OC Verse : Cutthroat

[lightcycle]

CUTTHROAT
For fans of: The Hunger Games, Alphas, X-Men

THE WORLD
Cutthroat takes place in an alternate present day United States where humans with super powers exist. There's just one catch: they're all hunted, processed and placed into The Warrior Circuit, a system modeled off the ancient Roman gladiator tournaments. With the rising threat of the superhuman, the government began a program for a subtle containment disguised as entertainment. Matches are televised, with major tournaments having premium pay-per-view prices. Many benefits are given to team owners, though they vary according to the level of involvement of each owner.

Within The Warrior Circuit are two divisions: the Minors and the Adults. Children ages 13 to 19 are placed into Minors, people ages 20 and up are placed into the Adults. Some volunteer, some are captured, some are born into the life. Fighters are bought, traded, and sold in the same way other major league sports players are exchanged. Sponsorships are the life and soul, the driving force of how the gladiators are paid. They are given freedom with what to do with their winnings, whether to send it to family, keep it for themselves, or invest it back into the team.

In this world, legal issues and laws concerning superhumans are still being debated. The Warrior Circuit is a hotly contested topic across the world, yet it persists as seemingly the only way to take control of the superhuman population. Of course, The Warrior Circuit is not the only means of survival for the superhuman. Illegal fight clubs exist, but many are busted and fighters are processed into the system. Rumors of superhuman mercenary companies and personal armies exist, but there has been no substantial evidence to bring this to public light. These rumors are not unfounded and are, indeed, true, but given the nature of cartels, gangs, black ops units, and so on, all allegations are denied, buried or ignored.

The use of the superhuman as a legitimate soldier, weapon, and counterterrorist agent has only begun recently. The US Military did indeed employ their own superhumans in nearly every major military faction and unit but turned a blind eye until their powers were overtly shown. Soldiers would then be dishonorably discharged and processed into The Warrior Circuit to fight for survival and entertainment. There is a battalion is among the first somewhat legally exist, meaning that all those involved in this unit are fully aware of who has what powers and are supposed to be treated as equals. Given the natural fear and suspicion towards superhumans, not all those recruited are always treated fairly.

The Circuit, in particular, takes place within the Minors Division. The Warrior Circuit is still highly controversial in its methodology, considering the system treats its gladiators more inhuman, with names stripped away and replaced with arena names. They live outside of cities, within their own communities known as Quarters. The timing of The Circuit are the various battles leading up to 10 vs 10 and the tournament itself. 10 vs 10 is the first tournament of its kind, pitting 10 teams from the West Coast against 10 teams from the East Coast. This will be the debut event for the newest, state-of-the-art arena in Las Vegas.

The Furiae follows the story of Hanna Talbot, a once rich and happy girl who was disowned by her family simply for having powers. Her evolution from naive and unstable, to confident, to vengeful circles around the relationships she develops. This also follows the story of a military company named Ouranos Security, which continued the failed military idea of combining powered humans with skilled military personnel.

THE CAST :: THE CIRCUIT
STELLA GUZMAN » REPORTER GIRL
PB: HEATHER HEMMENS
Stella is 20 years old, studying to be a film major with a focus on documentaries. As a Junior in university, she's taken on the huge challenge of starting her thesis that could potentially double as an award-winning entry to pay off the rest of her studies and grad school. Stella is driven and has an indomitable will. She isn't afraid to push the boundaries, which is why she has the tendency to get herself into trouble. Her ingenuity and shrewdness give her the edge to also get out of nearly any situation. To strangers she comes off as analytical and cold buts it's only because she has a true curiosity about people and wants to learn their stories. Where she starts off somewhat wary and disconnected from the team, she slowly becomes wrapped up in their world, their drama and their lifestyle. To know her well is to know that she is a truly caring person if you have earned it.

ADRIAN TENUOUS » RIOT
PB: AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON
The oldest of the team, Adrian has been with Jonathan since he began to form his own proper team. He has a criminal past in dealing pot, though all charges have been dropped and cleared from his records due to volunteering into a project that would have potentially erased the presence of superpowers. Prior to the program, Adrian had complete telekinesis. The experimentation done to him drastically reduced his telekinesis to only controlling things he has physically touched. He looks out for everyone else in the team, most especially Sasha, since he sees her as a sort of younger sister, like everyone else does. He's mostly serious with a very dry sense of humor. Many consider him among the coolest, most well-respected gladiators in the Minors Division. He isn't the type to go out of his way to be nice to someone, he's far too jaded by now for that sort of thing. At 19, he's already being touted to be traded into the Adults Division.

POWER: Limited telekinesis, controlling only what he touches
WEAPON: Broadsword, preference to the knuckles in his gauntlets
ADDITIONAL SKILLS: MMA style of fighting, brilliant tactician
BEST WITH: Marco Belmont

JACKLYN SIMONE » RED STAG
PB: ANALEIGH TIPTON
17, going on 30. Jacklyn is what the team considers the PR and the Welcome Committee along with Liam. She tries to look out for the team as well, like Adrian, but in a far less aggressive manner. Her generally sweet, well-meaning disposition off the arena is in stark contrast to her almost hunter-like nature in battle, earning her the nickname "Red Snake" to those who mean her ill. She joined Jonathan's team at the same time as Adrian, giving her the same level of seniority and respect in the team. Jacklyn willingly joined The Warrior Circuit to help her parents out of their massive debt due to the stock market crash and layoffs. Her passion, prior to joining The Warrior Circuit, had been photography. If she could, she would continue to take pictures. Jacklyn earned her arena name in combination of her hair color and her chosen weapons.

POWER: Hyper reactions, a subset of super speed that allows her to react at a much faster rate than normal humans
WEAPON: Deer horn knives
ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Natural athleticism
BEST WITH: Liam Wilkinson, Marco Belmont

LAUREN VALETTA » DIAMOND DUST
PB: HANNAH MURRAY
Lauren is easily the most distracted of the group and easily the least subtle. She has the tendency to let slip things shared in confidence. Don't be fooled by this: she is light on her feet and improvises the best with her somewhat erratic nature. Paired with Liam, the two are a near unstoppable force of controlled chaos. She was drafted into the Circuit after showing her powers after accidentally causing a flash-freeze effect. Though 17 and a year older than Sasha, she is the second newest team member.

POWER: Ice formation, best when water is present
WEAPON: Throwing knives, stilleto knife
ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Higher resistance to freezing temperatures, improvisation
BEST WITH: Liam Wilkinson, Sasha Rivera

LIAM WILKINSON » SPEED
PB: JUSTIN CHON
A complete sweetheart, though he has the bad tendency to jump topics at times. Liam is considered to be the PR of the group with Jacklyn, oozing charm and an easy-going attitude that can be rare to find in the Circuit. Due to his overabundance of energy, Liam ends up doing other things for other teams within the Quarter, such as cooking or training. Yes, he has a natural talent in the kitchen, though it's rarely shown. He is genuine and cares deeply for his teammates and fellow gladiators. You will never find him showing any real ill will or malice towards anyone unless it's heavily warranted. On occasion, he suffers from severe muscle tension and cramps thanks to his powers. Liam was caught when he was trying to run from the cops and fell straight into a trap.

POWER: Super speed
WEAPON: Shortsword
ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Improvisation
BEST WITH: Lauren Valetta, Jacklyn Simone

SASHA RIVERA » TEMPEST
PB: SOFIA BLACK-D'ELIA
At 16, Sasha is the youngest of the group. Compared to the others in the team, she suffered from the most severe form of maladjustment. Her whiplash change of life from being in school one week to being shipped off to a Quarter the next week left her numb and scared for a decent amount of time. It was Adrian who helped her to cope with her new settings and now she shines on her own as a star gladiator. Sasha is naturally curious and nosy to the point of it being obnoxious at times. Her perspective and observance of the world around her allows for Stella to connect with her the easiest. Being a fellow Spanish-speaker probably helps with that. If Sasha can find an easier way to do something, whether out of laziness or to save her own skin, she'll do everything to do it that way.

POWER: Hydrokinesis
WEAPON: Sword
ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Ability to sense water sources
BEST WITH: Lauren Valetta

MARCO BELMONT » HAZE
PB: LOGAN LERMAN
Marco is the nephew of world-renowned fashion model Raquel Belmont, so it's a surprise to everyone that Marco is in the Circuit at all. After a string of underhanded, quiet dealings, Marco was drafted into Jonathan's team to avoid paparazzi and the press hounding his family for commentary. When his powers began to surface, his illusions would manifest erratically especially when he would dream. It turned out that someone had witnessed it and planned on selling the information to tabloids. Now he finds himself in the Circuit, with a sour attitude and a general dislike of being put into a situation by force. Marco is spoiled thanks to living with his aunt (with both his parents dead, custody went to Raquel) and living a rich and reckless playboy life. He doesn't hide his emotions very well, which put him squarely on page one of many tabloids too many times and directly affects the state and quality of his illusions.

POWER: Illusionism
WEAPON: Push daggers
ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Nightmare and fear inducement, free-running
BEST WITH: Adrian Tenuous, Jacklyn Simone

JONATHAN HART » FORMERLY DEADEYE
PB: TIMOTHY OLYPHANT
Jonathan was a former gladiator who moved up in the ranks to become his own team owner. He served in the US Military for a time before those around him noticed that his marksmanship was superhuman. He was discharged without honors and put into the Circuit shortly after. Jonathan met his wife in the Circuit after getting an earful of scolding for not looking after his wounds. She was a medic then, after all. Though a kind man, he is stern with his team and does his best to look after his own and earn the most profits and sponsorships. At the time he put his team in for the 10 vs 10 bid, he wasn't sure they'd make the cut and was dealing with accepting Marco into the team. He risked putting the entire team being benched or worse for the sake of gaining a better edge and a higher position of survival.

POWER: Sharpshooting

BOWIE BRISTOW » MAJOR TOM
PB: TBA
Bowie is a high school student doing volunteer hours within the Quarter. Granted, she may have never gotten in if it weren't for Jareth, one of her closest friends and a notorious hacker who shuffled names and paperwork. She has no powers, but she has a ridiculously sharp memory, almost photographic. Many supervisors and managers have asked her to seriously consider a position in the Circuit, but for now, she says she only wants to do her hours to graduate. By now, she's embraced how over the top her name is. Many times, Bowie can be found coordinating between gladiators and managers with Jareth to get them on and off the fields, sending them to where they need to go. She doesn't take herself too seriously (she does indeed consider herself a soulless ginger), but she does command attention and is excellent at relaying orders. Her talent lies in how she words her orders to different people.

JARETH BERGHMAN » GROUND CONTROL
PB: TBA
A hacker who is entirely too skilled for his own good. Jareth has been advised multiple times by major websites to stop looking for holes in their systems. Ironically they also thank him for finding them. He and Bowie are both looking to complete volunteer hours, though his paperwork actually went through by official means. He helps to coordinate matches with Bowie by keeping track of stats and more technical aspects of the teams. Being the absolute pop culture lover he is, he gave himself and Bowie the nicknames "Ground Control" and "Major Tom" so they could shout at each other incessantly over their headsets. Jareth loves a challenge and he will not stop until he cracks a code or completes it with extra bonuses and flourishes just to show everyone else up.


THE CAST :: THE FURIAE
HANNA TALBOT » PROMETHEUS
PB: AMBER HEARD
Mercenary. Pyro.

POWER: Pyromancer
WEAPON: Escrimas, bow and arrow
ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Archery, stick fighting, knife fighting, MMA style of hand-to-hand combat, sharpshooter, leadership ability, strategic skills, heat manipulation

DANIEL KING » APOLLO
PB: DYLAN BRUCE
Mercenary. Husband.

POWER: N/A
WEAPON: Sniper rifle, knife
ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Hand-to-hand combat, sharpshooter

TRAVIS HALO » ARGUS
PB: JASON MOMOA
Mercenary. Illusionist.

POWER: Illusionism
WEAPON: Sniper rifle, knuckles, knife
ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Hand-to-hand combat, sharpshooter, body language expert

AMELIE NOEL DESJARDINS » NEMESIS
PB: SEYCHELLE GABRIEL (??)
Mercenary. Youngest of the team. Electro

POWER: Electrokinesis
WEAPON: Pole arm, knuckles
ADDITIONAL SKILLS: Hand-to-hand combat

??? » ???
PB: FREEMA AGYEMAN
Mercenary. Cryo. Single mother. Working for her kids.

POWER: Cryokinesis
WEAPON: ???
ADDITIONAL SKILLS: ???