Silkmoth
(WIP - Mind the mistakes!)
Silkmoth
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| Player: @Stormfall | ||||||||||
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| Character Build | ||||||||||
| Origin: | Science
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| Archetype: | Defender
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| Security Level: | ||||||||||
| Biographical Data | ||||||||||
| Real Name: | Dario Debono
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| Known Aliases: | Silk Moth II, Mothman, Moth, Mothy, Silk, Silky, Sparkles, Wings, etc.
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| Age: | 24
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| Gender: | Male
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| Species: | Enhanced Human
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| Ethnicity: | Maltese-Italian
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| Birthdate: | June 27
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| Birthplace: | Mosta, Malta
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| Relatives: | Romeo Debono (Father, status unknown), Charlene Debono (Mother, deceased), Emma Debono (Sister, status unknown), Jessika Debono (Sister, status unknown)
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| Characteristics | ||||||||||
| Height: | 5'11
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| Weight: | -
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| Eyes: | Brown
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| Hair: | Red
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| Complexion: | Blue
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| Physical Build: | Athletic
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| Physical Features: | Blue skin, a pair of antennae
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| Status | ||||||||||
| Alignment: |
Neutral Good | |||||||||
| Reputation: |
Reputable | |||||||||
| Identity: | -
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| Years Active: | 2
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| Base of Operations: | Variable
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| Citizenship: | -
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| Education: | High School Equivalent
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| Occupation: | Adventurer, Environmentalist
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| Marital Status: | Single, Never Married
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| Known Powers and Abilities | ||||||||||
Psychokinetic Thread Creation (Constructs, Projectiles, Force-Field Generation, etc.), Telepathy (Mind Reading/Communication, Mind Identification/Mind Radar), Flight (via Psychokinetic Wing Constructs), Mental Resistance
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| Equipment and Paraphernalia | ||||||||||
Protective Wear, Communications Technology, etc.
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| Attributes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strength |
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Endurance |
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| Agility |
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Speed |
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| Fighting |
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Projectiles |
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| Durability |
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Resistance |
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| Intelligence |
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Psyche |
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| Intuition |
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Charisma |
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| ReldinBox Template | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background
Origin
Dario Debono spent the first nine years of his existence in his hometown of Mosta, Malta, where he experienced a fulfilling life of family and friends. He had a liking for nature and enjoyed helping out at his mother's bakery, though their real financial strength originated from his father's line of work - something that was never made clear to him. Due to this mysterious occupation, their family of five, including his two sisters, relocated to the Rogue Isles of all places. Soon, they found themselves in a place with a much higher potential of danger and hostility. The majority of the money they took with them was gone by the time Dario was , as despite his father's occupational promises of more wealth, he was secretly pushing the family deeper and deeper into the debt through his gambling and shady dealings with his employer: Arachnos, who "fined" him several times for not meeting deadlines. The teenage Dario learned the true heartless nature of their patriarch the day their father decided to sell his own children to Arachnos in order to settle an outstanding debt. The night the Arachnos infiltrated their apartment in St. Martial, Dario's mother was killed in front of her children for not complying, and soon the three were whisked away to separate laboratories as new subjects for alternate projects and purposes, never to see one another, nor their callus father, ever again. Dario in particular was subjected to what was known as The Silkworm Project, tasked in harnessing the homo superior DNA of a recently fallen hero, Silk Moth, in order to create operatives capable of utilizing the late Silk Moth's very unique psionic powers that were of interest to Lord Recluse.
For the next few years Dario endured insidious experiments, both physical and psychological, and conditioning, watching others around him die one by one (in some cases being forced to kill them himself) through a variety of means. However, in the end, he was the one and only success story that came out of the Silkworm Project where all others perished. He was quite obviously altered in most ways, possessing a pair of antennae and other unintended, albeit negligible, physical changes. His personality was morphed, most of his old memories were stripped away, and little did anyone know at the time... the experiment also afflicted Dario with a very specific mental side-effect. Not only did he possess Silk Moth's DNA intermingled with his own, but the psionic essence of the late hero was also transferred into Dario's psyche; haunting it like a "psychic ghost" that remained enraged. This very piece of Hermes Mascia, "Silk Moth", first manifested as strong mental fortitude, allowing Dario to break out of the chains of his conditioning to escape the clutches of Arachnos (but otherwise remaining fairly dormant) in 2020. He sought out the assistance of the Longbow stationed in Nerva Archipelago, and from there was transported to Paragon City as a young adult who had his coming of age years stolen from him. Dario spent the next couple of years utilizing every new avenue available to him: accessing mental health services for ongoing "deprogramming", catching up with his basic education and taking the time to figure out the method of his powers on his own terms, opposed to under duress.
Keeping the alias Silkmoth, Dario was adamant in joining the special task-force of super powered Paragon heroes sent to shut down the Silkworm Project for good, and was allowed to do so under the condition that he register himself and remain in Paragon City. While the mission was successful, it triggered the dormant psychic ghost of Hermes, and allowed him to manifest via an alternate personality. Hermes relentlessly placed his suspicion onto one of the task force heroes through Dario, and drove him to investigate certain details that either didn't add up, or were highly convenient. Through seizing some of the laboratories digital records, Dario discovered that a very hero he fought beside dismantling the Silkworm laboratory, was the very hero that sold the original Silk Moth's body to Arachnos from the very beginning. To exact a part of his revenge, Hermes completely took over Dario long enough to track down and slaughter the hero while in the Rogue Isles, while covering his tracks and framing Arachnos operatives for the dark deed. The almost immediate disdain for false heroes and legal criminals Hermes instilled within Dario lingered onward, even as the latter started to find his place in Paragon City. He felt the most egregious repercussions of some heroic work involved the destruction of nature, the collapse of ecosystems and the careless collateral slaughtering of living things not human, and so concentrated his efforts in environmentalism by associating with The M.W.S.
Timeline
Personality Profile
Due to his time associated with the Silkworm Project, Dario has trouble recalling most memories predating his conditioning. The core of who he was, and still is: conscientious, mild-mannered assertive, curious and reasonable still exists, though is now marred by layers of trauma and certain triggers. Dario can sometimes come off as a buzzkill during his lower moments, and has a dozen reasons to be distracted by something, but he's not an individual others would ever consider unapproachable or terrifying. He is pleasant and can adapt to various situations, but seldom compromises on his convictions when he knows what the greater good actually is. Logic is in constant battle with emotion, and Dario recognizes this balance cognitively. While he is quite tolerant of sexual banter, he doesn't come off as a particularly sexual person in public settings and isn't one to explore his sexuality with men he doesn't know well enough.
The following is only understood as a suspected symptom of schizo-affective disorder on the record, though more time is required to make a complete assessment. Detailed information about the origin, capabilities and intentions of this "second consciousness/personality/entity/psychic ghost" still remain a mystery
The Hermes Mascia conscience/personality is an echo of specifically the most vengeful and aggressive part of Silk Moth's psyche, and while not indicative of who the late hero was in life, has now replaced that very same part within Dario's psyche. The prominence of Hermes fluctuates, and is at least in part influenced by emotions. Dario will sometimes hear Hermes speak to him within his mind, urging him to do certain things, or be convinced to have certain opinions on things. If there is any force threatening to pull Dario into the more "villainous" parts of existence, it's this aspect. There are various tells (both obvious and subtle) in which someone who knows of this affliction can use to determine if they're interacting with Dario or Hermes:
- Hermes causes his antennae to flatten.
- Hermes is far more bitter and aggressive.
- Hermes uses very dirty words, and Dario avoids them.
- Hermes is right-handed, while Dario is left-handed.
- Hermes was allergic to chocolate and avoids it like a plague, while Dario is in love with chocolate.
Affiliations
Organizations
- Confidential
- M.W.S. (The Mother We Share Ecological Restoration Volunteer Group)
Allies
Acquaintances
Rivals
Enemies
- Arachnos
Capabilities
Powers
Psychokinetic Thread Creation - Silkmoth has the primary ability to create psychokinetic constructs in the form of translucent, off-white/light blue "threads". These psychokinetic threads, in their most basic form, can be used as a physical whip or grapple, are nigh-indestructible to any physical means of severing them, and are strong enough to support up to 1 ton per thread before requiring Silkmoth to endure the burden of the weight himself (dependent on his mental strength opposed to his physical strength). Through an instinctual, second-nature power of will he can combine, converge and "weave" these threads to create a variety of other constructs, shapes and achieved applications.
Flight/Levitation - His trademark use of his constructed psychokinetic bug wings, which enable him to achieve levitation and flight while remaining anchored to his body. The psychokinetic threads are easily able to support Silkmoth's body weight in addition to other objects or people he is carrying. This affinity is derived from the late Silk Moth's own innate ability to conjure these wings.
Force Field Generation - Another signature use is the creation of psychokinetic force field "cocoons" serving as shields, traps or rapidly expanding concussive forces. These force fields are extremely durable due to the nature of the psychokinetic threads they are created from, and have been shown to withstand environmental hazards, bullets and explosions from outside of the shields alike. The direction of psychokinetic refraction can be altered in order to determine if such elements can penetrate through the shields from the outside in, or from the inside out. It is theorized that a shield with a high enough thread count would be strong enough to withstand the force of a nuclear warhead. Silkmoth can spin the threads to create virtually any shape of protective psychokinetic energy, though defaults to the sphere as it takes the least amount of effort and concentration while providing the best defensive cover.
Psychokinetic Projectiles - The psychokinetic threads can be weaved into dense projectiles with powerful concussive results upon impact, or even prematurely released as volatile whirlwinds of released psychokinetic energy before they properly weave together. The force of these various projectiles is dependent upon the thread count of the mass created.
Telepathy - Silkmoth is a moderately powerful, formidable and highly underestimated telepath. Common utilities include telepathic communication/projection via sound and visuals, mind network creation, surface thought reading and the perception of deeper-conscious or subconscious thoughts (with their collateral emotions) with more effort. Most prominently, he possesses a particularly acute psychic frequency sensory. This enables him to identify multiple individuals simultaneously across large areas of effect via a combination of brain wave, surface thought and cognitive mental placement perception relative to his own location. The range of his natural telepathic reach spans across the area of a large city, though Silkmoth is also capable of magnifying his outgoing and incoming range even further through the dominant use of his antennae.
A combination of his own mental fortitude, and the mental fortitude of the secondary Hermes Mascia conscience sharing his psyche, provide him with strong resistance against foreign mental-oriented affliction and invasion. In essence, the two consciences existing within his body are treated as two separate formidable psychics, where one can provide defense while the other is occupied.
A common misnomer is that Silkmoth is capable of offensively projecting "mind bolts" at his targets while in combat in the traditional sense. These are instead another form of condensed psychokinetic "thread projectiles" that are used to physically enter the heads of his targets to inflict non-fatal damage and disorientation.
Abilities
Combat - Through the Silkworm Project he has developed basic knowledge of field combat, power application and unarmed combat.
Fitness - Through the Silkworm Project his diet and physical conditioning was strictly monitored and controlled to ensure he achieved optimal physicality. Some of these habits still remain with him in the present day, where he maintains a healthy lifestyle through toning, cardio and diet. Compared to the Silkworm Project, he's far more swimmer's build than muscular.
Marksmanship - Through the Silkworm Project he has training in marksmanship; primarily with the offensive aspects of his powers, though also includes adequate small to medium firearm use.
Weapons and Equipment
Protective Wear - Despite his powerful protective abilities, he still insists on wearing the Silkmoth getup provided to him with bulletproof and thermal resistant qualities.
CommTech - Universal communications technology adaptability and application.
Other Skills and Talents
Bilingual - Though being a citizen of the combined Rogue Isles and Paragon City has exceeded his time living in the place he was actually born, Silkmoth has decided to brush up on his Maltese to ensure he doesn't completely lose his identity and culture.
Cooking/Baking - Silkmoth carried his love and innate talent for cooking and baking right through his traumas, and the memories attached to such are one of the very few prominent things he can recall from his past.
Weaknesses
Haunted/Alternate Personality - The sentient psychic ghost of the late Silk Moth Hermes Mascia acts as, at best, a second conscience attempting to influence Dario either through feelings or a prominent voice in his head. At worst, he is capable of hijacking Dario's body and become the dominant consciousness for short periods of time; the latter having little to no memory of what occurred during his unaware state.
Notes/Trivia
IC
- Though he chose to pursue his registered hero and environmental causes over culinary school, he still has plans to pursue a formal education in the latter.
- His favourite colour is violet.
- His favourite thing to eat are strawberries and blueberries.
- His favourite TV show is Keeping Up Appearances.
- His favourite movie is Labyrinth.
- His favourite band is The Free Design.
- His favourite genres of music lean toward the folk side of things.
- He finds real silkworms and silk moths to be very cute and resents their abuse.
- He was forced to kill at least four other victims of the Silkworm Project during "battles to the death" to weed out weaklings.
- He was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder, though that's not actually his issue.
- He loves chocolate.
- Hermes Mascia has visually appeared in several of his dreams.
- Hermes Mascia is the sole reason he does anything villainously-out-of-character.
OOC
- Some information that this FBSA profile offers isn't officially known IC, including but not limited to: A complete understanding of some aspects of his powers/haunting psychic ghost, explicit knowledge pertaining to his life prior to immigrating to the Isles (due to memory issues) and explicit details regarding the events following the discovery of which hero was responsible for handing Silk Moth to Arachnos on a platter. Please interact ICly accordingly. This is subject to change as events unfold.
- Records throughout his time in the Silkworm Project have been recovered, and everything public following his rescue (the professionals he sees, educational endeavours, registered hero status, his secret identity being secret only to the general public, etc.) can be found on file.
- The original Silk Moth (Hermes Mascia) was a real character I played back on live CoX.