Zach Penn

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Introduction

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Stereotypes
Mages: Do you even know what that word means? Anyone who calls themself a 'mage' is trying to sell you on your own, alleged inferiority. They claim a power you can't understand, and designs on your future. Fuck 'em. Want the secrets of the universe? Start asking questions until they tell you drink hemlock. Then start a fight. You learn twice as much in the back half.
Sorcerers: What? First time wasn't enough? I said: Do you even know what that word means?
Werewolves: So you can grow nine feet tall with fangs and claws and you're real great at destroying shit. Big deal. Do you know how many people I know who can turn into all kinds of things? What have you built lately? 'Cause real talk, here: We're all in the same boat. None of us brought a paddle. Now, you can keep playing at tribalism, or you can learn to swim. 'Cause what matters ain't the who's baddest, but the ones who stop you falling from your ladder.
Mortals: You sound so fucking pretentious when you say it like that. We're all mortal. "Human." The word is, "Human." We're all that, too. And it's the word you should've been saying all along.
Big Brother: The road to Hell, man. Good intentions and baby skulls. Was it always about control? Always from fear? Or did 'humanity' once mean something to you?
The Self-Damned: Up front there ought to be a man in black.

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Contacts
Maya: Some day soon she's going to realize that she can't have it both ways. If I'm lucky it won't kill me.
Skylar: She's got choices to make, but has to come to grips with her Second Noble Truth, first. "Fake it 'til you make it" still requires you to be willing to make it.
Heather: I guess it's getting to be about that time. So what's this gonna be? We better figure it out quick. I don't know how much longer I can give you.
Alma: Hoo boy. Part of me wishes I could spare her from what comes next. Part of me wants to cheer her on. Fuck this month.
Shadi: This العصبي is a terror, to be sure. I could respect that if she weren't such a teenager.
Kai: Congratulations. I'd thought you were less fragile than this, but it turns out you're just like the rest.
Alexandra: She's useful enough, if inconsistent. I can't tell if she's trolling me or actually thinks I'm outright evil, now I'm not so sure about her either.
Victoria: Behind nearly every face that pretty is a sheltered past of privilege. Gonna miss the work, but I ain't here for a war, yet.
Wednesday: He's got a good heart. I wish the world he thinks we live in actually existed.
Arthur: You can tell a lot about someone by how they treat the people around them.
Emma: Don't worry kid, when someone is that afraid of me, I know they don't have anything I want. I do my best to not punch down.
Graham: An okay Hermetic. Which basically puts him at the top of the bottom bracket, but hey... credit where it's due. I'm... cutting him some slack for now.
Sandra & Oliver: Get. A. Room. With like, doors and shit. Seriously give me like, $200 and one trip to Home Depot and that whole situation could've been avoided.
Jim: Real Bird. Real Boy. Or so he says. Not super impressed, but it's not like I'm used to reading talking birds. Alma thinks highly enough of him to keep him around. That might just be the bird thing though.
Jamila: Ah. This brand of tribalism comes in cat people vs. dog people flavor now. How inspired.
Rayne: *rubs face* I forget, sometimes, because of all the weirdos I hang out with, that societal norms are a thing. And then I find them... in an occult shop of all places.
James: I guess we'll see, won't we?
Anthony: *pinches the bridge of his nose* Maya...
Jack: I guess he's gone walkabout or something. Maya's fond of him, and that's enough I guess. Hope he finds whatever.
Amane: Oh man, what have I gotten myself into this time?
Mack: Hope you gave whatever trouble you had the slip.
Hikaru: I hope she's okay. Whatever else I may think of her, she doesn't deserve to go out like Irene. Nobody deserves that.
Ahana: This isn't over.

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RP Hooks
Philosopher: Zach wanders around and thrives on opportunities to debate moral philosophy with anyone and everyone. He's a decidedly secular humanist, feminist, and social-contract theory subscriber.

Notoriety: Among Traditions Mages, Zach is something of a legend... and not in a good way. He's a renowned and very skilled Certamen Duelist, with over five dozen duels to his name. He's also defeated a countable number of Hermetic masters at the game - no one is really sure how, those masters sure aren't talking, but the Order of Hermes is VERY upset with him about this, and some... other business. Evidence has come to light that Zach is probably a Nephandus (though not everyone believes it), and he's barred from all chantries that are members of The Council of Nine Mystick Traditions. He consorts with werewolves and other known threats. Also? He's an asshole. Hermetic Mages are forbidden to duel him on threat of disbarment. All others are strongly urged to NOT get in a circle with him.

Heather: Zach's most recent trip back to Detroit wasn't a solo trip like his usual wanderings. This time he came back with a strange teenage girl. She's an odd duck, and isn't usually out without his escort.

Martial Artist: Zach is a very skilled aikidoka. He used to teach, a while ago, and technically has the qualifications even if his paperwork has long since been lost. He's always keen to spar though, and if you can put up with his iconoclasm, handy to have watching your back.

Handyman: Zach has a lot of skills at a lot of odd things, machining, automotive repair, and blacksmithing being some of the more esoteric. He's nearly always looking for work, so if you're keen to RP and can't think of anything else, he's happy to fix broken stuff for a decent under-the-table price.

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Tropes
Zach has been The Drifter for most of his life, but he's maturing a bit in his onrushing middle age and has slowed down how quickly he moves on. Maybe this time he'll actually stop. He's also The Philosopher. He grew up with a bit of The Gadfly and it got him into a spot of trouble, but he Will Not Be A Victim and he found his path as a Determinator. The thing is, this only made his gadfly bent all the more bold and now he's a bit of a Jerkass. He means well, he believes in humanity, in justice, in freedom, in agency, in the worth of people, so perhaps he manages to be the Jerk With a Heart Of Gold. But he's self-aware enough to know that Jerkass Has a Point and he's not gonna let it go.

His complete disregard for convention and rules can take make him seem Chaotic Stupid. It's really about how he sees himself as nothing more than a Badass Normal, though, and sees too high a social cost to letting folks easily believe anything else of themselves, and thus he frequently just scans as Captain Oblivious. Over the years this combination has landed him in a new kind of trouble.

Now he's got the Notoriety flaw, which means he's been Convicted by Public Opinion. He does what he can to leverage this for Fame Through Infamy, but it's still a flaw on the sheet. In some ways this reputation is actual bullshit and he's been Good All Along. But don't forget that Good Is Not Nice, necessarily. What's true about his bad reputation is a case of Good Versus Good, and so you should be ready for Face-Heel Turns and Heel-Face Turns just as fast. Sometimes this comes in the form of the stuff above with a side of Deadpan Snark and sometimes we go all the way up to Martial Pacifism.

Oh, one thing to keep in mind though. When it comes to the Hermetic game of Certamen? He's assuredly The Ace.

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Zach Penn
Zach-Portrait.jpg

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Overview
Name: Zachary Allen Penn
Date of Birth: November 17th, 1980
Apparent Age: Late Twenties to Mid Thirties, depending
Date of Awakening: September 23rd, 1999
Tradition: Orphan
Occupation: N'er Do Well, Odd Jobber
Nature: Architect
Demeanor: Judge
Nationality: American

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Disclaimer
Zach is an obnoxious prick to one degree or another, depending on circumstances. This can shift, invisibly, scene to scene and even mid-scene if the right/wrong thing gets said aloud. He is also, as a concept, moderately to extremely contrary.

His player, however, strives to be inclusive in scenes and is open to being contacted OOCly to help steer some of his worst tendencies to keep players from being put off. Please do not hesitate to reach out via page, @mail, or whatever if you, the player, need me - the player - to dial the Zachness back down a bit.

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