Name: Darren Shaw
Nickname/Alias/Etc: Stage name- DJ B3AR
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Height: 5’ 11”
Weight: 13 stone
Home District: New Black Fall

Appearance

Hair Color: Chocolate brown
Eye Color: Yellow, vertical slit eyelids like a puma or wild cat
Ethnicity: White
Physical Appearance: Darren has quite an average build but is a bit muscular and his hair is fairly average length for a boy which usually rises up and turns spikey at the front, except for body hair, which grows quicker than the average human but only slightly, nothing major like werewolf hair or stuff like that. His physical features are quite unusual due to his powers which includes sharp claws for nails, fangs for teeth and yellow eyes, although to get away with it, he tells non-meta humans that this is his stage costume. Apart from that, he looks like a typical teenage boy, with a normal sized nose, ears, and his body is normally proportioned. His skin if fairly well looked after, as he cleans and washes a lot too. From far away, he looks normal, but close up you will definitely notice his animalistic features, those being the only different physical features which Darren makes no attempt at hiding.
Attire: Casual- Darren usually wears dark blue jeans, a plain t-shirt with a checkered shirt thrown over, unbuttoned or a hoodie and t-shirt with some sort of graphic design printed on, either way he wears dark colours such as black or burgundy red, except for the jeans. It’s very rare to see Darren in a formal attire and he hardly keeps up with the fashion sense. He just wears what he likes the look of. Darren likes to wear unbranded clothes, apart from his trainers which are usually Puma or Airwalk. His clothes are nothing too obvious or ougoing.

Personality

Personality: At basics, friendly, curious, optimistic and energetic. Can be aggressive and finds it very hard to trust someone a second time. On the other hand, he can become very hyper at times. How he acts around people is very dependent on whether or not he trusts the people around him or not. If he does then Darren will be very talkative and open to conversation. However, when he gets hyper, he becomes very excitable and tends to bounce on his toes a lot.

If he doesn’t trust you, he will become very aggressive and distrustful of you, and you will often find him snarling or growling when someone he doesn’t like is nearby. If provoked, this can lead to a fight where Darren cannot calm himself down, and may even take other people to calm or restrain him until he simmers down. There is an extreme to this as, to a very extreme case, Darren can reach a blood rage where he reaches extreme amounts of aggression and violence, where he cannot stop himself from trying to kill the people he is angry with and WILL attack anyone who tries to get in his way and all concept of morality is lost. Another way to tell he is at blood rage is that his eyes will turn crimson red instead of bright yellow. Fortunately, this has not happened yet.

When he is not in a blood-rage, Darren’s morals are normal to any other human being. However, others before himself is a very important one to Darren so if you get on Darren’s good side, he will become extremely loyal and protective. He enjoys getting a buzz, whether it is him on a parkour run, or performing a live DJ set at a club, which is what he tries to get every day and night at New Black Fall, where he believes he can make it big with his music and the club scene. Despite loving the night atmosphere of New Black Fall, he definitely distastes the more… “vulgar” side of the district and stays clear of those places if possible. If you find him by himself, he is usually working on a new track in his room, listening to music outside, or just clambering buildings or running.

Hobbies/Interests: In his spare time, Darren is a dubstep DJ and would love to perform at The Exchange.
Skills/Talents: Darren is very passionate about technology, so has a good general knowledge about it.
Prized Possession: His music gear.
Quote(s): “Are you ready to get crazy!?”
History/Bio: Darren didn’t have a very interesting life until the discovery of his powers. First it began with his parents having trouble cutting his long, claw-like nails until the power spiralled into his own feature. However, when he performed at a small time club some low-life “gangsters” tried to hold it up and rob the place. Darren snuck his way off-stage and made his way behind them. As the barman was putting money into a bag, Darren grabbed one of the two and slammed him into the ground and pounced on the other assailant. Darren came very close to his first possible blood-rage that day where the unlucky fellow left with a broken nose and collapsed eye socket with other minor injuries and required plastic surgery. Darren made a promise to himself so that he could control violent animalistic urges so basically he wouldn’t viciously maim opponents or go on a killing spree.
Family: [REDACTED]
Relationships:
N/A

Abilities

Power Class & Rating: Super-System 3
Power: Darren has mutated into an animal-human hybrid with many physical and minor mental changes. Darren’s finger nails has grown into short sharp claws and has developed fangs. He is very strong and agile, giving him great offensive capabilities as he runs and climbs much quicker than the average human, able to reach 60 mph maximum, he cannot run that fast all the time. He is also much stronger, able to carry 60kg without much struggle, using both arms, however he is no hulk and certainly will find heavier objects much, much more difficult. He can do free-running but nothing showy (think mirror’s edge parkour). He also has heightened senses, for example he can use his incredible sense of smell to track things or people and has good eyesight day or night.
Weaknesses/Drawbacks: This ability cannot be turned on or off and animalistic urges can take over human instinct sometimes meaning he can be uncontrollable or gain animal fears (like fire). He can become overly aggressive and has a tendency to charge ahead without thinking when infuriated.

Other: As part animal, he can roar and growl and has mixed this into some of his music tracks as recorded samples

Sample Post: This was great. Doing a gig at a club and watching people enjoy his music. He knew dubstep wasn’t everyone’s favourite but Darren had it stuck in his head that he may, just may, make it at New Black Fall. “Ladies and Gentleman!” He said into the microphone. “Are you ready to go crazy!?” Darren was met with a cheer and whooping and Darren promptly replied with dropping the bass with his track. He was currently playing a remix of “Get Hyper” by Droideka. Darren began bouncing about as he was readying the next track, and he was loving this. The energy, the buzz, the crowd, the lights- the entire atmosphere made his blood rush and Darren was more than enjoying this feeling. “Everyone get on the fucking ground!” Someone yelled followed by gunshots into the air. Darren immediately ducked behind his setup and peeked over to see two masked gunmen threatening the bar man.

Darren was royally pissed off that these two ruined a good night. He crept down the stairs into the crowd and shifted into a low prowl to be as quiet as possible. As one criminal was shouting at the barman, the other was pointing a gun at the man, the first target. Darren broke into a sprint and grabbed the first criminal from behind by swinging one arm over his shoulder and digging his claws into his target’s chest and with the other arm, pulled him down. The gunman was slammed into the club floor as his gun somersaulted and skidded across the floor, where the man was swiftly met with Darren’s foot stomping onto his stomach. The accomplice, who was masked in a black balaclava, turned around and tried to pistol whip Darren but thanks to his power, dodged and smashed his elbow into his face. The man stumbled and fell on the ground but Darren was upon him in a second and started to continuously punch the man in the face. Darren was in a fit of rage and blocked out everything, and was almost revelling in the violence. Fortunately for the man, Darren was eventually pulled away when everyone realized the gunman was on the verge of being beaten to death. When someone talked to Daren, he snapped back to reality and simply replied with “Huh?”

The next day, Darren was bailed out of jail for assault and was taken home by his parents. “What the hell was you thinking!?” His dad said in the car, furious.

“I dunno Dad. I just… did it.” Darren replied, still confused about what actually happened the night before.

“You just ‘did it’? Son, you’re lucky you’re not going to court for this, that man was half an inch from death?!” His father said. Darren’s mother butted in.

“Look Darren. You’re a teen, things happen darling but this… this is something different.” She said, a bit more caringly that her husband.

“Yeah, mum. I know.” Darren sighed. Something struck him. “Hey mum. I AM different, right? Maybe there’s more to this.”

“What are you on about?” His father questioned.

“C’mon, the eyes, the teeth, nails. It’s like a mutation, but perhaps not physical changes alone. Maybe I’m more… mentally different too.” Darren explained, turning his thoughts into words. “I’m curious to see what I can actually do with this.” He added. Maybe he was like those meta-human thingies he heard about at club nights. Maybe…

Basic Information

Name: Maki Sato
Nickname/Alias/Etc: Angel by most people, "The Ghost" to others.
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Height: 167cm
Weight: 50kg
Home District: Westgate. Sort of. She squats in the Library.

Appearance



Hair Color: Dyed bright brown, natural black.
Eye Color: Brown
Ethnicity: Japanese
Physical Appearance:

Maki is a short, slender young woman. She is pretty with a small frame, but well defined and toned muscle from her constant physical exercise. Combined with the hint of tattoos on her arms and poking out over the collar on the back of her neck, most would assume she's involved with gangsters and is used to life on the streets, or that she's one of those aspiring rock stars. She has piercings on her left ear, and her fair porcelain skin betrays her nocturnal living schedule. She has few visible scars, most of them hidden by clothing on only visible if you look closely at the usual spots - hints of cuts and scrapes on the arms, elbows and legs, but nothing major save for a bullet wound below her rib.

She has a rounded face and despite her pretty face, usually manages to blend in - she can turn heads if she puts the effort in, but wearing her hair up most of the time with her short height and low profile demeanour usually covers her presence. Soft lips, almond shaped eyes and a hint of mirth in her usual expressions makes her seem like a cheerful party girl, but a small scar on her lip and the occasional steely set of her jaw betrays the fighter underneath.

Maki has a set of tattoos that identifies her almost anywhere she goes where her reputation has been made known - a cross that the top of her spine, peeking just above her neck and adorned with fiery wings that span her shoulder blades. The horizontal arm of the cross bears a Bible verse on it - Ezekiel 25:17. The actual words of the verse itself spread below. "I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.” The second tattoo is a simple one of a dragon on her left arm. Along the dragon's spine is a latin phrase "Nemo me impune lacessit" meaning No one provokes me with impunity. The third, more frivolous and less meaningful, is a line of roses that run down the left side of her waist and hip.

Attire:

Maki's broad style can be described as functional but stylish. Her default attire is a white tank top under either a black short sleeved leather jacket or plaid shirt with rolled up sleeves, baring her mid riff, coupled with tight jeans and boots. She varies it from time to time, occasionally forgoing the outer layer to show off the tattoos for some semblance of intimidation. She almost always wears a pair of leather half-finger gloves, sometimes studded at the knuckles. Those who bother to think about her attire would obviously notice she's usually ready to fight or run in them.

Her only other attire of note is the uniform of a bar she works at from time to time. A white form-fitting dress shirt and black skirt complete with stockings and apron.

Personality

Personality:

Maki on the surface, is your typical street girl - she's snarky, flirts around, swears like a sailor and stubborn. She doesn't tolerate bullshit from anyone, something a bartender cum waitress might consider an essential skill, and one always knows where they stand with her. Sarcasm and insults are her usual way of doing things, but she's not above getting in fights either.

Deeper down though, Maki has a sort of rugged charisma to her. She is always around when some drunk doesn't know how to handle being rejected by a lady at the bar, and despite her brash attitude she's actually quite intelligent and patient when she needs to be. Certainly, being polite and kind is her default approach to people unless they prove they deserve otherwise. The people she works with defer to her when things crop up and they can't handle it themselves. She's reliable, and she sees things through to the end. They also know that Maki is the last person to ever give up hope on them or leave them in a lurch as long as she's able to do something to help. It would also be another really admirable trait if it didn't get her in more trouble than most people. Her need to take action often trumps her prudence or more cool-headed side, and Maki is impossible to deal with when she has to admit she's helpless or in over her head.

Regardless, her determination cuts both ways - she will do anything to help those in need and on the end of the other extreme, she's willing to go to great lengths to punish bullies. Despite appearances and her usual attitude, Maki despises thugs and gangsters that prey on the weak, especially women. It's earned her a fearsome reputation in the areas she frequents. She spends as much time in trouble with the law as she is helping them, and the only thing that holds local police from pressing charges against her most of the time is that she (usually) does things with good intentions.

Maki mistrusts the law and the system, and has a personal vendetta to avenge her parents' killers. While she's moved on with her life for the most part, she cannot find peace within herself until justice has been served for her parents' killers. The incidents of her childhood have also left her with a strong dislike and at times fear for guns. She struggles with suicidal thoughts, but her faith as a Christian tells her she survived the night of her parents' murder for a reason. The two sides of the argument are at constant war within her, however, and Maki's known to get into depressive moods, especially when the subject of family is brought up. In fact, it's not rare to find her sodding drunk when she gets in one of those moods, though sobering her up proves a difficult task especially when she insists her drunkenness is the only alternative to not killing herself.

Hobbies/Interests: Reading. It's the reason why she even squats in the library in the first place. Though she hates non-fiction books. History? Sure, a little dry at times, but the wars and famous rulers are always interesting. Latest breakthroughs science and technology? Forget it. Give her a good fantasy epic any day. Probably a little soft and strange for a young woman with her lifestyle, but it's one of her rare joys that don't get her in trouble.

Music. Maki's a decent singer, even without training. While she doesn't make this fact public knowledge, one can usually catch her humming a song or tune in her private moments or in the midst of work. She's an amateur guitar player, again with no training but whatever she can learn and practise by herself with an instructional book. It's also why she chose to work in a bar that hires different bands to perform.

Social Work, and she's using the term loosely. Maki helps out at-risk youths in the city, either by offering them leftovers from the bar at the end of her shift or helping them find places to stay. Occasionally, she helps them stay away from drug dealers and gang recruiters. Very rarely, she helps them run from abusive parents or partners or trouble in general. She leaves the work to the official channels most of the time, but those that slip through the cracks in the system always end up needing her help in one way or another.

Skills/Talents:

Singing and guitar - Decent for an amateur with no formal training, Maki's voice is pleasant enough that most enjoy hearing her sing and passable enough on a guitar that people don't cringe while she's playing.

Combat - She's good and she can hold her own in a fight against your run-of-the-mill street thugs, but she has no delusions of fighting law enforcement or military or even some guy with a gun. In her own words, she knows "how to throw a punch and kick a guy in the balls and that's it", though she's selling herself a little short.

Parkour - Some semblance of it. A young woman on the streets like her spends a lot of time running, and being able to jump chain link fences and fire escapes without breaking your leg or neck is an important skill. It's not like she can scale a building like Spiderman, but she agile and quick enough that most people won't be able to catch her if there's even a table in the way. The most difficult thing she's willing to attempt with her skill is maybe jump from rooftop to rooftop and even then, not without a running start.

Pickpocketing - Well, she had to find someway to pay for food when begging didn't work.

Prized Possession: A nazar given to her by a Turkish boy she used to date. It's the only material possession she has that she's willing to risk life and limb to retrieve.

Quote(s):

"They might call me Angel, but I think they're just too lazy to add 'avenging' before it."

"Fuck. That."

"You have got to be kidding."

History/Bio:

Maki usually tells people she either fell from heaven or rip off some comic book hero's origin story, but Maki Sato was born to a lower-middle income household. Her parents had moved to Blackfall to find work after eloping from their homeland, where their marriage was disapproved. So, if anything, Maki had the consolation that she had indeed been born out of love between her parents even if she didn't have much else to be happy about growing up.

They lived in a rough neighbourhood. It wasn't violent in the way that people were used to gang shootings or gang wars erupting, but it was definitely seedy and crime-filled. Maki knew what prositutes and sex trafficking meant at a young age, knew what drugs did to you, and to never trust anyone she didn't know. For the most part, her childhood years were rather unmolested - the fights she witnessed were in the schoolyard with other kids, not between gangsters. The only gun she ever got hit by was a BB gun, and while she had learned what a real gun sounded like, she had never seen one.

It all changed when she turned thirteen. Her father was let go from his job, something about downsizing. He tried looking for simple jobs to tide the family over, but there were few in her area that didn't involve criminal associations in some way. Desperate to feed his family, her father swallowed his morals and took a job at a pharmacy that was owned by some drug ring. The money was good enough to let the Satos live a little more comfortably, even if her father had to deal with his own conscience, watching teenagers barely older than her go to him for a drug fix.

It was a year before things really went bad for her family. Her father, unable to deal with the guilt of ruining lives by peddling poison into his community, started to work with the police to help bring down the drug ring. He'd keep up the pretense of operating the pharmacy while feeding information to the police. When they were finally ready to make arrests, Maki's father was spared the wrath of the law... but not of those he betrayed. It was in the middle of the night when it happened, a few remaining runners for the gang had burst into their home on orders kill Maki and her mother while her father watched.

She had been out with some friends when it happened, and returned home to find her door broken off its hinges, and voices of men she didn't know coming from inside. The next thing she knew, one of them had walked out and found her, before promptly drawing his gun and firing it in her direction. One of the bullets caught her below the chest and she fell backwards, tumbling down the stairwell to the floor below.

She awoke to find herself in a strange room, lying in a cot. Her wound had been bandaged and treated, but it hurt like hell. There was a man standing guard over her, who filled her in on everything that had happened. Apparently she had been 'rescued' by some meta-humans, who kept her from dying long enough for "The Doctor" to tend to her. It seemed that her neighbours, afraid to draw the attention of the gangsters, had left her for dead, but not the homeless in the area who rushed to her aid when they found she wasn't dead.

They had brought her to this Doctor, someone who had been a combat medic or something along those lines and was now helping the homeless and poor get medical help when they needed it. They didn't have the means to bring her to a hospital, much less ensure her safety long enough to arrive at one, and he was the next best thing. It had been days since the shooting, but it seemed the police had no witnesses, none who would risk getting killed next anyway, and even less evidence. As far as they were concerned, the drug ring had just been doing some housekeeping and so long as no more bodies turned up, they were willing to dismiss the case as a cold one.

With no justice for her family and no guarantee of her safety, Maki was offered a place among the homeless of Blackfall. While they weren't all on first name bases with each other, there was an unspoken code of honour among them. The city wasn't going to take care of them, so they had to take care of themselves. They showed Maki how to survive on the streets - either through the generosity of strangers or stealing what she needed. They also kept her safe from predators and scumbags who saw a desperate teenage girl willing to do anything for a bite or some money.

Some of them had been war veterans, men who had slipped through the cracks of the system when they had returned from war broken and battered. Most kept to themselves or were too paranoid to spend too much time around others, but one or two of them had been more than willing to keep an eye out for Maki. She reminded them of daughters or sisters they had left behind or lost, and took her in as surrogate family. They taught her how to fight and fend for herself, while a few other of the meta-humans helped her hone and develop the use of her powers.

The street rats who had super powers took it upon themselves to look out for the others. They looted stores when they needed medicine or food desperately for a hungry child or sick junkie. They kept thugs and drunk frat boys from picking on the older homeless. Maki saw herself as one of them, though at the back of her mind she still desperately wanted to get revenge for the murder of her parents. Sure, she owed these people her life and more for looking out for her, but she would never have needed to live like this in the first place if her parents had never been killed.

Maki started haunting her neighbourhood, looking for thugs to beat up. When that didn't work, she started looking through newspaper articles in the library. Richard Palmer, the custodian of the library, noticed her obsession. It hadn't been difficult really, since she was always poring over the same few newspapers and reports, sometimes falling asleep entirely when he made his rounds to lock up the place. He offered to help her, and when he learned she was homeless, offered to let her use one of the storage rooms in the library as shelter.

Maki was hesitant to take his offer, but whenever there was a bad storm or cold weather, she found herself in that storage. In time, he brought a cot, then some fresh clothes, and before she knew it, she came to settle down in the room as if it were her home. She never got far digging through old library records, but Richard moved her on to other books, tales of fantasy and adventure, or histories of famous kings. Those became her escape from reality when she wasn't trying to hunt down her parents' killers. Richard became a confidant and a source of wise counsel, whenever Maki was around for it, anyway.

So when she turned eighteen was old enough to get a job without raising too many questions, he found her one at a bar, owned by an old friend. The pay wasn't much, certainly not enough to rent an apartment when she had nothing to start with, but it was enough for food and clothes and the occasional luxury of a trip to the theater or music shop. The rest of her money, however, went to the people she had come to know as family - the homeless of Blackfall. They, in turn, came to her for help when there was trouble.

Family:

Asami Sato/Mother/Deceased
Shirou Sato/Father/Deceased

Relationships

Richard Palmer / The Librarian / Boring McDerpington - The custodian of the library who let Maki squat an unused storage room on the top floor. He is the man who inspired her passion for reading, and the only man she trusts enough to confide everything in. He is the only one who's able to get Maki out of her depressive moods.

Thomas Greene / The Boss / Slave Driver - The owner of the bar that Maki works at. He's aware of her status and history, but only in broad details and never presses Maki for information. Except when she shows up bloody with cuts and scrapes or with some poor kid hanging from her shoulder. He's generous enough to let her use his bar as a rest stop from time to time, or help patch her and her rescued victims up before sending them on their way to the hospital.

The Homeless - A broad group of people Maki knows from her time on the streets. As far as she's concerned, they're her family and her responsibility. If they're cold, she gets them coats and jackets. If they're being harassed by some gangsters, she's the one who charges in and beats them up. If they're high... she's the one who helps them get rid of the evidence and get sober. She's not able to always be there for every single homeless person in Blackfall, of course, but those who know her usually end up pointing the ones in trouble to her anyway.

Abilities

Power Class & Rating: Super-System 5
Power:

'Blinking' - Or at least, that's what Maki calls it. It was a term from some video game that some idiot brought up and it stuck. Maki has the ability to teleport short distances with limitations. She has to be able to see where she's going, or know the layout of the room. The latter because it is impossible for her to materialize in a space another object already occupies. The good news of this drawback is that she never has to worry about getting herself stuck inside a brick wall, for example. The bad news? When she fails because there's an object where she tried to materialise, it feels like she ran into one. Secondly, the range is limited. She cannot teleport to her own room in the library from across town even if she knows it well enough. By her estimates, she can travel up to fifty meters. Anything - or anyone - in contact with her is transported with her. Momentum is conserved so if she was blinking out of a speeding car, she'd still be travelling at the speed of the car when she materializes. It's a useful ability in a fight and running away from trouble.

Superhuman Agility and Senses - Maki's incredibly quick and agile, able to climb and navigate simple obstacles with ease, provided she has sufficient hand and foot holds. Her reflexes are above human levels well. Her strength, while not superhuman, rivals the average athlete with her previous training and exercise. All this combined allow her to take relatively light damage in fights and falls, and allows her to recover quicker than your average human being. Her senses of sight and sound are heightened - she has excellent night vision, is able to notice minute details in a book cover up to a hundred meters away. She is sensitive to the slightest changes in tone and frequencies of sounds, and able to isolate individual sounds in the middle of crowded room, even if her actual hearing is just slightly keener than average humans.

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

Again, if Maki tries to blink somewhere already occupied, she gets a massive headache, and feels as if she was thrown against the object and deflected back to her original space. Excessive use within a short span of time also causes the migraines and dizzy spells. Maki also feels hunger pangs and acute pains in her stomach from excessive use, though a good meal or bottle of soft drink usually alleviates it. The limits of her range vary depending on her 'cargo', or what she's carrying. Size and mass are obvious factors, but the complexity of the object being transported contributes to how far she can transport them as well. One other person seems to be her upper limit for now, though at times Maki feels as if the strain of transporting someone with her eases over time, as if she simply needs to get used to the load as if she were physically carrying it over a distance. She also has no choice whether or not they come along for the ride, they will travel with her as long as they maintain physical contact.

Other: Maki is bisexual with a preference for women. [insert immature giggle here]



Sample Post:

"What I wouldn't give to be drinking on the job." Maki sighed, as she stepped out into the chilly night air of the back alley. It had been a rather quiet night at the bar, presumably because it was Christmas and most people were spending time with their families at home. In fact, Tom had considered closing the bar that night, if it weren't for the fact that most of his staff were either from out of town or had no families to spend Christmas with. So, he kept the place open, if for no other reason than so the staff could at least spend Christmas together and not alone. I wouldn't mind it though, if I could at least get laid. She thought wistfully. Preferably with some redhead.

She hoisted the bag of trash she brought with her into the dumpster and that's when she heard it. A whimper. "Here we go again." Maki muttered under her breath, with a roll of her eyes as she tilted her head back to look up at the night sky, speckled with white flakes of snow here and there. "You couldn't have given me a break today, huh?" She asked, as if she expected the Big Guy Upstairs to part the clouds and wink or chuckle at her. God sure loves to make me the butt of his cosmic jokes. Maki thought, as she moved toward the source of the sound.

She could have ignored it of course, but as her pastor like to say, God worked in strange ways and perhaps she was working tonight instead of working her way onto Santa's naughty list with some hot chick because she wouldn't ignore some girl in trouble. There was always someone in trouble back in this alley. Either some poor prostitute getting roughed up by an over zealous client or some moron who drunk too much and got himself in a fight or argument with a fellow drunk. There were hardly any lights back there but it didn't matter. She could see just as well without them.

Right at the end of the alley were two guys holding down a girl trying to push them off her. From the way she was moving so feebly and could barely gather her voice to scream, Maki guessed she was just some poor soul who had had too much to drink and the two brutes thought she would be an easy target to take advantage of. Thanking her decision to have forgone the heeled boots tonight, Maki stalked up to the guys and whipped out her phone. "This is going to make a good video on Pornhub." Maki commented, loudly enough for the men to hear her. They whipped around at her voice and she clicked the shutter button on her phone's camera. There was a brief flash to illuminate their faces and the Japanese girl made sure she had their faces clearly stored before stowing her phone back in her skirt pocket.

The men grunted at the flash and knowing they had been caught, got off the girl and advanced. Well, one of them did. At least they had the sense not to both let their victim go and risk her escaping or calling the cops. Bad news for Maki, but she supposed she would have to deal with thugs that had two brain cells to rub together from time to time. "Oh, you shouldn't have done that." Her attacker growled.

"Oh, I know. Seeing that picture is going to be such a turn off if I do get laid tonight." Maki snapped back a witty retort. The man approaching her was cautious, and more than a head taller than her. Within the tight confines of the alley, she wouldn't be able to make use of her smaller frame and better agility. Mostly. The guy stank of alcohol, though, so she guessed he probably wouldn't be too sharp or quick to react. She remembered a lesson Ted taught her before though - never underestimate the power of stupidity and rage. Besides, he just needed to get lucky and land a punch and she was sure it would send her flying.

"I'll show you getting laid you bit-" He swung at her, but he obviously had no training. He pulled his arm back, announcing his intention and leaving himself wide open. Maki had rolled up the sleeves of her uniform and even in the dim light he had to be able to see her muscle and know she wasn't some weak girl who had more good intentions than actual sense. Her fist snapped out before he was even ready to swing his own forwards and she caught his throat, causing him to lose all his momentum and stumble from the blow, gagging and coughing. She hadn't hit him hard enough to do any real damage, but a swift kick to his temple her booted foot settled that fight.

"Shit." His accomplice cursed, or maybe he was describing what he was doing now, letting go of the girl and scrambling to his feet. He pulled out a knife and Maki halted. Okay, this changed things. She was ready to take on a drunken brawl, but a drunk with a knife was dangerous, if not to herself than to the girl on the floor behind her next opponent.

"Walk away. I just want the girl safe." Maki tried negotiating, hoping talking some sense to this guy would work. Panic, alcohol and rage were not a good combination for that, however, as the guy charged anyway. She was right beside another dumpster and it narrowed the space she had to move and dodge the knife - fuck it - Maki activated her ability, one she didn't like using in a fight because it felt like cheating and she didn't want to risk stepping on the girl, but she appeared just behind the guy, who just gave a confused "Huh?" as Maki materialized behind him. He was off balance since her body didn't stop his knife for him, and all she had to do was grab the back of his head and slam him into the lid of the dumpster as he slumped to the ground with a groan.

She would have managed a snarky quip then, but the girl was more important. She was still very drunk and trying to stand, but the events that happened to her still had her trembling. Maki helped the girl up, consoling her and helping her back into the bar through the staff entrance. She laid the girl down on the bench in their changing room, placed a jacket over the girl to keep her warm and another beneath her head as a pillow, after someone brought her an aspirin and some water. They simply shook their head with a wry smile at Maki as they left, muttering something about her always finding trouble. She shrugged it off, since she was used to her reputation here. The girl had to be barely eighteen, and soon fell asleep.

---

Maki was changing out of her uniform at the end of her shift and into her usual clothes when she heard someone whisper "An angel..." from behind her. She turned around and saw the girl from before, apparently waking up. Maki had just stripped off her dress shirt and no doubt the girl mistook her tattoo for an angel's wings or something. She pulled on her tank top and settled down beside the girl, making sure she was okay. "I'm not exactly an angel, ask anyone I work with." Maki managed to say with a dry smile. "You alright?"

The girl nodded. "Thanks for saving me. I was... really drunk. Got into a fight with my sister at home and... it was stupid. I'm Sarah."

"Maki." She introduced herself, and got back up to continue changing. "Well, if you're feeling up to it, I'll call a cab and send you home."

That she did, thought Maki went with Sarah just to make sure nothing else happened along the way. There was a frantic rush to open the door when Sarah knocked, and her sister's face was a mixture of relief and worry as she saw who it was at her door. The usual exchange of worried family members took place, apologies for the earlier fight were made, and Sarah was ushered back into her home gladly. As Maki turned to leave, however, she was stopped by Sarah's sister.

"Hey, miss! Thanks for bringing my sister back." Maki flashed one of her charming smiles and waved it off.

"It was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing, it's Christmas! Why don't you come in and have a seat?" Maki turned around again to reject the offer and then she noticed Sarah's sister was a redhead. And really pretty. She laughed to herself at an inside joke only she understood and nodded. "I'd love to."

Basic Information

Name: Eva Chilver
Nickname/Alias/Etc: Earth Mother, Tree-Hugger, Hippie, elf
Gender: Female
Age:19 (Selena’s twin)
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 140 lbs
Home District:

Appearance

Hair Color: Platinum blonde.
Eye Color: Brown
Ethnicity:She is 1/4th Greek, 1/4th Italian, and 1/2 Cherokee.

Physical Appearance: Being Selena’s identical twin, Eva looks like Selena minus the angry tomboy ensemble. When one sees Eva, a sense of calm and peace washes over them, as if they were looking at a beautiful painting or nature scene. Like her sister, Selena has a very firm, fit body, though she does not possess the same muscle tone. She has the body of a dancer, with graceful limbs and somewhat broad shoulders. She looks almost immaculately healthy, with a little mediterranean olive complexion, contrary to her hair color. Her skin isn’t as dark as Salena’s, as if she spends her outside time in the shade. She walks with an overarching sense of grace and poise, never seeming to trip or stumble no matter what she’s walking on. Eva has a somewhat humble attitude and body language. She looks down when she walks and looks whoever she’s addressing in the eyes when she speaks. She almost always looks happy, usually wearing some version of a kind smile. Her hands are smooth and her body devoid of any kind of scarring. Her face looks very similar to Selena’s, heart-shaped with high cheekbones, a small forehead, and beautiful brown eyes speckled with green. She is incredibly beautiful, and her default facial expression seems to be a kind smile. If it weren’t for her sister’s toughness, they’d look completely identical.

Her voice is high and melodic, the makings of a good singer. It’s about an octave above your average woman’s voice. She very rarely laughs more than a quiet chuckle. When Eva gets angry, she seems to go into a shell and naturally draw away. Her smile disappears and she has a habit of hugging herself tightly, as if very cold. Eva’s hair is always a bright blonde, though as the moon grows fuller it seems to become more silver. Eva takes a lot of care of her long hair, usually keeping it in a braid which lays across her left shoulder.

Attire: Unlike Selena, who dresses pragmatically, Eva dresses fashionably. She loves dresses, wearing them even in winter. Anything made of fur immediately repulses her. Her clothing changes a fair bit according to the season. In springtime she’ll wear yellows, seafoam greens, and light purples. In summer she wears whites and bright pastel oranges and reds. In Autumn she dresses more earthy, wearing light browns, tans, and greens. In winter, she dresses in whites and greys. Her favorite article of clothing is a flowing white sundress with a golden belt that she wears on a fairly regular basis. Eva generally wears flats or pumps when out on the town, but generally dislikes shoes, choosing not to wear them when at home or in the woods. If it’s cold out, Eva will wear a shawl or sweater over whatever dress she’s wearing as well as thermal leggings.

Personality

Personality: Contrary to her sister, Eva is very motherly and kind. She’s gentle and sweet, with many social graces and ladylike qualities. She’s a very smart and rational girl, and is a pacifist, often avoiding a fight in any way possible. Eva can be somewhat judgemental, believing herself to be a good judge of character simply by a look in someone’s eyes or their body language. Though she tends to categorize and stereotype those she meets, she’s very forgiving and will give others a second chance. Eva absolutely hates lying and will not associate herself with those who do it.

Eva is somewhat competitive, but not in the fighting or hunting aspect. No, Eva wins fights with her mind. She has a fox-like sense of cunning and has worked hard to figure ways out of situations that do not require violence. She is very good at reading others from their body languages or stuff like that, and is good at picking up innuendoes or subtext. As stated above, Eva is a pacifist and avoids fights when at all possible. She is a vegetarian because she cannot stand to eat something which was once an animal, and absolutely cannot stand animal skins or mounted heads, finding them to be extremely offensive.

Eva has a love of nature. She spends the majority of her time in the woods, playing with or tracking animals. She loves hiking, tree-climbing, swimming, kayaking, stuff like that. She is generally opposed to city life, preferring to live in the country where there’s less pollution and honking horns. When she is in the city, Eva finds herself daydreaming, often staring out of the window at birds flying by or trees growing. If she is completely cut off from nature, like in a brick room with no windows, she quickly breaks down and can have panic attacks.

Socially, Eva is fairly extroverted. She has a natural grace when talking to people and has had many a boyfriend in her time. She is appalled by smokers, however, and generally tends to avoid them at all costs. She once went ballistic when a classmate blew a puff of cigarette smoke in her face. She tries to be somewhat ladylike and proper, but can lose her temper occasionally and shrink away to contain herself. When Eva is angry or upset, she goes into a kind of antisocial shell where she’ll draw away from people and stop speaking. It is not uncommon for her to cry when in this state. Depending on how much isolation she can achieve and the season (it’s worst in the winter), Eva’s blue periods can last days.

Hobbies/Interests: She spends incredible amounts of time out in nature; hiking, exploring, tree-climbing, playing with animals, tracking, etc. She loves dancing and playing/listening to music. She plays flute, a little violin, and wants to learn piano. Eva’s music library contains mostly pop, light indie rock (like John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, etc.), and country music. She’s a fan of Lindsey Stirling as well. She’s good with making arts and crafts, especially dreamcatchers, which she learned how to make from a friend of her’s. She has a seeming obsession with good-smelling candles, always keeping them around her shared house with Salena to keep everything nice-smelling.

Skills/Talents: Eva is incredibly dexterous, flexible, and graceful. Dancing and gymnastics have given her an excellent sense of coordination, making her an excellent climber (though that also has a little bit to do with her power). She’s not particularly good with new languages, and has no clue how to fight whatsoever. She’s a very good flute player and sings excellently. From Salena she has learn a lot of good wilderness survival skills. She’d make a good boyscout. She’s a decent cook, just good enough to do things like bake bread and make pasta and stuff.

Prized Possession: Eva really doesn’t particularly care for possessions, though she loves her white dress. She has a pet kingfisher named Halcyon which lives in a large bird cage in her room and is released on a regular basis to fly around. She owns a Nissan Leaf, an electric car, so as to keep the environment less polluted.

Quote(s): “Well hello there, little squirrel. How are you doing today? oh dear, an owl ate your family? I’m so sorry!”

History/Bio: Eva Chilver was born one minute and five seconds before her twin sister Selena. Eva’s mother left when she was very young. She doesn’t know what happened to her, though has always been curious. For the first few years of her life, she bounced back and forth between her uncle and father with her sister. Her father worked on an oil rig, and so was gone for many months of the year. From an early age, Eva showed herself to be good with animals and people alike. People felt comfortable around her, and she was quite the social butterfly. She was smart, too, and her dancing and gymnastics hobbies kept her graceful and ladylike, unlike her sister. When Eva turned ten, she was offered a scholarship to go to a prestigious boarding school in New York for her dancing. Knowing that this would give his daughter a better life than he could give her, Eva’s father allowed her to go, and for four years Eva lived at the boarding school, learning expert dancing and becoming rather intelligent. Eva rejoined her twin in school at age fifteen, now drastically different from her. Unlike Selena, Eva did fairly well in school, having a knack for biology and environmental science. Through some act of luck, Eva received a half scholarship to Boardwalk University, where she studies environmental science. After finding out that her sister also planned to move to Black Fall, Eva and Selena decided to rent a house within driving distance of the university together so that they’d be away from the city and closer to nature.

Family: Father, uncle, some cousins, though she doesn’t know them very well.

Relationships

Selena Chilver | Good | Sister | I love Selena. She’s a great sister, but I wish she weren’t so violent, and that she’d learn how to dress better. |

Fred Macroshelys | Good | Friend | Though on first sight one would assume Fred to be a terrible ogre, but he’s really a very nice man. He makes great soups too. I stop by his home every once in a while. |

Abilities

Power Class & Rating: Other
Power: Earth Mother. Almost the polar opposite of her sister, Eva is the queen of nature. Whenever any living being, be it a human, an animal, or even a plant, is near Eva, they feel an aura of reassurance and warmth. Eva’s presence naturally calms living things nearby, decreasing aggression. Prey animals like deer, rabbits, and rodents seem to flock to Eva when she is near, and predators bow their heads and stop their hunting at sight of her. At her touch, living things often find their natural abilities to be strengthened. Plants grow taller and greener and animals find their senses and natural instincts increased by the touch of her hand. This limitedly affects humans but does not strengthen supernatural abilities. Simply Eva’s presence has an effect on the wildlife around her. The leaves of trees above her thicken in her presence, providing her shade, and animals bow their heads at her presence. This ability does not affect animal metas as much as it affects normal animals, but they too seem to have a sort of reverence for Eva, and are greatly calmed down in her presence.

Eva can communicate with animals as well. They seem to understand her speech and she understands the sounds they make. Animals naturally respect her, and wild animals address her as “Earth-mother”. She communicates best with mammals, but can also do the same with birds. If around her long enough, animals will begin to obey her commands, like a deer named Actaeon, who follows Eva and protects her when she’s in the woods. If a wild animal sees Eva in danger, it will attempt to defend her. While Eva is unable to communicate with plants as well as with animals, she has the ability to limitedly command plants. She climbs trees so well because at her touch the trees grow footholds to help her climb safer. When she is trying to hide, plants grow thicker around her, shrouding her from sight. If Eva were to fall from a tree, the plants below her would grow thicker leaves to cushion her fall. Branches strengthen themselves when Eva crawls along them, adding to her excellent tree-climbing ability. If she is in major trouble, hard-stemmed plants like trees will actually change their shape to protect her (causing some really wonky-shaped trees in the woods). Being pure, Eva has the ability to clean water of disease or dirt with her touch.

Another aspect of Eva’s power is that she has the power to replicate the aspects of animals. By touching them, Eva can copy evolutionary advantages which animals possess, like the gills and flippers of a fish or the agility and keen sense of smell of a deer. Once she touches the animal, she can use the animal’s ability for approximately twenty-four hours before it fades away. Using this ability slightly changes Eva’s physical characteristics to a degree. For example, if Eva replicates the adaptations of a deer, her face could be elongated slightly and her nose could turn black, or if she replicated a lemur she would gain its prehensile tail, opposable feet, and some vestigial characteristics such as a light coat of fur. Her first ability actually assists her second one, as non-domestic animals become calm around her. She can control whether or not the aspects of an animal are expressed or not, so as to avoid walking somewhere with the nose and fur of a deer or something.

And yes, she can fly if she touches a large bird.

Weaknesses/Drawbacks: Well first and most obviously, the first half of Eva’s powers only work in rural environments. The concrete jungle is simply not her cup of tea. When not in nature, Eva gets somewhat jumpy and loses most of her abilities. There are no plants to catch your fall when you’re in the middle of a city block with no trees. Eva’s animal magnetism also does not work very well on domesticated creatures, as they are detached from nature. The better trained an animal is, they less they will obey her. Eva is weakened by pollution, another reason why she doesn’t live in the city. When exposed to large amounts of carbon dioxide or smoke, she exhibits the symptoms of an asthma attack. Polluted water burns Eva’s skin (I know this seems like it contradicts her water purifying power, but her pollution cleaning has to be activated). Another slight problem with Eva’s power is that it just so happens to be winter, meaning that she loses some of her abilities (there’s no leaves to cushion your fall in winter). Also, most animals are hibernating or have migrated south, so she has less to control.

As far as the secondary animal replication goes, Eva is confined to use of one animal at a time. If she replicates the aspect of another animal, she loses the aspects of whatever animal she already had in her. Eva cannot choose what aspects of an animal she gets. The power only works on non-domestic animals (unless she owns the animal herself), so she cannot copy the aspects of your average pet dog or cat. Eva is confined to the traits of female animals as well, being female. This means that things like the antlers of a deer buck or the tusks of a bull elephant will not replicate for her, even if she does replicate a male animal. If Eva replicates a male animal, she remains female with female animal characteristics. Also, she has to actually touch the animal, so going to a zoo or something won’t help her unless she breaks into the tiger cage. Finally, Eva lives in Black Fall, Pennsylvania, not the African savannah or the South American jungle. She’s not exactly going to find a tiger wandering through the ghetto or a wild monkey swinging between the power lines. Eva is confined to what animals she has to work with, which are generally your usual North American animals like deer, foxes, wolves, bears, hawks, etc. For some reason, Eva cannot replicated bugs.

Other: Eva lives with her sister Selena in a two-story stone house near the edge of the Black Fall woods. It is a rather old-looking house, and it’s a wonder that the two could afford such a building.

Also on a quick note, Eva’s power has convinced her of a pantheistic view of theology. Like the Native Americans, Eva believes that God is in all living things, from a squirrel to a tree to a person. This isn’t an overly-important aspect, but she generally doesn’t like killing things, and when she does she’s generally somewhat apologetic.

Sample Post: Like a splendid doe Eva Chilver raced through the forest, graceful as a ballerina as the skirt of her dress floated behind her feet. Though it was cold and winter, she wore no sleeves and did not appear to feel the cold. Her bare feet kissed off of the snow with every step, oddly enough leaving no footprints. She came upon a fallen tree propped against another and nimbly climbed its trunk, unaffected by ice which clung to the bark. She ran through a fork in the next tree and vaulted into another, landing on a branch that seemed too thin to hold her weight. The branch did not waver in the slightest, however, and Eva crawled along it and climbed across to the top of the trunk, where she rested as a soft wind began to blow through the woods. The woods were quiet now that the stream had frozen, and a thin layer of snow laid across the ground and tree branches. Eva heard a crunching below her; Fred must be taking a walk. She looked down at the tremendous turtle-like man below her and then continued to climb through the trees like a squirrel, never once losing her footing even when clamoring on icy branches. She moved with grace and poise like a dancer.
She came to the end of the row of trees and rested on the top branch. In front of her was an enormous oak, bare of leaves and rocketing high above all of the other trees. It was the eldest of all the trees in the wood and happened to be the only tree which Eva had yet to climb. Perched upon the top branches of the tree she was in, she squatted down low and launched herself at the trunk of the great tree. She held on tight to the thick bark, though there seemed to be nothing to hold onto, and quickly began to scramble up the bark like it was a climbing wall. As she approached the top of the tree, she could feel something very wrong. The hand-holds she had been using to hoist herself along the tree were beginning to disappear. As she approached the top of the tree, she pulled herself up onto a branch and heard a loud, definitive “crack!”. She jumped up in the air and grabbed onto a branch above her as the branch below her cracked and fell to the ground where it turned to splinters. Cracks began to echo through the tree as the trunk shook and shuddered. Eva willed the tree to stop, but dead wood was useless to her. A monstrous roar echoed through the trees as the branch Eva held onto split and fell from the tree.
Nearly fifty feet she fell, far enough to kill. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. Just as she was about to hit the ground, something soft and vine-like grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in. A nearby pine tree grabbed her out of midair and wrapped itself almost snakelike around her as the tree collapsed. As she curled into a ball and the pine tree’s soft branches wrapped around her to keep her safe from harm, she connected to the tree. She felt what it felt and sensed what it sensed, and it was beautiful. It was near-impossible to describe, the senses of a tree. The sweet smell of pine needles filled her nostrils and the tree gripped tighter as the sound of roots pulling from the earth echoed through the trees and the trunk struck the ground with a mighty “BOOM!”
The tree unfurled and Eva gently stepped to the ground before the connection to the tree fell silent. She looked over and saw that in its efforts, a massive branch from the oak struck the base of the pine tree and snapped its narrow trunk. She knelt before the dying tree as it resumed its natural shape and began to die. She placed her hands on its trunk and felt its pain. Once more her breaths were filled with the smell of pine needles.

“Thank you, my dear friend.” she said “You have saved my life, and I will be forever grateful.” The tree remained motionless, but she could feel it trembling in her mind. It was strange to feel what a tree felt, completely indescribable with human terms. As she touched the bark of the tree and ran her fingers through the pine needles, the tree felt happy. Then it’s feelings left her and the smell disappeared as the tree died.

Basic Information

Name: Achille Sinagra
Nickname/Alias/Etc: Leeroy Brown (to his grandfather), 'Ringmaster' (to his coworkers), 'Caesar' (those who know him at the Columbia Theatre House)
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Height: 6'5" or 195 cm
Weight: 220 lbs or 99 kg
Home District: The Northlands

Appearance

Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Green
Ethnicity: Caucasian. Primarily of Italian/Roman and Irish descent.
Physical Appearance:

If there was ever a word to describe Achille, it would be statuesque. For more reason than one. Towering above most people his age and dressed spick and span, Achille is both easily recognizable by those who know him and a point of interest for those who don't. Often wearing a bright smile or a wry grin, Achille exudes an air of cheerfulness and laid back enjoyment wherever he goes. His movements are often purposely exaggerated and his size combined with the length of his legs and arms often make such exaggeration all the more comedic to behold, something he is both aware of and always taking advantage of to get a smile out of people. Of all his features Achille is quite possibly the most proud of his beard. Thick, well groomed and kept to an exact length of two and a half inches, Achille insists that his showmanship and people skills are derived entirely from his facial hair. "Much like that one guy in the bible who beat a bunch of people to death with a donkey or something." as he is fond of stating. Along with his beard Achille is blessed (or cursed depending on your preference) with all the features that mark him as having a strong Roman heritage. Bright green almond shaped eyes, pronounced cheekbones, a defined jawline, and a nose any Princep would gladly have carved into stone all combine to give Achille the appearance of a Statesman reborn.

Achille's beard isn't the only hair on his body of course and his Italian genes have seen fit to make sure he is never at a loss for hair across his body. With a head of thick, black hair on top of his head and more covering his legs, thighs, arms and chest it's a wonder he doesn't have difficulty swimming from all the added resistance. His eyebrows bring to mind large bushy caterpillars, albeit better groomed ones. His hair is generally left to do as it pleases and he keeps it cut in such a way that it at least stays off his forehead, ears and neck. Even without the physical demands of his work, Achille keeps himself in shape, working out on a daily basis whenever possible and taking many a weekend off to enjoy a bit of the outdoors. While he's far from having a six pack or guns worthy of the gun show, he is pleased to at least boast an above average amount of muscle with a bit of fat to balance things out. His body shape could best be defined as trapezium. Numerous accidents of varying severity with his ability have left him with a few scars, the most noticeable being a two inch scar on his left cheeckbone.

Attire:

As one might guess of someone who comes from no small amount of money and holds a career in putting on a show, Achille dresses to impress (though exactly WHO he's trying to impress is a question nobody is sure about.) Around his place of work Achille is often sporting the full ringmaster attire, top hat, high boots, black trousers and fancy long tailed coat all included. Outside of work however he restricts himself to more modern clothing choices. Oftentimes this consists of dress shoes, pants and shirts, a tie of one form or another, and a vest. Wet weather (which is not uncommon in Black Fall of course) usually calls for a dress coat and scarf, the latter of which Achille has no shortage of. Despite his access to and preference for dress clothing he also has a sizable collection of more casual wear that he changes into whenever he's doing anything that might involve getting dirty or sweaty. His favorite of these is a shirt simply reading "Mega Milk" on the front. After an incident where his sister accidentally borrowed the shirt Achille has since kept it locked away to preserve his sanity.

Personality

Personality:

To strangers Achille seems to be a very cheerful, if somewhat strange, young man who is always greeting others with a smile and a bright hello. He has a seemingly unshakeable love of people regardless of who they are and he find it difficult to think negatively about anyone. He's quick to initiate conversation with those he doesn't know, often shamelessly sharing details about himself that most people would reserve for close friends. In conversation he is both laid back and warm, clearly enjoying every moment spent in his opposites company. While he's not the smartest person around, Achille does seem to possess a natural affinity for getting on with people and shaping social situations to his liking with the ease of a skilled potter working clay. Honesty is something that comes naturally to him and he speaks in such a way that could be described as both polite, but to the point.

Actions come easier to Achille than thinking things through, something that has often led him into trouble in the past. Regardless of the sometimes negative impacts of this, Achille is adamant that he follows what his heart tells him is right. As far as he's concerned that includes avoiding violence except as a last resort for self defense, helping others when possible, and trying to make everyone's day a little bit better. He associates the most with an egalitarian worldview, seeing nearly everyone as being worthy of respect and a kind word regardless of who they were born to or what they are. As such he is an adamant fighter against ignorance and the concepts of revenge and getting even. It goes without saying that because of his hatred of violence Achille is protective of nearly anyone, which can be difficult at times as that also encompasses those who wish to do him harm on occasion. He believes in self sacrifice for the good of the many, so long as the one doing the sacrificing is himself.

All of that being said however, Achille is not all smiles and sunbeams. In the company of his family, with the exception of his grandfather Ermes and sister Eo, Achille becomes sullen and withdrawn, rarely speaking up or responding to stimuli outside of grunts and slight gestures. To his father he is nothing if not cold, either outright ignoring him or, when pressed, responding curtly and with no hint of warmth in his voice. On several occasions their arguments have exploded into shouting matches that have led Achille to seclude himself in his room for several days before recovering his signature bright eyes smile. While he is a forgiving person who tries to see the good in everyone, Achille has a specific distaste for those who believe violence and hatred can be used to achieve good things, making his disdain for their existence quite clear by the hardness in his expression and the way he speaks to them. It has been noted by his coworkers that Achille is almost terrifyingly hard on himself, demanding perfection from nobody but himself when it comes to his acts and holding himself to such a high moral standard that others have wondered if he might break should a day come that those morals put someone at risk.

Careful observers might note that Achille does not, in fact, have any close friends and almost seems to go out of his way at times to avoid obtaining any. Those who knew Achille when he was younger but have only recently gotten in touch with him again have noted that he is significantly different than he used to be. He is always quick to change the subject.

Hobbies/Interests:

Achille's main interests revolve primarily around his line of work. Juggling, fire-breathing, tightrope walking, animal taming, lady... beard... growing. You get the idea. If it pertains to the people who work with him or the business of running a circus in question, it interests Achille. Outside of his work however Achille has a sizable amount of other interests and even a few hobbies with which to pass the time.

"No matter how much you kiss it, your body pillow will never love you back": Achille, despite himself, enjoys his chinese cartoons as much as the next man. While he is (thankfully) far from being a Japan obsessed, socially stunted shut in who gets sweaty at the thought of Waifu-chan's sweet bosoms flapping in the wind, Achille secretly prides himself on his pointless knowledge on a large number of Japan's finest 2D creations. Kamen Rider is a guilty pleasure for him, though he refuses to admit it. He may or may not also be a member of a series of image boards where he argues with people about things related to this interest that would make his parents even more disappointed in him (if that were physically possible of course. Read: It isn't.)

"Et tu, Brute?": Theater! The lights, the sounds, the music, the stories! What more could one man ask for? (a few more stabbings now and then wouldn't hurt the plays Achille thinks but other than that nothing) Achille has attended more than half of the events, performances, or talent searches held at the Columbia Theatre House since the age of seven, all thanks to the patronage of his grandfather, Ermes. By far his favorite production, and the one he's always made a point of attending regardless of his situation in life, is Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar". The actors and crew who know him are aware of this and have taken to calling him 'Caesar' whenever he's about. Achille can likely recite the entire thing by heart at this point.

"Ok but why's the black guy always gotta die first?": Horror movies and horror movies accessories. If its drenched in blood, screaming its head off, or just generally causing puddles of piddle in the cinema, Achille is there in a heartbeat. Almost as devout a cinema follower as he is a theater goer, Achille doesn't much care for most of the modern films being produced these days, instead preferring to look at the 80's and early 90's to satisfy his hunger for cinematic goodness. If the effects aren't practical then it isn't worth watching.

"Everything else": Achille's remaining interests include: Fishing, diving, avoiding family, camping, writing pun laden lit-erotica to post online, sleeping the entire way through a fourth of his days off, and failing to lose the 'Single and Available' status that still hangs like a raincloud over the social media page he created back in middle school but hasn't quite gotten around to deleting yet. He generally hangs out at any spot in the city currently playing jazz music or selling fine food.

Skills/Talents: Despite his interest in the work of his coworkers, Achille has little actual grasp on how to go about emulating what they do. Lions yawn at him, the tightrope throws him off, and the clown car has been totaled at least four times. He has managed to attain some level of skill with throwing knives thanks to losing quite a few bets with the knife throwers, but even then the farthest distance he can boast to accurately hit is little more than 15 feet. There are however things that he can claim to be, if not good, at the very least competent at.

"Look Ma! No hands!": The tightrope may elude Achille but acrobatics are another matter. Aided in no small part by his Hexes, Achille is quite proud of his ability to find new ways to make the crowds that cluster his humble entertainment house gasp in awe with seemingly death defying feats of acrobatic grace. From clearing sizable gaps to leaping over flaming obstacles, he does it all with showmanship and grace.

"It's not my fault I rolled a nat 18 on Charisma": Achille is nothing if not an entertainer and a people person. As someone who genuinely likes people and enjoys understanding them, he takes great pleasure in making others laugh, smile, or at least frown in a humorous way. Bad puns, enthusiastic conversation, a bright smile and sweeping gestures all combine to make Achille a very charismatic, if a bit strange, person.

"Hello. Have you heard of our Lord and Savior, Bread?": Achille can't cook in the slightest. Even microwave Ramen gives the tall, bearded young man a bit of trouble. Strangely enough however, baking (or at least bread baking) is quite the opposite. From shortbread to ice cream bread, Achille has tried it all. Some have come out magnificently, some have burnt to a crisp. Others have taken on sentient existences and currently write angry blog posts about yeast oppression. Always on the lookout for new recipes, it's not uncommon to find Achille wandering the bakeries of Black Fall early in the morning.

"All I'm saying is, if we had a horse for senator things would improve. Right?": Achille may have just barely passed most of his highschool courses, but History was never on that list. Likely due in part to his love of theater and the stories behind the plays themselves, he has always had a thirst for knowledge of the past and the lessons it can teach. Unsurprisingly, knowledge surrounding the Roman empire is high on his list of subjects he can boast extensive information about.

"OK, sure. You could punch him in the face. But you could also NOT get tried for assault and battery.": Violence is bad. While it may feel good and even have some short term benefits for one party, there are only rare cases in history where it has led to anything good down the line. Knowing this, and armed with both his charm and love of people, Achille is always looking for ways to settle things with words and possibly an ice cream cone. He's managed to defuse many a nasty situation on the streets and in his own circus with honeyed words, some well timed jokes, and a tone of voice that shows he cares.

Prized Possession: A top hat of high quality make. Given to him by one of his coworkers, a former ringmaster himself, when he first created his circus, Achille keeps this prized hat close and safe. The coworker in question has since moved on to other things, though Achille keeps him updated on the status of the magnificent hat.
Quote(s):

"People are shitters sure. Mean, rude, violent, and generally nasty. But at the end of the day I don't think that makes anyone a bad person at heart. It's the ones who are none of those things that I worry about."

"If you can make it big in the Big Top you can make it anywhere."

"You know, I'm an accepting guy. I don't care who you are or where you're from or even what you rub your fiddly bits with. But mimes are fucking terrifying."

"I could be laying in the pouring rain with my body broken and my lifeblood flowing into the sewer grates like a red river, and I'd still never call for my dad."

"Nobody is perfect. The ones who are haven't lived."

History/Bio:

Achille Sinagra was born into the world during a record breaking snowstorm on December 27th, 1992 at the Red Wing Medical Center in the city of Black Fall. Born alongside Achille was his brother Dionisio, a surprise bonus as far as their father was concerned. Making his fortune via stocks and banking, their father Severiano Sinagra was one of Black Fall's most influential and wealthy figures and he made certain that his two newborn sons lived their earliest years in comfort and security. Their mother Caitlin Sinagra held the belief that her children should be left to their own devices, more focused on continuing her work as a surgeon once they were old enough to walk on their own than raising them herself. As such, Achille's earliest memories were filled with days spent alone with his brother in their expansive mansion, roaming the empty hallways and little used chambers as they pleased. As the years went by the twins grew closer, accompanying one another in pre-school, kindergarten, and all through the fifth grade. By that time their sister, Eo, had been born and the two young boys took great pride in watching after her once their mother returned once more to focusing on her work. The absence of parenting was not restricted to their mother however, as despite his love of his children Severiano was rarely at home. Instead, much of the necessary life lessons the young Sinagra children were taught came at the hands of their grandparents, Ermes and Flavia Sinagra.

Unlike their son, Ermes and Flavia had made their own fortune in the entertainment industry as a comedy and film duo, retired stars in the industry who still garnered respect from critics and remained patron of the entertainment arts. To the Sinagra children Ermes and Flavia were surrogate parents, filling in the holes left by their absent ones. Achille was encouraged early on to take up some form of acting, the wild tales and strange jokes his young mind created drawing interest from his grandparents. It was they who attended his school plays and witnessed his beaming face as the spotlight fell on him and he turned a room full of mildly bored adults into a room of smiling faces. Such unusually high charisma drew quite a lot of attention to the young boy, and Achille went through much of his early life surrounded by friends and acquaintances of all sorts. As is often the case however, this also led to him becoming a target for bullies and jealousy. Fights become commonplace to Achille and Dionisio as the two were always backing one another up against their harassers. It was during one such fight that the two young boys discovered their meta-human nature. The two were only ten years old at the time.

Twins in more ways than one, Achille and Dionisio shared the same ability to repel and exert kinetic energy, something that might have brought the two closer together. Instead, Achille and his twin began to drift apart, separated into different boarding schools by their parents who feared their sons might bring unwanted attention if they made public use of their untrained powers. For a time the two maintained contact via messages, but eventually even that stopped. Achille turned to the library and theater to fill yet another hole in his life left by an absent family member. That, and the near constant NEST checkups and evaluations, kept him busy for several years. As time went on and he was all but forgotten by his parents, the absence of any close family members changed Achille for the worse. Gone was the smiling, warm young boy who had enthusiastically stumbled headfirst through the entirety of 'McBeth', replaced instead by a colder, more cruel young man who used his charisma to mock and belittle others. The number of fights he was engaged in grew exponentially with each passing year until Achille found himself hanging out alongside youth gangs and taking part in back alley brawls. With each passing year and each new fight the young meta-human learned to better control his power, much to the dismay of those pitted against him.

It wasn't until Achille turned 17 that he was reunited with his brother. As bad as Achille had become, Dionisio was worse. Always the more ornery and easily angered of the two, Dionisio had taken to bullying others far quicker than his brother. Unlike Achille who had kept his violent behavior a secret from their family, Dionisio had reveled in it and made certain his parents were aware. It was their decision to place the two in the same school once more, hoping that Achille might bring his brother to his senses. To a small degree it worked, as Achille kept his twin from causing trouble at their school. To his parents Achille was still the same cheery young man who enjoyed the theater and history books, though his father would have preferred he focus on his studies and work towards a career in banking. Off campus however the twins were an unholy terror, engaging in fights on a near daily basis and narrowly avoiding a run in with the law on several occasions. This trend continued until the two turned 18, culminating in a single event that ended with Dionisio being found guilty for murder and incarcerated, but not before revealing to their parents that Achille had encouraged and shared in his behavior. Placing the blame for Dionisio's actions on their remaining son, Achille's parents sent him off to his newly widowed grandfather, adamant that he return only when he had become an acceptable member of society.

Ermes, despite the loss of his wife, took on the task of changing his grandson for the better with a fiery passion. Dragging the young man to abuse shelters he forced Achille to witness the aftermath of violence and the pain it leaves behind, tasking him with sitting in on the group therapy sessions that were held so that he could hear for himself just how much actions and attitudes like his could cost people. Achille lived the next two years in a similar fashion, accompanying his grandfather to lectures on the effects of violence and hate, and tracking down the people he had hurt to ask for forgiveness. For the first year or so Achille went along with his grandfathers wishes to avoid conflict, not really taking to heart any of the lessons he was being taught. Over time however Achille was becoming more and more affected by the stories he heard and the people he met. He began to see just how deeply he had scared others and how his actions had led to others lashing out in turn, setting off a chain reaction of violence and hate that left untold people hurt. Slowly but surely, Achille was changing for the better, taking a bigger part in the group therapy sessions that he sat in on and engaging with the victims on a more personal level, unknowingly using his charisma to lift others up around him.

The final nail in the coffin of his old self came one day as his grandfather introduced him to the parents of the young woman that Dionisio had killed. Expecting and fully prepared to be berated, hated and even assaulted, Achille was shocked to find that they had forgiven not only him, but also Dionisio for what had occurred. With tears in his eyes he had thanked them, vowing to try and keep anyone else from ending up like he and his brother had become. From there life improved significantly for Achille, at least in most ways. Ermes, using his influence and contacts within the entertainment industry, was able to find Achille a job in the newly restored Black Fall Big Top, a circus troupe that had settled in the city years before but only recently reentered the spotlight as an entertainment attraction. With his restored charm and a strong new love of people, Achille was able to earn himself the place of Ringmaster alongside his role as an acrobat. Moving back in with his family, Achille also reconnected with his sister Eo who had recently discovered her own meta-human abilities and was planning on using them to assist NEST in their endeavors.

With little experience as an acrobat, Achille has spent the past two years growing comfortable in and learning his role to the fullest, his added position as Ringmaster earning him recognition in the entertainment industry as time has passed. Still blaming him for the actions of his twin, the relationship between Achille and his parents has not improved in the slightest and quite possibly falling further into ruin with each fight that occurs between father and son over Achille's career choice. For the time being however, Achille is happy and enjoying life, doing his best to make up for his past actions all the while by making sure others feel the same.

Family:

Grandfather - Ermes Sinagra - 86 years of age
Grandmother - Flavia Sinagra - Deceased at the age of 80
Father - Severiano Sinagra - 51 years of age
Mother - Caitlin Sinagra [Formerly Caitlin O'Dell] - 53 years of age
Sister - Eo Sinagra - 17 years of age - Meta-Human - NEST Trainee
Twin Brother - Dionisio Sinagra - Meta-Human - Currently Incarcerated

Relationships

Abilities

Power Class & Rating: Elemental 6
Power:

Hex Repulsion

Achille possesses the meta-human ability to create translucent hexagonal 'plates' of kinetic force anywhere around his body (More specifically they form about two inches above the surface of his skin) that repel anything from a punch to (untested but theoretically possible) bullets. The Hexes (as he's taken to calling them) in question are never larger in size then one foot in height and two feet in width. Attackers or other physical objects that strike the Hexes are repulsed with a force equal to 3/4th of their own force while energy type projectiles are more likely to be deflected or held at bay. By stacking hexes vertically Achille can create larger barriers at the cost of leaving any part of him not covered by the 3x2 area open for attack. In addition to repelling danger, Achille has learned to make use of his Hexes in other ways.

By repelling himself away from a solid object or another person, Achille can launch himself in nearly any direction at alarming speed. This technique is useful not only for dodging but also for booking it when the going gets tough. This technique can also be used to repel Achille while in the air, allowing him to control direction and descent, however the effect is greatly reduced. The third use that he has learned offensive in nature, though given his nonviolent nature and aversion towards fighting or hostilities, Achille is still learning to master this particular technique. While his Hexes may repel outward forces at only 3/4th of their own force they seem to have no limit to the force they pack themselves outside of the limit placed by Achille's own energy.. By placing a Hex (or pooling the force of the others) in front of any blow he delivers Achille can deliver devastating, if unrefined attacks. Using this to increase the force behind thrown objects is also possible. Practice on props and dummies has allowed Achille some rough control over the amount of force expelled, though he has yet to break past the upper limit.

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

One of the largest drawbacks to Achille's ability is the limited number of Hexes he can maintain at a single moment before suffering negative affects. That limit is three. A time limit is also in place. If a single plate is maintained longer than two seconds Achille will begin to experience intense headaches, bleeding from the nose, and dizziness. Maintaining more than three Hexes at a single moment will result in a rapid decline of Achille's internal bodily functions for as long as they are maintained, starting with temporary (or permanent depending on the number of Hexes and the length of time that they are maintained) loss of sight. While Achille can throw up Hexes and take them down rapid fire If desired but this will cause the strain on the body to occur much quicker than waiting a few moments between each new Hex. Additionally ,while a 1'x2' Hex can cover quite a bit of the human body, someone of Achille's size is far less protected than most.

Achille must also keep in mind that his Hexes do not, in fact, totally negate damage. Just as they repel 3/4th of the force behind attacks away from him, the remaining 1/4th is allowed to travel through the Hexes regardless of protective clothing worn. While a normal human's punch may feel like nothing but a small sting, attacks from a meta-human with strength enhancing abilities will leave Achille feeling like he's had a rough night at a bar fight. Bullets, cars and other extremely fast traveling, high impact objects are better left untested, though it is likely that even the smallest caliber round would leave Achille crumpled on the ground gasping for breath and out of a fight. Projectile type attacks of an elemental nature appear to cause no damage through the Hexes, but they are still a high threat for reasons that will be explained shortly.

Another drawback is the limit to the amount of damage each Hex can take. Against a mid ranking, strength enhanced meta-human a single hex can take up to four blows before shattering, assuming the meta-human in question is capable of delivering that many blows in the two seconds the Hex is in place without being blown back by the returned force. Higher ranked meta-humans of the same type would break through in as little as one to two blows, leaving Achille in no small amount of pain even without touching him directly. Projectile type attacks of a non physical nature, such as those launched by pyromancers or those with control of electricity, are better left dodged than blocked. Despite the lack of damage these attacks can cause through Hexes, there is little they can do about any flames or sparks that creep around the edges of the 1'x2' barrier.

Finally, there is the matter of energy consumption and reaction time. Achille cannot innately throw up Hexes in the path of oncoming attacks unless he both knows they are coming and makes the conscious choice to do so. Even then, reaction time is everything as the two second limit to each Hex makes stopping attacks a tricky business. Of course, the more Achille is on the defensive the quicker his energy is drained, thus slowing his reaction time. This energy drain also effects nearly every other use of his ability, the weakening the defensive strength of his Hexes included. Defending against a barrage of attacks, where Achille would need to constantly create and dismiss Hexes, would likely result in him being exhausted and overwhelmed in no time at all.

As mentioned earlier, it is entirely possible for Achille to repulse himself away from a non-solid barrier such as the air. The drawback to this is the significant loss of power (nearly a 70% loss to be exact), making the use of this ability for this purpose difficult. Achille could likely avoid death from falling out of an eighth story window with this technique, but not without sustaining broken limbs or worse upon impact.

If defending himself against attacks is draining on Achille then using his Hexes for attacks of his own are doubly so. While the Hexes have no real limit to the amount of force they can pack into a blow, there is a correlation with Achille's own energy. The more powerful the attack, the higher the demand on his body and the higher chance of catastrophic injury as a result. The more drained he is, the less powerful Achille can make his blows. He could, as with all of his techniques, attempt to surpass his own energy limits to fuel these attacks but the effects would likely be messy for any parties involved.

Other: Achille is straight. He has a weakness for short women, oversized sweaters, thigh highs, and long hair.

He has never been outside of Black Fall but hopes to one day visit Rome as well as various theater houses around the world.

While he is an agnostic atheist, Achille does not view those who believe in higher powers as being less intelligent, likely because he doesn't view himself as all that intelligent to begin with.



Sample Post:

"May I direct you attention to the center stage!" Achille's voice boomed over the roar of the audience, the large speakers hanging from the walls filling the entirety of the Black Fall Big Top with the sound of his voice, "The next big Act is upon us my dear friends and we here at the Big Top are sure it will leave you clutching your stomachs and crying tears of laughter!" With a flourish of his hands the music that had been building up in the background rose to a crescendo, heralding the arrival of several heavily decorated elephants. Children cheered and gasped and adults laughed as several clowns suddenly appeared from beneath the enormous animals, racing three ridiculously miniature cars between their legs. The elephants for their part seemed not to notice at all, marching single file toward the center stage where they proceeded to pluck clowns out of the passing cars one by one, depositing them unceremoniously in a large basin of water to the roaring laughter of the audience.

Achille watched with a smile as the act continued, the clowns reorganizing for a combined 'attack' on their pachydermian oppressors only to be humorously blown backwards under three blasts of water from the elephants trunks. It was another night at the Big Top and so far everything was going smoothly. Kids were laughing, adults were more focused on the act than their watches, and the lion tamers had managed to get their new act with the big cats to work flawlessly. As the largest of the elephants, a gentle giant everyone referred to simply as Bert, began to toss one of the clowns leisurely between the other two elephants Achille couldn't help but to think once more about his good fortune to be working at the Big Top.

The Big Top itself was situated in an expansive renovated warehouse building in Arcadia Heights, the warm, richly colored and decorated interior in direct contract to the concrete and cinder block exterior. Despite the rather plain outward appearance of the Big Top it had been gaining a significant number of followers in the past four years since it's reopening under new management, becoming a well rated attraction at which to spend an afternoon. Achille was partially to blame for that rating, his enthusiasm and creativity as a Ringmaster setting the Big Top apart from the few remaining circuses that still resided inside the United States. Of course, being Ringmaster was not the only thing Achille did at the Big Top, as his audience was about to find out. With series of quick, intricate hand gestures Achille indicated to the elephant handlers that the next act was about the start. The handlers in question were all meta-humans with the ability to communicate with the animals telepathically from a distance, something that allowed the huge mammals to act much quicker and with less hesitation than simple hand gestures. With a sudden fanfare of trumpeting the elephants ceased their juggling act and made their way back where they had come, a splash accompanying their departure as the recently juggled clown found himself thrown yet again into the water basin. Achille waited until the laughter and cheering had subsided and the clowns had vacated the stage before leaping out into the spotlight once more, a broad grin adorning his face.

"Let's hear it for our talented clown wranglers ladies and gentlemen!" He waited once more for the applause to die down. "Now, as some of you may know, I have a bit of a rivalry with the acrobats. They seem to think I'm too much of a chicken to walk the tightrope! Well.... they're right. BUT I've challenged them to a bit of an obstacle course to see who can do their job better. Feast your eyes on this!" With an abrupt about face and arms help wide and high, Achille was pleased to hear a large number of gasps from the audience as several more lights flared up to reveal the intricate series of suspended platforms that had been erected silently as the previous act had been going on. In total there were twenty platforms arranged in two columns, each holding a different obstacle but all of them suspended at least forty feet off the ground. Even Achille, who had helped design and plan this act, had to admit that it was impressive.

His 'rival' was already on the first platform, a short woman called Jessica with long black hair that ran all the way down to the back of her knees. She was one of the best acrobats the Big Top had, in no small part due to the enhanced dexterity, speed, and coordination granted to her by her innate meta-human ability. She had been one of Achille's main teachers when it came to acrobatics, his other main role in the Big Top, and he greatly respected her abilities on the job. With one hand holding his extravagant top hat in place and the other gripping his show cane as tightly as possible, Achille called upon his own meta-human power to form two 'plates' of kinetic energy beneath his feet, launching himself ten feet into the air to a lower platform. To the audience it appeared as if he had made the leap on his own, the translucent energy 'plates' that Achille referred to as Hexes disappearing a split second after he called them into being. Three more leaps brought Achille alongside his fellow acrobat, the cheering that had been building up during his ascent slowly quieting down as he raised a hand for silence.

"Good luck Ringmaster." Jessica whispered to him as she stretched, her long hair flowing around her like a black waterfall. "Remember, dinner is on the loser tonight." She grinned broadly, slapping him on the back hard enough to make him reel for a moment. His balance regained, Achille returned the grin,muting the mic on his lapel for a moment.

"I don't recall anything about that deal. Who decided on that?"

"Oh, you know. Everyone." Achille couldn't help but notice the sparkle in her eyes as she smiled. Despite being thirty two and a mother of three Jessica had a kind of youthful energy and enthusiasm that made her all the more attractive. Many a guy had been disappointed to find out that she was happily married to the Big Top's chief knife thrower, Sven.

"Ah," Achille jokingly rolled his eyes, his grin still as amicable as ever, "Guess I can't refuse then." Noticing that the crowd had finally gotten quiet Achille unmuted his microphone, throwing his hands wide. "Ladies and gentlemen! We dearly hope that you enjoy the spectacle you are about to see. Let the race begin!" With a snap of his fingers and a sudden clamor of music, the obstacle course sprang to life, hidden motors and gas lighters igniting harmless flame trails and setting various obstacles on preset paths of motion. Achille offered a single bow to his opponent, sweeping the hat off his head in an exaggerated fashion before planting it back firmly atop his head and launching himself to the next platform. Jessica was already halfway there, flying through the air with little resistance.

Coat tails flaring out behind him, Achille dove through the first obstacle (a simple ring of fire that was more for show than anything else), coming out of his roll by launching himself across the ten foot gap to the next platform where he ducked, hopped and wiggled his way around three oscillating poles. Stealing a glance at how Jessica was doing on her end, Achille was pleased to see that she was navigating the course with her usual relaxed professionalism. For someone like her avoiding something as simple as a couple of fast moving poles came as naturally as breathing. Distracted as he was, Achille nearly failed to notice the last oncoming pole, throwing up a Hex at the last moment that sent the pole rocketing back the way it came at a slightly slower speed. By the time Achille had reached the second to last platform Achille could feel his clothes sticking to his body, sweat dripping down his neck and off his nose. He had used far too much energy showing off with midair spins and repelling any obstacle that risked hitting him. In the end however the audience was on the edge of their seats, curious as to how Achille would overcome the last obstacle that lay before him. The obstacle in question was a free standing wooden 'wall' that divided the platform in two. A foot thick and fifteen feet high, the audience couldn't see how Achille could get over or around it before Jessica had cleared her own final obstacle. Achille, however, was prepared. For a moment he stood back, admiring the barrier before him before calling to his audience below.

"I'm afraid I can't go over this one ladies and gentlemen. Looks like I lose." It gave Achille no small amount of satisfaction to hear the audience give a collective 'aww'. Grinning, he gave an over dramatic shrug. "Just kidding." Whipping back around, Achille lashed out at the wall with an open palm, a Hex forming in front of the extended limb right before impact. With a resounding CRACK the wall split and splintered, falling away and off the platform where the telekinetic crew members far below were already waiting to catch any pieces that strayed too far near the crowd. Laughing to himself as he bounded over the ruined barrier, Achille made the final leap to the last platform and struck a triumphant pose. All seconds after Jessica reached her final platform, not a bead of sweat on her body. With the roar of the crowd below them and the satisfaction of an act well done, Achille didn't mind paying for dinner later that night.

Life in the Big Top was good.

Basic Information

Name: Clarice A. Voss
Nickname/Alias/Etc: Claire, "The Girl with the big tits" according to Jago (even though she's got a C-cup bust).
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Height: 5’11
Weight: 168

Appearance

Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Vibrant Green.
Ethnicity: Japanese/Caucasian
Physical Appearance:
Claire is a woman who has always been attracted to a little bit of strange, and due to this, she has a little bit of abnormality in her appearance and personality. Nothing terrible, mind you, if she were anything odd she probably wouldn’t be where she is today. Claire is abnormally tall for a girl. In flip-flops, she’s about the same height as the average grown man and weighs close to what they do. In her normal boots, she’s about 6’1, 6’2 depending on what boots she’s wearing and who you ask. Her height isn’t due to anything especially different. Her legs are slightly longer than average, but after that she looks much like a normal human would, just scaled up a size or two. Despite having an Asian mother, her Caucasian decent has basically, in her own words “Come out and beaten her other half into submission.” She looks like she’s purely Caucasian, and if she didn’t tell you otherwise you probably would think she was. There are a few things that you would notice however, should you have a careful eye. Her face is a slightly rounded heart shape, with a fair complexion that is smooth as a “Baby’s left ass cheek” in her own words that comes from her Japanese side, with naturally thin eyebrows. On the other hand her eyes display no slant that is signature of Asian decent, instead being almond shaped. They are vibrant green over the average brown. She has long brown hair that has the texture and falling style of her more Asian decent that falls towards the small of her back. Her hair parts above her left eye into bangs that sweeps to opposite sides that blends nicely with the rest of her ‘mane’ as Ben would describe it.

Attire: All the clothing.

Personality

Outward & Innate Personality:
Overall, her personally is that of how she grew up. She’s a semi-country girl who grew up in Dallas, Texas. She’s got spunk and spirit and she will kick you ass if you say anything wrong about Texas. She’s outspoken, funny, and has the brazen type of humor that makes Ben cringe from time to time and is hilarious to others should it be timed correctly, which she almost always does because she’s a pretty smart woman. Hell even if it wasn’t timed right she’d still probably be considered funny and ballsy as fuck (She earns all the testy points). She’s also a giver as a person. Just like Ben she puts nearly everyone above and before herself and has often stayed up late worrying about or pulled all-nighters doing things for other she really didn’t have to do. She’s got a bad case of OCD and perfectionism when it comes to that. You remember that one scene from Elf were Buddy turned the whole store into a Christmasy wonderland because he thought Santa was coming? Yeah, she did the birthday equivalent for a little boy not too far away from their farm and then offered to host his birthday on the farm. She’s a bit of a social butterfly in that respect. She's really a big kid who never grew up a lot like Ben and their relationship as husband and wife has flourished because of it. She's the kind of person who will come home from work and be like: "I ORDERED PIZZA IN THE CAR, LETS WATCH BREAKING BAD AND THEN PASS OUT!" and then think it was romantic. Because of this she can irresponsible at times and will often prioritize things in the wrong order, much like Ben.

Hobbies/Interests: Well, she’s an amateur botanist after marrying Ben, does that count?
Skills/Talents: Ben has forced her to take an MMA class and she took that very seriously. As revenge she has used this skill to beat the shit out of him over who uses the bathroom first every morning countless times using that skill. She’s also pursuing a degree in Botany at the Academy, seeing as she knows so much about plants as it is and her husband can pretty much pull any study material she’s ever need out his ass, and or make it. She's excellent at growing things and teaching (Honestly for how long Ben's lived on a farm, she's been there about a quarter of the length and is about a million times better at farming than he is).
Prized Possession: A “Learn ASL “ DVD.
Quote(s): “Dafuq did you think to me, you little bitch?”
History/Bio: To be filled out later. See Ben’s History/Backstory for now.
Family:
She’s got Ben, who is her husband, a mother and father, and a few more distant relatives here and there, but after that there’s no one who has a relationship with her good enough to be worth mentioning.

Relationships

Ben | Ballin’ awesome | Husband | It doesn’t matter that I think because I will project my anger onto his mind and skull fuck him if he doesn’t wash the dishes. |

Abilities

Power Class: Other

Power Rating
"Fuck Off 6" -MrAllenJ

Power:
Basically, Claire has what she defines as the most useful ability out there transportation wise. She has the ability to make portals.

The largest portals she makes are about seven feet by three feet, making them about the size of a doorway. There is a blue portal, and a red portal. The blue portal is the first she must place, it's the entrance portal. The second is the red, the exit. Once these are placed she is able to go back and forth should she want to. These portals can span an infinite distance, and she can transfer as many things as she wants through them that can fit as she likes. The are excellent for getaways or getting places in that respect. She can also read minds in the form of being able to communicate telepathically with anyone she so chooses. She also has the ability to pick at people’s memories once she has established contact, to pick at people’s memories and such. Basically Ben is her buttmonkey/lab rat and receives the ass end of his wife's practicing on a regular basis.

Weaknesses/Limitations/Drawbacks:
Well, while she is capable to talking to people telepathically, she cannot read their thoughts. Hard to understand? I get you; it’s kinda like this. Think of it as a two-lane road. She can go either way if she wants to, but in order to read someone’s thoughts the other side of the road has to be closed. It’s kinda like stealth telepathic communication. When she talks to you, or establishes a mental link between you and herself, you know she’s there, and you can sense her presence. If she tries mind reading, she has to make it so you don’t know she’s there and the only people she has figured out how to do that on are people who completely and totally trust her. Even if they know she’s reading them. Ben is the first and so far only person she has been able to do this with. She’s only had the power for about three years, jeez. High expectations. You want finely tuned stuff, talk to Ben, asshole. Due to her lack of experience, she also has a bit of a stamina mind issue. The more she uses it, the less control she has over it. So excessively using it would flood her head with a ton of random thoughts. Your minds are literally the most mundane things ever. Honestly, half the time Jago thinks nothing but “boobs”

Well, firstly, she can only make two portals at a time. She can't have more than one entrance and exit. There's also the fact that she can only place a portal as far as she can throw 'the blue ball' and the 'red ball', which are pretty much the things that put up the portal entrance and exit that she throws that are about the size and weight of a baseball. She cannot enter a portal that has no exit and neither can anyone else. It would be like running into a wall. She cannot store things in the portals. She cannot make a portal larger than the one I have specifically stated the dimensions of. There's also the danger of how if she throws the exit out of her line of sight she won't know where it went. The portal entrance will always alter its shape to be the same size as the exit, so she could throw it and have it be the size of a leaf and only be able to fit a finger through. There’s also the point that portals can only adhere to flat surfaces. Her portals are entirely concentration based, meaning that while she might be able to hold a portal and move around and hold a conversation, she has to actively be thinking about it in order for her portals to not close upon themselves.

Other:
She's currently visiting Black Fall with her husband to see some family for Christmas.

Basic Information

Name: Benjamin David Voss
Nickname/Alias/Etc: Behemoth, Colossus, Titan, Big-Man
Gender: Male
Age: 23 years of age.
Height: 6'10
Weight: 344lbs

Appearance

Hair Color: Dark brown.
Eye Color: Green
Ethnicity: Caucasian American.
Physical Appearance:
For a man, Ben is big.

Standing at an enormous 6’10, most people never meet a man his size in their lives. He looks like what you would think for a man of his stature. His body is extremely muscular and riddled with various small scars, ranging in size and shape. His forearms tend to have a few SpongeBob Band-Aids on them at all times. His hair is mid length and curly and is slicked back to be kept out of his eyes. Similarly to in this image. Ben has a square face with a relatively small forehead, and a very strong chin. He has almond shaped eyes separated by an average sized noes that stare straight ahead in neutral position that can almost be defined as glaring. ALMOST. Along his chin, jaw line, and lip there is a Tony Stark-esque goatee. His face has several tiny scars, a prominent one cuts through his right eyebrow. None of these are fight related, just due to a fairly labor intensive life. Subtle worry and laugh lines are also permanently etched into his face, as facial expressions are one of his main ways of communicating.

Attire: Ben tends to have an interesting attire choice for the weather. He wears a white tank top, blue jeans, old and worn steel toed work boots. Over his tank top he wears an old and worn brown leather jacket. He also tends to wear a pair of reading eyeglasses because he has trouble reading small print. He carried around a dry erase marker, a white board, a handkerchief and a copy of one of the many volumes of “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”.

Personality

Outward & Innate Personality:
Ben is the opposite of what you would think he would be for his age and stature. He is in fact the polar opposite. Being mute, Ben doesn’t have the option of being loud and boastful. He’s naturally a pacifist and he will more often than not he will be found with a cupcake in his hand over an sort of weapon. If you gave him a sword he will look at you oddly and then motion over to the grill he happens to have running in a silent question of if you want him to cut your steak with a katana. He can fight, but more often than not he will avoid it by any means necessary. He is a warm and friendly individual, the kind of person who just attracts people to him and listens to their problem. He gives off the aura of someone you can trust and he’ll hold true to that. It’s not like he can tell anyone. He’s the kind of person who will listen to the fact that your boyfriend or girlfriend broke up to you, and then spend six days carving out a wooden necklace that’s shaped like a turtle, because let’s face it: Who doesn’t like turtles?

Ben lives by the ideology that a friendly smile, and simply listening to someone can solve more problems than the sword or the pen.

Hobbies/Interests: Reading, listening, having a cup of tea or coffee. He also enjoys working on various projects, whether it is building a car or a small house. He also likes to plant trees or volunteer in nature restoration efforts.
Skills/Talents: Ben is good at reading body language, and he is very adept at hard labor. He’s a handy man. He knows how to work power tools or tear down a wall.
Prized Possession: His wedding ring, which is a standard gold ring.

Quote(s):
“…”

History/Bio:
Ben was born on March twenty seventh, in 1992, and right from the start, he was different.

Maybe it was the fact that he was a fourteen pound baby, maybe it was the fact that he didn't reach the common first word checkpoint that most children reach, maybe it was the fact that the sheer temperature in the room raised just by him being present. Maybe it was due to a lot of things.

Ben was born with his power, it manifesting itself on the fifth day he was alive in the form of a flower growing out of the palm of his hand. He always had an affinity with the land that most would never see or have, and he considers himself lucky to have the background that he had. Ben was born in Texas, in a hospital, but was raised on the family farm with his mother, father, and immediate or close family such as his father's grandparents, one of which was a doctor who had proclaimed the boy as mute after about a year and a half of his existence, and recommended a few things to help with his aliment. He never lived an especially wealthy life, and so his parents couldn't afford to get lessons in sign language, and so compensated with a dry erase board, a marker, and a handkerchief. Ben attended a public school a little ways away from where he lived up until he graduated high school. He got a mid level education, nothing super special, but kept straight A's. Not through especially high intelligence, but through good work ethic. Ben was a hard worker. Ben was never bullied in school, in fact quite the opposite. Most people liked him, and girls tended to enjoy his presence because "He actually cared about them" in their eyes. He was big and strong, something that most males want, and a big teddy bear who would buy you a chocolate bar if he heard you say you wanted one to your friend. The kind of person girls want. True to the meaning of his name, Ben was his father's right hand son, and probably would've been his right hand son even if he had a sibling. As soon as he could walk Ben was watching his father closely, and helping out whenever he could. His size and strength came in handy in doing things his father couldn't do well anymore due to his age. At the age of twelve Ben brought home two chickens and a rooster that he had written names out. The birds were special to him, but his father proclaimed that he couldn't keep them unless he built him a chicken coupe. And so he built two chicken pens. One for his birds, and one for the egg laying birds. His father, true to his word, allowed Ben to keep the birds.

His forms were discovered in some fairly unorthodox ways. He was helping his father push a tractor that had run out of gas when his tree golem form manifested itself, and his Beast form came to be in an even less useful way. It was random, and it began in 2002. He woke up feeling strangely, and tried to work through it. It got more and more powerful over the next hour, and Ben retired to his room for the day to rest thinking he had caught something especially resilient, as he was not a sickly boy. When he awoke, he was a twenty foot long, five ton creature, who had smashed his bed, and was damaging the floorboards with his weight just by being there. Unfortunately, he was stuck in that form for a while, unable to do anything, or leave the house, and when it eventually went away on it's own, he and his father had to repair the damage done to his room. His two forms became useful after that, Ben taking many years to learn to use them when he wants to over random times. His Golem form for doing things no human ever could alone, and his beast mode for performing raw physical feats that would require thousands of dollars and a lot of man power to do (remember that tractor from earlier? Well it was carried the next time it ran out of gas).

In the summer of 2010, Ben was eighteen, and had ascended to the most able bodied man there not even due to his power, although that helped a lot. One night he heard the chickens being loud and screaming. Thinking it was a Coyote, or a bobcat or wolf, he grabbed his father's shotgun and his coat and set off into the night to check up on the creatures. When he arrived he found himself pointing his Remington at a shark like girl who had a chicken in her hands that she was about to eat. He motioned for her to put it down, and she did, but she was screaming threats at him by then. He could tell that she was a meta human, like him. His family knew a pretty good amount on them. It was probably one of the only things they researched with their limited internet connection. After his family stepped in, verbal communication becoming more relevant to the situation as the seconds passed, they brought the girl in, and let her eat her fill. They talked a little while, and eventually learned that the girl's power was very similar to his own. Ben had traits very similar to that of the Behemoth's, and with his family being Catholic, linked the two together as the incarnations as the holy beasts of the land and sea- Counterparts. The girl, Pink as he learned her name was, eventually left, Ben having driven her home in his truck, thinking that was the end of it.

Quite the opposite actually. He had graduated, but he learned that after their encounter Pink had began to attend school again, from none other than Pin herself. After their encounter it because semi common for her to visit, maybe once a week. Twice if they were lucky. Ben greatly appreciated Pink's presence as she was one of his best friends. They even trained together from time to time. Although those occasions were rare. When Ben turned nineteen he met an incredible semi-country girl by the name of Claire. The two hit it off from there and began dating soon after. She learned he was a meta human, and about his counterpart, and was shown all of the amazing things he could do. He made a habit of giving her a flower every time they met. Due to the black fall effect, Ben had turned most of his family into meta humans. His grandmother healed a little faster, and his grandfather learned to understand many different languages. His dad became stronger, and his mother could kiss any boo-boo away. Most of these powers were level two or below. She stuck with him when his grandparents passed away of old age. His grandfather then his grandmother a few months after. They had lived a full life, and were in their mid eighties. Their funerals, which were a few months apart, weren't filled with tears as if they had died young. In fact, it was melancholy. Sad that they were gone, but joyous at their lives well lived. It was then that Ben learned that death was a part of life. Due to his heavy interaction with Claire, he changed her into a meta human as well. A telepath, to be exact. He had been planning on proposing to her soon when he heard her in his own mind, and she said 'I can hear you.'

It was the first time anyone had ever heard his voice, well, not heard, but could understand what it would've sounded like. He proposed to her on the spot by grabbing the first thing he could, which happened to be an old and unused "Learn ASL!" video that they had been planning to watch together. They never did, but it was unorthodox, and different, and so him. At the age of twenty one he and Claire had gotten married, and had moved into his house. They, with the guidance of his parents, became the heads of the household. However, tragedy struck. Ben met Pink again, late at night, for the second time. She had explained that her family had been criminals without her knowledge, and that her whole family had been arrested, and she had no where to go. Ben immediately stuck up for her, Claire (who was willing to follow him to hell and back, and he for her) trusted his judgement and translated his thoughts to his parents, who required more convincing. After an hour long debate, his parents caved, and Pink lived with them for a long while, until the whole incident blew over.

When Pink discovered her other form, much like he had a few times, Ben was extremely happy it had happened outside. What he wasn't happy about however, was that she had been attacked. He heard the roars in the distance where the lake was, and knew Pink was out (he had a rule where she always had to tell him when she left), and knew this must've been bad. Grabbing his Remington (which he had inherited from his father), he set out into the woods and discovered her having been attacked by what she described as a black bear. Ben, being a big man, was able to carry her with one arm and keep the gun ready if he needed to use it against the bear. Now, at twenty two, Ben is visiting Penn State to see Claire's family for Christmas.

The rest of the story is yet to be written.

Relationships

Claire | Awesome | Wife | "She made my watch Fullmetal Alchemist with her. The exchange between Ed and Winry when Edward proposes summarizes my thoughts perfectly."

Family:
He has a mother and father, and reveres them greatly for bringing him up so well. He also has Claire, his wife, whom he loves and respects greatly, and would go to the ends of the earth for.

Abilities

Power Rating:
Super System: 8
Elemental: 8
Super System: 8

Power Class General: Animal/Elemental/Super System

Power:
Human Form:
Ben is the Behemoth, the deity of the land. He has had his power all his life, and for most of it he has put it to good use. He retains control of the world around him, Xylokinesis or better known as Plant and wood manipulation. His ability can range from the control and generation of woo. He has had a lot of time to learn how to control this gift of power he has been given, and he tries to use it for minimal offensive purposes. Because of this, his power is used mainly for defensive purposes, creating a protective barrier of wooden skin, or shooting the a vine beneath his opponent and wrapping it around his opponents feet to trip them up. He tries to attain a hands off fighting style and will try not to lay a hand on his offender. Because he dislikes fighting so much, he has created a unique style of maneuvers he has dubbed Bu-Da after using Google translate to name his art of not fighting. He is capable of many feats, from turning portions of his body into wood, to spawning singular plants (like flowers or a vine) and sticks and shit by simply pulling them out of his sleeves in a magic hat trick fashion. When in the right environment he is capable of using his full power, which can be a maelstrom of wood and plants that looks very much like that of tentacle porn. Except instead of tentacles it's spiky and thorned wooden and plant death vines of sex-death. Unless you're into that kind of thing. He is also fully capable of making thick wooded shields and barriers around himself and others. Think of him like Groot, except he cant say anything at all.

Demon Form:
In this state, Ben covers himself in his hard wooden exterior, and becomes a twelve foot tall tree golem. This golem has the ability to warp it's limbs into weapons or shields, and has incredible regeneration when in a healthy environment in the sun. While it cannot manipulate plant life or wood like his normal form can, it is extremely defensive and incredibly strong. A juggernaut of sorts. This forest golem is capable of generating various defense mechanisms plants are capable of creating. Whether it be coating his body in Poison Ivy Vines if he doesn't want to be touched, or emitting various wafting odors to attract insects and other bugs such as spiders, bees, and wasps to defend him in nonlethal ways. If he is forced to be physical, he has various ways of fighting, using whip like vines to either tie up or trip his opponents up, wooden constructed weapons, or simply punching them out, which is usually pretty easy in this form. It looks similarly to this.

Weaknesses/Limitations/Drawbacks:
His transformation also take a lot of time and build up, taking several minutes for him to absorb enough energy to achieve his fully potential. The surroundings can also affect his ability. In places like the second floor of a building he is incapable of shifting to beast form because he in unable to absorb energy from the ground. In areas where the ground is unhealthy he is unable to achieve his full size and power, meaning even some forests aren't very good areas. He is also extremely slow in his demon form, only being able to move fast in a head on charge. Because of his pacifist mentality, he plays more of a support role over an offensive one and will very rarely engage anyone outright. His mentality remains this way in both forms, and despite he weaponry he is just too nice to bring himself to be dangerous. He is weakened when taken outside of his element. His Demon form is not very range centered, slow, and is very heavy and bulky. It also lacks hearing in this form. Xylo and Florakinetically speaking Ben is limited heavily in a city setting. While capable of spawning plants and such Ben's maximum potentially can only be reached on unpaved, soiled grounds where he can sprout wood and plants from the ground. Unrelated to powers, Ben is farsighted, and tends to have trouble seeing things up close. So if the enemy is a shape shifter or something, or moves very quickly, he will have trouble keeping up with them if they are close to him.

Other: Click me!

Basic Information

Name: Karlie Davis
Nickname/Alias/Etc: Blueberry, Miss dress up, Jill of many trades
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 122
Home District: From out of town, but for now wherever she’s parked her van.

Appearance

Hair Color: Dark brunette, dyed a sheen of midnight blue.
Eye Color: Grayish blue
Ethnicity: Caucasian American

Physical Appearance: Karlie has a petite, athletic build. She has a round head, with a small forehead. Her is long, straight, and uneven. Long bangs are just kept from obscuring her vision and she doesn't do much else with her hair. She has decent eyelashes and average eyebrows with a gradual shape. The right is pierced towards the inner end. Her nose has a shallow angle is tilted upwards more than usual. A stud resides through her left nostril. Rounded, recessed cheekbones barely offer any distinct definition to her face. She has a small mouth with average lips, though she has less of a pucker than most. Dental-wise she was fairly lucky with a good set of relatively straight teeth. There is barely anything in the way of height as far as her chin goes, however it sticks out far enough that its almost even with her nose. Karlie’s ears are on the small side. They are gauged with size one gauges and she doesn't plan on going any larger. There is also a stud earring halfway up her left ear. Her share of scars and scrapes can be found on her body. The most prominent ones are thin, lengthy white strips on her left shoulder and forehead. Centered on her upper back is a tattoo of a blue rose. She uses modest amount of makeup with an emphasis on blue. Particular attention is paid to her nails and generally don't stay chipped for more than a few hours if she can help it.

Attire: Karlie usual wears solid colored athletic wear. A a non-cotton tank top/shirt with a loose shirt thrown over, yoga pants/spandex, and running shoes are fairly standard. Common additions are arm sleeves and a plethora of colorful bracelets/hairbands. Often she’s rocking a large set of purple, futuristic, circumaural style headphones. She also has a ton of other outfits, costumes, and accessories that will be described IC side.

Personality

Outward & Innate Personality: Karlie is a whimsical social butterfly, if she had it her way she would be friends with everyone. She gives everybody the benefit of the doubt when first meeting and tries to form some common ground with them. Others opinions of individuals have no sway with her until she’s met with them herself. Even those of her friends. Some of the people she’s on good terms with could be mortal enemies. While she would have everyone like her things don’t always work out that way and she knows it. Not everyone likes her spontaneous, carefree personality. She is no push over and isn't going to try particularly hard to get someone to change their mind. In fact if anything she does whatever she wants and sees who is sticks around. Her demeanor does change slightly to better accommodate those who do though. Often times her taste of fun dangerous or mischievous. She tries to get others go go along with her, but won't pressure anyone if they say no. However, that won't keep her from offering next time, and the time after that, and the time after that. Unless she's asked not to that is. Karlie can be hyper active at certain times, or zoned out at others. Most of the time she manages a healthy medium. Those who show displeasure at her she usually pokes a little fun at. So long as things don’t get violent it’s all good in her book. This doesn't mean she’s immoral, if somebody has a good reason to be upset with her she’s quick make amends. The thing is that the criteria that fits this is very little. People in her eyes are so thin skinned. It can often be difficult to get her to commit or take things seriously. Generally she tries to shy away from strong emotions like love and hate. Primary the latter. She just wants to stay on the good side of friends without changing who she is or getting too involved in things. Everyone else can mind their own business. People who go out of their way to put her down however are marked as enemies. While powered up she tends roleplay a little, and when I say a little I mean a lot. Karlie's sexual orientation is pansexual.

Hobbies/Interests: Singing, dancing, listening to music, video games, TV, art, cooking, smoking, drinking, other drugs, skating, swimming, running, walking, hiking, biking or simply chilling.

Skills/Talents: The number of things Karlie knows how to do well without her power are quite limited. She is naturally good at things that require hand eye coordination, physical ability, or spontaneity. What stands out most is her acting ability.

Prized Possession: Her clothing, costumes, and accessories.

Quote(s): “Why so serious?”

History/Bio: Grew up in California and had a very easy life. Her only job was to go to school (something that she didn't always comply with) and she was pretty much allowed to do whatever she wanted. “So long as you don’t come home in a patrol car” is what her parents used to say. Boredom spurs delinquency, and she was seen as a menace to many of the other student parents. In school she was one of those people who could walk into most of the cliques and be welcomed. She was mostly a scene kid, with drama kids, stoners, and jocks falling in as her secondary hotspots. Then her power fully emerged and shortly thereafter an invitation to Academy 218 once the cat was out of the bag. There she graduated from the high school portion of the curriculum, but little else to show for her stay. Most of which she learned left her head as quickly as it had entered. With her ability she worked up enough money for her van/mobile home and decided to float freely across the country following her hearts content. Eventually she came across Black Fall decided to stay a little. She hasn't thought about it too much, but something subconsciously draws her to stay. Or maybe her mind isn’t telling her leave. In any case one way or another she content sticking around but couldn't put her finger on it if she tried.

Family: Only child of Tom and Angela Davis

Relationships

Shannon Balore | Mixed, leaning towards positive | Wants to be friends | "Honestly, I can see why some people wouldn't want be friends with her. She thought I was fake, or had some sort of ulterior motive, and I thought she was stuck up (still do a little). If it wasn't for Deborah I doubt we would have gone anywhere. Eventually she opened up a little, and she isn't so bad. Plus she has like the coolest power ever! There's so many things I want her to make for me, but I don't think we're quite there yet. The last thing I want her to think is that I'm using her for her power."

Deborah Termellio | Very Good | Friend | "Debs and I hit if off from the get go. She knows the ins and outs of like... everything! I enjoy listening to what she has to say, even if I don't always know exactly what is going on. Whateves."

Abilities

Power Class: Power 7

Power: Karlie has fashion ability manifestation/embodiment. What this does is give her powers based on what she is wearing. For example wearing a chefs outfit would grant her culinary intuition, enhanced motor skills and senses. A ninja costume enhanced speed, stealth, and combat. These do not always have to make physical sense, for instance wearing a pilot uniform might give her flight, or a firefighting gear grant water manipulation. Other times it is more appropriate that she embody a symbolic aspect of her apparel. Donning a skull mask would do something along the lines of making others perceive her as an avatar of their fears. A paper bag with eye holes might grant invisibility. I could go on and on, but I covered the most important aspects. Single articles usually only grant one power, where outfits give entire sets. Generally the more elaborate, the stronger the ability.

Later on she will be able to incorporate personal props into her ability. Depending on the item this will most likely work one of two ways. Firstly, she could use/make the prop as the actual item. For instance using a toy tool kit to make repairs The other option is that she'd gain a power while using/being in contact with the item. Like using a stethoscope and gain enhanced hearing. The latter is mostly likely to occur when she is in possession of a non-prop item that is already functional without her ability.

Weaknesses/Limitations/Drawbacks: The first obvious implication is that she has to have access to outfits and has to wear them. Clothes that don’t have a clear purpose, stereotype, or symbolism don’t have any effect. She can only benefit from one set of powers at a time. Should she put on another piece of apparel she will have to chose whether the new overwrites the old. Once she makes a decision it remains until it is removed, so she can’t switch back and forth at leisure. Every article takes time to change into, some more than others. If an outfit takes too much damage she loses the associated powers. It is taxing for her to switch powers in intervals of less than five minutes, or to make more than four changes in an hour time span. She can benefit from simple powers for hours on end, but more complicated/powerful ones drain her reverses in a fraction of the time.

The longer Karlie uses her power the more attuned she gets with the source. She naturally likes to roleplay so during this often goes unnoticed at first. However, little by little her thoughts, ideals, and even memories alter themselves to fit what her outfit is portraying until she loses her identity almost completely. Without outside aid she will only come out of it when her energy runs out and will have likely have suffered permanent changes to her psyche. If she's been wearing something a while and changes it will take some time for the prior mental changes to die down before she can readjust.

Most props (once she evolves her ability) have to stay in contact with Karlie or they revert to normal (a special exception might be made for something like a boomerang which is designed to leave the users grip). If an implement has no correlation to an article of clothing she is unable to benefit from them in unison.

Other: Karlie has a butterfly knife/brass knuckles and a can of mace in case she feels overly threatened. She lives in a hippy van, but takes usuually her Kawasaki Ninja out around Black Fall whenever she’s planning on coming back. Her talents have earned her a tidy savings, certainly more than one would expect given her lifestyle. Enough that she could stop working and put up a hotel worry free, but she won't be buying a yacht anytime soon.

Sample Post:

At a diner, one of Karlie’s workplaces

“Miss Davis, you might not be on duty, but you can’t come in here dressed... like that.” The manager was struggling to keep a straight face as he motioned to her maid uniform.

“Oh come on, lighten up. I wouldn't have to nanny or house clean if I got some more hours here.”

This jolted him, just how many side jobs did this girl have? And what creepy bastard would have her wear that getup? And why did she agree to it? It never occurred to him that it could have been by choice. With a sigh he changed subject. “Please just get changed. Table that guest in the corner has been waiting ten minutes for a server, and the cream and sugar in the lobby needs restocking.”

Karlie stiffened like a board and saluted him. “Yes sir!” Then chuckled as she dashed off.

Truth be told her client did look like a creeper. There was no way in hell she’d have worn it if he was home while she worked. She’d have figured out some other outfit even if she had to order it. Thus far she’d been lucky. Unbeknownst to her employers she didn't possess an ounce of natural talent in any of her areas of employment.

Changing outfits at least dozen times a day made her really snappy at this sort of thing. However in the kitchen she noticed that the new cook was struggling to keep up with the orders. “Hey, can I borrow that? Thanks.” She said grabbing his hat right off his head without saying what she wanted or even giving him time to respond.

“What are you doing? Give that back!” He cried out in alarm. Then he simply stared in stunned silence for several moments as the young waitress took over with the prowess of an expert chef. Eventually he interjected. “Um,miss. I can take it from here, and my hair needs to be covered while in the kitchen…” Nervousness crept into his voice and he swept his head back and forth to make sure the manager wasn't in view.

“Okay, I’ll give you the wheel back.” Karlie placed the hat back on his head. As she did so the skillful aura around her vanished, and she even let go of the spoon she was stirring the pot with and it slipped into the soup. She didn’t get far before the boss came storming in.

“Karlie! Where have you been? Get going!”

In the face of his bantering Karlie looked sheepish and silly which only worked him up more. She knew that she wasn’t going to like the question she had for him. “What did the lobby need again?”

Now he was quite red in the face. “Unbelievable! Just forget about the lobby, go take care of the customer.” He wheeled around to see the back of the mans jacket as he walked out the door. Now he’d seen that Karlie was talented once she got going, but she was too unfocused. “Without missing a bet he stopped her with a hand on the shoulder. “You know what, I’m sorry to have to do this. You have potential, but I’m going to have to let you go.” The cook tried to interrupt, but he was waved off with a scowl.

Karlie in response took his hand off her shoulder and raised it up in the air. “Alright, see ya!” With that she skipped out of the kitchen and out the door herself. Outside she rest her head against the handlebars of her Kawasaki Ninja. While she didn't need the job or care about it that badly, that wasn't the way she had wanted to end it. Without moving she took a final glance towards the restaurant then got ready leave. Then she caught a figure rapidly approaching the doors from within. A grin spread from ear to ear as she bolted upright and revved the engine. This was a little bit more like it, she liked leaving on her own terms.

“Wait! Miss Davis!” He yelled but his words were lost to the throttle of her motorbike. After pulling on her helmet she flashed him the bird over her shoulder and took off.

If only that uptight loser was on duty today I might still be working there. Oh well, their loss. On to new and better things. Karlie thought to herself as she headed back to the mystery mobile for some some scooby snacks. In the end what she regretted the most about the ordeal is that it’d happened before she could get a meal.

Basic Information

Name: Jonathan Corvo, Jr.
Nickname/Alias/Etc: Jack, Jack Frost, Card Shark, Highroller, Swindler
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 160 lbs
Home District: The Northlands

Appearance

Hair Color: black
Eye Color: light olive
Ethnicity: He is American, but his bloodline is English, Danish, and German, with a little Italian thrown in.
Physical Appearance: Jack is an average-sized man, having a small frame and narrow shoulders. He is slightly pudgy from one or two too many donuts in the morning. His skin is rather pale, and his body generally looks well-cared-for minus the slightly pot belly. He has no tattoos or anything of the sort, and no scars save a tiny one on his right knee from when he took a pretty nasty fall when he was little. In facial appearance, he is similar to a young Johnny Depp. Jack has a long, gaunt face with high cheekbones and an almost pointy chin. His face is covered partially by a thick black goatee that Jack attempts to comb to a point (whether this works or not depends on the day and the humidity). Because of this facial hair, Jack is often thought to be much older than he is (he hasn’t been carded since he was 18). His eyes are a light olive in color, and seem to sparkle with intelligence. Jack is extremely well-groomed, with perfect teeth and very few blemishes. The hair on Jack’s head is cut relatively short and is parted into two curtains in the middle.

Attire: Jack dresses in a very rich, preppy manner, always dressing formally. Normal attire for him is a button-up oxford shirt, some more formal-looking slacks, and a pair of docksiders on his feet. When he wants to be more formal, he wears a blazer and a tie, the latter of which almost always has some sort of playing card motif to it. The blazer (or a nice sweater) also makes an appearance whenever it gets chilly. He wears a ring on his right ring finger that contains the Corvo family crest; three ravens flying over a set of crossed keys. Every cool character in a roleplay has a hat, so Jack will have one too; a black bowler hat with a jack of hearts sticking out of the trim where a feather would be on an older hat. A very expensive silver Rolex watch adorns Jack’s left wrist. If Jack is wearing a sweater or blazer, there will be a pack of playing cards in the breast pocket. If there is not, then there is something wrong. On extremely sunny days, Jack will wear a pair of black aviator-style sunglasses. To add a pimp flare to his wardrobe, Jack occasionally carries a black straight cane with a gem on top.

Personality

Outward & Innate Personality: Jack Corvo is a gambler at heart. He is incredibly confident in himself to the point of arrogance, and is highly intelligent. Jack talks a big game and tries to walk it too. He knows when to hold em, when to fold em, when to walk away, and when to run (if you didn’t get that reference, go bury yourself in a ditch). He has a good work ethic, and gets things done at a very quick pace, though he prefers to work alone as opposed to with others. He is very good at reading emotions, and because of this has the ability to be very empathetic, though he rarely is. This gives Jack the rare and rather cliche ability to spontaneously transform from asshole to advisor. Most of the time, he’s the former rather than the latter. Jack is known to be somewhat caustic and flippant towards others and uses deadpan sarcasm religiously. He is fairly charismatic, trained in holding up a facade of suave gentlemanliness when necessary, though superiors who know him well or see his bad side on a regular basis know that he is somewhat immature. While Jack may be intelligent and somewhat suave, he has a temper and a reputation to hold up. He is known to anger quickly and is known to be almost senselessly brutal when angered. Jack's pet peeve is cheating in anything from a game to a business deal. You don't cheat Jack Corvo and get away with it without him believing you to be the most disgusting, miserable piece of highway trash in the world for the rest of his days. He rarely trusts others, and (unlike most characters who don’t trust people), he isn’t particularly trustful or loyal. If you loan Jack money, he will almost definitely gamble it away. He has a gambling addiction, and, though he is extremely good at it, is a big problem because it takes up a lot of his time. He would rather play a game of poker than just hang out with friends. Jack doesn’t have a lot of friends, which depresses him. He normally tries to ignore it, but whenever he is reminded of the true nature of his isolation, one can find him brooding in his room, playing a game of solitaire.

Hobbies/Interests: Jack loves games, especially mind games. His favorite game is definitely poker, but he also enjoys blackjack, chess, checkers, dice games, and many rpgs like D&D. He reads a lot, and writes; he writes a lot of satirical essays for magazines, and is currently working on an anthology of them. His favorite author is Mark Twain, although he also likes David Sedaris and several other essayists. He is also a fan of some of the philosophers of old, and often reads books like The Republic and The Prince (by Plato and Machiavelli, respectively). It is questionable whether or not he reads these books because he enjoys them or because they make him look more intelligent (especially considering that he is reading “The Prince” every time a client enters his study). He watches soccer a lot; his favorite team is Sheffield United. His favorite movie is 21, though he also liked Oceans Eleven. Heist movies are his favorite kind of movie, though he's a stickler for realism in movies. Jack's one of those guys who will whisper "that's unrealistic" during the middle of a movie when someone does something which couldn't happen in real life (so basically he's the biggest kind of dick). His favorite food is steak, specifically ribeye. Like all rich steak-eaters, he enjoys eating his steak with lobster. Contrary to his rich intellectual/bond villain mojo, Jack despises most classical music (though he does occasionally listen to a Bach track or two). He primarily listens to electronic music such as Brusspup and Passion Pit, which he claims help him to concentrate. Jack likes animals a lot, and owns three of them. He has a Doberman named Zeus, a blue Russian cat named Hades, and an albino raven by the name of Icarus.

Skills/Talents: Jack is very intelligent, firstly. He had a 4.5 GPA in high school (weighted) and was in the top 10% of his class. He is very knowledgeable in the field of Mathematics. Jack is a good chess player, but by far his crowning achievement is his gambling skills. Jack is a master of card games. His best game by far is poker, which has to do something with his power. You’d be hard-pressed to find a gambler better than Jack Corvo. He is a decent writer, as he is somewhat persuasive and charismatic, and can play piano, though he rarely plays. When Jack was little, he took Jiu Jitsu classes, but he remembers little of what he learned; he knows how to punch and kick and such, but he won't be throwing spinning kicks or karate chops. He can speak English, French, and a little bit of Chinese, though at this point it’s only about enough for him to know if someone is cursing at him or not. He has impeccable manners when in social situations.

Prized Possession: Money, generally speaking. He likes his pet cat, a Russian Blue named Hades, very much as well, and can be found playing with it occasionally.

Quote(s): “Seems like you’re all out of aces, pal.”

History/Bio: Johnathan Corvo Jr. was born in Mendel, Louisiana, the oldest of the Corvo kids. His father was John Corvo Senior, the leader of a meta-human mafia based in Mendel. Jack lived a very luxurious childhood; he was homeschooled through eighth grade, and then was sent to a college preparatory boarding school in Washington DC known as Georgetown Prep. His family enjoyed traveling, and so he visited much of the world on family vacations. He’s been to Disney World seven times (once at Christmas), Hawaii, Singapore (his dad took him once when he went on a business trip), Marseille a few times (vacation city in France), Spain, Vegas once (his father took him for his 21st birthday), and Rome (he went for Spring break one year). Jack learned how to play poker from his uncle when he was eight, and ever since he has been captivated with the game. He worked extremely hard in school, and ended up being co-valedictorian. One of the reasons why he worked so hard is that he had little else to do; Jack accidentally revealed his powers to a girl once (he replicated his father’s telekinesis) to impress her, and ever since was branded a freak. He had very few friends in high school.

When Jack turned eighteen, he, like every other Corvo child, received the Corvo One-Time deal. Every member of the Corvo family is given this deal; a one-time gift of one-million dollars to spend on anything, as well as full payments for schooling. Using this money, Jack bought a nice home in Black Fall (the family is originally from Mendel), and received a masters degrees in economics and statistics from North Point University. When Jack graduated from college at age 24, he returned to Mendel, where the Corvo family was beginning to fall apart due to gang activity in the city (The Corvos tried to wipe the Vanguard and Skulls off the map by tricking them into fighting each other, but it failed when the Vanguard leader Whisper realized they were behind it). His father, who saw that the gang was losing power in Mendel due to Whisper Kyoshi's gang, NEST, and a buffed-up police force, decided to recruit his son in the family business; the mob. Now Jack is the patriarch of the Corvo Crime Family in Black Fall. At present time, he is not well-known outside of the casinos, but he is beginning to make a reputation for himself in the criminal underworld as one of the more bloodthirsty sharks in the ocean.

Family:
Father: Jonathan Corvo Sr. -48
Mother: Maria Corvo -45
Brother: Ryan Corvo -16
Sister: Sasha Corvo -14
Sister: Evelyn Corvo -26 (his twin)
Sister: Suzanna Corvo -12
Uncle: Robert Corvo -50
Aunt: Emma Corvo -43
Aunt: Sophia Ford
Uncle: Allen Ford
There are more, but I don’t feel like listing them.

Relationships

Relationships:

Henry Olin | Good | Associate/friend | “Well let me tell you, I didn’t initially like the idea of a NEST agent in the inner sanctum, but Henry’s actually a pretty cool guy and he’s good at his job. He’s kinda grown on me.”

Abilities

Power Class: Power

Power: Let’s play a game, shall we? Jack Corvo’s power revolves around games, especially games of chance. You see, Jack is a power replicator, but he gets his powers through a rather creative way. Jack has the ability to replicate and limitedly manipulate powers through games, with a special emphasis on games of chance. In Jack’s case, the game at hand is almost always poker (Texas hold ‘em, to be specific). He’s quite the card shark, and if he applied himself could probably get pretty far in something like the World Series of Poker. Basically, this is how it works: Jack is always the dealer (if he’s not the dealer, it doesn’t work). The game begins as it normally does, and continues without change until it ends (if he’s in a rush, he’ll do five hands best three out of five, but it’s usually just playing until the other person leaves). When the game ends, the power kicks in again. If Jack wins, he gains the power of whoever he defeated, and the loser’s power is temporarily weakened. This is only a slight weakness, like a power becoming slightly less sharp or a little harder to control (ie powers don’t just disappear). The weakness wears off after about two hours. If Jack loses, the winner’s powers are boosted for exactly twenty-four hours. Boosted people might find their power easier to control, or may temporarily unlock an aspect of their power that they could not use before. The strength is really arbitrary (ie I’m going to have Allen decide it so that I don’t piss him off). Note that Jack isn’t confined to poker, but he almost always uses poker.

Jack’s current replicated ability is cryomancy, the power to create and control ice. He gained this power while on a luxury cruise around the Caribbean over the summer. Due to Black Fall’s climate, he’s pretty content with this power, though his ice does melt when heated and is fragile.

Weaknesses/Limitations/Drawbacks: Well firstly, Jack can’t control what power he gets. Unless his opponent reveals their power, he cannot determine what it is until he gets it. Secondly, Jack can only hold three powers at a time. He held four once on a dare, and exhibited signs of an Adderall overdose combined with a life-threatening fever and a terrible burning sensation all around his body, as if he were about to burst into flame. New powers take time for Jack to learn, just as it takes time for their owner to learn how to use them. Jack can only use one power at a time, and it takes a few minutes for him to switch between powers. If Jack doesn’t practice a power for a while, he will lose the ability to use it. Also, of course, Jack can always lose. It isn’t guaranteed that Jack will win any of his games, no matter how much he practices. After all, poker is a game of chance.

Other: So a little explanation here; Jack is the leader of The Corvo mafia in Black Fall. Initially, the gang does what all organized crime gangs do; traffic drugs to dealers. The organization trafficks money to other businesses as well, and is known for financing brothels and strip clubs in exchange for free admittance and VIP status. Jack's current financial venture is the illegal Metahuman fighting circuits around the city. Jack is known to issue loans as well, though the interest rates are high and he doesn’t get shorted money. If you don’t pay every cent back to Jack, he will hunt you down like a dog and take everything you have. Oftentimes he challenges debtors to card games. Win, and your debt is lifted. Lose, and he drains every bank account you own, has Henry beat you to a pulp, and then wrecks your credit so bad that you never get another loan again. Basically, it’s freedom or financial oblivion.

Sample Post:

“Come in.” the voice said from behind the heavy wooden door. The man walked in slowly, dragging his feet hesitantly. He was in a narrow, rectangular room lavishly-dressed with silk curtains on the windows which made up the left wall and a polished wooden floor. At the opposite end of the room was a marble fireplace, in front of which was a lavishly-carved oak desk and a black leather armchair. A liquor cabinet sat adjacent to the desk, as well as a bookshelf (this is a description of Jack’s office, so pay attention). Sitting in the chair, his feet kicked up on the desk, was the devil himself: Jack Corvo. He was smoking a cigar with one hand and with the other was holding a copy of a small book. The man was shocked by how young the gang leader was, but yet the boy seemed to emanate an aura of fear. What was scarier still was the massive reptilian man wearing a black suit and standing next to the fireplace, his eyes locked firmly on the timid man as he heard the heavy wooden double doors slam shut and lock from the outside. The man heard footsteps, and a tall slim butler wearing a tuxedo moved to the opposite side of Jack’s desk from the reptile man, near the bookshelf and the liquor cabinet.

“Sit down.” Jack said after a quiet moment, gesturing with the Cuban cigar to a wooden chair in front of the desk. The man did as he was told and kept his eyes locked on the man in front of him. He realized that he was trembling a bit, causing the chair to shake. Why was that lizard still staring at him?

Reaching the bottom of the page, Jack placed a bookmark, a jack of clubs, in the page of the book, closed it and sat it on his desk.

“Fan of Machiavelli?” Jack asked as he sat the book down. The man noticed that the book was Niccolo Machiavelli's “The Prince”.

“N-nosir.” the man choked in response. Jack smiled with arrogance.

“No? What a shame! Machiavelli was a great political leader!” As if on cue, the butler bent down and took a bottle of scotch and two glasses from the cabinet and poured Jack a drink.

“Thank you, James!” Jack said politely, taking the glass from the butler “Would you like a drink, my friend?”

“N-n-no th-thank you, s-s-sir.” the man stumbled.

“Oh, but I insist!” Jack exclaimed “Perhaps it will...calm your nerves.” This warranted a haughty laugh from Jack and a quaint smile from the butler, who poured the man a drink and handed it to him reverently. Out of respect, the man took the glass and drank from it, feeling the whiskey run down his throat.

“Good, is it not?” Jack said “The finest scotch money can buy.” Jack took another sip of the glass and, feeling that he had successfully bewildered his prey, sat the glass down on the table. The man gulped as he heard it clunk.

“Now let’s get down to business!” Jack said, taking another puff of the cigar. The smoke poured from his nostrils like flames from a dragon. “You owe me money, my friend, and everyone in this town knows that you don’t short Jack Corvo money.”

“B-but sir!” the man cried out “I paid everything I could! My next check doesn’t come until next week and if I pay the rest to you now, I won’t have enough money to feed my family!”

“Look me in the eyes, brother.” Jack said “Do I look like I give a damn if you eat. You owe me fucking money and if you don’t give it to me I’ll beat it out of ya!” Henry loudly cracked his knuckles and the man froze, his face white as a sheet. He was on the verge of tears.

“Please sir!” the man implored “Please have mercy! Isn’t there some way that I can convince you to give me more time to repay my debt?” Jack looked up at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling and thought for a moment.

“Well,” he said “I suppose there is one way that I can help you.” He clapped his hands and the butler handed him a pack of fresh Bicycle playing cards “Here’s what we’re gonna do, old man. If you haven’t heard, I’m a bit of a gambling enthusiast, and I am especially fond of poker. If you can beat me in Texas Hold’em, best three out of five, I will absolve you of your debt entirely. How-”

“Oh thank you for this chance, sir!” the man responded.

“You didn’t let me finish dammit.” Jack said “However, if you lose, then I will financially ruin you and everyone you love for the rest of your mortal lives.” The color once more drained from the man’s face “Are you willing to take that gamble, or would you rather just take it like a man and get beaten up by a giant reptile?” He gestured to Henry with the cigar. The man was silent for a few moments, pondering his options as his eyes drifted back and forth between the deck of cards, Henry, and Jack’s scrutinizing face.

“Fine!” he said “I’ll play you.” Jack’s face erupted in a wicked sneer.

“Excellent!” Jack shouted jovially “Let’s play!” As Jack opened the card box, he extinguished the remnants of the cigar in a glass ashtray with a forceful smash. The man gulped as he looked into Jack’s nearly satanic eyes.

Five minutes later, the man had a similar smile. The cards on the table were a king of hearts, a queen of diamonds, a three of spades, a six of spades, and a seven of spades. In the man’s hand were two kings. He smiled behind his cards, knowing that victory was in his grasp. It was two to two, with Jack having lost the first round and folded the second round before going into overdrive and dropping a royal flush and a pair of aces. Confident with himself fully, the man dropped his cards to the table.

“Three of kings!” he shouted. Jack looked down at his hand with a look of concern that faded as he began to laugh heartily at his luck. The man’s jaw dropped and his heart rose to his throat as Jack dropped a four of spades and a five of spades.

“Straight flush!” Jack shouted.

“What!?” the man rose from his chair as if to defend himself and looked down at the cards to find some cheat, some trick Jack had pulled to turn the game in his favor. But despite all his stuttering and gawking, nothing revealed itself to disprove the fact that the man had been utterly played. Henry stepped forward and the doors of the room slammed loudly as two musclebound men in suits entered, the door locking from the outside loudly. “But that’s...no! Please...please no!”

“Sorry, brother.” Jack said, stretching as if bored “But rules are rules. He rose from his chair and grabbed his cane from where it rested against the mantle. The man began to back up and the guards went to restrain him, but Jack waived them down. With a flick of a hand, the man was against the wall, trapped hanging by a massive sheet of ice adhering to the wall and pinning up his torso. He began to panic.

“You’re...one of them?!” he shouted incredulously.

“There is more than meets the eye with me, old man!” Jack said haughtily. He laughed and then swung the cane at the man’s stomach, both cracking the ice and dealing a painful blow “I could freeze you easily, but I’d rather make it slow and painful.” The man felt his limbs grow cold as the ice restricted his blood flow.

“So here’s how this is gonna go, old fool.” Jack said, swining the cane again with a “FWAP!” “First, I’m going to beat you senseless.” ‘FWAP!’ “Then, I’m going to hack every” ‘FWAP!’ “last” ‘FWAP!’ “bank account you own” ‘FWAP!’ “and take every” ‘FWAP!’ “blessed” ‘FWAP!’ “cent to your name! Then, I’m gonna hack your credit” ‘FWAP!’ “cards and” ‘FWAP!’ “make your credit score lower than a whore at a strip club.” ‘FWAP!’ “Finally, I’m gonna financially” ‘FWAP!’ “destroy your entire family with so” ‘FWAP!’ “much” ‘FWAP!’ “debt that their great-grandchildren will be paying it off!” Jack’s face flushed with rage as he pulled the beaten, bleeding man from his wall with the ice and sent him sprawling across the floor towards the door.

“Oh and by the way,” Jack said as the doors opened and two more guards entered the room with clubs “That sixteen-year-old daughter of your’s? She’s mine now. I’ll bring her over, fuck her a few times, and when I’m done I’ll sell what’s left of her to the whores on Dead End!” The man was barely conscious now, but he managed to let out a groan as Jack finished his sentence. “Pretty girl too. I’ve been craving blonde for quite some time. Now escort our friend here back to his home, boys, and make sure he is safely in bed. Afterall, this is the last time he’ll ever sleep in one.” They dragged the man out by his arms, and he screamed after him at Jack, shouting “You monster! I’ll get you for this!” Jack simply shut the doors behind him and went back to his desk, where he picked the copy of “The Prince back up and continued to read.

“You’re right, Niccolo.” he said “It is better to be feared than loved.”

Other: