app.

[clocktowers]

IN CHARACTER

Character Name: Ozpin
Canon: RWBY
Canon Point: End of Volume 7 -> Updated to 8x04

In-Game Tattoo Placement: The Light God's antlers fanning up his collarbone so that the tips encircle his throat like a collar.
Current Health/Status: COMPLICATED, given that he's an immortal being who parasitically reincarnates upon death. As of current canonpoint, Oz is a disembodied soul sharing the body of Oscar Pine. Upon entry to Deer, he'll be granted his most recent body back, as seen in his icons. This is not his original body, but it's a reasonable representation of his current self-image.
Age: Mentally, thousands of years old; physically, fortyish?
Species: Human

Content Warnings: Manipulation, mass death, child death, taking control of someone's body and mind without consent, loss of identity.

History: Wiki link

CRAU History and Impact: N/A
Personality:

In RWBY, every character is associated with some kind of fairy tale, myth, or legend. Ozpin primarily stands in for the Wizard of Oz: a supposed sorcerer of incredible power who is revealed as a liar and a fraud.

Let's break that down.

Once upon a time, there was Ozma, a powerful sorcerer and famed hero. He was righteous, brave, and unquestionably good— such that when he died young, his beloved went to the gods to plead for his return. It didn't go well. She so angered the gods that they cursed her with immortality, destroyed humanity, and departed the world— leaving only the shattered moon and hordes of monsters called Grimm. Humanity would eventually rise up again, born from the world's ambient magic, but now they would be preyed upon by the Grimm, and by Ozma's corrupted beloved.

In the wake of this calamity, Ozma was offered a mission by the god of creation: a chance to prove humanity's worth and return the world to the way it had been. To do this, he would need to bring together four powerful relics. Once the relics are brought together, the gods will return to judge humanity— and will either reward it with their presence or destroy it for good, depending on what they find. Until that day, Ozma can never truly die: upon every death, his soul is shunted into the body of another, with which he will eventually fuse and become one identity.

Given this offer of immortality and a god-given mission, Ozma initially refused. Though he believed in fighting for good and justice, he was above all loyal to his beloved Salem, and he asked to be returned to the afterlife to be with her. When the god explained that Salem could not be found in the afterlife, being herself immortal, only then did Ozma accept this quest.

So, off the bat: we have a legitimately powerful sorcerer, with abilities far beyond those of the now-godless humanity, and a righteous mission. Things begin to go wrong when he finds the corrupted Salem, and, in immediate defiance of his god's advice... he joins up with her again, to rule the world as its new self-proclaimed "gods."

For years, his loyalty and love won out over his sense of righteousness and morality. He and Salem amassed a following of worshipers, and sent them out on crusades to bring the rest of the world under their rule. It was only when Salem proposed destroying all of humanity, replacing it with their own much-more-magical lineage, that his conscience couldn't abide it.

He and Salem fought brutally enough to bring down their castle; their young children were killed in the crossfire. Salem dealt the final blow against Oz. And so he reincarnated again.

And again and again and again.

For lifetimes, he did nothing but mourn his beloved and his family. He avoided his quest; he languished in despair, unable to ever truly die. And each time, he overtook whichever life he was shunted into, dominating whatever soul was unfortunate enough to host him.

Eventually, he began to learn. He was plagued with guilt for the lives he'd taken over. He began to live with his hosts, trying to respect their autonomy as individuals, trying to maintain a balance between their minds. And yet he could not give them full ownership of their lives: he shared with his hosts, coming to love their families as his own. He fathered more children— all born with silver eyes and a fragment of his power. And as he came to care about life again, he was increasingly forced to confront the ever-present threat of Salem and her Grimm.

He forged a weapon and passed it down across his many lives. He accepted the rhythm of reincarnation. He hunted for the relics, and for a way to destroy Salem— so that when the gods returned, humanity could be judged well, free of her terrible influence. For a while, faithful to these missions, he flourished— insofar as a body-hopping parasitic soul can.

Then he found the relic of knowledge, and asked it how Salem could be killed. It told him: she can't. His enemy was eternal. His service would be eternal. There was no way to win this game.

For centuries, he fell into isolation and depression. He could not have his love; he could not save the people of this world; he could not satisfy the gods. He could do nothing but hold the line against Salem, playing eternal damage control. For a very long time, he had no will to do even that. He simply sealed himself away in misery.

After centuries as a hermit, he encountered four maidens whose dedication to doing good in the world shocked him. They managed to rekindle his sense of joy and appreciation for life. To thank them— and, realizing that they were an active force of good in the world, far more than he'd managed to be— he bestowed his great magical powers upon them. He kept very little of the magic for himself, perhaps too desperate to see someone be a reliable force of good. A force against Salem. Someone else to take up his mantle.

This, of course, did not work out well. He either had little control over the way the magic would be passed on to new hosts, or did not care to impose such rules. With a Maiden's death, their power would go to whoever was last in their thoughts... including their killer. Maidens were hunted by would-be successors, and their existence had to be cast into shadow to prevent great evil rising to power.

Seeing this, it's clear that several facts about Oz are true: he is well-intentioned and values qualities like hope and righteousness above all else, but he is tired, and he is desperate. This man never asked for immortality. Faced with an impossible task and an unending life he cannot escape from, he takes to foisting off his powers on those he deems promising or worthy, and hopes they will do better than he could have.

In this way, he founds the Huntsman Academies to train warriors who can face Salem and her Grimm, but he never tells them the truth of what they are fighting. He never tells the truth of who or what he is. And, as the events of RWBY progress, he spends a lot of time lying by omission.

This is what likens him to the conman in the Wizard of Oz. Ozpin is not a fraud, precisely— but he is a liar, even at the expense of others. He puts people in danger without giving them a chance to know the immediate risks, let alone the shape of the war. From the very first volume, he launches— literally— his students into dangerous missions without regard for their fear or safety. His training methods are known to get children killed. In Volume 6, he is unapologetic about drawing dangerous Grimm towards his party and the civilians they're traveling with, and tells no one of the heightened danger until absolutely pressed. And through everything, he never shares the truth of his story with anyone, even the new host he is slowly consuming and melding with. Even those who have given decades of their lives in Oz's service, fighting a war they never realize is futile.

Oz appreciates hope and conviction in other people largely because he lost his own. Beneath his polite and mild-mannered exterior, he is so very tired. He is affable but distant whenever he can be; he confesses as little emotionally charged information as he can get away with, even over a span of decades, even to his most trusted friends. When the full truth of his backstory is revealed to others, he runs from the emotional confrontation; he retreats into the mind of his host and refuses to come out except for life-or-death crises, stewing in fear and guilt and misery.

So: Ozpin is not a fraud, but he is, frequently, a coward. He is deeply afraid to love, given the loss that always comes after. He is deeply afraid to bare himself to others, having seen again and again how he might be betrayed or disappointed. He is still the man who gave his powers away to those he thought of as more worthy: he believes in goodness and bravery and all such noble things, but he's long since lost any belief in himself. This may be why he so enjoyed running a school for young monster-hunters: steeping himself in their enthusiasm is one way to combat the ever-present existential exhaustion and dread of an enemy he knows he can never defeat.

Oz is a very tired immortal. As an immortal, he certainly has the capacity to be wise: he has seen a lot of history, has led a lot of history, has been a god and a king and a father. He enjoys giving a good speech. He enjoys other people: sharing his thoughts with them, sharing in their love of life, being drawn out of his depression by their brightness. He is kind, even as he's also callous with the lives of children. He offers Ruby cookies and approval even as he welcomes her into his war at the age of fifteen.

For him, Deerington will be an unprecedented reprieve from his unwinnable mission, a moment out from under Salem's shadow. He will be oddly adrift and oddly freed, without any way to carry out his burden. It will take him a while to know what to make of this. Hopefully, he will meet people who can draw him out from behind his polite, distant deflections to really engage with it.

Abilities/Powers/Weaknesses & Warping:

Once known as the 'Warrior King' for his battle prowess, he is an expert melee fighter with a sword, staff, or virtually anything else you put in his hand. When it comes to supernatural abilities, HOO BOY. Let's try to keep this succinct:

Aura is an extension of one's soul that forms a sort of passive forcefield on the skin. Damage to Oz will have to break his Aura before it can break skin; he's basically got a magical HP reserve before you start drawing blood. Hits to his Aura show as a green shimmer on his skin; when his Aura is finally depleted, it shatters into fragments of green light and leaves him as vulnerable as any human. Warping: his absurdly powerful Aura will be reduced somewhat, such that he's dropped from unkillable to all but the very overpowered to just obnoxiously tanky. Using his magic will deplete his Aura just as taking damage would.

Semblance is a person's unique superpower. We don't know what Oz's is, and given that he can use magic in a more complete way, it's unlikely that he has a Semblance in the traditional sense. Still, there are some powers he uses more readily than others, and which seem to resonate with him more deeply— so I'm going to take some liberties and say the closest he has to a Semblance is minor time manipulation. This is based on his clock aesthetic, a scene in which we see him apparently fighting at super-speed, and creator statements that the cane he built can "store time." When he casts Time Stop activates this ability, he has the opportunity to make a flurry of attacks in what seems to be a single moment. Warping: he may not always have as much time as he thinks he does, leaving him vulnerable when the power abruptly drops out, and the power will take some time to recharge after use.

Magic encompasses a range of powerful abilities:

elemental abilities (such as the power to throw fire or ice),

flashy energy-based abilities (such as the power to throw green lightning or form a protective shield out of it),

gravity-based and telekinetic abilities (such as the ability to fly, halt a moving object, or kill a target by crushing it with magic),

and transmutation abilities (such as the power to take the shape of an animal)

Long before the events of canon, he gave most of this power away, bestowing it upon others so they could use these abilities. He still has the power to permanently bestow these abilities on others, but doing so permanently depletes his own power level, so these days he tends to be sparing with how much he gives away (for example, he permanently gives Qrow the power to turn into a bird, but no flashy elemental attacks).

Because he's given so much of his magic away, using his magic is now draining, and will leave him tired in the aftermath. For additional warping, this tiring effect will be heavily increased, meaning he can deal incredible damage for a short period of time but be left vulnerable in the aftermath. His powers may also wild magic surge affect those around him unexpectedly - such as activating more powerfully than he intended, hitting his allies with friendly fire, or having an unintended secondary effect.

Inventory: None. His cane already exists in-game, with Oscar Pine.

Writing Samples: On the TDM.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Player Name: Rona
Player Age: 25
Player Contact: ochrona

Other Characters In Game: Jonathan Sims (The Magnus Archives), Rupert Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
In-Game Tag If Accepted: Ozpin: Rona
Permissions for Character: here
Are you comfortable with prominent elements of fourth-walling?: Yes!
What themes of horror/psychological thrillers do you enjoy the most?: Eldritch mindbreaky shit that Cannot Be Known, man, I am here for it. Give me perception-warping locations and esoteric beings.
Is there anything in particular you absolutely need specific content warnings for?: Nope!

Comments

[clocktowers]

Character Base

• Character Name: Ozpin
• Age: Mentally, thousands of years old; physically, fortyish?
• Canon: RWBY, Volume 8 Episode 4 (11/2020)
• Items Coming Along:

He will arrive with nothing. However, the following are stored in his home, Clockhouse:

Entryway

an obscene number of fancy grandfather clocks, all broken

his cane, which now has a cutting edge made of antler

a bladed whip-cane

a coat that protects against the elements; it can be activated to crackle with green energy, used as a burst weapon or light source

Closet:

a hat that grants breathable air to the wearer

a bottomless bag

a pocketwatch that always tells time accurately and has a sanity-grounding effect

a compass that can point to any person in Deerington

a pair of steampunk-style sunglasses that can see through any darkness, even magical

a protection charm bag from Willow Rosenberg

Kitchen:

a cocoa mug from Beacon Academy, anything drunk from it has a calming effect

hot cocoa that de-ages the drinker similar to a grape lollipop; this effect lasts up to a week

Cursed teas and cocoas (26 uses remain)

• Content Warnings for Character: Manipulation, mass death, child death, taking control of someone's body and mind without consent, loss of identity.

Original Deerington Application

• Link to Accepted Deerington Application: Here.
• Additional Adjustments to include:

Physical Changes:

burn scar in the shape of a hand around his throat

spear stab wound through back and chest

tentacle scarring up one calf, one thigh, one side of his hip and waist, one upper arm, and across the backs of his hands

longer hair (short ponytail)

Character Development:

Ozpin apologized for abandoning his castmates in a dire situation in canon. He began mending bridges with the people he'd been manipulating, with a few standout pieces of CR:

In canon, Qrow gave his entire life to fighting Ozpin's war against Salem, which was revealed to be both unwinnable and far more personal to Ozpin than he'd let on; they parted ways with a breakdown, a thrown punch, and Ozpin's abandonment of the party. In Deer, they had the chance for several more in-depth confrontations, and several high-stakes moments of backing each other up. By the end of the game, Oz and Qrow are close again-- but with far fewer secrets between them, true to Qrow's furious wish for a friendship instead of a mentorship.

Oscar and Ozpin went through hell in their canon update; their current canonpoint puts them in a torture chamber. In Deer, they had much more time to work through their hopes and fears as individuals, and have formed a deeper degree of trust and partnership. They are both excited and relieved by the prospect of Deer2 because it will free them from their fated identity deaths; they want to be teammates and family, with less of the sense that Ozpin is Oscar's resigned executioner.

Even Ruby has become more comfortable with Ozpin now that he has shown a concerted effort to do good and resist the temptation to peace out of every difficult situation. She has learned that she is one of Ozpin's descendants, and is now awkwardly but earnestly trying to regard him as a long-lost grandpa.

And then Salem came to Deerington. Ozpin killed her; didn't know how to emotionally handle this development; camped her respawn and killed her again, this time with James Ironwood's involvement; tried to kill her a third time, only to find that he couldn't handle facing a Salem who still loved the man he used to be. By the end of the game, they reached an exhausted, uncomfortable ceasefire born of painful new understanding of the other's perspective. The situation will take him more than a lifetime to unpack, but it has sparked an uneasy awareness that--while this doesn't merit forgiveness--Salem might be capable of change. He'll be turning that one over for a while.

Lastly, while we're discussing significant canonmates, we should touch on James Ironwood and Winter Schnee. James betrayed Ozpin in canon, with a full-on murder attempt of his host Oscar Pine. Ozpin, believing his own inattention contributed to James's breakdown, began meddling in the man's life in Deerington. He tries to keep James close enough to keep an eye on, sees no issue with lying to him about his future, and overall regards the man as a risk to be controlled. He has regarded Winter as a promising new lieutenant and his best mechanism by which to do this-- at least until the canon update in which she lost patience for James, too.

When it comes to cross-canon CR, one relationship is standout:

Oz began a romantic relationship with Stanford Pines after several months of close friendship. They dated for a few months, until Ozpin's death activated his immortality warp, which landed him as a disembodied spirit possessing Stanford's body. Ford was not thrilled to learn Ozpin had concealed this ability, but Oz crossed further boundaries when he took control of Ford's body against Ford's explicit wishes. They spent the last few months of the game with Oz believing they're "in a difficult patch" and Ford fully believing they are broken up with no hope of reconciliation. The relationship now languishes as a painful, barely-addressed incident between the two of them. (And their respective families.)

Power Warping: Ozpin's abilities, outlined below, were left largely intact; they are simply faulty in consistency and power level. The most major change was his separation from Oscar, his current reincarnation host, such that they now have their own separate bodies to suit their barely-blended souls. They can communicate telepathically and--to a degree--sense each other's sensory input and emotional state, as they seem to do when sharing a body in canon.

Chapter 2 Attributes

• Canon Powers:

Once known as the 'Warrior King' for his battle prowess, he is an expert melee fighter with a sword, staff, or virtually anything else you put in his hand. When it comes to supernatural abilities, HOO BOY. Let's try to keep this succinct:

Aura is an extension of one's soul that forms a sort of passive forcefield on the skin. Damage to Oz will have to break his Aura before it can break skin; he's basically got a magical HP reserve before you start drawing blood. Hits to his Aura show as a green shimmer on his skin; when his Aura is finally depleted, it shatters into fragments of green light and leaves him as vulnerable as any human.

Semblance is a person's unique superpower. We don't know what Oz's is, and given that he can use magic in a more complete way, it's unlikely that he has a Semblance in the traditional sense. Still, there are some powers he uses more readily than others, and which seem to resonate with him more deeply— so I'm going to take some liberties and say the closest he has to a Semblance is minor time manipulation. When he activates this ability, he has the opportunity to make a flurry of attacks or move very quickly in what seems to be a single moment.

Magic encompasses a range of powerful abilities:

elemental abilities (such as the power to throw fire or ice),

flashy energy-based abilities (such as the power to throw green lightning or form a protective shield out of it),

gravity-based and telekinetic abilities (such as the ability to fly, halt a moving object, or kill a target by crushing it with magic),

and transmutation abilities (such as the power to take the shape of an animal)

Long before the events of canon, he gave most of this power away, bestowing it upon others so they could use these abilities. He still has the power to permanently bestow these abilities on others, but doing so permanently depletes his own power level, so these days he tends to be sparing with how much he gives away (for example, he permanently gives Qrow the power to turn into a bird, but no flashy elemental attacks).

Lastly, there is Ozpin's power of reincarnation, over which he has no direct control. When he dies, he respawns as a bodiless soul inhabiting the body of another person. Over time, their souls combine into a single identity. It's left ambiguous whether this is a death of the host's own self aa they are overriden by the wizard-self, whether both original selves "die" to form the birth of a new combined personality, or some other arrangement as perceived by the different souls involved.

• Blood Type: Vileblood
• Omen: Tippetarius, his glowing elk Dream Guide, is now a smaller and simpler stag; it's a reflection of Ozpin reflecting less of the huge, antlered God of Light and more of his own mortal self.
• Blessed Day: February 14th
• Patron Pthumerian: Doorway
• Blood Power Manifestation: ALRIGHT, SO.

Ozpin's canon powers are, in true RWBY fashion, vague as hell and broadly op. Let's take them down a few notches.

Aura is fine if weakened to a reasonable degree. Ozpin will still be resistant to extreme environmental conditions, and can still shield some blows, but this will gain a more overtly blood-themed aesthetic; he will maintain these defenses through glowing Vileblood, not his canonical soul-based emerald energy.

Semblance is a pain and he rarely uses it. We're scrapping his time manipulation wholesale.

Magic is the most maddeningly vague thing in RWBY and thus we are discarding it wholesale. Oscar may keep his glowing energy blasts, elemental magic, and transformation-based magic; but Ozpin will lose his in its entirety.

Bestowing of Magic is similarly discarded.

Reincarnation will remain. Oz will still respawn into a person's body for 24 hours upon his death. This is not a facet of Ozpin's own magic, but a gift-or-curse bestowed on him by an all-powerful god of his world, and thus remains despite his other magic being lost.

Empathic Connection with Reincarnation Host will remain, as his ties to Oscar remain soul-deep and profound even with their new physiology.

In addition to all these removed or reduced powers, Oz will gain powerful blood manipulation and the ability to drink blood to heal (a vampiric compulsion that will worsen with Corruption). He has effectively lost mastery in RWBY-style magic to gain the possibility of mastering Deer Country magic.

The Player

• Player Name: Rona
• Player Age: 26
• Player Contact: ochrona
• Permissions: Here.

Link to your reserve for this character: Here.

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