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epistemological) wrote2019-05-23 10:33 pm
Permissions v.2
Jonathan Sims is the Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute in London. He has nearly been devoured by the Corruption and survived it. Saw a teenager disappear forever into a darkened doorway at the age of eight. Bears the scars of a dozen living fears on his body and nigh on a hundred more in his heart. Jonathan Sims has been claimed by a god he did not want but chose with every step, over every threshold.
He has walked the Distortion and come out the other side. He has faced the Unknowable and Seen it for what it is. He has looked at the End and denied It. He saw the hate of the Slaughter where it hid and excised it. Jonathan Sims has been to the forever deep below creation, where the weight of existence bears down, where there isn't even an up... and emerged.
Jonathan Sims has become a monster... and holds even tighter to his humanity than ever before.
→ PASSIVE ABILITIES
Tape Recorders Jon's always got a tape recorder on him and if he DOESN'T then one will appear, on and recording during important moments. We've got no evidence they actually need batteries. If he goes too long without recording a statement (one detailing matters of the supernatural and fear), he does start to sicken and may even expire but recording a statement (from a written statement or live) restores his strength. He is connected to the tape recorders, and they have been shown to act as a familiar of his (only appearing when he's conscious and active).
Statements Jon's passive ability helps those who would give a statement on their experiences order their thoughts, remember the details of their stories, and provide a coherent narrative which might otherwise be difficult. Statements recorded in the presence of an Archivist have a supernatural quality which allows one to feel and experience the events as if from behind the eyes of the person who gave the statement, complete with some sensations, sounds, or even music. If a statement is recorded live onto a tape recorder, there is a chance that Jon will appear in their nightmares on the subject if both parties sleep outside of a cabin. Further, he can sense statements (say if one is in someone's bag) and use them to guide him out of dangerous situations.
Language As of this point and time, Jon doesn't hear or realize language barriers unless the information is in written form, wherein he can notice that the text is actually in another language at a second glance. He cannot speak other languages, but he can comprehend any language as if it were English.
→ ACTIVE/REACTIVE ABILITIES
The Compel When Jon wishes to, he can make any question he asks irresistible to answer. The words must be in the form of a question (or a demand for information), and it must be completed and heard by the person he is attempting to get the answer out of. It also only works in person; recordings do not set off the compulsion. He primarily Asks by intention but it does, on occasion, get away from him.
He can compel you to admit something you didn't realize consciously, things you've been lying to yourself about, something you thought you'd forgotten, details that you were unable to recall, or things that have been obscured by magic or changes in perception. It cuts through to the truth.
He can not compel you to admit things you have no way of knowing (aka unrelated knowledge or things you cannot figure out like the square root of pi) or things you do not honestly think.
The narration will use the capitalization of Question or a 'buzz' will be mentioned when the compel is used.
In any recording of the events, there will be a fuzz of static during the asking of that question.
Knowing Jon, as an avatar of the Eye, occasionally has information effectively drop-shipped into his brain. Some of the time, he has no idea that it was drop-shipped in and assumed that he read it somewhere or figured it out. Other times, well... it's a little too obvious. Most of the time, it is additional information added to research he's already done or on the topic that he's focused on. It can also be information that he needs for a particular moment, such as how to a certain surgical procedure or what he might need for a situation. It can also tell him where things are that he needs, or which one of a group is the right to pick for what he wants. That said, it can be as simple as where someone is or is going to be at a certain time.
Sometimes, however, his Knowing can drop in things he doesn't actually want, need, or intended to know about. While he is unwell, this can include surface thoughts in people's minds (questions they're about to ask, things they're thinking about something he said or did) and he may or may not notice that he did it. Otherwise, while he COULD do this, he never EVER will, not even while frustrated or angry.
Seeing As you might expect from someone affiliated with an entity known as the Eye (or the Ceaseless Watcher, or Beholding), Jon does have an ability to See things that others might not see. If he puts the effort in, he can see through lies, illusions, warped perception, and see the truth of what someone or something is, very like True Seeing in D&D. Further, he can see vital truths about a person, place, or thing but nothing so 'focused' as mindreading; it's more like a soulgaze from The Dresden Files. Deeper, but less concretely helpful.
Monstrous Form At this point, Jon is stronger than a normal human being and heals at a very accelerated rate: wounds from mundane injuries cause no scars and heal almost immediately (as in, healing so quickly that a cut finger healed up without a scar the moment the knife was removed); wounds from supernatural beings/powers take longer to heal (days instead of weeks) and will leave a scar.
Extraction Jon can forcibly rip a statement/someone's life story out of them. This ability would only be used in the most extreme of circumstances or while in a state where he has been influenced. This is shown to be petrifyingly terrifying and also deeply painful and includes a certain amount of mindreading as well.
Idea Drops Jon can drop ideas into other people's minds. As of 141, we have no evidence that he can FORCE anyone to do anything, but he can put anything from a suggestion (why don't you just go take a break?) to an alarm (I need help and am in danger) to an outright command (Stop!) which is certainly DISCONCERTING coming from inside your own mind especially since, judging from Jon's own experiences, you can't really tell if it came from inside or outside of your own head. Much like extraction this will never be done without explicit discussion and approval.
→ PERMISSION FORM
I would appreciate, if you intend to play with Jon extensively, that you fill out this form and leave a comment accordingly. If you do not fill out this form, I will assume that none of his abilities are active in regards to your character; the standard explanation for this is that because the source of his abilities are from an extraplanar Entity connected specifically to his world, it's like incompatible software: it's power cannot affect said character in whatever way for whatever reason.
Any use of these abilities will involve OOC contact/checks before they show up in thread!
Feel free to update or re-enter at any time.
transilience][old post for reference]
no subject
Journal Name: routemistress
- The Compel: Does it work on your character? YES
- Knowing: What level of information are you (generally) comfortable with Jon getting dropped into his head? - anything we find it OOCly convenient for him to know is good
- Seeing: Can he See you? Mostly. I'd like for some bits of Iris to remain unknowable.
- Monstrous Form: Do you think your attacks would be a fast heal or a slower heal for him? fast. She has no special combat abilities and isn't likely to try and hurt him anyway.
- Other: Any weird interactions that you think your character might have with his abilities, given their source (an eldritch fear Entity)? Or the concepts of being a 'monster in the making'? Nothing suggests itself, lmk if you think of any.
- Plotting: Do you have any particular plots you'd like to run using his abilities? Are there any Questions you see that Jon could ask that might be helpful to your character arc? Are you interested in engineering a situation for something like an Extraction? nah.
- Avoid!!!: While I'm going to check OOC for everything, is there any particular thing I should be particularly aware of or serious triggers/issues that you would prefer to avoid.
my own triggers are addiction and suicide, if we can avoid those everything's good.