rexgn
Baphomini
Crimson Flame
JewelSerket
Qia
shylarah
Randomness
Izurich
soren
Guardian Angel Haruki
"Ah, feels good to be back in the swing of things. Now, where to start...?"
Name: ????
Alias: Writhe, The Seven's Head, The First.
Nicknames: N/A
Age: Unknown
Gender: Presumed Male
Personality: Writhe is the worst kind of monster; the one that still feigns a humanity it lost long ago. If it weren't for his unnatural, monstrous appearance, wreathed in shadow with tendrils hungering for prey practically trembling in anticipation, his personality wouldn't make you suspect a thing about him. He acts casually in any situation, even when there are others in The Seven who probably want his head. He never gives off anything more than an air of confidence and aura of pure assurance; he knows what he wants to do and how he'll do it, and will never hesitate, merely...Reconfigure his ideas, if something goes out of place, or piques a new interest in him.
Underneath that cool exterior is a vile creature. His existence, even by his own words, is to cause despair for others, to drive people into the depravity he knows they are capable of; and he wants to be the one to bear witness to it. That twisted desire, paired off with an unnatural charisma, may be what draws deviants to him, and be what allowed him to forge The Six initially. He takes great pleasure in that work, and surprisingly, just as much in seeing himself thwarted, to see the 'good guys' doing their best against his horrifying odds. After all, what good would wickedness be without its opposite to pair with? Dreadfully boring. And bored is the one thing Writhe never wants to be. He can be patient, and tolerate days, months, even years of silence...But inevitably, like a predator that had been caged, only to be abruptly released, he will always pursue his base nature at the earliest convenience. A beast, but with the social graces of the best of humankind. A terrifying combination.
One thing that interests him beyond his goal are Parahumans at large. Perhaps it is because they wear those cracks of the heart, mind, and soul on their sleeves with their abilities, instead of those who Writhe has had to break himself. Perhaps he can relate to them, knowing they've each got their own little demons, whereas he has become his. Or perhaps it is merely because he understands the potential each Parahuman has; the ability to change the world for the worse. Perhaps it is all of the above. Regardless, he takes special interest in them, evident in how he fights against Powered individuals of all sorts. He...Toys with them. Striking enough to keep them off balance, but taking his time to try and pry into their psyche; to understand them. To break them. Like some kind of deranged Shadow Shrink, he works his way into how they think and act, and then decides what to do from there.
Sometimes he just lets them go; maybe he's decided they're more trouble than they're worth, or he takes enough interest in them to let them see another day, but just doesn't want them with him. On other occasions, he may try and recruit them, preying on their vulnerabilities to find what he needs to say. Others, well...He doesn't like it, but sometimes, they just aren't very interesting. Those ones he disposes of pretty quickly. Just no fun. On the other hand, sometimes he takes an interest in an individual, but can't fit them into his spots; doesn't want them to just walk off, but they can't join him, or won't. In those cases, he just tries to break them until they submit or shatter, both are enjoyable for him either way. Emotionally, physically, even mentally. All fair game to him, and he likes to mix the three together for the best and most interesting results.
Normal people, civilians, are usually beneath his interest beyond their scope in his 'games' he plays with Capes. Just dull, living their quiet, mundane lives. Not even worth prying into. On occasion, though, he may find an otherwise normal individual that he takes an interest in; sees the spark of potential. Those people, he likes them a lot. It's one thing meeting like-minded individuals...It's another altogether to make one yourself. Those impressionable sorts, who just need a push in the right direction, or a shove into a place of darkness....It's ecstacy to him, making a new member over simply finding them.
Appearance: No one is certain why he looks the way he does; presumably it has to do with his ability, but even then, it's...Off-putting. Any time he shows up, he always looks like this. A mere shadow of a human being, nearly no discernable features to him. Just those piercing white eyes, the sole feature of an otherwise featureless form. He stands around 5'9, but...It fluctuates, changes with his almost fluid moments, terrifying as they are. His form no longer seems bound by a body in the human sense...Which only adds to his monstrous reputation.
Then there are the tendrils. Like extensions of himself, tentacles of inky darkness that stretch around him, eager to act...Eager to kill. If his size is left to be questioned, then these are even more puzzling. They seem to reach out from the center of his back, coiling around him; roughly the length of his arm. However, they can go far longer than that, stretching across the length of a street to pursue his targets, dragging them back to despair...
To writhe.
Biography:
Hotel. Shadows. Money. Boss. Payment. Capes. Incident. Flames. Pain. Words. Pain. Struck. Pain. Pain. Pain....
Then Darkness.
A flash of images, with feelings that mean nothing now to the thing that is Writhe. Whatever past this man had, it was cast aside the day he became this monster, and he has no intentions of returning...If he ever could to begin with. The first thing Writhe ever did, after all, was kill one of the original four of The Guardians; Shockwave. It was a horrific scene straight from a slasher, the kind of bloodied mess that could only come from a beast with nothing to lose, and nothing to gain. All that left was violent instinct, a desire to life. For what?
......
He didn't care. He would keep living.
Eventually, he found purpose, not through his own musings, but in what he discovered he was being painted as; the terrifying bogeyman who had killed a member of The Guardians, and thwarted the rest who had tried to contain him. Fooled Guardian, outskilled Amazon, and outmaneuvered Gatecrasher. He was a menace...Perhaps that was something worth being. And so it would be.
He traveled across the United States. Capes found it impossible to pin the man down; his method of travel was untraceable, and his attacks too unrelated and abrupt. He outthought Thinkers left and right, avoiding capture and always ending up on top. Eventually, attempts to track and contain the thing that was now being dubbed Writhe were ended. They resolved to doing damage control, arriving where he would appear, control the carnage, and try to apprehend him when they could.
This game of cat-and-mouse was different from the usual stuff of Capes, because this rat bit back. And soon, other vermin flocked...
People just as twisted as he, though perhaps not in the same ways. Still, it gave him an epiphany. His goal to sow fear and raise hell would be made all the easier, and certainly more interesting, with others that wished to join. A sick little family of freaks. How fitting. Thus, the Slaughterhouse Six was born.
This has gone on for almost twenty years, with the Six (or now, The Seven) getting beaten back, though never without loss of life...And hope. Even their latest defeat in New York, costing Writhe six of his fellow freaks, was not without horrific blowback. One of them, Fallout, could control and emit radiation, and focus it into radioactive bursts of energy. A fun power, and Writhe had big hopes for what would happen when he was pushed too far. He was proven right, since he went nuclear over The Big Apple, leveling most of the city along with himself. Writhe, of course, escape.
He has been on his lonesome for a time, perhaps giving the world a chance to breath. Just meant he had to raise the stakes even more for their next appearance...And bolster their numbers, of course.
Powers/Skills:
[DESIGNATION: Stranger 6/Mover 9
/Trump (Brute, Master, potential Thinker)]
Umbral Trespassing: Writhe's ability allows him to traverse in a 'shadow world', which he accesses by slipping into even a small spot where there are shadows to be seen, or where general darkness dominates the area. While in this area, Writhe is impossible to track and immune to nearly any form of assault, and in this area, he can traverse to any other spot where his power would be applicable and emerge there. This travel is not instantaneous, but it is far faster than he could traverse on foot. His high Mover ranking is less towards raw speed and more towards inconceivable levels of mobility. In an area of darkness, he can submerge and emerge nearly anywhere, striking from any possible location, all while practically camouflaged in the shadows, even his bright white eyes strangely remaining unseen in darkness. Writhe has been seen making unorthodox usage of this ability, such as sticking in limbs to strike out at different locations, while staying stationary in another spot, or dragging others into and through the 'shadow world', allowing him to control the locations of enemies and allies.
The Powers specified in this section are to remain out of the public eye for fear of raising additional concerns about The Seven and Writhe himself. This is also due to some of the Powers spoken of in this section to be speculative, as his skulking nature makes properly understanding his capabilities troublesome.
Shadow Body: His body seems entirely comprised of a pseudo-amorphous, shadow-like substance. It grants him Brute-level resilience to most conventional forms of offense to a noteworthy degree. Comparable, if not nearly as potent, as Progeny. Energy-based assaults, such as fire, lightning, or pure energy itself seem somewhat more effective, though not perfect. He seems to possess a sensitivity to light, and light-based attacks can cause notable damage to him. Natural sunlight or other forms of non-Powered sources of light, while causing minor pain and perhaps disorientating him, are not effective means of defeating him.
Unnatural Senses: Writhe possesses the ability to see flawlessly even in pitch darkness, and potentially also has the ability to detect things that are nearby or on top of shadows, as he has shown oddly high awareness in attempts to ambush him, implying some form of extrasensory ability.
Shadow Tendrils: Emerging from the center of his back, anywhere from two to six dark tentacle-like creations can sprout out, granting him his Master classification; unnatural extensions of himself that are stronger, faster, and tougher than he is, and can stretch out to 30 feet away from his position. However, he has ways to...Ignore this restriction. Apparently, these extensions can utilize his Trespass ability, extending through the 'shadow world' at even higher speeds than they already moved at, reaching out from the darkness to strike at targets. While their normal method of attack seems to be wrapping around the target's limbs to restrict movement, and then drag them off (or bludgeon them across the ground/walls as necessary), they can also act like spears, piercing into individuals and writhing around inside them to unpleasant degrees, effectively tearing them inside out. This is where his name originates...Because it's what he did to Shockwave.
Power Draining: His aforementioned 'Trump' classification, Parahumans within a currently unknown range of Writhe will began to experience a slow draining of their ability, which is expedited by proximity to Writhe, or God forbid direct contact from him or his tendrils. Eventually, the Power is restored after some time away from Writhe, usually multiple hours, on occasion even days if contact was prolonged. However, this is merely an aspect of the true effect his ability intends to perform...Regardless, he's able to 'flip' this ability on and off as he wishes, so as to ensure he isn't weakening fellow members of The Seven.
Life Siphoning: Those within his radius, or getting into contact with Writhe, begin to feel weaker, sluggish, feeble...Unwittingly having their very life taken from them. When used on Parahumans, their abilities interrupt this process, essentially interposing between the effect and their life force, at the cost of the ability itself weakening, and eventually failing altogether, rendering them just as vulnerable. While what the power does with this energy is unknown, presumptions from the Think Tank include it being used to extend his life, grant him temporary high-level Brute strength, or even simply as a fuel source for his other abilities. Perhaps all of the above. It is notable that he has never drained an individual to death; whether this is because he cannot, or because it doesn't serve his purposes, remains unknown. As mentioned before, this Power is not permanently on, and in fact, Writhe seems to keep it as a trump card of sorts for particularly troublesome scenarios.
Silence: Strangely enough, Writhe seems to give off no sounds beyond when he speaks. He cannot be heard breathing, the fall of his footsteps are completely silent to even the most superhuman of hearing, and even when he is struck, there is an odd, awful silence to it. On an equally strange note, he also seems to have no smell to him, either.
Parahuman Thinker: Given his unnatural 'charisma' and ability to interact with other Parahumans, we have reason to suspect he may possess a Thinker ability orientated around understanding other Parahumans and their abilities. This is entirely unconfirmed from the Think Tank, so it is mere speculation.
Shadow Body: His body seems entirely comprised of a pseudo-amorphous, shadow-like substance. It grants him Brute-level resilience to most conventional forms of offense to a noteworthy degree. Comparable, if not nearly as potent, as Progeny. Energy-based assaults, such as fire, lightning, or pure energy itself seem somewhat more effective, though not perfect. He seems to possess a sensitivity to light, and light-based attacks can cause notable damage to him. Natural sunlight or other forms of non-Powered sources of light, while causing minor pain and perhaps disorientating him, are not effective means of defeating him.
Unnatural Senses: Writhe possesses the ability to see flawlessly even in pitch darkness, and potentially also has the ability to detect things that are nearby or on top of shadows, as he has shown oddly high awareness in attempts to ambush him, implying some form of extrasensory ability.
Shadow Tendrils: Emerging from the center of his back, anywhere from two to six dark tentacle-like creations can sprout out, granting him his Master classification; unnatural extensions of himself that are stronger, faster, and tougher than he is, and can stretch out to 30 feet away from his position. However, he has ways to...Ignore this restriction. Apparently, these extensions can utilize his Trespass ability, extending through the 'shadow world' at even higher speeds than they already moved at, reaching out from the darkness to strike at targets. While their normal method of attack seems to be wrapping around the target's limbs to restrict movement, and then drag them off (or bludgeon them across the ground/walls as necessary), they can also act like spears, piercing into individuals and writhing around inside them to unpleasant degrees, effectively tearing them inside out. This is where his name originates...Because it's what he did to Shockwave.
Power Draining: His aforementioned 'Trump' classification, Parahumans within a currently unknown range of Writhe will began to experience a slow draining of their ability, which is expedited by proximity to Writhe, or God forbid direct contact from him or his tendrils. Eventually, the Power is restored after some time away from Writhe, usually multiple hours, on occasion even days if contact was prolonged. However, this is merely an aspect of the true effect his ability intends to perform...Regardless, he's able to 'flip' this ability on and off as he wishes, so as to ensure he isn't weakening fellow members of The Seven.
Life Siphoning: Those within his radius, or getting into contact with Writhe, begin to feel weaker, sluggish, feeble...Unwittingly having their very life taken from them. When used on Parahumans, their abilities interrupt this process, essentially interposing between the effect and their life force, at the cost of the ability itself weakening, and eventually failing altogether, rendering them just as vulnerable. While what the power does with this energy is unknown, presumptions from the Think Tank include it being used to extend his life, grant him temporary high-level Brute strength, or even simply as a fuel source for his other abilities. Perhaps all of the above. It is notable that he has never drained an individual to death; whether this is because he cannot, or because it doesn't serve his purposes, remains unknown. As mentioned before, this Power is not permanently on, and in fact, Writhe seems to keep it as a trump card of sorts for particularly troublesome scenarios.
Silence: Strangely enough, Writhe seems to give off no sounds beyond when he speaks. He cannot be heard breathing, the fall of his footsteps are completely silent to even the most superhuman of hearing, and even when he is struck, there is an odd, awful silence to it. On an equally strange note, he also seems to have no smell to him, either.
Parahuman Thinker: Given his unnatural 'charisma' and ability to interact with other Parahumans, we have reason to suspect he may possess a Thinker ability orientated around understanding other Parahumans and their abilities. This is entirely unconfirmed from the Think Tank, so it is mere speculation.
Other: The only concrete information the PRT has on Writhe's past is that he is almost certainly a former resident of the USA. Beyond that...He's a disturbingly large blank in history.
