literature

PM: Osteo Profile

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Literature Text

History

Osteo is an Unwritten, born from an errant thought and the all-encompassing power of Imagination. Little more than vapor and the will to exist, Unwritten do not have mundane histories. They have no childhoods to grow from, no parents to be influenced by, and most don't even have a set physical form to be defined by. They begin their growth from the moment they come into existence, and should they ever stop they will fade back into nonexistence.

Osteo doesn't know his age nor does he care to find out. He came into being only possessing a knowledge of bone magic. He didn't even have any rudimentary skills, those were to come later. He drifted about multiple multiverses as Unwritten are wont to do, seeking out a story of his own that would both define him as well as give him the purpose he needed to not fade away. And along the way he learned the necessary information to survive. How to interact with others, what money was and how it could be procured, food and drink in all its varieties, and so much more.

Time passed, but Osteo could not find a story to call his own despite journeying to hundreds of worlds over the course of his existence. But he did learn of other things that were not well known. Information pertaining to both Unwritten and how they came about. Finally, on a world simply known as the Library, he made the discovery gave him his purpose as well as made him Aware of the 4th Wall.

Unwritten were more than simple fluff. They could only come about through the power of Authors, wielders of Imagination and self-supposed gods of the multiverses. When an Author came up with something, be it little more than maybe an ability or a character trait, and then forgot about it, their power made it real. But because the idea was not complete, neither was the character. Possibilities that could either grow or vanish. This was the true nature of an Unwritten.

Osteo dove into the subject of Authors and the legends surrounding them. There was precious little information of the overlords, but he did find several key facets that all of them shared. The first was that they each had their own unique world where they reigned supreme. The second was that while all-powerful in their worlds, they were not omniscient. And third, an Unwritten can always identify the Author from whence they came, no matter what disguise the Author may hide behind.

Osteo pressed even further for information, but this was not wise. As with all worlds, the Library had been created by an Author. And that Author took notice of the character seeking knowledge on his kind. Osteo sensed the danger through his developing sense of the 4th Wall and escaped the Library before the Author could capture him. The Author made certain to bar the way to him so Osteo could never return to wield his knowledge against the owner of the Library.

He took this all in stride though, and set out to fulfill his purpose. Armed with the knowledge to discover his own Author, he soon found the world he was meant to reside on. Osteo plunged headlong into the world and began to covertly observe his Author. And it was here that he learned the true horror of such beings.

Osteo's Author was not a kind one. Whereas most Authors visit hardship and suffering on their characters only when necessary to forge them into stronger heroes, this one took great pleasure in doing so, to the point where he became synonymous with misfortune. He was the bandit that slit the merchant's throat on the road, the emperor proclaiming a death sentence on the framed hero, the hangman fitting the noose for an innocent man, and so many more. Over the course of several months Osteo's intention turned from proving himself to the Author, to striking him down.

It was easy. Osteo had tailed the Author enough to learn his patterns. So it was when the Author took the form of a mayor advocating genocide that he put his plan into action. Despite the so-called godhood of Authors, not even they were immune to such things as a bullet in the heart.

But a dying Author is not a dead Author, and Osteo paid a heavy price for not making the death instantaneous. The moment he knew the wound was mortal, the Author poured the entirety of his power into a grand curse that thundered down upon the hapless Unwritten. In one fell stroke the Author stripped Osteo of all the knowledge he had accumulated over his existence, his purpose, the personality and appearance that defined him, and and crafted it all into chains that bound him to the world so long as he clung to the story he'd begun. In an instant Osteo was left with only what he had been given at the time of his creation: his magic.

He doesn't recall how long he's been imprisoned. But Dionysus has made him an offer that is akin to offering heaven and earth to an Unwritten. Freedom and a purpose. Even should this all be a trap, Osteo will press on in search of what was taken from him, as well as searching for new things to hold dear.

Personality

At first Osteo was understandably furious with his predicament. He lashed out indiscriminately at whatever seemed like it would hold some excitement. As the centuries passed he mellowed out, realizing that attacking random people was boring. To rectify his reputation, he hid himself away in the wild and waited. Once the word of his terror had died out from the generations he came back and tried again. Now he is the typical snarky forever-teenager. Though he no longer just attacks without warning, he's not to type to back down when one seems imminent. To those who don't offer him friction though, he's generally sort of blah, always stating how he's bored with them. This goes as far as the "boring" one in question remains so.

Skills and Abilities

Osteo is skilled in manipulation of his own bones via osteomancy, as his namesake attests. He is capable of sharpening, extending, and even rearranging their setup to better benefit him for the task at hand. He is also able to regenerate as well as kill off his bones, allowing him to get rid of a massive claw and then replace his hand. So far as he's observed, there's been no reduction in the quality of the bones.

Furthermore, he has had centuries of fighting experience while imprisoned. His opponents have been wide and varied, allowing him to better develop his style. He favors a bestial form in combat, though whether Dionysus's words to him will have an effect on this is unknown as of yet. Utilizing his animalistic-form, Osteo literally flies about his opponent with superior agility, and favors enclosed areas where he can bounce off walls at various angles. Few opponents can defend against a constant onslaught from below, above, and behind, nearly simultaneously.

Aside from combat skills, Osteo is street-smart. Understandable considering the knowledge he once had has been stolen from him. He does not think in a way that would be logical to most, but is perfectly sensible to him. For example, if he's hungry and encounters a sandwich sitting on a park bench. Most would ignore it, deeming it trash that must be contaminated. He would approach it, sniff the food, then pop it in his mouth and continue on his way. Over years of doing things like this he has developed a cast-iron constitution, being able to resist many foodborne pathogens as well as not being a picky eater (understatement). The quickest way to make friends with him is to offer something tasty that is not tainted in any way. He will react violently if proferred food is not fit to eat by his standards.

As an Unwritten, Osteo takes from them as well. The first is that due to the nature of his amorphous body, he will appear to be something that seems familiar for the world he's on. So in Knossos he would appear fully human. People who can see auras, read energy, or see beyond what they see will be able to find his true form. This is how Dionysus saw through the veil. So long as Osteo appears to be in that form, he's written as doing things that seem normal for it.

On a lesser note, Osteo is very 4th Wall Aware, and isn't afraid of using this to better himself, whether this means being meta to screw with someone or literally hopping off the page to get things done.

The White Bull II

Should Osteo be infected with TWBII, he will change in several ways. The first is that his mindset will gradually alter, feeding off Dionyus's lingering words. The changes will be small at first, starting with assuming a gradually more human form in combat, then to focusing on reinforcing his existing bones over manipulating their forms, and finishing with forming armor plates out of his bones to finish the transformation in style and mentality from beast to human. Second is his body will begin producing vast amounts of blood when even a small injury occurs, to the point where a scratch on the thumb turns it into an airbrush set on red. This would have the side effect of both flushing out toxins as well as rendering it impossible to make Osteo bleed out. And third, Osteo's feeling of pain would slowly disappear, though this is more likely to cause problems than actually help.
Osteo's profile! First to offer him a poisoned burger gets their throat ripped out, go!

Also guess who the Library belongs to, because it ain't me. If the Wotchers don't get it I will be making this face.

:iconsoniamdisappointplz:
© 2010 - 2024 Madican
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Dreamcatcher88's avatar
There is only one thing that I can see that reads oddly - "In an instant it was Osteo was left with only what he had been born with: his magic."

No idea how you'd want to fix that however.

Hope it helps... ^^;