Retired — Roleplayer Guild

Although I'm wary about OCs, because I feel most would interpret that as an excuse for fan fiction and self-inserts, pitch #2 resonates the most with me purely because it would be a true year zero. Which, as Inkarnate pointed out, hasn't been done in any of the recent comic-based games here. 

Having to build up entirely from the start would lend better to a sandbox game, I feel. Less chaotic backstory we need to tiptoe around. The risk of overpopulation for one city is lessened - not going to have a dozen Bat-family characters in Gotham in this. We don't have to shoehorn in all of these former plots regarding past crises, government oversight agencies, deaths of classic heroes. And not really having to worry about legacy characters. 

Plus, it gives a fair excuse for those who want to play in their own corners for a bit: these characters are all fresh vigilantes, the odds they would meet up and work together immediately aren't high. 

Zach


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Zachary Keene
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April 30th   |   15   |   Caucasian
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Single   |   ♂   |   Heterosexual
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High Schooler   |   Stock boy at Eastmart
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• Height | 5'5"

• Weight | 116lbs

• Build | Thin

• Hair Color | Blonde

• Eye Color | Blue
   A p p e a r a n c e   D e t a i l s                      
Zachary Keene isn't unattractive, though his sense of style and general demeanor have done him no favors up until now. After spending fourteen years being dressed by his mother, his excitement to reinvent himself has led to several recent changes. Over the Summer, Zach spent time trying to fill out his wiry frame and chose a new haircut plucked straight from Tiger Beat magazine. 

Relatively diminutive, Zachary stands out from his peers in all of the wrong ways. Although he's not often noticed, when he is it's occasionally accompanied by derisive remarks regarding his slight frame and stature.

Always on his person is a somewhat sloppily handcrafted bracelet of twine and plastic beads. Almost never missing from his left wrist, Zachary displays this accessory proudly regardless of any teasing it might bring to him.

   P e r s o n a l i t y                                        
Zachary is often misunderstood as meek or shy due to his classmates rarely hearing him speak up. In fact, neither of these is true. Although socially awkward with an aversion to party atmospheres, he is, for the most part, confident and strong-willed. His general distaste for the teenage caste system present in high school lends to his relative silence during school hours. Instead, Zach observes. He watches and listens to those around him, taking in a steady stream of information both small and large. 

Although no stranger to the mocking comments of his peers, young Zachary has never let harsh words affect him. Being raised in a household of three sisters has lent quite well to tolerance and near-immunity of juvenile cruelty and sarcasm. Zach has distanced himself from others in the school, imposing a self-exile of sorts and relegating him to a loner status. If asked, Zachary would claim he prefers it this way. A defense mechanism to shield himself from being hurt by others. Alone at night, though, when he's left with nothing but his own thoughts, Zach is forced to be honest with himself and face the loneliness in his heart. 



   C h a r a c t e r    S y n o p s i s                      
The Keene family is, for the most part, typical of middle-class New England households. His father a car salesman, his mother a secretary. Zachary has two older sisters, Jennifer aged 20 and Alice aged 17, as well as one younger, Marie aged 12. All of whom share a pastime of relentlessly pestering him. 

When he was younger, Zach was not closed-off and guarded. He was a boisterous and adventurous child who loved to surround himself with others. When he was five, the Keene family moved from a nearby town to Crestwood Hollow. His new neighbor, a young girl around his age, Vanessa, quickly caught his attention and the two became fast friends. For over seven years the pair were nearly inseparable, their parents often joking that they were joined at the hip and would one day marry. During the height of their bonding youth, Vanessa made a friendship bracelet for Zachary, who in turn made one for her, with the promise that they would never drift apart.

Their final year of middle school, in the Summer leading up to their freshman year, however, things quickly changed and Vanessa abruptly ended their friendship. Despite attempts to rectify whatever mistake he must have made to drive his closest friend away, the distance between them only grew over their first year in high school. Vanessa would seemingly blossom, surrounding herself with numerous new friends and acquaintances. Meanwhile, Zachary, hurt and feeling betrayed, would shutter himself off from those around him, choosing to self-isolate in order to never feel that way again.

Still, as painful as losing Vanessa as a friend had been two years ago, the news of her death had been crushing. No amount of emotional walls he had erected could shield him from this loss. Confusion, anger, resentment. A vast array of feelings he had been suppressing now wash over him.

   A b i l i t i e s   &   S k i l l s                             
//Abilities:
Hyper-Human Ability | Animal Mimicry & Empowerment

Zachary's hypegene will manifest itself by allowing him to synchronize with nearby fauna. This effectively grants him the abilities of whichever creature he synchronizes with, taking on their respective traits. This works in a proportional manner meaning even the smallest of lifeforms can benefit him greatly. Such as mimicking an ant gifting him with enough strength to lift over ten times his own body weight. 

While he is able to mimic these animal abilities, Zach is unable to take on their forms or physical characteristics. While he may borrow the agility and speed of a leopard, he would possess neither the elongated teeth nor claws of the beast. However, any capabilities inherent in a creature only due to their physical form - such as the flight of a bird requiring wings - Zachary is still able to imitate. In this case, he would, though unknown means, be granted self-propelled flight. 

This hyperhuman ability is limited in that it can only synchronize with a single lifeform at a time, and only with one within a several hundred-foot radius. Similarly, utilizing this power properly requires conscious focus on the life around him. Being unaware of his hyperhuman status once this state is first achieved, Zachary's use of this ability will be entirely unconscious and random. This will present itself as a visibly unreliable, shifting powerset, potentially causing both confusion and concern as to stability.

An interesting aspect of this synchronization lies in Zach's innate ability to sense surrounding fauna of all kind. Though unaware of this to start, clever uses of this skill could lend itself to enhanced tracking and location abilities. 


//Skills:
Heightened observation | Two years of watching and listening carefully to his surroundings has led to Zach developing a perceptive eye. 

Analytical mind | Zachary was always adept at puzzles and mysteries, quick to notice even the smallest of details. His time spent as a silent observer, and the frankly ridiculous amount of hours he's put into processing this usually inane information, has benefited him greatly. 

Shelf stocking & sweeping | Mr. Castietto at Eastmart has instilled within Zachary the importance of proper stock maintenance as well as the necessity of keeping a floor spotless. 

Retired Member

"Hayao Miyazaki"

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