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Applicant Info
◎ Name: TK
◎ Journal:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
crawly
◎ Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
couplets
◎ Current Character(s): None.
Character Info
◎ Character's Name: Zero (sometimes written Zer0)
◎ Character's Canon: Borderlands 2
◎ Character's Age: Unknown, but their voice sounds adult.
◎ Canon Point: Post Borderlands 2
◎ Background/History: In 5252, space travel is a commonplace technology. Humans and aliens exist and comingle, for the most part. Technology almost seems supernatural at times (holograms, starships, making things out of almost thin air), and there are actual supernatural powers as well, though those are limited to a group of six women known as Sirens.
As colonization of planets for resources continues, there are fewer and fewer areas that aren't under control of some large company. These places are the Borderlands. One such border planet is Pandora, which orbits on the edge of the galaxy. Despite its promising name, colonization efforts by big-name corporations (and its force of convict labor) only resulted in the establishment of a large-scale mining operation by the Dahl Corporation.
Rumors of an ancient Vault on Pandora, left behind by the Eridians, full of massive riches and amazing technology attract beings from all around the galaxy, keeping Pandora from becoming a complete wasteland. When someone manages to find proof, the Atlas Corporation, the only company to find a Vault so far, sends in their private military to take the Vault by force.
Dahl abandons Pandora, leaving behind fair amount of workers in their rush to cut their losses. Pandora becomes a planet of desolation, struggle, and violence. So much violence, in fact, that it's normal to make jokes about it. The power to be respawned for money helps with that. Remains of Dahl and the new Atlas force are unable to uncover the Vault, leading into the events of the first game, Borderlands.
Independent Vault Hunters are pouring into Pandora in search of the Vault. Led on by the "Guardian Angel", the protagonists of the first game start seeking out artifacts to find and unlock the Vault. However, the Vault Hunters are betrayed at the final hurdle and discover that someone else has taken the artifacts and unlocked the Vault ahead of them. And surprise! Opening the Vault only results in the release of alien Guardians, said by the Guardian Angel to be defenders of the Destroyer, which the Vault Hunters must defeat. Although the Destroyer is defeated and the Vault sealed, that's far from the end of things.
Opening the Vault didn't just loose the Destroyer, it triggered the appearance of an immensely valuable mineral called Eridium. In the five years since the first game, the Hyperion Corporation, led by a guy called Handsome Jack, has almost managed a monopoly on Eridium. Hyperion has been using the mineral to power their attempts to establish tyrannical rule over Pandora, though Handsome Jack always insists that they has everyone's best interests in mind. Most cities in Pandora are under Jack's control when the new generation of Vault Hunters arrive, chasing rumors of another, bigger Vault, which is where Borderlands 2 begins.
The rest of Zero's background is on the Wiki page for Borderlands 2 and their character.
The wiki pages use masculine pronouns for Zero, as did I in my linked first person sample, but barely anything of Zero's identity has been confirmed (just their height, name, and bits of assassination work they did), not even their species, so I now use "they".
bonus from anthony burch zer0 is confirmed agender (1, 2).
◎ Is the character a hacker and/or do they have a sixth-sense? Zero seems to have some innate technological abilities that are like a sixth sense of sorts, in that they are able to use their helmet's viewfield to find weak points in opponents, but it's not really supernatural. So I'd say they have a connection with technology that isn't average, but they're not exactly a hacker and they don't have a sixth sense.
◎ Personality:
Although Borderlands 2 is a role-playing game, Zero's personality is pretty consistent, and at first glance, not that complicated. They're a professional assassin with a shadowy record. They're calm, cool, and collected, a cold-blooded murderer, complete with a black skintight suit and sleek helmet to conceal their face. Even a supercomputer-powered Siren can't uncover their past, identity, or species. Zero's not even their real name. Matters of personal identity are usually kept under wraps in their profession, but they probably enjoy the air of mystery they project.
Probably, because to go with the whole "dark mysterious warrior" thing, Zero doesn't talk much. Their lines in-game are either one-liners or haiku. Whether they speak in haiku for the sake of style is up for debate, but they rarely deviate from the format during conversation, even bantering during their battles.
Much of Zero's persona is a projection of the mystery they keep up. As an assassin, Zero's identity could be used against them, and to foil that they have apparently no family, no personal connections, and no past that's publicized. They're highly adept at keeping secrets and seeming enigmatic. It helps with their professional reputation; Zero's bounty poster in-game lists a huge reward for the crime of "political assassinations" and only shows a picture of them in full outfit, helmet on and obscuring any identifying facial features. But while their initial motivations aren't clear, Zero's behavior in-game shows a surprisingly simple one: they just like to kill.
Borderlands as a franchise is wildly violent, and Pandora is the location of hundreds of murders per day. It suits Zero, in that they are a hired killer, and Pandora is where they get hired to kill loads of people. Zero enjoys killing, flashing excited and happy emotes from their helmet during combat, always seeking a job that will challenge their abilities and keep them from being bored. In that aspect, Zero is surprisingly earnest. They never pretend that they have moral qualms about murder. The most emotion Zero shows comes when they're stabbing or shooting people, particularly when they pull off a difficult or satisfying kill, and that emotion is positive. Pandora is a place where people kill or be killed, and Zero enjoys that, just as they enjoy the pursuit and eventual overthrow of Handsome Jack. Handsome Jack provides a challenge, and that, above all, is what motivates Zero.
Despite their obvious lack of remorse and rejoicing in violence, Zero isn't wholly devoid of empathy. They work with their companions, despite a rough start in a literal trainwreck. In co-op, Zero helps fallen allies up with a smiley face and reciprocation with a <3 at times. They accept help. They can understand that others may want to help, and they respect people who are competent and powerful. But Zero also shows disdain for people who are overly grandiose and arrogant, like Handsome Jack, calling him an "asshole" and showing clear delight at the prospect of killing him.
Even if Zero doesn't make friends well, they are fully capable of it... if only through murder. They support their friends in battle, but their ultimate goal—finding and overcoming challenges—takes precedent most times. They do not like people to get in their way, especially not in a fight. Zero will poke fun at people whom they successfully kill, too, and not always in the most mature of ways. In addition to emoticons, Zero will also display things like OWND, W34K, and 3MT43. They also reference Yu-Gi-Oh, flashes frowny faces when bored, and is generally less serious than one might expect.
For an assassin consistently dressed only in a sneak suit and a full-face mask, Zero can be awfully light-hearted. But they never forget what they want: a challenge, a fight, and a satisfying kill.
◎ Powers/Abilities:
◎ Weapons & Other Special Inventory:
CEREALIA-Specific
◎ Element: Fire.
◎ Sense: Sight. As a sniper, Zero uses sight heavily. They also interact mostly through sight, with a matte mask that blocks off their face and a full-body suit that shows nothing of their body.
◎ Seven Character Traits:
Positive/strengths: Isolated, enthusiastic, violent.
Negative/weaknesses: Untrusting, focused, unconventional.
Neutral: Tenacious.
Samples
◎ First-Person Sample:
Link!
◎ Third-Person Sample:
Clearing out bandit camps is not the most exciting work, but it's work, and there's always the possibility of finding something nice at the end. Besides, there's nothing to do at Sanctuary now. Handsome Jack is gone. There's no giant corporation constantly shooting at them. They could leave, sure, find another planet, another hit to complete... but Pandora's grown on Zero more than they'd ever admit out loud.
It's not home. Zero's sure of that, even as they set their rifle to their shoulder and register the heat of sandy ground below their chest as familiar. It won't ever be home.
But they can see hundreds of meters through the scope, and the sight of a good twenty badass Goliaths and a really nice big shotgun on one of the bandits' back makes it more than adequate as a place of temporary residence. There's still interesting things here.
Zero presses the stock of the rifle more firmly back, bracing it properly. They track the head of a psycho down at the bottom of the valley, scarcely breathing until he's out of sight of his fellow bandits. There's no wind. Zero pauses, focuses, and pulls the trigger.
It's a clean headshot, but brains and blood splatter messily over the sand and rock before the body slumps down with a soft, meaty thud. They line up their next shot for the next bandit on patrol, body relaxed but mind cataloging every bit of information they can take in, discarding the unnecessary and processing what's useful. There won't be another patrol after this one. They can go in from the side, climb up to another vantage point directly above the camp. Fortunately all those rag-tag buildings offer plenty of places to hide, and others to climb on.
The second patrolling bandit drops with a silenced pop from the rifle. Immediately after confirming that he's down, Zero packs up, allowing the rifle to de-digistruct back into their pack before making their silent way down the side of the cliff.
It's not a short distance to cross without being seen. They cloak, feeling some distant tinge of satisfaction at how no one seems to be aware of the two bodies outside the camp. Zero ghosts through the camp, silent, climbing up high to avoid being spotted until they reach the boss bandit's camp. The job is going smoothly, and Zero allows himself the pleasure of watching the first bandit he impales through the heart fall before the rest of the bandits react. A 0 flashes before their helmet, casting a faint red glow on a face twisted in agony.
Zero laughs shortly to themself, spinning their blade once as a badass Goliath charges at him, followed immediately by the others. There's nothing better than a challenge, and Pandora is still full of them. They won't leave any time soon.
◎ Is your character retaining any previous game memories? No.
◎ Name: TK
◎ Journal:
crawly ◎ Contact:
◎ Current Character(s): None.
Character Info
◎ Character's Name: Zero (sometimes written Zer0)
◎ Character's Canon: Borderlands 2
◎ Character's Age: Unknown, but their voice sounds adult.
◎ Canon Point: Post Borderlands 2
◎ Background/History: In 5252, space travel is a commonplace technology. Humans and aliens exist and comingle, for the most part. Technology almost seems supernatural at times (holograms, starships, making things out of almost thin air), and there are actual supernatural powers as well, though those are limited to a group of six women known as Sirens.
As colonization of planets for resources continues, there are fewer and fewer areas that aren't under control of some large company. These places are the Borderlands. One such border planet is Pandora, which orbits on the edge of the galaxy. Despite its promising name, colonization efforts by big-name corporations (and its force of convict labor) only resulted in the establishment of a large-scale mining operation by the Dahl Corporation.
Rumors of an ancient Vault on Pandora, left behind by the Eridians, full of massive riches and amazing technology attract beings from all around the galaxy, keeping Pandora from becoming a complete wasteland. When someone manages to find proof, the Atlas Corporation, the only company to find a Vault so far, sends in their private military to take the Vault by force.
Dahl abandons Pandora, leaving behind fair amount of workers in their rush to cut their losses. Pandora becomes a planet of desolation, struggle, and violence. So much violence, in fact, that it's normal to make jokes about it. The power to be respawned for money helps with that. Remains of Dahl and the new Atlas force are unable to uncover the Vault, leading into the events of the first game, Borderlands.
Independent Vault Hunters are pouring into Pandora in search of the Vault. Led on by the "Guardian Angel", the protagonists of the first game start seeking out artifacts to find and unlock the Vault. However, the Vault Hunters are betrayed at the final hurdle and discover that someone else has taken the artifacts and unlocked the Vault ahead of them. And surprise! Opening the Vault only results in the release of alien Guardians, said by the Guardian Angel to be defenders of the Destroyer, which the Vault Hunters must defeat. Although the Destroyer is defeated and the Vault sealed, that's far from the end of things.
Opening the Vault didn't just loose the Destroyer, it triggered the appearance of an immensely valuable mineral called Eridium. In the five years since the first game, the Hyperion Corporation, led by a guy called Handsome Jack, has almost managed a monopoly on Eridium. Hyperion has been using the mineral to power their attempts to establish tyrannical rule over Pandora, though Handsome Jack always insists that they has everyone's best interests in mind. Most cities in Pandora are under Jack's control when the new generation of Vault Hunters arrive, chasing rumors of another, bigger Vault, which is where Borderlands 2 begins.
The rest of Zero's background is on the Wiki page for Borderlands 2 and their character.
The wiki pages use masculine pronouns for Zero, as did I in my linked first person sample, but barely anything of Zero's identity has been confirmed (just their height, name, and bits of assassination work they did), not even their species, so I now use "they".
bonus from anthony burch zer0 is confirmed agender (1, 2).
◎ Is the character a hacker and/or do they have a sixth-sense? Zero seems to have some innate technological abilities that are like a sixth sense of sorts, in that they are able to use their helmet's viewfield to find weak points in opponents, but it's not really supernatural. So I'd say they have a connection with technology that isn't average, but they're not exactly a hacker and they don't have a sixth sense.
◎ Personality:
Although Borderlands 2 is a role-playing game, Zero's personality is pretty consistent, and at first glance, not that complicated. They're a professional assassin with a shadowy record. They're calm, cool, and collected, a cold-blooded murderer, complete with a black skintight suit and sleek helmet to conceal their face. Even a supercomputer-powered Siren can't uncover their past, identity, or species. Zero's not even their real name. Matters of personal identity are usually kept under wraps in their profession, but they probably enjoy the air of mystery they project.
Probably, because to go with the whole "dark mysterious warrior" thing, Zero doesn't talk much. Their lines in-game are either one-liners or haiku. Whether they speak in haiku for the sake of style is up for debate, but they rarely deviate from the format during conversation, even bantering during their battles.
Much of Zero's persona is a projection of the mystery they keep up. As an assassin, Zero's identity could be used against them, and to foil that they have apparently no family, no personal connections, and no past that's publicized. They're highly adept at keeping secrets and seeming enigmatic. It helps with their professional reputation; Zero's bounty poster in-game lists a huge reward for the crime of "political assassinations" and only shows a picture of them in full outfit, helmet on and obscuring any identifying facial features. But while their initial motivations aren't clear, Zero's behavior in-game shows a surprisingly simple one: they just like to kill.
Borderlands as a franchise is wildly violent, and Pandora is the location of hundreds of murders per day. It suits Zero, in that they are a hired killer, and Pandora is where they get hired to kill loads of people. Zero enjoys killing, flashing excited and happy emotes from their helmet during combat, always seeking a job that will challenge their abilities and keep them from being bored. In that aspect, Zero is surprisingly earnest. They never pretend that they have moral qualms about murder. The most emotion Zero shows comes when they're stabbing or shooting people, particularly when they pull off a difficult or satisfying kill, and that emotion is positive. Pandora is a place where people kill or be killed, and Zero enjoys that, just as they enjoy the pursuit and eventual overthrow of Handsome Jack. Handsome Jack provides a challenge, and that, above all, is what motivates Zero.
Despite their obvious lack of remorse and rejoicing in violence, Zero isn't wholly devoid of empathy. They work with their companions, despite a rough start in a literal trainwreck. In co-op, Zero helps fallen allies up with a smiley face and reciprocation with a <3 at times. They accept help. They can understand that others may want to help, and they respect people who are competent and powerful. But Zero also shows disdain for people who are overly grandiose and arrogant, like Handsome Jack, calling him an "asshole" and showing clear delight at the prospect of killing him.
Even if Zero doesn't make friends well, they are fully capable of it... if only through murder. They support their friends in battle, but their ultimate goal—finding and overcoming challenges—takes precedent most times. They do not like people to get in their way, especially not in a fight. Zero will poke fun at people whom they successfully kill, too, and not always in the most mature of ways. In addition to emoticons, Zero will also display things like OWND, W34K, and 3MT43. They also reference Yu-Gi-Oh, flashes frowny faces when bored, and is generally less serious than one might expect.
For an assassin consistently dressed only in a sneak suit and a full-face mask, Zero can be awfully light-hearted. But they never forget what they want: a challenge, a fight, and a satisfying kill.
◎ Powers/Abilities:
✖ DECEPTI0N
✖ SNIPING
✖ CUNNING
✖ BLOODSHED
✖ ASSASSIN SKILLSET
✖ ???
Ability to create a moving holographic double that appears identical to the real thing for a few seconds, a duration during which Zero is completely invisible and undetectable. There's a cooldown period between uses of the ability, but it's useful for stealth and making a distraction. Though they can be hit by stray bullets or blows while using Decepti0n, it also grants them the ability to do much greater damage (melee or gun) while invisible.
✖ SNIPING
| POWERS Increase in the ability to make more accurate and critical hits, especially when it comes to headshots. Included is the ability B0re, which increases the damage caused by a projectile exponentially with each target it hits. It also highlights weak points on opponents and displays them in weird Matrix-esque streams of binary in their viewfield. (Whether it's the helmet or some implanted view is up for debate.)
| SKILLS Zero is especially proficient with sniper rifles, even on a planet filled with people shooting other people. Even without the power bonuses, they're a trained assassin and headshots are always a nice, efficient way to deal with a target.
| SKILLS Zero is especially proficient with sniper rifles, even on a planet filled with people shooting other people. Even without the power bonuses, they're a trained assassin and headshots are always a nice, efficient way to deal with a target.
✖ CUNNING
| POWERS Bonuses for attacks made while cloaked and actions relating to trickery and Decepti0n.
| SKILLS People call them a ninja for a reason. Zero's fast, evasive, and acrobatic. They've been shown jumping almost straight up a couple dozen feet, backflipping, and doing everything you'd expect a ninja to do. They're a professional assassin, okay, they need these ninja skills. (If these skills seem superhuman, they might be.)
| SKILLS People call them a ninja for a reason. Zero's fast, evasive, and acrobatic. They've been shown jumping almost straight up a couple dozen feet, backflipping, and doing everything you'd expect a ninja to do. They're a professional assassin, okay, they need these ninja skills. (If these skills seem superhuman, they might be.)
✖ BLOODSHED
| POWERS Agility, strength, and damage bonuses given after a kill, especially when it comes to melee attacks.
| SKILLS Their digistruct sword is one of their default weapons. They're really, really good with it. Like, cut-apart-a-lunging-gigantic-beast-in-mid-air good.
| SKILLS Their digistruct sword is one of their default weapons. They're really, really good with it. Like, cut-apart-a-lunging-gigantic-beast-in-mid-air good.
✖ ASSASSIN SKILLSET
A notorious assassin before coming to Pandora, Zero already has already made a name for themself in the criminal underworld. They employ a large range of abilities, powers, and weapons to their full potential to take out all kinds of targets, from civilians to political powerhouses... and then uses them to kill things on Pandora. They face down wave after wave of turret-equipped robots, entire bandit clans, and an enormous lava-drenched alien and win. Aside from direct combat, Zero is also good at sneaking around, not being seen, and killing someone when they least expect it as well as when they are expecting it.
✖ ???
The four-fingered hands and lack of panting even when out of stamina raise some questions. Whether it's due to the suit they wear or by virtue of whatever they're made of, Zero is both uncommonly strong and resilient. They're definitely not immortal, but they can take quite a beating and deal more damage than their lanky frame suggests.
◎ Weapons & Other Special Inventory:
✖ SNEAKSUIT
✖ DIGISTRUCT SWORD
✖ DIGISTRUCT SNIPER RIFLE & MISC. 3 OTHER FIREARMS.
✖ SHIELD
Pictured here.
✖ DIGISTRUCT SWORD
As pictured above. Digistruct technology is explained here, but it's pretty much solid holograms built from digital blueprints. Zero will only being carrying a few digistruct items to fit the constraints, but nearly all weapons in Borderlands are digistruct, explaining how they're carried in the player character's inventory.
✖ DIGISTRUCT SNIPER RIFLE & MISC. 3 OTHER FIREARMS.
✖ SHIELD
Functions as extra HP in-game, can block and absorb attacks. It depletes when damaged, but recovers on its own.
CEREALIA-Specific
◎ Element: Fire.
◎ Sense: Sight. As a sniper, Zero uses sight heavily. They also interact mostly through sight, with a matte mask that blocks off their face and a full-body suit that shows nothing of their body.
◎ Seven Character Traits:
Positive/strengths: Isolated, enthusiastic, violent.
Negative/weaknesses: Untrusting, focused, unconventional.
Neutral: Tenacious.
Samples
◎ First-Person Sample:
Link!
◎ Third-Person Sample:
Clearing out bandit camps is not the most exciting work, but it's work, and there's always the possibility of finding something nice at the end. Besides, there's nothing to do at Sanctuary now. Handsome Jack is gone. There's no giant corporation constantly shooting at them. They could leave, sure, find another planet, another hit to complete... but Pandora's grown on Zero more than they'd ever admit out loud.
It's not home. Zero's sure of that, even as they set their rifle to their shoulder and register the heat of sandy ground below their chest as familiar. It won't ever be home.
But they can see hundreds of meters through the scope, and the sight of a good twenty badass Goliaths and a really nice big shotgun on one of the bandits' back makes it more than adequate as a place of temporary residence. There's still interesting things here.
Zero presses the stock of the rifle more firmly back, bracing it properly. They track the head of a psycho down at the bottom of the valley, scarcely breathing until he's out of sight of his fellow bandits. There's no wind. Zero pauses, focuses, and pulls the trigger.
It's a clean headshot, but brains and blood splatter messily over the sand and rock before the body slumps down with a soft, meaty thud. They line up their next shot for the next bandit on patrol, body relaxed but mind cataloging every bit of information they can take in, discarding the unnecessary and processing what's useful. There won't be another patrol after this one. They can go in from the side, climb up to another vantage point directly above the camp. Fortunately all those rag-tag buildings offer plenty of places to hide, and others to climb on.
The second patrolling bandit drops with a silenced pop from the rifle. Immediately after confirming that he's down, Zero packs up, allowing the rifle to de-digistruct back into their pack before making their silent way down the side of the cliff.
It's not a short distance to cross without being seen. They cloak, feeling some distant tinge of satisfaction at how no one seems to be aware of the two bodies outside the camp. Zero ghosts through the camp, silent, climbing up high to avoid being spotted until they reach the boss bandit's camp. The job is going smoothly, and Zero allows himself the pleasure of watching the first bandit he impales through the heart fall before the rest of the bandits react. A 0 flashes before their helmet, casting a faint red glow on a face twisted in agony.
Zero laughs shortly to themself, spinning their blade once as a badass Goliath charges at him, followed immediately by the others. There's nothing better than a challenge, and Pandora is still full of them. They won't leave any time soon.
◎ Is your character retaining any previous game memories? No.