Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)
stuck in the brambles
Planetoid
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2023
Please let me know which post you are referencing if you reach out to me! That way I know which gender character I'll be playing.
Hello there! I'm stuck in the brambles, but you can call me Bram or any other sort of nickname you'd like! I've been writing for years and roleplaying on and off throughout those years. I do best with 1x1 roleplay, but am still getting used to this forum, so please bear with me through that. Most commonly, I write fantasy and science fiction, but I'm open to branching out to other sorts of genres as well. My roleplaying is very heavily character-based, with plots coming from the characters, so if you're looking to pour love and attention into a set of characters and put them through the wringer, I might be the writing partner for you!
This request thread is made specifically for some of my characters (currently only two are up) who I've been hoping to write for a while, but haven't had any luck with! Both of these characters have plot ideas that come with them, but if you're looking for just plots, you'll be better off with my other request thread. However, I hope you'll give my characters a chance!
THE CHARACTERS:
Though I've given each character below a plot and/or preferred vibe to be written against, if you have a plot or character you think they'd mesh well with, feel free to bring it up! I'd really love to find someone to write these characters against. I've also added a sample starter for the ones that I have one for, so you can see their general writing voice (plus my general writing style).
Hello there! I'm stuck in the brambles, but you can call me Bram or any other sort of nickname you'd like! I've been writing for years and roleplaying on and off throughout those years. I do best with 1x1 roleplay, but am still getting used to this forum, so please bear with me through that. Most commonly, I write fantasy and science fiction, but I'm open to branching out to other sorts of genres as well. My roleplaying is very heavily character-based, with plots coming from the characters, so if you're looking to pour love and attention into a set of characters and put them through the wringer, I might be the writing partner for you!
This request thread is made specifically for some of my characters (currently only two are up) who I've been hoping to write for a while, but haven't had any luck with! Both of these characters have plot ideas that come with them, but if you're looking for just plots, you'll be better off with my other request thread. However, I hope you'll give my characters a chance!
- POV and tense: I write exclusively in 3rd person prose when roleplaying, and I would prefer someone who does the same. Past vs. present tense is negotiable, but I'm used to past tense, so I apologize in advance if I slip into it on accident.
- Length: I am not overly concerned about length; usually my own varies depending on the wants of my partners and the pacing of a given scene. For quicker scenes and dialogue-heavy ones, I prefer the range of 1-2 paragraphs, but openers/slower scenes can stretch for much longer posts. My main request is that each post gives the other person enough to respond to, and doesn't take over the narrative entirely unless it has been agreed upon beforehand.
- Frequency: I'm not a stickler for frequency since life happens and writing is tougher some days than others. I try to do at least a few posts a week, but this frequency changes based on how busy I am, the average post length, and how many other roleplays I have going on. While I try for the ideal of "one post per day", there will be days where I just can't reply, and if we do long enough posts or life gets busy, it'll probably end up being more like a handful of posts per week. If something comes up for me and I go radio silent for longer than 3 days, feel free to poke me; sometimes I forget to say something, so it helps to have a reminder from time to time (this is why Discord is a lifesaver for me!). If you go a week without saying something, I'll probably message you. A month without saying something, I'll assume you've ghosted unless you say something beforehand. On that subject...
- Ghosting: If you want to drop the RP, I would prefer you say something, but ghosting isn't the end of the world. Sometimes people just forget, and that's fine. If you come back after months wanting to pick it up, I'd probably be willing unless I completely lost interest in the story or characters (or if I'm too busy at that moment).
- Grammar and Spelling: Please double-check your posts for typos and other such issues, but I'm not really bothered by occasional typos or points of confusion (that's what the edit button's for, after all!). However, I would like posts to be coherent and readable, and not be completely littered with misspellings and confusing wordings. I don't require writing samples, but if you would like to exchange them, please let me know.
- Communication: I much prefer using Discord for OOC chat (not for roleplay), but I am also fine with doing OOC chat in conversations onsite as well! Just keep in mind that I tend to be slower with OOC responses on here, since the mobile version of the site doesn't really like my phone, so I usually have to be on a computer to do my replies. I prefer using conversations for roleplay as well, but I am also okay with doing it on a forum (but ONLY for completely smut-free roleplays!). Additionally, OOC chat is relatively important for me; I like to be able to gush about characters and plotlines together, and it helps me remain invested in the roleplay.
- Other Guidelines: I write a lot of LGBT+ characters, so please be LGBT+ friendly. I would prefer that no central characters are homophobic, transphobic, etc. It would also be good to discuss possible triggering content that might come up and set boundaries for both of us. Additionally, I don't require faceclaims or picture references, a written description is fine. I don't write explicit smut unless we've been writing together for some time (flirting, innuendos, foreplay, and fade to black are all fine in the right context), and if I write it, I only do so in private conversations, not public threads. I also only write characters who are 18+, whether or not there is romance or smut involved, and I prefer main characters being 20+. Last but not least, of course, following all site rules is a given.
- I don't mind violence, but I would prefer to avoid excessive descriptions of gory injuries, or any strong horror/terror elements.
- I don't write grimdark; when I write, even if we're tackling darker themes, I prefer for there to be a strong undercurrent of optimism. RP is an escape for me, so I'd like for things to turn out well in the end.
- No godmodding, and no taking over my character or dictating what they would say or do. If there's a power system involved in the world, we should discuss it beforehand or when possible issues come up. I'm fine with some pretty broken powers, but they would preferably be talked about.
- No non-con "on screen"; it's okay if it's in a character backstory or alluded to happening "off screen", but I'm not willing to write it out. Dubious consent needs to be talked about and agreed upon before it happens. Some dub-con is less dubious than others.
- Heavy depictions of mental illness and/or suicide of central characters. Again, it's okay as part of a backstory, but I don't have the emotional energy for it to be a big part of the narrative.
- No cannibalism (vampires drinking blood are fine, but I'm very squicked out by humanoids eating other humanoids), no incest, no necrophilia (meaning non-sentient undead or corpses), no pregnancy, no kinks involving bodily waste, no bestiality, no ageplay or pedophilia, nothing against site rules. If something comes up that I didn't think of here, I'll let you know. I would like for you to do the same.
- For more details about kinks and limits, I would prefer to discuss them in a PM, but any of the above bullet points are absolute dealbreakers for me.
- Genres I don't (generally) write: horror/terror, thriller, mystery, historical (for me to go against that "generally", I would need a plot I really liked)
THE CHARACTERS:
Though I've given each character below a plot and/or preferred vibe to be written against, if you have a plot or character you think they'd mesh well with, feel free to bring it up! I'd really love to find someone to write these characters against. I've also added a sample starter for the ones that I have one for, so you can see their general writing voice (plus my general writing style).
Blythe Osning
Age: 21
Pronouns: he/him
Orientation: greyhomoromantic homosexual (MxM or masc NBxM plots only for him, please!)
Blythe is the youngest child of the central branch of the Osning family, born as the fourth child to Alfred and Yun Osning. His father, Alfred, is the head of the Osning family, a prominent noble house in the kingdom of Talisnon. Yun, his mother, is one of the scions of the Kuang family, a powerful, long-lived family of mages with branches across the continent. Each mage in the family has an affinity for a specific type of magic, though these mages are also able to learn spells to harness any type of magic. Yun specializes in elemental magic.
Before Blythe was even born, his future was decided. As the youngest child, he was far from inheriting the title of head of the family, but his existence still meant responsibility. With no choice in the matter, he was betrothed to another for the purpose of bettering the family's position.
However, in his early years, though he met and spent a great deal of time with his future fiance, Blythe was not actually informed of his betrothal. Instead, the focus of his extended family was on the manifestation of his magic and speculation on what his affinity would be. At the age of five, his magic first manifested, in the form of him animating one of his toys to move and talk. After a great deal of testing, his family came to the conclusion that Blythe had an affinity for conjuration and animation magic. If not for his family's status, his animation magic would have seen him conscripted into Talisnon's army to animate metal soldiers, but with his future betrothal already decided, Blythe was saved from this fate, though the idea of it still hangs over his head.
From then on, all of his time at home was consumed by magic training, etiquette training, and furthering his education. The only times he had any free time was when he was sent to stay with his betrothed, which he often spent focusing on what he wanted to do and learn instead of keeping up with the lessons he was expected to do on his own.
Because of this, his family eventually stopped allowing him to visit, and his life became a never-ending cycle of lessons and practice. He was only informed of the actual betrothal when he turned fifteen, though he was told that he would not see his fiance again until they were to be married. From then on, he began to look forward to the day he would finally escape from under his family's thumb, and saw this betrothal as an opportunity to do so.
In his room at his family home, Blythe keeps a small garden and workshop, for the few occasions he has time for himself. He enjoys making and growing things with his own effort and time, despite his skill in conjuration. When he was younger, before he was informed of his betrothal, he wished to run away from home to become a traveling magician. Now, he simply hopes his betrothal is a way out from under the thumb of his parents.
Due to his upbringing, Blythe has learned to keep most of his thoughts and feelings to himself, to avoid the disapproval of his forever-judging parents. However, beneath that mask, Blythe is playful, curious, and clever, always looking to experiment with his magic and the creation of new spells. Among these spells is one which animated a black cat statuette into a real cat named Violet, with a consciousness entwined with Blythe's own. This type of animation magic is extremely rare, however, and Blythe hides Violet and the extent of his magical talent from his family for fear of them deciding he would serve the family name better by serving in Talisnon's army.
Blythe is tall and slim, often engulfed by the loose, flowing robes he wears most days. He walks with a measured grace and straight posture. His movements and facial expressions are carefully controlled, thanks to years of practice. He has short, slightly wavy dark brown hair and brown eyes, with thick, angular eyebrows. His face is round, his nose has a narrow bridge with a flatter, rounded tip, and his mouth is small with thin lips. There are faint freckles across the bridge of his nose and his cheeks, only visible from short distances.
Plot: Blythe was created for an arranged marriage plot, specifically the mage x warrior idea from my other request post. It could be interesting if your character were from a nation with a tense relationship with Talisnon, so that possible plot points might be them navigating that uncertain political environment.
Blythe works especially well for a childhood friends to lovers plot, but any other sort of childhood dynamic could work as well. Additionally, you might have seen some worldbuilding details in parts of his backstory; I'm open for more worldbuilding, but I would like the different areas of magic and the kingdom of Talisnon to be a constant, because these are a key part of Blythe's backstory.
Dynamic: Blythe works well with someone who has a steadier personality to ground him. Preferably someone with a kind heart, though the degree to which they show it is ultimately up to you.
Age: 21
Pronouns: he/him
Orientation: greyhomoromantic homosexual (MxM or masc NBxM plots only for him, please!)
Blythe is the youngest child of the central branch of the Osning family, born as the fourth child to Alfred and Yun Osning. His father, Alfred, is the head of the Osning family, a prominent noble house in the kingdom of Talisnon. Yun, his mother, is one of the scions of the Kuang family, a powerful, long-lived family of mages with branches across the continent. Each mage in the family has an affinity for a specific type of magic, though these mages are also able to learn spells to harness any type of magic. Yun specializes in elemental magic.
Before Blythe was even born, his future was decided. As the youngest child, he was far from inheriting the title of head of the family, but his existence still meant responsibility. With no choice in the matter, he was betrothed to another for the purpose of bettering the family's position.
However, in his early years, though he met and spent a great deal of time with his future fiance, Blythe was not actually informed of his betrothal. Instead, the focus of his extended family was on the manifestation of his magic and speculation on what his affinity would be. At the age of five, his magic first manifested, in the form of him animating one of his toys to move and talk. After a great deal of testing, his family came to the conclusion that Blythe had an affinity for conjuration and animation magic. If not for his family's status, his animation magic would have seen him conscripted into Talisnon's army to animate metal soldiers, but with his future betrothal already decided, Blythe was saved from this fate, though the idea of it still hangs over his head.
From then on, all of his time at home was consumed by magic training, etiquette training, and furthering his education. The only times he had any free time was when he was sent to stay with his betrothed, which he often spent focusing on what he wanted to do and learn instead of keeping up with the lessons he was expected to do on his own.
Because of this, his family eventually stopped allowing him to visit, and his life became a never-ending cycle of lessons and practice. He was only informed of the actual betrothal when he turned fifteen, though he was told that he would not see his fiance again until they were to be married. From then on, he began to look forward to the day he would finally escape from under his family's thumb, and saw this betrothal as an opportunity to do so.
In his room at his family home, Blythe keeps a small garden and workshop, for the few occasions he has time for himself. He enjoys making and growing things with his own effort and time, despite his skill in conjuration. When he was younger, before he was informed of his betrothal, he wished to run away from home to become a traveling magician. Now, he simply hopes his betrothal is a way out from under the thumb of his parents.
Due to his upbringing, Blythe has learned to keep most of his thoughts and feelings to himself, to avoid the disapproval of his forever-judging parents. However, beneath that mask, Blythe is playful, curious, and clever, always looking to experiment with his magic and the creation of new spells. Among these spells is one which animated a black cat statuette into a real cat named Violet, with a consciousness entwined with Blythe's own. This type of animation magic is extremely rare, however, and Blythe hides Violet and the extent of his magical talent from his family for fear of them deciding he would serve the family name better by serving in Talisnon's army.
Blythe is tall and slim, often engulfed by the loose, flowing robes he wears most days. He walks with a measured grace and straight posture. His movements and facial expressions are carefully controlled, thanks to years of practice. He has short, slightly wavy dark brown hair and brown eyes, with thick, angular eyebrows. His face is round, his nose has a narrow bridge with a flatter, rounded tip, and his mouth is small with thin lips. There are faint freckles across the bridge of his nose and his cheeks, only visible from short distances.
Plot: Blythe was created for an arranged marriage plot, specifically the mage x warrior idea from my other request post. It could be interesting if your character were from a nation with a tense relationship with Talisnon, so that possible plot points might be them navigating that uncertain political environment.
Blythe works especially well for a childhood friends to lovers plot, but any other sort of childhood dynamic could work as well. Additionally, you might have seen some worldbuilding details in parts of his backstory; I'm open for more worldbuilding, but I would like the different areas of magic and the kingdom of Talisnon to be a constant, because these are a key part of Blythe's backstory.
Dynamic: Blythe works well with someone who has a steadier personality to ground him. Preferably someone with a kind heart, though the degree to which they show it is ultimately up to you.
There was a restlessness under Blythe’s skin, one which grew stronger with each mile covered by the wheels of his carriage. He’d been waiting for this day for years, ever since he was fifteen and first heard of the opportunity he’d have to get out from under his family’s thumb, but now that it was almost upon him, the mere thought of it made his chest tight. Though he hadn’t seen his betrothed since he was a child, he remembered kindness and a soft face. How much of that kindness had remained, and how much of that softness turned cold and hard against an unforgiving world? Was Blythe really approaching a chance at freedom, or would this simply be a transfer from one gilded cage to another?
A quiet mrrp interrupted his brooding downward spiral, the furry weight across his shoulders shifting to reveal a pair of reflective green eyes within the pool of fuzzy black. In the past three hours alone, his cat Violet had pulled him away from the brink of panic at least five times with either gentle purring or a far less gentle paw to the face. He reached up to scratch behind her ear, grateful that his family allowed him to ride in the carriage alone on the way there instead of insisting his mother accompany him to coach him on what to say and do. None of his family knew of Violet’s existence, after he’d animated her from a little black statuette, and he planned to keep it that way. If his mother had ridden with him, he would have had to hide her away, and there would be nothing left to keep him grounded against the onslaught of her expectations. He didn’t want to arrive at their first meeting shaken and only halfway there, even if he’d long since grown used to masking it from those around him.
Still, even if he wasn’t receiving coaching from his mother, he had to at least make a plan for himself. Even if this engagement didn’t turn out to be the perfect opportunity he’d imagined at fifteen, it couldn’t be worse than his family’s scrutiny. He had to make sure he gave his fiancé and their families no reason to call it off. From there, he could make it work. All he had to do was be perfectly polite, poised, and inoffensive. He’d done it— even mostly successfully— for twenty-one years, he could do it for another few days.
The carriage began to slow, and Blythe pulled aside the curtain to catch a glimpse of the estate at which his family would be staying during the leadup to the wedding. It was time.
“Sorry about this,” he murmured to Violet, pulling her off his shoulders and setting her on his lap. She went with only a tiny meowed protest, and he stroked her fur as gently as he was able while murmuring the spell. Her animating spirit moved into Blythe’s scarf, which coiled a little more tightly around his neck, and her body shrank back into the little statuette. He carefully wrapped the statuette in cloth before tucking it into one of his robe’s many pockets. Once he was able to move away from his family, he could let Violet keep her form perpetually, but until then he had to keep her a secret. There was no telling what they would do if they found out that he could actually give consciousness to something he animated, instead of simply the semblance of it. He had yet to figure out the breadth of it himself, and he knew he was lucky as an animation mage to only be married off, instead of conscripted to serve Talisnon’s military creating animate soldiers. If his family knew the entirety of his power, there was every possibility they would decide that he would bring them more prestige in service of the crown than through this marriage.
This time, instead of Violet dragging him from his anxious thoughts, it was the door of his carriage opening. He quickly vanished the cat fur from his robes, before nodding to the footman and stepping out. Falling into step behind his parents, he and his family made their way down the short path to the lakeside estate. It was far enough from the actual lakefront to avoid any risk of damage from flooding, but still offered an impressive view of the water. There was no time to sightsee, though, as he followed his parents into the building. He had never been there before, but his father had, and efficiently led their entourage through the halls to a large sitting room. The hearth had already been lit in preparation for their arrival, and a grand array of pastries and finger foods was laid out on a table. With a single pointed look from his mother, Blythe sat between the two of them, hands clasped tightly in his lap and a pleasant expression fixed on his face.
“Do not embarrass me,” his father said, clasping his shoulder with one large hand.
“I won’t, Father.” Blythe avoided looking at him, instead watching the door they came through for any sign of his betrothed’s arrival. Any moment now, he would see him again, for the first time in years.
A quiet mrrp interrupted his brooding downward spiral, the furry weight across his shoulders shifting to reveal a pair of reflective green eyes within the pool of fuzzy black. In the past three hours alone, his cat Violet had pulled him away from the brink of panic at least five times with either gentle purring or a far less gentle paw to the face. He reached up to scratch behind her ear, grateful that his family allowed him to ride in the carriage alone on the way there instead of insisting his mother accompany him to coach him on what to say and do. None of his family knew of Violet’s existence, after he’d animated her from a little black statuette, and he planned to keep it that way. If his mother had ridden with him, he would have had to hide her away, and there would be nothing left to keep him grounded against the onslaught of her expectations. He didn’t want to arrive at their first meeting shaken and only halfway there, even if he’d long since grown used to masking it from those around him.
Still, even if he wasn’t receiving coaching from his mother, he had to at least make a plan for himself. Even if this engagement didn’t turn out to be the perfect opportunity he’d imagined at fifteen, it couldn’t be worse than his family’s scrutiny. He had to make sure he gave his fiancé and their families no reason to call it off. From there, he could make it work. All he had to do was be perfectly polite, poised, and inoffensive. He’d done it— even mostly successfully— for twenty-one years, he could do it for another few days.
The carriage began to slow, and Blythe pulled aside the curtain to catch a glimpse of the estate at which his family would be staying during the leadup to the wedding. It was time.
“Sorry about this,” he murmured to Violet, pulling her off his shoulders and setting her on his lap. She went with only a tiny meowed protest, and he stroked her fur as gently as he was able while murmuring the spell. Her animating spirit moved into Blythe’s scarf, which coiled a little more tightly around his neck, and her body shrank back into the little statuette. He carefully wrapped the statuette in cloth before tucking it into one of his robe’s many pockets. Once he was able to move away from his family, he could let Violet keep her form perpetually, but until then he had to keep her a secret. There was no telling what they would do if they found out that he could actually give consciousness to something he animated, instead of simply the semblance of it. He had yet to figure out the breadth of it himself, and he knew he was lucky as an animation mage to only be married off, instead of conscripted to serve Talisnon’s military creating animate soldiers. If his family knew the entirety of his power, there was every possibility they would decide that he would bring them more prestige in service of the crown than through this marriage.
This time, instead of Violet dragging him from his anxious thoughts, it was the door of his carriage opening. He quickly vanished the cat fur from his robes, before nodding to the footman and stepping out. Falling into step behind his parents, he and his family made their way down the short path to the lakeside estate. It was far enough from the actual lakefront to avoid any risk of damage from flooding, but still offered an impressive view of the water. There was no time to sightsee, though, as he followed his parents into the building. He had never been there before, but his father had, and efficiently led their entourage through the halls to a large sitting room. The hearth had already been lit in preparation for their arrival, and a grand array of pastries and finger foods was laid out on a table. With a single pointed look from his mother, Blythe sat between the two of them, hands clasped tightly in his lap and a pleasant expression fixed on his face.
“Do not embarrass me,” his father said, clasping his shoulder with one large hand.
“I won’t, Father.” Blythe avoided looking at him, instead watching the door they came through for any sign of his betrothed’s arrival. Any moment now, he would see him again, for the first time in years.
Alias: Swarm
Age: Early to mid twenties (varies based on plot/setting)
Gender: transmasc non-binary
Pronouns: he/they
Ellis Angelos is the only son of a well-known researcher who is pushing him to follow in her footsteps, but has no desire to do research of his own. Instead, he works as a superhero in a big city, and on the side does freelance work as a programmer/white-hat hacker. While he used to be close with his mother, they grew more distant after he decided not to become a researcher and academic like her. Now, the two of them rarely speak, only seeing each other on Ellis's annual visit home or if his mother decides to make a surprise visit to try to convince him to take a different life path. His father is out of the picture, and has been since he was a small child. He has barely any memories of him now.
Ellis gained his powers in a lab accident while interning with one of his mother's colleagues. In the same accident, he lost his right leg from the middle of the thigh down, and now wears a prosthetic that he helped design himself. His powers allow him to generate and manipulate electricity, which is what he built his hero strategy and costume around. In order to fight, Ellis has built himself a variety of bots and drones. The majority of these bots are pocket-sized, and he has a variety which he chooses between based on the sort of missions he goes on. The smallest are made for reconnaissance, but larger ones might have capture nets or tools to grab things, and the largest work for crowd control. Some have basic code to control them, but his powers allow him to override this code and interface directly with them to give them commands like a hivemind with him at the center. For this reason, his hero name is Swarm.
His costume is designed to facilitate his powers and let him carry a great number of bots with him. He wears metal gauntlets and boots to allow him better conduct electricity. He wears looser-fit grey pants made of a durable, insulating fabric, and a skin-tight shirt of the same sort of material. Over all of this, he wears a large, dark red overcoat with hundreds of pockets in which he stores his combat bots. This overcoat has a high collar, and he wears a bright red plague mask with a built-in air filter in case of airborne toxins.
Ellis is mixed-race; his father was of Greek heritage, and his mother is Chinese. He has light brown, curly hair with an undercut, and usually keeps his hair just long enough to put it in a small ponytail to keep it out of his face while he works. He has an oval face, with a nose wider at the base, monolid eyes, thin, angular brows, and long eyelashes.
His hobbies include coding and building robots, but he also writes poetry and short stories on the side. Between his superhero work and side jobs, he doesn't have much time to go out, which is why most of his hobbies are things which he can do on his own.
Ellis is generally friendly, but not overly chatty in his civilian identity with people he does not know well. In his hero identity, he is more confident and more likely to quip back and forth with people.He joined heroism because he wanted to help people and do something special with his powers, and for this reason tries to uphold this ideal. However, he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder because of his mother's expectations, so he is determined to prove her wrong and become known as a hero. This sometimes knocks him off the track of his ideals and pushes him beyond his limits.
Plot: Ellis was designed for the Superhero Duo plot in my other thread; I would like for the character played against him to be a fellow superhero, and for them to be connected in both their superhero and civilian lives, but not know each other's secret identities. Apart from that, I'm open to any sort of superhero plot. There could be a villain-of-the-week format, or one big organization or villain the pair of them are trying to take out. I'm open to plenty of ideas!
Dynamics: I'm fine with generally any dynamic between Ellis and your character, but I would prefer that they start off as friends in either their superhero or civilian personas. Ellis can get along with a wide variety of personalities, so I don't have any guidelines for him there.
Age: Early to mid twenties (varies based on plot/setting)
Gender: transmasc non-binary
Pronouns: he/they
Ellis Angelos is the only son of a well-known researcher who is pushing him to follow in her footsteps, but has no desire to do research of his own. Instead, he works as a superhero in a big city, and on the side does freelance work as a programmer/white-hat hacker. While he used to be close with his mother, they grew more distant after he decided not to become a researcher and academic like her. Now, the two of them rarely speak, only seeing each other on Ellis's annual visit home or if his mother decides to make a surprise visit to try to convince him to take a different life path. His father is out of the picture, and has been since he was a small child. He has barely any memories of him now.
Ellis gained his powers in a lab accident while interning with one of his mother's colleagues. In the same accident, he lost his right leg from the middle of the thigh down, and now wears a prosthetic that he helped design himself. His powers allow him to generate and manipulate electricity, which is what he built his hero strategy and costume around. In order to fight, Ellis has built himself a variety of bots and drones. The majority of these bots are pocket-sized, and he has a variety which he chooses between based on the sort of missions he goes on. The smallest are made for reconnaissance, but larger ones might have capture nets or tools to grab things, and the largest work for crowd control. Some have basic code to control them, but his powers allow him to override this code and interface directly with them to give them commands like a hivemind with him at the center. For this reason, his hero name is Swarm.
His costume is designed to facilitate his powers and let him carry a great number of bots with him. He wears metal gauntlets and boots to allow him better conduct electricity. He wears looser-fit grey pants made of a durable, insulating fabric, and a skin-tight shirt of the same sort of material. Over all of this, he wears a large, dark red overcoat with hundreds of pockets in which he stores his combat bots. This overcoat has a high collar, and he wears a bright red plague mask with a built-in air filter in case of airborne toxins.
Ellis is mixed-race; his father was of Greek heritage, and his mother is Chinese. He has light brown, curly hair with an undercut, and usually keeps his hair just long enough to put it in a small ponytail to keep it out of his face while he works. He has an oval face, with a nose wider at the base, monolid eyes, thin, angular brows, and long eyelashes.
His hobbies include coding and building robots, but he also writes poetry and short stories on the side. Between his superhero work and side jobs, he doesn't have much time to go out, which is why most of his hobbies are things which he can do on his own.
Ellis is generally friendly, but not overly chatty in his civilian identity with people he does not know well. In his hero identity, he is more confident and more likely to quip back and forth with people.He joined heroism because he wanted to help people and do something special with his powers, and for this reason tries to uphold this ideal. However, he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder because of his mother's expectations, so he is determined to prove her wrong and become known as a hero. This sometimes knocks him off the track of his ideals and pushes him beyond his limits.
Plot: Ellis was designed for the Superhero Duo plot in my other thread; I would like for the character played against him to be a fellow superhero, and for them to be connected in both their superhero and civilian lives, but not know each other's secret identities. Apart from that, I'm open to any sort of superhero plot. There could be a villain-of-the-week format, or one big organization or villain the pair of them are trying to take out. I'm open to plenty of ideas!
Dynamics: I'm fine with generally any dynamic between Ellis and your character, but I would prefer that they start off as friends in either their superhero or civilian personas. Ellis can get along with a wide variety of personalities, so I don't have any guidelines for him there.
Maybe Ellis shouldn’t have left tidying up for the last minute. In his defense, it wasn’t entirely his fault. He’d had to stay up late to finish his report for his latest client, and by the time he’d woken up the next morning, he was already behind schedule. But he had to keep his schedule regardless, or else he would have fallen off the wagon for the rest of the week, with no workouts, no searching for jobs, and certainly nothing else above the bare minimum. He had that schedule for a reason, but in order to fit in everything he needed to do, he had to sacrifice some of the time he set aside for cleaning. That was coming back to bite him, as he hurried to fit the last of his half-finished inventions in the box at the bottom of the closet. He would have to find somewhere else to tinker, now that the spare room was going to be occupied, but he’d done it before when he still had his old roommate, before the man had gotten a new job a hundred miles away and dipped out as soon as the lease would allow.
Ellis could manage to pay the entirety of the rent on his own, and a part of him had been tempted to in order to take advantage of having a spare room. Between his mother’s insistence that he help out an old family friend and his older landlord’s worries over his safety as the only person in his unit (better a worried, overbearing landlord than an exploitative one, but there were days he regretted getting to know the old woman as well as he did— this was one of them), he’d finally caved and agreed to take on a roommate. It would be difficult, getting used to another person in his space again, especially one he hadn’t seen in years. They’d been close enough as children, but that didn’t mean much when they were adults now. Hopefully his old friend hadn’t grown to be insufferable, but remembering the boy Ellis once knew, he doubted that would be the case.
What Ellis was far more worried about was trying to hide his new superhero identity from the other. He’d only gotten licensed after his old roommate moved out, and had never really worried about sneaking out to his hero job when he lived alone, but trying that with someone else living with him would be an entirely different ballgame. Still, it would be worth it to be able to split the rent again.
He was startled from his thoughts by the sound of his watch pinging him with an alarm. He’d set it to alert him with ten minutes until his new roommate’s arrival, but he hadn’t expected it to come so quickly. Still, he was at least done with his cleaning, and even if the apartment wasn’t spotless, it was tidy and clean. He hurried out of his room, past the living room and kitchenette, and scooped up his keys from the basket set by the front door. A week ago, when they’d made arrangements, Ellis had agreed to meet in front of the building to help with moving boxes, and he was not going to be late for that. As quick as he was able, he unlocked his door, slipped out, and locked it up again, then made a beeline for the stairs. They could take the elevator on the way back, but the stairs would be much faster.
It took only thirty seconds for him to make his way down the three stories. He darted through the lobby, offering a quick wave to one of his neighbors who was picking up their mail, then stopped just outside the front door to catch his breath. Though it was unlikely that his old friend would show up ten minutes earlier than planned, Ellis would rather be waiting outside than pacing around his apartment. He pulled out his phone, scrolling idly through various hero news articles, but found that he couldn’t help but glance up every ten seconds or so, his nervous energy making it impossible to focus.
Ellis could manage to pay the entirety of the rent on his own, and a part of him had been tempted to in order to take advantage of having a spare room. Between his mother’s insistence that he help out an old family friend and his older landlord’s worries over his safety as the only person in his unit (better a worried, overbearing landlord than an exploitative one, but there were days he regretted getting to know the old woman as well as he did— this was one of them), he’d finally caved and agreed to take on a roommate. It would be difficult, getting used to another person in his space again, especially one he hadn’t seen in years. They’d been close enough as children, but that didn’t mean much when they were adults now. Hopefully his old friend hadn’t grown to be insufferable, but remembering the boy Ellis once knew, he doubted that would be the case.
What Ellis was far more worried about was trying to hide his new superhero identity from the other. He’d only gotten licensed after his old roommate moved out, and had never really worried about sneaking out to his hero job when he lived alone, but trying that with someone else living with him would be an entirely different ballgame. Still, it would be worth it to be able to split the rent again.
He was startled from his thoughts by the sound of his watch pinging him with an alarm. He’d set it to alert him with ten minutes until his new roommate’s arrival, but he hadn’t expected it to come so quickly. Still, he was at least done with his cleaning, and even if the apartment wasn’t spotless, it was tidy and clean. He hurried out of his room, past the living room and kitchenette, and scooped up his keys from the basket set by the front door. A week ago, when they’d made arrangements, Ellis had agreed to meet in front of the building to help with moving boxes, and he was not going to be late for that. As quick as he was able, he unlocked his door, slipped out, and locked it up again, then made a beeline for the stairs. They could take the elevator on the way back, but the stairs would be much faster.
It took only thirty seconds for him to make his way down the three stories. He darted through the lobby, offering a quick wave to one of his neighbors who was picking up their mail, then stopped just outside the front door to catch his breath. Though it was unlikely that his old friend would show up ten minutes earlier than planned, Ellis would rather be waiting outside than pacing around his apartment. He pulled out his phone, scrolling idly through various hero news articles, but found that he couldn’t help but glance up every ten seconds or so, his nervous energy making it impossible to focus.
Last edited: