Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-25396609-20180128214516/@comment-30530552-20180218233938

'''Core Info

1)Basic Info

Name: Gladys “Gladius” Olus CNR Explanation: Gladys Olus is meant to be taken together, referring to the Gladiolus flower (Sword lily), which blooms in various colors, typically pinks, yellows, reds, etc. Species: Human Age: 34 Gender: Gender-fluid (Use of male and female pronouns depend on fluidity) Emblem: An image of a robotic system similar to this image, appears in blue w/ black outlines Handedness: Left-Handed Nicknames: Glad, Gladius (prefered to real name, earned because of weapon choice) Occupation: Experiment overseer for an underground Atlesian testing facility'''

'''2)Appearance:

Aura Colour: Dark Blue Height: 5’8” Weight: 145 lbs. Eyes: Golden, hawk-like and down-turned. Skin Colour: Pale, nearly white Face Shape: Ovular, with a thin and delicate nose, and a sharp, angular chin. Thin  and sharp eyebrows, silver in color. Hair: Short and silvery hair, with hints of lilac and light blue highlights scattered within. Physical Traits: Has a pair of stab wounds on the lower back and lower abdomen. Physique: About average, hints of body-toning but not extensive. Very androgynous. (BMI using the “female” standard turned up with the result of nomalweight, middle of the range.) Outfit: '''

'''Casual- A spray-painted silver-white metallic armor piece (covering the entirety of the chest, has shaped muscles on the outside, looks like similar to this) laid over a black tanktop and a pair of detached white sleeves (similar to Ren’s) with small gold trim at the ends and finger-tips, paired with a gray pair of joggers. Also wears a pair of silver boots extending to (effectively) the knees.'''

'''Lab/Work- Gladius retains the boots and tanktop, but wears a gray polo shirt, black trousers and a white full-length lab-coat and plastic goggles. Accessories: Has a pair of silver-earrings with an orb at the end of each, one blue and one red. Also has a necklace with a purple and yellow orb, though they are usually hidden under the armor piece. Gadgets: A small voice-distorter microphone, which can be adjusted depending on situation.'''

'''3)Characteristics:

Background:'''

'''Gladys Olus was born a female only child to her parents Holly & Aspen in the polar northern regions of Mistral, where she lived for the first 9 years of her life in relative peace, being homeschooled by the wheelchair-confined Holly (a retired elementary school teacher due to a workplace accident) and her father Aspen working as a game-hunter for the nearby village. One night, however; after the hunting group got attacked by Beowolves, the panic from getting attacked without proper protection led the survivors to flee and a pair of Nevermores to attack the village, with one of these demolishing the Olus home after Aspen fled inside. The attack killed him, but the other two survived under the rubble after being knocked unconscious (and unable to fear because of this) before being rescued by a Huntress that happened to be travelling through the area when the village came under attack, who managed to fend off the monsters and drive off the attack.'''

'''With her father dead, the pair contacted Paloma Olus, Gladys’ grandmother in Atlas to see if she’d be willing to let them stay indefinitely. Seeing as Paloma owned a small manor and lived with her two sons and their respective wives, she had enough space to let them come, and eventually they made their way to Atlas to live with her. As she grew older, Gladys went to get basic combat training using a basic sword from an Atlesian combat school [Signal-equivalent] to be able to defend herself, unlocking her Aura and Semblance in the process remarkably quickly, despite having no prior experience like some students. Her neighbor Chelley Baumkuchen would sometimes help her with her training, as her late husband had been a Huntsman and given her some pointers and training herself, along with teaching Gladys how to bake. She discovered that she had a passion for the sciences (particularly chemistry, which was only solidified by the subtleties of baking and an enjoyment for poignant reactions), and decided not to go to Atlas Academy in spite of herself, and studied to become a chemistry major with a minor in engineering at a local university. By this time, “she” fully accepted her gender-fluidity and came out to her family, who (surprisingly) were very accepting of her/him, and eventually Gladys [who now used the nickname “Gladius” as a stand in for her name] went to find a job.'''

'''Stumbling across a military testing facility, where the company was attempting to test Aura and Semblance by running experiments on willing volunteers, Gladius opted to join in and found a career that they loved. Gladius’ sarcastic personality was worsened by Cavern due to his continual insanity, only staying because they loved the work they partook in. On their off-hours and on weekends, Gladius would visit Chelley to do baking amongst the families and test out new recipes. One weekend while visiting the Olus manor, there was a knock on the door, and Gladius discovered Chelley with two suitcases and a sad expression, who told Gladius about the divorce and restraining order through sign language. Seeing an opportunity, Gladius told Chelley about the testing facility and how they were looking for new subjects, with Chelley agreeing in order to earn room, board, and meals within the facility along with quick cash every so often to undergo the tests.'''

'''This went on for some time until one month prior to this retelling, in which an explosion within the facility destroyed the central test area and several test subjects (who were forced to be there against their will, unlike Chelley) escaped. Gladius was encouraged to “put down” several of them before the last of them got the upper hand during a fight, managing to disarm Gladius, break their Aura, and run Gladius’ own weapon through them. From there, Gladius nearly bled out, but on-site medical doctors brought Gladius back from the brink. With the company entering bankruptcy that month and Cavern not having enough money to pay for repairs and his declining health, wanted Gladius to keep testing Chelley’s Aura, who had stayed in the broken part of the facility during that time and was gradually growing more annoyed with being there.'''

'''In spite of the orders and reaching a breaking point, Gladius had Chelley go through several test chambers to make her escape along with a few other remaining test subjects, advising them to forget ever knowing who Gladius was and to tell the authorities about the facility, as s/he still had some business to “take care of.” Gladius then decided to put Cavern out of his misery by manipulating the retractable wall panels in the vault (which still had a small amount of money left) to open up and then quickly close with him on the inside between the closing walls, which was then followed by dropping the remains of the corpse into the incinerator portion of the facility. Gladius then abandoned the facility for good after destroying some of the still functioning but abandoned parts of the facility, and disappearing into the Atlesian tundra, never having been heard or seen since, but still alive out there. Rumor has it Gladius took refuge in a hidden bandit camp within a nearby mountain, but these claims haven’t been explored, and most people have forgotten about Gladius. All but one, who now lives in the Olus family mansion, waiting for the person she loved like her own child to come back. Personality: Gladius tends to be somewhat passive-aggressive, making continual snide remarks and insinuations as a means to demean and belittle those they speak to. They also have a tendency to lie and pretend to make friends or allies to accomplish their goals, only really having any meaningful relationships with their colleagues in the testing facility (on the surface level, at least) and particularly one of the experimentees named Chelley, a former neighbor, a mute, and a willing volunteer in the project. Particularly with Chelley, Gladius’ truer side comes out, tending to be much less guarded and much friendlier than normal, and having concern for Chelley’s well-being more than any other test subject. Which is what led them to willingly release Chelley from captivity despite orders from the boss to keep testing even after the facility’s partial destruction at her hands. Gladius is also something of a control freak, tending to flip out when things are “out of place” and fearing a lack of control. Misc Traits: Gladius tends to spout off random facts and bits of trivia (with varying degrees of truth to the statement), but almost always coupled with a way to belittle the recipient. Gladius also has a fear of birds due to the incident in which a Nevermore took her father’s life by destroying Gladius’ childhood home. Likes: Science-related conversations, manipulation, baking (specifically Black-Forest cake) Dislikes: Potatoes, birds, overly emotional displays, attempted murder, loss of control'''

'''4)Trivia

Notable Relationships:'''

Holly and Aspen Olus- While Gladius appreciates(ed) them and their efforts to make life good for him/her, s/he also finds that they were too concerned with her safety as a child and wished to break free of them despite understanding where they were coming from, even after Aspen’s unfortunate death.

'''Paloma Olus- Gladius’ grandmother and undeniable matriarch of the Olus clan, she was s sassy old woman who helped feed into Gladius’ similar amount of sarcasm. Gladius is closer with her than Holly & Aspen because she lets them be independent, and was even the one who encouraged Gladius to go to combat school and to go make friends with Chelley. Now that Gladius lives in the facility full-time, they don’t see her and the rest of the Olus clan that often, but still try to keep contact every so often and to visit whenever it suits both parties.'''

'''Chelley Baumkuchen- Undeniably the favorite test subject Gladius has ever had, retired baker, and a neighbor of the Olus family after they moved to Atlas. Chelley taught Gladius how to bake despite being mute (losing her voice in a fire) and helped her with her combat training, and was the key reason for Gladius’ love to do so when she had free time. Chelley came to the facility when her husband left her penniless and childless after their divorce, where he gained custody of the kids. She’s here for money and board, and because she knows Gladius helps run the tests, so she can guarantee (more or less) being safe.'''

'''Cavern Johannes- Gladius’ boss, and something of a crazy businessman from Vacuo with even crazier dreams of beating a rival Atlesian company known as ‘Dark Plateau.’ Gladius works as the right hand man, more or less, orchestrating tests per his guidelines, despite disliking most of his illusions of grandeur. Gladius’ dislike of him is the reason she let Chelley and some of the subjects escape, even after the facility underwent a partial breakdown, into bankruptcy, and Cavern wanted her to keep testing subjects without pay until the whole thing ran into the ground. For these reasons and his declining health, Gladius also spared him the worry by murdering him on that same day for similar reasons, Skills: Baking and decorating (especially with cakes), emotional manipulation, sign language (helped with communicating with Chelley) Video Game Character Allusion: GLaDOS from the Portal games, which can be seen in nearly every aspect of the character. The earrings and necklace represent personality cores, their personality (antagonistic nature, passive-aggressiveness) and relationships (Chelley and the boss Cavern Johannes) effectively mirror that of the Portal robot. Even Gladius’ gender-fluidity and voice-changing microphone are meant to reference GLaDOS not being human (therefore not having a defined gender), and the fact ‘she’ can change her voice to be deep or high, and distort it. Notes: Cavern Johannes references Cave Johnson, while Chelley Baumkuchen refers to Chell. As for CNR, caverns are typically seen as dark places, bringing to mind colors of that caliber, while Chelley is a corruption of Shelley, which means "from the meadow on the ledge" or "clearing on a bank," referencing green and blue depending on which definition is taken. Baumkuchen is a type of German cake, literally translating to “tree cake.”'''

'''Huntsman Extension

Weapon

Name: Aperture Acupuncturer Wielder: Gladius Olus Maker/Smith: Cavern Johannes (“Make sure no one gets out.”) Classification: Rapid-fire Machine Rifle Gladius (R[f]MRG)'''

'''Weapon Derivation: Derived from a combination of the “sword lily” (Gladiolus, which is derived from “gladius”) and the turret systems in Portal. Form Design: A simple iron-bladed gladius with a trigger for releasing bullets via a pair of machine rifle barrels (much like M16s) that fire along the blade on both sides.'''

'''Form Aesthetics: The grip and hilt of the sword are a dull red, and the blade is spray-painted to be silver in color. The machine gun barrels are painted black. Dust Usage: N/A Ammunition: M16 Rounds Planned/Possible Upgrades: None Notes: Aperture refers to the name of the testing facility in both Portal games.'''

'''B)Semblance

Name: Techno-phile User: Gladius Olus Introduction: Essentially allows Gladius to manipulate machinery and mechanisms that involve movement of some sort in a specific zone or room the user can see, (either through cameras or eyesight) that’s within a ½ mile radius. Mainly used to manipulate the floor panels, ramps, and other things used to allow subjects to move through testing chambers. Base cost for use is roughly 5% Aura, with extended instances increasing off this base amount. Range: Long Type: Psychic'''

'''Purpose: Utility Visual Cue: Affected objects will gain a very faint blue outline. Auditive Cue: N/A Tier 1: Gladius is able to manipulate technology within eyesight, but not through cameras. ¼ Mile Radius.'''

'''Tier 2: Radius increases to ½ mile. If twice the base Aura cost is put in, it can be done through cameras and not just plain eyesight.'''

'''Tier 3: Base Aura cost within eyesight is reduced to 2%, through cameras is 5%. General Limitations: 1) Must be in eyesight, additional strain to do through cameras. 2) Machines take a moment to come under effect, so time constraints might be problematic, especially in intense combat situations. 3) Firearms aren’t considered machines in this context, as they don’t involve much movement and are more of a singular/separate system. Applications: If done in the testing facility, the user can create shields by moving floor panels and ramps as necessary, elsewhere Dust Interaction: N/A Notes: Based on what effectively is the GLaDOS robot’s base ability, allowing the protagonist Chell to move through the facility, even after its eventual destruction at her hands. Reflection of Character: As a bit of a control freak and a particular fascination with science and machinery, Gladius having a Semblance that allows them to effectively have power over an entire facility is quite fitting.'''

'''C)Combat Info

Preferred Range: Mid-range, as Gladius doesn’t do combat all that often, and so prefers to pick off enemies with the machine gun function rather than the sword, but will use both as necessary. Landing Strategy: Never properly learned one given Gladius didn’t follow through with combat training, but theoretically would try to use her Semblance (if applicable in the situation) to find ways to slow her fall OR try to use her sword to drag along a surface and slow down. Fighting Style: Tends to favor a distanced ambush approach, closing distance as necessary for better accuracy, but in melee situations, uses a much more roundabout, movement-based fighting style, focused more on quick hits and defense rather than a strong offense.'''

'''Civilian Extension

I) Day to Day Life Currently resides in a hidden bandit camp in the tundra, who took her in. As an isolated camp, they’re rarely intruded upon, so it’s a sanctuary for them. Gladius took on the role of chef there, especially for dessert dishes. Expanded Occupation/Business Details: Worked for Rapture Military Facility, an underground and unincorporated facility associated with the Atlesian military with directions to study into what triggers Aura and how it can be used, and why Semblance differ amongst people, eventually seeing the error of her ways after getting pissed off at Cavern and basically murdering him. Certifications: Majored in General Chemistry, Minored in Engineering (and has the degrees for both of her fields of study)'''

'''Grading System:

1) Basic info: 10

2) Appearance: 20

3) Characteristics: 30

4) Trivia: 5

I)Weapon 15

II) Semblance 15

III) Combat info: 5

I) Day to Day Life: 0 points (or recovery of up to 10 lost in characteristics)

If your character does not have a weapon, a Semblance, or is a civilian, let me know ahead of time and I'll work out a special scoring system for you.'''