This topic details potential characters from literature, fable, etc. (Movie versions okay, sometimes). The character(s) I propose first seem appropriate as the holiday season is winding down...

The Christmas Spirits:

These three spirits are used somewhat as plot devices, in my opinion, and are great founts of information. Although they often speak in riddles, the Christmas Spirits have the best interests of others at heart, and even think that the Rotten King and the Big Bad Wolf have SOME scrap of good inside of them... somewhere. However, they are willing to aid people against enemies, if only to teach them a lesson.

The Spirit of Christmas Past appears as a female, anthropomorphic candlestick (complete with dripping wax and flame), with an enormous candle extinguisher attatched to a giant ribbon attatched to her hand (the candle extinguisher moves independently). She is quite kind, and has the ability to see that which has been. She has a kindly voice, and her smile appears to all as the smile of the kindest person they know.

The Spirit of Christmas Present appears as a massive, jolly man with flaming red hair in a green robe and a wreath of holly. He carries in one hand a torch whose light warms the heart, and under his other arm is a horn of plenty, which can fit hundreds (perhaps even thousands) of items in it at the same time. He is the keeper of two nasty children, named "Ignorance" and "Want", and warns people to beware both, but especially Want. His robe is somewhat patched nowadays, and his golden horn of plenty is a bit rusty, but its barely noticable. He speaks in a deep, booming voice, and reminds many of Santa Claus or Father Christmas. He has the power to see that which is.

The Spirit of Christmas Future appears as a gaunt, almost emaciated figure who looks like a cross between the Grim REaper and a Dementor (Dementors, for those of you who haven't red the Harry Potter series, are gaunt figures in tattered robes with slimy, scaberous hands). A single candle rests on his skull, burning an eerie blue flame... the same shade of blue as what's emenating from his nose-hole, eye-sockets, and mouth. He carries a scythe, and is the most menacing of the Christmas Spirits, despite the fact that he's actually a nice guy. He prefers not to speak, preferring to nod or shake his head or shrug to yes-or-no questions, and point if an explanation is required. This is because he's actually quite embarassed at his voice, which sounds like a slightly high-pitched, nasally Beatle who sniffs a lot when he talks. He has the ability to see what could be (I say "could be" because someone can always change a person's future in the present time). Of the Christmas Spirits, he appears to be the most changed, his robes looking quite tattered and his scythe perpetually bloody.

For more information on the Christmas Spirits, read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol .

That is, potential characters from literature that could be in Grimm.

Kalvinhobbes said:

I suppose, though, that the Spirit of Christmas Past could appear as a woman in a fancy hat and dress or something like she did in "American McGee's Grimm" (the good part, though).

Sorry about this, folks, I couldn't remember my password. So, why haven't you guys been replying?

Characters from movies you say, hmmmm?...

What abuout Jareth The Goblin King from Labyrinth? He's got some potential. You know, a guy who keeps kidnapping kids from the real world to become his serventsslavesheirsjesters and alwayes gives them a chance to escape the terrible fate if they can defeat his labyrinth?

Interesting... With some possibilities...

How about Despereaux from "The Tale of Despereaux"? He seems good, too!

Or perhaps Fezzik, Inigo Montoya, Westley, and Buttercup from "The Princess Bride"? Or even Robin Hood and his Merry Men?

I really like that "Goblin King" Dude? What do you suppose he'd be like?

Well, first and foremost i suggest that you go and watch "Labyrinth". The movie might seem a little childish, but iti is acutally very awsome. Hmmm... What can i tell you about Jareth without spoiling anything?... You know what? I will give you a quick summery of the plot so we can have our starting point.

Sarah is a girl in her early teens who is quite obviously a Dreamer. Apperantly she is reharsing for some fantasy play in which the villian is, well, Jareth the Goblin King. Then her baby brother starts crying or something(Please forgive me for the inaccuracy, last time i watched it was five years ago) and... She is really annoyed or something, and in her frustration she wishes that the Goblin King would take him. Then there is a dramatic flash of lightning, and a creepy white owl thingy, and the baby is gone. Because she asked for him to be. Nice job, Sarah. Anyway, she begs Jareth to change his mind, and because he is a sick basterd he gives her 13 hours to get into the center of his magical, surreal, and quite creepy Labyrinth and save her brother, or he will turn him into a goblin.

.................

Jareth is a magnificent basterd. He has a sick sense of humour, he is quite addicted to all the fancy things of life, and through honest(As in, no direct lies) manipulation he always manages to get what he wants from everybody. Very gracefull and stylish, yet very evil and cruel. While he rules the goblins, he himself is obviously not one. He is apperantly some other sort of fae creature, tall, unearthly beuty, pointed ears... The usuall package. He draws his vast magical power from a small crystal sphere, in which he apperantly trapped all the other members of his race in an eternal masquerade. He is very adept at using illusions and glamour to achive his goals. His realm is the Labyrinth, and his power there is immense, almost godlike. The closer one gets to Jareth's palace in the middle of the maze, the more loose are the laws of physics and the greater is Jareth's ability to manipulate the enviromant through will alone. In his inner sanctum, reality breaks down completly into surreal chaos and he is omnipotent and omnipresent. He is very good at taking advantage of peoples desires, vices and sins to manipulate them, and his power allows him to offer almost anything in return for an oath of fealty(The "anything will most likely be glamour enchanted crap, but he is very likely able of conjuring real treasures). His symbol is the white owl, and he can become one at will. His only weakness is... Well, that's kind of a spoiler. Sorry dude.

..................................

That was a quick review of Jareth the Goblin King. Need anything else?

Well, to begin with, does his labyrinth lurk in the Great and Awful Forest? Or some twisted Checkerboard Kingdom? Or perhaps the Underworld, or even the Worlds' End Mountains? (Also, I think I know his weakness now, thanks to Wikipedia).

Also, what game statistics might he have?

I think the Labyrinth should be a Checkboard Kingdom. Not enugh trees to be in the forest, not high enught to be on the mountains, and it is obviously not underground. Mostly. In some parts.

As for game statistics... Hmmm... High Imagination. High Gaming. High Country Club and Juvie. His Iconic would probably be either Imagination or Cool. I think Cool is more likely. He would know almost(If not all) spells in the enchantment list, and possibly some oracle spells. In owl form, i would also give him a very high Hide & Seek. His personal grade would be quite intimidating, and even more so as you get closer and closer to his palace.

What about that?

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet.... What's his opinion of The Rotten King?

Oh. Never thaught about that subject. I mean, both Jareth and The Rotten King are very mad, very evil, and very manipulative... At first glance, perfect allies. However, one must never forget that Jareth is also terribly arrogant, and unlike The Rotten King, his madness does not prevent him from long term planning. I think he would try to present himself to the king as an ally, offering a cleverly woven pledge full of well hidden holes that would allow him to win the king's favour, and betray him at some unspecified date later and claim his vast realm. In the meantime, he might offer the king use of his magic, or his goblin minions.

What do you think?

Coooooool...

What do you think of this idea: The Bogeyman?

Coooooool...

What do you think of this idea: The Bogeyman?

Recently, I've been wondering about potential characters from "1001 Arabian Nights" in the Grimm Lands. Among the characters that might be in that setting include Sinbad, Aladdin, Solomon, Ali Baba, Shayrar, and Scherezade? I've also come up with a sinister group known simply as the Scribes?

The Alchemist said:

Coooooooooooooool... How might kids get involved in Jareth's tales?

Hmmmm... I just came back home from Tennis practice. And while playing I had an interesting idea. It is kind of differant from what was written 'till now but it is an idea nontheless... You know, just so we can have some veriaty.

Anyway... Jareth is really obsessed with beuty, right? So, i was thinking... His power was broken when Sarah defeated him(I will not give too much description as to not to spoil). Which means he lost his immortality. Which means he is kind of rotting away right now. The Fair Folk are not made to live mortal life, after all. Jareth does not like rotting away into a creepy skeleton thing with brownish, oozing skin(And the ability to turn into a skeletal, deathly pale owl). His own uglyness drives him mad(der). Plus, he is kind of going to die. There is, however, some hope for him: the same magical ritual that he unssecsfully attempted to perform on little Tobby when Sarah got in his way. It is a very ancient ceremony of the fairies, known by few. It allows Jareth to turn kids from the real world into beutifull(And quite souless) fae creatures, whose young bodies he can then possess to increase his own lifespan. However, even the new, kid bodies grow up waaaaaay too fast. Which means he only has about a year and a day after the ritual to perform it once again, or he will crumble to dust. He must constantly be on the hunt for new hosts. The laws of magic, however, can sometimes be very strict and arcane. Jareth cannot just kidnap some tyke and goblinize him. There are two restrictions: one, the kid must agree. Which is no problem for Jareth. He is THE master of making people say things they don't mean. But two: the kid must first be metaphysically "cooked" by fearie befor he is ready to be eaten by the magic. He must spend exactly 13 hours within the labyrinth, so as to soak enught of the fearie energy abundent in the air, befor the ritual can be cast. And within those 13 hours, Jareth cannot directly harm or impair him. He is free to escape... Theoretically. The Goblin King is not one to let The Rules prevent him from getting what he wants. His Labyrinth have been... Upgraded, since this last time. No more friendly talking statues giving hints. No more loveble trolls or rebellious goblins joining the kids on their quest. Oh, no. Jareth worked his magic(and his minions) day and night to turn the Labyrinth into the ultimate trap. The massive underground network of caves and halls and rooms and corridors(Som quite very vast) is now choke full of fiendish traps, frustrating, mocking puzzels, strange magics, and patrols of goblin wardens and other, more terrible creatures, designed to keep the kids in place for just enught time for the ritual to commence. Oh, and if they get close enught to the exit, Jareth himself will not be beyond appearing befor them himself in all his glamourous might to bend their perceptions, assault their emotions, and break their minds into staying with him... "Willfully".

..........

Alternatively, we can use the versoion of Jareth described earlier. Maybe he needs spies or agents of some sort to act for him on another kingdom. Maybe the goblins take them without him knowing so that they can help them lead a rebellion(Jareth is not very nice to his goblins, after all). And of course, him being him, it is not unprobable that Jareth kidnapped the kids into his Labyrinth challange for the sake of his freakish amusment. Maybe if they end up entertaining enught, he might actually reward them... Or keep them forever as his jesters.

......................

What do you think?

As for "1001 Arabian Nights"... Hmmmm... Some of them could work.

What if, after 1001 nights of storytelling, the king did kill the queen after all? What if, some time(And wives) later, the king actually started to miss the exiting and facinating tales? What if, being the sultan of *Insert psaudo arabic name*, he actually ordred many storytellers from all the farthesr reaches of the world shipped to his palace, so as to tell him a bedtime story the just like the old queen? What if, out of habit, the cruel king would execute all storytellers who fail to amuse him properly?

What if one of his advisors once told him about a world far away, full of fantastic and strange things called "Reality"? What if he is willing to do anything to hear a good story about that land... Including KIDnapping?

............

What do you think?

Both are VERY cool!

How about Despereaux from "The Tale of Despereaux", or Fezzik, Inigo Montoya, Westley, Buttercup, Miracle Max and Valerie, etc. from "The Princess Bride", or Barnaby, Mary Quite Contrary, Tom the Piper's Son, Gonzorgo and Rodrigo, etc. from "Babes in Toyland" (the 1961 version), or the creatures of different mythologies, or even Robin Hood and his Merry Men? What do you think they'd be like? (Also, what about the other characters I mentioned from "Arabian Nights"? What might they be like?)?

I have also begun to speculate that, sometimes, the people of the Grimm Lands like to spontaneously burst out in song, like in the old days...

Reaper said:

Like the 40 Thieves, Ali Baba, Solomon, Aladdin, and Sinbad?

What do you suppose they might be like?