Personification Life OOC Thread X [sign-up & planning]

[Northwest Slobovia]

I actually enjoy making apps.

Swithster, is it alright if I upgrade my characters' living space? Right now I have it so they're literally all shoved into one room, but I'm thinking it'd probably be more realistic writing for them to actually have their own rooms. One room for two humanoids and one pony does seem sort of haphazard.

Upgrade away!

Hm, the Belas have been considering remodeling. But let me think about what they want.

[Torsiedelle]

Remodeling? I like the sister's apartment just fine, but the idea is enticing...hmm...

[Highfort]

Whew, Septimus updated to match new app. Now, to post for PL! Sorry for the wait, Swith and NVE.

[Giovenith]

Do not remove this search tag: #PLAPP

PERSONIFICATION LIFE CHARACTER APPLICATION
(Image)

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PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Character Name: Branson Levovich Nikanor

Character Gender: Male (Has been changed before thanks to various shenanigans)

Species (nation personification, human, alien, etc): Human/Mer

Age: 27 years of age (Born in 1988)

Appearance: Branson Nikanor is an athletic man nearing his 30's, slim in appearance with little muscles built up over years of living in an impoverished nation.

URL to Character Picture, if any: Bran wearing his beloved military trench-coat from his time in the Air Force

Primary Objective: Wile his goal used to be to simply escape from his oppressive homeland to a land of new opportunities, after marrying his longtime sweetheart, his goal has morphed somewhat into providing for their young family, consisting of his beautiful daughter, and lovely son. He's lived in the apartment for a few years, during which his first goal was also rendered moot by the "Opening" of the Branriech, now a much more free and open society. At this point, his family and friends are his main priority.

Secondary Objectives: Bran had always been interested in collecting various weapons on the side, and up until recently, retained quite the large collection of guns and ammunition to store in his storage room, located deep under the building in a small storage space in their quaint little Bomb-shelter apartment. He's also quite the tinkerer, somewhat adept at piecing together various gadgets, even a gun to change the physical form of objects. If permitting, Bran shall try and expand his knowledge of tinkering, and maybe find some improvements to his TF-guns to assist his friend, Torii.

MUNDANE SKILLS
These do NOT require points. These are the average, daily things your character can do. Examples are "drive a car", "speak a normal Foreign Language", "play a guitar", "write poetry". Some mundane skills come from your bio and are freebie. A soldier knows very basic training (shoot a gun, basic drill). Medic, martial arts or sniper would be a Talent. You can list these here: Basic Military Training (Light survival skills, how to shoot a gun, basic discipline), Driving a car, Speaks Russian and English.


SPECIALIZED SKILLS AND TALENTS
These are specialized skills that set you apart from the average person. You have 7 points to spend here. Examples are swordsmanship, sniper, coercion, piloting etc.
Ability 1 and Points Spent: Repairwork/Tinkering, 4 points
Ability 2 and Points Spent: Piloting Branriechian Helicopters, 3 points
Ability 3 and Points Spent: N/A
Ability 4 and Points Spent: N/A


MAGICAL OR SPECIAL ITEMS
List: Voice-recording of Swith singing a song to help him sleep through a tough night, A small pendant that allows him to transfer into Mer-form and back, and his final prototype of the TF-gun (Kept in his collection for memories' sake, but still functions)


BACKGROUND
Education or Training: Bran was educated in the public-school system of both the Branriech-Republic, as well as the Communist-run schools after the communist takeover in 93'. After that, he was immediately conscripted into the Branriech People's Air Force, and trained as a mechanic for the aging fleet of Soviet jets/helicopters.
Character Background/Biography: Branson Levovich Nikanor was born in Brangrad, the capitol city of the Branriech (A Soviet Republic at the time) At age 5, a Communist rebellion (Led by former disenfranchised Party members) took power from the democratically elected government. The change was swift, and within days of the coup, Bran's parents, Lev and Sashina Nikanor, were taken from the home and shot in the lawn by government troops. Bran was crushed, and became a ward of the state for a decade. On his 15th birthday, Bran awoke to a paper tacked to his bed, officially signing his rights away to the People's Air Force. With sanctions from the west crippling the nation, the Military needed skilled mechanics to keep their aging fleet of fighters airborne. After 2 weeks of Basic Training, the young man was sent off to a prestigious engineering college in Brangrad, training intensely as a mechanic. When he was 16, a near-fatal accident led him to meeting the love of his life, a 15-year old pilot in training named Amaryllis Volkova. The two quickly fell for each other, and were nigh-inseperable until a freak occurrence zapped him from his bunk in the Branriech, to the basement of an apartment building (Surprisingly enough, not the one we currently live in). That is where the story of Branson Nikanor began, all those years ago.


OTHER GAME MECHANICS
URL to Apartment Picture: The Bomb-shelter (Consists of multiple chambers and corridors leading to different rooms and such, also possesses a large metal door, and a small security-suite)
Link to RP examples: Oi'll have ye' know, I've been here since before even Swith or Cer!

IMPORTANT:
One paragraph that sums up your character. This paragraph is what we'll use on your player tab on the first page of the thread. This MUST be brief. Your tab will contain a link to your application so people will have full details: A former Air Force child-soldier/mechanic trying to forget his traumatic past by raising a loving family, Branson Nikanor will stop at nothing to achieve a safe and happy future for himself, and those he loves.

I'll get to a few of my others either later tonight, or tomorrow.

BRAN'S MIDDLE NAME?!!

[Swith Witherward]

Whew, Septimus updated to match new app. Now, to post for PL! Sorry for the wait, Swith and NVE.

I don't mind at all.

Do not remove this search tag: #PLAPP

PERSONIFICATION LIFE CHARACTER APPLICATION
(Image)

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PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Character Name: Branson Levovich Nikanor

Character Gender: Male (Has been changed before thanks to various shenanigans)

Species (nation personification, human, alien, etc): Human/Mer

Age: 27 years of age (Born in 1988)

Appearance: Branson Nikanor is an athletic man nearing his 30's, slim in appearance with little muscles built up over years of living in an impoverished nation.

URL to Character Picture, if any: Bran wearing his beloved military trench-coat from his time in the Air Force

Primary Objective: Wile his goal used to be to simply escape from his oppressive homeland to a land of new opportunities, after marrying his longtime sweetheart, his goal has morphed somewhat into providing for their young family, consisting of his beautiful daughter, and lovely son. He's lived in the apartment for a few years, during which his first goal was also rendered moot by the "Opening" of the Branriech, now a much more free and open society. At this point, his family and friends are his main priority.

Secondary Objectives: Bran had always been interested in collecting various weapons on the side, and up until recently, retained quite the large collection of guns and ammunition to store in his storage room, located deep under the building in a small storage space in their quaint little Bomb-shelter apartment. He's also quite the tinkerer, somewhat adept at piecing together various gadgets, even a gun to change the physical form of objects. If permitting, Bran shall try and expand his knowledge of tinkering, and maybe find some improvements to his TF-guns to assist his friend, Torii.

MUNDANE SKILLS
These do NOT require points. These are the average, daily things your character can do. Examples are "drive a car", "speak a normal Foreign Language", "play a guitar", "write poetry". Some mundane skills come from your bio and are freebie. A soldier knows very basic training (shoot a gun, basic drill). Medic, martial arts or sniper would be a Talent. You can list these here: Basic Military Training (Light survival skills, how to shoot a gun, basic discipline), Driving a car, Speaks Russian and English.


SPECIALIZED SKILLS AND TALENTS
These are specialized skills that set you apart from the average person. You have 7 points to spend here. Examples are swordsmanship, sniper, coercion, piloting etc.
Ability 1 and Points Spent: Repairwork/Tinkering, 4 points
Ability 2 and Points Spent: Piloting Branriechian Helicopters, 3 points
Ability 3 and Points Spent: N/A
Ability 4 and Points Spent: N/A


MAGICAL OR SPECIAL ITEMS
List: Voice-recording of Swith singing a song to help him sleep through a tough night, A small pendant that allows him to transfer into Mer-form and back, and his final prototype of the TF-gun (Kept in his collection for memories' sake, but still functions)


BACKGROUND
Education or Training: Bran was educated in the public-school system of both the Branriech-Republic, as well as the Communist-run schools after the communist takeover in 93'. After that, he was immediately conscripted into the Branriech People's Air Force, and trained as a mechanic for the aging fleet of Soviet jets/helicopters.
Character Background/Biography: Branson Levovich Nikanor was born in Brangrad, the capitol city of the Branriech (A Soviet Republic at the time) At age 5, a Communist rebellion (Led by former disenfranchised Party members) took power from the democratically elected government. The change was swift, and within days of the coup, Bran's parents, Lev and Sashina Nikanor, were taken from the home and shot in the lawn by government troops. Bran was crushed, and became a ward of the state for a decade. On his 15th birthday, Bran awoke to a paper tacked to his bed, officially signing his rights away to the People's Air Force. With sanctions from the west crippling the nation, the Military needed skilled mechanics to keep their aging fleet of fighters airborne. After 2 weeks of Basic Training, the young man was sent off to a prestigious engineering college in Brangrad, training intensely as a mechanic. When he was 16, a near-fatal accident led him to meeting the love of his life, a 15-year old pilot in training named Amaryllis Volkova. The two quickly fell for each other, and were nigh-inseperable until a freak occurrence zapped him from his bunk in the Branriech, to the basement of an apartment building (Surprisingly enough, not the one we currently live in). That is where the story of Branson Nikanor began, all those years ago.


OTHER GAME MECHANICS
URL to Apartment Picture: The Bomb-shelter (Consists of multiple chambers and corridors leading to different rooms and such, also possesses a large metal door, and a small security-suite)
Link to RP examples: Oi'll have ye' know, I've been here since before even Swith or Cer!

IMPORTANT:
One paragraph that sums up your character. This paragraph is what we'll use on your player tab on the first page of the thread. This MUST be brief. Your tab will contain a link to your application so people will have full details: A former Air Force child-soldier/mechanic trying to forget his traumatic past by raising a loving family, Branson Nikanor will stop at nothing to achieve a safe and happy future for himself, and those he loves.

I'll get to a few of my others either later tonight, or tomorrow.

BRAN'S MIDDLE NAME?!!

Yep, that pretty much matched my own reaction.

I like it, Bran!

[Monfrox]

Let's start with the easy one first, as well as a theme song update

Do not remove this search tag: #PLAPP

PERSONIFICATION LIFE CHARACTER APPLICATION

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PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Character Name: Brit

Character Gender: Female

Species: Human

Age: 21

Appearance: Dark brown hair, fair skin, 6 feet tall and lightly built.

URL to Character Picture, if any: http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/eyemaimi/imgs/5/7/5799e4e9.jpg

Primary Objective: To continue to survive with her morals intact.

Secondary Objectives: Stay her hand at fate and redeem herself for her past self's actions, protect her friends, and keep her identity hidden.

MUNDANE SKILLS
These do NOT require points. These are the average, daily things your character can do. Examples are "drive a car", "speak a normal Foreign Language", "play a guitar", "write poetry". Some mundane skills come from your bio and are freebie. A soldier knows very basic training (shoot a gun, basic drill). Medic, martial arts or sniper would be a Specialized Skill or Talent.
List Mundane skills here:
Drive a car
Operate a firearm
Perform basic first aid
Speak a little Russian
Read a map and compass
Play violin
Sprint
Work with computer files somewhat
Perform and teach military drill


SPECIALIZED SKILLS AND TALENTS
These are specialized skills that set you apart from the average person. You have 7 points to spend here. Examples are swordsmanship, sniper, coercion, piloting etc.
Ability 1 and Points Spent: Leadership - 3
Ability 2 and Points Spent: Strategist's Mind - 2
Ability 3 and Points Spent: Level Headed - 1
Ability 4 and Points Spent: Tranquil Fury - 1

OP Sanctioned Freebie Skills
Basic first aid - 2
Music (Violin) - 3
Aviation Education - 2

MAGICAL OR SPECIAL ITEMS
List:



BACKGROUND
Education or Training: 9 years worth of USCAP Emergency Services and Leadership training, high school education, a few college credits, and experience as a dishwasher.
Character Background/Biography:
One's own childhood is funny, but filled with forgotten memories. The main things that stay are the daily routines of getting up, eating, going to school, watching TV, playing outside, and then going back to bed. The big things like funerals and weddings also stand out as well. These aren't unique, and yet they still affect people differently. She volunteered for the local Civil Air Patrol squadron at 12, and went through extensive training and hardships in her time.

Brit had an okay home life growing up. Things were up and down, always. Life came and went and before she knew it, she was 21 and living in Bielefeld. She did her best to keep from behaving like her past self last time she was in the building, but also keeping that part of her past under wraps. It was a very delicate situation, really. So much had happened, and working to covertly right things was not going to work overnight. She knew that her life once before was gone, and the only thing now to do was move forward and undo her regrets. Perhaps that was why she was to return. Perhaps the Building itself was letting her right her wrongs. She would do her best, in spite of the odds. You never know how far you'll go until you try.


OTHER GAME MECHANICS
URL to Apartment Picture: http://newcomb.newcombboyd.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Ft.-Belvoir-WIT-Interior-1280x720-940x576.jpg?20bc5c
Link to RP examples: http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic ... #p22096543

IMPORTANT:
One paragraph that sums up your character. This paragraph is what we'll use on your player tab on the first page of the thread. This MUST be brief. Your tab will contain a link to your application so people will have full details: Brit is not quite the average adult girl. She's gone through some paramilitary training with a volunteer organization based off the military who's purpose is to conduct Search and Rescue. Very much a gun nut, a history buff, and a military enthusiast in all kinds of ways. Much of her things are military-grade surplus, as she has a lot of faith in it. She's got even more faith in her friends, and trusts them to be at her side. Loyal to a fault, she still feels strongly towards righting her past and moving on to put it behind her eventually.

[The BranRiech]

Thanks, guys!

And yeah, Russian middle names are traditionally just the name of the father serving as a patronymic. Having remembered Bran's parents' names, I figured that little detail would be nice to add.

[Torsiedelle]

And mine use the Western naming convention with the patronymic being the last name.

Then again, it could make sense, with them coming from a country with Russian AND Western influence
Yep, THAT'S the explanation. No asspulls here, lol. Anyways, Torii & katya ARE part German.

[Giovenith]

Gio legally has Christina Jerid's surname. Pearlelei ripped it off from Jared the Galleria of Jewelry.

[Monfrox]

Real name. And not a single fuck was given that day.

[Giovenith]

Real name. And not a single fuck was given that day.

MON'S REAL NAME IS OURS!!

TIME FOR THE WITCHCRAFT WE'VE BEEN PLANNING!

[Monfrox]

Real name. And not a single fuck was given that day.

MON'S REAL NAME IS OURS!!

TIME FOR THE WITCHCRAFT WE'VE BEEN PLANNING!

Oh fug

[Torsiedelle]

lol.

Goodnight. Don't do witchcraft, m'kay. That's bad, m'kay. A cup of tea will be much better.

[Highfort]

Real name. And not a single fuck was given that day.

MON'S REAL NAME IS OURS!!

TIME FOR THE WITCHCRAFT WE'VE BEEN PLANNING!

I've got the voodoo doll set up. It's wearing a soldier cosplay because that's the only picture I've seen so I don't have that good of an approximation, but with a proper last name that should suffice.

[Monfrox]

MON'S REAL NAME IS OURS!!

TIME FOR THE WITCHCRAFT WE'VE BEEN PLANNING!

I've got the voodoo doll set up. It's wearing a soldier cosplay because that's the only picture I've seen so I don't have that good of an approximation, but with a proper last name that should suffice.

At least my middle name is still safe.

[Giovenith]

Do not remove this search tag: #PLAPP

PERSONIFICATION LIFE CHARACTER APPLICATION

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PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Character Name: Giovenith

Character Gender: Female

Species (nation personification, human, alien, etc): Deity (godling)

Age: DOB: Dec. 8, 1996

Appearance: 5'2" Pale skin, dark lavender eyes, short white hair (diamond-shaped, colorful patches light up when in contact with her godly association, "the rewards of victory"). Youthful features. Wears the same outfit everyday (though it stays clean), a light pink, long-sleeved sweater dress, striped tights, leg warmers, and pink sneakers, as well as a hairband with a leaf-wing jewel badge. Via being born of a dragon-associated goddess, has several natural dragon traits, such as increased biting strength, as unhingeable jaw, the ability to hunt small critters (like squirrels) with bare hands and teeth, the ability to consume and digest raw meat and bones, and the ability to communicate with other dragons both verbally and nonverbally (via body actions, eye contact, etc., typical animal communication).

URL to Character Picture, if any: Picture.

Primary Objective: To grow into godhood, and balance her own values versus the values held by other gods in the past.

Secondary Objectives:
- Coming-of-age issues
- Protecting and helping her friends
- Developing independent beliefs

MUNDANE SKILLS
List Mundane skills here:
- Empathetic
- Persuasive speaker

SPECIALIZED SKILLS AND TALENTS

Ability 1 and Points Spent: 5 artistic talent
Ability 2 and Points Spent: 2 first aid

OPTIONAL SUPERNATURAL CHARACTERISTICS

Ability 1: Papyrokinesis
Power Level: 9
Strengths:
- Can create golems and semi-golems out of paper (origami paper birds, paper boxes, Pippa, etc.)
- Can harden and sharpen it to cut various hard surfaces
- Can send it out in large swarms
- Can will it to shrink wrap itself around people and objects
Weaknesses:
- Vulnerable to fire and water
- Paper creations lack advanced intelligence
Restrictions:
- Does not work as well without her personal special paper

Ability 2: Healing
Power Level: 5
Strengths:
- Can blow out a bluish-purple, sparkly mist from her mouth that will settle on a wound, harden, and heal it.
Weaknesses:
- Drains energy and strength
- Cannot reattach limbs
- Cannot fix long-term problems (like cancer or diabetes)
Restrictions:
- Can only use around 5 to 10 times before passing out

Ability 3: Magic Sensing
Power Level: 2
Strengths:
- Can intuitively sense supernaturals and supernatural presences.
- Can sense whether or not those presences are harmful, evil, etc.
Weaknesses:
- If the supernatural in question is purposely going out of their way to block others knowing or sensing what they are, she will not pick up on it. She can only sense those who are making no effort to mask their true nature outside of outward appearance.
Restrictions:
- Aside from gods, may not be able to tell specifically what someone is or what they can do. E.g., she can tell you have magic on/in you, but she doesn't know you're a Blood Mage.

Ability 4: Reflection travel
Power Level: 3
Strengths:
- The ability to enter her family's realms and sanctuaries through any reflective surface, such as mirrors, water, glass, exceptionally polished floors or walls, etc. Once in those realms, she can travel short distances through them to find openings to other reflective surfaces, essentially traveling miles in mere minutes.
- Can bring others through reflections with her.
Weaknesses:
- Requires a clear reflection, no "fuzzy" or semi reflections will work.
Restrictions:
- While she can enter through any reflective surface, she can only exit either via reflections specifically blessed for use by her pantheon (such as the mirrors on her closet, or sacred rivers and ponds in her home country) or via the same reflective surface she originally jumped through (enters through the swimming pool, pops out through the swimming pool back to where she started). She cannot, for example, jump through a public bathroom mirror in Tokyo and exit via a mirror in a boutique in France.
- The reflective surface in question must be big enough for her body to reasonable go through. She cannot squeeze herself through a bucket or glass of water, it must be large enough for to jump through, walk through, or crawl through.

MAGICAL OR SPECIAL ITEMS
List:
Hammerspace pockets and bags
- Pockets and several bags are able to hold an impossibly high number of things. They only contain what has been previously put into them, thus incapable of creating objects at will (e.g., no pulling out a mallet to hit someone because the situation called for it).

Papyrokinetic paper supply
- An endless supply of paper, usually kept in her pockets, specifically designed to respond especially well to her paper magic. When removed from pockets, it appears to be your typical sticky-tear-out notepad.

Magic art supplies
- Various supplies that perform a number of whimsical tricks.

Parachute umbrella
- A resilient umbrella that can help her down from large heights, much like in cartoons.

Blessed mirrors
- Built onto her closet, they specifically give her a link back to the Building with reflection travel.

BACKGROUND
Education or Training: Homeschooled with about a 12th grade education
Character Background/Biography:
Giovenith is the fourth child and second daughter of the Creation goddess Pearlelei, one of six children total. A parthenogenesis baby (having a mother but no father), she was born on a horribly cold winter night, "in the middle of a distant, unreachable pocket dimension where no whisper has the patience to lurk," and is meant to her pantheon's goddess of the rewards of victory (safety, culture, satisfaction, art, etc. things that come as a result of personal or larger victory). Throughout childhood, Giovenith was raised both in the mortal realm in various countries and in the sacred realms and dimensions of her mother, leading a cozy but down-to-earth-life. She never attended school, and was instead homeschooled by her family, who taught her both basic skills as well the etiquette to function in the inter-connecting business of the world's pantheons.

At the age of 15, Giovenith ran into a difficult situation, in that her mother had to participate in a God War. Prepping and sending off her children with various duties, Giovenith was saddled with the job of carrying and guarding the whistle, a divine whistle that could be used to pull Pearlelei back together in case her essence was scattered during the war. An enchantment called "the Fog" was also placed on her, which induced a state of eccentricity and seeming insanity in the face of danger, in order to protect Giovenith's mind. From there, Giovenith was sent to Vafflehelm, where she lasted for about 10 minutes before being hit by a truck and sent to the hospital. Largely protected by the power of the whistle, the godling escaped the questioning doctors and briefly lived among the city alley cats before being discovered by Bones and Co., who invited her to live in the Building. Eventually, with time, Pearlelei finished her role in the God War, taking back the whistle, releasing Giovenith from the Fog, and allowing her to continue to live with the Residents.

Giovenith's personality is a notoriously happy and innocent one. Optimistic, independent, and creative, she loves to go through life making the best of things and having fun. She is a very accomplished artist in many mediums, and frequently incorporates art in whatever she's doing. She is also rather childish, and has deeper struggles coming to terms with the reality of what it means to be a god.

OTHER GAME MECHANICS
URL to Apartment Picture: (What's the inside of their apartment look like) Greater living area is the clock apartment. Personal bedroom.

IMPORTANT:
One paragraph that sums up your character. This paragraph is what we'll use on your player tab on the first page of the thread. This MUST be brief. Your tab will contain a link to your application so people will have full details: The young daughter of a goddess of Creation.

Do not remove this search tag: #PLAPP

PERSONIFICATION LIFE CHARACTER APPLICATION

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PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Character Name: Willow Streaks

Character Gender: Male

Species (nation personification, human, alien, etc): Intelligent pegasus-pony

Age: DOB: born Dec. 7, 1994

Appearance: 4'0" Dark grey fur and feathers, neatly brushed black hair and tail, blue eyes. Considered thin and short for a stallion, is basically the pony equivalent of a "babyface." As a pegasus, can fly. Usually wears a small black sweater and wrist bands. Cutie mark.

URL to Character Picture, if any: Picture.

Primary Objective: To return to Equestria

Secondary Objectives:
- To adapt to life on Earth (i.e., technology, ideological differences, etc.)
- To assist and protect Giovenith
- To be an ally to the Residents and Bielefeld

SKILLS AND TALENTS
Ability 1 and Points Spent: 5 artistic abilities, mainly painting in abstract.
Ability 2 and Points Spent: 4 basic weather expertise knowledge

MUNDANE SKILLS
- Basic adult cooking abilities.
- Basic adult housekeeping abilities.
- Competent knowledge of sports facts, rules, trivia, and history, as has been pounded into him from childhood.
- Competent knowledge of of art facts, movements, philosophies, and history, as per his interests.

OPTIONAL SUPERNATURAL CHARACTERISTICS

Ability 1: Atmokinesis
Power Level: 4
Strengths:
- Can physically interact with clouds (push them, walk on them, sleep on them, shape them, disperse them with a kick, etc.)
- Can form smallish/wimpy clouds by pulling together loose water vapor through flying
- Can cause clouds to rain, snow, or hail by striking them
- Can cause thunder and lightning by striking clouds
- Can create moderate breezes with his wings
- Can create strong whirlwinds/weak mini tornadoes by flying in circles, immediately disperse upon stopping
- Possesses slightly increased durability to survive being flung about in strong storms
Weaknesses:
- Cannot create full storms on his own (requires the assistance of other pegasi)
- Nearly all abilities, aside from wind-based ones, become useless when clouds are not out
Restrictions:
- Wind-based powers usually are not openly used around other people, due to possible endangerment of them
- Due to humanity's frequent use of airplanes, he often finds little opportunity to have actual prolonged interaction with the clouds

Ability 2: Flight
Power Level: 5
Strengths:
- Can fly at around 50 - 60 mph
- Can fly up to around 20,000 - 33,000 ft, without breathing complications
- Can fly in most weather / Waterproof wings
Weaknesses:
- As per the general rule with speed, the faster you go the easier it is to lose control
Restrictions:
- Is often restricted from going too high by the prominent presence of airplanes in the human world

Ability 3: Daemon Friend
Power Level: 4
Strengths:
???
Weaknesses:
???
Restrictions:
- Requires exposure to Rache

MAGICAL OR SPECIAL ITEMS
List:
Platinum's Astrolabe
- A silver and purple astrolabe with the ability to create a misty illusion of the night sky. When a star or star formation is named out loud, said heavenly body lights up and stands out. Mist retreats back into astrolabe after prolonged disuse.

Hurricane's Hourglass
- A incredibly durable hourglass that creates rain and clouds inside itself instead of shifting sand. When propped one way, the water will drain through the middle and steam out into small mist/clouds at the bottom. When propped the other way, the mist/clouds sink through the middle and pitter out the bottom as tiny, rain-like droplets.

Puddinghead's Disc
- A gold-colored, discus-shaped object: Round with a hole in the middle, thick in the center and thins out toward the edges, with etchings all around its outer rim. When the hole is matched up with the sun, the etchings will glow to certain degrees; the brighter they are glowing, the more fertile the land around it is for crops.

Hammerspace saddlebag
- Gift from Giovenith. One side is a normal bag, the other is hammerspace and can contain an impossibly large number of things.

BACKGROUND
Education or Training: A graduate of Flight School, equivalent to a high school education with a slant toward weather and flying.
Character Background/Biography:
Willow Streaks was born on December 7th, 1994 in Cloudsdale, Equestria to pegasi couple, Winning Streaks II and Sapphire "Saphy" Striker, as their only child. With a professional tennis athlete for a mother and a kiddie sports coach/former college football star for a father, as well as living in a city famous for competitive sport, Willow grew up immersed in jock culture. Despite this, he demonstrated a natural ineptitude for athletics from a young age, often finding himself at odds ends with the expectations and activities of his parents and community. In an innocent attempt to help their son find his self-image, Willow's parents frequently signed him up for various youth sports teams in the hopes that he would eventually find one suited to his tastes, only for each to be dropped upon the child's natural meekness and emotional disposition preventing him from being a fully participatory asset. Feeling burdensome and talentless as a result, Willow struggled with feelings of self-worth for much of his early years, contributing to and eventually evolving into a largely asocial and introverted personality.

However whereas physical challenge failed, natural creativity flourished. Drawn to crafts from a young age as well, Willow sought refuge and self-expression in art, considering its lack of hard rules or winning-losing dichotomy a relief and an empowerment tool. He frequently used time in which he was benched during team practices (which was most of the time) to sneak off the field and visit the city art museum or play with watercolors he'd brought along in his bag. Eventually this deep interest culminated into earning his cutie mark: upon the first sonic rainboom of Rainbow Dash becoming legend among all the foals at flight camp, attempts to copy the filly's achievement and achieve one's own mark in powerful flying became a trend even after camp season ended and children were sent home. Still pressured to fit in and improve his own flying strength, Willow joined one of the races, but his then-behind flight capabilities caused him to lose control, swerve out of the race, and crash into a nearby carpenter group that was painting a building. At first sad and embarrassed, Willow was quickly comforted upon finding the huge mess he had made to be beautiful. After going home and being washed up by distraught, chastising parents, it was discovered that the stain-shaped patches on his rump that wouldn't come off were his cutie mark, earned in abstract painting. Overjoyed that his coping hobby truly was his life calling, Willow was quick to shed his awkward attempts to conform, threw himself toward his dream, and with his parents' support, secured himself as a professional painter at age fourteen, earning a newfound sense of self-confidence and agency along the way.

Successful as a painter, Willow moved out of his parents' home at age fifteen and made a new home in Ponyville (three years prior to the arrival of Twilight Sparkle), given customary housewarming party by Pinkie Pie and all--much to his chagrin. A few years later he met Sterling Venture when the later saved him from pneumonia during Winter Wrap Up and slowly but surely became his best friend. Willow was present for many of the big events in Equestria (as shown in the series), from Nightmare Moon up to Trixie's brief takeover of Ponyville. It was after that that Sterling Venture, wanting to try a new spell, accidentally sent them flying through time and space into the human-population Earth, where they soon took up residence at the Building. Due to unknown circumstances, Sterling was able to return to Equestria without Willow, leaving the pegasus behind to figure things out for himself.

Personality-wise, Willow is a critic, a skeptic, and a cynic, who is sometimes a little more bluntly insensitive than he needs to be and very little patience for nonsense and lack of common sense. However, this largely shadows a very wholesome, good-hearted side as well, as he enjoys taking care of those he cares about and is understanding of emotional struggle. As an artist and art lover, Willow is a bit of a beatnik, and can pull an eccentric, subculturally-savvy side to himself when he wants to. As any typical pony, he is a strong loyalist to Equestria and treats the alicorn princesses, especially Celestia, with religious reverence.

OTHER GAME MECHANICS
URL to Apartment Picture: (What's the inside of their apartment look like) Lives with Giovenith, in the clock apartment. Personal bedroom.
Link to RP examples: I'm already here, so...

IMPORTANT:
One paragraph that sums up your character. This paragraph is what we'll use on your player tab on the first page of the thread. This MUST be brief. Your tab will contain a link to your application so people will have full details: A skeptical but artistic pegasus-pony.

And in case anyone's curious, this is Pippa-Michelle's new room. We're only reapplying the characters taken on Epic, yes?

[Swith Witherward]

Oh my...

Well, we're getting there as far as the next epic PL thing. So... Objectives. Peeps have asked me about these. It's easier to reply here than in an IRC or TG.



An objective can be a motivator, but it should also be something that enables a character to take action. A main objective isn't something that can be solved by chatting. It should be a conflict that challenges the character to overcome something (personal flaw, adversary, etc) to achieve that goal (save the princess, convert the atheists into Christians, drop the ring into a volcano.)

Frodo's primary objective was pretty obvious: get the ring to Elrond, go home. The objective changed once he realized the situation, and so he surged on to bring the ring to its doom. Along the way, he struggled with his perception of other people changing, the loss of Gandalf, and the loss of his childhood friends once he set off on his own with Sam.

Sam's primary objective was likewise to surrounding the ring. He pledged to accompany his beloved Frodo to support him on his quest and, at one point, shouldered the burden in his stead. But Sam's secondary objective changed throughout the story. First he wanted to see the Elves. Once he had, he picked up a new objective. An undercurrent throughout the story is his love for his friends and his undying desire to protect his Mr. Frodo. That love was not an objective. It was what motivated him to complete his objectives.

"Make friends" is not an objective unless the goal is difficult to obtain.

Myra, a shut-in, seeks to make friends but, due to a stunted upbringing where she was sequestered off from the world, she lacks the confidence necessary as well as the ability to express her feelings properly. She attended school but kept her focus on her classes, all the while dying a little each day as she watched the teens around her living normal lives. Shut out and bullied by them due to being abhuman, Myra would dearly like to make a friend that wouldn't think her odd or loathe her for being inept. Although she's chatted with the other teens, no one calls her or knocks on her door to see if she'd like to do stuff. She thinks that's all her fault. So her objective is to overcome her severe social crippling in order to fit in. She might be able to do this through her writing. She'll support the main story (PL itself) by lending her talents once she realizes she has that ability. Her years of observation and being bullied make her more astute at reading body language, and her ability to blend into the woodwork to avoid notice make her an ideal candidate for missions that require those skills. This is how she'll support the plot.

"Relationship" is not an objective unless the struggle is a challenge. Objectives should lend towards action rather than dialog, although dialog is a necessary part of some objectives regarding relationships.

Septimus and Neste share a same secondary objective: a normal relationship. At first blush, it seems like a cop-out on the part of lazy players. Yet both characters come from oppressive societies where such things are alien in concept. IIRC, Septimus' people would rather use a vat than deal with pregnancy. Construct procreation is limited to insemination by a MAB; there isn't any emotional attachment. Every day brings with it awkward moments (a kiss on the cheek in public; fears that the taboo relationship will be discovered by Neste's handlers) as well as rewards (the joy of the fleeting intimate moment; the feeling of empowerment). Confrontation is bound to arise once Titus is revived, or once Neste is forced to face the Nifid. So each weaves their secondary objective into their daily routine in an attempt to forge as much as they can before that horrible shoe drops. They don't discuss it. They simply do it, physically adding to it.

"Protecting/Providing for family" are motivations and not objectives that support the story unless there's a challenge there - unless those people are constantly in harm's way or unless the failure to provide means the family is compromised. Bran's objective to provide for his family was met when the Luxans handed him a large sum of money, for example. Tora is a mundane running with gods and abhumans; these beings can more easily protect her in a pinch thus she's robbed of the need for this objective.

Can personal challenges be an objective? Yes and no. They can also be a hindrance.

Thaddeus is addicted to augmentations. His addiction cost him his first wife and alienated his children. His addiction cost him his second wife and newborn son. A secondary objective might be to get Naomi back, but how? Every day, he awakes and finds himself still trapped in a body that he's destroyed over time. He vows to change, and puts great effort into cleaning up (giving his stuff to Septimus, refraining form going to the Observatory) yet he blows it every single time something occurs that needs his expertise. His secondary objective (make himself a better man) clashes with his goal (get Naomi back) because his opinion of "perfection" is grounded in "augmentation". So, his secondary objective is technically destroying his chances of completing that goal.

Can an objective be simple? Yes, provided it's not too large for the player to handle.

"Return to Equestria" is a very simple objective, yet a daunting task. I imagine Willow will invest time in trying to find ways to return. It might motivate him to seek out knowledge, pulling him towards danger as he chases false leads. He goes on quests with the group because he can't chance that he'll miss some snippet that will lead him home. His objective might eat at him a little each day as he faces a world bereft of Pony laughter. Daunting tasks with simple objectives need strong imaginations. If Gio can't find ways to motivate Willow, or reasons for him to participate, I'd recommend she pick a smaller objective. She's never had a problem with participation or motivation, however, thus her objective isn't too broad.

Part of the reason players get bored or state "there's nothing to do" is because they either choose too broad an objective or they choose weak, easily obtained objectives for their characters. There's no challenge in sitting around all day bantering back and forth. Without an active objective, players are at a loss for what to actually write. It becomes "What do you want to do?", which is answered by "Dunno."

Players lose interest in other people's stories, bailing on them, because their characters don't have strong objectives to weave into the story. Neither player or character is motivated.

One of Marcus' secondary objectives might be to come to terms with his faith verses the fact that he's seeing a godling that isn't part of his pantheon. Heresy! Yet he can't resist the urge to share his pantheon with her. He loves his pantheon. He brought her to hear priests sing. Gio could have been bored by that, but it was a chance for her character to see another pantheon's followers. Her objective is "grow into godhood, and balance her own values versus the values held by other gods in the past." That objective made it possible for Gio to stay interested in that brief side adventure, and the godling now has a memory to muse upon when she does a little soul searching in the dead of night. It's a tidbit to add to the player's ever-growing repertoire of experiences.

Let your characters' objectives help define them as people, fleshing them out, and use those objectives as motivation to participate in stories.

tl:dr
If you find yourself sitting around with nothing to do...
If you can't think of anything to write...
If you find that the only thing your character does is talk about light things while shopping or eating or over coffee...
If other players tend to avoid interacting with your characters...

...chances are high that your character lacks solid objectives ergo you, yourself, are not motivated enough to help your character meet their goals.



A final question that came up: "Does my character have to invest every moment of game time on their objectives?"

Nope.

Objectives are always in the back of the mind, but sometimes characters need to put aside their own goals/stories for sake of the greater good. Their goals will continue to motivate them in some fashion, if those goals are solid to begin with.

[Giovenith]

*raises hand* So I did good?

[Germanic Templars]

Dat last sentence, Swith. Reminds me I need to sort through the ideas and goals I have for my characters and figure out what ideas I have are good, or just some made up BS sent in my the Bad Idea Fairy (Seriously f**k that b***h)

Any case, off to Google Doc to brainstorm more ideas, but first, a reply to Mon.

[Swith Witherward]

*raises hand* So I did good?

*nods*

Everyone has so far, really. I'm challenging everyone to delve deeper, to alleviate the "dunnos" for the eternal "what do you want to do?" question.

[Tsuyoi Tekikoku]

I don’t know what to put for Tsu, she gotten to be friends with Torii very quickly. Quicker then i expected.

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

I'll... take that as a no for my characters, then.

[Swith Witherward]

I'll... take that as a no for my characters, then.

I honestly haven't looked. *laughs* I've been working on code for the new OOC. But Cer's the one to make approvals, and he'll probably look things over tomorrow after work. He was only on briefly yesterday, and just long enough to set up the new thread.

[The BranRiech]

I'm fucking done. I swear to fuck!

I had Rylli's application completely redone and everything, and the mouse had somehow wandered over to the link to Max Barry's website. I clicked it on accident and lost an hour's worth of progress. I'm so fucking done tonight.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Working on converting all my apps and what I should keep. Also wondering how you are going to enforce a no minion policy, did they go on strike?