Splendid news! To another adventure we shall go.
I am happy to to see Faruq and his interactions with this intriguing lot.
I am happy to to see Faruq and his interactions with this intriguing lot.
Lo Pellegrino Member
The Pilgrim
- Last Seen: 1 yr ago
- Joined: 10 yrs ago
- Posts: 247 (0.07 / day)
- VMs: 0
-
Username history
- Lo Pellegrino 10 yrs ago
-
Latest 10 profile visitors:
-
Most recent →
Andreyich
Status
User has no status, yet
Bio
User has no bio, yet
Most Recent Posts
There you go again @Dervish, straining our wits with memorable animated horror. Bee-tee-dubs, Faruq is has been updated into an anime plushie named Fúx8 who hacked the console and exclusively wears a black and gold dragonbone thong crafted at the Skyforge, which she owns. Hope that's cool!
@Hellis Valen is an excellent example of when character sheets are not enough. The background you provided touches on dunmer culture and lightly upon the deeply rooted politics of Morrowind as well. These are wells rich with opportunity and interest. My suggestions have much less to do with the content of your sheet and more with the structure. Were I you, I'd approach Valen's history in sections -- A Life Assumed, Desertion, and Bridge. The first would establish Valen as a youth, or in his raw state. What happens in this section really defines the character's morality and long-term personality. I really enjoy your description of Valen as one of a lesser family groomed to squire for one of higher nobility. I think that time is really important to demonstrate how much Valen has sacrificed. I imagine while Aivilos enjoyed a soft life of study and rhetoric, Valen trained rigorously. A juxtapose if you will. This makes the romance between Valen and Aivilos so much more as it is in essence the one thing that makes it all worthwhile to Valen. And then, when pushed, as Valen sacrifices this too we see his first step into adulthood. I find the ashlands very interesting as well. Seeing how such a raw deal effects Valen, now free of reputation in a new land, I'm just curious what he actually does in those 12 years. You mention he learns to master the horn bow too so this suggests to me that he worked with some camp or other group that perhaps shared little loyalty for the royal houses too. Honestly, I think you need to bulk up this time to help us understand just how this time changed or effected Valen. I believe this would make his transition into a deserter make understandable too. Perhaps considering this place in the ashlands akin to 'The Wall' in Game of Thrones, where Valen perceives he has been abandoned rather than given another chance to honour his family. This could materialize into an extension of the house he serves maintaining a small group to 'protect assets'. Valen could find a mentor here, explaining his horn bow training. Eventually, he could experience some trauma or battle that convinces him to abandon duty, leading well into desertion. This seems like a lot, but in truth, I find your concept extremely inspiring. When I suggest all this it's because the bones you have crafted are so damn intriguing that the ideas flow quite easily. I very much enjoy Valen and believe he would've done well with my old character, Juinarto.
@Hellis Valen is an excellent example of when character sheets are not enough. The background you provided touches on dunmer culture and lightly upon the deeply rooted politics of Morrowind as well. These are wells rich with opportunity and interest. My suggestions have much less to do with the content of your sheet and more with the structure. Were I you, I'd approach Valen's history in sections -- A Life Assumed, Desertion, and Bridge. The first would establish Valen as a youth, or in his raw state. What happens in this section really defines the character's morality and long-term personality. I really enjoy your description of Valen as one of a lesser family groomed to squire for one of higher nobility. I think that time is really important to demonstrate how much Valen has sacrificed. I imagine while Aivilos enjoyed a soft life of study and rhetoric, Valen trained rigorously. A juxtapose if you will. This makes the romance between Valen and Aivilos so much more as it is in essence the one thing that makes it all worthwhile to Valen. And then, when pushed, as Valen sacrifices this too we see his first step into adulthood. I find the ashlands very interesting as well. Seeing how such a raw deal effects Valen, now free of reputation in a new land, I'm just curious what he actually does in those 12 years. You mention he learns to master the horn bow too so this suggests to me that he worked with some camp or other group that perhaps shared little loyalty for the royal houses too. Honestly, I think you need to bulk up this time to help us understand just how this time changed or effected Valen. I believe this would make his transition into a deserter make understandable too. Perhaps considering this place in the ashlands akin to 'The Wall' in Game of Thrones, where Valen perceives he has been abandoned rather than given another chance to honour his family. This could materialize into an extension of the house he serves maintaining a small group to 'protect assets'. Valen could find a mentor here, explaining his horn bow training. Eventually, he could experience some trauma or battle that convinces him to abandon duty, leading well into desertion. This seems like a lot, but in truth, I find your concept extremely inspiring. When I suggest all this it's because the bones you have crafted are so damn intriguing that the ideas flow quite easily. I very much enjoy Valen and believe he would've done well with my old character, Juinarto.
@Lo PellegrinoThanks for that breakdown. Honestly, I did not even think about Jennifer Lawrence at all. It's purely a coincidence while playing with the character creation screen. Unfortunately all the bodies look the same in armor, I picture her a little more thick.
I could definitely explore the duality of restoration and destruction, it was in my mind about that. I honestly have trouble with character sheets because I hate info dumping. I'll take that suggestion to heart though.
I was only giving you isht :). I really do appreciate Gaela as a character and those suggestions are me letting my mind wander down the path you created. Sometimes it comes to strange, unexpected doors that are of use to others. If you simply read this and said 'lol nope' I'd understand completely and take no offense.
@idlehands First, I'm putting you on blast for re-creating Jennifer Lawrence. This is straight up Jennifer Lawrence and you seriously could've used the picture in that link. I mean, it's uncanny, right?
Anyway, the Elder Scrolls Jennifer Lawrence is actually pretty cool. I appreciate the simplicity of her character in that you focus on very few, yet key points to her life as they relate to what we will see. Many of us tend to slip into the habit of describing everything, forgetting that it's okay to have some off-camera moments open to mystery or basic life. I feel like this occurs with Gaela. Sort of like my critique with @Hank, I felt like you dropped an interesting seed then left it untended, though. I am speaking about the death of Gaela's father and her subsequent desire to burn baby burn. I get that this was a sign that trauma occurred, but once you had Gaela dive into magic proper I was surprised that her use of magic didn't reflect her mentality. Gaela is young and skilled in both restoration -- restoring life -- and destruction -- destroying life. Her life, while ultimately quiet, is full of points of pain like her chronically ill mother, her father's death, and the fact she was arrested for accidentally killing an abuser. I see a woman at a crossroads who is one bad day away from returning to her old destructive habits, only now with far more skill. It's like Anakin Skywalker, but with Jar Jar's steroid pumping cousin Jex as comedic (?) relief. Hell, I could even see Gaela secretly curious about the path to becoming a hagraven one day simply to unlock greater access to magic to prevent these misfortunes in the future. Again though, I'm saying this, but I also dig Gaela already. Anything more is just like a pinch of salt to taste -- not necessary, but interesting.
@Dervish Dat smile doh. Actually, Cedric strikes me as vaguely similar to Gaela. His road through life is understandable and feels real. The way he reacts to the world is consistent and ties well with the background you provided us. Truthfully, this reads quite well as the summary to a story. I do notice Cedric lacks much in the way of vulnerability, mentally or emotionally that is, but that seems in line with his history. Cedric was raised a hard man, one who lives to live and is accustomed to accepting hard truths. We see this when he leaves his father and when Ruddy passes away -- you mention him becoming somewhat out of it, but pass over quickly suggesting to me that while the pain was great, it did not define Cedric. My question would be what great ambition or challenge fuels Cedric? It says that he realizes he must move on in his life. I like the idea of a man grown seeking the next stage, but I'm curious if his Reachman roots will satisfy this need or if he is looking for a simple life. Then again, part of me sees a character like Cedric as an excellent preface to one like the Dragonborn. Cedric is an other belonging more to a people he does not know with the skills and yearning to do something that has yet to occur to him. In the past you've made it clear your feelings about Daedra, but gods, who if not this man is Hircine looking for?!
@Leidenschaft I am really into Brynn. Gritty, bandit dueling, a man seeking legend despite learning along the way how little value it holds -- it's interesting and just feels complete. I think that presents its own challenge, though. I wonder how you will move Brynn in this story, and if perhaps where others often seek growth for their characters, if perhaps this one might go another way (he is complete and confident already). I find that very interesting, personally, and look forward to seeing what you create. A part of me also wonders if the lyrical feeling I got from the CS suggests that this is all how Brynn views himself and if, a layer deeper, he is seeking another sort of meaning akin to his brother. It would be quite interesting if the two sought what the other had and crossed one another on opposing life-paths. I feel the need to apologize for how brief this review is. I've offered no deep suggestions or off-kilter critiques, but I believe this is in part due to your approach to characters. The way you craft these personalities, and Sevari too, feels familiar to me. What I mean to say is, I suspect you're in my blind spot!
Anyway, the Elder Scrolls Jennifer Lawrence is actually pretty cool. I appreciate the simplicity of her character in that you focus on very few, yet key points to her life as they relate to what we will see. Many of us tend to slip into the habit of describing everything, forgetting that it's okay to have some off-camera moments open to mystery or basic life. I feel like this occurs with Gaela. Sort of like my critique with @Hank, I felt like you dropped an interesting seed then left it untended, though. I am speaking about the death of Gaela's father and her subsequent desire to burn baby burn. I get that this was a sign that trauma occurred, but once you had Gaela dive into magic proper I was surprised that her use of magic didn't reflect her mentality. Gaela is young and skilled in both restoration -- restoring life -- and destruction -- destroying life. Her life, while ultimately quiet, is full of points of pain like her chronically ill mother, her father's death, and the fact she was arrested for accidentally killing an abuser. I see a woman at a crossroads who is one bad day away from returning to her old destructive habits, only now with far more skill. It's like Anakin Skywalker, but with Jar Jar's steroid pumping cousin Jex as comedic (?) relief. Hell, I could even see Gaela secretly curious about the path to becoming a hagraven one day simply to unlock greater access to magic to prevent these misfortunes in the future. Again though, I'm saying this, but I also dig Gaela already. Anything more is just like a pinch of salt to taste -- not necessary, but interesting.
@Dervish Dat smile doh. Actually, Cedric strikes me as vaguely similar to Gaela. His road through life is understandable and feels real. The way he reacts to the world is consistent and ties well with the background you provided us. Truthfully, this reads quite well as the summary to a story. I do notice Cedric lacks much in the way of vulnerability, mentally or emotionally that is, but that seems in line with his history. Cedric was raised a hard man, one who lives to live and is accustomed to accepting hard truths. We see this when he leaves his father and when Ruddy passes away -- you mention him becoming somewhat out of it, but pass over quickly suggesting to me that while the pain was great, it did not define Cedric. My question would be what great ambition or challenge fuels Cedric? It says that he realizes he must move on in his life. I like the idea of a man grown seeking the next stage, but I'm curious if his Reachman roots will satisfy this need or if he is looking for a simple life. Then again, part of me sees a character like Cedric as an excellent preface to one like the Dragonborn. Cedric is an other belonging more to a people he does not know with the skills and yearning to do something that has yet to occur to him. In the past you've made it clear your feelings about Daedra, but gods, who if not this man is Hircine looking for?!
@Leidenschaft I am really into Brynn. Gritty, bandit dueling, a man seeking legend despite learning along the way how little value it holds -- it's interesting and just feels complete. I think that presents its own challenge, though. I wonder how you will move Brynn in this story, and if perhaps where others often seek growth for their characters, if perhaps this one might go another way (he is complete and confident already). I find that very interesting, personally, and look forward to seeing what you create. A part of me also wonders if the lyrical feeling I got from the CS suggests that this is all how Brynn views himself and if, a layer deeper, he is seeking another sort of meaning akin to his brother. It would be quite interesting if the two sought what the other had and crossed one another on opposing life-paths. I feel the need to apologize for how brief this review is. I've offered no deep suggestions or off-kilter critiques, but I believe this is in part due to your approach to characters. The way you craft these personalities, and Sevari too, feels familiar to me. What I mean to say is, I suspect you're in my blind spot!
@Lo Pellegrino I reread your sheet a few times and Faruq is well rounded. The first thing I noticed right off the bat is that you decided not to name his mother and mentor. Is that a stylistic choice or is there another reason?
Even though you didn't explicitly say it - it feels like Faruq once saw his mentor's addiction as a terrible thing he promised he would never dip into. Now years later battling his own case of PTSD does he seem ashamed of using it. Like an addict deep in denial. "What? I'm only using it to sleep. I'm not addicted."
Despite being seemingly well adjusted he has this potential for development. rubs wee little hands I'm excited to see how he deals with the others who are just about as morally bankrupt as they can get. :>
Naming these figures was a big question for me. I had a few character concepts in mind, but I decided to develop this young, noble knight idea further. To that end it made sense to not name the mother so her image might be left to just that -- the picturesque mother of a seemingly idyllic hero. This is a pretty big departure from my character in Resurgence of the Frost, who was raised by a Windhelm-based drug dealer that really left a life-long mark. When it comes to the mentor, I didn't name him for two reasons: 1) the mentor worked made an effort to not be known, 2) I see a story of his own for this mentor and wanted to keep separation. I'm still not sure if I made the right choice for the mentor!
I'm right with you! Players from RotF saw the mentor, Juin, begin using moon sugar and skooma. For Juin it was about quieting his vampiric hunger, which materialized as demented voices should the hunger grow too strong. By the time Faruq meets Juin this gone down hill and it's unclear whether he's mad, constantly high, or if Faruq simply hears the outlandish stories and assumes either. In my mind Faruq doesn't know why Juin uses moon sugar -- he probably doesn't know Juin's even a vampire. It makes sugar seem less dangerous than it really is and I think you hit the nail on the head that seedy company and new stress will reveal quite a lot about Faruq's use and his anger.
@idlehands & @Leidenschaft I'll review yours and @dervish too tonight or tomorrow. I enjoy taking a deeper look into each character, and definitely enjoy seeing what everyone has to say as well!
I edited Maulakanth's personality a little to integrate your suggestions, @Lo Pellegrino.
I'm honoured and glad it resonated with you! I am quite the fan of your work.
If anyone wants to tell me their 2 cents about Faruq I am very receptive as well!
Because I'm immensely self-absorbed curious and bored, does anyone feel like giving me some feedback and/or critique on Maulakanth?
@Hank, I'm no GM, but I feel like the love-child of Satan and Cell just isn't going to pass. ;)
Seriously though, Maulakanth would seem outlandish for my taste were it not for the intricate -- and quite frankly compelling -- background story you crafted here. I did not know much about Orcs in The Elder Scrolls aside from their brutal tactics, so how much you created fresh versus how much was already established is blurred to me. I did notice the light reference to Judaic demonology in your naming choices, though, and I feel it reflects perfectly with how Orcs are displayed in-game. I really do love it! Specifically though, Maulakanth is clearly an intense character. I appreciate your engaging competitive nature gone too far here especially. I really could see Maulakanth fighting over a decision with someone like Faruq, physically hurting him in the process, and creating this tension. Eventually perhaps he will have to adapt to a culture less competitive where such single-mindedness creates more punishment than reward. I digress, I am very fond of this connection between disturbing strength and entitlement. My only critique would be that I am surprised you did not go further with his use of strength potions. From my reading, Maulakanth has a compulsion to be superior -- not a desire. In a culture requiring one to kill their chief to advance he is exceptional. In my mind the fact he uses strength potions at all is a symptom of fear that he won't be enough, and perhaps that he's become dependent, like a juicer does to steroids. Honestly, this is just seasoning by this point. I really like Maulakanth and see him as a healthy dose of chaotic power that makes even quiet character developing scenes a touch dangerous.
@DJAtomika Also said they'd be making a thief argonian @Spoopy Scary
And I look forward to seeing what you guys think of Jex once you got the time
I mean, Jex sounds scary as isht. It's funny that I read his CS today, as my daughter and I just watched an episode of Batman depicting a beast-mode rendition of Killer Croc that I swear must have hatched right alongside Jex. I don't typically go for the full-brute angle, but I can appreciate a little blood lust in a character. If I were to give a friendly critique it would be that I find the image of a muscle-bound, nearly 7 foot tall raptor-man sneaking about with a bow borderline comical to imagine. It seems like too delicate a weapon for the type of character who may as well ditch the twig-and-string and smash a skull against the nearest hard surface. Now, I could see Jex armed with a spear-like weapon that he might wield or simply throw. Just one guy's opinion though. Seriously though, I hope Faruq doesn't get on the wrong side of Jex.
@Spoopy Scary I am loving Finch. The total lack of combat prowess is going to be very interesting to see in action. May I ask what steered you away from hand-to-hand as a means for self-defense? I don't ask as a critique, actually, I debated on going with a follower of Mara who preferred other means than killing. No matter the reason, I do find Finch an interesting sort and hope to see more!
@Luminosity I adore Fiona! Combat wise, she sounds like the exact opposite of Faruq down to the surprising choice of weapon based on the rest of her build. I must say, if we're both accepted, I hope our characters have the opportunity to spar. That said, I should also hope that Fiona has the chance to seek our revenge soon, lest the Dominion attack White Haven and take her claim on vengeance. Perhaps my favourite aspect of Fiona though is the reflection of her appearance and her psyche. You describe 'battered optimism' in such a way it only seems right that this young person in leathers more fit for travel keeps an arm of steel plate. I would very much look forward to learning more!
@Macro I would call Berich creative if it were not for Wall Street these last 5-7 years. Instead, I will call Berich a truly unique choice for The Elder Scrolls, and one I for one think could make an extremely entertaining web-series you should submit to ShoddyCast right-quick. Seriously. Do it. You're not doing it? Well, I'll just have to hope to see what fiscally immoral shenanigans Berich gets into here.
<Snipped quote by Lo Pellegrino>
There's a scene where we meet him. If you were playing Juin, it would've been cool to have them reunite. But Sevari recognizing the bone-handled shortsword on Faruq's hip and inquiring after his old dunmer mentor will have to suffice.
Juin needed a break. I have a future in mind for him and I'll say Faruq was perhaps a bright spot before some pretty dark times. I honestly was "this" close to Juin having gone batshit, leading a cult to Molag Bal and eating sugar to deafen his vampiric hunger. Faruq was a refreshing change from that concept though. Who knows, maybe mentoring a wayward youth will deter that fate.
<Snipped quote by Dervish>
It's because you're a furry. I would've played as Sevari, but nah. I like him how he is now.
I do miss Sevari though :(. Actually almost named my mainecoon after him!
© 2007-2024