Welcome to Darkwood - Twisted Fairytales, Free-form with plot, LGBTQ+ Welcome

[Caela]

I'll share my WIP here, too: The Cegua (Ines Reyes)
I'm not sure if I should list 'immortality' as a quality, but I sure can if needed to.

I'm a bit sleep deprived so I'll likely feel stupid for asking this, but who is that faceclaim? She's perfect for the way you describe your character!

[Aiden]

I'm a bit sleep deprived so I'll likely feel stupid for asking this, but who is that faceclaim? She's perfect for the way you describe your character!

Becky G , Latina singer and petite hottie 

[Caela]

Thanks Aiden!

[Fantastique]

Here's an initial effort at a character! I added the magical matches to give her a bit more interesting agency but if that's taking too much liberty with the source material or just sounds like a pain to include I'm happy to rework stuff.

Claire Match

Player name: Fantastique
Character Name: Claire Match
Age: 20
Sexuality: Bisexual
Gender: Female
Fairytale: The Little Match Girl
Job/Career:  Opportunist/Courier
Personality: Claire is a bit of a fatalist. She can be impulsive, preferring to live for the moment whatever the consequences. A natural result of carrying a dwindling reminder of how little time remains for her. On the surface a rye cynic, a layer down extremely bitter, but at her core terrified of death.
Her experiences have taught her to be mistrustful of others and she has very few qualms about deceiving or stealing from others. Particularly those whom she feels are more fortunate than herself.
 
Bio: "It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. Evening came on, the last evening of the year. In the cold and gloom a poor little girl, bareheaded and barefoot, was walking through the streets."
 
The world is a cold place and our lives but small brief flames hopelessly defying the darkness. In Claire’s case that flame had barely begun to burn when it seemed destined to be smothered. She was raised in a home that was lacking in warmth, both physical and otherwise. No memories of her absent mother, though whether the woman was dead or simply elsewhere Claire never knew. And a father who barely noticed her except when he was collecting the coin she’d raised or raising his own hand against her.
 
So it was that at just 12 years old Claire found herself wandering the streets on the last evening of the year, barefoot in the snow, carrying boxes of matches to sell for pennies. She was so cold, but although passersby pitied the girl no one were interested in her wares. Claire was so cold, but she knew she couldn’t return home with her purse empty. To her tiny home with a hole in the roof so that even in her bed there was hardly any shelter from the cold. To the hard stare of her father and his belt.
 
But she was freezing, and after awhile a little rest didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
 
"Her hands were almost dead with cold. Oh, how much one little match might warm her! If she could only take one from the box and rub it against the wall and warm her hands… How wonderfully the fire burned! How comfortable it was! The youngster stretched out her feet to warm them too; then the little flame went out, the stove vanished, and she had only the remains of the burnt match in her hand."
 
And it wasn’t just warmth that the matches brought Claire but visions of wonderful things. Warm stoves, roast goose, a thousand candles burning on a great green spruce. Though each brought her comfort the images were also fleeting, the cold inevitably creeping in again as the matches went out.
 
The last vision she saw was of her grandmother. Well, not her own perhaps, as Claire had never met the woman. But undeniably a grandmother, as kind and loving as in any story. And the love in the old woman’s smile brought Claire so much comfort that she couldn’t stand to let the flames go out, gathering all of her remaining matches to try and sustain her Grandmother. And so Claire sat in the snow, smiling as the fire consumed her matches. Shrinking and shrinking. Until inevitably the cold claimed them both.
 
Or at least that’s how it might normally have gone. But something special happened that night, something Claire could never explain. Even as the last glowing embers of her tiny fire died out the Grandmother remained. Lifted the young girl to her feet as warmth and life poured into her once more. Whoever or whatever the being was, whatever its motives, it saved Claire’s life that night and gifted her a very special box of matches. The things Claire saw when she struck these matches were more than simple comfort. They could reveal true things, secret things. Respond to Claire’s will and desires. But just as clearly as Claire knew that the Grandmother was more than a simple vison, she also knew that when the last of these special matches flickered and burned out, so to would Claire’s own life.
 
Nearly a decade has passed since that night, and the young girl has become a woman. Using her special matches Claire has managed to fend for herself in the vast dangerous city of Darkwood. At first she used her special matches simply to find food or shelter. Later, as she became older and more shrewd, to find valuable things she could steal or secrets she could sell. And, in her moments of greatest weakness, Claire would sometimes still strike a match simply to feel the warmth. Yet the ashes of each match sprinkle a pinch of bitter sadness in her heart, because she knows that she is one match closer to the end of the box.
 
Qualities/Faults:
+ Special Matches: Claire always carries with her a special box of matches. Someone could search her pockets and never locate it. Could strip Claire naked and she would still find it in her hands when she needed it. The count of matches in the box is somehow fluid and impossible to determine, though Claire can tell that she’s used more than half of them already and has no doubt she’ll know when only one remains. When she strikes a match the warmth of the flame can relieve herself or another of hunger and cold, or relieve the pain of injuries or infirmities.  At least for a little while.
 
Alternatively Claire can stare into the flame and will it to show her a vision. It’s hard to control exactly what she is shown and the more vague her query the more immediately useful the vision is. If she simply wishes to be shown where to find food for free, or some unattended valuables she could snatch, the flames will guide her directly to her goal. But, for example, if Claire wished for the flames to show her the secret recipe for Merlin’s hair growth tonic she might just see some vague hint or lead on how to find it, like an image of the book where its written or something he'd gladly trade it for.
 
- Special Matches: For all their wonderful powers the matches also represent the extra time Claire was gifted on the night she should have died. And when the last match has burnt out that fate will find her again.
 
Extra: Fair curly hair and a lithe, slightly underfed appearance.
Ons/Offs - Character:
Claire doesn’t care about the future, since she’s quite sure that she doesn’t have one. And so, once her immediate needs are met, she often seeks excitement and acts out in self-destructive ways. She absolutely hates the cold and seeks heat wherever she can find it, whether it comes from good food, a thick blanket, a stiff drink, drugs, or intimacy. Her fate is a constant source of anxiety and she’s found that giving up control allows her to, temporarily at least, stop thinking for awhile. A blessed relief, even if the circumstances can sometimes be painful or dangerous.
(Specfics)
Ons - Extreme sensations (Painful or pleasurable), partners who take control, breath play
Offs - Unsanitary acts, exhibitionism
It's Complicated - Emotional intimacy, sex without a method of birth control, Kissing

(Credit to Hans Christian Andersen for the parts in italics!)

[BlueEyedBard]

Hey everyone, loving all the interest and the sheets I've been seeing. 

I have some work to do here responding to people, but I just got back from a sporting event where our home team got completely humiliated, so I'm going to have to play catch up tomorrow. 

Don't worry, I see you!

[Swashbuckler]

No rush for my question, BlueEyedBard!  I know the pain of your sports teams being crushed all too well, lol.

In the meantime, I am going to grab Joe Manganiello as a FC

[RainyHigh]

Thank you @Caela! Aiden is right. As soon as I saw that GIF of her, I felt she fit the character nicely. 😊

[Kadigan]

Trying to be good these days but damned if this game doesn't tickle me. Though my usual go to Pan is off the board. Giving it some thought...though I do like flight, anyone have any suggestions for flight based tales? 

[RainyHigh]

Trying to be good these days but damned if this game doesn't tickle me. Though my usual go to Pan is off the board. Giving it some thought...though I do like flight, anyone have any suggestions for flight based tales?

Sun Wukong (Monkey King) pops into my noggin' though he flies on clouds, IIRC.

[Foxy DeVille]

Trying to be good these days but damned if this game doesn't tickle me. Though my usual go to Pan is off the board. Giving it some thought...though I do like flight, anyone have any suggestions for flight based tales?

Dooooooooo iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. 

Some suggestions on flyers...

1. Maybe someone else from the Pan stories as the dust wasn't exclusive to Pete.

2. A swan-maiden from various fairy tales which in turn inspired Swan Lake which inspired the Swan Princess.

3. A genie from One Thousand and One Nights.

4. The Blue Fairy from Pinocchio or one from Sleeping Beauty.

5. Depending on how you want the flight to happen, Baba Yaga or some other witch.

EDIT:  If children's lit is on the table, Dorothy Gale's silver shoes/ruby slippers could be used for flight.

[BlueEyedBard]

Trying to be good these days but damned if this game doesn't tickle me. Though my usual go to Pan is off the board. Giving it some thought...though I do like flight, anyone have any suggestions for flight based tales?

Icarus comes to mind...
The boy from The Flying Trunk...

[Kadigan]

Thinking of an idea for The Snow Queen (the original idea for Elsa) at the moment, but did send BEB a message regarding. 

[BlueEyedBard]

I was thinking of making another pixie altogether but now I’m thinking about Goldilocks. Has that been taken yet?

Goldilocks is on hold for you Mel!

@Aiden - Your Big Bad is accepted!

I'll share my WIP here, too: The Cegua (Ines Reyes)
I'm not sure if I should list 'immortality' as a quality, but I sure can if needed to.

Rainy, I think The Cegua is great. I don't know if you were completely finished or not, but I'm goingto accept her. Added to the accepted list!

Here's an initial effort at a character! I added the magical matches to give her a bit more interesting agency but if that's taking too much liberty with the source material or just sounds like a pain to include I'm happy to rework stuff.

Claire Match

Player name: Fantastique
Character Name: Claire Match
Age: 20
Sexuality: Bisexual
Gender: Female
Fairytale: The Little Match Girl
Job/Career:  Opportunist/Courier
Personality: Claire is a bit of a fatalist. She can be impulsive, preferring to live for the moment whatever the consequences. A natural result of carrying a dwindling reminder of how little time remains for her. On the surface a rye cynic, a layer down extremely bitter, but at her core terrified of death.
Her experiences have taught her to be mistrustful of others and she has very few qualms about deceiving or stealing from others. Particularly those whom she feels are more fortunate than herself.
 
Bio: "It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. Evening came on, the last evening of the year. In the cold and gloom a poor little girl, bareheaded and barefoot, was walking through the streets."
 
The world is a cold place and our lives but small brief flames hopelessly defying the darkness. In Claire’s case that flame had barely begun to burn when it seemed destined to be smothered. She was raised in a home that was lacking in warmth, both physical and otherwise. No memories of her absent mother, though whether the woman was dead or simply elsewhere Claire never knew. And a father who barely noticed her except when he was collecting the coin she’d raised or raising his own hand against her.
 
So it was that at just 12 years old Claire found herself wandering the streets on the last evening of the year, barefoot in the snow, carrying boxes of matches to sell for pennies. She was so cold, but although passersby pitied the girl no one were interested in her wares. Claire was so cold, but she knew she couldn’t return home with her purse empty. To her tiny home with a hole in the roof so that even in her bed there was hardly any shelter from the cold. To the hard stare of her father and his belt.
 
But she freezing, and after awhile a little rest didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
 
"Her hands were almost dead with cold. Oh, how much one little match might warm her! If she could only take one from the box and rub it against the wall and warm her hands… How wonderfully the fire burned! How comfortable it was! The youngster stretched out her feet to warm them too; then the little flame went out, the stove vanished, and she had only the remains of the burnt match in her hand."
 
And it wasn’t just warmth that the matches brought Claire but visions of wonderful things. Warm stoves, roast goose, a thousand candles burning on a great green spruce. Though each brought her comfort the images were also fleeting, the cold inevitably creeping in again as the matches went out.
 
The last vision she saw was of her grandmother. Well, not her own perhaps, as Claire had never met the woman. But undeniably a grandmother, as kind and loving as in any story. And the love in the old woman’s smile brought Claire so much comfort that she couldn’t stand to let the flames go out, gathering all of her remaining matches to try and sustain her Grandmother. And so Claire sat in the snow, smiling as the fire consumed her matches. Shrinking and shrinking. Until inevitably the cold claimed them both.
 
Or at least that’s how it might normally have gone. But something special happened that night, something Claire could never explain. Even as the last glowing embers of her tiny fire died out the Grandmother remained. Lifted the young girl to her feet as warmth and life poured into her once more. Whoever or whatever the being was, whatever its motives, it saved Claire’s life that night and gifted her a very special box of matches. The things Claire saw when she struck these matches were more than simple comfort. They could reveal true things, secret things. Respond to Claire’s will and desires. But just as clearly as Claire knew that the Grandmother was more than a simple vison, she also knew that when the last of these special matches flickered and burned out, so to would Claire’s own life.
 
Nearly a decade has passed since that night, and the young girl has become a woman. Using her special matches Claire has managed to fend for herself in the vast dangerous city of Darkwood. At first she used her special matches simply to find food or shelter. Later, as she became older and more shrewd, to find valuable things she could steal or secrets she could sell. And, in her moments of greatest weakness, Claire would sometimes still strike a match simply to feel the warmth. Yet the ashes of each match sprinkle a pinch of bitter sadness in her heart, because she knows that she is one match closer to the end of the box.
 
Qualities/Faults:
+ Special Matches: Claire always carries with her a special box of matches. Someone could search her pockets and never locate it. Could strip Claire naked and she would still find it in her hands when she needed it. The count of matches in the box is somehow fluid and impossible to determine, though Claire can tell that she’s used more than half of them already and has no doubt she’ll know when only one remains. When she strikes a match the warmth of the flame can relieve herself or another of hunger and cold, or relieve the pain of injuries or infirmities.  At least for a little while.
 
Alternatively Claire can stare into the flame and will it to show her a vision. It’s hard to control exactly what she is shown and the more vague her query the more immediately useful the vision is. If she simply wishes to be shown where to find food for free, or some unattended valuables she could snatch, the flames will guide her directly to her goal. But, for example, if Claire wished for the flames to show her the secret recipe for Merlin’s hair growth tonic she might just see some vague hint or lead on how to find it, like an image of the book where its written or something he'd gladly trade it for.
 
- Special Matches: For all their wonderful powers the matches also represent the extra time Claire was gifted on the night she should have died. And when the last match has burnt out that fate will find her again.
 
Extra: Fair curly hair and a lithe, slightly underfed appearance.
Ons/Offs - Character:
Claire doesn’t care about the future, since she’s quite sure that she doesn’t have one. And so, once her immediate needs are met, she often seeks excitement and acts out in self-destructive ways. She absolutely hates the cold and seeks heat wherever she can find it, whether it comes from good food, a thick blanket, a stiff drink, drugs, or intimacy. Her fate is a constant source of anxiety and she’s found that giving up control allows her to, temporarily at least, stop thinking for awhile. A blessed relief, even if the circumstances can sometimes be painful or dangerous.

(Credit to Hans Christian Andersen for the parts in italics!)

I think Matchstick Girl and her magical matches are a great addition!

Thinking of an idea for The Snow Queen (the original idea for Elsa) at the moment, but did send BEB a message regarding.

I haven't gotten to my messages yet, but I will save the snow queen for you!

Dammit....now I have an idea for Ariel in my brain!

Out of curiosity, is there going to be a discord?

I put Ariel on hold for you WLA.

Also I am tentatively planning a discord for the same of plotting and whatnot, provided most if not all players will use it. I hate when someone feels left out of plotting due to not being on discord.


I think I've responded to most people on here, I am still getting to my messages but if it seems like I missed you somewhere along the way just feel free to say

[RainyHigh]

Rainy, I think The Cegua is great. I don't know if you were completely finished or not, but I'm goingto accept her. Added to the accepted list!

Awesome news! If it's OK, she works at the Fairy Godmother Transport Company, then she's done! But if she needs to work elsewhere, I can change that. Thanks for the approval.

[BlueEyedBard]

Awesome news! If it's OK, she works at the Fairy Godmother Transport Company, then she's done! But if she needs to work elsewhere, I can change that. Thanks for the approval.

Yeah, saw that on the WIP, her working for the FGT is completely fine!

[Kadigan]

Just a side question, how much into Disney lore are we allowed to dip on these, or is it strictly old school fairy tales? 

[BlueEyedBard]

Just a side question, how much into Disney lore are we allowed to dip on these, or is it strictly old school fairy tales?

I'm not really that strict. Backgrounds can be pretty fluid in that regard between fable, Disney, and original idea. Just be sure that what you came up with doesn't effect someone else's character without working things out with them ahead of time.

[Kadigan]

Damnit, there goes my idea to have  Scheherazade  be dead already.  I'm looking at you Foxalope. 

[Aiden]

Thanks @BlueEyedBard 

@RainyHigh 

After reading Ines, I think this song is her vibe. I'm unsure if you speak Spanish, so here are the English Lyrics. This was the song I tried to link originally, but I couldn't remember it. 

https://genius.com/Genius-english-translations-becky-g-and-maluma-la-respuesta-english-translation-lyrics

[RainyHigh]

@Aiden -- I am adding this song to my playlist. Thanks for linking the lyrics, too. My Spanish is not the best. >_<

[Fiadh]

I really shouldn't tempt myself... but I'm going to keep an eye on this. L'il Red, Belle, or the Selkie Wife are kind of speaking to me.

[BlueEyedBard]

I really shouldn't tempt myself... but I'm going to keep an eye on this. L'il Red, Belle, or the Selkie Wife are kind of speaking to me.

Any of these would make excellent additions to Darkwood 

[Foxy DeVille]

Damnit, there goes my idea to have  Scheherazade  be dead already.  I'm looking at you Foxalope.

*gasps in Arabian*

Speaking of...

Khalifah K Superstar

Player name: Foxy DeVille
Character Name: Khalifah Khan
Age: 69 years old
Sexuality: Heteroflexible
Gender: Female (cis)
Fairytale: One Thousand and One Nights
Job/Career: Public Relations Consultant
Personality: A vain and superficial hedonist whose top priority is her own comfort and pleasure. She is more interested in attention and luxury than power as that comes with responsibility. Khalifah loves to flaunt her mental gifts along with her physical ones and enjoys playing the long game to get what she wants. Her loyalty is exclusive to herself, Khalifah’s services can be bought but never owned.

On a more positive note, she is not a malicious creature and finds cruelty for the sake of being cruel to be uncouth. Khalifah is quite good at coming across as warm and charming, she can be very kind if she has an ulterior motive. She is a lover of the arts and will support something or someone she thinks adds beauty to the world.

Bio: Many know the legend but few know the truth.

Born the daughter of a vizier in a far off realm, Scheherazade was given the best her father could provide whether clothing or education. But she wanted more and charmed her way into becoming the wife of Shahryar, the king of kings. One would think Scheherazade had achieved contentment, yet her vast appetite for decadence remained unsated. Ultimately her husband caught her with one guard deep in her throat and another plundering her ample ass. Such infidelity was punishable by death and Scheherazade’s hedonistic life seemed to be at an end. However, she was able to use her considerable talents at storytelling and her willingness to let Shahryar use her bountiful body in any way he could possibly imagine to stave off her education for one thousand and one nights. This was long enough for those loyal to Scheherazade, and there were plenty as those guards were far from her first indiscretion, to locate a magic carpet that they smuggled in the palace to her. Wishing to be somewhere safe from her husband, Scheherazade and the carpet vanished. She was thus able to escape her fate, leaving behind a tale woven and spread by herself that cast her as a far more pure soul than what she really was.

Her magic carpet ride ended in a strange new world called Darkwood City. Thanks to a stash of gems she had brought with her, Scheherazade was able to fund a new life. To play it safe she took a new name… Khalifah Khan, which was a play on her husband’s title of king of kings. The newly named Khalifah adapted well to her new life, hitting all the hot spots. As her gems began to run out, she found some generous gentlemen willing to show how much they enjoyed her company by funding her lifestyle. As social media came to Darkwood City, Khalifah became one of its earliest influencers. She decided to use her expertise in self-promotion to launch a career as a public relations consultant. Under the company name of Agency 1K1, she helped many of the city’s movers and shakers improve their image. Now with an election coming up, Khalifah might find herself in even more demand.

Qualities/Faults:
+ Djenius - Khalifah is a polymath when it comes to knowledge from an area spanning from North Africa through the Middle East and into Central Asia, plus China and India to a lesser degree. This includes languages, culture, arts, science, philosophy, religion and erotic techniques. However, her expertise stops with the end of the medieval period.
+ Forever Your Girl - Being the source for some of the world’s longest-lived legends has added to Khalifah’s own vitality. She has twice the stamina, durability, and recovery of a mortal at their peak. She also seems to age at half the human rate as she appears to be in her thirties while actually being almost seventy.
+ Honey Tongued - Her powers of persuasion are uncanny, as shown by her ability to hold off her execution for so long. Her influence extends into the written word although it is most effective in personal encounters.
+ Sipping the Tea - No one collects tales like Khalifah. While these had once been legends and folklore from the Middle East and beyond, now she focuses on the rumors and innuendo that permeate her new home of Darkwood City.

- Classy Dame - Khalifah is something of an elitist snob. She tends to look down on those of lower social strata than her or who do not have the same sort of classical education. This can lead to underestimating someone she really shouldn’t.
- Damsel in Distress - Spending a thousand and one nights under the threat of death has made Khalofah very appreciative of staying alive. Threats to her physical well-being are quite effective against her and she’ll do anything to save her silky skin.
- Lover Not a Fighter - Of all the vast knowledge she has, hand-to-hand combat is not an area she is competent in. A slap to the face is her most devastating maneuver.
- One Thousand and One Vices - From living a luxurious life above her means to questionable taste in romantic partners to her appetite for recreational substances of a dubious nature, Khalifah has quite the collection of bad habits. Some may get her into serious trouble.

Extra:

Special equipment - Khalifah still has the magic carpet and it is her main method of transportation, weather permitting. Her smartphone is also near and dear to her heart as it allows her access to her social media platforms, the many contacts she has made, and a cloud account containing a large amount of homemade erotica.

Markings - A tattoo needle has never touched her flesh because as one wise philosopher has stated, you don’t put a bumper sticker on a Bentley. Khalifah does have a pierced navel, although wearing jewelry there has become infrequent.

Clothing - Khalifah is something of a style icon in Darkwood City. Her outfits are expensive and well-made, not to mention tailored to offer a titillating look at her cleavage and/or hugging her prodigious posterior.

Ons/Offs - Character: While she prefers men in the boudoir, Khalifah has had women as lovers. She can be dominant to those she thinks she can push around but in her heart of hearts Khalifah is a submissive and a very kinky one at that. She is rightfully proud of her ass and loves having it used mercilessly. Khalifah is a vain exhibitionist and loves having an audience, she also frequently films herself so she can watch her violation later. She likes a lot of dirty talk, from both herself and her lovers. Her tastes can get quite extreme, Khalifah’s only known limits are things that might cause permanent harm or take too long to clean up after.

[BlueEyedBard]

I am definitely going to try to get the accepted character page and the ooc up before the end of the weekend. That way we have a place to put all of our characters and start some plotting!

Thanks everyone for sticking with me!

[RainyHigh]

Thanks @BlueEyedBard

@RainyHigh

After reading Ines, I think this song is her vibe. I'm unsure if you speak Spanish, so here are the English Lyrics. This was the song I tried to link originally, but I couldn't remember it.

https://genius.com/Genius-english-translations-becky-g-and-maluma-la-respuesta-english-translation-lyrics

That song is fiiire.
The translated lyrics are helpful and definitely fit a vibe for Ines.
This lyric from Maluma made me laugh:

You can treat me bad if you give me a kiss at the end.

I am definitely going to try to get the accepted character page and the ooc up before the end of the weekend. That way we have a place to put all of our characters and start some plotting!

Thanks everyone for sticking with me!

Of course!
Looking forward to seeing more information and characters that fill up the Darkwood.
*eyes Mellific*