Rex's Associates
Rex develops quite a diverse group of associates across the world as he adventures. Rather than the usual Hero method of taking a party with him as he goes, Rex creates a network which he uses to influence the world. Below are some examples-
Name: Mel Chilkov
Age: 18
Summary: Rex's right-hand woman and best friend, she is the true heir to the Arany style and, by the send of the story, history's strongest human.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Has her own journal. In brief, she is a somewhat simpleminded behemoth of a girl who literally, never, under any circumstances gives up or loses... for better or for worse. Her strength of spirit is infinite.
Theme: Her theme is the pig, because there is no animal that can better answer the two questions 'what is cute and fun and lovable' and 'what is an unstoppable beast everyone should fear?' than 'big pig.' In a reversal of Rex's theme, she starts with a domestic pig theme that swaps to a wild boar, whereas Rex starts as a feral dog and becomes domesticated.
Other: Mel is Rex's soulmate, something which is entirely platonic. They possess a strange sixth sense about each other's wellbeing, an instinctive understanding of each other and synchronicity of fate that well always bring them together.
Name: Meine Ursus
Age: 30
Summary: The son of the famous private detective, Marguerite Ursus. Meine follows in her footsteps, and she has recently retired. He somewhat lacks confidence in himself and still regularly consults with or receives saves from his mother, who remains a fierce fighter willing to step in for her son anytime.
Meine is one of the most grounded and least eccentric of Rex's crew, often playing the straight man (ironically, as he is openly gay) for jokes or being the voice of logic. He has a genuine desire to help those who cannot help themselves and is one of the few to request to join Rex's operations, rather than be recruited. This is because he was also one of the few to piece together the clues and work out not only that Rex was manipulating the entire world, but that he was the chosen hero. The impressive display of detective work made him essential.
Mein is used by Rex to unravel mysteries and is an excellent addition to his information-gathering network. In terms of combat prowess, he's much stronger than the average human but not a high class fighter. He is quite well rounded in that regard, though, being strong, fast, durable and skilled in melee and in the use of real big guns.
Theme: Both mother and son share the animal theme of the grizzly bear. She is a 'mama bear', an overbearing parent that is extremely protective of her son. He, on the other hand, is a 'bear', as in a ruggedly masculine and hairy gay man. Grizzly bears are curious and possess perhaps the best mammalian sense of smell- reflective of a PIs tendency to stick their nose where it doesn't belong and track things down. Both have a round, cuddly physique with a layer of fat that conceals enormous muscles, giving them builds closer to weight lifters than bodybuilders, making them both teddy bears and strong as a bear. I've also always likened the silhouette of a bear on its hind legs to a human in a trenchcoat. Meine's father is a lazy bum (to the point when he moves around it's usually on his wife's back) with a koala theme.
Other: Their names are derived from the paired constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. It was pretty hard to find a masculine/unisex name that started with the right sound! Shout-out to Echo for coming up with approximately half of this in a random Discord chat.
Name: Quinn O'Donovan
Age:24
Summary: If Quinn's first sentiment after birth was to put into words, it would be 'I'm pissed off!' Her Human Power awakened on the day of her birth, an indication of her blazing fighting spirit and will to live. Unlike other such early awakeners, there were no particular circumstances that brought this about (such as Helen Arany's case, where she abandoned accidentally on a battlefield). She was simply that mad about being born. She's from the rough Terra equivalent of Ireland, where she lives in a tribe of nomads. She's well respected but feared by her own people, but feared much more by their enemies. She destroys anything that displeases her, but is highly protective of her people and merely abuses comically.
Her intense rage and Human Power never ceased. Cases of Human Power being always active from birth usually result in health complications as the unchecked power is too much for them. Quinn's method for overcoming this was to make her body so sturdy it could handle it. Every day she trained furiously, every twinge of pain only making her angrier and more motivated. Now 24, Quinn's intensely powerful body is 8'7 and weighs 600lbs, still growing and with no body fat. She usually wears only a loincloth, as she struggles to keep other clothing from being destroyed in her day to day life (she has long since stopped having a sense of modesty about this). She has a similar problem with finding weapons that can survive her strength. Quinn lacks the talent to control her power- she can only withstand it. Irritable and easily enraged, she considers violence a viable solution to most problems. However, Rex correctly identifies her anger stems from caring about things and people enough to be passionate about them. Having more to care about, such as making more and deeper friendships, gives her more to be angry about. Properly directed, she's highly productive (and destructive), but her only tool is anger. She doesn't particularly enjoy fighting and carnage, but that doesn't stop her from participating. Quinn is of great use to Rex, though due to her particular talents there are only a few tasks she's suitable for.
Her signature move is the Berzooka, in which she packs her rage into a 'shell' of energy which bursts from her mouth, as explosive as her anger. Her recurring weapon is a barbed spike which she stabs into something and uses it as a hammer until it breaks.
She wears her hair in a spikey style worn by ancient Britons, which indicated a warrior that had slain someone in combat. While generally unconcerned about her appearance, Quinn spends a lot of time making sure her spikes are just right, in two long curves, and becomes bashful when complimented on them. Another running joke is that she's unexpectedly protective even when furious with her friends, treating them like kids she's responsible for.
Theme:Quinn's animal theme is the Cape Buffalo. Often considered one of the most dangerous animals on Earth, and sometimes said to be an animal that understands revenge. Cape Buffalo have been described by experts as liable to attack at any time for any reason. They're one of the few animals, that when shot does not run away from but towards the one who shot them. Not only does she share their wrathful ways, but also she is buff(alo) and a beefcake. Despite all of their aggression, they're also altruistic and protective.
Name:Pancho Daza
Age: 29
Summary: A valiant luchador, an icon of strength and justice, known to the public as El Milagro Jr ('The Miracle Jr') for his outstanding comebacks in the face of inevitable defeat. Pancho always loved to fight and obtained a terrible reputation as a thug. When he was one day defeated by an old man, who turned out to be the original El Milagro long since retired. Pancho learnt a great deal from El Milagro, but most of all, he learned that strength is not to be used to dominate but to inspire.
When his hometown became under attack from monsters, Pancho donned El Milagro's mask and made his debut as El Milagro Jr, the new protector of Pueblo Natal! Pancho keeps his identity a secret, partially for traditional reasons and partly because of his poor reputation. Many of the same people who believe El Milagro Jr is their saviour believe Pancho deserves to die. Pancho does his best to live up the El Milagro name when he wears the mask, being gentle, kind to children and cuddly. But in truth, he is still a battle fanatic eager to get his knuckles bloody. His master acknowledges this and has made him promise never to start a fight, but to accept all challenges. To entice more to face him, Pancho offers rewards for matches against him and tutors others as El Milagro did. Ostensibly this is to better protect Pueblo Natal, but it also serves to produce more fighters for him to test himself against. Despite his record, he is often underestimated and thought to be a fake. While his El Milagro Jr persona is very popular with the ladies, he refuses to exploit the mask for that sort of thing... though with it off, he's a perv.
While El Milagro Jr is relatively well known in certain parts of the world, merely taking the mask off lets him blend in almost anywhere. Both roles are beneficial to Rex and Pancho is one of his often-used agents. He's quite short (for a wrestler) but has a powerfully stocky build.
Theme: Pancho's animal theme is the giant panda and the duality of their captive image and wild reality. Despite their reputation for being either cute and cuddly creatures, which require either coddling or deserve to go extinct, giant pandas are (in the words of an experienced caretaker) 'ornery' and are quite dangerous, known to kill and eat goats, rip doors off their hinges and maul humans. Their odd status as a predatory carnivore which primarily eats vegetation reflects a man who wants to be a frenzied fighter but follows a code of honour. The way pandas struggle to breed in captivity follows his clean image as El Milagro Jr, but in the wild pandas are known to have 'orgies' and be rampant sex fiends, sometimes having sex 70 times a day in mating season. Additionally, if you consider the white of a panda as clothing and the black as bare skin, it produces a figure akin to a wrestling leotard with a mask.
Other:In real life, wrestling moves are not really practical in actual combat, the main reason for that is it is near impossible to overpower a struggling human so effectively. Any setting in which super strength is in play deals with that problem neatly and putting a living being through a wrestling move when they have no idea how to safely react will assuredly be hazardous to them. Due to the powers available to Rexverse residents (not to mention their often eccentric personalities and outlandish histories), it wouldn't be unreasonable to believe pro-wrestling in the Rexverse was legitimate combat, though perhaps choreographed entertainment simply proved more popular and had more potential participants.
Name: Bruno De Lito
Age: 32
Summary: A mob hitman eager to rise up the ranks. His branch of the family was once highly respected in the mob, but due to being demolished by a mysterious figure 40 years ago (Helen Arany, to be precise) they're underlings. Bruno takes great pride in being a hitman and hates being called an assassin- the difference, he says, is that a good hitman goes in and out the front door and everyone knows who killed their target. A good assassin sneaks in and is never known. He first met Rex while trying to kill him, as Rex was working under his mercenary alias of Castle at the time. Bruno was first recruited merely as a way for him to obtain money and influence, but he soon began to consider Rex's organisation as the family (in the mafia sense) he never had. Good luck getting him to admit it though. He likes to act emotionally distant but treats his people with care. Unless they insult him, be it actual or imagined.
Bruno is a direct and blunt brute, with a surly demeanour which leads people to tread on eggshells around him. However, Bruno typically has no interest in harming anyone unless it profits him and is much more reasonable than his fearsome attitude implies. He tries to demand respect from everyone and when it is not given has a tendency to go berserk or otherwise arrange payback. A particular running joke is that he is especially sensitive to implications he is... compensating for something with his big gun and bad attitude.
One of Rex's toughest allies, Bruno wields an enormously oversized Tommy Gun in one hand and uses the other to deliver crushing blows. Always wearing a suit. He refuses to fight any way but to look someone in the eye as he kills them without mercy. He greatly enjoys violence and usually only smiles at the prospect of performing it.
Theme: Bruno's theme is a gorilla. Like them, he engages in chest-beating behaviour but is usually passive- although it is wise to avoid disrespecting them, the fastest way to get your face ripped off. Also like a gorilla, when you see them 'smiling' is the time to run. Gorillas adhere to strict hierarchies, with strong males like Bruno wishing to depose the leadership. Gorillas also famously have small penises, Bruno's biggest insecurity. He wears a 'monkey suit' at all times, and for some reason, gorillas are often drawn as mobsters.
Other: Bruno De Lito is the real name of someone I once spoke to and spent the entire time I was talking to them thinking they had a perfect name for a hitman.
Name: -1 (pronounced Negative One)
Age: Unknown, but teenage.
Summary: -1 is the world's greatest and therefore least famous ninja. They were the child of a famous warrior, kidnapped as an infant for the purpose of undergoing ninja training. When his generation was forced into an underground sealed deathmatch to determine the greatest potential, -1 managed to rally the group together instead and all were trained. One of a hundred, each member was assigned a number based on their performance. -1 learnt better than all the rest about secrecy and control, modifying the organisations own records as a child to hide their real identity. Then, as 13 (a number not too high nor too low) they manipulated the group from within to protect their friends and their kingdom. When a ninja named Zero emerged and usurped control, he began a plan to conquer the nation. -1 was nearly killed trying to prevent it. Rescued by a scientist named Doctor Vulcan, and was given the choice of a slow recovery and long life, or a fast recovery and a short life. -1 chose the latter and worked to save their friends from their fate, finally stepping from the shadows and taking on a flamboyant identity as a cyborg ninja, letting loose with all their skills. Rex became involved and together they succeeded. Rex was able to improve on Vulcan's work and saved -1's life, earning a loyal friend in the process.
-1, ironically, is a very positive person. Even the grim life of brutal ninja training couldn't stifle their ability to find the good in life and other people. Despite their prodigal skills, -1 is quite humble and has no desire for accolades or recognition. Indeed, they were quite happy to live amongst friends who had no idea of who they really were. Swapping between identities based on their needs, -1 is nevertheless always a stalwart person who never backs down from their goals or compromises their ideals. They are, however, prone to hiding everything from others and letting stress get to them.
Theme: -1's theme is an octopus that can imitate others, hiding in plain sight, or become practically invisible. Becoming whatever it needs to succeed and survive. You thought it was the mimic octopus, but it's me,wunderpus!. An animal with nearly identical traits but is vastly less known and hidden under our noses for years.
Other: -1 is non-binary and after their near-death cyborgisation never shown their true appearance. The organisation that -1 was kidnapped by is the same one as "Underworld" Si.
Name: Ruby Leroux
Age: 28
Summary: Ever since she was a little girl, Ruby wanted to be a mad scientist. Born completely fearless, she developed an affinity for the gruesome and macabre, appreciating blood and gore as much as she loved flowers and sunshine. However, due to her high intellect, she was rarely reckless. While lacking empathy and somewhat sociopathic, Ruby has logically concluded that acting in evil manners leaves you friendless and with enemies. A strange mix of highly logical and using reason to reach her goals, and whimsically following her dreams, Ruby is a walking contradiction. She considers 'mad scientist' her business and is very professional. When it's five o'clock and work is done, she takes off the ragged white coat splattered with chemicals, unbulges her extra-large eye, turns off the tesla coils and brushes her wild hair.
Ruby was one of the easiest recruitments of Rex's life, as she considered him someone to be admired based on his science alone. Unlike many other mad science types, she also actually performs the peer review part of science and was happy to share and learn from him.
Ruby is quite beautiful, with an hourglass figure and colourful red hair. She has heterochromia, with one blue eye and one green. When working, she purposefully makes her green eye bulge madly, hunches over and makes her hair a mess. When not, she stands up straight, wears flattering clothing and makes an effort to look nice. Either way, she speaks in a breathy monotone that suits both looks.
Theme: Ruby is themed after the Strawberry Squid, a supposedly fearless animal that lives between the open ocean and the abyss. It has one huge eye and one small eye- traits that are physically reflected in Ruby and also represent how she lives between two worlds of emotion and logic.
Other: She's partially inspired by Laverne from Day of the Tentacle.
Name: Mel Chilkov
Age: 18
Summary: Rex's right-hand woman and best friend, she is the true heir to the Arany style and, by the send of the story, history's strongest human.
Has her own journal. In brief, she is a somewhat simpleminded behemoth of a girl who literally, never, under any circumstances gives up or loses... for better or for worse. Her strength of spirit is infinite.Theme: Her theme is the pig, because there is no animal that can better answer the two questions 'what is cute and fun and lovable' and 'what is an unstoppable beast everyone should fear?' than 'big pig.' In a reversal of Rex's theme, she starts with a domestic pig theme that swaps to a wild boar, whereas Rex starts as a feral dog and becomes domesticated.
Other: Mel is Rex's soulmate, something which is entirely platonic. They possess a strange sixth sense about each other's wellbeing, an instinctive understanding of each other and synchronicity of fate that well always bring them together.
Name: Meine Ursus
Age: 30
Summary: The son of the famous private detective, Marguerite Ursus. Meine follows in her footsteps, and she has recently retired. He somewhat lacks confidence in himself and still regularly consults with or receives saves from his mother, who remains a fierce fighter willing to step in for her son anytime.
Meine is one of the most grounded and least eccentric of Rex's crew, often playing the straight man (ironically, as he is openly gay) for jokes or being the voice of logic. He has a genuine desire to help those who cannot help themselves and is one of the few to request to join Rex's operations, rather than be recruited. This is because he was also one of the few to piece together the clues and work out not only that Rex was manipulating the entire world, but that he was the chosen hero. The impressive display of detective work made him essential.
Mein is used by Rex to unravel mysteries and is an excellent addition to his information-gathering network. In terms of combat prowess, he's much stronger than the average human but not a high class fighter. He is quite well rounded in that regard, though, being strong, fast, durable and skilled in melee and in the use of real big guns.
Theme: Both mother and son share the animal theme of the grizzly bear. She is a 'mama bear', an overbearing parent that is extremely protective of her son. He, on the other hand, is a 'bear', as in a ruggedly masculine and hairy gay man. Grizzly bears are curious and possess perhaps the best mammalian sense of smell- reflective of a PIs tendency to stick their nose where it doesn't belong and track things down. Both have a round, cuddly physique with a layer of fat that conceals enormous muscles, giving them builds closer to weight lifters than bodybuilders, making them both teddy bears and strong as a bear. I've also always likened the silhouette of a bear on its hind legs to a human in a trenchcoat. Meine's father is a lazy bum (to the point when he moves around it's usually on his wife's back) with a koala theme.
Other: Their names are derived from the paired constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. It was pretty hard to find a masculine/unisex name that started with the right sound! Shout-out to Echo for coming up with approximately half of this in a random Discord chat.
Name: Quinn O'Donovan
Age:24
Summary: If Quinn's first sentiment after birth was to put into words, it would be 'I'm pissed off!' Her Human Power awakened on the day of her birth, an indication of her blazing fighting spirit and will to live. Unlike other such early awakeners, there were no particular circumstances that brought this about (such as Helen Arany's case, where she abandoned accidentally on a battlefield). She was simply that mad about being born. She's from the rough Terra equivalent of Ireland, where she lives in a tribe of nomads. She's well respected but feared by her own people, but feared much more by their enemies. She destroys anything that displeases her, but is highly protective of her people and merely abuses comically.
Her intense rage and Human Power never ceased. Cases of Human Power being always active from birth usually result in health complications as the unchecked power is too much for them. Quinn's method for overcoming this was to make her body so sturdy it could handle it. Every day she trained furiously, every twinge of pain only making her angrier and more motivated. Now 24, Quinn's intensely powerful body is 8'7 and weighs 600lbs, still growing and with no body fat. She usually wears only a loincloth, as she struggles to keep other clothing from being destroyed in her day to day life (she has long since stopped having a sense of modesty about this). She has a similar problem with finding weapons that can survive her strength. Quinn lacks the talent to control her power- she can only withstand it. Irritable and easily enraged, she considers violence a viable solution to most problems. However, Rex correctly identifies her anger stems from caring about things and people enough to be passionate about them. Having more to care about, such as making more and deeper friendships, gives her more to be angry about. Properly directed, she's highly productive (and destructive), but her only tool is anger. She doesn't particularly enjoy fighting and carnage, but that doesn't stop her from participating. Quinn is of great use to Rex, though due to her particular talents there are only a few tasks she's suitable for.
Her signature move is the Berzooka, in which she packs her rage into a 'shell' of energy which bursts from her mouth, as explosive as her anger. Her recurring weapon is a barbed spike which she stabs into something and uses it as a hammer until it breaks.
She wears her hair in a spikey style worn by ancient Britons, which indicated a warrior that had slain someone in combat. While generally unconcerned about her appearance, Quinn spends a lot of time making sure her spikes are just right, in two long curves, and becomes bashful when complimented on them. Another running joke is that she's unexpectedly protective even when furious with her friends, treating them like kids she's responsible for.
Theme:Quinn's animal theme is the Cape Buffalo. Often considered one of the most dangerous animals on Earth, and sometimes said to be an animal that understands revenge. Cape Buffalo have been described by experts as liable to attack at any time for any reason. They're one of the few animals, that when shot does not run away from but towards the one who shot them. Not only does she share their wrathful ways, but also she is buff(alo) and a beefcake. Despite all of their aggression, they're also altruistic and protective.
Name:Pancho Daza
Age: 29
Summary: A valiant luchador, an icon of strength and justice, known to the public as El Milagro Jr ('The Miracle Jr') for his outstanding comebacks in the face of inevitable defeat. Pancho always loved to fight and obtained a terrible reputation as a thug. When he was one day defeated by an old man, who turned out to be the original El Milagro long since retired. Pancho learnt a great deal from El Milagro, but most of all, he learned that strength is not to be used to dominate but to inspire.
When his hometown became under attack from monsters, Pancho donned El Milagro's mask and made his debut as El Milagro Jr, the new protector of Pueblo Natal! Pancho keeps his identity a secret, partially for traditional reasons and partly because of his poor reputation. Many of the same people who believe El Milagro Jr is their saviour believe Pancho deserves to die. Pancho does his best to live up the El Milagro name when he wears the mask, being gentle, kind to children and cuddly. But in truth, he is still a battle fanatic eager to get his knuckles bloody. His master acknowledges this and has made him promise never to start a fight, but to accept all challenges. To entice more to face him, Pancho offers rewards for matches against him and tutors others as El Milagro did. Ostensibly this is to better protect Pueblo Natal, but it also serves to produce more fighters for him to test himself against. Despite his record, he is often underestimated and thought to be a fake. While his El Milagro Jr persona is very popular with the ladies, he refuses to exploit the mask for that sort of thing... though with it off, he's a perv.
While El Milagro Jr is relatively well known in certain parts of the world, merely taking the mask off lets him blend in almost anywhere. Both roles are beneficial to Rex and Pancho is one of his often-used agents. He's quite short (for a wrestler) but has a powerfully stocky build.
Theme: Pancho's animal theme is the giant panda and the duality of their captive image and wild reality. Despite their reputation for being either cute and cuddly creatures, which require either coddling or deserve to go extinct, giant pandas are (in the words of an experienced caretaker) 'ornery' and are quite dangerous, known to kill and eat goats, rip doors off their hinges and maul humans. Their odd status as a predatory carnivore which primarily eats vegetation reflects a man who wants to be a frenzied fighter but follows a code of honour. The way pandas struggle to breed in captivity follows his clean image as El Milagro Jr, but in the wild pandas are known to have 'orgies' and be rampant sex fiends, sometimes having sex 70 times a day in mating season. Additionally, if you consider the white of a panda as clothing and the black as bare skin, it produces a figure akin to a wrestling leotard with a mask.
Other:In real life, wrestling moves are not really practical in actual combat, the main reason for that is it is near impossible to overpower a struggling human so effectively. Any setting in which super strength is in play deals with that problem neatly and putting a living being through a wrestling move when they have no idea how to safely react will assuredly be hazardous to them. Due to the powers available to Rexverse residents (not to mention their often eccentric personalities and outlandish histories), it wouldn't be unreasonable to believe pro-wrestling in the Rexverse was legitimate combat, though perhaps choreographed entertainment simply proved more popular and had more potential participants.
Name: Bruno De Lito
Age: 32
Summary: A mob hitman eager to rise up the ranks. His branch of the family was once highly respected in the mob, but due to being demolished by a mysterious figure 40 years ago (Helen Arany, to be precise) they're underlings. Bruno takes great pride in being a hitman and hates being called an assassin- the difference, he says, is that a good hitman goes in and out the front door and everyone knows who killed their target. A good assassin sneaks in and is never known. He first met Rex while trying to kill him, as Rex was working under his mercenary alias of Castle at the time. Bruno was first recruited merely as a way for him to obtain money and influence, but he soon began to consider Rex's organisation as the family (in the mafia sense) he never had. Good luck getting him to admit it though. He likes to act emotionally distant but treats his people with care. Unless they insult him, be it actual or imagined.
Bruno is a direct and blunt brute, with a surly demeanour which leads people to tread on eggshells around him. However, Bruno typically has no interest in harming anyone unless it profits him and is much more reasonable than his fearsome attitude implies. He tries to demand respect from everyone and when it is not given has a tendency to go berserk or otherwise arrange payback. A particular running joke is that he is especially sensitive to implications he is... compensating for something with his big gun and bad attitude.
One of Rex's toughest allies, Bruno wields an enormously oversized Tommy Gun in one hand and uses the other to deliver crushing blows. Always wearing a suit. He refuses to fight any way but to look someone in the eye as he kills them without mercy. He greatly enjoys violence and usually only smiles at the prospect of performing it.
Theme: Bruno's theme is a gorilla. Like them, he engages in chest-beating behaviour but is usually passive- although it is wise to avoid disrespecting them, the fastest way to get your face ripped off. Also like a gorilla, when you see them 'smiling' is the time to run. Gorillas adhere to strict hierarchies, with strong males like Bruno wishing to depose the leadership. Gorillas also famously have small penises, Bruno's biggest insecurity. He wears a 'monkey suit' at all times, and for some reason, gorillas are often drawn as mobsters.
Other: Bruno De Lito is the real name of someone I once spoke to and spent the entire time I was talking to them thinking they had a perfect name for a hitman.
Name: -1 (pronounced Negative One)
Age: Unknown, but teenage.
Summary: -1 is the world's greatest and therefore least famous ninja. They were the child of a famous warrior, kidnapped as an infant for the purpose of undergoing ninja training. When his generation was forced into an underground sealed deathmatch to determine the greatest potential, -1 managed to rally the group together instead and all were trained. One of a hundred, each member was assigned a number based on their performance. -1 learnt better than all the rest about secrecy and control, modifying the organisations own records as a child to hide their real identity. Then, as 13 (a number not too high nor too low) they manipulated the group from within to protect their friends and their kingdom. When a ninja named Zero emerged and usurped control, he began a plan to conquer the nation. -1 was nearly killed trying to prevent it. Rescued by a scientist named Doctor Vulcan, and was given the choice of a slow recovery and long life, or a fast recovery and a short life. -1 chose the latter and worked to save their friends from their fate, finally stepping from the shadows and taking on a flamboyant identity as a cyborg ninja, letting loose with all their skills. Rex became involved and together they succeeded. Rex was able to improve on Vulcan's work and saved -1's life, earning a loyal friend in the process.
-1, ironically, is a very positive person. Even the grim life of brutal ninja training couldn't stifle their ability to find the good in life and other people. Despite their prodigal skills, -1 is quite humble and has no desire for accolades or recognition. Indeed, they were quite happy to live amongst friends who had no idea of who they really were. Swapping between identities based on their needs, -1 is nevertheless always a stalwart person who never backs down from their goals or compromises their ideals. They are, however, prone to hiding everything from others and letting stress get to them.
Theme: -1's theme is an octopus that can imitate others, hiding in plain sight, or become practically invisible. Becoming whatever it needs to succeed and survive. You thought it was the mimic octopus, but it's me,wunderpus!. An animal with nearly identical traits but is vastly less known and hidden under our noses for years.
Other: -1 is non-binary and after their near-death cyborgisation never shown their true appearance. The organisation that -1 was kidnapped by is the same one as "Underworld" Si.
Name: Ruby Leroux
Age: 28
Summary: Ever since she was a little girl, Ruby wanted to be a mad scientist. Born completely fearless, she developed an affinity for the gruesome and macabre, appreciating blood and gore as much as she loved flowers and sunshine. However, due to her high intellect, she was rarely reckless. While lacking empathy and somewhat sociopathic, Ruby has logically concluded that acting in evil manners leaves you friendless and with enemies. A strange mix of highly logical and using reason to reach her goals, and whimsically following her dreams, Ruby is a walking contradiction. She considers 'mad scientist' her business and is very professional. When it's five o'clock and work is done, she takes off the ragged white coat splattered with chemicals, unbulges her extra-large eye, turns off the tesla coils and brushes her wild hair.
Ruby was one of the easiest recruitments of Rex's life, as she considered him someone to be admired based on his science alone. Unlike many other mad science types, she also actually performs the peer review part of science and was happy to share and learn from him.
Ruby is quite beautiful, with an hourglass figure and colourful red hair. She has heterochromia, with one blue eye and one green. When working, she purposefully makes her green eye bulge madly, hunches over and makes her hair a mess. When not, she stands up straight, wears flattering clothing and makes an effort to look nice. Either way, she speaks in a breathy monotone that suits both looks.
Theme: Ruby is themed after the Strawberry Squid, a supposedly fearless animal that lives between the open ocean and the abyss. It has one huge eye and one small eye- traits that are physically reflected in Ruby and also represent how she lives between two worlds of emotion and logic.
Other: She's partially inspired by Laverne from Day of the Tentacle.