Penny Dreadful - The tailor of memories and dreams

[NykylaiHellray]

(An idea for a charecter I am developing, thoughts and critique are appreciated)

A spinner of tales in the most literal way, she is a tailor of equisite skill that lives deep in the bowels of the more exclusive streets of grand central.

She is the crafter of the clothes only heard of in stories. The gown of a princess, the suit of a prince. The ballgown which took part in the first kiss of true love.

Each thread are the strands of words made manifest. The memories and imaginations of children, the bored, and people wanting to get somewhere better in life.

Though for all her skill, she can craft no stories of her own, for she herself has no story of her own (whether lost or stolen she does not know).

So she steals others stories be them imaginery or real, to be the raw materials on which she makes she craft.

She is a fey though only knows of what she is, not how she came to be. She spends most of her time buried in her work, lost between piles of fabrics that change and shift, glimmer and glow as the eyes pass over them.

Most of the time when her work gets to much, she outsources buying in her memories from another extracter of the minds of men (though we will talk about Sandra and her drugs of emotions another day).

She usually steals their stories while they sleep (for the dreams of men are more potent tales from which no reality can bind them). Pulling it out as a thread from behind their right ear.

Some say she had her mind stolen by the trainmaster. To be the purger of less needed thoughts, a futher precaution to maintain the order of grand central. Though if this is true then their is no pattern or thought in whose stories she takes. For she steals only the most potent of materials, and does not go by the intent to incite chaos that lies in the minds of some.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Interesting idea. I could see a campaign-arc deriving from this NPC, as either the PCs or their employer have had their stories stolen and need to regain them.

The bit where her memory has been taken away seems a bit too much like the Lady of Ravens, or some interpretations of the Nightmare Man, though. Perhaps her past wasn't really stolen, but rather, the truth is very dull and undistinguished? Ashamed of how badly her own history compares with that of characters in her stories, this villain might be deep in denial about her true origins, convinced that someone "stole her past" and replaced it with some "obviously false" bland memories.

[cure]

One interpretation of the need for psychoanalysis is the loss of the ability to rework and retell the story by which one forges and reforges one's identity. This might be applicable to the NPC and/or her victims.

[NykylaiHellray]

I have to say I like those ideas rotipher. I would like to expand upon this in that maybe she was forced to grow up before her time. Devoid of a childhood and of fun, but always lost within work.

It also makes her more wrapped up in stories, in that she she fabricated (bad pun?) a story to hide her own past.


As for looks I see her as a very pretty girl in her mid 20's, but apart from that is highly dull and restrained. She wears mens clothes, half glasses, and has essentially a boys haircut.

She has no room for creativity except within her work. No time for games, no time for being remotely social. Its all work, and nothing but.

Anything else is a silly suggeston she can do without.


I am also playing now with an idea for two more charecters. One is a clockmaker who steals and distributes others time, another is a banker whose obsession with maintaining the city has some dire consequences for its citizens.

[Nevermorrow]

As for looks I see her as a very pretty girl in her mid 20's, but apart from that is highly dull and restrained. She wears mens clothes, half glasses, and has essentially a boys haircut.

She has no room for creativity except within her work. No time for games, no time for being remotely social. Its all work, and nothing but.

Anything else is a silly suggeston she can do without.

I really like the rest of your ideas about her except for the part about her dressing like a boy. That makes her sound like a butch lesbian, which doesn't quite fit her personality -- she probably wouldn't be interested enough to fix herself up so to attract a partner -- but might also be offensive to real butch lesbians. I would suggest that she would dress more in a old-fashioned, prim manner in clothes that are out of date and perhaps worn-looking, sort of like someone today dressing like a 40s school teacher in faded hand-me-down clothes.

I am also playing now with an idea for two more charecters. One is a clockmaker who steals and distributes others time, another is a banker whose obsession with maintaining the city has some dire consequences for its citizens.

Sounds intriguing!

[brilliantlight]

As for looks I see her as a very pretty girl in her mid 20's, but apart from that is highly dull and restrained. She wears mens clothes, half glasses, and has essentially a boys haircut.

She has no room for creativity except within her work. No time for games, no time for being remotely social. Its all work, and nothing but.

Anything else is a silly suggeston she can do without.

I really like the rest of your ideas about her except for the part about her dressing like a boy. That makes her sound like a butch lesbian, which doesn't quite fit her personality -- she probably wouldn't be interested enough to fix herself up so to attract a partner -- but might also be offensive to real butch lesbians.

If they are that easily offended than there is nothing you can do. People shouldn't be deliberately offensive but there are limits. You can't avoid offending some people.

[NykylaiHellray]

If I have offended anyone I can change her apperance. Though I assure you that was not my intention.

I was more trying to portray that her gender doesnt really matter to her. She doesnt care about her apperance. All she cares about is her work.

She puts clothes on because it would be impratical not to. Not because she cares what she looks like.

I thought old male clothes would be the most easy way to portray this. A more gender neutral form of dress which does not compliment her curves, and a way to may the plain apperance of her more obvious.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

If appearance isn't important to her, why make her pretty at all? A plain-looking NPC is much less conspicuous, and wouldn't need to brush off the attentions of pesky interested males, leaving her more time to focus on her work.

[Nevermorrow]

If appearance isn't important to her, why make her pretty at all? A plain-looking NPC is much less conspicuous, and wouldn't need to brush off the attentions of pesky interested males, leaving her more time to focus on her work.

Good idea. If she doesn't care about her appearance she wouldn't do enough about it to be pretty.

I didn't mean to suggest that you need to bend over backwards to avoid offending anyone. I am more used to be boards where one needs to be a little more sensitive about such things, but that's just me. If you think she belongs in boys clothes, then by all means. (I kind of like my idea of her carelessly dressing in old hand-me-downs though.)

[NykylaiHellray]

Well she was originally pretty despite her not trying due to an aspect of her past I have been contemplating.

Which was that she is a fey, and was the subject of abuse. One aspect of this abuse was being forced to be appealing to the clients. Where glamour was forced on her.

In a way she was dressed like a fairytale princess, without the life to match it.

Hense creating a false past.

But you may be right. It also might be diluting the image of the charecter, to have everything be plain apart from her looks.

I also am thinking that the past may be to much. That maybe I need to have subtle hints without stating anything in particular.

You are also right hand me down clothes would work better. If those hand me downs happen to be mens clothes. Then its to do with the fact that they are available and pratical. Not because she cares whether she wears boys or girls either way.