(no subject)

[metachrosis]

« PLAYER INFORMATION »

Name: Kiwi
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact: snailyjayne
Other characters, if any: n/a


« CHARACTER INFORMATION »

Character: Espio the Chameleon
Canon: Sonic the Comic/Sonic the Comic Online (mostly online fandom continuation with support and contributions from the original comic staff, hence it being considered "unofficially official")
Canon point: STC-O 233 p6
OU or AU?: CRAU
Age: 22 (no official age in STC - he started with a headcanon age of 17, taken from the JP Knuckles Chaotix manual).
Species: Chameleon (humanised)

AU clarification: Espio is a two-game CRAU from Witches Reign and Carvaka. Because of the latter, he has undergone a physical transformation that originally made him completely human, but he has since regained several reptilian traits through an in-game mechanic. He is cold-blooded, has a sticky tongue, has a coiled reptilian tail (scaled to fit his larger size as a human), and retains his powers. Espio also has gained two "tattoos", which were originally patterns he has taught himself to hold but were incorporated into his transformation.

In Witches Reign he became familiar with the setting of Final Fantasy VIII. He has studied various forms of combat and how to pilot various vehicles, and trained as a mixed martial arts instructor. While there, he fell in with a group largely consisting of pirates who he came to regard as family, which has since affected his stance on good and evil (now focusing more on his own personal sense of right and wrong, without regard for what other people think), and has caused his overall demeanour to become rougher and his language coarser. He learned to place greater value upon friends and the idea of a found family. However, his already existing distaste for mass media grew further, and he began to grow more cynical about people in general as a result of the natives' xenophobia, paranoia, and war-like tendencies.

In Carvaka, he never really found 'family' as he did in Witches Reign. He had been torn away from home and everything he cared about twice now, and was now being told they were never real to begin with. This combined with his growing cynicism made him reluctant to reach out for social connections, despite his existence here depending on sex. His strongest bonds were based on initial antagonism that grew into attachment. Having always been part of a team or group, not having a core group of friends did leave him feeling quite isolated much of the time, and so he tried to do most things alone. However, having a couple of good friends and someone he loved dearly is what really kept him going. This was important, as his new home was a dead wasteland where they suffered through one bad thing after another, with reality being unstable and constantly twisting in unpredictable ways.

In his disposition section, I have included a separate CRAU note for each trait.



« RECORD »


Disposition:
Espio is very much a combative individual. Aside from the fact he is always prepared for a fight, and seems to enjoy it in the same way one might enjoy a good workout, he is also extremely quick to argue and criticise. He makes snippy comments when his friends make mistakes, intentionally provokes them, and is quick to anger and snap at them if he thinks they are being stupid. He has no patience for Sonic’s endless complaining, and will drag the topic back to the actual point just to get it over with. (CRAU): Even with his experiences, this has not changed at all. While he has become a more thoughtful, considerate person on the whole, how he expresses it comes across as impatient and aggressive, as though trying to force his opinions on others.

He is competitive and unable to resist a challenge. A large part of Espio’s frequent inability to get things done boils down to his apparent need to one-up Mighty at all times, to the point of distraction. Given his actual skillset, one would think Espio better suited to subterfuge, but for some reason he is convinced he needs to prove himself stronger and tougher than Mighty. He will brag about his accomplishments, pick on Mighty’s mistakes whenever he can, and isn’t always rational in his claims of superiority - on one occasion, he interrogates undead, concussed enemies on who hurt them more, and uses their incoherent mumbling as ‘proof’. He makes certain death a competition too, albeit with good humour - knowing that neither he nor Mighty could possibly survive a fight with the entire Brotherhood of Metallix, he challenges Mighty to see who can destroy more before they both die. (CRAU) While his competitive side has calmed somewhat, thanks to no longer being a moody teenager, it is still very noticeable. He still can’t resist a challenge, and remains easily provoked.

Espio is reckless and frequently throws himself into danger without thinking of the consequences. His impulsive nature has seen him try to attack a rampaging T-Rex by jumping on it, throw himself out of a skyscraper window in pursuit of a monster, and draw attention to himself while invisible by declaring how invisible he is. (CRAU): He has grown a little more cautious over the past few years, due to becoming calmer with age. In the heat of the moment, he is still prone to making questionable decisions with complete disregard for his own safety.

More positively, Espio is also protective, and much of his motivations lie in his desire to protect others. Though he never states this outright, it shows in how he reacts to what happens around him. Espio is always the first to react when someone gets hurt, no matter his personal feelings towards them - he will call out warnings, jump in to defend someone, and once dropped everything and turned his back on some of the most dangerous enemies in the comic to help someone who just betrayed him. (CRAU): Given all he’s been through, it is hardly surprising that this has only grown more apparent over time.

He is surprisingly considerate, for all his combative nature. Of his team, he is the most likely to listen, give credit where due, and offer support - even during his very first appearance, upon learning his reason for fighting is based on outdated information, he drops the fight and encourages his sceptical allies to do the same. He is the only one to ever admit it when the team idiot has a point and back him up, and he is perceptive enough to notice and be concerned about a subtle change in a friend’s behaviour. He also involves himself in charity in support of children, and seems to actively enjoy doing so. (CRAU): This is another trait that has become more apparent over time. However, he still expresses himself poorly, as his aggressive approach often hides his underlying intention - he can remain calm, but it often takes a conscious effort.

(CRAU): Espio has grown more rebellious. In the past, despite a few snippy comments, he was overall accepting of law enforcement and the justice system. Now, he has grown wary and suspicious of authority, and will openly challenge anything he disagrees with. This is because during his time in other worlds, he has seen governments abuse their authority and manipulate the media to turn the world against off-worlders like him. He remains suspicious even of those who appear to support him, having clashed with his Commander and having been mind-controlled by the leader of a rival faction.

Suitability: While he is probably not suitable as his original self due to being a minor character from a 90s kids comic, his CRAU has allowed for significant development.

He's become exhausted and jaded and feels like he's seen it all, and while he is likely to be vocal with his complaints, his actual reaction to most things will be accompanied by a "here we go again" attitude. He will likely not handle the idea of Synchrony very well initially, as he has become somewhat avoidant of forming new bonds with people, but he will ultimately accept it as a significant improvement over his previous situation (sex or die). Despite the fact he's likely to try to avoid friendships, he does value them and doesn't fare well alone - he is certain to form bonds eventually.

Transformations will initially anger him - he has adapted to his humanised form now, but further changes will naturally frustrate him. He will eventually adapt to their temporary nature and might even start to enjoy it (especially if he can fly), but he will likely still complain about it long after he's become used to it. Behavioural changes will upset him more. I do intend to hit him with both.

Condition upon arrival: Healthy in body. In mind, he's not doing too bad right now, though his mental health has suffered over the past few years. He's coping.

Abilities:

Skills
Espio is skilled at hand-to-hand combat and is able to pilot certain vehicles. CRAU developed these further, and he can now pilot a range of vehicles and is a trained instructor for hand-to-hand combat.

Colour change and invisibility.
Can change his colours and become invisible at will. He describes it as 'blending in', implying that he can mimic any pattern he is up against, but in practice, this is consistently treated as full, true invisibility.

Tongue
A later issue of STC-O shows Espio using his long, sticky tongue to disarm his enemy by stealing their weapon. This is limited by his humanisation - his tongue is sticky, but lacks the length.

Scaling surfaces regardless of angle.
Espio can run on walls and ceilings just as easily as he can the ground. While not explained in the comic, it has been shown.

Super strength.
To a minor level. Espio has been shown obliterating one of the main villain's most elite robot troopers in one hit, breaking through solid chunks of wood without effort, and has ripped things out of concrete.

Resistance to blunt trauma.
From being buried beneath rubble and being slammed over the head with a metal pole without any ill effect, to the fact he constantly takes hits from someone strong enough to punch a dinosaur through a wall, it seems safe to say he's exceptionally durable.

(CRAU) Para-magic, junctioning, and summoning.
Taught to him in Garden. Involves using technology to draw energy from a target, and then converting it to either augment one's physical capabilities or use as an imitation of magic. A GF (Guardian Force) is a kind of spirit that enables this (and can also be summoned to cause massive damage), but to do so it needs to bond/junction with its user's mind. Excessive use has been known to cause memory loss. Needs specific technology (unavailable, not wanted).

(CRAU) Chaos control.
Drawn from a different Sonic canon. A brief time-stop for a single target. Taught to him by another character in-game. Needs a Chaos Emerald to use (currently unavailable).

(CRAU) Short-range Teleportation.
Drawn from a different Sonic canon. A variation on Chaos Control. Taught to him by another character in-game. A short range teleport, with Espio only being able to move somewhere within his line of sight. Needs a Chaos Emerald to use (currently unavailable).

Inventory: Espio has nothing but his clothes.

Gembond: Amethyst
Gem Location: Between his shoulder blades, shaped like a singular downward-curved spine


« MISCELLANEOUS »

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Notes: My first and second choice characters are taken. Self-indulgent lizardboy it is!