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Nigh1shadow — Zephyr [Sheducats]
Published: 2021-08-28 18:46:41 +0000 UTC; Views: 1590; Favourites: 7; Downloads: 0
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Description
Zephyr Knyazev
High-quality character sheet: sta.sh/0gs3k3g74y9
Name: Zephyr Knyazev "Viper"
Nickname: Silverhead, "That A**hole", Zeph
Gender: Male
D.O.B. 16.10.1996 (age 24)
Nationality: Russian/American
Profession: Street racer (Bartender - side gig)
Professional division & rank: Unranked
Traits & skills: None
Appearance:
- Height: 168 cm
- Eye colour: grey
- Hair colour: dyed silver with black ombre (natural hair colour is black)
- Bodybuild: generally lean and elegant; he always struggled to gain muscle mass
- Injuries: amputated left arm; Zeph wears two types of prosthetics - one for day-to-day business and the other for riding which trades some sensitivity for strength and flexibility. Had an incomplete spinal injury - at present moment he has fully recovered from it. Has a dozen scars here and there - the most prominent one is beneath his cheek, on the shoulder and on his left arm.
- Accessories: has several ear piercings and earrings, occasionally wears other metal accessories.
- Typical clothing: comfortable and non-restricting. Displays a taste for fancier clothing in public; has a decent grasp over brands and fashion but doesn't like to go wild with the spending.
- Street-racing outfit: not cheap (partly due to being specially commissioned by Zeph). Under black light (purple UV light) the special fluorescent dye starts to glow and displays snake-themed patterns.
Personality Type (click for a brief description): intj 8w7
Personality: Zephyr can easily come off as the classic quiet book-lover right until the point when he gets too bored or someone becomes a bit too annoying. Silver-tongued and witty, he has an aura of confidence around himself that rarely seems to waver; he remains calm even through the storm of rising stakes and dangers and can easily defend himself physically or verbally. Despite never being the last in the charisma department (or the drama queen department for that matter), he rarely seems eager to interact with others, preferring to keep to himself. He has a habit of spacing out even in the most obscure places, leading to occasional clumsiness. Zeph is no stranger to stupors that arise whenever he has to make a choice that he had not foreseen in any way before, and he is prone to overthinking his actions.
Zephyr is highly intelligent, although the patchy education had him struggle on multiple occasions. Nevertheless, whenever something comes up that requires learning, he embraces the challenge wholeheartedly, digging into the books and internet with a stubbornness that often leads him to neglect his own health. In other words, give him a day or two, and he will become the armchair expert on the subject. Zeph is incredibly quick to grasp a subject and is even quicker with his cutting words - combined with a tint of pride and arrogance, it has led on multiple occasions to conflicts with other people. Despite that, few things seem to truly catch him off guard; Zephyr gives an impression of someone who is used to trouble and who always has a plan for it.
A strategic thinker, Zeph isn’t without an ambitious streak, although as a survivor by nature, he would always consider the odds first before jumping into something. If it means that by yielding or retreating he’d live another day, he would do so with little hesitation unless there are other things on the line. Paradoxically, if the numbers are on his side even by a slight margin, he won't hesitate to act, something that can be easily perceived as recklessness. Zephyr can easily tune out the world and become incredibly stubborn. He values logic and detached calculations, hiding behind them in order to make sense of the world. Ruthless and ambitious, his approach is evident even in his riding; it’s not uncommon for him to near the breaking point with his shedus if pushing himself and others to the limit means securing a victory.
Biography: Zephyr was abandoned by his parents early in his life; his father left shortly after his birth and his mother couldn't manage the workload for more than a few years. After circulating through the system for a while, Zeph run away at age 11 and ended up among the many kids on the streets of the Evenfall City while the large metropolis was living through the worse times in its history. As Volkhov's gang started to tighten their grasp on the slums of the city, some of the kids joined their ranks. Zeph was among them.
The kids were regarded as mostly cannon meat by the gang; they were sent off on various errands, and those that proved even somewhat useful were given a chance join to rogue races on half-broken shedu cats. But the rush of the wind, the flying stakes as the world rushed past - when one could feel invincible and free - it was worth it. Despite the injury rates soaring, Zeph quickly recognized the opportunity and seized it. The young rider was ruthless. Victory was all that mattered - even at the cost of his or others' health. He became one of the street speed demons, many of which populated the city alleys in a time when many experienced financial hardships. But unlike many others, Zeph combined calculative thinking and precision with the stubborn lack of brakes. Soon, he was dominating rogue races, even if his eyes were set on the sky - Zephyr dreamt of higher stakes, of flying higher. He quickly climbed the local hierarchy, catching the eye of their leader.
Volkhov noticed the cunning streak in Zeph; he allowed the youngster to be integrated into his gang, bit by bit relaying more responsibility on him. Volkhov had a strange fascination with shedu cats that did not stop him from exploiting the said creatures, building a vast network of illegal trade. Zephyr eventually became one of his main negotiators; he made sure the deals went fairly. He had a trained eye when it came to sheducats and it was hard to fool him when it came to pricing these beasts. With that, the rider was able to bargain for a better deal for himself. He started racing in the rooftop races like he always wanted, and soon was able to succeed at those as well. He had even aquired a bitter rival - competitor Avery Quilrona , who had joined adrenaline-fuelled streetraces by night while participating in official competitions by day. The two hated each other's guts, pushing each other to their limits.
It seemed like everything was going pretty well for Zephyr: the guilt for all the dirty gang business was easily suppressed, and he became Volkohv's treasured street racer. That was until a certain accident happened (click to read the expanded version; be warned that there are more sensitive topics of primarily trauma and violence). Whether it was really an accident is debatable, but ironically this is exactly how the event is referred to. It left Zephyr with an incomplete spinal injury and a non-functional right hand. It took him a year to fully recover physically.
When he finally entered the gates of the Northwind Cattery, he realized that many things had changed in his absence. Zephyr had to start from the bottom: his injury left him weaker and made the other street-racers challenge his position. He lost the prestige that he previously had - Volkhov and the gang distanced themselves from the 'problematic' member, sending him to the Pockpork city to test the new grounds. Even though he still raced for them, Zephyr knew that their eyes were on him: if he were to show even a sign of weakness, he would have been left on the sidelines. Pushing on and subduing the trauma, he worked to prove otherwise, striking out on a race after race, despite the massively problematic cat he was given.
The appearance of familiar rival; and perhaps at that moment, when their cats soared over the rooftops shoulder to shoulder, did Zephyr feel the old fire reignite with a newfound force. A series of strange encounters Avery and and Zeph were able to reconcile, and eventually the other rider helped Zephyr leave the gang despite being at odds with each other. With a new future for both of them, who knows what will happen? But the past is a fickle thing; rarely does it release its clutches from those so desperate to run from it.
Cattery: Northwind Cattery; later on, he leaves it, joining the Silverline Cattery under special conditions.
- Northwind Cattery is owned by a wealthy mafia leader that has come to dominate the Evenfall city and surrounding regions, it serves as a front for his street racers, while also occupied by legitimate racers. Even though some may have their suspicions, the two groups prefer to ignore each other, each keeping to their own.
- Silverline Cattery - and estate owned by Aaron Quilrona. Very established and wealthy cattery in Florida with a sister-cattery located in England.
Cat Yard or Gang: Volkhov's gang (exclusively for lore); later on, he leaves it.
Shedus, that belong to your character:
www.deviantart.com/shedumaster…
Link to points tracker: TBA
