Duoya

maybe this is too much but I'd like to gm a pokemon tabletop rp...

I’d definitely be interested in that!

New York, 1999 | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Definitely interested!

⚫ The Fates' School for Gifted Monsters ⚫

Joseph

Shavings fell like brown snowflakes as Joseph eased the knife along the wooden shaft. Of all the craftsmanships that the young man participated in, he felt most comfortable and relaxed while working on new bolts for his crossbow. Not many things were as monotonous yet attention-demanding as the craft - a single mistake or surprise could snap a bolt, or ruin it irreparably. It didn't allow time for retrospection like basketweaving did, nor was it as exhausting as forging was. It was light busy work that allowed the time to pass by productively. All of Joseph's chores were done for the day - the chickens would need to be fed again at dinner and the cloak that wrapped protectively around Joseph's body would need to be given a quarter-pound of meat, but other than those tasks, Joseph would be left staring at a blank wall for the rest of the day.

He didn't mind the possibility of intense boredom. Boredom was a pointless emotion that served no real endeavor and only fueled laziness. No, Joseph simply did not want to waste the precious hours he had done absolutely nothing. Joseph knew he probably wasn't the only person who created their ammunition for their weapons at the academy, but he had a suspicion that most of them chose to simply buy arrows or bolts. Wasteful.

Joseph shook his head and placed his work to the side, unfinished. He had already completed a few dozen bolts over the last few hours, which would last him at least two missions, much more if he was conservative. Despite his desire to continue, Joseph forced himself to stand and leave his room, carefully undoing the bell alarm he had connected to the door. Leaving his work unfinished for an hour or two, constantly gnawing at his mind would be a suitable punishment for thinking poorly of his peers. They were, for all intents and purposes, his equals - Now that he was 15, he had to learn cooperation and associating with other people if he was meant to succeed at his missions. Pack strategies were integral to numerous animals' survival and would enable safety in numbers.

More so than anything else, however, being considerate to other students was an academy regulation.

The difficulty involved in this was more than Joseph had expected, however - how was he supposed to join someone's herd? Cattle and sheep were simple - simply blending in with them is enough to become one of their kind. Others, like wolves, could risk Joseph being killed...

Joseph paused and collected himself briefly. No, that was stupid - death was an impossibility at the Academy. There were rules that enforced that, and they were punished very harshly. Therefore, joining would be as simple as walking up and blending in with a group. The young teen nodded to himself as he passed the stairwell leading to the baths... before immediately turning around and deciding to take a bath. Joseph's clothes were already immaculate, but the teenager found any chance to visit the baths of the academy to be worth abusing. The baths were one of the main attracting factors of the establishment to Joseph - back on the farm he grew up in, the best tools Joseph had to clean himself were lukewarm water and washpans. The waters here, however, were warm enough to leave his skin soft and pleasant to the touch - and Joseph's creations were always pleased with the warmer environment the water provided.

Joseph received a few looks for bringing a cloak into the bath with him, but nothing outrageous - many of the other boys had towels nearby or in the water with them. After a pleasant half-hour of furiously rubbing his skin down and frantic self-maintenance, Joseph felt pleased to continue on his way, perfectly refreshed...

Until he finished getting dressed, when he realized the error of his detour - he was supposed to be rectifying his lack of teammates, not taking relaxing baths! Joseph's cloak shook slightly as it noticed his nerves, occasional black tendrils reaching across Joseph's body in anxiety. After buckling his belt and tightening the string of his cloak, Joseph was left with a final, trying challenge - who was he supposed to approach first with his offering of comradery?

Joseph normally would never consider moving closer to one of the more intimidating students in the school of his own volition - there was nothing wrong with them, but the more physically impressive or dangerous a person was, the less comfortable Joseph felt associating with them. This time, however, was different - the tougher a person was, the more hits they could take. And the more hits someone could take, the fewer hits Joseph would need to run away from. Despite what he wished, Joseph understood the importance of finding someone that covered his weak areas. While Joseph couldn't see anyone else getting dressed, he did see someone just finishing up their bath and beginning to leave...

She was somewhat short, but she had a presence that demanded attention. Mostly because she was on fire. This was perfect - burns were some of the worst pains there were, and by joining this girl, Joseph would have a far better chance with his future missions. More importantly, he'd have a much easier time approaching other students if he had someone like that with him. Joseph rushed slightly to catch up, his cloak unnaturally moving and pushing him forward. When he caught up to the flaming girl, he paused briefly - how was he supposed to initiate an interaction like this? Ah! The weather was a topic that was frequently touched upon by the faculty of the academy, so maybe that would be a good opener. Joseph turned to the flaming girl and spoke.

"Greetings. How are you enjoying the weather? I despise cold weather - my chickens always lay fewer eggs, and on especially cold days I have to leave my cloak with them or else they'll die from frostbite."

That... was the perfect way to initiate a conversation. Pride was a sin, but Joseph couldn't help but allow a small amount to leak into his thoughts after that display. Now he just needed to follow through, allow her to reciprocate, and he would accomplish the hardest task of the day.

"I am Joseph Robiquet. It is a pleasure to meet you."

@Fallenreaper

⚫ The Fates' School for Gifted Monsters ⚫

Joseph Robiquet

Name
Joseph Robiquet

Age
15

Gender
Male

Ethnicity
French

Height
5'6

Weight
140 lbs

-------

Mutant's Mark
Large black pustules with white circles surrounding them grow on various parts of Joseph's body every day, and when left unpopped, they start leaking a similarly colored liquid that moves slightly and withers after an hour. Additionally, he has white hair.

Appearance
Joseph is almost perpetually expressionless, rarely cracking a smile and seemingly moving with autonomous precision. His skin is extremely pale and he dislikes bright lights. While his extremities are slightly cooler than a normal person, the pustules he grows are extremely warm, like a sick animal. His eyes are dark brown, but he usually keeps them somewhat downcast, making it hard to tell. His white hair is an indicator of his status as a mutant, considering he is so young. His teeth and nails are very well manicured and clean despite the time period, a side effect of his compulsive desire for cleanliness. Joseph has a very monotone voice, and he rarely speaks at a loud volume unless it would be most efficient to do so - his voice is clearly that of a younger man, although it can be very hoarse if he uses too much of his blood for his power. Despite the draining nature of his powers, Joseph is suprisingly muscular for someone his age - a result of extended periods of heavy lifting and labor. His typical attire is as utilitarian as humanly possible, lacking any care for style or aesthetic. Typically he wears a large apron and pair of thick gloves, along with a relatively dense and heavy outfit befitting of a metalworker.

Personality
Joseph is the very embodiment of a pragmatic survivor. He views things from a lens of efficiency, viewing concepts like honor and aesthetics as a baffling irrelevancy. He treats people with extreme respect, always using proper formalities and usually addressing companions with titles or by their last name. He finds loud and especially social people to be distracting and slightly painful, and thus prefers the company of those who share his interests.

Those interests include metalworking, tailoring, carpentry, and most forms of craftsmanship. He also prefers to be around people who are physically weaker than him, finding it as a safety net against someone assaulting him - although, he finds the musings and instructions of those stronger than him more valuable, considering it allowed them to be more powerful. He prefers to acquire this information through books, however, since it allows him to avoid people who might find him less than pleasurable to be around.

Despite not displaying them often, there are several emotions that Joseph feels frequently. These include frustration, annoyance, dissatisfaction, contentment, and similar emotions. His most common is probably paranoia - Joseph refuses to sleep without at least one of his creations, and always leaves some kind of method for keeping his room more defendable. He is an extremely light sleeper. He also has an almost obsessive desire to keep his environment clean and orderly, with self-hygiene and maintenance/cleaning taking up most of his free time.

-------

Everyday Skills
Joseph is exceptionally skilled in most forms of craftsmanship, including smithing, tailoring, pottery, and even carpentry. His power has made most forms of his craftsmanship on par with an amateur artisan, but he is especially skilled in these specific fields thanks to a lot of practice. However, he is terrible at aesthetics and creating things like painting and jewelry escape him.

Joseph has almost superhuman patience, capable of performing the same repetitive action for an entire day, and even longer if he can keep himself from falling asleep - he's a fairly good sentry because of this.

Joseph is literate, and while he is not as skilled as a scholar or a person who has been taught to read from a very young age, he has a fairly large vocabulary.

Combat Skills
Joseph specializes in evading an enemy. He is somewhat skilled with a crossbow, although it is common for him to miss moving targets. He mostly relies on his specialized equipment, which helps him evade attacks and enable more maneuverability.

Equipment
A heavy cloak that is effected by Joseph's power, helping him move more easily.

A fairly light crossbow, also subsumed by Joseph's power - it helps aim and help pull the drawstring back.

Several sets of tools, all of which are used for various types of crafts - the only one he keeps on his person is a simplified 'Sewing Kit' that he affected with his power. It can sew small tears on its own but needs supervision for more pressing fixes.

A somewhat concerning number of chickens. They are kept in a chicken coop that Joseph made in the courtyard, and he uses them as both a source of fuel for his items, as well as a steady source of extra fresh food. However, they are unable to support any especially large items that are affected by Joseph's power, since there are not too many and they are very light.

------

Powers
Spark of Creation:
Joseph is almost supernaturally gifted when it comes to creating objects - anything from swords to buildings, the schematics and necessary steps come to Joseph's mind with extreme ease. Essentially, a step-by-step guide to creating something is implanted in Joseph's mind when he focuses on something to create, making the process a simple matter of following directions.

Autonomous Tumor:
Black and white bumps grow on Josephs's body, at a rate of three every day. Popping them and spreading the liquid on an item will cause the liquid to thicken and wrap around it, which writhes and is almost burning hot to the touch. When placed on an item and well-fed, the tendrils that form from the liquid are capable of manipulating the objects on their own, performing motions that they are instructed to by their designated 'Master.' Their strength and speed are directly proportional to their size (a human-sized object will have roughly human strength, while a cloak might only have the strength of a child or teenager), and they are effectively permanent as long as they are fed. Especially heavy objects that are affected by this power are incapable of movement, but the Tumor's tendrils are capable of manipulating nearby objects if they are close enough. They are only capable of performing actions that Joseph can perform - they can write, but can't perform anything beyond the most basic arithmetic, and can't do anything especially skilled that Joseph can't.

Shared Identity:
When within 5 feet of one of his Autonomous Tumors, any mind-affecting or emotional manipulation powers of other mutants used on Joseph instead effect his Creation.

Weaknesses
Curse of Utility:
Joseph's Spark of Creation ability is exactly like a guidebook - while it gives him step-by-step instructions for making something, it is the same every single time. He can't make any big changes to the design without abandoning his power for the creation process, and his power always chooses to make items ats utilitarian as possible. Selling anything made by his power is hard because of this since they all look mass-produced and basic.

To the Letter:
Joseph has to follow his Spark of Creation to the letter if he wants to benefit from it - and while it can create many things, it can't make incredibly intricate or detailed items. Essentially, he can create anything an amateur craftsman can, but could never make a truly impressive item unless he used his actual skills.

Dependancy:
While things made from Joseph's Autonomous Tumor are obediant to their 'master,' they are very basic and have extremly limited mental states. They cannot do aanything requiring extended thinking or planning, and while they are capable of performing actions to use the objects they are bonded to, they cannot do advanced actions without direct supervision. For example: A Pen affected by this power would be able to write anything that someone says as long as it is being instructed to do so and is near the person, and could write a single word or short sentence for an extended period of time without supervision. But they wouldn't be able to scribe the text from a book onto a blank book if it is alone and no one is reading the text out to it.

Feeding:
Along with being somewhat stupid, Joseph's creations need to regularly consume flesh or blood at regular intervals to keep living. This need not be from Joseph himself, and the amount needed is dependant on size and the complexity of object it is bonded to. A lockpick may need a few drops every couple days, while a large wagon would need 20 pounds of flesh a day. Considering their very poor intellect and dependency on a Master, they can't simply be ordered to hunt for themselves without supervision. However, as long as they're fed well and kept in moderate conditions, they can live for around a year, or maybe two if they're especially large.

Sonic Weakness:
A weakness shared between both Joseph and his creations, loud noises are extremely disorientating, and sometimes even blatantly harmful. Shouting could cause one of Joseph's creations to quiver and shake, while noises like an explosion or especially extravagant powers could even kill them prematurely. Joseph can tolerate shouting with slight discomfort, and while an explosion will cause him to stagger and be dazzled for a couple of seconds, he won't be especially injured. Anything louder could cause bleeding from the ears, popped blood vessels, intense skin irritation, vomiting, and temporary deafness. It would take an especially loud noise to outright kill Joseph. Illusionary effects will still harm Joseph and his creations if they involve loud noises, but his Shared Identity power will keep Joseph safe for a brief period.

Common Enemy:
While Joseph's Shared Identity ability protects him from things like mind control, it is not the best that it takes control of his Creations. A would-be manipulator could simply order Joseph's creations to directly attack him, which Shared Identity would not protect against.

UNFAIR MONSTERS [Spots Open]

Finally posted - sorry if it's brief and a little incoherent, I just finished up my last Final a few hours ago and am still a little fried.

UNFAIR MONSTERS [Spots Open]

Ken Ozawa

Ken had successfully managed to integrate himself into the group... or, at the very least, he's managed to sit with them at the cafe they had moved to. He still didn't know any of their names, but then again, it didn't matter too much. Ken wanted to keep his interactions with these monsters as limited as possible, and that was most easily accomplished by being just familiar with these monster hunters, rather than helping them save the city.

At least, that's what Ken told himself. Whether or not he would do something to defend people from these monsters was another thing entirely. The girl that spoke oddly and addressed the group had reverted them to their original forms with no struggle, and while Ken felt he barely spent any of this... 'energy' that she talked about, he hadn't felt any real offensive capabilities like the other hunters. Did Ken really need to be so close to these monsters if he had no way of protecting himself?

Ken stopped thinking about that line of thought, instead of thinking about the girl who led them to the cafe. She claimed she wasn't human, and while Ken normally would have dismissed her as some teenager trying to seem cool in some weird way, the large monster that the group had defeated shattered any pretenses that Ken held about the world. Hell, he had superpowers - the weird girl could be a fairy for all Ken knew.

One of the boys, the one who had been controlling the odd chain earlier was buying food for the odd girl, as well as the girl who had asked for food at the end of the last fight. That was nice of him - Ken was glad that he wouldn't have to be the one to buy the homeless girl's food, considering he now had time to think things through and realize his status with the group. If he really wanted to join - something that could seriously injure him - then all he had to do was demonstrate his powers. He hadn't seen any of the other warriors use healing abilities, although the one girl who got injured was healed by the time she reverted to her normal form.

Ken didn't order anything for himself - he hated eating out, and only followed the group to the cafe in order to get more acquainted with them. If he was going to spend money, he preferred to spend it on something that would be useful to him for at least a week or two. For food, he could just get some from his parents while he was still young.

While drinking some water from the thermos that he always had with him, Ken noticed one of the warriors introduce themselves. The one who had the paintbrush was called Nori Hirai. At least Ken finally had a name to ascribe to the paintrbush warrior. Ken chose to remain silent for the rest of the time at the cafe, not wishing to try and force himself into the group since he provided only superficial aid to the first battle. He could integrate himself next time a monster attacked, or if one of the other members initiated the conversation with him.

UNFAIR MONSTERS [Spots Open]

Will get a post out sometime tomorrow

Edit: Finals are holding me up - post will be out Wendsday, Thursday at the latest.

⚫ The Fates' School for Gifted Monsters ⚫

@Shard
Just finished up this guy, so there might be a spelling error or two. Let me know if anything needs to be changed to make it fit better.

Joseph Robiquet

Name
Joseph Robiquet

Age
15

Gender
Male

Ethnicity
French

Height
5'6

Weight
140 lbs

-------

Mutant's Mark
Large black pustules with white circles surrounding them grow on various parts of Joseph's body every day, and when left unpopped, they start leaking a similarly colored liquid that moves slightly and withers after an hour. Additionally, he has white hair.

Appearance
Joseph is almost perpetually expressionless, rarely cracking a smile and seemingly moving with autonomous precision. His skin is extremely pale and he dislikes bright lights. While his extremities are slightly cooler than a normal person, the pustules he grows are extremely warm, like a sick animal. His eyes are dark brown, but he usually keeps them somewhat downcast, making it hard to tell. His white hair is an indicator of his status as a mutant, considering he is so young. His teeth and nails are very well manicured and clean despite the time period, a side effect of his compulsive desire for cleanliness. Joseph has a very monotone voice, and he rarely speaks at a loud volume unless it would be most efficient to do so - his voice is clearly that of a younger man, although it can be very hoarse if he uses too much of his blood for his power. Despite the draining nature of his powers, Joseph is suprisingly muscular for someone his age - a result of extended periods of heavy lifting and labor. His typical attire is as utilitarian as humanly possible, lacking any care for style or aesthetic. Typically he wears a large apron and pair of thick gloves, along with a relatively dense and heavy outfit befitting of a metalworker.

Personality
Joseph is the very embodiment of a pragmatic survivor. He views things from a lens of efficiency, viewing concepts like honor and aesthetics as a baffling irrelevancy. He treats people with extreme respect, always using proper formalities and usually addressing companions with titles or by their last name. He finds loud and especially social people to be distracting and slightly painful, and thus prefers the company of those who share his interests.

Those interests include metalworking, tailoring, carpentry, and most forms of craftsmanship. He also prefers to be around people who are physically weaker than him, finding it as a safety net against someone assaulting him - although, he finds the musings and instructions of those stronger than him more valuable, considering it allowed them to be more powerful. He prefers to acquire this information through books, however, since it allows him to avoid people who might find him less than pleasurable to be around.

Despite not displaying them often, there are several emotions that Joseph feels frequently. These include frustration, annoyance, dissatisfaction, contentment, and similar emotions. His most common is probably paranoia - Joseph refuses to sleep without at least one of his creations, and always leaves some kind of method for keeping his room more defendable. He is an extremely light sleeper. He also has an almost obsessive desire to keep his environment clean and orderly, with self-hygiene and maintenance/cleaning taking up most of his free time.

-------

Everyday Skills
Joseph is exceptionally skilled in most forms of craftsmanship, including smithing, tailoring, pottery, and even carpentry. His power has made most forms of his craftsmanship on par with an amateur artisan, but he is especially skilled in these specific fields thanks to a lot of practice. However, he is terrible at aesthetics and creating things like painting and jewelry escape him.

Joseph has almost superhuman patience, capable of performing the same repetitive action for an entire day, and even longer if he can keep himself from falling asleep - he's a fairly good sentry because of this.

Joseph is literate, and while he is not as skilled as a scholar or a person who has been taught to read from a very young age, he has a fairly large vocabulary.

Combat Skills
Joseph specializes in evading an enemy. He is somewhat skilled with a crossbow, although it is common for him to miss moving targets. He mostly relies on his specialized equipment, which helps him evade attacks and enable more maneuverability.

Equipment
A heavy cloak that is effected by Joseph's power, helping him move more easily.

A fairly light crossbow, also subsumed by Joseph's power - it helps aim and help pull the drawstring back.

Several sets of tools, all of which are used for various types of crafts - the only one he keeps on his person is a simplified 'Sewing Kit' that he affected with his power. It can sew small tears on its own but needs supervision for more pressing fixes.

A somewhat concerning number of chickens. They are kept in a chicken coop that Joseph made in the courtyard, and he uses them as both a source of fuel for his items, as well as a steady source of extra fresh food. However, they are unable to support any especially large items that are affected by Joseph's power, since there are not too many and they are very light.

------

Powers
Spark of Creation:
Joseph is almost supernaturally gifted when it comes to creating objects - anything from swords to buildings, the schematics and necessary steps come to Joseph's mind with extreme ease. Essentially, a step-by-step guide to creating something is implanted in Joseph's mind when he focuses on something to create, making the process a simple matter of following directions.

Autonomous Tumor:
Black and white bumps grow on Josephs's body, at a rate of three every day. Popping them and spreading the liquid on an item will cause the liquid to thicken and wrap around it, which writhes and is almost burning hot to the touch. When placed on an item and well-fed, the tendrils that form from the liquid are capable of manipulating the objects on their own, performing motions that they are instructed to by their designated 'Master.' Their strength and speed are directly proportional to their size (a human-sized object will have roughly human strength, while a cloak might only have the strength of a child or teenager), and they are effectively permanent as long as they are fed. Especially heavy objects that are affected by this power are incapable of movement, but the Tumor's tendrils are capable of manipulating nearby objects if they are close enough. They are only capable of performing actions that Joseph can perform - they can write, but can't perform anything beyond the most basic arithmetic, and can't do anything especially skilled that Joseph can't.

Shared Identity:
When within 5 feet of one of his Autonomous Tumors, any mind-affecting or emotional manipulation powers of other mutants used on Joseph instead effect his Creation.

Weaknesses
Curse of Utility:
Joseph's Spark of Creation ability is exactly like a guidebook - while it gives him step-by-step instructions for making something, it is the same every single time. He can't make any big changes to the design without abandoning his power for the creation process, and his power always chooses to make items ats utilitarian as possible. Selling anything made by his power is hard because of this since they all look mass-produced and basic.

To the Letter:
Joseph has to follow his Spark of Creation to the letter if he wants to benefit from it - and while it can create many things, it can't make incredibly intricate or detailed items. Essentially, he can create anything an amateur craftsman can, but could never make a truly impressive item unless he used his actual skills.

Dependancy:
While things made from Joseph's Autonomous Tumor are obediant to their 'master,' they are very basic and have extremly limited mental states. They cannot do aanything requiring extended thinking or planning, and while they are capable of performing actions to use the objects they are bonded to, they cannot do advanced actions without direct supervision. For example: A Pen affected by this power would be able to write anything that someone says as long as it is being instructed to do so and is near the person, and could write a single word or short sentence for an extended period of time without supervision. But they wouldn't be able to scribe the text from a book onto a blank book if it is alone and no one is reading the text out to it.

Feeding:
Along with being somewhat stupid, Joseph's creations need to regularly consume flesh or blood at regular intervals to keep living. This need not be from Joseph himself, and the amount needed is dependant on size and the complexity of object it is bonded to. A lockpick may need a few drops every couple days, while a large wagon would need 20 pounds of flesh a day. Considering their very poor intellect and dependency on a Master, they can't simply be ordered to hunt for themselves without supervision. However, as long as they're fed well and kept in moderate conditions, they can live for around a year, or maybe two if they're especially large.

Sonic Weakness:
A weakness shared between both Joseph and his creations, loud noises are extremely disorientating, and sometimes even blatantly harmful. Shouting could cause one of Joseph's creations to quiver and shake, while noises like an explosion or especially extravagant powers could even kill them prematurely. Joseph can tolerate shouting with slight discomfort, and while an explosion will cause him to stagger and be dazzled for a couple of seconds, he won't be especially injured. Anything louder could cause bleeding from the ears, popped blood vessels, intense skin irritation, vomiting, and temporary deafness. It would take an especially loud noise to outright kill Joseph. Illusionary effects will still harm Joseph and his creations if they involve loud noises, but his Shared Identity power will keep Joseph safe for a brief period.

Common Enemy:
While Joseph's Shared Identity ability protects him from things like mind control, it is not the best that it takes control of his Creations. A would-be manipulator could simply order Joseph's creations to directly attack him, which Shared Identity would not protect against.

⚫ The Fates' School for Gifted Monsters ⚫

Definitely Interested - will get a character out sometime tomorrow or Sunday.

Spirit Wielders!

Norman Hitchcock/Bokeh

Medium

Name:
Norman Hitchcock

Age:
14

Normal Appearance:

My Hider

Norman typically wears formal attire, seldom being seen without a tie. He keeps a large backpack containing most of his 'directing supplies,' which includes a clapper board, an electric megaphone, a collapsable Shotgun Microphone, a tripod, and a folding chair. He barely has enough room for his actual school supplies. The most casual outfit he is willing to wear is a beret, scarf, polo shirt, and khakis.

Norman stands at 166 centimeters (5'5") and weighs 59 kilograms (130 pounds). His voice is very animated when he is interested in something, but respectful and somewhat distant when he is bored. His most prominent feature is the fact that he is almost constantly taking pictures of things around him, or recording while talking to the camera.

Medium Appearance:
Norman does not change too drastically when his Familiar is out - his eyes change slightly, gaining an appearance similar to a Camera lens, and his eyes shutter when he blinks in this form. Other than this, he is completely unchanged. This allows him to be very subtle with his medium activities.

Grade:
Freshman

Personality:
Norman is extremely annoying, naive, and obsessive above all else. He clings onto people like glue, doing his best to make a positive impression and get attention from them. He finds people fascinating, constantly focusing on their 'roles' and how they fit into his life. Norman believes that greatness can come from anywhere, and the situation doesn't matter - what matters is how a person responds to their surroundings, and their actions. Norman's fascination is mainly linked to his love of cinematography - he feels that he may be able to jumpstart his directing career if he can find a good cast of characters, and he is constantly on the lookout for people who would fit the bill. Or, at least, that's what Norman tells himself.

As can probably be assumed, Norman is consumed by cinema - both viewing movies and directing itself. Norman's greatest dream is to become a well-respected director and create films like the ones he grew up with. Norman especially loves horror films and thrillers.

Norman is unused to talking to people and lacks any real friends. Because of this, he is very quick to please others in an attempt to get them to like him. He can appear like a doormat and naive child because of this, and it's a pretty accurate description of him. When complimented, however, he'll get a somewhat inflated ego. Norman is extremely fond and protective over his familiar, Bokeh, viewing it as one of the only friends he's ever had - he is completely oblivious and dismissive towards the fact that Bokeh only tolerates him to return to its True Form.

Background:
Norman spent his entire life in Lakewood, being the child of a fairly wealthy couple. While Norman grew up with nearly anything he could ever want, his parents were distant due to their careers and the stress placed on them. They loved him as much as any parent could, but Norman lacked the close familial bond that most children develop. Norman's parents, exhausted from their young child's attempts to get their attention while they were trying to rest, began relying on television to keep him occupied. Growing up on older films, Norman attached a feeling of affection and nostalgia to them and slowly grew to value them over nearly anything else in his life.

Upon entering middle school, Norman quickly realized that his interests were starting to alienate him from his peers. He tried encouraging others to look into cinema, but when his classmates didn't enjoy them, Norman grew very upset and wanted to distance himself from people who didn't enjoy his favorite pastime. He eventually learned that acting more animated and excited would get more attention from his teachers and peers, and was quick to adopt an appropriate persona. As the years went on, this persona eventually became more than just an attempt to get people to pay attention to him, and it became his natural behavior.

When Norman found Bokeh, and the two went into a pact, Norman finally felt that he had a true friend. He became almost inseparable with the spirit, keeping it's sealed form on his person at almost all times. This is a very clear weakness, as Norman got suspended after violently assaulting a classmate that took the camera and refused to return it. Norman regrets this in hindsight since he could have simply had Bokeh escape and return to him at a later point in time.

Other:
Norman loves Alfred Hitchcock, with his favorite film of all time being Rear Window.

Spirit

Spirit Name:
Bokeh

Spirit Classification:
Machina

Threat Level:
Category 1

Spirit Personality:
In contrast to it's Medium's very flamboyant persona, Bokeh lacks any real creative outlook or passion, instead embodying the very essence of a pragmatic survivor. Years as a Shade has grated Bokeh's sense of pride and honor into nonexistence and inflated it's hatred towards humanity to incredible bounds. It's main reasoning for even offering to become Norman's Familiar was to gather information on other mediums and learn more about human weaknesses, which Bokeh feels is enough to tolerate Norman's presence. For information and the chance to more easily manipulate humans near it, Bokeh will go to extreme lengths - it is very obedient towards Norman solely to make the Medium trust it more and be more vulnerable around it.

Spirit Appearance:

My Hider

Bokeh is one of the smaller spirits, being roughly the same size as the average Crow. The only outlandish aspect of its appearance is the fact that it has a small camera in place of an actual head. This camera is functional, capable of recording video and taking photos in very high resolutions, and possessing several additional features - including Infrared, Thermal, impressive Zooming, and Audio recording. While it can speak in a somewhat distorted and scratchy voice, it much prefers communicating via pact connection or creating photographs via its illusion ability.

Sealed Appearance:
While Sealed, Bokeh takes the form of a small camera, which is the same as the one located on its True Forms head.

Summoning Abilities and Stats:
Bokeh can only be summoned and lacks any Spirit Charge. While normally this boosts a Spirit's Abilities in all aspects, Bokeh seems to benefit almost exclusively in terms of Range and Duration. It can move 250 meters away from Norman and can be kept in physical form for hours before Norman's energies are depleted. Other than this, however, Bokeh is nearly identical to a normal bird, being fairly fragile and physically impotent. It's most redeeming capability is its mobility and flight, allowing it to cross its range in a very short time for a Spirit with no speed enhancements.

Special Effects:
The first Focus Bokeh possesses, Special Effects is a specialized type of illusion that is meant to disorientate and trick other creatures and Spirits. It causes beings near Bokeh to perceive effects or objects that don't exist - such as seeing and feeling a stone wall that doesn't exist, or feeling the heat of a fire that isn't really there. These illusions affect the appropriate senses, and while someone could feel pain from an imaginary effect, it is nowhere near as painful as the real version and does no physical damage. It is based on belief - if the target has reason to not believe an illusion (They know Bokeh uses illusions and assume this is one of them, or Bokeh flies through an illusionary wall), then the illusions only affect their sense of sight. These illusions can only appear within 20 meters of Bokeh.

Stunt Double:
Bokeh is capable of generating semi-real copies of itself, for a relatively cheap energy cost. These copies persist as long as Bokeh wishes them to, and they are capable of replicating any action the original can perform. These copies have the same intelligence as Bokeh itself but are instilled with a goal during their creation that they seek to accomplish before disappearing. While they are just as weak and fragile as Bokeh itself, they are far more willing to perform suicidal actions, and will usually aim for soft vital parts of enemies or cram their bodies into an enemy spirits mouth to block it. These doubles disappear upon death or dismissal, but anything they record can be saved on an SD card or USB if a real one is given to the double before recording. Only the original Bokeh can use Special Effects, the copies are effectively just crows with cameras.

Other Information:
Bokeh is occasionally ordered to send Doubles to search for lost valuables or money. They mostly return with change or singe dollars, if they come back at all, but it is a free source of income.

Weaknesses and Limitations

The biggest weakness in the pair is Bokeh's physical weakness - It is only as strong as the average Crow, and raw numbers can't combat an exceptionally durable Spirit. Combine this with the fact that Norman is unable to Channel in any way, and a surprise or direct confrontation will always end with the pair's defeat.

Bokeh's Special Effects, while capable of causing living things and spirits to feel real pain and experiences, are still just illusions. They do not affect physical objects or creatures, making it useless as a tool or a form of defense. All it can do is trick other beings, and warp their senses. An illusionary fire, for example, can't light up an area - it can only trick someone into thinking it does, and it's pretty bad at that.

Norman's personality is a massive block on the combat potential of the pairing. While he has no qualms with attacking opposing spirits, Norman will often not strike when he has the opportunity to quickly end a fight, viewing it as anticlimactic. Instead, he'll record the fight until he is satisfied, possibly going as far as to allow a seemingly harmless spirit to escape. While Bokeh usually curbs this aspect of Norman's personality, it is not a full-proof foil to this aspect of Norman.

Contract

The soft leather of a recliner gently caressed Norman's skin as he sat in the theater. The lights were still on, yet nearly every seat in the house was occupied by suited men - except instead of heads, they had cameras sprouting out of their necks. At first, Norman was relaxed, used to similar dreams in the past - perhaps the feature film would be directed by Norman himself, and everyone in the theater would give him a standing ovation after it was over. The theater itself was immaculate, lacking the usual sticky floors and annoying noises of other patrons. The lights slowly faded, and Norman noticed that a large bucket of popcorn was at his feet - the perfect film-watching food. Norman threw pieces into his mouth as text appeared on the screen upfront.

'The featured film is about to play. Please turn off all electronic devices, and be silent throughout the film - if you cause a disturbance, you will be removed from the theater.'

Norman smirked at that. The only way someone would be a disturbance during his film in his dream would be if it was actually a nightmare. Norman was going to eat some more popcorn before he noticed the man to his right slump over. As Norman looked around, he saw that the people around him were touching the sides of their camera heads, before seemingly collapsing. Before he knew it, Norman was the only conscious person in the entire theater.

The film was starting, without any pre-show advertisements or acknowledgments of studios that worked on it. Images appeared on the screen, before changing to the next image alongside a loud, digital clicking sound. An empty house, followed by a makeshift nest of feathers and film rolls. A child's corpse was the next image and caused Norman to tense somewhat. It was... too realistic for Norman's usual means - guts splayed out and seemingly radiating heat. A man running through the decrepit house was next, and then the man was shown hiding against a wall, displayed in a thermal vision.

Norman fully realized the reality of the situation when he saw a screenshot from one of his favorite movies, The Birds. Dozens of crows crowded together on a playground jungle gym, seemingly nonchalant to their photographs being taken. Norman loved the older films but knew that including actual screenshots were not the smartest idea - if he really made the film that was playing, he would have at most remade the scene on his own, rather than show the original film's portrayal. The next image was seemingly the same, as was the one after that. As they shifted faster and faster, Norman realized the differences. Each image, another crow's head was replaced with the same camera as the one the members of the audience had. Soon, every crow had a camera - and they started moving towards the audience. It was slow, almost as if they were trying to hide it. Just as one of them took up the majority of the screen by itself, the entire theater was plunged in pitch blackness, the projector shut down.

Norman breathed heavily, nearly hyperventilating. Unbeknownst to him, this was the exact thing that the Crows wanted. A bright light appeared, and Norman yelped as he saw that one of the Crows was right next to him, a photo coming out of the back of its head. It took several tense seconds of silence before Norman finally reached for the photo, somehow able to see it clearly despite the total lack of light.

In the photo, the crows were all in their original positions, but there was another figure with them. Norman was laughing, playing on the jungle gym, accompanied by a single crow with a camera. The real Norman, the one that wasn't in the photo, was nearly shaking in fear.

"W... Why are you doing this to me? W-What have I done?"

Another flash of light, although Norman was much faster to retrieve the photo that emerged. The camera bird was being stomped on by some man and was bleeding excessively. It was followed by a second picture, which depicted Norman kicking the same man repeatedly in the stomach, with a few people that Norman didn't recognize also lying on the ground.

"Revenge? I, uh... I'm not sure if that's a great idea for me..."

Another flash, far too fast for comfort. The photo had Norman surrounded by bills of some currency he didn't recognize. After a few seconds of looking at it, another photo was made - almost as if expecting Norman to deny the offer. This one had him walking on a group of people, bowing to him. Norman frowned at this and was about to speak before another photo was quickly shot. The final photo portrayed Norman alongside the bird, shaking hands with famous actors and filmmakers who were eager to grab his attention. A red carpet, a fancy suit, and he was coming out of a nice long limousine...

Norman reluctantly offered a hand to the bird, and the theater instantly lit up, the audience coming back to life suddenly. They all turned towards Norman, lenses contracting as if they were focusing on him, and began applauding as if he just performed some amazing feat. Norman slowly grinned at the sight, basking in the attention he was being fed, and the chance to finally achieve his dream.