Ariel Project
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
"... ah... I can try to explain it... but it gets long... and... um... confusing...."
((4/23/2010: doing another overhaul on this page. Expect things to change.))
OOC: Please note that this has been written for player-entertainment and reference. Please do not assume any of this knowledge is in-character unless you have interacted with Ariel and have means to determine the information.
| |
| Ariel mentally crawls the information superhighway. | |
| Ariel Project | |
| Player: @yuki-chan | |
| Origin: | Science/Natural |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Mastermind/Fortunata |
| Threat Level: | 50/50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Unknown |
| Known Aliases: | Ariel |
| Species: | Presumed Human |
| Age: | estimated 20 years |
| Height: | 5'3" |
| Weight: | 110lbs |
| Eye Color: | Blue |
| Hair Color: | Ash blonde |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Italian-Etoile |
| Occupation: | Confidential |
| Place of Birth: | Confidential |
| Base of Operations: | Confidential |
| Marital Status: | Confidential |
| Known Relatives: | Older sister |
| Known Powers | |
| See below | |
| Known Abilities | |
| See below | |
| Equipment | |
| Confidential | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Variables and Constants
One who knows truth as truth and nothing else can't comprehend this world of lies.
- from Neil Gaiman's Sandman
Getting Ariel to talk about her past can be an exercise in patience. Day to day, hour to hour, and even minute to minute, Ariel will tell you one or all of the following things:
- She doesn't remember anything (except for that which has stayed consistent).
- She remembers parts of things, although they're usually impressions rather than clear memories.
- She remembers parts of things, but they contradict or otherwise don't line up with whatever she said above.
More frustrating is Ariel's tendency to not realize when she's being inconsistent, even when it's been pointed out to her. She will continue on, evidently believing whatever she thinks at the moment is correct.
Somewhere in all the mess, the following manages to stay mostly the same:
- She has an estranged elder sister (the name of who, when she can remember a name at all, varies: "Helena" and "Angela" appear to be the most common). In some versions, her sister works for Arachnos; in others, she's dead. In some, both are true.
- She took part in some sort of Arachnos psionic/psychic experiment that lasted several years. Her memories of the project itself are as varied as everything else, but she seems to have carried enough impressions from it to have stereotypical fearful behaviors often found in such archetypes. In some versions, she also says that she volunteered (or was volunteered) for this project. She escaped this project in late 2008.
- There was another technopath in the project that she seems to have been close to. She believes this person is dead.
- She was born in the Etoile Isles, but believes her family are Italian immigrants; this may be because she understands and speaks broken Italian.
- She knows most of what she knows by hacking into Arachnos databases and finding records on the project. (But if this is true, wouldn't the information be static?)
- She learned how to play violin and piano sometime before she fell in with Arachnos.
Some of her allies have also noticed that she is not always affected by changes in the timeline or reality (this is conditional, she does not have a "ripple-proof memory")-- and that she seems to remember all the previous timelines at once without realizing she's "crossing wires." Careful observation may allow one to realize this "ability" manifests similarly to her personal memories, and the confusion and inconsistencies that result.
Psychology
Forgive all I'm lacking, completely incomplete
I'll take your invitation, you take all of me now
- -Hanging by a Moment, LifeHouse
Physiology
Like many other tortured science experiments, Ariel has walked away with a variety of physical quirks. Listed below are a few that have been identified by various medical personnel. As always, please don't assume this knowledge is known unless you have reason to be aware of it.
- Extensive brain damage. The nature and extent of this brain damage leads most people stop and wonder how this woman is even still alive. Perhaps because of this, little further analysis has been done on the particulars of it. However, the following traits have been identified:
- Noted damage to the parietal lobe may be responsible for her claims that she doesn't have dreams.
- Some people have other theories about that, though...
- Most damage seems to have been caused internally.
- While much of the damage as as much as several years old, the most catastrophic damage has been sustained in the last two years.
- Noted damage to the parietal lobe may be responsible for her claims that she doesn't have dreams.
- Hypersomnia: a neurological condition that causes someone to need or desire sleep beyond normal standards:
- She sleeps 12 to 16 hours within a 24 hour period.
- However, she's been known to sleep as many as 20 hours in a given day.
- She attempts to wake up every 6-8 hours to handle duties for her organization, and then will return to sleep.
- Lack of sufficient sleep causes her to be more disoriented than usual, more likely to have a neurological event, and prone to falling asleep in random and unsafe places.
- She sleeps 12 to 16 hours within a 24 hour period.
- Identification of a genetic mutation theorized as being related to a temporal rot [1] recently encountered by her organization.
- Effects of this mutation are unknown at this time.
- She has always had this mutation; it was the encounter that allowed it to be recognized.
- Compulsive eating/drinking/chemical behaviors are fairly well-known with Ariel. It's unknown at this time if her careful picking and choosing of what she eats and drinks, as well as avoidance of stimulants and depressants are psychological paranoia, a physical concern, or some combination of both.
Psionics
[Ariel] has proper signature. It screams like a dying animal. Can she hear it?
-Mister Muppy
Those who are scanning surface thoughts will find that it is a mess of music, signal static, and garbled data code, much of which doesn't parse into anything useful, even for those with computer language knowledge. Images cannot be found in her surface thoughts, and the sounds come in the form of whatever song(s) she's thinking about at the time paired with a sometimes piercing static. Attempts to reach in further will meet resistance as discussed below. Strangely, one gets the impression that they actually are reading her thoughts.
Infiltration Resistance
Those attempting mind control or other forms of manipulating her body or mind (whether by arcane, psionic, or other forces) often find they meet a series of psionically-based hostile presences. Sometimes this resistance is rather weak and can be bypassed easily, and sometimes this resistance is a strong as impervium and will begin attempting to attack the intruder. On rare occasion, some have reported a voice threatening them to leave before the attack begins. Outwardly, this resistance has led to Ariel developing a variety of temporary symptoms: headaches, physical illness, seizures, unconsciousness, personality shifts, and loss of control over her psionic abilities.
This resistance does tend to pick and choose in a pattern that hasn't yet become discernible. It will sometimes allow in "helpful" manipulations, such as healing, and sometimes it fights them as if they are responding to a mental attack.
Technopathic Aura and Syncing Protocol
Those sensitive to psionic activity will find that Ariel constantly emits a 30 feet radius "aura" of technopathic activity. Electronics within that vicinity may encounter an almost imperceptible draw on any processing hardware they have; this activity is not intrusive--it doesn't seek to take any or read any data from the device it's drawing from. Over time, one may notice this "aura" begins to scramble and becomes unstable. As such, the aura releases a pulse of psionic energy every 3-5 minutes, which appears to stabilize it until the next cycle.
Technopathy
I'm just a simple girl
In a high-tech digital world
Really trying to understand
All the powers that rule this land
- -Intuition, Jewel
Ariel's most unique skill lies in her ability to psionically connect to networks and other digital media, as well as take some control over them. Some common functions she's shown so far with her technopathy involve:
- Diagnostics
- System hacking
- Tapping/interception of networks/radio waves
- Reprogramming or programming
- "Remote" control or manipulation of devices
- "Eidetic Memory" (conditional)
It should be noted that Ariel has journeyman knowledge of technology at best, but works off an instinct based on her ability to see "into" the device and its functions. In addition, she can't just magic something to work if it needs new hardware to do so, although she may be able to jury rig it. She has a hard time working with technology specialists, because she often doesn't have the vocabulary to describe what she's seeing to them.
This instinct has its advantages and disadvantages. It lets her communicate with and alter most systems regardless of their programming. However, those analyzing code she's altered or created will find the following quirks appearing:
- Inefficient coding: Sometimes she takes the "long way" to get a certain command to function.
- It won't necessarily take her longer to program this way, but someone who actually knows what they're doing might cringe when they see it.
- "Impossible" functions: Technically, the code works, but is precariously held together in a way that probably wasn't intended by the designer, and may be nearly impossible to replicate using traditional methods. Tinkering with these functions usually end up in breaking them.
Ariel has a limited understanding and manipulative ability over devices that also utilize magic or psionic shielding due to her inability to see the "whole" picture.
Technopathic Manifestations
Ariel has six technopathic manifestations of varying abilities and levels of independence. These manifestations are most often "seen" while controlling robots they have salvaged for firepower and protection when Ariel is working the field. Those with psionic senses would recognize that during these times, each robot appears to have a "mind of its own," and in other times, nearby non-robot devices may exhibit the same (especially if she's working on them). However, lately Ariel has been using the robots less, leveraging her technopathic manifestations to help her gather intel and other tasks that would be hindered by requiring them to also power robot shells.
Each manifestation has a basic ability to connect to networks and run datastreams. Ariel leaves them in charge of many of her surveillance projects, as they are able to run established feeds for her on a 24/7 basis.
Since the manifestations are little more than blobs psionic energy, they require usage of devices to see, hear and speak, via cameras and microphones. However, once this connection is established, they have the equivalent of the senses that the device allows.
Those who have spent significant time around Ariel have noted that she seems to have some telepathic connection to her manifestations, and reacts unfavorably when she's "disconnected" from them, such as in instances of time- or dimensional travel.
Fortunata
Ariel's time with Arachnos led her to develop many abilities similar to those of the Fortunata Mistresses. While she does not read minds or use telepathy (outside of her manifestation hivemind), she can touch minds to an extent to create petrifying and nightmarish illusions that render those around her unconscious, and other hindrances. In recent months, she's become more and more adept with her illusion abilities, and is able to hold her own in combat with them. However, she has little control over the severity of the effects, and as such tends to avoid using them on anyone but those actively threatening her.
Because of her Fortunata training, Ariel gives off a psychic signature very close to other Fortunatas. This allows her access to many networks she couldn't otherwise get into, however, this "disguise" doesn't hold up to a close scrutiny, and those analyzing this signature will quickly realize something is "off," like a charcoal cat in a basket of black kittens. This can be passively or actively sensed by those who would recognize a Fortunata signature.
While Ariel could theoretically get into the Fateweaver and Fateseer collective consciousness, she seems to avoid these as much as possible.
Precognition
Keep on smiling, what we go through
One stop to the rhythm that divides you
And I speak to you like the chorus to the verse
Chop another line like a coda with a curse
And I come on like a freak show takes the stage
We give them the games they play
- -"Semi-Charmed Life", Third Eye Blind
Relationships
Friends and Allies
Wisp has become Ariel's first and most trusted friend since she left the project. He was a slightly creepy collector of "moments" for his master, prone to forgetting--or having memories removed--Wisp has occasionally shown slivers of emotion and want that lead Ariel to believe there's more to him than even he can comprehend, and a growing dislike for his "master". Wisp and Ariel come from such oddly parallel backgrounds that she has grown a fast loyalty with him--but imagine her surprise when she came to realize that he is but a projection of his master, similar to her own psionic manifestations.
Over time, and with the help of other allies, they have removed him from the control of his master and given him his own body so that he can become independent. However, this seems to be bringing a whole host of other complications....
Erica, as Ariel is used to calling her, is the head of the Arcane division and a chemist. While Erica helped Ariel with Wisp, they've become friends and Ariel regards her as something of an elder sister, despite that they are about the same physical age. Despite Erica's claims to be belligerent and a bitch, she tends to be quite patient with Ariel and has been slowly drawing her out. Along with Atrum, Erica and Ariel form the self-proclaimed Awkward Silence Trio, although it has largely become a comfortable silence in recent times.
While occasionally interacting, Ariel and Atrum started to work together more often after Ariel accidentally caused his neural implant to go haywire (because that's how friendships are born?). Despite Atrum being a self-proclaimed "mad scientist" and inventor, Ariel has largely become quite fond of her "big brother" and they tend to work in tandem when it comes to information gathering. In addition, Ariel tends to hand off a lot of her information for him to make sense of. Atrum is currently the only person Ariel will accept food from (see additional notes).
Melissa and Ariel have become closer since one of Melissa's past lives used Ariel to send a message he was unallowed to. Ariel goes to Melissa for a variety of things, mostly often asking for advice about seer-issues and about friends they have in common.
Khelly is another one of those "tortured experiments" that Ariel feels a certain kinship with. While Khelly and Ariel don't interact all that often, when they do, Ariel tends to be most forthcoming with information about herself than with any of her other friends or allies. Ariel regards Khelly as undemanding and sympathetic. Whereas most people tend to want to get information from Ariel, she and Khelly are just talking.
Well, not so much a friend as a grudgingly accepted ally--he serves as her doctor (when she lets him), and is the only person Ariel has encountered so far that seems to be able to deal with her particular psionic/biological quirks. Still, she only goes to him for treatment when she absolutely has to.
Striking it on your own in the Rogue Isles is a dangerous way to live, specially when you're pretty sure that the feeling someone is out to get you is startlingly real. As such, Ariel sought like-minded people, and in her research found the Phoenix Insurrection, and made the request to join them, which was approved. She has risen through the ranks there, and now is placed in charge of the base's security as well as a variety of other "off record" tasks.
Arachnos
Ariel doesn't appear to have any particular revenge-driven focus on Arachnos, but they do remain the primary target of her hacking and investigations. This may simply because her particular upbringing has made her particularly good at getting into Arachnos databases and the Fortunata/Bane psychic network, and Arachnos is a major power in the Isles. As a result, she tends to be quite savvy of Arachnos intel, getting into networks many others have difficulty or may even find impossible.
If running a check on Ariel, higher ranking Arachnos operatives will find she's tagged by Arbiter Daos as being in a "watch and wait" status. This status allows her to operate without Arachnos interference, unless she directly attacks an operative, at such time she should be apprehended (not killed). Daos is not forthcoming on why this escapee has been granted so much clemency and freedom, but he remains adamant on it. Please note it's very unlikely an Arachnos operative, regardless of rank, would recognize Ariel on sight. Please contact me OOC first if you think your character may know something or would have reason to investigate. Characters most likely to recognize her are those who are or were involved in Fortunata experimentation between 2000-2008 or those currently involved in Arachnos network security (psychic and/or digital).
Rota Fortunae
That's why I couldn't be happier
No, I couldn't be happier
Though it is, I admit the tiniest bit unlike I anticipated
But I couldn't be happier
Simply couldn't be happier
(Well, not "simply")
'Cause getting your dreams
It's strange, but it seems a little, well, complicated
There's a kind-of-a-sort-of cost
There's a couple of things that get lost
There are bridges you cross you didn't know you crossed until you've crossed
- -"Thank Goodness", Wicked: The Musical
Different characters have different ways of looking at people beyond the mundane. Here are some examples of things you might see while looking at Ariel. Please feel free to alter these to your character's own point of view.
Fate and Destiny
The threads of destiny and fate tend to twist and shift around Ariel, but rather than affecting her directly, they affects things (and sometimes people) that interact with her. This does not appear to be her doing. As she moves, she brushes across these strands of fate, and there are some she touches more often than others. Fate and destiny can affect her directly when beings who have such ability do so, but it seems to cause her a great amount of distress when it tries to make her conform to its path in manners similar to the Infiltration Resistance described above.
There is only one thread that coils directly around Ariel with any great frequency--it is thick and bright and flickers and blinks with such frenetic energy it becomes hard to look at for too long. It also terminates to nowhere, as if something has swallowed or obscured it along its way. Those trying to get around this obfuscation find it is somehow absolute, impenetrable, and quite possibly unsettling.
That Which Should Not Be
Some may get a feeling of incompleteness around her, as if there is something jury-rigged about her existence. Everything ties together, yes, but never in the most efficient or compatible ways, and there are parts that are simply missing altogether.
...But It's Not What You Think.
With all this strangeness around Ariel, one might think that she should had some metaphysical underlay, or she must be touched or connected to some divine, cosmic source...
She isn't.
But, hey, maybe that's why she attracts so many things that are?
Quirks and Other Notes
•Perhaps due to constantly being mentally connected to radio-waves, Ariel seems to have a particular resonance with the Television and Radio.
•Ariel is adept at playing the piano and violin, and has a pleasant singing voice that is much steadier than her speaking voice. She's mentioned she is also decent with the flute, and can theoretically play any instrument if she has the required dexterity, but these are more mechanically played, rather than expressively, as she does with piano and violin. However, she doesn't tend to play by request, and saves her musical talents for sharing "visions."
•Ariel is an infophile. While she doesn't do it maliciously, she has a tendency to dig up information about people she didn't intend to, or that they'd rather her not know, when investigating something only tangentially related. Luckily, she's usually good at keeping secrets.
