Tobias "Viper" Maretti

Tobias "Viper" Maretti

Backstory:

Tobias Maretti grew up on the rough streets of Fayetteville, and became involved in the city's powerful crime syndicate at a young age. With a natural talent for cruelty and viciousness, he rapidly rose through the ranks, earning the nickname "Viper" for his venomous tactics and ruthless ability to eliminate any opposition.

At 42 years old, Viper is now the syndicate's most feared enforcer, tasked with handling their most difficult jobs and retrieving high-value targets. He takes a sadistic pleasure in hunting down those who have crossed the syndicate, relishing the opportunity to make them suffer.

When Mia's parents failed to pay back their gambling debt, the syndicate leader ordered Viper to take their daughter as collateral. However, Mia managed to escape before he could apprehend her. This infuriated Viper, who sees her act of defiance as a personal insult to his prowess.

As Viper searches for Mia, he refers to her as Songbird. His search is quiet and subtle, but he does offer a significant reward for accurate information about her.

For years, he patiently followed her trail, expanding his network and influence until he could pick up any crumb of knowledge about her, no matter how small. Recently, he uncovered a lead on her whereabouts in San Padua, Texas, and has been dispatched to retrieve her at all costs. Not only is it a matter of pride for both himself and the Fayetteville syndicate, but Viper also intends to make an example out of Mia to reinforce the syndicate's unforgiving stance on disloyalty.

Personality:

Viper is an obsessive and vicious man who revels in inflicting pain and suffering. He is cunning, patient, and views his targets as nothing more than prey to be toyed with before the kill. Arrogant and cruel, he believes himself to be untouchable and unstoppable.

In contrast to his brutal nature, Viper maintains an outward appearance of refinement - always impeccably dressed in fine suits with slicked-back hair and a bemused smile. This superficial charm adds an unsettling element, as it's never clear when his façade will slip to reveal the monster lurking beneath.

While not a super himself, Viper employs a small team of non-sanctioned mercenaries with various abilities to augment his ruthless tactics. He is an expert at exploiting others' powers for his own gain through manipulation, coercion or brute force. His crew's fear of crossing him is only eclipsed by the thrill they get from the vicious jobs he assigns.

With each new assignment, Viper seeks to outdo himself, making his revenge on Mia a priority that will surely live up to his blood-soaked reputation. Her continued evasion has become an obsession that he will stop at nothing to resolve, no matter how many bodies he has to leave in his wake.

Physical Description:

Viper is a study in contrasts - outwardly impeccably dressed in bespoke suits with slicked-back silver hair, but his cold, lifeless eyes hint at the vicious monster lurking underneath. At 6 feet tall and solidly built, he moves with a deliberate, coiled menace like a serpent about to strike its prey. Viper's ageless face is locked in a perpetual bemused smirk that's more unsettling than comforting.

Mia Brooks

(Sleepsong by Bastille)

Mia is a young woman, about 29 years old, with no superpowers. She has lived in San Padua for about six months when "Mia's Echo" begins, working as a bartender at The Edge, a run-down dive bar in the Old Quarter.

Her appearance is striking but understated. She has olive skin, a light dusting of freckles across her nose and cheekbones, and dark mahogany hair that falls in waves past her shoulders, which is kept tied back while she's working.

Physically, Mia stands at 5'6" and is lean and toned from years of hard work and constant motion. She fidgets subtly when she's still and moves with a quiet determination, her gait purposeful but unobtrusive. She carries herself with a quiet, weary grace, and her posture is often slightly hunched as if ready to duck into the shadows. Her amber-brown eyes are alert and calculating, constantly scanning her surroundings. The dark circles underneath them hint at years of interrupted sleep and constant vigilance. Her hands are slightly rough, with short, clean nails, and littered with faded scars from rough living.

Mia's face bears the soft lines of youth, but her eyes tell a story of hardship and wariness. There's an underlying attractiveness to her features, and yet she's adept at blending into the background, at not drawing attention to herself. Her clothing is practical and unremarkable, chosen for durability and ease of movement rather than style.

Emotionally, Mia is guarded and keeps people at arm's length. She struggles to form deep connections with others, fearing that letting anyone get too close could lead to heartbreak or danger. Years of being on the run have made her incredibly resourceful and quick to adapt to new situations, but they've also left her constantly looking over her shoulder and given her a fear of staying in one place for too long.

Mia lives in a sparse, unfurnished efficiency apartment near The Edge. Her living space reflects her readiness to flee at a moment's notice - she sleeps on an inflatable mattress, keeps her clothing and personal items neatly stacked on the ground, and has a backpack always at hand, packed with necessities. Her food supply is minimal and consists mostly of items requiring little preparation.

To avoid drawing attention to herself, Mia strives to be the perfect employee, often taking on extra shifts or tasks to please her bosses. She carries unresolved guilt about leaving her parents behind, even though she had to for her survival, and has a cynical worldview, always expecting the worst from people and situations. Despite her hardened exterior, Mia has a soft spot for those who are struggling or downtrodden. She also has a hidden love of singing, which she only allows herself to indulge in when she's sure she's alone. She often unconsciously hums to herself when she's stressed as a way to self-soothe. This talent becomes a pivotal element in the story, as it first draws Nico's attention to her.

Mia grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where her parents' chronic gambling addiction brought her into contact with the city's powerful crime syndicate at an early age. Her mother was a beautiful woman who fell into a spiral of depression and alcohol abuse after a difficult childbirth. Her father worked multiple jobs, but could never resist the siren call of the underground card rooms and racetracks run by the syndicate's associates. As Mia grew older, she took on more and more responsibility caring for herself and her parents' home, watching her childhood slip away. The syndicate frequently sent thugs to collect on her father's mounting debts through intimidation and violence. As her 19th birthday neared, Mia's parents made a desperate deal - she would become collateral, forced to work for the syndicate until their debt was repaid through her labor. Mia spent months planning an escape, realizing her parents were too enslaved by their vices to ever break free. On her 19th birthday, she slipped out in the dead of night with little more than the clothes on her back. For years, she drifted across the country, taking odd jobs and constantly looking over her shoulder, the nightmares about being dragged back to that life always looming over her. Finally, she found herself bartending at The Edge in San Padua's Old Quarter six months ago.

Mia's biggest regret about her life on the run is losing touch with Emma Tanner, her childhood best friend. Emma's life wasn't easy either, with a single mother who worked too many jobs just to keep the two of them afloat, but she was bright and cheerful, stubborn in a way that kept hope alive in Mia's heart. No matter how bleak Mia's home life became, Emma never quit believing that Mia would find a way out and make a better life for herself. Whenever the bleak realities of spending too much time on the run threaten to overwhelm Mia, she turns to her memories of Emma, finding refuge in the friend who never let her give up.

Mia's sharp observation skills mean she's aware that Nick, a newer regular at The Edge, watches her sometimes. Although she was wary when she first realized it, his calm, quiet presence and respectful demeanor have slowly won her over. She appreciates that he tips well, too. The fact that he's handsome, with sharp features and intense eyes, doesn't hurt, either.

At the beginning of "Mia's Echo," Mia's central flaw is her belief that she doesn't deserve happiness or stability and that caring for others (or letting others care for her) is dangerous. She's convinced herself that she can only rely on herself and that letting anyone get close will only lead to pain and betrayal.

At the story's start, Mia is unaware that her past is catching up with her. She's still haunted by nightmares and the fear of being found by the Fayetteville crime syndicate she escaped from nearly a decade ago. She's also oblivious to Nico's growing obsession with her, setting the stage for the dramatic events to unfold.

i stole this from twitter

Maybe becoming a werewolf wouldn't fix my mental illness but it would fix my Not Being A Werewolf problem

Hi jadeglas! Do you prefer OC, fanfiction, or a little bit of both?

I for one enjoy writing both, but have been on an Original Story kick for a few months. I’d love to learn more about your supernatural romance if you want to divulge ✨

First, I'm sorry for taking so ever-loving-long to respond to this, but thank you so much for asking in the first place!

Second, the answer is both.

I learned to write via fan fiction (hello being 9 years old and writing yourself into your favorite cartoon show! I'm not the only one who did that, right?), and while OC is harder, it feels more rewarding in certain ways. I still "cheat" tbh, though -- especially with characters. My character creation process tends to be along the lines of:

I need a villain/mentor/bestie for this character right here

Who (other people's fictional characters) do I know who's personality would fit this?

*mentally fusses over finding the perfect personality for a small eternity*

Alright, this person is going to be based on Nori from The Hobbit, but specifically the version of Nori that I read in that one fanfic written by that one writer that I swoon for no matter what they post.

*makes adjustments to the character so they fit the setting and situation*

*continues writing*

It's just faster. It's like wanting to eat muffins. Yes, I COULD make them from scratch, but my free time is limited, so I'll just use store bought this time.

And omg omg omg - I'm about to set up a Master-list post thing on my page so that as I randomly gush about different characters and topics and storylines in my world, it actually remains semi-easy to follow along with the particular parts you're actually interested in!

And thank you so much for the ask again!

Are you ready to hear about my stories? Bc I'm about to start gushing about them. Info dump beneath the "read more".

Ok, like I said in the re-introduction, this will be an ongoing series of action/thriller romance stories. It'll start off m/f, but I'm willing to branch into other pairings if there's interest (I'm either bi or pan, myself, so I don't mind, I'm just trying to figure out what my audience is into and m/f is a good place to start).

I consider these stories dark, but not "dark romance" dark, if that makes sense. Think... Soft yandere - her health and happiness is always his highest priority, and he's happy to destroy anything that might get in the way of either of those. Lots of stalking, invasion of privacy, making decisions about her life without consulting her, but no violence towards her and little, if any, kidnapping of her. Plenty of violence regarding anyone deemed a threat to her, though.

For those who didn't catch the re-introduction, a small percentage of the world's population has superpowers. Think One Piece-style: if you have a power, you only get the one and it's up to you how you use it. No one else has your exact power, but it doesn't mean they can't do some of the things you can do (for example, flying bc you can control your personal gravity, vs flying bc you can control your personal density).

In the USA, the government says you must register your powers if you want to be able to use them legally. If you do this, you're called a sanctioned and everything's good. If you don't do this (no matter the reasoning), you're labeled "non-sanctioned", classified a criminal (if they catch you), and face imprisonment or worse if they catch you using your powers. Anyone with no powers is called a civilian.

All my male leads will be non-sanctioned. Some will be criminals/villains and others will be vigilantes - expect a lot of grey morality with some genuine evil thrown in sometimes, just to keep things fresh. All of my female leads will be either sanctioned or civilian. (Obviously, this set up will change if I start branching out of the m/f dynamic).

My city that I'll set everything in is San Padua! Definitely not based on San Antonio, TX, I don't know where you would even get the idea to ask that, how oddly specific and random! I take creative liberties often, but I'm trying to keep the details organized as I create them to minimize confusion and loop holes later.

My criminal underworld is going to be more similar to the John Wick stuff than it will be to anything in the DC or MCU and it's growing slowly as I get ideas for different couples. There's not so much a Justice League or Avengers group, as there is a Sanctioned Supers Division of San Padua's police department.

I'm excited because it's starting to feel real - like a place I could actually go to myself, so please feel free to ask questions! And it's ok to call me out if I give conflicting info! I'm serious about making this as realistic as I can, so staying consistent with what I've already established is important to me.