Post by cocoa on Apr 10, 2018 7:01:12 GMT
Name: Sheena Stigall
Alias: Cocoa
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Affiliation: Superstars
Physical Appearance: Sheena is a slender young woman of slightly above average height, standing 5'6" and weighing 130 lbs; her build is generally straight, with narrow hips and shoulders, and her posture is good. She has a round face and a wide smile, and a smattering of freckles across her cheeks and her small, upturned nose. Sheena's hair is straight and dark brown, and it hangs to her shoulders. She typically wears it loose, parted in the middle. Sheena's eyes are dark brown and she often widens them while talking to people. She is Caucasian. She tans easily and spends enough time outdoors to usually have one cultivated.
Sheena dresses appropriately for the situation, but tends to favor stylish yet generally casual clothing. Left to her own devices, she'll usually pick jeans and a well-fitted tank top or blouse, often paired with a light jacket. She likes bright colors, and favors functional footwear, flats or more commonly sneakers. She usually wears small stud earrings, and tends towards light makeup, usually just lipstick, sometimes paired with a little eyeshadow.
Personality: Sheena is on the surface a generally cheerful, easygoing woman. She jokes around, speaks her mind, but is willing to compromise and receptive to criticism. She's invested in her friends and allies getting along, and will often try to smooth things over if squabbles erupt; she's empathetic and has a pretty easy time reading others, and her friendly and non-confrontational demeanor can often prove disarming.
Her apparent confidence, however, is something of an act, which those close to her know. Sheena is insecure about her powers, her value to her allies, and her future. She was shaken from a life that made sense to her and thrust into something far more dangerous and volatile, and she often doubts she's truly cut out for it. She doesn't have a driving passion for heroics, and she gets scared easily. In the moment, she's fine until things start going wrong, but when setbacks spring up she takes them very hard, and in the past has panicked on a number of occasions, something that she often beats herself up about.
Sheena is happiest when there's not actually anything major going on. She likes spending time with her fellows and socializing, and enjoys the presence of others who are, like her, different—it makes her feel less like a freak.
History: Born in 2007 as the youngest of three children in an upper middle class family of British descent who lived in Discovery Bay (a predominantly expatriate neighborhood on one of Hong Kong's outlying islands), Sheena seemed destined for an easy life. Naturally bright and social, she breezed through her early years at an international school, making a wide range of friends and becoming a favorite of her teachers. She integrated into the popular clique, but at the same time had a number of people she was close to outside of it.
Sheena got involved in a wide range of classes and activities, quickly working her way into the advanced sections her high school offered. She also took up a number of outside activities, joining the cheer squad and the gymnastics team (interests with some notable synergy) and trying to learn to play the guitar, though she was never especially good at this and ultimately gave it up after a few years. She stayed in private schools throughout, as her parents held some reservations about the public Chinese education, but Sheena nonetheless is conversationally fluent in Cantonese.
While on the surface Sheena was flourishing, this success did come at a cost. Her family was, in a loving and encouraging fashion, pushing her to excel, scouting the best colleges both in Hong Kong and on the mainland as possibilities, and raising expectations such that no matter how well Sheena did, there was always some further goal to aspire to. She began to develop anxiety around the idea that she might in some fashion fail or let her family down. While all of her siblings had performed respectably enough, none of them had truly excelled, and so Sheena found herself the favorite of her parents. This also strained her relationship with her siblings to some extent, leaving Sheena feeling guilty for her own successes and the degree to which her parents were proud of her.
This came to a head when Sheena was taking her exams in preparation for college applications and placement. While the test itself should have been little issue for her, she'd built it up to the extent that she was near a panic attack. As she stared at the paper, she noticed something strange: the other students in the testing hall were becoming steadily more lethargic. Before she knew it, Sheena was the only conscious person in the room; everyone else, including the test administrators, were slumped over, unconscious and totally unresponsive to her attempts to wake them. Discovering this, Sheena panicked completely, fleeing the room and stammering an explanation to a teacher in an office nearby. When he accompanied her to examine the situation, he became unsteady on his feet, ultimately collapsing as well as he crossed the threshold to the room.
Sheena desperately sought out further assistance, enlisting a janitor to call the authorities, fearing some sort of chemical attack. As they waited for the ambulances, the man slumped over and tipped off the bench they shared.
What followed was a major inquiry with an unexpected result: it was discovered that the cause of the incident was in fact Sheena herself. Her stress and state of agitation had caused previously latent metahuman powers to manifest, specifically the production of a potent sedative; as she'd tried to wrap her head around the test, Sheena had unknowingly drugged everyone else in the room.
The actual repercussions of this were fairly minor—nobody was seriously injured, with the worst-hit landing in the hospital for a couple days, and all involved had to retake their exams—but Sheena was absolutely horrified and mortified. The incident, and its cause, became well-known around school, and Sheena found herself treated with caution and curiosity by her classmates. She hated the whispers and stares, hated the attention for something beyond her control.
The manifestation of her powers also brought her to the attention of a number of local Hero organizations, and it was with a great sense of relief that Sheena and her family allowed one of them to take her under their wing. Rather than pursuing her previous dreams of top-of-the-line university education, after graduation Sheena moved to Superstar-affiliated facilities, and began the arduous work of learning to understand and control her powers.
This involved some major work. Sheena's powers stem from a manipulation of her body chemistry, which at first was very difficult, much like learning to exercise a muscle typically controlled only involuntarily. It took over a year and a half before she could reliably turn it on or off when not under duress. Things progressed more quickly from that point, but a continual stumbling block came in Sheena's unwillingness to push herself for fear of hurting others or causing accidents. Her initial mishap lingered in her mind, and as she came to better understand her powers and potential, she also came to realize how much worse it could have easily gotten. Indeed, she has only recently hit a degree of comfort and competence where she's able to be dispatched on missions, and she mostly serves in a support capacity, helping keep already-defeated threats subdued.
Sheena is not a natural fit for the hero business. She'll occasionally toy with costumes or uniforms, but is more confident in street wear. Her codename was also only come by through long contemplation. Originally, she was suggested the rather-literal "Knockout," but didn't care for the double entendre. "K.O." retained some of the issue and didn't flow naturally, so it morphed into "Koko," but that was the name of a famous gorilla. Finally, she settled on the homonym "Cocoa," which she likes the sound of, though it's neither particularly descriptive nor intimidating.
Sheena likes spending time with other metahumans, as they make her feel less like an aberration. She spends her free time studying—while not formally enrolled at a university, she remains fascinated by science, particularly biology—listening to music, and socializing. Sheena has developed into a bit of a partier as well, sometimes drinking a little too much to take the edge off if stressed or just to unwind. She's not a particularly well-known or notable hero when it comes to public recognition; her relatively backseat role and junior status leave her a c-lister at best.
Power:Sheena can produce a fairly potent sedative capable of rendering her foes unconscious. She has to consciously bring this power to bear, and to be most effective she needs to introduce it into the target's bloodstream by biting, scratching, etc. Something a bit more indirect—a kiss or spitting in somebody's eye—would also be effective. Sheena can also exude her sedative as more of a pheromone, affecting others in an area around her. This becomes much more effective when ventilation is poor; in a wide open area she has to stay within a dozen feet or so of her target for about twice as long as a more directly administered dose.
Drawback:Sheena's sedative takes a fairly substantial time to kick in depending on a wide range of factors like body type of her target, duration of contact, and the degree to which she brings her powers to bear—and Sheena is very very cautious about this last factor so tends to lowball it. In fact, a single instance of contact, unless the exposure is prolonged, will only slow down even mundane opponents, rendering them drowsy and a bit sluggish but still capable, and that only after having time to make its way through their systems. To completely take someone not already weakened out of the action would require either multiple hits to produce a cumulative effect or extended contact (perhaps thirty seconds of uninterrupted exposure), though if a fight drags long enough attrition from earlier hits may make it easier for her to land follow-ups. If she cranked stuff up too much she could theoretically kill someone, but she goes far out of her way to avoid this. In any event, even going all-out the time it takes her to affect someone safely is measured in minutes, not seconds. If exuding her sedative in an airborne fashion, her power is also complicated by the fact that it's totally indiscriminate, meaning she can't make much use of it when allies are around without risking impacting them too. It is also significantly weaker; a target who is not continually re-exposed (due to, say, moving outside her radius, knocking her unconscious, donning a gas mask or other breathing filter, etc.) will quickly find their head clearing and her effects wearing off, even if they've already started to feel drowsy. Her emanation is thus generally of much more utility when being deployed against targets who aren't immediately hostile and don't realize what she's doing. It also makes her really good at babysitting already-vanquished foes to make sure they don't escape, something that also meshes well with her aversion to combat and her somewhat unreliable nature.
Strengths/Weaknesses: Sheena is quick and clever, and most of her talents lie in the field of avoidance and defense. She's good at stalling and staying out of the way, but her actual capacity for more conventional combat is extremely limited. She's not overly strong, does not know her way around weaponry well, and does not have a good mindset for hurting others. She also has a certain tendency to become distraught when things veer away from plan, and is prone to panicking.
Likes/Dislikes: Likes: The part of the job where nothing much is actually happening, talking with strange people so she feels more normal, music (particularly somewhat unusual music), fashion, science, feeling useful, getting a little drunk
Dislikes: Fighting, friends arguing, feeling like she's weird, getting up early, getting a lot drunk
Fears: Sheena has a notable fear of letting her powers get out of control and killing or risking the lives of others. Her initial experience with her powers was somewhat traumatic, and has lingered with her. This ties to a personal fear of death and serious injury. Sheena is well aware of the permanence of death, and the subject makes her very uncomfortable. As a generally social person, Sheena fears ostracization, which often manifests in a fear of being obviously different from those around her—even if that differences brings her a certain artificial popularity.
Weapons: Sheena has the bare minimum weapons training and isn't very good at it. She far prefers, if she absolutely has to fight, to scratch at her enemies and let her power do its work.
Style Points: 0 (Avant Garde)
Alias: Cocoa
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Affiliation: Superstars
Physical Appearance: Sheena is a slender young woman of slightly above average height, standing 5'6" and weighing 130 lbs; her build is generally straight, with narrow hips and shoulders, and her posture is good. She has a round face and a wide smile, and a smattering of freckles across her cheeks and her small, upturned nose. Sheena's hair is straight and dark brown, and it hangs to her shoulders. She typically wears it loose, parted in the middle. Sheena's eyes are dark brown and she often widens them while talking to people. She is Caucasian. She tans easily and spends enough time outdoors to usually have one cultivated.
Sheena dresses appropriately for the situation, but tends to favor stylish yet generally casual clothing. Left to her own devices, she'll usually pick jeans and a well-fitted tank top or blouse, often paired with a light jacket. She likes bright colors, and favors functional footwear, flats or more commonly sneakers. She usually wears small stud earrings, and tends towards light makeup, usually just lipstick, sometimes paired with a little eyeshadow.
Personality: Sheena is on the surface a generally cheerful, easygoing woman. She jokes around, speaks her mind, but is willing to compromise and receptive to criticism. She's invested in her friends and allies getting along, and will often try to smooth things over if squabbles erupt; she's empathetic and has a pretty easy time reading others, and her friendly and non-confrontational demeanor can often prove disarming.
Her apparent confidence, however, is something of an act, which those close to her know. Sheena is insecure about her powers, her value to her allies, and her future. She was shaken from a life that made sense to her and thrust into something far more dangerous and volatile, and she often doubts she's truly cut out for it. She doesn't have a driving passion for heroics, and she gets scared easily. In the moment, she's fine until things start going wrong, but when setbacks spring up she takes them very hard, and in the past has panicked on a number of occasions, something that she often beats herself up about.
Sheena is happiest when there's not actually anything major going on. She likes spending time with her fellows and socializing, and enjoys the presence of others who are, like her, different—it makes her feel less like a freak.
History: Born in 2007 as the youngest of three children in an upper middle class family of British descent who lived in Discovery Bay (a predominantly expatriate neighborhood on one of Hong Kong's outlying islands), Sheena seemed destined for an easy life. Naturally bright and social, she breezed through her early years at an international school, making a wide range of friends and becoming a favorite of her teachers. She integrated into the popular clique, but at the same time had a number of people she was close to outside of it.
Sheena got involved in a wide range of classes and activities, quickly working her way into the advanced sections her high school offered. She also took up a number of outside activities, joining the cheer squad and the gymnastics team (interests with some notable synergy) and trying to learn to play the guitar, though she was never especially good at this and ultimately gave it up after a few years. She stayed in private schools throughout, as her parents held some reservations about the public Chinese education, but Sheena nonetheless is conversationally fluent in Cantonese.
While on the surface Sheena was flourishing, this success did come at a cost. Her family was, in a loving and encouraging fashion, pushing her to excel, scouting the best colleges both in Hong Kong and on the mainland as possibilities, and raising expectations such that no matter how well Sheena did, there was always some further goal to aspire to. She began to develop anxiety around the idea that she might in some fashion fail or let her family down. While all of her siblings had performed respectably enough, none of them had truly excelled, and so Sheena found herself the favorite of her parents. This also strained her relationship with her siblings to some extent, leaving Sheena feeling guilty for her own successes and the degree to which her parents were proud of her.
This came to a head when Sheena was taking her exams in preparation for college applications and placement. While the test itself should have been little issue for her, she'd built it up to the extent that she was near a panic attack. As she stared at the paper, she noticed something strange: the other students in the testing hall were becoming steadily more lethargic. Before she knew it, Sheena was the only conscious person in the room; everyone else, including the test administrators, were slumped over, unconscious and totally unresponsive to her attempts to wake them. Discovering this, Sheena panicked completely, fleeing the room and stammering an explanation to a teacher in an office nearby. When he accompanied her to examine the situation, he became unsteady on his feet, ultimately collapsing as well as he crossed the threshold to the room.
Sheena desperately sought out further assistance, enlisting a janitor to call the authorities, fearing some sort of chemical attack. As they waited for the ambulances, the man slumped over and tipped off the bench they shared.
What followed was a major inquiry with an unexpected result: it was discovered that the cause of the incident was in fact Sheena herself. Her stress and state of agitation had caused previously latent metahuman powers to manifest, specifically the production of a potent sedative; as she'd tried to wrap her head around the test, Sheena had unknowingly drugged everyone else in the room.
The actual repercussions of this were fairly minor—nobody was seriously injured, with the worst-hit landing in the hospital for a couple days, and all involved had to retake their exams—but Sheena was absolutely horrified and mortified. The incident, and its cause, became well-known around school, and Sheena found herself treated with caution and curiosity by her classmates. She hated the whispers and stares, hated the attention for something beyond her control.
The manifestation of her powers also brought her to the attention of a number of local Hero organizations, and it was with a great sense of relief that Sheena and her family allowed one of them to take her under their wing. Rather than pursuing her previous dreams of top-of-the-line university education, after graduation Sheena moved to Superstar-affiliated facilities, and began the arduous work of learning to understand and control her powers.
This involved some major work. Sheena's powers stem from a manipulation of her body chemistry, which at first was very difficult, much like learning to exercise a muscle typically controlled only involuntarily. It took over a year and a half before she could reliably turn it on or off when not under duress. Things progressed more quickly from that point, but a continual stumbling block came in Sheena's unwillingness to push herself for fear of hurting others or causing accidents. Her initial mishap lingered in her mind, and as she came to better understand her powers and potential, she also came to realize how much worse it could have easily gotten. Indeed, she has only recently hit a degree of comfort and competence where she's able to be dispatched on missions, and she mostly serves in a support capacity, helping keep already-defeated threats subdued.
Sheena is not a natural fit for the hero business. She'll occasionally toy with costumes or uniforms, but is more confident in street wear. Her codename was also only come by through long contemplation. Originally, she was suggested the rather-literal "Knockout," but didn't care for the double entendre. "K.O." retained some of the issue and didn't flow naturally, so it morphed into "Koko," but that was the name of a famous gorilla. Finally, she settled on the homonym "Cocoa," which she likes the sound of, though it's neither particularly descriptive nor intimidating.
Sheena likes spending time with other metahumans, as they make her feel less like an aberration. She spends her free time studying—while not formally enrolled at a university, she remains fascinated by science, particularly biology—listening to music, and socializing. Sheena has developed into a bit of a partier as well, sometimes drinking a little too much to take the edge off if stressed or just to unwind. She's not a particularly well-known or notable hero when it comes to public recognition; her relatively backseat role and junior status leave her a c-lister at best.
Power:Sheena can produce a fairly potent sedative capable of rendering her foes unconscious. She has to consciously bring this power to bear, and to be most effective she needs to introduce it into the target's bloodstream by biting, scratching, etc. Something a bit more indirect—a kiss or spitting in somebody's eye—would also be effective. Sheena can also exude her sedative as more of a pheromone, affecting others in an area around her. This becomes much more effective when ventilation is poor; in a wide open area she has to stay within a dozen feet or so of her target for about twice as long as a more directly administered dose.
Drawback:Sheena's sedative takes a fairly substantial time to kick in depending on a wide range of factors like body type of her target, duration of contact, and the degree to which she brings her powers to bear—and Sheena is very very cautious about this last factor so tends to lowball it. In fact, a single instance of contact, unless the exposure is prolonged, will only slow down even mundane opponents, rendering them drowsy and a bit sluggish but still capable, and that only after having time to make its way through their systems. To completely take someone not already weakened out of the action would require either multiple hits to produce a cumulative effect or extended contact (perhaps thirty seconds of uninterrupted exposure), though if a fight drags long enough attrition from earlier hits may make it easier for her to land follow-ups. If she cranked stuff up too much she could theoretically kill someone, but she goes far out of her way to avoid this. In any event, even going all-out the time it takes her to affect someone safely is measured in minutes, not seconds. If exuding her sedative in an airborne fashion, her power is also complicated by the fact that it's totally indiscriminate, meaning she can't make much use of it when allies are around without risking impacting them too. It is also significantly weaker; a target who is not continually re-exposed (due to, say, moving outside her radius, knocking her unconscious, donning a gas mask or other breathing filter, etc.) will quickly find their head clearing and her effects wearing off, even if they've already started to feel drowsy. Her emanation is thus generally of much more utility when being deployed against targets who aren't immediately hostile and don't realize what she's doing. It also makes her really good at babysitting already-vanquished foes to make sure they don't escape, something that also meshes well with her aversion to combat and her somewhat unreliable nature.
Strengths/Weaknesses: Sheena is quick and clever, and most of her talents lie in the field of avoidance and defense. She's good at stalling and staying out of the way, but her actual capacity for more conventional combat is extremely limited. She's not overly strong, does not know her way around weaponry well, and does not have a good mindset for hurting others. She also has a certain tendency to become distraught when things veer away from plan, and is prone to panicking.
Likes/Dislikes: Likes: The part of the job where nothing much is actually happening, talking with strange people so she feels more normal, music (particularly somewhat unusual music), fashion, science, feeling useful, getting a little drunk
Dislikes: Fighting, friends arguing, feeling like she's weird, getting up early, getting a lot drunk
Fears: Sheena has a notable fear of letting her powers get out of control and killing or risking the lives of others. Her initial experience with her powers was somewhat traumatic, and has lingered with her. This ties to a personal fear of death and serious injury. Sheena is well aware of the permanence of death, and the subject makes her very uncomfortable. As a generally social person, Sheena fears ostracization, which often manifests in a fear of being obviously different from those around her—even if that differences brings her a certain artificial popularity.
Weapons: Sheena has the bare minimum weapons training and isn't very good at it. She far prefers, if she absolutely has to fight, to scratch at her enemies and let her power do its work.
Style Points: 0 (Avant Garde)