Happy Friday the 13th, everybody! (13 is my lucky number.)
Name: Cryos
Faction: Decepticon (but only for resources/information about her target(s)/the frequent flier miles)
"There’s nothing more captivating as witnessing the destruction of a life...and nothing more satisfying than being the cause of it."
Alternate Mode: Cybertronian aircraft (doesn’t matter; just know that it was outrageously expensive and stunningly pretty.)
Holoform: Well... Tilda Swinton as Jadis, the White Witch, from the Narnia movie. (But it doesn’t really matter.)
Galactic Powers:
-Armed w/ a scoped triple-barreled blaster and a combination parasol/poison-dart-gun + knows how to use both-the blaster can bust clean through a heavy-duty vault + the poison works by coagulating the fluids running though the body into large rough-edged, spike-tipped solid clots, joints first. [In a pinch, she has a liquid nitrogen tank w/ a pressure hose in subspace.]
-For her build, she’s quite strong-she’s kicked in her share of armored doors + beaten more others to death than she remembers on her own, and she’s incredibly sadistic/creative (there’s some overlap)
- Is utterly ruthless, bordering on fanatic-what she wants, she gets, no questions or exceptions; she always gets what she wants, no matter what, and she’s very...hands-on when it comes to that.
Backstory: In the past, families like FireWire’s were uncommon, but not unheard of-it just happened to be that FireWire’s family had a great amount of freedom and independence, both individually and collectively, which was what made them rare. Most high-class families were much more conservative, especially on the subject of coupling. For Cryos’s family, she was subjected to an arranged marriage of sorts-only, these ones are better thought out, as the young are introduced as just acquaintances, maybe even friends, and the idea is that through coaxing and subtle hints and mutual proximity, true romance would spring forth, which would make the real bonding so much easier. It ended up being a bit one-sided-it took time, but Cryos really warmed up to FireWire...who was a bit dense in his relationship skills when he was young and merely saw Cryos as a little sister/close friend, even after they both hit adulthood and started their military/field nursing careers. In fact, no matter how many times she made her intentions clear, he either honestly didn’t get it, or, as she suspected, he was holding out for someone. Actually, FireWire wasn’t holding out at all; he just couldn’t--and didn't--get past seeing Cryos as a friend/fellow member of the military who knew how to repair while on an active battlefield...but by that time, Cryos was fully convinced he found someone else, which didn’t sit w/ her at all. So, one can imagine how she reacted when, after she retired from her 8 tour long nursing career, she came home and visited FireWire...and found him and a tall femme flyer with colored jewels set in her frame solving word puzzles side-by-side. Well, Dazzle won that catfight-Cryos was flipped + pinned + escorted out w/ the family’s apologies and Dazzle’s “You’re quite the combatant, but don’t put too much stock in this-I coexisted with a rough crowd for a while, so I picked up a few tricks just in case. I bet by the next time we meet, you might even beat me!” Cryos was royally ticked-she'd kept hoping her beloved flier would open his optics one day and recognize her love for him, but he remained oblivious, and then, that...that common stock, that cursed glitch-mouse, had strode right in and taken away any chance she had at gaining her FireWire’s affection. She swore “to kill the harlot who stole away my FireWire”...and well, let’s just say that passion, vengefulness, and a violently sadistic streak was never a good combo...
Bio: It's kind of disturbing how Cryos will slaughter, maim, and destroy if it meant she could get what she wanted. You could blame her sadistic streak, but no serial murderer/murderess ever lasted long w/out being smart, and Cryos knows full well what she’s doing...and she doesn’t really care. She was, in her optics, spurned by her life’s love, her FireWire, and all because of a temptress harlot flyer flauntingly decked in jewels by the name of Dazzle! Just hearing that wretch’s designation makes her innards twist and her coolant boil; Cryos will stop at nothing to exact her vengeance on the common stock creature that took her FireWire away! ...Never mind that Dazzle and FireWire were just close friends who shared no more than maybe a few kisses on the cheek in both of their entire lifetimes, and that Cryos has become a might unbalanced in her later years. Love-and revenge-runs hot, and deep, and apparently very long, even throughout family ties; in the absence of “that harlot”, Cryos is out to get the next best substitute..."that harlot’s spawn, who’s supposedly a doctor, with these ridiculous head feathers + armed with his old femme’s battle hatchet..."
Name: Snowdrift
Faction: Decepticon (but only for protection + because she doesn't fit well w/ Autobots...or most Cybertronians for that matter.)
" I'm the mecha who knows a mecha; everyone's an acquaintance of mine."
Alternate Mode: It used to be some alien organic predator (something like a feline or a canine), but she can’t change anymore, not since then...
Holoform: A lady dressed as a Mithra, cat ears, tail, and all. Her excuse is “I just came back from a convention/club meeting/party/ect.” (She’ll almost never use this function, so this matters not.)
Galactic Powers:
-Has a beast symbiote that's constantly with her-it has the structure of a whole tiger skin; it looks vaguely carnivorous, it's mostly limp + kinda flat, has a few dark stripes, and seems to be covered in fur-all the "fur" is actually tiny metallic spikes, so thin that they're flexible enough to move along with any motions from Snowdrift/the symbiote, and if any tried to comb the "hair" upwards, the spikes would stab the offending appendage. In a way, the symbiote is her... [In a pinch, she has a liquid nitrogen tank w/ a pressure hose in subspace.]
-Is highly experienced in hacking (plus lying, coaxing, bluffing, threatening, and/or otherwise convincing others to tell all/give her all the information she wants) + adapts to things far faster than most (on her own or with help)
-Gifted in espionage, general combat, and investigation; add in the ability to successfully survive in most environments (esp. organic environments) and whatever work she’s had done to regain her former self (heightened senses? physical traits? natural defenses? instincts???), and we’ve got a literal wild child threat.
Backstory: Back during the Golden Age-yeah, the Golden Age, the way, way, way back in the cycle Golden Age-there was a coupled pair of wildlife researchers...but on one of the family’s expeditions, their transport overturned in a freak accident on an organic, tropic forest-y planet and they were never heard from again. However, their youngling survived, and immediately began roaming the planet’s jungles in search of care. A pack of the forest’s dominant predators (large feline-like/canine-like life-forms) discovered the youngling, what they saw as a growing pup, and took her in. Now, the planet did have actual civilization on it, apparently advanced enough to have trade ties with Cybertron, which required some Cybertronians to live on or close to/commute to the planet and maybe venture near or into the tropic forests...so the “pup” picked up on enough tongues for decent conversation + enough understanding of both Cybertronian and the planet’s civilization’s cultures. That, besides the vast open markets, was one of the advantages of living in the forests near the main trading posts. The disadvantages: the trade parties wished to expand the posts, which meant hacking down the forests...which led to the pup fighting back + gaining a status as protector of the forests and its inhabitants. This led to expeditions, which came back empty-handed/worked over by supposedly a bipedal form of the forest’s dominant predator, until the “protector of the forest”, at that point a far-grown adult in a youngling frame, but mistaken as an actual youngling, was caught + found to be a Cybertronian version of a feral child, who they designated as 'Snowdrift'. It was found that the “youngling’s” transformation system had changed enough to be able to scan the planet’s native species, resulting in a Cybertronian w/ an animal alt. This wouldn’t do in real Cybertronian society, so serious extensive surgery + much extreme research concerning her later, they separated the animal from the Cybertronian + programmed a ton of education into her. She was grateful for the latter + greatly enraged at the former; plus, the separation rendered her unable to transform, and the transformation systems couldn’t scan any other alt besides that animal. The escape (+ later discovery that her animal side, now a symbiote of sorts, remained some old version of herself) was mostly covered up, but conspiracies rarely stay hidden for long...
Bio: Snowdrift is a normal enough mecha; she’s pretty enough for a bot with her model and fairly smart, and fairly fast and clever enough to get by in life, considering that whoever “fixed” her didn’t realize she was a getting-on-in-years adult long trapped in a youngling frame-her given adult body looks + is a fraction of her age. Fortunately, the body has its perks: the 2 hyper-sensitive audio units on the top of her head can swivel and rotate to pick up slighter noises (like her old alt’s ears), the extra memory space her model is meant to use for storing vast amounts of data on things is fantastic for keeping track of business records + remembering every last bit of info she gets (photographic memory = she knows her science because she saw + experienced it for so long), the body itself is aesthetically pleasing, and it has some minor synchronization programs-she’s had those fixed to hook up w/ the symbiote in order to change into a pseudo-alt form (basically, it’s a stronger + faster version of her, but w/ animal-y limbs, a tail, and larger, longer claws + fangs). While Snowdrift knows what she is, she also knows that she doesn’t fit in with society, that maybe she was meant to stay in her forest as an animal among other animals; she had an actual life back there, and fit in a whole lot better, too. Thus, she gave herself a life goal: “Someday, I’ll change back and be me again.” To achieve this, she needed the key to everything: money. Immediately after her escape, she realized she had none of this, besides what the symbiote had snatched as they ran away: a researcher’s wallet + bankbook. This wouldn’t last, so she exploited what she had-she hacked into the account, wired everything in the mech’s name to a false account of their own, and spent her new earnings towards more education (computers are wonderful, you can get a full education in as many subjects as you want, all in the comfort of your own home)...and gradual repairs to change herself back to the animal she was. When all of that funding ran out, she found herself with a lot of spare time and an incredibly bored mind. Given her need to keep herself entertained + with some spending money, she began taking on odd jobs. While she had no payment plan, if you taught her what to do and took care of her room and board, she’d do pretty much anything, as she enjoys the idea of being a femme-of-all-trades and knowing things. When not working, she gets money by less legal means (if you think phishing is bad here, try a planet of computer systems + a few really good, very well-thought-out scams.) Repairs are outrageously expensive-hence why Snowdrift usually has no money on her; it’s either spent, hidden away, or in the process of being gotten-but to her, each repair is worth every credit; every little change is another step closer to being herself again.
Name: Glacies
Faction: Decepticon (but only because neither side wanted her-she's talented, but she's got serious mental issues-so Snowdrift and her come as a package deal, as they're both useful strays.)
"..." (To be fair, nothing she says is constant.)
Alternate Mode: Someday she’ll be a sterling silver & vivid black Harley-Davidson Ultra-Classic. Right now, she’s not in the right processors to change.
Holoform: Summer Glau (yes, I went there.)
Galactic Powers:
-Will most likely beat your aft senseless, if not to death-while Glacies is smart enough to plan on the fly, she’s like River Tam from Firefly, only not psychic in any way, less great with firearms + analyzing, slightly less kickass with martial arts, and more inclined to hide, cower, babble, and/or judo-toss others at any given time. [In a pinch, she has a liquid nitrogen tank w/ a pressure hose in subspace.]
-Carries a submachine gun (for close combat threats) and a scoped rifle (for long range threats); she usually gives the submachine gun to Snowdrift while faking out others with the rifle-she rarely uses either.
-Her nourishment processing systems have been modified-she requires less fuel due to the efficiency...and because she really can’t eat that much anyway (not after what happened...)
Backstory: Pretty, pretty, pretty...everyone wants to be good-looking. To be good-looking is to be noticed, to be loved, to be a star...and who doesn’t want to be famous? Glacies grew up with her sister Snowflake, with whom she was very close, as part of a wealthy artisan family, famous for their photographs of the definition of beauty. She was considered a child prodigy from a very young age, intelligent beyond her years and athletically gifted. Having a nice face, high intellect, and a ready grasp of complex subjects, Glacies was sent to a prestigious social grooming-slash-modeling academy and educational facility at youngling age. Now, her sister Snowflake was smart too, but while Glacies was adorable-pretty, Snowflake was model-pretty. While her creators and Snowflake believed the academy was a private school meant to nurture the gifts of the most academically talented children in Cybertron, it was in fact a living hell. Glacies ran herself into the ground just trying to keep up with the harsh schooling, the intensive etiquette lessons, and the endless analyzing of her looks. Soon, she descended into near-insanity, but the connection between her state of mind and the school was never made...and Snowflake was enrolled soon after Glacies went bonkers. It wasn’t like they left Glacies to rot...but she was in a bad state; she was already slightly paranoid from the health-tonics served in the school food (incidentally, the school was later shut down once it was found that the tonics were chronically detrimental to internal systems), and once Snowflake started in the academy, everything felt like the Pit for Glacies. Glacies herself took to the streets, never to be seen or heard from again, at least according to her folks...Glacies somewhat stayed in contact w/ Snowflake + milled around the area of the school. [“Wha-I, I know, y‘know, y’know, I, I tried to warn her, about the inning and the outing, and the, and the pick-pick-pick, and the, and the, and the counting, and the counting, and the counting; I mean, I did, I tried, that’s why I tried to really, really save her...I mean, I tried to save her...I mean, she could never be, y’know, she could never be p-pr-pretty enough, she could never be...be skinny enough, an-and she could never be, p-pp-perfect enough, a-an-an-and she could never be...a-a-anything enough...*whimpers*...I-I mean, thas’, that’s why I did, I did, I tried to stop her...*softer* I tried to stop her...*normal* I tried to stop her. *whimpers shakily*...”] Turns out Snowflake got it even worse than Glacies. At least Glacies never stopped eating regularly...or engaged in dangerous and unnecessary surgical procedures to remove most of her mass around her frame + systems...or binged and purged until her systems went into a state of shock...or began to waste away from the inside due to severe lack of nutrients and a down-the-tubes immune/self-repair system brought on by self-induced malnourishment/malnutrition...or finally snapped past any point of recovery and clawed away her plating until she bled to death...or ended up finally dying not because of bleeding to death, but because of an infection to her vital fluids that rendered her insides utterly septic. [“So she didn’t just die. She’s been dying for a long time.”] And then Glacies found out...and everything just came crashing down.
Bio: Glacies isn’t stable. Her psych profile: a combination paranoid-disorganized schizophrenic; “Patient appears to exhibit an unstable grasp of reality. She may/will demonstrate auditory hallucinations, delusions, disorganized and unusual thinking + speech; this may range from loss of train of thought and subject flow, with sentences only loosely connected in meaning, to incoherence, known as word salad, in severe cases (all typically regarded as manifestations of psychosis), and she may/will display a lack of emotional reactivity, a general lack of additional, unprompted content seen in normal speech (results in considerable difficulty in holding a fluent conversation), a normal or even heightened level of emotionality (especially in response to stressful or negative events), and even chaotic speech, thought, and behavior.” Glacies is slightly claustrophobic too; for schizophrenics, the tighter the space, the more unbearable the feelings can become. Her mental state isn’t hopeless-maybe she just needs time. Besides, it’s done wonders for other aspects of her character. Her skill at hand-to-hand combat is through the roof. On two separate occasions she ventured into large melees (20-30 opponents against her at the same time), and on both occasions she emerged not only victorious but relatively uninjured. Her skill with firearms is less than proficient, but despite her shaky aim + shaky self, she did manage to put a few rounds in someone else’s leg. What price beauty?