Azseth

Dead Paradise [SpicyMeatball and Azseth]

While it should have been obvious to Stefan when he stepped out of his apartment complex on his way to the bus stop what exactly was wrong. He was obviously aware of SOMETHING, and more importantly, he was naturally observant from his time in the service. Occasionally though, you lose sight of the forest for the trees as they say, so it wouldn’t be until some time later in the day it occurred to him that the main thing that should have been obvious was congestion in the streets in general. More traffic, slower transit, more people, more talking...Everything seemed abuzz with anxious energy.

He himself was suffering some of the affects, what with the illness going around. He wasn’t worried about getting sick, it was just that when people around him were suffering, or overly worried, dealing with things collectively—all of that weighed on Stefan as he was the type to naturally try to help others shoulder burdens. Sometimes, he took on too much.

He left early, intent on getting breakfast at a cafe around the corner from work, but because the transit took so long he opted to instead go to the cafeteria mess decks (old habits) and get something quick. Not the best choice on a Monday after having only slept several hours, but that ship had sailed the moment his bus was late picking him up.

The cafeteria was crowded and loud, crowded to the point that he actually couldn’t find a seat. He was wearing his TH SECURITY jacket and the drab green cargo pants to complete the puke green ensemble. He did have both a tuke and cap but they were stored in a pocket and attached to his vest under the jacket, respectively.

He nodded to several individuals and engaged in a bit of chatter while waiting for his coffee and sandwich to cool off, having nuked both of them for just a bit longer than intentioned as he and another nurse prattled on about being happy there wasn’t much snow this time of the year.

Then another guard Jon walked in, asking Stefan if he knew what was going on with the yellow trucks and government vehicles outside. Stefan shrugged, casually commenting “things must have changed a lot since last week. I thought you’re the boss and are supposed to be answering MY stupid questions,” as he turned to look out the windows behind him. After parting the blinds, he noted what Jon was talking about. He could only see about 2 trucks and handful of vehicles from bureaucracies he couldn’t make out completely, but the trucks stood out the most.

The trucks looks like a combination of a garbage truck, a worksite trailer, and a mini-earth mover. The two he could see were about the size of a large RV home, but maybe if that RV mated with a transformer. Stefan shrugged and stated as much as asked, “Could be those portable medical units the UN or whatever was trying to test out?”

Dead Paradise [SpicyMeatball and Azseth]

Stefan Bridges.

ROUGH draft

Name: Stefan Bridges. Hates being called Stef or Steve [“one is feminine, one isn’t my name”]. More commonly goes by Bridges as it stuck in the military. Also goes by B or Stuffy.

Gender: Male.

Age: 31 years old.

Birthplace: Drukau US AFB, Poland.

Appearance and personality: Stefan is a very transparent person most of the time, at least in his reaction towards others. This can be great if the reaction is positive and very intimidating if not. From his time in service, he is very confident and engaging, often to the point it can rub people the wrong way or be awkward.

Many see as annoying. Many as amazingly nice. It’s a very mixed bag.

His appearance is always clean and professional. His military experience allowed him the privilege to carry a firearm while working security at the hospital but he hasn’t worn it a single day.

With the outbreak of the pandemic, Stefan took it upon himself to outwardly try to act as a bulwark for people. He took a LOT of time to maintain his appearance, keep up his routine [it was hard to admit some nights that it WAS forced more than in the past, as of late] and make sure to try to be some sort of support whenever possible.

When people started calling off shifts [some only to later show up and check themselves in as sick patients], he was sure to take shifts and offer and help he could.

Biography: Stefan was born on a US Air Force Base in Poland. His mother was a Canadian member of the Royal Navy and his father was in the US Air Force, he was an only child. This meant that to a degree, he was a citizen of Poland, Canada, and the United States.

Both of his parents settled down in the upper peninsula of Michigan, then moved back and forth between there and Ontario, Canada. Mainly living in Canada but having lots of friends and some family in the US, it was a wonderful childhood. Lots of traveling, lots of experiences and new places. For the most part, he hated the life in the upper parts of Michigan, it was too slow and there was nothing to do except drive to places where people DID THINGS.

The one GREAT thing about living in Michigan, living away from people, and having a father and mother in the military is that they loved GUNS. THAT was the one thing he’d stay home for. He took to target shooting and excelled but never found a love for hunting. Only the outdoors, and only guns, but not the marriage of the two it seemed to involve animals.

On his 18th birthday, tragedy struck as his parents took him to enlist into the Marines. It was hotly contested for days [they seemed oblivious to the truth, that had they not argued so vehemently, he probably would have lost interest], and finally they “agreed” so long as they could take him.

After signing up and driving home, the family vehicle was involved in a crash. He suffered a laceration on his neck and almost died, while his father didn’t survive. His mother broke her back and to this day has many issues with pain and mobility. Sadly, after all of that, his mother seemed distant and almost hostile towards him at times. Many of the family did, and it wasn’t until years later that it actually sunk in why: many blamed him and his decision.

After 8 years of service and an honorable discharge, he moved to Toronto. After his third deployment, he was injured in a humvee accident and staying in was going to be a LOT harder with those injuries to contend with. SO, Toronto it was...He figured it was far enough from his family that he could start over, but close enough so that if he needed to reach out or still talk to individuals, they were close...ENOUGH.

For the past 2 years he has been working as a security guard at the Toronto Medical Facilities, generally rotating between 3 buildings.

Quirks: He is often engaging but seems distant, many take it slightly personal. He will be looking into your eyes one moment, then seeming to look around at anything BUT you the next. Conversations aren’t an issue, it’s just very awkward and off-putting.

He speaks, then thinks. Often not JUDGING, but he developed the habit of often literally thinking through something out loud. “My mouth is quicker than my mind” is something he says often.

He is very and openly apologetic when he DOES rub the wrong way. Because of this, people generally afterwards seem to love or hate him.

His left arm seems to almost always be bent slightly and near his waste, almost as if it is an injury of sorts.

Dead Paradise [SpicyMeatball and Azseth]

Dead Paradise.

It IS the current year. Globalization, technology, the internet, and a myriad of other new concepts and institutions brought the world closer together. Now you could meet people from across the globe in hours, and even talk to them until that moment.

The world seemed a lot smaller. So when this new pandemic hit, UVC21 enjoyed never before seen access to population bases.

Initially the disease seemed mundane, originally seeming to spread similarly to the flu. At first, many lauded the lack of fatalities even as it spread as an example of modern medicines and technologies working to our advantage.

Then people started dying. At first, the causes of death seemed unrelated to the UVC21 and the global center quarantined itself, the government working swiftly to go to great lengths to set first enforced boundaries, then moving towards setting up PHYSICALLY isolated and quarantined areas.

With the global wheels already having been spinning, and the clear pressure by the entire world LITERALLY watching this unfold via drones, phones, cameras and the internet, the reaction happened in a metaphorical blink.

Toronto was under lockdown.

Howdy~

Welcome aboard. That is an interesting collection of fandoms! I like it.

Best of luck, hope to see you around!

Az

Come and build the world with me.

Would you like to chat here, in PM, or elsewhere? If PM is ok, just go ahead and message there, or message here, no need to respond just to...re-respond?

Thanks!

Az

Come and build the world with me.

In fact, I'd like to revisit this!

1995. Over 5 years since the various supernatural entities and organizations raised the curtain that they had been hiding behind for centuries. Some say it was pressure from the younger generations, some say it was the elders wanting the prestige that they deserved and some say it was the Wellington murders. Regardless of what you believe, you now know that werewolves and witches aren't just kids stories and cool movies anymore. Some call it Thee Day, some Pandora and others the Opening (along with a myriad of others, some less pleasant) but whatever you call it, things aren't the same anymore, plain and simple.

For the first year or so, the world was pretty shook up and many people all over the world lashed out at supernaturals (SNs), and some of them attacked back in turn. America gradually stabilized, as did most other civilized countries and the Unity Act was instituted. At that point, ANY individual with ANY power described under the Unity act needed to be registered and could be investigated or monitored at any time, same as any human owning any fire arm or eccentric weapon. Failure to register known powers was a crime, the severity based on the knowledge of powers.

Eventually the US government created the Agency of Supernatural Affairs (ASA, sometimes referred to as ASNA) and this group was to monitor SNs, deal with individuals who violated or missed registrations or those who were in gross violation of the Unity Act.

As of now there are certain social policies that target SNs. For example, any law enforcement officer can ask any SN at any time for their certification, and SNs cannot run for any political office. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. The world didn't stop turning, people and nations moved forward, to more or less of a degree.

Welcome to Earth.

Key terms, concepts and glossary

SN: Supernatural. Any magic user, augment, lycanthrope, vampire or whatever else have you.

ASA: Agency of Supernatural Affairs. See below. Also called ASNA on occasion.

LoM: League of Magic. See below. Also called The League on occasion.

UA: Unity Act. See below.

Yarl vs Alabama: This case involved an SN who stole a purse and was shot by local police. The case went to the Supreme Court and it was ruled that just being an SN does not authorize the use of deadly force. Just because a vampire for example, is drunk and disorderly does NOT mean that the individual can be treated any different than a "normal" person committing the same crime. Basically, if Yarl hadn't been an SN, he'd have been chased down and apprehended, not just shot.

Unity Act: All SNs must be registered to the local branch of the ASA. The ASA works closely with the ATF who handles ALL registered weapons (any and all fire arms must be registered without exception). The Unity Act give law enforcement the right to have an individual show certification at any time, although it does not allow harassment.

League of Magic: Governing body on magic. All trained individuals must be endorsed by both the LoM and the gov't. It is forbidden for any individual to train in more than one school of magic and this crime is punishable by either body.

The Test: The most simple way for the gov't or League to tell if someone is an SN or normal is to have a basic enhancement cast. Nightfire is one such spell that when cast, it simply illuminates the target. At that point, if the test is positive, more testing to narrow down the power may be necessary.

"Normal" or "mundane": a normal person. The key advantage to being human is that magical enhancements can be cast ON you (strength enhancement, night vision, water breathing etc). While other races have certain powers, no magic can affect them as buffs or enhancements.

Eccentric: This is a normal or mundane human who, by some genetic anomaly, has a unique power. This power is undetectable for the most part and these humans can STILL be enhanced. This power can be anything from an abnormally high IQ, to telepathy to a heightened healing factor. They can be useful on a personal level, employment level or power level. Some may not even know they have a power, it may just be a part of their every day life and written off as nothing. There is no actual way to prove or show someone is an eccentric.

Enhancement: This is magic that alters a human. It can create hard skin, water breathing, whatever.

Enchantment: This is magic that alters a non-human thing. It can make a coin float, a rock explode or make a wall transparent for example.

The Wellington Case: The Wellington case involved a group of rogue magic users breaking into a house and then terrorizing, torturing and eventually killing an entire family, but there were several twists. One, the entire house was video monitored, so the video evidence blatantly displayed what at the time was simply "unexplained phenomena." Additionally, the Wellington's 19 year old son was a technomancer, although he didn't know it. The second prior to his death, he entered his conscious mind into a lap top computer in sheer panic. When the computer was looked at for evidence, detectives were baffled when, after being turned on, messages started to type out giving names, descriptions and literally communicating. Eventually, between the video evidence and the boy's testimony via laptop, the 4 murderers were convicted. This ultimately led to mankind openly and actively seeking out and taking unsanctioned and illegal actions against SNs for the first time since medieval and colonial times and put much pressure on the various SN factions to come out.

More to come...

SNs

Werebeasts: Also called lycanthropes, skin changers, wild walkers. They are the were-creatures of legends, including werewolves, wereboars, wererats and weretigers. They have the ability to change form at will, but each change take a huge physical toll without sleep and
sustenance. They will have constant heightened senses shared with the animal they can change to but do NOT always exhibit the traits of those animals. All werebeasts CAN utilize 3 forms; human, bipedal and fauna. However, some clans, groups or individuals can/will only utilize one or two based on religious beliefs, internal policy or simply not having been trained to make the proper change.

They are agitated by silver (depending on the individual, it can cause itchy skin to cysts) and highly susceptible to cobalt, which is extremely fatal. High amount of copper will generally lead to serious reactions like partial paralysis, comas or severe muscle cramping. A werebest in human form will heal about 10% faster, in bipedal form, they heal 25% faster and in fauna form, they'll heal about 40% than a normal human.

Werebeasts can be born or bitten. They have been reported to live for over 800 years.

Vampires: There are many families of vampires with a vast amount of different social habits and tendencies, but all are the same in regards to physical characteristics. They occasionally need blood to survive. Human blood is the most fulfilling and vampires get the most nutritional value from it while animal blood is harder on the body and harder to break down. Vampires have severe reactions to direct sunlight but the reaction to sunlight in general can be less severe for short periods. Long periods of exposure regardless will start to get more and more severe.

Vampires are mildly affected by gold and can get rashes, confusion or nauseous from it. Like many SN races, cobalt is extremely fatal to them. Holy water affects them like pepperspray would affect a human. Vampires cannot reproduce sexually, they can only be bitten/turned.The life expectancy of a vampire is directly related to how much human blood it drinks. One drinking only human blood can live anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 years while one almost never drinking human blood can be expected to live 150 to 250 years.

Telanthrop:

The ASA.

THE ASA

The ASA was formed shortly after the Unity Act was made active. This unit's primary
function is to directly investigate or assist local authorities in the handling of SN related cases, and also
tracking and maintaining the integrity of the Unity Act. It is made up of 3 parts:

Tactical: The guns. This group is comprised of both human and SN individuals. They are either training or shooting, or both and are outfitted with a myriad of technologies, many of which are available nowhere else. "Tac" is only called in when things are going to be handled via deadly force or if deadly force is imminent.

Investigations: These individuals will do anything from follow up on late/missing registration, complaints or assist other law enforcement agencies in suspected and confirmed SN related cases and stakeout suspected unregistered SNs. Many are selected from Tactical based on their mental capacity, although some do not see it as a "promotion" as knocking on an SNs door without a team with superior fire power isn't always something that is looked at positively.

Administrative: Everything else. Record keepers, computer techs and phone operators. The boring stuff.

Come and build the world with me.

No. Really! Come build a world with me! Haha.

Az

Not new, just back?

@StormflyxThanks kindly, stranger, haha.

Az

Not new, just back?

@Altered Tundra Likewise, I remember at least casually conversing with you previously. Glad to see another familiar face. Hope all has been well!

Az

Not new, just back?

this could be a long, bloody process haha.

Are you new to the site also by the way?

Az