@The Xenomorph Hey there! No pressure, I understand you have irl matters to tend to but I was just curious, what position were you planning on taking? I am thinking of making a secondary character to help fill in the spots but do not want to steal your spot.
Hello again. I once again apologize for my absence. I plan on being a Powder Monkey. Thanks for your patience!
Hey, I'm still working on a character. Sorry I'm taking so long, been swamped with real life stuff. I'll make sure to finish soon, and I apologize if it's any inconvenience.
I'm very interested. Also, just to clarify since you're using DND races: do we have to ascribe to a DND class as well in our character design and follow its rules, or are you more lenient about our exact capabilities?
A coffee pot can be a coffee mug if you just don't fucking care
Age: 24 Appearance: Standing just above five foot ten and with an average but broad-shouldered build, Nicholas radiates an unassuming yet standoffish aspect. More often than not, he is seen wearing dark clothes of humble make. With round, unwavering eyes of a dark hazel shade, Nick's expression remains stoic and unreadable, only cracking for a contemptuous scowl or sardonic sneer. His black hair has now grown to touch his shoulders, and is most often kept unkempt or up in a ponytail. Nicholas stays clean-shaven for the most part, and can never commit to a beard; the most he's seen with are scraps hugging his chin and jowls. Nicholas bears many scars across his body from his childhood. Personality: Nick's upbringing molded him into a choleric and standoffish individual; of that he is loathe to admit. He is a solitary person living alone without any close relationships. Despite this, he has managed to cultivate self-confidence during his transition into adulthood. While never manifesting in pride, he shows a silent competency in his day-to-day activities and is possessed of a single-minded focus when it comes to work. Although he appears cynical, Nicholas will help those in need the best he can without thanks. He is a smoker and drinker of black coffee. History: Nicholas Gonahue was born 5 minutes after his sister Nadine on September 21st, 2017. The only parent they knew was their mother, who turned out to be abusive and manipulative. From a very young age the twins formed an inseparable bond with one another in response to their mother’s neglect, with Nadine taking on the elder sibling role due to her protective personality and precocious development.
Growing up in Carencro, Louisiana on a small ranch meant that they shared long walks to school and little in the way of friends. Not that they needed them, anyway. So long as they had each other, they were going to make it. Their family was poor and got most of their funds from their grandfather, who visited his grandkids often.
The twins were a repeated problem for authority at schools. Fights between fellow students were common, and the Gonahue twins often skipped class to sneak to the roof of the school and share cigarettes they stole from their teachers. Nick assumed it was a nice life to have, because he had his sister and he didn’t know how to live any other way. Even today, he beats himself up for not seeing it sooner. A persistent, sad look in her eyes the week before. The strap of a backpack sticking out from under her bed he saw three days prior.
When Nicholas was 14, his sister vanished. No note. No direction. No secret treasure map to their family’s secret fortune he was to seek out. Nadine had left. Left him. And Nicholas knew, somehow, that it was all his fault.
Life without Nadine was different. Their mother only had one outlet for her drunken rages now, and Nicholas was the more submitting of the two. Nicholas caved inwards. He threw himself into reading and writing as an escape. He decided to live his life as if it were better through these heroes that lived on pages. He swore himself to an oath to find his sister, whatever the cost, so they could be together again. They had to be. Right?
At first, Nick thought he was going crazy. “Imaginary friends” were supposed to taper off at age 5, and he never had any need for them. But that was with Nadine. It was a small boy like Nick, but without a face a very pale skin. It needed a name. He needed a name. He was always smiling. He had great, sharp teeth.
Gorejaw.
He liked that name. He told Nick he would always be there for him. That he would protect him, just like Nadine. When his mother would come home those nights after in a stupor, Nick would sneak out of the house into the fields. Then, Gorejaw would lead him to the abandoned barn towards the west of his home. “Here,” Gorejaw said. “Here we can talk and play and dance. We can forget the world around us and come alive in the dark. I will protect you now, Nicholas. I know we are going to be very best friends.”
…
On his 18th birthday, Nicholas saw his mother for the last time. He put the rest of his life in a backpack on the backseat of the old pickup he and his grandfather brought back from the dead. He was going to Texas. He was going to find his sister.
The trail led him to Vorpool. He was getting closer. His sister had to be here. Why Vorpool? Did she want a fresh start? Why didn’t she bring him? Did she run away with a boy? Nicholas found himself only growing nervous at the thought of finally finding his sister, and he didn’t know why. But he was close. Of that he was certain.
When Nicholas fell asleep for the first time in Vorpool on March 20th, 2038, he had a nightmare that nearly killed him.
And the rest is history.
"FEAR-EATERS"
Societal Risk Classification: Epsilon
Database Entry:
Dated January 8th, 2041.
I have to go on record as saying that I seriously object to the proposed revisions of UCI-S1199's Public Anomaly File. I know that the Ethics Committee claims it's a security risk, but you and I both know it's just top brass trying to sweep their biggest and most embarrassing mistake ever under the damn rug. Forced Activation Test #1 happened. It existed. Those people were hospitalized because I screwed up, and you can't change that, no matter how hard you try to hide it.
For God's sake, man, the public deserve to know exactly what that thing is and what it did. What WE did. How we fucked up, so they'll know better.
Processing Assessment #1 for Nicholas Gonahue, 21 Processing Overseen by Dr. Robert J. Nyc Additional Screening and Anomaly Scanning by Dr. Aesha Dhillon (See "Database Entry UCI-B1104")
Notes: Unaided expression attempts were unsuccessful. Nicholas showed no knowledge of the nature of his anomaly.
Processing Assessment #4
Notes: Anomaly expression successful. Once Dr. Dhillon activated her anomaly (see attached file "Intrusive Telepathy"), she entered a severe panic attack. Dr. Dhillon had no preexisting conditions or medical history that would imply a susceptibility to panic-inducing anomalies. Medical reports of on-site staff has confirmed that Dr. Dhillon now suffers from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Dr. Dhillon has refused to see Nicholas again. Reassignment pending.
Dr. N: Good morning, Nicholas. How are you feeling today?
UCI-S1199: I'm fine. How many more tests are you gonna put me through?
Dr. N: Well, we're currently compiling the data of all of your assessments so far so that we may come to a conclusion on your treatment.
UCI-S1199: Right.
(Silence for 8 seconds)
Dr. N: Nicholas?
UCI-S1199: Are those people okay, Doctor? The people who looked at my brain?
Dr. N: They are recovering, Nicholas. The effects your anomaly has on people is something we haven't experienced yet. Like I said, we're compiling all the data we have.
UCI-S1199: You need to stop, Doc. I don't want to hurt anyone else.
Dr. N: I understand that, Nicholas. However, what we're doing here is--
UCI-S1199: --"experimental and rushed". You've told me that. So why the hell do you keep throwing grown adults at me to scream their lungs out and piss themselves?
Dr. N: We need to reach a threshold of expression where you can activate your anomaly on command. So you can control it.
(Silence for 20 seconds)
Dr. N: Is something wrong, Nicholas?
UCI-S1199: I've been.. uh, seeing someone.
Dr. N: What do you mean, "seeing someone", Nick?
UCI-S1199: I think I'm... hallucinating? I don't know.
Dr. N: Are you seeing things that aren't there?
UCI-S1199: N-no. I can feel him. I can touch him. It's just that...
Dr. N: "Him"?
UCI-S1199: Y-yeah. He's... uh... God, I sound like a crazy person.
Dr. N: Take your time, Nicholas. We're only here to help you.
UCI-S1199: You know imaginary friends, right, doctor?
Dr. N: Yes.
UCI-S1199: I had one when I was 14. I know that's old for imaginary friends, but I wasn't a very happy kid and my sister was gone. I named him "Gorejaw" because he always smiled with these really big teeth. He would scare me sometimes but, he was generally my friend. He disappeared when I moved out.
Dr. N: You had him until you were 18?
UCI-S1199: Yes, yes. I did. I know that's weird for an adult to have but he was a source of comfort for me.
Dr. N: You said he scared you.
UCI-S1199: Sometimes. He was joking.
Dr. N: Do you see him now, Nicholas?
UCI-S1199: Yeah.
Dr. N: Where is he?
UCI-S1199: He's right behind you.
(Dr. N turns over his shoulder to find nothing there. UCI-S1199 is intently staring at the empty space where he perceives "Gorejaw". Interview is concluded after 3 minutes on account of Dr. N reporting irrational feelings of anxiety and paranoia. In his own words, "Like I was being watched by a predator.")
Reassignment Report written by Dr. Robert J. Nyc
Data allocation between all seven reports seems to be paying off. The anomaly appears to happen at a cerebral level: an acute stress response is a constant factor between all instances, with the activation of the amygdala and sympathetic nervous system.
Fortunately, we've dealt with cerebral-based anomalies before, and their relative ubiquitous appearances allows us to process them with similar tests.
Nicholas still exhibits resistance in activating his anomaly consciously: despite repeated attempts at conditioning, it only ever triggers during a direct scan. The anomaly is not limited to one individual, and as many as seven have been affected simultaneously through widespread use of telepathic communication.
As of July 13th, 2038, I am trusting Dr. Kassandra Adamos to the direct forced activation of UCI-S1199's anomaly. If all goes well, the tests should be consistent and we can move on to filing the SRC report.
And Charles Leichner can shove it. This isn't "the stress-induced ravings of a mentally ill misanthrope". This man is sick. This man needs help. And the potential information we could glean from learning how this anomaly functions would invariably aid us in future suppression endeavors.
--Transcript Begins-- --████ █████ ████--
(UCI-S1199 and Dr. A. are prepped and briefed in Testing Chamber FA-05. Required security personnel are stationed at all exits.)
Dr. A: Ready, Nicholas?
UCI-S1199: Uh, yeah. Just... could you just run what exactly you're going to do by me one more time?
Dr. A: Of course. I'm going to use my Anomaly to forcibly activate yours, since you have yet to shown the ability to do so on your own. This is to confirm the nature of your anomaly so that we might be sure of your capabilities and expedite the process of your release.
UCI-S1199: Right. Okay. Sounds good. Uh... activate away, I guess.
(Dr. A activates her anomaly. UCI-S1199 screams and collapses in pain, clutching his head. A humanoid entity (further reffered to as UCI-S1199-01) materializes in front of UCI-S1199, floating one meter off the ground. UCI-S1199-01 matches previous descriptions of "Gorejaw". Security personnel aim weapons at UCI-S1199-01.)
Dr. A: WAIT!
(Security personnel keep weapons trained. UCI-S1199-01 looks down at Dr. A.)
Dr. A: Can you tell us your name?
UCI-S1199-01: (unintelligible)
Dr. A: Are you "Gorejaw"? Are you Nicholas's imaginary friend?
UCI-S1199-01: (unintelligible)... trying to hurt him... trying to hurt my NICK.
Dr. A: We are not trying to hurt Nicholas, Gorejaw. This is a test. We're trying to help him.
UCI-S1199-01: Help him... (unintelligible)... leave him alone.
(UCI-S1199-01 lowers to the ground and approaches to UCI-S1199. UCI-S1199-01 rests UCI-S1199's head in his lap and begins to whisper to him. Dr. A begins to step back, visibly shaken.)
Dr. A: W-we don't want to hurt him, Gorejaw. We just need to run a few more t-tests and--
UCI-S1199-01: Testing him? Testing him like a rat?!
(One member of security discharges their weapon.)
UCI-S1199-01, visibly agitated: I WON'T LET ANYONE HURT HIM AGAIN! NO ONE!
(Camera feed is lost as light fixtures burn out. Sounds of screaming, gunfire, and unidentified entities are heard. Silence for 11 seconds. Testing Chamber is opened. Security personnel and Dr. A are visibly mauled and not moving. UCI-S1199 is unconscious and untouched. There is no sign of UCI-S1199-01.
Name: Nicholas Gonahue Age: 24 Height: 5'10" Weight: 145 lbs. Blood Type: AB+ Medical History: (See attached file) Criminal Record: N/A Current Place of Employment: Editor at the Vorpool Tribune
Societal Risk Classification: Gamma
Anomaly Description: Nicholas has shown the ability to spontaneously manifest paraphysical creatures at will within an unspecified distance of himself. There are no known ubiquitous physiological traits maintained between these entities. These creatures display aggressive and predatory behavior, usually focused on a single "target". They will take the quickest route towards the target, further intensifying its cognitohazardous ability (see: next paragraph).
These creatures have been classified as Class III cognitohazardous entities; direct observation may cause mental alterations in viewers. Individuals who directly observe them experience paranoia, general fear, and panic. Nicholas appears to have an immunity to this phenomena.
Nicholas seems to have complete control over these creatures once manifested, and has shown the ability to dispel them at will, wherein they seem to lose solidity and appear to go under a process not unlike sublimation.
"That which is unknown and unseen always commands the greatest fear."
Our primary concern with Anomalous Subject UCI-S1199-01 is our lack of information. After Forced Activation Test #1, the Ethics Committee was breathing down our necks and out for blood. What we did was sloppy, unprepared, and it got a lot of people hurt. We didn't even consider the possibility of the Equinox Event actually producing sentient anomalies.
Of course, a lot of people are skeptical. Some venture it was a mass hallucination, that his anomaly was "super-charged" and caused massive damage that wasn't actually real. But you can't hallucinate fucking lacerations or broken bones. That thing made something... or somethings... and they attacked personnel. They were unconscious for 17 days, and upon waking up all gave conflicting reports.
One guard says he saw a massive swarm of locusts that began to craw into his skin and eat him from the inside out. Another one saw a clown -- a fucking clown! -- with a meat cleaver that started chopping away. But one report stuck out to me like a sore thumb, and it was the one that tied it all together.
Dr. Kassandra Adamos saw her mother, who lost her life in a car accident when Kassandra was 10. She's admitted that her dead face has never left her memory, and that she saw her, mangled and twisted and trying to claw her to death.
I believe that the anomaly we're dealing with goes beyond something cerebral. I believe that UCI-S1199 can somehow tap into the worst fears of a subject and make them real. Those previous scannings were just those poor bastards seeing their worst nightmares unfold before them!
I am aware of UCI-S1199's past. I am aware of his tendencies. But I cannot in good faith believe that he would ever use this for any malign purpose. He's on medication. He's gotten better. He can hold a job. I cannot, however, rule out the possibility that this "Gorejaw" has an ulterior motive. He claims to be a protector, but it's obvious his sense of justice and right and wrong is warped. He was made when he was a kid, for fuck's sake!
I think it was the right thing to do to let him go under surveillance. Of course, he wouldn't know. But that's not the point. UCI-S1199 represents a very real fear of mine coming into this age of "Supers".
What are we going to do when those with the real powers start thinking for themselves?
Hey, Roleplayer Guild. I go by Xeno, and I'm migrating from the b.net (Bungie.net) RP Community. It's been dead for some time now, and it was my first dive into this wonderful world of narrative. I made some fantastic memories there over the course of 3 years and I am eager to hone my skills and have some fun.
As the title states, I am out of practice, but I consider myself capable of writing multi-paragraph responses and understanding the implementation of character development and plot structure.
Like I said, I'm just here to have fun and make stories with like-minded people. I am a big fan of the Warhammer 40K setting, as well as most other High Fantasy and Sci-Fi settings.
I'm looking forward to becoming a part of this community!
