#altd samuel

[General info/lore]

The story (?) basically starts with the only one bed trope. Like. Not romantic or anything very much "just got home from a double shift and immediately passed out upon entering the bedroom" energy but still. It's kinda funny like okay guys let's just get this one out of the way

Literally this whole thing is just a complete overhaul of characters/ideas I had back in middle school that iirc spawned from a couple wild ass dreams one night. These used to be completely different guys. The genre used to be fucking fantasy. Marshall used to be a white guy who wasn't even named Marshall. I'd called the story idea "a light through the darkness" (very middle school of me, ik) and can't be bothered to also recreate a name for it now which is where the altd tag came from

There's supposed to be an alien that was going to be a travel companion for the altd gang that like. Kicked off the entire series of events leading up to the actual plot except I couldn't ever settle on a design for them so I got used to thinking JUST about the alt3 and now I'm like. Well what the fuck do I do with this thing. It's important to the plot. I can't just get rid of it but what do I do with it?????? I have mentally replaced the vague concept of it with an image that's a cross between a displacer beast and that weird panther alien from Avatar. What the hell do I do with this unidentified fucking thing now. The world (me) may never know

Forfeit (Chevelle) makes me think about Samuel like. Every time it comes on my playlist. Every single time

BioSynth and the government (they work together) have been kidnapping people for years to use in human experiments. The company does do public, willing mutations, but they also work with the gov to manufacture/test biological weapons resident evil style

There's a city full of mutated people called Glintshore and the general public consensus is that it's Bad. It's straight up like cult city. Everyone not from there fucking hates that place just bc of the general atmosphere and obsession with inhumanity (long history of mutation in the area, and BioSynth's number one fan.) It's built on a manmade lake that's basically just the nearby BioSynth lab's dumping grounds. Everything there is toxic and there's feral test failure fish people in the water that WILL eat anything that falls in there, people included. Cargo ships dangle meat over the edges on chains to attract them to deter theft (so no one can get near the boat on the water without being eaten.) Fucking everything is acidic and corrosive

Keep thinking about the... Mayor???? Leader???? Of Glintshore as a peacock but idk how I necessarily want to incorporate that into a design. Peacock in a house full of (acid) water features high up above everyone else

[Characters]

Jason uses eye drops for his mechanical eyes for comfort/health. Just drops those things in there with 0 problem like an expert (<- horrifying concept to me) (Apparently it's common to use drops with prosthetic eyes, and I figure his would probably be similar enough to warrant them)

His eyes also function as recording devices; double blinks both start and stop filming. The data is stored on a small chip implanted behind one of his ears, and can be accessed remotely.

Jason's experience with drug abuse/withdrawal is the only reason Samuel didn't die after being suddenly removed from the lab where he'd been heavily drugged for who knows how many months. He was stressed the fuck out the entire time (especially when dealing with Sam's repeat memory loss due to all the sedatives) but they both managed to pull through. Thinks sometimes about what it would have been like if they hadn't, but he tries not to let himself do it often

One of my notes describes Jason as "side quest king" cause this bitch would have the longest quest journal and it would literally all be side quest shit. He stays helping people he'll hear you say you haven't eaten and come back 10 minutes later with a chicken sandwich some fries and a medium soft drink and will NOT take no for an answer

Grime (guy who owns the restaurant/hotel Jason stays at in basically the beginning of the story) is only like. Half alive. He was seriously injured and bleeding out and got absorbed by a sentient fungus network. Sometimes the mushrooms use him to talk and no one else ever enjoys this event. Like he still has his own thoughts and will and personality but sometimes the mushrooms just fucking take over

Samuel is deaf in his right ear as a result of the explosion that ended up in him being captured. He's also got a giant scar on his thigh from crashing through the window (broken glass) and another on his forehead (hitting his head on concrete after flipping over the windowsill.) Hates people being on his right side and doesn't care how awkwardly he has to position himself to make sure no one's over there, he's going to do it

Samuel uses Mags's last name after his capture/escape and subsequent presumed death (Jason fucked with his files on the way out of the lab so no one would miss him, which he figured was the least he could do since he was using him as a prop to cover his escape.) As far as he's aware, his old team is dead, so it's not like she's using it anymore and he can't use his old one.

Sam was straight fucking abducted by the government as a small child as collateral to ensure his would-be whistleblower relative wouldn't talk. They'd been planning on revealing the whole human experiment thing and the original intent of the visit was simply to kill everyone, but the relative escaped so Samuel was taken as a guarantee of silence. Was intentionally traumatized further after the murder incident to try and keep him from ever remembering he had a prior life (they changed his middle and last names entirely) and was basically forced into the military to be further used as a tool. (I think it would be interesting if Marshall was aware of all this and just never fucking said anything. Like ever. Considering keeping the relative alive just bc I also think it would be juicy for Sam to meet them later but that kind of sounds like work so idk)

Marshall's in her 40s/50s and purposefully bald. Fuck lab rules over hair just shave that shit OFF. Keeps it that way even after quitting/being fired/etc bc she likes it that way

Marshall smokes menthols so people are less likely to try and bum a cig. Literally just entirely spite do Not fucking ask her for one

Marshall volunteered to be one of the first people to test BioSynth's teleporter tech and was the only survivor. Lost her leg FMA style and had it replaced with a prosthetic she's been tweaking and weaponizing ever since. The accident also fucked with her DNA, and until she administers a permanent cure to change this, she can experiment on herself as much as she likes because any mutations will fade as she reverts back to her baseline. This is why BioSynth tried to fire and detain her to use as a subject and why she basically faked her own death and swore to destroy every last shred of the business

Marshall has one mutation from before the accident, which gave her fangs and paralytic venom. Not sure if I want to sort of hollow out her canines or just give her a completely new set of retractable teeth that sit behind them for the freak factor. Used the venom to help kidnap test subjects, and has worked out a way to aerosolize and weaponize it via her prosthetic. Wears a collapsible ventilator mask on a chain around her neck that looks roughly like a thumb drive when collapsed to keep from inhaling the vapor when the leg's vent is in use