SgtSlayer

R E D U X .// 2047 //.

Cassey's eyes snapped up to meet a human form rising from underneath the rubble and immediately knew her intention of staying undercover and being this jolly group of super's shadow was official over. Her plan had been thwarted, extinguished, and revealed by a damn missile. Where the fuck did that thing come from anyway? It left her in the precarious position of having to explain herself, something she had no desire of doing. Even less so now that the same woman she had been tailing just a few hours prior was now asking for help. Something told Cassey that no matter what she did, and no matter how she responded, she would be regarded as the prime suspect.

With an annoyed sigh, the petite woman agreed to help Stardust. Cassey still needed to know if the detective was alive, and what she knew about Hex's killer or killers. There was no doubt in her mind that his death was definitely not an accident and whoever was the culprit certainly didn't care about subtlety. And besides, there was no reason for her to draw anymore suspicion to herself.

"The detective, was she in there?" Cassey inquired. Knowing the heat of Stardust's plasma blasts would hinder her ability to help she moved to the opposite side, and knelt down into the dirt to start clearing the rubble. A dark substance pooled around her body and several large, tendrils appeared. They slithered their way under and around the debris, lifting chunks of rock and metal before they were tossed aside, away from all the debris.

Cassey began to wonder what she'll do if the human was dead. 'If' was perhaps farfetched in this scenario, as she had a hard time conceiving how a human could survive a damn missile explosion. Cassey could lie and explain how she came to help, out of the goodness of her heart, after she heard the explosion. These people had no idea how her powers worked and couldn't confirm either way. Fooling them would not be an easy task, and an extremely risky gamble she didn't want to bet on, even if a part of her dreaded needing them to find Hex's killer.

A voice broke her out of her thoughts, and when Cassey craned her head up she came face to face with a large man covered in armour, who in the nicest way possible, pointed a shotgun straight at her. Whatever she said, whatever she did, there was no way they would trust her. Even if she spilled her guts about who Hex was to her, what reason would they have to believe the words of a complete stranger?

"Would ya believe me if I said I got Addison's transmission?" Cassey replied in a gruff tone. Arbiter, huh? Never heard of you. Why should I trust you? Trust was a finicky concept; hard to gain yet easy to lose. A two-way street that could turn out to be very smooth, or very rocky and filled with potholes. "But if ya really have to make the bad guy, at least give me a good backstory."

Cassey shifted her attention back to the rubble she was currently knee-deep in. A shotgun blast from this distance would be hard to avoid, even if she was quick enough to shift in time. If this Arbiter fellow wanted a better answer, she was all out of those.

She hated how Hex put her in this position. Knowing him changed her whole existence. His generosity, his love, is what pulled her from the depths of despair and self-hatred. She hated that she wanted to find out who murdered him and despised that she wanted to do the right thing just because that's what he had taught her.

You heard right, Cassey was blaming a dead man for her current predicament. And if you think that's low, you just wait, 'cause you ain't seen nothing yet.

R E D U X .// 2047 //.

I hope your soul is changing.

Cassey Samah
SHADE
40 years old

Powers:

Cassey, or Cass for short, can liquify her body which takes the appearance of a dark, black shadowy substance. She can completely control its density and choose which part of her transforms or doesn't. Tendrils can be formed on her body and is a very versatile ability.

She can use her powers to penetrate soft ground like sand or dirt and move through it. Though she can use it to mimic a surface or specific material though it does not take its appearance, only its density.

Weaknesses:

Fire or anything that burns over 600 degrees will burn away the fibres of her shadow form on a molecular level. It will force it to break apart from her body, leaving Cassey exposed and vulnerable. Extreme heat will also prevent her from spreading around in her liquid form, completely stopping the woman in her tracks.

Likewise, ice also prevents Cassey from spreading the tendrils around or becoming liquid. She’s unable to shift back or move when frozen.

Appearance:
Brown, shoulder-length hair frames a handsome face, bronze in colour. Big, round brown eyes, half-lidded, are missing a certain brilliance, dulled by her general apathy of the world. Though you wouldn’t see her face much unless you know her personally. She’s usually walking around with her hood up - or a beanie - and her head down.

She has a lot of burn marks on her body, though the chance anyone will ever see them is slim to none. The most prominent ones are spread across her stomach, back and left shoulder. Covering most of them, however, are swirly designs tattooed over them in no particular pattern.

Even though she is small in stature, Cassey has a fit and athletic body. Years of training and spending hours hitting a heavy bag gave her a well-defined and toned musculature.

Equipment:

Motorcycle. That’s it. Cassey’s a minimalist, or perhaps it’s because she just doesn’t care much. Probably a bit of both. She doesn’t have a suit, nor a cape, that shit is tacky. She usually wears dark ripped jeans and a motorcycle jacket over a sweater or hoodie.

She hides her face under her motorcycle helmet, the only item that seems she takes care of other than the bike itself. It has a very intricate custom paint job of iridescent purple and black swirls. The visor is rather large, giving her a near-perfect field of vision. However, in order to properly fight, she cannot have it on, and thus relies mostly on hoods to protect her identity.

Origin:

Vol.1

What you’re about to read is the story of a young woman who was used, abused and rebelled against humanity. Pretty typical of any villain’s story, right? But do not be fooled, this is not a story about the bad guy, or girl in this case. It’s a story of redemption, of growth, loss and compromise. However, the ending is more bitter than sweet. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Cassey was apprehended and captured at the age of 18, though those events are fuzzy in her mind. What she vividly remembers are the experiments, the Doctor’s soft and yet deceiving voices. They didn’t care for the host of whatever alien specimen attached itself to her body and that much was clear.

The pain and the torture they put her through were still fresh in her memories and burned on her skin; something she’ll never be able to escape. Years of experimentations revealed that the entity, which bonded with her body, wasn’t simply attached or an extension of her - it was her.

Cassey was no more than just a number to them. One? Two-hundred? Five thousand? She didn’t know, nor did she ever see anyone else except the medical team assigned to her. She listened closely to whatever tidbits she could hear from their conversations, as they were oddly secretive about the results of the experiments.

Quietly, she devised an escape plan as she learned to control whatever she had become. The breakout itself wasn’t hard at all, what was harder was leaving all the answers she desperately wanted behind. Who she was, what happened to her and why she was granted those powers.

After searching the lab and finding she was the only one there, With a vengeful heart, Cassey destroyed the compound and everyone in it.

Vol.2

Five years have passed since her release into the world. It took a while to get accustomed to being free again, longer than she would have liked. Eventually, though, she stopped jumping when someone got to close to her. She discovered what she liked to eat and what she despised.

The more she hid amongst the crowd, the worse she got. Her bitterness ran deep, deeper than she ever imagined. One night she walked passed a woman getting mugged and she found herself numb to her pleading screams. Grabbing the woman’s purpose for herself, she left and surrendered the last of humanity she had kept quietly tucked in.

Tired of slumming it with addicts and common criminals in rundown buildings, Cassey started taking whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. She eventually became one of Chicago’s Police Department most wanted criminals - though most of them had not a single clue how to apprehend a super, especially not a super-powered individual that went rogue.

The chase eventually cumulated to a massive scrap in the heart of the city, and after slaying about a dozen police officers and other armed agents, she was finally stopped. They had somehow figured out one of her weaknesses, and they took no time apprehending the woman by freezing her and locking her away. Her hatred only grew deeper. When she promised herself to never be taken captive again, she intended to fulfill it no matter what.

Vol.3

Cassey woke up with a start in a room she never saw, with someone she never met. Not again, she thought darkly. Little did she know, the individual in front of her was going to change her life and drag her back kicking and screaming from the darkness she willingly surrendered to. This person’s name was Hex.

It certainly was an uphill battle, especially since she was dragged halfway across the United States, but together they managed to exorcise Cassey’s demons enough to make her a functioning member of society. And for the next ten years, Cassey would take the mantle of ‘superhero’ even if she hated the cheesy label and the many, many expectations that came with it.

Along the way, Cassey found her peace in helping others as opposed to externalizing her pain of past events and using innocents as punching bags. She had to go through the excruciating journey of asking for forgiveness, accepting help and finally, learning to love herself and others.

For the first time in her life, she had an actual job and she had found love - and let herself be loved - when her fiancee suddenly died, mugged and shot. Just like the woman she hadn’t saved from the exact same fate five years ago. Not even Hex could bring her back from this one, and perhaps it was what she deserved after all. She accepted the punishment, and Shade was no more but a shadow from that moment on.

Personality:

Cassey is a very quiet woman unless she hates you, then you’ll hear just how sarcastic and insulting she can be. Observing others and silently judging them is what she spends most of her time doing whenever she has the displeasure of not being alone.

You’re probably thinking she doesn’t sound much like a hero, and you would be right. Though if you manage to secure a spot in her good graces, she’ll be loyal to you until she dies - or until you do something incredibly stupid. And even if you’re lucky enough that she willingly decides to save your ass, she’ll find very creative ways to insult you. It’s her own way to express her disappointment, so don’t take it too personally. If she smiles at you, it’s either a really good thing, or you should probably start running. Have fun figuring out which is which.

Though all of her flaws are often hard to get past, Cassey is generally generous in all sense of the word. If she notices you haven’t eaten (and she will notice), you might see a lunch appear somewhere near you. However, the chances you’ll spot her slipping it in your bag, in your jacket, or dropping it off at your door with a mocking snicker, is highly unlikely.

If she does warm up to you, then you might just see a more lighthearted and goofy side to her. But you better not talk about it to anyone, or she’ll kill you. No really, she will.

Misc Facts: She really hates small talk. She has a dog named Harley and would protect his life with her own.

♥ Really, Another Zombie Story!? ♥ (OPEN & ACCEPTING)

Nice characters guys! Can’t wait to get started.

R E D U X .// 2047 //.

CanAm Highway
Albuquerque, New Mexico

---

Cassey had absolutely no intention of making this stupid trip. Especially not on a damn motorcycle, but here she was, despite her better judgment.

The news of Hex's death was especially hard on her, yet she found a way to numb her feelings enough to not only want to get out of bed in the morning, but to do it successfully.

Damn goodie two shoes. What happened to you? Why didn't you ask for help? I was right here, you dumbass!

Perhaps that was all a big lie, as Cassey hadn't been here in a long time. Technically speaking, she hadn't been in contact with Hex since her fiancee was murdered. Though she'd often stop by his apartment to drop off lunch. Sometimes, he would return the favour and leave a note.

Cassey never replied.

She used to wish he'd stop trying to contact her, and now, it was the only thing she wished for.

The Special Agent's transmission threw a wrench in Cassey's plan to nonchalantly wait for her death. If Hex's demise truly was a cover-up for something else, then she had at least one thing to live for (two if you count Harley). She was going to find the bastard who killed the man who saved her life, and she was going to rip their fucking head off.

The night of the meeting in Cedar Fort, Cassey never made her presence known. She managed to sneak close enough undetected to listen in on their conversation. It wasn't hard to be unseen when you can disappear in darkness.

One of them she recognized by reputation alone, the rest were all strangers. Hex was the only other super she was ever in contact with and besides, Cassey was never big into the team up crap. Not then, and certainly not now. If she was going to have to watch their whole operation from a distance and race to find the culprits before they did, then that's what she was going to do.

Cut to right now, Cassey had tailed on of them, Starfire or something. The grouchy one she got a kick out of listening insult others. So far, the older woman hadn't spotted Cassey. Or if she did, she didn't try to make a rash move to lose her.

This never-ending valley of sand and humidity was definitely not the type of climate she enjoyed. All this sand was going to wear out the leather on her jacket faster and clog up her bike's engine.

This place fucking sucks.

The only other time she was forced to spend time in this hell hole was when Hex had brought Cassey here. She knew where they were headed, and she knew that from the moment they hopped on Highway 6. Cassey managed to follow without being seen. Knowing there was no trail leading to the bunker, she would have to pull away from Stardust and wait.

She stopped on the side of the road, pretending to fix something on her bike. After some time passed, Cassey drove away in the direction she remembered all too well. Once she closed in on the bunker, the woman parked her bike in the dust, removed her helmet, and activated the motorcycle's camouflage function to be on the safe side.

Just as she started approaching the entrance, a gigantic missile crashed into the bunker.

The blast radius was large enough to send pieces of metal and other debris flying in her direction. In an instant, Cassey dropped into a dark puddle that pooled at her feet and easily escaped the flying shrapnel from the explosion. A few minutes later, she reappeared out of the puddle of dark matter as if she was pulling herself up from it.

You better not be dead, Special Agent.

Without Addison, she had no lead and no idea where to start her search. But there was no way in hell that anyone survived that.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Without any other choice, Cassey moved through the rubble that was clear of flames and searched for the detective's body. Perhaps she could find something useful on her body, if it hadn't been completely blown to pieces.

♥ Really, Another Zombie Story!? ♥ (OPEN & ACCEPTING)

Name:
Nicki Saeed

Nickname:
Nick

Age:
34

Perceived Gender:
Female

Sexuality:
Bi

Where You Reside:
Poor

Personality:

Positive:
Calm-Devoted-Generous

Negative:
Guarded/quiet-Sarcastic-Grumpy

About Personality:

Nicki is very guarded and quiet, and though some people see it as shyness, it's not the case. She hates talking to say nothing and despises when people do it. Perhaps she is a little easy to anger when it comes to socializing, especially when she hasn't had coffee (which is not always easy to get nowadays). However, if you manage to get past her tightly guarded walls, she definitely has a generous heart and will help anyone in need regardless if she likes them or not. She may be sarcastic and harsh about it, but she will help you nonetheless (besides it's your damn fault for getting yourself in trouble).

Appearance:

Nicki stands about 5 feet and 4 inches tall, and what she lacks for in height she makes up for in defined muscles. Her eyes are a soft brown colour with hints of yellow, and her skin is a rich bronze colour. Nicki's hair is jet black and long, and she mostly wears it in a ponytail or bun. She has a burn scar on her back and part of her right shoulder.

Life Before the Apocalypse:

Prior to the apocalypse, Nicki was a volunteer firefighter and an aspiring police officer. However, that dream faded away once the strange virus took thousands of lives. She lived with her best friend and fellow firefighter, however, in the chaos they got separated and she has no clue of his whereabouts.
Skills:
*Athleticism (Cardio/strength)
*Knows how to work with different tools (crowbars, axes), and make some makeshift ones if needed.
*Basic CPR/Reanimation training

♥ Really, Another Zombie Story!? ♥ (OPEN & ACCEPTING)

Im quite interested if youre still accepting. Love zombie stuff *^_^*

@PrettyWings

welcome!

I also just realized I didn't post my character in the character tab.

R E D U X .// 2047 //.

I hope your soul is changing.

Cassey Samah
SHADE
40 years old

Powers:

Cassey, or Cass for short, can liquify her body which takes the appearance of a dark, black shadowy substance. She can completely control its density and choose which part of her transforms or doesn't. Tendrils can be formed on her body and is a very versatile ability.

She can use her powers to penetrate soft ground like sand or dirt and move through it. Though she can use it to mimic a surface or specific material though it does not take its appearance, only its density.

Weaknesses:

Fire or anything that burns over 600 degrees will burn away the fibres of her shadow form on a molecular level. It will force it to break apart from her body, leaving Cassey exposed and vulnerable. Extreme heat will also prevent her from spreading around in her liquid form, completely stopping the woman in her tracks.

Likewise, ice also prevents Cassey from spreading the tendrils around or becoming liquid. She’s unable to shift back or move when frozen.

Appearance:
Brown, shoulder-length hair frames a handsome face, bronze in colour. Big, round brown eyes, half-lidded, are missing a certain brilliance, dulled by her general apathy of the world. Though you wouldn’t see her face much unless you know her personally. She’s usually walking around with her hood up - or a beanie - and her head down.

She has a lot of burn marks on her body, though the chance anyone will ever see them is slim to none. The most prominent ones are spread across her stomach, back and left shoulder. Covering most of them, however, are swirly designs tattooed over them in no particular pattern.

Even though she is small in stature, Cassey has a fit and athletic body. Years of training and spending hours hitting a heavy bag gave her a well-defined and toned musculature.

Equipment:

Motorcycle. That’s it. Cassey’s a minimalist, or perhaps it’s because she just doesn’t care much. Probably a bit of both. She doesn’t have a suit, nor a cape, that shit is tacky. She usually wears dark ripped jeans and a motorcycle jacket over a sweater or hoodie.

She hides her face under her motorcycle helmet, the only item that seems she takes care of other than the bike itself. It has a very intricate custom paint job of iridescent purple and black swirls. The visor is rather large, giving her a near-perfect field of vision. However, in order to properly fight, she cannot have it on, and thus relies mostly on hoods to protect her identity.

Origin:

Vol.1

What you’re about to read is the story of a young woman who was used, abused and rebelled against humanity. Pretty typical of any villain’s story, right? But do not be fooled, this is not a story about the bad guy, or girl in this case. It’s a story of redemption, of growth, loss and compromise. However, the ending is more bitter than sweet. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Cassey was apprehended and captured at the age of 18, though those events are fuzzy in her mind. What she vividly remembers are the experiments, the Doctor’s soft and yet deceiving voices. They didn’t care for the host of whatever alien specimen attached itself to her body and that much was clear.

The pain and the torture they put her through were still fresh in her memories and burned on her skin; something she’ll never be able to escape. Years of experimentations revealed that the entity, which bonded with her body, wasn’t simply attached or an extension of her - it was her.

Cassey was no more than just a number to them. One? Two-hundred? Five thousand? She didn’t know, nor did she ever see anyone else except the medical team assigned to her. She listened closely to whatever tidbits she could hear from their conversations, as they were oddly secretive about the results of the experiments.

Quietly, she devised an escape plan as she learned to control whatever she had become. The breakout itself wasn’t hard at all, what was harder was leaving all the answers she desperately wanted behind. Who she was, what happened to her and why she was granted those powers.

After searching the lab and finding she was the only one there, With a vengeful heart, Cassey destroyed the compound and everyone in it.

Vol.2

Five years have passed since her release into the world. It took a while to get accustomed to being free again, longer than she would have liked. Eventually, though, she stopped jumping when someone got to close to her. She discovered what she liked to eat and what she despised.

The more she hid amongst the crowd, the worse she got. Her bitterness ran deep, deeper than she ever imagined. One night she walked passed a woman getting mugged and she found herself numb to her pleading screams. Grabbing the woman’s purpose for herself, she left and surrendered the last of humanity she had kept quietly tucked in.

Tired of slumming it with addicts and common criminals in rundown buildings, Cassey started taking whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. She eventually became one of Chicago’s Police Department most wanted criminals - though most of them had not a single clue how to apprehend a super, especially not a super-powered individual that went rogue.

The chase eventually cumulated to a massive scrap in the heart of the city, and after slaying about a dozen police officers and other armed agents, she was finally stopped. They had somehow figured out one of her weaknesses, and they took no time apprehending the woman by freezing her and locking her away. Her hatred only grew deeper. When she promised herself to never be taken captive again, she intended to fulfill it no matter what.

Vol.3

Cassey woke up with a start in a room she never saw, with someone she never met. Not again, she thought darkly. Little did she know, the individual in front of her was going to change her life and drag her back kicking and screaming from the darkness she willingly surrendered to. This person’s name was Hex.

It certainly was an uphill battle, especially since she was dragged halfway across the United States, but together they managed to exorcise Cassey’s demons enough to make her a functioning member of society. And for the next ten years, Cassey would take the mantle of ‘superhero’ even if she hated the cheesy label and the many, many expectations that came with it.

Along the way, Cassey found her peace in helping others as opposed to externalizing her pain of past events and using innocents as punching bags. She had to go through the excruciating journey of asking for forgiveness, accepting help and finally, learning to love herself and others.

For the first time in her life, she had an actual job and she had found love - and let herself be loved - when her fiancee suddenly died, mugged and shot. Just like the woman she hadn’t saved from the exact same fate five years ago. Not even Hex could bring her back from this one, and perhaps it was what she deserved after all. She accepted the punishment, and Shade was no more but a shadow from that moment on.

Personality:

Cassey is a very quiet woman unless she hates you, then you’ll hear just how sarcastic and insulting she can be. Observing others and silently judging them is what she spends most of her time doing whenever she has the displeasure of not being alone.

You’re probably thinking she doesn’t sound much like a hero, and you would be right. Though if you manage to secure a spot in her good graces, she’ll be loyal to you until she dies - or until you do something incredibly stupid. And even if you’re lucky enough that she willingly decides to save your ass, she’ll find very creative ways to insult you. It’s her own way to express her disappointment, so don’t take it too personally. If she smiles at you, it’s either a really good thing, or you should probably start running. Have fun figuring out which is which.

Though all of her flaws are often hard to get past, Cassey is generally generous in all sense of the word. If she notices you haven’t eaten (and she will notice), you might see a lunch appear somewhere near you. However, the chances you’ll spot her slipping it in your bag, in your jacket, or dropping it off at your door with a mocking snicker, is highly unlikely.

If she does warm up to you, then you might just see a more lighthearted and goofy side to her. But you better not talk about it to anyone, or she’ll kill you. No really, she will.

Misc Facts: She really hates small talk. She has a dog named Harley and would protect his life with her own.

Let me know if everything is okay! Sorry for any typos I'm going to be looking it over a few more times.

R E D U X .// 2047 //. -- Cyberpunk Superheroes

Sounds fun!

DnD or Pathfinder?

As for other games outside the two listed, the old World of Darkness setting put out by White Wolf Publishing is perhaps the only one I have ever cared about at all. Werewolf: The Apocalypse and Vampire: The Masquerade are more or less what comes to mind when one talks about modern horror and the supernatural in roleplaying for myself, particularly since I have a love-hate relationship with the mechanics and core concepts of the material versus its themes and narratives. It drives me mad, for example, that it becomes statistically more likely for a severe failure the better a character is at a skill due to how critical failures work, yet at the same time the mythos is dark, savage, and extremely morally ambiguous.

@The Harbinger of Ferocity

I was really interested in trying Vampire: The Masquerade, but how does crit failures work if you're most likely to get them the better you are at something? That is rather strange.

Cyberpunk - Vampires (just throwing out some ideas)

Updated the OP! Turned the brainstorming into something semi-coherent I hope.