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SPECIFIC PERMISSIONS: BELIEF AND YOUR CHARACTER
So, Jack here is something of a supernatural entity--specifically, a spirit of winter. And you can't see, hear, or touch spirits of his kind unless you believe in them. Sure, the ice and frost he can spread around is still perfectly tangible to the common eye. But Jack himself? He might as well be nonexistent, as far as nonbelievers are concerned.
Naturally this throws a pretty odd spin on potential CR, and the ways in which Jack is able to interact with people, so that's where this post comes in! The pool of characters floating around in rp is definitely a varied one, after all, and belief can be a surprisingly tricky thing, in Jack's case moreso than most. His condition in particular has really picky rules when it comes to who can see him and who can't, for some reason. :| So! I've scrammed up a general layout of the three levels of belief* your character might fall in for Jack below:
*of note: Myths/embodiments/deities similar in nature to Jack, or parallel spiritual beings like ghosts, will be able to see, hear, and touch Jack by default, regardless of belief level. Things like zombies, werewolves, vampires, etc probably won't fall into this same category, however. The rule of thumb when it comes to this kinda thing is level of spiritness, not species.
Of course, even with all this said and done, not every character is quite the same as another when it comes to something like belief, and it's possible that not every character can be classified between three simple categories either! In the end it's all about interesting CR, as far as I'm concerned, and these are just rough guidelines--I'm always more than happy to negotiate or flex things around a little bit, as the need requires c: And just as belief can be built? It's shown in canon that belief can also decline and outright drain away, with the right punches to personal faith, and this is something that I'd definitely be up for playing around with too. Basically there are a load of directions this could go in! So if you've got an idea, feel more than free to hit me up about it, seriously o:
But in the meantime! Here's a handy-dandy little form that you can fill out and comment with on this post, if you're up for having Jack interact with your character somehow! And if you have any additional questions, or aren't quite sure where your character might fall, you can hash it out with me either with a comment here or by my other contact means.
Naturally this throws a pretty odd spin on potential CR, and the ways in which Jack is able to interact with people, so that's where this post comes in! The pool of characters floating around in rp is definitely a varied one, after all, and belief can be a surprisingly tricky thing, in Jack's case moreso than most. His condition in particular has really picky rules when it comes to who can see him and who can't, for some reason. :| So! I've scrammed up a general layout of the three levels of belief* your character might fall in for Jack below:
Nonbelievers: Simply don't believe in him. Jack Frost is that one guy in that one song that nips noses and things. A fairy tale that doesn't even have a particularly fleshed story; a handwaved reason for why winter rolls around. All it takes for Jack to be entirely invisible to someone is a dismissal or unawareness of the existence of similar winter spirits and Jack Frost specifically. Your character can believe wholeheartedly in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny or any other crazy myth from their homeworld, be a seasoned veteran that deals with the supernatural all the time, or be the most magical mofo to ever take a stroll down the sidewalk--but if your character doesn't think that there's an actual person behind the nuances of winter, they just won't see him, and they'll be able to pass through him like air. Jack could be standing right beside you, waving his arms and insulting your family cow at the top of his lungs, and you'd never be any the wiser for it.
But nonbelievers can be converted to believers, quickly or very slowly depending on the character! And even in nonbelief, Jack (and I) will find other ways to communicate with yea of little faith, whether it's via fun/pranks/charades of the icy variety, or forays into text messaging via whatever networking device available. Jack can work indirect interaction, and I can work it too!
Half-Believers: Kinda float around in that gray area between categories. Your character might carry a vague belief that something influences winter, be it some other winter spirit/deity or a simple superstitious inclination in that direction. Nonbelievers inching towards belief in Jack as being that specific individual, and not just a name that happens to coincide with the myth, will often slip into this classification for variable bouts of time as well. Either way, it's progress! The most basic concept for this category is that your character actually acknowledges there might be a person and identity behind winter shenanigans, even if they don't really think of Jack as that specific person when it comes to this idea, or are still slightly skeptical about the fact. And these people are more likely to get glimpses and pieces of Jack's presence one-on-one, depending on the strength of this half-belief. Maybe they're only able to see him out of the corners of their eyes, or they can only hear his voice, or they can see him if they peer hard enough at the flicker of silhouette in the air in front of them but can't hear a word he's saying--any combination of these kinds of things. As a general rule they can detect that there's somebody there, but they can't quite touch him or pin him down for a fact yet.
Believers: Believe in him. Not just the mere idea of a purveyor of fun or winter--these people implicitly believe that Jack Frost the individual is a thing that exists, and fully trust the validity of this identity. They can see, hear, and touch Jack just the same as they might any other normal person. And the novelty will probably never entirely wear off on Jack's part, either :'|
*of note: Myths/embodiments/deities similar in nature to Jack, or parallel spiritual beings like ghosts, will be able to see, hear, and touch Jack by default, regardless of belief level. Things like zombies, werewolves, vampires, etc probably won't fall into this same category, however. The rule of thumb when it comes to this kinda thing is level of spiritness, not species.
Of course, even with all this said and done, not every character is quite the same as another when it comes to something like belief, and it's possible that not every character can be classified between three simple categories either! In the end it's all about interesting CR, as far as I'm concerned, and these are just rough guidelines--I'm always more than happy to negotiate or flex things around a little bit, as the need requires c: And just as belief can be built? It's shown in canon that belief can also decline and outright drain away, with the right punches to personal faith, and this is something that I'd definitely be up for playing around with too. Basically there are a load of directions this could go in! So if you've got an idea, feel more than free to hit me up about it, seriously o:
But in the meantime! Here's a handy-dandy little form that you can fill out and comment with on this post, if you're up for having Jack interact with your character somehow! And if you have any additional questions, or aren't quite sure where your character might fall, you can hash it out with me either with a comment here or by my other contact means.
Character Name:
Character Series:
Level of Belief:
Why this level?
Just a little blurb about why your character can't/can see Jack to whatever extent--ie "BECAUSE THEY'RE CREATURES OF LOGIC AND DON'T TAKE TO THIS FAIRYTALE NONSENSE" or "they're a god of Insert Deity Here" or "yeah they've actually always thought Jack Frost's a pretty legit guy". Half-Believers can also use this section to elaborate on the extent to which they can see/interact with Jack in person. This'll generally be a helpful thing to have on hand for me, so I can tweak Jack's interactions with you dudes accordingly!
Anything else?
For any additional info/questions/comments/whatevs
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Character Series: Left 4 Dead
Level of Belief: Half-believer
Why this level? Because if zombies are real, then there's the possibility that other thought-to-be fictional beings are real too.
no subject