Fairy Tales or Superheroes...Why Not BOTH? (Still Accepting Characters)

[Mathim]

Welcome! This is my fourth or fifth attempt to get this idea to catch on in a big way, but I know the concept appeals to a lot of people, just not all at the same time, LOL. Let's see how many curious cats we can lure in!

Do you like superheroes? Do you like fairy tales? Then this is the place for you! The idea is based on one of the most unexpected movies I've ever seen, Avengers Grimm, which I believe is still available on Netflix or in the $5 bargain bin at Walmart. It was made by The Asylum so if you know anything about them, it will either intrigue the hell out of you or put you off like nobody's business (they're either so bad it's good or so bad it's horrifying). The film itself is actually not half bad, all things considered, but it's more the core concept that I want to borrow for this game. Here's some more details if you're curious about the movie:

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

So if that cover reels you in, here is the factual information to get you orientated to the idea therein:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4296026/?ref_=nv_sr_4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avengers_Grimm

Essentially the concept is that most of our beloved fairy tales/folk tales' antagonists and protagonists are, in ways that don't get mentioned in their native stories, empowered with some unique gift or skill, either by birth or by being blessed or trained with magic that manifests in such a way that is reflective of their name, or the title or themes and symbols of their story. For instance, in the Avengers Grimm movie, Snow White lives up to her name by creating ice out of thin air and manifesting it into icicle stakes with which to fight; likewise, in the movie Cinderella can perform limited transfiguration spells (like her Fairy Godmother) and Sleeping Beauty can generate clouds of sleeping dust to tranquilize enemies. Makes sense in each case given their names and stories, right? So we would try to follow in that spirit with a myriad of other characters for this game. And those three examples are by no means set, if you'd like to play one of those characters you can tailor them in whatever way you like.

While the film revolved around them traveling to the 'real world' (not unlike Once Upon a Time) where they are the only ones with magic, for this game I think we'd be better of sticking to the fairy tale world and its mostly medieval-era setting, otherwise it gets too complicated. I'm willing to accept any moderately popular fable or folk tale that pre-dates railroad technology, leaving horseback and wooden ships as the height of transportation technology and capability (outside of those facilitated by magic). I've got a prototype map of the world, with four primary continents arranged in a diamond pattern that allow the North, South, East and West continents to house the various global territories from which each brand of myth emerged from. I'll try to get it set up here so we can use it this time, it'll be the first attempt at this game to have it if it works out.

The gist of the idea we'll be drawing upon (based primarily on the film) is that the terrible villain Rumplestiltskin has his sights set on ruling the world and enjoys tormenting his victims and turning his conquests into his thralls. While in the movie his only ally from the fairy tale world was the Big Bad Wolf, this time around he's interested in recruiting any and all villains he can persuade into joining his campaign. Pretty much anything goes here, and even some neutral or ambiguous characters can be portrayed as villains in this game (I would suggest the Pied Piper, for instance.) On the flip side of that coin, some villains can have a change of heart and become heroes, or at the very least oppose Rumplestiltskin out of simple self-interest. But the enemy of one's enemy is one's friend, no? There should be a great deal of freedom with characters so everyone has maximum creative potential for just about any character.

I would like to encourage some diversity here, rather than staying Euro-centric, so some suggestions from around the world are Ali Baba or Aladdin, Anansi the Spider, Sun Wukong/Son Goku the Monkey King, and Urashima Taro. I may be okay with some Greek mythology but I want the game to veer away from characters that either are or descend from the divine, i.e. those responsible for worldly creation or the generation of life, simply because them being fictional and we being their creators makes things a bit too meta, or maybe I'm just over-thinking it.

Pretty much anything works here, really, although I'd prefer to eschew extremely obscure or vague tales that don't have much to them. I'm happy to listen to suggestions that may sound that way and might approve them on a case-by-case basis (there's been positive agreement in the past, so don't be shy about suggesting anything you might have a special place in your heart for.) Anyway, have at it! Let those creative juices flow and turn one of your beloved fairy tale/folk tale characters into a superhuman warrior or mage!

Let me give you an example of one of the characters I've modified to make into a superhuman:
Jack the Giant-Slayer
-Jack's journey up the beanstalk and the defeat of the Giant weren't the end of his tale. While up in the clouds, he learned the magic secrets the giant had been concealing and how it was possible to increase the size of almost anything made of gold. Jack collected all the gold coins he could carry and once back down from the beanstalk, turned them into wagon wheel-sized gold cylinders and made a fortune, retiring comfortably as a weaponsmith. But Jack was no fool and learned to protect his fortune with a fierce reputation; his knowledge of the Giant's secrets gave him the power to become a giant as well, thanks to the numerous enchanted gold face and body piercings all over him. Able to stand taller than a house, Jack is a force to be reckoned with. Basically he's Marvel's Giant Man or DC's Apache Chief, but with a fairy tale twist.

Important Links (Will be updated as needed):
Thread for posting character profiles and some general info about the world:
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=278268.0
OOC thread:
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=278269.0
IC thread:
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=278298.msg13677081#msg13677081

Not too daunting of a task to tailor a super fable, I hope? Just have fun with it. If you're interested but not sure who to pick, I have a ton of suggestions and ideas already written down. What I would suggest first though is pick the low-hanging Disney (read: widely known if not especially accurate to the source material) or other popular global myths. Here's a sample character sheet for submissions (this may update periodically so just fill in whatever new stuff comes in at your leisure):

Code Select Expand


Player Name:
Character Name/Identity:
-Example - Princess Aurora/Sleeping Beauty
Tale(s) of Origin:
Alignment:
-Anything from Chaotic Good, Lawful Good, Neutral, Lawful Evil or Chaotic Evil
Abilities:
-This is for your abnormal magic-based talents that normal people can't do, including enchanted equipment and any spirit familiars they may have
Skills:
-Any normal weapons they specialize in and other talents like archery, tracking, setting traps, etc.
Backstory:
-Feel free to deviate from the norm to fit how you want to play the character as long as the core doesn't change so much that their ability wouldn't make sense. But you are welcome to change heroic characters to villains if you can make it work. The last bit should show their reaction to Rumplestiltskin declaring his violent intention to conquer the world's kingdoms and recruit other brutes and monsters to his ranks.
Personality:
-What sort of attitude do they have toward life, friends, strangers, enemies? Again, don't feel constrained by their portrayals in their stories.
Orientation:
-Plenty of room for personal preference here (also any things kinky you might want done or are adamant about avoiding)
Appearance:
-Please provide an image or two (for both face, alternate forms if they can transform, and optional outfit pics if you like), and if possible, identify face claims. If the image is large, just use spoiler tags [spoiler][/spoiler] or you can use these to resize them: [IMG padding=10 height=200]https://[/img]


If you're interested in a character, please post the sample profile here. It's first-come, first-served so if you're itching to claim one but on the fence about another, stake a claim right away to have your first choice secured.

[ff]

Player Name: ff
Character Name/Identity: Red Riding Hood
Tale(s) of Origin: to be added
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Abilities:
Summon animal, charm animal, speak with animal, conjure picnic
Skills:
Lassos, whips, bolas, animal traps, axes
Backstory:
to be added
Personality:
to be added
Orientation:
bisexual, switch with other f's, submissive with m's, potentially kinky
Appearance: as pictured

[Mathim]

Just making sure this get clarified, this isn't quite the analogue to Once Upon a Time that I mentioned in passing, they're strictly in the medieval fairy tale world, so there's no alter egos (unless their actual identity is completely obscured by a mask or they spend most of their time in a transformed state or something) to hide behind, or any need for them, for the most part. Reputation is important so making sure their talent is known far and wide is the basis for the game's story, bringing the good together and the bad together for a confrontation.

So 'Ruby' isn't necessarily going to need to exist apart from Red unless Red is completely masked or otherwise unrecognizable while assuming that identity. But secret identities aren't generally encouraged for this particular breed of superheroes.

[ff]

Ah got it thanks. I'll remove the alias and modern pic.

[Angie]

I am so tempted to go Big Bad Wolf on this...maybe make him more of a primal force of nature, like, "there is always a Big Bad Wolf" and if you kill one, a new one is created somewhere.

[Mathim]

Well, there are many different mythologies with tales of wolves, werewolves and various permutations, so have fun with it. Variety is the spice of life.

[ff]

I am so tempted to go Big Bad Wolf on this...maybe make him more of a primal force of nature, like, "there is always a Big Bad Wolf" and if you kill one, a new one is created somewhere.

Ohh, like the actual character is the wolf spirit / force / curse that chooses a new host/incarnation as needed.

Maybe the classic RRH tale is some manifestation of that - disguising as the grandmother being related to that, and/or the wolf spirit jumping to the lumberjack at the end of the tale. That's a delicious twist - the guy that saves her from the wolf becomes him. Very Nietzsche.

Would love a Big Bad Wolf for my Red.

[Angie]

Ohh, like the actual character is the wolf spirit / force / curse that chooses a new host/incarnation as needed.

Maybe the classic RRH tale is some manifestation of that - disguising as the grandmother being related to that, and/or the wolf spirit jumping to the lumberjack at the end of the tale. That's a delicious twist - the guy that saves her from the wolf becomes him. Very Nietzsche.

Would love a Big Bad Wolf for my Red.

"Fear lurks in every human heart. I am merely a manifestation of that fear, a face, a force for your mind to see."

"So then why am I not afraid?"

"You have seen me slain. Nothing I can do will make you forget that I can be beaten...for a time, at least."

[ff]

"As long as darkness lurks in the hearts of men, I, ZEROMUS, can never truly be defeated" - paraphrasing from FFIV

[TheHangedOne]

Player Name: TheHangedMan
Character Name/Identity: Cu Chulainn
Tale(s) of Origin: (most of) The Ulster Cycle of Celtic Mythology
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral (leans towards Good)
Abilities:
Warp Spasm: Berserker Form in which his hair extends and stands up, one eye enlarges and pops out of its socket, face contorts hideously above and beyond that; enters a berserker rage immensely increasing his strength and not just making him not feel pain, but actually reducing the amount of damage he takes (though he is still wounded; it is reduced not entirely absorbed). Warp Spasm is draining to use, and frightening to behold--especially considering he is supposed to be one of the good guys, and it makes him look like a monster.
Scathach's Pupil: Scathach is known, in some circles, as a Goddess of Warriors, and Cu Chulainn ended up serving her; actually getting to her involved leaping over gorges, jumping up waterfalls, and fording rivers without any sort of equipment, and he spent several years under her tutelage (and probably boning her daughter; myths only hint at it). Not only is his physical abilities supernaturally high, but his combat prowess with any weapon could best be described as close to or at master-rank.
Gae Bolg: When his training was completed, Scathach bestowed the blessed spear Gae Bolg upon him. Made from the bones of a sea monster, the spear is known by other titles, such as: Belly Spear, Notched Spear, and, his favorite, The Spear of Mortal Pain and Death (though that's rather long-winded). The spear has seven heads, and each head has seven barbs; when he killed Ferdiad with the spear, it was said that the spear caused the barbs to go "coursing through the highways and byways of his body so that every single joint filled with barbs." However, it is up to the wielder to decide when to activate it's fatal ability. Supposedly, only Cu Chulainn himself (and Scathach) know how to actually use the thing to its full potential, but even when not being used for grotesque overkills, the spear is highly magical in nature and incredibly dangerous.
Tireless: Aoife came to fight with Scathach, her sister; his mentor feared Cu Chulainn getting hurt so she arranged to slip him a sleeping potion the night before the battle, to keep him unconscious throughout the next day. Come morning, at the first sounds of battle, Cu Chulainn woke up anyways, went out, killed about a hundred men, then spent three or four hours dueling Aoife, beating her into the ground, and forcing her to call off the blood feud. And then he had sex with her to seal the deal, because apparently, the only thing higher than his kill count is his libido.
Skills:
Hurling Champion (actually killed people with a hurley stick and ball), Joined the Red Branch Knights, quite literally served as someone's guard dog for two years (His name actually means "The Hound of Culain", and he liked it so much, he replaced his birth name with it), considered one of the most beautiful men of his time, literally killed over a hundred Nechtan warriors when he saw his homeland being attacked (while in a Warp Spasm), they literally threw three tubs of cold water on him, and each tub turned into steam, then King Conchobar sent out a hundred women to get him to calm down. Literally dueled three days straight with Ferdidad before finally killing him (thats 72 freaking hours of non-stop combat; no food, no water, no sleep!).
Backstory:
Technically a demigod as he was born the son of Lugh the Long-handed and the daughter of a druid, Deichtine, magic and power flowed through his blood. From an early age, he showed prodigious talent at everything he set his mind to; and a violently mercurial temperament. He was born with the name Setanta, which he no longer recognizes.

As he grew up and pursued the profession of a warrior, he joined the Red Branch Knights. One evening, they were to attend a feast at a friend's house, who was known to possess the most ferocious guard hound in all of Ireland. This man, Chulann, ended up setting the guard hound free once all the Knights had arrived (but they had miscounted and forgotten that Setanta hadn't arrived yet), so when he did show up, Setanta got attacked by a giant black dog roughly the size of a horse.

With nothing more than a hurly stick and ball, he killed the giant guard dog, and everybody came out to see what the ruckus was about. Some were impressed; some were horrified. Chulann was understandably upset over the loss. Setanta offered to serve him as a personal guardian, since even though there had been a misunderstanding on their part, he was the one who had deprived the man his dog. Setanta served as Chulann's Hound (Cu Chulainn) for several years until he could get and train a new one.

He liked the title, and the story associated with it so much, he informally forsook the name Setanta and continued to call himself Cu Chulainn. Since at this point in time he was of age, and many women were interested in him, he kept getting pressured by his peers to find a wife, so he decided on the daughter of a king, named Emer. Emer decided he was unproven, and therefore not a good match, so Cu Chulainn did the only logical thing that made sense to him, and decided to seek out a Warrior Goddess in "The Land of Shadows" to train under.

First he crossed through a marsh known as "Plain Ill-luck", which was known to kill 1 in 5 of those who tried to cross it; then he had to avoid or kill the strange creatures of the "Perilous Glen", said to kill 1 in 4 of those who had survived the marsh, before coming to the 'Bridge of Leap', which was not, in fact, a bridge at all. It was here that he met Firdiad, a Firbolg warrior and prospective student.

The two decided to chill out together, and quickly formed a strong sense of camaraderie. The Bridge of Leap was a waterfall with stone platforms in it--barely visible through the stream, and constantly wet. If one wasn't careful, they'd be knocked down, and smashed on the rocks below. It was said that only 1 in 3 of those who made it to the 'Bridge' got up it, but the two working together managed to do exactly that; Cu Chulainn saved Ferdiad's life, and not much more than five minutes later, Ferdiad returned the favor.

Scathach took them on as disciples and trained them for five years, teaching them all manner and arts of warfare and battle tactics. Scathach's promiscuous daughter is said to have spent quite a number of nights with both warriors, and that Scathach rather encouraged this behavior, for men and women should enjoy each other's company. 

Ferdiad left a few months ahead of Cu Chulainn, as Scathach said his training was done, but the 'Hound' needed more. The Firbolg left, and Cu Chulainn stayed. She taught him how to use the Gae Bolg, because she felt he was the worthy wielder of it, not Ferdiad.

When it was time for Cu Chulainn to depart, he saw Aife bringing a host of venerable warriors with her, and Scathach was concerned with chasing off her star pupil.  She insisted he leave; he stubbornly decided to stay. She drugged him; the potion did nothing more than ensure he got a good night's rest, when it should have knocked him out for a full twenty four hours, such was his constitution.

He fought with Aoife for many hours in Honorable Combat, one on one, but the woman continued to best him until he tricked her. He threw a hurley ball at one of the horses tied to her chariot, killing it, which distracted her, for Aoife cared deeply for both her chariots and horses, and while she was distracted, he bludgeoned her fighting arm and shattered most of the bones in it with the hurley stick. It was at that point, with her maimed, and he nearly dead, that she yielded.

He forced her to end the blood feud, and then to further prove dominance over her, and to "seal the deal", he had intercourse with Aoife. He then went home She's still out there, somewhere; probably working with Rumpelstiltskin, plotting her vengeance.

He then returned home to Ireland, where he saw the people of Nechtan fighting his people--who were losing--promptly lost his shit and went into a berserker rage, the first time he manifested his Warp Spasm, proceeded to kill a couple hundred Nechtan, and a couple of his fellow countrymen because he was in an absolutely unstoppable murder-frenzy with a deadly magical sea-monster-bone spear and skills taught to him by someone generally considered a Goddess of Warfare. So they threw three tubs of cold water on him to literally cool him off. The first one turned to steam; the second one turned to steam; the third one was mostly steam, but some stuck around and managed to actually get the ground wet.

Seeing that was not working, and that he was basically walking around in the middle of a pile of corpses rambling and ranting and mercy-killing anybody not lucky enough to still be alive, King Conchobar sent out a hundred naked women, the sight of which was--as far as legends state--enough to get Cu Chulainn to calm the hell down (although the legends don't state he actually did anything with him, they were just all like 'please calm down' and he was just like 'mmmmm, women', because at this point in time, the kid is like... 17?)

He wasn't faithful to Emer, so that plan sort of fell through, so Cu Chulainn put himself full tilt into his career as a warrior, and went on to proclaim several more victories for the Ulstermen, including the Táin Bó Cuailnge, where he sadly had to kill Ferdiad, and a lot of other things that would pretty much take a three or four hundred page book to describe, so let's just skip to one of the more saucier events.

Morrigan--you know, another Goddess--actually tried seducing Cu Chulainn, showing up in a skimpy negligee and everything, and he actually turned her down, because weird women showing up at his doorstep in negligee at three in the morning is probably nothing but trouble. Angry over being spurned, she cast him into the Otherworld, where he was forced to do battle with 'demons' for a long while, but hahaha, guess who won that one? He's still not thrilled with Morrigan, but whatever. He also met a cute Tuatha woman named Fand and started a family with her.

Personality:
LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST AND USE ALL THE CAPITAL LETTERS! But seriously, Cu Chulainn is loud, full-tilt, no half-assing, intense, over-the-top. Also, don't get him angry. You really won't like him angry. Nobody, and nothing, in his general vicinity likes a Warp Spasm. He loves a good challenge, and while he ostensible fights for the 'good' guys, his motivations are more likely because 'it's a challenge' rather than 'it's the right thing to do'.
Orientation:
Heterosexual, likes strong women (mental or physical; dominant, basically); hard limits are gore/vore, watersports, and scat.
Appearance:

[ff]

Looks cooler than the Cuchulainn from FFXII, who was basically Jabba the Hutt with better posture and extreme facial piercing

Get In My Belly!

[TheHangedOne]

Looks cooler than the Cuchulainn from FFXII, who was basically Jabba the Hutt with better posture and extreme facial piercing

Get In My Belly!

Heh. Glad you approve.  Warp Spasm isn't supposed to be pretty, but it's not supposed to be ugly, either; just terrifying. I guess that's hard to pull off.

Overly Sarcastic Production did a pretty neat a video about it; props to her for condensing some seven hundred pages worth of myths into seven minutes.

[Angie]

I love OSP. Her vid on Mary Sue is amazing.

[Mathim]

That video was very helpful, I like when things are condensed (and given a touch of humor). Hopefully we get a Beowulf or some other such legendary warrior human from a more Northern European mythology than the standard Western European mythology.

[ff]

Chuchu's fairly obscure IMO, which I mean in a good way, aka I wouldn't worry about Chuchu seeming too 'standard'. I wasn't familiar with him at all, actually, Final Fantasy just used the name without it really being the same char.

For anyone else looking for ideas / art for chars, especially the female ones that have had Disney renditions, I just found art series that imagines the Disney princesses in superhero type outfits / power poses.

https://steevinlove.deviantart.com/gallery/23384510/Defenders-of-the-Enchanted-Kingdom-WIP

[Latooni Subota]

So i had an idea. It's a weird one, and an antagonist-turned-heroine sorta, but I mainly thought it up from looking up other myths and fairy tales further away from Europe. Well, that and ghosts are cool. One word:

Sadako

Onryo have been incredibly prevalent for over a thousand years as ghost stories and cautionary tales in Japan, though sadly lacking in details for the most part until modern times. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't know about Ju-on/The Grudge and Ringu/The Ring these days though, with how prevalent the Onryo spooky stuff has spread. To keep with the fantasy setting, rather than the angry ghost girl killing in her backstory via videotape, she used nensha to travel and kill through paintings instead. It's been a very long time, and she's killed off everyone who hurt her and then some, and at this point her supernatural hate has cooled enough that she is tired. Very, very tired. She hasn't found a way to permanently destroy herself yet so she is (begrudgingly ((Get it? Grudge!)) ) trying to 'repent' by saving people in the hopes that she can earn a ticket into the afterlife, since at best she's managed to get herself temporarily banished by priests.

Her abilities would probably lean towards Kitty Pryde intangibility, the aforementioned painting travel, and coming back even after being banished/destroyed by magic after a plot-significant amount of time? I dunno, still batting the idea around in my head, and re-writing a rough version to be a background that fits in the timeline. Thoughts? :x

[Fury Aphrodisia]

Hi, Mat! I'm in. To be clear, I've got two ideas. To choose which one, we're allowed to go from mythology and legendry as well as fairy tales, right? I mean, I know you said no god-like characters... How do you feel about Morgana of Arthurian legend?

Otherwise, the other concept I was going to go with is the Pied Piper. Let me know!

[Mathim]

Hi, Mat! I'm in. To be clear, I've got two ideas. To choose which one, we're allowed to go from mythology and legendry as well as fairy tales, right? I mean, I know you said no god-like characters... How do you feel about Morgana of Arthurian legend?

Otherwise, the other concept I was going to go with is the Pied Piper. Let me know!

As long as they're not of the creator-god sort of status, then they're fair game, so anything like the Olympian gods would be going a tad too far, but a modified demigod like Hercules would be acceptable, albeit with a tweaking of his parentage. Achilles might be a better choice if we're going Greek with anybody's imagination. I think for such godly characters, calling them instead 'Of the Substance Beyond the Veil' and having them reside in a usually unreachable realm steeped in magic (but able to freely travel between the two worlds unlike most other beings) would be sufficiently vague and mysterious so as not to start getting too meta and getting actual authors who made up these stories involved. This is supposed to stand apart from Once Upon a Time in more ways than just one or two.

But feel free to use anything that's considered a gift from the gods, whether merely an ability or a weapon or other object/device. Such things would tend to be bestowed upon residents of the fairy tale world in the same fashion as, say, the three good fairies in Sleeping Beauty.

[Solistair]

Player Name: Solistair
Character Name/Identity: Diomedes

Tale(s) of Origin: Greek Mythology, The Illiad
Alignment: True Neutral
Abilities:

• Athena’s Chosen: Blessed with godlike wisdom, cunning and strength by Athena herself Diomedes also had the luck of being blessed with immortality as well with this man is definitely a favourite of a particular goddess whether it be for his skills on the battlefield or his skills in bed ;)
  
• Shield of Athena: Gifted with a fire-breathing shield, yes it breathes fire, Diomedes has used this fearsome weapon in the Trojan War and in his journeys. It protects Diomedes from all sorts of physical harm including the swords of a war god which in his case was Ares
  
• Fearlessness: Not just any run of the mill courage. Diomedes is legendary for taking on anyone and anything at anytime. From ball-crushing Amazons to the God of War himself this Greek legend has charged fearlessly into battle without any second thought
  
• Combat Master: Having fought against Ares, Amazons, Ajax, Trojan Princes, African Warlords and much more other mofos Diomedes is a legendary warrior whose feats are often overlooked by more extravagant figures such as Achilles

Skills:

• Traditional Weaponry: From swords to spears to maces Diomedes wields all kinds of melee weapons as fluidly as water
  
• Horseriding: Such is his skill with a horse that Diomedes is renowned for beating multiple other Greek heroes in chariot races

Backstory:

After travelling the world from Italy to Africa, defeating gods and monsters alike, Diomedes decided to settle down for a bit and build a few cities. When he finished building those cities Diomedes decided to make babies with a harem of beautiful women. After that…well Diomedes got bored of the mortal life so he asked his bestie Athena for a favour. So Athena made him Diomedes an immortal, got him to live up in the clouds with her and enjoy the cock of a legendary badass.

This continued for a few centuries. Of course, Diomedes got bored. So he decided to take a peek at what went on down under while he had been away. It seemed like a lot of things had happened in his eyes. The whole Rumpelstilskin dude trying to take over the world with an army of baddies? Diomedes definitely digged that. Thus, the immortal warrior jumped off from the heavens, much to Athena’s dismay, and once again stepped foot on the Earth ready to chop off some heads.

Personality:

A stoic bastard Diomedes often will never shy away from any danger or challenge no matter how great the adversity. Unflinching no matter what he tends to come off as arrogant to others. Despite that he maintains a strict martial honour that he adheres to with military discipline befitting that of a being that defeated the God of War. Initially appearing to be some form of naïve chivalry it will turn out to be a simple code of morals that Diomedes obeys. Other than that Diomedes generally pursues self-satisfaction, something he belives he has earned the right to after countless years of serving kings and doing the will of the people.
Orientation:
Heterosexual. Diomedes likes submissive, feminine ladies. He requires all his pleasures in bed to be passionate whether vanilla or rough. Loves anal and deepthroat, more attributed to watching his mighty rod than the experience itself according to Athena.
Appearance:
-

[Mathim]

I trust immortality means simply not being able to die of natural causes, but able to be killed in battle, Diomedes? Because everyone needs to be mortal in at least that sense or in some other way such as via magic.

[TheHangedOne]

That video was very helpful, I like when things are condensed (and given a touch of humor). Hopefully we get a Beowulf or some other such legendary warrior human from a more Northern European mythology than the standard Western European mythology.

I'm glad you liked it. Having a Beowulf running around would be pretty awesome. Now, just imagine Beowulf and Cu Chulainn in a bar brawl together... can you imagine how much damage that would cause? Hahahaha. As OSP puts it "METAL!"

But, is Cu Chulainn approved?

[Mathim]

Yep, approved. Everyone can pretty much assume theirs is approved if I don't say otherwise (I'm not sure if I'll have as much time online as I want what with holiday prep) but I'm waiting until we get a certain number to start making OOC and IC threads. And I'm playing Rumplestiltskin if no one else wants it because he's the archvillain and needs to be in it. Let me see if our resident Snow White wants to play...

[Solistair]

I trust immortality means simply not being able to die of natural causes, but able to be killed in battle, Diomedes? Because everyone needs to be mortal in at least that sense or in some other way such as via magic.

Yep, semi-immortality he ain't a god.

[Mathim]

Okay, just making sure. I swear, they need to make another word for immortality so that they can delineate between things like Jason Voorhees who can't age or be killed by any means, and those that just don't age like Highlander.

[TheHangedOne]

Okay, just making sure. I swear, they need to make another word for immortality so that they can delineate between things like Jason Voorhees who can't age or be killed by any means, and those that just don't age like Highlander.

"Ageless" ?

[Fury Aphrodisia]

Or long-lived.

[Mathim]

There's just got to be another one that lumps immortal and invulnerable into one.

[Fury Aphrodisia]

Omnivital?

[TheHangedOne]

Omnivital?

I like this one.

[Mathim]

Omnivital?

Is that a word that already existed or did you invent it? I mean, I suppose since the prefix and root words both already existed, the word technically already had to, but had it ever really been used before?

[Fury Aphrodisia]

I don't know, I just knew omnipotent wasn't right.

[TheHangedOne]

Apparently, OmniVital is a Danish (I think?) bio-medical corporation (or a product produced by a Danish medical corporation). That's what I got from a five minute google search. So, no, doesn't seem like the word actually existed until someone put a TM on it.

[Angie]

Player Name: Angie

Character Name/Identity: The Big Bad Wolf/"Bigby"

Tale(s) of Origin: Red Riding Hood most of all, but he claims to be "in every story about fear".

Alignment: True Neutral

Abilities: Limited Shapeshifting: He is capable of shifting between his human form (a muscular, tall man with broad shoulders) and an anthropomorphic 'wolf' form with massive claws and very big teeth.

Inspire Fear: He can grab on to the natural fear in every man's heart and increase it, though this power doesn't work against the fearless or those who are simply not frightened at the moment. The power becomes stronger the more scared someone already is, so he does his best to use mundane methods to make someone very scared before using his magical methods.

Specter of Fear: "He" cannot truly die. His physical form can be destroyed, but he will eventually return as he is merely a manifestation of the power of fear. Normally, his various forms have no memories of other forms, the lone exception is his current form (explained below).

Skills: Master Woodsman: Between his time as a wolf and his time in the body of the Lumberjack that last killed him, he has developed incredible skills at tracking, hunting, and foraging (his physical body does technically need to eat and drink, after all).

Stealth Expert: In his element, the woods, he is damn near invisible. Some fail to notice he is there until he is right behind them. In other environments, he is still skilled at sneaking around, but not as legendary as he is out in the woods.

Backstory: There have always been tales of dark, evil creatures on the fringes of the civilized lands, ready to scoop away and devour the little children that don't listen to the cautionary tales. Once, the tales were not true, but became that way-as more people spoke the tales of the boy who cried wolf, or the foolish child who wandered into the dark woods, the wolf was born out of the belief that the stories were truth. He was not always a wolf. His forms have been many, all lost to time by now. Recently, he was a wolf. A child in red wandered through his woods alone, and he sought to undo her, for what fear can remain if the stories were proven untrue? And yet, he tangled with those who did not know fear-or at least, did not fear him. He was destroyed by a woodsman, and the tales of a powerful beast in the woods faded into dust...

But new tales took their place. There had always been men who felt more at home in the woods then in towns, and those in the towns began to distrust them. What man found the solitude of the wild a more fitting life than the insanity of civilization? Distrust turned to fear, and soon the tales of "wild men" took root and flourished...and so did the Big Bad Wolf become the Big Bad "Wild Man". The spirit of fear possessed the woodsman that slayed the Big Bad Wolf, the two merging together to form a new fear. As the spirit had overtaken the one who destroyed its physical body, this time around, he has memories of his last form.

Before, he was merely an animal, possessed by instincts and a driving knowledge that he must inspire fear. Now he is equipped with human sensibilities, and while he knows that he must still be the one that people fear, he is far more subtle about it these days. He now understands that fear is in the unknown. And so he does what would have been impossible for him before-he now regularly interacts with mere mortals, and spreads fear with rumors, telling tales of the unknown, the secretive, the mysteries unfound in the deep dark woods.

As for Rumpelstiltskin? A tyrant rules by fear. His empire will be a prime target to spread fear within. He holds no allegiance to the man, but if he should happen to spread a little fear, all the better. Of course, the brutes and monsters that Rumpelstiltskin recruits...they too fear something. No one is safe from the Big Bad Wolf. No one.

Personality: Curiously, he takes an almost philosophical approach towards fear. While he knows what his job is, he no longer goes after those who overcame their fears like Red did-for he knows that for everyone who overcomes their fear, a hundred do not. In a way, he acts more like a terrifying mentor-he presents a powerful fear to people, giving them a chance to rise above or falter and wither.

Orientation: More or less asexual. It's hard to be afraid of what you're having sex with, and he would never stoop so low as to force nonconsensual sex on someone for the purposes of "fear". He is a classy specter of fear.

Appearance: Human:


Wolf:

[Mathim]

LOL, couldn't resist calling him Bigby, eh? That's cool.

[ff]

Oh Bigby, my what a big **** you have...

Will be filling in my char's backside backstory with complementary info

[LamentingQuill]

I'll have to bring back my Snow White from the last one ;)

[Juggtacular]

Calling dibs on the Monkey King.

[Angie]

LOL, couldn't resist calling him Bigby, eh? That's cool.

"It is an easy name. I suppose it is similar to the Devil in human guise calling himself 'Louis Cypher', it is simply too tempting to refer to ourselves with a subtle clue to our true natures."

And because damnit, I love the Fables comics.

[Fury Aphrodisia]

Calling dibs on the Monkey King.

Balls... I wasn't sure you were going to show up, Jugg.

What do you think of reviving our prior attempts? Or did you want to go a different way with it? I can still do Morgana, but if you want, we can bring the Kitsune in, instead.

[TheHangedOne]

"It is an easy name. I suppose it is similar to the Devil in human guise calling himself 'Louis Cypher', it is simply too tempting to refer to ourselves with a subtle clue to our true natures."

And because damnit, I love the Fables comics.

Low-key Lyesmith from American Gods.

[Juggtacular]

Sure, you can bring her back. We never really did get to get those two going last time anyway.

[Fury Aphrodisia]

Aha! Boom. Okay, that's a thing, now.

That cool with you, Mathim?

[Mathim]

I think I'd like, if possible (and for the sake of helping keep things together a bit longer this time around if indeed this is the correct strategy), for Snow White to call for a conference to get all who are opposed to Rumplestiltskin and have the power to fight against him together, so that everyone aligned with good (though not necessarily with each other) is actually together from an early point and can interact directly. She would send her message out via mirrors with the help of her master Magic Mirror and use them for instant transportation of the interested heroic parties that wish to band together. Rumplestiltskin, on the other hand, will have to go about recruiting his minions the old-fashioned way. But then, he's a dirty cheater, so...heh heh.

I also think it would be neat to have representatives from as many regions as possible. Snow White might be the center of the Western European region of the Western Continent (I may need help getting my map of this fictional world up so you guys can see it) so guys like Cu Chulainn can hail from the Northern or Western part of that region, and of course Son Goku will hail from the Pan-Asian province of the Eastern Continent. Our Greek friend Diomedes can represent the Greco-Roman region of the Southern Continent. So pretty much there's Scandinavian and Russian and Icelandic and Greenlandic and Eskimo/Inuit characters to represent the Northern Continent, and some Middle Eastern and Indian characters to represent the other parts of the Eastern Continent, and African characters to round out the Southern Continent.

[Fury Aphrodisia]

So, we're going to open on the characters all meeting with Snow?

Also, I'm changing my claim to my old kitsune character. So long as you're cool with it, of course.

[Mathim]

You can be one or both, I know you're good for it.  ;)

And they will either have arrived already having accepted the invitation without hesitation, or have just received the invitation and are debating whether to get involved. Even the Neutral characters are welcome to at least hear her out and see what she has planned to see if they want to get involved or if the bad guys might have a better offer or better odds of coming out on top.

[Juggtacular]

Player Name: Juggtacular
Character Name/Identity:Sun Wukong - The Monkey King
Tale(s) of Origin: Journey to the West
Alignment: Chaotic Good, Chaotic Evil(depending on who you ask)sometimes just Chaotic
Abilities:Due to the powerful forces involving his birth, as well as "upgrades" given to him, or taken for his own over the course of his life, Sun is a very, very powerful individual.

Godly Strength: Sun Wukong is physically very strong, as he is capable of effortlessly wielding his staff which weighs 8.1 tons, with one hand, and even a single finger. He is also strong enough to resist even Buddha's palm trying to crush him for a short period of time.

Godly Toughness: Like his strength, Sun is just as tough as he is strong. He has withstood an attack from the entirety of Heaven, and come out on top.

Godly Speed: Like the monkey he is, Sun is incredibly fast, and it's been said he's able to cover 13,468 miles in a single somersault(although this is obvious hyperbole). The speed also transfers to combat, and he is fast enough to vanish from sight with his movements.

Magic: The Monkey King is a master spellcaster. He innately knows 72 Transformations(including of course a massive ape), and has learned more throughout his life. Also, each of his hairs is magical, and when plucked from his body, can transform into objects, clones of Sun, and more. He also knows a plethora of elemental spells, conjuring spells, summoning circles, and magic to freeze anything in it's tracks. He even speaks and understands every language, as he came from a magic rock, and the Earth understands all.

Skills:

Ruyi Jingu Bang: Sun Wukong's prized staff is known as Ruyi Jingu Bang, and once belonged to Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea. It was gifted to Sun after a plethora of other enchanted weapons didn't match his standards. It's normal form is a black pillar that is 20 feet tall and as wide as a barrel. Only Sun who was fated to wield it can command it to shrink to a smaller size. It can also clone itself at his whim. Ruyi Bang weighs 8.1 tons, yet Sun wields it like it was as light as a cane. With his skill and the staff, he has defeated the entirety of Heaven. When not in use, Ruyi Bang shrinks down to the size of a needle and is tucked behind Sun's ear.

Martial Arts: Sun was born knowing 1,000 styles of martial arts, but has learned more from watching animals and his opponents during his travels. He is a master fighter and probably one of the best in the world.

Persuasive: The Monkey King has an infectious personality, and anyone with a good heart or spirit sees this, allowing Sun to easily gain friends and followers alike.

Backstory: Born from a magic rock, on the peak of Mount Huango(The Mountain of Flowers & Fruit) Sun Wukong's existence shook the pillars of Heaven, as the Jade Emperor himself noted two powerful beams of golden light coming from below the clouds. They were Sun's eyes as he looked around the new world. As he ate, the light died down, and soon after he started to befriend the creatures of the mountain; especially the monkeys. While playing, they decided to find the source of the stream that they always bathed in. What they found was a waterfall up the mountain, and the monkeys claimed whoever found the source, would be their king.

Sun volunteers, and after going through the waterfall, he finds water rushing over an iron bridge leading to a house. Bringing his new friends with him, they claim the house and Sun claims the title of Monkey King. Claiming the entirety of Mount Haungo as his Kingdom, Sun seeks out a powerful weapon to match his own strength. He found it underwater in the domain of Ao Guang, Dragon King of the East Seas. After that, he defeats the remaining dragons of the sea, claiming a golden chainmail shirt, a phoenix feather cap, and cloud walking boots from them. After returning to his Kingdom and demonstrating his power, Sun formed an alliance with multiple "demons" and Kings. Including the Bull Demon King, Lion Spirit King, Macaque Spirit King, Saurian Demon King, and Roc Demon King.

When Hell attempts to collect his soul, he goes so far as to erase his name and the names of his friends from the book of Life and Death. After the Dragon Kings and Kings of Hell report him to the Jade Emperor, the Emperor grants him a royal title to placate him. However, he is given the position not of "God", but of "Protector of Horses", the lowest job in Heaven. Rebelling against his continued treatment, he proclaims himself "The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven" and frees the cloud horses. Heaven recognizes his self gifted title, and again tries to placate him, this time making him the "Guardian of the Heavenly Garden". Again however, it is a lowly position, and he is denied entry to a banquet that every other God and Goddess is invited to. In retaliation, he stole the Peaches of Immortality, the Pills of Longevity, and the Emperor's royal wine.

He consumed all 3 and returned home to his mountain to prepare for a rebellion against Heaven itself. When Heaven retaliates, Sun single-handedly defeats all 100,000 Celestial Warriors, all 28 constellations, four heavenly kings, and Nezha, and proves himself equal to the best of Heaven's generals, Erlang Shen. Eventually, through the teamwork of Taoist and Buddhist forces, including the efforts from some of the greatest deities, and then finally by the Bodhisattva of mercy, Guanyin, Sun Wukong is captured.

After several failed attempts at execution, Sun Wukong is locked into Laozi's eight-way trigram Crucible to be distilled into an elixir (so that Laozi could regain his pills of longevity) by samadhi fires. After 49 days, however, when the cauldron is opened, Sun Wukong jumps out, even stronger. He is now able to recognize evil with huǒyǎn-jīnjīng (火眼金睛) (lit. "golden-gaze fiery-eyes"), an eye condition that also gives him a weakness to smoke, and proceeds to destroy Heaven's remaining forces. The Jade Emperor and the authorities of Heaven appeal to the Buddha, who arrives from his temple in the West. The Buddha bets that Sun Wukong cannot escape from Buddha's palm. Sun Wukong smugly accepts the bet. He leaps and flies to the end of the world. Seeing nothing but five pillars, Wukong believes he has reached the ends of Heaven.

To prove his trail, he marks the pillars with a phrase declaring himself the great sage equal to heaven). He leaps back and lands in the Buddha's palm. He is surprised to find that the five "pillars" he found are in fact the fingers of the Buddha's hand. When Wukong tries to escape, the Buddha turns his hand into a mountain. Before Wukong can shrug it off, the Buddha seals him there using a paper talisman bearing the mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" in gold letters. Sun Wukong remains imprisoned for five centuries.

While sealed away, Wukong has nothing but time to think and meditate on life and his existence. He was finally beginning to understand why he was treated the way he was, when Rumplestiltskin began his war. He sensed it, but could do nothing; until Buddha himself appeared and shattered his prison. The deity made a deal with Sun Wukong; he would gain his true freedom, and full admission into Heaven as the Great Sage, when the Djinn lay defeated. And to seal the pact, Buddha placed a golden band on Sun Wukong's head that could never be removed until the deed was done.

Personality: As he is a monkey, Sun is naturally a playful individual. He loves to play pranks and tricks on people, often times hoping it's as funny to them as it is him. He has a good heart, and knows the difference between right and wrong, no matter the context. And he will fight for what is right to his last breath, even if it means fighting the entirety of the Jade Heavens because they treated him horribly. He is confident in his power, and himself, as he never backs down from a challenge, and will face even impossible odds with high hope.

Orientation:Heterosexual
Appearance:  In his human form, Sun appears to be a normal man. About six feet even, well muscled, with wild blond hair, and a young face. His natural form is that of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. He appears to be a humanoid monkey with a very human face, fiery hair, and a long tail protruding from his lower back. His appearance tends to change based on his mood however, so he can look like nearly anything or anyone.

[Fury Aphrodisia]

Jugg, you pulled that up hella fast. Have the link to the old thread?

[Mathim]

Jugg, you pulled that up hella fast. Have the link to the old thread?

I deleted it from my notifications once I copy-pasted the intro post from it, so I don't have it anymore.

[LamentingQuill]

I deleted it from my notifications once I copy-pasted the intro post from it, so I don't have it anymore.

I MIGHT have it.

[LamentingQuill]

I MIGHT have it.

This one?

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=256472.0

[Fury Aphrodisia]

I tried searching Avengers, Grimm and Avengers Grimm, and wow... there's just... so many results.

I'm still trying to dig through them all, but if someone can nab it faster, all the better. It was last October, wasn't it?



Edit: Yes! Yea yea yea yea! Wunderbar. Thank you, Quill!

[LamentingQuill]

I found this too, not sure if it's relevant

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=256702.msg12680485#msg12680485

[Fury Aphrodisia]

Mathim, you're good if I just C/V?


Edit: Alright, in the interest of begging forgiveness....

Player Name: Fury Aphrodesia
Character Name/Identity: Kitaka Tori (Kit)/ The Fox
Tale(s) of Origin: Are you kidding  me? Kit the Kitsune gets no credit.
Alignment: Chaotic undecided
Abilities:
Shapeshifting - Any fox worth her salt can shift between the human and the canidae forms.
Foxfire - Like a squid's ink, a fox can put up a wall of flame when being pursued or cornered. They can also launch fire, or simply leave a trail of it in their wake. This mild pyromancy only lasts a few seconds and burns much, much cooler than other fires. It's enough to begin a blaze, but on it's own, largely just a party trick. If left without fuel, the fire burns out a few seconds after flaring into life. Will burn the skin, but do little enough actual damage, other than causing a momentary flash of pain.
Illusions- Able to conjure minor glamours and illusions of various sorts, the fox is most easily able to change it's own appearance-related traits, but has been known to disguise people, objects and even buildings if need be. This seriously exhausts the fox, however.

Skills: Trickery of all sorts is open to the fox-folk, and as such there are very few deceptions they cannot see through to some extent. While mental and physical trickery is rarely so effective on them as on others, emotional manipulations aren't outside the realm of possibility. As a gifted runner, the preparations, natural flight patterns and crafty tricks of hiding and seeking are a special forte for Kit.

Backstory: The stories of Kitsune range far and wide in these modern eras, and just a little too late. Once upon a time, the land was filled with them, ready to spill over into neighbouring territories at the first sign of international acceptance, but by the time that cue came, there were few Kitsune left at all.

The hide of a kitsune are said to bring good fortune on those who have taken it, and naturally removes the Kitsune from being able to contribute to the gene pool any longer. Throughout history, the hides of foxes have been taken to ensure the good luck of the hunter and the decimation of her people. As far as she knows, Kit is the last Kitsune.

Kitaka isn't her original name - that name has long past into history. Instead, she has changed it many times in the almost four-hundred years she has been on this planet. She is the proud owner of three lovely tails, though she generally keeps these hidden and for good reason. A few hundred years ago, stories of her trickery and exploits began to surface in the form of tales that, thankfully, botched her description in every possible way. Sometimes she was merely a talking fox, or sometimes she was male. Sometimes she was the nobility of some foreign land, sometimes she managed to trick others into believing that she was one of their own. Very few people know that the reason for her frustration and her overall bad attitude is that she's sick of being blamed as a malicious trickster when it's really the fault of the people who didn't listen to her, after all.

She falls under neither category, neither Inari nor Yako, which made her an outcast even before the hunting of Kitsune hunted them nearly to extinction. These days, she is obsessed with hiding in the shadows, watching the unfolding of human history and still can't help but to stick out a paw and leave little riddles here and there. Let the clever save themselves and she assuage her guilt by doing the least she possibly can. It's not her fault if they don't listen, if they get themselves killed.

Not her fault, damnit!

The struggles of others of her caliber mean very little to her, insofar as they often fail to address what's in it for her. Confident in her ability to disappear at a moment's notice and evade capture as long as it takes, she thinks of herself as a powerful ally for any and secretly wonders to what lengths each faction would go in order to gain her loyalties.

Personality: Friends and strangers and enemies are all alike to Kit. They're all part of the workings of a society that helped to cast her out, and her bitterness won't let her leave those feelings behind. The whole world owes her, as far as she's concerned, and she'll take contributions to that price from anyone who crosses her path. Only once your part of the debt is paid does she consider them to be on equal footing, even though her deepest core still has some soft and pliant parts that will yield to circumstances. Children are a special interest to Kit, and she will easily get close to them, but once the wonder of the world has faded from their eyes, she fears that all humans become inherently alike. She's got a chip on her shoulder, and it's pretty damned heavy.

Orientation: All? None? Being unable to nail down her gender, her form, her breed, it's not surprising the stories have failed entirely to pass on her sexuality. Unbeknownst to most, she's largely heterosexual. But she's not above indulging her curiosity, either.


Appearance (please identify face claims where possible):

[Angie]

I have an inkling that the Big Bad Wolf may actually...prefer the heroic side. I've already established him as wanting to give people a chance to overcome fear, and Rumple's plan will result in a lot of dead folks that AREN'T afraid because, well, they're dead. "Death is bad for business. Yes I know I wanted to eat Red over there, but that was because she went into the woods where a monster was and needed to be eaten or else people would stop being afraid. And yes, that didn't pan out that way. But I don't want people dead, I want them afraid, and I can't do that if they're dead."

[LamentingQuill]

This all okay, Mathim?

Player Name: LamentingQuill
Character Name/Identity: Snow White
Tale of Origin: Snow White and the Seven Drawfs
Alignment: Lawful good
Ability(ies):

Song- When she sings, her voice is lovely and enchanting that animals of all kinds are drawn to her presence she can then request of them to her. However the animals in question cannot be any more than a mile distance away or they will not hear her sing.

Animal speech- Snow White can understand what animals are saying. Insects, aquatic denizens and reptiles are harder to understand than mammals, she has no idea why.

Daggers- All the dagger and knife lessons the huntsman gave her make Snow White no helpless damsel. She is lethal in a dagger/knife fight.

Agility- Snow White is swift and agile on her feet, years of training and practice has made speed and grace as natural as breathing to the fair princess.

Weaknesses: Insomnia- After the sleeping curse cast upon her by her stepmother, Snow White doesn't have such an easy time sleeping anymore, always terrified she will be trapped in the world of sleep once again. She gets sleep, just probably not as much as she should be getting.


Personality:

To friends- Snow White is gentle and kind to those close enough to her to be called her friend, her compassion and capacity for love are limitless, there is no lengths she won't go to in order to lift the spirits of or protect her loved ones.

Having experienced the loss of loved ones before, Snow White is highly, highly protective, she refuses to ever again risk something happening to anyone she cares about ever again, she will not hesitate to act if there no other possible non-violent alternative.

A lover of nature and animals, Snow White adores to spend most of her times in the royal gardens and the edges of the nearby forest to be with her animal friends.

To enemies (evil individuals)- Snow White will not tolerate the dark of heart, she will not suffer their wickedness or allow them to do harm to anyone around her if she had the breath left in her to do something about it. She could be open to helping a willing individual reform, but she would be highly suspicious until she knows for certain whether or not it's real.

For the truly wicked, Snow White would be ruthless and determined to stop them before they could harm any  more good innocent people than they may already have.

To strangers- Having experienced what happens when you too readily completely trust a stranger, Snow White has logically become a little bit more stand offish than she used to be, though she is not quite to the point of cold or stoic. She would simply be very cautious, though polite and willing to be convinced of ones trustworthiness.

History and Backstory:

Lovely Snow White, so beautiful that she earned the deep seeded hatred of her vain stepmother... something that would alter Snow White's life forever.

She always suspected her stepmother had something to do with it when her father suddenly fell ill and died, the woman struck her as too power hungry and ambitious, not to mention that she never really showed her father the tender love she always felt should be present in a marriage...

Her suspicions of her stepmother proved correct when the woman ordered her huntsman to take her out deep into the forest and carve out her heart, all because the queen's magic mirror declared Snow White to be the fairest of all maidens... taking from the queen her coveted desire to rule as the most beautiful woman in all the land...

However, once they were deep in the forest and the huntsman raised his dagger, his heart swelled with all the tender affection from watching this sweet young woman grow up and he realized... he could not do this...
Instead, he told the princess everything and together they devised a plan, he would carve out the heart of boar and take it back to the queen and Snow White would be free to escape and live her life wherever she so chose. The huntsman even took the time to return the forest several times to give Snow White lessons in using daggers to their fullest potential, ensuring the princess at least stood a chance in this world at defending herself.

However, this was not clever enough to evade the wicked queen... with the help of the magic mirror, the queen discovered the heart brought before her was not that of Snow White, but the heart of a pig! She had been tricked!
The queen had the huntsman executed for his treachery and immediately put plans in motion to take care of the lovely Snow White herself.

Three times she tried, first with an enchanted sash that nearly squeezed Snow White to death before her seven small friends arrived to cut it off of her, the second time was poison comb that drugged the princess into a slumber, but again her dwarf friends arrived home just in time to pull the comb from her hair before it was too late. Finally, deciding play time was over, the queen poisoned an apple and disquised herself as a frail kindly old woman whom was lost in the woods.

Snow White, with her kind and tender heart, was sympathetic to what she thought was a frightened old woman and invited her inside, accepting the old woman's offer to split one of the apple's in her basket in thanks for the kind hopsitality in her moment of fear.
Far too trusting, Snow White bit into the apple and immediately fell into a death-like sleep, a sleep so deep that the dwarves would believe she was truly dead, the princess would likely starve to death before anyone discovered the truth.

Satisfied with her work, the queen left the dwarves cottage just in time to hide around back as the dwarves were arriving home from the mine, their wails of despair filling the cottage as they believed their beloved princess was truly struck down this time by her jealous stepmother.
Enraged, the dwarves immediately left the cottage and soon found the disguised queen hunched down behind their cottage, she stood no chance against the angry dwarves as they turned their pick axes upon her in vengeance for their precious Snow White.

The dwarves then set to work constructing a gorgeous crystal coffin worthy of their sweet friend, laying her to rest in her favorite wild flower filled clearing deep in the forest, where they could visit her every single day after work.
Days passed and then a miracle happened, a handsome prince by the name of Florian was riding through the forest when he spotted Snow White's glittering crystal coffin, seven drawves knelt in front of it in mourning.

The prince slid down from his horse and approached, mesmerized by the breathtaking young beauty within, his heart broke as the dwarves explained to the prince what had happened to the beautiful maiden.
He made a single request to the dwarves, that he should be able to send the lovely princess off to the hereafter with a kiss of love, for his heart had been captured.

Deciding it couldn't hurt to grant the prince his request, the dwarves opened up the lid to Snow White's crystal resting place and allowed him to approach and say his sweet goodbye.
However... the moment the prince's lips touched the cool lips of Snow White, a soft warm breeze swirled around the clearing and Snow White's eyelids slowly fluttered open, a gentle smile curving her lips... standing above her was the prince from the dreams she'd had in this cursed sleep... he had come after all to save her...

Snow White and her prince were immediately married, no couple in all the land was happier or more in love... but this beautiful romance... it was not to last...

Her beloved husband and king, her sweet Florian... he was slain in battle against a risen foe by the name of Rumplestilskin... leaving the young queen with a deep ache in her heart and thirst for vengeance! She would accept nothing less than Rumple's head rolling across the ground, just like he'd done to her darling Florian...

Sexual Stuff: I am totally on board to have Snow White enter into a new romance, her wounded heart could use some healing that can only come from love.

My big no no's are all included in my o/o's in the link on my signature, along with my on's.

Snow White is heterosexual and is not open to threesomes, she's a one man only commitment type of girl.

Story-Related Suggestions: I'd love to see the attraction to Snow White that Rumple had in the movie, but it's by no means a requirement, I can totally live without it, would simply be fun is all.

Appearance (please identify face claims where possible): Kristen Kreuk

[Mathim]

I have an inkling that the Big Bad Wolf may actually...prefer the heroic side. I've already established him as wanting to give people a chance to overcome fear, and Rumple's plan will result in a lot of dead folks that AREN'T afraid because, well, they're dead. "Death is bad for business. Yes I know I wanted to eat Red over there, but that was because she went into the woods where a monster was and needed to be eaten or else people would stop being afraid. And yes, that didn't pan out that way. But I don't want people dead, I want them afraid, and I can't do that if they're dead."

That's absolutely fine, there's no reason why most characters who were good or evil in their original tales can't have a change of heart in this version. These are alternative interpretations anyway, they can be gender-bent, differently aged, however you want to represent them is totally up to you.

[TheHangedOne]

I think alternative interpretations can be fun to play; making the character into your own, you know? It's what I did with Cu Chulainn. I kept mostly faithful to the myths, but made some major deviations, too.

[Mathim]

Well, not every character is tailored to have the potential for superpowers, so some characters NEED to have a major overhaul to make it workable. Too many damsels in distress require a kick-ass way of breaking out of that mold.

I put up the character profiles thread and the OOC thread in the first post (in bold) of this recruitment thread, so everyone feel free to paste your submitted profiles there so that everyone playing can have an easier time keeping track of who-all is who (and so you can freely edit them at your leisure), and then head to the OOC thread for even more wacky fun, and I should be able to get the IC thread up by tonight after work.

[Fury Aphrodisia]

Sweet. Thanks for all your hard work, Mat!

[Mathim]

Hey, you guys have put in your fair share too, I should be thanking you all. It's not possible to make a game like this work without all of you, after all.

Okay, got the IC thread up (link is in first post of this thread), with a good starting place for everyone to jump in wherever they wish. Let me go dig up my old Rumplestiltskin character sheet and set up a posting format for everyone to follow for ease of communication and understanding.

If your profile is incomplete, please fill them in completely so we can see if they're a good fit, otherwise I'll see them in the Character Profiles thread.

[LamentingQuill]

Poke. Still many fascinating fairytale folks out there ;)

[Mathim]

How does something with fairy tales and superheroes fail to get more attention each time? It's always roughly the same number of people no matter how long it is between attempts to get it started.

[A Painter]

I'd like to use the Ibong Adarna, if that's alright.
Of course I will change the thing about the poop in particular changing people to stone. Maybe I'll change it in to a touch spell that takes some time. Maybe about a minute of undisturbed contact to make the transformation take place at all?

Unless you guys want to be pooped on.

[Mathim]

If you want to submit a profile and change the backstory however you like to fit your character into this version of the fairy tale world, by all means, we'd love to have you on board.

[A Painter]

Player Name: A Painter
Character Name/Identity: Ibong Adarna, aka Adarna
Tale(s) of Origin: Alamat ng Ibong Adarna (The Legend of the Ibong Adarna)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral, leans towards Good
Abilities:
-Flight: Adarna is very light and her wings cary her with ease. Her movements are silent, graceful and quick, but cannot take heavy hits in combat.
-Enchanting Voice: The statement that the songs of the Ibong Adarna are magical can be taken both figuratively and literally. Adarna has a magnificent voice, but they are how she casts mass enchanting spells. The range of its effects can vary from healing, petrification, and sleep. All those who hear her song are affected, but will recover within the hour.
Healing songs are limited to diseases and nothing else.
-Touch Spells: With her touch the effects of her enchanting magic are extremely concentrated. If she wills it its effects can be permanent. The spell will need to be lifted by Adarna herself or broken by another powerful spell caster.
When it comes to healing, the healing touch of the Ibong Adarna can mend fatal wounds but cannot bring back the dead.
-Invisibility: The Ibong Adarna is nothing if not elusive. She does not advertise this skill and waits until she is out of sight before activating this particular power.  Only her oldest and truest friends know of this ability. How else has has she gone so long without being permanently enslaved?

Skills:
-Charisma: The Ibong Adarna is both pretty and loveable. Her free-spirited nature, infectious energy, and optimism earn her many friends and admirers. She’s been known to collect favors in exchange for her services which she cashes out whenever she is in need. There’s also something about her that makes people want to help her.
-Stealth: When fighting is out of the question, the ability to hide becomes necessary.
-Performance: Adarna is a natural on stage. She specialises in singing and dancing, but can act as well.

Weaknesses:
-Combat: The Ibong Adarna is not a fighter. She relies solely on her magic and cunning to survive. Those favors she collects don’t hurt either.

Backstory:
The Ibong Adarna is a powerful magical being that wanders across Asia and occasionally the neighboring continents. She simply enjoys nature, freedom and existence outside the petty squabbles within the kingdoms of man and magic. She has been sought out by many mortals so that her songs may heal their ills or loved ones, but only a fraction of those have been successful in their attempts to find her.

However, of that fraction there have been a handful of them who managed to captured and briefly enslave her. This fraction consisted of both mortals and beings of magic, and all had motivations ranging from evil to ’noble’. As such she has very little loyalty for any one side. She picks and chooses her friends with care, and never stays in one place for too long.

One of the best known tales about the Ibong Adarna is also a tale of one such enslavement. It started when a beloved king fell victim to an illness incurable by mortal medicine, and his three sons set off to find the Ibong Adarna. Adarna knew of this king was beloved by his people, but was also aware that his sons did not follow in their father’s footsteps. She and a fae set up a test for the hearts of the questing sons. The fae disguised herself as a filthy, starving beggar at the foot of a the mountain the Adarna was waiting in. There the fae would beg the princes for help. The first two sons were unworthy. One was arrogant and selfish, one only searching for glory, and both rejected and even hurt the fae.  As punishment they were both put to sleep and turned to stone by the Ibong Adarna.
The youngest prince had a good heart, and the grateful fae told him how to avoid his brother’s fate. The young man had passed the test and the Adarna reversed her spells and traveled back with the young prince. The king was healed and the kingdom was able to rest easy.
The folk tale ends there, but the Ibong Adarna’s life with this royal family was only beginning. The youngest son had promised the Adarna she was free after healing their father. The youngest son also told his brothers how he had managed to succeed in his quest, giving his brothers the weaknesses of the Adarna.
After she had healed the king the brothers separated the Adarna and the rest of the court, then gagged and bound her. The two brothers then hatched a plan to take over the kingdom. They overthrew their father and murdered their youngest brother. Majority of the twenty years she spent as their servant were spent shackled inside a deep, dark cave far away from the sun. In exchange for being able to look at sky she longed for, the Adarna would use her magic to prolong their lives and destroy their enemies. 

She only managed to escape after the two brothers turned on each other. In all the chaos there was an attempt to steal her from the brothers and she managed to slip away.

These days she travels alone, and does not share her gifts or identity so easily. These travels have made her familiar with Rumplestiltskin’s plans. While she does not look favourably upon him and his plot, she is not about to run headlong in to a war. Adarna knows she is no fighter and is afraid she will end up as Rumplestiltksin’s pawn and prisoner.
Personality:
Adarna is spontaneous, empathetic, charming and energetic, making her a great addition to any group and party. All this and her enjoyment for laughter hide how jaded and distrusting she actually is. She is constantly watching out for signs that those around her will turn on her, and she’s always looking for an excuse to be free from any for of commitment or ties. 
She was kind and generous once, she remembers that. But a couple of lifetimes worth of captivity have a way of hardening someone's heart.

The one thing she cannot turn a blind eye to are enslavement, something she feels she has experienced more than any being, mortal or immortal, should.
Orientation: Bisexual. o&o's
Appearance:

[A Painter]

Ok, so I wrote that when I was drunk SO I may need to go over it later tonight if I can find the time. Sorry in advanced if there's anything weird or really off!

[Mathim]

Ok, so I wrote that when I was drunk SO I may need to go over it later tonight if I can find the time. Sorry in advanced if there's anything weird or really off!

Well, I'm somewhat drunk while I'm reading it, so we're even. LOL. No worries, just let me know if you're satisfied with the finished product and we'll go from there.

[A Painter]

Okay, it needed a bit of tweaking, but I think I got a springboard I'm happy with! Haha!

[Mathim]

Whenever you're ready, then, go ahead and post the profile in the Character Profiles thread, the link is on the first page here, as well as the OOC and IC threads. Feel free to jump into either one whenever you feel like it's a good time to.

[A Painter]

Awesome! Thank you!

[Chaosfox]

 I have seen you post this in the past. Do not remember if I  said anything but it does look interesting......  So many options I will sift through some stuff and try and decide on a character.

[Mathim]

I have seen you post this in the past. Do not remember if I  said anything but it does look interesting......  So many options I will sift through some stuff and try and decide on a character.

I actually compiled a list of all the players or folks who have just displayed interest during the last 3 or 4 attempts at this game, and your name wasn't on it, so you probably didn't get to the point of volunteering your curiosity before, but were among the number of views. I know most of the people this time around were in it during previous efforts but I'll be able to add a few new names to the list. I just never got around to sending out a mass PM to everyone who was part of it before to see if they wanted to come back. I might use that approach the next time to see if I can generate a lot more interest in a shorter time span.

[Levi]

Interested! I would love to try my hand at an evil character.

[Mathim]

Unfortunately the game has been inactive for a couple of weeks now, so when I get around to giving it another go, I'll let you know via PM, maybe get a bigger list compiled and do a mass invite to help get more characters in play from the beginning.

[Levi]

Unfortunately the game has been inactive for a couple of weeks now, so when I get around to giving it another go, I'll let you know via PM, maybe get a bigger list compiled and do a mass invite to help get more characters in play from the beginning.

Ok, thanks for letting me know.