[CHAR] The Spirits Within: Stigma

[Mirandae]

Real world, live-action image/gifs go here.

Name Surname

Date of Birth (no year) | Height (imperial/metric)

Personality

Paragraphs describing your character's personality.

Appearance

Paragraph(s) describing your character's physical features, typical clothing, ornaments, etc., and whatever else you think is important to mention.

Ringtone

This is the ringtone of your character's phone. You could also considered it the theme song for your character. Link to YouTube.

Background

This section mainly concerns your character's personal endeavors during the Oakridge school years (8-22). You can also include things about your character's history with Samuel, if you want.

Tropes

• Trope 1. (Name/Link)
• Trope 2. (Name/Link)
• etc...

Memories

Paragraphs describing your character's memories and relations with other player characters.

Weapon

Paragraph(s) describing your character's weapon of choice. It can be a melee or ranged weapon.

Spirits

List your created spirits here. The 'Spirit Sheet' can be found in the spirit creation section in the our of character tab.

Trivia

Random facts about your character! Optional, but very helpful in a setting where the characters are lifelong friends.

[center][i]Real world, live-action image/gifs go here.[/i]
[h3][color=4682B4]Name Surname[/color][/h3]
Date of Birth (no year) | Height (imperial/metric)[/center]
[i][color=4682B4]Personality[/color][/i]
[indent]Paragraphs describing your character's personality.[/indent]
[i][color=4682B4]Appearance[/color][/i][indent]Paragraph(s) describing your character's physical features, typical clothing, ornaments, etc., and whatever else you think is important to mention.[/indent]
[i][color=4682B4]Ringtone[/color][/i][indent]
This is the ringtone of your character's phone. You could also considered it the theme song for your character. Link to YouTube.[/indent]
[i][color=4682B4]Background[/color][/i][indent]This section mainly concerns your character's personal endeavors during the Oakridge school years (8-22). You can also include things about your character's history with Samuel, if you want.[/indent]
[hider=Tropes][list]
[*]Trope 1. (Name/Link)
[*]Trope 2. (Name/Link)
[*]etc...[/list][/hider]
[i][color=4682B4]Memories[/color][/i][indent]Paragraphs describing your character's memories and relations with other player characters.[/indent]
[i][color=4682B4]Weapon[/color][/i][indent]Paragraph(s) describing your character's weapon of choice. It can be a melee or ranged weapon.[/indent]
[i][color=4682B4]Spirits[/color][/i][indent]List your created spirits here. The 'Spirit Sheet' can be found in the spirit creation section in the our of character tab.[/indent]
[i][color=4682B4]Trivia[/color][/i][indent]Random facts about your character! Optional, but very helpful in a setting where the characters are lifelong friends.[/indent]

[Mirandae]

Olivia Celestine

18 June | 5'4"

Personality

This dame is a true altruist. She often meets kindness with kindness-in-excess and engages such encounters with enthusiasm and generosity. Being a universal helper and no stranger to physical affection, Olivia relish in sharing her knowledge, experience, time, and energy with anyone who needs it, and all the more so with friends and family. She strives for win-win situations, choosing empathy over judgment whenever possible.

Olivia is reliable, flexible, patient, adaptable, and balanced. She is quick to grasp the meaning of a situation and act on it, often with positive effects. There is a sense of duality to her nature, however, and it can sometimes be difficult to predict what she will do. But, she is a generous soul with a tendency of being affectionate, and imaginative. Olivia has a natural talent to inspire others, as she easily motivates herself—her charisma and accomplishments are infectious. She is also extremely supportive, always making sure that her friends are well taken care of, even if she has to do it herself.

However, Olivia can sometimes take things too personally. She has a bit of trouble with separating personal and impersonal, and any negativity from conflict or criticism can carry over from the professional to her personal life, and back again. This has caused Olivia to develop an unhealthy obsession with her physical appearance and past romances. She represses and internalizes her feelings a great deal, much in the way that she feels the need to protect and offer support to people around her. Being such a warm, good-hearted person, Olivia’s own problems often grow and fester unattended.

Olivia can get unreasonably angry at insignificant things. Whatever caused her to snap is often vastly disproportionate to the level of frustration she displays. Her occasional rage is implosive, which means that she would be the cashier that finally has enough and shoots everyone in the store as opposed to the odd customer that screams about a faulty coupon. However, her moments of anger are rare and so far in-between that it is barely noticeable how deep her personal problems have rooted themselves in her mind and heart.

Appearance

Olivia has a slender and fragile build. No matter how much junk food she eats, no matter how much she works out at the academy, Olivia just does not gain any weight. However, this is beneficial to her grace and fluidity of movement in swordplay. Her posture is quite elastic, and her balance steady. For extracurricular activities at Oakridge, Olivia practiced ballet, which later developed into ‘sword dancing’.

Olivia has chestnut brown hair often clad with ginger blonde highlights, smooth skin that easily turns golden during the summer months, Cerulean blue eyes, trenchant eyebrows, and plump lips. However, due to some personal issues, Olivia is noxiously obsessed with her physical appearance, and she endures vigorous routines to keep her hair and visage perfect.

Olivia usually wears loose fitting cardigans and sweatshirts at the Oakridge campus. Regardless of time of day or year, Olivia always wears various leggings for trousers. She absolute loves her humongous collection of leggings for every possible occasion. Olivia also has a thing for blindingly white sneakers. If she has to go formal, various dresses and platform pumps always does the trick.

Ringtone

• Memories

Background

Olivia merged well with the student life of Oakridge Academy. She ran for and was elected student body president twice, took an active interest in anti-bullying efforts, and provided a strong emotional bridge between different social circles. However, her primary duty has always been the one that Samuel left behind. Olivia poured countless of hours and energy into keeping the old Helston gang together. She even kept in touch with the ones that did not attend Oakridge, and arranged events such as barbeques, clubbing in the cities, and drain pipe water sliding every now and then to remind them of the unbreakable unity they share.

However, Olivia was cursed by an obsessional love for Samuel, one that she never had the chance to admit to him before he died. It has haunted her ever since that tragic day, but deep down inside she would like to think that he already knew. Olivia and Samuel shared a quiet, spiritual bond. They never directly interacted when the whole group was together, only when they were completely alone. A lot of Samuel’s leadership traits rubbed off on Olivia. She learned a great deal from him, even if they were mere children. Samuel is the one subject that Olivia actively avoids. She loved him more than she cares to admit, but it is quite noticeable through her love for the friends that shared him.

Olivia’s father, George, was a swordsman during the break out war with the Mordrem. He was a master in the art of ‘gunblade’ fighting, and taught soldiers and officials alike. A gunblade is a sword with a revolver or pump action built into the hilt, the barrel running inside the length of the blade. The idea is to offer a capable melee weapon with acceptable ranged features. George taught his daughter everything he knew about gunblade fighting, and even if Olivia was not as talented as him, he did not give up on her. He persuaded Olivia to keep practicing her skills at Oakridge, which she did.

A prominent problem for Olivia during her combat training at Oakridge has always been her fragile physique. Even for a Guardian, she is extraordinarily squishy. However, due to her social nature, leadership capabilities, and excellent swordsmanship, the instructors arranged for her to be heavily exposed to spirits of lightning in order to improve her movement in battle. Therefore, she is a true definition of the word ‘glass cannon’. Olivia combines high damage through swordplay and lightning with high mobility, and it keeps her out of trouble most of the time. However, when and if she gets hit, she goes down pretty fast.

Olivia has had a plethora of different male and female partners at Oakridge. Even though running in all manner of social circles, she has a silent reputation of being a bit ‘loose’ and free-spirited with her body. However, her own perception of it is vastly contrasting from that of others. Olivia has always been a person of physical affection, warmth, and love. Some believe, her parents and friends especially, that it is due to the void that Samuel left in her heart. She has over the years developed an unhealthy fondness for her own idealized imagination of Samuel, which is why she is always looking for him in others. However, whether all of this is conscious or subconscious remains unknown, as Olivia is a master at masking her inner emotions with excessive kindness and smiles.

Tropes

• Badass
• Action Girl
• Magnetic Hero
• Mama Bear
• Glass Cannon

Memories

When tragedy struck Helston, Olivia was fast to take up the mantle left in the dirt by Samuel. If someone would ask her about it, she would probably not perceive it in that way. It was a gut feeling for Olivia, a subconscious calling, something that made perfect sense to her. For the last fifteen years, she has functioned as a mother or sister figure to many of her friends, the unofficial leader, and the glue that keeps them together. However, Olivia has always honored Samuel’s memory by putting herself in the background in order to allow her friends to grow and shine.

[+]

Kade Sicario
Usually, Olivia avoids openly talking about Samuel. She would rather be infected with Stigma. This is not the case with Kade. She is one of the few that know the extent of Olivia’s love for Samuel, or more specifically, the love for her idealized imagination of him. However, in another time and universe, Olivia and Kade would probably be worst enemies. Kade had a relationship with Samuel that came dangerously close to that of Olivia’s, which has caused a sense of competitiveness to linger between the girls. Together they from a doubled edged sword, loving and hating each other with a passion. However, Olivia tries to attend all of Kade’s performances whenever and wherever they may be, as she admires her singing.

Rui Liú
Olivia is the way she is because it comes naturally. When she sees Rui put on her show of two distinct sides to herself, Olivia becomes a bit distraught. She feels as if ‘Dark Rui’ is a bad influence on the group and everyone around, which is why Olivia does everything in her power to promote ‘Angelic Rui’. Olivia has taken Rui to a petting zoo for Moa Birds and other small and fluffy animals, played video games with her for days on end, and indulged in the fan-girl train at Oakridge. Olivia does find Rui to be extremely cute, so she is a member of an actual committee that creates fan art, takes photos of Rui, and conducts a blog on the Oakridge network about Rui’s everyday life.

Elvira Ravenwood
Olivia is officially a person who looks out and cares for Elvira. There is an actual Sanctum contract that states the aforementioned, and both girls have signed it. So, one can imagine that they have spent quite a bit of time together over the years. It has gotten to the point where Olivia is more of a mother figure to Elvira, rather than just a friend, even if Elvira is two months older than Olivia. A lot of their interaction is through their shared interest in weapon dancing. Elvira practices ‘gun dancing’ and Olivia turned her ballet into ‘sword dancing’. They have spent countless of nights and many hours on their practice, and performed at several ceremonies at Oakridge, especially graduations. At this point, Elvira is very much a daughter to Olivia, and nothing will ever change that.

Scout
Olivia can be firm and strict, even if she is an overall caring person. It may come to no surprise that Scout knows that side to Olivia quite well. She has probably heard “go clean your room,” “don’t do that,” and “watch your language” more than any other student at Oakridge. Olivia sees Scout as a diamond in the rough and with a bit of tough love, she will be able to form the little rascal into a graceful woman. However, it is a process that comes with quite a bit of frustration. Olivia has on more than one occasion stormed out of Scout’s dormitory at the academy, muttering or shouting, only to come back twenty minutes later and in silence braid Scout’s hair.

Alabaster Zabek
Olivia would lie if she denied being attracted to Al. The boy has an air of mystery to him that complements what Samuel was. However, being an utmost extroverted person, Olivia fervently attempts to convert Al into something that he is not. She has on more than one occasion invited him to outings with her only to be rejected by excuses a dozen times. But, it has not stopped Olivia from kicking down the door to his dormitory and forced him out of there. She masks her true intentions by playing the Helston-friend card. Knowing the son of and heir to a prominent modeling agency, who has an in with all the current trends and fashions, can have its benefits. Olivia has no intention of squandering such a friend.

Eric Wormwood
As the leader type, Olivia knows when an invaluable resource is available to her. Eric is such a resource. Even though Elvira is utmost clever, her and Olivia’s relationship prohibits Olivia from seeing her in the same light as she sees Eric. He is the right-hand man, the long arm of knowledge that Olivia does not have, and the intellectual hitman that she puts to use as a weapon. She will often glance at him for a sign of approval or disapproval in matters of arguments or decisions concerning others. Out of all the friends, Olivia feels as if her relationship with Eric is strictly platonic, which in itself becomes special, as such is not the case with anyone else. She feels as if she can trust Eric’s judgement, even in times of disagreement, without the fear of emotion manipulating the situation. Her favorite moment with him is when they hit the local coffee shops of the city for chocolate pudding and vanilla milkshakes!

Aaron Nyles
There is a special place in Olivia’s heart for Aaron. Not only is he an ex-boyfriend of hers, but he is also a great friend who shares her passion for other beings and having a good time. Her favorite moments with Aaron are definitely when they pull an all-nighter in the city. They drink as much as they can, hit a dozen or so clubs, get into several fights with uppity people and military personnel on leave who think they can beat Aaron, eat a lot of junk food, and then call it a night at 10AM the next morning. Olivia was the one who broke their romantic relationship off, about a year ago. She said that she needed space and did not want to ruin their childhood friendship with petty arguments.

Weapon

Unlike traditional gunblades, Olivia’s weapon is technically a ‘dualweapon’. Instead of being a solid piece, the weapon transforms between two modes: gun and blade. The ranged mechanism functions as a shotgun weapon and can be loaded with up to five shells. Olivia rarely uses the gun-mode, but it does come in handy every now and then. The blade-mode, however, is where Olivia is most comfortable. During missions and combat training, Olivia wears a holster that swings across her buttocks for the weapon to rest in.

Spirits

There are three, distinct lightning Anima that reside within Olivia. While they approve of her combat abilities, they are not particularly fond of each other or Olivia’s personality. She tries to keep them in line, but sometimes their quarrels can be explosive. However, they never hurt Olivia, as they have chosen her as their sanctuary for a reason.

Olivia has two passive effects: Might & DeProtect, due to Glass Cannon.

“Flash”
Electro, Blind.
This spirit causes Olivia to vanish in a thunderous flash and rapidly travel a short distance in lightning stricken, whirling smoke. As she emerges, those in the immediate area are blinded by a bright light and stunned by an immense, explosive sound. Flash is the smallest of the Lightning Brothers. He usually displays traits of innovation, urgency, and adaptability. In times of respite, Flash may cautiously emerge from Olivia’s body in the form of a fox, whose fur sparks of lightning.

“Thunder”
Electro, Imperil.
This spirit hits an enemy with a massive lightning strike and leaves it weak against subsequent attacks of the same element. Thunder is by far the biggest and strongest of the Lightning Brothers. He displays traits of domination, rage, and panic. In times of respite, he may emerge from Olivia’s body in the form of a hulking, golem-like creature with webs of lightning attaching to conducting objects in his vicinity.

“Storm”
Electro, Aero, Haste.
This spirit changes the weather in the immediate area to mimic a lightning storm. All enemies are struck with lightning strikes and gusts of wind, but no matter where Olivia is, the wind is at her back in the chaos. Storm is the most unpredictable of the Lightning Brothers. He displays traits of brooding, contempt, and restlessness. In times of respite, he may emerge from Olivia’s body in the form of a ghast-like creature of lightning.

“Omnislash”
Electro, Aero, Haste, Imperil, Blind, All.
This is a particularly powerful ability induced by the Lightning Brothers together. Olivia strikes an enemy with a flurry of attacks from her weapon at the speed of lightning, and then instantly teleports to the next enemy until all enemies have been struck.

Trivia

• Her full name is Olivia Andrea Celestine.
• Olivia’s mother died giving birth to her. However, Olivia’s aunt, Janice, raised her as if she was her own. Janice is the sister of George Celestine, Olivia’s father.
• She has a definite soft spot for chocolate of all kinds. It is an instant persuasion mechanic to be sure.
• Olivia still practices ballet and sword dancing.
• Her spirits have little in common with her personality. This is because she was exposed to them as a solution to her fragile body and lack of defensive capabilities. The Oakridge Spirit Instructors made her practice combat skills in stormy weather around Cetra in order to absorb lightning spirits. High mobility and damage was the better option in her case, as opposed to defensive spirits.

[Whoami]

Kade Sicario

June 5th | Height 5' 7"

Personality

Kade is a charming and charismatic individual who has a passion toward singing. It's always a stark difference between her attitude when singing and when she's doing practically anything else. Kade has a level of energy thats infectious to those around, she often tries to dominate the atmosphere with witty remarks and enthusiasm. When she sings, her singing is peaceful and often times relaxing to listen to. Those who've known her for a long time consider Kade to be two different people when is and isn't singing.

Kade is very sympathetic in nature and tries to offer comfort to others in pain. In a sense, Kade envies the dead in that they no longer need to live in the harsh reality of the world. After the Mordrem attack, Kade had sung to the victims who were past saving; she sung for hours until every last one of them was gone. She helps those in need, if they're hungry, Kade will offer her food. If they're cold, Kade will offer her coat. If they're sick, Kade will buy medicine.

Kade is plagued with nightmares since the Mordrem attack which took Samuel away from her. At night, Kade is reluctant to go to sleep. When she finally does, she often wakes up shortly after in sweat, terrified as she repeats the sight of watching Samuel die and lay pinned under rubble as the very same Mordrem approaches her. Kade visits Oakridge's therapist on an almost daily basis to try and find meaning from her dreams.

Towards her friend, Kade is protective. While she was never the same after the Mordrem attack, Kade tries to fill the empty shoes and keep the childhood gang motivated. She has the occasional clash of ideals with Olivia but never takes it to a point where it'd split the group. Kade has a competitive attitude when she is around Olivia, like the two are constantly trying to prove something to one another.

Her strong sense of compassion and energy, as well as her talent for singing, has made Kade a respected member of the community and Oakridge has high hopes for her as a future guardian. Kade tries to attend funerals whenever they come around as the family of the deceased enjoy the singing as a send off for the lost loved one. Kade sings Sanctum's traditional 'Song of Sending' to ease the spirit in passing.

Appearance

Kade has tanned skin and round eyes. She has obvious muscle tone throughout her body. Kade's eyes are a peculiar amber-ish red color. Her hair is short with white streaks running through it. Kade often wears clothing that allows her to move quickly and not weigh her down. She has wears climbing gloves with steel knuckles on them. Kade wears a long flowing white cloak while travelling, the bottom on which has become frayed and torn during her travels. She will usually wear cargo pants or denim, something rugged and durable to last long periods of time.

Kade's back is lined with four long scars that run parallel to her spine. Her hands also have what appears to be scars from bullets or stakes piercing through them.

Ringtone

- Kiss Me Sunlights

Background

Kade met Samuel before she was able to remember, her parents with close friends with Samuel's. The two grew up as close friends, learning from one another's teachings and lessons. They were completely inseparable, and it wasn't long before they started to go on childish little adventures at the age of four. Kade had always aspired to be a renowned figure worldwide, she wanted to be famous! Kade was certainly on the fast track with Samuel to become a local hit. Where Samuel's reputation was in being popular with everybody and good at whatever he tried to do, Kade's reputation came from singing and using it for special services in town.

As they grew, the pair became a group and soon their circle of friendship started to look like a circle of brothers and sisters. Kade started spending more time with the others. The time not being stuck to Samuel's side opened her up a bit. She was enjoying the other games her new friends would play and the other secrets she was told. One night she was with Olivia and found out that Olivia was madly in love with Samuel, it created a small bit of jealousy in Kade. Kade wasn't lost in love for Samuel, she looked toward him more like a brother, but the thought of him having somebody closer made her uncomfortable. Since then, Kade had developed a bit of a competitive nature with Olivia, and not even with Samuel, but everything in general. Nevertheless, the gang grew up to be tightly knit.

The day that the Mordrem attacked, Kade was with Samuel. The two were alone at his place and they were playing hide and seek. Kade had hidden in a closet and Samuel was seeking her out. The room was entirely silent until there were screams outside, followed by the ring of gunfire and alarms. Kade was about to come out of the closet when the wall behind her collapsed. The shelves and all of their contents fell on Kade. The rubble of the wall added to the weight on top of her, she was pinned and completely unable to move aside from one arm. Her head was a foot away from a razor sharp claw belonging to a Mordrem. Kade was completely frozen in fear and watched as it preyed on Samuel. When it took his life, she couldn't help but scream, catching the attention of the hungry Mordrem. She tried to wrestle free of the rubble but she was only eight and wasn't strong enough. She could smell the Mordrem's breath and feel the saliva of the monster dripping on her face. Kade closed her eyes and when she opened them, she was in a hospital's quarantine room being examined for Stigma.

Kade was in the hospital for two days. After being assured she wasn't infected with Stigma, Kade was discharged from the hospital. As she left, she saw the entire waiting room was filled with dying patients, they were suffering and weren't as lucky as her. Tears ran down Kade's face as she began to sing the Song of Sending for them. The room went silent as the nurses watched, the dying calmed and soon enough, they had all passed.

Not long after, Kade discovered she was Guardian. The announcement was bittersweet for Kade, she was thrilled that being a Guardian would increase her renown. But she didn't want to have to face the Mordrem, she was still plagued by the nightmares of witnessing Samuel die. But Kade eventually embraced her destiny to become a Guardian and followed her friends to Oakridge. Kade had all of the traits of a Guardian except that she couldn't use magic, it frustrated her to no end. Kade spoke to her therapist about it and he said that her trauma from watching Samuel die was acting as a blocker, and that she needed to let go of the moment so she could progress.

As Kade grew into her teens, she was never able to produce a single form of magic, she was just as physically capable as a Guardian as any other. But she needed to remain in Oakridge, with her friends, so she made up for her lack of magic with pure combat prowess in martial arts and strategic aptitude. She practiced parkour and freerunning on her spare time, and finished it off with a night of singing. She felt alone, however, watching as her friends used their magic to show off to one another.

When Kade was fourteen, she still had no control for magic. She was on the verge of giving up to even attempt it. That's when she saw a flyer. It said 'Unlock your Potential'. Kade, being the naive teen that she was, took it as a sign from above and followed the address on the flyer. When she knocked on the door, it opened and she was invited inside. There was a host of other kids there, she could tell none of them were Guardians, they all wanted to unlock their potential. The introductions went well enough, the people who put up the flyers seemed legit, she didn't know any better. As the group got more relaxed, the individuals running the show put on gasmasks. Before anybody had time to register what was happening, the room was filled with a sleeping agent.

She woke to screams of pain. They weren't in the building she had entered originally. The place was dilapidated, they were in a ruin of sorts. The only ruins Kade could think of were the Kopesh ruins two hours away from home. The room was cold and wet, an ominous light was coming through cracks in a wooden door, Kade could hear ritualistic chanting on the other side. She had heard of this sort of chanting during classes at Oakridge, these individuals were worshipers of Stigma. Kade got a pretty good idea on what was happening on the other side of that door. She looked around at the others, they were still unconscious, she was the only one awake. She tried to free herself from her bonds, but not even her Guardian strength could snap the steel manacles.

When the screaming and chanting ended, Kade overheard the cultists speak, "Another failure. When will this experiment succeed?". The voices drew closer to the door, Kade knew they were coming to get another 'test subject'. She pretended to be unconscious, cracking her eyes open just enough to watch as the masked figures took the person beside her into the room. She listened to the cries of agony for twenty minutes until, once again, the ritual resulted in a failure. They came through the door without conversation this time and caught Kade just a moment before she was able to close her eyes. "This one is awake." Kade heard one say. Then the next, "The gas should have had an effect for another two hours. I suppose she's next then."

Kade tried to resist, but they took her by the hands and legs into the room. When she got in there, she saw a stone altar in the middle. It was blood soaked and surrounded by strange glowing crystals. The cultists laid her on the altar and chained her up so she couldn't move. She was panicking, hoping that a miracle would happen and she'd use magic against them. It didn't come, and when the first stake was driven through her hand, she cried and screamed out for help. Help from her friends, help from her parents, help from Samuel or even for the Mordrem to just burst through the wall like one had six years prior. The second stake was driven into her other hand, then she was flipped onto her stomach. She felt four knives run from her shoulders all the way down to her waist. The pain was unbearable but Kade's Guardian will kept her conscious through the whole thing, she wished it didn't. One cultist said, "This is the furthest we've gotten, maybe this one will work!"

Kade could feel the cultists laying crystals in the large cuts on her back. Their chanting intensified. She heard voices in her head, not voices, thoughts... 'What the hell is happening to me?' she mentally asked herself. She soon realized it was the thoughts of the cultists, she could listen to their minds. 'Did the crystals do this?' she wondered through the pain, 'Did they give me magic?'

Her question was answered in her own head by a spirit, "The crystals gave us to you..."

In that instant, she could feel immensely powerful energy inside of her, spirits with magical properties. The one thing she was missing.The pain had been washed away, the inclusion of these spirits seemed to complete the circle. In an instant, she felt as if these spirits in her were there all along. She knew them intimately and they knew her just so. While the cultists continued to chant, Kade began to focus on their minds, listening to their intentions without them even knowing. These cultists were trying to forcefully create guardians for their own purposes, guardians that would spread Stigma. Not Guardians... Devourers. Kade had a feeling that if she made it further than any other subject before her, she'd be their Devourer, she didn't want that. Kade reached out into the mind of cultist nearest to her and clutched it with a death grip.

In a shriek, the cultist crumpled, he was killed instantly. The sudden death was enough to make the cultists stop. Then the chains binding Kade to the altar began to rattle, in moments they deformed and shattered. A bolt of unseen energy punched straight through another cultist, sending him flying back into a wall with deadly force. Not only could Kade use her mind to listen to others' thoughts, she could use her mind to manipulate the physical world as well. She got up from the altar, unaware that the long slices down her back had sealed and scarred already. She used her telekinesis to pull the stakes out of her hands, she winced but didn't even groan in pain as they came out. The holes in her hands healed just as a quick. Using her telekinesis, Kade shot the two stakes at two other cultists, punching them both in the hearts. That left her with just the cultist leader.

Her vision started to become more vivid, soon things weren't interpreted by her eyes normally. The world had become gray and fuzzy, the cultist was shining bright red in front of her. Some instinct she never knew she had told her that red was the color of hostility, the intent to kill. The man reached into his coat, and Kade picked up the barely audible sound of a hand grasping a gun. Hearing it caused a silver flare of light in her vision where the gun was on the cultist. When he pulled it out, Kade could feel the movement in the air as she watched the arm and gun fling to an aiming position. She knew where the bullet would travel and dodged in time for the bullet to completely miss. Kade's senses were all linked as one, synesthesia, she had heard about it in biology; it was thought a myth.

Kade's senses were so fine tuned that she was able to react in an instant to the cultist's attempts. Her martial arts training paid off and her Guardian strength had the man down in moments. She had used too much force and cracked his ribs, causing one to pierce his lung. Kade stood and watched as the cultist heaved for his last breaths. He looked up at Kade with fear. In that moment, she wondered, would watching this man die make her the Devourer they tried to make her into? Kade knelt down to eye level with him, "Nobody deserves to suffer..." and then she sang the Song of Sending.

Her voice resonated and slipped into his mind with the help of her telepathy. She willed him to rest, to accept what was coming, and to go peacefully. The cultist closed his eyes, smiled and breathed his last breath. Kade started to cry.

When she gathered herself, Kade waited around the other young teenagers who were abducted. When they awoke, Kade comforted them both with her singing, and explaining to them that the danger had passed. She explained she was a Guardian, and she was going to lead them back to town. When they left the building, Kade's suspicions about being in the Kopesh ruins was correct, she knew exactly where they were and how to get home. They were all weak, hungry, tired and still in shock from the whole experience, what would have been a two hour walk became a five hour endeavor. Luckily, they didn't come across a Mordrem. The entire walk back was hard for Kade, it wasn't pain from her injuries, those had mostly healed and passed, it was the thought of how she was going to deliver the news, that some peoples' children were dead. Kade surely knew that her nightmares would become more complex after this experience.

Kade returned with the group, it was half the size it was when they were abducted. Most of them, Kade included, couldn't even carry themselves past the town's first checkpoint. Ambulances did the rest. Kade was treated and debriefed, then discharged from the hospital, the whole process was only eight hours long. Her childhood friends met up with her shortly after, worried to death about where she had been the past two days. Kade wanted to explain everything, but couldn't find the words. She couldn't explain how she managed to start wielding magic or having killed a cult. She couldn't explain the cult's intentions on trying to make their own Guardians, that was Sanctum Inquisition ears only and she was ordered to keep her lips sealed. Kade said that she simply was called to the next town for singing at a funeral, it was all last minute.

The rest of Kade's life was mostly without excitement. She began to excel in Oakridge with her magic. She grew close to her circle and maintained her childish competitions with Olivia. She sang to pass the dead and sang to please the living. Kade was mostly happy, but the nightmares persisted, the vision of the Mordrem and Samuel and now the Cultists never leaving her at night.

Kade is 22 years old now, a fully fledged Guardian and a young celebrity singer in Cetra.

Tropes

• Synesthesia
• Aura Vision
• Telepathy
• Telekinesis
• Martial Arts
• Telepathic Singing

Memories

Kade was looked up to among her friends throughout childhood as the one who always kept her composure. She was the one who backed up Samuel's claims and ideas and made them sound like they were a good idea. There was always something about the synergy between the two that really worked. Kade was always remembered as 'the one who could', never backing down to dare and somehow managing to pull it off.

Olivia - Arguably Kade's best friend. While they argue and have childish competitions with one another, Kade finds that their conflicts are necessary for keeping their friendship as strong as it is; so that they can vent their frustrations on one another, not talk for a day and be uplifted the next. Kade learns a lot about herself and others whenever she gets in an argument with Olivia, and she tries to better herself afterward. Their bonds with Samuel are practically on the same level, and it has helped Kade come out of her shell a bit. Olivia is the only one Kade talks to about her recurring nightmares aside from Dr. Brant and the Headmaster.

Rui - It's... Something. The two can hang out, have fun and do whatever friends do together. But between the two of them, something always feels missing. Kade attributes the missing link to be her secrets: her run in with the Stigma cultists and her nightmares. But at the same time, Kade feels that Rui isn't being all that honest either. Nevertheless, Kade trusts Rui, maybe not for Rui zherself, but because the rest of the group trusts her.

Elvira - If Olivia is the one that puts a thorn in Kade's side, Elvira is the one that pulls it out. Usually after a confrontation, Kade would spend time with El to refocus herself. El's point of view and tendency to side with Olivia on things grants her a different view on things which makes it easier to see both sides of the story. Kade like's Elvira, she finds her quiet demeanor is calming. Kade trusts Elvira's opinion on things and is often the songstress's voice of reason when she is unsure about something.

Scout - Kade loves this badass. Whenever Kade wants to break a rule or sneak out or do something she wouldn't normally do, Kade goes to Scout. She finds Scout to be the source of all fun, whenever she speaks with Scout, it stokes a fire in her that that just makes Kade want to be a rebel for a while. Kade mentally thanks Scout for sharpening Kade's edge into something every guardian should have. Scout was the one got Kade to first drink, brought Kade to her first party, inspired Kade to sneak out. Scout even taught Kade how to properly kiss! Though Kade is too embarrassed to talk about that moment, she doesn't know if any of the others know and hopes they don't.

Alabaster - This man is Kade's go-to person when it comes to chilling out. Kade enjoys talking with Alabaster because he always has something interesting to say. She knows how many times his heart strings have been pulled the wrong way and she more often than not is the first to make an attempt and fixing things up. Kade finds inspiration to sing from Alabaster, probably because he takes time to listen to Kade regardless if she's singing or not, it makes her feel grounded.

Eric - Kade isn't stupid, not at all, but she always had difficulties with some higher level maths and that's when she calls upon Eric's help. The man is just too damn smart! It's thanks to Eric's tutoring that Kade managed to succeed in all of her studies with such wonderful grades. When they aren't studying, Kade and Eric are often stuck in hours-long sessions of talking about anything intriguing. When they aren't talking like they could end Stigma, Eric and Kade trade witty one liners and other quickly made puns and jokes to one another.

Aaron - Aaron is often a topic in Kade's and Olivia's debates. Once upon a time, Kade had liked Aaron and she lost her opportunity to Olivia. Then when Kade began to sing on bigger venues in front of larger crowds, Kade enlisted Aaron as a bodyguard of sorts; two guardians are always better than one after all. Kade has long gotten over missing her chance to date him, and instead offers playful jabs at the complicated relationship between her, Olivia and Aaron.

Weapon

Kade's climbing gloves have steel plated knuckles. She is a skilled martial artist who's strength has only been enhanced by becoming a guardian. While she is capable of hand to hand combat, Kade's real talent comes from her telekinesis and the powerful connection of her senses through synesthesia. Kade's voice is powerful as well as it is telepathic when she sings.

Spirits

The spirits are bonded to Kade and can never leave her body after they had been forced into her by a cultist ritual.

Sinsette
Effect
+ Largely increased ability to evade offensive actions, sense hidden things of interest, read individuals.
- Largely increased vulnerability to offensive actions if hit, feeling a bullet hurts all of her senses, not just her sense of feeling.
- Can't be used with Bansha as the synesthesia interprets Kade's own voice as harmful when telepathic.
= Kade sees everything through colors in synesthesia and clearly defines certain colors for certain emotions and intentions.
Description
When Kade awakens Sinsette, the spirit connects all of her senses together to put Kade is a state of synesthesia. When in this state, triggering one sense is interpreted in all other senses. By seeing a gun being shot, she can feel the recoil in the shooter's body, hear the angle of the shot and judge the bullet's trajectory and even see how many bullets are left in the magazine. Synesthesia allows Kade to visualize sensations. Kade can smell pheromones and see them portrayed as colors to understand their emotions and thought processes and is often able to discern their intentions from them as well.

Bansha
Effect
+ Kade's voice can deal sonic damage.
+ Kade's voice becomes telepathic, being able to infiltrate the minds of others.
- Can't be used with Sinsette as synesthesia makes Kade's voice too dangerous for herself.
Description
When Kade awakens Bansha, her voice becomes entropic and powerful. Bansha allows for Kade's voice to directly reach the brain of those she speaks to. Certain tones of voice change the effects it has on the individuals. If Kade's voice is gentle, then it soothes, if it is aggressive, then it hurts.

Charos
Effects
+ Kade can use telekinesis either offensively, defensively or as a means to manipulate things outside of her physical reach. When offensively, Kade can deal additional physical damage. When defensively, Kade was resist physical damage.
Description
When Kade calls upon Charos, the spirit grants her the gift of reaching out into the physical world with her mind. Kade can strike at a distance with her telekinesis or use it to create a field around her martial attacks for added effect. Kade has no choice when to awaken Charos, he simply comes to when Kade's adrenaline levels spike. His awakening can be felt by Kade with a sudden wash of power and an increased sense of being across a large area.

Trivia

- Kade's favorite color is amber, she and Samuel had once made an amber pendant when they were children that he let her keep.
- Kade's nightmares become more and more vivid every time she uses her powers, the effect is very gradual. Kade would notice a difference after say around a hundred uses, even then, the difference would be slight.

[JJ Doe]

Rui Liú

29 February | 145cm

Personality

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who believe Rui is an angelic sweetheart and those who know Rui’s “other face.” If one were to ask about Rui, a majority of “her” acquaintances would say —with great confidence— that Rui is a sweet, adorable, innocent, and innocuous young woman. Being the social butterfly that she is, it does not take long for people to like Rui. She is, at the very least, popular amongst her peers and school faculty; revered as Oakridge’s teen idol. This can be attributed to the fact that Rui acts equally nice, polite, and friendly to everyone she meets. “Acts,” being the key word.

The unfortunate few who discovered Rui’s “other side”, know that “angelic Rui” is just a façade: zhe only acts that way to make sure zhe gets what zhe wants; to camouflage zher true self and zher less than noble intentions. “Dark Rui” is a foulmouthed, self-centered, manipulative, sadist. Mischievous by nature, Rui will cause various degrees of trouble for the sake of personal entertainment, but it is only when one get’s on her bad side that things can get extremely dangerous. Rui gets ruthless when zhe seeks revenge and will do everything in zher power to make zher target miserable. The more (mental) pain zhe knows zhe inflected on zher target, the more exhilarated Rui becomes. Once Rui is satisfied with the amount of damage zhe has done, then Rui quickly looses interest of the target and leave him/her to whatever fate awaits them. When the target continuously stands triumphant over every “unfortunate event” that occurred to them, Rui becomes increasingly enraged and obsessed over the target. Eventually, Rui would simply snap and resort to old-fashion assault, which usually does the trick. Interestingly, despite how angry Rui gets, zhe is always rational enough to cover zher track; making sure that nothing negative zhe does leads back to zhim. Most of zher victims don’t even know that Rui was the mastermind and no one believes the few that do know it was Rui and attempted to expose zhim. If people saw how brutally Rui fights the Mordrem, they might have been more inclined to believing the claims.

Although great at pretending to be sympathetic towards others, in truth, Rui is extremely apathetic towards almost everything and everyone, especially if it does no directly affect Rui and those zhe loves. If Rui witnessed a stranger being beaten to death and did absolutely nothing about it (whether it be calling for help or some other form of intervention), Rui could still walk away with a clear conscious. While Rui is capable of caring about others, more often than not, zhe cares because of their usefulness. There are only a hand full of people Rui genuinely cares about and considers to be a friend or family. As one can imagine, it is difficult to become friends with Rui and even harder to become more than that. Not just because of Rui’s darker side, but also because Rui does not trust others easily or willingly. One would not be wrong to assume that this distrust stems from fear of being betrayed and/or abandoned.

It is difficult to claim with absolute certainty that “angelic Rui” —or even “dark Rui” for that matter— is a completely “fake” or “real” idiosyncrasy of Rui’s for a number of reasons. First off, people who knew Rui when zhe was younger —mainly zher childhood friends— remember little Rui being a soft-spoken child who was well mannered, but was lonely and desperate for love and acceptance. Zhe just simply gave up, one day; as if zhe discovered that the only person who would ever truly care about Rui… was Rui. It has also been confirmed that Rui is capable of being a decent human being even when zhe is not in full “deceptive angelic” mode. This is a rare occurrence for strangers and mere acquaintances, but can be seen more frequently based on how close Rui considers the other person to be to zhim. Zhe is especially nice to those Rui regards as family. Although Rui may still act like an ass, zhe treasures the few friends and family zhe has and is more likely to protect and help them in their time of need; anyone or anything that does harm to Rui’s friends and/or family will become zher enemy… and no one wants to be Rui’s enemy (frenemies are an entirely different story). Lastly, it is possible that Rui’s aggressiveness was induced by and/or accentuated by spirits and the experimental drugs administered as part of a study that Rui is a participant of.

Appearance

At first, second, third, and even fourth glance or more, Rui appears to look like a lady in her adolescence (preadolescence, depending on the person), but zher appearance is just as deceptive as zher personality. Despite Rui’s baby face, petite body, and doe-eyes, zhe is a full-grown 22 year old. Rui’s sex is more of a mystery: many assume that zhe is female, but the truth is that no one actually knows if that is true. The only people who know the answer are bound to doctor-patient confidentiality and every official document or ID simply states that Rui is neither and, at times, both. The fact that Rui has an androgynous body type and no noticeable secondary sex characteristics does not make guessing any easier. It is even more confusing when one sees Rui using both the men’s and women’s room.

Rui’s natural hair and eye color is jet black, but zhe likes to change their colors. Currently Rui has zher long hair dyed one-quarter brown and the rest blond. Zhe refrained from putting on color contacts since they would be purely troublesome during missions. Normally Rui’s nails would be covered in nail art, but, again, for the sake of the mission, zhe has left them naked.

As a very social individual, Rui takes great care of zher appearance. Every morning, Rui makes sure that every inch of zher body is clean and will spend a significant amount of time to do hair and makeup to be sure they fit the theme of zher attire that day. Rui tends to wear the most recent fashion trend that does not expose little, if any, skin of the torso. A lot of zher clothes are very girly, but zhe does wear boyish clothes when there is no school or no social event zhe plans to participate in. Zhe wears glasses as a part of fashion, but does not necessarily need them to see things.

The most unusual things on —or rather in— Rui’s person are the two mechanical devices imbedded near the atlas (the topmost vertebra) of the spine. The devices are miniature in size and usually covered by Rui’s hair so no one tends to notice it unless they are looking for it or scrutinizing the general area. Apparently the devices are constantly recording Rui’s vitals and other biological phenomena for research purposes.

Ringtone

Background

Rui was the result of a crime lord wanting the perfect baby; one who would grow up to be the heir of his mighty dynasty. However, when genetic modification produced Rui, the family threw the baby away like a defective merchandise. With nowhere to go, Rui has been in foster care; changing caretakers as frequently as one would change clothes. Years of enduring neglect and abuse; playing the “good kid”; waiting for that one day that perhaps someone would actually want Rui as their child. But that day never came. Instead, Rui was sold to the military. Unlike the majority of children who enroll into military schools, Rui is legally the military’s property: zhe is both protected and confined by the military. Thus, anything the military does to Rui and zher fellow “siblings”— however inhumane it maybe to do on “non-military property” —is permitted by law under the belief that “it is for the betterment of mankind.” Before Rui hit zher teens, zhe became a guinea pig for an experimental treatment for Stigma, which has affected zhim in more ways than zhe realized. If that wasn’t enough, the military wanted Rui to fight for mankind as a Guardian in addition to participating in the Stigma Project. Rui wasn’t too surprised though: they planned to use all that they could from zhim until Rui was completely useless or a threat to them or humanity in general. Rui was going to be thrown away like trash, just like zhe was when zhe was born.

Considering Rui’s past with foster and military care and how zhe is the one to be sacrificed for the good of the many, it is no wonder that zhe is empathetic towards most of humanity: they don’t care about Rui, so why should zhe? If they intend to use zhim for their own benefit, then zhe will use them for zher own benefit. Perhaps it is unjustified resentment, but Rui is not selfless enough to think other wise. Rui tries to enjoy zher life to the fullest, because zhe knows zhe most likely would not live long as the others.

The only time in Rui’s life

Tropes

• The Fake Cutie
• Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon
• More Deadly Than The Male
• Bitch in Sheep’s Clothing
• Beneath the Mask
• Becoming the Mask

Memories

Rui used to be the shy one who never did anything bold on zher own and was mature beyond zher years. Zhe was especially well mannered in front of adults, but this was most likely 1.) An attempt to get an adult to like Rui (and perhaps even consider adopting zhim) and 2.) A protective measure to decrease the occurrence of abuse and neglect (mostly from zher foster family). It was only when Rui was with Samuel and his gang that zhe could be an adventurous little rascal; a kid.

Relationships

• Olivia Celestine: Rui has mixed feelings about Olivia. At times, she is the annoying mother figure zhe can’t help but love; other times zhe simply admires the female incarnation of Samuel; and then there are those times when… something just feels wrong. Rui doesn’t know what it is exactly, but there is something about Olivia that scares zhim.
• Kade Sicario: Out of all the childhood friends, Rui is the most distant with Kade. Despite being one of the models for “angelic Rui,” it seems as though Rui is hesitant to be around Kade. This may, however, have to do less with Kade and more with her singing. The more time passes, the harder it is for Rui to listen to Kade sing. Sometimes it gets bad to the point where zhe actually feels ill.
• Elvira Ravenwood: Study buddy. They may not be the best of friends, but Elvira is the person Rui trusts the most due to her intelligence and honesty.
• Scout: Frenemy and occasional accomplice. One second they might be smiling and hugging each other for successfully executing a scheme they concocted together; the next, they might be duking it out. As a frenemy, Rui will help Scout every now and then, but if it is beneficial for zhim to rat Scout out, zhe would do it... As long as Rui knows Scout won’t die because of the snitching.
• Alabaster “Al” Zabek: Little brother figure. Rui has always seen the same lonely orphan in Alabaster, although they chose very different paths to combat their loneliness. As the one of the few people in the world that Rui considers family, zhe is protective of Alabaster and likes to check in on him periodically, if not to simply hangout with him (zhe claims it’s to take care of him).
• Eric Wormwood: Vitriolic best buds and dueling “buddy.” If these two aren’t bickering like an old married couple, then they are fighting as bitter rivals. Out of all the childhood friends, it is difficult for Rui to be honest towards Eric and is prone to lying over the most trivial of things. Zhe enjoys making his life difficult; every time Rui manages to break Eric’s composure, zhe considers it a personal victory.
• Aaron "Stonewall" Nyles: Something about Aaron makes Rui feel exceptionally impish. Perhaps the two have met each other in a past life? Who knows. It doesn’t change the fact that zhe likes messing with him.

Weapon

Rui’s preferred weapon of choice is the whip; more specifically, an energy whip that runs on crystals. Depending on the element of the crystal being used, the type of elemental damage the whip does on a target will vary. Rui is also proficient with a blade, so when the situation calls for it zhe will use the pair of single-edged long knives that zhe keeps on zher person. Due to their resemblance to a pair of scissors, Rui’s knives are referred to as “scissor blades.” Since the two knives can be used like scissors when combined, it is likely that it’s appearance was intentional.

Spirits

“Misery”
Effects: Dispel; Blind; Silence; DeProtect; DeShell; Imperil; Slow; Zombie; Meltdown; Pain; All
Description: Misery is a lonely spirit and loves any company it can get. But when said company is not as equally or more miserable than Misery, Misery only feels lonelier, so it tries to spread misery by inflicting it on others. It does this by manifesting into various torture devices and forcing all enemies to undergo gruesome tortures. If the enemy manages to survive the ordeal, all positive effects would be removed and replaced with negative ones.

“Knight”
Effects: Protect; Shell
Description: As one would expect a paragon of chivalry to be, Knight is very protective of it’s host and will materialize as some form of armor or shield to protect Rui.

“Vigor”
Effects: Might and/or Faith
Description: When Vigor bestows Rui with Might or Faith, Rui’s hair and eye starts to glow red or blue, respectively. When Vigor blesses Rui with both, Rui’s hair and eye color turns completely purple.

“Tough Love”
Effects: Revive
Description: When Rui gives a good slap across the face of a fallen ally (although kicks and punches also works) the power of Love helps the alley regain consciousness. Love knows you want to rest, but rest can come later. Now you must fight. If you don’t stand up now, you’ll never be able to get back up later. It’s tough love, but love nonetheless. If Rui didn’t care at all, zhe’d leave you to rot.

“Malice”
Effects: Darkness
Description: Unlike the other spirits, it is hard to know when Malice actually surfaces. The best indication for others to know when Malice is used is when Rui suddenly bursts into a maniacal laugh and starts ravaging an enemy without much thought to zher current situation.

Trivia

Trivia

• Rui is fond of animals, especially small fluffy ones.
• Despite zher claim that zhe detests children, Rui is good at taking care of babies and small children.
• Rui may play dumb, but zhe is a straight A student even without manipulating teachers or other students.
• Rui loves playing video games.
• Rui is what is known as a “second-class citizen”. Check the Stigma Project codex for details.
• Rui doesn’t really like to drink alcohol and tends to avoid it.

Related Codices

The Stigma Project

The Stigma Project

A series of studies and experiments conducted to further humanity’s understanding of Stigma and the Mordrem. The project began soon after the Calamity struck Libra and its ultimate goal is to find an effective treatment against Stigma. However, this does not mean that the project did not attempt to find alternate uses for Stigma or Mordrem; including, but not limited to, biological warfare.

It is common knowledge that there are dark rumors surrounding the Stigma Project and institutions that are officially involved in the project, but even if half of them are true, it is highly likely that the Sanctum and any remaining law enforcement organizations intentionally turn a blind eye to it all. While people may complain, nothing is actually done about it, because all the atrocities that occur as part of the Stigma Project is regarded as a “necessary evil”… or so people tell themselves. The truth of the matter is that some of the questionable things that do happen have nothing to do with the Stigma Project. Rather, the Stigma Project is sometimes used as an excuse to push various agendas and for individuals to indulge in unacceptable behavior. It is undeniable that there are people who take advantage the dire situation to do whatever they want.

One of the most famous and controversial changes the Stigma Project was involved in is the legalization of second-class citizenship. Although there were brave and self-less individuals willing to volunteer as test subjects for the Stigma Project, there were simply not enough to produce significant results. So, in addition to other non-Stigma related reasons, the government decided to legalize second-class citizenship to increase the number of participants in experiments without anyone feeling guilty about doing so.

Second-class citizens

Second-class citizens

At first glance, there is no difference between second-class and first-class citizenship. There are even some benefits to being a second-class citizen (for example, second-class citizens are guaranteed housing and food; pardoned from certain crimes and civic duties), however, the benefits never out way the cons, because second-class citizens are legally the property of the government (and by extension, the military) and not really regarded as humans: they cannot disobey anything the government/military does to them, no matter how cruel it may be. They are the first to be abandoned when something goes wrong; they are sacrificed to save first-class citizens; and they are most commonly used as test subjects in the Stigma Project. Simply put, second-class citizens are disposable assets.

A majority of second-class citizens are pariahs (such as convicted criminals), poverty-stricken people who are desperate enough to think that second-class citizenship is preferable, and any other undesirables. Unfortunately, “other undesirables” are commonly unwanted children who were basically sold to the Sanctum or the military. The average life span of a second-class citizen is short compared to other citizens, because they are highly likely to die from unnatural causes; usually a cause related to the experiments the Stigma Project conducts, but this is not always the case.

[Halcyon]

Elvira Ravenwood

April 20 | 5'6"

Personality

Often finding herself engulfed in knowledge books, manuals, and practicums often offer, Elvira spends the majority of her time alone or working along with others who challenge and engage the academia side of her. Quick to offer her thoughts and comments on the matter, the woman often forgets that not everyone is tough skinned enough to take either her bluntness or highly sarcastic remarks when she differs. While not naive enough to think she knows all the answers herself, Elvira - at times - feels like others are far behind her ability wise, which sometimes brokers the mental image of them being inferior when conversing with her. This feeling further perpetuates her desire to learn things herself and innovate on her own.

For all her faults, Elvira has a big heart for those she considers her own. Relationships with her exist on three different tiers: family, familiars, and fools. Those who she considers family, she'll happily give them the time of day, go easier on her rudeness, and aid them as best as she can. In a sense, she acts like a big sister. Giving her siblings hell but loving them regardless. Familiars are teeter in between family and fools. She's polite to a degree though she won't go out of her way for them. Her patience with people who reside in this category - outside of those of higher status than her - is barely tolerable. Conversing with people in this group can sometimes seem a laborious effort from an outsiders point of view; however, Elvira just has better things to do. Fools? They need no mentioning. They're all but invisible to her except for the rarest of occasions.

As much as a bookworm that she is, Elvira implements applicable knowledge to her combat abilities. Fusing physical conditioning and knowledge together, it's this symbiosis of two starkly different things that make her a rather known student at the academy. Be it using her weapon or implementing machinations on how to co-exist with her spirits, Elvira has created an efficient deliver system of carnage that many have tried to replicate but fail. Why? Not because that's she's better, stronger, or whatever silly excuses others come up with. She just took the time to learn, practice, and mold information to suit her style. Again, another downside for her is her sense of superiority and over-confidence at times.



Appearance

Given a medium sized build and lean, Elvira gives off that cutesy geeky look that belies her abilities outside the realm of academia. Other than when she's in combat, she - for the majority of the time - wears glasses that pronounce her intense amethyst colored eyes. Her lush, golden-brown hair is often worn down or tied into a messy or neat bun. Continuing on with her typical facade, Elvira wears over-sized pullovers with complementing shorts or fitting pants. She wears a necklace that remains as the only memorabilia of her family.

Ringtone

Get It By Your Own Hands

Background

Elvira came into Oakbridge with a fractured past. When she stepped through the academy doors, she immediately launched herself into academia, war games, and honing her gun dance vocation that her father taught her when she was young. Over time, complementing what she learned from others and from research papers, Elvira implemented different physics, theories, and various other mechanisms to make her martial discipline much more deadly than the traditional art. Whatever the case, she’s reluctant to share these theories. While they certainly enhance her combat style, they’ve made her spirits harder to control. This requires further discipline lest she lose control of her spirits again. She tries everything within her power to avoid a second accident, which cost her dearly.

Though she keeps the more complex theories to herself, Elvira has made a name for herself as an innovator and one of the brightest minds in Oakridge. Working with the military development department in the Academy, Elvira has submitted many new concepts concerning utilizing basic weapons as spirit casting deliveries. Giving her high distinction amongst the students, instructors, and even military weaponry developers, certain privileges with regards to personal liberties and fabrication abilities has been granted to her. Her theories have also been applied to the military on weapon efficiency.

Even with her brilliance, the road on how she got to where she was modest. Growing up in Helston, Elvira was always a lover of books. Where others went out and played, she was nose deep in fantastical lore or manuals that added to her vast repertoire of knowledge. While she certainly was opposed to more ‘normal’ events that others saw as fun, her father began to teach her the fundamentals of gun dance - the dance that turned dual-wielding firearms into art rather than simply a means of war. Typically opposed to such things, Elvira found beauty and solace within the art. Becoming physically strong and dexterous due to the movements that the dance required, Elvira’s body and attitude masks her true passion. Knowledge.

As she grew older, she came befriend Samuel and a cohort of others who'd soon make up the core of those she considers family. However, Samuel was different. Where most of the other children made fun of her odd choice in pastime, he engaged with her. Spoke about concepts she thought only she knew about. Most of all, he showed her that it was okay to be different. Not loving him like all the other girls, she loved him as a brother. Someone who mentored her, guided her. When the village was attacked, however, Elvira spiraled into despair for a prolonged period of time. It was Samuel's that would set the stage for her greatest tragedy.

Months had passed since Samuel's death. Back to normal - as normal as she could muster - her father urged her back into gun dance while she threw herself vigorously into her books. The one solace she had in this world. However, where she was to exhume peace, she felt nothing but anger. As she lost herself in the despair of Samuel's death, so did she discover the spirits within.

Losing her mindfulness, Elvira thought it only her mind emulating the scorching heat of flames. Not feeling any pain - only heat - it only took her milliseconds before she realized her home was set ablaze. Startled, Elvira sought to flee the flame, yet it followed her as it grew more virulent as seconds passed. As her panic increased, so did the flame's dreadful touch. When her parents tried to save her thinking it all a normal fire, Elvira spiraled deeper into a feeling of desolation as the flames consumed them, as if it were a living predator consuming its prey. What happened next, Elvira knew not as she gave in to her anguished fatigue.

When she awoke, all that greeted the girl we're ruins of her home. Several villagers came to her aid - some hating her, some pitying her. Wanting nothing to do with anyone or anything, Elvira desired solitude. However the relief it brought was temporary. She needed someone as she prayed for a way to forgive what she'd done and mercy from those that'd see her as nothing more than a killer. Scout was that person. Helping her alleviate the pain she felt, that day onward marked the creation of relationship that Elvira knew she could never break. Even if the other was a stark contrast to herself.

The accident didn't go on without consequence. Whispers of the deed turned to news that warranted the Inquisition to pay a visit to Helston. Being found guilty of the murder of her parents, Elvira accepted it in silence. Her silence intrigued the Inquisitor as the inquiry was voiced. She couldn't control her spirits, didn't even know she had them. Elvira wasn't stupid. She knew Inquisitors of the Sanctum were astute to even the slightest inclination of lies. The slighest inclination to tainted spirits and even to the stigma. Thus, she told the truth. From her perspective anyway.

Unsure of what the Inquisitor was to render, Elvira was surprised when heard his verdict. She was to be monitored at all times while the charges would be dropped. If another incident unfolded again, the mercy granted onto her wouldn't be repeated for a second time. When the Inquisitor asked for a volunteer, Elvira wasn't expecting much at all. She'd killed her parents - unintentionally so but no one saw it as that. What she didn't expect was Olivia coming forward. When her friend volunteered for a position that'd be heavily scrutinized by the Inquisition, she knew then that she'd forever be indebted to Olivia.

Time passed as old wounds began to weave together. While scars remained, Elvira was in a far better place than she'd be if it weren't for her friends. Scout and Olivia in particular. Revering Olivia as her mother of sorts, a unique bond has formed between them that has carried on into Oakbridge Academy. With Scout, their relationship was the most peculiar yet unique of them all. Scout was someone that was irreplacable in her life. Almost as close to Samuel. Whatever the case, she'd always be there for her and Olivia. For any of her friends.

Without them, she'd been lost forever.

Tropes

Badass Bookworm
Lady of War
Tranquil Fury
Not So Stoic
Big Sister Instinct

Memories

Elvira has three categories that she separates people into. Those who are in her 'family' category are her friends from Helston. Though she might give them a hard time here and there, she'll do everything she can to help them, if needed.

Olivia Celestine

Elvira's relationship with Olivia is unique. While being one of her greatest of friends, Olivia has also become the mother figure in Elvira's life. While the contract Olivia signed with the regional Inquisitor was mostly for formalities sake, Olivia has been instrumental in keeping Elvira's spirits in check as well as shaping her into a somewhat 'normal' member of society. As such, Elvira trusts Olivia unequivocally though her sarcasm is not off limits to the woman.

Scout

Being the first person to find her after the incident, Elvira found solace in the woman. A bond in betwixt a wonderful friend and a significant other. While Elvira hardly reveals these feelings overtly to Scout, it's within her comments and things that she does that reveals it. Constantly exchanging ideas with Scout on their weaponry, talking about casual typical things, or even getting dragged off to be 'social', this relationship is one Elvira prizes dearly.

Kade Sicario

A very similar disposition to Olivia, though Elvira doesn't exhume the same feels, Kade's enthusiasm and charismatic behavior is addicting. Though Elvira doesn't ever 'compliment' said disposition, she never expresses anything negative about it. Secretly, Elvira listens to the sing stars music. Respecting that her friend also sings for funerals and for those who weren't as fortunate as those who attended the academy, Elvira will defend Kade's reputation to those outside of her circle of Helston friends.

Due to Kade competing with Olivia at times - given her ties to Olivia - Elvira tends to side with Olivia, if she's present during a argument between them. It's not out of malice that she does this. It's due to her affiliation with Ms. Celestine.

Rui Liú

Given the high intellect Rui possess, Elvira is more than happy to express ever complex theory, hypothesis, or research study for Rui to counter and debate with her. Intelligence is something Elvira prizes, and talking to Rui stimulates her academia side - something not many can do.

Though not buddy-buddy, Elvira trusts Rui due to her intellectual competency and her ability to say things as is. Only hearing rumors of Rui's 'darker side', Elvira just chalks that up to the typical girl's thing. Everyone does it, right? Right...

Alabaster “Al” Zabek

Though Elvira may sometimes give him hell for being quiet and sometimes views his silence as unfavorable, she's come to respect Al's opinions that he gives when she asks him a question. While not too keen on joining the introversion train, Elvira tries to provoke conversation through somewhat sarcastic comments. As with all those she considers family, her manner of sarcasm is highly different than the sarcasm she uses with familiar and fools.

Aaron "Stonewall" Nyles

Aaron is the biggest man she's ever seen - speaking purely with respect to his build and height. Even when they were kids, he was huge. What started out as intimidation turned towards feeling secure. While he may not look it, Aaron's the biggest 'teddy bear' Elvira has ever met. While she would normally dismiss him due to his party-like behavior, what really captivates her is his personality and his affinity for strategem and intelligence.

Aaron's another study buddy she often confers with - especially in war strategem and philosophy.

Eric Wormwood

If Elvira was a man, Eric would be the perfect representation of what she would be like. Both enjoying intellectual pursuits, enjoying the company of enlightened for the most part, and sociable, it's uncanny how similar they are. The single biggest difference is that Eric is reserved for the most part where as Elvira will most certainly let someone know quite bluntly when she's displeased with their company or not. Her condescending sarcasm to those who aren't her friends knows no bounds.

Weapon

Logos and Pathos (Collectively known as Ethos)



Two pistols designed by Elvira, it was under special circumstances that the Academy fabricated the schematics sent by the cadet. The firearms have two modes. The first mode essentially treats the firearms as normal, conventional weapons. Giving up clip capacity for range and stopping power, Ethos allows Elvira to deliver precision death with low recoil. A product of her numerous days buried underneath research papers and conversing with gun smiths.

Ethos's second mode is one of Elvira's proudest accomplishments. The second mode allows Pathos and Logos to act as a mechanism that allows Elvira to direct and use her abilities efficiently, accurately, and quickly. While she's able to utilize the powers of her spirits like any other guardian, her weapons allows for quicker access to them. While aiding in casting, this mechanism still utilizes the same amount of karma as if she were conjuring without them. The only difference is in delivery of the spell. To put it simply for guardians who lack the comprehension to understand, her pistols deliver rounds of death while acting as dual wands for magic.

Spirits

Infernamos
Effects: Fire; Light; DeProtect; DeShell; Blind; Silence; Slow; Meltdown; Imperil

Infernamos wields flames that puts the majority of the other fire spirits to shame. A greater flame spirit, it's power not only decimates its foes with a terrible area of effect, but the price it takes on its guardian makes it a double edged sword. Demanding payment outside of karma, it depends to feed upon the energy of its wielder. While Elvira can recover from the draining, it's a painful process. When used close to near exhaustion, Infernamos cares not for her condition. In exchange for its power, it'll take its fill. If heavily harmed, even the spirits of revival fail to hold the greater flame spirit at bay. This is a spirit Elvira seldom uses. Only when things become dire will she use this spirit.

Effere
Effects: Fire; DeProtect

Like its guardian, Effere burns everything indiscriminately. Engulfing its target in flames, the hell hot flames simmers the flesh of its victim, which leaves its target vulnerable. Receptive to Elvira's anger and annoyance, the spirit remains barely constrained due to the discipline Elvira has over it. In the past, this spirit of hers has been the cause of many terrible incidences. The relationship between guardian and spirit was mistrust turned to mutualism.

Progetor
Effects: Protect; Shell

This spirit acts as its guardian - or other guardians its caster commands it so - absolute defense against physical and magic attacks.

Velomos
Effects: Haste

Facilitating rapid karma regeneration, Velomos is a key spirit Elvira utilizes to increase her casting abilities, which plays a huge role in her aggressive fighting style.

Decimanos
Effects: Blind; Silence; DeProtect; DeShell

A vengeful spirit, Decimanos is a dominating spirit that enjoys seeing its targets squirm by inflicting terrible afflictions on said target. Though doing negligible damage itself, it works in concert with other spirits to remind its victim that even the strongest can succumb to defeat.

Trivia

While not open about it whatsoever, Elvira's inclination towards females is very much present if one looks into the small telltale signs. Though working hard at preserving her innovative and knowledge hungering passions, she hardly has enough time to pursue any time of relationship past her 'family' tier. To her, it simply takes too much effort, and she requires someone as tactful as her. If a potential does come up that can tickle the academic side of her and offer intellectual stimulating conversations, that might be able to turn her head in that person's direction.

Not apparent at first, Elvira is a gun nut. Has been since her father taught her the art of dual wielding. While many see it as a simple vocation, Elvira vehemently disagrees. Any fool could pick up two weapons, fire, and have a chance of hitting and missing. Gun dance - a term used by true artisans of dual-gun wielding - makes something simple looking transform into an elegant barrage of death.

Elvira has a teddy bear that has been with her since she was a kid. Anyone who messes with Mr. Nar Nar will receive a very unpleasant elbow to the face.

Elvira doesn't personally own a TV or gaming system. While she has a communicator and a personal terminal, she instead finds joy in books and other works that others deem boring and stupid.

Elvira loves classical music as opposed to the electronic garbage she hears in the popular scene today. While she may make exceptions, the classical instruments are her refuge.

[clericbeast]

WIP

Scout

Toward the end of summer | 5'2"

Personality

Prancing through life with an infuriatingly cocky grin and enough cheerful arrogance to power a small regiment, it’s little wonder this kid makes enemies nearly everywhere she goes. She is quick to judge and even quicker to dismiss; it’s this flippant sort of insouciance, especially regarding serious situations, that makes those enemies turn to nemeses. (She’s been keeping a running tally of how many people have publicly declared her their eternal archenemy. It’s about as big as her ego.) She’s brash, she’s brazen, and she’s six kinds of reckless. She’d grind every bone in her body to dust if it meant inflicting even a single bruise on her adversary, and she doesn’t care if achieving her goals means tearing down the structure of society brick by dusty brick. Insurmountable odds are viewed as a fun challenge; even the biggest threat can be broken down into smaller, more manageable chunks if you pummel it hard enough.

Wreathed in a contagious aura of vitality and armed to the teeth with an abundance of smarmy grins and a veritable battalion of bawdy jokes, Scout is generally always worth a good laugh. She’s confidence incarnate – she doesn’t walk, she swaggers. A lonely childhood bestowed upon her an impressive imagination, and she’s always conjuring up some sort of wild scheme. This, coupled with poor impulse control and a predilection toward improvisation, means she can orchestrate some truly nefarious plans.

Governed almost completely by her bellicose nature, Scout absolutely loves to fight - loves the dizzying, intoxicating rush she gets whenever the adrenaline starts coursing through her veins, loves the flutter she gets in her heart when she think she’s about to die, loves the thrill of the danger - of the possibility she might lose. Nothing gets that unsettling battle grin of hers going more than a proper brawl. Scout’s an adrenaline junkie born and bred, and she’s yet to realize that just because no one’s died doesn’t mean it can be considered a victory.

Her brash attitude, abrasive humor, blatant refusal to follow the rules can often infuriate any by-the-books squadmates to whom she’s been assigned. She treats orders – and occasionally boundaries – like broad suggestions. Continuing along a similar vein, she’s a notably physical person; she’ll sling an arm around a comrade’s shoulders for support, playfully tousle their hair after emerging victorious from combat, or plop down beside them and drape herself across their lap. She’s like an affectionate stray dog that’ll turn up on your doorstep routinely if you offer it food or a scratch behind the ears even once.

As her background might lead one to surmise, Scout is vehemently opposed to materialism, and harbors a certain degree of resentment toward the affluent and influential. She’d destroy the financially elite in a heartbeat, provided someone could equip her with a sufficient alibi. When holiday gift exchanges or birthday celebrations roll around, she doesn’t like asking for physical possessions for presents. A lifetime of poverty has conditioned her not to want or request such things from other people. Besides, she figures if they’re giving something to her, it means they’re going without, and the subsequent guilt is enough to send her teetering over the edge.

Scout is also hopelessly naive, interpreting everything at face value, be it her surroundings or what she perceives as a factual statement, leaving her fairly oblivious to the nuances of human nature. She's a tinkerer, not a thinkerer - weapons and machines provide far better company than people, and they’re easier to beat in a fight, regardless. (Where she grew up, disputes were settled with quick-and-dirty scuffles.) Because she's new to this particular line of work, she's yet to learn the importance of verifying testimonies; she equates emotional intensity with honesty. This has made many love confessions awkward and kind of unbearable; poor kid’s denser than a slab of granite. She’s shockingly good at detecting potential romantic or concupiscent partners, yet consistently comes up short insofar as long-term commitment is concerned.

Extremely self-reliant and obstinate to a fault, Scout is as stubborn as a scorned mule, especially when it comes to injury management. She’ll bristle and bare her fangs and skulk in corners, preferring to suffer in dignified silence than allow someone else to nurse her wounds – that is, if she’ll even admit they’re present. She doesn’t like admitting she’s not capable of handling herself – it makes her feel weak, vulnerable, and useless.

And when kids like her lose their purpose, when they stop holding any value, they die.

Because of her rambunctious, rowdy nature, she’s antsy and prone to restless fidgeting when forced to sit still, making her not at all suited to reconnaissance, infiltration, or gathering intel through ass-kissing or elbow-brushing. Cart her to some sort of formal, extravagant gala, and she’ll have you both ejected from the premises in half an hour’s time. (In her defense, there’s something absolutely hysterical about how god-awful those ludicrous, faux-posh rich-person accents sound. Especially when they know she knows they’re faking.) She’s got issues with impulse control, particularly when asked to follow orders. Her plans derail as quickly as her attention span. Her ability to read the flow of battle (and the wherewithal to almost unconsciously discern weak points, such as a faulty prosthetic, atrophied muscles, or old injuries that never properly healed) is the closest she’ll ever come to devising combat tactics.

Her manner of speech is gruff, brazen, and hopelessly impetuous, and her sentences consist primarily of short, choppy words - her brain moves faster than her mouth, so she prefers terse fragments to get her point across. Though her favorite method of communication is fists on flesh, she's also quite fond of employing a vast array of gesticulations to further illustrate her point.The only part of her vocabulary one could consider even remotely extensive is her repertoire of creative vulgarities. It’s rare to see her compose any sort of oration, formal or otherwise, that isn’t peppered liberally with profanities.

Appearance

Scout’s face is thin, all prominent cheekbones and angular cheeks and narrow, mischievous eyes. A faint, barely-distinguishable smattering of freckles spans a sharp, slightly upturned nose. Small lips born to twist into a crooked, devil-may-care grin host pristine white teeth. Cursed with a truly tiny stature, Scout clocks in at approximately five feet, two inches - and the term is used extremely loosely – tall, meaning one could conceivably hoist her over one’s shoulder and carry her off mid-argument.

Layered, side-swept dark hair falls in choppy waves past her shoulders. A portion of the hair on the left side of her head has been buzzed down to a quarter of an inch, as she's always had a certain fondness for undercuts. It’s got this windblown, perpetually tousled quality, voluminous and full of life.

She’s lean and narrow, olive skin stretching taut over a reasonably toned physique. Power is written into every movement, every challenging stare or cocky smirk, brimming deceptively beneath her skin. Years of acting on the ‘fight’ portion of her instincts has imbued within her a certain sense of confidence – her posture is aggressive on the battlefield and assertive everywhere else, and she typically stands with her feet spread, hands planted firmly – defiantly – on her hips.

Despite her preference for comfortable clothing - hoodies, tank tops, shorts, loose, baggy pants - she can be wrangled into somewhat professional garb, on rare occasion. Said attire typically consists of a bright zip-up hoodie and a dress shirt left untucked over slim-fitting dark pants.

Thanks to her tendency to instigate fist fights, she’s learned how to accessorize the common bandage, and is usually found boasting no fewer than three at any given time.

Ringtone

Atom Bomb

Background

WIP

Tropes

• Bruiser With a Soft Center
• Badass
• Blood Knight
• The Lad-ette
• Street Smart
• Casual Danger Dialogue
• Boisterous Bruiser
• The Determinator
• Unskilled, But Strong
• Grin of Audacity

Memories

Shoot me a PM if you'd like to figure out some memories!

Weapon

A pair of bulky, robotic claw-gauntlets that serve as both an amplifier for Scout's natural strength and a medium through which she can channel certain spirits. They're the product of the better part of a decade of iteration, of perfection, of destruction and rebuilding, malfunction and repair. They’re cobbled together from the best parts of the worst technology, made from anything she’s been able to steal from the lowlifes and the scumbags of the city - and they're amazing. They're oversized, entirely impractical, and work perfectly despite all available evidence suggesting otherwise. Scout’s conceptual designs often turn out that way.

The compartment in the palms contain concentrated amounts of nitroglycerin, meaning when she invokes her spirits' power, her punches become significantly more explosive. She can also use the resulting force to propel herself for short distances, meaning her combat style is as erratic and energetic as its wielder.

Spirits

"Cherry Bomb"
Effects: Fire, Might
Description: Conjuring up four small, spherically-shaped balls of fire, Scout cradles them carefully between her fingers as she winds up for a powerful swing. Right as the punch connects, she crushes them into her palm, where they explode on contact, flames streaming out behind her hand like a comet's tail. This spirit is energetic, zealous, and a tad rash.

"Ice Dynamite"
Effects: Blind, Slow, Imperil
Description: Encased in a protective icy shell, this spirit manifests as a fist-sized ball of clean, sparkling water. Balancing Cherry Bomb in one hand and this spirit in the other, Scout crushes her palms together. The heat and the water combine violently, spewing copious quantities of steam, generating a makeshift smokescreen to temporarily blind her adversary. This spirit is volatile, moody, and sullen.

"Firewall"
Effects: Fire, Shell, Protect
Description: With the aid of this spirit, Scout conjures up a writhing, flickering mass of bright orange flames that will destroy most ranged projectiles. Its size varies depending on its intended purpose, but it typically serves as a makeshift shield.

"Juggernaut"
Effects: Fire, Faith, Pain, Zombie
Description: Fueled by the flames of war, Scout channels this bellicose, vengeful, ruthless spirit through her hands. Each punch to the ground splits open the earth's crust, generating a small shock wave and conjuring up towering pillars of fire to cremate her enemies. Gauntlets ablaze, entire body wreathed in tufts of white fire, Scout incinerates her foes in a fury dance of death, ensuring the last thing they see is a glimpse of hell.

Trivia

• Patently homosexual; she's a lady who likes ladies. Pretty ladies. Her gaydar is notoriously accurate - it's the stuff of legends. Every girlfriend she’s ever had pinged it immediately, and plenty of people besides who turned out to be from her 'side of the street'. It’s a great guide for when to flirt, when to crush her developing crushes, and when to pay very, very close attention to the undercurrent of a conversation. She puts a lot of confidence in her ability to pick out the people who swing that way.
• She has absolutely zero self control when it comes to consumption of food. She’s like a feral dog rescued from some skeevy back-alley - one that doesn’t understand there’s no need to cram all the food in front of her into her stomach, in case there isn’t more where it came from when the sun rises again.
• The name "Scout" is an old moniker from her street days; the unfortunate result of horrid taste in friends and a number of equally reprehensible decisions. Because it was her old position in her little pseudo-gang's hierarchy, that was what they called her, and after a short while, it eventually stuck. She's always figured it was better than having nothing at all.
• Scout is an excellent dancer, albeit only contemporary styles, so expect lots of grinding and twisting. She has an acute sense of rhythm, and her energy tends to be infectious.
• Has a hyperactive imagination and an affinity for all things histrionic; as such, she has a rather irrational fear of the dark and the things that might lurk within its midst. Has been known to stay up the entire night, stumble blearily into mission briefings the next morning, dark circles ringing her eyes like war paint, and offer, "The window - it creaked" as her sole explanation.​ She spent the first eight years of her life sleeping on the streets - for her, differentiating between genuine danger and hallucinatory figments of her imagination was nigh-impossible, especially when being preyed on by the monsters that went bump in the night was a scarily real threat.

[Renny]

Alabaster “Al” Zabek

July 19 | 5'11”

Personality

A man whose looks is reflective of his inner self; a choice made without indecision one faithful day. He may seem a brooding young man in the beginning, one filled with angst and dislike for others, when in actuality he's simply contemplative, hard-pressed to speak, and all around introverted. Alabaster has always been alone and because of this, has learned to comfort himself and embrace the solitude. Which in turn has led him to pushing away those that attempt to help him. Not in the way most would expect but instead in subtle agreements and tentative decisions—a false kind of deliberation, of ignorance that most would rather not deal with.

Alabaster is, despite his shortcomings, lionhearted. When the situation requires it and others are too lost in fear to act, he may be the first to do so. Most will not anticipate it from him, others will be dumbfounded. But it is indeed apart of his essence. However, he will shy away from the limelight if it shines on because of this. His sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance will fascinate the crowd, having them wish for more.

Despite his dislike of crowds or at times, even holding a simple conversation, Alabaster has become a profound listener and giver of sound advice. Inwardly, quick and confident, his opinion find its mark. A bolted arrow plugging into the mentality of the helped. An idealistic, foolhardy, introvert—most would laugh at such a combination but Alabaster pulls it off with an adorable finesse. Despite his self-induced seclusion, Alabaster is very fond of spirits.

Now, when comparing and contrasting these staid traits to his friends, one might notice a few differences. When speaking to those that he care for, those that have earned his trust and steeled it through years of loyalty, Alabaster is quaintly expressive of his feelings. In a much more clear and easily grasped way. Though he has never felt so inclined to share with someone as he has with Samuel. The boy who first offered him a friendly hand. Due to being the face of his mother's modeling agency, Al is often confessed to, all to which he politely declined. This is due to his infatuation with one of his close friends.

Appearance

A bright-skinned, 21 year old, youth who carries all the cool and elegance of a pampered prince. His skin is smooth and clear, with only a small cut resting an inch from his left brow. Alabaster or Al as his friends call him, has shiny blonde hair that was originally a dark brown. Al's thin eyebrows, decisive light green eyes, straight nose that slightly widens at the nostrils, and his sculpted face; it goes without saying that he's nice to look at.

His body is trained, etched, and athletic. Some compare him to a whip, others to a coiled spring but all considers him exemplary. The picture of dedication and resolve, the “perfect” body declared by some. Which oddly enough isn't as stacked or caked on as some would believe. His arms are ripped due to his training with his weapons “Misery and Peace”. On the left side of his torso, near his waist, is the remains of terrible burn. It stretches out like four, withering, claws towards his navel.

Alabaster, the adopted-son of the fifth Zabek (the CEO and face of a fast-growing model agency in Cetra), has a taste for the expensive. Though he dabbles in different trends, each reaching out across cultures and traditions, he is often seen wearing a combination of urban and formal attire. Though a few things remain constant or at the very least regular; his black, simplistic, jacket, which is usually hung over his shoulders and a silver pendent, tied through with steel wire.

Ringtone

• Pieces

Background

Oakridge Academy crowded the brooding youth the moment he stepped through the doors. The student body took to him like flies to sugar, bees to honey, children to toys. It was annoying at first, because by this time he was going through the “rich kid angry at the world” phase. He wanted nothing to do with others, but they all wanted to be friends with him. Al could not see at that point. He did not know the difference between those genuine few and the one's after his wealth. It took, Samuel to make it clear. The charismatic youth who everyone seemed to like—excluding himself at the time.

He was young but it left a permanent mark on his heart. It changed him, urged him to develop a sense of insight on others. However, this positive, mixed with the negative of his absent mother has only made his life slightly more bearable. If not for Samuel and his group of friends, he would be exceptionally lonely. Funny enough, he had never experienced such loneliness as when Samuel disappeared. He hoped, prayed, and for reasons unknown still believes that Sam hasn't died. A fleeing ghost that lingers but refuses to be seen. Sometimes, Alabaster truly sees him—though wispy and formless—in his peripheral. The confidence of his voice tells him to get out, enjoy life. In his dreams … Alabaster shares his days with his missing friend.

Alabaster's mother, the head of the Zabek Modeling agency, was incapable of having children. She searched for years for a child to satisfy her incessantly picky tastes. When she stumbled upon the green eyed, brown hair cherub, she fell for him instantly. Because of this, she groomed and prepped him to be the face and eventual heir to her company. However, she was a very business-inclined woman, who saw no wrongs and nudging her children towards the caretakers. Being gone weeks and months at a time, left Alabaster feeling abandoned.

Samuel solved that problem and eventually he found meaning in having friends thanks to the others. Attending Oakridge Academy gave him plenty to occupy himself with. And Samuel gave him tons of determination and resolve. He trained, studied, and though he slacked off, became something of a force to reckon with.

Tropes

• Adorkable
• Badass
• Hidden Badass
• What You Are In The Dark
• Wonder Child
• Magic Knight
• Byronic Hero
• Bad Dreams
• Jack of All Stats

Memories

Heartache and fear, two ravenous diseases that ran rampant in Alabaster after the attack on Helston. It seemed almost destined to happen and for the longest time he felt the storm brewing, the darkness encroaching. Samuel was the light to his darkness, the sun to his moon. Though never romantic, he saw Samuel in a very intimate manner; for he had been his savior, the person that birthed the idea of having friends in his heart. After his death, Alabaster sunk into his seclusion even further, widening the shadows of mystery around him. He admits that he does not actively seek out the others, however his loyalty to them should be unquestioned. He does lend them a ear whenever necessary.

Relations

Olivia “Olive”
Kind and gentle, outgoing but somberly looking; Alabaster finds her intriguing, alluring even. He senses the connection to Samuel that flows from her and is attracted to that undoubtedly. However, this very fact has prompted him to stray from her the most. His strongest memories of her remains the incessant, yet ultimately welcomed, attempts to spend time with him. Her smile still lingers on the fringes of his mind.

Kade “K”
Kade and Sam's relationship left many unanswered questions for Alabaster. Though she was the closest to him among the females, Al was always confused after interacting with her. He seen admiration in her eyes but knew it was not the same that rested in his own. She, to him at least, was the backbone of the group. She made every decision seem right, even if it was wrong. Her voice whispers promises of paradise in his ears, making her the obvious choice to go to when feeling unsure, doubtful, or weak.

Rui “Rui
Like him, loneliness swam in zher eyes. And like any animal who saw a significant similarity in each other, Al was drawn to Rui. He connected with zher in a way that allowed smiles to come easier and sighs of release frequently. They were both left alone, like disposable luggage. The fact that zhe's found a way to deal with it leads him to seeing zher more often than the others. Like a tike to its elders, he finds comfort in zher; dark side and all.

Elvira “Elvira”
Elvira has always sent Al's brows upwards, whether that be in the way she spoke or the sense of awe she provokes in him. When she speaks, he truly listens. Anything that might sound the least bit interesting usually catches his ear. Even if he can't supply her with interesting conversation later.

Scout “Scout”
Since meeting her, Al has realized that freedom follows her footsteps. When he's with her, he feels like anything and everything is okay; that rules and authority are a injustice. She keeps him feeling young, even though he towers over her by several inches. She plays the big-sister role well, though Alabaster often feels he should be looking after her. If he didn't know her history, he'd actually take the time to spend more time with her. If only to keep her out of trouble.

Aaron “Aaron”
Aaron has, since Samuel's passing, managed to deepen their friendship. The two of them hangout, regardless of how Alabaster is feeling at the moment. He goes out his way to disregard his own wants to satisfy the giant's idealistic sense of life. He has no qualms with defending him or fighting for him, cause he knows without a doubt that they are friends.

Eric “Eric”
Eric's intelligence rivals Elvira's, though Alabaster, for whatever reason is less inclined to listen to him. In fact, at times, he feels the guy is poking and prodding him like some experiment. Though he will not deny that they're friends, Al will usually find one way or another to avoid spending alone time with him.

Weapon

Mordrembane

Mordrembane, named by Alabaster himself, is a serrated katana that wields in battle. Besides it durable composition and enhanced slicing ability, not much can be said about it. Its about five feet long from hilt to point and slashes with precision when swung correctly. The add-on to this blade is a platinum chain that is used to whip it about. Its length allows it to stretch thirty feet from him in any direction and can be used for offense or defense.

Spirits

Alabaster is home to two exclusive spirits, though their uniqueness comes from the ability to merge into something greater. They are rather fond of the boy and often manifest to relax with him. Though the instructors seemed pleased at first, they have concluded that they may need to keep an eye on him, for their fusion tends to strain the guardian's psyche.

“Dyvmir”
Effects: Fire, Light, Silence
Description: Dyvmir is holy, flame spirit that sets Alabaster's left arm aflame with glorious light. It operates normally and he gains the added ability to sear with touch, stripping away an opponent's magical offense with holy decrees. Dyvmir is a patient, kind spirit. He manifests himself in the form of exalted male lion.Flames dances upon his mane and a blighted cloak falls down his muscled body.

“Tetune”
Effects: Frost, Darkness, Protect
Description: Tetune is a dark, winter spirit that crystallizes Alabaster's right arm with violet ice. It operates normally, he gains the added ability to freezing with touch, leaving darkness behind with it and (or) creating constructs of protection. Which seems to be a requirement. Tetune is a jealous, temperamental spirit that manifests itself in the form of a white eagle, wings tipped with frost and head adorned with a blacken crown.

“Wyndea”
Effects: Fire, Frost, Darkness, Light, Pain, Meltdown
Description: Wyndea, is in itself, a combination of Tetune and Dyvmir. A white-winged griffin, whose eagle head dances with fiery feathers and lion body is tipped with frosted fur. His wings seemed to be formed from a blighted cloak that's split down the middle. A platinum crown float inches from its head. This spirit induces Tetune's frosty right arm and Dymir's burning right arm on Alabaster, granting him the destructive force of both. When he strikes his foe, an explosion occurs that creates jagged icicles.

Trivia

• Al has a crush on one of the females in his group of friends. Typical that he should, seeing as he's grew up relying on them.
• Al trains daily, despite his loner tendencies. Mostly working on his endurance and core.
• Its been awhile since he's grinned. Ask anyone, he's usually dons a stoic expression.
• He enjoys reading romance novels, books that depict tragic love is his favorites.
• He's ambidextrous.
• Alabaster was named by his adopted mother Theresa. It was inspired by the purity that she saw in finding him.
• The rain never fails in putting him to sleep.

[DJAtomika]

Eric Wormwood

25th July | 6'

Personality

Cool, calm and collected (mostly), Eric is a classic example of an intellectual. Often cooped in his room reading or in a library, he is the sort of young man that values intelligence very highly, especially amongst his peers. Not to say that he doesn't value socialising, of course, just that Eric happens to enjoy the company of smart (or educated, at the very least) people.

However, this does not diminish the fact that Eric is also quite the friendly young man. When not studying, researching a topic of fancy or simply reading a story book, Eric is with his friends, chatting the day away, having a meal or just simply being in their company. Being a very simple young man, he is content to hang around his friends when they're in a group and listen to them talk and offer opinions every now and then, rather than actively participate in a conversation or debate. He's chill like that.

He is also quite level headed, as opposed to his more...would you say, outrageous teammates. He isn't as prone to the emotional outburst as the rest of his friends, but when he does his buddies run for cover.

Appearance

Along with his six foot lanky but lean body, Eric sports a head of curly light brown hair, about neck length, combed all the way to his left side, giving that sort of Skrillex hairstyle but without the douchebag. He wears a pair of slate grey spectacles, half-rimmed with circular lenses. His main dress is always very formal; a waistcoat, crisp cuffed shirt and tie, slacks and dress shoes indoors, accentuated with a matching suit jacket when outdoors. He also sports a silver watch on his right wrist, and a small silver band on his left index finger. More often than not he wears full fingered leather gloves on his hands as well.

Ringtone

• Pixel Empire by Madeon
• Radioactive (Postmodern Jukebox 1940s Lounge Cover) by Imagine Dragons

Background

Growing up, Eric was destined to be the bookish type. His parents were scholars, well, as close to scholars as you can get in a small countryside town, and they would always bring home much reading material for their own study. This obviously influenced Eric, as reading became an integral part of his lifestyle even after he was enrolled into Oakridge.

During his childhood he was good friends with the young Samuel Valentine, in fact they were often play buddies as kids. However, due to their sizes, other, bigger kids would often bully them, the exception being one of the biggest kids named Aaron, who was also their friend. But once the Modrem attacked and Sam vanished, Eric was devastated. One of his bestest friends, gone, just like that. In the wake of the attack, he withdrew into himself and his books, not setting foot outside the family home until his parents enrolled him into Oakridge for further studying and to toughen him up physically.

However his genetics were not kind to him as, instead of inheriting his father's strength, he inherited his mother's graceful but frail body. As such, he grew up to be a tall, lanky individual within the Academy. During the course of his training and studies he met his old childhood friends, of course, and together he trained with them to become the best Guardians they could be.

For him, becoming a Guardian, taking up a weapon and spirits and fighting the Modrem wasn't about the fame or the glamour, it was all about living up to what his friend would've been. In Samuel's memory, Eric has done many things, for his best friend deserved such recognition even in his death.

His spirits. The first spirit he ever came across was Anima, during the depressive period he went through. The chains that bound him to his misery were not broken until he grew older and wiser, and learned to endure through strength of heart. That was when Gladio came to him, and subsequently he regained a semblance of his former self, and gained Ruinga and Ramuh as well. However, Anima still troubles him at times, but he has grown used to its chains.

During his time spent in Oakridge, mainly the early parts of his enrolment when he was still a child, Eric was withdrawn, silent and brooding. However, this served only to intensify his desire to study and to lose himself in words and knowledge, so much so that he unconsciously began analysing and decoding much of what he saw; behaviours, habits, tells, mainly of people but sometimes of objects too. This habit of over analysing carried with him into adulthood where it is a thing he can never turn off, and struggles with on a regular basis. It's hard to socialise when you can read someone's body and inherently know things about them that they would normally keep secret.

Tropes

• Badass Bookworm
• Weak, but Skilled
• The Lancer
• Hyper Awareness
• The Smart Guy

Memories

• Olivia
  • WIP
• Kade
  • WIP
• Rui
  • WIP
• Aaron
  • WIP
• Elvira
  • WIP
• Scout
  • WIP
• Alabaster
  • WIP

Weapon

Eric's weapon is twofold, considered one of the more unique weapons of Oakridge. Its main form is that of a rapier, ornate and well-crafted in appearance, with a long, thin blade that is sharp the whole length of the blade. Eric uses this sword in conjunction with his learned style of fencing and hand-to-hand combat, very typical in form and function. It's second form, however, is not so typical. When Eric pushes a button on the hilt of the sword, its blade detaches, gains serrations along the blade's edges and separates into several parts connected by a chain. This blade whip is his weapon's alternate form, and he wields it with a gusto that only Rui can match.

Spirits

Due to Hyper Awareness, Eric is able to identify an enemy's weak point and with every basic hit on that point Eric inflicts DeShell, DeProtect and Pain, its stacks refreshing with each new hit.

Gladio
Effects: Water, Electro, Might.
Description: Gladio is Eric's main offensive Spirit, augmenting his sword strikes and combat style to make him as fluid as water and as quick as lightning. When Gladio is active Eric's clothes gain archaic runes that glow a pale blue, as do his eyes. His strikes become faster and his blade gains extra sharpness, dealing extra physical damage and piercing armour. Gladio commonly manifests itself as a roiling torrent of water, though small, that flows and coils itself around his body and weapon, and represents his strength and will of heart, and fluidity of form and spirit.

Ramuh
Effects: Protect, Shell, Electro.
Description: Ramuh is Eric's armour spirit, granting him extra protections along with counterattack capability. When Ramuh is active, holographic plate armour appears on his body, hovering over his body but not impeding his movement. This armour glows a visible yellow, and crackles with electricity. Whenever something strikes it, Ramuh strikes back with a quick flash of lightning. The old fogey rarely shows his face, being grumpy and anti-social, but when he does, it's in the form of an old, bearded man carrying a gnarled wooden staff. Ramuh represents Eric's fierce loyalty and devotion to protecting not only himself but his friends too.

Ruinga
Effects: Light, Air, Fire.
Description: Ruinga is Eric's main weapon enchantment. It imbues three elements together into his blade that, when combined, create explosive pearls of light and fire when he swings or stabs out with his sword. These pearls are roughly the size of an orange, and explode into brilliant spheres of light and fire upon contact with its target, dealing magical damage with the explosion. Ruinga's form is very simple, manifesting as three orbs that circle around his body; one of light, one of air, and one of fire, that occasionally meet and explode into a little shower of fireworks before forming again. Each of the orbs are also semi-sentient, as they play with each other when Eric isn't doing anything. The trio of tiny spirits represent his inner playfulness and childlike curiosity and thirst for knowledge.

Anima
Effects: Dispel, Zombie.
Description: Eric's last spirit is his main crowd control spirit. Anima manifests itself as crimson spectral chains that wrap around his arms and torso, and attach to his weapon. When Anima is active, the next attack Eric deals will add the Dispel and Zombie statuses onto his target along with DeShell, DeProtect and Pain, making his target or targets extremely vulnerable to incoming damage. Eric commonly uses Anima when he attacks with the blade whip form of his rapier, to strike multiple enemies at once to maximise the effectiveness of his debuffs. Anima was and still is a remnant of Eric's depression, his misery, sadness and grief from losing one of his closest friends.

Trivia

• He has a penchant for dressing in suits and ties, no matter the occasion. Some call him a stuck-up, snobby person. He prefers calling himself classy.
• Eric's very bookish, and spends a fair bunch of his time reading, if not socialising.
• He has a very weird taste in music that doesn't suit his image. You'd wouldn't expect such a prim and proper person to enjoy metal, would you? In fact he says that the genre helps him think.
• Eric loves a vanilla milkshake any time of day. No questions asked.
• People also ask if his spectacles are for show and for style. He legitimately has a vision problem; not a serious one, but his vision is reduced to slightly blurry shapes when he takes them off.
• He prefers to roll out of bed on the left side rather than the right.
• He always carries with him a small black notebook and pen, to scribble down a note or something else for later.