empatheias app

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉


Player: Usami
Contact: rippleonthewater, usamichan13
Age: 29
Current Characters: Fluttershy (shiningkindness)

⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉

Character: Bridge Nocturne
Age: Currently 19, though he'll tell people he's a year older than he actually is
OC Type: Pure OC
Point Taken: After his employer/surrogate family member, Allen McDougall, discovered his long-lost daughter

World Building: Demons.EXE overview here.

Backstory:

• Bridge's father, Jeffrey Sangster, came from a very well-to-do human family that worked for one of the wealthiest names in business, Allen McDougall. Jeffrey and his sister even worked directly for McDougall, and Jeff valued McDougall as a mentor figure. Then Jeffrey met Rhythm Nocturne, an enchanting and beautiful Siren, and fell in love. When he announced to his family his desire to be with Rhythm, the Sangster family shunned him, threatening to disown him if he pursued a relationship with her. Ignoring their threats, he and Rhythm came together. The Sangsters disowned Jeffrey, and he and Rhythm left and moved to a little town in Vermont called Bayview, where Jeffrey started a music store and Rhythm gave music lessions to those wanting to learn. A few years later, Bridge was born and, despite the telltale Siren fins on his ears, seemed to be a normally (mostly) human baby.


• When Bridge was four, Rhythm left his father and him, disappearing one night while they were asleep. While Jeff held hope that she would return, he now had to take care of Bridge by himself, which grew slightly harder without Rhythm bringing in part of the income with her musical lessons. Jeff started working more hours at the store, as well as doing odd jobs here and there to earn a bit extra, and at a young age Bridge learned to be a bit independent while his father worked.


• Despite Bayview being a small mostly human town, there was one other demon living there; a young Kitsune girl named Soleil, who lived with her adopted parents. While they did play with the other children in town Bridge and Soleil found comfort in each other as being the only two demons in town, and spent a lot of time together. Soleil would often - gently - push Bridge to do things for himself, to do things he wanted to do instead of always doing what he was told, and Bridge often took her advice to heart.


• When Bridge was eight, he discovered his Siren abilities in the worst possible way: One day while he was playing with Soleil and some other kids in town, he fell into the bay of their towns namesake. Being submerged in water triggered his transformation into his Siren form and, with no experience of handling the sudden surge the Siren instincts and abilities, ended up draining Soleil's energy to the point that she had to be hospitalized. Bridge himself went on a rage until all of his own energy was burned up, pulling him out of Siren form and knocking him out for a week or so. When he awoke, he learned that while Soleil had been in the hospital, and that her family was moving away from Bayview. They left while Bridge was still recovering, not giving him a chance to see Soleil before they went.


• Though his Siren abilities were mostly dormant as long as he stayed out of the water, the knowledge that he possessed those abilities left the town wary of him. He was mostly avoided, interacted with only when necessary. This was only made worse now due to Jeffrey having to work even more to pay off damages done while Bridge had lost control, as well as paying Soleil's family for hospital bills (even with the family moved away). With his father working almost all the time and most of the town avoiding him, Bridge spent a lot of time alone; he did help out around the music store from time to time, but had to keep clear when there were actual customers, so he spent most of his time there learning to play the various musical instruments stocked in the store. He also spent a lot of alone time, learning to be even more self-reliant. He even indulged in learning a bit more about his Siren abilities, practicing at night on animals when the town was asleep or when he was truly alone.


• At fifteen Jeffrey suffered a heart attack, and was bed-ridden in the hospital for several weeks before ultimately passing. The Sangster family was then called in to take care of funeral arrangements, allowing Bridge to meet his father's family for the first time. They instantly disapproved of Bridge, due to his Siren nature and their belief that he and Rhythm had effectively ruined Jeffrey's life. After the funeral, the Sangsters repossessed almost everything of Jeffrey's, leaving Bridge only his own personal items. Bridge managed to convince the family to also give him his father's old truck, a trailer, and one of each instrument that was in the store, and the family agreed mostly to not have to deal with him. With his father's family selling the house and store and wanting nothing to do with him, and with the town still distrustful of him because of the Siren incident, Bridge packed up his things and instruments in the trailer and, despite not being old enough to have a driver's lisence, left Bayview with no intention of returning.


• Bridge informally changed his to Bridge Nocturne, taking on his mother's surname to further distance himself from his father's family, despite having no real connection to his mother either. He also, when asked, told people that he was sixteen, so they wouldn't question him driving the truck by himself. On his travels, he played in any place that would pay him, though had to resort to using his Siren abilities to siphon off people's energy during performances when funds were low and he couldn't affor to buy food. He did his best to be careful, always afraid of losing control or taking too much, and because of having to drain people's energy he didn't stay in one place too long.


• This went on for three years, living on the road in his truck, playing in a few places hoping to get paid enough for gas and maybe food, before packing up and leaving again. This nomadic lifestyle began to harden him; not only was he forced to take care of himself, but he often saw the worse of what the world had to offer no matter where he went, and had to learn to keep ahead so others couldn’t take advantage of him. His travels, coupled with his experiences as a child, forced him to adopt a more selfish mentality, to just look out and take care of himself because no one else would. And while he still took care to not lose control of his Siren abilities or drain too much energy from people, he had no problems taking that energy whenever it was convenient


• His travels eventually brought him to Birchpointe, New Jersey. He arrived just after a Chaotic attack left heavy damages in the town, and was in time to participate in a town-wide event to help raise funds for the repairs. He performed a live-show, boosting people's morale while absorbing some of the excess energy that was building from the excitement of the event itself. After taking energy, he had planned to once again leave, but people he met in Birchpointe during the event had him lingering for a while longer.


• His extended stay in Birchpointe led to him meeting Allen McDougall, his father's former employer, when the businessman was looking to establish business in Birchpointe. During their exchange, Bridge learned that his father had actually kept in touch with McDougall over the years, even borrowing money from him when necessary, and that McDougall had actually attended his father's funeral. McDougall, in turn, learned of the true nature of Jeffrey's disconnect from the rest of the Sangster family, and was enraged of the Sangsters' treatment of both Jeff and Bridge, especially after learning of the family abandoning Bridge after Jeffrey died, and Bridge had since then been living on the streets. Bridge and McDougall parted on good terms, though Bridge was under the impression that that one meeting would be it


• It was not so, however, as sometime later McDougall managed to track Bridge down, despite his transient lifestyle, and invited him to his manor in his hometown of Pekington, Michigan. It was during this meeting that McDougall informed Bridge that during a confrontation with the Sangster family (who he fired because of their ill treatment of Bridge and Jeff), he discovered a sizable inheritance Jeff had left for Bridge. Though the Sangster family had kept it from him, McDougall managed to get them to replace the amount. McDougall also told Bridge that he was starting a business in the music industry, offering Bridge a job and even a place to live with plans to build a similar manor as a workbase in Birchpointe. Though extremely reluctant at first, Bridge eventually accepted McDougall's job offer and agreed to stay in McDougall's Birchpoint manor


• Once the manor was built and set up, Bridge moved in and started working with McDougall; though McDougall was often in and out of Birchpointe because of running several businesses around the world, the two started developing a close relationship outside of just employer and employee. McDougall even left Bridge in charge of the Birchpointe manor during his absence, and Bridge sometimes went with McDougall back to Pekington, even meeting the man's extended family. Having someone to look up to and rely on started to soften the defenses he had built up over his travels alone, and Bridge even began viewing McDougall as a familial figure of sorts. At the same time, though, the suddenness of having someone that close again alarmed him, especially since McDougall had his own blood-related family. With his own insecurities and after a misunderstanding following a trip he had taken with McDougall, Bridge began trying to once again distance himself from the business man


• An incident that landed Bridge in the hospital forced him and McDougall to discuss their situation and relationship, revealing that they had similar feelings of considering the other as family. From then on, the two of them continued to bond and grow closer, each of them providing much needed support and care through serveral major milestones and events that took place in just a short amount of months


• Eventually McDougall discovered he had a long-lost daughter, Dixie, who found him while trying to learn about her mother, who had died when she was younger. After learning of their relation, Dixie moved to Birchpointe to live with McDougall and Bridge to reconnect with her father. And while Bridge oftened helped Dixie get to know her father better, Bridge once again started feeling a bit misplaced now that McDougall was starting to connect and develop a relationship with his actual daughter, his own flesh and blood.

Personality: Upon first meeting him, people who encounter Bridge will find an overall friendly young man. He can be charming and a bit of a flirt, and his relaxed and go-with-the-flow nature makes him easy to like. He can enjoy crude and dry humor, but mostly he just likes to make sure people feel good; whether by his words, his music, or his actions, and - in many cases, as a performer - all three.

The truth is, though, his attitude about people enjoying themselves is a bit self-serving. Part of the reason is because, as a Siren, Bridge is able to absorb the energy of people when they are under the influence of his hypnotic song. Though he prefers not to drain people's energy often, he does so when he has to eat, and doesn't have access to food (which was especially the case when he was traveling on his own for several years). And he finds that he prefers absorbing positive energy - excitement, happiness - than negative energy.

The biggest reason, however, is just because he wants to be remembered. Left alone as a child and forced to live on the road for several years, his biggest fear is to be left behind, forgotten and unwanted. Each performance is a chance to show the world what he can do, in the hopes that people will learn his name, and want to hear more of him.

Despite the desire to be wanted, however, he tends to keep people at a distance. Having been abandoned by many people in his past, it can be hard for him to trust others, and after living on the streets for a while he developed a view of looking out for just himself because no one else would. He's also afraid of people getting close in case he loses control of his powers; his Siren abilities are mostly self-taught, and due to an accident when he was younger, he often worries that he might one day lose his control and drain too much from people.

It's only been recently that things have begun to change for him; though he still tends to keep most people at arm's length, there have been some who have managed to slip past his defenses and reach out to, though he would never admit it, the lonely soul he actually is. He is discovering that he actually does like having people to care about, people who care about him, and he is finding that he will do anything he can to help them. He's still getting used to having people close to him again, but he continues to learn, finding new inspiration in music, and in life.

Abilities:

• Siren Song - can hypnotize people through the power of his song


• Emotional manipulation - can slightly manipulate a person's emotions based on the music he plays (fast-paced songs generate excitement, slow-paced songs generate sadness, etc.); can only be done with Siren Song


• Energy Drain - can drain someone's energy to nourish himself; can only be done to someone influenced by Siren Song


• Enhanced Hearing - can detect even the faintest of sounds with sharp clarity over great distances


• Transformation - when submerged in water, can change to a Siren form, where he gains a fish-like tail and fins, and all abilities are enhanced; a different form gives him wings, and can be done on land


• Water Manipulation - has a limited ability to manipulate water in his immediate area; can only be use in Siren form

Alignment: Piphron. Given his history, Bridge does have a difficult time opening up to other people, preferring to close himself off than risk getting hurt again, and doing his best to be self-sufficient so he won't have to rely on others. However, once someone manages to break through his defenses, he trusts them deeply and wholeheartedly.

Other: Bridge's PB is Nathan Sharp, aka NateWantstoBattle. Also, while most of his hypnotism and energy draining will be kept to NPCs, there will be a section on his HMD post to opt out of them for players who might be uncomfortable with it.

⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉

General Sample: Bridge on the Test Drive Meme

Emotion Sample: Here