forum Out in Space (classic lit and sci fi) (Reboot) (CLOSED, stalkers welcome)

Started March 10, 2021 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

@Tired-but-passionate
@your-problematic-fave
@ThoroughlyAccursedCreator

Y'all know the plotline, yeah? Moriarty divides them into groups, groups eventually band together, yadda yadda.

Please post your character sheet so that they're all on the same page! Make any changes you've gotta make

Also I was thinking we could do like, archetypes? And fill in the groups that way? Like each group has a "fighter/muscle" (obviously that's Alek bc. come on lmao) and a "brain" or whatever? Idk, just spitballing

Name: Hamlet Aleksandar Monpezat (Goes by Alek or Aleks, usually, and not by Hamlet)
Age: 22
Gender/Pronouns: Trans-male, he/him
Orientation: Biromantic demisexual
Appearance: Alek is of about average height, standing at 5'9". He will often insist that it is, in fact, 5'10", if only to make himself seem just a little bit taller. He is rather angular in body shape, with a slim figure and long, nimble fingers, along with rather pronounced cheekbones. He is rather pale, with only the faintest dots of freckles on the bridge of his nose, that really only appear in summer. His hair is pale blond, and his eyes are a medium blue. He typically dresses in black. Has some scars from top and bottom surgeries. Has a tattoo on his inner left wrist that simply says "Memento Mori".
Personality: Alek can be, admittedly, rather indecisive and prone to wild theories, often jumping from idea to idea in a manner that can, from the outside, seem nonsensical or even mad. This has, of course, earned him the title/nickname of "The Mad Prince", since he doesn't bother explaining these seeming gaps in his logic. Towards friends and family, he is often caring, if a little capricious. He is thoughtful, but often prone to bouts of cynicism, bitterness, and melancholy, often falling into periods of depression that he has a hard time shaking. The death of his father affected him severely, to the point where he often refuses to speak of it, and of his later involvement in the deaths of his father's brother, his mother, and others. He is intelligent and quick-witted, though these qualities are often hidden under his other, more glaring mannerisms. He's actually fucking insane, and a little violent too.
Skills: Can do things under the guise of his "madness" that others might not suspect (meaning he could do something seemingly random that could set in motion other events). Good at scheming up plans, but not necessarily good at following through with them. Has a good ability with weapons of all sorts, as well. Acting.
Hobbies: Writing, often in long-winded essays that never end up being published. Watching or participating in theatrical productions. Exploring.
Backstory: (cracks knuckles here we go–) Aleksandar was born Hamlet Aleksa Monpezat, the heir to the throne of Danmar, a city-state. At 13, he came out as trans, which his family accepted. Mostly. His uncle was not very happy, but couldn't do much about it. He also did not have a great relationship with his uncle anyways, do to his uncle being abusive towards Alek. Alek never told, and still won't to this day. When he was 18, after having surgery, he headed off to college in a different city. A year later, he received word that his father had died. Upon his return, he discovered that his mother had married his uncle not even a month after his father's death, and that his uncle was now the king of Danmar, a position that rightfully should have been Alek's. While going through some of his father's old possessions, he finds a video that his father recorded as he was dying, saying that Hamlet the elder had been poisoned by Claudius, the uncle. Alek, furious, swears to avenge his father's death. However, hobbled by his own indecisiveness and thoughtful personality, the way he does this is extraordinarily roundabout, and it takes several tries. During this time, Alek's fiance, Ophelia, goes mad and commits suicide after Alek mistakenly kills her father, thinking him to be Claudius. Laertes, Ophelia's brother, challenges Alek to a duel. Laertes is working with Claudius, and together, he and Alek's uncle plan to kill Alek. This plan backfires, and Alek's mother is mistakenly poisoned. She warns Alek, who kills Laertes, and then kills Claudius. Claudius does not die a quick, clean death. Alek, having been driven to the brink of sanity by everything that has happened, tortures his uncle to death, then forces him to drink the same poison that killed Alek's mother. Alek was found, insensible and near death himself, by Fort, the prince of a nearby city-state, who had been coming to attend a ceremony that would help the two city-states form an allegiance. Fort commits Alek to a hospital to try and help him, and in the meantime takes control of Danmar. Once Alek is deemed fully recovered, he takes back control of the city from Fort. However, he is the only living survivor of what has been deemed The Royal Massacre, and still refuses to tell the story of that day and the dark months leading up to it. After a year of leading Danmar, at age 21, he passes the throne to Horatio, his best friend, and vanishes into the night.
Other: ~

Name: Sherlock Holmes
Age: 20
Gender/Pronouns: Non-binary, they/them
Orientation: Demi-romantic asexual
Appearance: Sherlock is tall, about 5'6", but skinny as a rake. They have dark green eyes. They are latinx, with olive toned skin. They have curly dark hair, that springs up from their head in crazy corkscrews that they do their best to keep under control, though they don't always succeed. They dress pretty professionally most of the time. They prefer long-sleeved buttonups, usually in white, and then a dark pair of trousers. Sometimes suspenders. Usually they wear a dark trench coat over top, no matter the weather.
Personality: Sherlock is extraordinarily smart, and very blunt about everything. Due to this, they can come across as harsh, though they don't mean to. If they realize they have hurt someone, they will apologize, but they don't always realize it, due to being pretty emotionally blind. They aren't good with emotions at all, whether their own or someone else's, and as a result, tend to come across as rather cold. Struggles occasionally with addiction.
Skills: Anything useful to detective work
Hobbies: they enjoy knitting when they have time or are stressed
Backstory: Sherlock was kicked out of their home at 17. They shortly met an ex-military Dr. John Watson and his wife, Mary Watson, and stayed with them for a while solving mysteries on the side for cash. They ended up staying with the couple and became very close friends with them both. They have since moved out, but remain friends with the Watsons. They want a pet cat, but don't have one since they feel it might be too time-consuming, and they already have so much on their plate. They have dabbled with drugs before, and struggle with that sometimes.
Other: has at least mild, undiagnosed autism

Name: Mina Harker
Age: (20+) 26
Gender/Pronouns: female, she/her
Orientation: bisexual
Appearance: https://pin.it/6Y7HsdL but with green eyes. 5’5, pear-shaped body. Wears this https://pin.it/2YJuNJm underneath that coat
Personality: ENFJ- a natural-born leader, full of passion and charisma. She’s unafraid to stand up and speak what needs to be said. Finds it easy to communicate with others. Tends to get very involved in other’s lives. A true altruist, and unafraid to go through a struggle to get to a brighter future. Though she's good at diplomacy, when she gets angry she gets a little carried away and will either become sassy as all heck or shout loud enough to be heard a mile away. On the inside, she's a little sad and shaken up, mostly due her past.
Skills: Observant, creative, tolerant and diplomatic, knowledgeable on vampires, able to see through someone’s mind as long as she knows their name and where they are
Hobbies: reading, listening to podcasts, spending time with friends and Jonathan
Backstory: (cracks knuckles as well hoo boy-) Mina Murray became an orphan around the age of 10. All she remembers is her parents going somewhere one day and never coming back. She theorizes her parents were killed by the Clay Man, as she knew her parents were pretty important people. She inherited her parent’s mansion and was raised by her aunt and her wife until she was 19, around the time she met Jonathan Harker. They get engaged around 3 years later. In that time, Mina establishes an orphanage, as she realizes that not every orphan is as lucky as her, but only now had the resources to act on that realization. One day, while Jonathan is away for work, her friend Lucy Westenra falls ill. Mina then hears that Jonathan is being kept at a hospital, and he insists that he marry her there. Despite the efforts of other good friends of theirs, Dr. Seward and Dr. Van Helsing, Lucy dies. Jonathan recovers and describes his traumatic experience with a client of his, one Count Dracula. Dr. Van Helsing and Mina then discuss all that had happened, and she begins to suspect that Dracula might be working for the Clay Man. Then, the children in her orphanage begin dying mysteriously. Van Helsing reveals that Lucy has become a vampire and is draining the blood of children in the area. So, with the help of Seward, Arthur Holmwood, Lucy’s ex-fiancé, and Quincy Morris, a friend and one of Lucy’s suitors, they stab Lucy’s heart to prevent her from rising again. Van Helsing, revealing himself to be a vampire expert, educates everyone on vampires, the powers, habits, etc. Unfortunately, Mina, being caught up in keeping the children in her orphanage safe, doesn’t attend Van Helsing’s vampire lesson. Soon, she also becomes ill. Every night, she dreams of thick mist, burning red eyes, and a white face looming over her. One night, Mina is attacked by who she now knows to be Dracula, who force-feeds her his own blood, so he can spy on them through her. The men find her and her husband, who was put into a stupor by Dracula, and they fight back. Dracula escapes, leaving Mina traumatized. The next day, the men plan to leave to try and stop Dracula by destroying his 50 boxes of earth, which he uses to stay strong. They managed to destroy 49 of them, but Dracula escaped with the last one. With Mina’s power, they are able to figure out that he’s going back to Transylvania, and they have to get to him before he makes it there. Mina and Van Helsing go and seal off his castle, while the other men kill him before he’s able to reach it. Though Dracula was dead, the curse he placed on Mina was not. It morphed into the ability as it is described above. She eventually finds out though, through a not-so-mundane series of events.
Though it’s been 3 years, those events and how they connect with the Clay Man and her parents plague her to this day (I’ll just leave it at that)
Other: btw, Mina left the orphanage in the care of her aunt and her wife while she was on her vampire adventure. Mina and Jonathan also own a cat, a silver tabby named, well, Silver

Name: Katherina Minola, goes almost solely by Kate
Age: 26
Gender/Pronouns: Female, she/her
Orientation: Aromantic asexual
Appearance: Kate is around 5'4", and has a stocky, broad-shouldered build. She's naturally more heavy-set, but has lost weight since her marriage to Petruchio, as he would often deny her food. Sort of an hourglass body type, with wide hips and thighs. Tends to cross her arms a lot. Olive-tan skin (think Italian), deep brown eyes with short lashes. Two small moles on her face; one by her right eye and one just to the bottom left of her lip. Resting Bitch Face. Her hair is dark brown–but still visible brown as opposed to black–and bushy. It's cut jaggedly at around her shoulder blades, she docked it after running away.
Personality: Kate is, to put it bluntly, a bit of a bitch. She's aggressive, incredibly stubborn, headstrong, and isn't above laughing when someone she dislikes is down. She has a quick wit and a quicker tongue, and you can never quite tell if she knows that her remarks can be cruel. She also has a tendency to be a bit hypcritical, where she'll talk a big game but rarely follow through while expecting others to. That being said, she's undyingly loyal to her friends (though she has few) and is very clever, not to mention set on using her abrasive personality for good as a lawyer. After her marriage to the cruel and abusive Petruchio, she's more soft-spoken, as she's frightened of being punished for stepping out of line, and is still trying to "get back" her fierce spirit.
Skills: Arguing (in a lawyer way), good with a knife, self-defense. Acting.
Hobbies: Reading, specifically nonfiction; practicing self-defense techniques like throwing punches and how to wield a knife effectively. Once tried to take up dancing, but quit after two lessons.
Backstory: Kate is the older of the two Minola daughters, the last remaining children of the once-wealthy Minola family. Her father Baptista Minola is incredibly strict and a devotee to old-fashioned traditions; he refused to marry off Kate's much more marriagable sister Bianca until Kate–the "shrew"–got married. Kate, who knew that Bianca was also feeling suffocated by their family situation, reluctantly agreed to be optional for engagement, although she had no interest whatsoever in marriage. She tried to put on a smile and act more like what her father's friends would expect a young lady to be, but her reputation proceeded her. Eventually she gave up and went back to her more abrasive personality, much to her father's chagrin. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the son of her father's best friend (a mysterious man who she had never met) came to town. His name was Petruchio, and he was a drunken asshole who did nothing but antagonize Kate. Since he was the first one who offered to marry her, Baptista agreed without even consulting Kate, and she was married off. As much as a dick as Petruchio had been before their marriage, he was even worse after, often depriving Kate of food and sleep for no good reason, mistreating and beating her and their servants, and trying to break her spirit to make her the "perfect wife". It worked for a year or so, and Kate was a Stepford Smiler for that point, gritting her teeth and bowing to Petruchio's whims. One day, however, she overheard him telling a servant that he had tired of Kate and wanted to try and "tame" another woman, this time Bianca, whose husband had died in an accident. Kate waited until Petruchio came to bed that night in a drunken stupor, and stabbed him in the eye before fleeing the planet for Soul.
Other: Due to Petruchio often tormenting her by forcing her to agree that he knows the time (despite the visible clocks and suns disproving him), the first thing she does once she leaves is to buy a watch.

Name: Victor Frankenstein
Age: 21
Gender/Pronouns: Male, he/him
Orientation: Homoromantic asexual
Appearance: Victor is tall (6'3") and gangly, with long legs, and little muscle or fat. He has a narrow frame and face, and a very pale complexion that's made more noticable by the fact that his cheeks are often flushed due to fever or embarrassment. His eyes are dark green and not very good at their job; he's very nearsighted and needs glasses to see (he refuses to get any sort of laser surgery, as it frightens him). Often has a vaguely concerned expression on his face. Usually quite tense, and tries to take up as little space as possible. Uses hand motions a lot when he talks, regardless of if he's holding something or if he's in a crowded space. His hair is black (although he's been starting to notice some premature greying), straight, and falls about halfway down his back, usually contained in a low, neat ponytail.
Personality: Victor is incredibly smart; if you talk to someone who's interacted with him, that's the first thing that they'll say, probably followed by "but I had no idea what the hell he was talking about." He's very earnest, and throws himself headfirst into whatever "project" captivates him at the moment, often without any regard for his well-being or for his friends and family. He's generally a bit shy unless he's in a situation where he desperately wants to gain approval (such as when showing off a project to a teacher), in which case he's obnoxiously showboat-y. He tends not to be close to those his own age, with the sole exceptions of Elizabeth Lavenza, Justine Moritz, and Henry Clerval, who are his only friends in general. He often struggles with putting his thoughts and feelings into words, most of his notes would make sense to no one but him. He took a special interest in science at a young age–specifically biology–and it has captivated him ever since; he's taken just about all of the high-level science courses offered and is proficient at most of them. He has a very strong desire to be self-reliant, based in a fear of abandonment, and often refuses help on the basis of that. Unintentionally (most of the time) self-neglectful. He's a bit of a neat freak, especially with regards to his lab. God-awful sleep schedule. An odd mix of being both arrogant in his abilities, and insecure about himself. Absolutely terrified of losing those who are close to him, which turns him to some less-than-pleasant sciences. He's definitely not in love with his best friend, why would you think that?
Skills: S C I E N C E. While not one for extracurriculars, he's pretty good at chess.
Hobbies: Has an old, battered notebook that's full of ideas for future science projects. Writing totally platonic letters to Henry, playing chess. Going hiking, especially when there's woods and rivers and such.
Backstory: Victor is the eldest son of Alphonse and Caroline Frankenstein, a well-off family from the mountainous moon of Genla. He was a very intelligent yet very antisocial child, and was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age seven. He stayed mostly to himself and had few friends, save for his longtime friend Henry Clerval, his adopted cousin Elizabeth Lavenza, and Justine Moritz, a young girl whose mother worked at the Frankenstein estate. His parents tried their best, but didn't really know how to raise him, and he went to several different esteemed schools over the course of his school years. He'd spend every summer back on Genla with Elizabeth and Henry, exploring the mountains and rivers, as well as theorizing the mysteries of life. Victor's parents soon had two more sons, Ernest and William. Victor was initially not too fond of them, but grew to love his brothers. Unfortunately, when Victor was seventeen Elizabeth fell very ill, and his mother quarantined the two of them together so she could help her. Elizabeth pulled through, but Victor's mother did not. Her death sunk Victor into a deep depression, and isolated himself from his family and friends by heading to Enna–an industrial, city-heavy planet– for college. After a year of milquetoast lessons on chemistry, anatomy, and other things he felt that he'd mastered, he feel even deeper into self-neglect and dark sciences, and began an obsession with the concept of reanimation that was unlike any passion he'd felt in years. He neglected to reply to–or even read–letters from his family members, and instead poured himself into developing "theoretical" ways to raise the dead. He did, however, make one friend at college: a fellow science student named Margaret Walton (who was reeling from the death of her parents). Margaret quickly became his only friend at school, and shared his interest in reanimation. And so when their biology teacher (Professor Krempe) asked the two of them to aid him in the reanimation of his younger brother (a man who died of a rapid and severe bout of illness), the two of them agreed, eager to test the bounds of their knowledge, not to mention impress a man that they both greatly admired. As it turns out, when Krempe said "aid", he meant "do most of the work", and the two ~20 year olds pulled the lion's share of the weight in the operation. Victor and Margaret all but dropped out of their classes to moniter the progress, dig up corpses to use, and even offer their own nonessential organs when necessary. In fact, Margaret and Victor each gave a kidney to aid in the process. The reanimation was a…success? Krempe's brother came back to life, but he was a large, frightening being very unlike his original form due to the amount of changes to his original composition and the time he spent, y'know, as a corpse. Krempe was disgusted; Victor passed out cold at the sight of him; and Margaret was, while not disgusted per say, massively disappointed. Krempe turned against the students, threatening to have them jailed for their crimes since it didn't turn out to benefit him. Margaret slit Krempe's throat with a scalpal, but not before he stabbed her though the stomach with his knife. Victor came to to an empty operating table and the dead bodies of his favorite professor and his friend, and panicked. If he called the police, he'll be arrested for his role in it, not to mention that he's the only living person in a room of corpses. He sets the shed on fire and flees to Soul to try and make a new life for himself, afraid to head back to Genla out of fear of endangering family and friends.

Name: Eden "Frankenstein" (because Victor is albeit a terrible father, but still a father)
Age: Doesn't know their birthday but is at least 20-ish, Victor was drunk on the weeks near Eden's creation and neglected his journal before so Eden doesn't know their birthdate.
Gender/Pronouns: Nonbinary, they/them
Orientation: Bisexual, but has a lot of trauma around relationships and probably won't actively seek one out.
Appearance: It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.

Personality: You know the saying "Hurting people hurt people"? Well, Eden hurts the most of all in this analogy. They're angry, and upset with the world, and nobody can really understand how much they've been denied which causes them further anguish because nobody can even begin to understand how they've been hurt. Literally, they don't even know how to smile in a way that isn't fake or sarcastic because they genuinely have never experienced real happiness. However, don't let them fool you. Eden is a master manipulator, and probably has some sort of antisocial personality disorder because of how they were taught to survive, and they will kill you if you're in their way even if before, crossing that line was something they'd never have done.
Skills: They know just about everything there is to know about weapons and torture, as well as being a good driver in a tight situation and a phenomenal hacker.
Hobbies: Mostly just pissing off Victor, which is better than literally torturing said Victor so… eh.
Backstory: Shortly after being abandoned by Victor, Eden was picked up by a local gang and used as a champion fighter in an illegal tournament, slowly learning language, reading, and writing along the way but very little in the way of social skills. Eventually, the DeLacey crime family picked them up and bought them, using them as the muscle for various operations. The head, Louis DeLacey, and his closest relatives along with the extensive family line used Eden's compassion and willingness to do anything for their "Rescuers" to the family's advantage. Eventually, when Eden was a bit older but not much wiser, a woman named Safie who had married into the family forced Eden into an affair with her and repeatedly abused them and used their naivety to her advantage to the point where they nearly died by her hand and still were devoted to Safie. Her husband, Felix, found out about this and with the help of his sister Agatha tortured and sexually abused the poor creature until they'd pretty much broken and given up, allowing themself to be swayed by the whims of the two siblings while leading a double-life of working for the DeLacey's twisted ends and letting themself be tortured, willingly until the end. The end came all too soon, when finally they snapped and killed their assaulters and had to run away after Louis DeLacey, the sibling's father, found out. He had a soft spot for the creature and was the only one to show real kindness to them. He gave them Victor's journal, which detailed Eden's creation, and told them about Victor's life, his family, everything the creature needed to know for revenge against the one who started it all. After finding Victor and doing a few murders, the two eventually came up with a truce, deciding to move to Soul and stay there. Eden by then had pretty much become a twisted monster and repeatedly tortured Victor and even smashed his father's (Victor's) legs so badly that by the time Victor had gotten medical care, which Eden had refused to him for months, they couldn't make him able to walk without robotic support braces and elbow crutches both and Victor usually just uses a wheelchair because even with that walking is painful. So… moral of the story is don't abandon your newborn children to the elements or they can and will fuck you up.
Other: Lavender by Penelope Scott is a pretty good song to describe them actually, especially "it takes a special kind of glitch to make a monster out of something so kind" idk it just gives me feelings.

Here's Eden, I'm busy rn so I'll post Victor in about an hour.