Poppy Vespertine

Poppy is the more timid character of the core group of humanoids within the loner tribe. She prefers to keep to herself due to the social anxiety that she experiences when around a large group of people. Of course, there is a much more outgoing person beneath the anxiety and self-doubt that she struggles with. It simply takes more time for others to see that side of her. Her first loves are science and alchemy. Since a young age, her parents fostered her love of learning. Now, she can always be found reading books, creating various concoctions in her lab, or inventing some new device that could make their way of life just a touch easier. Poppy has always had the drive to better the lives of others. While her social skills are lacking, she makes up for it with her actions.

Poppy is on the weaker side in terms of physical strength. She was never overly athletic or enthusiastic about physical training of any kind. Her parents never forced her to take up this hobby either. Many might describe her as “twig like”. The girl could use a bit of extra weight. With this new world that they are learning more about each day, it’s difficult to find time to sit down for a proper meal. Oftentimes, her number one assistant and companion, Apollo, has to remind her to take breaks.

There is nothing Poppy is more passionate about than making new discoveries and solving problems. Her creative personality and persistent nature make her a force to be reckoned with. She is a problem solver and always will be. Failure is something that she is all too familiar with. The support of her friends has helped her to overcome many different challenges and ultimately, improve their living situation.

Emotions can tend to influence her decisions at times. Of their group of friends, she is the most emotional and the most sensitive. Poppy cannot stand to see anyone or anything in pain and may panic under a large amount of pressure. This makes clear thoughts next to impossible during these situations. Poppy hopes to gain better control over her emotions in the future so that she can be more of an asset in physical combat. In terms of protection, Poppy relies on her own set of inventions and concoctions that eliminate her physical weakness amidst the heat of battle. This could mean explosives or various types of traps.

Poppy was given an ability that many call “Transfer”. With her left side, she is able to siphon the life energy out of any living thing. This includes plants, animals, and humans. Upon doing this, that energy becomes a part of her. She can heal herself or enhance her own physical capabilities. One crucial aspect of her ability is the fact that she is able to steal the ability from another humanoid. If she completely drains the life out of a humanoid below the age of thirty, she can then steal their ability. However, this is a trait that her and her friends agreed to keep hidden for Poppy’s safety. It takes approximately two minutes to completely drain a person’s lifeforce. If she choses to keep the life energy for herself, the healing capabilities are permanent but the physical enhancements are temporary. She cannot fuse a stollen ability with herself. She can only give it to others. If she doesn’t give it to anyone, it’s converted to energy that enhances her physical strengths. Poppy is able to heal herself from physical injury as well.

With Poppy’s right hand, she is able to transfer the life energy that she has taken. With it, she can also transfer the last ability that she stole. The transfer of energy comes at a price. As she transfers energy, a pitch-black substance slowly begins to cover her body. The decayed matter is painful to the touch and looks similar to that of a very severe burn. Thankfully, Poppy heals from this substance over time. Siphoning more energy from another source does not cause the decay to go away. Transferring an ability causes the most damage to her body and she is incapable of using her ability for several days afterwards due to the amount of decay that it causes. Other symptoms such as fatigue and nausea also come with the decaying process. If it completely covers her body, she will die.

Poppy is unable to control the abilities of her left hand. She can only voluntarily choose the actions of her right. Her ability is a large source of anxiety for her and one of the major reasons that she does not enjoy being around unfamiliar groups of people. Thankfully, Poppy was able to create gloves that neutralize her ability using her own blood and hair. With the invention of these gloves, Poppy became less reclusive and was more willing to interact with others. However, the underlying fear still remains.