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Character Development Thread--Discussion

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apocalemur Behold, the Beast. from My house (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Look at all the lonely people
Behold, the Beast.
#35326: Apr 3rd 2018 at 12:20:34 PM

Ozurr just arrived in the Town Square. He is twenty-four feet tall and has powder blue skin.

You know, just in case that's the sort of thing your character(s) might notice if they were nearby.

Wolf1066 Crazy Kiwi from New Zealand (Veteran) Relationship Status: Dancing with myself
Crazy Kiwi
#35327: Apr 3rd 2018 at 12:22:48 PM

@Master of Chaos: Is it traditional that it should be because someone's over-reacted to a mildly obscene gesture and some name-calling and won't stand down?

[up] That might be noticeable, yes...

edited 3rd Apr '18 12:24:57 PM by Wolf1066

Masterofchaos Since: Dec, 2010
#35328: Apr 3rd 2018 at 12:31:35 PM

In Dream II a full scale fight started because a character whacked another character in the face with a specter.

Anything is possible, lol.

edited 3rd Apr '18 12:31:49 PM by Masterofchaos

Miss_Desperado https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YD2i1FzUYA from somewhere getting rained on by Puget Sound Since: Sep, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#35329: Apr 3rd 2018 at 1:11:15 PM

Rosalind is with Ozurr, she has no intention of joining in the fight, but she's working under the assumption that the fight is likely to escalate and spill across the town square to where she is. Also, she's starting to feel side effects from demonic proximity, though she doesn't know there's a demon yet. All she knows is that there's a fight going on, there's a dark power radiating from the battlefield, and she's starting to feel weird, all of which are on her list of causes for concern.

Belated hint: Rosalind's dizzy spell was not the demon's fault.

[down] I know that, but Rosalind missed that part of the fight. She hasn't witnessed enough of the fight to figure out that it's a duel. Besides, I don't know where the duelists will chase each other.

edited 3rd Apr '18 1:29:05 PM by Miss_Desperado

If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
Kkutwar The Prince of Foolish Relevations from A Place Beneath both Good & Evil Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
#35330: Apr 3rd 2018 at 1:14:28 PM

The only reason Unchained Devil Justin is even dueling Miron is because Justin overreacted to his demon hugging someone. Valerie isn't at all responsible for this, and she actually was being relaxed. Besides, I'm not sure why your characters think Unchained Devil Justin is going to attack people in general- Miron proposed a duel and Unchained Devil Justin agreed to it.

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
EternaMemoria To dream is my right from Somewhere far away Since: Mar, 2016 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
To dream is my right
#35331: Apr 3rd 2018 at 1:45:27 PM

[up] Míron proposed the duel precisely because he thought the demon would inevitably lash out against the closest people if left unchecked. The demon's behavior seemed to indicate that it was willing to interpret anything as a threat towards its mistress, and wanted nothing but a fight.

"The dried flowers are so beautiful, and it applies to all things living and dead."
Kkutwar The Prince of Foolish Relevations from A Place Beneath both Good & Evil Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
#35332: Apr 3rd 2018 at 1:53:18 PM

I would say Unchained Devil Justin isn't entirely insane, so he knew just randomly lashing out would get him defused quick. Still, I'm more confused why people think he's going to immediately defy the terms of his duel.

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
EternaMemoria To dream is my right from Somewhere far away Since: Mar, 2016 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
To dream is my right
#35333: Apr 3rd 2018 at 2:01:05 PM

The people outside the hotel don't know about the duel. I will remedy that on my upcoming post.

BTW, do I have freedom to describe Míron slashing through the shadow daemons?

"The dried flowers are so beautiful, and it applies to all things living and dead."
Yomegami Since: Jan, 2011
#35334: Apr 3rd 2018 at 2:13:27 PM

In Dream II a full scale fight started because a character whacked another character in the face with a specter.

The offending item was actually a scepter, but whacking people in the face with a specter wouldn't be unusual for one of the characters involved.

Anyway, posted. While it's probably possible to see the hotel fight from the restaurant, I opted to have Leone not notice it because I haven't been following that plotline and would rather not get involved.

Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
Kkutwar The Prince of Foolish Relevations from A Place Beneath both Good & Evil Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
#35335: Apr 3rd 2018 at 2:32:59 PM

Eterna: Yeah, that's totally fine and I figure doing so would (further) clue him in that Unchained Devil Justin is deliberately holding back.

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
Miss_Desperado https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YD2i1FzUYA from somewhere getting rained on by Puget Sound Since: Sep, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#35336: Apr 3rd 2018 at 2:54:50 PM

I forgot to ask, who was closest to Rosalind when she got dizzy and stumbled? I wrote ambiguously for at least three possibilities, but we'll need to figure out who exactly Rosalind grabbed for balance before a continuity snarl happens.

Rosalind would instinctively try to subtly position herself to where she could see the other three group members all at once. If I were to guess, I'd think that Ozurr is the furthest from her, I would imagine him carefully watching his step and keeping enough of a distance from the group for a margin of error. I don't know Varg's cultural norms on personal space, but aside from that, Varg has fewer reasons to keep a close eye on Rosalind than Jann does. If all else fails, perhaps Rosalind grabbed some random NPC passerby.

idea#1: We might not use this idea, but if Ozurr does accidentally step on Rosalind's foot at some future point, she wouldn't mind too much — her horses step on her feet a lot and her boots were built to minimize the pain and damage from precisely that accident.

idea#2: I wasn't planning for this to happen but I won't complain if it does or doesn't... am I detecting trace amounts of Unresolved Sexual Tension between Jann and Rosalind?

edited 3rd Apr '18 3:02:48 PM by Miss_Desperado

If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#35337: Apr 3rd 2018 at 3:44:44 PM

Well. This is quite a thing, innit? I hope I don't miss anything, but fucking hell...

EDIT: And done. This Is Gonna Suck.

edited 3rd Apr '18 4:03:40 PM by KillerClowns

Kkutwar The Prince of Foolish Relevations from A Place Beneath both Good & Evil Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
#35338: Apr 3rd 2018 at 4:27:11 PM

Um... Yeah, this can only end badly for Justin. I mean, Alice is essentially an antimagic Humanoid Abomination right? Cause, uh... Souls in my settings are inherently magic and essential to making life be a thing. So, unless I cheat by having Explorer of Unknowns pop over there to prevent Alice from unexisting Valerie & Justin's very souls...

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#35340: Apr 3rd 2018 at 4:35:21 PM

[up][up]As long as they're attached to a physical neural network (e.g. a brain or silicon chip), Justin and Valerie's souls will be unscathed. Alice can suppress their abilities to work magic, but not actually damage them. Justin's demon, on the other hand... there's a reason she's quoting Screwtape.

edited 3rd Apr '18 4:36:02 PM by KillerClowns

Mrship21 Mr ship from Oregon. Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Mr ship
#35341: Apr 3rd 2018 at 4:38:00 PM

[up]

Oh hey out of curiosity, how many politicians has Alice donated to in the past. I'm asking because Henry is a hardline anti corruption politician and that would make for some great interactions.

Kkutwar The Prince of Foolish Relevations from A Place Beneath both Good & Evil Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
#35342: Apr 3rd 2018 at 4:53:15 PM

Clowns: There's still a few problems, as I'm guessing Alice wouldn't like Unchained Devil Justin reacting to her hostilely? Hmm, actually... Could you elaborate more on how her antimagic works? Like, is it more "Conceptual Magic Nullification" or more "Reality Stabilization"? That, and is it an absolute power or one that sufficiently powerful beings can resist?

Regarding Justin's soul though... He and his demon are as close to being one as they'll ever manage, so long as Valerie's familiar bond is maintained. Thus trying to unexist his demon would kill Justin as well in their Unchained Devil form. Even, his demon isn't the reason Unchained Devil is so messed up- That is Justin's fault. His demon kind of has self-hatred issues...

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#35343: Apr 3rd 2018 at 5:59:56 PM

Like, is it more "Conceptual Magic Nullification" or more "Reality Stabilization"?

Astute question: both, actually, if I understand the terms correctly. Being able to conceptually "logic" the magic out of existence is a powerful focus for the wielder, but at it's heart, it's simply re-engineering chunks of reality according to the specifications of a universe that used to never have magic. In Alice's native universe, it's "healing", outside of it, it's more like an auto-immune disorder.

That, and is it an absolute power or one that sufficiently powerful beings can resist?

In Alice's native universe? Absolute power. The Song engineered a perfect weapon against magic. (Aside: they still lost, because even a perfect weapon can only be as good as its wielder. The Song had many imperfections that their enemies could exploit. Anyone up against Alice will find she does as well.) Here, however, I may well end up having Alice discover limits from not being in her native universe, if it's necessary to preserve drama and not make her a story breaker. Or maybe just to knock a smug smile off her face. Either way, she will not enjoy it.

Thus trying to unexist his demon would kill Justin as well in their Unchained Devil form.

Not that this will stop Alice.

EDIT:

Oh hey out of curiosity, how many politicians has Alice donated to in the past.

Personally? That's more Hadia and Sigmund's department. Her organization, though, quite a lot. Though Western Amalgamated is clever; they know direct campaign donations are just one tool in the arsenal. They know sometimes it's better to reward loyal incumbents by, say, bringing their constituents well-paying jobs so the incumbent can claim (without really lying) that their regulation-cutting brought the promised jobs or whatever. And of course, they frequently work through PACs who "independently" support candidates that happen to favor Western Amalgamated's desires. So the answer is "not that many directly, but only because they're good at shuffling their money". Still, plenty for an anti-corruption candidate to hate under all the excuses and dodging.

edited 3rd Apr '18 6:38:48 PM by KillerClowns

Miss_Desperado https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YD2i1FzUYA from somewhere getting rained on by Puget Sound Since: Sep, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#35344: Apr 3rd 2018 at 6:37:07 PM

[up] OK, I've got a couple of questions about Alice's ability.

First topic, what's the range on Alice's ability? Enough to cover just the area in front of the hotel or less, or does it reach across the town square?

Second topic, if I were to guess, I'd say any germs of supernatural origin and function (e.g. the ones responsible for zombies, vampires, and werebeasts in my stories) would be either killed/erased by Alice's ability or have their supernatural functions stifled until their host moves out of range... which is it, or am I overlooking other possibilities?

[down]Edit: Thanks, now I can stop worrying about a specific insta-kill.

edited 3rd Apr '18 7:02:35 PM by Miss_Desperado

If not for this anchor I'd be dancing between the stars. At least I can try to write better vampire stories than Twilight.
KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#35345: Apr 3rd 2018 at 6:41:09 PM

[up]A sphere a few feet in radius; three, four tops. Magic spells fall apart. Magic-dependent beings with bodies to shield them from the worst will find it an unpleasant suppressant, not an instant kill. Those within will hear unpleasantly alien music formed by complex modifications of simple, mathematical tones — sort of a cacophony of keening. (No such beings exist in Alice's canon, so I'm playing it by ear here.)

For instance, in her own canon, Alice has found out the hard way that a warlock with martial arts training — any Uelane warlock, basically — will find her presence unpleasant, but no obstacle to just punching her in the face.

edited 3rd Apr '18 6:44:22 PM by KillerClowns

Mrship21 Mr ship from Oregon. Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Mr ship
#35346: Apr 3rd 2018 at 6:48:12 PM

[up][up][up]

Ok so the usual bullshit. That's exactly the kind of shit Henry hates in modern politics (granted it hasn't become full scale yet in 2009 where he's from due to citizens united not happening yet). You'll notice the 'I' next to his name in the character list, he was originally a Democrat when he first got into the Oregon House of Representatives in '92 but then he changed to an Independent after NAFTA was passed. He's thoroughly dedicated to anti corruption laws and will stop at nothing to end corruption. So he'll have some nice interactions with Alice in the future.

Oh and I can give a brief synopsis of his voting record if need be. I've fleshed out his career a bit.

edited 3rd Apr '18 6:48:30 PM by Mrship21

Kkutwar The Prince of Foolish Relevations from A Place Beneath both Good & Evil Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
#35347: Apr 3rd 2018 at 7:39:21 PM

Clowns: Does differences in magic mechanics matter at all to Alice's ability? In my settings, magic is a power very much rooted in the soul, itself a naturally occurring mystical phenomenon. Thus the stronger the soul, the easier it is to outright defy reality. Sufficient will and/or emotional power can allow one to perform feats they normally couldn't as well, such as Revenants being those who refused to die.

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#35348: Apr 3rd 2018 at 8:50:41 PM

[up]As it's never been a concern, I'm once again playing by ear. But in general, I imagine it being less dangerous to Sufficiently Analyzed Magic (if only because that would be better at sparking reactions that are not entirely magical) and more effective against the sort of powers that actively defy the cold "reality" the Song sought to preserve.

N.B.: Alice comes from a universe where souls might not even exist. Just as a human mind readily finds and reads the patterns of a human face, some characters — including Alice herself — make the fair argument (perhaps in different words) that the "mind" of magic is a higher-dimensional entity instinctively attracted to and able to easily read the particular patterns that form a sapient consciousness, regardless of the medium — whether a human mind, a sufficiently complex AI, or in theory, even a Boltzmann brain. Whereas Christians, Muslims, Xayusa, and others who do believe in souls argue that souls must be "above" magic, because anti-magic has no damaging effects on the conscious mind (i.e. "soul")... aside from the eccentricities its wielders often develop.

edited 3rd Apr '18 8:53:52 PM by KillerClowns

Wolf1066 Crazy Kiwi from New Zealand (Veteran) Relationship Status: Dancing with myself
Crazy Kiwi
#35349: Apr 3rd 2018 at 10:19:19 PM

@Kkutwar: Justin's shenanigans regarding the demon looks very much like an unprovoked attack is imminent, especially since he made it clear that he would not allow Valerie to intervene. No amount of explaining in this thread alters the fact that, in story, Justin looks like a crazed attacker that has no inclination or intention to back down, regardless of the number of characters that are reacting adversely to his behaviour.

Your characters have done nothing but react adversely to everything and everyone around them. Other characters responding by drawing weapons and telling them to stand down is to be expected in such situations.

EDIT: Only have time to post for the restaurant tonight. Will post for Kaitlyn and an update for Kris tomorrow.

edited 4th Apr '18 1:09:18 AM by Wolf1066

Kkutwar The Prince of Foolish Relevations from A Place Beneath both Good & Evil Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
#35350: Apr 4th 2018 at 4:05:36 AM

Wolfe should of been close by enough to know Miron proposed a duel, and Unchained Devil Justin agreed. Very least, he should of told his friends that even if it doesn't make much of a difference.

As for my characters... Valerie only reacted poorly to Maya and Wolfe. Maya because Valerie's concern was rewarded with inexplicable to her rudeness, and Wolfe who kept insulting Justin despite her familiar having been perfectly polite. Even Justin's demon only really reacts poorly to Miron and Sindar, as it is more his nature and poor speech choices that upset anyone.

"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."

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