Innocent Monsters (Fantasy, Neo-Noir, OOC)

[Rupudska]

Question. IS it possible to merge technology with magic?

Depends on what you intend to do with it.

[Sudbrazil]

Salazar, C. E.

+++Name: Carlos Eduardo de Oliveira Salazar, goes by Charles or Edward
+++Age: 28
+++Species: Human
+++Sex/Gender: Male
+++Sexual Orientation: Straight
+++Appearance: Charles is a bit of a dandy, always in a suit or at least a waistcoat of some type. He somehow doesn't sweat. Weighs 77 kilograms, has 1.81 metres of height. A few strands of gray hair are showing in his dark brown hair.
+++Identifying Marks:

+++Psychological Analysis: Carlos comes from a family of learning and his good upbringing shows in his behavior and demeanor, but at the same time he is an everyman, who likes to get his hands dirty with simple and rural tasks and resonates with the little people. He is a romantic at heart, filled with ideals and morals, but his engine is disillusion – if not hatred. His opinions are harsh, but he feels awkward when discussing them in person as he does not wish to harm others. He likes people but often chooses solitude. He has a tough shell, but he cries easily. He doesn’t shy away from divulging his deepest feelings, his brokenness. He is a man like the millions found throughout the world, neither confident nor shy, not lost yet wandering , stumbling, living as they can with some scraps of purpose.
+++Weaknesses: Where to begin? Charles has a bit of a race issue. He distrusts many non-Human races and may be slow to build relations with them. Furthermore, he follows a rigid moral code, and while this might seem laudable, his unwillingness to compromise may paralyze him in ambiguous situations or irritate some. He is also far-sighted, though he always carries some type of glasses to below with that.
+++Interests: Most things enjoyed by aristocrats occupy some portion of his free time: music, arts, architecture, literature, clothes, etc. all of which he is picky about. But above all else, he takes an interest in machinery, especially things that go boom, he larger and more complex the better. He also enjoys gardening and crafts as a form of catharsis, though he hardly finds any time for it.
+++Fears: Debt, being crippled physically or mentally, dying before going back to Brazil, going to Hell.

+++Nationality: Brazilian
+++Ethnicity: Portuguese
+++Languages Spoken: Portuguese, English, conversational French and Spanish
+++Religion: Christian
+++Birthplace: Campinas, São Paulo
+++Permanent Residence: Eindhoven, New Leiden
+++Criminal History: A few driving tickets
+++Skills: He is a very competent gunfighter, familiar with a large arsenal. Aside from this, his skillset is what one could expect from a police detective: perceptive, able to scrounge information, interrogate, de-escalate fights, and he is decently familiar with magic despite not being an user or an expert.

+++Equipment: While Carlos has a lot of junk and range toys lying around, a pen, paper, lockpicks, flashlight and multitool always find a place in his pocket or belt. In a messenger bag he generally has an IFAK of some kind, some bottled water as well as some papers and books. He likes to carry a Mateba Sei Unica chambered for .357, although lately he has taken a liking to an FN High Power. When a professional approach is required, he brings a plate carrier and a FAL Para with holo sights. For these guns, apart from hollow points or FMJ, he carries wooden and silver bullets, one charger each.
+++Magical Abilities: N/a

+++Bio:
Life in Brazil isn't easy for most, but Salazar was quite lucky. His family was among the nameless dozens of founding dynasties, one of the original coffee barons with villas on the Paulista avenue, descended from Portuguese gentry who bad probably been there before São Paulo even had that name. Ever since his early days he was promised a bright future as a young man, who would bring his family to new heights, and his first two decades on this Earth seemed to confirm this: despite being raised on a farm, he was soon taken to the city to attend a foreign school. Yet as the world opened and widened Carlos seemed to notice its uglyness and depravity. His initial upbringing clashed with the bleeding edge of the elite, he was thrown off by his and their disconnect, by the light-hearted lifestyle, the politics, the virtues, the lies, the utopianism, the intellectual naïveté of an aristocracy who only copied a hegemonic ultra-american upper-class, too busy denouncing itself to to improve. As life sped on, the very Earth and its mores seemed to shift from under his feet, yet the decay and mediocrity typical to the tropics remained. Edgy existential angst aside, he carried on with his studies. Despite his mother's worries, he served the draft and joined the reserve as an officer, then pursued a few studies in Europe before coming back to pass an examination for the Federal Police, where he got a job in the Diretoria de Assuntos Paranormais, partially aided by his connections. After a few successful operations, he was hit by a scandal.

It was no secret to him that many relatives of his had spending issues. What he didn't know was that they shared more than one vice with the local bourgeoisie. His uncle and a cousin had gotten into debt, bribed a commission or two to get political favours, smuggled questionable substances in a government aircraft, and maybe laundered a grand or ten. Between their confiscated goods and court fines, they went even further into bet, dragging family members like his father into the mess. While Salazar was unassociated, Brazil is a land rife with nepotism and strong family ties, leading his colleagues and superiors to cast suspicions on him. He was sent to an insulting post: keeping tabs on a neo-charismatic cult, one like hundreds of harmless others that littered Brazil. It was a golden goose chase, but somehow, someway, they managed to scrounge up quite a lot of dirt. Necromancy, questionable use of ectoplasms, forgerr of currency, the full nine yards. While a more competent team handled the situation at home, Carlos was sent over to shut down a branch in Portocielo. After a couple of weeks spent tackling paperwork and negotiating with the Yanks, he found himself in the island. They were making great progress when the case was inexplicably shut down and archived. Apparently the cultists had ties to some of the local mob and some big shots back home, and the boss did not dare getting tied down in a foreign affair or loosing political favour. Insulted by this, Salazar demissioned in protest. They weren’t paying him enough anyways.

He leaned back and spent next months were spent rotting in a pension, taking in the sights he had been to busy to admire. He didn't want to go back home, as there was little left there for him. Portocielo was comfortable, somewhat familiar, yet much more sunny than damp São Paulo. As the cost of fine things were weighing down on his wallet, he found employment at Black Dog.

+++RP Example: Hands in the Night
ROWLING-IS-A-HACK (DO NOT REMOVE)

[Rupudska]

*snip*

Good enough for me. Accepted.

[Rupudska]

IC is up.

[Caber]

Tagged. This looks cool as shit

[Segral]

I'm very interested in applying. Are there any specific roles or niches within Black Dog Investigations that currently need filling? (Just asking as a precaution, as I don't want to end up applying as a character that wouldn't have much use to the unit.)

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

I'm very interested in applying. Are there any specific roles or niches within Black Dog Investigations that currently need filling? (Just asking as a precaution, as I don't want to end up applying as a character that wouldn't have much use to the unit.)

Thus far, I think the RP is less about the skills and more about the personalities.

[Segral]

I'm very interested in applying. Are there any specific roles or niches within Black Dog Investigations that currently need filling? (Just asking as a precaution, as I don't want to end up applying as a character that wouldn't have much use to the unit.)

Thus far, I think the RP is less about the skills and more about the personalities.

Duly noted. I'll have my app up sometime either tonight or tomorrow.

[SangMar]

Wolfenium, it’s not a problem, and I should’ve perhaps found another way to make it come across but Orlando didn’t actually say the statements about prostitutes or alcohol. Instead, they were what he would’ve said - had his boss been anyone but Claire. To reiterate, it’s not an issue, and I’ll be more clear during my future IC posts.

[Wolfenium]

Wolfenium, it’s not a problem, and I should’ve perhaps found another way to make it come across but Orlando didn’t actually say the statements about prostitutes or alcohol. Instead, they were what he would’ve said - had his boss been anyone but Claire. To reiterate, it’s not an issue, and I’ll be more clear during my future IC posts.

Ah shit, I misread that, sorry. I'll edit. :v

[Of the Quendi]

Do you still accept applications? This RP looks very interesting.

[Rupudska]

Do you still accept applications? This RP looks very interesting.

I am.

[Of the Quendi]

I am.

Great, I will put one up tomorrow.

[Segral]

(Ribeiro, A.)

+++Name: Adriana Ribeiro
+++Age: 24
+++Species: Human
+++Sex/Gender: Cisgender Woman
+++Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
+++Appearance: 5'4, 119 lbs. Fairly short and slim, but not particularly skinny either. It's a happy middle-ground achieved thanks to having a little more free cash to spend on food than the average macaco from Little Rio. Her complexion is also a little paler than the average Little Rio inhabitant, most likely due to the fact that she doesn't get outside much, preferring to stay indoors. She wears a lot of bright colors clothing-wise (whites, pinks, yellows, etc.), and is a fairly good dresser despite her somewhat limited wardrobe that often leads to her wearing the same outfits many times over.

+++Identifying Marks: Adriana has one tattoo; her father's name, written down her right forearm. She also has a small scar on her chin from a fall as a child. Additionally, she wears a thin brass pendant around her neck, and she's seldom seen without it. In fact, the photograph in this file may be the only one in existence where she's not wearing it.

+++Psychological Analysis: Adriana is a very quiet, introverted, almost timid person. She doesn't really engage in conversation unless directly spoken to, and even when spoken to, she doesn't make a lot of eye contact and keeps her responses very clipped and short. Sometimes, this accidentally leads to her being very blunt and laconic, which often embarrasses her and keeps her up at night eight hours later, obsessing over what she should've said instead of what she did say. Because of this, many consider her very difficult to talk to. And while this may be true, she does have an empathetic, motherly side to her, as she is a very good listener and is actually quite warm and gentle once you get to know her. She doesn't have many friends, but she cherishes those she does have very dearly, often doting and obsessing over them (which contributes to the aforementioned "motherly" side of her personality).

In terms of odd personality quirks, she is very easily scared by almost anything remotely threatening. You'd think being an ectomancer that regularly converses with the undead would make you view things like spiders and snakes as harmless, but Adriana shows no sign of this emotional hardness. She gets scared by the dark, by loud noises, crowds, spiders, needles, by her own damn shadow, by everything, with her reactions being nearly comedic in nature. If it's necessary, she can grit her teeth and stomach most of her fears, but any surprises and/or jumpscares are enough to make her piss her pants. As well, she tends to accidentally talk to herself a lot, usually in a whisper or half-mumble. She thinks that the voice is just in her head, only for her to realize a few seconds later that she's actually saying it aloud. It's another one of her many embarrassments, although it is admittedly very funny.

+++Weaknesses: As stated previously, Adriana is an extremely timid, quiet woman, who has trouble with others engaging in social environments. Obviously, this in and of itself is a huge weakness, as it means she struggles to take leadership, have her voice hard, or really form close social attachments with others. In an environment like Black Dog Investigations, this can be a major issue when it comes to interacting with colleagues, witnesses, etc. And while her many fears can be comedic for those observing her, they make it difficult for her to go anywhere outside of her known comfort zone and confront new opponents/unfamiliar situations. When she finally masters the courage to confront the unknown, she is often left obsessing over everything that went right and wrong, and tends to experience immense stress over the smallest details. Physically, she's not unhealthy, but she is fairly petite and not very strong, so strenuous physical activity/labor is something that she is 100% not suited for. Additionally, she suffers from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which she first contracted at the age of 15, and while it is luckily minor, it does cause unfortunate joint pain, swelling, stiffness, etc.

+++Likes/Dislikes: Her likes and interests are fairly closely intertwined. She enjoys art (especially paintings), trashy telenovelas and other soap operas, reading, spicy food, and the quiet. She also loves her dog Heathcliff (named after the character from her favorite novel "Wuthering Heights"). She dislikes many things as well, including her aforementioned fears of loud noises, needles, crowds, the dark, and spiders, long conversations, the rain, Orange Park (she hates how its' only purpose is to separate Little Rio and Truman Square), and her arch-nemesis, flea markets.

+++Interests: Adriana is a bit of a homebody, and as a result, has many "introverted" hobbies/interests. She loves art, and she is an avid painter. She mostly does watercolor and acrylic paintings, but occasionally dabbles in ink and oil paintings as well. She loves reading as well, and when she's tired of reading, watching TV and movies. She sews and knits as well (although she hasn't done it a lot in recent times). Beyond these hobbies, she has an interest in the magical arts, particularly in the fields of ectomancy and anthropomancy. While practicing the latter is...difficult, she often keeps the muscle flexed so to speak and hones her ectomancy powers, often conversing with the various ghosts that roam Portiocielo well into the night. She finds it easier to speak with the dead than the living, and keeping her magical skills sharp is very helpful.

+++Fears: Most of what's already been stated before. The small mundane fears (loud noises, needles, spiders, etc.), as well as a constant fear of embarrassing herself or saying the wrong thing in front of others. This latter fear is responsible for her obsessive attitude, as well as her general reluctance to engage in conversation. However, her greatest fear is being deported back to Brazil. She's in Portocielo illegally at the moment, and the only thing keeping her safe is fake identification. She constantly fears that any knock on her door will be the authorities coming to detain her, that any phone call will be her mother calling her from a detention center, as illogical as those fears are.

+++Nationality: Brazilian
+++Ethnicity: White Brazilian
+++Languages Spoken: She speaks English and Portuguese, as well as workable Spanish
+++Religion: Roman Catholic
+++Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
+++Permanent Residence: She lives just outside of Orange Park, sort of in the northwest corner of Downtown New Leiden. Just outside of Little Rio, but not enough to be in Truman Square
+++Criminal History: No official criminal record to speak of.
+++Skills: Adriana is a gifted wizard, possessing strong proficiency in her chosen fields of ectomancy and anthropomancy. These are not the most common magical fields, so her skills make her a rarity. Aside from these obvious skills, she's also very intelligent and a little cunning. Her sole source of income for years was literally scamming people by pretending to talk to ghosts and tell fortunes, so she clearly possesses a decent level of intelligence, or at the very least, decent persuasion skills. She can also be very stealthy when she wants to be, as her small figure and very blend-in-the-background personality allows her to get around a lot of places completely undetected. Many of the entrails she used for her anthropomancy were scavenged after sneaking around Comanda Paraiso into Echo Canyon.

+++Equipment: She doesn't have much equipment. She keeps a Swiss Army Knife on her at all times for emergencies, as well as a Sig Sauer P320 that she keeps in her car (a rusty Volkswagen Beetle she bought in her first and last trip to the flea market). She also keeps a small collection of human entrails such as vialed blood, bones, and other slimy things at home, to use as part of her magic. Aside from that, nothing else.
+++Magical Abilities: Adriana is proficient in the arts of ectomancy and anthropomancy, as well as having some basic Versilomancy and Evocation powers that are better for basic illusions and party tricks above anything else. Her magical powers are basically limited to these three; she hasn't really bothered to hone her skills in other fields and doesn't really use them at all.

+++Bio: Adriana Ribeiro was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the eldest of three sisters. Her parents were schoolteachers, and the family lived in the crowded suburbs of Rio, or at least as close to a suburb as you can get in Rio. Beyond being schoolteachers, they were wizards, and passed much of their magical knowledge to their very magically potent daughter. Specifically, she took a keen interest in ectomancy (magic concerning the spirits of the dead), and anthropomancy (divination with human entrails). Her early life was regular enough besides the magic part, a pretty normal cycle of school, friends, and homework, but it soon turned sour when she hit her double-digit years. The private school her parents worked at shut down due to low attendance, and while Brazil has plenty of demand for ESL teachers, the same cannot be said for native Brazilians due to the competitive job market in such a crowded city. Her parents were out of work and were forced to rely on tutoring for household income, which was quickly cut in half when her father was diagnosed with cancer. Stage 4. Malignant. He died soon after, and Adriana's mother was left with a paltry income and three kids to feed.

So, the family packed their bags and headed to America, the land of opportunity, the land of the free. More specifically, a territory of it called Portocielo. It was the closest piece of American soil to Brazil, and already had a large South American community. All they needed was a tourist visa and they were in and able to stay long after that visa had expired. Granted, they didn't realize that the South American community was a gang-controlled favela with barely any electricity or running water, with a corpse-filled canyon running through the middle, but it had to be better than whatever was in Rio.

Unfortunately, Portocielo was only marginally better when it came to jobs, and Adriana's mother reluctantly became a maid for a wealthy family in Angelwood, while Adriana put her magic skills to good use by becoming something of a medium. With a mixture of anthropomancy and some versilomancy and evocation to make it look more convincing, Adriana could pretend to tell your fortune, predict your future, analyze your life, even talk to the dead, for the low price of $20. It was surprisingly successful; when you have so many people what their life was coming to in the hellhole that they lived in, a sign of their life's course was refreshing, reassuring. Between her mother and herself, they made enough to scrape together a decent life. They had no running water or electricity, but they had enough to eat, which was more than many inhabitants of Little Rio could say.

Eventually, Adriana's skills became very powerful, to the point where she had the luxury of considering other careers besides lying about spirits and divine ancestors to gullible regulars. Her search lead her to Black Dog Investigations, where her skills were found to be very useful to the business. After all, a lot of crime happens when the sun comes down, which is coincidentally when the ghosts come out.

+++RP Example: https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=36874161#p36874161

ROWLING-IS-A-HACK (DO NOT REMOVE)

Apologies for the bio being on the short end, I was starting to run out of steam and wanted to be done with the app. Please let me know if I misunderstood anything about the lore (I read through all of it, but I can make mistakes every now and then).

[Rupudska]

Accepted, naturally.

I want to wait until everyone has had a chance to post, but I'll leave it up to you all if I should just move on anyway.

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Maybe best to keep some movement in. Players who have not posted can always make their first post later, but you cannot know for sure if everyone's going to post. Keeping up the pace will probably be better than waiting for everyone.

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Is 35 really that old?

[Segral]

Is 35 really that old?

Well, they do have 11 years between them, so definitely older to her.

Plus, I kind of figured that she would see him as a little older and wiser because he's a parish priest and a community leader, regardless of how minor that leadership role is.

[Of the Quendi]

I am sorry I haven't posted an app yet. I have had some trouble coming up with a character but I think I am finally getting there, and hope to post an app today or tomorrow.

[Khasinkonia]

Finally got a post out, hopefully it flows alright since I had to split working on it over a few days because of the end of term.

[Sudbrazil]

I am going to change Carlos’ picture, as his jaw looks somewhat weird to me. I found another one of the same guy from another angle, so I hope no harm is being done.

[Sudbrazil]

Is there a will to continue this? I do not wish to see it die so soon.

[Theyra]

Is there a will to continue this? I do not wish to see it die so soon.

Same, I would like this to continue

[Sudbrazil]

Is there a will to continue this? I do not wish to see it die so soon.

Same, I would like this to continue

I guess I should try and post something on the IC, but the question still stands.