J.D. (for next plot)

Posts : 4 Join date : 2015-09-19 Location : California

John Dee Tuttle
"Thousand-faced moon, look favorably upon my sacrifices!"

The Biography

Birth Name: John Dee Tuttle
Aliases: J.D.
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Height: 5"11
Weight: ~130 lbs
Birth Day: August 17
Arcana: Hunger/Lust
Place of Residence: ????
School Year: Second
Class:

After School Club: None (Formerly Literature Club but ceased attending due to obsession with occult research)

Part Time Job: No

Appearance: He has none of the accent of his mother's southern family roots, an his half-Japanese ancestry is most noticeable in his very lightly colored skin. Chocolate brown hair is somewhat messily draped over an unassuming face, with piercing dark blue eyes. Generally dressed in an unkempt button shirt over an undershirt, jeans, sneakers. Always carrying a messenger bag laden with books and minor occult artifacts, herbs, ect. Frequently wears a black jacket, the pockets of which contain the same.

Personality: Although certainly power-hungry and filled with the typical delusions of grandeur possessed by young men, Johns' primary motivation for wanting to serve Nyarlathotep is overwhelming fear. More than anything else, James is a coward who believes it better to be at the right hand of the devil than to be in his path. His readings have convinced him that Nyarlathotep is the most powerful being in the universe (as they have included little mention of Philemon and the Velvet Room) and that to know of it without allying alongside it is to invite disaster. Additionally, although perfectly sane, he is desperately afraid of losing his mind under the weight of the cosmic secrets he has uncovered, and hopes that aligning himself with Chaos will allow him to embrace the terrible truths he has learned. However, he would likely align himself with an cosmic force that could offer him the security and power he believes he needs to keep his mind intact.

The Potential

Strengths:

—Strength Name: Mask of Madness
—Description: John has memorized so many writings of insane sorcerers and eccentric scholars and is under such obvious mental duress that he can appear completely psychotic to anyone who is not academically trained in psychology. In reality he is perfectly logical, albeit increasingly detached from humanity, and is simply familiar enough with stereotypes of the insane that he can appear harmlessly (or ruthlessly) mad to an untrained eye.

—Strength Name: Sociopathic Cruelty
—Description: Having learned of the darkest natures of the universe, John no longer cares for humanity in the way an ordinary person would. He sees his species more closely to how the dark gods he has researched would; as tools, beasts, or obstacles, more than equals. This allows him to show no mercy without any additional) impact on his mental stability, no matter the situation.

—Strength Name: Dedicated Researcher
—Description: John always had a talent for digging up academic treasure; his diligence and patience is nearly unmatched when it comes to poring over texts for key details, particularly those of historical, anthropological, or occult subjects.

—Strength Name: Dark Insight
—Description: Although the texts he has found on other worlds and cosmic primordial forces are disjointed and cryptic, John has studied them enough that he has some familiarity with them. He can feel when ancient forces are at work, and by drawing on his readings can get a general sense of the nature of other worlds when he comes into contact with them.

Weaknesses:

—Weakness Name: On The Edge
—Description: The secret truths of the universe which John has uncovered are nihilistic to say the least. He is in possession of knowledge not meant for mortal minds; each day he awakens half-expecting the world to have ended. The stress has made him paranoid, depressed, and detached from ordinary life.

—Weakness Name: Cowardly
—Description: John is desperately afraid of death, or worse: having to face the wrath of the cosmic beings he now knows lurk behind the folds of our dimension, either in life or in death. Because of his paranoia, he worries that anyone could secretly be a servant for some otherworldly power. Consequently he is desperate to avoid conflict without guarantee of victory, particularly since death could mean a confrontation with one of those powers he so badly fears.

—Weakness Name: Unsympathetic
—Description: Because he does not view humanity as an important attribute any longer, John is nearly completely unable to relate to other people, making forging meaningful emotional bonds practically impossible.

—Weakness Name: This Could Be My Last Day...
—Description: When death might lurk around every corner it's much easier to let go of all inhibitions and do hedonistic and terrible things on a wild impulse. Because of his certainty that the world could end at any moment, John is easily tempted by self-indulgent desires.

Soul Bound Weapon:

Weapon Name: Ceremonial Blade
Weapon Description: A ritual dagger, standard for bloodletting practices. It has been sharpened to the point of being effective in combat and has ancient sigils carved into the hilt.
Weapon Image:

Weapon Attack Type: Slash
Weapon Element: None

The Background

History:John originally grew up in New Orleans, but on recommendation from his father (who frequented an area near Azores on business) he enrolled in the prestigious Zela Academy. Until he attended the academy, John was a relatively ordinary angst-ridden teenager, save for a passion for Lovecraftian fiction and an interest in occult research. However, while pouring through old texts in the university library he came across what he recognized to be a variant copy of the supposedly mythological text "De Vermis Mysteriis," which contained expansive details on not only magic but also the nature of the Other Worlds and the Crawling Chaos. With this knowledge, he became obsessed with furthering his occult research, to the complete exclusion of his academic studies (he is currently failing all classes). He attempted numerous rituals involving Limbo and communicating with spirits, with the ultimate goal of contacting and forming a pact with Nyarlathotep itself.

Recently John has doubled his efforts at forging contact with the terrible deity. He has seen signs and portents that make him certain the world's time is running out, and that in a great coming battle all of those on the losing side shall suffer a terrible fate. John barely even attempts to keep up his studies and real-life responsibilities. Driven by fear, obsession, and lust for power, he is focusing all his attention on mastering the magicks necessary to contact the Crawling Chaos and make a dark bargain. Each passing day is spent memorizing more eldritch secrets and making further preparations for dark sorcery. The stress of his endeavors are slowly eating away at the stability of his mind; he has read enough horror stories to know what to expect from delving into cosmic secrets. His defense against the horrible truths is his rationalization that he only uncovers as much as he needs to survive, and that once he has allied himself with a great cosmic power he will be protected from all the horrors the universe has to offer.

Subject: Re: J.D. (for next plot) Mon Sep 21, 2015 7:29 am

M'kay.

Just so you know, the school is closed down now, so be sure he has an alternate place to stay at instead of the dorms.

Would be nice if you could add at least a bit more detail to appearance. Stuff like height and weight should be included, for example.

As for the whole concept...I don't really think it's entirely plausible. Sure, books may have mention of Philemon and Nyarlathotep, but I'd say it's at best some spiritual stuff. Of completely different origin than what the two Gods actually represent and do in a Persona Universe like this. I find it extremely unlikely that there would be records of things like the Velvet Room, or the other worlds...as they are something that pops up when some supernatural disaster strikes, and aren't the same each time it happens. Just like last plot's Limbo and this one's Alt worlds aren't really the exact same 'thing'. (also, in Azores, we don't even have Limbo, it's just the alternate worlds, which are even closed off right now due to plot happenings) Seems rather farfetched when you consider things logically.

Plus, the means of power here are simply the Personas and their skills, no matter who one is aligned with. Rituals...would probably play no real role in causing big things to happen. If you want to do custom things, the way to do it is to work on obtaining Human Skills. Which is our way of being able to make custom 'skills and abilities' for a character that deal with the supernatural side this closely.

Nyar probably doesn't play actual favoritism much either, so special info is unlikely. He rewards those that further his case somehow and actually accomplish something in his name first.

You can try talking with the current plot leader Gran-chan, as he is the one to give a final say on what is allowed in such matters, due to Azores being his setting, but I think this is a bit too over the top to realistically work.

And also...your soulbound can't really do that. A book that pierces minds so easily? That would make it nigh unavoidable in fights like PvP, which is a no-no. It is supposed to be a physical kind of strike, no magical shtick. So a book is most likely to be Strike..as in, hitting someone with it literally. The only way for a soulbound to do special things of this kind is to have a Human Skill that gives said ability in some way. Or make improvements with special items you can obtain on the way.

I think that's all right now. Feel free to ask if you want something clarified, etc.

Posts : 4 Join date : 2015-09-19 Location : California

Thanks a bunch for your review! As a newbie I obviously need all the help I can get.
I have altered the residence and history to be more in line with the aftermath of the zela academy incident. I think.

I am still struggling with what constitutes "balanced" or not with the strengths and weaknesses. The first accepted characters I looked at to try and get an idea included an essentially magical martial artist and a ghost, so I didn't think having black magic would be that much of a stretch. Is there any kind of guide to balancing things like that or is it really just something you have to get a feel for after playing more?

I did not realize accuracy was something that was taken into account in battles here! I didn't see anything about calculating hit chance in the battle guide when I checked it. Of course my weapon idea would be too strong if that is the case; its changed now.

As for the rest, I have done some revising but I'm not sure whether they're suitable either. My goal is to make a twisted variant of a typical Lovecraftian protagonist, and their strengths usually revolve around their insight into the supernatural or their (often double-edged) connections with it. If anyone has any suggestions on how I might represent that I am eager to hear them.

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