"Wake up." A deep, gruff, and masculine voice commanded. Chloe was sleeping on her side, facing the wall away from where the voice was coming from. Her blue eyes fluttered open and tried to focus on the wall.
"Wake up wake up wake up, wake up, time to wake up," Another voice said, this one annoyingly smooth and monotone.
"I'm getting up, Arnold," Chloe managed to say through a yawn. In the small, one bedroom dormitory inside the first floor of the Sheperd Firestation, there was one person- Chloe. Currently upright in her bed, wearing white under garments, her blonde hair frazzled and sticking up this way and that, to outsiders it was like she stared at nothing. But to her, Chloe saw five people.
The man who had first told her to wake up was not dressed in normal clothes. Instead, in full plate mail armor, Reginald the Mighty stood, his arms crossed, face obscured by the helm cover. "It is time to wake up, young Caldwin; for today you show the world your pride to be a New Breed!" He uncrossed his arms and raised them into the air, clenching his gauntleted fists in victory.
"Yeah, New Breed pride." The second man said. Arnold, a slightly overweight white American sitting in his green t-shirt and khaki shorts, wearing socks with sandals just to annoy her. He was leaned back in the only chair in the room, rotating his finger in lazy, mocking celebration. "Woooooh." He said in mock celebration.
"Well, I am proud to be a New Breed, Arnold, you know? I've got you guys, and most everyone else 'as got no one. That's more than enough reason to be proud." Chloe said indignantly standing and stretching.
"You'll need to put on something nice," A woman said. Joanna, a stunningly beautiful asian woman, dressed in high quality casual clothing. She radiated beauty, and made Chloe feel less pretty by comparison.
"Nothing too flashy," Joanna continued, sizing up Chloe with a sharp glance. "Maybe that red dress that's tied around the waste you always wear to these kinds of things?"
Chloe made a disapproving noise with her teeth and tongue. "It's just a parade, innit? I should wear street clothes, right? It's a pride parade. I'm being prideful."
In the end, the young woman decided upon a simple white button-up blouse, tucked into a formal knee-length skirt and her best pair of wooden, open toed sandals. Joanna tried to convince her to polish her nails but Chloe decided against it. Chloe showered in the stalls, and with a towel wrapped around her chest briefly passed through the hallway back into her room. Modesty is not really an issue for Chloe- with five people almost always following her around, she's basically used to them just casually walking in on her while she showers to talk about something. Most people, prefer their privacy, but it's almost a foreign concept to Chloe. So when Joanna casually talked to her as she washed herself in the morning, asking if she was nervous for the big parade and even mentioning that Chloe 'missed a spot' it wasn't really an issue at all.
So, with that all settled, Chloe began to make her way downstairs for breakfast. Arnold and Reginald stayed upstairs to argue about something Chloe didn't care about. There was a woman waiting outside her room when Chloe was dressed, tied her hair into a bun and had done her makeup. It was Clarissa- the fourth person only Chloe could see, feel, or hear.
"Good morning Clarissa," Chloe said as she walked past. "Have you seen Sarah today?"
"No. She's probably off criticizing the cooking of whoever is downstairs." Clarissa was perpetually dressed business casual. Chloe nodded and began to walk by, but Clarissa lightly grabbed her shoulder. It was a strange experience, being touched by these people. It felt like trying to touch two North ends of a magnet together. An invisible pressure that prevented it unless one used brute force. Chloe looked in surprise at Clarissa, who in turn raised an eyebrow.
"You've forgotten your glasses, sweetheart," She reminder Chloe dryly. Chloe put a hand up to her nose. So she was. Chloe gave an embarrassed half-laugh and went back into her room, fitting the thin-framed square glasses onto her face. Clarissa gave a wry smile as Chloe walked past and made her way to the lounge. She caught a glance of Myles as he made his way downstairs. Making sure her hair was straight, Chloe walked downstairs. As she made her way down, she saw the posh noblewoman that was Sarah, the fifth and final major person that only Chloe could see, hear, or feel, was looking over Jensen's shoulder as he made pancakes.
Sarah was as out of place as Reginald was- dressed like an 18th century noblewoman. Though she had toned down the now considered garish garb of traditional England, it was still obvious what era Madame Sarah claimed to be from. The Madame clucked her tongue as the young man prepared his pancakes. "I simply cannot believe that anyone would eat this inferor version of cake. Where's the floof? The icing? It's hardly even moist."
Chloe decided to stand up for pancakes and Jensen, even though no one could hear Sarah. "The pancakes smell good, Jensen," She called out to him as she walked down the stairs, her wooden sandals making satisfying clacking noises on the stairs. There was Alyssa, one of Jensen's friends that everyone could see. There was Jack, who seemed to want to help out, looking handsome as ever. And the previously mentioned Myles, who was just settling in.
"Good mornin' everyone. Ready for the parade?" She smiled as she walked past the group and fetched herself a cup of orange juice and a ham and cheese sandwich she 'made' last night.
Chloe is a pretty blonde white woman, standing at about 5'7 with an attractive but non-athletic build. She often ties her hair into a ponytail, and uses glasses or contact lenses to help compensate for her near-sightedness. Glasses are her preferred means of vision correction because putting things directly onto her eyes kind of creeps her out. She's a Londoner, though she has travelled around England and Europe thorughout her life and has lost some of the intricacies of the accent, there are a few remnants of the traditional british speak in her voice.
Personality: Chloe views the world as good vs evil, black and white. 'Morally grey' situations are for people who have failed to find the correct solution. She is deeply compassionate for the cause of fighting evil, which is one of the major reasons she and the experts joined SYNBAD. This approach is easily seen as narrow-minded, and her self-righteous attitude can put people at unease with her harping and judgemental behavior.
She does not exlcude herself from her own world-view, indeed she would become deeply frustrated and upset if she cannot find the 'correct' answer to a problem, or cannot discern who is 'right' and 'wrong'. She views this as a personal failure and it can get underneath her skin. This fantastical view of the world is easy to understand for her, but hard to but into practice. She is emotionally naive when it comes to this- but you'd be hard pressed to find someone more willing to help people. Despite her nigh-on-impossible standards, she does have altruistic motives.
The reasons behind these motives may not be so wholesome, however. Perpetually under watch by entities far more intelligent than she is, making moral judgements and giving advice that outsiders may or may not agree with. They are her closest friends and she would hate if they began to think she was a failure. They are her teachers, her mentors and her allies, but she seems to be too dependant on them for her own good. If one would grant her some slack, it would be her existence with them was mandatory and there have been few moments where one of the Panel of Experts was not in the same room.
Skills: Chloe never had a chance to develop skills through traditional means. From the beginning the Experts were teaching her how to do things they thought would be appropriate and fun for Chloe. Without her mentors she would never been able to do these nearly as well as she can with them.
Piano:
With Sarah's help, Chloe learned to play the piano. With no exceptional talent independantly, the noblewoman of her mind took it upon herself to rigorously train Chloe in the art of piano playing. As such, she has come to an intermediate level since and can play pleasant tunes.
Poetry:
Joanna is the artistically minded of the Panel, and taught Chloe to express her thoughts and ideas through poetry. Whether they are Joanna's ideas or Chloe's ideas are hard to tell, but when you read Chloe's poetry most cannot deny that they are competent writings- if slightly vague and lacking in meaning.
Clarissa is now attempting to teach Chloe how to bake, but this particular endeavor is not going well.
Hobbies: Since she learned how to do them, she plays the piano for fun and writes poetry for fun. Reading and things are okay, but Chloe finds herself frequently tuning into day time television. Long running soap operas, comedies, about romance and drama, betrayls and loyatly. All taking place in the same room with few camera takes, the actors occasionally mis-pronouncing things and ultimately nothing being accomplished. Packed full of tropes and the like. Still, the simple television appeals to Chloe's view of the world- where noble people maintain honor and while defeating their evil twin sisters and brothers, and nefarious step-uncles.
She also keeps up with the latest celebrity gossip and enjoys keeping up with the absurdly wealthy world of TV Stars. Whether it be magazines or TV programs, she could probably tell you everything you never wanted to know about celebrities.
Weapons: Tucked away in a pocket in her purse is a magazine-less 9mm handgun. In another fold is the magazine itself. Her firearm safety program Reginald wanted to sign her up for taught her the basic of firearm use and as such she is quite competent with a gun.
Arnold reminded Chloe that perhaps lethal force isn't always necessary, so Chloe also has a taser and a bottle of pepper spray to subdue people and bring them into justice.
Equipment: Often for investigating she carries a simple pen and paper journal- the kinesthetic element helps her keep her thoughts straight. Photos and recordings are secondary to writing down her thoughts with graphite scratched onto material sliced off of lumber. These are also kept away in her purse that Clarissa insists on keeping tidy.
Fighting Style: Chloe does combine her ability with her skill. She would normally fight like a slightly below average police officer, but her abilities allow her much more situational awareness, among other information and reads.
Explain what your character can and cannot do within the given areas;
Strength: Chloe is not strong on her own, nor with the help of her mentors. Lifting anything about 100 pounds is an incredible struggle if not impossible for the young woman. She's never built up her body weight or strength despite Reginald's protests. She's more than happy than to let the heavy hitters take the beatings and slam monsters through walls. She'll stay at the back, thank you very much. A gun, she finds, is usually more effective than a punch.
Endurance: Much like her strength, Chloe has no resistance to damage. In fact, she is more easily hurt due to her short stature and complete lack of grit. If one were to sock Chloe in the face, she would be unconscious, easy. The idea is to avoid pain as much as possible, for Chloe built to break.
Willpower: As a person, Chloe is the most willed person. With her confrontational behavior on subjects of evil, one might thing she is resilient when it comes to things related to mental fortitude. However, she is no star in this area, either. Like the ordinary person she is, she can easily break under extreme pressure. However, what the ordinary person doesn't have is a select group of experts to prepare her for stress before, after, and especially DURING battle.
Reginald, the brave beacon of chivalry, can give her mid-fight prep talks about the necessity of courage and valor, and how her actions will help those unable to help themselves. He can do this eloquently and persuasively due to his intagibility.
Joanna will remind her of the person that she is, of how Chloe would want herself to act. Of how others would want her to act.
Clarissa will usually chime in with the notion that panicking actually reduces the likelihood of a desireable outcome, and that remaining steadfast is more likely to result in a victory.
Sarah and Arnold tend to leave it to them, providing encouraging comments to keep fighting for what is right.
With these things in mind, Chloe can find the willpower to keep going, and not give into her urges to abandon the mission. While the Experts in no way want her to be in danger, they are more than capable of convincing her when fighting is the correct course of action whether it be due to doing the good thing and fighting evil, or chances of survival.
Speed: Jury is nimble enough. She could poke you in the eyes if she had the drop on you- but due to her shorter stature and lack of training, athletes could outrun her by a considerable margin. Her small frame allows her to be a little tricky to latch onto.
Reaction Speed: Chloe's reaction speed on her own isn't anything special- however, her Expert's reaction speeds are extremely quick. Reginald, for example, can help Chloe in a fist fight. While strength, speed, and size are hugely important factors, and most have Chloe out matched, she can use her environment to her advantage with the help of her Experts. It also helps that a gun is a great equalizer.
For example, Reginald is Chloe's primary consultant when it comes to up close fighting. If you could stop a frame of an MMA fight, take into account everything that has happened thus far, and you were incredibly knowledgable on the subject, you could probably take a pretty decent guess of who is going to do what next. Reginald is similar. Let's say a previously mentioned vampire mummy is rushing towards Chloe, well Reginald could instantly transmit the information that she is probably going to lunge. If Chloe gives herself fully into this instinct, it's like touching a hot pan and pulling her hand away. She doesn't think about doing it, there's just a sharp pain in her head and for a brief moment it's as if Reginald's instinct became her own.
Clarissa is the panel's expert for strategy. If Chloe was a member of SWAT, Clarissa could probably guess in which rooms were the enemy's going to be holed up in. If they're on the move, it becomes more difficult, but if Chloe has really researched the enemy, Clarissa might be able to "read" where they were going and what they might do next. This information can be jolted into her head, or delivered 'verbally', but that might take up valuable seconds in a fight.
Arnold could probably tell Chloe the closest escape route, and he has a knack for making decisions in a fight related to the survival of herself and her teammates. Someone's been wounded across the hall? Wait for it...now. Now go for them. He seems to be gifted in the preservation of life.
Joanna seems to know when the enemy is going to break, or give in. She walks up to them, and if she focuses, it's almost as if Chloe can temporarily "feel" their feelings, as if running a hand over a surface. This is important for tense social encounters.
Sarah is the master of dialogue. Interviews, manipulation, lies, charming, Sarah can give Chloe good advice on how or what to say. Does this always come out the right way? No- there's obviously a difference between being told what will most likely work, and actually being able to do it.
If a situation is very stressful, and mere seconds count, the Panel will instantly transmit what they want Chloe to do into her brain, like instinct. For a very brief moment, Chloe can have these skills. The unfortunate downside is the slight headache that occurs after word, and too much can result in temporary mental instability. Though it has never happened before, and they have no intention of doing so, the Panel could potentially render Chloe unconscious by filling her mind with copious amounts of temporary knowledge.
Name of Ability: A Panel of Experts
Class: Pyschic
Character Theme: The Counsel has arrived, and they are here to educate. The Panel of Experts, the Counsel, the Experts, or Chloe's imaginary friends. Call them what you may, but inside Chloe's mind there lives a selection of intelligent, if eccentric beings. They are capable of their own thoughts and feelings, and can walk through walls. What makes them more than mere imaginary friends, is not only their vast pool of knowledge, but their ability to see things that Chloe cannot, and report back to her on what they've seen. Curious, indeed. Currently, they offer no clear answers on why or how they exist.
Ability Capabilities: Chloe sees and hears multiple people inside her head. What seperates this from a strange mental disorder is the fact these beings are capable of getting access to information that Chloe cannot know. They all excel in their own field, which ever it may be, allowing Chloe to consult a panel of experts on most topics whenever she pleases.
Qualities of Ability: Chloe has multiple 'people' 'living inside her head.' They are masters of their topic of knowledge and are capable of delivering this information to Chloe whenever they please. Usually their goals align with Chloe's (or Chloe's goal aligns with theirs?) and are willing to help.
The following entitites are all Tier 3. They are completely intangible, and possess the ability to select which objects they can feel. They can walk through a wall, but they stil need stairs to get higher, for example. They can also store themselves in an unknown place and re-appear next to Chloe, so they cannot be seperated from her unless by super natural means.
An expert on all things business. Clarissa believes herself to be more intelligent than anyone else inside's Chloe's head, including Chloe. She is no ordinary accountant, however. She is capable of impeccable reads on people, using their facial expressions, the atompshere of the room and previous statements to be able to form an accurate hypothesis on what they are thinking.
A brave and noble knight of fiction, Reginald is Chloe's close combat expert and pseudo moral compass, often commanding her to do the most chivalrous thing possible, sometimes to a self-harming degree. If an enemy gets into a fist fight with Chloe, he will help her by coaching as to what her enemy may attempt to do next. Things he views as evil are quick to anger him.
Astoundingly beautiful, Joanna is among of Chloe's most uncomfortable experts to be around. Usually, Joanna is an intelligent woman like Clarissa, except she is capable of discerning someone's emotional state instead of their mental one. Sometimes however, Joanna believes she is an expert on all things romantic and sexual. Chloe often tries to shush her inappropriate, lustful advances on people that do not know she is there. Apparently, she really is great at getting dates, but Chloe hasn't yet dared to allow Joanna to guide her yet.
An obese, unlikable slob, Chloe hates all the times when Arnold attempts to look out for her. He is friendly, passive, wise, and incredibly selfish. Well, selfish for Chloe. That's what she hates. He gets under her skin with his placating stare and laid back attitude. He quietly suggest that her work is too dangerous, she looks out for people too much and she should look after herself more. While she does try to keep an appropriate balance, it is so despically tempting to follow all of his advice. He is an expert on all things self-preservation.
Sarah dresses like an extravegat aristrocrat, and is Chloe's one-stop shop for ambition. Sarah demands that Chloe take the next step, put herself forward, take the next move in whatever objective she is attempting to accomplish. Chloe finds that following Sarah's advice can make her life better, but she fears that Sarah may go too far. She is also an avid reader, and is an expert of things historical, fictional, and various philosophical concepts.
Her strangest expert seems to talk out of whatever item she is holding at the time. It rarely speaks, and when it does, it speaks with succint and simple clarity. It has only said seven words in her entire life. Chloe does not know this, because she has never been in an extended firefight, but that is where it's particular area of expertise lies. Either way, she has listened to it's knowledge every time, and things seem to have worked out so far.
There are many other characters inside Chloe's head that make few appearences. Usually they are knowledgable on a very specific subject, or are 'weaker' than the others and have a more fragile force of personality. She has only seen a few, very rarely. For example, she went to the dentist once, and expecting Reginald to inform her to be brave, instead a man in dentists garb entered the room and dryly explained to her the safety and necessity of dental hygiene, then left. This was, of course, during the dental work and no one acknowledged him, his hand passing through the dentist's forehead as he explained. Strangley, this worked on young Chloe.
Strengths of Ability: Her Experts can allow Chloe, an unremarkable, naive but headstrong girl to elevate her mental abilities via proxy to levels beyond most other people.
Weaknesses of Ability: Being so greatly influenced by this cast of colorful character's is not such an easy task. It is hard to know what Chloe would be like had she never had the Experts in her mind- but they play a major part in her self-validation. This is not something Chloe is in control of. It has not happened yet, but the Experts are capable of having serious disagreements with each other, and this will result in mental health problems for the woman so reliant upon them.
Limitations of Ability: The Experts sometimes argue amongst themselves. They are all quite exaggerated examples of real life people. While they are capable of instant transmission of information back to Chloe, they cannot teleport anywhere. Instead they appear in the same room with Chloe and must walk or run to wherever they desire. With their own motivations at play, sometimes they disagree on certain things and it is Chloe's job to get them to cooperate. It hasn't happened yet, but this would prove difficult.
Biograph:
Chloe Caldwin, a fourth grader from Rockwell Elementary school has, according to her parents, Ryan and Jennifer, always had an incredibly active imagination. Before she could talk, she made noises and seemingly played with her imaginary friends. As she learned to talk, she conversed with these figures as much as she conversed with her own parents. At first, the Caldwin's thought this was just a childhood phase. But as the years went on, these intangible visitors began to take up more and more time with their daughter. She brought them up at school. Apparently, her math teacher reported that she was wrong, because "Clarissa knows better". She began to strike out at alleged bullies, because a man named Reginald told her about pre-emptive strikes. Worried, they visited a child therapist. The therapist began to look for a case of some kind of mental disorder, or the harmless ramblings of an overactive imagination. Instead, he found supernatural powers.
Dr. Cladius Florenzio reported that the little girl was capable of determining information that was well outside her realm of academic education. He reports the fascinating experience of having a discussion with a woman named Sarah about the nature of mental disorders and whether or not they are just people thinking differently rather than needing to be medicated, via a 10 year old proxy. Chloe seemed to be unsure of the nuances of such a topic, but she seemed to be parroting the knowledge from an expert. He was writing an email to his wife when Chloe entered the room. Chloe than said that his wife was lacking in attention, and that the Dr. should make a romantic gesture to respark their marriage. When Cladius asked how she knew this, Chloe responded that a woman named Joanna read his emails and she knows all about these kind of things, so he should listen to her. This was when Cladius decided that it was not a mental disorder, but perhaps a mental power.
The Caldwin's bring this up as their child wins several competitions, such as a spelling bee, a geography bee, and a debate competition at her school. They say it is an interesting challenge to raise their child with the help of several other strangers, and are reaching out to other parents that it is okay to ask for help when raising 'super-powered' children.
The judges of the various competitions little Chloe has participated in are still deliberating whether or not it is cheating to get help from your imaginary friends.
Amanda Bright, talk show host: Welcome to the show, Chloe.
Chloe: Thank you, Mrs. Bright! It's wonderful to be here.
A: Please, call me Amanda, Chloe. Now-
C: Okay, Amanda!
A: Now, obviously you're a very intelligent girl.
C: Thank you, Amanda.
A: How old are you, again?
C: Well, I just turned twelve.
A: At twelve-
C: I turned twelve five weeks, two days, and sixteen hours ago.
[Laughter]
A: Thank you for the specifics, Chloe. At twelve years old, you've already accomplished great things. How does it feel to be the writer of an award winning fictional novel?
C: Well, it feels good, but I didn't really write it.
A: Oh? What do you mean?
C: Well, Sarah and Joanna did. They are really, really good writers.
[Amanda looks intrigued]
A: Are you saying you didn't write this book? Who are these people?
C: Well, they are my friends. Joanna says hi.
[Laughter, Amanda nods, concerned looking]
A: Making a reference to your interesting childhood, are you? It's one of the things that come up when we looked up your name... Is abstracting your writing to a fictional person a way you manage to write such gripping literature?
C: No, Joanna really did write it. If I take credit she might be cross, and she really did write it. It's a really good, right?
[Spattering of nervous laughter]
A: Who is Joanna?
C: My goodness, Amanda, I already told you that! She's one of my friends.
[Chloe looks over Amanda's shoulder, blushes, looks down. Amanda looks over shoulder.]
A: What it is?
C: Nothing, ma'am.
C: [Whispering harshly, almost imperceptible]: Stop it, Joanna!
A: Is everything alright?
C: Yes! Yes. It's just...oh, Joanna is being rude again. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come on. This was stupid. I knew this would happen. Clarissa even told me so. She said, she said "Chloe," she said, "Chloe, you know how those people think of people like you. They'll think you're crazy. You've never been on stage before, you're gonna be nervous, and you know how Joanna likes to poke fun at nervous people."
[Chloe is visibly distressed]
A: It's okay, Chloe. [To off stage] Can we cut the interview?
[Chloe Caldwin's book, "Chronicles of Ovgard," sales plummeted after this interview, revealing that Chloe's writing was not written by her, but instead by someone else. The only other option is that Chloe is a New Breed, which ruined relatibility and felt to some people like "cheating". Some championed Chloe as a New Breed writer, but the mainstream audience disregarded her book. Chloe Caldwin never wrote another book after this incident.
A young woman's face appears in the recording.
"Okay, hey, so, apparently this is a good idea. Me therapist says I oughta do an audio journal on this thing to help with my mental disorder. But, I know it ain't no mental disorder, innit? I mean, Arnold over there is as real as can be. To me, anyway. Say hi, Arnold."
There are a few seconds of silence, and the camera looks over to an empty corner of the room.
"Yeah, if I look back on this camera, there ain't nothi' there. Weird, bloody weird, I say. I must sound like a madwoman." Chloe directs the camera back to her face, which now has a concerned expression.
"I'm sorry, doc. But you're wrong- I wish you would just believe me like my old doc did, like my parents do. Is it that hard to believe that they're really real, and I don't just have some telepathic power, or I'm not crazy?"
She sets the phone down. propping it up. Chloe walks over to a nearby bed, her body coming into view.
"I've lived with 'em for all my life. It's because of them I'm anyone, you know? Without them, I'd just be clackin' away at some keyboard, not really doing any good for no one. But, but with them, I can be smart. Like, Joanna," She gestured at yet another empty space.
"I know my book didn't go so well, but it was good! I liked it...and I don't get how it becomes worse just because someone that's different from the rest of you wrote it." Chloe folds her hands into her lap, looking down at the floor.
"I think I'm gonna do something about it. Do some real good." She jumps, startling and looking at the wall. "Christ, Reginald, calm down. I just said I'm thinkin' about it." The woman looks in another direction.
"No, Arnold, I really can't just sit here and live off the government for my...my crazyness. Or impress people with my ability to- to..." she makes exaggerated gestures, "Reaaad their miiiiind! It's bullshit. It's all fake. What good am I doing to anyone? Nothing. Clarissa knows it, Sarah knows it, Reginald knows it, Joanna knows it, and damn it, you know it too. Together, I think we can do some real good in the world."
She looks back at the camera with renewed passion.
"So, yeah, doc, how's that? You won't be able to hold me back anymore. Not my parents, no one. I don't need help- not anymore. I'm going to be the one helping. You can go to Hell," Chloe says passionately, voice tremblin as she approaches and turns off the camera. End of recording.
Quote: "We all need friends, yeah?"
Reputation: Chloe is mostly unknown. After her book debacle, she was mostly discredited and forgotten by the public. Only recently has her name been popping up again in SYNBAD, the organization she only recently joined. Even then, she practically has a fresh start as little remember her brief spot in the lime light.
Nian Zhen stood at attention, not making eye contact with the squad leader, her hands folded behind her back, standing as straight as she possibly could and her head pointed upwards. She wanted to make as good of an impression as possible for her superior.
"Sir, my name is Nian Zhen, sir!" She said, her light voice not betraying the sincerity and professionalism in her tone.
She was a medic. Though she currently had the standard fatigues of XCOM, she was proud to don the signature and identifiable red plus on her battle outfit. Currently, the honor was not available to her, but soon her new allies might need her help, and she'd be there for them. She knew it, as fast. Nian Zhen would try her hardest.
This is why, with no indication to do other wise, she acted as soldiery as possible- abandoning casualness and standing at full attention for the lieutenant. Already, the name of her squad was rattling around in her head and settling in. The Red Dragons. She was proud to be a Red Dragon.
i pinky dinky promise to post many times, many many times. so many times you won't even believe
Name: Chloe Caldwin
Age: 22
Alias: Jury
Tier: Tier 2
Years Spent in SYNBAD: Nine months
Appearance:
Chloe is a pretty blonde white woman, standing at about 5'7 with an attractive but non-athletic build. She often ties her hair into a ponytail, and uses glasses or contact lenses to help compensate for her near-sightedness. Glasses are her preferred means of vision correction because putting things directly onto her eyes kind of creeps her out. She's a Londoner, though she has travelled around England and Europe thorughout her life and has lost some of the intricacies of the accent, there are a few remnants of the traditional british speak in her voice.
Personality: Chloe views the world as good vs evil, black and white. 'Morally grey' situations are for people who have failed to find the correct solution. She is deeply compassionate for the cause of fighting evil, which is one of the major reasons she and the experts joined SYNBAD. This approach is easily seen as narrow-minded, and her self-righteous attitude can put people at unease with her harping and judgemental behavior.
She does not exlcude herself from her own world-view, indeed she would become deeply frustrated and upset if she cannot find the 'correct' answer to a problem, or cannot discern who is 'right' and 'wrong'. She views this as a personal failure and it can get underneath her skin. This fantastical view of the world is easy to understand for her, but hard to but into practice. She is emotionally naive when it comes to this- but you'd be hard pressed to find someone more willing to help people. Despite her nigh-on-impossible standards, she does have altruistic motives.
The reasons behind these motives may not be so wholesome, however. Perpetually under watch by entities far more intelligent than she is, making moral judgements and giving advice that outsiders may or may not agree with. They are her closest friends and she would hate if they began to think she was a failure. They are her teachers, her mentors and her allies, but she seems to be too dependant on them for her own good. If one would grant her some slack, it would be her existence with them was mandatory and there have been few moments where one of the Panel of Experts was not in the same room.
Skills: Chloe never had a chance to develop skills through traditional means. From the beginning the Experts were teaching her how to do things they thought would be appropriate and fun for Chloe. Without her mentors she would never been able to do these nearly as well as she can with them.
Piano:
With Sarah's help, Chloe learned to play the piano. With no exceptional talent independantly, the noblewoman of her mind took it upon herself to rigorously train Chloe in the art of piano playing. As such, she has come to an intermediate level since and can play pleasant tunes.
Poetry:
Joanna is the artistically minded of the Panel, and taught Chloe to express her thoughts and ideas through poetry. Whether they are Joanna's ideas or Chloe's ideas are hard to tell, but when you read Chloe's poetry most cannot deny that they are competent writings- if slightly vague and lacking in meaning.
Clarissa is now attempting to teach Chloe how to bake, but this particular endeavor is not going well.
Hobbies: Since she learned how to do them, she plays the piano for fun and writes poetry for fun. Reading and things are okay, but Chloe finds herself frequently tuning into day time television. Long running soap operas, comedies, about romance and drama, betrayls and loyatly. All taking place in the same room with few camera takes, the actors occasionally mis-pronouncing things and ultimately nothing being accomplished. Packed full of tropes and the like. Still, the simple television appeals to Chloe's view of the world- where noble people maintain honor and while defeating their evil twin sisters and brothers, and nefarious step-uncles.
She also keeps up with the latest celebrity gossip and enjoys keeping up with the absurdly wealthy world of TV Stars. Whether it be magazines or TV programs, she could probably tell you everything you never wanted to know about celebrities.
Weapons: Tucked away in a pocket in her purse is a magazine-less 9mm handgun. In another fold is the magazine itself. Her firearm safety program Reginald wanted to sign her up for taught her the basic of firearm use and as such she is quite competent with a gun.
Arnold reminded Chloe that perhaps lethal force isn't always necessary, so Chloe also has a taser and a bottle of pepper spray to subdue people and bring them into justice.
Equipment: Often for investigating she carries a simple pen and paper journal- the kinesthetic element helps her keep her thoughts straight. Photos and recordings are secondary to writing down her thoughts with graphite scratched onto material sliced off of lumber. These are also kept away in her purse that Clarissa insists on keeping tidy.
Fighting Style: Chloe does combine her ability with her skill. She would normally fight like a slightly below average police officer, but her abilities allow her much more situational awareness, among other information and reads.
Explain what your character can and cannot do within the given areas;
Strength: Chloe is not strong on her own, nor with the help of her mentors. Lifting anything about 100 pounds is an incredible struggle if not impossible for the young woman. She's never built up her body weight or strength despite Reginald's protests. She's more than happy than to let the heavy hitters take the beatings and slam monsters through walls. She'll stay at the back, thank you very much. A gun, she finds, is usually more effective than a punch.
Endurance: Much like her strength, Chloe has no resistance to damage. In fact, she is more easily hurt due to her short stature and complete lack of grit. If one were to sock Chloe in the face, she would be unconscious, easy. The idea is to avoid pain as much as possible, for Chloe built to break.
Willpower: As a person, Chloe is the most willed person. With her confrontational behavior on subjects of evil, one might thing she is resilient when it comes to things related to mental fortitude. However, she is no star in this area, either. Like the ordinary person she is, she can easily break under extreme pressure. However, what the ordinary person doesn't have is a select group of experts to prepare her for stress before, after, and especially DURING battle.
Reginald, the brave beacon of chivalry, can give her mid-fight prep talks about the necessity of courage and valor, and how her actions will help those unable to help themselves. He can do this eloquently and persuasively due to his intagibility.
Joanna will remind her of the person that she is, of how Chloe would want herself to act. Of how others would want her to act.
Clarissa will usually chime in with the notion that panicking actually reduces the likelihood of a desireable outcome, and that remaining steadfast is more likely to result in a victory.
Sarah and Arnold tend to leave it to them, providing encouraging comments to keep fighting for what is right.
With these things in mind, Chloe can find the willpower to keep going, and not give into her urges to abandon the mission. While the Experts in no way want her to be in danger, they are more than capable of convincing her when fighting is the correct course of action whether it be due to doing the good thing and fighting evil, or chances of survival.
Speed: Jury is nimble enough. She could poke you in the eyes if she had the drop on you- but due to her shorter stature and lack of training, athletes could outrun her by a considerable margin. Her small frame allows her to be a little tricky to latch onto.
Reaction Speed: Chloe's reaction speed on her own isn't anything special- however, her Expert's reaction speeds are extremely quick. Reginald, for example, can help Chloe in a fist fight. While strength, speed, and size are hugely important factors, and most have Chloe out matched, she can use her environment to her advantage with the help of her Experts. It also helps that a gun is a great equalizer.
For example, Reginald is Chloe's primary consultant when it comes to up close fighting. If you could stop a frame of an MMA fight, take into account everything that has happened thus far, and you were incredibly knowledgable on the subject, you could probably take a pretty decent guess of who is going to do what next. Reginald is similar. Let's say a previously mentioned vampire mummy is rushing towards Chloe, well Reginald could instantly transmit the information that she is probably going to lunge. If Chloe gives herself fully into this instinct, it's like touching a hot pan and pulling her hand away. She doesn't think about doing it, there's just a sharp pain in her head and for a brief moment it's as if Reginald's instinct became her own.
Clarissa is the panel's expert for strategy. If Chloe was a member of SWAT, Clarissa could probably guess in which rooms were the enemy's going to be holed up in. If they're on the move, it becomes more difficult, but if Chloe has really researched the enemy, Clarissa might be able to "read" where they were going and what they might do next. This information can be jolted into her head, or delivered 'verbally', but that might take up valuable seconds in a fight.
Arnold could probably tell Chloe the closest escape route, and he has a knack for making decisions in a fight related to the survival of herself and her teammates. Someone's been wounded across the hall? Wait for it...now. Now go for them. He seems to be gifted in the preservation of life.
Joanna seems to know when the enemy is going to break, or give in. She walks up to them, and if she focuses, it's almost as if Chloe can temporarily "feel" their feelings, as if running a hand over a surface. This is important for tense social encounters.
Sarah is the master of dialogue. Interviews, manipulation, lies, charming, Sarah can give Chloe good advice on how or what to say. Does this always come out the right way? No- there's obviously a difference between being told what will most likely work, and actually being able to do it.
If a situation is very stressful, and mere seconds count, the Panel will instantly transmit what they want Chloe to do into her brain, like instinct. For a very brief moment, Chloe can have these skills. The unfortunate downside is the slight headache that occurs after word, and too much can result in temporary mental instability. Though it has never happened before, and they have no intention of doing so, the Panel could potentially render Chloe unconscious by filling her mind with copious amounts of temporary knowledge.
Name of Ability: A Panel of Experts
Class: Pyschic
Character Theme: The Counsel has arrived, and they are here to educate. The Panel of Experts, the Counsel, the Experts, or Chloe's imaginary friends. Call them what you may, but inside Chloe's mind there lives a selection of intelligent, if eccentric beings. They are capable of their own thoughts and feelings, and can walk through walls. What makes them more than mere imaginary friends, is not only their vast pool of knowledge, but their ability to see things that Chloe cannot, and report back to her on what they've seen. Curious, indeed. Currently, they offer no clear answers on why or how they exist.
Ability Capabilities: Chloe sees and hears multiple people inside her head. What seperates this from a strange mental disorder is the fact these beings are capable of getting access to information that Chloe cannot know. They all excel in their own field, which ever it may be, allowing Chloe to consult a panel of experts on most topics whenever she pleases.
Qualities of Ability: Chloe has multiple 'people' 'living inside her head.' They are masters of their topic of knowledge and are capable of delivering this information to Chloe whenever they please. Usually their goals align with Chloe's (or Chloe's goal aligns with theirs?) and are willing to help.
The following entitites are all Tier 3. They are completely intangible, and possess the ability to select which objects they can feel. They can walk through a wall, but they stil need stairs to get higher, for example. They can also store themselves in an unknown place and re-appear next to Chloe, so they cannot be seperated from her unless by super natural means.
An expert on all things business. Clarissa believes herself to be more intelligent than anyone else inside's Chloe's head, including Chloe. She is no ordinary accountant, however. She is capable of impeccable reads on people, using their facial expressions, the atompshere of the room and previous statements to be able to form an accurate hypothesis on what they are thinking.
A brave and noble knight of fiction, Reginald is Chloe's close combat expert and pseudo moral compass, often commanding her to do the most chivalrous thing possible, sometimes to a self-harming degree. If an enemy gets into a fist fight with Chloe, he will help her by coaching as to what her enemy may attempt to do next. Things he views as evil are quick to anger him.
Astoundingly beautiful, Joanna is among of Chloe's most uncomfortable experts to be around. Usually, Joanna is an intelligent woman like Clarissa, except she is capable of discerning someone's emotional state instead of their mental one. Sometimes however, Joanna believes she is an expert on all things romantic and sexual. Chloe often tries to shush her inappropriate, lustful advances on people that do not know she is there. Apparently, she really is great at getting dates, but Chloe hasn't yet dared to allow Joanna to guide her yet.
An obese, unlikable slob, Chloe hates all the times when Arnold attempts to look out for her. He is friendly, passive, wise, and incredibly selfish. Well, selfish for Chloe. That's what she hates. He gets under her skin with his placating stare and laid back attitude. He quietly suggest that her work is too dangerous, she looks out for people too much and she should look after herself more. While she does try to keep an appropriate balance, it is so despically tempting to follow all of his advice. He is an expert on all things self-preservation.
Sarah dresses like an extravegat aristrocrat, and is Chloe's one-stop shop for ambition. Sarah demands that Chloe take the next step, put herself forward, take the next move in whatever objective she is attempting to accomplish. Chloe finds that following Sarah's advice can make her life better, but she fears that Sarah may go too far. She is also an avid reader, and is an expert of things historical, fictional, and various philosophical concepts.
Her strangest expert seems to talk out of whatever item she is holding at the time. It rarely speaks, and when it does, it speaks with succint and simple clarity. It has only said seven words in her entire life. Chloe does not know this, because she has never been in an extended firefight, but that is where it's particular area of expertise lies. Either way, she has listened to it's knowledge every time, and things seem to have worked out so far.
There are many other characters inside Chloe's head that make few appearences. Usually they are knowledgable on a very specific subject, or are 'weaker' than the others and have a more fragile force of personality. She has only seen a few, very rarely. For example, she went to the dentist once, and expecting Reginald to inform her to be brave, instead a man in dentists garb entered the room and dryly explained to her the safety and necessity of dental hygiene, then left. This was, of course, during the dental work and no one acknowledged him, his hand passing through the dentist's forehead as he explained. Strangley, this worked on young Chloe.
Strengths of Ability: Her Experts can allow Chloe, an unremarkable, naive but headstrong girl to elevate her mental abilities via proxy to levels beyond most other people.
Weaknesses of Ability: Being so greatly influenced by this cast of colorful character's is not such an easy task. It is hard to know what Chloe would be like had she never had the Experts in her mind- but they play a major part in her self-validation. This is not something Chloe is in control of. It has not happened yet, but the Experts are capable of having serious disagreements with each other, and this will result in mental health problems for the woman so reliant upon them.
Limitations of Ability: The Experts sometimes argue amongst themselves. They are all quite exaggerated examples of real life people. While they are capable of instant transmission of information back to Chloe, they cannot teleport anywhere. Instead they appear in the same room with Chloe and must walk or run to wherever they desire. With their own motivations at play, sometimes they disagree on certain things and it is Chloe's job to get them to cooperate. It hasn't happened yet, but this would prove difficult.
Biograph:
Chloe Caldwin, a fourth grader from Rockwell Elementary school has, according to her parents, Ryan and Jennifer, always had an incredibly active imagination. Before she could talk, she made noises and seemingly played with her imaginary friends. As she learned to talk, she conversed with these figures as much as she conversed with her own parents. At first, the Caldwin's thought this was just a childhood phase. But as the years went on, these intangible visitors began to take up more and more time with their daughter. She brought them up at school. Apparently, her math teacher reported that she was wrong, because "Clarissa knows better". She began to strike out at alleged bullies, because a man named Reginald told her about pre-emptive strikes. Worried, they visited a child therapist. The therapist began to look for a case of some kind of mental disorder, or the harmless ramblings of an overactive imagination. Instead, he found supernatural powers.
Dr. Cladius Florenzio reported that the little girl was capable of determining information that was well outside her realm of academic education. He reports the fascinating experience of having a discussion with a woman named Sarah about the nature of mental disorders and whether or not they are just people thinking differently rather than needing to be medicated, via a 10 year old proxy. Chloe seemed to be unsure of the nuances of such a topic, but she seemed to be parroting the knowledge from an expert. He was writing an email to his wife when Chloe entered the room. Chloe than said that his wife was lacking in attention, and that the Dr. should make a romantic gesture to respark their marriage. When Cladius asked how she knew this, Chloe responded that a woman named Joanna read his emails and she knows all about these kind of things, so he should listen to her. This was when Cladius decided that it was not a mental disorder, but perhaps a mental power.
The Caldwin's bring this up as their child wins several competitions, such as a spelling bee, a geography bee, and a debate competition at her school. They say it is an interesting challenge to raise their child with the help of several other strangers, and are reaching out to other parents that it is okay to ask for help when raising 'super-powered' children.
The judges of the various competitions little Chloe has participated in are still deliberating whether or not it is cheating to get help from your imaginary friends.
Amanda Bright, talk show host: Welcome to the show, Chloe.
Chloe: Thank you, Mrs. Bright! It's wonderful to be here.
A: Please, call me Amanda, Chloe. Now-
C: Okay, Amanda!
A: Now, obviously you're a very intelligent girl.
C: Thank you, Amanda.
A: How old are you, again?
C: Well, I just turned twelve.
A: At twelve-
C: I turned twelve five weeks, two days, and sixteen hours ago.
[Laughter]
A: Thank you for the specifics, Chloe. At twelve years old, you've already accomplished great things. How does it feel to be the writer of an award winning fictional novel?
C: Well, it feels good, but I didn't really write it.
A: Oh? What do you mean?
C: Well, Sarah and Joanna did. They are really, really good writers.
[Amanda looks intrigued]
A: Are you saying you didn't write this book? Who are these people?
C: Well, they are my friends. Joanna says hi.
[Laughter, Amanda nods, concerned looking]
A: Making a reference to your interesting childhood, are you? It's one of the things that come up when we looked up your name... Is abstracting your writing to a fictional person a way you manage to write such gripping literature?
C: No, Joanna really did write it. If I take credit she might be cross, and she really did write it. It's a really good, right?
[Spattering of nervous laughter]
A: Who is Joanna?
C: My goodness, Amanda, I already told you that! She's one of my friends.
[Chloe looks over Amanda's shoulder, blushes, looks down. Amanda looks over shoulder.]
A: What it is?
C: Nothing, ma'am.
C: [Whispering harshly, almost imperceptible]: Stop it, Joanna!
A: Is everything alright?
C: Yes! Yes. It's just...oh, Joanna is being rude again. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come on. This was stupid. I knew this would happen. Clarissa even told me so. She said, she said "Chloe," she said, "Chloe, you know how those people think of people like you. They'll think you're crazy. You've never been on stage before, you're gonna be nervous, and you know how Joanna likes to poke fun at nervous people."
[Chloe is visibly distressed]
A: It's okay, Chloe. [To off stage] Can we cut the interview?
[Chloe Caldwin's book, "Chronicles of Ovgard," sales plummeted after this interview, revealing that Chloe's writing was not written by her, but instead by someone else. The only other option is that Chloe is a New Breed, which ruined relatibility and felt to some people like "cheating". Some championed Chloe as a New Breed writer, but the mainstream audience disregarded her book. Chloe Caldwin never wrote another book after this incident.
A young woman's face appears in the recording.
"Okay, hey, so, apparently this is a good idea. Me therapist says I oughta do an audio journal on this thing to help with my mental disorder. But, I know it ain't no mental disorder, innit? I mean, Reginald over there is as real as can be. To me, anyway. All the medicine they give me makes me feel wrong. I feel...sick without them. Yeah, Sarah can be a bit of a bitch sometimes..."
Chloe smiles, looks at someone off screen, laughs. "Come on, I'm just kiddin'." It seems to be in good jest.
"But, she's wicked smart. She's helped me a lot. The only one I really don't like is Joanna," She looks off screen again, laughing. "Come on, Joanna. Cut me some slack. You've always tried to get me into trouble," She pauses. "No, no, don't give me that. You can't lie to my face. You're lying. Right now. You are. My best interested? Yeaaaah, and I'm the bloody Queen of England.
Oh, I'm bloody well sure you think so," She turns around. "Look at her, Reggie. Thinks she's royalty,"
She pauses, putting her face in her hands, dropping the phone so it faces the ceiling.
"All right, all right! Shut up, woulda ya?" She says, still smiling. "It's ridiculous, the bickering they get onto sometimes. I dunno. They say things...it feels like I'm talking to a real person. I mean, they feel more real than the people I pass in the streets. They help me help others, really. Despite all their bullshit," she laughs, "I really, truly believe they are all good at heart."
"'Cept you, Arnold." She smiles.
"Alright, you want more insight? Arnold just smiled and shrugged. He thinks he's all that. 'Ooh, look, I'm Arnold, and I'm laid back,'" She puts on an intentionally dumb sounding voice. She looks off screen, and groans. "Ugh! Nothing I do gets to that guy. He's a bloody wall,"
This continues on for several minutes. Nothing of note is accomplished, except the viewer is given slightly more insight into the ramblings of a seemingly mentally ill woman.
"All right, I've 'ad enough of this bloody phone stinking up the room. I'm turnin' it off. Sorry, doctor, it ain't working for me."
The recording ends.
Quote: "We all need friends, yeah?"
Reputation: Chloe is mostly unknown. After her book debacle, she was mostly discredited and forgotten by the public. Only recently has her name been popping up again in SYNBAD, the organization she only recently joined. Even then, she practically has a fresh start as little remember her brief spot in the lime light.
Name: Nian Zhen Age: 28 Nationality: Chinese Appearance:
Biography: Her father was an accountant and her mother was a date entry manager in a large corporation in Hong Kong. Adrenaline was not a common factor in her family. She had two sisters, and a healthy competition was inspired amongst them. While her sisters went on to become a lawyer and a doctor, Nian Zhen was struck with a wanderlust and patriotic duty. Terrorist attacks from strange groups had begun to sprout up around the world, and in China. She felt it her responsibility to do something to protect the world and her homeland. So, the excitable Nian Zhen acquired a medical liscence during army training. She became a field medic in the Chinse People's Liberation Army, joining the Ground Force branch. It soon became clear she had a talent for protecting others and herself on the field of battle.
The rumors of alien contact were hard to avoid. Interested in perhaps humanity's greatest threat, Nian Zhen was more than willing to join XCOM, the world's true first and last line of defense against extraterrestial invaders.
Base of Operations: Oceania Squad: (Will be assigned)
Class: Medic
Rank: Squaddie
Personality: Nian Zhen is naturally optimistic. She believes in humanity and the future of XCOM, as well as the innate goodness in all human beings. Kind, compassionate, if naive at times. Intelligence is one of her strengths, she knows her craft and the technical aspects of other professions well.
Other: Being from China, she has several cultural traits that are unique to most western cultures. Strengths: Medical knowledge and appliance of that skill under pressure.
Weaknesses: While more skilled with a gun that the average soldier, compared to her squad mates she is not a good shot. Psionic-Potential: No Mech Soldier Candidate: No
Name: Nian Zhen Age: 28 Nationality: Chinese Appearance:
Biography: Her father was an accountant and her mother was a date entry manager in a large corporation in Hong Kong. Adrenaline was not a common factor in her family. She had two sisters, and a healthy competition was inspired amongst them. While her sisters went on to become a lawyer and a doctor, Nian Zhen was struck with a wanderlust and patriotic duty. Terrorist attacks from strange groups had begun to sprout up around the world, and in China. She felt it her responsibility to do something to protect the world and her homeland. So, the excitable Nian Zhen acquired a medical liscence during army training. She became a field medic in the Chinse People's Liberation Army, joining the Ground Force branch. It soon became clear she had a talent for protecting others and herself on the field of battle.
The rumors of alien contact were hard to avoid. Interested in perhaps humanity's greatest threat, Nian Zhen was more than willing to join XCOM, the world's true first and last line of defense against extraterrestial invaders.
Base of Operations: Oceania Squad: Red Dragons Class: Medic
Rank: Squaddie
Personality: Nian Zhen is naturally optimistic. She believes in humanity and the future of XCOM, as well as the innate goodness in all human beings. Kind, compassionate, if naive at times. Intelligence is one of her strengths, she knows her craft and the technical aspects of other professions well.
Other: Being from China, she has several cultural traits that are unique to most western cultures. Strengths: Medical knowledge and appliance of that skill under pressure.
Weaknesses: While more skilled with a gun that the average soldier, compared to her squad mates she is not a good shot. Psionic-Potential: No Mech Soldier Candidate: No
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