Missing_File_Extension
One last hurrah for some most of this team on Earth… a first foray as a sardine can passenger for the remaining member.
Anyway…
The Team
Karin Schrant
- 32 Years; 219cm; ~100kg; Human; missing left arm just above the elbow
Eerily similar to the iconic “Slenderman” horror creature, Karin’s excessive height and almost unhealthily bony physique make for an easy halloween costume. Vampire-like pale skin and long, somewhat disorderly hair which is juuust about not white if you manage to get the lighting right also lend themselves for mystical shenanigans if desired. Grey-ish blue eyes and a default fascial expression reading something akin to “something is perpetually bothering me a bit” complete the first impression of Karin, if we ignore the artificial left arm with a lot of pulleys, motors and cables showing all it’s inner workings with minimal paneling to cover it all.
For those who talk to him, Karin generally is open-minded and friendly and will happily chat about whatever banter that comes up. His interests generally revolve around pretty much any type of music (some exceptions apply) and instruments (primarily guitar and bass). Apart from that, he also is a fairly competent cook.
Fashion is rather mundane for Karin, consisting of an almost hilariously oversized button-up shirt, a regular (long sleeve) tee underneath, some jeans and sneakers.
Reference Imagery
this may just as well be Karin’s exact outfit
pls imagine the beard not being there
unlike the arm shown, the amputation was done above the elbow
Valentin Schrant
- 27 Years; 221cm; ~200kg (appears about 130-140kg); Part-Khalan Human-Hybrid; missing left arm just below the shoulder
Valentin may pass as a twin to Karin, because he almost is one from a genetic perspective. Equally pale skin, equally almost-white hair, equally grey eyes and the left arm being of mechanical nature match the respective other. However, this is where the similarities end:
- Valentin is of MUCH bulkier physique compared to Karin, though still closer to “rock-climber” than “bodybuilder”, complete with single-digit body fat percentage
- by extension, his Khalan genetic subsection entails pipeline-like blood vessels and a set of canine fangs, which some might consider jarring at first sight
- most of that is hidden by his sense of fashion, though (more on that below)
- while his hairdo is matches Karin for color, it differs in that it is longer (just below beltline vs mid-back) and also thicker
- the thickness is hidden by it usually being braided to a “ponytail”
- Valentin’s artificial arm is obviously much more advanced, with the mechanicals almost entirely hidden from view and a surface finish which acts as a display, able to show anything Valentin wants at will without any external input.
- The other, natural arm and hand is covered in what initially appears to be a tattoo, depicting circuitry and components akin to a flattened PC motherboard wrapping around the forearm and the back of his hand. Curiously, there is some texture to it that can be felt, possibly even seen.
Socially, Valentin is almost a polar opposite to Karin, in that he is much quieter, of basically zero initiative and more formal. He very rarely gets outright angry, but if you manage to piss him off that hard, prepare for the worst. Generally, he is best described as “softie in a somewhat crunchy shell”, in that he opens up considerably if one manages to break the ice. The “ice” is weakest if talking engineering for modes of transport, cycling or the car the group is in.
Fashion-wise, he prefers unreasonably warm clothing, to a point where he probably won’t be found wearing anything lighter than a turtleneck, slacks and above-ankle boots. More than likely, he covers it all in a HEAVY double-breasted coat, all generally themed around burgundy first, black second and some minimal golden accents for detailing. Also, despite not needing them anymore, Valentin semi-frequently does wear a set of thin, rectangular frameless glasses.
Reference Imagery
this one is pretty much accurate. The only real change would be lack of body-fat and a vascular AF neck.
Fashion is pretty much accurate as-is as well.
Any panel shown in matte black acts as the display mentioned above
Christopher Schrant
- 24 years (25 as of Nov. 25th); 198cm; ~80kg; Human; missing the ability to walk or stand
Being the younger brother of Valentin, some similarities are apparent, but unlike the other two, he is nowhere near as monochrome as the other two. Featuring a skintone that isn’t closer to Dracula than a human (although still pale by “normal person” standards), a head full of dreadlocks that actually qualifies as “blonde” regardless of lighting and light blue eyes, Christopher represents the un-fucked version of genectics passed down from his parents. While also light in weight and mostly devoid of muscle mass, Christopher is not as bad for assumed starvation compared to Karin. While there is no fancy chrome arm to look at, he also is functionally incomplete, in that Christopher is unable to walk or even stand unsupported and thus bound to an ordinary wheelchair.
Christopher is similar to Karin socially. He has no issues chatting up other people about the environment, generally left-leaning notions (he is not a hardcore communist, though) and similar topics tied to that. He also is a fan of the “special type of grass”, but didn’t bring any because of Valentin banning him from doing so.
In terms of fashion, Christopher once was deep into alternative styles, but his move to a wheelchair has reigned in parts of it, forcing him to wear leggings underneath a well-worn set of Jeans and ankle-height sneakers have replaced his favourite set of sandals. The upper body remains almost unchanged, though, with a textured hooded jacket with intricate psychedelic-style patterns and colors on top of a outer-space themed long sleeve, deep neck shirt. Tons of “hippie-style” accessories decorate both arms and his neck, with some more being tacked onto his haircut as well.
Reference Imagery
other than the obvious fact of him being supposed to be in a wheelchair, this one’s accurate
Vito
- 2 years; n/a; ~5kg; computational AI; missing a physical presence entirely
Vito is not a traditional team member in that he has no physical presence that one could see or meet. Instead, he is a VEEERY glorified Artificial Intelligence (yes, this one has actual “intelligence”) assistant to Valentin, who in turn serves as the host to Vito in a symbyotic relationship. Vito is able to see and perceive the world through Valentin’s senses, but is unable to audibly speak to anyone other than Valentin, for whom Vito is “a voice inside my head”. Other methods may be used to communicate, chief among which any unsecured (or deliberately unlocked) display device or speaker, such as smart TVs, bluetooth speakers and the like. Unless Vito announces himself, is announced by others or the opposing party outright knows already there is no immediate way of telling that he even exists. For those who do know of him, they can address Vito directly without having to go the “tell Vito thisandthat” way.
The Vehicle
Veterans will know the vehicle Valentin has brought to the start line for the group to use:
The self-propelled powerplant railcar returns once more, having done it’s duty in Shitbox Rally 2023 already, although with some modifications made to “fit” three people instead of just Valentin. The entirety of the gen-set equipment has been removed in favor of a transverse back seat for Christopher to be folded into. A similar set of mods was done for the front passenger seat to accomodate Karin, though this one is, rather obviously, not transversely mounted.
Seating Arrangement
Christopher is confined to the back. Val and Karin up front may swap seats if needed. Occupants are to scale.
Other than that, it mechanically is entirely unchanged and still powered by ~160hp of steam.
Given that the front is full of Steam engine and generator, the rear is full of boiler and traction motor equipment and the interior is full of three people waaay too big for the car they have, storage within it is limited to the glovebox, front door pockets and center console. To make the trip possible, a hardware store trailer was procured to tow along, containing anything larger than what fits into a fanny pack per team member.
