STATUS:
Graduation has happened - I am no longer a teacher. Won't have to work 12 hour days + weekends anymore, so maybe I'll actually have enough time for hobbies.
3 mos ago
Current
Graduation has happened - I am no longer a teacher. Won't have to work 12 hour days + weekends anymore, so maybe I'll actually have enough time for hobbies.
10
likes
6 mos ago
I sound like a broken record, but only 2 months left till I'm done teaching. Not sure what's next, but it feels like anything would pay more and be less stressful lol
5
likes
9 mos ago
Only 6 more months till the school years over. If I renew my contract, someone kill me lmao.
3
likes
2 yrs ago
Teacher update: I feel like a villain from a cartoon. The laughter of teenagers gives me migraines, and I no longer feel guilt when giving bad grades to kids that sleep through my lessons.
10
likes
2 yrs ago
First day as a Biology Teacher tomorrow - hopefully the kids will be able to read my handwriting.
'God this sucks.' Travis thought to himself. 'I thought there was supposed to be explosions and badass fights, not waiting on a stupid train for an hour...'
That was a bit of an overstatement - Travis, like the other members of the mission, had only been on the N-train for about 10 minutes. It's just that, unlike them, Travis had no patience whatsoever. Usually, when he rode one of the E-trains, Travis would talk with one of his friends or listen to music on his phone or something. But since this was a cargo train and he had to wear this stupid earpiece, both of those options were out.
...Well, Travis probably could listen to music since he wasn't on a public transit train. Most people only really use earbuds to avoid annoying other people.
Instead of thinking that though, Travis chose to pace around his car, occasionally lounging on the cushions and chairs. Usually, in those old action movies, the bad guys struck immediately - what was taking so much damn time!? Were the Rocketeers stuck in traffic or something? They have freaking jetpacks!
Travis stood up from his chair, leaning against the wall to look out one of the windows. The East Flank stared back at him - homes, restaurants, laundromats, and all other kinds of buildings flew past at speeds that made it near impossible to recognize any singular structure. If the pirates crashed the train or Travis fell out somehow, even with his durability he'd probably end up as paste on the pavement below.
Travis dropped the line of thought - too morbid. He wasn't going to get knocked out of the train, he was going to kick a bunch of ass. No point in thinking about what ifs, right? Instead, Travis began focusing on his reflection in the glass. A young man in black cargo pants, a white hoodie, with a crappy plastic mask around his neck looked back. There was a cut on his neck from his shave this morning, though Travis hoped that the wooden sword hanging from his belt loop would distract anyone from noticing. He really needed to work on his costume - he'd already been in HERO for a week, and he was wearing stuff he dragged out of his closet. Who knew getting a costume that wouldn't get wrecked up every fight for the few dozen dollars he'd saved up would be so difficult...
Hopefully, this mission would pay out some big bucks. The thought of asking if the food on the train was covered by HERO crossed Travis's mind, but before he could think of who he could even ask, a loud static sound pierced his ear. A second or two later, the Assistant Director's ('You think he'd mind if I called him Ray?') voice rang out through the earpiece, telling the Heroes to watch over their actual objective instead of sitting wherever.
Travis smirked slightly - Finally! Something to do! He quickly got to his feet and began walking towards the back of the train. He had initially chosen a car near the front, thinking that the Rocketeers might attack the rails in order to stop or derail the train. As he walked through, he was starting to think that was pretty dumb - while they destroyed the M-Train, gold was a lot less explosive than Weapon-Grade Thorium. If they tried to derail the train or force a stop, they would risk it getting damaged or blowing up... Probably.
Travis wasn't really sure what 'Thorium' was exactly, but 'Weapon-Grade' made it sound like something that was dangerous to drop.
Finding the final door, Travis was pleased to see that most of the other Heroes assigned to the mission had already shown up. He wasn't sure which ones were assholes yet so he was kind of nervous about making first impressions, but it was probably a lot less boring than hanging around an empty train car. Travis pulled out his HERO ID card and unlocked the door, walking inside just as an absolutely massive man blew a huge cloud of smoke from his vape in Travis's direction.
Travis immediately walked out, coughing into his hand violently.
'Why is his vape pen so huge!? ...And why'd he go with Strawberry?'
Travis had never done well around smokers. Second-hand smoke seemed to irritate his throat and lungs especially quickly thanks to his power, and while the man had never been an asthmatic, he found himself struggling to breathe whenever he was in a room with someone smoking. Thankfully, he didn't need to deal with it too much - his father's drug of choice was injected rather than smoked, and the only one of Travis's friends that vaped, Bomber, did so far from Travis whenever they hung out.
Even though it pissed Travis off a little that he just embarrassed himself in front of the other heroes, he decided to shrug it off. After all, they were kinda doing something important right now - it made sense to try and relieve some stress. Hell, he didn't even see Travis walk in, so he didn't do it maliciously. No reason to hold a grudge over that when they're on a mission...
At least, until that big guy does it on purpose. Then he'd definitely be filed under Asshole.
Deciding that there were probably enough people keeping watch over the safe, Travis chose to walk a few cars down. The Rocketeers wouldn't go straight at the Thorium, most likely targetting one of the other cars in order to minimize the chances of damaging it... Then again, Travis didn't really consider that the safe that contained the material was probably designed to take as much damage as possible without harming the fuel inside. He was mostly just looking for an excuse to wait somewhere else till the action happened.
Thankfully, Travis's breathing was already getting back to normal. If he was lucky, the pirates would only have rockets, and not tear gas. When he decided to stop, Travis found himself in a car alongside one of the other heroes he saw at the station - an attractive woman in trousers and a red dress shirt, with hair tied up in a bun. She looked more like someone about to go to work or some dinner party than fight a group of flying pirates.
Travis was just happy to have someone to talk to, oblivious to the fact that the woman had her eyes closed when he walked in and probably wanted nothing to do with him.
"Do you know how long these things usually take to start? I've only done the 'get cats out of trees and clean up Ambleweeds' kind of missions."
Masochist, Roach, Einstein (Do not call him this if you don't want to get punched)
[ AGE ]
20
[ GENDER ]
Male
[ AFFILIATION ]
HERO. Regularly fights other Supers in Brookside cage matches for money.
[ APPEARANCE ]
Travis appears to be a normal young adult - physically fit, dark-haired, somewhat smelly. His skin has a strange, almost sandpaper-like texture to it. His hair varies in length, typically growing for several months before Travis shaves it down into a buzz cut, and is almost always left in a disheveled state. He is exceptionally muscular and lean, like his father, to the point where even extensive binges struggle to put fat onto him. He seems to have a somewhat musty smell, one of the few things he is insecure about and goes to great lengths to conceal. He is slightly shorter than average, around 5'8, though his personality makes this easy to forget. Travis's voice fluctuates wildly, from lighthearted and excitable, to what could only be described as serrated.
When it comes to his wardrobe, Travis sticks mostly to basic colors and patterns. He is especially fond of tracksuits, though he rarely wears them outside because he's afraid they'll get ruined in a fight. His 'Hero suit' is just whatever random assortment of clothes he can find for cheap, along with a plastic mask. He currently doesn't have the money for a more impressive suit, but has made crude sketches of his dream superhero costume, which he proudly shows off to whoever asks.
[ PERSONALITY TRAITS ]
Friendly(?): Travis is very similar to a stray dog. If someone treats him with kindness, he will go to great lengths to protect that person and make them proud of him. If they are initially hostile, he will act rude, abrasive, and will even attempt to fight at the slightest provocation. All that matters to him are that people pay attention to him, even if it's only a little or it's negative.
Loyal: Loyalty is probably the most important trait in Travis's mind. If someone became Travis's friend, he'd gladly take every bullet in the world for them, without expecting anything in return. While some of his past acquaintances took advantage of this, Travis's current group of friends is tight-knit and are willing to put themselves at great risk for him, despite not being Heroes themselves. Should Travis see loyalty in his enemies, he will almost always let them go - snitches and rats, however, infuriate him like nothing else. If Travis was ever betrayed, he'd likely not believe it, and assume that whoever did it was just trying to be a double agent or something.
Needs Role Model: Travis did not have a positive relationship with his family, and seems to almost be looking for 'replacements'. He is particularly fond of older male and female role models, and will likely grow very attached to Director Steele and any older Heros that he works with. This is not healthy, and the sooner he breaks out of the habit, the better for everyone involved. Makes it pretty easy to manipulate him though, so less moral coworkers can pretty easily trick Travis into doing their work for them.
Vain: When it comes to being a Hero, Travis honestly doesn't care. Saving people is fun and all, but he doesn't do it out of a moral or ethical desire. He just enjoys the feeling of people praising him and his accomplishments, something that was missing in his childhood. He's quick to praise friends and acquaintances, but will usually trash talk people he isn't fond of, especially villains.
[ BIO ]
Brookside has always been the worst region of the city - and while some of the inhabitants are quite proud of the borough they came from, even they know it's terrible. That's why it was one of the cheapest places to live in the city. If you're broke or wasted your life, chances are you'll end up in Brookside, probably drugged out in a crappy apartment.
That's how Travis' father, Frank Einstein, ended up. Frank was employed by HERO during the golden age of heroes, using his impressive physique and electrokinetic abilities in order to eke out a living. However, after a confrontation with a much more famous Hero, Frank was targetted by their fans and quickly lost any semblance of a reputation. Several years later, an especially intense Leftover attack left Frank permanently injured and unable to continue Hero work. Shortly after, his girlfriend became pregnant, and they moved from their Watervale home to Brookside. Frank initially tried becoming an electrician, but his reputation made it near impossible to find work. He eventually managed to land a gig as a Bouncer, and he was happy to have some kind of income.
Travis never knew his mother, despite inheriting her power. She left only a few months after he was born, her possessions gone from her and Frank's apartment by the time he returned from work. Frank quickly fell into a depression, and began abusing Nova in order to deal with the stress of being a single father.
Travis's early life was extremely poor, being left alone for hours at a time nearly every day. He was typically left in front of the television, watching whatever action film or nature documentary his father left on before leaving for work. It is this abandonment that caused Travis's desire for recognition. A desire that only grew more intense over time.
It was when he was 10 that Travis finally a place he felt he belonged - a small gang of other preteens that tried to act tough and look cooler than they really were. The group was quick to accept Travis into their squad, using his muscle to try and intimidate younger children away from their hangout. Four years later, Travis was coerced into shoplifting - a habit he kept up for a few weeks, before getting caught. Frank, in retaliation, yelled at him for a few minutes before ordering a pizza.
Three days later, Travis shoplifted again, and intentionally got caught. His father, this time in a drunken stupor, slapped against him uselessly before passing out. In a given week, Travis could probably count the number of conversations he had with his father on one hand. But by stealing some snacks or a crappy lighter, his father would go out of his way to talk to Travis. After this discovery, Travis's delinquency slowly ramped up over the years. Graffiti, pouring paint on E-Police from rooftops, drinking (he's a massive lightweight) - he never seemed to get into more serious crimes, although the only reason was because he didn't want to get his friends into trouble. He grew more rough and confrontational, starting fights with anyone who messed with him or his friends, and he only managed to pass his classes because he cheated constantly and no one cared.
Eventually, Frank wasn't able to keep up anymore - he got into a fight at work with one of the other bouncers, and was fired. This, along with his dwindling supply of Nova, caused Frank to become apathetic and uncaring for nearly everything in his life. He just sat around watching television, having given up on keeping an appearance of control. Travis took over as the breadwinner of the house, barely managing to scrape together rent by getting a part-time job in a Watervale house cleaning company. Travis, surprisingly, was happy to do this - he was good at it and loved the work, and the manager didn't care if Travis and his friends hung out behind the store. More than this, Travis found the positive recognition of honest work more enjoyable than the yelling he got from petty crimes.
This was around the time Travis and his father's relationship reached an all-time low. While Frank had initially tried futilely to have a semblance of control over his son, he was now a shell that couldn't care less about what Travis did. Travis, unable to get praise for his accomplishments or admonishment for his failures, was left without any kind of recognition in his life. He stopped cooking or cleaning for his father, only going home to sleep and couch surfing whenever he could.
After a three-day stint at one of his friend's house, he came home to find Frank dead. He had shot himself in the head, watching old news recordings of a major leftover attack. Other than the initial shock and the fear of calling the police, Travis didn't feel anything about his father's death. He stayed in the apartment for another month before joining HERO - and immediately after he joined, he moved into the housing they provided.
As for why he joined... He just thought that it would be cool.
| MISCELLANEOUS |
After enough adaptations from Travis's power, he usually ends up looking like some kind of giant cockroach. It's unknown if this is some part of his power, or just that the most common damage types result in adaptations that are similar to a Roach (exoskeleton, lack of hair, etc).
Seems to be slightly more resilient to electricity. Unsure if this is a part of his power or a developed resistance.
"If my bros show up, you gotta let em in! Especially Scales, she's my ride." Note to Hero staff: Do not allow unauthorized guests or personnel into HERO One at any time.
[ RANKING ]
C+
[ POWERS ]
Despite his almost suicidal actions during combat, Travis seems to never stay down. As a matter of fact, it seems like he only gets harder to put down the more damage he takes. He is a human Cockroach, with all aspects of his power dedicated to survival.
Metabolic Monster: Travis' metabolism is, like many powers, a thermodynamic enigma. He can survive months without food and a week or two without water, and go nearly an hour without air. This is assuming he is barely moving, but even then, it's very impressive. However, when he has ample access to all these resources, his stamina and energy are seemingly unending. Travis could run marathons back-to-back, fight for hours, or work out all day, and as long as he has enough food and water, he probably won't even be tired by the time he's done. Certain substances, like medication, recreational drugs, and the power enhancer Nova, act far more quickly when administered to Travis and last significantly longer. Still needs the normal amount of sleep.
Adaptive Regeneration: Travis possesses a moderate healing factor, recovering from a broken limb after only a day or two of rest. While respectable (if a bit slow for a regenerator), the more interesting aspect of this power is that Travis physically adapts to the damage he takes. Cuts will result in his skin growing tougher and gray, burns cause his hair to recede and tissue to become blackened and retardant, and blunt force will force his bones to poke out and harden into armor. These adaptations, of course, aren't permanent - by the time he heals from his injuries, the monstrous alterations to his form have faded away. However, if an opponent fails to kill Travis immediately and they don't have multiple ways to hurt him, it can become nearly impossible to kill him. Essentially, the more Travis is injured, the harder it is to further injure him.
Pesticides: Due to how efficient his metabolism is, poisons (as well as irritants and drugs) act far faster on Travis than the average person, with an onset time nearly 1/10 the usual. The duration, however, could potentially last twice as long as normal, since his body is trying to hold onto it as long as possible before rejecting it. While in some cases this could be useful, like with Nova and certain medication, it still means that Travis is much more vulnerable to overdosing. And if someone actually poisoned him? He'd probably need his stomach pumped or an antidote as soon as possible. Power suppression drugs are an especially effective counter, hampering his durability but still lasting far longer than they should.
[ PHYSICAL STRENGTH ] ■■■□□□□□□□ 3/10. Travis is stronger than the average human, most likely a trait inherited from his father. But pretty much any strength-based metahuman will be stronger than him. And some highly trained humans probably are too.
[ AGILITY ] ■■■□□□□□□□ 3/10. Travis is significantly faster than the average human, being comparable to a college track athlete in speed. His reflexes, however, are completely unenhanced. He mostly uses his speed to catch up to others, chasing opponents until they collapse or are weakened before a fight.
[ INTELLIGENCE ] ■□□□□□□□□□ 1/10. Travis is not the brightest bulb. He lived in Brookside his entire life and skipped school constantly, resulting in his education being extremely limited. When it comes to book smarts, Travis struggles to beat middle schoolers. He is even worse with plans - he will regularly ignore instructions from all but his close friends, simply because he enjoys the feeling of improvising in a fight.
[ DESTRUCTIVENESS ] ■■□□□□□□□□ 2/10. Travis is physically stronger than the average human, but that is the extent of his ability to damage his surroundings. No Area of Effect stuff here!
[ LETHALITY ] ■■■□□□□□□□ 3/10. Travis is only somewhat more lethal than the average human. His increased strength and penchant for violence can make it easier for him to crush opponents, though this rarely matters against metahumans.
[ ENDURANCE ] ■■■■■■■■□□ 8/10. At the start of a fight, Travis would probably be a 5 in pure durability. This can ramp up over the course of a fight, though never breaching past an 8. But when it comes to pure Endurance and stamina? Travis is easily an 8 or higher, so long as he has eaten.
[ EFFICACY ] ■■■■□□□□□□ 4/10. Travis's power is entirely passive, functioning even while he is unconscious. However, its vulnerability to poisons and power suppression restricts its reliability, especially against opponents that are aware of it.
[ SKILLS ]
Brawling: Travis has years of experience in both kicking ass as well as getting his ass kicked. He could probably fight 3 people at once and pull out a win, assuming they don't have powers and he isn't using his. Definitely not classically trained, a proper fighter could easily beat him if they didn't get hit first. But even if someone laid into him for hours, he'd come out the other end with only a few bruises and aches.
Street Smart: While he reads at a 5th-grade level and struggles with long division, Travis is quite skilled when it comes to more 'real world' knowledge. Whether it be maneuvering and acting in more lawless parts of the city or sneaking past E-Police blindspots, Travis has picked up much from his more criminally inclined friends. He has a few contacts that are always out for some cash - and are more than willing to sell drugs, info, or muscle in order to get it. He's not a snitch though, and these guys are the closes thing he has to friends - you'll probably need to trick him if you want to get at his contacts.
Housekeeping: Travis is an excellent homemaker, having taken care of his abusive father since he was a child. Everything from cooking to basic repairs falls under his purview, and he will typically go into a bit of a cleaning frenzy when he notices a messy room. Gets annoyed by wrinkled clothes.
[ EQUIPMENT ]
Bokken: A Japanese practice sword. Or as Travis calls it, 'A cool wooden stick'. He bought it purely because he thought it looked neat, and has used it extensively over the years. Somehow it hasn't broken yet.
The Shocker: Literally just a Taser. Not the strongest thing on the market, but since early E-Police models had a vulnerability to electricity (or at least were rumored to), it has become a kind of badge among the Brookside underground. Travis' Taser is covered in lightning bolt and flame stickers which he claims 'makes it more badass'.
Necklace: A stainless steel necklace, it's almost as durable as its wearer and has been shined almost obsessively. Travis bought it using money from his part-time job. He is very fond of it since it was the only piece of jewelry he could afford. He has on more than one occasion choked someone out with it, and while it's not as effective as a garrote, it's a lot less lethal. Has been used against him more than once, which makes Travis thankful breathing isn't too much of a priority for him.
Confetti
"You look like an idiot... Excellent."
[ NAME ]
Stacy Page
[ VILLAIN IDENTITY ]
Confetti
[ NICKNAME/ALIAS ]
N/A
[ AGE ]
35
[ GENDER ]
Female
[ AFFILIATION ]
Villain Team (Name to be decided) Page Cleaning Services
[ APPEARANCE ]
Stacy was born with Albinism, and as a result, is unnaturally pale. She stands at 5'1", and weighs 102 pounds. Very thin, to the point her ribs are easily seen when her shirt is off or tight - she regularly skips meals to focus on her work. She is not very strong, and would be taller if not for her poor diet. Her hair and skin are meticulously maintained, making her look younger than she really is. Her expression rarely changes when out of costume. Her voice, similarly, is a base monotone.
Stacy typically dresses in more concealing clothing in order to protect her skin from the sun, and favors formal wear like suits. She always wears gloves and avoids making physical contact with others. Her 'Supervillain costume' is a garish motley, of which she has several variants for different shows crimes. She covers them in scraps of colored paper while worn, shifting them constantly and creating an almost kaleidoscope-esque effect to coat her body. She also wears a featureless white mask, the expressions and appearance of which she alters on the fly with sheets of paper.
[ PERSONALITY TRAITS ]
Average Jane: Stacy's personality outside of the mask is quite unremarkable - she is introverted, non-confrontational, and usually picks up the slack for others rather than ask them to do something. Really, the only thing that seems to leave a big impact on those around her is her status - Stacy is incredibly wealthy, and displays a cutthroat business sense when it comes to maintaining her grasp on Castleburg's Cleaning and Home Maintenance market.
Unfeeling: The reason for her lack of presence is not because she is shy - Stacy has lived most of her life without feeling any strong emotions, and she is incredibly cold and distant as a result. She has never formed any meaningful relationships, never made any friends, and the only people she interacts with regularly are her employees. While in the past she could focus the stress this caused on making a better future for herself, now she struggles to deal with the fact that no one really cares about her. She is terrified that she has wasted her life.
Presentation!: One of the few things that Stacy feels excitement from is when she is playing up her villainous alter ego. As a villain, she has an incredible attachment to aesthetics, claiming Form is more important than Function in almost every regard. She loves to distract people with grand uses of her power, such as making thousands of paper planes block the sun, while she carries out her actual objective without being noticed.
Sensitive: While Stacy is quite observant and capable of quick thinking, she is incredibly immature emotionally. Since she has spent most of her life not feeling intense emotions, it is very easy to overwhelm her when she is acting out as a villain - taunting and angering her will make her lash out, and flattery will usually lead to her giving a monologue about her secret plan (unless that would be spoilers!). She is also not sure how to handle non-professional relationships, such as friendship or love.
[ BIO ]
Stacy was raised by a single father, as her mother passed away while giving birth to her. While Stacy's father took care of her needs, he always blamed Stacy for the death of her mother, and kept her at a distance emotionally. Looking back on it, she doesn't blame him - she wouldn't know how to raise a child any better, after all.
Stacy spent the vast majority of her life making as little impact as possible - she was never caught for serious crimes, never won any awards for her academics, and her classmates never had anything to comment about her. She viewed standing out in any way as an invitation to be stomped down, and was very careful to be as 'average' as possible in order to secure her future.
However, Stacy was already breaking the law when she was in high school. She used her power to effectively grant herself infinite 'spending money,' though her fear of getting caught limited her to small purchases. By the time she graduated and left home, she had taken out a loan and set up a small business in Watervale - a Laundromat.
While you'd think that most of Stacy's revenue came from Money Laundering and the use of her power, it's quite surprising to learn that she only did it extensively in the beginning of her career. Over the next decade and a half, she would buy out and seemingly form a monopoly on laundromats in Castleburg, eventually expanding into nearly all aspects of Home Maintenance and even dipping into repairs.
After a life of constantly avoiding confrontation and staying in the sideline, Stacy finally managed to be successful. However, outside of financial success, Stacy has done nothing with her life - she never had a relationship, she didn't have friends, and her father passed away from a heart attack only a few years prior. She was going through a mid-life crisis, finding her existence a boring waste of time.
Everything changed when she walked in on a robbery. Her card had just expired, and Stacy had to pay to refuel her car with cash. Walking into the gas station, Stacy saw everyone lying face down on the ground, and a man dressed in some homemade costume holding the cashier hostage. The robber's arms were coated in ice, and formed a sharp blade that was held against the cashier's throat. He didn't even react when Stacy ran behind a shelf to hide - he just yelled for the cashier to continue emptying the register.
Stacy never forgot this moment. Her heart was pumping, adrenaline flowed in her veins, and every stimuli was almost overwhelming. It was the first time in Stacy's life that she felt truly afraid. Truly alive.
Normal adults cope with their Mid-life Crisis by wasting money on a new car or getting a new job. Stacy became obsessed with her power fantasy - the life of a stereotypical Villain.
But Stacy didn't want to abandon everything she had built so far - otherwise, her life really would be for nothing. She slowly built her new alter ego, and after a few short months of preparation, she was ready to form her team. Now, she could stop surviving, and start living.
| MISCELLANEOUS |
Confetti's appearances are typically preluded by mass swarms of paper airplanes and birds, which usually attempt to blot out light sources to assist one of the other members of her team. Heroes are recommended to carry some kind of light for attacks at night, though phone lights or car high beams can do in an emergency.
Close-range approaches are preferred if possible - Confetti lacks any real defense against fast and up-close assaults. Additionally, close-range attacks are less likely to result in friendly fire, which is a possibility when Confetti has larger quantities of paper and uses them to block line of sight.
Views Heroes and Villains as childish, and openly mocks them. If an Operative must buy time for backup, tricking her into a monologue on the topic should prove fairly simple (for example, tell her what you named your 'special moves' or your equipment).
[ RANKING ]
C
[ POWERS ]
Paperclip: Stacy is capable of controlling all paper within a 200-meter radius, with enough precision to fold and tear individual sheets within swarms numbering in the hundreds of thousands. She senses these sheets through a sixth sense, and is able to both manipulate and control all the sheets within her control without becoming overwhelmed. Can theoretically kill through many cuts, though clothing is usually able to stop most pages from breaking skin. Blinding and choking is a much more dangerous threat.
While fire is an obvious weakness, it can actually make her much more dangerous for a few dozen seconds as she throws massive quantities of burning paper at her enemies before losing control. Hydrokinetics shut her down much better, the paper becoming too heavy to manipulate until it dries.
[ PHYSICAL STRENGTH ] ■□□□□□□□□□ 1/10. Stacy is not imposing whatsoever, maybe being able to bench press 50 pounds. She struggles to carry in groceries sometimes. Her power isn't any stronger, and even if it was, paper isn't the best medium for actions that need brute strength.
[ AGILITY ] ■■□□□□□□□□ 2/10. Stacy has only average speed and reflexes, enough to not trip over her feet most of the time. Little more flexible than average, but that's really it.
[ INTELLIGENCE ] ■■■■□□□□□□ 4/10. Stacy is incredibly intelligent compared to the average person, possessing a cutthroat business sense and being especially skilled at social deception and manipulation. Due to never going to college and not having any special powers, however, her academic knowledge is a lot less expansive than most would assume from her demeanor.
[ DESTRUCTIVENESS ] ■■■■□□□□□□ 4/10. While incapable of macro-scale destruction like most Kinetics, Stacy is incredibly potent at micro-scale destruction. Slicing wires in E-Police drones, destroying power lines (usually by burning them or messing with the transformers, since cutting one is too difficult with paper), clogging pipelines and gas pumps, and more are all possible, leaving Stacy with a number of options available to her for costing Castleburg tons of money. If you include things like covering windshields while people are driving and spreading fires, then her power could probably warrant a 5 or 6.
[ LETHALITY ] ■□□□□□□□□□ 1/10. Not especially lethal, even against opponents not wearing any armor. Still, being blinded and choking on balls of paper sucks, even if you might survive from it.
[ ENDURANCE ] ■■□□□□□□□□ 2/10. Stacy can be winded incredibly quickly when performing intense physical activities. Don't expect her to be doing a bunch of flips and fighting a bunch. Prone to nosebleeds.
[ EFFICACY ] ■■■■■■□□□□ 6/10. Stacy's immense range makes it very difficult for most opponents to reliably pinpoint her, especially if she decides to simply stay hidden instead of being a showman. The only reliable counter is to destroy all the paper around her, which is incredibly difficult in a large city like Castleburg.
[ SKILLS ]
Misdirection: Confetti will probably become infamous for her ability to commit crimes without anyone noticing - or rather, without anyone noticing the actual crime. Her penchant for large-scale demonstrations of her power will distract most people from noticing her teammates or Stacy herself committing the actual operation. Unless she is facing someone with enhanced perceptions of some kind, they'll probably not notice her slip out of her handcuffs or slip a knife from her boot.
Psychology: Stacy has an excellent grasp of how people think, which she makes great use of in her plans. Especially useful with deception and manipulation. Of course, Stacy can really only make vague guesses about someone's personality and beliefs without spending lots of time talking with them. And individuals who have odd thought processes (Shadow Scythe Vengeance) or are inhuman (Vertediger) are much harder to get a grasp of.
Business Sense: Stacy's financial versatility is incredible - her company dominates Castleburg's Cleaning Market and has spread to be a common name throughout most of the East Coast. If need be, she can use her civilian identity to secure various properties and eliminate threats without ever tipping anyone off.
Papercraft: Stacy is shockingly good at Origami and other papercrafts. She doesn't have much passion for it outside of showing off, but even without considering her power, the things that she can make out of paper are baffling.
[ EQUIPMENT ]
Infinite Capital: Thanks to her power and massive business, Stacy has near limitless wealth to toss around. Of course, it's not really 'infinite' - if she made a large (or illegal/noticeable) purchase using money that isn't clean yet or should be spent on her company, she'd probably end up tipping off HERO or get arrested for embezzlement. Still, as long as she is convinced to use some of her squirreled-away wealth, she can afford most expenses.
Paper: Stacy rarely carries her entire arsenal of paper with her at all times, but she likes to store a ream or two in her briefcase when possible.
A Gun: Much more effective than you'd think, since a lot of Metahumans don't possess superhuman durability. Stacy carries a pistol that she is trained in using, and is more than willing to pull it out when she is put in a rough situation. Much more effective when she can hide where she's shooting from with her papers.
@Hitman@canaryrose Finished - sorry if it's a little long. Let me know if anything needs to be changed.
DEAD MAN
"Henshin, bitch! ...Did I say it right?"
[ NAME ]
Travis Einstein
[ HERO IDENTITY ]
DEAD MAN
[ NICKNAME/ALIAS ]
Masochist, Roach, Einstein (Do not call him this if you don't want to get punched)
[ AGE ]
20
[ GENDER ]
Male
[ AFFILIATION ]
HERO. Regularly fights other Supers in Brookside cage matches for money.
[ APPEARANCE ]
Travis appears to be a normal young adult - physically fit, dark-haired, somewhat smelly. His skin has a strange, almost sandpaper-like texture to it. His hair varies in length, typically growing for several months before Travis shaves it down into a buzz cut, and is almost always left in a disheveled state. He is exceptionally muscular and lean, like his father, to the point where even extensive binges struggle to put fat onto him. He seems to have a somewhat musty smell, one of the few things he is insecure about and goes to great lengths to conceal. He is slightly shorter than average, around 5'8, though his personality makes this easy to forget. Travis's voice fluctuates wildly, from lighthearted and excitable, to what could only be described as serrated.
When it comes to his wardrobe, Travis sticks mostly to basic colors and patterns. He is especially fond of tracksuits, though he rarely wears them outside because he's afraid they'll get ruined in a fight. His 'Hero suit' is just whatever random assortment of clothes he can find for cheap, along with a plastic mask. He currently doesn't have the money for a more impressive suit, but has made crude sketches of his dream superhero costume, which he proudly shows off to whoever asks.
[ PERSONALITY TRAITS ]
Friendly(?): Travis is very similar to a stray dog. If someone treats him with kindness, he will go to great lengths to protect that person and make them proud of him. If they are initially hostile, he will act rude, abrasive, and will even attempt to fight at the slightest provocation. All that matters to him are that people pay attention to him, even if it's only a little or it's negative.
Loyal: Loyalty is probably the most important trait in Travis's mind. If someone became Travis's friend, he'd gladly take every bullet in the world for them, without expecting anything in return. While some of his past acquaintances took advantage of this, Travis's current group of friends is tight-knit and are willing to put themselves at great risk for him, despite not being Heroes themselves. Should Travis see loyalty in his enemies, he will almost always let them go - snitches and rats, however, infuriate him like nothing else. If Travis was ever betrayed, he'd likely not believe it, and assume that whoever did it was just trying to be a double agent or something.
Needs Role Model: Travis did not have a positive relationship with his family, and seems to almost be looking for 'replacements'. He is particularly fond of older male and female role models, and will likely grow very attached to Director Steele and any older Heros that he works with. This is not healthy, and the sooner he breaks out of the habit, the better for everyone involved. Makes it pretty easy to manipulate him though, so less moral coworkers can pretty easily trick Travis into doing their work for them.
Vain: When it comes to being a Hero, Travis honestly doesn't care. Saving people is fun and all, but he doesn't do it out of a moral or ethical desire. He just enjoys the feeling of people praising him and his accomplishments, something that was missing in his childhood. He's quick to praise friends and acquaintances, but will usually trash talk people he isn't fond of, especially villains.
[ BIO ]
Brookside has always been the worst region of the city - and while some of the inhabitants are quite proud of the borough they came from, even they know it's terrible. That's why it was one of the cheapest places to live in the city. If you're broke or wasted your life, chances are you'll end up in Brookside, probably drugged out in a crappy apartment.
That's how Travis' father, Frank Einstein, ended up. Frank was employed by HERO during the golden age of heroes, using his impressive physique and electrokinetic abilities in order to eke out a living. However, after a confrontation with a much more famous Hero, Frank was targetted by their fans and quickly lost any semblance of a reputation. Several years later, an especially intense Leftover attack left Frank permanently injured and unable to continue Hero work. Shortly after, his girlfriend became pregnant, and they moved from their Watervale home to Brookside. Frank initially tried becoming an electrician, but his reputation made it near impossible to find work. He eventually managed to land a gig as a Bouncer, and he was happy to have some kind of income.
Travis never knew his mother, despite inheriting her power. She left only a few months after he was born, her possessions gone from her and Frank's apartment by the time he returned from work. Frank quickly fell into a depression, and began abusing Nova in order to deal with the stress of being a single father.
Travis's early life was extremely poor, being left alone for hours at a time nearly every day. He was typically left in front of the television, watching whatever action film or nature documentary his father left on before leaving for work. It is this abandonment that caused Travis's desire for recognition. A desire that only grew more intense over time.
It was when he was 10 that Travis finally a place he felt he belonged - a small gang of other preteens that tried to act tough and look cooler than they really were. The group was quick to accept Travis into their squad, using his muscle to try and intimidate younger children away from their hangout. Four years later, Travis was coerced into shoplifting - a habit he kept up for a few weeks, before getting caught. Frank, in retaliation, yelled at him for a few minutes before ordering a pizza.
Three days later, Travis shoplifted again, and intentionally got caught. His father, this time in a drunken stupor, slapped against him uselessly before passing out. In a given week, Travis could probably count the number of conversations he had with his father on one hand. But by stealing some snacks or a crappy lighter, his father would go out of his way to talk to Travis. After this discovery, Travis's delinquency slowly ramped up over the years. Graffiti, pouring paint on E-Police from rooftops, drinking (he's a massive lightweight) - he never seemed to get into more serious crimes, although the only reason was because he didn't want to get his friends into trouble. He grew more rough and confrontational, starting fights with anyone who messed with him or his friends, and he only managed to pass his classes because he cheated constantly and no one cared.
Eventually, Frank wasn't able to keep up anymore - he got into a fight at work with one of the other bouncers, and was fired. This, along with his dwindling supply of Nova, caused Frank to become apathetic and uncaring for nearly everything in his life. He just sat around watching television, having given up on keeping an appearance of control. Travis took over as the breadwinner of the house, barely managing to scrape together rent by getting a part-time job in a Watervale house cleaning company. Travis, surprisingly, was happy to do this - he was good at it and loved the work, and the manager didn't care if Travis and his friends hung out behind the store. More than this, Travis found the positive recognition of honest work more enjoyable than the yelling he got from petty crimes.
This was around the time Travis and his father's relationship reached an all-time low. While Frank had initially tried futilely to have a semblance of control over his son, he was now a shell that couldn't care less about what Travis did. Travis, unable to get praise for his accomplishments or admonishment for his failures, was left without any kind of recognition in his life. He stopped cooking or cleaning for his father, only going home to sleep and couch surfing whenever he could.
After a three-day stint at one of his friend's house, he came home to find Frank dead. He had shot himself in the head, watching old news recordings of a major leftover attack. Other than the initial shock and the fear of calling the police, Travis didn't feel anything about his father's death. He stayed in the apartment for another month before joining HERO - and immediately after he joined, he moved into the housing they provided.
As for why he joined... He just thought that it would be cool.
| MISCELLANEOUS |
After enough adaptations from Travis's power, he usually ends up looking like some kind of giant cockroach. It's unknown if this is some part of his power, or just that the most common damage types result in adaptations that are similar to a Roach (exoskeleton, lack of hair, etc).
Seems to be slightly more resilient to electricity. Unsure if this is a part of his power or a developed resistance.
"If my bros show up, you gotta let em in! Especially Scales, she's my ride." Note to Hero staff: Do not allow unauthorized guests or personnel into HERO One at any time.
[ RANKING ]
C+
[ POWERS ]
Despite his almost suicidal actions during combat, Travis seems to never stay down. As a matter of fact, it seems like he only gets harder to put down the more damage he takes. He is a human Cockroach, with all aspects of his power dedicated to survival.
Metabolic Monster: Travis' metabolism is, like many powers, a thermodynamic enigma. He can survive months without food and a week or two without water, and go nearly an hour without air. This is assuming he is barely moving, but even then, it's very impressive. However, when he has ample access to all these resources, his stamina and energy are seemingly unending. Travis could run marathons back-to-back, fight for hours, or work out all day, and as long as he has enough food and water, he probably won't even be tired by the time he's done. Certain substances, like medication, recreational drugs, and the power enhancer Nova, act far more quickly when administered to Travis and last significantly longer. Still needs the normal amount of sleep.
Adaptive Regeneration: Travis possesses a moderate healing factor, recovering from a broken limb after only a day or two of rest. While respectable (if a bit slow for a regenerator), the more interesting aspect of this power is that Travis physically adapts to the damage he takes. Cuts will result in his skin growing tougher and gray, burns cause his hair to recede and tissue to become blackened and retardant, and blunt force will force his bones to poke out and harden into armor. These adaptations, of course, aren't permanent - by the time he heals from his injuries, the monstrous alterations to his form have faded away. However, if an opponent fails to kill Travis immediately and they don't have multiple ways to hurt him, it can become nearly impossible to kill him. Essentially, the more Travis is injured, the harder it is to further injure him.
Pesticides: Due to how efficient his metabolism is, poisons (as well as irritants and drugs) act far faster on Travis than the average person, with an onset time nearly 1/10 the usual. The duration, however, could potentially last twice as long as normal, since his body is trying to hold onto it as long as possible before rejecting it. While in some cases this could be useful, like with Nova and certain medication, it still means that Travis is much more vulnerable to overdosing. And if someone actually poisoned him? He'd probably need his stomach pumped or an antidote as soon as possible. Power suppression drugs are an especially effective counter, hampering his durability but still lasting far longer than they should.
[ PHYSICAL STRENGTH ] ■■■□□□□□□□ 3/10. Travis is stronger than the average human, most likely a trait inherited from his father. But pretty much any strength-based metahuman will be stronger than him. And some highly trained humans probably are too.
[ AGILITY ] ■■■□□□□□□□ 3/10. Travis is significantly faster than the average human, being comparable to a college track athlete in speed. His reflexes, however, are completely unenhanced. He mostly uses his speed to catch up to others, chasing opponents until they collapse or are weakened before a fight.
[ INTELLIGENCE ] ■□□□□□□□□□ 1/10. Travis is not the brightest bulb. He lived in Brookside his entire life and skipped school constantly, resulting in his education being extremely limited. When it comes to book smarts, Travis struggles to beat middle schoolers. He is even worse with plans - he will regularly ignore instructions from all but his close friends, simply because he enjoys the feeling of improvising in a fight.
[ DESTRUCTIVENESS ] ■■□□□□□□□□ 2/10. Travis is physically stronger than the average human, but that is the extent of his ability to damage his surroundings. No Area of Effect stuff here!
[ LETHALITY ] ■■■□□□□□□□ 3/10. Travis is only somewhat more lethal than the average human. His increased strength and penchant for violence can make it easier for him to crush opponents, though this rarely matters against metahumans.
[ ENDURANCE ] ■■■■■■■■□□ 8/10. At the start of a fight, Travis would probably be a 5 in pure durability. This can ramp up over the course of a fight, though never breaching past an 8. But when it comes to pure Endurance and stamina? Travis is easily an 8 or higher, so long as he has eaten.
[ EFFICACY ] ■■■■□□□□□□ 4/10. Travis's power is entirely passive, functioning even while he is unconscious. However, its vulnerability to poisons and power suppression restricts its reliability, especially against opponents that are aware of it.
[ SKILLS ]
Brawling: Travis has years of experience in both kicking ass as well as getting his ass kicked. He could probably fight 3 people at once and pull out a win, assuming they don't have powers and he isn't using his. Definitely not classically trained, a proper fighter could easily beat him if they didn't get hit first. But even if someone laid into him for hours, he'd come out the other end with only a few bruises and aches.
Street Smart: While he reads at a 5th-grade level and struggles with long division, Travis is quite skilled when it comes to more 'real world' knowledge. Whether it be maneuvering and acting in more lawless parts of the city or sneaking past E-Police blindspots, Travis has picked up much from his more criminally inclined friends. He has a few contacts that are always out for some cash - and are more than willing to sell drugs, info, or muscle in order to get it. He's not a snitch though, and these guys are the closes thing he has to friends - you'll probably need to trick him if you want to get at his contacts.
Housekeeping: Travis is an excellent homemaker, having taken care of his abusive father since he was a child. Everything from cooking to basic repairs falls under his purview, and he will typically go into a bit of a cleaning frenzy when he notices a messy room. Gets annoyed by wrinkled clothes.
[ EQUIPMENT ]
Bokken: A Japanese practice sword. Or as Travis calls it, 'A cool wooden stick'. He bought it purely because he thought it looked neat, and has used it extensively over the years. Somehow it hasn't broken yet.
The Shocker: Literally just a Taser. Not the strongest thing on the market, but since early E-Police models had a vulnerability to electricity (or at least were rumored to), it has become a kind of badge among the Brookside underground. Travis' Taser is covered in lightning bolt and flame stickers which he claims 'makes it more badass'.
Necklace: A stainless steel necklace, it's almost as durable as its wearer and has been shined almost obsessively. Travis bought it using money from his part-time job. He is very fond of it since it was the only piece of jewelry he could afford. He has on more than one occasion choked someone out with it, and while it's not as effective as a garrote, it's a lot less lethal. Has been used against him more than once, which makes Travis thankful breathing isn't too much of a priority for him.
Confetti
"You look like an idiot... Excellent."
[ NAME ]
Stacy Page
[ VILLAIN IDENTITY ]
Confetti
[ NICKNAME/ALIAS ]
N/A
[ AGE ]
35
[ GENDER ]
Female
[ AFFILIATION ]
Villain Team (Name to be decided) Page Cleaning Services
[ APPEARANCE ]
Stacy was born with Albinism, and as a result, is unnaturally pale. She stands at 5'1", and weighs 102 pounds. Very thin, to the point her ribs are easily seen when her shirt is off or tight - she regularly skips meals to focus on her work. She is not very strong, and would be taller if not for her poor diet. Her hair and skin are meticulously maintained, making her look younger than she really is. Her expression rarely changes when out of costume. Her voice, similarly, is a base monotone.
Stacy typically dresses in more concealing clothing in order to protect her skin from the sun, and favors formal wear like suits. She always wears gloves and avoids making physical contact with others. Her 'Supervillain costume' is a garish motley, of which she has several variants for different shows crimes. She covers them in scraps of colored paper while worn, shifting them constantly and creating an almost kaleidoscope-esque effect to coat her body. She also wears a featureless white mask, the expressions and appearance of which she alters on the fly with sheets of paper.
[ PERSONALITY TRAITS ]
Average Jane: Stacy's personality outside of the mask is quite unremarkable - she is introverted, non-confrontational, and usually picks up the slack for others rather than ask them to do something. Really, the only thing that seems to leave a big impact on those around her is her status - Stacy is incredibly wealthy, and displays a cutthroat business sense when it comes to maintaining her grasp on Castleburg's Cleaning and Home Maintenance market.
Unfeeling: The reason for her lack of presence is not because she is shy - Stacy has lived most of her life without feeling any strong emotions, and she is incredibly cold and distant as a result. She has never formed any meaningful relationships, never made any friends, and the only people she interacts with regularly are her employees. While in the past she could focus the stress this caused on making a better future for herself, now she struggles to deal with the fact that no one really cares about her. She is terrified that she has wasted her life.
Presentation!: One of the few things that Stacy feels excitement from is when she is playing up her villainous alter ego. As a villain, she has an incredible attachment to aesthetics, claiming Form is more important than Function in almost every regard. She loves to distract people with grand uses of her power, such as making thousands of paper planes block the sun, while she carries out her actual objective without being noticed.
Sensitive: While Stacy is quite observant and capable of quick thinking, she is incredibly immature emotionally. Since she has spent most of her life not feeling intense emotions, it is very easy to overwhelm her when she is acting out as a villain - taunting and angering her will make her lash out, and flattery will usually lead to her giving a monologue about her secret plan (unless that would be spoilers!). She is also not sure how to handle non-professional relationships, such as friendship or love.
[ BIO ]
Stacy was raised by a single father, as her mother passed away while giving birth to her. While Stacy's father took care of her needs, he always blamed Stacy for the death of her mother, and kept her at a distance emotionally. Looking back on it, she doesn't blame him - she wouldn't know how to raise a child any better, after all.
Stacy spent the vast majority of her life making as little impact as possible - she was never caught for serious crimes, never won any awards for her academics, and her classmates never had anything to comment about her. She viewed standing out in any way as an invitation to be stomped down, and was very careful to be as 'average' as possible in order to secure her future.
However, Stacy was already breaking the law when she was in high school. She used her power to effectively grant herself infinite 'spending money,' though her fear of getting caught limited her to small purchases. By the time she graduated and left home, she had taken out a loan and set up a small business in Watervale - a Laundromat.
While you'd think that most of Stacy's revenue came from Money Laundering and the use of her power, it's quite surprising to learn that she only did it extensively in the beginning of her career. Over the next decade and a half, she would buy out and seemingly form a monopoly on laundromats in Castleburg, eventually expanding into nearly all aspects of Home Maintenance and even dipping into repairs.
After a life of constantly avoiding confrontation and staying in the sideline, Stacy finally managed to be successful. However, outside of financial success, Stacy has done nothing with her life - she never had a relationship, she didn't have friends, and her father passed away from a heart attack only a few years prior. She was going through a mid-life crisis, finding her existence a boring waste of time.
Everything changed when she walked in on a robbery. Her card had just expired, and Stacy had to pay to refuel her car with cash. Walking into the gas station, Stacy saw everyone lying face down on the ground, and a man dressed in some homemade costume holding the cashier hostage. The robber's arms were coated in ice, and formed a sharp blade that was held against the cashier's throat. He didn't even react when Stacy ran behind a shelf to hide - he just yelled for the cashier to continue emptying the register.
Stacy never forgot this moment. Her heart was pumping, adrenaline flowed in her veins, and every stimuli was almost overwhelming. It was the first time in Stacy's life that she felt truly afraid. Truly alive.
Normal adults cope with their Mid-life Crisis by wasting money on a new car or getting a new job. Stacy became obsessed with her power fantasy - the life of a stereotypical Villain.
But Stacy didn't want to abandon everything she had built so far - otherwise, her life really would be for nothing. She slowly built her new alter ego, and after a few short months of preparation, she was ready to form her team. Now, she could stop surviving, and start living.
| MISCELLANEOUS |
Confetti's appearances are typically preluded by mass swarms of paper airplanes and birds, which usually attempt to blot out light sources to assist one of the other members of her team. Heroes are recommended to carry some kind of light for attacks at night, though phone lights or car high beams can do in an emergency.
Close-range approaches are preferred if possible - Confetti lacks any real defense against fast and up-close assaults. Additionally, close-range attacks are less likely to result in friendly fire, which is a possibility when Confetti has larger quantities of paper and uses them to block line of sight.
Views Heroes and Villains as childish, and openly mocks them. If an Operative must buy time for backup, tricking her into a monologue on the topic should prove fairly simple (for example, tell her what you named your 'special moves' or your equipment).
[ RANKING ]
C
[ POWERS ]
Paperclip: Stacy is capable of controlling all paper within a 200-meter radius, with enough precision to fold and tear individual sheets within swarms numbering in the hundreds of thousands. She senses these sheets through a sixth sense, and is able to both manipulate and control all the sheets within her control without becoming overwhelmed. Can theoretically kill through many cuts, though clothing is usually able to stop most pages from breaking skin. Blinding and choking is a much more dangerous threat.
While fire is an obvious weakness, it can actually make her much more dangerous for a few dozen seconds as she throws massive quantities of burning paper at her enemies before losing control. Hydrokinetics shut her down much better, the paper becoming too heavy to manipulate until it dries.
[ PHYSICAL STRENGTH ] ■□□□□□□□□□ 1/10. Stacy is not imposing whatsoever, maybe being able to bench press 50 pounds. She struggles to carry in groceries sometimes. Her power isn't any stronger, and even if it was, paper isn't the best medium for actions that need brute strength.
[ AGILITY ] ■■□□□□□□□□ 2/10. Stacy has only average speed and reflexes, enough to not trip over her feet most of the time. Little more flexible than average, but that's really it.
[ INTELLIGENCE ] ■■■■□□□□□□ 4/10. Stacy is incredibly intelligent compared to the average person, possessing a cutthroat business sense and being especially skilled at social deception and manipulation. Due to never going to college and not having any special powers, however, her academic knowledge is a lot less expansive than most would assume from her demeanor.
[ DESTRUCTIVENESS ] ■■■■□□□□□□ 4/10. While incapable of macro-scale destruction like most Kinetics, Stacy is incredibly potent at micro-scale destruction. Slicing wires in E-Police drones, destroying power lines (usually by burning them or messing with the transformers, since cutting one is too difficult with paper), clogging pipelines and gas pumps, and more are all possible, leaving Stacy with a number of options available to her for costing Castleburg tons of money. If you include things like covering windshields while people are driving and spreading fires, then her power could probably warrant a 5 or 6.
[ LETHALITY ] ■□□□□□□□□□ 1/10. Not especially lethal, even against opponents not wearing any armor. Still, being blinded and choking on balls of paper sucks, even if you might survive from it.
[ ENDURANCE ] ■■□□□□□□□□ 2/10. Stacy can be winded incredibly quickly when performing intense physical activities. Don't expect her to be doing a bunch of flips and fighting a bunch. Prone to nosebleeds.
[ EFFICACY ] ■■■■■■□□□□ 6/10. Stacy's immense range makes it very difficult for most opponents to reliably pinpoint her, especially if she decides to simply stay hidden instead of being a showman. The only reliable counter is to destroy all the paper around her, which is incredibly difficult in a large city like Castleburg.
[ SKILLS ]
Misdirection: Confetti will probably become infamous for her ability to commit crimes without anyone noticing - or rather, without anyone noticing the actual crime. Her penchant for large-scale demonstrations of her power will distract most people from noticing her teammates or Stacy herself committing the actual operation. Unless she is facing someone with enhanced perceptions of some kind, they'll probably not notice her slip out of her handcuffs or slip a knife from her boot.
Psychology: Stacy has an excellent grasp of how people think, which she makes great use of in her plans. Especially useful with deception and manipulation. Of course, Stacy can really only make vague guesses about someone's personality and beliefs without spending lots of time talking with them. And individuals who have odd thought processes (Shadow Scythe Vengeance) or are inhuman (Vertediger) are much harder to get a grasp of.
Business Sense: Stacy's financial versatility is incredible - her company dominates Castleburg's Cleaning Market and has spread to be a common name throughout most of the East Coast. If need be, she can use her civilian identity to secure various properties and eliminate threats without ever tipping anyone off.
Papercraft: Stacy is shockingly good at Origami and other papercrafts. She doesn't have much passion for it outside of showing off, but even without considering her power, the things that she can make out of paper are baffling.
[ EQUIPMENT ]
Infinite Capital: Thanks to her power and massive business, Stacy has near limitless wealth to toss around. Of course, it's not really 'infinite' - if she made a large (or illegal/noticeable) purchase using money that isn't clean yet or should be spent on her company, she'd probably end up tipping off HERO or get arrested for embezzlement. Still, as long as she is convinced to use some of her squirreled-away wealth, she can afford most expenses.
Paper: Stacy rarely carries her entire arsenal of paper with her at all times, but she likes to store a ream or two in her briefcase when possible.
A Gun: Much more effective than you'd think, since a lot of Metahumans don't possess superhuman durability. Stacy carries a pistol that she is trained in using, and is more than willing to pull it out when she is put in a rough situation. Much more effective when she can hide where she's shooting from with her papers.
Despite the rocky start, Toma seemed to get a lucky break for the rest of the run. The instructor that was shooting the students had moved onto other targets - whether that was because he found someone better to shoot at or Toma had gotten closer to the herd was anyone's guess. Toma just chose to consider himself lucky that he managed to only get hit with two arrows.
Unfortunately, the person that pushed Toma was quickly assaulted by several of the other students. While a part of Toma was pleased that his peers were attempting to punish someone for being an asshole, he couldn't help but feel some pity for the man. At the end of the day, Toma didn't care what happened to him. And Toma was just pushed to the ground - this student was embarrassed in front of their entire class...
But Toma did decide that interacting with that guy might not be the best idea. Getting pushed down during a race was one thing, but adventurers have gotten into bad fights over loot. And some adventurers were so bad, some of the residents in Toma's town called them 'Murder Hobos'. The teachers already said that having fights without proctors was banned, and while Toma wasn't afraid of getting in a brawl, he would never risk his spot at the school - hanging around a guy like that was just begging for trouble.
Other than the student that pushed him, Toma didn't focus on most of the other students during the run - he couldn't see Alexis running, Finn was far up in the front. He didn't know anyone else, so they just didn't stand out much. Some students were wearing armor over their uniform as they ran, causing Toma to fear that he might need to buy some. He definitely didn't have enough gold to get anything nearly as good as what the Dwarf and Human (?) girl had.
Toma quickly started focusing on another student, who had come to run alongside him.
"You ok there?"
A girl, darker-skinned than Toma. Her skin looked a little off, almost like it had the texture of bark...
Was she a 'Wood Elf'? Toma had never seen one before, but that would definitely explain the name... Or maybe she was a human with weird-looking skin? He knew someone from his village with horribly dry elbows - maybe it was something like that, just way less gross? Either way, asking something like that wasn't really appropriate during a run. As he was about to speak, the instructor must have decided that she deserved an arrow for slowing down, and launched it straight into the young woman's shoulder. Toma was quite surprised when she managed to take the blow - heck, she took it better than he would have. Weren't girls supposed to be dainty?
She must have noticed Toma breathing a little harder, or maybe she could tell that he was starting to lose some steam. Whatever the case, she grabbed his arm and began to drag him along, helping to speed him up a little.
"C'mon, there's no time to lose!"
Toma coughed a little in surprise, raising his voice to be heard over their pounding feet.
"S-sure thing! Thanks for the help!"
She did look a little weird, and she probably wasn't human - but it could be worse, right? She wasn't an orc, or goblin, or whatever the heck that snake lady was. And besides, she seemed more than capable of keeping up with the other students - and despite that, decided to slow down near the back of the class in order to help someone she didn't even know.
At least she was friendlier than one of the humans that Toma had met here so far.
Toma hadn't been counting the laps, but they had run around a lot more than he was used to before class even started. He probably would have taken a seat the second they stopped if his classmate hadn't helped him, and even with her assistance, Toma was sweating bullets. Some of the more agile students seemed completely unfazed by the laps, while others were even more tired than Toma was despite not getting shot once. Hopefully, they occasionally warm up with a march or lifting heavy things instead of always doing laps...
His uniform also was a little... wet. He managed to spill on it when trying to get a drink from his waterskin during the run. Thankfully, he had brought an extra, and his bag was nearby - he quickly retrieved the bag from where he dropped it at the beginning of class, before slwoly jogging back.
Sir Baleth had gone to the center of the large arena they were in and had begun explaining the purpose of the mannequins that were standing there since the class started. If the Toma from yesterday was asked to fight them, he would probably ask to take on several all at once. After all, how dangerous could a wooden dummy be?
After seeing so much magic in such a short time, however, Toma had learned that looks could be very deceiving.
Soon, the attractive drow woman from the feast was invited to fight the mannequins, leading the others by example. Toma was just thankful that she'd be fighting magical dummies rather than the students - she could take out her Drow sadism against them instead of Toma or his peers. Toma, like many of his classmates, was somewhat distracted by her figure... Although, the purple skin and exotic curved swords made him quick to lose interest.
'Still a monster, at the end of the day...'
Upon touching the mannequin, the construct began to rise, almost as if awakening from a half-asleep state.
“Greetings Maya Jhalavar, would you like to begin training regiment 56A?”
Yep, definitely magical... Toma was amazed that it was possible to make such creations, but he was a little less impressed than the day before. Athena's crystalline form was a lot more interesting than this wooden imitation of a person.
As if to prove Toma wrong, several of the mannequins seemed to awaken simultaneously. Each was armed with various weapons, and Toma was particularly intimidated by the one wielding a large hammer. It resembled the ones he used to plant fenceposts into the ground - and while he never got hit by one, he knew they were a lot more powerful than they looked.
The woman removed her blades, and before Toma could even process it, the fight had already begun. If Sir Baleth was telling the truth when he said graduates of the academy struggled to handle two of the mannequins at a time, then Miss Jhalavar must have been a genius with those strange swords of hers.
Even considering his lack of skill, Toma could tell that the drow was quite impressive with her weapons. She seemingly danced between the blunted spears and swords, weaving around and parrying hits rather than taking them head on - a very effective strategy if she were in an actual fight to the death. As she pushed away the large maul that came crashing towards her skull, Toma realized that she was not just skilled - she must have been much stronger than he expected in order to accomplish something like that, unless she knew some technique to help her deflect the hit.
Could women be strong like that? Or was it some enchantment on those exotic swords? It would make sense that drow women were stronger than the men...
It didn't really matter, however. Even if drows were exceptionally strong and agile, there was no way Toma could simply attribute his instructor's abilities to her race. She was an incredible fighter - the only person Toma could think of that rivaled her skill with the blade was Tarkus, the paladin that he had known all his life...
No, she was more skilled than even him. Tarkus took blows directly to gain an opening to strike - and while that was effective at times, he was in constant pain from his scars during his last few years. Miss Jhalavar dodged the blows entirely, choosing to counterattack and parry rather than let herself be struck.
The fight had taken maybe 30 seconds. 45 at most.
“Right, who’s ready to start?”
Toma couldn't help but grin, his breathing finally having returned to normal after the run. Finally, he'd actually be allowed to fight!
As it turned out, Toma was terrible at fighting. His sword was on the ground near Sir Baleth, and Toma was instead wielding one of the spare blades that was offered for those without their own equipment. Using the enchanted blade counted as 'using magic', and under threat of receiving another blunted arrow from the masked instructor, Toma was now relying on his own skill with this rented blade rather than the skill his own sword gave him.
'If only I knew where the off button on that thing was, I wouldn't have to use a different sword...'
Toma groaned as the mannequin he was fighting slammed the pommel of its longsword into his stomach, before sweeping Toma's legs out from under him. The young man fell to the ground, and when he opened his eyes, the blunted tip of the mannequin's blade was pointed straight at his throat.
“Toma Enow, would you like to decrease training difficu-”
Toma cut off the mannequin as he rose to his feet, coughing as he tried to catch his breath.
"Nope, no, I'm good. Just uh... wasn't watching my feet, I guess."
At least Toma was doing better than some of his more magically-inclined classmates.
As soon as he was ready, the fight started once more. Swing, miss - it dodged to the left and the sword only cut air. It retaliated with its own strike, and Toma could feel it clip him on the shoulder as he tried to pull away. The paladin tightened his grip on his sword to avoid dropping it.
'Give it more room, the blade is longer than you expect...'
Seeing Miss Jhalavar fight taught Toma a valuable lesson - while taking attacks was certainly easier and the opponent might not expect it, avoiding them entirely was a lot safer in the long run. Tarkus was pleased at the attention his scars gave him, but was almost always complaining about the pain they brought him in his daily life. Toma would like to avoid that if he could...
Suddenly, the Mannequin lunged forwards, attacking in the same manner it did in the last fight. It held its sword in one hand, using the free arm to try and shield its body as it closed the distance between them. It was trying to get in close and slam the pommel of its weapon into Toma's stomach again.
No time to dodge, it was already too close - Toma was forced to parry instead. He moved his crossguard against the mannequin's blade, locking the blades against one another. Overpowering the mannequin was a lot easier than all that footwork stuff - it wasn't used to his strength yet, and while it adapted fast, Toma could hold it off for a brief time.
'Legs!'
Toma had expected it - that was the only reason he managed to sidestep the mannequin's attempt to sweep his legs. With its balance compromised, Toma pushed his blade harder against the dummy, causing it to fall to the ground.
Breathing heavy, Toma relaxed slightly, standing tall at his victory. Suddenly, the prone dummy swung at Toma, catching the paladin off guard as its blade slammed against his knees. Once again, he fell to the ground, only for the mannequin to climb on his body and hold the dulled sword against his throat.
“Toma Enow, please remember to 'kill' any mannequin you are training with in order to win. Mannequins repair themselves shortly after combat, so there is no risk of damaging academy property.”
Toma groaned. 'Can't I savor my win a little bit before getting punished?' Rising to his feet once again, Toma shook off the sand from his clothes. Hopefully, these mannequins were around outside of class hours - if Toma wanted to catch up to his classmates, he'd need all the practice he could get.
Fighting, as it turned out, was a lot more exhausting than Toma had thought at first. Even when the fights only lasted a minute or two at most, they took an enormous amount of energy. And that wasn't even considering how sore Toma was from the various hits he had taken from his opponents' blunted sword. By the end of his seventh round against the mannequin, he was on the ground panting.
“Would you like to take a small break, Toma Enow?”
Toma was a little shocked - they were allowed to take breaks, just like that? It made sense - someone wouldn't really get better at fighting if they could barely hold their weapon... Maybe Toma assumed the class was more totalitarian than it really was?
... Or maybe he'd get a worse grade if he took a break...
"... Yeah, I'll just get a bit of water. Be right back, Mannequin."
Toma would fight better after recovering his strength. His stamina was far better than his sword skills, so he needed to focus on getting better at fighting, rather than getting better at fighting while exhausted...
And it also gave him time to think up a good name for the Mannequin he was fighting. He was probably going to spend a lot of time with the mannequins during the class, so having something better to call them by would make things more convenient.
...The only question was, what did these mannequins eat?
Probably a good question for the magic class.
Toma quickly took a sip from his waterskin, careful not to spill anymore on himself. Many of the students around him were either tired or taking breaks, but several were continuing to fight without any sign of stopping. Toma spotted his roommate, Finn, and thought about walking over to say hi... but decided against it. It might have just been Toma's imagination, but he was beginning to think that Finn was upset with him...
... No, Toma couldn't think of anything that he did to make his roommate upset. Maybe he woke up badly? Toma didn't get a good look at Finn this morning - even when he tossed that flaky bread on his bed.
It was probably just Toma's imagination.
Noticing the girl that had helped him during his run, he felt a small pang of guilt. She had helped him during the beginning of class, so he should thank her, right? Toma briefly abandoned his mannequin and started walking towards his wood classmate, retrieving his second waterskin from his bag and holding it out to her.
"I don't think I thanked you for the help earlier - I appreciate it."
She'd probably like water right? She looked like a plant, and plants loved water... Well, except when they get too much. Toma cringed slightly, remembering a time in his youth when he had drowned all of the herbs in his mother's potager. Thankfully, she told him off before he could do the same to Tarkus' own garden...
Did he ever apologize to her? Toma couldn't remember. Not that it really mattered. That was back in Whitelot - the academy felt a world away from his old village... even though it was only a weeks' travel away, two at most.
'Keep talking, don't act weird.'
"I should probably introduce myself. My name is Toma."
Suddenly, a thought crossed Toma's mind. While he didn't think his classmate was really made of wood like the mannequins were, and they looked nothing alike, Toma couldn't help but connect them. They were both humanoid, looked wooden, both could beat him up... Maybe they ate the same things...
"...If you don't mind me asking, what are your favorite foods?"
If Toma was lucky, he wouldn't have to wait till magic class to name the mannequin.
If Karya was lucky, Toma would get called back to his mannequin before he took up too much of her time.
Toma was used to waking up early - back on his family's farm the Rooster, Egg, was far louder than his father had been and was eager to crow hours before sunrise. While Toma wasn't very fond of the bird, his journey to the academy had shown him how much he relied on Egg to wake him up in the mornings. More than once he slept in until 9 AM (So late!), and Oats wasn't very eager to wake Toma up to continue their journey. One of the reasons Toma had gone to bed earlier than usual last night, along with limiting how much he drank, was because he wasn't sure if he'd awaken on time for classes.
Luckily, Athena was more than capable of fulfilling Egg's role as an alarm clock.
"...report to the Hall of Combat with any equipment that you require. If you do not have the appropriate equipment it will be provided for you on site."
Athena definitely said something before that, but in the time it took for Toma to wake up and fully remember where he was, he only managed to catch the last part of her announcement...
Well, at least he heard the important part! Assuming the announcement was about their first class, Toma hopped out of his bed, stretching his arms and legs. More than a few crumbs from his late-night snacking cascaded to the floor as he did so.
"Morning Finn - I'm not taking a shower, but I'm going to clean up the bathroom real fast if you need to."
Toma was used to taking showers maybe once a week, and while he wanted to bathe at least once a day to fit in with his wealthy classmates, Toma didn't really feel comfortable taking one and risking being late for class.
Besides, he took a shower last night - surely that'd be good enough until lunch. What mattered more was getting his uniform ready.
But when Toma walked into the bathroom, ready to clean his uniform of leftover donkey feces as quickly as possible, he found... nothing. Well, nothing out of place - the room looked just like it did the first time Toma saw it, with no sign of his sullied uniform in sight, the floor cleaner than the bowls that Toma had in his pack.
Toma had only ever heard of magic from the stories that Tarkus told him - and while the old Paladin seemed so fond of the fireballs and rays of light that spellcasters used so often, Toma was starting to grow infatuated with this 'convenience magic' or whatever it was that the academy used to amaze him. Maybe he could take a magic class and learn some of these tricks? A cleaning spell would have given him so much more time to play when he was younger.
Walking out of the bathroom, Toma checked the drawer - and as he expected, Toma found a perfectly clean uniform. He couldn't tell if it was a new uniform, or it was cleaned so thoroughly it just appeared new. Either way, it fits him perfectly, and Toma began packing one of his smaller bags with any equipment he felt he needed for class. A few filled waterskins, some snacks, a candle or two, a flint...
What did you need for class? Toma had never been in formal education, so he really didn't know what to bring. His hand hovered over one of his few vials of holy water, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Tarkus only left him a few of those, and he wasn't eager to accidentally drop and break them.
Pulling his bag over the same shoulder as his baldric, Toma made his way to the door. Suddenly, he remembered his roommate - reaching into his pack, he pulled out one of his bread rolls and tossed it at the foot of Finn's bed.
"In case you get hungry and don't have time to get breakfast - I'm going to stop by the stables and visit Oats, but I'll say hi to you in class."
Oats seemed to have been quite annoyed to be awoken so early in the morning - and when he realized that his master didn't come with treats this time, he ignored the young man's attention and went back to sleep. Toma was just glad that the stables at the academy seemed to be as well cared for as the rest of its facilities. Making sure his donkey didn't wake up and being extra careful to avoid another manure pile, Toma made his way for the Hall of Combat - he wasn't used to the layout of the school yet, but luckily the map-scroll from yesterday was still working.
Despite his detour to the stables, Toma was still among the early arrivals. It was to be expected - he left the feast earlier than he would have liked, but from what he saw, more than a few students were drinking pretty heavily. Toma silently thanked his past self - he could handle his alcohol better than most his age, but he was no dwarf. Maybe if most of the students were hungover, the teacher would go easy on them and Toma could catch up to the others...
Eventually, everyone arrived, and Toma quickly realized that he was one of the few that brought a bag. Hopefully he wouldn't get in trouble...
Several of the senior staff were present. The man, Vermont Baleth, had a name that Toma recognized somewhat. He had no clue where he recognized it - he had never met the man before, and he hadn't spoken during the feast. Toma was a little too distracted to remember. Next to Baleth was the Drow, putting Toma a little on edge. While she was attractive quite attractive, Toma had heard many stories about how the Drow treated other races, especially the men - although, according to his father, 'Drow men had it the worst.' The masked man... Well, Toma didn't feel as creeped out by him.
"...The third rule, is that anyone who fails this class will be removed from the school for at least a year. So don't fail. And the fourth rule....is that you'd better keep up."
It took nearly a second for the young Paladin to realize what was happening. Almost instantly, he dropped his bag and quickly grabbed a waterskin from it, before immediately running after his instructor. While the threat of expulsion was intimidating, Toma was actually a little relieved - if it was a writing assessment, Toma would have been in serious trouble. He wasn't the fastest. Hell, he wasn't even the fastest back in his village. But when it came to Stamina, Toma felt confident that he wouldn't be the last person in the class...
Toma was right. After a few minutes of running, he was near the middle of the herd of students, but he could already see a few students near him beginning to slow down. It helped that among all the students, it seemed Toma was one of the few that had water. Hell, many of the students probably didn't eat yet, and Toma felt he had energy to spare. Even with those advantages, the Instructor was still leading the pack, dressed in full plate and running in the sand. Toma was really starting to wonder if the man was as old as he looked...
Suddenly, a pained gasp from near the back of the group. Toma turned his head, just as he heard someone ahead swear loudly. A human student was lying on the ground, clutching their side. Next to them was a large mace, and they had seemed to have modified their uniform somewhat - it seemed he wasn't a runner, and his larger weapon had slowed him down. Toma would have thought the taller student would be faster, but maybe he wasn't taking the class as seriously. Or he was teasing one of the students in the back...
It almost seemed like everyone slowed down except Baleth had slowed down, if only to gawk at the audacity of the masked instructor. As he began to reach for another arrow from his quiver, everyone began to speed back up again, redoubling their efforts to keep ahead of one another.
Toma frowned. Looks like this wasn't going to be easy as he thought - endurance wouldn't help if he ended up near the back and was being pelted by arrows. Even if they weren't tipped, they could easily make a student slow down and get left behind. At his current pace though, Toma wouldn't have to worry - he didn't need to be at the head of the group, just ahead of the slower students.
Toma turned around, quickly racing to the student that got knocked down. Toma grabbed his arm and yanked the other man to his feet as he spoke.
"C'mon, hurry - grab your mace after class, you don't need the weight."
As soon as the injured student got to his feet, he pushed off of Toma, knocking the paladin on his ass.
"Thanks for the help, dumbass! See you in a year!"
Toma looked to his side - luckily, the student had taken his advice and left the mace behind. Toma could already see the student catching up to the others, running much faster than before. Toma began to get to his feet, but the masked instructor loosed another arrow. It struck Toma in the side, knocking the breath out of his lungs and causing him to fall again.
Toma learned his lesson and got up faster, ignoring the burning in his chest. He broke into a faster run, eager to catch up to the class that had gained a respectable distance on him. After maybe a dozen seconds, another arrow was nocked. Toma suddenly remembered a story Tarkus told quite often - he had once known a Paladin from his order that would slice an arrow out of the air if asked. Toma unsheathed his sword as he saw the arrow was about to release.
Toma swung the sword, and it cleaved through the air with ease. A half-second later, the arrow hit Toma in the legs, knocking the man to the ground again and making him drop his sword. Of course it didn't work - even if it was a pretty lucky first try, Toma was far too unskilled with a sword to do something so advanced. And even if he could pull it off the speed Toma lost wasn't worth it if it just resulted in him falling. Getting to his feet was harder this time - even if they were blunted, an arrow from a good bowman could move very fast. And this instructor was a very good bowman.
Toma grabbed his blade and kept running, sheathing it as he did so. He was closing the distance pretty quickly, but even after such a short run, he was breathing heavily. If he was less tough, he'd probably have worse than a few bruises. Toma would have to make sure he didn't get knocked down again - a few more good hits and he'd slow down too much to catch back up. Looking ahead, it seemed the student that fell earlier was near the middle of the group - he and Toma seemed to have traded positions.
When Toma saw the instructor ready another arrow, he internally groaned.
Darrin pulled his coat closer to his body as he trudged through the snow, shaking softly in the freezing temperatures. Even with three layers of clothes, the mountain was far colder than anything the young man had ever experienced. He felt like this must have been what Frankenstein must have been feeling when he was discovered by Captain Walton in the artic. And to think, Darrin thought it was bad when he finally returned to St. Austell...
"A-are we there yet...?"
Darrin's voice creaked from behind chattering teeth, the young man eager to reach cover. Around 3 meters away, Cu Sith was walking slowly into the storm, moving in a strange path that zigged and shifted at random. Darrin had learned to follow the path his familiar set when he plunged knee-deep in the snow, soaking his pants and boots. The beast turned and shook its head at its master, eliciting a cracking sound from the bark that made up its neck.
Darrin sighed.
'I'm biting the bullet - Can we start going to the cave?'
And almost immediately, Darrin felt his arm completely lose feeling from the elbow down, shooting out to the right without any input on Darrin's part.
Darrin nodded and broke into a jog - or, at least as close to one as he could manage in the snow. It was a terribly uncomfortable feeling; as if someone had emptied out Darrin's arm and jammed their own inside it, wearing it like some kind of meat suit. But Cernunnos didn't like talking, and this was how the god directed Darrin back to his home months ago - so Darrin knew that eventually, he'd regain control and it'd be like nothing happened...
Darrin was still going to rush this as much as he could though. Just because he knew it was harmless didn't mean it wasn't super uncomfortable...
When he was visited by the voices in his dreams and given the options for getting to Sky Palace (Dennis? Darrin really couldn't keep track of all the names), Darrin wanted to avoid considering the path with spiders and other bugs. He wasn't really sure how easily he could get help if any were venomous, and he'd never been spelunking before. But at this point, he felt like a few stings would be worth it if only to take a break from the chill and the wind.
Within minutes, the cave opening came into view. Cu Sith entered first and sat a few meters inside, and Darrin was quick to follow. Even the mouth of the cave felt significantly warmer than the outside, if only because it was shielded from the intense winds from outside. Darrin squatted against the cave wall and removed his gloves, pressing his hands deep into Cu Sith's fur. The dog's skin really felt like wood... but at least it was warm. Darrin pet the dog in this manner for a minute or so, the creature uncaring for the attention.
Darrin stared deeper into the cave as he put his gloves back on. It was... definitely dark. Reaching into his pack, Darrin removed a flashlight and flicked it on. Darrin smiled as the cave suddenly lit up, a few small spiders skittering away from the sudden brightness.
"Man, I'd have killed for one of these a few years ago..."
As it turned out, navigating a cave was really hard. Like, really hard. Everything looked the exact same, and there were more than a few times when Darrin's arm threw itself in a seemingly random direction only for him to notice an opening that had blended in with the shadows cast from his flashlight. Cu Sith thankfully was in the lead, breaking through webs and taking dozens of bites without flinching.
Eventually, they reached an opening in the system that made navigation much more simple. Darrin rubbed his forearm, thankful to finally have it back under his own control.
"Never going to get used to that..."
Unfortunately, the freedom from his god giving him directions came at the cost of way more spiders... The ground seemed to have already been cleared, a path of green goo and splattered exoskeletons indicating that someone must have walked through recently. Pointing his light to the ceiling, Darrin felt nauseous when it looked like the top of the cave was moving. A sea of spiders, agitated by the sudden lighting, seemed to border holes in the ceiling of the cave. Pointing his light back down, Darrin simply followed the path his predecessors laid out, hoping the squished spiders might dissuade other spiders from coming. It seemed like the majority of the spiders stayed near the ceiling for some reason.
As he passed by a mound of spiders, Darrin pointed his light at it, causing them to move slightly and show what they were swarming. Some bat-like creature was being eaten by the spiders, having been restrained by bandages and left to die. That explained why there were so many more on the ceiling of the cave - they must eat these bats. The restrained bat wriggled as the light hit it, only enticing more spiders to come investigate the catch. Darrin, decided now would probably be a good time to leave, before a big spider found the free meal someone left for it. The thought of using his power crossed Darrin's mind - making the cave harder to navigate would mean he'd have a much easier time escaping from any more of these bat things and spiders...
...Then again, it'd also be a death sentence for anyone else here. Darrin didn't really want to accidentally kill anyone, especially if they were new communicators like him. And if gods were as petty as the stories made them out to be, then killing their communicators was probably an easy way to end up on their shit list.
Instead, he continued walking down the path, allowing Cu Sith to squish any spiders they encountered and doing his best to think about how warm Sky Palace probably was. It felt like days had passed by the time they finally reached a dead end, though really Darrin knew it had been an hour at most. A loud rumbling caught Darrin's attention, and immediately he slid behind a stalagmite and flicked his flashlight off. Peaking from his hiding position, Darrin saw two humanoid shapes holding torches next to a doorway. Darrin sighed and left his hiding position, walking towards the figures. Those most have been the people who were walking in front of him - Darrin would have to thank them for taking care of all the big stuff!
As he came closer, however, Darrin saw that they had both stopped and were now in defensive stances. Peering over, the young man soon realized why the pair were nervous - they were right in front of a giant cobra!
... Well, it wasn't actually that scary. Darrin had never seen a cobra before, but the anacondas in the rainforest were a lot longer than this thing. And while it was probably still intimidating for these guys, Darrin had nothing to fear from snakes anymore.
Darrin focused on the creature, imagining himself wearing its body like a skinsuit, displacing its flesh with his own, splintering its bones, eating it alive. When Darrin blinked, he opened the snake's eyes.
'Weird! No move body, want move! MOVE! BITE!'
God (Gods?), this felt weird both ways, huh? Darrin ignored the snake's thoughts, trying to justify the guilt he felt at taking over its body. He could hear it after all - it wanted to kill these people, so he shouldn't feel guilty at what he was about to do. It took a few seconds of flailing around to get used to the snake's body before Darrin managed to twist it onto its back, exposing the neck and vital organs.
"Cu Sith, I can't really see right now - mind walking me to them?"
The dog quickly responded, lightly biting Darrin's sleeve and dragging him over to the pair. As he came into the snake's vision, Darrin waved to the two other communicators.
"Hey, sorry if that freaked you guys out! I don't get to use the 'Controlling Snakes' thing much, so it might have looked a little weird..."
'AHHHHHHHHHH! Stop showing stomach! DANGER! Strike while prey distracted! Strike now, move! WHY BODY NO MOVE!?'
Darrin shook his head slightly. He'd have to ask one of the voices if there was a way to mute these things the next time he went to sleep.
"Not sure if you guys want to kill it or let it loose, but it's pretty angry right now. I'd probably have to send it a bit back into the cave if we're doing the latter."
Despite his best efforts to mask how uncomfortable he was, Toma wasn't skilled enough to hide it. That was probably to be expected - he wasn't really sure how to act when he was near so many people for the first time, and while he was far from an introvert, it would probably take a while before he could avoid feeling claustrophobic in such a large crowd.
Toma jumped slightly when another student sat in the chair next to him, suprised.
"Hello. My name is Alexis. I could taste your fear from across the room. Mind kicking it up a notch? My favorite flavor is abject terror."
Toma felt a little disturbed thanks to her choice of words, but she was smiling and her voice was amiable. Maybe it was a city thing to talk about tasting fear, or it was some kind of joke...
Eventually, he relented and began to relax. Even if she was a little eccentric, she was willing to initiate a conversation with him - Storalla knows that he probably wouldn't have worked up the courage to talk to another student during the feast.
"I'm sorry to disappoint, but I am not very good at being scared on command..."
Toma stopped talking for several seconds until he realized that he hadn't introduced himself yet and had pretty much shut down any conversation from happening.
"Oh, um, my name is Toma - it is a pleasure to meet you, Alexis."
Toma wasn't exactly sure what the people at Hoseforn would be like, especially since the only people his age that he knew left Whitelot years before for various apprenticeships, but he felt Alexis was pretty tolerable. Wait, that sounded kind of harsh... Toma really didn't know anything about her other than how she looked, so he was struggling to form an opinion on her. Alexis' white hair and red eyes made Toma think that she was some kind of nonhuman, but other than that she looked like a normal person - maybe she was an elf, or a human that really doesn't go outside, like, ever.
Really, even if she was an Orc, Toma was just glad that he could finally talk to someone his age.
"How are you enjoying things at the academy so far? I only arrived an hour or two ago, and the stables here could easily fit all the livestock from my hometown. That's not even mentioning the water-dispensing contraption in our rooms - that's probably worth more than the rest of my village put together!"
Small talk - his mother had told Toma before he left that the best way to get better at talking with people... was by talking with people.
The room was mostly full at this point, with the table the pair were sitting at being one of the least populated. Toma was honestly a little glad for that - there were hundreds of people within the hall and having a table that was relatively unfilled made him feel less crowded.
The lights began to dim, and Toma turned to look at the part of the hall that remained lit. An empty table was slowly being filled with people, presumably the head staff of the school. Toma was a little uncomfortable with the presence of the Goblin and Drow (Toma never heard of a goblin smart enough to be a teacher, but considering his own illiteracy, he didn't feel right to pass too much judgment), but only became concerned when a woman with the lower half of a snake literally slithered into view.
Toma knew that he would struggle with interacting with nonhumans - he had only ever seen a few Elves and a Dwarf before, with the rest of his knowledge on other races coming from stories he heard by older adults... And most of those stories usually started with Orcs eating people or Sirens singing men to their graves. But this lady actually looked like a monster - he might mistake a Siren or an Orc for a human if it was dark, but no one would think that a person that was half snake was a human. If she was a student, Toma felt he could probably just keep his distance and try not to talk too much with her. But she was a teacher - what could he do? Sit in the back of her classes and pray that she gets full from eating the other students first?
Toma didn't seem to realize how ridiculous it was to think a teacher at a famous academy would devour a student.
As Ms. Rickter spoke, Toma only grew more uncomfortable. He was still nervous about her being a Naga - a lifetime of prejudice wouldn't be erased with a short speech. However, this was dwarfed by how ashamed Toma felt. She didn't speak like a monster, and when she was talking about the rules, Toma found them to be quite reasonable. If someone had stolen from him, he would definitely want them to be punished (Though he'd prefer to kick their ass rather than have them be expelled from such a nice school...) - it only made sense that she would have felt the same way, if he had said something about her appearance.
When she spoke about classes, Toma desperately hoped that he would not be placed into any that Ms. Rickter instructed - if he felt this ashamed just from judging the woman too quickly, he couldn't imagine how bad he'd feel if he did something to offend her.
Toma was shocked again as food seemingly materialized on the table, but he was beginning to grow less surprised as his day went on. Not that things were becoming less fantastical - but after so many impossible events in a row and a week since his last hot meal, Toma really didn't have the energy to be shocked at his ignorance of magic. Instead, he reached for the pitcher of wine and began to fill his cup, before grabbing the roasted leg of some bird he couldn't identify.
"Our Teachers seen quite... Unique, don't you think? I didn't expect Mr. Hoseforn to be so brief."
Toma ate voraciously, finding the food to be far tastier than anything he had back in Whitelot. The young man had never even had salt before, let alone the more exotic seasonings and spices that covered the food. Despite the small town's proximity to a coastal trade city like Windlton, Whitelot lacked the funds necessary to buy luxury items like spices. Soon the feelings of shame at his racism began to fade, instead being replaced by curiosity.
Tarkus, the paladin who had applied Toma to Hoseforn, didn't seem very rich. He was an accomplished adventurer or at least claimed to be, but he settled down in a backwater town with only a single magic item to his name. Did the man just save every gold piece he ever received and used that to pay for Toma's admission? Toma couldn't imagine the Paladin doing that, even if they did have a good relationship, but what other explanation was there? Even if Toma knew what a scholarship was, he would doubt that someone illiterate like he was could receive one.
The hall had seemed to erupt in conversation after the food appeared, students eager to talk with one another and make friends. A few students, seemingly uninterested in the food, were already leaving. As he finished his second glass of wine, Toma paused and reached for the pitcher of water. Classes were starting tomorrow, and while he wouldn't be surprised if Hoseforn Academy had some magical hangover cure, Toma really didn't want to risk a blinding headache on his first day.
Toma also grabbed several apples and carrots, placing them into his pack for later. Oats, like his name suggests, favored cereal and grains more than fruits and vegetables... But Toma really doubted that the donkey would complain about a free meal. Remembering that girls were usually fond of animals, Toma spoke up again.
"Did you have any pets back home, Alexis? I used to live on a farm, so I had quite a few. I wish I could have brought my favorite hen, Mouse, with me..."
Toma had left the Chicken back on his family farm, after realizing that it did more work than the Donkey. Like Oats, she was named after her favorite food - She was an even better mouser than the neighbor's cat.
Toma had eaten quite a bit of food in a short span of time - he had several older siblings when he was growing up, so he had to eat quickly if he wanted to get enough. He still picked up various pieces of exotic fruits and strange meats and snacked on them, but that was mostly out of curiosity rather than hunger. He'd probably take some of the various loaves of bread with him for later, if he decided to copy some of the more asocial students that had already left the feast.
Toma stretched as he came to the main gate of Hoseforn. The journey had taken a week of constant walking, and while the young man enjoyed the difference in scenery, his donkey Oats was far less amicable with the distance they had to move. Toma couldn't really blame him - after all, if he was the one pulling the cart, Toma would probably have liked the trip much less. Toma could see a few other of the new arrivals as well - although, he was the only one who was walking. Everyone else was either coming by horseback or carriage, and Toma tried to shake the jealousy he felt. He wanted to ride the small wagon he brought with him, but it was small enough that even a slight bump or hole in the path sent him falling off.
Still, no reason to be jealous - he probably could have hocked some items in Windleton if he really wanted to purchase a ride to Hoseforn. And besides, Whitelot was pretty close to Hoseforn, all things considered.
Toma directed his cart inside the academy, doing his best not to cause too much of a disturbance as he made his way through the crowd of students. He spent 10 minutes wandering around aimlessly, but luckily he managed to find the stables (after a particularly annoyed book vendor at the Hall of Preparation yelled at him). Trusting the Stable Master with Oats and his wagon, Toma quickly shifted directions to the Main Hall. Everyone else was headed there, so he probably needed to go there too!
The man marveled at the various buildings he saw in the grounds of the academy - many of the vendor stalls in the Hall of Preparation were larger than most of the houses in his home village, and the church in his town was nothing compared to the Main Hall he was walking up to. As he followed another student in, he saw a massive crystal, easily twice as tall as his home.
"Woah..."
Toma had seen a gemstone before - Mrs. Redwood had a ring with a small sapphire as its stone, something her husband had bought in Windleton for their 10th anniversary. But Toma couldn't even imagine what kind of monster would need a crystal this big to make a ring...
Toma's odd train of thought had seemed to take up a bit of time - another student was waiting behind him, clearly annoyed at how he wasn't going to the crystal in front of him. Snapping to attention (and apologizing to the student), Toma quickly walked up the gargantuan crystal. Finally, the exacerbated student grabbed Toma's shoulder and pointed towards one of the booths nearby.
"S-sorry, thank you..."
Head down and blushing, Toma quickly shuffled to the booth he was directed to. Suddenly, a rainbow of colors appeared in front of Toma, and he nearly fell back in shock, his small scream of fear causing several students to turn and look at him.
"Greeting's new student. I am Athena. Welcome to Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. I apologize for any surprise I may have caused you."
Toma got back up, staring uncomfortably at the crystal. He never really seen much magic before - the odd healing spell from Tarkus, the town paladin, was about all he had ever seen. Nothing nearly as advanced as this crazy crystal...
"O-oh, it's okay... Just spooked me a little, that's-"
"Please present your acceptance scroll now."
Toma quickly pulled out the scroll he had found a week ago. While most of his luggage was horribly dirty from the trip, he had managed to keep the scroll in almost pristine condition. He didn't know how to read, after all, so he wasn't sure how much damage it could take before it was illegible. A ray of light shown on the scroll as the man opened it up, and before he could be surprised again, the crystal had managed to finish its observation.
"Letter accepted. Welcome, Toma Enow."
The scroll changed before Toma's eyes, the ink shifting shape and colors until a map was formed.
"This is a map of the school grounds, your dorm number is 645. A fresh uniform and any supplies you require will be waiting for you. Please change... bathe... and return to the Main Hall within 34 minutes for the welcoming feast. Attendance is mandatory."
Toma nodded to himself, thankful that there was clearly a line leading him from the hall to his room. He wasn't exactly the most well-read, and his sense of direction wasn't the best either - trying to find his dorm would probably be impossible if not for that.
"Where's the river? I will need water if I'm to bathe."
"There is a bath within your room."
Toma shook his head and began leaving for his room. He was thankful for the help that the weird crystal thing had given him, but a bath in his room? He had heard luxuries like that existed in Windleton, for the wealthy, but he had never bathed in a private bath. He had always done so in the river...
Still, if the Crystal said it was true, it probably was. It had to know far more about this place than Toma did. Toma hastened his pace, desperate to not be late for the feast - attendance to that was mandatory!
Eventually, he came to his room - he didn't even notice the small click as the door unlocked itself for him. He did notice the luxury of the room before him, however. The dorm room was only slightly smaller than his old home... but when you considered that his old home was a single room large, and this dorm room was part of a massive academy and filled to the brim with furniture of the highest quality, Toma quickly realized that the place was probably worth more than many of the houses in his old village combined...
Toma gulped, finally coming to the realization that he really shouldn't be here. There was no way in hell he could afford it if he had to pay to be here, and Tarkus didn't exactly seem like a crazy rich guy... He fingered his Sword slightly, the thought of asking it a question coming to mind.
He shook his head and began undressing, dismissing the thought. The spirit within was far from coherent, and if he asked it a question it might go on some nonsensical word-vomit monologue again. He had given up talking to it on his journey to the academy, and Toma really didn't have the time to worry about it right now.
Peeling off his sweat-stained tunic and breeches as quickly as he could, Toma explored the room, searching for the bath that the crystal was talking about. The wardrobe had a few uniformed within, and Toma would probably leave his old clothes there only to forget about them later. There were two beds, so obviously he must share this room with another student...
Toma must have gotten here too late and they already left for the main hall! Hopefully whoever they were nice, whoever his roommate was.
Toma finally found the bath, and after about 10 minutes of investigating and burning himself, he finally managed to find how the water worked. He didn't even know what to call the tub, or how the knobs managed to make water warm - but warm water was something he was not familiar bathing with, and it felt very nice! Eager to finish as soon as possible, Toma rushed through his shower and took one of the towels nearby to cover himself with.
"How the hell do I put this on...?"
Toma had managed to don most of the school uniform, just struggling in tying the cape... cowl? The only thing he ever wore similar to it was a cloak, and he didn't see the point of such a garish item... Giving up, he simply decided he would not wear the item. If someone was upset by that, he could just ask them to show him how to put it on.
Or kick their ass if they're mean about it...
Toma fixed his belt and Baldric, making sure he wouldn't accidentally hit someone with his scabbard. Satisfied, he grabbed his map and quickly began following it towards the Main Hall, thankful that it was once more giving him directions.
As he arrived at the Main Hall, Toma was shocked by the sheer number of students. He didn't think he was late, but clearly, he must have been pretty close to the time the feast started. There were more people here than he had ever seen in his life...
Toma looked around, eager to find somewhere to sit and eat after his journey. Many of the tables were already claimed, older students having congregated and forming their own cliches.
Luckily, since many people were sitting with each other, there were still a few empty tables. A few tables caught his eye, especially one with a few kids dressed in weird cloaks and a dwarf (aren't they fun to eat with? They probably know the best beers). But Toma really didn't want to be rude and ask to sit with someone - besides, one of the humans looked a little annoyed already. Instead, the young man chose to sit alone - people might come in later looking for seats, and worst-case scenario, he really didn't mind eating alone. What mattered was that he was getting a free meal.
... And that he was sitting away from the more exotic students. Toma was very surprised to see so many nonhumans in the hall - humans were still the majority, but Toma would guess that a little under half were another species. Most of them were Elves and Dwarves, the odd Orc making Toma a little more nervous. Orc slaves were pretty big in Windleton thanks to their strength, similar to how Elves were valued for their dexterity and speed. Because of that, more than a few escaped Orc slaves arrived at Whitelot because of its proximity to Windleton, and while Toma couldn't remember any trouble being caused by the Orcs, he had definitely heard stories from older villagers.
Some of the students even had wings and other more exotic body parts - one girl had a fox tail, which really weirded Toma out. He never heard about a race like that... If he didn't think it would be frowned on, Toma probably would have kept a hand on his sword the whole feast.
But they were students too, right? Toma breathed slowly, making sure that he wouldn't embarrass himself as he did with the crystal from earlier. If they were too dangerous or monstrous, the academy wouldn't have accepted them. Treating them badly when he didn't know them would just make him an asshole. If they were training to be adventurers, that meant they had to be good people.
[ MYTHOLOGY OF CERNUNNOS ] Cernunnos is a being shrouded in mystery, with modern interpretations of the god being limited to the little pieces of iconography that remains of him. Cernunnos' exact domains and myths are unknown, but based on his appearances in carvings and metallurgy, it is likely that he was a god of Animals, Travel, Fertility, and Commerce. Communicators of his usually do not think very well of him, and he has a poor reputation among the other Gods for his mannerisms and his apathy towards humanity.
[ APPEARANCE ]
[ PHYSIQUE ] Darrin has long unkempt hair and a decent-sized beard, both of which are far smaller than when he was first found. Very muscular from years of constant physical activity and fighting for his life, although he has gained body fat and lost a lot of muscle thanks to the past few months of leisure and overeating. He is covered in dozens of scars all across his body, with his hands and feet being so calloused that they're more like tanned leather than skin. He is surprisingly light-skinned thanks to the thick canopy of the forest he lived in, though his skin is much rougher than many others. Typically wears very warm clothing and gloves as he is unused to the New England weather, but prefers to walk barefoot when in warmer climates.
[ HEIGHT / WEIGHT ] 5'8 / 189 lbs
[ PERSONALITY ]
[ PERSONALITY DESCRIPTION ] Darrin is incredibly different from what someone would expect after hearing his story. Rather than acting like some wild man, he is docile and his speech could even be called articulate. In fact, compared to many feral children who were brought back to civilization, Darrin is incredibly adjusted and well-spoken - Darrin attributes this to an active effort on reading Frankenstein constantly, which he believes preserved his ability to communicate. He is mild-mannered, though an eager extrovert who seems eager to form relationships with his peers. In fact, his eagerness could almost be called desperation - after so long away from other humans, he feels the need to make up for the years he spent alone by forming connections with as many people as possible. While he is very behind compared to his peers in academics, he is desperate to catch up and spends much of his time reading and studying, and he dreams of eventually getting a degree in the biological sciences.
Cernunnos, however, would not choose someone like this to be his Communicator. Cernunnos chooses Wild Things, not Tame Men. Under the surface of calm that Darrin tries so desperately to maintain, is a much more primal aspect of humanity. When angered or threatened, Darrin becomes brutal and violent, horribly maiming and killing anything that intimidates him. While essential to life in the wild, Darrin's willingness to inflict immense pain and suffering to those who threaten him will almost certainly become an issue in a more civilized environment. However, Darrin even after months of becoming reacquainted with society, still doesn't see anything wrong with his actions - they were the only reason he survived years ago, and in his opinion, if someone attacks him then he should be able to retaliate as much as he wants.
Both of these aspects of his personality are facsimiles of the characters in his precious Frankenstein - the calm and well-educated doctor, and the murderous monster that wanted to be accepted. The 'real' Darrin Maldonado hasn't seen the light of day since the plane crash that took his parents' lives. All that's left is a deranged man who lived in isolation for years, his only comfort and connection to the outside world being a single weathered novel.
[ LIKES / DISLIKES ] Likes: Books, Movies, Fast Food Dislikes: Soda, Confrontation, Being Alone
[ BIOGRAPHY ]
[ Place of Origin ] St. Austell, UK
[ BIO ] Born in the small town of St. Austell, England, Darrin had always been fascinated with nature. His family worked for the Eden Project, a tourist attraction that was famous for its 'Eco Domes' - miniature biospheres that emulate habitats and grow various plants, primarily for educational purposes for the visitors. Because of this, most of Darrin's young life was spent near exotic plants and the animals that came to the dome to feed on tourists' leftover food. He loved spending time in the hot, tropical dome that contained a variety of equatorial flora - he had spent a large portion of his youth in those domes, with a book in his hands. His parents would often become angry since the humidity of the dome would often render his books unusable after he was done.
For his 13th birthday, Darrin's parents decided to take a vacation to Brazil - Darrin's love of the tropical environment in the dome spurred them to take the boy to the place it was modeled after. Darrin, however, was more eager to finally see the wildlife that inhabited the tropics. As they neared their destination, Darrin was given a second gift - his father handed him a copy of Frankenstein, a book that Darrin had accidentally dropped and ruined before he could even read it.
An hour later, their plane crashed into the Amazon Rainforest.
72 people died in the crash, with Darrin being the only survivor - the crash and the next few days have been suppressed in Darrin's memory, and even he doesn't know how he survived that first week. The earliest memory he has after the accident was being far, far away from the crash, in the middle of the rainforest. The first few months were spent hiding from predators and being attacked by the insects of the forest, his only source of food being the various plants he learned about from his childhood. He lived like this for months before he worked up the nerve to begin hunting animals, and it took another month before he became skilled enough to actually catch anything. No matter how desperate he became, however, he never ate small animals - he had no clue which ones were poisonous.
Slowly, Darrin became adapted to the Green Hell he found himself in. As the years passed, he began to lose any hope of escaping or being rescued - he could walk in a straight line as much as he wanted, but inevitably something would stop him - a jaguar, a river most likely swarming with parasites and crocodiles, or just pure exhaustion. And while he would never return to the crash site out of fear of seeing his parent's corpses, he managed to cling onto a semblance of civilization all those years. The book his father had given him - Frankenstein. He read it countless times, to the point where he could probably recite it word-for-word from memory. But no matter how angry he became with his situation, or how thick the humidity and rain could become, the novel somehow managed to survive the horrific conditions it was put through.
Darrin didn't have dreams anymore. Maybe it was from the constant physical stress he was put under, or the fact his only intellectual stimuli was obsessing over how cool Frankenstein's Monster is, but his sleep was deep and barren. However, one night, he did dream. He was still in a forest, but the trees were far smaller, the canopy so close, and it was so much colder... Darrin didn't care about any of that, however, since all that mattered were the dozens of eyes watching him from the trees. Darrin heard voices coming from the trees, all of different tones and accents, disjointed as if different voices were saying different parts of the same chant. It wasn't until the words began spilling from his own mouth that he fully perceived them, however.
"SeRVice foR SALVatIon."
It was hard to understand, but Darrin knew the meaning instinctually. He accepted the deal that Cernunnos offered.
When he awoke, Darrin immediately began walking in a straight line towards nothing but one of his poorly made spears and his old Novel. It only took four days of travel by foot - perhaps Cernunnos directions were just that good, or Darrin just got lucky. He ran across a tour group and was quickly taken to the nearby Manaus City. He later learned that he had been missing for 7 years, 3 months, and 11 days. Darrin's story quickly made him into a news sensation in Brazil and his home, the United Kingdom. He was taken home, and after a few days of anxiety-inducing interviews and two months of rehabilitation, Cernunnos grew tired of waiting. Darrin found himself on a plane, delivering him to his new home in New England.
[ REASON FOR CHOICE ] In his years of isolation, Darrin managed to achieve dominance in the Amazon - even managing to kill jaguars and crocodiles thanks to his cunning and skill with traps. As an Apex Predator and a person connected to nature on an instinctual level, Darrin was recognized by Cernunnos for his ability to survive. More importantly, the 20th Communicator had just recently died, and Cernunnos acquires new ones as soon as possible. Darrin just so happened to have the trait that Cernunnos values most in his Communicators - he was desperate. And Cernunnos, as a god of Travel, also had something that Darrin wanted more than anything else - Directions back home.
[ POWERS ]
[ RELICS / FAMILIARS ]
The creature glares angrily at Darrin, and the young man slowly slides the burger he was eating towards it. It immediatly begins devouring the meal, pleased at its master's acquiescence.
Cu Sith - A massive green-haired dog, roughly the size of a young cow or small horse. Its tail is long and seemingly composed of leaves, and the legs of the creature are more akin to bark from a tree rather than flesh and bone. On its chest, the 'fur' is parted slightly, revealing the following symbol carved onto the bark-like skin beneath: ᚛ᚃᚔᚉᚆᚓ᚜. The Cu Sith lacks the scouting abilities of familiars like Huginn and Muninn and is incapable of stealth due to its sheer size. Rather, its role as a familiar is more akin to the Bull of Heaven - raw strength and intimidation.
The Cu Sith is capable of inflicting fear and panic onto those who hear its bark. In legends, repeated barks from the creature could even kill. While the familiar lacks the potency claimed in its legend, the fear it imposes is still enough to cause the average man to run for cover after a howl or two.
It should be noted, however, that this supernatural fear only functions at night and outdoors. During the day or inside a building, it's only as scary as a massive dog barking at you... which is still pretty intimidating. And even with the supernatural fear in effect, the especially brave are able to continue relatively undaunted.
[ POWERS ] The man had been running long enough that his body was beginning to shut down - and yet, he could see the clearing of trees he had bled on hours ago coming into view. He buckled over and grasped his knees, panting heavily and praying to find an to escape this green hell. When he regained his breath and turned, he could see a small mob of Stags staring at him from the cover of the trees.
Terra Incognita - Darrin is capable of electing an area up to a kilometer in radius and completely destroy people's sense of direction within the area, as well as preventing them from learning the layout while the effect is in place. While useless in a clear open space, when within a maze or forest escape from the area is near impossible without some supernatural ability. It even goes so far as to scramble GPS and Magnets, although leaving a trail of some kind will still work.
Rules of Nature - Darrin is capable of dominating animals, temporarily gaining control over their bodies and senses. Animals that are released from this control are either very shaken from the experience (such as small prey and domesticated animals) or become very aggressive (predators and territorial animals). He is limited to only controlling Deer, Snakes, and Dogs, can only control three animals in this manner at a time, and controlling more than one at a time can be incredibly disorientating.
[ INVOCATION ]
Sìleas O'Doylei, the 12th of Cernunnos, sacrificing her right arm to perform Invocation against a Demigod of Yamata no Orochi, resulting in both of their deaths.
Cernunnos is not invoked in a manner similar to most gods. Rather than coming into being himself, Cernunnos summons his previous communicators when invoked, generating them from the current Communicator's blood and lost body parts. The maximum number of past Communicators that can be invoked is 20, but due to the amount of blood and flesh needed for this being too much to survive, only 10 at most can be done with any hope of living afterward. Doing so would still take off multiple limbs, however - even trying to invoke just one would be too damaging to use as a regular ability, needing around a liter of blood or a bit more than a finger worth of flesh. While this method of Invoking is incomparably weaker to a typical Communicator's, the sheer number of bodies and aggression is enough to act as a great distraction. It is akin to a lizard tearing off its tail or leg in order to escape a predator, only the communicator cannot regrow these lost parts.
The reason for this odd method of Invocation is because Cernunnos, unlike many gods, lacks a concrete physical form - the reason his iconography and myths are so rare is that he simply lacked a body. When he wished to interact with humans (on the rare occasions he did), he had to control an animal and act through them - this is what led to his depiction as a 'Horned God'. Since he has no form that can be Invoked normally, Invoking the God summons his Communicators, which served as his 'body' while they were alive.
[ OTHER INTERESTS/SKILLS ] Trap Making - One of the main reasons Darrin survived in the wilderness for as long as he did. Snares, Deadfalls, and Pits are his forte, with more advanced and mechanical traps being a bit beyond his ability to operate.
Stealth - Darrin knows how to move quietly and avoid making noises, to the point where he could sneak up on animals in order to pounce and kill them. While great for stalking people in the wilderness, Darrin's unfamiliarity with technology makes it difficult to hide indoors (he keeps forgetting cameras and motion sensors are a thing).
Survival - Darrin is able to survive in brutal conditions, and knows how to find food and clean water where the average person would starve. He can make simple shelters and fire that can take the intense humidity of the rainforest, as well as notice and follow tracks most wouldn't even see. This skill is limited to warm and temperate climates however - Darrin has no clue how to survive a real winter.
Philosophy - Ever since Darrin got back to society, he's loved talking with people about moral and philosophical issues that he had been stuck thinking about on his own. His views are usually a lot simpler than others due to his lifestyle, however.
Wood Carving - One of the few things that kept Darrin going when he was lost, he uses it is as a coping mechanism when stressed. He's very good, and could probably make a living off it if he really tried.
Reading - Even before he was lost, Darrin loved reading classical literature and books. For years, his only reminder of civilization was his decaying copy of Frankenstein, which he still has to this day. An easy way to get on his good side is to get him a good book.
[ MISC. ]
[ BIRTHDAY / SIGN ] October 25th, Scorpio
[ FAVORITES / LEAST FAVORITES ] Favorite: Movie: Titanic Food: Burgers Drink: Water Book: Frankenstein
Least Favorite: Movie: Cast Away (Though Jungle Book is a close second) Food: Wild Bananas Drink: Pepsi Book: N/A
[ SEXUAL PREFERENCE ] Bisexual
[ MUSIC/MOVIE/BOOK/GAME TYPE ] Enjoys Classic Literature and Romcoms, doesn't really listen to music.
"My familiar is quite incapable - it's missing a leg! O lord, could you grant me a different servant?" -Phineas O'Doylei, 13th of Cernunnos
"I couldn't care less for this 'higher calling' bullshit - but if this Care-Nun-Ass lets me get all the deer pelts I want, I'll do whatever the hell the horned-bastard wants." -Daniel Boone, 14th of Cernunnos
"Invoking him only brings forth his prophets, his Communicators - so why are those animals summoned as well?." -Dennis Harway, 17th of Cernunnos.
[ MYTHOLOGY OF CERNUNNOS ] Cernunnos is a being shrouded in mystery, with modern interpretations of the god being limited to the little pieces of iconography that remains of him. Cernunnos' exact domains and myths are unknown, but based on his appearances in carvings and metallurgy, it is likely that he was a god of Animals, Travel, Fertility, and Commerce. Communicators of his usually do not think very well of him, and he has a poor reputation among the other Gods for his mannerisms and his apathy towards humanity.
[ APPEARANCE ]
[ PHYSIQUE ] Darrin has long unkempt hair and a decent-sized beard, both of which are far smaller than when he was first found. Very muscular from years of constant physical activity and fighting for his life, although he has gained body fat and lost a lot of muscle thanks to the past few months of leisure and overeating. He is covered in dozens of scars all across his body, with his hands and feet being so calloused that they're more like tanned leather than skin. He is surprisingly light-skinned thanks to the thick canopy of the forest he lived in, though his skin is much rougher than many others. Typically wears very warm clothing and gloves as he is unused to the New England weather, but prefers to walk barefoot when in warmer climates.
[ HEIGHT / WEIGHT ] 5'8 / 189 lbs
[ PERSONALITY ]
[ PERSONALITY DESCRIPTION ] Darrin is incredibly different from what someone would expect after hearing his story. Rather than acting like some wild man, he is docile and his speech could even be called articulate. In fact, compared to many feral children who were brought back to civilization, Darrin is incredibly adjusted and well-spoken - Darrin attributes this to an active effort on reading Frankenstein constantly, which he believes preserved his ability to communicate. He is mild-mannered, though an eager extrovert who seems eager to form relationships with his peers. In fact, his eagerness could almost be called desperation - after so long away from other humans, he feels the need to make up for the years he spent alone by forming connections with as many people as possible. While he is very behind compared to his peers in academics, he is desperate to catch up and spends much of his time reading and studying, and he dreams of eventually getting a degree in the biological sciences.
Cernunnos, however, would not choose someone like this to be his Communicator. Cernunnos chooses Wild Things, not Tame Men. Under the surface of calm that Darrin tries so desperately to maintain, is a much more primal aspect of humanity. When angered or threatened, Darrin becomes brutal and violent, horribly maiming and killing anything that intimidates him. While essential to life in the wild, Darrin's willingness to inflict immense pain and suffering to those who threaten him will almost certainly become an issue in a more civilized environment. However, Darrin even after months of becoming reacquainted with society, still doesn't see anything wrong with his actions - they were the only reason he survived years ago, and in his opinion, if someone attacks him then he should be able to retaliate as much as he wants.
Both of these aspects of his personality are facsimiles of the characters in his precious Frankenstein - the calm and well-educated doctor, and the murderous monster that wanted to be accepted. The 'real' Darrin Maldonado hasn't seen the light of day since the plane crash that took his parents' lives. All that's left is a deranged man who lived in isolation for years, his only comfort and connection to the outside world being a single weathered novel.
[ LIKES / DISLIKES ] Likes: Books, Movies, Fast Food Dislikes: Soda, Confrontation, Being Alone
[ BIOGRAPHY ]
[ Place of Origin ] St. Austell, UK
[ BIO ] Born in the small town of St. Austell, England, Darrin had always been fascinated with nature. His family worked for the Eden Project, a tourist attraction that was famous for its 'Eco Domes' - miniature biospheres that emulate habitats and grow various plants, primarily for educational purposes for the visitors. Because of this, most of Darrin's young life was spent near exotic plants and the animals that came to the dome to feed on tourists' leftover food. He loved spending time in the hot, tropical dome that contained a variety of equatorial flora - he had spent a large portion of his youth in those domes, with a book in his hands. His parents would often become angry since the humidity of the dome would often render his books unusable after he was done.
For his 13th birthday, Darrin's parents decided to take a vacation to Brazil - Darrin's love of the tropical environment in the dome spurred them to take the boy to the place it was modeled after. Darrin, however, was more eager to finally see the wildlife that inhabited the tropics. As they neared their destination, Darrin was given a second gift - his father handed him a copy of Frankenstein, a book that Darrin had accidentally dropped and ruined before he could even read it.
An hour later, their plane crashed into the Amazon Rainforest.
72 people died in the crash, with Darrin being the only survivor - the crash and the next few days have been suppressed in Darrin's memory, and even he doesn't know how he survived that first week. The earliest memory he has after the accident was being far, far away from the crash, in the middle of the rainforest. The first few months were spent hiding from predators and being attacked by the insects of the forest, his only source of food being the various plants he learned about from his childhood. He lived like this for months before he worked up the nerve to begin hunting animals, and it took another month before he became skilled enough to actually catch anything. No matter how desperate he became, however, he never ate small animals - he had no clue which ones were poisonous.
Slowly, Darrin became adapted to the Green Hell he found himself in. As the years passed, he began to lose any hope of escaping or being rescued - he could walk in a straight line as much as he wanted, but inevitably something would stop him - a jaguar, a river most likely swarming with parasites and crocodiles, or just pure exhaustion. And while he would never return to the crash site out of fear of seeing his parent's corpses, he managed to cling onto a semblance of civilization all those years. The book his father had given him - Frankenstein. He read it countless times, to the point where he could probably recite it word-for-word from memory. But no matter how angry he became with his situation, or how thick the humidity and rain could become, the novel somehow managed to survive the horrific conditions it was put through.
Darrin didn't have dreams anymore. Maybe it was from the constant physical stress he was put under, or the fact his only intellectual stimuli was obsessing over how cool Frankenstein's Monster is, but his sleep was deep and barren. However, one night, he did dream. He was still in a forest, but the trees were far smaller, the canopy so close, and it was so much colder... Darrin didn't care about any of that, however, since all that mattered were the dozens of eyes watching him from the trees. Darrin heard voices coming from the trees, all of different tones and accents, disjointed as if different voices were saying different parts of the same chant. It wasn't until the words began spilling from his own mouth that he fully perceived them, however.
"SeRVice foR SALVatIon."
It was hard to understand, but Darrin knew the meaning instinctually. He accepted the deal that Cernunnos offered.
When he awoke, Darrin immediately began walking in a straight line towards nothing but one of his poorly made spears and his old Novel. It only took four days of travel by foot - perhaps Cernunnos directions were just that good, or Darrin just got lucky. He ran across a tour group and was quickly taken to the nearby Manaus City. He later learned that he had been missing for 7 years, 3 months, and 11 days. Darrin's story quickly made him into a news sensation in Brazil and his home, the United Kingdom. He was taken home, and after a few days of anxiety-inducing interviews and two months of rehabilitation, Cernunnos grew tired of waiting. Darrin found himself on a plane, delivering him to his new home in New England.
[ REASON FOR CHOICE ] In his years of isolation, Darrin managed to achieve dominance in the Amazon - even managing to kill jaguars and crocodiles thanks to his cunning and skill with traps. As an Apex Predator and a person connected to nature on an instinctual level, Darrin was recognized by Cernunnos for his ability to survive. More importantly, the 20th Communicator had just recently died, and Cernunnos acquires new ones as soon as possible. Darrin just so happened to have the trait that Cernunnos values most in his Communicators - he was desperate. And Cernunnos, as a god of Travel, also had something that Darrin wanted more than anything else - Directions back home.
[ POWERS ]
[ RELICS / FAMILIARS ]
The creature glares angrily at Darrin, and the young man slowly slides the burger he was eating towards it. It immediatly begins devouring the meal, pleased at its master's acquiescence.
Cu Sith - A massive green-haired dog, roughly the size of a young cow or small horse. Its tail is long and seemingly composed of leaves, and the legs of the creature are more akin to bark from a tree rather than flesh and bone. On its chest, the 'fur' is parted slightly, revealing the following symbol carved onto the bark-like skin beneath: ᚛ᚃᚔᚉᚆᚓ᚜. The Cu Sith lacks the scouting abilities of familiars like Huginn and Muninn and is incapable of stealth due to its sheer size. Rather, its role as a familiar is more akin to the Bull of Heaven - raw strength and intimidation.
The Cu Sith is capable of inflicting fear and panic onto those who hear its bark. In legends, repeated barks from the creature could even kill. While the familiar lacks the potency claimed in its legend, the fear it imposes is still enough to cause the average man to run for cover after a howl or two.
It should be noted, however, that this supernatural fear only functions at night and outdoors. During the day or inside a building, it's only as scary as a massive dog barking at you... which is still pretty intimidating. And even with the supernatural fear in effect, the especially brave are able to continue relatively undaunted.
[ POWERS ] The man had been running long enough that his body was beginning to shut down - and yet, he could see the clearing of trees he had bled on hours ago coming into view. He buckled over and grasped his knees, panting heavily and praying to find an to escape this green hell. When he regained his breath and turned, he could see a small mob of Stags staring at him from the cover of the trees.
Terra Incognita - Darrin is capable of electing an area up to a kilometer in radius and completely destroy people's sense of direction within the area, as well as preventing them from learning the layout while the effect is in place. While useless in a clear open space, when within a maze or forest escape from the area is near impossible without some supernatural ability. It even goes so far as to scramble GPS and Magnets, although leaving a trail of some kind will still work.
Rules of Nature - Darrin is capable of dominating animals, temporarily gaining control over their bodies and senses. Animals that are released from this control are either very shaken from the experience (such as small prey and domesticated animals) or become very aggressive (predators and territorial animals). He is limited to only controlling Deer, Snakes, and Dogs, can only control three animals in this manner at a time, and controlling more than one at a time can be incredibly disorientating.
[ INVOCATION ]
Sìleas O'Doylei, the 12th of Cernunnos, sacrificing her right arm to perform Invocation against a Demigod of Yamata no Orochi, resulting in both of their deaths.
Cernunnos is not invoked in a manner similar to most gods. Rather than coming into being himself, Cernunnos summons his previous communicators when invoked, generating them from the current Communicator's blood and lost body parts. The maximum number of past Communicators that can be invoked is 20, but due to the amount of blood and flesh needed for this being too much to survive, only 10 at most can be done with any hope of living afterward. Doing so would still take off multiple limbs, however - even trying to invoke just one would be too damaging to use as a regular ability, needing around a liter of blood or a bit more than a finger worth of flesh. While this method of Invoking is incomparably weaker to a typical Communicator's, the sheer number of bodies and aggression is enough to act as a great distraction. It is akin to a lizard tearing off its tail or leg in order to escape a predator, only the communicator cannot regrow these lost parts.
The reason for this odd method of Invocation is because Cernunnos, unlike many gods, lacks a concrete physical form - the reason his iconography and myths are so rare is that he simply lacked a body. When he wished to interact with humans (on the rare occasions he did), he had to control an animal and act through them - this is what led to his depiction as a 'Horned God'. Since he has no form that can be Invoked normally, Invoking the God summons his Communicators, which served as his 'body' while they were alive.
[ OTHER INTERESTS/SKILLS ] Trap Making - One of the main reasons Darrin survived in the wilderness for as long as he did. Snares, Deadfalls, and Pits are his forte, with more advanced and mechanical traps being a bit beyond his ability to operate.
Stealth - Darrin knows how to move quietly and avoid making noises, to the point where he could sneak up on animals in order to pounce and kill them. While great for stalking people in the wilderness, Darrin's unfamiliarity with technology makes it difficult to hide indoors (he keeps forgetting cameras and motion sensors are a thing).
Survival - Darrin is able to survive in brutal conditions, and knows how to find food and clean water where the average person would starve. He can make simple shelters and fire that can take the intense humidity of the rainforest, as well as notice and follow tracks most wouldn't even see. This skill is limited to warm and temperate climates however - Darrin has no clue how to survive a real winter.
Philosophy - Ever since Darrin got back to society, he's loved talking with people about moral and philosophical issues that he had been stuck thinking about on his own. His views are usually a lot simpler than others due to his lifestyle, however.
Wood Carving - One of the few things that kept Darrin going when he was lost, he uses it is as a coping mechanism when stressed. He's very good, and could probably make a living off it if he really tried.
Reading - Even before he was lost, Darrin loved reading classical literature and books. For years, his only reminder of civilization was his decaying copy of Frankenstein, which he still has to this day. An easy way to get on his good side is to get him a good book.
[ MISC. ]
[ BIRTHDAY / SIGN ] October 25th, Scorpio
[ FAVORITES / LEAST FAVORITES ] Favorite: Movie: Titanic Food: Burgers Drink: Water Book: Frankenstein
Least Favorite: Movie: Cast Away (Though Jungle Book is a close second) Food: Wild Bananas Drink: Pepsi Book: N/A
[ SEXUAL PREFERENCE ] Bisexual
[ MUSIC/MOVIE/BOOK/GAME TYPE ] Enjoys Classic Literature and Romcoms, doesn't really listen to music.
"My familiar is quite incapable - it's missing a leg! O lord, could you grant me a different servant?" -Phineas O'Doylei, 13th of Cernunnos
"I couldn't care less for this 'higher calling' bullshit - but if this Care-Nun-Ass lets me get all the deer pelts I want, I'll do whatever the hell the horned-bastard wants." -Daniel Boone, 14th of Cernunnos
"Invoking him only brings forth his prophets, his Communicators - so why are those animals summoned as well?." -Dennis Harway, 17th of Cernunnos.