Realistic or Modern 𝗟𝗘𝗫 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗦 — 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗈𝖾𝗌.

forest fire · Nov 25, 2020

the devil and i are
gonna have problems

down in silver city

❞

filler! ignore

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lex talionis.

Matthew, chapter 26, verse 15.

in character.

out of character.

character creation.

lore page.
characters.

Applications will be due on December 4th at 12pm Pacific Time.

Please communicate with me if you anticipate needing an extension or any kind of deadline flexibility. I'll evaluate these on a case-by-case basis.

I will be accepting six applications to make a total cast of seven. You may have already noticed there are ten possible roles to choose from (nine if you exclude the one I have chosen)—this is meant to alleviate direct competition with others and encourage some more creativity.

As far as diversity is concerned, the world we all share is not at all homogenous. Diversity of ethnic backgrounds, cultures, sexuality, and gender identity would be much appreciated and more reflective of the reality of this world.

If you do choose to create a character with a racial or ethnic background different than your own, please do so in a respectful, affirming way: avoid relying on cliches and stereotypes to craft your persona. This is especially applicable to minority and marginalized identities.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns you have, but also know that I am not here to walk you through the application process: it's simply not fair to ask me to advise or double check any applications in progress.

—

— FILE

Name/role:
Hero alias:
Age/D.O.B: [young adult and older, please.]
Ethnicity/nationality:
Gender identity:
Sexual orientation:
Occupation:

— MEDICAL

Height/weight:
Build:
Hair:
Eyes:
Skin: [tone, texture, etc.]
Vision:
Ailments: [physical and/or mental.]

— PSYCHE

Brief summary: [2-5 sentences.]
(+) traits: [minimum 3.]
(-) traits: [minimum 3.]
Fears:
Goals:

— VOCATIONAL

Modus operandi: [what’s their hero style? what are they known for? how do they embody their role?]
Skills:
Combat:
Languages:
Education:

— HISTORY [Make it as long or short as you like.]

Notable connections: [if any. politicians, businesspeople, law enforcement, etc.]
guidelines.

00.

Thank you for your interest and your time in Lex Talionis (Latin for 'eye for an eye'). I hope I've created something that appeals to you and many others.

This is intended to be a gritty, realistic group roleplay about average citizens pushed to become heroes and vigilantes in a city that desperately needs an intervention. They are forced to forge new relationships and alliances to protect themselves from what appears to be the slaying of hero figures.

Although the plot and ideas are my own, a great deal of inspiration was drawn from Batman Begins/The Dark Knight/The Dark Knight Rises.

01.

We will be following all of RPNation's rules for content and conduct. Feel free to revisit them here.

02.

First and foremost, this is a literate/advanced roleplay, where correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation are an expectation. Interested applicants should feel comfortable and prepared to write 400-600 word replies, at the very minimum.

(Note: this isn't a hard rule to be applied to every single situation in character, but replies where there is little dialogue/action/interactions with other characters are expected to have a higher word count.)

03.

Placement into the cast of this roleplay is application-based: it is not simply first come, first serve. I will be judging each character on their quality, depth, and originality, and their respective creators on their outside conduct and writing ability.

I will only be accepting six characters to make a complete cast of seven total: going on with the biblical themes, seven is a significant number in the Book of Revelation.

Note that there are ten possible roles to choose from (nine if you exclude the one I chose); this was meant to diversify the applications and relieve the direct competition a little.

None of the roles are gender-locked. I would prefer you to apply with characters that are young adult aged and older.

04.

Accepted members should be prepared to post in character at least once a week once this roleplay goes live: this is meant to keep up the pace and maintain the group's collective muse and interest.

Although I'll never be one to ask someone to forego real life responsibilities or restful self care to respond to fictional character scenarios, consistent activity does keep a group roleplay from dying out.

05.

I ask that all applicants be at or above the age of eighteen years old.

You may be able to tell by now that themes in this roleplay as a whole are going to be graphic, violent, and will include sensitive topics such as systemic crime, death, and individual trauma. Please be honest with yourself and with me as you consider whether or not this group is for you: I'm only doing this to protect minors.

06.

Be prepared to move to Discord. Accepted applicants will be invited to an exclusive, members-only Discord server where more plotting and planning will take place.

This is a crucial part of constructing the overall story narrative I plan to create for us. This is also, in my opinion, a fun social release.
lazarus.

This individual is hard to track and is only seen when they want to be. Their reputation is uneasy and nebulous, defined by equal parts vague fear and curiosity. They seem to have come back from the dead.

cain.

This individual is one to be cautious around. They have a menacing, somewhat loathsome reputation. They, for some reason or another, have left a long, bloody trail behind them wherever they go, without ever meaning to.

isaac.

Oh, bless their pure heart. They are rare, even among the Silver City heroes: publicly known as a dutiful, honest, and trustworthy figure by many, they are also naive and obedient to a fault.

job.

A remarkable figure that has persisted in the face of immense difficulty. Known by many as incredibly loyal and devoted to their cause, but has nonetheless been dealt a horrible hand to play in life.

magdalene.

One of the most enigmatic heroes, shrouded and protected by what people don't know about them. Their reputation is poorly defined, but they manage to command a sense of respect and authority. CLAIMED.

samson.

This individual possesses more innate power and aptitude for hero work than the rest. They are respected and admired by many, but they conceal a great weakness that could completely incapacitate them if it ever were to be exposed.

esther.

A more unique, fascinating, captivating hero figure, this individual has mastered the art of weaponizing their allure to see their ends through. They may be somewhat looked down upon by the larger hero community for this strategy.

david.

A somewhat pitiable figure, though there are many who have little sympathy for them. They once held a high position in society, commanding a great deal of respect and power, but currently are experiencing a dramatic fall from grace.

jacob.

The child of someone incredibly influential, past or present, this hero constantly shoulders the heavy burden of high expectations as a result. They say it works to motivate them, but this state could break anyone else.

paul.

A true Cinderella figure, someone who has triumphed over difficult past circumstances to find a newfound glory. They are motivated to do hero work in order to make up for a darker past. May be well-connected to criminals, past or present.

♡design by psilocin, coded by uxie♡

forest fire · Nov 25, 2020

Magdalene—

amos

attack
defense
speed
stamina
“
”
You are so brave and quiet I forget you are suffering.
Name
amos miller, md.
hero alias
apollo.
Gender
cisgender male.
age/d.o.b.
40, born 11/7 (a Scorpio)
ethnicity
caucasian. american.
sexual orientation
bisexual.
occupation
emergency physician, specialty in medical toxicology.
medical
height/weight
6'2", about 180 lbs.

build
Has the lean, hard body of a distance runner, albeit somewhat weathered. A true ectomorph.

eyes
Hazel-brown (right) and a clouded, dull blue bordered by a darkening red scar (left), usually rather dull and rimmed by dark circles. Sleepless, exhausted, perpetually irritated eyes that see right through you.

hair
A mid-toned brown color just starting to be streaked with grey. He keeps it cut short and styled professionally for work. He’s also not one to maintain the closest shave, often sporting some degree of stubble.

skin
Fair, not terribly pale. Amos has assembled quite the collection of scars over the years, mostly limited to minor cuts and scrapes on his hands. Notably, he has two brown, fading bullet scars in his upper back.

vision
Just about 20/20 in his good right eye. He can perceive the blurry outlines of shapes with his left eye, but not much else: he'd be effectively blind if he closed his right eye.

ailments
Perhaps the most obvious is the injury to his left eye. It is a relatively new injury, sustained just about a year ago during a failed attempt to apprehend a top narcotics dealer. He's rehabilitated it as well as one can, though Amos still experiences residual pain.
His alcoholism and depression have played a sick game of cat and mouse for years now, fueling each other's fire during especially stressful or dark times. It's never gotten to the point where it impacted his work, but he's come close to exposing them.
PSYCHE
summary
It doesn’t take a well-trained eye to identify a lifelong Silver City resident: rough around the edges, restless eyes, always searching for the next pickpocket, a certain sardonic sense of humor, a perpetual sense of detachment from the drab, dismal surroundings.

Amos is all of those things and then some—he only gets more complex the better you get to know him. He can be charismatic and conversational without being warm, inviting, or really having any interest in getting to know you. Not quite extroverted, not quite introverted, this man doesn't need much social interaction to sustain him.

Or so he tells himself. No doubt his tendency to keep people at arms' length is a product of the justified distrust and distance he had to maintain in order to cope with his family—but the one thing he will not do is admit to his shortcomings easily. Amos is the last person to speak up about his emotional baggage or problems, past or present. He sees doing so as giving them more power than they need.

So between exhausting shifts at the hospital, long nights in the city, and the spare hours he can afford to give the same free clinic he volunteered at as a teenager, Amos really only drifts from place to place. Staying ungodly busy, or just simply drinking himself to sleep, helps keep memory and the painful reality of just how lonely he is off his mind.

positive traits
Fiercely independent, unflappable, reliable, self-sacrificing, hard-working, brave. Much more selfless than he gives himself credit for—humble, most definitely the type to downplay his accolades and strengths.

negative traits
Somewhat distant, jaded, cynical, aloof, vindictive, and very emotionally unavailable. Perpetually exhausted with little time for things going wrong and reckless people. Uncomfortable with the idea of others getting to know him well.

goals
On a daily basis, his only real goal is to take care of his emergency room patients. More broadly speaking, Amos wants to do what he can to make Silver City a better, safer place for all its residents; he knows he's only one of many who have suffered and lost so much. Even his medical work wasn't enough to make him feel fulfilled enough, which is why he took up hero work later.

fears
Two of his biggest fears come as a direct result of his hero work: somehow having his identity compromised and dying young. The latter is more a selfish fear, but Amos knows very well that his information going into the wrong hands could put the lives of his patients and coworkers in danger.
His recent eye injury only worked to intensify these fears. Although he's worked hard to maintain his normal depth perception and coordination, losing vision in one eye has dealt a major blow to his confidence.
A more abstract fear of his is becoming his parents. Yes, he is begrudgingly aware he's well on his way and may be genetically predisposed to addictive tendencies, but Amos would also argue that his vice of choice could be worse.
VOCATIONAL
Modus operandi
Apollo is a no-frills hero who’s been doing this kind of work for quite some time now. Not one for dramatics and avoiding lethal force whenever possible, he’s much more the type to trap a criminal and phone law enforcement instead of neutralizing an entire situation himself; he’s had way too many close calls to take the more dangerous risks. It’d be different if he established a team like some of the other heroes do, but Apollo has always worked alone.

A fierce loner. Notoriously difficult to find, track, and team up with. Apollo loathes the idea of establishing networks with the other Silver City heroes: most of them, in his cynical worldview, are too flashy to help and really only want to see how they're written up in the tabloids the morning after a job well done. When his work is as personal as it is, the idea of fighting crime solely for the press disgusts him.

He also takes many precautions to keep his identity a secret: avoiding his (relatively safe) neighborhood, being sparing with his words, disappearing before the police show up. Apollo is really only an extension of his morals—something Amos feels obligated to do out of memory for all those he’s lost to the senseless violence in Silver City—and getting his true identity compromised would put his life, his patients lives, and his coworkers lives in danger.

Despite his efforts to stay vague, it is somewhat well known that Apollo has a special disdain for any and all individuals involved in drug trafficking: he'll be the major hero they have to keep off their backs. Those are the only people he'll track and stalk obsessively, waiting for the best moment to set a fire in a warehouse, slash car tires, or start picking off guards. He likes to handle those situations himself.

So he keeps his head down, wears a face mask, blackens his eyes, and turns off his phone when he heads out for the night.

Skills
Quick-thinking, adaptable, extensive medical knowledge.
Working in an emergency room has a way of making a person well-prepared for quite literally anything. It's made Amos calm under tremendous pressure and able to keep a clear head during the direst of circumstances. The ability to patch himself up on the go and know when injuries are minor or serious is also a major advantage.

High pain tolerance.
Somehow his emotional numbness became a physical one, too: he's hard to fend off and knock down, often nursing sprained ankles, broken fingers and noses, and fractures through an entire night. He can always wait; Silver City can't.

Excellent distance runner, great body strength.
Amos ran cross country in high school and maintained it as his exercise of choice throughout the years. He's also strong enough and light enough to take himself most places he has to go: scaling buildings and pulling himself up onto high surfaces are usually not a problem.

Insider knowledge of Silver City.
The one major advantage of being a local is that he knows the city like the back of his hand. Most street names, the different neighborhoods, parks, buildings... You name it, he can find his way there.

combat
He picked up kickboxing when he decided to become a hero, and he's a skilled fighter after several years of intensive training. That being said, he's by no means any kind of heavyweight boxer, but Amos' height (reach) and speed are often enough for him to incapacitate the person he's fighting with.
He has little firearms experience; he visited a shooting range once, years ago. Amos is quite comfortable using melee weapons as he finds them on the run—batons, metal pipes, bricks, bottles, et cetera.

languages
English is his first language and is what he spoke at home.
He picked up fluency in Spanish during his high school years and maintained it throughout his adulthood through his volunteering at free medical clinics. That being said, his medical Spanish is impeccable; his understanding of slang isn't as strong.

Education
Extremely well-educated by all standards. Has a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry, an M.D., and is a board-certified emergency physician.
History
Background
CONTENT WARNING: extensive mentions of death and substance abuse.

His current position in life and resume are beguiling: despite the six figure income, sports car, and high-rise apartment, Amos's origins are as blue-collar, gritty Silver City as they get.

He was a middle child of three at one point—now he’s the oldest of two. Amos was raised mostly by a single mother who, God bless her, tried to raise her three boys in the church, so they would be moral and good. They were visited somewhat infrequently by their father, who would steal her away for days at a time without warning, explanation, or any apologies.

The realization that both their parents were hopelessly imprisoned by their substance abuse dawned on them slowly. It was what it was. Each of the Miller boys internalized it differently, had a different reaction. Amos was the only one of them who took any kind of interest in his schoolwork: the other two began following in their parents’ footsteps, whether or not they were aware of it.

His life forever changed when he came home to find his oldest brother passed out on the bathroom floor. They rallied and rushed him to the emergency room, where they were met with this desperate young boy’s first positive role model: the doctor who saved his brother’s life and convinced him everything was going to be okay. It was strangely inspiring. Amos was left both traumatized and awestruck, vowing that he would one day be a doctor like that.

So he started working his ass off in school. Enrolled in honors classes, stayed late after school and practice to study until the library lights shut off, picked up volunteer shifts at the free clinic down the street from his apartment. Distanced himself from his family as much as he could because it was too difficult to be around. Amos graduated close to the top of his class, enrolled in college, and did the same thing over again.

Amos worked himself dry to get to medical school, where he was met with even more backbreaking schoolwork and clinical shifts. The stress mounted—all the student loans and debt he was racking up, family members showing up unannounced, tweaking, begging for a place to stay, bills, grades, running on no sleep. Again, he managed, graduating again close to the top of his class with his choice of a specialty. Somehow.

Emergency medicine, medical toxicology. Saving people from acute poisonings and overdoses. The choice was obvious and the most rewarding. One he had his MD under his belt, life began to settle suspiciously well around him: Amos met a wonderful woman and married her, accepted a job offer to return to Silver City and work at their best hospital, bought a home, had a kid. It was so easy to forget, to lean into how comfortable and wonderful life had just become, seemingly overnight—

And then his daughter was killed in a drive-by. Three years old. The grief exposed and aggravated major cracks in the foundation of his marriage, and a long, bitter, messy divorce came months later. His older brother wound up back in the ER, but this time he was hopelessly beyond saving, despite Amos’s best efforts.

He resisted the urge to spiral, as badly as it all hurt, as easy as it would be, as much as he wanted to give in. On some fateful morning, Amos came across a newspaper headline that featured a hero being interviewed, and it dawned on him: he could take action into his own hands and stop feeling so helpless if he did just that. Hero work. Even if Amos worked grueling hospital shifts bringing people back from the brink of death, he could stop the problems where they started, if he was smart about it. Figured out where to go, who to look for, how to do it.

Apollo was born that day.

notable connections

NORA MILLER.
The no-nonsense, badass Silver City District Attorney, who also just so happens to be his ex wife. (She's working on getting her maiden name back.) These two enjoy an almost comically dysfunctional relationship as exes and are just recently back on speaking terms.

CHARLES "CHARLIE" LOWELL, MD.
The Silver City Chief Medical Examiner and the closest thing to a best friend that Amos has. Friendly, awkward, prudish, and happily married with children, Charlie is essentially everything Amos isn't. He is often called in to offer a second opinion for suspicious cases involving poisons or narcotics.

ELIJAH "ELI" MILLER.
His younger brother is a painful, complicated figure in Amos' life. They don't have much of a relationship anymore. Eli really only reaches out (or simply shows up unannounced) when he's in financial trouble, legal trouble, or experiencing stimulant psychosis.

soundtrack
Trailer Trash - Modest Mouse
Paranoid Android - Radiohead
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Remember My Name - Mitski
Operator - Jim Crocre
Shrike - Hozier

code by Nano

low fidelity · Nov 25, 2020

DANTE GUERRERO.

01
name
Dante Efraín Guerrero Suarez.
role
Cain.
aliases
El Diablo (current hero alias), Hellhound (past alias), Cruzito (old street name).
age
30 years old. September 2nd, 1990.
ethnicity
Mexican.
gender
Cis male.
sexuality
Gay (and closeted).
occupation
Health Insurance Underwriter.
❝ I'll bite the hand that feeds me.
I'll bite the hand that needs me. ❞
— MEDICAL.

If asked, Dante would say there isn't much of him to note, appearance wise. He is the shining example of an average, healthy young adult male. Standing at 5'11" and weighing 164 lbs, he has an athletic, broad build. Not overly muscular, but the look of someone who was unmotivated and docile for a while, before suddenly taking his health and fitness more seriously. He's starting to get back into shape, and has made a bit of progress in terms of gaining muscle. Dante was all broad shoulders and big hands, but for a while, was soft in the middle from sitting in an office job for five years.

Dante has dark brown hair, often times cut short in a styled work-acceptable haircut. He has recently shaved down the sides much shorter, though still puts time and care into his hair. His eyes are light brown, often times drooping with exhaustion from staring at screens all day, and accentuated with deep undereye bags from long sleepless nights. He has olive toned tan skin, though Dante doesn't get nearly enough sunlight working behind a computer day in and day out.

There is much more under the surface than one would think. The skin that can be concealed by business formal clothes is almost entirely filled in with tattoos. Spanning the entirety of his back, Dante has a black and white tattoo of La Virgen de Guadalupe, surrounded by roses that spreads over his shoulders and upper arms. He has a large chest tattoo depicting a skull, wings, roses, and a beating heart. On his right leg, he has a tattoo of the Grim Reaper, and on his inner left upper arm, an eight ball tattoo. Next to his left eye, he has three dots tattooed, an old keepsake from his previous gang lifestyle. He also has the names of his mother, father, and little sister. Dante got his brother's name and birthday tattooed right below his chest piece, underneath his heart.

Dante has 20/30 vision; his eyesight has suffered a bit from staring at screens all day, but not enough to warrant needing prescription glasses just yet.

Aside from occasional aches and pains from breaking his wrist as a child, Dante has no physical ailments of note. He does take a regular beating though, but has been lucky enough that his injuries have all been superficial. However, he is suffering from PTSD due to the circumstances of his brother's death.
02
— PSYCHE.

Dante is a complex, troubled man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He's well versed with misery and hardship, enough to have left him bitter for most of his adult life, with a violent streak as well. Raised in the streets of Silver City, he was taken under his older brother Damian's wing, introduced to his gang, and taught violence and how to survive the streets and crime, taught how to handle a gun at a young age and how to take a life. Even after leaving the gang life, what it taught him has lingered ever since. Unlike his brother however, Dante is not cruel. After trying to gain some stability in his life after his brother's death, he got himself an education and a stable white collar job. Working as an insurance underwriter at Argenti Health Corp. has only cemented his anger at life's offerings. Every day, he'd handle different insurance claims, people fighting for their health and hoping that this corporation they paid hundreds of dollars to monthly would even partially cover the costs of maintaining their lives. And he had to pick and choose which ones were to be allowed, and which ones were to be denied. The work made him realize he could no longer stand for injustices.

It's hard for him to admit, but Dante does have some positive traits. He's driven, following his own strict moral code and pushing through life with a newfound endurance and energy he never knew he had. Once he puts on the suit, nothing can stand in his way. Not only that, but Dante is caring and kind; he does not do this solely for his own benefit; he cares about his city, his community, and about bringing the people in power who are supposed to keep them safe to justice. Dante is reliable and selfless to a fault. He will always make sure to be there for his family, and for whoever is able to gain his loyalty and befriend him. And, Dante is principled; he heavily believes in an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Above all else for his negative traits, Dante is standoffish and untrusting. He knows what the cruelties of the world have to offer, he's seen evil in men and flinches at the thought of close relationships. Trying to get to know him is like trying to rip off a band-aid. He doesn't like letting people in. Not only that, but he's enigmatic, hiding his past as much as possible due to shame and embarrassment. When working his "night job," some would say that Dante is even a bit cocky. He's sure of himself and of his abilities, and doesn't want anybody's help.

Dante fears his family getting hurt, or god forbid, his mother dying. He also fears his identity being revealed, though that isn't as prominent as his fear of failure, of not being able to do enough.

Currently, Dante's goals are to take care of his parents and Marina. He's now trying to maintain his job, and not let his "night job" affect his day-to-day life. As for El Diablo, his main goal is keeping the streets of Silver City safe, and keeping his identity a secret.

— VOCATIONAL.

Dante's modus operandi has been met with heavily clashing opinions. There is a reason the streets named him El Diablo. Dante has killed before, and will kill again. While it can be seen as arrogant, Dante sees it as justice, taking matter into his own hands if God nor the world will handle a pressing issue. The criminals of Silver City shiver at the thought of meeting El Diablo because he leaves a trail of bodies behind him, and the survivors of his wrath end up cuffed to their hospital bed nonetheless. He's motivated by anger and emotion, an overwhelming rage at the injustices he witnesses daily. But, he's beginning to learn to control his emotions, and thus his methodology has become cleaner, more organized. Dante keeps the streets safe, that is his main goal. If there is a child or young lady walking home scared at night, he will accompany them safely. If an old woman is getting her purse snatched, he will apprehend the assailant. While he's intimidating, he wants people to be able to rely on him, to know that he is there keeping the bad men scared. However, Dante aims for the big fish as well, and has a flair for the dramatics.

He called himself Hellhound at first, but the name didn't stick. Dante's reasoning, however, was sound. With the scary precision of a bloodhound's nose, he would seek out and hunt individuals who were the scum of the earth. Dirty politicians, abusers, criminals, you name it. Dante would take his time observing them; following them after work, learning where they lived, what bars they frequented, how many people they had victimized. Within the week, they would be found dead in their location of operation. Whether it be their home office, where they killed, where they manufactured their drugs. Dante left them nearly unidentifiable, surrounded by mountains of evidence against them, branded with what they were in large red letters. WIFE BEATER. RAPIST. SERIAL KILLER.

At each scene, Dante would leave a Lotería card of El Diablo, claiming his work.

Dante has a good variety of skills:

• Perceptive: Growing up in a dangerous environment means it takes a lot to catch Dante off guard. He's always on high alert, always watching who comes in and out of a room, always looking over his shoulder.
• Agile: Dante's a dangerous combo of being a heavy hitter who's light on his feet: he's muscled, but not overly big, and able to move quick on his feet and has a good grip on his surroundings as well. He can even be seen parkouring around the city if he's in a rush.
• Street Smart: When you're born and raised in one of the worst neighborhoods Silver City has to offer, you either get smart quick, or you die trying. Dante knows the city like the back of his hand, but is most familiar with the less than savory areas of town. Plus, his former affiliation with Los Muertos hasn't been forgotten. Dante's reputation and street cred still hold up.

While he hasn't received much formal training, Dante is well versed in combat:

• Firearms & Marksmanship: Dante learned how to handle guns at the young age of fourteen, and has kept up that particular skill ever since. Even if he wasn't formally trained, he has a good thorough understanding of different firearms, ranging from handguns to semi-automatics, and has tried his hand at sharpshooting a handful of times. His weapon of choice is usually a .22 pistol.
• Hand-to-Hand Combat: The streets taught Dante many things, but first and foremost, it taught him how to fight and defend himself. From school yard fights to territorial disputes, Dante is physically strong and extremely capable at defending himself. He learned boxing in his early twenties and kept at it for three years before dropping it, but has now taken it back up.

Dante's first language is Spanish; he speaks it fluently, but was not formally taught until he minored in it in college. His second language is English, and he speaks it with perfect fluency, but a notable accent.

Dante's education is as normal as they come. He graduated from high school, though he waited a few years before attending college. Dante majored in health informatics and minored in Spanish.
03
❝ Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. ❞
— EARLY CHILDHOOD.

"St. Peter is a Mexican named Pedro, but he’s not
a saint. Pedro waits at the gate with a shot of tequila
to welcome all the Mexicans to heaven, but he gets drunk
& forgets about the list. all the Mexicans walk
into heaven, even our no good cousins who only
go to church for baptisms & funerals. . ."

Dante remembers his childhood in short, contained memories, triggered more by smells and tastes than visuals. He was the second child of Adolfo and Felicita, born four years after his brother Damian, in the slums of Silver City. His parents were poor Mexican immigrants, and even after many years of living in the city, they struggled to keep their footing and make ends meet with two children on their hands. The sense of community, however, always stuck with Dante. His parents always made sure to have food on their table, they never tried to let the boys see truly how much they struggled, though there were plenty of times where money was scarce. But, as he got older, he noticed how after church on Sundays that the old women from his barrio would bring dishes of food, making sure him and Damian got their second helpings. They would receive small boxes of second hand clothes from their neighbors. Sometimes, he would get to mow the neighbor's lawn for a couple of bucks of lunch money. And no matter what his family went through, Damian was always at his side.

He vividly remembers sitting in a church pew reading the Bible, thumbing through the thin pages with careful fingers. His eyes skimmed over the Book of Genesis, trying to understand the Spanish before him in order to read the story of Cain and Abel.

Génesis 4:9
Entonces el SEÑOR dijo a Caín: ¿Dónde está tu hermano Abel?
Y él respondió: No sé. ¿Soy yo acaso guardián de mi hermano?

Damian was a rough kid with so much energy and ambition, and Dante followed him wherever he went without question. He admired his brother, wanted to be as big and strong as him. If any of the kids at school tried to bully him, Damian would beat them up without a second thought. If they ran into trouble in the streets, Damian protected his brother, stood in front of him with his arms crossed, even as a small child. He naively believed Damian to be faultless; his brother was his idol, his mentor, his protector. He would blindly follow him to the ends of the Earth. Things began to take a turn for the worst, however, as they got older.

— TEENAGE YEARS.

"it turns out God is one of those religious Mexicans
who doesn’t drink or smoke weed, so all the Mexicans
in heaven party in the basement while God reads
the bible & thumbs a rosary. God threatens to kick
all the Mexicans out of heaven if they don’t stop
con las pendejadas, so the Mexicans drink more
discreetly. they smoke outside where God won’t
smell the weed. God pretends the Mexicans are reformed.
hallelujah. this cycle repeats once a month. amen . . ."

What many people of Silver City knew was that gangs and criminals likely outnumbered the amount of civilians. They were a recognized and feared presence all around town, there was no question about it. What people didn't realize, however, was how the street life permeated into the culture of the lower class neighborhoods. Being a gangbanger on the corner meant being a man, rising to the occasion of protecting your territory and your family. The ideologies of violence and machismo were rampant, but it went hand in hand with the abject poverty that so much of Dante's community lived in. The families around him were poor, the boys went to work as early as they could, so many couldn't afford college or had access to proper healthcare or safe stable living.

His parents could dream of a future as much as they wanted, but the truth was stifling; without papers, they had no help from the country's government. No federal financial aid, no healthcare, no food stamps. They had to pay for everything out of pocket, and with the menial jobs they worked, there was barely enough money to go around. And then, by the time Dante was thirteen, Marina was born. His mother couldn't afford an abortion, but even if she could, she was too religious. She couldn't stand the thought of making her baby pay for her mistakes.

Going into high school was entering another world. His brother was graduating by the time he reached freshman year, but Dante still stuck with him, still followed him wherever regardless. His brother protected him, fought for him, fought alongside him. Kids at school were toughened from their rough lives, and Damian lashed out more than Dante. He was more docile than his older brother, but what he quickly learned was that he was smarter than Damian. His older brother rushed into things headfirst, with little thought. He was an awful student and sometimes cruel to Dante, having entered the gang life halfway through high school. "I'm gonna be running this shit by the time you graduate, just make sure you finish school. Do it for mom."

— EARLY ADULTHOOD & CURRENTLY.

"Jesus has a tattoo of La Virgen De Guadalupe
covering his back. turns out he’s your cousin
Jesus from the block. turns out he gets reincarnated
every day & no one on Earth cares all that much."

Life in Los Muertos was like having another family. A family of brothers, most of them older, but some even younger than Dante. The gang was notorious for production and distribution of drugs in the streets; slinging dope on the corners wasn't something that he was proud of, but it brought money home. He liked the feeling of being able to take care of his parents and his little sister. What he didn't like though was watching how Damian changed. He watched his brother turn cold and hateful and violent. Dante was not absolved of his sins, but the way Damian changed was...scary. He had made true on his promise to his little brother; with a heavy hand and a loaded gun, Damian seated himself at the top of Los Muertos. He didn't like being told what to do, he liked running shit and being el jefe. Dante was quickly promoted as his right hand man. Before the other members could blink, the Guerrero brothers were the leaders of the gang, and Damian ruled with an iron fist.

Dante remembers the day he knew something was wrong with his mother. He arrived home late at night, half drunk after a long night of partying, and found her collapsed in the kitchen with a glass of water shattered over the floor. When they rushed her to the emergency room, they found out about her chronic heart condition. By then, Dante thought he feared nothing. He had hurt people, he had killed, he had conquered. But the thought of a life without his mother made his hands tremble. He kissed his mother's forehead in that sterile hospital room and promised he would take care of her. Damian was nowhere to be found.

"How is it that you guys make so much money?" Marina asked one day from inside a changing room, braids in her hair and hands smoothing out a new dress.
"You don't gotta worry about none of that," Dante answered through the curtain, eyes adverted to allow her some privacy. "You're getting new clothes, just worry about picking out a new outfit for school."
"I only ask 'cause I saw some kid on the corner after school, you know. He was reppin' your set, Matteo scored weed from him. And he was like ten!"
Dante went quiet at that, pausing before finally answering her. "I don't know nothin' about that, but I'll talk to Damian. Ya apurate nena, no te preocupes."

Three months later, Damian was found dead in a street alley with four .22 bullets in his chest.

"Soy el guardián de mi hermano."

Dante mourned him alongside his family. His gang mourned. They all showed up to his funeral, even after Dante left the life. He made sure that they would never find out what he had done. When he discovered what his older brother had done, using children to push drugs, killing a child who "snitched" to the police about what was happening, Dante could sit idle no longer. His hands did not shake when he killed his brother. If it was not God's will, so be it.

With the money he had saved up, Dante finally went to college and got himself a degree in health informatics. It was the dullest damn thing he could have studied, but the job opportunities seemed stable. His mother was even more frail after Damian's death, and his father was older and weak from decades of working hard labor jobs. When he graduated, his parents smiled for the first time in four years. That was all Dante could ask for.

Work at Argenti Health Corp. was simple, yet depressing. Dante shed his gang and street affiliations and cleaned up his act, working a white collar job as an invisible cog in a large machine. The work was not rewarding in the slightest; he truly hated his job, hated not having any power, hated having to decide the fate of people's health. But, it gave him and his family health coverage. He could afford his mother's medicine and treatments. For the first time in years, they felt as if they could all breathe. Dante stepped up as the man of the family, but it was the unhappiest he had ever been. Even after everything though, he could not bring himself to regret his actions.

El Diablo was not created overnight. If anything, his dive into hero work was gradual. Dante remembers the first person he saved with startling clarity.

He had disembarked the last bus of the night, walking home from a long day at work, when he saw a young kid walking home from the convenience store with a handful of candy. The boy must not have been older than eleven or twelve, he was thin as a rail, but had a determined look on his face. He wasn't scared of the night. Dante remembered that feeling of childhood bravery. But the night was cruel, and the shadows, grabbing him by the throat and shoving him against a wall to demand for his money. Dante's feet moved before he could think. He tackled the man who had grabbed the kid, easily overpowering him with the element of surprise. It took three punches to the face to knock him out. Dante's dress shirt and knuckles were bloody, but the child he now knew as Ruben held his hand nonetheless when Dante walked him home.

It was the same distinct feeling he got when he killed his brother. The inability to be indifferent anymore. Dante knew what had to be done.

( Poem excerpts from A Mexican Dreams of Heaven by José Olivarez. )
04
─ NOTABLE CONNECTIONS.

MISSY BRIDGERS | 30 YEARS OLD | STATUS: ALIVE. A cutthroat gal who doesn't play around, she's a newly appointed detective for SCPD, as well as Dante's ex-girlfriend. They actually go way back; they were friends in high school, and kept in touch after she graduated a year earlier than him. Missy couldn't stand to see the path Dante and his brother went down, and kept out of their lives for a good couple years before reuniting with Dante one night in a bar. They dated for ten months, but realized they were better together simply as friends. FC: Aubrey Plaza

CLINTON COHEN | 43 YEARS OLD | STATUS: ALIVE. The weirdest motherfucker Dante has ever met. The ever eccentric Clint is one of his clients at his insurance company, and after Dante helped make sure his young daughter's cancer treatments were covered, he's has always been there as an odd but sweet friend. He is now successful owner of four gun and armory stores around town, and doesn't ask questions at the suspicious amounts of ammo Dante buys in cash. FC: Michael Fassbender.

ALICE EMILY LLOYD | 38 YEARS OLD | STATUS: ALIVE. Dante's boss at Argenti Health Corp. For a woman high up in the corporate chain, she is stern and extremely well educated, but also surprisingly kind. She's at a point in her life similar to Dante where she doesn't want to leave her position due to family obligations, though it seems the corporate life has hardened her tremendously. The two have been clashing lately because of Dante's sketchy behavior at work. FC: Aisha Tyler.

YIN XIAO HUO | 31 YEARS OLD | STATUS: ALIVE. An enigma that Dante isn't sure he wants to figure out just yet, he's happy to have Yin as a friend. Yin works for Silver City's Fire and Rescue Services as a firefighter, and she's works as a personal trainer as well. She's quiet and tough, but there seems to be way more below the surface than he realized. Dante trains with her at least twice a week, and if asked about his workout routine, will simply say "It's brutal." FC: Doona Bae.

— FAMILY.

ADOLFO GUERRERO | 60 YEARS OLD | STATUS: ALIVE. Dante's father. Adolfo is a Mexican immigrant who moved to Silver City for work in his early twenties, and has stayed in the same city ever since. Their relationship is a quiet, understanding one. He is glad to finally see his son on the "right" path, working a safe job and allowing him and Felicita to live comfortably, but the wounds of his eldest son's unsolved death still linger. Dante thinks if his father ever found out what happened, it would kill him. FC: Eugenio Derbez.

FELICITA SUAREZ | 58 YEARS OLD | STATUS: ALIVE. Dante's mother. Felicita was always the type of person who was loudly kind; boisterous, energetic, loving. Anybody was welcome in her house, and even with two gangbanger sons, she tried to keep their family afloat and happy. However, when Dante was in his late teens, she developed major health issues that left her hospitalized multiple times. She deals with complicated long term heart disease, and Dante relies on his health insurance from work to keep her cared for. FC: Ivon Coll Mendoza.

MARINA GUERRERO | 17 YEARS OLD | STATUS: ALIVE. Dante's little sister. In all honesty, Dante isn't sure how to tread around Marina; she seems to be in a world of her own, having a new girlfriend or boyfriend every other week, out being a social butterfly, way different than how he grew up. Their relationship is decent, and while she can be harsh sometimes, Dante tries not to be tough. If she needs a ride to school, or money to buy new clothes, he's there. He'd do anything to protect her. FC: Alexa Demie.

DAMIAN GUERRERO | STATUS: DECEASED. Dante's older brother. Their relationship was complicated, to say the least. He was the reason Dante got pulled into the gang life, years of hurting people and hurting his own community and praying for his sins to be washed away. But, he still loved Damian, still looked up to him so much. His memory is painful, but Dante does not regret doing what he had to do. His name and birthday are tattooed on Dante's right arm. FC: Wilmer Valderamma.

— MINI PLAYLIST.

~~Gasolina - Daddy Yankee~~
Fck Me - I Hate Myself Because
Greetings From Califournia - The Neighbourhood
Chanel - Frank Ocean
DÁKITI - Bad Bunny ft. Jhay Cortez

01
02
03
04

code by @Nano

Vagabond · Nov 26, 2020

VANGUARD
WATSON YIP TINGFENG 葉廷峯
WATSON

VANGUARD

HISTORY

NETWORK
- xxx1
- xxx2
- xxx3
- xxx4
- role
  job
  
  d.o.b.
  1973.05.07
  gender
  nonbinary, amab
  
  ethnicity
  asian, chinese
  
  sexuality
  bisexual
  
  occupation
  florist
  
  .
  MEDICAL
  
  .
  「 height 」
  181 cm, 5'11"
  
  .
  「 weight 」
  77kg, 170 lbs
  
  .
  「 build 」
  
  Built like a tank, Watson certainly looks the part of an ex-military contractor and bodyguard. They're well-muscled with broad shoulders and strong arms. Their frame is large enough to completely take a bullet - or more - for somebody else with ease. They're a natural mesomorph and they gain muscle easily hence their great shape even at this age.
  
  .
  「 hair 」
  
  Watson, ever predictable, is only seen with one cut - the angular fringe. Their hair has a distinct platinum color while their bangs are dyed a burgundy red giving it a vibrant eyecatching look. However, due to the numerous amounts of product in their hair, it's quite dry - not exactly coarse, but certainly lacking the vitality and silkiness one would expect. They generally part their hair towards the right.
  
  .
  「 eyes 」
  
  Dark brown, monolid
  
  .
  「 skin 」
  
  Watson's complexion is a warm olive tone and due to their time spent outdoors, they have tanned rather nicely. Their hands are exceptionally worn, covered in callouses and faded scars that travel up their arms. They have a fair share of assorted scars littering their torso as well as an old wound on their left thigh from a flying piece of shrapnel.
  
  .
  「 mods 」
  
  Watson's left brow and ears are pierced. They also have a flower blackout tattoo on their right arm and a Japanese styled floral sleeve on their left arm.
  
  .
  「 vision 」
  
  20/20
  
  .
  「 ailment 」
  
  PTSD, Depression, functioning alcoholic
  
  Watson Yip
- the first in
  
  「「 psyche 」」
  Rough around the edges, it's not a surprise that it's easy to get a bad first impression of Watson. Their natural stoicism seems to be a turnoff to most and their rather inexpressive face and apathetic responses in emotionally charged scenarios give off the impression that they're far colder and crueler than they actually are. An individual trapped in the past, they are obsessed with a relationship that has long passed and will not give themself any peace of mind or respite. They also have high expectations, demanding the best of themself - often pushing their limits far past their own capability.
  
  However, under the gruff exterior is a far more affable individual. Watson is well known for their ability to work with others and their willingness to listen and cooperate as long as there are results. They are highly professional. They have exceptional skill at keeping their cool under pressure and they're loyal to a fault. They seem to be incapable of turning away others in need. It's a shame that for all the people they've helped, they weren't able to save the one person that mattered.
  
  virtues
  
  calm, observant, disciplined, resourceful, steadfast, loyal, hardworking, dependable, empathetic
  
  vices
  
  stubborn, petty, unrelenting, perfectionist, paranoid, self-destructive, obsessive, self-sacirficing, emotionally evasive
  
  fears
  
  ◈ 「 Worthlessness 」Watson has been on a self-destructive path ever since the death of Wallace. In order to keep pushing on, they seek a sense of worth and validation in those they help and protect. If they cannot do even that, then what reason do they have to keep pushing on?
  ◈ 「 Moving On 」Wallace passed away twelve years ago. For twelve years, Watson has not forgotten about him. They fear letting go of this relationship. Whatever they have in the future cannot compare to the past. It would be unfair to the next person that Watson loves and unfaithful to Wallace.
  ◈ 「 Blindness 」The one thing that Wallace and Watson shared that nobody else could touch was the days spent in a cockpit, flying above the rest of the world. If anything ever happened to their sight, Watson fears that they can't even cling onto this wistful memory.
  ◈ 「 Loss of mobility 」All their life, Watson has never shied away from a fight. If they are unable to move, they are unable to fight. Watson would choose death over being immobile or paralyzed.
  ◈ 「 Death of a loved one 」Watson is no stranger to death. Watson has lost clients before. It is never easy to stomach. Wallace's death was an accident, but it has been a heavy burden on their shoulders for over a decade. If they lost somebody they knew well or cared about due to their work as a hero, there's no saying how bad their response could be.
  
  goals
  
  Watson's goal is impractical and a fool's dream. They want to cleanse the streets and bring about an age of peace, not for their sake but for that of those around them. They also want to see Voyager's Bloom prosper, though the florist shop had always been more of a self-indulgent front for their vigilantism.
  
  likes
  
  birds, gardening, tea, chukka boots, cooking, quiet nights, soccer, street foods, reading
  
  dislikes
  small dogs, galas, spoiled brats, unfulfilled promises, caramel, nosy people, golf, being disturbed
  
  mbti
  
  ISFJ. The Defender.
  
  and last out
  
  「「 vocational 」」
  
  modus operandi
  
  Vanguard is a team player through-and-through. They've become a well known helping hand when they approach - helmet on and coat ever present - asking what is now a familiar catchphrase.
  
  "What's the situation?"
  
  They're known for listening in on police radios to arrive on the scene of especially nasty situations to lend a hand where they can. This courtesy, of course, extends to other vigilantes and innocent bystanders being mugged on the streets. Vanguard embodies their alias. They're the one leading the charge, bold and loud but maintaining their anonymity to avoid needless attention and trouble. They don't operate in the shadows. They're transparent about their actions, responsible to a fault.
  
  Vanguard does what they do best. They protect the innocent and defend the weak. They have no sympathy for criminals. They have been on the scene for five years, give or take. They've got a list of names, the heads of snakes that they want to cut down once and for all. But doing things by the book has a limit and Vanguard isn't one to sit on their thumbs like the police. They have found compromising information that they've handed over to the police after making a copy - just in case of a mole. It's hard not to be too cautious. They've also invaded nightclubs and beaten sex traffickers and drug dealers within an inch of their life. Sometimes, it's not hard to see a reflection of the past and what they could have been had they stayed in the triads in the brutality of Vanguard's inflicted justice.
  
  Still, their rapport with the people and police is good enough for them to turn the other way. It doesn't hurt that they have the sensibility to take out the security room first and foremost. Being a former security contractor has its perks - knowing the ropes of the trade and common procedures has made it easy work dealing with cameras and getting to their target.
  
  skills
  
  ◈ 「 Sturdy Constitution 」Watson is built for punishment. They've got exceptional strength of will, able to push through the pain and keep fighting. As a point man in the military and a bodyguard later in their life, Watson has had quite a few brushes with death and so far they've won every bout.
  ◈ 「 First Aid 」Having worked as a bodyguard, first aid was a fundamental skill in case of emergencies. Watson knows enough to keep somebody alive long enough for the EMTs to arrive on the scene.
  ◈ 「 Threat Assessment 」Trained in reading an individual's body language and microexpressions, Watson knows fairly well if a situation is about to take a turn for worse. They also can pinpoint key vantage points that would be ideal for armed personnel and safe areas to take shelter in.
  ◈ 「 Skilled Combatant 」Involved in their fair share of scrapes ever since their youth, it seems the older they get the more experience under the belt they have. They're not an average fighter and can easily hold their own against a trained boxer.
  ◈ 「 Intimidation 」With a resting bitch face and a reputation that precedes them, they can usually avoid a fight with the more cowardly of the criminal sort.
  ◈ 「 Vehicles Specialist 」Having taken a tactical operators driving course, they're able to drive under extreme duress with a steady hand. Watson is a safe bet when it comes to needing a pursuit or getaway driver. They also have a pilot certificate.
  
  combat
  
  ◈ cqc | Watson is a practitioner of sanshou, bjj, judo, muay thai, and krav maga. They are especially skilled at grappling and their foundational knowledge in more brutal martial arts has been a notable trademark of Vanguard's incapacitating techniques. They prefer grappling over striking and punching over kicking. Though sanshou was their basis for martial arts, over the years - especially due to the need to capture individuals who rush at their clients alive - their judo throws and brazilian jiu-jitsu grappling techniques have seen far more use in apprehending subjects.
  ◈ melee | They know a fair share about melee combat from their training which involved knife, baton, and bayonet combat. They do not prefer to use bladed weapons if given a choice. Their preferred blunt instrument of choice is a ballistic shield - functional both as a means of protection and as a weapon. It is common knowledge that enemies that fall at Vanguard's hands are typically bludgeoned not pierced or slashed.
  ◈ firearms | A former soldier, it comes as no surprise that Watson knows their fair share about firearms and how best to use them. They're not a dead shot, but they're no amateur.
  
  languages
  
  Cantonese, English, French
  
  education
  Oxford Graduate, MPhys degree
- 「「 Employment Record 」」
  
  ◈ French Foreign Legion, Corporal | 97 - 02
  OR-3, honorable discharge, 5 years of service
  ◈ MRRE, Chief of Security | 02 - 08
  resigned, 6 years of service
  ◈ Empyrean International Services, Director | 08-16
  resigned, 8 years of service
  ◈ Voyager's Bloom, Owner & Florist | 2016 - Present
  
  「「 Family 」」
  
  ◈ Yip Huiyin, mother. 63. Alive.
  ◈ Unknown, father. n/a.
  ◈ Wallace Zhang Yingjie, husband. 34. Deceased.
  
  — The Individual with Job-like Resolve —
  cw: poverty, violence, death, substance abuse, depression
  
  i. wanderlust
  Born a single child to a teenage mother in Hong Kong, life for the two was nothing short of difficult. Times were hard, money was short and when the bills racked up, Yip Huiyin had no choice but to find a small home near the street level in Kowloon's Walled City. Their mother gave everything so that their future would be bright. A simple seamstress, Yip Tingfeng's earliest memories of their mother was her silhouette in their room - a candle the only light she had to work off of. But she was a woman with big aspirations and faith in her only child. Her money went towards their education, hoping against all hope that they would somehow avoid the rampant crime and drug peddlers inside of the Walled City.
  
  They didn't.
  
  Against all her hopes, money was tight and the triads were enticing. Money, protection, power. Three things that Tingfeng had never had before in their life and three things they wished to bestow upon their mother. They were young and brave, willing to get into fights and bleed for a chance of being recognized. The money was easier than the hours and hours of work their mother put into sewing hundreds of shirts for a company that bled her dry.
  
  It was luck that had saved Tingfeng from a life of crime. When they had ventured out of the protection of the city, they were caught by the police. It wasn't an ideal situation, but the heartbreak on their mother's face as she came to bail them out with what little money they had was enough. Their shame propelled them to work hard, to be somebody their mother could be proud of. Perseverance and hard work defined Tingfeng's youth until there were results. Balancing their sanshou training, education, and work, they had enrolled in a number of universities. They followed in their mother's footsteps with big aspirations and found that their dream of higher education was possible with the establishment of the China Oxford Scholarship Fund in 1992 which lifted a large financial burden off the shoulders of the family of two.
  
  Oxford was a land of opportunity for Tingfeng. It was there they had chosen their English name for convenience. It was there that they made lifelong friends and met the love of their life. The years seemed to fly by and when it was time to return to Hong Kong with their new earned degree, their boyfriend at the time - Wallace Zhang, the heir to a large real estate company - had suggested something absolutely insane. However, the more they listened to Wallace's plans the more intrigued they were.
  
  The proposition was simple. The two of them would enlist in the French Foreign Legion. It was steady pay that they could send home to their mother and their desire to serve the general public of Hong Kong was impossible considering their criminal record. They would get to see the world. For the first time, there seemed to be more to life than just working hard and fighting for an opportunity amongst corporate wolves.
  
  ii. bliss
  Never before had Watson felt more at home than in the Legion. It had been a familiar kind of brotherhood, one they remembered well from their days in the streets with the triads. Though this was a different kind of brotherhood. Oxford had been diverse enough, but the Legion had been a beast of its own. They served as a parachutist and point man. It was there they became used to having an ally by their side, the trust built in the military had been a fundamental eye-opening experience that made Watson realize what bonds without strings attached were like.
  
  Their required five years of service passed with several notable incidents here and there - none Watson was willing to telling to a stranger, of course - and when it came time to leave or extend their contract, they followed Wallace. The two's relationship had been a secret for some time, but with Wallace's family demanding their return to work for the family company, Watson knew that it was time for them to leave. Though they had enjoyed their service while it lasted, they also missed their mother dearly.
  
  Upon their return to Hong Kong with Wallace, they were thrust into a world of politics far more terrifying than anything they had dealt with before. The doublespeak and backhanded compliments in wealthy circles were dizzying and a meeting with the Zhangs had been about the worst social experience Watson had ever had in their life. The division between the wealthy and the poor was clear as day now that Watson had witnessed it firsthand. However, this relationship did prove one thing to be true. Connections truly did get people into higher places. It felt like their years of study had gone to waste, unable to secure a job before Wallace had offered them a position in the Mingren Real Estate Group - the company that Wallace was to inherit in a number of years.
  
  Though Watson had never liked owning anyone's favors and being handed things on a silver platter, it was Wallace who offered and they swallowed their pride.
  
  It was a decision they would come to regret for the rest of their life.
  
  At least the work was honest. It was familiar in many ways - too familiar sometimes - to the battlefield. And too soft at others. It wasn't hard to get a promotion, their experience and work ethic was commendable. But when word got out of Wallace's and Watson's relationship, all of that didn't matter. They said it had been given to Watson as the to-be spouse of Wallace. It was hard to stomach, worse so when Wallace proposed. Unexpected, but not a surprise. But his family had terms and conditions all over the wedding contract - demanding Watson accept the position as Chief of Security. Because some nobody was unfit to marry their son, but if they were Chief of Security at least there would be some grounds to stand on.
  
  It had been easy when their mother had told them that as long as they were with the person they loved, then all the hearsay didn't matter. She had been right. Of course, she had been. She always was.
  
  Their marriage lasted four years. Four years before an unfortunate car accident stole Wallace from them. It was laughable in a way. Five years in hundreds of firefights and scrapes and it was a car accident that ended it all.
  
  iii. agony
  Everything fell apart in the span of minutes. Watson was numb. No tears were shed at the hospital and then again at the funeral. They resigned not long after. There was nothing left for them at Mingren without Wallace. Aimless aptly described them. No amount of rage over their apathy or consolation and concern from their mother could spark any sort of response from them.
  
  And then one day, they disappeared.
  
  They found a new employer with Empyrean International Services, a private contractor and security firm. It was mindless - reckless - work. They got to see the world again. Meet new people. The thrill was gone. The money fueled their alcoholism. But no amount of whiskey ever made them forget why they were drinking in the first place. Life became a cycle - work, drink, sleep, rinse and repeat. It was Silver City that had changed all that.
  
  iv. resolve
  Having spent years on the frontlines, it was the first time in a long time that Empyrean was being called to protect somebody that wasn't in an active warzone. It bore a striking resemblance to the Walled City of their youth and they knew... they knew that something had to be done. That something would be done. Because they weren't young and desperate anymore. They had everything and nothing. A fortune from their deceased husband and a blank slate in a city that didn't know their name.
  
  They settled down much to their mother's relief. She had moved in with them. Life was quiet for sometime. Work was predictable, easy even. They were keeping people safe. But as time came to past, a thought crossed Watson's mind. Were the people they protecting worth it? They were the wealthy, the one percent. The kind of people that always got what they wanted.
  
  Watson was tired of putting their life on the line for people who hoarded the wealth of the masses. Who saw the violence, the poverty, the corruption and did nothing but cross their arms and look the other way. They were a resident for a grand total of one year before they decided to do something about it. But their work as a security contractor ate away at precious time. Time they could be using to eradicate the vermin once and for all.
  
  They resigned and used part of their savings to open up their own florist shop, originally a hobby but now... an occupation of sorts. The more they worked as a florist, the more they fell in love with the job. Voyager's Bloom was a shop owned by an outsider and its name proudly bore that mark. It served as the cover for Watson's true work.
  
  Enter the Vanguard.
- confidants.
  
  Henry Xǔ Weihao 許伟豪 ( 45 ) | fwb
  Managing Partner of the Xǔ & Knight LLP
  An infamous defense attorney who walks a fine line - neither siding with the police nor the gangs of Silver City but working with both sides on various occasions. Watson can call in just about any favor with him if they find themself in a bind. An old fling and former classmate at Oxford. Though their relationship is somewhat complicated, there's nobody Watson trusts more than Henry.
  
  Xerxes Arzhang ( 42 ) | accomplice
  CEO of Arzhang Corporations
  Owner of the Arzhang Corporations, a weapons and armor manufacturing company, Xerxes is from old money. He's well connected, but prefers the honest and frank. A former client, Xerxes works on Watson's gear under the table - free of charge. It's common knowledge the man's a mechanical engineer, however, it's very rare for anybody to get a personalized gift from him. The two of them often share meals, enough that the paparazzi has speculated that they're Xerxes's new fling.
  
  Dr. Apollo Gataki ( 32 ) | friend
  Blackmarket surgeon operating in Narrowridge
  A back-alley doctor, Dr. Gataki has saved their life more than once. They're a well-mannered and good-natured individual trying to help the right people for a low price. Though they don't have any credentials, Watson would trust Dr. Gataki just as much as any field medic that has patched them up before.
  
  contacts.
  
  Dr. Matsumoto Noboru ( 47 ) | associate
  Biomedical & AI Engineer at PANACEA
  Exceptional and ingenious. Noboru's name goes hand-in-hand with top of the line technology in artificial intelligence and biomechanical engineering. A very notorious scientist and socialite. Noboru's easy to talk to and great for picking news on the latest tech. He's also well known for ushering in the new age of prosthetics. Former client.
  
  Vladimir Dmitriev ( 39 ) | informant
  Bartender at the Moonlight Lounge
  Vladimir has eyes and ears everywhere inside of the popular night club, Moonlight Lounge. Where there's alcohol, there's bound to be loose lips and the Moonlight Lounge is no exception to that rule. With a bit of money and a promise of favors, Vlad's willing to disclose anything he hears under the table as long as its kept hush-hush.
  
  Henry Gichinga ( 26 ) | associate
  White Hat Hacker for ORACLE
  A member of a hacker group known as ORACLE, Henry Gichinga - better known as Hank or Augur in Watson's mind, as to not get mixed up with Weihao - is an exceptional white hat hacker involved with a rather cult-like following. They were formerly colleagues at one point when ORACLE had teamed up with Empyrean International Services and have been on good terms ever since.
  
  Regis Sauveterre ( 43 ) | unknown
  Gang enforcer [~~SCPD undercover officer]~~
  A sketchy man who is involved with the wrong people. He knows a lot about the law for somebody who spends most of his time breaking it. However, he's been a good extra hand in a fight and he always seems to turn the other way when the vigilantes are at work busting guys he was buddying up to not too long ago.
  
  Odette Trenbach ( 38 ) | acquaintance
  Owner of Trenbach Auto Repair
  Dangerous. Odette's the type of woman Watson gives a wide breadth. She's from a wealthy family with money to burn, so for her to actively choose to rebel against her family and work in her own garage is an interesting sight to behold. She's the daughter of a line of politicians and when politics get involved, Odette certainly knows how to spell it out for them. Otherwise, they'd have a headache. An acquaintance that Watson knows through Henry.
visage.

...even a broken clock is right twice a day

codebytriples

oxytocin · Nov 26, 2020

eve.angelic
h3ll.

......

liked by psilocin and 2,677 others
eve.angelic into the fire, half heart, / you appoint me lover / with a cord around your neck, / can i ever love her?
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eve.angelic more coming soon.
November 26th

code by low fidelity.

Vudukudu · Nov 26, 2020

— FILE
Name/role: Paul O'Connor
Hero alias: Witness
Age/D.O.B: 27, February 12th, 1993.
Ethnicity/nationality: Caucasian
Gender identity: Male
Sexual orientation: Heterosexual
Occupation: Freelance Coding

— MEDICAL
Height/weight: 6'1, 195 pounds.
Build: Fit
Hair: Black
Eyes: Blue
Skin: Pale, smooth.
Vision: 20/20
Ailments: Minor hand tremors aggravated by caffeine and a guilty conscience to make the angels weep.

— PSYCHE
Brief summary: Paul lives a life most would consider indicative of bachelor-like sloth - his personal abode is only barely kept clean, he has considerably more wealth than his lacking home décor and modest apartment suggest, and he spends an inordinate amount of time shut into his place on his computer or working out in his home gym. The truth of it is that he's more akin to a remorseful monk than a careless mid-20s man, obsessed with atoning for a sin he can't possibly make up for. His immense drive is only stopped by his frequent mood swings, lulls of depression and self-doubt that render him useless until roused to the task once more. Paul is capable of making, but rarely keeping, friends; he can be charming at first, but is often too committed to his work to treat the people around him well and drops out of people's lives just as quickly as he drops in.
(+) traits: Perceptive, Clever, Planner, Relentless.
(-) traits: Work-obsessed, Caustic, Moody, Low Self-Confidence.
Fears: Heights and never being able to forgive himself.
Goals: Atone for Black Sunday, then find a girlfriend and retire to somewhere quiet.

— VOCATIONAL
Modus Operandi: Witness is a man who knows his weaknesses and accounts for them. He knows he started this adventure in poor physical shape, so he got a workout plan and can run and lift with the best of them. He knew his marksmanship was shoddy, so he registered with a shooting range to get a little practice in. Still, he's only alright in a fight (which is fortunate, because most street hoods don't have much brawling experience either) and he's best with a firearm when the other guy doesn't know he's being aimed at. To accommodate these flaws, Witness has developed a strategy of quiet assassinations backed by meticulously collected intelligence. He stakes out targets, learns their habits, who they're connected to, where they hang out on Friday night, and then puts together a plan to put a bullet in their head while they feel safe. Witness is the vigilante equivalent of guided lightning - he strikes random targets of convenience with extreme prejudice and then disappears in a flash. He's not invested in putting ten kills on the scoreboard in one night, because he's not trying to risk his own hide; instead, he finds the important link in an organization, then cuts it before moving on. This all only applies when he does the work himself, which is uncommon - Witness' preferred method is to just feed information to "some punk with a death wish and a gun" and let them do it for him.

Skills: Renowned Ex-Black Hat Hacker, Forensic Accounting, Stealth and Blending In, Mission Planning.
Combat: Self-taught (and not very well) at a gun range with handguns and scoped rifles. Not terribly useful close-up in a gunfight, but is good enough to shoot an unaware target or provide modest sniper support. Owns an M1911 and a scoped Remington Model Seven rifle, both usually carried in a guitar case. Physically strong, but lacks training and mostly relies on getting in a surprise knockout hit before a brawl starts.
Languages: English, Russian
Education: Bachelors Degree in Computer Science and Accounting, Masters Degree in Forensic Accounting.

— HISTORY
Paul was born in Silver City to workaholic parents who's greatest success was unintentionally teaching Paul to take care of himself and pursue his own interests. Unfortunately for Paul, and his parents for that matter, his interests were expensive and involved an ever-growing list of computer components so he could get himself into more cyber-trouble. It started small as he learned to code from online mentors, learned the weird quirks of cyber-security from harmless prodding, and then it grew. By his high school years, "Witness" had become known online as a helpful and mischievous cyber-warrior, working in teams that exposed corporate corruption and inconvenienced people for their own amusement. In college, he excelled in his coursework but got himself involved in the wrong crowd at a party. 1401 North University Street is the house where Paul's greatest mistakes were born at 2AM, sipping on a Solo Cup of Jungle Juice while some guys cut lines of coke on the table. All it took was someone to lay the charm on thick and make him feel like he mattered, and by the end of the night Paul was involved in the birth of Cicada, a group of cocky hackers and thieves with a partying habit.

The work started slow but branched out over the course of four years. Once they got bored of doing drugs, internet vandalism, and robbing ATM machines, they sought out new thrills - drug dealing and genuine cyber-crime. In Cicada's collective senior year, they set out for their biggest hit yet, the one that would come to be known as Black Sunday. Having learned from international hacker groups that targeting cities for ransom was a viable tactic, Cicada went to work on Silver City, planning to get the ransom money and then publish anything incriminating they found anyway. It took nearly a year to plot, requiring several cases of stealthy breaking and entering as well as countless digital breaches, but when the day came Cicada published a nearly seven hundred page info-drop and distributed it to news outlets once their list of blackmail victims started paying up. Police chiefs, members of the mayor's office, judges, business owners, charity directors, beat cops, church leaders, and more were involved in the PR crisis of the century for Silver City. Resignations and jail sentences came down like leaves on an autumn day. The city's justice department found itself riddled with staffing holes, and it wasn't long after that Silver City's sense of law and order crumbled.

And that's why Paul will never forgive himself. Black Sunday was supposed to be a vaguely revolutionary moment, a sort of anarchist wet dream that also involved getting rich. Showing the people of Silver City the mixture of incompetence, corruption, and cruelty that they toiled under was meant to liberate them, not empower criminals. The guilt set in immediately, but it took weeks for Paul to understand what he had to do. Once the money from Cicada cleared into his accounts, he dropped off the internet after doxxing half of Cicada and informing the authorities, turning over meticulously detailed notes of Cicada as well as the extensive drug smuggling connections they had. "Witness" vanished when Paul used his money to enroll in a Masters program in forensics accounting, the first step of many in his redemption. With two years to pull himself back together emotionally while getting his Masters, he also picked up the skills he'd need to continue his work back in Silver City. With an expert's knowledge in how to follow money trails, paper trails, and digital records, Paul set himself up with a two bedroom apartment using the veritable pile of cash he'd acquired during his criminal years, filtered the rest into bitcoin and investments, and set to work solidifying his identity - freelance coding work, Uber Eats bike deliveries, things that made him invisible.

At night, Witness made his return to the net. With what he already knew about Silver City's criminal scene, he's built out lists of phones to infect with tracking viruses through public wifi, patched into large chunks of Silver City's surveillance systems in the form of vulnerable CCTV hubs and traffic cameras, and identifying other people engaged in vigilantism to drop useful intel to. Paul's work has made him something of a myth to police officers and vigilantes, most of whom are happy to know someone out there is looking out for them. Paul himself has occasionally done the fieldwork himself, usually in the least dangerous manner possible - shooting them in the back somewhere quiet. Born of a need to recognize his own work towards making up for Black Sunday, Paul leaves the same calling card anywhere he does the job himself - a pair of googly eyes somewhere near the body, a warning that your deeds have been seen and judged accordingly by someone with a bad sense of humor.

Notable connections:
Marco Rivera: Another member of Cicada, Marco was part of the crew that Paul didn't turn over to the authorities for fear of incriminating himself if everyone but him was jailed. Marco still lives in Silver City but has gone independent, living on digital grift and a software developer job, but he still keeps in touch with some of their mutual college pals.
Special Agent Wei Guo: Wei Guo is a special agent at the Silver City FBI Branch Office and a highly reputable one at that, sent by Quantico to help crack down on Silver City's crime surge and its vigilante problem which the FBI considers a threat to the rule of law. Still, Wei has proven open to Witness' anonymous tips, though he's made it clear he'd arrest him in a heartbeat if given the chance.
Liam Davidson: Liam is a foot soldier in the drug dealing world, a nobody in the relatively powerful 12th Street Renegades. He also is a police informer, a detail that Paul discovered and has been using to blackmail him into providing extensive information on Renegade operations.
Police Captain Daniel McKinsey: McKinsey is cheating on his wife, and while Paul frowns on such things, he's opted to hold that knowledge over McKinsey's head. To date, Paul mostly wields this power to get police officers sent to deal with suspicious activity in places he can't reach, like parts of town that are still busy at night.
Laura Prince: Laura is an undergraduate student in Sociology, paying her way through school with her server job at a well-known lunch place in downtown called The Red Lion, a local favorite of suited business types. She also rakes in a decent amount of money on the side with Witness' help skimming credit cards by adding a dollar or so to her tips, racking up hundreds over the course of busy weeks. In return, Laura feeds Witness gossip and helped him get quiet access to The Red Lion's wifi network which he uses to access phones and skim the corporate world's emails for anything incriminating.

lvcid · Nov 26, 2020

genesis demarco
genesis demarco
.
.
.
.

file

gendemarco

name

genesis “gen” (jen) andreya demarco

hero alias

the hangman

age

twenty-one

date of birth

october 29th

gender

cisfemale

sexual orientation

asexual biromantic

643 notes

gendemarco

ethnicity

half german, half filipino

nationality

american

occupation

former law enforcement intern; she was training to be in the police force but is currently unemployed

role

cain

643 notes

medical

gendemarco

height

5’9”

weight

131 lbs

build

ectomorph

hair

gen’s dark hair is chopped short, the ends falling just past the top of her neck. she cuts it herself to avoid unnecessary social interactions, and if one looks closely, they would see the slight unevenness, but she rarely allows people to get near enough to see. most of the time, she lets it hang as it pleases, but if she’s trying to look nice, she’ll slick it back to give herself a more sophisticated appearance.

eyes

gen’s eyes are dark brown—nearly black—and generally devoid of emotion. they play a large part in her being so hard to read.

skin

genesis has a smooth, olive complexion that’s only broken up by the dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose and upper cheeks.

vision

20/20, though that doesn’t necessarily contribute to the quality of her decision-making.

distinguishable features

some of gen’s notable physical traits include her thick eyebrows, plump lips, and cold gaze. aside from these, she has a number of scars littered across her body from the various battles she’s partaken in, though none of them are particularly big and gruesome, but if anyone were to comment on how small and seemingly insignificant they are, she’d tell them that they “should see the other guy.” in other words, her lack of large battle wounds is due to her taking down the villains before they can do too much damage to her.

ailments

after the brutal death of her fiancé, genesis developed severe depression along with a case of survivor’s guilt, which is due to the fact that she was unable to prevent the tragedy and, in part, caused it. although she suffered physical pain in the fight that led to it, she often grapples with the sinking feeling that she got off relatively easy in comparison.

faceclaim

hannah kleit

14,920 notes

psyche

gendemarco

source: new york times. the hangman’s identity revealed?

persona

genesis demarco is a wild card—one never knows what they’re getting into with her, and that’s the way she likes it. she prefers to keep people on their toes because in a way, it gives her the upper hand in situations, though there have been plenty of instances when even she didn’t know what her next move was going to be until it played out. this can be a good thing or a bad thing, just like her seemingly endless supply of bravery. what is her biggest strength has also proven to be, in certain situations, her biggest downfall. gen never backs down from a challenge—partially due to her constant need to feed her ego and confirm her own strength to herself—even if it would be the smartest thing to do in that moment. this isn’t to say that she’s dumb—she’s actually quite intelligent—but if she has the choice between using her brawn or her brain, she’d much rather rely on her fists to do the talking as they have shown themselves to be a much quicker and effective way of achieving her means. despite her irritable disposition and harsh reputation, genesis is loyal, almost to a fault, to what she cares about, whether that be a person or a cause. once she has her heart set on something, it’ll take death itself to knock her off-course. there’s very few people that know this side of her, though. she looks out for and depends on herself most of all and has trouble when it comes to asking for help, not to mention coming to terms with the fact that she needs help in the first place. in her eyes, that’s weakness, and genesis demarco is many things, but weak is not one of them.

positive traits

alert, confident, daring, dedicated, intelligent, passionate, protective, quick-witted, resourceful, self-reliant, tenacious

negative traits

aggressive, arrogant, cold, distant, impulsive, prideful, rebellious, reckless, ruthless, sarcastic, unpredictable

fears

becoming the monster everyone fears she is (ie. losing control of her temper and taking things too far), biting off more than she can chew, not being able to protect the people she cares about, not living up to her own high expectations of herself

goals

gen’s aspirations aren’t nearly as heroic as the stereotypical “protecting the people” mentality. she got into the saving business not to salvage the city but to hand the bad guys what was coming to them, which is a crude form of what others might call ‘justice.’ she doesn’t care about the usual honors that come with being a hero so much as ensuring that evil individuals don’t get the privilege of running free in the streets and wreaking havoc as they please. she doesn’t mind doing the dirtier work that other people might frown upon or even be too scared to do themselves. so, in other words, genesis came to kick ass and take names.

18,223 notes

vocational and history

gendemarco

modus operandi

genesis embodies the term ‘antihero.’ her methods are not only unconventional but concerning to others as well. she’s not afraid to use violence to get her desired outcome, but throughout her crime-fighting days, she’s come to realize that one doesn’t always have a choice—sometimes, it’s either kill or be killed, in which case self-preservation instincts take over. she excuses her violent behavior with a quick examination of the people she goes up against—most of her foes are the ones no one else wants to fight, either because they know they’ll lose the battle or because they’re too scared to even try, which leaves gen as the only one brave enough (or stupid enough, depending on how one looks at it) to do the nasty work of putting them in their place. they’re the sort of villains that have done more than enough to earn a bitter end, and genesis is all too happy to see to it that they get one. when some would hold themselves back, she isn’t afraid to show no mercy. “they deserve it,” she’d say, and she’s not entirely wrong.

it was gen’s brutal fighting style that earned her the alias of the hangman. when she started out in the superhero line of work, her intentions had never been to be violent, but first fights never quite go as planned. like always, she’d overestimated her abilities and bitten off more than she could chew. it was an uneven match from the get-go—the most notorious criminal of the time and the newby crime-fighter who was too big for her britches. she should’ve started out at the bottom of the food chain and worked her way up, but where was the pride in that? her first battle probably would’ve been her last had it not been for the flag. call her unpatriotic for strangling a man with the american flag and leaving him hanging there by the neck for the police to find, but it had been a life or death situation, so drastic measures had to be taken. this quickly became a trademark—leaving bad guys strung up by the neck—and the media took to calling the anonymous vigilante behind the killings the hangman, unaware of the fact that the person doing them was, in fact, not a man, but this was simply a biased assumption on their part that a woman was incapable of such acts of aggression. some of the deaths were mild, like the one with the flag, but others, such as one particular instance involving a hook, were much, much bloodier, so they weren’t exactly grasping at air in their claim that this was the work of a man—what typical woman was strong enough to even manage such feats? by the time they realized they were dealing with a female superhero, though, the name had already stuck. besides, hangwoman or, god forbid, gallows girl, don’t quite have the same ring to them, so genesis can’t complain.

skills

alert - it takes a lot to catch genesis off-guard, though it’s been known to happen. she’s always surveying her surroundings for anything that could pose a threat. call her paranoid, but she’d much rather be safe than sorry.
high pain tolerance - living without a heavy parental presence in her life taught gen to be tough from a young age. she’s good at what some people might refer to as “taking it like a man,” though she would call that sexist. really, she just has a knack for not showing signs of agony, though whether or not she’s simply hiding the fact that she is in pain and is instead nothing more than a good actress remains to be seen.
improvising - this could also fall in line with resourcefulness. genesis is good at using her surroundings to her advantage, whether that be using something as a weapon that’s not meant to be (ie. an american flag) or knocking over the nearest object to cause a distraction in order for her to get away just long enough for her to regain the upper hand.
not squeamish - which is convenient, considering gen’s line of work and the way she accomplishes it.
physical combat - genesis has always been a fighter. she doesn’t always play by the rules but rather by what will give her an advantage, and if that means getting her knuckles a little bloody, so be it.
shooting a gun - during her time training with the police force, gen was taught how to properly fire a gun. though it’s not her first choice in a fight, it’s a useful skill to have just in case.
sneaky - this could also be categorized as ‘unpredictability.’ genesis bides her time and strikes when her opponent least expects it. although she often flies by the seat of her pants, gen is nothing short of cunning.
thinking on her feet - sometimes, gen’s impulsivity comes as an advantage. on more than one occasion, a last-minute choice has spared her life. she’s quick to spring into action and doesn’t take time to second-guess herself, which has proven to be both a good thing and a bad thing, though luckily for her, mostly beneficial.

combat

gen’s area of expertise lies within hand-to-hand combat. she may be relatively thin, but she can still pack a punch and hold her own in a fight. during her time training for the police force, this was what she had picked up the quickest (likely due to her years of fighting in school), and it was easy to grow from there. not only does she have months of prior experience, her anger gives her a slight advantage as well in that she knows the people opposing her are bad, and she uses crime-fighting as a way of releasing her pent-up aggression, meaning she doesn’t restrain herself. so what if they die a gruesome death? they were horrible individuals who got what they deserved. after several close calls, though, genesis has taken to carrying a handgun to use as a last resort, should the need arise.

languages

english is what she speaks most of the time, but she was taught german growing up, as well as filipino, though she’s a bit rusty now due to lack of practice.

education

during high school, genesis worked hard to balance school with her internship at the city’s police department. after graduation, she began training with them, however, after pursuing the life of fighting crime on her own terms and her tendency to operate outside the law, she has since quit that line of work.

history

early on, genesis had a strong dislike for bullies. it’s not that she was hell-bent on being good or wanted to be some sort of savior figure, but she hated the thought of someone being bad for the sake of causing other people harm and getting away with it completely unpunished. she often got into trouble for fighting at school. sometimes she instigated it, other times she didn’t, but she only ever fought the people she felt deserved it, and as they say, old habits die hard.

because of this, it has always been hard for gen to form attachments to others—either they fall into the ever-expanding category of those she doesn’t like, or they’re scared away by her reputation for brash behavior. the few people she does become close with are inevitably driven away, though unintentionally, by genesis because she has trouble expressing her emotions in a positive way. she lacks most of the qualities of a good friend—she’s not affectionate by nature, she’s bad at offering comfort and advice, and she’s never really been interested in anything the other girls her age like to do, which during school had been attending slumber parties where they sat around doing each other’s makeup and gossiping about which boys in their class they thought were the cutest.

andrew carmichael was the only one who never left. he stuck with gen through it all when even her parents turned a cold shoulder (though they were never that involved in their daughter’s life to begin with)—her low sat scores, her college decline letters, and her decision to join the police force. high school had been one of the toughest times of genesis’s life, but drew had been there to keep her grounded. what had started out as an unlikely friendship grew into something more, and by the end of senior year, the two of them were dating.

to say that gen’s life was turned upside down when andrew’s continual, positive presence in it was suddenly taken away would be an understatement. sure, she could look out for herself, but when things got especially hard, she could always count on him to be there for her to lean on. without his warmth and support, genesis found herself spiraling downward, but what made andrew’s death all the worse was that she was the one who had caused it.

gen was never one to think about the consequences of her actions until they were said and done with. it was just the same when it came to picking her battles, both physically and metaphorically. she liked anything that offered a challenge—she saw it as a chance to prove her strength, though whether to herself or others, she could never tell—so when silver city first saw itself overrun with crime, she sought out the source of it all. despite having only been in a few “heroic” fights prior, genesis soon found herself facing against the biggest mob boss in town in a battle she was sure to lose. not only was she still fairly inexperienced, but the notorious ring master of crime knew how to use people’s weaknesses to his advantage.

he’d been waiting for gen’s attack. he had watched his fellow villains be picked off like flies by the unorthodox hangman, and during that time, he’d sent scouts out to watch her. how he had discovered genesis’s identity and hunted her down was beyond her, but he had somehow managed it—studying her every move, analyzing her fighting techniques, and picking her apart to find her weakness. although gen liked to boast that she had none, her one flaw was that she cared too much about the people in her life and would do anything to protect them.

when genesis sought out the man responsible for nearly half of the crimes occurring in silver city, she hadn’t anticipated that he would be ready for her, much less that he would’ve stolen something of hers to use as leverage. for once too scared to make any sudden moves, gen tried to bargain for andrew carmichael’s life, but the boss wasn’t having it. in a last, hasty effort to get both of them out alive, genesis tried to fight her way to her then-fiancé only to be overtaken by two henchmen, the same ones that had been sent to track her down months prior. to ensure that the hangman stayed out of their way, drew was murdered as a show of power, and genesis was forced to watch helplessly as the only person who had ever truly cared for her was taken away before her very eyes.

that was the only battle she ever lost, and it was a truly detrimental blow. since that night, gen’s mask has hung at the back of her closet untouched, and the hangman is seemingly a thing of the past. appalled by the damage that came as a result of her carelessness, genesis swore that she was done being the hero, but with silver city’s crime on a resurgence, she might just have to break that promise.

relationships

andrew carmichael. relation: ex-fiancé. status: deceased. - aside from herself, he had been the only other person that genesis really cared about. the two of them had grown up together, and at the time of his death, they were due to be married in three months. he had always been a sort of light in her chaotic life, and without him, gen has sunken into depression and given up vigilante work. when she’s not at home, she spends her time visiting his grave in an attempt to feel close to him.

henry and jasmine demarco. relation: father and mother. status: alive. - genesis never really had a good relationship with either of her parents. the two of them were rarely home during gen’s childhood—they worked at a big business corporation dealing with the development of high-tech weaponry. they had always seen their devotion to their jobs as more important than raising a child, and it was because of this clear divide between her and her parents that genesis learned to fend for and rely on herself first and foremost early in life. she didn’t mind her parents’ absence, though—had they not always been that way, it would’ve been another story, but she didn’t know what she was missing out on until later.

1,202 notes
h

♡design by dreamglow, coded by uxie♡

idiot · Nov 27, 2020

LAZARUS:

danica

attack
defense
speed
intelligence
“
”
Tell the truth, or someone will tell it for you — whether you like it or not.
Name
danica 'danny' mai reyes
hero alias
the dredger / the soothsayer
Gender
cis female
age/d.o.b.
twenty-four, April 13th
ethnicity
filipina / european
sexual orientation
bisexual
occupation
private investigator & freelance journalist
medical
height/weight:
5'1", 96lbs.

build:
Ectomorph — little muscle definition but toned from being an avid fan of leisurely jogging and running around the streets of Silver City.

eyes:
A dark, brooding brown, Danny's eyes flicker to a near pitch-black in the sunlight.

hair:
Box dye is Danny's best friend — currently rocking a poorly-dyed platinum, brassy blonde with her natural, black roots peeking through. Usually gathered in a dishevelled ponytail with a shoddily-chopped fringe (making it rather obvious that Danny cuts her own hair).

skin:
Pale and smooth, Danny's skin is sparsely littered with a dusting of light freckles over her body and concentrated on her face. The skin underneath her eyes is discoloured from a lack of sleep. Her skin is blemished by fresh scarring that is prevalent on her torso — a rather large gash on her stomach stands out among the rest. Small, faint scars are lined in her inner thighs.

vision:
Slighty short-sighted — has prescription glasses but rarely wears them.

distinguishing features:
Tatted-up and pierced, Danny has multiple piercings in her ears, a septum ring and her tongue pieced — preference to silver jewellery. In term of tattoos, Danny's neck is inked, along with similar tattoos spanning across both her arms, hands and her left thigh.

ailments:

Since the death of her parents, Danny has been suffering the symptoms of comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which has only furthered by the recent events surrounding her attempted murder. It is comorbid with the reliance of substances — specifically alcohol and caffeine — to cope but has only strengthened with her need to be constantly alert and awake. The attempted murder has plagued her slumber with nightmares, leading to acute insomnia.
PSYCHE
summary:
Inheriting her father’s fine-combing and perceptive nature, Danny is ready to take the world head-on; full of pure determination and an unyielding persistence that can eventually wear anyone down. She is a true workaholic, yet crosses the line with an eerily obsessive quality which can leave her narrow-minded and neglectful of everything other than the task at hand. Neglectful and absent-minded, Danny often forgets important dates and plans concerning her personal life. Akin to a train with no brakes, Danny is horrible at taking a moment to stop and take care of herself which she substitutes with dry-shampoo and caffeine. If Danny was without a task or objective, she becomes aimless and self-destructive, shutting the intrusive thoughts out with frivolous sex and copious amounts of alcohol.

Danny isn’t without her charm and allure, using her perceptiveness to make and maintain professional contacts which would be helpful to employ in her personal life. Yet, like her personal relationships, they are often one-sided with Danny taking more than she gives — some may say a user. Seemingly relationships take a backseat in Danny’s priorities, which may seem as though she doesn’t care. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth, Danny cares deeply, concerned and protective of friends and family — just not the most reliable person. She is afraid to admit she cares, her burning desire to help others and do good haphazardly buried in a thick layer of sarcasm and composure. Finally, Danny is not a follower, being quite disobedient and entrenched in her ways, often leaving her difficult to argue with — butting heads with anyone who has differing views.

positive traits:
Alert, concerned, curious, industrious, heroic, meticulous, passionate, perceptive, protective, composed, persistent.

negative traits:
Unreliable, absent-minded, entrenched, obsessive, workaholic, unorganised, sarcastic, emotionally-distant, neglectful, dogmatic, disobedient.

goals:
A walking cliche, Danny is hellbent on alleviating as much injustice and corruption from Silver City as she can — at the plight of having no personal goals attributed to her personal life.

fears:
Danny fears failure of any kind, being responsible for someone's death, committing to relationships or losing her brother.
VOCATIONAL
Modus operandi:
'The Dredger' is known for their relentless pursuit of the truth; remaining in the shadows, snapping photos and slinking around for clues before anyone can even notice. Their reputation is hazy and polarizing, being unpopular for revealing the truth with no apparent thought of the repercussions or collateral for those involved. In fact, The Dredger is a contributing factor to the ever-growing unemployment/homelessness rate by shutting these corporations and businesses down which raises questions on how morally right their actions are. Therefore, they are equal parts feared and hated but also welcomed for bringing light to the corruption and injustices in Silver City that can actually lead to change. Once The Dredger finds the truth, it is leaked to the media via the website titled: 'Silver Sight' which explicitly details the injustices, secrets and corruption of corporations, businesses, politicians, law enforcement among others with corroborating, hard evidence. All of these articles are listed as being written by an ominous individual called, 'The Soothsayer', which has left people curious if the two are accomplices or maybe...they are the same person?

Regardless, The Dredger has been on the scene for the past two years, inciting fear for those with skeletons in their closets. They have never officially killed anyone nor does it seem to be their goal, only leaving behind a few broken bones and bruises which were reportedly provoked. People who have spotted them in the shadows or come face-to-face with The Dredger claim they are dressed in athleisure with a mask/scarf pulled up past their nose and a camera around their neck.

This was all until The Dredger was murdered.

No one knows that Danny is either of these aliases, yet she is known throughout Silver City for being an independent private investigator who helps with any case (e.g., missing persons, proof of partner cheating, stalking) as long as the money is right. She is also is a freelance journalist who writes for certain publications when she is short on cash, mostly exposés about celebrities or local businesses. She hates writing about that pointless shit but it pays the bills.

Skills:
Highly-skilled investigator — prides herself on her ability to find clues and pieces together information to find out the truth in record times. Danny can dig up dirt on anymore with enough time, so make sure to not have skeletons in your closet.
Agile — nimble and small, Danny is able to move with immense speed while being light on her feet, moving without a sound.
Fast reflexes — throw a punch Danny's way and she will be able to act accordingly, dodging and ducking out of the way. She can quickly adapt to a situation and act, sometimes without thinking, which has got her in troubling situations.
Journalism — she has a certain way with words which is both compelling and persuasive. An emphasis on evidence and integrity, Danny has excellent written and oral communication skills which can help in making people feel comfortable to disclose the nitty-gritty details and insider information.
Interrogation — sometimes people don't want to open up easily but Danny has her non-violent ways of making people talk.
Photography — knowledgable and proficient with a camera, she has a keen-eye for photos and film and is usually spotted with her trusty camera around her neck.
Flexible — her childhood gymnastic days paid off, Danny being incredibly flexible which helps get into hard to reach places during her investigations.
Lock-picking — being an angsty teen led to Danny learning to lock pick which actually is incredibly useful for her line of work now.
Quick learner — considering her obsessive and persistent nature, Danny is able to quickly pick up other skills if she puts her mind to it (which she rarely does).

combat:
Danny does all her own fieldwork, placing herself in dangerous situations often. Therefore, she begrudgingly took self-defensive training by her brother to evade or fend off a perpetrator; having taught her to gain the upper hand, use everyday objects as weapons, be ready for the next move (dodging and blocking) and to handle an assailant quickly and efficiently with calculated jabs and pressure/weak points.

On the flip side, being on the offensive is not Danny's strong point, nor her style. She is 5'1" for starters and with a nimble frame, it is unrealistic for her to throw a punch or tackle someone. However, her size has the advantage of making her incredibly hard to hit, which coupled with her fast reflexes and agility leaves her difficult for assailants to get their hands on her. She has little combat training and only a basic understanding and handling of weaponry. For more dicey situations, Danny carries a retractable, police-issued stun baton around (which she may or may not have stolen from her brother), not wanting to cause grievous harm to anyone.

languages:
Danny's first language is English but she was raised to learn her father's native language of Filipino.

Education:
Graduating highschool with rocky grades after the death of her parents, but with a keen interest in journalism, she went on to complete a degree in communication and journalism.
History
Background:
Life handed Danica Mai Reyes a childhood full of wonder, curiosity, security and unconditional love that set her up for a bright future.

Danny was surrogated by a woman desperate for money, leaving her in the care of two dedicated and hard-working fathers — Gabriel and Aarav — who had been happily married for ten years. A textbook example of a 'power couple', Gabriel was a prolific SCPD detective who was respected among colleagues while his husband, Aarav, rivalled his success in the form of a charismatic news reporter for Silver City Broadcasting Network (SCBW). Alongside her adoptive brother, Ryder, the pair were raised in a warm embrace yet exposed to the harsh reality that was Silver City — being difficult to ignore with their parent's occupations.

The two didn't seem to mind, in fact, they welcomed it with as a challenge. A young Danny would beg her father, Aarav, to take her along to work — who would foster her keen interest. Archived footage from SCBW has dozens of clips of a gap-toothed Danny and Aarav questioning awed-strangers on the street on a variety of topics. It was no secret that Danny was incredibly intuitive and ambitious for her age, which bled into all aspects of her life — engaging in the debating team, gymnastics, soccer and student council. However, journalism was still something that held a special place in Danny's busy heart, even interning for SCBW at the age of fifteen.

Sadly, life had other plans for Danny — unexpectedly ripping away everything it had once given to her in one cruel coincidence.

At sixteen, Danny's father, Gabriel, was investigating the aptly named serial-killer, 'The Silencer', who was responsible for the deaths of a dozen key eye-witnesses in news-worthy criminal trials. Upon his eventual arrest, damaged footage shows Gabriel dragging a hysterical man from a building, screaming his innocence as an explosion suddenly flashes across the screen. The footage ends with a distorted image of a man's disfigured face, expression blank, before finally cutting out.

Danny was in class at the time as murmurs and whispers erupted, phones in her peer's hands. Curiosity struck, Danny fishing her phone from her pocket and before someone could stop her, she was watching the recapped live footage of the breaking news. Despite the disfigurement, Danny would recognise the all-too-familiar, kind eyes that hauntingly stared into the camera's lens.

It was officially reported that the man was armed with a bomb vest which was remotely detonated; killing himself, Gabriel, alongside a handful of officers and several news reporters in the front of the bustling group — including her other father, Aarav.

The police concluded that the man being arrested was responsible for the bombing. Yet, the sixteen-year-old had different theories; her grief translating into a relentless obsession surrounding the case. This obsession led to sleepless nights, slipping grades and dropping all friends and extra-curricular activities. The tireless pursuit proved futile, no-one — including her brother and godmother — taking a grieving teenager's far-fetched theories seriously.

Angry at the world, Danny fell down the rabbit hole of teenage rebellion with alcohol, arguing, breaking-and-entering and other deviant behaviour. Selfishly making her brother's life a living hell who raised her until she was eighteen.

Finally ready to channel that angst into something productive, Danny used her share of the money from her parents to buy an apartment in the downtown area of Silver City. A short-lived stint in the police academy and barely completing a degree in journalism; led Danny to realise she hated being told what to do and working under a boss.

Danny refurbished her apartment into her own independent private investigation headquarters; quickly becoming renowned for her ability to open and shut cases in record time. In fact, Danny was a natural, being able to envelop herself completely into each case, using whatever means necessary to help those people who came to her. When strapped for cash she would use her journalism degree for good, writing columns and snapping photos for celebrity gossip and other pointless shit.

Still, it wasn't enough.

Wanting to make real change, Danny began creating her own investigations. She would find a public figure or corporation and dredged up dirt — which was inevitable for most in Silver City. Yet, Danny wasn't just going to slander them with shaky rumours or conspiracy theories — she was going to find hard, cold evidence which would lead to actual change or repercussions for those involved. Utilising all her skills, Danny unknowingly created 'The Dredger' who was first known for exposing a notorious politician who had his infidelities covered up by hiring a hitman to kill his lovers to ensure his re-election next term. Equipt with the overwhelming evidence, Danny now needed a place to disperse this information which led to the creation of the site, 'Silver Sight' which exposed and detailed the evidence of corruption, secrecy and injustice among these individuals and corporations. Signing off with the alias 'The Soothsayer', Danny made sure to make it unclear if The Soothsayer was the one who found the evidence and information or it was given to them by this mysterious figure.

Two years have passed since she cracked her first case; now having completed and taken down countless individuals and corporations alike, gaining popularity within the realm of vigilantes and being feared by those who have something to hide. Alike her vigilante counterpart, Danny herself is difficult to get ahold of these days either off solving cases presented to her or frequenting local bars for alcohol and frivolous sex. Usually, you won't be able to find her, she will find you though, especially when in need of help for a certain case.

That was all until The Dredger was reported to be dead; one of her many enemies finally tracing her back to her real identity. Danny was tortured and battered before finally succumbing to her wounds. The assailants were apparently not done with her, one of them trying to administer CPR yet she was indeed dead. She was then tossed and buried in a shallow grave, in the middle of nowhere, and left to rot.

Yet, Danny didn't stay dead. The trapped air in her lungs from the failed-CRP jumpstarted her heart and brought her back from the dead, leaving her to dig herself out of her own grave.

Danny would come to find that her miraculous resurrection was the cause of the Lazarus Syndrome.

notable connections:

Ryder Heyes — adopted brother, twenty-seven. Following in Gabriel's footsteps, Ryder is currently a police officer in the heart of Silver City, trying to do actual good for the citizens. Danny and Ryder have a complicated relationship but that doesn't stop her from using his credentials to access confidential files.

Ava Washington — "acquaintance", twenty-four. A morgue and medical examiner, the two began a professional friendship which gives Danny access to medical records and the recently deceased. Their relationship is a little more complicated now since they hooked up. The two have an on-and-off-again fling but currently, Ava is over Danny's obsession with work and ignoring her calls.

Kamala Vadekar — godmother, forty-eight. Gabriel's previous partner at work and an old family friend, who was asked to be Danny's godmother. Kamala is the only one who understands Danny's drive and seemingly the only one Danny listens to. She is a high-ranking police detective and most likely a shoe-in for commissioner.

Rina Yuri — accomplice, thirty. A dead end job in IT caused computer-genius, Rina, to get into contact with Danny after easily breaching her website. She promised to beef up her security since Danny isn't great with technology in exchange to become part of her operations to add some excitement and meaning into her life. Danny bregrudingly agreed, Rina being the only one who knows Danny's true identity. Rina helps with anything technology related including breaching firewalls, camera footage and also the moderator for Danny's site.

Matt Phelps — friend, twenty-eight. Owner of a local dive bar in Silver City which is frequented by some...interesting clientele. It is Danny's favourite place to drink which has led to an unlikely friendship between her and Matt, which she uses to her advantage to get information about the criminal undergoings in Silver City (may or may not have slept together).

Nicolás Santiago — neighbour, fifteen. A little twerp who lives in Danny's building. His persistence to help with her investigations reminds her of her young self, which has led Danny to allow him to run small errands for her and legwork she is too busy to do.

code by Nano

.empathogen. · Nov 28, 2020

lazarus

❝ character name. ❞

And oh, I know you don't believe in me...
Safe in the dark, how can you see?

❝ cursory information. ❞

【full name】—Lyam Maks the Second.
【hero alias】— Ace.
【gender】— cis male.
【age】— twenty- six.
【sexuality】— bisexual.
【d.o.b.】— December 30th.
【race】— info.

❝ background. ❞

He had to die as a child, and that was an easier statement than an action. Killing your identity is one of the hardest things a person can do. The man named Lyam Maks II is only alive due to a hiccup among some gang members who couldn't tell their heads from their zippers.

❝ relationships. ❞

【mother】— info.
【father】— info.
【sister】— info.
【brother】— info.
【daughter】— info.

❝ abilities. ❞

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed interdum malesuada tempus. Nunc egestas ultricies nisi, vel mattis neque rutrum et. Sed id varius nulla. Vestibulum faucibus arcu ac risus dictum tincidunt nec cursus magna. Etiam eleifend nec nunc at hendrerit. Aenean dignissim, velit id maximus lacinia, ligula metus venenatis velit, ac elementum dolor ligula ut nisi. Aliquam ac sollicitudin sapien, in ullamcorper leo. Duis in mauris et massa aliquet blandit et non arcu. Curabitur nec est consequat, bibendum nunc quis, ornare diam. Duis rhoncus nibh ac odio vulputate, in imperdiet lorem aliquam. Mauris lobortis, leo sed fermentum condimentum, ipsum diam accumsan magna, nec porta justo ligula in leo. Etiam in ultrices ante.

❝ psyche. ❞

【vices】— info.
【virtues】— info.
【fatal flaw】— info.
【happiest memory】— info.
【a secret】— info.

❝ visage. ❞

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed interdum malesuada tempus. Nunc egestas ultricies nisi, vel mattis neque rutrum et. Sed id varius nulla. Vestibulum faucibus arcu ac risus dictum tincidunt nec cursus magna. Etiam eleifend nec nunc at hendrerit. Aenean dignissim, velit id maximus lacinia, ligula metus venenatis velit, ac elementum dolor ligula ut nisi. Aliquam ac sollicitudin sapien, in ullamcorper leo. Duis in mauris et massa aliquet blandit et non arcu. Curabitur nec est consequat, bibendum nunc quis, ornare diam. Duis rhoncus nibh ac odio vulputate, in imperdiet lorem aliquam. Mauris lobortis, leo sed fermentum condimentum, ipsum diam accumsan magna, nec porta justo ligula in leo. Etiam in ultrices ante.

&&— ❝ the role. ❞

no-eyed-girl · Nov 29, 2020

-placeholder, isaac-

LowkeyLovingLoki · Dec 1, 2020

Jacob—

Romir

attack
defense
speed
stamina
“
”
Fragile like I’ve never seen you’re pretty when you do not speak
Name
Romir ‘Rome’ Zamilodchikova
Hero Alias
The Russian Doll
Gender
Male
Age/D.O.B
22, April 17th
Ethnicity
Russian
Sexual Orientation
Homosexual
Occupation
Bartender
Medical
Height/Weight
5’5, 115 lbs

Build
Ectomorph; very lean with very little muscle mass

Eyes
A mix between green and hazel; greener in the sunlight, browner in the darkness.

Hair
Not too dark, not too light brown with slightly lighter streaks throughout. Rome keeps his hair shorter on the sides than on the top, and he would never grow it out too long. He has no facial hair.

Skin
Very fair skin with only a few isolated and barely-there blemishes.

Vision
20/20

Ailments
He has mild ADHD which was only diagnosed in his late teens, however it does not drastically affect his ability to function.
Personality
Summary
Much of Rome’s behaviour is based on how what he does will affect how his parents are perceived, or how he is perceived by his parents. In the public eye, Rome can be seen as somewhat of a perfect son; obedient, organised, unproblematic. When around his parents or media, he’s relatively quiet, speaking only when spoken to but never seeming shy, only polite.

As much as this persona is a part of Romir, it is also not what he’s really like. When he’s able to let go and be himself, Rome is much more a life-of-the-party kind of guy. He cracks jokes and teases his friends; he’s the friend that is perpetually in a good mood. He’s opinionated, however not easily offended, but if he were to find himself in an argument, it takes a lot for him to back down. He’s quite the opposite of naive, knowing just how dark and gritty the human mind can be, and the actions that some people will take to get to the top.

Rome is conflicted in his personality; the side of him that is most well-known is the side of him that he likes the least. The side of him which is known only to those closest to him is one which is more true to himself. The signs of ADHD which Rome exhibits are excessive talking, easily distracted, and almost always moving in some way, even if it’s just squirming in his seat or tapping someone. He takes medication for his ADHD so it doesn’t show as much in public, but the fidgeting is something that always seems to stick around.

Positive Traits
Comedic, loyal, entertaining, fun, hard-working, reliable, confident, optimistic

Negative Traits
Easily distracted, unorganised, dependent (hates being/feeling alone), indecisive, gets stuck in his own head, forgetful, bad at making judgements on other people

Goals
To be someone who his parents are proud of: to do something useful with his life

Fears
Becoming someone that isn’t who he wants to be, living a boring life, having regrets, messing things up for his parents
Vocational
Modus Operandi
The identity of the Russian Doll is completely unknown; as is their gender. All that they are known for is being ‘pretty’ and having a Russian accent, earning them their alias. They are assumed to be a woman by most with theories. While not a murderer, they’re certainly not known for being gentle with their victims, most of whom are people with power or authority who have committed crimes which are an abuse of their position, or crimes which they have not been convicted of as a result of their placement in society. The Russian Doll clearly has some kind of mistrust in the police, as any times their victims are found, it is purely by chance. Even then, there is never any evidence pointing to who committed the acts, with only the victims able to claim that it was the Russian Doll.

It’s known the the Doll has a particular disdain for those who abuse their power in such a way that has physically harmed someone else; for example, rapists who are too high up on the social ladder to be convicted. It would seem that the Russian Doll has some kind of access to inside information, as there have been a handful of incidents when victims’ offences have been revealed to the public only hours after the Russian Doll got to them.

Public opinion is varied when it comes to the Russian Doll, as it often is when concerning vigilantes. Many argue that they have no right to take law or justice into their own hands, and that violence is only stooping to the level of those who are attacked. Others argue that the Russian Doll brings more justice than any court case ever could, as the vigilante does not care about wealth or power. As for Rome’s opinion? Well, he’d say he’s not keeping up with what the Doll is doing these days.

Skills
Insider Information - Being a part of the political world, Rome has access to private information on politicians whether he wants to or not. Sometimes he hears through his parents, other times he is just straight-up told. Either way, it tells him who his victims are.

Speed - Being as short and skinny as he is, Rome is super fast. The only physical activity he ever enjoyed was running and gymnastics, so he certainly has a lot of practise.

Flexible - As someone who did gymnastics when he was younger, Rome is able to contort his body in any way. This has helped him a lot in tight situations, as well as just for showing off.

Agile - A result of both his speed and flexibility, as well as his body shape: Rome can fit through small spaces, he can dodge quickly and creatively, he can attack from almost any position.

Combat
Not having a lot of body strength, considering he has a hard time gaining muscle, Rome relies on his agility and speed in his vigilantism. His weapon of choice is a knife or dagger of any description, but he’s able to do hand-to-hand as well. He is much more suited to close combat than long-distance, so he has been bruised or wounded in some way a fair few times. (Think Black Widow-style combat).

Languages
Russian is his first language, which he is fluent in. He’s also fluent in English, but he still has a strong accent and struggles a bit with grammar.

Education
High school level education; a degree in Law as his parents expect him to be a politician.
History
Background
TW - Mention of Sexual Assault (non-graphic)

From the moment he was born, Rome’s life was decided for him. His mother, an American, was already a very influential politician. His father, Russian, supported his wife and her endeavours wholeheartedly. From the outside, they seemed like a perfect couple and, with the addition of Rome, a perfect family. However, on the inside, they were less than a pretty picture. For the first years of Rome’s childhood he was blissfully oblivious to the corruption in politics and indeed, in his parents. As he got older, he was more and more capable of understanding their fights and arguments, all of which were centred around politics.

Rome learnt from a young age about his parents’ obsession with getting ahead, with seeming perfect, with getting to the top regardless of who they had to step on to do it. Rome, able to see how much his parents needed it, became the perfect child - at least to the public and his mother and father. Even if he was kind of locking himself away a bit, he figured it was for the best; he always just wanted his parents to be proud of him, so he promised to follow in their footsteps as well.

Despite being aware of the corruption and messiness that was politics, Rome never did anything about it because he knew he had no power over what happened. However, one day, a friend of his who was an average citizen was applying for a secretary position with a mayor. She was sexually assaulted by the mayor and unable to take the job, telling Rome about it shortly after. Rome was outraged; he knew this kind of thing happened, and of course he always thought it was awful, but it had never directly affected him. Now that it had, he felt he had to do something about it.

Unable to stop thinking about the incident, Rome made a series of choices that would change his life. He worked out how to get to the mayor’s office and back in a night without anyone knowing he’d gone. He purchased a mask for the top half of his face. He took a knife from the knife block in the kitchen. He looked up fighting tutorials on YouTube. And, ultimately, he found the mayor and almost killed him.

Using both knowledge he’d found on the internet and that which he learned from his Law degree, Rome was able to pull the crime off. When news of the mayor’s assault on a girl spread, people were calling the person who’d attacked him a hero. Rome couldn’t help but feel that he was anything but a hero; he knew so much about the corruption with those in power and yet he did nothing. Except... now he had. And it felt right.

6 months later, it didn’t feel any more wrong.

Notable Connections
TBA

code by Nano

lisbeth · Dec 1, 2020

PLACEHOLDER - THE ROLE OF ESTHER

MR. NO-ONE

Ethan Cole Saver

35

Male

He/Him

Heteroromantic Demisexual

Former Lawyer

THE ROLE OF ESTHER

MEDICAL

Ethnicity: Caucasian.

Nationality: American; second generation Greek American to Ethan Saver Sr. and Layla Galanos.

Height: 5’10” (178cm).

Weight: 158lbs (72kg; 8% body fat).

Build: Mesomorph; although Ethan appears smaller than your average mesomorph body type - still covered by suits and other ostentatious garments which are now a pretence - he is a teenage boy’s idea of the ‘peak’ male physique.

Hair: Naturally a medium brown, Ethan’s hair is dyed dark brown – almost black. Polar to his time as an austere lawyer, he has allowed his hair to grow to considerable lengths: marginally above shoulder-length, it is the fine line between wavy and curly, and is no more than pushed back behind the ears in a parting on the left. But he sometimes keeps it slicked straight back when it refuses to cooperate.

Eyes: Dark brown.

Skin: Fair skin with several moles on his left cheek. Also, Ethan has vague stubble as he received laser hair removal in his mid-twenties.

Vision: Ethan deals with long-sightedness; however, he solely wears contact lenses, never glasses.

Ailments: Not an ailment in and of itself but Ethan was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and to be more specific: Asperger’s syndrome. The clinical depression and generalised anxiety disorder that derived from meandering in a world that never accommodated for the neurodivergent, and punished him for it, are the ailments. The mirtazapine used to alleviate his depression is also used to treat insomnia.

VOCATIONAL

Modus Operandi: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
We, as humans, underestimate the power of words. They are the most powerful resource available to humanity. A wind of destruction, a wave of encouragement: they can help, heal, hinder, hurt, harm, humiliate and humble. There is a compelling urge to dump a flittering thought onto others and those words maybe harmless to one but the tipping point to another. And once you have broken the spirit of a person, what is left is a hollow shell. The body which we ride in is still alive, but the real character it encapsulates is destroyed – without laying a single finger on them. Ethan is acutely aware of the damage a few words can inflict.
In being a master of disguise and imitation, instead of acting in the shadows, Ethan hides in plain sight. Initially, he will take the time to garner an understanding of who he plans to stamp out. Watching; waiting; learning their behaviour and character; who they trust and who they don’t. Then, Ethan weasels his way into an organisation or inner circle with a new look and persona – occasionally including prosthetics. Seeds of doubt and paranoia are planted, the trust they have is splintered, and the foundations of their sanity soon crumble. With enough fuel to the fire, people will betray their closest allies; attacking each other like a pack of wild animals over meat. By the time someone can put two and two together and realise things went downhill when Ethan – or whoever he’s acting as this time – arrived, he’s vanished. The truth is never revealed. Just that people appeared to go insane and turn on one another.
There is no need for him to maim or murder someone. Ethan scorns the ‘heroes’ who commit such atrocities. To him, no-one has the right to dictate whether someone lives or dies; humans simply do not have that judgement in this plan of existence. This has further embedded the idea that he is above the other so-called heroes. In fact, he does not consider himself to be any of those terms: a hero, an anti-hero, a vigilante, or any other pompous name. Which, of course, doesn’t do him any favours in being liked by those who do.
But there is an irony in that Ethan will rarely harm someone but can indirectly cause the death of dozens without a problem.
However, there has been a surge of followers, in recent months, of the mysterious figure they call ‘Mr. No-One’. A cult-like following who believe someone is behind what happens to these groups and figures, and it is not all a mere coincidence.
So Mr. No-One is simply that: no one. It is an idea; an entity of which Ethan Saver has embodied. It represents the hope Silver City’s citizens have in the possibility of redemption, the proof unity still breathes, that dignity is not yet gone from their beloved city.
The teenage boy who served you at that coffee shop; that tiresome co-worker; the neighbour who you always say “Hello,” to as they walk their Labrador; a family member; or even yourself. Everyone is no one. Physical beings that can be manipulated, broken, ignored, forgotten. Humans whose identities can be stolen, mimicked, replaced, and you may not even realise the person you so desperately try to understand is not actually the one you are familiar with.
An idea can develop, people pass it onto each other, it’s unforgettable. We may not consciously think about it but somewhere deep in the spire of thoughts and memories it stays alive. Things are forgotten when they are no longer spoken of. But it cannot rust, burn, dissolve, decay, be lost destroyed, and can never truly disappear. Someone can pick it up and revitalize it as if nothing ever happened. It is untouchable and eternal.

Skills: Composure; In having Asperger’s syndrome, regulating his emotions was always difficult growing up. Through years of therapy, Ethan has learned the art of composure. Situations that may send a regular human into a frenzy, Ethan can stay in a sense of almost serenity; this ability to analyse a situation, understand each component then solve it has preserved his life. When involved in a fight, many people allow aggression to blind them, and Ethan uses this to his advantage.
Resourcefulness; Ethan has the mindset to look at what’s in front of him and to optimize what he must work with. He’s imaginative, but also, with a little ingenuity makes old things work better. Reaching far into the depths of his mind and coming up with outlandish possibilities as well as practical ones. When opportunities present themselves, Ethan does not overthink or talk himself out of them. He gets in the game. Avoiding being a passive observer and participating actively and always being involved in the situation.
Intelligence; Tactically brilliant and unpredictable, he has an aptitude for playing detective. Studying the details of a situation instead of looking at the bigger picture, Ethan can assemble nuances together that others may miss. He is meticulous and disciplined in his approach to these situations. Then provides information to the Police Department on criminals, proof of their guilt, and their whereabouts.
Charm; Now having worked as a lawyer, alongside his development of understanding about human behaviour, Ethan has harnessed his charm into a weapon. He can convince you to take him in, turn into one of your most trusted allies, then bring it all down with just a sentence. He can talk almost anyone into anything, even betraying friends and family you’ve known for years.

Combat: Language is Ethan’s weapon of choice – as however philosophical bullshit it may be. He doesn’t keep a knife or pepper spray on him, and he has no training with a firearm. His composure and charm avoid the use of physical combat most of the time. One shouldn’t get too comfortable though. If someone so wishes to provoke him, Ethan trained in boxing as a teenager, so he is plenty capable of defending himself. Howbeit, he will only incapacitate the attacker and aim to avoid as much bodily harm as possible.

Languages: Fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese; can converse in Greek (his father insisted they spoke English whilst living in America, so Ethan never learned the full extent of an alternative mother tongue); knows the majority of Spanish; he understands most of French but cannot nearly say as much. The late Nelson Mandela presented to our world one of the most beautiful quotes: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” It is something Ethan believes in and shall continue to follow.

Education: Ethan graduated Harvard Law School with a bachelor’s degree in law, was then admitted into the doctorate program without a master’s degree and left with a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D).

PSYCHE

They say: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. Observing and taking note of the speech patterns, movement, mannerisms, and then digesting the nuances in multiple individual’s behaviour - over the course of his lifetime - has culminated in Ethan’s current persona. The absence of a personal identity due to being ostracized at a young age by his peers left Ethan without an understanding of who he is: moulding characteristics to fit others needs but to also serve himself.
With a protean knowledge of what to say and how to say it, he can talk almost anyone into anything with a mere smile or even brute force – the latter he prefers to keep as a last resort. Whilst considered by some to be manipulative, Ethan does not bare the same opinion, as he rarely holds malice in his actions. He uses the refined charm and charisma to help others (for the most part), and earnestly intends for the betterment of Silver City and its populace. Of course, intentions can be misinterpreted and combined with an unnatural comprehension of human behaviour, miscommunication is bound to happen.
Beneath the allure Ethan wrestles with the idea that he is in fact an abnormality, and the isolation he experienced was deserved. Now, what is manifested if you mix: a lack of identity, an ailing city, a deceased wife who was deceived by a man and system meant to protect him, an ever-growing cult following, and the surname Saver? For Ethan, it’s a saviour complex. Instead, perhaps, of his difference in brain function being a hindrance, he is meant for more. In a city stuck in tumult, where adult’s make-believe themselves to be heroes; he is the saviour of said City.

Positive Traits: Patient (Ethan examines situations with a pragmatic outlook first and does not assume things before evidence is provided - except when it affects him personally, then his feelings are on display); Well-informed; Sharp-witted; Audacious; Free-spirited; Cooperative (typical ‘lone-wolf’ behaviour is apparent for Ethan as he doesn’t enjoy waiting for others to catch up, but he is always open to assistance – as long as they follow him); Magnetic (both in appearance and personality).

Negative Traits: Hubristic; Vain (this goes together with his hubris); Pedantic; Single-minded (unable to multitask, Ethan commits to one aim and as result he shuns other duties); Manipulative (although, he doesn’t see what he does in such a way); Facetious (despite his wit being a prime part of his charm, Ethan will attempt to be humorous when it is not appreciated – he’s painfully unaware of this); Conflicted.
Goals: Mr No-one’s objective is to achieve purity in Silver City: no criminals, no injustice, no corruption, no adults playing dress up – nothing. Nothing but an ordinary and righteous system with no need for vigilantes. But if we forget about the complex, Ethan on the other hand, wants nothing else but to absolve himself of his wife’s murder and find their killers. As he was the only one there, people have had their suspicions over what happened. Whether he could return afterwards to a system that betrayed him, he isn’t sure. However, the further he delves into this vigilante lifestyle, the more he is convinced that he is not Ethan Saver and only Mr. No-One: Silver City’s only saviour.
Fears: To not deliver justice for his wife. But to also fade into obscurity: that the berating he underwent as a child is true; he is nothing, unlovable, unwanted, and so weak that he couldn’t protect his wife.

Positive Traits: Patient (Ethan examines situations with a pragmatic outlook first and does not assume things before evidence is provided - except when it affects him personally, then his feelings are on display); Well-informed; Sharp-witted; Audacious; Free-spirited; Cooperative (typical ‘lone-wolf’ behaviour is apparent for Ethan as he doesn’t enjoy waiting for others to catch up, but he is always open to assistance – as long as they follow him); Magnetic (both in appearance and personality).

Negative Traits: Hubristic; Vain (this goes together with his hubris); Pedantic; Single-minded (unable to multitask, Ethan commits to one aim and as result he shuns other duties); Manipulative (although, he doesn’t see what he does in such a way); Facetious (despite his wit being a prime part of his charm, Ethan will attempt to be humorous when it is not appreciated – he’s unfortunately unaware of this); Conflicted.

Goals: Mr No-One’s objective is to achieve purity in Silver City: no criminals, no injustice, no corruption, no adults playing dress up – nothing. Nothing but an ordinary and righteous system with no need for vigilantes, and him at the helm. Beneath the complex, Ethan on the other hand, wants nothing else but to absolve himself of his father’s murder. Whether he could return afterwards to a system that betrayed and hung him out to dry, he isn’t sure. However, the further he delves into this vigilante lifestyle, the more he is convinced that he is not Ethan Saver and only Mr. No-One: Silver City’s one true saviour.

Fears: To not deliver justice for his father. But to also fade into obscurity: that the berating he underwent as a child is true; he is nothing, unlovable, unwanted, and so weak that he couldn’t protect his father.

HISTORY

Background: TW: mentions of attempted suicide, violence, sexual assault, murder

Born on the 17th January 1985, Ethan Saver was an only child to Ethan Saver Sr. and Layla Galanos. He walked with ease, his first words were on time, and he had special interests in toys, figurines, superheroes, as any other child would. No distinct difficulties or abnormalities for a child. Time at elementary school was nothing short of normal. Ethan managed to talk to other children and make a couple of friends, albeit he would not be with the other children when they played pretend and instead be reading a piece of literature seemingly advanced for his age – and whilst he didn’t understand what the book was going on about, it still brought entertainment to the boy. Maybe he paced around the room when distressed or struggled to understand when he hurt someone else. No-one saw anything wrong; his parents, teachers, it was all the same reasoning: “He was a child, and children are nonsensical at times; everyone grows out of these things at some point in their life”.
Ethan didn’t. He couldn’t. As he grew older, and his peers changed and adapted to the world, he was left behind. The world through the eyes of a sanguine child is bedazzled with wonder. Saturated by astonishment and dreams of prosper, and people will come and tell you: “You can do anything if you put your mind to it! Work as hard as ever and always be kind to one another!” But that isn’t the world, it and its inhabitants are vindictive. They’ll cast you out like a leper at the smallest sign of difference. Being yourself is a fickle statement that really means you can be yourself, but just make sure it’s the same as everyone. Maybe not at the ripe age of five or six – he learned it young though. ‘Friends’ from before renounced their friendship. He was insulted, tripped up, pushed into lockers, bruised, had objects hurled at him. And for what, being himself? Yes, that was it, ingenuous adults had let him entrust them with that. It is possible there’s truth behind it. But it’s only true if yourself is someone who adheres to everybody else – whether it be out fear of genuine likeness. “You can be yourself, but just make sure it’s the same as everyone!”
Oh, Ethan loved superheroes – but that made him a child. He read the likes of Virginia Woolf, P.D James, Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald – but nerds read books, and even if he did, he still wouldn’t make it anywhere in life. And all the witnesses would laugh, shrug their shoulders and say: “Boys will be boys.”
Boys will be boys, will be boys.
On the 2nd April 1998, he had read a comic of Spider-man that day: The Amazing Spider-man Vol. 1 #400 to be exact. And as he read, the notion that anyone can be a superhero, that Peter Parker is flesh and blood. He bleeds like us and can be killed. Yet, he still lives as hero despite risk. That optimism it imbued him with was something he had never felt before. When the usual shove in the yard came, he turned around with slit eyes and hunched down. Lowering himself – in that classic Spider-man pose - with his legs bent and hand outstretched on the ground, he heard the thunderous laughter.
“Look at him, hey, it’s Spider-man everyone! You going to tie me up big guy? Prove to everyone that you’re the freak you are?”
But Ethan didn’t hear them. In that instance, for only a few seconds, he felt like Spider-man. With a rush of adrenaline, he lunged at the boy called Dennis Bresler. An immediate punch landed on his left cheek like a napalm bomb. The explosion of pain sent him tumbling to the ground in a sprawl position. The ensuing kicks sent him straight to the nurse’s office then home. And as he laid in bed with his wailing mother holding an icepack to his cheek, all Ethan could think about was how he felt in that moment. He felt like a superhero.
Afterwards, his father enrolled him in a boxing program at the local gym that they were doing over the summer. Things wouldn’t get easier and he needed to learn how to protect himself. Ethan was never scrawny or overweight, but the sessions beat him into shape, and he could swing a mean punch.
A year later, the same thing happened except the punch swung was by Ethan. Even at thirty-five, he still remembers confounded look in everyone’s eyes - the horror in their words as they rushed to the aid of Dennis.
From that point on, he was left alone. Not only that, he was avoided. People didn’t make eye contact, converse with him, or sit near him at lunch. They refused to be his lab partner; he was treated as if a demon. The regret in his heart was not one of superheroes. The violence didn’t make him feel better. The hate was like a poison, it took him over.
The comics lied. His parents lied. Those motivational speakers he heard as a child lied.
That night, after he was sent home, he took his mother’s aspirin. Ethan went up to the bathroom and shot them down his throat like bullets.
Sitting in that hospital, listening to the tormented cries of someone across the room begging for death; Ethan realised that there was no such thing as superheroes. Good people, but not heroes.
But he pushed on. There was still hope, still a future. It all became a reality soon enough. With enough work and determination, he entered Harvard Law School. A place where he could learn the truth of the world, the ins and outs of it, and begin the work needed to make a change in Silver City. For once, life was alright. It was ordinary. He still found it difficult to maintain any connections with people. Something that shielded him from achieving the full extent that everyone else around him seemed to. To him, it was as if they were on two different planes of existence. They could see each other and talk, but they weren’t there. Although, he supposed, it was better than being shunned altogether.
Aside from one woman: Finlay Nicholson. Finn hailed from Northern Ireland and she was a damn spectacle. The plane Ethan existed on finally merged with the rest of the world. She made him feel loveable, wanted, and where had a place on this earth. The two of them hit it off immediately and began dating and moved in together (in Silver City) after Ethan finished his doctorate in their late twenties. They married a couple of years later.
When Ethan was thirty-one, the answer he’d been searching for all his life was revealed. Finn, who had a brother on the autism spectrum, noticed certain behaviours Ethan engaged in. After she persuaded him to investigate it, Ethan met with a clinical psychologist who diagnosed him with Asperger’s syndrome. It was as if all the stars and planets had aligned. Why he felt different, why he had these special interests, why he struggled to communicate and make connections, it was all because of this. Once you understand a problem, you can work on it.
Between the ages of thirty-one and thirty-three, Ethan went through intense therapy to help improve his Asperger’s and (now) diagnosed mental illnesses. At thirty-two, his father passed away from a sudden heart attack. It tore his mother apart and she moved in with her sister, but the words she rattled on at the funeral as they stared at the casket stayed with him until now: “Your father loved you, and he was always proud of you. You know that, don’t you?”
Ethan knew, more than anything.
On the 7th May 2017, it was the beginning of the end. Ethan was given a client to defend - a man called Bailey Norton. Mr. Norton was unlike anyone Ethan had defended before. A man of pure unaltered barbarity. Ethan, who found out later, that Bailey had sexually assaulted a girl of nine years old, then murdered her. Not a time during this universe’s existence would he defend such an abomination. But he couldn’t opt out of his client. No, that was forbidden. Instead, Ethan purposefully lost the case. He knew how to do it without causing any suspicion. Mr Norton was sentenced to hanging.
That didn’t matter though. Members of a supposed gang he was apart of found Ethan’s home. They wanted vengeance for the death of a partner.
On the night of the 16th July 2017, three men clad in balaclavas and full black outfits broke through the front door. Before Ethan could react, two of them had firmly gripped his arms and restrained him. He shut his eyes so tight he thought they might implode, and he heard the deafening throb in his ears as the sound of a crowbar swinging through the air connected with Finn. That repeated pinging sound as it inched further into her skull. The both of their screams meshed into an unrecognisable sound of terror. Just as quick as it had happened, it was over; Ethan was hit in the back of the neck rendering him unconscious.
He awoke to sirens, and the mangled body of his wife laid on the floor. Her face was beaten so badly he couldn’t recognise the face of the only woman he ever had a love for.
The police didn’t help. The men wore masks and gloves so there was no description of them nor could they find any evidence in the house.
The realisation Ethan had at fourteen was now affirmed: there are no heroes.

Connections: Pastor Michael; One of the few people Ethan considers a genuinely good person. He is sixty-seven, and a short-statured man with wild eyes and a shaved head. Ethan has known Pastor Michael since birth and recently confessed to him about his identity. And despite it being against his code, Pastor Michael, on the odd occasion has offered titbits about those who have confessed to him over the years.
Layla Galanos; Ethan’s mother. She now lives with Ethan as they one of the only people each other have. With her age, at seventy-three, she is currently in decline, having been diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, they are able afford treatment for her.
Charlie O’Hara; The twenty-year old daughter of the family across the street, she is an aspiring special-effects makeup artist. Somehow, beyond Ethan’s capability of understanding, Charlie has managed to deduce Ethan’s identity. As a result, she assists him with the disguises he uses and has taught him a trick or two in their time working together.
Harvey ‘One-Eye’ Oliver; This old senior was Ethan’s boxing coach as a teenager, and someone who he has kept in contact with over the years. He still regularly visits the gym on St Mary’s North to both pay Mr Oliver a visit but to also keep himself in shape.

bad wolf · Dec 2, 2020

filler

PAUL.

We're all in our private traps.

Devil Like You

Gareth Dunlop

character name

Born Hernan Elías Castillo Pavez.

aliases

Mr. Mishap(vigilante alias), Quinn(name used by various associates), Ragdoll, Paul Mendoza(assumed identity)

D.O.B.

January 12 (age 45 years)

ethnicity/nationality

Latino/Chilean-American

Gender Identity

Cisgendered Male

Sexual Orientation

Bisexual

Occupation

Ex-Military, Contractor
MEDICAL

Build

Paul is sturdily built and lean with toned muscle.

distinguishing features

He has thick brows and a larger, rounded nose. A thin, patchy stubble is not uncommon, but he mostly tries to keep clean-shaven, sporting only a mustache.

skin

He has a sun-kissed, olive complexion which is often canvas to an assortment of scars, scrapes, and bruises. His body is a roadmap, his work very evident in how his knuckles swell and tear, how his bones creak and skin blossoms black and purple, to yellow and brown.

vision

The result of multiple concussions, his vision has progressively gotten worse, especially when trying to adjust his sight over short and long distances. It's given him cause enough for a pair of reading glasses which he normally keeps tucked away in his jacket or shirt pocket.

ailments

His line of work has many shortcomings which are impactful and not easily shaken. He's a handful of injuries which has caused him chronic pain over the years, dislocations and broken bones which were never given the time to heal properly. Unable to afford his own doctor visits and medication, it's not an uncommon sight to find him raiding other people's medicine cupboards for painkillers and aspirin. Self-treatment is his specialty, as he's well-practiced in mending his own injuries, something which extends itself to any mental trauma he's endured over the years. It's nothing special, nor particularly healthy, but it does get the job done.

height

5' 11" or 1.8 m

weight

165 lbs or 75 kg

eye color

Dark Brown

hair color

Dark Brown
psyche

Summary

Any sense of self Paul has tried to maintain over the years has been hard-pressed. If it weren't for his lifestyle and work, people might find him a bland person to be around. He'll crack a joke every once in a while, but he's honestly a very serious person. He's not out to entertain anyone, to be their friend. His relationships are short-term and most times strictly professional. He always expects the worst from people and though some might find that rather pessimistic, he'd like to think of it as just having realistic expectations. He has a tired attitude about the world. Bad news rolls off him, barely giving him reason to pause anymore.

Paul is easily disliked, even by the people he works for. His reputation is deadly and though he's eliminated a few nasty individuals over the years, that doesn't change the nature of his work or why he even does it in the first place. At the end of the day, he's still a hired gun, willing to do business for anyone so long as they make a decent enough offer.

positive traits

Perceptive, adaptable, meticulous, and realistic. Able to bounce back from serious injury. He is resourceful, fast-thinking, and knowledgeable, willing to take the time and gather information before committing himself to any one thing. Patient. Very honest and very much a 'what you see is what you get' kind of person.

negative traits

Callous, dismissive, and skeptical towards people. Indifferent and cynical. He is discontented, closed-off, and self-depreciating. He has a dark sense of humor which can be off-putting to a lot of people. Not entirely unwilling to make himself expendable. He can be cruel when pushed to his limits. He's become a great deal more absentminded of late, less careful about details than he used to be.

fears

More than anything, perhaps uselessness, not having much of a purpose in his own or anyone else's lives. Which is a bit backwards given the amount of self-isolation he does, but at least to the people he works for, he has a skillset they can make use of. He's so accustomed to being told what to do and how to do it that being on his own came hard. As rocky as his work might be and as untrustworthy as his clients are, the sense of need they provide him is far better than nothing at all.

He has a lot of anxiety about inaction, a sense of calm. Paul is more equipped to handle things when they do go wrong than when they stay right. Peacetime never suited him.

goals

It's funny. People always ask him what his goals are, and he never has an answer for them. He'll bullshit something, say what they want to hear. Does he want to grow old or die young? Get rich or live poor? Clean up these tired streets or kick back and watch everything burn? All this time and he still doesn't have a goddamn clue.
Vocational

Modus operandi

THE OLD LIE:
Dulce et decorum
est pro patria mori.

Isn't it archaic to believe that heroism, an unperishing sense of glory, will give you life's greatest fulfillment? Isn't Silver City just another battlefield, torn open and made bloody by rampant crime and senseless murder? War is cold transformation that yields nothing but tragedy, and Paul seems resigned to it. He makes his home in the pits, the blustering stench and grime of it all. There's a hungry beast which stands tall over his shoulder, grinning madly at the miserable souls who blindly cross his path. There is no mercy here, no forgiveness. Even honest men meet an undignified end.

You don't enlist with any expectation of a happy ending. You put yourself through hell and then you die. That's the sad truth.

All these heroes with high hopes of changing it all, purging the city of terror and pain... Paul only laughs to keep from crying, the mere notion of it commendable but utterly foolish. There's no killing the unkillable. The nearest thing you can do is enact vengeance, but even that only gets you so far. There's always a bigger dog ready to leap at the carcass you left behind, hungrier and more greedy than the last, willing to do whatever's necessary to keep on eating.

The unfairness of it would be enough to make anyone rage, but Paul's not angry anymore. He's just tired. He's as much apart of what's wrong with the city as anything else, a beaten man with little hope for anything better. He might try to control crime, influence it somehow by eliminating the right target, but that's only if the pay is decent and he's some surety he'll live long enough to do something with it afterwards.

His tactics are brutal, the outcome certain. Leave it up to the system and they'll be walking the streets again in no time. Constantly on the move, never settling in one place for too long, he can be a hard man to find, his presence more so felt in the carnage he leaves behind.

He's Mr. Mishap. An unfortunate accident to befall any city and one can only hope his stay won't be for long.

Skills

Experienced Marksman: A skill he honed during his combat experience, he's been handy with a gun ever since. He has military expertise and is knowledgeable about a variety of firearms. Though this skill is in decline due to his weakening eyesight, it'd be deadly to underestimate his effectiveness.

Brute Strength: He's accustomed to throwing his weight around, knowing when and how to use it to his advantage. His technique can be a bit barbaric, but it makes up for the lack of any training.

Reconnaissance: Acquiring information is something he puts great effort towards. Knowing the full parameters of a job, the life of his marks, the risks and benefits of following through with a hit is very important to him. There was a time when he'd sift through hours of paperwork, sit outside someone's house for weeks, and get his hands dirty through interrogation if it meant ensuring the success of a hit. Though his tactics have been a bit more uninspired of late, he still has no problem gathering the information he needs to complete a job.

Basic First Aid: He's nursed a lot of injuries over the years and, in an effort to avoid the attention, he's learned to mend them himself. It's rudimentary and not entirely safe, but he's alive and kicking and that has to count for something.

Combat

If he had a choice in the matter, he'd prefer to operate at a distance through the use of some kind of firearm. However, that does not mean he's unfamiliar with close combat.

When concerning hand-to-hand, a majority of what Paul has learned over the years has come from experience. No one taught him how to fight, it's something he had to learn on his own. As such, he may very well be nowhere near the level everyone else is, but what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in ingenuity. He's a quick learner, able to assess most situations and adapt his own skillset to it. He's no stranger to a beating and if taking one hit opens his opponent up to a more critical one, he's willing to make that compromise. His tactics are ruthless and dirty, no blow too low if it helps him win.

Languages

He is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Education

He has a high school diploma.

gallery
History

The alias Mr. Mishap has never fit a man so well. Paul's history has been a broken record, teetering on its axis long after the music stopped playing. One might look at it from a distance, squint their eyes and say it's not all bad, but that doesn't account for the details, the smaller things which hammer away, tear down and reconstruct. It's a mangled picture, chewed up and spit out. If he doesn't remember much about his history, it's not because he doesn't care to, just that he can't.

There's bits about his childhood he can recall, a general feeling, and he supposes that's enough. He was born in the states, third generation, to Tomás Castillo and Maria Pavez. He had two siblings, an older brother named Vicente and a younger sister, Amelia. They were low-income, struggling paycheck to paycheck. His parents worked long hours as third shift factory workers, leaving his older brother in charge a lot of the time. Vicente raised them, loved them, and no doubt takes a lot of the blame for how they wound up later in life.

Paul enlisted in the military while he was still in school, was delayed a year and started his career in the Army reserves at eighteen. The next eight years were routine, a carefully regimented blur, no one particular day more outstanding than the other. A lot of what he remembers about this time, came from home. His abuelita passed, leaving his mother pretty torn up; Amelia had a kid and later decided to drop out of high school; Vicente started a job in the same factory their father worked in.

He staid home for a year after his service, lived with Amelia and helped raise his niece. It was a change of pace he wasn't quite ready for and it wasn't long before he recommitted, serving four years active service. He was deployed during this time and stationed overseas.

Paul's not quite sure where it started exactly, but his reputation as Mr. Mishap started long before his arrival in Silver City, and not at all in the manner one might expect. Instead of dealing the blow unto others, there were many times that Paul found himself the victim of some unfortunate accident. Ragdoll. That's what they'd taken to calling him. Broken bones, cuts, a few mild concussions... There was a long stretch where he nearly kept himself bed-ridden. Some misplaced karma, the shit end of the stick, his cards just never played right. When his end date came, no one could contain their sigh of relief.

After his discharge from the military, time dragged. There was an idleness to it, rarely ever interrupted, always persistent. It was familiar, the same and altogether different. With no real direction, he started working dead-end jobs. He can't chalk it up to luck per se, maybe more of the same misfortune.... Just being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Regardless, he didn't immediately start his career out making hits. He bounced a few clubs and escorted a few dubious men... Networked, if you will. He even considered recommitting to the military at some point; a decision which might have saved him a lot of grief, that or given it, he can't be certain which. When his work finally did take off, there wasn't much else he had time for.

The ease with which he fell into contract killing, would be enough to disturb anyone. For a long while he struggled with how quickly he got good at it, but it never consumed him. A guilty conscious is normal, but you don’t stay long in the profession if you let it cripple you. He disappeared into his work, learned things on the fly, and made a name for himself; the name his clients used, Quinn, and another conjured up by journalists, Mr. Mishap. He still felt the embodiment of this newfound alias, both in how his marks turned up dead and how he felt the following few days, beaten and dog tired. The jobs never came easy. One way or another, they always took their toll.

The name followed him and upon his arrival in Silver City, it became more than just some calling card used to describe the latest serial murderer. There is a select few, as misguided as they are, who's decided that his work is that of a hero's. Kill the right person and they laud your work. They call it vigilante justice, never mind the fact that it was never about that in the first place. Paul might sleep better at night knowing he took one criminal off the streets, but it’s all for another’s gain.

He walks a thin, red line, and it's only a matter of time before everyone catches on. Paul has never been a saint and might never be.

Connections

Vicente Castillo Pavez

Paul's relationship with his biological brother is very estranged. It's been at least five years since they last saw each other and a few months since Paul has bothered to call. There isn't ill-blood between them, Paul's simply lost contact, as is the case with much of his family. Rather than bringing it home to them, he'd simply like to cut ties and keep his distance. He checks in and Vicente gives him updates. Tells him about their parents, his marriage, Paul's nieces and nephews. Though he never makes it, they talk about him visiting around the holidays. He sends money home, as much as he can spare, and they seldom ask where it comes from anymore. Paul never mentions his work, never tells them where he's at.

Miranda Harris

A life-long Silver City resident, she's the escort to a lot of very wealthy and corrupt men. They were acquainted through their work, sharing many of the same clients. They've become quite close and Paul's staid the night at her studio apartment more than a handful of times. She works alone to support herself, much of her family having moved on, deceased or otherwise. Though her connections to Paul and the underbelly of the city is quite dangerous, she takes it in stride, having been apart of it since she was a kid. She aspires to leave it behind, but the job pays too well just to give it up without a plan. She might be willing to trade information on some of her clients, but not without a price and never if it compromises her own safety.

More TBA...

Paul has a laundry list of contacts, most of them more questionable than not. They can be helpful in a bind, but he's none too keen to trust the majority.

♡design by natasha., coded by uxie♡

Realistic or Modern 𝗟𝗘𝗫 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗦 — 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗈𝖾𝗌.

forest fire

𝗎𝗇𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗒 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍

forest fire

𝗎𝗇𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗒 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍

low fidelity

𝗆𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘴

Vagabond

A Lonesome Traveler

oxytocin

love drug

Vudukudu

Farseer to the Warsong Clan

lvcid

Elder Member

idiot

𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥.

.empathogen.

♡𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚎♡

no-eyed-girl

🍩✧･ﾟ: *

LowkeyLovingLoki

heartbeat on the high line

lisbeth

⠀ ⠀ 𝗘𝗬𝗘𝗦 ⠀ 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝘩𝑜𝑢𝑡 ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 𝑎 ⠀ 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗘.

bad wolf

do you love my insides? the parts you can’t see?

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