Creation

General Guidelines

While this group has darker themes (within the mystery) we'd prefer to have a diverse cast of grounded characters!

Do not redact an oc's history. Hint at something more, if you choose not to tell everything.
No content relating to potentially significantly charged themes such as: gangs, mafia, trafficking, etc.
Any content that could be triggering should be labelled accordingly.
Do not use an excessively bright (eye straining) color pallet for written/drawn apps (mods are old and our eyes are weak tysm)
Do your best to write a realistic and well rounded character for the setting.
Written Applications can be created via Google docs/slides, Carrd, Toyhouse, etc.
As long as they are easily accessible and contain all required information, all types of app presentations are good!
Visual Applications must have clean art/scans, though nothing needs to be gallery worthy.

In Goldberry Lake, players will have the option to choose between playing either as a mermaid or as a human.

Humans

Humans are much more straightforward to make than mermaids. Stick to being realistic, and you're good to go.

The human people of Goldberry fall into two categories: Locals and Vacationers.
While this is mostly for flavor from an interaction standpoint,
players choosing to pursue the mystery may find different advantages to each catergory.

Locals

Characters who are locals have lived in Goldberry for about 80-100% of their life. They live, breathe, work, and often die in Goldberry. Discounts are common between friends-- as is bartering. It takes a village, after all. Unless... a rumor about you has circled the mill. Do you receive side eyes upon entering the diner, are little kids pointing and asking after you loudly before being shushed by family, do police give you hard stares are you walk past? For better or worse, everyone knows everyone.

Vacationers

Vacationers are a vital source of the town's livelihood-- particularly the historic (though no longer fully functioning) resort. While they may be temporary residents, they may own or rent property around the lake and visit seasonally, have familiar rapport with local businesses, or have had summer flings with a resident. It's up to players if this is your first vacation or if summer trips are a family tradition! Perhaps a family reunion? Either way, you aren't from here, and the locals can tell.

Characters must be 18+
- College age to old geezers!
Height ranges from 4'10 to 6'4
- Strict range. We've made this as a low key way to distinguish between the mermaids and humans OOC.
Hair may have up to 3 colors.
- Unnatural colors will have to be dye/contacts.
Be realistic, be respectful, have fun.

Choose an occupation based off of the information in Setting & Lore.

Occupations such as Travel Blogger, Inn Keeper, and Fisherman are good— Streamers, Actors— anything involving fame are not recommended.

Occupation Idea List

Mermaids

Mermaids are a bit more complicated than Humans, but it's all for the sake of making a mysterious fantasy oc, right?

Characters must be 18+
- College age to old geezers!
- Also, physically, mermaids age slower than humans. Akin to elves in DND.
Mermaids' humanoid heights range from 4'8 to 6'10
-Extreme heights are a low key way to distinguish between the mermaids and humans.
- Keep in mind humanoid merms have to attempt to blend in with humans
Mermaids can be based off of any freshwater dwelling creature
- excluding mammals, reptiles, and amphibians
- Feel free to ask about specific species if there's confusion!
Mermaid length should be made relative to species length/size.
- i.e., a grouper merm should be much larger than a betta merm
Unnaturally colored eyes/hair are accepted as long as the mermaid's species can account for it.
- Lionfish, for example, could have naturally red and blond hair.
- in their humanoid form, these colors can become more "normal" or remain the same. However, they should be prepared to excuse any wild/bright colors as dye to any human who may be curious.
Be realistic to an extent, and have fun.

So what exactly goes on under the lake?

Mermaids in Goldberry Lake are a very community oriented bunch - there are a number of them living in the lake, but they all interact with eachother fairly regularly. Those who aren’t particularly adept or close tend to be considered a bit odd - but it takes quite a bit to be completely ostracized, and it’s usually accompanied by banishment; i.e they would have had to do something especially heinous.

The communities are separated - the central territory is where the elders reside. The merfolk seek their guidance on many matters. Overall, it’s not quite a ‘human’ society, but those who do breach the surface over the years have brought down concepts.

They live in large rock structures near the bottom of the lake - this is a major factor into why they haven’t been discovered, as it’s very deep, and even deeper still, these mermaids reside. They would look completely normal to any humans if they happened to venture down deep enough.

Mermaids do not have houses proper, though the large formations of various types of rock and sand are common - many do choose to make their ‘homes’ near large swathes of plants and such. Most mermaids simply float while they sleep - though some do make use of ‘human’ concepts. You’d be more likely to see a woven hammock than a proper bed.

Mermaids can simply eat fish without much preparation - though mermaids who have surfaced cannot do this in their human forms - and as such, their preference for how to prepare it may change with new experiences.

The jobs for mermaids are best viewed in the way you might view villages - they hunt fish for food, they cultivate things that the villages desire for trade and bartering, some might prepare deep sea vegetation for those who prefer not to dine on fish (as is always a possibility)

They do also have festivals and social gatherings, though they differ from ones humans might have. They celebrate a handful of mermaid ‘holidays’, as well as some who have surfaced and returned who want to try celebrating human ones.

Furthermore - as far as living and hiding, a mermaid’s physiology, while humanoid, is not human when they are in the water. Their hair functions both as something to regulate their body temperature, as well as camouflage for them. The body hair they grow as a human vs as a mermaid would be entirely different as well, as they serve different purposes.

A mermaid’s lungs, even on land, are more sensitive than humans in most cases, and in mermaid form their gills will expel excess when they are not fully submerged, acting as a sort of filter. Things like smoke are much more damaging in this form than they would be for a human, or even a mermaid (as a mermaid) currently on land.

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