OOC

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The country of Saulbine seems idyllic. The people are industrious and happy, the streets and cities are clean, and it's even a foremost leader in technology. The new "automobiles" are even produced there. But not everything is as it seems. There is fear at night, on the streets. Fear of creatures from outside the world. Their existence is little more then rumor to many, but they exist. Human beings possessed by creatures from beyond. Marionettes. The cause of disappearance and fear, Marionettes are possessed by these creatures and forced to do evil, or to rampage and cause destruction in the darkness. But few believe such a thing, blaming troublemakers or even murderers for the damage done by Marionettes.

They are not the only things from beyond. Few know of the other creatures, though more believe in them then in Marionettes.

Dolls. Beings from beyond, much like the Puppeteers who control Marionettes. However, they are far different. Instead of possessing a human being, they tie themselves to one as an anchor in the world. From there, they can act. Dolls have been known about for centuries, but many believe they are dangerous, and it has been years since a Doll attached itself to a human.

Until now. For some reason, Dolls have once again began to appear. Once again attached themselves to people, to act in the world, to protect these Doll Masters... and to stop Marionettes.

What is happening in Saulbine?

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So, um... some information!

Saulbine: The Country of Saulbine, and indeed, the rest of the world, resembles the late 1800's to early 1900's. While there are some small differences, such as some modern technologies existing far before their times, for the most part Saulbine resembles Victorian Europe.

Dolls: Dolls are beings from beyond this world. In order to act in the world, they must attach themselves to a human, a "Doll Master". These Doll Masters can exert some control over their Doll. Only one Doll may be attached to a single Doll Master. Dolls usually resemble human beings, but are extraordinarily powerful, often wielding weapons or powers beyond anything human beings can use or create. They are invulnerable to almost all mundane weaponry and possess the ability to hide themselves from existence. Dolls can range in personality much like human beings. However, all Dolls have the potential to be extremely dangerous. They often appear to their chosen Doll Master when they are in a time of danger or stress, as the Doll Master is more likely to accept their aid and allow them to use them as an anchor. If a Doll Master is killed, so is the Doll. Dolls are the only beings capable of touching and harming Puppeteers, and they can even tear them from their human hosts. When a Doll consumes the energy released by a recently-dead Puppeteer, they grow more powerful. The more powerful the Puppeteer, the more power they gain from consuming its energy. Dolls can eat and drink just like human beings.

Puppeteers: Creatures from beyond that possess human beings in order to enter the world. While they can separate from their host, who is known as a Marionette, they prefer staying inside where they are less vulnerable. As such, their individual forms are not often seen. Puppeteers can range from little more then vicious animals in intelligence to human-level. They are all, however, destructive and can ultimately be considered evil. Dolls are capable of dividing them from Marionettes without harming the host.

Marionettes: Humans possessed by Puppeteers, Marionettes take on Doll-like traits and are capable of causing mass destruction. In some cases, their forms even change somewhat, though they will revert if killed or if the Puppeteer is removed from the host. Very few things in the world can harm a Marionette, and the more powerful the Puppeteer, the more powerful the Marionette. Dolls and certain weapons(such as Doll Hunter nailguns) can hurt a Marionette.

Doll Hunters: Doll Hunters are human beings who believe that Dolls are far too dangerous to be allowed in this world. Wielding specialized nailguns capable of harming Dolls, they are few and far between. But they do indeed exist, and specialize in tracking down and killing any Dolls that appear. Some believe they are freeing the Doll Master, but others will kill Doll Masters, and some even believe that the Doll Master is just as worthy of death as the Doll.

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If anyone needs any further information, they can just ask! I'm not sure if anything but the Dolls and the Doll Masters will be playable, since they're the main focus, so for now, here are their bios:

Doll Master:

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance:
Personality:
Backstory:
Skills:

Doll:

Name:
Gender:
Appearance:
Personality:
Abilities:
Weapons:
Misc:

Doll Hunters:

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance:
Personality:
Backstory:
Skills:
Weapons: (Some variation on nailguns, other weapons are allowed but are ineffective against Dolls, Marionettes, and Puppeteers)

Puppeteers:

Name: (Always very strange)
Gender: (Some do not have one)
Appearance: (Even the most human look somewhat off)
Personality: (Sapient Puppeteers are always evil)
Abilities:
Marionette: (Can be changed or abandoned)
-Physical changes to Marionette while possessed: (There may or may not be any)
Misc:

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Matched Dolls:
Rosalinda Montoya(with Kazuki Yasuhiro)
Garret(with Angelina Gonzales)
Sickle-cell(with Donovan Ross)
Eris Akuma(with Nina Kakuzu)
Carmel(with Ezio)
Dead Heart Shooter(with Ada Hayward)
Xavier(with Artemis Nexis)
Melody(with Carson Ingram)
Sango of the Burning Blood(with Annabelle Merriam)
Icarus(with Crystal Santiago)
Alice(with Cynthia Lee)
VV(with Esperanta Dektri)
Vesper Evens-Star(with Hawthorne Thomas)
Hakuran(with Clifford Blake)
Gateway to the Genesis of Technology(with Amaya Yashia)
Isra(with Diego Allegro)
Keiko(with Erika Matzkie)
Mio(with Minerva von Umbrae)

Matched Doll Masters:
Angelina Gonzales(with Garret)
Kazuki Yasuhiro(with Rosalinda Montoya)
Donovan Ross(with Sickle-cell)
Nina Kakuzu(with Eris Akuma)
Ezio(with Carmel)
Ada Hayward(with Dead Heart Shooter)
Artemis Nexis(with Xavier)
Carson Ingram(with Melody)
Annabelle Merriam(with Sango of the Burning Blood)
Crystal Santiago(with Icarus)
Cynthia Lee(with Alice)
Esperanta Dektri(with VV)
Hawthorne Thomas(with Vesper Evens-Star)
Clifford Blake(with Hakuran)
Amaya Yashia(with Gateway to the Genesis of Technology)
Diego Allegro(with Isra)
Erika Matzkie(with Keiko)
Minerva von Umbrae(with Mio)

Unmatched Dolls:
Xenophane

Unmatched Doll Masters:

Doll Hunters:
Horatio Jeremiah Bouken
Vander Arenz
Maya Paramore
Lawrence Carver
Reznor

Puppeteers:
Scaevola
Anatiel
Calamitous Midnight Rose
Nagroth the Deceiver

NPC Dolls:
ΛΛ
<<

NPC Doll Masters:

NPC Doll Hunters:

NPC Puppeteers:

Please note that you will not be playing both your Doll and your Doll Master in one pair. Your Doll will be paired with another player's Doll Master and vice versa. Also, if you sign up as a Doll you must sign up with a Doll Master, and the same goes for the opposite.

May express more definite interest tomorrow.

I'll see if I can think of anything cool for a Doll and Master. Would be really interested in playing a Doll Hunter, but I understand if that's not acceptable or would raise too many problems.

So, we are playing two characters, a doll and a doll master, but they can't be paired together?
Did I get it right?

I'm interested. If there are enough masters and dolls to go around...

I'm interested too - I've thrown a link towards a friend with similar interests, so we might have another player forthcoming :)

nrtashi said
So, we are playing two characters, a doll and a doll master, but they can't be paired together?Did I get it right?

Yes, your Doll and your Doll Master will get switched around so you're not RPing with yourself.

If you have a personal preference when characters get posted, you can pick your Doll or Doll Master and see if the player agrees, as well.

Also, I'm glad to hear there's so much interest! If anyone is interested in the other character types, I might get bios posted for them too. As long as there's enough people who want to play Dolls and Doll Masters.

I have an idea for a doll, at least. We'll see how it works out, though.

This is very intriguing, consider me interested.

Are "dolls" actual dolls, doll-like, or is it just a fancy name?

It's just a name, though some could certainly resemble dolls as closely as something that's not made of plastic possibly could.

Also, I decided to at least get my Doll posted as an example!

Name: VV(Valerie Valentine, but she introduces herself as VV)
Gender: Female
Appearance: "Just remember that this one is mine."
Personality: At first glance, VV seems rather cheerful. And this is not entirely untruthful. The Doll can be quite happy... it's just that she's also quick to anger and quick to violence, as well as rather hostile to others. At least she's usually initially friendly. However, VV is also highly possessive of her Doll Master. She dislikes letting them out of her sight and follows them practically everywhere when she can, and becomes rather irritable if they begin spending too much time alone with anyone else. VV is okay if it's multiple people, but alone? She'll be very unhappy with her Doll Master. She also has a tendency to speak rather harshly, saying things like "This is mine" in reference to her Doll Master. VV has a tendency to be overzealous in combat and possesses an aggressive fighting style. She is quite arrogant in combat, claiming that she is never going to lose. Even still, however, she can initially be friendly as long as she actually likes someone. Though if that someone starts trying to spend time alone with her Doll Master, things will rapidly go downhill. VV loves food, especially sweets(some of the neighboring countries to Saulbine have fantastic sweets, in her opinion), and has a notable interest in stuffed toys.
Abilities: VV is strong enough to effortlessly wield Calamity Edge one-handed(blades shut), but she is weaker then many other physical combat Dolls. She compensates for this by being highly fast and agile, able to outpace some Dolls and Marionettes entirely. She is also less durable then other physical combat Dolls, though she is still far more durable then a human being and is invulnerable to nearly all mundane weaponry like all Dolls.
Weapons: Duality of Laceration: Calamity Edge - VV wields a giant pair of shears, as long as she is tall(about 5'1). The handle is a gleaming gold, and the blades an equally shining silver. Held shut, Calamity Edge acts as an effective sword, capable of cutting and parrying. However, when she uses both hands to fight with them open, the razor-sharp blades can slice through nearly anything. Even shut, the shears are capable of cutting solid stone like butter, and even effortlessly shearing through metal. When opened, Calamity Edge's true power shines. The shears are capable of cutting even the intangible, such as Dolls who have hidden themselves from existence. However, as VV cannot see the invisible, she requires some idea of where they are located to do such a thing. VV also states that the more power she gets, the more Calamity Edge will be capable of.
Misc: N/A

Definitely interested in this. Just a question is there a certain restriction to what powers a doll can have?

I will judge powers on a case-by-case basis. So, basically, we'll see as things are signed up.

Doll time.

Name: Alice

Gender: Female

Appearance: "Don't bother with the formality; we're simply using each other." Alice also has some scarring around her right eye. And her height... just over four foot tall.

Personality: A strangely bitter and anti-social person, Alice treats everyone with a cold, dismissive demeanour. Not even her partner seems to gain any preferential treatment, but she is at least willing to maintain conversations. She will be quick to point out that she is simply using others for her gain, and thus the favour should be returned. That way, no attachments are formed, and she can perform her task efficiently.

Despite her attempts at remaining aloof and distant, it can be remarkably easy to make her drop her guard. She is weak against sweets, and seems unusually wary of dogs. Emotional stories also seem to garner some kind of reaction from her, but of course, this is all simply in one's imagination. That said, she is quick to aid someone in trouble, and all pretenses of calm tend to disappear when Hunters or Puppeteers are within sight.

Abilities: Alice can form a diamond casing around her hands and feet, increasing the potency of her melee.

Weapons: Aegis, The Unbreakable Shield - A circular shield of diamond that is exceptionally difficult to scratch, let alone break. While that is possible, the shield can weather a lot of abuse.

Misc: She lost her right eye to a Hunter a while ago. She didn't like that.

Accepted.

... Also need to put up a character list. ^^;

Here's the Doll Master that I intend to play as - I'll be uploading my Doll contribution in a little while once I've finished tidying it up (now included).

Doll Master:

Name: Donovan Ross
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Appearance: "There's only one way that I want to live - up to my eyeballs in opium and style."

Personality: Ambitious by nature and manipulative by nurture, Donovan savours the acquisition of status and the accumulation of trophies from his conquest. Advocating a hedonistic lifestyle, he maintains that every individual’s world consists solely of the pleasures that they acquire from themselves and hard-earned reminders of their success (and has been known to support like-minded individuals in escaping from poverty, so far as their efforts can also further his own aspirations). He affects a haughty and self-assured demeanour in public, wearing his persona of untouchability much as he wears his fine clothes and pocket-watch. In private, however, Donovan displays his naked hunger far more openly, his eyes gleaming feverishly and his usually-restrained gestures growing more frequent and violent.

While he respects displays of convictions and assertiveness from others (holding such individuals as his companions and peers), Donovan shows little regard for those content to rest on their laurels and none whatsoever for those too feeble to carve out their own stake from society. His conceited nature often spills forth during hostile confrontations, causing almost as many disasters though his arrogance and overconfidence as he does opportunities.

Backstory: Brought up into a lower-class family and twisted by envy of those born into the trappings of wealth, Donovan sought to ascend the social ladder and escape his ‘shameful’ origins through whatever means proved necessary. After several years of transporting opium and other illicit substances for various crime rings, his accumulated fortunes allowed him to carve out his own niche in the black market, becoming a smuggler and extortionist with enough personal wealth to drape himself in upper-class fineries. However, after he attempted to play smart and undercut the business of a more powerful rival, Donovan’s arrogance got the better of him and he overstepped the mark by seeking to extort his ‘fallen’ rival for a share of his business. Over the next few weeks, his warehouses were fire-bombed, his organisation splintered and numerous attacks launched on his person by street gangs - all of his hard-fought creations laid to waste. At the height of his despair and opium withdrawal, Donovan was approached by nothing less than mythical Doll, seeking him out above all other potential partners. With his crushed ego swelling back in a heartbeat, Donovan now wishes to reclaim his former fortunes, savouring every new pleasure and thrill that life as a Doll Master can offer in the process.

Skills: Donovan’s main skill is his thorough understanding of the black market and its inner mechanisms, which he employs to fuel his illegal enterprises and leverage influence from rival organisations. He possesses no small talent for deception and manipulation, but often less than his ego would lead him to believe (leading him into situations far above his ability to manage). After several years of brawling on the streets, Donovan is reasonably competent at close-quarter confrontation with his staff and fists, considering it to be a more reliable tool for protection than any amount of extravagant fencing.

Misc: Donovan typically carries a hefty steel-capped cane, crafted to be equally useful as a status symbol and as a deterrent to petty thugs.

Doll:

Name: Carmel
Gender: Female
Appearance: “I don’t have time to worry about my looks - there are bigger things happening in the world."

Personality: Carmel is a perfectionist, craving the opportunity to influence the world around her and leave a lasting impact on the lives of others. Holding other people to the same exacting standards to which she holds herself (not least of which her Doll Master), she is exceptionally judgemental of other people’s failings and can often be exceptionally blunt when expressing her opinions. Carmel is extremely maternalistic towards her companions and views herself as responsible for their decisions and wellbeing, which often expresses itself as an overbearing and authoritarian demeanor (most notably during times of stress).

Abilities: While Carmel possesses much of the durability and evasive abilities of other Dolls , her close-quarter capacities are relatively meager compared to other combatants - instead, the majority of Carmel’s strength comes from her ability as a Sculptress. Her power extends outwards from points of physical contact (typically her hands and feet), impregnating inanimate surfaces within a roughly 20-25 radius of her point of contact. While remaining stationary, she can use her power to manipulate the shape of these objects, ranging from smaller, intricate changes (such as sealing keyholes) to larger and cruder transformations (such as producing sinkholes to contain opponents or sprouting columns from nearby surfaces to bludgeon opponents and offer protection) - the more material that she attempts to move simultaneously, the slower and cruder the transformations become. The longer she remains in contact with a surface, the faster and more fluid her transformations become, with her connection gradually waning over roughly 5-10 minutes until her creations return to their original state – to her great frustration, Carmel cannot produce any permanent works of art without remaining in constant physical contact with the surface.

Weapons: Carmel typically carries a naval cutlass that she acquired after bonding with her Doll Master – although blunt and somewhat poorly balanced, her power allows her to reshape it into a range of more desirable forms (typically a rapier or a heftier sabre). Although her sword's transformations are typically exceptionally fluid due to her prolonged contact with the weapon, this familiarity is lost if she is separated from her sword for any great period of time.

Hmm, um... I'll have to put a bit more thought into this. ^^;

Sorry, I'll get back to you with my full judgement.

Ah hello there! Is this RP still open? :D

I'd like to join if that's possible! But I'm fine if I cannot! :)

It's still open, it just opened yesterday and I currently have no plans to close it. ^^;