[hider=Daniel Mars][CENTER][img]https://i.postimg.cc/3JJpycx6/c1f9aa79b4a342d06f8ac66f3ff341c9.png[/img]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo40fVBFpX8&list=RDqo40fVBFpX8&start_radio=1[/youtube][/CENTER]
[i]"If this is all part of His plan, I’m- uh, I don’t think I get it."[/i]
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[sub][color=Skyblue]Daniel Elijah Mars[/color]

[color=Skyblue]He/Him[/color]   [b]|[/b]   [color=Skyblue]16[/color]   [b]|[/b]   [color=Skyblue]Caucasian[/color]   [b]|[/b]   [color=Skyblue]5'7ft[/color]  [b]|[/b]   [color=Skyblue]148lbs[/color]      
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[color=Skyblue]Righteous[/color]     
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[color=SkyBlue]Skills & Talents[/color][/sub]
[i]"Faith can move mountains!… Don’t know what it does against monsters though."[/i]
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[sub][color=SkyBlue][b]Son of a Preacher Man  ⫻[/b][/color] As would be expected, Daniel is full of knowledge and wisdom from the Good Book. Of little practical use, however its passages and support can provide valuably stabilising mental help in these ever-stressful days.

[color=SkyBlue][b]Fools Despise Wisdom & Instruction  ⫻[/b][/color] While not conducive for his social popularity, Daniel is a noted hard worker by the teachers of Cornell High and he accordingly excels at most of his subjects - sans chemistry. His street smarts and common sense may be lacking but Daniel can, if nothing else, provide useful and insightful information academically, provided anyone bothers to listen.

[color=SkyBlue][b]Neurosis Be Damned My Boy Can PLAY  ⫻[/b][/color] Despite appearances, Daniel is actually quite good at sports and enjoys playing them. He’s considered one of the better runners on the school’s track team and is an extremely valuable centre fielder on the school baseball team, naturally showing good sportsmanship throughout. His running form is notably very rigid and has more than once been compared to that of the T-1000 from Terminator 2.

[color=SkyBlue][b]Timothy 5:8  ⫻[/b][/color] Though of course his mother and father are infallible and righteous disciples of God, their working hours and divine duty often leave them with little time to look after Daniel’s infant sister, Jerusha. This has essentially forced Daniel into the role of babysitter most days of the week and as a result he’s grown to be surprisingly quite good at childcare, it’s at least one of the few areas in which he does not second guess and mentally self-flagellate over every aspect. [/sub][/hider]

[/cell][cell][sub][b][color=SkyBlue] Appearance[/color][/b][/sub]
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[i]"Mother tells me to keep a well-ironed shirt so that food stays on our table and my sister isn’t corrupted by demons and Jesus keeps loving us."[/i]

[indent]Cutting a short - albeit wiry - figure, with thoroughly shampoo’d and conditioned brown blonde hair, warm brown eyes, freckles and a look that perennially screams “please mug me”, Daniel Mars is far from the image of peak masculinity. Every aspect of Daniel’s appearance reads as someone making a concentrated effort to appear neat and presentable despite obvious tells of their neuroticism, his curly hair brushed extensively in the morning only to perpetually look, at least, a little messy due to constant tampering and readjusting with his hands, his fair skin which always looks recently cleaned and maintained yet is offset by things like chewed fingernails or a strain in his eyes when trying to smile through an increasingly worsening problem.

Both due to his self-esteem, upbringing and as a survival mechanism, Daniel’s expressions are almost always neutral and inoffensive, a placid or excited smile as if every day in Cornell were the best day ever, though he does tend to have trouble with eye contact. While on the shorter side for his age, Daniel often appears taller than he is - even coming off gangly at times - due to his thin frame and a drilled-in obsession with good posture, something the school photographers have praised as his rigidity makes him an easy subject to frame even after sometimes hours of set-up.

One might charitably describe Daniel’s fashion style as somewhere adjacent to “geek chic”, a less charitable person would probably say he dresses like an asshole. A universal constant is, of course, his cross necklace while a somewhat close second is a travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer or handkerchiefs in his pockets. Daniel tends towards neutral colours, brown, black, white, beige if he’s feeling “jazzy”. Dressed with presentation and the Pennsylvania climate in mind, he often opts for a pressed and ironed shirt beneath a freshly washed and meticulously defluffed sweater or sweater vest, coupled with a pair of formal light coloured pants (also pressed, natch) and some well-shined oxfords.

An additional reason for layering is to hide the faded but still noticeable welts lining his back on account of his father’s predilection for the belt or the more recent markings from bullies.[/indent]

[/cell][/row][/table][sub][b] [color=SkyBlue]Psychology[/color][/b][/sub]
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[i]"Study hard, be positive and always listen to father, even when he’s been drinking."[/i]

[INDENT][color=SkyBlue][b]MAIN GOAL  ⫻[/b][/color] Daniel Mars is far from perfect, yet an undisputed fact is that he has [i]tried[/i] to do good, and the world has rarely stopped punishing him for it. Beneath his enthusiasm and smiles, the abuse, isolation and existential confusion have certainly, most definitely [i]not[/i] begun to blossom into a crisis of faith from which has only been exacerbated by recent events. Daniel’s preferred outcome would be to find some sense of renewal and meaning in his beliefs, reconcile the delusion of his family and life as wonderful with his growing desire to flee them forever, exorcise the demon currently residing in part of his soul and, most immediately, put a halt on the strange and sacrilegious goings-on in town. Not asking for much!

[color=SkyBlue][b]PHILOSOPHY  ⫻[/b][/color] Shakes to his morale aside, Daniel was and still is a devout follower of Christianity. The sermons from his father and his own personal studies had helped guide him through much of a tumultuous life initially - even with some contradiction of what the correct standard of living is to be, compared to his immediate role models - but that has become less and less of a steady guide as he’s aged. Nonetheless, Daniel genuinely believes in understanding and kindness to others, judging no one for their troubles or beliefs and always striving to improve as a human being. His positivity, non-confrontational attitude and purity can easily come off as annoying but given that much of his free time is spent doing voluntary work or other charitable endeavors, it’s hard to argue the sincerity.

[color=SkyBlue][b]SECRETS  ⫻[/b][/color] The fact that Daniel is more high-strung, depressed and muddled than he’d like to present is not a particularly well-kept secret, however, the fact that he has something of a rebellious streak actually is. Seeing morality often be callously flaunted by others - including those with a religious duty to adhere to it - had caused Daniel to test the limits himself, sneaking a few extra sips of the communion wine, borrowing and then NOT returning a pencil in grade school. Of course, the most notable example of this was a certain party in an abandoned warehouse and the events that followed, something Daniel is not wholly convinced isn’t somehow his fault and all the problems since are some sort of divine retribution.

[color=SkyBlue][b]SEXUALITY  ⫻[/b][/color] Daniel is, at least, straight, certainly as far as he knows anyway. A highly religious conservative household is not exactly the best environment for self-discovery.

[color=SkyBlue][b]FEARS  ⫻[/b][/color] While always willing to stretch himself to fulfill whatever irrational designs others have upon him, Daniel is wary of a great many things in life, chief among recently is the spirit infesting his body. There are however two things above all else that chill Daniel to his core. The possibility that, despite everything he has been told, God is not there, or worse yet, He does exist and He is displeased.

[color=SkyBlue][b]REPUTATION  ⫻[/b][/color] To his peers, Daniel is a gullible, overly-cheery and often sanctimonious loser who is, not unwarrantedly, a frequent target of pranks or bullying. To the older generation of Cornell, Daniel is the sweet - if dimly innocent - son of the town preacher, always giving his time and effort for the community and anyone who seeks his aid. To the local homeless, he is known as “The Soup Kid”. None of these perceptions are strictly wrong.

[color=SkyBlue][b]FLAWS  ⫻[/b][/color] Daniel is a pushover, his positivity and earnest desire to be a kind, empathetic and helpful presence in the lives of others often means he’ll take people at the word even when he [i]himself[/i] knows that it may not be the best course of action. In spite of his positive qualities, he rarely believes in himself and defers to the instruction of others, authority figures in particular. Magically speaking, this new world of abstraction and reality warping is something his tightly wound brain struggles to comprehend and he particularly dislikes cooperating with or especially handing control over to the apparition he is adjoined with.[/indent]

[sub][b][color=SkyBlue] Backstory[/color][/b][/sub]
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[i]"Oh boy! Time for another GREAT day where nothing bad EVER happens!"[/i]

[indent]Daniel Mars was born to the perfect father - the charismatic and wealthy preacher, Michael Mars - the perfect mother - the beautiful and personable former pageant star, Aimee Mars - and is the elder brother to the perfect little sister - the bright-eyed and pure one year old infant, Jerusha Mars. Therefore, Daniel is to be the perfect son, intelligent, industrious, athletic, virtuous and most importantly of all, God-fearing.

The truth is, as always, less cut and dry. Michael Mars is indeed a charismatic and well-respected man of God, he is also small, petty, violent, prone to drink and forever bubbling with self-conscious anger that his career in the entertainment industry never went anywhere and he is reduced to singing and preaching for bumpkins in a podunk town like Cornell. Aimee Mars is indeed the picture of serenity, she is also perpetually doped up on a cocktail of pills and largely on a plane of her own reality, all the better to enrage her ranting husband. Between this lies Daniel, armed only with faith that has been drilled into him since birth alongside strict rules of conduct and corporal punishment.

Accordingly, Daniel grew into a teenager with a strong work ethic and maladjusted social skills. His optimism and positive qualities came from natural inclination or a rare positive influence in his upbringing, yet his deference to authority and mild indoctrination has him, for the most part, convinced all of it spawns from the good teachings and firm hand of his parents. Bizarrely, this left Daniel ill [i]and[/i] well prepared for the almost ritualistic bullying and teasing that followed him as he entered the education system, both too positive to let it ruin him and too used to arbitrary pain to effectively resist or circumvent the harassment in any meaningful way.

Going into his teenage years, as it does for most adolescents, brought about significant change and confusion to this routine however. Daniel came to find less and less comfort in the psalms, parables and drunken ramblings (helpfully provided by his father) that seemed to make sense of the abuse he suffered. Any routes for introspection and growth weren’t exactly clear however, neither of his parents were the picture of self-actualization nor did they have any desire to confront that fact, which led to Daniel mildly being confronted by the fact that, despite any potential good he could feasibly do, there was little to actually [i]like[/i] about Cornell Pennsylvania. If this, the beautiful little town he had been told since birth was blessed by God, was so fraught with flaw, what did that say about the rest of the world?

These thoughts and questions festered into “rebellion”, of a sort. Daniel, still innocent and good-intentioned, started testing the boundaries that his parents had told him would lead to damnation or some other grizzly fate just for considering them. Whether that was such heinous actions as handing in a project a few hours before the deadline, not properly tucking in his shirt at service or even not replenishing the soda cans in the fridge after taking the last one! The problem was, none of these acts gave Daniel much in the way of perspective, that is until he heard of a party happening in the old warehouse. A promising opportunity, if a rather nerve-wracking one. Daniel, unsurprisingly, had never been to a party before, perhaps there he could find some kind of clarity in seeing how the other side of Cornell lived, perhaps he could speak with and save some potential lost souls.

Perhaps, Hell itself would spill forth into Cornell and Daniel would run afoul of a particularly clingy demon.

He could not tell you much of the incident, indeed, Daniel had been ready to flee already from the lights, revelry and underaged drinking. When it seemed that damnation had arrived on Earth, Daniel didn’t even realise he was running until he’d already broken through tree clearings in a mad dash to never again bear his eyes on that warehouse and the horrors within. Out in the twilight, screams of his peers echoing behind him, Daniel fell to his knees and tearfully prayed, a mumbling terror-filled plea that lacked meaning or sense as, for the first time, Daniel believed God was not there.

His prayer [i]was[/i] answered. Among the manner of comprehension defying demons that tore into Cornell was one that considered itself above its peers, disdaining their senseless cruelty or especially their gleeful sadism, drawn to a particular font of unjust suffering and desire to protect. In an instant, Daniel Mars ceased to exist, and Valor was given form, rushing off towards the slaughter to deliver righteous judgement.

When he finally awoke to daybreak peeking through the trees, Daniel felt his muscles sting after being pushed past their limits, his hands cracking and black with dried blood and the instinctual knowledge that somehow or some way, many, many things had died by his hand.

“WAKE, APOSTLE,” a voice commanded from the depths of Daniel’s soul, “THERE IS WORK TO BE DONE.”[/indent]


[sub][b] [color=SkyBlue]Abstraction[/color][/b][/sub]
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[i]"JUSTICE IS NOT BLIND, [b]I[/b] WITNESS FOR HER."[/i]

[indent][color=SkyBlue][b]TYPE  ⫻[/b][/color] Aberration (Adjoined)

[color=SkyBlue][b]ABSTRACTION ⫻[/b][/color] Daniel is Adjoined with and can transform into Valor - an apparition whose considerable raw power grows in response to perceived injustice.

[color=SkyBlue][b]ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION  ⫻[/b][/color] Daniel’s body is now, reluctantly, a vessel for both himself and the “avatar of justice” Valor. By seceding control - or having it wrestled from him - to Valor, Daniel’s body takes the form of and is (largely) piloted by the apparition.

Visually, Valor takes a mostly humanoid shape, resembling a savage mockery of a knight templar. His “armour” appears less as shining steel and closer to blackened rock, capable of withstanding powerful blows and magical attacks. Its helmet - still bearing the distinctive cross shape on the front - is wreathed in a volatile azure flame, housing only shadow and two unblinking, perpetually flaring yellow eyes that peer judgingly from within. Appropriately, Valor cuts an intimidating figure at a muscular six feet and seven inches tall, with a shadow cast by its self-sustaining flames that grows considerably larger and seems to fall upon those Valor judges as especially wicked. When Valor speaks, its sentences are to the point and spoken in a powerful, if tinny baritone.

As it pertains to abilities, Valor is, rather fittingly, as blunt and inflexible as the apparition itself. Valor’s form enables greatly enhanced durability, strength and destructive power, all with the potential to grow in proportion with Valor’s righteous anger at the injustices of another. While limited in terms of adaptability, Valor's one-track instrument of karmic retribution tends to serve it fine, particularly when stoically marching through devastating force to deliver punishment.

[indent][color=SteelBlue][b]MY HANDS FOR WAR AND MY FINGERS TO BATTLE ⫻[/b][/color] Valor prefers brute force over traditional magic, however, it can marry the two disciplines by summoning a temporary weapon to its hands for battle. Bathed in “divine” fire, Valor calls forth a traditional weapon to extend its reach and judgement, with usual suspects being a greatsword, greataxe, lance or, rarely, a shield.

[color=SteelBlue][b]THE WICKED WILL PERISH ⫻[/b][/color] As mentioned, Valor’s noteworthy physical power and endurance will grow even further to match with the perceived evil of whatever the target of its wrath is, the greater the sin the greater the boost in strength. Valor claims that, under the right set of circumstances, its might could grow enough in a moment to unmake the All-Verse itself, something Daniel is more than dubious of.[/indent]


[color=SkyBlue][b]LIMITS  ⫻[/b][/color] While certainly powerful, Valor is very much a one-track mind. As the apparition is mostly in control of the form, it lacks any capacity or desire to consider things like lateral thinking. It's spells and powers help it do one thing and thing only - walk down the target of its immediate ire and rip it to death. While Valor [i]is[/i] resistant to spells to some extent, it can be fooled, slowed or beaten by wearing it down, occasionally requiring external help to keep it sticking to a plan when facing anything that has sentient thought.

Additionally, in the event it takes too much damage even for its durability to withstand, it will forcibly revert back to Daniel and be unable to reform for at least a few hours. It will also complain incessantly as it is a sore loser.

[indent][color=SteelBlue][b]MY HANDS FOR WAR AND MY FINGERS TO BATTLE ⫻[/b][/color] The constructs are as capable of inflicting pain as their corporeal origins, however Valor's weapons can only be used once before vanishing in a swift blaze. Additionally, these arms take a second to burn into existence and will vanish if “let go” preemptively by Valor, making their use more situational and tactically oriented for an apparition that notoriously favours [i]one[/i] tactic.

[color=SteelBlue][b]THE WICKED WILL PERISH ⫻[/b][/color] Valor - even by the standards of apparitions - is of limited imagination and intricate thought when it pertains to the psychology of others. What is evil and what Valor considers evil are [i]generally[/i] in line and it is capable of factoring in context but it abhors mercy and believes perfection comes only from punishment, be that a scolding or a beheading. Additionally, beings that act on instinct such as animalistic paranormal creatures give no boost, as while their actions are perspectively evil, Valor notes, to its chagrin, that [i]punishing[/i] them for a transgression it has no rationality to consider would not really work.[/indent]


[color=SkyBlue][b]WEAKNESSES  ⫻[/b][/color] Valor functions as a blunt judgment tool, lacking subtlety or foresight. It responds to perceived injustice rather than strategic planning and can be baited or misled through manipulations of morality. Ambiguity and clever deceptions confuse it, creating vulnerabilities. Its connection to Daniel means any harm or restraint to Daniel affects Valor directly. Excessive damage causes a reversion, leaving Daniel exposed while it recovers, and environmental hazards or attacks on Daniel can interrupt it or cause it to lose control. Its power intensifies with anger and perceived wickedness, but extreme fury can cloud judgment, leading to overreach, miscalculation, or the ignoring of collateral hazards. Strong opponents can exploit its aggression to isolate or flank it. Weapons crafted by Valor are temporary, slow to appear, and disappear if misused or released, creating offensive gaps. Its focus on "evil" means it often doesn't recognize instinct-driven, chaotic, or morally ambiguous foes, allowing attacks that evade provoking its wrath while threatening Daniel. Finally, Valor’s inability to adapt or strategize makes it predictable.
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[sup][b] [color=SkyBlue]Other[/color][/b][/sup]
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[i]"Amen."[/i]

[indent]Daniel is naturally averse to swearing or blasphemy. He won’t chide others for doing either but will try to muffle his hearing of it or at least censor it in his mind.[/INDENT][/hider]