
- Phos is weighed down with even more guilt over losing Ghost and finds themself thinking the gem that remains (eventually given the name Cairngorm) resembles Antarcticite. During another attack, Phos has a breakdown and mistakes Cairngorm for Antarcticite. The alloy freaks out and starts to tear Phos apart and the other Gems have to knock them out to keep them from destroying themself.
- Cairngorm seems to gain some sympathy for Phos and with Cairngorm's support, Phos becomes somewhat more stable, They start to cheer up and start acting more like their old self.
- More fighting happens, revealing more hints at suspicious shit with Sensei. Phos is determined to investigate but wants to be careful about it.
- We leave off with Phos and Cairngorm on patrol together, just before an attack that will fuck Phos up worse than ever before :)
PERSONALITY
Phos is a wildly dynamic character, especially for a member of a species of ageless, unchanging rock people in a static setting. Their developments, both as a person and on a more physical level, are at the core of Houseki no Kuni's story, and the person they are now is significantly different from who they were at the beginning of the story a year previous. They're adaptable, and more than that, they've actively sought change in both themself and the status quo in general where the others in their group were content to leave things as they were.
Whether or not these changes are good is another matter entirely, of course. They've always been a curious individual, prone to disobedience and getting into trouble because of it, but these days it's evolved into a need to learn the truth of their world no matter how unhappy a truth it might be. Phos' search for purpose and answers has so far led mostly to trouble for everyone involved. They carry a great deal of guilt as a result, and it has tempered what used to be an extremely impulsive, thoughtless nature into a much more careful one. They still have their moments of recklessness, but these days they're trying to act more cautiously for the sake of others.
While they are definitely doing better by their current canonpoint, it's only after coming through some heavy depression as a result of all that guilt. For a time they had horrible insomnia, and while it's eased up they aren't entirely out of those particular woods yet. They'd also been plagued by hallucinations and nightmares of a lost friend for a while, and only got over them because of the realization that they were probably subconsciously desperate for support of some kind. They've realized now that their attempts to figure things out alone left them feeling isolated even while still among others, and so they've made efforts to open back up, and to reign in their own drive for answers somewhat so they don't get others hurt by it again.
That care for others has been one of the most consistent aspects of their personality. Even from the earliest flashback we see, Sensei emphasizes that Phos is kind. And while they can be a bit selfish at times (though they've grown out of that somewhat), they've always been deeply empathetic even towards those who hurt them. They can't dredge up any anger towards the Admirabilis after learning the reason for their betrayal, and though they find Bortz's attitude intimidating and unpleasant they understand the care buried underneath it all. Most notably, they empathize with Cinnabar's feelings of uselessness and promise to find them a new job, even while Phos themself is without a real purpose of their own. The underlying motivation of their need to be useful was always a desire to help others, especially the Sensei they loved so much, and so their current goals leave them deeply conflicted. Not only do they struggle with their suspicions regarding Sensei, but they know all the others have recognized that something is suspicious as well and chosen to ignore it and keep things as they are. They're being forced to choose between letting everyone carry on as they are, purposefully blind but content, and finding a truth that might do nothing but cause grief.
Their struggles have led to them maturing a great deal as a person, becoming someone capable of greater understanding and seriousness when necessary, but their improved mental health these days has seen a return of some of their original self as well. They can be a little lazy sometimes, and they think a bit too highly of both their own appearance and that of the Gems as a whole. They hide their insecurities with humor and boisterousness and are prone to dramatics, but they aren't necessarily a very good actor, and it's often pretty obvious when they're purposefully trying to act cheerful for whatever reason. Overall, they can be pretty smart and they have occasional bouts of impressive insightfulness, but those qualities are often easily overlooked or lost in their generally easygoing and sometimes oblivious attitude.
CANON POWERS
- Gem biology. Phos is entirely made of inorganic mineral, specifically phosphophyllite (with some replacement parts also made of different minerals). They don't age or breathe, they have no sense of taste or smell, and they aren't bothered by cold or heat. They don't need to eat or drink, but they're energized by sunlight and need to sleep like humans. They also tend to hibernate in the winter when there's not much sunlight, but can manage to stay awake with some effort (though they'll still feel very tired). They can be cracked or broken (and phosphophyllite is a particularly fragile stone at only a 3.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, compared to human bone which is a 5) but they don't feel pain when damaged. Significant damage (such as losing all limbs or being entirely broken in half) is enough to leave them unable to function and might make them lose consciousness, and losing their head will always leave them entirely nonfunctional. They can be repaired if the pieces are saved, generally by pasting them back together until the pieces fuse back together (a few days at least for it to really set in properly), and pieces that are missing can theoretically be replaced with other materials. For most gems the materials need to be very similar to their natural mineral, but Phos is a bizarre outlier who takes on new pieces relatively easily. It's unknown if continuing to do so will cause problems in the long run, as they're already an extremely complicated mix of minerals with only barely half their original body left. Gems' memories are also stored in all parts of their body, so losing pieces loses an equivalent amount of memory seemingly at random. Extremely intense distress can also cause them to crack and break apart on its own.
- Superspeed legs. Except not really now. Their legs are now a compound of shell and agate and are capable of extreme speed. However, the weight of their alloy has since rendered that mobility useless and now they can only move at about an average pace (on a human level).
- ???? Can understand the voices of sea slugs and ice floes back home. This is likely to do with certain aspects of the world back home, though, and thus won't apply to any slugs or ice here.
- Alloy. Their arms have been replaced with an alloy of gold and platinum, which has spread throughout their entire body and also sticks out at the heels of their feet. They can control this alloy at will, changing the shape and solidity freely. This requires some level of focus, and surprising them can cause their arms to lose their shape and hardness. Entirely knocking them out renders the alloy useless, at which point it takes on a mostly liquid state. They make creative use of the alloy, using it to propel themselves upwards, restrain enemies, stretch out to hit distant targets, shield them from attacks, form golden doppelgängers for distractions, hold their pieces together temporarily when they've been broken, and plenty more. However, they're limited by the amount of alloy in their body, and it has to remain attached to them at least by a thin strand to remain under their control. The alloy is stronger than their base strength (which is almost comically weak), but also makes them significantly heavier – likely somewhere between 400 and 450 lbs now.
POWER SELECTION
Canon powers. As noted, the weird shit like their ability to understand ice floes is irrelevant here so all they have is what comes with their bizarre physical makeup. Though immortal by traditional standards, they can still be put out of commission permanently if their pieces are destroyed or lost, and they're fragile enough to still take damage, so it probably balances out.
ABILITIES
- Sword skills. Decent-ish with a sword these days, though they don't often really resort to any actual swordplay or fighting skills, more often holding things still with their alloy or just using it to block attacks while they simply cut through enemies.
SETTING/SUITABILITY
➤ How do you expect your character to respond to the setting? Even if they plan to rebel in the long term, will they be able to at least obey enough to not get shocked to death?
Phos has absolutely zero experience with any kind of hierarchial shit, let alone the corporate kind, so it will probably take them a bit so get used to getting bossed around and treated as an employee. They're not entirely stupid, though, so they'll catch on to what they can and can't do soon enough and avoid doing anything to get themself destroyed.
➤ What do you hope to do with your character long-term?
Hopefully Phos will develop close enough relationships with at least a few others that they can be a bit more open and get some support so they can maintain relative stability. Otherwise, I'm happy to roll with the punches and see where things go.
➤ Does your character currently have skills that would allow them to adapt, survive, and do the heroic things being asked of them? If your character doesn't, do you think they'd have the capacity to learn quickly?
Phos is adaptable if nothing else. Despite the whole world being wildly outside their realm of experience, they'll be able to survive without significant issue.
➤ If they're not used to cooperating with others, what makes you think they'll be able to adapt to cooperating with the group?
Though they'll doubtlessly feel more out of place than ever here as the only one of their kind around, Phos is still used to living and working with a group. The independence they've developed is a much more recent thing, and their first instinct will still be to do what's best for the sake of the group. If anything, it'll be relatively easier for them here than it was at home, as most characters will likely be down with breaking the status quo and thus they won't feel so isolated in wanting to do so.
➤ Will your character have long-term plans to rebel against Jorgmund? If so, how? Will they betray the other PCs and cooperate with Jorgmund? If so, how do you plan to handle the negative CR that might arise?
They were already trying to be more cautious back home, so that will carry over here even more strongly in a world they know absolutely nothing about. They'll definitely want to rebel against Jorgmund, though, as the whole oppressive corporate shit won't sit well with them at all. They'll be quick to cooperate with anyone else that seems interested in investigating and finding a way out of this.
SAMPLES
Network Sample
[Phos has never participated in any kind of interview before. They've never seen any kind of interrogation either. None of this rings with any kind of familiarity for them, so all they really have to work off of is the situation at hand – the strange explanation from even stranger ugly fleshy people, the jolts of discomfort whenever they try to protest or disobey, the empty room and screen displaying stupid questions.
Turns out, you don't need any kind of modern day experience or pop culture knowledge to know this particular blend of interview and interrogation sucks.
The question displayed currently is, of course, stupid:
If you were on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?
Phos squints at that long enough that they get another jolt of that weird, bad feeling. It's like the spark of sensation when a limb is reattached, sort of, but amplified and worse somehow. They scowl at the collar-based prompting and glare at the screen.]
What do you want me to say? It's a dumb question.
[They live on an island, why would they have to bring anything?
Another jolt suggests the people in charge don't really care for their thoughts on the matter. Phos bristles, the alloy of their arms rippling in discomfort, but they just roll their eyes and slump back in their seat like a sulky teen.]
...A sword, I guess? And some paste, and...a brush for the paste? Does that have to be counted separately?
[Who knows? That's pretty much all they need to manage, though. And evidently it's enough of an answer for the screen to move on to the next question.
Do you think a leader should be feared or liked?
Phos's frown eases up, less out of any kind of real relaxation and more from confusion. There's some discomfort in there too, not of the shock-collar variety, but that's harder to put words to.
The only "leader" there's even been in their experience is Sensei. Despite everything, suspicions and all, they can't imagine being afraid of him.]
...Why would you want to be afraid of your leader? You do things for someone because you love them, right?
[They say it with less conviction than they once would have – do they still love Sensei? Of course, just–
They don't have to think about it too much, at least, as that answer is accepted and a new question is displayed. It's worse.
What is your biggest regret and why?
Oh.]
I'm...
[For all their apparent childishness, Phos seems to sober up at that one. They sit up straighter, crystalline eyes downcast and metallic arms stiff in front of them. They don't want to talk about this, not to these strange people who cause discomfort and babble on nonsensically and look at them like they're some kind of freak.
Unfortunately, they're only granted maybe a minute of silence before they're prompted by the collar to speak up. They shudder in their seat, alloy rippling unnervingly, and the glare that suddenly cuts up at the screen is sharp and miserable.]
Everyone that was... [Ugh. They don't want to give the names. It feels like the only thing they can keep for themself here.] ...It's always been my fault when things go wrong. Because I'm weak or afraid or...or selfish. I keep messing up and others pay the price for it. I never wanted anyone to...
[They grimace, cutting themself off and dropping their gaze again. Fuck, is that enough? Are all the gory details really necessary, do they have to pick out which incident was the absolute worst when they all boil down to "Phos gets other people broken and taken away"?
No shock comes, so evidently it's enough.]
Prose Sample
TDM sample
ADDITIONAL INFO
I know all this Gem shit is batshit, please let me know if anything's confusing or needs to be adjusted to work for the game ; ;
FINAL QUESTIONS
➤ Will your character suspect some kind of guiding intelligence has brought them to the game? Or will they think it was random or done by Jorgmund?
Phos has absolutely zero concept of God or any other kind of higher power, so they'll blame Jorgmund or some other kind of phenomena before anything else.
➤ If they think it was something other than Jorgmund, like God or some other force of fate, what character traits do they think of that intelligence as having? Is it cruel or kind? Capriciously punishing them or doing it for good reason?
N/A, what's a God???
Player Name/Handle: Kelly
Plurk Handle:
Player Status: New Player
Other characters: N/A
Invited by: YOUUUU
Character Name: Phosphophyllite
Fandom: Houseki No Kuni (Land of the Lustrous)
Character Journal:
shipoftheseusOU, AU, CRAU, Canon OC, or OC? OU
Canon point: Chapter 44, just before the attack that gets them decapitated
PB: N/A
SETTING BACKGROUND
Houseki No Kuni takes place far in the future on a post-post-apocalyptic Earth. On an idyllic little island in the middle of the ocean – potentially the only land left on the planet – lives a small community of gemstone people, descendants of humanity made entirely out of precious stones. Under the care and leadership of the mysterious Sensei, the Gems live routine, stagnant lives. They're regularly besieged by Lunarians, equally mysterious beings from the moon that hunt the Gems. Phosphophyllite, the youngest and weakest of the Gems, looks for purpose and answers, while their search for the truth threatens to destabilize the Gem's entire world.
HISTORY
- Phos is born fully formed from the earth like all Gems. Sensei teaches them language and the basics of the world and Phos loves him as all the Gems do.
- They have no specific job or responsibilities, unlike the rest of the Gems, due to being clumsy and fragile.
- When Phos is 300, Sensei tasks them with creating an encyclopedia. While out looking for something to write about, they're attacked by Lunarians. They're rescued by Cinnabar, who keeps watch at night and isolates themself away from the others due to the poison that constantly seeps out of them. After hearing that Cinnabar feels useless and wishes the Lunarians would take them away, Phos promises to find a better job for Cinnabar.
- Shenanigans happen involving a giant snail creature dropped by the Lunarians. Afterward, Phos finds they alone can now understand the snail creature.
- The snail-slug thing introduces itself as Ventricosus, king of an aquatic species called the Admirabilis. Phos agrees to help it get back to its home in the ocean and sneaks off to do so. It turns out Ventricosus lead them into a trap and Phos is captured by Lunarians, losing their legs in the process. Ventricosus tries to use Phos to negotiate with the Lunarians for the return of their brother, but said brother breaks free and Ventricosus decides to return Phos to the Gems. They're left on the shore alongside some pieces of shell.
- Due to the loss of their legs, Phos loses a chunk of their memories which included everything that had happened in the ocean. As the Gems don't have any material similar to Phos' own mineral to fix their legs, replacement legs are crafted for them out of the shell and the agate that had lined it. Surprisingly (as Gems can usually only bond with materials very close to their natural ones), the new legs take and Phos finds they can now run extremely quickly with them.
- Phos gets a chance to go out on patrol with the fighters but immediately fucks it up and nearly gets someone captured.
- When it comes time to hibernate for the winter, Phos can't sleep from the guilt and asks to stay awake instead, so they're tasked with helping Antarcticite with winter duties. Phos sucks at it but comes to admire Antarcticite for being so skilled and dedicated despite also being a fragile gem.
- Phos loses their arms in a freak iceberg accident and they go with Antarcticite in search of replacement materials. All they can find is some chunks of a gold-platinum alloy, so they slap it on to see if it'll take. While Phos is stuck weighed down by the giant chunks of metal, the Lunarians attack and Antarcticite is eventually shattered and taken away. Phos gains control of their new alloy arms too late and fails to save Antarcticite.
- Phos takes over winter duties, modeling themself after Antarcticite. They've lost their speed due to the weight of the alloy, but they've mastered control of it. Phos struggles with depression and hallucinations that keep them from sleeping.
- Spring comes and the other Gems wake from hibernation. Phos' new arms make them useful finally, but they feel strange and out of place among the Gems now.
- The Lunarians send a new, giant furry creature to attack the Gems. Sensei eventually deals with it, but he seems familiar with the beast. Phos seems to be the only one who notices or cares that this shit is suspicious.
- While trying to gather information, Phos gains a new partner, Ghost Quartz. During a Lunarian attack, Phos is shattered and left helpless and Ghost defends them until help arrives. Ghost's entire outer layer is shredded off in the process and those shards are lost, leaving only the separate Gem Ghost's mineral had originally formed around.
- Phos is weighed down with even more guilt over losing Ghost and finds themself thinking the gem that remains (eventually given the name Cairngorm) resembles Antarcticite. During another attack, Phos has a breakdown and mistakes Cairngorm for Antarcticite. The alloy freaks out and starts to tear Phos apart and the other Gems have to knock them out to keep them from destroying themself.
- Cairngorm seems to gain some sympathy for Phos and with Cairngorm's support, Phos becomes somewhat more stable, They start to cheer up and start acting more like their old self.
- More fighting happens, revealing more hints at suspicious shit with Sensei. Phos is determined to investigate but wants to be careful about it.
- We leave off with Phos and Cairngorm on patrol together, just before an attack that will fuck Phos up worse than ever before :)
PERSONALITY
Phos is a wildly dynamic character, especially for a member of a species of ageless, unchanging rock people in a static setting. Their developments, both as a person and on a more physical level, are at the core of Houseki no Kuni's story, and the person they are now is significantly different from who they were at the beginning of the story a year previous. They're adaptable, and more than that, they've actively sought change in both themself and the status quo in general where the others in their group were content to leave things as they were.
Whether or not these changes are good is another matter entirely, of course. They've always been a curious individual, prone to disobedience and getting into trouble because of it, but these days it's evolved into a need to learn the truth of their world no matter how unhappy a truth it might be. Phos' search for purpose and answers has so far led mostly to trouble for everyone involved. They carry a great deal of guilt as a result, and it has tempered what used to be an extremely impulsive, thoughtless nature into a much more careful one. They still have their moments of recklessness, but these days they're trying to act more cautiously for the sake of others.
While they are definitely doing better by their current canonpoint, it's only after coming through some heavy depression as a result of all that guilt. For a time they had horrible insomnia, and while it's eased up they aren't entirely out of those particular woods yet. They'd also been plagued by hallucinations and nightmares of a lost friend for a while, and only got over them because of the realization that they were probably subconsciously desperate for support of some kind. They've realized now that their attempts to figure things out alone left them feeling isolated even while still among others, and so they've made efforts to open back up, and to reign in their own drive for answers somewhat so they don't get others hurt by it again.
That care for others has been one of the most consistent aspects of their personality. Even from the earliest flashback we see, Sensei emphasizes that Phos is kind. And while they can be a bit selfish at times (though they've grown out of that somewhat), they've always been deeply empathetic even towards those who hurt them. They can't dredge up any anger towards the Admirabilis after learning the reason for their betrayal, and though they find Bortz's attitude intimidating and unpleasant they understand the care buried underneath it all. Most notably, they empathize with Cinnabar's feelings of uselessness and promise to find them a new job, even while Phos themself is without a real purpose of their own. The underlying motivation of their need to be useful was always a desire to help others, especially the Sensei they loved so much, and so their current goals leave them deeply conflicted. Not only do they struggle with their suspicions regarding Sensei, but they know all the others have recognized that something is suspicious as well and chosen to ignore it and keep things as they are. They're being forced to choose between letting everyone carry on as they are, purposefully blind but content, and finding a truth that might do nothing but cause grief.
Their struggles have led to them maturing a great deal as a person, becoming someone capable of greater understanding and seriousness when necessary, but their improved mental health these days has seen a return of some of their original self as well. They can be a little lazy sometimes, and they think a bit too highly of both their own appearance and that of the Gems as a whole. They hide their insecurities with humor and boisterousness and are prone to dramatics, but they aren't necessarily a very good actor, and it's often pretty obvious when they're purposefully trying to act cheerful for whatever reason. Overall, they can be pretty smart and they have occasional bouts of impressive insightfulness, but those qualities are often easily overlooked or lost in their generally easygoing and sometimes oblivious attitude.
CANON POWERS
- Gem biology. Phos is entirely made of inorganic mineral, specifically phosphophyllite (with some replacement parts also made of different minerals). They don't age or breathe, they have no sense of taste or smell, and they aren't bothered by cold or heat. They don't need to eat or drink, but they're energized by sunlight and need to sleep like humans. They also tend to hibernate in the winter when there's not much sunlight, but can manage to stay awake with some effort (though they'll still feel very tired). They can be cracked or broken (and phosphophyllite is a particularly fragile stone at only a 3.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, compared to human bone which is a 5) but they don't feel pain when damaged. Significant damage (such as losing all limbs or being entirely broken in half) is enough to leave them unable to function and might make them lose consciousness, and losing their head will always leave them entirely nonfunctional. They can be repaired if the pieces are saved, generally by pasting them back together until the pieces fuse back together (a few days at least for it to really set in properly), and pieces that are missing can theoretically be replaced with other materials. For most gems the materials need to be very similar to their natural mineral, but Phos is a bizarre outlier who takes on new pieces relatively easily. It's unknown if continuing to do so will cause problems in the long run, as they're already an extremely complicated mix of minerals with only barely half their original body left. Gems' memories are also stored in all parts of their body, so losing pieces loses an equivalent amount of memory seemingly at random. Extremely intense distress can also cause them to crack and break apart on its own.
- Superspeed legs. Except not really now. Their legs are now a compound of shell and agate and are capable of extreme speed. However, the weight of their alloy has since rendered that mobility useless and now they can only move at about an average pace (on a human level).
- ???? Can understand the voices of sea slugs and ice floes back home. This is likely to do with certain aspects of the world back home, though, and thus won't apply to any slugs or ice here.
- Alloy. Their arms have been replaced with an alloy of gold and platinum, which has spread throughout their entire body and also sticks out at the heels of their feet. They can control this alloy at will, changing the shape and solidity freely. This requires some level of focus, and surprising them can cause their arms to lose their shape and hardness. Entirely knocking them out renders the alloy useless, at which point it takes on a mostly liquid state. They make creative use of the alloy, using it to propel themselves upwards, restrain enemies, stretch out to hit distant targets, shield them from attacks, form golden doppelgängers for distractions, hold their pieces together temporarily when they've been broken, and plenty more. However, they're limited by the amount of alloy in their body, and it has to remain attached to them at least by a thin strand to remain under their control. The alloy is stronger than their base strength (which is almost comically weak), but also makes them significantly heavier – likely somewhere between 400 and 450 lbs now.
POWER SELECTION
Canon powers. As noted, the weird shit like their ability to understand ice floes is irrelevant here so all they have is what comes with their bizarre physical makeup. Though immortal by traditional standards, they can still be put out of commission permanently if their pieces are destroyed or lost, and they're fragile enough to still take damage, so it probably balances out.
ABILITIES
- Sword skills. Decent-ish with a sword these days, though they don't often really resort to any actual swordplay or fighting skills, more often holding things still with their alloy or just using it to block attacks while they simply cut through enemies.
SETTING/SUITABILITY
➤ How do you expect your character to respond to the setting? Even if they plan to rebel in the long term, will they be able to at least obey enough to not get shocked to death?
Phos has absolutely zero experience with any kind of hierarchial shit, let alone the corporate kind, so it will probably take them a bit so get used to getting bossed around and treated as an employee. They're not entirely stupid, though, so they'll catch on to what they can and can't do soon enough and avoid doing anything to get themself destroyed.
➤ What do you hope to do with your character long-term?
Hopefully Phos will develop close enough relationships with at least a few others that they can be a bit more open and get some support so they can maintain relative stability. Otherwise, I'm happy to roll with the punches and see where things go.
➤ Does your character currently have skills that would allow them to adapt, survive, and do the heroic things being asked of them? If your character doesn't, do you think they'd have the capacity to learn quickly?
Phos is adaptable if nothing else. Despite the whole world being wildly outside their realm of experience, they'll be able to survive without significant issue.
➤ If they're not used to cooperating with others, what makes you think they'll be able to adapt to cooperating with the group?
Though they'll doubtlessly feel more out of place than ever here as the only one of their kind around, Phos is still used to living and working with a group. The independence they've developed is a much more recent thing, and their first instinct will still be to do what's best for the sake of the group. If anything, it'll be relatively easier for them here than it was at home, as most characters will likely be down with breaking the status quo and thus they won't feel so isolated in wanting to do so.
➤ Will your character have long-term plans to rebel against Jorgmund? If so, how? Will they betray the other PCs and cooperate with Jorgmund? If so, how do you plan to handle the negative CR that might arise?
They were already trying to be more cautious back home, so that will carry over here even more strongly in a world they know absolutely nothing about. They'll definitely want to rebel against Jorgmund, though, as the whole oppressive corporate shit won't sit well with them at all. They'll be quick to cooperate with anyone else that seems interested in investigating and finding a way out of this.
SAMPLES
Network Sample
[Phos has never participated in any kind of interview before. They've never seen any kind of interrogation either. None of this rings with any kind of familiarity for them, so all they really have to work off of is the situation at hand – the strange explanation from even stranger ugly fleshy people, the jolts of discomfort whenever they try to protest or disobey, the empty room and screen displaying stupid questions.
Turns out, you don't need any kind of modern day experience or pop culture knowledge to know this particular blend of interview and interrogation sucks.
The question displayed currently is, of course, stupid:
If you were on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?
Phos squints at that long enough that they get another jolt of that weird, bad feeling. It's like the spark of sensation when a limb is reattached, sort of, but amplified and worse somehow. They scowl at the collar-based prompting and glare at the screen.]
What do you want me to say? It's a dumb question.
[They live on an island, why would they have to bring anything?
Another jolt suggests the people in charge don't really care for their thoughts on the matter. Phos bristles, the alloy of their arms rippling in discomfort, but they just roll their eyes and slump back in their seat like a sulky teen.]
...A sword, I guess? And some paste, and...a brush for the paste? Does that have to be counted separately?
[Who knows? That's pretty much all they need to manage, though. And evidently it's enough of an answer for the screen to move on to the next question.
Do you think a leader should be feared or liked?
Phos's frown eases up, less out of any kind of real relaxation and more from confusion. There's some discomfort in there too, not of the shock-collar variety, but that's harder to put words to.
The only "leader" there's even been in their experience is Sensei. Despite everything, suspicions and all, they can't imagine being afraid of him.]
...Why would you want to be afraid of your leader? You do things for someone because you love them, right?
[They say it with less conviction than they once would have – do they still love Sensei? Of course, just–
They don't have to think about it too much, at least, as that answer is accepted and a new question is displayed. It's worse.
What is your biggest regret and why?
Oh.]
I'm...
[For all their apparent childishness, Phos seems to sober up at that one. They sit up straighter, crystalline eyes downcast and metallic arms stiff in front of them. They don't want to talk about this, not to these strange people who cause discomfort and babble on nonsensically and look at them like they're some kind of freak.
Unfortunately, they're only granted maybe a minute of silence before they're prompted by the collar to speak up. They shudder in their seat, alloy rippling unnervingly, and the glare that suddenly cuts up at the screen is sharp and miserable.]
Everyone that was... [Ugh. They don't want to give the names. It feels like the only thing they can keep for themself here.] ...It's always been my fault when things go wrong. Because I'm weak or afraid or...or selfish. I keep messing up and others pay the price for it. I never wanted anyone to...
[They grimace, cutting themself off and dropping their gaze again. Fuck, is that enough? Are all the gory details really necessary, do they have to pick out which incident was the absolute worst when they all boil down to "Phos gets other people broken and taken away"?
No shock comes, so evidently it's enough.]
Prose Sample
TDM sample
ADDITIONAL INFO
I know all this Gem shit is batshit, please let me know if anything's confusing or needs to be adjusted to work for the game ; ;
FINAL QUESTIONS
➤ Will your character suspect some kind of guiding intelligence has brought them to the game? Or will they think it was random or done by Jorgmund?
Phos has absolutely zero concept of God or any other kind of higher power, so they'll blame Jorgmund or some other kind of phenomena before anything else.
➤ If they think it was something other than Jorgmund, like God or some other force of fate, what character traits do they think of that intelligence as having? Is it cruel or kind? Capriciously punishing them or doing it for good reason?
N/A, what's a God???