Noelle E. "Benji" Aether
"We're supposed to be heroes but I think they just turned us into the type of monsters children check under their beds for."
FULL NAME
Noelle Eden Aether
SUPER NAME
Benji, after Benjamin who was the last Thylacine in captivity. He was an endling and with his passing came the extinction of these peculiar creatures.
REVENGE OR JUSTICE
Revenge; anti-hero. Not exactly the villainous type but now that she knows she's a dead man walking, Noelle's going to make damn sure the people who did this go down with her. Or she'll die trying. Think "opportunist" with a grudge and a little bit of aggressive tendencies.
AGE
30
GENDER
Female
REPUTATION
Before Maximation Noelle was a performer who thrived in the dance world as a rhythmic gymnastics teacher. She didn't hold any fancy titles or world records, but she did have a winning streak and it was something she adored doing since childhood. Noelle was in the process of saving up to open her own studio when her older brother Clyde, a boxer, introduced her to Maximation after learning of it through one of his friends. At first she rejected the idea as it didn't really appeal to her, but when Clyde left to join then she became curious. Who was she to overlook once-in-a-lifetime opportunities like this? Noelle's whole career was built on sticking out so she was not shy of the doing something new. Noelle had planned on joining Project HYBRID, serving her duty for a few years, and then ultimately returning to the way things were. Therefore she has put her career on hiatus instead of completely retiring it.
HEIGHT
5'6"
WEIGHT
153 lbs.
APPEARANCE
Contrary to previous expectations Noelle was not turned into a grotesque beast after the seemingly endless experiments and lab tests. Her physique has been altered but for the most part she has remained human. Noelle is tall, more so than the average woman, lithe and athletically built. Her stature edges closer towards the "butch" side of the spectrum but her feminine curves help balance that out. Blonde hair reaching just beneath her shoulder blades, soft brown doe eyes, fair skin. Nothing flashy though the little snub nose and freckles tend to get people to lower their guard around her.
Upon closer inspection is where you'll begin to notice Maximation's alterations, the direct result of playing god and splicing foreign DNA with her own. Along the bottom half of her nasolabial folds she has several thin, 3-4 inches long, translucent whiskers sticking out of her face. The ridge underneath her nose where the skin is supposed to connect, there is instead a slit not unlike a dog's nose. She has lengthened canine teeth -though they don't stick out when she closes her mouth- and her tongue is longer than normal, making things like poking her nose with it a simple task. Her ears completely mirror that of her animal's and there's even a thin layer of soft fur covering them (she tends to cover these by letting her hair down). She also has claws though they are retractable and often hidden. If one chose to look close enough, you could see the small vertical marks on her fingertips where the black talons are usually sheathed within. Furthermore Noelle dons black stripes on her back, beginning from her neck and spanning all the way down to her lower torso. One last new addition caused from the alterations is her vocal cords. Noelle can make any noise a Thylacine can make.
If she's not dressed in something for work or training purposes, then she's often seen donning long sleeves and a simple pair of pants. Turtlenecks and Henley shirts tend to be her favorite. If she's feeling particularly serene then the might throw on some harem pants and a loose robe with the hood pulled up for no particular reason other than it feels nice.
POSITIVE TRAITS
- Intrepid; Noelle doesn't scare easily but if push comes to shove, she's more likely to fight than flee. This is a direct cause by her terminal cancer, which has begun to spread to parts of her amygdalae. She is nearly completely fearless and the healthy sense of caution towards danger is gradually waning as time passes. There are times when the now-unfamiliar feeling of dread take over her but when that happens she really doesn't know what to do with herself and may simply wait until it passes.
- Focused; When Noelle sets her mind to something, she makes sure to get the job done. Not just for the sake of her reputation but rather for the sake of her own sanity. It's almost compulsive, she cannot stand doing anything half-assed or leaving tasks incomplete. Empty promises do not exist. Noelle's also meticulous with her work and takes pride in the ability to persevere even when motivation is lacking. Challenges aren't something she deliberately seeks out to test herself against but she doesn't shy away from them either.
- Versatile; On a scale spanning from 'creature of habit' to 'capricious', Noelle lies right in the middle of that line. She doesn't mind repetition nor does the idea of constant change upset her. To put it simply, Noelle's as adaptable as she is flexible. Both her body and her mind are more than capable of morphing to suit established requirements.
NEGATIVE TRAITS
- Vitriolic; The extra boosts in testosterone from her animal counterpart may be useful when it comes to brawl but it turns making new friends into a whole new challenge. While in humans, an increase of the male hormone tends to have mixed results, in the animal kingdom it usually leads to aggression and unfortunately Noelle has picked up this curse. It's not like she goes looking to start an argument but it is easy to piss her off. If it's not sarcasm then it's often an abrasive quip, often spat out without much thought. This was very uncharacteristic of Noelle until recently so tries hard to counter this, often resorting to simply keeping quiet. However, if unsuspecting victim of her desultory spite chooses to add fuel to the fire then she'll occasionally finish what she started. Noelle isn't afraid of a fight.
- Winsome; While the attribute itself is not a harmful one, Noelle has sharpened it into a tool purely for self-benefiting purposes. It took time and patience to master the art of charm but with a little bit of help from Maximation's staff Noelle has effectively polished herself to become quite the femme fatale. Sex appeal is a weapon she would use unabashed to her advantage and she has practiced this many times during her training. Even for unimportant things, if she wants it then there's a chance she'll try her luck through this method.
- Indecisive; Noelle hates having to make decisions because she takes so long at picking one. Her problem is that she tries too hard to find all the possible outcomes but ends up overthinking it and sometimes even fabricates impossible consequences, burying them under the pretense of 'worst case scenarios' without even realizing what she's done. She's tried flipping a coin but that doesn't seem to help and she goes right back to fussing over it before eventually coming to a conclusion.
QUIRKS
- Noelle enjoys listening to things. Random things, most with absolutely no real significance at all. If it's not music then it's background ambiance. The squeak of leather friction, rustling leaves, a clicking pen, running water. So long as it's not obnoxiously loud or annoying then Noelle will shamelessly enjoy it while she can. Sometimes she gets carried away and ends up in a trance-like state, spacing out as she indulges herself.
- Being a dancer has its perks, contortion being one. It was a game that turned into a habit and now Noelle has an odd tendency to sit in unusual positions of she's not worried about trying to appear ladylike. If she's reading a book or watching TV she'll often end up on the couch sprawled on her stomach with her knees bent and toes nearly brushing her shoulders. Sometimes she'll do yoga just to pass the time. She likes to sit backwards on chairs and revels in the feel of her muscles and tendons stretching. Also, it's not uncommon to find Noelle tip-toeing around on just the balls of her feet.
- She's an adult thumb-sucker. Period. The habit's about as old as her love of dance and was something she never grew out of, despite it being something no one expects to see anywhere but in children. The only time Noelle does it, however, is when she's off to bed and cannot fall asleep otherwise no matter how hard she tries. It's not exactly a secret but it's not something she's proud of either and she doesn't like to talk about it.
ANIMAL
Scientific name Thylacinus cynocephalus, AKA the Tasmanian Wolf or the Tasmanian Tiger. Ironically it is neither a canine nor feline -it's a marsupial.
POWERS
- Enhanced Senses; Sights, smell, taste, touch, hearing, balance, and direction. They're all sharpened to surpass even the competence of mankind's record holders. Noelle doesn't have night vision but can see vague shapes and gauge the distance of objects in near-absolute darkness.
- Stamina; She is practically tireless. While he Thylacine was an ambush predator, it has also been known to run down its prey until the victim merely collapsed from exhaustion, much like wolves and past human hunters. Noelle can keep up with a vigorous workout for ridiculous periods of time and also functions on minimal sleep.
- Climbing; Almost sounds like a joke but Noelle's pretty damn great at it. She can scale steep slopes, trees, even buildings with nothing more than cracks in the wall and the occasional window sill to keep her from falling to her demise.
- Iron Stomach; A real use for this odd talent has yet to be discovered although it is pretty convenient. Noelle can literally digest anything that's even remotely edible, without the fear of consequence. Raw meat, spoiled food, road kill, cattle fodder, grass, insects, etc...
WEAKNESSES
- Cold; In general she's just always found cooler weather to be rather distasteful but now that she's been infused with the abilities of an animal that thrived in warmer climates, she finds anything less than 'room temperature' numbers to be insufferable. Being exposed to something as little as a simple breeze sends her into a shivering frenzy and if left exposed to the cold for extended periods of time then she succumbs to the symptoms of Hypothermia much faster than a normal human.
- Overstimulated Metabolism; Noelle has a voracious appetite and is constantly seen munching on a snack in order to fuel herself. On the bright side it would be very difficult for her to get out of shape but on the downside, she can actually starve to death in a matter of days whereas it would take a normal person weeks to succumb to that.
- Kryptonite; Yes, seriously. Noelle has her very own hamartia which was quickly discovered the hard way after Maximation's tests. It's gold. Touching the stuff hurts and gets her extremely fatigued, while being within reach of the pure metal causes symptoms similar to an allergic reaction. Noelle perpetuates the ongoing joke that she's a "classy vampire" and actually finds the predicament a bit amusing.
CARCINOGENIC QUALITIES
- Absence Seizures
- Fainting Spells
- Memory Loss
- Chronic Pain
- Paresthesia
- Blurry or Double Vision
- Muscle Tremors
They say that the human brain's full potential has yet to be unlocked. The 10% claim is a myth of course, we use the entirety of our brain but merely in parts. Never all at once. However we've seen examples those rare times when each segment of this sensitive organ is simultaneously put to use; mothers suddenly performing impossible tasks for the sake of protecting their children, so called "dad reflexes", people who've survived Mother Nature's tests like fighting of an apex predator bare hands or somehow finding their way home after becoming lost despite being exposed to the elements. Noelle's tests weren't meant to give her new abilities, rather, they were intended to unlock these inhuman abilities of the human mind. Thus most of the poking and prodding and artificial chemicals forced into her body were focused on altering her neurosystem via the cerebellum.
Meningioma and
Schwannoma. Noelle has malignant tumors growing along her nerves and up her spine towards the base of her skull.
SURVIVAL RATE
Noelle has just entered the Stage II process of her cancer. She has a 79% chance of living past the next 3 years but once that deadline passes her chances drastically decrease.
FEARS
None. Due to the brain damage caused by the serum's side effects, Noelle is rarely frightened by anything anymore and her natural sense of fear has dampened immensely in the past few weeks. She's aware that there are certain things which should be scary but she simply cannot feel that anymore. Disgust and concern are about as close as she can get to the sensation but obviously it's not the same.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE?
Noelle wants something she was never allowed to have before -a pet. Anything, just something she can watch over and care for and in return receive its unconditional love. A baby's out of the question since she hasn't found anyone to settle down with and her remaining lifespan is now incredibly limited but the idea of having something to love like that has always been stuck with her. As a child her parents always rejected the idea of allowing an animal in the house and when she got older she was either too broke or too busy to own a pet. Now that she's living day by day with no real long term plans for her future, Noelle's seriously considering the idea of getting herself something.
HISTORY
The very beginning of Noelle's life remains a mystery, her background reduced to nothing but words without real sentimental value in the form of confidential documents hidden away in some file cabinets or perhaps buried deep within some old computer's saved records. Noelle and her older brother Clyde are not biologically related but they are family. Both were adopted as infants and were raised by two dads, who were unable to naturally conceive for obvious reasons. After that almost everything in the sibling's lives was captured by the camera her parents always carried around before finally being sealed into one of the many photo albums hanging around the house. Noelle and Clyde were raised in the suburbs, growing up in a quiet neighborhood void of any drama of crime or such. While the two were nothing alike they were thick as thieves and always did everything together. Clyde was a bit of a wild child while Noelle was more interested in typical girly things but they made sure to make time to pay attention to each other's hobbies.
Noelle first discovered her love of dance at just three years old. Her parents had been watching the national Olympics games on TV when she first caught sight of the moving forms on the machine's screen. What had first started as a summer activity soon turned into a idolized hobby that the young girl took very seriously.
{Pft, look at me being a lazy bum. I should be ashamed. Whoops.}