[OOC] Recollections: The Fourth Seal [Mystery/Urban-Fantasy/Horror RP]

[Mixtape Ghost N]

^{Official Spotify Playlist}

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Urban-Fantasy | Mystery | Horror | Character Driven

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Welcome to Araminta, Pennslyvania, a small city in the northernmost parts of the state. It's surrounded by miles upon miles of farmland, and it's stuck in between more important places. It has some tourist attractions, but the main thing that brings people in is that it's an idyllic suburban community. People move in for peace and quiet and a break from the big city life. Of course, a town like this has some problems of its own. It's a strangely deeply religious place, it's apart of its history. You'd be hard-pressed to find a business open on Sunday and the locals have a way of handling people who don't fall in. As people who don't have the same feelings about religion move in and cause problems of their own, feuds are becoming commonplace in the town. However, it contains a very dark secret and that said dark secret is going to tear the town apart. Dreams and nightmares made real haunt the night as nobody knows how to deal with it. The few that are trying to figure out what in the world is going on are known as the Ghosts of this little town.

It all traces back to the Preacher.

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OVERVIEW

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Welcome to Recollections: The Fourth Seal. The first spin-off (and prequel) of Vivid Recollections and the second RP in the Recollections Universe. As the opening paragraph explained, it takes place in Araminta Pennslyvania, a nice quaint town that's deeply religious. However, everything is not what it seems. The supernatural has touched this town and strange occurrences are appearing all over Araminta as religion and the supernatural become one and the same. The main focus of the RP is certain individuals who have already come in contact with the supernatural get their eyes opened. They must come together to solve the mystery of what's going on in the town while fighting against the oddities that are going on in Araminta, Pennslyvania.

The RP will be an urban fantasy RP that is normal people going up against Supernatural occurrences, inspired by my new favorite game Lakeview Valley. The RP will feature religious themes and it's primary theme will be Belief. I'm going to leave that theme up to your interpretation, but every character should have a belief of some kind. Nobody is going to start out with any sort of magic abilities, but I want them to develop them in a way that makes sense. I'll explain how it all works later on ^{(or you can just be a scrub and look at Vivid Recollection's OOC but it doesn't have everything)}. Oh yeah, par for the course, I plan on the RP being a bit dark. It is a horror RP after all.

DISCORD SERVER

STORY ARCS

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♦ STRANGER DAYS ♦

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Out of the blue, a myriad of strange events have affected the city. Nobody has no clue what's going on as they attempt to make sense of it - however, a certain group of people has opened the third eye so to speak. They can understand what's going on, they just need to be pointed in the right direction. Fortunately, there's somebody out there doing just that for them.

RULES

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1. OOC Rules

^{⋗ 1 . 1 |} Remember that everybody is here to have fun above all else. We may throw a few flowery jabs at each other, but remember it's all in good fun. The Golden rule is: don't be a dick.

^{⋗ 1 . 2 |} That said, remember that I have the full right to deny anyone access to the RP, and I am willing to remove anyone from the RP should they get too unruly. I hope it doesn't come to that, but I'm just putting that out there.

^{⋗ 1 . 3 |} I enforce a policy of not informing people of every time they should post (unless their character is in the middle of interactions). If you go inactive without a peep, I'm not going to babysit you. It's a player's responsibility to keep up with the RP.

^{⋗ 1 . 4 |} Please be respectful towards all other players.

^{⋗ 1 . 5 |} Please do not post a "wip" sheet. I find it very irritating when someone posts an incomplete character sheet. If you want me to read over what you have so far, just PM it to me. If you need a place to work on it just private message the sheet to yourself (or write it on one of many platforms).

^{⋗ 1 . 6 |} This RP will strictly be "first come, first serve." Meaning I will not reserve any powers/character roles/etc, and they will go to whoever finishes their character sheet first. If there's a conflict over it, I will decide the outcome.

^{⋗ 1 . 7 |} Character applications will go into the OOC (where we can work things out) until they are accepted. In other words, the character tab is for accepted characters only. Also, do not "reserve" a spot in the Character Tab unless you were given permission to by me.

^{⋗ 1 . 8 |} Try to keep the OOC active as possible. Even chit-chatting about random games is perfectly okay.

2. IC Rules

^{⋗ 2 . 1 |} No Powergaming, God-Modding, Metagaming, etc, etc... You know, the "don't"s of Roleplaying. You know the dealio.

^{⋗ 2 . 2 |} Let me say now; the story will be pretty slow-paced at times. I have a job and college, so I won't be able to post constantly. If a slower RP is good for you, then go for it.

^{⋗ 2 . 3 |} All I ask for is one post a week. If it's been a week since your last post, your character will be placed into the inactive section until they are written off (mostly by death). Once a character is inactive, however, they are officially an NPC and can be used freely by the GMs, or the players. Unless you give notice of your absence, then your character is off the table.

^{⋗ 2 . 4 |} I am not a stickler for post length. I'd rather have a meaningful paragraph, over an essay full of filler. But, I request one paragraph.

^{⋗ 2 . 5 |} This RP, at times, will get very dark. I plan for it to be a very mature, and down-to-earth Roleplay. There will be death, drinking, drugs, and tickle fingers.

^{⋗ 2 . 6 |} Character death is a real possibility. By submitting a character, you understand that they have to take responsibility for their actions. They will not be bailed out by me and possibly get injured or die. I won't jeopardize the story for one character. They can also be killed by other characters. I won't go out of my way to kill off any character - that I like - but I may injure them for the sake of the story.

^{⋗ 2 . 7 |} Romance/Sex/Whatever is allowed in the RP. "Fade to black" is so beaten into your heads by now that there's no point in even repeating it.

^{⋗ 2 . 8 |} To keep things a bit more organized, please say where your post is taking place at the start of your post.

^{⋗ 2 . 9 |} If you're also expecting me to hold your hand every step of the way, then you're going to be disappointed. This is going to be an RP that rewards taking initiative, and starting plotlines of your own. I'll provide a storyline, but I'm not going to be railroading everyone.

3. Character Creation Rules

^{⋗ 3 . 1 |} I expect some moderate detail when writing your character sheet. Remember, this RP is more grounded in realism, and I want each character to feel like a person. Try to give them a believable past, goals, personality, etc.

^{⋗ 3 . 2 |} If your goal is to basically make the strongest/best character, and try to "win" the roleplay, let me stop you here and say you won't get far. This is a story, not a place for you to wank your OP self-insert. Nothing says "I'm a bad writer" to me than giving your character the strongest abilities (along with an asston of skills). I will not hesitate to ask you to change whatever I dislike about your character sheet.

^{⋗ 3 . 3 |} If your character is a sociopath/psychopath, complete badass, perfect character, edgelord, then they're likely not going to get accepted.

^{⋗ 3 . 4 |} You can create a character of any ethnicity, gender, sexuality, background, etc, within the bounds of realism of course. You can definitely get creative here.

^{⋗ 3 . 5 |} Now, the cast gaining magical abilities is a possibility down the line, however everyone will start completely baseline. I want the abilities people get to feel natural and be apart of a natural progression of their characters and storylines.

^{⋗ 3 . 6 |} I'm not placing a hard character limit, but I'm going to recommend you have no more than three characters. Afterward, you better bring something new to the table.

^{⋗ 3 . 7 |} I suggest writing a description of your character's appearance to get everyone in that writing mood. If you must, you can use a picture. Just no anime. The pictures have to be of real people, or realistic art (but, let's shy away from A/B List Celebrities).

^{⋗ 3 . 8 |} When creating a character, try to be diverse. Look at the character sheets and try to fulfill a role that no one has. No one wants a million street fighters, or nice girls. You can be pretty creative within the bounds of the lore.

^{⋗ 3 . 9 |} Please refrain from tacking skills onto characters. Try to make everything feel natural to your character.

[Mixtape Ghost N]

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The evidence board is a collection of all of the supernatural incidents that occurred in Araminta, Pennsylvania. Everything you need to know about the World Unknown is here.

Incidents

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Here is a collection of all the supernatural incidents thus far. Compiled together by the cast to have some semblance of order and sense about what's going on.

THE HORDE: There has been a string of brutal murders at night. Almost every other night someone has been found brutally slashed to pieces to the point where they are near unrecognizable. However, a few have come in contact with the killer... seemingly a normal human being wearing a leather hoodie and a mask armed with a switchblade and glowing orange eyes. This killer is abnormally strong and fast and few can contend with them physically. A few people have gotten away from it and report this killer having different features every time (with somebody recalling him being a female). The town is on high alert as people dodge this freak at night.

THE BLACK SHUCK: Tying into the above, few people have noticed a strange creature outside during the days and nights. It takes the shape of a dog made out of black fog and whoever gets near it feels a strange sense of apathy. The dog implores you to follow it and it leads to a dead body that was taken out by the Horde. Whoever runs into this beast gets their eye opened, so to speak.

THE MOTH: During one night, there was a horde of moths so thick that it blocked vision. This resulted in a massive car pileup as people were dazed and confused. Afterward, people were literally torn out of their cars by some invisible monster and floated off into the air while the moths obscured vision. Few escaped, but nobody believes their story about what happened or they have not told this tale out of fear of nobody believing them. The moths have not left a trace of evidence other than some missing people and destroyed vehicles.

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^{"Don't get ahead of yourself. You have to take this stuff one step at a time or you'll end up way too deep."}

[Mixtape Ghost N]

| LOCATION: North-Central Pennslyvania. | SIZE: 68mi² | POPULATION: 95, 634 |

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Araminta, Pennslyvania is a small city set in Williams county, it's in the northern-centermost part of the state. It's merely a stone's throw away from New York state. In the 1700's a man named Richard Williams discovered the land that would be called Araminta. He mapped it out, brought his people there, and eventually named it Araminta after his beloved daughter. It functioned as a military base during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary war - afterward the base was defunct and is now a tourist attraction. The city's main claim to fame is its railroad system, Araminta's railroad system is the nexus of various railroads in Pennsylvania that connect it to other cities. However, many of them have been retired, and you can barely walk a few blocks without stepping over some railroads. The city has a large train yard that is the hideout for various dredges and degenerates.

Araminta is a suburban city first and foremost - the most urban part of the city is its downtown area. That isn't to say that there aren't businesses every stone's throw away for everyone to get their decorations. The city is full of very nice houses that people flock to if they want to escape the droning city life, whether they are retired or not. Araminta is known for its very nice houses, but the whole city isn't kittens and sunshine. Like the rest of Pennsylvania, Araminta has a heavy drug problem. They flock to the more decrepit areas of Araminta, but those houses may look nice but the people inside of them are not perfect. A large portion of Araminta's city limits is woodlands and inside of those woods are the more remote houses and areas. The train tracks in the woods are known for being the hangouts for drug addicts and other misfits of Araminta. However, the woods contain many secrets.

Araminta isn't an extremely urban city. As stated before it's primarily suburban houses and woodlands, but it's right next to the Williams River. A massive river that was also named after the founder of the city that breaks off from the Schuylkill and Delaware River. As far as demographics go, Caucasians are the primary sight in Araminta with Asians and African-Americans being the second most common sight. Hispanics, Middle-Easterners, and Pacific Islanders are a very rare sight in Araminta. The city is deeply religious to its very core and a large chunk of the population goes to church. If you aren't seen in the church you have labeled an outcast and many of the people there will try to push you out of Araminta. However, newcomers are constantly entering Araminta and as they come their beliefs clash with the beliefs of the locals. Tensions are high in Araminta and this is the kind of place where word travels fast and perception is everything.

Despite the drug problem and the deeply religious nature of the people, crime is relatively low. Most arrests are for petty crimes and being caught with drugs and murders were few and in between. However, lately, the town has been changing.

MAJOR FIGURES

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Hider

Coming soon... as in soon as you fuckers come up with some.

LOCATIONS

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Hider

DISTRICTS

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Coming soon...

SPECIFIC LOCATIONS

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Coming soon...

[Mixtape Ghost N]

@queenoftheages@Aviaire@Sewer Rat@Berlin@Crosswire@KarneeKarnay@WanderingSpirit@LeonVon@MK2@wxps350

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The OOC is here! Check it out and get started on your character sheets... I know I usually have my character sheet up first but I am still brainstorming.

[queenoftheages]

@Ghost Note I know you're not reserving powers and whatnot, but am I allowed to reserve a face claim and color?

[Mixtape Ghost N]

@Ghost Note I know you're not reserving powers and whatnot, but am I allowed to reserve a face claim and color?

@queenoftheages

Due to my philosophies regarding roleplaying; everything here is gonna be first come first serve.

[Penny]

fixed below

[Mixtape Ghost N]

@Penny I fixed the hider.

I cannot make the hider work, how you bbcode ninjas do it I have no idea

Clara Kane

Clara Kane

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"People say Religion makes no sense, which is probably why every culture ever discovered has one."

[ Age 34 | Height (in feet) 5’4 | Ethnicity | Pronouns She/Her | Weight (in pounds) 150 ]

[Yearning.]

APPEARANCE

"She looks like she wishes she were wearing a tweed jacket with patched elbows,” ~ Anonymous (failing) Student.

A short trim woman with chocolate brown hair. Her brown eyes are spaced slightly too far apart giving her a perpetually curious look. A little to gawky and awkward to be conventionally attractive her cheerful face and absolute enthusiasm for whatever she is currently working on combine to give her a certain wholesome appeal.

Her skin is pale with a dusting of freckles and frequently peeling due to sunburn incurred during field work. She dresses conservatively for the most part striving to project a professional and knowledgeable demeanor.

As a result of a drunken mistake during her early twenties, Clara has a tramp stamp in a celtic trefoil design.

PSYCHOLOGY

"I just want someone to look at me the way that woman looks at 16th century alchemical texts." ~ Professor Jacob Strout

MAIN GOAL ⫻ Experience something truly supernatural.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ The more I wan’t something to be true, the less likely it is to be so. Unfortunately.

SECRETS ⫻ Clara is a member of a group that traffics in stolen or questionabley obtained artefacts. She was introduced to this by her professors at Columbia.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Bi-sexual (closeted)

FEARS ⫻ Cold water, spiders, the slow entropic death of an utterly quotidian universe.

REPUTATION ⫻ As she is not a member of any local church Clara is seen as a little suspect. This is exacerbated by all her fancy book learnin’. Still she pays her bills and tips well.

QUIRKS ⫻ Clara is a gifted artist and she dabbles in painting, charcoal sketches and various other mediums.

FLAWS ⫻ Clara struggles to believe in things including herself. Her troubled childhood has left her with a deep sense of unworthiness and imposter syndrome. Clara is also prone to being dismissive of others in an attempt to validate her own self worth.

BACKSTORY

"History is a gossip that never shuts up."

Clara is the daughter of a Baptist Minister, she grew up in Missouri but has worked hard to eliminate any trace of a southern accent. She grew up in difficult circumstances with a controlling father who was both physically and mentally abusive to both her and her mother. She sort refuge in books and managed to find some measure of peace in burying herself in the pages of her father’s extensive library as well as the local public library which became a sort of sanctuary for her.

As Clara matured the abuse became sexual. This was too much for her mother who made plans to take the girl away with her. When her father caught wind of the scheme he confronted her mother who, after enduring a terrible beating, shot her father to death with a handgun and was afterwards imprisoned despite it being a clear case of a battered spouse.

After this tragedy Clara was sent to live with her Aunt in Araminta. Aunt Eveylyn was everything her father hated, a former hippie and member of the communist party, atheist, lesbian, flag burning, Obama voting, abortion having liberal. Clara loved her immediately. Everylyn also recognised and fostered the girls scholastic abilities, providing her with tutors and access to the best schools and programs.

Clara graduated second in her class and studied History at Columbia, eventually earning a Phd in History with a focus on Alchemy and its role in the Christian Occult traditions. She has returned to Araminta to care for her aging Aunt and is currently working as an adjunct professor at the local university teaching history and comparative religion.

Though she is in outlook entirely secular Clara’s long association with the history of the occult has left her longing for something in it to actually be true. The strange occurrences in Araminta have fired her imagination. Although terrified by the apparent serial killings she has been conducting interviews with witnesses and individuals that have seen the Black Shuck using her skills to conduct an amateur paranormal investigation. She saw the swarm of moths first hand when her prius was involved in the pile up, though at some distance from the epicenter. Though she is afraid, she finds something exhilarating in this proximity to the bizarre.

SKILLS & TALENTS

"You’ve got to give it to her, when it comes to books and batshit, she knows her stuff."

[Bookworm] ⫻ If it is in a library or on JSTOR she can find it and give you an opinion.

[Expert] ⫻ She has a Phd in the History of the Occult and a theory about the Voynich Manuscript she can't wait to share.

[Antiquarian] ⫻ A familiarity with the old and the strange. A black phone book with the numbers of other such enthusiasts.

[Well to Do] ⫻ Is having money a superpower? Objectively yes.

[Lying] ⫻ She is not exactly lying she is careless with the… you know what she is lying but she is very convincing!

EXTRA-NORMAL ABILITIES

"To paraphrase the Poet, shit is weirder than we can even imagine."

For now, leave this part blank.

OTHER

"I paid nearly a hundred thousand dollars in student loans to be able to tell you what a palamcist is so sit down, shut up, and look interested."

Author of Rosicrucianism in America.
Author of Paracelsus from Alchemist to Chemist.
Author of Folk Belief and Alchemy in the Ozarks.
Author of Transmutation - Folk Magic in the Catholic Tradition
Briefly a member of a Wiccan Coven, unfortunately, there was more sex in the sex magic than there was magic.

The mistake was made on my end, I was away for too long. Now as for her character, the only thing I have a problem with is the abuse in her backstory. It's a very sensitive topic for me and a lot of people and I feel like it doesn't have the impact on her character that it should and is tacked onto her character. Also, her character doesn't feel like it wouldn't be any different without the abuse.

[Penny]

@Ghost Note I wanted her to have a very negative interaction with organized religion because I feel like that informs her dual seeker/debunker nature. I suppose I can come up with something else.

[JunkMail]

Hey, hey @Ghost Note. Look at me.

[Mixtape Ghost N]

Blocked.

[JunkMail]

You know you love me

[Mixtape Ghost N]

suck my dick

[KarneeKarnay]

Give me a shout if you want me to change anything. @Penny that's a really cool character. She's kind of like a Scholar of the Occult. Also we potentially met when we gave witness statements.

Abel Connell

Abel Connell

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"I had hoped for more in life. I just never imagined it would be this."

[ Age: 32 | Height: 6”2 | Ethnicity: Caucasian/Hispanic Mix | Pronouns: He/Him | Weight: 210 ]

[Failure]

APPEARANCE

"Abel Connell is compact, clean cut, with well groomed features and short dark brown hair. When he’s interacting with a customer he has a smile and a way that can light up a room. When it’s just him though, when few people are in sight, he shrinks. The graceful slouch most tall people have is more prominent. He’s quieter, smaller as if he crumples into himself. His green eyes don’t shine as brightly, as if the person behind the wheel has given up on driving the car. He has a scar on his right leg left from a breakage when he was in highschool. Most days you’d never notice, but when it’s cold or he has to exert himself he walks with a slight limp. Even with the limp he has an athletic build from working out at home.

At work he wears a clean pressed two piece suite, modern cut. Outside of work he wears a Corduroy jacket, jeans and shirt."

PSYCHOLOGY

"It is not failure itself that holds you back; It is the fear of failure that paralyzes you."

MAIN GOAL ⫻ Do something with his life.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Do something that easy and you’ll never work a day in your life.

SECRETS ⫻ In High School he was a member of the school football team. He was good at it. Even has prospects of going pro, until a car accident left him with a broken right leg. He never told anyone that deep down he was happy about it. It meant all the pressure to succeed was no longer his.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Hetrosexual

FEARS ⫻ That someone will see through his charade as a confident businessman, for the coward and failure he sees himself as.

REPUTATION ⫻ Popular Car Salesman in Araminta. Owner of one of the City’s dealerships. Bit of a smooth talker.

QUIRKS ⫻ Slight limp from an injury to his right leg, that gets more pronounced with exertion and cold weather. He always tries to look his best. He will go to lengths to make sure his appearance is always his best in public.

FLAWS ⫻ Fear of failure. Abel is currently stuck in a rut. Since the death of his parents in a car accident and his dropping out of college, he’s been drifting. He runs the Car Dealership in town because it’s easy. He has a fear of perception and will go to lengths to make it appear that he has everything under control.

BACKSTORY

"I used to think breaking my leg was the best thing that ever happened to me. That it got rid of the expectations, from the city, from the school, from my parents...Now that they are gone and I’m surrounded by what they built, I’d give anything to have them back."

Abel Connell is the son of Mathew Connell and Susana Almeda. The Connell family has lived in the city for generations, usually active members of the community, marrying locally. The fact that Mathew choose to marry a woman he’d met in Portugal was at the time a small point of controversy in the community. Able was mostly shielded from this growing up, but he struggled a little at times to make friends.

That all changed when he started playing for the football team. His success on the field brought him friends, but with it came anxiety at being the focus of attention and whether he was really good enough. On his way back from a game he was involved in a car accident. The accident broke his right leg and ended his career in football. Thankfully he did well enough in school to go to college where he went to study Business and Economics. While there he took an interest in Linguistics and Ancient Languages. Midway through his second year his parents were killed in a car accident. It broke him and he dropped out of college, returned to Araminta. He took up ownership of his parents business and has been selling cars ever since. He is an active member of the religious community in Araminta, attending church on Sundays, but more out of appealing to customers than any real belief.

Abel isn’t too worried about this Orange-Eye killer. He lives at his parents' house, a bit out of town. Unless he’s dining a client his usual commute is done via his pickup. He was a little more aware during his journey though, something that saved his life. While stuck in traffic on his way home he noticed a strange cloud block out the light. For some primal reason he became deathly afraid of the cloud. He rolled up his windows and locked his doors. Moments later the cloud descended onto the traffic. A swarm of moths consumed everything. The sound of their wings almost deafening. In the brief glimpses of the outside world, he saw people ripped out of their cars by some invisible force. Dragged off into the Swarm and darkness. The Swarm eventually breaks into his truck and he feels a force grab him. Then without warning its gone. The Swarm disappeared without a trace accept for the destruction left in its wake. Abel reported what he had seen to the police along with other witnesses, but he was dismissed as stressed out from the pile up.

At the start of the story he has decided to take a few days off from the business to try and figure out whether it was stress or what he saw was real.

SKILLS & TALENTS

"Just because I could sell a car to anyone, doesn’t mean everyone wants one."

[Salesman] ⫻ Abel is a smooth talker. When he speaks to you he makes you the center of his world. He makes you feel important and he isn’t afraid to use this in tricking you into buying something, either a car or himself.

[Mechanic] ⫻ Abel spent a lot of time at the dealership growing up. He grew up with cars and along with a pretty extensive knowledge of cars, he’s pretty much dealt with every car problem under the sun.

[Languages] ⫻ Abel picked up a passion for languages in college. He’d always flirted with the idea. Growing up he spoke Portuguese and English pretty fluently, but it wasn’t until College that he was able to make it his passion. In his spare time he still reads up on the subject.

EXTRA-NORMAL ABILITIES

"Quote about supernatural here here"

For now, leave this part blank.

OTHER

"RANDOM QUOTE."

Anything else? Themesong? Random notes? Foreshadowing???

[Penny]

Clara Kane

Clara Kane

╚══════════════╝

"People say Religion makes no sense, which is probably why every culture ever discovered has one."

[ Age 34 | Height (in feet) 5’4 | Ethnicity | Pronouns She/Her | Weight (in pounds) 150 ]

[Yearning.]

APPEARANCE

"She looks like she wishes she were wearing a tweed jacket with patched elbows,” ~ Anonymous (failing) Student.

A short trim woman with chocolate brown hair. Her brown eyes are spaced slightly too far apart giving her a perpetually curious look. A little to gawky and awkward to be conventionally attractive her cheerful face and absolute enthusiasm for whatever she is currently working on combine to give her a certain wholesome appeal.

Her skin is pale with a dusting of freckles and frequently peeling due to sunburn incurred during field work. She dresses conservatively for the most part striving to project a professional and knowledgeable demeanor.

As a result of a drunken mistake during her early twenties, Clara has a tramp stamp in a celtic trefoil design.

PSYCHOLOGY

"I just want someone to look at me the way that woman looks at 16th century alchemical texts." ~ Professor Jacob Strout

MAIN GOAL ⫻ Experience something truly supernatural.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ The more I wan’t something to be true, the less likely it is to be so. Unfortunately.

SECRETS ⫻ Clara is a member of a group that traffics in stolen or questionabley obtained artefacts. She was introduced to this by her professors at Columbia.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Bi-sexual (closeted)

FEARS ⫻ Cold water, spiders, the slow entropic death of an utterly quotidian universe.

REPUTATION ⫻ As she is not a member of any local church Clara is seen as a little suspect. This is exacerbated by all her fancy book learnin’. Still she pays her bills and tips well.

QUIRKS ⫻ Clara is a gifted artist and she dabbles in painting, charcoal sketches and various other mediums.

FLAWS ⫻ Clara struggles to believe in things including herself. Her troubled childhood has left her with a deep sense of unworthiness and imposter syndrome. Clara is also prone to being dismissive of others in an attempt to validate her own self worth.

BACKSTORY

"History is a gossip that never shuts up."

Clara is the daughter of a Baptist Minister, she grew up in Missouri but has worked hard to eliminate any trace of a southern accent. She grew up in difficult circumstances with a controlling and abusive father surrounded by those who felt their pastor could do no wrong. She sought refuge in books and managed to find some measure of peace in burying herself in the pages of her father’s extensive library as well as the local public library which became a sort of sanctuary for her.

As Clara matured ... well lets just say that it was one of those situations on the news where where a pious man might be charitably described as 'not living up to his ideals'. The situation put so much stress on Clara's mother that she eventually snapped and shot her husband and then herself. The situation and the communities reaction to it poisoned Clara against the faith of her childhood forever.

After this tragedy Clara was sent to live with her Aunt in Araminta. Aunt Eveylyn was everything her father hated, a former hippie and member of the communist party, atheist, lesbian, flag burning, Obama voting, abortion having liberal. Clara loved her immediately. Everylyn also recognized and fostered the girls scholastic abilities, providing her with tutors and access to the best schools and programs.

Clara graduated second in her class and studied History at Columbia, eventually earning a Phd in History with a focus on Alchemy and its role in the Christian Occult traditions. She has returned to Araminta to care for her aging Aunt and is currently working as an adjunct professor at the local university teaching history and comparative religion.

Though she is in outlook entirely secular Clara’s long association with the history of the occult has left her longing for something in it to actually be true. The strange occurrences in Araminta have fired her imagination. Although terrified by the apparent serial killings she has been conducting interviews with witnesses and individuals that have seen the Black Shuck using her skills to conduct an amateur paranormal investigation. She saw the swarm of moths first hand when her prius was involved in the pile up, though at some distance from the epicenter. Though she is afraid, she finds something exhilarating in this proximity to the bizarre.

SKILLS & TALENTS

"You’ve got to give it to her, when it comes to books and batshit, she knows her stuff."

[Bookworm] ⫻ If it is in a library or on JSTOR she can find it and give you an opinion.

[Expert] ⫻ She has a Phd in the History of the Occult and a theory about the Voynich Manuscript she can't wait to share.

[Antiquarian] ⫻ A familiarity with the old and the strange. A black phone book with the numbers of other such enthusiasts.

[Well to Do] ⫻ Is having money a superpower? Objectively yes.

[Lying] ⫻ She is not exactly lying she is careless with the… you know what she is lying but she is very convincing!

EXTRA-NORMAL ABILITIES

"To paraphrase the Poet, shit is weirder than we can even imagine."

For now, leave this part blank.

OTHER

"I paid nearly a hundred thousand dollars in student loans to be able to tell you what a palamcist is so sit down, shut up, and look interested."

Author of Rosicrucianism in America.
Author of Paracelsus from Alchemist to Chemist.
Author of Folk Belief and Alchemy in the Ozarks.
Author of Transmutation - Folk Magic in the Catholic Tradition
Briefly a member of a Wiccan Coven, unfortunately, there was more sex in the sex magic than there was magic.

[Mixtape Ghost N]

Amanda D. Blackmore

╚══════════════╝

"Sometimes life just bends you over the table, it just be like that sometimes.."

[ 24 | 5'6ft | British & Japanese | She/Her | 120 ]

[]

APPEARANCE

"You should see me in uniform."

The young explosively energetic woman is Amanda Blackmore, who usually walks with a skip to her step and is willing to strike a pose on the dot. Yeah, it's easy to tell from her demeanor that she's a drama queen. Much like her older brother, Drake; she is a ball of energy, but her energy is more childish. She's very easily excitable and doesn't try too hard to hide her emotions. Now, in terms of Amanda's body-type, she is very skinny and well-toned with the body of a gymnast - because she is one. Her body is kept fit through stretches and other exercises such as jogging and hitting the gym. She worked hard for her flat stomach. She has an hour-glass build with wide hips but a thin waist. She doesn't know how she does it, but she has quite a big chest at 38F and a nice butt she got from hitting the gym. It's like what far that she should have goes straight where it matters. Amanda doesn't have any bulging muscles, however, and that's one thing that she works on. Amanda has plenty of scars from gymnast related injuries and other such events. Amanda has a couple of tattoos, that she has gotten recently. On her right shoulder she has a dragon that goes all the way down to her elbow. Right in between her breasts she has the tattoo of sun and moon. Right on her back, that encompasses her entire back, is a tattoo of flaming wings. Finally, she has a tattoo of a phoenix on her left shoulder. In terms of race; Amanda is part British and part Japanese, with her father supplying the British, and her mother giving her the Japanese. She leans on her father's side of the family looking no different from a regular white woman at first glance until you look at her eyes. They are somewhat slanted, but she still identifies as a Caucasian woman. Her hair is black color and it's straight, she keeps it in a long ponytail.

Amanda always wears very loose clothing, because she has an aversion to super tight articles of clothing. Sorry boys, but she hates wearing clothing that strangles her. She, like her brother, is a fan of jackets... but she didn't bring any to Florida. So she wears an assortment of jean shorts, cargo pants, sweat pants, and a T-shirt of her choice. She isn't afraid to show a little skin so some of her outfits can be quite revealing. But, Amanda isn't the skirt and dress kind of gal - she always wears anything but those things to the point where some people say she dresses like a boy. Though that's mitigated by the jewelry that she wears, she's a fan of necklaces, bracelets, and even sometimes wears colorful rings. Sometimes Amanda can be seen carrying around a guitar. Though, in the gym, she dresses in "gym clothes" or her gym-wear which consists of yoga pants and a sports bra.

PSYCHOLOGY

"I'm going to help you believe in your strength."

MAIN GOAL ⫻ Amanda lives to make her deceased father proud of her, but she truly has no clue how to go about that. She originally thought of becoming a cop as she dreamed of would help, but she doesn't think that was the right way to go about it.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Amanda is a strong woman that believes that the key to personal strength is to constantly be put through the winger. The best way in her head for people to get through challenges and adversity is to put one foot in front of the other. It's how she got through the police academy! She wants to help other people who are down to become as great as they can be.

SECRETS ⫻ Amanda is having an affair with a known drug dealer in Araminta. It's an old friend of hers and she knows it's wrong, but it feels so good.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Amanda regards herself as a straight female but has experimented in the past and occasionally flirts with girls.

FEARS ⫻ Amanda's quite frankly afraid that she'll never live up to the expectations her father set for her. Mainly because he's dead but also because she put her father on a pedestal and she is pushing herself further than what is healthy. These worries and fears are what drives her to do things she finds stupid like having sex with a kid she finds trouble.

REPUTATION ⫻ Amanda's reputation in Araminta, because she's a cop, is fairly good. People respect her and overlook the fact that she doesn't attend the church service that much.

QUIRKS ⫻ Amanda sometimes, when she's bored, twirls her ponytail around her fingers. Among the other nutty things, she does as jokes.

FLAWS ⫻ In her obsession to make up for failing to make her father proud of her before he passed, Amanda puts a lot of stress on herself (Physically and mentally). She goes to dark places to cope with the stress and that hasn't ended well for her. She got into a few scraps and done some stuff while drunk she normally wouldn't have. She's also very confrontational and is a bit impulsive at times.

BACKSTORY

"How could I forget it?"

Amanda's father was Adam Blackmore, a man that was governer of Pennsylvania and her mother was Lisa Takahashi, a Japanese woman born in the states. They eloped got married, and then eventually started having kids. She spent her early years in Philadelphia before she ended up moving to Araminta. That was where the esteemed Blackmore estate was located. She was the middle child of three other siblings, first came Victoria, then Drake, then she and the youngest was Charles. Adam made sure the Blackmores could live comfortably. And out of all the Blackmores, she was probably the closest to their father, and she always considered herself daddy's little girl. She was always going to him for questions and asking him for guidance and she was the one that was hit the hardest when he had to go away. Of course, this meant that Amanda fell into spirals of depression when he was gone. For comfort, Amanda went to sweets and other such goods, in order to make it easier and what happened was that she gained a lot of weight throughout the years. She was mocked and bullied throughout school for being so overweight, that she was almost afraid to go out.

Of course, she wasn't alone, she had the support of her many siblings that helped her get through school but she wanted more. She wanted to improve herself and lose this weight, so that's what she did. She lost weight through exercise and eating right... in addition taking up gymnastics. It was originally something that her gym teacher suggested that'd help her lose weight, that she immediately took up as a passion. Amanda saw it as something that came naturally to her as riding a bike, and even though she was overweight, she loved it. Once she lost all of her weight in about a year, she decided to take it seriously. She forwent social events to practice either alone or at the gym, and because of that dedication she came home with the trophy after trophy. Even if she didn't win, she gained the motivation to win.

After moving up to high school she met her sweetheart, Matthew Detmer, and suddenly everything changed for her. She got to know him, and they started hanging out, starting out as friends but the more they hung out the more Amanda realized that she had growing affections for him. One day, she decided to let it all out and admit that she had feelings for him that he returned. Though it was difficult for Amanda to balance gymnastics, which she was still very passionate about, and her relationship with Matt. What threw another wrench in her home life was her relationship with her cousin, Nikki. You see, Lisa wasn't the only Takahashi, there was also Pamela who went on to marry a man named Kota Watanabe and birth two children, Micheal, and Nikki Watanabe. Due to the strained relationship between Lisa and Pamela, the two families rarely met, but Amanda was the only one with a close tie to their family, namely Nikki. The two were polar opposites but were the closest in the world.

They got into trouble of all kind but after high school, they drifted apart. Nikki went into the military and Amanda, well, didn't know what to do with herself after high school. The rest of the Blackmores were sent to college but Amanda didn't want any of that. She stuck around in Araminta partying and going to the gym and she got the rockin' bod that she always wanted, and then some, and enjoyed the looks from the horny guys. Eventually, Amanda settled on her career path and ended up heading to the police academy. It was her dream to be a cop or in law enforcement, so why not? So Amanda set off to the police academy in Allentown where she spent the next few months of her life training to be a police officer. It wasn't easy for her to do but she ended up graduating and protected and served in Araminta.

It was a bit hard since it was obvious that her coworkers looked down on her for being a woman. However, all she wanted to do was make her father proud of her, as she tackled each crook to the ground. Unfortunately, Araminta was a very boring town... but things changed for Amanda when Adam suffered a massive heart attack. She was on the job and by the time she got off, Adam was dead. This was the low point in Amanda's life as she took a few weeks off to collect herself. She talked to her cousin Nikki during this time a lot and went to the gym. The Blackmore siblings drifted as they could barely speak to each other without bringing up their father's death. So they just didn't speak. Each of the Blackmores had left Araminta except Amanda, after all.

It was a month before Amanda went back to the force but things were different. She was letting her coworker's rude comments get to her as she felt a failure. She tried much harder to prove herself as an excellent police officer and got a bit ruder and dismissive of people. She acted far more haughty when people tried to provoke her only because there was one thing on her mind. However, Amanda ended up slipping up when Matthew came back into her life... a drug dealer. It didn't take much talking before she was in his bed, and not much more before it became three times a week occurrence. She missed him and the sex was amazing... she didn't mind that he was a drug dealer at first but now the guilt was getting to her.

However, things changed a few nights before the start of the story. She was returning home from work and was already in bed when she heard a scream... her first instinct was to grab a gun and run towards it. When she got there, there was a woman hacked to pieces and a person with orange eyes behind a mask and a leather jacket. He had a switchblade in hand... he charged Amanda and she emptied her clip into him. She managed to drive him off... but the victim was already dead. She reported it but nobody believed her, but after asking around quite a few people have laid eyes on this oddity.

Amanda is making it her goal to catch this serial killer.

SKILLS & TALENTS

"I'm flexible as fuck."

Police Academy ⫻ Amanda here spent six months of her life in the police academy to fulfill one of her dreams of being a cop. She's physically fit and can wrestle a motherfucker to the ground and handcuff them. She knows her way around a gun and is a pretty good shot with a handgun and you best not get into a car chase with her.

Gymnastics Champion ⫻ Since Amanda was young, she competed in gymnastics competitions and came home with several awards for doing so. She's extremely nimble, flexible, has exceptional balance, and looks good in a leotard. Though, she hasn't practiced or participated in a gymnastics tournament in God knows how long, she practiced so hard that the skills that she has learned stick.

Roller-Skater ⫻ Amanda loves to roller-skate, even in her adult years. Even though it's a childish activity, she likes to roller-skate down the streets of Black Fall. She would love to roller-skate in Charity Beach.

Guitarist ⫻ It's probably her weakest skill, but Amanda has taken guitar classes, and knows how to play a few songs but don't expect her to be a master at it.

EXTRA-NORMAL ABILITIES

"I'm on the trail of that bastard, trust me, my gun's primed on him."

N/A.

OTHER

"I will never forget you, dad."

[Mixtape Ghost N]

@KarneeKarnay Accepted.

@Penny Accepted.

[KarneeKarnay]

Damn @Ghost Note you making us all look bad with that detailed backstory. Amanda is essentially a bad ass. Is there a reason she doesn't like tight clothing? Most gymnasts usually wear leotards, so it could just be a choice thing. No longer doing it for others, means she can do it in what makes her comfortable?

[Mixtape Ghost N]

Damn @Ghost Note you making us all look bad with that detailed backstory. Amanda is essentially a bad ass. Is there a reason she doesn't like tight clothing? Most gymnasts usually wear leotards, so it could just be a choice thing. No longer doing it for others, means she can do it in what makes her comfortable?

@KarneeKarnay

Oh it's just preference for her. She doesn't like how tight clothes feel.

[queenoftheages]

Astraea Von Der Heide

╚══════════════╝

"Every breath you take could be your last."

[ 28 | 5'10 | German-American | She/her | 135 lbs ]

Skeptical

---

APPEARANCE

"Black is better."

Walking with strides of confidence, Astraea keeps her chin raised and eyes lowered. Similar to that of an owl, she watches everything, as if searching for something. She has a long and slender frame, thanks to her peckish eating habits, and nimble hands that always seem to be messing with something.
Long, ebony black hair falls around her shoulders, accenting her pale and slightly freckled skin. Her prominent cheekbones and almond shaped, dark blue eyes give her a look of natural maturity that she can say she does enjoy. She often wears her hair down, only on rare occasions does she put it into a bun.
Clothing wise, she tends to wear darker colors, mainly black in a style that screams '1900's witch'. Preferring dresses, ones that cover most of her body, her outfits of choice are more "lady-like" and modest. She doesn't have any tattoos or unusual markings, save for a few scars she's gotten over the years.

PSYCHOLOGY

"You haven't noticed already?"

MAIN GOAL ⫻ A curious woman, Astraea is always looking for something new; something interesting. She has a strong desire to know the emotional and mental limits of a person as well as their capabilities. She wants to find out just how far a person will go in order to achieve one's desires, and if one will give up morals to do so. A curious woman, indeed.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ She believes that people aren't just afraid of dying, it's the fear of the unknown that pushes people to the brink of madness. That once the threat becomes real, all people become "bad", and will hesitate to do the right thing.

SECRETS ⫻ She once almost drove her older sister to run away from home after leading her to believe she was being haunted by demons. It was a very elaborate prank and was fueled by anger when her sister burned her writing for fun.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Lesbian

FEARS ⫻ A strong fear of confrontation, Astraea tries her best not to show her true emotions to anyone. She dislikes the vulnerability of knowing someone else knows too much about herself, so she avoids this at all costs.

REPUTATION ⫻ A known poet and novelist of rather dark themes, she has a love/hate relationship with many of the citizens of Araminta. Many of them target organized religion and replace it with spirituality instead.

QUIRKS ⫻ Astraea has a habit of straightening things out wherever she is. For example, fixing picture frames or making sure labels are facing the front.

FLAWS ⫻ The woman does have a bit of a temper and a lack of patience, especially when dealing with ignorance or overly optimistic people. She also has a bad habit of deceiving people whether that be on purpose or accident, and she has a strong desire to achieve her goals.

BACKSTORY

"Nothing of importance to you."

Born in North Carolina to a pair of German immigrants, Astraea was raised in a rural farmhouse with her two older siblings, Adela and Dominik, Adela being the eldest by two years. A highly christian family, they were all expected to uphold the strong values of the New and Old Testament. They prayed often and followed traditional family roles, something that Astraea had always found strange.

Almost immediately, Rhea (Astraea) started questioning things whenever she could, never really having the ability to hold her tongue, which led her to become the scapegoat for when anything unfortunate may have happened. She had decided from a young age that she didn't believe in Christianity although she continued to follow her family's footsteps until around her teens when she met Tod, the raven.

She always knew she was searching for something, but she could never figure out what it was while being confined within the walls of pressure caused by her family. It wasn't until she came across the dead shagbark hickory tree did she believe in the afterlife. It wasn't until then did she believe in souls, magic, the truth. It stood there, alone, dark, decaying among the Spring flowers, it's branches drooping yet still curled like gripping onto a life it didn't have. It wasn't until then did she meet Tod. A large raven, who she swore was a lot older than time itself stood, watching her. It called out as if coaxing her to come forward, a throaty call that echoed in her mind.

She was never the same after that.

When she was eighteen, Rhea left home, searching for something new. She wanted to leave the old behind: Her siblings that always treated her like shit, her tiny and cramped bedroom, the flowers that her mother couldn't ever grow; she needed to get away. She had always been a skilled writer. She was intelligent with the way she arranged her words, she soaked in her surroundings like a sponge and was able to write it on paper with ease, and the way she spoke them out loud made it seem like an art made just for her. She was quickly able to make a career out of it, traveling around and staying in motels with what money she made. With Tod following alongside her, never too far away.

Rhea moved to Araminta when she was twenty five, hoping to settle down in a house rather than continue to travel. Although she despised the idea of organized religion, she still attended church for two reasons. One: To fit in with the citizens and two: She always found it interesting, and interesting always peaked her curiosity.

A few years later, Rhea was tempted to leave the city. She was looking for stimulation, something to spark her imagination to write again, and unfortunately, the older woman wasn't finding anything there anymore. It had lost the charm it had when she first moved there. That was until she saw it.

She could hardly see it as it was quickly getting dark outside, but the shadowy form of a dog was clear. Black, smoky tendons licked off of it's paws as it walked off, looking back at her as if to follow. She could hear Tod in the background, but she couldn't understand him. It was all too similar. Unfortunately though, as she followed the wispy shape of a hound, the dark had begun to swallow its form and she quickly lost sight of it. She stood there for awhile, wondering what would've happened had it been lighter for just a little longer.

She stills resides in Araminta, hoping one day she'll see the peculiar beast again, and that it'll lead her to its destination.

SKILLS & TALENTS

"I just happen to be skilled with my hands."

Sleight of hand ⫻ Always keeping a deck of cards on hand, Astraea had taught herself to be cunning, sneaky, and deceptive when she was younger. The cards helped her with that as she learned social ques and directing attention to where she wanted it to go. Her long, slender fingers and unassuming personality allowed her to catch things when no one was noticing.

Highly perceptive ⫻ Intelligent and highly curious, Rhea's always been one to watch her surroundings sharply, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She's good at picking up small signs that would be difficult to catch with an untrained eye.

EXTRA-NORMAL ABILITIES

"Listen to the whispers of trees. They'll tell you the truths others won't."

N/A

OTHER

"It seems we have a problem, yes?"

She has a pet raven named "Tod"

Theme song

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