Shoopuf

Metropolis of Superheroes

I've always been really terrible at associating music with my characters haha, so I don't have a list for Stella.

Sorry I've been really quiet here btw, I'm very much looking forward to this RP getting going in earnest, just been busy elsewhere lately.

STARFINDER ~ Rogue Voyage

Zaeli Ashren & Valiane Driftshade

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"Copy that," came the answer from the Ionera's cockpit, a young human woman's voice. "Ionera, out."

Zaeli Ashren was at the controls, eyes hungrily taking in the sight of the expanse of stars ahead of her. When she'd joined the Starfinder Society, she didn't know she'd be given her own ship to fly on her very first mission. Well, it wasn't really hers, it belonged to the SFS, but they'd looked at her experience flying dinky shuttles in atmo and decided they trusted her with a Pegasus-class scout ship. Just the feel of this thing in her hands was enough to put a smile on her lips.

"Let's see what you can do..."

Thrusters to seventy-five percent. The soothing hum of the engine rose higher, the hull of the massive cargo freighter off starboard rushing by. Zaeli caught a glimpse of the AbadarCorp logo near her stern. Good riddance. The shape of Absalom Station grew smaller and smaller in the distance behind. That damn place had a gravitational pull, in more ways than one. She thought she might've left it behind for good. Part of traveling is coming back home, she reminded herself. Gives the journey meaning.

Zaeli put the Ionera into a bank, swerving to make their heading, her grin returning. "Oh yeah, she's got some moves." She spoke mostly to herself, but also to the Ryphorian woman assigned to be her co-pilot, Valiane, seated at her station across the cockpit from her. "Maybe we'll really put her through her paces on the way back."

She slowly pushed the thrusters up to full, then leaned back, flipping a switch and pressing a few buttons on the controls. She'd have plenty of time to get remote control set up on her 3040, but for now it'd have to be manual. "Okay. Autopilot's engaged, and we're locked in on that distress signal. MIRAGE, what's our ETA?"

A monotonous, robotic woman's voice droned down on them from above, that of the shipboard AI. "At maximum thrust, intercept with the Prudent will occur in approximately ten hours."

Zaeli let out a hefty sigh, lolling her head over towards her co-pilot. "Guess we've got time to kill." She lifted her wrist-mounted computer, quickly opening a few files she'd requested on her new crewmates and finding Valiane's. "So. I'm reading here, 'no piloting experience,' but they assigned you co-pilot. I could give you a few pointers if you want. Unless you're more of an observational learner."

Valiane sat in the seat assigned to the co-pilot, though she questioned the decision made. It was more process of elimination. She was good with guns. She was good at shooting things with said guns from a long distance. So being in this seat made sense, somewhat.

Valiane didn't quite expect to find herself amongst the Starfinders. Quite frankly, if she had autonomy she would not be here, but it served her purpose. She quickly checked the ship's systems as the robotic voice of the A.I. confirmed their arrival time. Valiane, a pale Ryphorian with white colored eyes and long, light blonde hair (almost white itself) sat next to the pilot. "Great, she's a talker," Valiane thought to herself tersely. Valiane didn't enjoy talking much. Especially to people who decided it was their business to read a file on her. Granted, the file would not tell the woman everything.

"Don't believe everything you read," she said matter-of-factly as her attention went back to the stars in front of her. The mission itself seemed simple, but in her experience simplicity paved the road for chaos. She trusted herself to get out of any mess that came her way, but she dreaded having to drag around the sorry bunch of people that were with her. Skilled they may be, the more people she had with her on a mission, the less focused she could be. Can't shoot someone through the eye from miles off if she had to ensure one of her team members wasn't bleeding out or fuddling around.

She hoped to not be bothered too much, but as Zaeli said, they had time to kill.

Zaeli blinked a few times, waiting for Valiane to elaborate further, but nothing more seemed to be coming. She noted the Starfinder Society had also listed extensive skill with weaponry for the Ryphorian, so it was probably a good thing she was sitting in the co-pilot's seat instead of someone like Zaeli. The only weapon she really had experience with was the somewhat-oversized handcannon holstered on her leg. An archaic weapon, sure, but Zaeli had always found an appreciation for old tech. And her gun packed more than enough punch to be a threat.

She closed the file and swiped over to another interface, the very first thing she'd set up after boarding the Ionera. "You like music?" Without waiting for an answer, she queued up a track which soon filled the air in the cockpit. Loud enough to feel it, but not so loud it drowned out everything else. Within a few seconds Zaeli's head was bobbing left and right, dark bangs swaying in front of violet eyes, her boots tapping against the floor.

She was in an obviously good mood, free from Absalom Station again and this time at the helm of a ship, and she certainly wasn't about to spend the next ten hours in silence.

Valiane remained silent as not even her opinion on music was going to stop Zaeli from playing it. Truth be told, Valiane did enjoy music. When she target practiced she often had music playing. It helped keep her focus.

She waited a beat. Then, despite her initial nature, she spoke. "This music is....fine." It was the closest thing to a compliment Valiane was going to give at the start of this journey.

If there was one thing Zaeli was confident in, it was her ability to get along with people. It was all about being able to adapt, just like when she traveled to a new environment, or took on a new line of work. Try one method, and if it failed, fall back and try something else, and don't get discouraged. This new co-pilot of hers wasn't much of a conversationalist, but that was just fine. She'd already found a way to make things more comfortable between the two of them.

Her head still swaying side to side, Zaeli turned her attention to her computer, continuing her work interfacing with the Ionera's systems, and not bothering Valiane with any more questions. I've got a great feeling about this ship...

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

Fiona watched Gordon walk away until she was sure he was out of earshot, and not planning to turn around and continue the conversation. "Well," she said with a light sigh, "that was the shakiest reassurance I've ever heard. 'Not a regular concern,' he says. So just an occasional one, then. Got it." Fiona figured Mr. McKinney wouldn't want to upset the talent he was managing, but he had a whole roster to concern himself with, not just the two of them. And there were probably women on that roster that would get upset if they didn't ever get a chance to ambush Fiona and Kendra.

There isn't all that much in this business we can control, she thought. Not yet anyway. If we keep finding success in the ring, maybe some influence will come along with it. Just gotta keep taking down the challenges as they come. And watch our backs...

"Come on, let's get out of here," she suggested, trying to get this whole conversation behind them. "We're both one-and-oh in NMW, and I think that's cause for a little celebration."

Just a little one, though. Tomorrow it was back to work, preparing to fight whoever was thrown her way next.

STARFINDER ~ Rogue Voyage

Zaeli Ashren

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Name: Zaeli Ashren (pronounced ZAY-lee)
Nicknames: Zay, or Z
Age: 23
Species: Human
Sex: Female
Homeworld: Absalom Station

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Zaeli's Full Body Appearance

Zaeli's Left Arm Sleeve

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Class: Technomancer (Level 1)
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Occupation: Technical expert, pilot, and thief.
Faction Alignments:
Starfinder Society
Android Abolitionist Front (formerly)

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Primary Weapon: Zaeli carries no primary weapon.
Secondary Weapon: Zaeli carries no secondary weapon.
Sidearms: Zaeli is equipped with a heavy revolver (handcannon), as well as a small knife for personal defense.

Outfit & Armor: Zaeli's outfits usually consist of light, sleeveless tops to display her tattoos (weather permitting) and looser, practical pants with lots of pockets, along with tough boots, flat-soled and ankle high. She typically has several necklaces, rings, and bracelets on, as well as a satchel over her shoulder for supplies. Her revolver holster is strapped around her right thigh, while her knife is sheathed at the back of her belt.

She doesn't wear armor in combat, relying on stealth, quickness, and illusory magic to protect herself. She does have a well-made space suit that acts as light armor for when she's needed outside the ship, or in environments unsuited to human life.

Inventory:
500 credits
Spell Cache: Zaeli's spell cache comes in the form of an AbadarCorp MC3040, a wristband-mounted personal computer modified to be capable of storing her magical power. She doesn't need it to cast spells, but it can act as an extra reserve after her spells are spent, as well as an excellent tool for organization, note-keeping, and communication, and interfacing with other external systems.
Basic Medkit
Electronics Toolkit
Mechanical Toolkit
Cosmetics and Basic Disguise Kit
Lockpicking Tools
Zipstick

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Backstory: Zaeli Ashren was born to two AbadarCorp manufacturing administrators on Absalom Station, giving her a stable, comfortable, and exceedingly boring early life. She bore no ill will towards her parents, but Zaeli always knew she was meant for something other than the life of corporate worship they tried to foist on her. She had an exceptionally sharp mind and an insatiable curiosity, and before long it led her to defy her parents' wishes and make her own way on the station.

She didn't think of herself as a person of faith, but that changed when she discovered a shrine of Desna for the first time in her late teenage years. The goddess of luck, travel, the stars, and dreams called to Zaeli in a way she'd never experienced with Abadar, and in her worshipers she found community for the first time. Among that community was an android, a young soul named Light-14 that seemed to be on a similar journey, and the two became inseperable.

From the Desnans, Zaeli learned the magic of chaos and trickery, beauty and illusion. She was seen as one with great potential due to her ability to combine such magic with the technological skills she'd been mastering at her family's behest. It came in handy after all, and before long Zaeli was a fledgling technomancer, learning skills that could protect herself and her fellow Desnans on their journeys.

Light-14, who had become her first love, convinced her to leave Absalom Station behind with him and explore the system. He trusted her enough to involve her with the Android Abolitionist Front, which he'd been a part of since before they'd met. Zaeli took to the cause easily; freedom, as she saw it, was life's greatest gift, something that every being with a soul deserved. Desna had liberated Zaeli from a dreary, dull life aboard a cramped space-station city, so she made it her purpose to liberate others.

Zaeli rarely stayed in one place for long the next few years, traveling the system with Light and doing whatever work they were allowed to for the AAF. Lookout duty, information gathering, courier work, transporation, smuggling, the occasional theft... it was all for a good cause, and it started out innocently enough. But the longer Zaeli and Light worked for their cell, the more fellow operatives they met, the more it became apparent that much was being kept from them, and that the larger schemes at work were violent, uncaring who was caught in the crossfire. Zaeli began to grow uneasy, while Light-14 remained fully committed.

When the cell's motives drew too close to Perceptionist ideals, Zaeli was forced to make a difficult decision. She chose to betray a mission that would've resulted in the bombing of a factory on Verces and the certain deaths of dozens of innocents, by informing the Stewards of the plan. As a result, much of the team she was a part of were arrested, including Light-14. While they were forced to serve prison time, Zaeli was allowed to walk free. Her relationships with the AAF and Light-14 were ruined, but her consience remained clear. She hoped that someday Light-14 might come to see what he'd become, and return to Desna's way.

Returning alone to Absalom Station, Zaeli paid a brief visit to her parents, but wouldn't stay long. Ever restless and eager to see what the vastness of space had to offer, she joined the Starfinder's Society, lending her technical and magical knowledge to a new crew. She hopes to find a new cause aboard the Ionera that can chase away the memories of the previous years.

Personality: Zaeli is a free spirit, an eternally restless soul who can't stand to be cooped up in one place for more than a few days at a time. She lives to travel, to see new places and meet new people, to learn more and experience more, with an adaptability to new environments and situations that serves her well. She has a strong moral code, preferring to solve problems nonviolently when possible using her tricks and guile, or her charm. If that fails, though, she can be a fierce fighter for the sake of friends and allies, or just people in need.

Her weaknesses are her impatience, which sometimes can push her to recklessness, as well as a difficulty reading people and their intentions. Zaeli has a sharp mind for things like logistics, tactics, technical problems, and magic, but she'll be the first to admit she hasn't been the best judge of character.

Friends: Any fellow devotees of Desna will find a friend in Zaeli, and vice versa.
Enemies: The AAF are aware of her actions on Verces. AAF attitudes vary wildly, but at best Zaeli is regarded as an untrustworthy outsider again. At worst, a traitor that still needs to suffer the consequences of her betrayal.
Romantic Partners: Light-14 (former). They parted on awful terms, with Zaeli's actions condemning him to prison. Whatever they had together is likely in the past for good.
Contacts: None currently.

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Technomantic Talent: Illusion. As a constant effect, Zaeli automatically gains a saving throw to recognize illusions within 60 feet. The first two times she encounters an illusion per day, reduce the DC of the saving throw to disbelieve it by 2.

Feats:
Human Bonus Feat: Cultural Chameleon
Diplomatic Insight
Divine Blessing (Desna)
Retrotech

Spells:
Level 0
Ghost Sound
Telepathic Message
Vanishing Trick

Level 1
Disguise Self
Holographic Image
Supercharge Weapon

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Attributes and Skills:
10 Strength
16 Dexterity (+2 class, +4)
16 Intelligence (+2 class, +2 race, +2)
10 Wisdom
14 Charisma (+4)
10 Constitution

0 Acrobatics
0 Athletics
1 Bluff (+1)
3 Computers (+1 class, +2)
2 Culture (+2)
4 Diplomacy (+4)
2 Disguise (+2)
3 Engineering (+1 class, +2)
0 Intimidate
0 Life Science
0 Medicine
2 Mysticism (+1 class, +1 race)
0 Perception
1 Physical Science (+1 class)
4 Piloting (+4)
0 Profession
0 Sense Motive
4 Sleight of Hand (+4)
4 Stealth (+4)
0 Survival

💀 NO MERCY WRESTLING LEGENDS 💀

Fiona rubbed at the back of her neck a little awkwardly. "He's, uh... he's not wrong," she admitted, though it pained her. "As a team, we're in a great spot right now. We're both off to a hot start, we got to show everyone who we are and what we're fighting against, and the fans are gonna want to see more." Fiona was relieved it had turned out the way it did, as she could easily see how that plan could've gone wrong. If they'd gotten hit by the ambush, if that jobber had cheated her way to a win, it would've been one hell of an embarrassing way to debut Defiant Dream in NMW. They would've been wrecked without ever getting off the launchpad. But Gordon's gamble had paid off, for both of them.

"It's just... we'd like to be able to trust you, Mr. McKinney, that's all. And it's going to be tough now. But I'm guessing you knew this would be our reaction when you set this up." Her performances in the ring weren't just an act, after all. Fiona cared about things like honesty and integrity, and this whole set-up made her feel more than a little uncomfortable, even if she benefited from it. Maybe because she benefited from it.

"I hope our next matches, whether they're singles or as a tag team, will be fair. We're both ready to show the world what we can do... especially now that I've talked us up a bunch."

Metropolis of Superheroes

Stella took in the sights, mundane as they were, along the walk towards the recruitment area. Maybe it was her prior training with her master, or her meditations, or some fledgling form of the inner harmony she was supposed to be working on, but she didn't feel the need to ask any questions. She knew how she intended to handle herself when faced with threats mundane or magical, and she trusted that the team she'd be joining would provide more specific direction whenver it was needed. She wasn't worried about pay, either, though she understood that not everyone came from as fortunate a background as she did. Best not to judge.

Snacks, though, now there was an important question from the speedster. Stella's suit had a frustrating lack of pockets, so she wondered if MAGI had developed some sort of mid-mission magical food delivery system. Eating with an identity concealing mask on was another difficulty, but such were the challenges a heroine had to conquer.

The recruitment room itself presented the grand choice to the heroes, though in truth there was really only one option for Stella. She wasn't a mutant, so GIFT was off the table, and she knew little of advanced sciences and technologies, ruling out SERAPH and DATA. She probably could excel in ELITE, given the covert style of hero-work she practiced, and the fact that she still relied on a heavy amount of martial arts and physical skills, but their focus wasn't why she was here.

Stella had come to Paragon City to learn about magic, both how to master her own, and to identify and counter others. Without a moment's hesitation she walked silently over to the MAGI kiosk, her padded tabi-style shoes making no noise on the hardwood floor as she entered. Almost immediately she began to feel... a fine tremor in her core, like a low hum that somehow made no sound, giving away the presence of nearby magic. She'd noticed it before, when Valiant had rumbled into the lobby in his armor, but in this kiosk it was everywhere.

Okay... gonna have to figure out some kind of filter for this power, this is going to drive me nuts.

"Hello!" she greeted the kindly-looking woman with the quill. Her superhero-ninja garb didn't really fit the aesthetic of this witches-and-wizards room, but still she carried herself with confidence both in posture and tone. "I'm called Butterfly, and I've decided to join MAGI. I have some magical powers of my own, and have already done a few years of study in the basics of magic and otherworldly beings with a personal mentor. I've been sent by the Mori clan, a lineage of yokai hunters in Japan, to gain experience and serve the people here in Paragon City."

She bowed slightly to finish her introduction. Stella wasn't sure how much contact MAGI had with the Mori, who rarely operated outside of Japan as far as she knew, but it couldn't hurt to mention them. Made her seem more official, and all that.

Metropolis of Superheroes

Stella had felt a bit nervous about all of this, truth be told, again that sort of "first day at school" feeling, but much like those days, she was relieved to find that her fellow superheroes in training were just people, and seemed a lot like her. Eager, excited, and still maybe a little unsure of themselves. Well, to varying degress, on all accounts. They had a literal pop star among them, though Stella hadn't recognized him until he introduced himself, and then there were kids like herself seemingly fresh out of high school.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask to her fellow heroes. How did they get their powers? What made them choose this life? And the costume designs, wow, they had some incredible variety already. Stella would have no problem vanishing into the shadows next to this group, they were all so brilliantly eye-catching and colorful. But it didn't feel right to start interrogating anyone when they were all grouped up like this, she didn't want to put anyone on the spot for the sake of her own curiosity. After all, there were plenty of things she didn't want to share with people who were still relative strangers. They needed to do some work together first.

To that end, it was time! Or close to it. Bernard was back, and of course Stella remembered him. His calm manner had helped Stella feel much more at ease when she was taking the exam. She half walked, half skipped over to him, gesturing for her fellow heroes to follow. "Let's go! I've been waiting for this for ages."

Metropolis of Superheroes

Stella had lingered in a somewhat-shadowed spot near the door, seeking a subtle place to lean back against a wall and wait more out of habit than anything. There was no need to hide in a place like this, and with all the cameras that were definitely around, she doubted she could. Still, it was good enough to temporarily avoid detection of her two fellow young heroes that arrived in the lobby after her, at least until Sleet showed off a cool trick.

"That was awesome!" she exclaimed, heading over to greet the pair of them, her mask remaining on to conceal the lower half of her face. "Sleet and Dynamo, was it? I'm Butterfly." She offered a handshake to each of them in turn. "Been training for this whole hero thing for a few years now, but this is my first time in the big city. This is going to be wild. I'm pretty sure I saw like... at least four people flying just on my way over here." While they were all interesting to her, Stella really wanted to meet Black Swan, or Aquamarina someday. She'd have to remind herself not to freak out and be too much of a fangirl around them if it happened.

Hah. Fangirl.

"So... what're we all thinking of joining? It's gotta be M.A.G.I. for me, magic and demons are pretty much the main thing I've studied since I started."

Metropolis of Superheroes

To Stella, it felt a bit like the first day of school as a kid.

Waking up bright and early, spending far too long getting ready, double-checking and triple-checking that she had everything... she had to remind herself that she already passed the test. P.R.O.C. found her worthy, with both the mindset and the abilities of a fledgling hero, ready to do her part to defend the city from evils both great and small. Probably small for the time being, she wasn't exactly a force to be reckoned with yet, but Stella was learning every day. Learning, and getting stronger.

The strangest part of it all was going out in the morning, all suited up and masked as Butterfly. Stella had gotten so used to nighttime excursions with her uncle Kenta, wrapped in shadows and emerging only to strike when the bad guys least expected it. She didn't really feel like a superhero in broad daylight, where anyone could see her coming, more like just a girl in a tight black-and-blue costume, on her way to a convention or something.

She had to take public transit to Atlas Park from her teeny tiny place in Brickstown, sitting quietly in a corner of a monorail tram and wondering why no one was giving her any weird looks. She supposed it wasn't uncommon for them to see people in fancy costumes here in Paragon City, where there were more super-powered individuals than anywhere in the world. She busied herself with thoughts of all the fascinating people she was about to meet, the bizarre powers they might have, and the important work she was about to get started on. Maybe someday soon I'll be able to float across the entire city, like Uncle Kenta said Mom could do.

She couldn't do that yet, though, so she had to walk from the monorail station into Atlas Park, keeping her magical fans folded up and sheathed at her thighs. She was right on time as she made it to the town hall, just a few minutes to spare, and she jogged excitedly up the steps to the great double doors, pulling one side open just enough for her to slip inside.

Metropolis of Superheroes

Troubleshooting my PC is the bane of my existence. Hope it goes better for you than it usually does for me!