a playlist for crying until you see spots, getting drunk off smirnoff ice in your bedroom with your best friends and your little bat familiar, being horrendously bad at being a prophet, and songs to blare loud enough that ur cute apartment neighbor just has to come over to your door to tell you to stop.
zelda earl - twenty-three - human turned alchemist.
aka, jane porter from tarzan.
meet ur local ‘snorts when she laughs’, has downed five cups of coffee by noon, neurotic local scientist
she has a big ‘ol decree in evolutionary biology and ecology and she was drawn to st. ostara to do research on magical creatures evolving through time and what stayed/what left so they could keep on keepin on!! she also works for a research company who may or may not be morally shady that wants to reap info on magic to help better human lives (think of what all those healing powers could mean for some ppl!!)
the type of person who yells “look at the moon!!” every night :/
if u have a cool physical descriptor about you she will likely ask to sketch you (looking @ you dragons w cute horns)
with our opening scheduled just a few days away, we figured we would give you all a heads up on how to start working on apps!
FREESTYLE SECTION: a rough minimum of ~~ 300 words. you do not need to meet this requirement exactly. freestyles are daunting, so we want people to have fun with them! whether that be through freeform verse writing, sectioned details about your character, etc. anything goes!
POWERS: here, you will list your character’s powers, for other player’s reference as well as your own. for full blooded creatures, you get all the powers listed within your species, as well as one additional power of your choosing (this can be anything, regardless of if it appears in another species or not). you do not need to include all these powers if you so choose. you may detail a brief, 1-2 sentence explanation of your character’s relationship to their powers/how they utilize them if writers deem it an important part of the character.
an example of this explanation:
- prophecy construction
clover’s prophecies typically come to her in dreams, although she has had yet to have one in many years. her prophecies tend to break any confines of logic and their lack of coherency - as well as infrequency - unsettle her.
ETC. MAGIC: here, you can detail any curses, hexes, magical items, etc your character may have. we’re lax on magic, so pretty much anything goes!
SHIPPER: brief synopsis of your character, platonic, romantic, atomic - you guys know the drill with this one!
IMAGES:
app image (an aesthetic image that represents your character, not fc/spirit) 400x212
avatars - 200x400
one square gif of your face claim for the mini profile
and one square gif pertaining to your spirit (if your character is from a work that does not have gifs, you may use a general, aesthetic one that suits your character’s vibe - searching for ‘faceless gifs’ will bring up resources for this).
species in st. ostara are classified in categories, grouping together monsters of similar traits. there are eleven categories within the city - these are the final two.
MERFOLK
whether it be lurking underwater or singing in a smoky bar, the merfolk have the rest of the city absolutely enthralled - despite their rough history as ‘hunters’, many can’t resist their charms. many non-merfolk still traditionally view the various species of this category as prizes to be won over.
MERMAIDS
a famously beautiful species, mermaids are the epitome of what it means for looks to deceive. they are a surprisingly brutal people, lingering near shores to try and lure innocent humans into the waters and to their deaths at the claws of hungry ocean-dwellers. human flesh is the staple of a mermaid’s diet, and allows them to access the full strength of their abilities. peaceful mermaids who subsist on regular food, however, are not unheard of - just less powerful, and more likely to have their human form be slightly unstable. these days st. ostara has taken more and more measures to prevent too many humans from disappearing at the idyllic ruby coast, and the mermaids who crave flesh have taken to hunting in their humans forms, as well.
+mermaid form
a mermaid’s primary state. the ability to turn into a half-human, half-fish.
+siren call
the power to sing or otherwise produce a sound that lures in anyone nearby.
+water manipulation
the ability to create and control water.
+whirlpool generation
the power to create whirlpools.
mermaids can live up to 150 years.
BUNYIPS
distant cousins of mermaids, bunyips are half-aquatic creatures who lurk in the swamps and freshwater rivers of st. ostara. while mermaids tail’s tend to emulate that of fish, bunyips tend to carry characteristics of eels, alligators, and snakes. able to turn into a human form at will, bunyips are incredibly sensitive to sun, used to the murky waters of their home, and you will rarely find one without a sun hat or umbrella within the city, regardless of the weather. their home waters also leave them with murky gray and green splotches on their skin, leaving most bunyips envious of the beauty associated with mermaids. although they feel no desire for human flesh, their jealousy often extends a hand to the natural born prey of mermaids, and many bunyips will assist in the ‘hunt’ to aid their sisters.
+ bunyip form
a bunyip’s primary state. the ability to turn into half-aquatic creature, half-human.
+ poison generation
the ability to generate poison.
+ water manipulation
the ability to manipulate the element of water.
+ enhanced camouflage
the heightened ability to blend in with one’s surroundings.
+regenerative healing
the ability to rapidly heal from non-mortal wounds, as well as regenerate body matter.
+acid manipulation
the power to create and control acid liquids.
bunyips can live up to 150 years.
SELKIES
before merfolk gained human forms, transforming loved ones into this species was the answer to seemingly doomed relationships between land-walkers and those that live in the waters of st. ostara. made of fatty animal hide and stitched together with kelp, selkie skins are made and enchanted by hand, their magic taking effect when donned by the first willing recipient of the item. many species in the city consider becoming a selkie one of the ultimate acts of love - for those who choose this path permanently trade away their birth species, and may find only a single power from their previous form remaining. because selkies are born of love, it is considered a good omen for non-merfolk to see them in the ocean, though a selkie’s own luck may run sour if a jealous ex-lover or curious creature decides to steal their skin while they stretch their legs.
+selkie form
a selkie’s primary state. the ability to turn into a half-human, half-seal. selkie skin must be stored when not in this form.
+healing tears
the power to heal physical injuries with one’s tears.
+water purification
the ability to cleanse water of any pollutants.
+thermal resistance
the power to be able to survive in extreme temperatures.
+bubble manipulation
the ability to create and control bubbles and foam.
selkies can live up to 150 years, but will be killed if their skin is destroyed.
OTHERS
those that fall outside of traditional groupings, due to the vague or unremarkable nature of their species.
CHIMAERAS
while those who are half one species and half another usually pick a side to more strongly identify with, those who are so diverse in blood that they have no primary identity are dubbed chimaeras. usually equipped with a strange mix of powers, history has considered the species somewhat roguish and flighty, though they are finding more and more that stereotypes fade as their existence becomes less stigmatized.
chimaeras can have up to six powers of their choosing.
chimaeras have mortal lifespans.
weakness: chimaeras have somewhat weaker abilities due to diluted blood, and cannot have any shape-shifting abilities, including those of a kitsune, familiar, hellhound, or merperson.
HYBRIDS
** note: this species will not be an option on site for mini profiles, apps, etc.
children of full blooded parents of different species. like normal human genes, traits of different species will come out more strongly than others in offspring, and hybrids identify strongly with one half of their heritage.
hybrids will have an average of their parent’s lifespans - immortal hybrids may span thousands of years, but will never know true immortality.
HUMANS
humans in st. ostara are not a rare sight - they flood the streets, businesses, and beaches of the city, eager to see its wonders, ready to be dazzled by flashy street shows and charms. tourists come and go, however, which leaves only a small minority of human locals in the city, people who live and work side-by-side with the supernatural. generally considered outsiders, they’ve had to learn to stay alert and streetwise, or else be taken advantage of by the magical who tend to assume every human is a simple visitor, and therefore easy prey.
