heromedal | Half-Siblings

Rex's father, Cedric Staines, now in his early 50s, has had at least one child since he was 20 years old. All of them were subjected to experimentation as part of his attempt to create a 'third race', a new species that could stand between humans and monsters. His goal is to create a dominant species that possesses the best features of both humanity and monsterdom, with advanced infrastructure capabilities of humans and the ability to pass on memories and values to following generations as monsters can. Despite the torturous nature of his experiments, he thoroughly brainwashes his children into unquestioning loyalty, and most consider him the saviour of mankind for his work. They are often given key positions in the Wishing government to solidify his control of the police state. Most of the siblings have different mothers, all of whom named their children because Cedric prefers to think of them by their numbers.

They're quite a diverse group, their mothers being from all around the world, and there are few traits common to the whole bunch. However, recurring features include possessing Cedric's eyes (a brown so dark it's close to black), his jet black hair and being extremely tall. Due to the experiments performed on them, many have unusual characteristics which range from small features to completely inhuman appearances. Many struggle with sleep, due to nasty side effects of monsterisation- the memories of ancient monsters and their personalities, preserve through slime, run through their minds when they try to sleep. As a result, being tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed and looking like an insomniac is the height of fashion in Wishing.

Most of Cedric's children have animal themes of 'gross', 'weird', or 'unwanted' animals to represent how little he values their lives. These needn't be overly disgusting-a butterfly qualifies simply by being an insect.

Gross Animal Options

Skunk, anglerfish, gulper eel, haggish, dung beetle, cockroach, housefly, robber fly, horsefly, aye-aye, proboscis monkey, snub nosed monkey, iron-clad beetle, surinam toad, star nosed mole, naked mole rat, chinese giant salamander, stone fish, shoebill, vulture.

Name: Jules-Henri Sanson

Age: 33

Summary: The eldest of Cedric's children, Jules-Henri was subjected to a relatively crude monsterisation process. He was, since a young age, forced to fight monsters until his body soaked in slime day after day. This was an attempt to replicate possibly apocryphal stories of monster hunters gaining monster traits. It is debatable if this had any effect on him at all, but Jules-Henri became a dangerous warrior all the same. Of all his father's children, Jules-Henri has the most understanding of how evil his father is but dares not defy him for fear of leaving his siblings without his protection. Officially a 'special agent' of undefined jurisdiction, Jules-Henri is sent out on missions across the world- partially to keep him from being a rebellious influence on the others. He has long since given up hope of life in a sane world and has let his mind slip, a grinning grim reaper. Very strong in battle, and a survival expert who has a great deal of experience in traversing the post-apocalyptic world. Jules-Henri uses a wide variety of mismatched armour and weapons he took from his opponents on his adventures. Despite his dark nature, he cares deeply for his family. He bears some resemblance to an older Rex and like him takes after their father in appearance- dark-haired, dark-eyed and astoundingly tall (though shorter than Rex by a few inches), though he has exceptionally long, shaggy hair and in contrast to Rex has a constant wild smile.

Theme: Acanthaspis petax, a species of assassin bug. Acanthaspis petax wears the corpses of its victims like armour, as Jules-Henri wears his joy at his miserable existence as a murderer. Like the bug, he's a deadly opponent who uses the remnant of his foes.

Other: Name for Jules-Henri Desfourneaux, the last public executioner of France, and Charles-Henri Sanson, perhaps the most famous executioner of French history. If I was gonna play him, I'd use Crow from A Post-Apocalyptic Journey as a PB.

Name: Rose & Lily Fredricks

Age: 22

Summary: Identical twins, a little older than Rex. Their identical genetic makeup presented an opportunity for Cedric to test the advantages of monsterisation. Lily was subjected to monster cell infusion while Rose was not. They were both, amongst other tests of capability, forced to fight slowly increasingly dangerous identical monsters. Rose awakened Human Power quite early to survive, and Lily possessed superhuman endurance and durability from the experimentation. The twins were kept in separate observation cells but could see and speak to one another. They forged a very close relationship and dreamed of the day that they would be allowed to hold hands. They believed the only way to achieve that lofty goal was to do well in their tests. Eventually, Rose was fatally wounded, and a heavily injured Lily broke out to hold her sister- the monster cells, already compatible with Lily, also merged with Rose, while Rose's desperate Human Power overflowing awakened Lily to Human Power too. With the initial experiment ruined, they were further studied for a short period and eventually put into public service at age 14. Both operate as members of Wishing's police force, seeking out and eliminating dissidents.

The twins are identical in appearance but possess very different personalities. Rose, whose animal them is a butterfly, is lead more by her instincts and easily distracted- she often wanders off and follows her whims and is something of a Pollyanna. Lily, on the other hand, is much more focused to the point of ignoring everything but her latest obsession and will bash against a problem repeatedly, with a darker outlook. The pair operate best together and often hold hands, to prevent Rose from wandering off or to drag Lily away. They're about 6'9 and have the signature dark eyes and black hair of Cedric, with rather lanky proportions. Rose dresses colourfully and Lily usually in monochrome, in different flavours of ostentatious- Rose in elaborate dresses, Lily in stylish suits (often with fur trim). Rose is the more viciously direct, preferring up-close combat and Lily is a more inclined to ranged battle. Rose is, despite her cheerful demeanour, more intimidating and calm. Lily is somewhat more energetic and tends to scream a lot. Due to their shared monsterised blood, they have an identical mutation of extremely long and dangerous tongues.

Theme: Lily's theme is a moth (a little Death's-head hawkmoth

flavoured) and Rose a butterfly (with a touch of Peacock butterfly)- similar but different, equally flighty but in different ways.

Other: If I was gonna play them I'd pick Koumori Kuroko from Murciélago as a PB. Due to their different outfits and personalities, it's difficult to confuse the two, but as a running joke, the twins don't seem to realise that. They either go out of their way to clarify which one they are or, more bizarrely, get confused as to which one they are themselves.

Name: Cynthia Eskola

Age: 29

Summary: Cynthia had slime injected directly into her brain in the hopes of understanding how monsters pass on memories. Instead, her brain became capable of supporting itself independently of her body, absorbing the rest of her for nutrients. Developing a shell-like skull, and able to move on her own, Cynthia soon discovered she could gain control of other lifeforms. In human-sized targets, this involves leaving her shell, squeezing herself into the target's skull and absorbing their brain to replace it. In larger examples, such as beasts or monsters, she can find a space inside them and link to their nervous system. She keeps an extensive collection of host bodies on life support for various purposes.

Cynthia enjoys swapping identities, and her hobby living several lives at once. Her family is aware of her true nature, and are often trying to get her to be her 'true self', which she insists there is no such thing and wishes they would accept her as who she feels like at that moment.

Theme: The Cymothoa exigua, or tongue eating louse. A rather grisly aquatic parasite, it severs a fish's tongue and replaces it, attaching itself to the blood supply. Aside from the very literal relation, the tongue eating louse transforms from male to female, independent life form to a body part and back again throughout its life.

Other: Delightfully gross, right? Obviously no PB choice here. Though I've used 'she' to refer to her, she's genderfluid, but considers her bodiless brain form to a woman.

Name: Temujin Ganbat

Age: 16

Summary: Fed on slime from a young age, Temujin (usually called Jin by his siblings) has unusual biology in which his body does not have dead materials- in other words, his nails, hair, teeth etc. are all alive, possess senses and can be manipulated. Some of this is torturous- he cannot stand eating solid foods and compares cutting his nails to having his fingers cut off. Luckily, he can retract and grow his teeth and nails to a certain extent, as well as having self-healing joints, making him very flexible. However, his hair is the star of the show. It is entirely prehensile, and the sensitivity to the environment give him fantastic awareness of his surroundings- they can feel movement in the air, detect by touch, have senses of smell and taste. The hair is more durable than steel cable by default, but he can use Human Power to enhance this further.

A rather small young man, who looks all the tinier beside his larger siblings. This, and his large-eyed baby face, make him appear quite young (and cute), though his vast mass of black hair that can engulf his body gives him a strange appearance. He is one of the few siblings paler than Rex. He is polite and kind, though nervous and shy (especially around girls) even being courteous to his victims when sent to assassinate them and soothingly reassures them the pain and fear will be over soon when ending their lives. He has a cautious attitude and carefully plans the smallest action before he moves- then acts as swiftly as possible. This applies to both job as a hired killer and something as simple as crossing a crowded room. He lacks social skills but tries earnestly to make friends, though struggles with breaking the ice so often hovers in the periphery of those he wants to be close to.

Theme: Jin's theme is a spider- Darwin's Bark Spider to be precise. Known for their extremely strong webs of extreme size, you wouldn't notice them but the webs are everywhere. The males are noted to be 'eager to please' females, but extremely fearful of them. His hair, of course, operates as his 'web' but his tendency to be shy and fearful of girls in particular, reflects he represents a male spider (as male spiders are usually smaller and preyed upon by the female of the species). Spiders are also, to me at least, the perfect balance between offputting and adorable.

Other: If I was going to play him, I'd pick Inaba Ryo of Kengan Asura. As a running joke, people would often know he's around but not exactly where- just like when a spider hides behind your bed. There's probably one right now.

Half-Siblings

Gross Animal Suggestions-