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The Living Doll

Won’t someone please think of the children?

Attributes:
Whether as prodigy, nymphet, or political symbol, the Living Doll is the child in whom your desires are reflected. Eternally young and willing to be molded, Living Dolls find power through submission and identity through rejection of maturity. They are the Lost Boys and Baby Janes of the world, carving a shelter out of other people’s expectations.
Dolls tend to come in two varieties. Young Dolls stumble on the path by accident or as a survival mechanism and grow to enjoy the power provided by the Avatar channels, especially at low levels. Older Dolls, chasing their own lost youth, stunt their growth intentionally for freedom from wrinkles and old bones.

Taboo:
The Doll does what it’s told. It’s forbidden for a Living Doll to refuse a direct request or demand from an adult. Demurring, delaying, or whining for better terms is fine, but the Doll can’t say “no.” It’s also a violation to “grow up” — the Doll shuns all the trappings of adulthood. Get an accountant.

Symbols:
Dolls, of course, along with lollipops, braided hair, public school
outfits, and patent-leather shoes.

Suspected Avatars in History:
Old Dolls allege that Judy Garland, Michael Jackson, Paul Reubens, and Wolfgang Mozart walked the path. Newer ones claim the Archetype didn’t exist until JonBenet Ramsey ascended to create it. (Another rumor says that Ramsey ousted Samantha Smith — who was the Political Doll — and that Elian Gonzales was Smith’s way of keeping the clergy seat.)

Channels:
1%-50%: Because the Doll is so eager to please, it’s difficult to refuse “innocent” requests. The avatar can flip-flop Soul skill rolls asking for favors or protection, if the new roll would be beneath the Avatar skill..
51%-70%: The Doll can appear to be any age from childhood to late adolescence — use 6 through 16 as a guideline. (“Honest, Your Honor, she looked legal to me!”) This channel fails outright in the face of actual proof of age and identity; mug shots are a royal pain.
71%-90%: The Doll gets a 10% shift on anything he or she is ordered to do.

(Alternate third channel, as suggested by Gareth Hanrahan: “71-90%: The Doll may now create powerful Tilts based on the beliefs and superstitions of children – using nursery rhymes as protective spells, or using toys for sympathetic magic. This ability can generate minor unnatural effects, or create shifts of up to 20%.”)

91%+: As with the second channel, only the shift is physical as well as perceptual; you can slip through windows as an 8 year old. The Avatar need never age again.

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