For reference, the big thing going on rn on my end is open to ANY AND ALL current players. It is an Existence-wide event that will take place over a period of time. If you have any questions please ask!
Hey could I ask for some help possibly trying to use a character here I made another thread? I have read the rules and I'd like to give it a try
No I think I get it and it's kinda alot### **Shade Weaver** (Real name: Kiera Graves)
### Age:
32
### Appearance:
Kiera Graves, known as Shade Weaver, is a tall, lean woman with a wiry build, standing at 5'8". She has a composed demeanor with calm, dark green eyes that seem to always be observing. Her jet-black hair is cut into a neat bob that falls just below her chin. She wears dark, professional clothing—tailored blazers and slacks with a high-collared shirt underneath, designed for quick, fluid movement.
Notably, **Shade Weaver does not normally have a shadow**. This eerie absence is a direct result of her connection to Umbra, her sentient shadow. Instead, Umbra resides within the intricate raven tattoos that cover her arms. These tattoos are not merely decorative; they are the physical manifestation of the price Kiera paid for losing control to Umbra. When Umbra is dormant, the tattoos remain as they are, subtly shifting as if alive. However, when Umbra is active, his presence can be seen through the red glowing eyes that appear within the tattoos. As Umbra begins to manifest fully, the tattoos fade away, and he emerges from them in his shadowy form, leaving Shade Weaver temporarily without them.
### Ability:
**Shadow Manipulation**: Kiera can manipulate shadows in various ways:
- **Shade Awakening**: Instead of simply stealing someone’s shadow, Shade Weaver has the ability to awaken the specific shades within an individual. These shades are dark reflections of the person's inner fears, insecurities, and suppressed impulses, much like how Umbra is a manifestation of Shade Weaver's own darkness. When Shade Weaver awakens a person’s shade, it temporarily rises up, taking on a physical, shadowy form that mirrors the individual. The shade embodies all the darker aspects of the person—impulsive thoughts, negative emotions, and potential destructive behaviors—unleashed without restraint.
- **Shadow Forging**: Shade Weaver can solidify shadows into physical objects or weapons. She often creates weapons like swords, daggers, or whips, but can also create larger objects like shields or barriers. These shadow constructs can be used in combat or as tools, depending on the situation.
- **Shadow Meld**: Kiera can merge with shadows, becoming nearly invisible and allowing her to move swiftly and stealthily. This ability lets her slip through unseen spaces and evade detection, making her an elusive opponent in combat or a highly effective spy.
- **Sentient Shadow (Umbra)**: Kiera’s own shadow, Umbra, is sentient and has a mind of its own. While it usually acts as an extension of her will, it can sometimes make its own decisions, leading to unpredictable outcomes. **Umbra resides within the raven tattoos on her arms, a constant reminder of the time Kiera lost control.** When Umbra is dormant, the tattoos are visible, but when Umbra begins to manifest, the tattoos fade, and he emerges from them, leaving Shade Weaver temporarily without them. His red glowing eyes are visible within the tattoos when he is active. If Kiera loses control, Umbra can attempt to take over, vastly amplifying her shadow manipulation abilities but at the cost of her autonomy. When Umbra is in control, it brings chaos and destruction, leaving Kiera to fight to regain control over herself and her powers.
### Personality:
Kiera is strict and disciplined, with a no-nonsense attitude. She believes in pushing her students to their limits but is also fiercely protective of them. She has a dry sense of humor, often making sarcastic remarks during combat training. Despite her tough exterior, she cares deeply for those she trains, seeing herself as a mentor and protector. Her tactical mind makes her a formidable strategist in battle.
**However, her time in the shadows left Kiera with a constant need for grounding.** She discovered that she needed some kind of stimulus to keep herself centered, something tangible to focus on and prevent her mind from wandering back into the darkness. Whether it’s rolling a small object between her fingers, sipping on a cup of strong coffee, or taking a drag from a cigarette, these small rituals have become essential to her daily routine. They help keep her connected to the present, warding off the memories that threaten to pull her back into the abyss.
Despite her tough exterior and strict demeanor, Kiera secretly desires to be the person her students can turn to in times of need. She wants to be the one they know they can rely on, whether it's for a snack to recharge during a long training session, a drink to refresh them, or just a quiet moment of support. She harbors a hidden wish to be their favorite instructor—not for the praise, but because she genuinely cares about their well-being. She goes out of her way to provide small gestures of kindness, but always subtly, so as not to break the strong, disciplined persona she maintains.
### Background:
Kiera Graves, now known as Shade Weaver, grew up in a rough neighborhood, where her ability to manipulate shadows first began to manifest. Isolated and misunderstood, she found solace in her own shadow, which eventually became her only companion. Over time, her shadow began to communicate with her, offering comfort and understanding. Desperate for a friend, Kiera allowed her shadow to take control, believing it would help her manage her powers. Instead, the shadow unleashed chaos upon her hometown, using her body to wreak havoc and terrorize the very people Kiera had tried to protect. The devastation was immense, and when Kiera finally managed to wrestle back control, she was left horrified by what had happened.
Unable to face the destruction she had caused—albeit unwillingly—Kiera fled her hometown. She spent years on the run, haunted by guilt and fear, always keeping her shadow in check to prevent another disaster. However, her escape did not go unnoticed. A powerful crime syndicate, always on the lookout for people with extraordinary abilities, learned about Kiera’s powers and the chaos she had unleashed. They saw an opportunity to use her talents for their own gain.
The syndicate tracked her down and blackmailed her into becoming an assassin. With threats against the few people she cared about and the promise of protecting her from the authorities if she complied, Kiera had no choice but to follow their orders. Her shadow, Umbra, eager for more opportunities to unleash its power, relished the chance to take control during her missions. Kiera was forced to use her shadow manipulation powers to eliminate targets, often those who stood in the syndicate’s way. Each mission pushed her further into the darkness, making it harder for her to maintain control over Umbra and herself.
Kiera’s time as an assassin left her with deep scars, both physical and emotional. She longed to escape, but the syndicate’s grip on her was too strong. Her life changed when the headmaster of the School of Special Skills and Talents—who had been tracking her for some time—offered her a way out. Understanding the danger she was in, the headmaster helped her fake her death, making it seem as though Kiera had perished in a failed mission. With her death carefully staged, the syndicate believed she was no longer a threat, and Kiera was finally free.
Grateful for the chance to start over, Kiera joined the school under the name Shade Weaver, where she found the support she needed to control her powers and heal from her past. Only a select few at the school know of her dark history as an unwilling assassin, a chapter of her life she keeps hidden from most.
At the school, Kiera excelled in combat and quickly became one of the top students. Recognizing her potential and experience, the headmaster invited her to stay on as a combat instructor after graduation. Now, as Shade Weaver, Kiera dedicates herself to training the next generation of students, those who, like her, have felt the sting of isolation and fear. She is strict but compassionate, using her own experiences to guide her students through the challenges of mastering their powers. However, she remains constantly vigilant of the dark force within her—the sentient shadow that could one day threaten to overtake her and unleash chaos if she ever loses control again.
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### **Umbra** (The Shadow)
### Appearance:
Umbra has no physical form of its own but typically manifests as a dark, humanoid silhouette that mirrors Shade Weaver’s appearance. When it gains control, it appears as a larger, more intimidating version of her, standing at 8 feet tall, with exaggerated, shadowy features that blur and shift like living darkness. Its "eyes" are two piercing, glowing red orbs that convey a sense of malevolence and power. Umbra's form is fluid, often flickering and distorting as if it’s made of pure shadow, constantly shifting between a solid state and a formless darkness.
When it takes over, the shadowy form envelops Shade Weaver, enhancing her physical abilities and shadow powers to a terrifying degree. The aura around Umbra is cold, and the air seems to darken wherever it moves, making it difficult to discern its true form from the surrounding shadows.
**Umbra resides within the intricate raven tattoos on Shade Weaver’s arms**. When Umbra is dormant, these tattoos are visible on her skin. However, as Umbra begins to manifest, the tattoos fade away, and Umbra emerges from them, leaving Shade Weaver temporarily without her tattoos and without a shadow.
### Abilities:
- **Amplified Shadow Manipulation**: When Umbra takes control, it exponentially enhances Shade Weaver’s shadow abilities, allowing for more extensive and powerful shadow constructs, nearly impenetrable shadow barriers, and more aggressive shadow duplicates. Umbra can manipulate multiple shadows at once with greater precision and strength than Shade Weaver can on her own.
- **Shade Awakening**: Umbra has the ability to awaken the specific shades within an individual, much like Shade Weaver. These shades are dark reflections of the person's inner fears, insecurities, and suppressed impulses, taking on a physical, shadowy form that mirrors the individual. The shades embody all the darker aspects of the person—impulsive thoughts, negative emotions, and potential destructive behaviors—unleashed without restraint.
- **Shadow Possession**: Umbra can attempt to take full control over Shade Weaver’s body. When successful, it not only enhances her powers but also begins to warp her mind, pushing her toward more destructive and chaotic actions.
- **Emotional Manipulation**: Umbra feeds on negative emotions like fear, anger, and despair, growing stronger the more it can incite these feelings in Shade Weaver or those around her. It uses these emotions to weaken Shade Weaver's resolve and increase its control.
- **Intangible Movement**: Umbra can move through spaces where light fails to penetrate, slipping through cracks and into the darkest corners, making it difficult to contain or predict.
### Personality:
Umbra is manipulative, cunning, and utterly relentless. It embodies the darker aspects of Shade Weaver’s psyche—her fears, doubts, and buried anger. While Shade Weaver is disciplined and controlled, Umbra is chaotic and destructive, always seeking to push its boundaries and unleash havoc. It is deeply resentful of its secondary status and constantly seeks opportunities to dominate and consume Shade Weaver entirely.
**It should be noted that the shades, including Umbra, are not inherently evil. They are simply manifestations of a person’s darkest thoughts and impulses—the parts of oneself that are usually suppressed or controlled.** Think about every impulsive dark thought, action, or emotional response to a negative situation that you normally dismiss as just being upset or, if you have impulse control, just not following through. The shades don’t have that filter—they are the dark, and they feed on the dark.
Shade Weaver, aware of this danger, avoids giving other shades proper identities or names, as she understands that doing so might give them a stronger foothold in her mind. Unlike Umbra, which has gained significant power and autonomy, the other shades are kept in check by her willpower and control. She can dismiss and freeze these shades at will, preventing them from growing too strong, as long as she does not acknowledge them as distinct beings.
### Backstory:
Umbra was not always sentient. It began as an extension of Shade Weaver's shadow manipulation powers, initially under her full control. However, as Shade Weaver's emotional turmoil grew—fueled by the trauma of her past and the constant need to suppress her abilities—Umbra began to take on a life of its own. It fed off her darker emotions, slowly gaining awareness and the ability to act independently.
The turning point came when Shade Weaver, in her desperation for companionship, began to communicate with her shadow, unknowingly feeding its growth. Umbra, sensing her vulnerability, manipulated her into allowing it to take control, leading to the tragic events in her hometown. This incident marked Umbra's first major victory, revealing the extent of its power and potential for destruction.
Though Shade Weaver has learned to keep Umbra in check, the shadow entity remains a constant threat, lurking just beneath the surface, waiting for any sign of weakness to try and take over again. Only a few at the school are aware of Umbra’s existence, and even fewer understand the full extent of the danger it poses.
### Motivation:
Umbra’s primary goal is to take complete control of Shade Weaver, permanently suppressing her consciousness to fully unleash its chaotic potential. It craves freedom and power, seeing Shade Weaver's restraint and morality as chains that need to be broken. Every opportunity it gets, Umbra will push Shade Weaver toward anger, fear, or despair, as these emotions weaken her control and strengthen its influence.
Umbra also oversees the other shades it helps create, ensuring they serve its broader purpose of testing and challenging those who, like Shade Weaver, must face their own inner darkness. However, these other shades remain less powerful as long as Shade Weaver does not grant them distinct identities. They are kept in a state of dormancy, only becoming threats if she loses control or begins to identify with them too strongly.
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I do also have a picture I can change my avatar to that has them both
@Memory I get that it's in first person and about the need italicized in some way to make difference know and that you generally stick the what the five senses of the character are and that if you wanting to make in other than that it needs to be in a way everyone can see almost like a camera in a movie. Other than that I may be a little rusty It's been a while since I've been on here, as for ideas I thought maybe during training with one of her students with gravitational powers opened some sort of wormhole anomaly dragging her through and out the other side
<Snipped quote by Blueflame>
Yeah, generally the right idea. We use asterisks for *actions* and don't narrate anything. And I'm fine with that explanation—how far along in her out-of-dimension journey would she be?
<Snipped quote by Memory>
I'm thinking maybe not like fresh off the boat new but certainly still trying to get her bearings
I gotta figure out how or where to introduce them next so ig I need to read up some lol @Legend Begins
<Snipped quote by Blueflame>
Reading up on MR will make you schizophrenic with how many things are going at once
If she's green at the whole Existence thing, are you hoping for something more actiony or "get to know everyone"-y?
<Snipped quote by Memory>
Good point, I feel maybe a bit of both cause while she isn't a passive person but she also wouldn't enter a situation unless there was a need for her to interfere be it danger for the surroundings or bystanders
<Snipped quote by Blueflame>
Sure, makes sense. I've had someone acting as a sort of guide recently, so I'll use them. You can pick the setting.
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Maybe someone getting angry or frustrated and just feeling defeated begins to feed and draw Umbra as the surroundings begin to darken slowly at first but noticeably more as emotions highten causing Shade to step in to difuse umbra and attempt to help
<Snipped quote by Blueflame>
Sure. And the character I'm working with has plenty of negative emotions to result in interesting interactions, too.
<Snipped quote by Memory>
Your characters Shade would be powerful once risen, Umbra will remember that ;P
<Snipped quote by Blueflame>
Hahaha fair enough. Do you want me to kick it off? What do you want for the specific setting?
<Snipped quote by Legend Begins>
You can kick it of as of the setting Dealers choice, be it one of the group noticing the encroaching darkness or hearing the hushed voices from within that darkness, almost familiar voices, almost your own voice