Lmpkio

We Were Human - Marspunk Psychics

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Silence.

Nathan slowly opened his dazed eyes as he looked blankly into the smokey night sky. He felt himself firmly planted against the ground as if he had weights strapped onto his back. He couldn't feel much of his body at all really, minus the aching pain from all sides and the warm sweat that glistened on his face. The smelled the thick smoke wasn't pleasing at all either. He could feel and he could see, and he could smell too. But there was one thing that he still could not accomplish.

He could not hear.

Or at the very least he couldn't hear very well against the barrage of white noise that assaulted his mind. Nathan's eyes shut as he tried to cancel the noise out, but it simply grew more and more obnoxious. It didn't help either that he felt warm liquid running down his ears either. Once enough was enough, he rolled onto his belly with all the strength he could muster. A pained groan sighed from his gritted teeth as flashes of red signaled his need to take it slow. Nathan slowed his breathing - inhaling slowly through his mouth before exhaling it all out. Bit by bit, he slowly rose his body upwards, being careful not to strain himself too harshly. Soon he found himself on all fours. His arms still wobbled from shock, almost threatening to give way, but Nathan wasn't going to let it stop him.

Eventually he perched his left leg up into a kneeling position and then slowly lifted himself to stand up. The green-haired man cocked his neck back and carefully stretched his body as a groan aspirated into the night.

"Ohhhhhh..." he sighed to himself as he almost stumbled forward, "What... the hell happened?"

As Nathan finished speaking, he would pause before lifting his right index finger against his matching ear. He felt the liquid running down it, a kind of watery yet sticky substance. When he brought it up to his finger, he'd see a reddish-yellow discharge stick against his fingertips. Was this... blood? A mixture of his blood and wax running down the side of his head? That damn firework seemed to have done more damage than he thought... or was it the explosion shortly after? Still...

This couldn't be good.

As he began to wipe the waxy fluid off his leather jacket, he would fail to notice a squad of security forces running right behind him. He'd get accidentally shouldered by one of them, taking a few steps back before looking at one of the armored men glaring at him through his goggles.

"Hey! Check your zone!" the man would bark before he continued running with his patrol unit.

Nathan barely caught what he said, most of it being nothing but very muffled speech. Had the man spoken more softly, then he might not have understood him at all.

"S-Sorry!" Nathan yelled as he regained his footing.

More surprising was the fact that could also barely hear the sounds and vibrations of thunderous mechanical stomps that were no more than a few meters away from him. He quickly noted the giant hulking bio-mech that lumbered by, being nearly shocked that he didn't get accidentally squished by it through his own obliviousness. He'd bang his palms against his temples before rapidly shaking his head.

"Ugh, cmon Nathan." he growled to himself aloud, "Cmon. Get it together man!"

Once he gained relative control of his consciousness, he'd turn around to inspect his flaming van. There didn't seem to be anything he could take from it, other than some spare change and, thankfully, his phone. The bandits that ruined his ride didn't seem to have the chance to take anything major out, but what would be the point if his equipment was totally ruined beyond repair. His speakers and soundboards were all completely wrecked and on fire. It would be fruitless to try and salvage their remains. With a heavy heart, Nathan walked away from the wreckage and began wandering aimlessly into would soon find himself wandering into Takari Square.

To normal civilians, they would be bombarded with the sounds of sirens and cries for help. Yet Nathan barely heard anything, only hearing a mixture of his internal consciousness and the muffled ambience that created an eerie ambiance of an almost surreal dream-like sequence. He'd also notice odd string-like translucent waves dancing around his vision in a rainbow of different colors. What were they? He blinked his eyes rapidly in an attempt to rid himself of these visions, yet they wouldn't go away. They all came from various directions at random, yet they otherwise didn't interfere with his vision too much. Nathan simply couldn't wrap his head upon these strange bizarre events.

How hard had he hit his head in that crash?

As he walked across the street towards the square center, he would see the ruins of a large statue crumbled into the park plaza. Really the entire place was a complete mess - and judging from what Nathan could remember from the blast, it seemed to have started here. What exactly happened here? What triggered this explosion? And for what purpose? He had a whole lot of questions and a whole lack of answers. Yet from the rubble he would spot someone struggling underneath. Nathan instinctually sprinted towards the body before kneeling to inspect it.

"Hang on, I'm coming!" he cried in a slightly louder then necessary voice as he began to comfort the man.

He could barely hear the man crying in pain, but frankly Nathan didn't need to hear in order to recognize how brutal the situation for him was. His spine was absolutely crushed from a thick concrete slab that pierced it so. He was in very bad shape, perhaps mortally so from the looks of it. If he survives this ordeal, he will be paralyzed for the rest of his life. Nathan took pity for the man as he quickly scanned his body for any other wounds. While he was inspecting his arms, he'd catch his eye upon the man's bracelet that was wrapped around his left wrist. Taking a closer look, he would notice that it sported a symbol... a very familiar symbol. Nathan's heart sank once he realized what it was.

The man was an MLI agent - he was one of his own!

"No," he breathed solemnly as he looked at the pained expression of his fellow comrade.

Things had been made much more personal for him now. Quickly, Nathan grabbed ahold of the giant slab lodged in the victim's spinal cord before trying to lift it with all his might. Alas his weakened state and general overall physique made it nearly impossible for him to move it. He was soon forced to give up to catch his breath.

Still he wasn't going to leave him here to die. Not like this. But he'll certainly need help if he was going to have any chance in saving him. Hopping atop a pile of rubble Nathan would begin to call for help by screaming and waving his arms towards anyone nearby.

"HEEEEY!" he yelled as he jumped up and down like a maddened crazy person, "SOMEBODY HELP! I HAVE A SURVIVOR HERE! I NEED HELP REMOVING THE RUBBLE OFF HIM!"

He wondered if anyone was willing enough to help... or perhaps this would be nothing but a fruitless venture.

The Morrison Trail - (A Western Oregon-Trail-based RP with Dinosaurs)

Good! With everyone having posted, I'll try and move things along a little later. I do have a character ready but I'll make his profile later.

We Were Human - Marspunk Psychics

Nathaniel Atkins

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_{N A T H A N I E L "S I G M A" A T K I N S
◄ 24 ▎ MALE ▎ 1.96 m (5'8") ►}

_{P R O F I L E}

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As a DJ working the soundboards at various mainstream nightclubs and glitter bars, Nathaniel considers himself as well acquainted with being the center of the party. His ever-expanding audio library supplies him with a plethora of various different tunes to mix-and-match so that he can keep the party alive and have the masses fall into a hypnotizing groove with the beat. This allows Nathan to kick-back and relax, essentially rendering him nearly invisible to those simply looking for a good time - so as long as they like the music of course.

While most DJs could take advantage of this to do more risque activities out of sight - such as doing narcotics or hooking up with prostitutes - Nathaniel wasn’t too interested in them (with the exception of an occasional vape). He’s just fine with grabbing a drink or two and chatting with his mates backstage, or listening to his own personal playlist, allowing himself to usually avoid getting into unnecessary trouble. It’s all honest work to him and quite frankly he doesn’t want to lose out on valuable income that goes into paying the bills and the chance to add or upgrade his equipment.

Of course, when he's not taking control of the party, Nathan's often laid-back nature takes a backseat into more pressing matters with the MLI. Just as he's laser focus with producing bombastic music, it seamlessly transfers into his job in intercepting and jamming enemy communications in total silence. In parties, his espionage role blends in with his primary job, allowing him to hear important conversations while looking unassuming with his position. Still, he knows when to be careful. One small misstep can cost him dearly. And he knows fully well that the punishment in getting caught would jeopardize his entire career and way of life forever.

And yet, despite him teetering on the brink of mortality at all times, Nathan's determined to help the people for the betterment of a brighter and safer Mars.

_{D A Y S - G O N E}

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Before finding himself rebelling against the status quo of the Martian government, Nathaniel Atkins’ goal in life was to follow in his old man’s footsteps. His father - Abram Atkins - was a well-known music artist, who often created funky, step-based music for all manners of events and purposes: from nightclub raves to thirty second holovision commercials. A young Nathan would always find his father working on his next song within his home studio, or hear the faint bumps and beats vibrate through the hallway. In fact, Nathan often listened to his father’s music - mixed in with other artists that he happened to like - when at school and shared it with his friends who became big fans themselves. This prompted Nathan to want to create his own music in the spirit of his old man and make his own mark in the music industry with his own unique take.

When he was a little bit older Nathan began to learn his father’s studio layout and was taught how everything worked. Soon enough, he began to make his own tracks that took heavy inspirations from his father’s work. At first, he would remix his father’s songs in a unique way, before being comfortable enough to make his own tracks. They would be based on Abram’s work, however being mixed in with inspirations from older Earthling artists that Nathan often listened to. He would compare his works to that of an early 2000s Earthling band called The Gorillaz in the aspect that he didn’t limit himself to one particular genre, but rather used, reused and experimented with multiple different kinds. While his father often worked (or was forced to work) on the step-based pop music that saturated Mars with a stale normalcy, Nathan found himself reusing older genres that were popular on Earth such as metal, reggae, rock, orchestral, and others. Nathan wanted to revive a genre that was generally untapped on Mars and revolutionize music in a whole new way.

Of course, Nathan had to first experiment with the music - as did his father before him. At first, these creations were rather crude and erratic, often a mish-mash of various artists strung into one song. However, Nathan continued to improve and refine his work, ultimately creating something that he believed would be something unique. Still he hesitated in publically releasing his works, being still unsure as to how the populace would hold them.

While he continued working on his personal tracks, he eventually found himself a job as a DJ for local nightclubs and parties through the help of his father. Thanks to his personal experience, Nathan was able to quickly get comfortable and make a personal living off it. He mostly played the typical step-based music, with many of his father’s tracks included with it. During this stage, he was able to befriend a variety of unique people. From fellow artists to potential romantic flings, Nathan had always found himself in the middle of the party.

But there was one party that would place him in the center of something far bigger than he could imagine. One moment he would find himself talking to a trio of fans, simply chatting away about music tastes, until the conversation took a steep political turn. They talked about the rapid deterioration of New Brazil’s government and the ever increasing threat of rampant corruption and violence. Nathan was never too much into politics, but nonetheless he listened. They would then reveal to him as members of the Martian Liberation Insurgency and that they were always looking for more people to join their cause. Not risking in wanting his comfortable life being derailed into potential death, Nathan would politely decline their advance.

When he returned home, he would be soon greeted to his home phone ringing. When he picked it up, he would hear a call from one of his dad’s neighbors. His father had commited suicide through a drug overdose. For a moment, Nathan was stunned and taken completely aback by his greatest inspiration - by his own father no less - having taken his own life. Nathan couldn’t understand why he did kill himself. From what he’d seen, his father had always been in very high spirits and one who seemed more optimistic of the world and his passion for music. The last time he talked to him, which was only several weeks prior, didn’t seem to hint at any abnormalities or disturbances in thought. It all simply just didn’t add up.

But what Nathan didn’t know was a totally different part of his father that he had never seen before. Behind his seemingly successful and passionate exterior, laid a dark interior of a tortured soul who couldn’t afford to escape an endless loop of repetition. It didn’t help that he still couldn’t get over Nathan’s long dead mother, who had died in an automotive accident when he was very young: too young to even remember. But most importantly was how he became completely fed up with how dire the overall situation was in New Brazil. His father’s passion for music was a way for him to escape the real world and make something for both the benefit of himself and others… until it started becoming much more of a chore than a passion. Till he could no longer escape the tragic state of the real world and the corporate masters that puppeted him along with the entire industry and beyond. Thus he died chugging down a whole bottle of antidepressants in his studio, only to be found several hours later by one of his assistants.

Nathan broke down shortly after ending the call. And it was this moment that had opened his eyes to a completely new world… a darker and crueler world. He became angry. Angry that he couldn’t help his dad when he could. Angry at how the government was treating the populace and suffocating creativity. He was angry at the state of the world that it was in. And he wanted to change it. But lucky for him, he knew just where to start…

With this revelation fresh in his mind, Nathan would proceed to join the MLI in secret, going by the calling card of “Sigma”. Utilizing his position as a DJ, he would find himself in exclusive VIP parties in order to gain info on any particular assailants or targets. In addition, he would also be trained and specialized as an intelligence agent in intercepting transmissions and audio chatter. His efforts would prove vital to the insurgency, allowing them to pick up on valuable information in order for them to achieve their goals. For the most part, he otherwise kept out of unnecessary engagements due to his low-key profile and his skills with music. And when he was not doing any of this, he would continue working on his songs, making new singles that emanated with raw emotional energy in response of his trauma, with most chanting for revolution against the tyranny of the current Martian government.

Still, trouble would one day find him. And find him it did.

While Nathan was on his way to a high-class nightclub, he was forced to travel through the slums of a rundown neighborhood near Takari square that was notorious for its high concentration of crime. Just before he would have a chance to leave it, his van was ambushed by a group of waterbandits who launched a firework straight into his windshield. Once it exploded, Nathan found himself blinded by a volley of bright before his van skidded out of control and crashed into a nearby building. When he awoke from his daze, he found himself shocked at how quiet everything seemed to be. So quiet in fact that he couldn’t hear one of the bandits open his car door before being dragged out and planted against a wall. Through his blurred vision he could see the bandit leader talking to him, but while his lips moved Nathan couldn’t hear what he said. Nathan struggled to figure out what he was saying, only to have his efforts unintentionally annoy him before the group surrounded him and began to brutally beat him senseless.

Nathan helplessly curled into a ball as he tried to shield himself from the kicks to his ribs and the bats that whacked at his back. He couldn’t hear them laughing at him, but he could no doubt feel each blow becoming harder with every passing moment.

Then suddenly he would notice a bright light illuminating the entire area, followed by a rippling shockwave. He couldn’t quite tell what was going on, but before he knew it he noticed that the beatings had abruptly stopped. Did some kind of divine intervention save him from death? He wouldn’t quite have enough time to figure it out before he lost consciousness...

_{M E M O R I E S}

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_{Abram Atkins (Deceased)}

- Nathan’s father was the man responsible for his dreams in becoming a music producer himself. A kind-hearted and supporting father, he was always willing to help his son in becoming a successful artist just like himself. Still, it wouldn’t help him fight against the inner demons that he tried to keep from ruining his son, eventually costing him his life.

_{Irene Atkins (Deceased)}

- Nathan never really had a chance to know his mother. Having died when he was three in an automotive accident, the only things he had ever heard of her was how she was a beautiful brunette woman with a heart of gold. His father’s friends had also mentioned that she was a lawyer in-training before she died.

_{The Martian Liberation Insurgency}

- As Nathan’s second chance at life, he always wondered what life would be like if he hadn’t joined them. He had found a new purpose within their ranks, and on top of that they still allowed him to continue with his passion for making music. Without them, he believed that he would more than likely end up in a similar fate like his father.

_{Synthia Lawrence}

- A minor crush that he met at a rave during his early years as a DJ. While they eventually lost touch within a year, Nathan still had fond memories of hanging around her. He had a song in the works that was inspired by her, but never had time to finish it.

_{P O W E R S}

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| :_C O D E N A M E :__" S I G M A "__: |

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A U D I O K I N E S I S

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Power: Nathan has the power to control, manipulate, and create sound through the power of Audiokinesis. The enhancements provided by the EE had infused his bloodstream special nanotubes that take in outside audio from all around his body - allowing him not only to hear again, but also utilize it for more practical purposes.

• Enhanced Hearing: Thanks to the specialized nanotubes injected into his bloodstream, Nathan’s hearing has not only grown more sensitive, but also the fact that he can now hear from essentially every part of his body. His skin senses the various vibrations in the air, which the nanotubes absorb and send them back to the user’s brain to proceed as such. This helps in better identifying the particular direction, tone, and distance of where said sound is coming from.
• Sound Projection: Nathan can project sound from his entire body - whether it be music or recordings - at any volume he desires. He can create sound blasts from his hands and mouth at either ultrasonic and infrasonic frequencies, which usually disorient and sometimes kills opponents. He can also charge up raw noise and unleash it in a pulse attack via shockwave.
• Sound Amplification: Through an existing sound source, Nathan can amplify it with his own noise to artificially louden or soften it. He is capable of creating a barrier of amplified white noise to stun opponents.
• Sound Absorption: Nathan can absorb soundwaves and negate their effects completely. He can then reflect the noise back at the target via Sound Projection.
• Sound Mimicry: Nathan can automatically remember a noise and mimic it to near perfect tone and pitch just by hearing it once.
• Soundwave Perception (Passive): Nathan is able to physically see audio waves at will in a volley of colors that depend on the particular sound. This ultimately allows for him to directly pinpoint the direction of a particular sound, even amidst a volley of other coinciding waves. He can even feel other people’s emotions through their soundwaves.
• Record: Nathan’s headphones can record up to five minutes of audio at a time and play it back through sound projection. He can also access his records though a holographic screen to pick out a particular recording.

Limitations:

• Range Limit: Despite his enhanced hearing allowing him to hear sounds from significant distances away, he can’t hear through multiple walls or sound-proof walls. Max distance can also be affected by the number of intense noises in the general area.
• Finite Charge: Nathan’s headphone set has a limited battery life of 15 hours of active idle usage. However, utilizing more energy in attacks or specialized movements for long periods of time - or of greater magnitude - can hasten its battery life. Thus he needs to utilize his powers sparingly and briefly.

Weaknesses:

• Deafness: Nathan is able to take his specialized headphones off his head, yet in doing so he would immediately become deaf and be unable to use his powers. Such situations can occur if he needs to recharge them, is sleeping, or if they were knocked off his head during a fall or a fight. While the headphones were designed to stick to the nanotubes situated in his ear canals, significantly decreasing the risk of such a situation, this can still happen easily through reasonable force.
• EMP/Electrical Attacks: EMP attacks can instantly interfere with Nathan’s headphones, causing him to hear a painful static noise at best or shutting them down immediately at worst. Even electrical contact, such as being tasered, can travel up through his nanotubes and effect his headphones in the same effect.